Just Walk Away

There are just some days it doesn't pay to thread the machine.  Sunday I was sewing away on my Easy Addition blocks and suddenly looked at the block I was working on and thought, hmm, I wonder if I'm laying this out right.    AND I HAD NOT.  I had sewn prior to this about 30 blocks.I went through all of them and  there were a whopping 5 correct, and I distinctly remember at the time thinking they looked different.   OHMYGOSH. As you can see that one on the right is all kinds of wrong with it's little contrast squares out to the edge and not by the plus. 

 

Luckily, if there can be a luckily to this situation, my scrappy backgrounds make this not a real big problem, you know except in my brain, so I'm going to soldier on.  Even if you made it as the pattern is written, with a single background, it's not a problem, all that gives you away are  the seams. The design elements are correct.  Except in the case of Righty there, who has already been fixed.

 

Turns out that this wasn't the mindless project I needed for the retreat, I'm  just a mindless sewer.  I found the last of the blocks I needed to put together and I will make those this week. Or maybe I won't. It's a busy week.  No hurry.  Right?  

 

I share this because I know we're all sitting at our machines feeling dense sometimes! You're having a good day/ bad day/  fun day / mad day... and then something happens and bam. Sad Day. It happens to all of us.  Even the best of us, which ugh, I don't think I'm the best, but I do think the best get their rippers out sometimes.

I'll soldier on.  Lessons are learned. I still love my blocks, the crazy scrappy backgrounds and the bright red plusses make me feel cheerful.  Happy day! xo

Monday

Good morning! Happy Monday!  How was your weekend? Spend time sewing? Seems like it based on all the pictures I saw!   I did some time sewing, but we also had plenty to do around the house.  Bit by bit we're going through our boxes and deciding what is 'kitchen worthy'.  Honestly, can't I set up a kitchen in the garage and then just use my real kitchen to look at?  Because that's all I want to do. 

 

And also, take a thousand pictures of my coffee at the kitchen window, and  my $3.99 cake stand from the Target Dollar Spot or whatever it's called now.  I went to the garden center and picked up a couple of pretties, first this pretty campanula  in faux berry basket and a daisy of some sort for outside the window on the ledge.  I have  a cute polka dot pot courtesy of one of my many trips to Home Goods in the past and the daisy looks so cheerful.  And just so I can stare at this little wedge of kitchen day and night, I put a battery operated candle with a timer in a little galvanized lantern type thing outside the window.. OMG I need to move away from the window.

 

But for right now I can't.   And no one can make me.  I can stay there  at the counter looking out at the birds and read all my new appliance manuals.  I hope I don't have to go though some kind of certification to use my microwave.  Holy cow, everything is so complicated.

 

Looking forward to a busy week this week, what about you?  Hope it's a good one! xo

INTERNATIONAL QUILTING DAY!

Good morning!  Are you up and at the sewing machine?  It's the perfect day to spend in front of your sewing machine... it's practically your obligation right? It's International Quilting Day! 

You know my pal Alex has a huge give away going on over at The Quilt Show! Here's a short video about  what's going on..

 

 

 

And just click here to head over to The Quilt Show to enter! 

 

And remember you can binge  watch shows from Season 1 to 17 this weekend!  What could be better!  Just click here. There's something for everyone!

 

Ok happy weekend! xo

Friday!

Good morning, happy Friday!  How are you?  How was your week?  It seems like I was busy all week but who knows what I was doing! Some weeks are just like that. 

Yesterday was Splendid Sampler day.  Did you get your Iowa block done?  It's a quick and easy block courtesy of Sherri at A Quilting Life.  Here's mine. 

 

I know I'm just a couple of blocks away from have my Quilts and More Easy Addition quilt ready to lay out, hopefully I can get to those today and start thinking about getting them sewn into rows.  I'm still working on my Scrapbasket Sampler blocks, they're cute and small.. and you can see mine on Instagram. 

 

That's about it.  Big plans this weekend?  It's International Quilt Weekend!!! Lets get quilting!

 

Home again

Hi there! Happy Monday!  I'm excited that today's coffee came straight from my new kitchen, the days of bathroom-kitchen coffee are over!   Most people wouldn't take a picture with an outlet in it, but OMG people, this outlet is one of two new outlets in my kitchen!  For the last thirty plus years we've survived with ONE OUTLET in the kitchen.  I'm giddy!

 

Yesterday was Splendid Sampler day!  Did you download your block?  This block is courtesy of Jane.  The block is named your Local Quilt Shop.  Totally cute.  I am not the best embroiderer, so fussy cutting the name was the way to go for me. 

 

The retreat was fun, and I will have some pictures of the sharing soon.  These women are seasoned quilt retreat attendees and OMG they really get stuff done.  I did get sewing done, but it was kid stuff in comparison.  We did get out and about going to the local quilt shops which was a lot of fun.  I'm lucky that my friends Deb and Debbie have invited me into their group of friends.  

 

I think my week will be filled with puttering around the house trying to restore order.  Something that I'm not that good at really.  I've put some stuff back on my counters and it seems a bit like blasphemy at this point.  But it's got to be done! Hope you have a good week everyone!!! xo 

Retreat Bound

Good Morning !  I'm off and running to my retreat today!  I'ts a 4 hour drive and it all begins at 1pm!  Of course you don't have to be there ON THE DOT.  I want to get into town a little early, there are some fun shops that I like to stop at in Paso Robles.  We will probably hit some quilt shops on Friday or Saturday, but I like the little antiques shops too, so I'll check those out on my way in. 

 

ANYWAY... I've had a busy week!  I have my block done for today!  This block is by Julie Karasek and it's called Friends Around the Square!  Super cute and fun block to make.  Be sure and check out the Splendid Sampler for the details to make this block! 

 

 I've had lots of sewing room time lately, and over on Instagram I saw that Lindsay Mayland, editor at American Patchwork and Quilting and Make it Yourself Magazine, made the cutest set of  meow mug rugs.  I have a lot of scraps in my basket from the Splendid Sampler blocks, so I cut one out, stitched it up, quickly quilted and bound it all in about 45 minutes. Possibly less. I think it's pretty cute and will be a perfect place to plant my coffee! Or stick up on the wall. Or put in the vault.. I just don't know yet. You know me.

 

Then my friend Roseann told me about Cheri Payne's "My Scrapbasket Sampler" .   It's a closed  group on Facebook, but you can ask to join, it's not secret...they let me right in! It's a block a day during the week, and it's just 24 blocks I believe.  I got sucked right in, my scrap basket is full and lots of strips are cut.  The group is basically a friendship group and the sampler is just something fun going on right now!  Maybe you already belong, I saw some familiar names on the list of members! I saw lots of fun pictures of quilts and blocks and cute displays.  Here's my first three blocks. Maybe I'll keep up, maybe not, but so far it's fun! Made these in about half an hour or so.

 

I was working on other things too. I know all of you don't do Instagram but often I have daily goings on there.. and I share projects that people make with PKM fabrics. I think that's a lot of fun. So you can check in there to see what I'm up to as well.

 

Ok, I best get cracking.  Tell me what you're up to this weekend!  I hope you have a good one.  I hope I get tons of sewing done, but most of all I know I'll have tons of fun! xo

Busy Days

Good morning!  How was your weekend?  Kind of busy on this end.  It's the last week of the kitchen update, so Saturday Eric came by to do a little work in preparation  for appliance installation.  I'm excited to have my kitchen back, and I don't plan on taking running water in my kitchen  and cooking appliances for granted again.  Well not for a while anyway! (Gotta keep it real you know?)

 

Anyway I had some last minute prep to do for the retreat.  Not like I still don't have several days before I leave, but no point waiting till the night before.  Our group has a block lotto, and this time we're making scrappy bow tie blocks from Alex's book Scrap Quilting with Alex Anderson.  You can make one or more, and the more you put in, the better your chances are of winning the lot.  I made four, so far anyway.  Bow ties are a favorite, and I can just go through my scrap basket and find pieces just right. 

We also play Left, Right Center, so I have my fabrics for that.  Last year you brought three batik fat quarters, this year we're picking one color and bringing a light, medium and dark.  We might play more than once, so I have enough for two games.  It was pretty exciting last time, I had never played before. 

 

Yesterday was Splendid Sampler day!  Amy designed a cute block she named Snug as a Bug. You can read about it on her blog, and download the pattern over at The Splendid Sampler!  I can't wait to see your blocks!

 

 

Ok, I best get ready and face the day! xo

TGIF

Man this week could not be over fast enough.  How was it for you?  Hope that it went well, regardless though, IT'S IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR.

 

I've seen lots of pretty Splendid Sampler blocks out on FB and IG.  What about you?  I whipped mine out, it's a cute block. I'm trying to add more colors as I go.. who knows how it will all work out.  I suspect for me sashing will be the great equalizer!  You can find instructions for Focal Point over here on the Splendid Sampler website, and you can read more about designer Natalia here on her blog, Piece and Quilt.

 

Now that it's time to think about packing up for my retreat, I wanted to share two new additions to my  travel equipment.  Olfa kindly sent me this new Folding Cutting Mat which is perfect for on-the-go sewing.  I think one of the hardest things to bring with you is the mat... and it only takes one time of leaving your mat in the car in even the slightest of bent positions to know it's far to valuable of a tool to risk damaging. This mat will fold up and slide into a tote bag.  Thanks Olfa, and thanks for making those life changing tools. (You can click here and see my video where I talk about life changing things! Its been almost 4 years since I made it but it's all still true. )

 

 

Also on deck is my new Clover Wedge iron. I ordered it after seeing a demo in the Clover booth  at CHA in January.  My regular iron takes up a lot of space and is  power hungry so not practical for this sewing trip, but I'm not ready to give up having a dedicated iron!   I hope this little iron does the trick for me.

 

 

 

 

The lines on this mat disappear with the slightest pressure, so once you lay your fabric on it you can't see that fold at all. 

 

Ok, that's about it for today peoples!  HAPPY WEEKEND! xo

The Name Game

Good morning! How was your weekend? Busy?  I saw a lot of blocks  for the Splendid Sampler pop up in Instagram and Facebook!  Sunday's block is courtesy of Celine Perkins.  It's called Simple Simon and it's just that! You can click over to The Splendid Sampler for the block instructions. Here's my block. 

In other exciting news.. Pam Kitty Morning is featured over on Cindy's blog, Live a Colorful Life!

 

If you've been wondering how the name Pam Kitty Morning came about, head on over and check it out.   It might not be what you think! 

 

Spending time back in the sewing room has really paid off for me.  I have two nice kits cut for  my retreat.  I'm thinking that's probably enough to keep me busy.  Hmm what next.  Maybe I'll tackle some of my ufo's sitting around.  I can go through the stuff piled up at the archaeological dig site...oops I mean my sewing table and find something.  Like maybe those blocks I started last year. WHO KNOWS.   Anything could happen!   Have a great week friends! xo

 

P. S. HAPPY LEAP YEAR DAY!

TGIF

Hi there! Happy Friday!  Hope your week has been a happy one!  I've been a busy bee this week, working in my sewing room, doing a little of this and a little of that.  First things first, yesterday was Splendid Sampler day!  Did you download your block and get busy?  Happy Happy is the theme of Jen Kingwell's block, and indeed it is happy.  I love Jen's style, don't you?  I remember the first time I saw her Green Beans and Sweet Beans Quilt at Quilt Market I lost my mind I loved it so much.  She continues to wow me each time she makes a new quilt.  Magical is all I can say.  Anyway, I love her block and while mine is a bit of departure from hers with no embroidery, I felt happy making it.  I love how people are putting their own spin on it.. check out this block by Debbie Taylor.. so cute.  I  love the machine applique on it.. the 'x' through a couple of flowers and the bird!  Perfect addition. 

 

While I was working on my kit for the retreat, which is still a couple of weeks away, I stopped to try out a block from the American Patchwork and Quilting sew along, It All Adds Up.  This block is from the Easy Addition quilt by Brenda from Just a Little Bit Frayed. Just in case you don't know Brenda, she's a fabric designer and  a shop owner as well. Check out her blog to read about all the other things she's up to. 

 

Anyway, I saw this scrappy version on the All People Quilt instagram feed.  (made by Jeni Baker)  I love that kind of scrappy, so I pulled out a bunch of my low volume prints and got busy. I pulled reds for the pluses and all the low volume prints I've had over the years and got cutting.  Today I'll cut the accent pieces, then do all the subcutting.  Once I'm done I'll pop it in a bag and I'll have a second project ready for retreat sewing.

 

So that was my week in a nutshell.  How was yours.  This weekend we're celebrating my mom's birthday, that should be fun!  Any big plans on your side of the screen?  Are you sewing along with  The Splendid Sampler, or what about the APQ Quilt Along?  There are so many wonderful sew alongs right now!   Ok, happy weekending! xo

 

 

Construction Zone

Good morning!  It's week two on the kitchen update.  It's been pretty painless.  Eric Dennett, our contractor, is probably the tidiest person ever known to work on a house.  We've had him here before, and so I already knew this.  I could only wish we were that tidy.  The countertops and appliances were removed and there' s not a spec of debris anywhere. 

 

I can't even complain too much about the inconvenience. Well honestly, I could because I'm a professional  complainer but it's not that bad.  Coffee is in the main bathroom in the hall.  My inexpensive Mr. Coffee has a timer, so for the first time in many years I set my coffee up at night and when I wake up fresh hot coffee is waiting.  Not as delicious as a cup brewed in a French press pot, but still, pretty good.  That's the taste of convenience.  I can stay in the back of the house and mind my own beeswax while Eric does his thing.  Quietly, and very politely. 

 

Still it's weird to have someone else in the house during the day.  I find it hard to concentrate.  I head off to my retreat the second weekend in March, and so I've tried to focus on cutting myself a quilt kit.  I'm not good a focusing in a group so cutting stuff out before hand is a must.  Of course I won't get near the amount of stuff done as anyone else, but I need something to do!  This will be something for me and I'll tell you all about it later.  In detail.  Every. Boring. Detail.  

 

Ok my friends!  I'm headed into a busy day of walking around the back of my house drinking coffee and pretending I'm busy.  Hope you have a good week! If you feel so inclined, tell me what you're working on. 

 

Oh wait!  Did you see all the QuiltCon postings on IG and Facebook?  What did you think?   Also, did you check in with Pat and Jane, another Splendid Sampler block is available! Melissa Corey is the designer of the third block, Lots of Love.  Check it out!

 

Alrighty, time to move it along! That coffee won't drink itself! xo

Thursday

Goood morning!  How is your week going?  Things are hopping around here.  Work on the kitchen is moving along. It's exciting.  I have been spending my days in the sewing room, not that I'm really all that focused to be honest.  These Splendid Sampler Blocks are just the right size bite of sewing to work on.  Not that I have gotten much done.  Too much chaos.

 

Its Quiltcon West weekend, so Instagram and Facebook will be filled with pictures from the show, can't wait to see them.  So much quilt energy in one place should be a blast. 

 

Tell me what you're up to. Any big plans this weekend?  Can't wait to hear about it.  xo

 

 

Monday

Morning! So do you have a day off?   Bret is home and he's helping me get the last of the preparations done for  tomorrows Kitchen Kickoff.    It seems weird that by the end of the day the very last of that avocado green should be gone from this house.  When Bret first bought it there were green heavy drapes, green sculptured carpeting, green appliances, green cabinets, green countertops, green everywhere.. it was nuts.  Bit by bit we eradicated it and after all these years, it will be gone. In today's demo-it-days it seems crazy that we still had any green at all, based on the ease of remodel on TV and people's dissatisfaction over anything dated.  

 

Yesterday was the Splendid Sampler kick off and by 9 am when I first looked the Facebook group was filled with completed blocks.  So many clever fussy cut hearts!  Very cute.  The block is simple and sweet.  I like fusible applique, so mine is machine blanket stitched.  Don't you love the patchy background? 

 

 

This little candy message cracked me up.  Pat often  includes a 'wink' in her writings, and when I saw it I totally laughed out loud, it's Pat's block and there's her 'wink'. 

 

Looking forward to Thursday and the next block, by Jane.  I haven't made it yet, but I know it's pretty!  Hope you're stitching along with us!  xo

Happy Valentine Day

Good morning!  Happy Sunday! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

I hope you have a nice day planned, whether it's full of romance or full of doing whatever the heck you want.. both seem just fine, right?  Add in a cup of coffee and it sounds perfect! 

 

Exciting and on today's agenda, the first  official block reveal of the Splendid Sampler!  I hope you'll head over and check out the cute block that's first on the list.  And if you get there too early, be patient, you can read all about The Splendid Way to do Things.  Remember, it's for fun and not for stressing over! Make what you want, try what you want, be happy, be nice!   It's pretty simple. 

 

Ok, I'll show you my block Monday or Tuesday.  It's pretty cute.  I can't wait to see yours! xo

Friday

So another week comes to a close.  How was it? I didn't make one move forward with those bunnies but I got a couple more Splendid Sampler blocks done.  The very first block reveal is Valentine's Day, can't wait! 

 

 

I think my favorite part will be seeing everyone blocks unfold.. so many pretty combinations.  So far I'm totally crushing on Charise's blocks, but I have been a fan for a long time.  Check out her blog, so many wonderful projects.  I love her color sense,  fabric selections, photo styling. Well you should go and see for yourself. 

 

Ok, time to get busy.  Kitchen work starts next week, so I need to finish getting ready.   My sewing room closet is the access point to the crawl space and attic so that hot mess needs addressing.  Its this kind of situation that really makes me miss Frankie even more. She is a good helper and would have that done in no time.  Me, I like to complain and put stuff off.  But I guess after this many years you guys already know this! 

 

Happy weekending everyone!  Tell me all about your plans! xo 

Monday

Hi there everyone! How was your weekend? Filled with festivities of the Super Bowl??   Did you join the rest of the sports-free by heading out to anyplace normally crowded?  That's what we did! 

 

Also on the agenda this weekend, was the last of those rabbits!  I still need to cut sashing and borders but right now I'm just glad they're done.  I had slowed myself down  by cutting each rabbit out separately, sewing it, then cutting another.  There was a large piece of the background fabric left over from backing another project, so I was using the oddball piece to cut .. also time consuming.  When that piece was gone I made the calculations and cut the last 6 out and phew, that made the process about a thousand times faster.   I know my down fall is trying to make the most economical cuts instead of following the pattern.  I'm my own worst enemy in that respect. 

I know some of you are thinking Pam, your background/ear selection just doesn't make any sense.  Where's the contrast?  If you look at Elizabeth's pattern, you can see she uses a dark background and white ear.  I decided I wanted a field of bunnies hiding in the flower patch, and I didn't care that some ears had more contrast than others.  I like how it turned out, but if you're going to go this way on your own bunny quilt you might want to choose medium fabrics for ears if the lack of contrast bothers you.  A nice  solid light pink could have worked, and I think the the ears with more contrast probably make more sense for the traditionally minded. Next up is cutting the sashing, hopefully this week.

 

What's this you say?  This is a bonus  block for the Splendid Sampler.  It's something you can make to test out your fabric selections or just have fun while you wait.  The 'official' blocks begin on Valentine's Day February 14... and I can't wait. You can make a block and share it on the Facebook Page, and see what everyone else is up to. Did you join up?  The last I peeked the membership was at 10,644 and climbing!  Can you believe it?    I'm very excited to be part of this fun project.  I hope you'll join in. 

 

Ok, that's a lot of reading for a Monday Morning!  Have a happy week! xo

Friday

Hi there Happy Friday, gateway to the weekend!  Did you have a good week?  Seems like I did so much this week but I only have two little rabbits to show for it. 

 

Fortunately, I have the rest cut out and ready to sew on my table this morning, so maybe, just maybe by next week I'll be AT LEAST showing you the rest of the rabbits.  But don't count on it. The days just seem to come and go and while I feel like I am hustling through them, I have very little to show for it. 

 

Big doings this weekend anyone?  With the Super Bowl in our area there's lot of additional festivities.  Super Bowl City is right near  Bret's office  so he got a first hand glimpse of it this week.   I'm sure that there will be plenty of Law and Order somewhere to pass the time with, for those of us who aren't fans, right? 

 

Ok everyone, have a happy weekend!

 

 

Monday

Good morning!  Happy Monday everyone!  Did you have a nice weekend?  I managed to get some sewing in, made two more bunnies and I think they're pretty cute.  They're fun to sew.  Today I'll cut out another one.

 

The weekend was fun as Frankie was home.  We're having some work done in the kitchen soon and she came and packed up everything in the cabinets for me.  There was still plenty of time for visiting and that's a treat.

 

What were you up to?  Hope it was fun! xo

TGIF

Happy Friday!  Did you have a good week or are you just glad to see it in the rear view mirror?  It was a nice week, I managed to do some sewing as well as various and sundry things around the house. 

 

Do you ever get bummed out when your day veers off track?  You think you're going to do one thing then something else pops up to nudge you in a different direction.  This week I decided to get a new attitude and just go with it.  It's not like I have a deadline for anything I'm working on. I'm not going to have to suffer dire consequences so why do I feel that way if I have to stop for something else?  It made for a much nicer week, and it's not like I still didn't manage to accomplish things.

 

Today the only thing on my list that REALLY needs doing is a coffee bean  run to Peets. Indeed not doing so would have dire consequences tomorrow!  Hope you have a happy weekend friends! xo

Monday Monday

Hi there, hope you had a fun weekend. Lots going on weather wise, we just had some rain and then the usual January gray skies. I hate to tease about the Splendid Sampler but by now the designers have seen a few blocks and they're super cute, and I think you guys are going to like them. 

 

I did do some sewing.  I like how my cute rabbit turned out.  I was a little bit afraid of the ears not contrasting enough, but it worked out ok.  I like the idea of it being a big disguised in the flowers.

I felt like I was really on top of the ear situation this time.  I stitched them up, didn't need to rip a stitch.  Of course once I tried to match the ears with the eye unit.. well that's when I realized that I had cut the inner ear too narrow on the right.  So I took that section off, and cut a new one and got almost done when I realized... I'd made a left ear.  OHMYGOSH.  Except I said something not as nice. So I had to cut another ear.  DARNIT.  THOSE EARS.  FRUSTRATING.  Especially because they aren't hard.

 

But it all worked out.  My rabbit is done and I've decided maybe to set this aside for a day or two.  Try and get over my problems. 

 

In the mean time, I check out my photo on instagram... doesn't it look like my Splendid Sampler colors?

 

Hope you guys have a good week! xo

Friday

And so goes another week!  Did you get some sewing time?  Not much sewing around here, just can't get in the mood.  Blasphemy I know.  I did whip up another bunny.  They're very easy, but the ears manage to get me each time requiring at least one seams worth of ripping and restitching. 

 

I like the eyes much better in this one, probably because of the lower contrast.  Of course I love this aqua bunny and had forgotten that I had planned on a pink and red quilt, so  now I'm reimagining the whole thing maybe as a multicolored quilt.  Not sure yet.  Will try a pink rabbit next.  It's not like the block would go to waste if I didn't use it. That aqua rabbit would hop right into pillow country.

 

Looks like we're due for some rain, so I could think about cutting another block to work on.  If I have something ready it's easy to sit down and sew.  What's on your agenda?  Hope you have a good weekend.  xo

 

P. S. Hope you're as excited as I am for the Splendid Sampler!  The FB group has grown to proportions that astound me!  The blog has a post up about fabric selection, hope you'll check it out. I think it will be fun to follow along even if you don't make a block!  I can't wait to see the blocks.. even us designers haven't had a big reveal yet!!!

 

 

The Spendid Sampler

Hi there! Happy Monday!  Hope you had a nice weekend.  We tried a little too hard to capture that vacation feeling from the week before with some sleeping in late, but that always makes me feel guilty.  What about you?  I don't know why, I'm a grown up, I can decide how late to sleep, right? 

 

Anyway, enough about me and my late-sleeping-angst!

 

My exciting news today is that I'm part of a great new project called The Splendid Sampler.  Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson dreamed up an Epic Adventure and invited me to participate along with a whole host of wonderful designers, in making blocks for The Splendid Sampler. 

 

Months ago, Moda shipped fabric and Aurifil shipped thread and we got busy designing and stitching up wonderful blocks to share with you.  Our official kick off is Valentine's Day, and from that point forward each Sunday and Thursday Pat and Jane will share a new block to add to your sampler.  There are blocks of all types and all levels, take on the blocks that suit your fancy. 

 

To make things fun, there's a Facebook group to share your blocks in, and you can go sign up here.  There are already over 3000 members from all over the world!  Even if you don't intend to sew a single stitch, sign up to watch what everyone else is stitching! That's half the fun!

 

Ok, that's all my exciting news for Monday!  I hope you join in all the fun!

xo

CHA 2016

Good morning!  How've you been since I last checked in?  I had a great vacation in LA attending the CHA Mega Show with a side of Disneyland with Bret.  The show is great and the best part is hanging out with Roseann, and soaking up some creative inspiration.  I thought I would share some photos with you, and if you'd like to see more check out Roseann's CHA posts on Facebook.  She has tons of pictures.  You can also search the tags #cha2016 and #chashow on Instagram for lots of photos. 

 

Loved this display about the Dotty Angel Frock  in the Simplicity booth. 

 

Irons!  I was at the Clover USA booth.  This little iron gets super hot, and has a nice smooth faceplate.  Perfect for traveling, it draws a lot less power than a full size iron, and would be great at a retreat.  I also really liked that little ironing board, it folds down so it's perfect for sliding into bags (and would solve my ham problem).  I loved the possibilities of many of the products that I saw demonstrated.

 

Saw these amazing doily dream catchers in the Spellbinder's booth.  Loved the romantic look.

 

We R Memory Keepers had a great display of these rulers.  The Ruler Studio Line had all kinds of accessories to go with the rulers, and I would have bought one of each had this been a retail show.  So clever.  How many times have you seen a vintage ruler in a magazine  photo shoot and wished you had one?  If you're me A MILLION TIMES.

 

Sweet Sugarbelle!  Holy cow people, I am in love with everything about this.  There were cookie cutters, recipe cards with complete instructions on how to ice these cute cookies, cute boxes to give your cookies in.  Perfection. So super cute.  You can check out a video here.

 

I have been a long time fan of Brenda Walton, and it was exciting to stop by her booth and say hi, and check out all the pretty projects.  I follow along on Brenda's blog, and find her so inspiring.  (if nothing else check out this adorable tea towel she made.. )

 

Disneyland was fun, more crowded than we expected based on past experience.  Of course it didn't stop us from enjoying our time there.  Nighttime at the park is pretty festive, but nothing compares to the lights on the Small World ride.  Bret and I had a great time.

 

We topped of our trip with a visit to Bob's Big Boy and breakfast with our friend Dana.  I feel so lucky to have great friends from blogging and now instagramming. 

 

Ok everyone, hope you have a great weekend! xo

Two by Two

Are you following along with Holly's Two by Two quilt in  McCalls's Quick Quilts?  The second installment is out in the February and March issue available now! 

 

Hope that you're playing along with us. 

 

photo from McCalls Quilt Quilts website

 

The quilt is quick and easy to make.  The scallops make these simple blocks  have a big impact with none of the drama of sewing them!  I stitched this together for Holly and believe me its easy sewing!

 

Ok, hope you guys are having a great week! I'm off to CHA with a side of Disneyland thrown in.  Looking forward to meeting up with Roseann to see what kind of trouble we can get into! Time to soak up some inspiration!  And hopefully the rain breaks enough for us to head into Disneyland for the day too! 

 

Have a great weekend everyone! xo

 

 

 

 

Monday

Good morning sweet friends!  How is the new year taking shape for you?  Things are perking along here as usual, coffee, sewing, Law and Order watching, you know, the usual! 

 

I'm still plugging away on my scallop pot holders.  I had to order more scallops but now that I've finished up a pile, I'm working on machine quilting.  In the back of my mind I'm still percolating on a Valentine's idea but until today it's been the holiday season, so I've been spending more time with my people instead of holed up in my sewing room.  But today it's back to regular scheduling right?

 

Do you pick a word or plan something special for the new year?  I don't,  but I really enjoy reading other people's thoughts.  I've seen a lot of words and a lot of plans for better organization, for clearing out and cleaning up, that kind of thing.  

 

One thing I can plan on is plenty of coffee and sewing and tv! Have a great week! xo

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Sweet Friends.

 

I'm looking forward to what 2016 holds for us all! Lets hope we're happy and healthy and ready to face what comes our way! Thanks for your friendship, it means the world to me!xop