Ocean Waves Quilts

Not much sewing going on.....................

 I have been doing too much gallivanting! We went to Foxwoods Casino for a couple of days. here you see Bill playing the slot machine a bit. neither of us are big gamblers...in fact I have to confess I HATE to gamble. Every $10 spent I see a yard of very nice fabric, lol!

We mainly went to see a concert called "The Legends". This is ongoing all summer, every month is different impersonators. WOW they were fabulous! We saw Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Justin Timbelrlake, Madonna, and Elvis. Whoo hoo is that Elvis a HUNK or what? He had a body to die for. I actually had to wipe the drool off my mouth, lol.

Talk about talent, these kids were unbelievable. They had the look, the moves, and the voices. We had a great time, followed by dinner and a stay at the Grand Pequot hotel. (Thanks karen!) We went the next day to beautiful Newport, and spent the day. I did get a couple of hours in the sewing room, i got the pieced block of the month (Christmas) done, and I am alllllmost done with the applique' block. Sew, some quilty things coming up soon. Stay tuned........... This guy not only looked like Michael, he was so talented! Here is the Elvis guy. I don't know who the lady is, but it was a better picture of him that the one Bill took of me with him, so I am showing you this one. This guy had blue BLUE eyes. Lordy Lordy! Here is Bill with Madonna! She was great as well. A very hairy person moved in just as I took the pic!

4th of July

This is where we were to see the fireworks. We packed a picnic dinner, this was our scenery while we ate!

The sunset was gorgeous, and the fireworks were too! It is a beautiful backdrop for the fourth of July don't you think?

I have been working away on the June "Twas the night before Christmas" quilt block. It is almost done, and I will be able to show it to you. The good thing about hand applique, is that it is portable. I can put everything I need in a baggie! I got quite a bit done the other night while waiting for the fireworks to start. Good thing I am almost done...the new block is on it's way. The pressure! Lol, I am trying to do both of the blocks each month so I won't fall behind.  I didn't think this month's block was as detailed as last months, but when you have 7 pieces to a tiny teddybear, you can see why it takes forever! So...stay tuned............................   

Bucket list.................

I LOVE Joe Cocker...I have, ever since I first saw him perform in footage from Woodstock. This was him last night, at the Cape Cod Melody tent. The picture isnt great, but it was taken with  a phone.  It was always a dream for me to see him in person. It has been on my so called "bucket list". Well, I saw him for the second time last light. I wonder what it means when you have done something on your bucket list twice? Maybe time to add a few things to it?

 Anyway...he was great! He did all of his old songs...every one of them. When he did "You are so beautiful", I was in seventh heaven. The crowd gave him a standing ovation on almost every song. It's sad in a way..to see how much time has gone by...he looks like an ordinary older guy, not a hippie freak like I remember..but then I may look different too...... How great to be able to do what you love to do, for well over 40 years, and still be making people happy with your music! Here is a picture of him as  I remember him...he is so different...and so much the same. Stay tuned.............

Ok.......

 I haven't been doing much sewing, and I think no post is complete without a picture. So, here is a picture of some pretty lilies in our yard. I  think I took it when it stopped raining for one half a minute. I just wanted to pop in and post so I can avoid the harassment of some "Ladies of the Evening" that shall be unnamed:) These ladies think I sew in my sleep, lol! Of course, they could be sending me some pictures of projects they are working on...I am just saying........

    In any case, I have some free time coming up...fireworks, and concerts and maybe just maybe some sewing thrown in! So, I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend, doing what you like to do...and if you are so inclined...send me a pic of "what is on your wall ,or your bed right now" Stay tuned............barb

Peeking in on the "Ladies of the Evening"

  It was a small group at "Ladies of the Evening last night, but I did manage to catch a couple of "works in progress."

 Above, Rosemarie was working on this cute sailboat block! I love it. I think she is also making a quilt with these blocks.

 Below is Mary G's Bunny Tales "block of the month". I am sorry that this picture really doesn't do Mary's block justice. The colors are much more vivid than they show here, and she did some nice ribbon embroidery work on top of the basket as well. 5 Teeny buttons are on the left of the  basket. I am plugging away on the applique block of the month. I haven't had much time to sew lately, as I have been a gallivanting fool. This weekend I am hoping to have some time to sit at my machine and SEW! So..............stay tuned...................

Mid Towne Haircuts.

My friend Just opened a new haircutting salon on Nantucket! I figured everyone would send flowers or a plant. I decided to make her this wall hanging with the name of her salon on it. In the center I put the map of Nantucket. Getting her color scheme was up to my sister who lives on the Island. She sneaked over and peeked in the windows, so I could surprise Sharon!

    I got the new "Twas the night before Christmas" blocks. I got the applique block cut out, and hope to start sewing it soon. It is really intense applique, but I think it will be an amazing accomplishment when it is done.  Stay tuned..............

Bunny Tales Block of the month...............

 I finished the June Bunny Tales block of the month! I have been using up lots of fat quarters to make these.  Since the main part is 10", you can even make the borders from fat quarters. I chose to make this one look like sunflowers or brown eyed susans, and change the position if the bird, just to make it a little different. I found these two gardening buttons in my button box,( after I spilled a thousand buttons on the floor), and thought they would be a cute addition!

    I hung this one right away in my shop, as I needed something new and bright to look at. Marge, from "Ladies of the Evening" came in, and said "Wheres the bow?" I still haven't put the bow on the birds neck, probably becasue I have never seen a bird with a bow on it's neck:) Stay tuned.........

Raelynn had field day at school!

  Riley came to see her big sister on field day! Field day today is very different than when I was a kid. There seems to be no competition, just going from activity to activity. In the above picture, each child got a quick face painting, and a tattoo. Below is my handsome son Jared, and baby Camden. The happiest baby in the world! Camden just smiles away at anyone who goes by! Below is the family, son Jared, daughter-in-law  Laurie, Raelyyn, Riley and Camden. Heres a familiar field day activity! The sack races looked like a lot of fun, but even the sacks were very much improved!

Bill's Birthday Quilt

 This is the Memory Quilt that I made Bill for his birthday. There are pictures from all of our cruise vacations together.

     I was very pleased with my machine work on this quilt. I am no expert when it comes to mahine quilting, but I had a LOT of practice on this quilt! It's bigger than it looks, approximately 60x70. When Bill went on his yearly camping trip, I sewed till I dropped!

    A value finder (ruby beholder) was used to get the light/dark contrast in both the fabrics and the pictures. I truly enjoyed making this quilt, and reliving all of the wonderful memories!

    If you click on the quilt, and move your mouse around, you should be able to see the pictures better. Unfortunately the "waves" I quilted in don't show up too well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL!!!!!

 Happy Birthday Bill...I hope your birthday, and your life, is as happy as you have made me. You came along when I had a hole in my heart, and never thought I would be happy again. You are the most generous, loving and giving person I have ever known.  A million years will never be enough...........shmily

Ladies of the evening...Jackie and Florence..............

 Here is Florence, modeling this beautiful shawl she just finished. It is so soft,and the colors are lovely. Below, is a wallhanging Florence just completed in redwork. She is not a quilter, so Jackie graciously machine quilted it for her!  They both did a great job on this project! Here is a quilt Jackie just completed for her granddaughter's graduation gift. Of course the pictures don't do it justice. The borders are done in a  subtle batik. When you get up close, you can see the batik has cats on it!

 Below you will see Florence holding her wallhanging. I want you to know Florence and Jackie are both well into their 80's! They do beautiful work, and are amazingly active. In fact, they both can run circles around people half their age! Florence is also a wonderful cook, and they both do yard work as well!

More "Ladies of the Evening"

 Here is a gorgeous redwork pillow made by "Florida Barb". We had to nickname Barb, as at one time our Ladies of the evening group had 4 "Barbs". Since this one goes to Florida in the winter...Florida Barb:) She did a great job on this pillow.  She even pieced the border! Below you will see another completed project pillow by Barb, I love the patchwork effect on this pillow! Great job Barb!

Relay for Life Quilt has been raffled............

 Remember this quilt? My friend Joan,( on the right in the below picture ) is a bone cancer survivor. Next to her is her daughter Ann. Ann and Joan have been very active in "Relay for Life", raising money for the American Cancer society. A few years ago, I started making a quilt to be raffled off each year, to help Joan in her fund raising efforts. Here is my customer's husband that I recruited to draw the winning ticket. Below is the happy lady, June, that won the quilt. This raffle raised one thousand dollars  for the American Cancer Society this year. Thank you all so much buying tickets! This would not have been possible without your generosity again this year. Barb

First corvette ride of the summer.................

Bill has a shiny red corvette that only comes out in the summer. One of our hobbies is to find new beaches! We drive around the cape until we see a "Beach" sign. I have lived here for a looooong time, and never knew some of these beaches existed.

This past weekend we found "Cold Storage beach". Strange name huh? It is in Dennis, Ma. It was a very pretty beach. After Bill and I took a pic of each other, this older woman came up, and said "let me take a picture of both of  you" We didn't stay long..we continued on our ride, but decided we definitely will visit this beach again. It was a beautiful day. We stopped and had lunch, and continued on, enjoying Cape Cod!

Bad Blogger.............

 I have been a bad blogger...I have been sewing my butt off...but not able to show you what...until the recipients open their gifts!  In between sewing away in the sweat shop, I did finally finish the first "twas the night before Christmas" block.

This is a close-up of the beaded trees!!! Is this "fun for the feeble-minded, or what??? I can picture my sister's face now..."you must be kidding me, she thinks this is FUN?" I tell you, the upside of doing this kind of handwork, is  you have to concentrate and can't think of anything else!

 

 

   Let me tell you...I am hand applique' person, but man oh man this was a DETAILED block. I left a couple of things out that I didn't like, and made the block a bit bigger till I am done with them all. I love the block, this will truly be an heirloom Christmas quilt. I have always wanted to do a Christmas quilt that can be passed down for generations in my family. If I live long enough to finish it...this will be it!

 

Some of the "ladies of the evening" went on a quilt retreat weekend. I hear they had a great time, and  Kathie was very prolific. I am waiting to get some pictures of the great things they did.So....stay tuned.....................

Rosemarie had a birthday!

 The "Ladies of the Evening" have a tradition. When it is your birthday, you get a "fat quarter" from everyone, along with a card. Here is the fat quarter I gave Rosemarie, rolled up to look like a lolly pop. I bought one of these in a quilt shop, and copied it at home, using a shishkebab stick for the stick, and a piece of masking tape to hold it on the stick. Slide a small baggie over the top, and tie with a pretty ribbon. It's just a cute way to present a fat quarter! Rosemarie had a nice birthday, and got some gorgeous fabrics as well! Peggy had a birthday recently too, but Duh, I forgot the camera. So, Happy Birthday to you both, and many many more!

Peeking in on "ladies of the Evening"

This is a beautiful table runner, made with all of those tiny little squares that Jackie had left over from other projects. Jackie, a long time member of "The ladies of the evening" is using up, and finishing up her ufo's. Jackie does beautiful work, and she sure is prolific! Above,  a gorgeous wallhanging with scrappy baskets. Below a redwork embroidery piece, beautiful, and all ready for fourth of July. Great work Jackie, we are looking forward to more of your ufo's! Stay tuned................

 Here is the companion block that comes each month with the Sue Garman "Twas the night before Christmas" applique block of the month. This one is quite easy to do, using "Thangles". I think you need some instant gratification when you decide to attempt the applique blocks,lol. (Scroll down to see a picture) The applique' block is unbelievably labor intensive. I really should have counted the hours I have spent on this block, and I am not finished yet! I even "cheated" a bit, and used some scraps of ultrasuede for the really tiny pieces that would be murder to needle turn. I am getting more encouraged now though, as the block is starting to take shape. It will definitely be an heirloom  quilt, I sure hope I live long enough to finish it.

I was once working on a hand appliqued' Hawaiian wallhanging that my friends from "ladies of the evening" said I was going to bring to the nursing home. Well, guess what, this one may truly accompany me there! I am going to put it in my will....because it will have to go to someone that would "get" the amount of work in this.

    Other than this project, not too much going on, still working on the "vacation" quilt, I should have pictures of that to show you soon. I hope you all are enjoying your holiday today, and maybe sneaking in some sewing time. Stay tuned.................

Handwork vs Machine..........

Sarah , thank you so much for your input. I, too, wish you could find a hand applique and quilting class in your area. Although I do more and more machine work these days, to me there is something so special about something made by hand. Maybe because handwork is becoming scarce.

The first quilting class I ever took, the teacher said "I don't care if you never do another hand work project in your lives, but if you learn how to put it together by hand first, you will be able to put it together by machine much easier". I Have found that to be true. I do find that sometimes, nothing clears my mind or relaxes me so completely as to just quietly sew.

    As far as finding a group to sew with...maybe you haven't heard the story of the "Ladies of the evening". I put an ad in the newspaper, for "friends to quilt with".  Twenty three years later, we have added more "friends." We sew together and laugh together. You have never seen such a motley crew...but somehow it works, lol. Speaking of handwork...here is a quilt that is all hand appliqued' and quilted. My sister already asked for this when I croak, lol.

May Block of the month................

 I have been trying to keep up with this "Block of the Month", because a month surely goes by fast! I finished this one, and promptly hung it in one of the bathrooms. It matches really well in there! I do plan to hang a hanger in my place of work, and change the hangings monthly next year, when they all are done.

    I may be switching over to doing the applique by machine on these though. That's because I signed myself up to do a "Twas the night before Christmas" block of the month, by Sue Garman.  If you would like to see the whole series, it is sold by Quaker town quilts.com.

     Each month you get a block to applique'. It is a 14" block. You also get a 12" pieced block, for a companion quilt. The pieced block is pretty simple. It is made with all half square triangles. I used "Thangles" so it was quick and easy to put together. The applique block is really labor intensive...a challenge for me, and I have been doing hand applique for a looooong time! This block has the tiniest pieces ! I have gotten around the 1/4 inch windows and chimneys by using ultrasuede. Mine is  "in progress", so I will show you a picture of the original block by Sue.  Each block has a line embroidered on it from the poem. I think this will be a family heirloom someday, if I live long enough to finish it, lol! I haven't done hand applique ' in so long, I really had forgotten how much time it takes. Although I can see why most of us have gone to machine sewing, because of time constraints,there is a lot of satisfaction in just sitting quietly and stitching.

    Kathie (from "Ladies of the evening") and I were just discussing last week how the tables have turned. Now if you tell some people that you are doing something by hand,  they give you "the look", as if that is "old fashioned". Not too long ago, it wasn't "as good" if it were done by machine. I like both, and they both have their place. Any thoughts on machine vs handwork out there? Stay tuned.........Oh, p.s. I actually have TWO ufo's!!!!!!! How's that Kathie and Peggy???? 

Peeking in on Mary G...............................

 Here is a picture of one of Mary's creations. Mary makes many baby quilts for "babies at risk". This is a really cute I Spy quilt. Kids really love pointing out all of the things they can "spy" on these quilts. I can't remember whether this is one of those quilts for the babies at risk group, or for one of Mary's many "grands" or "great grands". Good job Mary!

Peeking in on Kathie..................

 Can you believe this adorable pillow? Kathie made this pillow to give to her Granddaughter ! It has 62 pieces!!  Isabella's first dance recital is coming up soon, I think she will be one happy little girl to get this!

 More  from the "ladies of the Evening,soon, when Mary Ann sends me the pictures, hint hint:) Stay tuned.......

Mother's day gifts................

I made this tote bag for Bill's mom Flo. I really HATE to make bags, but this was just a quick and easy one.

I had been wanting to make my daughter-in-law Laurie a pillow with grandson Camden's picture on it.  I had made them with the girls pictures when they were little. I just loved this picture of Camden with him smiling away!He has on the sweater "from hell" that I made him. The ladies of the evening heard me say how long I knitted on that sweater!  I am working behind the scenes, so stay tuned.............

Happy Birthday Riley and Raelynn!!!

 I really don't like to bake, but I couldn't resist this giant cupcake pan that I saw in a catalog. It was easy to put together, and the kids thought it was really cool. It takes two cake mixes, one for the top, and one for the bottom. the good thing is you can use two different kinds of cake! Fun!

Riley is four years old................

I bought these little t shirts and capris. Using scraps from other projects, I decorated these outfits for my grandchildren. I thought they turned out very cute, and were a fun project to make. The possibilities are endless!  Is this the happiest baby  you have ever seen? This kid is always smiling,lol.

We had a little family birthday party for Granddaughter Riley tonight. Raelynn's birthday is very soon, so we had a shared  birthday. The girls really liked their outfits that I made, and the webkinz sleeping bags  that I showed you before, got a rave review as well. Raelynn said her carrier was "really cool Gramma". 

     They also got a gift card inside their birthday card so they can buy a new summer outfit. Raelynnn cracked me up, she gave it to her Mom and said "I got a drivers liscence", lol!

    

Mother's Day........................

Have you ever thought of the gifts your mother gave you? Not the latest barbie doll, or the cutest outfit. The long -lasting gifts that you still remember today? My mother gave me the gift of reading. I still picture her, with her book propped up, knitting like a mad fiend as she read her latest book. She also taught me to knit, and  do crafts, a true gift, as now I pass that on to my granddaughters. She taught me to do those crafts "right". If it wasn't done well, and the mistake was glaring, she would say "rip it out",lol.

    She was the most accomplished knitter I have ever known. She made gorgeous hand knitted sweaters and afghans for everyone. She also did wood carving and made Nantucket baskets One of my most favorite things she made me was a Nantucket market  basket that took her forever!

    She also gave me a sense of "family". Our family wasn't perfect, by any means. I know it wasn't like "Leave it to Beaver" or "Father knows Best". But, if there is any trouble or problems in our family, one thing we knew....we could count on each other for anything. We knew we could count on our mother like that. You could ask her advice, and she would give it..you might not like the answer, and she may have given it even when you DIDN"T ask. She always said that was her "job". Her no-nonsense words are still in my head today.

    She had a great sense of humor, she always said "no fools, no fun". She loved us unconditionally, and that, I am sure, was not always easy. She could drive me nuts sometimes, and I sure wish she was still here to do it! She has been gone 16 years now. I hope I am the kind of mother to be missed as she is, every day. Happy Mother's day Annie!

     

Gramma made me a hat....and she has been very busy" behind the scenes"

I made this cute little hat for grandson Camden. It is made with a nice soft cotton yarn, perfect for spring! Riley and Raelynn were  visiting too, having dessert in the pictures below. We made cute beaded necklaces! Raelynn is pointing to her "princess" necklace. I finished this sweater and hat , it is tucked away for a baby boy. The buttons are cute little teddy bears.

 I have been working "behind the scenes ". I am making a vacation photo quilt. It is made with carribean colors, teal and turquoise, blues and greens. I saw the pattern in "Quilt it for Keepsakes", the most recent issue. I am making the quilt on the cover. I will post pictures soon on that. Most of my squares are done.

    It will now take some work on a design wall to start putting it together. This is a quilt that has taxed my brain a bit. It is not so important what colors you chooose , but the value is very important. I have spent a lot of time looking through a "Ruby beholder", trying to get the right contrast of light and dark. I am enjoying the challenge, and plan to show you what I have been up too.... so stay tuned..................   I forgot to post this table runner. It was another one of "my sister's" birthday gifts.

me and my sister

 My sister had  her 45th  birthday recently.  Wow does time fly! It seems just like yesterday I was waiting patiently for my father to come home and tell me whether I had a sister, or one more brother!

I was so happy when my dad told me I finally had the sister I had waited for. I dressed her up, just like a doll. I began sewing at 11, and one of the first things I made for her was a yellow hand- smocked pinafore. We are as different as night and day, but we are ALWAYS there for each other, no matter what.

 I always try to make her something,even now, as she truly appreciates hand made things, although she would glue a hem, rather than sew, lol. When I am shopping for new projects, and I see something that we both would like, I get  one for me, and "one for my sister".   This is one of her gifts,it is a hand appliqued, and hand quilted wall hanging, made in her favorite colors.  I hope she replaces the faded one in her bathroom  that I made about 20 years ago, with this one,lol!

Pictures from the shop hop.................

I loved these two quilts. So sunny and springy. Beautiful work on them as well. So much to sew, sew little time. How does anyone ever get "bored"? This pattern area was in Emma's quilt cupboard. They had big comfortable chairs in their book/pattern area. What a great idea, to encourage people to look at books, relax, and think about what they could make! Here is another one of the gorgeous quilts they had hanging. The displays here were great too. Can you tell I loved Emma's quilt cupboard?

Bad Blogger.................

Here are the four of us that went on the "shop hop" from Lto R, mary, Kathie, Rosemarie, and me! Here is Kathie in line, smiling, although it was about 200 degrees in there that day!I have been so busy this week, I haven't even posted the pictures from last weekend. A few of the "ladies of the evening" went on a shop hop. We went to Pieceful Quilters in Middleboro, All About Quilts in Walpole, Emma's Quilt Cupboard in Franklin and Quilter's Stash in Attleboro...The pictures you will see are from Emmma's Quilt Cupboard, and Quilter's Stash. The first two shops, I went right into shopping mode, and didn't take one picture!

   It was so good to get to some different shops, and see different projects. Sometimes I need some inspiration! I really loved Emma's quilt cupboad. They must have had every Batik fabric that is made, and a few more, lol. I came home inspired, with some new fabrics, and a new pattern, but haven't had any time to sew. I plan to remedy that situation soon. I did finish a baby sweater and hat, and made some cute "fabric lollipops". I will post pics of those soon as well. I bought one of these "lollipops" at one of the shops. They are made from a fat quarter. Really cute way to give a fat quarter to a friend. Here is Mary in line,  at "Emma's quilt cupboard"it doesn't look like she had much in her hand.

Doing some spring cleaning.......................

I am doing some spring cleaning. I decided to sell  some things that I find in my sewing room that I am no longer using. In the case of this  side winder bobbin winder, I bought it, and just never used it. I am the type that winds a kazillion bobbins ahead of time, so I never got use out of it. If anyone would like it, it is yours for $10, plus postage, which i would think would be approximately $5.95. If you would like it, e mail me at oceanwavesquilts@comcast.net. I will take a money order or pay pal. Thanks...stay tuned...more to come...Barb

Speaking of cute..........................

I know I am prejudiced...but I just had to say, I thought this picture of grandson Camden was SO cute! Granddaughters raelynn and Riley are coming to visit tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some latest pictures of them too. I look at this picture whenever I need a smile:)

Fun with Webkinz...............

  My granddaughters are just starting to get into webkinz. I bought them each one for their upcoming birthdays.  I thought I would make them a little "sleeping bag" for them. After they are done sleeping, you fold the pillow inside, pull out the strap, and your webkinz has a carrier so you can take it anywhere!

    This would also work very well for Beanie babies. I didn't have a pattern, just "winged it". I thought they came out cute!Two fat quarters will make the whole thing, including the pillow. I used grosgrain ribbon for the strap, but the same fabric could be used to make a strap as well.

   

Remember these fabrics?

 This is the "Frog" fabric medley, that my friend Helen had picked up at walmart. I thought the fabric was really cute for a little boy, and decent quality for Walmart.

 Above you will see a close-up of my free motion quilting. Baby quilts are a great way to try out something new, or just practice. I did a free-hand wave pattern on one of the quilts, and just a meander on the other.

 I used the disappearing 9 patch for a pattern. The June Tailor fusible batting worked really well. I find I can machine quilt so much faster with this batting, and NO PUCKERS! There were about 6 different fabrics in this medley, I used different fabrics in each of the quilts, and a different backing. This medley also comes in pink, which is equally adorable! 

     Hey, do your kids or grandkids have Webkinz? Since my son is now 32 years old, I had no idea what a Webkinz actually was. Well, I have two little granddaughters having a birthday soon, and they love Webkins, so, of course, their Gramma had to get them one! Soon I will show you the sleeping sack/purse that I came up with, for them to tote the new webkinz around! Stay tuned.......... 

April Bunny Tales Block

I finished the April "Bunny Tales" block. I am really enjoying having one of these to do each month. One of our local quilt shops, "Tumbleweed Quilts", used to do a block of the month. All of us in the "Ladies of the Evening" have really missed that. It was fun to see how each person made it their own.

These blocks from Bunny Tales are small, so I have enlarged my 30% to make small wallhangings. On this month's, I left off the bow, because I felt like it, lol!  I always told students in my classes, "It's your quilt, and you can do it however you want to".  It looks like  a beautiful day on Cape Cod today, too bad I have to work! Stay tuned.....................

Checking in on the "ladies of the evening"

It was a very small group tonight, some of those snow birds still not back, and others had other things to do. Mary was working on her "Bunny Tales" free block of the month.It's still a work in progress, but it is looking good.

Below is Rosemarie, working on a simple panel quilt for a "baby at risk" Rosemarie and Mary volunteer making these baby quilts. Above is Florence, she was working on some knitting.

We went out to eat to a local seafood restaurant before we met at our gathering place.  We all agreed we wouldn't go there again, the food sucked. Oh well, it meant we ate less, and thats a good thing!

 Kathie is away on vacation, I hope she gets back soon., we miss her! Peggy needs to get some shoulder surgery done so she can SEW! She is having sewing withdrawal! Good luck Peggy, heal fast!  Stay tuned.................

      

Do you remember your first cookie?

Grandson Camden munching on his very first cookie!

Busy Busy Busy.........

It's been a very busy week, everyone getting ready for Easter. I have been working "behind the scenes". I told you my friend Helen had bought some cute fabric at Walmart, with frogs on it. I Just thought it would make the cutest baby quilt for a baby boy.I will have some pictures to show you soon . I made the disappearing 9 patch. What an adorable pattern it makes!

I also have a good recipe to share with you. It is called 6 week bran muffin mix. you mix this up, and it keeps in your refridgerator for at least 6 weeks. When you want to bake them, it is a simple task to pop them in the oven. I  have added extra ingedients  to the basic mix,(right before baking), such as grated carrots, extra raisins, dried cranberries or nuts. Delicious!

 I will be back soon to show you the baby quilts in progress. Stay tuned...................   Here are the frog fabrics, aren't they cute? 

 Here is the recipe for you.

6 WEEK BRAN MUFFINS   15 oz. pkg. raisin bran 2 c. sugar 2 tsp. salt 5 c. flour 5 tsp. baking soda 4 eggs 1 qt. buttermilk (I used fat free) 1 c. canola oil Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl then add eggs, mixed with buttermilk and oil. Mix well by hand - no mixer. Store covered in refrigerator.  Fill muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Batter will last 6 weeks.

Peeking in on some of the "Ladies of the Evening"................................

Above is Kathie, with the great scrap quilt she made for donation. Below is Helen, working on a beautiful knitted afghan. Here is Jackie, working on some great table table mats, that are made to fit on a round dinner table. Cool! Below are some of the great flower pot blocks that Peggy won at Guild. I just love them. She is considering making a quilt for one of her granddaughters. Below is Peggy and Maryann. Mary Ann is working on a gorgeous needlepoint nutcracker. Somehow I missed Mary. I hope she brings one of her baby quilts for me to photograph. She and some of the others also make quilts for "babies at risk", in a friday morning group.

As I have talked about before, we have a weekly informal group that meets locally. In the winter, we don't have as many people, as some of them take off to warmer climates.

 This group has been meeting for over 20 years. We all learn from each other... sewing, knitting, advice, cooking, you name it...we have talked about it. This week I decided to bring my camera, so you can see what some of the ladies are up to. Below Peggy is holding up a couple more of the blocks she won, as Mary Ann looks on. 

The members of the group have changed as the years go on, some have lost interest, some have passed on. Each person has brought something special and unique to the group, I feel lucky to count these women as my friends.

 So..that leads me to a story about Walmart today, lol. Helen had come in the other night with some really cute fabric from Walmart that I thought would make an adorable baby boy quilt(more on the fabric later).

I met these two women in the fabric department. We got to talking about quilts, and babies, and life, lol.(yes, in the time it took us to buy fabric, lol.) Bill came along, and thought they were my friends. You know how it is...quilters are just always really nice people anyway,I invited them to come join us some wednesday night.

One of them,(I am sorry I can't remember their names)  "quilts day and night".  the other was making a million(lol)  fleece  blankets for an orphanage. her daughter is marrying a pastor, and they are helping these kids. (I told you we knew each other's life history, lol. The one making the fleece blankets said "I know if we lived nearby, we would hang out together". I knew what she meant, we just "clicked". So, ladies, if you are reading this, please come join us. We are meeting at 5 for dinner, if you want to join us there, call me!

Quilt raffle for American Cancer Society.............................

Each year I try to make a quilt to be raffled off to benefit the American Cancer Society's "relay for life". I make it to help my friend Joan with her fund raising efforts. She, as a bone cancer survivor, does a lot of work for relay, as does My "ladie's of the evening" friend Kathie.

    The quilt will fit  on a double bed, or a generous "couch size". The raffle tickets are $5.00 each.(a tax deductible donation) If you wish to buy any, e mail me, and I will send you my snail mail address. All checks need to be made out to "THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY". The drawing will be held at the end of May. The white strip of fabric in the middle of the quilt blocks could be used to embroider wishes of hope, or names of friends, like a signature quilt, if desired ,by the winner!  Thank you in advance, and good luck to the winner! barb

Easter table topper.................

  This is the free table topper pattern that I got from "Quilt Bus.com". It works up quickly, as the center square is 28". The directions didn't call for using batting and quilting it, but I did, as I like the look of it better.  I bought the "Easter" fabric at Joannes, along with the bright yellow to go with it. They are both by  by Debbie Mumm.I used up some fabric that looked like "spring" for the backing. That way, after Easter, I can flip it over, and use it for a longer time! The backing was well aged, I have had it for ages.

    The only project I have going right now is the friendship braid quilt, I am steadily working on that. Let me tell you, a king- sized quilt seems like forever! I can imagine the eye rolling on wednesday night, if I show up at "ladies of the evening" with NO PROJECT to work on, lol! I am sure they will all be tripping over themselves to tell me I can do one of THEIR ufo's. I think i will bring the camera, so I can let you see what they all are wroking on. We are waiting for the snowbirds to come back from Florida........So, stay tuned................... 

Doing a "project"...........................

Whenever granddaughters Raelynn and Riley come to visit, they expect they will do a "project". Sometimes it is as ambitious as them helping to make a wallhanging for their brothers room. Other times, it may be as simple as making a card, or a picture for their parents.

    The girls came to visit the other day, and they made "treasure boxes". I had these cute pink and white little boxes. I had to use what was available to decorate the with, as I had no time to run out to the store that day. Raelynn and Riley cut pictures from some magazines, and then glued them on the top of the box. Raelynn, "the girly girl" wanted to add some heart stick ons. Raelynn must have been getting hungry, as most of her pictures were of food like brownies and fried chicken, lol!

    When they were tired of gluing things on, I mixed some Elmers glue and water, and they sealed the pictures in. These boxes will stay at Gramma's house. Whenever the girls come to visit, they will find a new little treasure. I also told them if they have something special, we will add it to the treasure box. It was a fun project...made from nothing at all:)

The day was finished off with homemade pizza, cupcakes for dessert, and a few rousing games of "Chutes and ladders" It doesn't get any better than that! How lucky I am to spend time with these little girls.

 I did finish the Easter table topper, that I had mentioned to you. It is a free pattern from "Quilt Bus.com" It is very quick and easy. I backed it with some "spring" fabric I had  FOREVER!  I am on a quest to "use it up" in my sewing room. I will post a pic of that soon!  So....stay tuned...............................

Blocks of the month.....

I had decided to make the Bunny Tales blocks of the month into monthly hangings. Here are the February and March Blocks.

 I am  really enjoying making these, as I always have a hand work project to work on. I have been machine quilting them as I go along. I am back to using the fusible batting, with no further problems. It surely makes the machine quilting SO much quicker. I am now out of hand work, and waiting patiently for the April block. Stay tuned.........

Bunny Tales "Block of the month"...................................

I have finally had some time to SEW! I decided to make the Bunny Tales "Block of the Month" into individual wall hangings. I thought it would be fun to have a new one to put up each month. It's also a good way to use some scraps up. Those leftover jelly roll strips can be put to good use as borders, and binding.

     The blocks originally are 8" blocks, I thought these were a bit small, so I enlarged the pieces 30%, making a 10" block. If you add a border or two, it makes a good sized wall hanging.

 Here is the January block, I just love snowmen!  I hand appliqued the block itself, then machine quilted it . February and March wallhangings are almost done, I am just hand sewing the bindings. I also found a really cute and quick free pattern for an Easter table topper @ Debbie Mumm.com. I am almost done with two of those, so I will have more to show you soon! So stay tuned..................

More pictures of "Kwilts and Krafts"...................

Kwilts and Krafts...................

We are so lucky to have this fairly new quilt shop open  so close to my home! This shop is located at 6 Joy street, in South Cape Village, also know as the Roche bros. Plaza. Mashpee, Ma. It is a fairly small quilt shop, but Cynthia has a wonderful array of fabrics. It is one of those shops that you could go in and buy all the fabrics needed to make a quilt. She has a great variety, including baby prints, seasonal, nautical, and even some home  decorating fabrics.

    Every time I go in there, she has some new things. She is starting to add books, and some notions. She also carries my patterns! She also has some really nice craft items that she makes, and some that friends of hers make. If you are looking for a unique gift at a reasonable price, this is a good place to look for those as well. Cynthia is very personable. She always says hello, can I help you? But, she leaves you alone if you just want to browse around! Here are some pictures of her Kwilts and Krafts. Be sure to stop by and see her when you are visiting the cape.

     

Sometimes....I make cakes.....

  One of the gifts I make for family babies, is this "diaper cake". It consists of 50 disposable diapers, shaped into 3 layer cakes. They are held together with elastic bands, and then each layer is stacked on top of each other. A dowel is slipped down between the layers to hold them together.

I added personalized burp cloths, bibs, onesies, pacifiers, t shirts, baby toiletries, and wash cloths. I then cover the elastic bands with pretty matching ribbons.  I then slide the whole thing into a clear basket bag, and tie the top with matching ribbons and a bow! This one was made for my great nephew that will arrive in April! The baby's mom loves monkeys, so I had to top the "cake" with a beanie baby monkey! It makes a cute centerpiece that is also useful.  Later on this weekend, I am going to give you a tour of a fairly new quilt shop that has opened right near my house! Stay tuned.........

St. patrick's Day visitors................... Happy St. Patty's day!

Granddaughter Riley,(3) and her baby brother (4 months) stopped to see me today! Big sister Raelynn was already at school, dressed in her green. Camden is wearing a hat and booties that his great grammma had made, and asked me to put them away for when Jared had children.

After two granddaughters, I was able to give them this set from her!  Sorry about the blurryness of the picture, Camden was so busy wiggling and "talking", it wasn't easy, lol! Happy St. Patty's day everyone!

Busy weekend.............

This weekend was a busy one. We had a birthday dinner for my son, and my niece on friday night. It was so nice to get together with everyone! My sister and her girls were visiting from nantucket, then my brother's girlfriend came over, as we all were going to a baby shower for my nephew.

    We did some shopping on saturday, and went for a good lunch at Red Robin. We all went to the shower for the happy couple. There was a mountain of baby gifts, it looks like the new baby won't be missing much!

    Needless to say, I have been too busy to get any sewing done to show you, but I did finish this table runner! It was  a case of buying the fabric first, and then wonder , hmmm what can I do with this! I love the colors ( of course),lol. I also loved the sea shell print. My friend Mary had sent me a free pattern from "Quilt Bus" for this table runner. I used a white on white batik with it, and a pretty batik in aqua with a touch of lilac for the other squares. The table runner is backed with this batik as well. It can be reversible. It looks quite "summery" on my table! The table runner is not huge, but the directions allow you to just keep adding to make it the size of your choice. This pattern is so adaptable to many different styles. I embroidered a matching shell in the center, but I can see this done for most any season, and fabric. Stay tuned.................

    

weekend..............

Cape cod canal.

 

 Decadent  home-made mac and cheese. Low calorie, yeah right:))

Below is the Cape Cod canal....

 

We had some beautiful weather here on the cape this weekend! It was around 60 degrees, it felt like a heat wave. You didn't want to waste a minute being inside. On saturday, we parked in downtown sandwich, and walked to "Boardwalk Beach." We love this area. You walk the boardwalk out to a gorgeous beach. It was a busy day, everyone seemed to have the same idea that we did.

    Each board on this walkway has someone's names on it. You can purchase a board with your own name, or in memory of someone. There are even some pets names here. We have a board with our names on it, and periodically have to go "visit" it! We love reading the names as we walk along.

 We had a slice of pizza for lunch, at a tiny new restaurant called "Emelias", in downtown sandwich. It had the best pizza we have tasted on the cape.

    Today we walked at the cape cod canal. there again, there were so many people walking, with their dogs and kids. We felt so good  from doing all this excercise, I came home and made DECADENT mac and cheese. I haven't made it in forever, so it tasted extra special. I am glad we were able to enjoy the spring-like temps....

The picture below is the boardwalk leading to "Boardwalk Beach".

 

  ...looks like the week ahead is "back to winter". It sounds like tomorrow will be a good day to stay in and sew...stay tuned......................