Saturday, January 30, 2010

January OPAM Finishes

OPAM (One Project A Month) finally got me sewing. My finishes this month were:

I made a little wallet for gift cards so I don't lose them. This worked up so quickly and is adorable. It fits perfectly in the pocket in my purse. I can see whipping a few more of these up for gifts.

Then I finished a scarf that I love. I bought the yarn when I was in Lancaster, PA this fall. This was the first time I knitted with wool rather than acrylic. I think my stitches look much nicer and I was able to get the correct gauge. I miss not having a project next to me when I am watching television so I had better order some more yarn!

My last project was the table runner for the Color of the Month. Boy did I learn a lot from this ...mainly that I have to pay more attention to detail. I can't wait to see what Maria has in store for February but I'm betting it's red or pink!

It feels so good to be sewing again ...thanks Pat and Kris for this challenge.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Color of the Month

I finally completed the January table runner from Maria Peagler's Color of the Month. It's been a while since I've done any quilting so my precision is not as precise as I would like ...I guess that means I have plenty of room for improvement :)

I had a difficult time choosing my fabrics ...again room for improvement. I think it looks a bit of a mish mash of black and white.

The quilting turned out so so ...I used a walking foot for the straight quilting but I didn't have a foot for freehand quilting around the tree so I just did my best. I used a polyester batt that I had laying around ...I think it would have looked better if I had used cotton.

I'm hoping to do better with February's table runner ...maybe even have 12.5 blocks that actually measure 12.5!!


This is my next project. I bought the book and fabrics at least 5 years ago and it has sat patiently waiting for me to start sewing again.

Let's hope for a nice 1/4 seam throughout!!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

OPAM #2 for January ...


I've had this scarf done since last weekend but kept forgetting to blog about it. It is my second finish for the month!!

It was the first time I knitted anything in wool and something a bit more complicated than the scarves I made last year. I loved working on this once I figured out the pattern ...it was quite a challenge for me but I'm happy I stuck with it.

The picture is a bit washed out ...photographer error :)


Grace wanted in on the picture taking too ...I think she needs a good brushing!! Bad mama!!

I'm off to finish the housework and then to the sewing room. I have a table runner for the Color of the Month group that I am in ....hopefully that will be finished today.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Suzanne's Giveaway

Oh boy I have a bad case of the sleepies. I wanted to come home today and finish up the table runner I started Friday ...but the couch has won out.

For a great giveaway check out SuzanneEarley's blog.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll spend some time sewing and have some pictures.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Sony Reader give away

I just happened on a give away for a Sony Reader. I would love to win this sooooo much!!

Stop over to Words Move Me for the Sony Reader Giveaway.

If I can't win, I hope you do :)


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Another Give away

Nichole is giving away 4 fat quarters check it out.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

My Machine Still Works!!

I'm embarressed to say how long it has been since I've sewn ...so I won't!

I did sit down this afternoon and made the Wonder Wallet by Lazy Girl Designs. It was sooo easy ...the directions were clear and it only took about an hour.


I love it and it's going to get lots of use!! Can you believe this took me 6 months!!!

Yippee!! my first OPAM!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Yet Another Fun Give away


The Nesting Place is having a give away for a great sign from Dayspring-Danielson Design Studio
These signs are just beautiful and what makes them over the top is you can design your sign exactly how you want it.

The ideas are endless!!!

Go play ...it's fun!!
My good friend Sheila over at My Empty Nest is Full of Cat Hair mentioned a great opportunity for those of us that would like to learn more about color and quilting. Of course this makes me break my New Years resolution of not buying anything new until I complete a project ...thanks Sheila :)

Maria Peagler, the author of Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts, is offering a Color-of-the-Month table runner series with new color palettes and quilt techniques every month!

Visit her blog for more information.

Crafty Vegas Mom is having a give away to celebrate her 99th post. So pop on over and check out her blog.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ready, Set, Sew!

I spent the better part of yesterday setting up the room. Now I have to clean the rest of the house ....I made a mess doing this switch-aroo :)

Here's my table all ready for some sewing. I decided not to keep the serger on it since I plan on quilting and I won't be using it. Now I have lots of room to spread out.



I even have a nice area for ripping out mistakes!!




I took a picture of the bookshelves but they looked much worse than I thought!! Getting them to look right and be functional is going to take some time.

Here is my first project. I bought the instructions and fabric last summer. I think this is easy enough for me to start with ...at least I hope so!



While I was going through my books I found this one I bought in 1972. I loved this book so much and can remember it being so helpful when I was learning to sew. It has over 200 pages and check that price out of $1.00!



My Table




This table is very dear to me. It started its life in the Eastman Kodak Library. Sometime in the early 50's my Father brought it home and put it in the basement and used it as his work table for 50 years.

About 5 years ago, I brought it up, refinished it and put it in the kitchen. I loved the double drawers in the front since they are as deep as the table and I could store so many utensils. But it finally ended up in my sewing room. Every time I sit down at it, I can't help but smile and think of my Father.



Here it is all set up, waiting for me to sit down and sew. Unfortunately there are 3 other corners in the room that I have to organize ...otherwise I will end up tripping over something and breaking a leg!

The quilt hanging above the desk was made from leftover blocks from a raffle quilt that I helped make some 15 years ago back in the days of GEnie. Those blocks are one of the few things I've ever won.

Time to get back to work ...I have my first project ready to go but first I have to finish cleaning the room.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Colletta's Giveaway

Pop over to Colletta's Kitchen Sink ...she's having a great giveaway in celebration of her 100th post.

Time For A Move ....

Last year I said I was going to start sewing again. It never happened. So the other day I tried to figure out why. Ohh I came up with lots of excuses ...none were very good though! One thing I did realize was that I didn't like the location of my sewing room. It was upstairs and I really wanted it on the first floor. Sooo ....

I spent today moving my sewing room downstairs!!! It isn't all set up yet but it's looking pretty darn good.

I've also joined One Project A Month. This is a group of 200 women sharing what they complete each month. Not only do I think it will help me set some goals but I think it will be very inspiring to see what others are doing. Thank you Kris and Peg!!

I better get back to my organizing so I can sew this week.