OMG a UFO from 2013 is ready to share...

My One Monthly Goal for April was to finish

a tote I started almost 3 years ago.

I struggled with the written instructions and it took a bit

for my old brain to finally get it.

Finally it did and it all came together.

I am so happy to cross another UFO off my long list.

 The inside has a large zippered center pocket

a divided side pocket with a key fob

and a pleated pocket with 3 sections...

one section has a velcro flap.

 

 The top of the bag has a zipper closure...I like that.

Did I fight with this UFO? Yes!!

Will I make it again...Yes!!

I would love to make the mini version.

I am in need of a new hand bag and it would be perfect.

Hope it doesn't take as long to finish the mini.

I'll be making a Tammy sewing kit and maybe a few extra

pieces to complete my travelling sewing bag.

The front of the Tammy bag will have a

 sweet embroidered front.

It is a hand embroidery pattern from

a book by Anni Downs.

called The Simple Life.

Anni is an Australian designer and

 the owner of  Hatched and Patched.

Visit Anni's blog and be sure to check her free pattern section.

I'm linking with

  Heidi at Red Letter Quilts - OMG

and 
Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts - Finish it up Friday

Have a wonderful weekend!!

A bit of sewing and lots of cleaning...

First the fun part...a bit of sewing.

I finished three more Tammy Bag Sewing kits...

I really can't pick a favorite....I love them all.
The Tammy Bag pattern is by Mdm Samm.

 The embroidery is from the Stitcher's Alphabet pattern 

designed by Michelle Ridgway.  

Her pattern company is Rag-Tag Stitchin'.

Live Laugh Love is a free Bird Brain Design pattern at Lecien

designed by Robin Kingsley

and another alphabet design by Michelle Ridgway 

Now... the not so fun time I'm having....

We've had our house up for sale since February 1st.

We've had 53 showings so far, with two more today, 
plus 2 open houses, both in February.
Everyone expected our house would be sold in a couple of days.
We did too as it is priced less than we paid for it 13 years ago,
and we have put at least $100,000 into it since then.

We had hoped to be moved back to Canada by April 26th...

which was when our green cards were expiring.

We had to go to plan B...

we renewed our green cards, 

and we changed the kitchen counters.

The before...

and after.  I never liked the purple either.

Our agent called on Tuesday.

There are 2 families interested in the house.  He said

we should expect an offer, maybe two, on Thursday...

no offer so far and it is Saturday.  

Our 90 day contract is over on April 30th, 7 days from today.

If we don't get a reasonable offer before that we will

take the house off the market...take some time off

plant some flowers, have a garage sale 

and relist again sometime before July 1.

I'm so frustrated...

After all, with our renewed green cards 

we could stay for another 10 years,,, 

but we both agree that it is time to return home

...to Canada and spend more time with our families.

The good thing is that there is no real urgency to sell now.

I'm linking to Finish it up Friday with crazy mom quilts.

and to Stitchery Link Party #54 with Super Mom - No Cape

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Happy stitching

A new ironing board cover

Back in 2014 I recovered my portable ironing board
and made a few more projects for the
Riley Blake gingham blog hop.
My September 2014 posting is HERE.

I loved the mini ironing board make over back then and
since my regular size ironing board desperately needed a new cover
I decided to create a matching cover.
I quilted the gingham this time, hoping it will last longer.
I enlarged the embroider design and used a large red ric rac.

Now I don't want to use it,
my Rowenta has a mind of it's own and likes to leak from the bottom.
I'm looking for a new iron...any suggestions?

I love it!!!!!

I'm linking with
  Heidi at Red Letter Quilts - OMG
and
Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts - Finish it up Friday

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Yes, yes, yes 3 finishes....edited

It has been a good month for finishes... 

three Tammy Bags 

three collapsible thread catchers

 and three needle keepers.

I promised a friend I would make her a Tammy with 30's fabrics. 

I cut all the pieces to make 3 bags,

3 needle keepers and 3 thread catchers.

...hoping I would be able to finish 2 by the end of February.

I gave myself a pat on the back after finishing the 3rd one!!

I used Kona Snow for the embroidered fronts for all three bags.

This teal fabric was made using Hope Chest-Penny Rose by Riley Blake.

  The fabric for the blue one is from the Snippets line by Sandy Klop.

It was a Moda fabric that came out around 2008.

   For the third bag I chose the initial M.  

So cute with the bird sitting on her nest atop the M 

with the wee heart in her beak.

The inside of all the bags were made with 

Hope Chest Yellow Pindot - Penny Rose by Riley Blake.

The Tammy Bag was designed by Mdm Samm.

The Stitchery Alphabet was designed by Michelle Ridgway.

I'm linking up to 

Super Mom - No Cape's Stitchery Party # 45

to 

Crazy Mom Quilts...Finish it up Friday Party
and to
Red Letter Quilts...One Monthly Goal

Happy Stitching

A few finishes

In July, I started the embroidery for another Tammy bag.

I finally finished it this week along with a collapsible thread catcher.

The stitching is a Bird Brain Designs pattern.

It is a free pattern at Lecien.

I'm loving those dots...a needle keeper will complete this sewing kit.

The tea towel with the machine embroidered poinsettia
was given to me by a friend...I was cleaning out my linen closet and
thought it was the perfect towel for a little crocheted edging.
I love it!!

I'm linking to 
Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
and to Stitchery Link Party # 26 at Super Mom - No Cape

Have a wonderful weekend!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family!!

A couple of finishes...

...a few more tea towels

using Bird Brain Designs pattern #541

Fresh Picked Tea Towels

...some fresh picked juicy cherries

and yummy apples.

I consider myself a beginner when it comes to crocheting
...it has to be easy.
I did a Google search...tea towel crocheted edgings.
There are lots of free edgings...some pretty easy ones...
and still I had to rip many stitches...I know how to do the basic stitches
just have trouble counting to 4.

I'm linking to 
I'm linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
and to Stitchery Link Party # 24 at Super Mom - No Cape

Have a wonderful weekend!!
Happy stitching!!

Playing with some new embroider designs...

...from Blueberry Backroads.

A tea towel with some yummy blueberries and a 
simple crocheted edging.
The pattern is The Berry Patch.
The pattern for the embroidery on the clothes pin bag
is Grandma's Back Yard.
I can see myself making a few more of these for gifts.

I love clothes line embroideries and when
I find a new design I end up making another clothes pin bag.

I've made a few over the last few years...

which one is your favorite?

here they are all in a row...
I'd say they are all looking pretty cute.

The middle one was a practice one...plain and simple.
Then I added ruffles and an extra pocket and that is
the one I use...(second from the right).
My favorites are the ones with the embroideries.
I have lots and lots of clothes pins and 
most of them are stored in
a log cabin.
I love it!!
 

I'm linking up to Finish it up Friday with Amanda Jean.
and
Monday's Vintage Embroidery  with Super Mom

Happy Stitching...have a wonderful day!!

ALYoF June finish...

...another quilt finished.

I used Moda's El Gallo designed by Deb Strain.

I wanted the black binding on the front but not on the back.

I decided on the 2-fabric binding and it's perfect.

My 2-fabric binding tutorial is HERE.

 ...just love the blacks, greys and reds...

and those dots!!

To make this 48" x 56" quilt you need

42 - 10" squares and 42 - 5" squares.

I saw this Fold and Sew techique on a You Tube video...

by Peg Spradlin

Under my header you can also find the video in the tab

Tutorials by Other Designers

Peg used sashing to separate the blocks and 

she centered all the 5" squares.

I chose to make my quilt without the sashing and off set the 5" squares.

I love them both...

I have made this quilt 3 times...and I know I will make many more

...it is fast and simple...perfect for a lap quilt!!

There are so many Christmas collections I love 

and I can see me making some as Christmas gifts...or

how about a Halloween quilt?

********************

You won't want to miss this....

it's a sale, and it is going on at Crazy Quilt Girl Fabric Shop.

Corinna has amazing prices to begin with, but if you use

coupon code HAPPYJUNE you will get an additional 15% off

your order of $35.00 or more.

This sale ends Tuesday June 30th...

I'm linking to

 June's finishing party hosted by Shanna and Melissa

and to 

Finish it up Friday by crazy mom quilts #108

Have a wonderful weekend...

ALYoF April Finishes party....

My Lovely Year of Finishes April goal is finally a table runner...
no longer a UFO...
Cinnamon & Cocoa is a Bunny Hill Designs pattern from 2009.

I love how it turned out...now to finish the quilt that goes with it. 

It's called Rabbits Prefer Embroidery, also designed by Anne Sutton.

 I have the embroidery blocks finished...

probably finished them about 5 years ago...a red set of blocks

and a brown set that I forgot I had finished stitching.

The other goal for Aprils ALYoF was to get the blocks cut for one of two batik quilts that are on my 'to do' list...look...one top is finished. 

The pattern was in the February 2009 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.  

...hopefully I will have it quilted this week and I can stitch the binding when we go to Canada next Friday.

I'm linking to Melissa and Shanna

to crazy mom quilts Finish it up Friday party

and to

Confessions of a Fabric Addict  Whoop Whoop Friday party

October's goal for ALYoF is a finish...

I bound the quilt while vacationing in French Link Indiana.
(just got home a few hours ago)

We snapped a few pictures while touring

the area.

 This picture was taken in front of an antique shop

in Worthington Indiana.

Unfortunately it was closed, one of many shops that were closed.

This picture was taken at the train station in

Jasper Indiana. 

I'm linking up to October's ALYoF party with Melissa and Shanna

and to
finish it up Friday with crazy mom quilts

It's a finish...

...and just in time for Melissa and Shannon's ALYOF linky party.

Here is my May finish...it is a Many Trips Around the World.
You can find the free pattern here.
I decided on all pink fabrics and no borders.
...a peek at the back 

 and the front.

Thank you 
Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and
Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs
for hosting A Lovely Year of Finishes.

• I'm linking up to ALYOF finishing party for May
• to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Up Friday linky party
• to Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Whoop Whoop linky party
• to Such a Sew and Sew's A Stitch in Times May 2014 finishing linky party