A little stitching with Michelle Ridgway patterns...

...a wee peek at a new project I have been working on.

The embroidery is finished...now on to choosing fabrics.

I'm looking forward to finishing this...

I have quite a few patterns by Michelle Ridgway.

I talked about them here and now

some of Michelle's patterns are available at

Crazyquiltgirl Fabric Shop ...there will be more to choose from soon.  

Another project I started piecing this month

is a donation quilt for Safe House in Ann Arbor MI.

The tumbler blocks were already cut...not my color or fabric choices...

I volunteered to sew them into a quilt top.

The tumblers were cut, packaged in a pie box...tied with a bow

and ready to stitch...I couldn't resist.

Our next guild meeting in March 8th 

I hope to have it quilted and bound by then.

Something else I've been working on...

...have you seen these scrubbies or used them?

...they are long strips of tulling/netting crocheted into a circle 

and then stuffed with more netting.

They are great for cleaning Teflon and glass top ranges.

I use them to scrub the tile in my bathroom.

They are the best pot scrubbers!!

I've just started crocheting them and it has taken a few tries

to get them looking pretty good.

These are the first two...I'm working on a turquoise one now.

The next one will be purple...luv all the colors that are available.

I even put them in the dish washer...they last a long time.

I'm linking up to Cat Patches linky party

and  Such a Sew and Sew's linky party

and crazy mom quilts' linky party

and Confessions of a Fabric Addict's linky party.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Happy stitching

It's that time...to show you my January finish for ALYOF

I had 2 sets of 8 reindeer and snowmen blocks.

My Januaary goal was to take one set of the blocks and make a quilt top.

If I still had time I was going to work on the second set of blocks...

a woman can change her mind right??  

My flimsy was finished and I couldn't wait to see it quilted so...

I loaded the flimsy onto Lizzy.

...with 5 days to go I'm hoping I can have the quilt bound
and have a finish!!  I can do this!!

I had been working on some redwork projects that travelled to
the Road to California Quilt Show.
There was a Redwork Exhibit using Bird Brain Designs.
If  you have been following my blog you will know
I love to embroider...
I started stitching in October and finished 4 projects...

2 message boards,

a 4 seasons wall hanging

 I called it "I Love All Seasons"

 I've changed my mind...I love only 3 seasons...I can do without winter!!

I called this quilt "Santa is Coming to Your House"
All the embroidery patterns are available at Bird Brain Designs.

I quilted it with snowflakes....it was easier than I thought it would be
and am quilting the Snowmen and Reindeer quilt with snowflakes too.

I'll be posting again on Friday....hopefully I will have
the Snowmen and Reindeer quilt bound...
and a few more finishes to share.

I am linking up with Fiber of all Sorts' Finishing Party.

If you are in Australia...stay cool
if you are in Canada and the USA...stay warm!!

Happy stitching,

A Lovely Year of Finishes...January goal

Thank you to 

Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and 

Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs 

for hosting the linky parties every month.

It definitely motivates me to finish a UFO once I am committed.

I have been procrastinating...I've changed my mind many times...

but I have finally decided to use the hand embroidered blocks I stitched 

about 4 years ago and make a lap size quilt.

I will use 8 embroidered blocks and complete a quilt top...

that will be my goal for January.

I have enough blocks to make 2 lap size quilts.

If time permits, I will work on the piecing for the second quilt.

I won't have any difficulty finding a UFO for each month in 2014.

The difficulty will be to do it... while preparing to move back to Canada.

It will be a challenging year!!!

Happy stitching...

My December project for A Lovely Year of Finishes is finished...

December has been a very busy month...had a few stressful days but it always seems to work out.

...I did get my  December project completed for A Lovely Year of Finishes.

I am happy with my quillow.  I am calling it Sunny Days on the Farm.  

I started quilting about 13 years ago...but I was making quillows about 20 years ago, long before I could call myself a quilter...I love the new look of my quillow...it actually looks like a quilt...with binding.  Twenty years ago I would take a print fabric 1.5 yards long x wof and place it right sides together with a plain backing on top of a piece of batting....stitch around the four sides leave an opening to pull the fabric through to the right side...slip stitch the opening closed and sew 1/2" around the outside edges of the so-called quilt.  I would then center the pocket section to the top of the quilt and attach it to the quilt by stitching the top edge of the pocket to the quilt and then stitch the side edges of the pocket and continue stitching the quilt part to the bottom of the quilt...really there was not much stitching to the quilt...only 2 straight lines of stitching to secure the pocket and the print to the solid back...for some reason I always used a plain fabric for the back.

I had originally paired this farm print with a chocolate brown backing...20 years later I changed the backing to a Kona solid, Raffia...how our tastes change.

Shanna from Fibers of All Sorts and 

Melissa from Sew Bittersweet Designs are getting ready to host 

A Lovely Year of Finishes 2014.

I started in October 2013 and finished 3 UFO's

I am joining in again and hope to finish 12 UFO's in 2014...

join in and finish your projects!!

I had a lot of new finishes in December too...many were Christmas gifts...sorry no pictures.  I made 8 Tammy bags, knit 4 scarves, and I have some redwork finishes that I will be shipping to Robin at Bird Brain Design...soon...and with any luck at all they will be hanging in the Road to California Quilt Show January 23 - 26, 2014.  I made a Santa quilt and love it even with the quilting through the embroidery!!  I have a little peek for you...some day I will try quilting without a pantograph...

 ..here is a peek of the back, quilted with snowflakes

I also finished 2 message boards...

I have 2 more projects with dead lines that will keep me busy this week along with family returning for a visit on Tuesday...and I must not forget, I also have a dentist appointment tomorrow!!  

We've had lots of family visiting for Christmas.  My Dsister, DBIL, Dniece and her Dhubby were visiting since Friday, they left mid afternoon today to head back to Canada...they arrived just as our 2 sons and their families were packing up the cars to head back to Canada.  The Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs is on New Years day and our youngest son, DDIL and the 3 grandones are coming back as the boys got tickets for the game...Santa was very good to them...they are about to freeze their butts...they are sooooo excited.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday

sharing it with family and friends...

hugs