BUNNY HILL BLOCK OF THE MONTH

Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs has graciously offered a block of the month. This is mine; click on my side bar for her Tisket- a -Tasket site, and be prepared to have a fun time for 12 whole months! I am not adding the buttons to mine until after I quilt it.....my quilter will love me more if I don't, and I am waiting until all the blocks are finished to decide what to sash them with. Also, click on Anne's flicker group and see everyone elses, they are really fun to see!

I normally don't like to put things on my side bar because it makes me crazy to have so much stuff to look at....... but this one is so darn cute, I had to share! ENJOY!

WINTER!

I know I posted today, but I received this in an email today, and this is exactly how I feel! I am going to southern California in February to see my sister for a week....I can hardly wait!

SPEAKING OF CHOCOLATE

I personally like dark chocolate...but will eat any kind! My mom ate dark chocolate and I think you have to grow up eating dark to really like it, most people don't. No matter, I say, "LET THEM EAT CHOCOLATE!"

On the inside of these Dove chocolates is a little message. They make me so happy. I know it must cost a fortune to print this foil twice, I don't care, it is so nice. One of them said, "Think of something that makes you laugh." Another, "Let chocolate warm your soul." Isn't that right when you are having a bad day? One more said, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." I have several friends who keep chocolate in their sewing room ....as do I, plus I have some in the kitchen cupboard, and for back-up I always have chocolate chips in the refrigerator. YEAH FOR CHOCOLATE!

QUESTION?

So, is a person addicted if you turn on their computer first thing in the morning to check your blog along with all your favorites; and it is the last thing you do before you go to bed? Let's be honest, how many of us really do it? Let's take a count, leave your answers on my comments.

1. Yes I am addicted based on the information above.
2. I have _____ number of blogs on my favorites list.
Here is my personal answer,
1. yes
2. only 26...that isn't too bad is it?

RANDOM, here is the picture of my TV cabinet, my sister wanted to see it, I thought maybe some of you would too?

Here is a shout out to all you great bloggers from AUSTRALIA! I just felt like giving a shout out!

Japaneese Book Binding

I thought I would let you know that I do a few other things besides sewing...not much, but a few! I do not "scrapbook," but I like to do some paper crafts. I have wanted to do this Japanese book binding for some time. So I got on line...all by myself....on You Tube, and found a few videos and made a couple of journal/books. It was pretty fun. Here is the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUD0iKBkCVo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO-KYuC85sk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XHfwe_VfbM&feature=related

SEWING DITTY BAG TUTORIAL

Okay, this is my first attempt at a tutorial........if it is bad, let me know so I will not do another.

This is my little Sewing "Ditty" Bag. It stays in my big sewing bag, I take it any place I need sewing supplies....and I never take anything out of it! Mine contains:

Scissors

measuring tape

seam ripper (I found these seam rippers at Hancock Fabrics, or you can get them from Amazon.com) They are about $3.00-4.00, and SO GREAT!

mechanical pencil and lead

a package of needles

This is what you need to make the bag:

(2) 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" pieces of fabric I used Charisma by Chez Moi for Moda (It comes in sooo many colors.)

(1) 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" piece of thin batting

(1) 12" zipper

Directions:

1-Sandwich the batting in between the two pieces of fabric. Fabric is wrong sides together, batting inside. Pin pieces together well.

2- Sew (quilt) the piece together using these lines. Across both ways, and diagonal both ways, and then 2" from the outside in a square as in the photo.

3. Zig-zag using a wide stitch, all the way around the square.

4. Cut the metal ends off of the zipper....NOTE: be careful so you don't zip the zipper all the way off the cut ends.........trust me, it is hard to get it back on!

5. Lay the right side (top side) of the zipper (does a zipper have a top side?) on the left of the fabric along the edge. Sew into place along the zipper teeth. I didn't use a zipper foot, I used my wide zig-zag foot. Sew the other side of the zipper to the right side of the square.

6. Fold the two parts of the zipper together at the teeth and pin. The zipper is up -side- down. Stitch across the entire end two -three times to make sure it holds.

NOTE: Make sure you leave the zipper half way open as you sew or you will not be able to turn the bag in-side-out......(trust me!)

7. The tail of the zipper will be sticking out at the other end. Fold the zipper onto itself, and sew across the zipper to the bottom corner two-three times. Cut the zipper off at the end of the bag. This seam is running opposite of the other end. (Note the first photo.)

8. Trim the corners, except for where the zipper tail was.

This is how your bag should look before you turn it right side out.

9. Turn the bag right side out.

YOU DID IT Oh my goodness, posting this took 4 times the amount of time to make the bag!

BAG CLASP...and P.S.

This is a GREAT bag clasp! Have any of you used it before? It is magnetized, so it closes so nice.

This is the package it's from Clover called Bag's & Tote's, ,magnet tote bag closure 3/4"Get you local fabric/quilt store to get them for you, they are really fast.

I included the directions, from the back, (sorry about the bad photo) but you make two little slits in your fabric, put the prongs through, add the top on the prongs, bend the prongs .....THAT IS IT! It was about $4.00, but well worth it.

P.S. Here is a photo of the yo-yo buttons I put on my bag. I made a yo-yo and used a 1 1/4" covered button!

My New Spring Bag!

Here is my new Spring Bag made from Sandy Henderson's Ginger Blossoms. I had a whole fat quarter bundle of all the fabric that I have used for several things, but I had enough to make this bag by INDYGO JUNCTION. It is called, The Crestwood, #IJ810. I had to cut just about every piece from a different fat quarter, so it is very scrappy! And it is RED and PINK!
This is the otgher side.

This is the inside.

So, when you are bored, make something for Spring! Maybe I won't wait until Spring to use it!!!Is anyone working on something "Springy?" What?

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You must go check out Camille Roskelley's blog, SIMPLFY and see her good news. She is a very talented lady, and I am so excited for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus she is my friend, lucky me!!!!!!

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

This is the cover of a GREAT BOOK about color by Mary O'Neill. It really is a children's picture book, but it has the best descriptions of color. This book has gone through 30 printings, been published in several countries and languages , including Braille.......This is a newer addition, and the illustrations are WONDERFUL. I checked, you can still get it through Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com.

Here is a sample of the amazing rhymes about the colors.

WHAT IS GREEN?

Green is the grass and the leaves of trees. Green is the smell of a country breeze.

WHAT IS RED?

Red is a lipstick, red is a shout, red is a signal that says: "Watch out!" Red is a great big Rubber ball, Red is the giant-est color of all.

WHAT IS PINK?

If you stand in an orchard in the middle of Spring and you don't make a sound you can hear pink sing, a darling, whispery song of a thing. Pink is the beautiful little sister to red; my teacher said, and a ribbon girls tie round their head.

WHAT IS WHITE?

White is a dove and lily of the valley and a puddle of milk spilled in the alley----a ship's sail,a kite's tail, a wedding veil. Hailstones and Halibut bones and some people's Telephones.

If you like ryhme and colors, you will LOVE this book. Go check it out!

ME TOO! Why didn't I know about this site? I know a lot about MODA! This has some great tutorials! Thanks Vickie.

WHAT ARE YOU ALL WORKING ON?

I was wondering what everyone was working on? I would love to see or hear.....post your projects on your blog, and let me ( and everyone else who comes along) know so we can have a look! I know I showed this before, but this is what I am sewing on today, I need to get all these sashing stars finished.I sew with a group of 11 women every Wednesday. Every week we drag all our "stuff" to each other's home...machines, projects....etc. The host provides lunch for everyone, we eat, sew and visit....we never husband bash! Some husbands were skeptical about the whole thing. We have been having "sewing day" for about 10 years now........WOW, hard to believe! This is one of the blocks for my book, there are 12 different ones.....if I don't get all those sashing blocks finished, I will be STRESSED when I have to finish all these appliqued blocks!

We have been through great times, grandbabies, moving, going back to college, children's lives....and even death, yes, one of our dear sewing ladies died 4 years ago of colon cancer, 2 years ago one of our lady's husband died from complications of surgery, and now one our lady's son-in-law is dying of brain cancer.....it is so nice to be able to go someplace everyweek and be with someone who cares about you. It has been one of the greatest things in my life!

Today sewing day is at my house, I am serving TACO SOUP. Here is the recipe, it is SOOOO easy. Of course we are having chocolate....Chocolate Crackle cookies....we must have chocolate!

TACO SOUP

1 lb. browned hamburger

1 1/2 cup water

1- 16 oz. can pinto beans, don't drain

1-can corn, drain

1 can tomato soup

1-16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1/2 onion browned with hamburger

1/2 envelope Taco seasoning

1 cup grated cheese

sour cream for topping if desired

Tortilla chips to crush into bowls

*Brown hamburger and onion, put all ingredients in crock pot.

Cook in crock pot on high for 4 hours.

Top bowls of soup with grated cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips...EAT

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.

1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Melt chocolate over med. heat in a heat-proof bowl, set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

3. With electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar, eggs until fluffy. Add vanilla, and chocolate, beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic and chill in the refregerator until firm, about 2 hours.

4. Divide each piece into 16, 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar to coat, then in powdered sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minures, roating sheets halfway through. Let cool on wire racks.

All things Red and Pink

My favorite colors are Red and Pink, equally! My daughter does a "color scavenger hunt" (great ideas from Bella Dia and the Crafty Crow) every friday with her children. They go around the house and collect all the things that color. They stop and read the books that have the color on them, and eat the things they find in the frig. IT IS ONE OF THOSE KINDS OF DAYS............I NEED A LITTLE COLOR! No, I need A LOT OF COLOR. So I did my own scavenger hunt and collected a few things that make me happy....I thought I would share them with you!
I love the fabric for this table cloth....I got it in California last year. I wish I had paid attention to whose line it was. It is VERY cheerful! One of my favorites!

This is Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit. I got them two years ago at a craft fair. I loved the glitter....you all know me and glitter!
I keep them out all year round in my guest bedroom. They make me sooooooo HAPPY!

I have decided that I LOVE PINK FABRIC!!!!!! It really makes me the happiest of all my fabric!

This is my little ladybug egg timer my sister sent me. My granddaughter LOVES to turn it on and watch it. It makes her happy too!

I have 4 our these children's chairs. I bought these two........and not even at the same time or place.....but I had to have them.

I love BARBIE. I only had one Barbie doll....in fact I still have her. This is a little miniature Sleeping Beauty doll with a Barbie like face....of course in PINK. I think I must like PINK! This is something most of you will not know about me, even those of you who do! I love to walk down the Barbie isle in the department stores.........especially at Christmas. I love to see all the accessories, all the different dolls and their faces. I think their make-up is ingenious! And those little tiny shoes............who doesn't love those? My grandma Valentine, (yes that is her name) had really tiny feet, and she had A LOT of beautiful shoes. She kept them in boxes in her closet, even though she never let me wear them, I loved to look at them.

If I had all the money in the world and a huge place to keep them, I would collect Barbies! WHO KNEW?

These are other little trinkets that are pink that make me happy. I love Strawberry lotion. I love old pink dishes, (like this glass I found at the thrift shop for 50 cents...I keep small bits of thread in it.) My sewing friend Lori made these cute cupcake pincushions.....and of course I do have PINK thread. YEP, I have concluded from this post that I do like PINK!!!!!!!!! I think even more than red, sorry Red. Last but not least, is my little PINK and RED doll I made from a pattern I designed for Cotton Way entitled, Love Others More #848.

I almost forget!! You must check out Bunny Tales blog.............Anne is giving away 12 FREE block of the month patterns that are TO DIE FOR CUTE! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And who can deny the feeling of a beautiful PINK sunset? There is something about that color.... "Thank you God for making such beautiful colors." What colors make you happy and why? Tell me and post it on your blog so we all can come see!

Yo-Yo Quilts 101

THIS IS A YO-YO!
Lazy Girl Deisigns has a great tutorial on how to use the Clover Yo-Yo Maker.

I am guessing those of you who are "younger" than me don't know what a Yo-Yo Quilt is so here is a bit of information. This is a brief history of Yo-Yo quilts from Quilters Studio.

Quilt History

Yo-yo quilts are one of my favorites. It was one of the first things I learned to sew. Just use scrap fabric, use any circle as a pattern and cut out. Sew a running stitch, around the edge as you turn under, and draw closed. You can make them from any fabric and any size. We used to insert a bottle cap, sew several together and make a hot pad. If you used all purple fabric they looked like a bunch of grapes. I used to make tons of them and sew them to my jeans, shorts, tops and tote bags. Today they come ready made for you. You can even glue them to lampshades, baskets and other home décor items.
I have also heard yo-yo referred to as puffs and even Marguerites. This technique dates back to before the Victorian era but was really popular from 1925 through the 1950's. They are never quilted, just tacked together. Some wonderful patterns and designs can be achieved using different colors. Ladies would place a sheet or solid color light summer on the bed and lay the yo-yo quilt on top. The solid backing would shine through giving a lacy effect. Newspapers and ladies magazines would offer ideas for layouts. I have seen them made in many colors but pastels are prominent. I also have some using gingham.

Now you know!

I really wanted to find a good picture of a Yo-Yo quilt to show you, but I couldn't find one I liked, so if anyone has one let me know so I can post it.

Winner, Wallpaper, and Shopping!

Okay, the winner is.................CARRIE P. from North Carolina! The answer is Wallpaper! I am wallpapering that one wall in my sewing room with 1950-1960's dress patterns. The sad thing is these are not my mothers, although she had 100's, but gave them to a local thrift stores years ago when they moved.............my sister sent these to me! I love them, I have happy memories of my mom sewing for my sister and I. Carrie, here is what you get, the greatest little yo-yo maker, (and some other surprises!) If the rest of you don't have one or two, you need one. They come in all sizes and shapes, like hearts and flowers........they are so fun , EASY and addicting!

Here is the photo of how cute they are! Thanks everyone for your entries, and all your darling ideas, they were GREAT!Here is what I bought when I went shopping on Friday! Three fat quarters! I like the challenge of using what I have at home for a project, and just adding a few pieces to it. That way I can go shopping more, and if I buy a cheap lunch, I get both and I don't feel deprived! These are Nature's Chorus by April Cornell from Moda! I hope all of you had a great time shopping, it doesn't matter where you go to get fabric or how much you spend, just get a little, enjoy yourself, and help out the economy! I call it, "Retail Therapy."

GIVE AWAY!!!!!

Anybody want to guess what this is? I am having a small GIVE AWAY for the closest, most clever answer! Tell your friends to come look...............those of you who know, don't tell, guess something else! Did anyone go fabric shopping and go to lunch? Tell me where you went and what you bought and get your name entered again, your odds should be pretty good! I will post where I went and what I bought, kind of like Show and Tell! HURRAH, FABRIC SHOPPING, I love fabric shopping, there is just something about all that fabric in rows, I love to see it and touch it. That is somehow so satisfying to me!

Check out this great blog, modkidboutique. I saw Patty's booth at quilt market in Houston, she is very talented and darling! I loved her fabrics.

NEW YEAR SURPRISE

One of the nice things about being a designer is sometimes fabric companies will send you fabric to use on your projects. I was fortunate at quilt market to talk to Marcus Brothers who were generous and sent me a box of beautiful fabrics of The Old Sturbridge Village by Judie Rothermel which I will be using in my book this fall! Thanks so much Pati! Be sure to see all the fabrics on Fatquartershop.com, click on the Marcus Brothers at the left.

Here are a few of the squares I have to trim! I like to trim everything so I know it is exact before I sew! This is the corner sashing block with this WONDERFUL goldenrod fabric! I love it so much!

These are some of the fabrics I am going to use in my quilt....of course these pictures don't do the fabrics justice, but you get the picture.

Here is the rest of the pile that I am going to use for another project, hopefully to go in my book. I hope I survive this!

AND, I got darling Christmas package from my friend Bonnie (of CottonWay) with new fabric, a pattern called, Cherry Chocolate Valentine #898, and CHERRY CHOCOLATES!!! It was the cutest sparkle red box with a sweet bow, all red and pink....my two favorite colors! Thanks Bonnie! *Check out Marsha's blog for a darling beaded purse giveaway! Also, there is a Valentine exchange at Dandelionquilts!

HAPPY NEW YEARS! I hope all your new wishes and dreams come true!