TATER-BAGS, Tater Bags, and a little touch of Blue. . .

My local Friendship Group has been sewing up a storm making Tater Bags. We've made so many, I have sort of lost count! lol. Now that the Warm and Natural Company has made "tater batting", they are even nicer to sew and use.

I like to include a tag with each gift bag giving directions for use, care, etc.:

There are a ton of free patterns on the Net, and also a FREE pattern is included with one's purchase of W&N batting. Some of my bags are made from strips cut WOF, and a few are made from FQs. For the FQ ones I had to make up my own method, but it all worked out. [If I could figure out how to add a PDF to a blog post, I would share the pattern I wrote.  Hmmm, someday... lol.  If anyone else knows how to do this with Blogger and would share with me, that would be GREAT!]  These bags are quick and easy -- giftees love them!

It's back to sewing on Bonnie's OrcaBay Mystery project. Twelve more Blue String blocks completed this morning -- only TEN more to go and Clue#2 will be done! Yeah... done is good. Then it is on to Clue #4 and RED. . . good golly, Miss Molly, but this quilter does love red!

I am still facinated by how messy string-pieced units look during the sewing process, then trim them up and the Ugly Ducklings turn into Swan Blocks! Guess it doesn't take too much to keep me entertained! lol.

Because I started to run a little low on Blues, I raided my CW fabric bins this morning for more variety. Today was an exeriment to see if these different kinds of styles would play nice together -- I think it might work. What do you think of the blocks above... they look ok to you?

Well... that's about it for today. Thank you so much for dropping by for a visit -- loved having you! If you leave a comment [which is always appreciated!] feel free to leave your blog addy URL in your comment's signature line so I can visit you!

Hope everyone has a lovely day and has tons of time to sew, sew, sew!
Hugs,

ORCA BAY: Clue #2... yes, I know I'm working a bit backwards

Today sees the completion of 10 string blocks for Clue #2. Yes, I'm working a bit backwards -- lol -- I did Clue #3 yesterday. Not to worry. As long as they all get sewed up sometime between now and ??? whenever, it's all good! LOL. Check out all the info at Quiltville -- you'll be glad you did.

I wasn't sure if I would like the Blue String blocks -- blue is a great color, but my personal fave is RED! But now that they are sewn together, I find myself really really liking them -- even loving these cute little blue blocks! Glad I tried a color outside my usual. The "stretch" will do me good.

Isn't it weird how the blocks look so yucky and strange after sewing [pic on left]... but TRIM [pic on right] and they look wonderful!

Yup... me likey these little blocks. Perhaps "stringing" is my thing; scrap blocks certainly are! I made a Spider Quilt last year -- Katrin talked me into it! LOL.  Katrin started a Spider Ring and it was so much fun.

Tomorrow will see more of Clue#2 HST blocks and the beginning of Clue#1 QST blocks. The method I am choosing for all triangle blocks is Inklingo! I love the predictable precision I get when using Inklingo. Rather than run paper through my printer, PP, and pick off paper; I iron fabric to FP, run through printer, cut, sew, press, DONE! Love it. A big thanks to Linda Franz for her invention. I have no affiliation, I am just an extremely Happy Camper!

That's all for now... I am off to my closet to pull more black, blue, neutral and some reds. If I do some prep now, I can sew more tomorrow... or at least that is my plan.

Thank you for stopping by to visit. . .

Quilty hugs,

ORCA BAY MYSTERY on Quiltville - My Progress So Far. . .

Hello,
Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville fame has designed another wonderful Mystery Quilt Project. It is called Orca Bay. Check out Bonnie's site for all the info here.  The first three clues have been posted, but it is not too late to join in.

Today I completed about 30+ little 1.5" HSTs. All in blacks and neutrals. Cute little things. Only about 300 more to go. NO problem, though. I am using Inklingo to print my little triangles... no math, no measuring, no special rulers. Just print, sew, cut:

Perfect little HSTs. I am definitely a fan of Inklingo - it is such a wonderful quilting tool!

That's all the quilty stuff for tonight. The light is gone and twilight has set in, so will go grab my crochet stuff and hook a while. Are you following the GGW CAL on LuAnn's blog? Jump over and see what fun we are having.

Thank you for stopping by to visit. May we always have the time and the inclination to make something wonderful for ourselves or someone we love. . .
Quilty hugs,

TaDah!!! More little projects finished -- The Click-It Purse

Last night's sewing finish was a "Click It" Purse. I bought the pattern over a year ago during a Quilt Run, but failed to make it until last night. No grass grows under my feet... right?! lol

The 'magic' that keeps this little item securely closed is: ...

a piece of metal measuring tape! Did you guess what it was? 

This little purse [roughly 8.5" square] takes TWO FQs + two 8" pieces of metal tape. Be sure and round off the cut ends and smooth them with an old file or emery board. It might be a good idea to put a piece of masking tape over the ends as well... don't want the metal tape to "poke" it's way out of the fabric.

This little purse is for my DD to keep in her desk at work. I'm calling it the "911 Bag" because I plan on filling it with emergency items that could be useful: 'cotton angels', bandaids, small sewing kit, lip balm, small tube of Tylenol, Kleenex tissues, nail file, brush/comb,... etc etc..  I think DD will be pleasantly surprised to have this little surprise gifty. Probably wouldn't hurt to make another one for myself and keep it in my car.

A quick visit to a local bead shop was all I needed to creat a 'fob' to hang on the Prairie Point [these are "handles" to open purse]. I found some numbers -- 9-1-1 -- a few crystals, a couple of blue beads, some findings and voila a "911 Bobble" of sorts... just for fun.

That's all for today. I hope where ever you are that you have time to create something you like.
Hugs,

CUTE, QUICK, USEFUL... what could be better?

Spent quite a bit of time sewing yesterday -- the Yarn Goddess is now whining. lol. Finished up several projects. My fave one is of this teeny tiny tote to carry iPod earbuds, change, what-have-you. Handy little gadget and it only took 4 Charm Squares, plus a small corner of a 5th for the loop, and a 3/4" sliver to make the zipper pull. Well, OK, 5 Charm Squares. ;-)

The idea came from: Erin. She wrote a great tute... go check it out. Thank you Erin for such a nifty design! 

I constructed mine slightly different -- see below:

I cut two Charm Squares in half [front and lining] and installed the zipper without cutting into 1/2-circle shape. So easy to line up the ends... straight is better than a curve, eh?!  Next, I added two rectangle batting bits and edge-stitched the zipper... I also chose to lightly quilt, as I was using Cotton Classic batting. [Adding the batting AFTER zipper installation keeps the edges flatter so they don't get 'poofy'.]

Now, stack two more Charm Squares [backing/lining] and a scrap of batting -- tack-press a FP circle on top and cut through all layers. [Quick little bit of FM quilting is optional.]

Last... layer circle bits on top of zipper/rectangle, and using circle edge as guide, stitch around with a 1/4" s.a..  Trim if needed and overcast edge for neatness. Turn right side out, press, edge stitch, and you are done! 

Hope you like this little project. If you decide to make one, I would love to see it. Also, Erin has a Flicker site to share pics [link on her blog].

That's all for today. I hope where ever you are that you have time to create something you like.

Hugs,

WOW... I've Been Off Planet: Some Crochet to share. . .

Hello,
I've sure been off planet the last two weeks. My left foot had a bit of surgery and it's taking it's own sweet time to heal... you know the drill: stay off it, elevate, blah blah... ok. End of update, now for fun stuff:

Been crocheting more and sewing less -- just been working out that-a-way. Above, is Missy [my little 6 pound kitty] relaxing on one of her new blankies. And below is the other one I made in Pink... and, wow, is it PINK! lol

Open, these little blankies cover her beds in the house, but folded in half they pad her carrier purrrrfectly! They are quick to hook up and make good use of all the smallish bits of yarn leftover from other projects.

Please don't forget to go check out the other blogs sharing their crochet in the on-going CAL's -- it's nice to see what others are up to: LuAnn, Elly, Katrin [just to name a few].

That's it for today... thank you so much for stopping by to visit. I hope where ever you are that you have time to sew, crochet, knit, or otherwise make something that makes you or someone you love happy! Bye for now. . .

Hugs,

TA DAH!!! All FOUR Halloween Bags are D-O-N-E!

Breathless! That's what I am. I have been scurrying about from room to room sewing and pressing like a mad-woman making sure I finished the Halloween Bags for 3 DGC and one DGGC. Whew!

They are done. Packed into their little packages; postage printed and applied; and we will all go to the postoffice together tomorrow morning at 0700! Sending them Express Mail to guarantee they will arrive by Mon the 31st.

A wonderful friend -- Joyce M. -- shared some extra Halloween blocks with me, so turning the blocks into bags was pretty quick and easy. THANK YOU, JOYCE! The kids are going to love their bags!

Our LQS didn't have any Halloween fabrics, so a quick trip to JoAnn's was in order.  The fabrics are fun and look good with the blocks, eh?!

My house is a total wreck and poor Missy is feeling a bit neglected, . . but mission accomplished! I sure wish I could learn NOT to procrastinate. I wonder if there is a 'pill' for that? There is for everything else! lol.

Ok... that's enough nonsence from me today -- lol -- thank you so much for dropping by for a visit. I hope you will come back. Until then, be happy... it sure beats the alternative!
Hugs,

SUPER QUICK PILLOWs. . . In about 15 Min! ;-)

Need some pillows super-fast? No problem. If you can be happy with 'covers' and not anything fancy-smancy, then this method will work for you. My DD has a beach/ocean theme in her new apartment, so this pretty shell fabric will look nice on her new white couch.

Process:
I am making 4 pillows. Two 16 inch, & two 18 inch square [pillow forms from JoAnn's].

CUT fabric: two strips WOF x 16" and two strips WOF x 18 inches [or whatever size your pillows are].
Fold fabric exactly in half [long-wise, two short ends meet] and press. Fold over double a nice hem on each short end. Stitch. I stitched both the edge and the fold for extra durability and it looks nice that way. Press.

Line ruler up on FOLD side at one-half the size of pillow [remember, it's folded in half]. Here it is at 8 inches.

Flip the hemmed edge over the ruler [this marks the size of pillow]. Pull ruler away from the fold you just made and press this new fold in place. Stay with me; you'll see how this little trick works so fast to 'mark' the edges and size of your pillow.

Open up and re-fold using the pressed-fold line you just made... where my scrubby finger is pointing.

Now a couple of pins to hold edges in place; stitch the two short sides; press seams; turn, and voila! Stuff your pillow form inside and TaDah, you're done!

No kidding. . . each pillow will take less than 15 minutes to make.

That's all for today. Thank you so much for dropping by to visit. I hope where ever you are that you have time to create something for yourself or someone you love.

Hugs,

Small QUICK Bag. . . and Keeping Me Honest

Tuesday's Friendship Circle was a blast! Several members shared some cute and quick projects. The one I made is a small bag to corral essentials in my purse. Hopefully, keeping things neat, easy to find, and quick and easy to change to another purse. I made mine in pink!

This bag is soooo easy to make: Use pre-quilted fabric [or make your own... I used a few Charm Squares & machine quilted]. The size isn't important. Mine was "almost" 9 inches square, but rectangles are good, too. Install a zipper on two opposing edges. Fold and center the zipper and stitch a seam; then refold opposite direction and create last seam. Make sure your zipper is halfway open when sewing the last seam so you have space to 'turn' it right side out. The s.a. are zigzaged as I didn't want to drag out my serger. A zipper fob is just for fun. Next time I will add a 'tab' at top/bottom of zipper for a better finish! Live n learn, ya?! These make super gifts! See Jill's bag [below]... she used 'tabs' at both ends of the zipper and I think her's has a cleaner finish. Jill started with a rectangle, so her finished bag would be just right for cutting tools.

"Keeping Me Honest": Some of you know that I have been diagnosed with Type-II Diabetes. Now I am making a lot of life-style changes, not the least of which is dietary modifications. I thought I could keep myself 'honest' if I started posting about this... so, if you aren't interested just skip over this part. lol. Yesterday's lunch was:
A salad concoction that I arrived at mostly based on what was in my frig and the leftover Butternut Squash from the night before. Here are the salad ingredients: 2 handfuls of mixed greens [baby spinach, romaine, arugula, endive, radicchio, etc.], 1 Roma Tomato, 1 Cup baked Butternut Squash/cubed, 1 Persian Cuke, 2 Oz water-packed Albacore Tuna, 1/4 C low fat Cottage Cheese, 2 Tblsp Salsa [the last two are my "dressing"]. A sprinkle of mixed herbs on top with a dusting of Garlic Powder. It was VERY tasty! Filling and satisfying, too. If you choose to try it, please let me know how you like it.

Along with better food choices also comes the dedication to move more. Last night I walked for 1.5 hours at the Street Faire. Yippee for me! If YOU are making life-style changes, too, perhaps you will add a comment to this post -- I would love all the support I can garner to stay on track. And, if you have a blog, please leave your blog addy as part of your signature line in your comment. That way I can visit you and give you support, too. It's always easier to do this kind of thing with friends! Do you agree?

I can't resist sharing this picture of Missy. . . she has found a new place to explore and "hide" in. There is a very small space under the sewing machine cabinet, behind the small chest and where two FeatherWeights are stored. I don't know what she thinks is so interesting in the trash bin! lol. . . . kitties are so much fun!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope where ever you are, you have time to create something that makes you happy! Sew, Quilt, Knit, Tat, Crochet, occasional Cooking. . . Life Is GOOD!

Hugs,

Monday AGAIN Already???

Hello Friends in BlogLand. . .
This is just a quickie post to say "Hi" and leave you with a chuckle -- Monday's need all the help they can get! lol

After I hit the market for some produce, and then JoAnn's for some supplies for tomorrow's project at Friendship Circle, I plan to sit on my tushie and crochet on Laura's soon-to-be Granny Gone Wild afghan.  What are all of you up to today???

Thank you for stopping by. I hope where ever you are, you have time to create something that makes you happy! Sew, Quilt, Knit, Tat, Crochet, occasional Cooking. . . Life Is GOOD!

Hugs,

GRANNY GONE WILD CAL: My Rectangle Granny

Grannies, grannies, every where grannies! LuAnn of Loose Threads has just launched a new Crochet-A-Long.  LuAnn is making a multi color square granny. I am making a rectangle shape in Blue, White, & Yellow for my DD's new apartment. This is where I am as of yesterday:

Making a square into a rectangle didn't go as smoothly as I hoped it would. lol. First, I tried making a chain, joining into a ring... nope, don't like it.

Second attempt: I made some "eyelets" and crocheted clusters from the eyelets... nope, don't like this either.

Third try: after some discussion with crochet friends and some trial and error, LuAnn suggested a regular chain, BUT put some clusters down the chain without crocheting on both sides of the beginning chain! YES! Success... it works fine and lays well with no ruffling of edges! Thank you, LuAnn for the suggestion... aren't friends great?!

FINALLY, I begin: Because grannies have 3 double crochets in each cluster with a chain-1 in between, we can proceed with a chain of any number as long as it is a multiple of FOUR.  Because I wanted a specific width-to-length ratio, I chose to Chain16. From there it is easy:

The rectangle beginning: Ch16, DblCr in 4th Ch from hook [this creates an 'end' loop], DblCr in next Ch [2 times- this completes the first 'cluster']; Ch1. Now, *Skip next Ch, DblCr in each of the next 3 Ch, then Ch1* rep betwn ** until two Ch from end. Skip 1 Ch and DblCr in last Ch [this forms the end loop for the other end].  Proceed as for Granny, changing colors on successive rounds [if that is your plan]. A granny is made by Crocheting 3 DblCr in each Ch1 Space [cluster made], Ch1. In the corners: Cluster, Ch 1, Cluster; Ch1. That's all there is to it.

I hope you will join in so we can keep each other motivated! If you just want to root us on, that is great too! Click here to go to the Flicker site to see more pictures.

That's all for today... thank you for stopping by to visit. Until next time, I hope you will create something that makes you happy!

Hugs,