New room - new pillows

The granddaughter has a new room - her father built a loft bed, there's bright new curtains, a bed spread, etc..... So, I made these two pillows that match the room real well!  I think she likes them.  She threw them on the floor (they are floor pillows) and lounge on them to do her home work the first night she had them...

Still crazy about mug rugs

I was inspired by a similar mug rug I found on Pinterest. Mine is not as we'll done as the other. I have some ideas for my next attempt to try to improve it. For example, I'm going to try starching the material before cutting and sewing small pieces. Even so, I like this little fellow.

Catch up!!!

Got several things to add -catch up with this blog. So, let's get started.

First, a few weeks back was the annual Chamber of Commerce fund raiser event. The paste few years I have made and donated a couple of things. This year's race themed bag included two cute wine bags - I made these wines bags before. I was afraid I wasn't going to find the directions again. When I finally did, I added a link here (over in that links column to the right) to find it easier next time. Besides, I should give due credit..

Second, Bags.... I'm actually carrying one of these around. Believe that? I didn't give one away. I kept the "Pick a pocket" bag in Christmas prints. The other bag, made from a Jelly roll of beautiful fabrics, went to a friend of my daughter's.

Third, MORE MUG RUGS!! I am trying to make some headway on the t-shirt quilt for the son-in-law, but they take so long, I wanted to do something I could start and finish in a couple of hours, so I made a couple of Christmas mug rugs to take to work. One for my desk and one for DSP, if she wants it.

Last, but not least, I finished one of two floor pillows I'm making for the granddaughter's new room!

(Picture here - as soon as I get the right one off the camera!)

A New Favorite supplier.....

Check out the new addition to links.  Designs by JuJu (http://www.designsbyjuju.com/default.aspx) is having an incredible "Cyber Week" sale - I just purchased a bundle of beautiful embroidery designs for all three of my Brother Embroidery/sewing machines - some are fill, some are applique, many are 4 x 4 so will work in my original Brother 900D and some are larger, so I'll have fun with the larger machines (1500D and Quattro 6700D).  I love Cyber Week!!

http://www.designsbyjuju.com

Christmas Mug Rugs

Mug rugs for United Way!

The annual at work United Way drive is approaching. Each year our receptionist plans a silent auction as one of the activities to increase donations and boost interest. Playing around in the past couple of days I made these Thanksgiving themed Mug Rugs - I figured for a donation of a few bucks, maybe three folks are interested in decorating their desks with these through November.....

Hex marks the Spot!

Fall 2012 Quilts and More magazine by BHG, had this "Hex marks the Spot" project on the cover.  (Project instructions page 54).  The difference with mine is, it's sewn and embroidered entirely on the machine.  (Embroidery patterns from Embroidery Library and the Hex patches were cut using my Accuquilt Go! )

Mug rugs

Recently I became intrigued by "mug rugs" I saw online and in magazines.  If you do not know, mug rugs are simply a small placemat to place a mug and a "treat" on.  While playing around with some scraps and trying to create my own "in the hoop" quilt block, I started, but never finished two placemats out of Halloween material.  I just love Halloween!  They never got any bigger than about 7 x 10 inches - too small for much of anything.  So, finally I turned them into two "mug rugs".  One I have on my desk at work and the other I gave to a co-worker.  She loved it (she also Loves Halloween!).

 

I'm going to try to make a few more mug rugs for our office United Way "auction" in October.  

Retired Educator Luncheon coming up!

     Another school year starting and another Retired Educator Luncheon approaches -this Friday.  Hubby will give this away to one of the teachers.  I'll also embroider a golf shirt as a gentlemen's prize.  

If added a little label of my own - cute or corny??

(T2 was derived from a childhood nickname my grandmother always called me.)

At Long Last.....

I thought about titling this "What did I get myself into?"  Or more accurately, "what did my lovely daughter get me into?"  But now that it's finally done, I guess it doesn't matter.  

I made a memory quilt for my daughter out of a number of her high school and college T-Shirts and soon after had two bags of t-shirts from her friend and her husband.  I finally finished the one for her friend.  And with extra "blocks", I also threw together a quick bag to put the Memory Quilt in.   Now to just get it i the mail on its way to them.....

New Machine- first fruits

I just purchased a Brother 6700D - a beautiful full feature machine I'm just learning to use.

The bag below is the first thing I made on the new machine.  Like my other bags so far, this one had a home even before it was started.   A lady in the hubby's office - the A with "Orioles" on it if for the school in a nearby town where she lives and her husband works. 

The shirt is a new feature on this machine - you can print a back ground image on transfer paper, iron that on your material or garment, then stitch parts of the scene "ready made" programed to fit right on the background. This particular one is kind of intricate - 45 color changes, 96 minutes - I probably won't try that one again. And finally, the denim bag - I created the CC - Cottey College applique and added it to the bag. Cottey, being my Alma Mater, and a local girl is on her way there this fall - a few area alumna are gathering together to wish her well and give her a few things to take with her. 

It's been an awful long time - but I haven't been totally inactive during my hiatus from posting anything.   Here are a couple of the things I've completed, though there are a few more in progress.....


These wine bags were fun and easy.  I made them to dress up a couple of bottles of wine going to a fund raiser.

This bag is in Japan now.  It was given as a gift to one of our visiters from Motegi.