Who doesn't love fabric scraps?!

Some pretties are being offered over at comfortstitching by Aneela!  She is giving away some great designer fabrics--so darn cute too!!! 

Enter away people!!!!

Wrapped in sheets of gold

Well what do I mean??  I just received 2 pretty little packages Mon. of vintage sheet scraps from my friend, Amanda @ little cumulus .  You have to get some from her because it is sooo worth it!!!!  They are so much fun to look at and see what kind of lovely designs are printed on each one.  Vibrant patterns.  Flowery.  FUN!

the far left flower is one of my faves

big flowers equal happiness!

see the dotted rose and that butterfly:)

heart petals make me smile

Sewing thoughts are whirling in my head once these arrived:)  Wall quilt or a pieced back for a quilt top, hmMM.  At least I have a small stash going now and I an start brainstorming a tad.

Thank you Amanda for allowing me to dream!

See ya'll,

Sara

Can ya tell I want to win one of these Accuquilts?!

Go check out Heather over at a la mode fabric and give her some love with a favorite cartoon you have and well---tell her HI!!!  She is one of  the humble girls in blog land giving away an Accuquilt.  (I guess ya'll are buying one and then the company is giving you one to giveaway??)

These Accuquilt machines though, are so awesome with their lightweight feature and capacity to do so much work with so little work on the sewers end:)  How can one resist that?  The fact that it already comes with some dies is SOOO cool too:P

Well got to go finish that quilt top for my Lucy Goosey quilt top.


I will be showing it off soon.

XXSara

DMC pulled through

So I guess I can't complain too much about DMC thread company anymore!!   What you ask prompted me to bring this up randomly?  Well--let's jsut say I was working on an ornament for a certain someone last month and I was using red thread.  I had a stain on the white fabric and naturally wanted to get it out immediately.  Got the stain out, but then after the fabric dried there was a light red tinge!  Yikes!  Is that supposed to happen??  long story short---I emailed the DMC Co. and after 2 or 3 emails someone sent me this NICE email back.  Here it is:

Hello Sara,

We thank you for continued support of DMC products.  This is a highly unusual occurence.  Never-the-less, we at DMC stand behind our products and want to resolve this to your satisfaction.  May I suggest you first try to wash it yourself using these directions.  Many expert needlework designers and stitchers use Orvus soap to wash their needlework projects.  It is  sold at Clotilde.com (1-800-772-2891).  Some other needlework stores sell this brand also.  It is a very gentle soap and is recommended for cleaning needlework.
 
When needlework projects need to be cleaned, use cool to slightly warm water and about one teaspoon of the Orvus in a sink (kitchen) full of  water.  Gently move the piece in the water or sometimes let it sit if it is necessary.  Then gently wring it out and rinse it as many times as necessary to get the soap out of it (until the water is clear.)  Use almost cold water to rinse the piece.
 
When you are satisfied that the piece is thoroughly rinsed, roll it in a bath towel (you may have to use a couple of towels) to get most of the water out. 
 
Press it while it is damp, right side (design side) down on another heavy terry cloth towel.  Continue to press it on the wrong side (back) until it is dry and looks like you want it to look. Here again you may have to use several towels.  (The towel keeps you from flattening out your stitching.)

Regards,

Ask Ms DMC




I think the problem is NOW solved---so long live DMC!!!! 




OH BTW, go check out Sweet P Quilting and Creations  and maybe you OR I will win an ACCUQUILT.  It would be sweet bliss now wouldn't it my dear quilting friends!


I have nothing else for ya'll as I had a Pampered Chef party yesterday (what a flop) and then visited for many wonderful hours with my good friend Steph:)  Although if  any of my virtual friends would like something from Pampered Chef just let me know and I would be happy to help;)


Today I think I caught a little sore throat and just plain tired :(   So that is my story for the day!!:)


Take care,


Sara

Ador.ab.ley sweet!

Tasha over at a Little Sweetness is having a fantastic giveaway for all her cute cards to be in your hands---well if you win that is.  SoOOOO go check it out people!!  The reindeer's are calling my name;) 


Other awesome news---I found a sewing group in my area here in GA---ecstatic isn't even the word!!!!  I keep jumping up and down inside just thinking about it!  It has been really trying on me without a group.  My 2 yr old just doesn't want to sew---I don't know what's up with that, but he would rather run around naked and eat me out of house and home AND climb on mama:)  Go figure.  So the 29th couldn't come any sooner so that I can sneak out of the house for 3 HOURS people and go sew--with ADULT WOMEN!  WOOOWHEEE!!

Side note:  I really, really love my son so don't take any of the above personally.  he,he,he!


Keep sewing,

Sara

Some great finds, great sewing time and a giveaway at SewMany Ways

Finally got my batting in the mail at $9 a bag for twin size and some embroidery scissors which will be a huge help.

$3 a yard for the purple beauty above and $2 a yard for this stack of dots, feathers and flowers!

I discovered Karen at Sew Many Ideas this morning and she has a generous heart to be giving away an Accuquilt!!  OH, how I hope I win, I hope I win.  Her projects are so lovely too for the hexagons in every quilter's life these days.  Lovin' the bookmark and decorated serving tray she did up:)

Yesterday a couple of girls and I got together here in eastern GA to do some sewing.  Hope to make this a regular Tues. event.  I worked on these flying geese and managed to sew together all 17 of them---or wait---weren't there supposed to be 18?!!  Well when I started on the 18th one, my needle snapped due to user error and ---WELLlll, stupid me saw the pin coming and went right over it--duh:/  Lesson learned.  So once I get that lonely one sewn up, I will be able to make my rows and add my borders.

See you soon...

Sara

Basil and garlic lingering in the air

One thing I am really enjoying is finding great recipes to try here and there.  I have been partial to Pampered Chef ones recently due to their easy approach to food and I get to use my fun tools I got from Pampered Chef:)  Here is their Chicken, Basil and Tomato Flatbread number---YUM!

You will be licking your fingers over and over to get every last bite of this!!   

PLEASE do try.

Eat up,

Sara

Wool bells for me

I received a tiny box in the mail today from Mary Smith in China through the July Ornament swap.  These are so adorable and one of a kind if I do say so myself.  They are so soft and the colors are bold and pretty!!  They will be a nice addition to our tree as I have nothing like them;)  So very pleased with them overall.  NOW for the cherries from WI that came along with this package.  (That made me realize that this whole ornament set was from the sister of Terri over at Terris Notebook.)  So just so you two know, my son, Ayden loved the cherries SOOO much that we finished off the package tonight!!  Thank you, thank you for this beautiful gift Mary and thank you for the very special ornament swap Terri.  I am looking forward to more in the future.

Goodnight to ya'll,

Sara

Sweet Potato-Oat Muffins

The SCOOP:

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for 5 min. for buttermilk substitute.)

1 egg beaten

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup sweet potato (or carrot) shredded

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp oats

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Set oven for 400.

Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Mix 1/4 cup oats, buttermilk with fork and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in the egg, brown sugar, butter and sweet potato.  Add flour, baking soda, salt and 1?4 tsp cinnamon.  Stir until dry ingredients are moistened.  Pour into muffin tins.  Mix 2 tsps. oats,  1 tbsp. sugar and 1/8 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy the sweet fragrance in the air and the deliciousness in your mouth!

We are having a rainy day and so who wouldn't want one of these to cheer them up:)

Enjoy your week too!

Sara

Dinosaur goes Roar!!

He goes ROAR mainly because he has faded brown pencil marks from the iron on transfer pencil I used to trace him onto the fabric:/  Any suggestions on how to get these marks off?  I am going to try a fabric eraser first:)  Also, how do YOU transfer your designs as an embroiderer?

Otherwise he looks pretty cute to me--well for a dinosaur at least!  I played around with the stitches a little here with some back stitching and satin stitching.  He's for Ayden's room when we move and he needs a new room theme.  (Moving probably next summer sometime.)

After I finished the dino's belly, earlier this evening, I dug right into my fabric to start  the Lucy Goosey pattern created by Angie and Weezie from Moda Bake Shop.  This will be for someone special in my life when finished;)  Pretty blues and greens are going to come together in harmony for this quilt top.  They look so happy together-don't they.  :)  All 76 are cut up into 5" squares ready to be turned into flying geese.  For the sashing maybe a navy blue.  What do you think?

May your week be filled with joy in everything.

Smiles,

Sara

About time...

THIS IS IT!!!  So happy to have it finished and have it in my dad's hands finally:)

The flying geese were very fun and easy peasy.  I am going to incorporate those into another quilt top very soon for a Christmas gift for an unmentioned party.  My star blocks were a challenge as I mentioned in an earlier post, but this was my FIRST time attempting them.  Therefore, they didn't come out nearly as well as I would have liked, but you have to start somewhere:)  I said never again, but maybe a potholder or two will give me the practice I need with those tricky buggers.  All that matters is that it was made with a lot of love for a VERY special person, my daddy. Enjoy dad;)

Giveaway at Heather and Kerri's blog!!

I saw this giveaway a minute ago and had to pounce (inside myself and out!) over this Christmas Eenies Collection by Annie Oakleaves!!  Just HAD to HAVE it!!!   

Now patience my dear, I know, I know, to get it in my email so I can go print it.  Funny thing, though(nervous laugh)  I have to go get a functioning printer or just stop by the library to print this off:/  URGGGGHH...frustrating mechanical printer problems have emerged a while back so I am dealing, dealing slowly. 

There is also a quilt by Rebecca called Star Jewel that is A.MA.ZING!!!   I love this soo much and I hope I win!  Otherwise I might have to purchase that pattern too:)

So get on over there and check it out girls and boys:)

God Bless,

Sara

Thrifty Finds

I heart thrift stores very much so.  Salvation Army is one Ayden and I hit up every now and then.  He takes care of raiding the toys and I take care of whatever else *WINK, WINK*  Today was a great find of embroidery floss, hoops and embroidery books for me and dinosaurs for Ayden (BIG surprise there, he lives for those guys!)

The hoops were a challenge to get loose from all the ribbon, but after my giddiness wore off from spotting these lucky finds, I got them loose and they WERE MINE.  *Insert squeal!*  The books look to be from the 70's I haven't taken a closer look yet, but there are some cute ideas inside the Singer craft ones and the embroidery books have great tutorials on all different stitches.  So excited to thumb through them some more tomorrow and organize all my thread onto the plastic thread holders.  Lovin' it!!

Well I just couldn't stop there with my "tightwod self" (as my dad would say:).  Then I started scowering the shelves of Joann's red tag bolts and landed some Heidi Grace and Debbie Mumm prints that I had to get a snippet of here and there.  Only about $5 spent there, if that and now maybe I can make a grocery bag holder from the tute by Rachel at P.S. i Quilt over at Moda Bake Shop or possibly a pincushion which I really want to try out making some more of.  Ah, the possibilities.

Well, I stopped dreaming that I would get my embroidery thread to go through the needle if I could just get my fingers to cooperate more AND picked up some good ole' Thread Heaven finally.  I may just be in heaven when I use it too...he, he, he.

So get thrifty folks and see what you can snatch up and share your story with me:) 

Take care,

Sara

A little pain, for a lot of REWARD!

This is what happens when you hand sew a wall hanging quilt--NOT EVEN a stinkin' lap quilt here folks:/   I even hand sewed the binding on the back with slip stitch and then running stitch over that .  The binding was being tricky on this project.  My fingers could us some TLC, but overall I am happy with the results!!! 

Since my dad reads this (ahem daddy,yes you!) I will NOT be posting any pics until it's on it's way:P  Hope to have it out on Friday and on its way to WI!!

In other news, sometimes it pays to bitch complain;)  My cutting mat that I use currently was splitting in several sections only after less than a year.  So I decided to put Fiskars company customer service to the test.  Within 2 weeks they mailed me a brand new mat, little smaller, but hey it was FREE.  How's that for service folks?!  Now I have an extra and I can wash the other in soap and water to keep it in better shape perhaps;)  He,He.

Enjoy your evening!!

Sara

Shuffling around in the Kitchen

Warm chicken and dumplings soup for Ayden when he was sick the other day, but now back to his ole' spunky, cute self.

 Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies our family has been craving for a little while:P 


Did you cook or bake anything special this weekend for someone special in your life?

Take care ya'll,

Sara

Embroidery

Forgot to take a pic of the pincushion bunny I created (before it was shipped) for my July Ornament Swap person, Rebecka:)  So here it is for you to see;)  I used some vintage buttons for the eyes and embroidered the nose, mouth, teeth and (don't know if Rebecka saw the tail) the bunny tail on his/her bottom.  This was my first dabble at a pincushion and I am thinking another one is going to be in order VERY soon!  Sew much fun to make them.

OK so I decided to try my hand (no pun intended!) at hand quilting.  The "victim" is the US flag I have been working on for almost a month now.  I am using Perle cotton and size 9 needle.  I have also tried other needles and thimbles too.  I just can't seem to work the stitch with that thimble in on the action.  Furthermore, I have stubbornly resorted to my own way which is working for me:P  He, he!  I am thinking of a Sulky thread for the dark blue area and Guetermann thread for the white area and red area well because that is what I have currently and the Perle thread is hard to get through the fabric dawg gone it:)  It looks really nice for the star blocks so I figured let those "shine" and then everything else doesn't have to stand out as much.  That was my thought at least late last night.  Pic to follow soon, promise.

Have a fantastic Wednesday--the week is almost through!  Be joyful in everything!

Sara