Post Partum, French Cooking and Lovely girls....

Yesterday, I was the most lucky recipient of this wonderful cookbook by Julia Child. My very best friend in the whole wide world sent this book, (which I have secretly wanted since I saw the movie Julie and Julia). I can't tell you how very excited I am about this. Thank you so very much Shari--you brightened up my day--let me explain... These two beautiful girls (Shari's wonderful daughters) brought me this book yesterday. The older daughter is up visiting from San Antonio and the younger daughter is here attending Utah State University. The timing was exquisite..this is what has been going on in my life...
I have been getting the royal snub from this sweet adorable puppy and I'm afraid to say that I now suffer from post partum--I didn't actually give birth, but I indeed have a baby. She is upset that I have a lot of sewing to push through and very little time and I am not spending that time with her. Therefore--the royal snub. My heart is so sad. Those that know me, know that I am not an animal person, so getting this therapy dog for the dear husband was a giant leap for me. Tune in next week to see if my sewing therapy will mend it for me and Lucy....as the days in our lives continue....

Christmas Mini Quilt

This sweet little mini quilt measures 6" square. The pattern is by Nancy Halverson in her Christmas book, I Believe. It gives you good practice with applique. On this particular piece, she does not use the blanket stitch for the small mini quilts, but I think it adds a nicer finish so I did it. Nancy Halverson uses a lot of applique in her designs...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

Take a peek at this cute baby quilt I just got finished. I totally love this retro print by Michael Miller. This quilt was really run to make and I would highly recommend it...

Tip of the Day.....

When appliqueing with fusible web--do you ever have trouble removing the paper without destroying the piece of fabric beneath or removing the web that was adhered? I have done all of the above. I have been working on appliqueing small pieces and remembered a tip that I read long ago, I forget the source. You score the back of the paper with a pin. I like to do it about in the middle... Then grab ahold of the paper and it will remove really smoothly...
Peel it off on one side then peel off the other side.
The edges don't fray out with this and the fusible stays fused to the fabric--whoohoo....

Happy fusing....

We've got a distraction at our house...

Meet Lucy, she is the newest member of our family. We picked her up Saturday. She is only 6 weeks old and adorable. She is a Chug--a cross between a chihuahua and a pug. She is so entertaining and has really had a calming influence on the family. My husband came back from the war broken and needed a therapy dog. I think Lucy and Curtis will make many great memories. Hopefully, I can get back to sewing soon.....Maybe doggie couture is on the agenda...who knows? (I'm unsure of the spelling--spell check was no help)

Confessions of a Scrap Lover...

Okay, so I have a confession to make--I just love scrappy. You cannot achieve this look any other way than mixing an eclectic mix of fabrics. It has it's own kind of beauty. I had some orphan Log Cabin blocks--I needed a bridal gift and this table runner was born. I think I'm in love with it and for me it is hard to part with, however, I hope the recipient loves it too....

Patchwork Friends Quilt Guild

Here are a few photos I took last night at quilt guild....We were fighting a 4 hour power outage in our area, so we had flickering lights until they finally went completely out. Unfortunately, one of our guild members took a tumble off the curb getting to her car because it was pitch black last night. Here's hoping to a quick recovery!! Love this little jacket. It was made with orphan embroidery blocks and really was cute!!

The Cry Baby quilt. Love this panel to death!! My picture quality is not the greatest!

This quilt has the nativity primitive stitch embroidered on the blocks. The embroidery did not show up too well, but I have embroidered the same blocks and am to the point where I'm going to do the big stitch quilting on it.

This nativity quilt was stunning. Sorry Jean that your face is a blur...the quilt turned out gorgeous!!

Check out my new logo...

My co-worker, AJ made me this awesome logo for my blog and my projects. I'm excited with how it turned out!! Feel free to add this button to your blog to revisit me!!

Spooky Halloween Sky...

Last night, my husband and I came back from a trip to the store and this is what greeted us ...a fairly spooky Halloween looking sky.

And since I am in the Halloween mood, this is what I have made...Frankenstein hotpads....fun huh? For those of you wishing to duplicate these little pretties, I took the design from a pillow featured in Holiday Crafts by Better Homes and Gardens 2009. Enjoy....