The New Old

I'm so excited!

Have you seen the new vintage blue Ball jars?

Of course the problem with blue jars is, it doesn't show through with the jar filled. 

My first batch of jars are filled with blackberry jam. Yum!

Then I had to go back and buy a few more cases to stock up. 

These jars better come back! Maybe I'll install a home device on them. Or buy more. 

Pebbling

Yesterday I started some real quilting. I've un-sewn and re-sewn but I think I know where I'm going now.

At least I hope I know, because I don't want to have to un-sew all these pebbles! I think these will make my applique pop and add a pleasant texture.

This is my plan for the weekend, pebbles. Hopefully I'll be back on Monday with more than pebbles to show you.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Take care, Brandie

Another Persons Trash...

Last week at my Guild meeting, I was gifted this old box of Hexie flowers.
I was so excited! For me this is better than a box of chocolate. Don't get me wrong, I like chocolate but I don't need it and once you eat it, it's gone. But this box of blocks will turn into a quilt someday and I'll have it forever!

The friend who gave them to me said that she has had them for years and knew she wouldn't get to them any time soon and she knows how much I like to hand sew, so they are now mine.

The problem? I've only done English paper-piecing but these have no paper and I'm afraid of folding in too much edge.

This will be a new challenge for me but I'm up for it! I like to have portable projects and this will become one of them, after I finish my quilt show quilt.

It was like Christmas in July!

If you have any tips to pass along, Please do!

Take care, Brandie

Slow Going

Have I mentioned that I have a Quilt Show coming up at the end of September? Probably not because I've forgotten myself. Well I knew it but it hasn't seemed real yet. In the back of my mind I knew but my body hasn't been cooperating.

I've been feeling better, at least I can sit in my sewing chair a bit longer now anyway. I still need to move around more and I can't sit for hours but none of us should.
Slowly I've added the second row of piping and squared it up and added two borders. I'm calling it done. I also need to remember that I need to quilt it. So at this time I don't want a huge quilt. I think 60 x 60 is plenty big enough.

This morning I'm finally at the sandwich part. As you can see I've got a helper. I use to think the dogs were bad! Dorian is truly a hands on assistant. You would think opened safety pins (I never close them, I just throw them in the tin open and ready to go) would deter his help. Nope! I think he likes the challenge.

All this help was after he pulled up all my tape holding the back down. I swear you can get him to come running just by pulling out and ripping tape. He loves the smell-taste (?) of tape, he loves it! I think he thinks it's catnip.
So after hissing him away for the third time, to re-tape again, I then had to fight him under the batting. Yes I said under. Then I smoothed out the tucks he pulled in the batting.
I swear I'm going to lock them all in a room next time I sandwich a quilt!

Our Bermuda backyard has yielded a few more new babies.
More plant eaters! Two new baby deer. But they are soooo cute!  I keep trying to count the spots to tell them apart but so far I'm not fast enough.
And last night we heard a rustling out on the porch. Hubby went to investigate to see what all the noise was about. He came back in quickly to say that he forgot the bag of cat food outside and that there were striped kitties in the bag. Hehehe, that will remind him to bring that bag in before dark. Though today he is unsure if they were baby skunks or baby raccoons, he just knows they weren't kitty cats.

I will continue to slowly finish up this quilt and try to post a bit more regularly. I'm just slowly moving back to normal and I'm fine with that.
Take care! Brandie

Winner!

And the winner of the Traveling Stash box is... Dee Dee!

Congratulations Dee Dee and Thank you all for playing.

Have a wonderful day and Take care!

Brandie

The Traveling Stash Box

I was lucky enough to win the traveling stash box and now it's your turn to win a chance at this wonderful box.

This is what the box came with. It was packed full of a bit of everything. Fabrics, patterns, tools and even a DVD. If you would like to participate in the Traveling Stash Box, here are the rules.

 

The RULES

•  Be an active blogger--post about receiving the box and the giveaway in a timely manner.
• Update the travel log in the box to let others know where the box has been.
• There is a list of rules and guidelines in the box.  (To keep items in the box quality!)
• You may take any items from the box, just be sure that you are replacing them with quality and comparable items.
• Ship the box to the next person timely--and communicate tracking info with recipient.
• Shipping is within the US only.  (It's a med. flat rate priority box.)

Easy-Peasy and Fun!

So let me know in your comments if you want to be included and I'll draw a name on Monday.

On the cat front, Dorian is still a punk. He is now chasing poor Sheba! No growls or claws but he's being a punk to everyone.  This was after both of them spent the afternoon on the same bed together, about two feet apart but still on the same bed. That was new and I thought a good thing.
I was really hoping that Sheba would calm him down and teach him to be sweet and cuddly. It may just take another month or two.

And we saw these guys outside last week. 4 kitties and mom. We are pretty sure this was Dorians mom we just haven't seen her in months but that could be because she lives in the unused back half of our property. There are 3 blacks and 1 grey just like Dorian.
We are trying to catch them all because we don't need more cats! And it would be nice to tame them and find them homes.

So there's last weeks report, I'm hoping to NOT find any more animals this week!
Let me know if you are interested in the Traveling Stash Box and have a good week!

Take care , Brandie

Heat Wave

We are all lethargic from the heat. This is what we do all day, lay around and take cat naps.

I have high hopes and good intentions. See this pile of fabrics Mr Gray is sleeping on. They are going to help my round quilt grow, I hope.
He's so helpful, he holds down the fabric to keep the fan from blowing them off the table.
So what if they've been sitting in that same place since Friday. I do plan on working on them but I'm still only able to do one big thing a day. The good news is that I've finished my physical therapy so that will free up more of my day. Now I can do my exercises at home. Some days are great, some days I have a bit of a set back. Those days I hate, I get emotional and have even had a bit of a cry over it. Pathetic! But I'm learning to ask for help and trying real hard to forget those days that if I wanted that plant moved, I'd do it myself. It's a learning experience.

Confession time. I did bring home a cat for Dorian. That last picture was kind of a tease.
Meet Sheba. Look, no stripes!

I know you are all thinking I'm a crazy animal hoarder! Two inside dogs, one outside dog, two turtles and now two cats.
Sheba was a lonely cat living without her grown-up girl. Mom was left to care for her and Mom was allergic. So I took her home to keep Sheba from going to the pound.
Dorian and Sheba have been slowly introducing themselves. I don't think Dorian knew he was a cat till he meet another one. She was perfectly fine with him, he's not so sure. He hides from her. In reality, he's probably just waiting to pounce on her!

So when it cools down I hope to have some sewing to show you. Till then, I'll be cleaning litter boxes.

Take care, Brandie