Friday Night Sew In

Well, I had a nice lunch with my friend Tabatha yesterday, did a little shopping and then made it home to sew.  This morning I'm sharing for Friday Night Sew In. 

I'm still working on the quilt I can't show since it's a gift and I don't want to spoil the surprise.  But I've been giving sneak peeks along the way.  Last night I got brave and machine appliqued for the first time!

Of course, I practiced on scraps first, just to get a feel for the fabric and motion of the machine and especially to get the edge of the stitch aligned with the edge of the appliqued piece.  But it still stressed me out a little...I was so afraid of making a huge mistake and regretting my decision....but I moved along anyway.

So in the above pic there's more sneak peek off to the right.

Not too bad around the edges huh?

Shaping up fairly nice.

And there you have it.  My first machine applique ever!

Alright, I'll leave you with one more peek. 

This is what I get to applique next....Yikes!

Anyway, I was glad to accomplish what I did and now I feel much more comfortable so the next few should (hopefully) be less stressful. 

Now I'm off to brave the shopping crowds...my mom's birthday today...she had to work...thank goodness I get an extra day to get her gifts.   Hope you all had a productive Friday and have a nice weekend.

Finally, I can...

....RELAX!

For a moment anyway  ; )

Workin' for the Weekend...

I'm bummed I didn't get to make a flower this week so no posts for One Flower Wednesday but I'll be going over there to see the progress everyone else made. 

In the meantime,

I'm looking forward to TOMORROW since it's the last day of first semester and Friday starts Winter Break! YaY!  (I'm kind of a Scrooge right now and really in need of a break. Hopefully I don't look like that picture!)

Anyway I'll start Friday afternoon out with a friend (catching up on her latest trip), but will try to get busy with FNSI that evening.  Even if it's just to sew a hexie flower. 

Anyway, hoping I follow through this time.  And looking forward to a little rest before I start the mad rush of Christmas and birthday shopping (just love those December birthday's!)

Deck the Halls

Deck the Halls with 2 new Hexies...

♫♫♪  Fa la la la la, la la, la la  ♪♫♫♪

Another One Flower Wednesday

Friendly Ghosts of Christmas Past

 My favorite part of Christmas is setting up the tree.  Looking at each of those keepsake ornaments as I choose their perfect place among the branches brings back so many memories of Christmas Past. Unfortunately, this year I won't be able to put up a tree with my ornaments and I was already starting to miss this tradition.  But then, over the weekend I came across pictures of many of my favorite ornaments (taken over the last few years). 

TMNT for Ian

  So, one of these evenings I'll sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and take a trip down virtual Santa Claus lane. 

In the meantime, I'm sharing this one since it fits in with the latest entry update in Wendy's Quiltfolio, the blog where I record my quilt finishes. 

Hope you'll check it out and maybe it'll bring back memories for you too.

New to Me, a Swap and a Bee

As if...I don't have enough trouble keeping up with my ongoing quilting projects...I decided to join an online Bee, uh AND a Block Swap.  I've only been quilting for a few years.   And I've only been a blogger for a few months.  But this is just the sort of thing I'd been looking for for a long time.  It's so great to have a place to go to meet people who share my love of quilting and to learn and get better at my craft. 

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to join.  You know, sometimes it's hard for me to branch out and try something new.  But I've met some really awesome people, fellow quilters, and one of them is Linda from Stray Stitches.  She started these blogs and is super friendly.

So, maybe you're new and hesitant too?  Just try it! And remember you're not alone.  Just click the picture to find out more info and how to join.  We need a few more people for each one, the swap and the bee.  Hope to see you there.

A Streak of Sunshine

What a drippy wet morning it was.  

Woke up to NO coffee in the house.

(ugh...knew I shoulda stopped on the way home last night) 

So i HAD to make a McDonald's run.

Mmmm...coffee...sausage...hot cakes...

Then, what do you know, streaming through the window.

A STREAK OF SUNSHINE!

Like Magic.

Ahhh....just what I needed and it reminded me of a quilt pattern I used for some really cute little energetic boys, who no doubt bring A Streak of Sunshine into my neice's worlds.

Below is a preview of those two quilts. (Click the picture to see more.)

Jungle O' Fun

SO, I was  inspired to update my Quiltfolio.  Go ahead...take a peek!

Keep Quilting,