Going Green!

It's been all about going green lately!

This poor lone sock has been wondering where the heck it's mate is.


So I pulled out the other Green w/Envy sock and have been knitting. I'm almost ready for the heel flap. There is progress!


And the whole time I'm knitting, I'm thinking of these...


I pulled a slew of greens for the next quilt. No pattern in mind. But the hubs keeps commenting that there's no GREEN in my quilts lately. His favorite color...go figure. So I plan to make a green quilt...nothing fancy, because 'going green' isn't necessarily about going fancy...it's about making do..right? So I'm thinking of a simple quilt that will be GREEN and will read as a plain green quilt for the bed. I've already decided the tans will not be in this quilt. I'm looking for a 'blank canvas' type of quilt...not really patchworky. That's not my 'norm', so we'll see how it goes.

And speaking of 'going green'...LOOK what I FOUND yesterday at the thrift store!


YES!! I was so excited to see this bag! Now I have cheap interlocking foam mats for blocking my knitting!

I'm thoroughly enjoying 'Going Green' this weekend! :o)

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday!

Right on schedule...another Thrifty Thursday! YAY! I finally got out to one of my favorite G'Willy haunts after work last night. Ran in to a pal..chit-chatted (Hi Steph!) and then trolled the aisles.

And what would a Thrifty Thursday be without a little pyrex??


Yes it's true. I picked up some more Pyrex. I can't pass it by when it's the mixing bowls....buck-fifty.

And another dish fetish that's beginning...


FireKing........*sigh* But look..it's RED! And they are in perfect condition.

And the price was right...


And they're smaller than some of my other bowls, yet larger than the berry bowls I have...so went my explanation to the hubs when he raised his eyebrows over yet more bowls! I love these. I will secretly be hoping to find more FireKing in this colorway. Ssssshhhhh.....don't tell. I already have some of the milky white FireKing. And would probably keel over if I ran across the Jadeite.

My constant attention to the curtain rod barrel finally paid off! I just knew one day I would find a cool something or other in there. And look what was waiting for me....


I'm told by the hunting hubs that this is a wood duck. I replied "Well that makes perfect sense since it IS carved out of WOOD." Ahem...he didn't see the humor....imagine! But..this wood duck made of wood sits atop...


this great cane! Some that know me (hello Blogless Kimm!) know that any year I go to the arts festival, I go in search of a new carved walking stick. I have a small collection...he will fit in nicely! Excited to find a unique piece, even if it was $5!

And another unique piece...


a little sequined/beaded shell tiny little handbag.


NOT made in China....and it was two bucks!


Looks kinda vintage, though I don't believe it is. Not something I see every day at G'Willy's!

Great finds...I think it's because I didn't get a chance to get out last week. The Thrifty Universe is taking pity and I reaped the rewards! Did you get out and about and bring home any good finds? Would love to hear about them!

Have a great Thursday!

*Peace!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Now c'mon....don't hate me for bringing it up! But it IS! in the thrift stores! They're putting out the Christmas goods! Look what I found this weekend.


I love vintage nativity figures and have just the creche for these!


But wait...who's that stranger in the back? Why...it's a gargantuan shepherd who's lost his staff! Not sure how he got in with these other lovely hand painted lovelies! But there he is. I'll have to set him aside.


All in all, even with the giant shepherd, $4.50 for the set! Don't worry, I'm not going to display these yet! Nope...no Christmas decorating until after the Thanksgiving dishes have been put away!

I'm afraid our weather may be taking a turn to looking Christmas-like as well! We're in for a super windy day...and some of that "S" word later today...and I'm not talkin' Sunshine!

Tis the season!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

*Peace!

The Quilting Will Save It

Well...the quilt top is done. I was so excited putting this one together!


One of my favorite blocks...and a replica of an old quilt. Yes..I had high hopes!

Do you have an area like this for your inspiration? This is a small section of the wall above my ironing board....it's where I tack pictures and 'stuff'.


Future quilts are hanging here! And my inspiration for this quilt came from another page from a magazine.

I'm not sure what magazine this came from....an old Cottage Living perhaps...not sure, but I've had this page ripped out and tacked to my wall for a while.


Finally I decided it was time to make my own version of this...


I'm a little disappointed that my selection for the shirting sashing isn't reading as dark as I'd like....


or maybe it's that the cornerstones are reading TOO dark?


In any event, I am pleased. It's difficult to see the dark setting triangles in the magazine picture above, but if you look very closely at the bottom, near the floor, you can see them.


This is one of those quilts...


that I'm pretty sure will take on a different look once quilted, and then it will give me that look I want! I plan to quilt the sashing with a darker thread...to bring some more 'dark' to those areas.


All in all, I like it! It measures about 72 1/2 x 72 1/2 and is my own version of the pictured quilt. Hindsight I would have gone a shade lighter on the cornerstones, but...I'm hopeful the quilting will save it!

Another productive weekend comes to an end! I am loving my 3 day weekends. I really would like non-stop weekends! Imagine the quilts I could get done!!

*Peace!

Triangles Anyone?

I've got quite the pile of triangles.....itty bitty tiny ones!


Once the trimming was done....the blocks were pieced. Did you guess what block I was making? One of my favorites....


The classic...THE Ohio Star.

There's a new fabric that's now been added to the mix....


but it's not in any star blocks!

I've got the next stage cut...ready for piecing. Not sure how far I'll get today, but time will tell! I'm in no hurry on this one! :o)

*Peace!

And So It Continues....

I finally got downstairs to work on the quilt yesterday afternoon....there was lots of cutting.....and bias...ewwwwww!

Then I settled in to start some chain piecing.


As you can see, I decided AGAINST going out and purchasing some regular unbleached muslin. I told myself "Self...get a grip. You've got a huge bolt of white muslin right here. Use it...deal with it...it will be fine." I hope so!

This morning, more chain piecing ensued...


and now...time for some pressing and trimming and so it continues!

Happy Sunday!

*Peace!

Hello Stranger!

Did you think I forgot? How could I forget? I'll be playing with these today! Happy Saturday!!

*Peace!

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program...

Hey...it's Thursday! Typically it's Thrifty Thursday! And I apologize to those of you who come seeking pics of my latest thrifty finds. But I've been under the weather the past few days...holed up in the house, and have not even set foot in a thrift store in over a week! Now you KNOW I don't feel well if I'm not even thrift shopping!

Yesterday I finally picked up a needle, the first creative thing I've done since Monday morning's little doll quilt. Don't you hate that when you don't feel well, you're home from work, and you're not doing anything fun? I hate that! So was glad to get back to some needling finally.

Ann Rayner had my attention...


and here is my progress. She's coming along. Slowly but surely!

I'm back to work and dealing with all the fun that ensues at the office (ha!) today, so Thrifty Thursday has been pre-empted. I'm sure I'll get out and about in the next few days and then I'll just be springing a thrifty post on you when you least expect it!

Have a great day!

*Peace!

Leftovers With My Morning Coffee

Color me Quilt Happy! It's a grand Monday morning, and I've spent the last couple of hours enjoying leftovers with my morning cup o'joe!

Yesterday, I was enjoying Jan's latest post over at What A Load of Scrap and admiring her little doll quilt and thought "Hey! I've got a bunch of leftover pieces I could do this with!"

So last night...needing an outlet for my grief over the Cowboys loss (*SIIIIGH*), I headed down to bury my sorrows in some quilt scraps. I had these leftovers...


rejects, if you will...somewhat imperfect little half square triangle segments. I added some leftover strips from my recent strippy nine patch....


such a simple quilt! This morning I got up, filled my cup, and headed downstairs to dig thru batting scraps. Found one large enough, and whipped this thru the Bernina with some simple quilting lines.


I dug thru leftover binding strips....combined two for a scrappy binding, and in no time, I had the handwork of the binding done too!


What addicting little quilts these could be! And all from leftovers!

Yep...I'm Quilt Happy this morning. It's going to be a great Monday! Enjoy yours!

*Peace!

And Then Came The Border...

It was an afterthought.

I did not intend a border.

I was just moving along last night, piecing blocks...


when for some reason I turned to my left...looked down at a stack of stash...and decided to dig around and just see....see if anything jumped out at me. I just felt the quilt was going to need SOMETHING.

And walaaah...


Yesssssss......just what it needed! So I set out the rest of the evening...readying the center for final completion and border attachment come morning.

In the morning light, I was still liking it...but then the hubs came downstairs (hey..what are you doing down here anyway???) and he just made an innocent comment..."Is that what you're going to use for the border?" and then I started doubting. He didn't like the paisley. And he said it didn't really match.

Hmmmmmm.....


For a split second I thought of just not doing a border...cast it aside...but the more I looked over at it, I knew it had to be the border.


I'm glad I went with my initial instinct. And when my facebook quilt bud, Mickey Depre, said, sight unseen, that I should go with my original choice, it was just the push I needed to see it through.


It totally changed the quilt that was in my mind's eye when I started.


and turned it in to something better!


The sunlight of this morning confirms the choice!


Yep. I like it! A turn of the head resulted in an afterthought border...and it works for me!

*Peace!

Blame It On The Pumpkins

Blame it on the pumpkins...or maybe blame it on the fact that I'm being haunted by leftover bolts of Moda Bella Solids....namely one rather bright one called Betty's Orange. Whatever we blame it on, I've had this urge to do something with orange. Yes...ORANGE. It's not cheddar...it's not gold...believe me...it is ORANGE.

So I pulled some fabrics last night to audition...


Basic color wheel sense here....counter the orange with blue! And who doesn't love blue!?

I'm liking it...


and now that I know what I'm going to do with them....the pattern, and how many blocks I will need, I've had to make some cuts in the blue crowd.

These will work nicely!


They all get along so well! I can't wait to get this one together! But first...I'm off for errands and lunch with a pal! Hoping to get lots of sewing in later this afternoon and evening!

Have a great autumn day!

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday!

Hello and Happy Thrifty Thursday!!! A quick stop last night on the way home, and $7.95 later....


Just a few things! The pottery piece to the left...was the most expensive piece at $3.50. I've spotted these at the Sidewalk Arts festival..in the pottery booths..and they say you can bake bread in them. I just think it's a nifty container! Don't know that I will bake bread in it though!

Look! My summer decorating is coming together...


Two bucks for 8 flags! These are going to be paired up with the baseballs for a great summer piece! But you'll have to wait until next summer, when we're back to the days of baseball, apple pie, summertime and flags!

Another piece of ironstone...


I have a weak spot for transferware...red transferware...blue transferware...more recently brown transferware. And this multi-color just appeals to me too! Go figure!


It was fifty cents.

And...


Marked 'Japan' and it was a buck fifty. Just thought it was fun..and who can't use a funky chicken! He will reside in the quilt studio...where other funky things are.

I will be on the lookout this weekend for some of those foam interlocking 'puzzle' type things...the things you interlock to make a squishy mat for kids. Not for Avery..but for blocking my knitting! I'm sure I've seen these for cheap at one of the stores I frequent...and so I will be on the lookout so I can block that 3 Way Wrap! But you know how it goes when you're actually LOOKING for something....it never appears! Hopefully that won't be the case!

Have you been out and about thrifting this week?

*Peace!