Angel Mug Rug

Isn't this angel adorable, yes!! 

Her  wings are very lacy looking.  She included hearts on her socks. I found her at PLB Designs

I love it when I stitch out a design and it stitches as designed, no problems!

 I decided to stitch her out and gift her to a friend. I know she will not see this post until she opens her package, so I am safe. In the digital world, posting of blogs, FaceBook, we could let all our secrets out.

This little project is a crazy quilted mug rug. I have added lace and ribbons with some fancy stitches.

It is a bit larger than I planned at 8 x 10. Before starting I asked Laurie about the things she collected, she answered, "angels"; what is your favorite color, she answered "purple".  I think this is just perfect for her. It  will look good on her desk while she is at her computer.

I have several more Christmas projects waiting to be photographed and wrapped. It will be awhile before those photo's are posted. I know those guys are in here peeking. Shhhhh, it's the time of year for secrets.

Merry Christmas to all of  you

Crazy Quilting by Machine

The month of July sure has been a busy one. Summer is finally here and it has me catching up everywhere I look.  The grass, weeds, cleaning, painting.  Grand kids with birthdays. Get aways! Car shows too.

Last night I escaped into my sewing room to do some machine crazy quilting. July's block is called Queen Anne's Lace. Wow do I ever like it. She is all done up in purples.

Usually my crazy quilting is all done by hand so machine crazy quilting is a new concept for me. I am liking how quickly a block works up.

Next month is dragonflies.

I am Stitching for Pink

The Stitching for Pink website needs your help.  Every donation that is received goes directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Breast Cancer has touched our lives in one way or another.

Read all the benefits you will receive with this small donation you can make and you will receive much more in return.  Digitizers like Janet Sansom - Garrison Graffix - Misty MT & more have committed to donate projects!

Please make your donation today - perhaps the donation YOU make will make the difference in finding a cure:

But a donation gives something far move valuable than money: Hope.


Our Goal is One Million Members by Oct 30, 2010.

Can we count on YOU to be one of those members? Will you click the link,

make a donation and ask your friends to join you? No matter who you honor by doing this, Please do it Today!


Once you choose hope, anythings possible. ~ Christopher Reeve


ATTN: Digitizers wishing to donate a project, place an ad, can contact our

Promotions Director at: mail to sewcraftyme@gmail.com

Baby Sewing

I have been baby sewing the last few months.  We are expecting our eigth grandchild on March 8th.  Her name is going to be Kennedi.  She will be born in Japan and she will be about 9 months old before we get to see her.  Way past that new baby stage.  With an older brother and sister I bet her personality is going to be "outgoing".

For each of the grandchildren I have made a quilt.  This one is for Kennedi.  I am putting it in the mail today in hopes it arrives before she does.

The front of the blanket has  the cutest bunnies on it. The center bunny is dressed in a hat and apron surrounded by flowers.  This block is hand embroidered.

The back of the quilt is dainty pink rose buds with a creamy yellow background. 

The finished size is 55x42 and will be perfect for her crib.

The New Year and New Projects

Along with the New Year I have started several projects already. I hope I save time for new things I find to do.

I have been baby sewing. One of my brothers is expecting his first grandchild two weeks before our eigth one is born. I have purchased prefolded diapers and put flannel around them for burp clothes and changing pads. I need to embroidery the stack of onsies and finish up both babies quilts which are made from panels.

This is the first year I have joined BOM's. So I picked two. One is black and white 9 inch blocks. The other is blue/green batiks using thangles.

A project just for me too! I have taken a quilt stores challenge using a Crab Apple Hill pattern, Pieces of the Past. An elegrant looking quilt which requires, crazy quilting, embroidery and applique. I loved the pattern and techiques immediately and passed on the project.  Another look and I was hooked!

The challenge is easy:

• Finish the quilt top by December 2010.
• Hang the quilt top in the store
• Quilt store customers will be voting for a favorite.
• Then a prize is involved.

Three new projects and I have not even been to the Sewing Expo yet! Maybe a long winter should be ordered. Look for updates on all my sewing projects as they are completed. COMPLETE is the key word here.

Anyone up for a New Handbag after the First of the Year?

Henrietta's Handbags  I Belong to a caazy quilting group (no not a group of crazy ladies) and came across this site.  I had to share it with all of you.

Save this link if you are wanting that new purse for yourself. Give yoruself a treat after finishing all the hours of christmas sewing.

When the hustle and bustle makes way for calmer days, treat yourself.

Pocket Pal Donations

Aren't they just adorable. Here is the link to a machine embroidery site Swak Embroidery .
Watch the video on how to make these adorable In-The-Hoop Pocket Pals for the little ones to cuddle up with.

The real reason I am bringing this up is the pattern is free to download. They are sending them to the military saying, "I support you".

I encourage you to download the file and send the Pocket Pal to your military families.

Gracie Pants

Gracie is in need of new pants so I purchased a couple of pair for her. She will be here to spend the weekend with us so I thought I thought I would get these ready for us. The embroidery is done over the outside seam area.

The first step was to be brave enough to cut the jeans from one inseam to the other. Yikes, I hope these go back together.

I combined several modular flowers and a heart I had collected, combined them into one design from my computer. The next step was to stitched it on the jeans.

The design ended up being 9 x 5 inches; a bit larger than I wanted. While I was at it and both legs were open I stitched the same design on the other leg even though they sit differently. A 3-year-old will never tell and neither will you.

A Garden Vest

How often do we sit down with a project and it is something we are making for someone else?
I think this happens more frequently than not.

this time I decided to take my yard vest and jazz it up. I found this wonderful design and decided it needed to be done for me.


I had decided not to embroidery through the entire vest because it is lined with fleece and too thick. So I sewed a patch and attached that to the vest. I secured it by appliqueing it to the vest. There is silk ribbon all the way around tied with delicate french knots. I hung a small heart charm from the top at the base of the bow.

I am sure these cute gals will help me garden don't you!

I would appreciate it if you took a moment to click this link for me.
http://www.DesignsBySiCK.com/?pointsfor=rainagade

I frequently check this site for embroidery designs. Okay, I am doing this daily, hourly, by the minute, whatever the mood brings.

There is a points system for receiving points on this site. By clicking this link I get to collect points to purchase embroidery designs. It is my way of cutting down the funds I spend on fabrics and thread. So please be kind and help me! All of your clicks would be greatly appreciated!

.

Fairie Wall Hanging

This is a wall hanging I made for my grand daughter. The final measurements are 45 inches square. The four outside fairies are seasonal fairies. I needed five stitch out's so on a quest I went. The center one I am calling the "Grand mom". The four floral blocks are also fairies but it was hard to capture that in a picture. There is a border of matching flowers for the fairies to hide in and a border of fairy wings.

The next pictures are blurry but it was too late for me to retake them. I rushed to get this wrapped and shipped to Japan on time for Christmas Day. I will have to wait for good photo's at the other end. Besides, I am missing a closeup of one of the blocks. That is what I get for being in a hurry.

I Revised My Tree Skirt

A great project for all snowmen and gingerbread lovers.

This photo shows the center embroidery I stitched for the center motif. The fill stitched snowman ladies dressed up for the weather. Underneath a "Merry Christmas" greeting. On each side is rework snowmen families posing for a photo.

Then on the left side are single red work snowman with a gingerbread friend done in fill stitches.

The right side shows two addition rework snowmen with another gingerbread friend.

When the tree skirt was completed I placed it under the tree for the final picture.

The fabric i used for this is two sided quilted fabric with bias tape to finish the edges. I did that part of the tree skirt many years ago but placed bears and poinsettia's on it with wonder under. The edges were coming up here and there and this is the make over. The snowmen and ladies are stitched on various scraps of tone-on-tone white and off white fabric, Then I hand stitched them on with red pearl cotton using the button hole stitch.

Since I started machine embroidery I have purchased many designs from different digitisers and collected free designs along the way. The filled snow ladies were a Christmas gift.

The red work snowmen I have collected come from this site. Right now I have collected each one of them. This week there is a new one every day! Oh what fun, since I love snow and that includes snowmen. http://www.charmingstation.com/ Oh what fun it is!!!

Another embroidery site I visit way too often is http://www.DesignsBySiCK.com/?pointsfor=rainagade
They offer free designs that stitch out easily and as professional as the designs you purchase. If you are in need of embroidery designs check them out. I am addicted to this site.

Merry Christmas to all. May all of you have a warm and safe holiday celebration.

Our Model T Quilt

Last fall I finished our Model T quilt. The fabric was not my first choice but hunting for fabric with Model T's on it was only adding to my stash. That was not productive. The car is open on the sides, without windows and no heater. The engine does supply some heat coming through the floor.

I made the quilt large enough to cover the both of us and if I lay it just right the heat from the engine circulates under the quilt. The quilt is very warm and does the trick.

This is the motif in the light blocks. It is actually a piece of redwork I wanted to use. the design really pulled the quilt together and was done with my embroidery machine.

The rework motifs are directional. All of the motifs on the left point to the center and the right side does the same. The top and bottom of the quilt have two going in each direction.

This is my first attempt at printing on fabric too. There are four printed pictures in the center of the quilt. Right, left, front and back. The picture of the back has Max and Fritz in the small trunk.

The very center block has our name and location with a banner. The year and model of the car is within the banner. Again, done on the embroidery machine.

The quilt was made to keep us warm but also is rugged enough to really be used. You see, even though I had not been posting I was busy in the sewing room.

Lizzie' s Bees

It has been called to my attention that I have been the absent blogger. I do have to admit that i have thought about my blog. This is does not count though. More on this in a minute.

Lizzie's Bees!! I have been working on this for the last year and when October rolled around I felt successful. We are beekeepers and had just harvested our first batch of honey. Lizzie's Bees
was named after our model T, a 1923 Ford. This is also my label on our honey jars. Yes, that is our Lizzie there. When John and I looked at each other and said "Lizzie's Bees" we knew it was right. There is a web site for Lizzie's Bees but no shopping cart. The site shows you the process from the hive to honey.

The sad part about all of this is my health. This week I am told that I can not get stung anymore. I can wear my bee suit and all the garb and I am still capable of getting stung. I now need to carry an "epi pen" with me at all times. I have been stung many times and had no reaction to the sting. As time has gone on I developed an allergic reaction which worsened with each sting. The next time I get stung could be the fatal one. There are literally millions of people who deal with this situation. It is now a category which I have joined. I am no longer able to assist with the feeding and carry for our hives. I will need to rely on John and pictures for updates.

The bee's have been removed from the property. Not because of my allergies but due to a bear tearing up the hives. The bear tore apart the hives and strung frames all over the area. Bee's do not like temperatures under about 45 degrees and it was in the mid 30's here. The bee's will literally kill themselves trying to keep warm which is impossible with they are outside the hive this time of year.

The first time the bear arrived we put it back together loosing half of the population. The second time the bear came and had a repeat performance we lost more bees. This is when we removed the hives about 3 miles away. The bear has returned but I snicker thinking we tricked him. I can tell when he is around, Max and Fritz get fidgety and nervous.

Needless to say, that with the bear around my 30-40 Krag is loaded and by the door. I do not go outside, nor do Max and Fritz unless I search the back yard. I called some friends who are hunters to come out and take care of this bear but hunting season ended November 15th. I contacted the game department and this situation does not qualify for a "nuisance permit". I wonder if this bear knows this?

Oh ya, this is my sewing blog. I almost forgot. Yes, I have been sewing when my health permits me to actually do something. I have changed my style of sewing with the use of the embroidery machine I purchased this time last year. I have taken photo's of the things I have made but they must be stuck in my computer. Or, when I was thinking about my blog they did not miraculously appear on my blog. What was I thinking!!

With this posting, I will promise to be alive and participate the best I can.

Fishing Grannie Stitch Out

Hello everyone!

It has been sometime since I have been to my blog posting. Right now, chances are I will still be behind the eight ball as far as posts. This is a busy time of the year out here AND I am getting ready for that annual fishing trip.

This year we are doing things a little different. It's an easy one, we increased our vacation time! I may have a problem with laundry for this trip which is easily solved by some pre-shopping before vacation time. I know, so sad huh!

Did you notice the picture on the right? I found her on Julia's Needle Designs
She does a fantastic job of digitizing these embroidery files with all of these 'Grannie's" doing ungrannie like things. So perfect for me. Today Julia came out with a Grannie sitting but the campfire......she would look great too!

I purchased several chambray shirts and will be using this design for the "grannies" in our fishing group. I will change the hair color and the color of the shirts to match each Grannie who receives a shirt. The colors in this stitch out are perfect for me. Notice the purple pole and don't forget the makeup! I never go anywhere without my hair done and makeup on. Those are the rules, even when I am fishing.

Time for me to run off again, the yard is calling me today.

Becky:s Trout

On Super Bowl Sunday John and I invited our friends over. John and Becky are part of the group that head out for our yearly fishing every spring. If something is happening at our house they are usually included. Becky and I planned dinner and snacks for the guys for the football game and we were set.

I asked Becky if she watches football and she put that look on her face. I asked her to grab a couple of shirts and bring them and we would play with my embroidery machine. Becky had worked in embroidery for several years before her illness hit her hard. Both of us were excited.

After browsing through my numerous embroidery files she found this fish which would fit perfectly on the denim shirt she brought over. It is the perfect design for her too.

She picked out the color choices and they do show nicely. She promised to bring the shirt to our yearly "fish out" in May.

Who says Super Bowl Sundays are a bad thing!

The Gracie Quilt

Another quilt is finished. I call this one "The Gracie Quilt". In my sewing group we were talking about how most of us stashed fabric in every nook and cranny. One of the ladies pulled out some boxes of fabric and laying on top was this gorgeous purple fabric. I immediately grabbed the top piece. I looked at her with big eyes, and please do not make me put this fabric back. As wonderful as she is I was fortunate enough to come home with the this fabric. She had had this fabric for about 10 years. I was feeling so very lucky!

This fabric has a cream background with little girls with Blondie hair all standing in the same direction. She is in a purple polka dotted dress, 60's style with white socks and black patten leather shoes. Above each girl is the name "Gracie". This happens to be the name of our youngest grand daughter. Here she is on Christmas with her new blanket.

At the age of 2, she can not read and it was a blanket. This is where reality set in, I was more excited about this quilt and our little Miss Gracie has no idea.

The quilt is not pieced. It was November when I received the fabric which meant I was in a time crunch, There was still other projects to finish.

I had a yard and a half of "Gracie fabric" so I only framed this fabric with a single border. Simple.

I did do some different things as far as quilting. Remember the embroidery machine? I had downloaded several quilting motifs and used a simple circle within a circle pattern to quilt this. It left a flower design on the back which shows up nicely. I wanted a simple design so that it did not distract from "the Gracie's" on the front. There are also strings of random hearts on the border and a single heart in each corner.


This closeup shows her name above each little girl. Now you know why I could not resist.

More Machine Embroidery Projects

Here are a few more embroidered towels I have done up for holiday gifts. The snowman design is the product of some digitizing i am learning to do. I used two different pictures and combined them. Then I added the words "Let It Snow Bunches For Me".

This one is being sent to my mom because she loves Max and Fritz and knows that when the weather calls for snow I am impatiently waiting, watching.

There is also a "Taz" lover in the family. This is the same artwork we found to have painted on the tail gait of the truck. It will now be in her kitchen! Perfect colors don't you think! I do.

I have a wallet and purse started but have put them away to finish up a couple of quilts that need to be completed and put under the tree. Photo's will be here soon.

New Things To Do

For many years I have wanted an embroidery machine. When I was making clothing for the kids i thought that little duckies or trains on the outfits would be so cute. Time went on and the embroidery machine did not appear.

Here it is a good 3o years later and I finally brought one home. This time when i went shopping the criteria was a bit different. I now wanted one that I could connect to my computer for digitizing. That brought the price up!

The first thing I did was open up everything and just look and read. Now the big question was, "What do I do with all of this?" I grabbed a few unused kitchen towels and surfed the Internet for designs to sew. I found the coffee cups, added some words and poof! Embroidered towels.

Wow just by pushing buttons too! Here is a closeup of the design I made.

What fun and what is next! I will keep you posted. The sad part is now I look at the bins of hand embroidery thread and worry it will collect dust.

It is the Christmas season, lets see how many gifts I can make.