I'm ready

Yesterday's vacuuming in the craft room turned into a full-blown cleaning. It's so nice to go in and not see a mound of fabric, a pile of papers, and have to worry about the stray straight pin.

Actual room to sew, a place to write notes and a handy dandy calendar.
This was the biggest dumping spot in the whole room. I haven't used this machine as much lately and it became a catch-all. Now I can see it and maybe even use it. I laid out a project so I wouldn't lose it.

Six more projects gathered up and put on the old ironing board so I don't lose them. I sure seem to lose a bunch of stuff when I'm crafting.

I'm going to challenge myself to use what I have and where possible use thrifted items. I really want some new fabric and the only way I can justify it is to use up what I have on hand. My stash isn't as large as what some people have, but I'm tired of it and it needs turned over.

So, who's with me? Sandra says she's going to give it a shot. I happen to know somebody that just bought a ton of fabric and wonder if she might play too.

Do what you can do and have fun. Set your own personal goals and share with us what you create.

National Sewing Month

Above logo shamelessly taken from here.

Yes! A whole month dedicated to one of my favorite past-times.

Now this is something I can get behind, on top of, under, and into. In other words, I'm all over it. HA!

So far I've got 21 projects lined up for September. Some of them are small, quick, and easy. Some are bigger and will take a couple of days. I'm shooting for sewing at least 30 minutes a day and more if I can squeeze it in. (Danged homework!)

These sewing projects are going to be all over the place, kind of like my mind. In other words, it's not just going to be quilts or aprons.

I'm off to oil machines, find fabric, and make sure I have plenty of needles and thread. I should probably vacuum the sewing room while I'm at it.

See you Monday!

Canning 2008

I'm about to start on a new adventure and need some side-bar space. See that canning nonsense over yonder on the left? It's about to go poof!

What I managed to get canned in 2008, though not nearly enough.
* Beef & veggie soup - 8 qts + 10 pints
* Beef soup base - 4 qts
* Black-eyed peas - 19 pints
* Bread and Butter pickles - 8 pints
* Chicken & Rice soup - 12 qts + 12 pints
* Cinnamon pickles - 10 pints
* Corn - 21 pints
* Green beans - 28 pints
* Green chili stew - 36 pints
* Peach jam - 17 half-pints
* Pickled okra - 6 pints
* Pickled peppers - 1 x 12 ounces
* Pinto beans - 7 quarts
* Purple hull peas - 15 pints
* Salsa - 4 x 12 ounces
* Spiced peaches - 2 quarts
* Strawberry jam - 12 half-pints
* Tomatoes - 6 half-pints

Let's see, 33 quarts, 165 pints, 35 half-pints, and 5 x 12 ounce jars.

Whew!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for my friends and family. Without them, I don't know where I'd be or what I'd be doing.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!Sorry I caught you with your eyes closed and a napkin in front of your face. :)

Here's a little poem from me to you.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
You're my momma
And I love you!

I hope you had a great day.

Love,
your oldest daughter

Where does the time go?

Let's see. This weekend was the city-wide garage sale. I have to admit it was disappointing. I didn't find much of anything at all. Well, at least nothing I was really looking for anyway.
Out of 40 sales, this is all I bought. How sad. I think I may pass next year.

Here's what I ended up doing with my dressed up sunflowers. The basket and leaves are thrift store finds. The cat-tails were cut from the local fishing hole a couple of years ago and dried. The rust flowers were $1 from the dollar store. For very little money I've got a new centerpiece for the dining table.

I'm working on some stuff for September. Does anybody know what September is?

Tea-dyed quilt top

Here it is.
The effect is subtle until you plop a piece of undyed background on there. Then, you can really tell the difference. I prefer the muddy look as opposed to the glaring white.I have no idea when I'll get this quilted. The fall semester started today and I have homework and tests again.

We're still waiting to find out the sex of the baby so I'll know what to do for a baby quilt. She had an ultrasound Monday, but the baby had it's legs crossed. She goes back in two weeks. I'm thinking about doing Card Trick for the pattern. We'll see.