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Blessed sunshine...

It's been unseasonably warm here in North Carolina this winter.  Today's temperatures were almost 60 degrees and we should hit 70 by Wednesday.  The pets have been taking advantage of the bright spots of sunshine in the house to do some sunbathing (aka napping).

Moses is the only one who didn't follow along.  She'd much rather have her privacy than bask in the sun.  She loves napping behind this little pillow.

I hope your enjoying some nice weather wherever you are!

Until later...

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11 (NLT)
Posted by Dee at 8:17 PM 1 comment: Labels: David, Gabriel, Jack, Moses, Sam


La Maison... Labels: La Maison


Moving along...
 Labels: David, Jack, Moses


Stash Report Week #2 & 3...

January 8 - 21, 2012
 Labels: Stash Report


Caution - Construction Work Ahead... Labels: Full House


Catching up...

Until I started this post, I had no idea it's been so long since I last blogged.  It's been crazy busy around here lately and I've also been out of town for a few days.  I don't see it slowing down much either in the near future.

I haven't been doing a lot of quilting lately (certainly not finishing any projects), but I have made some forward progress on a few things.  Mostly making backings and basting quilts.  I've been meaning to baste 45 and Life to Go for over a month now and I finally buckled down last week to do it.  I had to move most of the furniture in my quilt room out of the way in order to have enough floor space.  I pinned the backing easily enough, but when I laid out the batting I discovered a problem... When I purchased the batting, I thought the package said it was 120" square.  Even though I prewashed it, I didn't think it was possible for it to shrink this much.  When I looked again, I saw that it was 102" x 120".  The quilt itself is 109" square, so this just wasn't going to work.  Fortunately I had another package of batting that was the right size that I could use.  After a couple of hours, I had it together...

You'll notice there aren't any pins in it.  That's because I used 505 basting spray instead... This stuff is great!  I was a little nervous to use it on such a large quilt because I've never tried it on such a big project.  It took a little more than a can to baste all the layers together.  I also felt like I'd been sniffing glue when I was done and my nostrils wanted to stick together.  However, by morning, everything was back to normal.

And speaking of basting quilts, I also used the spray to baste this little Valentine's Day quilt.  I used a layer of cotton batting and a layer of wool.  I'm hoping the extra layers will give it a lot of definition once it's quilted.  I still want to finish this one and have it on the wall before February 14th.  (Just under 4 weeks to get it done.)

This past weekend, I also managed to piece the backing for Winter Wonderland using the label I made for it earlier...

I know that I won't get around to quilting this one for at least several months (although I want to do it this year), so I've layered the backing, batting and quilt on a hanger.  Whenever I find the time to quilt it, it's all ready for me to pull out of the closet and either load it on the frame or baste it for use with my regular sewing machine.

I've also finally started on my Full House quilt for the Another Year of Schnibbles challenge.  (You can read more about it here and here.)  I'm using Pom Pom de Paris for mine and changing up the pattern a little bit.  The houses are going together pretty quickly, but the only picture I have to share right now are of the roofs.

This one has to be done by January 31st, so it's high up on my to-do list.

On a non-quilting front, I caught David on the scratching post the other day.  I think it's the first time in 2 years he's paid any attention to it.

I think Jack got a little jealous though and had to hone in on the action...

I do have a stash report I need to do and hope to be able to show some houses as well, so hopefully I won't be gone so long this time.  Although with everything going on around here, I'm really finding it a struggle to find time to blog.  Hopefully your days are a little quieter wherever you are!


The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me.
Psalm 138:8 (NLT)
Posted by Dee at 9:30 PM 1 comment: Labels: 45 and Life to Go, David, Full House, Heres My Heart, Jack, Winter Wonderland


Stash Report Week #1 - A New Beginning...

January 1 - 7, 2011

After hemming and hawing last year about continuing with my stash reports, I've decided to keep going.  I like looking at the numbers (especially when they're positive) and I think they help to restrain me from buying fabric (sometimes).  So here's to a new year!

I tried so hard to finish the Winter Wonderland top last year, but missed it by a couple of days.  On the positive side, that means I get to count the fabric used today.  It's difficult to calculate exactly, because the pattern intends for you to have leftovers, but my best guess is I used 13.75 yards for the top, label and binding...

I know I won't get around to quilting this for at least a few months, but I am hoping to find the backing fabric for it this week.  I like to prepare it along with the batting and hang everything together in my closet.  That way when I want to quilt it, everything is ready to go!

Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 13.75 yards
Purchased-to-date: 0 yards
Used-to-date: 13.75 yards
Net used: 13.75

Not a bad start to the reporting.  I have several projects on my immediate priority list.  I'd like to finish them all in January, but realize that's completely unrealistic.  Unless I gave up sleeping and eating and everything else. So those are my goals for the forseeable future.  They should keep me pretty busy I think.  Hopefully, your new year is off to a great start as well!


Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy!
Psalm 99:3 (NLT)
Posted by Dee at 7:51 PM 1 comment: 

Take #6?

My Christmas present came in the mail a couple of days ago.  I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival.  It's a new iron, a Digital Velocity V100.  I consider myself sort of a connoisseur of irons.  This is at least my 6th new iron since I've started quilting (which was only 7 or 8 years ago).  It's not that I've picked bad irons.  I've actually bought some wonderful (and expensive) irons over the years.  At one point I had an Oliso iron; you know the one that raises and lowers automatically.  It was a pretty good iron.  Nice steam and easy to use.  It lasted about a year.

Most recently I've been using a Rowenta iron (made in Germany).  It's been a great iron as well.  It's has awesome steam capabilities and is a very, very heavy iron.  Some people might not like that feature, but I personally love the extra weight.  Between that and the steam, I find my seams lie flatter and my quilting is just overall better.  Again this one lasted almost a year before it too started to leak.

I understand that leaking or spitting is a common complaint among iron owners.  I've been careful to use the right kind of water (purified in this case) and to care for it as the directions state.  In my case, it's not the manufacturers fault that mine start leaking.  Actually, this is the real culprit...

He's a 22 lb behemoth who has repeatedly knocked over my ironing board (and hence my iron).  Of course, I can't place all the blame on him.  Some of it belongs to this one...

As well as this one...

The only one I can't blame is Sam and that's because she can't jump that high.  My Rowenta still works pretty well, but I can only fill it a third full or it starts pouring water out on my fabric.  So I'm constantly filling it.  It also doesn't seem to stay as hot as it used to.  I considered buying another Rowenta, but read some awesome reviews about the Digital Velocity irons from here and here.

I wouldn't have considered buying another expensive iron if it weren't for the new ironing board I have.  My dear husband built it for me for my last birthday.  In the 7 months I've had it, the cats haven't even come close to knocking it over.  This baby is as steady as a rock.

I'm so confident that it's solved my problem that I've invested in what I hope will be my final iron (or at least for many, many years to come).

I bought my iron from Kelly Jackson at I Have A Notion.  I have to stop for a moment and just say what amazing customer service she has.  She matched a cheaper price I found elsewhere, shipped it immediately and included several extras in the package.  She's just an all around pleasure to deal with!

So back to the iron...  I carefully read the instructions before using it.  I knew ahead of time that this one recommended using distilled water (something they say not to use in a Rowenta), so I bought a couple of jugs in preparation.  This iron holds 1.8 cups of water, so much more than any other iron I've ever had.

I didn't have anything in particular to work on, so I made a label for a quilt.  I have to say it was a pleasure to iron with.  My points came out really sharp in no small part due to the pressing.

Overall, I'm very impressed with it.  Although not as heavy as my Rowenta, it has enough weight to press seams flat.  It also generates a lot of steam and I love that I didn't have to refill it even once.  Time will tell how it holds up, but so far I'm very happy with my investment.


Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)
Posted by Dee at 1:47 PM 3 comments: 
And it's done! I love her many poses... Labels: Sam, Winter Wonderland


2011 - A wrap up... 2013 Quilt Finishes Michael (1996 - 2010) 12 years old 6 years old 2012 UFO List