Yellow = Sunshine!

The color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge  for March is yellow! I was hoping it would be a warm color because it still isn't warm here...  It is warmer than some other places.

I did my investigation again. This time I colored on of my butterflies for you. I wanted to let you know that I'm working on a butterfly tutorial for a friend (Yes, Ginny, that's you!) who wants to try this butterfly to learn paper piecing. It's not a difficult pattern.

First thing to do is color your pattern, or write color names on it. Some patterns can get really difficult once you are deep into them. Hard to know what color goes where.  On this pattern 1B and 3B are butterfly, the rest is background.

Here is my comparison of yellows from the 64 count of Crayolas... a lovely gift from my sister. Thanks Barb!

If you notice there is only a Yellow, Goldenrod and Dandelion for yellow. The golder colors seem too orange to me. I do have a bunch of golds in my yellow bin of fabric, but I don't know that I'll use them.

Anyway, if you'd like a step-by-step tutorial of this pattern for paper piecing tune in tomorrow.

Hugs,

Terri

Gifts from Sheila

She sent me some homemade goodness! The black/white and red fat quarter was the wrapping along with the red and gold string. All very useful and beautifully made items! Thank you, Sheila.

Hugs,

Terri

Got some sewing done

Here are the newest blocks...

Of course, I can't find the ones I did earlier, so no Love Ring layout.
I did get an early Christmas present from Melanie (the Houseelf - see the side bar). There were chocolates, too, but those have met their demise.

 Love the embroidered sheep!  Thanks Melanie. I hung it in the dining room and it adds some Christmassy feeling to our new house.

This is a bit of tiny snowy hail we got for a few minutes one day. Not much rain yet.

This is the view from my living room window...

Since we left CA they are getting some real rain today, and flooding.

Hope you all are warm and dry. 

Hugs,
Terri

Guess what came in the mail!

Just now we got our mail... I got this...

 Two, count them, two full BIG bags of strips from my Buddy Terri Bohling (who blogs over at Quilting Nonnie - Nonnie means Grandma, but you knew that.)   I sent her some I Spy snippets and now she has upped the ante. There must be hundreds of 2 inch X WoF strips!!! Wow! I gotta say it again... WOW!

Now some close-up shots of about 1/4 of one of the bags...

 

and again another 1/4 of one of the bags. (You know, I don't see any repeats!!!!!)

How generous, Terri. You did it now. I'll have to get you back somehow. (Heart) I'm going to watch TV tonight and fondle these. I've got a big night ahead.

Thank you soooooo much. You made my week, maybe month even! I've gotta figure out something special to make out of  these.

 

Hugs,

Terri2

Mom's Day Early

My son, the Master Sergeant, and his lovely wife sent me flowers - already!

Here's the proof:

Aren't they pretty?

Part of the note says "wonderful mother"!  I couldn't be happier.  I'm carrying them around with me, so I can see them where ever I am.

Hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

 

Hugs,

Terri

California Scenes and a Gift from my Hubby

We're getting ready to move.... it's more of a mental process at this point. I have cleaned up some piles, but no actual housework has been done. (Please, I have a reputation to uphold.)

Today we went out to Costco to have lunch and do a little retail therapy, and I remembered the camera. I wanted to remember (photograph) a few scenes.

I've loved this little oak tree on a hill (better seen from the other side) in a vast sea of grass. It won't be there for long. The area  is ripe for development, and in my opinion, that will ruin this place. I'm glad I won't be here to see the demolition.

Anybody else remember these kind of wire carriers? (Stuck to a fence post)

More of the vast grassland.

I love how the fence posts are leaning.

Now, you might think this is a picture of the prairie, like the others, but it is a picture of a dragon fly on a barbed wire fence.  You can see him better in the picture below. Each top segment of wire between fence posts had one or two dragon flies on it. When we came along they would fly out, and then come back to claim their little segment.

We've taken this "ride" many times hoping to find some wild life. These horses (and lots of others) we watch whenever we drive through. We have seen a horse trying to deliver her baby and lots of horses come to watch or encourage her. We've seen the new babies. We've seen a coyote in this field. On the other side of the road runs a train track - not used - and the drains under the tracks are still made of wood in a couple of spaces. We saw a burrowing owl near one once. One time we saw a raccoon rolled up in one of the cement drains... a space to sleep during the day, or a place to rest out of the relentless sunshine. The bulls live on the corner, in a watered and green grass spot. It's been a wonderful spot to see meadow larks, and hear their beautiful springtime serenades. Hawks and killdeer live here, too. I've really loved this part of CA.

And this arrived in the mail today... a lighted seam ripper with a magnifying glass! A little gift from my hubby. (I have to be really careful not to tell him about something I want...)  Thank you Honey. I'll get lots of use out of it.

 

So no sewing... I did spend a lot  of time in the sewing room yesterday, cutting and a bit of sewing, but nothing worthy of sharing. The computer was down - needed a new modem - so I couldn't read blogs until this morning. (Another Thank you to the Hubby. He worked all day to get that fixed.)

 

Hugs,

Terri

 

Recorded for Posterity

My sewing room... First round of pictures taken at eye level...

It's a pass through room to the last bedroom (which we call the "Way Back" room. It houses the considerable mess that is the art supply and rubber stamp hobby - we won't go there today... It would burn your eyes out). This is a pic of the left wall - the design wall, now empty - as you walk into the room. It has some cards, pics of the grands and small items pinned at the far end, and the back door with the makeshift curtain, to keep the sun off of my cutting mat. Any questions?  Yes, Mary? The reason the wall is empty is the quilt that was there is being quilted, and this condition didn't last long, as I now have the Tetris Challenge up on the wall. Helps me to figure out what the next pieces are... and I was cutting those while the pictures loaded.

This is the next wall with a door to the "Way Back" room, the cutting table (now covered in fabric and projects to be... the cork board leans on the table.

Left side is the cutting table and cork board again... next to that is the entertainment center that our son and girlfriend didn't want any more and it works out as shelving for this mess.

This is the window - facing west and trying to be cooled and shaded by 2 tangerines outside. Plants are on top of the shelving unit we got from a friend who used our garage for a while to make snowboards. (Most of the furniture in the room is rummage sale stuff.)

This is to the right of the window. Poster of a centennial quilt made by a guild in Carson City, NV. We just happened to find the quilt show there on the way home from Tahoe - a dozen years ago.
Book case above the sewing room (shows here on the right of the picture) is actually the window of the room that was cut in two - before we owned the house - to make a room and hallway to this sewing room and the afore mentioned "Way Back" room. Rather than cover it all over they used the sills to support the bookcase.

Here's the rest of the room at eye level. The bookcase ends at the doorway - which has no door, but you are looking out into my hallway of grandkid art, and the top of the very important $4 fan - more rummage sale. I've had it for a dozen years - works fine!

On the sewing machine right now is the I Spy. I'm sewing around the individual squares... UGH!

Now to the left of the sewing machine - which is in a cabinet and the lid is open all the time and it rests on a rummage sale table. The table also includes my boom box and tapes, CDs and the pink is pulled for the next palm which will be light pink and hot pink for the veins. The Cadbury box houses small sewing tools, the mister is for ironing and misting the plants to the left - shown later.

My crippled ironing board is set on boxes at the back and sticks out just under the sewing machine cabinet.... perfect to press a seam... no getting up, just twist in your chair. Saves loads of time.

Below the plants is the pink bin... the smallest one... full to the brim.

and below that is the collection of big enough pieces for most of a backing. See the roll of purple with peppers on it? That was to be the backing for a certain wedding quilt. The two didn't like the quilt on the wall, so it went to Sarah Craig's church group. I hated having it around. (You see I am Wiccan.)

Below - next to the pink

Below - my small purple collection.... (Did I mention these are candid shots. Nothing was upset by cleaning.  This is the raw truth, people... the true confession.)

Under more of the plants - working left...


Further left and on the TV stand...

In the space that held a TV... I Spy in a box, the Seasonal Fabrics are mostly Halloween and the Multicoloreds are fabrics I can't figure out where else to put. It's usually much more full, but right now I have a "tray" ( a box lid from Costco) full that I pulled for an unusual snowball quilt I'm hoping to get to make... soon.

Red and blue bins are both 78 Qt. plastic - actually the red one is bigger... but who is counting. When I pull fabrics it takes a while to get to see all the different pieces - I always go by color and value, and you know I'm usually paper piecing, so that's more important to the projects.

In another opening in the TV chest is my library of quilting books, and some felt.

This is the mess that has accumulated on the yellow and orange bin. It's some pinks that have been cut already for the palm fronds, the lid of pulled fabrics for the snowball adventure, my grandma's quilt that needs repair, and here on the left a new batting is bidding for attention. They hide out under the cutting table.

This is the mess on the cutting table. Tossed fabric that has been cut for the Tetris Challenge, and under that is the "tray" of fabrics I keep separate for Harry Potter paper piecing - an ongoing project.
I just love making them, and when I'm blue they help me feel better.

This is a "birthday and Mother's Day" gift from my Darling Daughter. She thought these pieces looked like Bird (making) fabrics... see below.

I'm pretty sure I haven't shown them before.

Above the TV section of the TV storage unit is a "tray" of  special fabrics saved for Scot's quilt. I have some biiiiiiiig plans for that one, and that is why it isn't made yet. I'm a bit intimidated by my own plans. I'm quite afraid of failure, so I put it off.  Does that ever happen to you?

On the design wall is the green bin...also a 78 Qt. full and open with a project tray with the palm leaves. See the calendar next to it? It got taken off the wall by the quilt being quilted... what a naughty boy!

In front of the door a cart of quilt mags and assorted stuff.  I have alot of asst. stuff.

Under the cutting table - more magazines. These are only the ones that are marked for projects I'd like to make someday. The other collection of quilt magazines is in the way back room....

In front of the window, my orchids. (Notice that is pronounced or kids.) There is also a white Christmas cactus on the right.

A Crown of Thorns and an Easter Cactus behind it... It's blooming out of season - see the red on the bottom right. They like alot of water, and will bloom all year if you keep them supplied.

Here's a pile of UFOs on top of the entertainment center.... and a bunch of projects to do. I'll show them to you some time.

 Above shows the mess by the sewing basket. The Nilla box is for recycling, the bag is for snippets big enough for 2 seams, there is a yellow bag that rigs up to the front of the machine for tiny snippets, and the waste basket. Beyond is a bedside table (we got for free from a neighbor) that holds quilting thread in a drawer, and all kinds of iron on stuff in the bottom drawer... I've never tried that.  The top is storing scissors, etc.

Lastly here is the box of fabrics saved back for HP paper piecing.  Fabric that looks magical to me.
See there is a cutting mat under there!

Anyway, that's my room - you've seen it before, but it is messier now, I think.

I know where everything is - so it is organized. Isn't that more important than pretty?

I am going to link up to the Moda Bake Shop stash link party - they are having a show off your stash event. Sheila said I should, so I'm gonna.

Hugs to you all!!!!

Terri