Bears in the Farmhouse

This pattern that Judy L. is doing calls for a stripe but since I don't have a stripe and I have not felt very much like shopping, and I really want to shop the stash first I am using this floral. It is a fabric that every time I look at it I wonder what I was thinking. I do not like it and can't remember a time I did like it.

So anyway I was out of bed long enough today to pick a few fabrics to go with it and take a picture. I am sending it to Judy and go back to bed.

Diane

Happy Birthday to my first

Today is the birthday of my first child. I prayed for him and wanted him and was so excited when I found out I was expecting. I was young. Now that I am 45 I know just how very young I was, but I knew this was perfect timing for us. So before I turned 20 I delivered a precious baby boy that changed my life forever.
I am thankful to God everyday for my son. He made me a Mom and a better person.
I love you Alan! Happy Birthday!
Moma

Friday the 13th

Mine actually started Thursday the 12th.
I woke up with a splitting headache. It hurt so bad that just laying my head on the pillow made it throb. I have to sit up for a minimum of 30 minutes after I take my morning medicine so I went to the living room to sit in the quiet/dark. To make a long story short I finally laid back down. The only problem with that is I am so weird, if I fall asleep at all during the day, even for 30 minutes I can't sleep at night. I took a 1 1/2 hour nap! Then I was so groggy I walked around in a fog for hours.
Last night at 3am my husband asked if I was ever going to come to bed...I did, but laid awake until almost 5am. The just as sure as day follows night I was wide awake at 7:30 am! UGH!
My head only hurts if I blink or talk or cough or well you get the idea. I had 10 items on my to do list since I didn't get yesterday's done. I have completed 7 of them and I am quiting!
The son and husband are talking going to Disney for Valentine's day. I will pack all of my headache meds and comfy shoes and make the best of it.

Linda, if you are reading this...I can't wait until next Saturday! I am planning to stay awake for the whole time your here so we can get enough visiting in! LOL
I have found one of the chicken purse patterns, but I am not sure if it is the one you are meaning.

Ho Hum Day

I had to be up at the crack of dawn (7:15 am) to go to the doctor today. I have been pleasantly surprised by the doctors I have seen since moving to Florida. I am impressed with the time they are spending with me. I don't have horrible medical issues, but I do have a few things that need to be watched. In the past I have had doctors who wouldn't spend five minutes seeing me then they would write me a prescription and say come back in six weeks.
I have been averaging a minimum of 30 minutes WITH the doctor. Not waiting on them in the waiting room either! Today this new doctor actually came to the waiting room and called my name, not the nurse. I even commented to him how I liked that. He said he was old fashioned and liked doing that. He is a young, and actually spends time with you , what a concept!

Anyway since I got home I have just had no energy. NONE. I sewed some, I watered the lawn (flipped a switch for the sprinkler system) baked a cake, answered emails. That is it! Just no energy for anything.

Off to bed...I hope I can sleep

Oh Horrors!

Remember the other day when I went on and on about how much I love Dryel Starch Alternative? Well wouldn't you know it I go to the store to buy more as I have used my last bit and I can not for the life of me find it here.
While in Mobile last week Ray and I went to a Sam's and Walmart and bought items that we can't get at Sam's and Walmart here in Florida. Of course I had not run out of Dryel at the time so I had not even thought about buying any here.
I have now visited four different stores here and non of them carry Dryel. I did find a place online that will ship it to me, so I will go that route. I just hate that thought. Now I have to PLAN for pressing my fabrics! LOL I am not a planner! I am a seat of the pants kind of gal. Oh life is so unfair!
NOT! I'm just whining, to hear myself whine.
I have a great life and I know it.
I'll be back later...I have to go quit my job...yes the one I just started...

Diane

From least to most...

2 pieces for my baby quilt stash.


Four pieces for Everything Joseph loves stash. These pieces are 3 yards (the music)and 1 yard each. I just love the french fries and the Mexican food! :^)


Half yard pieces to go in the Civil War stash



Large Civil War pieces to go for backings or borders. These pieces are 3, 5 and 9 yards.

All of this fabric was bought at Fabrics by the Pound. I don't know if they are only in the Mobile area or if they are all over, I had never heard of this place until we moved there. The fabrics are $4.29 a yard and they are a great place to find Civil War fabrics since no shops in that area carry CW. For that matter all the shops in the Mobile are are either closed or closing. Poor Mobile quilters will have to drive a minimum of an hour to find a quilt shop.

Have you tried this?

have been called a freak by those who love me because I love to iron. I really hate wrinkles. I have a love hate relationship with my irons. I love them as long as they get really hot, I set mine on scorch, and they produce lots of steam. In the past ten years or so I have probably gone through at least a dozen irons. My first iron was a Rowenta that I loved for a whole 3 weeks, until it started leaking water. Then it started pouring water so OUT it went. Then I went from iron to iron, brand to brand looking for an iron I could love. I finally about 6 years ago found a
T-Fal that was wonderful, until it took a nose dive off the ironing board. Oh the horrors! I honestly cried! I was so frustrated because I knew the kind of life that was a head of me. I had to search high and low for a new iron that would get HOT and not leak. And I also knew just because this T-Fal didn't leak and got very hot the next one probably would not.

Just about that time I was preparing to go to Houston to the International Quilt Show and Market. While at market I discovered the Best Press starch alternative. It was GREAT! I fell in love instantly. I only had to worry about a HOT iron now and not one that didn't leak because I had found this wonderful spray. Until the sales girl lowered the boom and told me the price. Even buying it wholesale was WAY too expensive. We are talking something like $8 for 16 ounces. Now I don't mind paying for something that I like and need, but come on! I bought 3 little sample bottles they were just about giving away to try and convince those of us who didn't want to spend our children's college fund on things that were good products but not absolutely necessary.
I took the bottles home and shared a couple with my friends to get their opinions, just in case I just didn't get it they could explain it to me. :)

Then I happened upon the Dryel starch alternative and I saw this huge big bottle for like $3 or maybe it was $4, but it was HUGE! I put it in my buggy and went happily on my way.

I actually did a side by side comparison so I would know beyond a doubt which one I liked best.

Mary Ellen's Best Press:

Pro:
Couple of scents to choose from
Pump works well

Con:
Price
Scent


Dryel Starch Alternative:

Pro:
Price
Pump works well

Con:
Scent



The winner is (insert drum roll here)

DRYEL

I am sold on the stuff. I don't love the smell, but I have learned that after the first spray of the day it isn't so bad. I also hold my head back and don't suck it all up in my nose. If I was to be asked by Dryel how to make the product better I would ask them to remove the perfume.

I hope this has been a help to any of you who have never tried the stuff. You know I am here to try and be a blessing.

Diane

Stash Use Report #6

While in Mobile I was asked about my stash use by a friend who thinks I have only been good in not buying because all of my friends have not been around to tempt me. LOL I think she is right!
I was in Mobile all of 15 hours and had already visited one of the best places to buy Civil War repros. I had to have help lugging the bags (yes bags) out to the car.
The next day I went back with a friend and what do you know there was some more CW fabrics I missed the day before. LOL Not too much just a few pieces. :)
Friday I went to the quilt show I wrote about in the previous post. There was a lady who sold ethnic fabric ( I hope that is what you call it). She had fabric made in Indonesia, Africa and Australia. It was great! I bought a couple pieces that would look good with my hand dyed fabrics.

So Joanne, I think you may have something there. I haven't bought anything because I missed all of you and needed your excitement to get me excited!

Fabric used this week : 0
Fabric added this week : 36.5 yards ( Oh my goodness!)
Fabric used to date : 16.41
Fabric added to date : 36.5 (ok so I am approximately 20 yards in the red...I had fun!)

Diane

Robertsdale Alabama quilt show 2009

Here are a few of the 178 pictures I took today at the quilt show.

Most of these are OLD quilts. I really enjoy looking at OLD quilts.

Some of these are so old, no one remembers how old they are.

Some pictures are to remind me of ones I want to make and some...NOT SO MUCH! I love this quilt, but I don't have any desire to make one.

This was a very cute idea I thought I might try for my neice who has to grow up far away from us. Her stinky parents for some reason won't let her come live with us. I thought I could make pictures of me and Uncle Ray and her cousins so she wouldn't forget about us.

I am sure I can make pictures that will look just like us!

I think this might be the only "contemporary" quilt I took a picture of.

I LOVE this quilt! The sign on this one said 1905 I think.

I shoulod have flipped this one counter clockwise, just tilt your head to the right.

Oops, this is contemporary too, but I love it. It is still traditional.

Usually you see a quilt where they cute the tie up to use it, but this is the first I have seen where they use almost the whole tie.

BEAUTIFUL! The workmanship was outstanding!


Diane

Great day!

We arrived in Mobile late in the evening Monday. We quickly unpacked the truck then walked over to Bonefish Grill across the parking lot from the hotel. We had a light dinner and off to bed we went.
This morning I called my friend Nancy and she and her sister came and picked me up to go sew at Joyce's house. This was the regularly scheduled meeting of the Old Sew and Sews. We have so much fun. Once a month we meet and sew quilt tops for Linus. We laughed and talked and ate a wonderful lunch.
I got a good ribbing from several of them about my "stashbusting". Mostly from one who has witnessed my buying abilities while in Paducah. LOL I explained that I am not "busting" my stash I am just keeping tack of my usage.
Then she got a huge laugh out of the fact I found the tub of fabric the other day in the garage.
She's just jealous! LOL

I sure love these ladies! I am so glad they are in my life.
What a great day!
Diane
(no pictures because my camera failed to get unpacked from the truck last night)

Stash Use Report #5

Can you believe I completely forgot to post last weeks report? I can. (:^o

It doesn't really matter since I am a spastic quilter. I am either full speed or dead in the water. In the past two weeks I have worked on two quilt projects.

Confetti is something I started just because I wanted to make something. I was itching to sew but didn't want to working on any of my UFOs. Isn't that how we get so many UFOs? LOL

I made this as I was dealing with insomnia when my husband was out of town. I always have trouble sleeping when he is gone. As the picture shows I have 20 blocks made and I have 28 more blocks partially made.

• So my report is:
• Fabric added: 0
  Fabric used this week: 11.75 yards
• Fabric added to date: 0
• Fabric used to date: 16.41 yards