It's Spring!

April Fools!
Here's what our place looked like early this a.m.
Love the heavy snow on the trees!

I don't think I will shovel....will just hope it melts quick.

Looking back towards my garden area.  Not going to be out there until the middle of May!  I'm jealous of of seeing blog pictures of beautiful flowers already!

Looks like another good "sew day" since the snow has started up again!

Almost April and it's doing this outside!

It was snowing all night and still going strong all day yesterday late into the night. Even had the Interstate closed for awhile and then chain law in effect.  Spring always comes late in these parts of the country.  While everyone else is starting to garden, we still have this on our lawn:

I had to laugh the other day when I read Rae Ann's blog post about having no self control when it comes to buying fabric.  I'm afraid I am the same way.  No matter how much I tell myself that I will not buy new fabric...something always comes along that I fall in love with and "have to have".  Here is one of my latest purchases:  it is from Katie Cupcake called Marabella.

I am using the fabric to make another hat and the sunsuit in the pattern below.  Do you remember these patterns?  I use to make alot of little dresses for my girls with these patterns.  So glad I kept them!

More purchases.  I fell in love with this from Blank Textiles also called Maribella  Love the richness of the colors.  I saw this made up into a purse.  Not sure what I will do with it but it was one of those "got to have it" purchases.  I'm sure no one can relate.  

First Quilt for First Time Sewer

A year ago last January, our LQS began their new BOM for 2009. I coerced invited my middle daughter and dil to attend each month with me. Darling dil had never made a quilt before but I told her it would be easy and I had a machine she could use so not to worry. Throughout the year, I'm not sure she was believing me anymore about the "easy" part but she perservered and finished her quilt top this past weekend! It is now at the quilter's waiting for them to do their magic on it. I can hardly wait to see if all finished! Isn't it cute?! Ms. E really has a talent for appliquing and sewing. I am so proud of her! She even had a new baby last year (she's the mom of those 2 lil' boys I show on my blog every now and then) and that didn't keep her from completing each block.
Sad to say, I still haven't finished mine.  Neither has middle child.  More reasons to be proud of Ms. E!  She beat us all!

Jack and Jill

This is what I made today.  It's size is called "teeny tiny".  It is.  I think the flower is bigger than the hat!  The pattern is called Jack and Jill by Izzy & Ivy.

It's for this sweet girl....

Love those grandbabies!

I have a tough time getting this lil' man to smile normal anymore.  But it doesn't matter...being around these two lil guys brings such happiness to me!

The quilt you see is one I made for these guy's daddy many years ago.  Didn't have a sewing machine at the time but I wanted a quilt for the new addition we were having.  Bought some cheap fabric at TG&Y (anyone remember that store?) and came home and tied a baby quilt together.  The back is flannel.  Hand sewed the binding on but after years of being loved, I had to sew the binding back on awhile ago.  The quilt still seems to be going strong though.  I should give it to it's rightful owner but every time I see my grandson's play on it, it brings back so many memories of all our hopes and dreams we had as a new family.  Can't do it yet.  

Valley Fabric BOM

It's been snowing all day--not very Springy at all, so I decided to get out my March BOM and finish it. It is the one from our LQS and will only cost me $6 if I attend each meeting for the rest of the year. We only have to pay for the first month and then if we bring our completed block back the next month, we get the new one free.
January Block

February Block

March Block

Here they are all together.  Still haven't sat down to finish the words on the blocks.  I'm afraid that might be put off until the end of the year.

Cutting Mats

Last week I was reading an email that came my way about the differences in cutting mats.  I had heard about the self-healing vs. the hard surface mat but never paid much attention to them since I just assumed I "needed" the self-healing mat that everyone seems to use.

Well I was in Wal-Mart soon after reading that email and decided to see if they had a hard surface mat.  Yes, they did.  June Tailor makes it.  I decided to buy one (the biggest one they had--23"x23") and see what I thought after reading that your cutting blades will not dull as quickly.  (If you are thinking that my blade is dull right now, you would be correct)  Wow.  It does feel different when you cut.  Much more smooth when you cut and I am not pushing down so hard to cut.  I think I am going to like this new mat.  Will have to look for a bigger one though to fit my table.

Finished Block 2 of my Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt.  Am loving this mystery quilt!