It's been a long week. Last weekend I worked on my Piece and Plenty BOM #4 and finished. I have to tell you that I did not enjoy making this block. I started #5 and miscut the background square, tsk tsk, the Madeira line is getting difficult to find. Not to worry though, I have already found, ordered and received the needed piece. #5 block is almost done!! I've been working on #5 this weekend, but still have some more applique to do. I've also done some special secret stitching for a friend. I volunteered some blocks for a charity group, they are 12 inch finished friendship stars. I cannot get over how BIG a 12 inch block is, LOL, cutting those 4.5 inch pieces just seems strange! It's kind of like quilting for kindergarten after all of the smaller blocks that I'm used to making. They should go fast. Red white and blue for families of service men. A friend of mine just asked me for a picture of my Cherry Quilt. Since I have a handy picture I thought maybe I could entertain you with it. Everytime I look at this quilt I ask if this is my design? What makes it mine? The cherry blocks were started at an Alex Anderson retreat. They are Alex's cherries, but I chose to put mine on point. The nine patch blocks are from Lynette Jensen's Daisy Days book. The border fabric is from Mary Lou Weidman and doesn't the over all look remind you of Mary Englbreit? So who can lay claim to this design? This quilt really has a lot of memories for me. It was my first attempt at applique. It's also referred to as my broken elbow quilt. I had only made one of the nine patch blocks and about 3 of the cherry blocks at retreat and put it away. A couple of months later I fell at work and broke my elbow. I was off work and in a cast for about 6 months. It was my right arm and yes, I'm right handed. I was actually able to applique and put this together with a broken arm. An old AAQ message board friend, Laurie in Kansas quilted it for me. Back to stitchin....xoxo

OK I'M GUILTY! I admit it! Guilty of posting tacky pictures, I've been ever so distressed by the tacky pictures of my pincushions. I really should have taken more time and staged them and maybe taken individual pictures to give them all a chance. I'm embarrassed! But I think I found a way to show show them off in a new setting. While waiting for the Lint Extractor (why is that title so funny to me?) I was catching up with my favorite blogs and clicking away and happened upon these! I wish I could find the blog that led me there because I had to laugh at the subject of the post. I would really like to give them credit and not rip them off, but here goes...

I'm gonna "Pimp My Pincushions"!!

I adore the pins in the link, but I wanted instant gratification. I couldn't wait for an order to arrive. I needed to find a way to reshoot my pincushions to fight off the "tacky picture image" that I left you with. I dug through all of my hidey places and drawers and button box for things I could use! I used flat head pins & super glue. I'm sure you could come up with some cuter ones.

These took all of an hour to make, check out how they "Pimp My Pincushions" Ahhh that is fun to say!

Here it is Friday nite, a week and half since my last post. I haven't had much to blog about. Work has been tiring, so I've been coming home and working on my Lost Socks. So far I have my my first ten large socks done. Ten more of those and I'll move on to the smaller socks. Today was my day off. Cleaned up the condo a little and waited for the "Lint Extractor". I needed to have a little duct cleaning done as that was the reason my dryer went kaput. Who would have thought I would be dealing with this kind of stuff? As it was I had a celebrity lint extractor arrive. I had bought one of those dryer brushes and had it hanging in the laundry room. He looked at it and told me that it was his invention. He spent a while flying back and forth to PA to hawk them on QVC until someone ripped his idea off and mass produced them. I didn't have one of his originals but kind funny listening to all of this. Very strange I must say! and costly too! After he did his job I decided to go downtown to Main Street Quilts in Martinez. I packed up a sock to work on just incase and headed down. It was a beautiful day.I took my camera cause Susie has some older Fig Tree fabrics and I can never remember which I have and what she has. Solution= take a picture. While I was there I took few more of the store to share.

As you walk in the front door you see the longarm in behind the french doors. Susie rents it out after certification. If you look to the right she has a couple of comfy chairs to relax in. Notice the poles X in the windows. Those are earthquake retro fitting. Only in California!

If you go to the left you run into the some Jenny Beyer wall and nice collection of 30's on the right.

My photography isn't the best, but you get the idea. It's a great little quilt shop.

Wow, it's Wednesday again already! Time flies when you are having fun? That's what they say anyway, they also say that time flies the older you get, hmmmm. Fun? Getting older? which is it? I think it's a combo.

Not much was accomplished this week, I mostly wanted to post before it was to late to show you my pincushions. Blueberry Lane Designs found some old copies of Lynette Anderson's Pincushion book and she is going to have a little draw. They thought it would be fun to see everyone's pincushions and of course your favorite. So here ya go, it's not a very good picture but the whole gang is there.

The second picture is my favorite. My now 16 year old granddaughter made this little pillow when she was about 6. It was her only sewing experiment. (there's still time) Anyway she was so proud of her little pillow and her buttons just about popped when I asked her if I could use it for a pincushion. I can't part with it. I keep it pinned to the end of my ironing board. Be sure to hop on over to Blueberry Lane Designs and put your name in for the draw. I'm off to the office, it's only Wednesday! (Funny how I complain about time flying and then wish away the week days for the weekend!)

You can come back now...

The coast is clear!

I'm done ranting and raving, it's Wednesday and I'm almost back to my old self. The weekend was fun. Loved spending time with the little one. Even if she was a carrier. Now I have a fever and chills and the making of a cold. I sat thru interviews on a panel yesterday, if not for those air born type of things and aspirin I don't think I would have made it through the day. Today I'm going to stay home, lay low, rest and hopeful beat this critter!

Before I went off of the edge I was going to tell you that I finished the Turtle quilt, I'm in the process of making a label. It's going to be a turtle with writing on it's back. I don't have a good printer to make those groovy labels so this one will do. It was an easy job of quilting, I usually balk when it comes to the quilting part (that is why there is a pile of flimsies over there <<<<). This one went along well. I stitched in the ditch around each turtle and the rick rack in the border. Put a flower on the back of each turtle and just did wavy diagonal lines behind it all. I'm pleased the how it went and now need to hurry up and start quilting another before the feeling goes away! Won't be today though.

I've been diligently working on socks. I have about 5 done, but need to go back and check my placement. I am my own worst enemy. Most of the time I go around hitting my head like they do in that V8 commercial. They might be ok, I just need to check. Hope I get lucky and not have to unsew them. I hate to go in reverse!

I have a lot of non quilty stuff to take care of, and none of it is fun. Oil Change, Post Office, Gather Tax papers, find someone to fix my dryer that stopped working this weekend. That is Friday's list, so I need to get rid of this cold. I have Sunday to look forward to. I volunteered to help out at Main Street Quilts. Susie isn't usually open on Sunday, but it's the last day of the shop hop and I know she will be worn out.

Now on to the reason for this middle of the week post. One of my new fab fav bloggers is having a pattern giveaway! So if you haven't already done so, hurry on over to Dorky Homemade Quilts. Even if you don't win she'll make you smile!

And this blogger is looking for love, blog love that is. She hasn't had the draw yet, so hurry and put your name in the hat, I bet she'll include you, and her prices aren't bad either! I love me some fabric!

EDIT: I almost forgot something! Lynette Anderson is doing a little stitchery give away, she is posting a download of her Noah's Ark stitchery every month for the year in celebration of her blogging anniversary. Cute Cute Cute!!! Thanks Lynette!

EDIT EDIT: I just found that Sharon is doing a little giveaway! Hope I get lucky!

I'm going to go park on the couch and cuddle up with the kitties and a quilt. I have "No Reservations" from Netflix to watch or maybe sleep through it, we'll see!