Spring Flowers, Alivia

We have been enjoying some beautiful warm weather here in Central Oregon. The first blooms are busting out, the irrigation water is on, which brings on green field and lawns. Yippeeee....
I am lovin it!! There is snow up on the mountains, which will be melting into the rivers, which will fill the reservoirs......so on and so on....

Last weekend we got up into the 80's, I was quickly reminded that I am menopausal and better find that fan to sleep with...... hmmmm....how long till I break down and go get some HRT. I have been holding out on doing this but I am getting closer to having the discussion at my next appointment with the fun doctor. Please share your story on Hormone Replacement if you have one. My SIL works for the company in Seattle who heads up the study on HRT. Some results from the study really make me nervous about using HRT. I have always waited until I am miserable before taking medication. I am thinking I am miserable enough now!! time to have the discussion.

Last week I went to a doctor regarding my migraines. I have had them for years and they have come on with a vengeance lately so I guess I was miserable enough and did a good thing. I found the doctor to be so understanding and had a very good discussion. I am taking medication to prevent as well as receiving some very expensive pills for killing the damn things before they kill me. That's what it feels like some times that your body is trying to kill you..... well so far so good........

Oh the sun feels so good, I am ready to bask in it, and get my garden planted, at least the seeds.

This Easter, our youngest son brought his fiance and Alivia over to celebrate with us. Alivia is three, and so fun and active. She is a an "on the go girly girl". I hid and I use the word loosely, some eggs. Made up a basket for her!!! What are holidays without kids to celebrate....just so much more fun with them.
So meet Alivia, cute little smile, bright eyes!! I want to be three...... she loved her little Starbucks bear, dressed in a lamb suit this year!!! Chocolate chicks....which she was unwrapping even as she posed for this picture.....so cute....she can multi-task!!!

Alivia was so fun, she loved this little antique cherub bird bath, the eggs were secondary at times....... so cute.

She kept smiling and running on to find the next one.... and she was keeping her lamb, thank you!.
Ok...somewhere they say there is an egg in this tree......lol.....

We are into Spring Field Trial season. Last weekend was our club event. It was fun, exhausting and I was so busy I took zero pictures. I prepared and fed the 30 some people breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the prep was done on Thursday at home. It is always a fun time but man do you get tired. We got home Sunday at 11pm and took showers, veged for a bit and fell in bed.

Our young pup Casey, took second in Puppy....I miss not having my horse anymore so I didn't watch him run.

These next two weekends we get to go participate without all the organization, just offering a helping hand and enjoying a group of very nice people.

OK just one more picture, I didn't get to have the triplets for Easter but I did get some pictures. So I will share just one, my they are growing so much, and I love their yellow and blue Easter outfits. And there hairdoos!!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, I hope you get outside and have wonderful spring weather.

Spring blessings,

Carrie

Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter Day! Hold on to those things most dear to your Heart!Easter Blessings,

Carrie

Alzheimer Art Quilt Initiative, Happy Easter

Have you heard about Ami Simm's amazing efforts regarding Alzheimer's.

I want to share about it again, today is the last day to participate in the monthly auction.
Go here:

http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltauction.html

And you can bid on a wonderful art quilt. Two years ago, my Twisted Sisters and I made quilts and sent them to be auctioned. It was so much fun. I even bought a couple, I kept some and gave some as gifts for Christmas. I enjoy looking each month, even when I don't bid. Enjoy!

It is a busy day getting ready for some Easter celebrating this weekend. My youngest son is coming over with his fiance and her daughter. We will get to hide some eggs and have a dinner celebrating together.

Sunday morning we will attend church services and then go to Portland.

Easter Blessing to all of you!

Carrie

IT'S HERE.....

Oh Yes....Lovely Spring Weather......has blessed Central Oregon. I celebrated by working in my garden, flower beds, took a two hour walk along the Deschutes River with a girlfriend. Finished the day with a BBQ dinner. It was so wonderful.

So wonderful until my sore muscles tried to get out of bed this morning. Ouch! I am going to be doing some stretching and lighter celebration in the yard work today.

It does feel like a celebration though, I hope Spring is blessing you with some warm weather too.

After dinner, I printed up your comments and put them in a basket for my DH to draw.

The winner of the little spring 30's fabric pack is Quilt Hollow! So please email me your mailing address and I can get these in the mail to you.

Thank you for all your comments, it has been fun.

Today is going to be a nice day so I am going to spend some more time outside. Yeah!!

Spring blessings,

Carrie

Tea Towel Embroidery, Sweet Spring Giveaway

Yesterday I spent some time going through my embroidery patterns, magazines and the web looking for ideas for my colorful tea towels. It was very fun and I think I found enough ideas to do more than three.
First I pulled out my Folk Art Friendship book, it is full of many varied projects. I want a vine to do along the bottom and something not to busy above it.

I found vines that I could repeat across, like some of these.

I like the dangling hearts on this one. And repeat the vine below it.Or Anne of Bunnyhill Designs has her A Tiskit, A Tasket BOM embroidery pattern.

I thought I had more Crabapple Hill patterns than I found so I went to Meg's website. I love this one. It is from her free downloads. It may be busier than I was looking for but it is perfect for my towels and just what I had in mind. May is Mother's Day and my birthday month. So I will do this on the turquoise towel.. using some brighter threads...... on top of the third vine, there are just X's, she has detailed instructions on some daisies free to download. So if you like this design go to the link highlighted above. You can see her new designs and she has a cute club you can join.

I shared previously about the Australian Homespun magazine. The have a lot of embroidery and here are three that I liked. A sweet house mini quilt, it would make a cute design, the trees are so cute, with Blessings and a heart.

This is to cute, maybe not for my towels, but it is part of their new mystery BOM, to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I would love to be doing this along with them, I am hesitant to start anything new. But these are really tempting me, it is block two of Breast of Friends, designed by artist Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly. This BOM will be revealed over the next nine months and there is a sneak peek of all the blocks in this issue. Are you as tempted as I am?

The link to Homespun for Breast of Friends: http://www.completecraft.com.au.

Well continuing in the same magazine is a project by Christine Book. I have a wonderful book by her, this basket of flowers is definitely jumping off the page for me. Very folky and just the perfect size. I love the tongues too, or the border pattern I could do as well.
Yes, I like this one very much as well. But maybe on some osnaburg, or some linen.

Well its always fun searching through patterns to find the design. It's part of the process of quilting that I love. Searching through fabrics is another. I have been going through my fabrics and doing some organizing a clearing out. I came along some 30's prints, I do not have alot of these but I have had some for a very long time. So I cut the 1/2 yards pieces in half and made fat quarters. While looking through my AP&Q June issue I came across this quilt.It really appealed to my desire for spring to get here fast. And I remembered those fat quarters. I made a couple stacks and I want to give one away. There are 16 pieces in the bundle. So leave me a message on this post and Sunday evening I will draw for a winner. That will give me time to add a couple things to juice it up abit.

I think these fabrics would work in this quilt, maybe you have your own idea. Its up to you, so pass it along to your friends, sharing is a good thing.

Thanks for stopping by and my very best spring wishes to all of you.

Carrie

Applique Peek, Gadget & Spring Cleaning too!

I shared about a new gadget for applying liquid starch for freezer paper applique. As shown in my newest Fresh Vintage issue. Well, I really like it, I guess I could say I love it. It is easy to use, easy to control the amount applied and stores nicely. To use: fill pen reservoir with liquid starch, squeeze lightly, the starch flows through the tip, move the tip along you seam allowance until damp. Use your craft iron to turn seam allowance to back side of freezer paper. I removed the freezer paper template and used fabric glue to hold pieces in place.

I am not sure if I would have the need to use it as Clover markets it, but one really never knows. I never thought I would like applique as much as I do. I just want to like my applique and so far I am so pleased with my results.

Just a sneak peek at the project, it is a gift. I did some sewing by hand on it last night, with DMC cotton thread. It was nice to have the pieces turned and behaving for me, being all thumbs about applique.

I picked up the new Australian Homespun magazine, it has some very nice articles and always so nicely done. They have a new BOM using Buggy Barn fabrics, In The Pink II and Australian designers. The first two blocks are in this issue. Check it out, or share a friends issue its great.

The flour sack kitchen towels are from a kitchen store in Eugene. I took Ty, my oldest grandson, home Monday and had to go check out Pepperberries. These are such happy colors. I am looking through my stitchery for a pattern.

They remind me of Easter and Spring and I think they would be so cute with some embroidery.

Then yesterday my June issue of American Patchwork Quilting came in the mail. It didn't disappoint to say the least. Anne Sutton, of Bunnyhill Designs is the featured quilter. Her story and her sewing room, well you couldn't ask for a more perfect featured artist. After looking at all the goodies in Anne's sewing room and how whimsical everything is set, well my sewing room was just blushing from the lack of its owners creative spirit. So as well as wanting to sew up the many cute quilts in the issue, I want to primp my pad, show off the cute stuff I have spent a good fortune on too. I could go on about everything, but I showed my DH and said I want mine to look just like that. He nodded his head and said uh huh......... so I had to show him Anne's funny blog from yesterday where she shared her screen cleaner. If you haven't gone there .....do........oh my how good a belly chuckle is for your health. So don't miss out on this June issue, if you are not a subscriber.

I have been doing some spring cleaning and just getting serious about having things and not using them or getting them made up. So as a first step I am going to offer them to you blogging peeps. Leave me a comment or email me if you are interested. Thank you for letting me use this site to get some cleaning done in my sewing room.

Moda Jan Patek Country Paths FQ bundle 38 pieces $66.50 SOLD

2007 Mystery Quilt by Jan Patek BOM $144

12 month applique patterns and fabric.

SOLD

The March packet contains the sashing and border fabric, as well as the applique block.

This next quilt BOM by Blackbird Designs from 2006. An applique BOM from Primitive Gatherings. $85
Includes 5 yards of background and 5 packets of fabric.
If you are interested in any item I will consider any offer. I just want someone to have them who wants to or has the time to sew them up.

I will ship USPS in flat rate/priority box. Cost will be $10.35 or $13.95 depending on box size.

There is a give away at Quilt Hollow, a wonderful wool project, go check it out.

Spring Blessings,

Carrie