Happy 40th birthday Andrew! Big Quilts & Doll Clothes.

 

January 5, 2014
hi everyone! it is a very snowy day here in the northeast. we've got at least 8 inches and it's still snowing. it makes it nice and cozy in our little house. to warm up our kitchen this morning I made cinnamon rolls from scratch. they were SO GOOD! I love being retired!!!! below is a picture of my son Andrew and his grandmother (the mister's mom) in December. its hard to believe he's 40 years old! where has the time gone! my mil isn't looking too shabby for 92 either! I asked him if he wanted anything special for his birthday and he said he'd like another quilt. a BIG one to fit his king size bed.... and blue!

I took this ufo top I had and added a couple more rows to it and made it 96X96. if it isn't big enough....well that's as big as I could do! I then took a bunch of my blues (I still have so many blues left) and pieced them together to make the back. he can always turn the quilt over and use the back for a change of pace! I've been taking a machine quilting class through craftsy by leah day and used a couple of the suggestions she had. it really did make quilting this quilt so much easier! since it was so big and busy, I did an overall stippling pattern on my hq16. fancy designs wouldn't have shown up. I really like how it came out. sandwiching the quilt was the hardest part. if the mister hadn't helped me I never would have done it! boy those big quilts are hard but so worth it when you're done! I have two more ufo's that I'm making for our bedrooms and the only thing I dread is sandwiching them. my goal for 2014 is to finish those quilts. one down and two to go! btw, this is the jewel box pattern. its one of my go-to patterns when I want something easy but interesting. I used my accuquilt go cutter to cut the squares and triangles. it makes it so fast and easy! one of the habits I started in 2012 was to cut up any small pieces I had left over from my projects into useable squares, trangles and strips. I have plastic boxes filled with all of my cutouts. my sewing studio is looking more organized and better every day!

after I was done Andrew's quilt I needed something easy and fun to work with so I made this little table runner. it was fun and came out cute. the pattern was free on the internet.

I had a nice big sale with the American girl doll clothes I make. I sold 6 poncho/hat sets, several knit hats and these skirt and blouse outfits. I put the money I made in my swear jar (yes, I'm still using the jar and working on my spicy mouth which has improved tremendously!). I'm saving up for a new laptop. I haven't counted how much money I have but my jar is stuffed!!! :>)

and finally, here is our nora jean putting her kitty love in Andrew's quilt. she is still not feeling well and the vet has done every test going with no defining answers. she thinks nora may have an ulcer due to the flea allergy she developed last summer. our poor darling!

today I am grateful for our new vet who is very caring and thorough with our nora. I am glad that nora is still with us and seems to be improving. a big thank you to my mister who helps me with whatever it is I need. much love to my wonderful son Andrew. you've been a pleasure and a source of pride to dad and me. happy birthday!
have a great day and I will too! nancyb