my.sewingroom's blog : binding

A Few Blogs Back...

Linda — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:16:00 GMT

A few blogs back was one titled "We make plans, God laughs". No truer words when you have an 18 month old rescue puppy who has had no training!! Indy has been with me 2 weeks and he has come a long way in those 2 weeks. However......God is rolling on the floor of heaven laughing out loud!! Any plans I've had to get projects done have totally gone down the tubes with my Indy around!!!

Everytime I think I'm going to sit down and sew the binding to my granddaughter's quilt and watch a movie in the process, a ball of fur lands in my lap! Next my face is showered with a little wet tongue...so are my glasses. Playtime...again! Throw toys and Indy runs and runs and runs. Maybe he will loose a couple pounds since he arrived a little chunky. Next he has found his tail in the past 2 days. It is hilarious watching him chase his tail. I'm laughing so hard that I can't take a photo of the action. It's even funnier when he stands still...or tries to!!

After 1 week, a light bulb went off and Indy figured out that he should do his business outside and not on mom's carpeting. He also realized if he went outside, he got a treat when he came inside. The little stinker also figured out he could go outside and fake it and he could get a treat. Ha! Ha! I caught onto that trick rather quickly. I know some other furry friends who tried that one!!!

Well, the joke is on Indy. Tomorrow he goes to obedience school for 3 days a week...that is 3 days and nights. Then he comes home for a week for me to work with him. The cycle continues until he graduates from obedience school. Indy will continue onto service dog training. Guess when I'm going to get my granddaughter's quilt done and watch a movie or two?? Of course, God may still be laughing at me. He may still have other plans for me. Hanna's birthday is Saturday, God.

This was the year that I was going to get a lot of UFOs done. So much for my plans. I came home from AZ with a bunch of other projects for church and friends. I also promised I would do more charity quilts this year. OK, I get the message. One of those projects (an embellished vest) is done and shipped. I heard she wore it to church last week. Today I finished my first Round Robin and I'm ready to mail to the next person on the list. The lesson here is I get things done for others, but not myself. I think it wise I follow God's plan for me.

Thank you Lord God for Your plan is better than mine. Amen.

PRAISES!

Linda — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:13:00 GMT

I'm a bit lax and I think we all do once we receive what we've asked God to give us. But I want to sing praises and thank yous to God for giving me Indy! I can't wait to get back to Ohio so I can meet him and bring him home! Has everyone seen his photo? Been showing it to everyone...at church, at my quilt group here in AZ, when I'm shopping, the neighbors. Emailed it to everyone back home. Posted it on Facebook. It's posted on QCA and Quilt with Us. Have I missed anyone? Don't think I mailed it to my brothers and mom...they don't do internet. Guess I better print copies and mail it to them. Don't want them to find out I've added to my family from the family grapevine gets to them before snail mail... That is if it hasn't beat me! I just ordered Indy's id tags, collar, and leash. I'm going shop hopping this afternoon, so I'm looking for doggie fabric to make him a couple placemats for his doggie dishes. I also want to get some fleece to make him a sleeping mat for the bed and sofa. Praise God! I finally have my puppy! Well, I will have him when I get home. So I'm cutting my winter short and leaving AZ the end of February. Mommy's coming home Indy!!!

Meanwhile, I finished my first UFO for 2012. It's my 2006 retreat quilt made from Civil War reproduction fabrics. My friends took it to the longarm quilter as my Christmas present. Two days ago I finished putting the binding on. Perhaps today I'll get photos taken and get it posted. If not today, sometime tomorrow. It turned out great and will look wonderful on the foot of my bed. I'm sure Indy will make good use of it!

Well I need to get going before my friend Marlene shows up so we can go shop hopping. I've never done this before so I'm really excited! Happy quilting! And praise God today for whatever blessings He has given you!

Hugs, Linda

PS. I talked to Indy's foster mom before going shop hopping and found out he sleeps on a pillow. Marlene and I just got back about 45 minutes ago. I found fabrics for 2 pillowcases for Indy. Now I have to find placemat fabric. Thank you, Marlene, for a wonderful afternoon! Hope we can do it again before I return to Ohio. Hi Nana!

Precious RWYS Project Update

Linda — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:51:00 GMT

God is looking down on me so far on this project. I've completed the first quilted square that was started. I have surprised myself...my stitches are as tiny as her stitches...9 per inch! I usually do 7 per inch. It only took 40 years of quilting. Perhaps in another 40 I'll be able to do 12 stitches per inch, but by then I'll be over 100 years old!! She had started quilting 2 of the 18" squares. We have decided to turn them into pillows and give them back to her. Our thinking is that they may be of some comfort to her and something that she can hug to herself. Today I will be working on the second square. I only have to do the border so it should be done today, and tomorrow I can make the pillow. If I didn't have Advent services this morning, I'd have the pillow done today too. But, Advent is very important so off to church I must go later.

After the pillows, I plan to start on the wall hanging. We found a pretty heart stencil for the border. A portion of the stencil will fit into the 4 corners of each of the squares perfectly. We decided on the heart stencil because it represents the love she put into the wall hanging when she made it and our love in completing it. We also found a pretty fabric for the binding. I can't wait to get this all finished so I can post it so you all can see it. She did such beautiful work and I continue to pray that I can do justice to it.

We also found some beautiful fabrics that we feel will turn the rest of the squares she made into beautiful lap quilts. Again, I can only pray that my work will compliment her beautiful squares. So far, so good. Thank you, sweet Jesus. Amen.

PS. I'll post the pillows as soon as they are done.

Count Down - 2 Days to Go!

Linda — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:56:00 GMT

Thank you Lord Jesus! I just might get out of this rainy climate. I feel like I should be looking for Noah's ark and flagging him down! Of course, with all those animals, he may not have room for any more passengers! If my feet continue to swell, I just might have webbed feet before I know it. Maybe God is turning me into a beautiful swan! You know from an ugly duckling into the beautiful swan. Then I can just fly south for the winter. Being a swan would be much cheaper to fly than going by any airlines or by Amtrak. Swans just have to flap their beautiful wings.

My lunch yesterday went well. We certainly ate well! Pastor started us off with prayer before we dug into all the food. Edye brought an apple pie to go along with all the muffins and brownies. The girls were able to go back to the shop and work off that lunch. We opened all our Christmas presents. Someone might think that I like fabric and sunflowers for my kitchen because that's what I got. hehehe!! Bea gave me a beautiful set of sunflower mugs and some note cards. Edye gave me a sunflower apron cutout, snowmen panels (I collect snowmen), the book Quilt of Joy by Mary Tatem, and the leftover apple pie! Lynda gave me my wish list from Connecting Threads. It's for my plaid quilt like I made for Uncle Skip. I already started cutting it out yesterday afternoon.

The agenda for today is pain management doctor, come home for lunch. There will be a jewelry party going on at my house when I get home. My cousin Deb's neighbor Gina sells jewelry. My massage therapist (also a Deb) is having the party and she was going to cancel the party because she had no where to have it, so I loaned her my house. Then Cousin Deb is taking me to do some errands. Then another doctor appointment to find out results of ct scan. When I get home from that appointment I want to finish the Psalm 23 wall hanging I'm making for Pastor Murphy in Arizona. I just have to finish the binding and put the sleeve on the back for a hanging rod. I hope to post it tomorrow morning. When I had my accident Pastor would recite the Psalm 23 to me when I was in the coma. Then later when he would bring me communion he would recite the Psalm 23. And even now in church on ocassion he will recite it before or while preparing for communion. So now I think of communion and Psalm 23 together.

I best get the day started or I will miss that first doctor appointment. Don't want to do that since I've had to cancel so many of my appointments with this doctor due to the asthma problems. So much has happened since my last appointment, so we have lots to talk about today. God's blessings to everyone out there for a wonderful day today. Stay dry.

OK God, What are you trying to tell me?

Linda — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:17:00 GMT

Back to square one with this asthma thing and now my ankles are swollen again to the point that I can't get shoes on. At least today I was able to get the compression stockings on. Yesterday I kept falling asleep either at the computer or sewing machine so finally gave up and took a nap. When I woke up I thought I'd slept all afternoon....only one hour! Oh Lord, please let me sleep on that train for the 3 days, 2 nights. My body cannot handle much more. I know Your plan is much better than mine, but please give me a clue. I'm running out of energy, oxygen, breath.....

I love you, Lord Jesus. My favorite Psalm is 116....verses1-2: "I love the Lord for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live." He hears my cries for mercy frequently and I have to trust that God will hear my cry again. But I have to remember that he will answer my cry in His time, not mine.

Thank you God for reminding me that I need to talk things over with you and get everything into perspective. I feel better now and know that healing will come in Your time, not mine. You know what plans you have for me and I need to put complete trust in You. Praising You this afternoon and praying in your name, Amen.

WOW! That feels so much better!! I think now I can either go finish sewing the binding to Uncle Skip's quilt or get the table runner going that I'm making for one of my best friends (3rd time is a charm!). Then I think I'm done with presents for the Christmas party this Saturday. I can then move onto other projects that aren't so urgent. I still have to alter my gown for the Renaissance Faire, but it turns out the alterations won't be as extensive as I first thought. Yipee!!!!!

17 days and counting till I leave for Arizona! Once I get into some dry weather I know I will begin to feel better. Last evening I received a call from a friend who moved from the Chicago area to Shreveport, LA. She retired! No wonder I hadn't heard from her for a while. On my way home from AZ in the spring I just may stop off and spend a few days visiting with Barbara and her new hubby. Barbara has inherited some sisters and they are all quilters! My kind of stopover!!

Have a blessed day!

20 Days and Counting

Linda — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:17:00 GMT

Not that I'm getting anxious to get out of the Ohio weather, but I've decided that breathing is a very good thing! As Pastor said yesterday during his visit, "oxygen helps, too!" The mold counts are record high and I'm not suppose to go outside at all, but if I have to I must wear one of those masks. I'm not sure which is worse...breathing moldy air or recycled breath!!! Not to mention fogged up glasses!! The doctor has put me on yet another round of antibiotics and in 10 days I have to have a CT scan. My lymph nodes are swollen...not good.

On to brighter things. Still sewing up a storm...keeps my mind occupied on more positive things. Cora's quilt is done and posted. Uncle Skip's quilt is just waiting for the binding and label. Almost all the Christmas presents are wrapped and waiting for our early Christmas party. I just need one more gift for Quinn who is 3, but I think I've decided to make him a "HUG" pillow. The older kids got their "HUG" pillow when they were about 3 or 4. So I think Quinn has come of age. Besides he's getting too fast for Grandma to chase after him for the real hugs!

Today I also started making luggage tags. I lost all my luggage a couple months ago when my sewage pipes collapsed in the front yard and forced sewage back into my basement. YUCK! Since I can't go up and down stairs, fortunately there is very little kept in the basement. Although grandson Christopher thinks it would make a great apartment for him to live in.

I think this all for today. My days and nights are still mixed up and this is the time I'm about to fall asleep without warning. Oh, to sleep a normal night again and in my bed, not the recliner!! God blessings and peace be with you.

2 Most Recent Quilts

Linda — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Cora's quilt is done and posted in the Show n Tell. I want to post it in my album on Facebook so bad, but then my daughter-in-law will see it. I'm not giving it to them until our Christmas party on the 19th. I'm so happy with the way the quilt turned out. Somehow when I saw that pattern in the magazine, I just knew it was for my then unborn granddaughter. Heather and Mark hadn't even revealed yet what they were going to name her. That wasn't revealed until she was actually born. Cora is such a beautiful little flower and the Trellis Garden quilt is perfectly suited for her.

Yesterday I received back from the longarm quilter my uncle's quilt. OMG!! If I must say so myself, WOW! It is gorgeous. Wendy did such a beautiful job on it. I just have to get my label finished and bind the quilt. I can hardly contain myself!! Uncle Skip is coming to the Christmas party too. He is and has been my favorite uncle since I was a toddler. He still talks about some of my antics and all I can do is smile. You would think I should be embarassed that he tells on me, but he's laughing so hard as he's telling stories about me that I can't be embarassed. I just laugh along with him. Most of the stories are true! I was a pistol!! Grandma and Grandpa did spoil me...I admit it! And I enjoyed every minute of it! I thank God for every memory I have of my grandparents. Life back then was much simpler.

Too bad today's world isn't so simple. Everything has to be so complicated. Today I don't feel like being complicated. I just want to get back to my sewing machine and sew, sew, sew! Isn't it great that we live in a country where we can be able to make the choice to do just that? God is truly awesome. Let's keep God in our country. Shall we? God's blessings and Peace be with all of you.

So much quilting, so little time left!

Linda — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:39:00 GMT

Now that I'm leaving earlier than planned for the winter, it seems that there is so much to do. I've had to reschedule December doctor appointments and try to fit them in before the end of November. Today's appointment with my sleep apnea doctor took all afternoon. I am having such an awful time adjusting to a c-pap machine mainly because I'm claustrophobic. During the night in my sleep, I rip the mask off and throw it across the room. It's amazing that I haven't broken anything yet! We initially tried the nose pillows because of the claustrophobia. They fly quite well!!!! Then we tried the full mask. I broke out in hives. The full mask doesn't fly quite so well because it's heavier. It just goes "ker plunk" onto the floor! Then there's the humidity issue with the machine. Humidity and I are not good friends. It gives me nighttime congestion which means I cannot breathe. Humidity like that here in Ohio is why I moved to Arizona. I only moved back to Ohio for the excellent medical care due to my car accident. Dr. Strohl assures me that I'm not the normal patient (so what else is new?). Not everyone has this much trouble adjusting to a c-pap machine. He also assures me that we will make this work...somehow, someway, sometime in the future when I return in the spring. Hehehe!

Now I have Christmas presents to finish in a much shorter period of time. I'm feeling some pressure in this area. I'm finding that I haven't had as much time with my sewing machines. I did finally finish quilting my granddaughter's quilt this morning before leaving for Dr. Strohl's office. I've sweated for 2 weeks on how to finish the borders and the solution was right in front of me the whole time. Duh! The center of the quilt looks like a trellis...when I post the photo you will understand. I just pulled that trellis right out into the borders. Now how easy was that? All I have to do is put the binding on and the quilt will finally be done. Woohoo!!

My cousin is coming over tomorrow and is bringing my uncle's quilt from the longarm quilter for me. I can't wait to see it!! Then all I have to do to finish that one is put the binding and label on it. Another quilt done....Woohoo!!!

But I have a dilemma because I still need a handful of presents and I don't have the slightest idea what to do yet and I'm running out of time. I did find a cute table runner on-line that is suppose to take only 10 minutes to make. It is a very simple table runner...soooo I may take the easy way out. Thank goodness I have a huge stash of fabric at my disposable.

And rather than sit here at my computer, I best get busy at my sewing machine. Our God is an awesome God! Have a great evening.