favorite thing thrift find

I was snooping through my local Value Village recently, when I came across this! OH MY! I just love it! There is nothing on the selvage to give me a clue to how old it is, but it is old. I even smelled it (NOT something I normally would do with ANYTHING w/o washing it first from Value Village). It smelled like someones Grandma's house, like my Grandma's house, this little number was going home with me!

Isn't it cute? I have no idea what I am going to do with it, but it had to be mine. I assume yardage from "back in the day" or at least this fabric was not 44" across like the fabric we get now. This piece from selvage to selvage is 35" across and 57" wide....quite a bit of fabric for this lovely vintage piece and it only cost me 3.99!

This is my favorite, the little coffee cup, creamer and pot, how about that darling "Home Sweet Home" sign. I have no idea what I will use this for, so for now it will go into my drawers of fabric and I will take it out on occasion and squeal, smile and pet it. :)

my family tree grew today

I am in love. I have a new nephew born today, Garrett William Stauthie Botter, I can't wait to moosh and goosh on him. I am in love!! And I think he looks like a little boy I gave birth to almost 4 years ago, hmmmmmmm babies, love, love, love!!!

stack of au.then.tic

Lots and lots of triangles, au.then.tic by sweetwater. I have 3 or 4 quilts in the making right now, this is for one of them. I love this line, can't wait to get my hands on their newest line, make life .

family fun?

Several times a year a friend of mine gives us tickets to use in a suite at the Spokane Arena, last night was one of those nights....not our typical "family fun night" but we went to the monster truck show....hmmmm...very interesting place to people watch. This picture was taken BEFORE anything started, having fun, in a suite, free popcorn, pop, cookies, etc.

Another BEFORE photo, having FUN!This picture was taken right as the first round of trucks came in the Arena....I about wet my pants (so did my husband) from Emily's reaction as you can see here...(note little brother next to her having the time of his life, noise? what noise?)Jack, having a BLAST
We had a great time, all smelled a bit like gas (the automobile type) afterwards....will Emily ever go again? Verdict is still out on that one. :)

Emily's first quilt

A week or so before my birthday last month Emily kept telling me about something she was making me at school. Everyday she would come home and tell me she had worked on this present. Finally she got off the bus one day and I noticed she had a little project in her hot little hands. She was BEAMING, so excited! I thought I knew what it was but just to be sure I said "tell me about it" (instead of "WHAT IS IT??") she was jumping up and down, it's a quilt! it's a quilt!! for you for your birthday! Emily's first quilt, for me. :)

This top photo is the actual project she put so much time and effort into. Look at all the triangles, look at all the nicely cut squares and the big rectangle, she was so proud of herself. She said she used pink in it because that is her favorite color and she used yellow in it because that was my favorite color as a little girl...the green, red and purple...that is because she is a 6 year old girl I guess, I think the pattern is cute too. I really love it. She had some time to kill so she did another "quilt" on the back. This larger one got cut down but I had to take a picture of it too. I have now framed my birthday quilt and have it in my craft room.

What I think is so neat about Emily's first quilt is that she gave it to ME. I think it was about 15 years ago my mom took a quilt class. The first quilt she made was a wall hanging, she gave it to my Grandma, her mother. After finding out my mom had taken a quilt class I thought to myself (no offense mom) "if my mom can quilt, then I can quilt" so I took a quilt class and gave that first project to my mom. Now years later my daughter gave me her first quilt, even though it is not made out of fabric it is made out of love and I know she was thinking of me the entire time she made it, I just love it.

I forgot to mention

I got my Bernina back last Friday! I was so happy to see The Quilting Bee on my caller id!! I did not even say "hello" when I answered I just said "are you calling to tell me my machine is done?" the repair guy was taken a bit by surpris he just said very plainly "yes" then I said "yahoo!!" I asked if I just go up to the cutting counter to get it, another simple plain "yes".....he did not understand my enthusiasm for getting my other girl back, I have used her everyday since, nice to have her home!

Flea Market Fancy top ready to quilt

Well here it is!!!! I have my FMF quilt ready to go to the quilter later this week! I can't wait to have it in my hot little hands after it has been on the long arm....now....what to do, what to do?? How would you quilt it? I am thinking an all over feather stitch but am up for suggestions..... Here are a few of my favorite blocks.....

And here is the back!

We had 2 of our bedroom walls painted this past weekend, we had a DARK red/merlot color before....now we have this darkish robin egg blue....I l.o.v.e. it, love it, love it, love it!!!!! Did I mention I LOVE IT?

Grow old along with me.....

...the best is yet to be

My Valentines

I don't really get into Valentines, I don't even decorate for it, probably should though because the kids sure like to celebrate it. Jack had a little party in his speech class today, I even got him to wear a collared shirt seen here waiting to leave playing with Lightning McQueen....
Emily had asked me to make her a Valentines dress, I did not want to make a dress....we met 1/2 way and I made her a skirt instead, I have to admit I think it turned out pretty cute. I also made her a matching pin for her shirt.

Here is another shot of Jack, this is from his regular pre-school....the parents sent them a special Valentine, this is him showing his off.

Have I mentioned how much I miss my sewing machine? UHG, this is like torture BUT I have to say I have had a lot of time to do a lot of cutting for up coming projects and get a little caught up with my scrap booking.

missing my other girl

I took my Bernina in for a tune up on Friday.....it was time....they told me it would be 7-10 days...WHAT??? I have not been without a sewing machine set up at all times for 3 years, AAAACCCKKK! This has been torture!! I have so many things I want to be working on!!

I took out my Flea Market Fancy quilt top last night, measured it (95"x95") figured out the design I am going to use for the back and was SO happy to realize that the bolt of fabric I bought a few weeks ago on a killer deal at JoAnn's is ENOUGH to do the back along with a strip of the rest of my FMF strips.

I also have figured out what design/colors I am going to use to make two quilts to donate to The Hospice House in Spokane. Both my in-laws passed away there in 2008 and my husband asked if I would make some quilts that we can donate in their memory....so I want to get going on those too.

I did finish a Valentine's skirt for Emily last week, she has not wanted to wear it until her party at school on Friday so I will post a picture when she has it on all ready to head to school....

Now.......if I could just get an early phone call that my Bernina is done!!!

40 years

Happy 40th Anniversary to my mom and dad! February 8, 1970, 40 years!!! I think my parents have done a pretty good job holding together a family, a home, jobs, crisis, good times, bad times, deaths, births, cancer, no money, money.....you name it, and some on this list, done it several times!!! they have done it and TOGETHER....thanks mom and dad for being such a good example to me, Michael and Steven....thanks for always being supportive of the things we wanted to do, (even if you had 2nd thoughts!) thanks for always standing by us when the things we wanted to do did not work out, thanks for saying the right things when we needed to hear them, thanks for not saying anything at the right time too.... 1st date at the Spokane Fair in 1969, 40 years later=3 kids, 2 daughter-in-laws, 1 son-in-law and grand baby #5 just days away....all because 2 people fell in love....