Garage Sale….SCORE!!

Just look at what my friend, Sandy, made me!!  Aren’t they beautiful!!  Love them!  Now a few years back I was REALLY into bead work…do you think that this is Sandy’s ‘subtle’ way of trying to sway me back into the world of beading?…She DID talk me into taking a class with her at Hacienda Beads in Palm Desert …oh oh…I think I’m in trouble….  I can feel the pull…My name is Paulette and I have a problem….

Back to my post~  SCORE!!  Now we’re talking!!

If you have been following my blog you know that I lead a VERY exciting life (yawn)…you know that I go to the Clubhouse every Wednesday for quilting.  When I go, I drive the truck (it’s about a 3-4 minute walk)…I drive because I have too much to carry.  I have my sewing machine, a rubber tote with all my tools, threads in a jumbled mess, a doubled paper bag from Trader Joe’s that holds my current project and a huge zip-lock bag that holds rulers and my pens…whatever! It takes me two trips to go from the truck to the clubhouse with all these bags!   I have this stuff spread all over the table and I am always searching for SOMETHING!!  I’m sure all the other quilters are rolling their eyes and shaking their heads as they pull out their sewing totes on rollers….(nah..they’re too nice to do this..but it sounds good..)

Well look what I found yesterday while Garage Saling~

It’s a weekend Travel Bag…and just look inside!!

 

Yup, it’s brand, spanking new…and look at all these pockets..and they all snap off!!  Loving it….  

Now look at it…organized or WHAT?!  Seam ripper…why here it is!!  Bobbins…yup right here!!  A new needle for my machine…see top, left hand pocket…LOVING THIS!! Does anyone want to borrow ANYTHING?…go ahead time me!!

How many things will I be carrying to the Clubhouse this Wednesday?  Yup, two things… sewing machine and this lovely little tote!  Got to love it!!

I KNOW you’re all dying to know how much I paid for this handy little bag~  $1…!!  That’s right ONLY ONE dollar!!  SCORE!!

So on Wednesday when I flop this baby on my sewing table you will probably hear the ohhhs and ahhhs from all the other Quilters-echoing right up to the Canadian border!!  ;O)

Have a Super Sunday and Happy Quilting…while you watch the last of the Olympics…Come on Canada…just one more GOLD!!

School Days is done!!

I don’t have a podium to hang the OPAM FINISH on, so a picnic table will have to do!!  Whew…we just squeaked over the finish line for February!!  There was no crowd cheering but I did get a huge response from the Canadian geese visiting the pond…

I love this simple little baby quilt with the vintage School Days theme….

So we hung around the park waiting for the crowds to arrive…but I guess being last over the finish line doesn’t count for much…

So ‘School Days’ is done…(hey, light bulb moment!!)..that reminds me… MY School days are done!!  And what an AWARD this is to lay around under the GOLDEN sun amongst the palm trees and bird *#$@!!  I struck GOLD!!!  These Canadian Geese have got the right idea… Life is sweet!

Have a super Saturday (my friend, Sandy and I are off GSing!)… Oh and  Happy Quilting!

Another Day in Paradise….

The down side to RVing…yes, there IS a down side…is going to the Shower House every morning for a shower.  HATE it!!  For one thing I don’t like showers and the second thing it’s not NATURAL to get wet and cold in the morning!  (I like a hot bath before bed time….) 

So yesterday I am leaving the shower stall, towel wrapped around my head, looking like h@#* and this lady, who has been primping in front of the mirror, says, “Excuse me..but are you Sweet P?”   I felt like saying, “Not right now I’m not.”  But I answered (in shock), “Ummm yes…”  Turns out the lady follows both my husband’s RV Travel Journal and my blog.  In fact one of the reasons her and her husband are at this RV Park is because of Rick’s write ups. 

So it turns out Renee, from Salt Spring Island, and I have a lot in common.  For one thing, she is VERY nice and is newly retired, trying out this Snowbirding thing.  Oh, and she owns a Cockapoo dog!   Renee is a sewer..and she’s thinking of trying out quilting!  BINGO!!  She is wondering about WOOL…maybe giving it a try..DOUBLE BINGO!! Hmmmm… I can see a trip to Temecula in the near future!!  I mean a girl’s got to be neighbourly…right? ;o)

Sorry I don’t have any pictures this morning…I think I will be taking my camera to the Shower House from now on…just in case…you just never know who will be lurking!!

I do have this gorgeous sunset picture taken last night…about the time I usually have that  nice hot bath!!

Have a fun Friday (yikes, what happened to the week!!) and Happy Quilting!!

Slow getting out of the gate….

…but I’m picking up speed on the quilting front.  I have three days to cross the finish line…but I better not get too cocky or this story will be a repeat of the children’s story ‘Tortoise and the Hare’  and we all know who won that race!!  Not that I’m a fast mover like the Hare…and my motto has always been Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

The baby quilt is quilted and has the binding on…hopefully tonight I will stitch it down.  It is a simple quilt but I LOVE the fabric.  The Kit was called School Days…and no I don’t know who made it.  (The girl in the Calico Horse booth at the Hemet QS didn’t know either).  It sure reminds me of  my childhood – the desks, chalkboards and the Maypole dancing…ah the good ol’days!

I got 12 of the little reindeer traced onto cream coloured tone on tone polka dot fabric.  It is in a plastic tote for those sightseeing days when we need to travel in the truck.  It’s surprising how fast stitching 20 minutes here and there adds up!!  This is from the FREE Henry Glass pattern Magical Christmas which you can download from Fat Quarter Shop!! 

And I have finished stitching Molly and Rylie onto my little Wool Crazy Quilt!  This quilt is SO much fun to work on!

There they are…looks like we have interrupted their playtime, doesn’t it…

I think they were probably fighting over that ball…yup, they look guilty…

  So I am slowly making it down to the bottom of the hill for the OPAM challenge just like the Tortoise… I think I can… I think I can…OH no~ that was the Little Engine Who Thought He Could…oops wrong story….   ;o)  Well you get the idea!

Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Quilting!

Some People….

..are over achievers!!  Have you been over at Peg’s lately?…she has just COMPLETED her 7th OPAM (One Project a Month) Challenge!!  SEVEN!!  I have GOT to get out of the quilt shops and start sewing!!  My finishes for February stand at ZERO!!  I feel like the poor country with no medals to my name!!  BUT it is Wednesday…which means I will be quilting at the Clubhouse…!! Let’s hope the conditions are good….AND there are 5 days left in February…. Can I do it?  YES I CAN!!  I hear the crowd roar… the gun goes off and I’m out  the chute…I am OFF!! Do you hear the whirrrr…of the machine?…stay tuned…as I sew myself across the finish line!! Yeahhhhh!

This is a sneak peak at what I will be working on…fast, easy with clean lines and fast turns…

  O-P-A-M  O-P-A-M  O-P-A-M…. YEAH OPAM!  (I think I’ve been watching too much Olympics!)

Have a winning Wednesday and Happy Quilting!

Backseat Bonding Quilt Buddies…

When Loyce, my new quilting friend from Kansas heard me gush about the Quilt Shops in Temecula SHE had to go…I had nothing to do with it!! ;o)  So we loaded up our husbands and off we went…the quilters sat in the back seat and talked quilts, fabric, patterns, books and magazine…as only TRUE quilters can do…and before we knew it we were in Temecula!  Now the guys were yakking up a storm too…in fact they were talking SO much that they weren’t paying attention to the road signs… we got lost not once but twice…these freeways are tricky when you are talking satellites, diesel engines and converters…yawn…

Loyce loved the Quilter’s Coop (I knew she would!!  How could she not?!)  We also spent time at the Rooster Creek Crossing- LOVE that shop!!   Loyce isn’t into wool…YET…but I think if she spends another day with me she could be!!  ha ha..

Here’s what I bought~

Lovely wool for my Settler’s Pride stash…

Some purples and reds and blacks…hand dyed wools…love them!! 

 

Christmas Fabric for $5 a yard….

Assorted Fat 1/8th in Civil War prints…

Shangri-la  for my stash for $5 a yard…

I love this fabric…and for only $5 a yard!!  Can’t you see it as a border around some snowmen…should have bought more of this one!!  Guess I’ll have to go back…just kidding!!

An appliqué/stitchery pattern for tea towels, pillows..

And I finally found…WINTER WHITE!..a Schnibbles Pattern! Although you can’t tell from this pattern..?

What did Loyce from Kansas buy?  Let me just say she had WAY more bags then me!! 

I’m sure glad Loyce  wanted to see the Quilter’s Coop!!

Today Loyce and I are hitting the Thrift Shops in Palm Springs…think we can find a wool jacket or wool slacks?…after all Loyce has GOT to start her wool stash!!  ;o)

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Quilting!

Empty Nest Syndrome?

I finished the last block to my ‘Little Patchwork Village Wall Quilt’ by Rosalie Quinlan.  I thought I would be jumping for joy but I’m NOT!  In fact I’m a little melancholy…. 

My little squares no longer need me…they’re ready to leave the nest..and form their own home.  Sigh…yes my little Patchwork Village is ready for it’s own quilt.

All of these blocks were stitched (lovingly) while we traveled.  When ever we went anywhere I would grab my little blue tote filled with my stitchery blocks and off we would go…over bumpy roads…over smooth…high in the mountains…but mostly in the desert. 

  Here’s Rosalie’s quilt all done up in reds, pinks and white.  I am planning on doing mine in greens, browns, golds and reds…hmmm sounds like fall!  But it’s not…in fact, my inspiration came from Dawnie’s quilt!!  I LOVE HER QUILT!! Go over to Dawnie’s blog and drool…(posted on Sept. 7th).

So now that my little stitcheries no longer need me…what am I going to do with myself…. Well, I guess I could co-pilot…”NOOOOOO” says my husband!  Hmmm, I guess I’ve got to find another project…like this…

I love this quilt – it has little embroidered reindeer inside the stars..AND I can get the pattern FREE from the Fat Quarter Shop (and so can you!!).

OR…

Maybe this ‘little’ quilt..called Winter Wonderland by Crab-Apple Hill.  I bought this pattern at the Road to California and it is gorgeous!  There’s enough embroidery on this baby to keep me stitching well into the next decade!! ;o) Come to mama…

Whew, I’m no longer having stitchery withdrawals just thinking about my new projects!! 

Do you ever feel withdrawals when you’ve finished a project that you loved doing? OR is it just me? :o0

So we are off to Temecula this morning.  Friends have arrived and one of them is a quilter…so of course I mentioned the fantastic quilt shops in Temecula…. :o) TTFN

Have a magical Monday and Happy quilting!

Garage Sales…it’s GOLD!

After a complimentary breakfast at the Clubhouse (I think they are trying to fatten us up!), my husband and I ventured out looking for a Garage Sale or two…or three. So what did we I find?  Well…

I found the movie Serendipity ….I LOVE this movie and for only $2 it was a deal…plus there is a Meg Ryan movie in it as well.  Also I really like to “read” while I sew :o) so I bought this CD audio book to listen to. ($2).

And look at this…it’s a huge panel of children-reminded me of a class photo. I LOVE IT!!  I got it for $4…I’m not sure what I will do with it…fussy cut the faces?  Got any ideas…it is a whole classroom of children.  On the selvage it has Finlayson~ Printed in Finland 1978 but is in new condition..no discolouring or stains. The fabric is 100% cotton and looks almost like linen.

 

So cute…. What do you think Molly…is it a SCORE?

 

I bought this book called “Pieces of an American Quilt”.  Now if you saw the movie “How to Make an American Quilt” (with Anne Bancroft, Maya Angelou, Ellen Burstyn and Winona Ryder) and if you liked it then you will like this book. (How could you not love this movie…it’s about quilters!!) The feature quilt in the book is the quilt that these ladies worked on in the movie!!  There are also other quilts, patterns, photos and behind the scenes stories from the movie.  I own this movie (and love it!) so after I read this book I am going to have to re-watch the movie (again!!).  If you haven’t seen this movie then run to your local video store- I think you will like love it!!  Oh and the book was 25 cents!

Quilting magazines for 25 cents each!   This lovely pottery bowl – I LOVE it and is like new (no cracks or chips which is ALWAYS a bonus!)…

..for $3!

An yet another chicken…this one is tin and is darn cute!!  He was calling my name…Puck puck ..Paulette…see, I had to buy it! (hey, it worked on my husband! ;o) )

 

So there you have it!!  The trailer is getting full…but I haven’t touched the truck… the seats fold down and there is tons of room underneath  each seat!!  ;o)  Got to love it!

GIVE AWAY SPOTTED!! AND JANDI IS FOUND!! 

Jandi In Stitches is  trying to get our attention!!  What better way then to have a Give Away!  She has moved her blog from Wordpress to Blogger and now no one can find her. I think this Give Away will definitely help her predicament…this is what she is giving away…very sweet!

Don’t you just love these little mini charms!!  So hurry over to Jandi’s and while you’re there have a look around at her nice new digs!!

Have a super Sunday and Happy Quilting!

Another Crazy Friday Night Sew In…

It was crazy…but fun!!  In fact, over the last couple of nights I have worked on my little Wool Crazy Quilt and I have almost completed 4 more blocks!

There’s the three little pumpkins sitting on the grass..

A stalk of blue delphinium…one of my favourite flowers…

A spray of holly with a Christmas ball hanging…this isn’t quite finished - I need to sew on three more berries and two more holly leaves at the very end…but before I can do that, I need to do the decorative edge stitch to join the dark green block to the red.

And our two dogs, Molly and Rylie…(they aren’t finished yet…)I took the cat appliqué pattern and replaced the cat’s head for a dog’s head. It was so easy to change it around. 

Some close ups….

 

So 9 blocks almost done!!  I wish the colours would photograph better… in ‘real life’ the colours are much darker and richer looking.  But you get the idea…I love this little quilt so far…the hard part is choosing the next appliqué pattern…they are ALL so darn cute!!

GIVE  AWAY Spotted!!  Visit the Old Farmhouse Gathering blog to sign up for the Old Farmhouse Gathering Spring Basket Giveway. It’s chalk full of all kinds of wonderful goodies!! So hurry on over…

Have a super Saturday and Happy Quilting!

IT’S TIME…..

Tonight is the NIGHT for our monthly Friday Night Sew In…For me that means “ Let’s Get CRAZY.. Wool Crazy!”.  I have got my little wool pieces tacked on, my threads all lined up and we are ready to roll…AND of course the Olympics will be on!

Did anyone watch the Canada vs. Switzerland game last night?  I CAN’T BELIEVE I AM TALKING HOCKEY!!! What a goalie Switzerland has!!  He was incredible!  When the game was tied at 2-2 I had to put down my sewing…and then when they went into overtime…YIKES!  And then to have a shoot out!!  Well that was just too much for this quilter…a HUGE cheer erupted from our trailer when Canada FINALLY scored…and I’m sure with 80% of the campers being Canadians many more cheers were heard throughout the park!! 

Go CANADA Go!  Thank goodness ‘the boys’ don’t have a game tonight!!  I have some heavy duty stitching to get done!

Have a fun Friday and Happy Quilting!!