Word Wednesday

These pictures won't make any sense without explanations so my Wednesday post won't be wordless this week.

The loot in the shop.

About 10 days ago I put out an email call asking for donations to ship to soldiers from the tri-state area (NJ, NY & PA) who are serving in Afghanistan.  Boxes must be shipped before November 17th to reach the soldiers by Christmas.  This is the second year we've participated in this effort and we had a great response.  A big thank you to everyone!

The back of the truck

Jim and I took the donations dropped off at QP up to the A.R.M.S. group yesterday morning.  It's a little building behind the Armory in Toms River where quite a bit happens.  

They had the doors wide open in the gorgeous weather and were busy sorting donations.  

Behind this drop off point were rows of assembly lines to get the boxes packed and on their way.

While there, I asked about QP being a permanent drop off point for the group.  They don't have one by us, so it seemed like a great fit.  Within minutes, I was talking to the woman in charge, Ronnie Micciulla, who asked - for Operation Open Arms or Project Little Soldier?  Hmmm, was my response, umm both?

I asked her to explain Project Little Soldier.  Between November 1st and December 17th, they will try to collect TWO presents for every child in South Jersey who has a parent serving overseas this Christmas.  Brace yourself, all 2200 of them!  That's 5,000 gifts they will attempt to collect in about a month and half.  I was stunned.  2200 kids, with parents based out of south Jersey armories.  2200.  I still can't believe it.

So, I'm asking you to count your blessings this holiday season and donate a gift to a child from newborn to age 16.  It can be a doll, truck, DVD, movie gift certificate - anything that someone in that age group would love to receive as a gift.  We'll be advertising in the community and through our emails.  We'll have a drop off box in the shop until Dec 17th.  I'm hoping that as you do your holiday shopping this year, you'll pick up something for a child whose parent can't be home for Christmas for they our serving our country. 

No matter what you think of the war, support the soldiers.  And help support their families this year.  You can find out more about this wonderful group by clicking www.supportams.org 

Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - LOL

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, this isn't wordless this week but I need to explain what Wordless Wednesdays will be on the blog and then from now on it will be wordless . . .   My friends Kelly Ann from Kelly Ann's Quilting in VI and Melisa from Sweet Home Quilt Compay in GA do a Wordless Wednesday on their blogs and I always enjoy them.   So .  . .  I'm copying them.

Sewing Time & The Design Wall

Last time I blogged I said I was going to take some mini sewing vacations and I've actually done it!  I've made quite a few samples for the shop, fooled around in Electric Quilt and designed more quilts than I'll actually make and actually started to pick up the mess I call a sewing studio.  Here is what has been on my design wall - what's on yours?

I made the top about two weeks ago but finally quilted it and took it into the shop this week.  I love these easy stripe table runners and am seriously addicted, I think I've made about 30 of them!

Some really neat faux leather came in so I made this bag.  LOVE it!  It's actually finished and hanging in the shop.

This one is still a work in progress.

I'm still working on this one.  I'm not happy with the borders and have changed them two or three times since I took this picture.  Seeing as where it's being shown at Quilt Market during one of Ro Gregg's Schoolhouses in a little over two weeks, I think I need to get my act together and soon!

Holli cut this wine tote out and I finished it.  It's made out of laminate and has a divider so you can take TWO bottles of wine with you when you picnic!







I'm also starting to become addicted to these Strip Pieced Table Runners - here's one from Nancy Halverson's Bittersweet line - perfect for fall!

I'm working on demos for a show we're doing at the end of this week in Tuckahoe.  I'm demoing the Quick Trim Ruler and showing how to make placemats and napkins with it.  Here are two of my samples that I whipped out today.  Both are quick and easy projects with Karen Montgomery's ruler.

Because I have the attention span of a gnat, I've started sewing the blocks for another quilt that will be shown at market, my QP Twist pattern with another line of Ro's new fabrics.  This one I mis-cut the green and thankfully Ro had three inches more than I needed in her studio!  I love the black, pinks and green.

And actually ON my design wall right now is a new pattern that I'm calling Whirling Flannels.  I've loved this block for a long time but never got around to doing anything with it.  We have so many absolutely luscious flannels come in, I knew I wanted to make something with them and this is the result.  I'm not doing any borders, just the blocks.  I'm loving how it's turning out.  This one I'm going to have QUILTED before the show starts on Friday . . .  Notice I'm not saying anything about binding???

I may have gone overboard with my mini sewing vacations . . . . hmmmmm.  Why is it I can't seem to finish one project before starting another?

Till next time - quilt something!

STOP! I want to get off!

Ok, not get off permanently but I would like life to give me a breather for a couple of days.  It seems like I've been on a going WAY too fast merry-go-round for the past few years and a couple of days to sit back and relax would be really nice.  Hmmm, that sounds like a vacation . . .  YES a vacation would be really nice but who has time?

This whirling dance I call life has been especially hectic this last month.  I last wrote from St. Louis - no Baby Lock Tech is NOT a vacation! - where Jim and I spent 5 days getting up at 6:30am, attending classes till 5pm and then relaxing at dinners with friends (those lunches and dinners were mini vacations!).  Sewing machine conventions are wonderful things to attend but they are work, so they don't count as vacations.

This is a picture I took of the Quilts of Valor Block display in the vendor area.  I haven't heard how many blocks they ended up with but notice the bags of blocks at the base of the display that weren't even done yet.  I was standing in line to turn our 23 in and the woman in front of me handed Pam Mashe 250!

We came home from Baby Lock Tech and Jim left four days later for Janome Institute in Orlando where he was among the first to see the new Janome 12000!  I'm busy planning our coming out party.  Join us Sat, Oct 1st at 10:30am to see the new machine!  RSVP so we have enough chairs, thanks!

Four days after Jim arrived home, our second grandchild arrived - Colin Robert, 8lbs 8ozs arrived to join big brother Nathan.  Of course much time has been devoted to baby rocking.  Nathan stayed with us while Mom and Dad stayed at the hospital with Colin.  Let me tell you I know now why women in their 50's don't have children . . .when they picked Nathan up so they could all go home, I kissed him good-bye, and then went and took the first of two naps of the day!

Nathan is busy, busy, busy ALL DAY.  He'll sit and read for 5 or 10 minutes but then he's off exploring anything and everything - toilets, electrical plugs (yes, we have those cover things, he can get them off), anything and everything in any drawer or cabinet in the kitchen, laundry room or office.  All the rest of the rooms have the doors shut.  Toys?  HA - the kid  has who knows how many toys - if it doesn't have buttons or lights on it, forget it.  No remote, phone, key fob, etc is safe.  I keep telling him it's a good thing he's cute . . . .


Meanwhile, my boys and the Stef(ph)anies are in and out, I'm over Sara and Brian's cooking (maybe that's the problem, I rarely cook, Jim does all the cooking!) or driving somewhere.  Sara had a C-Section and can't drive, pick up Nathan or do much yet.  I do have to go to the store at least sometimes or those rumors that I'm retiring in two years will gain legs again!  No, I'm not retiring in two years, that's just a rumor - if I was going to retire, I'd do it NOW!

It's the fall season, the store is busy, new samples need to be made and I'm not getting to sew very much.  And I think that's the biggest part of what's making me crazy - no sewing time.  It's hard to sew when you're never home to do it, and if you are home, your little assistant is not allowed anywhere near the sewing room. (I shudder to think about what he could do in there!)

I think I need to shove some paperwork off on Jim and then take that time and sew.  Good plan - as Tim says on Project Runway - "Make It WORK".  I'm going to make more sewing time work and THAT will be my little vacation from this merry-go-round I call life.

What's YOUR mini vacation?  (And don't tell me short trips to some exotic location, I'll be really jealous!)

Till next time.

St Louis & Baby Lock Tech & Quilts of Valor

Jim and I are in St. Louis - he's actually at the arch now, I rolled my ankle at the botanical gardens this morning and decided I should rest it before the convention starts.  We left NJ last night and felt like refugees as they closed the Parkway behind us because Irene is coming to call.  We're keeping in touch with Sara as she, Brian and Nathan wait out the storm at home.

Tomorrow we start with classes but tonight is for the opening session - always a good time! - and a welcoming reception - good food and seeing friends.  I'll post some pictures on Facebook - just type Quilting Possibilities into the FB search engine - keep checking this week as I post pictures of new machines, classes and whatever else catches my eye.

Baby Lock asked all it's dealers attending Tech to make quilt blocks that they will sew into quilts for Quilts Of Valor.  Ten days ago I challenged the staff to make blocks to donate and they donated 21 blocks!  I did one for Jim and one for myself, so we'll be donating 23 blocks to this great cause!  The fabric is from Timeless Treasures' Quilts of Valor line.   Thanks to all the staff who sewed blocks - you ROCK!


Until next time.