What a Day!

Alright, where to start?! Well, I did paint my kitchen and dining room today with the help of my wonderful and gracious hubbin (cheesy enough?) and it looks AWESOME! I'm not going through shock or wondering if I picked the right color, it honestly feels like this is the way it was supposed to be and I feel as if it's been like this since we moved in almost a year ago. It couldn't be more perfect.



It was slightly challenging due to the window cut-outs in a really tall wall that goes almost up to the peak of the house. Love the design, wasn't sure how we were going to get up there without either (A) hurting ourselves in the process or (B) or just not painting it and having an 80% painted room. But alas, a few not so recommended techniques and 1 gallon of paint later and it's done. Love it.



Now the other challenge is moving the desk and computer to the corner of the dining room so I can work a little more efficiently, or so I hope! That will hopefully happen this weekend and we will be back in business.



So needless to say, that was the big-ish part of the day. The other really good part of the day I cannot tell you about yet, but I will in time. After painting like mad today I have not been able to sew but it's getting there. This project was a large hurdle I wanted to get out of the way and now besides partying with family and "relaxing" ;] we will sew up a storm and have more pictures for you, but for now this is it.



Take care and have a great and wonderful holiday weekend. Stay safe and enjoy!

Threads Galore!

I was able to sew on Sunday and man, did it feel GOOD! Somehow life just has it's way of jumping to the top of the to-do-list and sewing gets put down another notch. I wasn't able to sew as much as I had hoped, but with good reason.

My hubbin started mowing the lawn and stopped to grab his iPod. He couldn't get the mower started again and noticed the oil was low (bone dry really - ooopppsss!). He put more oil in it and it wasn't pretty. In all actuality the mower was ancient, it had to be about 15 years old or so. It had a good life and since maybe only a quarter of our yard was actually mowed, off to the home store we went.

I put up a slight fight. I was determined that he 'sabotaged' the mower just so he could get a new one and how dare he ruin my day of sewing. But a lunch later and two gallons of paint to paint the kitchen, we really did have a nice day and now I can't wait to paint my kitchen. Thursday I am hoping to get it all done and I swear I will take pictures of that too.

So, no pictures for now. I did get a lot more sewing done today, my project is coming along and I hope to have the top done this weekend. All I can say about this quilt is it is definitely not for the wimpy. It has a ton of small pieces, but it is turning out beautifully! Slow and steady is winning the race.

I will take pictures of everything I've been up to this week and post them later. Hope everyone else is enjoying the nice warm weather and getting covered in threads when you get the chance! Chat more soon!

My Sewing Day - Yay!

Here I am, home and not at market, but that's okay. I would have loved to have been at market this year to see everything new and exciting, but I have this thing called work that got in the way. But it's working to my advantage in a way. I worked really hard all week and now to day the only things that I have to do is cook dinner (easy), do laundry (easy) and sew (the best part!).

I'm really looking forward to sewing today. Every time during the past week or so that I would set aside and say 'If i get all this done now then I can spend all of this time sewing' and then I'd get all of the other stuff done and as soon as I go to sew it'd be storming or the power would go out. Hopefully that's not going to happen today.

What else, that's pretty much it lately. I'm hoping to spend some time with my family over Memorial Day weekend and enjoy the unofficial start to summer. Maybe then I can actually get my garden started as well. My hubbin and I went and looked at plants the other day, but are still trying to decide which will get the glory of gracing my landscape. I think I have found 80% of the plants I would like. Still undecided on the other 20% or so. It'll be a work on progress I'm sure like every other garden and home project known to man.

Well, breakfast shoould be ready here momentarily and like I mentioned before, my sewing room is waiting for a sweat shop like day to begin. I can't wait and I hope to post pictures of all I accomplish today. Have a great rest of the weekend and we'll chat again soon!

Another Cold Spring Day

I have been enjoying today as much as I'd like to think if it were sunny and warm. I admit I am a freezer queen and I, most of the time, could be a little warmer, but I do like days like today. I think a big part of it is my favorite fleece pants that are going to be packed away for the summer and you get to enjoy and use quilts. Needless to say it's been a pajama day and every once in awhile it's a good thing for it to be cold outside so you can stay in and relax and get other things done. I can flat out tell you now that if it were warmer today I wouldn't have gotten nearly half of what I did accomplish today done because I would have been fretting over 'Should I work outside or stay in?' And in the process nothing would have gotten done.

But, it was colder and I have gotten so much computer work done today it's ridiculous. Gotta love it. Unfortunately not as much sewing was done as I would have hoped, but I'm choosing my battles wisely and if I get all of this done today, then on Tuesday I can spend the whole day sewing again! See how it works?!

I promised you in the last post that I would show you pictures of my 'Red Quilt'. Well, here it is all finished except for I think one thread that stills needs to be buried. I always forget about it until I take a picture of the quilt and it's right in the middle staring back at me. I'll get it eventually. I collected these fabrics over probably about 6 years: a half yard there, a quarter yard here. The funniest part of it was, I liked some fabrics so much I got them twice if not three times. I came up with this scrappy-ish design and just put it together. I honestly could not tell you my rhyme or reason for putting it together looking back, but in the future I can guarantee that it's the inspiration for a new pattern. Just trying to decide which fabrics I'd like to use in the new pattern.



What else do I have to tell you? Thinking, thinking, thinking...Well, progress is currently being made on the latest Charm Pack Pattern Design, I don't quite have a name for it yet, but it'll get one soon. Usually once they pattern has been made I have an easier time naming it. What else, I feel like I had alot to tell you, and my mind went blank.

It must be the spring weather that's given me a rejuvenation on certain things. My Japanese Maple tree that I planted last fall is growing like mad, and the Stargazer Lily bulbs that also went in the ground last fall are coming up as well! I wasn't expecting them for another month or so, but everything seems to be blooming early this year. I'm planning on expanding and actually having a true flower bed in the front of the house, but we're slowing working on it and planning exactly which plants I want to put in where. It's exciting and I can't wait to start working on it. But I have plenty of quilting to get done first!





Well, I'm going to go relax and enjoy myself a glass of wine and maybe read a little of my book. Oh, that's what else! I'm reading the Benni Harper Murder Mystery series from Earlene Fowler. I can't get enough of them, but between everything else, I try to read a few minutes here and there. If you see them you should read them! And I heard the latest in the series was released last week. Oh, which also reminds me that the other series I'm reading is the series by Jodi Barrows about her family's history. Very good, but I've been in suspense for months now. I read the first three books and the fourth was supposed to come out last year and it got postponed and postponed again but I'm hoping with Market in a couple weeks she'll have it by then. I'll let you know, but you should really check them both out!

Okay, back to that glass of wine, I hear it calling my name...

Making Progress!

I did it, I can't belive I did it, but it happens sometimes! I got so much "stuff" done this week in so many different aspects of my world. And on top of it all, Skip to My Lou is at Cottonpicker's ready for you to purchase!



For starters, yes Skip to My Lou is ready! I always enjoy the first day or so that a pattern hits the market. This particular pattern was a blast to make and I just love the colors of it. It's a decent size, big enough for a smaller bed quilt, yet not too large so it'll fit on the couch or go with you as a lap quilt.



To get started with this pattern, just pick a focus fabric as your jumping off point and pick six coordinating prints. It's a great showcase for that larger print that you're just not sure what to do with but you loved it so you bought it. Or it's even great for a child's bed if you have a wonderful novelty print that you would like to showcase.



And as always, my Quilt Tester was on hand to make sure that the photoshoot went well and that the quilt was up to the standards he likes. I love this dog and let me tell you, he is definitely a quilting dog!



As far as the other "stuff" I got done this week, I quilted a couple of tablerunners last week and got the bindings on them. They just then needed to be stitched down, check! I also have my red quilt that I just love (It's the first quilt I made for myself and it's all reds with some yellowish oranges in it); I've only been working on it for almost forever (not kidding) and all it needed was the binding stitched down so I could use it, check! I'll have to get a picture of it to show you, I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do.

The agenda for this week is a forecast filled with quilting. Especially this weekend the weather is supposed to be really rainy and yuck, which means perfect quilting weather. I've got one pattern I'm currently testing as well as a few others that are just ready to be on the sewing table. I am notorious for having several projects going in multiple stages at any given time. I have a few that need to be quilted, a few that just need to be pieced and a ton that need to be cut out. But that's the fun of it all, the anticipation of what's next to come and getting to the next step with each quilt.

Speaking of which, the next pattern due out you'll love. It's a follow up to the original Charmed Living Topper. I absolutely love Charm Packs and the alternative of using small scraps to make something "charming". I just finished the second design and just need to take pictures and finalize the pattern and it should go to the printers soon. I'll keep you posted on this one. You're gonna love it!

Alright, I think I've been chatting too much as ususal, but I'm just so excited for this pattern to be out and like I said, the anticipation of what's to come! And by the way, if you are a quilt shop interested in my patterns, please e-mail me at RubyBlueQuilts@Gmail.com or call me at 440-428-5780. Or if you can't find my patterns at your local quilt shop, ask them to contact me. It's that easy.

Have a great weekend and I'll be sure to put up more pictures shortly!