How to make a skirt fit

 Colette from What About Rheema sent me ten blocks for my uncle's prayer quilt.  I love all of the fabrics in the blocks.

 She also sent me some cute kitty fabric and buttons that I forgot to take a picture of, thank you very much!

I somehow ended up with someone's old skirt that was a size 3x.  It is super comfortable, so popped some safety pins in it and wore it around the house.  Last night I decided to cut a hole in the seam of the waist band  to make the elastic shorter to fit around my waist but the elastic was serged on to the skirt.  I did what my grandmother did with all of my skirts and added pin tucks around the waist band.  I picked out the seam, cut off part of the elastic and then resewed parts of the waistband.  Can you see what I did?

 I think it looks great and the sewing part took 5 minutes!  This can be done with any waist band.

 This is how I normally wear my my T-shirts, untucked.  This is my "I'm staying at home and want to be comfortable" attire.

I am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to mending clothes, but it is a lot cheaper then buying new clothes!

Missy

Giveaway

I have been after my husband for a few months to tat me some spool pin doilies for a giveaway.  He finally found his tatting needles so he could make some for me.  (yes, my husband tats, he tried to teach me but I could not grasp it).

If you are not familiar with spool pin doilies you put them under your spools of thread on the pin to protect your machine, and make it prettier!

My husband had lots of help making them!

Chris also needs to make sure he keeps his crochet thread put up!  Oreo is sneaky!

I also need to make I don't leave my pin cushions out, look what I found when I came home!

One of my cats pulled my straight pins and safety pins out of my pin cushion.  I am so afraid they are going to swallow one!

For the giveaway, I have two doilies to give away.  To enter, just let me know what color you want, the silver and black one or the multicolored purple one.  I'll draw two names and the first name gets first pick.  I'll announce the winner on the first day of summer, June 21!

Would anyone be interested in buying any for $3 each?  If so, what colors would you be looking for?   If there is an interest, I'll have my husband start making them!

Missy

Nine Patches Received!

I have received my first two sets of nine patches for the prayer quilt!  Thank you!
Stephanie in TX sent me four blocks.

 Pat in MA sent me two blocks.  Don't you just love all of those different prints?

For those of you who are sending me blocks, please try to get them to me by the 18th so that I can quickly get it put it together and quilted.

I have an update on my uncle.  The stent in his esophagus slipped so he can only eat pureed foods.  My mom said that he has to sit at the feeding tube from 6 pm to 6 am every day.  So far the chemo has not made him nauseous, thanks to the stomach pills he is taking.  I have found a baseball cap I am going to send him tomorrow for when his hair falls out.  It says "Relax, God is in control"  Proverbs 3:5

Thank you to everyone who is helping!

Missy

"5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 ¶  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

Proverbs 3:5-7

Lazy Summer Days

I was supposed to write this post last week when it was all hot and sunny here in MO, but Friday was super busy for me.  There was a city wide yard sale and sorry, but I was yard saling all day!  LOL
This week has been all rainy, it actually started Thursday last week while I was out yard sale hopping and has not stopped!
Featuring everyone's favorite "room" of the house, the screened in front porch!

Pippi

Precious

Muffin

Precious now on the bench

Squeeky on the painted bistro table, Custard underneath

Precious on the Adirondack

  chair now.

Oreo under the Adirondack

 chair

Custard under the rocking chair and Cupcake in the sunlight.  I accidently "rocked" on Custard's paw yesterday.


Oh the life of being able to sleep in the sun all day!  Well, I have my front porch all ready, the only thing left needed is an outdoor rug!  I can't do any painting since it is a rental, otherwise I might just paint that green rug!  LOL

How are you spending your summer days?

Missy

Psalm 74:17  Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

Vintage Aprons

I went yard saling and got some great deals!  My favorite was the six vintage aprons I got for $3!

The first two look like they were made from handkerchiefs or something.  The material is very light and delicate.  I love the big red flowers on this one.

 This one has a grossgrain ribbon for the tie and waist band.

 It has an unusual triangular shaped pocket.

 I like the two textures used on this one.  I love the material used!

 Of course you have the delicate hostess apron, with a beautiful lace trimmed pocket.

 That pink is very see through and Cupcake wanted to show you.

 This one has been used a lot and the material is starting to tear in the middle.

 I love the detail on the pocket.

 I'm going to use this one around the house, the pockets on the side are perfect for carrying my cell phone and stuff.  It is not delicate like the other ones so it can be used.

 This last one was a gift from a new friend.  It was her mother's which makes it extra special!

 I love the tiny blue flowers on the double edge lace.

Now I just need to find a great way to display them!  Have a great day ya'll!

Missy

Nine Patches

Nine Patches are such a simple quilt, but I love them!  I have finished three more blocks for my uncle's prayer quilt.  I cannot sit for long at the machine still because my knee still bothers me some.  I'm thinking I like the blocks with just the blue and cream better then the ones with blue on white used for cream.  The rest will be just blue and cream.

I was also able to cut a lot more squares to use.  I found some plaid and stripes which are great for a man's quilt!

That brings my total up to six so far.  About four ladies offered to help me make a block or more.  Thank you very much.
For more information on this prayer quilt, go here:

Missy

New Prayer Quilt Needed and a Tutorial

Hello my friends!  I need help with another prayer quilt.  Since I have moved to MO I do not have a quilting group now to help me make prayer quilts (I'm still looking!) so I really appreciate any help I get from ya'll!  This quilt is for my Uncle Johnny Hobgood.  Over the past few weeks he was diagnosed with throat cancer (they think it may be from the inhalers he has used for the past 50 years).  He does not smoke or drink.  After his pet scan, the doctors realized it has gone into his bones and it is already stage 4!  My mom says that it is going to take a miracle for him to go into remission.  He is only 55 years old, very young for this to happen.  They started chemo and radiation this week which will go for six weeks.  I would like for him to have this quilt as he starts feeling worse during these procedures.  If you can help me make some blocks for his quilt I would appreciate it.  Leave me a message and I will email you my address.  I know it is short notice but I would like the blocks around June18th, this will give me time to make any additional blocks that is needed to balance out the quilt and get it quilted.

The quilt is going to be blue and cream 12 inch finished nine patch, 12 1/2 inch unfinished.  I know most of you know how to make them, but here is a tutorial on how to make it and which way to press your seams.

Start with 4 1/2 inch blocks.  Lay them out alternating cream and blue.  I am counting the blue on cream as a cream since it is a light colored block.

 As you can see here, I sewed the first two blocks in each row together.

 Always press towards the dark color or blue in this case.

 Finish sewing your rows together.

 Then sew the three rows together and press towards the row with two blues.  This will help all of the blocks to nestle together.

 Watch out for your cat's fuzzy tail!  He somehow got it caught in one of the straight pins.

 Brother and sister (Oreo and Cupcake) have to be close to me while I am sewing!

 I am using my hand crank since I can't use my treadle until my knee heals more.

 I am making the blocks in alternating colors so that when I sew them together they will still match up blue and cream.  That is why I have to wait to make all of my blocks until I see which color variance is needed the most.

This block will have my signature penguin material in it!

 It is a scrappy nine patch and I am using solids and prints mixed together.  I really like that effect.  I am using some calicoes, I just ask that there is nothing too girly please.  I have some gorgeous blue fabric with roses on it but it was not appropriate for this quilt.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!

Remember, June 18 and leave me a comment if you can help.  I've had some people reply lately that are no reply bloggers and I have no way of contacting them, so if in doubt - leave your email address.

If you cannot help with a block please pray for Uncle Johnny because that is what he really needs right now - a miracle.  If something was to happen and he does not make it, I want this quilt to be a blessing to my Aunt Debbie.  Please also be in prayer for her.

I am on a hunt for a hat this weekend to send him for when he starts losing his hair.

Missy

June Goals

It is time to talk abut my June goals!  Wait, did I say June?  Really?  Already?  I think as you get older time flies a lot faster.  Remember as children it took FOREVER for important events to happen (like birthdays and Christmas)?  Okay, let's get back to the subject on hand!

My goal is to get this rocker (which I introduced ya'll to last week) recovered finally!  I actually decided to move it back into the house.  With all of the rain around here I was afraid it was going to get ruined.  I put this rocking chair out on the porch instead.

 I had totally forgotten that I had bought some home decor fabric for this chair back before we moved from TX seven months ago!  I pulled it back out and it is perfect for my living room, which I am trying to have a theme of grey and turquoise in.  I'll put a different fabric on each side so that it will be reversible.

 My other goal is to get 10 of my scrappy trip around the world blocks sewn together.  I unpicked them and have them ready to go, sitting in a tray.  Pippi decided the tray was a great place to sleep!

 Here it is, all ready to go!

To recap, my goal is to make 10 blocks.  That should be doable!
I changed my goal after finding out about my uncle having stage 4 cancer and am putting his prayer quilt at the top of my priorities.  That is why my goal is now only getting ten blocks done, the rocking chair will still be there once I get my uncle's quilt done!

I wanted to also tell you about a bloggy friend whose daughter is trying to adopt a deaf little boy from China.  Her daughter is trying to raise money by selling necklaces.  It is very expensive to adopt, so please help her!  Her goal is to sell 150 necklaces by Friday.  Of course, any necklaces sold after Friday will still help the cause.  She is also having a contest so you can win your own necklace!  Please read more about it here:  http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/  I hope you can help her out!

I hope you have a great week!

Missy

Book Review!

I just finished a book by one of my favorite authors!  Undetected by Dee Henderson.  It is a really good book!  I think I have almost everyone of her books!  She is a contemporary author that always has some kind of suspense and romance in it.
Undetected is about Commander Mark Bishop.  He is in the Navy but has a very special job as captain of a Boomer submarine.  I really learned a lot about submarines and their role in peace time from this book.
The book is also about super smart Gina Gray.  Her brother is also a submarine captain which has her very interested in how to keep submarines safer.  She developed cross sonar to help and has many more ideas.  I learned a lot about sonar and how submarines "see" under water with it.
This is a very good book and I would recommend reading it but it was not one of my favorites of her books.  The developing relationship between Gina and Mark was very "wordy" and exploring emotions through conversation through the entire book.  I just don't really think people really talk that way unless they are psychiatrists.  But I could be wrong.
Here is a trailer from youtube about the book.  This scene is taken from the book.


There are characters from Unspoken in this book, but you do not need to read that book to understand this one.

Here is chapter one:  http://www.deehenderson.com/undetected.html



I hope you enjoy the book!

Missy

I got this book from Bethany House publishers to write a review and give my honest opinion.