Thanksgiving Visit and a Giveaway Winner!

As promised, here is a post almost immediately after delivering my son to the Little Rock airport to return to California. We had a wonderful visit......and a very busy week. I would like for him to be here more often when there isn't a houseful of other family.....there just is never enough 'private talk time' but it's also nice to see the extended family too. Anyway, I'm thankful to see him at all, so however it works is good. One day before I'm ancient, I'd like to visit him in California again.

I mentioned to you that I'd get him to choose a winner for my Christmas Giveaway.......and he chose.....Judy, number 22 on the comments list. I've sent her an email asking for her mailing address and will have her 'goodies' in the mail by Wednesday, provided I get the address before then. It was certainly nice to receive ALL the comments and I wish I could have given something to everyone...wouldn't that be FUN? I appreciate everyone who took the time to comment. I hope to do another one for Valentine's Day...and the way time flies...it will be very soon!

Here are some photos of the visit....favorite son, daughter (they are fifteen months apart in age), that old navy man, and the 'granddog' Trixie! I could have included photos of the whole shebang, but thought these were just right! All but one of these was taken today, just before we got into the car to drive to the airport. And, after a week of wonderful weather, just as we drove away from the airport...it began to pour down rain. Well, a good time was had by all and memories were made. We are thankful!!!

I'm taking another little day trip on Tuesday, so I'll probably post late Tuesday night...hope you'll visit!! Take care, pat

"A Christmas Giveaway"

Like you, I am getting ready for Thanksgiving.....you know...all that list making, grocery shopping, cooking, etc., so I won't be posting again until very late, Sunday, November 29th. Also like those of you with relatives coming, my son will arrive tomorrow and other relatives later in the week.
Not having seen him in a year, I plan on spending as much time with him as possible, so I won't be posting until he is on the plane back to San Francisco.

I thought this might be a really good time to have a GIVEAWAY! So....if you would like to have the goodies I am showing here....kindly leave a comment and I will have my 'favorite' son choose the winner before we drive him to Little Rock to the airport on Sunday, the 29th. I'll definitely post the winner's name late that night.

So here's what the winner gets: the current issue of Somerset's "Holidays and Celebrations."
(My friend Sherry and I are addicted to some of Stampington's magazines...so much so that I think we need to start a Somerset Anonymous group...you know, like AA.) There is a vintage hanky, with a beautiful Christmas looking crocheted edging. Some bird stickers, two 3D Christmas stickers, a lovely glittered "Merry Christmas" with glittered gift tags. And, three hand-embroidered Redwork Christmas ornaments I made myself. They are about four inches square.

As Ben Bailey says on Discovery TV's Cash Cab: "You in?" If so...comment, my friends, I'd love to send these things to one of you. Actually, I'd like to send something to ALL of you, but that's impossible....so one person is the best I can do.

So, I wish you all a lovely, happy and safe Thanksgiving!!! And, good luck....I'll let you know who that 'one' is Sunday, the 29th!!! Have FUN and enjoy your precious PEEPs, young and old, big and small and hold them close. Take care......pat

Recent Flea Market Finds: #2, Dishes, Ceramics and Crochet

Tonight I am ready to share more of my recent flea market finds with you. Do you know why you or I, either one, like to go in search of these things? For the life of me, I don't know why I love all this hunting/gathering of old, used "stuff" but I certainly do love it and love sharing the "loot" with you.

These were found at the same time as the items I showed you in my last post. I almost become giddy when I find something I really like...and finding a "bargain" just adds to the mood! These were great finds (at least in my eyes), so I hope you enjoy seeing them.

There is a lovely crocheted doily and the cutest child's vintage pillowcase, I always enjoy finding these kinds of things. There is a tiny crocheted girl with parasol in a pretty awful frame. She is just tacked on with thread, so will be leaving the frame and finding a new home on something I will make.
She's so cute and her skirt is very three dimensional!

There is a brown ceramic basket that caught my fancy. (Do you remember me saying that 2010 will be my "year of the basket?" I've started early, I guess!) There are also two tiny ceramic baskets...just so cute.

A pink bird ceramic planter. Yes, it is cracked, but restored, in a manner of speaking. I plan on using it to make one of my pincushions - I work in a "bird nest on the ground," remember! There is that green ceramic planter. It's six inches x nine inches. I've had my eye on that for a good while....and when it finally came down significantly in price...naturally, I bought it.
Love that green!

Two tea cups with saucers. Have I mentioned that I am a tea drinker? When I saw these, well, I was doomed....just had to buy them. Aren't they just gorgeous? And, as you know, the price was right! That little rose plate spoke my name also...

Now, about that larger cup with the rose on it.....it practically yelled at me from across the room! It's stamped HARVARD on the bottom...no idea what it means....and the cup does have a small crack, but it, too, will become one of my pincushions. Just LOVE that rose!!!

Did I do ok? I think so, and had a blast hunting and gathering. Therapy? Yes, indeed, and I still get to do something with them!!

My son is coming on Sunday. It's been a long year since I've seen him, so I'm getting excited!
And, of course, Thanksgiving is next week too. Sometime before Scott gets here, I will be posting, showing you photos of my "Christmas" giveaway. I will not post the week he is here...just too much going on here, the same as your homes too, but I will have him choose the winner before he leaves on Nov. 29th. So, remember to see the post this weekend and leave a comment! (By the way, I decided to do my Christmas giveaway this coming week, so there would be time for the winner to actually USE the stuff before Christmas should they wish to do so.)

Meantime....if you need therapy and are near a flea market...stop in and have some fun hunting and gathering whatever tickles your fancy. It works! take care, pat

Recent Flea Market Finds, #1 Linens and Lace

So, let's take a break from quilts and see what other things I've been up to lately.....you know...my other love - Flea Market Finds!!! I haven't spoken of those "finds" lately, although I've certainly found them and have spent quite a bit of time just looking at them, wondering just what I will "do" with these lovely things.

I went out twice this week just to walk around the flea market...as you know, I call that "my therapy." Bet if you like flea markets, you call it therapy too. Sometimes it's also my exercise, which might explain my waistline, or lack thereof. Anyway, I was out and about, searching for what I love....linens, lace, and all things inbetween.

Look at this wonderful apron with the crochet at the bottom...just beautiful...bought it from my friend, Dean's booth at Green Alley. Seems I'm collecting aprons these days...I'll have to do a post dedicated solely to them one day soon. (That friend, Jim, who draws, has given me several really nice ones.)

Then, there's that absolutely GORGEOUS roll of vintage lace...purchased from Terre at Green Alley. Isn't that just to die for? It's six inches in width and there's about two yards of it. I've shown it twice...it shows up so much better on top of that pink fabric for contrast. Ideas of what to do with it are just blowing my mind....so much to do...so little time!

I found the beautiful hankies at the Do Drop In Flea Market and the Apple Tree Mall in Beebe, Arkansas. Two of the other places I like to visit. These are just beautiful ones...to add to my hanky collection. What I am going to do with them is always a mystery.......and I love a good mystery, don't you?

That pink pillow came from Terre also....I've no idea what I will do with it, as it needs repair, but surely something will pop into my head in the middle of the night - maybe one night soon, and then that particular mystery will be solved.

In my next post, I will show you some things I purchased at the same time these beauties came into my life, but they will be dishes, etc. Flea Markets. Love 'em!! And, don't we all have to do our bit for the economy? See you in a couple of days...take care, pat

Drawing #3, A Log Cabin Quilt

OK, here is the largest, the most complex, and the last of the quilts I have made using friend Jim's drawings on fabric. All three quilts have had leaves and birds drawn on them....these leaves are just fabulous. Love the bird house too!

The center of the quilt is 12 inches x 14 inches. The Log Cabin blocks are about 6 1/2 inches square and the whole wall quilt is 39 inches square. He made two of these drawings, so I made two quilts...one for him...one for me. This one is mine. His is in totally different colors and so, looks really different...

Over the years, I have made several Log Cabin quilts. You may notice on this one that I quilted the "logs" right down the center. I always quilt a log cabin this way as I really like the way it looks here, rather than the quilting "in the ditch" that some quilters do. I've always thought if I was going to take the time and energy to hand quilt...I wanted it to 'show.' Then, too, there is the fact that I LOVE to hand quilt and proud of it!

IF I could draw like Jim, there is no telling what I could do...but I come up short in the drawing department....at least realistic drawing, so it's nice he's given me these drawings on fabric to make into quilts. Now to get busy doing something I can do......see you next time!!! take care, pat

Jim's First Fabric Drawing, as Promised

In my last post, I showed you one of my small quilts with some writing and drawing on it done by my friend, Jim. Actually, I should have shown you this one first....so I'm kinda going backwards here, but I said I'd show you all three quilts I have with his drawing on them...so here we are.

This one is the very first of his drawings and is what he actually did during his time in my class. If you remember, I told you he put it in his pocket, saying he could do better. Take a close look at this little quilt. Those little drawings around the edge of that center square are about 3/4 inch square! This center drawing is approximately 7 1/4 inches or so. The entire small wall quilt is 20 inches square. I just love the little drawings and as you can see, he probably did not need to take my class! One of my favorite of the little blocks is the pair of glasses....his rather subtle mention of my poor vision.

Naturally, making a quilt using this little muslin square was not an option....I just had to make it! I used leftover fabrics, of course, and embellished it with hearts all 'round using red perle cotton in a backstitch....then hand quilted it.

Next, I made a label and appliqued another heart for the back of the quilt. So much fun!!! He still denies this little square is "any good" but I think it is priceless. In my next post, probably on Thursday....I'll show you the largest and last of the three quilts with Jim's drawing. I will tell you this...he went on from here to use "writing on fabric" in some really cool quilts of his own and IN HIS OWN WAY....such a neat thing!!! Hope you enjoyed this one....I'll see you again on Thursday...take care. pat

My Friend Jim's Fabric Drawing

The other day my sister-in-law, Sandy, her husband, Cecil, along with my father-in-law, stopped by for lunch. They actually brought lunch to my house...which was really nice for me.
After we ate, the guys were watching football, so Sandy asked to see that "quilt closet" I wrote about in my last post. For some reason, she hadn't seen it. Oh, my goodness...how did that happen?

Naturally, we immediately went to the closet so she could take a look. Actually, I enjoy taking a look in there myself....from time to time, I suppose just to make sure it's still there! She picked out one particular quilt because she noticed the edging and liked it. The quilt had a beaded edge. I think she'd actually enjoy beading. She's a painter and a wonderful one at that....and she could bead if she took a mind to it...maybe we'll see about that soon. When she took the quilt out of the closet, she then noticed the center of it. Drawing on fabric....now, this is right up her alley, she just doesn't know it yet!

So, here's the quilt. It's eighteen inches square. It all began with a drawing on fabric done by my good friend, Jim. Years ago, I taught a class in "writing on fabric" at our guild retreat. Jim took that class...and because I knew he really didn't want to write on fabric....but would greatly enjoy heckling me, I didn't say a thing when he politely listened, then began to DRAW instead of write. He drew the tiniest little drawings as a frame for the writing...how cool was that?
After class, he stuffed the muslin drawing into his pocket and told me he was going to "throw it away."

At lunch that day, he placed something near my plate....it was the drawing! So, I said "I'll make a quilt and put this on it." He said, "Oh, no....it's not good enough, later I'll do a better one and send it to you." (Well, I kept that little piece and later made it into a quilt. He was actually surprised I had spent some time doing this. I wasn't, of course!) About a week after that class, I received an envelope in the mail from Jim...and in it was the drawing you see in the center of this quilt. It's just GREAT!!! So, I made a second little quilt embellished with buttons.

Somewhere in my hunting and gathering...I had found the brass bird, so I had to add it to the "scene" and of course, as you might expect, I had to bead the edges of the quilt too!

I made a label for the back of the quilt, as you can see, and as Jim does, I cut out some flowers and fused them to the label....and wrote a bit about the quilt. This was fun! Jim and I have done a couple of projects together. Sometimes it's difficult because we work in totally different ways, with totally different styles, sometimes we have loud and lively disagreements, but, gosh - it's really nice to have a friend who enjoys making things and sharing all this FUN....we both think so.

This quilt led to us making two more larger ones. He did the drawing, I made the quilts. I have one and he has the other. Maybe I'll show mine to you next time! And, Sandy, well, she MIGHT want to try that beading....come on over Sandy!!! Meantime, take care, pat