Sometimes Things Don't Go Exactly Like You Thought

Does anyone besides me love those Sarah, Plain and Tall movies?  I love every single one of them - have watched them multiple times!  And I really love that apron Sarah wears - do you remember it?  It's long and it doesn't tie; instead, the back somehow crosses over like a wrap dress.  Last year I looked and looked for a pattern for that apron and even appealed to my friends on the net.  Then, finally, my friend Ida here in town found the pattern for me and I was so excited!  I just knew I would make that apron and turn into Sarah - tall and willowy and elegant looking.  I let the pattern lay here a while just enjoying the anticipation of it all.  This week I made it.  It is SO not what I pictured.

Oh it's ok, don't get me wrong.  It's just not what I dreamed about at all.  First of all, the pattern runs really large.  Really large.  I figured an apron, it needs to be roomy, right?  So I used size large, but not extra large.  Then I sewed it together and it was like a balloon!  So I took it up some but it's still too big.  Then it said to use binding on all the edges.  I don't remember Sarah's having binding.  :(  And to bind it you don't do that like a quilt...you use the other kind of binding (double fold?) so I had to make that but it's just too wide to suit me.  And I chose white because I thought it would give it a nice fresh look but mainly I think it just looks like white binding added on. And, here's the worst part, you have to put it on over your head.  I never thought about that!

That apron is just fine.  It's serviceable.  It will definitely cover me up when I do housework.  If I ever do housework.  But it's not my dream.  Life is like that sometimes isn't it?  I just finished a study of David in the Bible and that apron reminded me of him.  David was a shepherd, just a shepherd.  Then boom he was crowned king when he was 15 or so.  But he didn't get to really be king for another 14 or 15 years.  And when he was king he messed things up pretty bad...had an affair, killed the husband, didn't discipline his kids, one child killed another child, etc.  I bet he didn't dream he would be that kind of king, but he made some really bad choices!  Life takes twists and turns we don't expect.  We plan a garden, dig the soil, plant the seeds, and a drought kills half of it.  We go to buy our first house and it turns out the money we think will buy a mansion will only pay for a ranch style.  We take a job thinking we'll quickly work our way up the ladder and we somehow get stuck at rung three.  We plan for Harvard for our firstborn and they decide to be a blue collar worker.    All of those things are just fine but aren't what we planned.  What do we do then?

Well, we can get mad and never dig another garden because the last one only gave us a few tomatoes.  But we'd miss those delicious, juicy tomatoes.  We could get depressed because we don't have a big fancy house like our friends, or we could savor the love that went into the buying of the one we have and spend our extra time making it into the beautiful home we want.  We could be bitter about not making it to CEO and make everyone around us miserable or we could enjoy the work we do and the people we work with.  We could shame our child for not being who we want them to be or we could rejoice in the wonderful person they are.  Life is all about choices and the biggest choice we make is attitude.  I'm gonna' love that apron even though I didn't turn into a tall, willowy, elegant Sarah.  I'm going to wear it cleaning house today.  And it's going to remind me that I might not be Sarah but I have choices about the way I live my life.  I can live it with joy if I choose joy.  And I choose joy.

So When I Send You A Text You'll Know What I'm Saying!

So here are some codes for seniors:

ATD - At the Doctor's

BFF - Best Friends Funeral

BTW - Bring the Wheelchair

BYOT - Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM - Covered by Medicare

CUATSC - See You at the Senior Center

DWI - Driving While Incontinent

FWBB - Friend with Beta Blockers

FWIW - Forgot Where I Was

FYI - Found Your Insulin

GGPBL - Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low

GHA - Got Heartburn Again

HGBM - Had Good Bowel Movement

IMHO - Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out

LOL - Living on Lipitor

LWO - Lawrence Welk's On

OMMR - On My Massage Recliner

OMSG - Oh My! Sorry, Gas

ROFL...CGU - Rolling on the Floor Laughing...Can't get Up!

TTYL - Talk to You Louder

WAITT - Who Am I Talking To?

WTFA - Wet the Furniture Again

WTP - Where's the Prunes

WWNO - Walker Wheels Need Oil

I have no idea who to give credit for these to but whoever dreamed them up - thank you!

Just One Star

Moda is helping the Quilts of Valor program with their Just One Star project.  I'm sure most of you have heard about this already but if you haven't just go to Moda's website and check it out.  This is the block I made to send:

Witches Don't Scare Me!

I did the hand embroidery on this piece a couple of years ago so you know what that means - it hit the UFO pile and lived there a while.  Last night it became UFO #9 to be finished off my list of 30.

The colors didn't come out just right in this picture...that plaid is a little more orange and the bright piece is more orange too though it's pretty neon.  :)  I love the way it adds some pop to the piece.   I stippled around the embroidery, outlined the stars, drew witch's brooms in the "neon" blocks and drew loops in the borders.  It's a long time until Halloween, but I'm ready!

UFO #8

In November (I think) I made a list of UFOs for my guild.  It was a challenge that was designed to get some quilts ready for our next show which will be in September.  I put 30 on my list.  In my defense I listed some that weren't really UFOs because they were kits not actually started.  I consider them UFOs because the fabrics and pattern are all gathered and ready and isn't that the first step in making any quilt?  I asked for a definition in an earlier post and most of you told me it wasn't a UFO until it had actually been started.  That means I get to should take some of those 30 off my list, which I plan to do.  Meanwhile I remain faithful (ha!) to the task and have now finished #8 "Snowmen in a Row".  Yes, I have done a few new things in the middle of these but those are my rewards for finishing the UFOs.  I present #8:

  I wish I could tell you the pattern and fabric names but I can't.  I've had this (bought the kit) for years, don't remember where I bought it and the pattern looks as if it's a copy of a store pattern.  But it would easily be made from scraps.  I love that the snowmen/women have on hats and scarves and vests and that there are baby snow people.  I stippled the background (free motion) and am pleased with how I did!  I tried to follow the pattern of the fabric on the green and had major problems with my machine.  The bobbin thread kept feeling like it was catching and tugging.  Finally, when I was finished with the whole thing, I opened up the machine and cleaned it.  Oh my.  I can't remember how long it's been but it was too long.  I should have done it much sooner.  So ya'll I'm reminding you that it's spring and time for a spring cleaning of your machines.  They'll thank you for it.  Mine did.  Mine sent me a written note on thick creamy paper written with a fountain pen.  Well, maybe not, but if it could it would have.

Cock-A-Doodle-Do!

Borders done, quilting done, binding done, hanging sleeve done!  I may call this one Ruffled Feathers since it's the first time I've ever free motion quilted feathers and they look a bit ruffled.  Or a lot ruffled.  :)  But done is good and this one is destined to hang in my dining room.  Perfect for that room I think!

Bunnies Everywhere!

I'm working on a baby quilt that is just going to be delicious, if I do say so myself!  It will eventually have 12 blocks in the softest colors ever....embroidered on white baby flannel.  Here are a few that are finished.

The bunnies are in a soft brown color....

and the flowers are pastels or just a bit bright.

Most of the stitching is a stem stitch...

but there are also French knots and daisy stitches.

All of the bunnies are supposed to have..

a heart somewhere on them but I notice I've forgotten one or two...I'll be adding those before I put it together.  All the blocks are a different size but they all go together beautifully.  The pattern is Cherished Memories by Rabbits Haven.

One Thousand Blessings - Day 22

751.  God's grace
752.  Windows
753.  Wool socks
754.  Words when they flow from my pen
755.  Real butter
756.  Scones
757.  A good belly laugh
758.  Luke 9:51
759.  Sitting beside my child at church
760.  Search and rescue teams
761.  Clean water
762.  Volunteers
763.  The warmth of the sun
764.  Coupons
765.  Really sharp needles
766.  Having a washing machine and dryer here in my house
767.  Books about heaven
768.  Free quilt inspiration on the internet
769.  Friends who know me and love me anyway
770.  Inexpensive reading glasses
771.  Bookmarks that don't fall out of the book
772.  Forsythia blooming along a fence
773.  Bacon, eggs and biscuits
774.  Small children all dressed up
775.  Easter egg dye
776.  Sunday afternoon movies

Babies Do Burp...A Baby Sized Giveaway

Do you make burp pads for babies?  I love making them because there are just so many things you can do.  Add a ruffle and an appliqued flower......... 

Or rick rack and a cute animal.....

Or even a novelty fabric with a bit of lace makes a cute one!

These first two are going out to a friend but I'm giving away this last one.  Is the giraffe calling your name?  Or maybe the zebra?  Leave a comment and be a follower and I'll send it out to you!  Drawing will be Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Central.

Because...

He's huge!  And he's pink.  :)  Because granddaughters should be spoiled, right?

It's her birthday....5 years old and sassy and not as big as this hippo.  She's gonna' love it.  Her parents, not so much.

Redwork Baskets

When I started quilting in 1995 I took pictures of all my quilts and other projects.  That was before I had a digital camera so I have pictures stuck in a scrapbook.  I'm trying to go back and take pictures of those, at least the ones I still have, so I can document them on my computer.  This wall hanging is one made a couple of years ago but is a favorite.  It hangs in my bathroom and I'm getting a bit worried about it's exposure to hair spray and sunlight (there's a skylight in there) so I'm going to take it down soon.  But I thought I'd share it because I love it so.

And a little detail...

A Little Wool Love

I love working with wool.  It's so soft and needles so easily that I almost don't know I'm sewing.  This Potted Geranium pillow was a kit from Primitive Gatherings.  Their colors are rich and deep and I love everything I've gotten from them.

I finished this last night and just wanted to hold it in  my lap and feel of it.  Don't the clay pots look real?  The colors....    Each of the geranium petals is separate and is three dimensional.  They have a French knot in the middle and then one stitch on each side to make them look like a flower with four parts.  I originally thought it would be a wallhanging but they showed it as a pillow and in the end I went with that.  I've pretty much run out of walls, but not chairs.  :)