Bring On Fall!

September. The word has a Fallish ring to it but Mother Nature is having none of that just yet here with temps still in the 90's. Summer has been long and I'm ready for a change of pace and color. Outside the leaves may still be firmly attached to their branches. Inside however I am in control of the seasons and I say, let there be Fall!!

So this week I dug out a few of my Fall things from the basement. Just a few.. I always begin changing the seasons in my kitchen cupboard 1st. A pretty garland to drape across the top. I've changed all my dishes inside to my old Fiestaware, the yellow, orange and cream colors work well with antique and the real pumpkins which I'll add in October.. A wool felt leaf hangs from the front knob. 

Oh and I couldn't resist sitting out these little guys. They make me smile :)

Do you ever buy fabric just because it is too cute too resist? You might not have plans for it, but it just calls your name....Barbie Jo...Barbie Jo. This piece by Alexander Henry does just that for me. It is part of their "The Ghastlies" fabric line for this year. Amazing artwork, just look at those expressions :) So whimsical and fun! I had to own a piece of it. 

And that cat, Sebastian I believe is his name, Oh my gosh, that look ha ha...I want to pick him up and pet him but somehow he looks like he would not like that lol! 

Oh well. Busy month here. Still working on writing up the newest pattern. 

Getting ready to vend at the Greater Kansas City Quilt show later this month

which means stacking stuff up all over my dining room and making a big mess.

More info on the show to follow soon. 

And this is my Birthday month and I plan on milking that for as long as I can!

So have yourself a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Back to school

It's back to school time, hard to believe summer is flying by so fast! When I last posted we were getting ready to pick up our OKC Grandsons for the week. We had a great visit, how is it possible not too, and with both boys here this trip we had double the fun. 

We spent 2 days at the local pool, the boys loved going there, especially enjoying the water slides. So much energy, I gave up counting how many times they climbed and slid down, must of been 100's! 

We are so fortunate to have this gem in Overland Park, Deanna Rose Childrens Farmstead and have visited here with the boys since they were toddlers. William rode a horse for the 1st time!

Alex and William both mined for gold. So many things for the children to do, I can not recommend this special park enough, free admission, minimal costs for activities, a wonderful place for family time.

We did lots of other things of course including the movies- "Despicable Me", dinner out with Uncle Jon, and just lots of running around. Alex and I played Racco very night, and William still loves to spend time building with legos. Jerry snapped this picture below, unbeknown to me, but typical of todays world... lol. Here we are each on an IPad. I believe we were in a middle of a "Doodle Jump" challenge... and guess who won? Why Nana of course :)

After the boys left I came down with a really bad cold of some sort. Jerry shortly after, only I ended up on complete R&R all last week. All I could think of was thank goodness I was not out of commission while they were here! The boys are now back in school, and I am catching up. Writing a new pattern 

to have ready later this month! 

EEEEK!.... A new design!

The last week of July, hard to believe summer is flying by! 

I have a new design to introduce to you this week.

I love Halloween and this table runner or topper was really fast and fun to make. 

Fusible applique and simple piecing, it goes together quick. EEEK! I just love that kitty in the middle, just want to pat it on the head! 

My next design is off to Brenda to be quilted. Until I get it back I have some free time to think about something new. I may work with some wool felt, or maybe this pretty bundle of flannel. It looks like wool doesn't it! I found this pretty stack in New York while visiting The Pine Grove Quilt Shop in Kenmore, such a nice shop and nice ladies!

I only have a few days left to dream on it though, probably no sewing for me next week. This Sunday we will be picking up our Oklahoma Grandsons and have them here for the week. So excited! Working on a list of to do things with them. 

Have a happy week!

Vacation Fun!

Warning... this post is picture and labor intensive. But so was our vacation! Jerry and I were gone 16 days, the most time we have ever spent away from home. Hubby and I drove 1/2 way across the country to visit family and friends in 2 different states. 

Our 1st stop was Pittsburgh Pa, my home town, where we stayed with Jerry's Sister and Hubby 4th of July week. 4th of July morning we started the day off  with breakfast at this neat little country diner.

Julie and I wearing our red white and blue! I have to tell you and interesting fact about the two of us, we both were pregnant at the same time and delivered our boys on the same day!

Our yummy breakfast has arrived. My favorite part is the Italian bread! Pittsburgh has the best Italian bread ever, I could eat a loaf all by my self.

Julies life this year has been filled with babies! Our Niece had twins who we were so excited to meet. Here are 3 months old Ben and Sam. They were just the best babies and adorable as you can see. Here's Hubby enjoying some baby time.

Also present was our cute as can be Great Nephew James, now 2. He was just so funny! James took to Hubby right off the bat but not me. Whenever I said anything to him he gave me the exorcist look LOL! We finally made friends by the end of our stay though and I got a hug and kiss so all is good :)

They kept us busy. The boys golfed. We girls shopped and lunched. We went downtown several times. 

A view of Pittsburgh at night from Mount Washington, a breathtaking view full of sightseers on a beautiful evening.

Hofbrauhaus, German beer hall and garden on the river. Fun downtown spot with a great view.

A very special part of this trip was to visit my Dad who turns 96 this week. He is an amazing man still living on his own. We had dinner out at his favorite place- The Outback. 

Well, we have been coddled and pampered, time to move on before we wear out our welcome. 

Next stop... my Sis in Warsaw New York. 

Me , Sis and my Niece Amber who drove in from New Jersey to see us! Oh, and also Maggie the dog LOL. Spending time with my Sister is always a treat. Once again people just think we want to eat. Lordy, lordy, you should have seen the massive amounts of food Darlene and her Hubby fixed for us! They made sure we had all of our NY favorites and then some! Super nice relaxing visit here, happy to also spend time with our nephew who will be deployed overseas this fall. 

The morning we were leaving Warsaw Darlene and her Hubby took us to a local Amish store/diner for breakfast. What a treat, the best breakfast ever. They also sold a lot of bulk foods such as all these tubs of cake decorating sprinkles (there were rows and rows more on the other side). I could love to shop here for Christmas baking!

Bye bye Sis, time to move on down the road, two more stops to make to see our friends Patty and Kathy and Wink. Patty took us to Art Park to see the Doobie Brothers concert. An open air venue on the Niagara River and a pretty night, who could ask for more, very fun! 

A day spent in Canada at Niagara On The Lake. What a beautiful town, the boys golfed and we girls had lunch and shopped. So lush, pretty and green here, the hydrangeas and flowers were at their peak.

On our way back to Buffalo Wink let Jerry and I out to run take a look at the falls. If you have ever been to the falls you no doubt know this spectacular spot on the Canadian side, right at the edge where you can almost touch the water pouring over. Mesmerizing, scary and beautiful all at the same time.  I hope my video shows up!

A pretty shot of the Maid Of The Mist.

We toured the Darwin Martin complex, a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Buffalo built in 1905.

Great tour with lots of interesting information and the house is just beyond amazing.

As you can guess, much of this trip leaned towards food. You gotta eat right? After living in Buffalo many years ago we still miss and dream of our favorite foods and that list is longer than your arm! Our wonderful friends and family made sure our dreams were fulfilled.

Teds charcoal broiled hot dogs. 

Roast Beef On Weck, to die for.. my personal favorite!

Duffs Wings!!

And a cod fish fry to name just a few.

So when Jerry and I rolled out of Buffalo heading home, we just looked at each other and said...
I'm never going to eat again LOL! 

Drawing winner!

Summertime..... family time, vacation and travel time. I really noticed the absence of people this week while running around doing my daily errands. Stores are quiet, traffic is down, temperatures are soaring and it looks like summer is here full blast!. Are you dreaming of a little get away, to the ocean, lake or a cool mountain retreat? I know I am! 

So before I get carried away with summer plans, I wanted to make sure we had our drawing for the Quiltmania Special Childrens issue. I wish there was one for each of you, but c'est la vie, there could be only one. Jerry drew names tonight and the winner is "D" from Cowtown Quilts!

So if you will email me your info D, I will get your copy on it's way to you!

A Special Little Giveaway

It's here, it's here, and I am so pleased and excited! My quilt "My Cute Kitty" appears in the new special  childrens issue of Quiltmania. 

                               See, here we are on page 64, how cute is this table of contents! Everything is cute and adorable in this issue packed with 19 projects to make for that special little dumpling in your life, or heck, I might even need to make a few for me. 

A little peek at my quilt. My model traveled all the way to France and back for photography, I wish I

was able to go along for the ride! 

Quiltmania is a French produced magazine, they print their magazines in French, Dutch and English as well. I can not say enough about the beautiful quality of this magazine filled with exquisite photography, illustrations, easy to follow diagrams and instructions throughout. 

In the US it can be found at Barnes & Noble, Borders and many quilt shops. You can also subscribe to it here . Thank you Carol and Caroline for choosing my sweet quilt, it was a pleasure meeting you both here in Kansas City at International Quilt Market! 

And guess what, I have an extra copy, yes I do! One for me and one for you! Well, ONE lucky person that is. If you would like to enter my drawing, please leave a comment, it's that simple. 

Hubby will draw a name Wednesday June 26th so check back with us.

My latest pattern released this week. "Fa la la la la"(you will be singing this in a few more months) is fun, fast and easy to make. Simple piecing, fusible appliqué and check out those rick rack legs. How adorable is that! 

90's for Kansas the rest of this week. I'll be staying cool writing instructions for my next pattern, 

this one has a Halloween theme!

Stay cool and be merry!

Sum Sum Summertime!

Wow, who turned on the heat, summer time has arrived! 

Being as today was to be the coolest day of the week, a mere 87 degrees, Hubby and I decided this should be our outdoor adventure day, a picnic at the park. I made yummy egg salad sandwiches, I just love egg salad don't you? All packed up in my cute little basket with some sketch pads off we went. The quilt under my basket which you can hardly see is the 1st quilt I ever made 41 years ago! There was no pattern involved, or fabric purchasing. I used scraps of our 1st daughters outgrown clothing and sewed squares together with some applique tulips in the center of every other square, it was just a home sewing scrap project for her bed. It is now pretty tattered and has become the picnic quilt. What a nice memory of a cute little girl and all those sweet little sundresses I had made for her. 

And look what I found, a very old picture of our Melissa on her quilt with just a few of her stuffed animals lol. The photo quality is poor, what a long way cameras have come since then, but you get the idea! What a cutie :)

Well to tell you the truth Hubby and I just had to laugh. Our picnic lunch was great but sitting for a long spell on the ground was not as easy as it used to be so out came the soft fold up chairs. 

I brought an Annie to stitch, as you can see she is nearly finished. Fish were jumping from the lake and birds were chattering, it was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. 

I have several projects in the works right now. This little reindeer wall hanging will soon be a new pattern, just as soon as I get a cover for it off to the printer it will go.

My next design arrived in todays mail, home from Brenda's expert quilting. I have to sew the binding on and start writing the pattern, I better quit goofing off now and get busy!