TGIF.......

What a week !!!  Having six girls around the house takes a bit of patience.
We are always out of nail polish remover. Barrettes and pony holders disappear into thin air. 6 hairbrushes in the house. But only mine gets used. I could go on and on and on.................
But let's stay focused here.
The sewing areas in our home are.........well let's say.......small. In our previous home. We had a entire room for sewing and crafting. In this house we make due. The laundry room is the cutting area and the landing has the 2 sewing machines, desks ,design wall and dress form. Fabric is everywhere we can stuff it.
This week I had one of those ideas in my head I just had to get out and on the design wall. I thought of a plan to get it done.So, I was desperately trying to finish the chores ect. by lunch and sew in the afternoon before school let's out. My two oldest daughters home school.   They are always around. But neither of them have been sewing much lately.  I thought my plan was no fail.  HA. I should have known better.
Monday was o.k. I got some cutting done and was off and running. Tuesday my oldest girl asked if I had a dress pattern she could sew ( uh oh).Then, do you have an extra couple yards of fabric I can play with mom??? (oh no).Wednesday my one butt laundry room had two butts in it. I can't get mad she is sewing , creating, I am so proud....as I run in to her for the fifth time going from cutting to sewing. Then , I hear myself saying things like. Where is the scissors? Did the rotary cutter have a flat spot? Honey, those are my quilting pins. Ouch! I just stepped on one.You can't use that bobbin in that sewing machine.  By the end of the day
it looked like a tornado had ravaged the sewing area . But the sun dress was done and I had a couple more blocks on the wall.
Thursday will be a sew-a-thon day right ? She is done.
I get the chores done on Thursday ,run upstairs to sew .....and she is resizing the dress form (%$@#). "Watcha doin honey ?", I say. " I have a great idea for another dress mom" she says. I scream really loud in my head!!!!! Smile and say ," Awesome ! Project Runway watch out."
We continue the little dance for another day.....Untill SuperGirl starts hanging around watching what we are doing. "Hey, Mom what are all these triangles for ?" She says. " They are just left over from the sawtooth blocks I am making." I respond. Before I could catch my breath.....Three butts in the one butt laundry room.
And three sewers on two machines. I still don't want to discourage, so on we go. The tripping , the tornado and the stressed mom with the not so authentic smile. Proud as can be!!!
I hope this weekend will find us finishing our projects happily and with out injury.
Here is a peek at the progress..
The first sundress. By the oldest..

Triangles sewn together to make the top of a sundress. By SuperGirl.

And the finished blocks for my new project...

Thank Goodness it's Friday!!!!!!!!

Mama's got a brand new bag...........

My weekend sewing was pretty darn productive. In honor of National Quilting Day I started a new quilt.

I'll just say......" I am seeing stars,and I like it!!" I am using the same fabrics that were featured in

"The Giveaway". 

It's going well. Can't wait to share.

Also, when I was reading all the comments about spring sewing I was inspired by the gals who said they were going to make a "Spring Bag". I thought I would give it a shot.

     So, I got out all my purse patterns..That I never got around to making... I opened them , read the instructions, measured fabric...................then.............threw out the patterns and winged it.

Please tell me I am not the only one that does that.

Here is what I ended up with.

Spring bag looks a little silly with winter background.

 Can't beat an Amy Butler fabric for a bag.

If you want some I found some here.

    It is decor weight but I still stiffened it with some iron on Pellon.

     I bought at JoAnn's . It sits up without falling over. I like that.

Happy Quilting Day !!!!!

This time last year I was putting the finishing touches on my first quilt. The "Chocolate Coins" in the left bottom corner of this pic. We cuddle that quilt a lot in this house. Since then I have become a bit of an addict,  so have a couple of the girls. This collage is something of a year in review... quilt and patchwork.
Click on the picture if you want to see it bigger....

I hope the next year is full of finished quilts. 

Here's to all the quilters out there. Virtual high five!!

You all bring tons of love in every creation.
Big Hugs!!!!!

I Love Comments.........

You know....Blogger does not make it easy to answer your comments. And I want to answer your comments.I love you guys!! I have gotten alot of inspiration from ALL of you.  ..So I am going to try a new comment system.
I hope it works. Here goes. I might have to try a couple .I am not so tech. savvy ..... This is THE only time I wish I were 16 again. If you have a minute. Say Hello , So I can see how this new thing works. Thanks!!
Stay tuned

Update..... So far it's not bad accept I am losing comments.(insert sarcasm)  Arrgggg!!!! 

And you need to click on the post to leave a comment. kinda stinks.  Well I am giving it a while longer.

ZigZag Quilt Top pieced.........check!!

I finally finished something!!!! Well, the top at least.It was one of those weird UFO's. Every time I would start piecing it. Another idea would pop into my head and to the bottom of the list it would go. Now that it's done (sorta) I love it. Wished I would have finished it earlier!!

I am a little scared to quilt this one. I do not have the foggiest idea what  pattern to quilt it with. Or for that matter binding. Ideas anyone???

I used the Zig Zag pattern from Anna Marie Horners website.I wanted to use her fabrics. But had to pull from the stash. I did cut the triangles slightly larger.

I used my stash of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and a Kona Cotton in black. It is a whopping 70"x 96" inches.

Another reason I am scared to quilt it. I think it would be a big fight with the sewing machine. She does not love to quilt anyway. 

This was also hard to get a good picture of. The colors REALLY pop in person .

This was the quilt waaaaay back when on the design wall.

I hope I get the whole thing fished someday. Sooner rather than later of course. 

Drum Roll Please.....................

Today's the day. The Winner is Courtney from Not so Homemade She was comment 151. I used random.org to pick the winner. Then played on the website for quit some time. I love randomness.
I also loved reading what everyone is up to this spring! Lots of sewing machines humming all over this land.
I have truly been inspired . I think I am going to make a fun quilt and a spring bag myself. Oh geez I better work on the UFO's too.
Thanks to all of you who entered. And to all of my new friends I hope I don't disappoint!!!
May everyone's spring be sunny and creative!!!  Now let's get sewing  people!!!

Courtney, I am shooting you an e-mail. If you come here first send me your address and I will drop your
fabric in the mail.

blueberrymoon@cox.net

Anyone in the Mood for Catfish???

O.K. so I was on the phone with my Mom the other day. You know when your on the phone and the other person is talking and your listening, but not really, because your crafting/sewing in your head????? Or is it just me?? Well she was talking about how catfish just isn't catfish unless it is fried in bacon drippings........And this is what popped into my less than stable mind.

Is she not cute?

MerKitten??

She has lovingly been named Purrrrcilla.

And is now in the hands of her new BFF Bridgitt who is 4.
I found the template for the kitten half over at Cherryskin
And winged the rest.or should I say tailed?

Last Day to enter the GIVEAWAY so enter!!

Mmmmmm Breadsticks..

Last night was spaghetti night. We have a few spaghetti-aholics in the house.Myself included. A few years ago  a good friend of mine who is Italian taught me how to make real sauce( instead of the embellished jar with ground whatever kind ). Since then even the Hubby also is a fan of spaghetti night.  I was feeling spunky when I started the sauce so I decided to make soft breadsticks to go with. They are my son's favorite!!!
The finished sticks came out of the oven about the time the kiddos came in from outside.
Cold hands + warm bread stick = happy smiles and hugs. I used quick rise yeast so they are fast to make .

Wanna make some?? 

I have to make a giant batch for my Supercrew 

so you might want to half or quarter the recipe. or make and freeze.

This made 48 large sticks.


Breadstick Recipe

6 cups flour

2 pkgs. quick rise yeast

1T. salt ( I use sea salt so If you use table salt maybe 3 tsp.)

4 T. honey

3 T. Butter

2 cups warm water.


Measure 1/2 the flour into Bowl with the packages of yeast, add salt, stir well.

Melt Butter in glass measuring cup. Add honey and water. Mix. Make sure the mixture is warm. Not Hot.
You don't want to kill your yeast. But you want your dough to be slightly warm.
Pour water mixture into flour mixture and stir and stir and stir.

 You can use a mixer if you like. I am into less mess, is more.


Stir the rest of flour in 1/2 cup at a time until you have soft dough.
Dump on floured counter or board and knead until smooth and elastic .

Wash your bowl in hot water ,dry then oil with butter or olive oil. The hot water will warm your bowl and make a nice place to rise your dough.

 Cover and rise your dough in a warm place until doubled about 1 hour or less.
Then punch down and cut into 48 pieces. Roll pieces into  sticks or twists and place on oiled baking sheet.
(mine were wonky but, i was in a hurry ..sorry)

 Rise for 15 to 30 minutes.Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.

When they were done I bushed them all with melted garlic butter. Yum.
Eat then lick fingers!!

Don't these just look like they are ready for the sauce??
I hope you give them a try . The kids LOVED them.

Without Further Ado........

The Giveaway

Here it is finally .... After all the sad going on this week . I am so happy to celebrate something. My readers!!!
Thanks to all you guys that read and comment. To say a big THANK YOU!!
Here is the humble giveaway.

 

I hope you like Heather Bailey.

There are 9 pieces of Heather's Pop Garden.

1 piece of Amy Butler Full Moon Polka dot.

And one awesome piece of very vintage red dot fabric from my vintage stash.

Most measure about a fat quarter in size. 2 are more like fat 1/6 th.

and a couple larger. All and all more than 2  yards of fun fabric.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on what your sewing for spring.

If you would like another entry ...follow my blog .If your already a follower tell me in your comment.

You can also post this on your blog, with a link back for another entry.

Just make sure I know about so you get your entry.

Total of 3 chances.

I have to keep this to U.S. only because I know nothing about shipping anywhere else..sorry.

I will keep this contest open until Wednesday night.

And Announce on Thursday.

Good Luck!!

I can't wait to read what your sewing for spring.

Update...comments are closed ...the winner is Courtney!!

A Word about Chance,

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer...I know that is NOT why people look at crafty blogs. But I just wanted to say a few things about Chance and the gift he brought us.....
My Daughter Bronte is 15 years old and as it goes with teenagers I spend more time correcting her than anything. She never puts dishes back where they belong. Her room, most of the time, should have police line tape around it.It is a crime what she does in there. She seems to be surgically connected to her cell phone and let's face it she 's not my little girl anymore and I hate that. I had been feeling rather disconnected from her lately.........
Then came Chance. This little 2 oz. being that needed care.With out even asking she was ALL in. She spent hours on the internet making sure everything she did for him was just right. She only slept 2 hours at a time with his little crate right beside her bed so she could here him cry. She did everything possible to save that little guy. I saw something in her I had forgotten was there. And I saw what kind of woman she is going to be. Her compassion and strength amazed me. The emotions of these few days washed away all the silly complaining I do as a mom. My feelings of a little girl lost to me, became enormous pride for the young woman to come.
When I woke up Friday morning to check on them, Bronte said, "he has been too quite mom.Something is not right." I could tell she had barely slept. For the next few hours there were panicy  phone calls, Daddy making trips to Petco and an all over feeling of dread. He got weaker and weaker. She laid on her bed with a heating pad and the little guy ,praying he would make it. But we all new what was to come. Late in the afternoon she brought him to me . She said she thought it was time .We sat on the sofa together holding him in a little towel.
With our tears flowing he took his last two breathes and said goodbye. She held him while her big brother found a small box. Then she held me and cried. And I cried.
As you can see Little Chance brought more to our lives in a few short days than I could have ever imagined. It goes to show you that if you take a chance on the little things BIG things can come out of it. And give your teens a chance ..they will surprise you. (puns intended)
Thanks to all of you for your Prayers and comments. They mean a lot.

And thanks for indulging me in this very selfish post.
I promise the next post will be a HAPPY one!!!

A Scrap Bustin' Quilt Block

I have been finishing up my Modify Tradition Quilt Blocks . I reached the point where I only had

  small scraps left.

I needed 1 last block. So here is what I came up with.

It turned out to be a great way to use up the tiny scraps.

You can use 3"x3" sqaures or a triangle template that is half  of the square.

If you want to try it.....

You will need to cut  3.5  3"x3" squares or 7 triangles ,of  7 different fabrics for 12 1/2 " block

8 fabrics will give you a 14" block

 

  

Once you have all your little triangles cut ,Lay them out in rows

You will need to cut 1 of the triangles in half of each color to even up the rows.

Like in the photo.

After you have them all laid out. Sew two colors together to make a strip.

I used a scant seam. And a NEW needle to keep the small piece sewing clean.

After each seam is sewn finger or roller press before sewing the next seam.

This will keep it flat. Below shows a strip in progress.

After each strip is sewn , attach to the last finished strip until you have your block.

 

  

Square it up..and your done.

I think this would make a great pillow????

If you want it bigger ...cut bigger triangles and choose more fabrics.

I have 16 finished blocks....Now what??

I am having a bugger of a time finding a sashing color.

12 of the blocks are from the Modify Tradition quilt-along.

And 4 are my own on the fly blocks.

I can say I have used up every last thread of this "Mezzanine" Fabric.

Speaking of FABRIC. I will announce the GIVEAWAY on Saturday!!!

Stay tuned......

We Interrupt This Crafty Blog for Breaking News..................

It has been another crazy couple of days here at The Moon. We have a new baby in the house.Very un-expectantly.

 

Sparing the ugly details. This little guys siblings didn't make it. And Momma made it clear

she was NOT going to care for him. So my Sweet Oldest Daughter has stepped in as adopted Mom.

She is feeding him by hand every two hours..all night long. SuperGirl and I are helping where we can.

  

He (we are guessing of course) Is 4 days old and barely 2 oz. I can't believe how such a little thing can stir up the entire household. We are all praying he makes it. We know the chances are slim. That's why we decided to call him Chance. 

Several years ago we hand raised three other kittens like this. We always seem to be that family that says YES. haha. That experience was very special. At the time The three oldest (all homeshooling) took on the

          responsibility like champs. Setting their alarm clocks and taking turns with all the care. Watching them  was a proud moment for me. We lost one of that litter. But two lived to be loving adults. I t was really worth the time and effort.
This little guy is a real cryer. He sounds more like a baby than a kitty. I told my daughter it is like the assignment in school where they give you an egg or a baby doll to take care of to teach the lesson on the responsibility of a baby. She is 15 now so I hope the lesson really sticks!!

                           Now for more Breaking News...
 If you notice the fabric in the background "It is Healther Bailey's Pop Garden". It is there to tease. I am planning a GIVEAWAY this week . I have had so many new visitors lately..time say thanks and to give back to all my readers!!! I will annouce soon and it will REALLY be worth the wait.

Wow........Who New!!!

Well, I just can't believe how many people liked the "Cupcake" post. Meghan over at Craft Gossip gave a really nice shout out. I love craftgossip.com !! Never thought I would see one of my posts there. Super Cool.
Kelli left a comment about using other kind of papers. That got my little mind buzzing. I think you would have to use parchment paper to get the release factor. But.....I found these cool cupcake wrappers
over at Food Art Party. I think they would really dress up my lil. liners!! You could use all kinds of papers....or dare I say "fabric cupcake wrappers". Oh, No! I could see me sewing up a couple dozen...maybe with velcro. Something like the coffee cozies. As you can tell i am a little excited about this.
Thanks to everyone who gave a thumbs up!! and comments ect. Really LOVE it!!