The Quilt Buddy

Wordless Wednesday......Almost Wordless

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:27:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

We have more blessing than we realize sometimes.

Enjoy your time with your family and friends.

(The walking pneumonia has walked its way into our house today, so it will be a quiet one for us!)

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Dear Moda,

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Dear Moda,

You have done it again!

These are simply genius :

The Turnovers are so simple to use!

All you have to do is : Open the package, Sew, Cut, and Sew again!.

See:

Just open and add your background fabric,

Then, just sew the two together.

Next, cut them in half.

Then just mix them up and sew them back together.

You see, all you need to do to make an hourglass block is Sew, Cut, and Sew!

I literally finished these in just a couple of hours.

Thanks again MODA for another great shortcut!

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!

Celebrate The Lasts

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0000

(Warning: This may require tissues!)

Yesterday I attended the funeral of a fellow Navy wife, who died unexpectedly

on Friday.

My heart was very heavy because I had just seen and spoken to her Thursday

and less than 12 hours later, she had passed away.

She left behind a husband and 2 young daughters

Her funeral was more of a celebration of her life rather than the mourning of her untimely death.

So much was centered around this book :

If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is a celebration of lasts.

Here is an excerpt from the book and this is where you will need the tissue:

"Long ago you came to me,

a miracle of firsts:

First smiles, and teeth, and baby steps,

a sunbeam on the burst.

But one day you will move away,

and leave me your past,

And I will be thinking of a lifetime of your lasts."

So after all of my tears, I thought about all of the lasts of my

Little Person- the last diaper that I changed, the last time night he slept in his

crib, the picture that he drew, the last time that I could hold him over my shoulder.

And through all of it, I found that I needed to change my priorities.

Yes, the laundry needs to be done and yes, I want to finish another quilt,

but you never know when the last will be the last.

So if anything good is going to come out of this tragedy, it is to remind us to make

all of the firsts and lasts really count as if they were really the first

and the last!

(Sorry for the long emotional outpouring! and YES, I will still be around blogland!)

Until Next Time.....Happy Quilting (and celebrating the Lasts)

What Do You Do?

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:22:00 +0000

What do you do when your neighbors ask you

to host the monthly Pokeno game at the last minute?

Say yes of course!

Ooops! I forgot that I will need to give out 2 presents to the winners

and these ladies will expect something handmade!

So, what do I do?

Hmmmm...why call Kelly of course and order these:

(Moda's Gobble Gobble by Sandy Gervais)

Well,I better get busy because I will need to have

things completed by the end of the week!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Wordless Wednesday....Almost Wednesday

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:42:00 +0000

We finally have some signs of Fall around here!

Now only if the temperature could make up its mind!

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!

A Bright Spot In My Weekend!

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:43:00 +0000

How did I spend my weekend?

Well, let's see...covered in HIVES and drugged out on Benadryl!

I was miserable,

BUT

the mailman brought me a little sunshine compliments of RED !

They are the cutest bags ever!

The smaller one is a cosmetic case and the larger one is a laundry bag.

Love, Love, Love them!

How did she know that I needed some sunshine?

When I wasn't itching, I was jumping with excitment!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Halloween Party - Part #3

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:56:00 +0000

This is the final installment of my Halloween Party---I promise!

So on with the spiders and bats!

This was centerpiece was made out of items that I had at home- a cake stand and old candles.

I purchased the cheesecloth and the spiders.

And look....there is my "Treat" table runner again!

What is a party without food?

Of course we must display the food in a very spooky way!

If you look closely you can see my "Trick" table runner under all of those goodies!

And what is a party without a kid's craft?

I painted the syrofoam balls before the party to make it a quick and simple craft.

And what about the goody bags?

Everyone had a great time, but at the end of the party I made sure to put up this sign!

"Keep Out...at least until next year!"

I have finally moved on to so more quilting projects.

More to come!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Halloween Party - Part #2

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:43:00 +0000

I literally took my Halloween party theme (spiders & bats) and ran with it.

This is what you saw when you entered my front door:

My very own bat cave.

I cut various sized bats out of the black poster board that I purchased.

Then I placed them everywhere! I even placed them in the kitchen.

The black curtains are made out of the black crepe paper that I bought. I simply hung them up and tied them

back with another piece of crepe paper. It was the perfect backdrop for taking photos.

Next, we must set the table.

Here is the "Treat" table runner that I made. I surrounded it with more spiders!

I bought these paper lanterns from the local Dollar Store.

I hot glued more spiders to fishing wire and them I draped them over the arms of the chandelier.

More decorations to come! And crafts too!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Halloween Party - Part 1

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Welcome to our Halloween Party!

(Remember this was done on a $23 decorating budget)

The theme for the party was "Spiders and Bats, Oh my!"

Most of the items in this section were made from free items or items that I

already had at home.

The poster board was purchased, but the wooden stakes were FREE from Lowe's.

They are extra wood slats that other pieces of wood rest upon.

When I asked them the price, they told me that I could have them for free. Way cool!

This ghost is made from supplies that I had at home- extra clothes and an old sheet.

This is my favorite project. The wreath is made from items that we all have at home.

The wreath gets its shape from a coat hanger.

Then I cut plastic trash bags into strips and tied them to the coat hanger.

I purchased the spiders and hot glued them to the wreath.

Tune in tomorrow for scenes from inside the BAT CAVE!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Wordless Wednesday....Almost Wordless

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Today was my Little Person's Halloween party.

As I was setting up for the party,

I noticed that another guest had arrived.

Look who decided to join us:

Quite festive all dressed in her orange and black!

Party photos and decorations to come (after the sugar "high" wears off)!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Halloween Party Supplies

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:48:00 +0000

After one trip to Walmart and another trip to the local Dollar Store,

here are the supplies that I purchased for my Little Person's

Halloween party:

They include:

1 cheese cloth, white lunch bags, 3 paper lanterns, orange streamers, black streamers, 1 witch hat,

3 packs of plastic spiders, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, 3 black poster boards, and 1 green poster board.

My decoration budget was $20 and I spent $23.76.

Not bad for a party whose guest list seemed to double overnight!

Now for the fun part....to mix all of those things with everyday products that I have at home and create

one SPOOKTACULAR party!

More to come......

Until Next Time....Happ Quilting!

Introducing "Trick" & "Treat"

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:55:00 +0000

Things have been busy at the QB household.

I am busy making my handmade decorations for my Little Person's

Halloween party next week.

I dug into my scraps and I made two table runners for the party.

So let me introduce you to "Trick" & "Treat".

This is "Trick".

"Trick" measures 18" X 46".

This is "Treat".

"Treat" measures 19" X 24".

It was a "treat" to make this one because I had just enough left over scraps to complete it!

Together, they will be seen as "Trick" & "Treat" at the party.

Fabrics used: MODA's Marble Swirls, Pumpkins Gone Wild, Mary Engelbreit,

Fig Tree, and American Jane's Wee Play.

More decorations to come!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting

Snippets And Selvages

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:48:00 +0000

I love snippets

and

selvages

because it means that I am working on something new!

Right now I am working on some FREE party

deocrations for my Little Person's Halloween party.

They are free because they are from my fabric stash.

More to come.....

Until Next Time......Happy Quilting!

My Block For Terri's Quilt

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:24:00 +0000

Laurie has been collecting blocks from fellow quilters to make a quilt for Terri and her family.

Here is my block for Terri's quilt :

The talented Mrs. Quilt Hollow has volunteered to quilt it!

Thank you so much Laurie and Mary!

(Fabrics used: MODA's Wuthering Heights, Collection for a Cause, and Shangri-La)

(Pattern: None...I just saw this in my head)

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Wordless Wednesday...Almost Wordless

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:47:00 +0000

After the terrible rain this morning,

this was in my backyard:

Sometimes we all need signs! Don't you think so Kelly ?

Until Next Time ...Happy Quilting!

What Did I Do This Weekend?

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:35:00 +0000

What did I do this weekend?

Hmmmm......(as my Little Person would say)

Besides follow all of the action at the Houston Quilt Market,

I cut out these:

I chose an assortment of cool papers:

and I turned them into party invitations for my Little Person's

spooky Halloween party.

Each invitation is made with different doublesided cardstock.

Here is the "spooky" assortment of invitations.

I would love to invite all of my "blog buddies", but the price of

admission is one SPOOKY costume!

My plan for the party is to recycle and reuse items that I have at home. I already had

all of the cardstock at home and I plan to use the leftover cardstock in other ways.

My decorating budget is going to be $20.00 and we will see just how well I do.

So stay tuned for more!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting

I've Been Flocked!

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:21:00 +0000

This morning when I woke up, I found this on my doorstep:

When I opened the door I saw this:

When I looked up, I saw this:

25 Flamingos and the cute basket had been left on my doorstep as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes.

In order to have the flamingos removed, I had to make a small donation to this particular March of Dimes relay team.

This was such a creative idea and so far this particular March of Dimes relay team has raised over $4000.

So instead of sewing, we spent the day playing with the flamingos!

Until Next Time..Happy Quilting!

Help Out A Fellow Quilter...And Win A Jelly Roll!

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Help out Terry, a fellow quilter in need.

Visit Laurie's blog for the details and how you could win this:

(Photo by Laurie)

I plan to help out. I hope that you will join us!

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!

Wordless Wednesday...(Almost Wordless)

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Glace' by 3 Sisters for MODA

Sent to me compliments of Kelly.

Thanks Kelly! I see a few Christmas projects coming in the near future!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

All Is Quiet

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:36:00 +0000

So sorry!

Things are quiet at the Quilt Buddy household,

so I thought that I would share some of these photos with you.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!

Late Entry!

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Late Entry-----for JULY 2009!

OMG!

I don't know how I forgot to post these little cuties!

I'll blame it on "Mommy Mush Brain", which seems to be happening a lot lately!

Kelly sent me this:

And I made these for my neighbors and my Charming friend!

Fabric used: The panel is from Zippity Doo Dah by Sandy Gervais

The other fabrics are Moda scraps from my stash. The red printed border is from Folk Art Christmas IV by

Robyn Pandolph.

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!

I Am DONE!

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:46:00 +0000

I am truly done with this!

Let's see...Last Friday my Little Person got a flu-shot.

The next morning he woke up with "flu-like" symptoms.

Then, everyone in the house had "flu-like" sypmptoms.

This makes our 2nd "cold" of the season!

So seriously, I am DONE with these!

Hope all is well at your house!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

A Quilting Disaster - Part Two

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:36:00 +0000

After dealing with the ruined driving/quilting gloves,

I began machine quilting again. (This time unhappily.)

Just as I got started again, I noticed that it was a little bit harder to move the quilt under the walking foot.

I took the quilt out and flipped it over. I looked down and saw this:

Somehow the edge of the quilt got caught underneath it and I quilted right over it.

Needless to say, the "Ugly Quilt Buddy" came out and I had a few "not-so-nice" words to say.

(Like "@#$*" !!)

So I spent the rest of the night with this:

and my seam ripper.

These things always happen when you are trying to finish something before a deadline!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

A Quilting Disaster- Part One

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:12:00 +0000

I use driving gloves.

They were given to me several years ago by another quilting buddy when I was learning how to machine quilt. They are actual driving gloves that are used for driving cars in Japan.

I use them whenever I am machine quilting because they help me grip the quilt better.I love them because they are light weight and literally fit me like a glove.

So-----REWIND to the night when I started quilting my BFF's wedding quilt.

I was happily (well not completely happily) quilting away, when I looked down and noticed this:

Disaster! My favorite driving/ quilting gloves runined!

I stitched them back together, but I think that I will buy another pair from here.

Stay tuned because this wasn't the only hurdle that I had with this quilt!

Until Next Time.....Happy Quilting!

For Her Wedding - Part Two

stroma@comcast.net (The Quilt Buddy) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Every story/quilt has two sides.

Here is the back of her wedding quilt.

Another monogram for the back of the quilt.

Her quilt is now on its way to her home.

Enjoy the long Labor Day Weekend!

Until Next Time....Happy Quilting!