Sewing Time!!

I've had the chance to sew the last few days.  I managed to figure out how to sit at the machine and cutting table with my foot up!  How's that for desperation?!  I worked on some blocks for the block of the month club, which I've gotten behind on.  I'll show those another day.  Then I needed a quick finish so I whipped up a drink cozie.

Then I made a couple of purses.

They are loosely based on this pattern.

One is smaller than the other.  It is very similar to the one I made for Tasha. You can see it here.

 Always have to have some pockets inside.

The second one is a little bigger and a little more fru-fru.

 And of course, pockets on the inside of this one too!

I'm  not sure what I'm going to do with them, except that I have had several people that have asked about buying one.  I am also thinking about opening an etsy shop, but then I'm afraid I'd sew that stuff rather than just things I want to sew for family and friends.  What do you think?

Head, Shoulders, Ankle, Toes, Ankle, Toes!

(Warning: Possible gross photo!)

We've had quite the interesting past few weeks at our house. It all started on May 19th when I went in for hammer toe surgery. Yes, thanks to my grandfather, mother, and aunt, I inherited hammer toes. Anyway, the best plan was that I would have the surgery on May 12th and be back at school at least half time for the last week and a half of the school year. BUT, my GP wouldn't release me for general anesthesia(even though that isn't what I was having), because she said I had a cold. (It was allergies.). Long story short, there was a LOT of miscommunication between medical professionals, and I was put off a week. I came out of surgery with this:



This is my foot five days after surgery. Yes, that is a pin sticking out of my toe! It will be there for a month! I have two boots to wear--a soft one for bed, and a sturdy one for walking. I'm still having a hard time having my foot down for very long before it starts swelling. I did manage to go to school to spend a few hours yesterday and today. It's going to be a looong summer!

AND on top of it all, our plan was for me to at least have the pin out and be somewhat recuperated before Bud had surgery on his ankle. Welllll, that didn't work out so well either as they moved it from June16th to May 27th to May 25th!!! I was hardly walking yet when I had to take him to the hospital where he unexpectedly spent the night, and then go back to get him the next day! We had sweet rides to the door when we left!!!



I was very embarrassed, and hoped like heck, no one I knew saw us!!! The funny thing was that the college kid who pushed Bud out looked at us both and said, "Now, which one of you is driving?". We're both on the mend, nothing serious is wrong, we're just inconvenienced.

Now that school is over, I'm hoping to be able to spend a little time sewing here and there if I can keep my foot down, then I have science class four days next week, reading class two days the next week, and language camp every morning the last week of June. And there goes June!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:H Ave,Kalona,United States

iPad Case

You know I was thrilled to get this for my birthday, and I've been carrying it in my purse so I always have my calendar with me.  Anyway, I noticed that sometimes my cover gets caught on something in my purse, so the iPad turns  on.  I knew then I needed a case to protect it, so I went first to the computer to search for a pattern, but didn't find one that was quite right.  So, with iPad in hand, I headed  to the sewing room.  This is what I came up with.

I had made one a year ago for a friend, but that pattern didn't have anything for a closure, so I added that.

I used scraps and straight line quilting.

And now my iPad is happy when it's in my purse!

And Happy 36th Anniversary Bud!!

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

Are you looking for an easy peasy, but YUMMY dessert??  Well this is it!

Ingredients:

19 ice cream sandwiches(I use 24-2 boxes)

1 12 ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 jar (11 3/4 oz.) hot fudge ice cream topping

1 cup salted peanuts

Place half of ice cream sandwiches in bottom of 13 x 9 inch pan.  

Spread with half of the whipped topping.  Spoon fudge topping by teaspoonfuls onto whipped topping.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup peanuts.  Repeat layers with remaining ice cream sandwhiches, whipped topping, and peanuts(pan will be full).  

Cover and freeze for up to 2 months.  Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving.  Cut into squares.  Yield: 12-15 servings.

I often don't follow the recipe, so if you think this looks a little different.....it is.  First, I used Dream Whip instead of Cool Whip because I didn't plan ahead and thaw the Cool Whip.  I also put some carmel ice cream topping on top just to empty the bottle. 

YUMMO!

Catch Up Time!

Wow!  Where has the month gone????  I am going to try to post each day this week to kind of "catch up".  I actually have a few posts started, but none completed, so I'll work on finishing and posting those.

What have I been doing you ask?  Well, yard work has consumed a large amount of my free time in between school, meetings, and working in the basement.

Let's go back to Easter first!

We had dinner here on Easter Sunday, and all of the kids were here.  That rarely happens, but it makes me very happy when it does!

Chance got a pinwheel in his basket and is doing his best to make the darn thing work!

Grayson did a great job finding eggs for his basket!

Clara was a cute little flower!

Nate couldn't leave his Momma, as usual.

Payton and Cael had to work for their baskets by completing a scavenger hunt.  Here Cael has found his, but it's too high for him.  Help was on the way.

Here Payton finds clue #2 on his way to find his basket.

Another great day!

Finally.......Spring!

Signs of Spring.......

*The temperatures are a tad bit warmer. 

* The sun is peeking out now and then.

*I had to refill my bird feeder for the goldfinches.

*The tulips are looking great!

*The hostas are on their way.

*And (my favorite) phlox is looking gorgeous!

*Bud's baby magnolia tree is looking good!

And the last sign of spring around here is that.....

I spent five hours working outside Saturday, mulching, raking,

pulling weeds, etc.  My muscles were so sore I could hardly sleep that night!!

Happens every year, so you'd think I'd learn.

I love spring and flowers, but it sure takes a lot of work.

Kalona Quilt Show

This past weekend was the annual Kalona Quilt Show.  I ran down to see the quilts with a friend right after school.  Most of the quilts are hanging so we walked through a maze.

Kalona is home to the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi.  (If you want to know more go here.)  The Amish are known for their hand quilting skills, and many of these quilts were made by Amish women.  There was not one machine quilted quilt in the place!  

There were small quilts such as this one which measures 35" x 35".  But each flower, leaf, and heart was handturned!!  What a lot of work for such a small quilt, but it is gorgeous!

There were antique quilts such as this one:

An 1850's quilt, all handturned, pieced, and quilted.  I can't imagine the hours and hours this quilt took to make!  Oh, and the price????

Yes, that would be thirteen THOUSAND, seven hundred fifty dollars!

It was fun to see the quilts and the exquisite hand work that was done.