Who knew buttons could be so entertaining?!!?!

Lately it has been hard to find time for sewing. I have "had the time" but just haven't been able to get upstairs b/c Nora is so into her movies she checks out form the library each week and I can not take the risk of leaving her downstairs to watch them while I am upstairs sewing.


A month or so ago I had bought special Crayola® Markers and Dora book - these special markers will only write on that paper and I thought this would be perfect for the quilting room - something to keep her busy only after one day she thought it was more fun to wear the tops of the markers on the ends of her fingers and could care less about the coloring book.... so that didn't last long. :(


However today we were upstairs putting away laundry and I took advantage of the opportunity and lured her into the sewing room. :) She was opening drawers and looking and found a bag of buttons. "Pleeeeeeeease Momma, pleeeeeeeeeeease!" So I thought why not? Well that was the best thing ever!!! She spent an hour playing with those buttons! She put them into a little bowl and stirred them up and then sorted them into her tea cups by colors and served me pretend "apples" and "pizza" and I go to SEW!!! Who knew buttons could be so entertaining for an almost 3 year old?!!?! :c)




Look how much I accomplished for the April/May Heartstrings Chinese Coins Project I got sewn together today while Nora played with her buttons! The photo on the left is before trimming to the 5.5" size and the pic on the Right is of the coins all neat and trimmed....yes that is a bag of Chips-a-hoy cookies...3/4's gone you see by my cutting mat at the top of the photo. ;c) A recent craving for the twins.... I just know I am gonna double in size the next four weeks!


I do want David to bring my sewing room downstairs so I can get it set up in the dining room - until now I have been using the dining room table to sort my monthly noodle swap but last month was my "last" month to host until the fall. I am on "maternity hostess leave" ;c) Having my machine downstairs will give me more time to sew both during the day and at night. I will only be one wall away form Nora playing... that is unless she is at the table with me :c)

This is what the Noodle Buffet looked like for the "True Blue" swap for April before I began exchanging out noodles. Under the table you get a peak of the FQ's for the Bingo.... which this week - each day the game is getting very close to having someone call BINGO!



Plus another benefit to having my machine set up in the dining room is that I need to get the sewing/guest bedroom cleaned out and ready for the grandparents who will be coming in June to help with the twins. Only a few more weeks and still so much to do!!! I keep trying to come to terms that not everything is gonna get done in time - although I would so like for it to be!!! But really will the babies really know if everything is so so?


Last weekend we should have got the wallpaper boarder up but we didn't. Instead Saturday, we spent the morning at the park playing with Nora and that afternoon went to the circus sponsored by the SHRINER'S HOSPITAL. I had two coupons - one for free child admission and one for a BOGO Free Adult. Nora had such a great time!!! and after all, once the twins arrive, we won't be available to go and do stuff like that for quite some time.... so it was good for all of us and Nora loved seeing the elephants, cammels and horses! Just wish I had taken my camera along to capture the fun! ~Bonnie

A Fabric Photo Session!

(warning long - but lots of photos)

Well, last week – Nora FOUND the missing “good” Digital Camera!!!! Yippee! Hooray! It had been missing since January and I had nearly accepted that I would never see it again.

I've used our old camera a handful of times since we lost the good one but it just wasn’t the same. It is our very old Digital camera about 8 years old… and RARELY works when you need it too – 8 out of 10 times when you want to take a photo, it just gives you an “E18” message on screen when you turn it on… and never retracts the lenses part when you shut it off. We took it to the zoo last month but every photo that I was able to take (about 10 all day) was too blury to consider printing. :(

Since January, my husband has been ticked off that I lost the "good one" that he said he would not be buying a new one until Christmas…. I think it was more of a threat than anything. Come on… with twins arriving in June...??...he would have bought a new one… But now he doesn’t have to! :P

Where WAS IT???? you ask? Well last Monday Nora and I were in the sewing room. She was playing as usual - under the bed in that room and I could hear her talking – saying “my camera…. MYYYY camRA! Nora’s click camera!” and I thought to myself could it be??? So rather than ask, “Nora do you have a camera and her say no and leave it under there… (remember I am 27 weeks pregnant with twins and not exactly very bendable to go looking under the bed myself…) so I coaxed her out by saying “Come on Nora, lets go downstairs and get some jellybeans!” and sure enough – she came out from under the bed with the GOOD DIGITAL CAMERA!!!

It still had battery power so I took her photo! OK, so moving on to the real reason I am posting and called it “Fabric Photo Session”. ;P I know I have not posted in a while but it isn’t b/c I have not been busy b/c I have! And I now have PHOTOS to show you!

Last year I joined my first ever LQS BOM and dropped the ball mid way thru. I have already shown you the 1st six months of the quilt all sewn together. My first time to miss a BOM meeting last year was in July – b/c we were in KY the first week - for the 4th celebration – which my hometown hast the LARGEST in the whole state each year – but that is another post, another time. ;) When I returned and picked up the kit it had an 8 pointed star with “Y” seams and I had missed the demo! I have never done a "Y" seam before and so this is what got me behind!!! urgh :P

I went to the August BOM meeting, but didn’t have anything for show-n-tell. Then missed September b/c we were in KY again for David’s 10th high school reunion… and then it didn’t help that in October I got Pink Eye and missed that meeting then I also missed November b/c I FORGOT about it!!! Urgh! I did go to the last meeting in December to get the finishing kit – in hopes that one day I would catch up…

So my new goal that I posted a few weeks ago = is to finish piecing this quilt before the twins arrive. I had 6 more blocks to make so if I make on each week and stay on track and give myself 2 weeks to finish up the border then I should have it completed by the end of April!!! I plan to send it off to be quilted on a longarm as a Birthday gift to myself – part of that expense sponsored by my dad’s generous $100 he gives me each year for my Birthday. :c) So here it is April 1st and I have stayed on target so far – and at this point only have 2 more 24” blocks to go!!! :) I don't have a "design wall" - I just pin everything to the wall inbetween the bedroom door and closet door for now.
So where is the 8 point star with the Y seams in that photo above???? Maybe you looked for it but didn't see it... well that is B/C I just discovered that "DUAH, this is MY quilt and I can chage it if I want to!" - so I subsituted another block instead!!! :P (in the photo above I used the 12" block on the far left in the bottom row instead of a Y seam 8 point star.)
One of the last 3 blocks is laying on the desk infornt of the quilt. Here is a close up of that one already made.

...and here in the photo below is what I worked on today (Sunday) while David and Nora were working in the yard - setting together this 12.5" bear's paw - I think that is what it's called?
Each of the 24" blocks has a 12" block within them and I start with those first. Then for the "finishing kit" it calls for FIVE 6" sawtooth stars and THIRTY-FIVE 2" squares! I will be working on these this week.
and finally another thing I have been working on... - it is the beginning of a new month and you know what that means - NOODLES!!! I host a monthly noodle swap on the HGTV quilter's board and March's theme was 1930's! I am only waiting on 1 more person (((hoping her package arrives tomrorow))) and then this week I will swap them all out and get them returned to the other noodle heads :P
Here is my dining room in total CHAOS - Yesterday, I began spreading out the noodle buffet on the table. This was about 1/2 way thru the process......
there is something special in all those mail crates along the floor and under the table (which you can't see) - over 1300 FQ's for the 2nd Annual FQ Bingo on the HGTV board. That is how I got the nickname "Bingo~Bonnie" :c) but I will post more about that later this week. - Don't let me forget to tell you all about it! ;)
...and here is a better sneak peak of the noodle varitey! I love being the hostess and getting to be the FIRST to see them and pick the ones I want! :c) These are the ones I selected to keep (13 sets of 6) arranged by color family.


Well I have more photos to share - but it is going on 9pm and I MUST get Nora upstairs and to bed. I am so thankful that Blogger let me upload all my photos today! :) Yeah!
Enjoy the Fabric Photo Session - more to come later. ;c) ~Bonnie

I did the Noodle Dance all weekend long!

I have never did the noodle dance so long - usually it takes just one day - not this time... boy am I glad it is over - until next month anyway ;)

Well, today I made my hopefully "last" trip to the Post Office for a while. At least with having my new digital scale at home, I can just go to the drive up and put all my packages in the mailboxes and won't have to go inside and wait in line!!! Yippie!!!

I dropped off 22 of the 25 packages outside before going in. Three of the packages had to have postage added to them. I bought sheets of stamps for various amounts ( $0.01 $0.02 $0.03 $0.05 $0.10 and some $0.24 b/c that is the difference in bewtween ounces.) From here on out when it comes tiem to do the swaps and an envelope needs some more postage I will be well stocked at home to can do it myself!

Speaking of the noodles - this year we started the month of January off BIG TIME! On average last year I had 12-15 swappers at most each month. But for January we had lots of new people joining us and had a total of 25 swappers!!! 25 Noodleheads can you believe it??? We swap in sets of 6 so in all - I had 738 noodles to swap!!!!! I always state in my guidelines that I give myself 10 days to get the swapping done and never before has it taken me this long to get them all swapped out!

Mostly b/c there were lots of new people, and it being their first time, there was some confusion on how to prepare the noodles for swapping - and I spent over THREE HOURS just refolding noodles to how the directions said to so that they would be ready for swapping. All day Thrusday, Saturday and Sunday I spent working on these noodles! :P but at last they are done, done! and in the mail back to all the noodleheads.

I had to use my dining room table this time - b/c Dad and Clara took my tall guest bed to KY. My back was hurting me by the 2nd day... but I got thru it. Here is a look at everything laid out on the table before the swapping began. As you can see the color/theme for January was red/white. There were several more noodles in the windows and on the buffet server on the side of the room - but I didn't think to take a photo of that. Notice the red Kool-Aid in the cup too! :)
Another thing that made it more challenging for me was that there were lots of Fabric Repeats! At least 8 fabrics - if not more - were repeated by one or more of the swappers this time. One fabric was so popular that everyone in the swap got 2 or 3 noodles of it back :( I try so hard for no one to get their own back much less a repeat but this time it was impossible. Back last month when Joann's had their 50% off sale - everyone had the same taste.

I am SO HOPING that for Feb we won't have so many repeats of fabrics to work with. It's gonna be just as big - there are already swappers so far participating.... I know I complain, but deep down - well actually not so deep - I really, REALLY LOVE hosting this swap! :) I know it sounds silly, but I love getting so many packages in the mail all around the same time - and then the bonus is I get to see it all first!!! :c)

Ocassionally, swappers will throw in a little something for me or even a gift for Nora. She collects postcards and most everyone at one time or another has included one in their package or mailed her one. She has also received sidewalk chalk, color crayons and coloring book, and stickers! Quilters are "sew" thoughtful! :c) As for me, I get excited when swappers throw in an extra noodle or two -I love noodle left overs! :c)

A New Year - A New Beginning...

Let’s see…. Where to start???? I can’t believe just how fast the New Year is off and running already! I am happy to report that so far I am off to a great start in my sewing & quilting. After all, my quilting days are numbered with twins on the way this summer. My goal for the first few months of 2007 is to get done what I need to get done!!! Or as Lary the Cable Guy would say.... "Git'er Done!" This past week/weekend I have been very productive and have even remembered to take a few photos to share with you!


Last week I had a fun time going shopping for noodle fabrics for the next few months. I host these swaps each month thru the HGTV.com quilter's board. I bought January’s Red/White, February’s Black/White and also March’s 1930’s. (You will have to wait until next month to see my B/W's) For some of the colors I only found 5 fabrics so I will be looking to buy a few more as I like to swap around 8 sets each month. The best part was they were all on sale too!!! Some $1/yard off and the 1930’s were 40% off!! (Good thing I am not in Stashbuster’s No Buy Group although I don't buy like I use to - everything I buy is for a specific swap I am doing or a legal "B" purchase, binding, boarder, backings, batting and such…)

I wish I had a photo to share with you - but forgot to take one... I ended 2006 in the sprit of “Out with the old to make room for the new!” I spent a week cleaning out and reorganizing my sewing room and its closet– nothing like having family on the way for a visit to get you up and going on something that should have been done a long time ago! LOL I bought clear flip-top boxes at Wal-Mart and put each of my projects in their own box (something I have been wanting to do for a long time) – I still need to pick up a couple more the next time I am at the store… I bought all they had at the time. The closet looks much better!!!

Over the weekend I made blocks for the HGTV January block lottery. Those were so easy to make and in less than 30 minutes later, I had 9 completed and laid out on the floor!! Then looking back at the bed at all the left over pieces already cut, I thought I should make up a few more to use up these or else they will get tossed so after supper I came back upstairs and completed another 9 blocks! I took a photo – better get out your sunglasses b/c they are super bright! And the best part was – the 2.5 strips were already precut!!! I just went to my noodle stash and pulled some brights that we swapped one month last year! I never win the block lottos but they are a lot of fun to make - I don't participate every month but often.

Also Saturday night after Nora went to bed, I worked on finishing the blocks for Ms. Kole. I got 21 of the 24 completed before running out of fabric. I will have to contact her about getting just a few more 3.5” square pieces of the background fabric so I can finish up the last 3 blocks.

They are not perfectly squaring up which makes me frustrated. :P All the fabric was already precut when she gave it to me – which she thought she was doing me a favor but I would have rather done it myself as I have had to do Quarter Square Triangle blocks the old fashioned way using actual triangles – that were not cut the right size….I don’t like doing shotty work to give to someone else… but my friend’s mom will just be happy they are done and that she didn’t have to do them. It is the least I can do for her b/c she is so nice to do alternations for my husbands clothes.


Here is a photo of the first 16 blocks – wish I had remembered to take another photo of the 21 before packing them all up… I had them laid out together on the bed and boy wouldn’t they make a great quilt used all together! - however each of the 6 members of the small group will get 4 of 4 different blocks. I think these would look fantastic all set together in the same quilt don't you?? I almost don't want to give them away! LOL I just keep thinking, these women getting these probably don’t even own sewing machines, so what makes me think they will ever get used in any quilt…? Oh so sad – so sad!


Oh, and Sunday I also got a crib size UFO top pin basted and ready to hand quilt!!! This top was made way back in 1995 shortly after Momma Newt died. It is a really simple 4 patch pattern but it was at the beginning of my quilting career before I even knew what a rotary cutter was and used scissors to cut out each square. Needless to say I also didn’t know the importance of pressing seams either! The seams are going every which way!!! Hey it will never win a show and the workmanship is poor but it was one of the first I made (I think the 2nd) so it will be special to me. I think that is why it took me forever to even think about finishing it b/c of how bad it is… but with twins on the way and having only hand quilted one crib quilt that I finished back in 2004… this one will be another so that each twin can have one their “momma made”.



Here is a photo of the 1st ever hand quilted quilt I made - ugly colors don't ya think? But I couldn't give away my 1st hand quilted quit so I kept it.



Nora got to use the crib quilt that my mom and I made together when I was about 8 or 9 years old - so don’t think she is getting shorted ;c) In my opinion hers is the best of all because I cherish the memories of my mom and I making it together. It all started out as 5 four-patches left over from a project and mom was gonna make a small square quilt for a Barbie…. Then I suggested we make it bigger for my Cabbage Patch doll….. then after adding on to it…. I insisted we make it a little larger to be big enough for a “real” baby for one day. My mom was reluctant but she gave in and boy am I ever so greatful that she did b/c she died before 5 years before I became a mother.

I have visited many of your blogs this past week and should have made more comments but I didn't have the time to do so. I will make it back around to you soon. :c) Happy New Year everyone!!! ~Bonnie

Time for the Noodle Dance!

Nora is napping, so that means it is time for the Noodle Dance! I have been hosting the noodle swap from the HGTV forum since March of this year. Each month we have a different theme and the participation has been great!

These are the noodles we have swapped already:
Mar - Paisley Fabrics
Apr - Florals
May - Let's dance the Polka! Fabric with Polka Dots!
Jun - I'm proud to be an American! (Red, White & Blue)
Jul - The Heat is On ~ BRIGHTS! (this one was really fun!)
Aug - Autumn in the Air - fall colors
Sep - Pink

upcoming months:
Oct - Batiks - the largest participation last year
Nov - Christmas Fabrics - small scale prints only!
Dec - Gimmie Some Bling-Bling! - Fabrics with sparkle, metalic, or shimmery in them.

The colors/themes are determined by a poll that i put up so that everyone can vote - I use their requests as the choices adn the ones with the most votes win ;) Seems to be working great this year. Who knows what is in store for 2007 but this is a very fun swap and I have several regulars, with a few that come and go - playing on ly on the months they want. It works out great for everyone.

In months past I have tried to remember to get a photo of all the variety before I begin swapping them out but most times I forget and only end up with a picture of the noodles I get to keep.

However this time, I did good - before swapping, I was smart and picked up "one of everything" off the top of each stack on the bed and took to the sewing room so that I could take a photo of them.

I also posted these photo along with closeups to the participants on the HGTV board - I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the but if they begin posting their requests! I told them that this was not a noodle "menu" to order from, just a sneak peak while they wait.

I plan to get them all swapped tonight....if I am lucky I will take them to the Post Office tomorrow - if not they will mail out on Monday.

Once these are all bagged up, I can clear the bed and begin with my HUGE SWAP - the string squares! There are over 2000 of them!!!