Toy Project and Mrs. Claus

   Enjoy this slideshow of the toy makers from the Greenville Woodworkers Guild,  some of the donated animals and dolls, and of course the doll quilts.  You can probably figure out my favorites by the multiple views.

A heart stealer

   
 I have to say this little guy just stole my heart......Sir Old Man set him at the Featherweight with a quilt under the needle while we were taking photos.  Little pink nose, and ears with a long pink tail....so cute.   I think he wants to help Mrs. Claus and the Elves.
  Stay tuned....more photos to come!

500th Post

  Last night I  realized  that I was at my 500th post.   Milestone, don't you think?   I never really thought I would still be at this.  But I am, I love it, and I thank you all for reading and blogging along with me.  So, for all my followers,  here's a giveaway to celebrate.
    I am sending off  2 fat quarters--fall tones, one stiletto, an assortment of gift/care tags from PodBeLu, and Deana's adding a lavender sachet and discount for any purchase at PodBeLu on Etsy.  
    You must be a follower and be sure your email is linked so I can contact you.  Comment to enter....I will leave this open until Monday night, August 13, and announce the winner on Tuesday.

   I finally got the 3 quilts pinned....it took my 2 days to accomplish.  Still working on my stamina.  I hope to try quilting one with the walking foot and doing wavy lines this week.  I realize I am not up to FMQ a large one yet.  Soon.....I hope.

  Today I am playing with squares from Exuberant Color.   I purchased one of Wanda's bright colorwash packs---bottom squares in the photo, and I am adding to it from my stash.  Amazingly, I only had 3 of the fabrics that she had in the pack.  So I have lots of squares to cut for this one.  And then the fun play time can begin when I get to the design wall.
  Enjoy the weekend and happy stitching.

Catching up

    First, a big thank you to Faye, Mrs. Claus in MI, for sending 2 doll quilts for the Get Your Mrs. Claus On.  She is a member of the HGTV Message Board and wanted these included in the project this year.  So, Faye, thank you----I don't have your email for a personal note, so I hope this is okay.   I love the cheerful colors and know they will make  little girls  very happy.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus!
   

  It's time to vote on the Pets on Quilts show.....here's the post at Lilypad Quilting  with the details on the voting.   To view all the entrants go to this post to see them all.    There are about 150 entries, and Padsworth will be vote counting for a few days!  Take the time to view and vote for your favorites in their category.  Voting goes on thru Sunday.    And Lucy's nose photo is #21----just saying ;D

   Day 111----can you believe it?  I have survived and seeing much progress now.  I can lift the left arm up about 120 degrees.    That is just above my shoulder.  I am working hard to get to 150 degrees before Kati--the shoulder specialist therapist and doctor---returns in 10 days.   I want her to know that old ladies, who whine and cry and give her a hard time,  are really not that bad and do appreciate her patience and efforts.

    And today,  I am pinning.  I have 3 tops to get ready for quilting.   I am sure Deana will be sharing the bricks---or Kleenex box quilt as she calls it---with the furkins.  And that's fine with me.
Hope I have enough pins......
Happy stitching.
  

Foto Finish--water

  Topic is water this week for the Foto Finish.....well, it has been so hot, so humid  that I am dreaming of the coolness of some refreshing water.

The frozen kind!  This is a shot of the pondless waterfall out back in January of  2010.  The spray from the falls froze over the rocks creating very interesting bubbles and clusters.  And right about now, I would sure enjoy that kind of temperature.  

Linking to  Cat Patches for this weeks Foto finish.

Crafting mode and gold!

    I wanted a stiletto.....like the gal gave Bonnie Hunter---click here for the tutorial..  So following the advice of   the Impera Magna , I headed to Bed Bath and Beyond for turkey lacers.
  Sir Old Man had the honor of figuring out how to get the nice loop on the end.  I think he did a very fine job for me.  Then the fun began....playing with beads and glue.  While watching the Olympics last night, I put together different combos that I liked.
   And today I actually used one.  I like that the point is not too pointed---so I don't stab myself.  Remember this gal can be a big klutz!   It proved to be quite helpful feeding the pieces thru for stitching, and later holding down a few tiny pieces for fusing.  I didn't burn /scorch/ overheat my fingers today!

  And what was I fusing?  Cardinals of course.
The stiletto worked great for pulling up the thread for the appliqueing, and for holding down those tiny points that did not quite fuse tightly.  Both are small tasks I usually use my small scissors for.....now I can save them for the proper job.

    So in between  the gymnastic events on live feed today ----I finally got it to work!!--- I did all the stitching on the cardinals.  I think this one is quite handsome and he should also be wearing a gold medal!  Yea, Go USA!  I was very proud and happy for the Fab Five and Gabby and Ally.
   
  I'm donating the extra stilettos to my guild's boutique for sale at the fall show.  I have extra beads, and plan on making a few more when I pick up the lacers......just to share.  Soon.
Happy stitching.    

Pets on quilts

 
   I don't have grandkids.    I do have grandkitties and grandpups, or as my daughter calls them, the Furkins.  Each with a distinctive personality.
   I have been waiting  to share this one.  Logan, the big fur ball, snoozes on a quilt that is covering  Lucy, the hole digger.  Actually, there is an edge of another quilt under Logan's belly.   Nothing like hogging all the cover, is there?

















   Lucy finally came up for air here and got that quilt all to herself.
   Thanks, Deana, for sharing this moment with us.  I'm linking to Pets on Quilts  show.  There is sure to be a lot of cuteness shown.  Hop over and visit the entries.    
Enjoy!    Happy stitching.