Just Had to do it!

Just had to do it!

I have been MIA for a couple of months due to some serious surgery, and am finally getting some of my energy back....yippee!!  Thanks to all of my wonderful friends who sent me cards, FQ's, emails, texts & well wishes.  It really did help me to know you cared.

So....that said... and today being National Quilting Day I just had to come on here and wish everyone a Happy sewing/quilting day. 

Here's what I'm doing today.............

I'm sewing some batik fabrics into vertical rows and making a Chinese Coin Quilt....easy and fun!  I don't know how long my energy will last or if I'll get it finished today.......but I'm sewing!  Yippee!

What are you doing today in honor of National Quilting Day?

Thanks for visiting!

Love is in the Air!

and not because Valentine's Day is coming......

I've wanted a tablet for about a year now, and thought I'd wait to see the new Surface by Microsoft 'cause it looks so light and the "click on" keyboard really appealed to me.  So, I started doing research on tablets a couple months ago and passed on the Surface RT, went to the Surface Pro, but found out it was way TOO COSTLY for my budget.

So, I continued with my research, including the Ipad,  and chose the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with 32GB and got it last Friday! 

I'm in love with my new toys and notice the word toys is plural.....lol  You can't just have one piece of Lego...can you?

(sorry...the picture's a bit blurry, and didn't take the time to take it again.)
Got the leather case bluetooth keyboard too.

Also got a Portable 1TB external hard drive for my pc, another SD card, but didn't take pictures of those and haven't played with either of them....yet!

Here's the case/keyboard folded up......not bad!

So, yesterday I decided I wanted the 2nd cover  without the keyboard to put it in my purse on the go, so went and bought this one.  Costly at $60, but thought it would be fine.  NOT!  I worked for about 1/2 hour to fit my tablet in it....and just not going to work, so have to take it back.......drats!  Eventually, I'll find exactly what I want.   (It did say it would fit my Sansung Note 10.1 on the box.)

I hope I can stop playing with my new toys long enough to do some sewing/quilting.   Maybe I'll have to limit myself to playing during my break times and not take my tablet into the sewing room. 

What do you think?



Thanks for visiting.

Trying to Clean Up Messes

The New Year and January always brings with it many goals and so many things I want to do.  What about you?

Messes!  especially messes in my sewing room!   Arrrrrgh!

There was really no way I could start or finish up any of my sewing/quilting projects until I tackled this mess.

So, while my expert computer guy was cleaning up and fixing my computer remotely, I jumped in with both feet......and hands.  I kept my cell phone on alert for text messages from him on what he needed from me and what to do on my end for the computer fixing.   Good News!   My computer is running like new again.  (If you want to know more about fixing your computer like this, just contact me.)

Okay....back to my messes.  I sorted, sorted, and sorted....pressed...sorted some more..........threw away (Yes, I know.....that's unheard of with being a quilter

 but I'm talking snips, threads, unuseable scraps).

 

There was no way all the scraps for my 2 1/2" squares bin were going to fit in this bin.

So.....dug around in that scrap bin......and

sorted out the squares, and those that weren't wide enough I made a pile for the string/strip quilt box.  (that's the strips you see in the forefront of the picture.)  

I'm not finished yet.......but it's a start and now I can see my cutting table again.

What do you do with all of your scraps?



Thanks for visiting.  Stay tuned by subscribing ......just sign up on the RH sidebar of this page.



(I linked up with Quiltsy W.I.P. for this post...go visit  them for some
fun "works in progress.)

Christmas with my Red Hat Sisters!

First of all......

Happy New Year to Everyone!
Whew! I got that over!  NO, I'm not going to talk about my plans for 2013, nor about New Year's Resolutions. 

I promised my Red Hat sisters that I would blog and share about our Christmas party.....so have to keep my promise to them.

Our Chapter of The Red Hat Society is called Rubies and Garnets and is one of the first chapters formed in San Antonio, Texas.  I've been a member for many years.

We meet on a monthly basis and go to different restaurants in and around the San Antonio, Texas area.  We are a noisy bunch...laughing, and talking so much that when it's time for our Queen to make some announcements or for a prize drawing...there's a china bell one of her helpers rings to quiet us down.....(ahem!)...politely.   

We have been going to the Fair Oaks Ranch Country Club for our Christmas celebration for several years now and boy oh boy...do they ever deck this place out for Christmas!  Everywhere you go there's Christmas trees, poinsettias, garlands, displays.

This is one of the many entryways and it leads to our banquet room.

One of the many displays!

Another Display.

 

One of the many Christmas trees ...each one decorated differently.

The tables in our banquet room.

The Chandelier in our "party" room.

All decked out in our Red & Purple...waiting for everyone to arrive!

The table and Red Hat sisters where I sat.

All of these Red Hat sisters belong to our Quilt Bee too!  There were several of our "group" that couldn't make it this year...waaaa!  (that's me on the RH side)

Okay...I've fulfilled my promise to them......

Time for other things; like sewing, quilting, & giveaways.....stay tuned!  Be sure to subscribe to my blog (RH sidebar) 'cause I promise some fun things and wonderful surprises this year........AND..... I always keep my promises.

Thanks for visiting!



Are You Sure It's December?

Do ya'll remember the commercial with the old lady saying......"Where's the Beef"?  Well, I'm saying............where's Winter in Southern Texas? 

Are you sure it's December?    Here's what I saw in front of my house yesterday.

We've had such warm days in San Antonio that some of the trees are late in changing colors and dropping their leaves.

Here's a couple trees that still have lots of leaves on them....

Are you sure it's Winter? 

I was looking for some Poinsettias...........but found these instead.

I really do miss the cooler days.......crisp temperatures........and snowy days this time of year.   I'd love to build a snowman!   But, don't be too concerned.  I get over it quickly when I start to see pictures of buried cars in the snow, kids dressed like the Michelin tire guy, and snow shovels, everyone wearing stocking hats and heavy scarves around their necks..... on tv and the internet.    I'll be smiling then, as I go outside in my shorts & t-shirt.    

Sigh.............


Thanks for visiting.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Read All About It!

What picture comes to your mind when you think of quilters?    Do you see the big oak tree with several ladies sitting under its shade, a pitcher of lemonade on a table close by...all working on a patchwork quilt...sewing each stitch by hand...sharing all the "newsy gossip"???

This "picture" of quilters from years gone by is similar to our current quilt bees and quilt guilds of today.  Now, we  have "cyber quilt bees" on the internet.  We share everything we do; our quilts (naturally), but ........also our ideas, questions, sewing tips, our patterns, our fabrics, and our  lives, news of our families, pets, areas where we live, our joys, our sorrows......etc. 

I belong to a wonderful "cyber quilt bee" through my Etsy Shop and the team on Etsy....called Quiltsy.  (See the Quiltsy badge on my RH sidebar)  Besides sharing all the things above, we help each other with our Etsy Shops to increase our sales.    Everyday most of us visit our chat discussion on the team for our "social quilt bee" online.  We even have our own Quiltsy Team Blog. so we can share our projects, patterns, and items for sale in our Quiltsy Team Shop.    I invite you to become a follower of the Quiltsy Team Blog.

One of our Quiltsy Team members Karen Jones (aka Tessie Textile)  created an "electronic" quilting newspaper called World Of Quilts Daily.   It's sew fun to get this electronic newspaper totally devoted to quilting. 

Today's issue includes a few of my most recent quilted items, so naturally I want to share it.....  (remember....I'm a quilter...and we share!)  LOL  I hope you enjoy reading all about it!   You can subscribe to it too...upper RH corner.

http://paper.li/tessietextile/1350845054?utm_source=subscription&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=paper_sub#

What kind of quilt group do you belong to?


Thanks for visiting.

I linked up this post to Quiltsy's W.I.P. Wednesday post.
 

Snowing in San Antonio, Tx

No, it's not really snowing in San Antonio..........but I can dream, can't I?

Living here is wonderful in the wintertime, but my heart always longs for the glistening sparkling crystals on fresh snow.

So it is that I'm always  looking for Christmas prints that have snowmen on them, or snowflakes, with glitter resembling the glistening sparkles.  Here's the post where I first showed you this fabric.   
I  also found the perfect white tonal with circles on it that look like snowballs.........where?....... in my stash.....amazing!  When I make a "find" in my stash of something that is just what I need, I get so excited.  Sure does justify having a HUGE STASH, doesn't it?     Here's a  couple pictures of what I made. 

Table Runner 21" x 41"

Here's the back of it.....simple wavy lines, along with stitch in the ditch... for the quilting.

6 Mug Rugs/Candle Mats 9"x9"

And the backs........with the blue plain matching the  scarves color on the snowmen!   Another stash find......ta da!

The Table Runner and mats are available for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Thanks for visiting! 

Just Had To!

I love snowmen and always look forward to seeing the new Christmas prints in the fabric stores with fat, happy snowmen all over them.  I don't know why, but maybe growing up in Colorado and playing in the snow has something to do with it.

Just had to buy these fabrics the other day.  Yes, I just had to!  Did I need them?  Golly no, not really.  Did I want them?  Well, sure!  Did I need more Christmas Winter type fabrics?  Definitely not!  BUT....... I just had to.........had to buy them!   Does that sound like you too?

Besides, the snowflakes blue fabric has metallic silver, and the snowmen have sparkly glitter all over them.   Just like fresh snow with the moon shining on it....all sparkly and silver!  So...'Just Had to'.......

Made a few blocks....not very big!  Don't know yet, if they'll end up as mug rugs, pot holders or in a table runner......but 'Just Had to' sew!  Just had to! 

Today I'm going to finish up a table runner I started with the snowman fabric, and hope to get a couple more Christmas things going.  I've got to start sewing on some Christmas things for my family. 

Oh..BTW..I hope you noticed the new AccuQuilt button on my RH sidebar.  Did you?  Just click on it to GO see the sale deals  from AccuQuilt....you won't want to miss this one.

Thanks for visiting!

Busy Times!

I've been a little busier than normal since Thanksgiving, and I'm sorry for not posting. 

My oldest sister had total hip replacement surgery yesterday, so was playing chauffeur for her the last week or so to all the Pre-Op appointments, errands, groceries, etc.  She is in horrendous pain, but surgery went well.m  Now comes the physical therapy for her...learning to walk with a new hip.  Medicine Miracles.....and I  told her she would now be a 'bionic Gramma'.  lol

Since I don't like posts without pictures, I'll show you a raggy embroidered Christmas jean bag I made myself a few years ago......fun project! 

Other Side

This was a "fringe" embroidery design and after the gold ribbon was stitched, then I cut the threads down the middle to it would "fringe".

I hope everyone is enjoying all the hustle, bustle, shopping, & baking stuff during this glorious season!

I haven't forgotten about doing my BIG surprise Giveaway......so make sure you stay tuned by subscribing to my posts.   (scroll down..look on the RH sidebar)

What have you been doing?

Thanks for visiting.



(I'm linking today with my Quiltsy Team Blog #38)



Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! 

Today is a day to reflect, be thankful, enjoy family and friends and eat like there's no tomorrow! 

I'm thankful for so many things.....but #1 this year......

I'm thankful to be an American and to have

our freedoms...thanks to our Military.

and #2....

I'm thankful for my hands......

I hope you are all are enjoying your day and take a minute to think about 2 things you are thankful for.  What are they?

Judy

 

Are You an Early Shopper?

I don't know if this turkey is saying "Hi" or waving goodbye........

Are You an Early Shopper??

It seems lots of stores, businesses, and online shopping places are in a hurry for your Christmas shopping dollars this year and offering early shopper sales.

Last week I started grumbling bah-hum-bug about it and then realized  ..."hey, wait a minute....I've got an online Etsy shop, I'll do the same thing".  Soooooooooooooo......

Starting today through Cyber Monday (11/26/12) at midnight, I am offering an early shopper discount for all my customers  - 12% off everything in My Etsy Shop.  Why 12% ??  well, it's 2012, isn't it?   Why not?   After you are finished shopping at SEWFUNQUILTS and ready to check out, just use ....

the Coupon Code  EARLYSHOPPER12    in the box provided.  Your order total before shipping will be adjusted to show the discount.   Be sure and tell your family and friends about my early shopper discount.....but Hurry!  It's only for one week! 


Want some more good news for early shoppers??

As most of you know, I have an AccuQuilt GO cutter and really love it!  It is so easy to use and such a time saver for me.   The jelly rolls I sell in My Etsy Shop are all cut on my GO!  with precision,  accuracy, and are straight perfect fabric strips ready for your quilt projects.



Click on the new AccuQuilt badge box on the RH sidebar of this page to see some more great early shopper deals.   You know you want an Accuquilt GO cutter and some cute applique dies, so give yourself an early Christmas present!   AND ...you can get it in time to make a few Christmas presents for friends and family! 

Now, how sweet is that?  Have fun!



Thanks for visiting!

Giveaway Winner and a Little Shopping!

Before we get to the winners of my latest Giveaway, let's talk about shopping. 

Do you like to shop?  Well.....I don't!  I'm not your typical shopper and actually don't like it at all;  it's tiring, it's time consuming, it takes me away from my sewing, and it's costly!

I stopped drinking coffee in the mornings about two years ago and switched to English Breakfast black tea.  It still gives me a little "caffeine push", but yet doesn't bother my tummy.   But, oh......the smell of fresh brewed coffee is just heavenly and once in a while I just have to have a cup.  It's a nice pick me up about 3pm in the afternoon.

Now that the days are cooler here in Texas, I'm finding I want hot coffee again; not the iced coffees I was drinking this past summer.   So, I went and bought this........

This is the small one...single cup at a time, 3 different sizes...and doesn't take up much counter space.

Of course, besides the sampler pack of coffee flavor pods that came with it, I had to buy more so I would have some of my favorites.   I bought French Vanilla Cappucino, Newman's Decaf, and naturally...my English Breakfast Black tea.

 So fast & easy......and no messy coffee filters, or stained glass decanter to clean...I love it and so glad I went shopping! 

Do you have one?  What's your fav flavor?

Okay...you've been patient enough, so time to announce our winners.  Congratulations to the winners.

The Christmas Quilt kit:  #3 Teachpany

One Christmas Fabric Squares set: #36 Shannon Muree

Another Fabric Squares set:  #8 Debbie Weishaar

Please contact me with your addresses.

If you're not a follower, I invite you to subscribe to receive my posts.....'cause there's another big giveaway in the works.  hint...hint...Have you heard about the Traveling Stash Suitcase?? 

Thanks for visiting.

Some Fun Inspiration!

This book looks like fun if you love Charm Packs.  Who doesn't?

It's called 3 Times the Charm! by Me and My Sister Designs, published by Leisure Arts Publications. 

It's all about some new quick and easy projects using charm squares.   I wonder if some of my Colorway Fabric Squares in my Etsy Shop, along with some Kona white cotton would do the trick??

If you have some bright scraps laying around....here's a good idea.

or ..another fast and easy way to sew up some of those scraps that are piling up.

or for me.....some of the many 30's Reproduction Prints I have in my stash closet.

I don't know yet what I'll end up sewing together, but it's always fun to buy another book for some quick inspiration!

Do you buy books for making specific projects or just 'cause you like the pictures?


Thanks for visiting.

Lesson Learned ....Again!

If you're a regular following of my blog, you probably saw my post here about Vesuvius Mama's Blog (Erin) and the fact that she is coordinating a block project, along with her quilt guild for the Sandy Hurricane Victims!  I shared Erin's blog post with several friends, and posted it on facebook.  

Here's the blocks I'm sending to her today:

The fabrics for these do not show good contrast, but I was in a hurry to make some, so I opened up my fabric closet and grabbed these two fabrics.   There's 6 of them.  Lesson learned here.......contrast is better!

 These bright pretty blocks were made by a friend of mine in our quilt bee.  The design of the Disappearing 4 Patch block shows up so well with her choice of fabrics.

It's still not too late to make some blocks and mail them.  Here's the info from Erin.  on the instructions, size, etc. 

If you want to keep up with how many blocks and how many quilts are being donated, check here.


P.S.  Only one more day to enter for my Giveaway...


Thanks for visiting!

A Little Saturday Fun! and a Giveaway!

My gosh...the days just whizz by for me, and it's been a busy week and just going to get busier the closer we get to Christmas.  Are you getting ready?  Well...maybe I can help you with this new giveaway today....keep reading. 

I was checking my email this morning and went to Sew Cal Gal's Blog and saw that I was the winner from her Friday fun giveaway!  Yay! I won a Beam and Read light. 

I have wanted one of these ever since I first saw them.  Yippee!  I can hardly wait to get it!  Thanks Sew Cal Gal and  Beam and Read!


It's time for me to do a Giveaway too!  Remember??   I promised, and I'm a gal who keeps her promises!  Christmas is a comin' whether we want it to or not, so thought it would be the perfect time  to give away one of my Christmas Bits & Pieces Quilt Kits and some Christmas Quilt Squares from My Etsy Shop.

There will be 3  lucky winners;


1 Lucky winner of the Pre-Cut Christmas Quilt Kit from my shop.




        
You can read more about this kit here.
 

and 2 Lucky Winners of Christmas Prints 5" charm sets from my shop.



This giveaway will end at midnight, November 17th....one whole week!  3 winners will be picked at random by my random generator....my sister in Wy so I have another excuse to call her.  We talk everyday, so I really don't need an excuse...but just thought I'd say that. 

1.  For one entry:  Just leave a comment here and if you do not have a blog, please leave your email address so I have a way of contacting you if you win. 

2.  For another entry:  Go to Facebook, and post about this Giveaway, (or just do a copy/paste of this blog post) then come back here and leave another comment telling me you did this.

3.  For another entry:  Go to Twitter, leave a tweet telling about this giveaway (or just do a copy/paste of this blog post) and make sure you put @sewfunquilts in it so I can verify your tweet.
Then come back here and leave a comment saying you did this. 



Good luck!

and thanks for visiting!

Did you vote today?

Lots of Flag Waving today!

Today is the BIG Presidential Election voting day and everywhere you go and everywhere you look, someone is talking about the candidates and voting in this election; with all of us anxiously waiting for the results tonight.  In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share something lighter.

A quilting friend of mine on our Quiltsy Team on Etsy has a little newspaper called "World of Quilts Daily", and today's issue features one of my new Cosmetic Bags.......and

Vote for Santa Treasury....so cute, you gotta go see this.

http://paper.li/tessietextile/1350845054?utm_source=subscription&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=paper_sub#

If you are a Quilter on Etsy and interested in more information about our team, just click here.

It is such a privilege to be born in America and have our freedoms men and women have died for......... especially the freedom and right to vote.  I am thankful!

Did you vote?


Thanks for visiting.