Could it be? Yes, it is!

I actually got a little bit of sewing done! Ok, not much, but all considered I'm happy to get ANY done lately. It actually felt really good to hear that familiar old hum of my sewing machine. And I know she missed me too :cD Here is a picture of blocks 10 and 11 of amandajean's quilt along...

Also, remember all those little Ohio Stars? Well here is the end result (mind you its not quilted yet)...

Don't ask me why I've never made many little quilts. It is a nice change of pace to have an almost instant gratification project. This came together pretty quickly, and quilting it will be a breeze compared to the bed sized quilts I normally make. I guess I just automatically equate "quilt" and "bed covering". I think I'm going to be working on more little quilts for a while though. Two reasons...1. with all I have on my plate right now, the thought of a large quilt is rather overwhelming. Working on smaller ones will give me the opportunity to create quilts without feeling the "Well, here's another quilt for the UFO list" feeling. 2. You all know I am a scrap quilt freak, and I keep scraps that are smaller than most people would keep, and these little beauties will give me the chance to use up some itty-bitty little scraps. Happy happy happy :cD

I'm off to finish up a few more things before I have to go to work. At least I have a short shift, I could use the hours, but I think I could use the time off a little more. Anymore, as long as things go smooth I'm one happy mouse. I think if I get the chance I may actually get a little more sewing time in yet today. Aaaahhhh...sewing therapy...is there anything any better for relieving stress? Ok, maybe some retail therapy, maybe I can squeeze some of that in too ;cD Hope you all have a great Thursday. Warm country wishes!!

An unexpected absence

Hi to everyone out there in blog land. I have to apologize for my absence as of late. I will be completely honest and let you know that I have been dealing with some personal issues the last couple months, and haven't really been able to find time for a lot of things I would normally do in my spare time. So unfortunately that means not a lot of sewing to talk about. I have gotten one teddy bear done for a friend that has asked me to make some bears out of her late father's old sport coats, and since a post with no pictures can be boring, here is at least one. His head wasn't sewn on quite straight, and I thought about taking out the stitching and reattaching it, but decided against it in the end. I think his "not quite straight on" look gives him some charm. I am hoping to get at least one more done this week or so then I'll be evaluating the fabric left from the coats and maybe making one more after that. Everything you see was from part of the jacket, from the button eyes to the silky lining for the ears and pads of the feet to the felt nose.

I have been slowly but surely working on the quilt along...no I haven't forgotten about it. Just wish I had more time for it. I am actually going to go and work on it after I'm done blogging and surfing just a little bit. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share soon. Also to those who are doing the PIF exchange I haven't forgotten about you either. I have been able to work on your gifts and hope to have them done soon. I can never thank you enough for your patience with me.

As for my life in general, I've had quite a curve ball thrown my way. I really don't want to get into details but it is one of the toughest things I've ever had to deal with. Hopefully I will be able to look back at this time in my life and see the lessons I've learned, the strength I've gained and be able to use them in my future. I think things are starting to settle into some sort of "normal", so I hope I will be able to get back to some sewing, blogging and visiting my blogging friends more than I have been in the last month and a half. Please know that I am still lurking around and as soon as things settle down a bit more, I will be back and blogging like before. Warm country wishes y'all!

Block number 8 and a big beautiful stash buster :cD

Hi everyone! I am so excited to post some progress today. First I want to share my quilt along block number 8. It feels so good to be all caught up.





Now then, remember this one? Well this baby is all basted and ready to go. I got the backing pieced tonight, and I am one step closer to another finish. Yippee!!

Here is the front...





Here is the back...




I don't know exactly how much fabric I used up from my stash, but I do know that the entire quilt is made from what I had on hand here at the house. Well, except for the batting, I had to go buy that. I have been on a big 'use up what I have already' kick lately. Even more so than when I started blogging in January. We have been having some personal issues here and finances are a bit tight right now so I am doing my best to curb my spending. I figure I have enough finished tops and fabric in the house right now I should be able to keep busy for a while, and save my money for a big shop hop coming up in late October and early November ;cD (and one of these days I'll figure out how to take better pictures)

We never did get to the movies earlier this week, so I guess we'll have to rent Alvin and the Chipmunks. We did, however, get to go out to Chuck E. Cheese tonight. Mouseling number 2 has been asking to go since her older brother got to go with his classmates as an end of the year field trip. We had sooooo much fun!! The mouselings had a blast riding the little rides and playing the games. We are saving the tickets they won so they can add them to the ones they win on the next visit. I really have to remember to carry a camera with me, because I wish I had some pictures to share. I'll make sure to toss it in my purse next time.

Well, I have to work a big 'ol double tomorrow at work, so I am thankful to have gotten to have some fun today. Hope you all did too. Until next time, warm country wishes :cD

Tell me again what month this is?

Hi everyone. I just couldn't help but ask that question. Here it is the middle of June, and the temperature this morning when I woke up was 47 degrees!! Yup 47!! Now I have to admit that I am a cooler weather person. I love the spring and fall seasons, but really now, this is darn cold for what is supposed to be early summer. At this rate we will be able to get out to go swimming in December! Seriously though, I do hope it warms up. Its hard to want to get out and play when the weather is just cold and gray. On the other hand it is rather conducive to quilting ;cD Speaking of which, I did get block 7 of amandajean's quilt along done the other day.

Here is a picture of the blocks I have done

I'm really happy with how they are coming along so far. I think I want to make sure I use more of the green in a few more of the remaining blocks as well as the striped fabric. Now I am starting to consider how I want to handle the setting blocks. I would love to use the fabrics from the bundle, but I'm wondering how controlled scrappy would look. Maybe I'll make a block up to see how it looks. I do need to get out and get more of the background fabric to make sure I have enough. I've also been working on my Pay it Forward gifts. Hopefully I will get them done by the end of July, I am really excited about what I came up with and can't wait to pass them along :cD

Well, its been hectic at work. Once school is out business always picks up, pair that with losing 3 kitchen employees in a week and a half and you can guess why I haven't been able to get done all I have been hoping to. I am so looking forward to my day off on Saturday. Gonna try to have a true Country Mouse kind of day. Some sewing, some baking, and some fresh air will do me a world of good I'm sure. I think I may indulge in a little 'retail therapy' too and do a little fabric shopping as well :cD Hopefully I will have a lot of progress to report. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Warm country wishes all!!

P.S. Though it might be fun to change my template. I'm gonna play around and see what else I can do. I would love to customize mine like some of the other great blogs I've seen :cD

So what am I working on?

Hi everyone, I just wanted to pop in and let you all see what I've been up to. Not a whole lot really, but I have gotten some sewing done today. Wanna peek? Here you go...

Wow! Ummm, ignore the shape of that pressing board :cS Hey at least I can say it's a well loved piece of quilting equipment :cD Life is just still so crazy right now, I haven't got a lot of sewing time. But even just a little makes me feel so much better. Also got to do a little sewing on my Cathedral Windows the other day. I need to update the picture at the bottom of the page here. I am hoping to get block 7 of amandajean's quilt along quilt done yet tonight.

The mouselings are out of school and we are enjoying the sleeping in! Got to take them to their first real movie in a theater. A local theater is doing a kids summer movie fest that is free on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We went and saw Bee Movie this past Thursday and it was lots of fun. Mouseling 1 got a little restless part way through, mouseling 2 was absolutely mesmerized by the huge screen and sat on my lap the whole time. I think we are going to go this week too to see Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Spent most of the day cleaning...a normal Monday for our house, but did get out to enjoy the weather. We had some storms roll through last night that brought us a nice, cool, NOT humid day today. Hope we have more of the same tomorrow. Well, I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to check in. Hope to have more to share next time. Til then, warm country wishes!!

Summer already?

Where did the school year go? I can't believe this is the last day of school before summer vacation!!! I have to admit I will miss the 'me' time I had when both mouselings were at school, but I am looking forward to a fun summer...not to mention sleeping in :cD Time goes so fast!!!

I am excited to announce that I do officially have a UFO coming of the 'to do' list. This quilt was a round robin that I participated in a couple years ago. I designed and pieced/appliqued the center square then sent it on with the instructions that I just wanted anything spring-y, be it block patterns, colors, etc. I finally got around to machine quilting it and I just finished hand stitching down the binding yesterday. The piecing is not perfect, but I still love it. The colors are so bright and cheery. I think we are going to use it as a 'porch quilt'. We have a swing on our front porch and I thought this would be an nice quilt to use outside on those cool nights when you want just a little something to cover up with, or to add some softness to the swing itself.

I also wanted to share a picture of my quilt along block number 6. I can't believe that I am actually up to date on these blocks. Now I just have to catch up on some other stuff...a quilt top for a swap, machine quilting 2 tops that are ready to go. Then of course there is the other boring stuff, you know that house work stuff. Actually, its not that bad. My house is never going to be perfect, but I do love the sense of accomplishment that comes from walking through the house and seeing the beds made (covered with quilts, of course), the floors vacuumed, the dishes done. *contented sigh* Ok, maybe secretly I kind of enjoy housework, but let's keep that our little secret ;cD

I have also finally decided what I am going to do for the pay it forward exchange. Well, at least part of it. If anyone wants in I have one more spot available. Right now I have Purple and Paisley, and Sara that have signed up to play so if you would like to join in please let me know.

Well, its been a couple days with very little sleep for me so I am going to try to take a power nap and get some things accomplished before the day slips away from me. Hope you all have a wonderful day! Warm country wishes all!!

Hi. My name is Country Mouse, and I can't read...

Or I can't write, one or the other. Let me explain. I am doing the quilt along with amandajean at Crazy Mom Quits. I wrote down the instructions for block number 5. I was all excited to give it a try. Its a bit complicated, but I love complex blocks. (I did one for my BOM 2006 that had 96 pieces in a 12 inch block...yes you read that right!) So I went about cutting the pieces, laying them out on my portable pressing surface by my sewing machine and got to sewing. Everything seemed to be going fine, but I noticed that I had HUGE seam allowances on my flying geese units. Like almost a half inch as opposed to the quarter inch you are supposed to have. I thought to myself "Well, maybe my sewing is off a bit, so I'll just keep going." I got the block about 1/2 way put together when I started to realize "This just doesn't seem quite right." So I took the block apart and trimmed my blocks to give them the quarter inch seam allowance I thought they should have, all the while thinking the worst case scenario was I would have to completely re-do the block. After trimming all the units, back to the sewing machine I went and got to sewing. The result...

Ok, don't ask me why that loaded in here sideways, but you get the idea, everything came out just the way it was supposed to! So then I started to wonder. I knew I had my hand written instructions somewhere, did I write the wrong measurements or was there a typo in the instructions? Well, I checked amandajean's instructions and lo and behold I wrote the instructions down wrong. What a goof I am!! Guess the stress is getting to me :cD So anyway after taking the long way around to make this block, I double checked the measurements for block 6, and now it is ready to be sewn. I will say this, though, because I had to trim I had perfect quarter inch seams and my points on this block are better than I could have hoped :cD guess there is a bright side to everything, right?

I'm off to try to get block 6 done. I'm really enjoying this quilt along as well as blog hopping and seeing all the different color combinations that everyone is choosing. Not that I needed to add another UFO to the list, but I couldn't resist a star quilt ;cD Oh, and with any luck the next time I post I'll be able to move one of those UFO from the "to do" list to the "done" list AND have a couple pictures to share. Til then warm country wishes to all!!