Give aways are soo much fun!!

I'm so excited!!! We are up north in our little book store, and I could not wait till we got home (tomorrow) to pick the winners of the little Granny bags...Mr. Wonderful waited patiently as I wrote the names down, ripped the paper in strips, and he pulled two names....


And the winners are...

Jeanne and Norma, so, girls, send your address and I will be sure to get it out by Wednesday!

hope you all have a baggy day!!!!
lyn

I missed the big one!

Jeanne, at luv2stitch is having a giveaway for her 200th post! She is soooo talented, that I would LOVE to win anything from her blog, but after I left a comment, I wondered how many posts I had...am I the only one who forgets to look at the number? so, I checked it out, and would you beleive it, I missed my 50th!

Is that time for celebrating? I"m in my 50's all over the place, no matter how you look at it, I think that is a good time to celebrate!! So, I have a couple of Granny Bags, shall we share those? Why not!!!!
So, there's no "rules" just a give away!
Leave a comment, and I'll pick two names,,,just leave me an e-mail address if you don't have a blog. How about Monday? is that long enough? OK, Monday it is!

How else could I thank all you wonderful women for making me feel so at home in this vast world of bloggerville.
Thanks, to all of you!
lyn

A stitch in time...

Granny and Papa have had the blessing of the two oldest girls the last month or so, and Granny has had enough children to know that a busy child is a happy child... So, we do a lot of crafts at Granny and Papa's house. The three oldest grandchildren are boys, and when they were younger, I taught them how to stitch, too. Now, they are teens, and do not want to be reminded how much they LOVED to stitch!!! But the girls will carry this love all they way through life!! (that is Granny's wish!) So, we drew our pictures,
Then we taped them to the window, and it did not matter to Liberty that hers was up-side-down, but Elly would have had conniptions if hers was taped wrong. We traced our pictures, and we were soooooo happy!
No peeking,,,,you have to wait!!!
Our fingers were so nimble, our needles flew!
Have you ever seen such concentration???

Our work in progress...now all Granny has to do is figure out how we want to finish them, and we'll let you see the end result when we're done...

Hope all your needles are flying, too!

lyn

Ti-i-i-ime is not on my side...

OK, girls, beat me now and get it over with, I am not a good blogger, I have missed you all, and do I get an extra 100 points for blogging BEFORE I read my 212 e-mails???

I have finished the benefit quilt, (good thing, since it is only a week away) it is all quilted, washed and we are guarding it from dog hair the best we can!!

The girls have been here a lot, and entertaining them has been a treat. We painted, cut, stitched, and colored. We found the perfect letters at a yard sale, an E for Elly...and an L for Liberty, they must have known I was coming??? could it be more perfect??? And after school started, Papa and Granny had some wonderful free time up at our trailer. (sigh) it is sooo peaceful up there.

On Finn's blog, I pledged to finish 5 projects by the end of the year, EEEEK!!

I have the Benefit (leaders and enders, which is DONE!!!) the African Star, (which is still in strips) the yellow wondow pane (which needs to be taken apart and re-aligned) the Project Linus, (Liberty and I are working on, and she is THRILLED) and I have a Marine Corps one to do for Mr. Wonderful, (just a lap quilt, I cheated and bought some panels)

The only problem is,,,I have been stitching more than I have been quilting, so I better "get to gettin" here because time slips by fast in this house!

hope you all are passing time happily

lyn

Fabric Inspirations

Anybody else falling in love this summer? I found this fabric in an "End-of-the-bolt-get-rid-of-it" bin at Hobby Lobby. It was over four and a half yards of 54", and regularly priced at $24.97 yd. I paid $13 for the whole shot.
(pardon me while I wipe the drool off my chin) Now, the dilemma was...what could I do with this fabric? I could just throw it on the bed and roll around on it, (it has SUCH good "hand") or I could dress a couple granddaughters in it, or I could just let it stew in the sewing closet (which it has been doing for a while, now)

Oh, girls, just look at this fabric! How can you NOT do Something with it!! So, I decided to let the fabric be the boss, and just window pane it. I have some coral colored flannel for the backing, and I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting with the bigger stitches and thread just around the flowers. When I was pregnant, 34 years ago, a friend of mine made a Bambi quilt for me, and she quilted just around the animals. That quilt was a favorite in this house for a long time, and I would take a picture of it, but it is on one of the grandbabies beds at their home. But, it seems to me that the quilting brought out the animals in the print, so, whattya think? Is it hard? Do you think I can handle it? I can always try it and if it really looks crappy, I can hide it in the kid's room.

But that is going to have to wait, along with the scrappy benefit quilt, because we're going to New York for 5 (or maybe 6) days to visit family. Not the city, this time, but upper state, Watertown, where my Mr. Wonderful grew up. I am going to enjoy this trip sooooo much! I have the most wonderful SIL's and the brothers are great, too, I can't wait!! We are packing today, and I have packed some stitching, some crocheting, and I"m off to the Library. Can't go away without a few books!

Have a great weekend, ladies, and I hope all your fabrics give you some inspiration!

lyn

Ol' Bessie is humming a happy tune!

I have struggled to get to my machine for a while, now. I spent time with the grandbabies, went on summer jaunts with Mr. Wonderful, did a lot of fartin' around in the yard, and the beach is always calling my name. So the lack of gumption in the sewing department was not bothering me too much, my African Star was whispering to me, and I found a beautiful yellow flowered fabric that has been nicely asking to be cut into, but nothing was screaming at me.

Then I heard of a friend who is planning a benefit, soooooo,,,what more motive could you ask for? I could cook,,,,naw.... I could sing,,,,,gawd no,,,, how about a good Irish jig?
Wait just a dog-gone minute.....I have TONS of leaders and enders (4-patches) to be used! Those darn ol' things have been bugging me lately. I even had them sorted (kinda sorta) in bunches... so I was half way there!!! Put them in a block,
put some blocks together,
figure out some sashing,
and in a day, you have a scrappy little flimsy. This one has 12" blocks, 2" sashing, and measures 58"x72" and I'm thinking it needs a green border, whaddya think? So far, all I've used is scraps, so if I buy a few yards of green, no big deal. And I won't have to do an Irish jig after all!!

The bonus is...Bessie is running again, and she has a smile on her face. You know how she loves a good benefit!
So, we're off to the LQS around the corner, anybody need anything while I'm there?

Hope all your Bessies are Happy Bessies!
lyn

I got nuthin'

In the middle of summer fun, yard work, and kids off from school, I have been sooooo lazy. Not one stitch has been put in anything quilty!!! I made a few little girl's sundresses but that about covers the stitches in Granny's house this summer. I am hoping for some inspiration!!! Any body have any on hand to spare??? But I think I'm not the only one, as the summer gets busy and the yard work is plenty, I don't know about you, but I get pooped by the end of the day!

Mr. Wonderful went on a three day writer's conference in Indiana, and that left DD#3 and I to fend for ourselves,,,you all know what that means...........FAST FOOD!!!! Mr. Wonderful is such a wonderful chef, and he is basically a healthy chef, with his diabetes and all, and he really likes that "every-day-a-different-dish" thing. I, on the other hand, am a good cook as long as it is for something special, and I have specialties, (I have to admit that my fried chicken cannot be beat). So, while he was away, we hit the chinese buffet, the pizza parlor, and you guessed it, Mickey D's was calling our names!! All of those things are a rarity around here, if we have fast food, it is Subway. Now, I'm not knocking Subway, I love it, and it really is healthier,,,,,but girls, a Big Mac once in a while, mmmmm....can you hear my fat cells giggling? Let;s change the subject, I"m getting hungry!!





The beaches here are so perfect this time of year, we have sugar-sand beaches, and the sun sets over Lake Michigan with reds, purples, and oranges and makes the "evening times of life" absolutely gorgeous!!!


When the kids were younger, we co-owned a hang glider and would spend all day at the beach with friends and family. The guys would glide off the dunes over the water, and the women would watch the younger ones in the water, and pass out PB&J's and rinse off sandy little paddies.


Oh, for the days gone by, right? If you look close, to the left of the seagull, you can almost see Finn's house. These pictures were taken by my DD#2, she and a friend came to spend the weekend a little while back and the weather was not perfect for the beach, but they went anyway, away from the tourist beaches, and they had a great time.

So, that is all I have, just some summer thoughts and some dirty fingernails from weeding the tomatoes.

Hope your summers are just as "beachy"

lyn

I'm Honored

I have been honored with an award from Norma. It is not just the usual "I think you're great" award, because Norma is not the usual "I think you're great" blogger. Any of you who know her will agree, she has a rare heart, and she has touched me and welcomed me into her circle. So, I accept this award, and now it is with great honor, I will present it to five others who have touched my heart. This sounds so easy, just to run down the list of your "buddies" and pick a couple.

But then you have to pause, and remember each one of these people have shared a piece of their lives with us. They lay their heart out for all to read, and they lay their loves on the pages of these blogs hoping you will love them, too. This picture (above) reminds me of our friends on the blogs, one heart strung to the next,,,, you don't just find a friend, you are linked to all of her friends, too. Prairie Sisters. Teaching, learning, sharing, comforting, keeping each other company, and daring to shed a tear now and then with them. We are a lot like the women of long ago, bonding through a love of fabrics, threads, colors, and giggles, as they gathered to quilt.
When you (with beating heart and worried brow) log your first post, it is so scary. Will anybody be interested? Will anybody care? Will anybody read? Am I smart/witty/interesting/likable enough to find a reader who will be my friend? You shine your light off the bow, and wonder if there is another ship out there who will shine theirs back. And hope for a good wind to fill your sails.
Even if you're not the largest sail, somebody is out there! They see your signals, and understand your rigging, and ride the same waves. And,,,they leave a comment! God Bless the first person who left you a comment!!! And then they came back to see you another time! And you know that what ever you blog about, there will be a passing from that other boat, which keeps you blogging on. Before you know it, you are in a fleet, sharing the winds with so many others.
And you find kindred spirits, both sunning on the same rock. No matter what color, creed, or craze, we're all on the same rock, sharing the same sun. Swimming in the same murky waters.

So, my task is to share this award with five other bloggers. Wow, easy and hard at the same time, easy because the names burst out at me, but hard, because how do you tell them how important they are to you?

My first comment came from Kris at quiltedsimple. Her and I were newbies together, and she hung in there with me, and I fell in love with her babies, and my leg hurt when Jesse fell skating, and she was so patient through my Jacobs Ladder. (God Bless you, Kris)

Then there came Finn at Pieces from my scrapbag ! What a coup that was!!! Every body knows what a wonderful gem Finn is, so giving of her heart, to know Finn is to know generosity! But what they might not know is the little girl who plays in that scrapbag, the one who is so precious and gives you half of her cookies. I love that little girl. Thank you, Finny-finn-finn, for all you've given!!!

Norma would fall in right here, because I found her through Finn, but I can't give the award back...can I??? Her and I share a lot. Inside and out! tee hee

Caroline of Knotgarden is the most talented person!!! But, still she is so down to earth, kind, and sharing. I am honored she reads my blog. She is tutoring me in Applique, and as soon as I stitch this thing, I"ll share it with you. Her eye for color is outstanding, and I am in constant awe of her handwork. I am also drawn to her photography. I could learn a lot hanging out at her place!! And she is a lady, both in her honor and in her stitching.

And... Lorraine, at Granny Loz, and I have a wonderful Granny thing, she is sooo witty, and you should see her beautiful stitching!! I think the greatest thing would be to hang out with her for a day!! Hey, Loz, wanna "do lunch?" My sides would ache from the giggles...

The fifth person is hard for me to name, because I'm a "lurker" over there, I have not the confidence to comment. Hers was the first blog I read all the way through, from the very beginning to now. I cried when her Dad died, and I was proud of her daughter's stitches, and I know all the symptoms of Autism. Isn't it amazing how you feel so close to a person on here, and they don't know you from Eve? She is so busy, and has so many wonderful comments, so I just read her blog, I don't "participate." So, Lucy, would be my fifth, but she is on a "blogging vacation" anyway, so she won't miss it.

So, there you have it, girls, I love and admire all of you! and I'm having the most wonderful time in your "quilting bees" so I thank you all!

Hope all your "bee's" are buzzing!!

lyn

Raggy Baggy Tutorial

So many of you have asked about my bags, ie: how do you start the bottom, how do you attach the handles, so in honor of Finn, (who is the Tutorial Wonder) I thought I'd tell all of you at once, and do a tutorial. Here goes, (for my first) let me know if I've left anything out. I'm not good at reading patterns, so ,Lord help me, I'm in no position to write one, good luck with this!!!

[Any comments about the liver spots on my hands will not be tolerated! 8-) ]

I start out with a size "K" hook, and strips cut (some people tear them) to 5/8 inch wide. To make a large bag, you will need about four 4-inch balls of strips. (the equivalent of one full size sheet or 3 and a half yards of fabric.)
Chain 24 . chain 2 and stitch first dc in 24th stitch. dc all the way down your chain.
In the last stitch, dc 4, Turn the corner to dc on other side of the chain. (I dc over the tail here, to save the trouble of weaving it in later) Dc all the way down this side. Dc 4 in the last stitch and slip stitch to end first row at the first stitch. Chain 2 at start of all rows, and dc in the same stitch. Dc all the way around the row, double the stitch in the curves for 3 stitches to ease the corners for the second row. On the third row, dc all the way around, without adding any stitches, this will curl your sides up to form the bag. Continue all your rows with a single dc in each stitch. I usually go 14 rows before I add the handles.
On the 14th row, you will have a good size bag. Now we need to add the last two rows with the handles. We'll need to find your "true sides". To find your sides, lay flat and slip your finger into the lone stitch at the side, this is your true side. I count seven stitches toward the middle.
(it is very important to mark where your handles will start and stop, believe me, it is confusing if you don't) Use a strip of a darker color to mark your seventh stitch on all four sides. Dc around to the marker on the 15th row, (or how ever many rows you wish) and then chain 30. I have used less, but 30 stitches is a good amount to give you room to slip the bag over your shoulder.
Dc to attach it where your other marker is. (the 7th stitch from the left side.)This shows how the chain start would look like.

Continue to dc around to the other side where you will chain 30 at the next marker. Attach with a dc and continue to dc through the row. On the 16th row, dc all the way around, even in the chain. This will beef up the handle a bit and the double crochet strengthens it bit more. At the end of the 16th row, tie off.
Here, you can see how the two rows make up the handles.

I always try to add a little interest, a crocheted flower, this one has a heart because I didn't have enough of the purple to do a whole flower.

And there you have it. Once you get your strips sewn and in balls, the actual crocheting only takes a couple hours. Good luck, everybody, let me know if you make one!

Hope you all have a raggy baggy night!

lyn

I'm on the run again!

My Lillies are the most beautiful thing in my yard right now, I just love these little ladies!! I am thinking about moving them, tho. I've had them for about 8 or 9 years, and they are on the East side of the house. They bloom every year, but they should have gotten a little fuller by now, and I still only get about 3 stalks every year. (I want about 20) so Mr Wonderful said he would move them to a sunnier spot? Any suggestions? I just love these, my heart soars every year when they bloom.
I am off to the Library and Video store this morning, because we are leaving for the "north country" and Elly and DD#3 are going with us this time, so we need "busy stuff" in case there is rain. Our little sanctuary is going to be a zoo this time, tho, for the holiday weekend. Good for the resort, bad for the regulars. But, there will be plenty of activities to keep two girls busy.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday...I will pause for a moment and try to fathom the depth of what this day means to us here in the most wonderful United States of America.
oh, and have a blast!
lyn