Design Wall Monday

My design wall contains a continuation of what I've been working on, it seems, forever.  However, this past week I've made great strides with appliquéing Miss Hannah.  Yeah, I’m down to three leaves then onto the final flowers. 

 How could we do it  without the ‘tools of the trade’??? I don’t know what I would do! Probably go blind with very sore fingers.  My newest purchase was the desktop needle threader by Clover. OMG it has saved me time and eye strain.  Working with silk thread is wonderful but it has a tendency to fall out of the needle’s eye.  The little gadget pops it right back through the eye and on I go.

Other handy tools are the sticky thimbles.  The metal cap saves my ‘under finger’ and the leather tab saves my sewing finger. Oh, and a little tip that I use.... you know those tiny hair ties, well I put them around my thread to keep the silk from unwinding in my basket.

Please go over to Judy's Patchwork Times and check out what everyone else is up to.

Great times sewing to you all.
Hugs and Smooches,

Design Wall Monday

When I made the commitment, to myself, to participate with the JustTakes2 quilt, I had no idea what an exciting journey this would be.  

As my blog title implies, this is the journal of a Closet Quilter.  A title I still claim. 

Journal Entry 3-19-2012..."I know why I’m concealing my identity as a ‘quilter’ and continue to remain ‘in the closet’...I don’t know what I’m doing!!" 

In a previous post I mentioned having to make each of these units twice.  Ripping out seams, picking threads and often having to re-cut and start over. 

Well, nothing has changed but the learning experience has been wonderful.  I am having to learn quilting terminology, techniques and skills in order to move on to each new block/unit.  The JustTakes2 blocks are given twice a month and often multiple units are released.  I've compled Block 6 of 24 and yes, I'm really behind but that's ok.  I will continue on! 

Now you know why I'm still a 'Closet Quilter' :)

Thank you for visiting my blog. 
Be sure and pop over to PatchworkTimes and see what others are doing.
Happy sewing.

Oh! The Memories

Have been away from my wonderful Bernina lately.  I have set up our little camp trailer as my sewing room, when away from the real sewing room.  It's located on some land we have, only an hour from home.  My husband likes to 'get away' so we head there to enjoy the mountains and do some fishing.  However,  I don't like having to package up the Bernina to take it with me so I’ve improvised by breaking out my 1960’s Singer Featherweight. 

When I’m sewing with it, wow do the memories return! This was my high school graduation gift from my parents.  I sewed all my clothes through college (what short time I was there) and as well as my babies clothes for years.  I actually have two Featherweights now that my mother left me hers.  They are wonderful machines with wonderful memories.

Baked Bread- Yum Yum

Bread machines are wonderful and they make us look wonderful.  I love making, effortless bread.  It's the Cuisinart bread maker that is the helper in the kitchen that truly does all the work. 

It takes less than 10 minutes of prep time to place the ingredients into the pan and push a button. When the machine beeps 6 times I know the bread dough is ready to pull out, shape into the bread pans and set in a warm place to rise.

An hour later they have doubled in size then into the oven for 30 to 35 minutes to bake.

OMG the fragrance of freshly baked bread fills the house. 

Ah, modern conveniences are so grand!

Make it a great day.