Best laid plans o' mice and women...

 So I did finish the doll quilt, which grew quite a bit from what I'd planned but that's ok. I'm fairly happy with it.

  I added a 3 inch border around the tumblers so it finished at about 29"x24", which I think is big enough to use with a Cabbage Patch doll, which is roughly the size of my niece's favorite doll. The blue from the backing shows through the white some, which I wanted because otherwise the white was too stark against the Nature Chorus fabrics.

 I used a left over piece of blue fleece for the backing, and quilted a stipple over the tumblers and did echo quilting on the edges. LOL I sound like I actually quilt, which I do a very poor job of. One of my corners for the binding actually turned out square though! YAY lol. I bound it using left over Sunshine strips from an old project.



 I ran into a problem with the baby quilt. The backing/fleece panel I bought turns out to be the wrong size for what I want. The way the panel was I'd end up cutting off the little duckies heads so I think I'll head over tomorrow and try and find some plain fleece for it or an all over repeating pattern.

Since I've noticed everyone's been showing off some of their decorations I thought I'd show some of my favorites from our tree. They're a collection of DH's, Little Bit's and mine. Can you guess which ones belong to who? LOL


 The placemats didn't even enter my world so hopefully this week.

Goodies in the Mail

 I got a call from the mail lady yesterday afternoon. I had a package. I was somewhat confused as I hadn't ordered anything that should be here yet.

 I headed down figuring it was a mistake but lo and behold it was for me! From the amazing Rene! I'd won a giveaway on her blog. Now you have to understand asides from winning a free ticket or two in the lotto I've not won ANYTHING since I was 10, and that was the only thing I'd ever won. I have the worst luck you have ever seen. If not for bad, I'd have no luck. Which I often have thought would be better.
 So thank you Rene for both the awesome gifts and for giving me a bit of good luck.
My goodies? These amazing beauties.

I'm in love with the circles. I don't know if I'll make yo-yos or applique them but no matter what they are beautiful and cheery. The charm packs will make a lovely Schnibble. And the note cards are so pretty.
I was honestly blown away. So again, thank you Rene!!

Little Bit is off for her weekly sleepover with Grandma. Every Friday that they're both in town, Little Bit has to go to bio dad occassionally and grandma for work, they have a sleep over. It is the highlight of her week, both the hers lol. Little Bit was home again today, her chest being quite rattly and coughing etc that I figure school wasn't a good idea but she's almost always well enough for grandma lol.
Maybe she'll take her medicine better for her then me. With me it's a full out fight, and she is more stubborn then I am, if it can be believed.

 I'm hoping to get one of the doll quilt tops finished, the baby quilt at least basted if not quilted, and DH wants more of the placemat I made a few weeks ago. It is currently handing on the wall as a Christmas decoration.
I also need to get to the post office and mail out the goodies from my giveaway. I'm so sorry for the delay but that's kids for you.

Oh and if anyone out there has any experience with lidocaine infusions for chronic pain I'd appreciate any info on how you found it, and if it worked for you. I'm scheduled to start them in January and am a bit uncertain.

More Stockings and Tumblers

  I finally finished Little Bit's Princess stocking last night. This thing gave me more problems then the other two combined, and I'm not really sure why.
 First I had issues with the design, trying to figure out just how to do this, with the three fabrics I had picked up at Walmart. I know, I know, LQS and all that. They wouldn't have had the material and it would have been without exaggeration twice the price. So I bought it at Walmart.

 Anway. I have no idea why I didn't decide on a design before buying fabric, well I do, Little Bit has been sick this week, today is her first day back, and I had my sister watching her while I was at an appointment. The appointment was near the Walmart so I slipped in there on my way home.

  I bought three fabrics, a pink shimmer, a Princess repeat fabric, and shimmer purple with stars. Now I normally buy fabrics in fours, it just seems to work out best that way. But I bought three. And the princess fabric wouldn't work for the stocking as the images were too big. So I spent a day humming and hawing over it and came up with this.

 I stippled the back, and did some quilt as you go on the front, I had the batting and front sandwiched when I did the applique, and I just added some snowflakes to finish it up. I should have sewn around the foot of the stocking to anchor it for when I sewed the front and back together but oops. It means the foot is a bit more squshed then I'd like but not bad enough to try and unsew. I'm going to hit one of the craft stores to see about one of those fabric pens that puff up on the fabric to write her name on the crown.
Just in general I had trouble getting this to line up etc, I sewed the ruffle down into the stocking and had to pick that out. Little things that make you so glad when it's done.

 I also slipped into the very long line at the post office to pick up my packages when on the way home. It was from Fat Quarter Shop! YAY! And I got this

and these

 I've already cut into the Nature's Notebook for my niece's doll quilt. I'm again making tumblers, but this time I cut the charm pack into 2.5" squares before shaping them. WOW what a lot of fuzz and fibers. I was sneezing and coughing the whole time. Hopefully they're acurate. I wish I could find an acrylic or whatnot in tumblers, but with either a 2.5 or 5" base. It would be so useful. Oh well. The doll quilt should have 13 rows of 13. Not particularly lucky but I don't think she'll notice, as she's 3.
   I told DH he had to wrap the sampler box for me from Santa.

And YOOOO I figured out how to get the pictures to download onto this POS laptop I've been using. I just had to download the driver. No biggie and I feel like a tool for not thinking of it sooner. But oh well. Now I don't have to wait for DH to download the pictures and put them on a flashdrive for me.

Stocking Madness

   I made DH a new Christmas Stocking. He's a HUGE Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Apparently so is Rebel, the younger of my two Maltese. He got on top of my cutouts. I used the red for the lining. I think he was trying to claim this one, but well...DH is much, MUCH bigger lol.

 I had DH helping with the design and placement of the applique, which is wool felt. I've really gotten into using wool felt, at least for Christmas appliques. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it really gives things a Christmas feel. I embroidered the Alabama 'A' on the football, I'd meant to do it before I sewed the parts all together but forgot. I had to do it once it was totally finished, but it didn't turn out too bad, and I only tried to sew the entire stocking together once.

DH absolutely loved this stocking, and has taken pictures to e-mail to his cousin and daddy back in NC, they too are Alabama fans.

 I used the same fabric as the lining for the heel patch and the background for the snowman. DH wouldn't let me add bells to the toes, aparently that is not manly lol. We decided to go for the cuff instead of the ruffle for the same reason, I think. I'm rather impressed with myself for getting the fabric direction right on both sides of the stocking. Notice the snowman's helmut? I cut out on of the helmuts from the fabric, fabric glued it to the wool and zig zagged around it all. I don't intend for this to be washed much so I'm hoping it won't fray.

  I've got myself into it though, now Little Bit has decided she wants a princess stocking, so I'm going to have to hit either Walmart or Fabricland, as the quilt stores here don't stock anything like that, mostly because the quality of the fabric isn't very good. My thinking is when she's older she'll want another stocking that suits her more so the fact it won't survive too many years doesn't matter. 

 Wool felt always felt primitive to me,and I'm not really a huge fan of the primitive style. It just doesn't suit me I guess, but then I started seeing it used in non-primitive work and really loved the texture, and warm feel it adds to things. So when the one of the projects from the blog hop awhile ago was a wool penny mat I decided to try it, and LOVED it. So now I'm a wool convert, total novice still as I've worked with nothing but wool felt, and those just the colours I can pick up at the store, but it is fun, and especially for tiny pieces easier then fabric applique.

 I got the border added onto my baby quilt. I really like how it accents the piano key middle border. I'm hoping to get this sandwiched and quilted this weekend. I'll then sew the prairie points on and add the binding. I think that will work best. I'm using a large fleece panel/blanket that was on sale for the back, and maybe I'll leave out the batting all together. I love using soft, fuzzy backs for baby/smaller children quilts. It just makes them so cozy!

I got the pictures from Little Bit doing the draw yesterday! Ignore the mess and her wearing her towel as pjs, my moment of reality if you will lol.  I interupted her play time to get the pictures. She is feeling some better today, only a slight fever, compared to the raging one yesterday. I've fingures crossed she'll be well enough to go to the Christmas concert tonight at her school.

I think I missed the postman yesterday so I'll have to wait to this evening or tomorrow to pick up my package at the post office. I'm hoping its my Christmas present from the Elves at Fat Quarter Shop. Speaking of which, they are doing 12 Days of Christmas so you should head over. Every day a different line will be on sale! I'm heading over now.

Have a great day!

Giveaway winner! Or is it Winners??

 Well Little Bit is sick today but she still did the draw for the giveaway. I'll post pics of it later but to the important part......The Winner of the FQs, pincushion, and pin toppers is......

  Quiltmom of Quiltmom's Journey

Congratulations to a fellow Canadian! E-mail me at carad at rogers.com with your address and colour preferences for your roses and I'll send them out right away!

But wait there's more!

 Because she thought this was so much fun Little Bit drew two more names. Jessica and Rebecca P.! You will each be receiving two custom rose pintoppers! E-mail me your address and colour preferences for your roses. 

And since so many came over from her blog Quilt Hallow also gets two rose pintoppers! Same deal-eo!

 If I haven't heard from someone by December14th, I'll redraw.

Thank you so much to everone who entered. It was a great deal of fun! I'll have to have another giveaway soon....hmmm I'm sure I can come up with an excuse reason to have another one, don't you think?

They changed blogger!

AH! The compose blog thingy has changed. Don't people know I don't do well with technological change?! I was comfortable with the other. This is new and scary.
Oh well. I shall adapt because one thing I am very good a is adapting. Though there is no spell check as I can see so this may get ugly.
I've got many entries into the giveaway, , which is still open until Sunday, so if you haven't entered, do it! Do it now! ;)

These are just the FQs up for grabs, there is also a pin cushion and FOUR your choice of colour rose pin toppers.

 Yesterday, Little Bit and I decorate our little Christmas tree. It's a 4-ft artificial but it makes her happy so I'm not going to feel guilty about not having a monster tree with a billion decorations. I haven't got the skirt finished but it will be done this year. That is my pledge to me, which can be broken for any number of reasons without guilt. ;)

   This evening Little Bit and I went with my mom, or grandma as she is now called, to the annual Christmas Craft Show. I really didn't buy much because while so much is so very pretty, I really don't have a lot of room, and to be honest, things are the same, same, same.
Maybe it's because we've been going for years, I don't remember a year I haven't gone, or maybe it's because I also go to the two other major craft shows in town, but nothing hit me as new and WOW.
Like I said, a lot of pretty, but nothing to really grab and make me buy.

DH did get his treats, which were butter tarts and date squares. He really like these ones so it's the trade off for me going, and normally bringing something home that we have no need or room for.

On the quilting front I finished making the prairie points for the Picnic/baby quilt. I dug out a Peas and Carrots charm pack from a couple of years ago and decided to use that. I had picked up some fabrics at the discount fabric store, but they didn't work well enough on their own so I'll probably use them for a scrappy-ish binding.

I also got some fun in the mail. I'd ordered some charm packs of Sandy Gervais' Essence, and a made up charm pack of black fabrics of Marcus Brothers Nightscape from an ebay shop
I had thought to use them for this month"s Schnibble but since it's Tuffets I think I'll hang on to them for something else.
Or to just pet lovingly and crazily.
Which ever.

I'm still waiting for my order from FQS, my Christmas present from Santa and some charm packs to make doll quilts for my niece, and another one from eBay, a cute layer cake of Dinosaur Uproar, which I'll be using to make a Tumbler quilt for my nephew because his more complicated quilt is not getting done anytime soon. The pattern is on the non-functioning laptop, and every time I touch the blocks I muddle them up, I've unsewn I don't know how many times only to make the same or equally dumb mistake.
Have you ever had something you just HAD to leave? A UFO but one that is just causing more headaches then it"s worth? This has become that.

This weekend will not be fun because of a cluster f*** at the pharmacy I was using for my pain meds. They decided to be semi-closed today, as in no pharmacist, just a tech there to give out people's already filled perscriptions. And they decided to not refill my script like I spoke to them yesterday about. But they did enter it in the computer that they had filled it. Which means I could neither get me meds or get my perscriptions so that I could take it to another pharmacy to be filled. Oh yeah and the doc wasn't in either.
After a lot of, "let me talk to _____" and "I'll check this and that" and me having to take a DRUG test, I was given sample packs of ONE of my THREE pain meds.
So most likely I will be an unhappy girl till sometime Monday, or maybe Thursday or Friday depending on how my body reacts to being without meds, and how quickly I re-adapt to being back on them.
Needless to say I will be going back to my old pharmacy, which is one of the big chains and if it's open, there is a pharmacist on duty. And it's open every day but stat holidays. This pharmacy is connected to the pain clinic I go to but I've had enough of their crap. Long lines, waiting an hour or more for my prescription to be filled etc etc etc. This was the last straw.

 So how has the last few days been with you?

This is actually my 100th post!

The Giveaway can be found here Make sure you get your name in!

So I was asked what exactly is a Schnibble? Well my dearies to describe I am shamelessly stealing a definition from the wonderful Carrie at Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Schnibble: noun A scrap of fabric; a leftover bit of cloth; a small piece. The word has a German origin and is found primarily in German settlements in the Midwest.

From the Dictionary of American Regional English published by the Harvard University Press.

In the case of these Schnibbles they are small patterns, less then 35", though they can be made bigger.
So what now what is a Year of Schnibbles? Well that is a wonderful thing put on by Sherri and Sinta. They are revealing a Miss Rosie Schnibbble pattern at the beginning of each month and doing a "parade" of completed Schnibbles from the last month's pattern. I'm sure you can still join in.

December's pattern is ironically enough.....TUFFETS! YAY I'm done lol. I will be making more, and if I can find the new pattern making LOTS more.

On another front I have made up a few more of the patterns from the Cross Country Christmas Designer Blog Hop, check the link on the side bar to check it out.
It was a blast, and I have enjoyed the stories and the patterns.

I only did one candy cane on this one, and made it big, because I couldn't find more striped fabric and for some reason was being stupid about it HAVING to be striped...oh well. And I added Jingle Bells to the toes, which I'm pretty sure after a few days I will regret.

I really liked this pattern, I just wish my one fabric contrasted more with the background. I wasn't on the ball about this one. The outer star blends in so much its hard to see, even though it's the same fabric as the outer border. DH decided to notice AFTER it was done.

This is one of a set of place mats. The pattern awesome, but I was tired of hand work (I'm working on a tea towel for my mom) and wanted to finish so I decided to machine add the swirls....hmm...may need more practice on that one.
I finished a stuffed candy cane as well but don't have a good picture yet.

At some point I will be updating my sidebar, adding a TON of blogs that I follow regularly, but well....I'm kinda lazy sometimes....especially when I don't actually click off the sidebar....so it's been awhile...which means there are A LOT of blogs to add....yeah soon I promise. But for now I'm off to bed. I have too much to do tomorrow to be dragging my butt around because I was on the computer past bed time. Sigh.