Downton Abby Fabric......can you believe it?????!!!!!

I was so excited today when our local quilt store showed this fabric inspired by one of my all time favorite series...DOWNTON ABBY !!!!

Take a peak...then wait for it to come in...and go buy it ALLLLLLL...

Mary Ellen McEnnis's quilt store...The Thistlebee Quilt Shoppe

Andover Fabric line- Downton Abby

My give away is ALMOST  ready to post...soon !!!

Blessings all, 

Kathy

Give Away ...coming this week...I hope !!!!

I am working on the "Give Away" and hope to have it all ready this week...hoping!!

Keep posted to see when I have it ready so you can enter to win...

any ideas on what you think it may be???

Blessings all,

Kathy

Working on UFO...leaves

Our Guild VP told us to bring something about the log cabin pattern last week and I went looking for a block of the month quilt that I won and could not find it...but look what I did find.

A UFO ...

Started several years ago when I really did not know what I was doing and I got bored.

So here I go again...and I am excited.

The vines were mostly sewn in place so I finished those up and am now appliqueing leaves...

Freezer paper applique for the hearts and leaves and for the vines I used a bias strip maker...

and heart flowers too.

You just never know when something old may become new again...

Subbing this week for my co-worker who is also a FACS teacher (Home Economics) so I can get some stitching time in and her students always love asking questions...you never know, it may inspire a future quilter!!

Think I just might put up my quilting frame and hand quilt it...somehow seems right for this pattern with hand applique.

Blessings all,

Kathy

Strawberry Bread for Daddy....and memories

We lived on the North Carolina coast for 6 years in a small fishing village and in the neighboring area. While there we would often get fresh produce from the Jones Strawberry Farm in Pelletier. I purchased their small but wonderful little cook book which I have used many times over the years.

There are recipes for strawberry punch, cooler, sauce, pies, jam, cake (yummy), biscuits with strawberry topping,...but today I am baking the strawberry bread. Daddy brought me some strawberries from the farmer's market last week and I am just getting to them...subbed all last week and NOT used to working anymore...

He will be 86,  YES 86 !!! tomorrow...he always loves telling us that he was born on the day that Charles Lindbergh  flew his famous trans Atlantic flight!!! He is grilling steaks for all of us (eleven, I think) on Friday and insisted that we NOT bring gifts this year. It is also our great nephew's 5th birthday and to just bring Simon presents...

So, I will take him his strawberry bread for his "present" tomorrow.

Nuts that my sweet guild friend shelled for me this winter after her husband unexpectedly died and she needed to "fill some time"...I cherish these pecans.

And my handy little grater...fresh nutmeg adds such a special touch.

My "MaDugette's "bowl...isn't it great and I use it all the time!

Here is a good picture of daddy with "his girls"...Melissa, daddy and me...

You know we've not been the same since mama died almost 8 years ago..but he had gone on beautifully with his life at church, friends, cooking and washing, delivering Meals on Wheels, just no more golf because his friends are dead or can not play...he's in fantastic shape and still exercises EVERY day...86 !!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Needles & Pins on Facebook...

I have been on facebook for a while and if anyone had every told me that I would have enjoyed it so, I would probably NOT have believed it!! It has been a great way for me to keep up with friends since retirement. AND, I am on too much...probably!!

But, I also have a business facebook page and I am trying to remember to post on it as well...

Needles and Pins- Business on facebook 

Do me a favor and "Like" it

so I can get more readers

if you, too, are on facebook!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Fun Quilting...

What fun to make quilts for special occasions!!! I am currently working on a Wedding Guest Book Quilt for a June wedding in PARIS....yes, I said Paris. Isn't that exciting.

 The bride chose an "Old World" theme in colors of pale pink and grey. Look what lovely fabrics I found for her...

The most special thing was having an Etsy friend hand stamp some additional fabric squares with the Eiffel Tower, poste cards etc...take a look at her work.

Here is her shop fancydesigns for you to enjoy.

She has made several items for my personal use in the past as well.

All packaged up and in the mail.

She will return these to me after the wedding and I will make the quilt...more pictures then!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

keep looking for my give away coming...

Cabbage and Quilting...

Well, the time has finally come to begin cooking from the garden...potato salad with garden onions and those hard to keep "debugged" pointed head cabbage.

And another baby girl quilt from my  Needles and Pins shop on Etsy.

And take a look at my new fabric labels.

I am very pleased with how they came out.

I ordered them from Michelle at Inked Papers.
You will have to give her shop a look too!!

Have a restful Sunday and and wonderful week.

Blessings all,

Kathy 

ps....am planning a give away real soon!!

This and That...

Have been trying to SUCCESSFULLY grow our favorite cabbage, pointed head. Well, that is what we call them...early Spring and late Fall are their best growing times. But the bugs are getting ahead of me...

They looked great at first and no bugs were around. But then the heat set in for a few days and there they are...green small worms!! I am really trying NOT to powder them as my farmer friend said I would have to do and have been using my magic spray.

Hot pepper and garlic.

But I have to go out and look for green worms about three times a day and I usually find at least one.

Here is a perfect head...

and this one is right beside of it.   No rhyme or reason??????

Pulled up a lovely radish and some turnip tops too.

And look at at the treasure that I found in the border while cleaning them out...

yes, an Indian arrow head.  My first ever!!

And last...a look at my Saturday night auction find.

Yellow speckled ware.

All for $3.00!!! Love a bargain.

Have a good week and

blessings all,

Kathy

Neuse Quilters Guild Presidents Blocks Quilt....Complete!!!

I want to say "thank you " to all of my Neuse Quilters Guild members who made these lovely blocks for me!!! One of the traditions in our guild, is to make the outgoing president a quilt block of their choosing.

I selected a 6" basket block with rick rack handles because I needed a new wall hanging for my sewing room AND needed to be able to complete it...got enough UFOs !!!!

I finished the binding yesterday during our "stitch & chat" meeting and had the members pose for a picture.

We had a small group yesterday...probably should have waited until next week for our business meeting.

Fun group...thanks girls!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Our little garden and some quilting...for me/us!!!

Our small lasagna garden up close to the house ( not that our yard is that big,,hahahahha) is coming along.

For those who do not remember my original "lasagna" post it it here Spring Gardening 2012...

Just last week I asked a "farmer" friend when my pointed head cabbage would start to head up and he said....soon....and yes, he was right!!Pretty little heads are coming along. BUT, so are the bugs. So, I gave in and gave them some quick dusting...which I was NOT going to do, but I did not have any hot pepper/garlic mixed up and had to act quickly and I knew it was going to rain so it would really wash off...ewwwwww.

Onions are growing nicely, radish too....some turnips and only a few beets came up, so far...lettuce too

Squash and cucumbers have baby leaves...

Carrots are behind the onions and taking their "sweet" time...this is a first for carrots in our garden.

And here are some zinnia volunteers, I hope!!

Our neighbor is working on cutting the crepe myrtles and got slowed down with poison oak...hope he finishes up and moves the limbs soon so we can get to the garden in the back border..planting sunflowers, eggplant and peppers here.

    This (above) should be my compost..but, I am going to burn it to get it our of my way...for my vision, you know!!

Now on to the quilting.             @#$%^&*()_)(*&^%%$#@

Decided that we needed a bed quilt since I HAVE NEVER MADE ONE FOR OUR BED. Can you believe it??? One for Cliff for our wedding, one for our 10th anniversary, and still working on the sunflower one for our den...but never one for our bed.

So, here it goes....6" blocks

Pretty butterfly backing...

Hope to get to sewing TODAY!!! will keep you posted.

Blessings all,

Kathy