Christmas Quilt Progress In Videos

I am filming my progress on the 2010 Christmas quilt I started a few weeks ago if anyone wants to see it. I have posted 3 videos on my Youtube channel if anybody is interested. I'll be doing that with every quilt I make from now. It does take time and it can be difficult doing it by myself but it has also been fun. You can also fine the first video on the left of this blog. You really can't miss it. This is the first quilt I machine quilt using the meandering quilting design and I am totally hooked on it. I'm already 2/3's finished with the quilt and that's because I have only quilted about two hours a day due to a bad back. I used the 505 spray and that stuff really really works! It worked so well I accidentally sprayed some on my flip flop and my foot got stuck to it. I love not messing with pins of any kind but I think I will still thread baste the quilts I hand quilt. I enjoy hand quilting too much to stop doing it completely.
2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 1


2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 2

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 3

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 4

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 5
Notice how the quilt top is getting bigger.

Meandering Machine Quilting

I am am machine quilting a queen size quilt and I love it! I used the 505 basting spray and let me tell you that stuff really works.

Two Months Worth Of Posting

I have been so busy since my last post in August. I am happy to have been struck with an endless supply of creative energy. I have also been gallivanting all over the place with my good friend Lila. We have  both been shopping, she, for  her trip to Colorado later this month, which is the time her first grandson will be born. I am so happy and excited for her. I have been shopping for my  Thanksgiving and Christmas projects.
The following are pictures of some of the things I have done in the last two months.

This is a Christmas  quilt top I will be machine quilting with a meandering design. I was going to make an applique Christmas quilt but then realize I wouldn't finish it for Christmas. This was so easy making with 14" blocks. I'm using a red flannel for the backing and using basting spray for the first time so wish me luck. I'm now looking for a red bed skirt that I can't seem to find in any store.

 This was a quick Christmas blanket I made last week. I just had to buy the fabric when I saw the characters from the classic movie Rudolph Red Nose Raindeer.  I just put some sateen bias tape on the edge to give it a more traditional blanket look. I though about being under this blanket while watching the movie :)

.

 This is Sam Moon, a store in Houston with nothing but purses, totes, wallets, and carry on bags. It's huge and you need money and time when you go there because you're gonna want more than 

 one purse and you'll spend more than two hours seeing all the purses. My friend Lila and I spent 3 hours in that store. I bought a purse, carry on bag and a beautiful wrap.

 This is an Herb bread that my family and I love. It is so good I can't even tell you. There's only one rising to this bread and that's what I like about it. It's even better toasted.  I add rosemary, tarragon, and sweet basil. The aroma while the bread is baking is heavenly.

 I was shopping at the bookstore in October and saw this book and my first reaction was,"What the hell have they done to Dick and Jane."  I was disgusted!  Why couldn't they leave this little characters alone?!

 Apple Dumplings. These babies are so good and so easy to make. I really mean super easy. Here link from where I got the recipe. Just click on the highlighted link and it will take you to the recipe.   I didn't use the whole can of Sprite I only used half and I only used on stick of butter.

A Creed concert I went to with my son in late August. I loved it!!!!! My son knows I like Creed and I was so surprised when he invited me to go along.

Finished Bench Cushion Cover

One expensive piece of foam!

Cut foam with electric knife.

I love this fabric.

Had to pin zipper to get it straight.

I like how the zipper turned out.

Pinning is a must.

I like the zipper this long.

Finished Finally

Looks Good To Me

This is the the new bench cushion with a new cover and I'm very happy with how it turned out. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I think the hardest part was actually all the pinning I had to do to make sure everything was even and all corners met perfect. I cut the fabric 1/2 inch bigger all the way around the foam and I thought it was going to be pretty snug but it's actually about 1 inch bigger but that's o.k because at least I can always wash it to shrink it up and that sure beats having it be too small , or I may wrap the foam with some quilt polyester batting so the cover can have a tighter fit.  Now that I have the measurements I want to make a cover for Christmas. The most expansive part of this project was the foam. I had to buy the 5 inch thick because JoAnn's didn't have the 4 inch which is the one I wanted. I don't think I'll have to replace it any time soon because it's pretty firm. That bench may be firmer than my mattress  LOL.

Sewing Project For The Week

I am working on a cushion cover for a bench chest that my hubby made for me about two years ago. I had bought some 3 inch foam for it when hubby first made it for me but I was never happy with it. I always thought the foam was too soft. A few days ago I went to JoAnn's and bought some new 5 inch foam for it. I payed a pretty penny for it too but the foam is suppose to hold it's shape and it's actually very comfy. I had to cut the foam with an electric knife which felt as if I was cutting butter. No joke! I measured every side of the foam and cut the fabric out for the cover. Tuesday I will be sewing it together and hopefully it will turn out nice. I was going to add pipping but I just want to get this over with. I'll do it with another cover. I will post some pictures tomorrow.

My Little Visitors Are Gone

Brother and sister at Herman Park

Herman Park Train

Texas Armadillo

Remember the Topsy Tail

Galveston Beach

Trying to be creative

 I am finally free to post again after having company for over a month. My niece's son 14 and daughter 7 came to spend time with me for the first time ever. We were busy everyday doing crafts, reading, watching movies or going places. My youngest is 22 so I  had forgotten what it was like having little kids in my house. I had a blast combing Sonya's hair many different ways. Raising three boys I also forgot  all the drama that comes with little girls. I enjoyed having them but next time I think I'll have one at a time. LOL

The other thing that happened was that two days before the kids went back home I had such a  bad case of vertigo that I landed in the hospital for two days. I thought I was having a stroke or something else just as bad. I had a CT scan and MRI of my brain and blood work to no end. I was given a clean bill of health except for inflammation in the ears which was the cause of the vertigo. After a week of being home I am feeling much better and barely have any remnants of the vertigo. Poor kids had to pack all their clothes by themselves.My niece thought it was the kids who had sent me to the hospital and made the dad pick them up one day earlier. They were on their way out to go back home with their dad when I was getting home from the hospital. What a way to say goodbye. I now have to have vertigo medicine with me all the time since it might hit again unexpectedly. At least I know my brain and heart are fine.

Back From New York

I can't tell you how much fun I had with my hubby and son in New York. We were there for 6 days and we did something every single day. I knew I was going to walk and be on the Subway trains but my body must have gone into shock because I wanted to crawl home the first night. I was so tired from the walking, running to catch trains and climbing stairs. It's so much easier to just get in your car and go :) We met up with my son's girlfriend  at Lambardi's Pizzeria, who has excellent pizza by the way. I loved walking through Little Italy with it's outdoor cafe's and restaurants. I swear I heard the Godfather talking at a table. We went to see Wicked and it was fantastic and we loved every moment of it. We went to the Statue Of Liberty and ate hot dogs on the grounds. Those were the best hot dogs or I was just very hungry. We went to the Natural History Museum and loved seeing the big blue whale.
As a sewer though I was in heaven while walking the Garment District and seeing store after store of fabric, trims, buttons, ribbons, and jewelry supplies. I just loved being there. I wanted to go to The City Quilter quilt store but the day we chose to go it was closed. Bummer! We walked blocks and blocks to get to, Purl, another yarn/quilt store. They only had about half a wall of fabric and it was so different to the quilt fabric I'm used to seeing in TX. After all that walking in the drizzle I had to buy something so I bought some very pretty and VERY expensive ($19 a yard) two yards of fabric. I also bought a panel of some very very cute paper doll fabric that was $12 a panel. Oh yea, and today my cousin from Illinois tells me she had just found the same fabric for $6.50 a panel, but hey, I got mine in NYC. LOL. Oh, I also got to go to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, you know, the guy with the cake reality show. Their cookies and cupcakes are so so good.

TWO MORE DAYS

Two more days and hubby and I will be in NYC. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bought Another Camera

Remember when I told you guys about losing my camera back during the Christmas holidays? Well, I never found my beloved camera and I went 4 months without a good camera. I had to take pictures with a cheap little digital that I wasn't crazy about. I decided to just get another one exactly like the one I lost which was a Panasonic Lumix FZ18. I can't tell you how much I like that camera. It has so many features at a very reasonable price. Three years ago I got my first one and back then I paid $399 for it. It's still $399 but luckily I found it on line for $250. YAY, I'm so happy! I just got it yesterday and I'm ready to take pictures in NYC. I'm gonna have to have it strapped to my neck the whole time I go out when I go out on the town so I won't lose it. I also hope to make a trip to Carlos Bakery in Holboken, New Jersey. He's the guy who has the cake show and he's got a crazy sister who works with him. I want to make it to the garment district and check out some of the fabric stores.

Beautiful Threads

There are some beautiful threads,fabric and other goodies at http://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.com/2010/04/200th-post-giveaway-finally.html and I am so glad I found that blog. Love that crazy quilting but don't know which is easier hand crazy quilting or machine hand quilting.

Getting Ready For New York

I am so looking forward to going to NY to visit with my son. I'm not looking forward to all the walking he said I'm going to do though. My back is going to be crying. I have my heating pad and Aspercreme ready to go. I'm suppose to be going to the dentist to have a tooth pulled on Monday so hopefully I'll be healed and ready in two weeks. I'll have it replaced when I come back home. We'll see where my son takes hubby and I. He said he would try and get tickets for the broad way show Wicked. I sure hope he does. I am also looking up quilting stores in NYC and Jersey City, although I can't imagine the fabric prices in NY. Ouch.
Quilting is going steady with me hand sewing the binding on the small quilt. I chose a yellow fabric with little bees. I usually choose dark bindings for my quilts but this time I chose a light yellow, which to me says,"Baby Girl". I'll post pictures from NYC.

Finished Quilting On Second Dick&Jane Quilt

I actually finished the quilting on the second Dick&Jane girl quilt today. In one day, I like that! The quilt top always looked very simple to me, but  the quilting design gives it a lot of personality. I'm so glad I chose that design. I did mark the design because it was my first machine quilted quilt. Marking it did take time and so did the pinning. I hate pinning! But it was all worth it. I would rather pin than thread baste that's for sure. I did make some mistakes, like messing up on a couple stitches when I was sewing but you can't really see them with the busy fabric, which is why I chose a flower print for the backing. I'm not stupid LOL.  Tomorrow, I'll be putting on the binding, but I haven't decided if I'm going to sew it on by hand or machine.

Another Dick and Jane Girl Quilt

My hubby and I will be having a quiet Easter at home being very grateful for the good health of our family and ourselves. I will be starting the quilting on another baby quilt I made with some left over Dick and Jane blocks. I was having a hard time deciding on what quilting design to use and didn't want to take a chance on free motion quilting since I've never done it before. I have been a hand quilter for 30 years and find it very hard to machine quilt. I know I can do it and am sure i can do a good job because I've been sewing since  for 35 years. It's more of a mental thing. I'm so used to the quietness and mental therapy hand quilting gives me. Anyway, I decided on a design I saw in a book I checked out from the library and   made a template from poster board so we'll see how that works for me. I will be using a cotton backing even though I prefer a flannel backing for a baby quilt but I don't know if the flannel  would drag when I'm quilting it with the free motion quilting foot instead of the walking foot. Oh, and I'll be doing the design vertically instead of diagonally.  I'm still going to hand quilt but I want to finish more quilts and the only way to go is machine quilting. I really am behind the times aren't I! LOL

Woohoo! Finished Dick and Jane Quilt

I am so glad to be done with this little quilt. I am so looking forward to starting on another quilting project. I have plenty to choose from that's for sure. I'm very happy with how it turned out especially the quilting. I quilted circles all around the blue polka dot border and it turned out pretty good. I always sew the binding on the right side and then turn it over to the backing side and hand sew it. I never catch the right side fabric and it always looks very neat with stitches that are almost invisible. When I started this quilt I thought it would be a girl quilt but nah it definitely looks like a boy quilt. I still need to wash it to remove the markings and hopefully they will all come out. I can honestly say I didn't like quilting circles. I actually hated it but it was well worth the trouble because they look really cool. I would definitely make another quilt like this but in a cowgirl theme. I know a 7 year old girl who loves everything western. I guess I just chose my next project.

My Handsome Boy Cotton

 

 My 8 month old kitten, Cotton, keeps following me around all day, and every time I'm at the computer he gets on the guest bed and waits for me. He was being silly and  purring like crazy when I decided to take some pictures of him. He has the biggest personality and he is just so lovable. In the eight months that I've had him I have come to love him so much. I fell in love with him on day one and the cat honeymoon is still going strong. LOL! I hadn't had a cat in over 12 years.Not since  my beloved female cat Sonia, died. I'm trying not to let him in my sewing room because of all the cat hair but I think eventually he'll get his way. He is just such a good cat. I give him a bath and cut his nails and brush him with no problem. I didn't think I would love another cat again.Is till love my Chi, Minnie and she will be my #1 pet but she really doesn't like to be hugged and she doesn't follow me like Cotton. My husband says it's because Minnie is my boss and I'm Cotton's mama and that makes a big difference.

THREE GREAT BUYS

Friday was a very good day for me. The first thing I did was go to church which I hadn't done in a long time.  I felt really so much better after wards I felt almost lighter. Maybe I came out of church with a clean slate. HEHEHE. I then went to my LQS just to kill time  and went into the back room of the store where they have all there discounts and discontinued items. I started going through a basket with lot's of sewing machine feet and to my shock I found a lot of feet for my Brother PQ1500 which I use for quilting. I was able to buy $100 worth of feet for $40. The thing about my machine is that I bought in on line two years ago for $400  and you know those machines are $1200. Well the only feet the machine had when I got it was the regular and 1/4 inch feet which was ok with me because the machine was really still brand new and sews perfect.
I couldn't believe my luck.  I then went over to JOAnn's fabric store and saw all the quilt books at %40 off. I couldn't pass up that deal so I got  the books in the picture.  I then got a %40 off coupon on line for the Angelology book I've been waiting for so I went to Barnes & Noble last night and got it. I should have bought a lottery ticket but I forgot. Dang it!

Quilting Tutorial Video #4

First of all I didn't bother with punctuation so all you teachers brace yourselves.
I have finally finished quilting the Dick and Jane baby quilt and I am so relieved. I am not totally finished though because I am hand sewing the binding once I am sewing on the binding I know it's only a matter of hours before it's totally finished. I just added a 4th video telling you about how I quilted it and about how I add my binding. It's on the left side of my blog under Esteemarlu's Quilting. I hope you will understand and if you don't please don't hesitate to tell me or ask me anything. I have never taken so long in finishing a baby quilt and if it hadn't been for all the sciatica pain I would've finished up that baby  in no time but sometimes life throws you surprises you don't expect while you're in the middle of a project.  In my case it was that darn pain :( I climbed two flights of stairs and that did it. I was in agony for pain for months. When I'm done with the binding I will post a picture. I will be organizing my sewing room  because it has gotten cluttered again and things need rearranging so I can be calm when I'm working on something. When I start on another project I will remove the Dick and Jane quilt video's and post new video of the new project..  

Looking Forward To Summer

This summer I really have something to look forward to. That cutie in the picture will be visiting me for a whole month if all goes according to plan. She is 6 years old and the youngest of three. She has 16 and 13 year old brothers whom she can't wait to get away from. I have no daughters nor granddaughters so we are going to have a lot of fun. I tell her about the small sewing machine I have and all the art and baking supplies she can use so she can't wait to come visit me. She will call me on the phone and tell me to go get her NOW. She is my cousin's granddaughter and I babysat her mom for many years when she was small. Her mom thinks she's getting too tom boyish and rough.

Met Up With Old Friend

One week ago I had the great pleasure of meeting up with a high school friend who I hadn't seen in over 30 years. My friend Elma is a teacher who's class came to Space Center Houston on a field trip. She asked if I could go meet her and of course I said yes. We spent five hours together catching up and seeing the exhibits at the center. Elma hasn't changed much in more than 30 years. She is still very slim and very pretty as you can see in the picture. It was through FB that we reconnected and we both were trying to figure out how we managed to lose touch for so long. I moved away and she got married and moved several times and I guess that's when it happened. We use to have so much fun when we were in high school. We were in a journalism class together and she use to be the photographer and we use to develop the pictures and gossip forever in the dark room. We had so much fun during our senior year.  We've decided to make plans and go on a trip together so we can have fun again. This time without 140 students.

I never did fine my camera and I'm still bummed about that. I can't decide on whether to buy another SLR camera like the one I lost or a small digital camera. I welcome any suggestions. I want a camera with a 14 or 18x zoom or better but I don't want to pay an arm or a leg either. 

 

Quilting wise I'm on a roll and am now quilting the borders or the baby quilt. I feel like I've been quilting on that thing for years. Today, I took a trip to my LQS and bought a very cute pattern of a very small purse with three little dolls inside. They're called Pocket Babies. I'm making it and putting it in my Grandmother's trunk. Hopefully I will have a grand baby some day. I also got a  scissor and tape measure dangle to put on my scissors. Why I got that I have no idea it just seemed cute at the time.

Great Holidays Now Back To Normal

Having all of my family together was the best thing I could have ever hoped for. A lot of great times and a lot of great food. Hubby and I spent a lot of time with our three sons and got to see lot's of movies and went to a lot of restaurants. I am enjoying the e reader I got for Christmas and can't get over how many books it can hold. Too cool!
I finally got my new washer and dryer and love them both. Doing laundry is actually a chore I look forward to now. Who would've thought LOL. 

I made some very traditional Mexican American foods which are Tamales and Munuelos. Tamales are usually done for Christmas and Munuelos are a very light ,thin, crispy, round dessert that is topped with cinnamon and sugar and it's usually eaten with some hot chocolate for New Years. I have to say they came out really good this year. I would post a picture of the Tamales but I lost the camera I took the pictures with. Losing my camera is driving me insane since I don't lose things and if I do I always find them within a day or two. I will now get back to my quilting and finish the small quilt that I didn't get to finish, and to finish reading Cathedral Of The Sea in my ereader. I can't put it down it's such a good book.