I'm Guest blogging today! (Giveaway ends soon!)

I'm am so excited to be guest blogging today over at the fabulous Stash Manicure!  I have some old pics of my former life as a quilter in the 1990's.  I also talk a little about the trials and tribulations of being a reborn blogger, rulers, and cutting mats..

BTW a little background on this pic from my Stash Manicure post.  Above is my late cat Opus the Penguin, Opus for short.  He was my baby.  I had him for 14.5 years and he died a couple days after my chemo in November 2005.  I still get teary eyed thinking about him as I was living down the road with my parents during my illness and he was home alone.  As you can see from the pic he was always in the middle of my sewing.  He used to sit on the back of my chair draped over my shoulder, batting at the sewing machine needle.  I love this pic where I found him laying on my ironing board on some Christmas cat fabric with some cat blocks from an exchange and a small cat wall hanging on my design wall behind him.  His name and image have always represented the handmade items I have sold as Opus designs and is the name of my Etsy store.

My Christmas stash busting giveaway ends Monday!  Check out how to enter here.  I think I will do a 1990's stash buster giveaway at the end of each month.  Hmmm...maybe some blue fabric for January/winter projects...

For Amy's One Week One Thing Challenge #5 I finished machine quilting my secret present-a Disappearing 9 patch with a "free motion" pattern.  I put it in quotes because it did surely not move freely as I quilted.  I showed glimpses of this quilt here and will post pics after I give it as a present to someone who reads this blog.

 Last Saturday I met an experienced machine quilter who told me she machine quilted 13 baby quilts when she was learning, and it wasn't until the 13th one she felt like she was competent.  I guess I have 12 more to go!  LOL! Tomorrow the binding and label!

Does it really ever get easier?  There were small sections when I felt successful, but then there were the tension issues with my old Kenmore.  BTW after I get the binding on how should I wash it?  I'm used to fleece cozies and wall hangings and am scared to wash.  Any hints would be greatly appreciated!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Yet more giveaways and a sneak peek

I know, I know.  Where are the pics, the projects?  All I've blogged about has been giveaways.  Well it's book fair week in my library and the Super Librarian is up to her neck in books.  I did stop the other night long enough to make a patchwork cape with an SL appliqued on it  and a matching sash with pockets to hold bookmarks.  I post a pic when my friend gets it too me.

So without further ado
Retro Mummy is having a giveaway.

Oh yeah Christmas sewing is also getting in the way.  I forgot I have some sneak peek pics of a disapearing 9 patch quilt I am working on for an unnamed person.  I have had to crop certain revealing fabrics out.  Its my first attempt at machine quilting not using straight lines.  I've come to the conclusion need a newer machine.

 

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'