Little Miss Muffet and the GREAT TEA PARTY

Welcome to an "Anything Goes Challenge" here at Little Miss Muffet Stamps and for the start of a huge combined release with Simply B Stamps!!  Whoop, whoop!  Challenge details are toward the bottom of this post but before we get to that ...we have a lot going on and a lot to share too - lots-a images, inspiration, games, and a whole bunch of prizes too!!  This release is so huge we spread it out to three days and two blogs - so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.  :D

It's a Combined Release with...

Simply B Stamps and Little Miss Muffet Stamps

Simply B Stamps (SBS) and Little Miss Muffet Stamps (LMMS) have joined together to bring you a "Tea Party Release!"  And do we have some fun images for you!!  Check them all out at the SBS New Items and LMMS What's New sections of the stores! We're starting off the activities today with a mega blog hop and you'll want to click HERE to start an the SBS Blog.  Here's an overview of the release and what we have planned...

Day 1 (April 4th) - Release Blog Hop (click HERE to start)

Day 2 (April 5th) - Inspiration and Tutorials (SBS and LMMS)

Day 3 (April 6th) - Guess Who at SBS and Scavenger Hunt at LMMS

From Days Gone By

We went back out to First Monday and there I found a Prison Box.  Very interesting story:
The prison boxes were made by prisoner's (prisoner's of war).  They are made out of straw wood and hand carved.  They sell now between ...$125.00 to $800.00.  This box was made by a young man that was in Colorado prison in 1960 and his mother lived in Texas.  It has a drawer with two handles and the top opens up with a small tray in the top and a mirror.

  The story here goes like this:  on December 27th I was headed over to the quilt shop to spent the money I got for Christmas and I asked my girls to go with me.  Cassandra and Lydia were right there asking me for my help to make their dolls a quilt.  This time they wanted to do it all by themselves, from start to finish.  Their little quilts took a whole day, but they had so much fun with it.  Now the baby dolls and girls are happy.

  In-between sewing with the girls and Bonnie's mystery quilt, Easy Street, I did finish this quilt.  The blocks were an exchange with a dear friend.  The pattern is the 'Raise the Roof'.  Like always I had to change it just a little.

  Sorry for the bad photos, it had been nothing but clouds and rain here in Texas for the last few days and my camera doesn't always like that.

   The year ended right on spot and the new year has started off great.....  Hope your year is going to be a GREAT ONE...

Life after the Holidays

 OK, Christmas is over and the deco's are all put away until next year.  Although I don't know why we put them away because the year goes by so fast it's almost time to put them out again.

  If you remember about a month ago I gave a clue that something was coming.  My DH bought me a beautiful Singer Red Eye, with no case.  Now if you need a table, you are better off buying one with a machine in it so you have the brackets to put your machine in with.

    By the time we bought the table for this machine, I now have a 66 Sphinx and a 66 Lotus Flower and two tables .  We now have the Eye Red in it's new home and I love sewing on her.  Unlike most people when I treadle, both of my feet are going the same direction at the same time.  Always stopping in the heal down position.  It just comes natural to me.

 What happened in 1946:

We are still in World War II
Winston Churchill warns of an "iron curtain" falling over the Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe.
Xerographic photocopying process invented.
Mobile telephones and zoom lens were introduced for the first time.
The World Series: St. Louis over Boston, 4-3
Alfred Hitchcock released his thriller 'Notorious'
Songs of the year were 'Come Rain or Come Shine' and 'Zip-a-dee-doo-dah'
Dr. Spock wrote 'Baby and Child Care' which influences millions of new and expectant parents throughout the U.S.
Strapless bras become popular, ushering in a trend toward bare-shouldered women's fashions
'Tide', the first detergent designed for automatic clothes washing machines was introduced.
The First electric clothes dryers made.
Suntan lotions, developed for the troops during World Ward II was marketed to consumers for the first time.


One of the talks my DH and I had was that I thought it would be fun to have a machine as old as I am.  That leads us to the next machine.  This is a Singer 99K.  We have put a motor and light on it, so I can have more fun sewing.
 

All four of these machines  are beautiful and work like clockwork.

So this post does not get to long, come back tomorrow and see what First Monday brings....

Easy Street

The Easy Street finial....This has been a wild ride the last 2 weeks.  Christmas and New Years was lots of fun with family and friends.  Between it was the Mystery Quilt, Easy Street over at Quiltville Quips & Snips.  Within a few days we jumped from Step 6 to Step 8 and the finished quilt.  I was determined to stay with it and finish at the end.  Well last night I sewed the borders on and today I took pictures.

Here we have Step 6:

Here is Step 7:

 

And Step 8 and finish quilt:

This has been lots of fun and my Thanks goes out to Bonnie and her willingest to share her talents with us.

This week I will be off to the quilt shop to buy more fabric.  I know what I want to do for the back and I am hoping to get this quilt on the machine by next week.

I have been back to First Monday again to start the New Year off right and I got the best Christmas presents ever.....so come back in a few days and I will so you.  Right now I really need to take down my Christmas deco's and clean my house.

Enjoy...

Easy Street

 Merry Christmas Everyone.....

I just couldn't wait until after Christmas to sew, sooooooo my Easy Street Part 5 is done!  Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville Quips & Snips is doing this Mystery Quilt called East Street.  So check her out and all the other quilters that are doing this quilt.

 I am teaching my Grand-daughter Kayla how to quilt.  We are doing Bonnie's Striped blocks:  Kayla is getting a Singer 99K for Christmas and her love for the old machines has really got her on a roll.

These are her blocks:

 

As I am teching her, I am sewing myself up some, but I don't know what I want to make yet, so I have not cut them.

 

 

 

 We have gone over to EQ7 and designed a quilt for Kayla.  Because I don't really see this quilt getting done right away, you can at least see what it is going to look like.  We are doing 18 inch square blocks, just so it can get done faster and sooner.

 

 

Enjoy

&

Have yourself a Merry Christmas

Easy Street

We are back again with Bonnie's Mystery Quilt  Easy Street  Part #4.  Come check it all out over at Quiltville's Quips & Snips.  We got to sew 64 flying greese and sew 2 units together.  It is really starting to come together and is this FUN!

 

Next we got to cut cut 145 - 3 1/2" sqaures of our remaining color.  Bonnie has green and my color is Coral.  Looking forward to how this is going to come together...  Plus I cut my 4 - 1/2 triangles from Part #3.

As you can see from my tub, we have lots done...

Thanks Bonnie,  I am ready and looking forward to the next step.

Enjoy....

Easy Street

 

Today you are getting an extra large picture of my Easy Street Mystery Quilt part # 3.  This is from Bonnie Hunter @ Quiltville's Quips & Snips.

I have had my Shaded 4 patches finished last Friday.  I even sewed them up with Bonnie and her Quilt Cam!

Thanks Bonnie is was a lot of fun....

 

 

I have been out shopping the anitque stores today...I am buy a Singer 66 Red Eye and I needed to find out if I could get a treadle table for it......more to come on this, but for now, I hope you enjoy my shaded 4 patches...can't wait until Friday for the next part.

Block Base Sew Along

Block Base Sew Along #5 is here, with Block #1755 and this time I was feeling a little like Christmas so My block is what else....but Red and Green

 

Enjoy

 

This is my EQ7 Block, I just mite have to make another one..

Easy Street

We are back again with Step #2 of Easy Street.  Be sure to check out all the others who are making this Mystery Quilt over at Quiltville's Quips & Snips.  This is turning out to be lots of fun and not knowing what you are making and where you think the colors go, is even making this more fun.

 

So lets get on with it... Here are my 128 Flying Geese.

 

Last week I showed you Bonnie's color paint chip cards, These are mine....

Valspar card's from Lowe's

2002-3,  5004-10,  6008-8,   A mix of 4002-1  lightest one and 4002-2 Lightest two for my constant and light creams for my background.

 

Bonnie gave us part of one of the next steps, if we have time to cut and these are mine.

 

All done for this week and looking forward to next week.....

 

Thanks Bonnie

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

 

Enjoy....

A Great Find

What a week!  My DH and I went to First Monday at Canton, Texas.  This is a hug trade days show that has every thing from old to new.  It is always the first weekend before the first Monday of the month and this time was my favorite of all the times we have been there.  I found this box and just had to have it.....

Needless to say what was inside....

This is a Singer hand crank sewing machine that is dated back to 1886 and it even sews!  Perfectly and the tension is GREAT...   I can just see myself sewing one night when no one else can, because I don't need any power...

The machine shows some loving wear by the throat plate and just around the Singer label.  It must have been moved from the table to a shelve often.  I have never seen so many decals on one little machine before.  She is about the size of a featherweight.

I still have to pinch myself that I found one of these beauties and I have one.  My mind goes back to who was this lady and what did she sew on this machine.....  I would love it if the machine would talk to me and tell me more about this time and place....

What a find and a steal of a deal at $150.00

This is the back and the decals just keep coming on.  She is just beautiful!  And the buying didn't stop there.  My DH repaired typewriters and I have been looking for an OLD one to put in his office.  This Underwood just filled the ticket.

I could have spend over $3,000.00 if I had the money and the space at the house for what I saw.  There was an old beautiful Coats and Clark thread drawer, price was $1,600.00.  The coolest drawer dresser for $95.00.  It looked like someone had just stacked some blocks and when I went back to buy it, it had been sold.

This was the best I had ever seen at First Monday in all the years we have gone.  But I have never gone that I could not find something that came home with me.  We have set the date and WE ARE GOING the first of the year.  Just to start the New Year off right.

Enjoy....

Easy Street



 Welcome to Easy Street.  This is a first for me.  I am joining in on the fun over at Quiltville's Quips & Snips for the new Mystery Quilt.  It is call Easy Street.  So come join in with us.

 





The first Part is making 192 - 4 patch blocks.  The fun began last Friday and because the Family went all directions, I was left home to play.  Got started about 11:00 am and by 6:00 pm I had all 192 - 4 patches made......All though I have way too many UFO's on my plate I decided that I would treat myself to something NEW!  I now have tons of new found energy to tackle my UFO's... it will be fun to see how many of them I can finish while making this quilt.

Thank You Bonnie.....

 

The fun started a few weeks ago when Bonnie posted the information on the mystery quilt and seeing the paint chips to help us choose our fabrics.  What a fun way to see exactly what colors she was using.  I will surely use this trick to help show some of my friend what I have been up to.  Because the color that comes across with the photos is not always the same. And looking at fabric at the store you just hold it over the fabric and look at the hole.  It opens up a whole new way of looking at things.









 

This was my fabric inspiration and my choice of grey fabric for the med grey fabric that Bonnie used.  A little on the brown grey side of things.  I knew that I wanted to change the color a little because I have already made a black, white and green quilt and I really did not want this one to be the same.  So finding this print was perfect, 3 colors, plus backgrounds....GREAT!

 

Color #1 shades of pink

 

Color #2 shades of green

 

Color #3 shade of aqua

 

My light background, 

 I had been looking at projects using the printed words and just knew that it had to be in this quilt.

 

Be sure to check back next week to see my progress and more on the Easy Street

 

Enjoy....



Block Base Sew Along #4

We are back again with another Quilt block from Block Base.  This time it is 2049.  It sewed together really fast and easy.  I think I have more fun playing on Block Base than sewing.

 

 

Now for a few pictures from Block Base:

 

Could not decided if I liked the dark center or the lighter one....

 

Please enjoy....  Still making 6 inch finished blocks for my Farmer's Wife Quilt....

 

 

 

QT Design Wall

OK, lately there has been allot said about design walls and I wanted to show you mine.  This wall is 85 inches by 95 inch, perfect for hanging a whole quilt.  I stapled Warm-N-Natural on this wall 12 years ago and it is still going strong.

Until I got my second long arm machine I could see the whole wall from any where in the room.  No more straight on pictures now, but I can still see the wall and when I am quilting I just have to look up and think about what is next.  The light is a little different depending on where you are standing because of 4 large windows on the side.  Some of these are 9 blocks strips sewn together and I have even hung the whole quilt top on this wall after it got sewn together just so I could look at it and think about how I wanted to quilt it.

This is from where I stand at my long arm machine...good view hu?  I run a ceiling fan on high most of the time and have never had a problem with the quilt pieces falling down, but I do not have big guss of wind.  If you are a pinner you could put a foam board behind it.  When I get to many threads, I just get my lint roller out and roll it down.  Also, I was always going to put a small molding around where the stapled are.  That's what I did at my last house, but I have never got around to it here and it still works just fine.  I am not worry about the staple holes or if I want to stick a pin into the wall, someone else can worry about that.  Although I have not used more than about 15 to 20 pins on the wall, just have not needed to.

So that's it for now.  Hope you have a design wall in your house as well.  I will come back again and show you other design boards I have.  Have a Happy Day.

QT Block Base Block #3

 This week at Block Base it is  #2448.  Although I found this block easy to piece and fun, it came during a very bad week and my heart just was not in it. It seems that every thing I did this week went bad....have you ever had a week like that, I hope not.... Seeing it here I will unpick a few spot and resew it again, but I don't have the time right now.  OK, it was pretty bad, so I stayed up last night and resewed it.  It's not perfect, but for a civil war quilt it will work.  I will do better next time.

 

 

Next are 2 I worked on in EQ7:

 

 

Sometimes I think it is more fun to play with Block Base that to really sew on a block.

That is the case this week....

 



QT Block Base Sew Along

We are here today with the second block in the Block Base Sew Along.  This one is #2741 and when I first saw it I agreed that I didn't want to sew it.  So I just buckle down and cut the fabric out.  It came together very easily and was a joy to make.  So ....Thank you for this one and to all of you, come on just sew one too...

My block:



This one is my drawing in EQ7:

This block was so much fun that I am really looking forward to a new block next week.  Still making the blocks 6 inch finished for my Farmer's Wife quilt.

QT Block Base Sew Along

Welcome and good morning.  Block Base is having a Sew Along and I have decided to join in.  After getting my dates mixed up, I think I am back on track.  This is #1336 and is the first block.

I am making mine 6 inch finished squares so I can put them with my Farmer's Wife Blocks.  The Farmer's Wife book has you make 145 blocks with 34 of them a repeat.  I didn't want to do repeats so this will make up the difference. It is written by Laurie Aaron Hird.

My block:

This one is how I design it on EQ7:

 

I love working in EQ.  It's fun, fast and you get to see what it mite look like before you cut fabrics.  My fabric library is not as big as I would like to see, but I am working on it. 

Just for your information this is the Famer's Wife Quilt book.   I love it and out of the 111 blocks I have all but 9 of them made.

 

Be sure to tune in next week and I will show you block 2....yes it is all sewn together and I LOVE IT!
See you then....