...........................................................

...........................................................
Blessed by everyday blessings

these are a few of my favorite things

~smiling faces~

~hugs and kisses from grandchildren
and hearing the name Nanny from far away places~

~mostly old sometimes new~

~quilts with love stitched through and through

~Babies and butterflys and all things created~

~To know you are loved makes life sweet with grace traces ~























recipes

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary



Quilts are a funny thing.

What makes you love them or leave them??

People of all kinds choose to live accordingly......
We are either people who can't live with them  : (
because they seem old fashioned

Or we don't want to live without them!!!!
The more the merrier.  : ) : ) : )

I am placing myself in the later category : ) : ) : )

This is an Old fashioned quilt love story rewritten.
One that speaks to the hearts of women crazy about home.

I am a maker...
I am a quilter...
I make quilts...
I make quilts because ?????

Really I don't know why I feel such a need to make quilts.
I just need to do it.
I can't stop making.
I can't stop looking at fabric,
I can't stop buying fabric for the next quilt.

Maybe it has something to do with L.O.V. E .

For Love isn't L.O.V. E.  until you give it away.

I've made quilts and I've given away quilts.  I've bought quilts that have found themselves Lost on their Luck.... for the love of the original owner has faded and they have kissed them good-bye for the last time.   I have a hard time with quilts that have no one to love them.  People are the same... I just feel bad if their life is empty of love.   We've got to have L.O.V. E.  to survive.



Such is the story of Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
the quilt pictured here.

She was Lost on her Luck.... kissed goodbye for the last time.


 We found her at a flea market .... she said, " Hello" and then "How do you do ?"  and then started singing Happy Birthday to Me : )

Well how could I not buy a singing quilt! Actually my daughter insisted to buy it for my birthday.  She stole our heart.   We knew we could love her.  We understand Contrary women.

We didn't tell her she would need a hot bath when we got her home.



She is scrappy!   Very Scrappy!
So scrappy I can hardly tell how she was put together.
That's why her name is now  Mary Mary Quite Contrary.

She has a love that sort of catches you unexpectedly. 

She is Pure Scrappy love

  I think a grandma probably made her.

I get grandmas : ) 

In the spare minutes of her day 
she couldn't help herself
she had to sew
squares together.

I have no idea how long it took her
but it seams to have been a process.
The squares are different sizes


It looks like she made blocks...




Then sewed them into rows according to block size.



Then again maybe not :) 
 You see it is so hard to figure her out!

Sounds like women in general.... hard to figure out ; ) 
Why do we need to do what we need to do?

For sure this grandma was just stitching herself happy. 

 Each square,  each shirt, each skirt.... 
Maybe this is a history of all the quilts she made
maybe the clothes they wore
L.O.V. E .

A quilt to keep somebody warm
L.O.V. E .

I have been sleeping under her for the last month
L.O.V. E .

I think I get too hung up on quilt design.
trying to make it perfect....
And forget about L.O.V. E.

She is not quilted
She is tied. 
Simply tied : ) 



Unexpected Beautiful Love. 

Let the L.O.V. E. Begin.



Janita




AmysCreativeSide.com















Wednesday, October 28, 2015

She sews Strings and other Things.

 Stretching the boundary lines here  : _) 
with color options I have not chosen.


October sewing for me has been focused on sewing for others.

I belong to a charity sewing group 
called 
Helping Hands.
We make quilts out of fabric passed on to us.

It is not always pretty fabric
It is mostly stash that others no longer have a desire to keep.

It is our job to make it pretty.

Once a month we gather..... 
We cut , we stitch, we create
With the desire to bless others in need. 

Lately I have not been able to meet with the group
 as I am usually babysitting my grandchildren.
So I spent some time sewing at home this month. 

I started with a Walmart bag of scraps.
I love scrap quilts others make.
I am a however bit challenged
 with how to make it all work together.

I found some little bear squares in the bag...

and began to wrap them with strings.

Kind of like a BEAR HUG. 



Most of the blocks are log cabin style though a few are 
more creative in using scraps as the larger bits got used up.




For 25 blocks.....
The whole process of this quilt was
If the string fits.... sew it on.

 I tried not to place clashing colors together.
I tried not to over think this.
I tried to love even the unlovely.

It was not easy. 

It is a mix of 
Big Chunks medium Strips  and Little Bits.


I did try to make a couple of traditional log cabin blocks,
light on one side, dark on the other....
I somehow felt..." I should" because
after all I was making a log cabin block.

But in the end when looking at the whole quilt
  I decided it created a hole of white
where those blocks were.

I will not do that if I make another. 



Some blocks have have matching strips
others do not.

I have never made a quilt like this and
 I am just going with the flow !



And then I got tired of sewing with fabric I didn't like.
I was starting to doubt the whole process.
Would anyone want this quilt????
I needed a pick me up.  
My string piecing was getting more challenging
as the bits were getting smaller
and suddenly.....
Creativity jumped the curb. 

I made a couple of string  houses!!
And Smiled.



 After all as a charity quilt I will be sending 
BEAR HUGS  from My house to yours ; ) 
(The light in the attic is because I sew in the attic.)

This will be my quilt label on the back of the quilt.




Favorite thing about this quilt is the pops of lime green.

Makes me think of a child  now in heaven who loved lime green.
So Mr.  TJ Goemaat......
I'm spreading some love to a child in your honor with this quilt.


Hope someone finds it to be cuddle worthy.

 And as long as it is a full color fest here....
 Yea for a touch of  
ORANGE and PURPLE!
Happy colors in my life.

Inspiration picture perfect color combo.



Saying goodbye to October : (  

After struggling most of the summer
My Bacopa seems to love October!



Thank you  for all the goodness of each day :) 



Janita




Saturday, October 10, 2015

October..... SEW Finished !





Creating HOME one stitch at a time.



Cross stitch....
Hand quilting......
Buttons.....

Sweetness X3!


"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures... "  
Psalm 23: 2




Icing on the cake...
Pillow back......
thrifted shirt
Loving it !




Used one of my old shirts for the border
and a pair of old jeans for the cornerstones.




Let's see I started this when my girls were young....
Finished it when my grandchildren are young...

I.am.slow!
but you know....Slow is sometimes better than fast.
The fabric I would have picked for the border  20 years ago
I would not have 
liked for the next 50 years ;) 

Maybe that is why it took me so long to finish.
I love this so much more.



Next up.....


Trying to finish up the borders on this bad boy.

Hard to do when you are not totally in love with it. 
Stalled because I can't seem to figure out what it needs.

Bonnie Hunter  free pattern
"Smokey Mountain Stars"
Made with thrifted shirts : ) 
That I do love.



Little bits of Fall Yum-Yum 
to make the world go round.

Plus...
One thing off the pile of undone
 makes for a Happy day!

Best moment of my week....
Seeing a little boy eating popcorn
  out of one big wooden popcorn bowl 
side by side with his dad
on the couch 
wearing identical neck pillows....(Really)
Watching a family movie.

Happy! 
and Adorable : )


Best Food of my week
homegrown...
Home made Sweet potato fries
drizzled with honey!

Peel, slice into fries. Rinse, 
Pat tops dry with paper towel,
 Sprinkle Sea Salt,  Fresh ground Pepper,
 Drizzle over fries 1 Tablespoon olive oil per potato
Toss fries to combine with oil.
Bake 400* Micro /convection oven setting 
30 minutes until soft
(Conventional oven may take a few more minutes)
Drizzle with honey


Eat Fresh
Enjoy the day.

If you are visiting today....
I would love for you to take a moment to say Hello in the comments.
It's lonely talking to the clouds : )
Janita







Monday, October 5, 2015

When it all turns FALL-ish



My heart starts to go pitter patter.....



Because of  simple things.....

After a summer of go-go-go
Now is the time to Gather around tables....



and Dream about Pumpkin Pie.



Suddenly It is all about Pumpkin Spice...




SOUP

and sweater pumpkins
(insert Happy face here) 




 Dine- In Deliciousness!



You wonder why you are suddenly crazy about leaves????



and bumpy things????


Craving 
Little bitty Pumpkin things high and low???



 Most of all ....  it's a time to count your blessings




with a stitch here and there in the quiet moments.

Slowing down to soak it in.




Cross stitch with hand quilting 

Creating home.




This is a long ago project I am trying to finish.

In every season, " The Lord is my Shepherd" Psalm 23

Reminds me of these little peeps

who give the best hugs and kisses!

In every season...
ALWAYS THANKFUL for Love!


In my neck of the woods 
It's Fall Y'all!

You have my permission ...
sit a spell.....
Cozy up with a quilt....
read a book.....
Make yourself a cup of Salted Caramel Tea : ) 


Sending Fall blessings your way.

Janita






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