Finished Projects

Well its not a super huge accomplishment but I finished 2 pillow cases today. I did pull out the new brother machine and used it because I still haven't figured out the tension problem with my other machine. I'm not sure what to do about that. But I used my brother embroidery machine for regular sewing and it was great!! When I find what I did with my camera I will get a picture of the two pillow cases.. One is cowboy boots for my friend Amanda and Curious George for my brother.

Earlier I posted about what to use as a gift for them.. Well I used the pillow cases a chocolate bunny and some other little things sunflower seeds, note paper, playing cards, pez dispensers. One of these days I'll have to post all about my brothers PEZ collection. I don't remember what started it, it might have been the first time that I deployed because I found some great PEZ things overseas, but my brother now has probably one of the biggest PEZ collections in the state.

I took pictures of the pillow cases and will post those later. We are all watching "No Reservations" right now.

What a week

Wow reading everyone elses posts it seems that everyone is having a super fantastic week like me.. NOT.. Jen sewed her finger, Jill has flooding... I won't even go into the adventures that I have gone through this week. All I will say is that I have run back and forth to the Admin office to try to straighten out pay, enlistment extension, re-enlistment and enlistment bonus issues. All I can say is my brain hurts.

I haven't had much time to blog or sew and I have spent alot of time sleeping.. My mom says that its obvious that I need the sleep I guess maybe I'm trying to catch up for all the sleep that I have been missing.

I do plan to sew this weekend though.. I have big plans infact. I actually wrote out a blog in my notebook one night at school and never got around to typing it in to the computer and now its too late to ask for ideas. I try to give my family little goodie bags or just goodies in general for the holidays because I miss so many of them while I'm deployed so I guess I try to make up for it everywhere else. This weekend is easter and I was trying to think of what I could use instead of a basket because baskets just get tossed in the garbage after a couple of weeks so I wanted to give something useful. I ended up deciding on making pillowcases for Ryan (my brother) and Amanda (a friend from San Diego), they are both coming up to see me and spend the weekend. My brother is bringing me a few things from moms and I can't wait to see them. He was pretty excited about them.

Well I guess I am going to get ready and head to school. Today is a PT day and I have to be there at 2. Sorry this post had absolutely no direction.. That is about how I have felt for the last few days even though I make notes and try to follow my schedule and list nothing has gone that way. Today and tomorrow for school and I'll have a 3 day weekend... I will try to re group and thenstart new next week.

1st day of class

Wow school was boring last night!! Alot of it is the same thing over and over again. We actually let out a little early and I made it home in time to watch Jericho.. Yes like everyone I am hooked. I will miss it when it goes away again.

Class is supposed to completely finished June 11th but they are trying to push us through early graduation so I don't know how that is going to affect the final graduation date. I did pick up some quilt magazines the other day to be able to kill some dead time at school. I think I might even pack up my computer and take that with me. If I can't get a wireless connection at least I play with eq or write some emails to send later.

Well I have to get going Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have to go to PT (Physical Training) at 2pm and since I won't be able to come back home in between I want to double check and make sure that I have everything that I am going to need to clean up before school. I actually made a lunch already so that will save me $ and time later.. Maybe that is what I need to do make a lunch everyday when I get home from school .. Still not sure that I like this night school thing but I guess I'll live.

I hope to get some sewing done this weekend and be able to post some pictures. For sure I will be able to take some pictures of the group I need to call Cristin so that we can work out where to meet before the sew in.

Monday

Yesterday seemed like it was super long that is for sure. I got up and went to the base for school leaving my house at 0600 and found out that I didn't need to be there until 0730 (could have been later they wouldn't have know)We were supposed to start indoc at 0800 but it was nearly 0900 before they started. Worked through the multiply don't drink and drive blah blah blah.. and Then went to lunch at about 1130 to return at 1pm. Most of the rest of the group goes home for lunch but not me I live 40 minutes away. I figured that this would come up and be an issue but not the first day so I was not prepared.

After lunch we continued with the boring indoc classes most of which I have heard about 15 times and then at 315pm they released the kids that were on day time classes went home. Those of us on nights (me) had to go meet with our instructor for a couple hours and then we were out of there. So I left the base at about 5pm last night.

When I got home I wanted to just lay there and do nothing but ended up playing video games online with my brother. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to play after all I got some big news yesterday and just needed family time.

What big news did I not tell you? I found out that I will be depolying when I finish school. Not sure yet when I'm leaving but I will be and I don't know when I will be back. We (my family) always figure roughly 6 - 11 months since 6 is the least I have been gone and the most was 10 1/2.

Well I am off to fix lunch and get ready for work.

Hmm.. I wonder how true this is...

Jill! Not trying to burst your bubble but I wonder how true the survey is I looked up my dad and this is what it said..

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

We know that isn't true or I wouldn't be here.. maybe it works in your favor and there will be less people with your name

Wow .. I had no idea!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Last Nights Sewing

Like I mentioned in a previous post I didn't do much sewing but I did do a little. I sewed a patch on my uniform so that I could go and check into the base today. That was a chore in itself everything I knew about this base before has changed in the last 4 years. Here is a picture of my fine sewing job

I have some fabric set aside to make a miranda bag. I'm excited about that as well my only fear is the FMQ for the bag itself. I watched the "Pajama Quilter" today and she makes it seem so easy.

Well I had better get going if I expect to get anything done tonight. Tomorrow I have to prepare a different uniform than I checked in with because nothing can be easy .. Smiles

My First Charity Quilt

Okay so I have a kit of fabric to make a charity quilt. I was super excited sat down to figure out what to do and drew a BLANK! I asked for help on group and was asked to post pictures so that everyone could see what I had to work with. So here are my pictures

Here are a couple close ups of the fabric

Amounts range from about 18 inches to about 34 inches. I have the most of two fabrics on the left hand side of the first picture. I am also supposed to cut 6 - 2 1/2" strips WOF to use for the binding since I am only making a top.

We are having a sew in next weekend that I am pretty excited to go to. Hoping to meet some new people and make some more friends. The guild has a huge library! That we can check books out from.

Tonights sewing..

Well I know I said in my last post that I was having trouble getting my butt sewing. Well I guess I have gotten a little start. I pulled out uniforms to get ready so that I could check in to the base tomorrow and realised that they didn't have the correct rank sewn on them and well I'm not about to pay $5 plus the cost of the patch to have some one else sew them on. So I saved my self $5 by sewing them on myself.. I only did the uniform I need for tomorrow and will do the other couple of uniforms tomorrow or sunday. Yes I waited to the last minute.

So that was my sewing for the evening. Did I tell you that I got my Miranda bag pattern in the mail today? Along with the pajama quilter and perfect pouches!! I am am really excited about these patterns.

Oh and Thursday I went to a guild meeting! I meet some really great people.. and I am going to start sewing tops for a charity called "We care quilts". They are actually having a sew-in on National Quilting day March 15th! I brought a kit of fabric home from guild with me and am not sure yet what to make out of it.. the girls told me to make it easy.. hmm..

Well I am getting the starts of a headache so that must mean that it is time to hit the pillow..

Embroidery Machine

Well I know I haven't posted yet on blog but before I left San Diego I bought a Brother Disney Embroidery Machine and 50 spools of thread. I waited to blog about it because I was going to sprise my parents with some goodies made using the machine and Mom reads the blog so that would give it all away. Well being that they helped me move all my things they saw the machine and now know about it.. so much for the suprise. I have yet to open it up and play with it but the thoughts and ideas for projects are flowing I just need to time and energy to get things going.

Kristie was kind enough to direct me to a Yahoo group that was specifically for this machine and I have decided that I have to get the PED-Basic to be able to down load and use designs from the net. I have found alot of resourses online with alot of really cute things. On my list of things to do
is to make holiday hand towels for Moms house and maybe my brother Ryan too.

I don't know what is wrong with me I want to sew but I don't know I'm dragging my feet to get things all set up again and get things going

Western Fabric

It seems that I am always on the look out for western fabric. I have found a fabrics here and there and usually when I see fabric that I really like I don't have the money to spend on them. I have off an on looked online for fabrics and today came across a wonderful site!! Kristie and Moneik you would love this site!!

The site is called Extra Special Fabric I love it all. There is a big selection of western, cowboy and cowgirl fabric. I don't know yet what I am going to make with the western fabric that I have but little by little I will find things. I have started I made a remote caddy for the living room. Here is my caddy:

I believe that it is a lazygirl pattern. In fact I'm sure of it. Here is the pattern:

It was super easy to make and came together fast. If you see on the inside part of the chair they have tucked a paperback book in there. Well my couches have fluffly pillow like arms and they were too wide to be able to drap the caddy over the arms. So my caddy is tucked beneth the cushions and hangs in the front of the couch like this:

I made this caddy a while back before I blogged about my projects so I figured that I would share.

My New Place

Well I have yet to get pictures for the blog of my new place. I found my camera but have not found the compact flash card that goes in the camera. I know I downloaded some pictures before I moved and am not sure where things got put. I have unpacked and put away alot of things but have not come across that card yet.

The kitties have become used to the new place and have returned to their routine sleeping places along with a few new ones because of the different configuration of the house. Thelma right now is hiding some where and the other two are sleeping on the couch next to me.

So yesterday and today I went into town to check out the Local Quilt shops. I love 2 of them for sure and the 3rd one I'm not sure about. The Shops are all 25+ miles away from me. I'm still not

sure if that is a good thing (fewer trips to them) or a bad thing (bigger purchases when I do go).

Thimbletowne has a lot of flowery fabric.. and some great classes. I was invited to guild this thursday and I am excited about it. (Can't wait). I figure I'll go to guild a few times and see if I like it and make some new friends.

The second shop StashBuilders is different than I have ever seen. I loved the displays in the windows. Then you go inside and there isn't fabric on the bolt... everything is already cut for you (even better to convince you to buy that extra half yard.. LOL). The fabric is organised by color and by cuts. FQ in one area, then 1/2 yd, 1 yd, and 3 yd cuts are organized along the wall. I saw alot of great fabric and yes bought some too.

I joined 4 block of the months yesterday:

I know with the little pictures they all llok the same but they aren't 3 are snowmen, Hot Chocolate Club, Blizzard Buddies and Family Reuinion and the 4th is called Chilly Charmers and is little penguins.

I also ordered the Miranda Bag pattern, Lazy Girl pouches and I couldn't stand it anymore I had to know what everyone was talking about so I ordered the Pajama quilter and it was confirmed that it shipped today. Think I'll get it Friday? I hope so!

I got some other goodies today too but I will save them for later. Well When I have the camera and things ready to take pictures.

Finished Moving

Well we have finished moving for the most part. The apartment in San Diego is empty keys are turned in and to be honest I am glad to be out of there. We have everything but a few things here and there moved into the house here in Corcoran and really just need to put things away. Mom re-organized my kitchen it looks really nice. I will be excited to be able to sew and re-decorate some things.

My younger brother helped out alot! So I need to figure out some really neat things to do for him. Mom and dad helped too! Mom is still here helping (well we are not doing much of anything but I'm sure we'll find something later) I think we might try to set up my sewing machine later today so that I can try to sew.

Until later! Maybe I'll have some pictures to share later.