Tolentreasures

Because really, you are only going to use them a few times.   If only I had a dollar for every one of these I have made.   I would have....well maybe only $100 or so, but still I have made a lot of them! Start with a long, skinny rectangle. Lay any fusible medium on the sides and about 3 - 4 inches in from the ends depending on how wide your material is.   (You will have to fold and experiment with that length.   I was using Stitch Witchery which I cut in roughly 1/2 inch strips with the help of a six year old who wanted so bad to use that "roly thing that cuts" Translation: Rotary Cutter (so it's really not very even)   You can buy rolls of fusible stuff also without the paper on it so you have to do all your ironing first and slide that in lest you completely gum up your iron.   Iron the short end over about 1/2 inch. (that picture totally disappeared)   Then fold your ends in and i...

First of all,  my mother would be horrified that I put this picture on here. She is so precise and over the top perfection with her quilts, that she would notice every imperfection here. I think that this might be the first quilt she ever made. I had forgotten all about it. It had been left behind in a long ago move. And was re-discovered and returned this week. It was mine when I was a little girl. So happy and grateful to have it back! Some yarn stash bustin'. Sure love making these cowls, and really lovin' those knitting needles out of mothballs. Finally finished all of these this morning. I got a little carried away cutting them out. and didn't want another unfinished project, so I persevered. And got them done. Into the bin for the open house... but not before a Mini-Giveaway. I am not going to advertise it. It's just for those of you that stop by here regularly. I appreciate all of you. So, if you happened in here. Just leave a comment on this post. I'll b...

You will need: Lightweight cardboard Pen Scissors Thread Old Jeans 10 squares of contrasting material. Sewing Machine. Start with a circle pattern around 7 inches in diameter.  I used one of my small plates and it worked fine. Cut a cardboard pattern or just trace around the plate.   You will need 10 of these for the runner. Trace the circles on the wrong sides of the jeans and cut out. Hint:  I trace a bunch, cut them into smaller pieces and cut them out in the evenings in front of the TV. Now this part is a little tricky. You might need some of your high school geometry skills. You need a pattern for a square that fits inside of your circle and touches all four corners. I used my ruler for my rotary cutter and laid it down on my circle pattern and marked the circle pattern. Mine worked out to five inches. This is the end of the math, I promise. If you have a simple graphics program on your computer, you should be able to make a pattern from that also.  and i...

Completed this table runner yesterday AM. Years ago, I made a blanket like this. Really not an easy task to get through a sewing machine, but a great out in the yard blanket! Since then, I have held it to table runners. Just realized in this pic, that I need to re-iron that square... funny how you don't see it until it is in a picture! The back looks nice also! I was going to have a quick tutorial on these, they are not hard. But that will have to wait until another day. You see, I didn't photograph the steps and was going to just make another this morning. However, and here it comes. The Crazy Train of this house. After the disappointing loss of the Steelers on Sunday night. JWS went into a bit of a funk. Depressed, hate the world, get rid of all technology, (too long to even start that story) pooh, pooh, wah, wah, FUNK! I had about had enough of it BEFORE 9AM! For those of you that don't know, we work together, there was no getting away from him. Unless... I could think...

Still trying to use all that fabric up that it seems I was cutting half the winter. Not sure, but I think I want to coffee stain this, what do you think? And another top for the ladies at the church. I woke up too late to run this morning and am not happy with myself. I am going to have to start setting an alarm again. The horses hit the horse track at 6:30 so you have to be off of it by then and I won't run around here once traffic gets moving. I like to be off the streets by 6:30. Nothing attractive about it when I am at the end of the run. So off to paint or sew or something creative until it is time to go to work.

Both of my grandsons were at work with their mother and I. Both of them were wound up, kicking balls, throwing balls, running, laughing. We hated to stop their fun, but well, it was getting a little out of hand. We gathered all the balls, we encouraged them to play something else. That actually went better than you would think. Later in the day, Tyler spots a golf ball on my desk. In a perfect, organized world, you would not have a random golf ball on your desk, but that is obviously not my world. Tyler asks for the golf ball. The conversation goes like this. Tyler: Gramma Cathy, can I pullease have that golf ball? (notice how when pleading, please becomes two syllables.) Me: Promise me that you will not throw the golf ball. Tyler: I promise that I will not throw the golf ball. Me: Promise me that you will not kick the golf ball. Tyler: I promise that I will not kick the golf ball. Me: If I see you kicking or throwing the golf ball, I can take it off of you. Tyler: If you...

First let me say after over one year of blogging and over 200 blog posts, I NEVER saw that little blue sentence that says "Add Another Image" on the picture loader window. I have been loading pictures one at a time instead of the five at a time that Blogger allows! The things you learn. And how easy is that? Mom bought me this pattern for Christmas. I have been saying that I would like to tackle a wool quilt and I have several yards of thin black wool that I bought for the base of quilt. This is my challenge item for this year. My Mother makes these great pillowcases. The night before her surgery, I helped her make the last four sets of them. Very easy and fun to make and so much nicer than any purchased pillowcases. As a sidenote : If I had a maid, or if I didn't have a job, I think that I would have clean pressed sheets and pillowcases every day. Well let's just go with a maid. I wouldn't do it myself everyday! And this table runner was quite the ...