alittlesweetness

little patchwork heart

So, I had the vision of a perfect little valentine patchwork heart pillow dancing in my head....

I loved making the patchwork....a classic that just always looks right.

What's better than pretty valentine colors....bursting with delicate, sweet florals?

Then I quilted the heart to make it sort of puffy-like.

And the stitching.....I always love me a good stitch.  It just made the heart pop...don't you think?

And then something terrible happened....

After I attached the heart to the white fabric, I cut it too small.  There went the pillow idea.  But I thought it still might work for a little mini.

So...I carried on binding my perfect little patchwork heart.

And then I hung it....

And then I took pictures....

And then I noticed it....

My little perfect patchwork heart had turned into my little wonky patchwork heart!

EEEEK!

How could this have happend?

The thought occured to me that I could take off the binding, try squaring it up, and then re-binding it, but I'm not sure it's in me.  I know someone who would!....if only she lived closer and I could bribe her into fixing my mini.  Wouldn't that be lovely?  :)

My daughter loves it, so I think I'll leave it at that and cross my fingers on my next WIP.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a better impression of my 'perfect little valentine patchwork heart'.

Wonky, what? 

Tasha

valentine WIP

Being on slow motion this week and SO inspired by SO many cute Valentine's projects on Pinterest, I decided to delve into some creativity too!

I have a couple other things in the next few days that will occupy my time, which means I might not get back to these WIP's as quickly as I'd like.  Soooo....I thought I'd just show you what I have going so far....

Little hearts....

quilted ones....

and I think they're very cute....

Sweet?

I've also cut up a bunch of little fabric squares for another little idea floating around in my head.

I hope it'll turn out the way I envision it....

Meanwhile...

I've been trying to eat some healthy things this week.  Yesterday I tried a bagel and cream cheese with spinach leaves and cucumber slices, plus some OJ and a vitamin.

It's now a new favorite of mine!  I figure the healthy things counterbalance my chocolate habit. 

At least I hope cuz there's a Milky Way dark sitting in my desk drawer....probably calling my name very soon.  ;)

Tasha

farming

This morning I woke up to a small episode of vertigo, (blah.) so I've been poking around the house today and thankfully I've been able to sew a little.  I had to be careful not to stand and lean over the table or tilt my head as I was cutting or I'd start to fall over!  I've had it much worse before, so I'm just happy it's not like that this time.  

I'm pretty badly behind on my Farmer's Wife blocks, but my stack is looking a little better now!  I have a whopping 18 now!  (woot!)

This round I decided to focus on just red and aqua.  I like how Krystine does that with her blocks....(decides on a couple of colors) ...it really helped me not get overwhelmed with fabrics and color choices.

I got some new fabrics from Kerri, which I love and made me want to sew!

Pretty huh?

For some reason I sew my blocks 3 at a time....?????????? It's like 2 isn't quite enough, but after 3 I need a break and I need to clean up the kitchen table....(that's where I sew).

This time I did Spiderweb, Friendship and Farmer's Daughter

 

SPIDERWEB {83}

 

FRIENDSHIP {39}

 

FARMER'S DAUGHTER {32}

Little story...

When I was sewing my Friendship block, I was confused as to why things weren't matching up!  I knew I had made a little error that I wasn't catching.  I called Kerri because I knew she had made this block before.  We talked for a few minutes about my block when I started listing off the template #'s ....and whatdoyaknow...one of them was the wrong template!!!  By accident I had cut out the wrong one, but wasn't noticing it on my own.  I knew I just needed somebody else to catch my mistake for me.  My point in telling you this is so that if you run into troubles with a block, double check if you've cut the correct pieces.  Some of them are very similar!  If possible, call or email a fellow wifer....it helps to talk through what you've done.  Remember, I made a silly mistake before and talking with another wifer really helped.   

Moral of the story....

it's not easy being a Farmer's Wife...

...But OHHH, SO WORTH IT! 

Tasha

girl power

via www.youtube.com

I've wanted to share this cute little song and video that I spotted on another blog a little while back.  It's really all about believing in yourself and taking your chances.  Doing that thing (or things) that you maybe have always wanted to do.  I thought it is so fitting for all of us women  trying so hard to be the best in each area of our lives.  Family, work, relationships, personal things.  Improving on the weaknesses that we all have and also taking advantage of the blessings and strengths we have been given by a loving Father in Heaven.  Whatever those gifts may be, that we remember to be grateful and continue to believe in ourselves, even when things are difficult.  We all have difficulties, so this song just will absolutely make you want to keep trying!!  I PROMISE!! 

This video features Stephanie Nielson of Nie Nie Dialogues and her children.  I followed her story when it happened and I still check in on her from time to time and she is an amazing (AMAZING!!!) example of never giving up.  The two little girls in the video where they are running, the brown hair and the red hair, are Stephanie's.  (just FYI)  I'm sure some of you have seen the video, but I'm generally kind of slow when it comes to music.  And videos. And most things cool.  ;)

Thanks for listening to my little rambling today.   

Have an extra fabulous weekend!!!

Lots of love,

Tasha

after the storm.....

So, after I had written my last post, we had more snow and then ice rain which lead to power outages all over the area.  It didn't take us long to realize this wasn't going to be over in a few hours so we packed up the family and went to stay with relatives for a couple of days.  We were lucky it wasn't longer for us without power because many homes around us, businesses and traffic lights went longer.  We were so happy we had family that offered to let us come stay!!  While I was there I was able to finish up my little Vintage Bow Tie quilt. (yay!)  After an adventurous weekend, we are back home where I think all is well.  The sun is shining, snow melted/washed away and now I just have some catching up to do.  Shop to-do's, secret to-do's and house to-do's.  

But first, I want to show you my completed little quilty!

I ended up liking the smaller size I made because I think it works well for the wall.

If you are interested in making a Bow Tie quilt, it's a simple process.  Start with 4" squares and lots of fabric scraps/small pieces.  Creating the triangle in the corner of the 4" solid square is just like you would for a wonky star.  I learned how to do a wonky star from The Silly BooDilly blog.  Just look at the 4th, 5th and 6th pictures down and you will see how to do it.  (Easy Peasy)  Trim each block with a fabric scrap sewn to it, to 4".  Take two squares to create the bow tie shape, then 2 other solid squares to create the whole block.....so there are 4 squares that create one block. When you have all your blocks made, sew those together.  Jolene from Blue Elephant Stitches inspired my quilt and explained to me how she made hers.

Yay for inspiration and helpful quilters!!!   :)

My mantle display was made possible by a couple of sweet church friends who surprised me with the darling framed Happy Place print....they said they thought of me when they saw it, which meant alot to me.  They are two wonderful gals that I appreciate very much!  ;)

Now, on to those to-do's!!

Tasha

snowing and sewing

Snow has finally visited us, so we've had an interesting week.  The kids have been home so there is lots of winter clothing items draped and hanging everywhere, all over the house.  Every coat, hat, sweatshirt, pair of jeans, pajama bottoms, mittens, snow boots, snow pants and sox.

And I mean Every. Where. 

Throw in a lot of sewing by me and a blueberry waffle breakfast and you've got....well...you can imagine I'm sure. (a super big mess)

One thing I've been working on is my Vintage Bow Tie quilt, inspired by this one.  I've got the top all finished now, so I'm hoping to sneak in the quilting and binding in the next couple days. 

The little bow ties are so simple to make and they are fun because you can think up a ka-trillion different fabric combinations to use. 

I've made a small size because I think I just might hang it up on a wall somewhere.  Although I keep wondering if I should have made it bigger, like a lap size.  Hmmm? 

For now, time to get this place pulled together for another round of snow clothes and sewing. 

Bring it on. 

Tasha

the swing of things

Is it just me, or is it difficult to get back into the swing of things after the holidays?  I think I've been particularly slow at it this year.  One clue is that I still have a few holiday decorations lingering around that absolutely must be put away immediatly.  Or else.

For Christmas I was able to turn my hexies into something for Ava.  I decided on a doll quilt in the end because I also got her a vintage doll crib and a couple of new baby dolls, so I thought it was more fitting than a pillow.

 

I'm not sure I'm totally crazy over it, but I do think it's plenty cute enough to be loved.  The part that bugs me is the aqua strips on top and bottom.  It's sort of too late now though. 

I didn't do batting inside, just some fluffy pink minky-type fabric on the back and I quilted it pretty lightly, so it's nice a cuddly.....perfect for wrapping around baby dolls.

See, someone is very happy about it, so I think it worked out.

Now, it's off to put away some decorations.  Like immediatly!

Tasha

giveaway winners!

Thanks to everyone who played along in my little giveaway!  It's such a treat for me to be able to share a little something here and there throughout the year.  I'm always so grateful for the support and encouragement I recieve and friends made along the way.  Plus, aren't giveaways just plain fun?  oh ya.  

I thought it would be a cuter post if I had Ava to help me announce the winners!  This is what she did when I gave her the embroidery hoop and asked her to show it to me.  Oh well, you get the idea.  (I hope.)

The 3 WINNERS of my Embroidery Pattern giveaway are:

#12...

Anita said ..

I love them all but I love the angel the best.
Happy holidays!

#29 ...

Melanie said ...

Laundry day - so cute :)

and...

#63...

Kristal said...

Everything is adorable, but since my daughter had a hedgehog for a pet, I'd get the patterns that have a hedgie on them!

Each of those numbers were chosen by me asking my 3 oldest boys to tell me their favorite number! 

I hope you have fun stitching up something sweet for your home or another's.  Either way, ENJOY!

(Anita, Melanie and Krystal...if you see this, please email me at pthorsley@comcast.net since none of you have links). 

I'm not sure I'll get back to the computer anytime soon, so I thought I'd leave you with this adorable little video message, so very appropriate for this time of year.  It's just 2 minutes and you won't be disappointed.  ;)

Click here to watch "The Coat"

As for my shop, it'll be open, but I won't be shipping anything until well into the first week of the new year.  I'll probably check on it here and there and send of patterns, but generally I'll be taking a break. 

Thanks again, for a wonderful year! 

Merry Christmas!

Tasha

last minute giveaway

Yes, I know it's so very last minute for a holiday giveaway, but sometimes (lots of times!) I can't get to things as fast as I want to.  If you don't mind though, then it'll work out perfectly.  :)

I know some of you like to have a little project to work on over the holiday break and embroidery is just the thing.....simple, relaxing, quick and oh so very cute! 

(yes, my Christmas Angel is still in her hoop!)

You can literally stitch something up in a day or choose to take a few weeks for a longer project.

For this giveaway, I'll be randomly drawing 3 names to choose up to $20 worth of EMBRIODERY PATTERNS from my shop. 

TO ENTER:

Just simply leave me a comment, telling me which pattern(s) you would love to stitch up!  If you're new here, you  may need to visit my shop first, then come back and let me know. 

Your welcome to a 2nd entry if you've ever purchased from me before.   

This quickie giveaway will be only be open until WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21st, sometime in the morning part of the day.  I'll choose my winners and send off your patterns on Wednesday as soon as I know what to send you!  If you don't have a blog link to your comment, please leave me an email address.

Happy Holidays and Happy Stitching!  ;)

Tasha

stitching, stitching...

Now that I've got my sweet Christmas Angel all stitched, I just need to figure out what to do with her!  I loved going all red....so simple, yet makes a statement, don't you think?

I love the crisp, classic look of red and white, so I've collected up a few items that will help make her into a timeless treasure. 

I'm pretty sure what I'm doing, hopefully I'll get it done before Christmas!!

The other thing I've been working on in time for Christmas is a hexie pillow for Ava.

I know you've seen these before, but this time they are all stitched together!  It's been one of those very slow moving projects for me, so I'm happy to see it (literally) coming together.  Yay!  My inspiration to do this was from this darling pillow, so I've just kept that image in my mind to be able to get this done for Ava.  Don't you just love finding inspiration to keep you going?!  I do! 

Today I'm off for another busy day, so I better get moving!  :)

Tasha