Retreat Donations

I'm getting ready for the May Ohioquilters email group retreat. We've been getting some wonderful donations to use for door prizes, goodie bags and the raffle that will be benefiting the James cancer center and Ohio diabetic association. It is just like Christmas opening up what the ups or usps drops off. Once they all get here then in a couple of weeks I'll start going through to decide what goes where, get all of the goodie bags stuffed with items, name tags made and the rest of the endless tasks to be completed before I pack my van full of goodies to the retreat. I love going up there to Amish county in beautiful Ohio, so relaxing, great shopping and lots of fun with wonderful group of ladies. I've got a couple of openings if someone is interested in coming, just email me or check out www.ohioquilter.net for the information. We are doing a mystery quilt, a rag jacket, a vera bradley style purse, fat quarter bingo, show & tell, plus a few surprises. Everything is all optional to participate or not. Not to mention the wonderful food prepared by a great Mennonite family. Well heading out to the sewing room to work on a surprise for the retreaters. Hard to go out there when it is soooo beautiful outside, tulips are coming up, crocuses are blooming, maybe I'll spend a couple hours in the flower beds.

My new Bag

Well this is the bag I did the other weekend. I just love it. Done with 5" charms. It is sooooo large and roomie. It has become my carry all bag. You see I always have a bag with me to take from house to van, to carry stuff. Since I got my arm damaged 11 years ago, I have a hard time carry things with that arm, sometime it just lets go & I don't when that will happen. So I started carrying a longaberger basket with me or a tote of some kind. I really love those environmental reusable shopping bags from sams club, because they hold a lot of stuff. Well a friend made this bag, I fell in love with it, so I had to make one. I use it all the time now. I can carry my library books, my stuff I have to drop off somewhere and then on the way home from town. i put all of my little bags of things I purchased in it, so I'm not carrying a bunch of stuff at one time. I'm planning on making me a couple more. I thought this would be a great bag to take on trips or on a quilt retreat ( which I have one coming up in May, Yipee!!). It measures almost 20" long and around 9" wide. The only thing I don't like, the pattern calls to make it with fusible fleece, well to me it don't have enough stand up on your own structure. So I'm planning on making my others with some peltex to give it a little more humph!!! Since it is quilted out would hold together so much nicer. I used all kansas troubles fabric. The other ones I'll also use Kt but have some fabric in pinks/browns I'm going to use too.

Finally Done something

Well I did got my antique roses quilt done!!!! Yea~~~ I just need to add another border but not sure what yet. But so glad it is more or less done. I also got the rag quilt done all except the clipping. I'm so not looking forward to doing all of the clipping. I did up 2 pillowcases plus a purse/tote. Finally got some major sewing done. Gosh it felt so good to get somethings done. It has been a long time since I was sewing, way to long. Now I just need to put my sewing room back together. I'm collecting a laundry basket of things to get rid of so hopefully I can add to that today. clutter drives me nuts sometimes, just feels like you can't breathe. It becomes overwhelming to me when it piles up, feels like you don't know where to begin at times. So I try to keep it under control. I feel if you keep it under control you use less time keeping things organized, i have more time to do what I love or want to do. I guess it is a control thing with me, LOL. I hope you all are having a good week & doing some sewing~~~~