Happy Pumpkin Day!

Remembering Cathey.

You are still missed, dear friend.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Yet Another Late TUSAL

Many apologies to those Totally Useless Stitch A Long participants that end up waiting on me every month. The New Moon was one week ago and I'm just now posting. We were out of town last weekend and I just wasn't up to posting until today.

My only ORTs are more triangles added to my gallon sized Ziploc bag. There may be a few thread snips and squaring up bits added as well.

All those ORTs were created from making this!

One full row completed on my quilt. I have most of another row in the works now but I didn't get a photo.

I mentioned we were out of town. We went to the Gathering of the Guard for the Oklahoma Patriot Guard Riders. Remember I sewed tote bags for the silent auction? Those sold really well. I was bidding on this cute, brightly-colored quilt another member donated. I kept getting out bid. After the auction, Dash went and paid for the items we won and surprised me with the quilt. He'd went in and added one more bid to ensure I got it! What a sweetheart!

It's really bright! So cheery!

Quilted in paisley.

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your September TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Totally Uselessly Late Again

I ORT to be on time. I am the leader of this stitch a long, after all. It seems I can't get with it this year! It's the New Moon again, time for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long, and I have loads of ORTs to share. In my bowl I have bits from the tote bags I finished up last month and some empty spools from the quilt I started this month.

In the bag are tons of triangle ORT bits from starting said quilt. Lots and lots of triangles.

Wait, I started a new quilt? Yes! As an anniversary gift the end of July, (our 30th!) Dash semt me off to a quilt retreat at Prairie Quilt in Hennessey, Oklahoma. Since I didn't have any projects going I had to start something. The retreat was so much fun! I sat for three days and snowballed the corners on  2 1/2 by 5 inch blocks. Lots and lots of them!

The photo above is at my table during the retreat. You can see my stack of snowballed blocks in the corner. 

This picture is parts of the quilt in progress. The plastic box is full of the  2 inch scrap fabric squares I'm using as leaders and enders. Those little squares will eventually become a postage stamp quilt...all sewn while I'm working on other projects.

Here are the pieces that go in my current project. Pieces on the right are the base and the left side shows what they get sewn into.

Here are the pieces laid out (not sewn together yet!) how they will look when finished. Pretty!

Just this morning, Miss Molly helped me make a mini ironing table out of a TV tray table. I just need to get a teeny iron to use on it.

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your August TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Boring ORTs are Totally Useless

While snapping the photos of my ORTs for today's Totally Useless Stitch A Long update I realized they are really quite boring as ORTs go. All tan threads and empty thread spools. Plastic empty thread spools at that. Oh well, at least I have ORTs to share!

I decided to leave them right where they are to take the picture. Look at all that stuff! Have I been busy? Yes! I've made three quilted tote bags in patriotic fabrics.

These will go up for auction at our upcoming Gathering of the Guard meeting. Every year the Oklahoma Patriot Guard has a get together. We gather donations for an auction to raise funds for the next meeting. The entire event is great fun.

Still no cross stitching ORTs. Too many quilting ideas of late!

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your July TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Empty and Totally Useless

I kept seeing Totally Useless Stitch A Long Posts and thought why? TUSAL isn't until next week...nope. It was Tuesday. I Totally...Uselessly...missed it. I've been too busy this last month. I haven't stitched a single stitch! My ORT bowl in situ:

Empty. So sad. This old wooden leaf bowl always sat by the telephone when I was growing up, filled with pens, pencils, paperclips, stray screws, and other pocket debris. Now it sits by my sewing machine collecting threads.

This is what I was creating last month and couldn't show. Aren't they cute? I made these potholders and oven mitt for my daughter, Jessie. She loves to cook! I found the fabric at JoAnn's and quilted it crosswise at one-inch intervals. The oven mitt is a free tutorial from Professor Pincushion.

What are you working on?

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your June TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Sew A Crinkle Flying Disc Dog Toy

There were so many questions and emails after I posted about sewing Molly some dog toys I decided to do a tutorial to show exactly how they were made. These toys have become Molly's all-time favorite fetching object. My favorite too, as they are soft and don't tend to break stuff in the house when you've made a bad throw or the dog misses her catch. These are also machine wash and dry so when they get all dog-spitty and nasty - into the laundry they go. You should see how excited Molly gets when I take them out of the dryer...it's like brand-new toys!

Supplies needed:

2 pieces of fleece, a few inches larger than your desired finished circle.

A sheet of plastic, you can use the clear inner liner plastic of a boxed cereal or crackers but I've been using extra-thick drop cloth plastic because it holds up longer.

A piece of cotton batting.

Matching thread.

Basting spray.

Pins.

Scissors, use your craft scissors not your good fabric ones because you will be cutting plastic.

A dinner plate or some other round object.

A marker or pen.

Sewing machine.

Cover your work area before you spray! If you are taking pictures with your cell phone, cover your iPhone too. TRUST ME! Basting spray is nasty on your phone.

Layer 1 piece of the fleece pretty side down and give it a dusting of the basting spray. Put the plastic sheet on. Spray the plastic then stick the batting on. If you are worried about the basting spray harming your dog just wash the toy before use. If you are REALLY worried you can skip the spray and just use pins. I use the spray because the fleece and plastic is really slippery and the spray makes it so much easier to sew.

Now center the round object on the batting side and draw your circle.

Put your 2nd piece of fleece pretty side up and put the sandwich you made on top with the batting part up. Pin these together around the outside of your line. Don't trim yet! It's much easier to hold all the layers together while you sew the circle if you trim after it's sewn.

Now sew around the circle you drew leaving a 3-4 inch gap and backstitch at the start and stop. Don't worry how neat your sewing is, this is a DOG TOY after all!

Trim off the excess. I leave a good wide margin for extra strength. I have to put my scraps up up high since now Molly knows I'm making toys and she will fish the scraps out of the trash! I guess they smell the same.

Carefully turn it right side out, try not to stretch the fleece out of shape. Make sure you get it all smooth and flat(ish) around the edges. Fold the edges on the open seam inside, mimic the curve as best you can. Feel free to pin it closed. I don't pin, I'm making a DOG TOY so I'm not too worried...

Next, top stitch around the outside, close to the edge. This closes the gap you turned it through and makes it lie flat. Feel free to do some fancy quilting in the center. I never have time because someone is usually whining at me to hurry up...

Finished! It's all soft and floppy with that delicious crinkly sound dogs love.

You can give it to someone who will love it. Molly grabbed this one, gave it a furious shake and spit it right out for me to throw it.

Molly often naps beside me while I sew, but if I am sewing a tog toy she is sitting, watching, and waiting. I can't resist making these for Molly...she loves them so much.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Totally Useless Secret

I'd show you what I've been working on but I can't because it's a gift. I can't spoil the surprise, even for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long! I can show you a few sewing ORTs though! It's the New Moon, what is in your ORT jar?

Things continue to be chaotic around here. Between work and home I hardly have time to think! My blog is way too quiet lately. I'm almost to a little well-deserved vacation time and can hardly wait for it to arrive. I will be patient though, it will be over before I know it...

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your May TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Late and Totally Useless

Many apologies for this dreadfully late Totally Useless Stitch A long post. I know you have been patiently waiting for this post so you can link yours!

I've been awfully busy these last couple weeks with work, home and family stuff. My mother was in the hospital for several days but she is home now and doing much better. I was able to visit her last Sunday which brightened her considerably, myself as well!

I actually have a few cross stitch ORTs to share this month. I finished up a little project I had been working on since last year (the orange floss) and started a little bitty one from Victoria Sampler. I am hoping this means my mojo is returning...

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your April TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

The Ugly Quilt

Without a doubt, this is the ugliest quilt I shall ever make. 

I know most of you are thinking, "What's wrong with this quilt? It's fine!"

Some of you are thinking, "OMG I LOVE THIS QUILT!"

And a few of you are thinking, "Holy cow, how could you even stand sewing that awful thing?"

You see, the cream should be darker, maybe even black. The red could really be oranger...and the logo print is just all WRONG! 

See? There is an "S" missing between the O and the U. How can you even?

Okay, I admit it...for an Oklahoma Sooners fan, this quilt is awesome. But for an OSU Cowboys fan like me - well - it was painful to even purchase the fabric. 

Get a good look at the striped binding.

That binding was a Booger for a novice like me to create. Yes, that is Booger with a capital "B." It caused much hair-pulling, seam-ripping and blue-streak cursing, but I persevered and it came out almost perfect. 

My dad, the Sooners fan, enjoyed receiving this quilt for his birthday this month. Me, I was just glad to get the horrid thing out of my house! Hey, you can't choose your relatives, even if they are Sooners fans.

This post is very much tongue-in-cheek. I have nothing against the University of Oklahoma, or it's fans, Oklahoma State University is just better, that's all.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Totally Useless First Day of Spring

Our March TUSAL falls on the first day of Spring! Are you enjoying a warm sunny day or cursing the never ending snow? It's lovely weather here in Oklahoma so it actually feels like Spring. Our average last frost isn't until mid-April so Old Man Winter could still have a few tricks in store for us but I'm hoping, hoping, hoping Winter is complete!

How are your ORTs looking today? I have two photos to share:

Here are my fabric trimming ORTs. The jar sits on top of my embroidery floss cabinet next to a flower frog filled with scissors and my iPod player. If Netflix isn't playing on my computer my iPod is blaring!

Then there are my thread ORTs...still just sewing ones. My cross stitch mojo seems to have evaporated. If anyone has seen it ~ I'd like it back! I've already used up an entire 10 pack of sewing machine needles. Good thing I bought a 100 pack on Amazon. Fern and I get along really well and I'm always finding more things to learn how to do with her! I will be back soon with another project...

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We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your March TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox