Author Archives: ginnyscraftbasket

I think I’m ready for spring

Those of you who know me know that I love snow.  Yes, most of my friends and family think I’m a little weird but I just think it’s beautiful.  And I also love having to stay home and sew or watch a movie, read and maybe even cook.  Having said that, I think I am ready for Spring to arrive.   After the last snow that we had melted away I took a walk around the front and back yards  and lo and behold, there were daffodils and tiger lilies popping up! daffodils

It’s still too cold and damp to go out and do much in the flower beds, etc. but it got me to thinking about flowers and veggies and just being outdoors and enjoying the dirt.  Some of my friends and family think I’m a little weird about enjoying dirt too.  🙂    It’s almost time to go out and trim back the Knock Out Roses and, of course, seedlings can be started indoors.  I will get a taste of spring next weekend when we go to the Spring Flower & Garden Show at Hicks Nursery.    Love the smell of all the flowers, the beautiful colors, the ideas and inspiration I get and yes, even the warm humid feel there (yes, again, maybe a little weird).

In the meantime, I have been keeping myself busy by having new floors put in two rooms and rearranging another room.  I haven’t done too much sewing or embroidering but I did recover my sister’s vanity bench seat while she was away on vacation.  It is actually from one of our aunts and we aren’t quite sure how old the set  is but it seemed to me that Downton Abbey fabric would fit the period quite well.  I chose this one from the Lady Mary line

vanity-bench     My sis was very happy with it when she came home and saw it.

I am finished with the projects around the house for while so I will be making my sewing machines and embroidery machine hum again this week.  I even have a space to use my Featherweight in my living room now so I can do some straight stitching projects while spending time with the hubster and watching tv with him.   So, stay tuned for some pictures of maybe a quick St. Patrick’s day project and some Easter things for sure.  I am hoping to try to embroider some names on some bunny ears.  Seems to be a very popular item and I’m going to try my hand at them.

Have a good week everyone.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

Snow Day = UFO Day

Yay!!!  A snow day!    This is what the view was from my sewing room window this morning. snow-day

So, I got to spend time inside in my sewing room.  I decided to make this a UFO day — UnFinished Object .   I went to the bin where I keep projects I have started but they aren’t yet completed.  Some have only been waiting for me to finish them for a short time and others, well, they have been waiting quite a while.    The first one I chose to work on was a Christmas Tree skirt that I made waaayyyy back in the ’90’s.  I came across it this last summer when we were going through things in the Brooklyn house before selling it.   I had made it out of 6 wedge pieces of material and I used it for a number of years but I never quilted it.   christmas-tree-skirt    I actually forgot that I had made a trim for it by braiding red and green ric rac together for around the edge.  braided-ric-rac   I decided to just use a serpentine stitch in rows on each wedge.  The batting inside had already begun to shift around but I figure maybe I can get a couple more years use from it with a bit of stitching.   I will now wash and dry it and pack it away for next Christmas.  I better put it someplace where I will remember that I have it so it doesn’t disappear for another decade.

Next I worked on a small quilt that I had begun a few months ago.  pink-green-charm-pack-quilt

I had sewn the charm squares into rows so I needed to sew the rows together.  Then I added my first border – pink.    I am going to add another border of green and I have some Chenille-It that I think I will add to it.  This isn’t going back into the UFO bin.  I’m keeping it out so that I will finish it.  I don’t have far to go.  I do have to pick my backing fabric for it yet though.

Lastly, since Valentine’s Day is only a few days away,  I pulled out a heart shaped potholder that I cut out about a year ago but never finished.                                                        heart-potholder     I just need to put the binding around the outside and the loop on and it is done!

All in all, a good day in the sewing room.   And I got to watch some old westerns on tv with hubby — Wyatt Earp and Wagon Train.  I enjoyed them even if they were in black and white. 🙂

We are very lucky to have some wonderful boys who live on our block that we call our Snow Elves.  They showed up when the snow flakes slowed down  and took care of the 11″ of snow that needed shoveling          snow-elves-gift

It snowed for a bit more after we went out to clear off our cars.  As soon as they saw us out there, they came back over and shoveled some more.   Great neighbors.

I will be finishing up the potholder and the quilt top this weekend and I also have rearranging the living room a bit on my To Do list.  I want to carve out a small space to set up my Featherweight down there so I can sometimes  do some stitching in the evenings while watching tv with the hubs.  Should be a fun weekend.  Wish me luck.

Have a good night all.  See you soon.

Ginny

A Month into the New Year

It has been a very exciting year so far.  The most exciting thing is that I am now an “Oma”!  My grandson, Ezekiel John, made his appearance on Dec. 20 but I had to wait until Jan. 13 to head out to California to meet him. I got to spend 9 glorious days snuggling and cuddling and just loving him.  It was the most amazing feeling when my son put him in my arms.  It was wonderful visiting with my son and terrific daughter-in-law and, as a bonus, my youngest son came out to visit at the same time so I got to see him too!  We had a wonderful visit and I can’t wait to get out there again.

Our holidays were terrific.   robs-christmas-tree  Spent Christmas Eve with my two oldest sons and they had an awesome 11 ft. Christmas tree.

Had a nice walk on Christmas Eve down to the pond near their house. peaceful-pond

So peaceful.  I just love going up to visit them.

 

 

 

Only one snowstorm so far this year but it was so pretty.

 

 

Another exciting thing for 2017 is that I have my embroidery machine

innovis

 I’ve been having a great time learning all about the things I can make with it.

 I made a set of soft blocks for EJ with some Disney characters  embroidered on them mickey    I’ve made some Easter things but can’t show pictures because they are going into some Easter baskets and want to keep them a secret for now.  And today I tried my hand at embroidering some kitchen towels for a couple of friends.  towelsI enjoyed making them and will be doing quite a few more of them.

So, all in all it has been quite an exciting year so far.  And just in case anyone was wondering ………………..  11-months-to-go   ……. 11 months to Christmas.

Hope you are having a good 2017.   Be well.  Stay safe and warm.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

Autumn colors

Fall is making an appearance and while I do miss the warm, sunny days at the beach,  you really can’t beat those amazing fall colors.

mums   Burgundy and gold  mums     mums-flag

The happy, bright Montauk Daisies  look so cheerful even on a cloudy day

montauk-daisies

And I love pulling into my driveway and being greeted by this mixture of autumnal beauty

front-porch

And sometimes as the day wanes,  we are treated to a purple and pink sunset

sunset

So being inspired by all these colors, I think tomorrow I will bring out some decor to reflect what’s happening outside.

_PatchworkPumpkin       20150927_161409 (1)      Reversible Fall Placemats     Halloween tablerunner (Copy)

Enjoy this colorful season.

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

The Cutting Edge

I was rearranging and re-organizing my sewing room recently and started gathering up my scissors to decide which ones would hang on my pegboard, which ones would sit by my sewing machines, etc.   Now I know someone who has this thing for scissors.  I won’t mention any names but you know who you are.     Image result for clip art

As I put them onto my cutting table I realized that I had a whole LOT more scissors and rotary cutters than I realized.   I said to myself “Holy Cow, I’m getting like Sharon!” (ooops, I mentioned a name)   Here are some of my many cutting utensils:

dsc03175

I looked at them and realized I really do use them for different things.  There are my fabric cutting scissors (don’t EVEN think about using them for anything else), my batting cutting scissors — and I have the same two categories for my rotary cutters.  I have a special rotary cutter to use with my circle cutting template too.  There are my little snip scissors that I keep hanging by my Pfaff and the ones I keep by my Featherweight.  Then there are the ones I use for my crochet or knit projects and the little teeny ones for applique.  There is the pair of scissors that I use for snipping around curves or into corners and that I will use for snipping the edges in the rag quilt if I ever get around to actually making it.  Of course, there are the pink scissors with the flowers on them (small and large – they came in a set) .  No real reason to have them except that they are pretty and I like them.  I have my mother-in-law’s pinking shears, my Aunt Anna’s pinking shears and I now have my grandmother’s pinking shears.  Truth be told, I never use them.  They hurt my hands to use.   I also have a couple pair of scissors that I honestly don’t remember where they came from but they are part of the family now.

Now, I am not so sure that I have as many pair of scissors as my bestest friend does but after looking at all the scissors and reflecting back on my thought of  “Holy Cow, I’m getting like Sharon!”  I realized that’s not a bad thing at all.  She is the best friend anyone could ever have and if I am like her even in this one little way, well that is a very good thing.

Happy sewing everyone.  And BFF, keep those scissors sharp so when I come to visit, we can cut things up and then sew them back together.

Bye for now all.

Ginny

 

 

 

A hint of Fall

fall leav    Just a few weekends ago we were in the midst of a major heat wave.  The a/c was going night and day along with numerous fans and my energy level was practically non-existent by the end of the day.   And now, this week we have had some nice cool mornings and evenings.  The windows are open and we can enjoy the sounds of the crickets.   I sleep much better and wake up ready to accomplish things.  I am not quite ready to bid adieu to summer but it’s nice to get a taste of what will be here in the not too distant future.   I have been thinking about what I look forward to in the coming season: Soups,  beautiful fall colors,  mums blooming along with my Montauk Daisies.  Football and the new fall season of shows on tv to keep us entertained when the fall gives way to frigid winter nights.   I was thinking back to how much I used to look forward to getting the Fall Preview issue of the TV Guide.  TV Guide Fall Preview    I would look at each days schedule and pick out what new shows I wanted to check out and, hopefully, they wouldn’t be opposite a returning favorite show.  No dvr’s back then.   And there were really only a handful of channel’s to choose from and yet there always seemed to be something to watch.   Other than the fall premiers, two shows that said “Fall is here” to me were the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon on Labor Day weekend when I would try and stay awake as long as I could to “watch the stars come out” and the Miss America Pageant which was usually the weekend after Labor Day I think.

Of course, fall brings to mind some nice, cozy quilts to snuggle under when there is a chill. I have a stack of fabric waiting to become quilts but I did finally finish my lattice quilt top:

latttice top

This will not have any batting, just a backing and that will be seersucker because I wanted to experiment.  So what’s in my craft basket tonight? The seersucker backing and the jellyroll that I will be using for the binding.    backing and jelly roll for binding   I can’t wait to get to the binding.   I know a lot of quilters don’t like that step but I enjoy it.  I will be cutting the jellyroll into about 7″ pieces and joining them to make my binding strip.   I will get to cutting those pieces and maybe even do a bit of stitching together tomorrow morning before work.

But for tonight, I’m going to get my cup of tea and read for a bit while listening to the cricket serenade.  Have a good night all.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Hot August Days

 

We are in the middle of a heat wave for sure so what does one do to keep themselves busy while being inside all day.   This is what was in my craft basket today:

DSC03156

I have put the last row on my lattice quilt and now on to adding the borders.  My first border will be  1 1/2″ white strips, then I will put a 3″ border of the tangerine and finally, a 4″ border of the green.  I was trying to decide what to do as far as batting.  I want this to be a “summer” quilt so I don’t really want warmth.  Just a light cover on a cool summer night— which would NOT be tonight for sure.  🙂   After  a bit of research,  I finally came to the  decision that  I would not be using any batting.   I’m just going to put the top and the backing together,  “quilt” it with some straight line diagonal stitching following the lines of the lattice strips.   I will use the Ambrosia Jelly Role for the binding.    And what will I be using for the backing?  I am going to experiment and use Seersucker.  Seersucker just screams summer to me.  Not sure how it will work but since it’s not a gift  I’m going to try it.

There are a number of  quilts on my list that need to be done before Christmas so I will be quite busy over the next few months.  I also have lots of other projects to work on so the workroom will be buzzing starting in a few weeks.  The first thing on my To Do list was to decide what patterns I wanted to use for each of the quilts.  The decisions have been made, most of the material has been gotten and now on to the cutting.  But, not until I finish my lattice quilt!  That has been in my “craft basket” for quite some time and was in the category of UFO (Unfinished Object).  But no longer.  It will be finished!

Keep cool everyone.   See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

August already!

I’ve been keeping busy but not a ton of time in my sewing room.  That seems to happen in the summertime.  I did have time to add a “new” bookshelf to my sewing room.  It is now home to my solid color fabric, some fat quarters and my quilting magazines.

Jpeg

Jpeg

I actually have made a few small things and got back to work on my lattice quilt.  Four more rows to go on that and it will be time to add the borders.  It was actually supposed to be my “summer quilt” for this year but that didn’t happen.  It will make it onto the bed next spring for sure though.

And what else is in my craft basket you might ask?  Well I’ve been collecting the license plates for the row x row experience this summer.  DSC03154

Here are three of them and a pattern for showing them off.   No, I didn’t get to actually go to visit Missouri Star Quilt Company but I was able to order their license plate.  I’ve got a few more to collect this year.    I am sure that these license plates will not be made into the wallhanging until winter is in full swing.   You see I have my usual “got to make by the holidays” list and I also have a different list this year too.  My “want to make before my grandbaby arrives” list!  That event will also take place in December so those sewing machines will be humming away.

For now, I’ll continue to enjoy the summertime and spend lots of time outdoors and organize my ideas and lists.  I think that maybe I need to get into some hand appliqueing so that I can be working on projects while enjoying the beach, the backyard or the front porch.   Of course the occasional rainstorm is welcome too…. especially if the aftermath is something as beautiful as this:

DSC03142

Now I am going to settle down with the my M*QC catalog which came in the mail today.

Happy August.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

Summer is here

And I am back.  I can’t believe it’s been 4 months since I’ve been here.   Life has been keeping me pretty busy these last 16 weeks or so.   Since I’ve been here, Spring came and went and summer arrived.   I have been enjoying the warm weather.  We’ve been enjoying our trips to the beach.  We love to go early in the morning and it is so very peaceful Peaceful beach     And there has been an addition to the “Prohibited” sign this year :

A sign of the times I guess               Addition to Prohibited Items

I have been doing some sewing.  Had a successful craft fair at the end of May and the orders from that kept me busy for a while.  One of the items I made was this tote bag:

Paisley Tote Bag   I really like the way this came out and I think I will find something to make myself from the fabric I used in it.

We also took a trip to Port Jefferson and enjoyed walking around Main Street there and checked out a number of the cute shops and had a delicious lunch too.   Port Jeff

We made a couple of stops at quilt stores that day too and I picked up their row x row patterns and a license plate.  I checked out a couple of embroidery machines and I am hoping to be able to add a new member to my family of machines and learn a whole new area of creativity.     Looking forward to adding new, more personalized items to my list of offerings.

So, that’s a bit of what I have been up to these last few months.  Hope you all have been well and are enjoying the summer.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Downton Abbey Withdrawal

I have watched the finale twice already this week.  I am going to miss Sunday evenings with The Crawley family.

 Downton abbey

I knew I was going to enjoy the show when I started watching it but I didn’t know just how much I would.  I found it very interesting to watch the changes that happened in the English society in the time frame the series covered.

So I have decided that I am going to make myself a small lap quilt with Downton Abbey fabric as a reminder of the pleasure I got from this splendid show.   These are the fabrics I am considering:

 

I picked fabric from the Lady Mary, Lady Edith and Lady Sybil lines as well as from the Dowager, Lord and Lady and, of course, The Downstairs line.    Now all I have to do is decide what pattern I want to use.

I think it will be a very, very long time before I find another show that I captivates me the way Downton did.    Thank you Crawley family and Downstairs staff  for the smiles and the tears and thank you Julian Fellowes for a wonderful show and all the attention to detail.

What will I do from 9 to 10 on Sunday evening now?  Maybe I’ll re-read all of Jane Austin’s  works.

See you soon.

Ginny