MOST ANNOYING BARBIE IN THE WORLD FASHION SHOW

OK, I promised this to you.  Along with all the other finishes I posted yesterday, the biggest finish was these Barbie clothes.  I cut these out when my daughter, Jessica, was into Barbie's when she was around 7 or 8 years old.  She's 24 now, you do the math, LOL.  I don't know if you remember, but I've dubbed this Barbie the MOST ANNOYING BARBIE IN THE WORLD because she talks, well, plays music anyway (I think the rest of the recording has been lost to time, thank god).  She has this button on her back that chimes some notes when you push it.  (I think she is a princess Barbie.)  I've pushed this button so many times while fitting the clothes and there was nothing I could do about it!  I can't tell you how good it feels to get rid of her!  So, without further ado, let's start the show!

First off, 3 vest, blouse and capris sets.   The two blue sets are made of corduroy and the purple outfit is wool.

Three day dresses with matching shaws.  These were made from scraps I had left from making dresses for myself when in my early 20's.  (Sigh)

Three party dresses.  Again from the same dress scraps as above.

Four evening gowns.  I've always been a sucker for luxurious/fancy fabrics!

Three nightgown and negligee sets.  Yeah, these are scraps from party dresses I made for me, LOL.

Two bridesmaids dresses.  The second gown is white and lavendar.

And two bridal gowns.  One white and one ivory.  The bridesmaids dresses were made to match.

No, I didn't make the veils.  Little girls like to make things for their Barbies.  Veils are easy (besides, I couldn't stand working on them any more).  Thank goodness I didn't cut out three, LOL.

So there you have it.  It feels so good to have completed these and put the patterns away.   I do hope my niece's little girl will like them.

Love from Liri

FRETTING

Yes, I have been fretting!  Me, who never frets about anything, LOL!  About?  Well, let me give you an idea.  You know that closet you have been meaning to clean out but keep putting off for one reason or another?  And everytime you open it you think to yourself, "I really have to clean this out!".  But you don't, so it stays in your head and becomes a monster?  Well, I got that way about my UFO's.  I am in my sewing room, every day, working and working and working but nothing is getting FINISHED!  And that's what I have been fretting about.  Nothing is getting FINISHED!

So, I decided for the month of May, that either I would finish some old projects (some have been around for at least 15 years) or give them away to someone who would.  So I opened up my UFO bin and decided I would give away or finish whatever I pulled out.  That being said, the first item I pulled out of the bin was the Double Wedding Ring quilt.  I know I am a little late (by about a week, LOL) for this drawing, but I was honest and put my name in the hat along with Barbara, Bev C, and Karen of Alf & Lilly Creations.  As Love said, if it is to be, then it is to be.  The name that was drawn was:

Karen of Alf & Lily Creations

Congratulations, Karen!  I am not sure I have your address, so send me an email and I will get it out right away.

The next project I pulled out of the bin was this. A thrift store find, a kit originally from JoAnne's. Essentially all I had to do was sew up the sides. DONE!

Next was this bunny.  This is one of those 15 year projects.  I started him when these Simplicity patterns first hit the market.  This bunny is large, at least 24 inches, maybe a little bigger.  He is FINISHED now!

This little bag was another thrift store find and, again, a kit from JoAnne's.  Everything was there, but you had to cut the fabric, the batting, the applique heart, etc.  I love how it turned out and it is FINISHED!

The next few outfits were started when my sons were in the second or third grades, when fancy jogging suits became fashionable for everyday wear.   I made quite a few of these and my sons wore them to school.  Not at all sure why these were not completed.  So, I got waist and ankle measurements for Dylan and Liam and now they are FINISHED and in Grandmom's bag for the next time I see them.

This next project has been almost finished for quite awhile.  It was a kit.  The cross stitch was done.  The applique was done.  The pillow was ready and the ruffle was on.  Only a few little stitches here and there.  Took me about 15 minutes and then it was FINISHED!

I think I got disgusted with this and that's why I put it away.  You see the smudges in the upper left hand corner?  That's tar, courtesy of my husband and Kitty.  I got the better part of it out, but this stain remains.  I have no idea what to do with it now, but it is FINISHED!

In between finishing these UFO's, I also got Pinwheel Parade sandwiched and quilted.  I still need to attach the binding and the pillow sham needs to be quilted and sewn together.  Hopefully, I will complete that next week.  After that, I am going to work on Summer Breezes.  And, no, I have not forgotten about the tutorial I promised you for basting quilts WITHOUT crawling around on the floor.  I tried to do the tutorial with Pinwheel, but the backing fabric and batting are black and none of the pictures turned out clear enough.  But it should work well with Summer Breezes.

In addition to the above, I completed all the Barbie clothes.  They have been stitched together for over a month but needed ties and snaps.  That's all done and I am giving them to my niece's daughter (complete with the most annoying Barbie in the world, LOL).  They are packed and ready for my next trip to the post office. They are FINISHED!  Stay tuned tomorrow for the fabulous

MOST ANNOYING BARBIE IN THE WORLD FASHION SHOW!

Love from Liri



LANGUISHING UFO, FREE TO A GOOD HOME

Now, before you say anything, let me tell you that this is not one of mine!  A year or so ago (maybe even two) while checking out a second hand shop that I visit about once a month, I found a big plastic bag of what I thought was fabric.  Blue and yellow, one of my favorite combos at that, and at a ridiculously low price!  Well, of course, you know me well enough by now to know that I just couldn't pass it up! 

When I got the package home and started sorting through, I found it was actually a double wedding ring quilt that someone had started.

There is one corner complete.

And two long sides completed.  You know that my design wall will hold a standard size queen, unsewn, but the two completed sides are longer and wider than my wall.  I estimate this quilt was intended to be either a very large queen or maybe even a king.  Along with the completed work was this:

The baggies hold pieces that were already cut and some have even been joined.  All the fabrics are there for more pieces.  Some of the white is already cut and there are a few units already completed along with more white fabric.  The quilting design has also been drawn on the white centers of the circles.  They just don't show up in the photos.

I thought I might finish this myself, but I find double wedding ring to be a bit intimidating at this point in time.  I can't see this languishing in my "projects to finish" box for another ten years before I feel confident to tackle it.  And I have been finishing projects from that box this month.  I will be posting them soon.

So, I would like to send everything to someone who will finish it or use it in a border or something.  Any takers?  Leave me a comment and I will draw a number in about a week.

Love from Liri

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

It's been awhile since my last post.  Been walkin' a bit on the wild side.  Lots of stuff going on in my life.  My oldest son is graduating with an Associates degree on May 13.  My daughter is starting Dental Assistant school on May 31, even with 5 children.  My middle son has just escaped a major layoff due to sale of the company he works for.  I am in the process of going back to work.  Like I said, just a bit wild around here. 

Been working a lot in my sewing room but not too many finishes to show you.  I did get the Patriotic Denim center sewn together.  Not what I originally planned, couldn't work in the white stars, but I still like it.  I have an idea for the borders, but Flit has to play around with the idea for a bit before I know if it will work.  Here is where it stands now.

It is so heavy, I've really been debating whether I should even add borders.  But it is only big enough for a twin size bed and I need it to be queen size.  So borders it is!

Finished this piece of embroidery.  Started it months ago but got bored doing the sky.  It only took me an hour to complete.

I really hadn't intended to do so much stitching on this piece, but I tried one thing, liked it and that led to another.  Just one of those kinds of things, you know?

That's it for new projects.  I thought you might like to see some very old ones.  When I was in my late teens and early 20's, I got hooked on crewel embroidery kits.  One of my favorite motifs was Jacobean design.  I had a new apartment.  Need I say more?  I just pulled these out and washed them up.  Some are in pretty bad shape due to age and the fact they had been pillows on my sofa.  Not sure what to do with them now.  Have a look.

 Can you tell which ones were used as pillows?  The next two were supposed to be framed and hung.  Never happened but they are in much better shape.  You could probably date the lion, LOL.

This next piece was finished only a few years ago.

You can see that I still love Jacobean designs.  You can also tell, if you look at the back, that my skills have improved a lot.  Here is an early back.

Here is a recent back.

I have lots of these kits, some started and some not even open.  I want to finish each and every one, so I am thinking, once I go back to work, that I may choose one and work on it a bit each day during breaks.  Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

Love from Liri