CaDi Corners BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!

Hi Everyone!
Visit CadiCorners.com to check out our Black Friday deals!  Select fabrics are 20% off through Sunday.  Then be sure to visit again starting Monday for another special!
Happy Thanksgiving!

...Baby, it's COLD outside. . .

I had to work up in Denver this week.  On Monday, I was running the air conditioner in the car on my way to the airport in Phoenix.  When I landed in Denver, it was 28 degrees out!
Wednesday morning I left my hotel to make the 15 minute trek to the facility and arrived 2 HOURS LATER!!!  Unbelievable!
Today I left and it was 5 degrees out, and landed in Phoenix 65 degrees!  Needless to say, I was very happy to come home!

Christmas is coming and CaDi Corners is getting in on the Black Friday Hoopla!  Stay tuned!  I will be posting again soon to tell you what the specials will be    :)
Until then, stay warm!

Shop Hopping

One of the fun things I get to do when I travel for my REAL job, is check out the quilt shops in the towns I visit for work.  This past summer, I started pulling up Facebook on my phone and doing a check in for which ever shop I was in.
My Husband, being the intelligent, good-looking, fun, fine, upstanding man that he is, suggested I blog about some of those shops I visit.
Soooo, here is my first post about a FUN little shop I visited just last week.

Well, first I should tell you I was NOT on a trip for work last week but travelled home to Vermont to check on my mother who had fallen and broken her arm pretty badly.  But even though I went back to see her and spend some time with her, I still managed to go to a shop.

Enter - Sunny Laurel Sisters - Colchester, Vermont

I told my sister I had seen this shop listed on the  www.RowbyRowExperience.com  site.
She hadn't heard of it, so we went to check it out  (sorry Kim, they were out of their license plates). What a wonderful little quilt shop!  We got there just a couple of minutes after 5:00pm (they opened from 5-9pm) and there were people waiting to go in!  We loved looking at the lovely array of fabrics and some adorable Patchabilities wall hangings that were made up. We met Nicole and April (two of the sisters) and felt right at home.  Of course we saw some items we just could not do without!  Our most fun find was a very small hexie template!  We each purchased one (along with other items), went home, cut out hexie's, and created little ornaments.  Being quite pleased with our ingenuity, we felt the need to return the next day and do a little show and tell.  We also brought her some to keep (both the small shown below and the larger ones).  We like to share ideas!
Nicole and her sisters are expanding their store into a larger space in the same shopping plaza BUT their new space overlooks Lake Champlain!  We are so very excited for them!
If any of you are ever in Vermont, be sure to look them up.  You can check out their website at:
www.sunnylaurelsisters.com

When I was packing for my trip to Vermont, I grabbed a couple of patterns I had purchased and wanted to show my sister.  One pattern was for a tuffet.  You know, "Little Miss Muffet sat on her Tuffet, eating her curds and whey . . ."   The pattern was not written very well but I slogged through it anyway because I thought it would be so very cute!  Diane and I worked together as a team and this is what we came up with:

It is very cute BUT, needs to be puffed out on the sides!  My sister said she would never make another one.  I am thinking there is room for improvement so the challenge is on   :)

Well, it is getting late and I am still battling jet lag! Guess I will say goodbye for now!

Summer's End - Finally!

A frequently asked question - Where does the time go? - seems to be my motto lately! Several months have flown by since I last posted.  I like to have photos to post and that has been one of the reasons why I haven't posted.  I have been slow at completing projects and even slower at taking photos.
My last post showed the beginnings of Layla's quilt.  Here are photos of the finished product:

The finished quilt.  Hanging on my quilt holder in the hallway

A closer look:

 



 

 

The quilt label.  In the background you can see the pattern quilted in the plain squares.

 

Another look

 



I was pretty happy with the way it came out.  Layla (and her parents) are moving to Ohio today  :(
I will be saving my Southwest Airlines Frequent Flyer miles so I can go visit them!!

As soon as Layla's quilt was done, I needed to start on another for a sweet baby girl (now 9 months old)

Here are some photos of what I have so far:

The mom likes baby blue and asked for a little bit of yellow.  Here are the fabrics I chose:

Then I cut them out:

The small squares were to be ironed into prairie points.  The half square triangles were to be made into pinwheel blocks.

 



 

 

I chain pieced the half square triangles.

Believe it or not, there are 120 prairie points there!  It was 109 degrees outside when I ironed those little buggers - What on Earth is Wrong with me!!!!

 



 

 

No way was I going to PIN those prairie points on!  Gotta love fabric glue sticks!!

 

 

The quilt top:

 



I need to layer and quilt it.  I have had many things keeping me busy - mainly work (my paying job :))   BUT, I managed to take a little side trip:

This is my wonderful friend Kim  (I have a daughter named after her!)  We toodled around central Illinois visiting Quilt stores in her little Smart Car.  I had heard there is lots of sitting room in there and there is!!

 

 

The reason I was able to visit with  Kim is because my son Nathan, was getting ready to graduate from his Army Officer Course in Missouri.  I planned to leave a few days before his graduation so that I could fit in some fun with Kim.

 

Here is my son - Nathan!  He is child #6, son #3 - A 2nd Lt in the Army and attached to the Arizona National Guard:

 

 

 

I told him he needed to look like he loved his Mother in this photo.  I think he did a pretty good job!

 

After Nathan's graduation, I took him and his friend out for lunch.  Then Nathan and Tanner jumped into Nathan's truck and headed west, I headed east.  Back to St. Louis to catch a plane to San Antonio for a team meeting out at a Presbyterian camp grounds.  We had two days of meetings, a game of kick ball, two turns at canoeing, then home after 8 days of being gone.  Whew!

 

Two days before my trip, we said goodby to our dog of 14 years. 

Penny

 

 

Now maybe you all can understand why I have not had the time to write.  But of course, I will end this post with a promise (which is more like a hope) to not let so much time go by before posting again!



Summertime Sewing

I have a friend who lost her husband this morning.  I am sad for her and her children and what they are experiencing right now. BUT I can also be happy that her husband Rick is now with the Lord in Heaven and THAT is truly a blessing. It doesn't lessen the pain those left behind feel, but knowing they will see him again one day is the silver lining around their cloud.  I find as the years go by, we are seeing more of our friends and acquaintances  leave this world.  A normal part of life, but one that affects us immensely!  Sooo, therapy for me is cranking up the Southern Gospel music and sitting at my sewing machine.

In my last post, I mentioned I had a two week trip for work to Denver and was planning on getting some sewing done. Well, I DID!  A wonderful lady named Darcy lent me her sewing machine and I was able to put a small dent in this quilt that I started almost 10 years ago.  Here are some photos:

This is Darcy's Sewing machine.  She said it was the first purchase she ever made on credit! A sweet  little machine that ran like a charm.

 

I managed to sew together 128 melon pieces for this quilt:

 

 

So, while 128 pieces may sound impressive, I have a total of 508 melon pieces to sew up!!

 

 

Not a great photo, I know, but this is a small representation of all the pieces I have sewn together.  If I don't hurry up and finish this, I will come up with some missing   :(

 

 

These are the three types of pieces I have sewn together so far:  Arc A, Arc B, and Melon .

 

I am convinced it will be beautiful when it is done - just want to get there!

 

Meanwhile, I need to finish this one up first:

 

 

Again, not a great photo BUT - aren't you impressed with how organized I am??

 

 

 

This is a photo of the made up pattern. From the book - P.S. I Love You Two

If you are a reader of my blog, you will recognize the pattern. My sister and I made a full size one out of the Christmas fabric we bought last year.  This will be the Fourth time I make this pattern up!!

 

All ready to start my therapy!

 

Notice the Starbuck's cup to the right?  Yep - gotta have the 'ole caffeine!

Oh, and the vacuum cleaner in the background is to remind me once in a while I need to clean.

Til next time. . .



Finished Baby Quilt

I finished the Baby quilt my sister and I put together when in Vermont.  I quilted it on my sewing machine on Monday (Memorial Day) and logged 1 hour and 20 minutes of actual sewing time but it took me between 3 and 4 hours (that's because I had to roll, move, roll, move, THINK, roll, move . . .  you get the picture!)
Not really my best work - I was frustrated with the little issues from the piecing.  BUT, it sure is cute!  We used the applique patterns from Designs by JuJu.  This is actually an alphabet set with a picture attached but we chose not to use the letters. 

I REALLY need a better camera with some experience on taking good photos but here are some shots of the quilt:

I love looking at the back of quilts to see the stitching!

 

 



I am off to Denver for work for the next two weeks.  I dread being gone from Hubby and home for that long BUT, I managed to secure a sewing machine to use while I am up there and am planning on spending my evenings in the hotel room SEWING!!!  Yay!
I mentioned a while ago on one of my postings that I was getting ready to get back to a quilt I started a Very Long Time Ago. . .
I am bringing it with me and hope to make some progress.  Finishing up that quilt will make me feel like I have truly accomplished something and then can move on to other projects I have had lined up for a while.
I will post photos as I go along.  Who knows, maybe I will be organized enough to post while I am away!
Now, to ensure I organize my work days up there to not be too long and exhausting  (When I travel for work, I usually work 12 to 16 hour days in hopes of  being able to relax a little when I am home.  Needless to say, that RARELY happens   :))
Until next time . . .

Catching Up!

When I last wrote, I was chastising myself for being lax with my writing! Sheesh! It has been over two months since then!!
Not writing doesn't mean I haven't been reading, looking, oohing and ah-ing, and dreaming of more things to do.  I haven't been terribly productive but certainly not for lack of WANTING to be productive.

Since I last wrote, my husband and I had a nice little vacation. We toured southern Utah - Zion National Park, the Arches National Park, and drove on some off-the-main trek roads.  We saw gorgeous scenery and we managed to get to Colorado Springs to visit our son and daughter in law. Our travels brought us south through part of New Mexico and then into Eastern Arizona and back home.  It was an enjoyable time and so nice to spend  with Louie! When we finally get time alone together, we shake our heads and wonder why we took so long to make it happen  :)

After our short vacation, it was work, work, work.  Then, of course, I needed another break.  My sister and I were originally planning on attending the Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburg but decided we needed to work, rather than spend more money. So off to Vermont I went!

Diane (sister) wrote up a pattern and I put it together.  Then we decided to make a "younger" version.
Here's what we created:

This is the first bag.  Diane had wanted it to be wider but we were limited by our use of the border fabric.

This is our "younger" version.  The fabric is Bloom Modern II by Jason Yenter for In The Beginning Fabrics.  This is just screaming out to a young girl.  We braided the handles and Diane came up with the idea of using ric-rack with  a flower button to hold the bow.  Pretty cute, huh?

The small pouch is an Atkinson Design.  Very cute and easy to put together!

 

 

We also put a small baby quilt top together before I left.  I will post photos when I have it all quilted (my weekend project).

 

Mom was with us the entire time and we had fun.  I would sit down at the sewing machine and Mom would want me to show her something on her ipad.  Then, I would sit back down to sew, and Mom would want me to help her with her Christmas presents.  I was in Vermont for four and a half days and managed to get quite a bit done. 

 

I hope you all have a relaxing long Holiday weekend!  Remember those who gave their lives so we might live free!

 

 

Until next time. . .

Well . . . . Old Habits die hard!

The habit of letting sooo much time go by between posts!  Life has been quite hectic here. Grandbaby number 8; the second granddaughter, was born on February 3rd - just over two weeks late!!!  I had been on the road the week before so the stress level was a bit high thinking daughter Hannah would be having her baby while I was gone!
Before baby Layla was born, we lost two members of our church. The first had just celebrated her 90th birthday and was such a joy and inspiration to myself and others.  You might have thought she was all of 75; she was that spry! She was healthy until she went home to be with the Lord! What a blessing that was.  The second member of our church went "running through the gates of heaven" after being here with her family for 4 years and never being able to walk or talk.  So sad to see her family go through the loss but what joy they have in knowing Macy is now perfect and in the presence of the Lord!
Things with my job are gearing up for getting busy! BUT, in the middle of all that, my husband and I are planning a short get-away in April.  Then I will be meeting up with my sister in Pittsburg, PA in May for the Spring Quilt Market.  Not sure how much sewing I will be getting done but I remain hopeful  :)
Until next time!

And . . . We have a WINNER!!!

The week got away from me and I should have done this drawing yesterday. BUT, well, I did get it done.  You will laugh at how UN tech savvy I am!
I printed off all the comments, cut them up, put them in a bowl, had my daughter "stir them up" and then she picked a winner!

And the winner is:    Sew.Darn.Quilt

I have sent you an email asking for your name and address.  Congratulations! You will receive the pattern and fabric pictured above.

Thank you so much everyone, for coming by to visit during the hop! It was lots of fun for me and I hope to join another one soon!

Wake up to Kona - It's My Turn!! PLUS a Give-Away

PLUS TWO MORE DAYS!!     JANUARY 20 & 21

Have you been "Blog Hopping"?  I have and it always amazes me how talented others are and how I have this growing love for Kona solids! Be sure to visit everyone on this hop to get your fill of "eye candy"!

My initial draw to this blog hop was because of the BIG COFFEE CUP!!! And the idea of Kona Coffee (OK, so I have an addiction to coffee - is there a 12 step program somewhere???)  :)


Before going any further though, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Madame Samm from Sew We Quilt, for spear-heading this wonderful blog hop!  And MANY MANY Thanks to Carol from Just Let Me Quilt, for being our tireless cheerleader!
Madame Samm works behind the scenes to procure sponsors. This time we have to thank:

Amanda Murphy, author of Color Essentials

Robert Kaufman fabrics - The company that brings us Kona Cottons

Aurifil Thread (they help us keep it together)

 

 

Now back to the business at hand . . .  Creating a project out of Kona Solids.

 

After I joined, my mind started to go a bit crazy.  I had just received the latest copy of McCalls Quilting magazine (January/February 2014)  and on the cover was a gorgeous Lone Star block.  I thought, oooh! That would look great as a sunrise star, then how about a sunset star?  BUT - it was Christmastime after all, and who would possibly have time?  Surely not me.  SO, on to another idea.  I went to my local quilt shop to see what Kona solids they had (not a very big variety).  So I thought - how about mug rugs with applique'd snowflakes?  Nah, not colorful enough.

Why not do a project on my list and change it a little?  GREAT!!

I have a grand daughter who was born just 2 months ago and my daughter-in-law chose Butterflies as her theme.  (After 6 grandsons, I now have a granddaughter!)

 

I saw a quilt like this when I did an internet search and decided to do one.  Here it is:

 

 

I used a Charm Pack of Kona Pastels, Kona Unbleached White on the front and back, and Kona Light blue for the binding.   It is raw edge applique and will look cute when it gets washed (I hope).   Oh, then I made this for the back:

 

 

 

I apologize for the photography.  I did not get it completed until after the sun went down.  Then, I have a new little camera I was trying out.  Hopefully next time I will PLAN and be better prepared!

 

 

Now HOP on over and visit these other talented ladies today:

 

January 13

Creatin’ In The Sticks

Meadowbrook

Cathy’s Chatter   (that's me)

Selina Quilts

Sew Fresh Quilts

The Sassy Quilter

 

 

 

NOW  . . .    drum roll please  . . . .   The Give Away:

 

I will send this pattern and 1/2 yard cuts of the two blues shown to one person drawn at the end of the blog hop.  All you need to do is leave me a comment.  For another chance, leave an additional comment telling me you are a follower (new or old, doesn't matter).  Two extra days have been added to this blog hop (January 20th and 21st).  I will choose a winner on the 22nd.  Please be sure you are not a "no reply" blogger or I will have to choose someone else.

 

Good Luck!



 

 

 

 

 



Wake up to Kona Blog Hop

The hop started today!  Be sure to follow the bloggers in this hop each day! There is some spectacular talent out there!
My day is next Monday, the 13th - be sure to check back!