Summer Sewing

Hi! I'm trying to post from my iPhone. This is an experiment of sorts. So here goes!....

This summer was not about my sewing in the least! However, within a week of leaving the states (after 9 weeks there!) and coming back to Oman; my sister asked for my help. My help in making little bean bags for a birthday party she was traveling to. So here is the story in pictures.

This is all the sewing I did! It was fun and quick and I got the selvage!!!

Thanks for stopping by after such a long break.  I hope to get busy creating stuff soon!!

St. Louis.....

Hi!  It's so good to finally get on my blog!  Here are just a few of the places that I have been to on this trip back to my hometown of St. Louis....

Great coffee and pancakes!

Been here several times...

Forgot to get the sign so I got the bag...

I don't have a pic of the Zoo but when in the Reptile House; I saw this simple, colorful and lovely quilt.

This did not do much for me this year.  I think the difference is that we ordered and took it home.  I don't like fat fries either!

This place is in The Hill and has the best Peach Pound Cake I have ever had in my whole life!

This place is a place I have not set food in for 17 years!  I got in and loved it!

Now we are more local.  Jackman's Fabrics is a great store for quilting fabrics and then some....Two years ago, when last here, I bought a Cupcake Oven Mit kit.  Several actually, and not the pattern.  When I walked in here, the first thing I saw was the pattern!  I'm kinda over cupcakes but I bought several more kits again!!!

Yes!  Need I say more???

Amal pointing to her name on the board.  We went to Mizzou.

This is actually in Mizzou on our campus tour.  I really liked this restaurant!

We made it to this restaurant and it was great!

Ahhh.....another local favorite!

We went to West County Mall and Ali found this doll.  So what you say?  This is a doll from one of my best friends in High School!  He is famous now and has his own doll!  How many of us can say that???

I went to this restaurant finally after 17 years or more!  I remembered a particular chicken sandwich and a salad that I loved!  It turned out it was the Chicken Parmesan sandwich but it is called the Becky Debbie sandwich and a salad!  L.o.v.e....

This turned out to be a gem on this trip.  Ali found this place he wanted to volunteer at.  Eden and Amal also wanted to but Eden was traveling and volunteering already and Amal had an allergic reaction to all those cats.  So, Ali did 16 hours on his own.  Today was his last day and he was really sad.  His iPhone has about 300 photos of his kitties!

We made it to Washing University in St. Louis too.  Love it.

This is Amal's passion these days.  Wolves.  I let and encourage my kids to google their butts off.  So, to reward them is wonderful!

We made it to Grant's Farm in St. Louis.  Wonderful.  My favorite part is seeing the Clydesdales!!

This is a little local place that has been in business at least 17 years!  They make the best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies; well, next to my own!  Liz (whom I am staying with) bought me a bundle to eat on the plane when I left America to follow my heart!

Yes, this was a 'drive by' shooting of Walgreens!  We don't have this over in Oman and I miss it!

Amal has taken a particular liking to this place.  I'm sick of it already!

Ali and I like to watch cooking shows on our down time in Oman.  We have been dreaming of going to visit 'Buddy' from Cake Boss but he is in Jersey and we are here is Middle America!  So, when we saw a show on Sweetie Pie's; and learned it was indeed here; well, you can imagine the rest!  We loved it!

Well, thanks for stopping by and seeing a few things we have done when I remember to take a picture! I have so many ideas and plans for when I get back home!  Missing my Gerry!  (My Bernina).

I'M HERE!  IN THE USA!!!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY TOO!!

Amal's Scrap Quilt - DONE!!

I love, LOVE setting goals and accomplishing them!  I had started and finished the tops of two scrap quilts.  One for each kid.  Then, they sat for almost one and a half years!  I put my mind to finishing these two quilts before school lets out and I DID IT!!!

Here you see the design that Amal chose from my book of free motion designs.  I had her trace it onto paper with a pencil and then I went over it with a Sharpie so I could see it.  The placing of this was a monumental headache!  Thank God I am a patient woman!

Of course, it did not take long for Uki to claim her spot/s.  She was attacking the black design or the moving white fabric as I was trying to work.  I had a visual.  If either one of my kids were to climb up and do this I would scream at them; but somehow, Uki gets away with it!  hahaha

This was a very difficult photo to take!  As I was marking the very secure design; Uki took to rubbing her cheeks on the end of the watercolor pencil.

Here she looks away; so innocently; but you can see the fabric is screwed up and in, yes, IN her claws!

She is too cute.  Really!

Ah, enough of the kitty and on to the quilting!  I used two shades of pink for the quilting.  The darker pink was in the bobbin and the lighter was what was on top.  It was so much fun quilting this non-stop free motion design!  I did have to end a few times for this reason or that.

Uki, AGAIN!  She was trying to jump into one of my cubbies so I helped her.  This one is the mismatched-I-don't-know-what-to-do pile.

Amal did not want anything quilted and ESPECIALLY not any stippling in this section.  After I did the hearts; I felt it really needed something.  The quilt spoke and that was that.  I got on with the stippling.  It was fun!

Here you see the simple criss cross in the center of the quilt; the stippling in the first border; and the hearts in the outer most border.

TA-DA!!!

Another shot to prove that all the markings came out!  

And my baby girl holding her much coveted quilt! 

After all these years quilting; after all the projects that I have started and finished; this is the FIRST ONE FOR HER!!

edited to add:  I am entering this quilt into the Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2012!  

Quilt Measurement:  59" x 64.5"

Special Techniques used:  nothing really

Quilted by:  Me, Alia!

Best Category:  Favorite Scrap Quilt; Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt; Favorite Throw Quilt

Thank you for stopping by as always!  

Peek A Boo Quilt - DONE!!

I have indeed been so remiss in keeping up with my blog!  I realized that I hadn't seen a whole lotta green from my PAB quilt.  When I looked back; I realized that I indeed took the pictures but did not upload them.  So, here I am.  Not one post today but two!

I took a class with a friend here in Muscat.  Most of the ladies were filling the barn doors with kid-friendly pictures; suitable for a baby.  I decided since my baby is 13 and I ain't gavin' no mo', that I would put pictures of the four of us plus two kitties.

Of course, Uki had to help.

I was done quilting and in the process of trimming off the edges to put the binding on.

I extended the quilt out and Uki wasn't bothered.  She actually loved being covered.

Here she is trying to get out.

Or is she?  In all of these posts, you can peek at my quilting.

And this is where it got a bit hairy.

She loves this ruler!

She got under again.  I put the ruler and rotary away so as not to freak out anymore than I was.

She loved it and would not budge!

She made sure I wasn't cutting off this end of the quilt any time soon!

Ta Da!!  The finished quilt!

And a closer view...

Here is Peaches

Ali holding Uki the day we brought her home.

Waqar

Ali the day he was born.  His very first picture ever!

Amal on the day Ali was born!

Me as a little girl in St. Louis

Uki

My Mom, my sister, and I dancing at the St. Louis Zoo.

Amal two years ago with my pose!

Wow.  This was picture heavy!  I really like my looped quilting; hand quilted barns and the fact that I opened up the windows.  I also like my whimsical flowers in the borders and my hand covered buttons.

Thanks for stopping by!