CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST

Oh My Goodness!!

Would you Look what #1 Husband brought home??!!

EIGHT BOXES OF FABRIC and NOTIONS

Where on earth did he get all this??

There's some beautiful knitting yarn, appliques, upholstery fabric, wool batting, interfacing, dress fabric, quilted fabric w/batting, cotton batting, spring, fabric, winter fabric, solid/floral fabric, and that's just my initial Look-See.  No telling what I'm going to find tucked away in those boxes!!

Wouldn't you LOVE to come over, have a cuppa and go treasure troving with me??  I would share, Promise!

This is some GREAT summer outdoor Upholstery/Pillow Fabric

Love those bright colors...will look great on my patio or even front porch swing!!

I found a ziploc bag full of these beautiful appliques...some are taken off vintage children's clothing

Check out the Knitting Yarn!!  I don't knit but won't that make a Great Give-Away on my blog!!  

*Wink... Wink*

See, I'm thinking of YOU, my Followers

I am SO in need of a Better Camera!  I wish you could see the texture and colors of this fabric!

I just redid our Master Bathroom and this fabric is PERFECT for the curtains.  I was waiting till I found the perfect fabric and here it is...trust me. it's SEW much prettier in person.

Next to it is about 2 yds. of Christmas Green Felt!

How much fun can I have with that for Holiday Crafting with the Grandpeeps???

AAHH, Green Felt come to Grandmama...................

Oh how pretty are Thee...mint green jacquard fabric.

Oh I will find something beautiful to make/cover with this little jewel!

Ok, You're asking

Where in the Heck did all this come from???

My hubby is a High School Guidance Counselor

so...

yesterday, the janitors were *cleaning" out (decode as throwing away) the Home-Ec Sewing Dept.!!!!

Can you believe all this Treasure was being TRASHED???!!!!

Never the one to pass up boxes of cast-offs, 31 Husband loads up ye old Ford 150 and brings it all home to Mama!!  Oh yes, he did!!!

This means I can NEVER EVER COMPLAIN about all the "treasures" (JUNK) he brings home.

Ain't Love Grand??

It's all about Give & Take....COMPROMISE GIRLS

38 yrs and counting............................

Someone else's Trash is another person's Treasure!

BLESSINGS

Getting MY Ox Out of the Ditch

 

Have YOU Ever had to get Your Ox Out Of the Ditch?

What???  You've never heard that expression before?

It's Biblical you know...on the Sabbath it was against Jewish Law for a Jew to do work of ANY KIND.  

HOWEVER...

IF your Ox got stuck in a ditch on your way back from synagogue it was OK to "get your ox out of the ditch" without being put in some dark, dank, and dismal dungeon...I don't know if they had prisons or dungeons but the *d* word played much better in my allegory.

Back to my original thought process...

I've been quite busy the last few days what with canning, housework, and taking care of my daughter

writing an inspirational post much less highlighting some stunning stitchery

just wasn't going to be in the cards for today's post.

Gmama Jane had several oxen to get out of her ditch!

SEW...allow me to show you some quilts from Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge, Tenn, this past March.  I know I've already shown some of these quilts but it's been awhile and one can never look too many times at a gorgeous quilt.  One or two are mine but you will be able to tell the difference.........Trust Me!!

I am a Quilter but I quilt for the sheer joy and relaxation it gives me, not for any judging, exhibits, or display.  Mine are the kind of quilts you curl up with in your favorite chair with a cup of tea/coffee. If my dog Lucy sheds on them, I can throw them in the washing machine.  My quilts make for great porch sitting when there's a chill in the air or put down for Concert's in the Park.

Enjoy!

 

Handpainted flowers!!!

Card Trick

Strip Quilt

Love these colors, don't you?

This oriental themed quilt had incredible quilting

A Student made this quilt as a gift to his Math teacher

A Winner!

These autumn colors make me yearn for cool weather!

We're BURNING up in Alabama.

AAH...remember the SNOW??

The good ol Days of winter!

An orphan block made into a mug rug!

The Queen size Quilt 

that I've needed to Hand Quilt for 

TWO YEARS!!  SHAME on me!

Quilt made from #1 Husband's Grandmother's House Dresses

It's THE most favorite quilt in the house as you can tell.  I'm going to do some repair work ASAP

AND NOW A REMINDER....

Aug.11th Thursday

I will choose a winner from all the followers who have

1.Commented on my blog since Aug. 1st AND

2. Become a follower of Stash Manicure, Commented, and told me so!

BLESSINGS

GMAMA JANE    

 

I'm a BRC Quilter! How about you???

What Kind Of Quilter Are You?

I'm a BRC QUILTER!!

BRC aka BEFORE Rotary Cutter

Now, all you WANTOBE QUILTERS are what I call

ARC...AFTER ROTARY CUTTER Quilters

Rotary Cutter by Truecut

I learned to cut out templates, fabric, Everything quilty with a pair of good old fashioned

Scissors

I have the callous to show for it!  Those of you learning to Quilt have no idea what the "Good Old Days of Quilting" wer Really Like.  No siree...you got it good now... not like those of us who walked in a foot of snow uphill TO and FROM our Local Quilt Shop (LQS in quilter's Lingo)  Come on now...you gotta get with the Lingo if you're going to enter OUR world!  Seriously, The ROTARY CUTTER Revolutionized the world of quilting more than any one tool!  How many of you BRC quilters would agree with me?

All those  *hard times* got me to thinkin' about how the World of Quilting has changed BRC/ARC in other areas of Quilting.  Let's take a Look.....................

Can you even imagine???  I'm NOT this OLD Ladies!

Now THIS is more like it!!  Come to Mama.................

My first Quilt I actually used one of these!

  Now Look................

Creative Grids has a Ruler for Every Need................MINE!!!

 Here is What most of you think of when you think Quilting, Don't You??

I suspect many of you had a Grandmother who sat in some cold room during the winter quilting while everyone else sat in a warm room with the TV.  This reminds me of the sweet lady who quilted my mother's quilt tops when I was a Wantobe Quilter.  Her husband sat in his Lazyboy watching TV while she quilted in the "backroom" without heat.  She would be hunched over the quilt frame with a sweater, slippers, and gloves with the fingertips cut out.  I certainly wasn't inspired to Quilt by that charming little scene.  Would you???

So now...all you ARC Quilters have all this cool stuff to use, to quilt with, cut with, press with, to stroke the fabric, to enjoy...

 OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH.............  LOOK..................SEE.........FEEL..............

 Have I made you feel sorry enough for us

BRC QUILTERS??

Dash Over to Stash

and

Take a look at the sponsors links of what you Wantobe ARC Quilters are going to be taking home.

Go Read http://sewwequilt@stashmanicure.blogspot.com

Be sure to leave a Comment so you and I can win!!!  I'm right behind you!

Here's What you're going to win in the First TEN DAYS of the Campaign just on my Blog

The Joy of Quilting

1.  Become a Follower of MY blog by clicking on Follow or Join this site

2.  Leave a comment and tell me if you are a follower

3. Become a Follower at  http://sewwequilt@stashmanicure.blogspot.com

4.  Leave a comment and tell them Gmama Jane sent ya!  Come back and tell me you're a follower st Stash

Winner chosen Thursday, Aug. 11th.  A NEW Giveaway will begin Aug. 11-20th. ans sew on and sew on.

I'll be showing you What's on MY  Design Board  Next!!

BLESSINGS

 Today is the Day That the Lord Has Made

Let Us Rejoice

and 

Be Glad In It!

 PRAYER Changes Everything

Camp Macoba

I spent the day here several weeks ago

with a good Friend, Denise

Today may be an excellent day to go visit a friend or maybe 

someone who could use an extra hug or just some conversation??

Perhaps the weather will cooperate today and you can go for a walk

as you enjoy God's Creation

Perhaps...sit in a swing with a Loved One

Two Grandsons enjoying a Popsicle (excuse the blurry picture)

on a HOT HOT HOT Alabama Summer afternoon

Maybe...have a Cup of Tea?

Perhaps, work on a Quilt for someone special??? 

 

OR

Extend a Helping Hand??

Whatever you decide to do on this Sunday, July 31st, 2011

 Remember Today is a Day of Rest

but 

Tomorrow is the first day of the

Wantobe Quilters Campaign

Make SURE you ARE 

1.  A Follower of My blog AND

                                          2.   A Follower of Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure AND

                                 3.  Making Comments on both blogs in order to win

I Have Officially  Come Down 

with

The Quilting Bug....Have YOU??

BLESSINGS

GMAMA JANE

ARE YOU READY TO WIN???

ARE YOU READY TO WIN???

 

Please read one more time and hopefully I've explained a little better.  I borrowed some instructions from Melissa at Happy Quilting who explained it rather well I thought.

Grandmama's Stories has teamed up with Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt at Stash Manicure... who has teamed up with Anyone who is well respected in the Quilting Industry... to bring all you Wantobe Quilters PLUS all of us *Seasoned* Quilters (and I use that term very loosely)together for one Out of This World Give-A-Way Campaign

 WHY?

Just to give you the tools to help you enter the Wonderful World of Quilting and Stitching...it's a lifelong hobby and  a top notch way to reduce stress!  Honest!! 

 

How Do I Know?

I suffer with Fibromyalgia and I can attest to the healing power of stitching...research has shown that a repetitive activity such as sewing, knitting, quilting, embroidery actually tells our pain receptors to "calm down". I would not tell you this if it were not SEW!

So what can you win . . .

They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks.  From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters, to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles, rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.   (I will mention though, if you do win . . . you have to pay for the shipping of the prizes, as the organizer is doing so much she would go bankrupt in shipping costs.  But trust me, these prizes will be worth the shipping.  However, if you win something that you don't want to pay shipping for you can just not claim the prize, or you can tell me you don't want that particular prize, I am pretty positive I would be willing to pay for shipping to my house :)

 

So what qualifies you to be a Wantobe Quilter . . . 

You do not have your own machine, tools, notions, or fabric stash.  (now I know a few of you have a old, beat up, or "wimpy" machine but that is okay, that just means you don't qualify to win a machine, but you can win anything else.)  Basically, You could have made a quilt once with a Mom, Sister, Friend, ect. but you loved it, and want to do it more, but you don't have your own tools.

I don't know how I got the blue BAR on this sub-heading but for the life of me I can't *undo* it so please forgive me!

So what do you have to do . . .

FIRST - Email me your name, email,  and phone number sew I can submit this to the organizer.  (These won't be redistributed and you can email them to me at jehillis@gmail.com)

SECOND - Make sure you are a follower at my blog (http://grandmamasstories.blogspot.com) and a follower at Stash Manicure.  ( http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com).  (Following is easy, just click on the*follow* button up in the top left hand corner of the blog :)   

Doing these two easy steps qualifies you to win!!  Pretty Easy Right!!! 

I just HAD to show you this cake I found while blogsurfing..is this not the cutest idea for a Stitcher's Birthday Cake???

Love to all my Blog Friends!  You have become such a Big part of my life as well as my inspiration to make more creative Quilts with all the fabulous techniques/projects you so artfully post on a daily basis

BLESSINGS