Halloween/Autumn swaps..

I participated in an apron swap with the MJFGs. This was a Halloween/Autumn theme. This is the one I made for my partner. It is two sided. (I like that idea) Not only do you get a choice of what print you want to show, but the double fabric gives you a little more protection from the heat of cooking.

This is the only photo I can find. It only gives you an idea of the fabric used. Autumn leaves on one side and a nice yellow gold fabric on the other. To make it more Halloween-e, I made a lacy apron with a metallic orange pumpkin print. It can be worn on top of the other apron or alone for a little bit of a spicy look.....

I did another swap with another group. I used some of the same fabric as above. Its basically the same apron pattern too. I just changed the neck tie to a belt loop.

This side is Autumn leaves with very large pockets. I added a few large buttons. (they can be removed with a simple snip of the threads)

The other side has a farm animal print on it. I thought it was kind of cute. I added a little crochet lace to the top of the three very large pockets.

And because I had some fabric left over, I made a few hot pads or pot holders. I hope my partner will be happy with her apron and hot pads.

Scare Crow doll swap at MJFG

This is my first ever fabric doll. It was so much fun making, I think I will be making more.

Here is the pattern all cut out and ready to be sewn.


Most of the body is together. I need to stuff the legs and arm.


She is all together. And of course, she has to have under garments.


Here are the pants and shirt I made.


Here she is in the dress I made. I used the undershirt as an apron.


I made a simple mask to cover her face. See, now she is a scare crow!!

A few more swaps...

Here are a few swaps I have finished with in the last 6 months. Sorry, but I just have not had the time to post anything.

This is from a pink charm swap I hosted. It has 100 6.5 inch charms. I need to add a boarder, backing and binding. I will use buttons and DMC floss to "tie" quilt this one. I have never done it this way before. But I think it will look nice.

I am going to host another charm swap. Or maybe two. I want to make sure I am going to have enough time to devote to the swap.

I joined my first ever yo-yo swap. I am not much into these yo-yo-s. Might use them as decorations or maybe I will just give them to one of the ladies in the swap. They were very easy and fast to make.

Here is my spring clothes pins. These are a fun little item to make. I have a gas dryer and no clothes line. But still, they are a fun craft project. They work nice as chip bag clips. And I decorate my small holiday tree with them.

I think that's about it. I have been swapping quilt blocks with a very small group of ladies.

More swaps photo to come soon......

Annual Motorcycle Trip......with out our bikes

June 12th we set out on our annual bike/camping trip. Normally we ride our motorcycles the 180 - 200 mile trip to Spring Grove PA. But this year our bikes were not in working order. So we packed up the pick-up truck and drove out.
The nice thing about driving is that we were able to bring a cooler, chairs and canopy.
The camp ground is the home of the White Rose Motorcycle Club.


(photo copied from club page/site)


To most they are known for is hosting bike hill climbs. Its crazy.

(photo copied from club page/site)

These guys race their motorcycles straight up the side of a mountain.


Here are some photos from the top of the mountain.



The last few heavy rain storms flooded and eroded the race path. It is no longer a straight line up. Now it curves a bit.

On my walk back down the trail I took these photos. It was such a beautiful day.

On the other side of the muddy pond was a farm. Check out the old trucks just rotting away in the field.




A few more photos...



As I am entering the camp ground again.

And here is our site!!!

And of course, it would not be a trip with out a photo of a train. You will have to look real close, but there is a train that passes by. Just had to take a photo.


Although we did not ride our motorcycles this year, It was still a nice time.

Crabby, Cranky and just plain tired

These last few months have been a little hard on me. Lots of worrying and wondering what the next day will bring. Will I lose my job? Will Jeff find a job? Will our health say good? Will something go wrong and rejection become an issue?
I think I have more gray in my hair then before. First I thought it was just becoming lighter because of the sun. NOT.....
I try and keep a happy face. Keep up-bet and motivated. But, that's just the outside. I try to keep busy with my sewing and crafting. But that sometimes does not work.
I just want to apologize to anyone that I may have offended or ticked off.

Cops and Rodders Show

Well the 19Th was our first car show of the year. And it was a big one. If I had to guess, I would say there were almost 400 cars.
But like with most old cars, there is almost always a brake-down.
We all, Cougar Club of NJ and PA met up at the McDonald so we could all drive into the show together.
As we were getting ready to go, one of the guys, Don, could not start his car. Yes the starter was shot. But, with all good gear-head, old car fanatics, someone always has a spare part. It was my husband this time. He just happened to have a starter he rebuilt a few years ago in the garage.
So a short trip back home and he picked up the tools needed. A good jack, and jack stands he was ready to handle the task.
I guess it took about an hour to fix.
Its nice knowing that if something goes wrong, one of the other club members will jump right in to help.


Don, standing, will have his starter rebuilt. I believe it is the original starter.

Quilt give-away

I would like to give this quilt to a child in need. "In need" does not necessarily mean they are underprivileged. "In need" could be a child that deserves something special to cheer them up. They could be sick. Recently lost a parent or loved one.
Please leave me a comment explaining why this child needs my quilt. Do not leave their name. On April 11Th I will choose a comment. I will then contact you for more information. Such as a name and address that I can ship it to. They could receive it in time for Easter Sunday. (correction!!! Will receive it week after Easter Sunday)

Thank you!

Think Spring and Spring Tea Cozy Swap items

Here is the Tea Cozy I made for the Spring Tea Cozy swap.

Below is the pin cushion and pin keep I made for my partner in the Think Spring Swap.

The Farm Chicks Giveaway

You just HAVE to enter this fun, surprise give-away. It is so EXCITING!
great!
click here

And even if you don't wish to enter this give-away, check out their blog. It is a

Apron, St. Patricks and Frilly Dilly bag Swap at MJFG

Here is the Apron I made. It is actually lined. I am pretty satisfied with the results. But I did make the ties a little long. Please excuse my messy laundry/sewing room.

And here is the little extra that goes along.



For the St. Patricks swap I made everyone a cell phone purse. I used some left over fabric that I had used to make the green apron for my neighbor at Christmas. The purse has a long strap the you could either hook on to your purse or around your belt. I forgot to take a photo before I sent them out.
But here is one of the gifts I received.

Crochet dish cloth. Isn't it nice? I love the green!

And lastly, here is my Frilly Dilly purse.



It looks a lot better in person. The first one I made did not work out because I used a heavy home decor fabric. The frills just would not frill.... So now it is my non Frilly bag.