Tiny Bindings and other things

I decided to try my hand at making a mini quilt  last week; of course, using my sudden yo yo obsession.

Things were going along pretty nicely and I was enjoying the smallness of the process.

Until I tried to put on a binding!!!

First attempt at tiny binding

I ended up with a wonky mess and just knew that my ugly binding had ruined the whole quilt.  Not only was it thick, but the corners seemed to be falling off the edges, and it was just a mess.

I removed the binding and decided to ask for advice.  I received wonderful advice and tips from Janet at Roque Quilter (who is known for her incredible mini and small quilts)  and Debbie at Homemaking Dreams and  Angel Scraps Quilting.(probably my longest blogging buddy and she makes beautiful things)   (I was doing the corners all wrong and I learned to use a single fold binding instead of the double fold like we do with larger quilts)

I also held everything down with my mini clips, which helped secure the binding in place while I was sewing.  Notice I changed the binding fabric to the same fabric as my border, to help camouflage my boo boo's.

Not perfect, but way better!!

Thank you Janet and Debbie (and also thanks to a few Youtube video's I watched).

Moving on to other things...

Do you know what these things are?  They are oysters.  Hubby and I went out on the boat in January (I've never been out in the winter before)  to search for oysters.  I had never been oyster-ing and I had so much fun.  It was truly like searching for Easter eggs in the water.   We came home and hubby shucked them all (we had approx 100 oysters).  I fried enough for our supper and we froze the rest of them.  I'll definitely do this again with him.

Do you like oysters?  I ate one raw on a cracker and it took all my strength and willpower to get it down without gagging.  Around here, you are pretty tough if you can do that!

And I did go through with recoloring my hair  after going through the long process of letting my gray take over.

My hairdresser used a semi permanent gloss (versus creme color) that should wash out over time.  This may be a great alternative for me, since I can change my mind without having to grow all the color out again.... maybe?  I'm not sure if it works that way, but that's what I understood.

I'm also trying to let my short 'pixie' cut fill in a little and not be so very short.  Of course, this is after my hairdresser styled it and it hasn't looked this nice since.  I'll be able to style it correctly just before it's time for another trim.  Does anyone else have this problem with fresh haircuts?

And look who lost his first tooth:

Chandler Tate!

That's about it  for this post.  My friend liked her candle mat that I posted in the last blog post.  She told me she has a yo yo maker, too, but has never made the first yo yo! We are truly kindred spirits.  Happy Birthday Wanda!

Still yo yo'ing!

I can't seem to stop making yo yo's. 

I wanted to share this little candle mat I made for an upcoming birthday gift.  I will buy a great smelling  candle and gift them together. 

This was fun to make and I'm planning to make a more 'country' version for myself.

I'm itching to get back to the sewing machine , so my yo yo making needs to take a break soon!

Yo Yo's and Grey Hair

Just to prove that I finished something....


It's not much, but it still feels great to mark a project as complete.

granny spreads done

I bought a couple of clearance  quilt kits after Christmas, one I hope to make into a wall hanging for my livingroom.  I found an awesome deal on Elsa and Anna fleece no sew blankets (you know, the ones you tie the fringe together) , so I bought two to make for the my granddaughters.  They really need another blanket... :-))

L@@k at this grey hair

Ok, so this is me and the top of my hair!  Back in the summer,  I had all the color cut out of my hair, just to see how much grey is really there.  (I have colored my hair since I was in my 30's... before I even needed to color)  It was a fun experiment with the idea of letting myself go grey, embracing my age, being all natural, etc. etc.

I was thinking it looked pretty good in my own lighting at home.  Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror if I was out somewhere in different lighting and think 'hmmm.... looking old there , Penpen."

My  final decision was made for me during a Christmas party at my sis in law's house.  Known for saying what she thinks, she gazed into my hair and said "what have you done?"  I proudly replied "nothing.... it's all natural."  She replied, "well whatever it is, don't do any more of it."  SHE POPPED MY BUBBLE!  She told me it looks as if I had it 'frosted'.... anyone remember when we had our hair frosted?  I do and I did!

So I came home and took some pics of the top of my  head, just to see what others might be seeing.

                                                            ********************

Since it's a new year, a new me, etc.... I've decided to have my hair colored  on my next  salon visit.  

I am not going to lie... I feel like 'something' happened to me when my own mother died almost 3 years ago.  A part of me went with her.  I just didn't care much about most things any longer.  I went into survival mode.  It didn't matter how I looked, because I was going to die soon, too.  Just be.... take care of daddy.... do the best I can.

I quit my job, gained weight, spent a lot of time on the couch, rarely went outdoors, stopped walking the dogs (they have a fenced in yard), slept a lot, ate terribly., developed high blood pressure and gastric reflux .... you name it, all the typical signs of depression. (something i've fought all my life)

I saw my doctor several times, who recognized my depression and has been very kind and patient while seeing me through this.

Several things happened at Christmas, besides the hair color comment, that made me take a good look at myself.  The blood pressure and gastric reflux really really got my attention, because I thought I was having a heart attack one night.  Something had to give....

So, it's 2018.  Time for a change, time to get back to being me , time to look after me, to improve my health and my outlook.  And time to color my hair!  

Life is beginning again in 2018.

*Prayers welcome*

Happy New Year! *2018*

Happy New Year!  Each new day is truly a gift!

I changed my wreath out to represent winter and snow and then  amazingly, we had snow in eastern NC just a couple days later!!  It's been unusually cold and we've had trouble with our water heater freezing a couple times this week.  But with hubby to the rescue... he was able to get it running again in very little time.

Snow 2018

I've been enjoying some hand stitching this week, staying warm with blankets and dogs and fireplace.

I"m making yo yo's , using the Clover yo yo maker, that makes the process SO easy!  I made my very first yo yo when I was in 7th or 8th grade.  We  had a fun day at school and we were able to choose which fun  'learning' session we wanted to attend.  My English teacher was teaching yo yo making (the old fashioned way) in her group and without hesitation, I signed up for her group.  It was so much fun and I remember having a brown paper grocery bag full of fabric, thread , and yo yo's after her class.  I don't know what ever happened to those yo yo's, but I fondly remember making them.

My son and his wife gave me a huge stack of 5-6 inch charm squares a couple years ago.  I have had fun going through these to make yo yo's.  I'm making a little spread to drape across the top of a chair.  I have matching chairs and one already has a spread, so I thought the other needed one, too.    I'm such a 'granny' decorator.  :)))

Here's a link to my first yo yo spread, that now resides on the matching chair.  https://littlepenpen.blogspot.com/2011/02/yo-yos-finished-here-it-is.html   I had framed it to hang on the wall, then I got tired of looking at it.  It was removed from the frame and used as a table scarf for a night stand in the bedroom.   The grandkids were were always taking it and dragging it around, which made my heart smile.  It recently became an addition to the navy chair,  therefore it needs a twin.

It's still cold and the roads are still covered with snow and ice, so our church has been cancelled for today.  I think I'll make more yo yo's today.

Happy 2018!