Happiness is....

cutting and piecing 272 wedges of fabric into 34 Dresden plates,
preparing them for applique,
beginning the stitching process while watching a classic B&W movie from the 40's 
having a heating pad and a snuggle pup to sooth the FMS pain after all that sewing :)

 

 

If you want to see what I'm up to check out Kim Diehl's Petal Pusher quilt design from her "Simple Graces" book.

Best wishes and stitches and to all you Dad's out there Happy Father's Day!
Tammy

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Pictures of Stitches

Here's my latest stitching accomplishments :)

 

Kathy Schmitz May BOM

A charity quilt I stitched for church.

I love the challenge of going into the fabric closet at church

and making a quilt from what is "on hand".

 

 

Kathy Schmitz June BOM

 

 

 A new table topper for the dining room table being "comfort tested" by Tabitha

 

This is a really neat little bag made from a quilted and bound square

 

 

The square is stitched and folded a certain way, a handle and buttons added and WA LA!....

a new little sock knitting bag (that's what I am using it for anyway)

with a center pocket and one on each side.

 

 

Here's another one I made, this one is a gift for my Mother in law.

(Just FYI I made my handles differently than what the directions called for)

Instructions can be found in the Spring 2013 issue of "Quilts and More"

 

 

Best wishes and stitches everyone!

 

Tammy

You may want to grab a glass of iced tea

...this may be a long post, I haven't written in a while :(

I've been "adjusting"....to my Mother's needs since my Dad has passed, worsening fibromyalgia, and just plain ol' menopause....which hasn't allowed me to go to the cabin in the woods AKA my sewing studio much during the last 3 months, which has also made me a tad cranky because I couldn't stitch the stress and pain away as much as I needed to.

When we bought our house in the "city" over 20 years ago, it included 2 out buildings (chicken coops). Hubby renovated one of the out buildings into a sewing room.  A few years later the company that he works for decided he needed to work out of the house, instead of a rented office downtown, so guess who got the sewing room/coop?
Then, when my oldest son moved out a few years ago and started his family, hubby moved his office upstairs into the extra bedroom (more space) and the coop became a kinda storage room. After all I had the studio at the cabin in the woods now and didn't need the coop.

 Because I have the best hubby in the entire world (or because he was tired of my crankiness) we decided  once again to convert our former chicken coop back into a sewing room. Just some cleaning and paint this time.

Here it is the "Treadleworks by Tammy Sewing Cottage"

I am so happy to have a space of my own to sew again, here at the city house! (spoiled too I'm embarrassed to say)
I must tell you that this time around I was a little bit more strategic about claiming my space.....it was painted PINK inside!! and LACE curtains were hung!!

Definitely not male office space, well not my hubby's taste anyway ;)

 

My desk and sewing machine facing the windows. Lots of daylight when I sew.

 

 

Welcome Wreath!

 

 

Applique quilt finally finished and hanging in it's new space.

Lots of pink, brown and a little sage green in this sewing space :)

 

 

 

Bruiser likes it too!

 

I still LOVE and REALLY would like to go to the cabin in the woods to sew, but when life gets a little complicated and busy you'll find me in the cottage! :)

 

 

Best wishes and stitches everyone!

 

Tammy



 

 

Memory Quilt

I started going through Dad's clothes and cutting them apart.



 

 

What is neatly folded in the container are the large flat pieces of clothing I will be able to use for the quilts. I hope to make 4 quilts, one for my Mom, my Sister, Brother  and myself. Dad was a golf shirt kinda guy (he didn't golf, but bowled) and always fought Mom "tooth and nail" about getting dressed up, so in the mix we only have a few dress shirts and his cotton and polyester type pants.

Dad NEVER wore jeans.

 

 

A few days later I cut all the flat pieces in the container into a variety of different width strips that now overflow the container. The plan is that all the quilts will be of string pieced blocks.

 

I piece the strings onto paper, cut the shapes out and then piece them by machine...all those knit tops need definite stabilization. Once pieced, I remove the paper very carefully then apply fusible web to the back...then the "shape" is ironed to the background square of fabric. I'm usually not a fusible web kind of girl but as I said those knits need definite stabilizing without making the quilt too stiff.

 

Mom is buttonhole stitching around the "shape" in order to applique it down. She is using some very nice Valdani pearl cotton (size 12) variegated thread. The green stems are bias tubes that she will invisibly stitch.

 

This is the design Mom decided she liked the best, tulips of course!

It is block 1 of 12, the tulips are all made from strips of Dad's clothes.

We added the background and stem fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

The blocks will be sewn together without sashing so the tulips will have a "floating" look. We are planning to add a red inner border and then a printed fabric for the outer border that Mom and I both feel has a Dutch look to it. Those are our plans for now and we all know that those plans can always change in the creating process.

I will keep you posted on our progress :)

 

Best wishes and stitches!

Tammy

 

 

 

 

 

Easter

A little something I stitched and made into a pin cushion.

 

Designed by Hand Blessings

 

 

 

The latest block of the month I stitched.

 

Designed by Kathy Schmitz

 

 

And an important message for us all....

 

Early on a Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightening, and his clothing was white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell the disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you."

 

Matthew 28:1-7 NLT (emphasis mine)

 

He has Risen!
Happy Easter Blessings to you all!
and of course as always
Best wishes and Stitches!
Tammy

 

March and Thank You

I was able to finish the March BOM (designed by Kathy Schmitz) a few days before my Dad passed away.
Thought I would share a picture....this is my favorite design I have seen yet for the month of March :)

 

 

Dad's Memorial Service was this last Sunday and "things" have quieted down now, just a few more paperwork details to take care of for Mom.
My Sister gathered up Dad's clothes and I will be sorting through them over the next week or so. My plan is to make quilts out of his clothes and my Mom said she would like to help me with the stitching.....good therapy for both of us, no?

I also wanted to share how much I felt your love, prayers and sympathy these last few weeks, you all are awesome and I am blessed by each and every one of you! Thank you with all my heart.

Best wishes, stitches and love!!
Tammy

My hero

 

 

On March 1st at 2:30 AM my Father passed away peacefully in his sleep.

 

 

He was 88 years old....
my hero and I will miss him terribly.

Love you Daddy xoxo

I've adopted!



This is Bruiser, my new stitching buddy.

 

 

Bruiser is 5 years old, A Boston Terrier/Corgi Mix.

 I adopted him from Blue Chip Farm, a no kill shelter here in PA.

 

His previous family could no longer keep him because they lost their home and have a new baby.

 

 

 

 

 

Bruiser is a sweetheart, very gentle and a snuggler.

Also a good motivator, he gets this fibromyalgia body of mine up and out

for a walk despite the pain and fatigue.

And he gets along with my kitties,

although I must admit my kitties are still explaining "THEIR" rules to him.

 

 

It was love at first sight.

Look at that smile!

 

 

 

Best wishes and stitches everyone!

 

Tammy