Yippee!!!  It's Saturday!!!  I'm not sure why I'm so excited about it being Saturday... everyday is like that for me lately... (aaahhhh.... I simply LOVE this retirement life.....)

I thought I would share what I've been working on this past week.... NO... WAIT... I have something I  need to show you!  Take a look at these wonderful, sweet, hen & chicks that now live at my house!

Aren't they wonderful?  They are made of some type of stone with the old patina.  I just fell in love with them.  This weekend I'm putting them in a table display in the dining room!  Won't they look wonderful in a big basket with greenery... or fall leaves?

Kelly, my Enchanted Antiques friend (she's the owner) and I were visiting in her store the other day when I spied them.  Yes... I gasped with excitement!  There they were.. clucking my name!!  "gloria..cluck.cluck.gloria.cluck.cluck"... HA!

Speaking of Kelly - she will have an antique booth in our big quilt show here in Jacksonville this coming weekend!  Prime Osborn center - downtown Jacksonville - Thursday - Saturday.  You must attend!!  It's the biggest one in North Florida/South Georgia (next to the Mancuso Show in Palm Beach).  They will have over 400 quilts, over 70 vendors... it's great fun!  All 7 quilting guilds in Jacksonville work together to make it happen ... and WOW.. .is it ever a lot of work!  Don't miss it!

Now that you've met my newest 3 friends... check this out:

Tavern Stars !!

We are so excited!!  I spoke with Marcus Brothers (Patty) and asked if we could use some of Bonnie Blues new fabric line - TAVERN BLUES - to make one of our new pattern designs and if they would like to hang it in their booth during market they could!  Well, here it is one of the blocks... Tavern Stars is about to be born!

Paula Barnes has designed this gorgeous line of fabric for Marcus Brothers.  You can see the entire line on their website Marcus Fabrics .

I will surely need a minimum of 1 yard each of these prints... they are to die for!

These stars are perfect for the beginner (and for those of us that love easy blocks)!!  The design is perfect for never missing any points on your star!  They float in the background.... see how much background fabric is between the star points and the edge of the block?  Cool huh?  It's a simple design but when you put 90 of these stars together in one big quilt - it's just darn right AWESOME!  When we have it pieced and quilted - I'll post a picture for you.  You'll be able to order the pattern the first of November.

See this great bag?  It's made from jute and very sturdy!!  I'm designing a wool applique for both sides!  It's a surprise for some lucky, lucky people.... announcements will be made in several months!  You won't want to miss this one!  It's going to be so wonderful and a blast!!!

Ok... gotta go.. those Tavern Stars are calling me... have 20 finished - 70 more to go!!!

Happy Sewing and remember...................  "Celebrate Handmade" !!!

Ahhh....the smell of French Toast!  What a morning... my poor DH has been very sick this weekend... I do believe he's caught a bit of the flu!!!  He's hardly ever sick so this is a big deal around our house.  He's slept and slept and slept... gets up to eat and then sleeps some more.  This morning he was feeling a little better and decided to make him some French toast.  Before I knew it - he was no longer in the kitchen... "he couldn't have eaten that fast".  I finally found him... he was mad at the French toast and had thrown it in the garbage.... "IT WAS NOTHING BUT MUCH... I threw it away".  What a hoot!  So.. I made him GOOD French toast...he's full and happy and went back to bed!  Why did I tell you this story... because I COOKED!!!  Mark this down in your history books. (can you tell I don't cook much anymore?)  Now that he's napping.. .I can chat with you !!

Did you know it was National Sewing Month?  It's hard to believe that we didn't have a day for all of us until President Regan declared it to be!!!  My family have been sewers as far back as I can remember!  My Grandma Ruby sewed everything...she was awesome... suits, fur coats, slips/under garments, clothing, furniture covers!!  Then my mom sewed too!!  She had two of us that she sewed for in the summer... my twin sister, Vicky and me!  Then she sewed for our older sister, Linda!  She had her hands full... we dressed alike back in those days... can you imagine making two dresses just alike? (we weren't allowed to wear slacks and shorts to school in those days....)

I remember my favorite dress... it was big black and white buffalo check with printed stagecoaches printed around the bottom of the full skirt.  I thought I was hot stuff.  Funny... I loved that dress and Vicky doesn't even remember it!  She thinks I made it up.... NOT!!!

PLUS... to help celebrate National Sewing Month - MODA has a great BLOG HOP we can all participate in!  Each designer has a certain day... they tell about their State Fair memories, food they love to eat at the fair and then have a little project for all of us!

United Notions Website   Click on this link and take a stroll through their website.  They are always coming up with wonderful ideas for their shop owners and us!!!  I love them all !!  What a wonderfully group of talented designers and employees!  Mr. Dunn ... what a team you have!!

Here is my newest challenge.  I just love this antique block !!!  I've adapted the basic shape and have made a new pattern design.  It took 144 of these little flower "crowns" to make 36 blocks!  They are now all finished and I'm piecing the rows together.  I've named it "Victoria's Crown" !!

I think it may be one of my favorite quilts ever that I've designed... of course.. my latest one... "Plum-i-li-cious" is pretty awesome too!!  When I get a good photograph of both... I'll post them to my blog!

It's time to sign-off.... I'm off to the shower and then on to get my toes and nails done!  Then back home to take care of my DH and make sure he gets well... then it's SEWING TIME!!!

Have a great Sunday!!!!   



Good Morning!!!  Sunday morning... September 11.... Oh how I remember this day...  I had been running some errands for the store and stopped in to grab a goodie from Panera Bread.  There was a long line and everyone was buzzing about the news that a plane hit one of the twin towers.  In my little pee-wee mind (not thinking about it in great detail) I prayed that no one was hurt... not even thinking that it actually went INTO the building... (where was my brain?).

Once in the car - the radio was full of the details.  I couldn't believe what I had heard.  Then upon arriving back to the store... the second plane had hit.  I remember sitting in the car - dumb-founded... not really understanding what actually happened.

Finally when I got my wits about me I went inside and told my daughter and one of the girls working with us.  We closed early that day.... unable to work and wanting to get home to our families.  Isn't it amazing that awful tragedies have to happen for us to FULLY know how much we all love each other........  God Bless the families, friends, firefighters, and our hero's that gave up their lives.