Friday, November 14, 2014

Working Holiday

Hello sweet friends.. it seems like I never post anymore. Yes I still love my blog but so much has been happening since my last post. 

The Pitty and I flew out to Washington to help my friend Nadine during a stressful time in her life. My visit to Washington was awesome,,, what more could a person want??? Good food, sewing, friends, trees, ocean views, and good cooking. I was able to see family while I was there. We were gone from home an entire month. I didn't have my lap top only my Ipad and I hate doing blog posts on Ipad.
My trip was good until two nights before I left. I feel off the porch steps into a ditch. I broke bones and tore ligaments in my left foot. Then I fell again the next morning before I went to the ER. I can tell you it was no fun flying home two days after braking my foot. Two weeks at home... my foot is still very painful.... In fact I think I will call the DR on Monday.. the pain is in a different area of the foot. Makes me worry about a blood clot since I am not moving around very much.

I did get a bit of sewing in while I was gone.. I started a new quilt for The Pitty it is very cute with doggie prints.... the pieced top is completed.. I am going to add sashing all around the edges and then bind it. The backing needs a bit of piecing. I was a smidge short on the backing material, so that means I have to piece in other materials to make the backing big enough. Isn't that why we call it a patchwork quilting... 

A while back I purchased a cute little scarf kit.... Let me tell you the designer of the kit really needed to have a person review her work... the pattern was a mess and the finish product turned out less than desirable. The materials provided wasn't enough to finish the project... according to how the instructions read. 
Nadine and I talk at great length about the pattern and how it really needed to be improved. The grumpy person that I am.. I contacted the person that I purchased the pattern from and told her my concerns... I was really surprised she contacted me and wanted to make it right with me. I offered suggestions on how to improve her pattern. I told her I didn't want a refund.. I just want to help her in her selling endeavors. She was quite nice and gracious about my contact and comments. 
Photos of the finish project.....


I walked into the kitchen laughing about the few bits and bobs I had left over.. I wrapped the left over knit around The Pittys neck and Nadine said I should make a matching scarf for Pitty... so I did :O)


Nadine and I was laughing so hard.. it was hard to stop laughing to take the photo...so of course she snapped the photo with my mouth wide open... I guess its not anything new!!! My mouth wide open!!

OH well I bet you are tired of reading... so more sewing and WA later :O)

I almost forgot... I wanted to share a Christmas Project Idea with you...
I love this idea.. its always fun to hold a warm bowl of soup in your hands during a snow day... this is fantastic.... No more ugly potholders for me!!!

Pot Holders for your bowls...

See the tutorial Here

Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Pitty



My posts have been so far and few between since I had my neck fusion. I thought I would tell everyone that The Pitty is alive and well and still as spoiled as ever. She has taken a notion to sleeping on moms special 150 dollar gel pillows. I guess you can only sleep on one Right?? I have noticed she is sleeping more and more each day. She gets a bit grumpy if she doesn't get her naps in now.... I try to let her sleep...... I don't want one of the seven dwarfs looking at me all grumpy. 


My expensive pillows are to help keep my neck flat so there is less pain... at night when I sleep. LOL some days they feel like a big brick.... but other days they seem to help. I know one thing for certain.... The Pitty really likes them... if she likes them then they were worth the money :O)
She wants it her way... the pillow must be long ways running down my back as I lay on my side... she then snuggles down into the edge of the pillow and my back... if I move the pillow she is walking all over me until I fix her pillow right.... its like no mom the bed is wrong... fix it!!!
If I turn toward her and the pillow, she will snuggle down under my arm and put her nose on my face to go to sleep.... I have to admit...... I quite like this way of sleeping ... except the hot little dog breath... which by the way most of the time has that faint odor of Gingerbread cookies on it... :O) I wonder if that has to do with... they are her favorite snacky bones.... next to her fried banana snackys.
Its hard for me to believe she will be 10 years old this spring.... it seems just like yesterday she came into my life all small and sweet, needing to be fed every 4 hours... So small she was about 1/2 lb in size and fit right in the top pocket of my shirt... which she was immediately dubbed the pocket pup.....



She was so small she would play on the couch.... that little stripped toy on the left is a baby rattle... you can see how small The Pitty was next to it....  She came to live with me when she was 12 weeks old. The breeder did not want her or her siblings to go any sooner because they were so small.... LOL people use to laugh at me...because the baby had a diaper bag for all her needs when she was small. I use to get up in the middle of the nite to feed her. The vet said that she was so small she needed to eat about every 4 hours to keep her from having hypoglycemia... which could cause serious health problems for her.... yes she was spoiled then and still spoiled now....


The Pitty has lived like a queen with me .... I personally don't know any puppy that has been as loved and as spoiled as she has been in my life.... I know I will continue to spoil and love her until the day we must say goodbye... but for me I am hoping against hope there is another 10 wonderful years with her....


Sunday, September 7, 2014

A fun PinKeep/ Thread Catcher


I think I want to make myself one of these :O) Here is the link to find this fantastic thread catcher... it has a pinkeep and also a place to hold your tools. What fun :O) I found the photo at Miss Sews it all :O) She did modify the pattern to meet her needs. Run over to the link to find the pdf to make your own thread catcher ;O)



Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Straight Pin Happiness

A very long time a go..... I was a participant of a pin-keep swap, we were to decorate and fill up a baby food jar with old buttons. My partner made me the cutest little jar with the most awesome topped straight pins.

I have been searching for tutorials on how to make these very fun shrinky dink toppers, for my pins since the swap.
I was very surprised to find there were very few tutorials out there for sewing pin toppers.
There were more for making beautiful hat pins, but I was looking for Dressmaker straight pin tutorials.
I will share some of the tutorials that I found.......


Photo found on Pinterest. 
No link for tutorial.




These are very fun shrinky dinky pin heads. Found at Miss Sews-it-all


Found at CraftSanity


I found these cute ones with a tutorial :O)


Most of the cute ones I found were for sale on Etsy.

***Not a complete Tutorial***

What I have gathered from the limited tutorials that are out there on the web... 
First you purchase the longest sewing pins you can find. 
Then you either purchase shrinky dinky plastic or use the top and bottom of a salad container that you purchase from your local deli. This container must be a #6 to shrink properly. 
* If you use this #6 you must lightly sand it on one side. *
I found a fantastic tutorial for this at: Curbly

You can either hand draw or use a rubber stamp to make your designs on your plastic.
After your designs are complete, you pop them in a 350 oven on a tin foil tray.... and watch them shrink. Some of the ladies use a heat gun.. but we used an oven to shrink ours when I was young. That way you can watch them shrink and make more than one at a time. 

Here is another fun idea how to decorate the top of your sewing pins.
Glue bits and bobs on them using: E-6000


Here are a few photos of pins that I found on Pinterest.




I like the pins with glass beads and bobs.. if you are not careful, you don't leave any room on them to really use as a pin. I guess mostly you would use these just for decorations in you lovely pin-keeps.

There is another method that I would not recommend with small children. 
This includes using a Bic Lighter. Here is the link at Cynthias Handiwork.
You use cute...very small buttons. Cut off the back loop of the button. You also cut the top off of the straight pin. Hold the straight pin with the pliers and heat one end up with the Bic Lighter until it is glowing red. Then insert the red hot end into the button before the pin cools.




Here is even fun ones that you sew and glue from Mel's Own Place


Please share with us if you know of any tutorials or have your own way of making these very fun and adorable stick pens.....

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Summer is almost over

Summer is still in full swing. School has started and its just a matter of time before my favorite season comes around. Halloween is my favorite time of year...next to Christmas. I am looking forward to all of the Halloween projects that are a foot :O) I still like to visit me favorite blogs...but mostly I like playing on my Facebook page.

One of my followers contacted me on Facebook and told me she really misses my blog posts. I don't know what has happened..... I keep saying I will try to do better on my blog. Although you can find me on Facebook... at AuntPittyPat . Every time I attempt to get on the blog I have trouble logging in. Then I spend an hour or two trying to figure out what or how to use the new Google Account. Then I get all frustrated and I quit trying. Its no fun to spend so much time trying to get into the account. By the time I have it figured out, I completely forget what I am going post.

I think I like the idea of facebook better because you can share comments and photos back and forth with each other. I have a AuntPittyPats Show and Tell group where we show lots and lots of fun projects. Someone is always posting. If your interested in joining in on the fun... just send me a request on my Facebook page.

Here is an example of one of our posts:
Link

This is a tutorial on how to make a quilt as you go patchwork tote.

Does anyone still look at my blogger page? 
Please comment.. thank you!!



Saturday, April 5, 2014

Good Morning sweet friends. Life is getting fantastic for me now that I have retired. I feel so much better and the step is lighter :O) First of all I would like to show you a photo of me and The Pitty yesterday when she was upset with my DD. DD had moved her blankies and this really upset the Pitty. The Pitty Stares at me when she is upset and wants something........

If I choose to not pay attention to her.  Then The Pitty climbs up on me to look straight into my face to say... HEY I am trying to get your attention!!!! Silly Puppie ;O) I have to say...... LOL look at that neck roll on APP.... I look like a huge turkey... OK OK.. yes I have been called one before!!! No Really its because the skin doesn't work properly after having the neck surgery.. .and yes old age too :O) 
Dang I think to myself how good should I look at the age of 60.


I would like to share today with you some fun project ideas for Easter that I have found on the world wide web... Please if you are a designer. Please send a note or put in comments you would like it taken down or just mention your name in the feed. People pass along things all the time without knowing the author. So Please Please let me know. I will take the item down or name the person... thank you in advance for understanding.














Aren't these Bunny and Chicks adorable... they would look so cute in a Bunny Basket ;O) Any child would love them :O)

Friday, April 4, 2014

My Return to blog land

Hello to all of My Followers here on Blog Land... I have recently retired and Hopefully I can get My little blogs back into action! I have missed my friends here on Blogger. I am so sorry I have been away so very long. It was due to health issues. Since I have retired I am feeling much better and hopefully feel like blogging a bit more. As always.... If you want to connect with me..... I am at AuntPittyPat on Face Book. Come on over and request a friend request. I also have AuntPittyPats Show and Tell and AuntPittyPats Sewing and Crafting Sales.. so come on over there and join in on the fun. 

*****PS new Lap Top helps a bunch. I was trying to make blog posts from my Ipad.. Not easy for an old gal like me to post from there....  So hopefully the task will be easier now that I have a regular computer to work with :O)

It's beginning to be spring and life looks so much more fun in the spring!
Here is a copy of a vintage pattern that I found while surfing on line ;O)