October Star

I am so pleased to introduce to you my October Star, Mary from Needled Mom. I have been so happy to become friends with this very lovely, talented lady. I have a lot in common with Mary, as I also started sewing clothes before I went into quilting, and we both share a love of sewing and our families. As you can see from the pic, Mary is truly blessed to have a wonderful family, and it was so nice to see the pic of the generations of her family. I know you will love meeting Mary and getting to know her through her interview and blog.
Here is Mary's wonderful interview:

· A Bit About Me:
Thank you, Micki, for inviting me to be your guest for this month.

If you were to ask my mom about me she would gladly tell you that she is sure she brought the wrong baby home from the hospital. I was a fully energized wee one who came into a family with a fourteen month old brother who still had not learned to walk and never got into anything. BEWARE!!! I had arrived and was ready to meet the world.

I was what they now call ADHD. I was into everything and completely dismantled and rebuilt everything I saw. One thing that held my fascination the longest was my mother's Singer sewing machine. I was three years old. At the age of five, I had completed a skirt by myself with fabrics that my grandparents had bought me on a trip to Mexico.

My love of sewing has never ceased. I made all of my own clothing, including my bridal dress and all seven of my attendants dresses. I am now making clothing for our grandchildren and loving it.

Although clothing construction was my first love, I was bitten by the quilting bug in the 1970s and have loved it ever since.

I married my high school sweetheart (and my brother's friend) over forty one years ago and we have had a wonderful life which included four sons, one daughter and now four daughters in law, one son in law and twenty two grandchildren. We have been greatly blessed.

My life began in the heartland of the country, but we live in Southern California. I was a practicing R.N. for over thirty years and am not retired and loving it.



· What Insprires Me:
My inspiration comes from many places. There are so many Great blogs out there now that give me daily inspiration, but I also find that just looking around at nature can really get my creative juices flowing. Books and magazines are wonderful as well as some of the artwork that the children create.



· What I Love to Do the Most Creatively:
That's a tough question since I love to do so many things. I love to cook, knit, tat, embroider as well as working with tools. I really cherish having a whole day with no commitments when I can go into my studio and play with my fabrics.



· My Favorite Fabric and Designer:
I really find that I love almost all of the fabrics. My only desire is to use a good quilt shop quality fabrics because they tend to work up better in the end. I am basically a tradionalist when it comes to quilting which I think comes from my roots of living in an area with many Amish families as friends. Their work was always so intriguing to me and so beautifully done.

As far as designers go, I am awed by many, but no one in particular. It is often what strikes my fancy for that week or month!!!


· UFO I Intend to Finish First:
I have several on the plate, but who doesn't? I really need to finish up the quilt for the newest granddaughter. I have made one for each of the grandchildren so it is always something that is eagerly awaited. As well, I have two Christmas stockings that I need to get finished for the youngest two grandchildren.

· What’s on the Design Wall Now:

On the design "table" right now are two short jackets that I am making for my niece's wedding in October. When I finish those it will be a design wall of a Spider Web Quilt which I have been excited about making. There is an endless amount of ideas in my head. I am sure that I will never get a chance to finish them in my lifetime. SIGH!!!!

· Who Would I Love to Meet:
Wow!!! That's tough. I really would love to meet a lot of my fellow bloggers in person. There are so many wonderful people out there who give of their time to help those in need. The quilting community is most generous of their time and efforts and I would love to just meet them and let them know how much they are appreciated.

· If I Had One Wish:
As a child I would always say that my one wish would be for a thousand more wishes. I do wish that we could sort out this world and get us all on the right track so that everyone could enjoy happiness and peace.

· Plans for the Future:
I have no big plans for the future. I have been teaching the grandchildren how to sew and I am looking forward to many happy years of sewing and creating with them as they grow.

My husband and I both enjoy our travels and we look forward to exploring places and things that we have not yet seen. Maybe we will eventually make it to Ireland, Micki, and have a visit with you two.

Mary's work is so varied, and I am amazed at her talent. Here are some of her wonderful works of art:


Thanks Mary for sharing all of your work! It is all amazing! I love it all, but I fell in love with that purple quilt you made for your mom's 80th birthday. Mary told me that the envelopes were filled with letters from family and friends. What a lovely idea, and such a cherished gift!
I truly do hope we meet one day in Ireland, and I will be thrilled to show you around our lovely area.

Miniatures In Minutes Giveaway

Terrie Sandelin, who is the Star of the Month has sent me two books, both of which are called Minatures in Minutes, and they are both signed by Terrie . One copy she graciously gave to me and the other is for the giveaway. I am honored to be hosting the giveaway on my blog. I got a chance to look at the book today, and it is incredible! You can basically make 24 miniature quilts each in a day or less using techniques, which, as Terrie says, really dramatically speed up your paper piecing. Included are 12 full- sized foundation patterns. I am so thrilled with the book , and I am really anxious to try one!!!

Here is how you enter. First of all, it is open to anyone, and I will ship internationally.

1. Comment on this post for one entry and tell me if you have ever paper pieced before.

2. Tell me if you are a follower of my blog for a second entry.

3. Blog about it and send me a link to the post, and you will get a third entry.

Remember to include a comment for each above, so I can easily see that you have three entries.

The drawing will be on Monday, the 4th of October.

I will be having another giveaway starting on October 1st, which is part of the

Fall into Fall Quilter Bloggers Giveaway. That giveaway will be from October 1-15, so don't get confused and enter both for a chance to win two great prizes.

Good News

I have been going to therapy, wearing a brace and doing excercises galore. It has finally started working. The therapist took off the brace, and I am now not wearing one, so bye bye leg brace. The ligament tear is finally healing. Yeah! I wear a bit of a support bandage when Joe and I take our walk, and also when I go to sleep, as I am still afraid it will lock again. Other than that, I don't wear anything.I still have to see the surgeon on the 18th of October, but I don't think surgery is in the horizon. That is such a relief.

The therapist said that due to the injury and the brace, my leg is understandably weak. That means more exercising to add muscle to my leg and make it stronger. She told me not to get the Pilates...I was a bit surprised with that... as she didn't like the rebounding aspect of it for my left knee, so she then recommended an elliptical trainer, but a good sturdy one. Some new models are coming out in October at Ellverys Sport Store in Letterkenny, so I will be getting one then. I have to do lots of leg exercises two times a day,but I am thrilled that I am finally getting better. I hope by Christmas all of this will be behind me...I can sew so much easier now without a brace, so I can get busy with that. I do hope that next year is a better one for me. This looks like the beginning of a bit of luck for me. I really need some luck going my way.I ordered a new tin whistle for myself and it should be arriving soon. It is a Parks Every Walkabout Whistle, which comes in three pieces making it easy for me to carry in my purse . I really enjoy playing Irish songs on a tin whistle, as I have really gotten into Irish music. Well, I have lots to do: finish my baby quilt, circle quilt, and my ugly quilt, which hopefully will not be that ugly at all. LOL

Enjoy your weekends! I am enjoying sitting in my lounge chair without that darn brace!

AccuQuilt Go Giveaways

Jane at Jane's Fabrics is giving away an AccuQuilt Go. Hurry over to enter!

Millie also at Millie's Quilting is giving away a Go. I have been trying for a while, so maybe this time.

Brown Bag Quilt Fabric

Cheryl from Scotsdale, Arizona sent me her ugly fabric for the brown bag quilt. I myself don't see it as ugly, but I lucked out for sure. The rules state that we must use 90 percent of the fabric, take the rest from our stash and then only buy one new fabric.

My fabric is on its way to her.

The light print fabric that you see in the pic, I am using for the backing. The various reds and pinks, I am using for the points of the stars, and that lighter pink you see in one of the fabrics will be the centre of the star, and that will come from my stash. Some of them remind me of Civil War type fabric...some of them definitely don't. The first one on the right I am using for the borders or I may use the darker pattern fabric...we shall see. I already cut out the fabric that I will be using for the paper piecing .I picked out a pattern from Carol Doak's book called Simply Sensational 9 Patch Stars, which I just love to do. It will be a 40x40 quilt, but I will leave it as a surprise as to what it will look like.

I am using one of my fabrics from my stash as the background to the flowers and stars that I will be making, and I am using a really pretty lighter green. I am buying a yellow Bella solid fabric from Fat Quarter shop to use for the flowers, and you have a pic to see what it is.
This should be interesting...I don't know how it will turn out, as I would have used bright colored batiks, but this is definitely different from what I usually make....I guess that will be the fun of it.

I know some of you wanted to see the fabrics, so here they are. Again, they are not really ugly... I just wouldn't have put some of them together nor used them for a quilt, so cross your fingers for me.

As to my leg injury, I am wearing the leg brace and will do so until I see the surgeon on the 18th of October. I am just hoping the ligament tear is healing, and I won't need surgery. I am off to therapy tomorrow. I will be going to Falcarragh for the therapy till I see the surgeon, and then he will make his decision. Hopefully, I will just need more physiotherapy. I know when I do take my brace off the odd time, my leg is weak, but that is understandable considering I am wearing a brace all the time, even to bed. I just don't want to take a chance that it will lock again.

Fall Into Fall Quilter Bloggers Giveaway

Debi from Quilting with Debi is hosting the Fall into Fall Quilters Blogger Giveaway event. I have joined in, so on October 1st, I will be hosting a giveaway. A lot of quilters are joining in and will be having giveaways too, so how about you also joining in? It should be loads of fun and you will get to meet many new bloggers.

Lots to Share

I finished my honeymoon journal! I was so happy with it and Joe loved it! This is my first goal accomplished for the Charming Girls Quilt Club.

Second, I have been working on my crocheted afghan and here are two blocks that I did this week. Crocheting is a good thing to do while sitting in a lounge chair.

Then, three packages came in the mail. One was a package from

Crafty Alley, which is located in County Kerry, Ireland. I am a member of the Kit of the Month Club. Since I plan to do so many journals, I get a kit every month from them to replenish my supplies for 30 euro a month....What a great deal! Here is September's kit. I love the mini journal that came with it, and lots of wonderful papers and other supplies.

Also, Greg and Brooke sent me a surprise package for my scrapbooking and journalling. Thanks so much to both of you! I so enjoyed seeing a pic of the two of you and receiving that lovely note from you.You are such a cute couple! All of the items will come to use, and I so appreciated your kindness!
Finally, I got my last batch of 1930's fabrics. They are gorgeous! I have all the 1930's fabrics that I need for the circle quilt. As I am seeing my surgeon on the 18th of October to see if I need surgery, I am going to cut out all the circles, prep the pieces for the needleturn applique and place the circles on the 10 inch layer cakes. I will be doing needleturn applique instead of the reverse applique that is asked for in the pattern. The reasons being I love needleturn applique, but also I will have tons of hand sewing of the circles to do while I rest in my lounge chair.There are 63 circles to hand applique, so I will have tons to do.

I wanted to mention that I didn't forget the giveaway that Terry Sandelin, my Star of the Month wanted to hold on my blog. I am waiting for the books to arrive, and then I will post about the giveaway.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

The Holy Thorn at Glastonbury

A dear friend of mine named Kath, who recently moved to Glastonbury, left me the sweetest comment in response to my post about my latest challenge. When I emailed her to thank her, she told me about the history of the Thorn Tree. She also wrote a post about the Thorn tree, and you can see it here. After explaining all of it to me, she wrote me the following message:

Kath said,"Luckily, the tree lives on today because cuttings were taken from the original. This old tree on Wearyall Hill, west of Glastonbury Tor, (which is where we live)is a descendant of the original, and there are others, including one in the Abbey grounds and this one at St Johns church in the High Street, grafted from cuttings of the original. It is said locally that the Glastonbury thorn flowers twice in the year, once in early January and again in May. Locals say that it will not flower twice outside Glastonbury. Every year the Queen has a flower from the Holy Thorn placed on her dinner table at Christmas.
It is believed that making an offering to the tree will grant you a long-held wish or convey a blessing.
People from all over the world place ribbons on the tree, when we were up there, we saw ribbons with messages written on them in different languages.
And now there is one with "Micki" written on it. I reckon God will know who that is."
Kxx

I have always called Kath by the endearing term " My Elfin Princess"...She has always reminded me of someone beautiful and magical like those in the Lord of the Rings.Well Kath, this is the sweetest thing that anyone has done for me in a long time, and I know you can't see it, but I am smiling now.Bless you for doing that for me! I am truly lucky to have you as a friend, and thanks from the bottom of my heart. I am sure that I will be granted your wish for me, and I will go through this new hardship knowing that you are thinking of me.

I do also want to thank all who wrote me...I am most grateful for your concern and it has made me feel so much better and so very special. This has been a much better day for me after yesterday's ordeal, and that is thanks to my friends...I am very lucky after all!

International Quilt Festival in Ireland

On a brighter note from my previous post today.....
Has anyone dreamed about coming to visit Ireland? We are having a huge International Quilt Festival in Ireland on June 7-10. Here is their site on Facebook. Something to think about, and I should be well by then, so I would love to meet you there.

What Happened Last Night in Dunfanaghy

I was ready to go to the music festival, and I was putting on my shoes while sitting on the bed. Both my legs were of course in the 90 degree position as they always are when one is sitting. When I tried to get up, I couldn't, as my left knee locked, even though at the time I was wearing my support bandage. I was in excruciating pain each time I tried to straighten my leg, and basically, I just couldn't. I thought I had torn the ligament more when trying to get up, but was inwardly hoping it was a lock and not more damage to my ligament. In an hour of excruciating pain in trying to straighten it out, I finally could stand up. The NOW Doc, which is the emergency doctor after hours, told me to put on a brace that I luckily had from my previous stay at the Emergency Dept. It basically acts as a brace like a leg cast on your leg when your leg is broken, and it doesn't allow you to bend your leg when you sit. I have been wearing that to bed and all the time since last night. I can walk with it, and I still will, but it keeps your leg very rigid because of the metal bars in the back. The doctor said that the tear in the ligament is causing the leg to lock, but I already knew that. I had one of the worst evenings ever! I never saw Joe that upset, so it was not a good one.

It is now morning, and I am sitting in my lounge chair with my leg up on a stool, as I can't bend it with the brace on. I will have to wear this till the ligament heals, which may take up to 6 months from the time of the fall. It has been two months so far, so I have a while to go. I will of course take it off for the therapy.

I am glad that I can still take my walk in the morning with Joe, as I do have to get out, but I will be walking at snail's pace. I will have to see if Joe can fit the stool under the machine table so I can sew with my left leg up...we shall see about that, and if he can manage that. I can't go food shopping with Joe on the bus, as it would be impossible to keep my leg straight on the bus with the brace, so I am upset about that.It is hard for him to do it all on his own.

Anyways, that sort of changed my plans for last night...I am trying to keep my spirits up...I really am, but all these kinds of events don't help. Well, I will see about the sewing, Joe can bring me my supplies for scrapbooking to my chair, I guess, and thank God for crocheting.I can also do my watercolours.

That is the latest news....Joe has to go to work on Tuesday and Wednesday, so when he gets up this morning, we will have to see if I can handle walking the dogs, so I can take them out once at around noon till he comes home...If the dogs pull me with the brace on, that won't be funny. (Oh...No point in suggesting that a neighbor take them out...LOL... Rufus, who is our border collie, would eat them up alive. After his extreme abuse, he is terrible with people....Need I say more?) He is a sweetheart to us, and he knows something is wrong with me, so he is not in good shape either.

Sorry that I was whining so....I will be back to my positive self next post....I will just have to psyche myself up for that. I am beginning to think the luck of the Irish in me has totally run out. I am seriously considering a lucky charm. LOL

Thanks for listening....I got it out of my system, so onward.

More Journal Pages, Some Crocheted Squares and a Lovely Surprise

I finished two more pages of the honeymoon journal. How fun this all is! The pics that I included on pages 2 and 3 of the journal are all set on the Island of Paros in the town of Naoussa. The villa that we rented was amazing, and needless to say, the views, as you can see were spectacular. I loved the pier there, and it was lovely especially when the sun was setting. Well, I put the key on the page, as I gave Joe the key to my heart. I am truly enjoying using all of the vintage items. The page with the key, I embossed it and then used Tim Holtz Distress ink to create the background. I love using all of the beautiful embellishments, but that pink flower, I made myself and spritzed it with glimmer mist and then added a pearl accent to it. It was a very romantic time for Joe and me, and we will defintely return to the Greek Isles.

Then, I have been busy crocheting in the evenings mostly. As you know, I am crocheting an afghan quilt, which has solid blocks alternating with more pretty patterned blocks. I just made the two I pictured here today, but I have a lot of them made, so I am on a roll.

Also, in the mail, Susan from

Pieces of Fate sent me a surprise package of wonderful supplies that I can use in my journals and scrapbooking. Thanks so much Susan! I will be using them all.

We are having a Jazz and Blues Festival in Dunfanaghy, so there are lots of music sessions to go to at the local pubs and the hotels. It is a popular festival, so we are having lots of visitors. Here is a link to give you information about it. I will be taking my tin whistle with me to play, and the music should be awesome.

As for myself and my legs, I continue with the excercises, therapy, and walking. There have been ups and downs, but slowly but surely, I am healing. I am keeping myself busy, so I am very upbeat!

Gracie Jane Quilt Top Done

I worked on the baby quilt today, and took a break from my honeymoon journal, and I got the top done. I used a jelly roll for this project that I had from the Fat Quarter Shop. I wanted it to be colorful, as I thought that it would perk up the parents' spirits, and you never know, the baby might notice all the various colours.LOL I didn't iron it so excuse me for that...I was too pooped after also taking a walk with Joe. Anyways, I am on a roll with finishing my goals for the Charming Girls Quit Club, so that is good.

This week, I will be ordering the yellow flannel fabric that I will use for the backing and binding.It will match one of the fabrics on the front, which the camera did not catch, but it is a pretty yellow. I am getting the fabric from The Fat Quarter Shop, so I know that Kimberly will have it back to me in lickety split, so I can finish it next week. Just have to put the layers together, quilt it and bind it. I also have to order the background fabric for the circle quilt so I can start that one after I finish the baby quilt.

Off to crochet an afghan square for the quilt that I am making while I watch tv. I am ready for a night of relaxing. Enjoy your Fridays!

The Honeymoon Journal Continues: Page 1

Well, you saw the cover of the journal yesterday. Today, I did page one
of the journal and that is what you are seeing in the pic. That is me standing on the balcony of a place that we were renting on the island of Santorini in the town of Ia. What a romantic place that was! I put lace on the left and also attached a wee envelope which I inked with Tim Holtz Distress ink in addition to some wedding tags and a heart hanging from one of the tags. I used pink flowers which are my favorite, and voila Page One.

Joe will be on Page Two of the journal, so when you open it up you will see the both of us. We really don't have a lot of pics with us together, so that is the way I will handle that one. LOL

Greece is a magical place. As I said, I loved Santorini the best and thought it so romantic. We would have breakfast in the morning, which was eggs, toast, and grilled tomatoes, and then we would head off for the day on a tour that we arranged, and then later in the afternoon I took a swim, which is why I wore my swimsuit most of the time during the day with a sarong. Then, we would have dinner, and make sure we made it to Ia for the sunset. We would walk the beautiful cobblestone streets, and marvel at the white buildings with the blue roofs and of course the sea. Then later in the evening, we would have a cup of coffee with our favorite cheesecake and watch the sea and hold hands.

I also cut the fabric for the baby quilt that I am making for the Gracie Jane Quilt Project and found the perfect jelly roll for the quilt...it will be so cute!

Oh, some people have asked me about our wedding...The story is a bit long, so I will shorten it. We eloped and got married in Philadelphia by a Justice of the Peace, and then we had a romantic Chinese dinner in a restaurant overlooking the Delaware River. The family were all giving us a hassle about one thing or another, so when Joe asked me what I wanted to do, I said that I would elope if we could, so that is what we did. We did have a symbolic ceremony for my family and friends, and then another one in Dublin for Joe's family, so theoretically, we were married three times. That was back in 1997, and we are blessed to be soulmates and best friends.The photo is of the two of us at the wedding in Dublin....The pic is from a wedding scrapbook album that I made in Ireland once I settled down.( By the way, I noticed that I put1999 on the page...I will have to fix that.LOL)

Hope you enjoyed it all!

Romantic Journal Begins and Good News

Hello All! The good news first....My ligament tears are healing, and I am feeling better. I guess the therapy, resting and excercising is kicking in. Yeah! I am being told that I have been a good girl to keep up wih my daily walking , so thank God, that also has helped me. I am feeling less pain, so I am happy as Larry. I was told that complete healing would take 6-8 months from the time of the injury, but as long as I am getting better, that is what counts.

Then my journal supplies arrived. I was thrilled as it was a huge packge....lots of vintage items. I am making a journal of our honeymoon, and I finished the cover of the journal. I used a vintage tag, a huge metal key, two white flowers and a pink flower, decorative pearls, lovely lace and trim, and finally paper from the Romantique Graphic 45 pad...Each paper is just gorgeous. The pad comes with all kinds of neat tags. I have tons of supplies, so this is going to be fun!

As for our honeymoon,Joe and I went to Greece. It was an incredible time, as we decided to backpack...no reservations at all. We would arrive, and then there would be people at the port with pics of lodgings, and voila, we got places to stay at each island we saw. We saw Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, and Athens. My favorite island by far was Santorini, where we stayed at Ia. Let me tell you that the sunsets were out of this world! Well, in the pic, we are throughly enjoying ourselves, as you can see. We hope to return to Greece one day. I want to see Santorini again and a few other islands.

Well, that is it for me today.I will continue to work on the honeymoon journal tomorrow. This is the first of my goals that I am working on for my Charming Girls Quilt Club, so I am on a roll.

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Accuquilt GO Giveaway and Check This Giveaway Out

Ryan at I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts is giving away an AccuQuilt Go. Enter to win a GO!

Andrea at Stampin' Moments is giving away three stamp sets. If you enjoy stamping as I do, check this one out.

Charming Girls Quilt Club Goals

Because of the fall injuring both of my knees, my goals for the

Charming Girls Quilt Club went a bit askew, but I am determined to stay on track now. I am ordering the rest of my supplies for the circle quilt and romantic Victorian journal that I am doing about Joe and me. I will get the journal done for sure this month, and hopefully all the supplies will arrive soon for the circle quilt, which I will then begin to work on.

Then, I have joined The Gracie Jane Project. I am going to make a really small quilt which will be given to a baby who is in a neonatal intensive care unit in hospitals in Ontario. You can see the pattern for the quilt when you click on the link. It is a neat pattern, and I have to find some modern, cheerful fabrics. I will be checking The Fat Quarter Shop for the fabric I can use, and you know that you can find anything at the Fat Quarter Shop. My goal is to finish that as soon as possible, and then get the circle quilt started after that. I will be hand sewing all the circles instead of doing raw edge applique, so I doubt I will be get it done in October, but we shall see.
I also have my F-R-I-E-N-D-S Swap due in the third week of October, which is being hosted by Khris of Sew Prim Khris. I have a big package to send out to Mary in Australia. I have already figured out what I will send her for each letter of the word Friends,but I can't spoil the surprise, so mum is the word. Thus, I will be gathering all the supplies for the swap this month and then get it mailed out in October.

In the meantime, I am still concentrating on my knees...doing the therapy and excercises that I need and still waiting for the Pilates to arrive at QVC UK. I know I need this period of rest and recuperation, but I also need to get involved in some things to get my mind off of all that has happened. These projects will be neat for me and also very good for me, as this year has been a year I will never forget. So for September/October, I will be doing a lot of therapy and excercising for both my bad knees....and most definitely beyond that.

Yes, I will continue walking.Joe and I take our three mile walk in the morning, and then the same one in the afternoon. We go feed Coco the horse carrots and apples, and then we now have a border collie pup who comes down to visit us when we feed the horse, and boy is she cute. I am bringing bones for her, and she stays for a while to visit with us, and then the mommy border collie comes and calls her back with some strong barks. It is so cute! The walks have been essential for me, as I don't want to get stiff in my legs in addition to having the injuries...I don't need that!

So these are my goals! As I don't plan on falling again, I hope that I will accomplish all of them!