Handbag Finish!

Good morning! I hope you had a great night's rest and are greeting this morning with praise in your heart for seeing another day. I know I am. I am so thankful He gave me another night and a morning to see. 

I promised you in yesterday's post a view of the newest handbag I made. It is actually tote sized, but the customer likes big bags. So I will post the pictures now.

Outside of bag and lining before putting together

Inside of bag after finishing. See the two different pockets I put in? The bag does not call for pockets, but I added them.

Outside of bag finished. I did not use stiff enough interfacing, so the bag doesn't stand well. I will change that in the next one.

Back of bag finished. 

I enjoyed making this one since it was a different pattern than before. This was designed by Teresa From Down Under. I posted the link to it in the last post. The customer is really pleased with the pictures I shown her so far. I hope she loves it when she gets it. 

I have my quilting group today, so I 'm not going to talk anymore for now. Let me know you opinions of my bag.

Sincerely,
Teresa

Happy Monday!

Good Monday morning to all! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend and is ready for a new week of sewing, quilting, crafting, etc. I know I did and am. Other than having a headache, I did some sewing on the purse I posted about in the last blog post.  It is huge!!!! I also stuck to my new way of eating ridding myself of wheat and other grains and as much sugary substances I can which hasn't been hard to do. 

I hope to finish the bag I posted the other day today where I can get it shipped to the new owner. I got all but the second corner of the lining done yesterday and added pockets to both sides of it. All I have to do now is make the button loop for the closure, finish the corner of the lining, and sewing the lining to the bag. Then add a button. I sure hope the owner loves it as much as she thinks she will. It is really turning out very large, so I'm thinking of revamping the pattern and making a smaller version of it and see how it turns out. Then I have another purse like the others I've made to get cut out and hopefully started on today. I hate taking time out of sewing to fix and eat meals. Do you? I usually find that I don't go back to sewing when I do that. I really need to spend more time sewing than I do.

New way of eating: Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis

I started the Wheat Belly way of eating on Wednesday. I weighed that day and weighed this morning before my shower and I've lost a few pounds already. I am feeling better, too. The first pounds I've lost may be a mute point, but it gives me more incentive than ever to keep it up. I seriously believe that the nutritionists who are teaching that that whole grains are good for us are misled. I believed that for years. It took me a little while to get accustomed to eating whole wheat bread, because I love white bread and that is all I ate all my life. I have also looked for whole wheat or whole grains in other foods and not a lot of carbs or sugar. But, you know what? I was sadly mistaken. When hubby became a diabetic four years ago, I had an extremely hard time following his diet, eating what he ate and not cheating. When he found out his triglycerides were very high in the 1980s, he lost a lot of weight, but I could not eat just like he did. I did not do what a wife should do for her hubby. Thankfully, his numbers have gone down tremendously, and he keeps his diabetes in check. He is OCD about that. LOL But, after seeing my daughter looking so awesome the first of the month after she has gone off wheat (Paleo), that was the trigger, I believe. I grew up very skinny. I weighed 110 pounds when we married at age 19. I had never had to watch my weight until I got pregnant. I have been overweight since. I have lost weight and gained weight and lost weight, but the smallest I've been since 1979 is 140. My plans are to go below that. I am only 5'2" tall, so I need to lose a lot of weight. My main goal is to get healthier. I take a lot of prescription medications every day. Many, if not all, I want to get off of. I may not get off my thyroid medicine, and I understand that, but I want to get off the arthritis medicines, the fibromyalgia medicines and the statin I take. I DO NOT want to be diabetic either. So, after discovering Wheat Belly, and reading Dr. Davis's blog and reading and seeing pictures on Facebook of those who have lost lots of weight and turned around their health issues, I was determined to give it a go. I want to be healthy and stopped hurting and be able to walk without hurting again. I want to feel better when I get up in the morning. I want to be able to buy clothes without buying from the plus size department. I haven't been able to do that in years!!!

So, I've made it five days so far with only eating one thing one time that I shouldn't have. That is it. I'm also off my diet drinks. That is also a biggie for me. I love my carbonated drinks. I know the aspartame is not good for me, so I have given them up. I believe God was helping me along that track, because the drinks had gotten to where they didn't taste good anymore. Which is a good thing. :D I've been off them for two weeks this coming Wednesday. Aug. 14th was the last day I drank one. I am giving God the glory for helping me along this journey. 

Bama Belles, my quilting group meets tomorrow. I haven't been able to go the past two times, so I am really looking forward to seeing the "girls." LOL The ladies there are awesome and such good quilters. I learn so much from them. They have taught me so much during my short time of quilting. 

I wish you all a blessed day. I will post a picture of the finished purse tomorrow. Be creative, be a blessing to someone today.

Teresa

Friendly Friday Link Up #3/4?

Here it is, Friday. Where did this week go? I pray you all had a great week. Me, I'm still healing from teeth removal, but am much better. If I can just get accustomed to eating with this partial, I will be great! LOL There are still several things I can't eat, so I'm experimenting. But, it is getting easier. Onto better things....

Today is Find a Friend Friday link up where you can link your blog up to mine and my daughters at Our Journey (on the right sidebar). Add your link to my blog where hopefully we all can gain new followers. :-D I have several new followers from doing this for several weeks now. I am following some new friends, too. I hope you will take advantage of this time and link up with me.

Quilting:
I finished a queen sized top yesterday, but I can't show it, yet. It is a Christmas present, and they would see it on here, so you will have to wait. Sorry!!!! I will tell you it is the Carpenter's Star by Debby Maddy. My daughter picked it out with me, and gave me ideas of colors, so I guess you can tell it will be hers and her hubby's Christmas gift. I still have one for our son and DIL to finish cutting out and get busy making. I sure hope and pray that I can quilt these on my Janome 7700. Pray for me, okay?

Purses:
I got the rest of the fabric I needed to finish a bag for a FB friend from Teresa From Down Under's blog that she did a tutorial on. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I believe it will be really pretty. I have fabric for another purse I have to get made also. I plan to work on those today.

This is one of the patterns I'm using from Teresa From Down Under

                                                         Charm Pack Tote Bag Tutorial/

I will be using fabrics from other purses I've made plus some bright green w/polka dots, pink w/polka dots, and pink chevron fabric. I will post a picture when it is finished.

Life:
I started on a journey Wednesday, actually a little earlier, that will change my life. Have you ever seen/read/heard of Wheat Belly book? I started following it as closely as possible on Wednesday. I've already lost some weight due to the difficulty I've had eating, but I'm going off all grains. My belly is already smaller. I haven't taken my measurements, yet, but did get a starting weight this morning to use. It is much easier than I expected, because I confess; I am addicted to carbohydrates. I love bread, chips, ice cream, chips, etc. I know I put chips twice. That and ice cream are two of my weaknesses. I've also been off Diet Pepsi for over a week. I have had one since Monday, Aug. 12th. I've wanted one, but they had already gotten to where they didn't taste as good as I wanted them to taste. So, I will keep you posted on my journey to get healthy. I need to lose lots of weight, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Keep me in your prayers if you will. If you are on Facebook, check out Wheat Belly page. You will be amazed.

Sincerely,
Teresa

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Thank you, Jane!!!

Good Monday morning!! I want to give you a short post this morning. I want to thank Jane, from Jane's Fabrics and Quilts, for her guest post on Friday! I learned more about D9P, and now I'm not afraid to try it myself. Your post was awesome!! Wow! I've had 22 comments which is a lot for me. I gained some special new followers for my blog, also. Thank you new followers for becoming part of my family!!! You are appreciated more than you know. Also, some of the ones who already follow me commented. 

All of your comments, well the nice ones, are welcome. LOL I don't need any ugly comments, nor spammers. I love to hear your thoughts about the projects I'm working on or what I've discussed on my blog that day. 

Jane had a giveaway for the her guest post and she has picked a winner. LJ, a new follower, is the winner!! Congratulations to LJ!!!!!! Make sure you contact Jane to give her your contact information. 

Followers, please make sure you are not a no-reply blogger. If you are, please leave your email address where you can be contacted. If we as bloggers are not able to contact you, then you won't be able to win any giveaways we have. Thank you for so much for following directions.

Hope all has a great day. I've been going through some dental problems, having some teeth pulled and getting a partial put in, and I've been hurting pretty bad. That is why I've not said anything in the past week. I have done nothing around the house, nor any sewing. I go back tomorrow for him to do some adjusting and check everything is healing properly. I sure will be happy when I'm well. 

I'm working on several projects. Two more handbags, and a couple of quilts, so I must get back to business. I'm going to Hobby Lobby today to get a little more fabric I need to finish one of the purses. I pray they have it. 

Have a blessed day. Be creative and make something beautiful!!
Teresa

Guest Post: Jane at Jane's Fabrics and Quilts

Today I have a guest post form Jane over at Jane's Fabrics and Quilts. Thank you for sharing and I hope you all enjoy!!!

Hi Everyone, My name is Jane and I blog over at Jane's Fabrics and Quilts.

I was thrilled when Teresa asked me if I would like to guest post on her blog. Of course I said yes!

I would like to share with you today the way I make the Disappearing Nine Patch Block. You may have seen this abbreviation DP9P.

Here we go...

I started by choosing two colors. Pink and Green. They do not have to be the same pattern. This is where your scraps come in handy!

I choose a nice fun variety. I like scrappy but you could use just two fabrics if you wished.The squares are cut at 4 1/2 inch square. This will give you a finished 12 1/2 inch block. 

Lay 9 squares any way you wish in a 3 X 3 pattern.

Take the first two squares of each row and sew them together ( using a 1/4 inch seam) and then iron to the darker fabric.  At this point it will look like this...

Now go back and add the third fabric to each row. You will now have 3 rows of 3 squares each......

Sew the first row to the second, matching seams. I like to use pins here. Iron. Then sew the first and second row to the third. Iron.

When they are all sewn together they will make one 12 1/2 by 12 1/2 inch square.  At this point I use my 12 1/2 inch square ruler to check the size and trim if necessary. 

Now for the Disappearing Nine Patch Fun!

Take your block and cut it into four squares. One cut vertical, and one cut horizontal.  At this point they will measure 6 1/4 by 6 1/4.

I love how the middle block becomes so tiny. I love to use a large print in the center as it will be cut and showcase many of the fabrics elements.  

Your DP9P is done!

But what do you do with it?

There are so many layouts for this block.

Here are some examples.

In 2009 I hosted a disappearing 9 patch swap. I asked each member to make 25 12 1/2 inch blocks cut them into 4 for a total of 100 -- 6 1/4 blocks. They could only use red and aqua. We had 100 members! They sent me the blocks, I mixed them up and sent back 100 blocks. 

Here is the quilt I made.........

Thank you for allowing me to share this fun block with you, I hope you give it a try. If you have any questions feel free to email me at

pnkcndy@sbcglobal.net.

I Am Still Alive!!!

I am still alive. I promise you!! Last week we were on vacation, so I didn't blog. I played Dogopoly with our grandson and watched movies and cartoons. Went to Joann's Fabrics with a new friend I made while there after teaching her and her sister how to make a rag quilt. She will also be a recipient to one of the purses I have been making. One of the purchases we made at Joann's was fabric for her purse. She bought the fabric for her rag quilt she is making. Yea!!! You go Debbie! Proud that you are going to do this. I'm waiting to see the fabric Wendy gets.

I also went to church with my daughter and grandson. I really enjoyed the service at Village View Church. Pastor Marty Shea preached a great message. I love the choir and music we all sang. Everyone was so friendly to me, and I felt welcome. That is one thing many churches lack. It is important to make visitors feel welcome and want to return. Our DGS loves the church and the children's Space Port. Sister Diane does a great job with the children's department. DGS will be going to the church academy this year for second grade. He had to take an assessment test where they would know where to place him in their curriculum. He tested in 3rd grade in English and Word Building, and 2nd grade in the other subjects. I am so proud of the job our DD has done with his home schooling. We hate the fact that DD and DGS won't be able to come as often as they used to. But, DD needs a break, and DGS needs to be with peers at least for a while. LOL He had socialization with their home school group, but his daddy felt he needs a little more. So, a new adventure for us all.

This week has also been rough for me. I had three teeth pulled on Tuesday on the top front to finish out the five I needed pulled. The dentist had a difficult time getting the rest of my bridge off where he could pull the teeth. It hurt up into my left cheek bone which is now sore. Well, actually I had on two teeth pulled, but he removed the pin from the last tooth from a previous root canal and smoothed the tooth where the partial will fit. He said the more root he could leave the better. So, I have been hurting and having to get accustomed to a foreign object in my mouth. Having a difficult time eating. Eating very little. Drinking smoothies (healthy ones) and eating soft foods. I won't even go into the pain I felt yesterday when removing and replacing the partial for the first time. Ugh!!!!! Let's just say PAIN!!!!! I had tears in my eyes.

Enough of that. For our Friday Frenzy, we are having a guest poster. Jane from Jane's Fabric and Quilts. Yes!!!! She is guest posting on my blog!!! Whooohooo!!! I am really excited. She will do a tutorial, so make sure you show up, comment, and let me know how you enjoyed her visit!! Looking for new followers for my blog and my daughter's at Our Journey.

Okay. Enough for today. I hope you will com visit tomorrow and many times afterwards. Follow, Jane at her blog and follow my daughter's blog, too.

Have a blessed day. Hopefully, my day will be better, and I will get to sew.

Hugs,
Teresa

Friendly Friday Week 3: Introducing Tracey From Sew Shabby Designs

This has been a lot of fun and we are having a blast! Hope you are too and I hope you are gaining new friends each week. Be sure to link up below with your family friendly pages that you want/need followers on. Try to leave a comment when you follow someone and remember to follow the three co-hosts. This week we have Tracey from Sew Shabby Designs as our featured guest. 

**If you would like to be a featured co-host leave a comment on the blog post or send a message. We would be glad to feature your blog and hopefully help you gain followers too!**

Introducing Tracey!

I was born & raised in the second largest city in Indiana, Fort Wayne. I didn't have the pleasure of growing up in a family of quilters. I found my love of sewing from my Home Economics classes in middle school & High School. I learned to sew, I learned to cross stitch and the basics of sewing clothes. I also enjoy all crafts, scrapbooking, water colour painting & photography.
My passion is creating my own patterns for handbags & drawing up my own quilt patterns. I am currently working on converting my patterns to PDF format & I will have them available for download & purchase.
I spent 20 plus years working in the medical field. I have a Husband who can make me laugh until I pee my pants & cry. I have three children (2 boys, 1 girl) & two female Chihuahua's one has short hair, the other has long hair. Kandi is 17, CoCo is 6 months.

Thanks Tracey for sharing with us this week!!! Now it's your turn! Be sure to link up the pages you need followers. Follow the first three hosts in the link and be sure to leave comments on posts. Also if you can share the button on your page that would be awesome! Thanks for coming out and have a fun Friendly Friday!

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Friendly Friday Week 2: Introducing Our Co-Host Andrea From No Doubt Learning...

Welcome to Friendly Friday Week #2!! I am teaming up with my daughter over at Our Journey to host a weekly link up to help your blog grow! Each week you will find us here and over at her site to help you grow your blog and us too! You can follow with GFC, Facebook, Twitter whichever you like. Be sure to share your links and follow the first two hosts! If you are interested in being featured one week let me know! We would love to help you grow your bloggy world and help you succeed!

Feel free to link up your pages where you wish to have new friends. Be sure to try and leave a comment too.

So let's get started and have some fun! 

First - please follow Our Journey and Teresa's Quilt Journey in the first few links and our guest blogger for the week Andrea at No Doubt Learning. 

Second - Share your link and pages you would like new followers. 

Third- Follow some more blogs while you are here! 

Leave comments, share your pages and have a great time! So grab your favorite cup of coffee, diet drink or tea (or whatever fits your fancy) and get to sharing!!! 

** To be a co-host next week, be sure to follow our links and let me know you are interested in comments ** 

Now introducing our weeks co-host: Andrea! Take some time to visit her blog and learn about her awesome resources she has to share!

Hi!  I’m Andrea from No Doubt Learning and I am from California.  I started blogging over a year ago when I started homeschooling my two daughters, who are now first grade and pre-K levels.   As a former public school teacher, I wanted an area where we could share our science experiments and units with others.  Over the course of time, the blog has become much more than that.  I’m involved in several collaborative teams, monthly series, and recently started reviewing homeschooling products.  I’ve also become a writer for Homeschool Chicks and So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler.  I am a firm believer that kids can learn with almost anything in which they are involved.
I thought I’d take a minute and share some of my favorite posts:
First, I loved working with two other bloggers on a kindergarten unit about worms last fall.  Yes! We have a worm bin and have enjoyed several science experiments with these wriggly creatures!


Next are some resources for planning a homeschooling Teddy Bear Picnic Event.  I’ve been involved in planning several events for our local homeschooling group’s preschool through first grade students.

In my post Tips for Getting Started with Ambleside Online I discuss ways I was able to make sense of the Ambleside web site, so I could take advantage of their free curriculum.

Thanks to Our Journey and Teresa’s Quilt Journey!  I’m excited to be introduced to you today!  Please stop by and introduce yourself to me because I’d love to follow along with your adventures as well!

Don't forget to grab our button and share it on your blog or page :)

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