Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Memorial Day

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Memorial Day:      Hi everybody, Hope this has been a great weekend with family and friends the Veteran Parades are awesome.      I was watching a softba...

Memorial Day

     Hi everybody, Hope this has been a great weekend with family and friends the Veteran Parades are awesome.
     I was watching a softball game earlier that injured veterans were playing, it was unreal how well they played and their determination!
     God Bless these people God has given us and what they have done for our Country.
     If we had their love and determination for our country, I'm sure it would be a better place.
    
     Thank God for the Military and Veterans,Wishing all of them and their families the very best!

     God Bless the USA!

Elaine :)

Remembering Mother's On Their Special "Mother's" Day

     Hello everyone and Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's in the world. Mother's Day is a Glorious Day for most Mother's...but for some it can be heartbreaking. Remember when? Mother's were loved and respected regardless of their faults or mistakes, children would take the time to spend the day with their Mother. No expensive gifts were needed, maybe a card or a Mom I Love You. The gift was love and a few minutes of their time.
    Things seemed to have changed through the years, kids are busy with their own lives and don't always take the time to phone or buy a card for their Mother.
   I'm not really sure why they don't think its important, but it brings back memories of my Mother, who passed away 40 years go from injuries recieved in a car accident. We had our ups and downs through the years and didn't agree on a lot of things. There were times when I wasn't sure whether she loved me or not, because our lives were so difficult while I was growing up.
   Now that I'm older and have thought about our lives over an over. I know my Mom loved me, she had to much on her plate with all the problems going on in her life to be able to deal with it all.
    My point being in this writing is, my Mom suffered for almost three years from her injuries and my step-dad was killed in the wreck by a drunk driver.
    My sister and I did everything we could for her and that is where the love comes in, we all knew there was love between us, but the night my Mom passed away I was at the hospital and never told her I Loved Her before I left!
    It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, I carried around the guilt of that for years until I finally forgave myself.

   So please kids, take time for your Mom this Mother's Day, it will mean the world to her and to you.
   Your Memories will be your greatest blessing.

Happy Mother's Day to all the great Mom's, Aunt's and Grandma's everywhere.

God Bless and have a great day,

Elaine

Fabric, One of the Love's of My Life

  Hope everyone has had a nice day, enjoying the things you like most. I've been so busy working with fabric most of the day. Seems funny to see empty shelves, but Lori's will be full.
  
  I plan to move all of my sewing "stuff " in, so it will soon be filled again, I've already moved  in a few things. My fabric stash is unbelievable, so many books and patterns. I might even get to use my Accuquilt Go, so much, so little time. :)
   
   I keep looking at new fabric collections... why??? I'm hooked on fabric... how many of us are? I placed a small order, my excuse is I don't want to lose my accounts. :) I have some of it listed on my Crafters Cottage Page on Facebook. Hope to sell some craft items, along with a small amount of fabric and etc.

 This has been a big change for me, I've had a shop and website for so long, but I want to sew and did find time today to sew for a while.

  Funny, how every so often our lives change and we move on to something else, I'm just backtracking to one of my other Love's, Sewing.

  

Be Happy,
Elaine

Star Quilt Blocks on My Mind....

   Have had a busy day, like most everybody else, had Star Quilt Blocks     on my mind, so thought I would write for a few minutes. My favorite Star Block is the Martha Washington Star, but have made several different one's, just don' have pictures. Guess I better get busy and take some. The picture I have for now is a 6" version of a Friendship Star. I have some of them done in Miniature, but need to look for them, with all the moving around... their here somewhere. :) 

           Hope everyone has had a nice dayI'm going to go watch a little TV and crochet or stuff cats. Sounds real exciting, I should be finishing some UFO's... but that may take a few more years.

      
          Never got this finished last night, Have had AJ this morning, as Angie had some errands to run. He likes being outside, am glad it is a nice day. Guess I need to go again and do some other things, hopefully more about Star Blocks later.

         This is a Scrappy Frindship Star Block, hope you like it eas much as I do.

 Have a great rest of the day,
Elaine

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Where in the World Have I Been?

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Where in the World Have I Been?:        Its been an exciting two weeks,I have traveled all over Google Land, trying to post a Blog. HaHa! Today I'm writing in a new format t...

Where in the World Have I Been?

       Its been an exciting two weeks,I have traveled all over Google Land, trying to post a Blog. HaHa! Today I'm writing in a new format they have or something. Anyway, I was so tired traveling I was ready to give up.
      
    Getting on to other things is fabulous! We had a very nice Easter and I hope all of you did too. The day goes by so fast, but it was great being with the kids.

    I hope to get some Cats cut out before the day is over. I don't get as much done as I would like, to many interuptions.:) Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

    So glad to be writing, hope this works out, if it does will be back soon,

Smiles, Elaine
    

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Buttons Forever.....

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Buttons Forever.....:     We have been relocating the shop to Lori's as she is going to take it over. Actually, she already has, The new website name is: www.pat...

Buttons Forever.....

    We have been relocating the shop to Lori's as she is going to take it over. Actually, she already has, The new website name is: www.patchworkcabin.com ~~Crafters Cottage has been taken off of the site name, but its still on my Facebook page. I need some likes on it. :) Hopefully, I can get to sewing and also do some crafts to sell.
    In the meantime of all this moving of "stuff", I found my "Buttons" that had been pushed to the back of a shelf,which got me to thinking about them.
    I started buying buttons when I was sewing clothes, so I had a few of my own, but over the years, my Mom had given me hers and the ones she had from her Mother and of course, Jim's Mom was a big BUTTON SAVER, :) she kept them in Tin's with lids and had every kind imaginable. The years have passed and I have ended up with everybodie's Buttons. I have the old, old ones that are a certain kind of white and you can't buy anymore, up to the newer ceramic one's I have bought.
   The Grand kids have always been fascinated with them. When Cody was little, he would sort through them and put the one's he liked in a jar, make designs and haw them in trucks, but always put them away when he got tired messing with them.
   Samantha is working on her first quilt and went for the buttons to put her favorites in the center of each square.
    I just find it interesting that these buttons are headed for their fourth generation. Makes one wonder, where they will end up?
     I have taken a picture of some of them, but I still have a clear storage container that is full of Buttons. :) 

     

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Amazing Thoughts About Not Cleaning House....

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Amazing Thoughts About Not Cleaning House....: Spring is right around the corner after a very mild winter, so far.... I keep looking at the dust and things I should be cleaning, but ...

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Amazing Thoughts About Not Cleaning House....

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts: Amazing Thoughts About Not Cleaning House....: Spring is right around the corner after a very mild winter, so far.... I keep looking at the dust and things I should be cleaning, but ...

Amazing Thoughts About Not Cleaning House....

     Spring is right around the corner after a very mild winter, so far.... I keep looking at the dust and things I should be cleaning, but just think about it for 5 minutes and go do something else. Why do we change when we get older?  I can remember being up at daybreak mopping floors and washing clothes and when Spring came around we had to wash down walls and wash curtains, remember putting them on curtain stretchers? What a job!
    I've been watching House Hunters on HGTV, how do they clean those fabulous houses, maids, maids, maids.......lol
    We have a log house and it seems very big now that the kids are gone, but I have a small kitchen and would love to have a big kitchen, like our old farmhouse had. When we built this house, I never thought about it.Will give you a peek of part of my kitchen in this post. Our daugther, Angie, planned her kitchen out before their house was built, very smart! She has a bar, an island with two sinks, a pantry, and of course all of her cupboard space and three more sinks.. I tease her about it all the time.
  Well, its late, so will post a couple of pictures, hope everyone has a Great Sunday.

    This is a favorite doll, old Christmas bulbs and an old crock that belonged to my Mom and her Mother before.

     My kitchen is country, just hard to get all the family in when they come home. I love roosters.... :)

Come follow my boards at Pinerest, till the next time,

Elaine

The Mysterious Outdoors

       This is a very unusal happening in the outdoor's today... Jim was cutting firewood in the woods behind our house. He knows his trees and this one looked like an Ash Tree, he thought was dead.
      Well, he cut it down and in the center of the tree trunk was this unusual design! It has this design all the way up through the trunk... Very beautiful! We have been guessing as to what made the design.. A fossil or flower seed, came from my little Granddaugther, Samantha, It looks like a Sunburst from our daugther, Angie.
      If anybody has a clue, we would like to know.
      God definately works in Mysterious Ways,

Elaine

Elaine's Amazing Thoughts on Her Very First Quilt...:)

     I have sewed almost all my life and am now 69 yrs. old. But never started to make quilts until after I was married, I came from a sewing Mother and Grandmother, plus my Mother-in-law was a great quilter too, as they all were. After a variety of sewing and embroidery projects, decided to try making a quilt. 
    This was after a few years of marriage, a couple of kids later and watching all the quilts being made that were so beautiful. (That will be another story when I get to it.)  I went on my search for fabric and a pattern. Decided on  embroidery and appliqued leaves for the patterns on 12" blocks. The fabric I chose was a plain tan for the blocks and  plain green for the appliqued leaves and different colors for the embroidery.
   I spent a lot of nights after the kids were in bed, appliquing. Actually, I was learning to applique, I had never done it before and embroidering was the easy part...
   After getting the blocks all finished, Mom told me they looked nice and showed me how to put them together...well, they didn't go together quite as easy as she said. I couldn't get the corners to meet.. what to do, what to do. Flustration sets in big time... What would be your first thought if this happened to you? I layed the blocks out on the floor and the one's that were a little bit bigger, I cut to make them as near the same size as the smaller ones. At the time I thought that was the logical thing to do, but couldn't figure out why some were a little larger, when I had cut them all the same size !  
      Just happened that Mom came by.... she went into hysteria and said, "Elaine, what are you doing???!!!!" I explained the problem and that was when I learned that you put the block that is a little larger on the bottom and gather it in with the top block and when its pressed, you will never see it..I hope! :) actually its probably easier to pin them and do it on the sewing machine that way, than it was doing it by hand. But I learned, from some really great women, that were close to me.
    Back then quilts were used and not kept for show or contest and etc. so to end this story I will tell you that my very first quilt went through four kids and two adults, many washings and a few pets. By the time I realized I should have taken better care of it, it was getting worn out, the binding was ragged  and it had a few holes here and there, the fabric was now, not new. I saved it though and got it out of the chest a few weeks ago and took a picture, so the kids would know and remember.
   Something I learned from making my first quilt was patience, listening to my Mother and accepting any advice they all gave me about quilts or anything else. After all they had lived and learned and knew more than me. These three women were great mentors in my life and I thank God for the time I had with them.
   Here is a picture of my quilt, its still my favorite. :)

Elaine

Amazing Thoughts About Winter

       I was watching it snow, here in the country and was thinking by tomorrow we may not get out as our road is gravel and we have to use 4-wheel drive... But of course it doesn't bother my husband, just me. Brought back memories of my childhood, we lived in a small town out in nowhere Ohio :), but still walked everywhere, it was more fun back then, neighbors got together and played cards and our town was on a hill, everyone got their sleds out and we made a chain and went down this really long, steep hill, trudged back up and done it over. That was all back in the day~ the 1950's.
      Now neighbors don't even know their next door neighbors and are so busy with work, sports and other activities they don't take the time to say hi. I guess times have changed, but it would be nice to have a chat now and then.
       Well, enough of thinking about the past, but oh, we did have fun! Now its the Memories that are fun....  So will start a new memory with some crocheting. :)

Elaine