Sunday, April 2, 2023

iPad experiment 🤷🏻‍♀️

 Well hello old friend ! How have you been Moonbeams in a Jar Blog ? Nice to see you after all these years! The last time I visited, I was still on a desktop and using a point and shoot camera. Now as you can see, I’m trying to figure out how to write a blog post on my iPad.





And as you can also see, I am trying to figure out how to post pictures and remove the background and not have it look like this
😁. These are some scrunched up pictures of some of my UFOs. Another thing on the to do list. So I will keep plugging along. Trying to figure this out on my iPad. I used to have this down to a science doing it for years. I think I was one of the original bloggers.  My first ever blog post was March 7, 2007! Now it’s a whole new ballgame, and the tech has gotten away from me. We’ll see if I can figure this out. And then, after that, it’s onto adobe illustrator! I’m setting my sights high😬.       We’ll see how this goes !                 Be back soon ! ( maybe)                

Saturday, August 11, 2018

My Poor Abandoned Blog .......

Hi everybody ....... I had all sorts of good intentions of updating my poor blog and keeping it up to date ............ so you can see how well that went (insert sigh and eye roll here )  .......... ANYHOW ...... like most people these days I am on Instagram  ...... so if you'd like to take a peek you can find me at madrury3 ( not very creative .... but it works !! )

I do have a new adventure I'm trying to get under way ....... and that is teaching kids and adults beginner quilting and sewing ....... still in the planning phases ....... but I do have an opportunity to teach beginning quilting in my home town of Tamaqua, Pa.  They have really stepped up their game and started a wonderful Community Arts Center !!!!  Now I just have to get myself organized ........
.....starting right here with some of these wonderful autumn fabrics for a beginner quilt sampler table runner !!!!  ( and I am MORE than ready for autumn !!! This hot HUMID weather we've been having here in Pa can go back to where it came from !!!! I am NOT a fan of humidity !!! UGH !!!).  

SO .... off I go to try and squeeze in some sewing in between laundry and the ever present stack of paperwork for the day job ( yes ..... its always there ..... always ..... lots and lots of paperwork ...... at least until I win the mega millions jackpot !!! ) Anyway .... come for an Instagram visit at madrury3 !

Toodles,
Mary Anne ( aka Mare)

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Vintage Hankie Easter Eggs

I have SO many pretty vintage hankies that were my mother's and my grandmother's.   They are too pretty to keep hidden in a drawer or to blow your nose on !!! (even though that was their original purpose ......yuck!)  So...... what to do with them ?  

How about wrapping them around plastic or wood Easter eggs and tie up with some ric rac !!!   REALLY easy to do !!!  

Be back soon!
Toodles, 
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Saturday, April 1, 2017

April ...... Ready for Spring !!!

Well it's April already !!!  And hopefully we'll be seeing some pretty colors outside soon !  ( Still gray and muddy here in Northeast  Pa.) 

Well I goofed and forgot to post yesterday for my March finish at Elm Street Quilts One-Monthly-Goal .... BUT I actually did accomplish my March goal ..... pretty much.  My goal was to machine quilt 1/3 -> 1/2 of this baby quilt.  I got 1 out of 3 houses quilted ..... so I'm gonna call it a win ( at least in my book that 's a win.....) . I'm machine quilting using my walking foot ( because I'm really lousy at free motion quilting ..... oh well ..... hoping that will improve one of these days!).  Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with how this is coming out so far ..... the wavy lines on the roof to look like shingles ......

.......and the outline quilting around the clouds and windows etc.  I have to say even though this is not a huge quilt, it's still not easy to wrestle it around to stitch around the clouds ..... my shoulders are getting a workout !!! 

But this batting seems to be making everything stay in place nicely !!! This is the first time I'm using Warm & White and I have to say , so far I'm 
VERY happy with it !!! 
OK ..... so I'm going to try and keep my momentum ( slow momentum) going on this quilt and sign up for the April Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal.  So for this month my goal is to get one or two more houses quilted.  Not a huge assignment for most people ....... but in my world it's gigantic !!! (sigh and eye roll here ).   
Be back soon !
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Pretty Fabric = Instant Gratification !!!

Arriving in my mailbox today from Catching Stitches was this luscious fresh as Spring Fig Tree Coney Island jelly roll and layer cake ....... it is SO pretty !!! I plan to use the jelly roll to make the Fig Tree Ferris Wheel pattern (eventually).  I'll have to look through my layer cake patterns to decide which one will work best so I don't hyperventilate by cutting these pretties up too much !!!  I just love each and every one of the fabrics in this bunch ....... I think so many of them would sew up into a cute summer shift / sundress or skirt  too !!!!

.......and a little happy message ( that is such a good reminder ) came innocently wrapped around the layer cake ..... the Bonnie and Camille selvedge that says "You do not find the happy life .... you make it" .   So ...... SEW ON and make some happy !!!!

Be back soon!
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Friday, March 3, 2017

SO many things going on !!!!!!

Well there's never a lull in the action in the quilting world !!  There are SO many activities going on to participate in that it can make your head SPIN !!!!!  One is the 12 months, 12 designers, 12 contests that Moda is hosting.   I missed January, but the February designers were Sweetwater.  Their contest assignment was to make a 6 inch block ( or more than one if you're more organized than I am) ..... and you had to use Sweetwater fabric.  

So, I have a basket of  their "Noteworthy" scraps that I just LOVE and thought would make for some cute Beach Houses !!  

Next on the agenda is this baby quilt .... I'm signing up again for Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal March edition to keep my momentum going and get this baby quilted ..... or half quilted (at least !!!)    
Also ...... have  you seen the fun on Insta Gram that Amy's Creative Side is running !?! It's the #IGQuiltFest 2017 .  Every day she has a little prompt for people to answer and post.  The first day were selfies and introductions.  The second day was a picture of your sewing "partner" (aka sewing machine.).  Today she's asking everyone to post a picture of  "where the magic happens" ( i.e. where you sew and create) ......... ummmmmmm I'm gonna need a little time to clean up the think tank /sewing room first before I can take a picture !!!! 
So those are just a few of the gazillions of activities to try and keep up with in the big wide quilting world !!!  Have FUN !!!!

Be back soon !
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Sunday, February 26, 2017

February GOAL !!!! DONE !!!


Baby quilt basted ....... check !  That's it ..... just one baby quilt basted .  Knowing how I roll, I only set myself up for a simple little goal for the February 

......and there it is ..... Ta Daaaaaa !!!!  Now you may not think this is a big deal, but I'm feeling rather proud of myself for ignoring oh so many other things that I really should be doing and spending an hour focusing on accomplishing this teeny tiny goal. And now I'm motivated to start quilting this baby !!! In fact ..... I think I'll make that my goal for March ..... but of course I'm not about to overwhelm myself and say the whole thing will be quilted by the end of the month ....... unless of course my fairy godmother plans on making an appearance to declutter my house and get all my stacks of paperwork for the day job all caught up.  No ..... nope .... lets just go with getting 1/3  -> 1/2 of the quilting finished  .   Yep ..... I think just taking small bites at a time is the way to go !
                                     
                                                        Be back soon !
                                                        Toodles !
                                                        Mary Anne ( aka Mare)