Oh Sandy Baby ....... please don't stay !!!!!

Well, unless you've been living under a rock, you know that  Hurricane Sandy is lumbering up the east coast and plans on taking a left turn somewhere around Atlantic City, NJ tomorrow.   Then, she may be strolling right smack into Pennsylvania .......

in the vicinity of MBIAJ Headquarters (see arrow).   I've heard this storm described as "Frankenstorm"  or another "Perfect Storm" ........THAT is NOT good !!!!!  I went to Walmart yesterday to stock up on batteries (none to be found),  sterno and matches (none), and gallons of water (lots still left thank goodness!).    Since our power goes out when somebody sneezes, I'm enjoying my electricity now while I've got it (not to mention running water and flushing toilets  -- we live in the woods and have a well and septic which depend on electricity to work).    So,  I'm hoping "Sandy" cools off and turns into nothing but a sweet innocent little drizzle  wearing a Peter Pan collar and a poodle skirt !

 

Well,  I better go fill up my bathtub with toilet flushing water ......... if you are in the path of Sandy, please stay safe !!!! ....... and we'll all meet back here as soon as our power comes back on  ....... or MAYBE it won't go out at all !!!!  

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Machine Quilting ~ Walking Foot Style !!!!

GREAT news for people like me who are free motion quilting wanna bees (i.e. really wanna be good at free motion quilting, but just isn't happening at this point .... ).   Norma at Petit Design Co.  is in the middle of her "31 days of Walking Foot Quilting" project on her blog.  She has been showing some FABULOUS ideas for machine quilting with a walking foot !!! Now THAT I can do !!!!   These designs are so great that my free motion quilting foot is jealous !!!

.....and all of Norma's ideas couldn't have come at a better time since I've been stalling on quilting my son's overdue (wild) graduation quilt .......

....not to mention some of it's pals rolled up and waiting patiently in this basket for their turn to be quilted (before they disintegrate ! )

 

Anyhow, you should zip on over to Norma's blog to see all of her ideas for zig zags,  random lines,  cross hatches, and  different circles ..... YES even CIRCLES can be machine quilted with a walking foot !!!!!!! YIPEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

.......and the winner is .........

Well it's three -ish here at MBIAJ Headquarters (actually it's closer to four -ish ....... like I said, being on time isn't one of my strong points !!!) ..... so, it's time to pick a random winner from all of those sweet comments left on my  Fall Foliage Festival Block post.   127 comments !!!!  WOW !!!  ..........OK,  the winner of the Kate Spain "Serenade" Charm Pack  and ...... 

....the Kate Spain "Serenade Autumn Life's a Hoot" adult size apron panel is ............ Kathy at Just Quilt It  !!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS Kathy !!!!!  

.....and thank you , thank you , thank you all again for all of the great comments about my block design "Fall Foliage Festival" !!!!   (my original plan was to do a tutorial today for this block,  but besides never being on time,  being organized is not one of my strong points either ! ..... so, I'm putting this on my "TO DO LIST" !)

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival 2012

The weather today was absolutely PERFECT for the 2nd weekend of the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival ...... DEFINATELY sweater weather !!!!  At the park by the train station there were food and craft vendors .......

 ....... a REALLY good band in the gazebo ......

.......some talented hula hoopers.....

 ....... and, of course, a train!

  There also were beautiful horse and buggy rides taking visitors  up Broadway and Race St. past ....

 everything from quaint hotels,  B&B's,

restaurants and shops to .....

  ....authentic (haunted) scary looking old houses and .....

  churches (also haunted ...... so they say .)

 

Hope you enjoyed the "tour" !  ...... and don't forget to stop back tomorrow afternoon at two - ish or three - ish for my "Leaf's me Happy Blog Hop" give away drawing. 

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

 

 

 

 

Explosions of color !!!! ...... and the last day of our hop !

Here is just one of the many shops in our little town of Jim Thorpe, Pa all decked out in it's explosion of autumn colors ....... all I can say is WOW !!!!!  (the name of this shop is "Nature's Trail").   AND I also have to say a HUGE WOW !!!!!  and thank  you for all of those wonderful comments on my last post !!!!!  What a nice surprise !!!!  So glad you all liked my quilt block !

 

AND, speaking of quilt blocks,  today is the last day of the "Leafs me happy" blog hop .  Here's today's list:

 

Wednesday 10

Quilter in the Closet

Sew Much 2 Luv

Peanut's Patchwork

Quilting Lines

Mochawildchild

Ariane Quilts

Lily Patch Quilts

Cindy's Crafty Creations

Hill Valley Quilter

Count it *all* JOY!!!

Rose Creations

Grandmamastories

Sew We Quilt

 

 

Enjoy !!! 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Fall Foliage Festival !!! ...... and we're still hopping !

It's "Fall Foliage Festival" time here in Jim Thorpe, Pa. !!! The first three weekends of October in our little town in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania are celebrating the fall season with train rides, horse and buggy rides, music in the gazebo , craft vendors in the park, and quaint shops and restaurants decorated in their best fall colors.

.....and, of course, it wouldn't be a fall foliage festival without the gorgeous fall foliage ......

......so, Mother Nature has cooperated and dressed the trees in their best fall colors just in time !

Those fall colors have been the inspiration behind all those lovely quilt blocks that have been showing up on the "Leafs me Happy" blog hop ....... and today is finally my blog hop turn!!!!

......and, here it is ....

This is my "Fall Foliage Festival" block .

(zooming in for its close up - - or you can click on any of these pictures to make them bigger)

....AND, whats a festival without some prizes??? Isn't this CUTE !!!! It's a Kate Spain "Serenade Autumn Life's a Hoot" adult size apron panel.

Here's a close up of what it looks like finished. AND, also , in addition to the apron panel is ......

.... a Kate Spain "Serenade" Charm Pack !!!! So, leave a comment here on this post , and how about we meet back here on Sunday ( this Sunday 10/14/12) - - lets say maybe two -ish (or three-ish ...... I'm big on the "ish" since being on time isn't one of my strong points !) ....... and we'll pick a winner !

But, in the mean time, there are other bloggers for you to visit today . Here's the list:

Tuesday 9

Till We Quilt Again

Sheilas quilt world

Ferris Thoughts

Home Designs by Amanda

Quilt n Queen

Polka Dot Classic

Moonbeams in a Jar (this is me !!!)

Stitch, stitch, stitch

Sew Me Something Good

Quilting by Dawn

My Collection of Things
Jessisca

ENJOY !!!

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

GORGEOUS Autumn !!!!! (and we're still hopping !)

BREATHTAKING !!!!

GORGEOUS !!! 

Autumn in my neck of the woods is in full swing and I just can't get enough !

And....... you know what else is in full swing !  yep, the "Leafs me happy" blog hop!!!!  Here's today's list of talented bloggers !

 

Monday, Oct. 8

Feathered Nest Studio

Grandmama's Stories

From This to That

Little Mama Hen

Quilt Monster in my Closet

Kathy

in stitches & seams

Buzzing and Bumbling

Nunu's Quilt World

Quilts And Dogs

Briarside Lane

Enjoy !!!!  (and be sure to come back tomorrow  ...... tomorrow is my day to share my quilt block AND there will be a give away !!!)

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

Country roads ....... and we're still hopping !

My day job involves alot of driving  .... and much of that driving is "over the river and through the woods"  along country roads WAY out in the boondocks !  I am a physical therapist and I work for a home care agency ..... and we live in a rural, mountainous area of Pennsylvania  ..... so usually I have lots of driving to get to my patients' homes .....

 I LOVE the scenery, especially this time of year !

And, you know what else I love?  Seeing the gorgeous "Leafs Me Happy" quilt blocks created by today's talented bloggers in the "Leafs Me Happy" blog hop.  Here's today's list:

 

 

Insanity Defense

Michelle May and the Bunnies

Sparrow In Flight

Quilted Delights

Quilting With a Marmalade Cat

Traveling Quilter

A Stitch in Time

Cherry Blossoms... you're here Ü
Tea Time Creations

Moose Stash Quilting

Stitchin By The Lake

 

 

Enjoy !

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

It's raining on my pumpkin ...... and more blog hopping !

Well its another rainy, foggy , damp day here in Pa ....... and it's raining on my pumpkin and my poor, falling apart garden bench.  I LOVE that bench ...... but my husband thinks its an eyesore ...... but what does he know !  As my Aunt Irma (an artist) would say  "oh no,  that bench has character!  It isn't an eyesore !" ........ I agree with Aunt Irma !!!!

And, guess what ..... there are even more lovely "Leafs me Happy" quilt blocks to see today from some very talented bloggers!   Here's today's list:

 

Thursday 4

Debby Kratovil Quilts

Patchouli Moon Studio

Freemotion by the River

Quilt Doodle Designs

Apple Avenue Quilts

Jane’s Quilting

Spoilt Dog Quilts

Ramblings of a Quilter

Deborah

Gracie Oliver Arts

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

Pumpkins on my chalk board ..... and the hopping continues !

Pumpkins  are on my chalk board ...... that means autumn is here and Halloween is coming (at least thats what it means here in the MBIAJ Sewing Room mess).  I have had this play room size chalk board since third grade ....... back in 1967 (approximately ...... my middle aged brain can't remember back that far !) .  Anyhow, this chalk board and I have sweet memories .... my Dad spent every Thursday night going over my times tables with me on this chalk board for the test we had in school every Friday.   I can still picture the list ..... every week it was a different set ..... the "2x tables",  next the "3x tables",  and on up to the hard ones like the " 7x tables" and the "8x tables" ....... but I learned them with ALOT of patience from dear old Dad  !!!!! 

So, speaking of pumpkins on my chalk board and autumn in the air.......  the "Leafs me Happy"  blog hop continues ...... with all sorts of creative and gorgeous "Leafs me Happy" quilt blocks !  Here's today's list :

 

Wednesday 3

Plum and June

The Recipe Bunny

VroomansQuilts

It's Sew Kiki

PigTales and Quilts

Quilting fiesta

GrammieQ's

Nancy

Just Let Me Quilt

Selina Quilts
The Learning Curve~Quilts and Such

 

 

Enjoy !!

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

 

 

Rainy October day ..... and the hopping continues....

Well, it was a rainy, dreary, foggy October day today here at MBIAJ Headquarters in the Pocono Mountains of Pa.   A perfect day to snuggle up under a quilt and read a good book ......

..... like this one !  "The Girl with No Shadow" (by Joanne Harris) ..... full of modern day witch craft and CHOCOLATE !!!  Perfect for this Halloween season !  (this book is the sequel to the book and movie "Chocolat" which I LOVED !!!)  

Another good activity on this rainy day is to continue hopping around to visit today's "Leaf's Me Happy" bloggers to see what blocks they have come up with.   Here's the list :

 

Tuesday 2

Mrs.Pickles Garden

Gingersnaps Quilts

Petit Design Co

A Passion For Applique

Annie Oak Designs

Michelle's Romantic Tangle

CherrysPrairiePrimitives

Krislovesfabric

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle

 

Enjoy !

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Leafs Me Happy Blog Hop ...... STARTS TODAY !!!!

Happy OCTOBER !!!!  What a BEAUTIFUL month !  Not only is it my favorite sweater weather, wool plaid skirt, knee socks, apple cider, Penn State football watching under a quilt time of year,  it also happens to be the start of the "Leafs me happy" blog hop!  So, starting today through Oct 10th, you can hop around and visit the blogs of a bunch of creative gals to see the "Leafs me happy" quilt blocks they've come up with.     Here's today's list: 

Monday 1

Fuzzy Hat Quilter

The Cuddle Quilter

Quilts My Way

Country Cabin Thoughts and Crafts

Dream quilt create

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Needled Mom
Quilter in Motion

Sunshine Girl

Meadowbrook

 

Enjoy !!!! 

Be back soon !

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)