Progress on Tina's Tablerunner, a Cat in the Sink, and Limes NO they're Lemons!

I guess this picture is a bit upside down, but you get the idea..I stitched in the ditch around the colored squares and on the ouside edge of the colorful strips...it is okay. I then pinned up the backing to handstitch closed which I still need to do. It is bigger than I thought it would be, but my favorite sister Tina should love it!
This strange cat Jade has a habit of climbing in the sink whenever we are on the toilet (we don't shut the doors unless others are here!) and she always wants a drink of fresh water from the tap. She is not happy that in the master bathroom we cannot reach the sink from the toilet as the toilet is in a separate room (about the size of an airplane bathroom and the door seriously really cannot be shut!). She then will curl up in hte sink since it is just her size and hang out...so today I ran out to grab the camera and take a picture of a leisurely Jade kitty in our sink!
We were so excited to find out we had five fruit trees in our backyard. When we arrived only one had fruit which appeared to be limes and we were told it was limes. Today I happened to notice there was a green fruit on another tree which previously had none...I then counted about eight blood oranges! This got me to checking out all the trees and the labels on them. We have a key lime, tangerine, grapefruit, blood orange and the one in the picture above...LEMON! Not ripe limes as we thought, but unripe lemons! I am thrilled to death with this find because I love lemons and this tree has a ton of fruit on it...of course I had picked all of the above (and a few more we already gave away as limes!) before I discovered the burried label (Meyer Lemon) and did the happy dance. So I didn't want to waste these lemons and put one in my diet coke (sorry in advance to my dentist) and Kathy made me a fresh squeezed glass of lemonade which was really good despite the unripeness of the fruit.
I haven't been doing much sewing...start work again on Friday which is coming fast! I just found out my mentor is the old ASL teacher who has transferred to teaching Photography. He interviewed me on the phone and seems awesome so I am really excited to have him for a mentor and I will meet him Friday!
I have been reading alot. Currently reading "Run" by Ann Patchett which is good.

Starfish Wallhanging UFO Done!!!!

Here is the A is for ant fabric I was telling you about...it came today, all tied up in a bow!
This project has been about this as far as this first picture since May 2007. I was attempting to quilt it myself (don't look too closely) and got frustrated at my lack of skill! So once in awhile I would take it out and work on it but finally today it is done...I finished the quilting around the leaves and stars and such, made and added the polka dot binding and tada...handsewed the binding and the label and it is done!!!
Not sure where it is going anymore...was going to give it to Rachel but not sure she would really like it so I am rethinking that...and last picture, the world's cutest little beagle dog--ROSEY the quilt model....
Took me five minutes to get a picture without a dog in it! She loves to pose!

Brillante Weblog Award!

Amy from http://skattebo-skattebo.blogspot.com/2008/07/more-blog-catchin-up.html nominated me for the Brillante Weblog Award. I do believe this is my first blog award and very nice to know someone is reading--thanks Amy! I will nominate a few of the regular blogs I read and I appologize if you have already been nominated and excuse you from repeating this if you don't want to!

The rules are as follows:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog/

2. Link to the person you received your award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Put links to those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

So I nominate:

1. The Quirky Quilter at http://quirky-quilter.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default she always makes me smile or laugh aloud (see the spider story) and even though she is way across the pond we have become blog and email buddies! She even has a link to me on her blog!

2. Sarah from Hip to Piece Squares http://hiptopiecesquares.avenueb.org/atom.xml is amazing! She was one of the very first blogs I ever read because I was searching for others interested in "The Modern Quilt Workshop" book and she was hosting a quiltalong and making Love Beads...by the time I found her it was over but I was hooked!

3. Don't call me Becky.com http://dontcallmebecky.typepad.com/rebekah/atom.xml is another of my favorite blogs. She writes about sewing, food, married life, etc. She takes great pictures and has a fabulous sense of humor too!

4. Steph at http://hualapaiquilter.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default is a new online friend who has done and is doing some longarming for me. She has a busy family life and is a very proud mom. I know someday I will meet this sweet blogger!

5. Penny at http://pennysanford.typepad.com/penny_sanford_porcelains_/atom.xml is one of the most amusing bloggers I read. I have laughed along with her and cried too. Funny how someone I have never met can influence me. She writes about her porcelain business, her family and the cutest westies that she has rescued and loves.

6. Sara at http://saras-scraps.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default has a great attitude and always lists her grattitudes and reminds me to be thankful for all that I have too. She posts about family , food and QUILTS!

7. And last but not least is Teresa at http://moonvalleyquilter.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I am SO impressed by what she can do with EQ (I have it and can't do diddly with it) and love the colorful quilts she has on her blog. I think I once tried to win one of her quilts but luck of the draw sent it home somewhere else!

A Little Bit of Sewing Going on!

Today I added another border to the QOV quilt I made a week or so ago. It has little flags on it and is actually leftover from some patriotic tablerunners I made four of several years ago (it was the backing) and I still have some left! I think I bought it right after 9/11 when I felt more patriotic than almost any other time I can remember. Which reminds me that I took my daughter's girl scout troup (I was leader then) and my son and partner at the time to the fairgrounds on Sept. 16th and we participated in this picture below. We are on the left outermost row of the "U" in red, white and blue (with sashes atop). We were so helpless to do anything for those who lost loved ones or who still didn't know about their loved ones, so we did this and it helped us cope. I guess remembering this in July is pretty appropriate.
Also, I am donating this QOV to Alycia and her girl scout troup in Colorado http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ she has offered to quilt it (Thanks Alycia!) and will send it on to the soldiers in the unit she and her awesome girl scouts are working with! Oh and I snapped a picture of this postcard photo I have which is by T-BO Studio.
I was motivated to make this little tablerunner after seeing a picture in a blog of a simple tablerunner that was so cute! I have it all together and pinned to a crazy lemon backing but am scared to try machine quilting it because I never am too good at that, but I will give it a shot...practice makes perfect. I need to work on my purple wallhanging quilting too...
I am participating in Quilt Talk's ABC swap again. I picked B for beachballs and it arrived yesterday and is so cute! I also picked A for ants and am waiting on that fabric. There are three different groups so I will get back two different sets of blocks!
I just wanted to show you how meant to be we are in this house...(btw we are finally closed on it!) Kathy and I went and picked out paint cards in Wisconsin and decided we wanted this shade of blue in our bedroom (matches the bed quilt) and check it out next to the wall color that was already there...kind of creepy huh? All of our stuff goes well with the paint these people chose! The yellow in the kitchen is not exactly what I would have picked and the vibrant blue in CJ's room is a bit much but the rest of the house is amazingly as we would have done it!

My Favorite Sister Tina's Tablerunner!

Here is my favorite sister's tablerunner top complete as of moments ago! For those of you who are wondering, she is my only sister and for the past several years we have called each other "my favorite sister" and her son was my only nephew so he was "my favorite nephew" but now my brother has a one year old son so now they are "my other favorite nephews" lol. So inside joke, not hurting any other sister's feelings! She picked this pattern out in Trego, WI when we were visiting my dad last year together. She never goes to the quilt store with me as that is not her gig, but she said I will buy the pattern if you will make it so now finally I did! I need to get it all together so I can give it to her for her birthday Aug. 3rd. I am trying to keep it a secret from her, though occasionally she reads this blog so we shall see! I now live only an hour from her and it is so nice to be able to go visit and hang out with her and she has a pool!
This is the backing for her quilt...it is actually leftover backing from my stepdad's quilt and I still have a chunk left. I apparently either under or overestimate these things! It is nice to be checking UFO's of my list though....whoo hoo! This is the pattern too in case you are dying to make one, it is from Backyard Quilts and went together pretty easily and I enjoyed the handsewing too!
Well folks, I am off to get on the treadmill because I really need to get going on that again and it has been SO long! Then a shower and working on work stuff...we are FINALLY signing the closing papers on this house tonight and wiring money on Monday so it should be a done deal soon!

Stripping Day with the Girls!

No, no not that kind of stripping, strip quilting! Today the NewQuiltingClub gals were led by a fearless Monica in how to make a stripped log cabin quilt! It was really fun to do the virtual sew and motivates me to work, work, work. I used red, white, blue and a little, tan and brown to make this so I can donate it to quilts of valor (my first one!) though I am not sure through who yet. It went together pretty good and was fun. I may add another brown border with flags on it tomorrow. It will be backed in military bdu type fabric my ex DH obtained years ago and I have been moving all over the place..have made the boys clothes from it, drapes, etc. when they were into it and I still have a chunk left!
I worked on my sister's tablerunner handwork last night and today too. All five blocks are handstitched though only three pics here since I finished these last night as Kathy did her OC. We shipped the OC's to Steph (they are on the way lol) and my other two quilts back to Wisc to Jen today. Was a busy mail day let me tell ya!

I used leftover fabric for these blocks so Tina gets some fabric that is in our stepdad's quilt (his nickname is Pear) and our grandfather's tablerunner too...I think there is even some that was in my sister's horse quilt, my daughter's quilt and my psuedo princess daughter's quilt...good memories!

Some Flowers, a Sewing Bee Prize, and a Tablerunner Start!

Just for no reason the honey gave me flowers..aren't they gorgeous? The cat has had a good time attacking them and I have saved them from going over more than once but I love those sunflower looking ones!
Brenda from my Stashbuilders online group sent me this cool Thimbleberries Quilting Journal for the June sewing bee prize I won. Pretty exciting to get these random goodies in the mail. Our new mailbox is down the road (you need a key to get in it) which I don't like..I always watch for the mailwoman and burst out the door for the mail as soon as she passes...now I have to just wait til around noon and go--not nearly as exciting!
These two quilts are going in the mail tomorrow to MA. They are gifts for Kathy's brother and sister...we will miss them brightening up the living room, but they are both all set and we are going to put them in the mail with a wing and a prayer!
I have been working on syllabi and lesson plans for my ASL classes (I used to teach a 16 week semester college class and now will be teaching a 36 week-more hours per week-year long high school class so CHANGES ABOUND!) which is almost overwhelming! I finally am situated for ASL 2 (using the same books as I did for ASL 3 at my other job) and am a third of the way there for ASL 1....I will be putting in extra time all year getting this all switched around, but eventually this should get easier...lol I do love it though I am sure there will be one heck of a learning curve. Also made me smile today that I got a call from another school in the same district apparently interested in hiring me as well...but too late I signed my contract already.
Enough abourt that stuff..after working hard for two days I decided to reward myself with some sewing! I got out this tablerunner that my sister picked out for herself a year ago! It was mostly precut and just needed the black wool that I got in Chicago so I sewed the blocks and ironed the circles and stars on...now to handsew the circles and stars in place tonight! Her birthday is Aug. 3rd so I am trying to get this set to give her as part of her gift!

Kathy's Orange Crush Top is Together!

Kathy got to sewing on her Orange Crush Mystery Quilt this evening! This pic is her taking a break for Jade who was insisting we attend to her all throughout the event. We listened to "The Stolen Child" on audiobook while we worked and it was fun, fun, fun!
This is how it looks without borders..it is time to make some steak and potatoes for dinner and then Kathy can try to figure out what she wants to do for borders...maybe I can get her sewing again tomorrow...I like how her top came out. By the way, I was the official pinner which made it much easier to sew than my own when I had no pinner! We turned a few of the blocks as we went, but ah life goes on! WHEW on getting this one done to this point! We now have four quilts to go to the longarmer and I need to see if my new online friend in Kingman has time for four (do ya Steph?) or if I should mail them back to Jen in Wisconsin...

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Happy Fourth of July! Kathy and I had blueberry pancakes this morning to celebrate. We have steak marinating for later. Out big plans include going swimming at her sister's at some point, and getting her OC quilt top together. It is nice to have a relaxing weekend together...after this she works every other weekend!
Here are all of my stars so far in honor of the fourth of July. They are looking pretty good though I have no idea how to put them all together into one quilt or if I should divide them up into a few quilts.
Philla from my NewQuiltingClub sent me these yellow fabrics for a sewing bee win I think. They are really cute! Thanks Philla, you rock!
This is the one of the challenge blocks Sandy sent out to the NewQuiltingClub and after cutting a zillion strips into mostly 2 1/2 inch strips for Bonnie at Quiltville's scrap system (what a good idea Bonnie) I decided to reward myself by working on this star. The star actually went together pretty decently--only ripped a few times to try to make the points match better. The set in squares and triangles were another matter...in this pic I ripped all but one out and I will try again today. I have successfully done set in seams but it has been awhile so I will try to get it right today! I love the blue fabric with the different colored circles on it...it was leftover from the backing of Mac's Love Beads quilt!