Sunday, March 29, 2009

NYE Mystery Quilt is Quilted!

Joanne at http://splittingstitches.blogspot.com/2009/03/andee-in-az.html had a fabulous economic stimulus plan in which she is quilting for 30 days at half price! I got in on the deal and she posted this pic and two others on her blog of my completed NYE top! It looks great, the price is more than right and we are both happy! I can't wait to get it back in my hands, and get some binding on it and take more pictures. Thank you so much Joanne, I will say it again--YOU ROCK!

Other than that haven't sewn anything this weekend. Mostly been in a funk...we did pick up a copy of "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld that a new friend Windy recommended to me. It is a teen book, but really good future fantasy kind of story...takes me away from today and the economy and all that so I am enjoying it and almost done. Can't wait to get the next book in the series.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

New "old" Sewing Machine, Bluework Indian Girl Block and Ben...

I ordered myself a used book called "Small Endearments: Nineteenth-Century Quilts for Children and Dolls" by Sarah Fox and fell in love with many of the quilts in it! Here are some from the doll quilt chapter! I absolutely love this first one with all the green, but the little pieces look like more than I would want to deal with.






I also love this one!













Would really like to have some time to make a few of these or quilts inspired by these!
Last Sunday we went to my sister's house and here is one of a zillion pictures I took of my nephew Ben eating an ice cream cake cupcake from Cold Stone. He LOVED it. Did lots of licking and laughing and even sharing!





I finished my bluework Indian woman in the car on the way down and back to my sister's.






And I picked up this sewing machine and cabinet from my sister's friend for 15 bucks. It will need a tune up, but it has the book and attachments (which we left at my sister's!) so all I did was wipe it all off and take a few pictures but I can't wait to see what sewing on one of these is like! I figured for 15 bucks even if all I did was blog about it and drool over it, it was worth it!










Saturday, March 21, 2009

and the Quilting Goes On!


Kathy is finally working on the dog quilt project that I bought her in Chicago last year! She has four blocks partly together and a pretty good idea how to do it now!



Remember way back when I cut for two of these A is for Adiminaby little quilts? Not sure why I did it at the time, but today I had time to cut the rows and lay it out on the wall. Looking good!
My tablerunners are coming along. I machine quilted Tara's and pinned the binding on it...looking okay.

Also spray basted and pinned the other of my mystery tablrunners. It has the fruit ladies fabric on the back!

Happy National Quilting Day All!



Lucy's Shopping Bag--I Made Two!


I really wanted to make a simple bag or two to reduce my footprint on the earth and so here are two bags (from Bonnie Hunter's Scraps and Shirttales book, picture borrowed from her quiltville site).



So I used the last of the chunk of Hawaiian fabric I got at Goodwill (it had been a funky curtain but I took it apart) and one other Goodwill red scrap to make these two bags. So happy to now have two bags to take to the store and fill instead of all those plastic bags! I didn't add any patchwork blocks on these since the fabric was so busy but I may when I make some more. This bag was amazingly simple to make...excellent directions and it all went together really quickly! WOW!





National Quilting Day!

Some strips I sewed yesterday....













The Goodwill backing of the Streak of Sunshine quilt (also new batting from Goodwill in it, I just love a deal!).
















Cut some batting and backing for my two tablerunners...this is the back of one and the other is underneath.







It's National Quilting Day--here is the logo for that. So far I have not sewn today...copying all of my pictures and files to disc to back them up. I try to do that a few times a year and it is overdue! Also then dumping stuff off the hard drive that I really don't need to keep on there.
Hoping to make a bag or two for groceries and shopping so that I can save a few plastic bags from the environment. Thinking about making Bonnie Hunter's friend from the Netherland's pattern that is in her Scraps and Shirttales book.





Friday, March 20, 2009

Another Bluework Block, Lasagna and Taxes!


Last night our guests wound up backing out at the last minute due to illness so we wound up watching TV and movies and I did this entire bluework block. I discovered that I accidently did the second block in the wrong blue! Sigh. So I will most likely be redoing that one at some point. For this block I put my initials on it and in one of the circles it looked like a double zig zag or something and I made it an "M" for Mac since this will be for my son Mackenzie when it is all said and done.
We made lasagna today. I haven't made it in MANY years because the first two times I tried I messed up the timing of the noodles and it was a wasted effort. Kathy did the noodles this time and I took a picture before it went in the oven and forgot to take one when it came out! It was really tasty and we will be eating it leftover all weekend with Randy's help.

I went in to get my taxes done at H and R block tonight. The gal who did them was fabulous though my taxes are so complicated this year since I sold and bought a house, own my own business, switched regular jobs, have itemized medical, job, moving, and getting house ready to sell expenses. Despite my best efforts at having everything I needed, we left a few hours later with an itemized list of things to bring back on Sunday. So we spent two hours tonight finding everything else we needed (I am a keeper of these things it is just a matter of which place it got kept at!) and I added up all my medical stuff, etc since I had forgotten to do that....anyways five and a half hours later we are completely organized and ready to go back on Sunday. We were really excited to have a coupon to use for the tax service...20 bucks off. We asked before we left how much to get the taxes done (I was thinking 150 or so...last time I had them done was years ago and it was 60 or so) and she said so far our bill was about 601 DOLLARS. I am in shock. It really couldn't be avoided this year (usually I do my own) with all we had to do but sheesh. I should have been an accountant. Smile.
We tossed around the idea of driving to the ocean tomorrow because I haven't seen Pacific Ocean (except from the air) but added up costs in our head and decided to wait. Would have been a better way to spend the money than on taxes, but alas I am the responsible type!
I did sew a little bit earlier but haven't taken pics yet, so will save that for tomorrow's post.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Quilt History Block for February--Brackman Block # 707

Today I finally got my hair cut...even with an appointment had to wait...long story but a crazy day for the stylist. I decided to just read my book (Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende which I discovered I had already read!) and not let the extra hour get to me. She was eternally grateful so I was really happy that for once time didn't stress me out! I also made an appointment to get my taxes done tomorrow night...spent some time last night organizing all the papers so I am set. Other than that, the day flew by. We have friends coming over tonight to play games but I managed to get in a little sewing....here is the Quilt History Group's February 2009 block. It is the Brackman Block Number 707.
Overall I am happy with it though once again I am not good with these little diagrams and I didn't look up directions...I consequently had a few issues related to that and wasn't sure how to get the bottom on the diagonal, but it all went together well enough. I am happy to have another little finish! I still have three bluework blocks to go before next week Thursday! I better get to work on those. Been dragging them around with me but haven't taken them out.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Streak of Sunshine is Sewn Up

My six green fat quarters...they are so springy I hate to cut them up.
And the Streak of Sunshine is all sewn up. I am going to my first Nimble Thimbles meeting tonight...excited to meet more sewers and see what they are like!



Monday, March 16, 2009

Playing with the New Camera and a Streak of Sunshine...



Just had to see what the Double Delight looks like on my bed. Can you tell we are addicted to Jergen's almond smelling original lotion? My side of the bed is the right side...slightly neater than my better half's side!







Couldn't resist taking this photo...tired campers at our house.




Finally started that Streak of Sunshine quilt from Bonnie's website..used leftover scraps and it went pretty quickly!


I actually followed the ironing directions....
Then I looped them and cut out nine of them.
After pulling them apart like a bargello quilt this is what I have up on the wall! Tomorrow I will whip it together in no time! It is bright and sunshiny and should bring someone some joy!

Double Delight Clue Six Done!

Here she is...we took apart my digital camera and several shocks later went to the store and bought a new one. Sigh, there goes the budget! But hey at least I can post a picture of my Double Delight. Now to determine borders!

Double Delight Clue Four and Five DONE!

Since my camera is giving me a lens error message at the moment I have no pictures to prove it, but I am done with my Double Delight step four and five blocks! I added another row to what I already had so only two more rows to make and the top is together (not sure what to do with borders yet) so that is my goal for this afternoon...to get that baby done! Kathy got called in to work today so dinner is in the crock pot and on the stove and I have caught up on my TIVO and finished my audiobook (Change of Heart by J. Picoult) and decided to catch up on blogs and update any of you who follow along on my quilting! Special thanks to Amy for motivating me to keep on keeping on with this quilt. I had hit a bit of a slump and her progress really got me motivated again! If you don't read Amy's blog you should--she is prolific in her quilting and on a side note she runs and motivates me to at least think about physical health! http://skattebo-skattebo.blogspot.com/ if you want to check it out. I haven't learned how to imbed links corectly yet so there it is.
As for the rest of my life...Saturday I went to the AQS in Mesa. It was a lot of fun and I met up with several gals from my online Quilt-Talk group. B.J. I had met once before and I liked her even better the second time around, and then June and Charlotte I met for the first time. It took all of five minutes for us to be talking like we have known each other forever. Funniest part is we are quite diverse in age and background and quilting is for sure what holds us together...not sure we would ever have become friends any other way...so I am so happy for internet blindness and the kind hearts it leads me to! I would post a pic, but the other three have yet to post theirs and I have none til I get it from them! (later note, they sent me the pic! left to right Charlotte, me, B.J, and sitting is June)My favorite quilt at the show was a gorgeous crayoned quilt--with Arizona flora and fauna in it. It was rather muted in color but I was just struck by the overall effect of it and the idea of it. It got my vote for best of show. There were a few knock out Bargellos there which reminded me I should get out mine and do something with it. I bought six green fat quarters (to hopefully work on Amy's March challenge) and a pin to commemorate the show as well as some applique needles I needed.
Yesterday Randy and I went to the Ostrich Festival here in Chandler. It was fun though I got sunburned because I didn't think about sunblock in March (lol can't tell I am from the Midwest can you). Saw my first ostrich races and heard the Grassroots band sing some 60's tunes. Plenty of people watching and of course I ate several fried foods that are not on my normal diet. HAHA! However we walked a zillion miles so hopefully that counteracted some of it. It was a great weekend which only could have been greater if I had my camera working! Randy has my old camera somewhere so I may have to borrow it from him when I get DD together.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Some Bluework and Going to the Quilt Show Tomorrow!

Spring Break has arrived!!!!! Kathy and I celebrated by hitting Olive Garden for lunch. I am so excited tomorrow I am going to the Arizona Quilt Guild Show "A Symphony of Quilts" and here is a picture of the opportunity quilt (I gotta buy a few tickets for this!) Picture from AQG site.Mesa Convention Center263 N. Center St., Mesa
Admission: $5 for AQG members/$10 non-membersParking is FREE.
For more information please visitthe ‘2009 Quilt Show’ page of this website. I am meeting several online friends from my Quilt Talk group...BJ I met once, and several gals I haven't met yet. Hoping I will get a picture of us and post it after.

Here is my colonial quilt bluework second block I have done. Not sure I have the technique down but not bad if you stand back and hold on to your horse as it gallops by! I will start the next one in a few minutes since it is all traced out.
If any of you are going to the quilt show, give a shout and maybe we can actually meet! I will be carrying my Pickle Posse bag and on the look out for other pickles who may be there too!

Happy National Quilting Day!

I participated in the National Quilting Day sewalong on the Modern Quilt Studio page.  We sewed Friends all Around.  Here is my first block....