Shop Hop Day Two or Four :)

Saturday DJ and I hooked up with Ros, BJ, Alyssa and Lauren after they went to Quiltz and The Olde Worlde Quilt Shop. We met them on the west side at In Stitches which is where the Hunter's Star picture was taken. Here we all are getting our demo.


Finally got a picture of DJ too. The shop gal took pictures of us all with two cameras and somehow they didn't actually take...so since she was busy with another person DJ wound up taking the pictures again! I love that Happy Hour quilt in the background too!



Next we went to Bearly Stitchin and I should have taken photos as I went because it is all a blur what I bought where! This is the store that I left my Viking at for repair and I ordered their demo which was a cool ruler that locks onto your hst's for trimming. I think I have almost every ruler made now. LOL. This ruler has a channel on the bottom of it and it works like magic. I can't believe I haven't seen them all over blogs so far. I will show it when I get it!

For lunch we had Wildflower...I had french onion soup which was excellent and part of a sandwich which was also good and the other half was eaten for dinner much later! These amazing glass flowers were hanging in the restaurant...just had to get a picture of them!

After that we went to Quilter's Bee which is BJ's favorite store. There was a long demo of a few books with a cool cutting system to speed up your quiltmaking. DJ and I really wanted one of the books but since it was sold out we had to order it. I can't even remember the author's name but maybe Deb Caffrey?

The last shop hop store was SunValley Quilts where we turned in our stamped passports.

The bonus shop may have been my favorite of the day. At Arizona Quilts I fell in love with several fabrics on the fifty percent off rack and two others too.

At Arizona Quilts the gal there showed us her Civil War BOM from last year. This photo doesn't even do it justice. Both Lauren and I fell in love with it!

That cheddar and green block is my favorite!

Here are some of my fabrics...almost bought that top cheddar at two different stores! The light green with horses and the blue dots were on the clearance racks and the shirting has little roosters on it...I couldn't resist it!

Underneath these cheddars you can see the yard of backing fabric I bought. I love the cheater cloth stuff for my backings and I think this one will go on the back of the Bread and Butter quilt I prepped today.

In this stack you see some of the fabrics again...the bandana and cowboy/horse fabric was on clearance and I know it will wind up in a quilt for a little boy. The scizzors fabric I thought would be cute for either my iron cover that I might be making with the modern quilt guild, or for some sewing mat or something. It was supposed to be half off but my receipt doesn't show it...good thing I really like it!

Here is a better picture of the cute cowboy fabric...fifty percent off--how could I say no? I also bought a few things for my swap partner Shannon but not showing anything so I won't ruin her suprise!

Found some Packer fabic..hard to find in Arizona! My brother just asked me to make him a surgical cap out of Packer fabric so some of this is already cut and pinned (and in line which is fast backing up next to my non working machine!). DJ, Randy and I went to Dos Gringos to watch the Packers vs. Bears today too...was a good game! GO PACK GO!

Ah this is DJ's growing fabric pile. She kept picking things out and enjoyed herself more than I thought she would. The jelly roll and orange fabrics she already had here at home, bu all the rest was her loot from the shop hop. She wants to make a rainbow quilt. She also got good deals on her stuff.

After we finished the shop hop DJ and I drove out to see my sister and brother and nephew and then on to see my Mom and Dad. Spent a few hours there and had dinner before heading home. We figured we were in their neck of the woods so we should drop in (which we never do!). Mom is back from Disney and finally feeling well. She gave me a stuffed Cheshire Cat which I love! Well, it is 1 AM and I work tomorrow so I better get dinging (as my best friend Monica always says).

Shop Hop, Smith Mountain Morning and Santa Sack Swap Two Arrived!

Here is the Arizona Huggy Bench (minus our youngest member and DJ who took the photo) as we shop hopped! This photo was taken at one of the shops (I already can't recall which) but I did buy the ruler they were selling for the hunter's star quilt we posed in front of. I am making that Crown quilt for my sister and I think it will help it be a snap. Lots to show and tell you about day two, but will leave that for another post since I am not getting much sewing donw to talk about. My Viking is in the shop and my Singer and Janome are not working. Even hooked up the antique machine to see if it works but it isn't sewing (need to google that machine and see if I even have it threaded right!).

I got my first gifts from the Santa Sack Swap Two and have been remiss in posting about them! I can't open the gifts til Christmas so no idea what they are but I got a really cute handmade card with a sweet note inside from Shannon and here is my sack to put my presents in as they arrive. I think it is really perfect! I have it hanging in my quilting studio awaiting the next set of gifts.

So after the Packers kicked some Bear behind.... since I am not able to sew (seriously going nuts on that!) I did some more knitting and then started on some cutting. This is Smith Mountain Morning. All the peices are cut for this block except the muslim squares. So that was some forward progress!

Then I pinned the small brown logs to the centers on both sides and lined them up next to the machine (along with an Auntie's anvil block and a Bread and Butter flag I cut and pinned today) for sewing. Wish some actual sewing was going on...can't believe I own four machines and not a one of them works at present! GRRRR!!

Designer Mystery BOM is Done :)

It has been a more than crazy week and I don't even know where the camera is (and I need to take it on the shop hop so I better get looking for it--the cord is right here though, sigh!). However, I have some pictures because Ros Atwood finished quilting my Designer Mystery BOM quilt which is for my parents for Christmas. She used a varigated rainbow type thread to quilt it and she says the pictures don't do it justice. I will get it from her tomorrow and I can't wait!

Here are some close up photos. I sure hope my parents love this quilt as much as I do. They already have a tabletopper I made them from this fabric and I may make some Christmas napkins from the leftovers if I find myself with time on my hands (dreaming!).

I love the fabrics in the quilt and really enjoyed making it even though I am usually not a huge fan of sampler type quilts. This one was lots of fun! I got my first swap from Santa Sack Swap 2 with some gifts...thanks Shannon, I will post pictures this weekend I promise!

Shop Hop Day Two :)

First I am SO happy that the missing cameral cord was located by my roommate! Now I can show you the phots from yesterday and today. Here is Auntie's Anvil designed by Bonnie K. Hunter...hoping to make another one of these blocks tonight but we will see how it goes.

The purple fabric will back Hannah's wallhanging (made of hst's left over from Carolina Christmas) though it is still in progress. The orange I just LOVED...Orange Crush mystery quilt turned me into an orange fabric lover. The gal who cut it was oohing and aahing over too, she had an orange shirt on.

1. This is the panel DJ wanted...she is going to try quilting it herself. She can hardly wait. I still have several things waiting for me to quilt so...
   One of the gals who was supposed to come with us today got in a major car accident five minutes from Ros' house this morning. Lauren is fine but her car is toast. We all decided to go ahead and pick up some civil war fabric for her sinice she was missing the first leg of the shop hop...her first one. When we were at the Bernina Connection, one of the owners heard the story and told us to pick out a half dozen fat eights to give to her on her behalf. Seriously a generous thing to do. I have to say they are a fabulous store! Here is a picture of the four of us that got to go (DJ went too but didn't pose...she snapped the pics oh and she didn't wear a tiarra either) so here are Alissa, BJ, Ros and I all bejeweled at The Cutting Edge. We had lunch down the street at Pockets. It was a compromise since we had gotten off to a late start we didn't really want a long drawn out meal, but some of us were hungry! The food was amazingly good and after Ros located her missing credit card (read that..search purse, search car, call quilt shop, and search purse again only to have it turn up after ten minutes) we had a nice lunch!
   
   
   Here are my purchases from Zoe's Trunk. The three fat quarter on the right are for Alicia. The two in middle are mine and the Halloween charm squares are mine too!

Next we went to Quilter's Oasis....this store is super friendly and we got quite a welcome from the customers who loved our tiarras. It was really fun...next year we might make T shirts, lol. I found these fabrics...the red civil war one will be part of my civil war swap on quiltvilleswap, the blue with the birds I will make some tissue covers with, it was just too cute to pass up and on clearance too. Last year I bought their special and this year I did too. They had the Deb Tucker Square squared....it will make trimming up square in a squares a cinch and since the tool last year was also a Deb Tucker and is my current favorite ruler I had to have it.

Our last stop of the day was Bernina Connection. This is Ros favorite store and I found several fabric deals. I was tempted by their special (an electronic seam ripper) but decided to try this other similar thing I have at home first. The grey alcohol fabric is for the back of Randy's Smith Mountain Morning (once it is together) and it was half off! The Halloween fabric was also half off and will be the back of whatever I make out of the charm squares or the panel I have at home. I picked out a few other little goodies and bought the shop hop pattern. I had been thinking about it and since I can use my new Deb Tucker ruler with it just decided to get it. May dig out my long had and not used batiks to make one of the "Sparkle, Shine and Shimmer" quilts. Here is the pattern pic a little closer up. Every store had this pattern on display, and each one was different. Really cool how the fabric choices create such variety!

Progress on Antie's Anvil and Shop Hop

(old photo but man, I love how this came out!) Today I worked my video relay job at 6 AM and after that went to interpret at the college I work at. As soon as work was done, Dj and I started the shop hop tonight since I have to work tomorrow morning and will be meeting up with the AZ Huggy Bunch after my morning work. So after work today DJ and I started out at Three Dudes…they were fabulous and friendly as always and guess what they were selling something that was on my list to look for to buy! So ofc I bought it. It is one of those whirilygig kind of rulers…you sew a bunch of squares together and then line up the ruler and cut and then resew and you have pinwheel kind of things. I keep seeing quilts made from this ruler on blogs and have had it on my list for awhile. I bought the smaller one that you use with charm squares, I am hoping to try it out with some Halloween fabric if I find some. They also had an inexpensive quilt marking pen that irons right off.

Next we went over to Quilter’s Ranch. They were selling a program for making quilt labels. I have one, I don’t use it. Didn’t buy anything there…they have great Halloween fabric but no little charm packs which is what I was looking for.

Last stop we went to Cutting Edge where I hope to meet up with the AHB tomorrow. They had the binding tool for sale. I have seen the youtube video about that and it looks fabulous but I am reminding myself that I have rulers and fabric from last years shop hop I need to use yet! I did manage to buy some orange and some purple fabric from the clearance section way in the back for 6 bucks a yard and one cool Christmas panel that DJ really liked…she wants to try actually quilting it into a tablerunner for us.
Tomorrow will be a blast because there will be six of us running from store to store and lunch together wearing tiarras...well, DJ isn't wearing a tiarra! I am really looking forward to it.

When we got home after a bit of cleaning I whipped up a test for my ASL 3 class (there seems to always be something, good thing I really enjoy it!) and took photos of my purchases. I then spent a good half hour running all over the house trying to find the camera. As you can see from the lack of photos in this post it was to no avail! Apparently Randy borrowed it and he is at work without his phone (don't you know) so I don't know where it is. Coleman tried a half dozen cords he had but hmm, too wide, too long, too something...so I snapped a quick photo of my Auntie's Anvil progress (yellow block made just before the camera cord search commenced) and at least I can show you that! Next up is orange!

Auntie's Anvil Block

Bonnie K. Hunter's "Auntie's Anvil" block. This one is made from leftover hst's I had and some snips off my two inch strips. It is pretty small and I am looking forward to making some more!

More Pics and a Tiny Purchase

Forgot about taking photos this morning so late afternoon pics will have to do. At least I could spread it out in my yard. My neighbor across the way, one door down, came home as I was seemingly taking photos of my rocks and looked at me strangely. Not sure he realized there was a quilt there!

I have to say I love it more and more.



Stopped in at JoAnn's and got a few more yards of Denyse Schmidt's new line. I think I am satisfied by the five I picked though I wouldn't turn my nose up at any of the others! I really need to start cutting up some of this fabric.

Finished more knitted dishrags...found the southwest looking colors and am working on some of those. Will have plenty for Christmas gifts!

Finally bought a new vaccuum...ours died a few weeks ago. We don't have much carpet but the rugs and carpet we do have seem to attract dog hair. And since we dogsat Kathy's dogs for a total of seven dogs for about two weeks this past month...well it feels so good to have moved all the furniture and dusted and vaccuumed it all! Meatloaf and potatoes are in the oven, I am freshly showered and soon will go pick Randy up from the airport (he was in Ohio for two weeks). Oh and the laundry is about done too. I managed to get all the prep for this week's classes done and the only thing that I haven't found time for is sewing! Maybe late tonight I can sneak in a little sewing! I stopped and saw June today for a bit and it was nice catching up with her. DJ and I had accidently taken her rotary cutter home (we brought ours that is exactly the same and used it and then took both home!) so we returned that. OOPS!

Yesterday I got to meet up with the Phoenix Branch of the Modern Quilt Guild for the second time. We met at Jona's house and other than Laura and Margarite who came with me and Jona I think everyone else was new to me. I haven't been for like ten months but hope to start going regularily. It is a really nice group of friendly quilt loving people. I am amazed at all the talent in our group...I consider myself to be just a quilter...I don't design quilts or patterns (or want to!) and really am better suited to following those creative people's patterns! I am hoping Jona will post some of the pictures she took of our show and tell and I can borrow them over here. I fell in love with a cute little quilt made from Max and Whiskers fabric which I don't have! Really there were so many awesome quilts and great conversation!

Roll Roll Cotton Boll Flimsy is DONE!!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you the joy I feel at completing this top! The border took me several hours to get on the quilt correctly since my measurements weren't the same as Bonnie's. I really have a time with pieced borders, but in this case it was well worth it. This quilt has grown and grown on me and now that the border is on I really like it!

It was so huge and since it is dark out (blessedly cool since we had a monsoon two nights in a row so the whole house is opened up right now and I am soooo happy to have fresh cool air!) that I could barely get a decent picture of it. DJ had to stand on top of furniture while I held the dogs back to get this photo. I am sure I will take more out in the sunlight towmorrow. I am so glad to have this done in time for Bonnie's next mystery in November. I don't think I will be done with Smith Mountain Morning by then, but at least I can get back to it! WHOOT WHOOT. And no migraine today, bliss!

9/11...Ten Years Later

I can't believe it has been ten years since 9/11 changed our country forever.  I wasn't blogging back then (was there such a thing then) so I thought I would tell you the story of where I was when that day...Back then I was living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (my hometown) and was attending UWEC working on my B.A.  I was also working as the lead interpreter at CVTC that day.  I was driving in to town to TA for a class I was taking with Katherine Schnieider (who by the way is an amazing woman and author too!) who happens to be blind.  This was a great experience for me since I am used to working with the Deaf and I learned alot about working with the blind from her.  Anyways, I think I was listening to a CD and when it ended I popped it out and caught what was going on on the radio.  I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot in absolute shock.  I think only the first plane had hit at that time.  We didn't even realize it wasn't just a random sad accident.  When it came time for class, responsible student that I am, I went to class.  Most everyone was abuzz about what was going on and there was a TV in the hall with it on but I didn't have time to see much before class.  Many teachers were just turning it on in the classroom or letting their classes go that day (both at the University and Tech) but our instructor went on with class.  I will say that I have NEVER been more distracted and felt the time go so slow as I did that morning.  When class was done I had to hurry over to work just a few minutes away and when I got there I saw immediately what all was going on.  CVTC had TV's in the hallway and I didn't even make it to my office.  I just stood there gawking along with lots of other people.  I can remember the moment I realized the second plane had hit and that we were under attack.  Such disbelief.  I think most of us thought we were untouchable, and in that moment everything changed.  Unfortunately none of the coverage was captioned and so I wound up interpreting it, while trying to process it, all day at work.  It was one of the hardest work days I have ever experienced.  I felt like most everyone could just stand and stare and try to deal with things, but I had to work interpreting despite what I was feeling.  Some of the students were really shocked and scared and the news was speculating on where would be next...the fear of the unknown really bites. 

A few days later a local radio station asked people to head to the fairgrounds dressed in red, white and blue for a photo to show that Wisconsin Cares.  I was a girl scout leader at the time, and so I and one of the other mothers took all our girl scouts including our own daughters, and my youngest son Mac (think CJ was at respite) to be in the photo.  We are on the left side of the U in the picture below close to the middle/top.  Alot more people turned up than they expected so that is the mass you see above the letters.  Really, we felt far removed from all of it and yet needed to do something.  It wasn't much, but as someone who doesn't always get involved in protesting or campaigning this was something I felt I had to do.  So we did.

 I think I saw others that I knew there that day, but I wonder who else was there that I didn't even realize at the time. 

Chippewa Valley Shows how much Wisconsin Cares

I hope nothing like 9/11 ever has to happen again.  So senseless that so many innocent people died, and so many others became ill and are still suffering and dying. 

Last Step of RRCB and Two Years Ago Today...

 Just realized my first photo doesn't show the green border at all...haha, this quilt it just too large!  The close up at least you can see the progress I made tonight on RRCB.  I finished piecing the outer border and cut and added the inner green border.  I would have liked to have added that outer border, but I think that I need to add more to it, because it isn't looking like it is going to fit right.  I know I am not suprised by that, my quarter inch isn't the same as Bonnie's--yet!

Close up RRCB with green border

I hope to finish this tomorrow, but I have to work in the morning (and praying my migraine doesn't return..was a bad morning and afternoon for me today) and then I am planning to finally make it to another meeting of the Phoenix Moder Quilt Guild!  I am looking forward to doing some hand sewing on my hexies and getting to know the gals a bit more.  But once I am home I may try to get this quilt off my to be done list!  I am really ready to be done with it. 
And I can't let today go by without saying wow, how did two years pass since my Dad died?  The days just keep marching on.  I really do miss him and think of things that I wish I had asked him or that I want to share with him.  He was a huge Packer fan and belatedly turned me into one (he gave me tickets to a game at Lambeau which would hook anyone--GO PACK GO!) and every game I see I hope my Dad is somehow cheering from heaven.  So I just wanted to give my Dad a shout out, I love you Dad!

Christmas Tablerunners

Here are three Christmas tablerunner tops. We did get them all pinned for quilting too, but I didn't get pictures of that. The two from 12 Days of Christmas (all leftover fabric from the BOM by Fat Quarter Shop--man they were generous!) will go to DJ's two Deaf grandmothers. The Merry and Bright I am not sure who will wind up with. I am a happy camper to be working on the Christmas list!



Other than that we managed to get the majority of the baseboard and such down today--finally! Also did laundry (does that ever end?) and got some cleaning done. I did manage to write a few tests and get semi organized for my classes too. Back to work tomorrow!

Working on Some Christmas Gifts!

DJ and I decided to makeeach of her two grandmothers a Christmassy tablerunner

with fabric I already have here at home. Since we are doing that I decided we should make a few extras because I always find them homes. I had leftover Merry and Bright and 12 Days of Christmas so that is what we got going on. DJ did the cutting (what wasn't already a charm) and I got to sewing. Listened to Lady Gaga and tried to bear the heat. Sal the AC guy is going to come tomorrow. Can't wait! Here is the first top sans a border.

And here is a stack of strips all ready to be turned into a few more tablerunners. We did these ones with a half charm square on each side so I won't have to add another border. So far nine strips made.




And I only added one little bow tie with the scissor fabric (bottom right) which is fabric leftover from the quilt I made my Grandma Nan which eventually covered her casket and now my cousin Lindy has! I love all the memories in these bow ties!

Ok, Really, Step Seven is Done!

Here is the proof. Step seven of Roll, Roll Cotton Boll is finally complete. Thre was a wee bit of unsewing at the end when I somehow mixed up which end the little triangle went on but now it is all together.

The border is is progress but don't know that I will get it to it this weekend since I haven't done didley for prep. Gonna start on that as soon as this blog is finished. I think this quilt has grown on me and think the border will make it even better!

We stopped at Goodwill today and I bought the last gnome on the left there for 4.99! It is so cute and has been added to my outdoor gnome collection which is rapidly fading in the Arizona sun. Off to prep!

Step 7.9, LOL

I am STILL on step 7...thought I had it completed but today when I went to look at the layout of the rows I discovered that is still step 7. Bonnie, my favorite scrappy designer and quilter, likes LONG steps with lots of pieces. (and I guess, so do I, hahah!) So here is today's sewing progress.

Ah, oops. Both ends were hanging the wrong way despite my pinning...I had to do a bit of unsewing on this row.

Growing!

I think this is the half way point. I had had enough by this time and so I switched gears and did some sewing and ironing of the SMM and the border for RRCB. Got the stack next to my machine all sewn and half ironed. I also did some fabric folding today. I still love the pieced blocks, but am not nuts for the string blocks with them yet. That is okay, hopefully someone else will love it since it is likely to become a gift.

My latest Fat Quarter Shop Schnibbles patterns arrived today too! Loving the ones in the front of the picture and less nuts for those in the back. They may windup as gifts or in a giveaway since I really need to get it together and do one soon!





Here is a sneak peek of the SMM centers of one of the blocks. Loving them. Amy posted her top today (made with some of the same swap fabrics) and if that is motivating me to get going on this I don't know what would!

I was interpreting for an instructor the other day and he was saying that the point of blogs was to say to everyone "look at me, I am important" or something to that effect...it got me to thinking that I read blogs for inspiration and motivation and hope that others read my blog for the same. While ofc I am posting about my accomplishments and what I have done the point for me isn't to say look at me. I feel like us quilters are mostly one big happy family and we just enjoying getting to know each other!

I went to JoAnn's today with my coupons and got two yards of each of these fabrics in Denyse Schmidt's new Sugar Creek line. I want the green one with the flowers which I didn't find at that particular store and then maybe a half yard of the others but I controlled myself since shop hop is coming up in a few weeks and I don't even have a project in mind for these fabrics. I love the blue and the green though...it really reminds me of my Grandma Char whose favorite colors were blue and green. Her formal living room and dining room were in those colors and she collected green depression glass. I know she would really have loved this fabric. My daughter's middle name is Charlene for her. She has been gone now almost 24 years but she still lives on in my heart. Home again, home again....