The Sixth Annual Quiltville Mystery Kickoff Party: Good Fortune Edition!

We had 20 people at our 6th Annual Quiltville Mystery Kickoff party in Chandler, Arizona this year.  Barb had to work so only stopped in for a bit, but everyone else sewed all day!  If you want to attend next year and will be in the area, let me know.  We invite people until the seats are filled! 

Left to right starting at the top:  Marguerite, Laura, Marlene, Sueann, Ros, Becky, Kathy, Celeste.
bottom:  Phyliss, Cindy, Cynthia, Fran, BJ, Charlotte,Jill, Tina, Laurie and Kathy.  I am taking the selfie.

Only one gal that I know had gifted her On Ringo Lake before our picture so in total twelve of us got the quilt done this year.   My favorite part of this get together is seeing all  of Bonnie Hunter's magnificent designs in different colors up close.  Each one is its own masterpiece!  If  somehow you missed out on getting this pattern for free last year here is where you can buy it instantly.

Completed quilt tops are modeled by:   Marguerite, Laura, Becky, Celeste, Andee (me) and Ros and in the bottom row:  Cynthia, Fran, Tina, Kathy and Phyliss
Annual Duck Lips Photo!

 Marguerite and Laura are a mother and daughter who really enjoy sewing together.  Every year they come to the party and get their quilts done for the photo.  Love their quilts!

Here are Kathy and I with our quilts. Mine is of course Packer colors (third mystery quilt I have done in Packer colors--I even have a facebook page devoted to Packer quilts!).  I helped Kathy a lot this year on her quilt because this one will be gifted to my brother and his wife at their upcoming wedding.  She picked the colors for it and loves it--and the matching pillow made with the leftover block.
We gifted all who wanted one a quilt label and the last dozen or so people at the party got an embroidered sewing machine that Barb made for me.  Everyone always asks how to make these. Super simple, save Bonnie's picture to your computer.  Open up Word (or something similar) and insert the picture.  (I cropped it first to take off the duplicate information that was on the bottom of Bonnie's picture).  I then type in and center whatever I want on the label. When I see Bonnie I have her sign mine if she can.  I print them on my regular printer (buy fabric sheets to print on) and then cut them apart.

Marguerite gifted me the cutest mini hedgehog and cool clips.  So sweet of her!  BJ brought me a Packer coffee cup.  I am blessed!

Kathy and I are not quite half way through clue one, but plan to spend our afternoon sewing so we will be ready for the next one!

Fabric Pull from little pieces. Will start with strips and go to yardage if we need to.  Working only with stash!

These are the colors Kathy and I will do for our quilts this year.  They will be for both of my engaged children's wedding gift.  Both girls love purple so using the same colors in different places and using navy blue for the neutrals in one.  Should be an interesting pair when they are done.  Here is part of my clue one done!

Clue done with a few to spare!

Thank you Bonnie for this gift, I have made every mystery (some more than once) and look forward to it every year.  I even have a tab on my blog devoted to the mystery quilts and another one with a Quiltville Parade of quilts!  Linking up with Quiltville for clue one's Monday Link Up soon!  Looking forward to clue two of Good Fortune!

Finally--I am Sewing Again!

IIf you are interested in quilting skip this long paragraph about my health!  My health has not been good since last April or May.  I had dental work done and got an infection under my new permanent bridge.  It was pure hell for awhile there and then I finally went in for a second opinion about MS because I had so many symptoms (and have three relatives with it).  Turns out I do not have MS (thank you for that) but I do have a B12 deficiency which actually mimics MS to the point of ridiculousness.  It was so bad that between checking for MS the first time and then seeking a second opinion a little over a year later I no longer had a knee reflex in my left knee.  That got me further testing anyway and we got to the bottom of my problem.  However, all of these issues retriggered Epstein Barr ( I had mono when I was 18) and the fatigue is like nothing I had ever experienced.  So after every test under the sun (MRI, bloodwork, lumbar puncture, etc.) it looks like that has been what has made me so weak.  Have lovely leg spasms, burning feet, jumping nerves, ugh!  It has been really hard to even work since school started and I have been to the ER a few times..pretty sure I had another gallstone (sans gallbladder) and passed it in the ER too.  At least that pain is gone.  I long for my former healthy life!  I have not been going to Pilates for the past two months or so as I am too weak.  I can barely climb a flight of stairs and it seems like  lifetime ago that I hiked the Grand Canyon.  I have gained some weight back though been losing again this past month and am committed to trying. Good news though my migraines are the best they have been in twenty years.  I finally figured out a lot of my triggers are food.  UGH!  I do not eat fake sugar, much MSG, hardly anything processed and viola no more migraines unless I accidentally eat something.  I would take the crazy daily migraine pain over the worst of the fatigue though--that was super frustrating to me.  In the past week or two I have finally noticed some improvement. I am not sleeping near as much though I do need to be in bed with feet up a lot still.  Just a week ago I went out socially for the first time after a work day. I can do some on non work days but on a work day I just have to lay down as soon as I get home.  

Anyway enough about that!  Some people never recover from EB and I plan to if at all possible. 

Several weeks ago on a non work day Barb and I went to a fabric sale at a gal's house (her store in Prescott had closed) and here is the craziness I came home with for 80 ish dolllars.  I have not spent money on fabric in forever mainly because I have not been sewing but this came at a time when I was finally getting back in there!

 

Liz joined us for shopping and we ran into Tina (who was my first quilt camp roomie) so we all went to breakfast together.  What a fun bunch!  So I put together both mine and Kathy's 35th Ave. BOM from last year.  Forgot to get a picture of the second one.  It is the same but orange outer border. 

 The main reason I got back in the quilting studio was to finish On Ringo Lake (On Green Bay).  I did finish it, Ros quilted it and has some close up photos here.  I love that she puts GO PACK GO on these!  She also quilted Love Shack for me.  I was so afraid I would not be happy with it if I did it so she did her magic.  I found a stripe to bind it with and it is such a happy quilt!

 Several years ago Barb gave me the embroidered squares below.  I finally got around to using some modern fabric to center them in the stars.  Still needs quilting but will make a nice gift for someone.

 Kathy had leftover bits and pieces from On Ringo Lake so I made a pillow for my brother Sam and his soon to be wife Ashley (she is pregnant so wedding postponed a year).  It is stuffed and done but I did not take a picture!

 Here is Kathy's matching quilt which Ros has right now.  I helped with a lot of this quilt and put all the blocks together since Kathy hates on point settings more than I do!

 I also got this March On Green Ba Packers quilt top together.  I need to order some Packer fabric for the final border and it will be ready to quilt or tie.

 I just love playing around with my shadow when I am taking pictures of quilts.

 

I also finally quilted (by myself!) this tiny Snow Buttons wall hanging.  I have quite a collection of little quilts these days!  I was overall happy with how it turned out. 

Kathy is back to working on her En Provence from two years ago.  She has a lot more blocks than this done and with any luck will get closer to done this weekend.  She is really trying to finish it up before Good Fortune starts.

 Also wanted to share my latest lunch find.  These stuffed peppers from Trader Joe's are really good and only four WW points.  I am eating them most every day at work.  Delicious.

Ros has been Busy/!

Ros has been busy quilting for me.  I cannot wait to pick up these two beauties!  First up we have the Love Shack wall hanging that I finally made after admiring some of my quilty friends' several years ago. I really wanted to quilt it myself, but I just do not do a great enough job and I want this hanging on my wall for years to come so off to Ros it went. 

Then On Ringo Lake finally got done and quilted.  This last mystery quilt of Bonnie Hunter's took me the longest to complete!  I just do not have time for sewing now that I am teaching high school full time.  There is always so much to do (especially these first few years--I imagine it might slow down when I have less to create!)  I teach three or four different classes and one does not even have a teacher's book.  All of them need me to create the worksheets, quizzes and tests. Nothing is handed to me. I like doing all that stuff, but I miss sewing, quilting, reading, etc!



 

 The label hasn't been signed by Bonnie yet, but hopefully when I see her in January I can get it signed.  Kathy and I (and other quilty friends) have signed up for a class at 35th Ave. with her.  We are taking the Spider Web class.  I have always wanted to make this one and in fact the quilt that got me hooked on quilting was along that line and while surfing the net I found Bonnie's pattern and Bonnie!  That was fifteen years ago so funny I am finally going to get to it. I usually change up the colors but think Kathy and I are going to tag team on a red one!

 Look at that awesome texture!  I have not decided if I am going to put this in my Packer guest room (and maybe give away the one that is in there) or eventually give this one away.  I am looking forward to the pictures at out next Kickoff party!

It turned out great!  It is bigger than Celtic Solstice...now to decide which one I can part with!

2017 On Ringo Lake/On Green Bay

 

2013 Celtic Solstice/Packer Solstice

 

In other news, my health sucks these past six months. Shots a few times a week now and lots of vitamins. I have reactivated Epstein Barr virus (likely caused from B12 deficiency though not sure what caused that).  Lots of tests ruling out other stuff.  Lumbar puncture next week.  Not looking forward to it, but happy to rule out other stuff.  

Catching Up Again! Surprise On Ringo Lake is a Flimsy!

Hannah and I at our first wine tasting of many!

This past July I flew to Wisconsin for 15 days!  I was able to be at my best friend's son's wedding, see Hannah and her boyfriend Jeremy and Mac (we call him Jay now) and his fiancé Liz and hang with my extended family too.  Hannah and I took our third annual Mother Daughter Trip to Door County so we could combine the trips this year (with me teaching I can no longer go in May and so it had to be postponed and this made the most sense..we may do something close to Wisconsin every three years or so so I can combine the trips and see everyone there too!). We also had Mac/Jay and Liz come up for a day and spend it with us.  That was super fun too!  

We went to this cool beach and hiked through the woods and until we found all these stacked up rocks.  So much fun setting the camera and trying to get just the right picture!

Hannah and I have a blast doing anything including trying on a ton of hats!

With Jay and Liz we took a ferry out to Washington Island and saw the Stave Church, two lavender farms, climbed a ton of stairs to the highest point on the island and had pizza (twice--don't ask!)

 This is my best friend Monica and I at Kyle and Anna's wedding.  They had it in this beautiful barn (built for weddings) and it was perfect!
I have not been feeling well at all for a long time and was finally diagnosed with a B12 deficiency.  For some reason I still am super tired after ten weeks of shots...I had a cold and then my BP was high...anyways it has been a rough few months.  Between trying to make it through my work week and the start of one of my moonlighting jobs (seven credits at community college in addition to full time teaching high school) I have been neglecting my sewing.  Finally put it some time before school started and a few hours each weekend to get this On Ringo Lake (On Green Bay) Quiltville Mystery Quilt into a flimsy!

I got the backing and binding made and it is packed up for Ros!

 Kathy has a few steps left to go so since this is my brother's wedding quilt (wedding postponed a year as his fiancé is pregnant...so time to get on the baby quilt!) I have been helping with it.  I am sewing the geese together at this point and made the backing and binding tonight.  Kathy just finished the three piece triangle part and will now start joining that to the larger triangle.  We really want to get it done for pictures at our next Mystery Kickoff Party in November!

I miss blogging and reading my blogs, but I just never seem to have time for anything but work and exercise and sleep.  Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up--Spring to Summer Version

 For whatever reason only one picture worked in this post....then I forgot about fixing it...

So I have a crazy life and it has been more hectic than usual!  In March we had a long weekend during spring break to Puerta Penasco/Rocky Point!  We went with a group of people we had only just met and made lots of new friends.  We plan to go back next year with the same group and more.  It was tons of fun!



Then RedforEd happened and I was off my regular teaching job for over a week, but I was out coordinating interpreters and interpreting at the capital everyday.  I had another two seconds of fame on the news all over the place, whoot.

I finally got to work with Linda Bove from Sesame Street. It was fun to have two CDI's (certified Deaf interpreters) work with us the first day.  After that it was me, Christine and Madison daily with a few others here and there when they could help out but we were on everyday.  I learned a lot about the government and sat in my first legislative and senate session.


Kathy and I even went to Pompeii during all of that wearing out shirts...great exhibit and I am glad we finally found time to see it!

So a couple of weekends ago I finally sewed for the first time in forever!  Kathy did too!  First I put the binding on this quilt that I had gotten back from Ros forever ago.  I was planning to gift this one to my best friends son and his new wife this month but now I think it might b smaller than I was thinking and I may give them Grand Illusion instead.  I need to make some room in my cabinet anyways. 

I cannot believe I still have not finished the 35th Ave. BOM from last year (we did not do this year's).  SO I fixed the backwards arrow in this block, made both of the December blocks since Kathy was working to catch up on On Ringo lake and then set them out to see what they will look like once they are together.

We sewed the next weekend too and Kathy continued On Ringo Lake.  I finished cutting everything we both need for all the steps.  I finally ironed my blocks that I had sewed at Barbs so long ago I forget when!  I then sewed all my corner parts and laid out a few blocks just to get the idea of what it will look like.  I think I will be calling this one "On Green Bay" instead of On Ringo Lake.  I really like how it is coming along even if it has taken longer than any other Bonnie Mystery ever!

And in other news, I survived my first (second attempt) year at teaching ASL at the high school level.  It was a hard first half of the year, but kept getting better.  I am looking forward to next year and expect it will be even better now that I have survived that learning curve and many of the students that were not mine will have moved on and only a few will be left this year.  Really hard to unteach and to fill in things that they did not get when I only discover what that stuff is as I go!  So graduation went well and several of my kids signed the music--they did a fabulous job and I was so proud of them!


I had mom and dad and my brother to my house for Mother's Day and we gifted Mom a day at the Crowing Glory Tearoom in Fountain Hills.  She has always wanted to do a high tea, so we did that yesterday.  The food was delicious, so many deserts!  I tried Devonshire cream for the first time and WOW that is good, rich stuff.  The maple scones were my favorite though no one else likes maple..so I got the leftovers too.  I have gained a few pounds and I am going on vacation to Wisconsin on Monday for two weeks...after that will get my butt back into better gear. 
I have had some health stuff going on which may turn out to be serious but am waiting for MRI results to know for sure.  I will just be happy to have some answers as I am tired of everyone telling me I just need to take it easy and slow down...I have known something was really off for awhile and it just keeps getting worse.  I did get blood work results back last night and my B12 is really low.  That could actually wind up being a lot of my problem instead of what I have been thinking which is MS.  However I have no left knee reflex and other symptoms that are not explained by low B12 so who knows?
The trip to Wisconsin will include the third annual mother daughter Spring trip...with my teaching we had to move it to June and we decided to add in my son and the honeys for a day so it will be different than usual.  We decided to go to Door County, Wisconsin as I have NEVER been there at all!  That way I could make it home and be there for my best friend's youngest son's wedding--I missed the oldest one's a few years ago.  I cannot wait!  My daughter broke up with her man and got back with her ex fiancé from six years ago.  So sort of a new gang again.  She is happy though and says he has always been the one.  Will be fun to see how much he has changed in the past few years..I have not seen him in eight or so years I think.

Quilt of Valor and On Ringo Lake Update

I finally had a minute to go and see if Alycia Quilts had posted a picture of my QOV donation after someone quilted it and sure enough I found it--way back in October she posted it.  My life is so crazy busy that I do not get to read all my favorite blogs as much as I used to!  I know Barb and Kathy's were in the same box but I did not find them yet...
Update on On Ringo Lake--I finished clue three sewing at Becky's on Tuesday (she is all caught up and I am behind this year, go figure!).  Then that night Kathy and I hung out in the quilting studio.  She sewed on our clue three while "I cut out her/our clue four and then both of our clue fives.  Tomorrow another clue should be coming out, ack!  We are planning to sew a bit tonight and I am hoping to get to sew some tomorrow after I go to the dentist.  Then we are packing up the sewing stuff to take to Pine for a long weekend with my family.  Maybe we can get caught up, but I won't hold my breath. I am enjoying it all anyways! 

On Ringo Lake Clue Two!

 Today I went over to Becky's to sew because Suzy was in town from New Mexico.  Have not seen either of them in forever even though Becky lives 10 minutes from me.  We are both crazy busy with work right now but we are sewing On Ringo Lake anyway!  We finished clue two together doing different methods and that was fun!

 Suzy was working on the cutest little Dia de Los Muertos earrings.  She is an artist and does lots of artsy stuff. 

 Here is my On Green Bay/On Ringo Lake clue one with clue two all done.  A whole gaggle of flying geese.  I also am helping Kathy keep up this year on Sam and Ashley's wedding quilt and we have all the geese sewn and a bit more than a third cut to size.  Goal is to finish the cutting to size each night and have them done before the next clue comes out.  My hand is sore from all that trimming!

Linking up with Quiltville a day early this week.  Bonnie was just in town but my schedule was nutso so we did not get to meet up for breakfast.  I waved at her and hope she really enjoyed her time with her family.  Cannot wait til our paths cross again and things are less hectic!

5th Annual Quitville Mystery Kick Off in Chandler, Arizona!

We had 18 people at our 5th Annual Quiltville Mystery Kickoff party in Chandler, Arizona this year.  If you want to attend next year and will be in the area, let me know.  We invite people until the seats are filled!  One day we are hoping to have Quiltville Co-Moderator Irene (and her mom) and maybe one day Bonnie Hunter herself (she has to eventually be visiting family on Thanksgiving weekend right?).  Well, we can dream!

Some of our regulars were out of town or working but were with us in spirit!  One of my new Quiltville Cruise friends, Cynthia, came in all the way from Vegas!  Well she has family here and had the holiday with them but I am sure our party was the draw, wink!  I think another gal drove in from Buckeye! 

 Kelli could not stay but stopped in to bring us GOBS of scraps to pick though!  She is the current president for AZ Blankets for Kids and she invited us all to join in their next sewing session.  I have not gone in awhile and need to get back there!  Thanks Kelli for the scraps and all you do for the kids in Arizona!

 

Barb with En Provence

 A few gals had already gifted En Provence so their quilts are not in our picture, and Barb had to leave before picture time but we got one of her alone.  My favorite part of this get together is seeing all  of Bonnie Hunter's magnificent designs in different colors up close.  Each one is its own masterpiece!  I somehow you missed out on getting this pattern for free last year here is where you can get it instantly

Phyllis Marguerite, Laura, Andee (me), Jennifer, Celeste, Andi, Heather and Charlotte!

 Some of us doing duck lips some of us not so much!

 Here is my En Provence.  Love how it came out!  You cannot go wrong with a Bonnie quilt!

Close up of my quilting done by Ros

This year we got a shot of the backings and the labels.  Everyone oohed and awed over the fabrics chosen.  Each attendee is gifted a label made simply with your picture in MS Word.  I just add in designed by Bonnie Hunter, made by blank and info about the party and year.  SEW much fun.

Close up of my autographed label!

 
 Here is the whole crew minus Kathy who was taking the picture,  and Barb and Kelli who left before we got this far.  Left to right starting at the top:  Laura, Marguerite, Andee (me), Jennifer, Celeste, Andi, Heather, and Ros.  Second row:  Marlene, Limbania, Tina, Jill, Cynthia, Charlotte, Fran and Phyllis.

 This is the first year Kathy did not complete her quilt top in time for our next Kickoff party.  She did get her very first block together and is looking forward to finishing this up soon!  Here's hoping she keeps up (with my help) this year!

So to make that happen, Kathy and I are tag teaming on her quilt which will be gifted to my baby brother Sam and his fiance Ashley.  We are doing it in her colors and keeping her posted of our progress.  Makes it extra fun!  I am also doing a Packer colored quilt.  

We managed to complete both clue ones before bed!  

Thank you Bonnie for this gift, I have made every mystery (some more than once) and look forward to it every year.  I even have a tab on my blog devoted to the mystery quilts and another one with a Quiltville Parade of quilts!  Linking up with Quiltville for clue one's Monday Link Up soon!  Looking forward to clue two of On Ringo Lake!