Some Almost Finishes!

Ros brought me this quilt from a few years back. It was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge that Amy and I did together. I did the Betty's Choice blocks for each of us and she did the nine patch/courthouse steps joiner block.  It turned out great and everyone was oohing and aahing over it and Ros' quilting at the kickoff party this year.  I need to put a scrappy binding on it and gift it as a baby quilt.

It is a bit wrinkled, but Kathy managed to get the last seam in her En Provence just in the nick of time.  She did it in Patriot's colors.  

We decided to get her draped in--though a year late!

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.

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!

Piggies, Flamingos and Gnomes, Oh My!

 Today was a sewing day at Barb's.  I am all caught up on the mystery so I decided to bring some fabric and one of my new design boards and cut out four of the Penny Pig Mini Quilts by Lori Holt. 

 They were lots of fun to make while we gabbed.

 I forgot to put the tails on before I stitched them up but may figure out how to add one on each of them yet.  I am keeping the one that has yet to be hand stitched down  I am not the best binder in the world but much better than I used to be.  I had a partial migraine all day today and so I am sure that did not help.  I stitched with Barb til it was time to go to Pilates and the day went by fast!

 Kathy finished clue three of En Provence!  She still has to cut the wings for part four and then she can start sewing.  This is the best she has ever done at keeping up with the mystery.  Kathy is calling her quit En Patriot!

 While I was sewing, Barb finished up the last of the towels she volunteered me embroider for me.  She borrowed my machine and did some stuff for her brother with it (it is bigger than hers) but mine needs a tune up so she did the towels on her Bernina.  I really need to learn how (ok I know how sort of ) and just try this myself.  The designs are so cute!  These two will go to Margie (my dad who passed away seven year's ago's girlfriend since I was eight).  She loves flamingos and every year I send her flamingo something or other.  Her box for this year already went out but will randomly mail her these just for fun later on.  I think she will like them alot.

 I love these designs SO much!  We are keeping "love beyond measure" and "Life is short, lick the spoon" and gifting the others to my sister, brother's ex, and current. 

 My mom, sister and I LOVE gnomes.  I may give mom one of these, but they are so cute I do not want to part with them!

This one with the birds is for mom.  She loves birds and swears that is how her own mother visits her.  When she sees a pretty bird she thinks, there's mom.  So we are always picking out little birds for knickknacks. 

Andee and Kathy do Clue Two: En Provence

 Got the tree up.  Even found a pretty tablerunner I made a few years ago to put under it!  I spent a good bit of the week (besides working) prepping for finals and digging all my ASL stuff that was in totes out of the garage.  I had no idea I had amassed so much stuff!  We cleaned the garage after I got so much of it out of there and we pulled all the Christmas stuff out.  Found the last (please let it be the last) tote of teaching materials in with the totes that had come in for Christmas. So I have one more to go through--later!

Friday night Kathy and I worked on En Provence.  She finished up her clue one while I cut all of my clue two and her neutrals.  I then started sewing..for once taking my time to do things right.  Had good music on and a glass of wine too.  Discovered I have never cut the notch out of this unit before and that my life is much easier if I follow Bonnie's directions! A few astute ladies on Quiltville's Open Studio commented on my lack of notches which made me realize I was misunderstanding the bit about the notches!  I made this same unit in Celtic Solstice and Smith Mountain Morning and always thought I was to eyeball a notch and leave it hanging out.  HAHA!  If you cut the notch out it lines right up on the other piece.  Right there in Bonnie's directions but apparently I speed read and try to follow the pictures.   So I went back and cut all the notches and started again...

More good music and lots of notches getting cut.  I am using a dusty peach in several different fabrics for Bonnie's constant magenta.  Should be interesting.

 Did lots of teaching related finals prep (including running to the school for copies), grocery shopping, cleaning, furniture moving and Christmas decorating today.  We watched Shrek the Halls and the Muppet Christmas to keep Kathy in the mood.

 We put the dog gate all around it and are hoping that keeps the dogs away.  By the time all that was done, dinner made and cleaned up (and a batch of sugar scrub for Christmas gifts) I did the last of the prep for finals and we crawled into the quilting studio.  We both lamented we were ready for bed..it was not even 8 PM.  We sewed for maybe thirty minutes and decided clue two can wait another day. 

 Kathy is using Patriots colors for her mystery quilt.  You can see her paint chips on her machine and all her clue one and more than half of clue two parts. 

I have less than 20 to go (and we always try to make a few extras) but here they are.  I am linking up with Bonnie so you can see all the progress!  In case you wanted to see EVERY Mystery quilt Bonnie has ever done here is my Parade of Quiltville Mystery Quilts!  How is your clue coming along?