CC Clue Two in Progress, A Santa and Six Tops Quilted!

Clue two is a little more than half way done for Carolina Christmas....gotta work til ten tonight so that is as far as it is making it and Bonnie might post clue three tonight!

I finished the binding on my Santa and now all he needs is eyes!

Here is a Simple Quilt Two(pattern at FunQuilts) leftovers so it is a little different than the first one that followed the pattern (not yet quilted).

Here is the front and back of Maggie Lou's Star Quilt which she will get for Christmas. Thanks goes out to my fabulous longarmer--Steph in Kingman! She got these done is amazing time and they are in the mail on the back to me for binding (along with my first two Schnibbles).

Ann Smith's NYE Mystery last year used this design. I helped Kathy make thse two from the pattern (two baby quilts instead of a lap quilt) and they are made from Circus fabrics and are really cute! Can't wait to get them bound too!

I feel like so much has been acomplished already today! Thanks again Steph!

Both NYE Mystery Pictures for 2008!

This isn't the greatest picture, but here are my first six Colonial History quilt blocks I am doing in bluework, I just finished the seventh one last night while watching Slumdog Millionare which was good, but haven't taken a photo yet.
I need to iron them and they will get a border...trying to decide if I should go with blue or red? Let me know if you have a suggestion or reccommendation!

Ann B. Smith's mystery for NYE 2008 is all quilted and bound. I finished it up at my Quilt History meeting! I love it, and it doesn't have a home yet! Sorry for the wrinkles in it!

And the borders are on the Double Delight from Bonnie Hunter's NYE Mystery!

The top border hangs over the wall and it is a bit smushed for the picture, but I didn't have two people available to hold it! I couldn't be happier with the end result for either of these quilts!!!!!

I have a freelance job in a bit, but after that I plan to do something sewing related!

Productive Weekend at Quilt Camp!

I hardly know where to start...Here is the room we were quilting in at camp. You can see our quilt auction quilts on the back wall and my sewing station is the second machine in from where I am standing. The only glitch in the whole weekend was when my dang Janome machine went kaplooey four hours into the whole deal! Sigh. I ran in to Wal-Mart and got a cheap machine which ran like a top all weekend. The gals all could not believe how fast I returned and got to sewing!

Here are the sleeping quarters. My roommate was Tina. She was a super nice gal though I dind't really get to talk to her much since we were only in the room awake together for about 10 minutes total! Our room is the one right next to the bathroom opening.

Here is the inside of the room. Nothing fancy and I should say that the first night I had the bed with the post...I had to LAUNCH myself in by the light of my cellphone at 2 AM without waking up Tina..not easy to get in a sleeping bag, it involved hitting my head a few times, but I slept all the way through breakfast Saturday morning. I had some migraines, but by Sunday I was finally feeling well.

Had big plans to post what I would be working on before I went..never happened and actually I never got time to make some of this stuff because there just wasn't enough time...so I have these bags all cut out for the nieces and nephews for Christmas but that is where they are at. I did manage to make progress with the two Streak of Lightening quilts in green and pink!

I also brought my completed NYE Mystery designed by Ann B. Smith. I sewed the binding on and got half way through hand sewing it on. It looks great!

One needs the pink border put on but they are together!

And what I was doing all afternoon and until 2 AM Friday and again ALL DAY Saturday finishing around 5 PM is my Double Delight border! You can see it partially done in the first picture, but by the time I got the blue border on the sun had gone and the pic isn't great...will get another one when there is daylight and I am home!

This took forever but adds so much to the quilt that I am happy I did it. I will save this quilt from our house if it ever burns down...seriously...someone posted how many pieces are in that quilt and I can't remember but it is ALOT!
I finally met an online quilt friend who belongs to the group (Hi Becky, that is you) and coincidently she was working on Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Crossroads quilt! She got her whole top together and she was seated across from me by luck and it was such fun. We talked about Bonnie and Quiltville, she brought Bonnie's book and some of the gals were so excited to go buy it and check out the website so that was fun! So here we are side by side (we sewed in the chapel of the camp) with our quilts under us!

Here was our camp mascot. He is a service dog in training (two of the gals train him) and he was very well behaved. The only time I heard him bark was when they told him to speak just after this photo! We made many more quilts than this all told, a few gals left by the time we hung them and a few didn't find space to hang them or didn't come out til later but their quilts were gorgeous too! I have more pics of the individual quilts I may show later on...I feel like I really got to know all the gals or at least most of them. I can't say that I have ever joined a friendly group--seriously nice people who made me feel right at home and who I hope to get to know in the years to come. I will be going back to camp in November!

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.

NYE Mystery Quilt Top is Together!

I am very happy with the way this mystery quilt turned out. The colors look good together and like the slightly scrappy look. This top doesn't have a home yet but it will find one eventually. I had some trouble with getting the rows together...not sure if this was due to using a different machine (I didn't realize how much I was in tune with my Janome) or if it was just all the seam matching I had to do. There was some pulling and pushing, rocking and rolling but it is all together and I am happy. I would have done it sooner but I woke up with a migraine and have been fairly worthless all day long. Just taking it easy willing it to go away.
Kathy's still needs put together but she doesn't seem to want to get back to it. She did some wood sawing tonight for an order...if I get time I might put hers together while she is working. Bonnie put out the second clue on her Double Delight Quiltville mystery...I am feeling behind and with my head as it is I am not even thinking about starting it today...if another clue comes out tomorrow I may cry. LOL, usually I am in a big hurry for the next clue...not this time!
Happy New Year to everyone too! I forgot to say that last night. I enjoyed reading lots of blogs today in which everyone took stock of 2008 and set goals and such for 2009. WOW. I went back through my pictures just to see how many quilts I had made and wished I knew how to make one of those picture collages that people put in their blogs....maybe that should be my goal for next year...learn how to use blogger better! Tonight I don't feel up to much reflection, but I love the idea of it--so maybe tomorrow.

NYE Mystery Steps 8-10 Done and 11 Started!

Well we were going strong for a long time there and then suddenly my machine broke a needle and I spent an hour trying to coax it back to work! I finally gave up and packed it up to go in for a cleaning and to have the timing worked on...it was due after these projects anyway. Meanwhile I had my heart set on getting these done so Kathy ran out and got me another machine so I could finish them up. She was putting in phone calls looking for one before I even asked. One gal from my online group emailed me and said I could come get her old one too! Sweet people quilters are!
So we took a break for dinner and I had a margarita along with my steak dinner...and Randy made his fabulous Strawberry Spinach Salad which I love too! We played several games of Dutch Blitz which is my new FAVORITE game. Randy hates it. Then we played Smartass and I actually won! That is the one I usually hate. Lastly, we played Don't Forget the Lyrics which is kind of fun and silly though I am not too great at that one...Randy won!
Then I decided to wander up and finish the last of Kathy's blocks (she did most of this quilt, but I was helping her and she was ready to be done!) and laid them out and took this pic just to see what they would look like. I like it! She does too, thinks she will do two crib size quilts instead of one lap size so we will be two ahead on baby gifts.


Then I HAD to sew at least some of my blocks together...so I got two rows done and took this picture so you could get the idea. I LOVE it. Not sure where this one is going or who it will go to but I like how it turned out! Ann Smith always outdoes herself with these mysteries! So tomorrow you should get to see two or three completed quilt tops!

NYE Mystery 8-10 Mostly Done!

The dogs got tired of following me up the stairs to sew and down the stairs to print the next clue..so they waited in the middle! Aren't Joe and Rosey adorable?

Part of Kathy's...

Same part of mine...

With the edges on (gotta get to that on Kathy's--she ran to the store to pick up the steaks and I promised to finish mine then start hers....hehe and here I am posting..shhh!)

My blocks side by side...I AM LOVING THEM! YAY!
Should have a top picture for you soon!

NYE Mystery Steps 4-7 Done!

Check it out---steps four through seven of mine!

And of Kathy's!

Looking good so far we think!