Fall Break Means SEWING!

 Tomorrow is our quilt guild's small quilt auction so when I finally got a minute to sew I started with this Rock Candy tabletopper.  I made some awhile back and had this one all cut and ready to go.

 I also got the 35th Ave. BOM together. Not my best block as I was a bit rushed.  My parents finally came back from their summer in Wisconsin and were staying here this past weekend (they were doing a craft show nearby) so it was nice to see them and catch up.  My brother got engaged and his engagement party was last Saturday night so we went north to celebrate with them and Ashley asked me and my sister to be bridesmaids.  Wedding is tentatively scheduled for March 2019.

I also found time Sunday to sew the last two blocks of the Pat Sloan Library BOM.

 I sewed the top together up until the last two borders and got this picture.  I will get better pictures outside now that I added the last two borders.

 I am saddened by the news of the shooting in Vegas and have been working this morning on last month and this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  I have orange and pink to do...almost all parts are sewed and ready to be put together.

I am off work for two whole weeks for Fall Break....we are going out of town to San Francisco ( I have never been there!) on Friday with my mom.  We will see Alcatraz and Angel Island, China Town, the Pier, a Deaf Pizza Place called Mozzeria and Winchester House...and whatever else catches our interest in the few days we have.  Next week I am training back at my old video relay job for three days.  I also picked up a little freelance so I am not completely off work...also I have TONS to do for planning and prepping for second quarter.  So trying to get in some fun sewing while I can!

En Provence is Done!

Played Quilt-O at guild this past week and both Kathy and  won a few goodies.  I forgot to get a picture of the loot though.

I am still crazy busy with teaching and had not sewn a stitch in weeks.  I am so far behind I do think I am first.  HAHA!  This morning when I could not sleep at 6 AM I decided to just get the binding on En Provence.  I had to clean the quilting studio and make space as things have just got piled and piled in here!  Then I got it done, feels good to have it ready for the party in November.

 Ros did the quilting and used a green thread.  I LOVE IT!

The label is even quilted in and signed by Bonnie.  I am already looking forward to the next mystery in November.  

Kathy got our BOM for 35th Ave. cut this afternoon while watching her Patriots and she has her block about done--I will get my done during Fall break (in one week we are off for two weeks).  We are also planning a trip to San Francisco with my mom (Alcatraz and Winchester House, China Town, Pier 39, etc.) and I am super excited about a few days there.  The other thing during break is training back at my old VRS job.  That is three days of training so I should have time for teaching prep AND sewing with any luck!

I was signed up for Quilt Camp but decided the timing was bad (I have another commitment that weekend and we will be just back to school that week) so not going this year.  Hoping to get together with Barb and have an all day sew day at home quilt camp.

March Sewing I Kept Mum

This morning I was cleaning out my emails when I found several pictures I had sent to myself in March (my dropbox is full so that is how my pictures get put on the blog) and in searching the blog I guess I never posted them!  So here are a few of the things I didn't mean to keep mum about sewing in March!

If I already did blog about this, I cannot find it but I am only on my first cup of coffee so...I had to make this block so I could complete this Tula Pink Stacks top.  I won the blocks at Nimble Thimbles  awhile back but did not have the right fabric to complete it..the other winner shared it with me later on and then it just hung out waiting.  It is all ready to be quilted, might have to talk Barb into doing it...too big for me!

 I also finished putting together the 35th Ave BOM so I can send it to Alycia.  I made a backing and binding too. Barb's joined it (I did blog about hers) and Kathy is almost done with hers so all three will go out together once Kathy is done.  Hopefully they will make some veterans feel our support!

 This is the March block for Pat Sloan's Children's Library BOM.  I have been keeping up on the blocks, just not the blogging about it!

My video relay interpreting job update.  So the company I work for bought out another company and I won't get into the reasons they are telling us versus the reasons we suspect, but they are shutting down all the Arizona centers on July 15th.  So since that is my main income in the summer that was a shocker.  Quite a few interpreters are scrambling to find other work.  I have applied for another high school teaching position...HR has my stuff and if the negotiations go well as far as money, I will accept the job.  I am kind of excited about it though my last high school teaching job was hell.  I do not think I was ready to go from University students to high school students at the time.  I have now taught community college and my expectations are more in line than they were!  Cross your fingers something works out for me please!
Yes it is about 120 degrees here in Arizona.  I have been grabbing all the hours I can get at my job before it shuts down, so today I will do the second nine hour day this week. It is not a nine hour type job...most people come in for two to four hours because it is so demanding.  I will be happy when today is over!
In better news, Barb is coming to sew tomorrow and I do not work at all tomorrow!  I plan to get borders on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler from 2015. Then I want to get a backing made so I can cross it off my list.  After that maybe back to my latest March on Green Bay Packers quilt.

Midnight Flight Workshop with Nimble Thimbles!

 Our guild waited two long years to get Bonnie Hunter back for another workshop!  It was worth the wait for Midnight Flight!  I learned new things again and had a really enjoyable day with my quilting buddies and Bonnie.

 She gives lots of demos of everything from how to cut your fabric so it measures right, how to get your quarter inch seam right and how to use the rulers required for the pattern used in the workshop.  I love her bonus ruler that comes with the essential triangle tool (which replaces the easy angle and companion angle ruler she used to use but had no affiliation with) because with it you get a perfect bonus triangle that is a useable size instead of one you have to cut down..simply but drawing the seam line correctly!  Saves loads of time and less waste!

Borrowed this picture from Bonnie since I am in it.  This is our table..all old friends with one new gal who was new to sewing joining in. 

 We always have show and tell after lunch and it is so fun to see other quilts!  Kathy showed off her Allietare! 

 Becky showed off Garden Party.  She made this for her son and I love that it came out boyish!  She used boy scout fabric someone gave her and tucked in a few mom blocks too!  I hope the strip I have her wound up in there somewhere! 

 I showed off my Garden Party too.  Can you spot the ladybug?  Becky and I started these quilts in October 2015 on the Quiltville Caribbean Cruise so later we got a picture with both quilts and Bonnie. 

 I also showed off my Allietare!  I love that this quilt was inspired by copper mugs (of Moscow Mule) on the beach--Rocky Point, Mexico to be precise!

 I had about an arm's length of binding to go but I shared my Talkin' Turkey too.  So happy that one is almost done.  Life has been so busy--I put the binding on this on Tuesday morning about 6 AM and spend every spare second at work (when on hold with a customer--I interpret phone calls) working on the binding Tuesday and Wednesday in an attempt to get it done!

 Terry shared the start of this year's mystery--En Provence!  Loving it.  I had hoped to have this much together to share too, but I am still on the last part of the last clue before block assembly.  I plan to get at least this much done this weekend so I can link up!

 Kathy and I had a great day with Bonnie and we are excited to be making a Midnight Flight baby quilt together.

The top left block and lower right blocks are ours (after some unsewing let me tell you!) and bottom left is Barb's in Christmas fabrics.  Laura's (so fun to sit with her and her mom at the  workshop)is on the bottom middle and top right is Becky's.  She had to pick up the chitlins from school so she did not have time to fix her flipped blocks until she got home...

 Others finished their blocks too but we were so short on time we did not get a picture of all the blocks.  Bonnie has more pictures of them on her blog this morning though! 
After cleaning up the church Terri and I went with Bonnie to the antique mall!  More on that in another post!

 It was a fabulous day with friends and Bonnie and new memories made!

A Quilt Camp Weekend of Nothing but Talkin' Turkey!

 I had all my blocks done when I arrived this camp but soon discovered the purple goosey had lost its way so I had to fix it.   Of course, it was already in the quilt by that time!  Not sure how I missed it when I made it!

 I made all the flying geese Quilt in a Day style and am glad I prepped as much as I did on that since it still took forever,  I already had the rainbow border made but had to tear the papers and sew into strips.  There as also an inner border I had to cut colored squares for and add to the neutrals I had already prepped.

 We arrived around 5 PM on Thursday and it took me all of that night, Friday (minus a few hour run to town for Barb and a two mile hike), Saturday (minus another two mile hike) and an hour Sunday morning to get this done in time to hang out!  It truly was all I worked on.  I am so glad my pup challenge for Nimble Thimbles is a flimsy!  This was also my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt from 2014 so I need to find a linky on Angela's Blog and hook it up!  Pattern is in Bonnie Hunters.

Trash to Treasure Auction and Sewing Saturday!

 Nimble Thimbles had a full house for our Trash to Treasure auction!  This is a fun event where we donate all the crafty items we don't want and after a committee kits them up into bags we have an opportunity to bid on the item for a quarter and if our number is drawn we win!  Right off the bat, Kathy won and then won again!  I won several times too.

 There is a gal in our guild who is from Chippewa Falls (where I lived before moving here and where my Dad and Mom's mom is from) and apparently I won some of her stuff.  I have shopped at this shop before it closed.

 Also won these blocks, the pattern and extra fabric to complete the table runner. Some of the blocks are already appliqued too.

 Here is the rest of our haul...the stuff we are keeping anyway.

 All told we bid about twelve bucks!  I am still putting it all away!

 Today we went to 35 th Ave. and got our next ten dollar block of the month.  After that we hit several Goodwills since it was half off day.  I got some deals on clothes...moving my way into a size 16..whoot, whoot!  After that we had a frozen yogurt treat and renewed our library cards so I could keep getting free audiobooks.  Since I am freelancing more, I get more car time and am listening to audiobooks on my ipod.

 I then started and finished clue five for the Nimble Thimbles Mystery.  It is coming along nicely--rather different looking block on the left.  Not so sure I love the grey in that position but that is alright.

 We finally got a chance to recover the ironing board again.  Seems like we have to do it every six months or so. It winds up getting worn through in the area we use the most and then it is a pain to iron on it.  We went with this crazy bowling fabric (which I got from my now ex sister in law for Christmas many years ago) since it is a heavier fabric and I really have little use for bowling fabric.  I kept it all this time because I thought it was cute.

 I then spent what seemed like forever cutting for Circa 2016. I wanted lots of variety, so I got it!

 The new bowling background on the ironing board is rather a busy backdrop!  Clue 5.

 And all the blocks so far. We watched the movie Alive and then Mile, Mile and a Half while we sewed too.
Tomorrow I am hiking with Becky and the kids.  Looking forward to it!

Nimble Thimbles Holiday Party 2015

Here are all the little quilts that the ladies (and one gentleman) made for our Nimble Thimbles President's Challenge.  I was amazed at how many there were and at how unique they all were!  

 Suzie (our current President) made the one above.  She made it from disappearing blocks (start out like the ones in the corners and change to the other blocks depending on what you do with them) and included buttons on it because one of our past members who is no longer with us told stories of hiding buttons all over her house so the kids would find them when she was gone and think of her.  I love that idea and may have to do that when my time comes!

 The one above was Darlene Reid's. It was my favorite of all of them. She is one talented lady.

 The one above was the tiniest!

 This one has the least amount of red!

 Of course the one above is my "Making Tracks to Guild".

 Loved this one with the redwork and quilt barns!

 This one was Kathy my sewing buddy's.  Love her links metaphor.

Thought you might enjoy the parade as I did!  We will be hanging the completed ones in the quilt show. I have never done an AQG show so I am excited to get to do it!