Sunday Funday!

I was so happy to see the Packers beat the Bears this morning!  It has been a rough start this year!  Here are Kathy's Wanderlust blocks so far--this one is going to be so pretty!

 I went over to Becky's to sew today (been forever since I have made it to her place!) and our other friend Kathy came over too.  Becky and I were both working on Wild and Goosey blocks and Kathy was working on an Eye Spy a Four Patch pattern--all from Bonnie's site, we really are her # 1 fans!

So here are the two blocks I made while gabbing.  Two more and I will have another row!
For dinner I made Grain Free Pumpkin Pancakes from Road to Living Whole's blog.  Marian is a co-worker who is really supportive of me on WW.  She has tons of gluten free recipes on her blog which just happen to often work for me on WW.  I can have gluten but pancakes are a once in awhile choice for me, these I can have anytime!  They were pretty good and I plan to try more of Marian's stuff.  I know her honey nut iced coffee is delicious and low in calories too!

If you have a favorite healthy recipe you want to share with me, feel free--I need all the good eating choices I can get!  THANKS!

Happy Fourth of July--Red, Red and Red!

 Today I spent several hours organizing all of my red scraps by size and then cutting my red lozenges!  I will be linking up with SoScrappy's RSC Challenge later today!

 I sewed up Nonsense for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--I did not have enough of the background fabric so I did what Bonnie would do and just grabbed another.  Looks fine to me!

 Here is Stripes, super easy...my kind of block!

 I sewed up a few more tiny churn dashes.  Found this nice red while organizing my scraps and reds!

 Becky came over and it was fun to catch up and sew...the other weekend she had to cancel and it seems like it has been forever!

 Also sewed up Starz which was really fun and I know I have a pattern for a larger one somewhere, now I am not afraid to make it!

 Here is Becky's sweet little doll quilt top she made today.

Sewing and Knitting with Becky!

Becky came over tonight for a few hours and we did some gabbing and watched some DIY network.  I seem to get into that every Spring for awhile.  Becky was knitting and finished up a pretty scarf that is more intricate than I would try.
I worked on My Blue (Purple) Heaven.  I made enough star blocks to add two more rows.  I also cut and sewed more parts for the last twelve star blocks I need to make.  I am SO happy that I have gotten back to this one.
I see Angela has posted a few more purple blocks so I plan to hit those in the morning before getting right back to this!

Sewing at Becky's House!

This morning Becky and I met up at "Market on the Move" and got lost of veges for cheap.  Then we got to sewing!

 Borrowed Becky's pictures to show you what she was up to today while I sewed at her house.  Lots of Christmas present making ticked off her list!  Love the skirt for her daughter, pillowcases for both kids and a gift for a friend....

 and best of all, she is making these little stars with leftover bits and pieces of fabric from any clothes she makes for her kids.  Eventually she will have a whole quilt full of memories.  I love this idea and wish I would have done something like this when my kids were young...maybe for the grandkids one day when I have them!

 Meanwhile, I did clue 5 of Easy Street.  These went together so well for me!  I trimmed just the inner part like Bonnie showed and they all line up so nicely.  These are just fingerpressed so they didn't behave for the picture, but loving them.  Becky had to give me one turquoise square because I was one short at last count (unless I miscounted when I barretted them in tens).  I am linking up with Bonnie at Quiltville if you want to see how everyone else is coming along on Easy Street!

 Kathy is caught up on clue four and has her clue 5 cut, but didn't sew at all today.  Maybe tomorrow!

 I also sewed ALL my hst's for the NYE Mystery!  I trimmed the pages and cut four of them but have lost of cutting left to go...I am using triangulations paper which I find to be really easy and accurate for me.  I want all the "presewing" done so this quilt zips together on NYE.  I also made about five spools at Beckys' and here is my stack so far.  I need to take a picture of them on the design wall soon!

In other news, Hannah got her box of Christmas gifts today and Mac got a slip that his was in!  YAY they arrived in time!  Here is Hannah with her cat GreyBear posing with her Anita's Arrowhead Christmas Quilt.  It matches her Christmas tree skirt and now she has an official Christmas quilt!

Hand Sewn Hexies, Pillowcases and Labels!

 Cut and sewed this pair of pillowcases for me and Kathy today.  The pillowcases are matching, but the fabrics are different on each side, kind of cool.  They are already in use on the bed.

 I went to Kathy's (sewing buddy) house today (see her in the back corner) and sewed with her and Barb (left) and Becky (right).  We had Bonnie on the QuitlCam while she was on which was hoots of fun!  Since Becky and I were done with our Easy Street Clue three I worked on Tobacco Road pinwheels with a few spools thrown in for good measure and Becky worked on a Christmas skirt for her daughter and some lounge pants for both her kids.  Kathy was working on cutting and finished up her clue three.  I was tickled to see she had some of the same connecting threads aqua with little circles in it as I did.  Barb was working on a customer quilt and hasn't started Easy Street, but she needed lots of space to work, so eventually took to learning how to use Becky's knitting hoop thingy.  I have a few of them with hats started (by DJ) that I need to finish up.  Next time we get together I think I will bring them.  Becky is a great teacher of those kinds of things!  Barb caught on in no time and was YouTubing other patterns it could be used with.

 I came home and hand sewed four labels on the Christmas present quilts, so they are all set to go!

 I also hand sewed up the flower from last week (I never got to it during the Packer game because I was upstairs doing other stuff and spaced it!).

 Not sure why my pictures are kind of cut off, but you get the idea.  I finished hand sewing the last hexi flower--finally!  Now apparently I need to hand sew them down to the brown squares.  May still be working on this next football season!

 Today is my oldest son's birthday!  Coleman is 26 which seems impossible to me.  I am not that old, lol.  Here he is being silly and not showing me his face with his bday/Christmas quilt.  It is the bonus Night and Day quilt.  He likes it, yay!  Happy Birthday Coleman, I love you!

Sewing with Becky and Bonnie :)

I got up really early yesterday because Kathy set up a booth at Barktoberfest and was out the door early.  I couldn't sleep so into the quilting studio I went.  I cut a bunch of bow ties and plenty of spools (for me, Becky and sewing buddy Kathy) and then sewed up a rice heating thingy, one spool and then whipped out the last 100 of the flying geese Hawaii Sunset blocks!  I am SO THRILLED to have gotten this step done I can't even tell you!

Next I sewed a boatload of cheddar bow tie blocks.  I decided whatever I have, I have and extra blocks will either go in the back or into a pillow or two.  

Bonnie was on quiltcam for a few hours and Becky and I enjoyed cutting and sewing with her too!  Another things I did yesterday was dump my leftover bits drawers and grab stuff to pass on to Megan who is happily sewing along on her new machine.  Feels good to lighten my load of things I am tired of and at the same time neaten up what I have!  I reorganized and folded all of my modern fabrics too.  I had bought more at JoAnn's last weekend because it was on clearance and with the Columbus day sale it was 3.00 a yard plus I got 10 bucks off of 50 so it seriously sold itself!  I bought some yarn for bday and Christmas gifts so I easily spent the 50!  

This morning I got up and sewed the bow ties into blocks and these are the last blocks to add to the quilt top.  I am so tickled to get this one done, figure out the backing and set it aside to be longarmed!  Then I can begin working on the spools in earnest!  So far I have 15 made, but lots cut.  

Today we have Megan's boys' birthday party to go to and I need to run to JoAnn's (again!) to get some wonder under stuff to make Monica's quilt label.  We gave up on embroidering one as we discovered my Diamond's embroidery connection is loose and though we can attach it, when we push the arm in it somehow doesn't read that it is plugged in.  Hopefully it is an easy fix, that was one spendy machine and I haven't even played with the embroidery!  I bought it on ebay so I was taking my chances, but I am hopeful it  just needs to be remounted.  We bought an embroidery foot so once it works we will be playing with it--finally!  So then this morning I went to make the label the old fashioned way and I can't find my wonder under--I only had a bit left so I am thinking I must have used it up....I have searched in the likely places...lol time to get another half yard, takes me years to run out of it.  That label is getting made today, that quilt needs to go in the mail tomorrow...it is time! 

Spoolin' Around--Sewing Day at Barb's!

I worked a few hours this morning and then headed over to Barb's house to sew for the first time.  Barb worked on putting the binding on this quilt and then she worked on the bag below.

 Kathy (sewing buddy Kathy, not my Kathy) picked the fabric out for her and coached her along since she was finishing up three of the bags for future gifts.

 These three are Kathy's.  She accidently forgot to cut the stripes in the "correct" direction, and in the end all of us liked it better this way.  I may just have to use stripes on one of mine that I make.  I made one of these a long while back with Nimble Thimbles (all these gals are from that group) and have been meaning to pick up more of the special interfacing stuff so I can make some more.  They make good gifts.
I borrowed these pictures from the gals' facebook pages because I forgot to take pictures while I was there. Becky was also there and she finished up a baby size quilt and worked on her spools.  I spent the majority of my time cutting out my spools.  If you haven't heard by now, Bonnie Hunter has put out the next challenge instead of bow ties, we are moving on to spools and doing some Spoolin' Around!  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/08/spoolin-around-leaderender-challenge.html 

 I sewed up my first seven spools, mostly with fabric that Becky traded me.  I spent the majority of time cutting and cutting and cutting. I gave Becky a bagful and had one for Suzy...then I realized that I hadn't cut enough of the little squares...I was cutting four like the directions said, but not four for each stack.  Blonde moment and so I had to go back through ALL of the stack and try to match up squares and recut more squares.  I still have a stack that needs squares cut, but I was so sick it after a point.  Next time I will do better, lol.  On the other hand, I cut squares for the lights--which didn't need squares so now I have a bag of light squares.  Talking and cutting and tired...that is my story!

In the end I had this basket for myself (some Becky gave me) so I have plenty to get started on anyways.  I need to get some backs pieced, but I am just soooo tired that I am not counting on it happening!

Becky's House for Sewing Fun

 Smith Mountain Morning is together sans borders.  I did sew the borders together but haven't attached them yet.  Should be doing that soon!  I love this quilt even more in person than from looking at the picture.  It just really wows me.  This is the one I started doing for Randy--but then he got Orca/Green Bay, so then this was going to be for my oldest son Coleman--but then he really liked the leftover red/black Night and Day quilt so that one is destined for him...so my best friend Monica has commented about liking the colors on this one and I think it shall find its way to her place since she is on my list of people to give a quilt to.  I know she will love it and I look forward to visiting her and seeing it in her house in Wisconsin.  I haven't told her yet, but may just be facebooking her on that soon!  (LOL just took a blogging break and told her on fb!)

 Here you see Becky working on the binding for her Nines Surrounded (designed by Bonnie Hunter) which she finished up... I have this one barely started--as in nine patches that is all!.  Love Becky's!

 Here you can see Becky, Kathy and Barb.  Kathy was working on some bags like we made at Nimble Thimbles awhile back for gifts...I need to make some more of them and Barb was working on some really nice applique (she said from Eleanor Burns...I need to get that book if I ever want to try appliqueing again-if anyone can bring that down for me it is her!) and she also was working on a Majestic Mountains quilt like they do at Three Dudes Quilting in red, white and black.  It is the same quilt Margarite showed at Nimble Thimbles a few months ago.  http://www.3dudesquilting.com/documents/LetsStripItMajesticMountainQuiltPDF.pdf is the link to the pattern!  Barb also brought us a really delicious crock pot meal with chicken and wild rice in it.  I need the recipe, it is from Fix it and Forget it cookbook...I have one of those but don't think that recipe is in there!

 I cut and sewed up my little Lil' Twister which is just like the other one I made.  This one will be gifted to someone--have someone in mind, but not positive yet!

 Another picture a little later in the evening...everyone sewing away.  They are a fun bunch and Barb invited us all to head to her place Monday since it is a holiday...so we will be doing a repeat sew in there!  We also talked about shop hop and may wind up doing some of that together.  I haven't heard what the plans are with the Huggy Bunch, but they have expanded their horizons so I am guessing a big group will wind up doing it together.  They ALL live on the other side of town (45 or more minutes away) so I may wind up doing some of it with the gals from this end of town.  Kind of playing it be ear at this point.

 Becky was almost done with her Lil' Twister (in the size up from mine) when I left.  She did it in a thirties fabric and I think my picture is kind of dark but it is really cute!

We were invited to go to a pool party up at my folks' house but think we are staying home tomorrow.  I want to get in more sewing and we were just up there last weekend so...think that is our plan.  Thanks Becky for  a really nice day!  

Sewing with Kathy, then Becky and Bonnie

Today was a really stressful day.  A relative of mine phoned to tell me that he has cancer.  I think I am still in shock about this and can't believe so many of my family members keep getting and dying from cancer.  My mom is still in remission but hasn't been feeling at all well lately.  Kathy has no insurance and who knows what is going on with her cancer.  Now this.  UGH.  I was sewing when he called and continued to sew off and on through the stress of the entire day though I was not my usual self.  I skipped going to the PMQG meeting too.  Just couldn't muster the strength to smile and be social.

There are things going at at my work regarding a student I haven't even met yet.  Things have been completely blown out of proportion and my good intentions were not taken as such.  I can't tell you what a mess all that is, and how stressful it is to me.  I feel like I try my hardest to be the best I can and in two seconds one person who misunderstands can destroy things.  No fun, not what you are here to read but some of what I am going through and why I NEEDED some sewing time.  

Kathy sewed this morning and got her border on her mystery quilt.  Looks great!

 Last night I ordered a free collage from Walgreens and Kathy picked it up today.  I made it of the quiltville quilts I have made so far.  A few are missing, but I taped it up in the sewing room and it made me smile before my phone started ringing.

 I got all the blocks put together from night and day earlier and today I added the borders.  I really like how this one turned out and Coleman likes it.  So I need to make a backing and get it sent off to the quilter.  I also made the binding for the Thirties Quilt History quilt and put it away for later.

 Other than that, I sewed up bow tie blocks all day.  Becky came over and finished up her Nines Surrounded quilt (which I have planned to make too) and I was so distressed I didn't even get pictures of anything she worked on!  We put Bonnie on the webcam and that distracted me for a bit which was nice.  My bow ties are not as perfect as previous bow times--I hate the anxiety that makes me crazy.  The good news is DJ didn't cross my mind all day, HA!  Well, til now, ha!

I made TONS of bow ties and hope when I get them all put together there will be enough for another row.  This stack includes fabric BJ gave me last time I saw her and it was fun to see it become bow ties.  I am so glad I am blessed with so many sewing friends.  

Sewing Day with Becky :)

 Becky and I went to the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild Meeting today and then we sewed away the late afternoon and evening!  First I worked on clue three for my QOV Mystery...here is is along with bonus hsts.

 Becky kindly offered to help me get my quarter inch right on my featherweight.  I think I am set now, thanks Becky!  Becky finished up her Anita's Arrowhead blocks and I managed to snag a picture of them, but not a picture of her Auntie's Anvil which she quilted and half bound!

 Kathy eventually joined us to do her mystery clue.

 Here is hers.  She is still working on the bonus hsts.

Meanwhile the reason I needed help with my quarter inch seam was these pesky blocks.  Do you remember Smith Mountain Morning?  I know, it has been a LONG time!  I think I put these away last fall when I started doing Orca/Green Bay because two complicated Bonnie projects at a time is too much for me.  And because I had discovered that my seam wasn't great and with these log cabinish blocks that is REALLY important.  Becky and I looking things over and came up with a plan of action and it seems to have worked. The picture above is the stack of blocks which are waiting for the last two blue logs and cornerstones to be added to them.  The logs are now together and the next picture is the four blocks that are done.  

 They will be set with another block alternating so this isn't how it will look.  This is one of my UFO's and I am trying to get a jump on it before its number comes up because there is still alot of work to be done on it.  This was supposed to be for Randy but since he got Orca/Green Bay, Coleman will be getting this one.  Would be nice to have it done in time for his birthday in December.
Randy gave DJ her quilt today but I haven't heard if she likes it or anything.  Hope it brightened her day anyway.