Not much new

Not much to report on the quilting front. Just being lazy in the heat, and trying to get child #2 (son) ready to go to college in 2 weeks. Of course being a boy he could care less about anything other than sleeping, computers and nintendo. So making any progress is a struggle!

I did finish 3 blocks for the folk art favorites quilt I'm working on for the quilt shop. So I basted them to some old fabric to hang up in the store while I work on some more. You've seen them before as I worked on them, but here they are completed and partially sewn together.

Other than that, I"m just lazy away in the hot summer heat!

It's hot and I"m lazy

Yes, it is hot and I"ve been a lazy girl today. It was too hot to even sew! Can you believe I said that! So I was checking out Jeanne's blog and she did one of those Meme things so I thought I would do it even though I am not good at them at all. But at least it gave me something to do as I sit in the basement in the cool! Well we have the air on upstairs, but it is so hot it isn't keeping the house as cool as the basement, so the basement has been my room of choice today!

Looks simple, but the "one word" can be challenging! (Heck any of these are challenging for me!)

One Word for -

1. Yourself: hot (as in temperature, not looks!)
2. Your partner: homebody
3. Your hair: short
4. Your Mother: negative
5. Your Father: science
6. Your favorite item: quilts
7. Your dream last night: ? (can't remember)
8. Your favorite drink: DietCoke (if I squish it can it be one word?)
9. Your dream home: clean
10. The room you are in: cool
11. Your pleasure: quilting
12. Your fear: heights
13. Where you want to be in ten years: retired
14. Who you hung out with last night: Lynn
15. What you're not: thin
16. Your best friends: movies
17. One of your wish list items: car
18. Your gender: female
19. The last thing you did: tv
20. What you are wearing: PJs
21. Your favorite weather: sunny
22. Your favorite book: fiction
23. Last thing you ate: steak
24. Your life: chaotic
25. Your mood: tired
26. The last person you talked to on the phone: Sister
27. Who you are thinking about right now: Holly

Tag, you're it!

Yeah ok, so I failed big time - but hey, I did it at least, normally I can't even do these at all!

Cookies!!!!!

Was just browsing quick before bed and saw this on Sharon's blog so had to do it quick! You know your in trouble when you can't decide what to answer on a 5 question quiz related to seasame street!

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you live your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Santa #1, #2 or #3

So what do you think? Before the final outside border should I have a small piping of red? Or a narrow border of red? Or skip it all together? (note the red is a bit bright, it is actually binding from another project that I just used for testing since it was laying around).

Some fun home pics and some fun retreat pics

Life continues to fly by in a whirl! Today I thought I would share some fun pictures to give you a smile or two. I sure will take any I can get them. I'm sooooo stressed out at work and overwhelmed. The good news is I"m extremely busy because the new product I support is selling like hotcakes - the down side is I don't have much help to support it yet!

Anyway, thought you would like to see some pictures of Chloe jumping. It took Emily only 2 practices to get her to jump. This was last week. Now Emily can get her to jump over the top setting which is 36"! It is amazing. But to get her to do that Chloe has to be in the right mood - Emily hasn't quite got her doing it on command that high yet!

At the retreat we always have some form of entertainment Friday night. When Kay and Kay (2 of the teachers) do it you can be guaranteed a gut hurting laughing time. (Kay #1 taught my mystery class). Anyway, this year Kay did a kind of version of Lets make a Deal. They drew our names out of a "cow" and we had to go up on stage and the other Kay made us wear these funny hats. We then had to pic quilt #1, #2 or #3. We got the prize behind the curtain. Some were lovely prizes, others really funny stupid ones Kay and Kay made. The funniest part was Kay read a description about each. The joke prizes had the funniest descriptions. There is no way you can describe it - but believe me, it is hilarious!

I can't wait until our next guild meeting. We are having Kay and Kay do their Hats of to Quilting quilt display. They use these funny hats and show us some amazing quilts they own or borrow from friends. The main point of the show is "just to have fun" and have some laughs.

Last year Kay and Kay did "There's no business like Sew business". They dressed up and showed quilts that had to do with different movie/broadway songs. I"ll have to dig some of those pics out - they were so funny!

So enjoy the pics. Just all fluff tonight! Too tired to do anything serious!

I'm back from a weekend of sewing!

Sorry I kind of dropped off the face of the earth quickly last week. This was the weekend my friend and I always go to a quilt retreat in Rockford and the middle of last week work got frenzied and I was working furiously to get things done so I could still take Friday off and go! I did get enough done that I could go and have a wonderful time and not worry too much! Of course I have a boatload of stuff waiting for me tomorrow!

I was in the mystery class this year, so I had no idea what I was going to make - other than it was 4 fabrics and finished 48" x 48". The teacher who does this class is wonderful and such a riot! She keeps us laughing non-stop and always makes it so much fun. I also knew the mystery was a Debbie Caffery mystery, so it would be a good quilt. The top quilt was the teachers sample - which of course we didn't see until about noon on Saturday after sewing all day Friday and all morning on Saturday. The second picture is mine so far. 2 more borders to go! I have all the blocks made - except one which I lost some pieces somewhere so I'm hoping I find them yet, otherwise I have to make one over!

The antique quilt was another teacher's quilt she recently bought at an estate sale - isn't it awesome! She and her husband do estate sales or something like that, so recently they went to this house to clean it out for a sale and she found this quilt in a barrel in the attic! The man seemed to know his mother made it and didn't want it - he wanted the barrel! So Kay got to buy it and had it appraised. It was made around 1870 and was in spectacular condition. She thinks it has been in the barrel since the family moved to the US and never got unpacked! Man I wish I could find a find like this!
Enjoy the pics, I"ll be back tomorrow to try and catch up on everyone's projects and lives.

Winterberries Quilt Top Done!

I did it! I finished my Winterberries quilt top in one week!

Now just to quilt it! :) Don't you just love that border fabric! I have to go back to the store and get more of that fabric!

A couple of people asked if I hand applique'd it or machine appliqued it. This one I did my version of invisible machine applique. You didn't think I really could hand applique that fast did you! This particular one I did with a product called Stable Magic for Applique. It is this paper you trace the designs on, glue stick onto the back of your fabric, cut out around the shape with the seam allowance. Then glue stick the seam allowance onto the back of the paper, glue on the background and then I do a small zig-zag stitch (1 length, 1 width) around it in matching thread. You don't need to cut the back out and pull the paper out. Once the quilt is quilted, you agitate it in the washing machine and the fibers in the paper float away! it just leave this fine soft cotton layer inside. I heard about this in Paducah so had to try it!

I love invisible machine applique because it looks like needle turn (well unless you are up close really looking at it), but I hate pulling the freezer paper out the back. So this solves it all! It is great for quick fun pieces like this that I just want to make but don't need heirloom quality - projects I just want to have fun with!

I got it sandwiched last night and grid work marked in the background last night at my small quilt group, so next week I will quilt it. Why not quilt it this week and weekend? My yearly Rockford retreat is this weekend! I can't wait for a few days away to sew, sew, sew! So I need to get busy and cut my pre-cutting and pre-sewing done before Friday morning! This year I took the mystery quilt, so I can't show you what I'm making yet! But I'll try and snap a picture of the thousands of pieces I have to cut!

Speaking of mysteries, remember I"m doing that mystery quilt for our guild? Well we are on month 3 of 5 months. I don't think I shared my pieces so far with you. I got to see one members blocks/pieces so far last night and I love what she has done! I can't wait to see it done! Anyway, here are pics of months 2 and 3.

Weekend Project

Wanted to share what I've been working on this week and weekend. The pattern is Harvest Fruit and Winterberries from Fig Tree Quilts. I love their stuff! This is going to be a shop sample and class I"m going to teach at the LQS so I"m busy trying to get it done. Yes always waiting till the last moment! I should have the top done by tonight and then it is quilt it, quilt it, quilt it time!
And I found the picture of Finn's Santas straight on! See how much mine look like hers, but mine have way less funny angled seams and no curves!

Flying Dutchman

Finn was showing her Dutchman's Puzzle block she was thinking of doing, and I made a scrappy quilt (above) once with the same block, but it was called Flying Dutchman. Didn't it turn out to be a happy quilt.
For the flying geese I used my all time favorite method - the no math, no waste flying geese. This is the only way I make flying geese now!
http://www.patchpieces.com/Flyinggeese.html

Just thought I would share this quick!

The 3 Tenors.... no wait ... Santa's

Long, long ago Finn posted a picture of a Father Christmas quilt she was working on. I fell in LOVE with it. I had to make it! I asked her what the pattern was, and she no longer had it as it was an old, old pattern and she had actually made the blocks long ago - just never finished them!
So she was kind of enough to get me a straight on shot of the santa's and I drew my own templates, and freezer paper pieced him! I have one more to go. Isn't he adorable! (Oh and I changed the shapes a bit to make it easier to piece! Easy is my name, sewing is my game!)

I have to figure out now how to set them. I'm thinking of a chain of green and white around and inbetween the blocks and then more blue snowflake fabric on the border? Any other ideas? The strip I have laying on them right now was left over from another project so I was just trying to get an idea how it would look.

Thank you Finn for sharing them with us! I can't wait to see your top done!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have good intentions every morning to post, and then to visit blogs. Well as is becoming normal now for me - I walk in the door at work and bam - I'm off and running! So this will be short and sweet. But not too exciting!

These 3 blocks are "in progress" of a bigger quilt I'm making for a shop sample for a BOM type group I"m teaching at the local quilt shop. I worked on them a bit this weekend, but they aren't too exciting yet! But I thought you might like to see them, because as the blocks get done and I get more of them you 'll get to see the quilt grow!

Hope your all having better weather than here - it is gray and cold - brrrr. But on a good note my friend was downtown Chicago today and got us tickets to go see Wicked in September! Wooo Hooo! I had to make sure she didn't get them for when I"d be down visiting Laura and Linda!

Cardinal Feathered Star

My sister was kind enough to go over to my mom's house and take 2 pictures of the cardinal feathered star I made her years and years and years ago! This was made way back when, so it doesn't hang exactly straight - but I still think it is pretty striking! I made 2 of these, one for mom and one for her sister who LOVES cardinals! And this was my first applique - not bad, huh!
I forgot the name of the block exactly (I think it was Christmas Star), but I got the block pattern out of one of my all-time favorite books - 101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts. This book just has great blocks and examples of each block made up into a quilt - and several size options of each block. This block looks so great and was SO EASY to make. If your afraid of feathered stars but want to try one - I highly suggest this book and this star. I was VERY EASY to make.

A couple people asked about my primitive houses and if it was a pattern or my own design. It is a BOM pattern from Canada. Although I had first seen it in the Australian P&Q. I loved it and my good friend there got me the BOM from a shop in AU! When I got the first month I found out the pattern really was from Canada! But I"m loving it! The shop is called Cottage Quilting and the House pattern is House Sampler.
Oh and I'm back - I forgot to show you the birthday cake Emily made for Chloe's birthday Friday! I got home to find this waiting for us! No Chloe did not get chocolate cake for her birthday. I brought home a special bunny shaped treat made out of carrots from the doggie bakery for her! It seemed so mean to feed her a bunny - but she loved every bite of it!

Lucy's Feathered Stars

I had such a good laugh (sorry Lucy) at Lucy's Bra-Star! Here I thought everything she sewed was always perfect! And I"ve been so frazzled and busy lately it was just good to see a funny boo-boo!
Her feathered stars made me think about a few feathered stars I've made over the years. I think the Feathered Star has got to be my favorite block. I"ve always wanted a fancy multi-feathered star quilt, but I"ve just never taken the time to do it.

I have however made 4 feathered star block quilts. The one at the top was for my sister for her entryway of her house. She picked out the colors and fabrics. That one I did get completely finished! The third picture was actually my quilt I made first before I made my sister's! But as you can see I still need to quilt it. It is one I love so much I"m afraid to touch it! Now isn't that just too silly!

The other two were much smaller and were identical. They were feathered stars with a cardinal appliqued in the center. I made those years and years and years ago. And can you believe it, I can't find a picture right now - I know I have one. Anyway, one went to my Aunt (my godmother) who LOVEs cardinal's and the other one went to my mom and she has it hanging on the wall in her entryway. So everytime I go visit I get to see it. They turned out really lovely and it was the first applique I ever did. Maybe I"ll make my sister go take a picture tomorrow and email it to me - that might be easier than trying to find mine!

Its late and I"m tired. Adam and Jenna both decided to hit the midnight showing of Pirates last night, so being a mom, I worried until 3am when they got home. And of course they wouldn't be caught dead in the same theater, so they both went separately to different towns! But they both got home within 10 mins of each other so at least I know they weren't off goofing around somewhere. But so much for sleep! I"m off to bed! I hope I can do some catch up this weekend - I"m missing you all so much!

I"m so sorry. I miss you all!

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm so sorry I haven't been around to visit lately. I'm just going through one of those slumps where I just can't keep up with everything, so I just don't find time to come visit your blogs. So please know I"m around and ok - and I'm going to be visiting even if I don't leave a comment! I have several HUGE projects due at work, and then 4 teenagers with summer "stuff"! Say nothing about the new dog!

I did find time this weekend to work on the next month of my primitive house quilt. I finished month 2 and got it added to month 1! Doesn't it look fun! Now to find time to work on the 200 other projects I need to get done! Well ok, it feels like 200 anyway!


For those of you working on the Nearly Insane quilt by Liz Lois - guess what! She spoke at our guild last night (she is the one on your right in the pictures above) and I got to see it in person last night! I took as many pictures as I could, but I ran out of time to take a lot. some of the blocks have so many pieces in that 6" block! She said she pieced all the blocks regularly by machine - no paper piecing! I think some blocks have over 200 pieces in the 6" square! She also said that some antique dealers who had seen the original antique quilt said hers was an excellent reproduction of the original - and poor Liz is still waiting to see the original! It is owned by an older couple and she has never gotten to see it. She hopes someday it will be in a museum where she can see it. So here are a few up close pics of the blocks for you to enjoy.

Chloe's Home

Chloe's Home! We had a very good first night! Chloe's slept in Emily's room and didn't whine or bark at all! Sarah was afraid she might, but we did good. Emily said the weirdest part was waking up in the night to find Chloe sitting up staring at her!



Poor Chloe had a bad night Friday before we got her. Sarah had to take her to the emergency room because she finally had had it with her bandage and chewed it off, so she had to take her to the emergency room and have the stitches checked and get an e-collar. Oh she looked so sad when we picked her up! But we found if we are with her she only goes to lick them a few times, so we can take the collar off if we are around to watch her. So she only needed to sleep with it on.

And Chloe is already like velcro to me and Emily! She has behaved so well considering the stress from the spaying and a new home and people. What a wonderful weekend this is!