Owl Swap

We all have "those" kind of friends. You know the one. She suckers you into something batting her eyelashes, smiling ever so pretty and all the while beckoning you with her claws! LOL! Well my friend suckered me! (Silly me, I fell for it......AGAIN!) Our quilting group had an owl swap. They had 8 months to complete 21blocks, one for each of the participants. The day the blocks were turned in, THE VERY DAY, during the meeting, in front of the group, I received the eye batting, sweet smiled question..."Would I like to make up for the one person that didn't fulfill their responsibilities?" I fell for it and then the claws came out...."finish the blocks in one week?" Oh, did I run screaming? Did I even see the claws? Did I stop to consider that it was the week that school was starting, two weeks before all the Jewish holidays and my most busiest time of the year? Whatdaya think! Of course not! I said yes. On the plus side, my eye batting, sweet talking, claw wielding friend is also very, very nice. She and another dear friend helped immensely and were vital to the completion of my blocks. I didn't finish in one week but did have them ready at the next meeting. Like the crossed eyes I gave my owls? That was how I felt after the word yes came out of my mouth!


This is the pattern we used.

Minkee Monday

DH is NOT a cat lover. DH is NOT a cat lover! DH is NOT a cat lover?????? Hmmmm....let's review. Find original evidence here. Ok, I'll give it to him. DH is not a cat lover. DH is a Minkee lover!!!!! BUT, BUT, BUT, she seems to be converting him! LOL!

Last week we had torrential rains and flooding. Just as we left for work on Monday, the skies re-opened and it was a downpour. That night, well into the evening, DH looked at me and said, "There was a little cat in the middle of the freeway." Pause. "It was just sitting there soaking wet." Paauuse. "There was so much traffic and it was pouring. I couldn't just stop in the middle of the freeway. The poor thing was just sitting there." Pause. "The rain was just coming down and there were cars on both sides of me. The traffic was heavy. It was just soaking wet." PAUSE. ........ "I had to drive over it. Neither my tires or the bottom of the car hit it but......" (Now I realize that NOT hitting an animal is not a reason to be called an animal lover, that's just being a decent, caring human being. It's what happened next that is the amazing part.) I looked at him and said, "Awwww, too bad you couldn't stop a get it, Minkee would love a friend to live with her." He didn't even balk!

Hopefully that poor little kitty made it's way out of the middle lane of the freeway. But I have a feeling that the next little orphan Mr. DH sees, will be coming home in his pocket! I don't know how in the world we'll ever explain that one to the girls.

Stash report

My report......dismal! I went to my favorite Creative Sewing Center in San Antonio. I needed to get the perfect background fabric for Aviva's quilt. I found it! It was on sale! It's a 108" backing fabric and is perfect. I bought a ton of it because I use whatever was used in the chuppah for a first year anniversary bed quilt and then anniversary presents for years to come. I wanted to have as much as possible to begin with. They also had Judaic fabric that I'd never seen......Plus, and it's not fabric, but I went ahead and bought the smaller MM templates just in case I change my mind. Suffice to say, I spent a fortune! I had fun but I will use it all. I mostly regret how much I spent!!!!!

Like I said last week, I keep this up and I'll get kicked out of the stashbusting linky!!!

Aviva's Chuppah

Aviva, aka Ms. A is getting married in March. That means I need to make her a chuppah. Serena's chuppah (Mrs. S), was my finest work. A masterpiece. No it wasn't perfect. To another quilter it may have even been simple, the quilting a smidge wobbly, the one side just a bit tippy. It was a stack and whack and the first time I'd ever worked with diamonds. The pattern I used did not include that border and I made it work (I even had to use MATH). I was very proud of that. I machine quilted it on my DSM and I was very proud of that! (never mind the judges in the quilt show thought there was too much white). Aviva's chuppah is going to be another opportunity to create something that I've never done before. Hers too will be a masterpiece, only different. I have been wanting to work with diamonds and hexagons for a long time. I've just been too chicken. Here are the (waaaaay to much) fabrics I've chosen.




This is the way I am going to make the chuppah. I've said before, I love Marti Michell templates (Hi Mr. Michell if you are reading...he searches for hits on Marti's name). I have been wanting to buy this set of templates for a long time. One Sunday morning, while still in my jammies, I punched a few buttons and by Weds. or Thurs., I had this book and the templates.



I actually read the words in this book. I poured over it for days trying to figure out exactly what I wanted. This is a method book not a pattern book. On one hand that made it easier, on the other harder. Not color but value is what I had a hard time with because I am only using one color, green. It took me a while to realize that I'm not quite good enough yet with value to make some of the settings work. It's ok. The one I chose will challenge me enough!




I couldn't resist. I immediately cut a few pieces and tried them out. Guess what?! THEY WORK BEAUTIFULLY! Yes, you need to be carefull. My first attempt at a star is good but not perfect. The outer edges match fine but the inner points missed. That was operator error. I was so excited to put the two sides together that I forgot to pay attenten.



My first attempt at hexagons. (I LOVE, LOVE, grandmothers flower garden and tumbling blocks. I've started a few GFG by hand but never finish....I just may now! Plus with many 6 pointed star designs you need the hex) You can see where the scissors are pointing and at the interesection of the diamond and pink and stripe, that I had a bit of trouble stopping at the right place. Again, I was excited and didn't slow down enough. SLOW is hard work for me.


Here you see I slowed down and made PERFECT HEX'S!!! I am so excited to get started on Aviva's chuppah. She and Chris approved the fabrics and YEAH! I CAN GET STARTED.

The weather!

This is what happened in my town over the weekend. My daughter left to drive home literally in the nick of time and got out before the roads flooded. It isn't like these images are miles and miles from my house. Some are nearby, some a few miles away, but all in my city. We had between 11 and 15" of rain depending on your location. We were somewhere in between at our house. No flooding at my house but the end of my street and surrounding streets whoa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5MGQvywzZQ

Design wall Monday

Look familiar? I only added another project on top of last weeks entry. Sigh....maybe if I stopped posting blog posts I'd actually sew!!!! LOLOL!! It's there because I'm trying to decide how to quilt...plus I am picking out the terrible quilting I'd done earlier.



I always forget to remind ....go to Judy's blog and see what everyone else is working on.....

Minkee Monday

It's DH's birthday. I think Minkee was thrilled. This box is no bigger than
6X15". She found it comfy and cozy!



I couldn't resist closing her in. She stayed put!

Just a bit of rain

Love rain but WOW! Last night and today have been amazing. Here is photographic proof. All these were taken within a 4 block radius of our house. The end of our street was flooded but we est. long ago that ours is the highest house on the block. It's a good thing when it rains so much.



The view looking out my enclosed patio. For reference, it was taken at about 11 am. Looks like nighttime huh. I think I detect white caps on the lake.



The pond in my side yard. I'm looking out the window... no way I was going out to get this picture. See the pond?



In front of the middle school for those of you that have been to visit. To those that haven't, come on down and you'll have a point of reference!







A block down from the middle school




On the major street that connects to ours. I wouldn't have done this but the little Ford Focus made it through. Can't imagine that they had dry feet though!

Stash Report?

Stash report. Hmmm.....Welll.....Uhmmmm......we are supposed to be committed to REDUCING the stash???? I think I have this entire idea mixed up, backwards and cattywomppus! I haven't been sewing. I haven't been producing...but man o man! I have been stash enhancing. I think I'm going to be kicked out of the stash report system!!!!

Case in point #1
My folded stash



Case in point #2
The bolt of fabric that cost only 1$1.50/yd at Walmart. It's from Possibilities people! A good fabric at a good price. Too bad that it's an ombre..which I don't like too much, it was cheap and will make excellant backs to projects.



Case in point #3
The bits of fabric, not fat quarters, not yardage, not cut to size, in color bins.



Case in point #4
Fat quarters.



Case in point #5
Bins. Mostly filled with various sizes. Some filled with speciallty scraps like novelties, homespuns ect., that don't fit into the upper bins. The specific sized strips I never use. I have decided to purge these bins and only cut 3-4 sizes of strips. Just need to get to the task....



Case in point #6.
More bins. These I use a bit. Sized 1', 2', 21/2"...



Case in point #7
The fabric for Aviva's chuppah. Oh, it doesn't look like much but that bag is stuffed with greens!



Plus I forgot to take pictures of of the huge bin of Americana fabric.... huge bin! Plus the huge bin of 5" squares, the bin of UFO's (the least problematic of all the bins and shelves!) and the bolt of Kona in the closet. Oh and did I forget the drawers of embroideries???? (AND WHAT PROJECT HAVE I CHOSEN TO WORK ON??????? LEFTOVER ITTY BITTY HALF SQUARES THAT AREN'T EVEN MINE!!!)

I really want to use this fabric, mostly because no more will fit, but have discovered that I've bought pretty fabrics, not necessarily useful fabrics. Plus... well, I think I'm in the dreaming mode right now and owning some of this is as nice as making things....sorta! I am not in the mood to stress over it today. I'll save that, and the guilt of having soooo much stuff, for another day. Today I'm just confessing that my stash is out of control. OUT OF CONTROL! The consequences of that will just have to wait.

Pop on over to Judy's blog and check out how everyone else is really controlling their stash!!

State of my backside

Some time ago, I did the "State of my backside" reports. (the beginning coincided with the state of the union from the president). I then re-gained all the weight I had lost and stopped the SOMBS reports. Well, I've now re-re-lost the same 60 lbs. BUT have 30 more to go. I have been futzing around with this 30 lbs for months now.....haven't lost an ounce. In fact, I've gained 5 lbs. (SIGH). On the other hand, I have been struggling mightily with my RA this entire year. I am on my 3rd round of oral prednisone + a couple of shots for this year . The fact that I've managed to keep this weight off, continue to exercise regularly, meet with my trainer, AND take prednisone and massive amounts of ibuprofen, gives me some measure of accomplishment....but not enough! 10 lbs. gone would certainly help! So, I've decided to reinstate the State of my backside reports. Not feeling well is not a good enough excuse to allow either the weight to come back on or to become complacent in my efforts. Perhaps being accountable to WRITING down my accomplishments, and to my 3 readers left after my extended neglect of this blog, will spur me on to better eating habits and additional exercise. We'll see, we'll see....

If I could weigh what is on the scale in the picture........

Design Wall Monday

THis has been on my design wall for at least 6 months....maybe more.





It comes from this quilt that I made this at retreat in January....




.....for my husband. He in turn promised it to his dad. I never bound the thing! It's been sitting here patiently waiting while I recover from my quilting funk.

However, this is design wall Monday. Why the funky, wonky table runner looking thing? It was what I started to assemble to create a quilt from the leftovers from the quilt. I got this far, decided it looked like a table runner and quit! Perhaps my current streak of inspiration will allow me to work on it as a quilt...or at least finish it as a table runner!

Some friends are a pain!

I don't know if it's me or my friend Cccatlover that is the pain! See, she is making a fabulous 30's quilt. It has lots and lots of with lots and lots of cut off triangles. I couldn't bear for them to go to waste so she saves them for me, I sew, trim and put them in a box. I've been working on them again (OH did I mention that they will finish at 1"??) . Sew, iron, trim. Sew, iron, trim.




When I was in Ohio, I had my BIL help me separate them. (because of his brain tumor he is like a man with brain injury. It was a challenge for him to separate them into the proper piles). Here, I am on my own.


This is a SMALL pile of blue and white half squares waiting to be trimmed....




How many do you think are in this little tiny baggie??? 160!! Yes, all that work and once assembled 160 teeeny blocks will only work out to be 40X40....INCHES!!!



This is the pile I have left to sew. Doesn't look like much but trust me! There are a million little half squares in that pile.



I have no idea how many more she has for me...She keeps threatening to send more. All I know is I am nuts and she is literally becoming a pain in my neck! This is hard work! But I sure am enjoying myself with this mindless little ditty!

Doesn't look like much but....

I think it's safe to say that I have been in a quilting/blogging funk. It's really not even a funk that I was too worried about but it lasted soooo long this time. I am however, happy to report, that I am starting to put that funk where it belongs! I have been sewing. See the pile in the picture? It doesn't look like much. However, under the quilt that needs bound, there are two table runners that I finally finished adding borders to....after 3 years. There is also a top made from the orphan blocks leftover from Ms. A's "I used to be a pillow" quilt. Tucked in the drawer off to the left where you can't see, is a table runner that I began to quilt but the tension was off. I threw it in there in disgust about 6 months ago. Yesterday I ripped out all but the teeniest stitches. Oh and that quilt in the pile? The goal is to have it finished by the end of the week. It only needs to be trimmed and bound!






So if there is anyone left that has kept me on their blog reading list....I think, just think, that I'm back. Stay tuned....

I think...

I think....I think....I think...I've been sewing! It isn't an enormous amount but....I finished the tops of two table runners that have been here for two years, put together some leftover blocks to make a top and made pillows for work! It isn't much but it's sewing! Yeah!!! More updates very soon! I am so happy that I am sewing again! WhooHooo!