Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I Can't Find Anything!

I grabbed a small kit tonight to start cutting, and apparently I took the pattern out of it. Have no clue what it's supposed to be! I'll have to call Stars & Scraps this weekend and see if they can give me a hint!

Then after reading Kim's blog about rabbits, I decided to pull out a real easy bunny panel kit. Nope, can't find that either.

So then I pulled out a pattern that my friend, Gwen, sent me years and years ago. I headed upstairs to pull three yards of dark blue Dimples. Can't find that either. All of the Dimples are in one of those tubs that apparently I didn't label.

I cleaned up too good! Sheesh.........

I guess I'll prep some more on All Thing Christmas, but I just wanted to feel the speed of Miss Bernina tonight. LOL

Gratitudes:

~ I'm done with the year-end stuff with a day to spare
~ Boxed up Lisa's quilt to mail to her on Saturday - finally!
~ Just a general feeling of happiness and well-being

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Bendable Bright Light

I mentioned a few blogs back that I picked up this new light at Road. I installed it on my Bernina this weekend, and I absolutely love it.

This picture was taken tonight with almost no other light in the room.



I have so much energy these days. I suspect it's the cool weather. Whatever it is, I love it!

Gratitudes:

~ A big chuckle tonight reading Cowguy

~ Laundry finally caught up

~ A warm fireplace

~ Lunchables

Monday, January 28, 2008

My Weekend UFO-Stash Buster

I had such a good time sewing this weekend! Almost finished this up. Just two plain borders to go! Thank you, Judy, for fixing those pinwheels for me!




I was too tired tonight when I got home to work on the borders, but hopefully tomorrow night. I want this one all finished up before the weekend, backing pieced, binding made, and ready to send off to Judy for quilting! The best part? 100% from stash! :)

Oh, what to work on next? Since Hometown Christmas is sitting there staring at me, I guess it's up!

Gratitudes:

~ Will finish up everything at work tomorrow! Hooray!
~ Four hours of working from home on Sunday makes the rest of the week a lot easier.
~ Laughing at Daisy begging where Judy sat to knit last week!
~ Loving all this rain!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sunday 1-20-08 Stash Report

I was really good this week. I had a redwork pattern come in that I had ordered at the quilt show last weekend, and I only purchased a Diane Phalen quilty jigsaw puzzle at Ginger's.

But ....



Thursday night at Applique Club, Jane gave me half of her wonderful positive/negative polka dot purchases at Road. Uh oh, I guess I need to report the incoming fabric! A total of 3 yards, but since we're collecting dots, I won't beat myself up over it. Of course, I might beat up Jane!! LOL

I've been sewing this weekend on a quilt that Judy designed. This is the one where she fixed all the pinwheels for me. I'm going to go ahead and count the yardage for the top in this week's bust because I'll get it finished up tonight. That's 8.5 yards busted.

The backing will be reported on next week's report. I'm renewing a goal of mine to immediately piece the backing for a quilt when the top is done and get the binding pieced and ready to go on. I set this goal every year, but this year I'm sticking to it!!

So Year-To-Date Totals:

Incoming - 11.25 yards
Busted - 37.25 yards

Net YTD Total: 26.00 yards BUSTED!!

I've so totally enjoyed sewing this weekend! I installed the new light on my Bernina, and it was wonderful being able to see while sewing late last night! Of course, I had to tidy up my sewing table before I could get going. I threw away a bunch of papers that had accumulated. My other new goal -- neatness counts!! That one may be harder to stick to!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Here Comes Santa



I love Bird Brain Designs. Love their stuff. When I first visited their booth at Road, I saw this adorable redwork wallhanging, and decided to think about it a bit. Well, about 15 minutes later I was ready to go back and buy it. They were out! Okay, I didn't really need it! The last day of the show, I went back to their booth to get their business card, and found out they were taking orders for the pattern and also the red perle cotton for the redwork. I ordered it last Sunday and promptly forgot about it.

The postman rang the doorbell a while ago and handed me a package. It was the order from Bird Brain! What a nice surprise!

And it was not fabric!! LOL

Friday, January 25, 2008

Pinwheel Garden

I was so excited to see this quilt again! It's Pinwheel Garden from Nine-Patch Extravaganza. The top was made and sent off to Judy, she quilted it, put the binding on, and I never saw it again. Until last weekend at Road. Imagine my surprise to see it hanging next to her at her book signing table! It's a really fun pattern, and I'd like to make another one in bright colors. But I have about a zillion more of her designs to make first! LOL



Applique Club was last night, and only one person showed up. She was a new attendee, and we had a nice time discussing her project and getting her started. It was pouring rain, and I'm sure the ladies didn't want to get out in that. I had to stop for gas when I left Ginger's, and I felt like a duck by the time I got home!

This weekend I'm going to sew big time! I know I'm going to assemble the blocks shown in the last post, and hopefully finish up borders and all. I need to get back on Hometown Christmas as I've fallen far behind on that challenge. And I also want to finish prepping the last applique block of All Things Christmas. Haircut early tomorrow, and then I'm hiding in my sewing room for the rest of the weekend! UFOs here I come!!

Gratitudes:

~ Our mountains are beautiful and totally white!
~ Special K strawberry breakfast bars. :) :) :)
~ Sticks and stones ...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

I'm Spoiled

I think everyone should have the opportunity for the designer of a quilt they're making to come stay at their house, see a UFO, take apart the mistakes, and remake the blocks for you! Yeah!

I showed Judy a quilt that I was making from one of her patterns. I was real tired one night and sewing beyond the point I should have stopped. Chain piecing, and not testing a block section before sewing more. When I ironed open the pinwheels, they were all wonky. So I just tubbed up the whole project and stuck it in the stash room.

Well, on Monday while I was at work, Judy took apart those pinwheels and fixed them, and then made a completed block for me. I just have to put together 11 more, and assemble the quilt. How cool is that!




It's a shame I couldn't have kept her a couple of months. Think of all the finished UFOs!

Thanks, Judy. I'm going to try to finish up this quilt top this weekend!

I've said it over and over again - she inspires me!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Judy has Left the Building

I dropped her off at the airport about 5:15 this morning, and she has probably already landed and departed Las Vegas and on her way home. Safe travels, Judy. I miss you already!

Having Judy here and getting to know her has been pure joy! I hope she'll come back again soon. I'd like to show her the sights around SoCal, and get some major sewing and chatting time in. Judy is such an inspiration to me, constantly encouraging me to just do quilting things that I was too chicken to try. Yesterday she even fixed some pinwheel blocks for me that I had somehow messed up, and I'm ready to get that UFO finished now.

The week passed way too quickly, but I'll be smiling for months and months as I remember our visit!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Road to CA is History


I'm really tired. I walked the floor all day Friday and Saturday. On Sunday I dropped Judy off and came home to do a few things, and went back to meet her an hour before the show closed. We picked up our quilts after the show, picked up take-out Mexican, and plopped down on the sofa for the rest of the evening!

My quilt looked really nice hanging there. I was nervous about it hanging straight and flat, but it did! Whew! LOL. It was truly an honor to have it juried in, but it will be the last. Unless I wake up one day and realize I've morphed into a show quiltmaker, and I'm certain that won't happen!

The judges' comments were interesting. They liked the background color choice and they "really liked" the inner border. The quilting designs filled the spaces well with "smooth curves," and the placement of the strawberry fabrics created "unity" in the quilt. However ... the proportion of the blocks and sashing created too much "negative space"; I'm really not a very accurate piecer, and I need to improve my mitered corners. Okay, I can live with that. But you can bet I will go over those blocks with a fine-toothed comb to find the problem areas.


Judy's quilt was phenominal. Unfortunately, it's hard to capture the quilting in a picture with the black thread on black fabric. It truly is a stunning quilt.


And our little Miss Judy completely sold out of books and was taking orders for autographed books to be shipped to the buyers. She was awesome! Her accent drew a lot of comments, and there were lots of laughs coming from her corner of the booth. There was always a crowd around her. That gal surely can talk!! I was so proud of her!

I'm still amazed at how little I purchased at the show. Quite a change from prior years! I figured I'd be panic shopping on the last day, but other than picking up something for a friend, and one little wool candle mat pattern with pumpkins, I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without!

Back to the grindstone today. The rest of the month will be awfully busy.

Gratitudes:

~ Quilting friends
~ Inspiration
~ Laughter

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Sunday 1-20-08 Report

Two full days at Road to CA, and I've been so darn good that I'm feeling plumb righteous!!

I did buy a wonderful Country Threads kit using the American Pinwheel #587 pattern, with gorgeous patriotics and tea-dyed colored neutrals. I want the quilt bigger, so I'm going to pull from my stash to make it so. This kit contained 6.25 yards of fabric. This quilt will be my snuggle quilt in the living room.

But then I pulled out a whole pile of marbled FQs for my friends to go through and take. They are all gone! That's 28 yards of fabric out of here!

I can even do the math on this one! 6.25 yards in and 28 yards out! Busted 21.75 yards this week!! Okay, okay, there's no quilt to show for that busted yardage but I'll be sewing again come next weekend!

The show has been wonderful. I picked up maybe three pattens, a book on embroidery, a few packs of wool roving, applique needles, the new Bigger Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley, General chalk pencils, etc., etc. Oh, and some white kitchen towels for embroidery. I also picked up a case for my Pendant Lamp, and a light to hook on the side of my sewing machine. It's called Bendable Bright Light and you can see it at http://www.bendablebrightlight.com/. It was a little pricey but will be perfect for these old eyes.

I am so proud of myself. I was able to satisfy my need to shop without enhancing the stash too much. Everything that followed me home will be put to very good use, and I've rid myself of a whole big bag of fabric! A very good weekend!!

Judy will be going to the quilt show today. I'll drop her off this morning, and then go back at about 3:00 to meet up with her. We have to pick up our quilts between 4:30 and 5:30. My niece will finally get her quilt! LOL

I met some wonderful ladies who stopped by to visit Judy at the book signing. Carol W, hello!! It's so funny to meet someone for the first time who knows your dog's name! LOL

Pictures later.

STASH BUSTING TALLY YEAR-TO-DATE -- 20.5 YARDS!!

Incoming - 8.25 yards
Busted - 28.75 yards

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Busted!

ROFLOL. When we got back to the condo after picking up Judy from the airport on Tuesday night, we opened the front door to take Daisy out for a walk. OMG, there was a box sitting on the doorstep from The Fat Quarter Shop!

BUSTED!! Of all the things to show up when the stash buster leader is here!!

Turns out it was a BOM installment, and that didn't count at all!! Whew!!

She had a good time teasing me about that, though!!

Tomorrow the show starts, and Judy will be signing books all day in Ginger's booth. I have to work. :( Not at all fair!!

Airport Find!


Thought I'd mosey over to the airport after work, and look! I found Judy there!! She posted the same picture on her blog at www.judylaquidara@blogspot.com, but we promise to take more pictures so we won't keep doing that! (And she's going to show me how to do links tonight!)
You should hear the two of us talking! Lots of Cajun accents!!
More later!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Sunday 1-13-08 Report

I busted zero stash this week! Zero! Oh, wait, I take that back. I prepped a block at Applique Club on Thursday night. Wow, probably a fat quarter total! A whole fat quarter! But after this month is over, I'm going to be busting stash big time!! I'm getting together my game plan!

Last night I was talking to Jane. We are both rearranging and cleaning out our stashes. And we both came to the same conclusion .... we have way too much stuff!

I was going on and on about how I kept finding boxes of fabric yesterday, and that I thought I finally had it all rounded up. I was telling her about the kits in my bedroom closet, the closet full of bolts in the stash room, etc., etc., when she reminded me of the linen cabinets in the hallway full of Robyn Pandolph stash. Darn, I forgot about that. And I also just remembered those two big boxes stuffed in the bottom of the pantry in the kitchen.

I'm disgusted with myself. Totally disgusted. And that's a good thing to be with Road to CA next week! I can remember the first Road after I started quilting. I spent so much money there. I bought every blasted thing that caught my eye. The ensuing years were better, but still way too many purchases. Last year I got $300 out of the cash machine on the way over there, and came home with money. This year I'll do the same thing. I am buying NO fabric! None! And NO kits! If I just can't live without a pattern or some quilty notion, I'll get that. But NO fabric! I'm going this year for inspiration. I want to look at the quilts, and see if I can't find something to motivate me! That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!!

So back to stash busting .... year to date .... I ordered a couple of yards that I needed for a very special project that I'll be making after Road, and I only busted a few fat quarters on applique.

I figure I've negatively busted about 1.25 yards. That's <1.25> yards busted so far this year. Negative. As in more incoming than outgoing. ROFLOL. I can't wait for February to roll around! That number is going to change significantly!

Oh, shoot. I just went in the garage to toss a box in the recycle can and found another box of fabric out there. I remember unloading the trunk of the BMW before trading her in on the new QuiltMobile .......

And for those of you who asked if my dryer was still playing Christmas music - it's not. I guess wherever that little disc is in there, it finally died. Thank God!!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Please, No Laughing!

I just went in the garage to turn on the dryer. When the clothes started tumbling, something started playing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" in the dryer. I opened the door and it stopped; closed it and it started again. So I stopped it, took everything out, checked pockets. Nothing. Started it up again, and the music started again. It sounds like one of those greeting cards you open up and music plays. After a while it stopped.

Don't laugh. It happened. I don't know. Maybe I need to go back to bed.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

My Life is SO Complicated!


I've been using that light sofa for almost three years. It was purchased for the formal living room in my home, and it's what I ended up with after the divorce. I vacuum that thing every week and spot clean it about once a month. But if I'm anywhere near it, I will spill something or drop something on it. It's like a dirt magnet.

So last weekend I thought it was time for a change. Since burgandy and navy blue are my favorite colors, and since I have these two dark blue leather wingback chairs, it was time to just do it. So I found one that I could live with and had it delivered Sunday. Oh, boy, I was so excited about doing some folk art decorating around that puppy.

Well, the best laid plans and all .......... I didn't even think to ask beforehand if the furniture store would haul away the old sofa. Nope. Sorry Charlie. I called a few places to come get it for free, along with some end tables and lamps that are in the garage. Nope. So I'm sitting here waiting to see if the guy I'm going to pay $125 to haul it away will show up.

In the meantime, I know everyone reading this is totally jealous that I've got two sofas sitting in my living room!

I'm all discombulated. I can't vacuum until everything is moved out. I had to move the chest away from the front of the old sofa, which means I had to empty all the hidden BOMs out of it. They're all piled on the dining room table. The wingback chairs are pushed into the dining room and breakfast room. Daisy has to crawl under things to get out of her kennel.

Man, this is the pits.

But he just called and he's on his way! Hooray! Things are looking up!!!!

Monday, January 07, 2008

I just have to say it!


LSU!! NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!


GEAUX TIGERS!!!


One interesting thing I heard tonight. The commentators were bragging that the Superdome had a record crowd of seventy thousand something for this game.

Heck, LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge packs in 92,000 at EVERY football game! We Cajuns sure do take our football seriously!! LOL. And I'd wager there's some serious partying going on tonight! Laissez les bon temps rouller!



Sunday, January 06, 2008

Sunday 1-6-08 Stash Report


I did a little applique on New Year's Day - because, after all, what you do on New Year's Day, you do for the rest of the year! LOL
This is the sum total of my stash depletion efforts this week. Pitiful, huh? What would you call this, two fat quarters?
All that stash and I'm appliqueing tiny little pieces. Sheesh... I need an intervention!
This is the second block from the Anne Sutton, Bunny Hill Designs pattern, "Strawberry Hill." It still needs some embroidery. I love Anne's patterns! She's the guest blogger this week at http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/. Anne's a real neat lady!
I really don't expect to bust much stash this month what with the yearly financials at work, CPAs in for the annual review, etc. I'm sure going to try, but I truly expect February to be my first real productive quilting month. But no purchases this week except for a couple of yards ordered that will be used immediately for a special (and late) Christmas present!
Gratitudes:
~ Tylenol Extra Strength for sore muscles
~ Hot Pockets
~ The rain!
~ Certainty of convictions
~ Daisy's "help" cleaning the stash room!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Better! Much Better!




Still not done, but at least you can walk in there.

Tomorrow bedding and quilts get washed and a whole lot of vacuuming will be going on!! LOL

Organizing? Yikes!





I decided to tackle the stash room today. What was I thinking?!!

That room is pretty good sized, and the entire floor was covered with baskets of fabric, bags of fabric, boxes of fabric, tubs of fabric, fabric, fabric, fabric. I stopped in at Target this morning and picked up 12 additional tubs. They're full and this is what's still needing to get rounded up.
My goal was to get the tubs in the garage, but that's going to take more organizing in the garage.

I guess I can get in the closet and organize it better so that maybe some of those tubs will fit. Maybe. The problem is the bolts lining the top of all the closets.

I honestly don't know how this happened in 6.5 short years. Definitely don't need ANY more fabric EVER. Maybe it's a good thing this job was undertaken right after the stash-busting resolution!

Gratitudes: I'll have to ponder this a bit..............

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Early 1998


This is a really old picture that I found yesterday while cleaning out the garage. Daisy was less than a year old, and we had taken her to see the Dachshund races one Sunday. I don't even remember where we were, but it was a little German village setting and just beautiful. There was a restaurant right next to the races that had outside tables and your dogs were welcomed at the tables. This was her first venture out anywhere except to the vet. She was nervous in the car, but was really alert looking at all the other doxies once we got there. And she thoroughly enjoyed the special plate of dog food we ordered for her off the menu! Spoiled? Naw!

It's not a very good picture of me, but it's definitely one for the scrapbook! My hair was growing back after being shaved and then lost again following the illnesses in 1996 and the meds which lasted through three-quarters of 1997. I told the whole story in my June 11, 2006 blog. This was my first real haircut in almost two years. My hairdresser talked me into cutting all the scragglies off and getting it into somewhat of a style. My bangs were barely covering the scar which started in my hairline above the middle of my forehead. I remember at this point in the day I was really tired, and was ready to go home and lay down. Still didn't have much strength at this point. But it was a fun day!
What a sweet little Daisy. She was so skinny!! And young!! Despite all her health problems now, she's still just the sweetest puppy you'd ever want to meet!
Happy New Year!