In the Nick of Time

The second block of Judy's Star BOM! Whew! Now I'm caught up and waiting for tomorrow to get the third block! And, yes, I weenie-wimped out on the mitered corners! LOL

Stash Report Week 35

It's 4:00 in the morning!! I'm ready to rumble!!! I'm ready to sew!!! I'm ready to get my numbers positive!!!

No purchases to report this week. An order has been placed, though, for next week.

Big bust this week! 79.25 yards sent out for charity quilts! Plus a quilt top that I'm not counting in this number. I actually can see little dents here and there in my stash! Hooray!

I'm watching the hurricane news. Things aren't looking good for south central Louisiana. I'll talk to Don and Gail about midday and get the latest news from the home front.

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 367.25 yards
Purchased: 577.25 yards
Net YTD: <210.00> yards busted

Will be working on BOMs this weekend. I need to get Judy's Star Block 2 done, so I'm ready when Block 3 is revealed tomorrow. I feel the need to sew this weekend instead of appliquing; I need to burn off some of this nervous energy!

Watching Hurricane News

It's going to be a long weekend watching the weather channel and trying to figure out if Don and Gail are going to be okay. The projected path of Gustav right now is heading ashore right where they live, but it has moved every so slightly west all day. Landfall is predicted for Tues. around noon, so there's a lot that can change by then. Needless to say, I'm worried sick about them.

I pulled out some applique that I prepped a couple of weeks back. This is a BOM that Kimberly at The Fat Quarter Shop had this year called Debbie's Shangri-La Garden. It's about half pieced and half applique. This will be my comfort project this weekend in the calm before the storm.

I'm feeling so much better. Thank you all for your comments and emails over the past two and half weeks. I was one sick puppy! I'm not completely well yet, but feeling better every day.

My stash report will be a good one this week. I think more went out than came in! I think! LOL.

Judy and I are going to worry together this weekend. Her parents are west of Don, so they're in danger also. If anyone else wants to join in, we welcome all worriers!

Stash Report Weeks 33 & 34

No matter how sick I get, I can still poke buttons. LOL. Week 33 was a no purchase/no bust week.

Week 34: Every year for my birthday I buy myself something special, usually non-quilty. This year I decided it would be fabric because I just fell in love with this quilt! It's Heritage, Collection for a Cause, by Howard Marcus of Moda. Isn't it beautiful?!! I also purchased a tower of this collection. I want to add one more row across and down to get it to the size I need for my bed. I will need to get two or three yards of the yardage when it comes out to complete the quilt. This will look awesome in my bedroom.

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 288.00 yards
Purchased: 577.25 yards
Net YTD: <289.25> yards busted

So two weeks, 22.5 yards. No busts. I did get some applique prepped but felt too poorly to do any stitching.

I Survived!

At least I think I have. I've been working this week for as long as I could handle it each day. Today I worked 6.5 hours. I've never had pneumonia and hope to never get it again. Fighting for air is real scary. But I'm on the mend, and I'm sure I'll be fully recovered by next weekend. Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments and emails. Every time I stumbled to the computer, you brightened my day and made me feel so good!

Today is my birthday. A real low-key, uneventful day, but it was really nice. My accounting staff gave me a wonderful quilt book and some sunflowers. Those are just the happiest flowers. A dashchund card signed by Daisy was nestled inside the sunflowers!



A very dear friend, Lady Baltimore, made this beautiful Baby Nines quilt for me. Her work is exquisite, and it's all from Robyn Pandolph fabrics. I adore Robyn Pandolph! Judy quilted it, and her feathers and butterflies are just stunning. I can't even tell you how surprised I was to get this box! The quilt was beautifully packaged in a gorgeous blue and white toile Moda bag, and Lady B even tucked "The Little New Orleans Cookbook" inside! As an aside, Lady B's sweet DH and I love singing the LSU fight song during football season!! LOL. Thank you so much, honey! This quilt will be treasured and loved!

My dear friend, Sheila, as usual, was way too generous. I've been picking her brain about working with wool, so she sent me a beautiful assortment of variegated perle cotton, some personalized quilty return address labels, a gorgeous beaded necklace, a Rotary Lite, and some wonderful sayings on wood and tin. Sheila, I love you!

And if that weren't enough, there was a beautiful floral arrangement of roses and lilies delivered to the office this morning from my sweetest little friend in the whole wide world!! I'll get a good picture of them tomorrow to share. You made my heart happy today, little pumpkin! I'm sorry I missed you when I called. (I always forget about the time difference!) ILY!

I'll be celebrating again tomorrow with Jane and her sweet DH. I'm sure there will an adventure or two to report!

Thank you to everyone, again, for checking in on me and making this week special. I am truly blessed!

One more thank you: Nicky, you saved my life this week with your wonderful box of soups and teas! I didn't have much appetite, and it really hit the spot! I love you!

Oh, shoot, I always forget something! Kimberly is having a give-away at Jolly Jabber! Be sure to head on over there and join in the fun!

Health Update

It turns out I have pneumonia. No wonder I felt so awful and couldn't take a deep breath this morning. Three hours at the doctor, breathing treatments, a really mean injection, new meds - I should start feeling better in a few days. I have a few pieces prepped so I can sit and stitch in little spurts. I really want to sleep, and I'm doing a lot of that, but it feels better in an upright position. I can sit up for about an hour before I start feeling really weak.

My "BOM Month" is slipping by and I haven't accomplished as much as I wanted at this point. So I'm going to extend it through September also. I should have plenty of prepped applique to take with me to Louisiana at the end of September.

Back to bed for me now. For the first time in my life I'm having absolutely no trouble falling asleep while it's light outside.

Sick

I'm so sick with the worst flu and bronchitis. I left work a little early on Tuesday and went to Urgent Care. Went to work on Wednesday, but had to leave about 2:00. I stayed home today. I don't miss work.

Going back to Urgent Care in the morning if things don't change overnight. She told me to come back because they may need to change the antibiotic if this one didn't work.

I have a package that should have already gone out to Loretta for winning the give-away. Loretta, I promise it will go out by Saturday. Yes, I'm fretting over it. I'm sorry.

Stash Busting Tips

Quiltland Chronicle blog cracked me up today! Great stash busting tips, Helen! I'm sure a lot of us will be putting your suggestions to good use!!

What a day! You can't take me anywhere! I was hurrying out of Acctg. today with something for the CEO, and caught the pocket of my pants on the handle of a file cabinet. Practically ripped those things right off of me; tore down the side seam from the waistband to my knee. I had to hold them together until I made the delivery, and then found out there was only one small safety pin in the whole office. Guess this is why Mom always said to wear pretty underwear. Well, actually I think she said "clean and pretty"! LOL

Quiltathon Weekend

Here are the four corner blocks of the Butterfly Kisses BOM. There's a lot that goes between these blocks! LOL I didn't get much sewing done yesterday before I left for Jane's house, but today will be spent doing another block or two on this project.



Block 5 is humongous!!! Good grief, it drawfs the 20" blocks above and below it. I feel like I'm making quilts with each one! I think I'll stop for the weekend and do laundry! LOL

Stash Report Week #32

Busted some stash this week! Can you believe it? LOL Okay, so this was Plan B, but it's out of here, so it counts!

One's Trash; Another's Treasure Drawing - 16.5 yards
Backings for charity quilts -- 69.5 yards
Total Busted: 86.25 yards!

Amazingly, my stash room looks almost exactly the same ..... you would have thought taking out 86.25 yards would have made at least a little dent!

Purchased - you knew this was coming, didn't you? - 46.75 yards. That order I placed last week with the Fat Quarter Shop landed on my doorstep. Pretty stuff, and all has a purpose. I know it doesn't look like it, but I truly am buying a lot less!

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 288.00 yards
Purchased: 554.75 yards
Net YTD: <266.75> yards busted

One thing occurred to me yesterday. I have always been so sentimental about my stash. I've cherished it like a beloved pet. Those FQ towers were way too pretty to actually use. The Robyn Pandolph closet made my heart go pitty-pat when I opened the door. But for the past month I've been pulling stuff out, untying jelly rolls and towers, pulling fabric from the RP closet, actually (gasp!) cutting it up and using it! I feel so liberated!! I LIKE that feeling!

Trash; Treasure Drawing Winner!

Thanks to all of you who asked to be put in the drawing.

I used random number generator, and the winner is:

You show such wonderful work and have great taste in fabrics. Please throw my name in the hat.
Thanks,
Loretta

I've put another box in my stash room, and over the next month or so I'll be filling it up and having another drawing.

I'm stash busting - one way or another. Thanks for helping me do that!!

One's Trash; Another's Treasure! TIME'S UP!

I'm going to be going through the stash for the rest of the year and about once a month or so boxing up pieces that I know in my heart of hearts I won't use. I don't know if anyone else will want it either - but I'll have a quickie drawing if any of you happen to be interested. The smallest piece is 1.5 yards; the largest is 3 yards. There's a total of 16.75 yards here.

Let's end this fairly soon - say by, oh, 10:00 Pacific time tomorrow night (Saturday 8-9-08). I'll draw and announce no later than Sunday morning when I get up.

It's also a great way to recycle those Fat Quarter Shop boxes that I hate to throw away!! LOL

Oh, yeah. I always forget this part. I need to be able to get in touch with you if your name is drawn. So if your name doesn't link to your email or blog, be sure to leave your email address on your post. Thanks.

Butterfly Kisses Begins

This was way too easy! LOL. I cut and sewed together the first Butterfly Kisses block before I got in the shower this morning. I won't have any trouble getting the other six done and caught up on this BOM! This block is gigantic - 20" finished! Holy cow! That was fun to do after appliqueing those teeny tiny things I've been working on!

The colors aren't very true in my picture. It's really going to be a lovely quilt!

Any other BOMers started on their projects for the month?

Block-of-the-Month Month!!

It's already the 6th, and I haven't started on my BOM Month! Well, I've kind of started because I did the Angels Among Us first block that I posted a couple of posts back, and of course, the Star BOM that Judy has designed for us.

I thought about it all day and was fretting and worrying about which one to work on, but I decided to do whichever ones I want. I won't catch up on them, but even if I just get one or two blocks done, that's forward movement!

I'm going to start with Butterfly Kisses. It's an awesome quilt, 91" square. These are not colors I would normally choose, but I fell in love with the design of the quilt. The fabrics are so much prettier in person. I have in mind a family member who might like it. Seven out of ten blocks have already been received, so it's aged nicely waiting on me! I just might catch up on it as these are all pieced blocks and look fairly easy! Go Vicky!

Come on and join in the BOM fun this month! I'm celebrating my birthday all month long, and this kind of no-obligation month is a perfect present to myself!! LOL

Oh, a friend of a friend of mine is auditioning for American Idol on Friday in Kansas City. Her name is Martina Wyatt, and she has an awesome voice. Go Martina! If she makes the show, I'm going to be asking all my bloggerland buddies to help in voting for her!

Life around the Quilting Condo is really quiet these days. It's too hot to go out much, so Daisy and I have settled into a nice nightly routine. I sew and she snores! She's getting more precious to me every day. She's almost totally blind now, but she has the best temperament. Never gets frustrated when she's bumping into things, but sticks real close to me until I lead her to her quilt and cover her up. That's what I hope someone will do for me when I get feeble! Just lead me to a quilt! LOL

I'm going to read directions now on Butterfly Kisses, so I'll be ready to roll tomorrow night!

Almost There!

Two small inner borders and a wider outer border and this puppy is done! It was a labor of love! I learned how to use those templates, and now I can go back and do the last one that I chickened out on! See? You can teach old dogs new tricks! LOL

Oh, forgive the crooked picture! It's laying out on the floor upstairs in my stash room, and I was backed into the bathroom trying to get it all in.

I can't wait for the next Patchwork Party! I've got a feeling it's going to be another beauty!

Stash Report Week 31

I was at a crossroad this week as to what to work on, having finished all the applique on the first block of Angels Among Us and the first block on Judy's Star BOM. Now what?

I took a look around and decided to clean off my sewing table. Since pink and brown fabric was strewn everywhere, that was first up.

Only the borders and backing count as busts, 6.75 yards. There's another 4.5 yards boxed up and ready to be mailed out tomorrow. So 11.25 yards busted this week! This is the first bust since Week 23 and it feels good! Prairie Paisley Patchwork Party get ready; you're up next to finish!

Oh, no purchases this week! A fabric shipment is already on its way to me, so I won't get too excited about this week - bookended between the Long Beach quilt show and an unused coupon from The Fat Quarter Shop! I mean, I couldn't let a perfectly good coupon go to waste, could I?

Judy is about to go positive on her numbers! I have a l-o-n-g way to go. I have started pulling out fabric that I know I won't use and will box it up this week. And recycling all those Fat Quarter Shop boxes! LOL. If I do that a little each month, then I'll be more organized and will be able to more easily find fabric. I haven't a clue what to do with the fabric, though. I figured that if I don't want it, probably no one else will either. Maybe grab box drawings for those of you who make charity quilts and scrappies? There will probably be no piece smaller than a half yard. Suggestions would be welcomed!

I'm heading back into the sewing room to assemble Patchwork Party! Baby steps!

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 201.75 yards
Purchased: 508.0 yards
Net YTD: <306.25> yards busted

Star BOM Block #1

I cut the first block this morning for the new Star BOM by Judy at Patchwork Times before work, and couldn't wait to get home to sew it up!

My yellow/golds don't contrast much, but as my new saying goes .... it stays as it lays!

Can't wait for the next one! Great instructions, Judy!