Things To Do

I figured if I threw them all up on the dining room table and the chairs surrounding the table, that I'd be more inclined to get them done. Just to get that mess off of there.

This is really pitiful. Some of these need the backings pieced. Some just need the final border sewn on. There are four quilts in a box behind the table that need the bindings sewn on. The blocks are made for a couple of these projects and they need to be assembled. A couple just need three or four more blocks made. All of these are within easy-finish reach.

I really need to get these finished up and put into the to-be-quilted box. I'm usually really good about getting them out to quilters once they're in that box. And I want to get them finished up because I've got a new project on the horizon .... cleaning out the garage.

You see, I was the winner of the FoodSaver on Judy's give-away last week.



I'm really excited about getting back into the kitchen to cook. I haven't cooked much in the past four years because it just seems to be too much bother for one person, and I wasted so much food because I couldn't store it properly. Now I can! I'll now cook and save it in the freezer.

What freezer, you ask? The one I'm going to buy as soon as I get that area of the garage cleaned out!

After I get these projects in the to-be-quilted box.

After I quit procrastinating...

And get off the computer.

Thank you so much, Judy! I'll be asking you tons of cooking questions and closely watching your recipe posts!

And thank you for making me get all those projects off the dining room table so then I can cook and put food in the freezer that will be in the clean garage!

It's funny how you can connect everything in your life if you really want to, a six degrees of separation kinda thing.

Bears Progress

That's all I could manage today. Will get the other two borders on it this week. Thank you, Judy, for a great project!

2009 Designer Mystery BOM

I'm so excited about the 2009 Designer Mystery BOM that starts in June. I mean, really excited! I keep going back and looking at the link at The Fat Quarter Shop!

I'm doing the 2008 Designer Mystery BOM, and it has been so much fun. The blocks are not real complicated but they look like they are. I was sorry it was coming to an end until I saw the announcement for the 2009 one. You know, like a really good book that you don't want to finish reading? Well, this is the sequel!! LOL.

Anyway, I need to get busy in my sewing room before this one starts. Brenda Riddle designed the finishing kit for it, and she comes up with the most awesome quilts. I'm a real Brenda groupie after doing the Prairie Paisley quilt that she designed. If you ever get a chance to meet Brenda, do it. She is just the sweetest person I think I have ever met.

The 2009 Designer Mystery uses the Glace line that I'm about to pop to get my hands on. Moda always makes me wait until the end of the season before they release my very favorite fabrics! Yeah, they're real teasers. I know they sit around saying, "Let's make Vicky wait a bit to get this fabric." LOL. But this quilt is going to be totally beautiful and will be well worth the wait.

I know I'm going on and on about this quilt. Everyone will just have to bear with me -- or join me in making it! At just under ten bucks a month plus shipping, it's certainly one that fits the budget! We'll get a little piece of heaven every month delivered from The Fat Quarter Shop! You should hear me squeal when I open the door and find one of Kimberly's boxes on my doorstep!

I've already had six or eight folks email me about it who are as excited as I am about starting. So who else is going to do it with me? Come on, fess up!! We can all hold hands and do it together! :) :) :)

Oops!

Subtitled "Why I shouldn't applique at 6:00 a.m."



You know how sometimes things just don't feel right, but you plow through just to finish this one step?

Well, I appliqued the center of the basket at 6:00 a.m., just to get it anchored down, and then I was going to head over to the sewing machine to begin my Quiltathon day.

Something just didn't feel right about it.

I guess not.

I appliqued the top basket to another prepped one. A two-fer! ROFLOL.



Should have started out the day at the Bernina, I guess!

Stash Report Week 13

I was good this week. Well, good for me. There was even a quilt show involved!

Working with Judy on stash projects this year was a great opportunity for me to see what's in my stash. Her project using stripes, for instance. That got me to also thinking about checks. I have a fair number of checks in my stash, mostly brushed cottons. So when I was looking at The Fat Quarter Shop this week I spotted these wonderful flat cotton checks. I love to use checks in quilts and for binding. Love the texture they add. So I couldn't pass up getting a couple of yards of each of these. They're great colors, especially for folk art quilts. These are from the Stone Cottage line by Andover Fabrics. That's a beautiful line.

That was it for me! But next week will be delivered this gorgeous Aviary quilt kit. This one will be really easy applique. I love doing leaves, so I should be in applique heaven on this one!

Oh, speaking of applique, I prepped five more basket this week and have done 2.5 of those. I'll get the other two done today. That will be 15 done, 276 to go. At some point I'll need to figure out how much stash I'm busting on each block. A gal's gotta get a bust anywhere she can!

I loaded up the dining room table with quilts tops that just need a final border added or a backing that needs to be pieced. My busting totals over the next couple of weeks will show some needed improvement!

Here are my totals. I thought I should post those first before I continue below with my wish list! LOL

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 119.50 yards
Purchased: 239.125 yards
Net YTD: <119.625> yards

There are so many beautiful things at The Fat Quarter Shop. I don't need any of them, but I sure do want them! For instance, the 2009 Patchwork Party. Those fabrics are wonderful! I'm still debating this one, but you know how it is when I debate something. I'm just saying ...

And this Pinwheels in Flight kit. I've made that pattern, and it was so much fun. Combining the pattern with those Aviary fabrics - oh, my! The poking finger is hovering over THAT button!

Something else I've developed a renewed interest in over the past few months is '30s fabric. Look at this gorgeous line, Everything But the Kitchen Sink. I noticed at the quilt show yesterday there were tons of '30s quilts hanging. My stash is almost completely depleted of those, but I have a crumb quilt coming along out of Jane's toss-aways from a cutting weekend party we had a year or so ago. Just might have to replenish the '30s stash here. There just isn't much that's sweeter than a '30s quilt using traditional blocks with some simple applique in the border.

Oh, goodness, window shopping at The Fat Quarter Shop is hazardous to my stash! ROFLOL.

Had Fun Today

Jane came over this morning, and we decided at the last minute to head over to the little Glendale Quilt Show. It was a beautiful day, and we wanted to get out and enjoy the scenery before it gets hot.

The show was a big improvement over last year. There were nice vendors there, and a lot of beautiful quilts on display. Naturally I forgot to bring my camera!



I saw this Gingher seam ripper last weekend but forgot to get it. So I looked for one today. It's awesome. It's big enough that I won't lose it, and the blade is retractable.

I picked up a couple of patterns, some straw needles, paper hexagons and diamonds, a couple of packs of those really thin pins that I like, and a small quilt hanger. YLI usually has a booth there but didn't this year. I guess I'm going to have to order silk thread online because I sure haven't seen any these past two weekends. I used to not like YLI, but a friend gave me some for Christmas and I'm hooked. I have tons of other silk thread, but I really need some pumpkin-orange colors and some browns. Oh, well, I'm making do with what I have! :)

I'm tired tonight after walking around and standing on my feet all day. But it's a happy kinda tired! Thank you, Jane. It was a great day!

New Toy

My new toy arrived today! I debated for a few months whether I wanted to get a Kindle or not. Then Kindle 2 was released and I just did it!

It's charging now, but I loaded a book onto it and have read a whole three pages. I really like the way it reads, and it feels good holding it.

I'm so electronically challenged. I mean, really, I still can't figure out my answer machine after four years! You've left me a message and I haven't returned your call? Now you know why!! But this is really easy to use - so far!

A very dear friend was comtemplating ordering one, too. I told her what Mom always said ... "If your friend jumps off the Mississippi River bridge, are you going to jump, too?" My friend came back with, "I hope the water's not cold because I'm taking the plunge!" We're going to hold hands and learn how to use these things together!!

What a long, hard, tense week at work. I am so behind in my housework, my quilting, and mostly sorely lacking in sleep. I've laid awake every night this week worrying about the next day. Silly me! But it's Friday and I'm going to enjoy this weekend before it all starts again! I'll probably be quilting Saturday evening and all day Sunday. To heck with the housework!

Simply Sophisticated Month 6 Winner

The winner of this month's Simply Sophisticated drawing for a $25 gift certificate from The Fat Quarter Shop is .........

CAROL of Brown Quilts!

Congratulations, Carol. I'll email you in a few minutes with your gift certificate.

Once again, thank you to The Fat Quarter Shop and Kimberly and Kevin for their generosity! Please visit their shop and see all the new and exciting fabrics, patterns and kits! I've reserved several things in Coming Soon, and am going to spend some time this week going through new patterns. Also, don't forget about the fabrics on sale!!

I've said this a hundred times, but I'll say it again. The Fat Quarter Shop is my favorite place to shop! Sure, I can get that fabric anywhere, but not with the wonderful packaging and delightful customer service that are offered by Kimberly and Kevin!

There are still a few spots available for the Simply Sophisticated BOM. This is going to be one gorgeous quilt. You'll regret it if you don't sign up for it now!!

Looky What I Found

I was digging through the stash yesterday looking for a backing for the Judy's Stash Project quilt. I remembered I had some bolts stored in another closet. I found this unopened bolt! Yep, that will work!! :) :) :)

Stash Report Week 12

Simply Sophisticated BOM makers, please post your finishes HERE. The drawing will be this afternoon. Good luck to everyone!

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I found out when I got home last night that I was the winner of the Food Saver give-away on Judy's blog! I really am excited about this! I waste more food than I eat when I cook because it goes bad or gets freezer burned before I can eat it all! Thank you, Judy!! This is fantastic!! I'm going to buy a small freezer to put in the garage, and hope to have meals-ready-to-eat each night!! Thank you so much!!!

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Now on to business at hand .... just go ahead and kick me out of the Stash Busting Club. Do it quickly so it will be painless. I deserve to be kicked out!!

Where do I start?





The Fat Quarter Shop, that's a good place to start this week's report. I picked up 7 yards of Baskets of Flowers from them, but they were out of one of the fabrics I wanted, so I found 3 yards at another online shop. My beloved Peace on Earth fabric suddenly appeared on Kimberly's site, so 5 yards of the red/green polka dots. Anne Sutton's Rabbits Prefer Embroidery kit came in, 5.75 yards. And then Darlene megged me big time with the Moda Bella Ivory, so I had to get a bolt of that, 15 yards. And there are 2 more yards winging their way to me from Kimberly. So before I even went on the quilt shop adventure yesterday, I was already in trouble to the tune of 37.75 yards.

But it only got worse.



Jane and I went with two quilting friends to four shops. The first one, Candy's in Northridge, has about 10,000 bolts. It's not a fancy shop, not many samples hanging around. It's just a quilter's dream type shop. You know what I mean. Lots of new stuff, as well as the oldies but goodies. I picked up 10 yards or so of the Moda Crackles. I love Crackles. I say "or so" because there was a 20% off end of bolt, so I think there are a couple of pieces bigger than two yards. I'm using the little scraps I had now in three quilts, including Judy's Bears in the Barnyard. Replacement fabric was in order. Then they had some end of bolts left of Holly Jolly and Merry & Bright, and I was NOT leaving those in the store! The creams with small trees, etc., will make great Christmas quilt backings. All total, the damage at Candy's was 42.75 yards.

Then we went to an artsy type quilt store called The Quilter's Studio in Newbury Park. They had fabric from all over the world, and it was interesting to see it all, but really not my cup of tea. So I bought a magazine on organizing (ha!) and designing a studio, and called it good.

Now it gets really bad.



Cotton & Chocolate in Thousand Oaks - as soon as I walked in, I knew I was a goner. I'm just glad I don't live near that shop. They had shirtings, which was the sole fabric item on my shopping list. I got a yard of all the black/tan shirtings they had, plus some FQs for the basket blocks. Only picked up 12.75 yards in there, which is really good considering I wanted one of everything! Oh, I also picked up some neat Australian quilting magazines that I had not seen before - Quilter's Companion, Country Threads Stitchery, and the Australian Homespun Yearbook issue. I love Aussie magazines.

One more store, Quilt N Things in Montrose. I got another yard of shirting, and the cutest little easy peasy quilt kit. So 6.625 yards in there. The town of Montrose is adorable, but I probably won't be going back to that quilt store. Grumpy sales folks and all.

This great day was topped off with a wonderful dinner at a restaurant in downtown Pasadena. My back was killing me when I got home, and my ribs were sore from laughing so much! What a fun, fun day!

As the totals will show, I have LOTS of busting to do! Best get off this computer and get busy!

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 119.50 yards
Purchased: 235.125 yards
Net YTD: <115.625> yards

Is Anyone Quilting?

How are the Simply Sophisticated ladies doing this month? Please post your finishes HERE because the drawing is tomorrow afternoon! Good luck to everyone!

I have gotten hardly anything done this week, but I knew it would be that way. Unfortunately, I've poked buttons like a mad woman. And it's all Darlene's fault! I had to get some of the Moda Bella Ivory that she gave a positive review on. Some? Ha! Let's just say I will quietly sneak in here with my stash report tomorrow and hope no one notices it!

I am caught up on Bears in the Barnyard and I'll get a picture of that posted tomorrow. Judging from the looks of my sewing room right now, it should be named Bears in the Pig Sty!

Today I'm going on a road trip. Two ladies from our sew-in group have invited Jane and me to go explore some new quilt shops with them. We're heading west and north, and I have no idea where we're going. That's not really surprising because I'm usually pretty clueless. I made a list so I don't go hog-wild in the stores. (Gee, what's with the oinker references today?) On my list are shirtings and silk thread. I will not be tempted beyond those two items! I will not! Anyway, it'll be fun to get out and about after an extremely long, hard, tense week.

Do me a favor? Take a few stitches for me today, will you?

Designer Mystery #10

Two more months and all the blocks will be made on the 2008 Designer Mystery BOM. This Peace on Earth fabric was one of my two most favorite fabrics last year!

This will finish up just in time to start the 2009 Designer Mystery BOM. I can't wait. The fabric is Glace! One of my two most favorite fabrics so far this year!

Just for the record, my other favorite fabric in 2008 was no surprise to anyone who knows me - Prairie Paisley! My other favorite so far this year is Flag Day Farm! I don't deviate much on designers, do I? LOL


Sweet Treasures Block #7. I see I'm going to have a LOT of BOM finishing kits to bust in a very short time! :) :) :)

Simply Sophisticated Block 6

The two blocks for this month's Simply Sophisticated BOM are done. They were easy and fun to do.

For those participating in this BOM from The Fat Quarter Shop, please leave a comment and link back to a picture of your blocks on your blog. If you're not a blogger, you can just email me a picture of your blocks. You have to do one or the other to be entered in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate so generously donated by Kimberly, Kevin and Miss Emma at The Fat Quarter Shop!

And speaking of Kimberly, Kevin and Miss Emma, I'm sure everyone has already read the good news, but just in case you haven't -- there are TWO new babies expected in the Jolly family! TWINS!! How exciting! Kimberly and Kevin have already announced that there's one boy for sure, and they'll tell us the flavor of the other baby as soon as they know! Emma's going to be a big sister!! Congratulations, you two! I'm about to burst with happiness for you!

Back to Simply Sophisticated, if you aren't making it now but you want to, you can sign up for the BOM by using the link in my sidebar, or by clicking here. There's even a gorgeous backing set ready to ship to you. I love love love this BOM. It's going to be a beautiful quilt!

I've already gotten three or four emails from folks who have completed their blocks this month, and a few more who have posted on their blog. The drawing will be held next Sunday, March 22nd, about 3:00 in the afternoon Left Coast time. You have up until an hour or so before the drawing to finish your blocks. Good luck to everyone! And THANK YOU again to The Fat Quarter Shop for providing the gift certicates, and for making this BOM so much fun!!

Stash Project Top Done!!

I really liked this project. Red and green, Christmas. Working with a lot of blogger friends on the project. Judy's inspiration! Doesn't get much better than this!

But .....



All of this has to go back in the stash. These pieces are between one and five yards each. Guess this project didn't use up a whole bunch of stash, but I sure learned a lot from it!

Thank you, Judy!!

Stash Report Week 11

The only reason I'm posting this picture is because that sure doesn't look like 26.50 yards of fabric, does it? LOL

I didn't sew much this week, and I had a rest day yesterday. This morning I woke up with a headache and backache, so may not accomplish much today either. I'm about a whole quilt in the hole now, or at least a couple of backings. Guess I'd better suck it up and get busy!

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 119.50 yards
Purchased: 135.25 yards
Net YTD: <15.75> yards

Baskets

10 down; 281 to go! :)

I started putting the borders on the red and green Stash Quilt project this morning early, but decided to go back to bed for a while. It was a really rough week at work this week, and I just needed a down day. When I got up again a couple of hours later, I decided it was the perfect day to sit on the sofa, watch movies, and applique! Tomorrow it's back to the borders.

I need to get my Simply Sophisticated blocks down and get a post going about those, too. If you're waiting on me, it's coming!!!

Poking Finger is Getting Itchy

I haven't poked many buy buttons lately, and you know what that means. Yep, I've been window shopping.

I spotted this line in Coming Soon. Roses de Noel by Robyn Pandolph. Christmas and RP ... I think I'm in deep cah-cah!

And these shirtings ..... oh, my!

Nostalgia! Uh oh!

Heck, I can't even remember now what I put on reserve. I know Glace for sure. What else?

Guess I'd better haul my hiney into the sewing room and get busy! I've got some stash to bust to make room for new things!!

When is market? LOL

UPDATE Wed. 3/11/09: TWO boxes of pure joy were on my doorstep tonight! That's the toughest thing about stash busting, not getting those boxes! I'm SO happy now! The Patisserie order from last week arrived - gorgeous stuff! And all my BOMs and various and sundry automatic shipments! I'm going to play with the new fabric! Bye!

Baby Steps

Baskets - 5 down; 286 to go.

But who's counting!

Stash Quilt Progress

My brain was misfiring this weekend - all weekend! LOL. After I got the whole thing assembled, I see that I switched rows around somehow. Oh, well, it stays as it lays! I'll get the borders on this week. A green inner border, and the red paisley outer.

Thanks again, Judy, for the stash exercise! I'm sorta getting it now!

Stash Report Week 10

Between working long hours and sewing a bit when I got home, I didn't poke any buttons at The Fat Quarter Shop until Friday. That will be reported next week. I was waiting for Patisserie yardage to hit their shelves. Enough said! I was gifted with 5 yards of fabric at the sew-in on Friday night, so I have to count that. A very nice tan with darker tan stars.

On the busted front, I found some fabric in my stash that someone at the sew-in needed, .625 yards. I love it when I can help out! I will also report 7.875 yards commited/used on the Bears in the Barnyard quilt, and 6.5 yards of reds/greens on the Stash Quilt.

I've really gotten a bunch done this year so far, thanks to Judy encouraging us to use our stashes. I was thinking last night that I've never accounted for any of the fabric in the Star BOM either, so that will be an additional bust once we get the setting instructions and I get that one finished up. That Judy sure has been keeping us busy! I love it!! I just need a couple of weeks between her projects so I can finish up my blue and shirtings James River Blues quilt. I don't want that one to become a UFO! Well, I guess I could pass on one of Judy's projects - but I can't! They're too much fun to do!! LOL

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 119.50 yards
Purchased: 108.75 yards
Net YTD: 10.75 yards BUSTED!!

Murphy's Law

It made for an interesting quilting day.

Stitched all the HST rows together - no bobbin thread. Drilled some nice straight holes, though. Put a new bobbin in, went to the ironing board, and realized I had sewn them all backwards. Ripped. Back to the sewing machine, and the bobbin thread kept breaking. Etc., etc. This went on all day. But Judy's Bears in the Barnyard blocks are done.

I was going to work on the red/green Stash Project tomorrow, but I think I need a break. I need to de-quilt the downstairs. There's stuff everywhere. The kind of mess only a quilter would love, but if anyone else came over ..... well, I'm just saying.

Oh, yeah, I tried to cook today, too. I mean, really, how can you screw up Rice-A-Roni. Just ask me. I can tell you how!

For the last couple of posts, my pictures are huge. I don't know what's wrong. I'll deal with that another time. It's probably best I don't touch anything tonight!! Mr. Murphy has played with my head enough for one day!

Weird Computer Thingy

I was reading emails when all of a sudden a screaming loud, piercing squeal started coming from my tower or near my tower. I had everything plugged into an APC battery backup and surge protector. I realized that was what was squealing at me. So I turned off the computer and plugged everything into just a regular surge protector. I guess that APC thing pooped out, although it's only about a year old. A light on it was blinking red/green.

Do those things wear out? ROFLOL. I'm SO computer literate!

Anyway, I guess I'd better find out tomorrow from our IT folks what's going on here. I sure don't want to have to buy another computer, and I absolutely need to back up everything on this one!!

A good reminder to everyone to back up - more often than I do!!

Daisy started squealing when that thing did, like she was mimicking the sound. Lordy, just what I needed - a sing along with Daisy! It's so quiet in here now!

Well, that's my excitement for the day! Well, except for the rain we're getting. And the light bulb that's burned out in my garage. And I forgot to stop and get paper towels tonight again. And that black thread I pulled off the bottom of my pants today unhemmed the whole darn leg. I really need to get a life, don't I? ROFLOL.

Stash Quilt Blocks

Hooray! My Stash Quilt blocks are done!! This was a great exercise, Judy. In hindsight, I might have swapped out a couple of fabrics to make a better light/dark contrast, but this one is going to stay as it lays! Thank you for getting me out of that box I always find myself in!!!

Star BOM #13

I can't wait until Judy gives us the finishing instructions. I'd better get busy and sew up these other projects!!!



Thank you, Judy, for such a beautiful BOM! You are so generous! There are going to be some beautiful quilts coming from this project!!!

Stash Report Week 9

Hooray! I'm in the black!! Barely, but that's good enough for me!

I finished cutting and started sewing the blue Civil War fabrics and shirtings for the James River Blues quilt. That sure took a lot of fabric for the top, but it's a big quilt. 12 yards busted!! My goal is by the end of March to get the top done.

I thought I was purchase-free this month, but I found a Fat Quarter Shop receipt neatly tucked into my stash notebook. I ordered the sashing, backing and binding for the Cottage Garden pattern that I got in a couple of weeks ago. So that one is all kitted up and ready to go when I can get to it. :)

One thing that occurred to me last night when I was laying in bed pondering my day is that in February I surely did start a bunch of new projects! The blue/shirtings quilt, the basket quilt, a string quilt. Also Judy's Bears in the Barn and Judy's Stash Quilt. That gal keeps us busy, doesn't she? I can see getting at least two of these done in March. The basket quilt, no, although I am working on my third basket. Only 288 more to go....

I've had so much fun this year so far quilting. I'm totally excited about coming home each night to dabble in my sewing room. That's what it's all about!!!!!

Year-to-Date Totals:

Busted: 104.50 yards
Purchased: 103.75 yards
Net YTD: 1.75 yards BUSTED!!