New Project!

Ain't she cuuute???

I bought a pattern from Nicole over at Raggedy Old Annies, and spent 2 evenings after work putting her together. OK - two evenings till way after bedtime, but hey -- it was too hard to stop! Suddenly there's another order in over there -- uh-oh, this could be habit forming!! All for the economy you know, every little bit helps. Now, Rosie, Leslie and Louise -- you three forget you ever saw her! She's coming to guild on Saturday!

Saving American Economy

Kim over at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure pointed out that since the Fabric Diet has hit, our national economy is really suffering. Now this may just be coincidence, but we shouldn't take chances. If we can save the American dollar, it is our civil duty to help in every way we can. I pledged my support, and kicked off my campaign today. Here's my humble contribution for this weekend:

Start easy now, especially if you've been dieting long. A few fat quarters is a good first step. These are for a fun new project I'm going to tackle.

Uh-oh - this might give away my fun new project! I bet you can guess!!

Our local fabric shack had a huge table of mostly odd bolts, but everything was $1 or $2 - that's kind of like a government rebate!! These blues will be backings - and maybe more because they're 9 yards each.

Some other oddments from the markdown table - there seems to be more lime green making it's way into my little room lately. I wonder if somethings up? The froggies go to my stash of froggy fabric -- you do realize that I am in fact, a frog, right?

OK - I didn't buy these today but they were delivered today. Essentials thread from Connecting Threads. I like it for quilting because it's got a lot more heft to it than the Masterpiece I use for piecing. And you can't beat the price for BIG spools!

The store was clearing out Porcion fabric dyes too -- for just $2 a jar, so I did my duty.

Finally, I didn't buy this today, but I have to give it a big plug. I bought it with Christmas gift certificates, almost as a toy gimmicky thing. It's fantastic! This winds bobbins a good bit tighter than my sewing machine does, so lots more thread goes on, and it's faster too. And cute, don't forget cute.

Tonight we're off to a retirement dinner for one of the officers in Hunnys old squad - remember what I told you about cops parties? My mission is to get Lieutenant Wayne a little, um, lit up. They always roast the poor retiree, and everyone tells the most raucous stories about him. Hunny has one about him having to use force on a suspect, and actually putting a huge bend in one of those big MagLight flashlights. You know the 4 lb. kind, 2 feet long? Yea -- well, while the suspect took a nap on the side of the road, our honoree tried his best to unbend the flashlight to no avail. It ended up in an evidence locker where it languished for the next 13 years until Hunny liberated it and will present it along with his story tonight. I promise you, it will get the biggest laugh of the night!

Snowflakes

That terrific snowflake pattern is in the Nov/Dec '03 issue of Quiltmaker - that I found quite by accident under my bed. Ahem.....along with about 30 others......and NO they haven't been there since '03!

Here's the whole quilt -

Yea, knock your socks off! I only made the one block, and it's pretty good size. As shown the quilt finishes at 65 x 75, and the magazine rates it as "Easy" which it is if you can pay attention and know how to paper piece. Me - not so much. I have the attention span of a 2 year old, but I'm going to take another whack at it.

I promised you links to some great shopping, and really I can give them all to you in one click: Check This Out. This was new to me and I might be the last one on earth to find it, but hey - it's a great resource! 590 online shops, and they give a thumbnail review of each one. HOURS of shopping enjoyment, and no $$ for gas, LOL!
We were promised snow and I'm waiting at the window, but nothing yet here. Over where I work it snowed and rained most of the day without sticking, so I still have hopes for tonight. It's a big novelty here, and I'm sorry that so many are having such troubles with it. Too bad we couldn't have a more equatable distribution of weather! Anyway - I have to get back to my window now - watch me fall asleep and freeze to the glass -- hee hee.....

Snow on my table???

Going around BlogWorld, I'm seeing a lot of work spaces, which is so cool! I love seeing how and where creative minds function. The idea is to name 15 things on your table - well, gee......I don't think I have 15 things that everyone else doesn't have. My space is cleaner sometimes than others; this picture was Friday:

Today it's all cleaned off, sparkling and ready for action, but sometimes I'm lucky if I can find 6 inches of cutting mat space! I had friends over for a sew-day yesterday, and it had to be presentable as well as accessible for anyone to use. We had a wonderful, easy, healing day, and even if not a whole lot got accomplished, we all came away happy. We do pot lucks, and this time we had a variety of soups and salads and cookies! Yummo -- great minds think alike! I worked like a maniac on my new Winter Quilt Swap, because I fell out of love with the 9-patch I made earlier. Somehow that one seemed too plain after I've seen some of the other ones - what a bunch of talent out there!! So, feeling a bit under-accomplished, I found a paper-pieced snowflake, in a few different versions:

I tried it 2 ways, and decided on one.

Since I only got 4 of the triangle units done on Saturday, I had to hustle today, because I was sure it had to be in the mail and I was late! Aaarrggg!!! But today is my "busy" day of the weekend - all the laundry and house/yard projects, in addition to my weekly "in touch" phone calls with friends and family - Sunday's a busy day. But, nose to the grindstone, and I just barely got it done as NY finished whuppin' Green Bay -
and it's a mess:

Most of the paper pattern wasn't supposed to match up, that was intentional. But where it was FOR SURE supposed to meet neatly, it didn't! ***sigh*** so much for haste. Everything that can go wrong did - broke a needle, sewed things backwards and out of order, 100 interruptions, the iron left dark marks on the white pieces, corner pieced stretched -- you get the picture. At least I like the quilting. Then I logon to read blogs and try to relax a bit, and find out that it doesn't have to be in the mail till the 30th!!! YaHooo!!! I have plenty of time to rebuild it!!! Ahhh...... now I can go to bed and relax............. smiling............

More fabric goodies....

Ooooo--- love these blues! This box of yummies came from Thousand of Bolts: blues blues blues!

We have some friends getting married after a 35 year courtship - really! They painted their bedroom 4 shades of blue so I took the hint and dreamed up a blue quilt for them. These together with some darks I already have should do the trick. Meantime, I'm still trying to get this little quilt quilted, and suffering the slings and arrows of broken threads, again and again and again. Grrr.......

This morning my commute took 40 minutes instead of 30 because I shared the single lane in my direction with only 4 other vehicles, all the way. HOWEVER - each of those 4 wanted to go 45 mph!!! I'd get past one, and pretty soon come up on another. It's a beautiful ride in the morning, a 2-lane road past lakes and hills and rock formations - so nice. The fact that the commute traffic is all going the other direction is nice too! In 35 miles I might only share my lane with 4 or maybe 5 others. Very Nice...... except when they're crawling!! The drive is hard on my back though, and it's gaining on me. (the drive to my own clinic takes 10 minutes) When I got to work I mentioned that I may not make it all day, and just then someone came in and told me the air quality guys needed me at our own clinic, 38 miles back the way I just came. Groan..... OK, I for sure am not coming back - So, without even a cup of coffee I turn around and go all the way back. By the time I get to the clinic I've been sitting driving for over an hour, and just about frozen into a bent shape, like a 95 year old lady. The guy looked around, took a couple of pictures, didn't like what he saw and told me he'd have to come back, that it wasn't ready to test. AAArrrrggghhhh!!!! 5 minutes, all done. Hey Buddy, wanna see my fabric stash?

ROFLOL - - just kidding! My friend Leslie was here the other day, and 2 other friends popped by later, and all three of them tried hard not to stare, and didn't say a word. Hee hee -- actually, that and my beautiful Colt .45 in the wooden case next to it are in here because we have a "questionable" nephew that we see infrequently, like every 3 or 4 years, and when he comes over we hide anything valuable or sellable. Sad, but true. I've just been too lazy to put them back.
My nights of web shopping has led me to some "new" sites with great prices. I'll put together a list and post them to share. There's quite a few places with fabric selling for $5 and less, even 2 and 3. I still have a couple of boxes out there someplace to be delivered, and I'm not quite sure I remember what's in them! That makes it kind of a surprise present, doesn't it? Whoo-hoo!!
Saturday I get a sew day, I can hardly wait! A few friends will all come over here and we'll set up big tables and you know the rest. It will be so fun! I'll get my winter 4 season swap quilt done, then into the mail on Monday. Now, I'm going to catch up on bloggin -- see you in the funny papers!

Lazy Sundays

It feels like a lazy day but I'm sure not gettin' any of that! We have a very nice sunny mellow day, and even with lots to do it just feels like a slow moving day. I've been trying to straighten a house that hasn't been straightened for a month - LOL! Laundry, etc -- all that jazz. Pot of homemade minestrone on the stove and I've got the little spools quilt in my machine getting quilted. Only the thread keeps breaking sooooo --- time out for temper control. In the meantime, I promised to show you my bounty from my midnight
web-raids. Only three boxes have arrived so far, and there's more on the way. FUN!! First up - a Collection:

I'm not usually a collector of collections, I'm way too casual and I like to make up my own rainbows, but this one really spoke to me. The colors are so gentle and sweet and maybe I just needed some of that. At any rate, it's called "Spoonfuls" for Heavens sake; WHY "Spoonfuls"???? What do these lovely soft colors have to do with anything remotely connected to spoons? LOL -- maybe they ran out of names?
This next stack came from Tennessee Quilts and more accurately reflects how I usually choose fabrics:

Little bit of this and a little of that -- By now you know I'm not on any fabric diet whatsoever! I'm an unabashed and unapologetic consumer of beautiful fabrics now when the money is there, because I can see that someday maybe it won't be so easy to feed the quilting bug. Never knew bugs could eat so much, eh?
So having told you I don't do collections, here's another one! Not just a collection, but a MODA collection which is something else I don't do!

Yea yea - it's Holly Jolly, and I know I'm running behind the curve. Oh well, I still like it. The other prints are on their way, because I rounded them up from multiple sites. Most of them are on clearance too!

Our oldest DS (Daddy to the herd of grands next door) will be here shortly to discuss bathroom renovations. He owns a wildly successful contracting business, and finally has a bit of time to squeeze us in. LOL -- he thinks all I want is a new shower, boy is he in for a surprise! The whole thing needs to be gutted and put back together right. All new. PLUS I want about 3 solar tubes for the kitchen and bedroom, and a bigger kitchen window, and new countertops, and reface the fireplace........ if you see a tall good looking blonde man running down your street, kick him back, OK?

Survival of the Fittest!!

I made it. We got the clinic all moved, the patients "kind of" settled in, and the worst of the storm is over. It required a long string of 7am - 8pm (or worse!) with not much in the way of breaks. And life in a clinic like ours moves at break-neck speed; meaning frantic. Things have to happen RIGHT NOW and when 12 of those thingts hit at once it's tough. When you have 4 of those things every 10 minutes for hours on end - it's worse than tough. One day I wolfed my lunch while standing in the hall listening to another litany of problems, like - "we don't have any 1.5cc syringes" and "can you get us better chux than these?" and "I'm missing 6 hours on my timecard" When one young guy asked me if I would go over his job review with him, (which was a month ago!!) I barked at him. I apologised later, but jeeez -- I hope I never live thru that again. I did get a new project started and to the flimsy stage, and I'd like to quilt it tomorrow. Just a fun scrappy one that looks like it should hang in my sewing room:

And at 3 am a couple of days ago, I made a set of coasters for a friend who likes raspberries and bananas with cream -- I'm going to give them to her tonight.

I have high hopes for tomorrow -- and my promise to myself is if I get that top quilted I can start another one. I'll also come back tomorow and show you what happens when I can't sleep and I'm worried and upset -- I indulge in on-line fabric therapy! TONS of it -- LOL -- the boxes have been coming for 3 days now, and there's still a few more out there. Wait till you see!!
Finally, here's my "Awwwww" for the day. This is my DGD#1 and her baby brother DGS#1 - and they adore each other!

There's nothing quite like a big wet slobbery kiss from a 6 month old!

Saturday Blues

It's Saturday morning, and here I sit at my desk. At work. Due to a corporate oversite, all my careful planning and timing to facilitate our clinic's big move was shot to bits this past week, forcing me to work the weekend in order to have everything ready by Tuesday, moving day. I'm waiting here for word that "someone" has done what needs to be done, and I can jump in and begin a long tedious task of data entry and order entry for 72 patients, at about 40 minutes per patient. And while I'm sitting here with a bad attitude, my guild is hosting Joe the Quilter!!! Joe Cunningham will be doing a trunk show and musical bit this morning, and I AM NOT THERE. I'm so ticked that here's how I parked this morning:

OK, not really. I saw this at a dealership and laughed like crazy! You have to know every teen aged boy in the universe would give his eyeteeth to do that!
There's not much to do here while I wait for the phone to ring. My whole office is packed up and in my car, including the centerpiece, "My Kingdom for a Frog"

The patients love this quilt, and I'm going to hang it prominently in the new clinic to help them feel at home. I also printed new 4x6 pictures of everyone and bought 7 yards of fabric (with my corporate credit card, how fun was that????) which I'll cover a wall with, then tack everyone's picture up so the first time they come in, they'll see themselves. So now all I can do is wait. **sigh**
We were hit with a vicious storm yesterday that caused all kinds of chaos and dumped about 4 1/2 inches of rain on us. My horses pasture is behind our backyard and slightly higher because we are at the bottom of a hill. Drainage is problematic here anyway and the horses built a dam of, ummm, horsie byproduct across a swale that's supposed to divert runoff. Well, the runoff was diverted away from the diversion and right into my yard, where it pooled up, became a river and ran thru our carport and garage/shop. The water was about 8 inches deep when I left for work yesterday morning, and it rained all day so now it's a real mess. We fared very well tho, compared to the incredible damage I've been watching on the news! We went to friends last night and drove by our dry lake/reservoir; even tho it was dark, I could see enough of a reflection to see that there's finally some water in the lake, hurrah! We've been on mandatory water rationing for a couple of months because that lake was down to 25% of capacity and in danger of dropping below the level of our water company's intake. So - glad to see the water, but did it have to all come in 24 hours?
Speaking of the night out - we played pinochle with our usual card buddies, and to soothe my final ragged nerve from the past crummy weeks, I let loose and downed an entire bottle of champagne all by myself, oh yes I did!! DH was my designated driver, and our friends who have never seen me have so much as one glass of wine were highly entertained, and didn't mind that I played with abandon and beat them handily. LOL - I had a great time! A little less than great when the alarm went off at 5 this morning, but showered and dressed and well into a pot of coffee in my office and I'm all good. ***VBG***
Well, a bored supervisor is supposed to be a menace so while I'm waiting I guess I'll go wander around and make sure that everyone has done what they're supposed to do to prepare for moving day. Cross your fingers I get that call soon, or I'll be here all night too!

It's a New Year

Long time no see! I hope your holidays were the best; it looks like it, judging from the blogs I've been slowly catching up on. We had our entire family here for Christmas, 14 adults and 10 grands. Of the grands, 6 are DH's and 4 are mine, but we are each the only Gramma/Grampa that they have all known - does that make sense? I managed to get a pic of my 4, which are the youngest of the tribe. The others are too slippery and can run away so I didn't get my giant group picture I was hoping for. These festive little elves are (left to right) 6 month old Jayden and his big sister Meghan age 7; 4 yr old Madeline and the newest squirt 4 month old Nicholas. What a blast to have a baby Christmas!



There was enough babies to go around, even tho I was a bit of a baby hog. These two are delighted with each other, it was hilarious. All my kids and spouses lined up with cameras to get pictures of Gramma with 2 babies, and suddenly I knew how Britney feels - man! That was a lot of flashes going off in my face!


DS#2 was so totally blown away and so happy with his quilt that I felt a bit bad that I hadn't made him one before now and the one I did make was really really simple. However, common sense overtook me again and the reasons haven't changed. If he needs something to pad the side of his 4-wheeler in the back of his truck and the quilt is handy, he won't hesitate to wad it up and use it to protect his muddy ATV. Really!

As wonderful as Christmas was, the rest of the year went sour for me personally and the New Year hasn't kicked off any better. In addition to my clinic's Big Move (which is next week) I had something horrible happen that sent me straight to the depths of rottenness, and for the past week I've been holed up in my room licking my wounds. And eating cookies for dinner. My good buddy Leslie gently goaded me out of the house today for a sew-day and that has really helped. I have another new project underway and of course that always helps. So today looks a bit brighter, and for the next 8 days I'll be spinning at Mach 4 with my hair on fire and that will help also. Catching up on all your blogs is also a great help! Thank you for your wonderful entries and peeks into lives so similar and so different. I can't tell you how good it feels to know you're out there, my invisible friends, lol! Happy New Year!