One down....

Happy Scrappy Houses from quiltville.com ***DONE**** Now back to Amish Diamonds I forgot! :0)

Not about me Monday 7/31

Letsee here....I did remember NAMM, but I forgot that I was to help out at the humane society...so I did something right.

What I did manage to do was some more spiral scraps blocks for a donation kids quilt and I finally mailed out 5 quilts to Wrap a Smile contact Bev in Maine. So maybe I dont get the gold star for today, but I still earned a little sumpthin!

Unconscious Mutterings 7/30

1. Italy :: Boot


2. Honk :: Goose


3. Shades :: Lamps


4. Tool :: Men


5. Modern :: Art


6. Tension :: Sewing machine


7. Conservative ::Greyhound


8. Weight :: Goal


9. Insurance :: claim


10. Political :: affiliation

Remember, to play along, go to http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

Too much to do

Listening to Nirvana Heart Shaped Box Can you tell the boys are home?

• 8/1 Five lotto blocks Amish Diamonds done in brights on black from www.quilterscache.com
• 9/1 Happy Scrappy Houses for swap in sets of 2 from www.quiltville.com
• 9/10 Retreat challenge, completed project using a panel we received last year at retreat. I have designed a 72x98" quilt, it might have to shrink.
• 9/10 NYBeauty blocks started last year at retreat from a class taught by Judy. I pulled them out only a couple of times throughout the year, I really want to take a completed something back to show her.
• 9/15 Box Quilt blocks for swap, done in sets of two from quilterscache.com
• 9/15 Carol's challenge blocks are due from the 5 packets I received.
• 10/1 WWC Weird and Wonderful Challenge from Sandra is due, we all received a FQ with a "weird" fabric (Which I think is gorgeous!) and we're to use our creative juices to make something wonderful.

Now, I wouldnt normally be concerned with such a full quilty plate but school and HS football is starting and fantasy football and college football and NFL football.....man! I had better get a move on!

Quilt show buy Too cute!

My new t-shirt in honor of DH.....

Not about me Monday 7/25

I received some challenge packets from Carol E. on Sunshine. The premis is, we send her $1, she sends us packets of fabrics, we add from our stash and send back as many kid related blocks for her to use in Sunshine quilts. I received 5 packets from Carol, some were pretty darn challenging, some not so much.

This was Monday's charitable project. I added the half yard of school bus yellow from my stash. The floral, greens and red were sent to me from Carol. This is one of the not very challenging packets, I thought I'd start off slow.

Unconscious Mutterings 7/23

Requirements :: tests
Pizza :: tomato
Dating :: game
Issue :: new
Sharp :: sharpie
Distinguish :: gentleman
Remote :: sensor
Felony :: jail
Exercise :: machine
Choose :: life



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6" Patriotic stars swap

My blocks for the mailblocks swap that Brenda is hostessing. I sure hope I remembered to square those up before I sent!

Appleseed Quilt Show/ Confessions of a Quilt Whore

I went to my first quilt show yesterday in Ft Wayne, and I had a great time! My first taste and now I want more, so I'm going to start looking for other shows! Of course I must remember to take the camera next time.

Initially Ellen and Monica were supposed to come with, but Ellen had to take advantage of the pretty day to transport some furniture that she could not allow to be damagaed, and poor Monica had some sort of stomach flu. I was left by myself, and after working all night Friday night, I was really hoping for a co-pilot to help keep me awake on the way home. My bad-boy Q said he'd tag along! And he was the perfect gentleman! Looking at all the quilts with his plastic glove, helping me to pick out fabric, carrying my loot bags for me, he didnt balk much when we were told that Q could enter the show for free because he was my "husband," I was very impressed with the maturity he showed and that would have made my day in itself but there's more....

We got to spend the day with Susan and Liz! Q and I drove to Susan's house, met Liz and Susan's husband Perry. (Q would have been glad to hang around with Perry and his Camar-moo all day! I could have stayed and played on Susan's longarm!) Susan drove us to Ft Wayne where we had a wonderful lunch and on to the show! I really enjoy both of those ladies! They're funny, witty and the shared loves of quilting, swapping and internet quilt lists makes them all the more "in synch" with me. Plus they are so knowledgable about quilting, I learn so much from both of them. While at the show we ran into Janet and her DH John, I was glad to meet John, I had heard lots of great things about him from the Miniretreat that I had missed, I was happy to put a face to the stories. Janet and John were on "chick patrol" hoping to find a hottie for Q! The fact they all took time to make a connection with my son and to tell him stories of their own lives and children's lives meant more to me than I could ever explain. I am very fortunate to have friends like these.
Of course there was more...THE QUILTS AND THE VENDORS!

The quilts were incredible, there were works of art there I could never even dream of let alone put fabric and thread to the dream and make a reality. I always thought of myself as a fan of traditional quilts, pieced in reproduction prints or country colors. By the time I was half way through, I realized I have no loyalty. I was oohing and aahhing over every method and style imaginable. I was loving the primitive style one second and a modern looking artistic the next....Our dog loves to have her chest rubbed, she will postition herself so her chest is close and sits for hours and lets anyone rub it...we lovingly call her a "Booby Rubbing Whore"...not caring who, what or where, just getting her chest rubbed anywhere she can by as many who are willing. I realize now that she comes by that trait honestly, bacuse her mom is a "quilt whore!" Every quilt was my favorite until I saw the next, I crawled over every inch of each vendor's booth, I spent way too much money....I feel myself falling into the seedy quilting depths...and I am in ecstasy!

Not about me Monday

Listening to the Beatles I Wanna Hold Your Hand


I have decided to start a new theme for myself, its Not About Me Mondays. Maybe its my offer to start volunteering a couple of hours Monday afternoons at HSJC. Maybe its my renewed interest in making charity quilts for organizations like Project Linus, Wrap Them in Love and Wrap a Smile through Sunshinequilts. But I have decided that I will commit to doing something charitable on Monday. Its my day off, family is at school and work, the dogs sleep through the day anyway, why not do something good with my day? Something that might touch someone else and help to make their lives a little better in some small way.

So, I pieced a charity quilt top using swapped blocks, around 53x45" and started piecing some more spiral log cabins for a kids quilt. I have a roll of poly batting from Joanns that is 48"x10 yards. What I'd like to do is set it up on the frame along with 10 yards of backing, probably muslin, and just line up my charity tops, quilt, advance a little and quilt the next, etc. I'm not completely sure it will work this way, but what the heck its worth a try.

You Are An Ash Tree

You are vivacious and impulsive, which makes you extremely attractive to many. Intelligent and demanding, you don't care much for criticism. You have a ton of ambition and talent, and sometimes money rules your heart. You like to play with fate, and you can be very egotistical and restless. Demanding of attention, you need love and a lot of emotional support.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

First attempt at fabric postcard

Yikes! I have never tried to satin stitch around any type of applique before, so I guess it could be a lot worse, but there is definitely room for improvement.

It was fun and quick. My two favorite parts of any project are the designing and the finishing, a quick little project like these might just fit me to a T. What a great little respite from a large project, take an hour or two and pop one of these out for someone special.

Check this out for easy instructions http://debrichardson.com/lessons.html

Unconscious Mutterings 7/16

Video :: Tape
Fantasy :: Football
Homework :: Helper
Crush :: Orange
Late :: Night
Husband :: hand
Soccer :: ball
Wine :: dinner
Before :: dessert
Romantic :: card

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Human Society Donation Quilt

This quilt is a mystery from Quiltzine.com, its called Twisted Tails. It was meant to be a wall hanging, but I decided to add a plain and pieced border to make it crib size. It has been donated to the local Humane Society. I'm not sure in what capacity they're going to use it, perhaps as a raffle at the county fair or in a silent auction. I'm curious to see if there is much money raised, this is a testing of the waters to see if perhaps I can contribute more by doing something I love.

While I was there I decided to start volunteering a couple hours a week, helping out with clerical duties. I have volunteered to work the HSJC booth at the fair the last two years, however havent been very active regarding the monthly meetings and I would like to be.

They just keep coming!

UfO's....they just keep coming! I have devoted this year to the end of UFO's around here. Since getting the GrandQuilter, I should have no fear of finishing anything. But belonging to swap groups, keep my UFO list as long as ever. As I finish one, I find that I have three more to take its place with the addition of swap blocks into my project drawers.

The string quilt was purely an attempt at stash reduction. I foundation pieced the strings on el cheapo muslin from my scrap bins and some worn out cotton sheets. The blues used for the center blocks and setting triangles have been in my stash since I started quilting 5 years ago. It was designed as I went with no pattern, just a desire to use scraps. I like it, it currently resides on my bed.

This is a quilt top that was started as a mystery project at a retreat last September. Pattern can be found at Quiltindex.com. I added about 20 blocks and the border to make it full size. I pulled from my stash for this because it was a mystery and I wasnt sure if I would like it. I'm glad I had extra fabric to make it larger. This is going to be a gift to my mom, there are secret messages written in the free motion quilting to her.

This quilt used up two UFO's, it is comprised of blocks from two different swaps, one was a Black, White and Blue 9" and the other was Black and White 12". The blue used for the sashing was pulled from my stash, I remember buying 15 yards of it. I have used it on several quilts like this for sashing or as backing, I am down to around 2 yards left. I iwll be glad to see it go.

This is a lap quilt made from a block lotto I won on my swap list. The pattern is Antique Tile from Quilterscache.com Its floral, summery and sweet. It currently lives on my loveseat.

Unconscious mutterings 7/9

Face it ::forget it
Healthy :: obsession
Cartoon :: strip
Device :: radioactive
Raider :: Tomb
Closer :: Opener
Admission :: of guilt
Culture :: shock
Stakes :: high
Heartbroken :: Heartbreakers

Get your own weekly list of unconscious mutterings at:

http://subliminal.lunanina.com

Ten Years (or sixteen)

July 7th was ten year anniversary for Big G and I, we'll have been together sixteen in September, but it took him six years to get rid of a pesky problem called a wife to make me an honest woman.
We have really been watching our pennies here lately, trying to make some financial plans for the future, getting through old debt, so we hadn't planned to spend much money, maybe a nice dinner just us and something small. As usual, something always comes up, we had to replace the hot water heater. So we celebrated our anniversary by doing dishes in hot water....romance is obviously not dead around here!

Interesting concept

Unconscious mutterings
see:
http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

That::thing
Fishbowl::cracker
Church::Abbot
All about:: tomorrow
Fist::wrist
Tagline::Tangerine
Agree::Angela
Leak::Pipe
Jessica::eighties
Superman::Red

Soggy Fourth, Sunny Fifth aint it always the way?

Listening to Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

No big Fourth plans around here, it was rainy and nasty most of the day, even in the skies were rather threatening although there wasnt any rain. So no cook outs, we made our Brats inside, ate frozen corn, and alfredo noodles...whatta way to celebrate the Fourth! Now today is gorgeous, the humidity is gone, its clear, cool and breezy.

I managed to finish the lotto blocks for the June Lotto, its Shooting Star from Marcia Hohn at http://www.quilterscache.com/S_U/ShootingStar2Block.html.

You can also see my snazzy new design wall/board. I only have space for a portable temporary one, so I made this out of a vinyl falnnel backed tablecloth I picked up on clearance, a 4x8' sheet of pink foam insulation and my stapler! Its propped up on the couch but it still works great.

I realized the value of a design wall while preparing to photograph the spiral log cabins. http://www.quilting-arts-forum.com/bom3_2.html
I was putting them up and my DH commented they werent the prettiest blocks he had ever seen me make, and walked down the hallway to the bedroom. When he came back out, they were all on the board and I was about to snap a pic when he said, "Now those are kinda cool, I like the way they look." Uh, duh, you just said you didnt like them! Its all about perspective!

Today I am trying to finish the Twisted Tails wall hanging/kids quilt. I am done with what was on the pattern, but I'd like to add a couple more borders to make it a kids quilt. Since I am dontaing it to HSJC to be raffled at the fair, I'd like to make it something people would buy a chance on even if they're not a quilt or cat lover.

Here I am!

If you were to come visit me, you would walk in my front door and immediately notice the big quilt frame off to the side in the livingroom. So, just like visiting me in person, you get to see what's on the frame when you visit my blog.

This quilt is called Supposedly Weaving Spring. It started as free pattern offered at http://www.quiltindex.com called Weaving Spring. It started as a crib size pattern, but DH liked it so much I decided to make it as large as I could with the yardage I had by adding borders. We now have a king that's 106x106". I completed the top two years ago and dreaded the thought of plowing it through my little Singer to quilt it, so it sat here, another UFO top. Until I received my Pfaff GrandQuilter with Inspira frame for Mother's Day. Now no top scares me! So its about time I finish this puppy up and get it on our bed!

Quilt piecing happens in the other room, my bedroom/sewing area. Right now I am piecing Row Robin blocks for the I've Got the Blues Row Robin that I'm doing on my list. These blocks have become very tedious for me, so I cannot wait to get them finished and off to the next recipient.

I have now spent 13 days away from my Q. Its not that we havent been apart before, its just that I could always give him a call or get in contact with him somehow. Hopefully the month he is spending with the Juvenille Corrections of Indiana will help him to make better choices and learn how he really has the world by the tail.

Man its been hot...too hot to swim! The pool water feels like bath water. So we've been hibernating in the AC. In the evenings I go out to attempt training my cucumber vines away from the path of the mower and pull a weed or two. I have washed every quilt and blanket in the house so they can dry on the deck, I run out hang them over the rail and retreat back into the coolness like weird prairie dog. What a vacation!