Recent Happenings

Remember the challenge fabric from my quilt guild. (The fabric that I tried to love but never could develop a bond with). Here are some of the quilts that were produced. We have such talented quilters in our guild. I was totally taken back.

I believe there were 12 or 13 entries and all were great and well thought out. Just about everyone thought the fabric was definitly a challenge to work with, but the quilts were beautiful. One of the entries was even an apron! Why didn't I think of that?

I would have never thought of fish! I need to hang around these members more. They inspire me so! Great job to all!

I really enjoyed my time when my mother and I were together, both here in Georgia and in Louisiana. We had a great time .

Here are three generations posing with World of Coke 4-D glasses on. We laughed so much taking these pictures we cryed. What a great time we had.

My mother and I sewing together for the first time ever.....as adults. In my younger days she taught me a lot about sewing and crafting, but we never really sewed together as adults. We created great memories while we were together.

Mom really liked her new sewing machine. I was so glad she bought it. She plans on doing much more sewing when she retires at the first of the year. She even bought a layer cake bundle to make a quilt once she retires.

First time ever in her 72 years using a rotary cutter. She did a great job. Way to go mom! Nothing ever holds her back. She always wants to keep learning. I hope that nothing ever holds me back when I'm 72.

Mom and her new sewing machine. She really needed a new one. This one threads the needle itself which was the selling point for her. We were both so proud walking out the store with a new machine. Christmas came early for both of us this year!

My husbands elbow surgery went well. They had him back there for 2 hours! Hopefully this will bring back some feelings for two of his fingers that have been numb since his Tommy-John surgery in January. We will see. The MD said that full feelings may not return for 2 or 3 years...those nerve endings do grow mighty slow. It will be what it is though.

I hope to get some quilting done tomorrow. It's suppose to rain. I always love to quilt in my studio while it's raining. I love to hear the rain hitting all the windows. But....A new Hobby Lobby recently opened so I might swing by there and check out the new store. Hopefully I can visit the store and quilt...if I don't get side-tracked.

Happy Quilting. Happy Living!

Back Home Again!

Then back to Louisiana. And then Back home to Georgia again! My what a traveling woman I have been this past month! My mother is back to her normal self again. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes. I was able to talk my mother into coming back to Georgia with me for the two weeks before going back to La. for my 30 year class reunion. So... one and a half weeks after surgery she traveled to Georgia with me where we had a wonderful time. She even bought a new sewing machine while visiting with me. She attended my quilt guild meeting and monthly strip club meeting. She mentioned how much she disliked her sewing machine so we sat down at one of the Baby Lock's and she fell in love! We left the store with a new sewing machine in tow....also an apron pattern and fabic to make four. She played around with her new machine and finished the four aprons in two days! We had so much fun sewing together. I will download pics shortly. At the moment I sitting in an outpatient surgery unit waiting for my husband. He is having elbow surgery this very minute (second time around).

I really enjoyed being with my mother these last few weeks. I feel we became great friends again. We have always gotten along as mother and daughter and now we have gotten along as friends. Thank you God for giving me my mother. Thank you Mom for being the mother you are. I love you dearly!

Home to Louisiana

Currently I'm back home in Louisiana. My mother had a scheduled surgery late last week with complications developing after surgery and major pain issues. I threw personal items together Saturday morning (along with quilting items), called work to scratch me off the schedule for the week, kissed my hubby, petted Harley (he is 3 years old for those who asked on previous post) gased up the car and off I went. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day for a drive. I arrived safely in Baton Rouge 7.5 hours later. Being a nurse and having to stay at the hospital as a family member gives me an all new perspective of patient and family life at the hospital. (Those beds...both for family and patients are so uncomfortable). My mother received excellent care though. The nursing and medical staff were great.

My mother is now home and comfortable and for the most part her pain is well controlled. I'm trying to keep her from doing too much. She is 73 but acts like she is 43....always on the move which I'm sure keeps her young feeling. (Right, Mom?)

It's always good to come home. I've not been back home to Louisiana since Christmas. Work and life should not be that busy. I always have such a laid-back feeling when I'm back in La. Maybe I'll get some quilting done, maybe I won't. Have a great Tuesday. Thanks for visiting.

Happy Quilting! Happy Living!

My Dog loves quilts...for a snack

I was working diligently on my current project and failed to notice that my dog Harley was not at my feet as he usually is. This could only mean trouble. Then I remembered I had my quilt top blocks assembled on my living room floor (my current design wall). Then I heard it...that awful ripping and smacking sound of fabric being torn and eaten. I jumped up with fear in my heart and visions of torn and shredded quilts blocks that I had spend so much time and work on scattered all over the living room floor.

And there he layed...with a quilt block between his paws and jaws...pulling and pulling and smacking and smacking as diligently as I had been working. I believe his hopes were to hurry up and finish it off before I found out.

I stood there with hands on hips, dropped jaw and tapping toe...he understood completely as he let the remainder of the quilt block fall from his mouth, rolled onto his back awaiting a stomach rub. I scolded him briefly and remembered I was the one who put the blocks on His living room floor in the first place.

Luckly, the damage was not too bad....just one block with one green piece almost gone as you can see from the complete block. Wasn't too bad to fix....I just didn't have anymore long pieces of the green left and had to use a different fabric. This will be my humility block for this quilt.

Harley knew he had displeased me, then I felt bad. He is such a good natured, blue-eyed animal and likes to please. He gets his feelings hurt easily. Here is a picture of Harley with his hurt feelings.

I let about 15 minutes pass. He recovered quickly when I said "Tootsie Roll?" ....his most favorite treat.

Harley is now happy again, the damaged block fixed and sewn together with all the other blocks that were quickly removed from the floor.

I hope to have the quilt top finished tomorrow. I decided to not lay it aside once the blocks were finished to start Bethany's quilt as I posted previously. It has so many subcuts and steps I was afraid I would have forgotten where I left off.

Happy Quilting! Happy Living!

Current project

This is the quilt that I am working on...at the moment. These are the first blocks I've pieced with Josephine, my new sewing machine. We are working quite well together and she is showing me a lot. Not a single argument yet. This is a strip club pattern called Southern Comfort that is set on-point that I thought was very complicated but is sewing up very easily. My Strip Club gets it's patterns from http://www.cozyquilt.com/ They have some very interesting designs and run about $8 or $9 each. This quilt will be approx. 73 x 73 consisting of 21 blocks. I'm going to piece the blocks then put it aside because my daughter's dorm-mate (a friend from high school) has been begging for a quilt since Brittani took the "Midnight Cactus Flower" quilt back to school with her. Bethany likes browns and oranges. Below are the fabrics I've choosen:


The cream on the end will be the border and setting fabric. This pattern is Blue Lagoon from the book Jelly Roll Quilts and looks fairly simple and quick to do. Simple and quick is a good thing .
I guess I will name Bethany's quilt....just Bethany...simple like I hope the quilt will be.

Hope everyone has a great day. I can really get into this not working thing. I've enjoyed being off this week. I have felt rested and my body has not ached quite as much. At least I only work 3 days a week - 12 hour days. I get 5 weeks off a year and this is the first full week I have taken. Work should not be so busy that I have to wait this long to be off. At least I don't lose my weeks at the end of the year.

Happy Quilting! Happy Living!

My new Baby Lock is here!

They called me yesterday morning and informed me of it's arrival. I kinda had a feeling it would come...you know how you get those feelings? I even had my bug-man come out early just in case. The bug-man had just left when I got my call from the LQS.

I ran some errands (so I would not have to be disturbed later)...which took about 2 hours then picked up the machine. It weighed 45 pounds! Heavy little thing.

Most of the accessories were on top. I love opening up little packages and there were quite a few filled with all kinda fun stuff I don't know what to do with....but I will learn!

And here is my new baby, all wrapped up and snug just waiting to be played with.

Finally...out of the box after it's long journey from where? Possibly over-seas or cross-country? Wherever it's from, it's glad to have a home.

Here are it's traveling companions. A soft cover case and it's extension table which is waiting patiently, as it poses for this picture, to be attached to it's long separated companion.

Together at last! Safe and sound in a loving home ready to help it's new owner create all kinds of beautiful things. (Distorted somewhat by the camera angle. Table does not come out at you so much).

It offers a telescoping spool pin holder that holds two spools of thread I had forgotten about. Plus it has two other spool pins on the machine itself. Lots of thread holders! It also has an LED dome light to light up the work area..nice feature. Maybe I will not need my lamp anymore.

Things I have learned thus far:

I can fill a bobbin while still sewing without having to unthread the machine....not like my other machine. And get this...it's a purely lazy thing but I love it....it will sew a reverse stitch at the end of stitching and cut the thread at the same time with a push of a button. No more looking for my little scissors or using the thread cutter. Lets see....this is cool...it has multi-directional sewing....like sewing a square patch on a sleeve. Put the sleeve on the free-arm, tap down...it sews and moves the fabric down, tap left...it sews and moves the fabric left, tap up...it sews and moves the fabric up and so on....thought that was pretty neat, especially when Brian just ordered some sleeve patches for his Harley-Davidson jacket...just what I need to test it on. What else have I discovered ....it has a 1/4 inch quilting foot with all these wonderful guide lines on the foot itself...I sewed about 12 inches down my test fabric and it was the most perfect 1/4 inch seam all the way down that I've ever sewn! I've not even begun to get into the decorative stitches and creating and storing stitching patterns. It has lots of other goodies I can't wait to get into deeper.

Okay time to go play some more. Have a great day.

Happy Quilting! Happy Living!

Cleaning and more cleaning

In getting ready for my new baby (lock) I am cleaning, cleaning, cleaning because when my new machine arrives I know all I'm going to want to do is play, play and play. So far I've gotten half-way through my computer room and I have 6 garbage bags worth of shredded paper. The rest of the room is just straightening up books and such. My computer lives on a large old wood teacher's desk with huge drawers that have been stuffed throughout the years. Do you know I had tax returns from 1985...why? I think the rule is to keep tax papers for 5 years. I had a user's manual for a Curtis Mathis VHS recorder....that thing as been gone for years...why do I still have the manual? I did find some cute pictures of my child and some papers she wrote when very young...that was fun to find. Okay, enough of a break. I'm going to finish the computer room tonight, then start on the kitchen tomorrow which should not take too long if I can keep myself focused on the job at hand and not play with any gadgets. Then tomorrow afternoon I plan to start in my bedroom and closet.

Happy Quilting. Happy Living. Happy Cleaning.