Weekly Update March 30

Well this has been a week I'd rather forget. The PT Cruiser was totalled (my back still aches) and the PC Tower has died. So I am sitting here typing on a lap top and being stubborn about putting the keyboard in the lap top.

Anyway, I didn't get much sewing done this past week. I did finish a donation top for guild. We collected pink blocks for the Quilt Pink Quilt Auction. I also decided to re-visit some leftover nine-patch blocks that I had from another quilt and start working on them. If I make the quilt the way I think I want to, it is going to be HUGE.

So my goals this week?

• work some more on the nine-patch quilt
• plan projects for guild retreat in three weeks
• get the PC Tower fixed
• hopefully get the PT Cruiser accident situation figured out
• finish my stripey triangle wall hanging (I was going for border fabric when the accident occured)

Or, maybe I'll just be like Chicken Little and walk around saying "The Sky is Falling, the Sky is Falling!"

Don't things always happen in threes?

Ok, I've gone from the ultimate 'high' of seeing the show in Lancaster with my friends, to the ultimate low.

Yesterday my mother-in-law and I were going to a shop - she needed something for my daughter's Civil War dress and I was going to look for border fabric. Long story short, not two miles from my home, someone lost control on a turn and slid sideways into the front corner of my PT cruiser - we've only had it for six months. The Cruiser wasn't new, but it was new to us and now is more than likely totalled. We are fine - just a little sore.

Tonight I went to turn on the desktop PC and it says it Windows cannot start up because some file is either corrupt or missing. So I'm giving it the night off and hopefully it will decide to start tomorrow. If not, I'll have to take it to the computer doctor and lose whatever is on the hard drive.

Ok things happen in threes right?

1. Car crash
2. Computer crash
3. ?????? (i'm waiting and watching for this one)

My day at the Lancaster show

The day started early. Had to be at the Wal-mart parking lot by 7:30 am. The bus is a great idea......... I don't have to worry about driving, parking....... and you get the ticket to the show and dinner for $50. I would have spent that much in gas alone.

Lots and lots of stuff to buy!! I managed to make it out only spending $24 and change. Nine of that was lunch and a bottle of water.

I ran into George and Virginia Siciliano. They have told our story of his visit to our guild last month (see March post) to so many people LOL...... it was great to see them.

I got to play on the Gammill. I did some free-hand feathers which you can see......... when I showed my husband he said "that's pretty........where was that?" and I said "I did that- free-hand." I think he was impressed.

Well I'm tired and going to call it a day.

Quilty Hugs!

Why did I buy all of this Part 2

Ok, sounds like I need to plan a tag sale. I guess I'll be working on that over the next few days. Lord knows I have enough to tag LOL Get your checkbooks ready ladies!!

Why did I buy all this!!!!

I'm cleaning up again (hush Beth).......... why did I buy all this fabric? I know I will never use it. So I think I"m going to donate it to our guild auction in April OR measure it, tag it, and take it to retreat and put it up for sale.

Someone sit on my shoulder and don't ever let me buy like this again......... please!!

Learning to Machine Embroider

Last summer my MIL decided to upgrade from the Viking Designer 1 to the SE. I bought her D1 from her. I finally got around to taking the intro classes this month. Today was the embroidery introduction.

This is so cool!!! I can see how people can be come totally addicted to machine embroidery and end up with a stash of thread.

I wonder if I can convince my husband to start building that extra room now LOL

Shlump Part II (aka Un-shlumping myself)

Well I figured out the cause of the shlump.... those *#(&($# border for Erin's quilt. Once again I am not happy with my idea so I have put it away....... again...... as she will be coming home for Spring Break and I don't want her to see it.

So my alternative project is a UFO. I had some 9-patches leftover from another quilt I made and started putting them together in the same way. While feeling shlumpy (I wonder if that is in the dictionary) I started looking through some old magazines and found one totally devoted to 9-patches. I liked the way one quilt was set so now I am cannibalizing what I had started and re-making it. I will have to buy a bit of fabric to finish it, but nothing like what I would have bought to start at the beginning.

So thank you all in blog-land for letting me shlump and letting me know that I am not the only one to experience shlumpiness. (OK, enough of the 's' word LOL)

Quilty Hugs!

I'm in a shlump

I have found myself in a quilting schlump. I have so many things I need to be doing that I don't feel like doing any of them. And I don't want to start a new project because I want to finish all the ones that have been hanging out there for a while.

I am also wrestling with buying a mid or long arm. I want to be able to finish my own quilts and crawling around on the floor pin basting and wrestling with a quilt in a sewing machine isn't my cup of tea anymore.

Oh well, sorry to be such a downer. Maybe tomorrow will bring some motivation.

Bonnie's New Mystery

Bonnie Hunter, from Quiltville, has created a new mystery quilt project. My friend Beth has figured out that each 1.5 yards, light and dark, works out to about 27 two-inch strips. I think I have 27 strips of each lying around in my scrap bin. Lord knows I have enough stash to pick from. So I guess sometime soon I need to start cutting strips.

This is going to be fun!

Homespun Hearts Pincushion

This is why I never achieve my posted goals.... cause I forgot to put something on the list and end up doing it instead of what I said I was going to do.

Oh well........... isn't that the life of a quilter.

I found this pattern on-line... honestly I don't remember where........ but you can find it at the Fat Quarter Shop website and it is FREE!!! (I love that four letter word). When I made it I put the pellets in a little muslin sack.... but I think it needs a little more weight so I'll try and put more in to the next set I make.

I know one is going to a friend of mine who has Scottie Dogs. The other I'm not sure. Maybe someone will get a surprise gifty sometime.

Weekly Update March 16

Ok, Ok.......... I know I didn't post an update last week. Actually I forgot until Wednesday and then I figured why bother.

So, let's see if I remember what I accomplished:

• finished putting together the rows for my Pinwheel wallhanging
• started working on two pincushions
• hand quilted on the URR quilt
• put together my miniature challenge made by my quilt students

My Goals for the upcoming week:

• put the borders on Erin's quilt (I finally figured out what I am going to do)
• hand quilt some more on the URR
• put the borders on the pinwheels
• finish making signature blocks for an online swap
• try not to start any new projects - I need to finish some old ones

Ok...... wish me luck.

Quilt Give Away at the Old Red Barn Co.

I found a link to the Old Red Barn Co. blog...... she's giving away a quilt!! It is a lovely quilt and I encourage all of you to visit her blog and leave a comment.

I Can't Believe I Won!

My guild meets the second Saturday of each month from September through May. This past Saturday our speakers were George and Virginia Siciliano. George is the "King" of paper-pieced miniature quilts and Virginia is an accomplished hand quilter.

At the end of their presentation, George said they were going to raffle off a basket of Fat Quarters but he had forgotten the roll of tickets. Being the joker I can be, I said "How about a kissing contest!"..... he seemed to like that idea but opted for a coin toss instead. Long story short, he kept dividing the room/rows/people in half and tossing the coin.

Guess who won!!

Challenged by my students

I have been teaching a series of beginner block classes at the local LQS and last Saturday was the Bowtie class. I told my students that if they were really ambitious, they could keep the little triangles cut off of the corners and make very small HSTs. Their comment? "Why don't you do that?"

So I went home and Sunday, with the help of my friend Beth who was on the phone speaking lots of encouraging words, I threw this miniature together. It is my first attempt at something this small and I have a greater appreciation for people who do this. Before I attempt it again, I'll be taking a class or two.

Have to monitor comments

Unfortunately I am now going to have to monitor comments left on my blog. It is a shame that people with nothing better to do than SPAM other people have to spoil it for everyone else. Oh well.... perhaps some day values, responsibility, and morals will come back into some people's lives.

Really HUGE brain cramp

Ok, I pulled out a quilt top to show to my friend yesterday.... it is going to be the next one I hand quilt. It is a 30's print sampler with an applique border of vines, leaves and flowers.

So, what do I find???? I left the leaves off of one border!!!! Talk about panic mode. I wasn't even sure I still had leaves (though I do remember thinking why do I have all of these extra leaves?)

Well crisis averted, stand down from Red Alert, I found the leaves. Now to applique them down and THEN baste it.

Anyone else ever have a brain cramp like this?

The Latest in Machine Attachments

There is as first time for everything... and today was Violet jumping up on the sewing table and deciding to look regal behind the Viking. It almost looks like the machine has sprouted a head on one end and feet on the other. I just had to share.

Been cutting my scraps......

I decided it was time to delve in and cut up my scraps again. For some reason I take big pieces (even found some FQs) and throw them into a bin. Well, two bins.

So I managed to cut most of it into pieces like 7.5 inch squares, 3.5 inch squares, 2 inch squares, 2 inch strips, 2.5 inch strips and 3.5 inch strips. The larger squares and strips will be for another Buckeye Beauty quilt.... or two or three........

Anyway, I managed to empty one large tote full of scraps. What is left is now in a flat tote. But don't be alarmed; the empty tote will not remain empty for long.... it is going to hold finished tops that need to be quilted.

Weekly Update - March 2

I can't believe it is March already!! Where has the year gone?

Ok, I did get some things on my list accomplished. You can probably guess what I didn't work on LOL..... so I'll move it on to this week.

What I accomplished:

• made more Buckeye Beauty blocks
• completed the Buckeye Beauty scrap top
• mailed the baby quilt to Vermont (I'm so proud of myself for having it done on time)
• cut up big pieces of scrap into more manageable sizes (thanks to Bonnie Hunter's system)
• hand quilted the final block on the URR quilt

Goals for the upcoming week:

• hand quilt the URR (still have a little bit of sashing and the border to do)
• continue cutting scraps
• put those *(#&)$ border's on Erin's quilt (this is really becoming quite funny)
• get my instructions and sample pieces ready for teaching my class next Saturday
• work on my Signature swap blocks

Hope all of you in blog-land have a productive week also!