Friday, February 29, 2008

On a roll!

I don't quite know what has gotten in to me, but I have really gotten my Mojo back! Might be the fist full of vitamins I am now taking since my flu experience, or all the wonderful fabric that is at work, or all the inspiration I am getting from all the wonderful blogs, hmmm! Think it is all of the above :-). Speaking of the flu, Nan has really had a bout of the nasty stuff. Sounds like she is finely starting to feel better. Hope you are back to sewing and creating really soon Nan!

My Red, White and Bold quilt is off to be quilted. I don't know what it is, but the easier the quilt pattern the more I am likely to mess it up.. Got the borders on and realized I had switched some of the rows around. I really thought about taking it apart, but decided it will be fine just the way it is. I have had a very busy week with my binding business--5 quilts this week and this evening I did some more piecing on my 4 patch scrappy quilt.

Last week I was poking around the blogs and visiting Belvie's. She showed a quilt that she was working on that is a Bareroots pattern......the light bulb came on! When I was digging through the quilt closet looking for a pattern for a friend I found this top and had no clue what pattern it was, well that was until I saw Belvie's top and they looked very similar. I checked out the Bareroots website and there was my quilt. After a day of going through my patterns, with no luck finding the pattern I went ahead and ordered one from Bareroots and it came today. There will be all kinds of cute little flowers and vines embroidered all around the blocks. This will be a great take along project. I hate to admit it, but I don't even remember making this top....maybe the quilt fairies were in my fabric closet making it for me, that must be what happened! Thanks Belvie!!

Since tomorrow is March 1 it is time to pick my monthly Christmas project. When Carol and I went to Houston I picked up this cute little quilt kit. It's a Joined At The Hip pattern and should work up really fast, and I just happen to have one of those star hangers in the picture. Speaking of March l, have any of you checked out the quiltathon going on tomorrow? Sounds interesting and think I'm going to do it. Since I'm working tomorrow, my day will be Sunday.
Hope everyone enjoyed leap day, and I don't know if you knew this little fact about the day, calories don't count on February 29th!!! Have a great weekend everyone.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Oh, Oh, Oh!!

As I was finishing my Ho, Ho, Ho Christmas project today, I realized if you turn it upside down it says Oh, Oh, Oh....hmmm surely I can hang this somewhere when it's not Christmas time. Maybe on the frig when I am thinking of snacking. I'll have to ponder this for a while!!

We had rain again today. I know that we need it, but in the last couple weeks we have had a lot. Between the cold weather and the rain the plants have taken a beating. I really haven't even been out to work in the yard and it's getting to that time of year when I have the itch to do some gardening. We had about 30 minutes of sun, so I took a picture of my pansies. Looking a little sad from the dumping of rain and wind that we had this morning, but love those pretty little yellow flowers.

My picture taking abilities are not very good, but I am working on it. My last post I had a picture with a closeup of a Hershey's Kiss....I never look much at the background stuff, but there was a picture of my mom. She was such an amazing gardener. I really wish I had paid more attention and learned from her. She has been gone for 16 years and the older I get I realize how much I am like her. Although she wasn't a quilter, gardening was her passion and she worked her magic. We always had the most beautiful flower beds!
I have been working on this Sandy Gervais pattern using a Red White and Bold jelly
roll from Moda. Her patterns are really
wonderful and she has a great website. Hoping tomorrow I can get the scrappy outside border on and then it will be done.

Enough blabbing for me and wishing all of you a great start to your week, with some quilting fit in here and there!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Some Show and Share!

Hope everybody had a great week and got some quilting done. In my head I got tons done, now in reality not so much, but a little bit. Thought I would show you
some quilts that my friends have finished! Here's Rosemary's beautiful Boxwood quilt hand appliqued - WOW! Evelyn's wonderful Moda U quilt. I love the fabrics in this quilt and all the9 patches! Here's Carol's Miss Rosie's quilt...done in Bound To The Prairie fabrics, again wonderful! I have a quilt back from being quilted out of Holly Jolly from Moda. I really wasn't too wild about this quilt when I made it and I had decided to give it away, but I think I might be keeping this one, plus it can count as one of my Christmas projects a month. Speaking of project a month, my February Ho Ho Ho is coming along and I am really hoping to have it pieced and quilted by Sunday. It's not very big, so I have to excuse :-)!

A sweet mail delivery this morning from Sally-Ann in the UK. We were partners in the Valentine Swap. A pretty coffee Cosie to keep my caffeine warm, yummy chocolate hearts, heart buttons, stickers, ribbon and cutout hearts! WOW, Sally-Ann you really hooked me up :-)! Trust me, the chocolates are good I already tasted them. Which leads me to my next picture......this sweet little silver package is getting the better of me! I have been having a major issue with this little package.....I am Cheryl and I am addicted to chocolate :-)!!

Our girl is home for a couple days and all the kids will be over for pizza tonight. Mom is 4 months along now and the baby bump, is bumping! Hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend with some quilting tucked in here and there. Later alligators!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig!!!!

We are back home after 4 wonderful days in Morro Bay. Camping with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, longtime friends Dave and Chris and Gary and Sandy, is one of our favorite trips we take each year. Lots of catching up with each others kids and lots of talking about quilting and crafting. The guys manage to get a couple golf games in, and even my sister-in-law Jane joined them this year. John was quite impressed by how great she played. Way to represent us ladies Jane :-)!!! Here's a view from our space...pretty!!!
On Valentines Day Sandy had us over to their trailer for dessert. We had brownies, lemon bars, Mexican Heart shaped sugar cookies and Belgium wafer cookies, yummmmmy! All served on the cutest heart shaped napkins ...should of had my camera, but it was too cold to walk back and get it.

Friday was golf day, so Sandy and I visited and got our quilting talk on!! She is one creative lady and I always come home so inspired by what she is working on. Friday our friends Dave and Chris arrived with Tamales that they picked up on the way, and of course the World Famous Ball of Cheese was present!
Dave and John testing out the cheeseball!

I took some wonderful photos of the elephant seals and the sweet town of Cambria, only to find out that I must have bumped a setting on my camera and I can't download them. I hoping when Katie is home this weekend she can figure it out for me. I did get my projects done.........bindings for my friend Carol and the binding on my Christmas runner, so my January Christmas project is done! I also got February's Christmas project cut out, so full steam ahead. I am determined to make my end of the month deadline!

A great 4 days, with good friends, wonderful food and projects done!
I am one happy camper!
Hope that your week is off to a good start and I can't wait to get back to checking on what everyone has going on! Later alligators :-)!

PS-sorry for any spelling errors....bloggers spellcheck still out of service :-( !

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

A Very Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

A very happy early Valentines wish to all my bloggy friends! Hope you have a wonderful day and get to eat lots of yummy chocolate and spend some time with those you love and care about :-)!

We have the tin can loaded up and we will be heading out early for our camping trip. I have my bag of bindings packed and ready to go. Notice my Christmas runner peeking out of the top of the bag.....my friends Chris and Karen took pity on me and machine quilted it. Could have been the bit of whinning I did, hmmmm! It's wonderful, and the binding is on and ready to be sewn down by hand. I didn't quite finish it for January, but it will be done this weekend. I have my February project along, and I plan to get it cut out, and with any luck done by the end of the month.
Is it just me or does everything seem to take twice as long to do as you planned?
I had a very simple list of things to finish up after work today, and it took me forever to get them done. It couldn't possibly be that I am slowing down a bit...nope couldn't be that!! Well off to put my pile of sewing projects by the door so we can make a fast getaway! I'll be checking back in on Monday with lots of pictures to share. Later alligators :-)!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Much Better!!!

Finally, back to feeling better....just this cough thing, but that I can deal with. It was so nice of me to share it with John, so now he's got the yucks, but a much milder case and already he is doing better today. We have a getaway later in the week that we don't want to miss. A four day trip to Morro Bay with friends that we look forward to each year. Pam gave me directions to Susan Branch's shop in Arroyo Grande, plus some quilt shop shopping.........I can't wait!!

The weather has been so warm and sunny! I've set out in the sun the last couple of days and worked on some bindings. Nothing like some good old vitamin D to get the body back on track! Today I went hog crazy and made some pincushions. I've been playing with different buttons for the centers, but haven't actually sewn them on. I filled them with crushed walnut shells. Just love the way they feel.

Tonight I plan to watch the Grammy's and sew some on my 4 patch quilt. It feels good to be getting back to working on projects Hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and remember, stay positive, stay happy and get lots of quilting done!
PS - don't forget to eat some chocolate :-)!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Me and My New BFF....(hopefully not forever!)

Me and the couch have been best friends for quite a few days now! Those are my polka dotted toes making an appearance, but believe me that's all you want to see! This flu has taken me down...but with some medicine I think I am finally getting the best of it, but I am taking things really slow. Hoping the tail end is this lingering cough.

Thanks for the nice comments and emails I have been receiving......sorry I haven't answered sooner, but this is my first day on the computer since my last post. All your nice thoughts and comments are much appreciated!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

The Week Was Going So Good......

We had a wonderful weekend with our girl. I made some progress on my four patch..got the rows sewed on and all the others are stacked and ready to be pieced. As I was pinning and sewing I noticed something on my pincushion........
A wonderful note left for me!! Here's another one she made for me several years ago, and it has become my pincushion shrine!! There are sweet little notes all around the edges that she had added from time to time The little HI was her first backstich project. Thanks sweetie, LUV U right back!!!

Things still going well. The LUV U has been a sweet touch to my week. I worked on a valentine runner and managed to get it done. If you ever need a quick and easy table runner then this is the pattern. It is charm pack friendly which even adds to how fast it is!

I have been dealing with a sore throat, and Doe advised me to drink pineapple juice which really seemed to be doing the trick. Thursday morning I needed to pick up a birthday present, so out shopping I go!! As I was checking out, these Junior Mints caught my eye, especially since I am always in the mood for some chocolate. I didn't even realize till I got home that they were heart shaped Junior Mints, how cute is that!!! By late that afternoon I had a fever, chills and a nasty cough...so much for my flu shot! Yesterday I spent the whole day in bed and today I'm up, but dragging. I'm tying to pretend I am better. You know positive thinking and all! Hope that everyone elses week has managed to move along nicely and no flu bugs are hanging around your houses.