I Need an Intervention

Last year I was on "No Buy" on the Stashbuster yahoogroup. The premise is that you only buy needed purchases. The legal "B"s. Backing, borders, binding. Some stretched it a little further and started including background. I was very good while I was on this challenge. They allowed you a 1 week "free" period which I did take advantage of. I had a list and I shopped to it. Otherwise I bought nothing but legal purchases.

This year, after No Buy, I was pretty good about my purchases until I was introduced to the Golden D'Or. That is when I began to fall apart. Golden D'Or is a fabric outlet and they have all sorts of fabrics available. They have tables covered in flat folds of every variety and then there is the Quilters room. This room has nothing but 100% cotton in it.

First there were these purchases. Not all is pictured as I sent quite a good bit of yardage to a friend in Australia. There are some pieces in there targeted specifically to charity quilts. Yardage on bolts is 2.99 for cotton and .99 for flatfolds. The flatfolds are not marked so you have to just try your luck on content.

I told myself I wouldn't go there again until I used up my stash. But then a dreaded email was sent announcing a 30% off sale on everything. A couple of gals decided to make the run and asked if I needed anything. I thought ok maybe just those animal prints I saw. I'll take 1 yard of each. How many could there be? 5 or 6 maybe? There were 15 of them.

Conicidentally I went to meet my sewing group that weekend. The house we meet at is very close to the Golden D'Or. We had to end our sewing meeting early and one of the gals decided to go to Golden D'Or for the last day of the sale. I mentioned that when I tried to go in that direction before that I sort of got twisted around. My friend very generously told me the easy way to get there. I hopped in the car heading for home. When my car saw the exit it just happily drove to Golden D'Or (that's my story and I am sticking to it). Who did I see there? My sewing buddy. I shopped a bit more exuberantly this time. Afterall it was on sale right? I found some great flatfolds with beautiful textures.

So as you can see. I need an intervention. There have been several excursions to Walmart for some other purchases in between all this. I just need to stay out of the stores!

Unconditional Love

My daughter and our dog Augie are a perfect representation of unconditional love. We adopted Augie when he was about 3 months old. Right from the start she carried him everywhere and held him in every way imaginable. Many times we were shrieking to put him down before she dropped him. She would throw him over her shoulder either on the shoulder or hanging way over her back. On her hip, facing front or back. Held like a baby. Picked up right side up or upside down. It doesn't matter how she picks him up, he turns into a rag doll and let's her do whatever she wants to him. They are so close that our son is jealous of the relationship. He does come to our room to sleep most nights but if he is invited to sleep with her, that is where I find him in the morning.

So you see...I am Augie's grandma. Not his momma. She is his momma. And his momma is not here. She is at her grandma's. Augie is here moping and missing her. He doesn't understand where she is. We find him in our laps for love and attention. She calls and bemoans being away from him. Last night she called and begged for a new pic of him and I obliged. While loading that picture I found this one that I took just about 3 weeks ago. She is laying on her belly on a reclining lawn chair with her head towards the foot of the chair and he is sitting on her shoulder without a care in the world or concern that she might dump them both onto the floor. If this isn't love I don't know what is.

The Day Has Come

I had made a personal challenge to only work on my 7 Sisters UFO until I was in the top 10 of the UFO Challenge list on the stashbuster yahoogroup. That day is today. In a little over 2 months time I managed to quilt the blocks, setting triangles, 3 of 4 solid borders and 2 of 4 HST borders. This is a Queen size and my first hand quilting project. I think I have done a pretty good job of it. I estimate another 2 weeks of dedicated work before I can bind this quilt.

It is funny during this journey that my burning desire was to get to top 10 so I could work on something else. Now my burning desire is to get these borders quilted and this quilt bound! I will continue quilting on the top through this week and will then move onto another UFO this weekend as I need a finish to avoid becoming Queen.

July Accomplishments

• Arniepats round robin
• Tami's round robin
• Karrins round robin
• hand quilted through all the side setting triangles of my 7 Sisters and have two sides (2 inner borders) completely hand quilted

August Goals

• finish hand quilting 2 inner borders of 7 Sisters
• bind 7 Sisters
• bind the 6" round robin
• finish my step on 5 round robins at my house or coming to me and mail
• finish 3 totes and mail
• knit chemo caps and mail

Yes I know. A huge list. Remember I am kidless for a few weeks and hubby is gone next weekend so I can do whatever I want to! Yippee!!

Quilting Outside the Box

My parents left Sunday and took both kids with them. They are in Louisiana now with my brother and then will travel on to New York this Sunday. My kids will be home around the 17th or so. It has been very quiet but I am trying to enjoy every minute! I have even made a "play date" for hubby to go do something next weekend so it will be just me and the dogs. Wow! They only want to be fed twice a day, given water when they run out and let in and out for bathroom and other duties. There is the occassional scratching and cuddling required. I can handle that!

So after my parents left I went to my friends house to sit and sew. Originally I was only planning to drop off my 12 Days quilt to be quilted but was invited to sew as well. I like the quilt I just cannot fully develop my quilting plan. I have plenty of ideas for some blocks just not all of them. I turned the quilt and my ideas over to her and she is going to see what sort of plan she can hatch. She and I are also in a Round Robin swap together. She had one ready for me when I arrived and completed her step on a second. So now I have advance time to work on these RR's.

Now to the topic of my post. While I was quilting my 7 Sisters my friend was prepping her square in a square quilt for her long arm. She was having issues with the backing and found she had cut it too small. I tried to help her hold it to see if it was just turned wrongly. No such luck. I started thinking what my solution would be. Cut off and piece the backing so it is wide enough or piece another backing. While these thoughts were running through my mind I heard a rip and looked to see what she was doing. This quilt has no borders and she decided to just tear a row off. I told her in a million years I would not have thought to do that. She admitted to running through the same ideas I had and arrived at this one.

I admire her and others that can "think outside the box". I would go so far as to say that I am usually intimidated by these folks that can work like this. I don't feel dumb but I do feel that I wish I were smarter. We sometimes get so stuck in what we are supposed to do and can't see other options. I do tend to follow directions to a "T" but I am learning to be more flexible in that area as well. My hat's off to you forward thinkers! I admire you all.

Personal Challenge If you remember my personal challenge to work only on my 7 Sisters until I am in the top 10 of the UFO Challenge on Stashbuster I want to update you. As of yesterday all the side setting triangles are quilted, my borders are mended and I am now quilting the borders. I am 14th on the list. It is taking forever to move above me! I do have a fast finish ready to be completed once I reach the top 10. I hope I am there next weekend while hubby is away. :D

Golfing

Here is a little video of us golfing.

Mom and Dad

Vacationing and Quilting

Still enjoying time with my parents here. We have eaten a lot both in and out. My hubby used to be the grill master but I had to try it out since he has a hard time walking in the yard due to his knee. I made some T-bones and they turned out great! I cooked nachos for Dad. He really likes them and was disappointed at the ones he got at the restaurant we went to.

My parents, son and I enjoyed a round of golf at the local par 3 course. I have not played in such a long time. I managed to step in a hole, twist my ankle and fall. Hurt for a good part of the day but by night I was fine. We are going out tomorrow for another round. I will watch out for those holes!

Can't think of much else of note. Just spending time together!

LOOK! I sewed 9 more stitches! Well, a few more than that. I updated the 7 Sisters progress box on the left side of my blog. I finished the side setting triangles on the third side and decided to go around to the fourth side and finish those triangles as well. Only 5 left to go. Maybe I will be done with them before the folks leave.

I will try to post some pics tomorrow of our golf outing.

I asked Mother to send some photos from when I was a baby

The Parents are coming, the Parents are coming!!!

Yes I knew this was coming. They left their house today and will be in Louisiana tomorrow to drop my nephew off at my brother's place. Then Saturday they will be up and on the road to come see me. I can't wait to see them! I can wait for them to see my house. So I am taking tomorrow off to get some cleaning and decluttering in. I am going to focus on the living areas and then if I have extra time I will attend to the sewing room overflow in the foyer. Ah well Mom and Dad...love me....love my mess.

So this means once I leave work today I will be on vacation and returning the 28th. I just hope I get some relaxation in. I hope work doesn't call me. I hope I get to sew my little brains out when my parents are snoozing!!

Lordy, lordy look who's 50??

Happy Birthday Mark! My hubby. Sort of snuck up on you huh? Hope you have a wonderful day.

I am Here! Lot's going on. I am sorry to be so quiet.

I am sewing away on my 7 Sisters. My friend teased that when you hand quilt the updates are rather boring...."Look I sewed 9 more stitches!" Yes, I get it! :p I am finishing up the second side. If I push I can get it done by tomorrow. Then on to the third side. I will be forced to do some repairs.

I will try to take some pics and post them soon. Please take a minute to say hello.

Rotating Projects If you read back on May 29th you will see that I set a challenge for myself. I said I would only work on my 7 Sisters UFO until I was either 10th on the UFO challenge list or I finished the 7 Sisters quilt.

I am 32nd and I am not done yet. I was putting every spare minute into that quilt to the point of burnout. I stopped a little over a week ago to work on round robins. Now that I have gotten the three that I had here out of the way I picked the 7 Sisters back up.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was refreshed and ready to get back into this quilt. I have the side setting triangles done on the next side so will be working on the 2 borders the rest of this week. I should be able to get that done this week then will move around the corner to the next side.

Let's see if I can get this quilt done this month!

Ugly Challenge

Did I ever share this? I took the piece of fabric sent to me and was allowed to add up to three more fabrics. Here is what I made.

Just Need to Baste It and Mail It

Help Me With The Sails.....

Are just outlines ok? Do I need to do a different stitch?

Sadie Helping

I mentioned that whenever I get my 7 Sisters out someone shows up to "help" . Note the dog slobber on the quilt.


When Sadie gets overly rambunctious we do doggy yoga. We lie her on our belly and rub hers.
She does calm down.



Here is some quilty content. Not my 7 Sisters. Karen don't look if you want to be surprised!!

One side completed I have completed one side of my 7 Sisters. I flipped the quilt around to look at the opposite side in preparation to start quilting it. I was not prepared to see that there are quite a few repairs that need to be made first. I have seams coming out, a blown piece of fabric that needs to be replaced and if you remember the dog incident, I have to piece batting back onto the original batt as the dogs tore too deeply when they got ahold of the quilt. I have become quite practiced at this so I will just fix it and go on.

Ok, ok are you buying that plan? I am going to check the three remaining sides and see if there are any that can be quilted right now and quilt that one! So there! If not then I will quilt what I can until I am forced to start fixing! LOL!

Look At What I Won!!

An adorable bag and some FQs from Andrea. Perfect timing. I really need a quilty hug these days. Too much work, too much family stuff.

On the quilting front....I have just one half block to complete on one side of the quilt and then the two border rows and I will have one side done. I plan to bind it once the two borders are quilted all around and then will finish all those setting triangles.

Someone at my house thinks this is her cuddle quilt and doesn't mind lying on it every chance she gets even if she pulls out the batting on the sides a little. I will try to capture a picture of her. She is a mess!

Progress.

This is a closeup of the side setting triangles next to the full blocks and the borders. You can see the quilting I did on the stars. I am then outlining all the setting triangles with 2 rows of quilting and echoing the HST border into the two pnk solid borders. I am not going to quilt the outer border until after it is bound so I don't lose my points. On the HST border I am just running a straight row of quilting along the top and bottom of the row. I like it. I am trying to control the poofiness and am getting better.

One Big Block To Go I am almost half way through the last big block. I think I over did it on my big push to get done with the quilt. I am getting tired of working on it and it has started to become a chore. I just sewed until I was tired and stopped rather than pushing through.

Once I have the big blocks done I will move onto RR's for a little while to get those out the door then go back to the 7 Sisters. This will still be my tv watching quilt. I will take a pic once I have done some quilting on setting triangles and borders.

All or Nothing Kinda Gal Hi all. I am here and have my head down on my 7 Sisters quilt. Are you watching the progress? I just passed the 2/3rds mark. I have every plan to get the big blocks all done this weekend. Wish me luck!

May Accomplishments/June Goals

I had planned the following in May:

• quilt Chain Events by end of May - not one stitch
• get to half way point on quilting 7 Sisters - I made it! I am near the 2/3rds point. Yeah!
• move round robins along a little more quickly - I got several out the door and have 2 at my house now to be done
• put final touches on ugly challenge tote bag - thought about it

June

• finish the 7 Sisters quilting
• find suitable binding for 7 Sisters
• get round robins done on time
• finish 2 small totes from last year

I think that is enough. I will be stitching into the night to get this done! Wish me luck.

7 Sisters Update I have really made some progress. Since Friday night I have finished 3 of the big blocks. When I first started quilting this it was taking me about 35 minutes for each star. I can now quilt on in about 15-20 minutes. Instead of it taking almost four hours I can now finish a block in just over 2. Dang I might finish this thing yet!

I did replace the two diamond pieces the dogs damaged. I will have to mend a few spots but will do those as I come to them.

Spencer Update He has been receiving treatment for three weeks now. I feel as though he has made an improvement. I need to get him to the vet for a weigh-in. He is still bony but nothing compared to what he was like 3 weeks ago!

7 Sisters Update I added details about my 7 Sisters quilt on my side bar. The number of full blocks, half blocks, connector triangles. As I finish quilting a part I will update my side bar. This has been motivating for me. I told Beth that I would not work on any of my other UFOs until I was 10th on the UFO challenger list or higher or it was the end of the 3rd quarter. She did give me permission to finish 2 little totes I have to get done as gifts, which are UFOs, and not consider it a deal breaker. Yes I can hear her giggling all the way from Maryland. I think she knows me a little too well and it will be hard for me to stay away from another finish on something else. This is the only way I am going to make any progress on this quilt. Wish me luck! Go tell Beth to be nice to me too!

My Sweet Boy Turned 15 Today!

Happy Birthday! Momma loves you!

Quilt Holder in Training I didn't notice the bottom of the subject when I took this pic but had a good laugh when I loaded it to the camera. See this post. I had seen my friends dh in her pics and when she quilted my quilt I asked him to please hold my quilts as well.

I then asked my quilt holder to turn the quilt around. Notice my quilting assistant in on the act as well. Smart alecs!!

Mamacrafty's RR

Sweetjessy's RR

The Following Are Actual Events.... No names have been changed as there are no innocent

Let's set the stage. This UFO obsessed person just got a UFO back from the quilter. Trying to decide what to concentrate on...a fast finish or longer term finish.

Me: You know I am in this UFO challenge where there are 100 women that all have to finish a UFO each quarter. As you finish your name moves to the bottom of the list. If your name bubbles up to the top of the list you have 1 week to finish something or you have to pay a fat quarter... You also have to have 1 finish per quarter but I already have that.

dh: okay....

Me: So I am trying to decide what to work on next. I have this big quilt to hand quilt and I wonder if I should just work on that and save the binding for a fast finish...

dh: (blank stare)

Me: What do you think?

dh: All this just over a fat quarter???

Me: Well....yeah....

He just doesn't get it. I went and consulted with my buddy Beth. She thinks I should machine the binding on and save the hand work if I get toward the top of the list. I like that woman! She gets it!!

Kindness of Others My family has been through a lot over the past few years. If you have been reading along you know the stories. Over this time I have experienced several random acts of kindness. One was a gift certificate to equilter from Sharon where I purchased the following:

The next was a kind offer to quilt a UFO for me. I did not act upon this at first but then later accepted the offer. In return I am donating a QOV to the quilter. I know this is dark but the quilting really shows up well that way. Thanks Alycia!

Quilt back

I am truly blessed by the kindness of these friends.

Did You Hear Something? Maybe it was the loud thud of me falling off the wagon. 21 yards later but I am happy. A birthday gift from hubby. 2 quilts and one tote are in plan for this yardage.

Arlington Quilt Show and Saturday Sew In

Pics of the booty I got at the quilt show.

Winnings from the Sew In. I met up with a group of gals from the Quilting with a Passion quilt forum. We played some games and I won some cute notepads and 18 FQs. It was a LOT of fun! Thanks ladies.

May Goals Here we are half way into May and I didn't list my goals. I am sure you know I am on a finishing frenzy. I have already finished two UFOs this month and have my sights set on the next one to finish. I will be working out the quilting plan on my Chain Events quilt and continue to work on the 7 Sisters. I really need to get some serious time in on the 7 Sisters or I am going to be caught as the Queen of UFOs with that one.

• quilt Chain Events by end of May
• get to half way point on quilting 7 Sisters
• move round robins along a little more quickly
• put final touches on ugly challenge tote bag

Another UFO Finished I started this Round Robin last year and it came home to me this year. I counted it as a UFO as it met the criteria of when it had been started, before January 1 of this year. I picked it up from the long armer Friday and sewed the binding on it the same day. I stitched on that binding every spare minute and put the last stitches in it this morning when I got up. This RR represents many firsts for me. First round robin, first time I had done the blanket stitch by hand, paper piecing, machine applique. I know many have bad experiences but I think this one turned out wonderfully. Many thanks to Teresa, Becky, Beth, Jane and Paulette for your work on this RR. I love it!

Friday Vacation Day I took the day off to attend a little quilt show in Arlington, TX where a friend had a few quilts hanging. It was a very small but nice show. It only took about 2 hours to see the quilts and all the vendors. So what is a girl to do when she has the rest of the day to kill? She finds more quilt shopping!

I went to a quilt store near the show. They had some things at the show that were on display but didn't have any inventory with them. I popped in to have a look around. They had a thimble I was looking for and then I picked up a few batik FQs and one other piece of fabric. I was also looking for some 30's fabrics. Someone had told me of another shop that had plenty. I got directions and drove over there. I walked in the store and my mouth fell open. Huge store with lots of inventory. Wide variety. I looked for a very long time in that store. I was easily there for over an hour. I found some 30's FQs and the yardage I needed to bind my 30's feedsack quilt.

Oh, did I mention that while I was at the quilt show I got my 30's round robin back from my friend who quilted it? As soon as I got home I threw a load in the washing machine along with my binding fabric. Before the night was out I had the binding made and machine sewn to the quilt. Now to hand stitch it down. My second finish in May...here we come!

Kids, dogs, husbands and quilts but not necessarily in that order.

My son was the recipient of his school's Lighthouse Award. It is meant for kids that serve as a "light" in their school. It was a nice ceremony. All faculty and staff are allowed to select a student. My son's school nurse chose him. Her reason was because of him coming out of his shell with her. They selected 3 students to give a speech from the 206 recipients. I cried over the first one that spoke. A victim of Katrina with a previously rough life. She had failed school twice and should be a Junior now but is taking classes to complete her Freshman and Sophmore year in one year. Very admirable. Her turnaround is amazing. The second speaker I had mixed feelings about. He was peer pressured into committing a crime and served 1.5 years in jail. He is a Junior and already has two kids. I am probably judging him a little too harshly. I won't say anymore. The third speaker...I could not believe. It was a former co-worker's granddaughter. She is a Junior now and I have known her since her grandmother took custody of her. I do not know her on a deeply personal level but have heard stories and spent some time with her on a few occassions. A very sweet girl. Her mother drank and used drugs while pregnant with this girl. It was such a struggle for her and her grandmother when she was an infant. She has struggled with learning issues but feels she has overcome them. An amazing child. I really like the purpose of the program and think it is good for building self esteem.

We got Spencer's medication yesterday. I gave him his first dose of B12 and antibiotic. Now for the healing to begin. I hope it works and he gets his weight and muscle tone back. He is such a sweetie.

My husband got his latest MELD score. He is now up to a 20. This means he is closer to get a Liver transplant. Of course it depends on who is ahead of him and what comes in as far as a match goes. He is trying to get his knee replacement back in but I am betting that won't happen anytime soon.

I finished!! I put the last stitches in my Double Irish Chain last night and put it right into the wash. When I left this a.m. it was drying. I will take pics when I get home tonight and put them in this post. A little longarm birdy told me I will have my 30's feedsack round robin back Friday. I will just have to bind it. Watch for another finish soon!

Update: I hate the last border....looks like I will be quilting on this some more....sigh....

I Promised Pictures Not what you might have expected but I added a new header on my blog. Those are all my UFOs that I have left. Do you think I should update it by removing the UFOs as they are finished?

I have about half of one side left to finish on my Irish Chain. My son won an award so we are going to the ceremony today. I am working from home so that I can get to school on time. I will be able to stitch on conference calls so I should have another UFO completed today.

Updates on Machine and Spencer I picked up my machine yesterday. I haven't sewn with it yet but plan to this weekend. While I was at the Janome dealer I got a lesson on the rolled hem foot and she showed me how to use a wing needle made for creating a hem stitch. I had never heard of one before. Fascinating. I bought the needle and will be playing with it this weekend.

We got a call from the vet yesterday. I think the news was pretty good. He has a lower intestine infection. He will be on antibiotics for 6 weeks and has to take a B12 shot once a week for 6 weeks. The antibiotic is called tylosin and is actually a horse medicine. The vet had to call the compound phramacy to have it made for a dog. We should have the meds in the next few days. I hope Spencer regains the weight and muscle quickly. I think he is starting to show weakness in his legs now.

On the UFO front...I have the third side of the quilt almost bound. Tonight I will turn that corner and be on my way to a finish. This will put me at the bottom of the Queens list for awhile on the Stashbuster UFO Challenge so I will be concentrating on my 7 Sisters. I need to start making progress on that quilt if I hope to get it done this year! I keep saying by end of June I will have all my UFOs done. I should say, except this one. If I am not careful this quilt is going to get me crowned.

When it Rains it Pours I had a project deadline of Saturday at midnight. I had been sewing every spare minute since Wednesday to meet it. That is the project I had all the cutting issues with. Well I was working steadily at it Saturday morning sewing pieces together after playing with the layout. Suddenly my 1 year old Janome won't catch the bobbin thread. I take her apart and clean her out. I can't see what is wrong but do see the thread getting caught. I got up and drove her immediately to my Janome dealer. They fiddled with her and said they thought the timing was off. How the heck did I do that? I didn't hit a pin. The only thing I can think of is I was working with batiks and they sometimes sew like steel. I probably should have changed the needle before that project started. Some of the intersections of seams were tough to get through. Hmmm.... They say I can pick her up today more than likely. Yippee!!

Luckily I had also bought a Jem Platinum as a class machine last year. It is also known as dd's machine. When I got back I set her up and went to sewing. I was pressing the piece when I noticed I had sewn the lining wrong side out. Sigh.... I had pinned so carefully too visualizing the piece so that when I turned it it would be right. The lining wasn't in that visualization. Darn! So I just pressed it well and went to take pics. Dead camera. My dd loves to play with my camera and had used up the battery. Luckily I have a rapid charger. I charged it up and snapped the pics. I finish with 4-5 hours to spare. Wish me luck! The piece is sitting on the cutting table waiting to be unlined so I can correct it and finish it properly! Pics after voting is over!

Along with the challenge piece I planned to sew the binding on my Irish Chain. It is a large queen size and I am halfway through. If my machine had not gone wonky I was going to start the quilting on my Chain Events. I think it was for the best that it did as I would not have progressed as far as I had on the UFO. I have decided to concentrate on the UFO and just get it done without thinking about other projects. I am creeping up the Queens list for the Stashbuster UFO Challenge and do not care to be crowned Queen.

That's all folks. Sorry to be so pictureless lately. I will try to get some pics in this week.

As the World Turns....or maybe the cookie crumbles... I know you all have been there done that on this. I have a deadline that I was allowed to slip 3 more days. I am doing a challenge and have to fussy cut the focus fabric and then cut my strips and subcuts from my other fabrics. I managed to fussy cut all my HSTs...only 36 of them. Then I took my background and proceeded to cut 36 HSTs from that as well.

My next step was to create a fussy little block that I call a square with wings. I was in my right mind and decided to make a test piece. I had seen several blog posts where people created a four patch and then they sliced through the middle of that. I thought perfect! That is just what I need. So I made the four patch and looked at it only to realize that wasn't exactly what I needed. So now here I am grumbling to myself...while also realizing....those 36 HSTs of my background....I didn't need those. Argh! I hope I don't run out of the background.

So, back to the drawing board. It turns out the focus fabric squares were the right size. I just needed to make the triangle a 1/4" larger so that they would form the seam allowance when I add it to my focus HST. I made another test piece and it turned out great! Then I sewed it to the focus HST. It looks really nice.

At this point I decide to make some notes of how many pieces of what I need to make, etc for my project. This always helps me jump in where I left off so I don't waste time milling about. When I got up this a.m. I decided to look at my plan and realized I had cut too many HSTs. At least it wasn't the other way around, too few. It also dawned on me to check those un-needed HSTs from my background to see if they would be the right size for my "wings" if I cut them in half. They are! Yeah! No waste!

I am back in the groove again. I just have to cut those background HSTs in half and then also cut 30 squares from my focus fabric. Sometimes when things don't seem to be going well....it's just a disguise!

It Arrived!! I picked dd up from school and she asked me if I had mailed her letter to Canada yet. I told her I had not and was going to go home and re-make my RR's and take all of it to the PO at the same time. I stopped at the computer to check my email and what do I see? An email from the lady I sent the 4 round robins too saying they had finally arrived. She said the envelope had looked as though it got stuck in a machine but the contents are fine. Now I have to go mail dd's letter!

Dog news.... My dear Spencer keeps getting thinner. When we got him he was around 50 pounds. I thought he was thin at that weight and sort of fattened him up to about 60 pounds. The vet said stop! So we dieted him back down to 50. Well, now the poor guy is down to 36 pounds. We had several bouts with girardia and whip worm. We think we finally conquered that and he actually gained a few pounds. But now he is losing again and he just does not look well. He is very boney. I took him to the vet Saturday for blood work. They called yesterday to tell me that he is not absorbing the nutrients from his food. He is basically starving to death. They had me bring him back for more tests this a.m. I asked the vet to toss around some possibilities of what could be going on. He said enzyme or vitamin deficiency. These can be addressed with food additivies. He also dropped the dreaded "C" word. He could have lymphoma of his digestive tract. Let's hope for one of the first two. Spencer is about 13 now and has had a very good life. He was our first rescue from STAAR. We sure hope to have him a few more years.

To end on a happy quilty note. I have the binding sewn onto my Irish Chain. Now I just have to hand tack it down to the back. I also re-basted a UFO that was a little too wrinkly on the back. I have the bobbins loaded and when I get tired of hand sewing my binding I will start quilting away on the next UFO. I have two RRs here at the house I need to work on. I am also working on my ugly challenge due tomorrow but plan to beg for an extension until Saturday. Hope they say yes!

Lost in the Mail For those having experience mailing things to Canada.

I sent a manilla envelope with 4 small round robins in it. Very flat package. They didn't have me fill out a customs slip for it. I mailed it on the 3rd of April. Still hasn't gotten there.

I sent a second manilla envelope with 3 round robins in it. A little bigger than the first set but still a very flat package. I mailed it on the 16th of April. It arrived on the 22nd.

I asked the intended recipient to call her post office to see if it was sitting there for some reason. I also asked her to see what our options are.

Input please. My two RRs are easy enough to replace. I think the other two gals could be as well.

Mark's New Ride

Wordless Week, Pictureless Too

Gee, where did this past week go? I am trying to figure out why I haven't blogged this past week. Let me see, there was preparing taxes. Getting packages together to be mailed. My package sent to Canada 2.5 weeks ago is missing in action. There was a wicked storm one night so I spent my time worrying over that. There was some time "thinking" about sewing. Then there was a very small amount of actual sewing. Saturday was filled with appointments and then car shopping for dh. You know that isn't a fast process.

So I have a little progress on my Irish Chain borders, quilted a little on my 7 Sisters and we have a new to us car. I will try to get together a more blog worthy, with pictures, post!

April Goals

My goals are pretty much the same as March. Once I quilted the center of my Irish Chain I didn't touch it again. I have two of my borders planned for the quilting but just did not do it. I made myself work on it tonight. I have to make 3 more rounds of the quilt then decide on that last border. I will finish it this month as I am 35th on the UFO Challenge list for Stashbuster.

My 7 Sisters is coming along. I finished two blocks this weekend. If I continue at that pace it will be done in no time. I do have to patch it again yet but decided to continue quilting the side away from that spot. I think I have 5 big blocks left on that side then several half blocks. Progress is good.

I have several RR's that will be traipsing through. I will turn them as fast as I can.

Round Robin Update I currently have 5 round robins in my possession. I had 3 ready to mail last night. But while working on one of them I discovered that someone had not added a seam allowance as needed. So I talked to the owner and I agreed to "fix" it so that future steps would not be confusing to others. I got creative and was able to figure out how to re-cut only one piece rather than two.


The fourth RR is due to mail by the 15th. I have the fabric washed and pressed, I have a plan. Now to cut and sew. I will get that done tonight in addition to fixing the other. Karrin, don't look if you want to be surprised.

Finally the fifth RR. Not sure there. I have to add an applique. I think I have to also add another row. When I get done with the other two and have them bundled up I will study this one some more. I have ideas just not sure of them at this point.

The eyes have it. My dd took this picture. I think she has good perspective.

Bash



That is what DD titled the picture of her Dad's truck. We are fortunate no one was seriously injured. DH has a pretty serious bruise on his left palm with swelling. No idea where that came from. A little sore and not much else.

Round Robin Round I made it to the machine last night. I hemmed 3 pairs of pants. No more in the near future!

I am participating in a Round Robin with some ladies that had a blog on the Quilt for Pleasure ring but that are now on the Quilting for Fun ring. I decided to ask another group of gals if they wanted to try this same RR. I have 10 that agreed and some of us are doing more than one. I had to combine a few steps as well.

Let me tell you, it is wild and wooley so far! We are just doing the step and mailing as we finish. I ended up with 4 in my posession at once (2 are mine) and I have a package of 4 more on the way. This contains the RR's of a gal that is doing 3. It is going so fast as a result. At this point we are building the base of the piece. Once we get to the more complex steps we plan to slow it down to allow more time for the applique and embellishment steps.

Here are my RR's.

Texas is the theme.....



Batik Garden is the theme......

Back in the Saddle Again....sort of.... I worked on my RR's...yeah! I only cut though, no sewing. I have to *cough, choke, sputter* hem more pants tonight so I will also sew on my RR's at that time as well and will get them into the mail.

I just got an email from mamacrafty that she has completed my RR. I am posting the pic here but go check out mamacrafty's blog too. I am SO spoiled and I know it!

I Haven't Been Feeling My Best Hence my long silence. I have been hand quilting on my 7 Sisters quilt. I hemmed three pairs of pants for my ds last night as well. First time at the machine for close to two weeks. I was hit with sinus and eye (both) infections which really slowed me down and even kept me out of work for a couple days. I have just felt blah.

Getting to the machine last night energized me a bit so I plan to get caught up on some RR's that I owe tonight. I might even work on the Irish Chain a little more. I decided I needed to finish that in the 2nd quarter of the year for my UFO challenge. :D Yes I am playing the game. I only have borders left to do.

Quilty pics coming soon!

Mamacrafty is at it again! She sent me the latest pic of my feedsack round robin. She has been letting me have just a tad too much input on this but I am glad! She is doing maker's choice on the last row. I can't wait to see what she does with it. I am mailing off a little more of my background to her so she can get it done!

I spent the weekend handquilting my 7 Sisters quilt. It has become addicting. Even though my goal is to complete my Irish Chain by the end of month I can't seem to put this one down. The damage the dogs did isn't too bad but I do keep seeing a little more. I don't think this quilt will be usable when it is done. It is very fragile. I keep asking myself if I should abandon it for this reason. For now I will forge on. I am getting the hang of hand quilting!

*********** Update: There does appear to be damage to the quilt and they actually did a nice job of trimming the batting. One block has two pieces shredded, some pulled stitches and one part of the pink has some right angle tears. Not sure how I will fix the latter. I will repair the block and when I get to quilting the pink I will decide how to fix it then.

HORRORS!!!! My 13 yo dd just called me to let me know the dogs had pulled my 7 Sisters quilt down from it's perch. I am at work and cannot get home for several more hours to see what the damage is. She did inform me the hoop is chewed through. I told her to put it up out of reach and I would take care of it when I got home.

I asked her if the quilt was damaged and she said yes. She said they pulled the batting out. OK that is fixable. I just said don't worry and hung up. I called her back and asked if they had gotten all the sewing do-dads and she said she got that before they did. So then I asked the question I was most afraid to ask. Are there any holes in the quilt. She said yes but tiny ones. My head is swimming at this point. She changed her answer and tried to describe to me what sounds like a run in the fabric. I don't know. You think my boss would agree this is a family emergency and I need to go home??

More later tonight when I see what is what. Those dang dogs.....I know I should have put it in a better place. That is probably why I am so mad...my fault!

This and That

I finished this RR last month and am mailing it today. Jan don't peek if you want to be surprised!

Here is the link to the goodies I bought at the Dallas show.

Drawing winners from Sunday's draw. I had three good sports share their UFO goals with me so I select them all as winners! Eva, mamacrafty and danielle, please send me your address so I can send you a little something!

Enjoy!

Dallas Quilt Show I went to the show Friday and Saturday. Had loads of fun and got to meet up with my friends. Boy did I shop too! I will be posting a pic of my goodies tonight. There are batiks and backings and patterns and notions! I found a great thimble that makes my hand quilting go a little smoother too. It's a w'nder thimble. Pretty neat! I have all the receipts in a little bag but don't dare total it.....should I??

More exciting news! My feedsack round robin is on it's way to Michigan as we speak. Mamacrafty is a quick gal so I hope to see it before the month is out. I have a quilting plan already decided so can't wait to get to it. I think I even have a good backing to use as well.

Stay tuned. I will have my goodie drawing tonight!

Snow Angels I grew up in central New York and there was an abundance of snow every winter. I moved to Texas in 1985 and they do have snow here but nothing like NY. I do have pictures of my dd as a toddler making a snow angel. I called my folks tonight and they told me they sent me an email that I would love. I just couldn't imagine what it could be. Here is the picture they sent....





Do you see it? Are you ready to meet the maker? Here he is sitting in the chair with my daughter. Are you surprised?

Today is Wednesday Do you know I haven't been to my machine at all since Sunday. I am sort of stuck on my Irish Chain. I have some ideas for the border but still trying to decide. I think I will quilt what I have already decided upon and then move on to the next UFO. To continue I have to re-baste or mark the quilt. This requires me to use a table that I can only setup outside. Which of course requires nice weather. Am I making excuses? I do have my 7 Sisters quilt that I am hand quilting to work on.

Of course this nagging little voice pops into my head when I think about moving on to another quilt and warns me about finishing things and why I have UFOs. HUSH little voice! I think I have been really good about finishing lately.

I have the Dallas quilt show to attend this weekend. I am going to make it a 2 day event and meet up with folks on both days. The plan is noon at the raffle quilt. Just call out swooze! I will answer :D. I have my shopping list all drawn up. It is sort of funny...I am not on the "No Buy" challenge but my desire to buy fabrics is rather tame at the moment. I do have two specific lines I am interested in plus I need a backing for an RR. Other than that...I feel like I have plenty.

How are you doing on your UFO goals? Tell me how many you have this year, how many you have completed this year and what your goal is for completing them. I will have to see if I can find a little something for a giveaway. Answer my question before Sunday 3/16 ends!

March Progress Here is a full picture of my Simple Simon that I finished, finished last weekend.



Here is my Floral Irish Chain. I have the center machine quilted. Yes that is a 1" grid and the quilt is a Queen size. I will be spending a few days deciding what to do with those borders. I usually stitch

in the ditch but will be a tad more original than that....but not much!

What I woke up to this a.m. This is minor compared to what people got just to the north of us. This is pretty good snow for the Dallas area but it didn't stay long. Nothing accumulated on the ground here. This is our 2nd snowfall this month already. They were predicting more tonight but I think that has moved out of the forecast.

Quilting Report.....2 bobbins down. I am now over a quarter of the way through the center portion of the top. I quilted for about 1.5 hours. I hope that I can have the center quilted by Sunday. I need to decide what to do on the borders. Normally I just stitch in the ditch. On my Peacock quilt I actually stitched down the middle of the wide border to echo the inner borders. I liked that look and may repeat it here. I will post a picture of the quilt later this week and see what you all think.

I decided to fill up 6 more bobbins since that is what I thought it would take to get the center quilted. I ran out of thread on the 5th one. Will have to head to the store to get another spool. I will also have to rebaste the borders as the quilting is smoothing things out and I have a little wave. Good to catch that now.

How are you doing on your UFO goals this year?

One Bobbin Down and 7 to go Ok I am maniacal about getting my UFOs done. I decided to quilt for about an hour on my Irish Chain last night. I ended up getting through one bobbin worth of thread. At this rate it looks like I have about 8 hours of work to get this quilted. One hour per bobbin. I am quilting on the diagonal about every 1 inch across. This is a queen size top and I was really questioning my quilting plan after that hour but will forge ahead. In the end I will be really pleased I know.

This is UFO number 4 for the year. I have another queen size to quilt by machine, another queen size that I am hand quilting and then 3 throw size that I plan to machine quilt. The order here is my current plan for finishing. I didn't plan to end with the smaller pieces but I think it will make me happy to get the big pieces out of the way first.

Meet Simon This is another antique top I bought back in the late 80's early 90's. I just finished quilting and binding it. It was sleeting out so will take a full size pic when it is nicer.

Reflection on February. Goals for March

My February goals were

• bind ninepatch on point
• bind baby FMQ practice piece
• finish next two RRBlogger rounds
• quilt and bind Simple Simon
• baste Floral Irish Chain
• baste 7 Sisters

I just finished Simple Simon. I am counting it as done per my goals. I completed everything. Yeah!!

March Goals:

• Quilt and bind Floral Irish Chain - bobbins are wound! Bobbin area is cleaned out. Needle is changed. I am ready to go!
• Continue hand quilting 7 Sisters

Wish me luck!