This and That and That and This

It's been a sluggish week for me. I came down with a rotten cold (headache, sore throat...etc) on Sunday evening, didn't go into the office on Monday, went on Tuesday but the boss sent me home 2 hrs into my day, didn't go again today...Tomorrow...I will try to go tomorrow! We have an open house next week and I have done NO decorating at all!!! I can already tell it will be more work than I am willing to give at this point in time.

I really have nothing to show for my time off. Did the handwork on a binding then pulled the machine quilting out of Gramma's Aprons because it was HORRIBLE, no two ways about it! So pulled it all out and today I started handquilting it....ah....looks 100 times better~ shoulda gone with the handquilting in the first place but wanted it done quickly so decided to machine quilt it...Why do I always second guess myself??? Anyway...3 blocks quilted and it is looking really nice. I will leave this at my mothers and do the work while we visit.

This is a set of placemats I made for Maddie and JJ while at camp earlier in the month. I thought the FQ bundles were cute. One is cats the other dogs. I totally fell for this FQ bundle, too cute!! I think I can get a few more placemats out of the leftovers...or maybe into the stash it goes. I did make another set of placemats (as fun as, if not more, than the cats and dogs) but will have to wait until after Christmas to show you.

This little log cabin is one of my first foundation pieced projects, using my first quilt block rubber stamp. I gave it to my sister waaay back when. The block is actually a quarter log cabin block. Not sure why it made its way back to my house but I am thinking my sister didn't know it was in with this next quilt that she is loaning me. This is a wallhanging that my mother made, she and I each bought a kit while at the Sand & Sea quilt show in Coos Bay, Oregon in 1997. She started on hers right away...finishing it in record time...I was in the middle of getting our oldest son ready to graduate High School and sending him off to college, he was also the star of a 9 month running play at Sawduster (I was a stagehand)...my sewing time was very limited to say the least, thus my project ended up looking like this........which is also how it looks today. A nice neat UFO. I borrowed my sisters and now that I can see it finished I sadly have no desire to finish my own. I love this wallhanging. It really speaks to me in various ways. It tells a story of two of the most treasured things my mother and I loved to do together, QUILT and attend quiltshows!! But mine is a UFO and I know I will never finish it. So...I hung my sisters in my livingroom and am enjoying it until she askes for it back. The pattern for this was in the 1997 issue of Quilt Sampler Magazine, the scene is representing The Sisters Quilt Show that The Stitchin Post puts on each July in Sisters, Oregon.

Back to my sisters quilt....see the 3 little mini quilts hanging between the trees? If you have ever been to the Sisters Quilt Show you know that there are literally 100's of quilts hanging from every building throughout the town, main streets, side streets....inside and outside the stores. It is an incredible sight to behold. Over the years I have made my sister sets of these little teeny tiny quilts...she has a set for each holiday, there is a set that she put up when it was her month to host B-U-N-C-O (that is 5 minis!), a set for anniversaries, birthdays, new babies...summer, winter...you name it she has tons of these little teeny tiny blocks ~ And I can't wait for her to FIND them and send them to me !!!

LOL Actually, there is more to this story (you knew that already, didn't you?). My sister and her husband moved off the family farm and into a new home a couple of years ago and as with all of us , there are a few things that just don't get unpacked~a few boxes that play hide and seek...well, all those little mini blocks are still in that unpacked state~hiding in one of those boxes that just doesn't want to be found. When I asked her to send me the wallhanging she said "of course!"and the mini blocks ~silence~...and a few days later when I asked if she had sent them ~more silence~. One day we were on the phone and she was in the garage looking for something ... hmmm... "Are you looking for those teeny tiny blocks?" Silence, then "Yes" LOL she is so funny!!! Nancy, I know you will find them...and I know you are spending every spare minute of your time looking for them too!!! I will just wait for the Porch Package Man to come bearing gifts from afar, but remember ~ it is cold out here on the porch, so HURRY!

Midnight Hunter 64x64

This last pic is of Midnight Hunter. Another "momma started/Pam finished" project. She had the foundation pieces in the center done and I added the borders to make it large enough for a winter size lapquilt. This is large enough for her to pull it up over her shoulders and still cover her feet and the batting is a bit heavier as well. As each border was added it became a bit harder to keep it from waving...bias!! ugh!!! When it was ready to go to the quilter I just sent it along and hoped that it would quilt out. LOL When I picked it up, my quilter told me it was a pain to work on (oops, sorry) and that she was sure I would not be happy with it. I didn't take the time to look it over because I was in a time crunch to get SUDOKU done. When I finally did pull it out and look it over, it was fine! Quilter had even put a note in saying she would refund my $$ if I wasn't happy. Ed thinks she was just worried because I am picky! LOL LOL

Midnight Hunter is now a done done and will be momma's Christmas gift this year.

Thursday morning: Blogger wouldn't let me upload pics last night so added them this morning.

It's back to work for me this morning although I doubt I will be there all day, if I make it to noon I will be surprised. I am sure my desk is piled high, if I can get through the piles and deal with the critical things I will be home early. I will be working on Gramma's Aprons until it is finished...I am so liking how it is looking. I needed a larger lap quilt for the winter and although this is not finished it is keeping me plenty warm draped over my lap while working on it.
Here is a picture of my furry little helper...what is with Meow...I can't sit down without him sitting on me! When I wouldn't let him sit on my boobs (which is where he likes to sit) he decided to curl up around my neck...which meant I was really HOT so had to put on a sleeveless top while furball was wrapped around my neck and Gramma's Aprons were drapped over my lap. He stayed like this for over an hour until I had had enough! Then he crawled under the quilt onto my lap and I froze!! So, put my flannel shirt back on. What a spoiled kitty he is!!!

Sewing Cookie Tutorial

Here we go!!!

Disclaimers...

1. this is not my original pattern
2. I am a visual person, you will get a better idea from the pictures than from my text.
3. Feel free to ask questions, I'll do what I can to help
4. and please DON'T shoot the messenger!!!

Supplies:

• plastic carton (I used a one gallon vinegar bottle
• fabric
• quilting or button hole thread
• iron
• scissors

Here is the template, you will need to enlarge it so that it measures 2" across and 4" long.

Cut three of these from the plastic.

Slightly round the tips just so that they are not pointy enough to poke through your fabric.

Using your plastic pieces cut 6 pieces of fabric (3 for the inside of your cookie, 3 for the outside).

Be sure to add a 1/4 " seams all around.

Press the 1/4" seam all around the plastic form on all 6 pieces of fabric **being very careful not to melt the plastic!**

Now here is the first tricky part (yes, there are more tricky parts to come!)

You will make a sandwich out of one inside piece of fabric, one outside piece of fabric and one plastic form. This is a bit tricky and will take some time, but once you have the first one figured out the last 2 will be easy (*¿~)! start on one side, using the OUTSIDE fabric, fold the seam over the plastic. Hold that in place while getting an INSIDE piece of fabric, folding that seam and pinning in place. Put one pin on each side, one pin on each point. Then go back and continue pinning around the form. When you are done with this step, it will look like this:

Using quilting or button hole thread (you want it to be a heavier weight to hold up to the sewing process as well as years of use!) stitch all the way around your form, try not to let your fabric become slack. Enclose each form this way.

You at the end of this step you will have 3 pieces that look like this:

OK, tricky part #2 ( and only one to go!)

Lay 2 pieces INSIDES together, stitch the two pieces together along one side from point to point, making sure your stitches are tight and will hold firmly.

OK, almost done....do you see it taking shape?? Good! See, I knew you could do this!

Time to add the 3rd piece, which means we are at Tricky Part #3.

This might be a good place to get your tongue in place, or just go ahead and say "that" word that helps you to accomplish something...maybe go slam a door or take a quick mile run...just get the frustration over and done with before you start this final step, you will need to give this your 100% undivided attention.

Hold the joined pieces so that they are open a bit. Your 3rd piece will nestle in that spot. Knot your thread and take a stitch in one point of the already joined pieces. Now take a stitch in the third piece, pull that stitch tight and take a couple more stitches to get it good and anchored. Now work your way across joining the 3rd piece to the first 2 pieces.

When you get to the other point, take a few stitches, making them good and tight.

TADA!!

Now....you just think you are done....but you aren't quite finished....

Add:

• thimble
• thread
• scissors (yes, a tiny pr will fit in there! the folding scissors fit as well)
• slip a couple of pins and a needle in
• and don't forget a chocoloate kiss, who can sew without chocolate!!

Great job! If you make one please send me a picture.

Do You SUDOKU???

..You see, it all started out like this, quite innocently I might add...

Several months ago my BIL became quite ill was admitted to the hospital, expecting to be there for several days. He is a big fan of crossword and JUMBLE puzzles, (don't even tease him about having done the Sunday Jumble ahead of him, that's NOT funny!) so, naturally I thought that he might enjoy a change of puzzle pace and sent him a large SUDOKU book to keep him from being 100% totally bored while in the hospital, and wouldn't you know it...he didn't even like SUDOKU?? (I did mention is only related by marriage and not blood, didn't I?). Since my sister was sitting by his bedside for hours each day/night, she picked up the book and instantly was hooked! (I did mention she and I are related by blood didn't I??) I created a monster!!! I knew she would love it as much as I.

We are totally addicted, this SUDOKU sickness is bad. Really bad. I see the grid when I go to sleep at night! And sadly my sissy can now only count to 9! We are hopeless. (We are currently looking for a SUDOKU Anynomous Group meeting to attend, "Hi, We are the Hamilton sisters and we are SUDOKU addicts", you know...the whole bit).

So, what do you give a Sudoku Addict far a "no reason other than I just love you" gift? More SUDOKU books, lots of pencils, a fat eraser, more books. AND....

A Sudoku Quilt!!

Nancy's Sudoku Quilt
74x74

I am totally not a good surprise keeper so when I thought about making her this quilt I knew it was either get it done right away or spoil the surprise!

I had gotten 2 sets of instructions for a SUDOKU quilt in the mail from a couple of quilty friends, but I felt both were just too small and not much of a punch to either....what to do? what to do? I knew I wanted to make Nancy a SSS (Secret Sudoku Surpise). Then EQ came into my life. AH, I can add borders~borders added....BORING....Ah...I can add "SUDOKU" across the top...Still not big enough (Sissy lives in cold weather territory and I wanted it big enough for her to keep warm while playing SUDOKU at night and maybe large enough to cuddle with a special granddaughter as well). So, added the numbers....ok, getting there...kinda fun....but still needs something else....Ah ha! Pencils!! YES!! pencils. Letters, numbers and pencils are all SewPrecise files.

So, drew it up and sent the file off to Linda for her expert opinion (she is my personal EQ expert!!). She gave it her stamp of approval so, my first EQ quilt design was born.

Designed it in a day or so, cut it out and sewed it up in the next few days, then it had to sit around for a couple of wks or so until I could get it to the quilter, got it back just in time to get the binding and label on it before my sister arrived to spend Thanksgiving with Momma while Ed and I camped with the kids (yes, we camped!!!...another story for another time).
When Nancy saw her surprise, this is what she saw (sorry, the pic keeps flipping)....new SUDOKU books, a fat pen, giant pencil, and comics all folded up into a quilt...but she had no idea what the quilt looked like...she was just thrilled to get the new books...then she opened it up and LOL...let me just say I have THE most gracious sissy around!! She loves her surprise as much as I loved planning and creating it for her.

I love surprises! And this one was pulled off just right!!! Nancy knew I had something up my sleeve, but had no idea what it was. I love it when everything falls into place!

Enjoy your quilt Nancy...I love you! SOPO!!!

Taking a blog break.
See you sometime!

Fascinating!

I am always amazed by the talent that people have, and those who can draw and paint have always had my admiration. My son, Ryan, took this picture in October while we were having our annual family gathering. He posted it to Aesthetic-Mindset, his photo blog, where another photoblogger saw it and offered to paint the photo to raise some funds for charity.

Inga, has posted to her blog videos of the progress of her painting Ryan's photo. When she is done she will post the painting on eBay, when the bidding is over half of the winning bid goes to the winners charity of choice. Isn't that cool??

Watch the progress as Inga completes this painting here.

I may be able to create with needle and thread, I may be able to create with paper, scissors and adhesive, but I can not create with canvas, paint and brush...and I am in awe watching Inga do this on her videos.

UPDATE~~Straightening Out The Details:

• This is NOT a picture of the Oregon Coast...it is Ensenada, Mexico...my bad
• 100% of the proceeds from this painting will go to charity, 50% to winning bidders charity of choice, and 50% to the National Marfan Association.

What are kids for, if not to help aging parents keep the story straight!!

Totally Unexpected-Surprise Package

Isn't this just the cutest bag??? It is a hand knitted wool felted bag that is nice and thick like wool fabric...amazing! Cher sent it to me, wasnt' that nice of her? The coloring in this picture is off just a bit, it is a yummy purple and lavendar. Thanks Cher, what a fun surprise.

Mental Health Day, Riddled With Guilt

Today I took a Mental Health Day from the office for several reasons:

1. I didn't sleep well last night and after tossing and turning until 3:30 I got up
2. I had several calls that needed to be made and due to topic, felt better about making those calls from home
3. and last but not least just BECAUSE!!!!

I didn't decide not to go to the office until after I was almost ready to leave! Figures, did my face and hair and it was totally waisted! LOL no biggie....hubby appreciated my efforts!

So...what did I do with my free day, my Mental Health Day? Lived in guilt!!! Isn't that the way it goes?? Good grief. Yes, I was tired...but not so tired that I couldn't go to the office. Yes, I needed to make several phone calls...but I could have done it during my lunch or left messages for return calls after 4 p.m. when I am home. So...instead of relaxing and fully enjoying the day I started it out with a HGT. Which, thankfully, I managed to rid myself of by mid-morning.

I did manage to accomplish quite a bit.

1. Cleaned the livingroom ~ during big time HGT
2. Did 3 loads of wash ~ HGT weighing on my "you should be at the office" rational
3. Finally finished unpacking from camp ~ HGT present and accounted for
4. Straighted up MCM ~ about the time HGT was leaving
5. Sewed the backing for Gramma's Aprons ~ a few twitches of HGT
6. Sewed and pressed binding for Gramma's Aprons ~ only a slight nagging of HGT
7. Pieced batting for Gramma's Aprons ~ nary a hint of HGT
8. Pinned Gramma's Aprons ~ HGT?? What HGT???

So....that is how I spent my day along with a few phone calls, a wonderful lunch of chicken tortilla soup in bread bowls, getting a totally unexpected-surprise package in the mail, laughed on the phone with my sister, ignored my constantly ringing cell phone, and am currently watching an amazing show on Oprah about the languages of an infant.

After Oprah is over I am planning to start quilting Gramma's Aprons (how many times in one post can I say "Gramma's Aprons" anyway??) and hope to get it quilted and the machine side of the binding on as well.

There you go, a recap of my Mental Health Day that started out with a good dose of HGT that went away as soon as I was doing some fun stuff in MCM! How did you spend your day?

It's the middle of the night, do you know what your kids are doing?

Our son has been out hiking with some friends this weekend....here is his side of the story, wonder what Ms. Bears side of the story is?..is it any wonder I have gray hair???

Actually listening to him tell the story made us laugh right along with him...what a great kid we have!!!

Successful Shopping Trip

Although we didn't get all that we wanted in a refrigerator, we did buy one. We didn't want water and ice in the door...do you know how hard it is to find a refrigerator without water and ice in the door? To us it is wasted space. We didn't want a side-by-side, when Ed does a wedding cake he can't get the larger bottom layers in there, nor will a sheet cake or the turkey roaster fit in one. We didn't want the freezer on the top. And we didn't want to pay an arm and a leg and give up our first born to pay for it either ($2500+!!!). When did it get so hard to find appliances? Anyway, we found most of what we wanted in a refrigerator and will make do with the rest. No, we didn't get the shiney black face on the refrigerator (could have if we had caved to the water and ice and giving up our son) but we did get pretty much everything else. No water and ice in the door, the freezer (on the bottom) has an ice maker in it but we will unscrew and remove that, plug up the hole and gain some space there. The stove we bought is the one we have been looking at all along. Didn't want a flat surface top because we do so much canning and it is not recommended to use those for canning and besides my mother had one and she worked night and day to keep it clean.

Also went to JoAnn's and purchased the backing for Gramma's Aprons so hope to get that pinned and quilted this week. Muslin was on sale and my last bolt is just about gone so purchased another bolt of that. Ran into Micheals for some charms (cell phone jewerly), popped into the Dollar Tree for a giant pencil I have been looking for and found a giant pen as well, BONUS!! Went to a couple of different Christian bookstores looking for a decal to put on the back window of our car, found it at the second store.

Went to lunch at a favorite resturant. Enjoyed just sitting and chatting with hubby for an hour with no distractions.

Ed has been thinking about getting a remote control airplane (men and their toys!) so we tracked down a hobby shop and spent time picking the owners brain about the best one to start with and getting some tricks for beginningers....yes, he came home with an airplane! I knew if he actually went into a shop he would not leave without an airplane. As with all things, the first thing out of his mouth was "you will have to help me figure this out". Nope, he has all day to sit around and he can read the manual and play the DVD until he figures it out. I told him I really have no interest in this, that it would be something he would be doing on his own....I think he heard only part of that. "I have ___ interest in this." Our sons both tried to tell him this would be a good thing for him to get involved in...DAD not MOM. Truth be told, it really is a cool looking thing and does look like fun but he really needs to make this an Ed thing...not another Ed and Pam thing. He has decided it is only fair that he get a room dedicated to his airplane since I have MCM. I don't think so bub! LOL

As our day in the city was winding down Ed pulled out a coupon for Cold Stones. YUMMY. He had found a coupon a while back and had hidden it away for such a trip to the city. So off we went on a chilly, windy, wet day to get ice cream! LOL Founders Favorite for me (minus the pecans, thank you very much!) and Breathless Boston Cream Pie for him (add a waffle dish for him). As we were mmmmm-ing, ooooohhh-ing and ahhhhh-ing over our ice cream, as we were freezing inside and out, as we were realizing that a hot latte would have been a wiser choice, he looked into my eyes and told me he had enjoyed his day out with the love of his life. OK, I really needed that! Frozen from ice cream or not he melted my heart. What a wonderful way to end our day in the city.

So....today is a momma day. After worship we will get dinner and take it to her. I have one placemat that needs the binding handwork done and am working on a tutorial for what will from here on out be referred to as a "Sewing Cookie" (think sewing supply holder crossed with a fortune cookie LOL). Not much in the quilty line but until the 2 quilts get back from the quilter (hopefully this week) and until I get Gramma's Aprons pinned and quilted, I don't have any other handwork to do while I sit with momma. I am encouraging Ed to either take another car into town and come home after dinner or to take the manual to his airplane to study while I sew and momma sits and watches.

That's it for me for now. Time to move along.

I give up

I had about an hour this morning to read through my favorite blogs and go around the ring. Got about halfway through and now Blogger won't let me post any more comments. Drats! So...rather than letting Blogger win I will just move along and come back to where I left off later this wknd.

I really wanted to finish Gramma's Aprons completely from my stash but looks like I am going to have to purchase a backing! Drats! I could piece the back but that would mean using up more of my 30's which I am not as willing to do. I will purchase the backing today and not feel guilty at all.

My SSS is at the quilters and it is done! I am itching to get it back...can't wait!!! It isn't mine to keep but it is mine to give, the only problem is I will be giving it away soon and I really wanted time to continue my bonding with it. I would say it is my favorite quilt finished this year. Maybe I should just keep it since the reciever has no clue about it. Nah...can't do that! Quilter is on vacation and will be home this wk. I will be working on the binding while watching volleyball games and wrestling, such is the life of a gma! I also have Midnight Hunter waiting to be picked up at the quilters as well.

Hubby and I are headed to Roseburg (about an hours drive East) to see about new appliances, had we known our refrigerator and stove would BOTH go on the fritz so soon after our kitchen remodel we would have just gotten new appliances then. Repair man has been out to work on both several times, he didn't give them long to live. We have looked at Sears, and a couple of Mom & Pop stores in our area but can't find what we are looking for. This is the deal: a couple of years ago we bought a new dishwasher (believe it or not we had not had a dishwasher before, the closest thing we had to a dishwasher moved out in 2000 when he graduated from High School) and it has the shine-y black front like our refrigerator (which was my parents) and our stove (which was in our kids' house when the bought it but they had their own stove and ours was old old old). Well, now it seems you can't purchase shiney black faces on appliances. So, we have a new dishwasher and need a new refrigerator and stove but they will not all match. I am not a "everything must match" type person but this is a new kitchen afterall so we want to match it if at all possible. We have not given up!! If we have to purchase the new "textured" black we will, but not without a fight!!! Hubby says we should just get a new dishwasher as well...NO!!! NADA!!! NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!

So, we each have our lists and will make a day of it. The sun is out right now but won't be for long, we are getting storms blowing through here 24/7. If you have seen the flooding reports on the news, yes...that is us..the Pacific Northwest is being hit left and right. We are not getting it as bad as those who live North of us but we live right on the coast so are getting the headwinds (60-80 MPH winds) which keep us on our toes.

I will leave you with a pic of Meow. Usually you will find him curled up on his window perch in MCM. With the change of seasons he has taken over his post as "lazy kitty on the bed" and is now once again willing to share the pillows with Toasty. Usually Meow doesn't like to share anything with Toasty....I think he is jealous of Toasty....NO PICS ARE POSTING!!!

Pay it Forward

I have resisted this for a while, not enough time in my days to get involved with anything new. Have sworn off swaps. This is a bit different and I am liking what I am reading about it so when I read it on Cathi's blog this morning I decided to jump in and play along. So, here are the rules...simple enough.

I am participating in a "swap" that Cathi mentioned and that is making its rounds amidst the blogosphere. The first five people that say they are interested in a little handmade sewing/quilty gift from Oregon, USA will receive one from me and the only stipulation is that they have to promise to do the same thing to other folks on their blog to spread the love, lol!! Anyone interested in joining along? This will be fun!

Pictures from last post....dang that blogger

the little sewing kit thingy

pinch the ends and it opens up a bit (sorry, but the picture keeps flipping on end!!)


this deer came strollinig by when I started out to take a walk, yes, she scared me to pieced but she also stuck around long enough to get her picture taken!Cute little mushrooms. They are no bigger than the tip of your pinky finger. Aren't they cute!

Camp recap

Gotta get some of this down in black and white before I forget half of what happened over the wknd...with my memory it may already be too late!

I left home just after noon on Thursday, drove an hour to the BIG city (well, it has more than 4,000 people like my little town does!) and did a bit of shopping on the way to retreat, yes I said retreat, no...I did not say quilt camp...more about that later.

I knew once I left the BIG city that I would not be getting a latte for the next 4 days so stopped and got me a 20 oz Peppermint Latte...extra HOT please...hold the whip cream. I was hoping that getting it extra hot, it would still be warm after the car was unloaded and the sewing machine warmed up....and sure enough...it was just right!!!

OK, down to business....I arrived 3 hrs before anyone else...which gave me time make a new cover for my portable ironing board and get busy on Gramma's Aprons. I sewed my little heart out and made lots and lots of progress. I so enjoyed the time alone, thinking my own thoughts and dreaming my own dreams. I really needed to get some sleep so went to bed early and then got up early on Friday and got busy once again on those apron blocks. The top was done by Friday afternoon. It went really fast and I love the whole paper piecing process. The pieced border was done as leaders and enders, I love having pieced borders and doing them as L&E makes them totally painless. The bonus with this top is that 2 ladies who were very interested in watching (not learning) paper piecing were also very willing to tear all the paper off the back!!! BONUS!! BONUS!!!

OK, ironing board cover and Gramma's Aprons done...moving on. I had found a couple of really fun FQ bundles when I stopped in the BIG city that would make wonderful gifts for 3 separate people. I quickly cut the focus fab in one of the FQ bundles and strips of the other 4 prints. Then finished up a quick gift. Then the second FQ bundle was cut and made into a place mat for Maddie and one for JJ. I can't show you what the first project ended up being (HE reads my blog) and currently I can't show you the placemats either because I left them at my mothers so I can do the handwork on the binding. I will post a pic when I get them done, maybe Sunday.

OK.. Saturday and I am totally out of things to do!! I have stuff to make table toppers but by this time I am tired of sitting to the machine (SHOCKING!!!) and I really haven't visited with anyone so I start roaming...the first table I stop at is a lady handquilting and doing a beautiful job of it! She hand pieced a quilt for her daughters wedding and is now doing the handquilting, she informed me the "newlyweds" will be celebrating their 16th anniversary next year!! LOL sounds like the rest of us, right!?? Anyway, while watching her rock her needle and discussing quilting methods, threads and etc I noticed this interesting little thing sitting on the table and asked her about it. It is a little sewing kit thingy...large enough for a thimble, bobbin of thread (not spool of thread). I was fastenated by it! Yes, she had made it, years ago...and yes, she uses it all the time with her handwork. OK, I was out of projects and this was interesting so.... This lady graciously let me take her sewing kit thingy back to my table and I managed to make my own pattern and this is what I came up with, a little different in size to hers, otherwise it is the same thingy. Each of the 3 sides has plastic (I used a plastic lid I found in the kitchen) covered by fabric that has been handstitched on.

DANG THAT BLOGGER....WON'T UPLOAD PICS!!!!

OK, now on to the "retreat". This was not a quilt camp as we all know quilt camp to be, which is what I expected this to be. This was a free-for-all retreat. I knew there would be ladies scrapbooking, I figured there might be ladies handquilting...but I was not expecting to be the ONLY one sewing! I was the only one piecing! One other sewing machine sat unused all wknd with the exception of a 4" seam that was stitched on a border that one gal had to repair before she could put her quilt back in a handquilting frame. Can you believe it? I was informed this was quilt camp~~ with no-rules...come and do what you want. But I honestly did not expect to be the only one sewing. It was really strange. 21 ladies. Most did handquilting, and I must say they were handquilting on wonderful quilts. Several scrapbooked. A few knitted. The rest did a variety of other things: beading, cross-stitch, crochet.

So, there I was sitting in the back of the room with my sewing machine, cutting mat, rulers and cutters on one table and right behind me (just swivel my chair around) is my iron and mini ironing board. I always take my own sewing chair and chair mat. I really think I shocked all these ladies. Several inquired about my chair, iron and board (did you bring those from home??)...but the most hilarious was almost all of them made this comment in one was or another "I never thought to bring my machine" WHAT???!!!

Anyway, I went not knowing what to expect, now I know.

Friday it stormed, Saturday it was still stormy but cleared off now and then, at least long enough to take a few walks, we took pictures at the river, pictures of deer feeding in the fields and a picture of the cutest little mushrooms. Sunday we all gathered for a time of worship and prayer. I am so thankful that these ladies accepted me as part of their group and made me feel welcome. Yes, I was the odd gal out, but by Sunday I was a part of the group as well.

Friday we watched a Chonda Pierce DVD...oh my goodness, she is the most hilarious lady!! If you have never seen her, check out her concert schedule and go see her...if that doesn't work for you, find a one of her DVD's (the library??) and watch it....WARNING WARNING...you will want to use the restroom before watching it. I have seen her in concert 4 times and would go again in a heartbeat. Saturday night we stayed up playing a couple of games of Scattergories.

Since I had my own car and another friend had her own car we traveled back together, it was stormy and we just felt better sticking together. Of course we stopped in the city and shopped and then went to lunch before our final trek over the mountain and home again, home again. We made it home shortly before the winds picked up and the rains came.

More details to come in future posts. I know I left a lot of details out...some are too hilarious not to mention...but for now I need to get ready for bed. While I was gone a dear friend died. His death is a blessing, he suffered a long illness but also lived a long and wonderful life. He will be missed by many people in our community. His service is tomorrow.

Home, Exhausted, Sneak Peak

Had a good weekend. Enjoyed my time. Lots of interesting things to tell you. Here are a couple of pics to share since it will take me a few days to get back up to steam enough to post a real post. A riot of color greeted me everywhere while on my daily walks.

Gramma's Aprons 60x70

My camp accomplishment! I don't normally post pics of tops only, choosing to wait until my projects are done-done projects but was thrilled with how this turned out and not sure when it will be quilted so decided to post it as is. This is my second EQ quilt. The idea for this block was NOT mine, giving credit where credit is due, this was inspired from a quilt in the current Hancock-Paducah catalog. The prints for the blocks are from my 30's repros stash. The pieced border was pieced as leaders and enders while piecing the blocks. It was nice to have the border done when the blocks were done. The pieced border prints were a "Thank you" from Marcus Brothers, in response to a questionaire I filled out they sent me hundreds (yes, hundreds!!) of 3" samples of 30's repros.

OK, that is a sneak peek....more info, not too many more pics (why do we forget to use our cameras???) later. I unpacked enough to find my make-up and tooth brush and give hubby a mini quilt show of my accomplishments (I managed to get 3 Christmas gifts done in addition to Gramma's Aprons) and then I did NOTHING the rest of the night so I need to finish unpacking and FIND MY IRON tonight.

As I was unloading the car the phone rang, Linda and Cher were chatting online and called to check up on me, making sure I made it home before the expected storm hit our area. I made it home JUST in time to avoid driving in the stormy weather. Thanks ladies for checking up on me. I had been home about 20 minutes when they called, Ed was just starting to wonder if I was ahead of the storm or in the middle of it.

It will take me a few days to catch up with all your blogs, my Sage is full of new posts! You are a chatty bunch ~ my blogland friends!

It's raining, it's pouring and DH is snoring

Yep, the rains started yesterday afternoon. Of course they did...I need to load my car and had planned to leave for quilt camp early this morning. Well...yesterday it was raining and this morning I woke up at 4 a.m. to the sounds of buckets of rain gushing down the downspout outside our bedroom window. I really just wanted to pull the quilt up over my head and go back to sleep but it rained so hard it was drowning out DH's snoring. How can he sleep so soundly~I will never know! It's now 6 a.m. and raining harder than it was when I got up at 4!

UGH!!! This is really putting a damper on my enthusiam for the wknd. I don't mind rain, after all, my native Oregon webbed feet were made for this kind of weather...but packing and unpacking the car in the rain is a pain! It is suppose to rain until the middle of next week. With the coming of the rains the temps have gone up, I'll take rain over freeze any day.

My first EQ project is at the quilters (DH will pick it up on Saturday), my second EQ project is kitted up and packed for camp. It should be a quick top to make so I have also packed a BOM set as a back up ~ sure don't want to run out of things to do. I also have a small amount of applique to do on Countryside Cottage and will work on that if time allows. I wish I had gathered up the stuff needed to make hotpads but didn't and life will go on anyway!

OK, I am not getting any closer to having the car packed and time is slipping away, I still need to crawl under my sewing machine cabinet and unplug the iron and get it packed...and where did I put those extra rotary blades? Have I packed all that I need, of everything I need, to get done what I want to do?? Flight of the Bumble Bee will be happening here as time for me to leave draws closer.

Quilt Meme

Quilt activities (bold means I've done these activities...) This meme is traveling through various quilt blogs, I have enjoyed reading what others have done and will continue to search for more quilt meme's posted. I won't tag anyone, please join in if you feel so inclined.

1. Taken a quilting class
2. Paper pieced
3. Hand quilted
4. Hand pieced
5. Created your own pattern
6. Published a pattern in a magazine or book
7. Gone on a quilting retreat
8. Gone to a quilting convention
9. Met someone who wrote a quilting book
10. Combined your quilting with some other craft
11. Done any three dimensional quilting - like fabric origami?
12. Made something using Thimbleberries fabric
13. Made something using batiks
14. Dyed your own fabric
15. Made a landscape hanging
16 Made a New York Beauty quilt
17 Made a baby quilt
18 Made a wall hanging
19 Made a journal quilt
20 Submitted your journal quilt for viewing
21 Made a fabric postcard
22 Made a artistic trading card (ATC)
23 Exchanged artistic trading cards
24. Mailed our your postcard?
25. Made a lap quilt
26 Made a twin size quilt
27 Made a full size quilt
28 Made a queen size quilt
29 Made a king size quilt
30 Donated a quilt to charity
31 Sent a quilt out to a quilter
32 Thrown away a UFO
33 Given away a UFO
34 Cut up a UFO and made something else with it
35 Ripped fabric instead of cutting it
36 Made a quilt exactly like the pattern, with no changes whatsoever
37 Done any Sashiko
38 Quilted your own quilt
39 Did free motion quilting
40 Put any embroidery or beads on your quilt
41 Given away your quilt to a stranger
42 Swapped fabric
43 swapped blocks
44 participated in a round robin
45 participated in an ostritch round robin
46 kept a journal about your quilting
47 written a letter to someone who made an antique quilt
49 kept a blog about your quilting
50 participated in a gift exchange
51 sent a quilting random act of kindness
52 joined a newsgroup about quilting
53 made a quilt using a pattern from quilterscache
54 joined an online block of the month
55 made a block of the month quilt
56 subscribed to a fabric of the month club
57 bought fabric at an online store
58 bought fabric from ebay
59 own more than one sewing machine
60 have a room dedicated solely to sewing
61 hide a fabric purchase
62 finished making a holiday gift before July
63 made a landscape quilt
64 made a quilt using a book from the library
65 worked with someone else to make a quilt
66. joined a quilt guild
67 become president of a quilt guild
68 taught a quilting class
69 helped someone else get the quilting bug
70 taught a child to sew
71 made a Dear Jane block
72 Made a miniature quilt
73 watch QNN - quilters news network
73 subscribe to a quilting magazine from your own country
74 subscribe to a quilting magazine from another country
75 buy fabric from another country
76 swapped completed quilts with someone else
77 asked for quilting help online
78 gone to a quilt shop to ask for quilting help
79 bought fabric at a local quilt shop
80 travelled more than 100 miles to go to a quilt shop
81 used nontraditional fabric for a quilt - something other than cotton or flannel
82 made a quilt using instructions given to you on a blog
83 make comments on someone's quilting blog
84 meet a quilter in person after only having talked online
85 had a quilting retreat in your home
86 own quilting software
87 made a quilt you designed on your quilting software
88 done any quilt research - history, interviewing quilters, etc.
89 had any quilt related subject published anywhere
90 donated a quilt to a museum
91 bought a quilt from a thrift store
92 made a quilt using fabric from a thrift store
93 made a quilt using photos
94 made a pastel quilt
95 made a quilt using brights
96 made a quilt using ethnic fabric from another country - African, Asian, etc.
97 made a quilt using leftover blocks from other quilts
98 had your quilt in a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, TV, etc.
99. submitted your quilt to a quilt show?
100. won any ribbons with your quilts?
101 had more finished quilts than UFOs
102 made a quilt using reproduction fabrics
103 took a break from quilting that was longer than a year
104 made money with your quilting
105 had a job in the fabric / quilting industry