One Proud Mama and Papa

It's as if time knows no bounds as to flying away from me.  As I've said probably every month, May (or whichever month it's been) has passed way too quickly.  Perhaps it seems even more so to many of you too, especially if you've been amongst those of us who have celebrated graduations and other school year-end activities.

Nick graduated 8th grade last night.  He's been an excellent student since his pre-school days.  And while he did not make valedictorian or salutatorian, he did receive a President's Education Award certificate for Outstanding Academic Excellence.  He also, for the first time though very close every year, made the Principal's List honor roll with a sustained g.p.a. of 3.85 - 4.0 during the first 3 quarters of the year.  Additionally, he received a Presidential Physical Fitness Award for which one of the qualifiers was to be able to run a mile in 6 minutes 27 seconds.  He did it in 6 minutes and 23 seconds and his comment was "it was painful".  

Nick 5/30/2013

Nick,  8th grade graduate

I wasn't able to get any good still shots of him in the auditorium receiving his awards or diploma, and managed also to not get a single shot of him in his gown nor of him with me and/or Marty.  I did get a couple shots of him outside under our tree dressed in slacks, shirt & tie.  Marty has some shots on his camera, but it could be decades before they get shared with me.

The week leading up to this graduation was hectic, mentally when not physically, as I had come down with a virus on Friday, then on Monday, Nick came down with it and over the next three days for him, he carried a fever peaking at 102.5 late Tuesday afternoon.  School policy is no attendance until fever has been under 100 for 24 hours, so having already missed his two finals on Tuesday, he would also miss his final on Wednesday, and we were sweating bullets (amongst our prayers) as to whether he'd be well enough to make his last final on Thursday and the graduation ceremony that night.  As it was, he had to miss his 'mandatory' rehearsal on Wednesday (I went and observed so that he'd know what he needed to do) though he really, really wanted to be there.  

Along with all that, I was constantly in touch with his teachers trying to determine when he could best take his finals as there were only two allotted times on Thursday for that purpose and he had three to make up.  The teachers were very gracious with their being available at other times.  I thought it would be too much for Nick to do all in the same day, but he was determined, so we got them all scheduled for Thursday, along with his regularly scheduled piano lesson and the ceremony itself that night.  Whew, it was one long, busy, tiring day - three trips to the school for me, and it's 11 miles one way to get there.  I'm still tired, LOL, but Nick really hung in there and got done what needed to be done and feels he did ok on all 4 finals.  And now we can both rest.

Tomorrow, we will have a celebratory dinner at Olive Garden after we go to see the new Star Trek movie.

NewFO

Well, it seems I didn't accomplish what I'd planned to on my May NewFO.  back on May 1 I had made this statement, 

   "I also converted some stash scraps, and anything under a 1/4 yard of fabric, to 3" squares.  More on those with my NewFO report at the end of May."
 
when linking up to Cat Patches (go see what others have started) because I'd planned to turn those 3" squares into a Pyramids quilt and I got as far as cutting out somewhere around 2400 squares, assigning a project number (#040), but put all parts away into a bin and side-tracked myself on something else.  Ok, probably many something elses including some time working on genealogy - I'm like that, I need to break between my interests now and then as well as pay attention to what's going on in life and that included both Nick and I getting sick, and me trying to juggle trying to get Nick healthy enough to return to school and take his finals after missing the first two days of finals, with the teachers' availability as they already had plans once finals and normal 'make-up' times were scheduled.  It's been busy.

So all that to say that May's NewFO is project #040 and being referred to as "Pyramids" for now, and amounts to nothing more than this bin full of 3" squares.  And ok, I'll say it, I'm already getting started on June's NewFO.....whistles off to somewhere else.....

#040 May NewFO bin holding 2400+ 3" squares and the 60 degree triangle rulers and my project sheet.

Passing Time

As in, time is passing far too quickly!  So, what have I accomplished this week?  Not much!

I anxiously awaited my Sew Ezi portable sewing table that I ordered at last Saturday's quilt show.  I was expecting it to arrive Tuesday so was disappointed that it didn't, but I was tracking it so I knew for sure it would be here on Wednesday.

Sure enough, about 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, this arrived:

Sew Ezi !

 After putting it together, this is what I have: 

It will be perfect for my itty bitty craft room, as well as for folding up and taking along to quilt camp in July and to any other quilt class or retreat I may enjoy in the future.  

I've folded it up and put it back in its zippered cover and it awaits me in the hallway.  I need to make space in this itty bitty room, but that's part of a much bigger project, that ongoing, years long project, so it may stay where it is until August, except for traveling with me in July.  I also gained a small desk from a neighbor at no cost which will be perfect along the wall in said craft room, part of my original plan which I'll have to write about at a later date.

Progress has been made on one of the two 'bricks' quilts (project #016).  I've attached both borders to it.  The inner border finished at 1/2" and the outer border will finish at 2 1/2".  

#016a

This is the bigger of the two quilts in this project, and the 'bricks' are vertical to the width of the quilt.  It measures 70" x 93 1/2" without binding.

I'm also fighting off a late-Spring cold.  That tell-tale feeling in the back of the throat followed by a scratchy sore throat now changing into a cough.  The sinuses aren't bad, and I am feeling better today than I did yesterday.  In fact, yesterday I probably napped for more hours than I was up and about and I still slept pretty well, though not comfortably.  I think a new mattress might be in order not too far down the road.  This one is at least 15 years old and was only a basic set.  It's not comfortable.

Nick graduates from 8th grade this Thursday night, and he has finals on Tues through Thurs.  Tuesday's finals are for two classes, and each of the other days are only a single class each day so I'll probably end up spending my time somewhere, somehow on the other side of town where his school is rather than drive home only to spend a half hour before having to go right back to pick him up, unless Jay's mom plans to bring him home.  I usually take the boys, and she brings them home.  He's been asking if he can go to the public high school rather than his private school.  It would certainly save a big chunk of change moolah, but the public schools here are not so great, and he'd go from having 50 in his grade level to over 500 with an entirely different value system which admittedly scares me.  The particular school he'd have to go to, also has a larger 'gang member' group.  We've already re-registered him at the private school, so I may stand my ground and leave him there at least through this new freshman year, and in the mean time really educate myself, and him, in what to expect and how to avoid the danger areas.  He's not a team sports kind of kid, so that's not his reason for wanting to switch.  I think it comes more from that his friend Jay will be going to a public high school, but he lives in a different area so it would not be the same high school.  Talking with Jay's mom though, even Jay is still waffling as to whether that's what he really wants to do.  The private school has been a bastion of love and blessings with teachers that really care individually for every child, they pray for them, they have close relationships with the parents, and the students are for the most part bonded and have been for those who've been there since kindergarten, as Nick has been.  Unfortunately, the private school does lose about 40% of its high-schoolers to the public schools because of the programs and sports that the public schools are able to offer.  It's a big decision, one requiring a lot of prayer.

Design Wall Monday

There are actually two quilts in this picture. The plan was a single quilt, but I guess I got carried away making the blocks and ended up with enough for two.  The differences between the two are only that I made one so that the 'bricks' are laid horizontally and the other one vertically.  Then I decided they needed a skinny border before adding the outer border.  One will have a blue, about 1" finished, border, the other will have a red one - and I need to choose from the two reds shown.  The outer border will probably be about 3", maybe less, of muslin. 

Flame can never refuse a quilt, what a buddy.

These are on my Get It Done list, so I should be able to accomplish the borders.

Find more enticing quilt projects at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Sunday, Week 20, 2013

As I posted yesterday, I went to a quilt show and I didn't leave empty-handed.  I managed to add another 8.5 yards of fabric to my stash. 

That yellow is such a nice buttery color and with the black scrollery just kept calling my name, and the Christmas plaid and the red & white stripes are possibilities for binding the wall quilt I made with the boys and girls on it; the browns, green, and the ones next to the yellows have no specific purpose other than I like them and they'll fit in with my Civil War/1800s collection.

Not only did I add fabric, but see that card in there showing a portable sewing table?  I ordered one of those.  I've been looking at them for several years, and finally ran it by Marty and he said it would be ok, so it is now ordered and could arrive as early as Tuesday, yippee!!  I'm hoping, as my machine will sit down into it and it has a custom insert, that I'll be able to more easily practice free-motion quilting, and just plainly get more quilting done period.  I can piece all day, but the quilting is my current downfall.  This table will be the right height and the table bed will be flat and easy to work on.  And it folds and is portable so I can take it to classes or on vacations when I want to.

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date: 10.25 yards
Added This Week: 8.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 23.625 yards
Net Used for 2013: -13.375 yards 

Linking up with Patchwork Times' Stash Report

Another Quilt Show

Today I slept in just a little, but not nearly enough given I've taken to staying up until near-midnight these last few nights.  And I'm feeling the sleep deprivation, but today, I had plans.  Fun plans.  My "Padawan" (as she calls herself) otherwise known as my friend and quilting student, Spice, and I had an adventure planned.

Spice had never been to a quilt show!  Yes, it's true, she's that much of a newbie to quilting, so we went to one.  And after the show, she is even more excited, and enthused, and encouraged.  And I might add, she is progressing wonderfully as a young quilter. 

The quilt show was in a lesser populated area than the past couple of shows I've been to, so it was not nearly as crowded, and there was plenty of space with how the quilts were arranged, so we spent lengthy amounts of time discussing the quilt blocks, layouts, fabric choices, and quilting done.  This was not only a big help and insight to her, but also helped me slow down and really focus on each quilt.  Usually when I go to a show alone, I pretty much breeze through the quilts and only spend a little more extended time on those that particularly grab my attention.

We were scolded gently by one show attendee for "touching" the quilt and pointed to the Thou Shalt Not Touch sign, however we were within the appropriate boundaries, and did not touch the quilt but rather the identifying paper which was folded in half and clipped to the edge of the quilt in order to view the back.  During the entire time, I only saw one, maybe two, white-gloved attendees, and they were well aware of our using the paper 'grips' to view the backs.

Following are the photos I took, some of the whole quilt, others only a portion.  

 

Yes, cats are important to quilters, necessary even.

One block with a charming house and embroidery/ribbon embellishments.  This was by the featured artist.

Another block of the same quilt; really like the willow trees ribbon work.

Another by the featured artist.

close-up

And another by the same artist.  Lovely kitty listening to the bluebird sing.

"Warning: Cloth Maps Are Not Intended For Compass Orientation"  I thought that to be very funny.

The maker's husband is a cartographer.

This is one called Love Knots from a Quilt In A Day pattern.  Lovely soothing pattern and colors.  Spice really liked this one so I'll have to look and see if it's one I have in any of my QIAD books.

What I liked about this one is the quilt line around the tree, it reminded me of a church window.

Who could resist these cute umbrellas?

This is Loveland Log Cabin, a Judy Martin pattern... How do I know?  Because I've also made one like this, but mine's not quilted yet, and mine's a scrappier pink version whereas this one seems to have only a handful of different pinks.  I'm encouraged that the maker of this won a ribbon :)  Maybe I'll work on getting mine done so that I can enter it in our guild's show in a year or two.  The ribbon is a Best of Class, Pieced -unreadable- (sorry, I didn't take specific notes).

And who can turn away from a nice patriotic quilt?  This one also won a ribbon in the Mixed Technique category.

It was fun to see which quilts, and colors, appealed to Spice.  We have similar tastes in some areas, but are also polar opposites in other areas. 

There were some very nice antique quilts there; always nice to see those.  One vendor had an antique quilt top she was using as a table covering and it had some pretty tiny pieces in it.  Very lovely.

I didn't walk away empty-handed this time.  More on that tomorrow for Stash Report Sunday.

After the quilt show, we had a mid-afternoon lunch, stopping at a BBQ place that I've only been to once before.  I brought home my leftovers as well as ordered a family platter to take home so that Nick and Marty could have dinner and so that I wouldn't have to figure out what to fix for dinner so late in the day.  It's sufficient food to feed us lunch tomorrow and dinner again tomorrow too.  I like that, and the food of course was oh so very good.  I was only disappointed when I got home to find out the waitress, or whomever filled the order in the kitchen, substituted the requested mashed potatoes for the wrong item - I requested the chunky fries be substituted and instead they subbed the coleslaw...booo, hisss, I was looking forward to more coleslaw! and not to reheated (tomorrow) chunky fries! :(  Even so, I  we will enjoy the rest, and maybe I can put those fries on a pan in the toaster oven to reheat and they might crisp up some.

Culling and Tossing

This isn't what I'd planned to do today.  Well, ok, I hadn't planned anything which is par for the course.  What did I do?  I pulled out what remained of my old quilt magazines, some as far back as 2000 or so.  I had a little less than three of those magazine sleeves remaining from my last purge.  At first, all I was doing was looking through them to see if anything I had marked previously would jump out at me for my next project(s), a handful strolled, but didn't jump, so I set those magazines aside and put a sleeve and a half's worth back on the shelf for another time.  But the other sleeve, I had been watching a recorded episode of Hoarders, so you know what I'm going to say....I looked through those magazines and ruthlessly tossed carefully removed the projects I might some day decide to do along with some tips and techniques I may some day try.  What remained went into the paper recycling bag.  Now, if I could do that to a lot of other clutter hot spots throughout the house!

Tomorrow, my quilting Padawan, and I will be headed off to a quilt show about an hour's drive from here.  I've gassed up the car, and I tried bribing offered Nick some cold hard cash to wash the outside of the car, but he told me he didn't have anything he needed money for, so I expect I'll be driving a dirty car unless he changes his mind, and daylight is rapidly fading so probably he won't be changing his mind.  I think the boy has it too easy, maybe a 'do it or else' is in order?  Hah! as if : /

Design Wall Monday

It's getting late in the day, and I'm still puttering around on the internet.  We hit 97 today on this side of town and 102 on the other side of town - I am NOT ready for summer weather, ok, at least I know where to find my shorts and tees.

Back to business, as I posted a day or two ago, I have worked on this all week.

#039 "Simple Tribute"from pattern by Alice Berg published in June 2003 American Patchwork & Quilting.

Here are a couple of close-up pics of some areas:

My way of easy 'mitering'.  The pattern did not call for mitering, but I wanted the directional print to be mitered, so this is how I did it.

Interesting how the gold star tends to look more like an 'X' or plus-sign on point and the white star (see below) doesn't so much.

I have loved this white tone-on-tone for years.  I used it in a windmill block quilt since the geometric reminded me of windmill blades. That little bit of blue with the wavy line to the right of the bottom sashing piece, that's what I used in the sashing and border of the first quilt I made like this (#029).

And actually ON my design wall?  Well,, that would be these little blocks ... scrappy spools!  They will finish at 3" and by the time I have actually said 'enough are enough', I will probably have enough for several quilts.  But that's still a long way off in the future.  I'm doing these as leaders/enders.

What's on your design wall?  I think I'll check over at Patchwork Times and find out :)

An Oregon Quilt Store Closing

The Quilted Hill Quilt Shop in Yamhill, Oregon is closing its retail business.  I don't know all the details, but saw a facebook post about it so that's what I'm linking to on the store name.

I've been to this sweet little store out on a hill in a rural area.  They even had a sweet cat at the store that my son enjoyed petting. 

Stash Report Week 19, 2013

At our quilt guild meeting this week, we had a 'traveling store' of sorts.  The speakers were the co-owners of a not-too-far-away quilt store and they brought a lot of goodies and fabric with them to sell at the meeting, where they also told about how they got into the business just 15 months ago and about what their store offers in both product and classes.  I purchased 2 fat quarters and that's been my stash activity for this past week. 

Stashers are reporting in at Patchwork Times 

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date: 10.25 yards
Added This Week: .5 yards
Added Year to Date: 15.125 yards
Net Used for 2013: -4.875 yards

Flora and Fauna

Spring is clearly here and rapidly turning into Summer with some very high temps, already in the 90's!  

Our hummingbird feeding is being frequented by as many other birds as it is the hummingbirds these days.  I've tried to take pictures through the windows but the flash bounces back through the double panes and doesn't give me a clear image.  I need to find the manual so that I can turn the flash off and try.  I did get a brief video which doesn't use flash and it's "good enough".   This morning, this male Hooded Oriole and his wife and possibly their daughter (smaller but clearly female) were all three sitting on the rim of the feeder at the same time.  I am truly amazed at them.

epiphylum

The heat and some recent very strong winds didn't help the epiphylum.  This was taken about a week ago, and most of these flowers are now wilted and ready to be plucked off.  The sun was obviously not at the best angle, giving a really 'hot' spot.

columbine

 A whole lotta years ago I scattered some mixed columbine seed in our planter in front.  The front of the house faces due north so gets very little direct sun, only that which hits first thing in the morning from the east as the sun comes up.  The first or second year they bloomed, there were several different colors, but now we pretty much only get this color combo.  The plants reseed themselves, so I don't know if this color is just more hardy or if they naturally revert to a 'parent' common color.  We enjoy seeing them come back every year.

columbine close-up

jade

And remember this jade plant I wrote about back in February after we had been getting some really frosty nights and how the 'petals' on the exposed side all froze, turned black and died?  Since the whole plant didn't freeze and die, it's regrowing and filling in very nicely in those spots where the petals dropped.  A few more months, and you won't know there was ever a problem.
 

My geranium is going gung ho.  I can't believe how hardy these plants are.  This thing has been in this large cement pot for who knows how long.  Marty had it prior to us getting married in 1996.  I don't think it's ever been given any fertilizer or additional nutrient-filled soil.  It rarely gets watered - maybe it's saving grace is that it's on the northeast edge of the garage at the front of the house.  Right below it there, that shiny ground cover, is called red-apple.  It grows like crazy too, to the point of being annoying, but it's green, and it grows, and that's good.  Sometimes in the summer, the geraniums become the host of some little green worms and I have to give it a drastic haircut because the worms eat the buds before they can bloom.  I do need to get out and clean out the dead heads and winter dead leaves.

The Day Before Mother's Day

...and I am so Blessed! 

My son, with a little help from Marty, ordered these for me.

Shari's Berries chocolate covered strawberries.

The company recommends they be eaten within 48 hours, uh, they've been lucky to have lasted 48 minutes.  I offered both Nick and Marty one but they said "No, they're all yours."  But when I chose the first one, I offered them each a bite and they didn't refuse :)  Notice the size of these babies!  Yes, that's my cutting mat showing 1" squares and yes, these strawberries are easily 3" long!  And oh yum, do they ever taste good.

I was working on this quilt project, #039, all week and finished putting the borders on today.

Patriotic Stars, #039 (a duplication of #029) and I like this one as much if not better than #029!

After getting the borders done, I decided to come upstairs to my she-cave to play on the computer with some golf on the TV in the background, and suddenly Marty and Nick were both at my back with this beautiful bouquet of flowers.  I thought, what, more? and asked who these were from and Marty said "don't know, check the card" and they had been sent to me by my sweet 'baby' girl who lives 1200 miles from me.  Earlier I had also received a package from her that held a bag of homemade dry-mix roux for when I make gumbo along with a large home-made card made by her and my grandson.  Here are the beautiful, and wonderfully fragrant, flowers:

Raven likes my flowers too!

Hmmm, what's that on my design wall in the background....a future post, lol.

And tomorrow after church, we are going to go see a movie (probably Iron Man unless I can find something more to my liking, hehe) and have either a late lunch or very early dinner at a 50's-style diner where they serve the best onion rings in the world, which I'll order along with a salad and that'll be plenty. 

Yes indeed, I am Blessed.

I pray ALL the mom's and grandma's have a wonderful day tomorrow. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Only Thursday

I have had the hardest time today keeping track that it is Thursday and not Friday.  I have no clue as to why it seems today should be Friday, but it does.  I'll just have to remember that I can't sleep in tomorrow...Nick needs a ride to school, and I'm the driver.

I went to quilt guild tonight, only the second time this year, so that's two out of five meetings.  That's actually better than last year.  Tonight's agenda was the presentation 'in person advertisement' of a new (well, 15 mo. ago new) quilt shop in a valley not terribly distant from where I live, maybe a 45 minute drive in really good traffic.  The co-owners and two of their crew were there with a lot of goodies from their store which they had laid out on tables to sell, a quilt-store brought to us, you could say.  I purchased two fat quarters...remember, I'm trying to save my money for Sisters this summer.

In other news, I'll be making more hummingbird nectar tomorrow.  In addition to the hummers frequenting the feeder, we seem to have regular diners in the form of a) a male finch, b) a female hooded oriole, and c) a ladderback woodpecker.  I've known the orioles and tanagers will visit the feeder from past experience, but who knew the finch and especially the woodpecker would belly up to the bar?  Surprised me.  I attempted to get pictures as the feeder hangs under our patio roof in direct sight from my kitchen window, but between the flash bouncing off the window, and, ahem, the dirt and whatnot on both sides of the window, the shot doesn't show much more than a bird shape and the glint of an eyeball!

I think I'll be washing that window tomorrow.  Oh, and directly above the feeder on the beam, is a finch nest where mama finch has been sitting for awhile and based on her actions, the babies are either hatched or will be very soon.  I have mixed feelings as all too often the nests that get built there are raided by the scrub jays we have, and I've even seen crows come in and try to get to the nests.  It's always a joy though when the babies reach maturity and are able to fly away.  I love when their little heads peak out above the edge of the nest and when mama feeds them.  

Design Wall Monday

I love starting new projects, and this is my NewFO started, barely, in April.  I've been making a lot of progress on it.  

There are 36 blocks to make, and they all need the last two logs.  Then there's the sashing and cornerstone stars.  At this rate, I just might have it in time for at least the 4th of July as it is a 'patriotic quilt'; I might even have it done for Memorial Day, but that's not likely as I want to finish at least one of my oldest quilts from back in the 2006 era before May is over.  

Project #039

But for today, this is what I'm working on.  Take a peak over at Patchwork Times and see what others are doing if you haven't already.

Stash Report Week 18, 2013

Here we are at Stash Report Sunday again...I sure would like time to slow down a little but instead, I think only I'm slowing down.  

I have no changes in my report, even though I went to a quilt show yesterday.  I managed great discipline and added nothing to my stash.  And no further finishes this week, so nothing out again.

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date: 10.25 yards
Added This Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 14.625 yards
Net Used for 2013: -4.375 yards 

Linking up at Patchwork Times.

A Very Nice Day

Early this morning I met up with my friend Panda and we drove to a quilt show.  It was a great day and we had a great time together.

After the quilt show, we went to a late lunch at a place called Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ, I hadn't eaten there in probably 17+ years as I don't live in the area any more and Panda had never eaten there.  Oh Yum!! So very good, but I used a bit of the 'hot' barbecue sauce on my sausage link sandwich and now, hours later, I'm ready for the antacid.  I guess I can't do spicy sauce the way I used to {sad face}, sure tasted good though.  By the time we were ready to leave, the next crowd was coming in and it was a waiting line!

I found two quilts especially fascinating.  One is a Baltimore Album type, all hand appliqued and embellished.  Unfortunately, my little pocket-size Canon camera doesn't give me the sharpest detail and doesn't do the quilts justice.

An almost full image of this large quilt.

A close-up of one section.

The maker's statement.

An even closer image of the bird-nest.  The white-glove lady said that the maker even used her own hair in this 3-D bird's nest.  The entire quilt had a lot of embroidery accents and was stunning.

This next one was smaller (and for some reason, I didn't get a shot of the entire quilt) but I found it very beautiful as I have an interest in Brazilian embroidery which I posted about here.  The exquisite embroidery, was accompanied by crystals and there may have been some tiny beads too.  

The maker's commentary.

One block.

Detail of the floral arrangement on the column.

Detail of the foxglove.

Another block.

And who has ever seen a blue batik horse with a purple and pink batik mane?  Still, I liked it but I'm afraid I didn't get a good shot of the maker's description.

Personally, I was happy to see that a high number of the quilts in the show reflected traditional quilting structure rather than the art 'quilts'.  While I appreciate the beauty, creativity and time involved in some art quilts, I will always define them as 'fabric art' and not true 'quilts'.  I can't cuddle under wall art, but I can under a quilt :)  The show also had a small room displaying dolls but since neither Panda nor I are into that art, we didn't take time to see them.  

While at the show browsing through the vendor booths I saw a lady and she saw me and it was one of those "I know I know you" moments, we both went about our browsing and a few minutes later again were in the same booth at the same time only this time I said, "I know you!".  And we did.  Some 30+ years ago when I was living in another town, I had a then close friend and she in turn had another friend and the lady at the show was that other friend.  I had had opportunity back then to meet her on several occasions at gatherings at the mutual friends home, but didn't associate with her outside of that.  We ran into each other again later shortly before we left the show and chatted for awhile.  It's always nice to be 'recognized' even if you are 30+ years older, more wrinkled, grayer and carrying a whole lot more poundage as I do now.

I got home, and took a nap.   Oh, and the only money I spent today was the show admission and lunch.  Can you believe I didn't buy a thing?!  I exercised great discipline as I will be in Oregon....near Sisters....and get to attend the Sisters Quilt Show....and visit The Stitchin' Post in July....yippee {doing the happy dance}.

Get It Done

I hadn't posted my April Get It Done list as I really didn't make the list until mid-month.  A-ha! Moment: Maybe I should add each following month as a to-do item on the previous month's Get It Done list and that way it'd be ready!

Here's what ended up on April's list, shhhh I had most of the items done before I put the list together, but it was still in April, LOL :

For April 2013

•  Convert some stash scraps to bow tie sets DONE
•  Convert some stash scraps to spool sets DONE (sufficiently for now)
•  Convert some stash scraps to tumbler pieces DONE (sufficiently for now)
•  Finish O Christmas Tree to flimsy DONE

I also converted some stash scraps, and anything under a 1/4 yard of fabric, to 3" squares.  More on those with my NewFO report at the end of May.



For May 2013

•  Complete 3 large blocks on NewFO from April project #039
•  Begin May NewFO, 3" squares already cut
•  Practice free-motion quilting
•  Put borders on projects #16a, #16b aka the "bricks" UFOs

Linking to Patchwork Times to 'stay accountable', if only in my own mind, hehe.

The Hurrier I Go, The Behinder I Get

Does that sound like a familiar refrain?  Frankly though, I don't know that I ever do much hurrying, I pretty much just poke along doing what I do.

So let's see, I'm behind on Sunday Stash Report.  I'll skip it this week since there's nothing in nor anything out. 

I'm behind on Design Wall Monday.  It's completely empty as I haven't worked on any project, so I'll skip that post this week too.

I'm behind on Get It Done 2013 for May, though technically today IS the first of May, so I have till midnight right? I'll add that as a separate post.

And last, I think, and certainly not least, I'm behind on my posting about my NewFO for April and linking up at Cat Patches.  I'm trying to think what I actually did in April.  It seems I was constantly busy with fabric, and I think what was mostly done was cutting up scraps into future projects aside from one finish :).  But I DID give one of those sets of pre-cuts a project number, which that and being kitted was as far as I got on it.  So, that qualifies it as a NewFO and here is April's NewFO project:  a 'duplication' of project #029 shown in my gallery  

Project #029 ~shown for affect~

My new project is #039 and the colors will be pretty similar as most of the logs are cut from the same scraps as the first one.  An entirely different gold is being used for the centers and stars, and a different blue is being used for the sashing and borders.  Can I just say I wish I had a lot more of the original blue, I really liked it for this project.  The photo doesn't really show it very well either.

Today I went to my quilting student's home for her lesson.  She is such a very creative young woman.  For her second quilt she found something online she liked as a basic idea and created her own blocks for a quilt for her young son.  The quilt has a space theme using primarily reds & blues, mostly starry and space fabric along with some plaids - she learned all about those plaid brushed cotton type fabrics that shift a lot.  For the back, she decided to piece it and in piecing it - completely her own design, ended up with a dilemma as she realized that she's going to lose some of the parts she pieced.  Her solution, after we discussed a number of options and possibilities, is to make two quilts since her son has two twin beds in his room, and just use a solid/solid-read fabric for the backs of each.  

I also showed her the basics today of straight line, stitch-in-the-ditch, and free-motion quilting, the latter of which I'm not proficient at and consider myself as a novice and she realizes that's going to take awhile to learn.  She has a little bit of another dilemma with then doing all straight lines, as four of the blocks in the original quilt are large squares featuring a cartoonish space ship - different in each block, and she doesn't want to quilt through the space ships.  The blocks need to have some manner of quilting in them.  She's considering hand-quilting around the ships and a few other objects within the block but she'll ask another person to show her how to do that as I've not hand-quilted, though I could probably teach her some basics from having seen it demonstrated frequently and via internet & book resources.  Time ran out, so we'll see where we are next week.  She already has fabric and a pattern for a third (or fourth given that one turned into two) quilt.  She's having a ball, and I am really enjoying working with her - we inspire each other and I am truly blessed to also grow in friendship with her and the children.  I knew her husband from a creation outings group I was involved in back in the '90s ... oooh, that sounds sooo long ago.