Dizzy! I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning...

Unfortunately, it isn't just a song for me right now, I have been dealing with a case of vertigo since last Wednesday night/Thursday morning. This means I am not feeling up to getting my sewing room in order so I can do some sewing but it does mean I can spend some time getting you all updated with the goings on around here for the last 1 2 3 almost 4 months! 

The big story is that we have the cutest little baby boy living here! Our new little grandson has stolen all our hearts. He is a happy little guy who smiles and giggles so amazingly. Then you throw in our little poodle, Ginger, and life is so fun and crazy around here! 

Here are a few pictures of them. First we have Ginger taking a nap under the blanket I crocheted for her out of small bits of yarn I had on hand. She had fallen in love with the blanket my sister crocheted for the baby so I gave her a replacement of her own.

Next up is our little man taking a nap on my lap and holding his little face. It is so hard to not take pictures of this guy every second or so!

Here are both of our babies having a nap. Ginger wearing her cone of shame following her 'little' surgery a couple of weeks ago. She does love her playmate - can't wait till they are both a bit older.

So for probably about 7-8 years I have been returning calls to the customers of our appliance repair business and scheduling them for service. Two years ago I added on the job of secretary (or administrative assistant) of my church without too much difficulty juggling the two jobs at the same time. In the last year or so, a couple of our competitors have closed their doors which led to more business for us. Our son-in-law started training with my husband in the hopes that we could have two trucks on the road at some point. The calls were starting to be overwhelming and then I added on a third job in July - the bookkeeping position at the church opened up and I took it on as an interim position while a new person was found. It was pretty intense trying to keep things running at church and also keeping the guys busy with calls. 

Something needed to change and the change came when our daughter decided not to go back to school bus driving right away this fall, so she took over the phone calls for the business and has improved the process immensely. 

Need to take a break to share this new photo that just arrived on my phone. Ginger over visiting at the neighbors and guarding her baby as he sleeps.

So anyway, she took over the phones at the beginning of September and on October 1 the new bookkeeper started at work and is doing an awesome job and I am back to just one job and I am loving it, except for the last couple of days with vertigo, that is.

I have had very little time in my sewing room since July though there has been a little activity. Most of the last month has been getting projects ready for the October quilt retreat which was last weekend - yes, the vertigo started when I was heading to the retreat - I had four projects kitted up and some other options to work on so I was set. 

We had planned for my niece to ride up to the retreat with me from my eldest daughter's home last Thursday but she ended up driving instead since I was dizzy. We arrived and got set-up by about 1 and I was feeling a bit better so I got started on the first project - finishing up a Bento Box quilt top that my eldest daughter started for herself made from Japanese fabrics she had picked out. She had started the sewing so I had the blocks done in no time and before bed I had the top together. I may rearrange the blocks to make it a little wider and less long and then add a border once I do a little math.

The next morning I was dizzy again and stayed in bed until almost 1 pm. I tried Dramamine to control the dizziness and it helped some so I was able to get the baby quilt top done for the grandbaby and get started on the next project. It was a simple one - just adding some strips around some vintage crazy quilt blocks - and I almost got that done before bed the second night. In the morning I took the drugs right away and was up and sewing by about 10! I got the vintage top together and got started on my last major project - the last of the quilt exchange quilts with the ladies at Tuesday craft nights. I was happy I got all the blocks done and was able to lay out the top so I can get it put together as soon as my head is on straight again!

I don't have pictures to post because I haven't had the energy the last two days but I will post them as soon as possible.

Aside from all that...

• I have graduated from physical therapy (I'm not 100% but I am getting there and just need to get the ankle stronger)
• our son-in-law is now a certified appliance technician (which is good since hubby's knee is giving him problems and is likely facing surgery again so isn't going out on the road so much)
• the garden was neglected again this summer (not a surprise with everything else going on) so I hope to get some time this fall and winter to get things cleaned up
• we had quite a few visitors for a night or several over the last few months (that little baby is quite a draw).  

That is a quick synopsis of the last few months. I am hoping I will now have more time and energy to sew and keep this blog a bit more timely.

Happy New Year!

Just a little late!

It has been nearly a month again since my last post so I thought I should post something even though I really don't have much to say. I have been busy mostly with non-crafty things and Christmas company. 

Our son arrived mid-December and left about a week ago. Daughter 1, son-in-law and grandkids arrived for a whirlwind of activity a few days after Christmas. Niece Katie was here for New Year's Eve and again this past weekend for our 'Epiphany turkey'. And finally, daughter 2 and son-in-law got back home last week to stay. They will be living with as they finish their 'little house on wheels' and SIL trains with Hubby as an appliance repair tech in our family business. 

I started the new year with another jump into Puget Sound at the Olalla Polar Bear Plunge (that's me on the left just before letting go) and have been spending my spare time working on getting the business info into the computer for the tax man! I am hoping to be done in the next week so I can get back in the sewing room. This year, 2013, will possibly the first year I keep up with the business books (or maybe someone else will) as the business expands. 

This past Wednesday I had my quilt guild meeting and I signed up for a class! I usually don't take classes because I can generally figure things out on my own but I figured taking classes with other guild members will help me get to know them more. The class is in a week and is on the One Block Wonder type quilt. I am hoping it is my reward for having all the computer work finished! Yesterday I went shopping for appropriate fabric for the project. I found two. One that is probably better for the project and the other with better colors. I couldn't decide which to buy so I got both and I will decide on the day of the class. If I like how the first one goes I can make the other at quilt retreat at the beginning of March.

The LWR quilters work tying quilts at the church yesterday and when I stopped in to say Hi and give one of the ladies a message (I don't get to help with the quilting since we have our staff meeting at the same time the tying happens) and was asked to make some quilt tops so that might be one of my projects for quilt retreat too. The good news is that if I make some LWR tops I can probably get rid of a box or two of fabric from my sewing room!

Over Christmas I made some more owl hats and tried another pattern for a little girl's hat that came off the yarn wrapper. It turned out great but ended up pretty small so I made it a bit bigger and thought it might be the right size for my granddaughter but it was still small so I let my little princess pick some yarn for me to make a bigger one. She chose 5 colors for stripes and she loved it. I probably wouldn't have chosen those 5 colors but she seems to have a good eye because it turned out great. I am thinking I will use the pattern to finish up some of my smaller balls of yarn. I will also need to get more owl hats made because the quilt show is coming up mid-March and those hats sell like hotcakes!

A Day At Home

I had a great day today! I got to stay home for almost the whole day! I headed to the church to help get things set up for tomorrow morning - The Christmas Program! Needed to make sure the handbell tables were set up before all the chairs were put out. 

I came home and made 48 cupcakes for Birthday Party for Jesus following the program tomorrow. Then I got started on various projects. The first was hanging this print. 

I got it at the bazaar a couple of weeks ago. My daughter told me I could only buy it if I promised to tidy up the grandkids' bedroom. I did that a couple of days ago. I sorted through all the toys and books and as you can see, I even have one empty cubby!

It was so great to be in the sewing room again. I quilted the butterfly quilt I put together at quilt retreat in October and got the binding ready for hand sewing. I also transfered name patches from an old pair of hubby's coveralls to a new pair and ironed several pieces of fabric that I had pre-washed. I am hoping to do more in the sewing room over then next week or so but we will see what actually happens. There are still holiday preparations that need to be taken care of. I should probably put up the tree since the grandkids will be here after Christmas.

I forgot to take a picture of the 9 owl hats before I sent them so I asked my niece, Sarah, to send a picture when she got them and here they are.  

I have the first of the next three all done and all the parts ready for the other two. 

Our son and 'grand-dog' arrived home today for the holidays so things should get interesting. I am trying to talk him into helping me get photos scanned onto a computer. I told him it could be his Christmas present to me but he wasn't sure I was worth that much!

A month!?!?!

I am a little surprised that it has been a month since my last post but only a little! It has been a bit busy around here with things other than quilting!

My daughter and grandkids were here for Veteran's Day weekend and my granddaughter stayed with us for the following week. She was such a good girl and went to work with me each day. On Friday we drove across the state to meet her mom and brother for dinner before she headed home with them and I went to my sister's for our Quilt Block Exchange Reveal. All of the quilt blocks sets turned out so well!

So the deal was that we sent along the star points and backgrounds and then everyone made the stars with a 6.5" center of their choice. You may notice that there is one that has a bonus block (someone wasn't happy with their first block) and several are missing a couple of blocks (they just didn't make it all the way around but will be finished soon). You might also notice that there is a little mistake in one block (it was fixed within an hour of the end of the reveal).

Katie's - Neutrals

 Lynn's - Christmas

 Donna - Fish

 Lynn B's - Black & White with Lime

 Martha - Batiks

 Sarah's - Aspens and Sunlight

 Marty - Fall

 Judy - Floral

 Mine - Black & White with Brights

 Karla - Summer

 Teena - Fun Cat Print

Jill - Batik Outdoorsy

Aren't they great? All but three of us were able to meet at Karla's new home for the reveal. While there we decided that we will do another border round robin so by the end of January I need to come up with my center square and theme. I am going to look through some of my orphan blocks and see if there is something that will work.

Last week was a busy one at work. Our church hosted the Community Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service which is a joint effort of 4 churches. It went so well but did add to the stress level of a short week at work! 

We had a fairly low key Thanksgiving. Our son was home for the week from school and niece Katie came over for the weekend. 

Katie, daughter Rebecca and I took part in the Holiday Bazaar at our church and did fairly well. Better than any previous bazaar I have been a part of. I wish I had had more owl hats on hand as the 8 I had on hand sold pretty quickly. I did finish one more during the bazaar which also sold and I got orders for 2 more! I also sold a quilt and a pair of mittens. Since then I have spent my spare time getting the two hats done that were ordered over the weekend and I am now working on the 9th of 9 hats for another niece. I hope to have those all done over the weekend so I can get them in the mail and start working on a stockpile of more hats!

Retreat Report

Had a great time at quilt retreat this past weekend. I had a total of three quilt tops cut out and had a few other projects I could work on. Everything was packed in the car and I headed across the state. Luckily, the weather was beautiful for the drive. 

One of our church's former members moved to Idaho to be closer to her niece and is in a skilled nursing facility. I didn't realize that she was so close to where I go to my quilt retreats but when I did I decided that I needed to stop in and see her. She was so happy to see someone from home and I was so glad I drove those extra miles to see her.

Spent the first night at my sister's new house and then in the morning we headed to the camp. Once my sewing station was set up I got started on my first project, a baby quilt for my cousin's new granddaughter. It is the same pattern I used for my niece's new baby girl that was born last December.

I finished the top before heading to bed the first night. Our devotion theme for the weekend was God's Butterfly Effect so my quilt top had a place of honor on the podium in front of the fireplace.

The next morning I pulled out all the strips and squares that I cut for the other two quilt tops. I decided I would work on both tops at the same time. I got both centers done by bedtime the second night.

I started on the borders on Saturday morning and worked hard at it but just didn't finish the 120 blocks needed so I packed them up and will get the last few strips on the last blocks this week maybe and get the borders on so I can share the finished tops with all of you. 

Another project I need to work on is mittens for the grandkids. My grandson asked for a new pair of mittens a couple of weeks ago and of course I said yes. He wants green and black. I have the crocheting done so they just need to be sewn up. I am also making a yellow and green pair for the granddaughter. I have the first one crochet and should have the second one done tonight and then I can get both pairs sewn up.

More Harry Potter

I finished up my last owl hat order on Tuesday so I am putting away the yarn and crochet hook for a while while I finish up the baby quilts and the Harry Potter quilt.

The last binding is finished on the baby quilts so now it is time to get those eyes done. I am sure it is one of those things where once I get started it won't take any time at all but I dread it so put it off. I am sure no one else has this problem!

I have made a total of 20 blocks for the Harry Potter quilt. You can see them all on Flickr. I started out making two of each block and got 8 sets made: brooms, time turners, Harry's beds, The Burrows, Knight's Bus, crystal balls, butter beer and deathly hallow's symbol. I have a deadline to get the quilt finished so I decided I had better just make one of each for now and go back later and make the second quilt. Here are the 4 blocks I made today: Fawkes, Tom Riddle's diary, a dementor and Harry's glasses. 

I have ordered some fabric for the quilt and hope to get started on the center panel design. It is going to be Hogwarts Castle with the lake in front. 

OMG!

While I was trying to watch the commercials during the Super Bowl, hubby decided to rip out the shower in the guest bathroom/laundry room. There was lots of noise and dust coming from there! It went from this

 to this

and ended with this.

Yesterday evening we headed to Lowe's and got a new shower stall so once I have finished cleaning up the mess, we can start the rebuild. 

I finished up the last of the hats for the order of 5 last night.  

Yes, I know there are 7 hats in the picture. I made an extra to make sure I have the right sizes and had one on hand already. I hope to get them in the mail today. Over the weekend I got the other one crocheted and this evening I will get it put together and deliver it at craft night. 


I didn't get to work on the frog quilts on Sunday so I will need to get moving on those before I get going on more hats. 


Yesterday I made my first block for the Relay for Life Quilt and one for its twin. This is Hermoine's Time Turner.

I hope to get at least one more design done today and hopefully one more tree pruned and the clippings picked up since the rain is supposed to be back tomorrow. That means that work outside just won't be happening but I can spend the day in the sewing room! WooHoo!

Things Happening

I am finally feeling like I might get some things finished! And also get some new things started.

I got the 4th frog quilt quilted and the binding is waiting for the hand sewing. I decided to go with the polka dot eyes or at least I made enough for one quilt and I will put them on and see what I think. If I need to I will take them off and try something else. I am hoping I will like these so I can get these done! My plan is to work on those quilts between commercials tomorrow, you know, while those crazy men are running around the field and knocking each other down.

I have an order for 5 owl hats and another for one so I am working on those when I am not feeling like sewing. I should have those done this next week. I am working on so many and need so many different colors of yarn I had to step up to a bigger basket.

I am having fun with new color combinations! I want to have a bunch done for the quilt show on March 10th and even more done for Relay on June 1-2.


My Relay for Life quilt this year is going to be a Harry Potter themed quilt. There are tons of paper-piecing patterns online and I am really looking forward to this project. My plan is to make two quilts - one for Relay and one for me to give as a gift or sell or whatever. 


Yesterday and today I got my first three blocks done for the star block round robin. I have had one of them since Halloween and the others for probably 2 months. I was inspired to get these done and out of my sewing room because I brought 4 packets to my niece from my sister's house and she is the person I come after! I am sure the person after me will be much happier to get these three now instead of all 7 at once! I had fun making them and it is so frustrating not being able to post pictures of them until the reveal sometime later this year.

Surprising Request

Last Saturday I received a call from the quilt guild president. She said she missed me at the last meeting - I wasn't able to make it because we were looking at houses with my niece who wants to buy her first home. She also asked if I would be interested in being the next guild president as she thought I would do a good job. I was a little flabbergasted, to say the least, as I am a pretty new member and haven't really been that involved. I briefly considered but declined explaining that I didn't think it was fair to take on a commitment like that when I so often miss the meetings because of church or family obligations which will always come first. It was very flattering to be asked and if I thought I could be at every meeting I would consider it. I think it would be fun and rewarding. 

In case you didn't hear, we have had a nasty patch of weather here in the Pacific Northwest. At our house we got about 6 inches of snow but luckily our power only flickered a couple of times. Others have not been so lucky with snow totals ranging from 4" to close to 2 feet! The snow in many areas was followed by rain which froze when it landed causing an ice layer. This caused trees to fall which knocked out power all over the area. The temperatures have risen and the rains have come (along with some wind which has resulted in more power issues) and the snow is slowly melting which will bring the new issue of flooding! Just can't win for losing as my dad would say.


I chose to just stay in the house all week which resulted in the completion of those two owl hats but also meant they did not get in the mail or delivered! That should happen this week. I also got orders for 5 more hats so I have started working on those.


Taking advantage of the time indoors, I finally got to work on getting all the business information into the computer so we can get our taxes taken care of. As of last night I have finished through July - not bad for one week of work! Why do I always leave it to January to get busy with this?


Yesterday I went into the sewing room and got the third frog quilt quilted and got bindings on #2 and #3. I am feeling like I might actually finish these!


I am heading out tomorrow to visit family across the state so I will bring the quilts and hats and their respective supplies with me to work on while visiting.

Sales, Orders and Progress

Well, those 6 kids hats turned into a total of 8 hats for one person! And I got another order for a hat so I need to get two hats finished so I can work on other things. One will be dark brown and the other will be black with lime green eyes. 


Meanwhile, I got the binding onto the first frog quilt and did the machine quilting on the second one. When I get the two frog hats done I will get to work on the hand-sewing of the bindings and the yo-yo eyes. 


I also need to add in getting the business books ready for our accountant so we can get the taxes done. As you can see I have a lot on my plate right now so I guess I should get off the computer and get busy!

Keeping My Hands Busy!

As you can see here, 

I have been busy crocheting! These are the latest owl hats that I finished up in the last couple of days. I have orders for 6 kids hats for one person and an adult hat for another person. I also need to get several done for sale at the quilt show in March. Luckily, they are very simple and can easily be worked on while watching TV or riding in a car. In fact, on Sunday I worked on a couple while riding in a bus down to Portland, OR to watch the Trailblazers play the Cleveland Cavaliers. I am not much of a sports fan but the grandson of some friends of mine is a Cleveland Cavalier so we had a busload of folks that went down to watch him play. There were about 70 us amidst all the Blazer fans rooting for the Cavaliers. A little intimidating to say the least. It was fun to watch him play and even more fun to watch the proud grandparents!


Last week I got 4 of the frog quilts basted and yesterday I did the main quilting on one of them. So far I have stitched in the ditch around each frog. Not sure if I will do more by machine or if I will just add some 'fly' ties along with the eyes. Today I hope to get the binding on the first one so I can take it to quilt guild tonight to do the hand-sewing. I might even get the second one quilted.


We had our kick-off meeting for Relay for Life on Monday which means it is time to get going with the fund-raising. One of our team's main fund-raisers is the quilt show which will be March 10. That means I have got to get busy with the drawing quilt! Because the theme this year is "The Magic of Relay" I plan to do a Harry Potter themed quilt. We will see how that goes! By the way, if you are interested in helping me with my fund-raising you can go here or buy an owl hat from me - I am selling them for $10 and all of the money goes to Relay for Life to fight cancer!

Merry Christmas!

I think the 5 weeks or so that it has been since my last post is the longest I have gone without posting. Life has been crazy with only a little sewing and most of it not 'post-worthy'.


The church is all put back together after the water damage in September and the rental is ready for new tenants so those jobs are off my plate.


All Christmas sewing is finished and will be revealed after Christmas. Christmas shopping is done and everything is wrapped. I haven't done much baking/cooking for the holiday. Mainly because of food allergies/sensitivities. Hard to make most holiday treats without cane sugar or dairy! I will make a couple things today though - peanut butter fudge and creamsicle fudge. Yesterday was lefse day - we got around the dairy thing by using soy milk and vegan 'butter' for some of them.


I have been working on owl hats recently but didn't get pictures taken. These are some I had on hand.

I got several requests for hats in the last month or so. If anyone is interested in one or more, let me know. I am charging $10 and all of the money goes to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

These little cuties have been a last minute project. 

I saw the paper pieced patterns on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog on Monday and decided to make some for my crafty friends at Tuesday Night Craft Night so on Tuesday I got 4 ornaments made (finished the last one minutes before I headed over). They turned out so nicely I made these yesterday after the lefse cooking party. They are 4" paper pieced blocks that I backed with a piece of flannel and bound, adding the ribbon while sewing the binding on. I am thinking it would be fun to make a bunch of these using  green for the background and then put them together for a Christmas Tree quilt. Maybe next year - yeah, right!

I finally got all the frogs made for the baby quilts so I have 5 quilts waiting for borders and four need quilting. That will be right after Christmas and then on to the girl baby quilt. All 5 of the babies I am making quilts for have been born and there are 4 boys and 1 girl. I have had the honor of holding two of them so far. Hope I get a chance someday to hold the other three!

As soon as those baby quilts are done I will get started on the drawing quilt for Relay for Life. The theme is "The Magic of Relay" so I am thinking a Harry Potter themed quilt. There are some great paper-piecing patterns out there.

I am going to get started on my post about the Christmas projects right away so I can post it as soon as the gifts are opened. 

Hope everyone has an Amazing Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you celebrate! 

It's Relay Day!

(not sure what happened but this never got posted I guess so better late than never!)


My husband and I spent Memorial Day weekend with our kids. This involved a drive across the state and an even longer drive home due to traffic issues! But we did have a great time with everyone! We were missing the grandkids so it was great to spend 2 1/2 days with them. We are looking forward to having them here with us for a week soon. As a bonus we got to see my sister and her husband and their second son!


Before leaving I got these two baby quilts finished. I just need to let the person who commissioned them pick which one she wants and then get the label on it.

Here is a close up of the quilting - a meander with little flowers. It isn't as obvious on the front of the quilt but it adds a lot to the back!

I got this hat in the mail to my niece just before we left. I am hoping she is happy with it. 

I have had a request for another owl hat so I need to get yarn in the right colors and then I can get it going. Maybe that will be something I can work on during Relay.


Yes, our local Relay for Life is this weekend - starting at 6 this evening. As co-captain of our team I will be there at 3 to get our site set up and will probably stay through the night until the closing ceremony at 2 tomorrow. I have almost met my fund-raising goal but would appreciate any donations to help in the fight against cancer. I am walking to honor all cancer survivors and in memory of all who have lost their battle against cancer, especially my brother, mother-in-law and sister-in law. You can donate online right here.


I got the purple top basted and quilted yesterday and I am about half way around on the binding. I would love to have it done Sunday so I can deliver it to my customer but that will depend on whether I get any sleep tonight at Relay! I will post a picture when it is done.

Where have the days gone?

It has been two weeks since my last post and I am not sure I can tell you why!


I suppose part of it is that the weather has improved and I have spent a good bit of time working outside. The beds out there are looking better but still not great for the most part. Last year's onions, this year's carrots, chives and kohl rabi are growing well along with some volunteer pansies and tomatoes. I also have acorn squash, pumpkins, zucchini and green beans up.


The strawberries are giving us a few berries which is good considering they were just transplanted a few weeks ago. The raspberries will give us a few berries also. I am hoping they will do better next year after I get them transplanted. The gooseberries are ripening and the blueberries seem to be doing well.


As for work in the sewing room, there has been some of that. I got the main part of the quilt for my neighbor for our quilt exchange. It still needs borders and quilting but that can wait as the quilt doesn't have to be done until November 1.


The original plan for the 4th of July weekend was for my niece to come over so we could play in the sewing room while my husband ripped the garage apart for a new and larger garage door. It changed when my daughter realized she had a 4-day weekend which meant she could come over for a visit with the kids. She hadn't been home since last fall sometime though the kids have been here several times on their own. They arrived on Friday and both kids and the dog were so happy to get out of the car and run!


Chelsea helped her dad with the garage project and Katie and I had fun with the kids and took care of the meals. We did get some sewing in but not much. The kids got in a trip to the local beach on Puget Sound and even got an ice cream treat from the little store there. This is a tradition that was started when I was little girl and my great-uncle would take us down there for treats. There was also running through the sprinkler, riding bikes and 'helping' in the kitchen and with the garage work.

Chelsea and the kids headed back home on Monday morning and Katie and I got to work in the sewing room. Our project - the scrappy Geese Atop Your Cabin with black geese. We finished up the first 32 blocks and decided to head to JoAnn's to find some outdoor fabric to recover a chair my husband got at a garage sale this weekend. We got some brown that wouldn't have been my first choice but was the best available and it was on sale! We also got a kid's swimming pool for the grandkids' next visit. We even let my husband tag along since he had a sore thumb and couldn't work on the garage.


Tuesday morning we were back in the sewing room and got another 58 blocks done. By evening I had the top put together

and Katie had my remaining 1.5" scraps sorted and cut into either 1.5", 2", 2.5" or 4.5" pieces. As we worked we had come up with plans for all the pieces so that basket would be empty for at least a short while.


Katie headed home so she could be ready for giving piano lessons in the morning and I headed over for craft night. While there I was able to finish off the last of the owl hats I had made. I now have 8 on hand but 4 of those were made to order and I need to contact the 'orderees'.


Wednesday I got the 2.5" pieces sewn together into this little top

and then spent some time outside working.


Yesterday, I needed to get a skirt made for my little granddaughter who turns 3 on Sunday. I had gotten Figgy's Bubble Skirt Pattern at Fabric Depot back in April and got the corduroy to make two skirts but hadn't gotten around to it until now. I made the first one and it just looked too big so I made another smaller one. Hopefully one will be right for her! Then I ran to Target for a t-shirt to go with them and Costco for a swimsuit for her (we have been looking for one that has a UV protecting shirt to go with it) as last year's suit is allowing an awful lot of tummy to hang out! Stopped at the post office on the way home and got the package in the mail so hopefully she will have it by Monday, if not Saturday.



I also added 2 borders to the the little scrap quilt I started on Wednesday.

The first was a light neutral fabric followed by most of the 1.5" X 2" pieces sewn together. I am thinking I will add another neutral, probably a darker one, and a row using the 1.5" X 4.5" pieces.


Oh, I almost forgot! On Friday evening, we got my clotheslines up! It was so great to be able to hang the laundry outside this weekend and the sheets and towels after the company was gone!


This has been a little long-winded but I hope you stayed to the bitter end! I keep thinking I will be better about getting posts written but somehow...

Secret revealed

Another busy weekend for me! Thursday I took off across the state to spend the weekend with my sister and her family. Her youngest daughter graduated from high school on Saturday and there was a BBQ party on Friday evening. On top of all that my daughter and the grandkids came up for the celebration too! Lots of commotion that is for sure. 

On Friday morning my job was to make a Graduation Barbie cake. My sister made the mortarboard, complete with tassel! She also created the sashes and cords out of ribbon and some silver cording to represent the sashes and cords my niece would have for graduation. I also added some paper sleeves and a section around the body to look more like a graduation gown instead of a ball gown. She turned out pretty well I think!


We also surprised my niece with this graduation quilt. There are blocks made by several quilters in her life that represent various interests of hers. Her high school colors were red and white and her college colors will be black and gold, hence the color scheme. The top was put together by my sister and I got the honor of quilting it. She was very excited about it and very surprised!


On Saturday morning we took a walk to a local coffee shop and got coffee for the grown-ups and cocoa for the little ones and then walked over to the park so the kids could play and we could reserv seats with tape for graduation that afternoon. Just after we got home from our walk the skies opened up with rain and hail and wind so we had to postpone our trip the Fantastic Sam's for about an hour for my granddaughter's much needed hair cut - she had to tip her head back to see out from under her bangs! 


The sun came back out and stayed out through graduation which was awesome since graduation was held outside! After graduation we enjoyed a turkey dinner then my daughter turned over custody of the grandkids to me and headed home. 


Sunday morning the kids I headed out and met my other daughter and her husband for coffee and then strted our trek across the state. An uneventful trip filled with chatter and singing and a couple of stops at rest areas to let off some steam! We got home, got unloaded and the kids headed outside to see what was new. I started dinner and our son arrived home just in time to eat. 


We've been having fun at Grammy World including driving to the airport yesterday morning to drop my son off for his adventure to Korea to visit his girlfriend who has been back home in Korea for about 6 months.


I was able to deliver one of my owl hats to a friend who was at the graduation party and got another finished. I now have two more of the main hats finished and I am working on the eyes and beaks so they can be put together and ready for delivery. I got a couple more orders so I still have 5 to get made! At least that is something I can work on while the kids are here.

Recovering slowly!

Here is the purple quilt. It is all finished and I will be delivering it tomorrow. The pattern is called Grandma's Scrapbook from Judy Martin's book Scraps.

I tried a new kind of crocheted hat as we were driving across the state last weekend and got the top sewed up last Tuesday but didn't get a picture of it until yesterday! Not sure I am excited about this one but it works. I might have to try it again with adjustments.

This is the latest project I have started. It will eventually be 2' X 6' and along with several others will hang in our church. The plan right now is to have a set of green ones and also white, blue, purple and red for the seasons of the church year. They will hang on some not-so-attractive dividers that are used to hide the daycare's furnishings during worship and other church activities.

We had a great time at Relay this weekend. So many moving moments - watching all of the cancer survivors walking that first lap in their purple shirts, walking the track during the luminaria ceremony and listening to all the names read over the loudspeakers and that final lap celebrating 'more birthdays'. If any of you ever get the chance to take part in a Relay for Life event I would encourage you to do it. 


I had several smaller quilts and some other small items available for sale at the event. I sold several pillowcases but the big hit were the owl hats! I had two finished hats and both sold but I was able to keep one of them at our booth through Relay as a model and took orders for 5 more! I will be kept busy for a while with those!


I managed to get about 1 1/2 hours of sleep Friday night so I came home very tired. My hubby was very good to me and went out and got some teriyaki for dinner before I headed to bed fairly early. I am still a bit tired but at least I am functioning again!