Finnally picking myself up from the bottom of the moutain

Boy did I fall big! It started on my vacation to St. Louis...of course I had to visit some of the quilt shops in the area....and that of course lead to fabric buying. Ok, not so bad, it was vacation and all, but the buying didn't stop when I got home...had to find some more of a fabric I bought while away so that meant online shoping....found some bargains so....

So I was feeling that I had done enough fabric shopping...then came retreat in October. I was certain that I wouldn't be tempted, but when there is a fabric store sitting half way across the room from me my willpower breaks down, and I went to town slowly over the weekend....don't ask me why, I really don't know...

I would have thought I had enough, but I wanted MORE! Went to a discount fabric place on the way home and stocked up on some more fabric for ideas I got at retreat. And later in the week to the local quilt shop and more online orders for panels and other ideas!

I'm not sure what got hold of me...I just kept going, back to my old ways, if I wanted it I bought it. That's why I'm in the mess I'm in. Well, 210 yards later....I comitted to the stashbusters group no buy starting Nov. 1. I'm on my climb back up the mountain!.....no fabric purchases or books since Nov. 1! I can do it!

The worst part is that I haven't completed anything that can count for using stash. I've been working on projects and have a top or two ready for quilting, but not done. So I've also joined the UFO Challenge for 2008.

I've been quilting fairly regularly with my quilting group that meets twice a month but not too much in between so looks like I will fall short of my goal of working and hour a day on quilting. I need to catch on my calculations, but I'm certain I'll be short of 365 hours. Think I'll keep that as a goal for next year and see if I can do better.

Confession over! I'm taking control back! Guess I'd better let the kids in....

Old Tobacco Roads

I love Bonnie's quilts and have had fun doing the past mysteries from my scraps and stash. I wasn't thinking that I would do OTR right now because I thought I should finish some projects rather than starting something new...well didn't last too long. Found the extra 2 patches from the OC and started putting them together. Now I have 113 4 patches done for the OTR...guess I'm doing it! Since I sneaked and looked at the solution I will work on this as time permits and maybe as a leader-ender project.

OC - top finished!

This past weekend I finished putting the borders on my OC. I used a straight setting instead of the diagonal set of the pattern. I'm very happy with it...wasn't sure about it as I was making it but it came to life when the blocks were put together. Now just to find something for the backing and get it quilted.

I also sewed the binding on a fall table runner that I finished quilting. The table runner was one of those things I found in my "needs to be quilted" bin while looking for the quilt tops I had made for Beth and Jim. I started quilting this on my DSM with stitch in the ditch and then I decided I wanted some free motion on it and pinned it to the quilting frame and used the HQ16. I tried to quilt a flower resembling a sunflower in the setting triangles. Fairly successful, but I'm no artist. Guess that's why I find using the HQ so intimidating. But now it's done! A finish! And that's great!

August progress

I only finished one project in August, the baby quilt for Desiree. It was PIG so it was mostly from stash but I purchased a backing for it. So far so good...except on Labor Day Weekend I ventured into JoAnn's to get some notions. I was thinking about OTR the new mystery Bonnie Hunter has posted. I love her quilts and the previous mystery quilts have been great. I got this notion that I needed some rust colored fabric tho if I wanted to do it. I didn't think the fabric was on sale, just the fat quarters, but I was wrong...fabric was $1.00 off per yard. That makes it better than their other sales, so I couldn't help myself...here's what followed me home! It could have been worse, I did put some back :)

Looks like OTR to me! I really should have shopped my stash first, but I know I don't really have alot in rusts and browns and the golds always seem to get used.

For the month of August I sewed 30.5 hours (just .5 hours short of my goal, but didn't make up for previous months losses), purchased 8.25 yards of fabric, and used 5 yds. I updated the sidebars to reflect the above.

3-D Pinwheels and Prairie Points

The baby quilt is finished and gifted! I think it turned out pretty cute! It was the first time I have ever tried prairie points so I learned something new. I also had never made anything that was 3-D so quilting it became a bit of a dilema. I ended up quilting in on my DSM in wavy crosshatching. I think it gives it movement like wind blowing.


Here's a close up of the quilting. I used Warm and Bright polyester batting in this quilt. It has a nice bit of puffiness, but not too much.

This is the sweet Desiree whom I worked with. She was a traveling nurse and spent a 6 month assignment with our unit. She was lots of fun to work with. It was exciting when she found out she was pregnant and she was so cute about it. Getting pregnant was a big surprise...ie. not planned. One night she just wasn't feeling right and was having some abdominal pains and was light headed. A trip to the clinic solved the mystery... It was fun teasing her about the grape, plum, tennis ball that is growing inside her! (she was devoring everything she could on the subject and the text book she was using refered to the size of the fetus in those terms) She's gone back to the East coast to be near her family now, and who can blame her? This was taken on my last day working with her last Tuesday. She'll be missed. Isn't she cute with that little tummy starting to pop out? Happy baby times Desiree!

She said the quilt will probably be the only handmade thing her baby will have as nobody does any crafting in her family. I'm glad I made if for her. It was fun...and I had it in my PIGS anyway. I only had to purchase the backing. The top was mostly cut out and someone else's UFO I purchased at retreat one year. It was a puzzle to figure what the original owner designer inteded to do with it. There was a pattern with the fabric but the fabric that was cut out was not as directed per the pattern. I think she was going to do something with alternating plain blocks but I cut them up to use as the background for the pinwheels and found some white I had and used if for sashing. I would never have picked out these fabrics...I do like it tho.

About prairie points....I've never done them before and I learned a few things in doing them that I will pass along. I searched the web and followed the directions I found at http://www.mccallsquilting.com/artheblk/prapoints/ and at http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ss/prairie_points.htm

Well I sorta followed the directions...I didn't read carefully the part about stop quilting an inch or so away from the edge of the quilt. So I spent a really long time, I mean a really, really long time unsewing the quilting and tieing it off and burring the threads in the batting. It was made doubly difficult by the fact that I had squared up the quilt top and cut all the thread ends off. So I was left with these little tail ends to knot and bury. To top it off, the thread I used for quilting, Superior Rainbows, kept untwisting and I had a heck of a time threading a needle with it! I struggled with it for about 3/4 of the quilt then I was working on it at our library quilting session and Madalyn gave me this GREAT tip (thanks Madalyn!)...use a needle threader. First I tried using the needle threader to thread the needle but that didn't work. What did work was threading the needle threader thru the batting and up thru the top of the quilt and grabbing the thread ends and presto! pulling them thru. Worked like a dream...would have cut the time I spent on that task by a jillion times! Next time....

Anyways, learn from my mistakes...Only quilt to within one inch of the edge of the quilt. Then you fold the backing back and pin it out of the way

Then turn the quilt over and sew the prairie points with a quarter inch seam along the edge of the quilt. Adjust the length by moving the points in and out of each other. Using the fudge factor there is quite a bit of leway. I don't think my points are perfectly spaced but it's not noticible to the naked eye and I'm sure the baby isn't going to get out the measuring tape and figure it out. These prairie points were made from 4 1/2 inch squares. The were folded on the diagonal and pressed and folded again on the diagonal and then pressed again. One side then has a folded edge and the other side opens so you can slip one inside of the other.

And here it is all finished!

I've been busy

Don't have any finished quilting to show you yet so thought I would post a few pictures I took off my front deck recently. The first one I'm standing on my very tiptoes to get in the little peak a boo of the sound. From my height I don't normally see it. The Olympic Mountains are in the background and the land mass beyond the sound is Vashon Island. My roof top has a great view and when I think of remodeling this place I dream of adding another story and having a quilting studio with a view. Unless I win the lottery it will never happen, but it's nice to have dreams....


Here's the only flowers I have growing this year...boxes and hanging baskets on the deck. They are doing pretty good even though they got a late start. Thanks to Lowe's for starting the petunia hanger for me!
I've been busy working on the baby quilt and working overtime and watching the Olympics. I can say that I'm on track to meet my goal of 31 hours of quilting this month, maybe exceed it! I will hopefully get the final stitches in the baby quilt tonight and post pictures soon. We are having a potluck lunch on Tuesday at work and that is the last day I'll work with Desiree before she leaves so it has to be done by then! I only have one more side to do the handstitching on so it is possible.

The overtime makes for a nice paycheck...and who can't use that? But it sure zaps me...takes away the time I use for recovery from my 12 hour shifts...and then the way the schedule worked out I didn't have more than one day off at a time...not good for me! I hate to admit it but I'm feeling my age...I guess that is why I'm seeing more and more that I have to simplify things in my life and home so that there is less energy devoted to just managing and I can use it for fun! But boy is that a big job in and of itself!

What my bed says about me

What Your Bed Says About You

Outward appearances are a concern of yours, but not your primary concern. You try to take care of yourself and your home, but it's not an obsession. You try to be an organized person, but you often fall behind. Certain parts of your life tend to fall into chaos. You are not very high maintenance in general, but you are high maintenance about a few things. In relationships, you tend to kick back and let the other person be in charge. You tend to be a down to earth, practical person. You think in terms of what is actual. You are a traveler. You are comfortable anywhere, and you rarely feel homesick.

What Does Your Bed Say About You?

I always find these quizes fun to take. I think this one pegs me pretty close. How about you?

Here's the quiz: http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbedsayaboutyou/quiz

My current distractions from OC

My OC is waiting patiently for it's outer borders meanwhile....

This is a little quilt I put together for a co-worker who is having her first baby. Need to get it finished before the end of the month as she is moving back to the east coast to have the baby.

It was someone else's UFO that I bought off a fundraiser table at retreat a few years back. It was mostly cut out but that was all. I think the original owner had a different idea for it as it wasn't cut out per the directions of the pattern with it. Kind of a puzzel of sorts. Looks like she was going to use alternating plain squares between the 3D pinwheels. I decided to add the white sashing instead.

The other decision I'm debating on is how to quilt it. Should I quilt down the pinwheel flaps? At least get them tacked down at the points or leave them loose? Any ideas?

I'm trying to find a backing in my stash but so far haven't had much luck. Might have to go shopping!

This is the other distraction...trying to get my entertainment center finished. Travis is helping. The first coat of stain didn't go so well and we had lots of sanding to do. The second coat is so-so, so I guess I'm going to do a third. Didn't quite get up the energy to do it today...it makes such a mess! And it is such a mess!

I plan to buy a large flat screen TV when this gets done...should think that would be motivation enough, but sadly it is not. The project has been sitting since last August when I had the fireplace removed and the entertainment center built in. It was unfinished and to save some $ I thought I would take on the finishing...maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

The fireplace isn't missed and needed to come out because the chimney blew off during a windstorm the previous winter. Even though I considered a gas fireplace replacement I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth the expense. This house needs a fireplace downstairs and that is where I will consider adding a gas fireplace.

Don't think I'll be back to the OC anytime too soon. I've a couple of other pressing quilts that need to get finished pronto.

Oh, and the other distraction...the Olympics. Boy do I get hooked in! Sure wish I had that big screen. I didn't plan too well and started watching before I got to sewing and just didn't make the transition to the sewing room. Tomorrow I'm on call so I'm not sure what I might get done, or how much I might have to work, but I'd love to get the little quilt ready for quilting.

It's August already!

It seems like I am just watching the days fly by. Where oh where does the time go? Maybe it's because the summer was so late in getting here. Don't have any quilting progress to photograph so here is a picture of summer from my youth when summer went on forever, so much so you were anxious for school to start. This was from 1960. I'm on the left. Wonder if those life jackets would have saved us?

I didn't make the goal of finishing 5 by the end of July...no big surprise. It was a good challenge tho, I thought alot about getting stuff done. It did prompt me to unearth most of what I have as UFO's and PIG's tho...a few surprises there.

I've been trying to get some other projects around the house done as well. I've hired Travis, my nephew, as a helper and thought it would free me up to do stuff like quilting, but it just hasn't worked out that way. We have accomplished alot too...plumbed water to my second story deck, cleaned up the yard, repaired the fence, patched the garage door, built shelves for a storage closet, washed the windows, and have been working on staining my entertainment center. Not too bad since it's been hard to mesh our schedules. Travis has done most of the work with me getting the organizing stuff done and feeding him and putting stuff away, somehow that seems to kill the day just the same. Big problem is that the summer is running out and he will be leaving for college soon and we haven't started on the project of repairing my leaking deck. That's mostly because I haven't figured out just how to do it or who to get help from or just what I want. I've spent alot of time on the computer looking for answers and in general just procrastinating making a decision.

Back to quilting tho...did my accounting for July and updated the sidebars. I did have a couple of finishes that helped to contribute to using stash, but most of it was given away. I gave away 26 yards to compensate for the yards I bought last month. It suprises me how little in yardage I used in a quilt...for example the Bargello quilt only tallied up using 6.5 yards. It's a good sized throw quilt at 58 X 75. I DIDN'T BUY ANY FABRIC IN JULY! I didn't sew for as many hours as I would have liked and I see I'm still falling behind for the year. This keeping track is really making me aware of what I really do and has made the biggest impact on my aquiring stash than anything...maybe I need to apply it to my finances...not really sure if I have shifted what I was spending on fabric to something else or not. Think not...I think it has been going to pay off credit cards but I'm going to have to start tracking that too! Any maybe eating too...maybe there really is something to that writing down everything you eat and weight loss...hmmm....

A little finish

This is my second finish in the July challenge. Doesn't measure up to my grandious plans of finishing 5 big quilts...but it is a finish. Had to adjust my expectations as time was getting short...have a couple of other small projects in the works and may be able to get them finished tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath, I have a few other things on the adgenda for tomorrow. Not ready to give up yet... more later!

I'm not really sure when I made this, I do remember buying the kit at a quilt retreat about 3 years ago. Think I put it together last fall at quilt retreat and quilted it. It only needed binding and I did that Saturday after working some on my OC borders. I've started quilting the 2 other little projects I'm going to finish!

Big Scare!

I started the day off in my sewing room declaring that it was going to be a sew day in pj's. Since I've only one finish for the July challenge I thought I'd better see what I could get cracking on. Dug thru my bin of tops to be quilted to see which ones had backings ready and if I knew what I wanted to quilt on them. When I got to the bottom of it I realized that two quilts that I wanted to get quilted during this challenge, Jim's Shakespere in the Park and Beth's Lover's Knot quilt weren't there! A quick look around didn't turn them up either. I was beginning to worry. Started pulling out stuff from the other bins that sit under the quilter. Not found. Then I started pulling stuff out of the wire baskets and didn't find them. Last time I remember I had them folded on top of one of the bins that sit under the quilter. Where are they?Pretty much had made a big mess of my quilting room...spent the rest of the day sorting thru the mess. Decided it was time I made that list of UFO's, PIG's and tops to be quilted...and maybe organize a bit. Maybe the two tops would show themselves.

The news isn't so good, but it's time to be accountable. UFO's there are 32, I would have thought a few more. PIG's there are 51. The informal fabric groupings in my cupboards I didn't include. Tops waiting for quilting...31. I wonder in what realistic time frame could I ever get this done? In addition I have four cabinets and several bins of fabric. I tried to pull some fabric I could part with while I was sorting today...it's hard...when I put my hands on the fabric I would start to envision things that I could make or it just felt good. I did gather some, but it didn't make much of a dent. I was hoping to pull at least 26 yards to balance off my purchases earlier this month. Still have to measure...

I got the room pretty much straighten up and found some projects that just need alittle bit more to finish. Maybe I can still meet the 5 by the end of July? Not today anyway. Spent all day organizing and looking for the quilt tops...a few distractions like looking at patterns, taking a nap, watching the ballgame...finally on a trip to the bathroom I remembered about my bathtub storage. A quick look seemed like it was batting and batting pieces and some shirts that need to be disected. When I dug a bit deeper and deeper I found the quilt tops at the bottom of the bin of batting packages! Hooray and a big sigh of relief! They are safely relocated to the "needs quilting" bin!

What's up with this?

Here is a picture of a quilt I made for Nate, my oldest nephew

He gave it back to me to fix. It's coming apart at the seams...not the strip sets like I might have expected but along the edges of the large novelty blocks. Here maybe you can see it better here...where the flower head pins are...

Any ideas as to why? It's not on every seam and not where the setting triangles are, and it's always just about in the middle for about an inch or so. Guess I have a bit of hand sewing to do. Other ideas I might want to consider for repair so that it doesn't happen some more?

He loves the quilt...in fact I've never have him like something I've given him so much. It did turn out well. I'll have to find the picture that gets the whole quilt and post it...later.

Finally a Finish!

My first finish for the 5 before the end of July challenge sponsored by Peg. It's the Bargello bowl from super bowl Sunday...about time wouldn't you think? It has been languishing on my quilting frame for months...finally had to suck it in and do it...the quilting that is...Madalynn was coming over to quilt her quilt on the frame and she was on a deadline. Funny thing what deadlines do for procrastinators like me...

Here's some of the quilting...I quilted it with funky feathers from Dawn's video, pajama quilter. I had to watch the video three times and practice a lot on the white board, but it turned out alright. The one criticism I have of it is that it's a bit thready for my tastes. I used Superiors King Tut thread and think I'll use a finer thread when I do it again. I also had the age old problem with the tension...it may be because of the difference weights of thread on top and in the bobbin...I'll have to see another time. I've never had much luck with King Tut and I know others just love it. I've always paired it with Bottom Line in the bobbin and maybe that is the problem?
Here's the back...there are no real obvious tension gliches and I think (hope) what is there will even out with washing.
I haven't given up hope that I will finish 5 yet before the end of July, put the final borders on my Carolina Crossroads and made a backing for it today...maybe it will be the next? I'm hoping I'll get one more quilt quilted before I go back to work on Wednesday. And if they are the only finishes for July so be it...it's 2 more than I would have done without the challenge!

A little vacation - long!

Spent a little time over at Lake Curlew with my brother and sisters and my Dad. This is Marilynn, Dad, me, and Beth just outside the cabin. I love that tree that hangs out over the lake and provides shade all morning and early afternoon keeping it from getting too hot.
Lake Curlew is in northeast Washington, about 8 hour drive to get back to my house with a few stops along the way. Of course we hit rush hour traffic in Seattle, on Friday :(

Republic is a very small town and Lake Curlew is about 15 miles from town. We stayed at Black Beach resort in a lakefront cabin. It's not much of a resort and the cabin was pretty dumpy...but it had everything we needed. My sister Beth and my dad and I shared the cabin.

Here's Dad, Beth and Mitch chatting in front of the cabin. I love that it is on the lake and has a screened porch. It's down at the very end of the resort and there weren't many others around us. The cabin next door was only occupied one of the nights we were there. That made it nice with the dogs we didn't have to be so diligent with the leashes. I brought a baby gate to confine them on the porch that helped.

My sister Marilynn and her family stayed at the resort in their RV. It was a short walk from where we were.

Here are the girls, Rachel, Marilynn's daughter and Camile, Connie's daughter working on beading outside Marilynn's RV.

My sister Connie and her SO, Jeff have some property at the end of the lake that they are starting to build on. They were staying in their trailer there, my brother Mitch and his son also stayed there in their loft and my sister Barb set up her tent over with them.

Here's a view of their property from the road. The peaked structure is their shed with a loft. All that they have developed so far...Jeff did the work himself.

Connie with their new pup, Remi, at the trailer.

Here's the view from their trailer site.

We had various arrival and departure days but did all manage to be there for a couple of days together. We were only missing Jim and his family, Beth's boys and Marlene. Too bad they weren't able to make it.

It was a nice relaxing time together. The fishing was good and the boys fished most of the day and evening. Took out time for tubing in the afternoon, of course. And Tyler was helpful in being able to go into town to fill the gas tanks for the boat.

Here's Tyler, Mitch's son working on his fishing pole.

And Jace, Marilynn's son trying to get his line untangled....

And Colton, Connie's son, plotting on how he is going to win the Bass Tournament held one night down at Connie and Jeff's place.

The kids and Jeff played in the boat tubing and trying to wakeboard...rumor has it that only Rachel was able to get up on the wakeboard...first try too! Girls rule!

What a load! Are you sure you can pull anything? Do you all have your lifejackets? Jeff is very conscientious about that....

There also was a little kayaking...Here's Marilynn bringing the kayak down from Connie's property to the RV site.
This is Rachel coming out to meet her on the dock by the RV. It's almost hard to call this a dock...maybe they are going for a living dock! It's growing all sorts of stuff!

And Mike took the kayak the rest of the way down to our cabin docks. Then the kids had some fun trying it out too.
Dad and Beth spent several hours scanning old slides and naming them.

Here's Dad horsing around with us kids...me, Beth and Jim. Get aload of those drapes, and the lamp!

And here we are in front of the only car he ever bought new...probably at Easter. They had a good time looking at all the old pictures.

I spent alot of time on the screened porch looking out at the lake and got the binding sewed down on my Bargello bowl quilt and napping.

The cabin even as rustic as it is proved to be a gathering space...it was on the lake and near the dock where the kids could fish and swim and boat.

The dogs loved swimming and jumping off the dock! Above is my Buddy, a swimming fool with his life jacket on! Below is Beth's dog, Hershey whose job in life is to retreeve, she just can't get enough of it.

Poor thing goes and goes and then is just pooped out. She kept sneaking up on the furniture she wanted a soft place to rest!

Can you see the orange shag carpet? The furniture was all pretty beat up and there wasn't a plate, glass or cup that matched. But my bed was comfy and the bathroom was only a few steps away and I loved sitting on the porch and feeling the fresh air.And the major point in its favor was it had running water! So those staying at Connie's could shower. The only worries were what we were going to have for dinner. Needed to go to town at least once a day to pick up something or other. We came up with some pretty good eating. Here's Connie and Jeff getting the barbeque going.


They have a great fire pit on their property...just right for fires at night!We had great campfires at Connie's property.

This is Jace roasting a marshmallow and Dad keeping an eye on him.And here is Camille trying to get her's just right for a somore!


This is Shawna, Marilynn's oldest daughter, with her new little puppy, Lily, trying to stay warm.


And Connie and Mitch around the fireside, trying to avoid the smoke.

All in all it was a nice trip. Of course I forgot to mention there were the boys playing board games late into the night and thru the afternoon windstorm. And Camille playing dominos with anyone who she could get. Dad, Beth and I watched movies in the evenings before bed, as there was no TV or radio. We watched The Vanishing, American Beauty, Enchanted and Pay it Forward. The only one I had seen before was Pay it Forward...it still was the best, but Enchanted was a close runner up. The others were just weird, not my cup of tea.

We also had to make a trip the the ER...Dad one evening while we were getting ready for dinner started talking nonsense. He knew he wasn't saying what he wanted to say and kept trying but it was all jibberish. After it didn't seem to be getting any better I convinced him we should visit the ER...if it was gone when we got there we wouldn't have to go in. He was improving but still knew he wasn't right when we got there...about a 20 minute drive...so we went in. Had to open up the ER...he was the only patient. The nurse was great and the doc came in, he had a CT and some lab work. The CT had to be transmitted to a different center for interpretation so it took about 40 minutes to get results. He was being monitored on a cardiac monitor while we waited. Before the results came back he was back to normal. All and all his symptoms maybe lasted an hour or so. Diagnosed as a TIA. So we left and went back and had dinner and a campfire. All in all we spent about 1 1/2 hours there...not too bad for an ER visit. Thankfully it was only a TIA because I don't think we would have been able to get treatment soon enough if it was a stroke. They would have to send him to Spokane which is at least 2 or more hours away.

That was my second visit to the ER in Republic in two visits to Lake Curlew...last time it was that Colton had caught his ear with a fish hook. I'm not sure what that says...

It was a good trip and great relaxing visit with everyone. I'm glad I'll have this memory for the summer of 2008. Back to civilazation now...and quilting!