I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane.

Looked for fabric for this month’s swap. Wouldn’t you know I was a few inches short…. Then it came to me about 3:00 AM………….Use another pink fabric for the outer border. DUH……….. How slow can some people be? Now my fabric is all selected and ready to cut out. I will be a week behind everyone else but I am still going to join the fun. Totally destroyed the studio looking for fabrics for this quilt but discovered some hidden treasures………..

I met dear Peg after work for coffee and she passed on a few quilting magazines. They have wonderful patterns in them to use some of the fabric I have. The quilt pictured is one Peg made for her granddaughter. The horse blocks have over 100 pieces in each block.

I am going to visit my dear mother. I haven’t seen her in almost 2 years. I will be able to see my children and grandchildren also. We will be gone for 8 days.

I will miss everyone and will check in if I can.

Please don’t forget me while I am gone…………….

Bead Spinner

Several people have asked about the bead spinner. I fount this company online that even has a video of one in action. If you are making something that requires lots of beads it a a real time saver.




http://www.beadspinnerlady.com/beadspinner.html

Carnival Socks

These I call my carnival socks. In 2003 when I began quilting I purchased a pattern for a quilted sweatshirt. I went to the local quilt shop with the intention of purchasing one in red, gray and black. I ended with some really wild oranges and purples and yellows...... The sweatshirt is not yet done but when I saw this yarn I knew it would be the perfect socks to go with the top. I even bought some dark purple velveteen to make slacks...... Boy, I sure do have enough to keep me busy for many winters............ 

At last I have something to show for my efforts this past month. The top socks were made start to finish. They are acrylic sport weight yarn. I found the yarn on sale for $1.00 a skein and could not resist. Not having any nylon content I am not sure how long they will last but they were a fun project to make and I like the cheery colors. They will be great to wear on Saturdays with jeans......
The second pair has a little metallic thread running through the yarn. black slacks, denim blazer, winte white turtleneck with a gray crew neck over it...... Hmmmm 

I find that some projects require a table. This is the favorite spot for those task. Right now I am making the beaded tassels and here I sit each evening with my bead spinner. You can see the pearl cotton lined up in front of the beads. 

My Favorite Spot

Having seen recently the favorite spot of some of my friends, I thought I would share my favorite spot. Especially since I got it cleared out this past weekend. The needlepoint bag in the chair was made from a piece of needlepoint my mother worked..... I had it made into a bag but do not want to get the bag dirty so I keep my sock stuff in there to work on while I watch television.





This has a view om my tray with my necessities of the trade. I find vases to be great for holding scissors, pens, knitting needles and the like. There is also the Baleek dish my friend Lu brought back from Ireland for me. That if for orts.... A member of my needlepoint class takes the contents of her container and puts them in a clear plastic Christmas Ornament, marks the year on them and hangs them from the tree. I think that sounds like a good idea and will be trying it this year................

Why Not

I got this from Darlene who got it from Bonnie who got it from ....well you get the idea........

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

"The Maple Tree on Main Street"

Here she is........ The top is all done. I am so pleased with how she turned out. Such nice points she has..... Well worth the effort. Thank you Judy for such a great design to work with.

I haven't answered email or been checking around in blogland. I am on a mission to finish as many items as possible on my October list...... 

Running In Place

I feel like I have been running in place all day...... Just wish there were more to show for it. I have the house blessing complete but not my extra list.

I did get my rows put together for the Hour a Day Quilt that Judy provided for us to enjoy. The borders are cut. I will get them on tomorrow and a picture posted. It is one gorgeous quilt. The best work I have ever done. Piecing on The Duchess makes all the difference.

How good it is to have the house in order and clean sheets to enjoy. When I retire I just might change sheets twice a week instead of only once.

The day we leave to visit Mama is on the horizon. November one. We fly to Atlanta, meet DD and head for Virginia to see Mama. DS and DDIL will meet us in Virginia.

I have selected my "traveling project" and now I need to get it prepped to go. I am taking the Pink Valentine quilt blocks I am swapping with DD. She is doing 1/2 of them twice and I am doing 1/2 half of them twice. Then we will swap the duplicates with each other.

I have reviewed my October list. Much has been done but no finishes yet. I will have to see if I can change that. I already have the November list in place.

Now if there is a preview of the November Hour A Day quilt I can get my fabric lined up and ready to go when we get back.

Off to cook the evening meal.

Friday Sweet Friday

The weekend has come around again. I have quite a long list of TO DO's planned. I also plan to have tomorrow as a stay at home day. I sure hope it works out that way......... One never knows..

The picture is my lovely Kate. My dear granddaughter. Her mother trained her well and as soon as she matures a tad she will fulfill her promise. Right now she is doing as she pleases which is not as her mother and grandmother please. Prayer is appreciated for this cause.

The up side is I have gotten My Darling Daughter interested in quilting. She took to applique readily and has the eye for what looks good together that I don't have.

Break time is over so it is back to work for me.

Curves

Well, I finally did it.......... I joined Curves. I have too many quilts to make so I must do what I can to be around longer. Also the cellar needs clearing out and I lack the energy. So we shall see if this is successful.

I did manage to get a little over an hour of sewing done this morning. By Saturday I will be ready to assemble my Hour A Day Quilt from Judy. That is going to be such a welcome addition to my home. Thank you Judy for providing the instructions. While sewing I am thinking about the studio. It needs some help. It really is not well organized and I must do something. Perhaps in January. This year is full.

After sewing I dressed, made beds, and prepped dinner. Since this was my first day at the gym (never thought I would say those words) I needed to be prepared. Then off to work.........

I did have time to come home and change before I did the work out routine. Orleans is a small town. Only 14 miles long and 6 miles wide. Doesn't take long to go from one place to another unless it is summer when the population more than triples.....

Judy shared the information on using Google for spread sheets and documents. That has been a real treat for me as I work on several computers and now I don't have to email from one to another.............

Well, 8:00 PM here now and I need to start knitting little beaded tassels. I have a few more to do this month. I am really trying to get all my goals met in October but I am not sure I will make it........

Riding in the Big Truck

Yesterday I got to ride in the Big Tow Truck.

Lem's car was not running correctly. Two weeks ago at great expense we had it repaired. We don't use that car very often. Just on weekends to do errands. It still was not right so he called the repairman and made arrangements to drop it off on Wednesday.

Yesterday since he had an appointment in Harwich (15 miles away) we thought he should use my car and I would drive his to work. The auto repair place is just around the corner. He would pick me up there when he came home. I could start the car but it would not stay started. I finally got it onto the street and to the intersection where I needed to turn left. There I sat stopping traffic.

A gentleman stopped and offered to help push it off to the side of the road. I gratefully accepted. Really couldn't get it off the road completely. Then he drove me to the auto shop.

I had to call AAA and request that it be towed to the shop. 2 hours wait I am told...... I explained that it was not really in a safe location. So sorry I am told. We are very busy. 2 hours wait..........
I went back to the car and began to wait........... Within minutes, the tow truck arrived. He called the police to direct traffic while he loaded the car onto the tow truck.

Do you have any idea how high off the ground those cabs are? Let's just say, I do not think you can get into them gracefully. I got to ride in the tow truck back to the repair shop and wait for Lemuel to get back from the Dr's office. Now aren't I glad I had supper already started?

Introducing Abigail Leander

This is Abigail Leander. I discovered quilting in the fall of 2003. Until then I thought quilts should be made out of fabric leftover from garment making. I saved my fabrics and knew one day I would put them together for a quilt. Scrap quilts are my favorite and this seemed like a good plan.

I stopped at the local fabric shop for material to make napkins. They had a quilt on display made from fat quarters. I thought it would be a lovely project for a later time. As I waited in line for my purchase, a bolt of fabric on the bottom shelf grabbed my by the ankles. As they say, "The rest is history".

A little internet searching led me to Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville fame.
She had information on making quilts from leaders and enders......... I did not have the required stash for some of Bonnie's quilts so I went to Marcia Hohn's site for idea. There I found her block called "London Square". I cut my fabric and put it by the machine. Days went by and each time I stitched I began and ended with this quilt............

I really enjoyed the feeling of having a quilt top that I spent no time on. I decided I was going to make scads of these quilts........... What shall I call them? That is how the LEader ANd enDERs family was born. Now she still has to have backing. I have some fabric I can use but the entire time I was working on this quilt I pictured a lavendar back. We shall see...................

An Emergency Plan

I read good advise this morning from a fellow blogger, Judy
It consider it a word to the wise.

On Friday, Dec. 9, 2005, I sat at my desk and considered what I needed to do before my daughter's anticipated arrival on Sunday. She was flying in from GA to help me install laminate flooring in our living room.

The sun was out and it had been a lovely day. I had many things to accomplish in preparation of the week to come. About 3:30 PM, the wind picked up and suddenly the sky turned dark........ When the electricity failed and it was getting close to the time to leave I got in my car and headed home. I live 1. 7 miles from home. Usual travel time is 8 minutes. That day it took almost two hours. Every way I tried to go had a tree down across the road or power lines down. I finally found a way that the fire department had just cleared and prayed as I drove under power lines hanging just above my car. We had what is now called a microburst. Our little town of Orleans lost over 2500 trees in a matter of minutes............ We were without electricity for two days.......... How glad I was to have the Coleman stove we use for camping to cook on, the Coleman lanterns for light, and an abundance of quilts to stay warm with. It is most important to have a plan in place for emergencies.

Spring..Yes, I Like That

Hanne is Summer and I Belong in Spring

Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world... You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring. Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

What Season Are You?

The Maple Tree on Main St.

Friday I got this picture of the Maple Tree on Main St. The color is not as intense as it has been in years past.

I had a very busy weekend and I still got very little accomplished in the sewing department. This is the change-over time of year and it takes longer to do the house blessing.

Summer clothes are washed and put away for the winter. Winter clothes are gotten ready to wear……. I located the flannel sheets and packed away the cotton ones till next season. Plants are brought in for the winter which means re-arranging the living room to accommodate them. I managed to get two rooms blessed and I still have my list. I intend to spend the next couple of afternoons completing these chores.

I did manage to get a good picture of the maple tree on Main Street. I hope to use this on my label for the quilt I am making……………….. I have all the alternate blocks cut out and ready to stitch. I hope to get some stitching done in the morning. I should be able to have this quilt top ready by the end of the week………….. I am looking forward to the next one.

My Round Robin Quilt

In April of 2005 at the Dear Jane Retreat in Shipshewanna, Caroline vanMaele saw some Round Robin quits done by a group of friends. She liked them so much that she formed a Round Robin group online to do the same. I was a participate in two of them. I have gotten one of the quilts back, the other one is still with the last person and I hope to see it soon.

The top has been around for several months and I needed to have a finish so I sent it off of to Judy for quilting. Such a wonderful job she did. I was simply deeeelighted when it came back to me on Thursday. I have the binding sewn on and as soon as it is stitche down and the label added I will have another finish...

I really enjoyed the Round Robin. There were 6 people in a group. Each group had a theme. This quilt is from the Scrappy Group. We each made a center square and sent it along to the next person. They added a border and mailed it on..... You had 2 months to add the border and mail. I learned a lot with this project. It required giving each quilt thought as to what would look best. Sometimes it was applique and sometimes it was pieced. It was somewhat costly because I always had to buy fabrics to add to what was sent along. I hope the others in the group enjoy their quilts as much as I will enjoy this one.

These are the people that were in my group... I have a real treasure here.  

Here is a snapshot of the quilting. Judy even outlined the stars in the corners of the rows and the one in the center.

Now Doesn’t That Look Better

Stopped on the way home to check on fabric for the alternate blocks. They had just the thing…… This morning I did 3 blocks to see how they would look. What a big difference in the look of the quilt. I like that much better and I am glad I am making more alternate blocks for this quilt.

Now about the ones I already have……. I checked EQ and there is a nice paper pieced pumpkin pattern there. I also found an appliqué apple on EQ. When I am ready to use those blocks, I will be forced to learn to use my EQ to see which one I like best. I am leaning toward the apple now and can call that quilt “A Basket of Apples”

There is another surprise coming along in a few days.

Two for One Quilt

This morning I finished the last block of my hour a day quilt. Oh what a grand way to start the day………. I took the blocks upstairs to spread out for a picture…..

What happened? I called Lem to look……..”Not one of your better ones” he said. “I don’t know what it is but something isn’t right”….. That was so true…. It did not look good at all. The brown I used for the alternate blocks is more of a gray brown and all the other browns are black browns. Who ever thought that browns had so many faces. “Well, it is what it is.” I replied. “I am putting the rows together this afternoon.”

That thought lasted for about 5 minutes. I have the blocks in the car. I will be on the prowl for the right brown for the alternate blocks. The other ones I will use in another quilt another day – soon I hope.

Judy provided such a wonderful design. I have just the fabrics I want for the leaves and a stunning backing. It deserves no less than the best………

So you see, I will get two quilts out of this deal…………..VBG

Horns of a Dilema

My dear friend Peg passes along her quilting magazines when she has finished with them. She handed a couple to me on Thursday at the Guild meeting. I indulged in a little peek before going to bed on Thursday night and there it was……..My Christmas Quilt.

I have always wanted to decorate my whole house - all over - inside and out for the Holiday Season. And there it was, the quilt for my bed at Christmas. Needless to say I did not sleep well trying to figure out how to rush to the LQS the next day for the fabric when I had promised not to buy fabric this month.

Argued with myself all day Friday. Went to the LQS Saturday. I did not buy. Decided to wait a bit.

That quilt was still haunting me……Then I remembered the yards of red and green holiday print I had on hand from my smocking days.

Well, what do you think? Will it work or should I be on the look out for different fabric?

After all the green and red in this quilt are different tones than what I have.

Look What I Found.

On Friday, after work, Lem and I went to the Big City. That would be Hyannis, MA. Only 20 miles away but much more traffic than we are accustom to here in Orleans. We avoid going as much as possible, but on Friday I was to meet one of the members of my Cyber Quilt Bee. She was visiting the Cape for a few days and we made arrangements to meet at a LQS near where she was staying. They have a back room where all the fabric is $4.59 a yard. It is one of my favorite places to look for backing fabric. Since we were going to Hyannis anyway I thought I would check out what was there. I found the perfect fabric. It is a nice soft pumpkin color with gold leaves traced on it. This is going to be such a wonderful quilt.

Monday Already?

Monday Already?

I am so behind in my blogging….

So many things to report and so little time to write about them. I will start with the news that I have completed my 32 leaf blocks for “The Maple Tree on Main Street”, a quilt I am making from Judy’s “Hour a Day” quilt. Last night I began cutting the fabric for the other blocks in that quilt. I even have an idea of how I am going to quilt it.

Saturday I stopped at my LQS. Just to say hello. No I did not purchase a single thing. They let me play with the long arm quilter they have on display. Oh, I really enjoyed myself. It is not nearly as easy as it looks, but I do think I can learn. The manager is going to look into letting me load one of my quilts onto the frame and coming in on a Saturday to quilt it. While I was playing with the machine people showed interest and she thinks that a demonstration would help with the sales. I am ready. I even have a quilt top ready to go.

Gypsy Moth

These are all I could accomplish in an hour this morning. We had an infestation of Gypsy Moths this past summer. All of the leaves are misshapen and rather sad looking. They must have invaded my studio as I had to Dance with Mr. Seam Ripper several times just to get those four done.

An Amazing Evening

We had a guest speaker at our guild last night. Her name is Christine Fries-Ureel. She lives in Vermont and we were blessed to have her and her amazing quilts with us at the meeting.

I still cannot believe all that I saw there. Her work is amazing. Even my dear husband was impressed.

One of the members had her camera and took some pictures that she shared with me. I don't have time to tell you all that I learned but I really wanted to get these pictures on line as soon as possible.

Guild Tonight

Tonight is the meeting of Cape Cod Quilters Guild and I have been invited to attend. They do a Block of the Month drawing and I have my block all ready to go............ Now I wish I had done the center differently. It is the right size however.

One Hour Times Three

Here is the outcome of the last three days. All the HST's are done, the stems are done and the rest of the fabric is cut for the leaf blocks. This is going to be my best quilt yet. I have been more careful with the cutting and it is all stitched by The Duchess.

Ta Da

Well, here it is, my Fields and Fences Quilt. Lem and Honey slept under it the last two nights and reports are favorable.

I did that one all by myself. No help at all except from my dear friend Peg who was so kind to help me layer and pin it. I picked the fabrics and cut it and pieced it and and I machine quilted it and bound it and put a label on it. I did it all in one month. I keep pinching myself to see if I am awake. I usually drop the ball somewhere along the way but this time I kept right on working along till it was done.

I opened the box of “Needs Binding and Quilting” I now have two quilts that require the binding hand stitched. One that needs the binding sewn on and then hand stitched and three that need quilting and binding.

I will put the ones requiring just the binding done on the Thread a Day list. I can put that thread in each morning while I wait for the coffee to perk.

As to the ones that need quilting, I just saw what Hanne wrote about Big Stitch Quilting

and it seems to be just what I need for two of the quilts I have to hand quilt. Thanks Hanne and Finn for the idea.

So after work I stopped for the background and sashing fabric for Judy’s

Hour a Day Quilt. Much joy there. I even picked up the background for Honey’s quilt that was on sale. A quick stop for chops for our evening meal and then home.

I washed the fabric while cooking our dinner. The rest of the evening was spent stitching my swap blocks. I got 2 completed and another one half done.

I was up early to work on the Hour a Day quilt. While I was downstairs I took the time to organize just a wee bit……. That is when I uncovered all those quilts on the cusp.

I am looking forward to getting home from work this afternoon and enjoy a cup of tea while I make more HST for my Hour a Day Quilt.

And YES, the walls really are that blue...... One of the color errors I have made.

OH........Great..........It is Here........

Just checked and found that Judy has published her Hour A Day Quilt for October. The fabric I selected is not going to work. I do not have enough of the background or the sashings. I will look for more tomorrow and if necessary, I will be off to the quilt store on Tuesday. I sure hope I find something. I have to crash and burn on my Fabric Depression the second day. I have an idea for the sashing just need to find some background.

Excitement builds as I wonder if I will have yet another quilt to snuggle under this winter.

Thank you Judy for providing such a joyous event.......................

End of the Day

I am ready for time to wind down now...... It has been quite a day.

Weekends never go as I expect. I did not get all of the house blessing done. That means I will be finishing it in the morning before work.

I did get the bedrooms done. I like clean sheets. I think when I retire I will change the sheets twice a week instead of only once. They smell so good and fill so fresh. I found some lavender and mint linen spray to put on the pillows when you make the bed. Then when you turn the spread back and bury your head into the pillow it has a fresh fragrance.

I got the quilt rack put together for Lem's bedroom. His quilt is hanging on it plus one that needs to be quilted. It is basted and ready to be completed. Perhaps in January I will finish that one...............................

Mystery is coming on tonight so I will be knitting socks.......... Not like I will run out of them any time soon.............................

October Goals

Sitting here this morning with a cup of coffee I am trying to narrow down my goals for October to a managable size.

1. Finish 2 of 4 sets of Dear Jane blocks for Holiday Swap.

2. Finish 75 beaded tassels for guild.

3. Hand stitch binding on Geranium quilt.

4. Prep blocks for vacation project.

5. Finish 2 blue hat and sock set for TLC.

6. Finish 3 pairs of socks.

Well, those expectations appear to be reasonable.

So here I am with my eye on the ball, my shoulder to the wheel and my nose to the grindstone. It sure is hard to work in this position.