Last Week

Last Saturday was the family gathering at Lem's sisters house in Wilmington......... I was assigned to bring the seven layer salad........... I will say even if I did make it that it turned out grand.....................

We had good fellowship and good food......... The trip was tiring but then I do tire easily these days...........



On Monday we headed to Danville, VA to meet Jean and Bill........ Jean had bought some Christmas flowers and we wanted to put them on Mama and Papa's headstone.......

Tuesday was shopping.............

Wednesday was the party for the Quilt Guild.................

Thursday was cleaning..........

Friday was breakfast with friends................

And to make the day complete, Jason and Kim came for dinner and brought Andrew.........

He found a few things to keep him entertained...................







As for the weekly sewing, I did get the border done for my At Home Round Robin......... I have already decided to change it and use that border later.......... I have something else I want to make for this round...............

Happy Birthday Lem

This smiling fellow had a birthday yesterday................

His brother treated him to lunch at Hooters......



And didn't those two old men have a good time..........................


Meanwhile I finished the last border on my Christmas quilt........ I do need to make another one but I am putting it on hold so that I can catch up on a few things first.............


This is a close up of the tiny borders on the quilt.........


Sunny at Quilting Dreams is hosting a Stay at Home Round Robin. You can find the information HERE. It isn't too late to join in because she is wise enough to give some time off for the holidays and to help me to catch up............ First you make a center block......... Border one is supposed to be a combination of triangles. Having just finished the Mill Girls Quilt I decided to use the hour glass blocks for my first border.......... I might even get it sewn on some time today.......

I

Foggy this morning......... You can't even see the wee ducks swimming on the lake.........

The Sun is just starting to rise..........



Just a few minutes and here it is........... Soon the mist will burn off and it will be easy to watch the ducks dive and swim.............. That can be a problem...... It will draw you in and before you know it time has passed...........

Yesterday I did one hour sewing and 30 minutes of necessary tasks......... It worked rather well for me........ I completed two loads of laundry, brought 6 boxes in from the garage and put them away.......... Made three batches of cookies......... organized the pantry and cleaned the kitchen........

And I have 1/2 of the first of the four borders on this quilt............



Jason stopped by late yesterday afternoon. Kim was out Christmas shopping so I invited him to stay for dinner........ It really is grand to have at least one of the Children so close by.

Jane came over yesterday and we baked cookies for Christmas.......... Yesterday was dog treats...

We took a walk around the lake after lunch, drank tea, tested the dog treats (they were very good) and just enjoyed being together..........

I did manage to find some time in the studio before she came and after supper to work on the chosen project.........

Sashing between the blocks on two rows, one being stitched and two more ready to assemble.

It will be interesting to see how far I can get today and still do the necessary household tasks....

More House Shots

I tried to get some pictures of the guest room but of course I chose the wrong time of the day. I had the Mill Girls flimsy on the bed at that time.


This is the opposite side of the room.



This cluttered area is the studio......... It overlooks the back of the house and is the warmest room in the house. A good thing too because I am always cold.

This is the opposite wall.........


This is the foyer......... Looking at this picture I notice that I need to make a slipcover for the lamp cord...................


The dining room needs furniture also.......... Plenty of time for that............



Jane and I spent yesterday making Christmas Cookies.... We are giving them as Christmas gifts this year..........



I did manage to get the final border on the Mill Girls quilt..... Now it is folded up and put in the bureau in the guest room till I get the backing and batting for it.................


This is the next project up. It is the blocks for the quilt I saw in Cary while on the shop hop....

Maybe I can get a quick finish on it too...............



Last is the family room......... This is where Lem sits most of the day........... TV and computer... What more could a man want..........

Three Weeks Later

I did get 12 of my Mill Girls blocks done before the movers came.......... I sure am glad I did.... I didn't get to sew again till this week.................



We (I) am getting unpacked and finding places to put everything. I can start on the things that were in storage next week......... I have put a lot of things upstairs. It is an unfinished attic that is 2000 square feet of storage for the things that I don't have room for in my little studio. I am keeping only current projects in the studio and it is still very crowded............

The landscaper came three days ago and planted grass seed...... I sure hope it sprouts soon. All of that dirt gets tracked in the house and I am not that fond of vacuuming every morning.


Thanksgiving we had 16 people here on Thanksgiving. Kim and her family all came and helped with the cooking...... It was grand to have family around...... The weather was warm enough for some folks to eat on the porch. They played games in the yard and all the men talked sports while we ladies cooked.................


This is the morning sky. The sun rises on the back of the house and I can see it from the bedroom window.............. What a lovely way to wake up....................

At Long Last.................

Well, here it is.......... The house is complete................. We are taking small things there each day this week and the movers will come on Friday for the furniture in this house........

Saturday Jason will help us get the furniture for the guest room out of storage and I will be able to get that room in order..............


I now have a dishwasher........ Oh Happy Day..................


And a large refrigerator..................


And a stove with an oven that works consistently. The stairs lead to the second floor where all of my extra fabrics are being stored right now..........


A nice vanity at which to put on my war paint each morning..............



And Lem's side of the bathroom............. There is even a small room just for the water closet.





The great room, foyer and dining room.................



Those two birds are a pair of Bald Eagles that were sitting by the pond on Saturday...... Lem enjoys sitting on the porch and watching the world go by...........


I have met some lovely neighbors and I am looking forward to spending the next six months unpacking..................VBG.......................

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS.............

WE ARE MOVING.......................(AGAIN)......................

The movers arrive early on November 11th..... A week from tomorrow......... Now I have lots to do before the Big Day..............

They are finishing up the last minute details on the house so I will wait till later to take pictures. Right now the front door is the wrong color and the stove is sitting in the breakfast nook........

Yesterday it was swarming with people doing last minute touch-ups and such...............

Of course that means I will have to dismantle my studio once again........... And who knows when I will get back to sewing. I also have some Christmas sewing to get done that takes priority....

We packed so long ago that who knows what we actually brought with us from Massachusetts.

Now on to the Mill Girl Quilt that I am making for the Quilt Along in the
SBS-and-Other Elm Creek Quilts Yahoo Group................

I have all of my hourglass blocks together and I am now ready to assemble the blocks.

I even have four blocks assembled and I would have more but I managed to put some of the hourglass units together the wrong way and had to frog my way out.............

As we know, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are my busiest days...... I have groups that meet on those three days...........

Today I will be getting some cooking done and Joyce is coming by this afternoon to help me start the packing..............

Perhaps house pictures soon..............

Mill Girls Week Two

I am surprised to report that I have actually finished week two for Mill Girl Quilts.... And it looks promising that I will finish week three on time. What you see is 80 hour glass blocks...


A few weeks ago we went to Richmond to get some things I had ordered for the house......

Bill, Lem and Jason are checking to make sure all is secured for the trip back to NC.

Jean fixed us a delightful lunch and we had some time to enjoy being together before we had to come home.


The following week we went to visit Rebekah. She and I stopped at Loving Stitches in Fayetteville and I saw some placemats I really liked. I did purchase some fabric and when I got home I actually drafted the pattern, cut them out and assembled four placemats.




I need to pick up some backing and batting to finish this project but it is the first time I have ever brought something home and actually made it right away........ I rather like that feeling and hope that I can do that more often............



I also got my two blocks done for the Block of the Quarter swap at the guild. They have been turned in already so that is one less thing I will need to remember.



This afternoon Lem and I are going out to the house to see how it is progressing. We had so many things to do this week that we never got out there but once..............

Maybe I can get some good pictures to share later.

All Cut Out

Here it is............. Mill Girls.............. It has taken most of the day but it is all cut and ready to stitch.............

Now if I can sew for a bit before cooking supper I can get a bit ahead.........

I am using Lucinda's gift as a Leader/Ender so I will be working on both of them at the same time............

Anne Ida is hosting a Quilt Along to make Mill Hill Girls from Jennifer Chiaverini's pattern book More Elm Creek Quilts.

I have not yet completed the last quilt I began in her Quilt Along for Lucinda's Gift but I am half way finished with the blocks.......

Yes, I am going to do better with this one.........


We are planning to move before the 11th of November so I am rather busy these days but I am finding more time to sew by using the odd 10 to 15 minutes I can carve in each day.

The first week we are supposed to choose our fabric and cut the pieces for the blocks.......



Remember, I have those large bags of scrap fabric I purchased several years ago when I was getting the BOM's from Homestead Hearth.............



The first thing I need to cut is 80 four inch squares. I spent the last several hours sorting out fabric large enough and pressing it for cutting............

The original is done in brighter colors but I like CW Repro and since I have lots of it I plan to use it up. You can see the edge of the cream I am using for the background........ I will confess that I did purchase that from Thousands of Bolts. I never seem to have enough background fabric....



Now off to clear the kitchen and get dressed......... Yes, I am running a bit late but I wanted to get my fabric ready to cut........

Today Kim is having a birthday party for Andrew...... He is one year old...... Lem and I went shopping for a gift yesterday...... I do hope we selected the right thing....... A talking dump truck...

We can also take our laundry to wash at their house during the party. It will be WONDERFUL to have my own washer and dryer in three weeks........... Oh Happy Day...........

Reporting in

Wednesday was Guild and after we ate lunch Lem and I headed to visit Rebekah in Lillington...

We got there in time for Rebekah to go with me to a new quilt shop.......Loving Stitches..... It is a great place to shop. I saw this placemat and of course I want to make some for the breakfast room.



She had an appointment on Thursday morning so I got to applique a wee bit while we waited. I have three flowers done and five left to do........ Then I can start on the first border. That means I am only one month behind on my Round Robin...........


I also got the fabric cut out for the two blocks I am making for the Guild block of the quarter. I might even get this one finished before it is time to watch TV with Lemuel tonight.......


Last night a bottle of root beer got too close to the back of the refrigerator and froze. Just as I was going to sleep it exploded.........

I started my day with taking everything out of the refrigerator and wiping it off and dealing with all of the broken glass...........

I met Pat at the house and we had a nice lunch together....... Lots of fun enjoying Girl Talk......

Then I had to give Wade Hamilton a bath when I got home.

Lem cooked supper tonight so I got to actually work in the studio for about an hour.....

Of course there were several phone calls catching up with family and friends...... All in all it was a pleasant day..............