Thursday, May 31, 2012

Thursday Stashbusters

Life has been too crazy for several weeks, so I have been missing my satellite quilt group meetings.  But finally I managed to make it there tonight.  It was great.  Here are a few things that our members are working on (such talented gals)



Aren't they great?  Folks are also starting work on our annual group quilt [remember, this is the one we make to cover our rent for the year].  For the first time we have decided to make a Christmas quilt for an auction that is held at the end of November.  So a couple of blocks,

Tans and red, with a little green.

I've been continuing to finish up some projects in process.  Borders on the red quilt (wedding gift).  It's a small red and white pattern - fabric that I bought at the city market in Delft, Holland last year.  I am thinking about adding another white border.  Any thoughts?
And the baby quilt (pattern from Mary Hickey).  Border will be blue or pink, depending.  This is for our choir director's first baby.
Still working on the 'finishing-it-up' projects.  I'll show you.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A few good days

Right at the moment the rains have returned and it is so dreary.  However, Saturday was quite nice and we enjoyed an outing to a nearby city park.  Because there is so much wetland and so many birds, it was decided that they would develop ponds.  Oh they are so nice.  So here are a few peeks.


Ducks and geese and woodpeckers - and of course, crows.  It was really quite lovely.


Perhaps I ought to take a photography class - I love what I see but how to make it really "shine" when I take pictures?  Hmmmmm.   We have our annual Memorial Day RV week-end event coming up and our president, who is quite an accomplished photographer, is doing a seminar on how to take great photos with our point-n-shoot cameras.  Sounds like just the things for me.

Actually still am working on the 'finishing up projects' efforts in the sewing room.  Got all my buck-a-block blocks up-to-date, a border on the Christmas blocks, and borders on a table runner.  Photos will be coming.  Have a great week-end.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A couple a' little projects

Oh it's grand to be able to 'catch up' on a couple of things that have been hanging around.  This one, obviously, will go in the "another season" batch, but I should at least finish it here shortly.

Fun and easy and I will likely add a Christmas red border.

My CTA group is making bereavement quilts for Providence Hospital.  These will become quilts that are given to the parents to take home.  The nurses report that they are just cherished - isn't that incredible to think what an impact one of us can have.


I used this pale green children's print for my plain blocks.  I think they are perhaps a bit too light.  I will work on another here shortly with something a big 'stronger' and see if I'm happier with that.  I'm so lucky to have this "grand" way of amusing myself.  Happy Wednesday.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Friday, May 11, 2012

Great golden orb

Oh how exciting, the sun is out again.  Not a treat that we get every week, and I'm loving it!  Casa Nana has had a few things happening.  Wednesday was Quilter's Anonymous (my big quilt guild) and our speaker was M'Liss R. Hawley.   I had watched her on television several years ago and wasn't sure she was "my" style of quilter, but found her to be most personable and some of her quilts (she brought about 30 to show) are wonderful.  Check out her website for some fun things.

Yesterday was a quick trip to one of our local quilt shops to pick up last two months' and this month's Buck-a-Block.  I have a bit of catching up to do.

Meanwhile I have been working on the 30's Block a Month.  I bought the pattern (I already showed you) several years ago but have never made it.  At last, the stars are colliding and I'm working on it.
A couple of sashing strips come next.  I think I'm happy with it.  I was a bit anxious with the mustard strips, but conversed with Caro and we decided that they are the right "period".  Also started some blocks for another baby quilt (who would have thought I knew so many young women having babies)

The original is from my friend Mary Hickey's book,

She used a pink border - we don't know about this new little one yet.

Last night was a birthday party for my oldest 'grand',

Her mama made, from scratch, a pink lemonade cake.  Yummy!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Seattle Super Moon

Like many, many other folks, we found a hill with a great outlook to watch the moon rise.  The newspaper had said it would happen at 8:30pm, but because there were some clouds over the Cascade mountains, it was a bit later than that.  But. . . . . .

Pretty OK with a little point-and-shoot camera.  {Thanks Elaine.}

Lovely sunshiny day.  Makes me so happy.  We even went to the carwash and got one of the cars clean.  Mine next.  Finishing up the quilt for Nat and Theresa, by way of my DS.


This is what I used for the back.  It was a gift from a friend of my brother who lives in Japan.  Oh so cute.
Peter on the front (as compared to Peter on the back above).  Excited to think what will be next.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Hurray, Hurray, the month of May

Does this mean that we can actually qualify for some really decent spring weather?  I sure do hope so - as I have had more than enough of the grey and dreary and windy days.  Last week-end was one of our RV outings - as always just stupendous fun - and we got a chance to head into the fields near LaConner.  Anyone from around here knows that means tulips - this time of the year.  So enjoy a couple of sites of that,


Dutch skies, with a couple of kites flying

Quite, quite spectacular.  Then Saturday was a trip into LaConner to the Quilt and Textile Museum, always a lot of inspiration.

At the moment there are two exhibits: Deep Spaces curated by Larkin Van Horn.  And Contemporary Art Quilts by Carol Taylor.



Certainly not the sort of quilts that I make - but very interesting and fun to see.  Makes one think about what you CAN do.  Lastly a warm remembrance to our quilting friend who died last year,
What a week-end!