Cold and Sunshine

Oh I love mornings like this.  Just a quick check-in, then I need to get on with the day.  I am working on the grey/purple piece - photos later (after the few pieces of ironing and quick once-over for the bathroom, then I can have some sewing time).  But look what arrived,

The latest Bonnie Hunter book.  I am excited.  Yesterday was my quilt guild meeting [speaker: Mary Matshuta - Confetti Quilts] and I brought Bonnie's book.  Lots of folks reviewing it, so perhaps some more orders will be coming her way.  Good for business.

Enjoy the loveliness and I'll be back with photos of the bricks and stepping stones.

As Promised

Grid lines on the flower piece watching the Packers beat the Steelers.  It was a fun afternoon, anyway - I didn't really care one way or the other about the game.  So a few more line required and then to figure out quilting for the borders.  Hmmmmm.

Bricks and Stepping Stones.  Different, but I think I'm still liking it.  I woke up early this morning, so I made another 12 blocks to add.  I'm thinking a small lap quilt will be just fine.  Bonnie's instructions say this is a quick one and it sure is!



Lastly, Caro says that I must tell you that we also drive and WE talk - not only shop.  We have a great time.  Watch out - when these quilters get together, you never know what will happen.  Life is good!   :-)

Saturday evening

I am hard pressed to realize that almost a week has gone by.  Wow - somehow life goes by quickly and I don't get back here.  So you know that I haven't just been sitting around, here are a few photos of things going on in my sewing room.

My friend Patty, at Stone Soup Quilting allowed me to come and try my hand at her quilting machine.  It is not a usual long-arm machine, but the kind where a domestic machine is mounted sideways on a frame and it slides across the quilt.  I didn't do too badly - at least enough that I'm willing to try my hand at "quilting" a number of UFO's hanging out in Nana's sewing room.  So perhaps in up-coming weeks you will see some things actually finished.  Yeah!!!




Do you remember my Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll mystery quilt?  I struggled and struggled about what to do with that.  I just didn't like it.  Yes, I spent hours and hours on it - I think I counted that the red blocks alone had 64 pieces in them.  But no matter what I did, it just didn't please me.  So on the second day of our Stashbusters retreat I offered it to my long-armer friend, Alayne.  Meanwhile she had been thinking about it and offered to trade me the quilt for work on her machine.  Voila!  Perfect agreement.  I did finish up a couple of blocks for that quilt this week and on Friday, she and I spent a chunk of the day with the design wall laying it all out.  She is delighted and so am I.

Meanwhile, I started playing with a quilt she recently made, from Bonnie Hunter.  She made it in a tasteful masculine navy and cream four patches and mixed bricks, for a nephew.  I have been having something of a "wild hair" and I've started one made with very dark purple and gray for the four patches.  The bricks will be various purples and grays.  So far, I'm quite happy with it.  We shall see how it turns out,

  Kinda crazy, but I am liking it.  Otherwise, I also worked on doing some binding (the hand work part) for a Stone Soup Quilt while a friend was having knee surgery - I was transportation to and fro.  My Super Bowl plan is to work on the background grid quilting on the pink flowers (you saw them last week).  I don't even know who's playing, but I'm sure my quilting will keep me amused.  Happy week.

Oh yes, and my sweet friend Caro arrives from the Netherlands in just over two weeks.  We always have such a good time - I drive and she shops.  Fun!  I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Interesting Week-end

Aren't they so lovely and springy?  Makes me happy just looking at them.  We have enjoyed four bicycling vacations in the Netherlands in the past - fabulous.  Thursday evening some friends came over to talk about a bicycling vacation this summer.  They brought these sweet flowers.

And then, as I said, I left on Friday for the Women's Retreat.  It turned out not to be quite such nice weather as once predicted - mostly rain.  There were about 80-85 women there and we spent much of the week-end reflecting on gratitude and appreciation.  {not exactly what I was expecting, but. . . . .}  We did quite a bit of singing and as a result next Sunday there will be something of a flash mob at the beginning of the service.  Fun.  Here are a couple of shot of the local - really a lovely place on Lake Flora

As promised I worked on my flower wreath.  Because this was done as needle-turn applique, I was advised that it simply HAD to be hand quilted.  I followed the advice of two long-time hand quilters and outlined all the features of the piece.  The next challenge is to determine what I can use to mark the background in order to do grid quilting.  The few things I tried don't come out all the way.  Hmmm.  What do you use for just this sort of situation?

And there you have it. 

Yeah Paula

OK - you were the one.  I will email you with details.  It is interesting that other folks read the blog but chose not to leave a comment. 

I am off this afternoon to what should be an interesting week-end.  I am a member of a Congregational church and this week-end is the annual women's retreat.  Our speaker this year is Peggy Taylor, one of the co-authors of the book "Chop Wood, Carry Water", subtitled 'A guide to finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life'.  Here is an interesting blog entry speaking to this whole topic.  I so enjoy having my normal, everyday assumptions challenged.   Hmmmmm.

I have some hand quilting all ready to take along and work on this week-end.  I will bring a photo on my return.

Just in case you are feeling down, here is what 71 years old can look like,

I should look so good!

Tell me you've been here

This is the third re-start on the blog visitor counter.  So if you are #10000 - perhaps there should be a small reward for that.  Leave me a comment and I will follow-up with a give-away thank you.

Marne

Signs of things to come