One of eight

There are 8 pieces in this section, and I thought I would bang this out in no time. Ha! I don't really enjoy applique, and so it's not in my wheelhouse. That little stem took me at least two hours. I made it harder on myself than it needed to be. I spent a bunch of time trying to figure out how to turn the stem inside out (you don't). Finally looking at the bias bar I figured out that it doesn't get turned inside out. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Seven more to go, but not today.

I prefer not to think before speaking. I like being as surprised as everyone else by what comes out of my mouth.

Center Star - Done!

I like it! And now, I have to work on the cattails. They're big pieces, but I think it's going to take a while.

Alcohol doesn't solve problems. But then again, neither does milk.

Lone Star Points - Done

Back from a weekend in California. Harriet had a surprise 60th birthday party for Abner...he doesn't read my blog, but you can't just be putting stuff out there on the internets. After work today, Al and I walked for two miles over at Lost Mountain, and I worked on completing the Lone Star part of Cattails.  Here is one of the 8 star points.













My doctor told me to start killing people. Well...not in those exact words. She said I had to reduce the stress in my life. Same thing.

Loving that countdown clock! Love that the remaining numbers have a 1 in front of them! Woot! Woot!

Yesterday was the first day that I have done any serious sewing, and I went back to Cattails.  I completed the Lone Star part. When you make a mistake, rip it out, and make the same mistake again, that is The Universe telling you it's time to stop sewing. So I did. Unfortunately, it's going to be over a week before I can come back to this again. I'm having dinner with my replacement on Tuesday night, and Wednesday and Thursday I will be in Arlington.

I've had just about enough for one week...and yes, I know it's Monday.

The Artist

Had a great meeting at the Brown Sugar Stitchers yesterday! Regina Carter taught a class using Shiva Paintstiks. I am no artist, but these paints are so versatile, we all achieved excellent results with little effort. Sad how long I've had Painstiks on hand and didn't do anything with them!

This is currently drying...then next weekend I'll embellish with Swarovski crystals.

Pain makes you stronger. Tears make you braver. Heartache makes you wiser. And Vodka makes you not remember any of that crap.

President's Block

Today was errand run day - eye check, hair cut, visit Tracy at KiwiQuilts, cleaners, Post Office. The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland gives the outgoing President a signature quilt as a thank you...I was able to squeeze in a little sewing and completed my block for Marilyn. If it wasn't overdue, I would take the time to trace the signature outline in embroidery thread so that 100 years from now when the ink fades, the signature will still be there...but...it was due the 28th, so...it will just have to last for me and Marilyn!


If all good things come to those who wait, does that make procrastination a good thing?

Which Way North?

I've been back from Empty Spools at Asilomar since April 20th but I haven't been sewing. I enjoyed the class - it was freezer paper piecing...a lot of work for not a lot of results.  On the third day, I was still working on putting the Mariner's Compass together. I'll stick with regular paper piecing, thank you very much. I choose this pattern because I thought I would learn a new technique but wouldn't end up with another UFO.
Here's the piece...this is a whole week of work, and I seriously worked...even stayed late one night until about 10PM. It rained a couple of days, so I wasn't taking walks on the beach and I only got one massage.  You can see the Mariner's Compass underneath the freezer paper (a little bit.) 








I must have had a brain fart when I filled out the form for the class, because they ask if you would be interested in being a hostess for your workshop, and that is just not something I would normally do in my right mind. Maybe I was thinking that since I'm retiring, I would start branching out and doing new things and being a class hostess would be something I could check off my bucket list. I don't know. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got the letter saying "Congratulations, Hostess!"  Quite the surprise! It's easy enough - all you have to do is take attendance the first day, on the night of Show 'n Tell help the instructor sell books, and collect evaluations at the end. For this they give you a $30 gift certificate, which of course I spent the first day. Being a hostess was fun, and when I signed up for 2013, I intentionally checked Yes!

I stayed with Regina before traveling down to Pacific Grove and we walked Lake Merritt with Rafiki. This is the full moon over the lake on Saturday morning, April 7th. If the moon hasn't set yet, aren't you up Way Too Early?



Received this information from a friend - this is a very frightening statistic and probably one of the most troubling in recent years: 25% of women in this country are on medication for mental illness! That is truly scary! It means 75% are running around with no medication at all!

Mini Shop Hop

Atlanta Quilt Stores held their annual Shop Hop this weekend, and once again I said the only way I would go is if they let me sell some of this fabric overtaking my sewing room. However, in my official role as an Enabler, one of our new members wanted to go to all the shops on the hop. I did this the first year we moved here, so I understand. As a public service (just call me The Giver), I told her I would go with her to the Cobb County shops. We met at Red Hen, and then she mentioned she was looking for a particular fabric which I knew Tracy at KiwiQuilts had, so we made an unscheduled stop there. Tracy really has fantastabulous fabrics, and I have already scolded her for not getting in the shop hop (and I know she reads my blog, so will be scolded yet again!  Hi Tracy!)  :) Then we went to Little Quilts, then to Tiny Stitches, where I won their end of the day giveaway!  It's a magnetic notepad, with a little magnet on the back that you can attach to something and don't have to search for a notepad through the piles of paper on your desk. Except nothing is made of metal any more - LOL - so I don't know what I will attach it to! Al would have said I should have chosen the most expensive thing in the bin, but I went for something I would actually use. Cute little notepad, and THANK YOU Tiny Stitches!  I did actually buy some fabric yesterday...some fabric for the Brown Sugar Stitchers Guild's Quilts of Valor quilt project. And some fabric for the shoe quilt border.

And I finished the flying geese for Cattails in the Savanna:

Love them!

OH! Grazin' in the Grass just came on -- that is an even better name for Cattails in the Savanna. Shoot - now I have to choose!

And finally, Jewels in the Castle Wall won second place in the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild Show. I now have a red, a white, and a blue ribbon for this quilt! Here it is hanging next to the gorgeous, hand appliqued first place winner.

I think it's important to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Libya and Syria, but let's start with Florida. ~ Andy Borowitz

Cutting...

Well, now we know why I didn't finish cutting out pieces for this quilt before class...I spent three nights this past week cutting out the rest of the fabric. Lot of cutting. Judy Neimeyer is all about organization, so after I cut, and cut, and cut, and cut, I put all the pieces together with their little paper clips, and I am now working on the flying geese.
Here is one of the completed geese units...love it!

When I'm bored, I send a text to a random number saying, "I hid the body...now what?"

Spinning Points

I had a very productive day today! Mailed off Jewels in the Castle Wall to Leona to show in the Smokey Mountain Guild Quilt Show. Boxed and sent off through UPS.

Then I went to the Frame Shop to drop off some beaded art work that I got in Ghana to be framed in a shadow box.

Then I made a really good decision that will help me focus and finish...Henredon gave me a four figure quote to do pillows for the sofa in the living room...seriously. So I had been looking for fabric online, and I happened on Bob's Upholstery here in Marietta and found the perfect fabric. Bob's will charge $100 to do two big pillows...that's $50 each! Yes, I could do it, but for $100...pfft! No brainer. So I dropped off the pillows and then went to the Sewing Expo.  Lots of new vendors, so I had a lot of fun shopping. Bought stencils and paints and a really neat ruler! I'll show you how the ruler works later.

Came home and finished the February free Block of the Month from Quilting on the Square.

Looking good! We lose an hour tonight, so it's really midnight! I'm going to bed!

Saw a cute bumper sticker today: Fasten your seat belt. It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!

Focus and Finish

Just came back from New York (business) where I got to go to the 9/11 Memorial and celebrate my nephew's 19th birthday. Kids do just grow up way too fast, and when they are your friend on Facebook, you are really reminded how old you are.
Then I spent Sunday, the 26th, cutting fabric for Cattails in the Meadow, for my class with Judy Neimeyer in Panama City, Florida at Quilting by the Bay. I didn't even come close to finishing cutting, and there wasn't even that much to cut! So I was kinda behind in the class, but it was OK.  I did finish piecing the center compass.

I'm doing this in animal prints and will probably call it something awesomely clever like Cattails in the Jungle or Cattails on the Savanna...hmmmm....Cattails on the Savanna...kinda like it.
And I couldn't help but remember that it has been a year since I attended a class with Judy Neimeyer where I worked on Japanese Fans, and I haven't sewn another stitch on it since. I was talking to Tracey at KiwiQuilts today and we decided that I need to "Focus and Finish." 

So that's the new plan...finish Cattails before I do anything else. Watch this space to see if that really happens!

Never miss a chance to shut up ~ Will Rogers

Whitney

I hope life treats you kind...
And I hope you have all you dreamed of...
And I wish you joy! And happiness...
But above all this, I wish you love...

If the shoe fits...

...buy it in every color! Finally finishing up the shoe quilt, ready to start embellishing and quilting, but I don't have enough fabric for the border. I think I'm going to do a pieced border, because I don't have enough of anything. The fabric is from Barb's Elegant Designs. I subscribe to her Yard of the Month club, so I have exactly one yard of each fabric.


















This purple shoe is one of my favorite blocks.

But this boot is my favorite!

I submitted Jewels in the Castle Wall to Leona's guild in Tennessee. The show is at the end of March - not sure if I'm going to go or not.

"Always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge for special occasions. Sometimes the special occasion is that you’ve got a bottle of champagne in the fridge." — Hester Browne

Freedom Day!

I forgot! While I was in Ghana, I decided to retire! I've always said when it wasn't fun any more, I would get out. My 401k has returned to pre-2008 levels, I don't love my job any more, so - "It's Time." My last day is June 29th! So that's what's up with the countdown clock over there on the right...

And I did restring the necklace...again...I can't believe I found all the beads!

The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas.