wowee it is May 20th...already!! 

Let's see that means
  *1 more "day job" work day this week
  *6 more days of school until summer break (field trips done!)
  *6 1/2 days until "mom I'm bored!"
  *6 3/4 days until I have a bald spot from pulling out my hair.......
...just kidding...they will probably make it 7 1/2 days...lol

Been busy on the quilting front. 
  2 more t-shirt quilts - done
  One baby quilt  - done
  2 teacher appreciation handprint quilts  - done (pictures posted maybe this week yet)
  2 patchwork quilts quilted - done
  t-shirt quilt for graduation gift - not done - yet
  donation raffle quilt  (quilt only) - not done  - yet
  quild show & tell items for June 1 meeting - not ready - yet

yeah, gonna be a busy week at my place

And then there was the very inspiring machine applique class I took...my my my....makes me want to sleep with my machine 'cause there just aren't enough hours in the day!

Does it make you all feel like the seasons have finally changed when you swap out your winter bed quilts for the spring ones?  Did that 2 weeks ago.  Went from red and sage green to yellow and sage green....I'm liking it! 

oops, gotta go for now....isn't it something how kids like to get picked up from school??!!

later ...

Spring is here!...at least for a little while.  I know they say time goes faster the older you get but jeez I'm not THAT old! lol  Went to my 1st guild retreat and what a good time!  Did miss my family but 3 days of sewing daylight to way into darkness, wow what a novelty for me.  I managed to get 3 quilt tops finished (1 was about half done...but hey, it still coujnts right?)  Now if I can squeeze in getting them quilted yet this spring.

My sister has been on the fast boat making t-shirt quilts of various sizes.  Since my last posting, I've quilted 5 of them for her.  In addition, an embroidered butterfly, a baby quilt and another full size.  Swimming lessons for two are over for now, as is year end/tax season....yippee.

I've also moved my machine into the new space.  Will have to post photos soon...but have been putting it off until everything is done.  Reconfiguring a few things allowed space for a couple more cabinets, they are being built now.  Tile was delayed for the bathroom and that is now done.  The bamboo flooring turned out great with the green walls....very inspirational and restful at the same time.  I truly feel like I'm outside quilting!  The kids love the space too since they have their own play area.  I told them they had to limit the number of toys (and other "crap") so they have been searching out "just the right things".....which just happened to coordinate with some of mom's spring clean out.....funny how that happens.....

Well as crazy as it has been around here, I'm afraid it is going to multiply in the next few months.... 3 quilts to get done (start to finish) in the next 3 weeks.  Four more here ready to quilt.  School year end projects in the works, hubby's busy travel season...oh yeah, and my part time, full time day job. Whew better break out the vitamins and go juice.  Oh well, wouldn't have it any other way :)

Wow! It's mid January already!!  Delay in posting here...sorry about that, sometimes everyday life gets in the way of the other fun stuff :)

Spent the holidays in Florida...hey y'all CAN'T blame me for your cold weather this time!  I left before it got really cold...but hey we went home to single digit weather and snow in Indiana.  Guess that is what winter is all about here in the Midwest.

I was ready for a break! The 1st 2 weeks of December I made Christmas program costumes...3 of each angels, shepherds and kings, complete with crowns. 
      

                                   



Then came mid December and I still had 1 quilt to bind (the star quilt)

  

and one to quilt and bind (vintage flavor)

  

when I found out the recipients would be visiting a week early...same night as the school Christmas program...eek!  Not to mention our company Christmas party fell into that time, of which I still had centerpieces to make (thank goodness for a talented and helpful friend!).  Oh and did I mention, my family was coming to our house for an early Christmas and I had to get us all packed up for Florida.... 

I took all my new quilt mags and some crocheting along for the trip....tho I didn't get much done other than hangout with family and friends....which was really what it was all about.  We all had a great time...Naples Beach for fireworks on New Year's Eve should be on everyone's Bucket List.

Since then, just catching up and doing company year end stuff...can't forget about the IRS can we...

January's quilt guild meeting got the juices going again.  We had an "ugly" fabric swap/challenge.  (Who buys ugly fabric??) I about bust out laughing when the 1st lady held up her piece of fabric!  She was going on about how this place she ordered from was giving it away with every order because they couldn't sell it...I couldn't hold back....I raised my hand while in tears...I said you know how 1 man's trash is another's treasure....well last week in FL, I got to visit one quilt shop, with kids in tow.  We weren't there 2 minutes until my 6 year old came toting a bolt of fabric that we "JUST HAVE TO BUY THIS MOM".  You guessed it...same as this woman's "ugly" fabric...and I had just purchased FOUR YARDS of it!!  Now I feel double challenged..it's a great day in quilt-land ♥.

Well time to get the kiddos to school.  Pics up this afternoon...after my day job duties are done.  

December sure has come around fast this year!  My first Christmas party of the season was last night....our quilt guild dinner and Show & Tell.  Wow!  There sure is alot of talent in that group of ladies.  I showed a memory t-shirt quilt, pieced by my sister and quilted by me.  It is a surprise Christmas gift to a young woman that lost her father way too soon.

         

Sunday & Monday evening I worked on Angel costumes for the school Christmas Program.  Tonight (& probably tomorrow night) it is Shepherds' costumes, "gown", vest and headpieces. Here is what I'm using for the Shepherd vests.

 



Then on to the 3 Kings, complete with crowns.  Haven't sewn with satin before so we'll see how that goes.  I'm double seaming them all so they don't have to worry about pulling apart and fraying so much.  My "models" are in bed already otherwise I'd have some pics up...they just don't look quite the same on the hanger.

I did manage to get a bit of crocheting done this weekend.  That's a good thing since several items are on my gift giving list.  The color is a bit off in this photo but anyway...the one one the right is going to a niece in college, fuschia and black.  The scarf in blue/green, might just have to live with me :)



Here is a cute throw I quilted for someone last week.  I love this pattern!  Her color combo was so happy feeling.  It will be one lucky little baby that gets this one.  I found out that this lady also pieced the fund-raiser gift packages throw/wall hanging that I have on a previous post.



It's a nasty, cold, rainy...with a chance of flurries....night tonight so the keg of hot chocolate mix has been tapped.  The kids have discovered the fun of stirring with a candy cane...that is until the candy cane breaks several times.

Well, break time is over, it's back to the land of shepherds.........

Birthdays and more!  Our house has been a buzz of activity...of the non-quilting kind...lately.  Contruction is moving along on the new space.  I've been thinking about what I want to use for workspace counter tops.  Too bad the self healing mat people aren't in the counter top business!  And then the birthday parties, which can't be on a school night you know and we had a birthday this week....our youngest . Wow that time has gone fast.  So it was a birthday supper at home one night, Friday night bowling with classmates and family and friends party on Saturday.  Whew! 

We made 12 tote bags for the classmates party and filled with goodies. 



So much better than the commercial plastic ones....for us anyway.  Besides it let me use up some of my "collection".  I've never been too crazy about the word "stash"...too close to "trash" and that just isn't so!!

This week it is back to the Christmas list.  The Star quilt just needs side borders and the backing.  I want to get that one quilted Friday if possible.  I've got to come up with a better solution to my photo taking ineptness (???).  I think I've discovered the perfect picture taking location...once construction is finished that is.

Well we've officially set a record for this year, 14 straight days with no rain.  I think that is about to change today from the look of the sky tho.  Best get back to the task at hand...more later. 

Computers....don't you just love them!!??#$@!&^  Had several blog posts to update and then my lovely computer decided it did not want to cooperate...oh yeah.  I'm still around :) and busy sewing away.

Last weekend I put together this awesome (I think anyway) orange swirly quilt top and coordinating backing.  The fabric reminds me alot of the Starry Night painting.  Not that I needed anymore fabric when I bought this, but it really did jump out and grab me when I walked past it.....darn that fabric with long arms!  Not sure when it will be quilted as I have several in line ahead of it.



I just finished quilting an embroidered baby quilt.  Lots of stopping and starting in the preprinted quilting design but it really turned out well. 

Next up...costumes for the school Christmas program and another fund-raiser for one of the gal's here at the shop.  She does horse/animal rescue.  This top was also made by my sister.  I have a neat panto I want to put on this one....the top has a cowboy feel to it and I have a rope/star pattern that will go well. 



It's fall break for the kids so I may not get much done for the next few days.  Our youngest wants to play cards "for almost the whole day mom, well except when we eat lunch".  uh huh, we'll see how long a "whole day" REALLY is ....not 24 hours anyway.

Well it's off to some other required end of the day paperwork...darn it a person could just do the fun stuff!  Have a great evening......

Today I quilted the Gift Packages quilt.  A cute little wall hanging for local club's fundraising raffle.  I did a meander in the borders and a ribbon outline in every other block.  The alternate blocks have a customized quilted design to give it a little "gift wrap"look.  I thought it turned out well.  The lady in charge was pleased.  She's doing the binding and loaning it back to me to show at our local guild meeting next week.

Oh my gosh!  Where has the time gone????  Can't believe it is almost October already! 

We just got back from a long weekend in Key West, my how I love that place!  It's like leaving the "real" world behind for awhile.  No one gets in a hurry there.  The sunsets are plentiful, the weather is warm, the breezes are refreshing and the rum runners aren't too bad either!  Eight of us made this trip and we had a blast....aside from one trip to the ER (me...somewhere I came into contact with a plant that didn't like me and I had what looked like poison ivy and hives).  Oh well, the party did indeed go on without me for a few hours.


Quilting... well, I do have one in the frame ready to go.  A cute baby quilt, set together with ribbons and trim to look like packages.  Hope to get it quilted tomorrow, then I will get some pics posted of it.  Speaking of pictures, FINALLY got them off of my card and onto my "other" computer.  Hope to get some of those updates done on Thursday.  It will be a short day at the shop, taking mom to the doctor.  She may have to have a knee replaced. 

I'm working on piecing another variation of the Super Nova star quilt for a Christmas gift.  Some of the same fabrics with a couple additions thrown in.  I really like the ivory and black combination.  I've been playing around with a couple of black and gray combinations too.  That may have to wait until the first of the year tho.  Still have some t-shirt quilts to finish for the holiday gift giving season....and that will be here before we know it!

Well gotta go for now....hubby needs laundry as he is back on the road tomorrow....

What a week!  More cooler weather (54 Monday morning)...gotta love that!

Friday i got the fund-raiser quilt quilted and off to my sister for binding.  Took longer to quilt that I expected but tried a new panto border pattern and did each block customized to the artwork.  Plus had the kids in the shop with me so plenty of distractions there.  Pics coming soon, as I took them with the wrong memory card...again ...ugggghhh.  One of these days I will get it right!  Techno savvy, I am not but I try.

I also finished the border on my sunflower handprint wall hanging and got a pieced backing done for it.  Now it is on the "to be quilted" pile.  May be done yet this week, I have the perfect place to hang it. 

Just got my email from Keepsake Quilting.  Did you see the Halloween Dance fabric??? It is awesome!  I just love the little dancing witches.  They have it on back order so I'll be checking around for that later this week.  Ohhh and I really am trying to finish up some of my UO|FO's before starting more...lol.

Have a great evening!

Traveling as much as I have this summer, I had the chance to do a bit of reading along the way.  I thought I'd report back on 2 books that I believe are well worth reading. 

The first is Twenty Wishes (A Blossom Street Book) by Debbie Macomber.  I've read all of this series so far and find them inspirational in many ways.  This one however stuck with me a little more that the others.  The premise is about being happy and that we are all ultimately responsible for our own happiness.  The book setting is a group of women that meet regularly for solace and support.  They each make a list of 20 "wishes"...things they want to do or have etc. The story follows them on their quests to find that happily ever after.  My take is that it wouldn't hurt any of us to make our own list of 20 wishes....really think about our deep down true desires from life.  You just might be surprised to find out what it is that TRULY makes you happy.

The second is The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King.  This book follows the bond of six women from school into middle age.  It shares how we as friends sometimes have to weed out the things that don't really matter in the big picture.  It also proves once again that the grass is not always greener on the other side.  I shed a few tears in this one.  If you read it and struggle in the first couple chapters, keep going it is worth the time to sort out all of the characters.

Well it's back to sorting out my latest pile of fabric remnants from my most recent projects. I'm trying to stay on top of the stash organization, wish me luck!  Hopefully I will have the fund-raiser quilt in the frame Friday...