A Time Out

Hi-Ruby the Quilting Dog here, Lori is temporarily "indisposed" with whatever crud is going around. You know, the "share the germs at Christmas" kind. She'll be back in a few days.

Ruby

Sunday Stash Report

Quiet week here, I bought no fabric, and I haven't finished anything. But I did sew a little, a UFO has the blocks put together and is waiting for "border inspiration". And played with another UFO, but didn't feel like working on it, so it went back in the baggie. Last night I did sew two more rounds on my Christmas courthouse steps and pressed them, today if I feel like it I will trim them. Haven't loaded a quilt either. I'm not shaking this cold, and spend a lot of my time sleeping. Hopefully tomorrow will be the turning point.

Motivation Friday

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year. Pretty quiet here, we have colds. I'm finding it hard to be motivated! But I did work on a UFO that has been hanging on my design wall, I sewed those blocks together. Later today I am going to sew on my courthouse steps. But I haven't loaded a quilt yet, too much sniffling I guess.

I made 48 Happy Blocks, but mine are a little different. I made mine more "manly" as there is hardly any novelty fabrics in my stash.

Mostly geometric prints, very few florals. I will let them hang a few days and see what blocks I may move.

Did I show you what I received in the white elephant gift exchange? A Woodstock stuffed toy! Woodstock is my favorite cartoon character. And there is my new lime green notebook, I picked it up when I was at the insurance agent's, I will use it to track my stash busting efforts every week.

Tuesday Twitters

Cold blustery day here, a good day for staying inside baking and sewing.  

I made Norm's Onion rolls, they are cooling and I haven't sampled them yet, but they smell HEAVENLY!!

 

Last night I was searching in my sewing room for a piece of red Moda Marble, and instead I found these.  Now I've been sitting here scratching my head, I can't remember what I was going to make with them!  There are 48 with print centers, and 7 with white centers. 

I am going to call these my ???? blocks.  Any suggestions what I should do with them?  They are about 8" and are made with 30's reproductions.  

Why was I searching for the red fabric?  I needed it for the centers on my Christmas courthouse steps!  I have the first two strips on and have been trimming them.  I think I will have just enough Christmas fabric left for backing and binding.  Anything else left over will go into scrap boxes!

Then there is a picture of Ken babysitting Mason.   Who is teaching whom here??

I still want to cut out a few Happy Blocks tonight, so I better get to work.

Monday Goals

Today we are winding down from Christmas.  I'm doing laundry, picking up, all those things you do after you have company.  And I'm missing Mason.  But I have a new family picture!  This is Nick, Laura Beth, and Mason when he was six weeks old.  

 

Mason is much bigger now, he smiles and laughs and has found his fingers!  And he sleeps through the night now.  Whew!  We miss him!

I did get a few new things to hang on my walls.   

 

And this one----

 Did I tell you we do white elephant gag gifts for Christmas?  Here is one I picked, my FAVORITE BROTHER IN LAW is modeling it!

 

Now I LIKED this hat, but Ken thought it was ugliest hat he'd ever seen, so it ended up in the gift exchange.  

And my sister the librarian gave Mason a book that plays music and you "sing" the words to the song while you turn the pages.  It was a big hit.

 

 

 

But I better pick some goals for the week.  

 

1.  Work on my courthouse steps blocks

2.  Load a quilt

3.  Pull out a UFO to work on

 

Those will be my goals for this week.  I am looking forward to the New Year, I want to decrease my stash by 100 yards.  I am hoping that I can use up some of those fabrics that have been in the stash for several years.  Last night I put a new blade in the rotary cutter, wow, can I really speed cut now!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you all a Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

Sunday Stash Report

It's the last Stash Report for 2008.  I didn't buy anything, and I had a finish!  The Christmas Quilt spent the holiday on the bed.  I would estimate it took 18 yards.  So that brings my year end totals to---
148.70 bought
272.80 used
124.80 stash used
I think it's been a good year, and I look forward to next year.  Maybe not so much to reduce the stash, as to "rotate" it, use up older fabrics, add some of the new ones.  And of course finish UFO's.  

Christmas Eve Wednesday

The week is shaping up quite well. The house is somewhat clean, most the cookies are baked, and Laura Beth and Mason arrived last night. Melissa (Laura Beth's friend) was waiting here to see her, and they carried all LB's and Mason things in and first thing was to set up the portable crib/playpen.

So many portable things to make traveling with a baby easier than 25 years ago! But maybe they should have had the directions.....

Grandpa could hardly wait for Mason to get here, he's busy singing to him!

And I got the Christmas quilt done. Did you know those blocks started out as POTHOLDERS! I got the idea from Pat. But I didn't want to finish all those corners so it became a full size Christmas quilt! I cut the blocks in half and set them in strips like Chinese coins. Since it was so busy, I put a plain Kona Royal blue in the strips. It's finished quite simply, old fashioned, plain blue on the sides, and no top or bottom borders. I used Keryn's Limetree panto, it's simple and I think it fit this quilt perfectly. I still have lots of Christmas fabric, I think next I will use them in a Courthouse Steps quilt.

I'm off to finish frosting the cookies and make supper, I think we will have company tonight. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy Holiday Season!

Monday Goals

I almost forgot to pick some goals for this week.  I said I wasn't going to make any cookies.  Well, I lied.  It's just not Christmas without them.  But I made smaller batches and hopefully my relatives can help eat them!  But goals--

1.  Only one goal this week, finish the Christmas quilt.  

I'm pretty sure I can make that goal, I just have the hand sewing of the binding left.  But today was a bit disruptive.  First, the big tractor's diesel "jelled" so you know how cold it was.  And then the part that was broke on our snowblower for here in town came in, and Ken was going to put it on.  Well, you know how cold it is out, so I was talked into this---

Yes, that's a snowblower in my living room!  Ken and my BIL Paul are being supervised by Ruby the quilting dog.  After much running for tools, it was decided a new hacksaw blade is needed to remove a bolt, that will be first thing in the morning!  But, the snowblower went back on the deck for the night, I don't mind them working on it in here where it's warm, but it can't STAY in here!

Tomorrow is the day to clean, Mason and Laura Beth are coming tomorrow night.  

 

Sunday Stash Report

How fast Sundays come around. I bought 4 yards this week. So the totals are 148.70 yards bought, 254.80 yards used, stash used 106.80 yards. I have been working hard this week. I finished this QOV for Alycia.

It used 5 yards. And this quilt is ready to go to Alycia too.

I didn't make this one, I don't even KNOW who made it, it was passed on to me in an unusual way to quilt, and although I know it was a QOV, that's all I know. So I finished it and will send it to Alycia. If anyone out there recognizes it as "theirs"--LOL--let me know! I will pair it with pillowcases from the Heartstrings Pillowcase party. I have three more QOV tops people have sent me, and after Christmas I will work on them. I haven't finished my Christmas quilt, but I am going to work on it this afternoon.

Motivation Friday

Just walked Ruby and there was fresh snow. Only to my ankles, and it's soft and fluffy. Hopefully we won't get any wind to blow it around.

Goals are going well. I have one quilt off the long arm and the binding on, now all I have to do is hand sew it. And the Christmas blocks are into a top and I have already started quilting it. Hope to finish the Christmas blocks top before Christmas, it would be nice to have it on the spare bed. It's bright and cheery. (And you have to wait until I have it done-done before I am going to post pictures!)

Tonight Ken realized that Christmas is one week away. Somehow in all the hustle around here he lost a week or two.

And the surprise angel--Henrietta! We were discussing it and she said "that name sounds familiar" and then realized she had bought it and had it shipped! How funny! But she does know I love angels!

Angel Wednesday

I'm a believer in angels.  And someone else must be too, because look what came in my mail.

Yes, an angel!  She will spend the season here on our tree, so I can be reminded that someone took time out of their busy season to send me a special angel.  Thank you.