Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends on this special day! Merry Christmas to you all...

Feeling Grateful...

I couldn't let this day go by without sharing some things I'm thankful for...
I'm blessed with a wonderful family and fantastic kids. No really, they are amazing, teenagers and all!
I have wonderful friends and I even get to see them once in a while! (No worries friends, the semester is almost over and then I get to be a participant in life again. Until next semester starts...)
I have the opportunity to return to school and a family that supports and encourages me to learn and grow... you are the best!
I have everything I could possibly need in life and extras, too :)
I have fabric (lots of fabric!) and sewing machines and everything I need to create fabric-y goodies. All the toys this girl needs :)
I have a supportive husband who doesn't think I'm crazy on most days and seems to get as excited as I am when I show him a finished project. Maybe the motivation is different (Ooo, maybe she'll cook dinner tonight!), but I still enjoy seeing him happy with the things I make!
I'm grateful for the friends I've made on my quilting journey. I've met some amazing people and I'm humbled by the talent and kind spirits I've come across, both in person and through blogs, websites, etc. You are all inspiring!!!
Hope you have all had a Wonderful Thanksgiving!  

(I have still been sneaking in some quilting projects around homework and I'll have some pics to share soon! Thanks for hanging in there, the semester is almost over!!!)

Angels

It would appear that despite all of my promises to do better I am turning into a bad once-a-month-blogger. I'm not going to wallow in self-pity or try to apologize (again), I'm just going to load up some pics and show you the last month...
Fortunately, my phone has a decent camera or I wouldn't even have these pics! (Note to self: please remember camera once in a while.)

(Maybe the 8-year work-in-progress???)

In my last post, I bragged about the borders going on my 7-year-work-in-progress quilt. Well the borders happened but, alas, the quilting is only partially completed. We got started but some other projects came in that had higher priority. 






Like this sweet little quilt...

Two of the sweetest ladies contacted me last week and told me about a quilt top they had made for a friend who was having surgery. The only catch was her surgery was less than a week away and they needed the quilting done quickly. How could I say no??? They wanted butterflies all over because their friend believes that butterflies represent angels. See?! Sweetest ladies and thoughtful friends :)

Minky back with Butterfly quilting

Unfortunately, in the midst of trying to pick up this quilt for them, my poor car decided to not co-operate and quit while I was in the middle of driving. (Honestly, a bit scary!) Fortunately, I was only a few blocks from home and not on the freeway yet! 

After 10 years of driving this beast around, we decided it was time to trade into something smaller. The poor man that showed up to tow it to the mechanic didn't seem too impressed with putting 2 tons of Excursion on the back of his truck!

So with the all of the craziness of regular everyday life like school, work, cleaning plus a rush job and picking out a new car, things have been a bit chaotic. But the good news is the new car starts when I turn the key (no cajoling or sweet words required ;P) and the recipient of the quilt came through her surgery with a better prognosis than expected. Angels were watching over everyone this week :)

Oh! The show went great! We had a wonderful time, my girls came and helped me and I think our booth turned our amazingly adorable! (No, we can never cook in the painted BBQ but it was worth it!)

What I've been up to while neglecting my blog...

It seems like it's always difficult for me to keep 10 balls in the air at once...I don't know why ;P
I've been talking about the Quilt Show coming up in my last few posts and it's almost here...next weekend in fact! While I'm super excited, it's also kept me reaaalllly busy! I'm getting everything ready for my booth (1st time as a vendor, yikes!!!), displays, merchandise, kits and notions and also trying to finish up this quilt! (Sorry the pics are blurry, they are from my phone, I was in a hurry because I need to get back to work and get the borders on!)

This quilt has been a work-in-progress for 7 (yes, seven) years! I fell in love with the purple floral fabric and searched for just the right pattern (more on that later). I'd take it out every now and then and work on it and then get busy with other things and put it away again. A few of the blocks are hand-pieced because I could take it with me to doctors appointments, etc. I have found that set-in seams are much easier by hand!

Well, when the quilt guild asked that every member have a quilt to display, I thought this would be the perfect time to get this beauty done! Somewhere in my scatterbrained head I also thought that this would be the perfect time to go back to school! So the last few weeks have looked something like this:

1. Classes and homework
2. family time
3. part time job @ the school
4. planning for the show 
5. quilting
6. housework, laundry & grocery runs
7. sleep (notice this is last?!)

See? Busy!!! Am I forgiven for not updating? I hope so! 

Uh-oh, times up... I just heard the dryer buzz. Time to switch the wash and get back to quilting. The borders are going on today before I leave for work and it's getting quilted this weekend. I can't wait to see it all quilted, I have some plans for the diamonds that make up the stars in the center... I'm so excited to see this one finished!!! I'll post more pics of it soon!

Summer's out for School...

Well time sure flies and it's been more than two weeks since my last post. Rather than apologize (like usual) for my lazy blogging-ness I will just dive right into playing catch-up!
Today is the first day of school so we've been busy cramming all the fun we can into the last few weeks of Summer! A few weeks ago, my hubby and I took all the kiddos to a local water park were we met up with some good friends. My kids were the oldest in the bunch so they played chaperones to the younger kids and everyone had a blast playing in the water and going down the water slide. Perfect for a hot summer day!
One of these friends moved away last year and she was out for an extended visit with her new twins so we finally got to meet them! I made some cute little owl quilts for them last year and just now got around to making bumpers for their cribs...just in time for them to almost not need them anymore! I think they turned out pretty cute and I love that boy/girl twins still get a matching nursery! I used Moda's Summer House fabrics by Lily Ashbury for the tops and binding and Minky for the backings :)

Speaking of twins, it was mine and my twins birthday last week! Happy Birthday Joyce!!! I had a fun day sewing with my quilt guild and she landed a new job that day...how's that for a great birthday?!

My quilt guild sponsored a cute little sewing retreat in honor of my birthday! (Okay, maybe it was just a coincidence that it was scheduled for that day :P) We made some darling travel ironing mats/covers...I made mine out of aqua Fandango by Kate Spain! 

Now I've been sewing since I was ten and I'm a teesy bit older than that now so I want to know why I haven't made one of these before?! It's just adorable (and practical but also really cute!) and it fits my Oliso iron perfectly :)

I'm also working on some more Quilts of Valor  for my local chapter, Victor Valley Quilts of Valor. It is so inspiring to work with these incredible quilters who volunteer their time, money, fabric and materials to give back to our troops... you are all AMAZING!!! (You know who you are :)

The quilt show is coming up quickly...less than a month away! Be sure you stop by our booth to see us if you are in the area that weekend. September 14th & 15th at the fairgrounds in Victorville, CA... see you there!

An Amusing Tea Party...

So it would appear that I am getting out of the habit of keeping my blog about quilting. This past week has been full of fun adventures with friends and quilting  projects for Quilts of Valor, but I'm not going to talk about those things. Instead  I'm going to share the story of the Amusing Tea Party.
(Now, you are probably thinking that this will be similar to a fairy tale. If you think this, you are about to be disappointed.)
It all began last week when I received a beautiful, hand-written "cordial" invitation to a formal afternoon tea party hostessed by two of my lovely, teenage daughters. These two young ladies love nothing more than dressing up so I knew that they would look lovely even if nothing else went right. (My oldest daughter declined to attend as she is well aware of what happens at these lovely, little formal gatherings that her sisters love to plan.)
Well, promptly at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon I arrived at the formal venue (our kitchen table) which had been laid out with a beautiful table cloth, pretty, pink place mats and the good china (which I hope they washed and not just dusted off). There were delectable looking trays filled with cookies, cakes and fruit (aka: cookies, cakes, hard candy and gummy orange slices) and of course milk to wash said delectable treats down.
The young ladies invited me to sit down and two of us placed our napkins in our laps while one young lady proceeded to wear hers as a bib over her lovely dress. We conversed about the weather, our lovely ensembles, and of course tea parties in general. As two of us made gentle conversation, one young lady (the same one wearing her napkin like a bib) proceeded to dunk her cookies in her china tea cup full of milk (because after all, we were just at home and no one was going to see).
The conversation continued and many references were made to my favorite movie, "My Fair Lady". One young lady couldn't quite follow the conversation and replied to our movie observations with quotes and lyrics from Ozzy Osbourne songs. (Yes, you guessed it; the same young lady wearing the bib.)
As the conversation and milk flowed (I'm pretty sure the little creamer in the china set has never seen so much use) the party spiraled into the more absurd and a near sugar coma. The manners and giggling got worse, too. In the end, the lovely, formal tea party looked more like a trick-or-treat leftover swap attended by over dressed clowns. I'm glad there is no photographic evidence of this event, but I'll always treasure silly moments like this with my daughters. I love you so much and I'm so glad I get to be your mom! (Yes, even you in the bib:)

Family time...

This past week I haven't sewn or quilted...not one thing. I've been visiting with family and friends instead...that's right, family reunion time! My grandparents are celebrating 70 (yes, seventy) years of marriage so you can't miss out on that, right? Also, it was my grandmother's birthday. She turned 92 (she claims 29 and that is 92...transposed ;) and grandpa will be 93 next month.

Seventy years together and still in love :)

Well this family reunion was a little different for me, I went without MY family. Yup, no kids or husband. Weird, different, and honestly, a little liberating. (I hope they aren't reading this and getting their feelings hurt!) You see, I haven't been anywhere alone for the last 20 years. Not the grocery store, Target, the post office, or even the bathroom (ok, this has changed as the kids have gotten older but they still come knock on the door...give me 5 minutes, people!). Those of you with kids totally get this!
My sister came out to pick me up and she was also sans kids & hubby so we visited and talked during the 5 hour drive to her house (and never ran out of things to talk about!) and just enjoyed each other's company. The next day we grabbed her kiddos and drove the rest of the way to my grandparents house where aunts, uncles, cousins, my mom, brothers, and of course grandparents awaited. It was amazing to see so many members of my family together. I think I have a total of 36 cousins on my mom's side...I'd have to ask my grandma to be sure...and they are almost all married and having kids so I have a ginormous family!!!
My sister and I also got to meet up with some friends from high school while we were there...it was great to catch up with old friends and hear what they've been doing since high school and seeing pics of their families...great girls then and great girls now! We had so much fun!
After the reunion we headed back down to St George and I got to go to Superior Threads. I'm sure they thought I was nuts as I wandered up and down the aisles in their warehouse petting cones of thread! It was so hard to stick to my shopping list and I'll admit that a few extras made it home with me but it was so hard to pass by all of those gorgeous variegated King Tut cones without picking up a few more! Tuesday morning it was time to head for home. I was a little sad that the time went by so quickly but I was ready to get back to my family. What a surprise to get home and find them all lined up like the Von Trapp's in the Sound of Music; oldest to youngest in a neat line. As I got out of the car they all greeted me on cue by lifting up their shirts to show me their tummies. Not so neatly written in black dry-erase marker (does NOT erase off of skin, think Sharpie pen!) was "We <3 MOM". So I guess they missed me...almost as much as I missed them :)

Busy, busy, busy...

It's been a busy couple of weeks...we had a wonderful Fourth of July at my sister's house...thanks Kathy and John! BBQ, swimming and lots of fun visiting with family and the kids getting to see their cousins :)


I've also managed to get two custom orders out the door! I was waiting for a fabric order on one so I started another and then the fabric I was waiting for finally (6 week back order...argh!) showed up so they ended up getting finished up together. Lots of back-to-back binding sessions! Not my favorite part of quilting but very satisfying to get done and on their way to their new homes :)

Creepy Alphabet

Pirates

Lots of custom quilting! I've gotten so many requests for the Pirates quilt that I'm finally writing a pattern...Emily Taylor has a new Pirates line coming out this fall so I think it's a perfect time :)

I've also been working on those Ruby blocks for my quilt guild's BOM...

I was right! Once I got into that bucket of scraps I didn't want to stop! I still have some catching up to do as family time and other projects (and laundry) demand equal attention but I'm excited to see what the other blocks look like :)

Monday was an all day sewing day for Quilts of Valor and a children's charity that my quilt guild sponsors. We managed to get about a dozen quilts bound and ready to be delivered :)

Tuesday was my husband's birthday! We took a day off...had a fun day of antiquing (he let me pick what we were doing ;P), went to lunch and the kids made dinner. It was a nice, quiet, relaxing day in the middle of our hectic summer.

Now I'm just working on some last minute things and I'm off to a family reunion in Utah! Like I said, busy couple of weeks! We'll talk again when I get back...I should have more to share!

Sample Spree's Here!!!

Sample Spree fabrics are here and they are so lovely I can't stop admiring how pretty my shelves look!!!Who needs throw pillows and pictures on the wall when you can just decorate with gorgeous fabric bundles?! (The hubby reminded me they are not all mine to keep but I'm going to admire them while I have them and I'm sure that some of them are going to make their way into my stash!!!)
For those of you who pre-ordered these goodies, they are on their way and you should have gotten an email from me with your shipping tracking number. If you didn't order yet, get them now! They won't be back in stock until September/October...

100 pounds of Moda fabrics...life is good!!!

...and we have more solids in stock! They've been back ordered so if you've been waiting for these colors you're in luck!!!

Glowing!

I have to confess that I love glow-in-the-dark stuff. I even bought Glow Worms (remember those? Do they still make them?) for my girls when they were little because I could totally get away with it & they were for for the babies, right?
Well the Glow Worms have been retired but I still like glow-in-the-dark so when I found out there was quilting thread that would glow in the dark I knew I had to get some! I've been playing with some fun robot fabric from I Heart by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Timeless Treasures and this just seemed to be the perfect fabric to try it out on!

front

back

The robots are too adorable and I love the coordinating gear print for the back! I put an invisible zipper in so the pillow form can be removed for cleaning (you can't see it because it's invisible ;P) I love the way it turned out and I have a girl version in pink, too!


Of course I needed the right quilting pattern to show off this amazing thread and I think I found it! I love all of the gears and cogs...perfect! What little kid (or grown-up kid) wouldn't love this?! 

glow-in-the-dark quilting!

Well, back to work...hope everyone is having a great day!

Summer!

I couldn't let the first day official of Summer go by without a few words about how great this season is! I love the beautiful, full, leafy shade trees. I love the sunny, blue skies. I love the warm weather. I love the smell of freshly-mowed green grass. I love the gorgeous pink calla lilies booming in my front yard. I love drinking ice-cold lemonade. I love wearing flip-flops (even though this is SoCal and we wear them year-round anyway). I love the birds singing me awake in the morning. (The exception being crows. I do not love crows.) I love Summer.

Seriously! Right in my own front yard!

I'd love to say that Summer is my favorite season but I say that about each season as it creeps up on me. In a few short months, my favorite season will be Autumn, and rightly so. We all need change to keep us appreciative of what we have :)
One of the changes that summer brings for most of us is no school for the kiddos. While I enjoy the company of my children, it is making one of my goals a bit challenging. My effort to make a quilt for each one of my kids for Christmas is a bit delayed as I have found them to be a little more nosy curious than I expected. I don't know why this surprises me as I have known each of them all of their lives and I have always known each of them to be nosy inquisitive.
I have continued planning though, and I think I came up with an idea for my rough & tumble boys. I have been saving their worn-out Levi's for ages and I have quite a stash of previously-worn and washed-a-hundred-times-so-they're-super-soft jeans. I think I am going to make their quilts out of these. I don't want them to be rag quilts so I'm thinking up an idea to reduce bulk in the seams so I can still quilt it on the longarm. I'll share my success if my idea works and if it doesn't, then I guess I'll be sharing my what-not-to do ;P
Oh, and I picked up some patterns for a lovely block-of-the-month sponsored by my quilt guild. It started a few months ago so I'm already behind but I have a feeling that once I dive into the box of lovely Ruby scraps I've been saving that I'll get caught up quickly!
For those of you who pre-ordered Sample Spree pre-cuts it looks like they'll be here soon! As soon as they arrive, I'll get them in the mail to you!If you haven't seen them yet, check them out! Moda even made some mini charm packs that are just 2 1/2" squares...perfect size to play with or make teeny-tiny projects!