Quilty Thankful Thursday #20

Time sure flies when you're having fun, ok it flies even faster when you get old, so it is zooming for me. I can't believe it is Thursday again. But I'm on the right side of the ground, so that is definitely a positive thing. I have lots to be thankful about this week, so let's get started.

1. Pretty Fabric.  Yes I know I'm a bit of a fabric hoarder, but it is so pretty, and I love to pet it.  I've really tried to resist buying fabric, but every now and again I see something I just can't pass.  Several weeks ago Massdrop had Allison Glass's Sunprint bundle up for grabs. I used these fabrics for my Texas quilt and just love them. She has changed this bundle just a little from the last one, and I just had to have it. I love the colors and prints so much, it is going to be hard for me to cut into these.

2. Awesome Designers.  I recently volunteered to test a quilt pattern for Meadow Mist Designs. She has great patterns and is super nice. I'm going to be making new new pattern called Grande Scrappy Tiles. I've not got any blocks assemble yet, but her is a picture of hers. She is so nice that she is letting me giveaway 3 of her patterns for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway day, so make sure you stop back her on May 6th for your chance to win them.

3. Sunglasses.  I've had to wear glasses/contacts since I was in high school. For years I used only contacts, and had lots of sunglasses. Then my eye doctor recommended I move back to glasses, and I never wanted to spend the money on prescription sunglasses. But a co-worker showed me an internet site where I could order glasses/sunglasses for much less than anywhere else. So I ordered new glasses and sunglasses and I love them. It is so nice to have sunglasses again.

4. New Toys.  Ok I have to say I like Massdrop, because they have some good deals. They had a Bendable Bright Light drop several weeks ago.  So I got one for me and one for Sharla. Now let's just say these babies have a very bright light. The bendable neck makes it easy to adjust where the light shines.  I've installed mine and will install Sharla's this weekend.

5. Spring Weather. I love spring, everything turns green, blooms, and releases pollen. Ok maybe I don't love that last one. But who doesn't love a seven day forecast where the highest temp is going to be 82 degrees. It is nice to be able to enjoy it, for however short it lasts here in Texas.

So that is my list for today.  I think it is time to go sit outside and enjoy the weather.  Today I am linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.

A Lovely Year Of Finishes: April Finishes

Wow April went by very fast, maybe because I had lots to do.  I'm very happy with what I got done, even if it wasn't everything on my list.  Getting ready, going and recovering from Callie's Wedding really put a crimp into what I got completed, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Ok here goes, the main goal was to finish the pouches for Sharla and I to use on the trip.  I got four done for her and four done for me. They really worked out great, and I will most likely make more in the future. If nothing else they really helped me learn to sew a zipper. I still need to work on zippers, but I'm not as afraid of them as I was before.

My second goal was to get my bee blocks sewn and mailed before the end of the month. Well they went into the mail today!! Ok not a lot of time to spare, but they are done and that is all that matters. I made two Card Trick blocks for Heather in StashBee Hive 9 and a Wanta Fanta block for Cassie in The Bee Hive Swarm Johanna. All of them went together very easily and I think I'm going to do a Card Trick quilt sometime in the future.

My third goal was to get Sharla's sewing machine cover quilted, and that did not happen. It still sits waiting for me to work on it.

My last goal was to get 10 more cross blocks done, and if possible 20. I did get 10 completed and I have 10 more that are about 2/3's done. It was fun doing these because I didn't really have to think, I could just sew and sew and sew. I'm hoping to finish the other 10 before the month ends, but I'm not going to push myself.

I'm saying three out of four during a busy month isn't bad.  When you add to that taxes, doctors appointments (even one semi emergency one), a weekend wedding, work and sleep, it was a very full month. I'm happy, and that is really all that matters.  Today I'm linking up with Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs and Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts.

Quilty Thankful Thursday #19

Hello all, I missed last week, not because I wasn't thankful, but because I was busy preparing for the weekend.  So be prepared, I have some really pretty photos to show this week, but I'm going to try and keep it to a minimum.

1.  Weddings.  I will admit I've not always been a big fan of wedding, but Callie (my niece) and Beau had a wonderful wedding. Not without issues, as always seems to be the case, but still beautiful. They wrote all of the vows, and they were funny and touching. A few tears were shed, but not too many. And no Watson (the dog) wasn't at the ceremony, but friends brought him in for photos.

2. Family and Friends.  Ok from the photo above you would think everything was wonderful. What you don't know is about 5 minutes after this shot was taken, Callie almost passes out. I don't think she had had much to eat, and was running on adrenaline, but when that ran out she pretty much dropped. She has the best friends and they all ran to help. They were trying to cool her off, because it was very humid. Luckily a family friend went and got some sugar packets and she up and going again. Then we took some family shots and just as they were finishing a heavy thunderstorm arrived. Everyone jumped into action and moved chairs, etc. and ran for cover. Even with the rain and the semi-outdoor reception, everyone stayed and had a good time.

3. Beautiful Flowers.  Callie picked out great flowers, and they looked wonderful. The arbor that they used, my brother Tom built and Callie and Beau collected silver vases and such for months. All of the flowers were arranged by us, which saved money, but also made them even more special. The running joke was about the boxes that were used, some were dynamite boxes and others were liquor boxes.

4. Laughter. It was either hot and humid or cold and wet, but that didn't stop the laughter. We laughed at each other, things around us, the weather, and so on. The best line I heard all weekend was on Sunday when Callie was talking about her dad walking her down the aisle. He told her she was beautiful and she told him to stop, if he said nice things she would cry. So he told her she had a fat ass....yeah that is so not true. But it made her laugh. She told him during the daddy/daughter dance that he could say nice things again. Also the one shot I think everyone got was Callie almost tripping as she went back down the aisle. The look on her face was priceless.

5. Love.  I really felt blessed to participate in everything last weekend. I saw so many instances of love, and all kinds of love. Everything did not go as planned, but no one let it get them down. They just kept moving forward, and you can't beat that. The love Callie and Beau share is special and I am very very thankful that she found that love. And I'm thankful that he joined our family and fits right in with the rest of us crazies.

And yes Watson caught the bouquet, well the doggie bouquet. All in all it was a great weekend, and when it was over we were all tired, but a good tired. Sorry that this post doesn't have more quilty content, but just so it has a little, here is the "guest book" table with the quilt squares laid on it.

I am linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.

2015 Finish Along: Quarter 2 Goals

Ok it is time to make a list of what I want to get done during the second quarter of the 2015 Finish Along. Now to be honest I want to get a lot done, but I'm guessing that won't happen, but here is a list of what I hope to get done.

1.  Sharla's Box Trot quilt. It has been waiting to be quilted forever, and I keep putting it on the list and somehow it never gets done. But hopefully it will be done this quarter.

2. My Purple Quilt.  I want this one done, it has been waiting even longer than Sharla's but it was packed away for a while, so it wasn't on the list. I would like to donate this one to the Hand2Help Charity Quilt drive.

3. Memory Quilts. There are four of these and  I want them done. I feel bad working on other things with them hanging over my head.  But I'm so want to work on other things. I'm hoping to really be able to work on these in May and get them done.

4. Sharla's Machine Cover.  She finished the piecing late in February, but I haven't had time to quilt it and sew it together for her. I love the colors and it should be a fast finish once I get it onto the machine.

5. Sharla's Flirt Quilt.  I've not gotten a photo of this one, but the top is done and it needs to be quilted. It should be easy to do, once I can get it on the machine.

6. Sharla's Norway Quilt.  Another one that I don't have a photo of, but the top is complete and just waiting for me.

7. Table Runner.  It has been finished since December and needs to be done.

8. Callie and Beau's wedding quilt.  I'm not sure when I will get the blocks back for this, but hopefully in May and if so I would love to finish it this quarter.

9. My Class One Quilt

10. Sharla's Class One Quilt

Ok that is the list, and I know I want get nearly all of that done, but if possible I would love to get them all done. I figure it is better to make a big list and fall short, than not to plan on anything and get nothing accomplished. If I am being honest I would love to get more completed, I just don't think it will be possible. Today I'm linking up with On The Windy Side.

Quilty Thankful Thursday #17

Howdy everyone.  Not sure where that came from, but I just couldn't help myself.  Today I'm going to recognize some things for which I am thankful.

1. Being able to give to others.  I'm just like everyone else, I love to receive, but I'm very thankful that I have the ability to give as well. I've signed up to donate a couple of quilts for the Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge and I've also created two blocks for Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl, which will be used to make quilts for two deserving children.  I am very thankful that I am in a position that I can help. Here are my two blocks which went into the mail this morning.

2. Decent Health.  Could I be healthier, yes, but went to see my doctor and eye doctor today and both said I was doing good.  We have some work to do on Sharla, she is improving health wise, but the eye doctor found an issue, and we have to go see an eye surgeon tomorrow morning.  They believe they can fix the issues, so I'm very thankful for that as well.

3.  Sale Fabrics.  Yes I know I'm a bit of a fabric hoarder, ok a lot of a fabric hoarder, but it is so hard to pass up a good sale.  Here are a few that I picked up last week.  I have no plans for any of them, other than to go into my cross quilt.  I love the colors and it was so much fun to shop for them.

4. A Good Forecast.  Callie is getting married next Saturday and the weather is supposed to be very nice...72 degrees and sunny, which would be perfect.  We can deal with rain, but it will be so much nice if it doesn't.  I'm keeping a positive attitude that it is going to be awesome.

5. Taxes.  Ok I'm not really thankful for taxes, but I am thankful that my taxes and complete and filed. I even get a little money back, and for that I am very thankful.  And to top it off, it isn't the last day.  I am glad that I live in the US and even though I don't like taxes, I do love my country and am thankful for all of the freedoms living here allows me.

That is it for today and I'm linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

A Lovely Year of Finishes: April Goals

April is a very busy month for me, so much so that I almost didn't want to set any goals, but I thought that would be wrong.  So I have decided to set a few goal, not big ones, but hopefully attainable ones.

1. My main goal is to finish pouches for Sharla and I.  I am doing Wide Open Pouches by Noodlehead. I started last week, and after making one, Sharla had the bright idea that I should make them for everyone for Easter.  So the I had to hurry and do 7 pouches for family last week.  I did get a couple of ours done as well.  Here are the ones I gave away today.  I need to do one this size for me, and then a medium and two larges for Sharla. We want them for our trip for Callie's wedding, so I have about 1 1/2 weeks to get them done.

2. My second goal is to get my bee block done and sent on time.  I only have two this month, but with everything else on my plate, I don't want them to slide.  I'm very excited because one is a Card Trick block, something I've always wanted to do and the other is the Autumn Chain block.  I would like to have these done before Callie's wedding, but I'm not sure that is going to happen.

3. Sharla's sewing machine cover quilted and completed.  She pieced the cover about 3 weeks ago and I've still not gotten it on to the machine.  I know this won't be done until after the wedding, but I am hoping to complete it the following week.

4. Cross Blocks.  I want to do at least 10 more blocks.  I would really like to get 20 done, but I don't want to push myself too much.  I have enough cut that I can easily do this, if I sit down and sew for a couple of nights.

Now that is the end of my sewing/quilting list.  I still have lots of other things, like taxes, doctors appointments and other fun and exciting events.  I'm a list maker by nature and I'm running about three simultaneously right now. Which I hope means I don't forget anything important. Today I am linking up with  Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs and Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts.

2015 Finish-Along: Quarter 1 Finishes

I will admit quarter one sucked for me. I did get a few things done, but not near what I wanted to get done. I had such lofty goals and they all went to poof. However, we don't need to be depressed about what I didn't do, let's look at what I did get accomplished.

1. Tessellated Leaves.  It is done, pieced, quilted and blogged about. I really love this pattern and will do it again in the future. I did this as a test quilt for Quilting Jetgirl and you can find the pattern here.

Now this is where everything went south. I did get one memory quilt quilted, but it isn't bound and the other three are just hanging over my head. And nothing else got quilted.

Now on my other accomplishments, I did a little better. All of my bee blocks have been on time, and I've even joined another bee. But last month was my last month of three bees since one is now finished. I've also done cross blocks every month, and in February, I made great progress and am just over 50% done. The moose quilt still sits waiting to be unpicked, but I did buy and battery powered seam ripper to help in the process. The sewing room has been re-organized and re-arranged. I still need to work on it some, but it is much better and overall it is more to my liking. My last goal was to get the blocks for Callie and Beau's signature wedding quilt done. I finished those and gifted them to her a week or so ago.

I wish I had gotten more don, but I'm alright with where I finished. I want to get more quilting done next quarter, but April is a busy month, so I will most likely keep my list shorter.  Today I'm linking up with On the Windy Side.

Quilty Thankful Thursday #16

Happy Thursday everyone, I hope you are having a wonderful day and didn't get pranked too much yesterday. Today I'm going to list 5 things for which I'm thankful, it keeps me grounded and in the right frame of mind.

1. Learning New Things.  I will admit, I'm a bit of an old dog, so learning new tricks is a reason to be thankful. I wanted to make a pouch for the new van to keep in the glove box. I want to keep things like salt/pepper/ketchup in it along with a couple of forks/spoons/napkins. So I went looking and found the Noodlehead Wide Open Pouch. Since I didn't want the pouch to be stiff, I didn't use any interfacing or stabilizer. I did learn to put a zipper in years ago, but my memory is bad. But I did muddle through and ended up with a cute little pouch. I have already made several more. It has been fun to start and finish something fairly quickly.

2. New Goodies.  Ok this is related to the pouch above.  After making the pouch, I knew I would want to make more, so I ordered some zippers.  Maybe a lot of zippers...ok a lot of zippers.  I'm not sure I will ever use them all, but they are such pretty colors, I couldn't resist getting one of every color.

3.  Hollywood. Not the city, but the crazy dog. He is weird, he is strange, but I love him anyway. Today a pet sitter came by to meet him, and it didn't go well. I don't know why he likes some people and doesn't like others. We were worried this might happen which is why we arranged for him to meet her. Since it didn't go well, he will be boarded at the facility where he goes to doggy daycare. I'm not sure he is going to like that much better, but he likes the people there. And since I love him, I want him to be safe and happy, because he makes me happy.

4. New Books. I have a couple that still haven't arrived, but I've almost finished this one. I love her writing style, but this book is as much about the practice as it is about the words. I really enjoy reading quilting books, I have a couple more on order and I can't wait for them to arrive.

                      
5.  Laughter.  Lately life has been topsy turvy for me.  Nothing horrible, but lots of stuff breaking down, too much to do and not enough time, etc.  But through it all I have always found something to laugh about, not always the situations themselves but laughter none the less.  Last week we found a new show called Repeat After Me and it is just too funny. I love to laugh, and I'm very thankful for my ability to see the humor in life.

Today I am linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.  :)