finally....

I got the call
and picked up the pattern today.

here it is...

I will NOT be using those colors...

I will be using these colors....

Like?

I will spend tomorrow getting my pattern traced
to my freezer paper and getting all my sewing
stuff packed for class on Thursday.

Can't wait..

Nancy

design wall? maybe...

Blogger has been having issues all morning so hopefully this will work out and photos will appear in this post...

I worked on my redwork all weekend. I have 3 of the 4 corner pieces done now and hope to get the center panel traced sometime this week. Oh crap, who am I kidding? There is no way I will get that center panel traced. Wednesday the son gets the last of his stitches out and none too soon. He is going crazy and actually said he is looking forward to going back to work..(away from his "old parents", inside joke)
Thursday I am supposed to be taking a class at a LQS. I say supposed to because I am not sure I will be ready. WHY? I signed up for the class the day they sent me a message. I, of course, didn't want to do the same pattern as the rest of the class (which was chickens!) so they said they had to talk to the instructor. She agreed I could do the star pattern. She said she would order the pattern. That was 1 1/2 weeks ago. I called Saturday to see if the pattern was by chance in so I could use the weekend to see what I needed to get together. "Oh, we just ordered it yesterday". WHAT!! Now I am a fairly easy going person. Really! I am! But I do like to read through a pattern a few times and I need time to get all the supplies together and pick out fabric and stuff. It's Monday and I still don't have the pattern, and the class is Thursday...morning...at 10am... We shall see what happens.

So here is the redwork piece...



And Sunday I convinced the better half to stop at a local Goodwill where I though maybe I would find some vintage sheets, but instead found this cute little pink bowl..



ack! don't say it...I know I don't like pink...it's not for me...so there..

Nancy

I don't know...

is it too bright?



Nancy

Ah...the back...

I met my long arm gal yesterday and dropped off a commission quilt... Then I felt guilty because I still hadn't bound the last quilt she did for me...
Yesterday I got the binding on and last night I finished doing the hand stitching.

I love it... This pattern is called "Wild Thing" by Camille Roskelly of Thimble Blossoms. It uses two identical charm packs and some background and went together so nicely. It's one of the those patterns that you can cut and then chain sew.



When I had the top together, I took it down to my local Hobby Lobby to find some backing. I never buy the backing for a quilt at the same time I get the fabric for the front. What am I thinking? That I won't do the quilt and the backing will be this big piece of boring fabric that will match nothing else. Probably why I don't buy the binding fabric either and have to frantically browse Etsy hoping someone has some matching to sell..

ANYWAY! I took the top to Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon and tried to match it with something there. I finally looked at the KONA cottons and picked one. I don't like it. I like my backs to look as nice as the front. I don't even mind solid backs, but this one doesn't Match. At. All. Your screen color isn't deceiving you, it doesn't match.



I DO however like the quilting. I asked for something flowy and circly...and she came through. It reminds me of the wind blowing across the prairie and the windmills...



Nothing on the agenda today. Maybe I will get another quilt done? I have 5 hanging in the sewing room to be basted and started...

Nancy

Beer'd out and The Downy Challenge...(not related)

Picnics need to be impromptu...then they wouldn't be canceled. Today was to be our Redwork Club's first ever picnic in the park. The Old Town St Charles Riverfront is a great place. There is a nice boat house with pavilions and picnic tables. I am glad I decided to stop at the deli on the way there cause now I'm not stuck with 12 lbs of coleslaw or 3 containers of bean salad... neither of which I eat...

So were we rained out? NO.... We were beer'd out!! (and no, weren't just too drunk to picnic!!) One of the ladies took a walk down by the riverfront yesterday and found all these workers lining up the picnic tables and moving them around and washing them down. huh? Apparently Anheuser Busch is having some kind of shing-dig this weekend and has commandeered all the tables and grounds (you can't officially reserve an area I'm told) and we would have no where to sit.... So there goes my blog post.

I did finish a quilt yesterday. I sent off for one of the Downy Challenge Quilt Kits and it came a few weeks ago. The kit comes with everything except batting and binding. There is plenty of backing sent and the kit is all precut into squares and strips. Very nicely done. Even the first border was precut. It comes with sewing instructions which they ask you send back to keep their printing costs down. I will get it in the mail today...




If you would like a quilt kit click HERE and then click on "How to Help" on the top bar.

Nancy

Ha Ha....did you get notice that I updated my blog and just saw BEER in the title?? I guess my finger slipped... but I bet it got you thinking??

the one where I actually show you the retreat projects....

I am ready to go back to retreat... any time...just wish I could.

We had a great time..

This is what Veronica worked on...



Well, this one was finished, but she is making another one for someone else. That's what happens when you show off a quilt at work..

And this is what Bev worked on... She is making this for her grandson who is sports crazy. The fabric in the top right hand corner is all different colored tennies on black. When I went to watch my granddaughter last week, we went over and got her some more so she could use it as the backing. It's so dang cute..



And here are the 5 projects I either started or finished...

I had 6 fq's that I threw in my project tote at the last minute and was glad I did... I also threw in my Yellow Brick Road pattern. It's one I use a lot. 6 fq's make a great baby quilt.

So that's ONE...


These are my last two First Saturday blocks.... You can see all the blocks here. I am going to use this as one of my guilds UFO challenges, so I haven't done anything more to it..

That's TWO and THREE...



This quilt is for my sister. She wants to keep it at her house for her grandson Joseph. She has him every weekend while his Mom works and his Mom won't bring over the baby quilt I made her cause she is afraid she won't get it back. I guess that means she liked it... :-) Since this photo was taken I have added side borders and pieced the back and it will go to my long arm quilter tomorrow...

That's FOUR..



And this is the first project I made when I got to retreat. One of my daughters friends ordered two diaper bags for baby showers and this was the second one. She requested the blue and brown colors... It has already been delivered..I haven't heard whether the new mom liked it or not.


That's FIVE..



And that's it...

Now what will I talk about tomorrow.. The only thing going on around here is the Son being bored, interviewing someone to cut our grass tonight (son can't do it til he has healed from surgery!) and I am still stitching on the same redwork piece.

Oh, I know...I'm going on a picnic tomorrow. Guess I will take photos..

Nancy

a little peak...

Just a quick sneak peak of the redwork I am working on. This pattern is from a magazine I borrowed from a friend. These are the setting triangles. I traced all 4 triangles onto a square so I wouldn't stretch out the bias while I was stitching. I will get all four stitched and then cut apart when I am ready to sew...




And two grandkids at the "redneck beach" (my daughters words)... They took them down to play Sunday and then they decided to go back on Monday at which time my grandson (who is 7) said "I feel like I am returning to my natural habitat". Isn't he a scream? And he knew what a habitat was and explained it to his sister...



I promise to show you the 5 retreat finishes tomorrow...

Nancy