What a wonderful day!

  One of the quilt shops I visited was Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City FL. I love that shop and I will be going back! They were having a whole store sale. I can't believe I was so lucky to wander into the shop on the day everything was 30% off! I found these wonderful scissors that I have wanted ever since I saw them on Karen Kay Buckley's website.

 












The two Fig Tree patterns I bought to make my niece some summer dresses and a floppy hat to match.

We went to Disney after 5 quilt shops and 4 gun shops. We didn't get home until 2am and I was wiped out! I have some pictures, but once again Blogger is acting up. Maybe later.

I have spent over 3 hours trying to get this post made and have lost several pictures in the process. I sure hope Blogger gets it all working right soon.
Gonna go play in the sewing room!

Later
Diane

hopping, pretty, a camera and a challenge

Tomorrow the plans are to go quilt shop hopping.
My husband wants to go to a few gun shops and look at things I don't necessarily love to look at and in return I get to go to some new quilt shops I haven't visited before. I think that sounds like a fair trade off.
I'm sure he feels the same way about quilt shops that I feel about gun stores. Once you have seen one Glock you've pretty much seen them all. They are all black or OD green, they all hold bullets, and they all are not interesting to me. There, pretty much described it all!
I on the other hand am going to go to quilt shops that have fabric in every color and style. I will be able to fondle it and maybe even find a bargain.

Today I went to Ikea and did some research on a new cutting/ironing table. Right now I am using some tables that I had left over from my business. They are adjustable to cabinet height and they make cutting and ironing enjoyable. They server the purpose, but they are VERY ugly and they squeak. I guess I would be ugly and scarred up and squeak if I was loaded in the back of a truck and driven across the country, loaded with heavy fabric and had the process repeated umpteen times a year for several years. Oh that's right! I was, and I do! Scarred and squeak that is!  Anyway my sewing room is not very pretty, but it is functional. I would like pretty too. I had a picture to show of the cabinet I am thinking about but Blogger is being contrary.
For Christmas I received a camera. Perfect timing, since my 14 year old Sony is just barely limping along. Ray bought me a pink Canon PowerShot and I love it so far! I hope to learn more so I can take better pictures. I will post a picture tomorrow since I can't tonight.


Today in the mail I received a package I have been nervously looking for. I joined in a group challenge with some ladies I have never met. I am going to make a quilt that resembles a portion of a picture. The picture was cut into 16 pieces and I got piece 14. I have never done such a thing before so I am nervous, but I know ladies who did this and they had so much fun I wished I had joined in. Now is my chance.


I'm not very intelligent when it comes to vegetables so I'm assuming this is some type of potato. It doesn't really matter, I am suppose to make a quilt that looks like the picture. Hmmm, interesting.

Have to get in bed, Ray is driving tomorrow and he likes to leave early.

Diane

UFOs and challenges

I have UFOs picked for the coming year's challenge with Judy at Patchwork Times. I have 13 laid out so far but there might be one or three more before it's over with.

In no particular order here they are.



Scrappy Trip Around the World



Tail Mix

Aussie Table Topper



Hexagon Log Cabin



30's Table Cloth




Friends in the Woods




Hand Dyes Mini Trips




Crab Apple Cove




Nancy's Irish Chain




One Fabric Penguin top




4-patch Star



Texas Star



Christmas blocks



I still need to figure out just what I want to accomplish on them. Some I will want to complete all the way to quilted and bound and some I just want to get the top completed.

If I get these done this year I will be proud of myself. I have major QADD (quilter's attention deficit disorder). That is part of the reason I have so many of these UFOs sitting in the cut out stage with only one block made. I will plan it, get it all cut out and something will happen to distract me, usually a new magazine, a trip to the quilt shop or maybe even a two week trip with my husband. When I wake up from what ever I just experienced I have completely forgotten everything that I am suppose to be doing. I won't tell you how many times I have cut a project out and then misplaced the pattern and so I box the fabric up and put it away. Then three weeks later I find the pattern and can't lay my hands on the fabric! UGH! And everything is in my one small room!

You know they say a sign of  ADD is never being able to stay organized...hello! :)

How do I know so much about ADD you ask? My youngest was diagnosed when he was young and we have had many sessions with counselors and teachers. Some of the stuff we learned was basic, but if you (the parent) stand on the edge of the same disorder it is not common knowledge. So it helped both of us. Some of it I probably could go back and read over again. :)

Husband just called and said DISNEY! So I am off to dress for a visit and to see all of the beautiful decorations and lights.

Have a great day!

Diane

It is like this every year

Every year at this same time I realize just how close Christmas is. We don't do much decorating. As a matter of fact I usually only put a couple of snow people on the porch and my Precious Moments nativity set on the mantle. We used to put up a tree, but it really was only for the kids. Now that all of my kids are grown and  two live far away we don't even put up a tree. I hope when/if we have grandchildren that changes. I'm pretty sure it will since Ray and I both become rather crazy when we have a child to buy for.
We buy for our two year old niece, but we gave her presents to her when we got to see her at Thanksgiving. We still have a few more for her, but we are shipping those.

I have always had a hard time at Christmas. I have never been able to get a good balance in my head about the whole celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with a tree and presents and tons of stress and debt and all the stuff that comes with the way everyone celebrates the season. I'm not judging, not in the least. I am glad most can really enjoy the season and the gift giving and the time spent together. We have always only spent the money we had set aside for gifts, so never a debt there. We usually sing in the church choir musical but not this year.

I will spend this time of the year inside my head and heart mostly. I will buy a few gifts. I will send money. I will cook. Mostly I will  try to think about His birth, His life, and His gift.

Just thinking,
Diane

Do I?

Judy Laquidara over at Patchwork Times is doing a UFO challenge next year. Everyone knows I have a ton of UFOs. I want to finish the UFOs, at least most of them. My only problem is, I have commitment issues. Well besides my 29 year marriage and my friendship with Linda that is about that same length of time I hate to commit myself. I KNOW myself. I always lose stuff, or forget things, or get sidetracked and lost. So I don't commit so no one really knows I'm a total ditz, except that I just told everyone.
Oh well.
The question remains.
I have more than enough to choose from. The best part about doing Judy's challenge is there is so little pressure. Judy's rules are easy to follow. There are no UFO police if I fall off the wagon. She won't plaster my picture on her blog for all to see if I quit.
Ok so I have just about convinced myself...then I realized I started this entry last night and got sidetracked with the dogs and went to bed with the computer still running. I had to wake up the computer this morning and read the entry to remember what I was typing about.
I may be setting myself up for failure.

I think I will!
What is the worst that could happen? I work on some UFOs but don't finish them. Big whoop!

I will choose the UFOs and post pictures later today if I can get my old decrepit camera to work again. I have so many to choose from this may take a while.

Diane

Another top!

Linus top

 I don't know why but this is my least favorite Linus top I have made so far. I think it was the fabric choices. Since I didn't pick the fabric I will say that is the reason. :^)


For those who wondered what I was talking about on the strip pieced blanket, here is how I covered the seam allowances on the back.

Take a 2.5" strip and fold in half and press with iron.

Unfold and bring raw edges to the center fold line

Do the same with the other raw edge and press

I laid the strips along the pressed open seam allowances on the back of the blanket and stitched them down. The first ones I stitched  with four stitching lines but soon thought that was over kill and the last ones I just stitched with two lines.



I'm home

I went to a retreat with many ladies from my quilt guild in Mobile and had a fantastic time. I stayed a few extra days with my friend Nancy. I love Nancy. We have great talks and lots of fun in the sewing room. She is a really good cook so I had good food too.

When I got home I spent lots of time with Ray since he said he missed me so much. We went shopping and bought a television console (finally!) and then spent yesterday untangling wires and cords to move everything. Honestly I didn't do much of that since I don't know one cord or wire from another and don't care to learn. I did the Diet DP runs and the cheering. Whew, exhausting! :)

Last night was the first time in the sewing room since returning home. Nancy sent me home with some sewing for Linus and I managed to get some blocks sewn together.

The back looks like this. In the south there are more days we would like to lay under a light blanket or sheet than a quilt so this has no batting.
Today I want to get the strips applied to the seam allowances.

Ok, off to do a bit of house straightening so I won't feel guilty going to the sewing room.

Later,
Diane

My bags are packed...

It's retreatin' time again, I'm gonna leave you...
You can see that far away look, in my eyes...
You can tell by the way I'm packing, darlin'
That it won't be long before it's quiltin' time...
(squeaked to the tune of "It's crying' time Again" by Buck Owens)

I'm headed out to my retreat. I know I know, I just got back from a whirl wind tour last weekend but that was family and THIS is quilting!!! BIG difference! :^)

I hope to have pictures when I return, but you never know if I will shut my mouth long enough to take a picture!

Later,
Diane