Busy Week

It’s been a little hectic around here.  My DH had surgery before and after Easter and the last of it will be completed tomorrow.  It’s been rough for him and the dog and I are trying to pick up the slack.  I haven’t finished any more children’s quilts, but I was able to quilt up a monster sized Quilt of Valor (well, they seem so big after the kiddie quilts!).  I tried a new panto called Star Spangled, but I’m not sure I like the backtracking it does.

It’s really only in the solid colored areas where the backtracking is most visible that I don’t care for – I might use it again on something with just printed fabrics. 

I put the binding on and might get to hand-sewing it down, but I expect I’ll leave that for someone at my QOV meeting that really loves to do it.  We’ll see …

Spring Blessings

Today’s quilt is perfect for Easter.  This little pastel beauty is brought to you courtesy of Sunshine On-line Quilt Guild member, Sarah L.  It is so very soft and done up in perfect, sweet Easter egg colors.  I quilted it with Fancy Flowers, an Anne Bright panto.

I kept wanting to hug it, but I put it into the box for Wrap-a-Smile.  It is sure to comfort a child after surgery.

Still Busy as a Bee

I did have to stop a little early this afternoon because the winds were picking up and the sky was getting quite dark.  Here in the Land of the Lightning, I unplug all expensive equipment when the thunderstorms threaten.

 

Rain on the Way

But I was able to finish quilting and putting the binding on this one that I called my take on Modern.  Without having any Chinese coin strips or crumb blocks, I had just used stripes.  It has a cheerful big star quilting motif where the stars have eyes and a smile.  Good for any age kid!  Into the box it goes …

Oh, and I did get up last night to see if the Blood Moon was spectacular.  In my area, the eclipse didn’t begin until about 2 am so it hadn’t turned red when I caught this image at about 2:20.  I went out again about 30 minutes later and it was turning reddish, but wispy clouds were coming in so I didn’t get a worthwhile shot of it.  This pic was enough to prove I was out there!

So as soon as this next rain band moves thru, I’ll go back upstairs to quilt.  I still have three more in the basket to quilt, then it’s back to working on those UFOs … they abound!

These are the ones already in the box that I already told my group about:

 

Pink/yellow lotto blocks

Feathery Quilting

Sportin' Ties (with soccer balls)

Solar System Quilting

More lotto block winnings

Geometric Triangle Quilting

I can't believe there are four in the box already ... Feels good to get another box almost ready to mail in a timely manner for a change!

Palindrome Day

Pal.in.drome

noun

“… a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward”

Today is 4-14-14

The day when you don’t know whether you’re coming or going …

That happens to me a lot - LOL.

Still Quilting Away

I just took another child-size quilt off of the frame - this one is destined to go to my great-niece.  The little dickens was born last October and has been waiting patiently for me to finish up a little something for her!  I'm such a bad Auntie.  She recently went on vacation to the beach in Mexico so this one's for her ... beach memories and bubbles and fish quilting!

And this is the gardening that I have also been neglecting:

Those Daisy bushes were cut back last month and are again threatening to overtake the birdbath.  The poor birds won't use the birdbath if the bushes are too thick because snakes and other threats can hide there and ambush them.  The weather has been excellent, so I'll be getting out there this weekend to do some pruning, for sure!

I love the African Irises and always take lots of pics when they bloom.  They have such a pretty flower that it's a shame that they only last one day.

Finally Got a Box Mailed

These all made it into the box that went off to Wrap-a-Smile (WAS) yesterday:

All of the quilt with squares were from Beth in NJ and each has different quilting – orange peel, stylized roses, hearts and vines, and a lotus bud and swirl panto.  They turned out great.   

Beth's detail - look at the Roo's!

detail of lotus blossom bud panto on Beth's

The purple/green is from Janice in FL, who is also in my QOV group, who wanted to donate to WAS.  The rest were mine, some using lotto blocks that I won from the Sunshine On-line Quilt Guild that supports WAS.   Glad to get this box off and the quilts on their way to kids.

And this little guy is the “seed quilt” in a new box – you know, the quilt that attracts other quilts to jump in the box?!  I finished it up last night - binding and all ...

The quilting panto I chose was a little too geometric for the quilt squares – I think I would have preferred a more swirly pattern, but live and learn I always say.  This was also made from lotto blocks that I won.  I’m chipping away at some long-time UFOs.

And remember that walking that my dog’s vet is “making” us do?  This is what happens …

That’s one tired puppy you see there.  But that shepherd's ear is sticking up, ever-vigilant in case one of the sheep tries to escape the fold!

And PS  I was slacking off on the couch when I took the photo – LOL.  We have no stamina here at our house!!!

And the Vet Said “Walk”

Yep.  I took the dog to a new vet recently to get her routine kennel cough vaccine.  She was a nice as could be and said as gently as she could, “You know she’s a little overweight, don’t you?”.  I wanted to say, “Yeah, so am I.  What’s your point?”.  But of course I didn’t!

So the dog and I have been walking up to the school and back every day (maybe about a mile round-trip or slightly less).  I’ve never had a dog that actually LOST weight.  My dogs have always been on the chubby side.  This will be new for both of us.  Hope it works!

And speaking of what is in the works … I received this great box from Joann at the Sunshine group I’m in and this is what I'm making with some of the crumb blocks that were included:

When I’m done, I’ll be calling this one “Rainbow Crumbangles” [get it? Crumb Triangles!].

And these are the quilts waiting patiently for their bindings to be finished (today and tomorrow – I swear!):

And this is what’s blooming outside – good colors for a 2-color quilt:

And this is a cormorant – a type of diving duck with a long neck – that kept hissing at us until we walked away.

Always something our in Wild Kingdom!

Out of This World Quilting!

I missed seeing a major event last year and in case you did, too, I am reporting it here so we can all take part in the Block Challenge part of it.  And maybe, if you can get to Houston in Oct-Nov 2014, you can go see the results.

What I missed was the fact that Quilting has gone out of this world – literally!

No, really ... it has.

Astronaut Karen Nyberg went on a routine 5-month mission to the International Space Station in May of 2013 and, get this …, she took her quilting with her!!

Well, of course, one would need breaks in between studying the human microbiome, nutrition studies as they relate to bone loss in space and maybe how combustion works in zero gravity – oh, and working on that pesky leaky space suit – even if your free time is very limited.  Wouldn’t you want to turn to quilting?!

This is Nyberg’s 9-inch block and her description:

“Now that I’ve tried my hand sewing in space, I can say one thing with certainty: it’s tricky,” Nyberg said in a video sent down from the space station. “This is what I’ve made. It’s far from being a masterpiece, but it was made in space.

And Astronaut Nyberg, a lifelong lover of sewing, has invited us all to join her in stitching together a global community space quilt.

You still have time to participate in the Astronomical Quilts! Block Challenge – entries are due by Aug 1, 2014.   The block is to be any 9.5 inch star-themed (but not embellished) quilt block – one entry per person.  All blocks will be made into a quilt to be displayed at the Quilt Festival in Houston in Oct-Nov, 2014.  Check out details at this link:

http://www.quilts.com/home/contests/viewer.php?menu=entries&page=../../contests/y2013/2013AstronomicalChallenge

For more about Nyberg’s personal hobbies, see:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition36/nyberg_profile.html#.Uz9OHaKTk40

And for more about the troubles Nyberg encountered cutting, sewing and otherwise handling fabric in space, this write-up by Helen Fields is very interesting:

http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2013/11/05/womens-work-in-space/

Congratulations, Astronaut and Quilter Karen Nyberg.  Let’s hope we always shoot for the stars!

Finally, a Quilty Day

In between waiting on-line for IRS live-chat (which was useless) and waiting for our tax advisor to call about my mom’s estate return, I was able to get upstairs and get some fun quilting done.  Then I realized how many I had to quilt and sat down last night to do some serious binding on the ones that were quilted and needed to get into a box out of here!

These are two that got quilted:

And the next one to go one the frame will be this one:

I really like it and will have to figure out some nice motifs to go in the squares.

PS  Happy April Fool’s Day

            No Fooling Around Going on HERE!!