Turkey Day is over

Good morning to all, We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday, with all the trimmings and a Little hand quilting thrown in too. It doesn't get better than that.

Forgive me for not posting in such a long time. Life just seemed to swallow up all my extra time. Grand baby's Birthday party. Then a Cancer scare with my grand children's mother, All came out wonderful. No other cancer, the surgery got it all. My daughter and I took turns caring for the grandchildren ages 27 months and 1 year. Then son cut a finger at work requiring stitches and not using it to lift. Two babies to take care of. That healed nice and he has all the feeling and function back. Then he broke 2 bones in his right hand and was casted. There again 2 babies to help take care of. A few health issues with me. All will be ok. I did have two weekends of personal time. The first one was in October, The Dear Jane South East retreat held in GA. Bonnie was there. We had a wonderful, productive weekend. The following weekend I was in Ashville for the Southeastern Area Fiber Fair. I bought some yummy purple super wash wool and started spinning it that very night. It will be a short scarf when I finish the spinning, plying and knitting. Don't hold your breath until I am done. We went to Tampa Florida for a week to visit my older sister got back home and had new floors done in our house. Needless to say with all that and probably more that I have forgotten I have not been in my sewing room much. I have just mended a few pairs of scrub pants.

I hosted Thanksgiving at my home yesterday. My Daughter, Kimberly, her Boyfriend, Jason, his Parents, Bonnie and Dave, and me and my husband. My son his girlfriend and the grand babies were in New York with her side of the family. They will be with me for Christmas.

Bonnie made her family's favorite yams and boy are they good. During the down times we sat and hand quilted. She and I were both good, we didn't stuff ourselves silly. Dave and Kimberly ran in the 8K turkey trot race yesterday. It was pretty cold around 40 that early in the morning. I think it started at 9. Bonnie and I are going to work toward the 3k walk next year. We didn't know they had one. I can't run.

Bonnie brought back our yellow, blue, neutral Carolina Crossroads. I have to do the binding and then we will give it to our children for their house warming quilt. I think it is great that they are getting a quilt that was designed by Bonnie, Jason's mother and sewn by me, Kim's mother and quilted by Bonnie. We will both put pictures up when the binding is done. I plan to get the sewing machine part done this weekend and the hand stitching started. Since I cleaned all week and yesterday I won't have much to do in the house this weekend. I can have my own private little retreat.

I still have to put the boarders on my Orange crush and finish step 2 of Tobacco Road.

The Office is shaping up

This is the back wall of my office.

The office is shaping up. It is getting a feel of what I am about. My director told me today that it looked like home. That was a big compliment. I get a lot of work done every day because I love being in my office. He even said I could hang a larger quilt on one of the hall walls. I told him it would be sometime before I would have one that big to hang. I pointed out that there is an old rod that one of the window shade type maps go on, that is without it's map. I guess they don't plan on having it repaired. The rod is still there and I have been eyeing it for a larger quilt. Maybe a memorial quilt for the Hospice patients. Just a thought.

I put the stained glass hearts up and I took a picture. Several visitors have asked me where I got the pattern. The outline of the heart and the breaks in the heart came from a book by Better Homes and Gardens it is called Grandma's Best Full Size Quilt Blocks published in 2002. Page 117. The block was supposed to be a tile block from 1890 -1920 time period of quilting. I felt that I wouldn't be able to get the space between the pieces even so the idea of using black bias as lead and make it stain glass looking came to mind. I used mostly batiks but there are some blenders and funky dyed stuff in there too. I really love it. I don't like the way the binding was after washing. I don't know if it wasn't square or even prior to washing but it is a little wonky. I will one day take the top binding off even it up again and rebind. I did everything the hard way on those blocks. I made the bias. Hand appliqued it in place. The next one I make I am going to use the already made stuff from the fabric store and sew it down on the machine with my double needle. I used a medium loft poly bat that I got from Bonnie that was given to her to use in charity quilts. I quilted on each side of the lead using my zipper foot or foot # 4 on my Bernina. I wanted the hearts to pop. They really do. I have had several co-workers to offer to buy it from me.

The plant in the office was a birthday present from my daughter, Kimberly. The florist didn't put a stick in it to tell me what it is. They just told her to tell me to water it once a week well and it liked indoor or low light well enough. If anyone knows what it is please let me know. The picture was a gift from a grandmother of one of the babies I took care of when I worked in the NICU. It is a print of one of her earlier water colors I think it is dated 76.She signed it Especially for Charlotte, under her signature. Her name is Elizabeth Carter. This print reminds me of my children when they were that age. I used to have it hanging in my den. I had the walls painted and just never got it put back up. So now I am enjoying it once again.

Charlotte

July Wrap up

The month is over, I have made such progress on my quilting projects. I finished a baby quilt that I started in the spring of 2001, I hand quilted it. My early stitches were so big and uneven. my finishing stitches look pretty good. I am getting the hang of this hand quilting stuff. I also finished several tops to the basted stage. Pictures are in my earlier posts.

I started the month off at Quiltville for the July 4th holiday. Believe it or not I haven't pieced a thing since returning home. I have been busy quilting by hand and machine, and basting up a storm. My friend, Dawn and I got 3 of my bigger projects basted one Saturday. I have finished the machine quilting on my stained glass hearts and will have the binding finished if it kills me by August 1, That is tomorrow.

I also had a birthday this month. Birthdays sure have a way of making you take stock of your life. I know many have done what I did this month. I took a look at all my stash, yarn included and realized that I have enough to stay busy without buying anything for a long while. I do mean any thing. Not thread, batting, fabric or even patterns, thanks to Bonnie Hunter @ Quiltville and a big supply of quilting magazines and books plus all my internet friends that are so gracious to share free patterns and inspiration on Stashbusters, Quilt talk and Marcia Hohn at Quilter's Cache, my E Q and block base oh my I could go on forever naming. I sound like I am practicing for an award.
I ran across a phrase that came out of the depression. "use it up, wear it out, make it do , or do without" Eleanor Burns put it in her new book Victory Quilts 1940's Sampler Quilts. I have decided to try to live that motto for a while at least until I can see some floor space in a few closets and shelf space in the bookcase that I have yardage and yarn in. I don't want to try to keep track of what is used. I want to measure it by all the things made.
OK so now that I have board everyone to tears I will say Good night and I hope to post some pics in the very near future
Charlotte

Here is one of the reasons I get up every morning, Her name is Avory, she is 10 months old. Not walking yet. She has a big sister that just turned 2 in May. I was in my quilting habitat piecing when they came over and of course Avory wanted her Nana, she reached for some fabric, it is in her right hand and that is a ruler in her left. Both wound up in her mouth.

I haven't posted for several weeks, My 4th of July weekend at Quiltville was wonderful. Here is a picture of Bonnie hard at work on one of her customer's quilts. She posed for this one but I really wanted to get one of her working. She quilted 3 quilts for that customer that weekend.

I love her DJ behind her. She has more talent in her pinkie than I will every have in my whole body. She is too generous with her talent and fabric. She picked boarders from her stash for 2 of my quilts. Insisted it was my birthday presents. I have since gotten them basted and ready for quilting. I really had a wonderful quilting retreat. They, Bonnie and her husband, Dave taught my husband Jerry and I a card game that is really fun. It is called hand and foot. Oh Bonnie, I was sorry for the scorch on your ironing board.Then you posted that is was a new one and I really felt bad. You are a trooper. Thanks for not making me pack up my stuff and head back to Columbia. Instead she hands me a sharpie and ask me to sign it. I took a picture of it too but haven't loaded it on my computer. You my see the autographed ironing board cover on Bonnie's blog. She has also posted about the great fun at Prissy Polly's BBQ.

Time for bed. PS I did have my 52 birthday this week. The Birthday Block swap that I am in is another whole post. I am waiting for a few more blocks to come in.

Charlotte

Here is what Ihave worked on this week. I am involved with the Birthday Block swap on Quilting Board. I am a little late getting my June blocks done and mailed off but here they are. My Birthday is next month. I can't wait to see what comes in the mail for me. During our bd month.

each of us are to receive 12 12 inch blocks.

I am over 1/2 finished with the binding on the other wall hanging that I have been working on. I also have the 9patch and crazy quilt blocks put together. Just have to decide on the boarder. I was thinking of putting my crumb blocks around it. But then I thought that it may wind up way to busy looking.

Time to get back to the sewing machine.

Charlotte

Need a little help from my friends.

I need a little help. In a very senior moment the other day I could and still can't remember the name of this flowering plant. This is a close up of the flowers. Anyway a complete stranger stopped and asked what the name of it was and I told him the first name that came in my head. And right now I can't spell it so would someone please help me.

On another subject Quilting. I didn't know about Bonnie's challenge to finish a ufo until I read her blog on Sunday. Well, All you Quiltville addicts me included. Here are the two things I am going to work on. I have had those hearts on that wall for way too long. And the other blocks are random 9 patches that I had made way back when and didn't like them so some bright idea came into my head to border them in black and I then couldn't figure out how to set them. I have 10 of those made and the other blocks were my first attempt at a crazy patch. So I put them together in a crazy thought last night. I am going to trim them all down a little to fit. Even if I don't use that one for anything but a picnic on the grass with the grand babies, That will be 20 blocks out of my orphan drawer.

I don't know how this popped in here but this is the one I have been playing with. I loved the blue and yellow CC I made so I decided to make another blue and yellow quilt.

I have the borders cut out ready to put on my last string quilt. Oh and I left my OC material at Quiltville the other weekend. Honestly, I hadn't missed it until Bonnie emailed me to get my snail mail address. I am still puzzling over what to do for the borders.
On another note. I guess you guys have figured out that I am having just a bit of a problem getting my photos in a pleasing order on the page. HELP.....

Quilty Dreams,

Charlotte

What's in a name?

What's in a name so many have asked. In my case it was a good size piece of material that I just couldn't throw away and the label was attached so securely that I would have ruined the fabric trying to get it off. So I used it. I think it is sort of cute. You can see how big that triangle of fabric was and that is after trimming the block.

My Saturday on call wasn't half bad. I was near a Joanne's after my last patient so of course I stopped in. They made me spend $56.00 I had not planned on spending. Not on fabric either. I needed to go to the bathroom and asked where it was in this particular store, I don't go to this one often it is located on the other side of town from me. Anyway they told me they didn't have one for the public to use and I would have to go down to Big Lots. Which is what I did and where I got into trouble. I bought the cutest yard swimming pool sprinkler fun park for my sweet Grand babies. I also found a baby monitor so now I don't have to have them bring theirs with them when they stay at Nana's house. Oh and a pocket Elmo bib and some lady bug dishes and cups. I can't wait till they are here again. I did go back to Joanne's. I found a couple of shirting's that was on sale. The big sale starts tomorrow. We will be with family tomorrow celebrating Father's day but the sale is all week. The flyer looked interesting. I don't think I will go back this week. As I was walking the dog a little while ago it hit me just how short some of our lives may be. You see my next door neighbor passed away early Sunday morning. It took the whole family by surprise and as you may guess they didn't contact all the neighbors. She had been diagnosed with Cancer just a couple of weeks ago then she had a stroke the very next week and was then placed in a hospice facility. I believe she was 72. She loved all the kids on the street and the ones that visited the mall carousel. And speaking of all the kids on our street , I have observed 2 moving trucks moving 2 of the older ones out of their parent's houses. They both graduated college in may and I guess have now gone on to their jobs and new places to live. They do grow up. Any way I had the thought that I really should use up my stash I have cause I don't want my quilty friends fighting over it. LOL. More likely it would go to free cycle cause no one would want it. I still have hopes that Kimberly my daughter will learn to quilt one day. No I am not holding my breath.

Charlotte

I have a finish!

I have a finish, Charlotte's Red Fern Baskets is on the wall.

It has been too long since I wrote. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog and commented. I am going to post a pic of the basket wall hanging. I promise this will be the last one. . See how blah my walls are. It makes me smile each time I see it. The binding up close has some flaws but for never having done anything like this type before, I can live with it.

I have to work tomorrow. So unless I can get finished early no sewing for me this weekend. I am on call and they were short handed so I have 4 visits to make. I can't complain too much because the last few times I have been on call I have sewn all day.

Last Saturday my friend Dawn and I got together for a few hours to sew some. We wound up going to Lexington to the LQS called Patches and Pieces. She was hoping to find a piece for a boarder. They have an old trunk against the wall with scraps and strings. 1 small bag (you fill) for $1.00, a large quart size baggie (you fill) for $2.00. After my recent string quilt my string container looked like it had been on a major diet and most of the strings left in it were tired. Tired because they were in both of my string quilts. Anyway I got a lot of good chunks and strings stuffed in that bag for $2.00. I came home and a lot of them once ironed and measured went right into my sorted size strip containers. 2inch, 2.5 inch. My cat, Garfunkel thanked me for the new supply too. He had stopped sleeping in the string bin. I guess it wasn't comfortable anymore. Guess where he is now? In the bin.

I haven't worked on my border for Strawberry Limeade AKA Orange Crush. I am going to put a plain border on. One small black and then a big pink. Bonnie's little print out from the EQ design had plain borders and I liked it too. Don't hold me to that plan, I love making those little half four patch blocks.

I was bad last week and started cutting fabric for another quilt. It is in the Fons & Porter May/June 2006. Called stepping stones page 68. I am doing it in blues and yellows. I played with the colors in EQ the other night and I believe I will like it. But I am going to turn the 4 patch blocks the other way with the light going on the diagonal. Then it will have 2 roads. That block is usually called Road to something. So I will have Blue roads and Yellow roads in my quilt and In EQ I loved the way it looked on point. Bonnie's influence sure has rubbed off on me. And to tell the truth since I did both of Bonnie's mysteries I am no longer afraid of doing an on point setting. Thank you Bonnie. I also tried one of her size 11 Roxanne needles. She gave me one while I was at her house the other weekend. She is so right it doesn't bend as easy as some of the others and the eye is easy enough to thread without a needle threader. I picked up a container of them today. I have to say for something so unglamorous as needles the company sure knows how to market them. The container had a little shell on top and the card in the little plastic envelope was gold embossed. Such little things like that I can appreciate.

Charlotte

Weekend at Quiltville

My goodness where did this past week go? I was so stressed out last week that it was good to get out of town. I had so much fun sitting and sewing with Bonnie. Sewing with a good friend is the best medicine. She is an amazing friend to let me re-energize at her home for the weekend. I didn't take any pictures. Her home and sewing room are awesome. I worked on my Crush. Don't hate me but I got my top put together. I promised I wouldn't reveal anything. I will say this. When my 2 year old grand daughter saw it she said and I quote "I yike it" and she politely climbed up on it and smiled the biggest smile. I guess I will gift it to her. There wasn't enough time to do all the things we wanted to. She wants me to come back for a Friday through Monday. I would love to. I also got the machine part of the binding done on my basket wall hanging. I have been hand stitching it in place a little every morning before work. What was I thinking when I chose to do it that way and not make it square or rectangular? We were even able to do some hand quilting while watching a movie on HBO. Her son was so funny. He watched about 3 minutes and said I think I am going to my room. Of course it was a chick flick. It was an old one that neither of us had seen so we enjoyed sitting with our quilting in our laps watching and munching on mints. Chloe even came up stairs to say hello. She let me pet her and give her a good neck scratching on Sunday. On the way home my husband drove and I quilted some more on my other wall hanging for my office. I have unpacked everything but haven't machine stitched anything. This is getting far to long without any pictures.

Thank You.

This is Memorial Day. A Day to honor all our Men and Women that have paid the highest price for this great Nation. As I watched the news tonight watching all the different Memorial services around the country, My heart swelled with pride and my eyes with tears as I know how much each and every family of all our bravest have sacrificed. God Bless each and everyone of us and this Beautiful Country we call home because of so many.
Thank You.
Charlotte

Saturday was basting day Sunday was Catch up day.

Here's the birthday girl. She is such a fun little girl. She is truly one of the reasons I get up every day. She had a Sponge Bob Cake.

The pictues below are of Dawn's Quilt. Back and Front, she is in the background. She is the one that got me back into quilting so many years ago. She took this pattern from a class she took. I think the book was called French Braid.

To explain the pictures above and below. Sometimes the best made plans fall apart. Well mine sort of did for today. Dawn and I were supposed to use the whole day basting our quits. hers is on the right. mine is at the bottom.Well My 2 year old Grand baby got sick Thursday and her Mom's plans to go to Maryland to visit with her family was cancelled. So My darling son, wanted to go ahead and have her birthday today. Today she turned two.Picture at the top. Yes I wanted to have her a party but had thought we would have it in a couple of weeks. So my basting day was cut very short. And it has started to rain so the lake where they were going to have it is now out of the question. Darling Husband told them they could have it at my house. At least while I was down town basting away on our quilts he was straighting up my house. We were able to get Dawn's completely basted and mine is together enough to continue on my kitchen table when I have nothing else to do. Like that ever happens. To get to play with my fabric I am always neglecting something in the house that should be done. This quilt measures 115 inches by 105 inches. It is for my king bed. Catch up day was today for my April Birthday Block for

the swap I am in at Quiltingboard. I hope she likes it.She wanted primitive. I used plaid homespun, mustard

yellow with dots and tea dyed muslin. Which I did myself.

I will now start cutting for step 5 in the OC mystery. Yeah. Thanks Bonnie.

Have fun doing what you love,

Charlotte

Charlotte's Red Fern Baskets

I haven't posted in a couple of days. I have made all the little baskets for my other office wall hanging. 10 total. It will be placed on a column in my office that is 22 inches wide. I just love this look. The only piece I cut that had not been cut for another project was the red. I just couldn't in my own quilting brain cut up fabric for strings to go around the little baskets. I am leaning toward calling it Charlotte's Red fern Baskets. The red looks like it has little black ferns in it. Also my husband, Jerry once lived on a street in Indiana called Red fern. Non of this fabric has been prewashed and all the strings I have ready to sew have been washed. I still can't bring myself to mix the two. Call me too cautious. One day I may be able to throw caution to the wind and just create. I have been plugging away hand quilting the little quilt I made last weekend. I know, I have started 2 things and have not finished 4 yet. But my office is a priority. I will complete the sewing of the rows of my string quilt tonight.

This weekend Dawn and I will be using the conference room tables at work to baste several of our quilts that have been finished for awhile. There are 3 huge conference tables in one room. I will be able to get my king size square in a square basted. She has a braided quilt to baste. I have no idea how I will quilt that size quilt. I have 2 DM neither have a large throat. I could just quilt on the machine what I can and finish the center by hand. I should have thought of this problem before I put the thing together. Then I could have quilted it in 2 pieces. I will just baste the heck out of it so I can start where ever I want.

Charlotte

Charlotte's Basket

In the wee hours of this morning, I made my first Charlotte's basket block.

It measures 6 1/2 inches now. I haven't started putting the setting string tris on because

I don't have any strings put together right now so that part will have to wait. I had all these tiny
1/2 squares left from a project that I was working on last 4th of July when Bonnie and I got together for a sewing play date. You can see the blocks as I worked on them on the wall behind us. Anyway, that is why all my backgrounds of the 1/2 sq tris are the same. This quilt was the first time that I had been able to get additional bonus tris from a design. That quilt which I call The Queen is a snowball pattern with a different setting. I used 2 1/2 inch squares on the corners and double sewed and wound up with a bunch of bonus little half squares. Too cute to throw away. You might reconize the border and some of the fabric if you look hard enough. Some of the same fabric that my little quilt is made of.
anyway, that is why all my backgrounds of the 1/2 sq tris are the same. My first quilt Decade which was a square in a square design I made using triangles cut from a square and sewn around the square.

The reason for no strings put together at the moment you might wonder? I just completed sewing all my string blocks into rows for my latest quilt which I am considering calling Black tie affair. The blocks are actually a type of bow tie block sewn together. But when sewen together you lose the bow tie. So I might have to change the name.

This is just a sample of them while I was first making them and was trying to see how they would play together. It turned out that I made enough blocks for 9 rows with 8 blocks per row. I haven't decided if I am going to do something in the black squares.

Bonnie, Thanks a million for making my idea come to life. You are the greatest. I am really going to love my little baskets. For anyone wanting the pattern Bonnie has it on her website in her blog Dated May 3, 2007. at Quiltville.com

Charlotte

Quilting Saturday

Good afternoon, Today has been a wonderful quilty day. I put the boarders on my little wall quilt and started the hand quilting on it too. I also completed the last of my spinning star blocks for Quiltville's Orange Crush Mystery. My wonderful friend Dawn came over and she sewed on the Carolina Cross Roads that she started after I finished mine.

My first Tiger Lillies have arrived.

I am so excited that I got to do some hand stitching on the little quilt. Gee I have to name it so I'll stop referring to it as the little quilt. It is the smallest quilt I have ever made. It measures 24 x 24 inches.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and safe weekend.

Charlotte

Friday evening the start to the weekend.

Good Evening, the weekend is here. I am on call again tomorrow. Hopefully it will be like last Saturday, Quiet quilty day. I recently took an office position and now have a very small office to decorate. I started a little quilt to hang. I am using the type of blocks that I made in part 2 of Orange Crush. Those little blocks are so cute. I have made 36 from the Chocolat line and another bundle of fat quarters from A day in the Country by Fig tree designs. My Ya Ya friend, Donna in Ca. sent them to me a year or so ago for Christmas and Birthday.
There must be something wrong with me. I have trouble cutting into my stash.
She doesn't wash and I do but I chose not to wash this and so I have not cut into this part of my stash until now. This will be a small hanging and I don't plan to have to wash it often. I am to the point of deciding boarders. I arranged the blocks in a sunshine and shadow setting. I tried lots of different settings but I like the sunshine and shadow best. I like it and the blocks are so easy to make using Bonnie's technique that I plan to start a larger one as leaders enders. You can see all of Bonnie's wonderful creations at Quiltville.com. When I figure out how to get her on my side bar she will be the first.

Update on Mystery 2. Orange Crush from Quiltville.com

I have finished all of step 3 and have 7 blocks to sew together for step four then I will be finished with all the steps before the next clue comes out. Oh my did the world just stop turning! I am the worlds slowest at my quilting. I start way more than I finish. I have been trying to finish 2 before starting anything new. That doesn't mean quilting and binding too.

Charlotte

Woody alarm clock has no snooze button.

Good morning, Bonnie suggested I get a fake owl and put near where the wood pecker is serenading me in the am. Yes, again today. The good thing that came out of my woody alarm clock this am, I was able to sew for 45 min on step 4. I will be finished with it before the next clue comes out.
Kimberly and I went to WM last night to get a few things needed for my office. We couldn't find an owl. So I guess I will have to go to Lowes. We then met Jason at Chilie's. Jason is Bonnie's oldest son. I am so lucky to see my daughter happy. They make a cute couple and they act like they enjoy their mom's company. How many mothers can say that?
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Charlotte

Monday back to work.

GoodMonday morning, I am happy to report that I was able to get my 15 min of sewing in this am before work, Yippee. I am not an early bird but thanks to a little bird I was up before the clock went off. Woodpecker on the gutters. Helppppp. What should I do? He woke me up Sat. too. That was ok since I wanted to get up early to sew. I went to bed late last night 1:15 am. I took the Mother's day nap that everyone kept telling me too.

The quilt that Kimberly was covered up with in the Mother's day post, was calling my name. I made a little mistake on the batting. I let a friend get me a wool batt when she went to the Maryland Fiber fair a few years ago. Well the batt must be for a comforter. Real fluffy. I started hand quilting with reg. quilting thread and was having problems with my stitches. So I changed to #8 pearl cotton. I am also using the stab/stick method. The rocking motion on that batt just doesn't like me. I also have been nursing a bad tendon in my wrist. With this stitch I don't move my wrist and I can get my stitches even. Since I am using the pearl cotton the quilting is looking like trapunto. Kimberly loves it and so do I.

No I don't live on the beach, a girl can dream can't she? I absolutely love water it centers me and gives me such peace. Anyway this was the sun coming up at Myrtle beach a few years.

Quiltville's mystery Orange Crush

I have been working on the second

Quiltville

mystery (Orange Crush) My colors

as you can see have no orange

anywhere. What to call mine,

Bonnie's Mystery # 2 of course.

my step 1 the four patches. Real scrappy the kitchen sink,

To use Bonnie's phrase, The fabric of my life/stash.

step 2 the Birds in the air blocks.

Then came step 3 which I am

using as leaders enders for step

4 so almost done.

Happy Mother's day

Today is Mother's day and I wish a beautiful day to every Mother. There is a storm going through right now. It woke me up and so what better thing to do when you can't go back to sleep? Blog or sew. I took these pictures yesterday. Under the unfinished quilt is my DD, Kimberly. Can you see her face? She was taking a little nap before getting off to work yesterday. The other picture is Garfunkle, He is 15 years old. He is sleeping in my string container on top of some completed blocks that have some black in them, I know I'll have a white kitty fur mess when I start putting those blocks together. Funny how everyone in the house including the animals winds up back here in my little habitat when I am sewing.I get up to iron and the next thing I know there will be no place for me to sit. I can't go anywhere without the dog, Darla following. I'll put a picture of her up in the near future. The quilt that Kimberly is snuggled under has been in the making for a long time. She asked for it a long time ago too. When she sees me starting another project she will ask, Who are you making that for? Most of the time, no one in particular and she usually gets it committed to her. I am very lucky that she is a patient person. Because it takes me a long time to complete most of my quilts. My son on the other hand is not patient and does not know the meaning of delayed gratification. He does seem to be able to pull some from deep within when taking care of the babies. He has a soon to be 2 year old and an 8 month old. Both girls. Pictures of them later too. I can't get everything posted in 1 day. Time to sew now before everyone starts getting up to go to church. Charlotte

On call Saturday

What better thing to do when you are on call and can't get involved with a messy project or sweaty house work. Quilt. I am currently working on Quiltville's Orange Crush Mystery. Bonnie's site is Quiltville.com. If you haven't browsed her site you are missing something.

I too am a scrappy quilter. My reason: I don't understand color very well. Even as a child when coloring my pictures never were the master pieces that my class mates were. So throwing everything and the kitchen sink in works for me. Just a few of my scrappy creations. My very first I have not picture. I made it when I was 11 or 12 and it was a string quilt. I didn't appreciate the work back then and I used it to death and abused it also. I laid out in the sun on it and let the dog sleep on it 15 years later and that was the end of it. The one in the picture is a square in a square and I called it Decade because from start to label it took me 10 years to finish. I gave it to my daughter and she has a real appreciation for it. She watched me hand quilt it for 6 months off and on. She even sat beside me and when I would get the needle stuck she would pull it through with my hemostats.

I guess it is time to get back to the old Kenmore, She loves the attention she gets. I hope the Bernina doesn't get jealous.

Jumping off the deep end.

I am jumping off the deep end at 2am. May 10, 2008. Starting a blog for things that interest me and of course what ever gets in the way that I have an opinion about.

This will be a pretty boring blog as blogs go but I am not a computer/tech person. I am learning as I go.