Back Online

I am finally back online with my own PC. Since my existing laptop was almost 5 years old and the hard has crashed twice in the last 6 months, I thought it might be time to purchase a new PC. So far I am quite happy with my new purchase :)

One would think I had more time to quilt since I had no PC to distract me with surfing the 'Net. I did not accomplish as much as I had thought but I did manager to start and almost complete a "seasons" embroidery. I will post pictures as soon as I take them :) I also made a tote bag using fabrics from my stash and a pattern I purchased at our local quilt show earlier this month. I felt very good about using fabrics from my stash.

I am busy preparing for a trip to Vermont. I am joining Megan and the sisters in their "Invasion of Vermont". Should be a fun weekend --- good friends, quilt shops, a quilt show, lots of wine and food, Ben & Jerry's . . . what more could a girl ask for?

Quilt shows, friends and PC update

I spent yesterday with the Posse at the Quilt Show in Edison. We had decided to take a day off from work and go see the show. Lots of nice quilts and vendors. I picked up a few more fat quarters for my CWD blocks. As Megan mentions in her recent post, I tempted her with my fabric selection -- obviously Megan has a bit more restraint than I do when it comes to fabric shopping. Of course, it didn't help that I had my friend Sue with me who is very good at spending other people's money.



On the PC front, I haven't made much progress. I need to call the company who manufactured the hard drive and see it if is covered under the warranty. I should really look for a new PC. In the meantime, I will just have to sneak onto DS computer when he is not home so I can surf the Net and post updates on my blog.

Yikes!!!

Hello fellow bloggers -- I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. I can't even remember what happened during the past two weeks except that DH was on vacation last week and threw a monkey wrench into my entire schedule! I love the man dearly, even more so now that he is back at work and I have my evenings to myself.

Unfortunately this post has to be quick as my personal computer is not working AGAIN and I am borrowing one to post this update. For some unknown reason Windows has decided not to start on my PC -- not even in Safe Mode. My oldest DS has promised to look at it as soon as he has the time.

I hope to be back online again soon and in the meantime, maybe I can get a little sewing done.

Is there a better way to spend a Monday?

I was fortunate to spend Monday at my LQS in attending a workshop with Libby Lehman. Actually the LQS wasn't that local - about two hours from home but well worth the trip even with rising gas prices. The workshop was titled "Super Machine Stitching". Libby demonstrated various satin stitching techniques including mitered corners and satin stitched circles which we were able to practice -- many of us (including me) still need practice but at least we have the idea. And with a bit of practice one can perfect these techniques. We also played with the many decorative stitches on our machines that we never seem to use. My best machine has 180 plus stitches but it seems I always use the the same one -- the straight stitch. While learning these techniques, we used many decorative threads such as metallic and rayon. For the first time I used a double needle. I also broke the double needle but at least I know how to thread it and how cool satin stitching looks for two different colored threads.

And although I don't have much to show for the 6 hours spent in class today --- two 12 inches squares of fabric with some stitch samples, etc. on them, I also don't have another UFO to add to the pile.

Have a great week!

Productive Week

Although I haven't spent much time in blog land this week, I have been busy working on civil war blocks and a couple of purses.






First my latest civil war blocks. I need to create a design wall and lay them out so I can do a sense check on my color choices. I think I may be heavily weighted in the blue/browns.






I was also able to finish my hobo bag that I started a few weeks ago. I quilted it on Monday night, started sewing it together and realized I didn't understand the directions. Luckily Caryn was going to the shop the next day and was able to look at the shop sample. The hard part was explaining to me over the phone how to piece the sides together. Not an easy task since I tend to be a visual person. However, Caryn did a great job explaining the construction method. Now I have to remember so I can tell her when she gets around to making her version of the hobo. This was the first time I had quilted the orange peel. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be -- I just need to remove my chalk marks.






On Saturday afternoon DH was called into work, my older DS was also working and the younger DS was out and about. Hmmm what to do in a quiet house with no interruptions for a few hours? Make a purse, of course!

Start to finish I don't think it took me more than 3 hours. I am already planning the next one. The metal handles are designed in such a way that you can easily remove them and use them for a similar bag in different fabrics. Perhaps something a bit more elegant that can be used as an evening bag? And it only uses 3 fat quarters! After the initial investment in the handles -- around $15, you can have a new purse for less than $10 and a couple of hours of sewing. How cool is that?

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are able to spend the day doing what you like to do --- reading a book . . . working in the garden . . . sewing, whether by hand or machine. Since the sun is shining in the Northeast today I think I will spend my day working in the flower beds. I may even find some time to do a little handwork on the deck this afternoon.

Enjoy the day!

More Civil War Blocks

I managed to piece 3 more civil war blocks last night --- at first I wasn't sure about my fabric selection for the Panic block (top left). But now that I have seen it in the photo, I think the choices are just fine.

Here are the two blocks that will make up my 30's quilt I mentioned in yesterday's post. One of the reasons I decided to make this quilt was because of the pink flower in the center of each of these blocks.


Does it surprise you that all of the easy blocks are complete? The white space will be a great place for a nice quilting design . . . maybe a circle of feathers? Perhaps I should research quilting designs of the 30's and pick a design from the time period.