'Twas the Night Before Christmas Giveaway

Christmas is my favorite holiday! Helen over at Hugs' n Kisses is giving away a copy of her newest pattern, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. What a great way to combine 3 of my favorite things -- quilting, stitchin' and Christmas. It would be so awesome to win a copy!

Thanks to Caryn for the heads up about the new pattern and giveaway!

And Congratulations Hannah!!!!

Happy Stitchin!

It's been awhile . . .

It has been about a month since my last post -- maybe I should aim for posting once a month :) The good news is even though I haven't been blogging (even reading blogs has been a challenge lately), I have been doing quilty things.

First I had to finish the two Friendship quilts to be raffled at the last guild meeting of the year. A BIG THANK YOU to Barbie and Janice for the awesome quilting on such short notice! I know I took pics -- just can't find the camera disc . . .

My next project was to finish the mini quilt for the mini quilt swap I signed up for last month.

I also made a little pin cushion to go along with the little quilt.

The pictures are not that good as the lighting in my house is not the greatest and I can't remember the last time the sun was out so I could take pictures outside.

My mini quilt from Ros in the UK arrived this past weekend. I cannot begin to describe how awesome this little quilt is -- the lilacs are made using numerous mini yo yos. Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. They are so fragrant.

DH and I also took a little cruise to Canada. This was our first time cruising. We were fortunate that we had good weather the day we were in port at St. John's and the last day at sea. We spent it poolside with Caryn, her DH and two other couples. It was quite relaxing sailing on the ocean, sitting in the sun (with sunscreen) and having a cabana boy bring whatever drink you happen to desire. Yes I am sure we will cruise again.

My current project is a baby quilt. I am using pastels -- pink, pale orange, yellow, green, blue and lavender on an off-white background. The block is what I call a modified nine-patch. The four corners of the nine-patch block are actually four-patch blocks which help to create the chain. I was able to cut the fabric this weekend and started piecing blocks yesterday. Will post pics as soon as I have a couple of blocks pieced.

Happy Stitchin'

Good Friends

I know it has been quite awhile since my last post. All of flowers have been planted since my last post. I still have some maintenance to do in some of my beds. I am hopeful that the weather cooperates this weekend so I can finish.

Last week I was in Rockford, IL on business. After landing in Chicago, we began our trek to Rockford. A short distance from the plant we stopped for breakfast at a small restaurant in a strip mall. And then the torment began . . . a couple stores down from the restaurant was a sewing center. Unfortunately I was unable to stop as I was traveling with co-workers. The next night while looking for a restaurant for dinner, we past another quilt shop. This one was closed for the day so the pain was too difficult to bear. Ahh maybe someday I will be back on my own and have the opportunity to drop in a say "hello".

Last night was the first Bruce Springsteen concert for his latest tour in our area. Caryn, Sue and I had made plans to meet at the arena a few hours before the concert so we could have dinner, etc. I left work as planned and when I arrived at my truck I noticed a puddle (actually a stream) of water under it. Hmm this can't be good, I am thinking to myself. So I reach down to touch the water and try to determine what is leaking from the truck. Okay so I have no clue and I proceed to open the hood. Why I have no idea since I really don't know what I am looking for but I open it anyway. Hmm perhaps I should call DH -- no answer, call again, no answer. Okay call #1 DS. DS answers on the second ring. I explain what I see and after some troubleshooting over the phone we determine the water pump is shot. DS thinks I can make it home if I stop and pick up a gallon of water and put it in the radiator. I am not convinced but seeing as at this point I am not going to the concert, I have to figure out how to get the truck home. So I call Caryn to tell her what is going on and she immediately asks "do you want us to pick you up?" Now that might seem like a reasonable question, except that I am a good 35 minutes farther than they need to travel to get to the arena. I said that would be great except how am I getting home. I knew I could leave the truck in the parking lot overnight but I still needed to get home somehow at the end of the night. A few minutes later and we have a solution. Okay they are on their way to pick me up so we can go see Bruce. I make another call to DS to tell him I am not coming home and leaving the truck. I tell him Caryn and Sue are coming to pick me up so I can still make it to the concert. His response "wow Mom, you have good friends". I said "yes I do!"

BTW, Bruce was awesome!!!! We had a great time and are already planning to buy tickets for when he returns.

Tomorrow those good friends of mine and their DHs are going to the Wine and Blues Festival. You can be sure I will raise a toast to "Good Friends!"

Have an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! Remember those who gave their lives for our freedom!

Happy Stitchin!

Feels Like Summer

We are enjoying a taste of summer here in the Northeastern part of the US. Friday night after work I went to my local nursery to see what was new and came home with a few plants that I couldn't resist -- pansies, geraniums, marigolds to name a few.

I spent the weekend outside working in my gardens. I have 5 areas around the house and yard to maintain not too mention the containers that I have on the deck and patio. Some of these will go into the existing gardens and some will go into containers on the deck.

I love this time of year when the weather turns warm and you can spend the entire day outside. I have to admit I did not spend all of yesterday working in the yard. I spent a few hours sitting on the deck reading Paula Deen's Memoirs. After we ate lunch at her restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in Savannah, we browsed through the gift shop and I picked up a copy of her book. It is a quick read and I am almost finished with it.

So as you can see, not much was done in the way of quilting this weekend. In fact, I don't remember the last time I actually sat in front of my machine and sewed. I have been doing some handwork but not as much as I should given all of the projects I would like to do! Perhaps I will sit on the deck tonight and do a little handwork before it gets dark.

Happy Stitchin'

Beaches, Bars and Boats (oh and a few lighthouses)

Yes it has been awhile since my last post but I have a good excuse this time . . . I was away on vacation for 12 days and busy planning and preparing for it prior to leaving. Okay so it sounds like the dog ate my homework excuse but I really was away for 12 days. We were fortunate enough to go to Key West, Florida and spend a few days with my brother and his family. If you have never been to the Florida Keys, you need to go. The drive from Miami to Key West is unbelievable. At some points there is only water on either side of you. The remains of the Flagler railroad tracks are still in place next to the road that transports millions to a tropical paradise. Of course the journey to Key West would not be complete without a stop at the Cape Florida Lighthouse on Key Biscayne.

Key West is known for its bars and nightlife. On the last night we went to Hogsbreath Saloon for a few drinks and a bite to eat. There were people from all generations -- the 20 somethings to Baby Boomers . . . I was amazed at the diversity in age.

One night we took a sunset cruise on a clipper and helped lift the sails -- the sunsets in Key West are breathtaking.

A few more lighthouses -- Key West and Hillsboro Inlet

In all we saw 13 lighthouses in the Florida Keys, Georgia and South Carolina. We were able to climb to the top of 6 lighthouses. Hunting Island, SC is the only historic lighthouse that is open to the public. It is also almost an hour off of Route 95. DH was not a happy camper as it delayed our trip home by several hours.

I had intended to complete lots of handwork during our trip but the best laid plans of mice and men . . . I did make significant progress on my knitted shawl. Had I remembered the last skein of wool, it would have been finished! I also made some progress on my Halloween redwork. I have 3 completed and a fourth almost done. There are nine in total and I am trying to decide whether to stop now and make a wall hanging or continue to stitch all nine blocks to make a quilt. So many projects, so little time . . .

Happy Stitchin'

Has it been that long ? ? ? ?

Yikes! Where has the time gone? My last post was almost a month ago! I don't even know where to begin so I guess I will start with the latest and greatest . . .

There was a quilt show last weekend. Since the guild had a table to sell raffle tickets for our beautiful blue and white basket quilt, we needed volunteers to white glove. So since the word "no" doesn't ever seem to be in my vocabulary . . . . . guess who volunteered? This was the first time I had white glove and I am happy to say that I would gladly do it again. It a great opportunity to see the beautiful quilts on display and to met and chat with fellow quilters. All of the quilts were wonderful and it is always inspiring to see quilts on display.

Of course the vendors were wonderful as always . . . I added to my growing stash of brights to be used for my Aunt Millie's Garden and the Lollipop quilt. Now to find a hour or two to do some prep work!

I also picked up a small redwork kit to make a needlecase -- this was such a quick project I may need to make a few more for gifts.

I also picked up these lovely Asian fabrics . . . can you see them in a tote bag?

My kitty was out of food so that necessitated a stop at the pet store on the way home from work tonight . . . conveniently there was a Borders in the same mall that kept calling my name telling me to come in and browse. And look what I found ----

Think I will make a cup of tea and curl up on the couch.

Happy Stitchin!

Tote Bag Mania

My mini Miranda is finally finished. Actually the bag itself has been finished for several weeks. I was debating whether to use fabric handles or fashion handles. While cleaning my sewing room (a work in progress), I came across handles I purchased at MJ Trim in NYC. They are a great source for beads, buttons, buckles, handles, etc.

During my recent shopping excursion with Posse members Caryn and Sue, I picked up the fabric for this purse by Grand Revival Design. The fabric is from their Barefoot Roses line. I had no business even starting this purse given the number of UFOs that I have but I couldn't resist. It is so spring like -- all I need is for the weather to feel spring like so I can use it.

And even though your day is almost over,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUE!

Happy Stitchin!