New Blogger!

Just wanted to let you know that there's a new blogger out there! Judy and I met online many years ago when we were both making the "Grandma's Country Album Quilt" by Robert Callaham that was published in McCall's Quilting magazine. We had a little support group going and cheered each other along as we worked on these blocks. My quilt has been in the flimsy stage for several years now (yes, like the cobbler whose children had no shoes, the machine quilter rarely gets to quilt her own tops!) but Judy's has been finished for a long time. If you have a minute, head over and meet her at Irishlakequilter. Tell her I sent you! :o)

Judy's Challenge

Over on Judy's Blog she has issued a Stash Busting Challenge. I've decided to take her up on it! This fabric is something I purchased about 6 years ago, shortly after moving back to New Jersey. I got 3 yards of it when I went to the Love Apples Quilt Show. There show is coming up again in 2 weeks! I just fell in love with it and purchased another 3 yards shortly after the show, in a quilt shop. Whenever I would start a new project, I would pull this out, pair it up with my other fabrics and be disappointed...nothing quite matched. It just didn't play well with others!

Of course, this was the first fabric I thought of when I read Judy's Challenge. I pulled it off the shelf and finally had one of those light bulb moments! If it wouldn't play nicely, I could put it on the BACK of a quilt!!! Ironically, I've been searching online to find a backing fabric for my Sunflower quilt that I made over the summer. It was already washed, so this afternoon I sewed the 2 pieces together, trimmed the selvages, ironed it and now it's all ready to become the back of my quilt. This quilt is for ME so I can enjoy the backing fabric too. :o)

Now I have the month of February to get this quilt finished...and I'll have busted 6 yards of stash! I think I may have to pull another favorite to make a quilt top with as well. I love this challenge, Judy...thanks!

Productive Headache

I was in Kindergarten this morning and got a nasty headache. And it wasn't even from the kids! :o) I went to the gym after work, but cut my workout short because my head was pounding. When I got home, I took some Motrin, but didn't want to sit down. I loaded a customer quilt, took my daughter to wrestling (she's the team manager) and was going to start quilting. But...when I leaned over the machine, my head would pound! I just couldn't do nothing, knew I couldn't focus on knitting or applique, so started making Heartstrings blocks. So...my head still hurts, but at least I have something to show for it!

I haven't sat down at the machine for over a week and felt like I was going through withdrawal. I had done lots of applique, a little knitting and had quilted 2 or 3 quilts, but there's nothing like piecing blocks and having something wonderful when you've finished.

Update on my Women of the Bible Quilt I haven't had time to make the blocks, many of them are very involved and intricate. I still plan to do them, but have set them aside for now to finish up customer quilts and my challenge. I am keeping up with the Bible Study though...I figure that is the important part!

Customer Service

This morning I decided to pull out my new Featherz template for my Circle Lord. I couldn't quite figure out how to use it, so I sent an email to Michael at Loricles Quilting. Within about 15 minutes, ON A SUNDAY, my phone rings and it's Michael! After realizing that I hadn't received the instruction book that should have come with my template, he gave me instructions on how to use it, then emailed the instruction booklet to me. I am so impressed with their customer service! Whenever I have had a question, concern or wanted to place an order, I have had a response within a very short period of time.

After downloading the manual, I marked my template as he suggested. It looks like this now...


Before I had the instructions, I made this feather wreath which I wasn't thrilled with...I was backtracking far too often because I didn't know which way to go, and with the high contrast thread it just looked awful!
And here are the after pictures. I'm sorry they're hard to see, but you get can get the idea! It was so much easier knowing what to do. The instructions were simple to follow and I'm so pleased with the Featherz template! I can see I'll use this a lot. Thanks Michael, for you help and your amazing customer service!

applique question

I know that many of you do applique and I have a quick question. I've been working on my challenge quilt, which has to be machine quilted. (It IS going to a machine quilting show, after all!) My plan is to add applique leaves to my vine, but I'd like to make 3-dimensional flowers to add. So, as a longarmer, I plan to do the quilting before I add the flowers so that they don't interfere with the machine. Is there any sort of problem doing this? It just seems to make the most sense to me!

Thanks for your advice!

It's Monday

and I feel like I should be getting a lot more done than I am! I did find some time over the weekend to spend in my sewing room. As I was sitting in front of the window (feeling like I was on display!), the heat was coming up from the baseboards and I felt like I was having an enormous hot flash. Well, I get enough hot flashes without creating them while I quilt, so my husband and I moved my sewing table to the corner AWAY from the sunny window and FAR AWAY from the baseboards. So now maybe I won't overheat while I'm quilting and I'll spend more time in my sewing room! Here is my table, back where it started.



I have been working on something...my challenge for the MQX show in April. I can't show you all of it here, but I will show you the stashbusting part! I made this bias strip years ago for a round robin. I had about 6 feet left, so rather than make new bias strip, I pulled this out and busted it from my stash! That's got to be what, an eighth of a yard busted?? :o) Now to make some flowers and leaves to applique on!

Quilts and Scones...

Last night I finished a beautiful customer quilt. This was made by the friend of mine who came to visit me in August. She does beautiful work, I've shown her quilts before in my blog. This is her latest masterpiece!



I quilted freehand feathers all over...it was such fun!


And this afternoon, I whipped up a batch of cinnamon scones using my new mini scone pan which I bought with my gift card to Sur La Table. They turned out good, but would probably be much better if I added some cinnamon chips to them. I'll have to check the grocery store and see if I can get them. If not, they sell them in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Catalog.


My next project is working on the borders for my Challenge Quilt for MQX. They will be appliqued...once I design them! I don't think I'll work as quickly as Ann did on her borders though...nor will they look as beautiful!

Nancy, watch the mail!

These blocks will be heading to Nancy on Tuesday, in honor of her birthday. Once I clear up a few commitments, I'll be making more blocks to send for the Heartstrings project. These blocks are such fun to make!

Delilah Block

And here is my Delilah block for my Women of the Bible Quilt, completed. Paperpiecing all those little triangles was tedious, but I love how the block turned out!

HeartStrings Blocks

Happy Birthday Nancy! Here are two blocks to celebrate your birthday. Let me know where to send these.

I'm thinking these blocks can be very addicting...

Sunday Evening

and life is good! The Philadelphia Eagles just beat the New York Giants and will move on in the playoffs. My DH was at the game, I'm sure he's soaked, but I know he's happy!

This afternoon I loaded the first customer quilt of the year onto my longarm. Then I headed into my sewing room and worked on the blue and muslin 9 patch quilt I've been creating. It's very simple, just nine patches with sashing and cornerstones.



Then I began paper piecing the next block for my Women of the Bible Quilt. This is the center of it...the star is 3 inches across. It will have lots of little half square triangles around the edges. I love how it's turning out.





I've also taken Nancy up on her birthday wish and I've joined the Heartstrings group and will be making some string pieced blocks for Nancy's birthday. For the past few years I've quilted for Rosie's Calico Cupboard's Camp Reach for the Sky for children with cancer. I've quilted my last quilt for them and was looking for a new way to contribute. I've decided that Mary's Heartstrings group will be my charity project for this year. Thanks Mary for getting this started!

UFO's

I've been thinking a lot about UFO's. I said a few weeks ago that I don't really have any UFO's. I do have a few tops that need to be quilted, some blocks that need to be pieced into quilts, some fabrics for quilts that are planned. But...I've never considered these UFO's. For me, if it's labeled a UFO, then it's NEVER going to get finished! My one true UFO is no longer a UFO...it was repurposed and became several tablerunners and what's left will be a tabletopper.

So what do I call these projects that are just not done but are waiting for the next step? They are my Projects That Aren't Quite Finished. Most are just "seasoning", taking a well deserved break while they wait for their turn to become Projects That are Nearly Finished. Then they will continue on (after more seasoning, I'm sure!) to become Projects That Really Are Finished. I've started a list of these projects over on my sidebar, now that it's so easy to do it in blogger!

In the meantime, one of my Projects That Really Are Finished has gone to a new home. This quilt which I made over the summer languished on top of my sewing closet, waiting for a home. I just couldn't decide what to do with it, but was sure it was meant for someone special. Last week, my DH mentioned that a friend who he visits often and felt very close to had just been diagnosed with cancer. She had her first chemo treatment yesterday and from what I've been told, when you have chemo you tend to get very cold. As soon as he told me, I said, "That's where the quilt has to go!" and we boxed it up and shipped it. Yesterday she received it and called him. She was so appreciative! I'm thinking it would be good to have a few quilts on hand which have no purpose, yet would be appreciated in difficult times. Quilts that are ready to go at a moment's notice. So this is what I would like to work on this year as my stashbusting project.

First Finish

On January 1st I had my first finish for the new year, it just took me a few days to post it! This quilt has been in the works for about 4 years...an awfully long time for such a simple quilt! Once I finally had quilted it, I couldn't decide what to do about the binding. I didn't have any of the red left, didn't want to use white to bind it, so finally settled on the navy blue. I love how it turned out. I'm not sure where it will wind up but I may send it through Quilts of Valor.

Other than that, it's just good to be back to normal here! The decorations have all been packed for the year, we're all back to school (although almost everyone in the house is sick!) and we're eager to see what the new year brings. For me, I'm hoping it will bring lots of time for quilting, knitting, reading and all the things I enjoy. I have 2 or 3 quilts which I'm considering entering into the Machine Quilter's Exposition (MQX)show up in Manchester, NH...I have until March 1st to enter them, if I can get up the nerve! Of course, only one top is made and needs to be quilted, one small one is almost a finished top and the Whitework quilt I'd like to do is still living in my mind! If I'm going to be brave and enter them, I should get to work, I guess! :o)

Happy New Year!

Advent Calendar

Throughout the Christmas season, many of you have shared your Advent Calendars. I decided to wait until ours had all of the bears on it. I made this about 15 years ago and it is a much loved tradition in our house. Now our youngest places a bear on the tree every day in December, leading up to Christmas. The tree is needlepoint on plastic canvas and the bears are counted cross stitch on perforated paper. I did a lot of counted cross stitch...a long time ago!

Our Christmas was wonderful, although quite different for us! Our son worked on Christmas Eve until 8:30pm, arriving home from school about 10:00. We went to Midnight Mass at 11. The service was beautiful, and my favorite part is always when we all light candles, the lights are dimmed and we sing Silent Night. It truly brings home the spirit of the season.

We arrived home from church at about 12:30 and we decided to open presents. I popped some cinnamon rolls in the oven and we opened gifts while they baked. The kids all seemed pleased with their gifts, my husband was delighted with the Sizzlers Race Track and GameBoy that I gave him and I loved all of my gifts. Nothing quilty to share, but I did receive a beautiful leather bound (Large Print!) Bible, some gift cards, including one to Sur La Table and a beautiful silver chain for the cross I wear every day.

The best gift of the evening was the one my son gave to my husband. When he was little and we lived on Long Island, we were New York Islanders fans. Every season my DH would take Andrew to a few games. They were the source of many fond memories. Andrew texted me a few days before Christmas and told me he was getting his father tickets to an Islanders game, only this time, he would drive up to NY (about 2.5-3 hours from here) and he would pay for everything so he could give his father what his father gave him all those years. He said he didn't know who this gift would be more meaningful for...him or his dad. Well, from the expression on my DH's face, I know it will be very meaningful for his dad! He wrapped the tickets in a note that said, "Just like old times". It had to be the most thoughtful gift he could have given. The kid did good! :o)

While the kids slept in on Christmas morning, DH and I headed to 9am mass (after going to bed at 2:30am!). My parents, sister and nephew stopped by in the afternoon, then we all headed to my brother's for a little while. We came home, as is our tradition, and had a big Italian meal...2 kinds of lasagna, chicken parmagiana, Caesar Salad, bread and an ice cream cake for dessert. After dinner DH and the two older children headed to the movies to see "Eragon". The younger one didn't want to see it, so I stayed home with her.

I enjoyed Christmas so much this year...even with the changes to our traditions! This was the first year we haven't had a "believer" in the house, so it was different, but very nice. I've started taking down the decorations and getting the house back together. And now I'm off to take my daughter and her friend to Blockbuster so they can rent movies for the sleepover they're having tonight!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas!

Tree Topper

On the first day of school in my second year of teaching, a little third grader came into my classroom and promptly made a beeline for the space under my desk. Once there he sniffled and cried for most of the morning. I let him be...I figured when he was ready to come out, he would. Richie did come out eventually and he and I became fast friends.

When Christmas came, Richie gave me a special gift...a Christmas mug (which I still have) and an adorable little teddy bear. Right before Christmas that year, I met my husband to be. As we were decorating our first Christmas tree, we were looking for something to put on top of the tree. It was late and we didn't want to go out shopping for a star or an angel. As a temporary solution, we took Richie's little bear and tied him on top of the tree. We never did find another tree topper that year, and in the years that followed we couldn't bring ourselves to put anything else up on the tree. So, here it is, 22 Christmases later and Richie's bear is still on the top of the tree!

I wish I knew what happened to Richie!

Trimming the tree

Our tree has sat without ornaments for 2 weeks. Saturday night we finally decorated the tree. Sorry the picture is blurry! The tree stands out much better this year because I painted the paneling a lighter color over the summer and it doesn't blend into the wall anymore!

I've been sick for the last week and haven't done much at all. I called in sick today because I just didn't think I'd make it through the morning...and I didn't want to share what I have with the kindergarteners! So, I thought I'd share something with you...a few of my favorite ornaments.







First I have my little tree. There are just a few smaller ornaments on it, but this is the first year we've decorated it, usually it just has lights on it.






















This is the first Christmas ornament we bought. We got it on our honeymoon. Since we were buying a house, we cancelled our trip to Bermuda and drove up through New England. We found this in a little shop in Newport, RI.











When my children were little, before I got lazy, I made ornaments for each of us every year. Often they were done in counted cross stitch. This was the year of the gingerbread ornaments. They were stitched on brown Aida cloth...wish I could find more of this because I would love to make one of these for my youngest, who wasn't born when I made these!








And this little glass snowman was one that I bought 2 years ago for Christmas. I find that I'm accumulating more of these antique looking glass ornaments in recent years...they are so pretty, but fragile!

Yesterday we had our Christmas pageant at church. The children did a wonderful job. They told the story of the nativity with a twist...it was a takeoff of "Charlie's Angels" and was very cute. My daughter was one of the 3 angels and did great.

Today will be spent finishing a customer quilt (the last before Christmas!) and taking naps on the sofa. A rough day...I know. :o)

Naked Lemons

What to do? I have 10 naked lemons, stripped of their zest, waiting for something delicious to be made from them. Aside from lemonade, do you have any family favorites that I could make? Let me know!

Why do I have naked lemons? Well, last summer another blogger was making limoncello and I thought, "I'd like to try that!" But, my parents were heading to Italy in late August and they said they'd bring some back for me, so I didn't bother. Long story short, when they tried to buy it, they were told that the sellers couldn't guarantee that it would make it back to them in the states, so they didn't bother getting it. Fast forward to last night when my DH and I enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal at a new little restaurant near us. At the end of our meal, they served us some of their limoncello and it was wonderful! So, I decided to try it. I found a recipe on the internet for limoncello that would be ready in a week instead of about 40-60 days, so I'm trying that first. If it's not all the great, I'll try the longer recipe. I just know that I need to give it a try! I'll let you know how it goes...

And please send me some recipes! Thanks!

One last note...blogger told me again that I could upgrade and I did...it seemed pretty painless, I made sure to check and see if my email address shows in my profile and this is my first post...here goes....

Interesting...

Every time I log in to post, blogger asks if I want to update to the new blogger. So today, I had a little time and thought I'd finally give it a go. I sign in to my account and it takes me right to my dashboard. Not a word about updating to the new blogger! I look around, can't find anything asking me to click here in order to update. So, I logged out, figuring I'd do it later. Later comes and still, no Blogger Beta! Think they don't want me to switch anymore? Maybe they've realized how inept I am when it comes to the computer and are just too afraid that I'll mess up their system too!

If that's the case, they are very smart people!