Glorious Weekend!!!

The weather was beautiful which made a trip to the Jersey shore a delight...

Atlantic City was off in the distance...

A day spent with friends around the bonfire...making s'mores!

Time spent with my daughter and her best friend...

Roses in their final blooms to greet us at home...

And the Phillies won the National League East!!!!!!!

Does it get any better than this????

He Loves Me...

I've been playing with blocks for the last week and it's been such fun! (Although I now remember why I've only made one true sampler quilt...it takes forever to decide on the blocks, find the patterns, choose the fabrics, cut them individually...) I've made two more blocks since this picture was taken and have ten more to go. I'm going to keep them set on the diagonal, have the darker blue as sashing and a light blue with daisies from the same line as setting triangles. I'm thinking a light yellow narrow border, then the daisy fabric again as a wider border. Any leftover fabric will go on the back...I don't want to add any of this to my stash!

In spite of what the thermometer says, fall really is approaching. I'm ready! I'm itching to use my jelly roll of Harvest Boutique fabrics and I've found the perfect pattern for it...Bonnie's Playing With Jacks quilt. It's all made with 2.5" strips and I think it will look great with the fall fabrics. Thanks, Bonnie for sharing your talents with us!

I'm still trying to decide on a BOM...I've been looking around my sewing room wondering why I think I need another project! Maybe it's time to concentrate on some others. I'm waiting for the bug guy to show up for our annual termite inspection, so maybe I'll try my hand at the longarm...I haven't touched it since before my surgery! I'm definitely going through withdrawal...especially since it's one of MY quilts on there! :o)

Monday, Monday...

It's another beautiful day here in NJ...we've had quite a stretch of them lately! Although fall has arrived, we'll be having a stretch of Indian Summer this week. Temperatures back up near the 90's and higher humidity. And I thought we were done with the air conditioning for this year!I spent some time doing my favorite things this weekend. I finished my Irish Hiking Scarf (click the link for the pattern!) and I love how it turned out. Now my DH is asking for one for himself. The color is a little more true in the first picture, but you can see the cables in the second.

I've been working on blocks for my "He Loves Me" quilt...I hadn't worked on it for awhile as I was playing around with changes in the design. This will be an ongoing project, I guess!

I also made more journal covers for my Etsy store. I loved this pink and green fabric...so cheerful!

My big dilemma is that I'm really wanting to start something new! I've been considering joining a Block of the Month from one of the online quilt stores. What stores have you done BOMs with? I'd love some input. The one I'm seriously looking at is the Moda University Mystery Quilt at The Fat Quarter Shop. I'm just hesitant to sign up for something that I can't see! I do love the block they show on the website, but I really wish I had a clue what the finished quilt would look like before I invest that amount of money! As long as I'm asking questions, for those of you who subscribe to BOMs, do you actually do the blocks when you receive them? I have visions of piles of block kits on my table and no actual blocks made!

I'll have to keep thinking about it...

Etsy Stores

I've been hearing a lot about Etsy and seeing the success that people are having with selling there, so today I took the plunge and opened an Etsy store! I don't have much in there yet...I've made some journal covers and thought I'd test the waters with them. I hope to make other quilted items...and maybe even some quilts...to list there.

Do any of you have experiences on Etsy to share? I'd love to know what you think of it! Thanks...and you can visit my site by clicking the link to the right or going to my store!

Ebay listings

I've decided to clear out a few longarm quilting videos that I no longer watch. If you're interested, here are links to the listings...each is listed at $5.00 to start. They were incredibly helpful to me when I started machine quilting since I knew absolutely nothing. I remember having to watch the Donita Reeves video every time I loaded a quilt, just to make sure I did it right! They are still useful for ideas and instruction...happy shopping! Just click on the title of the video to go to the listing.

Commercial Machine Quilting - Introduction to Custom Quilting by Marcia Stevens

Tips and Techniques for Long Arm Machine Quilting with Donita ReeveCreative Machine Quilting by Marcia Stevens

Chilly Monday

Fall is in the air! It's quite chilly this morning...a perfect time to think about what I'd like to make with the beautiful jelly roll of fall fabrics that I received on Saturday from the Fat Quarter Shop! Thank you so much! You can visit their blog at The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber...tell them I said hi!

My roses are putting forth their final bloom of the season. This looks like it will be the last of my Old English roses, although the hybrid teas are going crazy! I just love the Old English roses...the blooms are gorgeous and the smell is heavenly.

Thank you for all of your comments on my quilt and recovery...you are all the best!

Borders are on...

I got the borders on my Keepsake Squares quilt today. I had a hard time choosing colors...my first thought was a red outer border and yellow inner border, but I couldn't find fabrics that I liked. Then I went to a light orange inner border and yellow outer border. I got the orange on, but didn't like the yellow. So, off came the orange and I pulled out the yellow and blue. Now I love it! When I'm back to work, I'll be quilting this one.

I had a follow up visit with the doctor on Tuesday. All of the pathology on my tumor and cysts came back benign! I finally could breathe a sigh of relief...and say a prayer of thanksgiving. I didn't realize how much it was weighing on me until I got the good news.

And more good news....I found out yesterday that I had won a contest over at the Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber. I'm very excited...I'll post pictures when my prize arrives! Thanks to all the folks at the Fat Quarter shop...I've never shopped there, looks like I'll be starting!

Monday Morning...

And I'm still keeping busy! I finished this log cabin quilt before my surgery, but didn't take a picture until yesterday. It has been donated to my church for their service auction to be held on September 29th. I hope they make some money with it!











I've also made a few heartstrings blocks...



















I made a scarf for my daughter from some yarn we had laying around the house. It's simple garter stitch and until I finished it and took a picture, I didn't see the pattern in it!

I also did something that I guess could be considered an orphan quilt. :o) A few years ago I joined the Keepsake Quilting Club and received two boxes of die cut squares...samples of all the fabric that I could order from them. Even though they weren't quite square, I decided to make the best of it and sew them all together, totally randomly. I made them into four patches, then sewed them all together...that's 576 little squares there. I'm trying to decide on borders...I'm thinking they'll need to be pretty plain since the center just screams, "look at me!!!"

Nothing....

says get well like a chocolate cake...and that's exactly what my neighbor brought over yesterday. Isn't it adorable? Tastes amazing too!

Keeping Busy

I've never had to spend a long amount of time housebound, at least not since I had little kids. I've been trying to keep busy.

I knitted a dishcloth.















I did some hand quilting...















I crocheted a prayer shawl...



















I've just cast on a simple garter knit scarf for some mindless knitting. I tried working on a sock and the knit 2, purl 2 ribbing was just more than I could handle. I don't seem to have much of an attention span for knitting!

The girls go back to school this week and I'm out on medical leave until October 22nd. I'm thinking I'll be spending some time in my sewing room once they're in school...can't wait!

It's a Boy!

While I was in the hospital, my son called to tell us he'd adopted a 5 year old Pekingese named Max. He brought Max to visit on Sunday, so I got to meet my new grandpuppy. :o) He's a sweet dog and spent most of the afternoon snuggled up next to me on the sofa...when he wasn't following Andrew around. He's become very attached to Andrew and Andrew just loves him.

On Sunday, my parents stopped by for a visit too. My mom brought me some quilts that she had found at my grandmother's several years ago when she passed away. My mom had given me a quilt back then, which I took apart and found another quilt underneath. I had seen the crazy quilt before, but the other top was a surprise. It's in perfect condition and she believes it was made by my great grandmother. I'm hoping to hand quilt it. I'll post better pictures when I can lift things again...the crazy quilt is very heavy!


I'm feeling a little better every day. I'm still sore and very tired, although I'm sure that's caused by the pain killers I'm still taking. I probably wouldn't be quite as sore if I hadn't taken a tumble out of bed the night before last. Coordination is NOT one of my strong points!

I've managed to read about 7 books, 3 magazines and knit half of a dishcloth since I've come home. I just don't have much energy yet. I'm getting totally spoiled...my husband is a much better wife than I ever was...the house is clean, laundry is done and meals are on the table every night. I'm truly blessed!

I'm home!

Just wanted to send a quick post to let you know that I'm home from the hospital and all is well. The surgery went well, although I apparently didn't want to wake up from the anesthesia...I must have been having some good dreams! Now I'm to spend the next two weeks being waited on hand and foot. That will take some getting used to, but I think I'm up for the challenge.

Thank you for all of your good wishes...I'll check back in soon!

Hugs,
Carolyn

Thanks, Finn!

I've been seeing this around blogland lately and I was delighted when I saw Finn had given me this award! So, thank you Finn, I'm honored!

As for nominating 5 others, I know there are so many of you who have already received this and I can't keep track. So, I'm going to nominate The Gypsy Quilter, whether she has received it or not and stop there.

Pictures later...I finished the donation quilt for church last night!

Continued...

The promised closeup..this quilt was fun to do!
And to keep things interesting, I quilted this customer quilt too. This is from the same customer who made the purple and orange log cabin from awhile ago...she has such a flair for color!
And here is the back.

Next on the agenda is the log cabin quilt that I'm making for my church service auction...and then I think I'll take some time for myself! Of course, I won't have a choice...my surgery is on Wednesday. I've got stacks of books from the library to read. I've gotten a number of Debbie Macomber books. Until her knitting books I'd never read her. She has a gentle way of writing that just sweeps you through her stories so you can't put them down. I borrowed her Cedar Cove series from the library and I'm looking forward to them.

It's a gorgeous day here in NJ...the heat has broken and it's about 75 degrees...just beautiful! I hope you enjoy your day...wherever you are!

Saturday Afternoon

Despite my good intentions, I never made it to the post office this week, so the little roll bags will be heading out on Monday...I promise! So, here are a few things that I've been keeping busy with.

This prayer shawl is one that I made last month, just never posted a picture. It's crocheted in Homespun yarn, the color is Quartz and I loved the striping it gave to parts of the shawl. This will go to our Caps and Laps program.
I quilted this lovely Pansy Park quilt for a customer. She does beautiful work!
And a shot of the back...I love my Circle Lord feathered wreath template!












I also quilted this beautiful customer quilt...closeups in the next post!

Paying it Forward

A number of years ago, a friend of mine made this little roll bag for me. I've used it almost every time I sit down to do hand work, ever since. I keep some thread, needles, pins, applique pins, scissors and a thimble in my bag so it's ready at a moment's notice, whenever I want to do some applique, bind a quilt, hem a pair of pants, sew on a button...whatever!

Since I love mine so much, I decided that they would make great gifts for those who responded to my Pay It Forward post. I hope they like them! They will be in the mail sometime this week...

Home Again

I'll bet you didn't even know I was gone! :o) My youngest turned 13 last Saturday and I promised to take her on a trip to where ever she wanted, as long as I could get there in 2 hours. She chose Baltimore. We drove down yesterday morning and arrived around noon. We did a whirlwind tour of the Inner Harbor...first going to the Aquarium, then shopping in all the malls. It was great fun!


Since we were only staying one night, I wore one outfit and packed another. Big mistake! As we were walking from the hotel to the Aquarium, the skies opened up and it poured. We were soaked all the way through. After the Aquarium, we went back to the hotel and changed into dry clothes. Since 13 year olds LIKE to shop, I was able to find some new tops to wear home that even she approved of!
This morning, even though we had planned to stay later, we were on the road home by 11 am. We had done a little more shopping (sensing a theme here?), then decided that neither of us felt well enough to hang around in the heat. We made it home in about 2 hours...well, not quite home. We stopped at the mall for a quick bite to eat and to get Grace's ears double pierced. Not quite sure how I got talked into that one, but I did. They look great.

For those who asked, I did get the new floor in my sewing room down, as well as a new ceiling fan. I'm working on getting the last two customer quilts that are in house finished before my surgery on the 22nd, so haven't had much time for other things. I've started a log cabin quilt, that I have to have finished by September 20, for a "service/goods auction" that our church is having. I'm also making this cute little cableknit scarf for myself for the winter. It's a very pretty shade of golden tan that just doesn't show up well in the picture. I'll have lots of time to work on this after my surgery!

Canoe Carnival 2007

Medford Lakes Canoe Carnival is over for another year, and this year was quite a challenge. Our theme this year was "Geesed Lightening" and we used a remixed version of the song from Grease...we cleaned up the lyrics. Have you ever listened to that song? I never had and the lyrics were, well, explicit!

We were ahead of schedule on Thursday...had the car on the float and were ready to add the rest of the elements and...one of our canoes sunk! Apparently someone came along and vandalized the canoe wrapping (we wrap them in plastic so they won't fill with water and sink) on several floats and ours was one. With the help of members from another float group, (thanks Scrub Pines!) it only took us a few hours to raise the float, pump out the canoe and reseal it so that it would be "lake-worthy" again. Crisis averted!



We finished up the float in time for the start of festivities on Saturday night. When we plugged everything in we discovered that we needed to draw more power than our generator could handle, so we had to turn off some of our lights. It made the float a little dark, but the judges didn't seem to mind...we won our division and came in 3rd overall!

It's hard to believe it's over for another year...but now it's time to get back to quilting!

Still here...

And working on the float every day. Here's a sneak peek...more pictures after Saturday!