Ladies Who Lunch are back!

Today I met Karen and Lynn at the clubhouse for lunch. We were celebrating Karen's birthday which is today and Lynn's which is Saturday.
We had a delicious lunch and stimulating conversation. It had been almost a year and a half since I had seen Karen so it was so good to see her smiling face. She's always smiling. Maybe it's about her 9 grandchildren under 5! She and Lynn share 3 of the grandchildren since Lynn's son and Karen's daughter are the parents of those 3!
After lunch I took a quick trip to the quilt shop. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful quilt shop about 4 miles away. I found some fabric to finish the companion quilt to the one I posted and sold on this blog last night. Hopefully it will be finished in another day or two. Keep watching, particularly if you may be interested in purchasing it since the last one sold so quickly.
After dinner and a little nap I sewed a little more on the traditional quilt. Tha will be in progress for a while! After I put the pieces of this puzzle together I'm heading back to do a little more sewing.

As you put this puzzle together you can think about the delicious lunch we had!

Crazy for Christmas Quilt

Crazy for Christmas 14" x 17" $200

SOLD


It's finished and if I do say so myself it is quite spectacular. I went from imperfection on the traditional quilt to absolute perfection on this quilt. The crazy piecing is emphasized with decorative machine stitches using special metallic threads. The combination of cotton fabrics, both print and plain, contrast nicely with the metallic fabrics. The borders and binding finish this off for a Merry Christmas.

Although you've done a puzzle of this quilt in progress it is truly a star of the show now!

Christmas Crazy Quilt

Last night I was asked on Facebook if I had made any Christmas quilts. After telling about the ones I had made I remembered I had one started here. I found it and today I worked on it. The only thing left to do is the binding.
I have always loved old crazy quilts. This is my interpretation of a crazy quilt using today's wonderful threads, prints and metallic fabrics. I really enjoyed making it.

Tonight's Crazy Quilt uses the crazy puzzle cut.

I'm back - finally!

I found this quilt block design in a quilting magazine several years ago. Even though I hadn't done traditional quilts for some time I was fascinated by it.
Two years ago I cut a lot of rectangles and squares to make this. I pieced several blocks and laid out more of the blocks until I had about 30 - not even enough for a blankie.
To lay out a block I put all the pieces in the correct arrangement between the pages of a magazine. Then I turn a few pages and lay out another block. This makes it so much easier when the time comes to sew the blocks.
Today I started sewing more of the blocks together. I have a goal when creating this project - IMPERFECTION! I am really a perfectionist when I am quilting and I think this block could benefit from a few pieces that don't match! It might make it look like it was an old quilt. However anyone who is familiar with today's fabrics will not be fooled. It won't hurt me either to become less of a perfectionist!
I like to chain piece. This block does NOT let me do that. I had pieced several blocks and realized I had probably thrown away a half of spool of thread cutting off the beginning and ending threads on each seam. I got out a scrap and sewed onto and off of that between each line of stitching. Not only did this save thread, but it kept the fabric from being pushed into the hole in the throat plate as I started each seam.
When I haven't sewn for quite some time I like to choose a project that doesn't require much thinking. This is that kind of project.

For those of you who have been experiencing puzzle withdrawal I'm back with one for you tonight.

Honey, I'm home - AGAIN!

I had a smooth uneventful flight to Florida. When I arrived in Orlando my good friends John and Lynn were there to pick me up and whisked me home.

I got the MOST WONDERFUL surprise when I arrived home. They had power washed my lanai (it was really dirty from the summer winds and rain). Not only that, they had brought out all the furniture which had resided in the garage over the summer, including the cushions. But that wasn't all - they found the Hotel Florida window, the Apple Blossom Time quilt and the Tord Boontje lamp and hung them all. Then they brought out my plants.
I am still finding things they did for me to make my arrival wonderful. They aired out the house and cleaned the 5 big sliding glass doors.
The refrigerator was turned on and stocked with Coca Cola and water. The phone was plugged in and ready to use. The water heater temperature was turned up for me. They hung the Seldom Inn sign by the front door.
I'm still finding things they did.
They are just the best and I am so lucky to have them as friends.

It is now Sunday morning and I am sitting on the lanai watching the skinks (small lizards) climb up the screens outside and sun themselves. I also have a beautiful view of the golf course and the golfers.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood where the temperatures are in the low 70s at 11 a.m.

What a difference a gauge makes!

Last winter I decided to knit a shawl for myself similar to the afghans I had knit. I loved the feel of them - lightweight and yet warm.
When I finished this one it was half as long and twice as wide as it is now. It stretched way out of shape.
I realized I used too large of a needle and knit it with too little tension as I knit.
I chose to use a rainbow of colors so it would go with anything.
I still love it, but I have to fold it in half or do some other creative things with it to wear it.
I used Size 15 needles and 100 stitches.

I assembled another group of yarns and changed several things when I knit this one. I used size 13 needles, 80 stitches and a tight tension as I knit it.
This shawl has a totally different feel to it and is hardly long enough to wrap around me. But - it covers my back and shoulders. It too feels good. The colors of this one are more similar and yet there are many things I can wear it with.
I probably used about 50 different yarns for this one.I love this type of knitting. I use up all my leftover yarns and have so much fun putting them together to create a pleasing design. No yarn is too short to use if it is at least 12 inches long!



This shows a size comparison of the two of them. The rainbow colored one is folded double.

I won't be getting much use out of either of them soon as I head to Florida tomorrow.
Everything is ready as I had planned on going a week ago and had to delay my trip. I've been packed for a week, the house is organized and my house sitters are ready for me to leave!

My favorite cut for tonight's puzzle!

21 years ago today I became a grandmother

Today is my granddaughter Heidi's 21st birthday. This is one of my favorite recent photos of her. She will soon be graduating from college. Where have the years gone?

This is another photo I really like I believe it was taken at some kind of retreat.

A few months ago she had to dress up as a rock star at work one day. I think she did a fantastic job and I can just picture her and one of her guitars on stage with one of her favorite bands.

The stars are shining on Heidi today!