Quilts and More

We had a very quiet day here, just puttering around until we heard sirens and they came down our road. We live out in the country so we don't often hear sirens, especially not going in front of the house. After two ambulances, two sheriff's cars, and three highway patrol cars came by, we decided that something bad had happened and we were right. Our neighbor called us to tell us about it as it happend in front of her neighbor on the other side. Two young girls on a high powered ATV were roaring up and down the road when they took the corner too fast. Apparently they hit a patch of gravel and started sliding. Instead of backing off the power, they revved up the engine and caused it to spin out and then flip. They rolled the ATV into a double strand barb wire fence and landed in a field. They were thrown off. According to the neighbor, the girls turned several flips in the air and the ATV rolled across them. I'm not sure how bad they are but they took one to the trauma center at UT by Life Star. They were visiting at a friends house for a pool party. The man that owns the ATV had let them ride it earlier but while everyone was out in the pool, they decided to take another ride and no one knew they were out on it until they heard the sirens and realized that they were gone and so was the ATV. We frequently see kids, and some adults too, roaring back and forth on the road in front of the house. There are hills and blind curves on the road that are dangerous. I really feel for the parents but wonder when the kids are going to realize that an ATV isn't a toy and when the parents are going to take them seriously.

Better get off my soap box now. I've been through the calls from the ER with my son and his friends rolling a VW out in the desert so I know how it feels.

Saturday night thoughts

Last Thursday when I took my aunt out to lunch, we couldn't get near our usual place in the small town of Cumberland Gap, TN for all of the motorcycles there. This week was the "Honda Hoot" in Knoxville and Thursday was the group ride to Cumberland Gap and they had lunch there. You can't see much in these photos as we weren't allowed on the main street and had to detour around them. I took one picture fron the end of the street and the other from across the small park in the center of town. The town is tiny. The main street is only a few blocks long but it is pretty. The businesses there are mainly antique shops now and a wonderful restaurant, Webb's Country Kitchen. We had to go somewhere else but still had a good time spending the afternoon together.

Today we went to Lowe's and spent quite some time just looking. Since we are pretty sure that we are going to go with new construction, we decided to look at what's available in refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ceiling fans, and such. I was amazed at the big price difference between the basic models and the top of the line with all of the bells and whistles. You sure could get carried away if you weren't careful. I don't want the absolute bottom model but I also don't want the top of the line either. I'm going to wait and see what the builder installs and then decide if I want to upgrade. But, all of that is assuming that we are going to have a house built and we aren't at that point yet. Guess you could call this, being prepared.

Howard and I are both big fans of all type of auto racing, including drag racing. He and my son have both been involved in racing at one time earlier in their lives. We were just heartbroken at the news today of the death of Scott Kaletta in the explosion and crash of his dragster. My heart and prayers go out to his family.

Too many motorcycles

My aunt and I couldn't get near our usual place that we go to for lunch once a week. This week is the "Honda Hoot" in Knoxville and today was the group ride to Cumberland Gap. CG is a tiny, quaint town located at the start of the Gap in the mountains. The ride from Koxville to Cumberland Gap is through the valley I live in, a beautiful ride. There must have been at least 500 motorcycles parked at an angle to the curb, as close together as they could get on both sides of the street. I tried to take some pictures but not sure if they came out. If they did, I'll post them later. So, we went to a small coffee shop that is next door to an antique shop. Didn't take time to look at the antiques but may if we go there again.

I'm off to bed. Have a busy day ahead. We are going to Cookeville, about 2 hours away, to continue our house hunting. We are set up to see six houses. From the pictures on the internet, two or three of them are very promising. I'm crossing my fingers. Cookeville has several quilt shops, a Hobby Lobby and a Joann's. If we find a house there, I'll be in quilt heave. For the last seven years, the closest quilt shop has been 55 miles away. My only fabric closer was the Wal-mart about 10 miles away. It sure will be nice to be close to a real quilt shop.

It was a frustrating weekend

We went to the Mount Juliet/Lebanon area east of Nashville, TN to look at houses. It seems that lots of people are moving out of Nashville and the nicer houses there sell very quickly and the ones left are either very old or very tiny. We want to downsize but do want enough room for both of us to live in the same house at the same time. We saw one that would have been workable if the closets had been larger than a small linen closet, and we would have had to fence in the yard for the dogs. I expect to have to do some work but not the major renovation that the others needed. Some needed complete a complete kitchen redo, along with the bathrooms, another needed a new roof from the looks of the water spots inside. Another needed the garage wall jacked up and a new foundation put under it as it was shifting badly. Also, I want to be closer than 12 miles to the nearest supermarket like I am not and these were all way out there on narrow roads. I don't want to sound like I'm whining but I was so disappointed in what we saw. It looks like we may have to go with new construction and then deal with the landscaping if we decide to move to that area after all. We are going to look in the Cookeville area next weekend. It's only a little over an hour to my mom's so it would work. From what we see on the internet, houses appear to be less expensive and closer in than last week. We'll see how it goes.

I wasn't able to get on the computer Sunday night after we got home, server problems. Today it seems to be working pretty good. I hope it stays that way.

Today has been a beautiful day, didn't hit 80 and low humidity. Supposed to be that way for the next few days. May just turn off the a/c and open the doors and give the house a good airing out. Hope to be able to get back to my sewing and get something accomplished. I have gone through a large stack of magazines to decide whether or not to keep them. The problem with that is that I keep finding projects and quilts that I want to make so my "to do" list is growing.

Prayers that everyone is safe from the floods and are staying cool and getting lots of quilts made.

It's Nap Time

Howard is taking a nap and I think I may just join him in a few minutes. Everything went well this morning. The doctor said that it all looked good, only saw one small polyp and removed it. Of course, we had to stop at Cracker Barrel on the way home to eat. He was starving and I wasn't far behind him. I think we even considered licking the plates. Had to make a couple of stops on the way home at the bank and post office and grocery store. He had to pick up some pie shells as he wants to make a couple of Pecan Cheesecake pies to take with us to my brother's tomorrow. I made him take a nap first, cooking can come later.

It's hot again here. It's 87. I know that's not hot compared to some parts of the country but here in the mountains, that's too hot for mid June. We had good rain during the spring but now it seems to be slowing down. During the past week and a half, we've only had half an inch of rain two nights ago. Along with the high temperatures for here, the yards and fields are beginning to show signs of stress and lack of water. I hope we don't have a repeat of last summer's drought.

We are going to be going to my brothers tomorrow so I may not be able to post again until after we get home late Sunday. I hope to be able to report that we have made an offer on a house. But, if not, there's always the next weekend. Hope to do it in one weekend tho as we already know the area fairly well since we both have family in that area.

All Clear for now

Had to go in this morning for a repeat mammogram, magnified view, and an ultrasound, both sides due to changes since the last one just over a year ago. They have a female doctor at the imaging center and she read the results while I waited. All looks benign but wants to recheck in six months. I'm so glad I didn't have to wait a week or two to get the results.

We got the call from our bank that we are preapproved for a loan so we can make an offer on a house, if we find the right one, when we go out looking on Friday. But, can't close on it until our buyer closes on their house and then closes on ours. It's all very much like playing ring around the rosy, someone has to make the first move and when they do, everything else falls into place very quickly. Guess I'd better get busy with the sorting and packing of my sewing room.

While we are at my brother's over the weekend, we are going to take my step dad out for father's day. He is 88 and failing so we are taking every opportunity to be with them that we can. He and my mom have been married 52 years. They got married the weekend I graduated from high school a long time ago. I love him as if he were my dad and it hurts to see him going downhill like he is.

Tomorrow's going to be another busy day for us. Have to be at the doctor's by 8:30 and not sure when we will be out of there. They will sedate Howard to do the colonoscopy so I have to do the driving afterwards. I'm sure he will be hungry so I'd better plan on where to stop and eat on the way home or else stop and do a little grocery shopping on the way home. I wish I had some handwork to take with me. I might take a ball of cotton yarn and knit a dish cloth or two. Might read. I'm on the third book of the Elm Creek series. So far, I've enjoyed them.

I don't understand humidity

How can it be dry, no rain for over a week, and the humidity still be in the upper 80 per cent. Because of the humidity, it's been like a steam bath outside this weekend. It hit 91 yesterday and today was 94 degrees. I don't want to know what the heat index was. I've just stayed inside and been very thankful that our air conditioner is working well. I didn't even go out to buy a Sunday paper, just stayed inside like a hermit.

The only think I've done is knit a dishcloth/hot-pad while watching the NASCAR race and sipped a clase of cold peach tea. Even the dogs found a cool spot and napped. They will probably be up all night since they slept all day.

Tomorrow morning I have to go to the eye doctor for a follow up of my visit last month. He saw a spot on the retina of one eye and wants to recheck it. He doesn't think it's anything serious but wants to be sure. If it's changed, then I go to see a retina specialist. Oh well, that's what you do after you retire, see doctors. It's your new job.

We have a contract

We did it. This afternoon we signed the paperwork accepting an offer on our house. But, it's still not final. They have to sell their house first. Oh well, most of the country is in that position now so I understand that as we are too. Their house was listed a little over two weeks ago and they are already getting calls about it. It's a nice two story house in a very nice neighborhood and school district so it shouldn't take it too long to sell as that area of Knoxville has started picking up in real estate sales. Friday we are going to be looking at houses in the Mt. Juliet and Lebanon, TN area, east of Nashville. The agent there sent us an email with the listings of over a dozen houses that met the criteria we gave her. We are looking for a few specific things; a fire place, great kitchen for Howard, a sewing room for me, and a moderate size yard that is fenced for the dogs. So far we have seen two that we really like and another three that have possibilities. But, photos can be deceiving so have to see them in person. I'm going to make up a check list sheet for each house and have fresh batteries in my camera so we won't get confused about which features were in which house.

I did get a quilt block made. It's a 12 inch, Star in a Star block and is another of the lottery blocks for a retreat in August. The requirements were any star, 12 inch finished, wow or woc background and jewel tones, no batiks. I think I managed to meet all of them. This is probably my favorite star block pattern. I've used it frequently in quilts, especially for kids by substituting a novelty print for the star in the center. Makes a nice quilt.

Better go. I need to really get started on clearing out, sorting, and packing my "stuff", especially the sewing room. I'm excited about moving closer to family, but not about the packing and actual moving process. I'm getting too old for this. I'd rather be quilting.

Step 5 is finished.

I did it. I finished Step 5 of the Orange Crush Mystery yesterday and took a couple of photos to post here. Since I'm using lime green in place of the orange in the mystery sample quilt, I may have to change the name of mine. I also used pink in the center of the blocks instead of the indigo blue Bonnie used. I'm making this entirely from my stash. I decided that if it were to be a true scrap quilt, I had to use what I already had. So, that's what I've done so far. I may have to buy a batting but I think I have fabric for the back already, stored in one of the many boxes of fabric that I have.

The top block is of the whole block and the bottom photo is of the half blocks and corner blocks. From those, I'm guessing that the body of the quilt is going to be set on point. Will have to wait and see. I got carried away when I was making the unit in the corners of this block. Bonnie called them a "split 4 patch". They are a very versatile unit and are used in lots of other quilts. I have about 30 or so leftover so I have the start on another quilt. They were fun to make.

Much too busy

I was surprised to see that it's been almost two weeks since I posted a note here. Time sure is flying by in a big hurry. We did make the trip to Marietta, GA and back home on Saturday, May 24 to attend the graduation party for Christine. While I would have loved to go to her graduation and hear her Valadictory Speech, it just wasn't possible. For one thing, the graduating class was so big that families were given a small number of tickets so large families had to choose who could go and who had to stay home. As it turns out, it was much better going the day after as everyone was relaxed and there wasn't all of the fuss and nerves of graduation day. We were able to visit more and all had a good time. Here is a photo of Christine with her quilt. I'm sure she liked it as we were barely able to get one photo before she disappeared to put it on her bed. I just wish she didn't have that baseball cap on backwards. But, that's a grandmother speaking.

Since we didn't get home until after 1:00 am Sunday, I spent the next day recovering from that trip. I'm getting too old for these 450 mile round trip runs with a 5 hour break to visit and eat. Also, the gas prices are going to put an end to a lot of it also. It cost us just over $100 in gas to make that trip. I'm sure a lot of people are going to be like me and not make that trip very often. My running around sure is going to be cut back, especially now that Howard is retired and gas prices are so high.

During the time after the graduation trip, it seems that we've either been getting the house ready to show or going to doctor offices. Oh, I did teach a machine applique class at a quilt shop about 60 miles away. Until last year, it was the closest one to me. We had one open here in our little town last year. It's very small but has a decent fabric selection. I think their biggest selling item is machine quilting. They have two Voyager mid-arm machines and do machine quilting. They've done two for me, Christine's quilt was one. They do a good job and their prices are reasonable.

The house has been shown twice in the last two weeks and one person really seems interested. I'm not holding my breath but I really would like to have this house sold so we can get moved and settled before Fall. In the meantime, I try to do a little sorting and getting rid of "stuff" everyday and also to do some sewing as often as I can. My sewing and making quilt tops is what's keeping me sane while all of this crazy real estate stuff is going on. I've got Step 5 of the Orange Crush mystery just over half finished. I'll take a photo when I get it finished. The colors in it have changed. From the colors in the scrappy sections and the Spinning Star sections, I was going to call it Blueberry Crumble. Well, it's all changed. Where Bonnie used orange to pull it all together, I've used a mottled lime green and I used pink where she used blue. Now I have to come up with a new name.

Probably the most frustrating thing that has happened during the past week was me waking up Saturday morning with a splotchy red rash all over my chest, shoulders and back. Since all I was doing was being very itchy, I decided to wait until Monday morning to call the doctor but if I had started having any breathing problems or it had spread more, I would have gone to the ER. I got worked in yesterday afternoon and am now on a steroid dose pak, an antibiotic for the places I had scratched in my sleep, and a pill and cream for the itching. It's still there but not as red and definitely not as itchy. Sure wish I knew what I got into that caused it but since I haven't changed anything the doctor thinks it may have been something from outside, possibly when the neighbor was burning his fence rows. But since it doesn't look or act like poison ivy, I still don't know.

If any of you are doing Bonnie's Orange Crush mystery, have you tried the recipe she included for Pecan Cheesecake Pie? Howard made his second one tonight. It's to die for and so easy to make. If you haven't tried it, you have to. Gotta go now and finish my piece of pie.

It's politics around here

No, I'm not refering to the presidential campaign, the local one. In our county, several of the county offices are up for election this year, the school board for one. Also, the long time property assessor has decided to retire and not run for re-election so there about 8 or 9 people running for that office. Most of them have absolutely no qualifications to be a property assessor. Our local paper only comes out once a week on Thursday. We picked up a copy today and I spent most of the afternoon reading it. Most of the political ads were very interesting. They mainly talked about how they have been a life long resident of the county and how great their wife and kids are, how everyone knows their mom and dad, and how grandpa always helped his neighbors. Not a word about what their qualifications for the office are or why I should vote for them. Politics in a rural mountain county sure are interesting. Not at all like when I lived in Los Angeles or Atlanta. But, I should have remembered as I grew up about 35 miles from where I live now.

The only quilt related thing that I've done today is read the new quilt magazine that I bought this morning, McCalls Quick Quilts. There are a couple in there that I'm adding to my "to do" list. That list grows longer every day.

By the way, the chickens now have 15 eggs in the folding chair on the front porch.

Another UFO finished

I couldn't decide on what to work on yesterday so I dug out this tote bag that I started almost two years ago. I first saw it at a retreat in Springfield, MO two years ago. They called it a "Barbara Bag". Since my name is Barbara, I just had to make it. It's made from a large square of quilted fabric, bind the edges, then sew two seams, fold the corners in, add the handle and you have a bag. That's just a quick explanation of how it was made but wasn't hard. I really wasn't pleased with the commercial yellow and white gingham binding so that's why it sat unfinished for so long. Since I'm going to the retreat in Springfield again this year, I decided to finish it. It's pretty large, the tiles it is laying on are 12 inches square. It sure can hold a lot, good for shopping.

I made the second Ozark Puzzle block, also for the retreat. This time it is batik with a black background. I really like how it came out but it sure was hard for me to sew. As I'm getting older, it's getting harder and harder to work with black and I really like how it makes the colors pop.

Today was the day we took my aunt out to lunch. She so looks forward to our day out and we enjoy being with her. I sure hope that if I live to be her age, 89 in September, that I'll be as active and alert as she is. She still lives alone although she does have house cleaning and yard help.

My neighbor brought over a handbag that she had bought at a garage sale a couple of years ago to see if we could take it apart and make a pattern from it since she liked it so much. It turns out that I had the pattern for it. If I remember right, it's called "Mary's Bag". I've probably had that pattern over 12 years. I bought it at the AQS show in Paducah that long ago. I've always wanted to make it up and just never got around to it. Now, it's going to get done. We are going to go shopping for fabric in two weeks and then make them together. She is just getting into quilting and is so excited about it.

This evening about 8:30, Howard got a call that a good friend of his had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. He took off to go see how he is and also to close up his office. He was at work when it happened and he left his computer on and lots of stuff on his desk that needs to be taken care of and put in a safe. He works in a high security area so certain procedures have to be followed. I have no idea what time he will be home but in the meantime, I'll sure be praying for his friend and his wife. I've been through this twice with Howard and I know how scary it is for the wife and family.

Our realtor called this morning and he has had two different people call him from out of state that they are going to be here over the holiday weekend and want to see the house. We live close to a large lake that is very popular for vacations so we get a lot of out of state people here during the holidays and summer. I'm not holding my breath, but maybe one of them is the one. Better go and make sure things are spiffed up and looking good.

They're at it again

Last year, one of our chickens decided to use one of the folding chairs on the front porch as her nest. She actually hatched three sets of eggs during the summer. We tried to move the eggs to a nesting box that we sat in the corner, just under the chair. No good. She just laid more eggs in the chair. This year we've been good about folding up the chairs at night. But, last week we forgot them for a couple of days. This year we have different chickens due to a raid by a couple of hawks. But, they also like the folding chairs. We decided to just let them have their way and make their nest there if they wanted to. The interesting thing about it is that apparently at least two different hens are laying eggs in the same place. If you look closely, there is at least two different size eggs in the chair. To me, it seems to be three different size eggs. As of this afternoon, there is 10 eggs. They won't start sitting and hatching until they have an uneven number of eggs, somewhere between 11 and 17. I just wonder which hen will sit on them or if they will take turns? It's going to be interesting. I'll try to get pictures later.

I did manage to get some sewing done during the past couple of days. The Happy Block theme for June on Block Central is "The Pond", whatever you would find in or around a pond. I just happened to have some scraps of a fabric with turtles on it left from a quilt I made for a grandson about nine years ago. It was just perfect for the center of the block as we really do have turtles in our small pond. Now to just put them in a safe place until the drawing in July.

I'm going to be going to a retreat in August and we always make blocks for a raffle. We will be making four or five different blocks. The retreat leader picks out the pattern for them. This one is Ozark Puzzle and can be found on www.quilterscache.com It's a large block with a lot of pieces but it's real easy to put together. We will be making two of these. Both will use batiks but one with a white background and the other with a black background. I've got the first one made and have the fabric chosen for the second one but it will have to wait for a really good day as these old eyes don't like sewing on black very much.

Around the house has been very interesting the past few days. On Sunday, Howard was bending over to pick up a shirt and heard a pop and couldn't straighten up for a little bit. His back went out. This happens every year or so and usually clears up after three or four days of rest and heat. He's been walking around crooked and spending lots of time laying on top of the electric blanket with it turned on, a giant heating pad. He seems to be a tiny bit better but if he isn't a whole lot better tomorrow I'm going to try to get him to go see the doctor. He keeps telling me that he's fine but I can tell by the look on his face and the way he's walking that he isn't. We are supposed to go to my granddaughter's graduation this weekend and I'm not sure he can take the 4 1/2 hour ride there, sitting through it, and the return ride home. Will have to wait and see how it goes. The seats in his new truck are heated so he could turn his seat on and use it like a heating pad. That just might work.

How do you get ready to move?

We have our house listed "For Sale" with a realty agency. Of course, now isn't the greatest time to be trying to sell a house. But, that doesn't bother me as much as trying to get ready to move. We moved here 7 years ago when we got married. This is a second marriage for both of us. We had both been widowed and we both had homes and lots of posessions. We bought this mini-farm out in the country and left the big city behind. We moved everything that we both had thinking that we would sort it all out when we unpacked it. Well, we added on to the very small house and built two insulated storage sheds. That's in addition to the 36 x 60 foot barn that was already here. We still have lots of boxes that have never been unpacked out in the sheds. I know I need to be going through them as I know there are some items in there that I want to keep. Otherwise I would just sell the boxes unopened. But, as I said, there are some things there that I want to keep, like my two daughters wedding albums, some pieces of crystal, some fabric that I bought in The Netherlands and such. I'm looking forward to moving as I'm very tired of cleaning a 3,000 sq ft house. I'm looking forward to having a smaller house with just enough room for a sewing room. Howard loves to cook so the kitchen is important to him. He was a caterer previously and still does every now and then. In the barn he has enough big pots, 90 to 120 quarts, and chafing pans, and other stuff to outfit a couple of big restaurants. He's having as hard a time getting rid of things as I am. It's really hard to downsize but we know that we need to do it. Just have to decide what to do with it all. Personally, I'd rather be sewing and making quilts.

What a mess we had

Yesterday Howard found that one of the three chest freezers in the barn had gone out and was emitting a very foul odor. Our barn is used for storage, not animals. He does catering and buys meat ahead when there is a good sale. This freezer was almost full. Today he managed to get it onto the utility trailer and hauled it off to the dump. No hope of salvaging the freezer. You would never get the odor out of it of the rotten meat. He lost a large amount of meat in terms of both weight and dollars. I told him that it was a sign that he was to retire from catering just like he retired from work two weeks ago. Of course, he will continue to cook as long as he can hold a spatula in his hand. Don't plan on replacing the freezer either. Since we have our house up for sale and plan on downsizing, the freezers were going to have to be disposed of anyway. So, it's one down and two to go, but not that way. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with it.

Mystery Quilt Update

I decided to document my progress on Bonnie Hunter's Orange Crush Mystery. It's a way of keeping myself on track and also to see my progress. So, I got all of the parts out it it's storage bag and took these pictures.

This first picture is of Part 2. They are all in neat stacks, waiting on the next instructions that will, hopefully, tell me how they are to be used.

This is what I made in Part 3. They look like I took some of Part 2 and split them in half. Maybe that's how they are going to be used, I wonder?????

This is Part 4. It was made using the large stack of four-patch squares from Part 1 and some yardage. As you can see from the colors of my star points and from the scraps in the other parts of this mystery, the name "Orange Crush" sure won't fit my quilt. I think I'm going to call it "Blueberry Crumble". I'm not completely sure of that as I don't know exactly what fabrics I'm going to use in the rest of the clues for this quilt. I know that in the fabric requirements, another color of yardage and an accent color fabric are used and I haven't chosen them yet. I'm just pulling the fabrics from my stash as I need them. So it is a true mystery.

Today was the day to take my aunt out to lunch. We go once a week to the same restaurant, Webb's Country Cafe in Cumberland Gap, TN. It's a chance for her to get out and see some of her friends. We have never been there without seeing at least one of her many friends. We look forward to our days out together and have fun. Since Howard has retired, he has joined us several times. I think that I'm really appreciating the little pleasures in life a lot more as I grow older and one of those pleasures is spending time with her.

A Good Day Sewing

Today was a busy day but a good day. Howard had to be away most of the day on business so I was home along. I spent it doing laundry, five loads of laundry. How does two people have so much laundry in a week. Like my mother used to say, we're either the dirtiest or the cleanest people in town. Oh well, won't have to do it again for at least a week.

In between the loads of laundry, I sewed. I was determined to get the latest part of the Orange Crush mystery quilt finished. The first three parts were very scrappy and I didn't even make a dint in my box of scraps. For this part, you have to have yardage. From the colors I choose, I think I'll call my quilt, Blueberry Crumble. I don't think it will have much orange at all in it. Now, it's all safely stored in a two gallon zip loc bag, just waiting for the next step.

I also did the blocks for the Block Party Surprise swap on Block Central. The top block is the alternate block for the month, Mississippi.

The lower block is the main block, Frolic Variation. I'm not real sure I like my color choices in this one but I do like the contrast in the top block. I just joined this swap this week and it's a different type swap, you keep your own blocks. Each month a different person chooses the main and alternate blocks. You have a month to make one of the blocks and post a photo of it. You decide when you have enough blocks to make a quilt. I think I may try to make some of the previous blocks as they are so pretty.

I probably won't get any sewing done tomorrow. I'll be taking my aunt out to lunch and then spending a couple of hours visiting with her. She will be 89 in September and still lives alone. She does have someone to do the yard and a lady that comes in every two weeks to clean house for her. Otherwise, she's on her own. I'm the closest relative to her, about 35 minutes away. Her daughters both live a good 4 hours away. We have a good time on our days out and we both look forward to it.

I think that on Friday, I'll spend some time straightening up the sewing room so I will have space to work without having to move "stuff" out of the way. I need to get busy on the graduation quilt for Allison. She is going to be graduating early sometime this summer. So, I need to get it done now instead of next year. She wants the Eleanor Burns Sunbonnet Sue quilt done in the 30's fabrics. I have all of the pieces traced onto the fusible interfacing. I just need to get my fabrics cut and ready to sew. Looks like I've got my sewing all planned out for the next several weeks.

A gift for Mom

Where has the week gone? It seems like it was just last Sunday and here it is Friday already. Between trying to clean out the kitchen pantry and cabinets and doctor appointments, the time has flown by. Here is a photo of some of the sewing I got done this past week. It's not much, but I'm sure proud of it. It's a pillowcase for my mom for Mother's Day. She had previously told my brother and I that she didn't want us going out and buying anything for her. All she wanted to do was to go to the new Longhorn's for dinner. So, we're taking her there Saturday evening. But, I just had to do something personal for her. Into my stash I went and I found a large enough scrap of the pansy print fabric for the border/hem of a pillowcase. Then I found the yellow that just matches the yellow in the print. I was on a roll. I really like how it came out and she may actually use it instead of putting it back to save "for good". By the way, her first name is "Pansy" so I think it's a very special pillowcase.

I'm thinking that I may make pillowcases as Christmas gifts this year. About three years ago, I gave each of the 12 grandkids a travel size pillow and two pillowcases for it. They all seemed to like them. So, I may make them both a regular size and a travel size pillowcase this year. May even put their name or initial on the hem. Will have to think on that but with the embroidery capability on my machine, it wouldn't be hard to do. I may have just planned out my summer and fall sewing projects for the rest of the year.

On a non-quilting note, Howard (my DH) called his supervisor at the supermarket and officially retired. He's been off since the last week of March due to the surgery on his wrist and hand so they are used to him not being around. And, he was 65 last August so it's time. He told me that after the summer, he might look for something a couple of days a week to have something to do besides yard work. He thinks we will have all of the "to do" projects around the house finished by then and he doesn't want to just sit around. We'll see what he really does. It's going to be interesting.

The Graduation Quilt is Finished

Christine's Graduation Quilt

This past Tuesday, I finished the last stitches on the binding of the quilt I'm making for my son's youngest daughter, Christine. She will be graduating from Osborne High School in Marietta, GA around the first of June. She collects Rubber Ducks and wanted them to be in her quilt if I could work it out. I lucked out, I had bought three yards of the duck fabric on the front of the quilt last June on the shop hop here in east Tennessee. I knew she liked ducks and was hoping I could use it. If not, I would just keep it to make for some other deserving young child. I pulled the yellow and the two blues from my stash. I had had them for over a year, almost two. They worked out very well. The pattern is "Warm Wishes" from Quiltmaker magazine. That is a great pattern and so quick to make up.

Here is a close up of the upper corner of the quilt. I'm not sure why the yellow has such a greenish tint to it as it is a lovely butter yellow, almost the color of the ducks on the back of the quilt. I turned each square of ducks upside down so either end of the quilt could be the top, at least from the front. It finished at 66 X 90 inches. A very good size to take off to college this fall.

This is the fabric on the back. It is a current fabric, "Rubber Ducky Bubble" by Michael Miller. No one in my area had it so I had to order it online. I found it at my favorite online store, The Fat Quarter Shop. I ordered seven yards to make the back with only one seam down the middle. So, after trimming it after the quilting was finished, I have a lot of it. The small strips from the sides will go into the scrap bin and the very large piece from the one end will probably be used to make a matching pillow case to go with the quilt.

Now, all I have to do is make the label for the back and I don't want to do that until I know the date of the graduation ceremony. There are so many schools in the Marietta area that they hold the graduations over three or four days and two or three ceremonies at each location each day. For her oldest sister, they decided to hold it on the football field. Bad decision. It came a thunder storm with a downpour of rain that rivaled a tropical storm. They had to quickly move it into the gym and only parents could attend, no siblings or grandparents, aunts or uncles. It was a mess. I hope it's different this year.

Anyway, the quilt is finished.

My Happy Block for June

The winners for May were drawn Friday and it wasn't me but that's ok. I'm having so much fun making these blocks and the winners are going to each get 56 blocks this time for the Asian theme blocks. The theme for June is "Summer" using tropical colors and only minimal prints in the fabrics. I went to my stash and started pulling out fabrics and ended up with this block. For this month, the block can be made with more than the normal two colors. I decided that I would use five as I just liked the way they went together. As usual, I made six for the drawing and an extra two to go in my growing collection of Happy blocks. One of these days, I'll put them together into a Happy Block quilt that reflects all of the themes for the months I've been taking part in the swap.

Sally, my next door neighbor, and I went to a quilt show in Sparta, TN yesterday. We had a great time. It's about two hours away from here so we made a day of it. On the way, we stopped at Loose Threads, a quilt shop in Harriman, TN. I had to pick up my Singer Featherweight that I had previously left for servicing. Sally is very new to quilting and is working on her very first quilt. She was so excited by all of the fabric in the shop. In our small town we have two choices, Wal-mart and a very small quilt shop that has been open for a year and has a very limited fabric selection.

Back to the quilt show, it's put on by the local quilt guild in Sparta every two years. It's a small, exhibition only, show at the local civic center. While it was a very small show, the quilts were as good as any at any other show. Several were just stunning. Once again, it was so much fun to watch Sally's face as she walked between the rows of quilts. After stopping for a late lunch in Cookeville, we came on home. Sally did get fabric to make some placemats and a seat pad for the antique bench that sits just inside her breakfast room door. I'm going to help her with the pattern and figuring out the size to cut the fabric strips. I love to teach beginners how to quilt and to see their excitement when they finish a new project.

Stupid accident