It's a Quilt

The Hidden Star is finished. Can you find the hidden star? I have it laid out so it is easier for you to see it....it was not the "star" you thought it was. ;) It has even been washed and dried to give it that crinkle effect. I am very surprised by how much I like this quilt. It was a booger to get through, but the end result is wonderful. I pray my son is as happy with it. The back even shows the dense quilting.
That's a lotta stitches!!!!
Quilting on the sailboats came to a grinding halt when I had an "Oh Crap" moment earlier today. While quilting the waves I saw something.....here is the stencil as drawn out on the quilt.

Looks ok, eh? Well as I was turning the quilt, I saw the waves from this angle.....Uh oh. Did I put those waves on upside down? It looked that way to me. It was too late, as 3 of the 12 are already hand quilted! I went back and looked at the stencil and saw the sticker with the directions....they show this..........which is exactly as I am quilting them. Whew! I have a feeling it is a dual stencil. One way for gentle waves and the other for torrential spiky waves. I am glad I caught the gentle ones!!!! The quilting continued on and all is well!

Sass is all laid out for her afternoon nap like the Queen of Sheba. She is sound asleep with her head up and her hind legs all sprawled out behind her. As long as I am sitting at the end of that couch, quilting, she is laying behind my head, purring in her sleep. Such a Mama's girl! She knows she better not touch that quilt again!

I had a wonderful time in my old home town yesterday. I was able to spend some time with Sue! I helped her baste part of a quilt. It was like old times. I just LOVE seeing her. I hugged her so tight, I did not want to let go! I will see her again in November.

Hoping for a quiet weekend. Life has a way of getting away from me, so I am not hanging on to that hope too tightly. I do have my quilting bee on Saturday, so that is always something to look forward to. Any hand quilter's in my area, come on down and join us!

Praying your weekend is enjoyable for you!

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

Yesterday was "one of those days". Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Not to be all negative, cause there were some good mixed in with all the bad, and I will look at yesterday as a learning experience!

The Hidden Star is completely quilted! I finished it a couple of days ago and got so thrilled to be able to put the binding on....one of my favorite things to do is binding, second after hand quilting! So I lay it all out and run down to get my Gingher Scissors to trim the edges and thought I would go ahead and make the binding while I was down there.
The first thing I notice is, my scissors are missing!!! They are ALWAYS in the ball jar. Always. No one is confessing anything at this point. I will look for them once I get the binding made. I find the fabric after 12 years....I was pretty proud of myself in that. What I did not remember was, that over that 12 years, I had cut into that fabric for several scrap projects. Hmmmm. Looking at it, it was not hard to see there would be no where near enough for binding. Good Grief! Well, I would get a binding fabric next week. In the meantime I will move on to my next project, cause there is NOTHING in my hoop, which is driving me insane!
I pull out the Sailboats and start marking. UGH!!! It did not go well. My freehand "wind" was a disaster. I decide to draw diagonal lines for movement.I messed that up too. Using a ruler I measured from the corner of the background fabric to the opposite corner of background fabric, totally forgetting that the water is part of the block....the lines looked cock-eyed. I figured it out and started over. In case you are wondering, that is what an eraser looks like in the home of a child who has PICA. ;) (I use a water soluable art pencil to mark light colored fabrics)
On to the waves.....GREAT! The small waves are too small and the large waves are too large.I head to the computer and order the correct sized waves...those will have to wait til the stencil arrives. I am not stopping....those 12 boat waves will have to be marked on a basted quilt.
Here is some "good". This border stencil was GORGEOUS! Lots of detail but it will make the quilt!There. All marked and it was relatively painless.Now to baste! My least favorite part of the quilting process is basting. Anyone who knows me for more than a minute has heard me complain about this part. I am a thread baster....I only use pins when machine quilting, which happens once every 12th of Never!!!! Sweetheart was getting ready to head out the door to spend the day working at the farm. I smooched him good-bye and turned my focus back to the quilt. A few minutes later he came back with a full days supply of Road Ranger Diet Coke!I LOVE THAT GUY!!!!!!!
I had washed and dried my backing fabric, and carefully laid it out in the living room so it would not wrinkle. I went in to get it and look what I found.....SASSY!!!!! What did you do???? That darn cat was curled up in a ball sleeping in the massive wrinkles she had created into a nest! She took off running when she saw me!!!! Great! Now I have to press it! I got it all pressed and laid out on the table. I went to get the batting....a very expensive Quilter's Dream bat, mind you...and there is a freakin HOLE in the corner of the package with batting hanging out. SASSAFRAS!!!!! That cat is gonna need a middle name!
I lay the batting out and position it where the hole is not going to be in the quilt. It is tricky but I get it to this.....Yes, it was that close. The whole time I am doing this process, that dang cat is under the table pulling on the backing fabric like I hung it there just for her. To the basement she goes!!!!!
Let the basting begin!Once I get it halfway basted, I realized that all that pulling on the backing with her claws had actually shifted that backing fabric a bit. CRAP! That is the nicer version of what I actually said! For a minute, I thought I would have to pull those 2 hours of basting stitches out and start all over! I was ready to cry! Instead, I barely made it work.......the backing was uneven on that side to begin with, so most of the side was ok....all except about 1/4 of it. This is the backing fabric. See that teal colored stitch?That is where the very edge of the quilt top comes to. There is about 1/16th of an inch of extra backing fabric there. Enough that I stitched it down so there will be no shifting and I could move on. *deep breath and exhale*
Grrrrrrr. I should have hissed at her!!!!She escaped the basement with the help of the kids who felt sorry for her. I kept my eye on her! Every time I looked at her she looked away! Brat Cat!
I finally got all the basting done and help arrived just in time to trim up the extra batting and backing.Little Emerson wore a "fimble" on her thumb all evening while I hand quilted on the first block of "You Float My Boat". The good in this quilt, is that the quilting shows up beautifully....it will be a very detailed quilt when it is done. The bad news is, that expensive batting is not the Quilter's Dream" I am use too. Though it is for hand and machine quilting, it is more of a machine quilting bat. Kinda tough to needle. I am hoping and praying it softens up to my needle as I handle it. Either way, I am relieved it is in the hoop and life can move on!!!
I am ready for an easy day!!!!! Praying you have one too!

Family Harmony

Not a whole lot going on here worth blogging about. I have 2....TWO...blocks left to quilt on the Hidden Star. It will be finished by this time tomorrow. SO glad to be done with this one. It will be bound and washed and put up for Christmas.

Meet my new best friends..... My son's friend has chickens (the exact ones in the picture) which produce the most wonderful organic eggs. His prices are much cheaper than the stores, and they are the nicest eggs! Clean, and fresh and so good! Some of you have asked me what is "eating clean". I will be honest. I have not quite figured it all out yet, and I am by no means eating completely clean....I still love my Road Ranger Diet Coke, and my Splenda and powdered creamer laden decaf coffee.....I know those are ALL LOADED with plastics and chemicals, but I am taking small steps to cleaning up my diet. Organic eggs, lots of fresh veggies and berries (I am not eating any other fruits just yet) and some grass fed beef straight off the farm are helping me. I am not eating breads, pastas, potatoes, or any sugar at all. I did have a cream-filled, chocolate covered Long John from Swiss Maid Bakery....they are to die for...literally, I think you can die from them they are SO bad for you, but they taste SO good. Anyway, I felt the effects of that Long John for 3 days!! No more. UGH...it was not worth it.

Well, like I said...nothing worth blogging about. Without going into detail, prayers for family harmony are appreciated this time of year. It has been a rough season already. I find that I am less and less compassionate and patient with each year...I tend to actually get a bit ticked off about the whole ordeal. Not a flattering commentary on myself....Pray for me in this.

No pics of Sass this time, but let me tell you, she is a joy to have around. I can pick her up and have her purring "I love you" 's in a matter of seconds. For not being a real cat person, she sure has stole my heart....silly cat!

I want to leave you with some wonderful sounds....I have this CD on my list....WONDERFULLY uplifting music!!

A Quilty Post

My third Libby Quilt top is done. I really like this one. Even after having to rip out seams, it is going to be a favorite.
Too cute. Those baskets are 4 inch blocks set on point. Now to plan out the next one.
School is not going well this year. It is one frustrating day after another....I took control yesterday, so I am assuming the better day we had today was not a fluke. After an incredibly stressful morning yesterday, I told Sweetheart I just HAD to get out of there for a while. Where did I go? Acorn Quilts, of course! I grabbed a yard of a beautiful black fabric (not pictured) I need and can be used in several projects. Also, 2 half yard cuts...another black (which I used as the borders for the above Libby Quilt),and a pretty floral...another perfect Libby Quilt fabric.

6 different fat quarters.....THESE are my favorites and I think I may get some actual yardage of that large floral.Some yellow, cause you gotta have some yellow.And this interesting piece. A great Libby Quilt border, I think.All in all ,that fabric therapy cost me 33 dollars. Blessedly, I got an unexpected $60 check. Still, it is not something I will be able to do very often, so those kids better pull it together QUICK!!!I am really concentrated on the Hidden Star. I am at the count down! 9 blocks to go! I can not WAIT to have this thing finished!!!!Tonight is church and tomorrow is a day with my mom. Both activities I look forward to.

That silly cat! She just lands her butt where ever she pleases!She got the spray bottle just after this pic was taken! Her expression was the same as in this pic where we were telling her to get down....a "Who me? How dare you" look!

Come back on Friday for the Quilter's Giveaway post. See you then.

Fall

Last Friday was the most glorious day!!! Look at that fall sky! The winds were blowing pretty hard too and it was a COLD wind. Goodness did that feel good.

Sassy went from window to window, but the cold wind was too much for her....she found a spot on a chair and enjoyed the breeze from a distance. Sweetheart went to do yard work at his mom's house, so I "built" a fire (by turning a key) and spent some time quilting in front of it.I am on the outer edges of the Hidden Star....FINALLY!!!I have been craving a sandwich. No bread for me, so I used some iceberg lettuce leafs and it worked just fine.
My new vice......Road Ranger fountain pop. OMGosh is it GOOD. I can get a 32 oz for 63 cents! How can you beat that?? Fountain drinks are so much better than bottled or canned. I know...pop is not good, but I am drinking diet/caffeine free....still BAD, but it is my only vice right now...no sugar, no bread or pasta, no potatoes...NO cigarettes (today is 4 years since I quit). 4 Years is not a long time...I quit for 13 years once and started again, smoking for another 7 years. I loved smoking. I still would love it, but it did not love me. Same with food...soooo my new vice, a Road Ranger soda every few days....ok, I can not lie...EVERYday, is the lesser of the evils.

My phone rang Friday afternoon.

Me: Hello

TJ: Grandma, it's me TJ

Me: Hi TJ, How are you?

TJ: I just got home from school and Monday is a holiday and I don't have school but the next Monday I DO have school but this Monday I don't. Can I come play?

Me: Sure you can.

TJ: And tomorrow I don't have school and so I can spend the night. Can I spent the night?

Me: If it's ok with your mom, yes, you can spend the night.

TJ (talking to his mom): she said yes!!!! (back to me) Ok Grandma. I'm comin to spend the night!!!!

When he got to my house he said, "This is the BEST day ever!"

That is the quilt his Mama made him. She is making one for Emerson now. You know that sailboat quilt? Well....that was started back when TJ's parents were divorcing. I wanted both kids to have a quilt at their Daddy's house. When they moved back, they have quilts....TJ's baby quilt is too small, so I figured the sailboats would still work. Then I remembered he has this very special quilt from his mom. I am re-thinking the sailboat quilt for Christmas. Maybe it will be a quilt for here....Zach would even love it. Still thinking on it.

Speaking of Zach......He lost that other front tooth. $10. Now the rest will get the standard dollar.

TJ went home Saturday afternoon. I had invited Emerson too, but she went down for a nap and then it was too late. I did not see them yesterday cause their Daddy had a golf thing out of town for the day. The whole family went. I did get to spend some time with this part of the family.....Max...my granddog. Nicest dog I ever met! He is just a Sweetie. Zach kept saying..."Mom, he is the perfect dog for our family." He really is, but NO WAY, kiddo. Sassy would have a fit and besides....he is TJ and Em's dog. Bud took care of him for a couple of weeks last winter and the owner decided he did not want him back. Bud kept him and he has been a good addition to their family. I went to take him out and he was so excited to see us all, we brought him to Grandma's for the day....he loved the fenced in yard and ran and played for hours with Zach and Charlotte. I am sure he slept good last night! So did Zach!!!

The Hope Chest

When I turned 16, my mother bought me a Lane Cedar Hope Chest. She also bought me a set of china, a set of crystal, (both are in in my china cabinet) a set of stainless steel pots and pans (the nice heavy ones), and a beautiful set of silverware. There was an old man who traveled around selling these things and my mom was probably his all time record sale!! She bought herself the pots and pans and silverware too! Anyway, I loved this hope chest. When Sweetheart and I started our life together, it became our coffee table for MANY years. Then it was placed at the foot of our bed....then it held a television set....then it was in the basement storage. Some where along the way the base got wet and it was ruined (the base). Along with years of setting things on the top, and just basic wear and tear, it was in need of some repairs and TLC. Yesterday Sweetheart dug it out of storage and began working on it.He removed the base and top. The base was not salvageable, but the top is not in as bad a state as we thought.
The hinges needed repair and a new base was built. Here it is now. The base is not attached yet....it is just sitting on there. Lots of sanding and staining....the front will not need that, which is wonderful cause I do not want to lose that duo colored wood. It screams 70's, but hey, that is when it was from!!! Once finished it will again find it's way to the foot of my bed. On Charlotte's 16th birthday, she will be it's new owner. The china and crystal.....they will have to fight over that once I am gone! LOL
I have been hand quilting. I now have 10 blocks finished. Still a long ways to go.I ordered the stencils for TJ's quilt. That should motivate me! If you need quilting stencils, the place to go is Quilting Creations. They have more stencils than I have ever seen and their prices are great. I LOVE quilting stencils!
Today, more hand quilting and Charlotte and I will watch a couple of the Homestead Blessings DVD's. She picked The Art of Soap Making and I picked The Art of Sewing. I know....you've all heard it for years, but I reeeeally want to learn to sew!
I will leave you with this pic of Sass. She is getting her exercise. I think she may have gained another pound....poor girl. She can still work that pole like a kitten!!!!
Have a blessed Monday!!!