The trials and tribulations of quilting . . .

OK do you want the good news or the bad news first?  Good news?  (That's what I usually go for as well.)  I completely finished TWO quilts today. 

One is a hydrangea quilt that I began probably six years ago.  Mom and Sue were visiting, we went quilt store visiting, saw this gorgeous quilt hanging up and promptly bought two kits.  One for Mom and one for me.  Sue began teaching me what to do and how to do it.  At one point she was on the floor laying it out and I remember thinking that with my knees that would never work for me, which is ironic as I spent most of yesterday with my knee up and covered with a heating pad.  I was cutting things out, she was arranging, I was sewing.  It was a memorable day.  I think we manged to finish both quilt tops.  She promptly went home to Texas and finished Mom's and I have admired it over the years at Mom's house.  Then I would think, "hmmmm, I have this SAME THING that I love at my house - why don't I stinkin' finish it?!?"  It was something to do with the backing.  I am sort of a purist and usually want one of the fabrics featured on the front of the quilt to be the back as well.  Due to my procrastination, this went undone for a couple of years, then I was frantically trying to order more fabric to match and couldn't get what I needed, etc. etc.  Thus, I had to piece the back and didn't want to and, well, it just sat.

So, this year my New Year's Resolution was to finish my unfinished quilt projects.  I had a goal to finish one per month and felt that was workable.  Well, then I began to buy more fabric and make other patterns (it's all Joyce's fault, she was teaching classes!).  So, finally I decided to suck it up and finish it and today it happened.  It is in the wash as I write this.  I can't wait to see it when it comes out of the dryer all comfy and lovely.

The other one is a "Trip Around the World" from a class that Joyce taught.  I was pulling fabrics for it and not sure what I wanted and it ended up looking like a baby quilt.  A twin-sized baby quilt.  So, it is done and I am mailing it to Marti who has a new granddaughter named Quinn Rain.  Marti only had one son, so she was very overdue to buy pink stuff and I am so happy for her.  So, as I finished it, I pictured Marti curled up with Quinn at her beautiful home in Spokane reading a book to Quinn and her grandson, Robbie.

And, the bad news?  I am making a very detailed Christmas quilt and just realized today that I have used the wrong fabric for the background of the ornaments and presents that I have painstakingly made and they won't match when I assemble the blocks.  Sigh.

Confessions . . .

I can't find stuff. I have a habit of buying things for Christmas stockings and hiding them and forgetting them.  Then, come about May, I come across them and wonder why I never remembered putting them there.  And, sometimes, why I ever thought that particular item would have been a good stocking stuffer - but that's a different blog probably.  I am looking for fabric.  I think I bought it, I see the computer print out of buying it, but did I ever receive it?  Where did I put it.  Why can't I find it now that I NEED it!?!?  Story of my life.  Dan is a very good finder.  When I can't find something, such as quite recently, the cute little corn-on-the cob dishes that you put a pat of butter in and twirl the corn in them to get all the yummy butteryness all over the corn.  Dan will come into the kitchen, look in the cupboard and unearth it.  He says he just "finds" it, but I KNOW it had to be UNEARTHED because I COULDN'T find it!  Anyway, now I am missing fabric.The problem is that in order for him to find it, he would have to look through the cupboards in my office and then all he could talk about it why do I have so MUCH STUFF?!?  I.e, FABRIC.  So, to get around this little problem, I decided to clean up the office/sewing room.  I have been moving stuff, dusting stuff, tripping over stuff, and no fabric.  Oh, I've found fabrics that I never remembered, but not the ones that match the quilt that I need the borders for.  Oh, the problems I have.  Drat and rats!

Quilts, quilts and more quilts

Yesterday quilting friend Joyce picked me up and off we went to Fallbrook.  They have a really lovely quilt store there and we hoped to find fabric for me to use in the class Joyce is teaching on September 23rd.  She is so patient!  Her mind was racing to see all the fabrics, but she was devoted to helping me.  That is a great friend.  Here is how patient she was . . . I choose one focus fabric and was finding all the other six fabrics and it took some time, then scrapped it all when I found another focus fabric that seemed more me.  We began pulling fabric for that one, when she found a panel that matched the focus fabric.  And, that's when it hit me.  I think I already bought this fabric line for a Christmas quilt.  (You know you like it when you buy it twice!)  So I scrapped that and decided to wait.  Frankly, I was overloaded by looking at fabric.  But, when Joyce looks at fabric, it is a whole other situation.  She sees one fabric and finds four others to go with it, sees it in her head, and start stacking up the bolts.  It is a pleasure to watch.  Really.  I appreciate her gift and love to watch it.  She found several black fabrics with silver designs in houses with hearts (our fav) and had to buy it.  I can't wait to see what she makes from it all.  And, of course, there was Mary Engelbreit fabric and she loves, loves, loves her fabric.  I do, too, but on a lesser degree - probably only love, love.  So cute, so Joyce, so fun.

Then, we went to lunch at Rio Rico's except that it is now a restaurant called "Z" and very nice indeed.  Totally great food, decor, and lots of people.  That's the sign of a good restaurant.  They have breakfast until 2 p.m. so the Breakfast Buddies (Bubba and Barnacle Butt) will have to go and rate their coffee and hash browns.  But, that's another blog.  And, frankly they are better at eating breakfast than updating the blog.  (I know I should talk.)

Anyway, then we came back to my house and pulled a fabric line that I had bought online (blue and white, natch) and decided it would work for her class.  So, I got away with only buying one yard of fabric in Fallbrook.  It was a french blue polka dot that I couldn't pass up.  Probably the perfect color of blue.  Seriously.

It was a good day.

Sick . . . and the good part!

I am home sick today.  It started yesterday, Sunday, when I just felt like a noodle.  I cancelled plans to meet my besties for lunch and quilt fabric shopping, but still needed to grocery shop for the week.  Dan and I forged out to run the errands and by the time we were done . . . I was done.  I flopped into bed and slept a couple of hours. He made dinner (such a great husband) and I continued in my noodle-like state the rest of the night.  Woke up this morning at 4 a.m., spent some time on the couch in the man cave (hey, Dan was sleeping and that sofa is SO comfy and he has that HUGE TV - I'm just sayin'), got up, showered and realized that the noodle-ness was still with me.  What is that?!? So slept most of the day, managed to fall out of bed reaching for the phone when the phone rang - hurting my left arm (they say most accidents happen at home) and nearly breaking the lamp.  Wonder how things went at work? I sure hope I feel better tomorrow.  I don't even feel well enough to sew a bit.  Now, you know I'm sick when sewing sounds horrible. 

And the good part?  Ashley is home from college for the summer!

Mother's Day

I have been a mother for 25 years and, boy, has it gone FAST.  I still vividly remember both my babies as I cuddled and loved them.  They were so cute and small and cuddly and they loved me so much.  I loved to rock them and dress them and feed them and revel in their lovely babiness.  This is why I am ready to be a grandmother.  I don't have anyone small to rock and dress.  And, there's no baby reveling. But, let's not forget that I still have the cuddles, the love, the feeding (!), and the cuteness.  It is just with bigger girls.  Their hearts are bigger, their laughs are louder, and (best of all) their love comes in delicious, comforting waves over the miles in emails and calls.

This is when they are the cutest.  See those smiles? I love my girls.