Re-visiting an applique project

Last year I started working on this BOM. Wait, it might've been the year before. Anyway, I did most of the blocks while sitting in the waiting room while Dad had his hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Which, by the way, helped to save his toe. But, I digress...These blocks started as a project at our LQS and there are several of us that have been working on them. I think there are at least two girls that have theirs finished or almost finished. I carry the next block in my bag everywhere I go just in case I have time to work on it. Needless to say, I haven't found that time in a while. Even while in the waiting rooms after Dad's heart attack I couldn't find the desire to work on it for very long. But, I certainly hope to continue working on them, slowly but surely.


There are twelve blocks, total, and the borders even have some applique. My good friend, Sheryl, made all the transparencies for me so I have no excuse. I love doing needle-turn and this project has certainly proved colorful enough to keep me from getting bored. I just get lazy to cut out the pieces.

I thought I'd show you these squares since others in the blogring have posted some of their applique and it got me thinking about these.

I've been working on the heart quilt and have only two more rows to attach before I bind it. I hope to mail it out tomorrow, Monday, right after show and tell at my quilt group meeting.

Busy day at work yesterday. Am certainly looking forward to Leota coming back. Dad is having a little problem with his breathing..I'm going to take him into Urgent Care this afternoon to see if maybe his pneumonia has made a comeback. The sooner they get him back on antibiotics, the better.

Cat bag

One more little project to break up the long hours of quilting my blocks. lol This little tote is made with my favorite pattern since I love the six pockets the handle creates on the outside. I've made so many of them in the past year or two that I think I could make one without reading the instructions. This took me all night tonight since I had to quilt the cat fabric first. I'd hoped to find pre-quilted fabric (saves a LOT of time) but the stores I hit today didn't have what I was looking for.

When I got home from work today, I finished quilting the alternate blocks in the heart quilt. Next step is to put them together. I should've started that instead of making the bag, but I needed a quick gift.

The phone rang all evening. First, my sister called to say she was on her way to the hospital with one of our friends. They've been there over an hour now and still have not been seen. Apparently, there has been a bad car accident and the ER is jumping. Sure hope they see her soon. She, (our friend) is having severe back pain and is throwing up.

Then, my brother called to let me know that an uncle of ours, my dad's brother, passed away this evening. He had been terminal for some time but it's always hard when it finally happens. I had to let Dad know and everyone was concerned about him being by himself when he heard the news. He was by himself when I called him, but he is doing alright. A sister-in-law of his went by to visit with him and make sure he was ok. Then, Robert got home so I'm not worried about him. We'd been talking about it for several weeks.

So, I guess I'll stay up until I hear how our friend is doing. I'll be busy tomorrow and am disappointed to find out that my massage has been cancelled. The massage therapist e-mailed to let me know that she'd been sick all week. Must be something going around...

Too many irons..

and I don't mean Rowentas! lol I have been working on a quilt-as-you-go to put the February (heart) lotto blocks together. I was getting it ready for one of the ladies in QOR, but a generous person in FL beat me to it and sent her a quilt she had ready to go. Not a problem..there is another well-deserving person on the list.




I've also been trying to decide on some quick gifty items. After making a few potholders that just didn't come out the way I wanted them to, I decided to make these quick eyeglass cases. Easy to do and it seems that I always need one so I hope the recipients feel the same way.


I don't know why I've been feeling so scattered lately. Maybe because I have too many projects going? The patchwork back is on the back of the small Cow-oh-boy that I've not finished quilting. I got sidetracked making birthday blocks and working on the heart quilt. Not to mention the potholders and eyeglass cases. lol



Oh, I've also been getting my Valentine Secret Pal items together. Maybe the fact that Hancock's is closing has me so disturbed. :-) I woke up at 4:45 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. So, I got up at 5 a.m. and tidied up a little before the cleaning ladies came. I had to be to work at 8:30 which is very early for me.

Leota came in for a haircut today. She looks great but is still not feeling 100%. Hopefully, she'll be ready to come to work next Tuesday.

I could just go lay down and sleep! Guess I'd better get in the kitchen and start dinner. Maybe I'll wake up before we go work out at 7.

Super Bowl Sale Sunday!

 
Here's a picture of the Janome machine my sister bought, on sale, at Hancock's today. The sign said "20% off" and then she had a 10% coupon on top of that. Not a bad deal. Now we just need to find a walking foot to fit it. She decided that if she is going to put another quilt together, she needs a newer, more modern, machine than she has. I'm so proud of her for working on her quilt and teaching online.

I've been watching a program tonight about Oprah. I didn't know she'd had a baby when she was 14! Jim said, "I knew that". Sure he did...lol And, that she was a promiscuous teenager? All that was news to me. Interesting interview...

Well, we actually had a little Super Bowl party at Dad's this afternoon. Rob made cheese dip and he and April made guacamole. Then, Judy and I made tacos and an apple cobbler. After we ate our fill, Judy and I left to go play with her new machine. I showed her how to sandwich her blocks and quilt them with a simple, straight line, in the ditch stitch. That's her lesson for this week. Next week, we'll start sewing the quilted blocks together. It's exciting to help a new quilter. I really would like to start a beginning quilt class.

After we got the new machine working, we took off for the gym. We worked out for about 45 minutes. Then she drove me home and I worked on the cowboy quilt for a while. Jim is off again tomorrow so we'll stay up late tonight. I'm not sure I want to sew this late, so I think I'll go read some blogs.

Midget block 16

Word to the wise..if you are going to make this little block, have lots of time! I needed it, anyway. I've been working on this little block for over 2 hours. I think I ripped out more than I sewed. These little midget blocks are fun to do, but the paper-pieced ones are making me crazy! The blocks are supposed to finish at 4.5" so the raw size is 5", right? Well, the rotary cut and pieced blocks finish exactly that size but the paper-pieced blocks are all about 1/4" off. I make sure I leave that 1/4" around the outside but it's still not big enough. Anyone else doing these little blocks?

I've also been working on a comfort quilt with the heart blocks sent in for the block lottery for QOR. I'm quilting each block individually with a simple flower motif in the center. I keep thinking that I need to fill more space with quilting around the flower, but then that will defeat my purpose which is to get it done quickly. I think that once I put the sashing on they'll be fine. I'd like to get this one done in the next few days, but I think I need to wait on more blocks that are coming in, now that I think about it. I'll post a picture once I get it all put together. I'll be using fabric for the back and sashing that was given to me by one of my clients just this past week. How serendipitous was that!?

I've been hearing lots of talk about Super Bowl parties but I don't think there will be one at the Goff's. Oh, Jim will watch the game, but I think Judy and I will go workout then go to Hancock's and probably fix a little something for dinner. Nothing special for the game, I guess.

Speaking of Hancock's...we are hearing that they are going to close their doors in the next few months here in Clovis! I am so disappointed. Especially since Ben Franklin's is about to shut it down, too. That will leave us with Hobby Lobby and two local fabric stores that don't really carry a big variety. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love that the local stores are here and I try to get there as often as I can, but it's nice to have a variety to choose from. I suppose I'll be doing more shopping online..:-( Not my favorite thing to do especially when shopping for fabric.

Sunday is getting away from me today. I keep thinking I will get up early and go pick Dad up and go to church. But do I do it? No, I slept in until 9 a.m. this morning! That's unusual for me. In fact, I don't really like to do that, but I have been exceptionally tired this week since it's been busier than usual at the shop. Not complaining there, either, Lord! lol Thank you!

Off to get this Super Bowl Sunday underway..

More birthday blocks

 

These are for Lee and the block on the left is called "Friendly Hand" and the one on the right, "Spinner". Easy blocks to make but I think have great visual impact. The "Friendly Hand" block is really a "Monkey Wrench" pattern or "Snail's Trail". Both of these are from the Quilter's Cache site as were the ones in the last post. I'm done with February blocks so now I'll start working on the siggies and get a couple more comfort quilts finished.

It's snowing again and very cold. I've already had one cancellation via e-mail but another client called to see if she can come in today since she missed on Wednesday. So, she'll take the cancellation. I hope to get around to other blogs this weekend to visit and comment. I hit and miss a few each day, but want to see 'em all!

....and more blocks

Finally got around last night to making Sherry's blocks for her birthday. I still need one more set for another birthday girl. Maybe this weekend.. Sherry's fabric is the bright, or darker, pink you see. The first block is called "Wagon Tracks" and the second one is a paper pieced block called "Plenty of Stars".



The block on the bottom is another "railroad" pattern block - I think it's called "4-patch Ladder" and has been sent to be in a comfort quilt.



I would love to stay and chat, but I really need to finish getting ready for work. Cold outside!

TiVo woes, more blocks

I have spent the better part of the evening with technical support concerning my TiVo. The problem I'm having, and have had for a while now, is when I try to transfer a program to my laptop, I only get about 10 to 20 seconds of what was recorded. I finally figured out that it stops transferring right when the channel changes to the program it's supposed to record. Apparently, they don't have a fix, yet. I've been following the message boards that show lots of people are having the same problem. Frustrating... I'm also fighting with them to help me remove the parental control feature! I have never fixed it to where I need a password to record anything but it now asks me for a password and, of course, I don't know it! So, they gave me one to use so I can "unlock" the parental control. Guess they still have a lot of bugs to work out.



Four more heartstring blocks made tonight. Now I just need to find the address so I can mail these off. I thought I had bookmarked the site, but, guess what? I didn't. These are so easy to do and they certainly work on my pile of remnant strips. I had to go buy more muslin today but that's ok since I needed some to make the siggie blocks, too.

I decided not to go to the gym tonight. I'm feeling just a twinge of guilt. Had a busy day at work, finished around 2:30, ran to Dad's, sorted his pills for the week, sang with him while he played the guiter, ran to Ben Franklin's and Hancock's then finally home. It is so great to see Dad feeling well enough to play the guitar and, tonight, Robert said he even played his harmonica! Who knows? Maybe we'll get him to the Senior Center sometime soon. Oh, I even caught him doing a cautious little jig to an old song on television!


Here are the first four siggie blocks for Cynthia's swap. These, too, are easy and fun to make. I will definitely keep this pattern in mind for friendship quilts that need signatures.

Making progress

Here's the latest picture of Dad. Isn't he looking great?! He's feeling better and really progressing with his cardiac rehab. Here he's sitting in his favorite chair getting ready to call someone on the phone.

These two pictures show the fabric and the contemplated placement of the blocks Judy sewed a few weeks ago. I liked the one on the left, but she decided that she wants to quilt as you go, so she is putting them together as in the picture on the right. You'll be able to see purple pinwheels in each block and she'll be able to put them together block by block as she quilts them.


She is so excited! She was even late to the gym because she was playing with the color placement! I've created a quilting monster! If she didn't have papers to grade and a class to conduct (she teaches online for the Univ. of Phoenix) she would have much more time to sew.

I've been working on another cowboy quilt. One of the girls I work with (you know who you are!) wants one for a friend of her's. I'm piecing the back with different reds from my stash. This one is a little smaller than the first one so I had to play with the measurements some. I bought some black on black fabric for the borders that I put on this afternoon.


I'm set to have a busy day tomorrow. Usually Tuesdays are slow and I get off early, but tomorrow is going to be a moneymaker, thank you, Lord! So, I'd better get to bed. Jim is going to work tomorrow after a week's vacation (actually recovering from a sore back) so it's an early rising.

Jigzone puzzle

I was trying to embed a puzzle here, but the best I could do was a link. JigZone: 100_0266_edited Jigsaw Puzzle

A friend sent me a puzzle of some of my quilted blocks and I love it. This puzzle is a picture of a little top I made last year. Jigsaws are my favorite puzzles. Thanks, Liz!

Looks like I solved my paragraph problem...I just clicked on "Edit Html" and spaced them like I want 'em. Now, why didn't I do this before?

Busy day at work. I'd rather be quilting, but we all know that. Got to bend that hair to make my extra money for my passion. Love my customers. Thank you!!

See ya on the other side of Saturday...

Back to quilt-as-you-go

These are six blocks of twenty four that I plan on quilting then putting together ala reversible quilt method. These blocks are from a block exchange on QOR back a few years ago. I think it was called the EOW exchange, or the End of Winter exchange. I think that's the one. All I know is they've been sitting in a pile of blocks for quite some time now and they needed some attention. So, tonight before I went to the gym, and while I was fixing dinner, I cut background squares and batting squares and layered all twenty four of them. That way I can pick one up and just quilt it any chance I have. Then, once they're all quilted, I'll start putting them together. I think there will be enough blocks that I won't have to border it. We'll see. I really enjoy doing it this way because it gives me a chance to try new quilting motifs. I do use a lot of the same motifs especially in center squares. I'd like to find something else to use, but the "flower" I use now is so simple and goes quickly.

Good news tonight! My youngest son, Robert the golfer, finally got a job working with a computer guy here in town. He's been working for my sister at Community Homecare, but he was only biding his time there. He's so hoping to be able to put his Business Computer Systems degree to use. This guy is even willing to work with him when Rob starts playing in some of the professional golf tournaments in the area.

Does anyone else have trouble getting paragraphs when posting? I separate them but they don't show up in the final post.

Busy day at work. Two of the girls were out so I was hopping all day. Luckily, Clint made a great beef stew so I had something for lunch without having to beg someone to make a burrito run. I know, I should be brown-bagging it so as to stick to some type of diet, but...

We did make it to the gym again tonight. Feels good after it quits hurting. lol But, I'm tired and have a long, busy day tomorrow. But, a massage at the end of the day will be waiting for me!!

Heartstrings here, too

With all this talk of Heartstring blocks, I just couldn't resist. Here are the first four I made last night and this afternoon. I worked on these after I messed up my blog layout. Sorry, Judy!

Hopefully, my friends will take pity on me and help me get the Stash quilt link back up. I was trying to add the flickr.com link when I made such a mess. I thought I was really making some headway working with the html...

Got to work this morning and could hardly work for showing off the cowboy quilt. You should have seen the reactions I got! Everyone thought it was the neatest thing they've ever seen! lol It was kind of funny. Most of the little ladies are well over 60 years old (I know, I'm in my 50's) but to see how the older women react to the quilt is priceless. Even the men thought it was pretty cool.

Back to the Heartstrings...after working on these four, I thought, "sheesh, I could've made four quilted blocks ready to be put together with the reversible quilt method. All I needed was the batting between the muslin and the strips. But, that's another quilt...

Oh boy, Jim just came in and gave me a shoulder rub! What a difference that makes. I had a heachache this morning and Dad made me take an Aleve when I went by to see him. He's doing very well and his cardiac rehab therapist is happy with his progress.

I need to work on some birthday blocks for February. I'd like to try new patterns for these blocks, but it always seems that I'm in a hurry to finish them so I use the tried and true and fast

patterns. We'll probably have leftovers for dinner and I'll wait for Judy to get to the gym.

Cow-oh-boys! quilted

Done! Wow. This little quilt was a bit distracting while quilting. lol The bottom picture is the back of the quilt. I had to piece it, again using the diagonal piecing method. The dot you see is not on the quilt, but came from the flash, I guess. This one did take two days to quilt. I've enjoyed working on the last two quilts, but I'm ready to get back to my quilt-as-you-go blocks.

I received my new extension table today. I bought one several years ago at the Houston show and cannot live without it now. Well, last year, while my brother was lovingly packing the car to get us back home after a visit, he accidently broke the table. He was mortified. He made me order a new one right away and I did. I got the new one soon thereafter, but I have not liked it. It was made from a new and more wonderful type of material. But, I was not happy with it. Just didn't fit my machine right and, yes, it was lighter in weight but because it wasn't as heavy as my first one, it just didn't sit right. Anyhoo, they sent me another one made of the original material and I am happy again!

I have sat here all day wondering if I'm going to make it to the gym tonight. Judy and I have not been in a few days since the weather has been so bad. I just asked her if she was going later, I'd wait for her. But, she's getting her nails done so will not be ready for the gym 'til later. Okay, I'll wait...I really need to go.

Jim was home all day. He helped to hold up the quilts while I photographed them. I guess I shouldn't have asked him to do that since he's home from work because of muscle spasms in his back. He's on meds so maybe he'll be ok.

Off to check to see if the mail is here yet. They didn't deliver on Saturday 'cause of the weather. They're late today. I threatened to call and complain. Since Jim is a mailman, and didn't go to work today, I guess I better leave it alone. :-)

A quilting day

The front of this quilt is the side with the stars. The stripes and squares are on the back. This comfort quilt will go to a little girl connected to someone on QOR. I'll relate the entire story once the quilt is sent off. Don't want to spoil the surprise! I usually like to work on a quilt this size over a period of at least two days. But, since I couldn't really go anywhere because of the snow, I thought I'd just get it done. Now I can start on the Cow-oh-boy quilt.

I tried to go to work today. I told one of my customers that I'd see her today since we couldn't get to the shop yesterday. I was able to get out of our driveway (Jim worked hard to shovel all that snow) and slipped my way to the shop. Unfortunately, I drove right on by because the parking lot was still 12" deep in snow. There was no way my dad's little car would've made it in and out of there. So, we decided to go in early in the morning. I don't work on Mondays, but there are exceptions.

I talked to Leota last night and she sounded well. She'd had some bleeding, but got it taken care of. They were back at the hotel and weren't sure when they would head home.

Working with this quilt really wore me out today. But, I enjoyed it. I'm going to go cut up an apple and head to bed.

dizzy log cabins

According to my sister, when you put all these blocks together it's "dizzying". LOL Isn't this a cool design? I've got some other orphan blocks I'm thinking might be adaptable to the pattern.

Wow. What a day. Snow has fallen all day long. We probably have about 12 inches of snow out there. I walked to the mailbox to leave some payments to be picked up and was nearly out of breath by the time I trudged through all that snow! I can't imagine having to shovel the stuff!

No wonder Dad had a heart attack.

Jim is not home yet and I have no idea when he'll be in. Talked to him earlier and he said he was getting stuck everytime he turned around. I think he's glad this is his last winter to be a mailman. Luckily, he has a driving route. The first year he worked as a mailman, he had an all-walking route and I remember finding him in nearly waist-deep snow one time. I thought he was going to quit then! That's been 20-something years ago.

Guess I'll go fix some sandwiches to have ready when he does get home. I would rather start quilting !

Tilted Log Cabins

Here's a fun block I played with last night. I saw this pattern in a new book I got in the mail the other day and couldn't wait to try it. I love making log cabin blocks using the speedy method so I knew this one was do-able in one night. Sure enough, I made 8 blocks like the one on the left. Then, you take and cut off the corners, swap them around, re-sew and, wa-la! You have a whole 'nother block! I still have to refine my measurments, but you get the idea. Since I don't have to go in too early this morning because of the snow, I think I'll work on a few more. I really need to quilt the two quilts I have sandwiched and rolled up, waiting for me in the living room, but I haven't fixed up my area in order to do that. Maybe today if I don't go in to work at all.

Mary, thanks for calling. I'm glad you decided not to get out in this. See you next weekend!

I'm going to shower and get ready just in case three other ladies scheduled for later in the day decide to get out in this mess. I really need to see all three of them since they've all got major jobs scheduled - a highlight and two perms! Jim called and said people are making ruts in the roads and it was a little slick, but he thought I could make it if I go slow. We'll see...

Mini iron for mini blocks

Actually, this is one of the Midget blocks I'm working on. No. 15 to be exact. I decided to set it up to the right of my sewing machine so I don't have to get up and down to press these small, paper-pieced blocks. Good idea, but I don't have much space. As you can see, my mouse is a little crowded on the mouse pad under the ironing area. Works for now, but I think I need to rearrange my room.

If I can get Robert over to help me this weekend, I would like to move my TiVo set up into the sewing room. That would definitely require a clean up.

I worked with the Easy Quilter for a while yesterday and nearly pulled my hair out. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to use it. When I demo'd it in Houston, it worked great. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. So, I guess I'll bite the bullet and continue quilting the way I normally do - roll up the quilt and throw it over my shoulder. Actually, I can get a lap-sized quilt done in two nights that way. I fold the quilt diagonally and just quilt in rows. Usually I try to get one side done one night and the other side the next night. Breaks the monotony and lets me rest.

I sandwiched another quilt tonight. This one is made with blocks put together by Kate from QOR. It will go to a child who's family lost their home in a fire right before Christmas. I should've finished this a long time ago. Good thing Kate posted something about these quilts. Others in the group are making quilts for the other children. I think there are four. Since I sandwiched the quilt tonight, I will start quilting it tomorrow night. That is, if I can think straight after the day I have planned for tomorrow!

Looks like snow is predicted for us starting tomorrow night so maybe I won't have too many cancellations tomorrow. If I don't, I will have one around 10 -12 heads of hair. Some are Leota's ladies, too. Oh, Leota came out of her breast reduction surgery around 4:30 today and Brian, her DH, said she came through it fine. She is in a semi-private room so he was headed back to the hotel since she will probably sleep through the night. We can only hope. I can only imagine the pain she might be in. But, they have good drugs these days.

Jim was nice enough to cut up a cantaloupe for me just now. He decided that since he had two Arby's sandwiches around 3:30, he isn't really hungry. That's good, since I didn't really plan to fix dinner! LOL I can just see us now when he retires in October......hey, maybe he'll start doing some of the cooking since I'll still be working! I can dream, can't I?

Dad seemed well today. His blood pressure is finally coming down and the visiting nurse told him he was doing better. I wasn't there when she came by so they probably had a nice visit. She says he's much more talkative when it's only the two of them. Guess he thinks that if we're around, the doesn't have to talk.

I'm off to eat my melon and work on the Midget block.

Interesting...

From Linda's blog, via Patti's blog, via Nancy's blog

You Are An INFJ (Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging)

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's" Your Personality Type?

I'm not so sure about this, although Leota always says I'm a "frustrated English teacher!" and, I do love taking pictures, especially of my quilts. lol They are right on track when saying I am independent and stubborn, but I can be swayed...easily, it seems. And, being a hairdresser, I have definitely become a listener. Taking care of my dad has taught me patience. I may have complex, deep feelings, but I don't always care to express them. Maybe I didn't answer some of the questions correctly. hmmm...

The only thing quilt related I did this weekend was to make one more Midget Block. I have thirteen made and only six behind the posted blocks. Oh, and I did piece the back in order to sandwich the Cow-oh-boy quilt in preparation for quilting. I made the backing from a piece of fabric that was too small to use as it was so I tried John Flynn's method http://www.flynnquilt.com/freepattern.html of diagonally cutting the fabric and re-sewing it to get the right size. I would really like to try to quilt this one on my EZ Quilter and Deborah has generously allowed me to borrow her Bernina so I can try it. That way I don't have to tear my machine away from other, daily piecing. I'm not usually one who needs 4 or 5 hours to do a particular job, but I would like a good stretch of time to work with this. So, I'm not sure when I'll get to it. Especially now, since Leota will be leaving the shop for a few weeks for her surgery. Gotta take care of business - her's AND mine!

When I got online this morning, I had a message from Judy saying it was 5 a.m. and she was on her way to the airport in Dallas. Sure hope that girl gets home today. What a mess this ice storm has caused.

Robert and I hit the gym last night with a vengeance. My muscles didn't know what hit them by the time I got home. I'm a little sore this morning, but I figure that's what I get for slacking off like I had. I've got to be more diligent about working out. Maybe even watching what I eat. Okay, I say that even as I finish eating two, yes, two, blueberry muffins that I made this morning. I just had a hankering for muffins today. Reminded me of when my boys were home and I made a batch of muffins at least once a week.

Time to get a call from Dad and jump in the shower. Clint, at work, decided we'd do lunch at the shop today to bid Leota a good surgery farewell. I was too tired last night to even think about what to take, so I guess I'll run by Wal Mart this morning and see if they've got something I can bring and claim as my own. lol

Icy days, quilty nights

The nights are icy, too, but I don't have to be out in it, thank goodness. So, when I got home yesterday afternoon after work, I decided to put this top together. I've titled it, "Cow-OH-boy!" lol What a fun, quick quilt. I still want to put some borders on it but decided to show you what I did yesterday afternoon and last night after we got back from dinner.

The icy picture is right outstide my front door. The tree to the left is laden down with ice. I hope it doesn't get any heavier or some of the branches may break. The little one to the right looks pretty pitiful with all the ice pulling it's skinny branches down.

I guess we'll spend the day at home today with the weather like it is. Dad is still not feeling 100 percent and his blood pressure is not wanting to cooperate with the medicine. I suppose we'll have to have a talk with the nurse again on Tuesday since Monday is another holiday.

Time to fix a little breakfast. It's so tempting to crawl back under the blankets! I just might do that after we eat. Unless I get a burst of energy to put the borders on the "Cow-Oh-boy" quilt!

Back of the bras and Dad

Here's the back of the bra quilt. The borders are not on yet since I still need to quilt them. Actually, I think I'll attach the front and back and batting before I quilt. Sometimes it's easier to do the borders after they're on.

The trip to Lubbock was a good one. The heart doc said that Dad doesn't need to return again until next month. That's only because his blood pressure has been up and they've increased his Lopressor. Before they knew about the increased blood pressure, the doc had said we didn't need to go back for three months. Sure glad Judy reminded me about the B/P. The doc's visit was so fast and we discussed medications and what he should be doing and I flat forgot to mention the blood pressure. Strange thing is that they didn't even check any vitals during the visit. But, the doc said that the results of the heart monitor that was attached to Dad a few weeks ago was ok. That was good news. So, he will begin cardiac rehab here in Clovis and was instructed to get out and walk at least once a day. He's actually been out walking twice nearly every day except when the weather was bad. I think he's ready to start driving soon. We'll see...

Did not work today, but should be in bright and early tomorrow. Well, at least by 9 a.m. LOL I'm so lazy these days. I hope I'm busy, but I also want to get home to finish this quilt. I'm going to drink my Sleepytime, watch Reba and go to bed.

Flat tire day and red bras!

Oh boy. I worked on this quilt all morning to get it to the stage where I could take it with me to club. The border is not attached in this picture. I put the black sashings on to connect the blocks. I'll post a picture of the back as soon as I find an appropriate border fabric for it.

Anyway, I worked on it until 11:30 a.m., jumped in the shower and was ready to leave around 12:15. I figured I'd run by the bank and the coffee hut and head on to the meeting at 1:00 p.m. I was about a block from the house when the car I'm driving (Dad's Mitsubishi) started sounding really funny. I began to realize that I probably had a flat so I pulled into the nearest side street to stop and check. Sure enough. The left rear tire was nearly flat as a pancake! I didn't even stop to think. I knew I had to get home. So, I drove really slow and got to my driveway. Robert came and put the donut tire on and drove it to Sears. There goes the meeting.

While we waited, Rob and I grabbed a hamburger and ran more errands. While waiting to pay out at Sears, Dad calls and asks if I could come help him. He was having trouble breathing. Said he just couldn't catch his breath and had not been able to lay down to sleep because he couldn't breathe. I was a little more than worried. I left Rob to finish the tire transaction and headed to Dad's. We spent the afternoon at Dr. Shrader's where they took a chest x-ray and have deemed him to have a "little pneumonia" in one lung. His O2 levels were low enough to warrant oxygen at home, so back home we go to wait for them to bring in the oxygen. He tells me he has felt better tonight. No shortness of breath. We go to Lubbock tomorrow for his cardiac follow-up. Sure hope this oxygen adventure is short-lived and he won't have to use it for long.

I'll miss work tomorrow, so I hope the rest of the week is busy. January is notorious for being a slow month and that does not help to pay the bills.

I wonder if today was just "one of those days"? Everyone I've talked to seems to have had a bad day. Let's pray that tomorrow is much better!! Oh, and now Reba isn't even on TV! They've replaced her show with something about "Gay, Straight or Taken" or some such nonsense.

I think I'm going to get ready for bed. I can't seem to get Blogger to separate my paragraphs. Please forgive me if it looks as though I'm rambling.

Judy's 2nd quilt!

Are you ready for this? Tonight, Judy started her second quilt! Yes, right after a dinner of tacos and Spanish rice, I cut and she sewed these piles of half square triangles. These fabrics are from a kit I gave her at Christmas. It's just like the kit she used for her first quilt, but she decided she wanted a different pattern. So, we decided we'd do half square triangles (thanks for the hint, Deborah) and then I think we'll set them in squares of four blocks each to form a pinwheel. Then, we're going to do the quilt-as-you go method. They'll be ten inch blocks set together with sashing. Haven't decided on the color for that, yet.

So, since Judy is bound for Chicago on Wednesday, this project will be put on hold for a few weeks. She'll be headed to Arizona the next week so there goes that weekend. It will be waiting for her when she returns. In the meantime, she's almost finished with the binding on her first quilt. I'm taking it tomorrow if I get to go to the monthly quilt meeting.

January birthday blocks

Here are the birthday blocks for the birthday January birthday girls on QOR. I thought I'd start taking pictures of these since I never can remember what pattern I used for a particular person. The top row is "Union Square" and "Annie's Choice" and will go to Linda Smith. The bottom row is "Annie's Choice" and "Diamond Star" and belong to Teresa Marvets. I like them all, but I think my favorite is "Annie's Choice". The patterns are from the "Quilter's Cache".

I'm mulling something over in my head right now for a new quilt and will share with you when I get it together. It will be a gift so I can't reveal it just yet. (ooohh, the suspense! lol)

It's Friday and I've been to the gym three times this week. I only gained 2.5 lbs. so I am feeling much better about the holiday eating. It's not been too hard to get back into it, except that I'm having a small problem with my right foot. I think my heel spur is acting up again.

Dad sounded really well this morning. His blood pressure has been on the rise and we're a little worried about that but we have a call in to the doc. And, we go to Lubbock on Tuesday for a check-up. Hopefully, they will find just the right BP medication for him. His leg incision looks much better.

I wish I could stay home and work on some projects but I'd better get my butt to work. It's been a bit slow, but that's how January usually is. I'm going to have to introduce a price increase on the first of February and I am not looking forward to that. I've put it off as long as I could but operating expenses just keep going up and up. Sure hope everyone understands.

EZ Quilter

Jim and I spent yesterday afternoon setting up my EZ Quilter II. Looks like I need to find bigger clamps to hold the quilt down in front. The clamps that came with it are just too small. Maybe I did something wrong. Actually, once I extend the front frame (we have it at it's smallest in this picture) I think the clamps fit. The piece I have loaded on the frame is a sample sandwich I worked on in Houston during a class. The machine in the picture is a Kenmore that Jim bought me soon after we married so it's about 25 years old. I don't think I'll be able to use it since the feed dogs don't drop and the plate doesn't seem to want to stay in place. I broke a needle the first time I tried quilting last night so I gave it up. It's too hard to work without the clamps holding it down tight anyway. This won't be my permanent set-up because I want a table that extends farther out the back and to the sides. This desk is one that just collects junk so we cleaned it off to try it out.

I have finished the QOR charity quilt and will be mailing it today. I just love working on those individual blocks then sewing them all together. I've got several big tops that need quilting so that's why I was hoping to get my EZ set up and working. After doing the quilt-as-you go method, I have gotten really lazy about working on the big quilts.

Woke up with a headache this morning and a little dizziness and nausea. Hope I'm not coming down with another sinus infection. I feel a bit better after going back to bed and sleeping for about an hour until Dad called to wake me up. Jim left around 6:30 to start his nightmare day at work today. Can't wait to hear all about how much mail they had!

Alright, enough prattling. I've got to get ready for work.

New Year's Day, 2007

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain

Which is the reason I no longer make New Year's resolutions! LOL We have had an uneventful start to 2007, thank you, Lord. Some of us have runny noses and sore throats and an incision that is taking it's time to heal, but, other than that, we are all doing fine.

Before Judy came over today, I worked on putting the lotto blocks together for the QOR comfort quilt. I still need to put the binding on since I decided it is big enough and probably can go without borders. I want to hurry and finish so I can send it to the recipient.

This is Sunshine, Judy's silky terrier. She loves to curl up on fabric. This is Judy's top just before we got it ready for quilting.

Judy and I spent the evening quilting. This after she made dinner for us. A new pork dish. It was delicious. She spent all day cooking, she said. Then, she spent all night sewing. What a Suzy Homemaker she is! Here is her finished (almost) quilt. She took it home to sew down the binding. I am so proud of her! If anyone had told me that my sister would make a quilt before the year was out, I would have said they were talking to the wrong person! But, she has really taken to this. She's even planning her next quilt! I think she's going to have to buy a newer sewing machine, though. I don't mind her using mine, but it's kinda hard for both of us to sew if we have to share a machine. She does have one, but it's about 25 years old. Works well to piece, but will need some adjusting for actual quilting. For instance, the feed dogs don't drop. She does have the plate to cover them but I've never worked with that. And, she will have to get an embroidery foot. A lot for a fledgling quilter to think about! That's her in the picture.

Jim is off tomorrow. Kind of a strange situation because of the national day of recognition for President Ford. It is actually Jim's day off this week, so he will have another day off coming. If their regular day off falls on a holiday, they usually have off the day before. Of course, since today is January 1, everyone is off. He is really a little worried about when they DO get back to work since they will have about 5 days worth of mail instead of just 3 because of the weather delays last week. It's going to be a mess at the post office no matter how you look at it.

I will work tomorrow. No holiday for me! lol That's ok. Seems like no holiday for the bills, either! Maybe I can get home early enough to put the binding on the donation quilt. I need to work on birthday blocks for January, too. Last, but not least, I need to clean my sewing room. Maybe if I say it often enough, I'll believe it.

Quilting

I have finally gotten back to doing a little quilting. These are six of the twelve blocks that I'll use to make a charity quilt per request from one of the ladies on QOR. Hopefully, I'll get it done right after the new year begins. Yes, 2007! LOL This one will be assembled with the quilt-as-you-go method that I've become so fond of. Thanks to the ladies of QOR for the beautiful blocks! I hope I can do them justice with the quilting and assembling.

I have NOT even begun to clean my sewing room. I just can't seem to get in the mood. I'd rather quilt! LOL Imagine that... Oh well. I like to think of it as "organized chaos". I know where everything is. Well, almost everything. But, if I don't know exactly where something is, I know where to look for it.

It's been steady at work the last few days. I'm feeling much more rested since my son has taken over the task of driving Dad to his wound therapy sessions every morning. Thank you, Rob! If we can just get that leg of Dad's to heal, I think he would really feel almost normal. He's doing well otherwise.

Not a whole lot going on around here, and, quite frankly, I like it that way. Cleaning ladies came this week so my house is relatively clean. Except for the sewing room. :-)

It's getting late and I've got a busy day at work tomorrow, thank Goodness! Thank you, Lord, for faithful clients!

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas!

Can you see the Santas on my socks? Judy took this picture of my ankles at the gym last night. I thought I was looking very festive as I was working out! LOL

I can finally show ya'll a picture of the Sister Quilt I made for Judy. I used pictures of just the two of us. I had a time finding pics with just us two in them! This pattern is one I found in Houston this year. It was actually a kit so I knew I'd be able to make it up pretty quick. She loved it. :-) Oh, and my brother and sis-in-law loved their respective quilts, too! His the Brother Quilt and her's the "Birds in the Windows".

Wow! So many wonderful things did Santa bring me! I know, it's just Christmas Eve, but that's when we exchange the gifts. My brother and sis-in-law sent me a Rowenta Professional iron! How great is that! I love it! Dad gave me a gift certificate to Dillards (yayyy!). Robert gave me a great NMSU sweatshirt with hood and some wonderful silk lotion. Jim gave me the handiest gift, a new laser mouse for my laptop! Judy gave me a new pair of jeans that zip (she and Rob decided I needed to quit wearing elastic-top pants, lol), Prescriptive face make-up (eyes and cheeks), cute ornaments, Starbuck's coffee and chocolates, and a new calendar for work. Thank you, all! Hope I didn't miss anything.

I woke up early this morning and decided to get to Wal Mart before everyone else did. Not a bad idea..I got there around 7:30 and there were some folks shopping. You could tell they all had the same idea I did. Everyone was rushing around trying to get out of there before the rush hit! LOL Could hardly concentrate on what I was needing for wanting to hurry up and get done. Well, I didn't have enough. I went back around noon with Judy. Finally got it all done and came home to wrap gifts. Oh, had to run to Hancock's to pick up a Rowenta iron for Judy for Dad to give her as a gift.

Jim and I came home around 9:30. It had started raining and looked like it might ice up if it gets much colder. Hope not since Robert is taking Dad to the hospital in the morning for them to dress his incision. That Robert has been an angel! He is living with Dad now and has taken it upon himself to help his grampo with anything he might need. I offered to take Dad for his dressing change and Rob said, "I've got it under control!" lol I'm grateful to him. How did I rate such a dependable child?

No quilting in the last few days. My sewing room looks like a tornado and an earthquake have hit it! I'll try to organize a little before I start working on some charity blocks that need quilting. I'm falling behind on the Midget blocks so I need to work on them. But, it's getting late and I think I'll go read for a bit.

Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Santa

I finally got about 4 hours of uninterrupted sewing last night and I was able to put these blocks together. I won't say who this is for, in case he sees this, but if you look real close I bet you can figure it out. I am not crazy about the whole design. I was going for a different effect but when you don't sit down and work things out on paper, sometimes it just doesn't work. But, it's finished with hanging sleeve and all.

Now I only have two more tops to finish quilting before Christmas. I'll keep you informed.

Dad's doing well. Hopefully, the infection in the incision is being beaten down by all the antibiotics. I think he's going to have to start seeing the wound care specialist right after Christmas if it doesn't begin to really get better soon. If it's not one thing....

Snowy morning so I'm not headed to work until a little later. Guess I'll work on one of those tops.

Rob, the graduate

We're back from Las Cruces and my son is now an official Aggie Alumni! He also has a job interview with a local communications company on Tuesday. We are so excited. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers during this exciting, yet stressful time, for him. He's pretty anxious.

No quilting for me this past weekend. Not sure I'll do much this week with Christmas coming up. I'd like to finish at least one quilt for a gift, but we'll see.

Today is Dad's follow-up in Lubbock. He's doing very well. Robert and I spent the night with him and I only heard him get up once. He says he was up 3 or 4 times but that is significantly better that every 30 minutes! One of the incisions on his leg, near the groin where they took part of the vein, is infected now but they've been working on it with antibiotics. He thinks it feels better today.

Just a little sum'n, sum'n...

This is a little paper-pieced Santa I put together one night at Dad's. It's a potholder that may or may not get finished in time for Christmas.

What a week. I'm home tonight to get ready to leave for Las Cruces in the morning. I need to do some laundry, pack, pay bills and sleep. I am so tired I hardly know where to start. I know the first thing I need to do is take care of my Internet obligations before I leave town. The birthday blocks will be in the mail tomorrow as well as blocks for a certain lonely mom in Wyoming. :-) Lotto block draw will be in the morning before we leave.

Dad is home for a bit by himself. Judy will stay with him tonight. He's doing well, but not sleeping as well as I think he should. He is up every 30 minutes to go potty and, even though I don't get up with him, I still hear him. So, every 4th or 5th trip, I'll holler at him and he says, "I'm ok!". LOL He says we're a team. His leg incisions are still draining. We go to Lubbock on Monday for staple removal. All the nurses that have seen him this week say he's doing exceptionally well. I think he may be experiencing the typical depression. We'll get some meds for that soon, I hope.

Ok, enough. I've lots to do. See you on the other side of Las Cruces, or maybe, I'll post a picture of my graduate son! 

Dad sitting, under the weather..

Oh, boy. This is going to be a long week. I have been staying with Dad at night and running over during the day. He's doing very well and has a homemaker with him during the day. One of us needs to stay with him at night. We've all picked up a bug. I went in to work for about an hour this morning and had to go home. I then proceeded to spend time in the bathroom and took a nap. I'm still a little queasy tonight. Sure hope this passes before we head off to Las Cruces this weekend.

I did finish the birthday blocks due this month. I'll try to get them mailed off before the weekend. I've also been working on the binding for a Christmas quilt. Don't know if I'll get to the others waiting to be quilted before the 25th.

I hope to be well enough to go in to work in the morning. I've got a busy day planned tomorrow and Thursday.

Dad

Now I know why I've never been able to keep a diary or journal. I forget to sit down to write something!

It's been a long week with Dad in the hospital. Judy and I got home early Tuesday morning. She went back Wednesday and I stayed in Clovis to work. Hopefully, Dad will be coming home today, Friday, a mere week since his open heart surgery. He's doing well, except for the expected depression that sets in after this type of ordeal. Our brother Henry has been with him since Tuesday. Good thing he is here! He's been a big help in helping Dad to the bathroom and such. I know he's tired and he still plans on staying with Dad once he gets home, at least until Sunday. I'm so thankful he has a job that allows him to work from his laptop and cell phone while being away from the office.

I took this picture of Dad the day after surgery when they'd moved him to his room. He had some delusionary moments but everything he's experiencing is normal, they say.

Since I've been home, I've been working on a Christmas gift quilt for a family member. I have several more I want to get quilted before Christmas but we'll have to see how that goes. They may get a note in a card or just the completed top.

We're still planning on going to Robert's graduation next weekend. Jim and I, that is. I know that child can't wait to get home and help with his grampa! He's a great kid.

I better get my hair dry and makeup on and head off to work. Massage day today!

Dad's hospital stay

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't posted for quite a few days. Here's why...Thursday morning, my dad had a heart attack. Guess what he was doing? Shoveling snow!! He tells us he wasn't shoveling it, he was "pushing" it! LOL All the doctors that have reviewed his case tell us that he is indeed, a very lucky man. Most people that have this type of episode do not survive. After an angiogram on Friday morning, he had a double bypass that was finished at midnight. He is now in his own room and slowly coming out of the anesthesia. It has made him flat "loopy"! He is so funny and everyone has been entertained by him, including many of the folks in ICU! I'd rather have him this way, though, than to have him crying or feeling sorry for himself. They will have him up walking tomorrow.

My brother, Henry, will be on his way in the morning. This will give Judy and me (I)? a chance to go home to get fresh clothes and pay bills. I hope to get back to work at least by Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully, Dad will be home late next week. They get people up and running so quickly these days!

I hope to get some quilting done when I get home. But, I am so tired right now that even making a block seems like a mountain.

Thanks to all of you that have been keeping us in your prayers. Please don't stop!