I'm Back.....

I just realized it has been a few days....weeks since my last posting. Well I think Spring has finally arrived and that means yard stuff to get done.We cut down some large pines last summer but it wasn't till last week that we removed the stumps. They were on the edge of my biggest flower bed so needless to say it created a mess. I will be able to remodel that bed when DH gets me some earth to fill the hole left by the removal!

Isn't it bright.

On the quilting front I just returned from my annual visit south to spend time with my two quilting buddies. Every year we attend a festival in their area. It has since been disbanded but there are still a couple of independent shows that go on. At one particular show I saw this quilt and it spoke to me. Now when I say it spoke to me...it said I must make one for myself. I didn't get the makers name or pattern (if any) but I do know what show it is from.These are not my colours and it is way too bright but there was just something I liked about it. So I spent the rest of the week buying and collecting bright colours cause I knew there were none at home in the stash!!!I won't use this exact pattern but like the idea of the colours and flowers.

I will get a better shot when it is all set up

Although it will have to wait, I have a wedding quilt to make for August and a sampler to make for a dear aunt after that. How am I to get these done when my sewing room is in the basement and right now is freezing cold? Well that brings up what I am doing today...moving some of my sewing room upstairs till the coolness of the basement is needed later in the summer.I usually hand quilt in my living room but with no quilt to hand quilt that room will become my temporary sewing room! What do you think? Bright, well light and close to the kitchen so I can be making supper and still get in a few stitches here and there!
I haven't even unpacked my purchases from my holiday...it will be like seeing it all over again! What fun!!
Have fun with whatever you are doing today!!

My Annual "May" Run

May run around here refers to opening of fishing season...but for me it is quilt sale and my road trip to see my two quilting buddies. We are known as the "fabric piranhas"!

My bounty from the quilt store

Yesterday three other friends and myself headed to my favorite local quilt store(two hour drive away) for her annual 50% off sale. I cleaned up, bought enough fabric for 3 quilts plus a couple of extra pieces that were to pretty to leave behind.
The burgandy,beige and thimbleberrie(upper right) are for a sampler quilt for an DH aunt.Dusty rose print(lower left) is backing for a whole cloth quilt with the darker for binding. The teal and beige(upper left) are for a wedding present, need a chocolate brown yet. I am making a feathered star quilt with that.The teal was bought for the front of the quilt but I might use it for the backing instead. The other little pile(lower right) is just pretty. The teals are what I am looking for the wedding quilt but there wasn't enough yardage but don't they match that floral stripe well. It was meant to be. I have more of the floral line that I can add to.
During our full day we even fit in a stop at a yarn store.
Next week I head south to spend some time at a couple quilt shows and shopping with the other two piranhas.I always come home so inspired and exhausted. I always feel like a kid in a candy store. There are so many quilts stores to see there and I haven't many in my local area. So now it is to get going and making these piles into quilts. I always have a hard time starting a new quilt...that first cut into yardage is intimidating!! But here goes.....

Happy Snowy Mother's Day

Yup that is snow or slush!

That's right it is snowing, slushing whatever you want to call that wet, thick rain! So definitely no stitching outside today for me. But I got to do some knitting in the car  on a 3 hour round trip me and DH took this morning to pick up a water tank for his hunt camp. The rest of the day I am just relaxing and enjoying the day...indoors!

It is cold and wet 

embroidery, 1 strand of orange and 1 of yellow

 With just a little handstitching and trying to keep warm.Last weekend I was sunburned and this week we are back to heavy coats.....even I(who loves the snow) wants summer to begin!!! So I am doing some finishing on a project that I started 5 or more years ago. Embroidering these blocks and then cutting them apart. I have some fabric set aside especially for this in oranges with dragon flies!
This week my favorite quilt store is having a half price sale and I received a gift certificate for the store for Mother's Day...woohoo you know where I am headed...road tripping with some girlfriends this week. Enjoy your week too!!

Good News all Around!

My 2nd place machine quilted quilt

Well it has been a busy April. Our quilt show is over and it was a success. Anytime you can raise money for a good cause, it is always a success. I entered one quilt to be judged and I won a ribbon. I was proud of this one because I free motion quilted it by myself on my machine. Anyone who knows me knows I am a hand quilter at heart but sometimes  I will machine quilt and this one pushed my limits.

Older quilt with embroidery, some stitches are missing

One of the pillowcases, isn't the embroidery pretty

The other weekend I helped to empty my hubby's aunt's house. I brought lots of goodies home with me including a 1918 Singer Sphynx treadle sewing machine(that needs some TLC),household goodies and several  large tubs of yarn. I also saved some older embroider pillowcases.I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but after washing them and finding one pair shredded because of age and idea came to me. I have this older quilt, that I was given by my mother,it was sandwiched between two pieces of more modern fabrics to make it usable. I removed the outer fabrics to find this treasure but the binding was ragged  and I wanted to repair the it and didn't have similar fabric to use.The older pillowcases I got are just about the same fabric so I cut two of the better ones up  to make binding. Don't scream and yell at me, I saved the embroidered part to make a small doily or something. I could have gotten enough out of one pillow case but it was really yellow in spots so it took two cases to do the binding. Very please at  least now I can display the quilt and enjoy looking at it.

Yesterday was cleaning day in my sewing room. I have been just dumping things into it and I was barely able to enter the room. So today I am stepping back into my two mystery quilts that I am teaching at the guilds I belong to.
Well got things to do and the girls are coming over this afternoon to knit so the morning is going to go by fast! Have a great day!!