Boyfriend's Quilt

This is my daughters boyfriends quilt. It was supposed to be a graduation gift but as you can see I ran a little behind. She wanted it to have big strips of fabric and when I put them together it definitely was not big enough. These boys tend to grow more after high school. So I added the chunks at the bottom and the side border. That made it get bigger! I put orange flannel on the back. Even though I am a Gator fan I did not mean for it to be so orange and blue. I love this batik and only have a little left now.
She took it to him at his school in Birmingham just in time. He said the dorms were starting to get cold at night. He loves it and life is good!

Quilts in Progress

I have collected Kaffe fabric for a while now. I figured it was time to start putting it in some quilts. I hope to make many quilts with his fabric and I will probably keep them for myself.
The first one is just a simple square in a square. My points do not even have to match. There is extra room around each square. I used all the roman glass and millefiore colors In my stash. The borders are not up here but I put a few blocks in my borders.
The second one is my blue quilt. There are 10-15 lights and darks in this quilt. I really like how this one is turning out. If I am going to keep these for myself they need to be different from each other.

Back to Blogging

I guess I better get back to this. I really enjoy it, I was just not inspired over the summer and did not work on much. I had so many people ask me what I did over the summer and I said nothing! They just kept asking like I was going to change my response. I really did nothing (quilt related) over the summer except spend time with my family.
About a week before school started I finished 2 more Amy Butler bags. Both basically will be used for diaper bags. The one I embroidered is for a new born. The name really looks good on the bag. I was not sure where to place it but I think it turned out ok. The other one is for my niece and it is Olivia the Pig fabric. I will be making her an Olivia the Pig quilt also. The fabric is so cute.

Trying To Get My Son Out Of Bed

I am yelling at my son to wake up while I write this post. We have alot to do today and I need to get going. He is being lazy today. His friend spent the night and they stayed up too late. Now he is catching up on his sleep.
I will be working on my mulch beds the next couple of days. Getting rid of weeds, raking up old mulch, and laying down new mulch. I know that will make my back hurt. I cannot part with the money to have someone else do it
I forgot to mention how proud of myself that I am. No its not bragging. I did not go into one quilt shop while I was in Florida. I rode by a few and was very close to some more but I did not go. That is hard for me. I like to see what the stores have because they all seem to have different things. My kids were even shocked. My husband was glad!
My son is still not getting up so I need to go jump on him!!!
Song of the day: "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters
my son is learning that song on his guitar

Manatees

My daughter loves manatees. Between the two of us we got some pretty good photographs of them. We went to Homosassa Springs State Park. The manatees at the park are gated off in the springs. So they are still connected to all of the water ways but they cannot get out. There was a manatee on the outside of the gate and all of a sudden it moved and a baby popped out from underneath it. That is the first time I have seen a baby in the wild. I think she wanted in and the others wanted out. Going to the springs really made me miss florida.
We also took a pontoon boat ride in Crystal River. We only saw one manatee there. The water was not as clear right now. The only clear spot was 3 Sisters. That is a group of springs in the bay. I did see a green heron, which I have never seen before.
Song of the day: "Life Is A Highway" by Tom Cochrane

Back From Florida

Me and the kids had a great time. We went to Dunnellon, Crystal River, Homosassa Springs, Sarasota, and ended the trip back in Gainesville. We visited with family, dug for arrowheads, went for a pontoon boat ride in CR, photographed manatees in the park and out in the wild, fished in the ocean, and rode horses. I had the best nights sleep when we got home. I was tired!!!
I did not realize my son would have such a good time fishing. If we lived on the water I think he would go out everyday. He is ready to go back. My daughter wants to move back down after college. I am just happy to visit.
Song of the day: "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall

Schools Out

Wow the last 2 weeks have been crazy. We had one more round of strep and my son got hit in the eye with a baseball. That meant a trip to the emergency room. He is ok, no damage to his eye. It did not even get as black as we thought it would. Poor guy he is an accident waiting to happen.
School got out on thursday. That's exciting. We were so ready.
I have gotten 2 quilts finished and another started on the longarm. That does not even count the one I screwed up the quilting on. Now I am going to rip 2/3rds of the quilting out. I have never had to do that before. It doesn't look like it is going to be fun. That is how unhappy I am with the quilting.
Me and the kids are heading out to Florida tuesday morning. We are going to visit family, friends, and go deep sea fishing in the gulf. I feel like I need to put my son in a bubble while we are there! I just hope he makes it through the week unharmed.
song of the day: "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet

New Rug Pattern

Happy Mothers Day!

This is my new rug hooking pattern. It is called Calypso. It is quite a bit bigger that the first one I did. I have seen a few of them finished and they are really pretty. Each one is so different from the next. It is a little harder to color plan these rugs since I do not have a huge stash of wool. So I am going to start on the basket and work from there.
I am very excited. My husband got me and my daughter tickets to see Fleetwood Mac in concert in June. They are one of my favorite groups.
Song of the day: "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac

My New Toy

I didn't plan on waiting that long to show you what I got in Paducah. My internet has been out and it took forever for Comcast to get to my house. I guess with all of the storms we have had in the last 2 weeks they have been slammed, so they say! We had to get a new modem and a new wireless router. It was not fun being without it. I look so many things up on the computer. At least I have had time to play with my toy.
It is the Accuquilt fabric cutter. I have cut out 2 quilt tops. I am also making jelly rolls of my hand dyed fabric. So I have cut almost 50 yards of fabric into 2 1/2 inch strips. It was awesome to have for that. I think I am going to love it.
Song of the day: "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams

Paducah

I made it back safe. I had a great time as usual. The first day I went to Hancocks, the Quilt Museum, and preview night. I had not been to preview night before. I did not realize it was an extra 25$. Live and learn! It was worth it this trip. I knew I was not going to have alot of extra time on my hands because I had signed up for 2 full day classes. So I looked at the quilts and the vendors that night. Of course the quilts were just as spectacular as ever. I did not take one picture while I was there. I just bought the book of show quilts. There were alot of Japanese quilts this year. I really like their style and fabric choice. There was also an exhibit of Japanese quilts at the museum.
My 2 classes were fun. I took Libby Lehman' s reverse circle applique class. I mainly just wanted to take her. I have wanted to take a class from her for a while now. She is so funny and full of good information. My other class was machine quilting and trapunto with Phillipa Naylor. Another great choice on my part! She was awesome. I definitely want to take her again. She quilts so slow. That is how her stitches are almost perfect. I am going to have a hard time slowing down.
For having very little time to shop I managed to buy. It was like power shopping. One of my purchases was a SEW EZI table. Since my group meets once a month at each other houses it will work out great. Sometimes we are a little crowded so now I will have my own table. The thing I love about it is the fact that your machine sits down in it. If it just sat on top of it I would not have bought it. And it is PURPLE! They must have thought about me when they made it.
The other is my new toy. It is supposed to come in the mail today. When I get it set up I will let you know. It was funny because my friend in Florida called and started talking about it to me and I was like, haven't we talked about this before? She was like, no. We both had been thinking about it. I told her I was going to Paducah to talk with them so she should wait and let me tell her all the info I had found out. I was so excited to call her when I got back. Well she could not stand it, she bought one while I was gone. Now she has hers already. She likes it so that is a good sign.
Gotta go now I am in the middle of washing and ironing fabric today. It's good to be home!
Song of the day: "Watching Airplanes" by Gary Allan

Prom Night 2009

Well this will be my daughter's 3rd prom. Enough already. Just kidding, she is such a girlie girl so I know she loves getting all dressed up. She hangs out with a great group of kids. They all have so much fun together. One of the mothers put on a dinner for them at her house. I think there were 22 kids in all. The parents plated the food and served the kids. They were also given hors d'oeuvres while we were taking their pictures. It was fun and I know they had a good time.
I took 202 pictures. Thanks to digital. Sydni is in the short dress that is blue and cream. She said she felt like a cupcake! And her shoes totally do not match her dress and that was intentional.
Song of the day: "Colour My World" by Chicago

Katz Deli

One thing we like to do is eat. So we watch food network and the travel channel alot. We like Man vs Food. So we knew there were some places we were going to look for in NY. When he went to Katz's Deli the food looked so good, not healthy but good. I knew I wanted to go there.
It definitely was an experience. When you walk in they give you a ticket and tell you not to loose it. We had no idea how to order. It just looked packed at the counter. So I started asking people what to do. You have to get in a cutters line. That is a guy behind the counter that cuts the meat. The only thing we were interested in was the pastrami, cornbeef, and beef brisket. I asked if I could try each and the guy gave me a dirty look. Not sure why, the guy in front of me tried the meat. He did give up some samples. I ended up getting the beef brisket. The meat was fabulous it just needed a little gravy!!! There isn't anything I won't put gravy on.
This is the restaurant that the famous scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed. There is a circle hanging from the ceiling that is above the table they sat at. Pictures were all over the wall of famous people that have eaten there. I really do not care who has eaten there as long as the food is good. It is definitely a place you would not want to eat at often. Once or twice a year as a treat. It is meat overload!
Song of the day: "Lets Go Crazy" by Prince

New York City

We had a great time in NYC. I was definitely ready to get back home. It is a great place to visit but I would not want to live there. Our main reason for going was opening day at Citi Field where the Mets play. That was my first professional baseball game. The stadium was awesome. Very well lit and easy to photograph and video in. After watching ice hockey for a whole season baseball just seemed slow and non eventful, no fighting or checking. The game was monday night so we had thursday-sunday to walk around the city. It only rained one day so we did not get much sight seeing done that day.
We went to Little Italy, Soho, Chelsea, East Village, Lower East Side, and the West Village. Our hotel was right off of Time Square. We really did not think about it being Easter weekend. It was really crowded. I did make it to the 2 quilt stores. I found a few things but I did not want to overdo it because Paducah is next week.
Song of the day: "China Girl" by David Bowie

Off To New York City

We are taking the last part of spring break and heading north. I hope to return with lots of pics to blog with. We will just be chillin out for about 5 days.
I will visit the quilt shops. The City Quilter and Purl Soho. I hope I find some treasures! See Ya.

My First Rug

Here is my first hooked piece. I am going tomorrow to hook all day and fill in the background and finish off the edges. It turned out ok. The leaves needed to have a little more contrast against the flower. I also made a few mistakes so I learned from them. I had to bum all the wool off of Betty. So now I will have to get a little stash of wool to work with. My next piece will be a big floral rug. It is really hard to find patterns for this. There is not near the amount as in quilting or cross stitch. It is also 50-150$ a pattern depending on how large it is.
Are there any hobbies that are inexpensive?
I am meeting my friends today to work on our Dear Jane blocks. I have not completed any more since the last ones. I will be using my civil war fabric today. I need to catch up on those.
Song of the day: "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin Daddies

My Son's First B-ball Game

Last night was my son's first baseball game. He chose it over lacrosse. Now this will give him something to do in the spring. He and his dad have been going to the batting cages for about 4 months now. It helps but not like playing in a real game. He got a base hit and brought a guy home. Not bad for his first.
I was not as prepared. I left my camera home. I always take it with me. So I went up to a total stranger and asked her if she would take some pics of my son and e-mail them to me. I didn't think that was too much. She was sitting there with a very nice camera so I figured she knew what she was doing. She was very nice and said that would be fine. It just happened her son was on the other team and so was everyone else I managed to sit with. So I have her to thank for my pics.
Then I almost got hit with a foul ball. It was coming right at me. It is really hard to judge exactly where it is going. There was like 5 things going through my head to make me not move my butt over. Is it going to hit me? Should I try and catch it? If I catch it will it hurt or maybe break a finger? If I hurt my hand will I be able to sew? Then I put my arms up like thats going to help block it. Then I figured if I don't move it is going to hit me square on the head, so I moved. And sure enough it would have smacked me right on top of my head. I felt like such a doofus. Should I show my face at another game? My son was not embarrassed but my husband was making fun of me from across the field!!! That is ok I would have done the same to him.
Other than all of that I really enjoyed the game. I am not really a baseball fan but it was fun watching the kids. They all looked so cute in their little uniforms.
Triston figured out I asked her to take pictures of him. So he is pointing at her asking me if she is photographing him. I think he was glad for once I forgot my camera!
Song of the day: " We Got The Beat" by The Go-Go's

Spring Is Coming

I had a great time in Ky. helping out with the kids. I always enjoy spending time with them. I watched my nephew play his soccer game. That was funny. Fourteen 5 year olds running back and forth in the gym not knowing what to do except kick the ball. Most of them were just looking around and bumping into each other. Everything was going good until I got home. I ended up getting that nasty virus my kids had. Not fun, I was wiped out all last week. My goal was just to get better so I could go to my rug hooking workshop yesterday. I did get to go and it was a blast. I learned alot, bought some wool, and got to see some great pieces that the other ladies brought for show and tell. There was plenty of food, which is always a good thing.
I just have to keep well this next week then it will be spring break. We will be going to New York City. My son really likes it up there.
Song of the day: "One Thing Leads To Another" by The Fixx

First Dear Jane Blocks

Here are my first Dear Jane blocks. This is the batik one. I am starting on the easiest blocks first. I can get started on the civil war now. I finally got my background fabric in. It is all washed and ready to go now. I really hope I like it as much as the batik. I showed my sewing group today. They liked all the colors of batik. There are 3 of us doing it in my small group. We may have a few more that want to join in. We were at Vanessa's house today and she made us a fabulous lunch.
I shipped 3 quilt tops to Australia yesterday. They said it would take anywhere from 2-3 weeks to get there. I just hope they make it there.
I am heading out to Ky. tomorrow to help my brother with the kids. My sister in law had a hysterectomy today. Everything went well and she will go home tomorrow. I wish I could stay longer than the weekend but I have to get back to my kids.
Song of the day: "Mercy" by Duffy

It's Official I'm A Parttime Hooker

Last week was not fun. Both my kids were really sick with a virus and I kept trying to get it. I was just exhausted all week. My son only went to school 1/2 day all week. I hope that is it for the year!
The half day he actually went I got to learn the technique of hookin. My mom is so proud! I called to tell her I am hookin now and she said, Your granny did that too. It is nice to know it runs in the family. I am getting to learn rug hooking which is something I have always wanted to learn. I looked into it a couple years ago and there is nothing around here. It is all up north. So I just dropped it. Then Chris in my quilt group told us about this lady at her church that taught it. I am like , I want to do that. So Chris asked her and she said yes. There is a group and they meet every other sunday afternoon at her house. So yesterday I got to go. It was so much fun. I am starting my flower piece, purple of course. I am going to my first all day workshop next saturday. I have a feeling wool is going to be just as addicting as fabric. It is beautiful.
This is a picture of her house all the way out in the woods (such a great place to meet) and a few of her pieces she has done. She has only been doing this since 2004 and has gotten so many pieces finished. When I saw all of her pieces I thought she had been doing this 20 years or so!
I have finished about 9 of my Dear Jane blocks. I have never made so many mistakes. I think it is because I was doing them when I was tired and not feeling great. I hope that is it. If I keep making mistakes I will not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Especially making 2 of them.
Song of the day: talking In Your Sleep" by The Romantics