Sunday, November 30, 2014

Progress - Slowly but surely

Sneak in one last post for the month
Alas 4 little quilts for 4 special little darlings complete and marked off my list.
Four little Baby Bells in a row. Oh so tiny and to think they are now two years old. Time Flies but I'm pretty sure Amber and Mike wonder how they ever made it with four babies. 
Let me tell you they do a wonderful job. Between Amber's blog and her Mom Linda's blog I keep up with the little cuties and watch them grow up. Ain't technology grand. Wish they'd had this back when I had Pamela. 
When they announced the pending birth of the Quads David goes why don't you make them quilts. Uh okay. I'm not that fast and wasn't sure of my ability. So in 2012 I began the production. From choosing the design to choosing the fabric and then constructing not one but four quilts.
Trystan  Harrison  Logan and Kailey
Harrison's was the first quilt completed with a western theme. I pieced and quilted this one all by myself. Not bad for my first time to use a long arm quilting machine. I love western motifs so I thought it a good choice. 
L to R: Harrison  Logan  Trystan and Kailey
And look he was a cowboy for halloween.
Next I completed Trystan's. She's a cutie. Her smile kills me. It's so contagious, you can't help but smile when she does. When I saw this fabric with fun little bee's and found some coordinating colors I smiled and it made me think of her. Can't see it here in the picture but I had it quilted with little bee's. I pieced it but had my friend and fellow blogger Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest do the quilting. She did a great job and her pricing is very reasonable.
Next I worked on a quilt for Kailey. Kailey is the spitting image of her momma in looks and likes. She is a little dare devil and like her mom she likes zebra print and doesn't like baby pink well at least I hope I thinks that's right. LOL. The zebra print has cute little zebra faces. I have been wanting to do something with denim so I cut what's called tumbler blocks and alternated all the fabrics and again had my friend Donna quilt it with a floral motif. Linda the grandma posted this picture of Logan and Trystan napping under Kailey's quilt.  
All together now say aaahhhhh....  Aren't little ones so cute when they sleep.
Linda had also posted this picture on her blog with the 3 quilts they have so far hung over the couch in the play room. I'm happy to see them being used and not tucked away.                                                                                                                   
Now Last but not least there's Logan. She doesn't know it but she has had to wait patiently for her quilt. But the wait is over. I had to find the right fabric or at least what I thought was the right fabric for her. 
She seems to be more of a girly girl and more cautious. While the other girls are picking out leggins and pants Logan finds a skirt.
She has such a soft sweet smile that when Pamela saw this kit and I saw the daisy fabric it made me think of Logan.   
I made the label a little different on this quilt. I appliqued it on. I forgot to take a picture of it after I did a blanket stitch around it with black thread. 
 
Here's a picture of it front and back.

The fabric and pattern kit I bought was for a smaller quilt so I had to add the houndstooth/state of Texas border.

Donna quilted a daisy motif on it for me.   Moving on to my next project(s)....

While at retreat I made a couple of texas pot holders. I've got to get better at the binding on these little devils. My next one will be bigger than these but yeah I have new pot holders. 

Also one of the girls, Mary Jane

from the Spring retreat made a pot holder in the shape of Texas. I had to buy one from her. 


Our group picture was taken with me in my robe and nightie. Wonderful. I had just had a massage and facial and heading to the shower thinking I at least an hour before one of the girls left at noon but she was all packed up and ready to leave so they drug me out for the group picture in my nightie and flat hair.  Oh well it is what it is. What a great group of gals! And lots of talent

I also finish a quilt top for a friend's little boy Jaxon plus two other small baby quilts. Was gonna have them ready for a quick gift then remembered my friend Amy's(RIP) has a daughter who will be giving birth soon so now I'm down to one baby quilt in wait. That was quick. Plus as soon as I got home I started another special quilt top for David's co-worker who just had a little girl. After 3 boys this little girl was announced so ....a quilt is required right. This wasn't on my project list but I'm on a roll. Sure hope to cross off some more items before the year ends.  No pictures of the quilts until they get to their intended recepiant.

My 2014 project list to work on
Quad quilt #2 top complete, quilted, binding  mailed
2013 taxes yippee
Quad quilt #3 top being quilted mailed and received
Quad quilt #4 - cut out, started piecing mailed and received
my last 2 handmade gift items from a Facebook post. Did 3 but have 2 more to create
Carolyn's quilt top complete  quilted, binding mailed
Jaxon's quilt - putting on last sashing and at the quilters
a couple of flannel baby quilts - heading to the quilters
Sandy's quilt - printed photo blocks need to chose design
Flag quilt  - complete cutting the blue blocks of Texas flag
purse
Pamela's quilt 1 n 2
Pamela's tshirt quilt
Nickie's Tshirt quilt
Mom's flannel quilt
Mom's fleece quilt
postcards are an ongoing project - x
A tool pouch for David's motorcycle
Allan's quilt
phi mu auction quilt
valence for den
valence for dining room
valence for breakfast room
create more bookmarkers
create some mug rugs
new pillow covering for pam - 2
pillow cases for guest room
valence for master bath
hobo quilt
Bible Quilt
A surprise quilt for someone special
open a pattern I bought and actually make it.
start reading again  then stopped. Lost my reading mojo... grrrr

There's just not enough time in the day to get everthing done that needs to be done and or want to get done.

Until next post...  Friendship is a tapestry woven through the years with threads of joy and laughter, happiness, and tears.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

Friendship and Quilting

We took a break one weekend from looking at land. Kinda. We snuck one look in. On a Friday night we ran over to Cat Spring to look at some acreage about 50 miles from where we live now. Even got to drive on the land with the owners permission of course. It had some decent views but very very few trees but it was a nice looking piece of property. But it didn't make us want to run out and make an offer.
After looking we headed back down the road and stopped at a place called the Cross Roads Tavern. David's almost positive it used to say Cat Springs Country Club. I can't argue because I can't remember. Anyway for $10 you get all you can eat catfish, cole slaw, french fries, hush puppies, beans, homemade tarter sauce and a drink. OH SO GOOD. It's something they do every Friday night. All it is is an old corner grocery store/gas station in the country but it packs them in. When we pulled up the parking lot was full and there were cars park on all four corners around the place in the grass. Several of those folks were in the bar area and the eating area was busy but we found a place to sit and chow down. The catfish and the hush puppies were seasoned perfectly. Fried up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Tarter sauce was awesome. I do believe we'll be going back again.
 And back we went a couple of weeks ago. We met up with our friends Larry and Silvia for a yummy dinner of catfish and fixins then we headed over to Buffalo Creek event center. When they aren't hosting a wedding they hold music events. 

And that Friday night's guest artist was Max Stallings. And of course I can't forget his guitar player Bryce Clark on the left. David and I like to go see him and his wife play when we can.

Even though it was freezing outside that night we sat out on the patio next to the fire place. We were nice and toasty. Poor Silvia was fading fast though. She'd been up since 4:30am that morning and still trying to hang with us..

We had fun while it lasted. Actually they only left 20 minutes before the show was over so Silvia did good.
The next day I loaded my car to the ceiling with sewing machine, fabric, accessories, suit case and maybe even the kitchen sink and headed off to the RR-Retreats by Margie in LaGrange for 3 1/2 days and 4 nights of sewing, laughing, and friends. It was a blast.
We stayed up until 3am and got up by around 9. Oh there were a couple who got up at 6am but they did go to bed before midnight or earlier.
Every evening Margie cooked and served us the most awesome dinners. There was fiesta chicken, Chicken Enchilada, and mouth watering pot roast. Margie decorates the tables according to the dinner theme. She's the hostess with the mostess. After dinner we'd go back to sewing but by 9 or 10pm the wine would come out. 
One of the girls brought a bottle of uhm I guess it's wine called Kinky. Tasty but I passed on the Kinky and went for a bottle of wine I bought called Pink Flamingo. The bottle caught my attention. Bright yellow with a bottle top cap. Very yummy. 
Actually both bottles are pretty unique. Cathy G. I saved them for you.
Some posted on facebook that quilters shouldn't drink and sew hmm there were a few of us at the retreat that didn't know about that rule. 

I can only show you the back of this quilt for now. It's on it's way to Dallas for Logan one of the quads. Now each little quad has a quilt of their own. They had to wait a while for the quilts but I made them with love so does that make up for the slow production. And yes Sandy S. You are still waiting on yours. Slowly but surely.
 




Megan here was our youngest retreater and probably the most productive. I believe she finished up 3-4 rag quilts. 

She fit right in though. She is the daughter of one of the other retreaters. 




Ellen and Megan helped make it a fun weekend!
We had another Mother - Daughter moment. Denise and her Mom went out to watch the sun set.

Wow it was so beautiful and it set really fast.


How about a little show and tell.
 A quilt top in progress by Sandy 

Here's my purse. I took the class 2 years ago and finally got in and finished it.  I started carrying it the minute it was finished. I need to make a couple more. LOL.
Here's a couple more quilt tops in the works by different retreaters.   This cathederal window quilt I had just pinned on pinterest. I'm ready to try it next.  The Log cabin quilt was started at our last retreat back in March but Denise has now completed it. She basted the backing batting on before we left. All that's left is to quilt it.
On Tuesday 7 of us took a field trip to the quilt shops in Giddings. Took time before running inside to share our finds for a photo opt. The rest of the group stopped at a yard art shop so they didn't make it in our picture.
Ellen    Denise  Jane  Me  Judy
 This one was made by Margie and we all want to make one. She told us her process. Wonder if Accuquilt would make a custom die of the state of Texas and how much it would cost.  
I sent them a quote request to find out.





And these blocks were Margie made by coloring with crayons. Amazing. I heard of it before but had never actually seen the end result. Wow. Margie did a great job. We might even have Margie have a class on how to do this method and one for turn under applique. 
Like seen here in the Bunny for each month. Too CUTE!

We arrived on a Saturday and left on a Wednesday. It ended way to soon but we had fun and productive retreat. We've already scheduled another in March.  

Until next blog..... Buttons and patches and the cold wind blowing...the days passed to quickly while we were sewing.
Friendships are stitched one stitch at a time.