Long Weekend Saturday

The weekend is off to a great start. I went out to eat with my daughter last night, then we decided to go out to Ashland to see my sister and her family. They are camping there for the weekend. We stayed for a couple hours. It was hard to leave after sitting around the campfire for awhile, it was very nice!

Today I took some models up to the store to hang them. First I had to finish some of the paperwork I needed to do including writing & printing supply lists & new flyers. Then I gathered my models and some fabrics I wanted to match & left. I was there for a long time, and I'm not sure why it took so long. It always takes longer than I think it should. Anyway I was there about 3 hours just hanging stuff and talking to a few shoppers. I think it looks nice. These pix show the Starburst Quilt and the T-Shirt Quilt, which are upcoming classes at the store. These are part of the display I hung today.

Before I left I chose a fabric for the background of my tessellations quilt. I am going to use some of my Asian prints that I have been collecting to make it. That is the plan anyway. We'll see.

Tomorrow I hope to get a quilt loaded & quilted. Wish me luck!

It's almost Friday, does that count?

You might remember me talking about the quilt and bag I made my great nephew after he went fabric shopping with us.I posted a pic of the quilt. This is the bag I made out of the leftover fabric. I saw him Sunday, so gave it to him. He loved it! The quilt rolled up fits in the bag with room left for pjs. The checkerboard is pockets around the bottom.

Here is the new model for the Beginning Quilting class that I do at the store. The Kitty 9 patch is softer colorwise than the last few BQ models I have done, but I love the kitties. Hopefully others will as well and it will attract them to the class. I am not going to finish it now, just the top as they are easier to hang this way.

Went fabric shopping with my friend tonight. Had a good time picking out fabric for her next quilt. She found a gorgeous large leafy print in pinks, purples and reds....very nice. Luckily I have plenty here to work with so resisted buying any new this time. Whew!!!! yes it's a miracle!

TGIW

It's been busy the past few days. I had class Sat, Mon and Tues. I did make a new model for the Beginning Quilting Class. It is cute- kitties, kitties and more kitties. I will post a pic when I get a good one. I need to get a line-up for fall classes firmed up, so that means I need to get busy sewing....

It's Friday, It's Friday....

and boy am I glad!!! Seems like a long week, getting back to work at school and teaching classes too. I also had a tea party to go to, and help make food for Thursday night. I had made the mini quiches, and frozen them and they turned out great!!!! Everyone loved them. We had many good finger sandwiches also: chicken salad on biscuits, ham salad roll-ups & cucumber & tomato sandwiches. Of course no self respecting tea party would be complete without many yummy desserts. We had fancy cookies, mini cheesecakes, lemon bars, fudgey rice bars, little pastries with chocolate pudding and whipped cream and pastries with strawberries and whipped cream. The table was so pretty. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but some of the others brought theirs, so hopefully they will email me pictures I can post here. It was a great party and the best part was chatting with friends I don't get to see too often.

I have a UFO day at the store tomorrow, which is just a class for them to bring their unfinished projects and work on them, and get help if they need it. It is always fun. Not sure how many are coming, had a big turnout a few weeks ago, so we'll see. I am taking the oriental pieces to work on in case only a couple come and there is not much for me to do. Maybe I can get them basted to the back and batting.

Tuesday's Bitty Library News

I have the library about ready to go at this point. I am starting orientations on Thursday. I don't really enjoy all that talking in front of classes about the same thing over and over, but it has to be done. I will be glad to get to a normal schedule.

Jo came over last night and we did a little quilting and a lot of gabbing. I had a class tonight, a group was finishing the Sunbonnet Sue Sampler. They are doing a great job, and I think are happy with their quilts. This group has been fun because I work with the 3 ladies in it. Well, one of them retired this past spring, so she no longer works with us. Lucky duck!!! Not that working with us isn't the best, but she gets to stay home now!

Sunday

Mom and Dad came down to visit today. I took them to see Rachel's house, then we all went out to eat in the Old Market and walked around the Heartland Park & Lake. It was a nice day for it and we had a good visit too.

I came home and worked on a few more string-piecing blocks & the model for class. I also finished watching the last of Season 6 of the show "24". It was not as good as some of the first ones. It seems they just get more preposterous every year. More and more crazy things happen that make no sense, people who are near death one episode, will be recovered 2 episodes later, which since the show is real time means it is only 2 hours later. I think the writers of the show need to write all the episodes before they start shooting the first, instead of making it up week to week.

Anyway it was a nice weekend, all in all.

Mini quiche are not so hard to make!

I have some quilty friends who try to meet every month or 2. We haven't been doing very well, as we haven't met since February. In talking with one of them as she looked over my booty from vacation, which included a couple of new/old tea cups from my sister in Canada, she decided we should have a tea party on August 21 at her house. I offered to help with food (it was the least I could do since I didn't have to clean!), so decided I should make some mini quiche as well as some other goodies. I practiced today, and they were good. I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, cut out circles & pressed them into mini muffin tins. Then I put an egg mixture in and baked. They were tasty, & I just hope they are as good on Thursday. I baked some plain shells too so that I can make little desserts out of them. They turned out cute as I used a scalloped cookie cutter, so after baking they look like little flowers. I will try to take some pix after I get them made.

I also went swimming today at Rachel's, her dogs were entertaining as usual. They are like a couple of kids. The older one knows when she has done something wrong and will go to the kennel. After she does it, of course.

Thursday is for finishing...

The first day of school went well. It is always fun to see them back in their new clothes, so excited. I got a lot done in the library too so that was a plus.

I worked on getting the binding on my nephew's flame/cars quilt tonight and finished it. I have it in the dryer now, so can call him tomorrow. It is a very simple "quilt" (I use the term lightly) but he will like it...all those cars and flames. What is it about boys and flames?

Wednesday is back to school day...

Yesterday I started something with some of my vacation fabrics and some geisha girls I had. It is just bits and pieces of asian fabrics with girls and the kimonos which is the main reason I wanted to make something ( I had to buy the geisha girls--they were the last on the bolt & were calling my name). I think it is going to be 3 separate pieces that can be hung together. I will probably do some quilting, then add beading to it, so it may never be finished ( like the Mermaid) as it is hard to know when to stop!

I love my job at school, but it is so nice to have the relaxed summer schedule, too, with only quilting classes to worry about. We had a beginning of the year gathering for all 1100 odd employees of the district. It was nicer that usual, we sat around banquet tables with coffee and rolls. The speeches weren't too long and our new superintendent is actually a motivational speaker. This is her second year, so guess she is not new yet, but she told us today that we saw improvements last year, but our work is not done, we have to try harder this year.....

Once I actually got to school I spent the day putting the library back in order and laminating for the teachers. Tomorrow is our first day of kids, so they will all arrive with new books, clothes and best of all NEW CRAYONS!!! I love the smell of new crayons, and still remember the thrill of it from when I was a kid. The library won't be open for a week or so, as I have to update and enter students and other not so exciting stuff, then I have to do a short orientation with each class. Then we get down to a regular schedule. I have 7 classes that I read to, the rest of the kids just come and go when they need books. It is a great way to do it, though sometimes it gets sort of busy. But I like that. It is never boring, that is for sure.

Ok, maybe Monday is a day of rest instead....

I started out the day helping a fellow Library Clerk at another school who is new with a few things at her school. Then I went with friend to a quilt shop to look at fabrics. I came home planning on quilting, but my daughter called and was swimming, so I went there instead. It was fun.

I had class last night with my ladies from the beginning.....of me teaching classes, that is. They are working on Sampler #8, Stitching for Hours, which is on this page. One of them brought her granddaughter and daughter who are visiting from Belgium. Her husband is in the service there. So we played with the baby too. What fun!!! She liked quilting, and I am sure will be a natural when she gets a little older.
It is actually Tuesday, so I had better get busy and do something....my last day before I go back to school.

Sunday is not a day of rest...

I worked yesterday, but it was just UFO Day so everyone brought stuff to finish. I extended the time to 4 hours, and there were 9 people signed up!!! that is the most ever, we almost didn't have room. One person ended up not coming. We missed her, but it worked out ok. The ladies had fun sewing and the 4 hours went by quickly. I am having another on Sat. Aug. 23, since I don't have any Sat. classes until Sept. We all need time to finish projects.

After work I went with Denise and her grandson, Marcus (5) to a quilt shop. He was looking at the cool kids' fabrics, so i said I would make him a pillowcase. (Innocent me thought that would give him something to shop for since fabric might not be that exciting to him.) Pretty soon he found too many he liked, so he asked me if I would make him a blanket too? Who can resist???? So I just got 2 fabrics he liked for that, and 2 different fabrics for the pillowcase. I made the case when we got back, so he could take it home, and quilted the fabric today. It is flames on one side and cars on the other. I used a scroll pattern for the quilting, as I thought that looked as close to flames as I could get. I cut out the binding, but then I had car fabric left so made him a bag to go with it. I just sort of made it up as I went along, so it has pockets and a drawstring to hold it shut. I will post a pic of it later. I still need to put the binding on the quilt, but it will have to wait a bit. That must be the easiest quilt I have ever made!

Tonight we are going to go to my daughter, Rachel's for a cookout and for her dad to help her put her new mower together.

TGIF, except it means 1 day closer to school starting!

I had another good day of quilting. The machine is working well. I really think that I wouldn't have the ups and downs quilting if I just quilted a little every day, or even several days a week. I could be wrong, but it went really well this week, and seemed to go better the more I did. It is so much fun to quilt when it goes smoothly, no thread breaking & other problems. It is just hard when I work at school and teach classes to get anything else done. I quilted a smallish (57 x 69") one today, and a tablerunner. The runner went really fast...they are fun to do. I quilted the Oak Leaves panto on the quilt...it was in browns and golds, so used dark gold thread and I think it looks nice. The runner I used the scrolls, as when they are going across the length, they look kinda like fireworks....or maybe it is just in my mind. Some things are...just in my mind....it can be a scary place.

I go back to school next Wednesday, which will be fun, but just more work!!!! It is nice to have the summers off from school & only work one job. The fun one!!! Though I have to say working in the library is fun too, get to look through all those books! Didn't get as many school library books read as I hoped, but have been caught up reading Stephen White's books about Alan Gregory. My sister Kathy got me started on him. They are really good. I need to go to the library and get some more as I have run out of all I had here. (Nancy sent some back with me too). I am reading Stalemate by Iris Johansen. It's good so far. I haven't read anything by her before, but looks like she has many books, so might have to if I like this one.

Still quilting Thursday...

I am still at it, finished quilting a Tshirt quilt today. It turned out nicely I think. I used a scroll panto, so not so heavy quilting, but enough. I haven't taken a pic of it yet but I will later. Yesterday I quilted a small kid's quilt. It is a cute and simple pattern, almost looks like snakes. It is to the right >>>

Went to 2 small quilt shops today with a friend. She wanted to get some of the Laurel Burch Christmas fabrics for a tree skirt. They had the whole line at the first one, never saw so many. Most shops have some but not all. We worked out a pattern for her to make using snowball blocks that look like ornament balls. It should be really cute. I am curious about what they will do with her line since she died last year. This one has come out since then, so wonder if someone is redoing and recreating her designs or what? I will have to look into that.

Tuesday quilting

I finished quilting a Log Cabin quilt today for a friend. It is a beautiful quilt, black and white with a touch of red. It is huge and took me about 8.5 hours to quilt. Whew....but I am happy with the results. I used the Trumpet Vine panto( I like the way it quilts -heavily) and double thick poly batting. I have been working on some other class stuff, then think I will go up and load another quilt on the machine. I have 4 more to do, but one is a tablerunner....easy! I do the best quilting in the morning, so if I load it tonight it will be ready to go.

New projects

This is the string-piecing project I have been working on. I will be teaching an upcoming class on this fun and easy quilt. The best part of string-piecing is that you use up your scraps and leftovers from other projects and there is no need to buy more fabric. Well, until you use up all those scraps and leftovers, then of course you will be dangerously low on fabric and will have to go out and buy some more!

The second quilt is the LeMoyne Star Stack n Whack Quilt. I have made others from Bethany Reynolds book, but not this one. She makes it easy to do the LeMoyne Star without the "Y" seams, which I loved. Plus it is always fun to do a Stack n Whack as there is always the surprise of what the blocks will look like. I wanted to use a background color that would blend with the background of the S & W print so that you would mostly see the design.

Poor excuse for a blog....

Ok, I know I said I was going to do better, but guess what??? I didn't. So I will try again.

I have been working on some quilt projects for upcoming classes at the store. I have also been quilting today. I am using the trumpet vine panto to quilt a black, white and red log cabin. It is gorgeous, not mine, but a young quilters who sometimes takes classes with me.

It is about 100 out today so a good day to stay in and quilt!