Between Charming Friends Quilt

Yay!  I finished!!  Thanks in part to my unintentionally-enforced internet downtime, I finished my Between Charming Friends Quilt Along quilt which was graciously hosted by Kelly over at Charming Chatter.  I used Boutique by Chez Moi for Moda fabric ....

My daughter, Emily,  told me I needed flowers in the center squares with lines connecting them, so this is how I quilted it:

I used a natural color thread for the four-patch flowers and then used a pastel-ish verigated thread for the setting triangles and for the wavy lines through the 16-patches. I attempted straight line qulting in the borders .... should have stuck with the Bernina for that ... but it was practice and I will get better.  The rest is all free-hand.  I'm really pleased with the way this cute quilt turned out.  Will definitely be adding it to the "have to make" for Christmas presents list.

Life is Good ... and then God Laughed at Me !!!

When I started this post last week, it was beautiful and I admit, I was feeling pretty smug with life. HA!  God reminded me who was in charge in a very, very large way...

• Laptop's battery finally gave up the very last vaporish ghost and refused to even acknowledge I hit the power button (future reference, remove battery, unplug, replug, and try to turn on again to restart, which I learned many hours and much hair loss later)
• Desktop computer's screen, which we purchased a "limp-along until we can afford a new one" screen for $15.00 at a yard sale, pulled a "blitz" on me.... laughed in my face and decided it didn't want to work any more.  AUGHHHH!!!! Me without a computer?!?!?!  As my friends could tell you, they don't make a twelve-step program strong enough for my computer addiction! .... what  to do, what to do ....
• Don't call husband, who doesn't understand why I need said computers for my fix ... (REALLY?!?! we've been married how long?!?!!)  He says, "well ....  " and meanwhile my brain is furiously working thinking, thinking, thinking ... AH HA, we've got an older laptop he has on loan from work for emergency purposes (this, my dear folks, IS an emergency!!!) ... I hang up on husband while he stews over my utter disbelief of his lack of understanding.
• Get the "emergency" laptop up and running .... aaahhhh I can breath again ....
• Now that my crisis is over, I learn the above mentioned trick with my poor pathetic non-functioning battery-less laptop.  Yay ... put emergency laptop away for another day (today, more on that later)  I also attempted the pathetic stand-in of a computer monitor on my desk and it decides that yeah, it'll work for now ... though not for long.
• This is where God steps in with a huge laugh ....  lightening and thunderstorm . . . KILLS MY INTERNET FOR THREE DAYS
• Did you read that?  THREE DAYS!!!!!  Notice me now bald and what is left is gray (not really, I have a really nice new hair cut and beautiful highlights courteousy of a new hairdresser .... $40!!!) ... okay ...
• THREE DAYS!!!! no internet except on my itty-bitty, teeny-tiny cell phone.  I don't care how much you laugh.  I needed my fix! :) :)  Yes, I carried that puppy every where.  Couldn't do much with it, but I didn't care, I was CONNECTED.  Felt real again.
• Well at the end of my interent disconnect, hooked up my newly modified battery-less laptop and .... the power plug decided it was tired of being plugged and unplugged, plugged and unplugged (get the picture?) .... me near tears again ...  okay, monitor on desktop working earlier, I'll check it now.
• HA HA it says .... I'm on to you ... the desktop knows it's second place in my heart and I only go to it when I can't use laptop or need to do my banking.  Feeling abused, the monitor laughs and ... gives me half a screen.  Yes, that's right, half a screen!  Dirty-word!  I turn it off, talk nicely too it, promise I'll visit more often, upgrade as soon as we can afford to and after a few more attempts, the desktop must have believed me because now I have a full screen on the monitor so am running my checking account program before the monitor goes tits-up and I can't even tell if we can afford another like I promised.
• Thereby, I am again in "emergency" mode and am using the borrowed laptop and thanking God for my "Good Life" and am grateful for the fact that I'm not still holding a cell phone screen two inches from my face so I can read my emails.

Gotta Love Life!!

Anyway, here is the beginning of the beautiful blog I was gonna share....  as for the rest of it, well, the pictures are on the inexcessible laptop .... you get the "picture"  I promise to share another day :)


 Okay, so I haven't gotten much quilting done ... YET ... but it hasn't been for lack of trying.  This was my set up last week ....

 

I was truly living the good life, sewing outside while watching the girls in the pool.

Love ya!  Quiltastic day ya all!

P.S.   In all my down time, I did get my Charming Friends quilt completed and am finishing up the binding so I can post pictures of it when totally done.  Yay me!  Gotta look for the positive!!

Hexigon Inspiration!

Check out this cool spot to get inspiration for what to do with hexigons ... p.s. i quilt: inspired by hexies..... Thanks Rachel!! uber cool!

Sisters Road Trip

For those of you not in the know, I went to the Sisters Oregon 35th Annual Quilt Show this weekend.

WOW! WOW! and WOW!  Enjoyed myself more than I can say.  In the words of my dear friend and traveling companion when asked about our trip here .... "We're Sisters Quilt Show virgins, but fabric whores."  If ever there was a group of girls to travel with, this was it!

A few "quick" shots:

 

 

 

beautiful quilts on display ... along with beautiful weather.

 

myself, Lynn, Barb, and Vicki ...  all bagged and tatted.

Me snagging a photo op with Ricky Timms and Alex Anderson who were everything that was gracious!

 (My thanks to the kind (and stunned) gentlemen who I grabbed in the crowd to snap this picture :) .... )

Lynn and Barb getting in depth directions from ..... wait for it .....

SUE SPARGO!!!!!

How cool is that!!  Lynn's day was made.  Thanks Barb for tracking her down!

Lastly, at least for this post, but certainly not least, I met up with my mother and Aunt and loved every moment of it.  Can't see a single family resembelance, now can ya? :) :) :)

These are just a few of my highlights.  Once I get through the hundreds of photos I took, I'll post more. 

Quiltastic day, all!

Look What the Mail Lady Brought Me ....

WOW! It is sew very sweet to go to the mail box and receive a package in the mail that I didn't have to hand out dollars and cents for.  Today, I received this ...

Over at Seams Like A Dream Quilt Designs' blog, they asked for comments last week with the chance of winning one of three bags.  Isn't this bag gorgeous?!?!!?!!

I was one of the lucky ones and of course, now, I will probably have to go on over and buy this pattern.  It's adorable!

Thank you Kate and Elizabeth!!

Makin' Life Sweet ... :)

This is the Newport Bag Pattern by Pink Sand Beach Designs and I used the Make Life by Sweetwater line for Moda. Love, Love, Love the material!!

I made this wonderful bag so I can take it with me when I travel to Sisters, Oregon for this weekend's 35th annual quilt show.  See here for more info:  Sisters OR Quilt Show.  This will be my first trip without my family.  Heck, not counting hospital stays, this will be my first time away from my daughters since they were born, minus one night last November for a class in Idaho.  How will I handle it.  I know the girls will be fine.  They'll miss me for all of .... 5 minutes :-) with Grammie and Aunt Margaret and Uncles at their beck and call.  Still, I know its good for all of us.... I keep telling myself.  Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the trip as I also get to visit my mother's new home in Oregon and see my Aunt after I don't know how many years.  All around should be a grand time!

I'll post lots of pics to share the beautiful sights when I return.

Happy quilting!