Here Comes Christmas!

I spent the past 24 hours in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.  The boys and their families arrived in time for a bit of feasting.  These are our local "kids," though the youngest cannot be seen.  She's safe in a "bouncer," on the floor between her parents.

 I caught this picture of my favorite 2 year old, modeling her latest sweater-wear, knitted by dear friend Ann H.  Beautiful!!  She has been wearing them since their arrival.  Favorite clothes, we all have them!

 Last weekend, my husband was at a Men's Retreat.  I fired up the Tiara, figured out how to fix the tension, and got this quilt quilted.  It had been basted for months.  Not only quilted, but completely finished.  Hurrah!

 It's nearly invisible, but I quilted Scripture in the green strips.  It is for a friend, who has been terribly ill.  It's yet to be delivered, as she's been too ill for visitors.  Hopefully a snuggle with quilted prayers will help a bit.

Other than that, I continue to work on some special items for Christmas.  Once they are finished, I'll do the "big" reveal.

I pray that you all had a Thanksgiving filled with blessings, and that you are preparing for Christmas with hope and joy.

Now, back to the Studio for me, for the rest of the day.  yay!

A Finish, and a Trip to MO

When I last posted, I left you with a picture of my design wall.  Since that time, I have sewn the borders onto the oceanside houses quilt, and hung it in the closet for quilting, eventually.  Once that was out of sight, it was also out of mind.  whew!

I then took down the first basted baby quilt, and finished it up.  I will ship it to the beautiful baby today.  I had hoped to give it to her mama last week, but by the time I finished it, I was on my way to Missouri.  By the time I returned, her mama was back on the East Coast.  oops!

Last week, I traveled to MO, to attend a baby shower for my daughter-in-law.  I arrived late Thursday afternoon, and left on Sunday.  The shower was on Saturday.  I don't often get a chance to visit one-on-one with this son and daughter-in-law, so it was a special treat.  Here we are, on our way to their home, getting ready to leave the airport.  :)

 Early in the morning, I would sit at their dining room table and watch out the window.  It is so peaceful.  The red red robins are constantly bob bob bobbin' their way around the yard, first thing.  It also rained every day that I was there, over 2"!

 Rabbits are also a frequent sight, busily mowing the lawn.  I didn't get any pictures of the squirrels, but they are a special kind of invader.  While I was there, they stripped the apple tree of its four apples.  My son & DIL were pretty miffed about that.

 The shower was held on Saturday afternoon.  My son was invited to arrive about an hour into the festivities, to assist in opening the presents.

Back in the 90's, my quiltie friends advised me to make baby quilts for the grandkids because "when they arrive, you won't have the time!"  I am very glad that I took that advice.  I began my granddaughter's quilt in 1997, and finished it a couple of years ago.

 I was thrilled when I heard that they painted the room a pale shade of purple.  (Look at that Baptist fan quilting - it is quilted by hand!)

We had a lovely visit.  My husband stayed home this trip, but we plan to go again in a few months, to welcome our new little granddaughter.  I highly recommend taking Alaska Airlines through San Diego to St. Louis.  It is SO comfortable compared to some of the flights we've been on over the past several years.

We currently have a vet student staying with us.  On Monday, she asked if she could watch me quilt.  Turns out, she did not know how to work a sewing machine.  I have several baby quilts ready for quilting, so after demonstrating a few lines of in-the-ditch, I turned the quilt and the machine over to her.  She quilted about 1/4 of the quilt.  I finished it up yesterday.  Today, I hope to cut and attach the binding.  Perhaps I will have a picture by the end of the week.  goals are good!

And on that note, duty calls.  Hope you're all staying cool and finding time to put in a few stitches here and there!

A Bit o This, A Bit o That

The Tulare County Fair is long gone, but I have a few favors to remember it by.

 This week we're having the floors replaced out at our walnut ranch.  There's going to be a wedding there next month.  We are definitely looking forward to it!

The nuts are ripe, and were harvested last week, on the same day that they began work on the floors.

Our granddaughter turns one on Friday.  That year has gone quickly!!  She's walking everywhere.  Here she is with Raggedy Andy.  I made him for my daughter 35 years ago.  I think Little A likes him better than my daughter ever did.  

And that's about it for now.  There is a bit of stitching going on right now, but not much.  My quilts came back safely from PNQE.  I have a different quilt packed and ready to ship to PIQF.  Other than that?  I got nuthin'.

Miss Me?

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately.  I've been laboring, for months.  And last weekend?  The committee and I gave birth to a quilt show.  And what a show it was!  I think we outdid ourselves this year, as everything ran smoothly, and there were few, if any, neutral or negative responses to the experience.

 The above picture was taken during the first hour of the first day.  I love the sound of happy voices, reverberating around the building.

Remember the 6x6" challenge that my art group did last year?  We had it on display.  Deciding how to display it was a challenge in itself, but when I discovered these leftover slats from my Studio blinds, I thought we had a winner.

 Here is my final selection of six pieces.  I called them "Remnants," as they were made from remnants of various projects.

I had several pieces in the show, though nothing truly remarkable.  One of my favorites, "Tartan Highlands," which is my header for the blog, was chosen for the Celebrate Ag award.  I was quite tickled with that, and need to write my thank you note to Kausen Farms, the award's sponsor.

 My granddaughter made the trip to the quilt show, and had a great time.  She schmoozed all the ladies, and quickly won them over.

 I entered my Charlie quilt in the BOTV Challenge.  I should know better than to make a quilt of one of my cats.  He began failing, and passed away during the quilt show.  I can't think about it much, or my eyes begin leaking.

 And finally, now that the quilt show is over, I have chance to enjoy my garden.  The irises are in full bloom, and the roses are happier than I've seen them in years.

All in all, the show was wonderful.  There are still follow-ups and a pile of paperwork to go through but soon, very soon, I am hopeful that I will once again be making quilts, not just talking about them.

Goals are good!

A New Year and a First Finish

Happy New Year!!  Happy Happy New Year!!  I was so ready to be done with 2017.  So much happened last year, it was enough to exhaust a person.  But here we are, safely into 2018, with a newly updated house and a blank calendar.  What could be better?  I can't think of a thing.

I tried to have a final finish for 2017, but I got as far as stitching on the facing before I had to put it aside.  My son and daughter-in-law came down with the flu, so I babysat for the bulk of New Year's Eve (6am-7pm).  We are all blessed that she is such a GOOD baby.  Even when she's a bit snuffly, she has a hard time complaining.  She gave me her snuffles, so we snuffled together.  kachoo!

Such a cutie pie!  She's always smiling!

We had our son and DIL from MO out for a week.  I spent time in the Studio with both DIL's.  The one from MO, put together an apron panel.

 She finished it just before they headed out to meet up with friends.

 My local DIL received a pattern for placemats.  After "shopping" in my stash, she set right to work.  She has never quilted before, but she's got two placemats ready for binding.  She'll be quilting on her own before we know it!

Just being in the Studio was enough to get me going.  Yesterday, I finished a birthday card, that should have been finished in October.  It went into the mail today.  The binding looks terrible in the photo.  It's not quite so awful in person.

 It took three days, but the facing eventually got stitched in place.

 And, ta da!!  Today I had my first quilt finish of 2018.  It feels fantastic!!

I am very excited about 2018.  I may have already said that.  My hope is that I will replicate what I did back in 2009, setting monthly quilting goals.  I hope to finish at least one UFO each month.  Goals are good, right?  Right!!

Who knows?  I was able to finish the first one on January 2nd.  I doubt I'll be finishing a quilt every 2 days, but hey, you never know.  The next one is pressed and waiting to be basted.

With the Best of the Valley entry deadline coming up on February 14, I don't want to be left behind.  I always feel like it's up to me to set a good example.  And with that, goals are good!

Happy Quilting!!

Life

Well.  Long time no posting, eh?  I have missed you.  I have missed quilting.  I have missed my sewing machine.

I have been playing sherpa.

One month ago, my DIL was admitted to the hospital with severe upper abdominal cramping.  Later that day, they removed her gallbladder, and did a hernia repair (necessitated by the gallbladder surgery).  She was prohibited from lifting anything over 10 lbs for a month.  Little Addison weighed 12 lbs at the time.  (Today, she weighed in at 13 lbs 12 oz.)  I put on my cape and played SuperGrammy for the month.  wow.  What a month!!

 We took a few baths, and we picked out a Christmas tree.

 We taught Mama how to English Paper Piece, and she made a couple of ornaments.  (I made one too, as I demo'd technique.)

 We did have a bit of a mis-step, but it was easily corrected.

 Addy's tree was decorated, and the stars hung with care.

 Back home, the gingkoes glowed yellow with the changing seasons.

The Christmas lights went up, and we added deer!

We've never had anything so grand.  I wonder if they will last the season, or if they will be stolen.  They were there again this morning when we woke up, so that was exciting.

Today was our guild meeting and annual Christmas party.  I began my term as Block of the Month chairman.  I introduced the first block, which was a Rail Fence.  I wrote the pattern and sewed it up this morning, then raced by FedEx Office on my way to the meeting.  I am excited because I made 40 copies and sold every one of them.  I am hopeful that next month's return will be stellar.  For each block turned in, you get a chance to win them all.  My directions make two blocks, so we have the potential of receiving 80 blocks back.  That would make a quilt 64" x 80", which would be quite a nice size.

As long as you keep the segments oriented correctly, this goes together very quickly.  (4-1.5" strips, stitched together then cut into 4.5" segments, can be sewn together to yield 2-8.5" blocks.  easy peasy)

And that's what I've been up to this past month.  I love my family, but I'm looking forward to a bit of Happy Quilting!!!

P.S.  The texture is on the walls, and I've painted the dining room and half of the bedroom.  If I can get some good pictures, I'll share them next time.  Goals are good!!

There and Back Again. And There and Back Again

zoom zoom.  I'm putting a lot of miles on my car, let me tell you!  I think it's been more than 2,000 miles in the past two weeks.  And I'll be adding more in the coming week as well.  zoom zoom.

The good news is that my dad is doing much better.  He has been moved from rehab to assisted living.  I am hopeful that he will settle in and wonder why it took him so long to make the move.  Here he is, getting a manicure from my sister.

 We weren't sure what to bring to furnish his room.  We will probably add things as needed.  Above you see his favorite chair and end table.  Below, you see a quilt that I gave him a few years ago.  He doesn't remember ever seeing it before.  He attended UCLA, as well as Boalt Hall, UCB.  Go Bears!

 Same with the 40th anniversary quilt, that I made for him and my mom.  The quilt was gifted to them in 1998.  It was all new to him, as he rarely entered the room in which it was stored.

 I don't know if you remember the picture of the fire hazard that was his property.  I asked the gardener to cut back the weeds, rather than mow this week.  Super!!

And in recent quiltie news?  I finally submitted my audio-file for the Sacred Threads traveling exhibit.  I think that's the last thing to do before shipping my quilt next month.  I had great hopes of attending the exhibit this year, but with my dad's situation?  It's best that I remain in CA for now.

The other thing I did was enter a quilt in Houston.  Will it get in?  I have no idea.  I'm just happy that I had something to enter.  The one I really wanted to enter is only half quilted.  There is no point in rushing the process, if I want it to show as well as I think it will.  There will be other shows, and there's always next year.

And on that note, make the most of your days, as every day is a gift. 
They really are precious!

Things Change

We had a lovely Christmas this year.  Hard to believe it's been over for 3 days!  Merry Christmas from us to you!  I set the 10 second delay, and almost made it to my spot.  ;)

Over my shoulder, you can see my dad.  He's been having a bit of a rough patch, and will be staying with us for at least the next 10 days.  Then we're back to SoCal for further testing.  Memories...they're precious when you have them, and precious when you make them and when they begin to fade?  It's a hard thing to watch, and even more difficult to experience.  He said, "It's a difficult thing to realize you're less than you used to be."  indeed.

And so, my days have been filled with things other than quilting.  It's still on my list, but actually getting anything done?  Well, goals are good!  I have finished quilting the last basted string quilt, it is just waiting for binding.  If I can get it attached today, I can probably have it tacked down and finished by tomorrow.  One last UFO to check off of my 2016 list.  That's my goal.

And speaking of goals, have you set any for 2017?  It's still a bit early for me, but I'm beginning to put on my thinking cap.  Time to set goals, because, as you know, Goals Are Good!!

What To Do?

Therein lies a question, that is not easily answered.  Put your foot in a "boot," get instructions to "stay off of it," and what can a person do?  The answer is "not much of anything, really."  Today I see the orthopedic guy, and hope to be released to walking on the boot, but am not hopeful.  Swelling is spectacular, with sunset-inspired purples streaking the foot.  wow.

The "kids" decorated the tree on Christmas Eve, when our out of state children arrived.  We put them to work immediately, as I was close to useless in the kitchen, along with everywhere else.

While they went to the store, to buy the food I neglected to purchase, I sat in a rolling desk chair and whipped up some toffee squares.  If I'm the only one home, it seems to be less of a production.

For Christmas morning, and on Dec 27, I made cinnamon rolls.  On the 26th, while the folks went to see Star Wars, I made snickerdoodles.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of them.  I guess I contributed a little bit in the kitchen, at least in the tasty calorie department.

 I forgot to take a family picture on Christmas.  This was taken with my camera, as we waited for hubby to set up his tripod.  Unfortunately, I did not get any copies of the "good" pictures from his camera.

I have great hopes that one month spent "in the boot" will result in some quality studio time.  So far, its only result has been quality baking time.  The next wave of visitors comes through for New Year's.  After that?  We'll see how productive I can be.  Goals are good, and I know how to set them!

Merry Christmas Eve

I'm so sorry.  I've been neglecting you.  I've been neglecting a lot of things.  You see, my daughter and granddaughter came for a visit, and I've been spending my time with family.  They leave today, and I'll be back at the sewing machine...and hopefully finishing shopping that hasn't been done and this, that, and the other detail that have been overlooked.

Instead of sewing much of anything other than this:

I've been playing with this:

Last night we got a picture of three generations of women:

Here's wishing each of you a blessed Christmas, filled with family and lots of good memories!