Catching up again

Seems like I'm always playing catch up on this. But that seems to be true of everything else in my life as well. So, we left off with November and what we were planning for Thanksgiving. We went to my Mom's for that. We headed over on Thursday and took the dog with us. We stayed at a hotel as mom had a house full. My aunt & uncle with their dog staying in the RV parked in the front yard. My sister managed to get the time off and was there. My cousin and her husband came from Lake County. My brother and his wife from Colorado. And the neighbor from across the street.  A house full for dinner and mom didn't do any of the cooking. My cousin's husband and my sister-in-law did most of the dinner. My sister and sister-in-law did all the baking for the desserts. My uncle helped with the last minute cooking for the dinner.

December was quiet. Hubby and I spent Christmas together very quietly. We got each other one thing for a gift and just enjoyed our time. We were supposed to have company, but they called saying they had a nasty set of germs and, bless them, didn't want to share. We both slept through the New Year coming in.

January, I made a quilt for my aunt to give to my cousin who was expecting her first child in March. My aunt had asked me in November if I would be willing to make the quilt and I said, sure. I finished it the end of January.

My Aunt was thrilled with the way the quilt came out and I was glad to be able to give it to her in February when I went over to my mom's for the baby shower.

February saw lots and lots and lots of rain and a lot of flooding in my neck of the country. Where I had traveled the weekend of the baby shower, a week later was under water, roads closed. I managed to get to work but some days it was a bit of a challenge.

I got another quilt done in February, but haven't taken a picture of it yet, so that will have to wait.

March was coming quickly and I still needed to finish my Red Bluff block of the month top. I managed to get the top done in early February and sandwiched in late February. Then it was a rush to get the quilting done so I could take it finished to the Show and Tell meeting March 21. I made it! Finished sewing the binding down March 19. This was at the
show and tell night. I love the way it turned out and now I'm
into April and I plan to finish another quilt. So stay tuned, there's more to come.

My cousin had her baby in March, a little girl. All are doing well and they are totally enjoying their bundle of joy.

Egads!!!!

I just realized how long it has been since I added to my blog. I really should be doing better. Let's see, I left off in July having gotten back from my trip to Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Now I have to think about what I've done and where I've been.

August. Well, I didn't go very far that month. Went to Chester for the quilt show there, spent the weekend at our cabin. Then the following weekend was the quilt show in Paradise. Then a weekend at the cabin followed by a weekend visiting my mom and the quilt show in Laytonville. I had to work during the week, so not much else going on.

September brought a 3 day weekend at our cabin and then hunting season. We were not lucky enough to bring home meat for the freezer. Maybe next year. I took a 4 day weekend to drive to Sebastopol for the revelation of the 2017 Grand Offers for the Grand Chapter of California, Order of the Eastern Star. That was a fantastic experience and one I would do again. Parking was a bit of a challenge, but we made it.

October brought some cooler temperatures, but still a few too warm days for me as well. I went to Grand Chapter in Visalia and had a marvelous time meeting up with my friends. I've almost finished my block of the month from Red Bluff - the last month is November. Have to wait and see if I can make it then.

November brings installations of officers in the Eastern Star Chapters around the state. My goal this year was to attend 6. I only got to 5 of them. I was too tired to do the one I missed. I decided I didn't want to fall asleep while driving. I will not be doing much else this month. Thanksgiving is around the corner and I need to think about what we will do for that.

I did get to the last meeting for my Red Bluff block of the month. I got all 10 months patterns and fabric for the original $5 I plunked down to join. I need to make up the 10th month and then put the quilt top together as we have a meeting in March to show off our quilts or tops. Guess it will depend on how well I do in getting it together and finished.

Till next time.

July better than half gone

It's hard to believe that July is better than half gone. Where does the time go? I have been so busy that I've not had time to even think of where it's gone.

June was a good month for me. No headaches, although I didn't get to go on a trip to Idaho with a girlfriend as her family obligations kept her from going. But in good vacation style, I got relaxed and got a few things done. I took a quilt class and that quilt is finished. Do I have a picture to put up? Not yet. Oh, and I took another class in May and that project is finished. It wasn't a quilt and no, I don't have a picture yet. Guess that means I should get out the camera and take care of it.

July started off too hot for me. I am NOT a fan of anything over 90 degrees and of course we've had several over that mark. I spent the 4th of July weekend at our cabin with my husband and friends. Great time was had by all. Then I ventured to Oregon to see the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. My drive was spent with the wipers going a good part of the drive up. Some of the rain was torrential in nature. Yes, we need it and while I'm glad we got it, it could have skipped raining on the roadway and stuck to the fields and trees.

I will get some pictures up on the next posting as right now I need to finish my laundry and get myself another cold drink. Hot weather is NOT my friend and I stay well hydrated all year long. However, somehow I seem to want more in the hot weather.

March Finishes

I finished a couple of quilts in March, but couldn't show them until now as they were wedding gifts to my cousin and her new husband. They have seen the quilts and are thrilled with them. Now I can show them to you.

 The one on the left with the horses is for my cousin Leia. She owns a miniature horse and a mustang. She's been around horses all her life and loves them. The backing on her quilt is another horse print that reminds one of Christmas. And she is thrilled with this as the backing is fabric that she loves. This will be a well used lap quilt.

The second quilt is a winery print quilt for her husband who works for a winery. I wasn't sure what to make his quilt with, but I have it on good authority he is pleased with it. His has the green that's the border on the front as the backing. Both quilts were given to them with lots of love and with washing instructions. They have been washed once, but we all know that fabrics can run when we least expect them to.

The good feeling that came from watching them open the package with the two quilts was

well work the work that went into them. The expressions on their faces when the opened them said it all. The amazement on their faces was priceless when they realized that the package contained not one, but two, lap quilts.

I feel like I made points for being a good cousin in coming up with something they would like. Not meeting her husband to be before the wedding, I had no idea what he might like. I just took a leap of faith when planning the second quilt.

I can now go back to my list of UFO projects and get some more done. They can be shown once I get them finished as so far they are not on a "surprise gift" list.

February 2016

The month of February is almost gone. I finally took a picture of the last quilt I finished in December 2015. It's a winter wall hanging and I'm happy with it. I bought the kit at a quilt show somewhere and I can't tell

you the place or the year. The kit had all the fabric and yarn for the scarf and the snowman's hat, along with the backing and the binding. Another quilt that was purchased when I was first learning to quilt that got on the procrastination listing. I started putting it together in 2011, but didn't get finished until December 2015. I put the last stitches into the binding December 31st and the label.

My 2016 quilting year is starting off with finishing a couple of quilt tops, getting some binding ready for quilts that are in line for quilting, and finishing a table runner made from blocks I won at our February quilt guild meeting. I won the 6 heart blocks

seen in this design along with the center square and the 2 triangles of fabric to put it together. I went to the quilt shop the fabrics had come from and purchased enough of the darker purple to use as the backing and the binding. I got it sandwiched the third week of February and did most of the quilting at my small quilt group meeting. Finished the balance of the quilting at home and then put the binding on it. It's the first finish for 2016 and I'm pleased with it.

I will be working on getting more of my projects finished as time goes by. I want to do what I did last year as a challenge to myself. I want to get as many of my long standing UFOs done as I can AND I want to finish everything I start in 2016. I'm off to an okay start as the table runner is one of those starts. There are 4 others on the 2016 list and one of them will be finished next month. One is a block of the month and ends in November, so I'm hoping to get it done the first part of December. Will see how that works out. Another one on the list will most likely be finished in May. The last one on the list is a work in progress as it is hand stitched and I can only work on it for short periods of time.

Thanks for checking in.

A great end to an old year

It takes me a while sometimes to decide what I want to put on my blog. I finally decided to put those things that finished the year 2015. In November, my father-in-law passed away. He was 93 and wanted to to be released from his earthly life. We are sad that he passed away, but remind ourselves that at 93 he had lived a good life.

The other thing that happened in November is that a quilt friend helped me to sandwich 3 of my quilts that have been around waiting for a while. I am thrilled to say that all 3 got quilted, bound, and labeled before the end of 2015. One was a quilt for a friend's #2 granddaughter, the #1 granddaughter already has hers.

This is the quilt for #2 granddaughter. The picture is not the best, but hey, it's the only one I have of the quilt. I spent more time deciding what I was going to put on the back of the quilt than I did in stitching the top together. And then there's the time procrastinating putting the back together once I decided on it. However, I managed to finish the quilt Thanksgiving Day and it was boxed and wrapped that weekend. I got it our friend's house before Christmas. Don't know if it has gotten to it's intended person or not. Haven't talked with the friend to find out.

The second one I got done was one I had taken a class to learn how to do back in 2005. I got the top done probably in 2007 or maybe 2008. But didn't get the backing together until 2015. Are you seeing a pattern? I am. Anyway, I love the way it turned out and it feels wonderful to say it's done!

It came from a book about Mariner's Compasses. Don't know that I would do another one anytime soon.

This was another one of those, gee, maybe I should finish it. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out and while it's done, I don't know where it will hang.

The third one that my quilt friend helped me sandwich was finished December 31, 2015 and I don't yet have a picture of it. It was a kit that I purchased at some quilt show, somewhere, in some year. I bought it because I fell in love with the quilt and the kit included everything to make it except the thread and the batting. Yes, it included the backing and the binding. The price was reasonable and the kit could be from 2003 as that's the copyright on the pattern or it could be as late as 2010 as I started it in 2011. I will get a picture of it and post it here.

But with those three finishes off my UFO list, I succeeded in doing what I wanted to do for the 2015 year. I got more than 12 things finished, completed several from parts to tops, and finished everything I started in 2015. I am so pleased with the success in 2015, that I'm doing the same in 2016. I will finish more than I start, make complete tops out of more that are still mostly in parts, and I will finish everything I start in 2016.

I am off to a good start. I have only started one quilt and have only the borders left to put on it and then can find backing fabric and finish it. I have one more that only needs borders and I intend to get those on before the end of the month. Till then, Happy New Year.

Flag Day

Today was Flag Day.  A day to recognize our Flag. A symbol of our country. Long may she wave. She stands for our freedom, our country, our countrymen and countrywomen who serve to protect our country. Did your flag fly high and proud today? Did you even think about what that flag means? Or did you just put her up because you thought you should?

My flag stands for freedom and for my country. She waves proudly. She's a gracious old lady and deserves our respect. When I see her go by, I put my hand over my heart in salute to her. She never touches the ground. She comes down at sunset because I have no light to shine on her at night. She never gets rained on because she'd not an all weather flag. She's treated respectfully and with grace and honor. When she gets ragged, I treat her with care and make sure she flies no more. My flag, my country. And I'm proud to say I'm an American.

Are you?