Got a little bit of sewing done

A few weeks ago when Nancy and I went to the Auburn Quilt Show, my mantra (or annoying comment for the day) was "I have that pattern". Well, I may have that pattern but Nancy is the one who makes things from my patterns...

This is just laid out on my floor - no borders yet - it is so cute just like this. Nancy sewed the rows together after I took a picture. I can't wait to use my own pattern - FYI the pattern name is French Garden by Swirly Girls Design. Nancy said it is really easy.

I got the back for my half square triangle quilt done (I really need to think of a name for the quilt). Here are my pieces and parts put together.


If a length matched I sewed it together, no rhyme or reason, I just needed it to be about 52" square. I still have pieces and parts left over. I wasn't going to do anything else with them just yet, but couldn't stand it, so I've started sewing them together...I think I still have enough to back a very small quilt (baby quilt?) from them. Gotta use up every little bit (new mantra?).

I'm back...

I had a great time in Idaho. I got to see so many of my cousins, cousin in laws and step cousins, their kids and grandkids, that I haven't seen in ages. Seems like we only get together for sad occasions, it was so nice that this one was a happy one. My aunt's party was loads of fun, I don't think anything when wrong and there were a LOT of people.

Now I'm back to work and I'm happy to say there have not been any new bus incidents - other than getting dropped off yesterday while it was hailing.

I have a feeling working is going to seriously get in the way of my quilting and blogging time.


I have lots of pieces and parts of Fossil Fern flannels. I think I'm going to put them together to make a back for the half square quilt I finished a few weeks ago.

Thank you ...

... for all your kind words. Today was much better (other than the part of getting up at 5:30 a.m.). I took the bus in, it is the only way to go. Going home the bus pull right up just as I got there, perfect timing...maybe not...wrong bus...passed my stop and didn't stop for another 5 plus miles. A very nice lady gave me a ride back to my car, and guess what, beside being a life saver she is a quilter. Just proves quilters are the best kind of people.

I'm headed up to Idaho again tomorrow (employed two days take four days off, works for me). The whole family is getting together to celebrate my aunt's 80th birthday.

A couple of weekends ago I went and visited Stephanie, she was finishing up her Project Linus quilt. Somebody forgot to take a picture, luckily somebody else kindly sent a picture so I could show off her quilt. Don't you love the bright colors. The pattern is Yellow Brick Road.

See ya in a few day.

This is me doing the happy dance!

I started a new job today! I have been unemployed for over a year and was starting to get really discouraged. It has been less than two weeks between the interview and my first day working. I am working for the State of California in downtown Sacramento. That is about a 35 mile one way commute...yuck. I am on the wait list for the parking garage in the building where I work. A parking garage is available about three blocks away; parking cost me $20 for the day...double yuck. Tomorrow I start taking the commuter bus, which means I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. (I normally don't go to bed until 2:00 a.m.)...triple yuck.

But having a new job...bazillion YIPPPPEEEESSSSS!!!!!!

Forgot one

I took this picture for Ariana, she likes all things watermelon.



Sydney at Crafty Craftiness found the Emma & Estella's pattern for me. Thank you Sydney! I ordered the pattern this afternoon...got the last one.

Quilt show part 2

There were some beautiful hand appliqued quilts and art quilts at the show but I tend to take pictures of the quilts I think I could make or there is something about the quilt I'd like to incorporate into a future quilt. Sometimes it is a variation of something I've already done...like this one.

This is the same block I used for Ben's quilt, except where my quilt used 12 light and dark fabrics to make shaded diamonds this one uses just two fabrics and has a totally different look.

I have had the urge to make a miniature lately and I just loved this one.

Look how small some of those pieces are! The sampler blocks are one inch! I don't think I'll be doing anything that small.

I have seen this quilt before. If I ever decide to make a double wedding ring it will be this pattern, not the traditional version. I can handle this one, no curves.

I really liked the simple pattern on this quilt. The focal fabric is a large scale zebra print.

I thought this was a really interesting quilt. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will see the cowboy pictures. I don't really care for cowboys but I love the design of this quilt.

Per the quilter the pattern is by Emma & Estella's Pattern Co. I have gone on line and can only find one pattern by this company and it wasn't this one. I can't find a web site for the pattern company...boo hoo, I'd really like to have this pattern.

Auburn Quilt Show

Nancy and I went to the Auburn Quilt Show today. There were some beautiful quilts, and some very unique quilts. One thing we both noticed at this show is it is not always the fabric that makes the quilt, design can be very important.

This quilt was so unique in the shading of colors to create the design. I wish I had taken a closer picture of the fabrics, they were actually very plain, looked like 1980's calico's.

If you click on the picture, she used the same color in the quilted feathers thread. Here's the whole quilt. As you can tell from the people in front of this quilt, it was very large.

This one I did get a close up of the fabrics. There wasn't a theme to the fabrics; two of them were novelty fabrics. They looked like the fabrics I've put in my "why did I buy these" bin.

But look at the larger quilt. The pattern of the fabric was nothing, the color and the quilt pattern really brought this quilt to life. There may be hope for that blue fabric of mine after all.


Nancy and I voted this quilt most ... ummm ... strange? funny? scary?

I'll have more pictures from the quilt show tomorrow.

Almost done

I'm almost done with all the little projects I created / dug out of my scrap bag. In the bag was a baggie with a bunch of half square blocks that I cut off of my pineapple blossom quilt.

Simple pattern, only 48 inches square. I love scrappy quilts like this. Now I need to decide if I want to add a border or two. I'm really tempted to leave it as is.

Does Fred look like he has lost any weight? Siddi is the only one who likes the new cat food, I think she has put on a pound. I can now pick up Fred without grunting or hurting my back. Either he has lost weight or I'm getting stronger.

I am turning into my Mother

My Mom will get a kick out this post...for the last few days I've been working in my front yard, one of the things that I have been doing is rearranging the rocks. Everybody teases my Mom because she is always rearranging the rocks in her yard, redirecting a walkway or edging a new planter area with rocks. Her backyard always look great, especially since she put up the deer fence and she can grow lots of flowering plants without worrying about anything eating them all.

My Mom also says she grows rocks, which is why she has so many. It's true, she just digs and there they are...rocks. I've imported most of my rocks, from Oregon (home grown in my Mom's yard), the Sierra Nevada mountains, Clear Lake and Rocklin (local town that also grows rocks). So far all I've done is move the rocks from the front yard and dumped them in the back yard. I do have a plan for them I'm just not ready to work in the back yard yet. Now that I've clear out the planter area in the front yard I'm ready to dig holes, I've bought a few new plants and tomorrow I'm going to Home Depot for a flat of marigolds and a couple of drip line supplies. I'm also going to ask them if they know of anything that will keep the neighborhood cats from pooping in my tan bark (my cats are strictly indoor cats so I know it's not them).

I've been doing some sewing, just nothing to show yet. I've also been going through my stash trying to organize it a bit. In the past I've always grouped my fabrics by color, floral, novelty, or holiday. With the exception of holiday, this time I am sorting my fabrics by yardage. Most of what I'm sorting through are just single cuts that I bought, they are not part of a group of fabrics just something I liked at the time and had to have. I can understand why I bought some of the fabrics, remember all the landscape quilts I was going to make, the fabrics look like rocks or water or sky or meadow flowers, but some of my fabrics ???


Like this one. Pretty, looks like a painting, but what was I thinking? Most of the fabrics I have like this are one yard cuts, not really enough to do anything with...maybe a table runner? Wall hanging? Oh well, I'm not going to deal with that now, I'm just sorting for now.

Nothing New

Now that I have finished up all the little projects I created from my scrap bag I won't have anything interesting to show for a while...remember all those half squares and four patches, those are going to take a while.

The little table topper I made last week was from left over fabrics from this quilt I made a couple of years ago. The pattern is Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs. It is one of my favorite patterns, one of the few that I have made more than once. Simple pattern, no border, soft flannel back and one of my favorite quilts.
A local sewing machine shop used to let customers rent their display Handi Quilter Sixteen, this is the first quilt I quilted on the long arm. Simple meander, but I love how it turned out.

Do you see the wet patio through the window? It has been raining (more like pouring) almost all day! What happened to Spring?