Nobody's Home

AnnieO knocked on my blog door a few days ago and I figured I'd better answer before she starts banging on it and yelling at me.

I haven't blogged lately cause I got nothin'...no quilting, no cute cat pictures, no flowers from the garden pictures, nothin'.

I am swamped at work so I've been working some extra hours, and its Christmas time (Bah Humbug) so I should be shopping cause I've barely made a dent in my list, but once I get home I just want to pretend I'm a potato. What makes it worse is I leave in the morning and it's dark and when I leave work it's dark, it feels like the day is over before I ever make it home.

Okay, that whine party needs to end.

I'm not making any gifts this year. Ha, I haven't touched a sewing machine (other than to move it) for over a month. I did a major clean up of my sewing room a week ago and rearranged a few things (does dumping a bunch of stuff to into another room count as cleaning up?). I've had time to sew but I have chosen not to, not procrastinated until the time was gone, but actually chosen not to sew.

Hmmm...that almost sounds like another whine party.

I have been going to bed early and reading. I've found a new author I like: Charlaine Harris. I've read all of her Shakespeare series and have started the Sookie Stackhouse series. I'm almost done with the first book in the series:

Easy quick read, suspenseful enough but not so bad that I can't read it before turning out the light at night, and just a touch risque.

Annie, is it okay that I've answered the door in my pajamas and haven't brushed my teeth yet? I promise I'll take a shower and put on some makeup the next time you visit.

I didn't go to Jarrods...

I did go to Joann's...sigh, everything was on sale at 50% off and I had an additional 25% off coupon. Makes you wonder how much they mark it up to begin with doesn't it.

I had 17 people here for Thanksgiving dinner. More cousins than I could count and a few extras. It was LOUD.

Made me wonder how this group was able to sleep (I see you peeking Renee). Must of been all the mash potatoes they ate.

Happy Gobble Day

I'm still here...

...but not doing much sewing. I did finish this a few weeks ago. Got backing fabric this past weekend.
Jayme finished up her quilt (green) and I finished up my aunt Roberta's (blue). The back for both is a green flannel with turtles.

All three are "practice" quilts and will be donated locally. Now I just need to get them loaded on the monster. Scary monster.

Lucky Me

Annie over at Annie's Quilt Orts recently had a giveaway to celebrate having 100 followers. She decided to pick a 13th name for a second winner - guess who was Lucky 13. Whoo Hoo!

I follow Tonya's blog also and have followed along as she was writing her book and creating some of the quilts in the book. I have really wanted this book.

So do you think I should make this quilt first...

Or should I start simple with this little quilt...

Oh I'm going to have fun with this book. Thank you Annie!!

I finished the panel. This is the back: tension looks good, stitches look even (I am SO glad I got the stitch regulator), and it doesn't look like I quilted rows (which I was really worried about).

The hardest part was the last 4 inches of the quilt.

I'm pleased with the results, but I still need to take more baby steps.

PIQS

The Pacific International Quilt Show is BIG. Over 500 quilts from local, nationwide and international quilters, and over 160 vendors. The imagination and creativity of quilters astounds me every time. Below are a few of my favorites.

I love dragonflies.

This iris quilt was very large.

Wouldn't you love to see this mosaic in your entryway. This was also a very large quilt.

This was one of my show favorites. Very dramatic colors and design, I really liked the mix of traditional with contemporary. My picture doesn't show it very well but there is a bird quilted in each of the fly geese and throughout the quilt.

What I thought was fantastic is the large bird is created with thread, no piecing or applique.

And then it's back to reality...lol...I've loaded a panel that looks like a pieced quilt on to the beast.
I want to do in the ditch, some curves, a few different fillers in the blocks, maybe pebbles in the border (ha! like I could do all that on my first quilt on the beast) - getting back to reality again, I am going to meander from edge to edge. I have two of these panels, if I do okay on this one maybe I'll get a bit more adventurous with the next. I have to remind myself that baby steps are good.

I'll post more quilts from the show later this week.

I'm So Excited

I've decided practicing frame and machine quilting on muslin is BORING.

Last Saturday I had my aunt Roberta and Jayme sewing blocks while I ironed and cut (I don't think my aunt has used a sewing machine in 40+ years). I've been piecing backs, making binding and adding borders this past week - I've actually done a little bit of sewing every day this week. I'm excited about quilting again. I now have two panels ready to quilt and three small donation quilts that just need their final borders added.

And I'm really looking forward to putting each quilt/panel on the frame to quilt.

But not this weekend. This weekend I'm going the Pacific International Quilt Show in Santa Clara, CA. I'm so excited. Nancy, Dawn and Stacey are going with me. Stephanie is meeting us there. The girls are gonna have fun! I'll have lots of pictures when I get back.

Have to show pics of the boys...Obba and Fred are my official quilt testers...

Obba testing the softness of one of the donation quilts. Soooo soft flannel charm squares from Moda in nice guy-like tweeds, plaids and herringbone prints. I like petting this flannel as much as I like petting Obba (don't tell him that).

Fred inspecting Nancy's layout of her Kaffe snowball quilt on my design floor, he moved a few around for her.

Sigh, it's so nice living with two handsome helpful guys.