Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 

I have been battling bronchitis this past week, but I have still made some time to reflect on this past year and look forward to 2018 with a list in my head of the things that I want to accomplish. This weekend, I spent a bit of time cleaning and disinfecting and the house is in much better shape!

Yesterday, I went through some projects and came up with a list of my 18 in 2018. This will be the list that I focus on for the BOM's Away posts throughout the year, as well. Assuming that I keep up with the blogging, but that is absolutely my plan at this moment. I want to keep myself accountable and keep up and get some things done and stop promising that something will be done soon.

Here are the projects that I pulled out and I am ashamed to say that I didn't remember a few of the projects. I am very pleased to see that some projects were stored with notes or flags as to what I was planning on pattern-wise.

1. Road to Llano for my parents. I have had these fabrics since 2013 to make this quilt.

 

2. Avatrix quilt. This was a kit from Craftsy and was a steal! A FQ bundle and yardage for a great price. Almost everyone in my quilt group got a kit and then no one has ever made it. Once I started the Deb Tucker ruler BOM last year, my partner in Crime, Tina, even bought a kit. Our plan is to work on this quilt and Tucker-ize the pattern.

3. Thimbleberries 2008 BOM quilt. This is all cut out and some of the blocks are actually made. I started this when I worked at the Best Friends quilt shop. This fabric is not my cup of tea anymore, but I am sure that when I get the quilt finished that someone will love it.

4. The Super Secret quilt project. Again, when I worked at Best Friends, some organized a super secret quilt with blocks that they picked from a book. I am sure that some of them finished their quilts, but Barb and I did not. I got everything cut out and put it away. The quilt is for Barb so it would be nice to get it finished so that she can actually use it. The binder includes all the blocks and the pieces for the blocks and notes that I made when cutting. This was from 2010.

 5. Judy Martin's Finger Lakes log cabin. This was cut in 2010 and then stored away. (sensing a theme here...)

6. 2017 Deb Tucker Ruler BOM. I bought the kit for this class and have since replaced the black. I made the first four blocks and wasn't blown away with the yellow and got stalled. I have added the three fabrics on the left in the first picture and removed the yellow and the lime green so I need to start over. I do like this color combination much better now though.

7. My brother's quilt. I am still gathering some fabrics. I need a few more browns. The gathering only started within the last 2 years.

8. A quilt for a friend. I have the color scheme set, but need to start picking fabrics and a pattern. Probably a Deb Tucker pattern.

9. Regina's 50th birth year quilt. This needs to be done this year. The pieces were pulled and started at a Bonnie Hunter class through my guild maybe 2 years ago. Turkey Tracks.

10. Halloween quilt with Come Sit a Spell layer cake. I should've started this quilt in 2017.

11. Rick Rack quilt kit with Persimmon line by Basic Grey. A quilt kit from Craftsy.

12. Axis Mod Decor quilt kit (top in the next photo). Another purchase from Craftsy.

13. Love is in the Air quilt kit from Craftsy - bottom in the next photo. (Darn their sales!!)

14. Quilt the 4 Which Witch wall hangings. I have been working on these FOREVER!! I was working on the applique in 2011, but I know that I cut the pieces and had those done for a while before attaching them to the blocks and then a while went by before I satin stitched the edges. Now, they are hanging over my banister upstairs tormenting me daily.

15. Santa rag quilt. I've had this fabric since 2008. Flannels.

16. Window treatments for 3 rooms. Only showing the fabric for 2 rooms here. I've been in my condo since 2001 and had the fabric for all three since about then. I can do this!!!

17. 2009 Designer Mystery BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop. The blocks are done. The finishing kit is here. I just need to bust through it and get it quilted so I can use it!

18. Fresh Flowers quilt kit. This is one collection of layer cakes, charm packs, background and a book that were in an ArtBin and stored. I have no idea for how long. But it's time to get it made.

I am going to be participating in this challenge hosted by Lynette. Here is the link to the challenge page. Come and join the fun! You don't have to pick 18, but I have a plan already for working on each one of these!

WIP Wednesday and OMG

It seems that there are so many challenges going on with the start of the new year. I would like to continue feeling like I am progressing on my projects and making some sort of headway and I want to join all of these challenges, but I am trying to be realistic and trying to not overwhelm myself because that could result in my giving up. If the last couple of days are any indication of my UFOs and kits that are hiding in my sewing studio, I can't afford to give up!

I am going to join in with the One Month Goal (OMG), but I missed the January link up. This will still help me with focusing on what I want to accomplish.

1. Work on steps 1-3 of Road to Llano (#1)
2. Cut out and piece blocks for Come Sit a Spell (#10)
3. Work on the Sock Monkey HSTs
4. Quilt 2 personal things on To Be Quilted list

This week, I spent a bit of time straightening up my studio and trying to condense the shelves where I pulled my 18 in 2018 projects out. My big idea was to move more of these projects to the shelves that I face when I sew so that they will be sort of in my face as I am sewing. In doing this, I found 3 bags of scraps and only one was identified, but it was with a person's name and not a pattern name. My guess is that this bag was scraps to be made into a Chinese coins quilt to donate to my local guild.

I also found a couple of fabric book panels to be made; what looks like a table runner for Christmas that was already cut out, but I am not sure of the pattern although I have a pretty good idea; and a kit for a small tote from Connecting Threads. Things that I should be able to knock out rather quickly instead of putting them back on the shelves to be lost again.

In moving the kits around, I found a small container with the HSTs from sock monkey fabric that I made from leftovers from a quilt top I made last year. I need to layout a baby size quilt and see how many HSTs I have left. I am hoping that I can use this as a leaders/enders project.

And this easy sew rag quilt has been hanging out in the studio for too long. This morning, I assembled the first 2 rows. Since the fleece will gum up the machine and the seam allowance is for 1", this will be sewn to completion before anything else is worked on.

And I cut the strips for step 2 of Road to Llano. This step does not result in 120 units so I am hoping it goes together quickly!

 Tonight, I stopped in at my quilt shop and picked up my kit for the 2018 BOM which is the Ohio star Deb Tucker BOM that Michelle Renee Hiatt put together. The classes start on Saturday as long as the weather cooperates and I am very excited about this class and most of these colors. (The yellow doesn't excite me so much.)

Last weekend, I went to a new local quilt shop with my pals, Barb and Katy, and picked up these gems. Doxies with balloons and a coordinating dot print! I have no idea what I will do with them, but they make me smile!

I am linking up with Tish's UFO Busting Party.

A finished top!

I meant to post this yesterday, but I ended up working from home and tried to get so much done in the time that I was online and then I went to a new local meeting of long armers and by the time I got home, I was too pooped to even sew!

So I am posting my January OMG update, my WIP Wednesday, my January UFO finish... So many blogs to link to!

Let's start with the January One Month Goals. Here are the goals.

1. Work on steps 1-3 of Road to Llano (#1)
2. Cut out and piece blocks for Come Sit a Spell (#10)
3. Work on the Sock Monkey HSTs
4. Quilt 2 personal things on To Be Quilted list

I really tried to limit myself to steps 1-3 on Road to Llano, but I haven't been able to stop myself from working on it!

I am just about done with step 9 - I just have to do the final pressing of the darker complimentary blocks. But I couldn't resist laying out the blocks to see how it was going to end up looking. This is going to be a king sized quilt for my parents to use on their bed.

And once I got the blocks made for the Come Sit a Spell, I just have to keep going on that one, too. It helped that it was the UFO number pulled on Judy's blog.

I need to get backing for this one and put it in the to be quilted line.

Unfortunately, I didn't work on the sock monkey HSTs other than to separate them into stacks of the same fabric so that I can lay out the blocks. And now, the design wall is occupied....

And I didn't get anything quilted. But I have a kind of big event happening in a couple of weeks and I need to get the house in order and one of the things on my list is to get my upstairs railing cleared and that is what I have part of my To Be Quilted pile.

Now, I will make up my February OMG...

1. Work on t shirt quilt for Aunt Donna

2. Quilt 4 personal items

3. Declutter 3 areas

4. Sock Monkey HSTs (because they will need to be packed up if not assembled into a top!)

Also, I am adding the Halloween top to my 18 flimsies in 2018.

1. Come Sit a Spell

All in all, I think I did very well for my first month at my sewing machine in way too long! 

I am linking up with....

Lynette for February 18 in 2018

Judy for the January UFO finish

Elm Street Quilts for One Month Goal

Sarah for Whoop Whoop Friday

Brooke at Silly Mama Quilts

Esther at WOW - Wips on Wednesday

Book Review Thursday - 10/6

 The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the newest book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I enjoy how the books in the series are light and uncomplicated and I usually forget that Mma Ramotswe is a detective. There is generally one major investigation in each book, but the side stories that occur are just as interesting.

In this book, Mma Ramotswe is asked by a seemingly scared cattle man to investigate who is killing his cows. As the investigation begins, Mma Ramotswe begins to wonder if he himself is involved in the crime. Grace Makutsi is in the final stages of planning her wedding and needs shoes for the event. And, as is usual, there is drama with one of Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni’s apprentices.

I have always listened to the books in this series and the narrator is fantastic! I had to get over the “Mma’s” and “Rra’s” in the first book, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have looked forward to listening to each one as they have been published. The series is set in Botswana and it is interesting hearing about the way of life in that country. I also enjoy hearing what goes on in Mma Ramotswe’s mind and her rationalizations for things that she does or things that go on.

A great addition to the series and I already can’t wait for the next one!

The second book I finished this week was A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Jaycee was kidnapped in 1991 and held in captivity for 18 years before she was recovered with her 2 daughters. I wasn’t sure whether I really wanted to read the book, but so many people on Facebook said that it was such a good book.

I’m not gonna lie, there were some parts that made me cringe. I can’t believe some of the things that Jaycee was put through. But her outlook on life is amazing considering all that she went through. There are some people who probably would have turned to addictive behaviors to deal with the circumstances, but she seems to be a very down to earth woman and she doesn’t dwell on the “what if’s” and the “why me’s.” The way that she is coping and adjusting to normal life again is amazing. It will be interesting to see what she does now with her Foundation.

Review - Mr. Nobody, Destroyer Angel

I am getting behind on my reviews again. Too much going on at home with decluttering and cleaning. :)

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A man shows up on a beach with amnesia. There is a word written on his hand, but any identifying marks or tags have been removed from him and his clothes. Is it part of a sinister plot. Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Emma Lewis is requested to evaluate the man from the beach who is called Mr. Nobody in the papers, but Matthew in the hospital. He hasn't spoken in the week since he was found, but he has demonstrated a knowledge of self defense. Emma is excited to be asked to lead the evaluation, but then is leery when she learns she has to return to her childhood home that her family fled from all those years ago.

And then the first word that Matthew says is Emma's old name.

The story is told from several points of view - Emma's, the nurse taking care of Matthew, and then eventually Matthew. I think that this seems to work to build the suspense. There is a lot of references to Emma's old life before the big reveal of what happened. There isn't a big mystery to solve except for Matthew's story. And possibly Emma's origin story.

I did enjoy the book and am looking forward to reading Something in the Water that I missed last year.


View all my reviews

Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In seeing some of the reviews, it seems like it is a mix of people who enjoy the series and those who just don't. I personally have enjoyed the series and hope that there are more to come. I enjoy a strong female main character and learning more about the parks in the United States. And I don't mind the turn to the dark that Barr has taken. It could help that I listen to the audio and listen to them sped up so I am not as stuck on the minutiae that someone reading the hard copy might be doing. I prefer being able to multi-task.

Anna is on a canoeing trip in Minnesota with her friend Heath who is a paraplegic and was first in the book with the cult. Heath adopted a girl from that book, Elizabeth, and Leah and her daughter have joined the trip. Leah is an inventor and the group is helping with testing products for the outdoors for paraplegics. On the second night, Anna takes a canoe out by herself for some alone time and a group of 4 men take the remaining four hostage. Anna is able to stay out of sight and follows the group for the next days as they make their way to a rendezvous point. But the men are bumbling idiots and get themselves lost.

The story is told in multiple points of view which I think is a newer thing for Barr, but it has been a long time since I read the first books in the series. We hear from Anna, Heath, and at least one of the men and the chapters overlap so it's nice to hear how and why things are being done from all the POVs. Even though Anna is not with the group, the women are able to give her clues and leave things to help her out as she follows behind. The relationships between the men start to break down and that helps things as well. I do like how each of the women have their own personalities which are all different from each other and affects how they react to situations. Of course, there are some things that happen that require the reader to suspend belief and the biggest is the cell phones in the middle of no where still having a signal and charges.

Again, I enjoy this series! I hope it continues!

View all my reviews

Time in the Stash Room

With the end of 2009 fast approaching, I have been spending the last few weeks thinking about my UFOs and stash. I didn't do too well on my stash reports for the year, but with this being the first year of keeping a record and with all of my winnings at the April Retreat, I don't think that I can really be held accountable with all of the fabric coming in! lol At least I have used 200+ yards of fabric this year. :)

I decided that before the end of the year, I needed to do a couple of things. I needed to update my list of UFOs, kits and projects that I have waiting in the wings. I need to decide on some goals for 2010 so that I can keep myself focused!

Wednesday night, I spent the evening going through all of the flimsies, UFOs, and Haven't started Yets (HSYs) that I have the stash room. I catalogued everything and re-organized the storage so that everything is fitting on the shelves better where these items are stored. Here is the break down:

• Flimsies - 4 - and I am counting the present from Regina because I have to quilt it and finish it off.
• UFOs - 18 - I am hoping to start 3 or 4 more before 2010.
• Quilt HSYs - 24
• Table Runner HSYs - 12
• Bag HSYs - 11
• Wall Hanging HSYs - 6
• Miscellaneous HSYs - 9

I have decided on a plan for tackling the UFOs and the HSYs in the new year. And I think that it will work great for me because it should hold my interest. And with not working at the shop, I should have plenty of free time to work on my own projects again.

I was a little shocked to see that I only had 3 flimsies before receiving the one from Regina. I guess that with the quilt frame, I haven't let too many sit for too long!

With all of this in mind, I have also been thinking about setting some goals for myself for 2010. Right now, I have 10 in mind that I jotted down last night before going to bed. And I have been letting them stew in my head all day today. They might change a little, but as soon as I am happy with them, I will post about them and add them to my side bar as a reminder.

Today, once I was able to get myself moving, I spent two and a half hours in the stash room trying to organize my stash and listening to one of my books. I started refolding some fabric and didn't even get 1 shelf folded. I also need to organize a little more of my scraps and leftovers to really get them in order. Organizing my stash room is definitely one of my goals for 2010. I really want to get my stash working for me!

It has been quite nice working in the stash room and having the dogs really close. I am really enjoying the book that I am listening to right now. And it's been rewarding seeing all the fabric that I have acquired through the last 3 years. But I would really love to see it used in finished items! Soon.... It will be very soon!! :)

BOMs Away - Road to Llano and Halloween

This is my first BOM's Away post and this goes along with the 18 in 2018.

This week, I finished step 1 on the Road to Llano quilt. This pattern is a free pattern on Judy L's page. I have already made one of these quilts in the purple and gold colorway for my cousin. This one is a king size for my parents. I had to enlarge the pattern on EQ to make it a king size.

It's been a while since I have worked on this many pieces and ended up strip piecing.

I was getting quite a pile going! I forgot to take a picture during the final piece added though.

Here is Step 1 done! 120 units!

This is my #10 18 in 2018. Ten was the number pulled from Judy's UFO challenge and I thought I would work on this one this month, too. I had planned on working on a second project with the Llano quilt so this one was the easy choice. I had a layer cake and some fabric from the line to use for borders and binding. I paired up the 10" squares for the pattern and trimmed one from each pair down. This week, I will work on cutting the black and getting the smaller squares cut for the first step on this project.

Not a bad week for a first effort!

I am linking up over at Lynette's blog for the BOMs Away!

WIP Wednesday - Still here and moving along

I bet you thought that since I haven't posted in a week that I was dropping out of blog world again, didn't you? Well, I am not! The first of the month was last Thursday and the first 3 business days of each month are very busy at the office for me and it doesn't leave me time for much else.

I did find time to get a couple of backings during a sale on Saturday at my local quilt shop. I also got to enjoy lunch with my 2 partners in crime, Gail and Tina. They are the ones who have taken all of the Deb Tucker classes with me since last January. The shop had 20% off for the Super Bowl and I took advantage with 2 extra wide backings. Sweet!

I was able to finish all of the blocks for Road to Llano, project #1 on my 18 in 2018 list. And the UFO number pulled on Judy L's UFO list for February. And since all of the blocks were done, I laid the entire quilt out on the design wall.



I have been working on assembling the rows and then sewing a new finished row onto a section already assembled. One more row for the top half to be fully assembled!

I have been working a little each morning before heading to work on whichever project is on my cutting mat. Two days ago, I turned on my iron and water was spewing from all of the crevices. This isn't the first time that it has happened with that iron and in the past, I would do the anti-calc/cleaning and it would shape up for a few months or a couple of years. This time, the iron kept flipping on the re-heating light even though it should have been hot enough.

I was all prepared to purchase another Rowenta steamer iron! I had looked up the prices on Amazon a few weeks ago and checked out other stores to see if there were better deals. I kept remembering the first steamer that I had that I won in a raffle and how great it was for marathon sewing days... I was ready to take the plunge and buy my own!!

Then, when looking for my missing owl pin cushion, I found a box for the iron under my bed. I pulled the box out and it was not empty - it had a brand new iron, the same model that I have been using. I must have bought a replacement for the iron one of the time that it leaked.



So now, I have a new iron and no need for the steamer. I'm a little bummed, but a little happy that I thought ahead and won't be without a nice hefty iron for any length of time!

One thing that was holding me back while assembling the Llano blocks into the top was that I didn't have a leader/ender project. So I took all of my sock monkey HSTs and put them into blocks.



They will be at least 2 baby size quilts and possibly a lap, but really maybe just a few baby sized.

So that is where I am. There are quite a few things going on behind the scenes that I can't share at this time. All I can say is that I am looking forward to things quieting down a little in a month or so.

I am linking up with...
Lynette for BOMs Away

Sarah for Whoop Whoop Friday

Brooke at Silly Mama Quilts

Esther at WOW - Wips on Wednesday

Lorna at Let's Bee Social

eHarmony - The saga continues

Apologies in advance - this is a long one, too!

Our story left off with Psycho, Angry Phone guy being a total dud.

With our next contestant, I decided that I was not going to spend so much time emailing and trying to get to know him before finding out that he was a dud. Things started really slow with him. He seemed to only check his email/eH website every 3-4 days. The chatting and messages through eH seemed to be a lot about what was going on in daily life. Things that we were planning for the weekend, how work was, etc.

This went on for a few weeks – a better part of June and half of July. Then, he asked through email if I would like to have dinner the following weekend. There was no talk of chatting on the phone or anything which sort of shocked me, but I thought what the heck and agreed. As the night got closer, I started freaking out a bit with nerves and ended up leaving a message for him on his voice mail that I couldn’t meet. It turned out that he had to work all day and evening that Sunday and would not have been able to meet either.

After that first night we were supposed to meet, he sent a very nice email taking the blame for not getting to meet for dinner. Something about taking things too fast and that he would call so we could talk during the week. At the time, it was an OK email, but I had said that I couldn’t make it because I had a problem at the house that I couldn’t leave. I don’t where he picked up on that and in retrospect, it just seemed weird.

We agreed in emails that he would call on a certain night when I didn’t have a quilt class because the classes are so much more important than a call from a boy. We talked for about 45 minutes that night. He had a nice voice and we laughed a fair amount during the call. I told him about CMG and the pups, so I know that I talked during the phone call. We also planned another dinner and, after talking on the phone, I was looking forward to meeting him.

Our date was on a Sunday and I spent Saturday with my friend, Amy, prepping. Since I had lost about 18 pounds at that time, we went shopping for some tops that would look nice with my capris that I was finally able to fit into. And we gave ourselves pedicures so that my toes would look nice for the sandals I was planning on wearing.

Sunday, we planned on meeting at 6 at Bravo’s, an Italian restaurant, in an open air mall-type location. We planned on eating dinner and then walking around the ‘street’ of the mall.

I wanted to be the first one there so he would have to find me and I wouldn’t look like a dork or something wandering around trying to find a person that I have only seen in a picture that could have been a very bad picture. (I seem to have problems finding people in crowds because I don’t always take their faces in. Even family members I struggle to find in large crowds unless I know what they are wearing and that is what I look for. So I can be staring at someone and not register that I know them until they approach me and say something. It’s strange.) So, I left earlier than I needed to and was talking to Amy on my cell for support. I actually talked to her until he came up to me.

Now, Bravo’s isn’t a 5 star (or 4 or whatever the highest number of stars you can get is) restaurant, but it’s not a McDonald’s or Applebee’s. It’s a nicer restaurant than those. I was wearing beige capris and a black spaghetti strap tank top and a flowy black tunic style shirt over it. I was dressed for the restaurant. He was wearing khaki shorts, gym shoes and socks, and an oversized white t-shirt under a knit polo shirt with an emblem of some type where a left pocket would be. Granted, he was clean, but the shirt looked old. So old that the collar wouldn’t lie correctly.

He walks up to me and I was struck by how blue his eyes were. I couldn’t stop looking at them for the first few minutes after we sat down. We go into the restaurant and get a table immediately. The waiter comes over and recognizes the guy and he seemed a bit embarrassed by it. It seems that this place is where he brings all of his dates from eH and he has had the waiter often enough that he is recognized. I tell him that this is the first time I have met anyone from eH. We order our drinks and I tell the guy that he has pretty eyes and he says, “Thanks. I remember my first job…” and tells me about how one of the boss’s daughters told him that, too. Not that I was fishing for compliments, but I figured that it would’ve been time for him to have said something to me, but he didn’t. He just started talking about work. He could’ve just told me that I have a nice smile which I hear a lot so I know it’s true. (My parents paid good money for the braces for this smile!)

So during the course of the meal, I am remembering the episodes of “Confessions of a MatchMaker” from A&E that I had watched (It’s hilarious by the way!), and I was trying to keep eye contact to show I was interested. I was trying to keep my good table manners and not spill on myself and remembering what topics to avoid on the first date. Apparently, no one ever taught him about the do’s and don’t’s of first dates. He talked almost non-stop. He asked what I was going to have, where I went to college and what my major was. I mentioned my sorority and he asked all of 2-3 questions about that. To me, that is a pretty amazing topic considering what we do for St Jude’s alone. And he only asked 2-3 questions. And it’s not like he waited for me to elaborate on anything, he just barreled right through what he wanted to talk about. Eventually, I was having a hard time concentrating on him and was people watching and he still didn’t pick up on that. At one point, he put his hand in the sauce on his plate and when he realized it, he licked it off. HE LICKED IT OFF!!!! I was shocked. I mean, I do that sort of thing at lunch or when I am out to dinner with friends – not when I am trying to make a good impression!

We got done eating, he went to the restroom and I sent Amy a text message that he wouldn’t shut up long enough for me to get a word in edgewise. Now, you would think that while in the restroom and after eating Italian that he would check his teeth, right? Wrong!! He had bits of bread or pasta in a few. So we walk up and down the street once and then sit at a fountain and watch the sun go down. He still kept talking. People were walking around and he was lifting his arm in front of my face and pointing at people to make comments to me about them. I was so embarrassed because they could see him doing that!

I sat for as long as I could (about an hour) before I figured that I had given it enough of a chance to turn around and said that I needed to get home. He walked me to my car and said that he had a good time and that we would talk this week. Actually, he said something about calling and then said, ‘no, email.’ Amy wondered why he wanted to regress back to email instead of still talking on the phone like we had before the date. I had no idea. I just wanted to get in my car and leave so I didn’t question it.

The next day, I get an email from him about how he had such a great time and it was nice to meet me. And he hoped that he only talked one of my ears off, but he feels that it is important for the person to get to know who he is. Apparently, he does care to get to know ‘the person.’ And he wanted to meet the next weekend. I gave it a few days to see if I felt any differently and I couldn’t for the life of me see myself going out with him again. I ended up being talked into it – a couple of people said maybe he was just nervous and to give him another chance. So I sent an email and said sure we can meet, I had a good time, too, and that yeah he did talk a little excessively. And I put a smiley after that.

I think that I sent that email on a Thursday and said that I could only meet on Sunday for the next weekend. Saturday, I got an email from him that he was in Texas for work so he wouldn’t be able to meet. I didn’t respond to his email because I didn’t feel like there was much that I could say.

That was the last that I heard from Sir Talks-A-Lot.
Post A Comment! :: Send to a Friend!
Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Cre8tiveQuilter
Yikes! YOu gave him more than a fair shot!! I'm actually more interested now in your soriority! I guess I assummed incorrectly that the St. Jude stuff is a project that the Alumni in the area took on; not something the entire soriority does.
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Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by MoneikQuilts
It's always hard to listen when you don't get a word in edgewise. My boyfriend is the other extreme. I had to ask a ton of questions to get him to talk about himself. Every person is different I guess. Tell us more about the sorority.
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Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by maryann64
Evening: Hope you had a good day. Listen to your gut feelings when you meet a man that is compatible you will know - you won't have any doubts. Had to lol at your comment on my blog when I realize that only one of us can spell and it's not be. Thank God for spell check. Enjoy your Quilt Guild tonite. Hugs Mary Ann.
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Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SewAndSnip
OMG this story is funnier than the last one. Don't give up if this is what you really want. Keep those stories coming. Cindy
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Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by CountryQuilter
Your blog is better than a Soap Opera! Keep it coming. Kristie
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Monday, August 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Trina
Kristie is right, this is better than a soap!! Keep em coming, I enjoy reading them!!

Modern Designs for Classic Quilts Blog Tour

Today is my day for the Modern Designs for Classic Quilts blog tour!

This is my very first blog tour! I'm so excited to be participating! You are probably wondering why I got picked to participate and I am going to share that with you now!

The authors of this wonderful piece of modern quilting with traditional inspiration are Kelly Biscopink and Andie Johnson and I was lucky enough to meet both of these gals at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild.

Now here is the very exciting part for me... Back in March 2011, more than a year and a half ago, Andie approached me to see if I would quilt something for her. Of course, I said that I could do that and then she told me that it was a secret and I couldn't show anything on my blog. And then, she had another quilt and Kelly brought me a third quilt. And I couldn't show anything on my blog!

It was agony to keep a secret for that long! But now, I can show my pictures!

The first quilt that I quilted for the book is In the Clouds.



I really love the simplicity of this quilt, but the colors and the pop of the flying geese is fantastic in person!

Here is a closer view of the quilting. It is just straight lines that flow back and forth. It reminds me of clouds.



And I will take a few minutes to say that I was thoroughly impressed with the layout of the book for each quilt.. The book shows the quilt in a staged picture along with the specific details for the quilt. The next couple of pages give the instructions with great diagrams and a detailed shot of the quilting on the quilt. And finally, there is a full page shot of the quilt. Seriously, the photographs in the book are STUNNING!

The next quilt that I did was also for Andie and it was the Meshugana crazy quilt. This quilt used a wide variety of fabrics to make crazy blocks in creams and khakis. (See what I mean about the book pics and the layout?)



Here are a couple of pictures that I took when I was done with the quilting.





This quilt was so luscious that I bet it will be great to snuggle under this winter!

And now for the piece de resistance! Did you happen to see the cover of the book? That gorgeous log cabin? Guess who quilted it!!!

That's right -  ME!!

This one may have been the toughest to do. I basted the quilt on my frame with large stitches and then straight line quilted it on my domestic machine. And then I picked out all the basting because I didn't want to use a water soluble thread because I knew this quilt wasn't going to be washed before going into the book. But it turned out fantastic!

Here are a few shots that show the quilting a little better.









I really think that I need to make one of these quilts for myself! I just love how all the straight line quilting turned out!

F+W Media, the publisher, and Kelly and Andie generously gave me a copy of the book to giveaway. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell me if you are more of a traditional quilter or a modern quilter. No reply commenters must leave their email in the comment to be eligible for the giveaway.

**edited 11/12 - I have had 4 no reply comments in a row. I will be deleting all no reply comments unless your email is included in the body of the comment so that I have a way to get in touch in the event that you win.**

I will draw a name with the Random Number Generator on November 26 so you have plenty of time to enter! Good luck!

And here is the schedule for the blog tour!

Monday, 11/5    Andie & Kelly, AndieJohnsonSews & Stitchy Quilt Stuff
Tuesday, 11/6    Lindsay of CraftBuds
Wednesday, 11/7    Jill of Darling Jill Quilts - That's me!!
Thursday, 11/8    Faith of Fresh Lemons
Friday, 11/9    Tracy of Generation Q
Saturday, 11/10    Angela of Quilting is my Therapy
Sunday, 11/11   Shannon of Stitch Craft Create
Monday, 11/12   Laurie of Scarlet Fig
Tuesday, 11/13   Kaysie of KZJo’s Studio
Wednesday, 11/14   Jessica of A Little Gray
Thursday, 11/15   Mary of The Tulip Patch
Friday, 11/16    Deborah of Whipstitch
Saturday, 11/17   Lindsay of  The Cottage Mama 
Sunday, 11/18    Jenny of Sew Kind of Wonderful
Monday, 11/19   Carla of LollyQuiltz
Tuesday, 11/20   Thomas of Thomas Knauer Sews
Wednesday, 11/21   Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics
Thursday, 11/22   Lindsay + Liz Rea of CraftBuds + Inspire Me Grey
Friday, 11/23   Sarah of The Last Piece
Saturday, 11/24    Andie, Kelly, and Cara of AndieJohnsonSews, Stitchy Quilt Stuff , and Cara Quilts