My first 2010 quilt finish

I think this says it all!

I have had this sign hanging in my kitchen forever and it never loses its charm!

Like many of you, I find that I am blogging less. It's not that I don't enjoy it anymore but it's a time management reality that you just can't do everything! I still stop by or, depending on the day, whizzzzzzzzzzz through my favorite blogs to check on people and see the work in progress. After about three years of blogging, I toy with the idea of discontinuing my blog since I'm not very prolific of late. However, every now and then, I still want a place to post my quilts. What about you gals? Ever think about closing up the old blog??

This last month is a blur. I've been working with a personal trainer two mornings a week before work as well as taking bootcamp classes on my non-training days which requires me to be at the gym by 6:30 am. Needless to say, I am in bed pretty early these days. I didn't know that there were muscles in some of the places I ache!! But it is starting to pay off. I am seeing great results and feel super. It doesn't hurt that my trainer is named Kyle and is 26 years old! Hey, I may be older but I'm not dead!! LOL!

My quilting is still on a bit of a back burner though I did get to meet with Libby at her house a few weeks ago and we had a great sewing day! I am almost done with our project. The applique is just about finished (just a blanket stitch around the wool and homespun) and I hope to quilt it in the next couple of weeks. And speaking of Libby, her house is beautiful and her quilts, ladies, they are to DIE for! She has them all through her house and they are fabulous! I even got to meet her worms! We will be getting together again in a couple of weeks at the Machine Quilters' Expo in Providence, RI for their quilt show. I'm super excited to introduce her to a few of my local quilting friends.

I also just returned from a quilting weekend sponsored by our Mother guild and finished this little beauty. I found this on Kim's Big Quilting Adventure 2 years ago and always wanted to make it. It is bound and I will put the sleeve on tonight. It will be up for next St. Pat's Day. (I told you I was quilting slowwwwly!)

I also made a bit more headway on my taupe and blue quilt. GOSHHH is that a boring project! I love the look but the next time I talk about making a KING SIZE quilt, somebody pleeeeze slap me!

My DH and I are headed to San Antonio again next week for the Women's Final Four and our spring/summer weekends are filling quickly with concerts, baseball and beach weekends so I'm hoping to get some quilting done but there are only 24 hours in a day!~

Well, til I stumble by this way again,

Quilt til you wilt!~

A Good Reason to have UFOs

Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts on our anniversary. Unfortunately, my hubby picked up a cold somewhere and on Monday he was sick as a dog. Coughing, sneezing and generally miserable. He was out of work til Thursday. Tried to go in Thursday morning to be promptly sent home by his boss and told to stay there til Monday. By the time our anniversary arrived on the 2oth, I had been sleeping in the guest room for several nights. He was feeling better by Saturday and we did go out for an early dinner but then headed home. I actually slept in the guest room on our anniversary!! Oh well, I know there will be other anniversaries cause I'm not trading him in.

And on the quilting front, my machine was NOT ready as anticipated so the lap quilt waits patiently on the frame. I also hit a snafu with the Underground RR quilt. I lost the directions for finishing the sashings so I've got a "shout out" to my guild gals for the book. And here is where having lots of UFOs is a blessing. I just put the 200 Flying Geese to one side and dug back into the "Poke" for something else to work on. I was sorely tempted to start a new project but cooler heads prevailed and I pulled this one out. It was started in the fall but I quickly became bored with the piecing. So I pulled it out again, turned on Project Runway and had another crack at it. This is about half done. This will be king size and there will be over 500 rectangles in it when its finished. The long blue pieces are supposed to have buttons on them but I'm going for some fancy quilting instead.

But I wanted the world to know that I AM QUILTING just really slowly and in spurts. Let's put it this way - I won't win any gold medals for speediest quilter in the quilting Olympics!

The Best Laid Plans

As you saw in my last post, I was all set to get that lap quilt done over the weekend. I got up early Saturday morning and was rearing to go. But my machine had other plans. I'd start, the thread would break, I tried several times, rethreaded no luck. I thought I would change the needle. but I was out of needles. So I went to the shop to get more needles. While I was there, I discussed my problem with tension as well. The shop owner suggested a couple of things and I returned home ready to go again ANNNND, found out I had the wrong needles. I trusted that the shop owner who sold me the machine would give me the right ones, nope, he gave me the ones for a different model. Sewwww, I' decided since I had to go 20 minutes back to exchange the needles I wouldl take the machine in for a checkup. She hasn't had one in over a year and my free service agreement runs out in May so now is a good time.

But I did not ditch the quilting completely. I pulled another pig from the poke and worked on 200 Flying Geese units. Yes 200! They are part of the pieced sashing for my Underground RR quilt. Now I know why it ended up in the UFO container!! But the units are done and I am ready to join them together. I have also been knitting. Finished a hat for my DH that finally meets his approval and I am now knitting together bits of yarn that are left over in strips to be put together eventually into an afghan while I wait for my new circular needles for a shawl kit I bought and for my instruction book on socks. Yes, I am going to take the plunge and try socks.

My machines will be picked up tomorrow and hopefully that lap quilt will get finished! I have also ordered a new machine, a 16" mid arm which will arrive in about 8 weeks. It fits on my existing fram and I'm excited to have more space to quilt!

Our 27th anniversary is Saturday. Doesn't feel like we've been together that long. I guess that's a good sign. LOL!! We will spend this one quietly. Dinner and a movie.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I promise pics of my URR progress after the weekend.!

this and that and another thing

Well, here it is Friday again! I just seem to be in perpetual motion and a half step behind lately. I didn't get the pics posted as promised last weekend so here they are !

First, the 5 cases I made for Operation Pillowcase. Ladies, if you have time go over to the blog Debra set up and make a pillowcase or two. They are fun and easy and for a great cause!

The other project I promised was the top I finished for my greatniece, Bella's 2nd birthday in May. I will put this on the frame next month and get it done ahead of schedule. That will be a first!

Here is the top!

And here is Bella! This picture was taken last week. She is such a cutie and that's not just an Auntie bragging!

Finally, here are the three hats I've knitted for Warmth for Warriors. They haven't been blocked yet but once that's done they are headed to the soldiers in Afganistan as helmet liners. The pattern is on their website and this one is ADDICTING! Not only have I made these three but one for my son which is on its way to Colorado and I'm just about done with another one for my hubby. Super simple and fun to do on circular needles when you are watching TV.

And speaking of TV, I am now in the thick of my TV watching season. I've always been a fan of Project Runway and have started watching the episodes on my Tivo (so far, so good) and have added Models of the Runway but I think I'm going to drop this one. They are just not that interesting. Hmm, go figure!

In addition, my trainer has me watching the Biggest Loser. I never understood why people watched it but now I've been sucked into it. It's a good one to watch while chain-piecing.

BUT I'm super excited because Survivor Heroes v. Villains will be starting next week and the Amazing Race is about to begin. Of course, add to that, Medium, The Good Wife, Brothers & Sisters, The Middle, Modern Family, CSI, Leverage and 24. Wheww! I may have to give up sleeping. Well, I am not a big fan of Winter as you all know so this is when I hibernate, watch TV, quilt and knit.

Lastly, my weekend project. This is the Fall lap quilt I made for my DH two years ago. It's one of the Pigs from the Poke and it will be quilted this weekend. I used a flannel backing so it will keep him toasty warm.

Hope you all have great weekend plans!

Happy Bday to me!

This was on my coffee cup this AM. Even Dunkin Donuts wants to wish me a Happy Bday. Oh, but I'm not 60, just a smidge over 50 and happy to be here even if I am at work, yuck!

But I woke up this AM to my Ipod singing "Birthday" by the Beatles and my DH made me a great breakfast. I also got a super birthday card from him with the promise to finish painting the kitchen and two tickets to see the Lion King when it comes to Hartford in 2 weeks. Not a bad start to a birthday. It's snowing here (not one of my bday wishes) but we are headed to my favorite restaurant Ruby Tuesday for dinner and I'm off Friday and the weekend!

I'm still here plugging away. Last weekend was our guild retreat in RI and loads of fun and swwing was done. I finished a top for little Bella's 2nd bd in May (pics to come this weekend) and one of the pillowcases for Debra's Operation Pillowcase is finished with three more cut and ready to be sewn this weekend. Even had time for a massage! Yeah, we do it right, had a spa lady come in for massages and facials.

This weekend I' m going to do a little shopping on the internet. I'll let you know what my birthday present is later.

Hope all of you have a great day!

Happy 2010!

A belated Merry Christmas to all my quilting friends!

Our Hallmark tree. 8 feet tall and stuffed with 20 years of collecting ornaments~

The angel tree. 6 feet tall

Christmas and New year's day have come and gone. Bob and I had a quiet but lovely Christmas at home. Alex is still in Colorado loving the snow. We spent New Year's Eve in New Jersey with Southside Johnny. Check out us out smooching at midnight. Scroll down a bit and you'll see us in the corner. Not bad for 26 years of wedded bliss. We also visited with our NJ friends over the weekend. And so, the holidays of 2009 have passed.

For me, winter should now be officially over. But since I don't control Mother Nature, I will be entering hibernation until late March. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I now will be spending more time at home and that means quilting will come to the forefront.

But first, the Christmas takedown must be done. It usually takes us about 2 weeks to put up all the decorations and trees. We start the day after Thanksgiving. I am not a fan of the BIG Christmas extavaganza anymore but my DH loves it. The reversal of this process is NOT fun and still takes about 2 weeks.

here is just a small sample of the mess right now.

I have piles like these all over the house as we box up and store all the ho-ho-ho. Since my DH loves putting it up, I have left him in charge of taking it down and I am just a helper. Once he gets all of this put away, he starts his winter projects. This year it is painting the kitchen and guest bathroom and replacing the sink and vanity in the guest bathroom. got to keep him busy while i'm quilting~

I have done a pitiful amount of sewing/quilting over the last couple of months. Here is what I did on Sunday. Two eyeglass cases to go with my sweater bag that I made last year. I am half way through a quilt top which is made up of 536 3 x 5.5 rectangles. Easy but a bit monotonous to piece so I have been doing it a little bit here and there. I also have been practicing my machine quilting on my frame with the laser and a panto which is lots harder than just free motion! But I have a panto I really like so I am determined to get good at it so I can use it on an actual quilt. I'm using some old flannel sheets to practice on.

I'm also doing quite a bit of knitting. I just finished another hat for Hats for the Homeless. I like handwork at night and want to alternate between knitting and redwork projects. I have quite a few redwork projects that I'd like to finish. I also do quite a bit of reading in the winter. I just finished Alice Hoffman's The Story Sisters. If you are a Hoffman fan, I highly recommend this one. I had a hard time putting it down.

As for resolutions for the new year, I think I'll pass this year. I didn't do a very good job on last year's list and with an increase in my work hours, I just think I'll try to finish some of my pigs that are still "in the poke".

Well that's it from the Wilted Quilter. Still inspired by all of you out there quilting your little fingers to the bone. Hope to be able to inspire you a bit this year with some finished projects.

Stay warm and Quilt til you wilt!!!

Christmas in NYC

My DH, the world's biggest lover of all things Christmas, planned a surprise weekend into the Big Apple for me to see the lights and the windows. From my last posting, you know it was just what the doctor ordered.

For my international friends and those of you who are not familiar with New York City traditions, the big department stores, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman ( to name the heavy hitters) decorate their windows for Christmas every year.

So we took the train early Friday morning and arrived in Grand Central about 10 am. From there, we checked into our hotel and then hit the bricks. We started at the windows of Bergdorf Goodman, which are always quite artsy and high fashion. This year was an Alice in Wonderland Theme.

Here's Alice!

and part of her journey through wonderland. BTW, Bergdorf Goodman loves to put monkeys, squirrels and weird little animals in their Christmas windows. They are really spectacular and the details are just amazing.

From there, we walked down Fifth Avenue enjoying all the sights. To say it was cold is an understatement. But we dressed for the weather. Although some of the gals in NYC would rather freeze to death than commit a fashion faux pas.!! I saw more women without stockings in little short skirts and black flats, no hats, no gloves. They looked fabulous but I'd rather be warm!!

These pictures are from Saks Fifth Avenue. It is the story of Twinkle, a snowflake and her journey. All of the windows had music and animation for the kids and all those young at heart. I like Twinkle's take on life. How about you?

Of course, we stopped at Rockefeller Center to see the big Christmas tree!

While we were there, a young man proposed to his lady on the ice of the skating rink which is down below under the Christmas tree.

Then we hit our favorite Irish pub for lunch. After that, we finished up at Macy's for a look at their windows and then some shopping. By the time we got back to our hotel, we were pretty tired. But after a little nap and we headed out for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. The next morning we were up bright and early for.....

THE ROCKETTES CHRISTMAS SHOW!~

Neither one of us had ever been to see the show. It was absolutely fabulous. We had seats right up front and were surrounded by lots of families with their little ones which made it even more magical. To see the faces of the little kids just added to our enjoyment of the show.

Here's a picture of the lobby.

And here's our souvenir ornament to add to the tree.

After the show, my DH parked me in the nearest Starbucks and headed out to do a "secret errand". I guess you and I will have to wait til Christmas to see what that was all about.

On our way back to the train, we walked through Bryant Park where they had little booths set up with handmade crafts and local artisans. This is the fountain with icicles hanging off of it.
We had hoped to stay later but with the impending snowstorm barreling up the East Coast,we headed reluctantly home. But it was really great trip! I have the one of the best hubbys in the world.

Reconnecting

Lately, I noticed I've been feeling a little lonely and sad. I chocked it up to the holiday rush which often overwhelms me. I'm not a huge holiday season fan unlike my DH who counts down the days to December 25th. I usually enter December kicking and screaming "no not again, it's too soon!" I have been working long hours and doing all those "important" things like laundry and food shopping and cleaning which means that I've spent little to no time quilting which keeps me sane and blogging, well forget it, my postings are few and far between.

But on Monday I received an email from Patti, a blogger friend. She had saved a comment I had made on her blog months ago and was getting back to me. That email could not have come at a better time. It was truly the bright spot in my day. So when I was on the computer ordering a few Christmas presents Tuesday, I decided to check in on some old friends that I had been neglecting, my blogging buddies. :)

Wow!! When I started reading I realized that I have been away from blogging WAY TOO LONG! So many things had happened that I had missed. Birthdays, anniversaries, lovely vacations, and new babies (grandkids) on the way and sadly there were also illnesses, injuries, lost jobs, and the passing of loved ones. Oh, and there were quilts ! I know when I originally started blogging my focus was the quilting. But I have to say that what has kept me coming back is the fellowship - the sharing, not only of our love of fabric, but the sharing of our every day lives, not just the high points but the lows and the ordinary stuff that make up our days. The things that make us laugh or cry, the things that make us women.

Over the last few days, I have purposely set aside a little time to stop by and visit with some of my favorite bloggers, leaving comments or sending an email. And that lonely feeling, it's pretty much gone.

If I haven't stopped by your place yet, don't worry I will. And thanks for being there.

I made a quilt!!! (in my head)

Hello Quilters! Happy December! . Well, we are entering the busiest month of the year and I'm pretty sure that the little bit of quilting I've been doing will come to a grinding halt now that the holidays are upon us. But today on my way to work, I was sitting in traffic next to a white truck which had a black logo on it which looked like the rays of the sun.


" Hmm, that reminds me of a New York Beauty. I love the New York Beauty. I should really make that Pat Sloan quilt that is in my binder."




(Ladies, you know the binder I'm talking about. The one that has all the quilt patterns you've culled from years of quilting magazines and you have sworn you will make all of them before you leave God's green earth!)




"I could make each quarter section to represent each of the seasons. I have that really great hand dyed fabric for spring, oh and that great snow fabric for winter. Now, what will I use for Fall?. I'd have to enlarge the pattern though to make it wall hanging size. Yeah, that'll work!".




And without touching any fabric or taking a single stitch, I made a quilt! And, you know, it was pretty satisfying! Seww, you see, you do have time to quilt even in December. You just do it in your head!

Oh, and here is a picture of the quilt I was thinking about from McCall's Quilting, October, 2006.

Have a quilty day!

Oh, Puerto Rico, te echo de menos ya!

Oh, Puerto Rico, I miss you already!! We are back from our trip, well rested and relaxed. This tower is in old San Juan near the governor's mansion. We spent an evening there wandering around the streets and shops and having dinner in our favorite restaurant, Toro Saleo. We even had our favorite waiter who was there last year.

The weather was gorgeous, 80-85 degrees every day. The Marriott was beautiful and the staff was super friendly and helpful. This is the view from our balcony.


We spent most of our time on the beach doing this.

and in the evenings, doing this! Oh, and we spent some time in the casino. My DH played a little

blackjack and I learned how to play roulette. Even won a few dollars!

Meet our favorite bartender, Jonathan. He worked at the restaurant, Miro, across the street from the Marriott. They had a 2 for 1 Happy Hour every day from 4-7. Needless to say, we got to know him very well! The restaurant also had fabulous food. Our favorite dish was Arroz Negro (black rice) which was rice with a combo of seafood (shrimp, squid, scallops and mussels). What made it black and delicious was the addition of squid's ink which has a buttery taste to it.

This last picture was taken at Condondo Beach next to the Conrad Hotel. We have already decided that we will be returning again to Puerto Rico maybe in February. It's a quick getaway spot for some fun in the sun and many mojitos!

Well, back to reality and the old grind! Hasta luego!

Fall projects

Despite a heavy work schedule, I have been able to finish one fall project and do some decorating for the season. The first picture is the space above our closets in our den. This arrangement was actually done by my DH. There are different sized wicker and ceramic pumpkins up there with an old wooden tool chest filled with fall colored leaves. He adds the twinkle lights which look so nice at night. He is surprisingly talented in doing this sort of thing! This will stay up til Thanksgiving.

The little wall hanging is made with hand dyed felted wool and stash fabric. I finished binding it last night while watching the World Series. This project comes from a great fall/halloween book I won from our guild's monthly raffle.

The pumpkins are a nifty idea I picked up at our guild's Annual Gathering. The inside is a roll of toilet paper, wrapped with a little leftover batting to make it look round and covered with a seasonal FQ that is stuffed into the top of the tube. The stems are a stick I found outside and I added a few artificial leaves on top. Took all of 15 minutes to make and when the season is over, I'll take them apart and use the paper! LOL!

The purses are part of a new drop in program we are doing with our guild. We have a drop in meeting on the last Monday nite of the month which is meant to be more social. You can bring a project you want to finish or do the project of the month. This year we are focusing on making bags. Since it was my idea for Bag of the Month, I was the first instructor and chose the Buttercup bag which I found on Rae Hoekstra's blog. She is super talented and this bag is the first of several that have appeared on her blog. She is so generous with providing the pattern and the bag was easy as pie to make. The size in the pattern actually uses a FQ. I made one in the original size using a wool skirt I had felted which I call Baby Buttercup. The other bag which is the same pattern enlarged to 120% which I call Mama Buttercup is made from Michael Miller fabric I've had forever. I used a magnetic snap for the wool bag but decided on a loop closure for Mama. The handmade glass button on the front is one I bought in Houston a couple of years ago. I really like Mama best. She is a perfect size and I added additional pockets inside.

We had 7 or 8 gals there making bags. I will have pictures in November to show. It's amazing how different they look depending on the fabric chosen.!

Sorry the pictures are so dark but we haven't had much sunshine of late!

Speaking of sunshine, I am headed for sunny Puerto Rico next week for some needed R&R with my hubby. My bag is just about packed and I just need to choose a book or two for reading on the beach! I'll be back in November hopefully fully recharged and ready to do more blogging than I have of late. BTW, if you haven't turned your clocks back go do it now! Daylight savings time started last night Boo hoo! Now I'll go to work in the dark and drive home in the dark! Did I ever mention I HATE WINTER!!!