OUCH!!

If you are squeemish with blood etc., then look no further today.  I was trying to cut some strips of fabric today and trying to get done to move on to other things when the slot in the ruler flexed just a tiny bit.......but with a rotary cutter moving fast a tiny bit can mean disaster.  A trip to the Emergency room was not on my list of to do things today!!
Not able to sew the piece back on so I will have a weird looking finger for a while. 

 Here I'm back home with the offending ruler.  Do  you know how many times you use your index finger.  I am a typist and use all of my fingers....not a pecker like my hubby types.  Going to look weird taking care of patients tomorrow too.  I'll sure be wearing a glove on this hand for a while.  That is also my IV feeling finger for veins......grrrrr.  Hope I don't have to stick any necks tomorrow.

The good news here is that I didn't get any blood on this beautiful batik fabric.....blood all over my table and floor, but none on the fabric.

I think I am just going to have Roger pop some popcorn and watch a movie....no more sewing for me today.

Hope you have a SAFE day quilting.
Shelia

Kaleidoscope Progress

Today I started sewing the rows together on my Kaleidoscope UFO.  The sun shinning through the window looks like some odd pieces on the top.   I love how the pattern looks like circular piecing. 

One more row to sew on, then I have to decide about borders.  I am leaning toward no borders.....but haven't quite decided yet.

Happy Quilting,
Shelia

Just A Thought

Today I came across Mark Twain's saying while searching for ideas for my memorial garden.
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail Away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."

Still today how very true.  We must explore, dream and discover new things in our lives.  What else fuels us to become better people each day?  Explore your pile of UFO's today........what do you discover.......and did you dream of a new way to use that UFO?  Continue on your journey.

I'm piecing some today on my brown kaleidoscope quilt while working through some pain.  I hope to get the top pieced together this evening.  I'll post pictures of the progress later this evening.
Shelia

This Week In Review

Yesterday,Wednesday the 11th was my mother-in-law Alberta's 78th Birthday!  Happy Birthday mom-2.  She was spending the day with her grand-daughrer Amanda in Orlando, FL being a tourist and having a great time. 

Mom and I started some of the list we need to complete after daddy's death.  We got probate opened so we can get some other things off of our list. Many thanks to my cousin Teresa for all of her assistance with this part of the process.  We made many stops during the day to get things changed at the bank and such.    Busy day but productive.

At our quilt guild meeting on Monday night I was reminded of my UFO clean out I did earlier in the year.  Remember all of the sorting and decisions to keep or give away unfinished projects????  Well one of those projects which I had the top pieced and 3 of the borders on so far and it was suppose to have another border of chevrons on it which I had pieced but did not like.  So I decided to donate the top to our Habitat for Humanity philanthropy project and let someone else either add more borders or just quilt it.  This quilt was one that I had started in a class back in 1993.  It was a block of the month class that I took with the founder of our quilt guild, Mary Isbell who passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer.  Mary was a long time quilt teacher in our area and very active in the Quilter's of South Carolina guild.  She will be truly missed. 

But back to the top, one of our members, Yvonne took the top as I had pieced it, quilted it and gave it back for our Habitat for Humanity project.  So now it is a finished project that someone will receive when they have their home dedication.  Our guild provides quilts for the Habitat for Humanity in Greenville County and each person in the home being dedicated receives a quilt.  It is an awesome project that we have been doing for over 4 years now.  That is a great ending to a UFO that I almost threw away.  Here is a link to see the chevron border I had pieced to go with this quilt.  http://www.quiltinginsouthcarolina.blogspot.com/2012/01/here-is-my-list-of-ufo-groups.html  I think I will make this into a lap quilt with some spacers.
See your taste in fabric and quilts do change as you get into quilting.  This was pieced my second year of being a quilter.   

Now onto the next fun things.  Pat Nagle, Eleanor Burns sister who travels along the East Coast for Quilt In A Day came to do a lecture, trunk show and tips class for us last night.  We met at the Fountain Inn History Museum.  She did a wonderful show.

Below is the quilt for the newest book Eleanor has written, Tales of First Ladies. It is a beautiful quilt.  She explained from the book how each block was made and showed wonderful techniques to make them quick.

 Beautiful eagles in center block.  She used hand turn applique in the center block.

 Here is a miniature of the same quilt, she used Harrison Rose pattern as her medallion center.  Those are 6-inch blocks around the medallion.  Gorgeous.

 You as with any sampler quilt can take just one block and make a quilt with that one block.

 Eleanor also has a new braid pattern which in Eleanor style was a quick piece.  She had these in 4-5 colorways.  She said that when she got started it went so quick that before she knew it she had pieced 5 quilts.  Now that is a great pattern.  Just like Bonnie Hunter's braid pattern which uses the corner stone, this one is truly a quick piece project for something you need to do and get done in a hurry.

 Here she made a miniature braid.....OOOOOH so cute.

 Here she made a miniature dresden plate quilt.

 Lots of quick project ideas were given, like this fan table runner and she had patterns and rulers for each.

 She even made another miniature dresden plate in batiks.....ooooh.

 The book gives history of the first ladies which was interesting as she told the stories.   Here is a link to purchase the book.   http://quiltinaday.com/shoponline/books.asp

I've got tons of errands to run with mom again today.  We are starting off at the social security office to get that changed.  Hopefully it will not be an all day things there.

Grab some time today to do some quilting.
Shelia

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday this year was solem but how wonderful for dad to be spending Easter with his Lord and Savior.  We miss you dad.

Mom and I spent the day in the quilting studio less some time for lunch out at the picnic table.  What a beautiful day!

Below you see where mom was working on piecing the rows together of her Orca Bay mystery.

Next is the center of the top completed.  YIPPIE!!  She has worked so hard on this.  I truly think it has been a good thing to let her work through some "stuff".

 Here is mom just piecing her little heart out on her featherweight.  That thing sews like a dream.  And this quilt has sooooooooo many seams in it.  Her last mystery with Bonnie Hunter (Roll Roll Cotton Boll) had over 4,000 pieces, This one I think has a lot more, just don't know if I am up to counting all of those pieces yet.  Now on to piecing the borders.

 Ta dah!  The top is completed!!!!!  Wow mom you have done a wonderful job with this quilt.  Congratulations on another finish.

 See what I mean about all of those tiny pieces.......Looks great.  Yes those are my feet in the chair at the left.  I had to get into a chair to get the entire quilt in the picture.

 And mom with her newest quilt.

Had a wonderful day with mom quilting, I so enjoy our time together to quilt and glad to see her out again quilting.  Roger and I had a wonderful eveing together just relaxing and watching NCIS marathon. 

Happy Quilting,
Shelia

Plans For Easter Weekend

Plans this weekend for mom and I to spend some time quilting.  She is doing pretty good this week.  I started back to work on Monday so Roger and I took her dinner Wednesday night and had dinner with her.  She looked good.

Mom's got six rows pieced togther and hanging on the design wall, she has sewn them horizontially into individual rows but now the rows together yet, just in case you see that they are hanging a little crooked.  It is going to be a beautiful quilt.

Here is what I have been working on, it is one of my Pat Sloan projects.  I am adding the stem in the border to place the other applique on.    I think it is going to be pretty when done.  Maybe I can get the border finished this weekend.   

I still need to load my cousins quilt into the long arm. I just realized that I had not sewn the borders on.  I had them cut out and was about to sew them when daddy got sick......now to find what I did with them!

Hope you and your families have a wonderful, blessed Easter weekend.

Happy Quilting,
Shelia