June...Already?

Oh my goodness! How did winter and spring get away from me? I blame it on Facebook...it seems I spend more time online fiddling around and wasting time than anything else anymore. I have been in a deep sewing funk for months now. As I told the other Bitches, my quilting Mojo seems to have disappeared. But I am trying, however, to get going again. I did finish the black and white quilt top that I spoke about in my last post in January. I have the backing ready to go whenever I decide to get my act together and sandwich it. However I don't know when that is going to be. My school year is just about up and I was hoping to have a long summer to relax and get some of these quilt projects done but I don't think it is to be. Other obligations are quickly taking up my time. I don't begrudge those obligations, but they sure seemed to crop up all at once.

One obligation is to finish a wedding quilt for my eldest son and his bride-to-be. I finished the 72 blocks for the quilt yesterday and will now spend some time playing with their arrangement before I put it all together with 1" sashing. I hope they like it...I had them pick out the fabric and the pattern and it is something I would have never chosen so it is good I let them make those decisions. The wedding is the end of July and we've been asked to come a week ahead to help with final preparations so that will keep me hopping.

Another obligation is to try and get my mother through some medical treatments to help her with some back pain and balance issues. She's much too young to be so crippled up by it all and I fully expect her to hang around for another 12-14 years so its off to see doctors and try to get her some relief.

Inbetween all of that I need to paint a room, try to weed out some of the clutter that seems to accumulate, attend a few weeks of classes out of town, entertain some out-of-town guests, and hopefully squeeze in a nice vacation for myself somewhere relaxing. Oh...and see my grandsons as often as I can too. :)

Maybe I'll even post more regularly too. Ya think?

Binary Quilt Progress

I decided that since I had today off I'd get to work on the black and white quilt again. To start off, I sewed each white centered square to a black centered square. From there I'll put them into blocks of four before settling on my final layout. Here's a bunch of those blocks all laid out on the counter so you can get an idea of how this will all look when it gets finished. Of course this is all random and I think some fabrics need to have a little distance between them or be scattered out a bit more, which hopefully they will be in the final product.

Here's a closeup shot of those darned blocks. It's enough to make your eyes cross sometimes! Snowball blocks are simple to make but when you make as many as I did (at only 4.5" each) they take quite a bit of time.

Finally, I shot a picture of one of the red blocks that I'm throwing into the mix just for good measure. There will be three of the red blocks taking the place of white centered blocks. How they will be placed is anyone's guess at this point but I think they'll be a good counterpoint to all the starkness of the black and white. I doubt if much work will get done it this week but at least I made some progress today. Hurray for an extra day off! Next weekend is the monthly midnighter too so I hope to get a lot of work done then.

Have a great week...I hope everyone in America takes the time to watch the inaugaration. I know I will be.

Black and white quilt

I have been plugging away at the black and white quilt I mentioned in my last post. At last count I had all 256 4.5" blocks made. Whew! Now the trick comes to make sure the different fabrics are pleasingly mixed up throughout the whole quilt. To facilitate that process I am working at sewing the blocks together in groups of four, forming a square. That way I figure it'll be easier to lay them out on a design wall and visualize how they look.

It was noted to me that two is binary so I think I'll name this quilt "Binary." I'm not about to start coding in binary anytime soon though!

I won't be getting any sewing done tonight though. We are watching the oldest grandson so his parents can go to a local basketball game -- the big local rivalry is tonight! Go Dawgs! That's ok...I miss the little guy and the quilt can wait. It doesn't have a date it needs to be completed. It's just for fun.

Christmas Break quilting progress

Unfortunately my alarm will be going off in the early hours tomorrow morning and I'll have to get back into the routine again. It is always hard to go back to work after a nice long break. My break this time was very relaxing. I spent the first few days prepping for Christmas and the big dinner, but then the remainder of my vacation left to just kick back. As shown on an earlier post, I finished up a baby quilt. Currently I'm working on a black and white snowball quilt. Four inch blocks! It's the quilt shown below...it was on the cover of one of the recent quilting magazines, but I don't remember which one. The blocks will alternate between the black and white snowballs. I made three red blocks with black corners that I will scatter through the quilt for just a little pop. Right now I have about 40 more of the blocks to make before I can start laying them out and arranging them before sewing. I have a nice mixture of fabrics so I want to make sure they are all evenly distributed throughout the top. I think it'll be pretty dramatic looking when all is said and done.

The other bitches haven't had as much time off as I have, but D was the recipient of a new Pfaff sewing machine for Christmas! She said sewing on it is like the difference between driving an old car compared to a Lexus. M recently bought a Pfaff for herself and I know she's enjoying it too. My ole Viking, which is now 7 years old runs beautifully, but it sure is a loud machine compared to Pfaffs.

I spent a bit of time today transcribing another one of Bessie Barnhart letters. This one was from 1908. It's posted at www.bessiebarnhart.blogspot.com. This was a pretty long letter, but thankfully the paper on this letter wasn't in as bad as shape as the first two I transcribed. For the first time the mysterious suitor signed his first name, so I now know that C. E. Rowe is Clint Rowe. That gives me a little more to go on when I go to check on census records.

One final bit of fun...I bought a Wii earlier in the week and managed to snag a Wii Fit at the local WM today. Surprisingly it is a pretty good work out and lots of fun. My balance isn't what it should be and the feedback you get while playing the balance games and doing the yoga poses helps with form. I think it'll be a good motivator to get my body moving!

Have a great week!

SB#1

Christmas Day pictures

My youngest son without his girlfriend...Mom hanging out in the background.

Newly engaged eldest son and his fiance (I just love saying that.)


Middle son with his wonderful wife, who is an awesome daughter-in-law.

Grandson #1 -- Almost 3 years old -- Always fun to have around!

Grandson #2 -- Almost 6 months old -- Isn't he just precious?

Latest Baby quilt

This baby quilt was originally started for my second grandson. However, after visiting with my DIL I found out that she had a very specific, non-baby-like color scheme in mind, so I wrapped up this top and put it aside and made another baby quilt that matched the nursery colors.

Fast forward to this fall...we have new neighbors, friends of our children -- a nice young couple that are expecting their first child in late January. Great...that top I started last year now has a new home! I wrapped it up this week and will try and get it delivered over the fence one afternoon this week. It is always nice to have a few baby quilt tops in reserve so they can be quickly finished when the need arises. Heck, while cleaning out my sewing room a few weeks ago I even found a baby quilt sampler that I finished many years ago but it was never quilted. That'll be an upcoming project so it'll be ready to head to the home of a some new baby down the line.

SB#3

Letters to Bessie

I set up a new blog site today. I was the recipient of some letters that are about 100 years old that we thought belonged to my Grandma, but as I read them it was clear they weren't hers (how many Bessie Barnhart's could there be in my small Washington County?). Anyway after Xmas I am going to start transcribing the letters and posting them on the new blog in hopes that I can find the real family of this lady. The few that I have read are beautifully written. This man was truly in love with Bessie Barnhart and was a devout Christian. They cover a time span of 1907 until 1911.

Come visit and check them out. I think they'll be interesting and fun to read for me and for you! If you know anyone in your family history who settled in Loomis, Washington with a bride named Bessie Barnhart who I think was a school techer around 1911-1912, please get in touch. All I have on the prospective groom's name is C.E. Rowe. Come check it out!

www.bessiebarnhart.blogspot.com

Mid December report

It's been a busy couple of weeks...first I had to recuperate from Thanksgiving, I've been trying to get my Christmas shopping done, and then work has been pretty demanding. As you might expect elementary age students take a lot of extra corralling this time of year.

Today was one of those days kids live for...the first snow of the year! It started mid morning and didn't stop all day long. In fact the prediction is for the snow to keep coming down all night long. It is a good thing it is the weekend so the kids can get outside and play in it and get over that initial excitement before Monday (ha ha ha).

I've been working on machine quilting a Christmas wall hanging and should finish it up this weekend. I put up another small tree and need a skirt for it. Luckily I have a small table topper that will make a perfect skirt. I just need to cut out a small circle in the middle, slice it all the way to edge and then rebind those newly raw edges. I enjoy working on seasonal projects especially since Christmas fabrics have always been my favorites.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Post Thanksgiving debriefing

Thanksgiving at my home has turned into a huge presentation. We combine my husband's side of the family and my side of the family and our kids and it turns into a huge crowd. Thankfully since we remodeled we have lots of space for everyone. One of the things I did right in the remodel was put in a huge center island. This turns into the buffet table and with 19 people to feed that's the only way to do it efficiently.

Two years in a row I've had great turkey. I don't know if I've gotten lucky or what. However I have kept notes so I think that brining a turkey, cooking it in a cooking bag, and using a low temperature is the key. After multiple dishwasher loads over the past five days, I think it'll slow down to the normal pace of once every few days.

It was great to have the kids all home this weekend. They all came and went at different times, but there was never a dull moment with all of them around. Even my little grandson stayed overnight. He told his mommy, "Daddy go home. Mommy go home, Me stay here."

It'll be awfully quiet around here this week.

Needless to say I didn't do any quilting this weekend. Maybe later this week, but I really do want to empty a room to paint and prep it for laying hardwood...hopefully in the next few weeks.

Time to sew

Last night was a real treat. All three of the Stitchin' Bitches got together to sew. After a long hiatus we all decided to attend the local quilt shop's monthly Midnighter. Things have changed though...instead of running from 5 til Midnight, it now runs 3 til 10 p.m. So...do we still call it a Midnighter?

Last night people worked on many different projects. The idea was to make table runners since those are quick to make and are always a good gift for someone. We all arrived with our sewing machines and materials all ready to go. Rather than working on a table runner, D worked on a cute flannel baby quilt for a work colleague. M worked on a square table topper for her dining room table. Her fabric choices were Christmas fabrics, of course, but the poinsettia fabric was quite striking. Me, well I worked on a Christmas wall hanging. I had originally planned to make a bag. This bag in fact...

Instead, I made it at home Friday night and had it in use last night. :) I like the bag, but will make some changes the next time I make it. I'd put a zipper on the front pocket. I also changed the handle style. I think I'll make this for my parapro this bag in western fabrics as her Christmas gift.

Unfortunately I have another cold and so I didn't stay too late at the Midnighter. I reached a spot in my sewing where I was going to have to do some serious math to adjust some block sizes for the sides of the quilt so decided it was best to wrap it up there and finish it up when my mind was clear and not distracted by all the chit chat and banter that was flying about the room. M was on a roll last night! I had a great time and think everyone else did too.

52 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

52 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me
1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
My grandson's carseat and a fleece blanket. Reusable grocery bags too.
2. When was the last time you threw up?
Back in September...my kids at school were spreading the bug.
3. What's your favorite curse word?
I have many...I am an equal opportunity curser, but probably use fuck most of all. I am known as a bit of a potty mouth.
4. Name three people who made you smile today.
I'll go with yesterday...Becky, Donald, Monse.
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
In the shower.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
See above.
7. What will you be doing three hours from now?
Shopping or at the gym.
8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Nope. I find the idea of them offensive.
9. What was the last thing you said aloud?
No Bella!
10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Chocolate or Cherry Garcia.
11. What is the last thing you had to drink?
My morning cup of hot cocoa.
12. What are you wearing right now?
Workout clothes
13. What was the last thing you ate?
A boiled egg and a slice of bacon.
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Do the new shoes delivered from Zappos count?
15. When was the last time you ran?
Are you serious? Walked swiftly maybe!
16. What was the last sporting event you watched?
No clue. I don't watch sporting events.
17. Who was the last person you e-mailed?
Work colleague.
18. Ever go camping?
Yes, my favorite is boat camping.
19. Do you have a tan?
No, I'm pasty white.
20. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
I don't drink pop, but I like to use a straw with my iced tea.
21. What did your last IM say?
I don't IM.
22. Are you someone's best friend?
I'm good friends with many people.
23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Quilting and cleaning house.
24. Where is your mom right now?
At home, just a few blocks down the road.
25. Look to your left.
A lamp.
26. What color is your watch?
I don't wear one any more. I have a few sports watches though.
27. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
The Thornbirds.
28. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Yes, the girls could use some help.
29. What is your birthstone?
Something ugly. I prefer rubies and opals.
30. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Drive thru.
31. How many kids do you want?
That ship has sailed. I have three.
32. Do you have a dog?
Three of them.
33. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My Mom.
34. Have you met anyone famous?
Nope.
35. Any plans today?
Grocery shopping, visit the gym, clean the house.
36. How many states have you lived in?
WA, CA, NC
37. Ever go to college?
Yep, did it later than the average but ended up with a Master's Degree.
38. Where are you right now?
Home.
39. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
My husband.
40. Last song listened to?
Crimson and Clover (an oldie but goodie)
41. Are you allergic to anything?
Cottonwood and beeswax.
42.Are you jealous of anyone?
Not really.
43. Is anyone jealous of you?
I doubt it, my life is pretty boring.
44. What time is it?
Quarter til 9 a.m.
45. Do any of your friends have children?
Yep, and grandkids too.
46. Do you eat healthy?
I could do better.
47. What do you usually do during the day?
Work, crash when I get home. Quilt. I try to drag myself to the gym.
48. Do you hate anyone right now?
No, why waste the energy on it.
49. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Usually Good Morning or Hi instead.
50. How old will you be on your next birthday?
53
51. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Nope, but I've been to Disneyland.
52. How did you get one of your scars?
I had a mouse bite my hand on my 8th birthday. I still have the scar to prove it.

Just for fun....

I have been way to busy with work to post about much of anything. Can anyone spell "drowning?" That's how I have felt lately. It doesn't help that I've had the cold from hell along with the regular workload. So for a change of pace here's a great YouTube video I saw posted online.

Unfortunately I don't really know how to embed a YouTube video onto blogger. I'm sure it is a simple matter, so for those who want to find it on the "official" site, the title is Jason Mraz - The Joker/Everything I Own (Happy Feet). It brought a smile to my face after a long day and I hope it does the same for you.

Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon quilts

Here are a few pictures of two quilts I entered in the fair and one quilt top that just needs some applique on it to finish it up. This one is called "Ode to a Tree" and is quite entailed. It turned out very nicely and I earned a Blue Ribbon on it at the fair. To be honest, I thought it deserved a Champion or Reserve Champion...every point is precise and I felt my color selections really added to the quilt. Oh well...ya never know what the judges are looking for. Below are a few closeups of the quilt. I sent it to a long-arm quilter but feel it still needs a little more quilting with a stitch-in-the-ditch around the tree and in the narrow burgandy border. It was entered in the fair to only be judged on the piecing not the quilting since it had been professionally quilted.

The quilt below was just a quick 'couch quilt' that went together quick and easily, but it was fun to make. The colors go back to my favorities of anything turquoise. I didn't do anything fancy with the machine quilting, just going with the tried and true stitch-in-the-ditch. It also earned a Blue Ribbon.

This is the top of a quilt that I am just finishing up. It's made of the Timeless Treasures batiks and the pattern is from one of the quilt magazines. I originally was going to use yellow (Don't ya just love how blues/yellows/whites look together?) as the narrow border and for the circle (or maybe squares) that still need to be appliqued in the center of each block, but since I decided this would look nice on my couch in the family room I switched over to the red. I'm pleased with the overall look and think I'll quilt it in swirls. The pattern called for appliqued squares but I'm leaning toward circles.

I also entered my black/white convergence quilt and the blue/beige one that I posted pictures of earlier this year. They both earned blue ribbons too. :) The walls sure looked barren without them while they were shown at the fair.

Oh my, we have a beautiful full moon rising tonight...just love those harvest moons after a beautiful warm fall day....

We interrupt the quilting and beach pictures...

The other Bitches might not agree with me but here's a post I think all American's should read from a friend of Oh, The Joys.

http://othejoys.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-come-from-family-of-heroes.html

If you don't agree with me, that's fine. I respect other's opinions and will defend your right to state them as well as defend my right to state mine. My own husband and I often "agree to disagree" when it comes to politics in general. We have different issues that are important to each of us. For me they are education, children and women's issues. For him, it's gun control. Yet, we still talk to each other. :)

Tell ya what...I have some quilt pictures I'll post tomorrow and go back to the normal trivial crap that takes up space here at The Stitchin' Bitches.

Ocean beaches

Wow...has it really be early August since my last post? I am really a slacker these days. Here are a few pictures I took while on vacation to the Washington coast last week. The driftwood was in between our condo's front door and the top of the dune between us and the beach. I always love the way a photo can be framed through grasses and had fun with the two sunset pictures. Overall it was a nice vacation and I always enjoy getting away. Believe it or not I quilted on my vacation...took my little Featherweight and on the wet and dreary day and a few other cool mornings I managed to make a complete top. I just need to add the final border and it will be done. I have a goal of completing the binding of another quilt this weekend and hopefully entering it in the local county fair. It has been awhile since I've entered and this is a project I am proud of and will enjoy showing off.

Quilt top and a dolly quilt

Here's the quilt top I finished up this week. Using the Kansas Troubles line of muted colors is a real change for me. I prefer brighter colors, but at least it had a bit of blue and the brick red in it for a bit of cheeriness. To me, the muted colors are dull and dreary, so without the addition of the brighter colors I wouldn't have even considered this pattern/kit. It's called Navaho Rose and if I make it again I'll probably make my stars all the same color instead of a mix of eight different patterns. I always like a quilt with sashing and corner blocks. I'm such a traditional quilter and they just have such appeal to me.
This closeup gives you an idea of how each of the blocks turns out. This kind of a quilt is also a step out of my usual routine because I'm not much for scrappy style quilts. The fewer colors in a quilt to me, the better.
This is a picture of a dolly quilt I made from the left over scraps from the quilt I made and showed above. I love www.quiltville.com and this is from one of her projects that is called "maverick stars." I love anything to do with stars but this was so sweet to be able to just slap on a scrap of fabric onto a square, sew, press, trim, and add another star point. None of the points are perfect...some are long and skinny, others are short and fat, but it makes for a quick and easy star and I thought it was a nice change from always being so precise and perfect.

The star blocks are only 6" finished and as I was sewing them together with no specific project in mind, it dawned on my our little neighbor girl would probably like to have a little quilt for her dolly. It turned out the perfect size and the grin on her face was precious. Someday maybe I'll have a little granddaughter to make dolly quilts for, but until then I guess little neighbor girls will benefit from my quilting. I actually ended up liking the little scrap dolly quilt better than the twin-sized Navaho Rose design. Go figure!

Unfortunately summer is sneaking away from us and before long it'll be fall. I hope it will be a mild one this year so I can continue to enjoy the outdoors and fresh air.

SB#3

Southwestern Quilt

This California King sized quilt top has been finished for quite a few years...I finally sent it to a long arm quilter for quilting. All I had to do to finish it was sew on the binding. I'm old school and prefer to hand sew the binding on my quilts and so it took quite a bit of time to get that done. Overall I'm pleased with how it turned out. This is a closeup shot of the quilt.
Here's a picture of it on the bed. It is a nice change from the old quilt I had on the bed. It was pretty but sure didn't match the new color scheme of sage green on the walls.
It is always nice to get a quilt done, especially one that has been sitting in a box for many years. It gives you a real sense of satisfaction.

Table runner and placemats -- wedding gift

I have a wedding to go to this weekend for a former student. What to get as a gift? Well, I decided to make a set of placemats and a table runner for her. I often hesitate to make gifts like this for young people since I know not everyone treasures a handmade gift, but I think this bride will appreciate that I took the time to make this special for her and her groom. Below is a closeup of the table runner. I just love that background fabric with it's mix of blues, beige, and brown coupled with delicate circles. It's one of those fabric pieces I picked up on a whim thinking that something would come to me down the line...well, it did. :)
Of course, a post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the new grandson. He's sure a sweet little guy. Grandma is actually babysitting big brother today to give Mommy a chance to get caught up around the house and he's taking a nice snooze himself right now. Why, I even managed to sew together some quilt blocks for another project during the nap, but wouldn't ya know it, I need to cut some more pieces of the block and the fabric is lying on a table in the room where he's sleeping...I don't think I'll take the chance of waking him up early from his nap.

More Cuteness

Here's the new addition to our family...grandson #2. He's adorable and has the trademark lips of his father, his big brother, his grandpa (you get the idea). I do think he has his mother's nose though. So far things have gone well at home for Mommy and Baby and Big Brother has been hanging with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days.
Here's proud Daddy and Big Brother. Can you tell they are father and son? We're all feeling pretty blessed that the baby arrived safe and sound.

SB#3

Cuteness

This is my little 2 y.o. grandson...he's about to become a big brother in the next few weeks. He is so much like his father at this age that I feel like I'm experiencing deja vu anytime I'm around him. He got to stay overnight last night and will spend most of the day with us until Mommy and Daddy get back from their Saturday routine of selling fruit at the Farmer's Market. He loves to play with little cars, ride his four wheeler, and color. He talks constantly and carries on a pretty solid conversation for a little guy. He is all boy and we love him to pieces.