Commissioned Quilt

My friend and co-worker at work commissioned me to make a memory quilt for her grams! She tells me it was well received.

That makes me very happy!!

Super Saturday

Well.. at least it was a super Saturday for me...no one home but me for most of the day and into the evening.

Finished 2 reversible (ST.Patrick's Day/ Easter) runners. One will be sent to Melyssa, and one I am giving to a nurse for his girlfriend (she is a Hello Kitty fan).

I was able to complete all the squares and then rows for Jame's quilt (for his 40th bday in April. Now to just put them together...

And while watching TV, I added a few rows to this Shawl (Christmas present)

All in all, a very satisfying day!

JACKIE SUE

OOOOOOOOHHH....Jackie Sue.....


Sounds like a 70's song...huh? That's me--- as both my kids say, "Mom's SO stuck in the 70's".... music wise anyways...

So I spent the majority of Tuesday with my sister, Jackie. We had lunch and went to JOANNS and then back home to cut out material for her latest quilt project.


I think it's so awesome how God works and where he fits everyone into his plan and into our lives.

As I have said in my profile,I have 6 sisters and 3 brothers. You would think the personalities overlap, and we kinda all do. But, the gifts we were each individually given amaze me.

For instance, Jackie is AMAZING at color and creativity. I swear there is never a time that I don't go to her house (and I go pretty frequently) that some room is not completely changed and beautiful. If she could, I am sure that she would change a room and day (in fact she has done this at our houses for bday presents. We once secretly redesigned Jana's bathroom while she was gone during the day--painted and textured the walls, added pictures, accessories, rugs, towels the whole nine yards and it was a masterpiece.)
Jackie redecorated my front bathroom into a FORMAL style and I loved it. Of course this was before my children had an opinion and redecorated it into a more "cool" design.
It would take me months literally to try to get everything together to do a project like that---and I would second guess myself to death. And the end result...uninspiring and disappointing.

Jackie can do this by going to a couple of store (inexpensive or expensive) and THROWING together stuff---effortlessly---even stuff she puts in the basket that I am thinking, REALLY? And that is the piece that turns ordinary into extraordinary. She does all this and thinks height of pieces, in relation to where they will be, she picks out 5 hodge podge things and together they make incredible wall art......

Anyway, she is able to do this with fabric.....I swear, on Tuesday she had a quilt for her spare bedroom in mind, she vaguely had an idea for the pattern and we (and by this I mean SHE) spent 10 minutes throwing fabrics into the basket at JoAnns. This would have been a 2 day project for me, and I ALWAYS doubt her fabric choices because I am WAY more conservative with color than she is.
We came back to my house, she cut up her strips and sewed a few together, and......by magic......her fabric choices came together and her quilt is so ALIVE!
Needless to say, I learn alot from her...she literally makes me throw more COLOR on my life's canvas!!!! That is her gift!
And we have a blast together!

This is my sister, Jackie (#4 of the kids, younger twin of Jennifer), wife, mother of 2, stepmother of 1, sister to 9, master of color and design!

And of course, after the quilting time, there's time for food and fun!

I will share more pictures of her ongoing quilt project next Tuesday, as we have another quilt and food fest!

Wordless Wednesday

Year of the Selfish Quilter

While I was chatting with my husband during one of our "dates", I told him that this is was the "Year of the Selfish Quilter". He asked me if that was from the Chinese New Year Calendar? We laughed until we cried. I then told him that this was from my favorite podcast--QUILT RESOLUTION!
You see, I have made many, many quilts, yet I do not have one that I have made for myself---hard to believe, huh? I have three from my friends (2 from Theresa and one from Sandy) but I have not one from ME!

To be honest-it's not that I haven't STARTED one or BOUGHT the material for a million that I PLANNED on making, it's just that I interrupt my projects to meet deadlines for others...so this year I have vowed to make only the 40+50 year olds a quilt for their bdays (this is a tradition I refuse to give up!). Other than that----I will quilt only for my house, my husband, my two children, donation quilts or for ME!

NOW, if I end up finishing a few for myself, I might start on Christmas projects for others!

This is a gift I got from Susan (one of my best friends!)If you haven't seen her blog, check it out at www.grammiegabs.blogspot.com -----it is full of insightful posts!

Here are a few projects in the midst for me:

And a donation quilt for Quilts for Kids

Wordless Wednesday

OK....Call me weird!

Am

I the only one who just LOVES it when the right tool is in the right place time after time when you go to look for it? It is a pet peeve of mine to go looking for the kitchen scissors when they are not where I put them!

I made sure to get frilly tools so I could identify them immediately and discourage others from using them. Now they stay where I put them!

Valentine's decortations I've made

I immediately bought this pattern from www.ggdesignsembroidery.com as oon as I layed eyes on them.
I made the first banner for my house:

Then I made one for one of my best friend:
This picture is not as good as the one she has on her blog:www. grammiegabs.blogspot.com on January 30,2011

These are just other things I've made:

Valentine's Stay/Vacation

My honey took me on a stay/vacation this weekend! It's really hard to know what to call it. We didn't go far away, but far away enough so that it felt like we were!

We stayed at the Marriott Bayview in Newport Beach!

We did alot of this:

I did a little of this:

We took a walk along the pier at sunset and ate at a great Italian restaurant along the boardwalk.

And Sherwood even managed to take a picture of the both of us that I LOVE----if you knew how picky I am about my photo, you'd realize what a feat this is!

And the cherry on top was that when I got home this was waiting for me. A present I ordered from all the Christmas and Birthday money I saved (plus a small loan from hubby :)
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ME!!!!!

Sewing Day at Aunt Bunnie's

Theresa and I visited her aunt and uncle's beautiful house in Santa Clarita!
Aunt Bunnie has a sewing room to die for--I'm green with envy!

We all had purchased the same quilt pattern with different prints, and we set out to start the process!

Alot of cutting was done today!

We enjoyed breakfast tea (flowered and peach) with yummy biscotti and tea cookies!
For lunch we had homemade lasagne (thank you Theresa and Jared) and fresh bread and butter!
Then more cutting!

Finally, we called it a day and finished our visit with cheesecake dessert!

A great time was had by all.
We even recruited a new quilter, Jackie (almost 4 years old)!

Thank you Aunt Bunnie for your hospitality!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

What I've Been Up To

Had the last 3 days off from work. Was able to find quality time to quilt!

Finished Myra's Quilt (her first effort-finished by me):

Was interrupted to embroider this blanket for my darling daughter, Amanda. She is going to a baby shower today.

What I've started for unknowns who shall soon be 40 years old!

And a head start on some lovelies for someone special who LOVES Hello Kitty:

That's it for now! Back to work tomorrow :(