Baby Wesley's International Blanket

I don't think I've ever posted a picture of this beautiful afghan that my daugter Calista's friends made for her baby Wesley.
The squares came from knitters all over the world and sent to Oklahoma where our friend (and long arm quilter extraordinair) Kat LeFevre put them together.  We think it's amazing.

(But probably not more amazing than this precious baby! --I'm just sayin'!)

New stuff

Saturday, Leslie and I took a workshop.  We cut up our beautiful fabric into little pieces and put it back together into beautiful pictures.

I wasn't crazy about mine until I added the petals.  And then....OH MY GOSH!  I loved it!

Here I am pinning it after the Sulky Solvy is put on top of all the little pieces.  Then, I started "quilting" it--just scribbling all over.  I got it about 1/6 of the way scribbled.

Here's Leslie's.  Don't you just love the red bird!

This one was done by Linda.  She copied a painting that was done for her by our ladies in our sister quilt  guild in Costa Rica.  She just got back from a mission trip there.

I thought this one was stunning!



I finished another of my hand applique blocks last night.
(Sorry, this picture got out of order and I can't fix it)




This is one that's finished.  After the quilting is done and the Sulky is disolved, the picture is stretched onto a canvas and framed.

  Karen made this one at another workshop, but started another one just like it at this one.



I've been having some painting done in my house--bathroom/master bedroom, utility room and kitchen.
I love the way my little Amish quilt looks in the bathroom.

Happy Birthday to me, again

My BFF, Leslie gave me this lovely table topper for my birthday back in October. It wasn't quilted yet.  I may have shown it then.  But now it's so much more beautiful witht the quilting done and the binding done.  Leslie's the best!  I love her AND the table topper.

Reminders

On Tuesday we were hit with "the storm of the century".   Here in Oklahoma, we set several records this week--one for the most snow in a 24 hour period, one for the lowest temperature on this date (-6) and one for having a true blizzard.
By the end of this week, we may break another record of the most snow in any winter.  This all reminds me that spring may be a ways off.

This reminded me of the fact that we couldn't get out our front door that day.  In fact, we couldn't get out at all.  Aaron tried getting out the back door, but when he got to the gate, he was trapped in by snowdrifts.  A good reminder to us all that we should be prepared for things like this...

....and prepared I WAS!  I had all the essential ingredients to make this quilt top.

I machine appliqued the flowers and circles...

Oh the joy of having a great stash of fabric....and ric rac...and thread.  I sewed and sewed...

...then I was reminded that someday we might NEED to get out of this house.  Thankfully, Tim was reminded before I was.

He was remimded that he might like to find his car.  Thankfully, my trusty Nitro in the garage has 4 wheel drive.

We were all reminded that if we were to move that Nitro out of the garage, we would first have to move some snow.  At this point, I'm reminded of how happy I am that Aaron is living with us right now.

I'm reminded after all this work, that we all need to eat.

My guys' favorite thing to eat in this kind of weather is chilli...

...and chocolate chip cookies...

...some with nuts and some without (the guys don't eat nuts--so guess who ate this whole plate of "nutted" cookies?--over a few days, of course)

Eating cookies reminds me that I MUST sew some more...so...

...I made these.....

...and I finished this...(hand applique)

...which goes with this.

Yesterday, it all started melting a little bit.  So I was reminded that spring COULD be on it's way one of these days.  And it reminded me that only one short week ago our temperature was 77 degrees and we celebrated Aaron's birthday....

He's a sweet...



sentimental...



CRAZY!!!...

....MAN who loves his family and his country...

Yes, I said MAN.  How can my baby be a grown man of 26?

I'm reminded that in 2 months he'll be going to Marine boot camp...

Yes, I'm reminded of a lot of things...
Spring is coming....too fast.

Blizzard

See this picture:








It's a White OUT!  haha  I'm having too much fun being snowed in to blog.

Making life easier

I'm all for making my life easier and a little bit more organized around the house.
I have a huge design wall in my sewing room, but it's covered with stuff--a lot of unfinished projects and whatever I so randomly pin up there.  Also, it's mostly blocked by my cutting table.  So....I bought the "Disappearing Design Wall" when I was at the Houston Quilt Show in November.  I finally got my guys to hang it up for me. 

Here they are pretending to be happy about this "Honey-Do"

They installed it in the (large) hallway that I have right outside my sewing room.  I keep the ironing board there (because there's no room for it in the sewing room).  So, now as I press blocks, I can put them directly on the design wall.

Here it is installed.  Looks great!  I'll put some framed pictures on top of the shelf someday.

Here it is pulled down.  It works like a window shade.  And the great thing about it is--I can roll it up without taking the blocks down.  It doesn't completely block the sewing room (on the right) or the bathroom (on the left) so I don't have to roll it up to go in and out of those doors.  I love it!  And I love my guys for installing it for me.  (Of course, they had to have a special treat afterwards and I was glad to make them both and Italian Creme Soda.  One for me too!)

The Things I've Been Working On

Cold winter days make me want to do nothing but make quilts.  Unfortunately, there are other things that HAVE to be done around here.  My long term projects have gotten pushed aside and I'm busy starting new things and finishing other smaller projects.

I made this 9 1/2" block for my guild's outgoing president.  She gets to choose the block.  Her choice was:  A 9 1/2" house block with green grass and blue skys--any kind.  And it had to be signed.  I signed mine in the smoke of the chimney.

I finished this little quilt last week for my friend Theresa's first grandbaby.  I gave it to her on Friday and the baby boy was born Sunday.  Good Timing!

It never hurts to throw in a little "Beatles" fabric.

Another bag.  These are so quick and easy.  Made for my friend Phyllis'  birthday.

Last week the two older boys had a day off school so we celebrated  with Mexican food.  Gabe had just returned from a Boy Scout campout in Kansas (as if it's not cold enough in Oklahoma!)  His mom was grateful that he was NOT one of the boys who had to call their parents to come get them for failure to follow the "DON'T  GO NEAR THE NEARLY FROZEN RIVER" rules.

Guess who's sitting up all by himself?  Wesley likes to come over and participate in afternoon "sew-ins" with his Mommy and Mama T.  I don't get much sewing done with a cutie like that around!

This is my mom's special black walnut ring.  When I was growing up she made it at least once a month.  This is the second time I've made it and it turned out just like hers this time.  Yummy!

Just a reminder of how good it was....and that I can't eat this EVERY DAY!  (I wish!)