I'm back!

This is the longest I've ever gone without a blog update.  I don't know why it seems like such a chore.  If you're still reading, leave a comment and I'll try to update more often.

So much has happened.....

Green Country Quilters' Guild had our semi annual quilt show, the largest in Oklahoma. I won BEST HAND APPLIQUÉ with my Wacky Birds quilt.  Then it got juried into the special exhibit "In Full Bloom" at International Quilt Festival in Houston.  It will be on display November 2-6 and will travel to their other shows next year.  I can't wait to see it there.  Anyone else going to Houston?

I've done a lot of sewing....mostly finishing this year!  My guild (GCQG) is having a UFO contest this year.  It started in March and the UFOs had to be any project that was started before Jan. 1.  Final entries will be Oct. 20 and prizes in November.  I listed 23 projects and as of now I have 21 finished (well,except for binding of 2 which I will finish this week). The finished projects have been measured each month so the one who has finished the most square inches will win.  I've heard that some brave soul listed 100 UFOs!!!

I got a new granddaughter!  She'll be 3 weeks old tomorrow.  Her name is Eliza Tess and she is Nola's sister.  She's a doll!

I made all the bedding and the quilt. .....oh yeah, I forgot, I made 2 quilts...

More later....I promise to come back!

Wacky reveal!

This is what I found on Hancock's of Paducah's Facebook today.

I've shown bits and pieces of this quilt on my blog but I was waiting for our guild show June 3 for the big reveal.  And then this contest came along and I entered.  And I won!!!!!  I'm so excited!!

The quilt is supposed to hang in the store during quilt week which is NEXT week so I have to get busy and make a plan!

Here are some better pictures.  (Photography by Andrea Murphy Photography)

Quilting by my super talented friend Donna Titsworth

These next pictures were taken by me.  Not as good as Andrea's!

Donna took these pictures while she was quilting it.  Don't you just love the quilting?!

If any of you go to the show in Paducah next week be sure to stop by Hancock's of Paducah (not affiliated with the stores that are going out of business).  You can see my quilt in person. And you might just run into me, too!

Happy Easter

Love crucified, arose, and the grave became a place of hope,

for the heart that sin and sorrow broke

IS BEATING ONCE AGAIN!   .......Michael Card

HE is risen!

Happy Easter!

Red Obsession Continues

When it comes to red, I just can't get enough!  So when I was asked to do a shop sample for the "Table Runner of the Month" at the Cotton Patch where I work part time, I chose the strawberry runner......because it's red.  And because it reminds me of my mom.  She had her kitchen decorated in strawberries for years.  

Red

Lately, I've  been obsessed with red.  I guess that's not entirely true.  At least not the "lately" part.  I've been a lover of red for just about as long as I can remember.  There was that red Easter dress in the 5th grade.  Mom made it and it was just what I wanted.  All swirly and flouncy.  

When I made my first quilt blocks when I was 8, Mom sashed them with red.  The quilt she made for me when I was 18 was also put together with red (at my request).  I had a red dress for the spring formal when I was in my second year of college, also made by Mom.  The dress she made me for my piano recital that same year was red velvet.  And to  top it all off, a few months later my bridesmaids wore red gingham dresses.  Yes, I said red gingham!  What can I say, it was the seventies.

So it should be no surprise that I'm making RED quilts.  My quilt guild is having our bi-annual show in June and we have a red theme along with a red quilt that will be raffled.  See more info at www.greencountryquiltersguild.com

There will be a special display of red and white quilts.  So I'm working on two.  This one is already at the quilter.

And this one is in pieces as I'm really trying to get it done in time for the show.

My Red Dresden quilt which has been traveling the country ground it's way back home a couple of weeks ago.  I'm out of wall space so I'm not sure where it will go.  For now it's resting on the guest bed.  It's hard work traveling the country!

Now for the parting shot.....a rare photo of all 4 of my grand kids together.....in front of a red quilt.

Two posts in one month!

I promised to be back and here I am!

Here's the little hanging I made for my BFF for Christmas.  

The pattern for the appliqué and embroidery is from Jenny of ELEFANTZ.

I've also been working on these leaf blocks.

They're the leftover pieces from this: (which still hasn't been quilted)

Here they all are out together.  It went together just like I graphed out on paper.  What a surprise! I did invisible machine appliqué on them.

I'm not sure I really like this top, but it was a successful experiment and it's done, so I feel like I accomplished something.  What do you think?

Happy New Year!

I'm a little late to be posting for the new year, but I guess better late than never.  It seems like I NEVER have time to blog anymore but I see that many of my fellow bloggers are having longer gaps between posts, too so I will just blog when I can.

We got to take our 3 grandsons to Silver Dollar City near Branson, MO right before Christmas.  I could write a novel (a tragic novel) about the number of times we've  attempted to go at Christmas time to see the lights.  Some would call it comical.  Well, we finally did it!

We've attempted to go so many times that our family now refers to Silver Dollar City as "that place that shall remained unmentioned".  We made it through the day and arrived back in Springfield where we were spending the night with Tim's dad and stepmom.  I immediately knew something was wrong when I noticed I was freezing and that my hands were shaking uncontrollably.  After a very long night in the bathroom, I ended up in the ER the next day with a bad case of CDif (ALL cases of CDif are bad!!). This is the third time in 10 years that I've had this colon infection.  I'm still dealing with it but feeling much better now,  just hoping and praying it stays away for good!  It's very hard to get rid of!

Anyway, I ended 2015 having reached a goal of losing 30 pounds.  I started Weight Watchers on June 30 and reached my goal weight by Dec. 1.  The CDif just helped me maintain it and lose a few more pounds.  Haha.  ( CDif is NOT a recommended weight loss plan!)

In my last blog post I told you that my big appliqué project was done and was with my quilter, Donna T. 

She started quilting it last weekend and has been sending me updates.  Today, she tells me she has all the background and borders done and is starting the quilting on the appliqué pieces.  Here's a little peek.

She told me that since my appliqué is very random she decided to do the quilting very random, too. I'm so glad I have a quilter I can trust!  I'm so happy with what she's done so far!  

Until next time........which I hope is not months from now!