Charity Quilting

back of flannel log cabin quilt

These are a couple of quilts I quilted on my longarm machine for donation by Heritage Quilters of Huntsville. The tops were made by others and I left the binding for someone else to complete also. We can all play our part, mine is the quilting. In the past I would try to have my first quilt each month be for charity, sort of my quilting "tithe". I have gotten away from that and will try to get back to it, maybe after the move.... what do you do for charity? Leave a comment, I love to get new ideas from others!

New 'team member'

The newest addition the the Beautiful Bee Quilting mascot team has arrived.

This adorable Sewing Bee was created by Gaile Jordan (Gaile's Gallery) especially for me. Now she needs a name. Suggestions please. (Her partner the Bummble Cow is already called Bea)

Week in a glimpse, Jan 4-9, 2016

Here is a little photo collage of the past week. It's mostly for me to be able to go back and remember.

Monday the kids were out of school still. I decided to do my freezer cooking using Once a month Cooking - the two week version. I don't do it all in one day. I went shopping Monday, did the chopping and prepping, and cooked the whole chickens. Then the next day I prepared all of the chicken meals in the evening and the next day the beef meals. Now I have two weeks worth of dinners planned and in the freezer.

The weather is still warm and I we had a beautiful sunrise or two. The tree photo was taken around 6 a.m.  The bright spot is the moon and the lesser a planet (probably venus).  My pictures never do catch what the eye is seeing.

Work wise, I started off the new year doing a charity quilt, a tithe of sorts of my talents.

The red and white quilt Jackson is using currently needed washing. I guess it had never been laundered before, because a few of the blocks turned pink.  Max doesn't seem to care much though.

Been waiting for some fabric that I ordered before the new year to start my Block of the Day project, That Town and Country Quilt.  It finally arrived Thursday. Sadly I forgot to order about three of the fabrics for the background so I went to a local shop on Friday and picked up some that would work.

Friday afternoon I took CG and a friend to the mall. He wanted to spend his Christmas money on a skateboard and so he did. I found myself in Williams-Sonoma looking at cookbooks and since they were on sale.... got 4.

Saturday afternoon CG had a saxophone lesson out on Sparkman, so since we were passing the guitar shop he had to have a ukulele.  Impressive how he has been able to teach himself some songs by looking up the chords on line.  However, he is driving me nutso playing the same two over and over and over....

I spent part of Sunday working on That Town and Country. I got four blocks put together. They still need to be stitched down. I haven't decided whether to straight stitch around them and make windows that way or to do a blanket stitch and make windows out of another piece of fabric. Oh to have such worries.  As my son would say, first world problems.

Until next time.

Already behind

While in Houston at the International Quilt Festival I came across the most adorable quilt. I love house block quilts to start with and these are just 4 inch finished. I jumped in and am dragging a couple of friends with me.

That Town and Country Quilt by Susan Claire of Gourmet Quilter

It's called That Town and Country Quilt by Susan Claire of Gourmet Quilter. She is in New Zealand. 

I really SHOULD NOT be starting a new project given the 9 in progress and 5 tops to be quilted I already have. But it was too cute to pass up.

So why am I behind? Well this beauty is a block of the DAY. Yep, 365 in total. Since today is the fourth and I haven't made a block yet...you get the picture. What I have done is get organized. I got a big binder and a bunch of sheet protectors. I have printed out the first seven patterns and the supply list etc and inserted them in the page protectors. I have also traced the patterns onto my fusible of choice (Steam a seam lite 2) rough cut those and put them in with the corresponding pattern. Then when my fabric that is ordered arrives I will be set to go.

What are you working in this new year?finishing ufo's or starting something new?

Binder to organize pattens and pieces. Will store completed blocks here too. 

A New Year

Today is the first day of 2016. It brings the usual day of reflection on the last year and hopes and goals for the year to come. I spent the day binge watching tiny house shows and gathering the Christmas decorations to be stored. What did you spend the first day of the year doing?

Math/geometry is not my forte

I have been inspired by a couple of customer quilts to finish up a BOM quilt from last year. I got stuck around the fifth month when the paper piecing method they supplied was resized at the printer so it was inaccurate for the half square triangle blocks. In comes math and trying to figure out what size to cut the fabric for which method. I could have just made oversized ones and cut them down, but that just isn't in my nature. 

I have the Companion Angle ruler but couldn't figure out what size strip to get a 2in (1.5 finished) block after several tries 

So then I moved on to doing the two squares and stitching 1/4 inch on either side of center then cutting apart method. It only took two tries to get that one sized right. Whew. ( I wanted a two inch unfinished square so cut them at 2-3/8 inches). 

Now to put it together and move on to the last two blocks of the quilt. Hopefully I won't have to think quite so much, after all it is summer. 

Status of the move.. or lack of..

So where do things stand these days? 

Those of you who know me are aware that DH took a job in Des Moines, IA and started last October.  That was seven months ago. The house has been for sale since then and in the first six months we literally had one showing. The realtor did a few open houses and nobody who was really looking came through, I call them looky-loos.  We had one showing scheduled and they actually showed up but would not even come in the house because the yard is not on a wooded lot. I had raced home from work to get the house ready, needless to say that was very frustrating. 

Since the weather has gotten nicer we have had just four showings (none in two weeks now). We decided to offer it for lease option or rent also.  The reasons I have heard for shoppers not picking our house range from the bonus room (which is big enough for the kid's game space and my sewing space) not being large enough for a pool table to not liking the drain in the yard. A neighbor talked to the family who didn't like the drain and the real story is that they are buying a spec home that the builder is going to change all of the paint in the house, put up a fence, blinds, washer/dryer and refrigerator - all for less or the same price as my house. And they felt that they would have to change out all of the carpet (being 4 bedrooms and the bonus room) in this 3 year old house. (the carpet is not in bad shape) So how can we compete with that? 

Another anecdote is that a house recently went up for sale in our neighborhood that backs up to the river. The man waited until spring to list it, has had very little traffic, and got one low-ball offer, which he declined. I heard he is just going to take it off the market, he obviously doesn't HAVE to move just needs to downsize.  There is a difference between a buyers market and feeling like you have been violated.  I also feel that all of those fixer upper shows on tv don't help, everyone expects things to be move in ready on a resale. And when they can just go around the corner and find one, why not? Can you feel my frustration here? 

The catch is that as much as I want my family together, I really don't want to move to Iowa. The boys and I went there for spring break and it was miserable. DH told me just last week the temperature was in the 30's. No thank you. Certainly God has a plan through all of this, I just wish I knew what it is. 

On the up side, I purchased a new camera. A Nikon D5500 with a new lens to go along 18-300. I used it to take beautiful prom pictures and pretty flowers in the yard. 

Also, in the quilting world things are going great. Business is booming and I am keeping up with the Snapshots quilt along benefitting St. Jude's through Fat Quarter Shop. My friends Pam and Charmaine and I are also going to start the Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet Vintage Farmgirl quilt along starting this Friday. That one will be challenging because it is 24 blocks, 2/week for 6 months. I already have the book and poised and ready to purchase the fat quarter pack of her fabric tomorrow (if they are back in stock as predicted).  It's true, sewing and quilting keeps me somewhat sane.