Passing the Time

Here is my photo journal for the past week or so. These are historic times but I cannot bear to watch much news. I am doing as asked and staying in, if not for the good of our resources and healthcare system then because I have no desire to get sick with his horrific virus. It is mind boggling that the Walmart parking lot is as full as at Christmas time.  

I have come to realize that I am more of an introvert than I realized. While I do miss the freedom to go where I want when I want I pretty much have all I need between home and my studio. I am very grateful to have my studio separate from my home and just 1.3 miles away. I am able to go be socially isolated there and have one customer at a time come pick up or drop off their quilts. I am getting quite a lot done not having other obligations. I do miss working in the schools and seeing the kids a couple of times a week though, plus the high school activities I was helping with (band, theater, etc).  There is quite a bit I could feel sorry about, but in the scope of the global crisis it would be silly to entertain this. Being able to have a place to go has probably helped my son more than me, I would probably drive him crazy if I were home more. 

So here is what I have been up to. 

This is one of my UFOs getting quite a bit of work done on getting the string appliquéd around the borders. 

I ordered a new cutting mat. The one on the right is probably over 8 years old and is not self healing any longer. I do use it a lot. You can see how faded it is compared to the new one on the left.

Max being cute. Needs to be groomed desperately. 

Another UFO I found, its about 12 x 10 inches. From a mini quilt of the month pattern I got many years ago. I made this over 3 years ago and it just needed binding, so I added that today. Took about an hour. 

These two are different sashing options for Long Time Gone, white or green. The pattern calls for gray but I don't have enough. So I will pick something else. I still need to make about 5 or 6 pineapple blocks but wanted to pick the sashing so I can feel like this project is moving along. What do you like, white or green?  

This was quilted for my friend Pam. It's a quilt she made a while ago, a BOM sampler. She added borders to get it up to king size and is gifting it to a friend as a wedding gift. 

This was quilted for Cecilia B with a pretty floral edge to edge. 

This was quilted for Dana L. A small lap quilt with modern edge to edge. I also finished a table topper for her but forgot to get pictures of it. 

Tulips in the neighbors yard. 

Orchids in bloom and weeds in my yard. 

A baby girl quilt top finished for a great niece, Aubrey Elizabeth, born a couple of weeks ago, just in time for the chaos of today. I will quilt it next week probably, if I have a pink backing. I may need to order on line. 

Bees in the holly bush. The blossoms smell so sweet!

Friday night I was going to order pizza from my favorite place, Big Ed's, but the phone line was busy, busy, busy. I had stuff to make our own, so we did. Chandler is finally going to learn to cook, just in time to go away to college. 

         

Max and I have taken nice long 4 mile walks the past two Sundays. It has been nice to walk the neighborhood and see all of the Spring blooms. After our walk we watch church, Weatherly Assembly, on YouTube. Just trying to keep something sort of the same. 

Another thing that hasn't changed is that I don't like to cook on Sunday. So this week we got take out Chinese from Ding How II. I love their shrimp fried rice and won ton soup. I have exhausted the comfort meals this week. Even Chandler asked for something more healthy, lol. 

Just me alone at "The Hive" being socially isolated. Thank goodness for audiobooks, Podcasts, and No Shoes Radio on Sirius XM!

What are you doing to stay occupied during these unprecedented times? 

UFO Sunday

 a few of my project boxes

If you are a crafter of any sort you probably have more than one Unfinished Project (or unfinished object, hence UFO). I am certainly no stranger to that concept.

I would say my crafting "passion" (aka obsession) began in high school when my mom taught me how to sew clothing. I didn't sew a lot but did make some baby outfits for a boyfriend's baby nephew. In college I started cross stitching then I graduated college and needed Christmas decorations for my first apartment.  I ordered (from a catalogue, because we didn't have the internet) a huge box of Christmas crafts and decorations from Annie's Attic. My very first quilt project was in that box and I had no idea what on earth I was doing. I managed to get the small pillow made but the little quilt wall hanging wouldn't be completed until about 20 years later.  That box also contained a latch hook rug Christmas tree skirt which has made every move since 1989 (at least 8 times) I'm not sure why I haven't gotten rid of it. I think I don't want to admit defeat on not completing it.

From there I moved on to scrapbooking and I became a Creative Memories consultant for more than 10 years. I loved teaching and attending workshops. I love the many scrapbooks and family memories in those books. Sadly, as with so many others, when I switched from film to digital photography I became really bad about actually printing all of those memories much less getting them into scrapbooks. I haven't given up on them.

customer quilts waiting their turn

Enter the world of quilting. In about 2008 I discovered quilting, partly (well mostly) thanks to Alex Anderson's HGTV show Simply Quilts. I began by finding a quilt shop not exactly near where we lived at the time and discovered their Block of the Month program. It was a Thangles program and it was $5 to join and when you brought back the completed block the next one was free. Of course I haven't met a quilter who could make just one block a month and be satisfied. There were many other projects started and most completed during that time. 


That brings me to my current state of UFO's. I will list on a separate page all of my UFO's and their status. For this year 2020 I have decided on 4 projects I want to complete. I do give myself some grace on getting my own projects finished because I am a longarm quilter and make t-shirt quilts for others. I could technically consider those as projects complete, but nah.  

Santa in the Forest UFO

My four quilts for this year are 1) Santa in the Forest. So far this year I have designed and made the Santa block, sewed the rows together, made the inner half square triangle borders and outer piano key borders and attached. I am currently in the process of making light bulbs that will be appliquéd on with the green "string" bias strip. 

Long Time Gone

Stars of Love

2) Long Time Gone. This is a Jen Kingwell pattern I have been working on for a few years. I am close on this one, it stays on the design wall. 

3) Gossip in the Garden. This is a kit I bought and started a few years back. I don't remember why I paused on this one. (not pictured)

4) Stars of Love. These are blocks given to me by my wonderful friends in a couple of stitch groups. About five years ago I went through a rough patch with my children and my husband took a job out of town and we were to move but the house wouldn't sell. It's a really long story, but I love these and need to make one more block to fill in that empty space. I planned a fancy sashing that is going to take some time but am determined to finish it before I really do move this year. 

With so many UFO's I am determined to not begin anything new this year. I can hear you laughing from here. I have already committed to a block swap with a stitch group and a Laura Heine snow globe quilt. So much for that...

This week won't see much progress on these, taking a trip with my youngest son and high school theater to Louisville, KY as the trip nurse for 5 days.

How many UFO's do you have (you can guess)? How do you store them and keep track of them? Always looking for ideas. 

Happy Crafting!

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?