Interesting conversation...

Last night my husband and I were chatting right before both of us fell off into sleepy land. We were discussing the importance of family. Extended family. The family that most people, generations ago were close to. You had all your family gatherings with them...you know holidays, birthdays, recitals, plays, choir performances, etc...
Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Neices, Nephews, Cousins!! Everyone was around! That was generations ago. Most families today don't have that closeness any more.
Think back to when our great grandparents imigrated to this great country. Think back to how everyone helped each other...am I making any sense? Today, most families don't have this closeness...we don't have the same "togetherness". Families are so split up across the country.
Some grandparents choose to move away from the northern cold states to head to warmer climates ( I don't blame them! I can't stand the cold either). But what happens is the grandparents don't develop the relationship with their grandchildren and then they wonder why their grandchildren don't try to visit them or write letters...communication...well, honestly, you broke the lines of communication when you moved away...far away.
I think too, that grandparents forget just how busy life is when you have children still at home. It is not as easy for parents to pack up the family and travel several hundred maybe even over a thousand miles to visit grandma and grandpa. We are still raising our children, we are not retired we are still working.
I wish families were closer together. Joe and I have been alone since the beginning. Shortly after we married we left beautiful South Carolina, for Joe's job, and moved to Michigan. Joe has family here, but it is not mom and dad, sisters and brothers family. It is aunts, uncles, cousins...but Joe had been gone from this area for over 15 years....when you have been gone that long...things change. The family traditions which used to include everyone are not the same because people move, people change...people change things to suit them. No hard feelings at all, just stating the obvious. Speaking of moving....lord have mercy! We moved out of Michigan, to IL (just outside of MO), then on to Mississippi... and now we are back in Michigan...talking about full circle!
People get used to you not being around and they change accordingly. Is this bad? Absolutely not, you must adapt and move forward.
Moving forward: can we bring family back? Can we begin a new tradition with our own children and promise to stay with them so that we can help them when they reach adulthood, parenthood? Watch those beautiful grandbabies? I truly don't have the mindset of raising my kids and then moving away. I love my kids! I want them around. I don't even say, "I can't wait for them to move out, because I don't want them too"! LOL I hope they live close by so we can have wonderful family gatherings...I just promise not to be the mother-in-law that is so nosey and controling that my daughter-in-laws hate me. Ok, enough said....I'm gonna go enjoy my day....I think I just figured out how to make a pine burr block! Ha! Yep, that came way out of left field didn't it?!
Happy day everyone!!

Yesterday's progress....

Oh my goodness!! Dawn and I made great progress. Dawn is my favoritest (if that is a word) quilting buddy! We have been friends for over 10 years now.  Yesterday, Dawn and her husband came over around 10:30am and stayed till almost 9pm.


Block A



cool colors for block B



this is my chain piecing separator!

 Dawn brought over her computer to help write my quilting patterns.  She is also my tester! Interestingly enough she learned just how important, and so did I that 1/4inch seam is and how different everyone's sewing machines are. Took her a while, due to the fact that she had been garment sewing, to find where her 1/4inch seam was. We made an executive decision during this process yesterday...have that seam permanently marked .
We managed to get 20 blocks together and Dawn made notes for the pattern. Today I have to send her pictures, my yardage and piecing instructions.
Happy sewing!

More pattern writing today and hopefully...

More pattern writing today and hopefully we will have hot water also. My husband found a great deal at Lowe's last night. There were two 50 gallong hot water heaters that were in the "scratch and dent" area and the employee offered us to them for less than what they were marked! We got a sweet deal on them! I had to bring my truck up to meet my hubby, he drives an explorer...I drive the F250...big ol' truck you know! After we purchased the heaters, we drove home and then headed out to dinner...all the kids were gone! All four boys, gone!
We were just going to go to a local Coney Island, but plans changed just a bit. Instead he took me to the local Salvation Army store. You see, I had seen an antique Singer Treadle sewing machine (made in 1906) with a wooden puzzle box inside one of the drawers. The puzzle box had tons of accessories inside! It is the coolest thing I had seen in a long time!  As soon as we walk into the store I head straight back to the furniture section to see if the machine had sold. It was still there!! You won't believe though what I saw! Someone who had no idea what they were doing had destroyed the front drawer!! Broken the belt, taken the one screwdriver (looks almost like an ice pick) and well, I was so upset over this! I wanted that machine! Not now, someone ruined it. I can't believe how they busted up the front drawer. I was soooo bummed.
After my disappointment we did find a couple of shirts for me, and then we went to eat at the local chinese food restaurant that was located in the same strip mall....
No pictures for today, hopefully by the end of today I can load some of pics that I have been taking for my quilt pattern...maybe give y'all a sneak preview!
Later y'all

Writing out my quilt pattern

I have spent the majority of the day designing my quilt in a new color wave. The first one I made was in denim blue, green and tans. The second one was black, tan, cream, white and gray....now today's is in vibrant blue!! lime green and whites! I'm loving it!
I've been taking pictures as I go along, making sure I've done the math correctly, by remaking the quilt. I really hope quilters like what I've created!! I'm gonna teach the quilt at the local quilt shop in Feb. I think I need to contact a few other quilt shops to see if I can sell my pattern there too! 
I've completed the 128 four patches, 64 center squares, and now I'm working on the next unit of block A. This quilt has two blocks. I'm also going to redesign the border!! I'm getting brave, I tell ya!
This morning though, I spent my time deciding if I should do some longarm work or not. I really wanted to, and I had the desire to, but my legs kept telling me to sit down! We did not sleep enough last night...our boys did not go to bed at a decent time so that kept my husband up and everytime he got out of bed to see what the boys were up to it woke me up...sigh...go to bed boys and honey, please learn to sleep through some things...LOL....
K, gotta go cut more fabric!

Quilt guild meeting last night

Last night I attended, for the first time, the Oakland County Quilt Guild in Rochester. They had a special guest speaker: Edyta Sitar!! At first I was thinking that I would not go to the guild meeting because of the temperature outside...brrrrrrrr, snowing, the distance and driving to an unfamiliar area at night. But I told myself, you are a big girl and you can handle this task!! I am so glad I did!! I loved it! Edyta's quilts were beautiful and inspiring.  I'm not totally a fan of the coloring on her quilts, but that is ok, I was focusing on the "piecing".
I loved seeing the show and tell of the other quilters also. I will comment though, I've noticed a lot of longarm quilters have computerized machines....I have a gammill but there is not computer...only a stitch regulator....all my designs come from head and go to my hands to the machine. I just sat quietly and looked at the beautiful work....and thought....I can "maybe" draw that? lol...and maybe not! LoL....Needless to say, I'm gonna go play with a whole cloth today. 
oh on a different note: we have no hot water today...joy joy joy....

And thanks to everyone's compliments on my French Braid Blue ice!! The pattern for the braids comes directly from the French Braid book, but the rest came from my head!! LOL....I will say that I am using the EZ rulers more and more in my designs. I love these rulers/templates!

Take care everyone and drop me note!

2011 is here!

Well, I will begin with saying I did not make any New Year's resolutions...nope, not a one! lol I'm going to continue what I began last year and that is to attempt to not start new quilting projects...but I've already blown that one out of the water by viewing several tutorials on youtube! (I'm one of those people that will say, "I can do that, I don't need any help") I'm kind of an over achiever! I just can't help myself though, I want to learn new things...not reading and learning- I like to look at pictures or videos...I need the visual! Then I'm off and running. I find it very difficult to learn when someone is teaching and they don't let me "touch" or "do the task" myself. Let me at it! Actually, all my senses need to be "engaged" in order for me to remember and learn...sometimes that is a problem. I do try to be very polite and patient when someone is instructing. Honestly, I've passed that on to my sons too...with homeschooling my boys I know them very well and they too need to do the "task" themselves...very hands on family...my poor husband tries so hard to teach me things but he won't let me do the task...he just keeps showing me! I get so discouraged cause he won't let me touch and do...lol....ramblings are done now...

Blue Ice finished January 3, 2011

close up of Blue Ice January 3, 2011

So...now on to more important things. I finished my French Braid quilt (2nd one in 4 months) I'm naming this one Blue Ice. I love it!  I will admit that I had some issues with the border. I made several mistakes and had to rip stitches out often!! I was beginning to think I would never get these borders on. I made the first one and attached it just fine, the second border...when I pieced it, I had the 4-patches going in the wrong direction. I wanted the white to run down the quilt like the sashing...I took that border with me to church on Sunday and rip stitches out durning Sunday school...they did not seem to mind one bit.  I also needed to make the top and bottom border pieces smaller. I thought I had worked the math out but I was off so my 4 patches don't line up correctly. That is ok, I'm not entering this into any show!! It is going in my foyer!! Now just to figure out the backing..... I have enough scraps left to piece the binding so that will look very nice!
Oh I must add that I had to piece together my side dark blue triangles. I was using scraps to make those because there was no more fabric!! My favorite quilt shop had sole ALL of that fabric and I could not find it anywhere online. On a good note I was frugal...but we all know what happens when quilters walk into a quilt shop...we must leave with something in our hands!! LOL...yes, I did purchase some fabric...then I went back and purchased more!!
Time to get moving, lots to do lots to do....

Christmas 2010



GI Joe's climbing the tree



Christmas season was hectic and great all at the same time. I think we planned too many things for each day of December. Dentist appointments (wisdom teeth, crowns, cleanings for a family of 6), chiroprator appts, parties and just trying to get normal life accomplished.  Oh yes, I can't forget the flu...son Joe got the flu first, then it spread around us. Joe really had it bad. I got it last and it hit me hard. I know it is because I had been doing too many things and not getting enough sleep. I needed down time and well the flu made me stop and rest.

Christmas day was great. I loved see the boys get their presents. They all pitched it and bought me a new griddle and so I had to make them pancakes for breakfast!
Quilting on Christmas day? You betcha! After all the present time was done and everyone had settled into the normal swing of activity I headed down to my sewing room.  I had creativity just flowing through my veins and I could not stop it.
I made a bag, measurements: 18x18inches, with 3x3 notches cut out at the base. Pieced it together with a lining and handle...I love it. I made another one the following day slightly smaller 15x15. I added some holders on the inside to hold bottles (wine bottles...I don't drink, but I know some people do) and it looks really neat. My sister loved it. I have to make her one. Oh speaking of her, I made sunglass holders for her and her daughters...she ended up giving them all to her daughters and so now I have to make one for her. I will do that today.
I watched a video on youtube on the construction of a pineapple block. I loved it! I went down to my sewing room immediately, used what I had available...no measurements were given because this quilter has this pattern in her book...but anyway, I made it using the tools I had which were the EZ quilting rulers!! Love it! I'm going to make more today! I've always wanted to make one of these quilts.
Oh yes, my french braid quilt. I've pieced all the ''braids" together and put a narrow white border on to the quilt. Now I'm piecing a pieced border...except I pieced one of the borders totally wrong!!! I was so upset with myself when I realized this....
well, I am ripping it apart and taking care because it is all on the bias!! eek!


Pineapple block




French Braid border





Wine bottle bag



book bag with lining