Chubby Chicks

I started this cute quilt for Hals last year to teach my friend, Jae, how to do invisible machine applique. It was also our maiden voyage with our Alto's QuiltCut2. What a wonderful tool! My pinwheels were so accurate! I'd highly recommend this tool to anyone.

Back to the quilt, though. I saw it made up at Piper's Quilts in Sugarhouse. Thought about it overnight, and decided to go back the next day to get the kit. I LOVED the lime green polka dot fabric and I wasn't sure I would be able to find it. So I bought the kit. I replaced the plain white background fabric with a white on white I had in my stash.

It sat in the box for a few months until I decided to get going on it again. Then it went together pretty quickly. The little chicks are so cute! They remind me of Hals. She loves birds. All the different fabrics just make the quilt. I found lime green minkee at JoAnn's for the backing. I love the way the minkee shows off the quilting!

The quilting is about 3/4ths done. I got sidetracked last weekend by a kitchen makeover...that's a post for another day!

XOXO

Decided to Start Blogging Again

I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote a blog entry. Lots of things have happened, and I won't even try to catch up. But maybe, just maybe I'll keep up this time.

I'm working on this cute BOM with my dear friend, Lisa C.

The pattern is Sew Tweet from Chitter Chatter Designs. My version uses a lot of my hand dyed fabrics and I love the look. Here is my first block:

I have my second block prepped and ready to start stitching tonight. I am learning that all embroidery floss is not created equal. The pattern calls for Cosmo. We were able to get Cosmo in all the colors except black. I substituted DMC for the black. The DMC black is not nearly as silky and fine as the Cosmo. So I ordered Cosmo black floss today. Will I take out what I've already done? Hard to say....but I am just OCD enough to do that!

XOXO

How Do You Paint Around a Longarm?

VERY CAREFULLY!!!

I decided I can no longer stand the overwhelmingly purple room...so I am painting this weekend. Here are a few before shots. Yes, even the ceiling is purple! Not to offend the purple lovers out there...

I have chosen a shade of white named "Ballet White". It is white with just a hint of peachy/pink. should brighten things up tremendously. I will post pictures of my progress.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!

 

What a Wonderful Life

Pretty quiet in our little corner of paradise, and I like it that way! This is the Nevada you don't see from the freeway. Thank goodness, or we'd be overrun with relatives people! Both of these photos were taken from our back deck.

Yes, it is a little longer drive than I had before. But it is so beautiful and we have so much more room than we did in town. I wouldn't trade it for anything right now. I think I have finally found my home.

Little Miss Hal is in Salt Lake City with her mom & dad today getting her heart murmur checked out. Hopefully it is nothing major.

A little bit of applique last night. I finished removing the templates from my Poppy quilt. It is ready for the final borders and quilting! Finally! This one has taken me seven years to finish. I have a pretty good idea of how I will quilt it. Now if I wasn't painting this weekend, I'd be quilting! Always something...

Hugs & Stitches

A Finish!

Lots of stuff going on here...we have another new granddaughter! Her name is Halleigh Jo and she is one month old today! She is a cutie, especially since she has red hair!

I finished her quilt shortly after she came home. It was a quick quilt to make but it turned out so cute. I quilted baby butt hearts in the blocks and a small feather meander in the center birdie block. The pattern is available from Connecting Threads. It really felt good to be quilting again and to finish something!



I am also working on Faith's quilt. I want to have it done by the time we go visit in September. The top is complete. I intended to quilt it yesterday, but we ended up going into town instead. We got a really cool pegboard system for my quilt room. The units are 16x16 and you can add as many as you want. I got two but I really needed six! I will hang my rotary cutters and rulers and stencils and even a little basket with ironing stuff. It is so cool to finally start getting organized. Of course, it occurred to me that I should paint at least that wall in the quilt room before hanging everything. So, back to the dreaded p-word! Oh no!

Hugs & Stitches,

Back in the Saddle....

I know it's been a while since I've posted...no excuses other than lots has been going on and I haven't made it a priority.

Exciting news is we have a new granddaughter! Faith Ann was born May 31. Here's a picture..I think she is just beautiful!

Everything is going well on the home front. We are very close to putting the Elko house on the market. Hopefully it will sell quickly and we can get on with our lives. It is very difficult to split your time between the two houses and get anything done. We are really enjoying Spring Creek. We have a beautiful home with the most incredible view of the Rubies. It is well worth the extra few miles every day.

Speaking of miles, I have started walking/running and riding my bike again. We have a program at work that helps you track your steps. The goal is to get in 10,000 steps a day. That is much more difficult than it sounds! I have a buddy (another Lisa, go figure) to keep me accountable on the steps and the pounds. The funny thing is I feel SO good when I exercise..not sure why I ever stop. Once I stop, it is so hard to get started again!

My friend, Cathy over at Pine Freckled Blog is hosting a UFO challenge. In quilt-speak, a UFO is an Un Finished Object. I have decided to join the challenge! I have a LOT of UFOs, but I think Cathy has me beat! Anyone else want to join the fun?

The weather is finally getting nice here in Northern Nevada. I am planning on spending some time outside, looking at those gorgeous mountains this weekend.

Sneak Peek!

Here are some pictures of a quilt I finished over the weekend. It is a surprise gift, so I can't show you the entire thing. I didn't piece the quilt, just quilted it. It is a happy quilt, and I had a lot of fun with it! The coolest thing for me is that I used a heavy top thread and Magna-Glide Delights bobbins. Absolutely NO tension issues. For a machine quilter, that is quilting heaven!

Hugs & Stitches,