Strengths and Weaknesses

Last weekend I headed to Green Bay. Quilt shopping was on the 'to do list', with strict objectives== two backing for the projects I was working on. Backings are no fun to buy...because they are just it.... backings. I said it over and over again.  You've been there. You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Two backings.

I failed at achieving the objectives--sort of. I did get a backing for the Hop to it Quilt, but the black fabric were just too pretty to pass up.  She was cutting the packs up while I had my bolts of fabric set up to get cut out. I knew I had a certain dollar amount to spend - and convinced I could find a sale fabric on line or maybe piece something together with fabric I had at home (You're a  quilter, you know the reason we justify buying fabric we have no plan for what so ever!!). I haven't even untied it yet.  I just love looking at it for the sake of being beautiful fabric.

Every year I tell myself I'm going to do it. I'm going to plant bulbs.  It gets cold early, I get busy with life, I'm generally tired of gardening by this time of the year. I always regret come Springtime when the feet of snow start to melt.  This year is different. No procrastination---This packaged came in the mail this week.

It's filled with tulips, buttercups, and allium....pink, yellow, and purple. The tulips are planted in the garden.  The fence protects them form the deer.  Buttercups have a smell the deer do not like so they are in the porch side perennial bed. The Allium is sprinkled among all of them.

Don't put it off.  It's planting season.  Come Spring you'll be glad you did.

Welcome October.....

Saw a decal picture in Country Living Magazine--- I'm way too impatient to wait for it to come in the mail.  Postage is appalling as well, so I drew me a crow and painted it myself. 

This is my Heart and Home block for this September.  Fitting,I have it clipped to a turning Maple tree.  Though I work 7 to 4 every day-- my heart never leaves here...Just like the quilt block... My little brown house in among the Maple trees in the U.P.

Gratitudes-- A picture perfect weekend...

Bake Potatoes cooking in the oven--Supper is steaks off the Grill

My Family, My Pups, My Quilting...(throw in the lap top and credit card life is just about perfect)

Ripley Watch.....

He's four months old and Forty pounds.  He thinks he's as small as nine pound Bruno and Bruno thinks he's as big  as 40 lb Ripley.

He got his Rabies vaccination yesterday - so Now he's has 'Bling' on his collar.  

And Guess what??? We've figured out what exactly Ripley is (Aside from lovable)...

His Mom was a Lab Beagle Mix.  His dad was a German Wire Hair Pointer....Google it and you'll get it.  We've had purebred dogs before, But we think he's a Rock Star in his own right-- no papers needed...

To keep this a quilt journal-- fair and square-- here's the quilt part..

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Carol showed me this Scrappy Stars Along with 12 inch blocks.  Determined to whittle down the scrap box, I figure two blocks a month, I'll have a quilt in no time.

These are the Volunteer Mums that came back form last year. I just let them go wild this summer even though the rest of the flower bed was filled with begonias-- my flower bed-- my rules---.Now the begonias are gone and I have fall flowers left....

End of the Month...

Pumpkins -- from my garden.  the lines are fence marks where it grew.  Next year, I'll be better at it.  Every year a learning experience.  I got four pumpkins that big.

The leaves are 'peaking' in the U.P.  Basically that is the point when they are most colored and still hanging on the trees. Our woods are Yellow from all of the Aspen  and Maples.

No flash used on the camera, this is a tree that crosses my daily path in the woods.  I've said for 9 months I was going to take a quilt shot here-- and now it's done.  This is my Hop to it Quilt.  I love it and about to put it on the quilt frame. I try to think about my favorite part-- the colors, the different backgrounds of each block, or the friends I made it with. It's a toss up.....

You can see the worn trail from daily travels...It's definitely Autumn.

Don's home. I worked hard Thursday -- laundry, house work all done.  I've got a weekend to just play.

Hour Glass Blocks

It's not Chaos-- It's my sewing.  I've had the twelve blocks completed for about six months.  It's a project I did with Sue and Mary---  making a quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. I've had Six months of reading directions for the sashing and borders.  I have had six months of 'Googling'--- looking at how others completed the project.

 Triangles totally geek me out--- but I wanted the completed piece more.  I decided how I wanted it to look --- I was going to make the creme hourglass pieces match the blocks they surround.   I knew I was going to have to have plenty of room to lay the project out. I realized the detail involved.

 I realized I wanted it to look perfect because years from now I didn't want my great-great-grand kids looking at it saying, "Look Grams messed up here and here---She ran out of fabric here too..." Stupid, yes, I know... But the most important thing was I didn't want a big ugly quilt.

Last Friday was a rough day at work --- at the point of reaching 'the brink'  I received an email that said -- "When work sucks...think of this...." and included this picture:

Yep-- it was just as fuzzy in the email...but it did the trick.  I made it through the day at work plus I realized I was placing too much pressure on a bunch of triangles and sashing strips.  

I turn the brown pieces the other way and now it does matter was order they are in... the more random the better.

It's still a real busy piece, but I didn't want it real dressy anyway, I wanted it 'huggable'... Hopefully I can get the other 6 blocks attached tonight.

The pups had me up at 3:45 am---- It's amazing the things you get done before work when you get up that early.  

Housebreaking alert:   We're ten days without an accident.... I think we're over the hurdle with Ripley.

The radio just announce a hard freeze alert... It's 30 degrees...and Living in the U.P., it's that time of the year.

Sunday Evening....

Saturdays are the best. I get to sleep late(around 6:30am for me). I get to run the pups in the morning and the evening. Workouts on the elliptical machine do not involve a panic mode that "I'm running out of time". I have the weekly house cleaning to do coupled with errand running and the proverbial grocery shopping expeditions. But at the end of the day I sigh--- I have a cabinet full of food, a clean house, content pups, and enough calories burned I can eat just about anything I want.


Sundays are just as awesome plus I get sewing time-- completely guilt free. My Summer Stars are coming together. I am working on about 3 projects-- flitting from block to block. I want to get them to the completion stage. I have a trip to Green Bay planned for next weekend. I've hugged my scrap box pretty close on most of these projects so I'm due some fabric shopping---- borders and backings.

Seasons are swinging to new positions. There are snow flurries predicted for 50 miles north of here this weekend. Here are leaves from my walk with Ripley and Bruno.

I think my sewing machine is going to take up residence on my kitchen table this week....The weather is to beautiful to miss....

I'm off to make a pot of Gumbo for the week and cut up fabric the rest of the evening.

Summer Stars

Fall is slowly creeping up where I live. I have begun working through Summer Stars with a friend. Why? Because I could really use the practice at working with tiny pieces. But more importantly, it's fun sewing with a friend. I'm pulling from the scrap box and making two of each star. If I can get them all made, I think I'll treat myself to some alternating block fabric or a border piece for the project.

It's an eight week series found here.
I took the picture--wanting to share the project. But I also wanted to keep it real-----Look:

Therefore the reason I really need the practice with small pieces. I must have ripped out and re-stitched about five times, but I finally just gave up. I'm hoping that I can skimp on the seam allowance and it work will out. They don't take long to put together. Small projects are perfect with life's busy schedule.


I don't want to overlook the significance of today and the memories it holds for Americans. Some things you just don't forget.....