Catching Up

This post is long over due.  Where has the time gone?  Let's see--I spent about two weeks under the weather with allergies.  I have never before had so much trouble with allergies.  They sure side lined me.  Now I am playing catch up.  Is it possible to get two weeks back?  I don't know but I am sure trying.

First off-- I have special prayer requests.  Our neighbor, Carla, suffered a massive heart attack on Sunday morning and died yesterday.  Could you please lift her family in prayer at this time?  Another request--our DS#1 had back surgery on Mar. 25 and is recovering.  And one of my quilting buddies, Alice, found a lump in her breast and it is positive for cancer.  She has surgery this next week.  I told her she would be in many people's prayers.  Thank you for your prayers.

I had a real treat on March 23.  The First Presbyterian Church here in town hosted the Supper Quilt modeled after The Last Supper painting by da Vinci.  It was a site to see.  They also displayed quilts on the pews and hung on the balcony.  The ladies of the church did a wonderful job.  They had wonderful refreshments and a violinist playing.  This is the same church where our Wednesday group Kraz-z Quilters meets.  They asked us to have our room open and some of us volunteered to spend that time hand quilting for those who walked through to see quilting in action.  I had a wonderful time and enjoyed it tremendously. 

I am making progress on my DD's Dresden Plate quilt.  I try to quilt an hour in the morning and a couple of hours or so in the evening.  But I am going to have to hurry--May deadline is approaching and with the weather warming up; a quilt is not comfortable to be under.  ; )

Can you see the tulips I marked in the pink border?  I used a Frixion pen. 



I have two groups of quilters to visit next week.  I am busy this week getting ready.  It is going to be fun!

Blessings,

Computer is still alive

Well, maybe alive is not the right word.  I really don't want it to be ALIVE but you know what I mean.  Yesterday morning I tried to turn the laptop on and it wouldn't come on!  Oh, no.  I checked to make sure it was plugged in to the power source.  Yes.  But it would not come on.  : (   So I figured it had crashed.  I went on to Kraz-z Quilters meeting.  Hog Man checked it out on his lunch hour.  It had gotten unplugged where the adapter plugs into the power cord.  I was so relieved. 

It's been several weeks since I last posted.  What has been going on?  Let's see- the oldest two grandkids came for several days on their spring break.  DGD Aimee wanted to sew a stuffed animal or doll.  I happened to have a pattern. We decided on a doll.  I had some tea dyed muslin that worked really well.  She learned to cut out the pattern pinned to fabric.  She decided she wasn't too sure about sewing all the curvy seams.  So I did that.  Then we soon discovered I didn't have any poly-fil stuffing. No problem.  I had some left over poly batting scraps that we tore into small pieces and stuffed her.  Worked great. Then came the sewing on of felt eyes, sewing on a nose, sculpting the mouth, etc.  I soon discovered I didn't have any yarn for the hair.  I was avoiding going to Wally world at all costs during spring break with moms and screaming kids. Not my favorite place.  We got her a dress made.  It's been a LONG time since I have done that kind of sewing! 

Everything seems to be in bloom!  Red bud trees, fruit trees, weeds, etc.  I developed a cough last week.  I had a little fever--felt really yucky.  I do believe it is all allergy related.  Because I have experienced this before this time of year.  Long story short, I am feeling better--the cough is getting better.  Not so deep. 

In the midst of all of that I went out to Post Oak to visit the Post Oak Quilters.  I always enjoy the drive and putting on a little demo for them.  And they always have wonderful potluck luncheon!  And dessert. And this time it was DESSERTS!  I got a chance to see a two hundred year old New York Beauty quilt top!  Oh, the tiny piecing!  I didn't have my camera with me.  Bad blogger- I know.  If it was Bonnie Hunter you would have had a wonderful picture and full story.  But alas I am not Bonnie.  Sorry.  Speaking of Bonnie -- are you enjoying her Quilt-Cam sessions or what?!  I love that she found a new way to share them so they are achived to watch later. 

I didn't realize Sissy got in the picture. You can see the blue tarp that protected the roof after holes were knocked into it still laying on the sidewalk. 

 

Remember in December when we had a strong cold front hit and one of the huge branches of the sycamore tree broke off and hit our house and electric service sending an electrical surge through our house?  This is what remains of the tree.  Sawdust.  Oh, how I hated to see this tree go.  It was such a source of shade for our backyard. But half of it had died and I was anxious every time the wind got up--there was another almost as large branch dead as well.  It looks SO different with it gone.  We used to enjoy moving our chairs out under the tree in the afternoon and evenings.  The orioles will have to find another tree to make their nest this year.  There has been a lot of trees that have died throughout Texas the last couple of years due to the drought. 

Blessings and happy quilting, 

It's a warm day in Texas

I had to run an errand or two after lunch today.  The bank's digital thermometer said 88 degrees.  Say what?!  I knew it was warm but not that warm.  But never fear--the weather man says it will be in the 50s tomorrow.  Oh joy.  Up down, up down. 

Well, you may be asking--"What about quilt retreat last week?"  I ate too much, stayed up waaaayyy too late, and got some sewing down.  And laughed, talked, etc. etc.  I did get several of the borders on the Star BOM sewn on.  I only needed two more to go and it was time to go home.  I called my DDIL the next morning (I am making it for their bed) and found out I was wrong.  I thought they had a queen size bed. Nope it's king size.  I am SO glad I called her.  SO I am adding a couple MORE borders to bring it up to size.  This seems to be the story of my life.  It's a good thing I had some extra fabric.  But there in is the challenge.  Story of my life I'm telling you!  Doesn't that ric-rac border look good?  Judy L of Patchwork Times is the designer. Of course when I was sewing them on I got the first one sewn on right.  The second I turned wrong and out came the seam ripper.  I stopped talking and paid more attention. LOL  I don't like ripping out. : (

In front of Kaleidoscope Quilt Shop are Ann, Billie, and Priscilla

Monday afternoon at retreat we all piled in cars and went to the quilt shop in town.  The next afternoon some of us decided we wanted to check out the quilt shop in Whitesboro. I had never been there.  The Kaleidocscope Quilt Shop is really nice.  If you're ever near the area I'm sure she would love for you to stop by.  We went in my car because it gets good gas mileage.  And you know how gas prices are!  When I went out to move things around to make room for my passengers (I had brought an extra sewing machine--just in case) I discovered that the little birdies had enjoyed berries up above my car. : (  What a mess! 

I will post pictures of my quilt soon.  I have had to do some calculating and scratching my head and I think I have it all figured out. 

Blessings,

Psssst!

Come close. . .  I have something to share.  I AM GOING ON RETREAT!  I can't wait! So the next few days will be spent cooking for Hog Man, packing up projects, doing laundry, etc. etc.  I am taking a UFO to complete and one project to begin cutting out.  And who knows I may take the Dresden Plate quilt to do a little hand quilting.  I need my therapy!  I have less than four blocks left to do.  Then the outside borders.  I'm still deciding what I want to put in the plain off-white border.  Hmmmm!   I am really liking the chalk cartridge pens. The chalk stays put pretty good but comes off easily once the quilting is done.

Remember this one?

This is the UFO I am taking.  It is from 2009 and Judy Laquidara's Star BOM from that year.  I have to complete the ribbon border and all the outer borders.  I am so wanting this DONE and out of the tote.  Stay posted.  Once it's done I think it will be my next hand quilting project.  I got my new thimble in.  Love it!  I never thought I could get accustomed to using a thimble but I have.  I don't quilt without it.  I just wished the leather wouldn't stretch : (. 

Happy quilting and blessings,

Birthday Girl

 Our youngest granddaughter turned 3 and her party was yesterday.  She is a precious little girl.

I made her some skirts. I sure hope they fit!  The smaller one may not.  If it doesn't I will make another.  No problem.

And I made her some diapers for her dollies.  I found a Hello Kitty purse-so cute.  And she loves Dora the explorer right now -- so it was a Dora themed party.  I found the free pattern for the diapers here.  I made mine from flannel that was given to me and sew-in velcro I bought at Wally world.  I extended the back tabs slightly and sewed the velcro across the front in case she had different sized babies.  I think it would be neat to make them from real cloth diaper material.  But I didn't have any. 

I sewed them on the Elna Lotus SP.  The belt started slipping toward the end.  : (    I have worked the little sweetie pretty hard. 

We had some nice rain in the wee hours of Sunday am.  An inch!  Anything will help with our drought conditions.  


Blessings,

Another vintage machine

Hog Man's buddy brought this to me last Thursday.  It is a Singer 201-2 and was manufactured in 1951.  I had started the cleaning process when I took this picture.  It was dirty!  The wiring needs replacing and the winder tire. I'm going to need Hog Man's help.  But I can't wait to get it running.  It was his buddy's mother's machine.  He remembers her sewing shirts for him.  I found an instruction manual online and part of a service manual online as well.  What's amazing--the handwheel and needle bar are free--everything moves well!  The 99K looks like a very little sister next to it. LOL  Once we get it running I want to find a cabinet to put it in.  I just love these black Singer machines!

I quilted on the Dresden Plate quilt while watching the Super Bowl.  One more block almost done!  Earlier in the day we had to round up baby pigs.  Hog Man had weaned two litters and separated them from the mothers.  But they had other ideas!  Then we loaded one of our Berkshires to take to Weatherford.  The temps were in the 60s and so nice to be out.  I made a run to Wal-Mart to pick up essentials--dog food, milk, ink cartridge for the printer, etc. LOL 

Blessings from Catering Quilter

Good News!

We spent Sunday at the Ft. Worth Stockshow.

In this building there were hundreds of pigs.  The breeding class showed on Sunday.  We knew several exhibitors.  In fact, Hog Man's boar had sired the young boar our friends were showing.  And it won!  He won first place of the Hampshire boars AND Reserve Supreme Champion Boar out of all the breeds.  Isn't that wonderful?

 

See this?  I ate one of those Volcano Nachos.  Chips, chili, nacho cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, black olives and jalapenos.  It was good!  And surprising -- no indigestion! LOL  And I don't want to think about the calories!

 

The boar's mother is in our barn with a new litter of pigs. Same breeding.  Lovey had a new litter Saturday night and her daughter, Olivia, the one who won her class in a show in Missouri has a new litter of pigs that were born last night.  I will try and get pictures.  You know me.

I asked Hog Man today--"What did we do Saturday?"  It's been crazy.  He reminded me that we had shopped for a new refrigerator and went to Tractor Supply to get him some new bibs and rubber boots. Then we went to Bowie to pick up gilts that had shown and were coming back to us. Then we moved one sow and her babies out of the barn to make room for Olivia.  Oh yeah,  now I remember! Yesterday was spent in Ft. Worth. Today,  the refrigerator was delivered.  Lowe's gave me a "window"  when to expect them.  I made ready. I had to empty Hog Man's gun case so they could move it.  They were here about an hour.  I must say they did an excellent job.  After they left Hog Man and I ran to town to grab some lunch since the kitchen was tied up I didn't get a chance to cook. Oh darn! 

Then I spent the afternoon working on the Kraz-z Quilters scrap book.  The roofer had come last Friday and replaced the shingles that the color didn't match.  About 30 minutes after he left one of our breakers tripped.  Long story short--it's fixed now.  It was something they messed up.  I have my quilting buddy's electrician husband to thank who came by today and fixed in less than fifteen minutes!  Still getting back to normal!  What is normal anymore?!  Maybe this is the new normal!  LOL 

I haven't sewn a stitch.  My thimble broke.  It is a leather one with a metal end.  The metal broke right down the middle while I was quilting last Wednesday at Kraz-z Quilters.  I was crushed.  I forgot my bag at Kraz-z Quilters with my needles, scissors, and marker.  LOL  Silly me.  Maybe tomorrow I can sit and sew for a little while after I find my other needles and I'll give the new leather thimble a try. : )


Blessings and happy quilting from Catering Quilter

It's been a LONG time!

Where has the time gone?! I'm not sure but it's gone.  LOL  Praise the Lord, we have not had the flu or stomach bug that has gone around.  How about you? It has really been bad hasn't it?

Let's see--we purchased a new tv to replace the one that was ruined when the power surge went through our house.  We still had one of the old box type tvs and I had no idea what LCD, LED, etc. etc. was all about.  I googled it.  Don't you love Google? Then at the store they recommended a LED.  It has a really nice picture.  The roof has been repaired.  The shingles are the wrong color! I didn't discover that until I went out after they were done.  They said they will come back and replace them when the weather warms.  It doesn't leak and that is the main thing.  Now to go refrigerator shopping.  I miss the ice maker ours had.  Although, there is an ice place in town that sells a 16 lb. bag of ice for $2. There hasn't been a lot of demand for ice with the cold weather we've had recently. LOL  In fact I have really been enjoying my hot tea. 

I needed a break from hand quilting.  My finger under the quilt got pretty sore.  So I pulled out a UFO to work on.  I NEEDED to sew on the little Elna.  I just needed to.  It is DGS Mac's quilt.  He told me he liked the colors of the block I had made up to demo the Pineapple Plus book so I decided that I would finish it and it would be his. I blogged about here. BUT it got put in a drawer.  I was digging through that drawer looking for something else and decided that now was the time to finish it. And now it is! All but the quilting.
     

 

 

 

After my finger healed up a little and I got my machine piecing crave satified I got back to hand quilting. 





 

Ten done! Six more to go-plus the borders.

 

 

We celebrated Hog Man's dad's birthday a week or so ago.  My mother is doing well.  She called this past weekend.  She said, "Do you believe in miracles?"  "Sure I do!"  She had lost her hearing aid and had looked all over the house for it.  She had swept the kitchen floor to see if it had fallen under the kick plate of the cabinets.  She prayed and asked God to find it for her.  She walked into the kitchen and STEPPED on it!  She says she didn't break it.  She was so relieved.  God is good.  She will celebrate her 88th birthday this year.

 

We had little visitors this past weekend.  DS#2 and wife went to a George Strait concert and needed us to watch their little ones.  Then DGD Aimee called and wanted to come spend the night -- and bring a friend.  I had guild meeting Saturday morning and left Hog Man in control.  And with a toilet that needed fixing.  You know one of those float thingies and maybe the flapper thingy.  Then while I was gone the tube thingy broke in the repair process.  He managed very well.  I had made them lunch before I left.  I stopped on the way home to pick up more milk.  They can go through the milk! And would you believe I forgot to take a single picture. Of course, you believe it.  It's not the first time or probably the last. LOL

 

The guild re-elected the same officers for a second year.  So I get to preside over the meetings for a second year -- plowing my way through.  I'm not the best at protocol.  I have no problem standing in front of a group anymore.  Not like I did when I was younger.  It was bad, really bad then.

 

So back to quilting--I got out another UFO to see what it needs to finish it.  Not that much!  When my finger gets sore or I feel the need for a machine piecing session I will pull it out and "get r dun". 

 

That's all for now.  Happy quilting from the Catering Quilter

 



Quilting Away and Happy New Year

I have almost completed block #8 on DD Amanda's Dresden plate quilt last night.  I borrowed a bigger hoop from quilt club and it allows me to quilt more before I have to move it.  And I am getting used to quilting with a thimble! I never thought I would-- EVER.  Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.  The thimble I am using is a leather one with metal on both sides of the tip.  One problem I was having was the leather was stretching and the thimble would slip off my finger.  I wrapped it with a wide rubber band to get it just snug enough to not slip off.  It works. Doesn't look real great but it works! 

Many thanks to my friend, Priscilla.  When DGD Aimee spent the night with us on the 23rd, she asked me, "NaNaw, when are you going to make my quilt?"  So I pulled her tote out with the fabrics I had been collecting and her pattern and we determined which ones she liked and didn't.  We decided she needed to hand embroider a couple more butterflies for it. She had one that she had done on another visit so she started another one.  And this is where my friend Priscilla comes in.  I took the fabrics to Kraz-z Quilters yesterday and asked her opinion.  She is so good with colors.  I appreciate her input and advice.  We all need friends like her. 

I've got to mention here that another quilting buddy, Marjorie, got to take a Bonnie Hunter class recently.  She drove to Plano to Fabric Fanatics for her class and had a spectacular time.  I am so happy for her!  She told me I HAD to go next year.  I am thinking she is right!  It would be wonderful! Priscilla, are you with us?  Mandy?

Goals for 2013 . . .  lose 15 to 20 pounds (there I said it-online-it is out in the public).  I lost 7 pounds this last year and gained most of it back during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My goal is to lose 1 to 2 pounds a month. 

Finish more quilts.  Always.  Specifically- DD Amanda's Dresden will be finished before May when she gets her Master's Degree.  Her course work is finished -- that is when she will walk across the stage if she chooses.  Finish piecing DS#2 Marcus' quilt and get started quilting on it.  Finish piecing DGS Mac's quilt, start piecing DGD Aimee's quilt, finish the pillow shams for DS#1 Brian's quilt and quilt them.  Get with my younger sister and decide on fabrics for her quilt and get started on it.  That's all the personal stuff.  Then there are samples for when I go and do a demo.  Lots of quilting in the forecast! Love it!

Blessings from the Catering Quilter