Sunday, August 29, 2010

Inspiration...

I don't know about you, but color is my inspiration many times. In Metamora, MI yesterday there was a balloon fest  with umpteen multi-colored balloons.  It was an awesome site.  I have never been to one before.  There have been singular balloons that I have seen filling  up with the hot air and then taking off; but this was a "get right in the middle, touch the balloons, watch them fill up and take off all at once".  Like I said...it was awesome.....a color spectacular.  There had to be about 15-20 balloons My pictures just can't do the whole experience justice. 














On coming home, I felt inspired and felt the need to work with color, so I  now have my 11th Cherry Trees all prepped and ready to stitch.



This is a bit of a simple block, thus the red dotted fabric for the background.  It's is glue basted at this point (you can see my wet glue dots).  I will have a completed block in no time to show you.  Then it will be on to the next one in a few days. 

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Life's not always a bowl of Cherries....

....and so my life seems to be going right now. 

Literally, as I was loading the last suitcase in the car for our vacation, I got a call saying that my mother-in-law had fallen and was being taken to the hospital.  I did leave for vacation, but was in contact with her assisted living and her hospice nurse the whole time we were gone.  Upon arriving home, husband's dad went into congestive heart failure. He is now in a nursing home for rehab.  We have been doing a lot of running regarding both of them.

Since being home, I really haven't sewn, but I am starting to prep  for my 11th Cherry Trees block.


I, also, started prepping the Hearts and Hands blocks that I had taken on vacation (but didn't touch) and have them ready to attach to some backgrounds.



Looks like there are about nine applique blocks ready to go.

Then there was tonight to add to our bad mojo.  We were heading out to a car cruise (and to visit DH's dad) in my husbands classic 1971 Nova and we were T-boned.  You can about guess how he is feeling right now.



I am thinking that I need to just lock myself in my sewing room and do some sewing in a calm and relaxed environment.  What do you think?

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Vacation......Family......Sewing










The featherweight was packed with several bobbins filled; pattern pieces were traced and cut out; all the fabric was packed with all the intentions in the world to get several more of the Hearts and Hands blocks  made up, but with the comings and goings of family members to the cabin we had rented from Friday the 6th through Sunday the 15th, hmmmm....how much do you think I got done?  Above is the view from my lounge chair where I did read my fifth Elm Creek Quilts book.....so peaceful.

Here's our family vacation schedule:

Friday.....husband, son, youngest daughter and future son-in-law
Saturday..... husband, son, future son-in-law and me (daughter met up with girlfriends for a girlfriend weekend and I came today as I stayed home to attend grandson's birthday party)
Sunday.....husband, son, youngest daughter (back early), future son-in-law and me
Monday....husband, son, and me (my girlfriend took me shopping for the day)
Tuesday....husband,  oldest daughter and grandsons (1, 3 and 6) and me
Wednesday.... oldest daughter, grandsons and me (we went shopping for the day and husband went home to take care of his father and some business)
Thursday.....husband came back with son-in-law, daughter, grandsons and me
Friday.....husband, son-in-law, daughter, grandsons and me
Saturday....husband, son-in-law, daughter, grandsons and me
Sunday.....was going to leave today, but we left last night instead.

Confused yet? There were a lot of comings and going, but for some crazy reason, that was the  only way I knew what day it was ....just knowing who was coming when. 

So......    vacation + family = no sewing

I did get to visit two new (to me) quilt shops.  Crossroads Quilt Shop (  http://www.crossroadsquiltshop.com/) in Reed City, MI  and  JulieAnn's Quilting ( http://www.julieannquilting.com/) in Cadillac, MI.  Spent a "little" at the first and none at the second.  Hmmm..can't show  what I bought as they will probably be Christmas gifts.

All-in-all a pretty good time. 

Now to get back to sewing.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Something about 40's....

Not sure what it is about the 40s, but I took a look at a couple of my ongoing projects that require quite a few blocks and here is where I stand on each of them. 


Hearts and Hands blocks all stacked up after completing the last dozen or so that I was working on.  I had to gather the outside edges and press them over so that they are ready to be appliqued to a background.  There are 42 of them.  They are not so impressive stacked up, but on the design wall, they look a little better. 



That's 42 out of 117.  hmmm.....not toooooo bad.

Then there is Dear Jane.



48 blocks out of 169 and that is not including the pie-shaped blocks that create the borders of this quilt. 
Now this one is depressing; but that is why I put it up on the design wall.  I need to keep motivated or inspired, or whatever it takes to make me get back at it. 

 What is it about stopping  at 40+ blocks? 

I need to change that. 

I need to get busy.   

I need a plan. 

Michigan quilters, take note

  Come see us at our first Quilter's to Quilter's sale.   Don't know what that is?  Well, it will be 28 quilters/vendors selling...