Because of the 17-Day Diet

This is what I am working on to keep me busy.

It's my grape vine block from the Beyond the Cherry Trees BOM.  

Now back to the diet thing. This  is what  I started today.

Why? Well, it all has to do with the wedding that is coming up next month for my daughter.  I bought a very form fitting dress and when I went to the alterations gal, I wore my Spanx to get that smoothe fit.  WELL!!!  By the time I drove the 15-20 minutes to get to her house, my arms were numb, I could barely breathe and I am thinking...hey!  I want to be able to sit and EAT at my own daughter's wedding.  Anyways....I have decided to do without the Spanx and not that I NEED to lose any weight, but I wouldn't mind getting rid of that "roll" that seems to be right in the "middle" of me!  So......I have done the big "healthy food shopping" thing  and started the "diet" this morning.  I am dying.  I need to keep busy. 

Several of the gals at work are on this diet and let me tell you, the weight loss is amazing and it happens quickly.  I'll be happy with 5-8 lbs.....maybe 10.  With 5, my dress should be good as long as what I lose is that "roll" and nothing else.  

Anyways, back to the grapevine.  I am going to make my grapes red to go along with all my other cherry tree blocks and I have tallied up how many grapes/cherries I need for this block.

There are a couple sizes of grapes, so I have tallied how many of each by highlighting the smaller ones.  So I am going to start cutting out circles of fabric and get them prepared so that I can just stitch away and get this rather busy block done. 

It's kind of a cruel twist of fate that I am trying to avoid thinking of food, yet I need to make grapes for this block.  Really....that is just cruel.   

Wedding quilt (Triple Irish Chain) and more.....

It was no easy feat to get my husband to figure out how he was going to help me display this quilt so that I could get some decent pictures.  I think he nixed the idea of having to "hold" it up.  I had even suggested getting one of the neighbors to help him do that. 

After some thought, he got out the clamps and we clamped it to the eaves over the garage door. 

I had to be quick and get a couple good pictures between gusts of wind.  I think we have some storms moving in, but I was determined to get these pictures today.

I don't see any glaring mistakes, so if it is not popping out at me now, I am satisfied. 

Here's a little closer to see the quilting. 

My quilter did feathered wreaths in the open areas and continuous curves in the patchwork areas.

Here's just a peek at the backing.  It's nothing fancy except for what I think is a very pretty fabric and I am glad I have some left overs of it, too.

Now that this quilt is out of the way, I am getting busy on some of my other projects.  I had to catch up on my birthday exchange blocks and these two are the last for June.

Red - white- blue

Blue and cream

Oh....and remember this?

My moldy glue?

Well, thanks to Colleen over at http://www.quiltsomething.com/, she sent me a new bottle, a beautiful fat quarter and a Marti Mitchell corner trimmer.  She said she had never heard of any of her glues going moldy before. 

All-in-all, this was a very productive and satisfying weekend.  Hope you all got to get some stitching in.

The end is in sight.....

I have been binding for the last four evenings.  One side a night.

The end is in sight.  This was my last side to do.

Just a few more stitches.

Thank goodness for my handy dandy  needle threader or it would have taken me longer.  So glad I picked up that little wood needle threader rest while I was in Paducah.  It sat so nicely on the arm of my chair.

Done!!!  Every square inch is bound.  Just need to do something for a label.  May even think of washing and drying it to get that great "crinkly" look that I love and my daughter loves. 

You will have to wait until I get a couple big guys to hold this baby up so that I can get a truly great picture of it.  It will be the first time for even "me" to see the quilt as a whole, too.  It's just so big...104" square.

Ah...I can relax a little now.  I won't have to be stitching the binding down at the reception.  LOL



Procrastinating kind of day....

My plan was to go into the sewing room and get busy on the binding for the wedding quilt, but there were some things to move and put away so that I could even get to the sewing machine for a queen-sized quilt.

So, I thought I would punch out some circles for a couple Cherry Tree blocks that require a few cherries.

From each Hanes Pantyhose cardboard insert, I got a good 60+  of the 3/4" circles and around 85 of the 5/8" circles.  I think I am ready to get busy making some cherries and grapes.

Then while I was in Paducah for the AQS show, I stopped at Hancocks and bought yet another piece of the French General fabric which I used to cut out a couple more backgrounds.   I traced out the pattern and then transferred it slightly to the fabric. Now I just need to make the applique pieces and then #20 will be prepped.

Upon digging deeper in the mess that I had on my sewing table, I realized I had a couple more birthdays coming up, so I needed to get my blocks made for the "birthday star block exchange". 

Purple and chartreuse and black

Another black and white one.

I do have a couple more to make for June which I probably should get to as things will be getting hairy in June because of the wedding, but they will have to wait for another day. 

Speaking of the wedding.  I did plan on working on the wedding quilt today.  It was just one of those kind of days when it is cool, windy and rainy all day, so where else would I rather be?  Right?

Ok....I would have been mad at myself if I didn't get to the binding on that quilt.  That was why I went in the sewing room in the first place.

So, here I am getting it started.

and here it sits on the floor with the binding machine stitched on and all trimmed. 

Now I will be sitting in front of the TV for the next few nights handstitching this thing down.  It's a big one, so it will be a few days, but at least I did what I set out to do today and some extra stuff, too.  All-in-all....it's a good feeling. 

Hope you all got to put in a few stitches this weekend. 



Happy Mother's Day.

No better way to spend the day than to see your kids, grandkids and your own mom, but the next best thing is to find the time to get into your sewing room and that is what I did and where I finished up #18 block of Beyond the Cherry Trees (BTCT).

The only thing holding me back on this block (which was #3 of my five blocks prepped) was the centers of the flowers.  I had to make something like 1/2" circle templates....which after all, I did not do.....because....while in Paducah, I was watching this lady demonstrate  how she did her applique on circle templates and then when she went to show it again, she used a "hole punch" and boy did my ears and eyes perk up.  Why didn't I think of this before?

So upon coming home, I ran to the nearest craft store and bought myself a 3/4" punch and I am still looking for a really good 5/8" punch as well (all so that I can move onto the next ...and what I think of as the most tedious block which has 100 or more circles or as some would call them either grapes or cherries).  I have been putting off this block because of all the different sizes of cherries/grapes that are needed.  Now, I have ordered my 1" circle templates from Paper Piecers  in the past and love them, but for this next block, I really don't need 100 or more of each size, so this seemed to me to be the next best thing.  Anyways...... I punched out these circles from the cardboard insert  of my Hanes pantyhose (yes.....I still wear pantyhose AND I save the cardboard inserts for templates!)  and I made the four flower centers from those and they worked out just great!  I am so excited.  I may not be putting off the cherry/grape block too much longer.  Just need to find that 5/8" punch.

Of course, now the only thing that is going to hold me back on working on the next BTCT block is that the wedding quilt came back from the quilter on Friday.....so......I need to put on something like 460" of binding.  That quilt is so big that I haven't even seen this quilt as a  whole.  But, the binding needs to be put on and I need to call it a day on that quilt.  I have a little over a month before it needs to be done, but this is one project I CANNOT procrastinate on.  So....you may not see me post again until I come up for air from underneath the "wedding quilt".  Unless, I need a break.  ;D

Paducah and back....

What a whirlwind few days.  I commend the AQS for putting on such a great show and having to change the venue at the very last minute because of flooding.  I took a few pictures, but I bought the book of all the quilts, so didn't take as many as I would have normally. What I did take pictures of was the exquisite quilting on many or maybe I should say most of these quilts.  I don't know how next years quilts are going to beat these.   Anyways, here are a few of the quilts  and their quilting that just made my heart sing.

I could go on and on, but I am sure you can see all of the quilts on the AQS website.

Now I mentioned the flooding.  We lived it first hand as we stayed at Lighthouse Landing about 30 miles out of Paducah.

By the end of our stay, this sign and the parking lot to the left of it were all under water. 

See those posts?  They were at the edge of the parking lot. 

The great people at Lighthouse Landing worked tiredlessly making a new roadway for their guests to get in and out of the complex in case the road to and from got flooded, which it did. 

Here you can see the road off to the left just starting to have water encroach.

Here it is closed off. 

We watched  the river coming up over the few days we were staying there.

First day, it was already high with a fire hydrant half submerged.

The fire hydrant is that little yellow thing in the left hand side of the picture.  Watch the fence line.

Up to the fence.

Way past now.   There was a road going along side the beach that was no where to be seen, but this is how we ended our days.

Can't beat a sunset like that.  I can almost see a quilt make like that with black silhouettes.

I did come away with a little bit of a haul.  Now mind you, I  flew and only took carry on luggage, so I had to be kind of good.  Thank goodness for good strong men on the plane that helped me pick that thing up over my head.  LOL.

I bought a yard of upholstery fabric from Hancock's of Paducah for pillows to accent my study that needs new paint.

....and here's the rest of my haul.

I had a glorious time.  Ran into about 15 gals from an online message board that I am on and we shared strawberry shortcake which is a highlight of the week; and have just come away totally inspired.

I pray that the rising waters (which I hear are still rising) don't do damage and that everyone in that area will be safe and sound. 

Ok...now to put that inspiration to work.