Happy New Year

 Oops, somehow I forgot to write my blog for the last half of December.  I guess it is because DH has been on Christmas break and he has been making plans for us.  Once the Nutcracker was done he completed finals week and then we went to the movies, twice Christmas week seeing The Hobbit and Night at the Museum.    We enjoyed both, each for very different reasons.

                                        
Here is one of the owls I got this Christmas, from DS#3 & DDIL.  It is a backpack but around here it is going to be a knitting bag.  I am enjoying it so much: I have it hanging on the lamp next to my living room chair.

























The other owl I got is this one.  He is about 9” tall and has a battery operated light.  I currently have him sitting by the fireplace where I can see him while I am watching TV.  This one came from DD.  The fun came because she was able to spend Christmas Eve with us so got to see me open it.   With  3 of our 4 children living in different states this was the first time in a long time we had one with us for Christmas Eve.  We even made her pass out the gifts. 
















This is the picture of the rest of our gifts that I put on Facebook Christmas Day.  We really have some fun family members.

This week saw us back at the movie theater watching Into the Woods.  We had seen the stage version several years ago and I didn’t much care for it but the movie was GREAT.  Not only is it an interesting interpretation of 4 fairy tales but the music and voices were tremendous.  Now we will settle down for a few weeks but plan to see Cinderella for our anniversary in mid-January.  Funny how that keeps coming around.



  I did get this little afghan done but haven’t gotten a picture yet.  I’m still trying to decide if I want to put fringe on it or not.


















And I have begun stitching the parts to my heavy cardigan together.  I have the sleeves attached and have half of one sewn together.  I plan to work more on it tomorrow morning cuz it has gotten quite chilly here so I want to begin wearing it.

The owner of our local yarn shop has begun dying yarn to sell in her shop.  Today I went to see some of her recent work but it was still damp so not yet ready for sale.  But while there I found a skein of some bulky she had died earlier so I bought it and have started a hat.

Now we just have to see if we can stay up until midnight (not likely).  We haven’t made it to midnight for several years and yet the New Year seems to come anyway.  So HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all.   Gari

And Away We Go

I guess the first thing to share are the two blocks that will make up Bonnie Hunter’s Celtic Solstice Quilt.  These are just the pieces put together on the wall to see the blocks.  And here is my dilemma.  Now that I see the blocks and what her quilt looks like, I am wanting to make the whole quilt.  My colors will look more spring-like than hers but it is going to be a beautiful quilt.  I am thinking that I will continue to make units and blocks for another month or two and see if I can get a whole quilt out of it.  If not, I pretty much have enough units for 2 placemats and a table runner.





And this is my current knitting project: a cowl that will have an eyehole to pull one end through.  I don’t have a pattern but am attempting to figure it out “all by myself.” 








I really love this yarn but I was told it was too fragile to be sock yarn so it has been sitting, staring at me while I tried to think what I wanted to do with it.  Then this week I realized that there are times when my neck is cold even when I am inside and I thought a pretty, and easy to take off, cowl would be nice.  I think this yarn will go with almost anything I wear and since I am doing a garter stitch all the “pretty” will come from the yarn.  I hope to make the  other end come to a kind of point so it will fit easily through the hole and have some visual interest.  Wish me luck.






I have had some people ask me what BOMs I am planning to do this year.  The first one, which has already started, is this Alphabet quilt from The Quilt Show.  The first part came out today and it consisted of three blocks.  Yes, I said 3 blocks.  As you can see they are both pieced and applique.  My plan is to make the pieced blocks out of all scraps but I will make the letters all one color.  What color, I hear you ask.  Well, I have no idea, I answer. 






Starting February 1 will be this Penguin Christmas quilt by FatCatPatterns.  I am really not into Christmas quilts but I can’t resist Sindy’s designs.  If I could I wouldn’t have done the Funky Chickens, The Wonderfully Fishys, and the Owls. 








And lastly, I hope, will be Head to Toe from Justquiltin which will start February 15th.  I am doing it because I have now knitted socks and hats so are mittens so far behind?  I see this one gracing the corner of my studio where I do most of my knitting.  Denise has already said that it will not be complete by Christmas next year so there are no plans to have it ready any time soon.








The last thing I have to share is this almost empty tin of candy we got from DS#3 and his lovely wife and child (see picture at the top of the blog).  We have been very careful to not eat too much of this at any one time because we did not want it to be gone.  However, we seem to be getting close to the end and we are very sad.  We have hinted that we think the gift should be a monthly gift but so far there has been nothing but silence from the givers.  Maybe we haven’t hinted loud enough.


DH is still on vacation: he returns to teaching on the 6th.  We went to see Saving Mr. Banks and found it a wonderful moving.  As a former psychotherapist I found it a wonderful case study of the effect of alcoholism on the child and of how one attempts to correct the problem and then how getting help from the outside makes it even better.  I went expecting a Mary Poppins type movie but found a funny and yet gripping biography.  I laughed and cried and almost felt I was working again except someone else was doing all the work.


Have a great weekend and I hope to have something new on the design wall to share on Sunday/Monday.    Gari

Just a Little Christmas

We decided to open our gifts on Christmas Eve this year and after that made the decision to move the stockings up onto the desk.  Why, you may ask.  Well, we have found that Santa usually brings more and bigger gifts than the socks can hold so there needs to be room for all that “stuff.”  In years past we have used our lounge chairs for the stockings but, again, with Sherlock in attendance we felt the desk was the safer place.  Boy, am I glad we found that desk when we did!




In the living room is the traditional Christmas laundry basket.  What?  You don’t have a traditional laundry basket for Christmas?  Well, when our children were young and we were visiting my parents my mother provided laundry baskets for each of the children.  As we opened gifts we were to put the wrappings in the baskets.  At the end of the gift opening we emptied the trash and the children put their gifts in their own baskets until it was time to go home.  So, with great glee, DH arrived in the living room with this basket which we more than filled as we shared what we had bought and/or made for each other.




The last gift he got was this hat that I had been knitting that day.  I hate to see him outside in the cold with his “little” bald head uncovered so I whipped this one up.  I was very proud of it as I finished it while we were watching Magoo’s Christmas Carol, another family tradition, just prior to opening our gifts.







And lastly, I do have to share one of the gifts that Santa brought me (it completely filled the sock).
















This represents a very exciting day as Auburn, my alma mater, again became SEC champs.














After all that excitement DH woke up Christmas morning with a pretty severe stomach flu-like problem.  He spent the whole day and evening in bed and/or the bathroom.  He was unable to eat or drink anything so it wasn’t until yesterday that we finally were able to have our traditional Chinese Christmas dinner.  One thing I have learned is that traditions change and wise is the one who is able to bend with the changes.


On the quilting front, I have been making units for Celtic Solstice but it is very slow going.  I am beginning to think that I will be making a table runner and two placemats instead of a whole quilt.  There are two new BOMs I have been looking at that I want to do and I have a quilt top that needs to be quilted soon so I think CS will have to be a smaller project.


And my knitting has been coming along nicely.  I am on the heel of the second sock for my purple/blue socks and started a dark blue pair yesterday.  Of course I ventured into the hat making process with DH’s hat and may make a couple more.  I really want to knit a sweater but have not found a nice yet inexpensive yarn I want to use so that idea is on hold for now.


I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, and fun.     Gari

Change is Good (?)

Saturday and Sunday I spent a little time in the studio.


Saturday I finished my block 4 of the Carol Doak Mystery BOM.  If I say I am really excited about how these fabrics are looking with  these blocks, will it sound like boasting?  I think this is going to be a really classy quilt.  However, Carol is one month ahead of herself (this is September’s block) so I may have to find something else to work on next month. 




I have also started work on one of my Christmas quilts.  What you can see here is the center with three rows sewn together.  I would have gotten them done but DH came in and invited me out to dinner so there goes my sewing time for today.  However, an invitation to the Mellow Mushroom is not to be turned down!  Tomorrow I hope to finish the rows and put a red stop border on before turning to other projects.






And I have to add a picture of my new iPhone cover.  I found this in Books-a-Million this week and was so excited I didn’t even get upset when the clerk and customer ahead of me talked for 10 minutes.  What you can’t see is that this is 3-D.  Isn’t this just me?









Now, to the change………

This has been a very busy and eventful week.  I did get some sewing done on Monday but Tuesday, Wednesday,  Thursday and Friday were all devoted to Weight Watchers.  And all through the week I began to feel tired and wiped out.  I do have a heart condition, rapid heart beat, and it got triggered Tuesday and I couldn’t get it under control until late Wednesday with some slight flair-ups on Thursday and Friday.  And I found that during this time my ability to deal with job or home irritations was limited.   So as of Friday I am no longer working for Weight Watchers. 

I can’t tell you how sad I am about this change but I also know that this is really the best thing for me.  I am a retired person but have been working for WW, more and more, for the past 3 years, and really need to get back to a more peaceful way of life.  And both my puppies and the studio are very glad that I will be home more. 
So today part of my time will be spent working on setting up a new, not too busy, daily schedule: wish me luck.

The First Day After Christmas

And this is what is going on the design wall today.  If you read this post you already know that this top was not made by me but I won it in a giveaway. 

I am putting it on the wall so I can look at it while I sew this quilt together.

I gave this to DH for Christmas, a box of blocks.  He loved the cats and so I am now ready to put it all together.  This will be my first new quilt of the new year and DH will be warm with his Crazy Cats each night.

Christmas Eve was a personal one for DH and me.  We watched Magoo’s Christmas Carol, again, a DVD of a musical program at the Vatican, and another DVD of a Christmas program with the Lettermen.    All of this was going on while we ate dinner and then opened gifts.

And this is how our gift cradle looked when we began.  This is our collection of gifts from family (living away from  here) and from/to each other. 

 

I am going to show some of the gifts we received. Although I will be referring to our children, please know that we also include the wonderful wives of these sons of ours.

 

DH was really excited when he got this book about the making of Magoo’s Christmas Carol from DS#3.  It has been a family tradition since our middle aged children were very small.  We even used to  watch a really bad VCR tape we made when we realized the major networks were no longer showing it.  We now have a blueray version and all of us can sing the songs along with the show.

 

From DS#2 he got a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  This has also been a family favorite Christmas show: DH plans to use this tree in his office next year.

 

And one of the gifts I gave him was this shirt.  He is known for his t-shirts and this will be the one he will wear when school starts again in January.

 

From DS#2 I got this pancake set.  I love the heart shaped spatula.  I plan to make the pancakes this morning (waiting for DH to get up) but first I will have to figure the Weight Watchers points so I can plan the rest of my day.

 

 

 

 

 

From DH#3 I received these owl gifts: a card, a tea light, a beautiful weaving, and a cookie.

 

I collect owls and these two have gone out of their way to increase my collection (except for the cookie, of course).  In my next post I will share the birthday gift that came with our Christmas package.

 

 

 

 

From my DS and BIL came this calendar.  It is Quilts of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are certainly not traditional quilts and I am really excited to be looking at them throughout the year.  I would really like to evolve into more arty quilts but really need a lot of inspiration because my mind looks for symmetry almost all the time.

 

 

 

 

So, here we are with an empty cradle.  However tonight our DD and DSIL are coming over to celebrate Christmas with us.  We will have chili, for the men, and oyster stew for we ladies.  Oyster stew was a tradition from my childhood and DD and I love it.  We will also share gifts and each other’s company.  And, maybe, we will watch Magoo’s Christmas Carol, again.

Almost Christmas

And so much going on here.

We have been wrapping gifts.  Like my wrapping table?  When not quilting I find that blank space to be quite helpful.  However, I do have a quilt on the frame so I had to get all the rest of the gifts wrapped so I could get on with my quilting.


Look at this package.  Can you see how the edges match up to complete the picture?  I am thinking that doesn’t happen often and especially not to me.







And the packages are piling up in our “gift cradle.”  Both the doll and Santa have had to migrate up as the packages have arrived.

And what was DH doing while all this “Santa” work was going on? 
Here he is watching a 3D movie.  Doesn’t he look happy?  Believe me he is.





Earlier this week we had the second of my pies: this time a turkey pot pie.






These were really good and will require a return engagement…..after I try something else later this week.




And one more thing I just have to share.  This is a quilt top I won from Chris Ballard. 









16 beautiful dresses made from Asian fabrics.  When I saw the top it reminded me of my grandmother who was a professional seamstress and made the most beautiful clothing.  She also taught sewing for Singer.  Anyway, these dresses are beautiful but I not only got the quilt top but a baggie full of these:

These are 2 1/2” strips of more of the Asian fabric.  Chris said that she made the top about 7 years ago but no longer wanted to finish it.  Right now it is lying on my cutting table but will soon be up on the wall so I can “stare” at it for a while, looking at different ways to make this top into a great quilt.  Thanks, Chris.

Happy New Year and Outgoing

When you read this I will be in Tampa, cheering. But I wanted to be sure and start the new year blogging.

First is the lap quilt I made for my mother who has collected all things chicken for several years. I was gifted with several chicken fabrics from some very nice bloggers and had just recently made a Dresden plate block for a BOM so this was the result. Mother has a “sunroom” that in the winter is very chilly so I hope this will keep her warm.

Second is a birdhouse quilt made for my husband’s sister and her husband. They are avid birdwatchers and I have wanted to do a birdhouse quilt for them but never could get a clear idea of what to do. Then Pat offered some paper pieced birdhouse blocks and when they arrived I was off and running.

Next I made two flannel rag quilts:

One for our youngest grandson –

and one for our great grandson.

Instead of the squares I did two sizes of WOF strips with batting sandwiched in. After they were pieced I quilted them on the HQ and then clipped (what seemed like forever) and washed/dried them three times.

For our DD and SIL I made double fleece throws. DD is a Dallas Cowboy’s fan and loves her coffee and when I happened onto a fleece sale the idea was born. I sewed them right sides together, turned them and then sewed twice around the outside so it looks like a binding. Our SIL’s throw is camouflage on one side and Elk on the other. Several years ago he and his son talked about wanting to go Elk hunting and I really liked this fabric. I told them I made these so they could turn the heat down in their house and save money.

The last thing I made this Christmas was machine embroidered pillowcases for our DIL. She collects porcelain Swedish horses and when I found these designs they seemed perfect.

Lastly I did a couple of t-shirts for DH and then I took a well deserved break.

Hope everyone has been having a fun and save holiday!