Hub’s Birthday Month

This is my husband, Eric.  We have been married 51 years and later this month (March 22) he will be turning 71.  He has been teaching for 48 years.  He retired in 2006 but because he is so popular with students, peers and even administrators, he has continued to teach on a “part-time” basis.  He teaches at two different community colleges and for a couple of years at three (each of the presidents has been a peer instructor at one time or another). 
The pictures now showing on the blog header are all of Eric at various stages in his life.  In 2004 I made a family calendar and this is the photo page for March.  I wanted his children to know and remember him in all his childhood/adulthood stages (which have not been too different from each other).  The women in the top left picture are his mother and grandmother.  His mother died when he was 11 and his grandmother not too long after.  The next picture over is of Eric and his sister: they are one year apart with Eric being the elder.  Next, to the right, is Eric as a pre-teen and then you see the boy I married.
The bottom pictures are of Eric when he visited his father in FL in 1961 and again in 1989 years later when we went looking for the house.  Even though it had been so many years later, Eric was able to give enough direction that we found the house and he was so pleased to see it looking much the same.
The picture furthest to the right is Eric dressed in a sweatshirt with knitted band I made him and pants given him by our DS#3 and DIL.  He put them on for this picture and they have been in my studio ever since (15+ years).  I keep thinking I am going to make vests out of them but so far nothing has happened.























A you can see, life with Eric has never been dull.  Not all peaches and cream but never dull.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

WOW and stuff

I really had a slow start this week.  We drove to Pensacola to do some eating and antiquing.  For the eating we had…….

                                                                                                  

Taco pizza.   No one makes it where we live so we are always excited when we find it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we went to the Blue Moon Antique Mall.  As soon as we get there I start singing the song, one of my favorites. 

Anyway, just as we came in the door I spotted this chair. 

It is the 70s style of Scandinavian chair and footrest that I have seen for years but never could afford.  This one is done in gray leather and reclines and swivels.   I have been wanting a chair for the bedroom (for when I don’t want to watch what DH has on the TV) and this is perfect.  I will be making a throw and pillow for it but with the low arm rests it will be great for doing that hand embroidery the BOM designers insist on putting in their blocks.

And, of course, next to the chair is the dress form I just had to have.  It is male but this one has arms.  He will be dressed in cowboy clothes and will be a living room cowboy to go with DH’s B Western collections.

Now, I have been doing a little work in the studio.  On Monday I organized my pieces for the 4 Block 4s:

 

All of the pieces have been pressed to fabric and sorted into baggies, ready for me to start making those blocks.

However all that has been put aside as Mildred and I worked out our differences and have begun quilting JR.  I am using King Tut Lime Stone, a variegated lime green, for the top thread.  I like how it is showing but does not take away from the bright colors.

And lastly, there is Ms. Murphy.  I went to take this picture and what I got was a “get out of my face” look.  Somehow, I think she thinks she is the boss around here.  But, of course, everyone around here thinks that.  Just look at this look of contentment:

 

DH and Abby, doing what they love best.

Is Football Season Over Yet?

It seems that Dish offers a special deal to be able to watch all the Big 10 football games. Ask me how I know. Football started Friday and was on ALL weekend. I must say that if I am at the stadium to watch a football game, I am a real fan and can yell with the best of them. But on TV, I don’t think so. But 3 solid days of football and I am so over it. Lol


So while the games were on, I spent all day Saturday in the studio. I worked on some paper pieced blocks I had been gifted by Pat and completed a quilt top that will be a gift so can’t be shown at this time. I, however, was really impressed that I got a complete top done in one day. The blocks were a little rough, some still had paper on them and some were made using cut away stabilizer and wash away stabilizer that had been “fused” to the back due to steam pressing. And, of course, they came in several different sizes. lol So, most of the morning was spent cleaning up the blocks and cutting the sashing strips and borders. The afternoon was spent sewing it all together. This is the layout that I have drawn: sorry I can’t show the work until later.


Sunday, because football continues all weekend, I worked on this charity quilt. Last week I cut out and sewed the blocks for this quilt, a D9P using shirting and fish fabric.

I had decided on no sashing between the blocks so it went together pretty quickly. All of the fabrics came from stash: I am so proud. Once I figure out a backing I hope to get this on the frame Monday and try a new panto on it. I really like these bright quilts.




Last week I finished the block at the top of this picture and was really excited. I had started this BOM in April or May and now I was caught up. Just as a matter of course, I counted my “finished” blocks and it came to only 7. “That couldn’t be right” I thought since I had just finished block 8. I got out all my instructions and low and behold, I hadn’t made block #7 cuz it wasn’t even in with the other patterns. But now I am all caught up, even have #9 done. These three haven’t been machine appliquéd yet but that will be part of next week’s work.

While I was working away in the studio today, DH was fixing brownies. Ask me how I know…

So, between daily rain and football, I have had a very productive weekend. How about you?

Before a weekend of no sewing.

Well, here it is, Friday, and I have completed one quilt: note the blue binding. I even have the guild label on it, ready to be given to a child in need. For some reason I really like this little quilt. The fabrics are mostly shirting but have different textures that make the quilt top interesting.














I also started something new. This is from Bunny Hill Designs and is the first of a series of 12 baskets she is doing as a BOM. I have been collecting the designs but until yesterday had not started them. And, while I was doing this block I also made two bird appliques, from the February block, to use in a UFO I also started working on as a gift quilt.


Now, if I did the math right, I completed one project and started two. Opps, that sounds like I am going to be busier than before. lol

Tomorrow I am going away to visit friends in NWFL and Sunday Dh and I will be going back to FL with our daughter and SIL for a fun lunch and possibly some antiquing. By Monday I will be having sewing withdrawal and will get back to these two neat projects.



And for a parting picture, here are my two best friends, again. Don't they look cute?

UFO Progress Report

Starting with what’s on my design wall. This is called Flight School. I made it last November to hang behind the Christmas Village set up we have.

When I made it I got the reindeer appliquéd but ran out of time before I could get to the trees. So today I pulled it out of the UFO pile and finished the trees. I even got it squared so now it is ready to be quilted. Of course I do need to come up with a backing.




Saturday I was, quite by accident, in a fabric store and found this fabric I think would work for my binding on Jazz.

I had seriously thought of black binding with an orange piping but then I realized that I need the binding to fit with the back as well as the front. Tomorrow I will cut and press the binding and maybe even get it sewn on.









Puppies is completed and even the binding is done. I have it lying across the frame waiting for me to get it quilted. However, once again, I need to decide on a backing first.











I also worked on the guild challenge quilt. Of course this is all I can show you since it is supposed to be a secret. It, also, is almost ready to quilt. In fact this one has the backing and is sandwiched. But since it is not due until October, it is not going to make it to the frame right away.












And last but not least, I got caught up on the Calendar Challenge strips. wanted to feature yellow in this month but also to use fabrics that I am using for other projects.


Now, please note that nothing above is completed but everything is ready to go.


Speaking of going, I also wanted to show my two favorite traveling companions. These are my two best friends.

Welcome to Monday

The weekend was not as productive as I would have liked but I did get some quilting done. I worked on my Continuous Curves. I do pretty well, sometimes, and others, my hands seem to get in the way of the template and machine. Anyway, here is a sample of what I did.


There are 9 sets of triangles in the row and there are 4 rows: I have now done one. I’ve got a long way to go. I think my next quilt will have to be an edge to edge “something” just to give this old mind a rest.

So, while taking a break from quilting, my DH asked if I was going to take his picture with Ponce.



And he couldn’t just have his picture taken but had to make it dramatic (the actor in him).

But I think he was just using Ponce so he could get himself on my blog again: HAM!

Speaking of Ponce, he really likes the woods around our house. He seems to disappear into the trees, following some unknown scent.

But to better see where he goes, I shot this picture from the woods looking back toward my studio. This is a great playground for a happy puppy.