What I Did On My Mini Vacation

Today I am showing my “design ironing board.”  Before we left for Biloxi I pulled fabric for Bonnie Hunter’s Celtic Solstice mystery that starts 11/29/13.  I had pulled blues and bright greens but all of a sudden I decided that I really wanted to do something with purple so I made a change in the green, too.  I think I am going to use the dotted fabric as the neutrals even though I originally pulled black on white prints.




Then we were off to see Kenny G.  He was every bit as good as he is on my albums.  I think I grinned all through the 2 hour program.

















Both on the way to Biloxi and back home we visited some antique malls.  The first thing I bought was this set of shelves.  I love that they have sides and that they rotate up and down.  I also got a copper coffee pot, made in Turkey.  I love copper and have started collecting items for my kitchen.  I hope one day to cover my kitchen island with copper…..someday.  Also on the shelves is a sailor hat.  I looked for one last April when I bought a Navy Middy Blouse for Fred, but I couldn’t find one.  Yesterday I found this one in a mall.  It was $25 but when we got to the register it seems it was 65% off.  Boy, Fred is going to look really good when he gets dressed up to celebrate my father’s birthday month in April.







We also visited two really nice quilt shops on the MS Gulf Coast.  This fabric is from a Northcutt line called Stone Chips (I think).  It was really difficult to choose which fabrics to buy, they were all so luscious. 







The stripe fabric is not from the same line but goes well with it.  However who knows how any of this will get used.











Just when I was ready to move the shelves into the studio, there was Stubby, making herself at home.  I didn’t move her, I just started “walking” the shelves and she decided she didn’t need the aggravation. 












And this is how the shelves are really being used.  I have put the three BOMs I am working on on the shelves.  When I go to make a new block I like to see all of the others up on the design wall so I can make sure the colors are different or a different mixture.  With them on these shelves I don’t have to thumb through other BOMs or blocks to find the one’s I want.  Also they are out in the open where I can see them and, hopefully, keep up.

Not too bad as a beginning of Birthday Month, huh?  There was one other highlight:





I got this on our way to Biloxi.  It was so good that DH bought me two more slices on our way home: there is still one in the refrigerator.  Breakfast?

That’s all folks.  Hope everyone has a great week.    GARI

I’ve Been Busy

All this past week I have been beginning a reorganization project in the studio.  I began by emptying a large 9 shelf storage unit in order to replace it with this:


It is much smaller and I had to find new homes for much of what was there.  What is left for this “wine rack” is all the UFOs that I unearthed, many of which I didn’t remember (2007 and up). 













The top two boxes are BOMs: green for the ones that are completed but not yet made into a quilt and the purple one is for ongoing BOMs. 










The wine rack is solid wood and wrought iron: very heavy, but small enough that I now can get to all of my design wall.













So on my design wall today are two of the many UFOs.  On the right is Star Struck by Bonnie Hunter (I attended a workshop with her which was wonderful).  This will not get any larger but soon I will plan borders for a child’s quilt.

To the left is the result of a workshop where we learned how to use a wedge ruler. 







My plan was to make a Christmas Tree skirt but somehow I seem to have fallen down on the job.  I have several more segments done so we will see how close my circle gets.











Another UFO I have been working on is my Henrietta Whisker’s blocks.  I embroidered the first 8 while we were in NC and I just made 9th block over the  weekend.  I still need to applique it down but that will get done soon.  It is the last block and then I just have the setting pieces and final applique to do and I will have another top that needs quilting.








I also have prepped the pieces for Block 3 of Carol Doak’s BOM.  This will be the first thing I do this morning (after dishes, laundry, etc.) and I will feel so good when at least one BOM is on time.











I even decided on what fabrics I will be adding to my ugly fabric challenge fabrics.  The pink is added and I will also be using a white.









And this is my plan.  The block was a Quilt Pro block of the day which I redrew in EQ7 and then designed the plan on the right.  Now, of course, I just have to begin making the blocks, always a problem when I have so many projects going at the same time.







I forgot to share the last of the fabrics I bought at Mary Jo’s.  Isn’t it beautiful?  I have no idea what I will be using it for but I have 2 yards of it waiting for inspiration.











And one last picture.  These are the overalls I found in an “antique” mall.  Of course they are not old but I fell in love with them.  And they are oh so comfortable.  I now have almost enough overalls to wear a different pair every day.  DH says I am still a hippie from the 70s and I guess in some ways I am.


That said, I guess it is time to get on those household chores so I can get back to all my waiting projects.  And you can get over to Judy’s blog to check out all the other Design Walls.

Excuses, Finds, and Purchases

Well, we have been home for 4 days and I have yet to turn on a sewing machine or even pick up a needle.  First there was the unpacking and cleaning.  Then there was WW work.  And for the last two days I have been involved with a studio project that seems to not involve any creativity: I am cleaning off a set of shelves in order to install a new set. 

I have laughed when other quilters have “found” UFOs and blocks they didn’t remember they had.  Well, I’m not laughing anymore.  I have found 4 sets of blocks I didn’t remember (2 I don’t remember even making).  Additionally I found 5 self kitted.  The sad thing is that they were dated 2007 and 2008.

So, to make this post more interesting I am going to show some of the things we bought on our wonderful vacation.

DH’s big purchase was this ‘Hop A’ Long’ Cassidy toy.  It is tin and made in the early 1940s.  It is a wind-up toy that rocks and the lasso swings around.  In our cowboy museum of a front room we have many Hoppy things but we have never seen this toy before and were all excited when we (I) found it.

I was really excited when I found this really cute basket.

Inside is a charming tea set.  The interior of the basket is made of foam covered with fabric.  Since there are no nicks or cracks I don’t believe it was ever used.

 

Isn’t this pretty?  I am looking forward to evening tea.

 

 

 

 

 

I have another tea basket I blogged about in March but this one is different in that it not only has the teapot but also has two cups.

I also got this set of glasses.  They are not old at all but since I collect owls, which are all over the house including the cowboy museum, I figured we should have owl glasses, too.  Plus the former set of glasses, I bought 25 years ago, has been growing smaller due to husband dropping.

Tomorrow DH and I are going to try to pry the older shelves out of the studio: not an easy task since I have a lot of furniture in there.  Then we have to move the new shelves into the sewing room.  The new shelves are made of solid wood and wrought iron.  I figure these two moves will take all day.  Then, if we are still able to move, I will be putting stuff away and getting ready for Design Wall Monday by trying to sew a little something.