Design Wall Monday

Oh look...another tablerunner :) I actually finished the sunflower runner and a blue striped runner last week but forgot to take pictures - maybe later this week...

This is yet another runner that I started last fall and it got set aside when there was no chance of getting it done for the Bazaar. I've added the brown inner border and now I am laying out the outer border to make sure the colors are balanced.

I prefer to stand on the other side of the room, remove my glasses and squint to make sure it looks balanced.

When that fails...take a picture in black and white! hmm...the black and white pix tells me the orange and green on the upper right need to be seperated...didn't notice that standing there this morning.

The colors are pretty bright and intense, even for me. Wait until you see the back and binding that I picked out.

Design Wall Monday

This is a Scrap Therapy pattern that I really enjoy. And when I am too lazy to dig out the pattern, I just put an already completed table runner up next to where the new one is being worked on. All this from a striped fabric and some scraps. I need to pick some fabric for the side borders (brown? green?) and then it will be done.I've decided to have a table at the Holiday Bazaar again this fall...but I'm starting NOW to get some things done early. Go me!

National Quilting Day

Tomorrow is NQD and I'm not even sure I'll have time to step into the studio :(

In the morning we have the second half of our ice rescue training...it seems the lake will still be in good shape so we will be out on (unstable) ice in the 50-60 degree "heat" - spring fever has hit us all.

After training, I'll be babysitting my nephews. My SIL asked if I could sit at some point this weekend so they could go to the city (Rochester) to the educator sale at Borders. I offered to make it an afternoon and evening so they could use the movie tickets I gave them for Christmas. ok, so that means I can also watch tv when the boys are asleep!

Have a good day tomorrow!

Spring Forward...

...into the dark! I've always wondered if changing the clocks really makes such a difference. I mean, now I have to turn the lights on in the morning. What's the diff - morning or night? Did y'all change your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide batteries? I have new smoke alarms and batteries waiting to be installed.

I've got the top together for my Quilts for Kids quilt. I was thinking of being an over achiever and appliqueing a black cat in a bottom corner that I would quilt with some bright colored thread I have...we'll see how this week goes.

This past Saturday was ice rescue training for the Castile Fire Department. Most of Silver Lake is in our district so it pays to be prepared. The lake still had 10 inches of solid ice so we practiced at Letchworth HS pool. We have 3 Mustang Suits and 3 older suits. They are designed with an air pocket inside, with only your face uncovered to the elements and can keep you warm for over an hour in ice cold water. Unfortunately, they are one size fits all and really made for tall, thin firemen. I don't qualify on either account. When your feet are underwater, the air pocket is forced towards your upper body, creating a vaccum around the lower extremeties. For shorties like me, the suit slipped so that my toes were in the ankle portion of the suit - it felt like I had flippers. Ankle weights help keep you upright but it is still hard to maneuver. The next picture is my dad and we all looked about the same. Depending on the weather, next saturday morning will be spent on Silver Lake with poor ice conditions.

Quilts For Kids

I admit, I have been watching Bingo Bonnie working on her Quilts for Kids quilt but I was skeptical that they would actually send me a free kit with very little obligation. This is the kit I received Wednesday:
As I opened the UPS package, I was thrilled to see my favorite bright colors but I was even more thrilled to see the focus fabric has kitties all over it! There is enuf fabric here for the front and back, I only need to supply batting and binding. Not a bad deal. The instructions are included as is a hope that we send back the instructions and baggies for reuse. I might just send a few extra instruction copies and baggies. Downy provides the quilt lables.

Quilts are to be returned in 4 weeks - but I don't think that will be too much of a problem because I am already this far:
The missing pieces are still on my machine - my method of leaders/enders.

If you to would like to order a kit, or find more info go to http://www.quiltsforkids.org/.

design wall monday

A lot has happened since my last post but I have been very lax in taking pictures so I have nothing to show for it :( Before I started this blog I used to take a lot of pictures...

This was my design wall yesterday...the project is from http://blog.maryquilts.com/ and called twisted 9-patch. I think I've decided to make it into a table runner so that I can use the flowered fabric as the backing as there isn't enuf for borders. I purchased that fabric when I took the bustrip to Toronto last fall. I didn't re-read Mary's instructions before cutting so I did the 9-patches with 2" strips instead of 2.5" strips. I've wasted a lot of the green fabric cutting the squares down to what I feel looks ok. That'll teach me, huh?!

This next picture is my whole design wall...the other parts are a little more long term, some are even stagnant. I've started hanging table runner tops by that wooden pants hanger, prevents needing to re-iron them later.

This is CasaGrande after the last storm we had a week or so ago. We've probably only had 3 "big" storms this year and it always seems to be warm and melt shortly after the storm. This week is a fine example - it's currently 55 degrees so you know the yard is now half covered in dirty snow and half mush from the melt-off. I really hate this time of the year for that exact reason but it sure was nice to sit outside in the sunshine during lunch today!

Ooh, and one more for the road...