Feline Friday - 4/29/16

Hey Momma! Mind if I sit with you for a while?

You can keep doing your hexies - I don't mind...

I'll even roll over so you can stroke my luscious belly furs.

Sissy doesn't even seem to mind that I am on the couch with all y'all girls.

Shhhh, Momma - Don't tell her I really like her!!

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Up to my old tricks...

I finished putting these four card trick blocks together at guild last night!!

The needle busted through my callous mid-way through the meeting and almost said a naughty word but I was able to hold my tongue. Now if only I could find my itsy bitsy teeny weeny sheet of stick on thimble pads. Couldn't they make the sheet a little bit bigger than 1x2"? If I can't find it by this weekend (I've been kind of looking for it for 2+ months) I just might have to hit up one of the not-so-LQSs to buy another sheet. Maybe I'll attach it to a large sheet of paper!

Can you see that the purple parts form an X and
the teal parts form an O?

My original plan had been to have a purple O and a teal X but when I put it on the design wall it just felt more balanced this way. I should have taken photos of the 2 options but I didn't think of it until now...

Several people at guild were interested in the back side. 

Next up? I need to decide on borders...my arch nemesis...

Design Wall Monday - 4/25/16

2 pieced hexies and 2 chrysanthemum rosettes (hexie club birthday shape for 2015)
completed at my conferences last week. I've finished some other rosettes but they got
filed away before being photographed. Oopsie!

My work conference is held in Saratoga Springs every other year. On those years
I stop at a quilt store south of Syracuse on the way home. This year my goal was
blue/yellow/orange (across the top) for my pieced hexie project and hexie fabrics
along the bottom for my iSpy . This brings me up  to 96 different hexie fabrics!!
Thing is, I think I need 4 more to finish the design I am working on. Oh and the
green batik (top left) is sashing for the iSpy. Unless I change my mind, of course...

This weekend was a statewide volunteer fireman recruiting event.
The weather was gorgeous but the event wasn't very successful.
We did get 1 application which is better than none...

Yesterday was spent making the rest of the iSpy blocks and sewing them into twosies.
I'll have to finish pressing them tonight. Can we say boring??!!

Feline Friday - 4/22/16

Momma!?!

You were gone FOR EVER!!!   Six. Whole. Days.

I missed your lap :(

Even if GrandMomma let Zorro outside and he didn't come home until you did and and even tho GrandMomma gave me lots of scritches and treats - I like your lap the bestest.

Love you, Momma!

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HeLP for Hexie-aholics - 4/17/16

Hello and Welcome to our monthly Hexie Linky Party!!!

I've prepped this post pretty early so I'm afraid I don't have much to share. Sorry :(

This is one of the pieced hexies I'm working on this weekend. I love this "Kilter" layout! If I followed the directions properly, the stripes will radiate around the center hexie which is the dark blue batik I shared on Monday. All the scrappy blue pieced hexies will have the same center blue while all the yellow/orange pieced hexies will have the same central red batik.

OK, my friends - now it's your turn to share your current, vintage or UFO EPP projects. Looking forward to your inspiration!

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Feline Friday - 4/15/16

Y'all keep your chocolate supply in a Halloween pumpkin, right?

As resident QCO I would like to offer you my services while you do some dishes...

Umm ... I think you missed a spot of that roasted tomato soup!
I can help you clean that up if you want...

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Vacation shopping

Part of the fun of a vacation is shopping. Now I'm not much of a shopper but put me in a grocery, antique or quilt store and I'm a dedicated shopper! Having not been to any quilt stores in Baltimore, or Maryland for that matter, I asked Dad if we could go to one while visiting my uncle. Even better - he came back with 2 or 3 stores in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amish/Mennonite country!! Woohoo.

When counting hexie fabrics for yesterday's post I forgot to
count the 2 on the right side of this picture. 

Our first stop was by accident - we were driving through Bird-in-Hand towards Intercourse when we drove by Log Cabin Quilts so we did a quick u-turn and found a cute little store. It carried fabric, finished quilts and other things like candles and a few home goods. You know I tuned right in to the new hexie fabrics!

Sampler box of jams and jellies picked from probably 20 options.
I thought this would be fun for a tea party.
The chapsticks are ok - I probably wouldn't buy them again, esp at that price.
The peach amaretto pecan honey butter is delish on crackers. Just 2 is a sweet treat.

Once we got to Intercourse we started at Kitchen Kettle Village - OMG, all the samples! We barely needed lunch. There were jams & jellies, salsa, pickles, relish, dips and desserts. And you have to try EVERYthing (sometimes you need to try it more than once) to make up your mind what to buy!

Also in the "Village" of tiny stores was a little garden shop. I REALLY wanted the yellow rhododendron but couldn't cough up the funds (I have a someday vision of a completely yellow and purple garden) so I settled for this sweet little lavender plant.

Moda is celebrating their 40th anniversary with this cool "selvage" fabric.
Oh! Gee! More hexie fabric! I'm surprised!

These three batiks (2 were on sale!!) are for my pieced hexie sampler.
These are 2 of the 5 constant fabrics. The other 2 are purples.
The carved wooden bird is for my Christmas bird tree.
In another 30 years I'll have enough bird ornaments to cover the whole tree.

Next up was The old Country Store which carried books, clothes, some food, quilts, jewelry and lotsa fabric. It was a nice mix.

Next up we swung over to Hinkletown Bernina to buy a ruler foot. This was kind of a birthday gift since I haven't been able to buy what Mom gave me money for -she then told me to buy whatever I wanted. I guess that makes the rest of it a gift to myself! 

Just today I booked one of my summer camping vacations which means I have to drive thru Syracuse which means I can make a pit stop at AQS Syracuse. What a co-inky-dink! I'm SURE  they will have quilting rulers to buy!

Last stop of the day was an antique mall. Lots of pretty things with pretty high price tags. This little watercolor beauty was just $3! Now I need to find a wall to hang it on where it's not overwhelmed by too much wall space.

Not a bad haul for a non-shopper, huh?!

Design Wall Monday - 4/11/16

Salt & Pepper blocks completed in MD

I'm baaaaaacccckkkkk!

Twisted hexie blocks and extra black centers completed in MD

Didja miss me?

"house" blocks completed in MD for hexie club birthday swap

As you may recall, I disappeared from the blog for a week of laziness after a long Easter weekend to visit my uncle in Baltimore and then for a 2nd week after being sick. I may have disappeared from the blog but I was still working on projects in the background.

pieced hexie blocks for Mickey Depre's 2016-17 sampler.
These were machine sewn before the trip. During the trip I trimmed seam allowances and basted them.

I suppose your first question is what happened to my March quilt lab clean up project. Since I was out of town, sick and I'm now getting ready to go out of town not just once but three times, it's been placed on hold or maybe delayed is a better word.

I've been trying to catch up on my i-spy blocks since vacation.
This pile of 30 blocks has the wonky black-on-black borders attached.
They were later trimmed down to 6.75" square - a boring job if ever there was one :(

 Let's just say that I'm still working on cleaning the lab but it's taking longer than expected since life has gotten in the way. I'm not surprised. Are you? I highly doubt that it will be finished in the next month or 2 due to a big project so lets just call it a longer term (summer?) project.

more twisted and pieced blocks completed at home

I expect there will be hexie finishes in the next month and there are also new projects so there will be plenty to entertain you in my ongoing hexie UFO saga....

All but 4 of the I-spy blocks are completed. I've got them layed out sorted by left
 /right angles and by which BOB fabric so I can keep it balanced.
I know - it's a little OCD.
I'll be at several quilt stores this weekend to look for more hexie fabrics and then
I'll start to sew them together. I have 90 hexie fabrics as of today!!!
Some are the same pattern but in different colors - there are prob 80 different patterns.

Back to the Design Wall...

I sell name badge holders at one of my conferences -- this is batch #1.
This is a new (requested!) pattern since the girls wanted zippered compartments.
I hope they like them...

We traveled to Baltimore, Maryland for a long Easter weekend and then stopped in Intercourse, PA on the way home. That meant that I had 10 hours travel time for stitching as well as tv time at my uncle's house. I was quite productive, if I say so myself. Of course, I still packed 3 times too much (this is what happens when the supplies take up so little space) but it was nice to switch projects now and then.

I've started to make some of the blue pieced hexies for Mickey's pieced sampler

Since returning home, I've finished some of the projects started on the road trip and worked on others as well. I have not one but 2 conferences this weekend so there will be plenty of stitching time - I just need to pack enough to keep my fingers busy which helps me concentrate in the classes better.

I finished the left card trick block and made a second.
I will make at least 2 more and then assess what to add for the proper doll quilt size.

I had originally intended to lay them out with the teal always in the upper left but I layed one of them
 down backwards and I'm kinda liking what will become a teal 'X' and a purple 'O''. 

Feline Friday - 4/8/16

I am PRETTY!
Oh So Pretty!

I know this 'cuz Momma tells me so!

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Feline Monday -

Yipp - Zorro here again!

Yipp! It snowed this weekend!
Can you find me?

Momma was really sick all weekend so I told her to take this week off from blogging. She finally caved and will do a double Bibliophile Files next month. She knows she was lazy last week about sharing her trip to Baltimore, MD and Intercourse, PA but I told her I would still love her if she didn't blog again this week.

Don't worry Momma -
I'll hold your hexie i-spy blocks in place until you feel better!

Can you believe she didn't even bring hexies to sew during lunch today? Told you she was sick!!! Except I think I heard her mumble something about being "bored".

Momma - I can't hardly see Toby's house! Do you think he's ok?

Momma was so sick I had to sit on her lap 4 times this weekend - FOUR! - Momma says that make 6 times in the 2.5 years I have been an introoder. I say she just isn't counting all those nights I sleep with her and she doesn't know it...

Gotta go take a nap - see y'all later!

Feline Friday - 4/1/16

Hey Ho!!
Zorro and Squeaky here!
We thought we should introduce our cousins which Momma got to visit in Baltimore last weekend...

Dix almost immediately sat on GrandPoppa's lap - he is allergic you know?!

Zorro - This is Dixie Doodle. She also goes by Dix, Dixie Do or Lush. I think she's beauteous!

Dixie Do is a Turkish Van that was adopted from a shelter and only later discovered who her forecats were. Van's are mostly white with color on their heads and tails. They also like water - just not Dixie Do.

Dix  likes to go outside like my brother but her long fur gets very matted so her momma takes her to the V.E.T. every summer to get a lion cut. Can you imagine? I'll be good Momma, and stay out of the burdock, just don't shave me down...Please!!!

Squeaky - This is Rasputin. He goes by Raspy. SWOON!

Raspy gets to sleep in this doggy bed cuz he is so big.

Raspy is a big manly cat - he's very tall and long but he also has arthritis so he can be a bit cranky. He took a bit to warm up but then he really liked Momma and let her pet him and he even sat next to her on the couch like I do. I guess he doesn't like kids and it took him a while to decide that Momma isn't just any kid...

Raspy is very gently for his size. He shakes paws before gently taking a treat from your hand with his big mouth. Maybe he can come to NY and teach me how to shake... Double SWOON!

Have you visited your cousins lately?

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