patriotic scraps sill being handled

Michael left around 8 AM for golf here at SCCL on Saturday (3/30) , while I eventually headed downstairs to hopefully make the final push for my patriotic scraps.  I loaded the fat quarters/half yards back into the canvas bin: 

and dumped the rest out on my cutting table: 

to be ironed and catalogued or cut.  I got a bunch more strips cut but no where near all of them before Michael came home from golf and we proceeded to spend a couple of hours continuing to re-arrange the studio.  We unplugged our computers and TV stuff, got all of the cords straightened out and plugged into our new surge protector.  I think we have finally gained enough room for the new long arm, put still need to move my sewing/cutting tables closer to the door.

We both took showers in the late afternoon, had our weekly fish sandwiches from ARBY’s and then picked up Paula and Anne and headed to Fort Mill Playhouse for THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME.  We laughed through almost the entire play…it was wonderful (and quick) we were home by 9:30 to relax and read for the rest of the evening.

elephant baby quilt, Lynn & Mitch & dinner at Miro's

We were up early Friday (3/29) to get breakfast in and the blog out before leaving for our eye doctor appointments.  The nicest thing about this appointment was that our doctor went on and on about how beautiful the baby quilt I made was, and how much her son seemed fascinated with the bright colors.  That was music to my ears as out of the 4 baby quilts I made recently, that was my favorite:  

We left at 8:30 AM for the appointment and got home at 1 PM after additional stops at the COOKOUT (just for milkshakes), gas, CVS and the vet’s (for dog food).  Michael immediately left to take Cookie for a walk, and I headed to the studio to continue working on ‘stuff’.  I spent the afternoon continuing to cut up patriotic leftovers into usable strips.  We left at 5 PM and picked up Lynn & Mitch 

and headed out to MIRO’s, a tapas restaurant in Ballentyne.  Our dinner was wonderful: 

we ordered empanadas to share as an appetizer

I had the grouper with a corn/peppers/potato topping

Lynn had eggplant

Michael had a shrimp dish

while Mitch had red snapper

Michael and I shared this triple chocolate cake for dessert...it was heavenly

while Lynn & Mitch split the coconut cake

and Mitch told us a fascinating story from his time in Vietnam.  We finished up just in time to head into Charlotte to Actor’s Theatre to see THE GREAT BEYOND.  The play was EXCELLENT and we were home by 10:30 to read for a bit before bed.

SHQ Show & Tell

Michael packed my car on Thursday (3/28) before heading out for golf.  I got a few more strips cut and packed my lunch and headed out after 9 AM to pick up Paula and head to quilting.  I was very pleased with what I got sewn while I was there, and as usual, we had wonderful Show & Tell: 

isn't his incredible?  I would like to do this pillow

This is Paula's quilt...isn't it gorgeous??

made for Dolly's parent's anniversay, about 10 years ago

LOVE this quilt from Mary Anne, note the kitty peeking in from the left...

including both auction quilts:  

I can't wait to call these ladies to come and pick up their quilts!  

Paula came down to our house after quilting and we booked our mammogram appointments together, and then talked and talked.  Joanne stopped by to see our bluebird house, and joined in the conversation.  The weather was so beautiful that after that Michael and I sat out on the lanair and read our books and talked for quite awhile.  We made a quick trip after that to deliver some batting to Pod "V"  (getting it off of the pool table and with the 2 quilts done my list is betting better):

-borders on QoV – done!

-borders on QoV – done!

-borders on QoV

-binding on retreat purple/teal

-finish zig zag – done!

-list elliptical for sale

-clean off pool table

-eliminate sofa table with safe

-auction quilt 2 – done!

-auction quilt 3 – done!

and eventually I had leftover Shepard’s Pie for dinner (Michael and his golfing buddies stopped for a big lunch and he wasn’t interested in dinner) then settled in with knitting to watch TV.

blueberry bread, corraling QoV scraps

Michael has had a little bit of a scratchy throat for several days, so I wanted him to sleep in on Wednesday (3/27).  I took Cookie out and closed the bedroom doors once she snuggled in with him, unfortunately I laid down on the couch in the living room and fell back asleep until 8:30 myself!  By then it was too late to get the blueberry bread in the oven before SKYPE-ing with Janice, so I just ran through a few emails before signing on.  We had a wonderful visit and after signing off at 10:30 I headed upstairs.  I got the blueberry quick bread put together and in the oven while Michael made me breakfast: 

and eventually I made it back downstairs to post my blog with 8 minutes to spare!  I have to post before NOON in order to have it picked up and sent out as an email that day.  

The blueberry bread (from Sally's Baking Addiction) was done before 1 PM, so we both had ‘second breakfast’ 

before Michael headed out to the driving range and I headed back to my studio.  

I have completed somewhere around 34 Quilts of Valor, with no clear plan of what to do with the scraps.  I’ve just been tossing them into this canvas bin: 

I got from Ginny A.  I finally decided what to do with them and spent the entire day making a start on ironing and cutting them into appropriate lengths:  

These will become my Thursday project for the moment, since I have yet to settle on anything else!  The best thing about my plan is that they can be sewn on any machine and the seam size will not affect the finished product.  Michael made ravioli’s with meatballs for dinner and I headed out at 6 PM for Kristin’s house.  It took 3 tries to get the tension right on Sandy’s quilt, but by the time I left at 9 PM, we had 3 rows done.  I was beat when I got home and just vegged until bed.

Larry & Peggy, borders on new QoV

Michael made gas housers for breakfast Tuesday morning (3/26) while I skipped breakfast as I was still full from Martini night deep dish pizzas the night before!  I just had time to get a bit of paperwork done before it was time to leave for a ‘celebration of life’ for one of our neighbors, Larry.  Larry built most of the frames for the quilt tops I stretched in our kitchen and living room, and he and Peggy have been to our house several times for dinner over the years:  

Larry & Peggy

It was a beautiful service and one of his sons and one of his grandsons spoke.  

We stopped at Dairy Queen for a lunch of BLIZZARDS on the way home, and I had 2 hours to start putting borders on another quilt top before heading out to the Chartered Club Manual meeting I have every Tuesday.  

I was home again just after 5 PM, and had a quick dinner of leftover Shepard’s Pie before kissing my honey good-bye (he was off to the movies with Larry) and heading to the studio once again.  I spent a lot of time trying to wrestle my patriotic scraps into some sort of order (I made a small start) and also finished putting the borders on one of my retreat tops:  

So, that’s another thing off of my list, plus one less thing on the pool table!

When my honey came home, he thought you’d like to see the big space…just waiting for my new long arm to arrive:

purple hot mess quilt, SNS Martini Night

Michael was up at 6 AM (yikes!!) on Monday (3/25) for golf, while I finally staggered out at 7 AM.  I made my morning tea, got my blog out and then started contemplating my latest list.  

I have been a list maker for a long time (and by long time I’m talking childhood here)….and whenever I feel stressed (as I am a bit about making room for the new long arm and the current messiness of my studio), making a list helps me to calm down.  That way, I have it in black and white what I need to be working on.  So here’s the latest, in no particular order:

-borders on QoV – done!

-borders on QoV

-borders on QoV

        I came home from the QUAP retreat with 5 QoV quilt tops, but 3

        of them still needed borders…I’ve only finished 1 of those. 

-binding on retreat purple/teal

        The purple/teal quilt top was made at the Fiber Floozie retreat,

         and I did manage to get it quilted awhile ago, but it still needs

        binding.  And with the death of my PFAFF (my workhorse

        machine where I also did ALL of my binding), binding is a tricky 

        subject these days.

-finish zig zag top – done!

        I finished the zig zag top last week at quilting. 

-list elliptical for sale

          Part of making room in the studio for the new long arm involves

        selling our elliptical machine and I have done nothing with that

        yet. 

-clean off pool table

        Michael has no hope of playing pool right now until I do something

        about this: 

-eliminate sofa table with safe

        Part of the re-arranging involves cleaning off and then getting rid

        of this table:

-move book case

        and moving this bookcase: 

-auction quilt 2

-auction quilt 3

        And finally the second and third quilts, promised at the FMCP

        Auction at the end of January that will both be finished by

        Thursday.  So, this is what  I’ll be working on over the coming

        weeks.

I had a lot of paperwork to get through, so I decided to tackle that first while I was fresh.  I cancelled my health care spending account near the end of last year because I was very upset that they started charging $3.25 per month just to maintain it!  Just a week ago I received a letter from my health insurance company that I received $100 bonus from BC/BS, but it MUST by law be deposited in a health care spending account!  So, I’ve gotta hit the bank, get one set up, get the money deposited, move it over to our checking account, and then close down the new health care spending…..SHEESH!  Plus, I’m trying to go through all of the information on supplemental health plans that go with joining MEDICARE.  By the time I was done with various phone calls, and paying bills on-line, it was time to head to the Lake House for a meeting on the craft fairs that take place here at SCCL 3 – 4 times per year.  We had a good meeting and after a stop at the bank (to cancel the credit card associated with Quilt Devo, LLC and to open a new health care spending account and to cash a check) I was finally home after NOON.  By then I was ravenous and made a grilled cheese sandwich for brunch.  

I spent the afternoon still cleaning the studio, and I re-found a bunch of blocks.  These blocks are probably 20 years old…from when I was president of our guild in Connecticut.  People were supposed to make 9 patches, but as usual many people did not adhere to that suggestion.  Michael tried laying them out and I think they just look like a hot mess:  

He needed a few more blocks for a whole quilt, so I made up those:  

He’s going to try to re-arrange them somewhat, but I’m not sure there’s any hope to make anything really look nice or cohesive.  

I left after 6 PM for Martini Night at Pat’s:  

our hostess with the mostest!

What a wonderful evening.  She made an antipasto platter:  

and made incredible Chicago style deep dish pizza: 

with cannoli’s and cookies for deesert:  

There were beer - tinis for our first drink:

but my fabulous friend who knows I detest anything beer-like made cougartinis just for me  :~).

And Italian Wedding-tinis for our second:

Bonnie & Alice

Joyce & Ellie

Andie, Jane, Pat (in fridge) and Joyce

We played SALAD BOWL and it was a scream.  I was home by 10:30 and Michael and I collapsed into bed.