octopus, patriotic-3 started, starfish

Michael was up at 6 AM for golf on Wednesday (3/30), and I dragged myself out before 7.  I was moving kind of slowly, but made it to my studio by 8 and was embroidering and ironing/cutting shortly afterwards.  I finished off the third octopus 

I love this pink/purple thread and bonus...I got it for free!

and got all of my patriotic blocks cut and ironed after their initial sewing.  That always seems to take longer than I think (hope?) it will.  

I started to embroider some starfish, and got my 1/2 square triangles sewn into 2’s.  By then Michael was home (with an 85 and his LONGEST drive of 236 yards!!!) and we sat out on the porch for a bit, reading and enjoying the sun.  We had the last reprise of our Easter dinner, then I headed downstairs to SKYPE with Janice (which actually worked….YAY!)  I came back upstairs before 9 PM and watched TV and clipped all of the threads on my embroideries and ripped off my stabilizer.   

I am just loving these newest CUTE SEALIFE embroideries.

Octopus embroidery

I was gone on Tuesday (3/29) from 9 AM until 4:30!!!!  Pat W, Cathy W, June S and I went to an embroidery open house  for a company called TEXMAC in Charlotte.  It was an all day affair (they even fed us lunch) and Pat won 40 big spools of embroidery thread and June (the only one of us with a multi-needle embroidery machine) won a new hoop…it was TERRIFIC.  Jerry W and Mary B from Scrap Happy Quilters were also there and Jerry also won 40 spools of thread.  We had a good time, and though I thought I would take a nap when I got home…I guess I was just too wired.  I talked to Michael for a bit, then made a quick trip the library with a stop at Jan’s on the way home.  We had another reprise of Easter dinner, then Michael left for the movies (Superman vs Batman) and I settled into my studio.  I got 2 new embroideries done for Clinton….they are SO CUTE: 

 

 

 

and continued to sew on blocks for the third patriotic quilt.  I pushed myself and kept going until 10 PM.  I was vegging and watching TV when Michael got home at 10:30 and after talking for a bit, we both went to bed.

turtle embroideries, second patriotic top done, charity day box

Michael made his usual spinach/mushroom omelet on Monday (3/28) and headed out to golf, while I headed to the studio to work.  First I started up my embroidery machine, and finished the third embroidery of a turtle for my next set of Clinton quilts:   

 Then I got my rows ironed and sewn together so that my second patriotic quilt is ready to be quilted (I will wait until the third top is done and quilt 2 & 3 together...I think it will be my last variation on this disappearing hourglass pattern).  

 Then, other than water walking with Pat in the afternoon, I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon pulling together stuff for our charity day at Scrap Happy Quilters on Thursday.  We had leftover ham/potatoes/carrots/corn for dinner, and in the evening (while Michael watched the ladies UCONN basketball), I got the 20 squares of muslin cut as the bases for the blocks we will do at quilting on Thursday.  

 

I'm hoping to pull together another bunch of squares for us to put together because I have 4 sewers on my team and I think they will knock this first quilt top out quickly (at least I hope so).  Willa has asked us to help replace the PRAYERS & SQUARES quilts that are given out, and I would love to get 2 tops made for her.

Easter dinner with Gale & Phil, Pat & George, Jim O

I LOVE getting up early!  I hopped up at 7 AM Easter morning and got tons of stuff done before Michael was up just after 8.  By the time we got done with breakfast (WAFFLES OF INSANE GREATNESS) 

leftovers for later in the week

it was 10 AM and I left him in the kitchen to make potato/carrot mash for Easter dinner.   

equal pounds of potatoes & carrots

add a stick of butter...mash....YUM!

While he was waiting for stuff to cook, he was watching a bird finding stuff for a nest: 

 I headed downstairs to iron and then cut squares for the next set of Clinton embroideries.  I got one stitched out…the first set of quilts were CUTE FISH…this next set are labeled CUTE SEA LIFE (pics tomorrow).    That’s the good news…the bad news is, I have totally used up my bolt of cream tone-on-tone fabric  :~(.  Between my embroidered quits from last year and this year, and the patriotic ones (I cut out for 3 of them)…I have used up 15 yards of cream that I bought last August.  I might have to make a trip to FOUST before their sale THIS August….hmmm…BG is visiting in May…do you think she’d want to go?   

Anyway, by then it was time to head upstairs to put together deviled eggs, 

roll dough, 

 Kentucky corn pudding and get the ham ready for the oven.  Jan gave me a new kitchen towel for Easter....of course the color is perfect and I decided it should make its debut today:

 By the time I was done with the food, I just had an hour to relax, so I read my book until Pat & George, Gale & Phil and Jim O arrived at 3 PM.  We all relaxed in the living room for a bit:

me & Gale

Phil & Pat

Pat & George

even Cookie was with us

Jim & Gale

We had deviled eggs and stuffed clams for appetizers, and finally sat down to a scrumptious dinner (potato/carrot mash, green bean casserole, rolls, ham...the Kentucky corn pudding didn't set up until AFTER dinner  :~( around 4 PM.  Gale’s family has a tradition (and Mary Jo’s family does it too) where they crack eggs against each other around the table.  The person with the uncracked egg at the end is supposed to have good luck all year long….so this year…Pat is the lucky person.   

stuffed clam & one of the red eggs

We sat and talked for a bit after dinner, 

 then Pat served her dessert.  OMgoodness…and to think I complained when she said she was not bringing a chocolate dessert.  This was a luscious (and perfect for spring) angel food cake, with strawberry custard in the layers, and separate bowls of fresh, sliced strawberries or strawberry “sauce” to drizzle over top….HEAVEN!   

 And, since I complained about not getting any chocolate, she brought me an Easter basket (actually it was more like an Easter wheelbarrow) absolutely CRAMMED with every kind of Easter candy imaginable…she is TOO MUCH!!!

 Everyone left by 6:30 PM and I settled in to finish my book.  I was SO SAD to see this book end…and really disappointed that now I’ll have to wait another year or 2 for the next one.  This book CAREER OF EVIL is the third in the series, written by Robert Galbraith (which is the nom de plume of JK Rowling).  The CUCKOO’S CALLING was the first book in the series…which I thought was excellent…but I swear she just keeps getting better and better.  You need to read the books in order, they ARE murder mysteries…but they are so much more than that.  In this third book, you finally get more of the back story on one of the main characters and it was very interesting.   

Michael wanted to watch the end of the golf, so I headed downstairs (actually dragged myself would be a better description) and continued to embroider and sew until 8:30 when I headed back up to collapse on the couch and veg in front of the TV.  It was a wonderful Easter.