Convergence top done, new patriotic center together, MMR!!

Michael left for the chiro early Tuesday morning (1/30) while I left my babies basking in the sun: 

and headed to my studio to continue working on several things.  First up was finally finishing the quilting on the second men’s quilt:  

I didn’t immediately load up the third quilt because I have to think about whether I will have any room to quilt once 5 yards of fleece and batting are rolled onto the back roller.  Next up was getting the borders on my convergence quilt:  

I want to do a lot of embellishment on this quilt, so I need to get it quilted before I can work on that.  My honey came home from the chiro and running a bunch of errands and tried on his sweater….OMG!!!!  Thank God, it is fixed.  I asked him to put his hand where the sleeves came to before I worked on it (of course the body was way too tight and way too short as well):  

I can’t believe that really worked, but I am so very grateful it is fixed (thanks for the hair conditioner Paula!!!!!)  He headed right back out to have lunch at MAXWELL’S with a bunch of his buddies while I worked on another four 16 patch blocks out of my HST.  I now have 12 blocks for the center of another quilt:  

Michael left to pick up Larry at 6:30 to see THE HOSTILES and I continued to sew and got all of those patriotic blocks sewn together. 

**********MMR (Michael's Movie Reviews***********

HOSTILES: the new western, written & directed by Scott Cooper, is aptly titled.  Taking place in 1892 in Arizona, Colorado and Montana, everything  is hostile.  The environment, the native Americans, the US Cavalry, fur trappers and cattle barons all play a part.  Violence is everywhere and yet so is angst over how all people are being treated.  Sweeping vistas and  Christian Bale's soulful musings however, cannot save this slow moving tale of the conflict of 'cowboys vs Indians'.  This movie is no DANCING WITH WOLVES.  Only 2 fat quarters out of 5.

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Books!

So, I was watching one of those ‘mysteries & murders’ on the Hallmark channel the other week and the murderer was leaving clues from mystery books.  I got the book they referenced from the library, which was a Hercule Poirot mystery MURDER IN 3 ACTS and polished that off.  It was so delightful to read again (kind of like meeting with an old friend that you haven’t seen in years, but you fall right back into talking like no time at all has passed….and it’s so comfortable) that I decided to make my way once again through all of the Miss Marple books.  So far I’ve finished THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE and THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY and they were just as satisfying as when I read them before….2 down…I think there are 11 more to go  :~).

convergence borders

I was up at 6:45 AM on Monday (1/29) to be ready when Paula picked me up at 8:10.  We headed to Lancaster to try to find the trial for a guy who was charged with property damage here in SCCL.  Paula and I were already scheduled to go out to lunch on Monday, but we decided to make a longer day of it!  So, we get to the ‘big court’ (that’s what they call it) and find out that that is not where it is happening and they send us to the Magistrate Court.  We go there and sit for 1-1/2 hours before we find out that the defendant did not show, the defense lawyer did not show and the case is being continued, but they couldn’t tell us when it would be re-scheduled!!  We head back to the first court to find out when court is actually in session….I feel very sorry for victims of crimes because finding out anything is very difficult, not to mention things really seem to happen in a haphazard way.  It reminded me of decades ago when someone broke into my house.  I never could find out when the trial was or what happened!!!  Oh well…we asked the court guys where to eat and they directed us to a great burger place called SAMBO’S on 903.  I got home at 12:30 PM , only to find out that I shrunk Michael’s good wool sweater – a beloved souvenir from Scotland -  by accidentally putting it through the washer and dryer  :~(.   So, Paula gave me some hair conditioner and I worked on the sweater.  We’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow to see if it really worked.  I did a little quilting in the afternoon and also started to cut borders for my convergence quilt:  

Michael left for rehearsal at 6 PM, taking all of the Swedish Almond Bars with him.  When he came home at 10 he said they fell upon them like ravening dogs!!!  And they sent a million thank yous my way….so THANK YOU SUSIE  :~).

So, I have to crab just a little.  Joann’s has been sending me multiple emails about buying things on line and having them shipped to the store…which means FREE SHIPPING.  In the last 3 weeks they have had 2 sales on the kind of fleece I like.  The price was 50% off, plus an additional 20% off coupon.  I tried ordering the 6 yards of brown fleece.  I got an email that part of my order was in, but not all of it….what?!?!?!  When I called and talked to the store, the manager indicated that they had 4-1/3 yards.  Well, since I’m using it all as one big piece for a quilt backing, that didn’t really work for me.  He talked me into another brand of fleece and I headed up to the store and bought that.  So far…buying on line for pick-up in store is a bust.  Then, a few days ago the same sale comes up.  I need blue fleece for a new project I am working on.  I go through the same rigmarole….and when I order my 8 yards of blue fleece (I know there are 8 yards on a full bolt), the internet indicates that 10 yards are available.  I wait 3 days, and suddenly get another email saying my order was cancelled as what I wanted was not available…..what!?!??!  So, from my perspective, this ‘order on line pick up in store’ doesn’t work at all.  So…they need to quit sending me those emails!

Cookie & Elsie, patriotic paperclip top finished

Michael headed out to the grocery store first thing Sunday morning (1/28), while I got laundry going.  When my honey came home, I went up to help unpack groceries and found this:  

I just LOVE that little paw sticking out.

Michael made my standard breakfast (ya just gotta love that guy):  

and then I started to put borders on my Patriotic Paperclip quilt.  And I have to ask.....why do borders always take longer than I think they're gonna???  I put a skinny cream border and then a bigger dark blue border and Michael thought that really finished it off and made it look classy  :~):  

After that I got several more rows of quilting done on the second men’s quilt, while spending a good bit of time on a new pattern.  Mary Jo sent me a picture of a quilt I really liked, but I need to alter it to fit into the patriotic paradigm.  For me this usually involves lots of drawing and guessing and starting to write directions, which I then have to test out.  A made a bit of progress on that before working on more HST.  I had cut out 32 HST at retreat as part of the demo, so I spent a bit of time after that trimming and pressing them.  

Michael left at 5 PM for rehearsal and I spent some time in the kitchen.  BG has the most fabulous almond bar recipe, but it takes almond paste something I don’t typically have in the house.  Susie made something called Swedish Almond Bars at retreat, and she graciously shared the recipe with all of us.  I liked it because it used ingredients that I ALWAYS have in my house, so I finally got them made on Sunday, right before Pat came over.  We each enjoyed a large piece of them and they were yummy!  I cut the rest up for Michael to take to rehearsal Monday night, 

after which Pat and I sat in the living room and talked and talked.  We haven’t really seen each other lately and it was good to get caught up.  Michael came home at 9:30 and cancelled out of his Monday morning golf as it was raining steadily all day.

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patriotic paperclip moving along, Cookie & Elsie

Michael was up early for golf on Saturday (1/27), and I stayed out of his way in the kitchen by running my emails and getting my blog out.  I decided I wanted to finish up my retreat project at home.  I got all of my blocks made and sewn into rows at retreat and just needed to sew the rows together.  It shouldn’t make a difference doing that part on a different machine, so that was first on my agenda.  I LOVE this new pattern:   

I will definitely be making more of these.  I took a 2 hour break at 11 AM (and when I headed upstairs, this was going on): 

and headed up to the Lake House to drop off electronic recycling, to the library and to the hair dresser.  I had set my newly washed hair on rollers in the morning and knew it would never dry by the evening….so I sat under their hair dryers for about an hour.  When I finally got home I spent time on a second set of ‘stars’ in blue from my HST (I love the secondary diagonal pattern it creates):  

I had soup for a quick early dinner and Michael and I set off at 5:30 for the FMCP auction.  What a wild night!  I was really nervous and it was FABULOUS to look out into the audience and see people I knew.  It was over before I knew it and Michael and I came home and collapsed with our books for about an hour before bed.

It’s time for another:

**************MMR************  (Michael’s Movie Reviews)

Michael and Larry went to see THE POST on Wednesday night.  There is no ‘fake news’ in this movie  :~).  An excellent historic re-telling of the publishing of THE PENTAGON PAPERS in the early 70’s.  Excellent acting by Meryl Streep & Tom Hanks with just the right amount of suspense.  Michael didn’t realize that THE POST was just a small paper at the time this happened, but has now become a large paper and a force to be reckoned with.  At the time, the decision to publish was literally life and death for the paper, depending on which way the Supreme Court ruled.  Michael gives it 4 out of 5 fat quarters.

this & that, another Quilt of Valor presentation

I was moving very slowly Friday morning (1/26) and by the time I got my emails and a few phone calls out of the way….I ended up starting my blog entry at 10 AM!!  I finished up around 11 AM and headed upstairs to eat something as I was STARVING!!  Unfortunately, unlike Wednesday & Thursday….I didn’t have an army of women making me delectable treats  :~).  After a bowl of Sausage Soup I finally made it back to my studio to start my sewing day around NOON.  I got my 10 stratas all sewn together for a new quilt: 

but still need to make the pinwheels to go with them.  I finally started quilting on the second men’s quilt:  

And I found a HST star that I like for all of the HST I have been making.  It is a 16 patch, so I will use 12 in one of my quilts and then add a border:  

I spent the evening watching TV with my honey and reclaiming some aqua heart fabric from my recently quilted Four Patch Frenzy.

I’ve gotten some pictures over the last few days that I am finally getting a chance to show you.  BG has started her Four Patch Frenzy….wonder why I LOVE it so much?  

So that’s 4 people down (Leila, Janice, Deb and BG) and 3 (June, Mary Jo and Pat ) to go  :~)…although I have heard from MJ that she has started her 4 patches for the FPF!!!

Also, another one of my Quilts of Valor has been given out.   Don Martin was celebrating his 91st birthday with friends and relatives at the corner of  160 and US 521. The surprise party and the quilt presentation caught Don and his wife totally unexpectedly. In excess of 20 people were there for the event. He was extremely pleased with receiving a quilt as was his wife. 

Don graduated from high school in Detroit, MI in May of 1945 and immediately volunteered to join the U.S. Army. He was a part of the 8th Army Division and was sent over to the Pacific Theater to help finalize the victory over the Japanese enemy which was not finalized until early 1946. Obviously, he was just an 18 year old kid putting his life at risk at that time.He and his wife live just over the state line in Marvin, NC.

Scrap Happy Quilters 2 day retreat

‘Stick a fork in me….I’m done!!’   I said as I came through the door on Thursday (1/25) after our 2 day retreat at Scrap Happy Quilters.  I had a FABULOUS time….and I think everyone else did too  :~).  It started at 8:30 AM Wednesday morning as the Fellowship Hall was opened and the people responsible for breakfast and setting up the hall wandered in.  Breakfast was awesome: 

and afterwards everyone sat down and got busy….

we sewed until our 1:30 lunch: 

then continued sewing until 4:30 when we all headed home.  Of course we still had show and tell:

I was totally pooped when we got home and thought I’d spend the evening not moving…but after Michael left for rehearsal June and I headed downstairs.  June decided to stay overnight at our house as she lives 45 minutes to an hour away.  Having each other to talk to must have given us both a second wind because we worked all evening.  I made 64 HST’s and June ironed them all for me.  Thursday morning (1/25) we were up and out of the house early to have the church opened by 8:15 AM and it was another full day of sewing…

Floy did a demo for us each day

and of course eating:  

I must admit, when I came home on Thursday afternoon I didn’t move much.  I plopped on my chair and read and napped until Michael left at 6 PM for rehearsal.  I guess I got a second wind again because I sewed from the time he left until 10 PM when he got home (pictures tomorrow).  It was a fabulous 2 day retreat and most (if not all) of the participants can’t wait to do it again!!!