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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Kami's Quilt

Kami is Stefani's niece - she's 10.  Her Mom, Sabrina, helped us with Nan while Stefani was on her honeymoon!  Anyway, Sabrina asked me to make a quilt using some of Kami's baby clothes and I, of course, said YES!  I cut and cut and cut - for over 3 days, to get LOTS of pieces and then Sabrina and I started putting squares together.  It was such fun!!!  Anyway, here's a photo of the quilt - finished finally on the 24th - just ahead of the deadline!


Sometimes, these special "challenging" things just help to make the day!  This is one of those.  I'm finishing lounging pants for Josh, Ren Brown, Zach and Carin (talk about challenging, I promise to NEVER attempt lounging pants again).  The best part of the day consisted of Ren Brown and I redoing their lounge pants.  AND, she did most of the sewing!!!  YEAH!!!!  Also Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt is in full swing although part 5 was published today and I'm still on part 4.  I think I'm really going to like this one!  Black/white/ gray, golds and reds.  No photos until the final reveal, but I'm hoping I'll have mine to share sometime shortly after that!

I'm planning on a very fruitful, happy and pleasing 2016 - probably not too financial, but you can't have everything!!!  My hope for all my family and friends (although most don't see the blog) will  be for them to have a wonderful 2016 and know that I love them all!!!!

Monday, September 21, 2015

For my FAV

Well, as fate will have it, My FAV (Favorite Aunt Vallie) fell and broke her hip (the same
as the left hip Mom broke) a little over a week ago.  She lives in Red Bluff, CA, and was visiting with Jamie while at a craft show in Red Bluff.  I'm so very thankful Jamie was there as Aunt Vallie had been living alone most of the time! 

Anyway, she is now in rehab and we're praying for a quick recovery.  Here are a few photos of the quilt I'll be sending her way.  I'm hopeful as she continues through this recovery, this quilt will bring her comfort and warmth and that she'll know just how loved she is!!!


You will always be my FAV Aunt Vallie!  Always in my thoughts and prayers as  you work hard to get better!!!

Friday, September 4, 2015

Moving on

Okay, so it's been a LONG time since I've blogged anything, I know.  Most any readers know my Mom passed away on July 19th - my brother's birthday.  He has decided he has no problem sharing with Mom!!!  Anyway, busy times since then, and the real truth is I probably haven't been in the mood to SHARE anything since then.

Life goes on, however ( or I think someone said that once??).  I took my Brother 1500S in to get cleaned and serviced on Wednesday.  Received a call soon after that there was a problem with my machine and he didn't know if he could fix it or not without parts ($$$).  I received a call yesterday morning, machine was ready pick up and for the same $$ I had been quoted!  I am thankful!!

I brought it home and quilted this top and I must say, I'll have to get my machine cleaned and serviced - without the problems - more often as the quilting on this top is PERFECT!  No skipped stitches and the length of the stitches is almost even.  I love this Jacob's Ladder pattern - will follow it up with another one soon.

My goal is to keep myself busy (including some housework once in awhile!). 



Friday, July 3, 2015

Happy 4th of July everyone

I know, it's been awhile since I added anything here - I've been busy.  Don and Mindy went to Michigan for Dale's memorial service and then on to Libby - in time for Don to do LOTS of dish washing!  Jamie came to stay with me and Mom while Don was away and I enjoyed her visit!  We aren't sure just how we might make it without Stefani's help - she returned from her honeymoon just in time to be SOOOOO helpful!  Thanks Stef!

Mom is now in Hospice care at home - which means lots and lots of visits by nurses, social workers, a chaplain, etc.  We enjoyed meeting ALL of them and although this is another new "normal" for us, I think our connection with these people will make "normal" easier for us.

Mom has actually been doing well - alert, even sometimes funny!  I'm trying to enjoy all the GOOD times even more than normal.

On the quilting side of my life, here's the latest!  Right timely, don't you think?  Thanks to Missouri Quilt Company for the instructional video!  I love it!  and will surely do another with red/white pinwheels.


I received a "convo" on Etsy the other day from a lady who wanted me to make a special lap quilt for her Dad.  He turns 90 on August 1.  My Dad would have been 90 on August 2!  I think this is one of those times when special things come to you for some reason.  I knew from the first convo I was going to make this quilt for her Dad!  I even ordered fabric yesterday!!!!  Didn't get the confirmation I was going to make it until today.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to making this one!  Photos to be posted when it's done.

More later - I have to pin a SPECIAL quilt for one of my favorite people today.  Photos when it's done.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Two new eyes!

I'm happy to report my cataract surgeries are now complete and I can see again.  What a difference it makes when things are CLEAR again.  It's amazing how much we adapt to changes in our bodies and don't even seem to notice the difference.  I'll get a prescription for distance glasses in a couple weeks, but for now, I'm amazed at how clear everything is to look at and my present glasses (I use when I'm driving) seem to work fine.  We'll see how different the prescription is.

That's it for today!!! (hahaha)

Stefani's getting married!!!

Well, we have a week from today.  Stefani will be a married lady - and off to Aruba for almost  TWO WEEKS.  She is really getting excited and so are we, for her.  For us????  Stefani's sister, Sabrina, works at a care facility and has done the same kind of work for a long time.  She's going to come help with Mom for a few days while Stefani "lays on the beach".  We haven't finalized the exact times she will be here, but I want to make sure Don has some time to get away without worrying if Mom and I have fallen and are on the floor!!!

Stef saw this quilt in one of my quilt magazines and LOVED IT!  Of course, I ordered it right away to make up for a wedding gift.  That was in March.  The kit was supposed to be ready after April 1 and it finally arrived mid-May.  Anyway, it's finished and she got to take it home today.  I think she's pleased!


She hadn't really seen the fabric - just loved the colors and the design.  When it arrived and I read the BELIEVE poem, I knew this was for her!  It says, "SOMEDAY everything will make perfect sense.  So for now, LAUGH at the confusion, SMILE through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a REASON!"  Sounds like good "marriage" and "life" advice to me.

I don't think we'll be able to get Mom in and out of the car so she can attend the wedding, but either Don will stay with Mom and Carin and I will go, or Carin will stay with Mom and Don and I will go.  However it turns out, it will be a celebration day.

I'm thinking it's getting closer and closer to the time we need to raise up Mom's bed and just change and feed her there.  Then she has a better day, and I get to change my mind!  One day at a time - that's the motto!  And I get to say "I love you" every day..  I'm thankful.

On a positive note, Jamie is coming to spend some time with us!!!  She's planning on coming on June 16th (I think) and Don will be leaving for Kalamazoo on the 17th.  His brother, Dale, passed away a few months ago and while they had a service in Florida, his memorial service and burial in Kalamazoo was held off until June 18th.  Mindy is going to be able to go, too!!  She and Don will get together in Denver on the 17th and fly together the rest of the way to Detroit.  From there, they will rent a car and drive to Kalamazoo.  He is going to return with Mindy to Libby, MT., for a few days after the service.  It'll be grand for him to see his sisters and Kit and for Mindy to share this time with him.  I'll miss not being there, but glad the two of them will be able to spend some good time with the Redeker family in Kalamazoo.

I'm hoping life will get back to normal sometime in July!!!????


Saturday, May 2, 2015

Mother's Day Sale

Shame on me!!!!  I even had the camera out and ready!  Stefani and Mom helped me put on a Happy Mother's Day sale in the front yard this morning.  What a beautiful day to be outside!  Mom wasn't out there long, but we had a great time.  Don put up a clothesline between trees in the front yard and we had a couple tables decked out with lots of zipper pouches, microwaveable bowls, potholders and kitchen towels.  We hung quilts on the clothesline.  WELL, we only had 3-4 people stop by but they all stopped to ask about quilts.

 We sold 4 and one lady brought back a quilt top in 2 pieces (king size when it's done) that was sewn and quilted by her husband but never put together.  Somehow, I'm going to join the 2 pieces together (I know there must be a way!) and do the binding for her.  She asked me for a price, I gave her one (just to sew the 2 pieces together and do the binding).  She said that wasn't enough especially since I'd be hand binding it - so I told her to pay me whatever she thought was fair!  She DOUBLED it!  YEAH!!!  And that means I'll be going to the quilt shop on Tuesday (they're closed on Monday)!  Oh, happy day!  In case you don't already know - hand sewing the binding is one of my favorite parts of the entire quilting process!  Yeah me!!

NO ONE even looked at the Mother's Day goodies we had but overall we had a successful day and are now looking forward to doing it again next Saturday morning.  Stefani's bridal shower is next Saturday but not until 2PM so we're going to have a sale in the morning.  Then, we'll get to go to the shower.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Premier of the GO Cutter

Happy Birthday to me!  I can today officially write about my birthday gift from my family....my new Accuquilt GO Cutter!  It's really cool - have completed my first scrappy quilt made from 2 1/2" squares cut with the cutter - much faster and more accurate than using my rotary cutter!  I posted photos of it yesterday.  Today, I'm making pinwheel squares with half-square triangles made with the cutter!  Here's my cutter, me winding the die through the cutter, and the end result!


I'll reveal the pinwheel quilt soon!

Thank you dear family for thinking of me!!!!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Beautiful mountain morning...

There are benefits to living most places in this world probably, but here are a couple of photos taken from our gate and from my living room that surely share just why I love it here in Nevada.  If you get the entire photos, you'll see across the field the Starbuck's roasting plant - not allowed to put any smells into the air :(  I thought it would be a GREAT idea when they built it to have a kiosk out in their front drive selling coffees or or even a syringe hookup to save time!!
 We actually had RAIN yesterday - everyone was so excited!  It didn't last very long but we did get wet!!  Much needed!

Here are a few photos of the newest Jacob's Ladder quilt since it's now completed.  I really like it!  The last one has a back side view of Beau (he wouldn't cooperate with me) but you can see his new haircut!  SO cute!!





I've been working the last few days on some excel work for Mindy.  I've enjoyed it as a change of pace, but my quilting has taken back-seat for a few days.  I have another quilt I'm quilting now.  Looking forward to sharing photos once it's complete.

I'm planning to have a Mother's Day craft sale in our yard this weekend (but Saturday looks iffy).  I'm making signs and organizing all the finished stuff I have - in case we can do it on Saturday.  If not, I suppose we can do it on Friday/Saturday next week, still in time for Mother's Day.

I really need to "share" some of my finished projects with others and I'm hoping this will be the way!  More later....

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

I'm such a LUCKY girl!!!!

It's almost another birthday for me....I'm not so sure I LIKE that bigger number but then, not much I can do about it either!  My family surprised me with a WONDERFUL early birthday gift!  Here's the firsts result

See all of the small squares?  They are actually 2 1/2" squares and I cut them with my NEW Accuquilt Go Cutter!  SO much fun and much quicker and easier on my hands than the old way.  It's really FUN to cut with the cutter (more photos of the actual cutter in action I'm hoping for tomorrow) and it's surely something I wouldn't have purchased for myself! 

Big THANK YOU's and loving hugs to my family for the wonderful gift!  Jamie and Ernie, Mike and Peggy, Mom, Cathy and Gary, Carin, and Mindy and Kyle!  I love you all!!!  I'm now pulling out LOTS of fabrics to cut more squares and half-triangles.  No telling just how much trouble I might be able to get into!!

This pattern is called Jacob's Ladder - I'm loving it!  The black with pink dots is the left-overs from a quilt I made for Marianne's 60th birthday - we're not saying how old she is today!!!  Anyway, it's really girly and I love it!

And, of course, Beau had to be in the center of the quilt!  He loves all of my tops as they are finished!  Time for a haircut Beau!!!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

New quilts to share

Okay, I almost completed this post and then deleted the entire thing!!  Maybe someday I'll be an expert at NOT deleting??

Anyway, I think I forgot to post final photos of my "Palindromes" quilt, made from a "jelly roll" of that name- fabric by Paula Nadelstern for Benartex.  I've had the jelly roll in my stash for awhile and decided I needed to do a half-square triangle quilt so I paired the jelly roll with another "white" one and voila....


I love the deep, righ colors in this one.  It's hanging in the family room at the moment so I can enjoy it!!  Notice the loom standing next to the first photo?  Perhaps this spring I should get that out and finish up the warp on it!  How many years ago now did I do all of those "looper" rugs?  I think I have enough loopers for another couple rugs and I'm SURE there's enough warp for at least another couple!  We'll see...




And now for the latest.  This is one of the string quilts I just love!!  This one in medium gray to white for Cheryl and Larry.  I've been planning it since I returned from Montana.  Their new home is contemporary - lots of white and crystal - I did get the info from Cheryl that she was going to accent one wall of the entry with a light gray - so here we are!  I'm hoping they will like this quilt and enjoy it for years to come in their new home.  AND, remember just how much I enjoyed my recent visit and our getting to know each other while I was there.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Pattern testing

So, about 2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to test a new pattern by Connie at Freemotion by the River.  I have followed her blog for quite some time now and I enjoy seeing all of her projects.  This new pattern is called Aruba Sunset.  She did her samples in pink/orange,cream and a pink/orange print.

I needed a table topper in my kitchen that might use some of my blue/white In The Beginning fabric I love.  SOOO, here it is:
My first chance to test a new pattern and I loved it.  Although, with Mom's hip "issues" the last week or so, I almost missed the deadline. 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

My trip to Montana....

So, My trip to Montana was wonderful!  My first gig working in a restaurant and although I was tired a couple of the days, I enjoyed all of it!  I welcomed customers, brought them chips and salsa, took their drink orders, delivered the drinks, checked on them during their meals, and then bussed the tables.  I even did some dish washing (and pots), cut veggies, measured out the beans....well,  you probably get the idea by now.  I really enjoyed it.

I got the tour of Cheryl and Larry's new home under the last bit of construction (it's going to be absolutely beautiful) and they took me for a cruise to view wild sheep (mostly rams) and deer.  They were all well within the city limits casually walking through residents yards!

Cheryl and Larry are Kyle's parents and it's unbelievable that although the kids have been married almost 11 years, this was the first real chance I had to get to know them.  I'm looking forward to more visits to Montana and spending more time with all of them.

Carlos (our nickname for the chef, Kyle) cooks up some delicious Mexican food and Mindy is terrific with customers - AND she's unbelievably ORGANIZED and CLEAN!  She says it's OCD but whatever it is, I'm very proud of both of them and their hard work.  If you're ever in Libby, MT, be sure to stop by Rosita's for lunch or dinner and tell them I said hello!!!


Here's a photo of the birdhouse quilt on the new bed Kyle and Mindy purchased - it's a pole bed made from wood from the Yak in Northern most Montana.  Looks pretty perfect don't you think???


Saturday, February 7, 2015

Birdhouse quilt is finished!!

AMAZING!  I finally finished the birdhouse quilt!!!!

I was given the squares as a housewarming gift from my friends Teri Chandler and Connie Spurlock back in 2000!!!  They also gave me the white on white fabric and brown post fabrics - all I had to do was finish up the blocks, add some sashing and quilt it!  Oh, and I also made all of the yo-yo's and sewed them onto the birdhouses.  And to think it only took me 15 YEARS!!

I guess there must have been a plan in effect though as I plan to take this quilt with me to Mindy's when I go next week.  They just bought a new bed (for me, of course) - It's a log bed made from wood from the Yak!  I think these birdhouses will look great on that bed and it will be waiting for me to visit the next time, too!

Speaking of my trip, I'm really excited about it!  Mike and Peggy will arrive sometime this week, in time to be trained to help Don with Mom and Stefani will be here most of the week, too.  Anyway, I'm flying off to Kalispell, MT, and then on to Libby for a week playing at Mindy and Kyle's restaurant!  I'm so looking forward to it.  It will be the first time I've been away from Mom for even an overnight, so I'm a little anxious, but still looking forward to it!

THANK YOU Teri and Connie for the quilt squares!  I really love this quilt!!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

ORANGE strings and a new pieced back!

I'm not too great at blogging every day....but maybe just more often??

Here's the newest string quilt - an ORANGE one - I was afraid the white and black would make this quilt SCREAM Halloween, but I don't think so....just ORANGE.  For the back I used an autumn leaf fabric I had in my stash and some orange squares left over from last year's Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. That's the goal, you know, to use up all that I already have.  For this quilt, I purchased a yard of orange, that's all!!


I hate that I'm taking these photos in the living room.  The lighting is SO BAD.  I must concentrate on finding a spot outside - maybe at a park - but then it's hard for me to get out to do that.  But find one, I must!

Here's a new back for a quilt I plan to sandwich and quilt tomorrow. The top is made from Palindromes fabric by Paula Nadelstern and sold thru Benartex.  I found some pieces I've been saving from another of Paula's lines and had fun piecing a back large enough for the top.  I'm kinda feeling bad for using up all this GREAT fabric for a back but I may just have to look at the back more often once it's quilted.  I originally bought this fabric for tote bags and purses.



The turquoise quilt is going off tomorrow but I think I'll be able to take new photos of these two in a few days.  Hope to get better photos.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

PINK string quilt for Sharon and a pillow

How fun!  Here's another one of those string quilts - this one pink.  Sharon is a Mary Kay lady and has been a friend for many years.  She gifted me bags of fabric, books, etc., when she decided she wasn't going to quilt anymore.  She knows I love to gift my work to lots of different causes. 

She's an organizing, clean person.  (Someone has to be, right?)  Me, I hang on to EVERYTHING for EVER...actually, I've been planning to get rid of "things" someday soon, but we'll have to wait to see if that ever happens.


I listened to a time management speaker years ago who said the way to clean off your desk was to simply swipe EVERYTHING into the garbage!  IF there were possibly any papers you actually needed or a bill that needed to be paid, etc., someone would let you know.  I laughed at the time but now I find that probably makes a lot of sense.  I'll let you know.

I'm trying to get to boxes of scraps I have accumulated to strip them to useable size and get back to making some real scrappy quilts.  They may have to wait just a little longer as I want to try an ORANGE centered strip quilt.  If I can get it finished soon, I'll have  quilt surprises for Carin and Cathy for their birthday - my VALENTINE's girls. We'll see!!!




Monday, January 12, 2015

Grand Illusion and string quilt

I've been busy with Nan the last few days as Stefani has been off.  We now, I think, have a helper for when Stefani is gone.  Her name is Brenda and she worked with Stefani today.  We'll see.  Mom normally likes people but once in awhile...  Anyway, it was nice having Stefani back to free up some sewing time.  The last few days, sewing time has been stolen away in little spurts!

Grand Illusion is not a finished top.  I think it's rather busy and I'm glad I didn't make it scrappy ....instead choosing to use one fabric of each color.  I'll be putting the backing fabric together soon and then on to the quilting!!

As you can see by these photos, Beau LOVES to "rest" himself right in the middle of my quilts.  I need to make him a scrappy quilt, too.  He seems to love color almost as much as I do...I wonder if dogs aren't supposed to be color blind??

Yesterday's sewing time was really productive!  I took left over pieces of batting, sorted them by kinda size, and then sewed them all together into larger pieces.  Hopefully, I'll be able to use these "new" large pieces when I'm quilting the 7 tops I have to do!!!  A new goal for before I begin new projects.  Of course, that won't happen as you see here:

This is the newest string quilt, done with those black/white fabrics with turquoise as the accent centers.  I love it!  I'm not sure just who will get this one, we'll see.  I may put it in my Etsy store first for awhile.  I wish these photos showed the contrast better - the centers are stunning, using a variety of white on whites, the more the merrier.

I started another of these today, with pink in the center.  It'll be going to my friend Sharon.  She gifted most of the black and white fabrics plus some additional ones to me when she decided she wasn't going to quilt anymore.  I think it only fitting she receives one of the string quilts too..????  She's a Mary Kay lady so her centers are going to be PINK!!

Back to work now, I need to give Nan a feed and hopefully get her up from her afternoon nap.