One of my own ...

Has anyone noticed that I have not been posting my stash reports?  Well ... I have taken a short break from them, and promise to catch up in a couple of weeks.  Although I haven't been posting by week, I have been keeping track of what I use, and have purchased no fabric in the last couple months ... Yep, you read that correctly!  Haha!!!

I finally got to quilt one of my own quilts a couple weeks ago ... Remember this from last year?  I made it over the summer while my daughter was home recouping from pneumonia.

This has turned into one of my favorite quilts.  I love the color combination.

A lot of these taupe fabrics I got for sale on the Bunny Hill website ... I didn't know what I was going to use them for, but they were too good of a deal to pass up!

One of my favorites in this quilt is the gray with black polka dots ... called Little Black Dress from Moda.

I used Suoerior Omni thread in a tan color ... Free motion stippling.  For my own quilts, I seldom choose something intricate.  I really like an all over, simple pattern, and am so excited to just get it done!  The stipple is a very easy pattern for me ... It's the quickest one ... I can crank it out pretty fast!

Love the back as much as the front!

I was not happy, however, to find I hadn't prepared any binding.  Not a problem ... After I trimmed it, I used all my leftover scraps for the binding!

Made even easier using my 2 1/2" accucquilt die ... Presto magic

...

I stagger the colors and before you know it it's getting sewn down ...

Now comes the fun stuff, hand sewing the binding to the back.

Thanks for letting me gush about one of my own quilts!!

A quilt!

Yes I have been longarming ... I did this customer quilt last week ...

Isn't it adorable?  A block of the month by JoAnn Mullaly from a couple of years ago ... The pattern is Alphabet Tags.

Look how cute ... I doodled around the stitchery in each block ...

Just did a little curly swirl all over the rest of the quilt.  Love that owl block!

I love to work on quilts that have so much interest ... Makes it fun to see what's coming up next ... Used my favorite Superior Omni thread in the top and bobbin ... One of my favorite colors, Bronco.

Didn't she do a beautiful job!  It's such an adorable quilt! 

Anybody want a beagle?!!  Haha

Happy Monday

Well hello!  Happy Monday to you ... Last Friday we started a minor kitchen project.  After living here for 23 years, we are replacing our countertops.

Plywood went on the top

I really liked that our contractor left me a solid top for the weekend ... All except for the missing sink!!  How many times a day do you walk to your kitchen sink and throw something in it, rinse something, or ...????  I can't tell you how many times I turned that way to throw something in the sink and remembered I don't have one!

Here's my temporary coffee station ... Thank goodness for Starbucks Via's ... They are pretty good for instant!

And here's the stuff we need every day ... 

Cereal, fruit, plastic silverware (hallelujah) and dog biscuits!!

Today we have cement board and a sink ...

But there's no faucet yet !  Haha ... I love my new sink though.  Hoping it will all be finished by Wednesday ... Not holding my breath, but ever hopeful!  Haha

I have been sewing and loving it ... But I can't show you what I'm working on ... It's top secret for now!

My baby turned 21 yesterday ... She has been studying in Greece for 5 weeks and came home just in time to celebrate!  I love her and am so proud of her!

Life is a little crazy and disjointed right now ... That's what summer seems to always bring us!  I'm holding on and enjoying the ride!!

Randomness ...

Aacckk ... How has a week gone by?  Ok ... I am not even going to apologize again!  My hubby works for the school district and he is home during the summers ... Enough said, correct?  He is really just a large child and has many plans for his time off ... Many of these projects seem to have my name on them too ... Brother!!

Did some sewing yesterday on a mystery quilt I am teaching in August ... Of course it's a mystery, but I can share this with you ...

Don't you love how I lined that design up so it was right in the center of the middle block!?  Hahaha ... Not ... It was purely by accident!

Musings and catching up ...

Hi all ... We were on vacation last week to the Seattle/Tacoma area and to Victoria, B.C.  We had visited Victoria when the kids were young and realized it was someplace we needed to return and spend some time.  While we enjoyed the scenery in WA, the area is being hit by a heat wave and it was just too hot for me! Sorry we are pampered San Diegans spoiled by a near perfect climate!

We spent 3 days in Victoria and had such a good time!  We left our car in Port Angeles and relied on just walking around Victoria on foot.  The weather was beautiful ... Cooler than San Diego and they claimed it was hot for them.  We stayed at the lovely Empress Hotel.

I felt like I was in England!

While there hubby had promised we would have tea at the hotel.  Their tea is a very big deal and they serve 600 to 900 people a day (if I understood the hostess correctly).  We made reservations and I was so excited.  My husband, not really ... Haha ... He was such a good sport, but the tea menu is really not something he would usually eat.

A listing of the teas you could pick from ...

They're beautiful china.  They have a set menu, the only thing you have your choice of is tea.

It was all delicious and by the time we got to dessert, we split one of everything and saved the rest for later in a doggy bag.  They also send everyone home with tea bags of their Empress Tea ... Their house blend.  Yummy and their most popular tea.

We spent lots of time just walking and sightseeing ... I did a little shopping .... I did see a quilt store, but I honestly cannot think of buying any more fabric right now!  I have been doing some journaling and planning in a calendar, basically scrapbooking.  I found a couple of really nice paper/stationery stores that had lovely things that you don't see so much here.  Came home with a little loot ... I'll show you a peek from one of the stores ...

Addicting as quilting I tell you ... It is helping me through my life right now.  I fell like I am just overwhelmed with everything ... So I have retreated a little to regroup.  This happens sometimes, and I think it is important to listen to ourselves.

I am trying to play catch up from being gone, but didn't want you all to think I had forgotten you!  I'll be back later with more of my travels ... I have more to share!  And also catch you up to date on what I have been sewing.

In the meantime I'll leave you with this sweet picture of my granddaughter ...my son has had 3 weeks of visitation, and after this week, they go to 3 times a week, but still supervised by mom ... Weird I think, but that is the way it is done.  He is really enjoying finally being able to see her ... It warms and melts my heart.

Happy 4th of July!

I know I've been absent but we have been on vacation.  I'll be back this week but just wanted to wish you a Happy Indeoendence Day!