Traveling tales

Today we drove from Yellowstone to Casper, Wyoming.  There is not much in between, and a four hour drive seemed like forever!  Especially because I was trying to use my phone to look up a hotel for the evening and I had no service for at least half of that time.  I was just bored and tired of sitting.  I really was a little embarrassed about how ticked I was I couldn't use my phone.

We actually saw a grizzly bear today .. As we were leaving the park the lake was on our right and a small meadow on the left ... There was a brown mound of something laying in the back of the meadow.  I saw a few people standing around and then saw a park ranger, I figured it probably was something more dangerous than a bison.

See that brown mound in the back?  I was hoping he would get up and move around ... But we only saw him stretch and roll over.  The ranger said he had swam across the lake, and been laying there for a couple hours.  He said there must be something there that he liked.  The lake is huge, I'm just figuring he was pooped!  Note to self:  if I ever am running from a bear, don't go into the water to escape ... He can probably swim faster than me!

There are bison everywhere in the park.  Yesterday a herd crossed in front of us ... They had come across the river and were crossing the main drag ... Really cool because there were tons of babies too. 

There are signs everywhere that tell you that wildlife is dangerous ... You should stay 25 feet back from bison

I think this is an older sign but you get the idea.  I cannot believe the amount of people that get out of their cars with their big huge cameras and get close to get that perfect shot.  It's bad enough when it's an adult, but can I tell you how many people I've seen doing it with a kid?  Ugh ... Makes me crazy .... I kind of wish I could see a bison charge someone and watch their camera go flying as they ran to get out of his way ... Seriously these animals weigh like 2,000 pounds and they are huge!  No thank you ... I'll keep my distance and stay in my car.

This was a fox we saw yesterday ... Can you believe how big he is?  Probably about 25 pounds ... The size of a medium dog.

This was a picture of a waterfall from Glacier Nat Park ... It just does not do it justice.

Some hand sewing

What else do you do when you're sitting in a car for hours every day driving, driving, driving ...

You start off taking beautiful pictures, and then you start taking selfies ...

With hubby

With Sophie

She loves riding up on my shoulders

Charlie's favorite spot ... Head out the window smelling that Glacier national park fresh air!

You know I've been supporting local quilt shops along the way.  I bought a couple of mini charm packs the other day and then at another store bought the English paper pieces ...

I put my cell phone down and did some hand sewing ...

Aren't these cute!  What a great way to buy the entire line of fabric for just a few dollars .. $4 ... Think it is about 5/8 of a yard of fabric.

Then I sewed some together into groups of 4 ... Oh now just you wait ... July stash buster project is coming your way!  More later ... Off to get some sleep so we can get back to the car tomorrow.  On our way to Yellowstone Nat Park!

Stash Report - Week 24

I did get a small sample done this week, so busted into my stash a little.

Used this Week: 1.75 yards
Used year to Date: 51 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 32 yards
Net Used for 2014: 19 yards

We are traveling this week from San Diego to Glacier Nat Park and Yellowstone.  Excitement to come ... Already added to my stash in St. George, UT, so my stash report is going to reflect some buying next week!

This is where I stopped first thing this am ...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's, uncles, father figures and special men out there that are so important in our lives.  Sometimes I think in this world where we can have it all and do whatever we want, we forget the importance of dads.  My own father wasn't around a lot when I was young as he was in the military and traveled a lot.  Dad's were different when I was growing up.  Their job was to provide for their families, not be so hands on as they are now.  Then when I was a teen my parents divorced. I didn't know him very well until I was an adult, where we built our relationship and really got to know each other.  I love my dad ... I am so grateful to have had the chance to really get to know him.  He had always been a strong support for me, even when I didn't think he was.  Thank you Dad for being my father ... I love your crazy sense of humor, your embarrassing outbursts in public, your commitment to your family and quite simply, just being my dad.  I love you.

Buzzing along

Well after being on vacation for a week, I had to get back to my longarm!  I did 4 quilts this last week ... Woo Hoo!

One of them was a bedspread for a friend, and I didn't get any pictures, so you'll just have to trust me!  She just used a fabric on top and a fabric on the back, and I quilted it using a simple stipple.

The first quilt I did this week was for my friend Kathy ... Her grandson is graduating from high school ... This was my wonky quilt pattern and it came out so cute!  It is the second one she's made.

It is meant to be used as a bed quilt so I did a simple stipple .... Fast and keeps the quilt together well through those many washings.

She certainly has the hang of the wonky block ...

This one is super wonky ... Love it!  I used my favorite color Omni thread in Bronco in top and bobbin.

Now her grandson will have a big warm hug every time he snuggles under his quilt!  Thanks Kathy for the honor of quilting this for your precious grandson!

The Only Cup that Matters

I know World Cup soccer started yesterday, but in our house the only Cup talk has been about the Stanley Cup ... The Super Bowl/World Series of hockey! And for the second time in three years, the LA Kings are the Stanley Cup champions!  Last night in double (and almost triple!) overtime, the Kings won the best of 7 series with a score of 3-2 .... Cinching the deal with a 4-1 game series!  Woo Hoo!  My heart almost stopped several times, but it was worth it!  GO KINGS!!

Stash Report - Week 23

Well I don't know what happened to last week's stash report, but I just discovered it never published!

Here's my report for last week ..

Used this Week: 8 yards
Used year to Date: 49.25 yards
Added this Week: 1.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 32 yards
Net Used for 2014: 17.25 yards

Well pretty good, but when I look at all the fabric I've bought this year, that doesn't make me very happy!  But I've used more than I've bought, so that is good!  I have been very busy this week, so I'll have more to report!

Stash Report - Week 22

Wow look at me here ... Finally giving you a stash report in a timely fashion!  Now I have added quite a bit this week, but I have plans for all the fabric, I didn't just buy it to buy it!  I think that makes it better, doesn't it?  [wink, wink]

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 41.25 yards
Added this Week: 7.75 yards
Added Year to Date: 30.75 yards
Net Used for 2014: 12 1/2 yards

It does not look like I am going in the right direction, does it?  I promise you I will as soon as I get home!  I have a quilt to quilt for my daughter and the backing is 10 yards from my stash, so that will definitely help!  I can't wait to get home and start sewing ... In fact I've been considering buying a mat, ruler and rotary to get started while I'm here!  Then I'll just leave them for my next visit!  My dad has 7 bedrooms in this new house -- why I don't know --maybe I can turn one of them into a sewing room!  Heh, heh

I have so many plans running through my head of quilts to come!  It seems I have been attracted to patterns lately that use precuts and I also just bought the Missouri Star magazine and everything in there is using precuts. Many ideas for inspiration, of course with my own spin!

And I leave you with this ... Yesterday we drove 2 hours to have lunch with my baby brother (black shirt) and his family.  We decided to take a walk after lunch and do some shopping -- well the girls did at least!  This is the way they looked at the last stop waiting for me!!

Hahaha ... From left to right ... 13 yr old nephew, brother, sister, 16 yr old nephew, stepmom, dad ... You can't see my beautiful sis-in-law ... She is standing behind my dad!

A Different Quilt

I'm on vacation in Virginia visiting my dad and stepmom.  Having a very relaxing time and letting them pamper me!  I love it!  The weather has been really cool ... Which is really a nice change because I was expecting heat and humidity!

They were wonderful and scoped out quilt shops for me before I came ... Love it ... They know me so well.  The first store was quite a lovely surprise; nice size and lots of different style fabric.  I did a walk through the store the first time to check everything out, and then my careful second walk through looking again and deciding what I wanted!  I learned that from Kathy when I went to quilt market with the store a few years ago .... She had been doing it for many years!  Anyway I spied this charm pack and loved the colors ... Then I saw that they had the line of fabric -- Sphere by ZenChic for Moda.

I've always wanted to do a quilt out of blue and yellow ... The colors in this line are stunning and I think my daughter will love it.

Then I just liked these fat quarters am d I think they may or may not go with the rest of the fabrics.

I bought this kit for my stepmom and I to work on together.  It has everything ... Including the needle!  They are Christmas ornaments that are made out of wool felt.

Finally, this neat pattern.  By a company called Swirly Girl ... It is a designer that is local to the Richmond area, and happens to live in the same city my dad does ... Isn't that neat?  I was very happy to see a pattern for this company at both of the quilt stores I went to.  Nice to see them supporting their local designers.  I think I have seen these patterns before on another blog, but after looking at so many of them, I really love her designs.

This pattern calls for fat quarters and uses the entire fat quarter.  It is awesome!  I tell you it made me want to run back to the quilt store after we got back home, buy a rotary, mat and ruler and a sewing machine!  (My dad swears there is a sewing machine here, but my stepmom reminded him it was given away years ago.  His response ..."Let's go buy one."  I love my dad!!!!!!!  He was dead serious!)

One other stop we made was to the mall ... I bought a pair if pants on sale and found a great lamp store ... Two living room lamps for $120 ... Normally $149 a piece!  I could not believe it ... I thought about it for about 2 seconds and asked Iif they shipped ... Even with shipping they are a deal!  Picture to come when they are delivered.

No shopping trip with my stepmom is complete without a trip to the shoe store, and a trip to the makeup counter.  We probably made the clerk's mortgage payment with the commission she made off of us ... She was incredibly sweet.  I asked her if there was a product for dry lips.  Between the weather in California and my radiation years ago, I have no moisture in my lips and they just crack and peel when it is really dry.

This gadget and product is made by a company called Bliss ... First you put on this sugar lip scrub that looks like it may have apricot kernels in it

Then you turn the little machine on and buff your lips for 1-2 minutes.  I've done it twice in the last 2 days and coating my lips with Aquaphor before bed ... Also refrained from peeking my lips like you do a sunburn!!  Much improvement ... I am so hopeful because nothing else has worked.  We found this product at a department store, but I'm sure you could find it in a store like Ulta or Sephora.  It wasn't cheap ... $48 ... But I think it is worth it.

Off to bond with them.  I've only been here 3 full days and we have just really been enjoying each other.  I always travel with my hubby, so I am so grateful to be able to just be here by myself and not have to worry about whether he is enjoying himself.  He was very understanding. About me wanting to see my Dad.  Happy June!

Stash Report -- ahem ... Weeks 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21

Okay ... No excuses here!  I have no idea where the last few weeks went!  Yikes!!!  So am combining several weeks worth of stash reports.  Easy to do because not a ton of sewing was going on.  I feel like the tides are changing a little, so I hope that those stash reports will start reflecting it!

Used this Week: 3.25 yards
Used year to Date: 41.25 yards
Added this Week: 3.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 23 yards
Net Used for 2014: 18 1/4 yards

Even though I added 3.25 yards, I also managed to do a quilt in my Stashbusting class that used 3.25 yards ... I promise those amounts washed themselves out on accident!

A couple of weeks ago I went on a small quilt shop trip with two friends.  I only added a couple pieces of some new Diamond Textile fabrics ...

Really pretty tangerine dot and an equally cute grey and pink check fabric.  I also bought a fat quarter of plain white to use in the Stashbusting quilt I was making.

This week I went with a friend and bought 2 yards of a Kona white since I loved the last quilt I just made (see my next blog post), I needed some white.  I have lots of beige and tan fabrics, but white isn't something I usually have in my stash.  

I also have planned a quilt for my next stash class in June ... A red white and blue picnic quilt, so I added 1/3 yard of this interesting red.

How about a peek at that Stashbusting quilt I just made 

How is your stash looking?

May ... A good beginning

Finally ... Some activity to report!  I told you I would get back to you soon!  I finally found my way to the longarm with the help of some good friends to keep me company and spur me on!

Both of these quilts are for my friend the most prolific quilter I know!!!  Judy is such an amazing person ... Most of her quilts she gives away.

This quilt is the second one out of French general fabric I have done for her recently.

Sorry for the picture but it was late afternoon.  I did an all over cabbage rose.  I really love this design and the texture it lends to a quilt.

I used Omni thread in top and bobbin in a linen color.

The next quilt is a baby quilt.  Judy requested a pantograph I have with birds and butterflies.  It is a great panto as it is curvy and free flowing, easy to follow.  

Really fun and sweet ... I love her colored border that alternates fabrics.

I was getting frustrated as my thread kept breaking in the beginning of the quilt.  When you own a longarm you work on it yourself.  And when something goes wrong, you are the doctor and you have to diagnose what the problem is!  When the thread is fraying on the top, it is usually something above ... Either the needle is dull, may not be centered properly, or the tension on the top thread is too tight.  I knew I had a new needle, so I loosened the top tension a bit.  It still frayed, so I turned the needle slightly off center to see if that would make a difference.  Nope ... I took the bobbin out and cleaned it again and found a big chunk of lint inside that I had somehow missed.  Oiled it again and kept my fingers crossed ... That seemed to do the trick ... Whew!  What a pain in the you know where!

Happy to get these two done!  It was great because I could use the same thread combination in the second quilt ... That saved a bit of time!

Back to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs ... GO KINGS!!!!

Stash Report - Weeks 16 and 17

I realized I am way behind here so I combined two stash reports into 1.  Absolutely no sewing going on, but I promise I'll be back very soon with something to report!!

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 38 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 19 3/4 yards
Net Used for 2014: 18 1/4 yards

Stash Report -- Week 15

Bought a precut and some background fabric for a quilt for my stepmother.  Doing an experiment for my students to see if using a jelly roll really does save a good amount of time.

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 38 yards
Added this Week: 4 1/4 yards
Added Year to Date: 19 3/4 yards
Net Used for 2014: 18 1/4 yards

Happy Easter

Bunnies are everywhere at Easter ... I happen to love them ... I used to have two house bunnies that gave me such immense pleasure.  They were our pets and they behaved just like dogs ... Flopsy and Theodore.  Theodore especially was like a dog.  We had Flopsy first and then came Theodore, and it was amazing how much Flopsy mellowed and changed when Theo came ... it was so cute seeing them always head to head or next to each other.  I had to promise my husband I would never have bunnies again; both of them had different diseases and because I am the animal person I am, we treated them and it was outrageously expensive because they are considered exotic pets.  But I still love bunnies and I specially love seeing them at Easter.

A couple of weeks ago while at work, I decided to go on a hunt for bunnies ...

I found them in almost every room of the store ...

And I even found them in some different places ...

These are the bunnies I just made for Easter ... 

Here is one I made for myself ...

Beacause of course I love bunnies!  May the Easter bunny bring you joy and hopefully chocolate!!

Happy Easter!!

A Matter of Mulch

Once a year our small city has a day where we can take anything we want to toss and drop it off at the local recycling/trash center.  Great day to get rid of the piles of large broken things we have acquired, and not have to pay for it.  The other great thing about the day ... Free mulch!!  My hubby loves to sleep in, so I am never able to get there early and always keep my fingers crossed to get some mulch.  But this year since our son is back home as a working man, and is not adverse to getting up early, we left at 8 for our first load.  There were several trucks there already, but my strategy was to not get there at 7 when they opened.  I did not want to be waiting in the early bird line .... We timed it well.  Filled up, went and had a coffee and a quick breakfast at Starbucks with my sweet son.  He is an industrious young man and I am so proud of who he continues to grow into.  Went home and unloaded, and then while I was busy moving mulch, the boys went back for 2 more loads.  We just made it stretch to cover what we wanted, but we could have used one more load.  They had gone back for load number 4, but it was too close to closing time.  I am so thankful for the 3 loads we got ... That was a lot of money we saved, and makes the yard look so nice and tidy.  It was a long day.  By the time we finished it was about 430 and I was so dirty I left a ring in the bathtub ... Haha!

And while it was snowing in other parts of the states today, we had our second day of 80 degree weather!

Getting nothing done

Well after a productive weekend away a week and a half ago, I've accomplished no sewing or longarming since I've been back.  I did get in my sewing room over the weekend and did a little sewing on an old project. I have a quilt to make for a very special someone, and I haven't worked on it very much.  I would really like to get it done this year and so I decided to make a couple blocks over the weekend.  It felt good.  I have lots of longarming to do, I just don't know what has been happening to the days.  It has been 90 here the last 2 days and that is just way too hot to spend over my longarm.

I'll show you a quilt I finished a couple of weeks ago ...

A quilt that a dear friend made for her granddaughter.

The memories in the making of this quilt are very special, and I thought of this as I was quilting it.

The granddaughter is going to love this gift from her grandma ... Made with love. I used Omni in top and bobbin in my favorite color, Bronco.  Did a sweet little loopy loop.

I forgot to get a shot of this on the longarm ... It's a cute quilt made with a large apple core design.  Her piecing was lovely.  I was a little nervous about pinning the top on because of the wavy edges -- I alway pin with a straight edge. But I got it on and it worked out great.  Used the same Omni Bronco thread in top and bobbin, and customer requested a loopy design.

Hopefully I'll get something done this weekend!  And here's a picture of the sweetie that always makes me smile.  She is so adorable!!!! Xoxo

I hope you're getting time to sew ... I tend to forget it should be something I enjoy doing, and not something I have to do.

Stash Report - Week 14

Nothing in or out this week 

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 38 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 15 1/2 yards
Net Used for 2014: 22 1/2 yards

Stash Report - Week 13

Oh gosh ... Behind a week ... This is last week's report!  My daughter's quilt contains 6 yards of fabric all from my stash!  Woo Hoo!  That will make a dent.

Used this Week: 6 yards
Used year to Date: 38 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 15 1/2 yards
Net Used for 2014: 22 1/2 yards