So much to do so little time ;-) ha-ha

I’m sitting here trying to plan my day while nervously thinking about my daughter-in-heart as I call my daughter-in-laws… Well this morning one of mine has checked into Overlook Hospital,NJ to deliver our grand-daughter ;-)  as you can imagine it’s going to be a very special day! So I am trying to focus and keep busy yet available to jump in the car at any moment to make the drive from VA to NJ with Grandpa Bill to view this miracle as soon as we can. ;-) We just have to be patient and await the news…My morning walk is completed with hubby.
So till then I hope to be working on Brynn’s [long in the making] baby quilt.

Brynn's quilt in process on design wall

It’s going to be a GRAND DAY for sure!!!!

Supposed to be a studio day…but somehow I’m on the computer or phone?

This posting will be short since I had decided today would be a studio sew day and thus far I’ve played catch up on the computer, email, and phone?

Why oh why is it so hard to focus? ;-) Anyone have the secret? Please share with me…. I have about 3 projects going as usual…..and of course yesterday while taking a day trip to Dayton VA Quilt Patch I came across some fabric I think will be great to put with some of my cyanotypes. ;-) what do you think? See lost my focus once again….

I also completed the quilting on another old piece just to keep practicing on the HQ16. I’m getting so much more comfortable with the flow of the machine…I’m loving the possibilities this machine brings….

Time for me to clock off this computer and GET BUSY SEWING!

Today sure seemed like a blow off day?

I’m a little frustrated today…it always seems I get so much more completed in my mind then in real time? Do you know what I mean?

So I completed the first quilt top I made while studying with Nancy Crow…. I decided to use it as a guinea pig or test piece to see if I could manage to tightly free motion the piece using the HQ16? So I have no regrets since I knew it was just a test and heck at the very least I figured it could help me start to get used doing straight lines on the HQ16. Not always an easy feat.

So not sure you can see the difference? But the first photo is how it looked last October as a top and the second photo is how it looks now that it has been quilted and binding out on. My next photo is a close up of my erratic lines lol  it’s quite a new feeling trying to do straight lines on a mid arm for me. Thankfully I remind myself it was meant to be an opportunity to learn. ;-) 

Oh well a good thing about today: I did get a long walk with hubby in this morning…he mentioned to me this evening he reached over 13,000 steps today on his step counter starting with our 5000 steps this morning,  then he worked all day rebuilding the grill which put him up and down the stairs many times to fetch this or that…. I made it to the pool this afternoon besides so maybe I finally made the 10,000 mark for my own steps. Isn’t that what one is advised to do each day if possible? Oh well….who knows, who cares? lol  One thing though this day is almost over….. Hope tomorrow seems more productive for me.

 

It’s been a nice week….

So I started to realize it’s been a while since I posted? Now-a-days so many of us keep contact via Face book or other community sites that we forget to update our blogs? Maybe it’s not that many and maybe it’s JUST ME ;-)  but oh well….
It’s been a great week…I started out my week exploring a little by driving over to Leesburg. It’s not that far of a drive, it’s just the outlet malls are there and when I worked we would always have to make the trip over the weekends….which of course means it would be wall to wall people and much traffic to contend with. Well chalk up another great reason to be retired! It was so nice to be in Leesburg during the mid morning with NO Crowds….it was downright enjoyable! So much so that I even took a second drive later in the week for something I’d forgotten to pick up at the large Joann’s. This week my focus has been here and there…….I did some experimenting with some new fabric from “Blue Prints on Fabric.com”  tried 3 pieces so far, two successes and one ????….not sure what happened but flopped..
    I managed to attend the neighborhood quilt group on Weds evening which is always enjoyable. There’s always  much to  learn from others. I also dragged out my first quilt piece from the Nancy Crow class I took last October and experimented with quilting it via the HQ16 ;-) lots and lots of lines…..  I wanted to experiment on it before I attempt to quilt the final quilt piece made during my class at “The Barn”.  It’s quite a bit larger and semi whimsical.
  I’m sure it’s hard to envision from these photos but the large colorful quilt piece is about 4 times larger then the first quilt piece. Heck I think I’m ready to try to tackle quilting it next via the HQ16  ;-)  if I don’t try…. how will I ever learn? ;-) After all I might as well go for it all that counts is whether I’m having FUN, right?

I KNOW there is an easier way ;-) now if only I knew it…..lol

So I’ve been on a roll this past week RE: studio and sewing time. I’ve been completing some of my UFO’s that had been stored out of sight or actually just sitting out in the open on my design boards for ages… first it was the sail boats (see last posting) next I decided to tackle the large strip piece I started while studying with Nancy Crow in Ohio at The Barn (last Oct)…….now mind you we worked Monday to Friday non-stop during the class sewing mostly from 9:00am –9:00pm.  I discovered when I arrived the first day of class that the topic of the week was considered a second week in a sequence of lessons that flow into being able to design art quilts with strips, color and shape. I did fine in the class but know it would have been beneficial to have participated in both weeks. ;-) At the time I was just thrilled to be taking one week at “The Barn” with Nancy Crow, IT was on my ‘want to-do as soon as I retired list’… something I had always wanted to do.  I had a great start on my final project at the end of the workshop, but had a lot of piece work or strip sewing to complete on my own. Being new to the technique and also not a long time seamstress I felt it took me a few days to click on ‘the process’. I enjoyed the class so much I have signed up to take two weeks of study with Nancy this coming July at QBL. Will be great reinforcement. This time it will be week one and two! ;-)

 

Sorry to make this such a long story. lol lol So I have been busy for a couple days sewing the many little strips I felt needed for a successful design. If you know Nancy Crow’s work you will probably figure out my fabric choices were nothing like the rest of my class ;-)  lol most final projects were completed in solids… mine was very whimsical compared to my classmates. But I was having fun and these fabric did not cause me stress. ;-)  lol … So here are a few photos of my work in progress….not sure if you can tell all the strip piecing that has been done so far? A BUNCH! I was so excited because I felt I would be completed today….well whoops NOT so….if you look at the photos you’ll see an empty spot that as the piece progressed I filled with a large orange shape…that definitely needs to be adjusted or changed…so I made a few trial changes but will have to complete it tomorrow since I am just to tired to continue tonight ;-) By the way notice how helpful it is to use Black/White while working with a design.

So hopefully will decide my design solution tomorrow, complete the piecing of this quilt top and put it in MY “to quilt” pile…

It may have taken me a while, but maybe I’m finally getting focused

I finally worked on a wall quilt I began possibly two years ago? It has been in my sight daily in my work area on it’s own design board for a long time always painfully reminding me of the promise I made myself “to someday complete it and then begin doing more of my own designs”…. it became one of my UFO’s, most quilters have  UFO’s but usually are smart and keep them hidden away. It became a sore spot with me and I ended up choosing to just ignore it, not quite sure why?  Well ;-)   I completed it today to the point of embellishing and quilting and now I am getting excited to see the finished piece. Here’s a peek for now……stayed tuned for the completed quilt….

I’m also still working on 3 other projects at the same time lol ;-) so who knows maybe you’ll see at least one of them completed soon too!

Making quilts and watching them grow…

So a few weeks ago I posted this photo on my Facebook page and asked my buddies to watch  and see “what this will grow up to be”….

So now here are some final photos…I was happy that it turned out exactly as I planned and so I’m pleased ;-) (which in itself is an accomplishment ;-) in the second photo it’s shown with the coordinating chair I painted to complete the set. This set was for my daughter-in-law Claire and son JB’s future baby girl…my soon to be newest grandchild.

Now…… I’m staying busy and actually bouncing between about 4 projects..so much for focus? but here’s a  little peek of one of them….”wonder what this will grow up to be”?

Well stayed tuned……….  ;-)

It was a lovely visit…

So last week I had the pleasure of my grandbabies flying in from Denver to spend a very busy week with their granny and other family members. What was to be a relaxing visit turned into a very busy visit due to a now impending move cross country for my daughter, husband and babies. They are moving from Denver CO to PA, near Chestertown I believe? My son-in-law has taken a promotion/transfer in his company and has actually already moved to PA on his own to begin his new position. Keli is staying behind to wait out the houses selling and will continue with her job hopefully till the final move. Due to this move our visit turned into more of an exploring week rather then a wind-down week. ;-) We had one night in VA so they could visit with grandpa Bill and then we drove to PA; which driving with two little ones makes for a little longer drive ;-) Along the drive we discovered various road stops ;-) lol to make feeding stops for Brynn… Caleb and I would explore as Brynn was fed. We ended up having some unscheduled fun! ;-)

So  we stopped at two parks along the way..one was a great children's park called “Can-Do”

Next we spent a couple days in a hotel in PA while my daughter Keli looked at  housing that might be available once their house sells. During our hotel stay I had the pleasure of getting to participate and witness Brynn’s first time swimming ;-) she was a natural..lucky for me the hotel had a little indoor pool perfect for the experience.

 

Next stop was NJ onward to my son’s house for the weekend. We had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my future “grand-daughter to be” with Claire’s Mum, the other Nanny to be. ;-)  JB and Claire are ready for the big day, nursery is decorated, doctor visits have been great….was a perfect weekend! Since the shower is over I finally get to show off the baby quilt and time out chair I made for this new family addition.

Sadly the end of my trip came to an end and it was time to drive Keli and the babies to the airport, say goodbye to JB & Claire and then head home to VA in the rain ;-(

 

So until another time…….or should say until the baby arrives ;-)))