Can you guess what this is?

It has begun !................dotty...

Another week FLEW by...

So here it is...Sunday night and another week has flown by. This week went extra fast as I missed some time due to some brief stomach virus. However, progress on the bathroom has been good. Plumbing and electrical are 95%, enouogh to allow for drywalling and one coat of bed and taping. More to come on that this week. I also need to make some major decisions for the sink and find the proper shower pan/tray to fit. This is turning into a big obstacle.

Here is the quilt photo inspiration for today...It is "Flutterby" with Moda prints. The pattern was shown to be downloadable by pdf from Hancock's site but the link never worked :( So I guesss I can' make it only admire it :(

As far as my quilting goes, I managed to put on the borders for the Blended Spring quilt. It is looking good! Must download a photo! Now selecting the backing and it will be ready to quilt. Yipee! I will send out for machine quilting. This is NOT my usual option but one that I think fits this quilt for the overall look. Of course I have not proper backing that is the right size without much piecing so need to work on getting that. I finaly took the old Mystery Quilt to Dot for mcuh awaited binding. Has the quilt been finished for 3 or 4 years? Maybe not that long...

This week I also worked a bit on several old projects in progress...an old Baby Boston commons that I adore the taupe gradiated to rich maroon color progression, my son's flannel No Y Seams star. (Really I am working on little stars to finish out the size needed before the border.) And, I finished sewing our baby boy cousin's quilt top minus borders (last Saturday). Still need to find satisfactory borders to finish it off and send to sister-in-law Aimee to quilt. Guess that is this week's update on quilting.

In my other life I have been very productive with more refined migration to Evolve Learning System Course Mgt for various assignments and even did the full online exam last Monday. This is a very satisfying accomplishment! Now...when am I going to get motivated for dissertation work! It better be soon or else!

Quilting (Piecing) on a rainy day...

Wow..It is Saturday already (actually it is almost Sunday!) The week has gone by so quickly. No new progress to report on the re-construction of the bathroom...but I did quilt a little today! I put the borders on the Blended Spring quilt. Now I need to get a photo and get it posted for the world (or whoever looks) to see! It was an enjoyable time today sewing as the rain poured and occasionally some thunder and lightening. Thankfully, it did not get as cold here as expected so no ice or freezing rain here.

I was "home alone" which was also nice as the family each had activities away from here that they were involved in. Of course, my 13 year old called me 5-6-7 times (maybe more) and I carted her around to the various activities she was involved in from church to choir to "The Amazing race" back to choir back to church for dinner and more fun. Jordan-son was at "ground school" in the city. Dad was the transportation due to expected sleet/ice..which however, did not appear. "Crazy Horse" audio book kept me company. It is a narrative tale of the Indian Warrior told by a Lakota Indian from an Indian point of view and offers a whole other perspective on the historical events. Fascinating!


Ok...Since I have no new photos to show I still HAVE to put some photo up here...so here is a quilted pot holder that I made in the fall for out local quilt guild pot-holder exchange and 20 year Anniversary of the Spinning Spools Quilt Guild. (Hummm.......as I link ther site I see they need to update it! I haven't looked at it for awhile and it seems to still be in 2007!) Anyway...
As luck would have it, my dear quilting friend (who helped me find the pattern for the pot holder to begin with was the one who got it when the exchanges were made. FUN!

Blended blocks & Design Wall

Here is a picture I know you have been waiting for....some of the blended blocks layed out side by side. However, this is not the plan for how I will put them together. I have an alternate block fabric that is fabulous and I actually used it to help me envisioin a color palette in line with that fabric. I will have to take another photos of that...but maybe I will do it after it is sewed together. The next challenge will be starting on the borders....Ahhh but designing is always the fun part...esp. designing as I go... The design wall will help with this. It is a good size 48x48 and I have it proped up on the table against the wall behind the sewing machine. It was made (by Supermom as you know...out of light weight insulation board from a local hardware store covered with felty-flannel fabric. Fabric pieces stick to it and I can stick pins in it if desired too.

PS. No more raining water leaks :) Hopefully repairs are final!

Looks like rain...water leak!

Water drips outside of the front entry door creating a puddle and splashing the door and vertical windows on each side of the door. It looks like a nice spring rain...but it is not raining...only in front of my door from some unknown water leak on the second floor...no doubt as a result of Friday's repairs. However, the good news is that all the inside areas remain dry and only the overhang above the door outside is wet. Bad new...the outside entry ceiling will likely need replacing and may be the only way to access the leaky pipes.
These things are never simple!

So, the plumber will be here first thing Monday...since it is not an emergency...we have shut off the water to the entire house except for turning it back on for about an hour when we all shower, fill water containers and flush and observe the rain shower again in the entry alcove.

For a more pleasant sight...you can see blended star block #9 in the photo. I have also worked on Baby Cousin's homespun quilt a little this weekend. It is NOT very baby-ish but is very masculine with homespun plaids and a few truck and golf novelty prints sprinkled in. Not sure I like the borders I have planned...but my 13 yr old says it is good. That does not decrease my skepticism as her color and design sense are quite different from mine!

Blended Star block # 8

Well, now that the first 2 weeks of school are complete and basketball tounaments and band programs are over for the time being.... I am hoping that things slow down a little so I can sew again! Thanks to Supermom I have a nice design wall to audition fabric choices for more blended blocks. I also want to work on the homespun baby boy quilt, piecing the top so I can send to my fav sister-in-law to quilt and send on to baby cousin in Wisconsin.

After and Before

The gutted shower after... demolition and before repair...I hope to have another after shot in a few weeks when it is re-assembled. (This could take awhile!)

Here is the missing blended star block #5...another favorite but similar to #4 so I spaced out posting them over a few days. Soon I will post the blocks layed out together for a different look than individually. It looks awesome!

Low Contrast Blended star block

The first week back to work has been non-stop!
The only quilting that has been done is looking at a quilt magazine bleary-eyed as I fall asleep! And, I still have my blended blocks to admire. Here is block #7, a low contrast star. Enjoy!