Quilting again! (Update)

Front and back views (size 40"x52")...Quilting again means writing again too (at least a littlel bit)! Both of these are good! I put all home repairs including painting on hold until July 1st. I just have to take a break, step back for awhile, and get my bearings. It really gets overwhelming to have your house such a mess and people in and out that need " supervision" and money. It is nerve racking and does not allow for focused study /writing/ thinking and relaxing time that I desperately need.

On another note, sweety niece from San Diego is visiting this week and the girls have lots of Oklahoma cultural events planned (including bonfire, swimming, Frontier city, new release of Toy Story 3 on Friday and indulging in yummy local cuisine. We already have hit Sonic, Zios, made so'mores, chicken quesadillas and fresh corn both on the grill, and homemade pizza. The best! They have snow cone stands, Pops and Hamburger King (local old-fashioned diner- scroll the right side of the link to see fab. pics!) on the list too. Dh decided to take the week off. I hope that means he will be participating in the entertainment of the girls :) so I can stay focused. So far, so good with, especially with the food part and everyone is sleeping right now enjoying the best of Oklahoma thunderstorms (a true novelty for the Southern California visitor) to cool off the day. This means time for me to write.

On the quilting front, I finished - yes, 100% done, finished, complete - this quilt pictured. One of the amazing things is that I did it all! (Well, now that I think about it I guess I mostly did it all - dear sis-in-law did some machine quilting on it for me to get it stabilized.) But, I designed it, cut it all, hand quilted, and cut and sewed the binding all by myself! This is a major accomplishment! First because it is actually finished something in only 1 year and second due to the binding which I always feel I need major moral and technical support to do. But, I wasn't even scared! Yea! I machine stitched it on and machine sewed it down in the ditch- just catching the back of the binding. It turned out so good! (for the first time doing it successfully). It might not win a prize but I am proud to have done it and like the results. I must admit I did have to re-do a few spots that did not catch on the back or were too deep - but overall - SUCCESS!

In reality, I totally credit this success to two of my lovely friends!

1st: Most recently (in March) observing my friend Coral sewing on a binding lickety-split with no fear and then letting me finish hand sewing it down in the car on the way to the quilt show. She won a ribbon too!
2nd: To the ongoing and LONG history of technical and moral support by my long time quilting sister "Dot." She always believes in me and is ready to add her support whenever it is needed. Part of her contribution this time probably includes being hundreds of miles away so I could not have her rescue me and sew the binding on for me LOL!
3rd: : I think that my "new" (January) sewing machine really helped with sewing the binding. Nice wide space to work, good walking foot, and foot-down option to help me stay on track. YIPEE! Now I think I am ready to tackle sewing the binding on Paintbrush with some more confidence. It does need to be beautiful enough to go in a show. That's the plan- to give it some local exposure and see what response I get. However, after sewing the binding on, I will be hand sewing it down. No problem, I have confidence in hand sewing skills :)

Another amazing fact, I began this quilt last summer. That means it is done in only one year! Originally planned for donation to TPH fundraiser, now I am told they have enough baby quilts for a while. So, I may hang onto it a little longer to determine the best home for it.

Well, gotta go on this positive note....the flowers in bloom in the front yard...
Happy Quilting Everyone!