There was no post in May~

    I guess I was too busy for blogs in May. I started work on Shakespeare.

 

I made this for the front garden:

 

I made this for a production of Beauty and the Beast:

 

We took these guys to an amusement park... 

 

 ...and to Boston to meet the great grandparents:

                                                   
                                                I visited a wonderful quilt exhibition here:

                              
                                              And then there was this giant rubber duck :

                                                I even had some contest fun with this cutie:

 

It was a busy month.

April BOM

  Well, if  I'm down to one post a month, it can only mean it's show time. And it has been. "Next to Normal" opened and had a very successful run. I was helping backstage and Philip and Jacie were stagehands-- Jacie was actually named Assistant Stage Manager! I never got tired of hearing those wonderful voices, which is unusual because even my most beloved shows can wear on me night after night. We did not do the last weekend, though because Jacie and I were opening in our own show, "The Water Engine" at the college. I was supposed to only do costumes but one of the actors dropped out and Director Matthew was kind to let me fill in. So. Much. Fun! That's two shows for me this season; after a dry spell of six years it feels wonderful.

The Water Engine cast and crew--- how cool was it that our director arranged for an antique car club to bring some cars by for us to pose with. Too bad we can barely see the car!

Here is Jacie at the wheel-- yes, she's playing a boy once again. Don't know how much longer she can pull it off.

And here with Eric, the young man who played her dad in the show and also whose camera took these pictures that I stole from Facebook. Thanks, Eric!

 

This car had a really cool trunk attached to the back. I liked posing with it because the trunk hides so much of my, umm, trunk.

 The winter themed block of the month continues on over at Quilt Doodle Doodles. Here is April's block; some very simple and pretty stars. I love the gold and blue together. This was the latest in the month I got my BOM done so far. But I was kinda busy...

March BOM

Quilt Doodles BOM March Block:

I changed it up a bit as I did last month by using all 2 1/2" squares instead of the cream colored strip. I also added a little cardinal because it's a tree, in snow and I'm in Virginia. It's practically illegal to have a snowy tree without a cardinal in Virginia. Even when you live on the beach~y side.

A disappointing DaGMT~

  Getting twenty minutes of sewing a day wasn't the problem. Except for days that were eaten up by grandchildren (which I will never apologize for) and days when I wasn't in the geographical location of my sewing machine (North Carolina Christian youth conference chaperone...I made hexies in the car for well over my twenty minutes!) I was sewing, well, something. I just didn't work on the finishes. I got a little quilting done on a bow tie quilt that I really don't like much but I swore not to waste it. I didn't touch Bottled Rainbows, except to move it out of the way for some thing else. The only quilt finish was Kal's tractors. But before I depress myself, lemme look at what I did do last month:

~ Kal's Tractors finished and delivered
~Pippin's Street top finished and sandwiched/pin basted
~Kal & Leia's aprons (meant for last Christmas) done
~Quilt Doodles BOM done for Feb.
~Growth Chart panel sandwiched/pin basted
~Some machine quilting on the Bow Ties
~First Dear Jane block done (couldn't resist--I had to play)
~More hexies. Lots and lots of hexies. I lost count.

  Had a lot of thrift shop time in for Next to Normal. It's not a "sewn" show; most of it's costuming is modern day stuff. And, of course, rehearsal Mon.- Thursday for the college show eats up a ton of life. Not complaining though. After a 6 year dry spell to be back onstage twice in one season is cool. And doing a show with Jacie is really fun.

 Do you want to see the aprons?

 Both fabrics are by M'Liss Rae Hawley, whom I had the pleasure of meeting last November when I bought these fabrics. What a delightful, charming lady! She was shopping at my favorite Hancock's when I was there with Brian, P & J,  Ashley & Patrick and the kidlets just after Thanksgiving. What a surprise it was to be perusing a row of her fabrics and see the beautiful face of the lady on the store signage smiling at me in person! We chatted about our families, her sweet puppies, and Chick-Fil-A (I was wearing a CFA sweatshirt) and then she indulged me as I introduced my brood. She was so gracious and poised. Oh, and I love her fabrics, too!

 Okay, DaGMT 2015--- I will do better for you. And, with God's Blessing, I will be finishing stuff that I put together THIS year because my list for this year will be done by September. Or Christmas. Maybe.

 Yeah.

DaGMT 1/2 way~

So...halfway through the month. Not doing well on the finishes.

I'm getting my sewing time in, for the most part, but I'm working on different stuff than the quilts.

Days that grandbabies come to cuddle are not conducive to scheduled sewing. But I welcome them. Also, the community college decided it would do a show this spring (Halleluia! A paycheck!) The good news is-- Jacie was cast in the play! The weird news is-- I was also cast in the play! I'm really just a fill-in for an actor that dropped out on the first day of rehearsals. I love it but it really cuts into sewing time.

 

My BOM for Quilt Doodles for February : a cute cabin! The quilt is somewhat based on 2 1/2" squares, and I have a plethora of them already cut, so I changed the block a little to make the whole thing out of squares, even though a few pieces were designed with rectangles. No disrespect meant to Designer Cindy~ it's just what I had ready to go! I like where this quilt top is going. :)

 

 One thing I leaned from this block is I have a deplorable selection of black and brown scraps. And I am determined not to buy anything for this top. Not because I can't; just to see if I can.

                                     And...during Grandbaby days, Kal-El picked up his quilt!

This is by far my favorite tidbit this month:

I decided a few years ago I would someday make a "Dear Jane". I knew I would use a collection to help make fabric selection easier and I knew the cost would keep it a distant project.  When I saw the fabric line from "Downtown Abbey" I thought I had found the collection for my Jane. I told B about it, with the idea that I could start collecting them, one at a time, until I had them all. He gave me some 'found money' and said to get them now. I really don't deserve this man. Unfortunately, all the bundles were out of stock where I wanted to order them from. So I asked to be notified when they were re-stocked. A few weeks went by and in the meantime I found and loved the Jefferson County line from Windham. The colors stole Jane's heart. So, after a couple of days to think about it, early one morning I went online and ordered my Jane fabrics (Missouri Star) and the book (Amazon). To say I was excited, well, I think the only delivery I was more excited about in the last year was Pippin's. I have started tracing the patterns--you can see tabs where I've marked certain blocks already-- and even added a few fabrics from the stash to the "Jane Basket" where I will keep her neat and separate from the other chaos. I don't know how long it will take but I am so happy to be doing this!

Side note--- after I ordered the fabrics that morning, I signed into my email account and, of course, had emails telling me ALL the collections I wanted from Downton Abbey were back in stock. I feel a little guilt. I must start saving those pennies again and get at least one of them! Because...   yes.

Day3~ DaGMT Math

Easy math for Monday~  Sitting in the car and waiting for 2(1/2 hour music lessons) - 1(run into grocery for peppers and onions) = 16 hexies in about 40 minutes. Oh, and watching ducks swim in the rain.

The First February Finish~

   I'll start off by going on the record saying I know how fortunate I am that I have the time to dedicate to the sewing I do. My work is part time and my kids are of the age that I don't have to hover over them while they're doing schoolwork. Or supposed to be doing schoolwork. I do have to do that kind of hovering. But my twenty minutes a day pledge can easily become hours, especially if a crippling snowstorm closes down the area or a giant sporting event is taking place, as both did this weekend. I decided to start with the tasks I like least to try to make progress; saving the fun for last, so to speak. So I grabbed my grandson's quilt that has been sandwiched for over a month and went for it.

  I guess Beth's isn't the only tractor quilt with a story. Here's mine: simply put, my grandson, Kal-El, adores tractors. Kal's family lives in a cute little house surrounded by a cornfield. It's not theirs. But they're rural dwellers and farms are more familiar to him than Nani's 'big city' life. I didn't make him a quilt when he was born because my daughter asked for cloth diapers instead. When he was a little bigger, I made him one with a robot theme because he seemed to like them. Last spring, when we found out #3 was coming, I told him, "Kal, you're getting so big, it's time for a new quilt. Let's go to the fabric store and you can pick out what you like." Kal got very quiet, looked down and shook his head. I asked him "Wouldn't you like a new, bigger blanket?". Again he said no.  I said okay, but tell me when you want one. He said, "Never! I like my robots!" I realized what he was thinking and after mommy and I reassured him he could keep his robots and have a new one too he got excited about choosing fabric! We went to JoAnn's and I sent him off with Philip, with instructions that Philip was merely to watch him, help him carry bolts and NOT try to talk him into Star Wars. Kal's choice alone. It was only minutes later that Kal came around the corner to us, carrying a big bolt of John Deere flannel by himself, and wearing the biggest grin a little boy could have.  We added the pre-printed broadcloth panels and I pulled the solids from my stash.  I covered one of the printed 'blocks' with a yellow piece I appliqued his name on. The original flannel he chose is actually the back. It was my plan to have it finished before Pippin came, but when that deadline passed I set my sights on his 4th birthday (Dec. 21) or, if I didn't make that then Christmas (because 4 more days would really change everything). Right. Well, Kal's Tractors became #1 for DaGMT. I got it half quilted Friday while I was still stuck in snow, but that doesn't count because it wasn't February yet. I finished the other half Saturday afternoon in about two hours.  Yesterday, (Sunday) I stopped at Hancock after church to pick up a 1/2 yard of a different JD print to make the binding. What should have taken 10 minutes became an hour and a half because their power went out and killed the registers. I already had the fabric cut (2 pieces actually, since I grabbed a piece for Pippin's binding, too, since his quilt is on the list) so I waited with 50 other people 'til they got working again. A stop at Taco Bell for the two teens that had to wait in the car (sorry, guys) and it was 3:00 before we got home. After an episode of "Cutthroat Kitchen" and a chat with hubby I finally headed for the sewing room. My plan was to have the binding made and machine stitched to the front by kickoff so I could hand stitch the back down throughout the Super Bowl. At 4:30 I started cutting strips. I plopped into my hand-sewing chair in the living room just seconds after kickoff at 6:30. Except for one break to stretch, one to eat a couple of crackers and ALL of Bruno Mars performance (I mean---WHOA!) I didn't stop until it was done. We Skyped with the kids for a bit during the game and DH showed Kal what I was working on~ "MY QUILT! MY QUILT!"

Happy GettingSoBigYou'reABigBrotherAgainBirthdayChristmas!, Buddy. Nani loves you.

Yes, there is a matching pillowcase. I made that when I finished the top, forgetting about the need to save some for binding. *smh*

February means DaGMT

  While I was doing my after Christmas straightening, I took notes as I organized and actually made a chart of what I had started, what I had waiting, what I had bought certain fabrics for.

            Don't worry if you can't read it. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.

   All~ well, a lot~ of the plans that were jumbled in my head were finally on paper with the hope that crossing them off who be so much fun I might actually get them done. Along comes February to help. What's so special about February? It's time for Quilting Hottie Haven's annual Drop and Give Me Twenty!

 

This is a great opportunity to work on and knock out some finishes for those UFOs, WIPs,

Git Er Dones that are hanging around and begging to be done. Twenty minutes (at least) a day, every day-- it is amazing how much you can accomplish! Sign up, make a pledge and post your progress and you could win some great prizes.

 

Without further ado, here is my edited and pasted promise, pledge, plea~

 

"I, meg, (owner of too many UFOs and/or more fabric than I can hope to use up in my lifetime) am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's third annual DaGMT event, and pledge to quilt for at least 20 minutes, (usually first thing in the morning before I drag the children kicking and screaming from their beds to the homeschool table), every day of the month of February, 2014. In doing so I hope to (make way for more fabric purchases, give everyone in my family a quilt for Christmas and ensure my children don't someday have to sort through 89 UFOs and then sell them for $5 each at a yard sale) and I think Beth Helfter is brilliant for coming up with this concept and inspiring me to join. Again."

Join in, won't you?

Hey! I actually finished something~

   Don't faint~~ it's not a costume job either. I have to finish those or actors are naked. No, I did some re-arranging and re-ordering and when I looked at my nice, clean area, I had to sit and sew something. So, on the top of the pile were these panels from a pattern I tested last spring:

 

(Read about them here.)

 

 

   I had added the borders on a whim a few months ago and last week I found a curtain panel in a thrift shop that exactly matched my sofa slip cover that I thought would make a good back for them.
 I used the finished edges of the curtain (coughbecauseI'mlazycough) to save time and made an envelope style back. Some may say that they are passe' for now because Christmas is over but I say "nope".  Since Mother Nature just dropped 10" of snow on my house, which usually gets less than a few per winter, I say snowmen can stay on the sofa as long as they want. Well, they can stay out. They don't stay on the sofa, exactly, because as soon as I place them in the corners, AbbyBeagle comes along and flips them off. Apparently she can't get her hiney into the corners as she likes when they're there. She'll have to get over it. I like my snowmen!

                                                       

*giggle* BOM *giggle* Time!

I'm not sure why the quilter's acronym "BOM" makes me giggle but it does. Why, after all these years, do I still have to stop and think about what it means? Maybe there was something else it meant back in my Navy days that has left my cognitive memory but there's still a reaction. I don't know, but I do know the only BOM I have ever participated in was "Bottled Rainbows" and while the quilt is sandwiched and pinned it is not yet finished. That's not really a surprise--- I really don't enjoy the quilting part of quilting. I like piecework. Which is why, when I did the after Christmas clean up, I found I have about 8 tops and three sandwiches waiting to be finished. That's another post. Today's is for a new BOM I decided to join. It's a mystery, don't know what it's going to be when it's done but it caught me because it is based on 2 1/2" squares. I adore 2 1/2" squares. They are my favorite size and shape to play with, just slightly ahead of the 1 1/4" hexies I've been working on for three years or so, off and on. Any scrap I can get a 2 1/2" square out of, I do. And this is my storage for them:

This jar held a dozen of the most delicious, hand-made ice cream cones from a famous ice creamery named "Doumar's". It's just a few miles down the road in Norfolk, VA. and it's founder claims to be the one who invented ice cream cones at the St. Louis Exposition  in 1904. I think several people make the claim, I don't really care who did it first, I'm just grateful for the ice cream cone. But an added bonus of storing the squares in the jar is they all smell heavenly when I sift through 'em. But, anyway---the BOM. Cindy Staub of Quilt Doodle Designs is offering this sweet winter themed mystery BOM and I'm in. The first block is up and I am delighted that it is seven sweet snowmen. Half my Christmas decorations are snowmen themed so I know this will be a winner. Here's my January block; looking forward to see what February brings!

 

I used a blender from M'Liss Rae Hawley for the blue and some snowflake white-on-white I had in stash~

 

A scrap of orange for the noses and I opted for a flat-backed craft button for the eyes. I positioned the eyes and noses in a wonky way because I like any opportunity to use the word 'wonky'.

 

 

Bonus--- I got to use one of DH's brilliant Christmas gifts to fuse the noses in place! He is such a smart man to know exactly how to read my Christmas wish list. I asked for one thing from the list-- he bought them all plus some. Yes. I'm keeping him.

 

Happy Whatever-You-Celebrate!

The marathon is over. Since spring I have costumed 7 shows (Scapin, Avenue Q, Midsummer, Rent, 9-5, Proof,  Parade) and performed in one of them. I finished the top for "Scrap Vomit" and managed to complete some small stuff. Every time a show opened and I thought life would slow for a bit and I could have some good 'me' time, it didn't happen. I may have broken a toe a few weeks ago and it still doesn't feel right. Had my heart ripped out over some terrible events that happened at church. But joy oversees all~~

Pippin Storm is here and he's beautiful.

I still remember writing about Kal-El's birth. Now he's a big brother twice. These little people make everything awful go away. Happiest of Thanksgivings~ God is so good.

The September post~

No pictures yet from Shakespeare, Rent or 9-5 but... my sister was quick to send one of the her in the dress I made for her first appearance with a group of madrigal singers. She sent a picture of the style she liked and picked out her fabrics. I looked her picture and made this. I never did get her measurements. Oh, yeah, she's in Massachusetts; I'm in Virginny. Next time I'll hem it a little deeper and shorten the sleeves?

We'll just forget about September~

It seems one post a month isn't just for the summer~ it seems it's going to be the fall norm too. Except we'll just forget about September. It was an incredibly busy month which saw 2 significant things in my little world. One was the return to the front side of the curtain as I  played "Margaret" in "9-5" for 13 performances (four weekends!); the other being I turned 52 on opening day. It was truly the best birthday I've had in a long time, since I don't care about my birthday and try to downplay it anyway. But it was special. The kids gave me a wonderful little camera to replace the one that Leia dunked in my iced tea and I was happy that now I could get good pictures to share on my lil' blog here. The camera took about five pictures before it died. It won't take a charge. I'm at a loss and the folks at a large blue and yellow national chain of electronics stores that told me to bring it to them were of no help. Back it goes to the holders of the receipt. *sigh*

But in the happy place department~~ we had a great birthday for Leia Elise at the beginning of October! Wow--- I remember writing about Kal's impending arrival on this blog and now his sister is two years old! (And the next one arrives NEXT WEEK!!!) Leia asked for a 'princess castle cake' and although it's been a long time since I did fancy cakes I did what I could. I think she liked it!

 

Actually, I did write a September post---it was in drafts waiting for a picture. So I'll post it now after I steal a pic from Facebook. Thanks, JAG!

Continuing the 'one post a month' summer~

 August is almost over so I'll sneak in one post to finish out this nutty summer. No pictures yet from "Midsummer" but I did snag one group shot from "Rent":

                                       I 'stole' this finale shot from Becca S.~~ thanks friend!
That's the whole cast; each had a few changes and you can tell it was mostly found, borrowed and thrifted type costumes. The only sewing for Rent was Angel's Santa coat and I'm still trying to steal a photo of that.

 Did the one camp week but it wasn't the usual I've done for the past few years. This year I worked the session that focuses on using music and drama to worship. It was a new experience and, well, that's all I'm going to say about that.

Working on "9-5" has been a blast. It opens in just under two weeks and costume deadline is approaching quickly. Hope to be done by Thursday. We shall see.

Because I didn't have enough going on, I signed up for a 'quick' applique coaster swap through the Quilting Gallery. My little bugs are heading out to Tazmania today! And, no, no picture. During the last visit, Leia though it would be fun to dip Nannie's camera in some iced tea. So, a camera is on the birthday request list. I did take a picture with my phone but it will require my son or a miracle to figure out how to get the picture from the phone to the computer. Neither the phone or myself are "smart".

Speaking of Leia, have I shown off the kidlets this summer?

                                                     Kal-El wouldn't look at the camera.
This is at Roanoke Sound-- my new favorite place to chill. I'm not a beach person, but I love going here. When I win the lottery-- which is difficult because I don't play much -- I'm going to buy a house on the Outer Banks. And when a hurricane takes it I'll just have to buy another one.

 I did want to share this one. One week, both Philip and Jacie were away at camp so Kal-El came for his first 'days away' visit with us. It was such a wonderful time. Just us without the usual havoc of the quick visits. It was the longest Kal has been away from his sister and when they reunited at a church service they couldn't stop hugging each other. Ashley tells me that when they got home Leia took Kal by the hand and led him around the house, showing him everything she had played with while he was gone!

Number Three (nicknamed "Stormy" since they don't want to know who it is until he/she arrives) is about 9 weeks out. The 'what kind of quilt do you make when you don't know who it is?" question was answered when Ashley asked for a Sesame Street theme. I can do that. Eventually.

Next update will probably be after 9-5 opens. Life should slow down a little then. Right?

One post a month?

It must be summer!

Okay, quick recap since June~  "Midsummer" was a terrific success. Couldn't be prouder of Jacie in her first 'big' Shakespeare role! The costumes were as close to my vision as I ever could get and stay in budget. Very happy! Waiting for pictures to share.

"Rent" was much more frustrating to costume than it should have been. The theater suffers from a serious lack of communication between responsible parties; leaving me locked out of the costume storage to see what was already available and without funds to purchase what was needed. Despite knowing I was doing the show for a year and having my color scheme/look planned months ahead, most of the costumes were done in the two weeks before opening. That should NEVER happen. And guess what? I'm waiting for promised pictures.

The fall opener, "9-5",  has been cast and work has begun. The most delightful news from this show-- I have been cast in it! After a five year dry spell I'm finally getting to be on both sides of the curtain again!. What it means in the long run is even less time for quilting but I'm okay with that. it's not procrastination if there's other priorities, right?

I squeezed in some sew-for-me time yesterday and finished all the blocks I need for the Scrap Vomit quilt and started putting the rows together. I hope to finish the top this weekend.

In the meantime; I plan to enter this quilt I made for a friend in Quilting Gallery's Quilts for Little Ones contest. I'll probably post about that after it's official~ :)

Crummy week.

  Yeah. Just a couple of horrible costuming days. I'm working two shows- "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Rent". Just frustrating when some things don't need to be. But I'll look to the happy~ celebrating my Dad, an amazing and loving man who taught me what a real dad is and what to look for in a father for my children; and my husband of 28 years. Wonderful fathers, wonderful men. I am blessed.

At least one post in May~

  Just one, probably, because I'm busy as the bees and blogging while busy is not a priority. There's been mostly theatre work but I squeaked in a bit of piecework. I had the pleasure of testing another pattern for Cindy of Quilt Doodle Doodles. On the first warm afternoon here in SE Virginny I found myself childless for the day. Some may consider that a great time to do housework but that's silly.  I cleaned up pollen from the front porch and made myself cozy with a pitcher of iced tea and news radio and stitched away on the embroidery. The piecing had to wait because of Mom's illness (more on that later) but I finished up these two sweet blocks this week.

Cindy's patterns are available on  Patternspot  - they are adorable and so easy to put together. And no--- I am NOT a paid spokesman! lol! I just really get a giggle from her cute characters!

 Since my last post in March (!) I have:
~Opened and closed 'Scapin". It was a good show, no drama, pretty easy costuming. The director and I disagreed on a couple of pieces but we compromised. No pictures yet. I rarely get any from the college shows.

~Avenue Q opens tomorrow. Very easy to costume; just time consuming in the running around and gathering. Very little sewing. I was behind, though, because of:

~Planned a 4-day trip with all 4 of my children together for the first time in years to see my parents in Boston but, right before we left, my mom was hospitalized. I went up by myself instead and stayed for about a week and a half to help care for her. I traveled the day after the Marathon bombing so it was a crazy week of watching endless news coverage with a smattering of Red Sox games on Mom's hospital room TV. Fortunately, she is much better and comfortable at home.

~Began work on summer Shakespeare~ I can't believe it's Grove time again. It's my sixth and second go-'round with "Midsummer Night's Dream".  A new director who's looking for traditional Greek with Lord of the Rings-meets-Hellboy for the fairies. Jacie has been cast as the 'changeling boy'. This one will be cool.

~Beginning work on LTVB's summer musical, "Rent". A little more sewing than "...Q" but again it's mostly thrift store shopping and gathering.

 ~Planning a drama for a new week of camp. This is different from the week I usually do. This one is called Expressions of Worship and it teaches kids to use performing arts to glorify God. It's a new camp experience for me and I'm excited, but a bit apprehensive, about it.  I have not been contacted about the "usual" week I work so I am assuming that the person taking over that week doesn't need me. One less week to plan, I guess.

  I have signed on for four shows this next season. September brings "9-5", November has both "Parade" and "Proof" (and I'll be the assitant director for that) and "Next to Normal" in the spring. Plus whatever the college has in store... another happy, busy season!

Not dead; just not quilting

I'm not posting; it must be showtime! In fact, I'm booked up for the spring/summer season.

Scapin (opens 21 March)
Avenue Q (opens May 17)
Shakespeare in the Grove ( June 19?)
Rent (opens July 12)

Usually there's a week of camp (Solid Foundations) in there but I'm not sure about that this year. The dean of that week is gone and there has been talk of replacing it with something new. I've been asked to do an additional week called Expressions of Worship but the details are still hazy. I know I'd be teaching theater. So, in a nutshell, I'm crazy busy!

The downside is, of course, I want to sew my quilts and some spring clothes. I have all these wonderful "Taking Names" triangles calling my name. Scrap Vomit is SO close to being fully pieced.
There's a sweet new baby arriving soon and I still need to finish a quilt for Colton, who arrived last year. I want to suprise B with last year's "Bottled Rainbows" (currently sandwiched) quilted by me for his birthday at the end of the month. *sigh*

Daylight savings does nothing when it comes to needing more hours in a day.

The End.

...of DaGMT 2013, anyway.

The results:

~One UFO finished and delivered
~A basket full of packs for a scrap vomit quilt emptied for 15 total blocks complete
~a doll quilt made and mailed
~a few random blocks for swaps
~lots of fun, triangular shaped blocks called "Taking Names
~one "Star Wars" pillowcase son #2 has been begging for for three months since we bought the fabric
~One housework-free day spent at a quilt show
Oh, how much more could I have done if I wasn't spending hours in thrift stores working on costuming for "Scapin" or deathly afraid of free motion quilting!

Oh well... (in her best Scarlett O'Hara, which isn't very good) Today is another month to quilt in!

Happy March!

Continuing on...

The Month of DaGMT continues~

I learned today that a kind, wonderful man I have worked with in community theater lost his wife this week to ovarian cancer. They have two small children (4 & 1) and this news is just so devastating. If you're the praying sort, please lift this family up.

   I have sewn every day except Sundays and last Saturday when I spent the day at the annual Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. I enjoy that day so much- my dear friend Diane and I have made it our tradition to go together and I love her company so much. I bought a few treats this year (we were unemployed last year so I didn't buy much) : a wool candle mat kit, some pre-cut squares, a few fat quarters, a redwork pattern and the one thing I really wanted but didn't know it--- a ruler that makes joining the ends of binding a snap to put together. I'm not sure what's wrong with my brain but when I sew on a binding I struggle to get that nice bias seam on the last connection. I watched a demo of this tool and knew I had to have it!

  Progress has been made on the Scrap Vomit blocks (no pictures) and the blocks for the 'Taking Names' test/swap. I also made the doll quilt for this months Doll Quilter's Monthly exchange. Incedently, it will be my last as I have withdrawn from the group.
 

                                                                      swap blocks

doll quilt