The biggest sale ever...and I am Missing it...

• The warehouse sale at Foust is this Friday.... can only purchase by the bolt so take a friend and split. It is a very hectic scene so if you can not handle a crowd it is not the place for you.....

  

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Three times the charm

A new quilt is building.  With the simple exchange of (1) the yellow on the right for the yellow on the left...

(2)The exchange of only 6 blocks for these

(3) The corner slash cutting of the blocks..

I now have the beginning of a quilt I may just like....c top left corner.. 

 FINE....(4) I rested all day too!

The Loverly day..

Today is a beautiful day in Charlotte...on my back screened in porch it is...with the ceiling fan..I am looking at the pictures in this book...no text for me...but the pictures are so relaxing..until...my heart starts beating fast..when I see one I love.  What can I say, I am a quilt lover.  The American Quilt, A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750 to 1950.  A great book.

 The sampler quilt below is from c. 1860-1875.  It is machine quilted...showing off the new sewing machine plentiful in the time. 

 A lovely pineapple block...I am sure our last speaker...Jane Hall has seen this one.

 This "Modern" quilt below was made in 1900

I am doing this while my husband discovers that cucumbers at Aldi's are 49 cents and at Harris Teeter they are 79 cents....that the frozen salmon at Aldi's is reasonable and tasty.  He is doing the buy one get one free at HT.  My saintly man is bargain shopping while I "rest"...

Value poor at the midnight hour

I found these 6 inch square batiks.  I said...great..a no think project.

The mail brought me this stamp for my fabric ink...from Pick your Plum...not bad...gotta practice.. 

 My husband is watching the Olympics and I cannot do the eye strain thing.  So I played with the batik blocks I found.  I wanted the fall look.  I will be slashing it diagonally. 

 I hate this one with the yellow.

I hate this one without the yellow. 

 One more time I cannot figure it out without strain.  So plain as day, not a no think project (at night at least).  Tomorrow another day..huh, Milito..

Blah blah blah before bed post...

Zoey would like to introduce you to our new refrigerator.  We had a lemon...In two or three years, we had 4 computer boards replaced and for us it had been an expensive refrigerator.  It was like $1600..I mean really, an outstanding sewing machine could be had for that.  So I called GE to negotiate a replacement.  They no longer made my refrigerator and only had upgrades..My brain, my poor brain...Now the refrigerator was going to cost 2100$...Enough to give a concussion without a fall!!  Marisa at GE, if you are reading this...tell your boss you should have a big raise for your pleasant negotiations and outstanding customer service.  Our replacement fridge came today and it is just fine..very fine.

Next news is the thread thing.  Below you  see two Coats and Clark thread spools.  The one on the left is new, and the one on the right used to be...but..in the 4 weeks I have been injured, I have emptied this spool..all as penance before using my cool and awesome Aurefil!  (sorry Coats and Clark)

Now, today's accomplishment in the sewing room.  Six pet food bags that were given to me to make into grocery bags...All scrubbed with soap and water and wiped down with disinfectant wipes..bags reinforced and handles attached...

Now, tomorrow Milito and me...just chillin....no worries at all....we pray...goodnight.

Sunshine top and update

Trying not to go totally nuts here...My Milito brightening my day..Each day a new beginning he says..You go Milo...

 Last night I was able to go to Guild with the help of my friends...Thank you Sherry and Muggs.  Had to lie down for 15 minutes and had to watch the program with my sunglasses on.  Thank you Karen for the needles and Australian fat quarter to cheer me up and of course when I got home, I had to have M and M's from the bag Melissa gave me. Guess I am better than last week when I couldn't go to the Modern....paying for it all to day, but oh, so worth it.  Cannot keep a good woman down!!. I finished this quilt top for Sunshine.

And that is all she wrote!

Relaxation

I really need to relax tonight.  My mother needs me and I am not that well yet.  Since I am head of the Sunshine group at Guild, I thought I would relax with these blocks that Guild members have made.  I can see that I am not the only one who has relaxation on the mind....

Tonight I put my own lattice on the group blocks. 

 First I think that my Milito is in the way..and then I realize that he is just keeping me company on my quest for peace...a fellow traveler so to speak...

My friends are picking me up for the Charlotte Quilters'Guild meeting tomorrow night.  I pray that I will be able to go.  I will see my mother for a few in the morning and then rest, rest, rest...till Guild.

One road leads to another better one..

I have spent too much time on the computer and cannot concentrate on these squares...so now they become another group of orphan blocks for another time.

 From that path came the hidden treasures of my Australian fabrics.  They are so happy that I found them.  So I ironed them tonight and folded them and loved them.  I might try my curved ruler using them at another time.

 Even the names of the fabrics are great....saving these selvedges for sure..

International flair for the wonky

There is nothing like putting a piece on the blog to see where things could be adjusted.  I just love blogging.

 Shopping my stash, I found a stack of Australian fabric fat quarters from when Marie and I went to the Statesville show a number of years ago.  They are really beautiful.  I thought I might add a bit of international flair somewhere in this wonky piece of mine.  And then I might not want to use my  beautiful fabrics on such a piddling piece...and then I did promise self to use my collection and not just admire it and touch it and love it...and then....sigh...

Today's behavior analysis....This is the end of week 4 as in concussion recovery...4 to 6 weeks.  I decided that I was way done with this and I was going to go to Hobby Lobby to look for a magazine I had been wanting..I was looking at 45 min max..15 min there, 15 min each way...I felt that I needed to walk thru the fire to get to the other side...to be brave and not wimpy and to be done with all this concussion stuff.  Off I went, flying high..windows open listening to young folks music...the great pretender.  As I approached the store, my eyes started to feel pokey and my head started hurting and my dizziness...But brave me went inside anyway.  Tough I am...They did not have the magazine.  Back in the car...that humility thing again...this return trip had air conditioning on high and me praying that the light would hurry up and change.  My husband asked how it went.  I told him to talk to me from my bed.

Yellow invites her cousins to play

Messing around with fabric...

• Tonight, before bed, I am reminded of my favorite version of Wind in the Willows..(Kenneth Grahame, 1987)...When Toad, reclusive Badger, and sensible Rat...were so happy just..."messing around in boats"!!
  So, with that song singing in my head, I took these 9 orphan blocks and started cutting into them.
  
   I did some yellow slashing...and 
  
  
  
  I had the best time, messing around with fabric!
  
  

Disappearing nine patch comfort top done

This quilt did not need to be this big.  But, the clutter needed a break, so it got two borders instead of one.  Always great shopping from stash.

Evidently "turning the corner" does not mean crossing the finish line.

"Humility, like the darkness, reveals the heavenly lights",  Thoreau

One upper...one downer..

The upper is that today is just as good as yesterday for me!  I even used the design wall.  With a million naps and rests...I am happy.  The downer is that my husband just got back from his Mohrs skin cancer surgery.  I of course was supposed to have driven him, but couldn't...so he drove himself.  He came home with a big bandage on top of his head, mucho stitches, Hydrocodone and instructions to do nothing....hmmmmm.  This should be an interesting weekend!!!  How adorable...we will be "doing nothing" together.....

This is not sewn together..In my excitement to do a quilt for a bigger child, I put so many kid's prints in that it   is turning out just the way I feel...mumble jumble.  And, I see that the white squares are not forceful enough...Oh, well...it is for a child! And, a quilt is not done until it is bound!  Once again...note the cute big blue plaid from the shirt from GW!

Comfort quilts ...retake

The last time our bee met, Carol told us that she had a middle school student in the hospital with stage four cancer.  When I looked through my comfort quilts for one for this child, I was upset that all of them were for younger children.  This was the only quilt even a little large enough.  And, I thought that since I had used antique blocks in this quilt, that it was "old lady" for this child.  Carol said that she would make it work by having the girl's teachers write with fabric pen greetings in the green lattice.  A great idea Carol.

This situation got me thinking about comfort quilts.  The Charlotte Quilters' Guild has an outreach  program for the hospitals which includes sick newborns, children with cancer and women with cancer.  My thoughts are that from now on, I will be thinking about the older child.  IMHO, the easiest quilt for this is the "tossed" nine patch.  Tonight I got out my box of 5 inch squares again and found some children's prints.  12 blocks of  5 inch nine patches, with borders make a nice size.  This is my start:

Today was the best day I have had in three plus weeks.  I am grateful and encouraged and trying not to do too much.  Of course the HUGE Costco bag of M and M's that my friend Melissa dropped off on her way home from The Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild will ensure continued improvement.  Melissa was going to drive me to the meeting, but I was not strong enough so she came by for a minute to cheer me up with.....eeeekkkk chocolate....Lucky me....

Saved by the UFO

  So Joanie thinks that I am productive despite my concussion stuff.  I think that that is because I have so many UFO's...These are no-think projects that are around and I do not have to start anything...eg..using orphan blocks or these snowballs from a several quilts my daughter and I made years ago..I am not able to use the design board or start anything new or read my new quilt books..but these will be easy.

Then too...I get one good hour up followed by 30 min resting in a recliner or bed.  So I make good use of that hour..and sneak in a tiny bit of computer...Now that I have caffeine free Diet Coke maybe I will not be so productive!!!  Gotta love quilting and its saving Grace..

The Dolly quilt

last night I found 4 16 patch orphan blocks...with a bit of lattice and border, I have a dolly quilt.  Small things....

 It was really a no brainer...good thing!!!  huh??  But I had to think twice.  Once in fussy cutting this baby doll for the center....

 Next, to place the yellow in the checkered binding in just the right place...

Because I had to spend most of the afternoon in bed, I am really trying not to read blogs now...I am trying to get better...hugs to my friends out there that give me so much support.

Self-care

BREAKFAST

Oilcloth Book cover

I just made this cover for my book with a little pouch on the front for a marking pen.  Oilcloth is so easy to work with..no seams, etc. Now I am going to bed.  There is some crabbiness going on in this house in Charlotte, North Carolina..!!  Even the dog is staying clear!!!!!

The beloved enablers in my life

First up in enabler town is dear friend, Andy.  She called me from IKEA saying that they had the new sewing machines in and she was buying one and she knew I couldn't get out, yet desperately wanted one...so, She got me one!!!  My husband doesn't understand why anyone needs three sewing machine...sigh.  Thank you sooo much Andy!!

Next up is Jennifer.  She posted all the yummy sales on  Fabricworm.  Of course I could not pass up on some of it...after all I need to get joy back in my life...soooooo I bought this:

and this...

None of which is my fault..I am just a fallen woman trying to find balance:)

So now, my husband watched a thing on TED on concussions.  This lady said that there should be NO TV and NO computer....so why didn't the ER doc and my PCP tell me that.  I have been all over fabric sites for hours trying to cheer myself up.  When the doc said do NOTHING, I thought he meant housework, cooking, laundry......

Right now, O'Quilts is doing computer work with her SUNGLASSES on...much better, thank u.

Cannot keep a good woman down.

The pinwheel cure

Thirty five pinwheels....Done....14 potholders...Done

Guess it is not the cure I was hoping for...progress is very slow around here.