Baby....oh baby!

Imagine my surprise when I found out I was going to be a grandma again!  My daughter and husband just got their youngest in kindergarten – it wasn’t that they were trying to get pregnant, but weren’t doing anything to prevent it either.  Both figured if “it”  happened - fine, but since "it" hadn't by now, it wasn’t going to.  What do they say about famous last words or a big’ol Karma bite on the keester?  Not only she did find out she’s pregnant, but she’s having twins!  

A few days ago my daughter shared the sonogram results – both girls!  Now I can start on their first baby quilts!  I’ve been requested NOT to do anything in pink.  Yeah!  Like my daughter, I’m sick of seeing pink and more pink on baby girls. It’s over-done and I'm ready to move on to other colors.

It’s time to bring on the baby quilts!

Daughter Jamie, has requested I make miniature baby versions of the 1930’s repro I’m making for the spare bedroom.  A little surprised…. I’m a repro lover, but the 30-something crowd is usually into the Amy Butler, Kaffe and Tula Pink designers – not the Aunt Grace line!  Am I starting to look cool and hip to her?  Well ......doubtful, but I have a great stash of 30’s and really looking forward to scrapping up some baby quilts.

Close-up pic of the spare bedroom 30’s Repro border.  For baby quilts I’m imagining 3inch nine patches and a children’s print for the setting half square.  Hmm, this grandma’s got the creative juices flowing.

Lastly, I want to share my Mother’s Day gift from my youngest.  Sam surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a new rotary cutter.  Does this 25 yr old young man know his mother or what?  What I would have given to see this 6’5” dude walk in a quilt shop, locate and purchase a rotary cutter!!

When life hands you lemons...

I hadn’t been home from my quilt retreat but a few days when my mom had a stroke.  Not one, but two strokes within days of each other.  In technical terms – she’s had a stroke/hemianopsia.  Three small brain bleeds and one large one.  To me, that sounds super serious but once the neuro-surgeon explained everything..... had anymore bleeding occurred she would have been paralyzed, so they didn't consider this as bad as I did. Since this happened on the right rear side of her brain, it’s effected Marge’s left side. The stroke damage has taken her left peripheral vision from both eyes.  Some weakness on the left side of her body, but she’s workin’ out the kinks at the rehab facility.  It’s been a couple of weeks since the initial stroke and she’s been able to regain full use of her left side, but still has left side blindness.

Does that mean Marge has let this get her down?  Ah no, she’s trying to manipulate me into breaking her out of the rehab facility. She’s bored and tired of being in bed.  I’m starting to worry she’ll barter “favors” to get a good cup of coffee – which means a cup loaded with caffeine.  She’s keeping me on my toes….I took off work while she was hospitalized and I visit each and every night after work at the rehab – each day I see her progression and with each day that ol’bird is getting ornerier. 

Coming home for my mom could be right around the corner.  Let’s hope it’s before I get a call she’s been found down the street at Starbucks!  

Now for lighter thoughts and some quilt dish!

I’ll admit I’m a snail at piecing.  But I started off the quilt retreat without having my project totally cut out.  So once at my destination, my rotary cutter didn’t stop until bed time.  Needless to say, my high hopes of completing the quilt didn’t happen. 

I have 5 additional rows complete which I haven’t added yet – then I’ll be slightly more than half done.  This 30's repro was intended to be the summer quilt for the spare bedroom.  Good thing I didn’t specify which year…

Wouldn’t you agree it’s important to support local and small businesses?  Of course, right? My thoughts exactly!  As we made our way through northern Missouri towards the retreat, we made a few stops.  And, seeing how I wanted to unwind a little, I couldn’t help but think this local establishment had just what I needed……

I feel guilty....I've cheated

Some would say I’m a two-timer.  Lately I’ve been spending time with a certain Janome.  In fact, we went away for an extended weekend to get acquainted.  We had a fabulous time together at a Quilting Retreat in Nebraska!  Sven, my Viking badboy has been acting up lately, so I didn’t want to be 3 hours from home with a machine that sounded like the little engine that couldn’t.  My friend Sue let me borrow her back-up machine for a test drive.  Not saying I’m ready to dump Sven, but for the amount of money I paid for this hangdog Husquvarna, he should be running smooth as silk.

Another quilty friend Jen joined me for this Retreat.  Jen and I have done road trips together before so I knew it would be a great time.  Since Jen is taking a photography class (with the photo subject being cemetery pics), she asked that we stop at an old cemetery right up the road from the Retreat Center.  No problem, it’s literally a mile away.  What I wasn’t aware of, that part of Nebraska had received rain for days.  Many days.  Jen mentions the cemetery is on a gravel road – shouldn’t be an issue, it’s been raining so we’ll be minus the gravel dust.   

As we head up this gravel road I can feel my car starting to sink. I realize very quickly, this isn’t a gravel road but more like a mud pit with a scattering of gravel on it. Never in my life have I experienced mud like this.  So thick and sticky!  I had to get out of this!  My head was swimming with the image of mud caked up to my knees and the little wheels of my sewing machine tote clogged with Nebraska sludge because we had to bail from a sinking Hyundai!    

(Right side car tracks - me entering the road, the deep middle set is me swimming my way out)

Luckily we were able to back out.  Once we headed down the road…..imagine a tractor dropping huge clumps of mud….that’s what my car did.  You could hear the road pudding thumping and rolling around under my car…..

Since the photography homework wasn’t happening (and after a pit stop at a car wash) it was time to check-in to the retreat.

Me on the left and Jen on the right... oh yeah, the day is looking brighter already!

A little too excited....?

One more brag about the progress of my yard.  I wish I could remember the name of this bush – it has long spindly branches with bright green leaves and yellow pom-pom blooms.  Dora (my fiber artist bud) was thinning out this bush and gave me a few clumps of it.  There’s always the fear it won’t be happy in my yard, but it's blooming really nice for a new transplant.   

Now for the quilt dish.  A few weeks ago my quilt bud Sue and I attended our Guild’s weekend workshop.  I was excited to attend, I felt “one” with this workshop – this is right up my alley.  Finally a Scrappy workshop!  We were told how many colors to choose and given cutting directions prior to class.  

Once there, the instructor would walk us through putting the first block together.  Quickly I deflate because I’m not loving the colors I’ve picked out.  Mine aren’t going together super cool like everyone else’s.  All the other blocks (including Sue’s) have a pop of color.  Ahh, mine aint poppin’.  At the time I pulled my colors, I had no idea how the blocks would go together.  What’s happening?  Am I rusty at scrappy?  Have I lost my mo-jo?  This isn’t what I had in mind at all……

Block 2

 Block 1

What made me think that orange could sit 

right up next to that yellow?

Err, all the fabric is cut for 16 blocks.  Not sure if I should finish the rest of the blocks or stop where I’m at.  Decisions....decisions........ 

Not enough time in the day....

I would love to say my absence has been from having the pedal to the metal on my sewing machine – but that’s not the case.  Spring Fever has hit me hard.  When I purchased my home last summer, the yard was free of any type of landscaping.  I couldn’t wait for this spring to arrive so I could start planting some gorgeous perennials.  There’s been more weeding and digging up old tree roots than planting – but it’s starting to come together.  My first show-n-tell is my first ever Rhododendron bush.  She’s a beauty and not sure why I haven’t been excited about them before.  All credit goes to my friend Dora, she turned me on to the Rhodo’s.

I planted this stunner directly under my picture window in the front of the house.

My 2nd brag......I knew I had a Lilac, but just didn’t know what color.  Nice to see bloomage! It was looking a little rough when I moved in.  Pruned it up, pulled some weeds away and it’s lookin' mighty fine.

National Quilting Day

Is your machine cleaned and oiled?  Have a UFO which needs some special attention?  Stack of scraps calling your name?  Get ready, set…..tomorrow is National Quilting Day.   Marge (my mom) still has me ball-n-chained to her kitchen, but I’m seeing the light at the end of this renovation tunnel.  So, I may join Kathy over at ASentimental Quilter tomorrow eve for a sew-a-long.  Kathy will post a small project to commemorate the day.  Who can resist?  It’s only fitting to do some kind of sewing on National Quilt Day!   

If your looking for a bigger project, The National quilting Association has a free pattern to celebrate the day.

2015 National Quilting Day Pattern & Directions

The 2015 Quilt – Crooked Path, will make my “to-do” list very soon.  Danniele Bohannon, design winner of this year’s National Quilting Day quilt is about 40 minutes from where I live, but on the Missouri side.  Quilter (Kelly Cline) and quilt photographer (Richard O’Kell) live a stone’s throw away from me.  Feeling proud to have so much talent right here in the mid-west.  

Luck O' The Irish

Wishing you a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

Is the smell of corned beef and cabbage wafting from your kitchen?  Since I’m the Queen of spread-yourself-too-thin, I don’t have any aromatic signs of St. Patrick’s Day at my house. I’ve spent my weekend and last evening at my mother’s house renovating her kitchen.   With a coordinating wall to paint, grouting to be done and the cabinetry to replace, I suspect I’ll be there the rest of the week finishing up.  Thankfully, my son is assisting with the plumbing and demolition.  Instead of calling my blog the Quilt Dish, it should be the Reno Dish as I have forgotten what my sewing machine looks like….

Before the cabinetry was ripped from my mother’s kitchen and my life as a tradesman began, I was able to finish up two more Fussy 6 pointers.  I love the fabric pattern of both of these.