I've Been Stitchin'

I'm not really in the mood to blog, but I decided I need to or it will be weeks ... again.  Dan has been super busy with his consulting so I've had long days with time on my hands.  I have enjoyed watching some quilting videos online and have ordered a few things to feed the habit.  One thing doesn't necessarily have to do with quilting, but it does sometimes figure in.  I have many types of stabilizer for machine embroidery and every time I need to use some, I've had to pick through a whole shelf of them (an upgrade from the basket I used to keep them in).  I noticed a clever over-the-door hanger just for stabilizer in an email from Nancy's Notions and I decided to order one.

It's easy to see what types of stabilizer I have and I no longer will have to spend precious sewing minutes searching for the one I need.  Plus, the hanger is out of sight and I had an empty shelf!

I have an AccuQuilt Go! cutter which hasn't been used as much as it should be.  I watched a few videos and was inspired to buy a BOB (block on board) die for making shoo fly blocks.  It came on Tuesday and yesterday I decided to give it a try and sew a test block. I picked a pink fat quarter and after searching through various other FQs decided on a yellow print that included pink.  Well.  After making the first one, it was so cute I used up the rest of those quarters and made two more. I decided these three were too cute to waste and I spent some time plowing through my fat quarter stash and came up with several more fabrics that would work.  I'm thinking a baby quilt or small lap quilt.

I know it's a poor picture because the sun is hitting the back row but you get the idea.  I love that the pieces come out of the Go! so perfectly and by putting the two colors together with right sides together I can start right in stitching and chain piece.  (Some of the pieces for the next three blocks can be seen in the bottom of the above picture.)

Here's a picture of the die.  It's called a BOB, block on board, because all the pieces needed for the block are on one die.  

I'm having fun!  And, gasp! I'm working on another quilt when I haven't finished the Yellow Brick Road baby quilt I was working on last week.  I am one of those weird quilters who always finishes a quilt before I start another one, but really, the top is done (see below) so technically I'm sorta done with it.  I'll just quilt these one after the other and be done with both lickety split!

And now to head down to my sewing room and crank out (literally!) a few more blocks! ♥

Happy 4th! and Other Mutterings

For some reason I always feel that when the 4th of July hits, summer is half over.  Really, it's not and I'm not certain why I feel that way.  Maybe it was the years I was teaching and August was creeping steadily closer. Once August hits, teachers turn their thoughts and efforts to a new school year: planning, getting to know new textbooks, putting the classroom back together after the summer cleaning crew leaves, and so on.  One teacher friend likened summer to a weekend: June is Friday night--hey we survived! July is Saturday--let's play! And August is Sunday--Monday's comin'...

At any rate, it's our country's birthday! And a three-day weekend.  We here at the resort are enjoying some down time as Dan has been super busy with his consulting and will continue to be in the weeks ahead.  I plan to grill some chicken breasts later and have it with pasta alfredo.  Mmm.  Hardly 4th fare, however. Hopefully I'll have some chicken leftover to put in salads this week.  Love these salads in the summer!

Meanwhile, I've been doing some stitching.  A week or so ago when Dan was out of town for the week, I pondered possible projects in my sewing room closet. I'd had one pulled out for a while but I finally realized it was not one I would enjoy, so I pulled the kit apart, threw the pattern away, and put the fabrics in the appropriate fabric stacks by color.  Whew!  The relief I felt told me I'd made the right decision.  But now what?  

Something fun and easy, that's what.  A few years ago when I tore my sewing room closet apart and Dan made me new shelves, I put together several bundles of fat quarters to make Yellow Brick Road quilts.  One such bundle was comprised of the Bella Baby fabric line by Marcus Brothers in blue and brown.  The time had come! I began cutting and soon had the various blocks made.

I currently have the blocks arranged on my design wall and plan to start stitching them together in a day or so. I should have this quilt done in no time and then I'll get to choose a whole new project.  ♥

Red, White and Blue

I'm a fan of using peanut M&M's as part of my seasonal decorating and love that they make appropriately colored bagsful throughout the year.  Last summer a Facebook friend posted a picture of a bowl of red, white and blue ones and I wanted some. I searched all over town to no avail and was totally bummed.  This year I decided to start my looking early, but still no luck.  I even looked on line and did find some--for some pretty amazing prices,  Apparently the M&M people don't make many bags and some people are price gouging.  I didn't purchase.

Fortunately back in March when I had some Valentine's M&M's left over as I changed over to Easter hued ones, I noticed I had a few white ones left.  In a light-bulb moment, I scooped out the whites and put them in a ziplock baggie...just in case.  I bought a huge Costco bag of the usual multi-colored ones last trip and picked out some red and blue ones.  And so it is that I have a bowl of red, white and blue peanut M&M's to add to my summertime Americana decorating.

And I tell everyone to only eat the red and blue ones.  ♥

Post 417: Wherein I Discover Dusting Can Be Fun

Yes, I realize it's been three months since I've written. And one would think that I would have something more earth-shaking to write about than dusting, but trust me when I say that this is earthshaking.

NOTE: For those of you who have already discovered this amazing item, my apologies and you have my permission to stop reading at any time.  

While at my parents' house weeks ago, I spotted a strange looking thing in the laundry room and my brother told me it was a Swiffer duster and that it was, well, I can't remember his actual words, but something to the effect that it was amazing.  Fast forward to a week or so ago when I was surveying the dusty living and dining rooms and our bedroom, mentally gearing myself up for a marathon of dusting when I remembered The Swiffer.  

A trip to the grocery store was on the agenda so I added "Swiffer duster" to the list and away we went. (I need to have a list because, well, I'm getting old-er and the memory...).  We finally found the Swiffer and threw the box into the cart, mentally noting to transfer Swiffer to the Costco list (in other words, The Swiffer is not cheap).

At home, I opened the box, pulled out the handle and noted it came in two pieces.  I managed to ram the pieces together and then pondered how to put the actual duster thing-y on.  I read the instructions and still no wiser, consulted Dan, who pointed to the picture. Ah. The picture. Worth a thousand words any day!  After realizing we'd put the dust thing-y on upside down, I was in business.  

I thought I'd give it a little spin so I tried it out on the dining room table and before I knew it, I was done with the dining room itself.  I even dusted the chair legs!! This little gizmo ↓

is truly amazing.  There must be some dust attractor on those fluffy strips because even corners and crevices become dust-free in a flash.  I attacked our bedroom and then the living room.  I was still smiling when I was done, and let me say I was done in record time.  (Please note that there is no picture of the duster thing-y when I was done because I was truly embarrassed at the amount of dirt on it.)  Who knew dusting could actually be easy and fun?  ♥

It's Spring Break and . . .

for the second time this week, we woke up to snow!!  So typical!  

Or course it's gone now and sun is out, but it's definitely March-like weather.  Dan and I have laughed today over memories of the year we got up to several inches on June 10, the first official day of summer vacation when I was still teaching.  Ah, life in the mountains. 

Meanwhile we've been enjoying going to Keaton's basketball games (his school is competing in a spring league for middle schoolers).  Here he is going for the score!

And here's a photo of Cameron all dressed up for his school's spring formal.  I'd show one with his date, but I'm not certain if it would be okay with her parents.  

And finally, here's one of the Daniel, adding his bag of corn to his pre-school's pot of "stone soup." It's been a busy month for the boys.  

Ann and I had a fun morning on Tuesday when she showed up with her niece Elizabeth (Eric's brother's daughter) and we taught her to use my quilting machine.  For her last birthday Elizabeth had asked for quilting lessons from Auntie Ann and they spent the summer piecing a top.  Of course, then school got in the way, but with this being spring break, it offered the perfect opportunity to quilt it. Elizabeth, who will turn just ten next month, did a fabulous job with the machine and got the whole top quilted.  Just the binding left to be fitted into the schedule, hopefully soon.  A whole new generation quilter!  

Oh, and happy St. Paddy's day!  ♥

Stitch, Stitch

I've decided counted cross stitch is the perfect antidote to soggy late winter days.  The steady in and out of the needle is soothing and the whole process is somewhat like painting a picture.  A boon for those of us with absolutely no talent in the painting department.  The fabric is blank, like a canvas, and as the thread colors fill in the squares, the picture emerges.  The picture just keeps growing, and in the end, I'll have a new piece of art to display.

Happy soggy day!  ♥

Another Tiny Book Review

I just finished a book that I couldn't put down.  It's by an author I've enjoyed before and came recommended by Ann so I knew I would probably enjoy it, but it truly was a page turner. And more than that, it was the first book in a long time that I didn't peek at the end somewhere along the line to see if I liked the ending and if it was worth my time to finish.  (Yes, I'm a peeker...)

The book?  Secrets of a Charmed Life  by Susan Meissner.  It's a story set in England during the Second World War and features two sisters caught in the blitz, Hitler's Luftwaffe's devastating bombing of London in 1940.  I love history and I love novels set in England so I was pulled in immediately.   The story is presented in an unusual way, and I'm really not saying anything more.  

I know all readers don't always like the same type of book, but I think most people will be drawn into this book and, like me, be pulled in all the way to the end. Enjoy!  ♥