This is what I 've been up to lately....

This quilt is not community service. I posted on May 24, 2011 about making a baby quilt for my husband to give to a friend of his. He is being a bit secretive about whoever it is--and not because he is having some secret affair. So, I make the top, it gets quilted and I spend the time to tack the binding down by hand. It turns out really cute and the border fabric is princesses--just perfect for a little girl. It isn't as fancy as I might have done for someone I knew.... Saturday night I show it to my husband. He didn't seem all that interested. Now what I am thinking. He comes out later and tells me there are some new developments. The father is who he knows. That guy somehow ends up in the hospital and it is iffy whether he will live. So, here I am waiting to see what happens. I still don't know the guy's name.

This is upside down, but you can get the idea. I put a close up of one of the embroidered blocks below.

Here is a close up of the embroidered blocks for the quilt above. I was doing a block of the month off the Internet, but I tired of the baskets and just decided to stop midway and move on. I had six of them done and put them with a flowered fabric that I had in my stash.

This quilt was a collection of friendship stars that were part of an Internet swap I did a long time ago. I never could decide what to do with them since they didn't really match. The idea of the swap was fun. Someone out there will enjoy the blocks more than I did.

This community service quilt is 4.5" squares in flannel.

Our guild is trying to put together 100 quilts for the Citrus Heights Police to distribute. I understand we need them by November. I will try to make at least one for each month until then. It is nice to have a goal.

Family here

Cousins Shanon and Tan are here from Southern California visiting for the 3-day weekend. We played games last night--Hoopla, a quickie scrabble game and a great game called Imaginiff. I will be looking for the Imaginiff game for a friend of mine, Lisa. Lisa usually has a birthday party for herself in May. She treats us, her friends, to a fun-filled day--a trip to San Francisco, parties at her house. once painting pottery. This year she sent out an email saying there would be no party. Her sister was killed a couple of years back and the trial is this month. There was just too much stress for Lisa to add party planning on top of it all. So, I have been on the lookout for a special gift for her. Just a little something that would say, "I know how hard this time is on you and I remember you." I remember her sister too as she was a Julie like me. Lisa loves to play games. She plans these wonderful parties for couple friends (that would be me too with my husband) with good food and alcohol that always include games and prizes. One year I was partnered with Lisa's husband and we won--a Starbucks card. Anyway, I am thinking this game might just do the trick. If you are thinking that a quilt would be nice, I have already gone that route.

I might be stopping at Toys R Us today........

The Baby Quilt

I can put off until tomorrow what should have been done today with the best of them. In fact, I should be tacking down the binding on this quilt as we speak. One day my husband asked me if I would please make him a baby quilt. The baby is a girl. How easy would that be? Really easy it turns out. I actually had a quilt top ready to be quilted. It was a black on white fabrics with really bright fabric in a log cabin design. It was fabric left over from a top I made in a class. The story of my life.... a quilt top that is ready to be quilted and there it sits. But I am wandering off the point....

I took the quilt top over to my mother-in-law who said it wasn't really nice enough. It was said nicely as she showed me some nine patches she had left over and gave them to me. I did have a cute princess material that would be cute. So, I went home and ignored the whole thing. See, I wasn't that anxious to make a baby quilt for someone who I don't know. For some reason, every time I ask who this is, I get "oh, you don't know them." Now time passed and the baby was born. It really was a girl. I feel slightly guilty that I let this go, and made the top. Yesterday, I asked my mother-in-law if she was close to getting it quilted. She called me at 4pm to tell me it was done.

I will be tacking down the binding in a bit while I watch television. I still hate making things for people I don't know, but it is done. Lots of pink, princesses and pastel green. I hope the baby likes it.......

Julie

Moses

I don't know if this is only here, but Jesus is supposed to be coming to visit us on Saturday, May 21st. I made a Moses costume for a colleague who is having a party to welcome Jesus to our little world. Everyone must come in costume. I know someone else who is invited to the party and she will be Mary Magdalene. So, if we are still here on Monday, I will get to see pictures on Wednesday. On the other hand, I have a nasty cold and may be dead tomorrow, so for me it will be a moot point.....On Saturday I will be so virtuous--helping children make pillowcases for the sad and sorry people in Africa and then attending a baptism. How could Jesus not like that????

I have been busy with stuff (making Moses costumes)--and have been only doing embroidery. I am making a pillow. My friend, Imelda, gave me the fabric, the pattern and showed me her finished pillow. Funny thing, my pillow will look a lot like hers. So, we are at our embroidery group, Knoty-ladies, and Kim, also a friend, points out that I am copying Imelda. Isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery??? Especially since Imelda did everything except the embroidery for me. Darn her, I have to do my own work. What is up with that??? And, may I point out that I drool over Kim's stuff (quilting, decorating, gift ideas, etc) and I will be making a watermelon wall hanging JUST LIKE KIM'S! It is seriously cute. I plan to get started on it as soon as school is out and my friend Sandy is officially retired. We will make it together.......Sandy's will also look JUST LIKE KIM'S! Did I mention that Kim gave us the pattern and the ingredients to make our own after we drooled over hers????

I'm leaving you now to go lie on my bed and finish watching "Working Girl" while I apply Vick's Vapor Rub under my nose. I go to die quietly............Okay, not really quietly since NO ONE here is the least bit sympathetic. I had to call my mother-in-law for sympathy.......Be in good health.
Julie

Hurrah! We're back!

Hurrah! Blogger is back. It was down for a bit, but here we are again!

Here is a teaser for you. Yesterday I went to St. Mark's Lutheran Church here in Citrus Heights and attended a Sew Day put on by the program chair, Natalie, for my guild, Golden Valley Quilt Guild. We paid $2.00 to show we were really serious about showing up (and it helps pay for the donation to the church who is a fantastic host!) and then brought whatever we wanted to work on. Some of us worked on community service quilts; some worked on their own little projects.
My friend, Cordelia, turned a many year ago block-of-the-month blocks into fall table runners for Thanksgiving. She got three done! Then there was the strip quilt that went completely wrong, but you would never know it since she made the same mistake consistently and created a different pattern. It will be making its way to community service. As I was leaving, she was hard at work on a quilt she took off the Internet. Valerie, who is the queen of purses, was making three identical quilts for three not-identical people. Natalie was making those community service quilts--flannels for boys in blue and girls in pinks and flowers. I have no idea what Sharon was doing. I do know that Misty from Joann's at Sunrise and Madison made Sharon's dog, Peanut (a little tiny dog), an outfit to wear in the upcoming Citrus Heights parade (June) and Sharon is going to make a matching vest for herself.

And what was Julie doing you ask? I knew you would. The Sew Day began at 10:00am. At 9:45am I stood in my kitchen and said, "What should I bring???" I choose to bring a box that holds a Linda Ballard pattern. You can find out about Linda at www.letsquilt.com. Linda came to our guild and spoke in May of 2006. That was when I took her class. I cut out lots of stuff, bought three of her patterns and made one block. Way back in 2006. It took me a while to get the idea back, but by 3pm I had seven blocks! So, I am on my way to getting a VERY old project done. Will share the picture when I am farther along.....Now I told people about it, so I have to get my act together!

I spent the rest of the day going to Starbucks and then catching up odd blocks and making community service quilts. Very productive!

Julie

Gotta try this!

I am now a fan of mocha coconut frappuccino's. Yummmm!

Half Priced Frappuccino's

Tonight was the mocha frappuccino. Yummm.

Remember to go to Starbucks and get half-priced frappuccino's during "Happy Hour" 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

Pets

I was just sitting here thinking of my friend and her horse. My friend and her husband had two Suffolk horses, Sam and Tom. The horses, ten years old, are brothers and quite beloved by their owners. My friend and her husband have no children and are one of those couples who consider their animals to be their children. In fact, I know they give each other gifts on Mother's Day and Father's Day from the animals--three dogs, the horses and nine cats. On Friday my friend came to work and shared that Sam had developed colic something that is very dangerous for horses. Some of us might remember an episode of MASH where Colonel Potter's Horse had colic and the entire camp turned out to force water down the horse in order to save it. Unfortunately, Sam was seeming to get better by Friday evening, but died Saturday morning. He was walked around and when led back into his stall, laid down and died. I understand when a horse lies down that is VERY bad. As a truly city-girl, I know absolutely nothing about horses. I rode a horse once and that was enough for me!

My friend is so sad. I know there are those out there who won't understand how terrible she feels. I do think pets are pets and their deaths are inevitable. I will have a variety of cats and dogs before I die, but they are just pets. On the other hand, I respect my friend's feelings and know she feels terrible and as I do for her.

Sam was a very stubborn horse and his "family" will miss him.

Happy Mother's Day

I am lucky. I love my children and my children love me back. The only drawback is that they are both adults with their own opinions and they are at the age when they are right and I am (sigh) so misguided.... Today they are arguing about whether it is worth it to go to Starbucks for 1/2 price frappuccinos. I have to side with the daughter on this one. I LOVE plain Jane coffee frappuccinos with a bit of whipped cream on top. I don't need the caramel, the chocolate or any of the other toppings that there are to add to a cup of coffee. I am a plain Jane kind of girl.

My friend Kim posted a happy mother's day message that pointed out that not all mother/child relationships are lovely as are mine. I was also lucky to have a very close relationship with my mother, who died 14 years ago last December, and my mother-in-law, who I dearly love. I know from experience with my mother and her mother (Grandma) and my father and his mother (Granny) that mother/child relationships can be less that perfect. Because I saw those relationships, I have made it my mission to make sure mine are harmonious. My mother once pointed out how I made friends and then made the entire family my friends too. I still do that.

I hope your day is lovely and there in someone out there you can call and say, "I love you" to and that someone out there calls you. In the end, it is that we are remembered and loved by others whatever their relationship with us that makes it all bearable. So happy days to all of us.

A Little Surprise in My Day

I work with middle school students. Love them, adore them--still on the young sweet side, but growing up. We are testing this week. As an aide, I have been sitting in a classroom away from my desk, away from the students I usually see. I have some choices such as just sit there and stare at them (which distracts the little darlings), read (I have finished one book!) or do some hand work. I have this bit of embroidery that will one day be a quilt when I have all the blocks finished. It is a basket pattern--all baskets are different--with flowers. I believe the pattern is called Mindy's Quilt. It is a pattern by Melinda Bula, purchased at Quilter's Corner in Sacramento. My squares are all in various shades of blue on tiny blue dotted cream fabric. The quilt when finished will be a blue and white quilt. I saw this pattern done in purple and white and it was simply striking. I was given a picture of the completed quilt in purple so I can look at it occasionally and visualize mine in blue and white. The pattern quilt is done in pink. Not the same.

As I am sitting there, some of the students are fascinated. I wish I had supplies and they had the time to learn this, but alas that isn't going to happen. One of the boys told me his grandmother does embroidery. I thanked him and then spent the rest of the time over coming that reference to my being old ): --although, at his age of twelve years, if I was really young when I had my daughter and she was REALLY young when she had children (if you could see me I am crossing myself over that thought) I could be his grandmother. The boys are the ones who are watching me do the stitching the most. Now these are Hispanic boys and they are not known for doing what might be called "women's" work. I shared with them that we have one male in our quilting guild. You never know where interest might pop up!!!!!

Hope it was a lovely day for everyone wherever you might have been. It was Cinco De Mayo yesterday commemorating a battle won by the Mexicans against the French. I wasn't home last night to have dinner, so we are celebrating tonight in honor of the part of our family that hails from Mexico. Yummmm.

Compare our quilts

The quilt at the top with the dark border is my quilt. The other quilt was pieced by my friend. Both quilts were made at the same time, but I put my squares together long before Sandy did. Both quilts come from a book called Country Gatherings by Monique Dillard and Sue Glorch. We both used the same setting for our quilts. Look at how different they look! Or maybe it is just me. The big difference is the way we used the setting in the book.

Sandy made hers by buying the $5.00 block of the month at Quilter's Corner. She used the fabrics that were picked by Dawn from the store. She made the 12 block of the month squares and then made four more to make a total of 16 squares which is what the book setting called for. What Sandy didn't do--the pattern calls for an additional border around the 12" square with small corner squares. She didn't have enough fabric to do this for each square, so she just omitted that piece. I can see in the picture that her fabric has more gray tones.

I also bought the $5.00 block of the month, but in 30's fabrics. My 1800 reproduction fabrics were from my stash, leftovers from my Jo's Little Women days so there is more blues and purples--because that is what I like. Down went more for the browns. My setting uses the extra border with the small corner stones around each square because I had bigger background pieces and had plenty of fabric to do this. I had actually made the decision to use the setting from the very beginning, so I didn't use background fabrics that wouldn't allow for the extra border. I only made 12 squares. My quilt is not a square; it is a rectangle. You can't see it, but my corner squares are a very dark blue fabric (not black as it looks in the photo) with little red flowers and green leaves. My sashing tends toward the warmer tones.

The biggest decision we both made was the binding. Sandy used the same red she used for the small inner border. I agonized for days over the binding. I made Sandy drive out to Quilter's Corner to look for a piece that I found out later I bought at the shop that closed in December. I was really apprehensive over using the red for the binding. It matches the red flowers in the border fabric. One last note. Both of us put on an outside border. The pattern in the book didn't call for an outer border. Personally, I just felt it needed a border to stop the quilt. I notice as I sneak one last look at the photos that Sandy's stars stand out and you can see them as individual blocks. Because I used the extra sashing around each block, my stars blend in and have given me a pattern I didn't expect.

I love everything about my quilt and I love Sandy's too! Aren't they just beautiful????