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We had to cut our road trip short. We had planned to stay in New York until Monday but Mother Nature had other plans for us. She suggested there might be snow in the higher elevations of Pennsylvania. And my sister and myself being the chickens we have always been about driving in the snow, left on Sunday around dinnertime. I had made homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade filling for stuffed shells. Everything was put together except for adding the sauce to the shells. We packed our car did a quick tour around Manhattan, left the kids on the curb and started our drive back to Ohio. We got a hotel room in Harrisburg and slept the night away and we were back on the road by 7am. My sister, Karen, was the driver and I was the navigator. And we were on the road for about an hour when it started snowing. (in April). The roads were pretty clear and well treated. We did hit a few patches of snow on the roads, but slow and steady wins the snow race. Once we hit Ohio the sun was out but it was chilly. We made it home without incident.

I ended up with a head cold and on Saturday I was pretty much out of it. I was running a fever, coughing, sneezing and blowing. My sister, Karen, and my kids Nick and Tania left the apartment to explore the Brooklyn Flea Market. They got some cool things. Food. Jewelry. Art work. Karen got her ride on the subway but no taxi ride. Karen made dinner for us on Friday night and it was yummy. My son had three helpings!!

The quilt was a big hit with the kids. It is on the bed and even Frankie, my grand dog liked it. I had a wonderful time and wished that we could have stayed longer! Guess I should start planning my next trip to Brooklyn,.

In stitches,
Judy

Road trip

We are on the road! Who knew stopping along the highway for a hotel would be so tough? The third stop yielded a hotel! Also found out that us Ohio gals are spoiled! Stopped several places in Pennsylvania after 9pm looking for a grocery store or drug store. Closed!! It is expensive to get cold medicine at a truck stop convenience store. Oh well!! Getting ready for bed! We are due in Brooklyn at 6pm! In stitches, Judy

When did Quilting become so hard

Don't get me wrong, I love all aspects of quilting, but when did it become so hard to do. I am struggling with a design. I bought the fabric before the design was in place and now after much trial and error I have the design worked out. I have been to the local JoAnn Fabrics to get another yard of the yellow fabric I am using in the design because I cut the nine patch units too small. Last night, I went to cut the last pieces for wall hanging and low and behold there is not enough. I got this fabric at the Fabric Shack. So I went online and ordered another yard of this fabric. I am hoping that I will be able to run up there tomorrow and pick it up. Plan B is to have it sent to my mom's house as I am leaving for my road trip on Wednesday and having all my mail held at the Post Office until I get back.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

Life has gotten the better of me lately. I have been working on a wall hanging design that has kicked my butt. I have EQ7 and it is a wonderful program, but it does not give directions for constructing the block. I am a smart gal and with some trial and error, I have finally overcome the design and this weekend I should be able to assemble the blocks. I had to dig thru books and templates to finally get to this point. I used books that I had brought and barely looked at. I am so glad that I have such a nice library and I will start using it more often to get other quilts started and finished.

I will be posting the fruits of my sewing these past weeks, later this weekend. I am so excited about everything that I have finished.

I am getting ready to go on a trip to Brooklyn, New York to see my kids and grand dog. My sister and I are leaving Ohio this week and driving to Brooklyn. I will be cooking for them once I get there and I think we may be helping my daughter in law finish emptying the boxes from their recent move. And who doesn't love a good road trip.

Got to get upstairs and fire up the work computer. I have an Alzheimer's quilt for the Ami Sims initiative to work on until the calls get hopping. Hope everyone has a great day. And remember the weekend is almost upon us!!

In stitches,
Judy

Done

The yard is finished. It only sprinkled on me as I finished. And I am fine, though it is a shame that I don't melt in the rain like sugar does. My Alzheimer quilt is pin basted. Cannot decide if I am going to hand quilt it or machine quilt it. I have started hand stitching the binding on the quilt I have been hand quilting. Still have two more sides to do. Should be finished before Easter.

I am having issues with a quilt I designed. It looks great in EQ7 and it looks great in the mock up I did with fabric and a glue stick, but I am having trouble getting the angles just right. Guess it is back to the drawing board for the quilt. I am going to enter it in Timeless Treasures quilt contest. I am sure that it is going to work itself out. I just hope that it is soon. Trial and error is not my strong suit.

In stitches,
Judy

Getting things done

I think I have accomplished quite a bit today. I finished appliqueing the grandmother's flower to the background fabric for my Alzheimer's quilt for Ami Sims' project. I worked an eight hour shift. Even with a lupus flair up, I was able to cut the front yard. I also got 2 hours of overtime in after cutting the front yard. Made couscous. I opened 750 safety pins for my next quilting project. Sounds a bit disjointed but I am happy with everything I got finished today. We are finally busier at work and they are offering bits of overtime. I am hoping to replace my car this year, so the overtime will help with my down payment. Time for bed!!

In stitches,
Judy

Days to go

I am counting down the days until I leave for my trip to New York. I have packed in my mind, so hopefully, I won't forget anything. Doubtful! The quilt for Nick and Tania is done!!! I am hoping if the weather co-operates tonight to get a good picture outside. I am also hoping to get the front yard cut tonight after work. I have had a flare up of my lupus and most all weekend could hardly walk. I am feeling better and thinking the front yard is calling my name. And of course, the back yard is saying "Pick me on Wednesday"!!

I have a tiny bit of quilting to do on the hand quilting project and then stitch down the binding. I am doing a quilt for the Ami Sims Alzheimer project and I need to get that finished. I am hand appliqueing a block. I have not done these in years. It is restful. And almost done. And then I want to start on the bright orange, yellow and pink fabric. I have my design and I need to execute a block to see if it will work. It worked fine when I did the mock up with fabric and glue stick but sewing it on the sewing machine is much more different and not as forgiving as glue.

I need to get my stuff together and find the chair for my desk. It is time to start my week at work. From what I have heard we had our first bit of the promised overtime last night and I went to my guild meeting instead. Imagine that. I had a good  time at the meeting and we had some awesome show and tell and a speaker. I am hoping there will be more overtime in the near future!!

In stitches,
Judy

Over doing it

I have finished the bulk of the machine quilting for the quilt for Tania and Nick. Tonight I will quilt the border and add the binding. Another hand stitching project to finish before the guild meeting on Monday.

Mom and I had a nice time at the play Guys and Dolls put on by the Hamilton Rotary Revels. She fixed a light lunch from the leftovers she had from the dinner she had made my sister, Becky, on Friday night.

I cut my yard. It is good exercise and today I am sore all over. It did not seem to bother my lupus. I guess now that I have started the yard it will be a summer job for me. I also took a hand saw to the low hanging branches on my ornamental pear trees in the front yard. I hate having to dunk and sway while trying to cut the front yard. I had to move them all to the driveway to cut the yard and then move them back to the grass when I was done. In case I needed to leave for any reason, the branches were completely blocking my driveway.

Now I am ready to face whatever comes my way at work today. And the rest of the week. Also looking forward to getting a lot of sewing done this week!!

In stitches,
Judy

Kate and sewing

Monday is my day off and I always pack as full as possible and yesterday was no exception. I was excited I was having company!! I got up and straightened up the house and the sewing area and made homemade pizza sauce for lunch.

My niece, Kate was coming over for a sewing lesson. She had two things she wanted to make. Snack sacks and a lunch tote. She had seen something she liked on line so we took measurements and she drafted the pattern added the seam allowances and away she went. She made three of these bags and added a vinyl window in each snack sack.  

For the lunch tote we looked at a couple of patterns that I had for regular purses and totes and came up with our own design. She had a specific size she wanted and this is what it turned out to be. 

We had a good time and I am sure she is already planning the next project for the next time she comes to sew.

In stitches,
Judy

Busy weekend

I worked yesterday and every Saturday. Each Saturday is a gamble. Two weeks ago I was busy from the time I signed in until the time I signed out. Yesterday not so much. I think I took about 15 calls all day. I did get quite a bit of stitching done on  my hand quilting project. Tomorrow I am going to add the binding even though not all of the stitching is done. I am also working on the quilt for Tania and Nick. I only have 30 more squares to quilt out of the 180 total blocks. I am going to do a simple stitch on the border. I would like to have both quilts done for our guild meeting the first Monday in April. I need to get stitching.

Today I went to see the play Guys and Dolls put on by the Rotary Revels in Hamilton, Ohio. It was very good. What I did not like was the man sitting next to me. I should have asked for rent from him. The entire time we were there his left elbow was lodged in my ribcage. Did he really think I was his arm rest? I was almost sitting on my mom's lap! I am thinking that if I could have taken off my right leg and put it in my purse, there would have been more leg room for him. I was so stiff when the play was over I could hardly stand up from sitting like a pretzel for most of the play!

Now I am off to finish machine quilting the quilt for Nick and Tania. My sister and I are driving to Brooklyn in April and I want the quilt to take the road trip with us. Tomorrow is looking to be a busy day. My sister in law and niece are coming for a sewing day. My girl friend Jennifer is also coming. I am going to make homemade pizza crust and homemade sauce for whoever wants lunch. And I will probably work on the hand quilting of my scrap quilt or work on the Orange Crush fabric. Looks like it is going to be a busy day.

In stitches,
Judy

As my weekend ends

As my weekend ends it has been such a wonderful weekend. I have finally gotten the quilt for my daughter in law pin basted.

 It is full/queen and I think I used about 2000 pins to baste it. I have started the machine quilting on it and I have 3 rows out of 15 rows quilted. I am planning on quilting every night after work.

 

 

My mom and I took a road trip today.

  
 I had to drop off a quilt for Rising Sun Quilt Fest in Rising Sun, Indiana.

  
 We turned off the Garmin Lady and took the scenic route hone along the Ohio River. Saw this flag carved into a tree stump.

 
 Stopped and took a few pictures of the Anderson Ferry. A good place to come this summer with my sister and her kids. We can take the car ferry across the Ohio River and then to Shawnee Lookout for a picnic.
Can't wait for summer. The warm weather is already here. It is not even spring and it was 81 degrees today!!

Tomorrow I will have to go back to work and if the calls are slow I have a project that I have been hand quilting and I will get to add a few stitches to that! At this rate I should finish this quilt by the end of the month!!

In stitches,
Judy

Spring fever has struck

This last bit of warm weather has given me spring fever. I so want to go out and work in the yard. I would like to start edging the walkway from the driveway to the porch and the driveway. It has rained here yesterday and the soil is moist enough to do it so after work tonight I will go out and dig in the dirt. I have been collecting ideas for my flowerbeds and purchasing seeds to start in the house. I will not start the seeds until I get back from New York City in April. They will set out on the deck during the day soaking up sunshine and come back into the dining room once the sun goes down. I also want to take apart my porch swing on the frame, sand and stain it. It has been many years since that has been done. There is a bench in the front yard that needs it screws tightened, So many ideas, I just can't wait to get started.

Tonight I will work on the quilt for my daughter in law and start pin basting it. I am hoping to start quilting it after work on Saturday. Busy, busy, busy!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Life

This has been a very interesting week and it is only Wednesday. I did a mock up of the block I wanted to use with the Orange Crush fabric in the previous posts. I really like and cannot wait to get started on it. I have finished sewing the circle squares together for my daughter in law's quilt. I need to press the segments and join them all together. I will add the borders and hope to start pin basting it this weekend. I have put everything back in my refrigerator, even though it still  makes a noise. It is not as loud now and when I am working and busy I do not hear it.

Yesterday was my birthday! I had a very full day. I worked my whole 8 hour shift. I applied the new sticker to my license plate so I can drive another year without getting pulled over. I voted. I went to the library and went to the grocery store. My mom stopped by at lunch time with a lovely bouquet of yellow flowers. Yellow is my favorite color. I got to talk to my kids in New York City. They moved on Monday to a bigger place and my sister and I will be driving up there in April for a visit. All in all it was a wonderful day!!

And today I had a home visit from the company I work for. At one time or another each of the work at home staff gets a visit. It has been warm outside so I had the wooden door open and was watching out my storm door at the birds, squirrels and any thing else that caught my eye. A big car pulled up across the street with a gentleman looking kinda lost inside. I knew he was the company rep I was waiting for. As he started towards the house, I called to him to move his car as he was in a no parking zone. I have to admit it is not well marked. I think there my be two or three signs on my long block. But I did not want my visit to stand out by him getting a ticket. He was here and gone in under 8 minutes!! If I do not hear anything in the next few days, I know I passed. But I am sure I passed. No telling what tomorrow will bring. But it is off to bed for me now!!

In stitches,
Judy

Refrigerator saga

I am still having issues with my refrigerator. Right now it is smack, dab in the middle of my kitchen, along with a cooler full of my perishables. I emptied the entire refrigerator over the weekend. Unplugged it and opened the doors. This morning I cleaned out the entire thing with baking soda and water. I cleaned the floor behind the frig and plugged it back in. I put something in the freezer and a diet pepsi in frig. And the darn thing is still making a noise when the frig turns on. Something is loose in the back. I am still waffling whether or not to call the repair service. So far now the frig will live in the middle of the kitchen but the cooler is going back to the garage. The food I took to my mom's is staying in her freezer for now. I will not starve. The freezer in the basement is full!!! I will have to think about this bump in the road for a few days. My next days off are Sunday and Monday!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Fabric Magnet

I seem to be a fabric magnet. I was at two different JoAnn Fabrics on Sunday and the magnet worked then. Came home with several pieces of fabrics, most of them are earmarked for certain projects. That is a good thing. Tonight was our Guild meeting. Once again, the fabric magnet was working. I came home with a bag of fabric from one of the other quilters. Next week my stash numbers are going to be out of this world. I really need to get a handle on this.

I have decided on a pattern for this bright fabric. I have designed a block on EQ7 and I need to make 9 blocks for the quilt. I purchased some yellow fabric to use in the block. Pictures will follow.

In stitches,
Judy

Sunday

It is Sunday and I am getting ready for a road trip to Blacklick, Ohio. Going to a birthday party for a two year old. I have my Garmin ready and gas in the car. There are couple of things I need to do here before I can leave.

My refrigerator is just over a year old and Wednesday it starting making a noise. Of course, it is out of warranty. I thought I had it figured out. I had packed the freezer to fully and there was no air circulating and it sounded like something was dripping into the drip pan. I took a bunch of stuff out and put it in the freezer in the basement. Problem still there. I was told that perhaps things were frozen and it would take it a few days to unthraw. It has been more than a few days. Last night, I took all the stuff out of my freezer and drove it to my mom's. She has a huge pretty empty chest freezer in her basement. I now have brought the cooler in from the garage and before I leave on my road trip, I will empty the stuff in my refrigerator into the cooler add a bunch of ice and unplug the refrigerator and let it rest for 24 hours. Then I will plug it back in and see what happens. In the meantime the refrigerator is in the middle of the kitchen. I will have to make sure that I have plenty of ice to keep my perishables happy. I am hoping that once I plug it back in the noise will have gone away. If not it is time for a visit from the refrigerator repairman. But at least I will have done everything I can to fix it!!

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Saturday

It is Saturday and I am getting ready to start working. I have the circles for my daughter in law's quilt that need to be sewn together. I will work on them today if we are not busy with calls. I have 90 circles to add to the quilt. I have figured out I want to add them, now it is just a matter of doing it right. I do know where the seam ripper is so I should be fine.

I have a few projects that I am going work on around the house this weekend that are not sewing related. I have to get my drill out! Watch out a quilter with power tools!! There things I want to hang on the walls and my walls are plaster. Pictures will follow.

I have a birthday party to attend up near Columbus, Ohio tomorrow. I think the Garmin and I have worked out our differences, so we are ready to roll!!

In stitches,
Judy

Happy March

I am not sure what happened to February. I had such plans for stash reduction, but that did not happen. I thought for sure I would finish more projects but that did not happen. So I am going close the door on
February and open the door on March with hopes getting more things accomplished. I just need to keep moving forward.

I had such a nice day on Sunday with my sister in law Kathleen and her daughter and my niece, Kate. They are such creative people and we had such fun. Kate is going to come back and dig in my stash, play with my buttons, do crafts and learn to sew on my sewing machine. The possibilities are endless!!

Sleep has been a fleeting thought the last two nights. It is almost time for the alarm to go off and I have already been up for several hours. I am hoping we are busy at work today because I need the stimulation to stay awake!!

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

Not much has changed this week. Only used one yard this week.

Used this week:     1 yds
Used year to date: 17 yds
Added this week:   4.25 yds
Added year to date: 19.50 yds
Net Used for 2012: -2.50  yd

Check out Judy's blog.

In stitches,
Judy

Busy Sunday

It is Sunday and I have been so busy and it is not even noon yet. I have done up the dishes, cleaned the  bathroom, moved my sewing machine into the dining room for some group sewing this afternoon, straightened and dusted the rest of the house. My sister in law and  niece are coming for group sewing and I think I am going to the gambling boat with my sister and her hubby later on this afternoon or evening. Those plans are still up in the air. My mom and my sister Becky want me to go walking with them but I am not sure how I will be able to squeeze that in to my already busy day.

In stitches,
Judy