IT'S FINISHED

Yes, I finished Carolina Christmas except I think I have to name it something different since I didn't use green and I set it differently from Bonnie's This was a trial on the design board. After putting up the blue blocks and seeing the secondary design they made me to decide to just put the Poinsettia blocks all around the outside of the blue blocks. Oh, I left one set of the poinsettia blocks in the middle. Then when my daughter came up she didn't like the red I had for the border. Said it was Orange. Nope it might be on the rust side but I liked it. Then my Granddaughter the artist said she didn't like the color either but maybe some blue might help. So this is the last that I could take on the board. Just not enough room for the rest of the borders. So I retreated to the basement and my double tables and Juki to sew on the borders.
All afternoon yesterday. Finally done. It measures 92 x 107. Those are 4 inch borders. Nice quilt for someones King Size bed. This was taken stretched out on the table.

Then this one I turned it the other way and tried to get a better view of the center and the borders. Don't know when I will get it quilted. Might be a little hard to do on my machine. Time will tell. See if I have the money to send it out.

Now what do you think this quilt should be named.? Love some good suggestions.

I had a nice visit this afternoon with my Colorado Granddaughter and her other grandmother. They had been to an Aunts in Philadelphia for Christmas and the next two days in New York City seeing the Rockets and a show and shopping. Stopped on their way back to Virginia where her Grandmother lives and they are both flying back to Denver tomorrow. Sara is in her second year of collage in upstate Co. Wants to be a Fifth grade teacher.

Hubby is gradually improving. Probably be at least another week before he is out of the woods with the pneumonia. Then try again for home.

We've had some nice clear sunny days but OH so cold. Did you see that full moon out there tonight. ? Just heard on the news that it will be a Blue Moon on New Years Eve. Hope it is clear.

Everyone have a very Happy New Year

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO one and all and just had to show you some more snow pictures. This is the mailbox and paper box and if you click on it I'm sure you can see how tall the snow is on top

This is the path I had to shovel out to the mailbox. The road is completely covered with Snow but during the night the plows were in and did a great job of opening it so the Sun could melt the rest and we had blacktop and could get out. I was in for two days but Monday morning was able to get out to take Hubby his eggs and go on in to Hagerstown to get my PT. It is really helping me to do things the way I should have been doing for years, Mainly to stoop not lean over to get something. Great exercises that make my back feel better. Stretches the muscles out. Still have one more next week. Just had to show what my good friend Kim had sent me for Christmas. She has talked about making those almonds. Sorry I put them in a can to keep crisp. Then the little fabric pockets that she made her students with little goodies inside. The cutest angel cookie cutter. Then from her searching on the FQ place a Schnibbles pattern called Dulcinea which calls for two charm packs and these she choose Moda Notebook all springy yellows and blues. She knows I like blue. Then the backing she choose this blue large check and a bit of white for the piecing. But I can't start this without getting a big project out of the way.

Yes, I'm working on Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Christmas Mystery. Love Mysteries. I am using Thimbleberries and instead of the green that she is using. I'm using blue. Have lots of them with the lights . The gold is almost a tan but works well. Now here is a picture of what I have done so far on the wall. The only center blocks are sewn together. I love the way the blue ones come together and make some secondary designs. So I think I want to use the Poinsettia blocks around the outside. Have the one set as Bonnie has it in the middle. Hopefully I have enough of the blocks to go around. I still need to complete those Poinsettia blocks. This is sideways, Couldn't get it turned but you can see I hope. I want your

input on whether I should put a light narrow border around to separate the two different blocks. The is the Poinsettia blocks around the outside and the blue inside blocks. Doubt if I make the pieced border that Bonnie made. I think a printed larger border will help set off the quilt.

Since I will be here alone this evening I want to get the Poinsettia blocks all sewn together and see if I do have enough. Course all those blocks need to be sewn also. Plenty of time for that. They Are calling for freezing rain in the morning so I may be here then also.

Hubby really has a terrible deep cough so he is in the right place. Has a series of antibiotic shots for ten days so I know he will be there for awhile longer. Will once again have to get that strenght back.

Happy Holidays to all

It's Going to Be a White Christmas

This is what it looked like when I got up and it got light enough to see. More is coming I went out to get the paper so wanted to get some pictures before I messed it up. Was surprised as it looked like there was at least 6 inches on to of the mailbox and fence. I haven't been back out but the way it has been snowing I'm sure that the path I made out to get the newspaper that is covered.

Am so glad that I filled up the bird feeder as they are coming in. Also have a slab of suet in the little holder on the railing. Just hope the squirrels stay into their homes and let the birds have the seeds. I took this out of the kitchen window trying to get some birds.I took the time this morning to fry up some bacon that has been in the in the fridge for awhile and cooked ME three sunny side up eggs. What a treat. Then looking out the windows of the porch this is what it looks like now at 9:30 am. Snow is much heavier when you can hardly see the far trees it is heavy. They are calling for snow all day.

So I shall start piecing blocks for Bonnie's new Mystery. Don't need to worry about going out. Hubby said I wasn't to come out if there was snow on the road. That might be into next week before this mountain road gets completely cleaned off. Depending on if they want to have school on Monday.

So hope you all are able to get your Christmas finished and stay safe.

I HAVE BEEN WORKING

Sorry I have been so long getting another post in. With trying to get some things done for Christmas and with hubby taking time going to doctor's appointments. He had all but one molar taken out of his upper jaw and a new plate put in, then the plate didn't fit right and his gums started to bleed after a week. So the surgeon had to stitch them closed so that set him back a bit. Needs to go back to the dentist tomorrow for some work to the plate and checking out the gums. Sure hope they are starting to heal good. He has lost weight which he needed to do because he has been on a soft diet but none of it is good enough for him to eat. Fussy. But in my time at home I have gotten most of the pieces sewn to Bonnie's mystery and then this week with her putting up how the blocks go together. I wanted to see and this is as far as I have gotten. Have lots more pieces to sew together., but had to stop and get a quilt finished for my son. It's this where I ask for some help. I had quilted the top and wanted to quilt the border but just am not good at free motion. Had this roll of a feather pattern which really works neat. It has glue on each side that adheres it to the fabric. Then you sew over the pattern. Any of you that do free motion feathers no you have to follow the stitching a couple times to do it without cutting thread. Well when I peeled the paper off there were lots of tiny pieces that did not come off. Because I didn't go over the same line like I should have. catching the paper. This was worse than peeling paper off of paper pieces blocks. Any help out there? How did you get those tiny pieces out? I used a sharp pointed twizers my hubby has and did get most of them.
I had to take a picture showing this piece still on and you can see the ones I have taken off the white left

This is the completed quilt. See the border. Don't look too close. I love this quilt with all the plaids. One of my Hollow friends had this quilt on her bed in the hotel room when we had out retreat in Kansas City a couple years ago and I decided that was what I was going to use these plaids for. This shows the full quilt. Now it is on it's way to Colorado for my son for Christmas. Merry Christmas George
One of the things that has kept me so busy is the Physical Therapy I've been going to at the Spine Center. They are so good and helped me to get along with my back pain. One thing that I needed to do was raise my working area. All these years I have been leaning to much to cut and iron or press. This is a picture of my 6 foot table that with the help of DD when she was up last week to put the risers under the legs. It's just right. But you can see in the right corner the ironing big board 6 in. shorter. No wonder I have a bad back. Ladies you need to watch this because it can really damage those discs as you age.Worked great but now what can I find to be firm enough and fit on the top of those containers.?

Went shopping at Wal-Mart. First found some large plastic pans but when I went back there was only one. Looking around I saw these plastic shoe boxes. Bought two of them and they were perfect but felt I needed two on each side.You can see them in this picture. The only problem is I can't put anything in them.Can't open them with the board on. It has a long 2 in strip of wood that supports the ply wood. This was maid to be use on a ironing board to make more space to iron large pieces of fabric.

Excuse the stacks of fabric sitting around. Doesn't every quilter have that? My sewing machine and table extension is next here on the right.
Those bins have fabric sorted by color. No Thimbleberries there. It's all in another shelf.

So that brings you up to date on what I have been doing. Hubby is doing very well in his therapy and am hoping to bring him home on Sunday, weather permitting for a trial run then the Pt's think he will be ready to come home before Christmas.

A Winter Wonderland

This is the view south of the house. See how the snow is sticking on the limbs. When I went for the paper a little before seven it was real fine and I do not like to drive in the snow. Hubby is back in the nursing home after a shorter stint in the hospital to get rid of another infection. Then Thursday we took him to the Oral surgeon to get all the upper teeth out and a new plate inserted. This went well but it of course needs adjusted but will probably have to wait until this coming week. But he expects me to take him scrambled eggs for his breakfast, they do give him a good serving also but not with chili sauce in them. So I hurried and got his eggs , got dressed and by 8 went to the nursing home. It is good that it's only about 2 miles but since it is on the side of a hill there is a winding driveway up. Nothing is yet sticking on the road as the Temp. are just at freezing. I didn't stay long. It wasn't long till it was looking like this outside. If you click on these pictures you can see how the snow is sticking on the trees. This is a view of the lower part of our property

This is our neighbors home and the bank she has planted a lot of different pines.

This is my view from my porch The neighbors shed and all the plantings she has made behind it. The stone fench is our property line. A couple little pines that my brother has brought to me.

Now this is what I have been doing this past week after Thanksgiving. Bonnie started a new mystery and I can not miss a mystery. This is some of the blocks from the first 3 parts. I am using Thimbleberries in reds, Blues and neutrals with a sort of gold which is suppose to be a single fabric. I have not finished sewing those triangles on the reds. The HST I am sewing before cutting off the triangle. Maybe something for a border?? Who knows

She does have part 4 posted which is a lot of broken dishes using more reds and the neutrals. Have not started to cut these.

Since it was snowing I thought it was time to get out the Christmas tree and get a little decorating done but it seems I can't do quit as much as I used to. Course I have no one around to carry the stuff up from the garage. So I have the tree up and a lot of the lights won't come on. So I am not going to put anything else on it for now. Besides my back was hurting so needed to sit.

Thought I better take the time to get this blog updated. Gee Thanksgiving has gone by and no post about what we did.

My Daughter and a friend of hers were coming on Tues. and since I am swimming on Mon. Wed. and Fridays. I said they could cook. He likes to cook and is Italian. So he had given me a list of what to have. He said he would make Lasagna and had to make the sauce from scratch. I left to do my thing.

When I came home this was on the table. They had to go to the store for extra things before cooking. Daughter found this pitcher which is her pattern in the Heisey we have collected for years. Really makes a great vase for these lovely flowers. There are still about half of them left. But I think I am going to replace them with a small tree.

Daughter said something about it was a wonder I hadn't gotten out my camera. I really hadn't thought about it but this was the crew in the kitchen. She was washing dishes. Doug was working on the islandHe was making a delicious cheese pie. His Mothers recipe. Daughter had made a pumpkin pie and made the crusts for both pies. Both got eaten before they left on Friday.

We had Duck for Thanksgiving as asked by Hubby. We were hoping he could come home but he didn't go to the nursing home till Wed. Evening but he was determined to come. Called at 10 an wanted us to come and get him. So Doug went with me in case we needed help. He got in the car good but had a little trouble getting out of the car so thank goodness we had some help.

Hubby had trouble getting out of the wheel chair so Doug was able to help again. Hubby was not happy not to get fried oysters besides his duck. Just a little confused as we had planned the oysters for Friday as this was asked for by daughter. That was my time to cook .He got them on Friday.

So by mid afternoon Hubby decided it was time to go back to the home. DD and Doug took him back to the nursing home.

We also had with us a Niece who is moving to the Annapolis area as her hubby is waiting for clearance for a job with the government. She has gotten a teaching job at the school where DD worked and next door to her school. She had her Collage student daughter visiting. I don't think I had seen the DD since she was a baby. This is my brothers oldest daughter and they used to visit after Christmas when the kids were young. We had a nice visit.

Now while I have been writing this the road is now snow covered. They have been calling for about 4-6 inches. but the sun is suppose to come out tomorrow. A nice start to the Christmas holiday. Sorry it has been so long since I posted but will try not to be so long the next time. Thanks for stopping by. Oh , yes that is my first Christmas cactus blooming.

A Couple Finshed Quilts etc.

This is one of the blocks I've been working on. Have most of them finished and have ordered the border fabric. So this will have to wait.

First off, I want to say that Hubby isn't the best right now. Still have that meeting today, thought it was Thursday, can't read the letter right. This week he has seemed weaker, I think he is so anxious to get home and his body just isn't working so. Now he is scheduled to come home on Tuesday as DD is coming. for the best of the weekend. Has a friend coming up to visit from Florida so we will have some friends around and they are going to cook. I've ordered two ducks for Hubby and he certainly wants to eat some of them. If his teeth will let him. He did get to the dentist last week and the plate is ready and his date with the Oral Surgeon is set for Dec 3. Just hope he is able to make it.

This week I have been doing some sewing both on the Juki in the basement and up here. But these are the swap blocks that we have done for the end of the year in our Thimbleberries group. Aren't they neat? It's from the Simple Comforts book by Kim Diehl I'm going to put sashing and cornerstones and have two fabrics I'm thinking of using a green inner border and then have a new red fabric that I bought while at retreat, for the outer border. More on that later.

This is the first of the little ones that I got machine quilted last week. It's made from charms last year. Why I've waited so long to quilt it is beyond me. Didn't take very long. Not as long as putting on the bindingThis is the second one, It was a Schnibbles pattern Called Big Red, that Kim passed along. Mine should be called Big Blue as there are a lot of blues. This also was made from Thimbleberries charms. I really like this one. Just a nice size to cover up my legs when sitting in my lounge chair.

Which is what I am doing a lot these last couple days. Have not gotten the flue, or the regular flue shot, but just got an plain old fashioned head cold and it makes you feel miserable. That's why I'm up at 5 in the morning blogging. At least it is getting done. Thanks for stopping in and Hope Everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family. I'm sure we will. Almost forgot about loading this one. This is a picture of the top that I have basted now and started to hand quilt. The star in this were from the swap Kim and I did for the Hollow. Each month we did a different star block. Was fun but ended with a lot of blocks that I think I have finally found places to use them. Love these alternate Chimney and Cornerstone blocks. Really makes it.

So now I have something to quilt while visiting with family over the holiday. Started it last night while watching Survivor. Love that show.

Leaves, Leaves, everywhere.

First I have to show you another project finished. This is the Kansas Troubles quilt I made from the scraps that I won . I really like how it turned out. Don't know where I will hang it but will find someplace. Now for the leaves. On Sunday afternoon I got the blower out and started to blow the leaves off the front yard which is about nine feet wide to the road. Look what I found under all the leaves.

Mushrooms and lots of them. If my Mother had been around she would have started to pull them up and eat them. They look like eatable ones but the locals say not
Here's another batch I came across. Then look at this a flower peeking through the leaves

This is another clump of mushrooms. That's the heat and rains we've had. This clump is close to a small azealea.This is how much I blew off. Uncovered the front porch and that was it. You can see the pumpkin now. I think he is starting to get soft on the bottom but will leave him there as long as he looks good.

Here's a shot of Rusty who came to my rescue with his blower and tracker with the mower. He started by cleaning off the road. It is wide enough for two cars but with the leaves all you could see was one lane of blacktop. They live behind me and if he gets my leaves up then it less to blow over into their yard.

This is the way it looked on the lower driveway after he blew them off the bank.That's all our property you see in this picture. The driveway goes to the garage in the basement. A car won't fit in it though even if it were empty. This is the way the front yard looks now. The huge pile of leaves just beyond the house. I imagine in time he will get them chopped up. Good mulch.

Another project done. Yes, I finished hand quilting the Sunbonnet quilt for Kathy in Kansas City. This is a closeup of the quilting.

This is the best I could do to get a finish picture. No big beds in our house now. It isn't bound, Kathy will do that. It will get in the mail soon back to it's owner. Had a great time doing it. Now on to one of my own. But first I need to get some wide backing material. Don't want muslin. Will show you it when I get it basted. I think I made it at least 3 years ago, maybe longer.

A bit about Hubby. He is doing good. Is hoping to get home before Thanksgiving. We have a conference with the workers next Thurs. But first he needs to see the dentist about the upper plate they are making him.

I am getting a good rest and more sewing time in. Glad to have these little projects done. I have two more small pieces that I am pinning to machine quilt so will keep busy.

Hope all is well in your part of the country. Thanks for stopping by.

Butterflies are Flying

See, I have finally finished it. Quilted and bound. The thing I was the most afraid of doing was stitching down those little wool antenna's Kim had sent me the wool, which laid in my post office for over a week with a postage due. Big mistake. But once I got going on them it really didn't take me too long. Now they are not all perfect. Well I doubt if every antenna on a butterfly is perfect. At least it was fun to make. To recap. It's a Buggy barn pattern and I started it at out quilt retreat in Dayton the last of August. So that is one thing I have finished since Hubby has been in the hospital and now the nursing home for rehab.
Talking about new butterflies. Remember me showing you the butterfly with the swans on the wings that someone bought at an auction and gave to the town.? Still don't know who gave it.
Last week when I went to the library here was another new butterfly. This is walking up to the library. Took this to show that on that mountain if you click on the picture you might be able to see the Washington Monument on the top. I live about half way down that mountain. Here;s a closer look. This one has smaller butterflies all over the wings. The other side is all blue. Couldn't get a decent picture of it. That's the road that goes to Keedysville and then Sharpsburg and over the river to Shepardstown, W, Va.
I did find out that Mr. Thompson that owns the Hardware store bought it for the town.

Been fooling around with the leaves this afternoon., It was so nice outside. But that's for another post. Thanks for stopping by.

Halloween

This past weekend my daughter brought a niece up with her so we had a walk in the woods. I had taken my camera and this is the only picture I took. My neighbors home. He's the contractor that made the ramp for our backdoor so I could wheel hubby out or in in the wheelchair.
Unfortunately I had to call 911 a week ago Sunday as he wasn't able to get out of his chair. He had a terrible urinary trac infection, Spent a week in the hospital and now on Monday was taken back to the nursing home for more rehab. This is why I have not posted for over a week. Just not time or incentive to talk to all of you.

My daughter came on Friday evening, Halloween weekend and brought me the large pumpkin that her class had made. I told her to sit it on the front porch. So If you enlarge this picture you should be able to see it and the layers of leaves in my front yard. Course there are 5 huge oak trees there also and a mountain of them on the other side of the road. This picture was taken from the road This one from our driveway and it shows up better here. Can sure see the shadows of the trees. It must have been early morning with the sun just coming over the mountain.

Now that I have a little more time I have gotten some projects finished. Well I hope to this evening while watching Survivor. Have some hand work. Then the next time I can show you.

Al;so got my material today for the Carrie Nation blocks that I run out of the background. Found it online of course. So can start some piecing again. So stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by. Hubby is doing well. We're hoping he gets home for Thanksgiving.

A View Of My World

Yesterday we had quite a wind, rain storm and after it was over I just had to take my camera and get some new shots. My how a couple days changed the looks of things around here. Leaves coming down like snow and now the yard is covered. This is the view out the back which I normally don't take as there isn't any thing exceptional. But today the color is so vivid and notice the one little tree in the foreground with green leaves yet. That is a very old wild cherry and the neighbors were going to cut it down because of the top being dead. But when it bloomed and the cherries arrived and were so good, Rusty, the gentleman, said no way would he cut it down. Now he has to beat the deer to the fruit. The deer won this past spring.

This is the view out the carport right at the front of the house. It must be a red Oak as it has gotten so gorgeous but half the leaves are now on the ground as in this next picture. This is the drive in the early morning. By the end of the day they had blown away. Only a path down the road where the cars had gone was empty of leaves. This is the same way the snow gets.

Of course the front yard is covered and will have to be raked. It won't blow on down the hill with the house blocking the way. The three huge oaks in the front yard still have most of their leaves. But I love fall.

Now to show you what I have been doing the last few days, in my spare time.

A little explanation first.

After coming back from retreat I had a large plastic bag with strips cut. Had the directions for cutting that I had printed off the website. Suppose to have been a mystery quilt.

Well the one they did I really wasn't that crazy about so continued to make the butterflies. So asked about what these strips were for as I had to use them. The pattern didn't call for 4 1/2 in and 2 1/2 in strips. Then the gal in charge said they had changed their minds and that was to be using the Carrie Nation block on Quilter's Cache. So going in to look at it I really like it so this is what I'm doing

Four patches and lots of them

Large Green ones and small red ones. But even those cutting instructions were wrong. The large ones were for 3 1/2 in squares , strips and the smaller for 2 inch strips.
This is one set of two sets of strips cut and sewn into 4 patches. Easy and a good pick up for a short time. The worst thing is the squaring up of those 3 1/2 red and beige 4 patches. This is Thimbleberries fabrics.

This is the block sewn together. and this is the design as of now. Really neat. Sort of like the barn raising in log cabin.

So I need to continue and get more blocks sewn together. Not sure how big the amount of strips I have cut will do and I think I cut it all up. So stay tuned.

Things have been OK around here this week. DH has been a little weaker for the last couple days but that's the way it goes. He sees the doctor this coming Friday so I imagine more blood work. The last the Nurse took was fine. As long as the kidneys and Potassium is fine he should be also. course the blood sugar comes in there also. To morrow is back to the swimming excesses.

Hope your part of the world is going well also.