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.