Countdown to Retreat! 7 Days to go...

I'm excited and overwhelmed all at the same time! I have so much to do and prepare for that I am not completely positive that I'll get it all done. For now, I'm focusing on the block swap. I'm making 12 blocks, all of which are red, green and cream, as per instructions. Yes, it is for a Christmas quilt. I'm doing some chain piecing so I have 6 of them half done. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

It has been so busy around here. Today was fun with the kids after school was all done. They wanted to make a craft, so I took leftover felt and decided to let them make some pumpkins, well actually Jack-'o-lanterns. I don't know where I came up with the idea, of sewing two pieces together using raffia, but it worked great! I highly recommend it!

WNA

That stands for Wednesday Night Alive which kicked off last night at our church. It is Youth Club for the kids and a choice of classes for adults. We also have dinner there which is usually pretty yummy. :)

The youth club consists of bible study, crafts, recreation and choir. It also has a theme each week. Last night was "school spirit" and the kids were supposed to wear school shirts. So, I finished the shirts on Tuesday. LOL!

Hubby and I are taking the same class, "Mighty Acts of God" which comes with a 400 page book covering both Testaments. It sounds very interesting, and while I love reading, I tend to be a slow reader. I keep going back over the text, making sure I didn't miss anything, etc. So, we'll see how well I'm able to keep up with everyone.

Worked on the binding of the angel hug today. A little hard as I have a sore thumbnail... or what is part of a nail. Jammed it several days ago and it tore about 1/3 of the way down, but only part way off, so I still have to keep it bandaged up so it doesn't snag on something and rip even more. I haven't had this happen since I was a teenager, forgot how much it hurts. I did see stars at the time though. LOL!

Exciting News!

Before I go into the exciting news, I want to thank Quiltpixie for the wonderful suggestions! I think the idea of going to a museum is perfect! I love to go and very rarely ever do. So, thank you very much!

Also, I finished the quilted name tag. It didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped, but it will definitely work all the same.
I have the Stairstepper quilt over 75% quilted and hope to work on it tonight. Isn't it amazing though how your day never really goes the way you thought it would? So, best laid plans and all that.

But, first, I have to make some school shirts for the kids. They have youth club tomorrow night at church and the theme is "School Pride"... so, I'm making them shirts. For Hailey I'm also making a ponytail/hair thing and decorating the cuffs of some socks. I'll post a pic when I'm done.
Now, on to the big news! I'm going on my very first quilt retreat! The closest I've ever come to going on one is by reading Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilt books. LOL! It is in October and will be full of all sorts of "quilty" things. I have a lot to do to get ready for it though. I need to find the fabric and pre-cut it for the class I'll take there. I need to get fabric for and make 12 blocks for a block swap. There is also a basket to fill with FQ's that someone will win in a drawing, I need to get the fabric for that as well. I'll post more on these things and on the rest later on. I'm so excited though I've had trouble sleeping at nights. LOL!

Woohoo!

Oh, what a wonderful start to my Thursday morning! Hubby has to go wait for service people at a rental property, so he took the kids with them and they are going to do school there... I get the day off! And, I get the house all to myself! I have tons of PMs and emails to catch up on and then I'm going to work on quilty stuff!

I did manage to get a bit done this week, not nearly enough though! A friend gave me a gift of a membership to the local quilt guild which was so very sweet! And very needed as I could use the time out of the house. So, I've been working on some stuff for that... the BOM for this month is Antique Tiles, such an easy pattern. So, I did that. And we also are supposed to turn our name tag into a little quilted name tag. Now, I could have just put some fabric strips around it and then quilted it like that... but why would I do that when I have so much time on my hands... NOT! LOL! Yes, I do tend to make things more complicated than they have to be. I have two sides done... some pieces consist of HST that are only 1/4"! The rest is more of a random crazy type patchwork, but without the embroidery. I'll be sure to post a pic when I'm done. I would like to finish the top of it by this weekend.

During my spare time... however minimal it may be... I've been reading "The Preacher's Daughter". So far, I really like it. And I have often longed for a much simpler existence, like those of the Amish. Sometimes I think that all of our "modern conveniences" are really just making things more complicated overall. As say this as I'm typing on my computer... LOL! Yes, I do feel a bit like a hypocrite. LOL!

Quiltpixie, you mentioned my weightloss. I'm still working on it, still losing, slowly but surely. However, I don't have a "treat" planned for my 40 pound goal. And after the expense of this past reward, hubby has definitely said I need something a lot less expensive this time around. And with the holidays coming, he is absolutely right. So, I'm definitely open to suggestions!!! I have already done a book and a computer game, so I would like something different. Please post any ideas... I really think it helps to stay focuses when you have something to look forward to.

Underground Railroad BOM #1

Well, today was the day! I finally got to go to my first BOM presentation for the Underground Railroad (a treat for losing 30 pounds). It was great!

It was only an hour long so we had to spend some time going over all the stuff we were given... we got our book, "Underground Railroad Sampler" by Eleanor Burns. We were given our wonderful reproduction fabric. Instead of reds, we are using pinks, which pleased me a lot as my living room walls are mauve and red would really clash!

And we were given 4 sheets of pre-printed labels to put on each and every piece of fabric we cut before storing them in separate baggies per block. Our homework is to cut ALL of the fabric for the entire quilt (thus the immediate need for the labels and baggies) and to make the Log Cabin block. Ours is to be made with a black center to indicate a "safe" house.

I did learn several interesting facts, some of which I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing publicly or using a voice above a whisper , as they deal with "ladies of the night" and also issues of a hygienic nature. LOL! However, one fact I found interesting is that out of then entire US population, 3% had slaves. I always thought the number was a lot higher than that... though any percentage at all is horrible. And I was always under the impression that the main reason for the war was slavery, when actually it was more about state's rights and that slavery was already on the way to being gone. I do love the thought that women used this wonderful means of quilting to help aid those on the run.

I worked more on the Stairstepper last night and the quilting is half way done. My back is really hurting me today so I'm not sure if I'll get to work more on it tonight or not.

My step-mom and I decided to go to Paducah again next April. Now, we just have to find a place to stay...

It's Friday!

And that means no school tomorrow. It also means "The Underground Railroad" at the LQS! Tomorrow is the first day of the BOM presentation. I'll get the book and fabric then also. I can't wait! I'll be sure to write all about it!

I got the next RR in the mail the other day. I haven't decided exactly what to do with it.... I have it up on my wall, giving it the opportunity to speak to me, but so far it has been rather silent. Hmmm....

In the meantime, I finished quilting the angel hug and have the binding sewn on to the front, the back will be hand work for me to take along whenever I need something to do. I also started quilting on the "Stairstepper" quilt. I found the perfect variegated thread for it... it is one of the Sulky Blenders... "Caramel Apple". I was able to quilt about 1/4 of it last night.

As for home-schooling... well, mixed feelings. Gentry is doing better and better each day. He is enjoying all of his subjects, except penmanship which I have to make fun for him to get him to even do it. I count the number of letters on each line, multiply times 10 and start counting backwards. He tries to finish them before I get to one. Hailey is doing really well in every subject except for math... which she is actually really good at doing, but she just doesn't want to do it, so she just stares at her book or daydreams or whatever. It is driving me crazy. I've tried to get creative with her, but it is really just a battle of wills and some days I honestly don't know who is winning. And I'm sorry to admit that while I have no problems at all when someone has trouble learning, I find myself very impatient when someone knows very well how to do something and is just choosing not to. Thank God she doesn't dawdle in the other subjects! It is funny as last year math was her favorite and now she hates it.

September and Angel Hug

Happy September! Here is a picture of the September "Back to School" calendar quilt. You can't tell, but there are two stick figure children faces in the windows of the school house. A girl and a boy... I wonder who they could be? ;c)






I also managed to find a tiny bit of time to make a top for an angel hug quilt. The blue fabric has the sweetest little teddy bears on it.

Hubby went out to the quilt store today and picked out some thread for me to use to quilt the Stairstepper quilt. We'll see how he does. :c)

And one week from today I'll be at the LQS for the Underground Railroad BOM presentation. I'm so excited!

I'm hoping to get three quilts basted this weekend... I guess I need to be super nice to the hubby. LOL!

Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day Weekend!