Monday, March 27, 2006

If I Only Had Grandkids!

Since I don't have any grandkids, the girls at work benefit from my need to make baby quilts. Several ladies from my Friday Bee did the Shop Hop on a bus this past Saturday. Had a blast, found more batiks and my special project of a baby quilt for Marna. Now, she is not due until July, but you never know. Her only request is that I use Lime Green, Bright Lemony Yellow and Bright Orange! Since she doesn't know if it's going to be a boy or girl, didn't really want pinks or blues.

Take a look at these! I just can't help but smile when I look at them. I hope she will like them as well. Of course, I bought more fabric than I need for a baby quilt, but since I was hitting quilt shops that I don't normally get to visit, I had to get while the getting was good. Most of these came from Quakertown Quilts in Friendswood, Texas.

Now, I just have to figure out what pattern to use? Any suggestions?

Enthralled by Batiks

For years I have pointedly avoided buying any batiks. It's not like I don't have enough (who has enough??) fabric. Oranges, Reds, Purples. . . those aren't ANY colors that I'm used to using. I'm so traditional, playing safe with the 30's reproduction quits, and some of those beautiful muted colors of the 1800s.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, some of my longarm quilting buddies and I went to a semi-local quilt shop (Plain and Fancy just North of Houston). Those batiks just reached out and bit me. Obsessed over choices and picked out 25 fat quarters and some yardage.


This picture shows the inspiration piece and the fat quarters I picked to go with them.

I sat playing with them, trying figure out what I could make with them. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH!!!

So then, I started googleing batik quilts. Discovered Judy Niemeyer. OMG! Have you seen some of her quilts? Now, anyone that knows me knows I don't do paper piecing, but... I've got a couple of her patterns on order. I thought about starting with 4th of July, but think I'll start with Indian Summer before attempting the 4th of July quilt!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Happy Anniversary !

Jon and I are celebrating 29 years of marriage today. At the time we got married, 29 or 30 years into the future did not even compute! Heck, at that time, we thought that life would be over by the time we reached age 30. We would have done it all, and what would be the point after that! All I have to say is that 'life' the past few years have been so much better than my wildest imagination from the 70's. Yes, things are different than what I thought they would be, I thought my parents would always be around... Who would of thought I'd be living in Texas and looking forward to becoming a grandmother of all things!!!

We finally have a closing date for the new house. March 31. Yesterday, I started having a bit of 'buyers remorse' wondering what the heck we were doing, buying a new house, a new mortgage and all that goes with it. I love the house we're in, but we are both tired of having the quilting machine in the dining room. This new place will give both of us 'workshop' or studio type areas that we can quilt our quilts or build airplanes. Only problem is that now we have to work a few more years so that we can afford this new place. So much for retirement!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Christmas is Finally over!

Well, Christmas 2005 is finally done! My poor brother graciously agreed to 'wait' for his Christmas present - I finally got it quilted and the binding is on it! I took it to quilt guild this evening, and everyone seemed to like it. I was really pleased with the way the quilting turned out on it. Of course, I used Mother Goose quilt thread - a great color of brown that just blends with everything.

I'll post pictures next time!