Blog has moved

Hi there!

I thought I would try something new and join a community of Bloggers over at Chicago Now.  I guess I was able to fool them because they said, sure come on over.

So I will be blogging over there, maybe permanently?

I just published my first blog there and phew, wordpress is trickier than blogger.

I am going to give it a try.

Come visit me there, you can even sign up to have the blog sent to you via email.

Just click here!

New blog

See you at the new spot.

Sew happy!

Working together

Nope, you are not seeing double.  (Well unless you see more than two quilt tops!)

I finished putting all the quilt blocks into rows and the rows into tops.  Yay!  It is such a good feeling to make measurable progress and I think it is one of the reasons why I like quilting so much.  All my little bits of work add up to a whole and it stays whole!

Next week I hope to have the borders on and be working on the backs.  I am telling you right now that I am doing the back a little backwards, I am going to make borders in a size that will not make this top wider than the fabric I have for the back.  It is 54 inches wide, these are lap or wall quilts so they can give up an inch or two and fit and we will all be happy.  Well, I will be happy.  Because I will be working with what I have and making it work, and as a result creating less work for myself.  Working smarter, not harder!

What other quilty things have been going on?  Not as much as I would have liked because I had my annual back to school cold (achoo!) and I am only teaching part time and college at that!  I guess some rituals never die!

One of those rituals is football in the fall.  We went to our first U of I game for the season.  It was warm and we won so it just didn't seem like U of I football but I know it is because the calendar tells me so!  Let's do the fall rituals.

We threw out the scraggly flowers on the front balcony and put fresh mums and pumpkins out there.  I put this quilt on the front door, it has just the right colors for early fall.  My friend, Marge, gave me a fabric bundle once of these terrific prints and stripes.  It was perfect for the early fall quilt, not the darker colors of Halloween or Thanksgiving.

 I am lucky to have so many good friends, like Marge, in my life.  Some of them, like Marge, have been in my life since college and others have brightened it up for the past couple of years. 
My friends are all different and in some ways like the fabulous backing fabric I already have for the heart quilts.  In order to use it in the best way, I have to make the borders fit that size.  In order to keep my friends in my life, I have to be able to see them, communicate with them and talk with them in the way that works for both of us.  You can't just make the quilt top any old size if you want to not have to piece the back and you can't just do whatever you want all the time and expect your friends to still fit in your life. 

Here's to quilt backs and fronts that work together and friends who do the same. 

Sew happy!

Second year of blogging, balancing

 Hip hip hooray, I have all the blocks pieced for one of the Hot for Chocolate quilts.  What a nice feeling.  It has motivated me to work harder on the second one, I have two rows of blocks pieced for that quilt. 

Which means, add some borders and I could be quilting them on the machine in a week...or two..

I am so confident that I dug out the backing fabric so I could wash it. 

Do you remember this fabric?  I got it on a super good price at the Crate and Barrel outlet.

I have ten or more yards of it!

I have it all in the washer right now.  As I look at the two pictures, it doesn't look as good as it does when they are side by side.

I am going to say they look much better when next to each other plus I really do like that fabric.  Yes, I know if I worked all the time on sewing, they would both be done.  But I am busy doing other things!

 I started my new job and working on the works of Isabel Allende has really got my brain on fire!  There is nothing like trying to understand the world view of another person to light up your head.  I enjoy teaching my two classes.

I also got my second photo book from Snapfish - it didn't arrive so I contacted them and they made me a second one and overnighted it PLUS gave me a credit for another photo book.  Isn't that amazing customer service.  I love really liking a company.

Speaking of really liking something, look at this delightful lamp!

I could not love it more, I really could not!

Yesterday my husband and I went to Cantigy gardens in Wheaton and afterwards I went to Serene Teaz and found this little cutie!

I have it on my desk and I am looking at it right now.

Plus, I have gotten back into the indoor pool, my buddies from Aqua Exercise are meeting me even though I can't be in class due to my job.  Those are good buddies!

Why am I writing all of this?  So you know why I am only done with one quilt top.  Quilters cannot just quilt, they have to have balanced lives!  Being a retired teacher sure helps with my balance.

I have tried to balance writing the blog as well.  I have now been at this for a bit over a year.  (Happy blog bday to me!)  At first, I did it every day!  Then five days a week!  Then three days a week and now I am aiming for once a week.  I love musing about my quilts and showing them off but I have to balance it with the rest of my life.  Plus, heck, no one but my husband has read all of my entries, you can just go back and read old ones if you want more entries.

I will write again in about a week or when I get that second top pieced, whichever happens first.  In the meantime, try to keep your life in balance and make a quilt of all the things in life that light up your brain.  Or your desk, as in the case of my cutest ever tea pot lamp!

Sew happy!