A bit of everything...

Distracted stitching would be the best description of today's activities.

I'm trying to finish up this Quilt of Valor top (requested by a Navy Vet who wanted sea colors...)  One more row to sew on and the top will be done!  (this is from Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World Pattern...a great way of using up scraps!)

And this bag from a recent magazine...I was looking for a project to use this fabric with the sheep knitting!

I'm using this little pincushion made for me by my friend Rachel!  (it is made from a bottle cap!)  Just realized it matches my bag!

And while doing this I have to repeatedly change the water in the bathtub where the quilt above is soaking.  It was pretty bad...(photo is much better than real life!)  I've changed the water about a dozen times...let's just leave it at that.  Fortunately it is supposed to be a good "quilt drying day" tomorrow too...

and on the Dobby front...he is doing a bit better.  At least he can open his eye.  We gave him three doses of him eye drops yesterday and one this morning.  Even with two of us handling him using a blanket my arms and hands look like I fell from the sky into a blackberry hedge...I'm wearing gloves while washing the quilt!

Wheel of Chance

A "new to me" quilt arrived today.  I bought it about a month ago on ebay...took the slow train here from Canada!

Right now I am really drawn to quilts with circular motifs so no surprise I bought this one.  The fabrics are nice but it is in dire need of a long soak!

That may have to wait a few weeks as the weather right now is a bit unpredictable...rain..sun..rain...and that is just in the morning!  By the end of March things should settle down enough that I'll have a full day for quilt drying.

We are still doing a bit of clean-up after the ice storms.  One more tree out back needs to be cut up and removed and I want to dig out the roots of the tree that up-ended so I can replant next month.  Yesterday we did the big shopping trip to refill the freezer...so things are almost to normal...

That is until Dobby got sick...urgh.  Poor babe has and eye infection.  He spent last night crammed into the corner of the closet head-first!  I got up for a 7:15 am appointment (difficult because I don't drive well in the dark!)  Even at that hour the vet ran almost 30 minutes late so Dob was in quite a state for the exam...
Luckily it is only conjunctivitis and not a "war wound."  Should be back to himself in a couple of days...if I can get those eye drops in three times a day that is!  Yikes!

Electricity is back!!!

Electricity is a wonderful thing...I just went through 80 hours without it.

Funny, it doesn't bother me to go camping and not have electricity for days...but somehow in my own house it is different.

My favorite Pepper Myrtle tree came up by the roots...

I am from Boston so I know Northerners laugh a bit at Southerners and storms but this area looks more like a tornado hit than a snowstorm.  We had ice falling from the sky for about 20 hours...then it got even colder and the trees began to fall...all night long we heard the snap and crash of the trees out in back of our house.  Tough to sleep that way...even if you are covered with 6-8 quilts and 3 cats!

This tree just brushed our house...the other side of that brick wall is my sewing room!

We are lucky that our hot water is gas and we have a gas fireplace.  The temp in the house never went below 50 degrees.  After day two the ice on the roof melted to we got all the way up to 55...liveable, but just!

 I did get a bit of exercise using my hand crank Singer...need to get an iron that isn't electric before the next black-out.

In the middle of all of this we had an earthquake...I was almost asleep when the room shook and there was a loud bang.  I was sure a tree had come down on the house!  (we just hand another smaller quake...who know they had them in South Carolina!)

Brownie spent a good bit of time hiding in any pile or bag of quilts she could find...

My front room gets lots of light during the day so I cut scraps and future projects...

Still trying to get organized after it all...just finished cleaning the refrigerator for the second time...

Another storm warning and warm quilts....

Can you believe it?!  This morning the weather folks said we may get more ice and snow tonight!  So of course my DH says we have to go out and buy more cat food...like the case of 48 we have in the closet would leave out 3 cats in desperate straits for a few days....

But on a slightly different storm tangent...it has been colder this year than most so many quilts that don't usually make it out of the closet are in regular use.  One of these was an ebay "disappointment" that now is an ebay success.  What?

Well, I stopped on ebay about a year ago and saw this quilt just minutes before the auction was due to end.  I love this purple fabric in the sashing.  I didn't read the entire description before I bid (so the fault is all mine and not the seller.)  When it arrived I was surprised and a bit disappointed to see it had only recently been quilted  (so no longer a circa 1900 quilt) and the quilter used a thin, mainly poly batting.  The quilt went into the closet.

Forward to a cold night in January.  DH takes this quilt out of the closet and asks if it is ok to put it on the bed.  Sure I said, thinking it would not be used for any programs, etc.  Anyway, the next morning I looked at it and decided I really like this quilt.  For the same reason I bought it in the first place...love the fabrics.  On the bed it is very graphic,  My DH likes it because the fabrics are a bit masculine (don't tell him there are flowers in that purple fabric...he hasn't realized that yet!)

So the good news is this quilt is being used as a quilt should.  Keeping us warm.  I've also started to gather some shirtings, indigos, and some grays  to make a repro of it for a nephew...if only I could find that purple fabric!

A few finishes...

I haven't been as good sticking to my list of projects this year and I'm not gong to let it bother me!

"Cherry Churndash" - finally cut into some of my Cherrywood fabrics

MS is nicknamed the "snowflake disease" because it has so many symptoms and those symptoms can vary so much from patient to patient...or even during the course of a patient's disease...or how about for one patient in the time from breakfast to lunch.   It sort of reminds me of New England weather...

Last week's snow on our Nandia bushes

So it is difficult picking projects to work on...yesterday my hand was too clumsy to applique so I played with fabric; the day before my arms were too weak to handle the quilt that needed to be quilted so I cut strips from my scrap pile; today my eye is to wonky to handle a rotary cutter or thread a needle but I think I can run some squares through the sewing machine....

Not being able to quilt or sew is dangerous for me...

I go on ebay...(this Egyptian applique was listed as a "vintage Scandinavian textile?"  )

or I bake...these brownies did not last long....

BTW...did anyone else notice they changes the size of the Baker's Chocolate squares!  Now it takes and entire package to make a pan of brownies where it used to take half a package.  The package is the same size only thinner!  They need bigger notices on the box.  I've made these so often I don't even read the recipe...I just tossed half a box into the double boiler with the butter.  Luckily it didn't look right when it was all melted together and I check the box! (ok..not about quilts but I consider anything about chocolate a public service announcement....)

Did any of you work on the waverunner project with Victoria Finley...must have been about 4 years ago!  Anyway, I dug out mine and gave it a good press.  Think I'll machine quilt it later this month!  Already have a plan and for me that is half the battle with machine quilting!

Finally, with the recent cold weather we have had some really interesting birds at the feeders.

I put a suet feeder out when we had the ice storm and was really happy to see the woodpecker that I hear all the time but rarely see, come to the feeder!  I looked him up online to see what kind and borrowed the photo as he is very camera-shy and very fast!  The wings are really beautiful!

Storm Warning across our county...

When the storm warning crawl goes across the TV screen my New England roots really show...

First, check the flashlight and battery situation...then the radio...then the camper stove (I can live without heat but without coffee or tea - no!)  Next, check the food situation...both human and pet.  After all of this I decided to go to the store early in hopes of beating the crowds...no chance!

I think I got the last battery in Home Depot...and the storm isn't supposed to start until Tuesday night!

I know I make fun of how everything closes here when there is threat of snow...but when they say threat of wind and ice.  You can bet the electricity will be out for a few days!

Now I can focus on the immediate issues...like the washing machine that isn't working (could have something to do with my DH jamming it so full of clothes...) and my DH's car that will not start (most likely just the battery)...or the right burner of my stove that decided not to heat up this morning...That is my three, right?  So no more at least until after the storm....

I've been moving some past projects around...here is a vintage baby quilt and one I made based on it...

I really like how the embroidery is part of the quilting though it does take a bit more hand strength then regular quilting.

Wool Day!

About once a month I get together with some friends to work on wool projects.  We call ourselves the "woolie woolies..."

Today was fun.  We tried felting wool from roving using both wet methods and needles.  I was happy my egg ended up shaped like an egg!

 I do need to do a bit of decorating with needle felting to dress it up a bit...but I do love the color!

In March we are going to try needle felting a small lamb/sheep.  I'm hoping with some practice I'll eventually be able to make a scottie dog!

Good news...the kitchen is finished.  At least the painting part.  Now I have to put all the "stuff" back.  I'm using this as a chance to change up the pictures and toss some of the unused utensils and plates.  Hope to make a bit more space.

Now I don't generally recommend products but this rejuvenate for counters worked great for me!  I hated the idea of replacing perfectly good counters just because they were getting a bit dull.  This really brought them back to life....which is good as that means more money for fabric and quilts!

Painting...today?

So just as my husband was leaving for a short guy-roadtrip with his buddies he tells me the painters are coming over on Monday to "measure and pick out colors and stuff."  Now I was just happy we were having folks come in to paint instead of our usual do-it-yourself which usually translated to "Siobhan does it after banishing her DH to the other room and swears she will never let him do another DIY project."  (last time our Scottie dog had a blue streak down his back like a rocker skunk for months...)

I was about to chalk this up as my first "live with more wisdom" step in 2014..but then the doorbell rang.  There stood the painters all set to start painting.  No I had done no prep or cleaning or straightening up like I would usually do.  Heck, they were early.  I was still in my pajamas.

So it was an interesting Monday.  I picked out colors (pretty much the same as we have now!) and they got the cabinets off the wall, prepped in primed in about the same time it took me to get over the shock of it all!

This blog is supposed to be about quilts...I know.  Today was supposed to be spent quilting and that didn't happen either...

I did however clean a closet...really I was looking for the cabinet hardware I bought in Poland about 8 years ago...didn't find the cabinet knobs but I did find some fabric I was missing!  A bag of Cherry wood fat-quarters, a couple of scrap bags, and some block they had used for their display that were on sale!

What do you think...Monkey wrench only on point

Or mix the Monkeys and the basket blocks?

Guild retreat...

Every year my guild has a four day retreat at a local state park - Hickory Knob.  This is the first time I haven't gone up for the weekend but I did go up for the day.

Prayer/comfort quilt for a guild member who lost her sister (also a guild member) last fall.

It is fun to see what other folks are working on.  Plus there are demonstrations during the day on things like continuous bias binding, back-baste applique and loads of other subjects.

These blocks are part of the block raffle...they will make a really fun quilt!

Since about half the guild is there it is also a good time to hand out the kits for the next donation quilt...I'm not "quilt Mom" but I am helping out the new member so she doesn't feel like it was totally dropped on her!

This year we are doing a version of "Baltimore Country Cousin."  It will be much more traditional than our last two donation quilt but not too traditional...more French country!  We have found two things lead to good ticket sales - applique and at least queen size!  Good thing it is a group project!

2014 Quilting Plan

Finally I'm back...sorry for the delay in getting my list up.  Let's just say lots of changes have made getting on the computer difficult the past few weeks...grrr...I used to be better with change!

Anyway, have you been following the blog and facebook posts about choosing a "word" for 2014?  For some reason it reminds me of that TV show from about 10 years ago, Allie McBeal,  where the characters selected individual "theme songs."  But I digress.  I went along and selected my "word"...it is Acceptance.

Now this isn't a weaselly quitting acceptance...trust me acceptance is difficult.  This is more along the line of the prayer "Give me the wisdom to change the things I can.  To accept the things I can't.  And the wisdom to know the difference."  So basically I'm trying to live smarter this year.

So what does this have to do with quilting you ask?  Well last year I was a finish maniac.  I had faced the mountain of UFO's in my quilting room and I was determined to demolish it.  (this was quite literal as I had boxed up my UFO's and the pile reached the ceiling and then some!)  It was a productive year at the end I didn't feel as if it was a creative year.  hummm.

So this year I have fewer projects on my list which allows me to play a bit more.  Also takes into account a greater need to rest and reflection.

I am also taking on fewer outside projects.  I accept that MS isn't something I can muscle through and if it only allows me so much energy per day then I need to allocate that wisely.  Already this year I've said no to a guild board position and handed over being the donation quilt Mom to another member.

I'm not just focusing on what I will "not do."  I have a short list...

1.  AQSG entry...for which I have all the patterns drafted (9 blocks and 4 borders,) two blocks finished and two half finished.  This is my project for the next couple of months!

2.  Quilt or have quilted the Russian Sunflower quilt...it is still in the same stage as it was a year ago!

3.  Quilt or have quilted my Charleston Basket quilt...it is basted and I have a "plan."

4.  1904 Halloween quilt - put the borders on and send out for machine quilting (after taking all the cat fuzz off of it!)

5.  Continue work on my Sherlock Holmes Crazy quilt...

As with last year I'm sure a few things will slip in but these are the projects I really want to focus on.

As for road trips/education...
1. Pigeon Forge show in March
2. Pilgrim and Roy exhibit at the Boston Museum of Art this May
3. Charlotte AQS show in July
4. Chattanooga AQS show in Sep
5. Exhibit at the DAR IN Washington in Nov

Same goes for this list...I'm sure there will be others but for now this is the plan...