Whew..........I have been busy!

First off before I forget, if your interested in another QAL, Angela over at Cut to Pieces is having one called A zig A zag. Haven't decided if I will participate or not in that one. Got a lot going on as usual, I bet that is a surprise huh? LOL!

Remember those bright beauties I had cut out, and sewn them into that itty bitty twister thing. Well I cut and sewed 3 more sets of those together this week. (well only had to cut one more set, and all the white squares) Need to sew the borders on them, and then start twister cutting them out, and sew them back together again. Then I will sash the 4 itty bitty ones, to have a lap size quilt. When this is done and over with, I won't be doing another twister for a looooooooooooong time!

One hanging on the board, one draped over the chair, and the 3rd one on the table. The finished twister hanging over the top of the board.



Let's see I have less than 10 string blocks left for RRCB, I was trying to finish them today, and Jethro and Ely Mae, would not get off and stay off my string pile, so I gave up on those and cleared the entire table instead.

See how tall that pile is getting, that is 50.......I have one or two others done sitting waiting to get to 10 to be added to this pile.......I will be soooo happy when these are done. Never again!

Now that I cleared the table.......I finished quilting, and got the binding on my Christmas table runner, washed it and dried it too!!!! Woo Hoo!! That is one off of my PhD list as well!!!

Then I dug out my snowman one since I was on a winter holiday in my head, got it all ironed, threads snip, pinned together to start quilting that one, and I only had one little spool of really really dark blue Navy thread. Dang that isn't going to be enough, so I had to put that one aside for now, will have to get some thread this week to get that one done too. It is also on my PhD list.


Then as I was blogging or reading blogs the other day I had seen a picture of a quilt I liked, sooooo I went stripping, 2 inch strips that is. Went a little nuts, haven't a clue if I have enough, or way too many cut. But I cut out 100 white strips (wof) and 200 turquoise/teal ones from fat quarters. I have 4 massive chain rows to do, then I can start cutting and piecing to see what I have in my head. Here is half of them 2 sets of turquoise and one set of white,

 Got row one of the massive chain rows done today as well. I am loving Super Sewing Sundays!!!! Here is that bunch 2 sets of white and one set of turquoise.

 Well it is late, and I do have to get up and go to work this week, YUK, and Boy does my back hurt! Kinda sucks I cancelled my Chiro appts for this week......till next time.

Is it really June already?

Wait, didn't May just start? Wow time is flying by waaaay to fast, wish I knew how to slow it down. It has been 12 days since my last post, really? Let me try and think, what have I been doing for the past 12 days?

I have sewn a few more blocks for the raven stars quilt I am making.

 I have been stringy along like crazy....

don't like string blocks at all! I make myself do some of those almost daily before I begin something else I might want to do, or on days when I ask myself, what am I going to work on today? and I don't quite have an answer, I string. I want them done more than anything else I have going on, because I hate doing string blocks with a passion! These are for the RRCB, when I get these done, I need 600 HST, don't remember how many of those I have done, not too many that is for sure. I have found a few ways I am going to try to do them up quickly, will see which way I like the most, and then give everyone my feedback on those different ways of doing them. Then when I get this whole quilt top finished, I might do one out of all HST!!!

Remember the bright beauties? Well this is what they look like now.

50 of those along with 49 white 5 inch squares, and a small border. Looks really cool, except it is little!!! Very disappointed in how much this technique shrinks. Plus it hurts my hand something awful to cute around the Twister template too. It is a thick template, plus there is little rubber feet to help it from sliding, and holds it above the crisscrossing seams, but it is so thick that you can't cut the left side (right-handed) pushing away, it is too thick to let the blade go up against it, you have to come from the top down, or go all the way around..........well I couldn't walk around that table, I could go on two sides, but man it tweaked my hand something awful. So since this isn't even big enough for a crib size....I am going to make 3 more of these (torture) and hook the 4 together to make a lap quilt. I already have the bright beauties cut for 2 more sets, so I need to cut 50 more of those and then 150-  5 inch white squares, good thing I bought an entire bolt of  that nice white fabric some years ago when I seen it on clearance someplace, nice and thick (not that see thru crap) and I think I only paid $1.00 a yard for it too!!!

I have 1/4 of my Christmas table runner quilted......

.it is on my PhD list, and that list needs to be cleared by the end of June!!! Whoa.......I had 6 months to do this short list, and now I only have 28 days left!!! My O' My! I will finish my 3, I will finish my 3, I will I tell ya, I will!!! I also have Turtle Bay pinned and ready to roll it out next,

Then the Black white & Red one is sitting and waiting to be pinned as well, along with the Monochromatic yellow one

even though that one wasn't on my PhD list, it isn't going to go on a list except the start to finished in 2011 list!!

Other things I have in the works....still need to make a back for the Red & White one.

.....still need to make a back for my Layer Cake Quilt Along one, I had a piece of fabric I was going to use, but now that the top is done, I don't like that piece of fabric for the back anymore..........has that ever happened to you before????

......I know there is still at least 2 BAP blocks I haven't finished, but I did buy the center fabric, and got 3 of the 6 GO! dies I need to finish the center,

so until I get the other 3 (birthday coming up in August) I am in no hurry to finish the other two blocks, what is the point if you can't finish the whole top, right???

Oh and then there is this little bucket I started cutting out 2 inch diamonds, purple and white ones for a scrappy quilt ......more to come on that one later.

 Want to take any wild guess what I might be making with all these, I am sure I will need more, lots more. These were but from one strip of each of the purple fat quarters I have, and all the white ones came from my scrap bin only!

I have another idea in my head for the other nine scrap bins for a really cool scrappy quilt I don't see many of, but I need a lot of white to go with it, and since I don't have much of that left (don't want to use that thicker stuff), I just need to buy a bolt....looking for a coupon and a good sale first though, no hurry since it isn't started.
Then I have this pile calling my name........

I had flipped it, don't know why it flipped back, sorry......but I haven't found "THE" pattern yet to use this wonderful pile of fabrics, got any suggestions, send me a pic via email, or post me a link to a picture, that is all I need to make a flimsy, a photo and I am good to go. Turquoise and chocolate!
My computer is still broke, hubby says it is in a thousand pieces out in the travel trailer........safest place to work on it, so all the pieces will still be there to put it back together. no cats, and no dogs out there :D  Just got his computer back up and running yesterday, finally, and this one I am using at this time had to be rebuilt too.  Looked at buying a new one, an IMac, but didn't want to spend the $2000-$3000 on a new computer right now, too many other things needing to be done. Garage doors, A/C fixed in my truck for starters! Breaking heat records again this year already, and I don't do heat well at all, so I am making an appointment to get the A/C in the truck fixed ASAP, and the garage door guy is looking for a place that stocks 1/2 doors ( only 4 feet wide ones)

Wow this post got long, I need to stop by more often and fill you all in, but I think without having my own computer is what is messing everything up, especially when I didn't have "A" computer at all for a little while, and this one only has one shift key that works when it wants too, drives me bonkers. Well I started this post at 3am and  it is now 5am, I am going to attempt going back to sleep now that my leg quit cramping and flexing all over the place, maybe I will be able to get some sleep before that alarm goes off in 3 hours. Wish me luck, I might need it.

Oh and I just remembered, sit n stitch is tonight too. Took about 10 minutes just now to locate my tin with my project in it..........my purple project from back in February when my husband was in the hospital.

Finally got the other notion I needed to finish that project, so I am going to shoot to finish half of what I have left tonight.

MMMMMM

Just took the Strawberry Rhubarb pie out of the oven and put in the deep dish apple pie! MMMM MMMM Good. Remembered to talk to my dad about shipping me some Rhubarb plants too. Should have them by next week. Going to build me a small garden to plant what we eat a lot of.

Been doing some sewing here and there. It had been pretty hot in my sewing room on the third floor. Yesterday was nice though, When I went up there it was 86° and 100% humidity, 2 1/2 hours later it was only 72° and barely any humidity. Woke up this morning and it was only 58° YIPPEEE.  I was suppose to bake these pies yesterday but didn't feel like going to the store for some tapioca, so I went on my way home today. But I did work on those brightly colored squares, they are hanging on the design wall right now. Been stringing a lot of those string blocks I hate to do for the RRCB, going to do a tally count this weekend and see if I am at least to the halfway point or not. Got a few more blocks on the Raven Stars done too. Binded a few of the hotpads, not impressed at all with my work on those, the premade binding was too small. Maybe I will either buy some bigger stuff or sew two strips of that together and use it that way. I have another mystery I am starting, the one out of the Quiltmaker magazine with Debbie Caffery.( I think that is how it is spelled). So many other quilts sitting on the drawing board just isn't enough time to cut them all out and sew them all back together. I sooo wish I was retired.

I should go sew, but got one more pie in the oven and a massive headache brewing. So I will wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow is also Cinco de Mayo and our sit n stitich, hmmm I wonder what I should bring with me tomorrow. I don't think I have any hand work to do right now. Maybe some colored pencils and coloring sheets for a quilt design?

Just wanted to check in to say Hello, and I am still alive. How is everyone else doing?

Did your easter Hop???

 Well we left town early Friday morning on our motorcycles to go visit the in-laws. Me, my husband and our youngest daughter decided to go too. Poor thing owns a crotch rocket......boy were her wrists sore. We had a very lovely, way too short visit as usual. Wish I could go for a visit and never leave, love it at my in-laws house, and love where they live too. We couldn't have had better weather for riding if we had ordered it, even if it does look like I am still wearing sunglasses. LOL!

 When I got home I had packages delivered the next day, I bought a big box of scraps and here are a few pics of what was inside........

 and more goodies......there was fabric with chickens, paper clips, big funky flowers, about a fat eighth worth of popcorn fabric( MMM taking a break to go throw a bag in the microwave) can you see it towards the bottom? Sorry these pics aren't turned, my monitor on my laptop died Thursday evening, so I am borrowing hubbies computer, and he doesn't have the very easy to use photo editing software.

 Ok since I thought we were coming home Monday, I took the day off of work, but we ended up comig home Sunday so dear daughter could be in class by 12:30 and turn in her project worth 20% of her grade. I had LOTS of free time on Monday to quilt after hubby went to work at 2:30pm.
See this pile of little triangles..notice they are half of a square inch, well these are the results from finishing the top of my Layer Cake quilt along!!! Woo Hoo

And here is the finished top. The sashing and borders are really deep purple.
It is kinda hard to notice in this pic that there are tiny little stars in the sashing and that is what made that pile of little triangles. By the way, if you want that pile of triangles, send me an email with your address, and I will be glad to send them to you. There are12 different colors in that pile. Otherwise I am trashing them possibly. Oh I love how this one turned out. All from my stash, and my very first quilt along too.

 Ok and then today I made some more string blocks for the RRCB, yes I am still working on that one. I hate string blocks!! I have been trying to make myself do at least one while I contemplate what I want to work on. Today I made 3 of them. Then see this pile of bright beauties? Well there are 52 different 5inch squares in this pile, and I have 3 identical piles. I cut 52 white squares today, and paired them up with one stack, keep watching to see what I am going to do with these. But then.........

 @ 9:30pm it was still 78° in my sewing room, 86° outside, I had had enough, had to come back downstairs and cool off. I am too cheap to turn on the A/C quite yet.

So what have you been working on lately? Find anymore cool quilt alongs to do?? Please share.