Leaping Forward

This was certainly a good time for a Leap Day. I was really glad to have an extra day to work on quilts for the book. I did have to clear out for a bit because someone wanted to see the house. I planned late lunch around the showing - went through the Chik-Fil-A drive thru (with dogs in their crate in the back). I parked the car, ate my sandwich, and spent the rest of the time hand sewing (yes, one of the quilts for the book).
If you're like me, when you're working on a quilt you start thinking forward to the next project. Thinking about the design. Thinking about the fabric. Drooling over said fabric. Amy Butler Soul Blossom. Drool.

Pared with some Kona loveliness. Drool. Drool.

But no! I have to finish the two quilts I'm working on before I start this one!

Stay tuned tomorrow. I think I'll have some news..............

A Little Break

I've been sitting here more lately. I'm trying to finish another quilt top for the book by the end of this week. I hope I make my personal goal!

Last week was tough:

Missing Oliver. I kept thinking I heard him barking. Then I dreamed about him. :(

Breast ultrasound: not so good. Got sent to a surgeon.

House hunting in Auburn: lost out on a house we thought we had.

I spent the week taking care of myself, trying to get out of my funk, and sewing. Sewing cures a lot.

This week is better:

I took the doxies to a dog park today while someone was looking at our house. They had a blast!

I went to the breast surgeon. She's not worried. I have a large cyst that she wants to watch. I go for another mammogram and ultrasound in 4 months. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to take Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil tablets. And sleep in a bra (that's NOT going to happen).

There is another house...it's really different....we may be interested....we'll see.....

A Former Student's Work

Saturday at the West Alabama Quilt Guild I ran into a former student. I had taught my Fabric Photo Play technique there years ago. She brought FIVE quilts she'd made using my technique. Diane, you are officially my STAR STUDENT!!!!!!!!!!
This one was done in two different color ways.
Adore this one - an elderly gentleman leaning back in a chair. Charming!
And she also did horses!
Diane, you did such a great job on all these quilts! It's such a blessing to me to see quilts people have made using my book. Thanks so much for sharing, Diane.

A Few of My Favorite Foodie Things

Thanks for all your well wishes yesterday concerning Oliver. We'd known for some time it was coming. His pen looked so empty this morning. Today I decided to get up and write a more upbeat post, trying to move forward.

So here we go! I finally learned to poach an egg the real way! I've tried to do it before and the egg whites always got out of control in the water. But, I finally found out the secret. HERE. The secret? A bit of vinegar. Not much water. Oh, I can do it perfectly now. And they are cooked perfectly. I do love a good poached egg.
Have you tried these? Lacey's Cookies. Oh. My. Decadent! I had some at Tammie's (yes, she inspires me in every way!) and had to get some. They are hard to find. Whole Foods carries them. You can also get them on Amazon.
And I did finally go to our local Penzey's store to stock up on my favorites. I always thought a spice was a spice was a spice until I discovered Penzey's. Their Vietnamese Cinnamon is wonderful - so much better than the grocery store stuff. We love their Northwoods Seasoning on chicken. Their Fox Point Seasoning is good on anything. Mural of Flavor is a relatively new one - a salt free seasoning mix. I use it on lots of things, too. So fun to play with flavors! If you don't have a store nearby, the products are available on-line.

RIP Oliver

We'll miss you, sweet boy.

West Alabama Quilt Guild

I had a speaking engagement this weekend - what fun. (No, that's not me - more about her in a minute.) I traveled to Tuscaloosa to speak to the West Alabama Quilt Guild on the subject of my Funky Little Art Quilts. I had a great time (except for their moans and boo's when I told them I was soon moving to Auburn.) :) Football rivalry invades the quilting world!

I have so many pictures and stories to share, but today I'll start with the lovely woman above. (So sorry, I can't remember your name - I met so many nice people!)

Anyway, she found this pieced lone star somewhere. It was made and tossed by someone else. It had a big raised area in the middle - whoops! Being the resourceful person that she obviously is, she cut a circle from the middle and stitched the remainder onto what looks like a pre made fleece jacket. Oh so creative! I have one of those "found" lone stars tucked away in my stash. A new jacket just might be in my future.

I also met someone who belongs to the guild in Auburn - my first new friend!

So much has happened around here this week. We are not going to buy the house in Auburn on which we had the contract. It had some issues that came up in the inspections. We know we'll find another house. Meanwhile, we continue to try to sell ours. All will work out.

I got my mammogram on Thursday. :( Heard later that day that I have to go back in a week for a compression test and possibly an ultrasound. I'm sure all's well, just one more doctor appointment to deal with. Darn.

For now, I'll keep on sewing! I have big plans for quilting this afternoon. And maybe even tonight while I watch the Grammy's.

Ta-Dah!

I finished another quilt top for the book today! Here are two quilt tops, along with their backings, ready to be shipped to the quilter. Yippee!!!

Wednesday I have big plans to work on the next quilt in line (already in progress). And then Thursday: good old Gyno/Mammo/Bone Density appointment. A full morning's worth of exams. Worth the time and effort for sure.

Fabric Organization!

No, this is not my fabric stash. I wish! This is another shot from Tammie's house last week. Her show-and-tell for the meeting was her new organization system. The wooden shelving units are from Ikea - love Ikea! But look how she organized on the shelves.

She bought bunches of those square grids from Walmart. Instead of configuring them into boxes, she put three together to make a "U" shape and then took another one and hooked it in the middle to make another shelf. They are held together with plastic cable ties. Click on the picture to get a closer look. Brilliant, I say!

She folded her fabric around a 6" by 24" ruler. So neat! It took her 4 days to fold her entire stash, but so worth the effort!
I've been thinking a lot about what I will miss about living here in Birmingham. Here's one: the view from the window over my kitchen sink. This tree bloomed very early this year due to a recent warm spell. I like to think it knew we'd be moving before it's regular blooming season. Thank you, tree, for letting me enjoy your glory one last time.

Fabric Covered Branches

I had to share Tammie's table setting for our bee meeting last week. The vase is filled with branches she wrapped with fabric scraps. The scraps are then wrapped with various color of embroidery floss to hold them in place. She got the idea from a magazine. I definitely want to do this! She gave us each of box of Valentine's candy. Click on the picture a couple of times for a better look.

You might get a peak of her tea cup chandelier. And in the background, one of her quilts is hanging surrounded by colorful plates. I adore her house!
Here another Kleenex box, ready to inspire.
And here's the backing fabric it inspired me to buy. I found it at Hancock's.

And do you know what that means?????? I finished a quilt top today! Yes, one for the book! I even pieced the backing fabric. Both the top and backing are now neatly pressed, ready to send to the quilter. I'm giving myself a pat on the back.

Time in Birmingham is Ticking Away!

I went to my bee meeting yesterday. Maybe my last one here. :(

Tammie hosted it at her wonderfully inspiring home. I love to go there! Here's her new clock in her sewing room - she took apart a plastic clock and added this rainbow of fabrics. Love it! Great idea! More pictures from her house soon, I promise.

We found a house in Auburn! Yay! We have a contract on it - closing is set for the end of February, so we'll be moving soon after that. It came very close to having everything on our wish list. My quilting studio will be in the home's "bonus room." It doesn't have a closet like I wanted, but it does have two nooks that can easily be curtained off to create closet areas. Plus there are two bedrooms near it with large closets I can use for sewing storage if needed. I'm determined not to clutter up the room with storage! This room currently has carpet, so I want to have wood flooring put down here before we move.

I got another doctor's appointment out of the way this morning; one more before we move - OB/GYN. Guess I'd better call and make that appointment.

I have this strange list of things to do before we leave. Some items are very random. For instance, I want to go to Penzey's Spices and stock up on my favorites there to take along (love their cinnamon!) I know I can always mail order them, and it's not like I'm never coming back to Birmingham, but still....

We still have tons of household stuff to sort through before the move. It's hard to do this, because you never know when we'll get a call for a house showing. That's my excuse, anyway.