yes, I am curious about the initials in your avatar. i should get on to some of my embroidery ideas, so i could do them while crystal (5) is here. I usually try to give her a lot of attention though, so I'll see. It's just that you make me realize, there are a lot of little opportunities to squeeze in some productive time. I drag around a lot of books, paper, pen, STUFF...to appt.s and such...bc, if i sat and looked at them at home, I would fall asleep. I have a book called, "Quilting on the Go", that I love. Well, actually, it was when I first got into quilting...I printed stuff, and drew out the pics! that was a one time only thing! what was I thinking, could have bought the book and been done with it. Put it in a notebook and...point is, I really should get on with some of these, so I can take them with me. So many ideas.....

I got sidetracked from my "to do" list. I made two charity quilts. One is black and white and my Aunt wants a new quilt for her bed, soooooo...... I will be making one for her bed. With the charity one, I added a small red border for just a shot of red. The accent on my Aunts is yellow. I am so glad this is a fast and fun project. I need to get back to my list.

Good morning guys! :-)

Sorry for butting in, but I wanted to say the quote above is awesome. It's a concept I've been trying to teach my daughter (she's 12, going on 20) and she just isn't getting it.

I just started a new quilt (rather than quilt the two that are pinned and rolled and waiting ever so patiently) to work with a scrappy batch of 5" charm pieces. I got a little carried away and made 26 (x4 rows). Once I laid the blocks out on the bed, I realized that at 4.5" finished, it would be large enough for a 10' giant. lol Looks like I can make a cuddle quilt (or two) as well.

i am working on quilts for family members. have four tops done for my great nieces/nephews, working on one for my mom, my sister just asked for one and i just bought 32 fat quarters for my stepdaugter's quilts!! busy, busy, busy. plus i want to make more table runners for my dining room - need a spring one and a winter one, maybe Christmas even... one day.

can I relate?...my daughter is married! and she still tries to 'boss me'.
thanks for the compliment :wink:

LOL! yeah, better shorten that one up, don't want anybody 'growing into it.' :wink:

p.s. every time I see your avatar, I expect him to speak to me...in that superhero voice... :lol:

thismomquilts, you, lol, write like your running....running out of breath! or is that me, as I'm reading, lol! sounds like you are having fun. :D

My avatar...well it took me long enough to find one I liked, didn't it??

I have a son who has autism among other disabilities. The logo for autism is a jigsaw puzzle piece because no two autistic children are alike just like puzzle pieces. My son's name is in the banner across the piece Rueben.

I'm just trying to raise awareness. Autism is becoming more and more prevalent.

I'm so glad you guys like it! It took me a long time to decide if I wanted something so personal out there, but hey I talk about it in my signature, so I might as well have a cool little pic like everybody else.

To do list:

--Hand sew the binding of a quilt (wedding gift for friends)
--Make another quilt (wedding gift for friends) using great jellyroll fabrics
--Make a picnic blanket quilt for the springtime
--Make a scrap quilt out of my stash?
--Sew a colorful apron or two for bridal showers
--Sew some potholders with fun scraps and collected selvedges
--Help sew a wedding veil and wedding purse for a friend?
--Finish two UFOs for Project Linus

Whew!

Made sure to post about the avatar and forgot to post about my progress!! Silly girl I am.

I am still quilting away at my queen size in my little lap frame. I work an hour or two each night. It's good to relax before going to bed anyway.

I did cross cut all the strips for the 3 D9P's and discovered that I was originally short in cutting the original strips. So, I have to get out all the fabric and cut enough out for two more blocks for each one....so only 6 more blocks to go!!

Today, I wasted a whole lot of time putting a quilt sandwich together. Don't like how is looks. Will remove all of the pins and start over. I get so mad at myself when I waste time like that. I may as well have been taking a nap. :roll:

His favorite saying: Well smear my butt with honey and tie me to an ant hill. That's pretty superheroish, huh? lol

Oh Mylanta!!

Gail, Gail, Gail, lol,...so you goofed, it got you back to the machine didn't it? It's not fun to realize you messed up, but at least your trying. I'm proud of you...and see, your not gonna give up either, double great,...and you thought you didn't accomplish anything :wink:

MadQuilter, I can see him saying something like that.:D

Melissa, your avatar holds more meaning, now that I know what it says and why.
I always treated my kids like each was unique. My time with them was just me and that person :wink:
I admire ppl for handquilting. Fibro. messes with my sleep-quality, so I know that if I get too still, I would fall asleep.
I have many magazines and files that need going thru, but I'm just not making much headway.
I am working on a project that is small, but tedious. Will get back to it, just taking a break.
So anxious to get going on the roses/tulips quilt, but also chomping at the bit to make all four grandbabies a spring outfit, just a little shorts set or sundress. Need to make an appt. to get two of their pics taken, and thought I would make their outfits. well, better get moving on her for a bit and go.

Let me tell you, as you get older, you may not do as much work in quantitiy as you did, 20 years ago, but you still feel like you did that much.
I have been jumping back and forth all week, between two projects. One is a don't tell yet, and the other is, for a family in need. That one has become pretty big. I just can't do anything without going almost whole hog. So, anywho, I am tarred...baabyy, aahhmm, sooo tarred.:wink:
hubby had tv on, while I was working at dining room table, carrie underwood just became country music's entertainer of the year, woo hoo...and Taylor Swift got album of the year!...just thought I would throw that fyi in there, lol! I listen to all kinds of music, especially while sewing. I gotta get these two projects done, so I can tell my sweetie pie, she can come spend the night. Nana just can't get that kind of stuff done, when she's here. I want my time with her, to be ALL about her.
Gonna post some pics of sewing room etc. soon, so for now, happy quilting/creating everybody! :D

taking a week hiatus as the boys are home for Spring Break. I can work on their surprises during the day, and I'm so worn out at night from running around after them that I am just beat. I know better than to stitch when tired.

We got snow in april, which doesn't happen often. We made a snowman and it melted by the end of the day. The ground was really warm. Bitter cold winds last night, but we are supposed to be near 70 for next weekend.

We were surprised with cold and breezy air this morning. Just makes we want to cuddle up with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. I sewed one seam, put it away, and grabbed my book.

sounds like everybody is right in tune with their inner selves. :thumbup:

mp, love your avatar--- I have a 10 year old grandson that has autism, so I recoginised the the puzzle ribbon. Excuse the spelling. We are thankful though that his is mild and he is doing very well in main stream school. We lucked out when they found out he had it they were stationed in Augusta GA. (son is in the army) where there are so many centers for autism and other handicaps, and he and my son and his wife all got training on helping him at home as well as the other thearpy he got at the centers. WE WERE BLESSED!!
Autism is so different in each person that has it. You are on my prayer list.

And okie3, I love YOUR avatar. Tell us about it.

The blocks are painted and emboradier the are each a child of the week.
You know Sundays child is full of grace--etc thru Sat. then I have Big appliquied hearts. The first block heart has Saras' name on it and at the end of the quilt it has her birthdate on it. She is now 2 years old and still loves her quilt!! I get to keep her ever so often. I never had any girls and no granddaughters so she is kind of my adopted one :) Please excues the spelling. Have run and check on supper. Oh yea her Daddy works for my husband, and they just live 2 blocks down from us. I have 3 grandsons and we may be getting another one soon.

okie3, It's things like that that keep us young at heart. Love the little quilt.

Okie3, thank you so much for your comment. It is nice to run across someone who "knows".

I love your little quilt there too...absolutely fabulous!!

As I re-read this thread, I was thinking that the only place I've seen the little days of the week pictures was on the seat of little girls panties. (You know, they come in colorful little sets.) I like them a lot better on okie3's little quilt. O-3. is your little quilt pictured anywhere else on the board? I'm not one that can oblige with pics, because I'm "un-equipped" :lol: , but I sure would like to see that quilt in close-up.

I haven't posted here since 4-6? boy, have I been busy. DD was in the hospital twice, and lives near MIL, but she still works full time, so I had to fill in the gaps asap, which was quite a bit. Can't quilt/sew with little ones. Managed to get on here, sometimes, and there were times, I was typing one handed, lol...I mostly left board online, and tied up my phone. At first, hubby was aghast, but he ain't home that much. When he learned to call me on cell, he just accepted that i had to have someplace to 'light' for a few minutes throughout the day, to keep from feeling, tied down. I love my grandbabies, and I love keeping them, but day in and day out...I'm old and tired...well, mostly tired, lol...I'm not as old as I talk. I'm not as young as I talk, either! :wink:
so, anywho, as I am taking a break, here, I am finishing up a project, got another one, already spreading out in cave...for a friend that needs cheering up. She has ducks and chickens as pets, and one of her ducks was murdered! Three local thug-dogs, dug a hole under her fence and well, you can guess the rest. I'm glad I wasn't there. She has a pen, but let them roam, the fenced in area of the yard, in the daytime, and wasn't gone all that long. poor thing. Hubby says she has cried a lot.
I have a full size quilt, I have mentioned here, before, I have been just calling it, my roses/tulips quilt...might become it's permanent name, lol.
It's a lot of pink and purple, and a medium lime and some spring green. Oh one of my girls was there, when I bought the fabrics that I was putting with border fab at home...oh, did she think that was LOUD!!!
Have pattern in a book, and did a very good job at getting close to the pic. I can't wait to do it, and for her to see it. She is very forthright and may still, say, OK....if that's what floats yer boat...but I think she will be surprised though.
Gonna do a small wall hanging for another friend, and wish I could get it done this week. Maybe I'll hop on that one, while doing chickens...gonna see her around end of first week in May, and would really like to be able to give it to her then. we'll see. I plan, then life gives me, what it thinks I should be doing.
After my daughter came home, her hubby had a birthday, and they let the baby have a peanut butter cookie. I had just left, after rocking her to sleep. She was fine then, heard her cry out as I was going out the door, and DD went to check on her. Was home, maybe five or ten minutes, and hubby said, "They are taking Alexia to emergency room, she is having an allergic reaction!" I was crying, but thought to call ahead to hospital. Wanted them to be ready. They didn't waste any time, when baby got there, and she had to have a shot in each leg.
Was on the phone with DD when nurse moved something and baby hollered. I heard the nurse say, "I'm not coming over there..." I know they hate having to be the ones that scare the babies, but it saves their lives.
Now DD has to keep an epi-pen for her. Which means I will have to have it, when she is with me. I used to carry one. Guess doc thinks I'll be ok without it now. I'm not worried, but Alexia needs to gain four pounds to be able to handle that amount of medicine, so I guess they will chubby her up a bit more. She is a round cutie now.
Well, will be posting my sewing cave pics very soon, and wish I could have backed up further, so you weren't right on top of my shelves. Makes it hard to see how nice the room is, very functional. I love it. Better get back to it, in a few minutes, too. ttfn, Qnc

nor'easter, just wanted to say thank you, again, for starting this thread. I will come back to it, as long as it is here. It helps keep me focused :D

I haven't posted much either. My gramma received her sampler and loves it. Though...I don't think she liked it as much until she got the letter in the mail with the explanations. She likes it now!! Will post pics when I get them in the mail.

After working hard for 8 weeks, I have taken a job. It's the first job I was offered, but in this economy, a job is a job. I'm looking at it as the job that will pay the bills until I find a better one.

I think in order to get the kids' quilts done faster, I should just pull them out and if the boys see them, well so be it. I won't be able to keep the surprise if I want them done anytime soon as I'll be working late and sleeping during the day. We shall see what happens. I don't want to be discouraged, I want to finish them, but I don't think I'll be able to keep the surprise going.

DD was by last week looking very pregnant. She's so cute. She still has 3 or 4 months to go, but she is gaining weight with this one. She lost weight with the last one. Grandbaby is as beautiful as always. She will be joined by a little sister....hopefully July 4th. Wouldn't that be cool??

My 7 year old had an accident at home last week that had him hospitalized. He fell off his bike and had quite the concussion. The bump on his head was so big I could set a bowl on it. Very traumatic. Scared me more than anything. Being at the ER was completely out of his routine....so it was difficult to keep him focused. Glad he is better now...but 10 days later he still has quite the bruise on his poor head.

Busy busy as usual. Kindergarten round up is behind us, but we still have track and field day, and 4 field trips coming up....YIKES!!! All within 5 weeks..at which point the birthdays come around again. My big one thinks it's so funny that I have to go up 2 numbers instead of one. His reasoning is going from 29 to 30 changes both numbers....like I didn't feel weird enough!!!!

Cleaning today, but hoping to get motivated to run to my sewing closet...even if it's just to organize it.

So sorry to hear about little one getting hurt on his bike. I've had a humongous bruise like that, and can take a long time to over the looks of it. I wasn't that young, so he will heal faster.
Congrats on getting another granddaughter. It would be fun to have her born on 4th of July. She would always get fireworks for her birthday, lol!
I love the part about your birthday making you go up two years! That is so cute. Do we do that every decade? I must be on a banana peel, then.
I know what you mean about a job being a job, and needing the money.
I just applied to be a new patient, and this doctor wanted to know all the jobs you've had in the past.
Interesting, I guess. I suppose she just wants to know more about the patient? I've had quite a few, although I haven't been able to work for many years now. Not outside my house, anyway.
Surprises are fun, (boy's quilts), but they are very hard to keep. Well at least you know, you'll keep moving with these, bc the boys will be asking, "When's mine gonna be done?" Well, I better quit yacking, and get on with things. It's Sunday morning, and hubby will be stirring soon. ttfn, C

I think I have slowly been accomplishing a bit more lately...not so much, finishing up, ufo's, but I am being productive, and that is a good thing.
I have done several small, mending type things.
Daughter and I painted three walls in living room. Hubby has to redo something on the fourth, but the color is not far off, from paint, so looks ok, till he gets to it. Will be fun to decorate now.
Going to make some table runners, and wall stuff. Now that will be fun.
Also going to make matching rocking chair cushions, for my nana rocker, and my grandbaby rocker, after I paint them a new color. That will be fun also.
Worked on a block, actually, six, and mailed off. That is a good feeling.
Sent a friend a small gift. Even the smallest of things, that I actually see thru to fruition, gives me a sense of having completed something.
I am learning about my new sewing machine, with all these small projects.
I have cut out a sundress for one grandbaby, and have different stacks of fabrics, I am sorting for three more projects, for friends.
I have to wash all those in next two days.
My #2 daughter came over today and brought me some roses, and showed me how to put pictures on computer and download to board. That is really exciting! Now I just have to get new batteries, and I am gonna be a picture posting fool! lol!
Each completion spurs me on, to doing something else and I am enjoying being able to come here and list these things.
I still want to work on my boston blocks, wall hanging and a tote bag.
One thing at a time, and keep moving. Been anemic and iron is helping, so I am doing a bit more every day. Sometimes I have to just 'veg', but with chronic stuff, life is like that. That is when I am most grateful for board. I can read or type, thru the discomfort and for a bit, it's almost like not feeling it so much. Thank you quboard, I love ya! :D

Got my aunts quilt done and the mystery quilt, otherwise known as the quilt from you know where, finished. Between wrong directions and sewing pieces to the wrong side of other pieces, horrible points (my worst ever), having to resew seams that messed up (many more than even my most exhauting day), this quilt drove me up a wall. The last straw was seeing that I sewed a bunch of blocks wrong (again) when I put all the block on the design wall. I was going to correct it, but my sis and I played with it and decided I could live with an alternative design. So my quilt's name is "Mystery quilt 2009, alternative #1"!!! Then to top it off, we were showing our quilts to our aunt and my dear sweet sis pointed out a block sewn in the wrong direction. I had to tear out the one block, turn and resew!! I have never done so much ripping out in my life. Oh and did I say the borders were on. That's it, I'm done!!!

So now, it's on to quilting 3 quilts that are waiting and getting started on my oldest (length of time, not age) friend's quilt. I have a reunion this July and want to take the quilt up to her while I am there. Yikes, that is sneaking up on me fast.

You don't want me on this post. With our dire financial hardship, I haven't spent any money for quilting since maybe last Spring. I was given a subscription for Pons&Porter mag but that ended in November. All this year I have been working out of my stash. My current project, this board's Pioneer BOM is being made out of fabric my physical therapist gave me since she no longer sews. This is no fun... I hate this!

So, what I spend on quilting per month is...
$0

wow, Kathy you had quite a time with that mystery quilt, but I admire your tenacity. Now it's behind you. I have one for one of the grandbabies that sits on my design wall, and I am not crazy about ribbon I put on it, to cover wonky seams. Was a good color choice, and "fix", but it's a bit bigger than I would have liked. Maybe after reading how you just 'plowed on', I will make myself go ahead and finish and give to her. She knows about it, and has been sick a lot. Daddy is finally gonna take her back to dr. and get antibiotics.
So, now onward and upward to your friends quilt before reunion. I'll let that spring me on to a small project for a friend I am gonna see at end of month, that I want to give her. I don't get to see her often, either. she is two hours from me, so perfect opportunity. Let's do it! :wink:

I keep working and plodding along. I am pretty ok with the fact that my mystery, also called the quilt from you know where, is going to be my first UFO. Yeegads do I hate that thing!

I am almost finished hand quilting my queen string pieced star quilt. I'm glad it's almost done. I really have liked the progress I've made on it. I have the border material for my patriotic quilt for DS. Once this quilt is finished, I'll do that. I have to have it quilted and bound before he gets home. So...that's my next thing. I will be machine quilting it, with my walking foot. Should be fun.

After that's finished, I'll go back to my D9P's and keep plodding along on those. Hoping to finish them sometime this year!

I started working, so I have 3 weeks of nights and that cuts out all of my time. Starting next week I'll have better hours, so I'll have more time. All of my tv shows are going to be doing their finales soon, and that will free up lots of quilting time.

M

I guess it's all a toss up...if I was healthier, I would get more sewing/quilting done, but If I WAS HEALTHIER, I would have my butt at a job, so, we squeeze in, what we can.
I really gotta get going on those grandbaby laps, right after all these smaller 1,2,3,4...friend projects, and my stuff for living room. It's May, already...better get off pc! :D

Holy Cow! I got more done yesterday than I've gotten done in 6 weeks. All on the D9P's! I went ahead and pulled them out despite the kids being home. They all noticed that I was working on quilts and the fabrics are fun. Each child gave their opinion one fabric and it just so happens to be exactly what they were getting anyway. WooHoo!! I like it when I make the best fabric choices!

Originally, I had already pieced all the strips for the top and bottom rows of the 9 patch. I pieced the rest of the strips and cross cut them all. I ended up with enough for 14 blocks, not 16, so I ended up making 2 more 9 patch blocks for each of the 3. I think it's somewhere near 52? squares...yikes! All 16 9 patch squares for all 3 quilts are done. I pressed them, and when I meet them again, it will be time to make those 9 patches disappear!!!

Here's where I posted about what I've been working on.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/20289.page

Great thread. I'm glad so many folks have more UFO's than me! Makes me feel better!

And I ain't gonna list all of mine..... ;)

Motomom, I like your airplane quilt. I've never seen one like that, and I also like your avatar.
well, I have been on a lot of iron lately, and supposed to be on even more, but I have worked my way up, like they said, and doing the best I can. Point is, it is helping, and anything that helps me get my sewing/quilty stuff done, is a-ok with me.
Now, just a tiny um, what shall I call it...a vent,...not a gripe or a rant.
I have fabrics all bundled for all four of my grandbabies. Got to change 2 of them. No, not bc mom wants other colors. Nobody has seen my fabrics. I can't work that way.
I ask questions, and then go off on my own. I can't have anybody breathing down my neck. #2 and #4 grandbabies are sisters. One is in a toddler bed, and she is five. Have fabrics for a lap, and a twin size for her.
Also have lap bundle for the baby.
Now, mom and dad have decided due to small space, to put them both in a double bed. I can probably change Crystals to a double, but there goes two laps that they won't need. I guess i am going to make them anyway, and maybe they will use them for naps or watching tv.
I told my daughter, it is a good thing, she told me, before I cut Crystal's fabric. It is one of my favorite bundles. I'm gonna eventually make myself a quilt with those colors. I would have been upset, if it were cut for a twin 59 x 75, and needed to be 78 x 87 roughly.
I'm going to add more borders to her princess quilt to make it bigger.
It's easier to sew for adults, they are through growing! :D

well, let's see, tomorrow is one of daughter's birthdays, so may not be on much.
I have been rearranging cave again. It always gives me a second wind. Moved my cutting station.
This is a really good move. I freed up a window that was blocked, and now I can open blinds too.
It's definitely been inspiring to have that daylight coming in. I have plenty of lights in there, but I love the outdoors. Got a good view of my car garage if I turn, so it's a-ok, that I am not facing it. In fact it is better for me. The glare would bother me.
Now, I can sit and do more than just cut, my area is bigger. I put some bins in front of the closet door to make more room where i really needed it. How often do I go in that closet? It's not that hard to move those bins, if I want in, so good move.
So, still getting ready to do those four projects i mentioned in last post, but have washed, dried and ironed a lot of fabrics, and working on more.
I am starting a BOM, but that's just a block at a time.
Also going to make 2 blocks for the kennedy joiner hands of hope quilt, that blocks are being gathered for. I hope more ppl join in. If not, maybe we will all do a row. I can only speak for me, but one of my girls has cerebral palsy and shriners did a lot....and I do mean, a lot...for her, so, quilts for kids, is important to me.
Also thinking about moving my ufo's out of cabinet, although, they are ok there. Still thinking on that one.
Feeling pretty good about the improvements and feel inspired to get some stuff done. onward and upward :D

Tonight I'll put the binding on a long-finished Jacob's Ladder. It's due to be delivered on Saturday (did I ever mention that I am a procrastinator?)

I think I'll make a label to read: "For my friend - Happy Birthment and Retireday."

Now I just hope the tendenitis doesn't kill the plan. It's a little challenging to hand sew with the braces on.