Sewing Days and Feline Assistance

I Spy quilt in progress by my friend Sue

My mother, friends and I get together periodically to sew together.  It's a great day of projects, visiting, and food.  It's all good and we have to do show and tell when everyone first arrives.  We must share works in progress, finished projects (!), new purchases, and plans.  We also ask for the opinions of others.  We even offer opinions when we're not asked!!

A couple of months ago, we got together at my house for a sewing day and Sue worked on the I Spy quilt (above) for her new grandson.  My mother explained to Sue that the boy is growing so fast that she needs to add more blocks to keep the quilt big enough for the guy!

I was working on a quilt based on the pattern Dusk 'Til Dawn  by McKenna Ryan.  This is the quilt in progress. 

This eventually became a raffle quilt and raised several hundred scholarship dollars.

Another I Spy block in progress:

My friend Kim was sewing up a storm on this colorful flannel quilt in progress: 

And . . . lime green is mandatory these days, isn't it?

My mother was working on this dramatic table runner:

A few weeks later, we got together for a sewing weekend at my friend Kim's house.  A sewing and quilting sleepover!

Here's my mom binding her harlequin diamond quilt:

This is Radeen's cowboy quilt with the quilting in progress.

Kim finished this musical quilt top:

Radeen also worked on this quilt!  Sorry you have to turn sideways to see this quilt, but it was on the ironing board!

Here is the quilt I was working on:

This is similar to one I made earlier (shown above) using the McKenna Ryan pattern called Dusk 'til Dawn.  I was making this quilt for a friend and customer and she asked that the deer in the McKenna Ryan pattern be changed to bears and moose.  I created silhouettes of the requested animals and incorporated them into McKenna Ryan's design. 

When we sew at Kim's, there's the added benefit of feline "assistance."

Hmmm.  I wonder what this button does?

I want to be alone!!

Must be something about this chair:

Why is everyone looking at me?  It's comfy here on this quilt in progress.

Then a few weeks later, we were all set to sew at Sue's house, but then her husband had an incident with a car he was working on (the car came out ahead, but, happily, did not win) and we had to cancel sewing at her house.  My mom was already here at our house so we could travel together to Sue's.  Sew . . . Mom and I had our own sewing day.  She started sewing a scrap quilt. 

In the true tradition of quilting, she is using scraps from fabrics that she used to make clothing for herself and Dad.  Too cool. 

The little vintage fabric squares. 

Then little two square patches on their way to becoming four patches. 

She had a great time coordinating prints with solids. 

Whenever you can, be sure you make time to spend with family and friends doing something you enjoy.  And eating . . .  It makes it all good. 

My Favorite Things

My online and Etsy friend from rikrak studio challenged her blog readers to list their 10 favorite things here. 

So . . . here goes:

Family by Renee's Funky Country

1.  Family and Friends:  I love my family and friends.  We get together when we can for the good company and good food.  And the support.  And the teasing. 

Double Chocolate Fudgy Cake Truffles by lollidreams

2.  Chocolate!!!  I love chocolate almost as much as I love my family and friends.  It's yummy.  It makes me feel good.  It soothes me when I'm stressed.  It gives me energy. 

Baseball Scrabble Tile Pendant by threescoopsoflove

3.  Baseball:  My dad loved baseball so I watched and listened to baseball the whole time I was growing up.  I listened to Vin Scully broadcast the Dodgers games until the Tucson radio stations no longer carried those games.  I used to keep score while listening on the radio or watching on TV.  Now I love baseball because it's fun to watch and listen to while I'm doing grown up tasks.  It's comforting (except when the Diamondbacks go into a slump).  I watch it with my Significant Other and we watch it with my mother when we go to visit her.  When I'm ready for a break from my work, I can sit and watch for half an inning (or so). 

Valle Vidal in northern New Mexico

4.  Getting Outdoors:  We love to get out of the house and into the great outdoors.  Hiking, backpacking, camping.  We like it when life gets simpler.  No TV.  No computer.  No convenient phone.  You concentrate on the next meal and what will we do today?

The Charlie Pirtle Memorial Raffle Quilt that I made for the 2010 Becoming an Outdoors Woman in New Mexico workshop.  It's based on the Dusk 'Til Dawn quilt pattern designed by McKenna Ryan. 

5.  Sewing and Quilting:  I love to sew and to make quilts.  I get to play with colors (see below) and fabric and textures.  When I get to do that, I make things that are pretty.  Sometimes, those pretty things are even useful.  And it brings some family and friends together, too. 

Super Ricohflex camera by collectorsville

6.  Photography:  I've always enjoyed taking photographs, starting with the Brownie that my parents gave to me.  This camera above reminds me of the cameras that my parents used when I was little.  I have those cameras now.  I have a new Nikon now and I took a brief photography class, so I know a little bit more than I did before.  I'm enjoying trying to put those things into practice.  Oh, but the remembering them is so hard!

Vintage Collection of Steinbeck books by scoutHOME

7.  Reading:  I started reading with my dad when I was very young.  I love the entertainment and the learning.  What pleasure I get from books and stories!

Beef Roast for Company by $5 Dinners

8.  Food and Cooking:  I LOVE to eat!  I love to cook, too.  I also love to cook on a budget.  I have plenty of cookbooks, but I enjoy getting ideas from the Internet, too. 
 

My friend Kim's calla lillies

9.  Color:  It soothes and excites and warms and calms.  I love Arizona sunsets and sunrises.  I love flowers and other bits of color in the desert. 

Map Envelopes by DrakonsLair

10.  Travel:  We love going places.  I guess I come by it naturally, as my parents loved to travel and I started before I was two months old!!  I like to see new places.  I like to eat new foods.  I love to get a taste of local culture.  And . . . I love being away from home.  And . . . then coming home again. 

So, what do you think of my favorite things?  And now I want to know--what are your favorite things?  Think about them, enjoy them, and then share them.  I'd love to hear yours. 

Sewing Day and Baby Waiting

My mother and my friends and I have this great sewing day get together.  About once a month or so, we get together at someone's house for a sewing day or weekend.  We work on our own projects or we work on something together and eat, then sew some, then eat some more and, well . . . you get the idea. 

Our friend Sue is expecting her first grandbaby any day now and we were a bit nervous about having sewing day at her house this past weekend.  But baby waited and still hasn't arrived yet.  But friend Kim and I got into the baby mood with this project. 

Sewing rectangles.

Sewing more rectangles . . .

This goes together quickly when two are working together!  By the end of the afternoon, this is what we had.

It will get some borders (more white) and four patch corner blocks.  Duck fabric for the back and blue binding.  We think it's very cute.

It's a pattern called Scratch by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  The fabric is a Moda fabric designed by Sandy Gervais called Objects of Desire.  We cut up charm packs to make this quilt.  We took out all the high heeled shoe fabrics since we don't know whether this baby is a boy or girl. 

The grandmother to be was working on this project:

And my mom was working on this pretty purple pillowcase (try saying that three times fast!)

And we thank the baby for waiting on us to get this far . . .