Organizer Giveaway!!!

I am finding very interesting blogs just through everyone elses blog...  such fun. Along my journeys I have come across "Twittletails" by Anina.  She is giving away a very handy dandy organizer that puts all organizers to shame, you must take a look.  Venture to http://twiddletails.blogspot.com/2009/08/little-organizer-giveaway.html to enter.  Even if you do not win you will be hooked on twittletails... I know I am.

Baby Honu snail trail block

Here is the Baby Honu snail trail block...

Happy Place

After we ventured to UB and unpacked Eric's room, I needed to wander in a "Happy Place"; a quilt store off Transit in Williamsville called Sew What? I found this store on a Shop Hop in June and remembered it was just off 90/Thruway. I found these treasures of dragonfly orientals, golf, hockey, turtles, and blue/purple print for Alyssa's quilt. Very rewarding and I was able to gab about Eric going to UB. I was loosing wind and putting out and it was 50min. home.  I left the area, traffic was looking scary, but next time there are a few more "happy places" to scope out....

Finished Product

Here it is: Eric's turtle/penguin quilt.  I finished it before he leaves for UB on Thursday. Couldn't have planned it better...

Baby Honu turtles!

I love these turtles. Oh, Madi claimed this quilt. Boo hoo. At least she likes something I make.

My To Do List...

Since I have been home from Maryland I have been crazy crazy! Today I am taking Mia, my yorkie pom, to the vet for her check up. She is 5yrs old.

Lately I have been school shopping and running the roads with a ton of errands. I am trying to gather everything Eric needs for college and while he is a #1 procrastinator; it's rough. He did download his Adobe software into his laptop and made certain it worked and he knew how to use it before I rushed to the post office to send it to Grandaddy. (who paid for it- yippie! he wants it too...) Madi on the other hand, is right on top top top of things. "Mom, I need school supplies. Mom, I need tops, jeans, boots, and skirts.." ... the list is endlist...

I am finished with the turtles bodies and shells and I am deciding on background fabric. I will sew them tonight. Now onto the snail trail blocks... no clue. I saw a tutitorial on yube tube and "I see" occurs but it is not the way the pattern decribes to do it. Baby Honu wants paper piecing and to use a reverse... REGINA!!! have you started this?

I need to tack down the penguin/turtle quilt. Hand quilt the "Among the Garden" yellow brick road quilt and get back to other stuff.

While in Maryland

Maryland was a trip...literally. Mom feeds the squirrels.

The quilt store there is absolutely awesome; Material Girls. It has every type of character fabric known to man and every fabric after that. I came home with nothing, if you can imagine that. I had my mom with me and we didn't have much time to look. I wanted to venture back later in the week but it didn't happen.

I was looking for a fabric for my niece to make a quilt like Eric's (one sided) and we ended up at Hancock's Fabric where she chose a fabric of blues/purples and horses running along a creek in the moonlight. I wanted to take her to Material Girls to look at the fairies but she liked what she chose.

My Grandma was visiting from Florida and ended up in the hospital with a kidney infection and dehydration. She was released on Wednesday and at my mom's house on Friday. We visited her while in the hospital but it was good to see her out and in good spirits. She felt much better but a bit weak. She painted me a painting of her and Madi back when we visited her in Florida and Madi was a baby. I will get a picture of it....

Madi and I visited the Baltimore Aquarium and saw a ton of turtles. This sea turtle here had a front foot amputated but she swims great. We also saw the dolphin show and a 4D movie which I did not care for; it was a 3D movie with enhancements: water spitting at you, lightning, shaking, something touching your feet and the worst- a poke in the back. This went on as you watched the movie, for instance, as the whale spouted water it splashed you in the face. We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and at the end were in dire need of coffee so went to the HUGE Barnes and Nobles.

Friday, my dad, Eric, Madi, and I went to the Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. It was very interesting. It had been renovated and we all wanted to go. I am very interested in John Wilkes Booth's escape and route since it goes through Charles County, where I lived. My sister lives down the road from Dr. Mudd's house. Very interesting.

We also visited the Archives and ate lunch at the Hard Rock.

We ate crabs, swam with cousins and Stacey (my sister) and I went on our ritual of sushi night.... yum!

Turtle's Reverse Side

The reverse side to Eric's turtle quilt is penguins with one added row and a border. Now I am tacking down the rows by hand. It will have a black on black binding.

Earlier Quilts

Here are a few pictures of my first quilt, pink and green, and Brook's 6th Birthday quilt.

Pink and Green was for Madi and she loved it except for the fact that it was small and not filled yet... it was sandwiched with batting and a back but she thought it too flat.

6th Birthday quilt was in goudy colors and background... love to change it up!!

Little bites

Evidently I bit off more than I can chew for today's agenda. What's new? I cut out the templates for Baby Honu. Sewed two more sets of Cancer Survivor Celebration blocks. One for lymphoma and the other for melanoma.

I sewed the stack and whack.... those middle points are a bear.

Getting started on penguin back which got delayed because I needed to switch to black thread...

So the only thing I think I didnt do is the borders for turtles but I wanted to make sure I thought it out right again... lol. You would understand if you knew the dumb things Ive been doing lately!!!

Lots to do before our trip to Maryland on Sunday. I found a store in LaPlata to go to and Im sure I will find others. Since we are leaving Sunday there are no shops open. =(

Quilting Spree!!

Today I worked on whacking the Stack and whack which I will sew tomorrow.
I went and bought penguin fabric, grey, and a cool black print with sectioned panels for the reverse of Eric's turtle quilt for college. Sew tomorrow.
I finished turtle quilt top need to do borders. Cut and sew tomorrow.
Bought template plastic to make baby honu body template. Cut out tomorrow.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Plus dentist for Eric (I had to change due to trip to Maryland) and taking Madi to dance camp... whew.

My Favorite Things

Java Me! is one of my favorite things. I love coffee and this quilt screams "ME"! I found the pattern and loved it. As I gathered fabric on the many many many of hunts, I figured I wanted more color and shapes. It was patterned red and brown tones and I wanted it to POP. I found fabric at WalMart, JoAnn's, online, Patricia's Fabric House, Betty's Quilting Store, and shopped a ton of others which, believe it or not, I found nothing.

Mom and Madi did not like that I hung "Java Me!" in the den. They thought it too pretty but that was my intent. =)

Snowmen are another favorite! I have them everywhere in the winter. Snowmen and penguins are a must in our house for Christmas and wintertime. This quilt I had a great time compiling until I got stumped on the border. The pattern was a few years old in a magazine and the fabric was long gone. So I was on the hunt again and found the perfect fit at Patricia's. It came out nicely and I will use this one this winter!

It's a GREAT thing to do!!!!

As was passed on by Regina, Mt Pleasant Quilting Company is putting together a Cancer Survivor Celebration in August. She was asked to join in when she visited the shop on her "shop hop" to Painted Post/Corning and of course the answer was "yes". On her blog, "The Queen Bee's Buzz", she passes along the information to join in on the cause. I had to participate.

I too have family members who have had bouts of cancer, some have fared well and others have not. The family member I chose was my grandfather who had lung cancer. He survived his cancer by having half a lung removed and years later past on due to heart failure. His name was Robert Worrell.

The color to represent lung cancer is pearl. We are to do two blocks; a friendship and a nine patch. They are quick and fun to do. It truly inspired me to do these blocks while remembering my grandfather.

I may have time to do a few more. I will have to check the date to turn them in.

What a great thing to do!

A Day at the Zoo

Today was a day! I had to run down to Eastview Mall in Victor to exchange Eric's ipod due to its battery failing to keep its charge. We picked up Dori along the way and ended up missing our appointment by 10 minutes. This was caused by the changed of plans my husband created when we had to pick up the blue car. Once taken care of we came home quickly after with no desire to shop. Go figure. Maybe its the no money thing?

Once home we had to figure out what to do for the day. Madi wanted Brandon over. Later on I had four kids to maintain and a beautiful day. What about the zoo? So off we went. It had been forever and a day since we'd been so this was going to be great.

We had a blast. Luckily you only need a couple of hours and not a day to enjoy since we arrived there at 2:30. It closes at 5.

The zoo has really changed which is a good thing. We saw the new editions where they moved the elephants. Rhinos are where the elephants were located. A new play area for kids where you are the Vet and caretaker of animals. Very cool. The white tiger and white wolf fit right in with our climate here in good ole Rochester. They are good neighbors to the polar bears and penguins. An unexpected twist of fun.

Unearthed Treasure

Last night I ran over to Regina's house for a quilt session of sharing fabric, pattern and ideas. Boy! did the juices get flowing!! I showed my pictures of quilts I am working on and she layed out her "stack and whack" of Witchy wonder" then the ideas began to pour. Maybe change this with that or yes that idea in that book is too busy.... churn, churn, churn. Then as I began to cut some batting for Regina she pulls out fabrics from her bottomless pit of a drawer and out comes this turtle fabric. WOW!!! that would be perfect for a quick quilt to send Eric (my newly graduated son) off to college with, Im thinking to myself and what does she do- but hands it off to me and says" give it life" ...if we add this and that and it goes with this pattern then whalla... she says "Merry Christmas, it's yours."

Today I run to JoAnn's and spend way too much time contemplating what to do when she gave me fabric to work with but I had to make sure it said "Yes, this is great!" So I replaced the white dotted brown with brown and black crackle... and then bought a green mossy fabric for "Baby Honu" quilt (Regina has been gathering and working on also) to make into turtle bodies. Whew..I have two WOF panels completed and it is wonderful. I love it! Thank you Regina and thank you also for getting me to look into blogging.... this may be fun.