Decisions, Decisions!

I have decided to join Judy L's BOM group and make her newest quilt but can't quite decide on a color palette. I will decide on the background fabric (neutral) after I make my final choice. It's funny how you start to choose your fabrics you have a color in mind...then you change it, AGAIN and AGAIN!

I started with some reds but couldn't find what I liked for the three main colors out of my stash so I started pulling purples and came up with three choices. The only difference is the combo of purples, there is
choice 1:


Choice 2:


or Choice 3:
All stemming from these 4 purples:



OR.....I can just go in a whole new direction.....
LIKE SO:


What is your opinion?

All Good news!

COMMUNITY COLLEGE:
I start classes tomorrow at a local community college. My company (the one that laid me off) got a government grant for training and is sending a lot of their people for this Catia V5 training. I'm not sure how much I will ever be able to USE it since it is a 3D design software and I'm NOT a designer. I'm still going to take all the free training I can get though. Also, there are 10 of my very good friends (co-workers) that will be in the classes. I haven't seen anyone from work in 6 weeks and I miss them. It is lonesome not working. So I have classes on Mon. and Wed from 5-9pm until the end of Aug. I am looking forward to it.

MI WORKS:
I went to the Michigan works and asked about the "No Worker Left Behind" program. I was wisked in back to get an overview and take 3 timed tests (and me w/o my reading glasses!)
I found that I completly SUCK at math! I seriously cannot do long division. I forgot HOW. I only made it partially through that section...how embarrassing! Luckily for me they help you every step of the way at this place. This is a training program that re trains workers in a different field. I am qualified for this program. I have my first appointment with my adviser on July 1st.

QUILTING:
My mini group got together yesterday at Gail's house. We had some show and tell and some sandwiches and talked a mile a minute. Then we went to the LA and fooled around with different feathers and leaves. Margaret showed me the way to get the shape of my leaves right. I was so stuck on that!


DIET:
It's TIME. I have denied it long enough. I have looked away and made excuses until I have run out of them. I am about to embark on a 6 week high intensity program. I am hoping for good results. I won't be done at this point but should have a good start. I'm ready for tomorrow.
I start tomorrow!

Hummingbirds and cheesecake

What do they have in common? Well they are both sweet but other than that .....NOTHING.

Let me start by saying....I am such a liar.
I SAID I would post again last Sunday or Monday and I DIDN'T.
I SAID I would have that new quilt laid out then too but I DIDN'T.

I went to my girlfriend Denise' house last week and stayed until Monday morning. Her parents live in a sort of wooded area and they always have lots of wildlife there. They feed them all. I got a real close up look at some deer but didn't get a picture of them. I did get some pictures of the sweet hummingbirds though.We had a nice time together and stayed up late most every night just talking.
MONDAY MORNING:
I packed up my car and hugged her goodbye and she got into her car and drove out of the driveway to leave for work and I turned the key in my ignition and NOTHING HAPPENED....oh crap! My car wouldn't start and she was gone and she has no cell phone and I can't get back into her house and I don't know any of her neighbors and it is 8:15am.....sigh. (How's THAT for a run on sentence!) I tryed a couple neighbors but after waking the one lady up I decided to go a different route. I called her mother and asked how far Denise's brother lived from her. She said 10 minutes. I explained my problem and she gave me his number to try to call him. I had nothing to write with so I did what any self respecting woman would do....I wrote the number in the dust on my dash! (YIPES, maybe I better clean this thing). I woke him up too. He came to my rescue though and an hour later I was on my way. It is almost a 4 hour drive. I got home to no electricity and my husband was starting up the generator. We finally got our power back on Wed afternoon. I was very glad we had the generator so we didn't lose our food and we had a light and a small tv (but no cable). It was expensive to run though and very loud. My husband left Wed to go to a friend's house for a few days and just came home today. I made him this:
He made me ribs in the smoker and I made fresh cole slaw and corn on the cob and we all ate dinner together for a change (my daughter is usually not here to eat with us.)
I do have all my blocks sewed together and trimmed but I am NOT liking the way it is looking. I think there is too much contrast in the different fabrics so I am going to try a few other lay outs tomorrow when I have more energy. This is the way it looks (part of it)
What do you think? Too much contrast?

My first stash reduction for 2008

I want Judy L to know I started this blog JUST so I could participate in the stash busting.
Yeah, I know I am coming in late but better late than never I always say!
I went on a little trip last week and bought 3.5 yds of fabric. The blacks and whites are for a specific quilt I am collecting fabrics for but haven't started yet so it is going into my stash. This is my inspiration from Vickie W

The red fabric is for yet ANOTHER quilt I have planned so it is also going into my stash count.
I used 8+ yds of fabric for a quilt I am making so I am counting that now. My goal is to use 150 yds this year.

Fabric Added This Week - 3.5 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 3.5 yards
Fabric Used This Week - 8 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 8 yards

Yds left to bust-145.5 Goal is 150 yards

Not bad for my first stash busting blog!

8 PM Check in from quiltathon

Well all blocks are sewn together but still need to be final pressed and trimmed. I will lay it out on my design wall most likely Sunday evening or Mon morn.....WHY? Because I have decided to go on an impromptu trip to Oscoda MI. We call it "Up North" for short. (a little Michigan joke there). I will leave tomorrow morning after I get home from babysitting. I will come home on Sunday.
I think this quilt is going to be really pretty. I am making another one in a different color way for myself : Orange/red and the same yellows. Here is a picture of the fabrics I picked out for mine:
I have made this same quilt once before as a graduation gift. It was the second quilt I did on my longarm. I loved this quilt and wanted to keep it but that just wouldn't be "right" so I told myself I would make another one for myself. Here is the one I made as a gift. These are our high school colors also. But I love the red, black and white combo.
See you Monday. Have a great weekend!

Quiltathon sewing day

I got some good advice from my quilting friends to take more time for myself and not feel guilty about it...I've decided to take their advice. So I pulled out this quilt I started on New Year's Day along with another I cut out for myself in the same pattern but different colors. This one is for my friend. I plan to call it "A Tisket a Tasket" First time I've ever named a quilt but this one sprung to my mind. I finished a few blocks to see what it would look like layed out and here it is.




So I got a little bit of a late start but I am all set up and made a fresh pot of coffee. Wish I could hijack one of my friends to come sew with me today. Anyway, I will report back with my progress later.

Every day is the same...

....well, when you are laid off it is! It really sucks being laid off. I should have lot's of free time and I should have lots of time to work on my own quilts and projects but I subject myself to mountains of work to do around the house. Maybe it is guilt. The feeling that if I am not working then I can at least keep the house spotless, clean out all the closets, plan meals and cook every day, etc. etc. I also have a customer quilt here that I SHOULD finish first before anything else. I don't know what is wrong with me. I need to get my crap together and make better use of my time....and do something other than housework and laundry! SHEESH!
We had a funeral this week. My neighbor and good friend Larry lost his brother on Sat. Only 36 yrs old and gone. What a shame. This same neighbor is raising his two young daughters by himself after his wife passed away two years ago from Leukemia. I have been babysitting for him in the mornings before his MIL comes over for the day. He leaves for work at 5:30am and it is pretty easy for me to tumble out of bed and go across the street. it also forces me to get out of bed early each day instead of sleeping until 10.
On the quilting note. I finally finished Brian's quilt and am half done with the customer quilt. I should finish today and be able to call her this evening...that is my goal anyway.
The picture is Brian's quilt