I've been away for awhile

I believe February was the last post from me. No good reason for my absence just not much to say. I am feeling like blogging again. I don't like to post without pictures though and my camera isn't working so that is a problem.
Lots going on here. Since last I wrote I got a great job only to get laid off again in July. I was very surprised and saddened by the lay off. I wasn't expecting it. So now I am unemployed again. SIGH....

My daughter moved out into her own place with another girl on the 1st of August. She seems to like it and it was time for her to go out and be an adult.

Mark put in a bigger garden this year and we are now getting lots of zucchini, cucumbers, green beans and hot peppers. Waiting on the tomatoes. There will some canning of salsa, pepper jelly and tomato sauce very soon. He put the garden in a little late so the tomatoes are late.

I have a few quilts here in house I need to finish then I am going to work on some UFO's of my own.

I plan to do some piecing tomorrow. Let's see what I can come up with.

Stash report Feb.12, 2012 and a new quilt started!

Hey Ya'll! It's time for a new quilt.......finally!
This one will be a graduation gift for my nephew. His favorite color is yellow. He thinks he is getting black and yellow (cause that is what he mentioned to Jess)
A couple months ago at guild I found this book on the "free to take" table and I grabbed it up fast and then noticed there was a woman about to reach for it to look at it and I sheepishly said, "oh, did you want this?" Luckily (for her) she replied, "No, I would never make that, you go ahead".
I smiled and said "thank you" all the while thinking this could have gotten ugly....just kidding (no, I'm not!) This book has been on my "want list" for a couple years now and with me on a spending freeze due to being unemployed, well.....
this was the find of the year!


ANYWHOO....

So I started with the book and chose a pattern.....

I am making one of these in the yellow to orange red family.


Then I went shopping IN MY STASH for all the fabrics. I love having a big stash.

After HOURS of cutting 3 pieces about 9" wide off of each fabric, I pressed and starched each piece and folded them for cutting. Don't they look pretty?
Then today, I got out my trusty GO Cutter and 2 1/2" Die and got to work.

Pretty soon I had this big pile of strips all ready to be sewn into fabric panels. That will commence tomorrow I believe.
As you know, there is a some waste with using a GO cutter but with a bit of planning and stealthy cutting, these will not be wasted. I will cut a snippet off of each to create my fabric legend.
Then they will go in a bag and be used as garden ties for our tomatoes, peppers, etc. We used to use zip ties but those seem to cut into the plants a bit. We will have the most colorful garden in town! Waste not, want not!

Now for the stash report:
Fabric IN this week: 0 yards

Fabric used this week: 15 yards

Total IN this year: 0 yards

Total out this year: 15 yards

Total Busted 15 yards

UFO projects for 2012

My UFO projects for the year may seem familiar. I didn't complete EVEN ONE from last year! SHAMEFUL I tell you.
Since I didn't complete even one project in my UFO piles last year, I have decided to add them all back in the lineup for this year. so for piecing projects please refer to this post.
For quilting UFO's please refer to this list, with the exception of the #10 BQ quilt. I finished that for my BIL for Christmas. He loved it! I will come up with another project when #10 comes up to play.
I'm sorry I am having you click to old posts but I am just too lazy to rewrite the whole thing. I am determined to get a lot more accomplished this year.

My latest project

I put one of my own quilts on today. This is a gift for my brother in law. We draw names at Christmas and this is my gift to him this year.

A closer look. YES, he's a huge Seahawks fan! My sister found this fabric at Walmart (I think) and brought it to me to make a quilt for him. I provided all the other materials and made it for him. It was decided I can gift it to him this year. I am using lime green thread too!

I love my new BUMP FREE clamps!

My new "bump-free" clamps! I love them. I got them from Nichole Webb. If you would like some too, just go to her website and click on "Yes you can quilt" and then on the shopping tab. I know they look simple and they really are, but they work great and it doesn't bother me in the least that you have to pin them on, it takes mere seconds. It is especially nice when you are a bit short on fabric on the side like the picture on the left. I normally would have had to stop and make sure the clamps were lifted up so I didn't bump into them, that ALWAYS messes up my quilting and you know what that means...frogging!
NUFF SAID!

Do yourself a favor and get these clamps.

My daughter

My only daughter Jessica is a grown woman now. 23 yrs old and just started a new job last week that she is very excited about. She was going to her first week long work seminar this morning when they got into an auto accident on the freeway. Her and one other girl in the car. Jess was front seat passenger. The driver lost control of the car (unsure of the reason) and they flipped landing on the roof of the car. They both had their seat-belts on and were suspended by the belts. Jess released herself and then calmed the other girl who was screaming and bloody. By the time she released her belt and was assisting the other girl out of the car others had stopped to help them. The paramedic answered Jess' cell when I called and they were on their way to the hospital in Lansing. I heard her holler out in the background, "I'm OK momma" so I knew she was at least conscious. I've since talked to her and she has a broken clavicle or collarbone. She is in pain and her boss is going to pick both of the girls up. I am going to get her and her car from her place of business in Troy. I am relieved she survived a roll over accident on the freeway and I am thanking God he was protecting my girl.

Near the end!

Well, I had planned to be finished with the quilting by now but I ran out of steam. This is what it looks like this morning. Two rows to go. I did put the binding on as I'm going and it is going so smooth. I think I am going to do this more often on my own projects. (the binding on the long arm)

I talked to my Aunt Madge yesterday and I found out that while on vacation next week the young girl who is to be the recipient of the second quilt will be there...................
It still needs the white background spacers and a pieced border. So, now I am on a tear to finish that one up to the hand work part so I can sew down the binding while on the way there and give it to her in person. I mean, that IS the pleasure of giving someone a quilt...the being able to see their reaction. Right?