This pattern is New York Beauty and this is the center panel; perfect for this week’s prompt.

"Points" (prompt from 9.4.09)

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;o)

Another week at “Fun at Camp” has come and gone.  This year was a little different because Greg, Vanessa and Ella came and spent the entire week.  That meant a whole week enjoying my granddaughter.  She is getting so big and is walking, although tentatively.  She gets around so much faster crawling that I think she prefers speed over technique.

Bill, Wendy and I arrived late Friday afternoon about 30 minutes before a horrendous thunderstorm struck the area.  It was very scary.  Lightening was striking everywhere around us.  Wendy was a little panicky because we didn’t have cell service and she was afraid something would happen and we would have no way of telling anyone we needed help.  Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.  Neither of us liked it very much but Bill didn’t seem too shaken by the whole thing.

For the most part, the weather was good all week.  We were able to spend some time on the beach every day, even though it clouded up in the afternoon early in the week.  We took advantage of a cloudy day on Sunday and went to play miniature golf.  Well, it was cloudy when we left but was pouring by the time we called it quits somewhere around the 8th hole.  Everyone was drenched but that didn’t stop us from getting ice cream on the way home.

We spent time doing what we always do at camp…reading, floating, eating, relaxing, listening to the Red Sox (that can be a real downer sometimes, though).

Speaking of mosquitoes.  We were warned that they were very numerous this summer.  That was a understatement!  They were awful.  Usually, when we sit around the campfire at night, there are a few mosquitoes.  However, this year they were swarming all day.  Even though it didn’t rain every afternoon when it got cloudy, we couldn’t go outside and just sit because we would be eaten alive.  The little kids are very tasty to the darn things…they were full of little red bites.  Ella got most of them on her face and Trevor got them around his ankles.  Even though we slathered them with all kinds of kid safe bug killer, they still got lots of bites.  Finally, by the end of the week and cooler temperatures, they subsided, which allowed us to sit by the lake and read.  The only good thing about them was the fact that they were small and slow.  If you spotted them landing on you they were easy to smack.

It was an entire week without internet, which felt a little strange.  Funny how quickly the computer, e-mail, Facebook, Google etc. have become a staple of our existence.

Needless to say, I haven’t gotten any sewing done lately.  After completing the hanging sleeve for the “Oriental Flower” I actually got a few inches sewn down.  I planned to work on it a little last night but by the time we spent about 10 hours, packing, cleaning, unpacking and putting away, I couldn’t keep my eyes open much past 9.  I had to return to work today so going to bed early was not a problem.

Bill and I traveled to North Conway one afternoon to pick up some staples at the grocery store.  We stopped at a great little quilt shop there.  Of course, we couldn’t leave without buying something.  Bill purchased a charm pack of Halloween fabrics so that I can make something to decorate Wendy’s apartment.

I found some butterfly fabric which I have started to collect for a quilt for Vanessa.  It was on sale for $3.99/yd so I bought the end of the bolt, 2 3/4 yards, which I can use for the backing.  I also bought some bee fabric on sale to use for the backing of Wendy’s bee quilt, which I haven’t started but have all the fabric I need.

Now to make a decision on the pattern.  I want to make a scalloped edge which I have never done before and am thinking about some applique but that may mean that I don’t finish it for another several years.  That’s just too long.

I have 9 more shifts and 16 more days to work before retirement.  I’m getting excited.  I have an interview with Loews on Monday for a part-time position.  They are opening a new store in town so it would be perfect.  I’m crossing my fingers!

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;o)

Greg’s funky monkey quilt is done, completely done.  I finished the label tonight and got it sewed onto the back.  I don’t know exactly how long this has taken but it seems like…forever.  Seriously, why can’t I complete a quilty project faster?  Answer…I don’t sew often enough.

The quilt has been called Greg’s Funkey Monkey quilt but I changed it on the label.  It is now (drum roll, please) “For The Love of Monkeys”.  TaDa  It is kind of a play on “for the love of money” and I thought it sounded cute.  After all, it is his love of sock monkeys that created a need for this quilt.

"For The Love of Monkeys"

pieced back

Hanging from the line

Hopefully, we will travel down the beginning of next week and present it to him.  I’m giving Vanessa the “tote bag from hell” which she commented she really liked the last time they were here.  On top of that, I have several outfits for Ella that I want her to have before she outgrows them.

Only 3 weeks until we all go to camp.   That will prove to be interesting; hope it all goes well.

Only 43 days till retirement; that will prove to be interesting as well.

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;o)

Ella Bella's Funky Monkeys

Just in the nick of time.  I completed Ella’s quilt around 1:00 in this afternoon.  Her birthday party is tomorrow so I was cutting it pretty close.  I have mentioned previously in this blog that her quilt was actually a companion quilt to the one I’m making for her dad.  He loves sock monkeys, which I just recently discovered, so I made him a quilt using sock monkey fabrics.  Her quilt was made using one of each of the monkey fabrics in her dad’s quilt, along with some black and whites that I had.  Unfortunately, her dad’s quilt is still at the LA quilters but since it was her birthday, I gave her the one made for her so I guess that will make her dad’s the companion quilt.  He doesn’t know that he is getting one so I couldn’t even till him the story.

The back of Ella's quilt

Ella Bella's Funky Monkey label

quilting patterns completed on DSM

I’m especially proud of this quilt as it was completely my design, inspired by Project Improv.  I traced the patterns onto some iron-on paper and did all of the quilting on my DSM.  The biggest problem is pulling out all of the paper once the quilting is completed; very time consuming! One of these days I will attempt the quilting completed freehand.  I just have to work up my courage and not worry about ruining anything.

This is the first quilt that has been my own creation but I made a small wallhanging years ago that was also my own design, made from some leftovers from one of my first wallhangings.

Leftovers Again

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A few posts ago I showed the tote bag pattern I had purchased at a little quilt shop in NH.  My idea was to whip up a few of these and put them in my Etsy store, which it still empty.

You may not be able to tell from the photo but it clearly states that the pattern is designed for the advanced beginner.  Well, I consider myself that and maybe a little more.  I think I could be considered an intermediate but this little tote is kicking my butt.  I decided to make one for myself as a prototype and to familiarize myself with the pattern and the way it goes together.  HA.  First of all, there are dozens of pieces to be cut which took me at least a couple of hours.  There is the pattern to be fused to the front; I added some decorative stitching.  There is the lining to make.  All that went together fairly easily but certainly wasn’t “whipped up” like I had in mind.

Then came the bottom of the bag.  The front and back were cut at 10 1/2″ and the side pockets were cut at 4 1/2″.  No problem.  However, the bottom was cut at 10 1/2″ x 3″.  It seems to me that I’m about 1″ short on each side considering that they are finished at 4″ after they are pieced to the front and back.  I even tried easing in the side to fit the bottom but with the interfacing the sides were too full and the whole thing looked like, well let’s just say, not very good.  I ripped the whole bottom off last night and have decided to cut another bottom and make it bigger.  That is the only solution I can come up with at this point.  There is no way I will be making a number of these to sell; way too much work unless I find a way to streamline the project.

Tote bag fabrics

Tote bag and lining with pockets, unfinished

I will admit that I’m happy with the way it is turning out but it won’t hold very much if I don’t get a bottom on it.

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Karen Griska at Selvage Blog has asked us to post photos of our selvage stashes.  Mine is very small compared to some of those that have been posted.  I think I have a long way to go before I have enough selvages to make something.  Someday…

selvage stash

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I am behind on my Doodle Day and Today’s Title is… posts.  The most recent subject of Today’s Title is…Soft Comfort and here is my post.

Two super soft scarves

These two scarves provide me warmth and comfort when the weather is less than perfect.  The darker one was given to me as a gift a few years ago; the lighter one was knitted by yours truly.  It is the only one I have ever done although I enjoyed it and keep threatening to do another one.

The Doodle Day subject is…Dragons.  I have managed to get a tail on paper but haven’t gotten more than that.  I haven’t given up, just having trouble conjuring my pen to draw something that would be recognized as a dragon.

Ella's finished top, unquilted

I have finished the top of Ella’s quilt and now need to get it together and get it quilted before the end of May, actually the 24th of May, her first birthday.  This is where I get stumped.  I let a finished top sit around and languish as I try desperately to decide the best way to quilt it. I think I’m going to do CC in the small squares of monkey fabric, SID around the black/white squares and the larger orange squares.  Other than that, I have no idea.  If you are reading this and have suggestions, please leave a comment.  I need all the help I can get.

Bill and I spent a couple of days putting in a raised garden at his place.  It measures 5×10 which we may decide is too small but we can always add another one if necessary.  We haven’t planted the seeds yet but that is on the agenda for tomorrow.  We (actually, Bill did most of the manual labor while I raked the yard) cut off the sod (will be used elsewhere in the yard), tilled the dirt, added 8 bags of manure and potting soil with peat (bought 10, can always use it elsewhere).  Together we got the boards around the tilled area.  Bill added more bags of topsoil and got it all raked, ready to be planted.  We have been working steadily on the perennial gardens and it will be fun to grow some vegetables although neither of us really know what we are doing.

New raised garden, sod partially removed

Pile of sod removed from new vegetable garden

Borrowed rototiller

Bags of manure and potting soil

Bags tilled into garden area

Box in place around garden area

On a final note, Iam lucky enough to live only an hour or so from Keepsake Quilting.  What a wonderful store, with thousands of bolts of fabric.

Deb and I drove over Thursday afternoon, did some shopping, ate lunch in Meredith, NH and returned home by early evening.  It was a beautiful day to be along Lake Winnipesaukee.  I only spent a few dollars because I still have a freeze on discretionary spending.  I got two pieces of oriental fabric on sale for only $3.99, a piece of bee fabric and some Misty Fuse which I have been wanting to try.

I should post more often, maybe I wouldn’t be sooooo long winded.  Have a great day.

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Since my condo has been on the market since October and I recently lowered the asking price, I know that sooner or later it will be sold and I will make the move to Bill’s house.  Considering that I have had several months to clean out things, I haven’t moved very quickly.  I did clean out a couple of closets but that was it until today.  Bill unexpectedly worked overtime which meant I had another “free” day at home.  Yeah!  I decided to tackle the mess under the sewing table.  For the most part, I knew what was there; no surprises.  However, what to do with it all.  I didn’t take any “before” photos but I did take one once I moved everything out from under the table…

What a mess.  There were several kits and collections of fabric…Lonni Rossi, brights, orientals and so on and so on.  There were assorted framed pictures that I move around the house during the year depending on the season.  Not to mention the cross stitch supplies.

I sorted out the spring/summer pictures and will take the others to Bill’s.  For the most part, the kits and collections can go to Bill’s since I’m working on the funky monkey quilt and binding the oriental flower.  I also plan to make a coordinating FM quilt for Ella (small,  so she can drag it around).  I managed to fill up one trash bag with stuff that I don’t want, don’t need.  The big problem is what to do with the larger pieces of fabric, one or two yards, that don’t fit anywhere.  Of course, they will find a new home at Bill’s.  I did text him to see if it was too late to put on an addition.  He laughed.

the pile for Bill's house

There were a few things that went back under the table, mostly thread and bags with scraps cut into strips.  I also cleaned off the top of the table, which was just as bad as underneath.  Why can’t it stay clean?

neat and clean

I did come across the comforter that Su made for Greg when he graduated.  He gave it to me years ago to repair because the border was fraying.  I put it out of mind because I’m not sure how to go about fixing it.  Guess it’s time I figured it out.

Lastly, I spent yesterday sewing…all day.  I got the small FM blocks assembled and three of the larger blocks put together.  I also decided to bind the oriental flower in a red fabric that I came across.

Two productive days; back to work tomorrow.  boo hoo

When Bill and I went to Keepsake Quilting the other day, we picked up a couple of gifts and he found more oriental fabrics.

Wendy’s middle name is Bee and Bill found a cute bee plate.  “Grasshopper” is the nickname Bill gave me when we first met and he is always looking for them but they are hard to find.  He found a bowl as well as fabric.

It was a good shopping day!

I got two delightful gifts from my Secret Sister on MQResource.  There are many quilting sites and forums online but this is the only one I’m really involved with.  I found this site from the blog of Patsy Thompson and I came across her site in a quilting magazine.

Anyway, first of all there was a package from Keepsake Quilting.  It was a beautiful set of 10″ batik squares along with a pattern called Jungle Fever. It’s awesome and something I will enjoy making and will no doubt keep it all for myself.

Next was an awesome purple box with a little fairy on it.  I had absolutely no idea what it might contain.  Wow, it had a dozen of the most decadent brownies I have ever tasted!  Of course, I had to try one right away so don’t bother counting the ones in the picture, there are only 11.  Actually, I only ate 1/2 because after I checked out the nutrition stats I could not bring myself to eat the entire thing.  After all, I planned on starting to eat healthier once all the candy was gone.  Well, I will just have to pace myself and only eat little bites when I need a chocolate fix.  It does say that they will keep up to 6 months in the freezer or 1 month in the fridge.

Today I made two microwaveable heat wraps for my SS, one for her and one for her mother living with her.  I got the rest of my gifts for her boxed up and will get them in the mail early next week.

I got another square sewn on the blooming 9-patch strips and did some sewing on the funky monkey pieces.  Tonight I’m going to work on the oriental flower border.

It was above freezing today but I never stuck my nose out the door.  It was a productive day and I feel good, I’ll grab the mail tomorrow when Bill and I travel to Rhode Island to visit his sister for the day.

Last week I wrote a post about the subzero temperature we had and the fact that my car wouldn’t start.  When I was outside attempting to get it going I noticed that the exhaust for my monitor heater was blowing onto the side of the shed and had coated the combination lock with frost.  It was one of the better things that came my way that day.