Need Advice - Quick!

I am trying to get this quilt done for a bridal shower tomorrow - I know, I know, but this time its not my fault - the shower was planned on very short notice! Anyway, I have the blocks just about done but I am undecided on how to quilt the borders with the black background. At first I was thinking a floral & leaf vine but after stippling in the blocks I'm wondering if cross-hatching might look better. Only problem with cross hatching is it will be very time consuming and I don't have enough time as it it! Here is a close up:

I plan to finish it after work so any suggestions left in comments today would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!!!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Is it Monday already?

Why is it that the weekends go so fast and the workdays don't? It's been kind of crazy busy around here lately - more so than usual - more chaos than pieceful! Work has been consuming much more time than usual, including a 12 hour day last Sunday which also happened to be my wedding anniversary! Even family commitments seem to be ramped up lately - many weddings, showers, funerals, etc. in the past few months and more (weddings and showers - hopefully not funerals) coming up in the next few months. All this means very little quilting time lately and not much hope for a lot in the weeks to come :(

Mary and I did go on our own mini shop hop yesterday and then to dinner with the DHs. I picked up a few patterns and fat quarters.
I also did manage last week to sneak in some work on a small simple baby quilt for someone at work - it just needs borders and quilting so I'll wait till its done to show it here.

Have a Pieceful Day!

Unexpected Bargains!

The other day on the way home from work DH and I stopped at Borders for a frozen coffee drink thingy. On the way out I noticed a quilting book on the sale shelves right by the door. I went back in and checked out all the sale racks and eventually walked out with 3 new quilting books for my library.

The one in the middle is the one I am most excited about - it has pictures and write-ups of both antique and contemporary quilts - the Salina Rupp quilt is in there as is one by Jinny Beyer. I also ordered a purse book from Amazon that a friend had last week at the firehouse.



I was a little disappointed when I received this - I hadn't noticed when looking at my friend's book that the patterns all have to be enlarged 200% - I hate that but too late now.

Not much other quilty stuff going on here lately - work has been demanding this week - as a matter of fact I am spending most of the weekend on work stuff. This all means I am falling behind on Civil War Diary and Dear Jane blocks but I am confident I can catch up next week and/or the week after. I really am loving those blocks!

Have a pieceful day!

Oldest UFO

I don't recall who started it but I've seen a few bloggers posting their oldest UFO's. I'm ashamed to admit it but my oldest UFO is from 1990! That's the year my youngest daughter was born - and since she was born in December we can assume this UFO is older than she is!



These blocks were from a block party at the guild I belonged to years ago. Some are hand pieced and some are machine pieced. I don't know why I didn't put them together at the time (maybe having a new baby and 2 other children under 5 had something to do with it???) My goal is to put them together this year and send the top out to be quilted. Then again, if I wait another year and 9 months I could make it an even 20 years!

I've Got Mail!

When I was a kid I just loved getting mail - of course what's not to love when the only mail you get are birthday cards and other types of cards? Maybe some magazines. A letter from a pen pal. Then I got older and the bills outnumbered the fun mail. The daily trip to the mailbox just lost its excitement. But.... every now and then... there is a surprise waiting - like yesterday... when there was an envelope from Joan with over 20 fabrics for the I Spy quilt I am working on.

It was just such a nice surprise after a long day. Of course when we walked into the house we had another surprise waiting for us - our dog Max apparently had some, shall we say, stomach issues, during the day - several times. So DH and I spent an hour cleaning up before I even got a chance to look through the fabrics Joan sent - but when I was finally able to sit down and do so - it put the pleasure back into my evening! Thanks Joan!

Feeling Overwhelmed

Not much quilty stuff to show from this week. Earlier in the week I got some Civil War Diary blocks done - I have 30 done now, which is pretty consistent with my original goal of 3-4 per week.

Yesterday was our "quilting day at the firehouse" - when our LQS closed, we needed a place to get together and socialize since we wouldn't be seeing each other at classes, etc. so a few of us on the Ladies Auxiliary of the fire dept. arranged to begin a fund raiser - every month or so we get together, everyone brings a food goodie of some sort, their machine and something to work on. We charge a nominal fee and so far every month a good time is had by all. I worked on what I thought was going to be a quilt for a baby shower for a friend from work - but once I got the blocks together (sorry, no pictures yet) I realized it looked to boy-ish, and she does not know what she is having so I wanted something more neutral. I have a few other quilts I could make for her and add this to the UFO pile save this one for someone else. Last night some of the posse and our DHs went to dinner together - a good time was had by all there too (and more than a few bottles of wine!)

Today I had to prepare for a trial tomorrow so while I read my evidence packet I sat in front of the embroidery machine and changed threads every few minutes. I got 4 more leaf blocks done for the rag quilt, something for the guild and a secret goodie for Ardis to go in the package with her Abe head (I had a delay getting her address and then a crazy week last week so the package is going out tomorrow!).

Which brings me to my state of mind today - I'm in one of those moods when I feel like I have way too many projects started and don't have the time to get a substantial amount done on any of them. I have at least 3 tops that just need the blocks put together and they can go to the longarmer (or get added to the 7 tops I have ready to quilt myself). I have several handwork projects going, another few quilts started that I am still working on the blocks, including the Civil War and Dear Jane, the rag quilt, an I Spy, a baby quilt, graduation quilt and tote bag gift that I have yet to start, not to mention a bunch of other projects I have ready to go that I haven't started yet. I really should just pick one project, work on that till its done, move on to another and do the same, etc. etc. until I am through the list. But I never seem to be able to do that!

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. I know I am not the only one that feels this way sometimes because I've read similar laments on other blogs! I am going to try really hard not to start anymore new projects (other than the already planned gifts) until I get a better handle on this stuff. Does anyone have any tips or advice for how to get caught up? Has anyone ever gotten caught up?

I guess I should get off the computer and go work on one of my handwork projects tonight.

Have a Pieceful Day!

First Sign of Spring....

We had our first real sign of Spring this morning....

No, not this....

this...


I was half asleep and I guess it shows I am still a new blogger because I forgot to take a picture of the actual bear in my actual driveway - but you get the idea. Plus I was too busy figuring out how to get DD out to her car so she wouldn't be late for school. We set off the car alarm with the remote, but that only made him come up the stairs and into the backyard... where I guess he hopped the fence and went on his way. Yes, that is life in the (quasi) country - when you hear someone's car alarm, an air horn or all the neighborhood dogs barking, its a sure sign a bear is visiting the neighborhood.

Have a Pieceful Day!

My First Package from Blogland

What a weekend! I worked late Friday night only to come home to the news that my Aunt/Godmother had passed away that morning. Saturday my best friend's son got married, Sunday was the wake and yesterday the funeral. This is the first time I've had the opportunity/motivation to get on the computer much.

But when I got home from the funeral yesterday, feeling very down - not to mention the gray, rainy, cold depressing weather we were having yesterday - what did I find in my mailbox? My first package from blogland. A package from Takako from a drawing I won on her blog!
I just L-O-V-E this little bag (and the other goodies too!). I definitely have to take a stab at doing zippers. This was the perfect pick me up yesterday - thanks so much Takako!

***I haven't gotten any takers on my Pay it Forward (posted below) - won't someone come play? You have a YEAR to get your goodies mailed out.