Where does the time go?

I think I found a new favorite gift for bridal showers! This was quick, easy and inexpensive. It wasn't really a gift on its own - it was an extra with the real gift. I got the idea from a magazine or book when browsing at the craft store the other day.

It is a Wedding Day Emergency Kit for the Bride - I decorated a metal tin in the bride's colors and put a variety of items inside that she might have a need for on the wedding day - tissues, mints, sewing kit, nail files, safety pins, bobby pins, etc. The shower was today and the bride seemed to like it.

Things have been crazy around here lately - I don't know why but I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day. My oldest daughter graduated from college last weekend and the very next day left to spend the summer with her friend in South Carolina. Here is a pic of her and her roommates:

Yesterday we went to a Wine Festival with Mary and her husband and another couple we are friends with. Then we went back to Mary's house for BBQ. We had a really great day. Today was the bridal shower and tomorrow we have a picnic too. All fun things but I would really love one day just to stay and home and get some stuff done (including some quilting stuff). Hopefully I can squeeze something in before and after the party tomorrow.

Have a Pieceful weekend!

Orphan Train book

I finally finished the book They Named Me Marjorie that Kim sent me. (used your picture Kim, hope you don't mind!) I will now pass it on to Nancy. What a book! If you are not familiar with it it is written by the granddaughter (a quilter) of a woman who rode and was adopted from one of the Orphan Trains. The book was inspired/based on the autobiography written by the grandmother and found after her death.


To read about the orphan trains read the post here. I had seen Finn's blog Riding the Orphan Train but hadn't read far enough back to see this post and realize it was more than an expression. When I saw Kim's post about the book I read the blog post and asked to be put on the list for the book. This book was especially interesting to me because I work with foster children. As many flaws as there are in today's system, it sure beats the way children were treated 100 years ago!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

DD had her junior prom last night - here is a picture of her and her boyfriend -




I was lucky enough to get a lot of quilting time in this weekend - probably the last for awhile as we have a lot going on during the weekends through the end of June - graduations, showers, weddings - the usual fare for this time of year. But this weekend I finished two totebags - a Charm Party tote for a friend that I didn't take a picture of and a Miranda bag for myself that I just love!

This is my first Lazy Girl pattern and I have to say I am very impressed! The pattern was clear, well organized, well illustrated - overall well worth the money - something I can't always say about patterns.

DH and DS (who came over from college for the summer on Friday) got some outdoor chores done and DS and I got the storage unit organized so we can fit in all the stuff coming home from college with him and my older DD when she graduates next weekend. All in all a productive weekend but it was still too short!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Thanks & Mystery Solved!

Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm sorry for the delay in my thanks - I can't believe over a week has gone by. My life got kind of crazy there for a week or so. Why does it always seem to get busy at home at the same time it gets busy at work? Anyway, the quilt is done and gifted already. The shower was the weekend before last and the wedding was this past weekend. I wound up just doing a meander in the border! But I do appreciate everyone's advice suggesting the leaf and vine. I started to do the leaf and vine and since I hadn't done one in awhile it was not coming out the way I would have liked. I was also so short on time that I switched to the meander. It looks fine and the only one that feels it could look better is me. Better finished than perfect, right? Here is a picture from the shower.

And here is a picture of the whole quilt:

Now onto the mystery solved part of the title for this post. While I was machine quilting this quilt, guess what started to happen? My hand started hurting - not the hand that bothered me a couple of months ago - the other hand! But in the same place. Then I remembered that last time it began right after I had quilted four quilts when DH was away and I had my little marathon. I think when I position my hands to move the quilt around under the needle, I must hyper-extend my thumbs or something. So now I am laying off handwork for awhile (although now it is harder to baby my hand as it is my right hand) and I am going to be very choosey in what I machine quilt myself and will send more out to a longarmer.

I have lots more to post about the wedding, etc. from the last week but I don't want to make this a book so I'll wait and spread it out!

Have a pieceful day!