Sew Day - May

Well, it's been a while, but I'm finally sharing the photos from our May Sew Day...

Sew Day - May

Center:  Kayla contemplating her "Farm & Home" quilt.
Top Left (then clockwise):  Dazzling Scraps, Kim, sail boat quilt, Debbie working on her "Christmas Lights,"Debbie's "Christmas Lights" blocks, Viola always smiles for the camera...love that!, Ina's baby quilt?, Viola Cheryl & Ina stitching away, Ina's? baby quilt, Kathi making a fuss, another of Ina's? baby quilts, & Susan making another little twister quilt.

XOXO

Now that I'm back and blogging again, I guess I've got to catch you up on all of my wonderful summer projects!

Last fall, I posted a bit about the "XOXO" quilt I was making for my friend's daughter who got married last September.  Well, it just happened to be the first quilt loaded onto the new longarm (just after a really long practice panel)!

"XOXO"

Left to Right:  top, label, back

This was a nice and easy quilt to put together!  The 9-patches are meant to be the "X"s and the square-in-the-squares are the "O"s.  In the backing are lots of signature blocks and well wishes collected by the bride's mother at the wedding ceremony.  It all came together with an all over meander and I'm so glad to have finally been able to gift it to the newly weds (just before their first anniversary)!

Gone To Pieces Quilt Guild

Have I ever told you that I write the blog for our local quilt guild?  It's a really simple blog that is as photo heavy as possible for 3 very important reasons:
1.  To share the photos with the guild members - they usually want to remember a design or pattern
2.  To promote the quilt guild and quilting to our community
3.  Wordiness gets boring...bring on the pictures!

Wanna see what our small group (just shy of 60 members) has been up to?  Check out the Gone To Pieces Quilt Guild blog here!

On A Roll...Baby Quilts!

Lately, I've been loving the modern look of big block quilts.  I got on a roll this week and whipped out a few to donate to the local hospital!

Big Block Baby Quilts

Ya really gotta love these!  Big block baby quilts are soooo easy to put together and super quick to quilt!  I even took advantage of a bunch of polka-dotted fabric that was donated to the guild a while ago and really used a bunch of it up in these.  Just about everyone else who has access to these FQs are sick of using the "ugly polka dots," but I thought they worked up really well in these cuties!

The first quilt in the second row was pieced by my daughter a few years ago and it's been sitting around waiting to be quilted, so that was the first to get done and donated.  The others will be donated next month.  Oh, and I just found a picture of this adorable panel quilt that I donated a few months ago as well.  Gotta love a polka dot binding...

"A Star Is Born"

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....

...'cuz I've been working on several Christmasy projects this summer!  Of course, this year's guild mystery was Bonnie Hunter's Christmas Lights (more on that soon).  And...our quilt guild is making a Christmas quilt to raffle off as a fund raiser later this year.

And, so, I had to make a really Christmasy scrappy "Wild Child" block (based on Bonnie Hunter's pattern in her book, "String Fling") to contribute!  I just LOVE this block and can't wait to see it fit in together with some of the other more controlled and traditional blocks of the the guild ladies.

I'm slowly, but surely trying to draw some of the ladies out of their "matchy-matchy" shells to play with scrappy patterns.  It's always so fun to see these group projects come together!

I'm back...and I've got a new friend!

(Caution:  This post may be a little lengthy!)

Yes, it's been a long while since I last posted!  My friend, Debbie, likes to remind me that my blog has not been updated since 2 June!  I'm so sorry...

Things have been quite busy here.  My husband officially retired from the Army after 20 years of service, he's taken a new job, we're selling our home here in Missouri, and...we're moving to Illinois!

It's been great having hubby home for the last several months.  Army life doesn't always allow families to be together.  We've been living in different countries and states over the past 18 months.  It's been tough, but typical of much of his career what with deployments, career schools, and the good of the family.  It was really nice that hubby had the foresight to plan for as much terminal leave (paid vacation just before retirement) as possible.  We've had almost 4 full months of just relaxing (and working to get the house presentable to go on the market) together at home.

Another major change around here is that both girls are off to college!  Does that officially make us empty nesters if they still come home for breaks, holidays, and summer vacation?

Oh, and I've got a new friend...my husband actually brought her home...her name is Millie...

"Millie"

My husband is the best husband in the world!  Right?  Ok, as you can imagine, there is a backstory...long story short...actually, this may be a little wordy...

So, we're at the gym and DH (Dear Husband) says: "What do you think about Puerto Rico?"
Me:  Puerto Rico's nice.
DH:  What do you think about going to Puerto Rico?
Me:  I'd like to go one day.
DH:  What do you think about going to Puerto Rico tomorrow?
Me: Huh?  Really?

So, we go to Puerto Rico (the next day) for a week to celebrate our 20 wedding anniversary (this is back in June).  After we get back...I needed to go somewhere (I forget where, now), but DH says I have a phone interview at 3pm, so we'll go after that.  Ok, well, I get started on sewing something on the machine and kill some time.  Next thing I know, DH comes upstairs and takes my hand and says come here.  I have something to show you...(see above photos).  I didn't even hear the truck or anyone unloading all of these boxes into the house!

Yep, a brand spanky new APQS Millenium longarm, total surprise!  I have THE BEST DH in the world!  And, a great new friend!