old block revisited . . .

Waaaay back when, I got a wild hair and for about three weeks, played around with Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler quilt blocks, as they were posted on her blog.  I happened to catch weeks #33, #35, and #36 .... and then I forget what happened--maybe a foot surgery?--and that was it for me on the Civil War blocks.  But I'd faithfully uploaded the three I'd done to the Flickr photo stream for the group, and lo and behold, several months later, I had an e-mail from Ms. Brackman herself, asking if she could use the photo of one of my blocks in her book, Civil War Sampler.  Uh, yes!  That was a no-brainer for me! (I blogged about it here and here.)

So, back to the present, I stumbled across that block (Block #36 - Kentucky Crossroads) in the transition from RV to Nook. It was kinda sad, just seeing it in a box of unfinished stuff.  It really bothered me.  So after some thought, I've decided I really need to do something with that published block! I'll never do the entire quilt (I'm just being honest), but that one block deserves preserving. I mean, it's sorta famous, right?? LOL!  So I thought I'd set it, do some really fancy, pretty quilting on it, notate it's page in the book (of course!) and make it a candidate for my mini quilt stand! Here are some setting ideas I've come up with so far . . .

So on point or straight?  

Use the original fabrics to set it, or use different solids to make the original block stand out?

This is just another example of how EQ is so cool!  I was able to take a photo of my block and break it up into 2" squares of each print . . . and import it into my fabric library. So the first image up there is an actual photo of my block.  The rest are EQ generated images.  Pretty nifty, eh?!?  

Anyway, that's the extent of my design wall this week.  What are *you* working on??  Linking up with Patchwork Times today!

:)

what to do . . .

For some reason, finishing off two big quilts (one of which was long overdue and a major challenge), left me a little at a loss.  And feeling devoid of motivation!  I have no idea what I want to do next.  I certainly have some UFOs I *could* work on . . . and there's always something new I could try, I guess . . . but I'm just not in the mood. *sigh* Can anyone relate?

All that being said, it should be no surprise that my stash report has moved not an inch:

Ah well. C'est la vie.

I did pick up some stitching that has been laying around for a while . . .

Mr. Owlie is needing some 'me time', so I put him in the hoop.

This will give me something to slowly stitch this afternoon, at least!

We had a wonderful snowfall last week . . . a record-setting 4th deepest in Huntsville's history (since records were kept) and the most snowfall in February ever. Todd and I got out and did all the cool snow things . . .

Snow Angels.

Snow Cream.

Snow Men (and bunnies and trolls). We even had a snowball fight -- but no pics of that, sorry!

The camp's a beautiful place, all decked in white:

Gorgeous, right? But today the high is supposed to be in the mid-50s, so we're back to green.  For now!

Linking up today to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts.  Make it a great Sunday!

:)

'nuff said . . .

As I so boldly stated:

The Pineapple Quilt is finished!

And the stash report reflects it!

Linking up to Patchwork Times . . . and heading home this afternoon!

:)

progress report . . .

:)

it's that time again . . .

Already sitting pretty at my favorite 'station'! The view is always phenomenal.

Pineapple Quilt or bust. See ya' on the flip side!!!

:)

i hate to . . .

Yeah.  Post and run . . .

Stash report unchanged for week three now. I have not done *anything* to the pineapple quilt, but hope is not lost for a February finish.  Wednesday is our kickoff day for Grand Oak Retreat!  I'm bringing some handwork, but the priority is the pineapple quilt and I'm not working on ANYthing else until it's finished! HA! Linking up to Patchwork Times!

Hope your Sunday has been blessing-filled . . . and the week ahead, too!

:)

busy, busy, busy . . .

Tsk, tsk . . . the working hours have changed again.  I'm working less hours, but over more days, and it's really thrown me for a loop! I see it in my ability to get in quilting time *and* to my ability to blog and read blogs.  I need to find a routine and get settled in . . . the first week was a doozy, filled with a lot of other activities, too!

The main one was preparing for our first Global Missions Conference, hosted by a local church!

We have just started the process (aka, we just got approval from our board and are now talking to the attorney) to change the name of our ministry from Restoring the Church Ministries to Church Strengthener, so we needed to get new business cards made and highlight a new ministry website. And, since this was our first conference to be a part of as a ministry, we weren't quite sure what to expect, but our display looked pretty good:

It was a terrific learning experience and we got some good exposure. We were a little late in getting into the game (so to speak), but we'll be ready in the fall, when another of our local churches holds a similar conference. One of the highlights of my evening there was being across the way from the Missions to Haiti table. He and his wife had served in Haiti for forty years . . . that is just so incredible and wonderful! He gifted us with some Haitian coffee and some Haitian vanilla!  Sweet!

Yesterday the weather was simply gorgeous - sunny and rather mild - and the Panter crew came up to soak in some sunshine and exhaust some energy!

Pawpaw is always a fun one to follow in follow-the-leader! Unless you've got rocks in your boots.  Olivia took it all in from her carrier. Mostly she just dozed . . . the warm sunshine was good for that, too!

My stash report remains unchanged from last week . . .

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  *sigh*  I'm still plugging away on the pineapple quilt.  I got all the handwork finished up on it, at least for the time being. I hope to get out into the Nook and assemble the borders (which involves piecing and quilting them) so I can attach the corner blocks to them and then attach the borders and hand stitch those seams down. Phew. Then all that will be left will be the binding! Whoohoo! Today, though, in my slow stitching time, I'll be working on a little mini weaving . . .

Isn't that cute?? It was originally a challenge from my StitchMAP group . . . I finished that one and am making several more -- they make great fobs!

Linking up today to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts. Y'all enjoy a happy Sunday!

:)

that tuesday . . .

I can hardly believe it's February already . . . and the first *Tuesday* in February to boot, which means it's Bibliophile Files day!! That means it's the day that I share with you what I've got on my bookshelf for the coming month, yay!

Along with the devotional reading I talked about last month, which I'll be reading through all year long, I've got a good mix of fiction and non-fiction that I'm going to enjoy this month, three of which I'll also be reading to review.  The first up is The Friendships of Women by Dee Brestin.  I snapped this up from Amazon yesterday as a kindle freebie!  It's still showing as a freebie for now, so if it sounds interesting, you might want to scoot on over there by clicking HERE! As a woman who not only enjoys her friendships with other women, but is also called to women's ministry, I thought this was a no-brainer for me!

Next up is Patsy Clairmont's You Are More Than You Know.  I first learned of Patsy Clairmont at a Women of Faith conference in 1998.  She was funny and witty and spot-on in her observations, and I'm not only looking forward to reading You Are More Than You Know, but reviewing it and participating in the book's blog tour in March! (And ... hint, hint ... a giveaway!)

And now on to the fiction.  You may or may not have picked up on the fact that I adore, in particular, Amish fiction. Well, if you hadn't picked up on it, this month it's rather 'plain' (pun intended)!  These three selections are all reviewable (so look for more on each title later this month):

An Amish Cradle, a collection of four stories by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman, respectively.  

Then on to The Amish Clockmaker, by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner.

And finally, The Beekeeper's Son, by Kelly Irvin, which I'm purposefully saving until last because it sounds *so* interesting!

So, my proverbial shelf is full . . . looking forward to reading (and sharing reviews, too) through February! Hop on over to sarah did it! to see what she's reading and to check out the Bibliophile Files linky party!

Happy reading and remember . . . “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles William Eliot

:)

good, better, best . . .

Wow, what a week it's been . . . and I have bad news and good news and better news and best news. First the bad (so I can end on a happy note) . . . not only will the pineapple quilt not be a January finish, I didn't even work on it this week. Why, you ask? Good question and that brings me to my good news.

I'd finally gotten my act together and got the backing fabric of Pixelated to the quilter (who happens to be Melissa of I Am Beautiful Bee), and she (in a much more timely manner) brought me a quilted quilt while I was at work on Monday. WOW! She did a marvelous job quilting it, don't you think?

So *I* in turn hurried it home and spent a little time in the Nook and got some binding put on that bad boy . . .

And spent my evenings stitching it down . . . a Binding Blitz, if you will:

And here it is, fresh from the dryer:

Labeled and ready to go:

Whoohoo! How's that for better news?? I had no idea that this would be my first finish of the year, but I'll take it! Consequently my stash report looks pretty darn good:

I think this is the first time *EVER* in my stash reporting that I've been in the black!  Let's see how long it lasts, right?? 

My bestest news was all the time I got to spend with this little sprite over the weekend . . . 

We had a sleepover and did marvelous things, like watching Tangled together, taking walks and finding lots of sticks, and sleeping in late and watching cartoons in bed.  

Today?  It's back to this . . .

I'll take it.  My February finish, maybe? My slow Sunday stitching, anyway! Also linking up today to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts!!

Happy day!

:)

play it again, sam . . .

I'm beginning to feel a bit like a broken record . . .

Three weeks running now that my stash hasn't changed, for better or worse! And given the work that lies before me, my tune isn't likely to change next week, either!

But I have plenty to slowly stitch away on today. My favorite tools are assembled:

And I have miles of black seam covering to stitch.

Miles.  Times four!

I did finally get my Christmas put away. I had considered leaving it up until February 2, but I had the time and the inclination, so I went ahead and put it away. I used to think that it was pretty impressive that all my tree ornaments fit in a single, small box:

But then I got to thinking how impressive it was that I live in an RV and get to fill that whole box with tree ornaments -- and put that box in a forty gallon Rubbermaid container with the rest of my Christmas stuff. Wow!

So today I'll go sit in my freshly dusted and vacuumed living room, put a fire in the fire place, make a pot of tea, and stitch away the afternoon. Sound like a plan?!

Linking up with Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts.  Have a wonderful Sunday!

:)