getting stitchy . . .

Last week was a lovely, stitchy week!  On Sunday I remembered the sets of embroidery stencils I got while my shoulder was out of service for National Quilting Day (see that post here).  I pulled them all out and picked one that looked like fun to stitch . . .

I worked on it Sunday and finished it up on Tuesday. Todd and I drove six hours, round trip, for a work conference.  Well, he drove and I stitched!

I adore how this turned out!  I will finish it up this week and gift it later.  :)

I didn't skip Monday ... I road-tripped!  With a couple of my quilty friends up to Chattanooga for a tea and quilt shop hop.

We visited Polly Claire's (a first for all of us) and had a lovely time!

I spent more than I should have, probably, but the fabric ... it calls to me!  What I'm really glad of is that I'm not keeping up with my stash this year.  I'm considering it all slush fund for retirement. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Wednesday evening I worked in EQ, laying out the design for our mystery quilt, with my chosen fabrics plugged in.  This is what I settled on for the final design for my prints:

Thursday evening I prepped and ironed a roll of binding to get ready to stitch it on Friday morning.

This is a "keep it secret, keep it safe" project.  So this is the only picture I can share . . .

My fabulous clover clips on where I've already hand-stitched the binding down on the boat on Friday!

Saturday I spent some time restoring order (again) to my work space in the Nook, and also started working the components for the blocks that will make up the mystery quilt (which, by the way, is no longer a mystery).  

And Sunday afternoon I continued to work on that and get bits and pieces plotted out to construct the blocks.  I put the two together . . . 

It's due August 15, so I should have no problem getting it together!

Last night I also finished up a Holly Jolly Topper (it was my Friday/boat project a week ago) by stitching the elements together . . .

If that's not the image of Christmas in July, I don't know what is! I love this topper....it's the favorite of my own designs.  But stitching for Christmas now has me itching to stitch up a pumpkin or two (or twenty-three)!!!

I worked really hard to make sure I spent at *least* fifteen minutes each day working on something quilting related. Mission accomplished!  I wonder what this week will hold?!  

:)

hitting re-set . . .

My blogging missed all of June ... and a good portion of July.  And would be about 1,000 pictures long if I tried to catch up at this point.  Sometimes you just need a reset.

Welcome to my "re-set" post . . .   Who am I kidding?  I'll try to keep the pics to a minimum.

Life is going well.  Busy, but good.  I'm sleeping better (thanks to the second shoulder surgery I had in February ... which should hit full healing in about seven weeks) which makes such an amazing difference to quality of life!

Got a hair cut this past week . . . 

Got treated to an impromptu, in-home ballet recital . . .

Taught a "Handwork Pillow" workshop for our guild's Quilt-A-Caboodle event . . .

Traveled to Marco Island for my nephew's wedding . . . 

Spent an extra long weekend with grandgirls while mommy and daddy vacayed in Hawaii . . . 

And received this super-lovely Hawaiian quilty gift as a thank you . . .

Spent a week on the lake, vacationing with my hubby, celebrating twenty-three amazing years . . . 

Plus got in Nook time, did guild things, gardened and played with turtles, and worked.

Tonight is our July guild meeting; it's all about collaborations (which has been the theme of our guild year).  I collaborated with my sweet friend Gail and we each made a patriotic version of the twisted pole runner (I blogged about it here) . . .

It turned out really great ... I can't wait to see Gail's, tonight!  I also worked on mug rug samples for our August swap (summer and UFO themed) . . .

I'll try to do better . . . mostly for my own sake!  I miss be able to look back!  LOL!  But also to keep the photos under ten! (At least it was under twenty, this time, right?!?)

:)

may day, may day . . .

It's been a very busy Spring! I looked up and realized if I didn't post something here, May would go by (along with the bottom two-thirds of April) without a word from me. Heaven forbid!!  ;)

Our guild strives to be active in community-oriented events.  One of those events is Panoply, an annual arts festival held in downtown Huntsville's Big Spring Park.

This year at our booth, we went interactive! We had hexies prepped and ready to baste to engage passersby!  

Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, over 200 people, adults and kids alike, basted up a hexie!

We'll whip the hexies together (after allowing members of our guild to participate) and it will become the #HEXIEquiltthatHSVbuilt! Go Team Hexie!

I also found a new-to-me LQS -- Hook & Bobin.  Cute little place ... this fabric *immediately* caught my eyes . . .

Isn't it marvelous??!!  Cat-finity!  Tah-dah! At this point I have absolutely no idea what I'll do with it, but I don't mind waiting until it speaks to me. Sometime in the summer of 2011, I fell head-over-heals in love with Moda's "Dragonfly Summer" line.  Bought yardage in several of the fabrics and a layer cake.  Once again I had absolutely NO idea what I was going to do with it all.  In fact, it's still sitting in my stash, nearly eight years later!  But it finally did speak to me . . .

This will be a picnic quilt -- 80" X 90" -- for Joc and her family. Whew! It's a very simple design, but I think it works for a big utility quilt.  Anyway, maybe I'll have something figured out for the cat fabric by 2025?

The older two local grandgirls had their end of the year ballet recitals!  They both did so well!

This was Evey's first year and she was the epitome of grace!  Edith wanted in on the picture, of course.  She's already gung-ho to start ballet and dances with her older sisters every chance she can!  

Joc and her crew were at the beach for Mother's Day, so we celebrated this past Friday.  Jocelyn set a lovely table and prepared a feast for our "Ladies' Lunch"!

Delectable, non?!  Everything was so pretty and tasted so yummy!  It was a fun treat. After lunch, they spoiled me with presents!

A little bit of something representing all my favorite things!  A book on tea that doubles as a tea diary, a pretty owl spoon rest, two wooden trivets that look like they were EPP'd, and Kathy Schmitz's book, Stitches from the Garden.  I have the other two books -- Stitches from the Yuletide and Stitches from the Harvest, so it feels nice to "complete" my set!  In fact, I think Joc has gifted me with all of them!

I'll leave with a photo of the girls and me . . .

They're growing so fast . . . and more beautiful with each day!

Linking up to sarah did it! and the HeLP post!

:)

i've fallen . . .

. . . and I can't get back up on the proverbial blogging horse!

I hesitated using that title since I have had shoulder surgery recently and didn't want to alarm anyone, but every time I went to start a post, that commercial went through my mind.  But I also couldn't bear to put a pic of a woman sprawled out on the floor at her most vulnerable hour of need (I know, I know, it's a paid actress).  Besides, the turtles are starting to show themselves in the sanctuary ... hibernation time is ending!

We've even found a few new hatchlings!  I adore teeny-tiny baby turtles! ♥

I did get my sling off this weekend, though I'm still sleeping in it.  Which is odd, because that was so tough on me with the right shoulder.  But this time (probably because of the bonus bicep tear repair), I don't sleep well *without* the sling!  C'est la guerre, huh?

I also got to sneak in some Nook time. Our April mug rug swap for guild is themed "Spring".  I haven't quilted the bottom two, yet, because I was worn out.

Aren't they cute?!  I love that little carrot ... it goes with my table topper!  I had just enough fabric to make a matchy-matchy.  I probably will not swap that one!  :)

I did a lot of shopping during my convalescing.  I don't need to have an additional surgery any time soon, y'all.  I'll share my loot next go 'round!

We did get our boat launched and into a slip for the season ... HOORAY!  That takes a LOT of stress off both Todd and me ... I didn't realize just how much it stressed me until we weren't having to do it.

Click to see the big pic!

We enjoyed a lovely day on the lake this past Friday.  

That's our slip ... the empty one between the two motor boats!  :)

It's so nice to park the truck and just walk onto the boat and vice versa when the day is done! I like  easy, happy finishes.

I appreciate all the sweet, well-wishing comments on the last two posts.  Typing was such an issue, I didn't do a very good job of responding to them all.  I hope that's all behind me now!

Have a happy week!

:)