Tuesday, April 30, 2013

15 minute challenge

I am so excited that I am finally able to join up with Kate's 15 minute challenge again (translate, I actually did some sewing this week).  Here's how my week went:

Tuesday - worked with Time and Again scraps
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - worked with Time and Again scraps
Friday - worked with Time and Again scraps; sewed two rows together
Saturday - finished putting Time and Again scraps together, finished quilt top
Sunday - nothing
Monday -worked with Look and Learn fabrics


I was thinking I would call the time and again scrap quilt "Left Over Time." Here's what it looks like -- partially anyway.  I need to get a full picture of it. 




and the other one ..

as for observation, while I was away on my trip I noticed observed some things that were quilt inspiring. A couple of floors...


 and an air vent ..


I wonder if the carpets were inspired by quilts .. particularly the first one.

To see how others managed their time this week, head over to the 15 Minute Challenge at Life in Pieces.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Just a few things ..

So, I've been thinking of a few things:

1 - I need to post about a few things -- my trip to DC and my cousin's birthday.

2 - I need to take my craftsy class .. (what am I waiting for??)

3 - I need to get my nails done before I chew them off ..

4 - I need to keep up with my sisters, cousins and friends.  How to do that???

So any how, this was a post I started a while ago but never finished, hence the jumping around.  Lately I've been starting posts and not finishing them.  I'm jotting things down when I think about them so I don't forget.  

I've been trying to decide what to do with the American Jane Look and Listen fabric.

This is the charm pack -- you can't see all the different fabrics, but you can see there are some geometrics, some kids/toys squares, other stuff.  I like it and it is super soft.


I was thinking of doing something like this ..

But I am not sure. The other thing I was thinking of was a disappearing nine patch, using the charm pack and the off white fabric I got with it, and putting sashing between the squares, with the ruler from the fabric above.  I wish I had a computer program that I could use to try it out to see how it would look. 

I'll probably start tonight and let you know what I decide ...

Friday, April 26, 2013

Favorite Things Friday

Since this is my last ever FTF post, I should make it a good one.  I have really enjoyed coming up with something almost weekly to choose as my favorite. It is always good to have a reason to think of good stuff.

As I was sitting here pondering what to post about, I was humming a tune in my head and THAT gave me my favorite.  My favorite this week is country music; or as my husband calls it "country western" music. My YD and I listen to it in the car on the way to and from work and I just love it.  Here are a few of today's favorite tunes.

Cruise


I Don't Want this Night to End



God Gave Me You


Not too exciting, but that's my favorite.  To see the other favorites, check out the final Favorite Things Friday at Quilting in My Pyjamas. 

I want to thank Shay for hosting this for so long.  It has been fun to see all the other favorites and to get to know so many different people.  Thanks!!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

... oops it's Thursday, ah well, the weeks slip by (oh and I'm not so wordless).

Marg, please skip this post.

Katie had these at her wedding.  Don't know what the sock monkey has to do with party straws, but I thought they were cute so I took a picture (or two).


Monday, April 22, 2013

Katie & Dustin's Wedding - Part III

The day of the wedding we got up late and didn't do much until it was lunch time, then we met up with my sister at Steak 'n Shake -- had a burger and milkshake.  Then we went back to our hotel while she (my sister) went on to the church.

Here are my pics of the wedding.  Unfortunately, most of them turned out blurry or with someone's head in the way (that's what happens when you're short), but here goes...
the bridesmaids and flower girl.
 
Katie watching the reading.

 
Exchanging vows.

 
In the hall, waiting for the bridal party.

Here they come ...

 
The wedding doughnuts.

The bride and groom in front of their wedding doughnuts*.

Getting ready to share and smash the doughnuts (I didn't take any pictures). And the toast, with the doughnuts, was with milk!

My YD with my father.

and of course there was dancing ..


Here's a photo of the wedding party taken by the wedding photographer.  I love it!

After the wedding, I met up with my cousins and walked around Indianapolis, by the canal.  After walking for about an hour, we decided to meet up with the rest of the gang and ended up at the JW Marriott in the sports bar.  We were at the same hotel as the happy couple, but for some strange reason, they didn't come down to join us.  We finished up around midnight and went back to the hotel.

The next day, we drove to Chicago and flew home from there.  Our flight was at 10 a.m., and was three hours away so we needed to leave at 5:30 a.m. to get there in time.  The airport was in a different time zone so I thought that meant we had to leave at 4:30.  Turns out I was thinking backwards and we only had to get up at 6:30 .. fortunately we worked that out the night before.  It really would have been a bummer to get there two hours early ..

so that's it. the brief story of that weekend ... I've taken so long to post this that Katie & Dustin are already back from their honeymoon in Dublin.  so naughty of me.

*There's a reason for the doughnuts instead of a cake, but you'll have to ask Katie about that.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Favorite Things Friday

Since yesterday was my 33rd anniversary, I think it's only fitting that my hubby is my favorite thing this week.

with baby Cooper
 
before the McCartney concert
 
Christmas 2011
 

With his dad ..
 

And an oldie but goodie .. with a beard.

So, head on over to Shay's at QIMP to see other favorites!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

15 minute challenge

Although I didn't do much sewing over the past few weeks, I thought I would link up.

March 26 - April 1
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nada
Thursday - worked with time and again leftovers
Friday - zip
Saturday - worked with leftover time and again pieces
Sunday - zilch
Monday - zero

April 2 - April 8
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - knitting
Friday - nothing
Saturday - nothing
Sunday - knitting

I know this is late, but thought I should check in anyway.  Over the last two weeks, I've done only a smidgin of sewing.  I've got about five blocks made with the leftover time and again scraps.  I'm not sure how I like it, but we'll see.  I don't have any pictures yet.  Maybe when I next work on it, I'll take some.  When I was traveling, I worked on knitting a purple baby blanket.  One of my April goals is to finish it.

I'm going to the East Coast on Saturday night for a conference and then to visit with family and friends. When I get things straight in my office, I'll be a little more up for it. I've got a week's worth of work to get done tomorrow.

Check out how others have been doing on the 15 minute challenge at Kate's Life in Pieces.

Until next time...



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Katie and Dustin's Wedding - Part II

So, anyway, I completed #18 on the List -- going to Katie and Dustin's wedding...

On Thursday, we flew from San Jose to Chicago.  Since we could fly non-stop to Chicago (and not to Indianapolis), I thought it would be a good idea to fly there and rent a car and drive to Indianapolis.  I stupidly didn't check on how long of a drive it was from Chicago to Indianapolis before I made the reservations* -- turned out to be a three hour drive.  So after flying for four hours, we drove for three.  Not my most brilliant plan.  However, what is done is done.

Entering Indiana ..


Lotsa windmills ..

A late stop at Olive Garden for dinner ..



We got in too late on Thursday to spend time with any family, so it had to wait.

Friday, we helped with set up at the church.  There were about ten of us helping the wedding coordinator (a friend of Katie's) get the reception "hall" ready.

Here's a picture of the hall/gym before it was decorated ...

Almost there

And how it looked for the reception

In typical Katie/Dustin fashion, there was a photo booth set up.  I took some pictures to make sure it would work.

 

After decorating (and posing at the photo booth), we went to lunch at Applebees with several family members.  My dad and husband met up with us there.  After that we went back to Katie's but then remembered that we had to pick up my YD from the Indianapolis airport. so from the aiport back to the hotel .. then we connected with my cousins who were in town for the wedding.  No pictures. :(

After dinner with my cousins, went with the groom and his ushers to Nicky Blaine's in downtown Indianapolis for whiskey and cigars. Sorry, no pictures. :( It was a boys' thing but my husband would only go if I did and I thought the boys needed some more mature influence .. I think that was my first cigar (could be my last too). It was a nice time.

*We had driven through Chicago on our way from Michigan to Indianapolis a couple of years ago and I thought it was 1.5 to 2 hours. NOT.  oops.

Wordless Wednesday


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Katie's Wedding Part !

This post is actually not about Katie's wedding, but rather about what I was honored to make for her to help her out.  A while ago, Katie had sent me an email asking if I knew how to do zippers. She had something she wanted made for her bridesmaids. I don't remember if I said yes immediately, but I said that if I didn't that I would learn.  She asked me to make make-up bags using this pattern.  She then ordered fabric from the fat quarter shop and another store (for the oil cloth) and had them shipped to me.

 Fabric from FQS.




Could you guess that her colors were pink and green??

As a surprise for Katie, I made these make-up brush holders.  They don't match the bags (except for the one green one), but I think they turned out okay.
 





Remembering ...

So, I was driving to my grandchildren's school for a grandparent's day brunch and was wondering why the flags were all flying at hal...