TOUCHING BASE

We have been extremely busy lately with family matters but things are beginning to level out now. 

We are having a very welcome break from the extreme heat and humidity, which has been really refreshing after the heavy days of the past few weeks.  It's hard to believe that July is gone already. 

I picked up my daughter's birthday quilt from Reggie today and I have part of the binding sewn on.  I can't post pictures of it until my daughter has seen it.  I'm hoping she likes it.  After I finish the binding I need to make a label and possibly a matching pillowcase.  Reggie did a wonderful job on the quilting.  I sewed on the binding and just have the hemming to finish.  I love doing hand sewing and sewing binding is one of my favorite things to work on.

Although I've not really been sewing, I have been playing with the embroidery machine.  I found some really cute banners that I would like to try making as gifts for the holidays. 

How are you making it through the Summer?  The Girls have been exceptionally well behaved and sweet the past two weeks.  It seems that Dottie has finally settled into a place in the family that's comfortable for all of us.  Sweet Olive gets so frustrated with her when she misbehaves.  It's very much like having small children again!

Our meals have been simple and quick lately.  Several nights I made a large salad and along with some hot bread that was our whole meal.  Grapes and melons are really sweet right now as we enter into the Dog Days of Summer.

Wishing you a bounty of good things in your life. 

NICE WEEKEND

Although we had to work at the apartments yesterday, it wasn't one of those marathon work days and the Girls behaved extra well.  We got home about 5 pm and had a quick bite of dinner and watered the flowers. Today I can move as slow as molasses and play in the sewing room a little.

Since I finished the Luna Notte II quilt top I haven't been sewing much.  Friday I thought I should use the embroidery machine to make sure it still works, so I stitched out a few mug mats.  When my sister-in-law was here last weekend she fell in love with the one I use at my desk, so she went home with one and I made a mental note to make a few more to send her. 

These are made entirely in the hoop (ITH) and they stitch out in 10-12 minutes.  Once they are stitched all you do is trim around the outer stitching. The coffee cup design is my favorite, but there are 20 or more designs to choose from so you can coordinate the embroidered design with your fabric.  I'm quite fond of the green/high heels fabric ~~~~  can you tell?  This is a nice scrap buster project. 

I hear Jeff making coffee, so I'm off to help him wake up.

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!

LOVING LIFE

It's a glorious day with the temperature around 72 degrees.  I opened the windows to air out the house.

I made a trip to the local fabric store and succumbed to some lovely fabric by Timeless Treasures called Patina. 

The pictures don't begin to do justice to this lovely, silky fabric.  The cream blenders are equally nice.  I don't have a specific project in mind, so I bought enough of everything just in case.  The shop had the full line and I bought some of every piece. 

The fabrics with sewing notion prints are for a special project for some special people.  More on that later......

I was thinking today that I had no idea when we bought our
house that I would be located halfway between my long-arm quilter Reggie and my favorite fabric store of all time.  This is my definition of Living Large in Licking, Missouri!

Wishing you a wonderful Summer day!

 

OUR GUESTS

Our guests from Indiana have come and gone after a short but sweet visit.  They arrived in the evening Sunday and left us this afternoon.  We talked and talked and there was time to show them my latest quilts.  My sister-in-law was very interested in how and why I make quilts.  It's nice to share quilts with non-quilters who are interested in the process. 

We ate way too much and slept way too little due to a huge storm last night that kept the whole house awake (especially Dottie).  We had a nice breakfast today at a local restaurant that has good food and plenty of it at a reasonable price.  My mother-in-law ordered ham with her breakfast and we were all shocked when she received a whole center-cut ham steak!  There was enough for sharing all around. 

My DD's Luna Notte II quilt is being quilted and will soon be ready to pick up and bind.  My next project may be to finish up another UFO but beginning a new quilt feels right.  There are so many new patterns I would like to try that it's hard for me to decide. 

I hope your past few days have been satisfying.  Take care until we meet again in the sewing room.

A GOOD FRIDAY...

The last two weeks have been totally filled with non-sewing things.  I did manage to finish the Luna Notte II quilt top and take it to Reggie to work her long-arm magic.  She says it will take about two weeks....as usual, I can't wait to see it.

My MIL and SIL are coming for a visit this weekend through the middle of next week and I will most likely not have time to blog.  Will someone keep a light on for me ~~~~~

Jeff has to work a double shift today, so I have a nice long day to do whatever and I'm choosing to read, sew and nap. When I was a young wife with a MIL coming for a visit, I would have been in turbo clean mode.  One of the nicer things about getting older is that you become totally comfortable with who you are and how you live. 

I hope you are enjoying these beautiful Summer days and evenings.  The hummingbirds are still drinking a half gallon of nectar per day and the fireflies are thick every evening.  Dottie and Olive are laying around on the cool tile floors a lot lately.  They were groomed this past Monday and they look wonderful for their first meeting with my MIL, who is not an animal lover.  This could get interesting!

Take care until we meet here again.   Barb

HAPPY JULY 4th

I hope your July 4th has been filled with family, good friends and great food as you celebrate America's birthday. 

It was a beautiful day in our neck of the woods.  The temperature dropped a couple days ago and there is the slightest breeze ~~  just enough to keep our flag moving a little.  This morning we visited my father-in-law's grave on our way to Cuba.  We had a nice lunch on our way back home and the rest of the day we've been relaxing. 

We will be heading out to watch fireworks at one of our local churches in about an hour.  The Girls will stay home this year because Dottie gets really upset when she hears loud booms.  They will be calmer at home tucked into their beds. 

Wishing you a wonderful ending to this special day....!!!

BACK TO SEWING...

After a morning of baking dog biscuits and doing laundry, I'm back at the sewing machine to work on the Luna Notte II quilt. Yesterday I began sewing the rows together into sections.  Since there will be nine rows of blocks I am sewing three sections of three rows together and then the three will be joined together.  It's pretty slow going with the many interruptions. I've had for the past two days.  

My goal is to have this quilt to Reggie (my LAQer) by next Friday.  That gives me a few more sewing days.  I have to make a decision about the borders and since this fabric is no longer available in yardage I will have to use what I have on hand.  This is wonderful fabric to work with.  It almost feels like silk and the prints are gorgeous and lush. 

I will ask your opinion about the borders once I get to that point and locate the LN fabric I have on hand.

The last batch of dog biscuits is ready to come out of the oven.  Wishing you a wonderful day!!

Thanks for dropping by.....