Flower Garden is Done

My size 11 feet are doing the Happy Dance!!

I have finished quilting and the machine binding of the Flower Garden quilt!

I passed it back to my friend to finish whipstitching the binding. It is the perfect size for either a table runner for a big table, or to rest on the foot or topper of a twin bed. I think it's darling (natch). Hey Mar, by the way, Susie at Main Street is the one who helped my friend pick out this adorable sashing fabric. It has pink ladybugs, so cute!

I wish you could see it better (how do I get photos to turn out better on the blog?) I did blanket stitching around the flowers and centers (the first-graders wrote their names in the centers), free motion meander in the white parts, and a squiggly vine and leaves in the green sashing, with spirals in the star centers. It is really cute. It goes up for auction on Saturday, at the school's annual dinner dance, so keep your fingers crossed . . . we want to raise lots of dinero!

Here are my WIP boxes:

ok, I am pulling out the Dad quilt now - which of course is in the bottom box. This is going to be a quilt for my Dad from Judy Martin's Cookies and Quilts, and ladies and gentleman, this is our next item up in the piecing category (I have 9 of 16 blocks done), here are four of them:and my Garden Party Ladies is the next up for resuming quilting (I had put it aside to do the flower garden).

Is anyone out there in blog land going to do an event in connection with the Northern California March Madness Shop Hop? I think it would be fun to have some sort of a plan to meet or a carpool if anyone is interested . .

I found out that my new HK sewing machine (tentatively named LuLu -- thanks Mar), is going to be shipped FedEx tomorrow. I hope she has a lovely journey. I think I am going to have special projects just for her . . . funky fresh stuff only.

ok, two hours till workout time, so I am going to try to get a block done,

ttfn

Kristin

WIP, OPP, what it's like to be 18, and my latest ebay splurge

Today was supposed to be a WIP Friday -- a day to work on my Works in Progress; however, it turned into an OPP -- other people's projects. I am helping a friend make a project for her son's first grade class, to be auctioned at the school's annual dinner dance. She has done a great job with the cutting of the fusible applique', the piecing of the blocks, but she is too newbie to do the stitching around the flowers, so it was passed back to me today for machine blanket-stitching, and then quilting. I really enjoy helping others, especially when they have a genuine interest in learning to quilt, it's just that I was longing to play with my own toys, ya' know?

I will post a pic once I finish . . . it is a super sweet, bright pastel - Springy Eastery table runner that each child has signed his or her name to the center of a flower.

I also made my world famous chocolate cake today for my son's 18th birthday (e-gads!) I think he has requested the same cake for his birthday for about 16 of those 18 years!! It is the best chocolate cake EVER. The recipe is on the back of the Hershey's cocoa canister. Check it out. I double dare ya. But I do warn, if you make it once, you will be requested to make it for every family birthday and event. Trust me.

We went to Benihana's for dinner - the four of us (two sons, husband, me) and four of my son's large, hairy, (yet polite and funny), friends. Yes, it was the "testosterone zone" as usual. I cannot wrap my head around this 18 thing. He can vote, buy lotto tickets, and, as he informed us tonight, go to certain male entertainment establishments. I swear I am going to pass out. As he left the house after cake, I told him to be home by 10:30 and he just laughed. oy. where is my baby? somewhere in the midst of that 6 foot 4, 215 pound, hairy legged man that lives in his room . . .

EBay Splurge! For a third degree black belt shopper like me, EBay is like ultimate cage fighting. (I so agree with the ad campaign - it's better when you win it!) I totally scored and got a "Hello Kitty" sewing machine for $46 that is in transit!! Woo HOO! and a big shout out to Monica at the Happy Zombie for introducing her "Mimi" and thus sending me on this quest. I have been a Hello Kitty fan since High School, and I cannot resist anything with cherries on it. (which leads to another shout out to PamKittyMorning for the cherry sneaks) SO, the current count of sewing machines will increase to 4. Got Big Bertha - the Brother 1500S for speed racer piecing and quilting the big quilts, the Janome Quilter's Choice, apparently for OPP (see above), the husband's Featherweight, (yup, he quilts now and then) and soon to arrive, my very own Hello Kitty! No excuse for all these WIPs with four machines, eh what?

Maybe if I am really lucky I will get to sew my own stuff this weekend. . . stamp, pout, hands on hip, eye roll. . . If not, I can always pop on my cherry sneaks, eat a big piece o'cake and work on attaining the next level of blackbelt in shopping . . . hi-yah!

Until next time, hug those kiddies, they grow up FAST
-Kristin