UFO Pajama Party

Saturday I attended the UFO Pajama party at Quilter's Emporium.  I stayed up until 2 the night before cutting my strips so I could work on the placemats I'm making for Christmas and birthday gifts.  I was lucky to quilt with two of my quilting friends who I hadn't seen since the last UFO party months ago.  I finished one set of 6 placemats and started two strips on six other Christmas placemats.  My two friends were working on a 6 month mystery quilt from Quilter's Emporium.  I sewed until midnight then drove to a nearby hotel for the night.  I always sleep good in that hotel.  Hubby and I hit the road for home around 8:00.

Sunday, I unloaded the shopping from the car, had a restroom break,  took my vitamins, then I was ready to speed off to my friend Ginni's house for our joint quilt project.  It's so much more fun sewing with a friend.  I'm a former Yankee autumn leaf expert and she is the Queen of Quilting Bling so we had some discussions about fabrics for the leaves.  We both think it will turn out beautiful anyway. This is my first time to use Thangles for 1/2 square triangles.  I think next time I will cut the strips just a little wider than the instructions call for to allow for possible sliding of the paper.

International Intrigue Mystery Quilt

I can't wait to have three days of school off for Thanksgiving.  I should be able to get a lot of quilting (or organize my sewing room) done.  Ginni and I will get together one day too while my husband is driving the band to the playoff game.  My class and I will be making posters for two of the players tomorrow.  Last week we wrote them cards of encouragement.

I did finish a mystery quilt this summer.  I did it in red, black and white batiks.  I can't wait to get it quilted, although I haven't decided what to do with it yet.

Super Saturday

It's been an eventful day!  I started out the morning with Saturday School.  I run the computer lab with a wonderful program called Waterford.  It has both Math and Reading and the students love it.  It teaches the kids and gives them a chance to practice.  The science and Math components have fabulous pictures and information.  We had a pretty full crowd today.

When I got done at noon I ran to the Cedar Chest to see if they had the fabric I needed to complete my quilt back.  Unfortunately, I hadn't bought it there so I ended up going to Plan B and C and D.  Always before I've used just one fabric for my backing.  But I've seen so many fabulous backs at Quilter's Emporium's Strip Club show and tell, that I was inspired to try something different this time.  I used my leftover blocks.  I didn't have enough fabric to do it the way I originally intended so I spent an awful lot of time "thinking". 

After my fruitless trip to the quilt shop, I picked up my hubby and we made a trip to the recycling center with all my shredding and cardboard and plastic bottles collected from school and home.  Then I treated him to some good Texas barbeque at Mikeska's for lunch.  We saw an elderly woman there with her family who had sprung her for the day from the local nursing home.  I hope when I get old(er) and start forgetting things that my friends and family don't talk about me as if I'm not even there, or ask me a question and not give me a chance to answer.  Don't ask me if I know who you are.  I'll feel sad enough already that I don't remember who you are.  Talk to me, not at me or around me.

backing for baby quilt #2

I finished the one backing for my baby quilt after that and got another one up on my design wall ready to sew.  Here's the backing I finished today.  I hope to get the two baby quilts I have done to the long-armer tomorrow.

I'm taking an Irish Mist quilt class from Max at QE tomorrow and next Sunday.  It's from the book Six Halves Make a Whole Lot More from The Quilt Branch.

I'm also excited because I finally have my first follower, my friend/sister Renae from Nebraska.  We became friends back at church camp in our teens.  Our friendship has survived her moving from PA to NB my senior year of high school, my moving to Texas after college, and many years of separation.  We were in each others weddings, then didn't see each other again for 22 years until the summer before last.  She is still the beautiful, bubbly girl with the kindest heart, and deepest faith that I met almost 37 years ago.