Oh my! it's 2019!

I can't believe it's been 3 years!!!  where has the time gone? I have been here.  there has been a lot going on.  some healing, some sickness, some figuring out stuff.  But I am here and ready to go.  this feels good trying to blog again. 

So today is January 1, 2019.  my goodness, 2019.  that sounds so furturistic to me.  I have lots of plans for the new year.  but I think I will just share my quilty goals. 

I LOVE starting new projects.  I don't buy magazines very often any more.  I have a gazillion and I never look at them.  I will see a picture on facebook or pinterest and it's like......  SQUIRREL!  I have to do that.  there are so many taleneted quilters out there.  amazes me. 

so this year, I will try very hard to NOT start new projects.  I know that probably won't happen.  but I can dream. 

so today while hubby worked and watched football, I sewed.  and sewed. and sewed.  I haven't had a lot of those days at all.  One goal I have is on the first of every month, make sure I have loaded a quilt on my HQ.  check! 

I just have to baste everything, then I can start quilting.  I think I will just do wavy lines.  this one is only a couple of years old.  I started this one with some friends.  We used my Go! and the small tumbler die.  this is a wall hanging.  

Yesterday I pieced  and quilted this pumpkin.  My friend Toni gave me all the pieces.  I only took a few months to sew it together.  this morning I did the binding.  My first finish for 2019!  

this is the back.  I put these labels back.  the side showing is my name on the back is how to launder it.  

 this is the front.  it doesn't look like its quilted, but I promise it is!  thanks Toni!!!!! 

this is some of what I am working on.  I get borded easy, so lots of things pass thru while I am sewing.  I love it and it seems to work for me. 

Now you probably are thinking I am crazy.  Too many sticks in the fire type thing.  But really I get a lot done this way.  I like to keep track of what I do.  I like checking off things.  I also like keeping track of how many bobbins I go thru - 60 last year!  how many spools of thread - 4.  And every 5 bobbins I clean and oil my machine.  I think by keeping track of everything, things don't get lost in the shuffle, so to speak. 

Well, that enough for now.  I will be back in 2 days, or thats the plan, Sam.  Wish me luck.  It's going to be a great year!  Hugs for now.....

I am back, kind of......

Hi everyone.  Life, it gets busy.  there is happiness.  there is sorrow.  there are adventures and there are quiet times......

Yesterday, we buried our 7 year old granddaughter.   Sorrow...... My daughter in law was driving a truck.  a semi carrying a load of scrap metal blew a tire and lost control. crash it crossed over in the oncoming traffic and hit the truck.  Our Maddy died in the crash.  Our daughter in law, sustained a bad ankle injury.  The grands, minor scratches and bruises. It was a miracle that Elena and the children were spared.

How thankful we are.  How sad we are.  There have been so many tender mercies shown to our son and his family.  there is a go fund account set up for them.  dinners brought in, projects finished for them,  presents for Christmas, and the list goes on.  the community has been wonderful.

In all of this, we have felt our Heavenly Fathers arms wrapped around us.

Yesterday as we drove to the cemetary the national guard were marching along the road.  the stopped and stood at attention while we passed.  It touched my heart.

at the service the primary children sang a song.  we sang I am a child of God , one of my favorite hymns.  This song will have a new meaning for me now.

We are Mormon.  We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Our faith gives comfort and time will dull the pain.

thanks for listening......

hugs.....

Quilt Stores

There was only 2 stores I wanted to visit on the way home.  Primitive Gatherings and Temucula Quilts.  Amazingly, they were only about 6 miles apart.

We first went to Primitive Gatherings in Murrieta, CA.  Oh my gosh!!!! I wish i took pictures of the inside. Absolutely amazing.  Beautiful.  I could have bought one of everything!!!  I did not buy fabric.  I bought a couple of kits.

I have wanted to do the kit on the right for so long.  the price was really good and it jumped into my hands!

This one was a kit too.  very reasonable.  there was enough to cut 2 of the red strips and muslin.  I just cut a square of blue for the 2nd flag. it says land of the free because of the brave.  love it! one of them might end up as a present for my son.  But I am keeping the other one.

then on to Temucla Quilt Co. Totally different.  I got to meet the owner.  Very nice.

She has a wonderful blog and a summer sampler is coming up.  Free!  On her blog she has been talking about these little boxes.  they are so dang cute!  had to pick up 2.  she has 3 different sizes.  She also has some wonderful wool.  oh my!  and a really cute container for toothpicks.  to use while appliqueing.  

Her bulletin board was sooo cute.  if you click on the picture, you will see thread spools used a magnets!  brilliant!  She has the cutest small quilt patterns.  I was a good girl and didn't buy any fabric or patterns.  

We then went to lunch at a little Mexican restaurant.  Aztec Tacos  Oh my goodness!!!!  I had rolled tacos - very good!  and Bruce had pasole

He said it was the best he has had.  I tasted it and yes, very yummy!  

From there we took the backroads to Indio, then home.  we didn't stop anywhere to take pictures.  I would compare the ride to driving Salt River Canyon. lots of switch backs and you can see 3 rows of the road.  

It's nice to be home and sleep in my own bed and my pillow.  and home to fold more fabric! hehehe....

hugs....

California!

I mentioned that Hubby and I had been traveling for business.  We went to Anaheim, CA.  no, not to Disneyland.  there just wasn't time.  I love Disneyland!

Core-Mark had their semi annual vendor party.  I am not sure what to call it.  because it kind of is like a party.

it's where Hubby and our son in law, Glen can meet with all the different vendors and order for the stores.  we get LOTS of samples.  Then we come home and have a loot party with the grands!

That is lots of loot!!!!  but one more thing I have to show you....

Can you see the weight?  that is 32 oz, 2 pounds!!!  I have never seen a treat this big.  the grands eyes are going to bug out when they see this!

As the party goes on, for every purchase that is made, your company's name goes into the raffle.  They have drawing every couple of hours or so.  We have never really won much at all at these things.  but they are fun.  However......  We won this time....  an iPad Air 2.  I was beyond excited.  Glen went up and got it, then Bruce grabbed it and I grabbed it from Bruce.  Now before you start thinking, Glen already has a iPad.  Bruce is not a fan of technology, so in my book that's mine!!!!!

Later we won the  - which glen has

We also won 2 boxes of wafer cookies.  I am sure Glen and Melissa's boys will love that.  we waited around for the last drawing - a 70 inch flat screen TV.  I just knew we would win it.  Just before the announcer pulled the name, they found another prize.  the prize?  An M &M folding chair.  we won that, not the TV.  we were sooooo close!

We also got to spend some time with Bruce's brother and his family.  They live in Yorba Linda.  We didn't get pictures, darn.  Then Katrina and some of her family came down to visit.  They live up by 6 Flags in Santa Clarita.

We didn't get to see everyone.  But it was wonderful having dinner with the guys!  Love those faces!  

Next blog will be about the quilt stores we visited on our way home.......

Stash Report 16

June 1st, amazing!  also my little sister's birthday!  Happy Birthday Cindy!  

Well, we were gone most of the week for a business trip - more on that later.  so not much got done.  but I sure enjoyed the time with my sweetie.....

bobbins used this week: o
bobbins used year to  date: 36
Thread spools emptied this week: 0
Thread spools emptied year to date: 3
Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date:  34 yards
Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added year to date: 23 yards
UFOs finished year to date: 6  Wool finishes: 9
New start year to date: 7

before we left on our trip Iprepped a few things.  I had to work on this!  All the hand stitching is finished.  I just need to quilt it.  

And I prepped July's block of Angels among us.

while gone I worked on this....

I just have to add the backing to it.  Love how it turned out.

I am still folding fabric.  I had no idea how big of a job this was when I started.  My goal for this week is to finish it up.  it's driving me crazy.  but I truly am loving how my closet is looking.

hugs......

Stash Report 15

Hi everyone!  can you believe it's the end of May?  Where did it go?  

bobbins used this week: 
bobbins used year to  date: 36
Thread spools emptied this week: 0
Thread spools emptied year to date: 3
Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date:  34 yards
Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added year to date: 23 yards
UFOs finished year to date: 6  Wool finishes: 9
New start year to date: 7

I had to make 2 blocks for a birthday swap.  she wanted red civil war and kona snow.  the pattern is HERE  Bear Tracks.    I loved making this pattern.  I have always wanted to do a bear paw quilt.  I have done several variations of it.  but never a bear paw.  I need to change that.  I think they turned out great!

   

I cut a few more bow ties from these reds.  they will be so pretty.  I now have 240 bowties!  

I finished the little banner I showed last time.  Now to decide where to hang it!  

sorry about that, can't figure out how to turn it.  everything is acting weird right now.  

I have June's prepped and ready for me to do the hand stitching.  

hugs.....

I am trying.....

Well, I want to be organized.  I really do.  My system of organizing my fabric is not working.  Or rather how I fold it.  Several of my friends fold their fabric around a ruler.  but they leave it flat

I did that and then folded it in thirds.  that really takes up a lot more room if it is yardage.  I sort by color.  then I also have 30s, batiks, holidays, christmas, civil war, nancy halverson and patriotic, and solids.   I have done that for years and seems to work well for me.  anything smaller than a FQ goes into strips drawers, or into squares.  I can't tell you how many scrap quilts have been made from my scrap drawers!  I always check those first.  I do find I do not use my strips as much.  I need to figure out something there......

there is a girl from my ward wanting to earn money for a mission.  so I asked if she wanted to fold fabric!!  It was worth every cent I paid.  But it's not finished!  I didn't realize there was sooooo much.  that is kind of scary.  Plus my hubby saw it since fabric covered every flat surface in my house.  Oh dear!
  from this.....

to this....

Morgan folding

to this.....

 I haven't got my closet done yet, so I will take a picture of that later.  Oh dear, I have a after graduation party Thursday night.  I have to get this all put away....  anyone want to come and help me??  

hugs.....