Had to stop quilting to make some almond cookies for my son who is stationed in Korea. Must send them off today!

Kitty Quilt Finished

I finished the kitty quilt for one of the twins. I love ❤ how it turned out. I was going to make the binding from the same sock monkey 🐒 fabric I used for the backing but Joannes was out of that fabric. Big bummer! I did manage to fine some frog 🐸 fabric with the same colors as the sock monkey 🐒 backing though. I wasn't too sure if frogs fabric would look good but its not bad at all. It actually looks really cute. This is the first time I machine sew the binding. Saved myself  about a day. Woohoo!

Meandering Kitty Quilt

There's no time to hand quilt so I decided to just machine quilt meander style. I've decided to use flannel for the binding as well. I'll finish the quilting tomorrow and hopefully the binding won't take to long. Then I'll start on the other one for the other grandson. His will be a puppy theme quilt. 

Quilts For The Grands

About to machine quilt this kitty quilt for one of my grandsons. He loves his family cat.

Good Reasons To Quilt

I haven't done much quilting due to my son and his wife having twins 16 months ago. It was all about the twins after they were born so all my hobbies pretty much went out the window. We were all living in the same town so I was spending a lot of time with my grandbabies. Due to my son's job they moved to California 5 months ago so I am slowly getting back to my quilting, painting,drawing and crocheting.  My son and his family will be visiting us the end of Dec. so I'm going to try and make them each a crib size quilt. I'm aiming for bug theme quilts. I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Sunbonnet UFO

Finally, making more Sunbonnet Sue blocks. Been working on this UFO for about 4 years now and I will not start another new project until this one is finished . The lighting was very bad which makes the white block look like it has yellow edges.

Quilting Again

I managed to make a quillow for my DIL. I had been saving that cat fabric for something special and it's what I used since she loves cats. I just machine quilted around each cat. My arm was hurting quite a bit the next day ,but I have to use it to make it strong again. She's so happy to have a quillow.

New York Wedding, Dislocated Elbow and Crocheting

Wow, this post is way overdue!  The reason I stopped posting was due to the preparation of my son's wedding which took place in June of this past year. Anyway, my family and I drove to New York and I enjoyed every minute of that trip. I prefer driving rather than flying because I get to see different parts of this beautiful country of ours.  Here is the lovely couple. I have three sons so you can imagine how happy I am to finally have a daughter. We get along great and luckily for me they are moving to Texas and will be living 20 minutes away from us.

In July my husband and I were leaving the mall and when we were just feet away from our car I fell and landed on my side. All I know is that I look at my forearm and it looks deformed and the pain is a pain I have never experienced before. Hubby drives me to the hospital where it takes about two hours for me to get checked by a doctor and that finally happened because I yelled out to the nursed that I could feel my bones moving in my forearm. Well, x-rays showed nothing was broken and the nurse said it was just a bad sprain.  I went to an orthopedic Dr. three days later and my arm was so swollen and bruised he didn't even touch it but again he checked the hospital x-rays and says nothing was broken. He tells me to see him again  two weeks later. He sees it again in two weeks and he sends me to get an xray right away. Well, it turned out my elbow had been dislocated the whole time. You just can't imagine all the pain I went through. I was put under anesthesia when he relocated the elbow . I came out of the hospital with my arm totally wrapped up and in a sling. Wore it like that for three weeks then that came off and I wore a hard cast for two weeks. After that I wore a mechanical sling that was very expansive for three more weeks. After that I was sent to therapy and after three months doctor said I was o.k and that I just had to use my arm in order of it to get strong. Dr. told me my arm would never be the same as before and that it might not ever be able to straighten completely like the other arm. In November I was feeling desperate to use my hands again doing some kind of craft. I couldn't try quilting because it was still very painful to turn my palm up. I decided to try crocheting thinking it would be good hand exercise. I learned how and managed to make a bunch of baby hats and booties. Just what I needed another hobby. I have to say crocheting is excellent hand and . I decided finger exercise. I'm just so grateful and thank God this didn't happen right before the wedding.

This is a DynaSling and it's set to a certain degree and that's how much it stretches the muscles and ligaments and let me tell you it hurts.
I decided to try crocheting thinking it would be good hand exercise. I learned how and managed to make a bunch of baby hats and booties. Just what I needed another hobby. I have to say crocheting is excellent hand and . I decided finger exercise. I'm just so grateful and thank God this didn't happen right before the wedding.Some of my crocheting.

Son Getting Married

I got good news a few weeks ago and it's that my middle son got engaged to his girlfriend from New York. The wedding will be next year but ever since the news I haven't thought of anything else but the wedding. I can't really concentrate on quilting or jewelry making now. I'm very happy for both of them and for me because I finally get to have another girl in the family. I have a feeling the next 11 months will go by very fast.
 The latest update on my Chiquita is that she is still holding on one month after getting her diagnosis. She is losing weight but her appetite is still very good. She still barks at strangers and still defends her cat Cotton. Cotton is our two year old cat whom she bonded with as soon as she saw him when he was just a tiny 5 week old kitten. She will go after anybody who she feels is threatening him. It's very cute to watch. I'm just loving her to bits and lightly rubbing her tummy every night. That's something she loves and helps to totally relax her. I will keep you posted on her health and the wedding plans.

Little Bird Necklace

Ever since my little Chiquita has been sick I have been really up and when I do go out I feel guilty leaving her behind. I'm happy some days and then Im crying when I see her and know her end is coming soon. My very sweet hubby surprised me with this very nice bird necklace. He was trying to cheer me up. Well it did. It's a very cheerful bird necklace.

Getting Hot In Texas

Man, is it getting hot in the Texas East Gulf Coast! We haven't had any rain so it looks very dry which we rarely see here. We usually have lot's of rain and everything is always very lush and green, but not this year. My husband ended up putting in an irrigation system for the roses and other plants we have around the house. I pray for rain!
My little Chiquita is still losing weight but still has a very good appetite. She is not moving as fast as she use to and it breaks my hearts seeing that. But she still has her doberman attitude. I'm giving her lot's of love and kisses which makes her very happy. The only problem is her sister is getting jealous. She actually turned her face at me the other day. When I'm loving on Chiquita, Minnie runs and gets right in front of her. Just like human kids.Aye, Aye, Aye!
I haven't even been inside my work room because as soon as I open the door I feel the heat in the room so I just shut the door closed again. I think I'm getting my Sunbonnet Sue applique blocks out to work on them tomorrow. Maybe I can finish them this summer.

Taking My Chi To The Vet

I took my Chi to the Vet this morning because she has gotten bloated. She still eats normal, plays normal and poops and pees normal. She is 9 years old and I know that's many years for a pooch but I'm trying not to think the worst. Well, we got to the Vet's parking lot at 8 this morning and it was packed and a long line of people with their pets waiting outside the building door. I didn't want her to get too upset and nervous so we just turned right back and came home. That's the second time that happens because I also took her on Friday and the Vet was doing a long surgery and wasn't taking anymore patients. Of course they said, "If it's an emergency take her to the animal hospital." I'm going back at 10, 30 minutes from now. Anyway, my Chiquita loves being in the van with me strapped in the little doggy car seat. The seat can be set high enough for her to look outside so she loves looking at the other cars, and when we stop at a light next to other cars she does her barking thing. Her sister Minnie has to stay home by herself and she hates it. I hate leaving a crying pup behind. Just like kids I tell ya. I'll give you and update on Chiquita later.

GENTLE GIANT Rose

This rose is huge! The scent is very sweet.

Bad Case Of Spring Fever

Have had a bad case of Spring Fever. Visited MAAS , my favorite nursery. It smells heavenly in that rose section.

Tennis Elbow So No Quiting

 I haven't posted because I haven't been quilting due to very bad tennis elbow. But since I can't keep my hands still for long I tried jewelry making and I liked it. I have done a couple of things since I can't do a lot for a long period of time due to the pain in my forearm and elbow.

Getting Tooth Pulled

I went through the holidays chewing only on one side which I had been doing for about a month . Yes, I know it's crazy but I really do have a fear of dentist. It's a fear that developed about 12 years ago when I was getting a root canal and the dentist accidentally cut my tongue  and had to give me three stitches. Well, I had a filling put in back when I was in junior high and a tiny piece of it broke off which left the roots exposed to any air that went through a straw. You know what that means. PAIN! I went to the dentist and she told me I would eventually lose the tooth so I decided to just have her pull it with a local pain killer. Big mistake! The minute I smelled the dentist office medicine smell I knew I was in trouble. I became a bundle of nerves and I could feel my blood pressure going up. I told the Dr. I didn't want to feel a thing so to inject as much pain killer as possible.  I thought I was doing great when I felt the whole right side of my face go numb so the Dr. starts pulling and pulling and yanking and the molar wouldn't budge. Every time she asked if it hurt I said it did hurt  so she injected me with medicine three more times. She had to yank and pull and change instruments for about 15 minutes for the tooth to come out. She also had to give me two stitches. She said I had very strong bone and wide roots. I wish I had been totally put under for that extraction. I left the office with  the whole right side of my head very numb and when that wore off the pain in my jaw lasted a week and a half. The last time I had an extraction was when I had my Wisdoms pulled and that was a piece of cake. Having the I V sedation was AWESOME!  I woke up and it was all over. At least I am no longer having severe pain I was comparing to labor and I am able to use a straw with my tea again.

Good Holiday Memories

 The holidays are over and I'm left with a full heart and a smile on my face. My three sons and a girlfriend were home for Christmas, and what a Christmas it was. Lot's of laughter, food, great conversations, and great movies.
I am left with a lot of motivation to finish many UFO's. One of them is to start another Christmas quilt as soon as possible. I was very pleased with the first machine quilted quilt I made in the beginning of December. I knew that if I was to finish a Christmas quilt I had to do something very simple, which actually turned out very nice. Now, that I know I can machine quilt I'm pretty sure I can finish many of my UFO's.  I still can't believe it took me so long to try machine quilting. I will still hand quilt but only the quilts I give to very special people who will appreciate my work.

Christmas Quilt Progress In Videos

I am filming my progress on the 2010 Christmas quilt I started a few weeks ago if anyone wants to see it. I have posted 3 videos on my Youtube channel if anybody is interested. I'll be doing that with every quilt I make from now. It does take time and it can be difficult doing it by myself but it has also been fun. You can also fine the first video on the left of this blog. You really can't miss it. This is the first quilt I machine quilt using the meandering quilting design and I am totally hooked on it. I'm already 2/3's finished with the quilt and that's because I have only quilted about two hours a day due to a bad back. I used the 505 spray and that stuff really really works! It worked so well I accidentally sprayed some on my flip flop and my foot got stuck to it. I love not messing with pins of any kind but I think I will still thread baste the quilts I hand quilt. I enjoy hand quilting too much to stop doing it completely.
2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 1


2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 2

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 3

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 4

2010 Christmas Quilt-Video 5
Notice how the quilt top is getting bigger.

Meandering Machine Quilting

I am am machine quilting a queen size quilt and I love it! I used the 505 basting spray and let me tell you that stuff really works.

Two Months Worth Of Posting

I have been so busy since my last post in August. I am happy to have been struck with an endless supply of creative energy. I have also been gallivanting all over the place with my good friend Lila. We have  both been shopping, she, for  her trip to Colorado later this month, which is the time her first grandson will be born. I am so happy and excited for her. I have been shopping for my  Thanksgiving and Christmas projects.
The following are pictures of some of the things I have done in the last two months.

This is a Christmas  quilt top I will be machine quilting with a meandering design. I was going to make an applique Christmas quilt but then realize I wouldn't finish it for Christmas. This was so easy making with 14" blocks. I'm using a red flannel for the backing and using basting spray for the first time so wish me luck. I'm now looking for a red bed skirt that I can't seem to find in any store.

 This was a quick Christmas blanket I made last week. I just had to buy the fabric when I saw the characters from the classic movie Rudolph Red Nose Raindeer.  I just put some sateen bias tape on the edge to give it a more traditional blanket look. I though about being under this blanket while watching the movie :)

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 This is Sam Moon, a store in Houston with nothing but purses, totes, wallets, and carry on bags. It's huge and you need money and time when you go there because you're gonna want more than 

 one purse and you'll spend more than two hours seeing all the purses. My friend Lila and I spent 3 hours in that store. I bought a purse, carry on bag and a beautiful wrap.

 This is an Herb bread that my family and I love. It is so good I can't even tell you. There's only one rising to this bread and that's what I like about it. It's even better toasted.  I add rosemary, tarragon, and sweet basil. The aroma while the bread is baking is heavenly.

 I was shopping at the bookstore in October and saw this book and my first reaction was,"What the hell have they done to Dick and Jane."  I was disgusted!  Why couldn't they leave this little characters alone?!

 Apple Dumplings. These babies are so good and so easy to make. I really mean super easy. Here link from where I got the recipe. Just click on the highlighted link and it will take you to the recipe.   I didn't use the whole can of Sprite I only used half and I only used on stick of butter.

A Creed concert I went to with my son in late August. I loved it!!!!! My son knows I like Creed and I was so surprised when he invited me to go along.