Life is good!

This one was a LONG time in the works, and I'm so glad it's finally finished!  It's Ruby, Pearl and Opal, but I'm calling it my version of Fur Elise.  The pattern is from the Moda Bakeshop, an older one, but I always liked it.  This was my first attempt at participating in a quilting bee, and let's just say it did NOT go well.  I sent out 12 squares, and only nine came back.  To this day I have no idea where the last three went, so even though the original pattern was 4x5 blocks, mine is only 4x4.  There was some questionable sewing on the blocks that came back, too.  Even though I requested white or light neutral thread, one came back with a dark forest green...  I had to take one apart and put it back together to get it to be the proper size, too.  I can see why bees are fun, but hopefully I can get in one with some more experienced quilters next time.  Any advice there is much appreciated!    The quilting is a nice...

A finish to report!  This is Toes in the Sand, a FQS Block of the Month, using the Jaybird Quilts Hex-n-More ruler.  It was definitely a fun project, and it involved lots and lots of IRONING with STARCH.  Just look at all those bias edges...  It's the PB&J fabric line - this is the one I chose as my color inspiration for my basement family room, so of course I have to have at least a couple of quilts from it to toss over various pieces of [old and tattered] furniture.  This definitely adds some much needed color to my 15 year old brown couch.   My dear friend Tammy sent me these labels many years ago, after I dared to make a baby quilt for her little boy and give it to her with no label.   The back is various pieces of yardage from the line.  Makes it a fun one! The sun was bright on picture day!  And the grass needed to be mowed.  This one I'm definitely keeping for me.  It's already made lots of forts, b...

My family recently started an equinox walk tradition.  When all the roads are exactly lined up on the cardinal directions, on the equinoxes the sun sets smack in the middle of the road.  When the road is quiet and rural, you can walk directly into a beautiful sunset.  Yesterday was no exception.   We set off down the road with about 15 minutes to spare before sunset.  The little ones sometimes decide that riding is more fun than walking...  Luckily, there is no shortage of willing shoulders on which they can hitch a ride.   Dad's field had cornstalk bales this year, and the kids got a lesson in teamwork as they boosted each other up to the top.  Nothing makes you feel tall like jumping up an down on top of a big bale!  At least when you're 8.   And the timeless game of pretending the corn stalks are jail bars, and breaking your way out.  I definitely did that as a kid, too.  ...

I had hoped that with the kids starting school, I'd be able to get more sewing in, but alas, that hasn't happened so far.  I sometimes feel like I haven't stopped moving since the bus pulled up.  Some of it I'm not complaining about - a visit home from Marc, and trip to the Ozarks with my sister, for example.  But I keep saying I hope we get into a routine, and it just seems hard!  This is Stardust.  I started in a quilt-along, and suffice to say the rest of the group is finished and I'm still here.  I joined in for a couple of reasons, even though I figured I'd end up way behind.  It's a paper pieced pattern (Tula Pink!) and I love paper piecing, and haven't done any in ages.  It's fat quarter friendly, and I have tons of batik fat quarters that I have been saying need to be used up.  But one of the primary reasons is that I figured it would push me out of my comfort zone, and boy, was I right. This pattern is ALL ABOUT the color pl...