A UFO is finished; new projects too :0)

Today started to be a "putz" day for me, tidying up the sewing area after creating all the Christmas projects and NOT having cleaned up between any of them. And, while tidying, I came across a huge bag of pinned fabric that my MIL had given me months ago for me to quilt up for her. They are "make-shift" table runners that she made up using some fabrics she got on clearance somewhere. I have no idea how that bag could have gone "forgotten," but it did, and I feel bad that I haven't gotten them back to her.

So-----for a couple hours this morning, I practiced some FMQ; standard stipple, star meanders, heart meanders, and then I call this one the "star-ripple." I like this "ripple" look and haven't done it before, but sure will start using it more often! I still have a stack of "practice runners" to go yet, but lunch break took me away from my machine.


After lunch, I was still motivated to be in "quilt-mode," but not for the table runners anymore. So, I saw Andrea's Garden hanging over the back of a spare bed downstairs and figured....sure! It was time to finish up a UFO! After about an hour of prep, it was under the machine, "RIPPLE" quilt pattern, of course. I was able to quilt mostly uninterrupted since Candace had fallen asleep and the other two kept themselves "busy" with a movie and their Littlest Pet Shop collection.

A few hours later, with binding sewn on, a UFO sees a finish! (Almost---label yet to be added, but that will come later when I have some more waiting for labels).




Last Saturday, I visited the LQS for show-n-tell of the Christmas projects. Deb (owner) loves it when customers bring in finished projects----she was quite amazed (as many) how I get so much accomplished being a mom and teacher, but......well......I'm no different than anyone else. Quilting is a priority to me; almost like "mental exercise" that is so important; so I use whatever time I have available to keep that one of the top priorities of my life (right up there with family)!

Anyway---as always, I only had intentions of buying maybe a few FQ's, but she had this wallhanging up in a corner, and I LOVED IT! AND----it was only $38.99 for a 54"x54" project, and I couldn't resist--I bought it! Here-n-there throughout the week, I've been piecing it together; most of it being pieced on Tuesday when I was home "sick." I put the final borders on this morning before I decided to tidy up, and it now awaits quilting. Hmmm....maybe tomorrow. This wallhanging will find a final home on the wall above the piano, which right now hold a SMALL 12"x15" family picture, OUTDATED!

I saved a dollar & QUIET house......

Hey.....wait.......shhhhhhhhhhhh............you hear that?????








ME EITHER! It's silent! No #1 being bossy; no #2 whining; no #3 tattling on the other two.........I'm FREEEEEEE----------
Grandma and Grandpa left at 11:00 on Sunday for a 2-week "journey" with them....*giggle*
Now naturally I will MISS them dearly, BUT I am enjoying some selfish "me" time! I do have a funny story about "Scolding Grandma," but I only have a few minutes this morning, so I'll save that for a later post......

My Math Grant class started yesterday and I arrived back to the school's bus garage around 4:30. Short story here......Sunday night, Paul asked to use my car for Monday. He dropped me off at the bus garage yesterday morning (there are 4 of us taking this class, so we are driving the school's van every day.) However, Tthis meant I would have no ride back home from the garage at the end of the day. However, he suggested (jokingly, as a last resort) if I could simply run home.......my response to that: BRILLIANT! He thought my reaction was sarcastic, but I was being serious! It's only 5 miles and since I hadn't run on Saturday NOR Sunday, it was perfect. So after running home and cooling down with a quick shower, I headed downstairs (WHERE ELSE?!?!?) I know the title of this post says I saved a dollar, but that story will have to wait until tonight....related to this run home!! :0)

I really didn't have a set project in mind, either. I had finished the OC Saturday, and had started auditioning backings for Andrea's Garden (AG), hoping to knock that one of my list! I went downstairs, looked around, and found pieces of 2 more Oklahoma Backroads (OB) blocks that I had started, but set aside once I started Cathy's Aunt Sukey. So, I pieced them together----and then feeling inspired to finish piecing OB, I needed space on my carpet, which was currently housing Andrea's Garden and the backing. So.......I took a quick "time-out" to snip, cut, and piece the AG backing. And naturally, once the backing was pieced and ironed, it made NO SENSE to fold it back up only to get wrinkled again.......Upstairs I went to tape it down on the living room floor. Back down I went to grab some batting......having no large pieces anymore, I spent the next 30 minutes arranging "left-overs" and whip-stitching them together. That finished, I laid the complete sandwich out upstairs, which is where it stil is.

So...back downstairs to work more on the OB. HOWEVER, upon grabbing the blocks to begin laying them out, I saw the stacks of the Around the Raggedy World (AtRW) quilt that I started last week, and KNEW I had been lucky so far that the piles were still intact! (They are all stacked in the proper order for sewing). So......I bit the bullet and finished piecing them together, which REALLY didn't take all that long....only about an hour. So this baby has now joined the upstairs projects; I'm about half done ragging the edges and I hope to finish tonight (Tuesday).

So.....that's about it.....I'm sitting here with about another 10 minutes before needing to head out for today's class. The good news: I should be home-home around 4:00!!!! That only means LOTS of quilting time again tonight! My goals: quilt AG and finish ragging the AtRW!

Happy quilting!