This wet fall weather is not helping my allergies! I have year round allergies to a lot of things, like pollen, mold, grasses, weeds – you name it outside and it bothers my allergies. I wish it would dry out already! Rain yesterday when I drove to Little Rock for my doctor appointment. Nice today – but more rain coming for the next two days – give us a break already. My nose is runny and my eyes are itching – I will be glad to get over this little allergy spell.
I had a good visit with my daughter after my doctor appointment was over. It turned out it was her day off so we got to spend some time together. I can’t really say we did all that much other than having lunch. Neither of us are that much on shopping just to shop. We did go to a kitchen store so I could look for a few items for my kitchen and I found a few small things. We did spend a little time at Barnes & Noble just talking over a coffee and shared cheesecake 
yum
I have to start physical therapy this week for my neck pain. Turned out I twisted the muscles somewhat while I was painting that ceiling! My appointment with my rheumatologist was just a routine check but as soon as I mentioned pain in my neck he was feeling those muscles and having me turn my head this way and that and before you know it I was having a full series of x-rays for neck and leaving with an order for Physical Therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks and a muscle relaxer for 10 days! Glad to know that everything else was ok though! First session of PT is tomorrow afternoon.
Don’t forget to stop by Jackie’s blog “Canton Village Quilt Works” for her give away. She really has some nice items to give she is being so generous – I would want to keep it all for myself
I got a little more quilted last night on “Insanity”
One more pieced triangle to go - 1 corner - and one more plain !
I took a walk today at the lake – it was so nice after all the rainy weather we have had. I brought my camera along and got a couple fall photos.
Maples
birds on the lake - fall trees in background - I know what these birds are but the name escapes me at the moment
these are a type of cypress tree - I'm not sure how many varieties there are. These are small ones as you can see, the water is very close to them so I'm sure they get plenty of water. In the fall here the leaves are kind of brown
more fall color - you can see where this tree lost one of it's branches earlier in the year in one of the many storms we had.
Well I better get back to work on “Insanity” it is almost done!!
Jackie at Canton Village Quilt Works recently went to Houston for the quilt market held there each year. She is having a terrific give away. So generous! She is giving away fabric and a book – 5 winners if I read the entry right. Jackie has a long arm quilting business and from what I have seen of her work on her blog she does it wonderfully. I once told her that if I ever decide I need to get one of my quilts machine quilted (I’m a hand quilter) I’m sending it to her.
It looks like all of the new fabric lines that are coming out are going to be so great. I’ve seen quite a few blogs lately telling about what they saw at Houston and photos that have been posted. The designs and patterns are great.
So run on over to Jackie’s blog and see what she has –
Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe is having a give away of quilt fabric. I’m not sure where I heard about it but I have put that site on my google reader to see what all they have for awhile. Go on over and see what they have to give away – you will be pleased.
I finished the Baltimore Bliss 4th block. I need to look at the patterns and see which one I’m doing next. I don’t actually have them in order any more from when I printed them out. I think there are 2 or 3 more patterns to come out still. I intend to make all 12 blocks but right now I’m not sure if they will all go in one quilt top or two. I’m thinking of maybe using 6 and put on point with sashing between for 2 different quilts.
Baltimore Bliss block #4 out of the 12 that with the quilt pattern.
Would anyone happen to have this plaid fabric I have been using in these blocks or know where I can purchase it on line? I have a little left and wanted to use it in most of the 12 blocks but might not be able to at this rate. I only have a little left. If anyone has some they are willing to part with we can make a trade of some sort? I believe I got it when I purchased some “Timeless Treasure” fabric by 3 Sisters several years ago, I don’t know if it was the same designer that did this one. I looked on line and can’t find it anywhere.
I will leave the next block though for a day or two and get back to work on “Insanity” my Dear Jane quilt tonight. Only a little more than half a row left to quilt! I should have a photo tomorrow of the progress.
I have taken the day off from painting like I said I was going to. I will continue that tomorrow or the next I’m taking a wait and see approach! I was outside today off and on – it was so nice outside. I dug up more bulbs that needed separating. There was of course more than I thought there was and now need to figure out where to put them! I will probably try to do that this weekend.
The knitting on the scarf is coming along nicely – I have had to unravel a couple rows now and then and then reload onto the knitting needles as I will occasionally find I have dropped a stitch. Over all though it is is growing!!
The blue wool scarf
Thanks to all about your nice comments on my health. Overall I do great most of the time, I tend to overdo at times with physical activity and then pay for it!! I think a lot of us with health issues (and increasing age ) do that – we like to think we are superwoman and then we get a reminder from aches and pains that we aren’t LOL
Kari from New Jersey whose blog is “Little Gray Dog” is the winner of the give away. Kari e mail me at k@pddoc.com and give me your address and your package will get in the mail soon. Congratulations. I will be having more give aways in the upcoming months as I have more books and quilting items to pass on that I no longer want or have duplicates of – the basket still has a lot of things in it.
First I want to thank all of you that have stopped by to enter into the give away – and thank you to all that have blogged on your blog about it. I have had several ask if “foreigners” are allowed — yes you all are welcome. Good luck to all of you. Remember if you still want to enter–the drawing will be held on October 7th. Please enter on the blog post that I started for it yesterday.
Finally I have been making some progress on my first Dear Jane quilt “Insanity”. I have been busy quilting the last two days and have six more blocks completed. I’m not sure if I started photo’s at the correct spot but I believe I have picked up from where I left off before traveling to Colorado and Wisconsin the month of September. I’m getting excited the end is drawing near!! only 2 rows and one border row left plus a little on this row #K. I hope to be done quilting within a couple weeks so that I can get my Christmas Baltimore Album quilt on the frame. If I mainly only work on that in the upcoming months I just might be able to have it for part of or all of the Christmas season — if not it will be added the Christmas spirit to my quilting room
Row K (#11) Blocks 6 & 7
Row K blocks #8 & 9
Row K # 10 & 11
Continue reading about Back to “Insanity” (Dear Jane) (Give Away continues)
I promised a give away and here it is. I didn’t think I would be ready to do this until later but it didn’t take long at all. I went through my sewing room back in August when I remodeled and found so many duplicate items, books not being used ect. I have a basket full of things. For this give away there is a Christmas Book of patterns, a package of Thangles (possible some where used but it looks full to me) a necklace pendant that you can bring on the plane with you when flying to cut threads – would you believe I have 3 of them – one I bought – others were given to me and last but not least a 6 1/2 inch square ruler. I will include a couple fat quarters or pieces of fabric that I do not want any more – taste change you know — what I do not like someone else might. Fabric will be a surprise as I haven’t picked it out yet.
the give away items
The rules:
1 – leave me a comment and make sure I have your e mail address to let you know if you have won – that gives you one chance.
2- post on your blog about it also and it will give you two chances.
Drawing will be one week from today – October 7th.
The top is finished!! and it only took me since February to make it – 180 hours total. Not bad considering I worked on other projects at the same time. It isn’t hanging really well here where I took the photo, but I couldn’t get it to hang any better. I have a curtain rod that I keep hung up above the closet doors on the end of the sewing room and then put it to that but 
then I can’t get a straight shot without one end of the quilting frame in the way. Then when I was cropping the photo a little I noticed that the pull cord knob of the ceiling fan is dangling in the way. The next photo will be when I am working on it after it goes on the quilting frame. Hopefully that will be by the end of October so I can get it quilted in time for Christmas.
It sure was nice working in a nice clean reorganized room today. I was so busy though finishing up the 4th border and then sewing the borders on to the quilt that I didn’t work on anything else. I do plan to work on Dear Jane “Insanity” tonight when I get done with this.
I managed to get this basket full of items for future give away’s – books, rulers, patterns, notions, etc. I never realized how many duplicates I have of different items. Next giveaway will be when we return from our vacation, not enough time to concentrate on it right now. I will most likely have a give away every other month for a little while to get rid of these things! Even though I don’t want them I’m sure there are others who would like them. (the basket is not part of the give away, I have had that one for awhile and will keep it )
Thanks for all the comments on my sewing room I had so many e mails and comments of how nice you all thought it looked. Now I must get busy with “Insanity” – talk to you all later!
Elaine is having another give away, she just had one a short while ago and had fun with it and decided to do another. I’m cleaning out my sewing room and just might come up with some things to have another one myself this fall.
It was actually nice outside yesterday, dark & cloudy which meant the temperatures 
stayed down in the mid 80’s. Much better than the 90’s. I still got some quilting done though off and on yesterday and then this morning as well.
I have six more blocks finished on “Insanity” (Dear Jane) and have Row I (#9) almost finished!! Maybe that row will be finished tomorrow. It depends on how much I get myself doing on it tonight. I normally like sitting outside in the evenings but lately the mosquitoes have driven me. I can only spray so much and when they keep attacking it is time to call it a night and go inside.
The zipper broke on my Omnigrid black tote bag that I normally use for storing the Dear Jane blocks in progress and keep all that is needed to work with it stored inside. I saw these plastic boxes at Joanne’s when I visited the store last week but didn’t need them 
at the time – the zipper was still working at that time a couple days later it broke. I had been having trouble with it for awhile so it wasn’t a surprise. After all I have had the omnigrid bag for four years now and it has traveled a bit and has been overstuffed at times! I could have gotten another to replace the original but I got the two boxes for less then the price of one black bag (on sale). I think with the clear boxes I will be able to grab what I need easier.
I went ahead and ordered two of the boxes and they came today. Two boxes to keep two different projects organized. It should work out ok I think. And, they were on sale! I keep a 12 1/2 inch square ruler and sandpaper board inside to help keep the squares flat while I work on them and have a piece of felt that sticks to the sandpaper board. It all works out really well. I might go ahead and get another sandpaper board set and ruler for the second box as well.
For those who have noticed I do tend to get a lot of work done on the quilts when it is hot outside – I tend to wilt outside in the heat and I do not get much done so better to be inside for part of the day.
I now have 3 of the borders done on the Christmas Baltimore Album quilt. It has been so hot the last couple of days that I have been in the house more than normal and therefore getting a bit of applique and quilting done.
In the photo of the Christmas quilt I need to turn one of the borders around as I 
realize the greenery is pointing downwards on two borders and up on one if you see what I mean. I will need to remember to check that when I sew the borders on to the quilt.
On the “Insanity” quilt I have 6 more blocks quilted! Yes I have been in the house a bit. I tend to wilt in the afternoon when it gets in the 90’s and have not been out on the 
porch much the last two days other than first thing in the morning. Evening the evening is not pleasant outside, I think it was still 80 degrees last night when we went to bed. This morning it was 75 when we got up. The mosquitoes have been horrible all summer and we have been going through one can after another of repellent.
The top right photo are blocks #1 and 2 on Row I. The photo on the bottom left are blocks # 3 and 4. The blocks on the bottom right are # 5 and 6. I think my block photo’s are not perfectly clear as I can’t see all the quilting that I put in to them the block with the purple “windows” # 3 does have quilting in the sashing areas and the block #6 has quilting in the brown area that doesn’t appear in the photo. My little digital camera does not do close ups well.
A give away at Marie-Madeline Studio is under way – they are giving away a pretty pink/blue quilt if you want in on the action get on over there!
A give away at p.s.i. quilt is going on, run on over and see what Rachel has to offer.
And another give away at Mama Spark’s World. Go on over and see what she has to offer.
So many give aways lately – they are always nice to see and always nice to win!
Today a friend and I traveled about 35 miles over to another town (Clarksville) to see a quilt shop that we had heard had opened. I had never gone to her shop before – she started out a few years ago in her garage and then moved “up” to a shop. The inventory is not real extensive but she hopes to add more things as she can. For those of you over in Johnson County, Arkansas and near by here is her web site if you haven’t been to the shop. Sew Kountry Fabrics. I got lucky and she had the exact same red batik that I am using in my second Dear Jane “Insanity Revisited” I think 
I have enough of the fabric but when you are making a quilt that you know will take you several years to complete it is always nice to have a little extra for “just in case” — you know what I mean the scissors slip, you cut wrong – you do a block wrong and have to do it over – those kinds of just in case! With these two extra yards my mind will be more at ease
I also got two different kinds of neutrals – one is a very white and the other is more of a white with a bit of beige and very light gray in it. These two will go really well with scraps for scrap quilts. I am hoping that she will be adding more batiks and moda marbles to her selections and of course a whole lot more 
notions as she was really low on that. It was nice to see what she had though and find a few things that I wanted.
Last night I got busy and quilted more blocks on “Insanity” and I am getting towards the end of another row! It is moving along quickly once I set my mind to it. The block on the left is Row H block 9 and the photo on the right is block 8 & 7.
