OPAM February finish

 

My OPAM for February is finally finished and hanging on the dining room wall.  I am pleased with how it turned out...I used all Jo Morton fabrics from my stash.  It was a fun quilt to make!  I had hoped to have more finished this month, but it did not happen.  I have a few tops  that are ready to quilt, so I guess I had better get started!  I think I like the piecing part of quilting the best, guess that explains all the quilt tops waiting to be quilted.  But there is only so much time in the day!  Better get going, get some housework done so I can do a bit of sewing.  My son is in town, so I think we will be going to lunch later on.  TGIF!

Where the buffalo roam

Whew!  It has been a bit busy since I last posted.  Last weekend, I spent a wonderful weekend at the Liberty Quilt Retreat in Lawrence, Kansas at the Circle S Ranch.  We were way out in the country, where the buffalo roam as you can see by the picture! It was a cold, dreary, snowy, rainy weekend, perfect to sit in front of the fireplace and sew all weekend!   There were 28 of us plus Jo Morton and Terry Clothier Thompson.  We cut one inch strips and made courthouse steps blocks.  The finished size of the quilt is totally up to each of us, and as Jo stated, it makes a nice on-going project.  I managed to make 28 blocks, and at this point I don't know how many I want to make.  They are fun little 5-inch blocks....rather addictive.  Can't make just one!   Here are a couple of pictures of how some of the gals put together their blocks. 

This is Judi, don't you love the cheddar?   Looks so antique.

And this is Joan from Houston, a newbie to our retreat.  Isn't this a cute little quilt?

And here is Jo Morton peeking around one of her courthouse steps quilts. Don't you love the plaid?

It was a great weekend!

When I came back on Sunday, we went to see Riverdance...awesome and amazing!

While at the retreat, I recieved sad news that my mother-in law had died.  She had been in very poor health for some time, and I know she is much happier to be with her husband and sons.  She will be greatly missed, she had a huge heart!

The best love

"The best love is the kind that weakens the soul,

that makes us reach for more,

that plants a fire in our hearts and peace in our minds." 

from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I am so blessed...I have a loving husband and great children and grand-children. 

 Who could ask for more?

When my first husband died 10 years ago from renal cell cancer, I thought I would be on my own and alone for the rest of my life.  I had married my high-school sweetheart and we were happily married for 29 years.  At the time, I thought that one only gets one chance at true love, and I had mine.  Not true, God had other plans and I am so grateful that He did.  Eight years later, He put Jim in my life.  And I am so glad He did!

He FILLS my life with GOOD THINGS.

                                                                  ~Psalm 103:5

My beautiful children and grandchildren....the other "loves" in my life!

Hope your Valentines Day is filled with love!

Free-motion....

I had the afternoon off, and I was able to get started quilting on my latest quilt.  I did a stipple over all of the blocks and in the borders, I am doing a free-motion feather design.  Doing the free-motion design in the border is a first for me...it is going much better than I had thought.  It should get easier the more I practice.  The other day, I purchased these nifty little gloves called "Machingers".  They really do help grasp the fabric, and are very comfortable. 

This and that...

I wish I could say that I have finished somthing, but I can't.  I did get my quilt, "On Eagle's Wings" pinned and ready to start machine quilting.  My goal is to have it ready to take with me to my quilt retreat on the 18th of February.  I've also started cutting one inch strips for the workshop we are doing with Jo Morton at the retreat.  She is going to teach a class called "Steps From the Past" using a 5 inch Courthouse Steps block.  It will be fun making this block with all of her wonderful reproduction fabrics.  I have no idea how large I will make this quilt....I'll just keep going until I have something I like.  I am so looking forward to the retreat...hope the weather holds and it won't be treacherous getting there!
On Saturday, my husband and I traveled north to visit my mom, then to the nursing home to visit my mother-in-law.  On the way back to the city, we made a slight detour to visit Country Expressions Quilt shop.  It is a neat shop and she has done a wonderful job with presentation....lots of eye candy and inspiration!  I purchased a charm pack and a new book.... "The Civil War Quilt Diary". 

And here is another little quilt, "Tobacco Road" and of course it is chock full of Jo Morton fabrics. When I first began quilting, I would never have thought I would be able to combine so many different colors and patterns and have the quilt turn out so wonderful.  Now scrap quilts are my favorite, especially using any reproduction fabrics.  That's Max, our 8 year old cat. She thinks any quilt is fair game for her to lay on and take a nap!  Oh those darn cat hairs...but I wouldn't give her up for anything!

Bitten by a Schnibble bug

It seems that I have been bitten by a Schnibble bug!  I purchased a Schnibble pattern and a two charm packs, Old Primrose Inn by Blackbird designs.  I think I would have been able to finish it yesterday or today, but other things came along!  One of those was a delightful day with my 19 month old grandson, Jack.  He is really turning into a mimic, trying out lots of new words.  I really do love being a gramma!  I am so blessed!

Today, Jim and I decided to install a new floor in our mudroom...and no it is not finished!  I had really hoped that we would get all of it done today.  Oh well.....

Here he is!  John is my great-nephew, and he just turned 9 months old.  Is he a cutie or what?  My niece was sweet and took pictures of John with his new quilt, so I could put it on my blog. 

I am in the process of making him another quilt with pictures of his daddy in it.  His daddy has been deployed to Haiti  with the US Navy, and will be gone for 6 months.  A worthy mission, but I know it is so hard on the families of our service men and women.  We need to keep all of them in our prayers.

We are headed to the RV show today, and I am sure that will give us a bigger case of cabin-fever!