UFO - 20 / Me - 5

I finished a UFO. I promised myself to do one a month and this was June's --- and on the last day of the month too. That means I need to start July's UFO tommorrow?
I did this little piece to practice that darn diagonal setting. I'm working on some 4th of July themed pieces this week so stay tuned for some patriotic posts!

So I didn't get as much sewing done as I thought I would this week. I spent alot of time playing this game with my kids - it's addictive and very fun - kind of like a quick paced scrabble. The pictures aren't too good, but notice the Moda oilcloth that I have on my porch table. With the price of gas, if you were running errands and were driving past a quilting shop you would stop in right? - it would be a waste of gas not to. On Tuesday I was at one of my favorite shops and I thought the customer at the counter looked familar and it was Katie from My Sandbox (she has a picture on her blog). You can visit her blog for a good description of the meeting. My Sandbox
I was really thrilled at meeting her. And her stepdaughter had the most charming New Zealand accent. I was so caught up that I almost forgot to pick my DD#2 up from Drivers Ed.

key ring

Lynnette Anderson is having a give-away. If you've never been to her blog - you need to go - it is a fun place to visit. If you post a picture of your favorite key ring you can enter to win one of her new "woof" patterns. So here is mine: I've had this little brass bear for about 25 years. I also am posting a picture of DD#1's key ring because it's cute.

catching up

I'm trying to play catch-up and get a few projects up to date. I finished the latest star block from Crazy Mom Quilts. Also I am working on my pin cushion for the swap and my LQS bom. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have lots to show.

I won .... but

My LQS challenge won 2nd place! But only 2 people entered. Oh well - I get a $50 gift certificate to spend there, which really thrills me.

LQS challenge

I made this for a challenge at my LQS. The fabric looks like a jumble of old tins. I had it for a few weeks before I could decide what to do with it. I used old family photos and copied them on to fabric transfer paper. DD#2 helped me with the computer part - scanning them in. So next up is my pincushion swap.

graduation

It has been a busy week here. DD#1 graduated from high school. We've had lots of family time, also a swim meet and a baseball game, and some relatives visiting. I really am itching to get into my sewing room. DD#2 finished middle school and DS finished his first year of middle school. They both deserved recognition for jobs well done so we had little parties for them. Which means lots of ice cream cake this week. So for today here is a picture of the graduate and siblings. And right now I'm headed off for a few minutes of sewing.

this is why I don't get anything done

I have tons of sewing to do. I have tons of cleaning to do. I have tons of gardening to do. I broke my sunglasses and the only way for them to be fixed was to super glue them. It's hard to sew, clean, or garden with your finger glued to your glasses. Anyway, after a long search for nail polish remover (DD1 & DD2 were all out) and a one-handed internet search for a solution - I freed myself. At least I had the presence of mind to take a picture using some gorgeous fabric as a back drop. Do other people fritter their time away like I do?

Some help please, or the whole OC may end up going to the land of unwanted quilts - my daughter's dorm room

Uh-oh - I laid out my OC blocks and I really don't like them together. I mean look at these blocks next to each other. What was I thinking? Maybe 2 seperate quilts with the blocks, but the green/purple combination is too much for me. Any suggestions?

UFO's - 21 / Me - 4

Today's Maggie alert: Took Maggie swimming very early this morning. Brought her home, went out and planted flowers, came in and found Maggie on the sofa, which is damp and doggie smelling now - ugh. What was I thinking?
Here are my finished UFO's for May (I have pledged to complete 1 UFO per month). I quilted these a long time ago. They are for charity, I was given the colored blocks. All I had to do was bind them. It only took 2 years. Honestly, I was feeling bad about my machine quilting and put them aside. Well, they are all done - not perfect, but done and given away. I think I need something quick for June. I am doing a few swaps and a contest at my LQS. I also want to finish Quiltville's Orange Crush mystery quilt.

Here's my question: What is a UFO? Something that has been started or should I also include a project that I bought the fabric or wool for and just didn't begin yet?
I think there are three catagories: UFO, WIP and maybe haven't started yet. I need to tame my impulsive side when I go to the quilt shops or read quilt magazines.

Today I'm taking DD#1 shopping for some clothes which she really needs, and buy more flowers. Not a good start for taming my impulsive side - oh well - maybe tommorrow.

Here's my kangaroo block from Lynette Anderson's blog. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out. She has some wonderful patterns, and is doing a Noah's Ark block of the month. She also has been treating visitors to her blog with some beautiful travel pictures.

I bought some flowers yesterday at the farmers market. It has suddenly gotten quite hot here, so I want to get these planted and watered this morning. Also take Maggie for a walk and a swim before it gets much hotter today.

My friend the seam ripper

My best friend is the seam ripper. We spend a lot of time together. I was chain piecing last night. Just 5 blocks, and this is what I came up with. I could have sworn that they were all laid out correctly. Not one but three blocks. Arrrghhh.
Well, I'm going to the garden center and the quilt shop - that'll show those darn blocks!

pleasantness

I worked on this during back to back baseball games this weekend. I also started a UFO binding, which I hope to have finished tonight. I enjoy working with wool and although I usually don't do a lot of primitive, I like the way this turned out. I'll need to find a frame for it, it is an odd size. I thought if I diplayed it in an obvious place in the house, it may encourage pleasantness and discourage sibling bickering.