What Has Been Going On

 

As you know I was planning on doing this blog last night, but my 2 year old grandson what at my house when I got home from work, so I had to spend a lot of time with him.  After dealing with him a getting him in the bed, I fell a sleep.

So this is what I have been doing since I last blogged about my Caleb’s Class Retreat.  The weekend after the retreat in the middle of the week I took time to hang with my girls Charlene and Pat and other bus riding people to crews down the river and to eat crabs.

The trip was to Hurdock, MD and the peddle boat took us down Cabin Creek river.  The food was good and the carbs nice a meaty.  We were at Suicide Bridge Restaurant, were there is a great stories about the bridge and the suicides that happen.  I did not what to be one of the stories so I stayed off the bridge.

After this nice little on day trip, that weekend I had a family reunion down in Fredericksburg, VA, did not take many pictures of the family, put we did talk about me doing a family quilt for each head-of –the family (at cost).  During the ride down there and back, I worked on the binding for the black & white and was able to finish up coming up the road (no I was not driving).

Summer League bowling has come to an end and tonight is the Banquet.  Looking forward to that and hanging with a couple of my other girlfriends.  Wait until you see the pictures from that tomorrow.

Well I have to go and get dressed, so I will blog you tomorrow early because I plan to hit the sewing room if I can.

The Slow Quilter 

Confession Of A Quilt Blogger

For give me bloggers for I have sin (well not really, but I could use a little sin in my life).  My last blog was 16 days ago (could that be a sin in the blogging world?).  I have not been in my sewing room or played with my over the hill stash of fabric (now that is down right criminal).  I have neglected visiting other bloggers and leaving comments (shame on me).  I have not joined any blog hops (dame, I need to meet new bloggers and up my followers).  So what has brought me to this UN-Godly breach of blogging etiquette (is there such thing as blogging etiquette?)?  Just running around busy I guess.  Going to work every day and coming home to fall in the bed.  Just not feeling up to thinking anymore about anything.  I have a name for all this the Blogger/Quilter Blues.

This is nothing unique in the blogging world (or is it), we all come down with this sooner or latter.  I have only been blogging for about 8 months, almost everyday.  There is no cure for it, we seem to snap back and get going like nothing has happen.  We are back in the game again.

Well since there is no solution to this condition (if you can really call this a condition), I must come out of the slump and get back on track, and this little blog is the one to do it.  I AM BACK !!!!

I have a lot to share with you on what I have been doing and what I will be working on for the rest of the year.  So until tomorrow (YES my followers I will be blogging tomorrow) as I go downstairs and play with my fabric.

The Slow Quilter  out of the Quilt Blogger Blues (good name for a new blog?????)

Caleb’s Class Retreat

Hello:  Sorry I have been MIA, but I am back on the scene with new projects in the wings.
My bible class (Caleb) went on a retreat down in Sterling, VA for the weekend.  It was spiritual, knowledgeable and very enjoyable.

The first night was a meet and greet in our teacher’s room Lynn Freeman.  We were greeted at the door with Hugs and Kisses chocolate drops from Liz Queen (far right) and a welcome by Robin Yeldell (center), also presented to us by Lynn was a gift of a t-shirt with the class name and bible verse “Give Me This Mountain” Joshua 14:12 along with a copy of the Amplified Bible (I have been wanting a copy of this bible, but have not hand the funds to get a copy, OH GOODY).



And what is a meet and greet without food.
We had a great night, put turned in early since we were having a sunrise service 6:30 that morning.

During our early morning worship, Lynn was reading a scripture of all Gods creatures and look who joined us for the worship but one of God’s creature a duck.  After the worship we were given rocks to paint to symbolize God’s earth.


I would like to go on and on about the retreat, put this would be a very long blog so I will take you over to my presentation.  There was not any set agenda, but all of us gave a presentation and it was amazing how everything present just fell into place.  My presentation was about documenting this retreat with a quilt.  I made signature blocks before I left home, but did not have a real presentation other then passing out the blocks and asking the members to write what they feel.  While we were at breakfast something just came to me that I could read to represent not only the quilt but the feel of the day.  I read “A Quilt of Holes”, the poem has always touched my heart and was appropriate for the presentation.

I am hoping to finish this quilt by September when our Sunday School class will meet again.  It will be the signature blocks along with pictures from the retreat.

Caleb’s Class

I Believe In The Power of Pray.

The Slow Quilter

Bills/Money/B&W Binding

It is the first of the month (first pay day of the month) and time to pay the bills.  Do you every feel like just covering up your head turn over and never think of another bill again.  Every pay day I have this withdraw symptom (the withdraw of my bank account) mortgage, electricity, water, gas and phone (landline and cell).  It is a wonder I have anything left to buy any fabric (I am crying here).  And don’t get me started on helping my son pay back student loans, it is a wonder I have any money at all.
After going through this depression, I could not even think about quilting anything.  As I was sitting up in my room, thinking about not doing a blog, I looked over in the corner spotted the two bags of fabric I brought up working on my NYB blocks, so I thought I would look through the bags and straight out the fabrics. I found the bag with the black & white strips from my Wickedly Easy quilt.  When making a Wickedly Easy quilt you have these 2-1/2” strips left over to do the binding. So since I was in my room I just pulled over the sewing machine and started connecting the strips for the binding.


All of the strips from the Wickedly Easy are sewed straight across, I sewed the strips together in a angle, pressed and rolled it up on my handy-dandy tube ready for sewing on to the quilt.



Now I have accomplished something for the day other then paying the bills.  Tomorrow I might even sew this on the quilt.  I am going on a Bible class retreat on Friday and need to make signature blocks for that (planning on making a small picture quilt with bible verses).  I might take the Wickedly Easy quilt along and finish sewing on the binding.  Hey, if someone likes it I might sell it to them (need money for fabric).  Now it is time for me to get ready for work tomorrow, hit the bed and dream of dollar bills flying out the window or maybe buying more fabric.


Happy Bill Paying
The Slow/Broke/Need Money Quilter

BEWARE OF THAT UNDERWEAR DUST!

This was sent to me by one of my quilting friends, hope you enjoy. One evening a husband, thinking he was being funny, said to his wife, 'Perhaps we should start washing your clothes in 'Slim Fast'. Maybe it would take a few inches off of your butt!' His wife was not amused, and decided that she simply couldn't let such a comment go unrewarded. The next morning the husband took a pair of underwear out of his drawer.. 'What the heck is this?' he said to himself as a little 'dust' cloud appeared when he shook them out. 'Cathy', he hollered into the bathroom, 'Why did you put talcum powder in my underwear?' She replied with a snicker. 'It's not talcum powder; it's 'Miracle Grow'!

 

guys just never learn, do not piss off the woman

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My Wickedly Easy B&W Quilt

Well I have been running around all the blog hops to check out other bloggers projects such as:  If you have not check them out please do.

I promised to show you my Black & White Wickedly Easy Quilt that I sent out to have quilted.

 I’m not sure if you can see the quilting well in this, but it is beautiful.  The quilt is 72x87 with no boarder.  It was quilted by Barbara S. Bregman of Silver Spring, MD of Lupine Longarm Quilting and if you every what her to do any quilting for you, you can reach her at lupinelogarmquilting@ gmail.com or call 301-367-6142.  Thank you Barbara, I love it.

The is the largest quilt that I have ever done, and it was so easy to do.  If you have not tried a Wickedly Easy Quilt the pattern is free on the net and it comes in different sizes.  I have seen this quilt done by my fellow quilters in African fabric, batiks and others. I am thinking of digging in the fabric and doing another one.

My to do list for the Month is getting very long.

1.  Cut the binding out for the Wickedly Easy

2.  Finish the bag I started before I went on the trip.

3.  Start sewing on the bag that I cut out.

4.  Start on two bags for a church member.

5.  Get started on my Dot to Dot blog hop block.

6.  Catch up on my Craftsy BOM July, August and some other month I have to look for.

This list is not long, put I have some other things in my head that I need to get to before the end of next week.  I think I am well rested since I have been coming home and sleeping, so I should be ready to roll on Saturday.

So what are you working on?

The Busy, Sleepy, Lazy, Slow Quilter

 

 

The Great British Blog Hop

It is time for The Great British Blog Hop and I am really not prepared for it, put I will make do with what I have.  I am also no paper crafter so you will see a quilt in the process.

I would like to thank Sunshine Girl over at Sunshine Reflections for hosting this blog hop. It's great to get to know our fellow quilters over in the UK. Since getting back from the Detroit trip, I have been a little on the lazy/sleep side of the mountain and have not had time to get anything I wanted done. For this blog hop I want to represent the U.S. with a UK swing, but since I am just working on this tonight I do not have time.

I wanted to also celebrate the UK for hosting the 2012 Olympics in cloth with Prince William and Kate and the Queen Mother. But I will have to do an UFO that I need to complete.


I am working on a technique by Maria Elkins –Making Faces and chose a picture of my girlfriend Tracie’s daughter Chelle (I cannot find the the picture), put I do have the printout.


I outline the picture using a red pen and number the light to dark 1-4 and photo copied 4 more pictures.  I pick out my fabrics light-dark and ironed the steam-a-seam to the back of the fabric and cut out each layer that I marked. 



Here is the result, as you can see I forgot to flip the picture to a mirror image, but it still came out fine.  Only thing left to do is to quilt it.  This is my first try in this and if you know Sistah Stitch A lot, you know that she also uses this technique on some of her face quilts.  I do hope to use this for a picture of Prince William and Kate also soon.

Here is the schedule for the Great British Blog Hop.

 August 1st

Bernice

  Fishcake Random

Ally
Sam

Angela

August 2nd

Donna

Morti

Jak

Mrs Wookie

Amy E

Sunshine Girl

I hope you enjoyed my presentation, please stop by the other great blogs on this hop through Britain. Please feel free to leave a comment and to also follow me. Take some time and look through my past blogs you might just laugh your head off.

The Slow Quilter