Challenge Me!

I'm anxiously, impatiently waiting for the new season of Project Quilting. 10 more days. 

So, primed for a challenge, I've joined the Iron Craft challenge.... a new crafty challenge every week for a year.  No obligation to do all of them, just the ones you want to do.   The first challenge was posted today.
I'm still gathering materials for this one.  I can't find my hot glue gun.  Do I own one?  Can I seriously call myself a crafter if I don't own a hot glue gun? 

And I'm doing the "Make it WOW in 2011" challenge.  One challenge a week... items will be named that you must use for your project or a theme will be given.  The first challenge was posted yesterday.  I've started my project....

I'm looking for a third once-a-week challenge.  Anybody know of any?

I'm wondering if I can combine the Iron Craft and the WOW as a third challenge... make a third craft that follows the rules of both challenges.  It might not work all the time.  For instance, if the rules for one say "make a candle" and the other says "make a baby quilt", that might not safely go together. 
Unless I made a quilt for a fire-eating dragon baby.

Sisters

I wasn't able to travel to see my mom and siblings for Christmas Eve this year or for breakfast the Sunday after.    :(

But Tuesday my sisters made the nearly two hour drive (each way) to visit me!   :)

We talked,

 and ate,

 and laughed,

 and snacked

(they brought cookies and chips & dip

(almost like the kind Mom made when we were kids)

and more cookies),

 and played games,

and took a picture.

I so enjoyed their visit.

Thanks Col & Pat!  Love you!

Christmas Portraits

Christmas was noisy, chaotic, and lots of fun.  Just the way it's supposed to be.

This was the last time we were all together, which means it's been about 14 months. With the grandkids being so young, lots can change in that amount of time!   So we set up cameras - I think there were three digital cameras and one flip video camera - and hit the timer buttons and ran to sit down.  FUN!  I haven't seen what the kids got but two of my shots turned out.

After we ate and opened presents (not in that order!), the kids wanted to play picnic.  Go figure.

All Better or Sometimes You Need The Whole Picture

Here's the whole picture.  It's not my grandkids but a picture of my nieces and nephew... and it made me smile.

However, it doesn't look like it helped Wally the cat.

Love the picture this year (again!) Jim & Tina.  Nice job wrangling all those kids and critters.

I Can Relate!

I'll change my tune when the grandkids get here.

This is why I don't bake Christmas Cookies

I just can't roll them out.  Either it's too cold and hard, or too soft and sticky. Too much flour on the rolling surface, or not enough.  I tried powdered sugar too instead of flour... no better.  It's just not worth it!!!

Now to find another kind of cookie to make with the dough before I nibble on it until it is gone.

For A Friend

Update for kwiltmakr 

I used colored pencils to draw the scene and added minimal shading.

Next I machine embroidered the words.

Then I sandwiched the quilt and used (crude, amateur, just learning) thread painting to add more color and detail.  It still looked a little drab so, as a final touch, I filled and shaded with crayons.  I enjoyed the whole process and plan to make some more.

Amy's Quilts - Part 2

When I was first learning about quilting by watching Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, many of her guests would say "listen to the quilt".  While that sounded nice I thought they were nuts.  Now I know better.

This quilt said, loud and clear, "Light green. Lots of loops but not in the squares. Stars in the squares, please."

I listened.

No Doubt About It

This quilt says "guy".  In person it is so soft and comfy.... but all guy. 

I love the checkerboard design and the two borders.

And the pockets! Surprise! There are two. 
Pay no attention the where the meandering crossed itself.  That didn't really happen.  It's just a trick of the camera. ;)

This quilt arrived with it's own thread and the batting was purchased by phone and left at my LQS for me to pick up.  Another surprise!  A gift certificate!  I get to go on a fabric shopping spree!  WOO HOO!!!

Thank you!!!

Amy's Quilts - Part 1

Amy sent four quilt tops to be quilted.  This little Halloween table topper is quilted with, what else, orange thread.

Light blue thread on this pretty I Spy In My Garden quilt.  I wanted to scatter a few butterflies and flowers but I couldn't get my butterflies to behave.  They kept listing to one side or the other.  The flowers grew just fine.

There were two panels with writing.  One was a list of things "to spy" in the garden and the other was a poem.   Quilting around the words instead of through them was a variation from the meandering but it made the words legible.

Two more, Amy, and then they'll be on their way back to you!

One Way or Another, The Tree Will Go Up

 So if I quilt this, bind it and hang it on the wall, can I say my tree is up and be done with it all?

Actually this large lap sized quilt is heading to a 'local' hospice, but when I took a picture it got me to thinking.  It'd be easier (and more fun) to make another one than to drag out the tree and the lights and the garland and the ornaments and put it all up.  bah humbug. 

Or I could spike the eggnog.  That'll put me in the mood to decorate!