It Bugs Me to Have to Sit Still!

This week I had cataract surgery and it went very, very well. What I didn't know going into it was that there is a 4 week healing time, that you have to be still after the surgery....still, and if you are like me, with rimless glasses and very blind, you are stuck wearing all kinds of jacked up contraptions in order to "sort-of" see...

All of that was okay, even the not driving part, except...you guessed it....being still. Sheeesh!

I am sure you have projects you have filed away in your head for "when I've broken both legs....". Well, I guess that day had finally come. I had to be still and my jailer, I mean my DH, made sure I was in compliance.

I got out a fantastic tea box that I have been saving, waiting for inspiration. My first idea was to cover the box and put a rosette on the top, but then the sides looked so plain

So, I got out some beautiful photo postcards, which I love and have hoarded for several years. The postcard set is called 

The Insect Art of Christopher Marley. 

I added the card sections to either end, but then I realized there was no connection between the flower and the insects, other than great color. 

I decided I needed a real insect on my flower and don't you know it, I had some in my workroom! So, now I had a cute box!

 

I hot glued a new sponge into the top of the box for needles and pins, 

then loaded the inside up with the handwork I keep in many places, like the car, my luggage and my library (for faculty meetings). 

 The box is hard enough to keep everything safe, especially in my luggage, but small enough not to take up too much room. I think I mentioned before that I am not throwing away anything larger than an inch, so there are lots of little scraps to stitch together whenever there is a spare minute.  

 Anyway, I enjoyed this little project and I have six boxes left, so I think a series might be happening :)

Thanks for stopping by to see my silly "still-ish" project :)

My Second Africa Quilt

My second Africa quilt is finished! I took it with me to California and left it with my capable sister, Deb. I loved making this quilt. I have never made anything like it. I was inspired by Jen Kingwell's Gypsy Wife quilt. The quilt measures 100+" by 86" and it is on a king sized bed in this picture.

I arranged the blocks smallest to largest, but either end can be the top.

As you can see, the quilting, which was perfectly done by my hero, Bob at Country Crossroads Quilt Shop, is a geometric. Bob bought it especially for this quilt and it looks so good!

So, I hope this quilt will help do some good 

for the City of Joy in the Congo. 

It's My Turn to Hop onto the Flags on a Stick Blog Hop

Welcome to the 

 

 

There is so much to see, 

so take my hand 

and let me show you a few little items.....

On the flip flop side......

Just let me post one more little panel. There was not much design in this one, but I was on a roll and couldn't stop.  Thanks to Laurel Burch, my flag works both night and day :)

Thanks to Thearica and Madam Samm for a wonderful hop!  Thearica, we sure made it "challenging" for you, but you never got grouchy. You are an awesome cheerleader!

I hope you leave sweet comments for all my "hopping" friends today. Here they are.......

March 26th

Living with Purpose

Life In The Scrapatch

Devoted Quilter

Made By Me In Red

Quilting Quietly (that's me!)

Eureka! Block for March

Happy Friday! 

Today I am posting the Eureka Block B that my BOM group is making for March. I don't know what else is in store for me in this quilt, but I will say it is the most intricate block I have ever made. We had to make 12 of them! 

Not counting the cutting, those 12 blocks took me 20 hours to complete. I wasn't even in labor that long!

Anyway, now they are done and I am the proud parent of twelve finished Block Bs :)

I also wanted to share my newest, sweetest surprise! As some of you may know, I have been making quilts out of African fabric and selling them. The proceeds from these quilts go to the City of Joy in the Congo. This week, six more pieces of fabric arrived on my doorstep. Each piece is a six yard cut! 

I can make a whole lotta quilts out of that!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, full of quilty fun! 

Scraps R My Friend!

My goal this year is to use every scrap! I am not throwing away anything over a half inch. 

 

Here are a few things I sewed together, while I iced my ankle, which I twisted while attempting to walk and talk at the same time in my driveway...sigh. 

These colors make me so happy. When this becomes a quilt one day, I will keep it. 

I discovered that I was a no-reply blogger thanks to a reply I made to another quilter. She tracked me down and let me know.  I am sooo thankful and I think I have fixed it. If I haven't, I am sorry and I will keep trying.

Gypsy Wife BOM for February

I've fallen in love.....

......with a quilt pattern.  

Gypsy Wife by Jen Kingwell

This is unusual for me.  Generally, I don't like to follow patterns, but this one is so interesting and I could not figure out how it was made! So, I ordered it from Australia and tapped my foot for a couple of weeks, waiting for it to arrive.

I searched online to see what other folks were saying about it. Come to find out, there's alot of chatter going on about this quilt! So, I joined a group and here's what I've gotten done...

I am happy with the pinwheels, but this color wheel is just not going to fit in, I fear. I think I'll make another one and save this one for something else.

Even with my sewing machine still out of the workroom ....

and in the TV room until the insurance adjuster comes to look at the rug, etc. in my workroom, it has been a great day watching TV with my DH and I don't have to feel guilty about spending too much time holed up in my sewing room :)

Afterword:
Here is the remade color square and I love it!

Good News / Bad News

Let's see, there's good news and bad news....

The good news is.... 

• my sewing room was tidy and very little was laying on the floor.
• my Africa quilt was done and off to the quilter.
• we found the damage early and the insurance company acted quickly.

The bad news is....

• our well pump tank failed.
• the wall in the garage where the well pump lays shares a wall with my sewing room.
• my sewing room was under water.
• my sewing room is currently in the kitchen, the dining room and the living room :)

I guess I'm going to have to pay attention to the rest of the house now ....

My Valentine's Day was so great with flowers sent by my dearest son, Patrick, and cards from my DH. 

This was followed by a fun-filled evening with old friends and their newest family member, Forrest, weighing in at 145lbs.

This past week I have gotten a few things done. I had two "playdates" :) One with my friend, Karen Walker where we made scarves and I decided, on a whim, to recover my sewing chair. The back had come off and I had worn down the seat to the stuffing! So, here was the fabric sitting on my shelf...two sided.

Here is the final product...fun-ness!

So comfy!!

My second "playdate" was with Ellen and we worked on my second Africa quilt. We are such a great team. I sew and Ellen presses. We got sooo much done!

More to come on Africa Quilt #2....