Mystery Quilt Progress - Step 7

This afternoon I finished all the sewing for step 7 and all the dog ears have been trimmed.  They are ready for the last step.  I don't know if I will sew at all tomorrow. Connie, Cathy, Sally and I are going to the Annual New Years Day sale at Thimble Pleasures in Chapel Hill.  We leave here about noon to be in Chapel Hill at 1PM when the store opens.  They have 35% off all fabric! Yea!

Game Day Fun - Miniature Ping Pong and Catan

Thursday, we had lunch together and a few games before all the teens departed for other activities.

 

John and I went to see War Horse yesterday afternoon.  It was great.  I could do without the graphic war scenes but at least the language wasn't peppered with four letter words.  We had planned to eat at Outback in Smithfield but you would have thought we were in some big metropolis by the looks of the line at 6:45PM.  We went to the Hibachi instead.  John likes their buffet and I like their grill.  They also have quilt a sushi selection. 

That was our New Year celebration - we are enjoying the quiet at home tonight.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jim

James O. Hodge  August 2010

My brother in law Jim went to live with his heavenly Father today. 

Jim loved his family, his farm and was a fan of the Atlanta Braves.  I don't think he missed very many of their televised games. He was respected as a successful businessman and dairy farmer.  Jim was firm in his beliefs and he treated everyone fairly. 

He loved to visit with whoever dropped by.

 

The whole family loved to come and spend time at Barb and Jim's farm.  The kids loved learning first-hand about dairy farming, haying, milking etc.

 I'm so glad that he and my sister were able to share over 51 years together. 

 What I loved most about Jim was that he treated everyone equally and no matter how he felt he always had a welcoming smile. 

A wonderful husband, father, grandfather -

you'll live on in our memories.

'

Patriotic Four Patch/ Small World

I made this quilt top at Connie's yesterday.  I found a plastic shoebox with 54 blocks already made so I only needed to add 2 more.  Now I have a top that measures 56 x 64" which will be great for a quilt to take to the Veteran's Hospital in Durham.  We had a great time and Connie fed us the most amazing baked spaghetti.

Even better she gave me some to take to John so I didn't have to cook.

The little stars are leftovers  from my Christmas Folk Art wall hanging shown here.

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There is lots of construction going on at the hospital.  Yesterday as John and I were leaving the hospital after his pre-tests, we got turned around and used the front entrance rather than way we entered.  Coming up that hall was an old friend and quilter that I hadn't seen in several years.  She works at the hospital and normally is in the MRI unit but had a class that morning.    It was so nice to see Pam. Gave me a warm fuzzy all day!

This morning, we were up before the crack of dawn as John had to be at the hospital at 5:45AM. After the procedure, when they called me to recovery - we had a pleasant surprise.  One of the nurses John had back in 2000 had seen his name and came back to visit with us.  Laura was so wonderful to him.  I remember she brought him an angel pin and put it on his hospital gown; she would pray with and for him when he needed it.  It was just so good to see her.  She had also called another of his nurses, Lanelle, that still works there. She was on vacation but we here from her every Christmas still. 

Then I saw another nurse I knew from 2000, Jeanne, she is also a member of the Raleigh guild.

They sent me to pick up the car and I saw another friend and quilter, Peggy L., who's husband was just getting checked in for a procedure.  Small small world!

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Tomorrow is game day with the grandkids! Then John's sister and BIL will stop in for the night on their way back to Florida.

Maybe, if I get up real early, I can sew the last nine Ohio Star blocks for the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt so I can be up to date for Friday.

Mystery Quilt Step 6 - Oops!

I can't believe that I actually have 25 blocks done considering all the Christmas festivities in the middle of it.  I do love the looks of them.  Hope I can follow through and finish them before Friday.  I actually need to finish before

Thursday as we are having a family game day. I think that's doable as I may get a few more done tonight.  Be sure to check out the details of the mystery quilt at http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow I'm sewing with Sally and Connie.  I'm taking my featherweight to sew with so I won't sew on these blocks.  (I did done all the sewing for this quilt on the Bernina).   Maybe I'll work on the disappearing nine patch. 

Oops!

This isn't the first one I have sewn wrong! Time for some more unsewing.

 Need to get out in the sewing room and get my things together for tomorrow. John has an early morning appt. in Raleigh (pre-tests for a procedure on Wed.)

Table of Grace - A week early

Our Church, Wendell United Methodist, serves a meal open to the public at no charge, on the last Monday of each month at 6PM.  We have a praise team that leads us in song and our pastor has a short devotion.  We are generally finished between 7:15 and 7:30.

Alta Ruth, Margie, Janice & Ella

We have been cooking meals for TOG for six years and we always have a good time together.  We never know how many people we'll have but it seems to work out.  We have never completely ran out of food and if we have extra we make plates and send it home with our guests. The Lord provides!

This month we made a Turkey Pasta Casserole with broccoli and carrots, peaches and cottage cheese, foccacia bread, and we had Christmas cookies for dessert.

Margie, Janice, Ella and I cook and Alta Ruth comes to help us serve beverages.  Pat Br., Henry, Aaron, Jackie and Wayne helped serve and clean up too.

We had a smaller group with the change of date and the busy-ness of the season.  But it was enjoyed just as much.

 

Mystery Quilt & Disappearing Nine Patch

I have been sewing the units for part 5 of the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt in little snippets of time in between parties, shopping, Dr. appts. and all the other chores that need doing. It is surprising how much can be accomplished this way. When I saw cut 700 triangles - I thought Oh My! - but whenever I have a few moments I head for the sewing room. I have about 200 units made. I really admire those who have these great pictures of neatly arranged units but right now I feel lucky to have mine a little over half done.

I like how the new units are gradually replacing the half square triangles.  Be sure to track the progress of this mystery here.

Since I'm in a black and white mode for the mystery quilt, I decided to work on the disappearing nine patch that I started almost 2 years ago.

Getting to  the point of putting some up on the design wall has helped me stay  focused but I still have lots more nine patches to sew.  Oh, I don't think I like that grayish geometric in the upper right.  hope I don't have too many of those if I decide to replace them. 

Christmastime Quilt Parties

Thursday evening was our annual guild party.  Everyone brings food and there are lots of door prizes!
 In September guild members can buy kits for Holiday Blocks, which have been assembled by various bees or groups, for $1. each.  Designs varied from red work, Christmas themes, applique etc.  In December you bring back the completed block and drawings are held for the various block sets.  I won the set of Kaleidoscope Blocks (32) and with it three pieces of fabric, 2 batiks and one marble, totaling almost five yards.  Yea!

Holiday Blocks - Capital Quilters Guild

Last year our Christmas Party was cancelled due to bad weather so we had the Holiday Block drawing in January.  I won a set of 12 small blocks that year.  My friend Sharon also won a set of the same blocks.  I gave her the ones I received so hopefully she will have enough to make a wall hanging.

Friday afternoon, I went to Whistle Stop's 10 year anniversary party.  They had a showing of wall hangings made by customers,  all using the same mystery pattern.  Here is Sally with her version.



Saturday morning was our Undercover Bee Party.  We have a brunch, voluntary block exchange and a dirty Santa gift exchange which is always lots of fun.  I think we had more stealing than usual - great gifts.  I ended up with a large plastic box, like the one I am using to corral my Bonnie Hunter Mystery units, that has removable thread holders too.

This evening is our Cantata and Church Christmas Party.

Tomorrow is Table of Grace at church so I will be busy all day shopping and cooking.  Maybe I'll have a little time in between to work on Step 5 of the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt.

Happy Sunday!

Sewing Red Squares and Making Cookies

I think I just need to make 2 more squares and trim the group on the left and that will complete Step 4 of the Bonnie Hunter Mystery.  This being my first mystery, I have no idea how many weeks it will last.  Hope I can keep up to date during the holidays.  Perhaps we'll have a couple of weeks intermission? Check out all the details here!

Still have plenty of room in my plastic box.

Marcia helping with the icing

Daniel, Emily and Hannah (Cookie Party Organizer)

We spent Sunday afternoon together making and decorating cookies for Shelly's open house at Face It on Thursday.  Hannah did a great job getting it organized.  She had lots of cookie dough ready for us to roll out, bake and decorate.  She just home from Drexel Friday evening. 

We made 6 kinds of cookies.  I brought some sand tarts that I had made at home and Kathy is bring some cheese crackers that she made so Shelly will have a good assortment.

Shelly was in charge of packaging.

Tracey taking a break and enjoying some of Hannah's chili.  A fun day with the family!

Christmas Decorating Inspiration

The other day John and I drove over to De Wayne's Nursery in Smithfield.  It's Christmas on steroids!

John pricing the undecorated trees

And this doesn't truly show the extent of all the decorations.  They also have gifts and a nice ladies wear shop too in addition to their  extensive nursery.  A fun place to browse anytime of the year.  And then we had to go to the Hibachi Grill for lunch, of course.  What did we buy you ask - zilch, nada, and nothing. 

Fun Day - Sewing - Shopping

Yesterday was a fun day that Cathy, Connie and I had with Sally at her home in Goldsboro.  We sewed in the morning.  I worked on this disappearing nine patch that I started a couple of years ago.  I sewed about 12 blocks.

After lunch we visited a local quilt shop. Thistle Bee has a wonderful selection of Civil War fabrics and it didn't hurt anything that she was having a 40% off sale in one room.  We were there about 2 hours.

My Choices

 We had just enough time to stop at Dairy Queen for a mini blizzard before heading home.

I had a little time in between putting the ornaments on the tree (it's been sitting here with lights on for about a week) and other stuff to make a few of the blocks for Step 4 of the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.

The weekend is pretty full so this may be it for awhile.

Hope your weekend is fun and productive!

Step 3 - Done - Archive Quilt # 85

That wasn't as bad as I thought.   But I guess in a way I cheated,  I used Triangulations. I didn't have a lot of black and white scraps so it was easy just to cut the pieces needed from yardage and fat quarters.  Now I have lots of black and white scraps!

It doesn't look like it but all 650 mini-blocks are in the there. As a matter of fact, it's more like 725 as I got a little carried away with step 3 and made 75 extra. You can read all about it at http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html

This in another of the red quilts I use at Christmas.  I call it 2592 Red Triangles (not very creative with names)- perhaps Out of Focus would have been better.  I finished it in February 1998. It measures 90 x 90 inches.  It won a red ribbon and an award of excellence for machine quilting at the 1998 NC State Fair. 

It doesn't look quilt so much out of focus on a close up.  I have washed it quite a few times and it is very soft and comfortable.  I use it on my bed quite a bit.

Steps 1 & 2 Done

Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

STEP I:  224 Hourglass Squares

STEP II: 76 Strip Pieced Squares

Nice Plastic Box to hold all my Mini Blocks

BRING ON STEP 3!

Yuletide Camellia

 Two years ago we planted 3 Yuletide Camellias. Two are doing real well and one doesn't seem to like it's location.  Will give it another year before we move it. It was much smaller than the other two when planted.  It's nice to have Sasanqua Camellias to brighten up the winter months.