Vacation, Knitting and other Shenanigans

There was a vacation.  There are no photos!  My Hero and I, his mom, Dream Boy and a friend all headed to Grand Cayman for 10 days of doing absolutely nothing.  My Hero read lots of books, the guys did some scuba diving, and we ate yummy food.  Mom and I sat on the deck and stitched in the morning.  Our afternoons were spent on the beach reading and knitting.  It was fabulous!

The first thing I did when we got home was make a mini quilt.  (I hadn’t even unpacked my suitcase or tackled laundry!)

https://flic.kr/p/FFPWZF

I’ve always been a huge fan of the knitting clubs that sent yarn and a pattern several times a year, but I’m way behind on those projects!  So I decided to join some quilt clubs this year.  This Mini Club is from Westwood Acres.  The kit included fabric, batting, backing, and binding.  Everything I needed to complete the project was in the package.  So I promptly changed the background.  I’ve never done anything with low volume prints before.  I really like it!

The next big excitement after our vacation involved a wool rug!  We bid on a wool braided rug at an auction for our school last fall.  I was able to pick out the colors, so I knew what I was getting…..sort of.  The beautiful lady that makes these rugs is in her 80s.  What an amazing person she is.

https://flic.kr/p/FKp4X9

This rug ended up being 7 feet x 9 feet.  Isn’t it amazing?  I almost cried when I saw it.  This will be an heirloom piece that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life!

All of her rugs are made from old coats purchased at thrift shops, most of them purchased at the end of the season, so nobody wanted them!  She used 24 coats in this project.

https://flic.kr/p/FDvMm1

I had such a fabulous time visiting with her and her sweet husband.  I enjoyed their sense of humor, their positive outlook on life, and our discussions about God and His goodness and provision through all of life.  It was a fabulous day all around.

And then there is my goofy son!  And nephew and brother in law.  They decided on the last day of winter that it would be a good idea to go wakesurfing.

 

That would be Dreamboy.  The water temp was probably 36 degrees and the air was 39 degrees.  If you look at the background between the boat and my son, you’ll see piles of ice.  Five guys surfed, and I think they were out there for almost 2 hours.  They all said it was a blast.  I about froze standing on the shore taking pictures.

My cup of coffee is empty so it’s time to get on with this day!

What a Glorious Day!

Yesterday was a great day for several reasons!

1.  I didn’t have to go anywhere until evening!

2.  The fall weather in Minnesota is amazing.

3.  I was able to quilt all day with two of my favorite people.  My sister and my auntie!

I also finished a quilt top!

As you may or may not have read, I decided a while ago that I was going to make all the quilts in the Living Large 2 book by Heather Peterson.  This is quilt 5 of 8.  It’s called Patchwork Posies.  The fabric is Delilah by Tanya Whelan for Free Spirit Fabric.

I really like the way it turned out.  It’s soft and fresh and I love anything with red polka dots!

After I finished the borders on this quilt, I decided to play with the next quilt on the list. It’s called Starlit Evening.  I decided to make just one block before I committed to a king size quilt.  If I didn’t love making it, there is a cute Christmas Tree skirt pattern in the book as well.   It would require me making only seven blocks instead of 30 or 35 for a king size.

Lets just say there’s another king size quilt in my future.  All of those red polka dot strips nest because of the way they’re pressed.

Heather is a genius!

Heather’s mom just made this particular quilt.  You can see it here.  You’ll have to stop back later to see what fabric I’ve chosen.

My aunt is working on this gorgeous quilt!

The fabric is Lilac Hill by Brannock and Patek for Moda.  The pattern is A Graceful Baltimore.

Here’s a closeup of one section.

Isn’t it gorgeous?  And she used to say she didn’t like appliqué!

Once the kids got home, the craziness began.  They were loud and goofy!  It was Red Carpet night at our church’s youth group.  Superblonde and Dreamboy are both on the worship team, so they decided to be good sports and participate.

They clean up pretty well, huh?  Everyone thinks Dreamboy is older than his “little” sister.  She’s not thrilled by that.  She’s actually older…by only 14 months.

I ended my day with cleaning up my messy house a bit.  Today I need to lose my gray hair, cut out the fabric for the next quilt, and get ready for Frankie’s birthday.  It’s camping weekend and the weather is supposed to be fabulous!

See ya next week!

Birds, Bees, and Quilting

I just finished piecing a quilt.  And no, my suitcase still isn’t unpacked.  But it’s not going anywhere either.  It’s just sitting there quietly.

It’s a Schnibbles pattern by Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co.  Can you tell from the photo what size it is?  Actually, it’s only about 31 X 36 inches.

These Schnibbles patterns use little packets of 5 inch squares called charm packs.  This pattern used two charm packs.  I usually order the charm packs (and lots of other fabric) from Fat Quarter Shop.  It’s a fun way to make a quilt using a new line of fabric for about $15. This particular line is Swanky by Chez Moi for Moda Fabric.

If you’re looking for some fun free projects, check out Moda Bake Shop.  There are lots of ideas for all of their precut fabrics.

So far today I’ve only done one really stupid thing.  I got a call at 1:23 from the office of Frankie’s school.  “Um. Mrs H.  School had early release today.  We were out at 1:05.”   Shoot!!!  And yes, I was still in my pajamas.  Fortunately, we only live a mile from the school.

On the home school front we had a very interesting day. Ms In Charge learned how babies were made.  Just a few quotes!

“I thought you just kissed.”

“I’m think I’m going to barf.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to have nightmares tonight.”

I hope she recovers.

Closer…

The bad thing about working on only one knitting project is that it makes for boring blogging.  Sorry!!!

Seven things about this photo:

1.  The most obvious:  the back and sleeves of the My Hero sweater are finished.

2.  The sun is shining.

3. My assistant is always around to help.

4. Less obvious: my house is so messy, I had to find a spot to photograph this project.

5.  And…..drum roll!!!  It’s totally quiet in my house right now.  I’m sure that will change soon!

Edited later!  Another obvious thing.  I evidently can’t add.  I wrote at the top “seven things”.  There are only five things.  Duh!

I just thought you’d like to see a close-up of that cute nose cable.

We had some fun with kid 3 last night.  He’s getting snowboarding stuff for Christmas.  The only problem was getting boots that fit.  So this is what we did.

I ordered 3 pairs of boots from zappos.  (Can I even tell you how much I love zappos?  Free shipping.  Free returns.  I live 100 miles from good shopping.)  We blindfolded the kid and tried the boots on him.

He chose these with his blindfold on.  Bwaaaa!!!!  Haaaaaa!

He never reads the blog, but just in case, Dude!  I’m just kidding!

Time to get this day in gear.  I don’t want the health department to shut down this house!