Pressure is on...

So, here is one of the latest finishes.  Yes, it is actually complete.  I do finish one once in a while.  

This quilt is made from shirts worn by my husband, my son, and myself.  Then there is one other fabric added to represent my daughter since I didn't have any of her shirts, then the blue.  I used 2 layers of warm & white batting- it quilts up so much nicer that way- so it is one heavy & large lap quilt.  I usually use washable wool batting now days but I had some warm & white left over and wanted to use it up.  

Here is the back and an up close.  That pink London fabric is the one i added for my daughter.  The rest are clothes actually worn by the rest of us.  That pink & yellow plaid is from a pair of shorts.  

The quilting pattern is called "A Little bit of fluff".  This is the second quilt- ever- that I have had a problem of the back folding over on itself during quilting.  I had to remove stitching from the second half of two rows to fix it.  That was frustrating...otherwise, I love my long arm machine!

This is my other recent finish.  Made in two days.  Those hand painted panda blocks have been in my stash for years.  I was finally motivated to get something made with them.  Its a little less than 30 inches square.  Now I have to figure out where to hang it.  

These blocks called to me yesterday so I got this simple top put together and I am really loving it.  I already have the backing loaded on the long arm.  I think I want this one hanging in my bedroom where I have new solid navy bedding and a light blue-grey wall.  

I had originally planned on working on my bee quilt yesterday.  That didn't happen.  Now that I have found out that we are planning on starting a hybrid model of school this year , in addition to an online option, and I will be starting back in less than 2 weeks, the pressure is on to get some more projects finished!  

I saw this Barbie at the book store the other day.  I LOVE her!  I have been trying to make myself take some time for meditation and yoga through all this quarantine so this tickled my funny bone.  Even Barbie is more Zen than I am...

Namaste!

July Already

Maybe this post would be better titled "Quarantine"...I know I am not the only one struggling to get through.  I kinda have a love-hate relationship with this staying at home business.  Its quite the dichotomy...
getting a lot done and still feeling useless
being incredibly busy but still feeling bored and limited
trying to quarantine while still trying to function- life goes on...
So, I have gotten a lot of quilting done in the last couple of months...
the picture above is an animal quilt I sewed the lattice & border on yesterday.  Today, I will try to get a backing put together for it from my stash. 

I also did 8 hours of digital quilting on a king size quilt yesterday which I will show when I manage to get it finished. 

The Peacock quilt and a matching flower came from fabric in my mother's stash.  She passed away a year ago and I am just now getting around to going through what I saved from donation at the time.  I will make the two matching wall-hangings and hopefully find a place in my home to hang them.  The pillows are for my bedroom refresh. 

We gave our unused wall mounted TV to my son but that required a patching and painting of the one color wall in our bedroom.  I followed that up with new curtains and bed linens, as well as a good clean up that my husband has really appreciated.  Now if I could just get the rest of the house in shape...

My son's girlfriend and I spent some time making a huge mess and a few great paintings came out of it. 

I am still trying to find places to hang the good ones.  She already has her's up on display at their house. 

A major endeavor I have had to deal with during this quarantine... My daughter graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Opera Voice Performance and moved 450 miles away to go to grad school in the fall. 

We were all quite disappointed that her senior recital ended up being performed through a series of YouTube videos rather than in person. 

Locating an apartment and moving her to a different state has been a challenge during this COVID mess.  It included two road trips for me, three for her.  One of those was a major move with 3 cars (she has 2 roommates) and a Uhaul.  She is now trying to get a job, during quarantine-another challenge, and be prepared for classes in the fall. 

My son and his girlfriend are trying to stay focused on college classes during this quarantine craziness and they work so hard at their jobs!  So glad they have each other!  We spend as much time with them as possible!  We got roped in to playing poker recently, something definitely out of my, and my husband's, comfort zone but we had a lot of fun! 

And, I have been doing a lot of sewing, paint by numbers, reading ...

 These, along with the painting below, were housewarming gifts for a friend- another person who moved through all this quarantine mess...

Loved seeing one of my paint by numbers being loved and appreciated!  It was so much fun and the perfect gift for these friends!

I have also done a little gardening.  Not something I am very good at, but I figured if I was going to be stuck at home all summer, I might as well make the yard a little more enjoyable with a refresh of lilac bushes and porch cushions (the red ones).  We have enjoyed a few mornings out there but mostly it is just too HOT!


I am not a fan of living in the desert southwest and can't wait for my husband to retire in a few years so we can move out of here.  An ocean breeze is definitely calling me!

I am lucky to get to spend a lot of time with this guy: my faithful running partner.  

Since April 1st, we have put in 139.95 miles. 

Since I ran 6 miles and cleaned all day on Saturday, my body is still achy and I am taking a second rest day today.  I'll be lazy and do some sewing.  Tomorrow we will hit the pavement as usual.  Even heading out before 7 am is too hot though...ugh!

I have to put a white T shirt on him before we leave so that the sun doesn't scorch his black back. 

I will leave you with a picture of my best friend and husband of, in less than 2 weeks, 25 years.  He has been an amazing support to me in the last year and a half that has been the most crazy and difficult of my life.  With the emptying of my nest and the passing of my mother, I am having quite the identity crisis.  This covid mess just adds to the craziness and uncertainty about who I am and what I should be spending the rest of my time focused on.  This man is my rock and the best thing that has ever happened to me!  He is an amazing father and has the patience of a saint. 
I can't believe we are looking at 25  years together...it has been an incredibly blessed marriage!  So lucky to have you!

I wish everyone happiness and health as we battle throught his crisis.  Namaste!