Churning the Community Quilt Stash

It's usually pretty obvious that I'm avoiding a project when I start working on something that should be pretty uninspiring.  Right now, I am avoiding some intensive auditioning with the Indians' panel blocks by using up some challenging fabric in the guild donation bins.


I received the fabric bins for our community quilts and luckily my share of this process only includes a bin of guild-made kits, a bin of fabrics sorted into theme bags, and two shallow containers that I haul to guild meetings so people can pick quilt kits or Red Cross bag kits at each meeting.


I dug through the fabric bin in preparation for a guild charity sew in and there was a bag of orphaned items that were difficult to "kit" or pair fabrics with.  A couple of things caught my eye including a pretty but skinny Alphabet Zoo panel and some bright but homely offcuts of a floral stripe in odd sizes.


I pulled out an oddly large chunk of a vintage ESF giraffe print and did a simple layout to incorporate a small stack of alphabet print blocks with the panel.  I wasn't aiming for a square top but, at least it is a useable size for one of our donation sites.

I also dug through the bin to find enough yardage in blues, pinks and florals to make 5 tops that are variations of this.  The kits that the guild makes include simple squares like this, bricks, rail fence, and semi-coordinated jelly rolls.

Of course, I thought I would make a dent in the bin with these but, not so much.  There are some coordinated school and ABC fabrics that are calling out for some yellow and red so I may tackle that next.  There's always a steady supply of Christmas, too.  None of this sewing is as challenging as the work that the Wednesday group in Willoughby does with blocks and spare parts but, hopefully, I'm keeping the fabric supply churning for our community quilts.

I'm still here ...

Wow, this last year has gone so fast.  I have a lot to catch up on, blogging-wise.  My last post was before the March retreat!  Crazy.

March in Amishland was lovely. It was so relaxing to cross the pavement without fear of ankle breaking or wrist snapping.  It was relatively warm; however, all weekend, I thought I’d managed to forget to pack socks (despite the fact that I remembered making a pile of socks to bring).  It was probably a month later when Mike reached into the secret zipper compartment on my bag and there were my socks.  Sheesh.

I managed to get a few things done at the retreat.  There was the usual project—Moonglow.  I made progress and hope to have all of the blocks done before the next retreat.  I worked on the cute holiday sampler that Mary turned us on to.  I rescued the Friendship Group pinwheel stars top from obscurity and added a piano key border that I’d actually worked out on a previous retreat.  I think I also worked on Bonnie Hunter’s mystery from last year.  Could that be all I did?  I don’t have any photos to tell me otherwise.  The boys asked me to bring them wings from Quaker Steak at the airport so they were extra happy to see me when I returned.

I was home from the retreat for less than a week before we headed off for spring break.  We drove to Las Vegas and stayed the night before catching our connection to London in Atlanta.    I was lucky to be able to meet up with an Ohio friend whose trip overlapped with ours by a couple of hours.  Things were pretty chaotic at the Vegas airport but we finally figured out the maze and boarded for Atlanta.  We were so relaxed in the Atlanta lounge that we missed our flight to London.  It was absolutely our fault but who knew that it is the airline’s “policy” to leave 20 minutes before the “departure time”?  Sigh.  While Mike tried desperately not to lose his temper and Brady cried because Mike had said we should just go home to AZ, I tried to figure out what our options were.  Unfortunately, there were 2 more flights that night but they were all overbooked.  We waited for the next few hours on standby, slowly watching those planes fill and leave, before booking a hotel in Atlanta. Sigh again.  We bought toothbrushes and Mike huddled in the cold and rain wearing his travel clothes of shorts and a t shirt.  Luckily, our London hotel was nice enough to shift out our reservation.  We were at the airport extra early the next day so we easily made our flight.  When we got to London, Mike’s luggage hadn’t made it.  Unfortunately, we hadn’t cross-packed and I’d put some of my toiletries in his bag so he was going on the third day in the same clothes and we all had our cheapie toothbrushes, etc.  It all worked out in the end but it was a bumpy start.

We had a great time seeing all of the sights and basically running Brady ragged.  Luckily our hotel had a great lounge so we didn’t feel too guilty about ending the days earlier than Mike and I alone might have.  Brady would say that the Tower of London and “the pubs” were his favorite.  We let him order soda at the pubs (a rarity) so that’s why they made the list.  That plus the fact that the mercurial bartenders paid him special attention.  The trip was wonderful and broadened our world view, once again.

We spent a couple more days in Vegas once we returned from the UK.  That gave us enough time to see mostly all of the child-appropriate sights and do a stopover at the Hoover Dam.

Since then we’ve indulged in spring activities (former Cleveland summer activities) like baseball, basketball and hikes.

Monthly wine night with the neighborhood women ...

Allergy season--can you believe these trees in bloom?  You can hear the swarms of bees from far away.

Creepy mannequin in Old Scottsdale--it took some convincing to get Brady to sit with "him".

In May, we learned that my great nephew Quinnten would be coming from San Jose to Phoenix for a hockey tournament.  Family from all over came to watch him play.  If you had told me that we’d have a family dinner in Phoenix less than a year after we’d moved, I never would have believed it.  We had such a great time with two of my brothers, their families and extended families.  Brady and Quinnten were born less than a month apart and they had the best time.  After saying his goodbyes in tears, Brady told us that because he and Quinnten have the same personality and interests, they are “pretty much best friends”.  We were so happy for them that they were able to spend time together.  The tournament is here every year and Quinnten has family in Tucson so we hope to get the boys together more often.

With all of the activities I’ve mentioned, I haven’t gotten much sewing done.  I have had more misses than hits at guild meetings so I needed to regroup somehow.  I volunteered to take a position on the community quilts subcommittee.  I’ve only facilitated one meeting so far but we have a bigger session on Tuesday so I should be fully indoctrinated by then.  Hopefully, investing more will pay dividends rather than backfiring.

I also signed up for a couple of classes at the closest shop to me.  They are a small shop and very new—50/50 sewing and scrapbooking.  One class was to make a clutch using laminated fabric and the other showed you how to make fabric flowers and a garland.  I met some interesting people there but over half of them were visiting from out of town (!). 

I did some shopping.  Thank you, Divas, for my spree at Mad B’s.

May also brought plans to finalize our back yard design.  We hope to break ground in about a week which would mean that the yard would be mostly done by August.  Here’s what the end product will look like, sort of.

That’s all for now.  Check out this post from a sewing blog when you have time.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, all! 

The little things ...

My family came to visit for the weekend.  Of course, it was unseasonably cool and wet. I was surprised to realize that I could only think of two indoor options for activities.  The desert hike and a train ride through the peach blossoms were definitely not going to happen.  Most of Saturday was spent at basketball games and a football game.  My mom had said that if we moved to Arizona, we would "never see her because it is too hot".  Apparently, the Universe was listening because it was windy, raining and about 60 degrees.  This picture was taken before I gave her a second fleece blanket.

While my brother was in town, I asked him to help add the handles to my sewing storage units.  The cabinet door instructions offer no suggestions on how/where to attach the handles and the handle instructions only suggest a side to side measurement.  In the end, I decided to center them from top to bottom.  Here is Sherman's cousin, Crosby, "helping" a/k/a monitoring my brother to ensure that he doesn't drive back to LA without him.

My brother is a dog-lover and always comes bearing treats for Sherman.

I still need to organize a small shelving unit before I can call this room done but I am so happy to have the cabinet handles on (and to be done with opening them from the bottom edge).

Ready, set ....

I have been quiet on the blog-front because I've been busy sewing plus prepping for a family visit this weekend.  One of the reasons I had to pass on the race was that my family planned to visit sometime this winter and the dates were still up in the air.  The time has come.


Here's what I've been up to, sewing-wise.  Nearly all of the blocks for last year's Quiltville mystery are finished.

I would be ready to put the top together but I've decided to make it bigger.  I've been pre-cutting and kitting up parts for the additional blocks.  There are also HST parts for a new office runner/quilt since I have new furniture in that room.

As sew-offs in between the mystery blocks, I've been making piano key border sections for the Friendship pinwheels.

I have one more set of blocks to precut and then I will be ready to pack for Amishland.  The trip is right around the corner.  Can't wait!


Here are a couple of sunset photos from last week.  We are treated nearly every morning and evening with incredible displays.

Birthday Minions and Sewing, Sewing, Sewing!

Sometime around the middle of January, it occurred to me that the Minion quilt I'd put together for Brady at the summer retreat was still pin-basted.  Back then, I thought it would be a good goal to get it done by Halloween but that got away from me.  I managed to carve out some time to quilt it (simply) and then I secretly worked on the binding for the rest of the week while carefully concealing the surprise from him. 

He really likes it and it is the first quilt he has ever slept under.  He likes relaxing with quilts and building tents but he is a minimalist with the bedding.  I have the circles quilt I made for him a couple of years folded on the end of his bed but he has always said it is too hot.  Somehow the Minions and our coldest AZ weather yet have collided and now I sneak into his room every so often to see how content he is to sleep under it.

Since January usually means race day, I also pulled some fabrics for a jelly roll quilt.  I used up lots of odds and ends to make what will become a spring couch quilt for the desert.  The photo looks more yellow than beige but it is mostly greens, blue greens, beiges and grays.  I sewed the strips together then immediately started racing.  That was a long stretch in the sewing chair (close to 3 hours).  I don't recommend that plan.  I am happy with the way it turned out.  These days, anything that lowers the blood pressure is welcome in our house.

Also in the last few weeks, I pulled out last year's Quiltville mystery quilt and was pleasantly surprised to see how much progress I made last year at this time. You know, back when I thought I'd have nothing to do but sew because my sparse and spotless house was on the market?    I am using the same color scheme prescribed by the direction because it fits our home accessories.  I am hoping it may even end up on our bed.  Would you believe none of our beds have quilts on them?  I have about half of the blocks together so far.


So that I don't get confused with the mystery blocks, I am using the piano keys I cut a couple of retreats ago as sew-offs.  The piano keys will be the border for a vintage Friendship top (red and yellow improve 9 patches).


I've also managed to get all of the strips cut for the Midnight Flight that I started in a workshop in early January.


My exercise instructor was injured just before the holidays so I had to find a new weekly routine.  Also, Mike and Brady have been really immersed in Rock Band so both of those changes have helped me get back into a pretty significant sewing routine.  This time, I think it is going to stick.

Some progress ...

I got a Me day to sew for several hours on Sunday while the boys were at baseball camp.  It was practically disorienting.  I am hoping that gets me on track again sewing-wise.  I needed some alone time to finish Brady's minion quilt in time for his birthday on Saturday.  Of course, when I laid it down to measure for binding Sherman had to get in on the action. Sigh.

Once the boys got home, I was still inspired so I made four of those strippy charity quilts using the WOF novelty fabric cuts that I still have stockpiled.  I'll turn them in to the guild and the charity team will pair them up with batting, backings, and binding fabric.  I might keep one of the girly creations.  It is just so cute.  I have no idea what I'll do with it but ...  I actually see a real dent out of my novelty drawer!  That never happens.

I only had one cut of the cowboys and cowgirls but I think it turned out really cute with the twinkle twinkle stripe.  The stripe was on clearance years ago.  It was loosely woven and printed somewhat off kilter but that's ok.

I'm still working on my sewing room.  One side of the closet was a weird dimension so it took me a while to find shelves that would maximize the space. I needed the space to contain my finished quilts that previously lived in an armoire.  Here's the before and after.

I also hung two design walls to maximize the one unused wall.  I used one 4x8 sheet plus a scrap to fill in the open space.  The top in the photo is about 42x55 so that gives you a sense of scale.  Yes, I will need a ladder if I ever use it to lay out a bed sized quilt but that's ok. If I never end up using the high space, I could also put inspiration stuff up there.  We will see.

The doors are on the cabinets but they still have the blue protective wrap while waiting for handles to be installed.

Next, I need to organize a small cabinet and deal with a couple of smaller storage containers of miscellaneous items.  I have to say that it has been a lot easier finding things now that I have packed, unpacked, organized and labeled nearly everything within those four walls. That whole process has given me more ideas on ways to move different projects along or move them out.  I'm getting there.

Travel Log - September

I am going to try to back up and blog a bit about things going on here in September. It's been a while but it is good to have these things written down in one place so I can remember what I did years from now.


Things have been busy here with Brady currently in basketball, baseball, flag football, running club and Lego club.  I don't know where the time goes or how parents with more than one child deal with all of the shuttling around. 


Back in September, we had two trips to California back to back weekends, with a visit at our house from my mom and my brother squeezed in between.

The first weekend almost didn't happen.  We had been discussing with my brother in LA for months that we planned to go the ELO concert at the Hollywood Bowl.  It was one of two tour spots and it has been years and years since Jeff Lynne had toured.  It's been on Mike's lifetime concert lists to see him in person.  We knew we wouldn't buy tickets until the last minute since that seems to be Mike's best chance of success for good tickets.  The idea was that my brother and/or my mom would babysit Brady while went to the concert--since she would likely be visiting just prior to my nephew's wedding the following week.  Pretty close to the concert date, we found out that my brother and my mom had plans to go dancing the night of the concert so we didn't have a babysitter.  We were concerned that Brady wouldn't be into the concert and it would spoil the evening for all three of us.  We debated all week what to do and finally decided to buy tickets and drive to LA about 12 hours before we'd need to be en route.  It meant Brady had to miss a day of school which is something we hoped to avoid but, you can't have it all.  We stayed outside of LA the first night at an uber modern Aloft hotel.  It was pretty cool and Brady loved all of the modern décor.  In the end, it was a good choice and we all enjoyed the show and the trip.  We got to have breakfast with my brother, nephew, and my mom.  Just like a birder, Brady got to see some of his "lifetime" cars in the few spare hours we had to sightsee around LA.  He also got to pose in some fast cars on Hollywood Boulevard.  Sure, it was worth $10.

The following weekend, we flew to San Francisco to attend my nephew's wedding.  Since both California trips involved overnight stays, I had researched kennels for Sherman.  Apparently, kennels are not really a positive "thing" here, especially after a tragic incident a few years ago where many dogs died due to neglect at a kennel.  Nearly all of our neighbors use in home pet sitters.  I didn't think Sherman would do well with a 3x/day visit format.  He is a people dog.  I ended up using dogvacay.com to find someone who could watch him in their home--someone with kids and dogs of their own.  The first stay went well.  A second stay was planned for the wedding trip.  A few hours before we'd pick up Brady at school and head for the airport, I went to the sitter's house to drop Sherman off.  At her front door, I handed her the leash.  Sherman saw me take two steps towards my car and slipped out of his collar, trying to get away from the sitter.  He proceeded to run through the sitter's neighborhood, ignoring all of my calls.  This was not good.  I tried not to chase him but he kept getting further away and I didn't know this neighborhood.  Finally, I saw a landscaper going into someone's backyard.  Everyone has walls with gates but the gate was open.  Sherman was sniffing nearby.  I called him and ran into the stranger's backyard.   Thankfully, he followed me and ran past further into the backyard.  By now, all of the gardeners back there were looking at me like I was crazy but I had time to grab him.  Geez!  Luckily, it was fairly uneventful getting to San Francisco and San Jose after that.  The bride and groom had 15 attendants on each side, two flower girls, two ring bearers and multiple other attendants and parents. I believe the cast for the rehearsal was over 40 people.  It was ... a lot.  They had more personalized things that I'd ever seen and they had basically created a brand for the wedding.  Their wedding cake was a Stanley Cup and Sharkey (the San Jose Sharks mascot) showed up at the reception.  When the bride and groom made their entrance, all of the attendants lined up with hockey sticks then the bride and groom had a face off at the end.  A lot of planning went into this wedding.

 My brother, Keith, showing my mom his dance moves.

After the wedding we had a two week breather before Brady's fall break started.  He was off from 9/30-10/18 so we wanted to get away for at least part of the time off.  We picked him up from school on the Friday before break and headed east for Albuquerque.  We wanted to get there Friday night so we could be at the Balloon Fiesta the following morning at 4 a.m.  It was a long and tiring drive through the extremely dark and desolate desert between the Phoenix east valley and our hotel in New Mexico.  We had no radio signal for the latter part of the drive and everyone was getting antsy.  I found a cached NPR podcast with Meryl Streep that we could listen to.  I don't think Brady was impressed but it helped pass the time.


We managed to get up early see the pre-dawn activities and the weather cooperated for an uneventful launch for all.  If you haven't already seen this event, put it on your bucket list because it was amazing.  On the drive home, we stopped at the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.  We were on a fairly tight schedule because we wanted to get back through the Arizona mountains before dark.  We managed to see lots of amazing sights and made a few well-considered gift shop purchases.  The photos just don't do it justice, as with many natural wonders.

 I know what Dianne and Judy are thinking ... :-)

 Raffle quilt at the fairgrounds

 Petroglyphs

The colors are amazing.

That takes us through September.  Maybe the next post will cover our October adventures.