HOME FROM OUR TRIP AND BACK TO SEWING PROJECTS

We just got back on Thursday from our riverboat trip from Memphis to Nashville.  Wonderful trip and we took lots of photos.  Glad to be home, tons of fun , but we both are wiped out.  

Yes, we stopped at Paducah and toured the National Quilt Museum.  What a treat and was able to take lots of photo there too.

Our last two days we spent in Nashville and stayed at the Gaylord Hotel.  It is huge and with the most unbelievable gardens, river ways and waterfalls.  Over 200 gardeners maintain it.  The entire hotel is under a glass ceiling so one very large green house.  They even have boats you can take throughout the hotel on the river the weaves through the entire complex.  

The only thing I have accomplished in the last couple of days is a few more flowers on the Flower Pot pattern.  Plus a few more petals on my Alex Anderson's neutral project.  Hope to get in more sewing time this week.

Came home to an update of our daughter's newest puppy Loki.  He is 18 weeks old and now weighs 72 pounds.  Cute little guy, not sure little is the exact term I would apply to him, but she says he is very mellow, well behaved and obviously growing like a weed.  

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

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ALL CAUGHT UP WITH PROJECTS AND I'M OFF ON AN ADVENTURE

I have been working really hard over the last week getting projects all caught up.  The house and dog sitter is taken care of and husband and I are off for a Mississippi River Boat cruise from Memphis  to Nashville.  There is a stop in Paducah too and we plan to go to the National Quilt Museum.  So will not be back for the 2 weeks.

Early this past week I got the last of my BOM May's Garden Party Down Under vase and flower block completed.

I joined it with the March and April blocks.

And now have all five months completed.

Last week I appliquéd the upper white petal on my Alex Anderson neutral quilt project.  I was not happy with it, as there was no contrast and it just sort of faded away.  It was suggest by one of the ladies that replied on my blog that I might try doing the stitching in a darker cooler.  So I  un-sewed the blanket stitching and appliquéd with a light grey thread.  Much better!

So I have one of the three appliquéd rows complete.

The Dot Quilt came back from the quilter early this past week.  The binding is on and that project is finished.  It is just 48" square, so I put a hanging sleeve that matches the backing on it I can keep it or give it away as a quilt or wall hanging.  

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NEUTRAL PETALS AND GARDEN PARTY PROGRESS

I have been able to get things pretty much caught up this week.  I am ready on Wednesday to turn over the guild treasurer's job to the new elected treasurer.  Plus husband and I  are planning to leave for a 11 day vacation on a Mississippi Riverboat trip as well.  I am thinking a well deserved get away.  House and dog sitters all arranged and we are ready to go.

I have been cutting out blossoms for my Alex Anderson neutral quilt project.  There are 240 of these little guys so I trace, fuse and cut out a few every evening.  

I have 2 on so far of 21 that will be on three of the panels between the four pieces rows.  Not very happy with the first one as the white petal doesn't show very well, but have decided it is too complicated to un-sew and un-fuse it.  Will have to see if I can live with it as I move along adding the rest of them.  Once the whole quilt is finished and quilted it probably will not even bother me.  Well I hope so!

I got the first of two May BOM blocks completed on the Garden Party Down Under project.  My goal this week is to get the second one done before we leave on our trip.  

It is now sewn on to the row with its other two block.  This project I am really pleased with.  So hopefully this week I can finish up the second block and get it sewn onto its other two blocks for the second row completion.  

My youngest daughter, the one with all the chickens, ducks, and peacocks has the perfect morning coffee companion.  She said they sit out on the patio every morning and have a quiet conversation.  Nice to have a friend to talk to.  

      

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FLOWER POTS, KAFFE FASSET FABRIC AND DOG BEDS

 This past week has been completely free of projects that require meeting instruction deadlines.  I did take some time to completely clean my sewing room, things had gotten really pretty bad in there.  Unfortunately in doing so I discovered a project that some time ago I stashed away under the cutting table that caught my attention.  

A whole box of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and it did look like a few other similar prints.  

The pattern was tucked in there as well, and even some already prepared appliqué pieces for the long panel on the left side.  However, once I started digging around in the box I realized that somewhere along the line I had pulled out a good deal of Fassett fabrics and used them in other projects.  The only cure for this kind of problem is a trip to the local quilt store.

I happen to be very lucky, as my local quilt store had two full shelving units of Fassett fabric.  A 1/3 yard of each got me out of there without too much damage.

Lucky me I had included the background in the box.  I 'm not sure if it will be enough for the entire quilt, but Grunge fabric is another item that the shop carries in abundance.  Plus this pattern would lend itself to mixing backgrounds.  

The only other project I did try to get caught up with was blocks 7 and 8 of my Camden Station.  Plus I have the appliqué fusible pieces cut for the 9th block ready to apply to the fabrics.  However, that will be set aside for a while.  Tomorrow my Garden Party BOM instructions go online so it is back to the grindstone with that project.  

 

The only cuteness this week so far from our oldest daughter, new parents of a puppy, so we get lots of pictures.  Loki now 15 weeks old and a good 50 pounds plus is getting along really well with his sister Liza.  They have decided that the king size bed is just the place to spend nap time.  Seems that they also believe that the bed is much more comfortable and things are looking like it could get really crowded once daughter and husband also want to sleep there.  Liza currently weighs in at about 120 pounds, but Loki is expected top out at a good 200.  Hmmm, wonder who gets to win this bedtime battle. 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY   

MID WEEK MAKERS