Is my long weekend really over?

Wow I lived though another holiday weekend.  I love these and hate these all at the same time.  Mostly because you try to do too much and never finish what you wanted.  Any way for a May for Me month I did what I liked best this weekend. My wife did also.  Sadly what she likes most is tearing my old house apart and then putting it back together.  Her present to her self (for her b-day) was that she was going to re-model the bathroom.  Now to be honest I never approved or even agreed to this mostly because of the hassles that it causes.  Tanya promised me this would be easy.  Quick and simple.  She is going to rip out the sink and vanity, remove the toilet.  Pull up the sub flooring and tile and paint.  No big one I would hardly notice and I would not have to help (other then haul every thing from point A to point B) which I am surprised to say has gone all according to plan except.

Tonight when I really had to go to the bathroom this is what it looks like.  The hole on the right is while what I needed and the one on the left is to wash the hands after.  But hey I will have to take the long walk down stairs to use the little boys room.  Oh and to add insult to it all about 10 minutes after I picked the toilet up and put it into the tub last Friday night my son Jared informed us the only other toilet in the house is over flowing all over the basement floor.  Any way we are having fun at our house, can't wait for work in the morning at least we have facility's available there.

Any way now that that is out of the way, what did I do this weekend.  Oh yea I have already posted the 2 quilts that I finished.  But not to show off or any thing these 3 items are what I did in all the left over time between plunging the toilet down stairs which I have done 5 times (Yes I am counting) .Why is it when you remove one toilet the other has to stop working?

This first quilt top is the biggest pieced thing I have done yet.  If you look at the quilt above and the one below you might thing they are similar in size they are not the top one is huge.  The top measures 64 x 64 (I know some of you saying that's not so big) but for me comfort zone is about 42 by 50 or so smaller lap quilts.  This quilt is called Soldier's Star the pattern was created by Deonn Stott over at http://www.quiltscapesquilting.com. This pattern won 2nd place in the AccuQuilt 2011 barn quilt design contest.  Some may wonder how I managed to follow a pattern (for those that don't know me well I am not huge on patterns, though its growing on me). I took a class at HMQS quilt show from Deonn Stott using this pattern and got a copy of it in class.  Any way because of my out side the box, mentality I um failed to get even one square sewn together during class (I did get all the HST sewn and learned that I while ironed backwards and while now I don't).  Any way Deonn Stott is a follower and I want to tell her here thank you for the wonderful class and what she taught me.  For those interested she is teaching the same class at the Panguitch Quilt Walk June 7-9th 2012 in Panguitch, UT (now how many of you out their even know where that place is.  I do because its where I fill up for gas when heading south to visit the in-laws)

The second top completed this weekend is a tiny, tiny quilt that I am working on for my Civil War Quilt Along.  I will talk more about it later.  You will notice its already basted Tanya did that while she took a minute not finishing my bathroom this weekend.  (yes Tanya I love you but I told you so)

Lastly I finished (or I had though) this quilt.  It is a 25 block of 12 different colors.  My wife and I are (while starting) to go bold on our quilting and after the 2 wonderful borders on the other 2 quilts done this weekend we (meaning my wife) decided that we should add (meaning me) 2 more borders around this quilt.  So since I have not decided yet (meaning her) what exactly that is I won't at this time give those details.  But I will tell you it will be wonderful.  Any way this long weekend is finally over. In fact this day is over (I writing this post yesterday, but looking at my watch its now Tuesday and since their is a strict policy of not sleeping at your desk (yes its in the employee hand book). I must go to bed or risk having to find some one else desk to sleep at during work today, when I wake up from my not quite full night of sleep).

Baby Pinwheels

Today's finished quilt comes from a pattern found on the Moda Bake Shop it is made from the Domestic Bliss by Moda using Bella solid with it.  I won the 2 charm packs that made this quilt.

This quilt was quite a challenge for me because I followed a pattern.  Since when do men ever follow directions.  OK in all honesty I did not follow the pattern, Tanya handed me things I sewed and I handed them back to her(she was distracting me from what I really wanted to quilt).  All in all it did turn out nice.  Except for those silly little prairie points (that's the silly triangles) since I was not paying proper attention like most men who has a back seat driver (or in this case quilter). I did not quite get the whole make sure you sew the points down correctly and sadly they are a little worse for ware and some of the corners hang out.  Tanya sewed most of them back down, but I know next time I am not letting this be ran from the back seat.

But again Tanya took some great pictures an all in all this is a wonderful quilt.

I love Tanya - Happy B-day

Today as most of you know is my wife Tanya's B-day.  This is the 20th Birthday that I have celebrated with her.  Some might find this funny, but she has only celebrated 19 with me.  Our birthdays are only 2 weeks apart, but we met between our Birthdays.  The first b-day party I went to with her, it was 2 parties in one. Tanya and her then roommate Laurie shared the same B-day and we put candles on a watermelon and celebrated her 19th birthday and Laurie's 29th b-day.  What fond memories I have back when there was no cares in the world and all I had to do is make sure I got to school on time and made enough at the part time jobs to date.

I did let Tanya take the pictures again today on her quilt.  She seems to do such a better job.  Don't you just love the cat in the pictures.  Our cat (one of 6 I think? we have a couple strays that eat our cats food) Rat cat (yes a story behind that name but that's for another day, no it did not catch one we thought it was one).  Rat thinks that he is Tanya's guard cat.

I do not know why but I have just been dragging on getting this quilt done we have had it in the works for a few months now we got the fabric as a half win half overboard buy (got a $50 dollar gift card and spent 70+) at Fat Quarter Shop.  It is made of a line called Twirl by me and my sisters, a moda fabric.

I finally finished piecing it last night, Tanya basted it and then I quilted and bound it.  I finished about 1:30 am on Tanya's b-day. I then stayed up after throwing it in the wash and waited to put in the dryer, so that she could have it B-day morning.

Any way Happy B-day Tanya.  I love you and here is to another 20 birthdays.

Love Richard Healey

Tanya's Birthday Giveaway

Richard told me it was my Birthday, so my drawing.  I am making the post today and responding  to emails regarding it.  How thoughtful, right (?) In his defense, he has promised to finish the lap quilt with pinwheels that he is making for me as a Birthday gift.

To enter, please leave a comment with the month your were born. If you are follower, put a second comment for a second chance. I will put all twelve months or how many are mentioned in a bowl and have Jared draw out the month.  Then I will put all the listed names for month drawn in bowl and have Jared draw a name. This starts on my birthday, May 27th and ends Monday June 4th, which happens to be Jared's 8th birthday.  You have a day extra to enter than you did with Richard's Birthday Giveaway. If you haven't noticed all the birthdays seem to run together in this family. This time of year is almost as expensive as Christmas. This drawning is open to anywhere in the world. Enough about rules and my rambling, what do you win. 

You have a chance to win a five pack of Batik fat quarters by SewBatik.  It is called Golden Glow Multi (isn't it pretty, my favorites are the swirls and polka dots) and a cute miniature ceramic bowl, handmade by my sister Tosha Hoyt.  I know, what does a mini bowl have to do with quilting (it could hold pins).  Anyways good luck in the drawing.

 P. S.  Here is a quick peek at the quilt Richard made me.  I'm sure he will blog about it soon.

SMS Giveaway Winner

I am pleased to announce that we have picked a winner.  To review I requested that every one pick a quilt from my etsy store and you had 3 ways to enter.  Just to let all know any one that entered something that was other then one of the 10 quilts (err and hot pad) listed in etsy you were re-assigned to the quilt listed by the user above you.  First off we started with the drawing of the 10 quilts.

You might find it funny that when my son first came in the room he said Ahh do I have to do this again.  Which I thought was funny.  Jared is one busy child and yes that stirring of the bowl is a normal reaction out of him to something like this.

Jared when we had him come back in to pick the name after the long time trying to make sure we did not miss any one just walked in the room and picked a name.  No drama, so we had to make him try again but had to share it with you because it cracked me up.

And the winner is (assuming that you could read it as it was smashed into my camera lens) Melissa Palmer I have emailed her and will get her the prize off after I get her snail mail address.  Remember that on Sunday May 27th we are giving more stuff away.