Week or so in Recap

If your looking for today's link a Finish Friday click here.

This past week has involved about anything but sewing. This post is by Tanya, and is intentionally in a list form, with bad grammar due to sleep deprivation. Richard gave me a hard time about not making any posts lately so here it goes.

Thursday 1/24 - Take James to orthodontist for last visit; oops he forgot retainer, return in 6 weeks.

Friday 1/25 - Julia up all Thursday night and running fever of 103.5.  Take her to doctor to find out she has croup.  Get shot of steroids for her.

Saturday 1/26 - Take care of sick baby.  During her nap cut up a rag quilt that is going to one of Rebecca's church teachers next week.  Wash rag quilt.  Clog up washing machine, from said rag quilt. Unclog washing machine filter.  Find out kids clogged downstairs toilet and turned off water, not so easy of a fix.

Sunday 1/27- Skip church, was up 5 or 6 times or was it more with Julia in night.  Dazed all day, just kinda read a few blog posts and aimlessly watched TV in between taking care of sick baby.  Julia down for nap, friends visit to see what is up with us.

Monday 1/28-  Julia is 10 months old today. Pick baby rag quilt out for a coworker of Richard's. Julia starting to feel better. Shovel sidewalk and driveway. Take Rebecca to orthodontist appointment to have wire removed so she can get cavity fixed. Get phone call from James, he missed bus, can I pick him up. Snow plow came by and I got stuck in driveway.  Shoveled more snow and then picked up James.  Drop him off and then go pick up Jared from school. Then time for work.

Tuesday 1/29-  Shovel Sidewalk. Take Rebecca to dentist to fix cavity, they find two more and fill those as well.  Get my teeth cleaned. Make it to work only 15 minutes late. Richard picked up Jared from school.

Wednesday 1/30- Shovel sidewalk. Take Rebecca back to orthodontist to get wire put back on. Pick Jared up from school. Julia started to cough a little again. Make easy chicken enchilada filling in crock pot. Finish making them and then go to work.

Thursday 1/31-  No new snow! No planned Dr, dentist or orthodontist apt that I have to deal with, yeah. Richard has dentist apt, finds out he has abscessed tooth and needs a root canal.  Julia starts coughing really hard, I call and schedule Dr apt.  She is over croup and onto new virus, not RSV or anything in lungs, most likely bad cold. I order a pizza for dinner, they messed it up.  Run to store to buy saline drops and Gatorade for Julia and stuff for my scouts science experiments on Friday, forgot to pick up my Diet Coke. Richard asks why I am in a bad mood? Scarf down pizza and head to work. Buy a Diet Coke from vending machine.

 Friday 2/1-  I'm hoping the extent of it is no sleep for me. Take Jared's cat to school with him for show and tell and pick up a patterns from occupational therapist for weighted lap pads, weighted lap quilts and weighted shoulder snakes. We still have 36 of our 40 volunteer hours to do. Webelos science experiments planned in my scouts, good thing nothing dangerous.

Saturday 2/2- SLEEP IN, wait, Richard scheduled Jared swimming lessons at 9 am.  Attend baby shower for neighbor down street expecting twins, one boy and one girl.  Hope Julia is well enough to leave with kids for long enough to go out dinner with Richard.

Total baby quilts for gift in 1 1/2 weeks = 4

Here are some pictures of new rag quilt I made. I hope it is gender neutral enough.

I hope next week is slower!

Link a Finish Friday #52

It is now time for Link A Finish Friday.  Today I would like to start with a big thank you to Fat Quarter Shop who has offered to Sponsor our Link A Finish Friday with Prizes.  This month's winner (Febuary) will win a $15 gift certificate to spend on Fat Quarter Shop. 

Please remember to thank our sponsor by visiting their store at http://www.fatquartershop.com/ their blog http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop

Stitchy Kits - Such a Sew and Sew

Repro NinePatch - The Needles Excellency

MLK Weekend - PugMom Quilts

These are 3 of the wonderful quilts linked up last week.  Please share with us what you have done this week.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.

2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.
4) Monthly random winner picked from all of the months linkups to $15 gift card from Fat Quarter Shop.

Not required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.

Such a Sew and Sew

I would like to introduce any that does not already know about the wonderful blog "Such a Sew and Sew" hosted by Elizabeth.  This is one of the blogs that has influenced me the most since I have started quilting and one of the first that I followed.  You could say I am a little biased because I have won things from her.  I will explain my newest thing later in this post.  A year ago with in the first few weeks of the year she was celebrating her Birthday and Blog anniversary, She inspired one of the funny posts I have done in the past where I offered as a giveaway my 17 year old son (well 16 at the time) if you have not read it go do so, its funny.

Long story short I won my first prize from her in February of last year, a Jelly roll which you can read on this post.  I am one that loves to talk (if you can't tell from my blog) and if you have ever commented on my blog (which I encourage) you will almost always get a fun response back.  I have had many a fun conversation with Elizabeth.  I think what I enjoy most about her and her blog is that she is friendly and helpful.  Through the early days of my blog when I had no clue what I was doing (Sometimes I still think I have no clue) she would always help and encourage me and later on I though reading her blog was inspired to try many new and exciting quilting techniques.  For example my great desire to learn paper piecing is so that I can do some of the amazing things she has done.

Well she does not know that I am doing this today, but I am sure she will read it as she has read and commented on almost every post I have ever written.  She is a True hero to me.  Take some time today and go visit her blog at http://emsewandsew.blogspot.com/.  You will love her blog, and while you are there tell her hi from me.

So as mentioned above there was incentive to me praising Elizabeth and its not just because she is a wonderful person.  Its that I won a wonderful prize from this months B-Day and Blog Anniversary.

This is a fat quarter from each of the 20 prints in  the Indie from Pat Bravo (Art Gallery Fabrics).  I am sitting here right now looking at all the pretty colors and trying to come up with a project or 2 to use them in. (suggestions welcome). This is not what makes me realize how special and neat Elizabeth is, almost a year I talked about a quilt that my wife Tanya wanted to make.  It is a "Bug Jar" quilt if you have ever seen one I talked about it back in this post. One of the things we realized is it is harder then one thinks to find the proper type of bugs to go in our bug jars.  In our conversations she mentioned that her and her mother were also working on a bug jar quilt.  Well along with what I won above, I received a huge stack of "Bugs" I am so excited Tanya and I can now finally do the bug quilts that we wanted to make.

So again check out Such A Sew and Sew and see why she deserves a post all about her.  Oh and for those interested in giveaways she has a wonderful finish giveaway every month (I won one last year) Go link up your finishes and win something too.

Madrona Road by Violet Craft Chevron Challenge Quilt

The Modern Quilt Guild is having a quilting challenge with the Madrona Road by Violet Craft for Michael Miller Fabrics.  As a member of the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild we are participating in this.  The Parent guild gave us 8 fat 8th's of this line (well 7 of the line and then a yellow solid) the rules were we could only use material from the line and then add any solid.  The SLMQG added the rule that we had to include triangles.

I will have to give my wife Tanya the credit for the design on this one.  While at the December meeting, one of the guild members gave me their piece of with the words on it which is the top full and bottom full row (She said she hated the words, Me I loved them).  So this quilt was made with exactly 8 fat eights. (OK, binding I bought a half yard to do this) and of course the solids.

Well this is what I came up with (OK. Tanya designed it and I quilted and bound, oh yea Tanya basted it).  I echo quilted all of the lines.  On the rows, when I was quilting it I decided to have some fun. On the non yellow Chevrons I quilted from the beginning to the end of the lines (echo), but on the yellow I echoed around the full yellow chunks.  You will have to look at it close up to see what I am saying, but the 3 rows of chevrons that were non yellow I echo quilted the whole groups.  I thought it turned out wonderful.

I had a yellow solid back, which I though was BORING! I quilted it in all black, both front and back so that you can see all of my quilting lines on the back.  I thought it turned out fantastic.  I am still not sure if Tanya does, she just glared at me, which is typical.  I really wanted to get outside shots as I need to post my photo soon to get into the final contest.

When I opened the door, this is what faced me.  You can't see it in the picture, but it was dumping snow out of the sky as fast as it could.  I should have fun digging out my car in the morning to take Jared to school.

Here are some other views of it.  So what do you think?

Link a Finish Friday #51

It is now time for Link A Finish Friday.  Today I would like to start with a big thank you to Fat Quarter Shop who has offered to Sponsor our Link A Finish Friday with Prizes.  This month's winner (January) will win a $15 gift certificate to spend on Fat Quarter Shop. 

Please remember to thank our sponsor by visiting their store at http://www.fatquartershop.com/ their blog http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop

Rainbow Hexagon Quilt - Re Engineered

Adding Up Nicely by Meadow Mist Designs

Tea For Two - Blossom Heart Quilts

These are 3 of the wonderful quilts linked up last week.  Please share with us what you have done this week.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.

2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.
4) Monthly random winner picked from all of the months linkups to $15 gift card from Fat Quarter Shop.

Not required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.