RRCB Mystery

Well, I finally finished steps 3 and 4 this week. Actually step 3 is what took all the time. I finished it earlier in the week and finished tearing the paper off on Wednesday. I just didn't get around to posting a picture until now. So here is four of my Step 3 blocks:

No two blocks are the same. Most have the same fabrics, but either different size strips or different placement. I wanted them to be as scrappy as possible. I didn't have too many scraps to work with, so I cut up some yardage. It was nice because I didn't have to make sure my ruler was completely lined up. Made for quick and easy cutting.

I finished step 4 in two days. I got everything cut out on Wednesday and then sewed them up on Thursday. I was very happy to have an easy step. Here is a pick of the finished Step 4's. It looks funny because there are separate green blocks pinned to the sewn pieces. The green matches what was sewn to the blocks. Bonnie suggested pinning them together, so I did. Not sure what is in store for these little blocks.

I've started on step 5. This one is going to take awhile. We have to make 600 half square triangles. I probably have about 40 sewn, but only a dozen have been ironed. If I get an opportunity to just sit and sew for awhile, I might be able to knock them out.

Step 6 was released yesterday. More cutting of fabric. We did learn that step 7 and 8 are going to be for putting our blocks together. Yeah!! I'll finally get to see what it is I'm making. I have no guesses right now as to how these pieces go together. Bonnie did a great job of making this one a mystery.

Almost Done

Tonight I finally finished step 3 of the RRCB mystery quilt. I guess I should say I'm done with the sewing part. I've got to pull the paper off 30 blocks yet. I'm looking forward to step 4 because it should be quick & easy. Step 5 however is going to take some time. I'm only running a couple weeks behind on this mystery. It is exciting to see all these pieces, but i still have no idea how they are going to go together.

Christmas is almost here. I've still got a couple presents to get and find some boxes for a couple others. Luckily this year I didn't really have to do much present buying.

Finally finished the process of refinancing my house. It was a horrible experience & I plan on letting the bank know. I lowered my interest rate by over a percent & lowered my payment over $100 a month. I'm happy I did it, but it was a nightmare with the bank & title company.

Step 3

Boy, oh boy, Bonnie saved some tough sewing for the third step. Its not really difficult, just really time consuming. We have to make 60 string blocks. I've never made this type of block before, but it is easy. Its just time consuming when you have to sew 10-15 different pieces of fabric on each block. I think I've only got 15 done so far and the next step comes out on Friday. I just keep plugging away on them. I've been getting done at least 2 a night. Last night I finished 5 and tonight I got four of them done. After getting done with sewing the strips on, then its time to square them up and then rip the paper off the back. I've been doing the entire process each night because the paper ripping takes awhile. You've got to be careful because you can pull the stitches out of the seam. I'm really like the way these blocks look. Alot of people doing the quilt have lots of scraps to use for this step. I don't and cut most of my strips from yardage. That's okay because I'm using up some really ugly fabric and I bought some other for half price. I've managed to get Michigan State and University of Michigan fabric into this quilt. I'm sure I won't have all the blocks done before the next clue comes out, but I'll have enough done to start the next step.

Sewing

I finished up step 2 of the mystery the other night. Step 3 will be posted tomorrow, so I'll probably work on it this weekend. I've also been working on two other projects. Its funny how I've become motivated just by doing a mystery quilt. When I'm doing working on a step I work on a quilt that I started last year and am almost finished with now. I've also been doing a Bonnie Hunter quilt called Strip Twist as a lender/ender project. I really want to work on it because the end result looks so cool, but I'm forcing myself to hold off on cutting my strip sets. The other project I'm working on is a spring log cabin. I finished cutting the strips, so I only need to sew the last 6 blocks. Of course, then the real work begins. I have to set out the blocks and sew them all together then put on 3 borders. I'm looking forward to finishing this quilt.

Yesterday one of my betta fish died. Not sure why, but he has gone to the big fish bowl in the sky. I then went to the pet store and had my water tested. It came back fine, so I got a pair of lyretail swordtails. They are a cool orange/red color and the boy has a great tail. They seem to be doing fine. Next week I may add a few more after having the water tested again.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Its hard having to work for 5 days straight. With the snow on the ground I want to just stay snuggled in my nice warm bed. Maybe I'll get back into the swing of things since I have to work 5 days for the next few weeks.

Step 2 Done, well almost

All the pieces are sewn and pressed. I've just got to finish cutting off the dog-ears. That shouldn't take too long. I'm excited to have this step done. Looking forward to the next step. My quilting juices are flowing. I want to keep sewing, but I have to work in the morning, so off to bed I go.

Just a quick note, I got two more bags of leaves done. I know, I know, I should be done by now, but I've been procrasinating and haven't been home much. Today I worked on the leaves that are piled outside of my fence on the sidewalk. I figured I better get those done before the snow flies and causes problems for the snow blower. Its suppose to start raining tonight and tomorrow, so I thought I would get as many done as I could before the sun went down. Only two bags, but it put a huge dent in the problem. Hopefully by the end of the week I can get some more done.

Good Night!!

My Day

Today has been a lazy but productive day. I started my morning out by making chocolate chip cookies, while cooking sausage for my breakfast. Its always nice to have the house smell like home cooked food. I then decided to do my Cinderella chore of scrubbing the tile floors by hand. My knees are a bit sore, even though I used my slippers for cushions. The floors looked great, but of course, the dogs have already brought dirt in with them. Maybe I'll do a better job of keeping up with them and I won't have to do that back breaking job for awhile. Of course, I continued by getting everything vaccuumed. I did the living room twice just to try to get it extra clean. I don't think that really works with the dogs, but I feel better.

I put on a pot of chili today even thought I'm still trying to finish the Thanksgiving leftovers. I'm actually getting tired of the leftovers, so the dogs might get a bit of a treat within the next couple of days.

I worked on step 2 of the mystery for a little bit. Sewed some more HST's together, but I'm still not done. Maybe I'll finish them up tomorrow. Once I'm done I'll post a picture of my completed step 2.

Bonnie just posted the first step in her 3 part series called Christmas Lights. It was published in Quiltmaker magazine, but I didn't get all three issues, so this is great. I really liked quilt and now I will be able to make it. I just have to print each set of directions from her blog. I'm not going to start that one for awhile. Maybe I'll have it done for next Christmas.

Thanksgiving Dinner

My family's thanksgiving meal was spectacular. My mom's husband did an excellent job on the turkey. I think it was the best one yet. Of course all the sides, stuffing, corn, garlic mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, were excellent too. It was nice to just hang out with my family for the evening. We watched the movie, Pretty Woman. I've never seen it before, so we had to stay and watch it. It was a pretty good movie.

Well, I've started step 2 of the mystery quilt. I've got all the strips cut and then a portion are subcut into HSTs and then another group have been sewn already. Of course, I had to sew some because I wanted to see how they are going to turn out. As soon as I get them done I'll post a picture. I'm looking forward to the next step. The first two have been really easy, which is not normal for Bonnie Hunter. She loves lots and lots of little pieces. Who knows what is coming our way.

Did a little Black Friday shopping. Mom & I went out and braved some of the crowds. Elder Beerman was crazy. I ended up buying a wool sweater and a cashmere sweater because the prices were great. I didn't need them, but when you can get such a good deal they have to come home with you. Mom got some luggage at an unbelievable savings. She needed some because she is going to vist my sister in Vancouver this week. We hit a couple other stores and got everything we were after. There was no way I was getting up in the middle of the night to go shopping. I think we left the house around 11. That worked out pretty well. I was amazed at how things died down after 1pm. You know all those doorbuster deals expired then, so people quit shopping. You could actually find parking spots after 1. I hope everyone was able to get the deals they were looking for.

Mystery Step 1/Happy Thanksgiving

I finally finished step one of the new Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. Step two comes out tomorrow, so at least I'm ahead of the game a little. This mystery is called Roll Roll Cotton Boll. Bonnie lives in North Carolina, so she has lots of cotton farms around her. Here is a pic of my fabrics.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thinking of my friends who are overseas for the holiday. My girlfriend Laurie and her husband David are in Afghanistan right now. Its great that they are together, but they really don't get to see each other much. I hope all the members of the Armed Forces have a great holiday.

Tomorrow is Black Friday. Mom and I may go brave a bit of it, but I really don't have anything that I want to buy. You never know if you'll find something you can't live without, so we may brave the crowds and the cold.

Take care everyone and have a wonderful and safe holiday!

New Mystery Quilt

I have started on the new Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. Step 1 is pretty simple, just sewing a pink/green/pink set together and then cutting down to 2 inches. I've cut about 20 of the sets and have sewn the pink/green together. Tomorrow I hope to finish. I have to cut some more pink because I wasn't sure how much I was going to need. Bonnie tries to use up scraps in these quilts, but I really don't have that many scraps so I'm using to old yardage and fat quarters. The first step really doesn't give me much of an idea of what the quilt is going to look like. Bonnie is trying to keep it a mystery as long as possible. Step 2 is set to be released this friday, so hopefully I'll be able to get some sewing done this weekend. I'm not going to be home, but plan on packing up everything I need, so I can get some more done. Winter is here and its time to start sewing again.

I say winter is here, but with today's weather you really can't tell. It was in the 60's and we are having a thunderstorm. They actually have a thunderstorm watch issued for the overnight. They said a tornado touched down in Wisconsin from this batch of storms. Could be an interesting night. The temp is suppose to drop over night and we will be lucky if we see 35 tomorrow and they are calling for snow on Thanksgiving. What crazy weather.

Vacation

I spent this past week on vacation with the DH. We didn't have a plan, so we headed to Kentucky. I wanted to visit Hancock's of Padacuh, so we went there. It was a big shop and they had so many fabrics. It was overwhelming. I'm sure I could have spent all day there, but only went through half the fabrics. I was afraid of how much money I was going to spend, so I had my fabric cut and got out of there. Maybe I'll visit again someday. The town as a whole didn't have alot to offer (at least that's what the locals said). The National Quilt Museum is there, but we didn't go. We did head downtown and visited another quilt shop. We tried to find somewhere to get lunch, but all the restaurants close after lunch and don't open again until dinner time. We ended up having sandwiches at a general store. The food was very good, even though it wasn't what we were looking for.

On Thursday we headed to Lexington. I was so overwhelmed at the beauty of horse country. I so want to live there. We found a hotel after driving around the area and then went downtown to a little bistro for dinner. The food was very good. They had a limited menu and it was quite expensive, but at least it was delicious.

Friday we went to the Kentucky Horse Park. I wanted to do a horse farm tour, but many of the vendors weren't offering tours on friday. It seems that busy is very slow in the late fall/winter time. We wandered the park and enjoyed the sights. I got to see two famous racehorses - Cigar and Funny Cide. They both reside at the park, so it was pretty cool to see two legends. The museum was pretty amazing as well. Next week took a trip over to Keeneland race course. I knew they were having their fall sale, so we stopped into the sale area. It was so cool! I've seen the arena in pictures, so it was kind of surreal for me to see it in person. We watched the sale for awhile and then DH left with one of nicest people I have ever met. She was working at the sale. Come to find out he went and registered as a buyer, so we could buy a horse if we so chose. I found a mare that I would have liked to have, but I wasn't registered as a buyer. She didn't sell and I found out that we could go talk to the agent and possibly buy the mare. I didn't jump on it right away and then after the sale was over we went down to the barn she was in. Come to find out they usually give the mares away if they don't sell. Now I know for the future. It was a great time hanging out watching the sale.

This is just one of the mares that sold friday. Most of the mares were in foal. I learned alot by spending the day at Keeneland. One of the auctioners said that the sale was brutal because most of the horses went super cheap or didn't sell. It was kind of sad. The highest price we saw was $37,000 (see 2nd picture). That's not much for a racehorse.

When my life permits I will have horses again. Right now just isn't the right time. Maybe the next time we take a vacation it will be during the sale and maybe the horse trailer will have to go with us.

We headed home after the sale on Friday and arrived back in Michigan around 11pm. It was a wonderful trip. I wish it would have been longer, but I was out of money, so it was good we decided to come home.

On Saturday night we went to the Napoleon Livestock Commission's monthly horse auction. They had 5 horses to sell. After all the tack sold they started the horses. The first mare was a registered Appaloosa. She didn't have any spots, but I really thought about buying her. She sold for $200. The lowest price was $50/each for two Hackney ponies and the highest was $350 for a Perchereon/Arabian cross mare. It was so sad. I think the same guy bought all of them. Hopefully he will just resell them.

Sometimes Life Just Sucks

Today I had to say goodbye to my best friend. Her National Guard unit left today to start training in Ft. Bliss, TX and then on to Afghanistan. She was lucky because her husband is deploying with her, but their daughter isn't so lucky. Poor Morgan. She was so upset today. After they got on the bus, she clung to me crying. I didn't even know how to comfort her because I completely understand her feelings. It was so sweet when her dad got off the bus and just held her. They both cried and it was heartbreaking to watch. I'm going to try to see her when Grandma has her on the weekends. I hate how deployments rip families apart. Only 361 more days to go til they come home.

On another sad note, my sweet Maggie passed away a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what happened or why, but her kidneys quit working and there wasn't anything to be done about it. The DH and I buried her out by the hay field because that was her favorite place to be. We planted a magnolia tree at her grave so we will always know where she is. It was amazing to watch her a few days before her passing. We took her out to the hay field and she was so happy trotting around with her nose to the ground. You wouldn't have known she was sick and could barely walk. She is in a better place now, but it still hurts and I miss her daily.

Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter. I will be spending the day with my mom and family. Looking forward to having some good food. I haven't been out to her house in awhile, so I haven't been fed correctly. :-) I always eat good at her house.

Ava is doing ok right now. She is still having trouble keeping food down, but eventually she keeps it down. I've switched her to a higher protein/fat food. Its nice because this brand actually lists what the calorie count is. She has lost alot of weight and the vets are actually concerned about it. I am trying to get her to eat as much food as possible so she can start gaining some weight. She can't afford to lose anymore. I'm planning to have her get the endoscopy and balloon procedure once the tax money comes. There is risk involved in getting this procedure, but I think the possible benefit outweighs the risk. If she doesn't get it, her throat may close and then she won't be able to eat at all.

I finally finish finished the Double Delight quilt. Today I finally sewed the label on. So, now it sits on the quilt rack with a whole bunch of others. I'm really needing to get another quilt rack. I don't have enough room for all the quilts anymore. There are 5 quilts sitting on a rack that feasibly holds 3.

The weather has been spectacular the last few days. I've been able to get some yard work done and spend time outside with the dogs. This morning it was 70 degrees so I read a book while the dogs hung out. Ava actually just laid on the deck and enjoyed being outside. Of course, Rommel wandered the whole yard finding stuff to pee on. A silly little squirrel decided to come over for a visit via power line and the dogs had him so scared he couldn't figure out which way to run. They so badly want to catch a squirrel. Everytime they go out they tear out the door to see if they can find/catch one. Its very funny, except when they tear out on my bare feet. Luckily the cold weather isn't suppose to stay too long. I'm enjoying the unseasonably warm temps.

Happy Easter !!!

Ava Update

Well, on Monday Ava went back to MSU to have some tests done. She has not been able to keep food or water down, so the vet wanted to do some tests. They ended up doing some sort of test called a flourostudy or something. Basically, they gave her water, soft dog food, and then kibble and watched it go down her esophagus. They wanted to see if there is a stricture at the site where the pig ear was removed and also if she is having esophagal dysfunction. When I got there to pick her up the doctor took me to watch the films that were created during the tests. As I watched the water and soft dog food tests I really couldn't see much. The doc said that the water and soft food looked like it flowed just fine to her stomach. I did see the water enter her stomach and it was quite amazing. The last films he showed me were from kibble. It was very clear as to where the trouble is happening. You could clearly see the food getting stuck in the spot where the pig ear had been stuck. You could also see the esophagus stretching in front of the stricture, which can be bad because it could stretch out permanently and its not fixable. The stricture is fixable, but the dysfunction is not. The dysfunction can be handled by feeding a certain way as long as the area that is not working doesn't get larger. So, right now I'm saving up my pennies to take her in for an endoscopy so they can look at the stricture and also check her stomach for any foreign bodies. Its probably going to cost me another $1,000 to get the stricture stretched and there is not guarantee that it will work or that it won't have to be done again. Oh, and she has lost alot of weight. The doctor was actually concerned because at the end of December (after all the horrible post surgery stuff) she weighed 91 pounds, now she is down to 75 pounds. He suggested getting her a higher calorie food. Of course, dog food companies don't list the calorie count on food bags, so the store clerk suggested a high protein, high fat food since that should mean more calories. I bought a bag of EVO, which has no grain, it is all meat (80%) and vegetables. I can't believe how expensive it is, but if it works it will be worth it. Also, the kibble size is tiny compared to Iams. I'm still soaking the food in water because she has also been dehydrated due to not keeping water down. Last night was very rough I think because of the testing. She didn't keep anything down. She has been better today but she is still vomiting periodically. Hopefully, things will turn around for her. Its been such a long road, but I'm not ready to give up on my girl.

Double Delight finished

Its finally finished!! I started this quilt on New Year's Eve of 2008/2009. It got put away all last summer and I finally finished it up this fall. Diana Swihart of Tranquil Quilting did the quilting for me. She did a great job. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I still have to get the label sewn on, but at least its not a UFO any longer. I seem to have too many quilts at home because I haven't even used it yet. Actually I have 7 quilts in my living room at this moment. That doesn't even include the one on my bed and the others on a quilt rack in my bedroom. It is so hard for me to give them away because I put so much time, money, and love into creating them. I always worry that the receiver won't love them as much as I do. I've heard some horror stories from people who gave away quilts thinking that they would be loved to only find out that they were put away or used as dog beds. I think that I may give the one I'm working on now away. I have a few family members that haven't received one yet and I know one special person who might appreciate receiving a quilt.

Surprise Quilt

I started this quilt back in 2008 in hopes to give it to my sister for Christmas. Well, I finally got it finished this month. I sent it to her and she was completely surprised. It is super cute fabric and I happened to find the panels on E-bay that go with it. Its all dog Christmas fabric. The panels are the 12 dog days of Christmas. It is very cute. It was hard for me to give it to her because I really like the fabric and haven't been able to find it anywhere. I just happened to find a jelly roll in my closet the other day. I wanted to make this bigger, but thought I had run out of fabric. Well, of course I found the jelly roll after I sent the quilt to the long-armer. Oh well, maybe I can make something small for myself. I wish I had some close up shots, but I didn't get any. I believe the fabric was called Christmas Lights, but I might be wrong.

Next Quilt

I have started on a new quilt. I'm making a very springy colored log cabin. I found the pattern in Shipshewana and bought the fabric while there. The pattern uses two jelly rolls, so at least a little of the cutting has been done for me. I've got the first 6 blocks made. They are good size blocks. I was very surprised when I finished them because they are about 14" square. I was hoping to start on a new show shirt, but just wasn't super motivated to do it. I have to trace the pattern at the next smaller size and I don't have a nice sliding glass door at my disposal to use for a light box. Tracing a pattern without having light behind it isn't the easiest thing to do.

Tomorrow my Appaloosa mare is being picked up by her new owner. She will be moving to Canada. It has been an interesting process figuring out how to export a horse. I'm very lucky because the federal veterinary just happens to be located in my building. Made it much easier to get the paperwork endorsed. I walked up two flights of stairs and they didn't even make me have an appointment. I'm happy that she is going to a new home that I believe will be a good home. I'm sad because I don't know if I will ever show again. It has been my passion for a long time and now I may never have the opportunity. I guess that's life.

At least I'm getting some sewing done these days!

Tote Bag

Yesterday I finished a very cute summer tote. The pattern is by Lazy Girl designs and is super easy. You can make it using 9 fat quarters and it went quickly. I actually completed it in 2 days, but if I would have sat down and worked on it consistently it would have been done in a day. I'm looking forward to using it because it has lots of pockets on the inside and out. Each side of the bag is a different dog print. I found these fat quarters out in Portland, OR when I was visiting my sister.

Today is MLK day, so us federal employees have the day off. I haven't gotten much accomplished yet today, but hopefully I'll get motivated soon. I'm planning to either start a new quilt or a new show shirt. I haven't decided yet. I have to copy the shirt pattern again in a smaller size because the one I made was way too big.

Quilts Finished

Last week I finished my Double Delight mystery quilt and another UFO and took them to my quilter. Its been awhile since I've finished a project that needed to go to the quilter, but luckily she was able to take my quilts. I'm looking forward to getting them back and getting the bindings on them. One is going to be a gift and I'm not sure what I will do with the other. Probably end up keeping it because I hate giving them away after all the work that has gone into creating them. I know its selfish but I love them even if I don't use them but once a year.

I've been working on finishing a show shirt. I'm using a new pattern and it has been frustrating because things are working out correctly. For some reason the pieces that were cut out for the collar don't seem to be big enough. I did some tacking and glueing and it seems to look okay. I just have to finish the cuffs and put the sleeves on, but I'm so frustrated that I haven't worked on it for a couple of days. You'd think I would just get it done and see how it turns out to determine if I want to make more. But no, I want to leave it unfinished. Maybe I will get motivated tonight or tomorrow and just get it done.

I sold my show horse this past weekend. She will be moving to a new family in Canada. Its pretty amazing at was has to happen before you can export an animal to a foreign country. The vet has already been out and once I get the paperwork back from her I can move forward with getting USDA approval. Luckily, I work in the same building as the USDA vets, so it makes it a little easier to get their endorsement on the export papers. Once this happens her new owner will be coming to get her. I'm excited that she is going to a new home, but also sad because I don't know if or when I will get a new horse to show. I'm not ready to give up on showing yet, but it may have to wait awhile.

Bargello Finished

Tonight I finished the binding on the quilt as you go Bargello wallhanging. I started this quilt last spring so I'm glad to have it completed. I'm amazed at how sore my hand is from hand sewing the binding. Guess my hands are out of practice. Luckily, it was only a wallhanging. I might be in trouble with the next one. I'm eager to move on to the next UFO.

Tomorrow I plan to get the backing and possible border fabric for my Double Delight. I really would like to get it finished this week. I also want to get my last UFO going. All the pieces are sewn into blocks I just have to cut the sashing fabric and put the top together. I'm sort of following a pattern with my own changes being inserted. I really like the pattern, but I want the quilt bigger and I'm using special fabric so I want to showcase it a bit.

Ava Update

The girl is doing much better. Today is our last day of antibiotics. I'm hoping that will help stop the throwing up after eating. She is doing much better with eating but still has issues occassionally. I haven't figured out what the connection is between every incident other than the drugs. Her bandage changes are down to once a day and MSU is letting me do them. We are down to just Telfa pads instead of huge packs of gauze. I looked at the wound this morning while changing her bandage and it looks like it is mostly healed. Hopefully Monday will be our last trip to MSU. She is going to have a heck of a scar in that spot as right now it looks like a red angry belly button. I'm just happy my dog is still alive and pretty much back to normal. We haven't switched back to regular dog food yet, but I'm going to start slowly incorporating it back into her diet. She eats a piece here and there and doesn't seem to have a problem. She has however stole a bunch from her brother and it didn't seem to sit very well, as it came back up.

Today I'm working on getting a binding sewn onto a wall hanging that I started last year. I took a class as the LQS this past spring and I'm just getting it finished up. Its a quilt as you go Bargello. It will be nice to get it done. I'm also almost finished with the Double Delight. I need to find a pink fabric for the outer border as I don't have enough left of any I used in the quilt. I also need to get some fabric for the back and then off to the long armer it goes. I have one more UFO to finish after that and then I'm switching gears to shirt making for awhile. I've got lots of fabric to use up for shirts so I want to get them going.