I started a new project

--could you even believe it!?

I have had this pattern for oh a hundred years it seems.

I bought it on my first Shop Hop.  I went downstairs yesterday not to start a new project for sure!  I think it's probably the only pattern I've had this long and still want to make.
I pulled all the fabrics from my stash and except for the crow fabric, which I bought with the pattern and have been saving (unbelievable) all this time, I used all batiks.  I am going to have to go get some orange batiks for the pumpkin, I need 3.  I did use 2 'regular' fabrics for 2 of the pumpkin sections but I just need something different than what I have.  I might be able to squeeze in a quick visit to The Quilting Needle tomorrow, if not it will have to be Saturday.

Dresden plates

I made a new "list of things to do". It's taped to the side of my sewing machine.  The last one worked really well.  I don't put anything like 

TO BE DONE THIS WEEK!! on it.

I just list some things and leave it open ended.  

It's keeping me on task without making me stressed.  

The Dresden's are on the list.  You may recall how I posted about wanting to set these on point.  Well, I'm over that.  

*smile*

The setting is going to be 4 x 5 plus sashing and borders.  I will aim for a nice queen size for my bed.  

The above picture was taken yesterday morning after the rearrangement. I now have all the plates made and only 5 more to blanket stitch to their foundations, woo-hoo.

You can see I still only have 4 NY Beauty blocks made.  I do need to make at least one soon here so I don't forget the technique!

And a way down at the end of the wall are 8 random block-a-days.  I want to put them together with a solid fabric--saw an inspiration  quilt for it on Pinterest; forgot to pin it or pinned to wrong board (done that before)-- but that's OK as I saw another inspiration quilt today. 

***

Last Saturday Paul-michael called.  

He was in the 'burgh and wanted to know if he could stop for a little visit before having to head back to Emmitsburg on Sunday morning.

"HECK YAH, come on over!"  I said calmly.  ;)

After lunch he and Meg went out on the deck.

I was cleaning up and spied them out the kitchen window.

One of those moments, 

                  nothing special really 

but it made my heart swell.

You know what I mean.  

 Sometimes life is so good it wells up and leaks out my eyes.

the first 4

New York Beauties

I'm happy with them all.  The one on top left is the only one a little off- you can see the bottom of the outside background piece is too narrow by a good 1/4 inch.  I'm not sure what went wrong but I can always re do it.  

I'm going to wait since I need 36 total blocks the chances of having more like that are high.  If I have 2 like that next to each other it won't stick out as off.

NYB Simplified

Here is my first block.

6 1/2 inch block

Last night was our first quilt guild meeting of the year.  Linda J Hahn was our speaker.  She gave an excellent trunk show of all the quilts in her book and is a very funny lady too!

Today was the workshop, but I wasn't sure if I could make it with vacation and all so I didn't sign up.  

I had bought this book months ago when I decided I really wanted to make a NYB one day.

As you might recall, paper piecing and I don't get along.  So after a successful newbies class on the subject last year through the guild I got all excited, bought the book and then just as quickly was distracted!  

This morning I thought I better give it an attempt.

  This 6 1/2 inch block took me 2 solid hours.  I messed up 3 times and then turned the book upside down -and wallah I could do it.  I sewed right on the printer paper that I had.  I'm going to head out now and see if I can find some EQ printable foundation that Linda recommends-it doesn't have to be removed.  We felt her quilts after the lecture and you can not tell there's anything in there.

I also want to get a 9 1/2 inch square ruler. 

I need rotary cutter blades too- 45mm and 28mm.  Last night while I had 5 minutes before I had to leave to pick up Libby (she finally decided to try the guild!) I changed the blades on my cutters---none of them worked well.   I hate doing that 

little job.  I'm afraid of those things.

*******

fun times, fun times.  Life is Good.

Vacation 2

Yesterday, the 12th, I got up before the sunrise so I could get myself down to the beach to watch it.  It always takes me a couple days here before I can get up for it.  It always amazes me how fast the sun comes up once it peeks over the horizon.

*****

September 13

Today although the forecast was saying sunny and 80.  It is very cloudy & windy.  When the sun does peak out it is probably 80!  I went for a very long walk this  morning and along the shore was a huge, dead sea turtle.  I called Paul and told him to get down there with the camera!  I heard one of the others standing by saying they had called it in.  Which I assume meant to some authority to come and remove it and or document it.

When we here last year, we saw a couple of the NEST volunteers watching/guarding a turtle nest.

I did sit at the beach for a few hours today reading State of Wonder

It's really good!!

Tomorrow is Friday.  

We leave Saturday. 

 How can this be? 

We just got here.

******
September 14

Our last day on the beach.  The weather was perfect.  The water warm, the waves huge (a little too huge for me, thank you very much).

I finished my book.  We went out for dinner.
We got our stuff packed up.
It was the fastest vacation yet-and we did next to nothing.

I'm already dreaming of next year!

Vacation 1

I'm always trying to make my vacations longer. So at the last minute-the night before we were leaving-I spent about an hour re-figuring our route to the Outer  Banks.  I thought a couple hours at Monticello would break of the trip nicely and we would definitely avoid any delays onto OBX. 

Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy/rainy and we decided not to go the alternate route and take the chance of it being soggy at Monticello.

The further south and east we traveled the better the weather became and I, of course, started second guessing our decision.  

About 2 miles before we crossed the Wright Memorial Bridge onto the Outer Banks it started to drizzle and then the deluge.

It's a good thing Paul has super 'eyes'.  

The worries over traffic were unfounded.   Sunday here it was still drizzly so we drove down to Roanoke Island and toured The Elizabethan Gardens.  I enjoy it tremendously.

We also went through the Ft. Raleigh History center, which adjoined the gardens.  It was quite interesting.  The next time we come during the summer season, I do want to see The Lost Colony production.  

It's very quiet here now that summer season is over.  We spent Monday at the beach, our new Sport-brella is fantastic.  We saw a couple families with them last year and thought it would work for us.  

It's very windy here now so this is perfect-keeps us out of the wind and sand.  I think our regular umbrella would have been inside out in two minutes or half way to Bermuda by now.

I had fun boogie boarding.  

The waves are crazy big.  

****

On Tuesday morning while taking my morning long walk on the beach, I found these.

The one on the left is a whelk of some sort.  I could not believe when I saw it just sitting there in the sand!  I bought a book later that day on sea shells.  There are over 140 varieties in North Carolina waters!!  I wouldn't have guessed there was that many in the world.  wow.

I've been cookin'....

baking actually!  My first loaf of "One-hour French bread"

I had already eaten the two ends before I thought to snap a picture.

this is my 12 days of Christmas quilt (from here).

I never liked the sashing; too white so it's having a coffee staining bath here.

Right now it's out on the deck drying.   It's looking good.

It's hard to tell from the picture but it's way darker and dull-er-

just as I hoped.

I've been finishing bindings-- 9-patch lattice is done-done.

sewing bindings--union jack is just started but I'm hopeful.

quilting an all-over stipple on the Granny Squares quilt. That I first saw here. I can't wait to see this washed and crinkled.

granny square getting quilted

...sewing on more binding. 

I used almost all my leftover pieces of binding from other quilts-hate to toss them, for granny squares. I still have some left but not much. 

granny square w/binding on-not hand sewn to back yet

and all the while thinking more and more of this...

I actually thought for a sec of taking a quilt with me to bind..hahhaaa 

I did find a rug pattern but not sure if I'll have time to transfer it and get a bunch of worms cut, not worrying about it that's for sure.

Went and saw The Bourne Legacy on Sunday (very good if you like that kind of action-I do) and today Meg and I saw "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" (really good.) 

 I can't remember the last movie I saw in a theater and now two in three days- craazzyy.

I have one more quilt on 'the list' that I want to quilt before we leave.  I think I can, I think I can.