Yummy Fabric

That is all.

Carry on.

Peace out, Redwalls.

I envisioned a quiet decor.

Relaxing.

Calm.

I want this place to be a sanctuary.

Instead, I got the Redwall Family.

Mr. Redwall

Mrs. Redwall

& Baby Redwall

All surrounded by Goldilocks walls.

I bet this was perfect for the previous owners.

& I'm sure had I ever been invited into their home I would've loved it.

I've heard from everyone they were lovely people.

And honestly, I get a nice vibe in this house. 

So did my sister.

The nice vibe got even nicer today when the Redwall Family vacated the premises.

Meet Mr. Tanwall.

Mrs. Tanwall

& Baby makes 3.

Welcome Tanwall Family...

Some may consider you boring, but I'm glad you're here.

Creature Comforts

I was tired when I left NY.

My seemingly innocuous husband snores like a freight train.

Mix that with my anticipation/anxiety about the drive.

Not to mention, I'm used to that freight train lying next to me at night.

I've not slept well in over a week.

(Except for my bubbly friends deliciousness)

Nor have I sewn a stitch.

I'm a girl who needs her sleep.

And her fabric.

Since arriving in 'paradise', this is what I've slept on.

And here is my Bernina.

Sitting in the corner as if she has misbehaved.

She has done nothing to deserve this...

And neither have I.

Not good.

I'm punchy.

And grouchy.

This is my 'living' arrangement. 

I'd have no problem with this...

If I was rested.

And sewing.

If I couldn't get a real mattress in the house tonight, I was going to get a hotel room

Ugh...bugs...athletes foot fungus...the possibilities for contamination & grossness are endless. 

Thank God for Mattress Firm.

Same day delivery.

Even better when you add the Quilty goodness...

That's what I'm talking about. 

Sweet dreams...

Tomorrow I shall work on finding a spot to cut a bit of fabric.

After all, it's only paradise if you're living your dream life!

Winter warmth

I left on Sunday, heading for greener pastures.

Actually, greener anything.

Syracuse is all shades of gray in winter.

I made a quick stop near Harrisburg to give Barb her quilts.

And pee...I really had to pee.

She brought me this gem from one of her exploits.

SWOON!  A DWR obbers tile.

& she told me all about Natie's frigid proposal...

Yes, there were tears in Mickey Ds...but not too much.

& promised to visit me in the sunshine.

Mission accomplished.

I traveled along and saw the Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile in PA.

Then I saw a bunch of Amish horse drawn carriages. 

The Irony.

I had great plans to stop in Midlothian, VA, for a brief visit with one of my favorite people.

I managed to veer off course...must've been all the great conversation.

Frannie can be a real chatterbox...it's her fault.

Instead of winding up in Richmond, I wound up in Roanoke...a Christopher Columbus moment.

Mission not accomplished.

I continued along, following the instructions of my Aussie Garmin guide.

(He's a man &men never want to stop or directions)

I was getting tired...signs said Charlotte 110 miles.

Where to stop???

Wait, who do I know in Charlotte?

OMG!  I think it's my Bubbly friend.

Then this happened..

Then this..

And..

Then..

She called...we discussed...and I stayed with her.

And her adorable, awesome kid, Nick.

Are they twins, or what?

And her sweet, petite Lily.

Lily is the anti Frannie (think Ginger Rogers vs Shelley Winters).

I can't believe I didn't get a pic of Lily...must've been the exhaustion.

Lucky for me, my bubbly friend provided me this one after reading my blog.

Cute..huh?

We ate at Fishbones...a glass of vino, bang bang & tilapia imperial, with a key lime pie chaser, baby!

Frannie waited in the car without complaint while we ate....I was afraid she & Lily might fight.

I shouldn't have worried, they were fine.  Rockstar dog.

Lori seems great...I love me some Bubbly.

Nick, a HS senior, is too damn cute.

Friendly, talkative and funny...a rare adolescent, indeed!

He'll be studying music production in Florida next year.

I wonder if he will thank me for the burger when he wins his first Grammy?

Anyone who knows me, knows what a blessing this was.

I've got a serious bedbug phobia.

I don't sleep well in hotels.

I slept LIKE A LOG in her CLEAN, delicious, CLEAN bed.

Did I mention the bed was clean?

CRISIS AVERTED...with a twist of the Bubbly.

Monday we went the rest of the way...thru SC, GA & into FL.

Only stopping for gas...and coffee.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 

After 23 hours in the backseat of a Honda CRV...

she's still smiling.

BEST

DOG

EVER

PERIOD

ps:  

it's official, we're snowbirds.

Magic #6

Goals...goals.

I wanted to get one more bound before I head out.

Yay!

I'm using it to protect an upholstered chair from Alvin.

He only uses my finest furniture for sun bathing.

I quilted my freehand posies on it.

I know...it's hard to see.

While Mr Sun made a brief appearance yesterday, he has moved onto greener pastures.

His absence causes poor photo quality.

I used a blendy tan variegated thread on the top and cream magna-glide bobbins.

Rainbows is gorgeous thread, but....

It's hard to get uniform spacing when you really can't see the thread while you're quilting.

And you don't even know how you're doing til you take it off the frame and flip it over.

All things considered, I think I did pretty well keeping it even.

I used some batiks & Asian inspired prints from my stash.

I had a brief fabric crush on Asian inspired metallics.

I don't hate them now, but I don't love them anymore, either.

All in all, this will be a perfect quilt for its intended purpose.

And it looks like Alvin already feels quite special lying on gilded fabrics.

There is no bigger fan of my quilts than Al.

He arrives promptly for each and every finish I have. 

I think he was a pig in a former life cause he's a ham in this one.

Bad joke...sorry.

Alvin isn't the only one who feel special.

I do believe I've tamed the 'waiting for binding' pile to a reasonable 6.

I'm trying not to break my arm while patting myself on the back.

Hope Mr Sun is in your neck of the woods today!

Enjoy.

Bento Box 3 & 4

I've been making bento box quilts for a few of Kelly's friends & a few nieces that I would like to hug more often.

Because these girls have been kind & loyal to my girl and/or are quiltless family members.

They are great, fun, young women with good taste in wine.

& I love them.

Which is really the reason.

I'm thinking, perhaps, they might enjoy cuddling under one of my quilts.

These gals are like family.

1 more recent friendship

1 from her college days

1 from middle school 

1 from elementary school

& a few kinda family members.

I want to send them all out at once...this is proving to be difficult.

I had 2 made, in BW w/Yellow.

They're gone.

I wound up giving one to my friend Cindy for her 50th and the other I brought to my sister when she was in the hospital having a health crisis.

No worries...I've got plenty of fabric!

Perhaps my trip south will produce a bento box flimsy surplus & my plan will be executed upon my return.

Please God?

Ummm....God, never mind that silly request, please.

I have much more pressing issues that I would prefer you direct your energy toward.

If You don't mind, that is.

The quilts are mostly B&W w/ Pink & Green.

There is a smattering of Turquoise & Purple in a couple of the prints.

I find most BW quilts to have a modern feel, fresh & fun.

The younger set really seem to enjoy them.

I like them, too.

Even though I am no longer young.

I used a purple backer that has a silver metallic embellishment. 

I am nothing if not a purple girl.

They have a real feminine feel and 2 of these recipients have little girls. 

I think they will go to them.

Unless I create something even girly-er in the sunshine.

I reserve the right to change my mind.

After all, it's my party. 

These 2 bindings bring my 'quilts needing binding' total down to 7.

Unfortunately, I have still not put bindings on some of the 'old' ones.

I have valid reasons to procrastinate on a couple, I'd like to do a bit more longarming to these.

Several of them I just do not like.

They are destined to become dog quilts & that makes motivating hard. 

They say you have to make bad art before you make good art.

How I wish this weren't true.

I wonder how much bad friggin art can one person create?

In the words of the great Buzz Lightyear, 'to infinity and beyond.'

I wish I could get over my 'I won't donate a quilt I don't like to charity' problem.

It's so much easier to bind a quilt that won't be chewed up & digested with Alpo & poopsicles.

But, I digress.

Actually, digress should be my middle name.

I'm hoping I'll have one more finish before I go, but it will be tight.

It sure would be nice to have that number to 6 before I go.

Insomnia has its benefits.

We shall see.

Today, there is a big, bright ball in the sky that is hurting my eyes.

I vaguely remember it.

I think it's called the sun.

Do not be fooled.

The furnace is still Rockin & Rollin.

It's still pretty cold out there. 

But that bright thing really helps the mood.

Whatever.

My cuppa is done...so it's on to the chores.

Hope your day is great.

Thanks for stopping by.

XO

HST finish!

I made the flimsy in the summer during my HST binge. 

I used a PB&J layer cake and some denim and kona navy from the stasheroo.

I'm pretty sure it's going south with me. 

If it fits in the car. 

I did my feather swirl meander...a favorite of mine. 

Easy and fun to stitch out & it makes a nice random design that adds interest to the quilt.

Notice that it's bound?

Unfortunately, this quilt was not in the pile when I posted my Quilty goals.

It was still on the frame. 

So, no progress there. 

Stay tuned.....

I have one more quilty post before I go!