Shuffling Off to Buffalo- Again!

While waiting for the actual test to begin ( over 2 hours late) and while DD took the written exam I worked on more Amish Tumbling blocks. I "think" I'm attaching row 13 or 14 - Not even half way- but still working on it.

Suitcases are packed- laptop and Twilight Zone dvds packed, ipods, books and sewing for me- the last of the prepped tumbling blocks ready to be put together, the last few hexagons for the Irish Pub star wall hanging, the apple cores ( Hey Cathi- now how do I put the rows together? I have 2 almost completed.)and the wine feathered star to work on hand quilting so when I quilt my mystery, I can do hanging sleeves and binding .
I'm leaving in about 75 minutes for Buffalo with DS to see the school he should be going to. Hubby is taking us to see the Buffalo Bisons ( Met's farm team ) Thursday. There's a quilt store 1.5 miles from the house I'm hoping to check out :) we shall see. Be back late Friday night. Hopefully with a ton of pics for this blog and especially the flower blog. Going back to the Botanical Gardens with the new camera.

Catch Up

I quilted my butt off this weekend. Trying to finish quilting all the tops I had in the house before I have to return the borrowed juki.
I still have a small baby quilt ( the burger queen mystery) and a mystery wall hanging that going to live with Paula when it's finished. But I don't think it'll happen till I get back from Buffalo Saturday. No time today- gotta get DS and myself packing. Tomorrow DD has state board testing for her cosmotology license and I'm her manaquin- so we leave early and get home late as the test is in Trenton :( Bringing my Amish Tumbling blocks to work on while she takes the written part of the exam.

A year or two ago Amanda Jean did a quilt along. I made all the blocks and there they sat. :(
THen she did another one that I didn't play in but I used her alternating blocks for this quilt along. It's going to a friend for a couch quilt.




I finally finished my ocean waves quilt. I love how it came out. I'm thinking of doing another one with Cindy's pattern.I guess she didn't post it there yet but I saw a great pic on one of my yahoo groups....I only have gagillion hsts ready to go.



After a very long time I finally finished the last of 4 love quilts. I'm waiting for the family to call me back so I can deliver them all- hopefully today.





Just need to sew the binding down on the quilt for my aunt with breast cancer.



I totally blame Cathi for this mess :)She has a great tutorial on her blog a few months back on the pinning of these cuties. I need a hand sewing project for the train on Wednesday. I had started english paper piecing a double wedding ring- what a mess. I have 23 fqs from a sale at Connecting threads all springy colors so I decided today was the day and I was going to print a couple hundred apple cores for the ride. Yep that's me, the insane one :)

So that's what I've been up to - taking my new camera to Buffalo and hope to take some more amazing pics at the Botanical Garden.
I'll post them to my other blog when I do.

You Tube fun.....

Marge from Delaware Quilts had this on her blog




I got this one a few weeks ago- a T Mobile commercial shot in one of England's train stations- awesome- reminds me of the improvs that happen all over NYC.



Grand Central Improv:

Once Upon a Time

I was a good blogger. I would blog at LEAST once a week and not be too busy to blog for almost3 weeks. In my defense I've had nothing to show quilty wise :( Mostly I've been working in the yard and gardens. With hubby gone and a lazy teen for a son , someone has to do it.....and that someone is me.
This weekend was the first a sewing machine has been on since Bonnie spoke to my guild last month. *SIGH*

I also need to finish a mystery wall hanging that I've been writing for one of my yahoo groups. I had planned to do it way earlier and send it to Paula from Coffeetime Studios and well ...life got in the way. Never fear Paula the mystery is this weekend and your box will be on it's way. Here's a peek at the fabrics I chose with you in mind.



Hubby is in Buffalo and comes home every 2 weeks and I try to pack a box or two a day for him to take back and un pack so when the move comes (in about 11 weeks) it will be pretty much the kitchen stuff and furniture.

During my absence I received a blog award from Marge of Delaware quilts. Thank you so much Marge. I read so many interesting blogs (when I can) I can't just pick one- so if you're reading this, consider yourself awarded an interesting blog award.

I have been uploading pics to my other blog, Kim's Flowers. That blog is easy- upload pics, no need to find something to say- the pics say it all pretty much. :)

Well I have a quilty day planned for today and I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. I did after a rough start but all's well that ends well as they say.......

Atlantic City part 1

Quiltville Travels to NJ part 2

Today was Bonnie's workshop. It was great fun to sit and sew with some friends and visitors of the guild that came to take Bonnie's class. One of two workshops that actually filled up this year. It was a fun class but my pea brain wasn't into sewing today- maybe it's the two weeks since I touched a machine or maybe it was a beautiful spring day and I wanted to be outside playing...who knows. I did manage to make 3 blocks and with the tiny bonus hsts a starter block for an auction quilt maybe...maybe not. A 4" finished Dutchman's Puzzle...I'll take a pic later.



A close up of Bonnie's 3 inch finished log cabin blocks- wow! all I can say is wow!



A member's double delight- trying to see why she felt her colors didn't work against the original Bonnie made for the mystery.



Bonnie - Katie and Donna :)


Bonnie and Me :)



One of the guild member's blocks. The orange really pops doesn't it???

All and all it was a great two days and I totally enjoyed the lectures, dinner last night and the workshop today. But now it's time to do some boring guild stuff- like agendas for the board meeting and a letter from the VP for the guild newsletter due Monday night at the board meeting *sigh* Maybe that can wait till Monday when it's going to rain and I can go play in the sunshine for awhile.....

Quiltville Travels to NJ

After a few days running around Buffalo- catching up on laundry and running to Atlantic City for a few days, I got home kinda late to do more than laundry and make agendas for 2 meetings for my guild. The president normally runs the night meeting but she's traveling. So I get the pleasure (NOT) of running the day ( my normal meeting) and the president's. If we had any other speaker than Bonnie Hunter I would have begged off for one. But Bonnie was such a wonderful speaker, and so many people came to see her lecture and beautiful ( though very heavy to hold-lol) quilts.




1" finished squares, all I can say is WOW!!!


I can't remember the name of this mystery. But web pics don't do it justice....


Pineapple blossom I think is my very favorite pattern that Bonnie designed- I've done a few of them, all prettier than the next.


The orange crush mystery.........


A scrappy happy village....



A person more insane than I doing 3" finished log cabins- not to say one won't be attempted in the future- a very distant future.



I need to find mine and finish it. I love this bargello pattern :)


We ( the program ladies,Bonnie and myself) all went to dinner between the meetings. I always heard Thai food was spicy - not to me ....Then I got to sit front and center for the evening lecture and take some pics for all my blog friends to enjoy.
Tomorrow is her workshop on Star Struck- I tell you with all the traveling I never got my class stuff cut, but my friend Katie was a true life saver and cut a ton of strips for me to use tomorrow. THANK YOU KATIE!!!!. So tomorrow is another busy day.....I hope to have more pics for tomorrow evening's edition.
But I'll you this, If you ever get a chance to hear Bonnie or take a class- DO IT! You'll enjoy it immensely- I know I did :).

Buffalo Troubles

Buffalo Troubles has a place of honor on the back of the sofa :)



I "think" I want to make another one but not with red and blue- maybe green and gold....with gold quilting.....hmmmmm

Buffalo Zoo part2

I love big cats and snow leopards are one of my favs. This guy was hanging out on a perch above the viewing booth hiding.



Ok the zoo had an amazing exhibit simulating an Amazon Rainforest complete with a tall waterfall and assorted plants ( mostly orchids -etc) and animals.


Look, it's Toucan Sam :)



This guy was so much fun- Moose sleeps in the same pose


This guy had just come out of the water even though it was about 40* out

Happy Easter Everyone

Hope everyone has a blessed Easter. I saw the bunny hopping around the yard this morning. One of the things I'll miss moving to Buffalo- the wild life in the backyard *sigh*

Buffalo Zoo

Hubby met the director of the Buffalo Zoo at a luncheon held for him a week ago and Ms Fernandez and hubby were talking about DD's love of giraffes. She said that when we came up she would give us a private tour of the zoo- kinda behind the scenes if you will. I don't think I've ever seen my daughter smile so much in the last few years.






This sweet one was born in January :)











We got to hear all about the new plans for new and improved exhibits for the animals and all about the great breeding program that Buffalo is involved in.

This dude was enjoying his water ....






This one is for Lester and Smudge..and all our kitty friends.
OMG My heart was racing in the big cat house- we walked on this concrete slab between 2 rows of cages- tigers on our left and lions on our right. Can you imagine slipping against either set? But the tigers were so beautiful up close and personal.






I took over 200 pics that I need to go through and edit or delete. Some of the zoo - mostly more pics of the orchids at the gardens where hubby works.
I'll tell you- hubby is like a Rock Star up there. The new exciting director of the Botanical Gardens....who would have known? He's still Guru to me.....

Shuffling Off to Buffalo

Leaving this morning on the train with the kiddies.
Have snacks, batteries, assorted hand held games and ipods charged and ready to go.
We should be home late Saturday.
Buffalo Troubles is packed to deliver to hubby.....
Don't have too much fun without me

TAH DAH

I finally finished Buffalo Troubles and was so afraid to wash it. So I tried what Rose Marie said and sewed a few color catchers on the problem areas and IT WORKED!!!


This was the only problem I had- alittle bit of running on the back- I can totally live with that.


I also rewashed the quilt that had the running dye and sewed a few color catchers to the area where the dye ran and it actually took MOST of the dye out-wow!! I was so impressed. Gotta remember that trick in the future.

Sewing/ Quilting Merrily Along

This is the quilt for the dad of the family I'm making the love quilts for. It's one of Bonnie's patterns.My dad wants one just like it. Bonnie is coming to my guild 3 weeks from tomorrow!!! I'm so excited. I have to finish the last quilt for the middle daughter. Top is almost done- hoping to finish it today and load it for quilting tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe I can get these quilts out by Monday. Wouldn't that be great???


Last year I did the first quilt along with Amanda Jean. I finally figured out something to do with half the blocks- I used the setting blocks from the second quilt along-lol. I'm sending it to a friend after I finish these love quilts. It's now hanging in que for it's turn in quilting.


I was more than 75% done with the hand quilting on Buffalo Troubles when the fabric ran in the love quilt. All the bonus hsts from that quilt are in Buffalo Troubles. I got a very helpful email yesterday saying I should baste a color catcher right to the 2 hsts that ran in the other quilt. Thank You Rose Marie
I hope it works.



Here's a pic of the label *S* Now to get the binding and this label sewn down.

Another Rainy Sunday

Spring is starting to bloom here in NJ. Finally!! The robins were back last week. The days are getting longer-






Hubby was home this weekend for his mom's birthday tomorrow. He brought me callas :) He left a few minutes ago with another carload of "stuff". He took Ethel ( my featherweight) so when I go up with the kids a week from Tuesday I'll have a machine up there in case I feel the urge to sew. I sent a couple of board games also.



Somewhere around here I have one of these from Marti Mitchell also. I found the booklet that came with that one and it has a very good way to do bindings so I had to try it with this tool. It's also coming in very handy for the 9 patch quilt I'm making to replace the one with the running red.I wish I remembered it last on point quilt I did. This is so much easier.


Well I guess I can go get the quilt off the frame to trim and bind. That will be number 3 of 4. Once I finish piecing this 9 patch and quilt I will be done. Then I have 3 more that need quilting lined up.