Where did the sun go?

Yesterday was so sunny and bright and warm and today is so gray and gloomy. Even though the thermometer says 64 degrees, it sure feels a lot cooler. If I didn't know better, I'd say the clouds look like snow. No chance of that right now. It would be rain and I'm not complaining as we really need it after the past couple of years of drought.

Since it's so gray, I decided to dig back in the archives and pull out a quilt top that brings the sunshine back into the room. It's one of the UFO's that I really want to get finished this year. In this photo, it's on it's side, but it really doesn't matter as the blocks don't have any real top side.

The blocks are six inches finished. The pattern is called "Confetti" and I can't remember the names of the designers right off the top of my head. I'll find it and post it before I get the quilt finished. It was being taught as a class at a quilt shop in Cocoa, FL several years ago. I was there visiting my DH's brother and his wife. Cindy and I went to the quilt shop one afternoon and I just fell in love with this quilt. I wasn't going to be there for the class so I bought the book and the fabrics and made it after I came home. It's such a fun technique. Another designer has a couple of books out on a similar technique, "Stack the Deck". This is the final size in the book. It was bound with a narrow red binding. But, I keep thinking that it need a border so it would be larger for an older grandchild. Still haven't decided on that. I could match the colors in it pretty well as most of the fabrics are Moda Marble Botanicals. Have to think some more on that.

On a non-quilty note, DH and I went for a short ride today to explore the area around where we now live. We had heard that a winery had opened in our county about the same time we moved here. We found it and it's a beautiful place. Check it out www.delmonacowinery.com Of course we had to visit the tasting room and a few bottles came home with us. I wish that they had a good photo on their web site of their floors inside. They look like some type of inlaid stone that has a giant grapevine winding through the rooms. It's stained and highly polished concrete that has shallow groves in it to create the shapes of the vines and leaves. It is stunning. It's only about 10 minutes from our house so I can see that we will be visiting there again.

Since we've been home, Howard has been cooking dinner. He's made a large pot of chicken and dumplings. Yummmy. They are so good. I didn't realize when I married him almost 8 years ago that I was giving up my kitchen. But, he enjoys it so much that I don't mind at all. After all, I've been cooking since I was about 11 years old and I'm well into my senior years now.

I think it's time to go to my attic and visit with my fabric and sewing machine. Maybe I'll even do a little sewing while I'm there.

Hugs, Barb Mcf

Cars. tires and computers

I've spent most of the day on the computer getting my directions for the Attic Windows project written up and ready for the retreat next week. That's what I made the two attic window wallhangings for. Twice a year I get together with my sister-in-law and a group of her friends. I'm the "designated" teacher. I have to make it interesting for the very beginning quilter and also the advanced quilter. It's a lot of work, but I love it. I've often thought that if I could do it over again, I'd be a Home Economics teacher instead of a R.N. But probably not.

I did get some sewing done last night. This block is called "Next Door Neighbor". I made it for a swap coming up in April on Block Central. The colors are really brighter than they show up here. They are the Aunt Gracie's 30's prints with a white on white background. I like how easy the block was to make. I did modify the construction a little so I was using the connecting corners instead of cutting all of those triangles. The more I look at it, the more I think that I would like to make an entire quilt using that block set without any sashings so the corner triangles would make a secondary pattern. And, what if I used batiks in the many watery blue colors. Hummm, lots to think about.

Back to the title, had to get new tires on my car today. I have a 2008 Toyota Highlander and it has odd size tires, 19 inches and only two companies make that size tire, Toyo and Bridgestone. That means that there aren't any big bargains out there on them. Oh well, I'm just glad that Howard decided to take my car in to have the tires rotated and aligned yesterday. Turns out that the rear alignment was way out. Guess it was one of those potholes on I-40. The rear tires had worn so badly in places that the wire was exposed. And it hasn't been that long since the tires were rotated and checked. Now I have new tires to ride on on my way to Atlanta and then on to Alabama next week. The condition those tires were in, I probably wouldn't have made it.

I think I'm going to go now and make a large cup of hot cocoa. Even though it was a good 20 degrees warmer today than yesterday, now that the sun has gone down, it's chilly and a cup of hot cocoa sounds good.

Quiet Sunday Afternoon

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, sewing and watching the NASCAR race at the same time.

The first thing I did was to take this block and take most of it apart so I could remake it. If you look closely, in the top center is a Flying Geese unit right above the large pink square. The other three sides are different. The top one is the correct one. I had already had to rip out a couple of the corner HST units as I had them turned backwards. At first I considered leaving it alone but realized that I would never be happy with it that way. So, this is the result.

It looks so much better with all of it's flying geese turned the right direction. The name of the block is "Crystals" and can be found on Quilters Cache. It's one of the blocks I've made for the BPS swap on Block Central. Each month a different person chooses the main and alternate block for that month. You then make the block in whatever colors you want and keep it for yourself. It's an interesting way to make blocks that you might never have done before. I've been doing the blocks in the 30s repro fabrics and have enough now to put together a good size sampler quilt. So, next month I'll start making the blocks in different fabrics.

In other sewing, I did put a narrow black border on my floral attic windows wallhanging. DH is holding it sideways but it still looks good. I still haven't decided if I'm going to put another border on it or not. I'm still thinking about that.

The huge snow storm just barely touched us. We got up on Sunday to about one inch of snow while people to the west and south of us had from 4 to 10 inches. It just curled around us as it made it's turn to stop heading south and turn to the northeast. It did bring in the cold air and wind. Even though it's bright and sunny, it's very deceiving as it's really cold. But, spring isn't far off as the neighbor's daffodills are in full bloom.