Aunt Millie's Flower Garden Progress

I am still chewing away at the Millie blocks. It is slow going, and I get distracted often. Tomorrow I go back to work after a week's vacation. Work is the greatest distraction of all. Students are starting back after their break, so it will be amazing busy in the computer labs where I work.

Atlanta Shop Hop, Tiny Circles and Aunt Millie

The weather has been just dreadful for the Greater Atlanta Shop Hop. Thursday I didn't get started until after 1:00 p.m., but I managed to get to Intown Quilters, Patrick's, and Sweet Home Quilt Co. I loved all three stops, but I have to tell you about Patrick's. The farthest point east on our tour of shops, Patrick's is in an old country store in Covington. They have everything from boots and jeans to candy and quilt fabric. I would have loved to spend more time there, but we had to get a move on. Sweet Home Quilt Co. is in an old home in the historic area of Conyers. It is a charming store with tons of fabric; they even had plenty of Miss Jump's Scrapbag fabric from Moda.

On Friday I got an even later start. The weather cleared up, so at 3:00 p.m. I hopped in the car for the ride to Marietta. Being a stubborn person, I decided to ignore advice to take the freeway. It took 2 hours to go the 30 miles, and when I got there Iwas totally lost. Here is what happened: I stopped to fill up with gas at a QT. A workman in a truck told me to go back to GA400, then 285 and then up 75. Did I do it? Oh, heck no. I did not want to use the freeway, so I drove a little farther into LOST and stopped at a Starbuck's. I don't know why I would think 3 young dudes of varios races would be better navigators than a working dude in a truck, but I did. They were not. A call to the store straightened me out. So I hit Tiny Stitches and Little Quilts on Friday. The wonderful woman who waited on me at Little Quilts said to tell my mother "hello" for them. She met Mom in Houston some years ago. I purchased the fabric for the Nantucket Basket at Little Quilts but had gotten the pattern (sorry no link to it) the day before as a freebie from one of the other shops. The other two pictures are from the project I am working on today. My 4th block from Aunt Millie's Flower Garden requires very small circles, so I am doing them assembly line style using Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley. I did circles on the other blocks the traditional way. Trust me, you need Perfect Circles. Don't be stubborn like me.

Kitty on the Mend

Update: Wren was sneezing a little blood, so I called Dr. Evans and she wants me to start putting hot compresses on twice a day. And, yes, her (Wren's) legs are that long and skinny.

Found a Button

I found just the right purple button for the weekend bag, so here it is completed. Mom said I could pick a button at her house, since she has so many, but I was skeptical that she would have purple. I found this one at JoAnn's. Who knew buttons where $3.? Certainly not me! I don't remember ever actually paying for a button except at the remnant shop where they were 5/$1. Now I know what a bargain they were.

Colorful Millie Block

I like the brighter blocks I've made better than the purple ones, but I have so much purple fabric, it is hard not to do purple again. I concentrated on getting some more pink this time. Here is my trial flower. I will have plenty of stitching to do during Dancing with the Stars! See the "Millie" pattern at C & T Publishing.

Poor Little UFOs

I actually don't remember what UFOs (unfinished objects) I signed up to finish as part of the program at the Spirited Quilter's meeting last month, but these two deserved to be on the list. The poor things are more than 25 years UFO. I keep starting new things. I call it "getting distracted." With the exception of a button, the Weekender Bag (mine doesn't look quite like that one) is finished. I used it yesterday to carry my work to the Applique Club at Intown Quilters. In June I am attending Primitives of the Midwest in Lee's Summit, Missouri. I am not yet sure what projects I will sign up for, but visit the website to see all the fun stuff that is scheduled. I am on vacation this week, so I am planning to do some fun stuff (along with yard work). On the schedule for this week: Quilt Show at Bulloch Hall and the Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop.

Kitty Gets a Real Bed

Well, I just couldn't let the poor little waif sleep on Andy's old shirts, so I made her a little bed out of an old towel. She loves it. As soon as I put her on it, she started kneading it and purring at the top of her whatever it is they purr from. She is going to have her damaged eye removed on Wednesday along with a spay. Andy's dad generously chipped in to help. One of the students from school donated some high quality kitten chow, and I made a bed and gave up a bathroom (where kitty is currently living).

Fun at Work

We celebrated Harry's 80th birthday last night with dinner before end-of-quarter tutor training. Harry is a writing tutor in the Learning Success Center at Gwinnett Technical College. I think everyone had a pretty good time, as you can see by the picture of Harry with the Humanities instructor (Marcia Shams).

More Millie

I think I need a Millie break. The block on the left is the first one I did, and the block on the right is the one I just finished. That makes a total of 4 completed blocks out of 12. I am not thrilled with the last one; I think I had a "values" issue. It would have helped if I had used the design wall before I stitched instead of when I finished stitching. I have never used a "value finder;" if they are helpful, I need to purchase one.

That Book

I stopped by the library on my way home Friday, and I picked up a bunch of eye candy books. The one I like the most is by Country Living called "A Bit of Velvet & a Dash of Lace: The Fabulous Interiors of MAGNOLIA PEARL" by Robin Brown. There are a lot of really great ideas in the book. I have always loved bits and pieces of beautiful things from the broken dish pieces I collected out of my great grand-parents ash heap to the buttons in the button box to unfinished Sunbonnet Sues cut out at my grandmothers dining room table. Bits and pieces of flowers on anything from fabric to ceramic are treasures to discover. Enjoy the video (4/29 sorry, video missing) of Robin Brown, and check out the book!

Yea! I finished the back of the shirt!

I got the applique finished on the back of my oxford shirt. It is funny, when I am sewing, time passes so quickly. I look up from sewing and it is after midnight when I intend to be in bed by 10. Oh well, Dancing With the Stars was REALLY good last night. Did you see it?

Sunday at Home

Yep, I skipped out on church to rest up and get better from whatever was ailing my throat. And I do feel better. I started to work on Aunt Millie, but I was really jonesing (do they use that word anymore?) to embellish clothing. I ordered a sweatshirt to do the wool applique on, but that didn't sate the urge. I had to have more. A few weeks ago I purchased some large oxford shirts on sale at Dillard's in the women's sleepwear department. I knew they would make a good canvas for applique, so I got out one of Mom's books: Miss Jump's Memories. I stole the flower and leaves from "Six Cats in my Garden" and the crock idea from "Three Pots Full." Well really I wanted to do the yarrow from "Pots," but I realized I needed rickrack, and I don't have any, so I improvised. Above is a picture of the back of the shirt on the ironing board with the pieces pinned on.

Sweatshirt Jacket with Great House Design!

Here is a sweatshirt jacket that I really wanted to get at the show yesterday, but I just didn't want to start another "big" project. I figured since I hadn't done a jacket yet, I would start with the smaller "Pretty in Pink" design. Both are available at Auntie Ju's Quilt Shoppe.

Done with the Fun at Expo

Yesterday I wandered around the show with Debra Bratton, a new math faculty member from work. She is new to Atlanta, so she had never been to the show. I think she had fun. I spent a good deal of time in the "Vogue" booth, and that is where I spent most of my money. I purchased three books, a dress pattern, bundles of cloth and a roll of pink cross-stitch fabric. I had two classes this morning; all of my classes have been on Janome's 6600. I think I am in love. We did circles and all kinds of decorative stitches on batik. I really enjoyed it, once I got the hang of it. After that, we had a class on flying geese. I am still a little "squaring" challenged. I am going to do a little hand-quilting on the geese block before I turn it into a small pillow. I will probably make the batik block into a pillow too. Or I could make a large variety of place mats!?

The "doctor" put me on keflex and prednisone for my sore throat. I feel weird. I think I should go to my regular doctor as a follow up, since steroids can be dangerous, but I am really too tired to even think of making a doctor appointment. Plus, when do I go? I have Unity quilter's group tomorrow, and then back to work Monday where I am going to be two math tutors short the whole week (and it's the week before final exams). I'm going to bed............

Colors for next Millie block

While I was listening for the school closure list last night, I cut out the pieces for my next Millie block. Mom had sent me more purples, so I made full use of them. The shiny piece under the cut-out flower pieces is the upholstery vinyl (or quilter's vinyl) used to set the pieces in place. Of course you have to slide them under the plastic template! I was just laying them out to see what they'd look like. I had to move the whole thing so I could use my cutting table this morning. When I tried to moved it, I spilled it all over the floor. I couldn't find some of the pieces; they had fallen in the trash can! I found a sheet of glass previously used in a picture frame, so I reassembled the design, and moved it into the dining room table with the help of the glass.

I hadn't read the instructions for preparation for my Thursday workshop thoroughly. We need to bring pre-quilted cotton with cotton batting and backing to make the overnight bag. I already had pre-quilted fabric I wanted to use, but I don't know the fabric content, so it is good we have a snow day off from school so I can create my pre-quilted cotton for the bag.

Snowing on the Maltese in Georgia

AC was leaving to get us hot fudge sundaes for dinner when I mentioned Bruster's Ice Cream was probably closed because of the blizzard. Duh! So he retreated to the bedroom with a bag of Doritos to watch his new TV. I was getting hungry, and since I had cleaned Andy's bathroom, I figured he wouldn't mind sharing the rest of his chocolate-covered cherries with me. Andy was still at work (or wherever), and I couldn't ask, so I went on into his room to get the box of chocolates. Shock of my life; the box was EMPTY! In a dissappointed daze, I wandered into the bedroom for a Dorito or two; the bag was EMPTY! I am stuck here in a Georgia snow storm with a refrigerator full of TOFU, MISO and CABBAGE!?!? What the HELL?!

Sunday Blogger

It looks like I am a Sunday blogger. Since I started working on Aunt Millie's Garden, I have been obsessively hand appliqueing on weekends, and not accomplishing much more than one slow block at a time. So I must apologize for my infrequent updates to the blog. There just isn't much new at my house in the way of quilting. HOWEVER, this Thursday I am attending a class at the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo at the Gwinnett Center, and Saturday I take two more classes. Then Sunday our Atlanta Unity quilters group meets and we will get a new installment for our mystery quilts. So stay in touch. If I am not too tired next Sunday, I should have lots of great stuff to share!