More Grandkid Fun

The last time I posted, I shared a couple of pictures from when Noah was visiting. As we do whenever we spend time with any of the grandchildren, we had a fun time. But the time always goes way too quickly. We only had two days with Noah, so we tried to do as much fun stuff as possible. Besides the bonfire, Jack and Noah spent time reading, playing cards, and talking about the Cat in the Hat. That was a fun conversation.  :-) 

David and Noah left way too soon, but Jack and I still talk about our time with them. We hope for another visit soon!

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when we had the long Labor Day weekend. We were excited to have Lynn, Ty, and kids here "camping" in our driveway. Lynn and Ty thought of everything when it came to entertaining five kids for three and a half days.

We don't have a pool but that didn't stop the kids from having "water fun." It was a warm weekend and the kids cooled off in this little wading pool and played with the water table a lot! Jayme even found a microphone to entertain us. :-) 

There was some work done to sight in Ty's crossbow. I love this pictures of the three guys working together. 

After the work was done, there was some target practice. Looks like it was pretty darn successful. 

You can't really camp without a bonfire, and we had one every night. Monday's lunch was also cooked over the fire - thanks to the pie irons that Sheryll brought. It doesn't look like it, but we put a pretty big dent in the "outside wood pile." 

Ty's parents came over Friday night and joined us for the first bonfire. We all thought it was pretty ingenious of Lynn to set up a barrier for the twins to be able to roast their own marshmallows and stay cool at the same time. 

Experimenting with campfire pies was fun!

There was a lot of chalk drawing done on Monday and that was fun!

Sadly the time together came to a close but we could still see the remnants of it for a few days until the rain hit and washed away the drawings. 

I think I'll go spend some time at the sewing machine now. It's been a while!  

Fun Times

We've been having fun and staying quite busy here - some quilting, some not.  

After quite a few days of very hot weather, it was nice to enjoy a comfortable evening out back and use the fire ring. 

Honestly, Jack and I have not spent nearly as many evenings doing this as we used to, but we had visitors and it was a perfect way to relax and chat. The picture above is with the second addition of wood; which we did, even though we knew we would not be out long enough for it all to burn.  Since there are still some unburned pieces in the ring, I think I'm going to suggest we do it again tonight - just the two of us.  :-) 

Our visitors may be gone, but we still have a few reminders that they were here. Young ones often forget to close the back door tightly, so we get flying creatures in the house. This butterfly has been hanging out on the kitchen window and I can't seem to coax it outside. 

I have been at the sewing machine today, doing some final prep for upcoming classes; but I sure am looking forward to going outside later tonight. 

Thoughts on Productivity

In my last post, I lamented that I haven't been very productive recently and that I haven't had time to sew at home because life has been filled with lots of other things that had to be addressed before I could sit and sew just for the sake of sewing. 

But...I did sew while I was in VA and that was wonderful. Truth be told though, I was working on projects that I kind of "had" to do. The Fall Foliage quilt below is a pattern by Krista Moser and since I will be facilitating a workshop she is teaching at Chestnut Ridge Sewing next week, I figured I had better get my quilt top done so I can help as needed and know what I'm talking about. LOL  I am very happy with the result!

This next quilt is a Bargello that I made using two identical 2.5" strip sets. The packages were a Fossil Fern - Bright from Benartex.

This is the second quilt I've made like this, but this time I was writing my steps as I was making it. I showed some people my first quilt and they asked me to create a class for it. Of course I said yes, but with the qualification that I had no idea when that would happen.

Since I was "exploring" when making the first quilt, I took my time while making the second quilt and jotted down notes about seam allowance, pressing, cutting, etc. It added time to the process, but that's ok. I need to do that when I'm making a quilt for a class - especially when I'm winging it. LOL  Here is a picture of the top half of the first quilt. Jack and I were playing with border ideas and snapped this picture. I do not have a picture of the completed quilt or top, but will try to get one soon. These strip sets were batiks, but I don't the information handy to share right now.

This quilt does not need a border and I won't be putting one on the second quilt. It is already a pretty good size at approx. 65" x 84". But, Jack liked the idea of making the first quilt a bit larger, so we decided to add two borders - one small framing border, and then a larger outer border. I am happy with both quilts - with and without a border.

So...back to my comment about productivity. I have come to realize that sometimes making a quilt with a deadline or because I "have" to is not fun. It changes my mood and I often feel stressed or anxious when I'm doing it. That is NOT what I want my quilting to be! 

Jump ahead to an email I received this morning from Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting in which she discussed how to be more productive. Of course my interest was piqued, so I clicked on the link and was happy to read that she was saying that it really isn't all about making MORE quilts, or keeping up with Sally who makes six quilts a week. She gives us permission to sew with fabrics we love, take a break when we don't feel like quilting, and to sew in a way that we can embrace the process. You can read the article HERE. 

Sew...give yourself some love and don't make excuses when you need a break.  💗

Sewing - finally

Sometimes you just need to take a break from "real" work and sit down at your sewing machine. That's what I did for 45 minutes and and it felt so good! It's been a hot minute since I've been able to just sit and sew here at home. I did sew while I was in VA, and I'll share pictures sometime, but it's been a long time since I've done any sewing here at home.  

Imagine that...I'm sewing red, white, and blue fabrics.  LOL

I always have patriotic fabrics out for QOV projects and these were just sitting on the table so I decided to use them. I'm simply sewing some strips today and making my sub-cuts, but soon (a very relative term!) I will be putting pieces on the wall and sewing blocks and rows. 

I've got to get back to computer work, but I hope to share pictures before I leave for four days away from home. Please though...don't hold your breath. You may just pass out before I post again.  LOL

Mom

 Happy Mother's Day

I love and miss you Mom!

Carolyn Schwab

August 12, 1926 - December 1, 2012

Some of my favorite pictures of Mom. 

No words needed...just pictures. I miss her!

You are always with me... 

Quilt Show Classes

I am excited to be teaching at the North East Ohio Quilt Show this coming July!

I will be teaching four classes

**Plays Well with Others

**Preserving Memories - T-Shirt Quilt Basics

**Granny Gets an Update

**Point the Way - A Paper Piecing Primer

Along with my classes, I am also offering a lecture - Math for Quilters.

For more information or to register click HERE

I hope you can join me!

Hello Old Friend

 

I have been quite busy the last few months and spending time at my sewing machine has suffered. Today, I am taking a break from "work" (prepping kits for upcoming classes, sewing samples, writing patterns, etc.) and am sewing on a project that I am making just because I want to make it. 

I'll be back soon with some pictures.

Do something for YOU today!