One Word Wednesday

Bird!

Tuesday's Orts

Late edition of the scraps and bits (orts) of thoughts and happenings of my week...

• Forgot to share last week how my mani-pedi date with DD Erica went.  I am pathetic at keeping nail polish pristine.  The girl had to re-do my right thumbnail THREE times before I even left the salon!  And of course I dinged them all up when I got home and started doing things.  At least my toes still looked good after a day!
• Note to self:  Do not start a best-seller, page-turner of a book at 10:30 pm on a weeknight if you want to get more than a few hours of sleep.  Sarah's Key was the book, and when I finally made myself put it down after 200 pages, I was afraid to look at the clock!
• Sunday I planned to pin baste the wedding quilt and knew I would need many many basting pins.  I even took pins out of a project I'm planning to hand quilt, thread basting it instead, but still I ran out of pins 2/3 of the way through. 
• So I took a trip to JoAnn's Fabric store to buy more pins.  The store was very very busy, and extremely COLD from air conditioning.  Someone needed to tell them it wasn't summer anymore--but a glance outside at the RAIN should have been the first clue.
• Traffic rant:  People who fail to grasp the concept of the four way stop in a very busy shopping mall.  Yes, it's your turn.  Now you missed it.  Go.  Go.  GO!  Oh, geez.
• The new Mrs. G texted me from Maui that she didn't wanna come home.  I texted back that I wouldn't want to either.
• The "fall back" time change offers me a brief stab at "early to bed, early to rise"...not my forte, believe me.
• A seldom seen natural event appeared as I got to JoAnn's.

However, I don't think the pot of gold is inside Sam's Club.

Design Wall Monday--Nov 7, 2011

It's been a couple weeks since I last had something on my design surface to post.  Happy to be back!  I've been working on my version of Flowers for Nana Girl from Scrap Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett as a leader-ender project.  This is a quilt for another co-worker who is studying to become a nurse while working two part time jobs.  Yellow is her favorite color. All the blocks are complete and I'm working on the sashing.

The pink block is the "heart" of the quilt.  I used this same idea in the other Scrap Basket quilt I made for my Uncle Tommy, Kitchen Sink, seen here.

The sashing forms leaves, and kind of a friendship star where the leaves meet.  I like that a lot.

A narrow border of solid yellow will go on and then a border of this green calico, which once graced the walls of my girls' bedroom as fabric wallpaper applied with starch.  Guess I better make sure it gets washed!  The green for the leaves and the calico have been leftovers in my stash a long time.  I'm happy to move them into a quilt that will be loved!  See more design walls on Judy's Patchwork Times. 

Working on it

The wedding quilt, that is.  I had figured up all the MATH a couple of weeks ago for the pieced backing and early last night got half the backing sewn together before making a big mistake:  I sat down on the couch in front of the TV.  Then I was cold so I put a quilt over me, which led to vegging out in front of my favorite game show, Wipeout.  Two hours later, it was getting late and no more sewing had been done.  But I was back to it today.

MATH and cutting instructions for the two different flannels going on the back of the quilt.  Elaine and Chris are crazy for their Boston Terrier, Scully, so I thought the paw prints were appropriate.

I purchased this batting at my local quilt store, primarily because it is lighter weight than cotton and can be quilted up to 12" apart.  It is my intention to use only the organic shape of a ginkgo leaf and not have to do any straight line quilting. Anyone have experience with this brand?  It is a favorite of the quilt shop owner.

I picked up a few sample ginkgo leaves from my front yard, blown in from the neighbor's tree across the street.  I like the "split" ones the best but the fan shape is also pleasing. I may just be able to free motion them all instead of my original plan of drawing them on freezer paper.  Or I may start with a few freezer paper ones just to get into a rhythm.  My quilting method is generally ITIS  (I'll Try It & See).  My seam ripper will probably see some action either way!



Secret Sewing Reveal

One of the secret sewing projects for the wedding was some gift bags for the bridesmaids.  I had purchased a Snap Happy pattern, which uses metal measuring tape for a flexible secure closure, and Elaine really liked the idea.  She chose the fabrics to go along with her colors for the wedding of gray, yellow and cream.

The prairie point "handles", cover, and lining were specifically chosen for the five bridesmaids.

I used a different quilting pattern on each.  You should have seen Grant's face when he walked in as I was cutting up the steel measuring tape!  I bought an inexpensive $5 one.

Elaine chose the largest size bag from the pattern (about 5 x 7") to make it the most useful for the future.

She presented the bridesmaids' gifts in their bags at the rehearsal dinner.

Each girl received a handmade sterling silver wire necklace of their first initial.  Here is her beautiful best friend Caitie modeling hers (a co-worker of Elaine's made the necklaces).  Each also received a wooden hanger for their bridesmaid's dress that Elaine stenciled with their names.  The girls loved the bags, necklaces and hangers. 

Here's a pic of the new deck all set up for the rehearsal dinner, which was decorated by the groom's mom Sandy and family, with an Italian theme.  We had 30 people on that deck with no crowding--except around the heater on the bench because it was a little cool that night and most of the girls were wearing dresses :)

I just stitched up a bag for Elaine that I will give her when they get back from their honeymoon.  The pattern calls for fusible fleece for the batting--otherwise about a fat quarter's worth of fabric is all that is required for both bag and lining (the lining folds over the top to form the casing for the tape).  It only took me about an hour to make the bag, including cutting out all the pieces.  Now I want one!

One Word Wednesday

Desserts.

Tuesday's Orts

Tuesday's Orts, scraps and bits of thoughts and events from my week...

• This is the first year since I've been married that I've not had Halloween decorations put up.  Luckily Nick's girlfriend carved him a jack-o-lantern so we had something to alert trick or treaters that we were open for business.
• The rehearsal dinner on the deck was a fabulous affair.  There was plenty of room for 30 people to mill about, eat, drink and visit, although the spacing was a little crowded around the heater on the bench as it was a bit cool and the ladies were mostly wearing dresses.
• Sunday morning when we drove to the wedding venue for the set up, we were delayed because the floor of the barn was being mopped by a worker.  He claimed he had been told the wrong time because he thought the time change was this weekend.  However, he had his excuse backward because it would be an hour EARLIER instead of later!
• Traffic Rant:  Zoomers on the freeway onramp or offramp.  You know, those dolts who are behind you as you enter/exit the freeway but have to gun it and zoom around you before the merging portion of the lane marker appears. 
• I think I've finally caught up on my sleep from last week.  But another nap sounds good!
• The newly wed Mrs. G is a hairstylist and her co-workers came in on their day off to style the wedding party. Bridesmaid and co-stylist Nicole was tag teamed by her assistant while doing Elaine's hair:
  
  
  



While bridesmaid Shasta's "Flock of Seagulls" start turned into...



...this gorgeous updo.  Many thanks to the gals who volunteered their makeup and hair talents to the bridal party and Moms of the bridal couple!