I'm in a new to me home, it is older excellent condition, some minor repair work needed, some restoration to return to original glamor, fresh layer of paint, redo some not so good upgrades and take back to original.  A project that I hope I can manage in my lifetime and see it finished as I'd like.

Needless to say there is still a lot of unpacked boxes, because when this house was built we didn't have a ton of clothes, 9 different skillets, etc etc.  They did with minimum the amount just necessary to do the task.  They were fabricholics that had to have every piece of fabric they fell in love with and could afford to have to use someday when the right pattern etc came along.  As a result there is minimum very minimum storage, so added closets to house things and not detract from the overall period of the house is in order.

Been busy

Lots going on and not as much stitching as I'd like. 

In process of packing buying new home and moving.  Hopefully when all is settled I can get back to the routine of posting more often.

Fall weather has arrived in South Texas

Temps are cooler but we don't have the fall color seen in our northern states.  But the drop in temps are very welcome.

I have my first totally finished quilt (almost).  It is quilted and I am in the process of putting on the binding.  Oct 24th is my Ex's 80th birthday and it will be his present.  We are having as many of our family here as we can and at last count looks like 25, 4 children, 6 of 11 grandchildren, and 5 of 7 greatgrandchildren.  Will be lots of fun, lots of good food, and lots and lots of photos.

I'm still trying to get all my things organized.  It is a slow process because this house doesn't have any storage area other than a basic closet in each bedroom.  There are lots of places where neat closets could have been added but weren't.  I have 2 (need another) wooden storage cubes with 15 compartments (designed for shoe storage) filled with fat quarters, by color.  Really makes selecting fabric for projects nice.  I will make a curtain to cover to keep the ends from being damaged by exposure to light.  Also, have a metal shelving unit to assemble and add for storage of other items (larger pieces of fabric, or some I have that aren't as big as a fat quarter), again adding a matching curtain.  Saw a program/pattern a long time ago where they attached one side of velcro to the shelving and the other to the curtain.  Makes removal easy to access the shelves, and then replace when finished.

Time Flys

Seems before I know it each day is gone, I stay busy, but sometimes when I look back on the day I wonder how it slipped by so fast.


I'm working on 3 lap quilts, a quilted sweatshirt (with an original design), and in the to be done area 26 quilts. I got the one I'd made for my EX a year or so ago, to the quilter this week. That quilt has a history. It is made of pillow squares and a larger square of photos of animals, birds and fish - very manly. While staying with my granddaughter in 2007 I pieced it, and gave him the top that year for Christmas. I then moved into an apartment 1st of Jan 2008, then it caught fire the 30th and I had to salvage things (really lost nothing of value), repack and put in storage. A small room at the back of the apartment suffered the majority of the damage, and his quilt was in that room still in the paper bag I had used for it. I found it under debris soaking wet but in tact. I took it washed and dryed it and the piano keys 4 sides for the outside borders. After moving where I am now in June 2009, they kept messing me around with the apartment giving me dates I could move back and then not meeting them after about the 4th or 5th I got disgusted and found another place. After a long extended unpacking here because everything (clothes, dishes, pots, and pans) had to be washed. Everything else had to be cleaned in a manner appropriate for the item as everything was covered with smoke residue. I found his quilt and the 4 parts of the border, but then when I went to put it together I could only find two (and I'd put them together). Then I found the 3rd. I'd put some things in a guest bedroom, to go through and unpack and then put away. After searching that room and thinking I'd moved every item and couldn't find the 4th I gave up. I was lucky in that I found enough of the same fabric and was able to make the 4th one and get the final border on the quilt. I should get it back from the quilter about Oct 1 and then can get the binding on in time to present to him on his 80th birthday the 24th. Hopefully the majority of our children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will be able to come for dinner to help him celebrate. If we are all here it will be around 30. Nothing greater than having all your family together.


9/11 I was in school taking an advanced electronics course that supposedly included computer repair. I'd enrolled after my 65th birthday and was extremely disappointed because when I got to the computer portion is was only a few weeks and I new more about computers than the instructor. I finished got my diploma 3rd of the class only .05 of a point from top. I then searched out some schools in San Antonio, moved there for a year, they gave me credit for the electronics and I spent almost a year on computer repair, networking and web page designing. We did build a computer in class and I finally got the schooling I'd wanted for years. Other than a few times helping family and trading computer repair for other work, I haven't used it all that much. Due to to my age, I was never able to get hired - one look at the grey in my hair and I'm to old. OF course that was never the reason I was given, but when you go for an interview and everyone there is about the age of your grandchildren you know.


I adopted a companion that has been a joy. He is about a 3 year old Scottish Terrier mix and such a great dog. He came neutered, with a vet report of excellent health and with some obedience training. He has messed in the house a couple of times, the second I drug him by his collar to the mess, and pushed his nose near it, and scolded him - and guess he didn't want me to be that pissed at him again, and has always waited till he could go out. He will sit, stay and when I tell him to go get in HIS chair, he will go jump in my reclinder and lay down. I still have a little problem with him wanting to jump up on company. But after they have been here a little while he behaves himself. He isn't a barker but will bark when someone knocks at the door, for awhile he ignored if they ran the door bell, but lately he will also bark then. I couldn't believe that to adopt a dog that had been found as a stray could be so well trained. He is such a joy.

Don't you hate it when things go wrong

I cut over 100 1 7/8" white squares to attach to the corners of 3.5" x 9.5" sashing strips. And they are not the right size they are too small. Now I have to go back to the drawing board to figure what size square I need to make a half-square triangle on either corner that is the right size.

The quilt is called Morning Star and is really neat and should be easy to assemble once I determine the correct size for these squares. It consists of a 9.5" square, with 3.5x9.5" sashing strips 3.5" corner stone square. The addition of the small square (half square triangles) on either corner of the sashing gives the cornerstone block the look of an Ohio Star.

This is a lap quilt size but I have 2 other full bed quilts to make (queen and king), all with the same size pieces so really need to get the size of these squares figured out.

Haven't been doing as much sewing as I'd like. I have 2 blocks that I signed up in a round robin and these 2 I'm adding the last border and I have had a hard time getting something that will work with the orignal block and the 3 borders added before me. I've made a couple for each and they just do not look right to me and wasn't happy with them so back to the drawing board I go. I hope to get them finished this next week and in the mail. I have one of mine home, I did two but have no idea where the other one is, guess it will wander home when I least expect it. The one I did get back the lady that was supposed to add the last border just sent the block and fabric rather than adding her border.

Have a big family get together at my house this next Saturday. AND I am so looking forward to seeing my family, right now count is that about 21 will be here. If I have everyone the count would be 26. So having 21 is a good percentage. I'm doing most of the cooking which I enjoy.

Finished Quilt Top

Last week I finished a Disappearing 9-Patch quilt top. Myra a neighbor had pieced 9-patch and Dresden plate blocks for my friend Barbara. A little history. In May just before moving into this house, I met Barbara she was running a "thrift store" across the street from where I get my hair done. We exchanged phone numbers and during the hassle and total disorganization of the move, unpacking etc, I'd misplaced her number (and seems she had mine as well). After several months we made contact again and she stopped by for a visit. When she did she realized a lady that was making some blocks for a quilt for her was my neighbor. To shorten the story when Myra finished them she brought them over to me to give Barbara the next time I saw her.

The workmanship and stitching was beautiful. The "girl" does great work. He choice of fabrics and combination was outstanding. I laid the blocks on the large area on my living room floor alternating the 9-patch and Dresden plate blocks. They were beautiful, but personnally felt that the dresden plate blocks got lost in the busyness of the entire look. So when Barbara came by I suggested she divide and make two quilts. After rearranging the blocks showing one top with all the same block - she agreed. By then I'd seen some disappearing 9 patch quilt arrangements and convinced Barbara that would be a great way to use the 9-patches.

We got a little more coordinating material made a few more 9-patch blocks (same size) and then cut all in 1/4, and assembled into a disappearing 9-patch. Myra gave me the name of the collection by Moda she'd used fabric from and I was able to get a piece that matched some she'd used in the quilt and the one we thought best for the outer border. This collection had been discontinued so finding enough for the border was a fabulous find. AND I'm so glad I did because I think it is the perfect frame for the quilt.

Now the Dresden plate will be a more traditional assembly with sashing and borders. Still not decided if I'll add cornerstone squares but may.

I have 3 quilt tops to sash. A pinwheel with patriotic fabric, using red, white and blue sashing strips, a 9-patch. Each block is 9 squares of like color, and there are 6 colors (pink, red, purple, blue, green, yellow). Each horizontal row will have one block of each color with beginning block offset by one to create diagonal rows of each color. This quilt will be sashed in white no corner stones. The 3rd top is a very scrappy quilt top of a huge variety of 4" squares of every color and every fabric pattern I could find. It is a little over 1/2 done, now have enough 4" squares to finish it.

I then have a lap sized quilt top to finish, still have the small and 3.5" white squares to cut out then I can assemble and finish this one. Maybe if I get a strong spurt of energy I can get all finished by end of day tomorrow.

Mother's Day

Nothing is better for Mother's Day than to have conversation with your children, if you can't visit in person.

I live near my youngest daughter and went to her house for supper, but had phone calls from the other 3 during the day.

I have a dear friend in Illinois whose father is dying of cancer, if you read this please remember Pat and Sandy in your prayers.

Lots to do and WHERE do I start. I'd misplaced my favorite ruler that I use to rotary cut my pieces for my quilts. After 2 weeks of searching I gave up looking and decided I'd find it when I least expected to, OR I'd buy another when I got desperate. As luck would have it, this past week I was moving fabric I'd put in a drawer in a plastic 3-drawer container and there was my ruler standing on it's side at the front of the drawer. I'd looked there twice before, but didn't move anything.

So lesson learned when looking for something move things in the drawers. LOL

Have a little more "cleaning" to do this morning then I can spend the rest of the week sewing mostly. Tomorrow I have new living room furniture being delivered (sofa and love seat), then a trip to the grocery store on Thursday. But all in between I will be either cutting or sewing. I hope to finish the tops I have started to the point they are ready to sandwich and quilt or send to the quilter.

I've been surfing and found some really neat new quilt patterns and of course saved to my files for future reference. I'm thinking sooner rather than later I need to try a couple, as if I need more projects.