Catching Up... April

I have to say it feels SO GOOD to be blogging again, I really missed it. I don't think I even realized how much until I started again, I went for several months without even checking in and seeing what every one else was up to. I do partly blame my lack of blogging on Face book I signed on there and have connected with so many old friends. So if you want feel free to add me as a face book friend. Just do a search for Ginny Hildreth I will be glad to add you as a friend. Just make a note I do NOT play any of the face book games. :)

OK so this post is about April, what was I up to in April? Well lets look in my photo album and see...April was a blast, this is NOT my quilt this it Torrie's quilt. She wanted to do a foot print quilt, so we spent an after noon (4 hours) painting one foot, step, lift, wipe clean, paint other foot, step, lift, wipe clean, remove square, place and pin next square, and start all over again! She has striped feet, swirly feet, blue feet, green feet and so on and so on, our favorite is NOT shown, but she has rainbow striped feet. She then added different seashell sashing around each block, and stitched around each foot to make it look like flip flop soles, then she shopped and found cut ribbon, rick-rack and trims to match each colored foot, she stitched them down so it looks like she is wearing flops... I quilted it in blue waves on the tip half of each block, and tan ripples on the bottom half to make it look like water and sand... Now what I have not mentioned is Torrie has HUGE feet! So of course we named this quilt "Big Foots Day at the Beach!" it is wonderful and she uses it on her bed.

My other BIG accomplishment for April... I learned how to quilt feathers OH MY GOSH! I have struggled and struggled with feather for years, I have purchased books... and videos and practiced and practiced to no avail. Then I purchase a video called Twirly Whirly Feathers by Kimmy Brunner kimmyquilt.danemcoweb.com/shop/product/coming-in-january-twirly-whirly-feathers/ It was worth every penny! No joke I watched the video, and drew along with her and with in a few hours, yes hours I was making decent feathers! And feathers in ALL directions and shapes and sizes. This is a drawing I did coming up with design ideas for an old quilt the Torrie made a couple of years ago that I have not quilted because it needed feathers. I did NOT quilt this exact design but it was close.
So once I started drawing them on paper I needed to go to the machine and do them on fabric, I know this one is hard to see because of the white. Lets just say the entire thing is feathered all done on my 9" machine!
Here is a closer look, really it is still pretty rough, but it was the first time for me!

Lets see April was also the month of the fan, this was our block of the month at quilt party, I made two quilts, this one was just hanging out on the design wall, it now has its set triangles and boarders and is sitting in the Que waiting to be quilted. It will eventually find a home (at Christmas) with my wonderful neighbor Judy.
This is the same fan block (ok different blocks but you now what I mean!) My friend Wanda wanted one too, this was the layout she chose... yep it is in line too.

So as you can see April was a very busy and productive month... stay tuned for May because I had some thing really neat happen...
Ginny

Catching Up... March and a GO!

S0 here we GO again! Still catching up from my months of not blogging...

BUT first I just have to share.... I have for several months debated purchasing a GO fabric cutter, well I finally broke down and got one! As my kids would say "OMG" I am in love! One of the dies I got was the Eleanor Burns Blazing Star, I cut and entire 30 x 30 quilt in less than ten minutes, check out the pictures.... So here she is, with the fabric piled on one side and the die on the other. If you have been thinking about getting one, sitting on the fence like I was, I say take the plunge it is a very cool cutting machine. I did a lot of research and watched every you tube video out there. I was concerned with how much fabric waste there would be, in my opinion if you think before you cut (just like with your ruler) then there is very little waste. Yes there is a bit more than if you just used your rotary cutter and ruler, BUT the trade off is in cutting time, cutting accuracy and for my the pain in my hands, some days my arthritis hurts me so badly that I can not use the rotary cutter.. Just that simple.OK, so the fabric is really really bright and funky, but hey that's what I like! The neat thing, these are all shapes that would take time to cut because of all the odd angles. The amazing thing, they are all perfect and perfectly the same size and EVERYTHING lines up! I don't have a picture of the finished block just a snap shot of the "dry run" but you get the idea.

OK, so on to March... Gosh March was a busy month, it was my birthday, I turned 42 (as Garth Brooks would say I am MUCH to young to feel this damn old!) It was also our local quilt show. I love our little show it always manages to fall on my birthday weekend! I know they plan it that way JUST for me! This year I got brave and entered three quilts into the show. This was the first time I had ever entered, this is not a juried show but a peoples choice. NOPE I didn't win a thing, but I did over hear a couple of people make very nice comments about my quilts :)
The other great thing was that my friend Wendi also entered her quilts and some of ours got displayed together! So here are the pictures... with comments....

The quilt on the left is Wendi's, the one on the right is my, we call it Starry Starry night.
This one is called deep space, this is one of the quilts made from the left overs from the day and night quilt pictured at the top of the blog. The cool thing about this quilt... I ran into the nice folks from the Island Quilter (a WONDERFUL quilt shop on Vashon) Vashon just happens to be where I grew up and where my Mom and Dad still live. Well I ask if they would be willing to take Deep Space and deliver it to my Mom, and they did! It was pretty awesome she got a nice surprise and I got to meet some wonderful folks from where I grew up!
This is my very dear friend Wendi! HI Wendi!!! Yep she reads my blog.... I love her Ball Jar quilt, each jar has a different fruit or veggie, and she quilted each with the word BALL!

Wendi again with her Cars quilt that she made for her husband Rick, who also happens to be one of the nicest guys I know.. and a car salesman to boot... if you need a good car and are in the Tri-Cities... call Rick at Tim Bush Motors... Tell him Ginny sent you!

Wendi again, with.. oh gosh, I don't remember what this one was called!!!
OK so this is me.. nuff said!
And me again, this time with Adams quilt.

This not so little quilt was one I drew up and made for Ryan, one of my daycare kids, he grew up and had to leave the daycare. I had him for 7 years! Ry is very much the sports boy.. he plays football, basket ball and baseball, with baseball being his favorite. So that was the theme...
Here is a "dry run" UUGGGG did NOT like it! it was super super busy and hard to focus on, so I went back to the drawing board... and well, you will have to wait a few months to see how it turned out!
Till next time, I Gotta a GO!!!!

Ginny

Stay tuned for April and May.. May was a really cool month!

Catching Up...February

Good morning,
So, I said last week that I would start blogging again, then promptly got side tracked with a round of Doctors appointments... So here I am a week later with some answers to my medical problems (I won't bore you with the details) and some frustrations because of NO answers. What I will do is share some of what has kept me away.. are you ready?Torrie turned 16, I think that was what my last post was about. Anyhow, she being the princess that she is (really she is not she is very smart and level headed, that's why this was so much fun) anyhow, being such a princess, she decided that for her 16th birthday all the girls should dress up in their most formal wear and go to a nice dinner and a play... the hilarity ensues... Oh and as you can see, she matched her cake, yup sick mama...Morgen in her nice dress, she looked pretty that night, this should have given me a clue that my other baby is also growing up... more on that later.. in the August post...
Here are all of the girls all dressed up and ready for a lovely dinner out...
Torrie chose one of her favorite dining locations...Dairy Queen! Boy did we make a scene people actually stopped and stared! The folks who work there were very very cool about it though, the best part, there was a little girl about 6 having a birthday party too, we over heard her ask her mommy... can I have a princess crown too? Mommy said no because she didn't have one. Then one of the girls in our group went over and gave her her crown. Very good kids my Torrie's friends.

Oh and yes there was a lot of quilting going on in February, but you don't get to see it till my next post... So stay tuned for MARCH (a bit later this afternoon as I have a lunch date in a few minutes)

So much to share, So little time!

After a long 7 month hiatis from blogging I feel it is time for me to come back! I am sorry it has taken me this long, we had a busy and wonderful spring and summer, we went on a little vacation to the ocean, and as always because of the daycare we had just a super busy and fun summer with the kids. Most importantly though... I got a longarm quilting machine!!! I found and purchased a lovely 19 inch Homesteader and put it on my Suzy Q frame. I love this machine and I will share pictures and all I love about it in my next post. I will say that due to the new machine I have been very very busy quilting up my stack of tops, so look for a post with all my quilt pictures soon too.
Like later this afternoon I hope!)

Until then, have a great morning and it's great to be back.

Torries new car and quilts done!

I have been a busy, busy girl!
I am finished with Magic hour! (OK still have to sew the back together but that doesn't count!)
And have moved on to Adams Black, White and Red quilt, I have it done except the boarders, and I have almost finished the two extra quilts from the left overs, I will get them done this weekend and posted since I have a three day weekend I am pretty sure I will have time to get all three finished!

I have also been busy searching for a car for Torrie. Stuart has been working on a 72 bug for her to drive, but sadly has not made a lot of progress on it and it will not be drivable for a long while. So I made the command decision to use some of my savings and buy her a car...oh what a long strange trip this has been!!! I spent several days looking on craigslist for something in my budget and something that will be safe and reliable... well let me tell you, those three things just DO NOT go together!!!!
I looked at one car that.... well lets just say, the pictures were wonderful (just love photo shop!) But when we actually saw the car, well side swiped, spray painted, water leaks oh and my personal favorite, they had MELTED the air bag cover back in place, of course no air bag because it had deployed when the car got hit!!! OMG.

So, after that lovely little car I decided it was time to start calling dealerships, now I know that the chances of finding something in my price range is almost zero, but it never hurts to call.

My first call, I get put on with this nice salesman named Rick, I explain to Rick that I have $XXX amount of money, not financing anything, something safe for a teenage girl.... you get the idea, well as we are talking Rick says to me... "Do I know you?" Me.. "no" he says "you sound really familiar" ...Oh I say... then he asks if I quilt.... now let me tell you, I work from home and do NOT know a lot of people especially men... so when a strange mans says he knows you, AND know you are a quilter the will FREAK you out! Anyhow, he then pauses and say...Wendi! I say..RICK... Turns out that I had completely forgotten that my good friend Wendi's (maker of the Cars quilt a couple of posts down) husband is a sales man, and low and behold but that was who I got put on with... well, long long story short, Rick was a wonderful help, I ask him to please find a car that he would buy for HIS teenage daughter (yes he has one too) and he did. I did cost more than I had planned on spending...(I will NOT be putting a fence up this year after all) But I got an excellent car for Torrie... So with out further ado... Torrie's new "Grandma Car"

It is a 2001 Buick Century, like I said a grandma car, BUT it is in excellent condition, drive beautifully and has working air bags! Plus, even though it is not some cutesy teenage girly car she love is.

The sad thing, it is newer than MY car!


A quick shot of the inside, this car was very well cared for, the only wear spots are on the steering wheel. I am happy and think we got a good deal.

So, yep all in all a very productive week, one quilt finished, another almost finished, two more with all blocks completed just needs assembled, and a new to us car purchased, Oh and Torrie took her written drivers test today (passed it too) takes her driving test next Friday, and turns 16 on Saturday!
Yes, busy busy and loving it.
Thanks for stopping by, I am headed to bed!
Ginny

A walk in a rainbow

I love going to the fabric store... I know women who love to shop and look at jewelry, I know some who love to shop for make-up, I know several who have shoe addictions (you know who you are!) and I know some who love to shop for clothing... for me it is fabric, I love the colors. When I walk into the fabric store it is like walking into a rainbow, all bright and cheery, different textures, shimmery, bold, and pastel all in one. No matter what my mood I am always happy in the fabric store, and I ALWAYS go over budget!
I have not been feeling well this last week, I am not "sick" no cough, or stuffy nose just a sore throat and all over body aches... Today I was finally feeling up to leaving the house, still tired but needed to pick up the backing for the Magic Hour quilt, and another that is in the works (I will be taking pictures soon and showing it off). So off to Joann's I went, had a lovely visit with Annie one of my DC moms who works there, she was shopping too! Got the backing I needed plus a couple extra yards! Oh and cutting mats were on sale so I splurged and got a new cutting mat, my old one was just about wore through on the 0 line! All in all the trip was a success, fun and I feel 100% better, lighter in the pocket book, but since everything was on sale I won't complain too much!
So with that, I will wish you all a wonderful upcoming weekend, and remember when you are feeling those winter blues... go to the fabric store and take a stroll inside a rainbow.
Happy quilting.
Ginny

Magic hour update and a new haircut!

Good afternoon!
Oh yea it is almost FRIDAY and boy do I need a Friday this week!

I have been super busy working on the Magic Hour quilt and am down to putting on the final two boarders! I don't usually make quilts this large and now I remember why! I am excited about getting it quilted. Karen O from http://quiltsnkaboodle.com/ (this is her website) or even better, visit her blog here... http://quiltsnkaboodle.blogspot.com/ Anyhow, Karen has agreed to quilt my quilt for me. Now there are a couple of things you should know, Karen was the wonderful lady who we contacted shortly after Hurricane Ike came ashore a year and a half ago, she generously accepted and handed out many many quilts donated by quilters all over the country. Karen is also a fabulous professional longarm quilter, A-1 dealer and has been a huge inspiration for me. By reading her blog and looking at pictures of her quilting I have been able to learn enough to apply to my own quilting that I am no longer embarrassed to actually show my quilts off! Any how now, this wonderful lady will be quilting my quilt for me and I could not be happier! She did warn me that it will take about 6 months before it get it back, but that is OK, you know what they say, all good things come to those who wait!

Here is a picture of the almost finished quilt.And another

Oh I got a new haircut too!!! Love this picture, you can't see the GREY!


Well, time to pick up the little one from school, hope you all have a wonderful productive weekend. And as always, thanks for stopping by!
Ginny