Tiny Tuesday.....

Well, the block is partially done. 132- Radiant Star can be found here in the Midget section on the sentimentalstitches.com website. I had prepped this one before vacation and started to hand piece the middle blue star during swim lessons this morning. I was able to add the outer parts while supervising a game of go fish (thanks Mom and Dad.... we've played this daily since we got home!). Emily is recognizing more of the cards but still needs help with 6,7,8 and 9's. I just need to add the little petals to the middle and then a circle on top. If I don't get it done tonight... there is always swim lessons tomorrow and Thursday.

I've also made some progress on the baby afghan using the slanted shell stitch. This is so easy to do and the yarn is so soft and fun to work with. Well...... the three hours of untangling the middle part on Saturday night and Sunday morning I could have done without. Oh well, I have one skein done and the next one is ready to be added on. I think I will probably need another one or two skeins of the off white and then maybe a pretty pastel color to go around the edge. We'll see.

Finally a teal Saturday.

I found a little bit of teal in the bins and was able to make my two snails trail blocks and a 16 patch block for the month. I have to say, I'll be happy to have a new month and color for next week.

Head on over to SoScrappy and see what others have been up to on this last week of teal.

A new project - Nabby's Dowry

I blame it on Kathy over at Kathy's Quilts. She started two new sew-alongs this month and I've been itching to get home and start them. I started one today over at heartspunquilts called Nabby's Dowry. and I am all caught up! This will be a little wall hanging and I decided to use up a bunch of leftover hst's that have been sitting in a bag in the scrap bin. I made a lot of bonus triangles while I was making a Star Struck quilt

Star Struck - pattern from Quiltville.com

a couple of years ago and this is my pile of HST's.

They just need to be ironed and trimmed down to the 2 inch unfinished size. I was able to quickly press some and trim them up and soon had the first three blocks for this sew along.

I know you have a pile of HST's hanging around somewhere... why not join in?
Today I am hooking up with Angie over at Quilting on the Crescent. She is having a special link up to celebrate St. Ann - the patron saint of seamstresses and a bonus giveaway for her 200th post! Head on over and see what is happening around the world. My daughter's middle name is Ann - hopefully she'll grow up to love a sewing machine just like her Mom!

Friday catch up.

I finally got into the sewing room last night after unpacking, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and cleaning the fridge while it was fairly empty and then going shopping to restock everything. The kids were busy playing with toys they had not seen in three weeks. They also spent some time splashing in the pool with Daddy (lots of jumping in by Aidan and swimming by Emmy) and testing out the dive sticks Grandma sent over.

I got two of the Grandmother's Choice blocks done. Just one more to go and I'll be all caught up. These are week number 45 and 46 - Aunt Mary's Favorite and Barristers block. I just need to print out week 47 - Heroine's Crown and I'll be caught up. I believe there are two more weeks to this BOW that I started last August over at Grandmothers Choice.

I also stitched down the last two outer tulips on my Midget block for this week last night while watching the Harry Potter movie on TV. This is number 97 - Western Rose. I'll straighten it up a bit when I trim down the background to 5 inches.

Now I just need to pull out some teal fabrics if I can find some and make a snails trail and 16 patch block for Saturday. First I think we'll head to the playground this morning. It had been closed for a while and finally reopened a couple of days before we left for Vermont. There are lots of new trails and equipment for the kids to play on. We can't wait to go explore.

I'm home....

safe and sound! The last flight was delayed by 3 hours. Not what I was wanting being by myself with two kids traveling yesterday. We survived and I am back home. So nice to get back to your own bed after being on vacation. A few pictures from the last few days in Vermont.

Kids at Charlies' Playground in Barre, VT (formerly Playground 2000)

Feeding one set of the ducks on the lake. They come right to the door to get fed some bread.

Loon with the baby on the back. 

Loon with her baby

Full Yellow Moon on the lake on Tuesday evening. A very pretty sight.

A trip down memory lane of old quilts.....

I saw this little baby quilt on Aidan's bed last night. I think this was the first quilt I ever made way back in 1992! It is tied and it was a turned quilt. I didn't do bindings back then! It is a tealish green with purple flowers. A simple four patch with purple and a print.

I've also been cuddling under my Vermont quilt that I made a few years ago while I was in my guild in Vermont. It was a block a month and I just love the three dimensional turtle on this quilt.

Looking into my parents room I get to see the Lady in the Lake quilt I made my parents for their anniversary a few years ago. It lives on their bed out here at camp.

I also have the beginning of a slanted shell variation afghan that I started last night thanks to Amy who made one last week. I seem to have picked up some Caron simply soft yarn in off white last Thursday when I was in Burlington. It is a no dye lot so I should be able to get more down in Florida when I run out of the 2 skeins I purchased. I need to modify the turn on the last row...... I was doing it from memory and the memory failed! I started with 127 chain stitches since it is multiple of 5+2 for the pattern. It should make a nice size baby blanket for some future baby in the family or a donation to Project Linus. It is a fun and very easy pattern if you feel the need to pick up a crochet hook and play. Thanks Amy for pointing me to the tutorial. I have a feeling it will be a great project for the plane ride home on Wednesday.

An old project....

This is what lives permanently in my luggage.

I purchased this leaflet 2529 - Paula Vaughan's Quilts For All Seasons a very long time ago. It has a very pretty quilt inspired cross stitch design for each month of the year. It was surprising when I opened the front and saw that I had put my initials and year next to the two I had completed. I made the August pattern and completed it in 6 months back in 1998. It is framed and hanging in my sewing room.






I then made the September pattern and completed it in 1999. It was framed so my Grandfather could have it in his room in the nursing home. I got it back after he passed and it now hangs in my hallway as I exit my sewing room.

 This is where the month of January is. Some day it will get finished and look like this but for now it is my traveling project.

I might just pull out some floss and put a few stitches in it tonight as I am cuddling under a quilt. It is finally a bit cooler out at camp and I am looking forward to a fire in the fireplace and maybe a 'smore or two (if I didn't eat all the Hershey's bars I bought a couple of weeks ago).
Head on over to Kathy's Quilts and see what other hand work projects are being worked on slowly