Tonya's Letters

Ever since Tonya posted her freehand letters I've been wanting to give it a whirl. I've been itching to stitch but not on anything that would take a lot of time nor end up being another UFO added to the already big stack. AHA, Tonya's letters would fill the bill.

Over on the FLQ list one of the gals has just moved into a brandy new home and house blocks are being sent to her. Not wanting or being able to find a house block that I liked and thoughts of Tonya's letters dancing around in my head, I decided to do letters for her with the idea she could add them to her blocks or borders. If they shouldn't be to her liking and she doesn't use them, it won't hurt my feelings and I will have ventured into the world of letters.

With my trusty side kick watching my every move, I grabbed up the fabric and went to town on them, changing my mind in midstream. Having a general idea of the instructions in my head I proceeded to get busy thinking I would do "Home Sweet Home". After 2 hours spent on "M" and not getting the result I was after, I threw in the towel and off on another batch of letters I went, changing what I had to fit what I wanted. "Friends are the Greatest" became my new mantra.

I escaped off to town again today. I get cabin fever really bad when DH comes home for vacation. I'm the type who loves to visit and have friends over, he's the type that loves to come home and never venture anywhere. His vacation to him is sitting in the garage making music. Being home is all he wants to do. So today I called my GF, loaded up all the aluminum cans into the truck and off we went. Joann's was calling, I had a % off coupon to spend and needed more quilting thread, some needle pullers (those little round rubber dohickeys) and needle threaders (the old eyes ain't what they used to be). Picked up what I needed and not one little piece of fabric followed me home.

Gratitudes

DH for understanding I need to get out of the house

For my GF who is always ready to drop what she's doing and escape with me

A sunny day in town

Burgers n Fries picked up on the way home for a late lunch

The new bird visiting the feeders I'd never seen before

Weekends

I don't do much on weekends. It's my ME time to sit and do whatever I want. I did my treadmill, clean/change the litter boxes, ran the DW and emptied it, deodorized the garbage disposal and shined my sink after dinner. Just an hour or so of stuff.

I made a crockpot roast with onions, carrots and little red spuds. I've decided while it's nice to have it burbling away all day long, it smells so good, I really like the taste of a roast in the regular oven. The flavor is so much better. Maybe it's the baking rather than the simmering that makes the difference.

I pulled out Broken Star as I wasn't in the mood for handquilting and I wanted to listen to the football games today (YEA HAWKS, we're on the way to the Super Bowl). I'm unstitching all those points I have together since they refuse to lay flat and have ruffles. I've got two legs onto templates and stitched together with 2 more legs all prepped. It takes awhile to unstitch all those diamonds and get them onto the templates. It's a project that won't be done in a week or a month, more like a year and it will lay flat. I'll be happy if 2007 and it both come to an end at the same time.

My sister called today, another disaster at her place. They say they come in 3's, I hope this is the last one for her. Her DH left to go to work, got around the corner from their house and the clutch disappeared in their truck. Could she borrow mine for a couple days as they couldn't get theirs in to the shop till Monday and BIL has 3 more days of work before his days off. I don't like loaning my truck out. I don't even let DH drive it. BIL needs to get to work and with 3 rides sitting in my yard how could I say no.

My GF came over to watch a bit of the HAWKS game with me today. She's such a hoot, gets all excited and jumps around when they make their downs or score. I can't help but laugh, she's like the guys in the bars a whoopin' and hollerin', a big football fan. She can tell you who's who, what QB is the best, the stats on all the players and call them by their names. Usually has her HAWKS hat and sweatshirt on, thinks thats lucky. I admit to being a football fan and I can whoop and holler with the best of them, but she has me beat in that department. I wish I could take her to the stadium, it's right down the road. Sitting in the rain in an open stadium isn't my cuppa tea, nor is freezing my butt off, but it sure would be fun for her.

Lady can't resist a quilt. Set it down for a second to go get a cuppa and plop there she is right in the middle of it. She has to test drive them all.

Year of the UFO's

On DYS we're having a challenge to count up and finish all our UFO's in 2007. Today I went on a search and count mission to see just how many of these buggers I had hiding about. These things really do multiply in the dark. There they were, hanging 10 deep on a quilting rack, stuck in a storage bin, hiding in plastic baggies, in pizza boxes, under the cutting table and on rocking chairs. 37 or 38 of the little darlins depending on how they were counted.

I've found enough orphan blocks from different exchanges to make up several tops, not that I need yet a few more of them. Antique butterfly blocks with the buttonhole stitches, lemoyne stars, both needing new homes as they aren't my cuppa tea. Sets of Shop Hop blocks dating back to 2000. More exchange blocks from the same group of folks I already have 2 tops and one completed quilt from. A couple RR's needing a border or two. Tops, tops galore just needing a backing. What the world was I thinking, how many quilts does a person need anyway?

Then there's the wallhangings, some done in classes, a couple panels purchased with the thought of using them as a teaching tool for my GGD. A couple vests, those kind that come in a panel, a couple placemats just needing the binding. What about all those denim circles cut from aging Levi legs with thoughts of a picnic quilt. We no longer go on picnics. What was I thinking?
Blocks, blocks and more blocks. The start of an applique quilt and a half finished GFG.

Some I'll keep, some I'll donate to my friend who's church has a quilt group for charity, and some will find their way to the trash.

As 2007 gets off the ground I'm taking control of my UFO's and not letting them control me. It's decission time for all these UFO's, what to keep, what to gift and what to pitch.