B-Day Quilt

**NOTE: This blog post has been hanging out in the virtual space where missing posts go since the 22nd of June. I'm sure glad it finally showed up!

Well, another year has passed, and the Babes are still doing our annual birthday gifts to each other...the gift of our time, and a day filled with sewing, chocolate, laughter, gossip, chocolate and sewing! Since there are several of us (me included) with birthdays in April, we decided to "choose" a Babes Birthday day throughout the year to celebrate. That way they are disbursed evenly. My real-age birthday is in April - my Babes Birthday this year was yesterday. How cool is that?

We are leaving in just a few minutes for Mayo in Rochester Minnesota. Hubby has his yearly "tune-up" for his transplants, and it just so happens that the Minnesota State Quilter's Guild has their big show there every four years. I'll be working on a baby quilt and some other small projects while I'm there, as well as entertaining myself at the quilt show. A couple of college baseball games (the Honkers) and Rochesterfest should round out our week.

I thought I would let you see the FABULOUS blocks my Babes made for me. They are 8.5" blocks, and the quilt is 11 rows wide, and 12 rows long. Unless, of course, I add more when I return. A great way to use up those strips and scraps, and charm squares. The official name for this pattern is Waste Not, Want Not, and Bonnie over at Quiltville calls it 16 patches and Pinwheels. Her version is to use smaller blocks, but my strips were already larger, so there ya go!

A little of everything!

Let's get caught up with what's been going on! It seems that life is moving really fast for me these days, and even though I think I am going to get the blog, I just don't quite make it. I think everyone must go through periods of their lives like this. Or at least I hope I'm not the only one, running to try to keep up with myself!



Here are the girls at my new house, sewing up a storm! It was Carolyn's choice for her birthday stitch day. She's in the middle of moving into a new house, too, so she chose to have us make some Hero quilts. We managed to get two of them done. Remember, I have my priorities straight...no kitchen sink or counter tops at the new house, but my sewing stewdio is almost ready. Well, it was ready enough to sew, anyway, right?

The Midwest has sure been pounded by storms. This morning I think I heard the weather radio issue the five hundred and somethingth thunderstorm watch for our area. So far, we've seen them form, lift and then move on. Just keep on rolling!



These photos were taken during the last storm. You are seeing them move from the southwest to the northeast. The first picture is from our back porch; the last one is from the front porch. AND the colors are just about right (on my monitor). There's a sort of moody glow under them.

In the meantime, we still are working at keeping this house ready for showings at a moment's notice. The lookers have slowed down, but are still coming, so it WILL sell before the end of summer, I hope. I've more or less emotionally severed with our pool due to the storms, and I've been spending more time at the new house since I am working on getting my stewdio set up there. That's helped.

Yes, we've closed on the new house, but there are still some things that need to be finished. The builder is also building his house just down the road, so he splits his time between ours, theirs and the one that he is building in the small town south of us. The new counter tops and sink were installed last week, and the additional cabinets are about 1/2 stained and lacquered before installation. The floors will be refinished while we are gone to Mayo next week. Things keep moving.

I talked Hubby into one red wall in the dining room. I love it, and so does he.


In between the storms, little boy and I have played in the pool. That's the only time I've been in the water this year. Of course, that doesn't mean I couldn't - I just haven't! He is 3.5 years old this year, and isn't afraid of anything. He's so much fun to play with now, too!





So, today, I am finally going to work on my birthday quilt - the Amazing Quilt Babes will gift their time to me next Saturday, and I have to have it all prepped. I've chosen "Waste Not, Want Not", but Bonnie from Quiltville calls it 16 patch & Pinwheels. Having moved all my scraps and fabric tubs to the new house has inspired me to really get moving on using it up! So, after next week, you can expect to see a picture of MY birthday quilt and the girls! (Remember! It's not really my birthday - it's just my official Amazing Quilt Babes birthday day that has been assigned to me.)