saturday is alright

I forgot to show you I finished the Stones quilt the other day! I like it. I have to say the wavy lines quilting is VERY forgiving! Not sure it worked to build my patience with machine quilting, but it was fun anyway!Just a few other goodies on the design wall... to many ideas, so little time...
not enough wall space!

OH! I finally got my Janome 4800 machine fixed after three machine repair people in my hood messed it up and rendered it unusable for over a year.... I was able to send it direct to the company after speaking with the Janome people in Houston. Well that alone mad emy trip worth it!
I had it back a few days later and sews like a dream...once again...

how to spend a lazy day

How to spend a lazy day in NYC...

First, to spend a lazy day in NYC, avoid TICKER TAPE PARADES in downtown NYC...
Fun though they maybe! (yippee Yankees!)
(I almost said TWINS! (wishful thinking)
Getting around is a bit of a hassle with happy Jeter jersey wearing fans everywhere...

Spend the day with friends!
like Andrea and myself, having some stitching, tea and muffin time!

Have some show and tell time... ooh and ahh over quilts
(Black and gray Windows on left and the pick up sticks on right)

Admire Charity projects and talk about how you can help in your own way...
(PIXIE DUST QUILT back from Linda at cottage garden quilts)

(these three just recvd today in the mail from Linda, now I have MORE binding to do!)

Head to City Quilter , and try to get out of it without spending a hundred bucks...
then grab some dumplings for lunch...

Then go to ABC HOME and get inspired by all the Christmas decor.. then go back home, avoiding Crazy Yankee fans, put on the kettle, kick up those heals and read your latest Blog giveaway prize...
That's my kind of a lazy NYC day...

(great book by the way, packed with fabulous things)
Thanks Andrea!

plugging along...

I'm plugging away on my stones quilt... Slowly but surely... Can I just say that I am going through an obscene amount of thread to do this! I don't think the KING size quilts I've quilted have gone through as much as I have done on this little quilt! I guess the dog, and more dogs are being quilted out of it!

I hope to get these little place mats done today too. But that maybe wishful thinking...
At least they are ready to go...

Binding is ready for the PARSLEY PATCH... I just love the feather quilting on this, that Linda did... Something to inspire me to keep going on my own little machine quilting adventures....

Here's the Black and Gray quilt, Quilted! Gotta love the zig zags...

And lastly the Pixie Dust Quilt is quilted!! It's on it's way back to me from Linda's I can't wait to see it in person, and get it bound... The quilting looks fab! Linda has always offered to quilt my Donation quilts... I so Appreciate it! Linda, your a doll!
And on a totally different note, Last night, I went along with my hubby to the Sotheby's Modern Art Sales... ( You hear about these sales sometimes or see them in movies...)

It's pretty fun to watch! Here a Kandinsky Painting sold for 10.6 million dollars.... Can you imagine having that amount of moola hanging on your wall? Fun to watch the bidding and the prices go up, up and up!
This little Giacometti for 19.3 million. Fabulous!
Total New York Moment!~

what to do today...

So, I'm digging out other projects that I wanted to try to work on... You all know I've been working on machine quilting... So I got this stones quilt out, and decided to give it a whirl with some swoop flow-y lines... So far, I think it's OK, I'm still working out speed, And actually just picking out the right COLOR of thread... I tried to be neutral on this, not sure if that was the right thing yet... But so far, it's OK... we'll see... (I still prefer letting someone else finish these for me!) I drew out the first few lines just to get it set... that seems to help me best... now just to fill it all in...

A few of you are way ahead of me on the QUILTING part of the waverunners!
I did at least pick out my backings for them... ;-) ( I'm procrastinating)

Millie has hers done! Love all the little squares in there! Looks great!

My dear Friend Monica is back! Remember I was teaching her to quilt?

She got sidetracked with sewing a quilt for her sister, and now is getting back to finishing hers! She healing and mending well from her Breast cancer, and I am so HAPPY to have her back to play with in my studio.
So while she sews, I've been cleaning up my mess. Also, I have not been feeling so hot these days myself, and have done barely anything the last two days... Got a few Dr. apts of my own... So I'm piddling with folding fabric, piecing batting bits into little projects, vacuuming up dust bunnies, all that fun stuff... no sewing for me really except that 10 minutes on the stones quilt above... that wore me out...

So. Just trying to figure out what else I can dig up to finish... Got any dusty blocks in a bin somewhere that you need to dig out and finish? ha! Don't we all!

Using what I have....

Last summer when we were in Rogers Minnesota, B begged me for this piece of fabric that was on clearance to make her a soft snuggley blanket... I put it away for a long while, and she has forgotten about it. Which is perfect, because now I can finish it and give it to her for Christmas!

I'm also using up a bunch of stuff I have around here... leftover Xmas swap blocks for Holiday place mats.... ... they'll make nice gifts for someone!

I'm not so sure about this table runner, also from leftover blocks...I may cut it up into pillows, or make some holiday banners out of them... not sure yet...

***

Carla is about done with her waverunner. Her colors remind me a Fiesta festival! Love it!

Glorious mess

I have one big mess over here again.... Folding, folding, folding...
Glorious...
I'm so tempted to cut in and start another idea... But for today,
I'm getting bindings cut and attached....
Because, Christmas is NOT SO FAR AWAY!!! It's November for crying out loud!
Sheeeesssh!!
Where does the time go!!!

So for today... a couple bindings, and a couple of other projects need to come out of the bins to finally find there way to the finish line....

I'm working on another cookbook, like I did last year for my family and friends... So that has been taking up most of my weekend time... Instead of trying to type everything out this year, I am going to just printout my food blog through BLURB.com

Do you know them? You can have a hard copy printed out of your blog. How cool is that?

It will save me loads of time... Yippeee!

Have you seen this webpage? Fun to find new things... Thanks Julie!

http://www.thequiltcomplex.com/
She has a lovely blog too.


*****

How are the rest of you coming on your Waverunners? Please keep the finished tops pics coming... they have been so fun to see...
I need to get to quilting mine... But I need a few days to get organized around here again...
messy messy messy!

Beth finished her waverunner.

Sunday

Trick or treating in NYC...
There is an area in NYC called Chelsea, where there are a few streets lined with old Townhouses... Every year the community goes all out for Halloween... Decor, ghosts, skeletons, coffins, spooky music and cob webs... And the streets get lined with ghosts and goblins galore. We've been so lucky to have warm streaks each year and the kids can go trick or treating without jackets on!

Everyone gets into it...And has a great time. Hope you all had a fun night!

Even the Empire State Building gets dressed up for Halloween.. See its Orange and white lights!

Normally, if we stay in the city on a weekend, we would be hanging out at Central park today. But With the NYC marathon today, we avoid going far from our loft... The city is packed with runners and family support. So, since it's a bit gloomy today, we may just got spend the day at the bookstore...Or parking ourselves in front of the TV to watch to see if Paula Radcliffe can win the marathon again this year! Go Britain!