I was concentrating so hard on getting it together.....
that I didn't notice the top edge was crooked until it was all finished. I have tunnel vision sometimes, a one track mind, and I'm not paying attention to the details.
There is no doubt that it isn't perfect, that it was made by a human.

Inside the front cover

Inside the back cover

I made this one a couple weeks ago and every time I walk by and look at it, it reminds me to pay attention next time.

I have noticed that a lot of blogs have added music to their site. I wonder how many of them know that people who are still on dial up or slower DSL have to wait forever for their blog to open because the music box has to load before anyone can scroll down the page. A couple of the blogs have had the volume set quite loud so that even with sound on my computer turned down low they blast out and scare the bejeebies out of me. Also then the music in my house is mixed with the music from the computer. Am I the only one who doesn't care for everyone else's choice of music being forced upon me? Maybe I'm being too sensitive. Sorry if I have offended anyone. I know it is freedom of choice. Or maybe someone will tell me why it is a good thing that I should be thankful for.

I need to reorganize.......
and I'm sure many of you have the same feeling. I sent for the back issues of the Studios magazines to see how other people store their stuff. I would love to take over the living room area of my house for a studio and stick the living room out in my little 11' x 15" room by the kitchen. I don't have the energy to do anything like that right now but I'm getting some good ideas for organization.
I want to go through my kid prints next and sell some of them. I was thinking of cutting them into 10" squares because a lot of them could be used for I Spy quilts and that size would allow for some fussy cutting.

Two blocks........
is all I accomplished in the studio. I had a migraine most of the day yesterday. I worked on my supply list for the double 4 patch class once my head cleared and made 2 sample blocks. I offered to meet anyone who needs help with fabric choices so I wanted to be able to show them the 2 blocks needed for the quilt.

Today I am teaching the second class for "Candy is Dandy" that we had to postpone last week. I need to check to see that my dad's phone got hooked up before the class starts. Then we have to call the phone company and have my dad tell them that I am authorized to make decisions on his account. There are so many details to take care of.

Two days ago Wendy asked what kind of batting I use in my table runners. I use Hobbs Heirloom cotton batting and they are nice and flat.

Also I was asked what size the quilt top in yesterday's post is. Right now it is about 36" x 37".

Final border.........
I didn't press it yet, just stitched and took a picture. The binding will probably be the same dark purple.
We had a lot of rain late Monday and an overcast day yesterday so the flower bed was still pretty wet. I went out anyway and picked 2 more bouquets. I took the picture last night so today the flowers will be opened to full size and will fill out the bouquet.

Can you believe I was too tired......
to sew any more than 2 borders? I was exhausted by last night. I spent the day with all of the follow up details for my dad, social security, bank accounts, etc. Then in the late afternoon I decided to start uninstalling programs from my oldest laptop so I can pass it on to some one else. I went to bed a lot earlier than usual.
I treated myself to 4 new half yards of batiks. Have I told you that I like color?

Here is a link to the full picture of yesterday's table runner, scroll down to the third one.

Frothy pinkness.......
The first peonies are blooming. I will have lots I can pick for bouquets later this week.
In the meantime here are the very first flowers.

My company has all gone home, I am exhausted, a happy exhaustion from seeing so many in my family. The laundry is done and I hope to turn on a sewing machine tonight. See you all tomorrow.

This morning I am having trouble accessing my blog through Google Reader, the same problem a lot of you had yesterday. I'm posting this without a picture to see if that has anything to do with it.

I don't know what the problem was.......
that so many people couldn't view my post yesterday. I don't know if the problem was with the pictures and the HTML code or something else.

This is a picture of the flowers on a burning bush. I don't remember it having flowers when it was little, but maybe I just wasn't observant then.
I will be taking a break from my blog over this long holiday weekend while my family is visiting.

Nature walk......
through my garden. Pink columbine.
White cranesbill (hardy geranium). Some friends dropped by to give me a planter of flowers and as we talked we realized this plant was one they gave me last year.

Viburnum flowers. Only the second time this bush has flowered in 15 years.

The hum of the machine........
is so soothing and relaxing. I needed some unwind time last night so I worked on the last 2 pieced borders. I wanted them to be a little lighter because it was beginning to look too dark to me.
I auditioned a dark purple print for the final border. I had to lighten the picture for the print to show up. The colors above are more true.

A couple weeks ago Wendy asked if anyone had a certain piece of fabric that they would part with, one that was about 7 years old. She said she would trade some fabric for it. I had a piece of it and even though I loved the print I figured I was never going to use it. I told her I would like selvages in trade for it. Here is what she sent me. She had a lot of fabrics that I didn't so they really add to my collection. PLUS she let me keep the selvage off the piece I sent to her!

Pink columbine in late afternoon.

My only cousin on my mother's side of the family took a vacation day and drove up from the Springfield, IL area to visit my dad today. He was so happy he had visited my parents in April when he came through this area the last time.

Thank you......
from the bottom of my heart for all of the prayers, good wishes and virtual hugs you have sent to me and my extended family. Dad seems to be doing OK so far and we are hopeful he can continue to live in the independent living building. It was my mother's wishes that there wouldn't be any funeral service, just cremation, but my daughter's family is coming from NC and my brother and wife are coming from TX this weekend so we will have a good family gathering.
The lily of the valley plants are working overtime in the back yard so I picked some of the blooms and have been enjoying the heavenly scent.

Burnell, my mother, 1918-2009
My mother passed away this evening, May 17th. This is her wedding picture 72 years ago. She was 18 years old and moved from the big city to become a farmer's wife.
I will be absent from my blog for a couple days. We haven't figured out whether Dad can live alone so we have some planning to do.

Border option, binding done, nature walk.......
Here is the fan corner that I was talking about trying yesterday. I think it is distracting and won't use it. I'll just lengthen the two strip sets by adding more strips and sew them on the top and bottom.
I finished the binding on this little piece last night.

I like to use a binding fabric that looks good with both the top and back of the quilt.

The binding looks good with the top in the daylight and in a photo but it looked a little dark with the artificial light at night. I couldn't decide whether to sew on a hanging sleeve at first but then went ahead and put one on. This little quilt is only 25" x 36" so it is more likely to hang on a wall than to be used as a quilt.

The pink weigela bush is full of blossoms again this year. They are just starting to open.

I have a baby shower to go to today. This will be the first great-grandchild for my SIL and BIL on my husband's side of the family. I guess this will make me a great-great aunt.

Back to the borders........
The class went well yesterday. I did a lot of cutting and pressing for the students so they could keep sewing. We meet again next week. Last night I added more strips to the strip piecing I started a couple nights ago. It was 22" wide so I sliced it into 4 pieces a little over 4" wide. I cut one near the center and added some new pieces so it wouldn't look just like the one on the other side. I have these 2 sewn on. It is about 33" wide now.
I took the other 2 pieces and put them up on the wall trying to decide whether to do this border like I had done all of the rest or.........

should I center them and add a square of fabric in the corners. I think maybe squares in the corners might detract from the center. I thought about making the corners in wedges radiating out from the inside corner (like a fan).

The chiropractor took X-rays and didn't see any new stress/compression fractures on my mother's spine. She is in a lot of pain and even had their lunch delivered to their apt. instead of walking down to the dining room at noon. We will be going 3 times a week for several weeks for the some extra treatment that helped her last time she was in such pain.

We got more rain (all day) yesterday so the perennials that we planted at my granddaughter's should be happy. Now we need a day to dry out.

No borders yesterday........
The day started out with running errands for my parents. Then I finished the quilting on this little quilt that you have seen before. I took the picture with the late afternoon light coming in the west window.
Here is the back. Then I went out and dug up some excess plants. My granddaughter picked me up at noon and we got Subway sandwiches and went to her duplex and planted the perennials.

I have a class today so I had to do some cutting for a kit for one of the ladies and sew some strips so I can demonstrate how they will be cut to make the blocks.

Here is a picture (scroll down past the Christmas things) of the quilt they will be making. It is a 2 part class so they have time to do some sewing between classes.

Then I will have an hour break before I take my mother back to the chiropractor. We were there Wed. and he thinks she may have another compression fracture, which means 3 times a week for a couple weeks.

Partial Border......
Each border is taking more time, and this one especially because I had to start piecing it from scratch. I had been using previously pieced sections for other pieced borders. I decided this one needs some wider chunks in it. We had a tornado watch last night with lots of wind so I had the sewing machine unplugged for safety for most of the evening. We got another inch of rain.
I started quiting one of my many small unfinished quilts yesterday afternoon but don't have enough progress to show anything yet.

Red border.........
A red border worked well. I chose a red with pink splotches in it that is a little darker than the first pinky-red border that I added. The next border has to be a wider piano key type and I haven't decided whether to piece new strips sets or cut up ones I have already made. I was thinking maybe I need wider chunks for the next one.
I checked on the funny Jack in the Pulpit stalk from 2 days ago and it is opening up. We are supposed to get a lot of rain today, some in the morning and more at night so I don't know if the flower will open or stay closed and protected.

This is another hardy geranium in the garden outside my back window. You can see a lily to the left and 2 hostas in there too. There is the tip of one leaf of a new hydrangea bush at the center right. I took a piece off the bush in front 2 years ago and transplanted it and it is finally beginning to grow bigger this year. Patience, that is all it takes.

Piles of strips and more borders.........
This is the pile of the clean up cuts from cutting all of the batik fabrics in the past week. It gave me a good variety to work with for my "challenge quilt" borders.
Here is a shot of my happy wall before I cleared it off to put the new piece up.

I had a lot of strips sets already sewn, check out this post, so I just sliced some of them and made the next border. But wait, I was only going to add one border a day. It was so much fun I added 3 borders last night. It measures about 20" x 21" right now. I could probably have fooled you and told you it was king size because cropped pictures are deceiving.

Then I decided to audition for the next border. I think it will be a red, but maybe a little darker than this one. I forgot to go out and check on the funny looking Jack in the Pulpit when I got home yesterday. After I teach a private computer lesson this morning, I'll go out and take some more pictures.

Challenged--and a walk through the garden....
I have been challenged to make the larger of the 2 pieces I showed yesterday into a quilt!! Now I don't think I'll make it as big as I was challenged to make it but I decided I'll add a border every day until I am sick of it. Last night I got the purple border sewn on. Today will be the pieced border.
I walked through the back garden and took some pictures. It is so pretty this time of year when it is all filling in. This is one little section with 3 different hostas. (and a few little maple trees that I need to pull out).

This is just behind the path at the top of the last picture. There are 5 different hostas in this one. Do you see the little tiny one in the front? It stays small too. Also in this bed are red penstemon and a couple coneflowers.

My son says this version of the Jack in the Pulpit is out at the forest preserve between our town and the next town west of us. I couldn't resist a close up picture even though I already showed it a few days ago.

This is the third group of Jacks that I have found back there. I wonder if this one is deformed or just not opened up yet.

On Mondays I do grocery shopping for my parents and go to any other stores that they need supplies from. Our sewing circle, Tabitha circle, at church meets today too. I don't know what our project is so I take my serger and a sewing machine, cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter and a pair of sharp scissors so I am prepared. I wasn't able to go last time because of my mother's Dr. appt. but I know they packed a lot of the preemie layettes for delivery to the hospital.

Happy Mother's Day.....
to all women who nurture others. I think we all have the mothering instinct from the time we first held a doll or a kitten or a little brother. Let's celebrate!


I played last night with the little bits that were too small for anything except the centers of the little paper pieced squares. Since I won't be needing this many centers it was time to play. I might make the one on the left into a journal quilt and the one on the right might end up on a quilted journal cover.
My brother came over yesterday afternoon and cut down the remaining trunk of the tree that leaned against my house last Dec. He cut a couple other big limbs down that were in danger of breaking off and falling. I should have a little more sun on my peonies now.

Still cutting, with a break to visit the garden.......
I am cutting the brown, rust, gold, beige group of batiks now. Most people requested no brown but 2 people wanted only this group. I had been wanting to cut this group for myself for a long time so that worked out well.
I picked up the second anti-fatigue mat today. It is 7/8" of cushion in the center part. It is a world of difference from standing on the bare floor.

I can't believe it, my neighbors have a peony blooming already. The funny part is that I don't remember them having a bush there before. My peonies are at least a couple weeks away from blooming.

Here are the 2 new perennials I got. Maybe I will get them planted today.

I have 2 groups of Jack in the Pulpit. This first one is limey green and is back in the wild part of the garden.

And then there is this one that is near a bird feeder and the flowers have stripes. My back yard neighbors have the Jack in the Pulpit that they believe was planted when their house was new. My house is 56 years old and theirs is a lot older. That is where I think these plants came from (by birds) but I don't know why I have 2 different looking plants. Does anyone know anything about them?

We missed out on the rain yesterday (whew!) and we had a warmer than average day, short sleeve weather. It is going to be a cooler weekend so that will be a good time to work hard in the yard and garden.