Sunday Funday!

Today Kathy and I went hiking with two of our friends.  Jill and I headed up the Ridgeline Trail at South Mountain and Kathy and Jen did an easier hike since Kathy still isn't feeling great.  We all had fun and it really set the mood for a great day!  Jill has lost 65 pounds on WW and that is how we met (she is in a different day/meeting than us but during the holidays we hit her meeting and hit it off!  She also teaches at the college I work at though I had never met her there!).  

 So beautiful up on that Ridgeline.  My knee finally felt more like normal!  I also finished up the glamper pillow for Missy's party today.

 Here is Missy's actual camper--it is super cute and fun to check out!  After stopping in at the party, Kathy and I went and saw "The Imitation Game" which we really liked and didn't know the story of.

 Also wanted to share my Valentine's gift that I never showed off.  Kathy got me this Oragami Owl necklace...for charms there is a birthstone for each of my kids, an AZ sun and cactus, a sewing machine (of course!) a football, a rainbow, a cup of coffee and a ring.  Too fun, I love charms!

 I also did my two City Sampler blocks--No. 53 and No. 54 which I really like!

 I am still working on my Orange Crush for the quiltalong on Open Studio.  I cut parts for clue two tonight so I can get to sewing clue two this week or weekend!

W&G and Orange Crush Quiltalong & RSC

 Today Kathy and I skipped hiking (my knee is still not right and I had a migraine today to say nothing of the fact that she went to urgent care yesterday) but we went to Discovery Park and walked a mile on easier turf.  We then picked up our ceramics from As You Wish.  Here is my gnome all fired!  And Kathy's dog too!

 When we got home I whipped up my weekly Wild and Goosey block so I could do the Honk Honk on Quiltville's Open Studio.  I almost skipped it but Linda actually asked me where my check-in was so I was motivated to do it.  Really works to have a simple goal like one block a week!

 The Orange Crush Quiltalong officially kicks off on the 20th but I went ahead and got started anyway because I know I might need more time on some of it...Here is my first Orange Crush which I gave away...

 Here are all the four patches (plus a few extras) for step one!  I actually have 22 leftover clue two parts, so I am already on clue two--lol!

 I also decided I should finish up my RSC Sampler block....this one didn't work at all since I used the Quilt in a Day ruler to make the flying geese and didn't pay attention to the fact that I needed to make the color the bigger piece of fabric so that it would turn into the wings of the geese....sort of losses the star here.

 A little unsewing and another set of geese and I am much happier with this block called Marley!

 Pulled out the blue from January and I see I used blue instead of whites for the corners and such.
And Block Four--Bear Paw or Lady of the Lake:

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

Pre-Valentine's and Valentine's Day!

Thursday Kathy surprised me with a trip to "As You Wish" to pick something to paint!  I have always wanted to go do this, so it was really fun.  I picked the gnome and she picked the dog.  I had to redo her eyes about four times and in the process I wiped off her cheeks and forgot to readd them, but I cannot wait to see how she comes out!

 Today I finally got around to making Kathy a little mini quilt from Kathleen Tracy's book which I made into a pillow.  This has been on my list for the past three years!

 Kathy also got me roses and made some jello heart shot things for me.  I made her Mongolian Beef and Broccoli from my Skinny Taste cookbook, it was pretty good!

I also made the Tula Pink City Sampler blocks for this week.  Number 51 and 52.  You may recognize these little Celtic Solstice leftovers to make these.  Made it go quicker!

Linking up with Live a Colorful Life for the Choose Your Own Blockalong!

Linking up to Tickled Pink Saturday

 Here are my pink blocks so far!

 And a few mug rugs I made with pinks and a bit of red.

 And last year's pink Talkin' Turkey.  I need to make another one :)

Linking up to Soscrappy!

All Kind of Quilty Goodness!

 Ros worked her magic and quilted my NYE Mystery quilt for my Aunt Nancy!  See the Mickey Mouse quilting in there?

My aunt's birthday is in February so I cannot wait to get the binding on this quilt and get it in the mail!

I finished up the mug rug for Bonnie and I, will give it to her when I see her next week!  Cannot believe my bucket list wish of taking a Bonnie class is coming true in just a few days!

I decided to go ahead and put the Wild and Goosey blocks together (while watching QuiltCam--did you hear Bonnie shout out to me with her Packer fabric?) so that I could show it off to Bonnie!  I cannot tell you how many enjoyable hours of sewing have gone into this quilt (about one hour for each block, lol) and I know I have lots more to go, but it is a good start!
Since I will be off work Tues-Fri next week for the workshops (pinch me someone) I will be working tons this weekend.  I wanted to make up some of the missed hours, but I know I won't get in much sewing over the weekend.  I have to start packing too!
I hope there is plenty of sewing in your weekend, I will be reading my blogs between calls or while I am on hold, so that will have to sustain me!

Finishing up Blue--Moving on to Pink!

 The other night I made the last blue block 36 Patch in Blue.  I am SO excited we are switching colors and this month is pink!  Perfect for Valentine's Day and so I started off by making this little "Star of Sedona" and after seeing the Medallion quilt with the star in the star I decided to add in one of my tiny stars that I made when I thought about starting the Temecula Quilt Company's Christmas quilt....I gave it up early on, but I have two stars and some four patches to find a home for!

I am thinking this will become a mug rug for Valentine's Day.  It might be for me, or Kathy or maybe even Bonnie since I will be with her on Valentine's Day this year.  I have another one or two started, but now I am to the Rainbow Scrappy BOM blocks over on Angela's blog!  I will most likely edit this post and add them here later on, but I am linking up now!

And Baby Nines!

I also organized all the pink strips for the pink bin!  :)

Valentine's Day :)

 Happy Valentine's Day!  Today I finished work early and Kathy and I went out for sushi.  Then we came home and did a little sewing and had a relaxing afternoon!  I sewed up this Betty's Choice block just for the heck of it.  It is Bonnie's most recent scrap block in Quiltmaker.  I am thinking I should make one of each block as the magazines arrive and just collect the blocks til I figure out something to do with them.  Then if I find one I LOVE I can keep on making it (like Jack in the Box).  Kathy always has great success with using black instead of lights so I tried it too...not sure it works for this block, but hey it is one block!

 I also did another QOV for Alycia.  Hoping some of the gals from PHXMQG will do a few too and we will mail them out Tuesday.

 I also sewed my purple pinwheels for the Rainbow BOM :)  I still have spools to go.

 We rehung the BOM's now that we have our purple blocks done too.  We haven't done red yet, since we are only two months in...I seriously can't wait to see this rainbow quilt shape up, it is going to be one of my all time favorites, I know already!

 For Valentine's Day I got Kathy a Red Sox shirt and lunch, and she got me this fabric (I was dying to get lots of greens for the emerald challenge coming up and the Denyse Schmidt's were on clearance as was the pattern..lol!  I picked it out and told her thanks!).  She also hunted me down an african violet.  These were my great gpa Rushman's favorite since his wife (Violet Valentine--so named for her birthday on Valentine's Day) was named Violet.  Just realized I love that name, maybe one of my grandaughter's will be named Violet, lol!  I can still remember all the flowers he grew--he also whittled.  I have an amazing peach pit in a basket shape that he whittled.  Hang on, let me take a picture of that too!

Here is the little basket.  It is one of my cherished possessions.  I think of my Grandma Char's (her dad whittled it) grandkids I am the only one that got one.  Pretty cool!  

I remember this set of great grandparents as two people who really loved each other.  They died a week apart when I was in my teens...they couldn't bear to be apart.  My beloved Grandma Char followed just a few years later.  I hope they are celebrating Gma Vi's birthday up there in heaven tonight!  Happy Valentine's Day All!