Hot Chocolate!

Hot Chocolate! Yum!! To warm me up. I just came inside from making an attempt at shoveling the snow out of my driveway. It is not the nice fluffy stuff, nor is it the kind of snow you can make a snowman with. It just crumbles or is a heavy icy chunk! We had 5 3/4" of snow and then sleet and I think it is going to freeze into a solid ice block. I like snow but not this kind! Snow is rare here in North Carolina.

Here is a picture of my home. As you can see the sky is still thick with dark clouds. I took this picture about 2:30 in the afternoon. Our street has not been plowed. North Carolina rarely has snow. They do try to plow the main roads but the back streets may never get plowed. The Southerners philosophy is "It will be all gone by tomorrow, so why bother". I personally don't think this will be gone by tomorrow this time. It is supposed to get down into the teens tonight. And if any melting takes place it will refreeze at night.
So I have come in from shoveling and taking a walk. Had some hot chocolate and I'm now ready to get back to work.
This is "Roxanne's glue baste it". It has been very helpful with this large applique piece I am working on. It doesn't take much to just hold this hockey guy in place so I can sew it down. I've used it before. It just dissolves away once you wash the quilt.
Here is my hockey man! As you can see I am about half way with the final applique piece. Carrie over at "A Passion for Applique" has some great tutorials on applique! I found the one she calls "Freezer Paper Points" to be extremely helpful especially with my hockey guy. It showed how she uses magic sizing to hold and press the edges into the perfect shape before sewing it down. Carrie has links to her tutorials on her right side bar. :o)

My husband just went outside. He says the roads are now a sheet of ICE. I think I will just keep on working on my Hockey guy for the rest of the evening.

An Unscheduled Blog Break

I have been taking an unscheduled break from blogging. I haven't had much time for sewing, blogging or even "Me" time. Between Holiday preparations, obligatory traveling to visit relatives and friends, having children home on holiday school break and catching up on Doctor appointments and now half days of school and sharing my computer. Phew! I have had no time or even opportunity to blog. My apologies to all whom I have not gotten back to yet. I am also trying to catch up on my e-mails. But, most importantly, I have enjoyed every minute of being with all my friends and family!! :o)

Thank-you to my "well wishers"!! and those who sent Christmas blessings! I am hoping all of you also had a wonderful holiday season and will have a great New Year!! Enough said.

OK. I started a new project back in September. It is a Hockey quilt for my husband. I thought I was going to be able to have it finished by Christmas. Hahahahah. No such luck. (Maybe I'll have it done by July for his birthday).

This pattern has been very challenging for me. As my High School "Junior" year daughter said to me; "Mom, this is your AP course in quilting!!!" I had to laugh!! Yes indeed this is most definitely my AP course in quilting. Tee hee. :0) This pattern seems to have a little of everything in it. Oh Boy! What have I gotten myself into!

I have had this pattern for about two years. I was searching for the right fabrics all this time. I didn't want this quilt to seem too immature. I wanted it to have a more masculine feel to it.

The instructions are not very clear. I have had to take apart and put back together more times then I care to remember. Measure once cut twice. Wrong color choice. Not matching up properly. Paper piecing, Applique.
I am doing this for my Husband! I can do this this. ;o)

This is the right leg of the hockey player. It took me over 3 hours just to do one leg! I still have another leg, the body, the head and the arms to do. That will probably be at least another 12 hours of work to do on this "Special " quilt for my Dear Hubby. Between cutting and sewing, and most definitely measuring twice! I do not want to do this part twice! This is the last major part of the quilt then I just need to add the border. (I am determined to measure that properly this time also!!!!)
As you can see I have started the Left leg here.
This is the full image of the "Hockey Player" that I am Appliqueing by hand each and every single little piece. I decided that if I had already put this much time and effort into this quilt, that I was not going to take a chance and use fusible material that may end up dissolving and no longer adhere in a couple of years!!
I have the quilt top all finished except for the borders and the applique part. It's getting there!!! :o)