This quilt is gone to the dogs!

This started off as a wonderful idea...I tried to make a bit different, a bit unique. Well, it certainly is unique! I have tucks of at least 1/2 inch in every corner. It was a nicely done quilt top, and I thought I would try ONE LAST TIME to quilt on my domestic machine. It is pretty well ruined...so the dog gets this one! I still need to sew down the binding...at least that will be done well!! I am going to try again with this pattern, I loved making the stars.

Oh well...you can't win them all! But...this is my last attempt at machine quilting, at least on my little machine.



Have a wonderful weekend, and for you girls sewing in the Spring Sewing event...enjoy!!


Julie

A compromising situation! :)

Dear everyone!!! How are you? Guess what?? I have the center of the blue and yellow sampler pieced!!! I just need to do some hand work, applique to finish on 3 sections, then it all goes together. Then two borders...then piece the backing (I have the fabric, a gift, was to be thrown out by a co-worker-she gifted it to me). Then it will be off to the quilter! A silly piece of me wants to hand quilt it, then I came back to reality. NO way I can hand quilt a king-size quilt in the limited amount of sewing time I have available to me. All this fabric came from the stash. I estimate about 12 yards used, at least. I have only a few little pieces of yellow left. Yippee!!
Another view...
Jeanne of www.spiralj2.blogspot.com. made a wonderful Christmas quilt...I loved it at first sight. I have very few Christmas fabrics, so I made my blocks with just the reds and greens I had. I am making 30 of these blocks. Fun and simple compared to the huge quilt above!




A compromising Situation! ********************Nursing Notes*******************

Well, I had a pretty easy day last shift...shhh, don't tell my work. Even though it was busy, everyone was stable in our nursing unit, no one coding or crashing. I had a critical stable heart valve transplant, and a chest pain patient. Well, the chest pain patient was 47 years old. I heard in report that he had lots of ladies visit him...and was married.

Soooo, when I went in to assess him, he was polite, nice enough, very stable. Next time I went in at 08:30 to give him his meds, and his girlfriend was there. Keep in mind, he is married. He said his wife was coming at noon and under no circumstances was I to mention the girlfriend to the wife...all this said right in front of the girlfriend, who just listened and smiled when he said this. I gave him his meds...and left, really not my business. A few minutes later, I took him his breakfast and ice and water. I noticed his gown was off, just draped across his nether regions. OK...later about 10:00 I noticed his heart rate going up...quietly knocked on the door, went in and...well...there was a reason his heart rate was up...no clothes, girlfriend draped across him, and you get the idea...I quietly left.

About 30 minutes later, his heart rate was down to normal, and I noticed girlfriend quietly slipped out of the room.

About 12:00, his wife arrived. He was all smiles and kisses, said to her he missed her so much, couldn't wait to be home...with a very sharp look at me. I did not say a word...anyway, wife left about 6pm, and he immediately got on the cell phone.

About 6:30 PM, another very pretty lady came in to see him. Off went the gown down to his waist...and I witnessed a very passionate kiss occur. At this point, I called the doctor and asked if we could transfer the patient off the critical unit, because he passed his "stress test" for today!

Whewww!! If he did not have chest pain handling that many ladies...he was OK!! As the patient advocate, I could not say a word...but I really wanted to mention something to the wife. What do you think??


Anyway.....that was my compromising situation!!!


Have a most wonderful day!


Julie

Famous Last Words

The tree...that missed dear husband's car by mere feet. So thankful that the tree did not come through the house!
Another tree came down on our street, view up in the middle of the picture.
Neighbors coming together to help clean up the damaged tree.
Well, remember when I said that the last thing I had to worry about was dear husband getting home safe, then it was all fun, fun, fun? Hmmm, about 2 hours after that on last Thursday, the electricity went out. We got record snow fall here and took out power for > 275,000 homes, and ours was one of them. The snow was so heavy that it toppled trees and huge limbs. One of our trees came down as you can see. We had a lovely time cleaning it all up. Neighbors we had never gotten to meet before showed up and brought chain saws and manpower, so it was pretty quick to clean up. But, we had no power for 4 days. Brrrrr!!! We toughed it out, but it was not fun to stay in the house when it was only 35-40 degrees in the house. Dear husband...I must brag a little, he was the hero. He hooked up the generator to the house power and we had hot water and lights. No heat, but I can tell you, that hot water was just heavenly! Best Valentine I ever got!!
More on the blue and yellow...the Lone Star block was made with templates and set in squares. Not easy for me. The sunflower still has to be appliqued down to the background...it is pieced, curved piecing, not applique for the blue and yellow background. It was hard for me too. From here on in, it should be downhill. I loved working on these blocks today. I feel that I learned a lot, and improved my piecing skills tremendously. Especially learned not to stretch those bias edges on the Lone Star diamonds!





Have a wonderful day!

Gratitude's:


HOT Water!
Heat
Electricity
Dear Husband most of all.
A dear son who celebrated his birthday in Canada at the Olympics this weekend.





Julie

Snow bound

It is snowing hard here in Texas! Lovely, large floating flakes. So pretty! Of course, this spoken from a girl at home, already been to the store and to Weight Watchers, and I am in for the evening. I just have to worry until dear husband makes it home, then it is all fun!! Above is a signature block. When our darling son married his sweetheart last year, I had all the guests sign a signature quilt block. Some of them are quite hilarious in what they said! Anyway, I am trying to decide how to put them together for the happy couple. Please, any ideas are so welcome! You all are a fountain of knowledge, and I recognize and thank you for that!!
Here are all the signature square laid out. What do you think? I did kind of patriotic fabrics...
The blue and yellow monster progress. This is so much fun, but now is in the stage that it is work, effort to keep going and not let it become a UFO. You know the stage, where other projects call out to you and this is a big job, and, and, and!! I refuse to yield to that, I love this quilt so much, and I am determined to GETERDUN!!



************************Health*************************************

Guess what? My hospital is offering Weight Watchers free to it's employees. Guess the hospital thought they had a bunch of big heifers running around...anyway, I am going...and it is a great thing! Just when should I lose the weight if not now? When I am 90 years old and can't eat? When I already have diabetes? or heart disease? NO...this is my time...my time is NOW!!

So...drum roll please...I lost 3 pounds my first week. So good show, and I am so excited to reach my goal. Now, I am not huge...but not skinny as I used to be either, so I am going to gain health as I lose weight.

********************************************************************************


Thanks for listening...Have a most wonderful day!


Julie

Another day off..and a gift!

Sorry for the dark picture...but can you see these wonderful socks? They are hand-knitted...lovely,gorgeous...and made for me by Kaaren at The PaintedQuilt. I love them so much...thank you so much, Kaaren! Please see her blog, she has a first Friday freebie pattern each month that are wonderful.
I put the binding on the cheddar cheese and crackers quilt...I have really enjoyed hand quilting this one.
And here is the state of the big blue sampler! Many pieces yet to go...probably about 60% done. Lots of progress, though.


***********************Nurse's notes**************************

Some of you will remember Carrie, the little patient I mentioned last fall. Guess what? After 6 months in the hospital....she went HOME!!! Miracles do happen, and she is definitely one.




**************************************************************


Have a super day!


Julie

Cheddar Cheese and Crackers: the state of the union.

Here is where I am at on the Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilt that Lori taught us how to make. It is layered, and the hand quilting is in progress. Thank you Lori for such a fun project!!!


Have a super day,

Julie

Sampler Obsession

OK, now I am more than a third done...edging toward 1/2 done! I love math (I know, twisted...), and I love to think about this in mathematical terms. 33% done, 1/3 done, .33 done. Anyway, making progress! I am so enjoying this and every day off I have, I sew a little on it. A lot of cutting has been done ahead of time...so maybe I am 1/2, .50, or 50% done!!
The edge of this blue and yellow flag was supposed to have appliqued flowers...but I changed it to hearts. Just have to be different, I guess! So, there will be eleven hearts incorporated into this quilt...thus the quilt name "Queen of Hearts". I am sure it will change, but that is what breezed through the silly brain today!
I love this applique block, it was my insomnia applique of last night. Love applique, when it is all prepped and ready to go! My pictures are a bit blurry, please forgive that.
I have been cutting through some of the stash, in preparation to use these blocks up in the 4-patch quilt blocks I showed last post. I am really looking forward to this! Should be some fun piecing.
Also, I am hand-quilting Lori's doll quilt. I wanted it to be hand quilted, as a pioneer mother would do in her spare moments for quilting. I love it! Don't you want to make one? Go see Lori at www.humblequilts.blogspot.com. Hers quilts are anything but humble!




My days and weeks are like this...I work for several days, then am off for one or two. So, I get about 4-6 hours of piecing in a week, usually. Closer to the 4 hour mark, I think. I have to catch up on housework, laundry, and errands just like all of you when I am off. I think I need a personal assistant to do all that for me...and one more assistant to go to work for me too. What do you think?? Don't you want that too? :)



One more important thing, that I was going to talk about first!! Lyn at Bluebird quilts is making a lovely quilt for her friend in need. She is asking for nine-patches...sounds like fun! I am sending her a few, maybe you would like to do this too.

Have a wonderful week!!



Julie