Only One Dresden...and my Bucket List

Only one lonely dresden made yesterday - but that's still progress! I love these blocks and I'm so glad I'm getting this off my quilt bucket list. Do you have a quilting bucket list? A list of quilts you want to make 'some day'?

If you don't have one - make one now! Simply start writing down (or list on your computer) quilts that speak to you. Patterns, ideas, colors! Add pictures if you like. Then try to tackle them one at a time. Even if you only make one a year - you're making forward progress. 

The more I stare at these dresden plates, the more I realize that this is the PERFECT quilt to quilt as I go, block by block. I can use my machine quilting rulers and make some cool designs. I had planned to machine quilt En Provence like this - but Bonnie threw me a curve - the blocks are BIG and it has wide sashing. I think now that I'll sew the entire top together and do a simple meander stitch. 

I'll be home all day - LOTS of sewing time ahead! Yay! And it's En Provence day - maybe I'll get two or three blocks sewn together!

Hubby was gone last night and I couldn't watch our regular Netflix shows without him. So I found a movie on Netflix - The Finest Hours. It was really good - an ocean rescue story set in the 1950's. Guys would like it, too - it's not a chick flick. 

Okay, I need to take Cooper for a walk. And then let's start sewing! 

Clean Up!

Why is there a nine patch in the picture? Wasn't yesterday supposed to be machine quilting day?

I did spend time with Bliss. And after much fabric pulling and study, I decided it doesn't need another border. It spoke to me! Done. So then I needed a backing fabric. That part was easy - done!

So I moved on to sewing nine patches for my UFO project. Bonus sewing!

And then I spent 10 minutes on this mess. My horizontal surfaces were covered - not good!

Much better! There is still a small pile on the edge of my desk that needs clearing, but maybe I'll get to that today.

Hubby left home way before dawn this morning, headed to Birmingham. His mother is having surgery there today. Last I heard it was taking him an hour longer than expected to get there - Birmingham traffic is awful. Hopefully all will go well and he'll be back home soon.

As for me, I have lots of plans for my day. Of course, it's Dresden Plate day! And I think I'll go for a swim. And I need to run a quick errand or two. Cooper will need a nice long walk later. And I need to think about making bread. Wonder if I can fit all that in today?

Have a great day, y'all!

Hexies! And More On My Alabama Chanin Project...

I played with the star points yesterday. I could arrange this way - number 1.

Or I could do it this way - number 2.

I decided on number 1 - it reminds me of Pac Man. Ha! Let's put a bit of Pac Man in this quilt!

And now... this is for you, Robbie!!!

Robbie asked for more details on my reverse appliqué. So here's a little explanation. You all know I've sponge painted (in white paint) a stencil pattern onto pale gray fabric.  I have a layer of white fabric under the gray fabric. Two layers of fabric.

I hand stitch around each painted shape, right at the edge of the paint. I leave the knot and tail on top. I'm using a heavy button thread - look for it in the thread department. Hand quilting thread would also work though - think heavy and sturdy.

Then, once the shape has been completely stitched, I cut out the center of ONLY THE TOP FABRIC, leaving the bottom layer of white fabric showing through.

And here you have the finished shape. Remember this is cotton KNIT fabric, so it doesn't fray. I can leave the edges raw with no problem. And I don't have to turn under those edges - yippee! I hope this helps to explain what I'm doing! :)

I didn't work on this much over the weekend, but I did finally clear the project from the dining room table.

Look where I found Cooper yesterday afternoon...sound asleep on the screened porch. 

Are you ready for the week??? I am! Today is machine quilting day - and that means I need to decide whether I'm adding more borders to Bliss. And work on the backing. Maybe next week I'll be ready to baste. I hope so!

Have a great day!

Lots of Strips!

I've had the fabric for my UFO nine patches piled up in my sewing room. And I don't have room to have piles! So yesterday I decided to cut all the strips for the nine patches. Done. Then I could put all that fabric away and organize the strips in a little bin. So now I feel organized and ready to sew again!

AND I finally put a new blade in my rotary cutter! Do you put off changing yours? I don't know why I waited so long - go change your blade NOW!

We did have a nice outing to the antique mall. Yes, there is a golf booth! Can you see the top of Hubby's head in there? He actually found a used club he's been wanting. He tried it out in the afternoon and loves it (and it was less than $10).

I've been on the hunt for some round things - 3 of them - to set on top of those green cylinder bins I bought a few weeks ago. I needed something sturdy to act a lid to put things on. I found these cheese boxes. And I thought their lids would work. So we bought three boxes - they were only $7.20 each.

They are a PERFECT fit! Yay! I plan to sand them and maybe seal them with wax. So excited about these! So now I have the boxes themselves left over - I only wanted the lids. Not sure what I'll do with them... They would be cute mounted on a wall to store yarn...we'll see.

I sponge painted the LAST piece of fabric for my Alabama Chanin top - yay! So today I can finally clean off the dining room table. I plan on a quiet day - hope to stitch some hexies. And maybe a hike later? And a visit with a friend for a bit. Love a lazy Sunday!

But first a cup of coffee. I've gotten back on coffee lately, though a few mornings a week I still have my tea instead. I think we'll skip swimming today. On weekends there are more likely to be families staying at the hotel and using the pool.

Rodan and Fields 
I received my products Friday! Officially started my own facial regimen last night. (And I started Hubby on a regimen, also - these products are for men, too!) So first we took 'before' photos. I look like a mass murderer in mine! Haha! In one month I'll post the before and after photos and we'll see how we're improving. I'm picking up some samples later today for those who asked for them. And I'll have more samples coming in soon.

Go forth and hexie!

Yes, I Basted!

Okay, so yesterday I stuck to the schedule. I basted hexies!!! Still more to go, but I'm getting there.

I have now sponge painted 3 out of the 4 top pieces! (I'll paint the last one today.) But I just couldn't wait any longer...

Last night I started the hand stitching. Yes, I'm leaving the tails and knots on the outside. And after stitching each shape I trim out the center so the white fabric underneath shows. 

I do hope this top fits me when all this is complete - it looks so small! If I can't wear it, then maybe one of my daughters can. 

Look what came in my e-mail yesterday!!! Lorraine has finished her Bliss - isn't it fabulous?!!! Lorraine, thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!

There is a haze of smoke hanging over our neighborhood this morning - someone is burning something off somewhere outside the area and it is bothersome. We watched the 'fog' episode of The Crown last night and it is eerily similar. Hope it dissipates soon...

I swam again yesterday afternoon - that's 3 days in row. I'm getting back in the swing of swimming regularly after the holidays. 68 laps yesterday! And I met two nice women to boot!

I'm not sure what I'll do today. I wouldn't mind going to a local antique mall if I can get Hubby to join me. And I may work on those nine patches for my UFO project that I DIDN'T get done Thursday.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

No Sewing...

On most days I machine sew for about 2 hours each morning. Yesterday was the day for my Basket/Winding Ways UFO. It didn't happen. I needed to run some errands - grocery, Hobby Lobby, Target. I usually run errands on Fridays - my hexie day - and I don't miss a beat. But by the time I got home it was time for lunch. Then there might have been a nap. And then....I decided to go swim (64 laps). Who is this person!?

As soon as I got back home, Hubby came in the door from golf and we took Cooper hiking. And when we returned it was time for supper. Boom - day gone!

Before I ate my dinner, I mixed some acrylic paint and fabric medium (purchased at Hobby Lobby earlier in the day) and sponged the mixture on my top piece. Voila! Much better results! And SO much faster! Today I'll sponge paint another top piece - 3 more to go.

And last night I cut out the next Farmer's Daughter block - lots of orange in this one.

Though I'm not letting myself buy new clothes YET, I knew I needed new bathing suits. I was swimming in mine - how's that for a pun! Haha! I love Target swim suits - I went in the store yesterday to buy something else and noticed the bathing suits had come in! Yay! I came home with two new suits - in size MEDIUM! What? Me, in a MEDIUM? What the hexie! My previous suits were XL. And that is one reason I HAD to swim yesterday afternoon - had to wear a new suit!

Rodan and Fields
So many nice comments from you guys yesterday! Y'all are so sweet and supportive! As soon as I get them, I'll send out free samples to those of you who asked for them. Any more takers? I want to be sure I order enough! And I also heard from some of you who already use the products and love them! One person said she's used them for 4 years and her husband calls them the 'Fountain of Youth!'

Okay, guys. It's HEXIE DAY!!! Yippee! Let's get this party started!

Another En Provence Block and a New Venture!

I stitched up another En Provence block yesterday - one third of the way there with the blocks - then onto the sashing!

I'm still trudging away with tracing the stencil on my top. I lifted up one side to give you a peak. Ugh! It looks okay, but this process is just not good. I'm thinking I might get some white acrylic paint and some fabric medium to mix together and sponge on - it would go so much faster! I'm just ready to stitch already! I may run out to Hobby Lobby later today...

This happened last night - I finished another Farmer's Daughter block. These tiny little stitches make me smile!

And here it is! Remember, this block is made from my En Provence scraps - love it!

And my news...

OMG! I can’t believe I’m saying this or that I did this! But I’m glad I did!

What did I do?

I became a Rodan and Fields Consultant! R and F is a phenomenal skin care company. I had been thinking about using their products. Then I received some samples and tried them. My skin and I LOVED them! Where had this soft, glowing skin been all my life?!

Now that I’m on the backside of my fifties, I’ve decided it’s FINALLY time to put ME first. Yes, I’ve been losing weight and have never felt better. But my skin was looking dull and sallow and a bit saggy. And yes, wrinkles are creeping in. I’m not much of a makeup person anymore – a touch of eyebrow pencil and some lipstick are my basics. As women age I think they look better with less makeup. But it sure helps to have glowing skin! Don’t you agree?

I’m so impressed with the Rodan and Fields products – they do a PHENOMENAL job of evening out skin tone and getting rid of blotches and redness and wrinkles. I don't mean to sound vain, but we all want to look our best, right?

So I was convinced to use the products – no brainer here! BUT…I realized I could get a big savings on them if I became a Consultant. Now, being a former Engineer, you know I’m the kind of person who analyzes and researches EVERYTHING to the nth degree. And that’s what I did! I studied the company and how it works. I learned that they have a money back, empty bottle guarantee on everything they sell. I learned there was absolutely no risk of losing anything.

I learned that there is not a big investment required – only $45 is needed to become a consultant.

I learned that I do not have to do any selling out of my home  - no shipping – no packaging! This was important to me! I live in a small home and don’t have room for inventory, nor do I want to stay busy selling and shipping. It’s all done via the Internet – if someone wants to buy a product through me, they simply go to my website (juliacwood.myrandf.com). They buy and it ships directly to them – YES!

I learned that two women dermatologists are at the head of the company – they developed the products. I love a company driven by women!

I learned that the company expanded to Canada recently and the business has EXPLODED there. I learned that R and F is now about to start up in Australia – the same EXPLOSION is expected there. Because the Australia launch is coming in the next couple of months – now is the time to jump on board if you live there! WOW! You could be on the ground level of something HUGE! And if you’re in Australia – there is NO COST to become a consultant! That’s a big deal!

I’m not in this to make money (I just want the discounts!), though if I do it will be my ‘Mad Money’ – for quilting supplies, of course! But MANY women DO make a lot of money in this business. One of my daughter’s software engineering friends has quit her job and DOUBLED her previous salary as an R and F Consultant – all while staying home with her three children. Oh, and she drives a Lexus she’s earned as an Rodan and Fields reward. 

And so that’s my news! I’m absolutely thrilled that my skin is becoming so lovely and I get a big discount on the products. If you’re interested in trying the products, email me with your address (juliacwood@mac.com) or send me a Facebook message – I’ll send you some samples as soon as I get them. Or let me know if you have questions.

Though most blogs are filled with advertisements - I've NEVER done that. My blog is my gift to all of you who read it and I don't want or expect compensation. And I promise I won't turn it into a skin care blog. BUT, I will share when there is a special or something interesting going on at Rodan and Fields. I'll always put it at the bottom of the post so you can skip it if you're not interested.

So here's to great skin! Have a quilty day!