Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Little Catch Up

Have not been doing much of this..
 my Pennies from Heaven blocks for March and April,

because I have been doing a lot of this...
vacationing!
My mother arranged for a family reunion aboard a cruise ship in the Carribean.  I am not much of a cruise person, but it was the perfect venue for reconnecting with my siblings and our children. My sister arranged for the zip lining trip on St. Maarten.  If you are ever in port, check out the Loterie Farms on the French side.  The young people had a blast and so did us old folks.  I still cannot believe I actually completed the 2 hour obstacle/zip line course in the pouring down rain.  Note we do not have helmets on!  This would not have happened in the USA...too dangerous!  And our lunch sitting out on the veranda under the canopy of trees was delicious, especially the Pina Coladas.

After my return, my sewing machine has been fairly dormant.
 I bound my Saltbox Sampler quilt and I am currently teaching it to a handful of ladies at TOWQS.
I just about have my granddaughter's picnic quilt pieced, but it is slow going.
I really do not like how it came out.
The layer cake looked so bright and cheery, but when pieced, it is flat and uninteresting.
I am hoping a good quilting and washing will give it a comfy look and feel.

There will not be much more coming out of my sewing room for awhile again.
Off to Lake Tahoe for a dear family friend's wedding here in a few days and then heading north for cooler climates.  I know there are parts of the country still suffering from the never ending winter, but we marked our first day of 3 digit temperatures yesterday. (The same day our A/C units decided to go on the blitz!)
My goal for the summer is to finish up some of those UFO's on my list and perhaps work on a new applique quilt.  I fell in love with Pat Wys 'Snowbound', so it may be my Christmas in July project.
Until then...
happy piecing!

13 comments:

  1. Both of those blocks are beautiful!
    Your family reunion Cruise sounds like it was a lot of fun! It's so important to stop now and again and focus on your family. These are the times you will later cherish!
    Safe travels to you!
    Enjoy yourself and that cooler weather!

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  2. That looks like so much fun!!
    Love your blocks!!

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  3. Your blocks are wonderful and I think the quilt looks wonderful in that fabric. What a wonderful trip to spend time with your family. Have fun in Tahoe with the cooler weather , you will be not to far from me :-)

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  4. We have been to Loterie Farms and had a wonderful time :-) Hiking is what we did and eating too! I think your quilt looks great! Maybe if you add a colorful binding you won't feel like it looks flat? Once you get it quilted it might appeal to you more too. It looks nice to me, but I know what you mean about liking the fabrics in the beginning, then having the quilt not live up to your expectations. Been there.

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  5. Glad you are getting a little stitching done between trips. I expect the picnic quilt will really come alive with some quilting - I thinks it's all the white space. Love the pattern.

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  6. Love your blocks, Cheryl.

    What a fabulous trip.

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  7. Still loving the colours of your Pennies from Heaven blocks.
    What a wonderful opportunity to have such a big reunion in an exotic location.
    Don't be disheartened with the picnic quilt, it looks perfect for a picnic.

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  8. Oh gosh! Love those PFH blocks! Looking so good! Mine are still sitting waiting for me to stitch them...market stuff will be done soon, then I can work on another block to make me feel good! I like your Grandaughter's quilt...looks sweet! She'll love it I'm sure...enjoy your trips!

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  9. Nice time of year for a cruise. We have gone on three but it has been a long time ago and we don't have much desire to go again but you never know.

    I like the Pennies blocks very much. And I so enjoy seeing your header quilt each time I visit your blog.

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  10. Looks like the family is having a blast. Love the blocks.

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  11. I think that your picnic quilt it fun and am positive that any quilt doesn't actually have it's "soul" until it's quilted so when it's all finished i'm betting that you will feel much better about this one.
    i can imagine a dolly with tea set and a fun time spent with grandma on this cute quilt . . .

    the cruise and family activities sounds like it was good for all. i'm glad that you got to do that.

    i'm still loving your wool applique. every time i see your work with wool i want to do some too~!

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  12. Your wool applique blocks are wonderful. I've been wanting to try something with wool and these have really inspired me.

    I just spent some time perusing your blog and seeing your great work. I too am a big Kim Diehl fan.

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