Pinky again

Remember months ago when I made this very pink quilt? Well, I finally got it quilted.

latest quilting

I can't get the photos to show me which I am choosing on this computer and my old reader won't work so I can only pick a couple, sight unseen to show you. These are a couple of my latest quilting efforts. The one with the white border was hand done and the black and white was done with the aid of my computer. They both look much better in real life.

Award winning quilt photo

Here I am with my winning quilt, and the ribbon. Unfortunately you can't see much of the quilting that won me the award. Anyway, I am so thrilled I can't stand it.

Getting better

I won the BEST ROOKIE award at HMQS!!! That is a really big deal quilt show and I am thrilled to death! I won with the cream and blue baby quilt with feathers, and I will try to take a photo of it tomorrow hanging with it's ribbon. Hurray!
By the way, I am taking a number of quilting classes that are all making me a better quilter. Love that Long Arm Quilting Machine.

Holey Moley

I was digging holes for the fence poles when I came upon a rock I couldn't move.
Sweet C worked on it when he came home. He was very determined.
The hole got bigger and bigger until he finally found the edges. It's hard to imagine with the photo's alone- but the thing is at least two and a half feet long and a good foot and a quarter tall.
However, we finally got the posts in, the cement poured and the fence up. Now we must wait for the gates to be custom crafted. Oh, and by the way the deck is done, but I hadn't taken a photo yet. Notice the weather this morning. We had a day new 70 degrees, and then the snow came back. Today we have had sun, then snow, sun, then snow. Pretty funny spring.

Coming along

My husband can do anything!!! (OK, maybe some of our boys can do more with computers - but he can do tons that they can't. So there! )
Yesterday, with a little help from me - I am the carpenters helper - he built the lower deck, sheathed the lower deck, built and sheathed the stairs down, and we picked up more materials to sheath the upper landing and stairs.
The day before I had picked up deck rail and fencing materials, so my next project will be digging two foot deep holes in this rocky dirt. Three foot deep where the gates attach! Wish me luck. Better yet, come help me dig. Sweet C, in the meantime, will figure out how it all goes together (he's the tinker toy guy) and be cutting and putting it together. We really are trying to get it all done before we leave for Canada (to help our daughter finish her basement - AND see the grand-babies!!!!)
It is becoming quite exciting. Even the neighbors stop to see how it's coming along. Why is it that we so love seeing things being built? I am just as interested in what I see others building. Progress is fun.

quilts and decks

Ok, so, again with the picture problem. Heather is helping me to fix it, but I haven't yet bought the lights I need. This is a poor shot of the last freehand quilting I did. I really like it, but don't know if anyone else will. It was a good exercise though.
I hope to get our stuff up on the website soon, but I want good pictures so people can tell what they are buying.

I also wanted to show you what we have been working on lately. We rented an auger and dug huge holes in the hillside. (Lots of BIG rocks) Then I moved MANY wheelbarrow loads of dirt and rocks out, flattened as best I could and John framed today. We are building a deck!!! Then we will put in a fence from the deck to the side fence in an attempt to keep out the neighbors cats and the people who seem to wander at will through my backyard. (I find tracks every time it snows. Sheesh!)

Roses and feathers

For this quilt, which is for charity, I wanted to try my hand at quilting completely freehand. Remember that I have a Statler Stitcher with hundreds of beautiful patterns created by top designers. However, I still find people who want the freehand look.
I need practice, so I tried to match my pattern to the fabric, which is roses. I got pretty good balance I believe, but my next is better. I will post it later.

A little extra

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I have been practicing my quilting and am getting better. For this quilt, the woman wanted to keep it as low priced as possible, hence the simple meander on the body of the quilt. I wanted to add some sports stuff since her son - whom the quilt is for, is into all kinds of ball. You can't see much, but I added some of all the sports I had at the time. She liked it which was very important.