Meet and Greet -- Warehouse District Shopping

After 10 days of testosterone in my house (3 grandsons and Mister) I am ready for some girl time.  Stephannie has set up a brunch and shopping trip to the warehouse district and I am so ready for it.  LeeAnn and Candy pick me up (I have such nice friends) and we are the first to arrive at The Original Pancake House on Northwest Highway.  The manager is ready for us and takes us right back to our table.

As ladies keep arriving, our tables grows and grows.  Soon, there are 20 of us and it is so very nice to see old friends and make new ones.  Our table is treated to three of the restaurants famous Apple Pancakes complimentary and they are absolutely delicious.  We keep trying to get a group picture and are soon rescued by the staff for this as well.  Yay!  Look at all these wonderful smiling faces.

Easy Street - Clue #6 - Bonnie Hunter - Mystery Quilt

This weeks clue is a VERY easy one and it could not have come at a better time for me.  With three grandsons in the house, finding the time to do even a simple step is a bit daunting.  However, during quiet time today, I do manage to find an hour to sew.  It's amazing, I know.

 Fortunately, all my bricks are precut, leaving me the simple task of sewing a huge stack of them together.  Chain stitching here I come.

About 45 minute later, I have a very long chain that is ready for the iron AND I have a new ironing board cover for the over the door board in the office.  The other one was  . . . . well, awful.

Orange Crush - Clue #6 - Bonnie Hunter - Mystery Quilt - THE BIG REVEAL

Ah yes --- the big reveal.  Well that is a wee bit funny since one could peek ahead and just about everyone did.  I tried really hard not to and simply moved ahead a couple of times during the clues.  Now we are on the last week.  Whew.  It's time to get to work again.  I have about 45 leftover shaded four-patch blocks (yep, got carried away and it turns out that for a change it is a good thing) and am going to use them in the border.  That means I need about 55 more or so.  They are cut and ready to go.  While I am working on these border pieces and other border strips, I want to get the label made as leaders and enders.  I have a starting plan using some leftover blocks and pieces from cutting the orange squares used in the album blocks.  Once I have the rest of the units put together, I make the border strips and lay everything out.

Easy Street - Clue #5 - Bonnie Hunter - Mystery Quilt

I am barely keeping my head above water on this clue and many others already have worked ahead and their tops are complete.  Oh well -- life gets in the way sometimes.  This week we are making tall flying geese.  Well, that's one name for this unit anyway.

We start by marking our smaller squares with a diagonal line and then sewing it to the larger squares just INSIDE the diagonal line.  It works beautifully and soon the first sides are attached.  They get pressed and the corners trimmed before I add the second corner.

After pressing, a quick trim leaves the second side ready as well.

I am getting quite the tray of happiness.  I'm so glad that this weeks clue was an easy one.  Golly, I cannot figure out where all the time is going right now.

This clue only takes about 2 hours including marking all the triangles as I go.  Perfect.  Love the colors here.  See ya next week.  This pattern is Easy Street by Bonnie Hunter and can be found in her book More Adventures With Leaders and Enders if you wish to sew along.  As always, you can find all my posts on Easy Street by clicking the tab at the top of the blog.

March Quilt Update

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I have moved the previous posts to the end of the entry.  I hope that you make it that far.

Goals:  Trip to DC this month

Round Robin (RR) blocks (14) - put into row, attach, and mail by April 28th - cut and ready to sew and another one cut as well
Grand Illusion (GI) Mystery Quilt blocks made, set. sandwiched, bound, labeled, quilted - no
Zyra Tea Set completed - ugh no
Weed Whacker blocks made, set, sandwiched, quilted, labeled, bound - blocks made, layout finished

Wanderlust - quilt, attach binding, label, bound, - no
BOM blocks (3) complete -  yes
Easy Street Clues 2, 3, 4, 5 - 2, 3, 4 yes
Orange Crush Clues 3, 4, 5,  - yes and almost set
2 Christmas Blocks made - 1 test finished, made changes -- then 3  Also finished selecting and graphing additional blocks.  
BD blocks complete - yes and partially set

1st -  March is supposed to come roaring in like lion -- right?  Not happening.  It's a dreary, drizzly day in Dallas but we must go forward with the plans for the day.  I wake and quickly head for the kitchen to make a birthday cake for Mister.  "What," you ask.  "Wasn't his birthday a week ago?"  Well, yes it was BUT today is the day to get together with his family and celebrate AND I didn't make him a cake ON his birthday since we were traveling and playing.  Once the cake is finished, we are off to Irving for lunch and party time.

Okay -- now we are back home and just chillin'.  What can I do to at least feel semi-productive that doesn't involve cleaning house?  OC clue 3 is calling me so I get that cut out of the stacks of scraps from stripping out scraps yesterday.  I also cut WAAAYYY too many small triangles for clue 2 so those are ready and waiting to be used now.  A quick dash out to the studio nets me an armful of scraps to press from the never ending tub.  Once those are finished, the rest of the evening is spent snuggling with Mister and watching The Great Britain Baking Show final AND the Downton Abbey season finale.  Yes --- yes, I do love PBS.

2nd - I stayed up late last night to make a "day by day" goal list for this month.  Usually that helps get me motivated in the morning when I know exactly what I need to tackle for the day.  And true to form - it works magnificently.  Another two minute trip to the studio gives me another armful of scraps to press AND this months 3 BOM's.  I now have my direction set.  First up is to press the scraps into submission and stack them with the ones from yesterday.

Estate Sale Treasures

It's Saturday and that means time with Mister.  He asks if I would like to go estate sale shopping - well, of course.  We map out the 4 closest to us, make a couple of coffees to go and are out the door in time to make the opening of the first one.

The only thing I spot at this one is an O'Lippa ruler that is marked $6.00.  It looks pretty grimy so I check with Mister to make sure it will clean up and since it is last day, we get it 75% off -- 2.50.  Good start.

Across the street is a garage sale so we walk over just to check it out.  I am able to find 6 XXL cotton shirts and two of them are colors that are difficult to find:  pink and purple.  They are asking $1.00 a piece but I get 6/$5.00.  I'm pretty happy about that as we return to the car and head for the second destination.  (The chicken comes later as well as the drawers.)

Wichita Falls and the Texahoma Shophop

Yay!  Today finally got here.  I am so excited to be having a girls day and visiting a new part of Texas.  We have drove through  while on trips heading north or returning from said trips, but haven't stopped.  Here's how excited I am.  I wake at 5:30 without any alarm and decide to make fresh scones for Mister and the girls.  They are going in the oven when Mister wakes and we get to have a lovely breakfast of tea and scones before I drop him off at work, pick up Stephannie and head to Jennifer's to meet up with both Jennifers.  We get stuck in traffic and are a bit late so let's get this show on the road.

Jennifer M. is driving and Jennifer S. has put herself to work in the backseat with hexies.  I have graph paper and am hoping to work on blocks while we visit.  A couple of hours later, we are in Wichita Falls at the MPEC.  Look at the gorgeous flags out front.  Yes - the theme of the show is working around these and I'm looking forward to what is in store.  Time to shop.