Elaine's Bellissima top

Hi Everyone -- my color combination is related to Clara's, but mine is more of a seafoam green. I took this photo with my new smartphone (which I LOVE). I am going to be soooo obnoxious now with posts to Facebook!

Happy Birthday Jenny!!

We secretly made blocks for Jenny for her birthday. Mary Ann & Beth hosted Stitch and Bitch where we gave Jenny her blocks. We had a wonderful lunch and Jane made a yummy chocolate cake.

Here is Mary Ann telling Jenny about the blocks. Look at that cute quilt on the chair Jenny is sitting on.
Jenny was surprised. What fun we had!




Here are Kim & Jane. Look at the panels on the closet. Mary Ann & Beth are such great decorators.









Here are Lori, Clara & Beth. Can you see the blue coming from the room behind Beth? She seems to be glowing.










Mary Ann was having too much fun playing with Jenny's blocks. Maybe we should make some for her, too.






Doesn't Jenny look happy!

I can't wait to see what she makes.






This is Bellisima. As a challenge, I gave everyone directions to make this quilt to complete by the end of this year. Clara said that she just had too much to do but look at what she has done! These colors are wonderful. She did an amazing job!

I haven't even begun mine.

Movie "Stepmom" with Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts

Yesterday, I was watching this movie at the JW Marriott hotel in Chicago. Susan Sarandon is a mother of 2 (Julie Roberts is the girlfriend of her ex-husband) and quilts. There are several quick shots of quilts throughout the movie, e.g. when she watches here children asleep in bed, and also important role of quilts in the ending scene. There was one scene that bothered me when she was at her Singer sewing machine and she was using large shears, instead of a smaller scissor for thread cutting.

BTW, I figured out that I am not a W hotel fan. I spent one night there, then moved across the street to the JW Marriott. I just can't get "into" the concept of the hotel lobby and reception area as a nightclub --very dark with only purple and pink lights, including the elevator. Did I tell you that this is the same "problem" I have where I get my haircut, except the DJ doesn't work on Monday.

quilt idea from NJ trip

Isn't this fun? It's a glass tile mosaic on the wall of a hotel lobby in New Brunswick, NJ. Fortunately I had a trip to Montpelier, VT the next week or I would so have been cutting green fabric!
This image is for Kim F. - see, you can use your stone piles as home decorating accents. This is the same hotel lobby. There was also an interesting coffee table using split log sections for the base. Unfortunately the glass top prevented me from getting a good picture.

Not the average neighborhood

Not the best picture but I'm not sure you all saw this quilt once it was finished. Kay did a great job quilting it. The guy to the left is the father of the bride.

A minor victory

Just wanted to show you the project that Martha helped me finish. I think you may have seen it in progress after Martha finished the cross-stitch I'd started long, long ago. Thanks to Clara for helping me with the side borders (which also kept me from having to do anything with the waste scraps from the flying geese!)

Martha had this on display when I visited for the Superbowl. It's about 12" x 18".

And, yes, I did machine-quilt this all by my lonesome (grumble/whining the whole time).

look what you can do if you are unemployed

Here is what my niece Alyssa has made in the last 1.5 months! She also sent photos of the pieced backs, but I did not include them here. I am thinking that she should go to a machine quilting class!