Is it just me or is Fall going by really fast???

We were in Portland for the big birthday bash. Miss P turned 4 a week ago and it was "princess-elicious" all around! There were 5 kids from daycare and it was one of the loudest parties I remember!! There was no shy, getting to know each other - nope, it was full-out chaos from the get-go!! Or, perhaps Nana is just getting old?? Don't answer that, I prefer to be oblivious too!

I made Miss P a Disney princess panel nap blanket - it was a big hit. UNTIL it was time for bed and the beloved blankie was gone in mommy's car. Then we didn't like it quite so much! I didn't get a picture of it - yet - but I'll see her this weekend and try to remember to take one.

Stashbusters online has been interesting lately. A member suggested using up whole categories of stash that you are tired of. Some used all the holiday, or all the homespun and waved 'bye-bye' gleefully. I'm not at that place quite yet. I cleaned all the "I don't love you any more" fabric out of the stash when we moved two years ago. HOWEVER, I had some yellow and white 4patches I got in an exchange some time ago. Bright yellow's not my favorite - but I really don't like WHITE! Have you ever noticed that white on white fabrics kind-of glow in the dark??? I'm more of a beige-ings type of girl. Everytime I came across those blocks - guilt struck. So that was the category I used up!



I read in Nancy Goldsworthy's book "Quilter's Guide to UFOs" about a baggie of 4patches she found. Hmmm, sounds very familiar. I started out with a blue w/yellow-ish polka dots. It was in a kit I'd gotten at a garage sale. Started to make a baby quilt - not enough of the blue. Then my water aerobics bag fell apart. They tend to do that after years of chlorine dripping in them. So I switched to making a tote. It's very cheerful looking, isn't it! Not my style but it's growing on me!!



Of course, I lost some of the 4patches in the deep piles in the sewing room - made some more and after the last seam was taken ... found them along with some blue and green 4patches too. Just enough to make a small [very narrow] wall quilt to hang my ribbons on. Hmm, too narrow - but if I add a cute scrappy border of yellows and blues - perfect!! And those just happened to be sitting in a basket, left over from the wedding quilt this summer!! The blocks are G*O*N*E!! Whether it's the size or just the accomplishment of using all those darn blocks ... I like the wall quilt!



While I was in birthday party mode, Gold Beach - the next town north of us had their quilt show. I missed it, but Brookings was putting some quilts in it and 3 of my quilts went. My lighthouse, the antique pine tree and the new ABC quilt. S took them for me and brought them home. We were in Gold Beach last Sunday eating breakfast. R bought the local paper since there was news of the proposed golf course going in. He read the first page and then opened it to continue the article. I looked over at him and thought, 'that looks familiar!' And it was! Pictured in the Banner area of the paper was my lighthouse quilt telling people where to find more pictures of the quilt show!! How fun! When I got the quilts back and finally unpacked them again ... the lighthouse quilt had won the "Fire Chief's Award!" Surprise!! You can see the kite-shaped ribbon hanging on my new wall quilt!! Along with 2 ribbons I got from Newport. I still have to find my NE State Fair ribbon - Lord, help me, it's here somewhere!!

This weekend I head for Portland area for the Newport Quilt Guild's retreat at Menucha retreat center on the Columbia Gorge. I love retreats and this one is in a beautiful area. Since I can't really pack up everything I need for the project that is calling me right now ... Reminisce is back up on the design wall. I've been trying to figure out what to take. As of now it's the itty-bitty log cabins and the Birds of a Feather quilt that has sat too long in the middle of hand quilting. It would be wonderful to have the handquilting done for the October guild meeting ... there's prizes for finished UFOs!!! It's pushing it, but within the realm of possibility ... depends on how it goes at retreat!! IF I actually stick to those projects ... it's still two whole days away ... anything can happen!!!

Photo Opps

Hooray - the camera to computer to blog or email is connected! Honestly - sometimes I just put it off too long, anticipating problems - which usually don't occur!!

I guess the secret is to wear your lucky socks and not be in a hurry!! So here are some photos from last month ... 1st - I know I mentioned the ribbon I got on A&J2's wedding quilt. Beautiful ribbons this year!!




Here is the Back to School Block Exchange kid's quilt I finished - just in the nick of time to be in the Newport show. I love just bordering on 2 sides of the blocks and have the letters zigzag across the quilt.



I didn't tell you about our night visitor ... a bear walked across our parking lot leaving these paw prints! YIKES! We don't usually see bears between the highway and the ocean ... too small of a territory. Our manager here said he thought it was a youngster - under 100 lbs - and the CC construction noise probably got it turned around. He minced across the lot at first, then started hauling bear butt. Feet came together in this photo before jumping the 5' retaining wall! He apparently cleared that because there were no prints on top of it. Yep, tracking bears like Indians - pretty exciting!



When Miss P came to visit we broke up the car trip by stopping at the Bandon lighthouse. It's a river lighthouse - short and squatty. So Miss P and I climbed the steps ... I'd forgotten about the ladder at the top, but she was a trooper! We survived - and there were even smiles when we got back down.



This is the entrance to the cave on our beach. Anyone here for the wedding won't recognize it ... because then adults could walk into the cave with room to spare. What a difference a month can make on the coast!



Summer Postcards were made and mailed. I loved these little beach scene cheater squares.



AND ta-da here are the itty-bitty log cabins I've been having so much fun with. The logs finish 3/4" and there are 78 here. Blocks will finish at 3 3/4" if I don't add another round. Should keep me busy for a while!



Well, that's it - you're all caught up!! I'll have no excuses not to include photos from now on ... everything's back to normal on the computer!

It doesn't feel like fall today!!

We've had stellar weather the last few weeks. A little windy at times - but sunny and blue. The last week of water aerobics outside broke our hearts!! It was perfect and it ended for the year!!

Last weekend we scurried up to Portland to get Miss P. The weather and the tide tables looked promising for entertaining a 4 yr old Granddaughter. And we had a great week. Miss P has grown so much. She's much more adventurous now. Climbing the playground equipment and climbing the rocks and logs down on the beach.

Oh yeah - and she has grown into that chatterbox stage. Not Papa's favorite trait!! She announced that she was getting a new baby sister for her birthday - she was going to trade in Mr M! I told her that all brothers and sisters want to trade in their siblings ... but she convinced me she was really serious about it!!

To celebrate this long weekend I moved my sewing space out into the diningroom - with the view. I got into my bag of "too small to use but too big to throw away" scraps and pieced 4" log cabins. It's an addiction - I want to tell you!!

I started making these little blocks back in Nebraska - yes, I moved them and the bag of scraps - get over it!! But the bag was in the way during this new rendition of my sewing space and I was trying to decide if they should just be tossed! The answer was a resounding "NO"! Some of my favorite fabrics were in that bag - and it was like sewing with 'old friends'! I had 21 blocks from Nebraska - I now have 78!

The bag is maybe 2/3 of it's former glory! And there are strips sorted by size in little boxes ready for the next sweatshop session ... I have no idea how many blocks the bag will make!! I did have to break into a few nickel squares for that last log. I was running out of dark choices in that size. But everything else is from the bag! I'll keep you posted how many blocks come out of the bag!

What am I going to do with these blocks?? No clue!! I have a 48" size wall hanging space here - if I run out of steam I can make a wall quilt for that space. That would be about 144 blocks - easy peasy!! If I'm still on a roll - it could be an almost twin size lap quilt for watching tv OR a kingsize quilt for the bedroom!! If it ends up king size I'll add another round of logs to make the blocks almost 6". Then it would take only 400 blocks compared to 900 four inch blocks!!

Oh, by the way, don't think I can't do it!! [insert seriously evil laugh here!] I can probably do it without ever touching what I consider my 'regular' stash!! I have nickel squares and assorted size squares and strips and scraps galore - not counting my 'too small, too big' sack!! And remember - I moved 2 1/2 years ago - I gave away alot of scraps and strips and squares then!!

What can I say - I'm a scrap quilter!! And it's so much fun!!!