SpoolSpinners' Holiday Party

Last night our quilting bee had good food, and a fun pin cushion exchange. After they were unwrapped, we put them all on this table so we could do more oooing and aahhing. Since I don't use a pin cushion, I did play along, but was really impressed with the creativity shown. All very different and hand made.

Secret Sisters were revealed. I received EIGHT round napkins that can be folded in to Christmas trees. And then there were the straight pins. . . . At our September retreat, I forgot my box of pins at home, so I went around the room and begged or stole two of three pins from each other quilter. I was roundly roasted for this thievery then. And my Secret Sister, MargEd Kwapil, gave me 450 pins at this party in December! Don't think I will ever run out again.

My own Secret Sister was glad to get her table topper and a Jim Shore tree ornament, but I forgot to take a photo.

Back home I have been machine quilting this baby UFO that was also bordered at the September retreat. Now to figure out how to quilt that outer green section.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Relaxing and skin cleansing facial this AM

A few Christmas cookies have been made

Presents I was awaiting came in the mail

Applique paperweight?

I haven't heard from "gayleb", so I will move on to another follower for the 300th post gift. "Sarah Star" please contact me!

At the Bee meeting last night I received this gorgeous round box and paperweight from my Secret Sister. It looks to me like a fantastic applique pattern. I'm going to enjoy it just as it is however, since applique and I do not mix.

I spent most of this day trying to get an audio recording device that is compatible with my new iMac. I had no idea this would be so complicated. Turns out I not only need a very specific device, but also a very special (additional) set of earphones. I visited three different stores--each of them TWICE. Made two returns, and finally at 4:30 started home with a pair of items that WILL work. Now I just have to learn the procedure to make it happen while I am in the crunch place between two pieces of music at Women's Chorus rehearsal.

[Now why can't I use the font I like best in Blogger? Is this another Apple problem?]

I need to get a UFOI finished this week...Ooops, that's only one more day!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Charlie's night to make dinner, so I could recuperate from my trips

Slowly the music is getting into my head

Three quilts went to Catherine for quilting

Another Favorite Quilt - Endless Chain

"Endless Chain" from one of those quilting novels that have been popular lately. I had bought some 'el cheapo" batik FQs sometime or other--you know the ones that are NOT a tight weave, but rather loose, and this gray yardage which was a very unusual color in those days. I wanted to try this pattern, but didn't want to waste any really GOOD fabric on it.The pieces were colored triangles and gray "tie" shapes which were sewn into hexagons. Each colored triangle was matched up with a colored triangle in another hexagon to make the "petals". The backing was made of other pieces of cheapo batik.Here's what the quilting looks like on the BACK. I like this photo so much that I have this as one of my screen savers. Here's the bag I made to store this quilt. It was the "wrapping" when I gave it to my Secret Sister in 2006.

I like this because---

1 It was a real challenge to me, piecing the triangles to come out right, appliqueing the circles in the middle to cover the hole, binding those pokey angles on two edges,

2 I made it bigger than the pattern (STILL not big enough, but the gray fabric was gone),

3 I like the bright against gray,

4 the storage bag was a nice final touch.

I'm not sure my Secret Sister really likes it, but I do.

Sara

February Spoolspinner meeting

Our bee met last night, and though I had my camera in my pocket, I forgot to take any pictures.


So all I can show you is what I received from my Secret Sister.

The bright FQs were used as wrappers around the other gifts: a six pack of black and white FQs, a package of cocktail napkins, and a tablet of sticky notes.

The cocktail napkins say: The menu tonight consists of two choices: "TAKE IT or LEAVE IT".

Sara

Gratitudes:

No snow yet in the expected storm

More scraps cut up (30 minutes +)

Pesto on pasta for dinner