Happy Birthday, Happy 4th of July

No sewing at this house this week, cutest grandbaby in the world was in town! We celebrated an upcoming birthday. Uncle Rick taught him a new trick with the birthday cake..

Great pool weather this week...

silly string craziness...
again, courtesy of Uncle Rick...

even getting Grandma with the silly string was funny to him...
And all to soon we had to say goodbye

The silly string is gone, the toys are all picked up, the little fingerprints are off the windows and TV and coffee tables. Our home feels empty. We will see you soon when we visit you in Texas this fall.

Red and Green Inspiration

I spent more time outside working in the yard than with quilting this week. I realized my love of red and green applique quilts translates to my flower choices. And every great red and green palette needs just a touch of yellow.

I did have a couple more customer quilts that I completed this week. My mother's dear friend Lil, (who is in her 90s) still enjoys piecing table runners, and pillows and then she sends them to me to quilt.



Also one more charity quilt from the ladies at St Luke Methodist church. This very pretty and scrappy blue and white quilt ended up with stars on it. I really wanted to quilt feathers all over it, but I kind of saw the quilt eventually for a male and did not want to make it to feminine.

Just found out cutest grand baby in the world (and his parents) will be coming up from Texas for a little visit over the 4 th of July holiday. He loves water, as you see him here with Grandpa, and I have been having fun buying pool toys and other goodies to do a little spoiling. Hoping for hot, hot weather...

Have a good week all,

Happy Stiching,

Cheri

Superman Wears Cowboy Boots in Texas

This is not a picture from Halloween, it is just a little dress up play with the cutest grandchild in the world. We just returned from a trip to Texas.

We spent a few days in a beautiful log home on the lower Colorado River in the Texas hill country, located about an hour northwest of Austin.

The weather was beautiful, the water warm enough to swim in.

We had four generations on this trip, we were very happy to have great grandma come along.

We spent lots of time outside on the porch, visiting, reading, the fishermen in the group got in some fishing,

and of coarse playing with our grandson.

I frequently found time on the swing to get some stitching time on the Civil War Bride quilt.

We went back home to Houston for a few more days with my son’s family. I can not believe I did not get a picture but the Texas bluebonnets and other wild flowers were blooming all along the highways, it was just gorgeous.

In Houston I did manage to visit a few of the quilt shops during the spring shop hop. I resisted the temptation of getting the Friends of Baltimore patterns, they are still only available as a block of the month, it will be next year before you can purchase all the patterns together. At this time I want to focus on some finishes of the current quilts I am working on, so for now I am remaining disciplined. Today I am unpacking, doing laundry, and sadly putting our summer clothes away in the back of the closet because this is what is going on in Nebraska…

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

Hawaiian Applique

Once upon a time my son lived in Japan. While riding the train one day he met sweet Kaori who asked if she could practice her English with him (I have always thought that was a great pick up line Kaori). Anyway, as these stories go, first came love, then came marriage, then came the cutest grand baby in the world. I know, I know, perfectly shameless way to get yet another picture of my grandson in the blog and I have jumped to far ahead in my story. Back to what this has to do with Hawaiian Applique. When the family of the groom lives in the United States and the family of the bride lives in Japan where is the perfect place to get married? Hawaii ! The wonderful week of their wedding is still surreal to me but we all came away from Hawaii with a love of Hawaiian quilts. When we came home I made a small Hawaiian quilt for them with turtles (because we swam with the turtles one day in Hawaii) dolphins, pineapples, and flowers from their wedding. The promise was always out there that one day I would do a Hawaiian quilt for their bed. Now here we are 4 years later and ta dah...

Kaori loves the ocean and choose a sea foam green color for the applique, it is a fairy frost so it sparkles. The quilt is 104 X 104 inches. The pattern is called Fish on Coral and it was designed by Elizabeth A Akana (copyright 1972). I started the applique and had a lot of wonderful help from my mother who did all of the outer border and the outer edge of the center design. This is the finished top, now for the quilting. I was going to have the quilt hand quilted, but reality set in, this is going to a young family, I want them to USE IT. I am going to put it on the long arm today and machine quilt it. I still intend to do echo quilting in all of the white area, so this will involve a turn on the frame, I will keep you posted on my progress. Happy Stitching all... Cheri

Cutest Grandbaby in the World is in Town

After a year of preparation this weekend is it - my daughter is getting married. We are all ready and just enjoying all the friends and family including my son, daughter -in-law, and only grandchild who are here for the occasion. I find myself with a peaceful hour or so before rehersal dinner, everybody is off doing their own thing and getting ready. I am reading emails and thought I would post a couple pictures. The weather is beautiful and this mother of the bride is completely calm and stress free.

Happy Stitching...

Cheri