Life is Askew

I just finished today's portion of the quilt. The fruit and leaves are all fused to the quilt. I just stepped outside and saw this car parked on the curb. It's not one of those slanted curbs, but a real live curb. You'd have thought he'd have noticed, but I guess something pressing had his attention.

Brisket is in the oven and "resting". I'm just waiting on B. (boyfriend) to show up and then we'll eat.

The Tree has Bloomed

All of the apples and pears have been cut and fusible interfacing applied. Yay! Tomorrow I will cut the leaves and iron everything to the tree. I haven't decided yet if I will zigzag the edges or not. It may depend on how well the fusing held up. I can always hit the edges when I longarm the quilt. I will also work on piecing the back of the quilt. I prefer working with only cottons, but M's clothes include a wide assortment of fabrics. I may have to stabilize some of the rayon, silk and polyester pieces.

Christmas for the family did not happen today. We are cooking the brisket tomorrow. I think it will only be Boyfriend, Dog and me.

A Tree Grows in Houston

Progress is being made on the quilt design. Tonight I'll make more apples to hang on the tree with pictures attached. It looks a little creepy right now, huh? I think once the rest of the pictures and all of the sayings and the title is attached, it will be a little less creepy! With any luck this weekend will produce a near finished quilt. The back of the quilt will be pieced out of M's clothing.

The latest bag addition. I think the color combination is very soothing and relaxing. These bags are for sale and my website will be coming soon. Enjoy!

Boyfriend and I are hosting Christmas dinner with his family this weekend. We are cooking brisket and all the fixings. Yum.

Puffs v. Kleenex

Most times it is easy for me to distinguish between a cold and my allergies. Since I am an allergy sufferer from the get-go, I have a constant relationship with a runny nose. I should have bought stock in Proctor and Gamble a long time ago! This time around I am unable to tell if I have a head cold or if the cedar allergens that blew in a couple days ago are the culprits.

This past summer I planted a vegetable garden that included tomatoes and peppers among other vegetables. These two vegetables were just the most prolific of the bunch. My excitement watching the tomatoes grow was beyond me as I don't even eat tomatoes. My Mom was in town when the first tomato ripened and she was the lucky recipient. The rest of the tomatoes were given to co-workers. Two days ago I harvested 4 peppers out of the garden and there are at least 8 others still growing along with numerous blooms. These peppers smell great and have a taste unlike the ones purchased at the grocery store. I'm amazed that it's almost 2008 and I'm still harvesting peppers!

My current project is a memory quilt for a coworker whose wife passed away this year. I collected some of her clothing and pictures and I'm turning it into a wall quilt for M. Since I only know M. and not his wife, I hope that this quilt does her justice. The pictures include a pencil sketch and a life size paper model. I am currently in the process of appliqueing the tree to the fabric.

A Day Late

The package has been boxed, taped and labelled. I don't feel guilty as it's not really a Christmas present, but rather just some handmade things that I made for my niece and my sister-in-law. Since I had nothing for my brother or my other niece and nephew, I didn't feel quite right sending the package before the holidays. So, now it's the day after "the" holiday and my nose is giving me fits, but I must continue on. Unfortunately I have a full-time job that prevents me from creating during the day. Alas and alack, my evenings and weekends are the only time I get to switch from left brain to right brain. Consequently most days I am addlebrained!