Spring Break Final Day

This is my last day of Spring Break. I am not ready to go back. I still have things I want to do and I still am not feeling 100%. The meds for this sinus infection are giving me terrible heartburn, intestinal woes and flushing, which feels very much like hot flashes, only more frequent. The eye drops cause by eyes to feel dry and achy. Thankfully, Wednesday is the last day so hopefully those side affects will diminish quickly.

My family made the trip to the sale/auction barn this morning. I got dropped off at the fabric store downtown. I was pretty selective with what I purchase because I really do not need anything.

Starting on the right, some neutrals because I never have enough of those and I use them a lot. Next, are a brown and 3 purples for the Civil War Sampler. I really like the purples and seem to have a hard time finding them. After that are some black/gray/white prints. You know, for that future quilt I have cooking in my head. And, on the left are five pieces that I just had to have. I am seeing tiny barn quilts... or tiny quilts hanging on a line or over a fence... or....

This next week in Kindergarten is Qq week, so I am packing up some quilty things to talk about with the kids.

We talk about colors, shapes, sizes...

Squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, diamonds...

We talk able size... some quilts are small for decoration or a table mat, some are bigger for babies or children, some are big enough to cover a bed...

I like to show them this bed size one last. It is well used; the binding is frayed and needs to be replaced, but I love it. It is made from scraps of clothing I made for my son when he was young, and leftovers from other quilt projects. I spread this one out on the floor and let the kids sit around and on it and look for whatever they can find... tractors, cowboys, guitars, letters, works, stars, moons, suns, flowers. My son's name is in the quilting. The kids always enjoy seeing what they can find. And, since it is such a well-worn quilt I don't mind them crawling all over it.

Spring Break... Almost Over

Here is how I am finishing up the last few days of my Spring Break...

Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the Quilter's Exchange group. We looked at blocks so far and exchanged bags.

I like to finish my block for the exchange right away. That way is is finished, you know, just in case.

This member is using black and gray prints and one white-on-white print. My husband really likes this one. I may have to make a black/gray/white quilt.

I am cutting the next 3 blocks for the Civil War Sampler.

There are several of us in the group working on this block. It is always fun to see the blocks and how different they look using different fabrics.

I was able to give the picnic quilt to my quilt member that pieced it. She was pleased with it and I hope the recipient will be as well.

We are spending a quiet Easter day at home, and will visit my mother-in-law at the nursing home this afternoon, just like every Sunday.

Tomorrow, we plan to go the farm auction house sort-of nearby. The upside of that for me is that there is a fabric store downtown. Hubby drops my off, goes and unloads at the auction building and then comes back to get me. Works perfectly!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter day.

Spring Break Day 5

It is off the frame!

Now I can give it to her tomorrow at our Quilt Exchange meeting.

Spring Break Days 4 & 5

Yesterday, day 4 of my Spring Break, was spent quilting some more in this....

I know it looks wrinkly on this end, but it will be smoothed out before more quilting happens.

Also, finished the next block for the 365 Challenge...

  

 These blocks are tiny - 3 inches.

Prepped the squares for the next block. I hope to get this one pieced today.

In Kindergarten at the school where I work we learn a new letter each week. We learn how to write the capital and lower case letter, the sound it makes and we talk about works that have that sound in them. As part of my job duties I have each class for 20 minutes two times a day for a restroom break. During that time the students are getting a turn in the restroom and at the water fountain. While the rest are waiting I review concepts learned in the classroom related to phonics and math during the morning break. During the afternoon break I read. Next week we will learn letter Qq. Being a quilter in my alternate life I will be reading some children's quilt books - I have these ...

Mooshka, A Quilt Story by Julie Paschkis

Handkerchief Quilt by Carol Crane (Author), Gary Palmer (Illustrator)

And I have ordered these...

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau (Author), Gail de Marcken (Illustrator)

The Quiltmaker's Journey

by Jeff Brumbeau and Gail de Marcken

 

The last two I ordered on Monday from an on-line book store in Indiana. Yesterday when I tracked my package the USPS I saw that the package had left Mishawaka, IN to Hazelwood, MO. I life in Illinois. Not sure why the package had to travel across the whole state of Illinois only to have to come half way back to be delivered. 

 

Anyway, I got the bright idea, during one of my recent sleepless nights, that I should have the students make their own little 9-patch blocks.

 

So I cut 700 2 inch squares for them to choose from to glue onto a piece of paper. My scrap drawer went from this...

 

 ... to this.

I am pretty happy about that. They like art/craft projects. Should be fun!

Spring Break Day 3

Productive day, again, despite the sinus infection. I am feeling better, although my eyes do not feel great first thing in the morning and still am having sinus headaches.

Besides the normal laundry and cleaning going on I did manage to get the next 3 Civil War Sampler blocks pieced.

I have not managed to piece any more of the 365 Challenge blocks. Maybe later today.

Spring Break Day 2

Well, I found out I have a nasty sinus infection that has gone into my eyes. Got 2 shots, steroid, antibiotic, and 2 eye drop prescriptions. Fun. At least I am on the mend and not contagious.

I was able to cut out fabrics for and piece my block for the Quilter's Exchange.

The bottom one is the the one I pieced. I am using the Dancing Shoofly block.
The star points are a dark brown, not black as they appear in this photo.

I also got fabrics cut for the next 3 blocks for the Civil War Sampler.

I hope to get these pieced later today.

Spring Break

My Spring Break started today, or Friday at the end of the school, I suppose would be more accurate.
I have all kinds of plans, mostly quilty plans, but plans.
Saturday afternoon my left eye started to bother me. Then on Sunday my right eye started to bother me. Today, yuck, is all I will say. Pink eye has been going through the classrooms the last month or so. I sanitize well and wash my hands a lot, all day long. I have worked with young children for 16 years and have never had pink eye. I really feel like what I have is not pink eye, or at least not just pink eye. I also have symptoms of a pretty good sinus infection. I have an appointment this afternoon so hope to know more soon.

So, my plan... I spent most of yesterday sleeping because I had a horrible headache... again. And, my eyes just didn't want to focus and I was so tired. So not as much quilting going on as I had hoped.

I need to get this off my frame. I am quilting this for one of my quilt member friends. She pieced it from items belonging to the grandmother of one of her friends. It will be a picnic quilt so she requested dense quilting as it will likely be washed a lot and there are 3 young boys in the family.

The pieces are from lots of different things that hold special memories for this family - knits and rayon from clothing, dish towels, and some fabrics that I think may have been curtains. My friend fused interfacing to each piece, but the rayon (the tribal looking print) is still not behaving well. The kitchen towels are thick and I broke a needle when the stitching crossed right over a seam. Some of the other fabrics are really stiff. I am getting bubbling and a few tiny puckers. I am trying to ignore them since I can see in some of the seams that my friend got some tiny puckers when piecing. And, she keeps reminding me that it is a picnic quilt.

I pieced a few more blocks for the 365 Challenge. I am up to February 2. Getting further and further behind. I have been printing the instructions each day. And, I do have about 2 weeks worth of blocks cut waiting to be pieced.

After looking at this Blooming Star bed runner I am making for my mom I realized that the 2 pink stars are not put together correctly. I am taking them apart... grrr.

Since my Quilter's Exchange group meets this coming Saturday I thought I maybe better start thinking about getting my block made for that.

The top block was made by Jo, the person who chose these fabrics. The bottom block was made by the first person in the rotation. I am next on the list. Her fabrics are coffee-themed. I love the turquoise in the mix.

I also need to make the next 3 blocks for the Civil War Sampler.

See, I have plans. I don't have time to be sick.