It's my birthday!

As of today I am sixty-two years old.  I can honestly say I never expected to live this long.  Most of my family is not long-lived, of course, they were all smokers, and I never smoked in my life.  I did breathe second-hand smoke for forty-five years.  Since then I simply do not allow smoking where I have to breathe.  My mother was one month from her sixty-sixth year when she died of lung cancer.  Dad lived to eighty but he quit smoking at age thirty-eight.  Heart disease and everything else smoking causes took the rest of them.  I am being treated for heart disease even though I have never had heart symptoms simply because of my family history.  My brother had a heart attack at age fifty-two.

Richard and I were going to spend the day out running around but there came up a horrible storm before we got out.  We had high winds and hard rains and I was glad we were still at home.  The sky was very cloudy but we went to Elder-Beerman this afternoon because they had texted me a coupon for 50% off a single item today only.  I used the coupon to get a new nightgown that was already 25% off, so the $44 nightgown was only $16.50  I also bought a new white cardigan sweater that was on clearance, $59 for $29.49.  I lost a white sweater a couple of weeks ago when I left it somewhere.  I quit shopping then because I don't torture Richard by shopping too much when he is with me.  We then drove out Corridor G to have an early dinner at Panera Bread.  We also stopped in Cabela's and bought a couple of pieces of chocolate peanut butter fudge (yum!).  Then we came back home and settled down for the evening.  Now here I am updating my blog and Richard is watching tv and playing Words with Friends on his phone with Audrey and with me.  It wasn't a bad day at all.

Embroidered Calendar

Look what a terrific calendar holder I made today!  I embroidered the center block on our Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond Deluxe  and did the rest of the stitching on the Opal 670.  The pattern says you can make a quilt block instead of embroidery for the center.  The squares around the center block were scraps from a quilt I made just recently so I knew they would coordinate nicely.  The calendar slides out so I can put a new one in there next year.  Of course, I put a Viking pen in the pen holder in the center.  I love this calendar and really enjoyed making it.  I know I am going to make many more.

West Virginia Shop Hop

Well, two days and probably six hundred miles were spent doing the Shop Hop.  Debbie, Diane and I visited eleven quilt shops in West Virginia, signing up to win prizes at each shop.  The only thing wrong was that Tammy was not with us.  She went home to the Cayman Islands the other day so we had to carry on without her.  This picture is one of the beautiful quilts we saw.  Each shop used the same blocks to make up their own quilts and there was quite a variety!  This one was my favorite, I think from The Sew Inn in Morgantown.  I'm sure Diane will correct me if I'm wrong.  I did not buy the blocks this time because I still haven't finished the quilts from the last two shop hops.  We hit eight shops yesterday (the first day of the shop hop) and it took us about fourteen hours.  We had great weather all day, then after the last shop, on the worst road possible, there came up a downpour that lasted all night long and included thunder and lightning.  Debbie was driving and I was helping by watching the side of the road.  I commend her skills.  It was very nerve-wracking.  We had just left the shop near Hawk's Nest and drove down Rt. 60 with all the hairpin curves.  At times it was nearly impossible to see the road in front of us.  Debbie did a great job and deposited us at my house (where Diane had left her car) and I was sure glad to be home.  I restrained myself when it came to buying all the wonderful fabrics and notions I saw because I want to go on vacation sometime soon.  This morning we picked up where we left off and visited three more shops.  We didn't have to hurry today and enjoyed it much more.  Kudos to the great quilt shops of West Virginia, and I'm already looking forward to going again next year.

Pictures of Topsy Turvy Nine Patch Quilt

Topsy Turvy Nine Patch

I got this quilt finished the other day but just now got pictures of it.  This is a quilt pattern I found in an old magazine.  The design is by Judy Laquidara, one of my favorite designers, so when I found it I knew immediately that I wanted to make it.  The first picture shows the background color accurately, flash changed the second one.  I love the border on this one and I will definitely use it again on other quilts I make.  I used scraps for the nine-patches.  This quilt will be desplayed in Viking's space at the WV Quilter's Quilt Show, held June 22 thru 25 in Summersville, WV.  I should have a couple of quilts displayed.   

 

The third picture shows my cat Rosebud, better known as Rosie.  She is my shadow, my constant companion.   



Topsy Turvy Nine Patch



Rosie

 

I'mmmm Baaaack!

Finished the Tropical Punch Quilt!  I think it looks beautiful on my bed.  Viking will be vending at the WV Quilters Quilt Show in Summersville, West Virginia in a couple of weeks and this quilt will be decorating our space.  They are also taking my Topsy Turvy Nine-Patch Quilt to hang, and another one I haven't shown yet if I get it done in time.  I have more to say later but right now I have to take Audrey to work at the mall.  Then Richard wants to go to St. Albans to look at the new Fiats.  (We are NOT buying a new car, he used to drive Fiats and now wants to see what they've done to them.)  Anyway, look for another post really soon.