QuiltCon-sumed

 I've had a great weekend!

The inaugural QuiltCon in Austin, Texas!

Just up the road a piece from me, I arrived Thursday afternoon & spent 2 days seeing some great quilts, meeting some great people & eating some great food. I spent time with lots of my fellow HMQG members, bonding with & getting to know better Mona & Anna & Ila, Tammy & Sally & Katie & Gaby & Jacey & Jami, Liz & Pam & Deirdre & Chi, Rebecca & Becca & Becky. I met some bloggers who I admire: Chawne Kimber, Marianne Haak, Sherri Lynn Wood, Deb Rowden, Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

Time flies --

whether you are having fun or not. It just flies.

I am in the midst of about 5 weeks of work, then fun, then family, then more work hectic-ness: learning new software at work (blech, but at least that's over -- for now), QuiltCon -- the fun portion of the schedule, followed by a trip to see my Mom, then a week at work with a charming, but tiring fellow. I'm not finding much time to sew & finding less time to blog. So, a quick rundown of the past week.

Actually, my birthday happened before my last post. Shug got me a pair of RED COWBOY BOOTS!!! A total surprise!!! Very beautiful & they fit like a firm handshake!



We went to Galveston on Tuesday evening -- *Fat* Tuesday evening -- to see Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen at The Grand 1894 Opera House. A lovely, intimate venue & a great show. I got this gorgeous image from @lylelovett's Twitter feed. (I LOVE Lyle Lovett!)

As I mentioned, it was also Mardi Gras. The celebration in Galveston is nothing like that in New Orleans, but we saw a bit of the parade & I managed to grab a bunch of beads. It was a very fun evening. 



I have done some sewing. I finished up my Madrona Road top & moved Pippa off the swoon blocks to set them together. Let's see, they are tops 4 & 5 for the year -- I need to start sandwiching & quilting!





At the February Houston Modern Quilt Guild meeting, I got even more presents! A basket, sweets, thread & book cover from Karrie, an x & + block pouch from Amy & in the mail, a mini pineburr block from nifty quilts! I am feeling loved!!



And lastly, I was invited to join the Fab Little Quilt Swap! I am surprised & pleased & wobbly with fear of failure! I've always enjoyed the swaps we have done in the Guild, so this should be exciting -- & scarey!

The next thing on my agenda: QuiltCon! I'll tell you all about it!

Hasty piecing

I've had my Madrona Road fabrics for weeks. I had a kind of lofty idea for using them, but it was going to be a bit of a challenge, so I stalled. Finally, I thought, if I'm going to get anything done in any sort of timely way (I had already missed the deadline for the MQG competition) I was going to have to simplify. So I went with squares -- very simple. The sashing & setting was/is (it still isn't quite done) time-consuming. But it's about 3/4 done & I kind of like how it is shaping up.



I had also gotten out my swoon blocks. I arranged the colors to my liking, then gathered them up to work on after the Madrona Road top. Fortunately for Pippa, I didn't get to them. :-)

 

TMI?

QuiltCon is getting closer & closer & the host, The Modern Quilt Guild, is hosting a link party. 

So let's see 5 things you might not know about me .... Some random bits you've already learned: I collect wedding cake brides & grooms; Shug & I sail a 14 foot catamaran; my Mom has Alzheimer's; I love my social media. 

Five more things?!? 

Well, (1) fabric & sewing have always been in my life. The first thing I remember sewing was this little outfit for my Pepper doll. 



(2) My hair has gotten really long! I don't really like it & I'm sure it is not flattering but I just don't know what to do with it. All I need is a muu-muu, 3 cardigans, scuff slippers & a cackle to officially be a Crazy Old Lady! (3) I work at a natural science museum. Mostly it is just a job, just with more T-Rex, polar bears & mummies! (4) We don't have children & we don't refer to our cats as "fur babies". (5) I'm trying to get healthy & fit -- again! -- this year. It needs to be a way of life, not a program & it gets really hard the older you get. 

Are you going to QuiltCon? I hope so! I'd love to meet you in person!

The promiscuous piecer

Last weekend, between 6 (!) loads of laundry, vacuuming, dusting & errands, I finished 3 (!) little tops.

I would sew a while downstairs with Betty, then take my parts upstairs to iron the seams. While I was upstairs, I would start up Frere Jacque & assemble the project on the design door there. Strike while the iron is hot, so to speak. Even with this unfocused sewing, the 3 all came to completion. All small, all done! (well, except for sandwiching, basting, quilting, binding)