Hey from Vegas!

I have been very busy and just got a chance to check in---even though it is at the end of the trip since I go home today. The conference has been great! Lots of good information and lots of goodies from the vendors (I am going home with three new totes full of pins, brochures, etc.) I even had some luck on the penny machines---about $7 in winnings :c) It is interesting how things have changed here. When my DH and I were last here about 7 or 8 years ago, you couldn't find penny machines in the hotels on the strip---the few they had were in the corner and seldom used. Now penny machines are everywhere and seem to be the most popular. Of course you can go as high as a quarter, but in my unofficial research, most people were playing penny's. The weather has been very hot 103 degrees when we got here but there is a small "cool down" expected today to 101. No quilt shops around here, but I found a call for nurse quilters on the bulletin board. A person is writing a paper on nurses who quilt, so of course I am going to contact her!

Just wanted to check in---I am a bit homesick and will be glad to get home tonight. The trip down was sorta trying---6 hours with nothing to eat but peanuts! This time DH and I have a short layover in Denver, so we will definitely get something else to eat.

"See" you later!

I Am Going On A Trip!!!!

I will be out of pocket for the next week. I am going to Las Vegas (!) to a nursing conference. It was originally scheduled for Nashville, but of course the "great flood" took care of that. It was rescheduled for Las Vegas and to be perfectly honest, I didn't think my University would send me. I was wrong! There is even more good news---I was making my hotel reservations and the host hotel was sold out. The young lady taking my reservations however put me in the hotel next door and gave me a 600 sq. foot suite!!!! My husband is also going---HE is going to have a vacation :c), but we are leaving tomorrow and the conference doesn't really start until Monday, so I will have a little vacation as well before the work starts. I love learning, so I will still enjoy myself even though I will not be hanging out with him.

On the quilting front---I need to make only 7 more blocks and I can start putting "Peaches and Berries" together. I didn't meet my goal since this has been such a busy week, but it has waited this long to be completed so it can wait a little longer.

Well, just wanted to let you know that although there will not be posts, I haven't abandoned blogland. Have a great week and I will "see" you around Thursday of next week!

xoxo

Busy Sunday!

I worked yesterday and as usual, was absolutely exhausted!!!!! This is the only time I REALLY feel my age---after working a 12 hour shift at the hospital.

Anyway, I got up this morning and decided I would tackle one of my "binding" UFO's. If you have been reading my blog, you will know that one of the things that is sure to get my "whining" button turned on is to talk about binding. I decided to instead use my new found faux piping binding skill and bind a quilt. I had already sewn a binding on this quilt, but it was a different white than the quilt and I really didn't like it, so I cut it off and put another on. Since the faux binding allows me to put the entire thing on by machine, I finished it in no time. This is the completed work, so now I only really have 3 quilts left that I must bind. I am going to use the same technique and get them all done!!!!!

Hope your day is going well. I am going to fry some fish, make some spicy rice, some cornbread muffins and a veggie and try to rest for the remainder of the day. "See" you around the web!

Completing A UFO!

For every new quilt I begin and complete, I have decided to finish a UFO. I am working daily on "Peaches and Berries". I have completed all the small units and am now working on the larger ones. Once I get all four blocks finished, I will put them together into the larger block. I have now enough blocks for 5 rows and have 3 more rows of 7 blocks to go. I got the pattern from Judy's blog , but she finished her quilt in what seemed like 2 days. I have been working on mine for almost a year. I don't know how she completes her quilts so fast, but I am determined to finish putting the top together within the next week. I really like how my handdyes are looking and think this may end up being a favorite.

I have also included a picture of the last roses on my bush. There are two bushes and they are loaded down with these pink roses. Fall is in the air and it is like they are going for the last gusto!

Well, just a short note. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog and for leaving me a comment every once in a while. It really helps to keep up my "blogging energy", to know that there is someone out there reading. I know though from the count that people are stopping by, but every now and then let me know you are out there :c) Take care and have a great evening!

A Gift!

I belong to two quilting guilds and one is having a meeting tomorrow. The first hour or so of the meeting is business, then some sort of program, and then we sew. The meeting is in a church education area and it is a long walk from the parking garage to the meeting space. When I went to the last meeting, I thought my arms would break! I had so much stuff and not enough arms. Anyway, I was complaining to my DH and see what he bought me! It is used to carry mechanic tools so they are sturdy--the bottom one has my featherweight; a box that contains extra needles, scissors, my rotary cutter etc.; a ruler; a extension cord/surge protector; my iron and the pillow for my chair. The little bag has the pieces of the quilt I am going to work on, and more scissors. There are pockets inside and outside so if I wanted to I could carry much more. All I will need to carry in my arms is my quilt for Show n' Tell and my pressing board. Isn't he a "honey bunny"!!!!

Finally!!!!!

You have probably "heard" me mentioning that I absolutely HATE sewing down binding!!!!! While some quilters actually relish this part (it means they have completed a quilt), I find it tedious and not very stimulating at all. It usually takes me forever to finish and I even have trouble wearing a thimble (it makes my hand numb)....so I am generally not happy while doing it. I have two quilts now that have been completed for weeks, but they are still waiting for me because the binding has to be sewn down. I have tried to do it by machine, but honestly it really didn't look very nice and I do like nice looking finished quilts---I just don't like to finish them.

Anyway, I mentioned in my last post that a member of one of the on-line groups I belong to gave a link to a way to machine bind a quilt using a faux piping. It does take more steps than the usual binding, but I tried it and from the pictures you can see it is really nice (I posted large size pictures so you can see it a little better). It wasn't hard at all, and finished nicely. You have to be careful in sewing it down, because you are sewing in the ditch, but all in all it looked pretty good for my first time. I will have to work on the corners, but this quilt is for Cammerin who thinks everything his Mia (his name for me) quilts is wonderful :c) --- so he didn't notice nor care that in the corner the "piping" doesn't quite line up. I also think the quilt turned out really nice as well. It is a good mix of plaids and brights! I think I will make some pillowcases to match and probably redo the curtains in Cammerin's room as well. The backing if bright red and really blends in with the quilt. My tension was wonderful!---all is well with the world :c) I will certainly use this techniques to bind more quilts, at least the ones that are more utility than most. I still like the look of the "real" piping, and hand sewn binding---I will just save that technique for special quilts. The instructions can be found at http://tlcstitches.blogspot.com in the July 5, 2010 post.

Now that I have finished this one, I think I will work on the Berries and Cream that has been a WIP for quite a few months! I have enough blocks for 3 or 4 rows so it is half finished. Hopefully it will not take me too much longer.

Well, I think I will watch a little television before going to bed---I have to go to work tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by---"see you later", have a great remainder of the evening and a great tomorrow!

xoxo

Family Day/Labor Day!

Today was such a nice day! My son grilled steaks/chicken and a pork chop for me and did an excellent job!!!! I sometimes have to laugh when I think of him as a little boy! He was always hanging around the kitchen watching me cook. I told him he needed to learn to cook so he wouldn't always have to depend on some poor girl to cook for him, plus he might want to help out his wife every now and then. He is a pretty good cook---really likes to create dishes that usually taste pretty good. His wife is a good cook as well, but I am sure she enjoys the help every now and then. Anyway, he did the grilling, my daughter (who has NEVER cooked anything really in her life) made the potato salad, and it wasn't bad. She said that cooking it was very "stressful". She kept worrying about it, even standing over the potatoes as they cooked--:-) She has said she wants to make a pie at Christmas---umm--I will have to think about that :-). My son purchased a red velvet cake that was horrible so I made one. It didn't look so good (it was sorta lopsided---I am layer cake challenged), but it was yummy! He didn't realize that a red velvet cake is really a chocolate cake with red food coloring :-)

After dinner, I dyed 48 quilt squares (I tie dyed each one--different colors). I saw this quilt in some magazine--I think it is from Japan---and love it! My colors are much brighter, but I am anxious to see how it will turn out (sure hope each of these little squares dyes well).

I squared up "Cammy's Quilt" and am going to put on the binding with faux piping. A member of an internet group that I belong to shared a neat way of putting on a binding with the piping. It is all put on by machine, so I am anxious to try it and see how it goes. I was going to try on a baby quilt first, but I am going to go ahead and take the plunge and start with a big quilt.

Well, that was my day in a "nut shell". I am now tired and sleepy, but have to wash a load of clothes before settling in for the night! Have a great evening ---

Forgot To Go To Work!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever forgotten to go to work? Well yesterday I did---yea that's right--I forgot I had to work! I teach nursing, but two Saturday's a month I "moonlight" at a local hospital. I try to not schedule myself for two Saturday's in a row because those 12 hour shift's are murder on this aging body----even with the best shoes, at the end of the day I am beat!!!!! I work in a OB unit, so I may end up working in one of three areas, labor and delivery; newborn nursery; or postpartum---all of them require a LOT of walking, lifting, supporting, etc. Anyway, they all translate to a very busy day. I had worked last Saturday so why should I think I had to work yesterday---right?

I got up early yesterday morning to quilt and generally enjoy the day. My grandchildren and I had a date to clean house and everyone was excited (isn't it funny how little kids start out loving something that they will eventually rebell against---cleaning the bathroom). I was up at 5:00 and at the longarm. I had stopped and was sitting drinking coffee and sewing down a binding, looking at Law and Order. My cell phone rang and by the time I found it in the kitchen it had stopped ringing. I started to not call the number back, but thought even if it was a wrong number, for someone to call that early --- it was now 6:45 AM, it probably was an emergency and the person should know they had called a wrong number. I dialed it back, "Hi this is Patricia, did you just call my number?"----"Hey, this is Ali (my co-worker)"----"Hey Ali, what's up?"----a pregnant (excuse the pun) pause----"Am I suppose to be at work"----"Yea"----"oops, do you need me"---"well, yea, we have 15 on the floor, one in labor, and 14 babies in the nursery". "On my way".

I hurried there, and lucky for me, Officer Hurndon wasn't in his usual spot. Now it gets better. I get my patients (I was on the floor)------6 patients. I walk into the room to introduce myself (it is now 8:00--I should have been there at 6:45), I say, "Good morning, my name is Patricia and I am your nurse today". This woman loses it right before my eyes. ..."This food is horrible" (they had delivered breakfast)--"I hate grits and look what they served me---GRITS!!!!! I am going home right now, let me out of this place". I wanted to say, "I didn't cook your breakfast---and this is a hospital, what hospital has good food". I don't, I try very hard to calm her down. Her husband is cringing in the corner (words can't describe how out of control this woman is), I am trying hard to soothe her, she is shaking (geeze, it is only grits)....anyway, the person in charge wouldn't come down to her room to try to intercede (I don't blame her, wish I could have run myself), and to make a long story short, she does leave---to cook her breakfast at home without grits! I had to talk to the doctor ("what happen Patricia, didn't you offer to get her something else"---- "why didn't you make her stay until I got here"--what was I suppose to do, throw myself in front of her flip flop clad feet?) AND I had to write an incident report. I will probably get lectured about customer service and be blamed for a poor patient evaluation of the floor. Wish I had lied and said I was sick :-(. Plus when I got home I had an e-mail from the place where I had ordered shot cotton (I found a source---it was on sale for $3.50 yd) and they were all sold out. So my day wasn't a good one---not because of the screaming patient--but because the shot cotton was sold out!!!!!

Today is a new day! I am drinking coffee, watching Law and Order and have checked and I DON'T work today---so it will be a better day!!

xoxo