Summer rain taps at my window.....

Remember that song?! Only it wasn't tapping during the night, it was POUNDING! Not sure what time it started,but I woke up about 2am and had to shut some windows because it was splashing in.

No complaints here...really, I love a good rain storm,and summer ones are the best! And yes, for me summer starts the moment temps reach about 80 degrees. So it is summer here in NC :c)

I had a wonderful time in Jacksonville! And I did get to run on the beach one more time...Sunday morning...before heading out of town. I love Jacksonville! What a great place! I was also able to hit a couple quilt shops down there, one Friday night during the art walk when we went out to dinner in St Augustine (Neat old town!)and also wandered art galleries and schmoozed with people. FUN!

The other shop we hit during our lunch break on Saturday....Old Green Cupboard...oh MY! My fave shop by far. I did a little bit of fabric buying there. There was this stripe I wanted on the back sale rack....50% off if I took what was left on the bolt, so I did. I love stripes....they are great for sashings, bindings, borders...love them!



Jacksonville2009
So here's a little slide show of things from my trip....photos from St Augustine (where I wish I had more time to spend) and the Crumbs workshop and Cathedral Stars workshop.....fun all around! There are a few Savannah pics towards the end...but it was hard to take them from the trolley tour :c) (I only had an hour and a half there..)

I've pieced a back for Jared Takes A Wife, and hopefully will get it on the machine today.....*fingers crossed*

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Happiness Is...

Running miles on the beach in Jacksonville, FL!!



I tell you, time on the beach this evening was worth the 7+ hours of driving it took to get here!

If things go right, I might be able to hit the sand again Sunday morning before returning back up to Columbia to spend the night with Jason and Kim.

Now for a good night's sleep before a workshop in the morning....

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It's a Top!

Look what I did today?! And that's about ALL I did today....believe me! It wasn't for lack of wanting to do more, it was just all I was able to do.

I have a confession to make. I started sewing the rows together on the Janome, and just was not liking how things were NOT lining up. I got back out my Bernina 1080 and things went FINE. There *IS* a difference in machines, and for me, that Bernina just can't be beat when it comes to joining blocks with thick intersections, matching seams without having to pin every 2" etc. I'm a Bernina girl through and through.


So what about the Janome? Well..it will have to be a backup machine. I've got it set into it's own table..if someone wants to come sew with me, I'm set up with two machines ready to go. I'll still use it for various things that the Bernina can't do. I'm not writing it off. The Janome can't be beat for that thread cutter when paper piecing...and I have it facing the TV so I can see myself mindlessly piecing pineapple blocks and getting my money's worth right there. I guess for me not one machine can do everything the way I want it...I don't feel like it was a waste of money, it just wasn't the end all beat all that I thought it would be.

Speaking of pineapple blocks....I've had so many people email me already saying they couldn't find the pineapple block pattern on my website after seeing my post with pics of them here on my blog. Well duh! *LOL* The quilt isn't done yet! I've barely done a pile of blocks. It's a work in progress.

There are lots of paper pieced patterns for pineapples out there. You just need to find one. Here is one in a 6" size. Go bigger if you want....you can get 7.5" on a single sheet of printer paper without having to tape anything (and that is where I draw the line..I'm not taping anything!)

I just want to keep this one thing to myself for a while :c) The ones I am doing are 5" finished. When the quilt is done (and it may be a LONG time from now)I may post it as a printable pattern on my website, but not until then, okay?

Burgers are on the grill....and I'm off to Jacksonville FL in the morning! Cathedral Stars workshop and Crumbs workshop coming up!

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Too Funny.....

After reading my statue of liberty post, Debbie sent me a link where I can put my face into the statue of liberty. How funny!!!

I really did enjoy wandering around NYC by myself. If I had had more than just a few hours, I would have contacted some of you to meet me for lunch, but it was such a spur of the moment impromptu day, that I just didn't think of doing it.

Walking up Broadway gave me all sorts of opportunities to watch people and admire the flowers everywhere..just look at these!

I had to take a pic through the iron fence at the church yard of Trinity Church near Ground Zero. Look at that color!

These trees were blooming on Liberty Island. it was such a beautiful day to take a ferry ride. I'm glad I chose to do this instead of stay inside in a museum all day. If the weather had been bad, or hot and muggy, I may have chosen the museum route! But after this long winter, I've really been longing to just BE OUTSIDE.

These tulips around this fountain were even more orange and vibrant than you see in the photo. SO happy to the eyes. Yes. I am drawn to orange, even in my quilts. I know a little goes a long way, and I sometimes think I add too much, but I just love orange!!

This floor is INSIDE the building at Ellis Island. Wouldn't it make a great border? It's amazing to me that even though the place was dilapidated and fell into disrepair for many years before it was restored, that they were able to keep details like this in tact for us to see. I wonder how many children who stood in line traced these designs with feet or fingers while they tried to occupy themselves.

This is the ceiling in the "great hall" where immigrants had to wait for hours to present themselves for entry in to the USA. I love the herringbone pattern of it. A lot of beautiful workmanship went into this building, and I'm sure it made a statement to those who waited so long to enter.

This is the front of the building at Ellis Island...quite a foreboding structure isn't it? And yet full of so much hope for so many at the same time.


I've spent 2 days now trying to get my ducks in a row. I had a killer workout with my trainer this morning. Mostly arms and legs...arms are my weak spot...I never really cared about having buff arms! *LOL* By the time we were done I felt so wobbly, it was like they had surgically removed all my bones. Needless to say that today's activities (after bank and post office duties)involved a long NAP! I need it!

I keep beating myself up for time I'm NOT spending at the machine. I want to be in the mood to piece..I really do...I've got the rows all ready to join together into a center..maybe tonight? If I don't fall asleep first...

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