CGCQ September Projects

This month, I am going to continue working on the wedding quilt. My over-ambitious undertaking last month did not take into account three factors:

1) That I would change my mind mid-stream and decide to make a pieced back too, with applique no less, so it will be reversible. Yikes!

2) Unexpected out of town company twice during the month would interupt sewing time.

and

3) Wedding festivities take up a WHOLE lot of time!

So, this month, I will be working on finishing all the projects I have started for July, and August. I will post some pictures as soon as this rain quits and I can get some decent ones. Note to self, I really need more lighting in this house.

Lee's having a giveaway

Lee at Quilts By Lee is having a giveaway. She has some lovely fat quarters up for grabs.

Saturday, August 29th

The day began with overcast skies, humidity and about 85 degrees . The bride and bridesmaids arrived about 10 a.m. and did some last minute decorating, had their hair styled, and were, for the most part, ready when the groom and groomsmen showed up around 2:00 p.m. By that time, the sky was looking pretty grey. Please don't rain! The photographer took quite a few pictures of the wedding party for the next 2 1/2 hours. At about 4:30, we were told to take our seats and get ready to begin..... OH NO, rain drops, just a few, thank goodness. At 5:00, the wedding began with blue skies around us.

The first one down the aisle was this handsome fella.

He surprised his grandmother and I with the two flowers he was carrying. He laid one in the empty seat beside her, (in memory of his grandfather who passed away earlier this year) and one in the empty seat beside me (in memory of his father who passed away when he was three). Such a sweet, thoughtful jesture, totally unexpected and even as I type this I am doing so through tears.

They wrote their own vows, and neither one of them could get through them without having to stop to compose themselves a couple times. It was very touching to witness, you could see the love and total commitment to each other on their faces.

The newly wedded couple as they walked back down the aisle.

The whole bridal party.

Believe it or not, this is the first picture I have of my three children and I together. I'm usually the one behind the camera. (I'm the old lady with grey hair shining, in case you didn't recognize me. I didn't realize my hair was that grey...YIKES.)

It was so hot in those tuxes and long dresses that they told the bridal party to bring clothes to change into for the reception. Here is the bride and groom's first dance. Don't they make a cute couple?

I thought this was the first time I had danced with my son, until he reminded me I showed him how to dance when he was in the 6th or 7th grade and had a sock hop to go to. He really doesn't like to dance much and accused the bride and I of conspiring to find the longest songs for these two dances.

Here is a shot of my new daughter-in-law, her mother and her best friend line dancing during the reception.

So, now, the bride and groom are in Florida, on their honeymoon, and I am officially an "empty nester." It was a beautiful ceremony and a lovely day. I do believe everyone had a good time.

Hmmmmm, now I have to decide how to turn the extra bedroom into a craft/sewing room. Any suggestions?

Well, the top is finished, FINALLY

Good grief, where is this month going? It's already half over, the wedding is in just under two weeks, son is moving out this coming week, and mom is beginning to think she's going to be committed before it's all over with.

I finally got the top of the wedding quilt finished. It is looking like it will not be quilted before the wedding. There just will not be enough time with all of the family coming in for the wedding. My sister offered to quilt it for me on her long arm, but that would involve sending it to Kansas and I just don't know if I want to trust the mail system with this top.

Anyhow, here is a picture of the finished top, and a closer view of some of the blocks. And as usual, blogger is not cooperating and the pictures ended up at the top of the post in the reverse order. I do wish they would fix that little quirk in the system.

The top does still need a good over all pressing.

August Tag from CGQC

Kelly has tagged all of the Charming Girls again this month. I love reading the responses from the girls to these tags. It helps me to get to know them better. This time there are only three questions that need to be answered. Here they are, with my response to each.

1. Share your favorite quilting or sewing tip.

There are so many tips and tricks I have picked up over the years, but I think my favorite is one that came from my Grandma. Her advice was "quarter-inch seam, or scant quarter-inch seam, it really doesn't matter, as long as all seams are consistantly the same width in a project." She always used the edge of her pressure foot for a guide in her quilt making.

2. Share your best tip for managing time more effectively (what works best for you)!

I find I get more accomplished if I don't have to worry about stopping to prepare a meal from scratch. There are several ways to accomplish this goal. You can prepare the ingredients for a salad first thing in the morning and toss them together right before a meal. You can put ingredients for your main course in the crock pot, set on low and let it cook while you sew. Or you can do like I do and prepare meals ahead and freeze them. This method is known as OAMC (Once a Month Cooking). This past Monday and Tuesday, I did the cooking for this month. Monday was shopping and prep day (local grocer has a truck load meat sale once a month). Tuesday was a cooking day. The results? A freezer full of scrumptous meals for a whole month which will require very little time to prepare. Simply reheating, or in some cases, tossing in the crockpot to cook while I sew. If you are interested, there are a lot of good sites out there on the internet with recipes and instructions. The one site I use the most is 30 day Gourmet .

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Kansas. I know that's not a very exciting destination for most of you. My sister lives there and I would really love to spend some time with her. She makes beautiful quilts. One day, I will have to show you a couple projects she has made for me. Oh, the mischief we two could get into if we lived closer to each other.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the responses to this tag. So, what are you waiting for? Start blogging your answers, girls. ;^)