UFO Conversion

I have come to the realization that the primary reason I have so many stubborn UFOs hanging around is because I have ceased to like them.  It's hard to devote the time to finishing something you really don't care about.  I first blogged about my black/white/red quilt back in March of 2010.

First I decided the red batik I chose for the sashes and border had too much black in it.  Then I thought that the stripes looked boring.  In an effort to save the project and avoid wasting the fabric, I bought a brighter red batik.  Then I decided to take the strips apart and turn them into 4 patch blocks.  Today, I completed the top and like the results.  When it's finished, it will be traveling to Romania as part of the Hands 2 Help Challenge.  The colors are more vibrant in person, but it was too gloomy outside to take pictures today.

I still have lots of strips left over to make another quilt with.

My Baby is All Grown Up

I've been having computer issues with photo retrieval so I haven't been able to post my happy news.  My baby (the Viking Princess) is all grown up.  She graduated from college on May 27th with a major in Psychology and a minor in Computer Science and has now joined the ranks of the unemployed.  She's pictured here  with the President of the college after the Baccalaureate ceremony the day before graduation.  She was one of the student speakers at the Baccalaureate ceremony and I sobbed so loud I could barely hear what she was saying.

We were not able to take many pictures on Graduation Day.  It was very hot during the LONG ceremony and the area where my daughter was sitting was in direct sunlight.  After the ceremony she didn't feel well so we gave her the opportunity to rest and cool down.  We got a few shots before the day was over, but not nearly enough to make me happy.

Her college adviser told her it was better to work a year before applying to graduate school so that she could be sure of the area of psychology she wanted to specialize in.  Unfortunately, she neglected to advise her where the job would come from.  

Last week, she  interviewed for an assistant teacher position.  She was cheerfully told that if she didn't hear from them in 2 weeks, to give them a call since they received over 500 resumes for the position.   While she was at the school, there were 2 other young women waiting for their second interview.  Both of them are already attending  graduate school so the competition is tough.

This week she felt positive about a phone interview she had for a psychology research assistant position that is exactly what she wants.  She won't know if she is in the running for the job for at least a month.  They are still waiting for the grant to be funded.  A summer research position she was offered was reneged when their funding was cancelled.  The job market is really frightening.  People with Master's degrees and Phds are competing for entry level positions.

She has great credentials and attended one of the top Liberal Arts Colleges in the country, so hopefully there will be something on the horizon.  In the meantime, it's great to have her home.

Halloween In June

Sorry, these items have already been given away. I will be having another giveaway next week.


Jana over at Adventures of a Cross Stitch Drama Queen  is encouraging quilters to work on their Halloween projects in June rather than later in the year when everyone seems to get busy.  I think it's a great idea.  Unfortunately, I don't have any Halloween projects ready to work on at the moment.  I do, however, have some Autumn/Halloween panels that I bought as part of a "Panel Surprise" sale bag from the Fat Quarter shop a while back.  They are calling out from my fabric closet and begging to be released.  If you would like to celebrate Halloween in June by making something with one of these lovely panels, please leave me a comment and I will mail you one.  Sorry,  I will only post to the US or Canada.  Please make sure you are not set as a "No Reply" blogger, if you are, leave your email or I will not be able to reach you.

Thanks to Madame Samm I won

Today on Stash Manicure, the lovely Madame Samm is featuring the talented artist Rebecca Barker.  Last month, when she was featured, I was lucky enough to win 10 of her beautiful quilt themed cards.  I was thrilled when I opened the package and saw that they were even nicer than I expected.  If you haven't already entered the giveaway, hurry over to Stash Manicure to check out the details of the giveaway.  I love my cards so much, I can't bear to write in them.  I have them in my sewing room so that I can look at them everyday.

  

They are much nicer than the above picture.  It was pouring rain all day yesterday and the lighting even with a flash was not complimentary.

Starting the Hands 2 Help Quilt

I have been searching for the perfect (if there is such a thing) quilt pattern for the beautiful, bright  fabrics that  Jamie, my Hands 2 Help swap partner, sent me.  She has already made lots of progress on the quilt she is making with the fabrics I sent her (with lots from her own stash added).  You can see the quilt on her design wall at  Baby Boomer Quilting Bee.  She does fabulous work.

These are the lovely fabrics she sent me.  They are actually much brighter in person.  I decided that the quilt on the cover of the Summer 2011 issue of Quilts and More designed by Cherri House is the perfect match.  You can see the picture on her blog Cherry House Quilts.  In addition to the yardage, I have cut some charms from a ZuZu Petals charm pack by Benartex.  The original quilt is 85" x 85" so my meager brain is working on the math to shrink it down to the 60" x 60" challenge size.

I have to put on some speed because the blocks are laid out on my daughter's bed.  She'll be graduating from college next week and will be coming home to continue her job search.  Using her bed as a design wall will no longer be an option.

A Little Quilt Finds a Home

So often when we donate quilts to charitable groups, we are not really sure what happens to them.  I follow the blog of Cherri House, author of City Quilts.  In March, Cherri posted a call for children's quilts on her blog Cherry House Quilts.  I didn't have anything ready, so it took me a while to get a quilt together.  One month later, I mailed the quilt I blogged about here (http://saltmarshpath.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-finish.html)  to the Early Head Start Program in Baltimore, MD. On Monday, I received a lovely thank you note in the mail.

As a retired nursery school teacher, I was delighted to know that the quilt would be part of the school's "Cozy Corner" In-Home Literacy Project.  Each child is given a quilt and a book to begin an infant/toddler library in their home.  Books are taken to their house throughout the year to encourage a love for reading.  Although I wasn't expecting a thank you for sending the quilt, it was wonderful to hear how the little quilt that traveled hundreds of miles would be used.

What was I thinking?

While searching for hidden UFOs in my fabric closet, I also went through the patterns I have been hoarding.   When visiting a LQS, I saw a lovely sample for a sweatshirt jacket called Sunset Strip by Moonlight Designs.  Unfortunately, they were out of the pattern and ordered it for me.  When I received the pattern, I realized that  I would never make it.  The same applies to the lovely 25" x 25" paper-pieced  Ginger Jar quilt pattern by June Colburn that I loved when I saw it at a quilt show.  Check the links and see if you would like to have one of these patterns.