A Renegade!!!

The second FNSI was last night, and what a night it was. I started early cause I had lots ta do. I have Christmas presents currently residing in front of my sewing machine, so I knew I had to do hand work. Good thing too, because I am several months behind on my candy cane letters.

I traced out the rest of the alphabet p-z and decided that I would work on the outlines only, and see how far I got. I worked on them while I watched the ending of Renegade season 1. Then it was time for the four hours of Without A Trace, so I stitched during the commercials. Then I stitched during the beginning of Renegade season 2. I got the outlines to P and Q done and was starting R when the thread had a hissy fit. My thread kept snapping. After giving it a good tongue-thrashing, I decided to go to bed.

Mom wanted me to skip to U after P so that my post would say P.U.

Since I didn't completely finish any of the letters, I didn't take a picture. I will post them when they are done so everyone can see.

My Birthday FNSI!!!

So, let's start at the beginning. FNSI was on my birthday and, of course, I sewed and celebrated in style. I spent most of Friday morning at the Colorado DMV. Not the best place to spend your birthday, but certainly not the worst. After we were done there, mom offered to buy me lunch anywhere I wanted and she had no input since she wouldn't be eating. We both happened to be sick on my birthday, with different things. I chose the one place that she hates more than anything since she wasn't going to eat anyway. I love Taco Bell. She says she wants a place that gives you an after dinner mint. Well, it so happens that I was given not just a mint, but a peppermint with my meal.

I have the PROOF!!!

When we got home, I got to open my presents which were mostly quilting stuff. 2 quilt kits, some tiger fabric, a panel that I have been wanting, and the Monopoly panel that I need to make up the back of my monopoly quilt. I got a tea towel from Ant Nicci. Nicci also gave me a lighted compact mirror that she embroidered with an eye that looks just like my own. My sister and her kids gave me a lucky bamboo plant and a shamrock ring. Mom also gave me the fifth season of Supernatural on DVD.

Not photoed: Lucky the plant and Supernatural Season 5.

I watched John Cena on The Talk and ate my lunch. After I was done I went into the sewing room and started on my gift to myself. Mom bought me a red hat with black trim about a month ago, but I needed to have my black pea coat cleaned before I wore it. The coat came back from the cleaners, but I still needed a red and black bag to go with my new hat, so I made one for my birthday for FNSI.

After I finished the bag, I got to eat my favorite food in the entire world. My mom made me her lasagna, garlic bread and a salad. After that we ate a very expensive white chocolate raspberry cake. Mom got me colored flame candles and they were so awesome.

I was also given a feather weight sewing machine for my birthday and Christmas for the next ten years. I have named him Castiel, my little angel.

My FNSI was, indeed, very special. I also got the entire series of Renegade on DVD which is really cool and I can't wait to watch it and finally know how the show ends.

Yes, I do know that I am spoiled!!!

Melissa's Day Off!!!

It's not very often that mom and I get 5 days off in a row. So we make the most of it. Over Thanksgiving I had big plans to get things done. But, of course, I put every thing I wanted to get done till the last 2 days.

On Saturday I started to quilt BroBro's quilt. Everything was going pretty good, that is to say not too much cursing at the machine. I was almost at the half way mark when everything went horribly wrong.

I was starting a new row, listening to music on my little MP3 player. I had the needle in the right spot and I was holding everything steady with my left thumb. I reached over with my right hand and looked for the needle down button.

Unfortunately, I found it. The needle went down straight through my thumb and into the quilt and stayed there. I knew I needed the needle back up, so I hit the needle down button again. And up it came, with my thumb still attached.

I called calmly for help.

"Mom, can you come help me please?" you can never forget to say please, no matter the situation.

"Yeah, I'm coming" she called back.

I was afraid I was going to start bleeding, and the last thing I needed right then was to ruin the quilt. So I called "Can you please hurry?"

"Yeah, what do you need?" she said, half way down the bigger stair case.

"Could you please help me?" there was no other way to say it. "My thumb is stuck on the machine." I was trying to loosen the screw that attached the needle to the machine so that I could get the needle off and my wound away from the quilt.

"Your thumb is what?!?" I could tell that she thought she heard me wrong, which happens a lot.

"My thumb," I was starting to lose my cool head since I had some one else there who was detached from the situation, "is stuck on the needle."

She came down the stairs. I could see from the look on her face that she didn't quite believe it until she saw it. She went to slide my thumb off the needle. I admit that I had to look away. She snipped the thread oh yeah, there was plenty of thread but thankfully someone was looking out for me and there was no bobbin thread. I ran up the small staircase and over to the kitchen sink. With my thumb thread still through it hanging over the sink, I bounced impatiently for mom to get there to finish the job.

"Get it out! Get it out!" I moaned as she reached me. As she started squeezing my thumb to cleanse it, I started to feel light headed. All I could think was, "Am I losing so much blood that I'm going to faint?" I know now that I should have said this out loud. It would have warned mom what was about to happen next.

The next thing I knew was that mom was holding me tightly. She was asking me what hurt. I could think of only one thing.

"My thumb!" I said.

"Anything else?" she asked. It was by this point that I realized I was not standing, I was laying one the floor.

"My head. Did I pass out?"

"Yes, yes ... you did. You're going to be okay."

"I think I'm done for the day." I told her. She laughed a little and then I completely lost it. "I hate that quilt! I really hate that quilt!!!" I sobbed as she held me.

I am so glad that I have my mom. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been there. I think on my next day off I will take things slower and stick to less dangerous activities.

Tree Quilts and Fairies!!!

FNSI was last night and I had a great time. Yes, Mom, I finished the bookmark a month ago. That will be in another post at another time.

So, what did I work on? Well, I worked on Mom's Christmas present. She already knows that she is getting it and is very excited. About a year ago I made a quilt that I refer to as my tree quilt. As so often happens to me, I had enough extra blocks to make a small quilt which I refer to as mini tree quilt. Mom has no suggestions on a real name for it and I am out of ideas. Last night I started putting the binding on the mini tree quilt. Mom picked the backing when the quilt was still mine. She said it should be a "drinking coffee on a Sunday morning" quilt.

I also worked on the sunflower afghan that I hope to one day finish. I am a novice when it comes to crochet, so I am learning a lot. I am trying to do this without asking Mom a billion questions. You would have to ask her if I am succeeding or not.

I watched Supernatural last night and laughed so hard I had to put the quilt down before I permanently injured myself. Sam and Dean had to battle it out with leprechauns and fairies.

I said last month that Mom had a bad encounter with the quilting frame. This month it was my turn. Last week I was loading a quilt for my brother on the frame and as I bent over to get it on right, my head smacked the frame. The frame is 12 feet long and of those 144 inches, half an inch has a bolt on it. And, of course, with my luck and gracefulness I hit the bolt. It is safe to say I am stearing clear of the frame for a while.

Sun Knot Moon

For my FNSI I read a little and stitched a little. I started a new book recently called The Red Pyramid. Not many people know that I am interested in Ancient Egyptian Mythology. I am really enjoying it, even though I find the sister in the book, Sadie, to be incredibly annoying. The gods' personalities are by far my favorite characters.

This book brings Egyptian mythology to this century in an entertaining way. Since it is the first book in the series, I decided I need a bookmark.

I finished the "Sun" Eye of Horus and started work on the Knot of Isis that I drafted my self.

I plan on stitching the "Moon" Eye of Horus as well. The story goes that Set, Horus' brother/uncle, stole Horus' eye. Thoth, the scribe of the gods, made him a new eye from pieces of the moon.

This is what mom had to drink last night. Hmmm ... "Throwback" ... I thought that can't be foreshadowing at all. Within an hour, mom almost threw her back out trying to take out stitches in the quilt that she is quilting for Ant Nicci.

Wildfire!!!

Even though mom and I are not in any of the wildfire zones right now, we are feeling the effects.

The Slurry Bombers fly right over our house every run and they are very close to the ground and very loud.

All in a night's work!!!

How did I start my FNSI? WELL, I started it the best way possible. I went with mom and spent the rest of my shop hop winnings at Harriet's Treadle Arts. These are my goodies. I was so excited that I got to replace mom's big ruler. We don't share rulers well. Kidding, we work well together. I got some little paper pieced block kits to practice my paper piecing. I also got a new spiffy quilt journal to document my finished quilts. I found some sunflower fabric I didn't have so I had to get fat quarters of each of them. Mom also found a fat quarter of a candy cane stripe that I got as well. I am glad that money is spent. It was burning a hole in my purse.

When we got home I settled in and started working on the "n" that I was supposed to get done last month.

After the "n" was finished I worked on my new Saturday sampler block. Mom is giving me her blocks and I am going to make a coffee quilt with an awesome coffee border fabric.

It was still kinda early when the block was done so I started on the "o" I was also supposed to have done last month. I know I am really behind but I am catching up; that's in part to FNSI.

I realized while taking the pictures that I didn't get around to showing off the past few months of blocks, so I got them out to show off. I am very proud of my work so far.

August FNSI

Last night for the FNSI I started a Harry Potter quilt. All the blocks are paper pieced. I am fairly new at paper piecing and not very good. So I couldn't, in good conscience, take a picture of the blocks that I made. I do plan on making them again, at which time I will post their pictures.

I made an Invisibility Cloak block that the colors look pretty good on. You can see Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's legs. I gave Harry denim, Ron maroon (since he hates it), and Hermione purple (for her being a girl).

I made a Lightning Bolt block. I used yellow fairy frost for the bolt. It was the last block that I made, and it turned out the best. I made it while Matt Hardy and Christian were being beaten in the ring by (I have to say it) Dashing Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.

I made 2 different blocks of You-Know-Who's (Voldemort) eyes. I like the red that I used, but I cannot decide which green I like better.

I can say that, even though mom and I didn't win any door prizes on the Rocky Mountain Quilt Fever Shop Hop, I did win one of the 1st prizes. I won the Quilt Shop shopping spree. I used some of the money to buy a background fabric for my Harry Potter quilt and I love it very much. Mom got some beads for her HPV quilt and she is very excited. I got Ant Nicci some tea towels to machine embroider on for herself.

Isn't that something? Mom and I are going to have some fun!

Shop Hop Fever

Today was the first day of the annual Rocky Mountain Quilt Fever Shop Hop 2010. Accompanying us this year was none other than mom's dragon, Singe. He was given to her by the m&m's (her oldest grandson and granddaughter, and her youngest granddaughter) for Mother's Day this year.

I think next year we will bring a quieter companion. Singe talked throughout the whole trip in a voice that was uncannily like Sean Connery.

Singe wanted to have LuLu's MoMo showing for his photo op.

Our first stop was High Prairie Quilts. This was almost our last stop, as well. There was far too much pushing and shoving. I, being in a hurry this morning, forgot to eat anything. I was very short on patience and got on my mom's nerves far too quickly, since she was also upset with some of the other shop hoppers. Singe was not in a good mood, either, when we got back to the car.

Our second stop was Holly's Quilt Cabin. This was a much better experience. We bought some things and really enjoyed ourselves. I bought a peppermint tape measure. We came back to a car with fogged up windows. We had left Singe some water to drink.

We took the time to have lunch at a place we haven't been in a long time, Blimpies. I don't know if the food was better years ago, but it wasn't that good this time. I received a shock as I watched them warm up my meatballs in a GladWare container in a microwave. Singe smelled our sandwiches and, instead of drooling, he had steam coming out of his mouth. He did threaten to toast our subs for us. We told him no. He is still a baby and can't control himself very well.

The third shop was The Creative Needle. Here we saw a very interesting way to work with this year's shop hop fabric.

The fourth stop was Fabric Expressions. I found some very nice charm packs here. We had still not won a door prize at this point.

The fifth stop was The Great American Quilt Factory. This store always has some very cool quilts on the walls and interesting project ideas.

The sixth stop was Harriet's Treadle Arts. Here we bought some quilt cards that we wanted to add to our collection.

The seventh and final stop was Tomorrows Heirlooms. Mom bought a kit and some buttons. I bought some Christmas pins. Singe was not a happy camper. It had started to rain and there was thunder and lightning. He quivered in his car seat and refused to go outside.

We also made an extra stop at The Quilt Store. I got a pattern and some of the fabrics that go along with it. The storm was getting worse, so Singe insisted on coming in with us. He dug his claws into my side.

We had to deal with many complaints as to why Singe couldn't accompany us into the stores. How do you tell a stuffed animal that he is not alive and would be a burden? Not an easy thing to do. When we got home, Singe decided he had too much energy and he jumped in the Jumper.

All in all, a very good day.

What a Night!!!

My FNSI was not all that it was cracked up to be. I didn't get done what I hoped to get done. I had no idea what I was getting into.

My Aunt Nicci went through her projects recently and brought over a kit my mom had bought for her years ago ya know - back when rocks were soft and mist was in the air. Nicci said she would never stitch it, and she hoped mom might be able to exchange it for something else. I knew this project. It happens to be hanging on our living room wall.

My mom is so talented!!!

Unfortunately, the finished one is destined to go to live with my sister the Glamazon someday. So I decided in my infinite wisdom that I would make it for myself to go along with the stitched masterpiece my mom is leaving to me.

WHAT A MESS!!!

I thought, "FNSI - alright - I'll listen to Harry Potter, crack this baby open and get started!" Bum-Bum-Bum "OH MY!!! There is so much floss. And they all appear to be the same color!!!" I spent all night separating my floss and didn't ever get to poke my needle through my fabric. Wah!!!

When I finally got up this morning okay mom - this afternoon I spent an hour and a half separating my floss the right way since I messed them all up last night using the wrong light. Guess mom was right again about needing direct sunlight and a white piece of paper as a backdrop.

The Pursuit of Happiness!!!

Lulu and I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July.

Like Auntia, like Niece!!!

Whodunit?

I did participate in the FNSI. I worked on my J and K.

I also worked on my confetti pineapple quilt. I got the kit a couple years ago. I fell in love with it. It looked like a big bowl of Sherbet. I waited until I could make the blocks with out noticeable mistakes.

So far so good!

As for who took out The Undertaker a couple of weeks ago I still don't know. Although from what I heard and saw on Smackdown last night the Whodunit will be revealed by Kane on Sunday at Fatal 4 Way. THERE WILL BE VENGEANCE!!!

Just another FNSI and a lot of fun and entertainment.

P.S. Mom was so excited about her Buffalo that she came in and watched wrestling for a bit. She has her own opinion about The All American American Jack Swagger.

A round of uh... uh... PAWS

Last night was FNSI and I got to work on my paper pieced BOM. I made the Bear Paw last night and it was like I was in a fight with a real BEAR. But I sucked it up, stitched up my battle wounds and made it through. So here it is:

Hi!!!!

I got the small part of the other block done too. There would have been more, but my battle scars from the Bear Paw were not fully healed and my ego was bruised by my FOUR attempts to get the SMALL piece together.

LuLu wanted to say HI as well.

E, F and G FNSI

So last night I worked on my effing F. It took me all night and I didn't get to start on my effing G. I am using the colorful language that my mother could have sworn I said. It's obvious that she doesn't hear anything I say. Just kidding. She is captivated by my every word, just waiting to laugh her butt off at my unintentional stupidity. For example, when I was searching for fat quarters for my Egyptian quilt, I held one up and asked her if it was too African to be Egyptian. Her reply was, "Melissa, Egypt is in Africa."

Yes, that is a new Mary Engelbreit tin. It has a peep hole and I just love it!!! The fabric at the top is candy canes that mom and I found on our OSSH.

Last night we had pizza, bread sticks, freshly baked french bread (eaten on the way home from the grocery store) and McFlurrys from McDonald's. I have to say that there has to be something inside those things because the moment we started eating them we turned goofy. Okay, okay, more goofy than normal. I mentioned this to mom and she said "I don't think that's what they mean by 'Brain Freeze' Melissa." At that time she was not under its influence. When she did start slurping her McFlurry, she was giggling so much that she got it all over her clothes. She started out with one spot; I turned around and she had five new spots.

Twisted Peppermint!!!

This months Friday Night Sew In was the best I have had yet.

Corned Beef, potatoes, BEER BREAD, and wrestling all in one night would be splendid. If you add working on my peppermint quilt it made my night perfect.

I have blogged about my paper pieced BOM before, but I only decided this week to embroider blocks to make the quilt bigger. I am making the alphabet into candy canes.

Mom found the perfect tin to put my work in. Isn't it just the cutest thing?

The food was great (Thank you mom you are the greatest ever) and the wrestling was pure entertainment, good guys won some and the good guys lost some, all in all a picture perfect night.

Jocelyn: "Better a silly girl with a flower than a silly boy with a horse and a stick."
Wat: "It's called a 'Lance.' Hello?" A Knights Tale

Oh No She Didunt!!!

Mom and I went to our BOM meeting on Saturday morning. She was so excited because we were going to my Ant Nicci's house after and giving my Uncle his quilt. She spent ALL morning taking pictures and we were running really late.

I forgot my special breakfast, Boston cream pie Toaster Streudels, and got real hungry during the meeting. I had asked mom to remind me that we had the Toaster Streudels the night before and she said, "Oh of course I will. You can count on me." HA!!!

I went out to the car to eat a cookie while mom made our purchases, with MY stash card. While I was out there I decided to be the perfect daughter and bring her the cookies. I should also mention that I was wearing my very nice and loud boots.

I walked in to the quilt shop and I hear her talking in the voice that she uses when she is mimicking me saying, "I'm hungry." and started talking bad about my boots. I couldn't believe that my own mother would betray me that way behind my back.

All this time she can hear me walking but didn't put the sound together with it being me. So I walked around to her other side, while all the other people in line and behind the counter are laughing and watching me. I sit down in a chair next to her with my pout face on and said "And here I brought cookies."

She turns and looks at me and laughs, along with everyone else and goes bright red. Not nearly as red as I was already but red. I will say this, I got the bigger laugh in the end.

I made her feel so guilty that she took me to Carl's Jr, I paid of course, so that I could eat something. She got me an extra order of hash browns too, so I felt much better.

The Saturday before, we went to see my Ant Nicci, I gave her an ant I bought at Hancock fabrics. It was a thank you for the book mark that she made for my mom that I confiscated and made my own and for the towel that she actually made for me.

"Operation 'This Will Most Likely End Badly' is a go." Lt. Colonel John Sheppard Stargate Atlantis

Bite Me...

I joined in on the Friday Night Sew in again last night. This is what I got accomplished. I finished reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I can safely say that I know who Jason Bourne is.

I have already given the quilt a name and made all the accouterments match the theme - even the spiral note book has polar bears, which are from the north pole where the elves make all the candy canes.

I got my paper pieced block of the month blocks done. I changed out one of the fabrics because it had ladybugs on it. Now if I liked ladybugs it would be really cute fabric. But ever since I got bitten by one last summer (I swear I was minding my own business, I don't know what I did to upset it) I haven't been able to see a lady bug without cringing and scratching my leg where the HUGE red welt was. So I found some very nice XO fabric to put in its place.

I even got my other block of the month block done. Here are all the blocks so far. I don't really like this quilt at all. None of the blocks are going together like they should. I love all the fabrics and, in theory, they should look good together - but they really don't.

I also worked on my sherry berry quilt and finished the blocks. Now I can put them together.

"What about Jack? I can't leave without him!"
[sees Jack getting chased by cannibals]
"Time to go." Will Turner Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

My Friday Night Delight...

I settled in last night working on three projects. My two wrestling quilts and my little Sherry Berry Christmas quilt. I had the wrestling quilts pieced already, but I needed to get the backs ready. I bought a WWE sheet set and decided to use the fitted sheet as borders and binding for my quilts and use the other sheet as the backing for the big quilt. I decided I would take the pillow cases apart and use them as the backing for the mini wrestling quilt. So last night was spent ripping out seams and pressing them open so that when I finally get around to quilting them, they will be completely ready.

I did all of that watching while WWE Smackdown last night. Last night was not the Friday Night Delight John Morrison's night. He lost his match to Y2J Chris Jericho do to interference by Scotland's own Drew McIntyre.

I took a small break to drink some peppermint coffee and eat sugared kettle corn. While I was doing this, CM Punk SAVED a member the of the WWE Universe by converting him to the Straight Edge life style. To symbolize his rebirth (if you will) they shaved his head. Yeah, great stuff. Right. The highlight of the wrestling night, seeing my beloved Matt Hardy team up with The Great Khali. They didn't win the fatal four way tag team match for a shot at the Undisputed Tag Team titles, held by the ever so deserving DX, but is was still fun to see them tag together.

I was asked to explain my wrestling quilt. Well it is a Smackdown vs. Raw. Smackdown colors are Blue and White. Raw colors are Red and Black. I was very picky about some of the fabric in the quilt. I have chili peppers on red to represent the late great Eddie Guerrero. I also have low rider fabric for him and his nephew Chavo as well. There is animal print for the Animal Batista and food fabric for all the poop and throw up gags that they do every so often. There is also star fabric to represent Edge.

After I finished the seam ripping and the pressing for the backs of the wrestling quilts, Smackdown was not over soooo I decided to work on my little Sherry Berry Christmas quilt. I finished the blocks I had started, and started cutting the fabric for the rest of the blocks. By the time all the cutting was done I was almost through with an episode of Criminal Minds. I laid out the blocks, and then the second episode of Criminal Minds was over and so was my Friday Night Sew In.

Elizabeth: "Yes, the rum is gone."
Jack: "Why is the rum gone?"
Elizabeth: One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me. Do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?
Jack: "But why is the rum gone?" Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl.