Forty Eight

Forty-eight pieces in this 12" Friendship block. I made it today for a 1930s block swap. It's a cute block and easy as pie. I found the pattern in Eleanor Burns' book.

I turned 48 yesterday. That's not in dog years either. How the heck did that happen? Time flies when you're having fun. My family showered me with neon blossoms and dinner at my favorite restaurant. Hubby gave me crabs too. If you haven't read my previous posts that might sound really bad. I've been getting crabs on my birthday since I was a little kid.

And speaking of 48, I believe I need stronger glasses. I'm still on the baby step bifocals. I may need big girl bifocals. Hand sewing these English Paper Pieces for a Grandmother's Flower Garden block gave my eyes a workout. At least with the bad eyes, I can't see all the bad stitches. Maybe I don't need stronger bifocals.

Our guild's July block of the month is the Disappearing Four Patch in red, white and blue. I whipped up these two. We have a drawing each month and someone takes home all the blocks. It's so fun to see what everyone comes up with. We have a really talented group.

Crabalicious

The blue crabs were delicious. Here they are in live form. They were feisty. Did you know that the female crabs have red-tipped claws? You can easily determine the sex of a crab by looking at the underside. See the one turned upside down? That's a female. I just recently found out that she-crabs paint their nails! I also found out what the mustard inside them is, but I won't scare you with that bit of knowledge.

Here are the crabs after we've steamed them. The beers are just props. ;)

"Float" by Yumi

"Together" by Yumi

"Heart" by Yumi

Just look at these three gorgeous art quilts made by my friend Yumi in Japan. She made these for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. They are all so unique. The hand quilting is so pretty and I love the fabrics she uses. Some of the fabrics are from kimonos.

Yumi also sent me my favorite brie-flavored Cheeza crackers and other fun snacks. She also included some fabric covered buttons and button forms too. I shall repay her in funky fabric and Badia Sazon Tropical, which is a Cuban seasoning I have her hooked on.

Sunday Stash #26

Five swoon-worthy fats that were on sale.

Oh Heather Ross, you are so clever. Look at the dachshund in the pink sweater. Or how about that teacup puppy?

Bones chilling in a polka dot sea.

Raise the Roof!

Photo by: 11805242650440524

I'm going to eat me a mess of these crustaceans later today. I hope they're large and have plenty of mustard inside.

Photo by Austin Clements

My son captures a raise-the-roof moment in water.

Let the Weekend Begin!

Whew! What a busy week. Luckily, I was swamped with work. No exciting design jobs, but plenty of rush work and fire fighting. Kept me out of trouble. But now the weekend is here! And it's a three-day weekend. Trouble, here I come! Woo hoo!

This adorable little AAQI quilt was made by one of my doll quilt swappers. It measures 8.5" x 11" and has 56 of those teeny tiny one-inch yo-yos! Wow! My buddy Yumi is sending me more AAQI quilts from Japan. I can't wait! I'll show you when they get here.

This colorful Americana quilt was made for me as part of Bumble Beans 15 Minutes Play site. This was the first finished quilt by this quilt maker! She did a great job.

 I did sneak in some sewing time to make another bag. This one is for a Mikey fan.

This 7" x 7" mug rug was finished a while ago.

I played around with scraps and a wonky star for this mini. It measures about 11" square and I attempted some free motion quilting with my feed dogs UP. The tension looked pretty good. I have less tension success when my feed dogs are down.

Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend.

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Three little miniature quilts 9" x 12" and under for the AAQI (Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative). If you haven't heard of this organization, you can find more information right here. Making these little quilts is a great way to use up scraps, practice crumb piecing, applique and paper piecing. I also did single fold binding on all three. It's always fun to learn something new.

Now to name them. Any suggestions would be VERY welcome!

Lake Life and Sunscreen

College Boy on the Dock

We spent part of Sunday out on the lake. It was a beautiful day and both kids (and mom!) braved wake boarding and skiing. The death wish tube got left behind, thank goodness. As I type this post with my nose, because I'm ancient and should not be water skiing, I will also add that even the fit and skinny teens were whining about sore muscles. It appears that being towed by a ski rope at high speeds is not kind on the muscles no matter what your age. Sure is fun though! And what a treat to have the entire family together for a little sun and fun.

I whipped up this easy tote for a new summer boat bag. Thanks Noodlehead! Love your blog! Your tutorials are so clever and nicely written. I'm the one that carries all the sunscreen, lip balm, hand sanitizer, hair clips, dry clothes, towels, camera, and snacks, so I need my tote.

I've lived my entire life in Florida and my skin has paid for it. Back in the day, we didn't have sunscreen. Yep, I'm that old. I burned (and blistered!) many times during annual lobstering vacations in the Keys and while playing outside. My dermatologist probably gets downright giddy when I make my appointment. I've been carved on, biopsied, frozen, lectured, and more. I thought this video was informative and to the point. Funny, I ran across it as a public service message from one of my favorite bloggers. Small world. A world that revolves around the sun. So wear sunscreen and get a screening from a dermatologist if you've ever been sunburned. It can't hurt.