My new playmate.

Okay, okay, okay. I know I've been really bad about not blogging on a regular basis - but I've got some great excuses - really I do! First, we've had a miserable heat wave so we've not hiked as much as usual - some days we couldn't even sit outside. Second, I've been spending way too much time sewing and since I've been working on quilts that are gifts, I've not wanted to post pictures. Third, I have a new playmate.

This is my Janome Horizon Memorycraft 7700 QCP - and she's every bit as wonderful as her impressive name. I still love my original Janome - but she's a toy next to this sweet baby!

After selling some old gold jewelry (at ridiculous prices!)the hunt was on for a machine with a wider throat - the measurement from needle to base. My small Janome measures 6 1/2 inches. Most full size machines measure 8 to 10 inches. I even looked at mid-arm machines. Then I found my Horizon. The throat measures a full 11+ inches! My goal is to learn to machine quilt so I can save the money I'm now spending to send my quilts out to be done on a long arm. The cost runs $150-$225 for each quilt so I figure if I make 10 quilts - my new machine pays for its self.

This is the "Lucky Stars" quilt I made for Bill's granddaughter Sidney. I really enjoyed making this pattern and it was wonderful working with girl colors - since all my grandchildren are boys.

I thought this pattern for a French Braid sampler would be easy - but I was wrong. I enlarged the size of the quilt and putting it all together was much more difficult than it would have been otherwise. I do love the colors and had a really good time selecting the fabric for this one. Parts of this quilt come from states from Florida to Colorado. We may have eaten our way through Louisiana, but I quilt shopped my way through the other states! This quilt was a gift for Bill's grandson, Camron - Sidney's brother.

This close-up of the machine quilting shows the cool pattern - aptly named "Fireworks."

Even though we have three hummingbird feeders hanging around the patio - the birds still enjoy the organic sweet treats at our hanging baskets.

We've had a few Black-capped Grosbeaks at the feeders.

This House Finch family was comical. The new fledglings (the ones with the bad hair) would sit on, and even in, the feeders and yell for papa to feed them! He did.

Check out this cloud! It was right over our patio. We watched it swirl for about 20 minutes.

Bill's sister moved to a beautiful new home in Littleton - so we went to visit. The first time I walked by the dinning room table I noticed this silly centerpiece - it was all smashed down and lopsided. I thought it was really strange that she kept it on the table looking so sad -- until I noticed this scene a little later. Her one-eyed kitty used the centerpiece as a bed!

Thanksgiving and My First Quilting Projects

Bill and I spent Thanksgiving week in Maryland with daughter Pamela and her family.

This is my youngest grandson, Sebastian. We were at a birthday party for one of their friends.

One of the activities was pony rides - and Sebastian wanted nothing to do with them! He wouldn't even pet one. The entire time he was playing on the slide he kept telling me "no pony, drandma."

Pamela had a good time visiting with the other parents. Here she is showing off her baby-belly. Leandro is due to arrive in April. Yep, another boy.

The only time Gabriel will sit still enough for me to get a picture is when he is watching TV. He's still very active, but since starting kindergarten, he has matured quite a bit. I was thrilled to see that he is learning to read and write. Two of his classes - math and creative writing - are with the first-graders.

On Thanksgiving, we had 16 people for a sit-down turkey dinner. Pamela did a beautiful job and set a wonderful, warm and welcoming table. We all pitched in and helped with the food - but Pam did most of the work. By evening, we were all stuffed and exhausted.

Our plan was to stop in Kure Beach, NC to visit my sister and her "dh" (dear husband) but we were both battling nasty bugs and decided to head back to Ocala early and recuperate.

Before we left for the holiday, I bought myself a new sewing machine - and I LOVE it! I had wanted to try my hand at quilting for sometime and a friend advised me to get a better machine so that I will really enjoy it. My cheap Singer was not the machine. This is a portable Janome (so I can easily carry it to classes) with lots of cute stitches, a needle threader and automatic thread cutter.

My first attempt didn't turn out too bad. It still needs binding, quilting and backing - but it's a start. At least I learned how to use the machine so I will be ready for the beginner quilting class in January. The pattern is Yellow Brick Road and I selected the fabric from a batch of fat quarters I bought on sale from the local quilt shop.


This is my next project - a purse. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The squares are part of a "charm pack" - so I didn't have to pick the fabric, but I did have to arrange them. Fabric choice and arrangement, I fear, will be my greatest challenge.

This is the quilt top I'm currently working on. I'm afraid it's going to be too busy - but I'm making it for a busy boy so maybe it will be okay.

There are three different squares - I have two sets finished. I'll work on the third set later today - but now I'm headed to exercise class!