Time's Flying

Back in February my daughter Kelley asked if we would like to go to Las Vegas with them.  Sounded good.  Then my daughter Kim and her husband decided to go to.  It seemed so far away....that is till this week.  We leave very early Sunday morning and leave Vegas at 8:00pm on Friday.  So much to do...so little time.

In the mean time I finally finished my latest Scrap Squad quilt top.  The latest Quiltmaker Magazine is out and in it is the original quilt.  You will be surprised when you see the scrap squad versions.

I showed you a picture of a 12" quilt that I made following Cheri Payne's directions on her blog.  I believe it is called Georgia's Star.  Well I got it quilted and here is what it looks like.

I had forgotten that I bought this stand at a quilt show in Kalamazoo earlier in the year.  It was just perfect to display this quilt.

My next project is basted and ready to quilt.

It is paper pieced and went together quickly.  The border fabric has cherries on it.   I'm going to hand quilt it.

Another project I've been working on is an on going project.   It is made from leftover half square triangles and trimmings from various projects.  This is the third such top I have made.

I really like these broken dish blocks that I get from leftovers.  These blocks finish at 3".  I have others at 2 1/2" and 2".  They are so much fun to make.

Last time I showed you my one peony blossom.  Well the other one finally blossomed.

 It is a much deeper color and is really pack tight.  I love both of them.

Well, it is really chilly here in Michigan.  It will be in the 90's and 100's while in Vegas.  And I don't do well in the heat.  Guess I just have to stay in the casino till evening...lol  We are going to be staying at the Luxor.  So if you don't hear from me for a while you'll know why.

Wishing you a quilty day!

Hugs, Cathy

Quilts, Tigers, Flowers, and Birds

First the quilt.  I entered this little quilt in this weeks "Quilting Gallery" contest.  The contest is for miniatures.  I made this quilt from a photo I took while living up north.  Voting starts tomorrow.  Their blog is listed on my side bar of blogs I follow.  Soooo....if you would be so kind I would love for you to vote for my little quilt.  Thanks in advance.

Tuesday night my daughter Kelley and her husband Chris took my Husband and I to the Detroit Tigers game.  They played the Indians and won....took over 1st place.  My favorite pitcher Justin Verlander pitched a shut out.  Sorry the picture of him is so fuzzy.  Weather was great, game was fantastic and a good time was had by all.

Wednesday Terry (hubby) and I went for a ride and had a picnic.  We went to Kensington Metro Park.  After we went for our picnic we walked on one of their many walking trails.

First we saw this cute little turtle.  It is only about 4" long.

Then we came across this black snake basking in the sun.

This mother Sandhill Crane was taking her young for a walk in a field.

These miniature rose type flower had such an aroma.  With a slight breeze blowing it wasn't too bad.  But if it were really hot out the aroma would have been sickening.

We came across this flower in a wet swampy area.  I know it is some type of orchid but not sure what.  I thought it would make a nice picture quilt.

The birds at this park are so used to people that they come right up to you.  This Cardinal was flitting around us for a good part of our walk.  You are allowed to bring bird seed with you and feed the birds.  We didn't do it this time.  But a Downy Woodpecker did land on my husband's hand but left so quickly that I couldn't get a picture.

We took a different trail for a short time.  It had an elevated boardwalk that encircled a small lake.  I had to get a picture of these Water Lilies. 

The last thing we saw was the above picture.  Sorry its fuzzy but these nest were high up in a tree on an island in the center of the lake.  Know what they are?....Give up?....If you guessed Great Blue Heron's you are right.  There was an adult and 3 babies.  It was a real treat.

Today we were exhausted from our travels and didn't do too much.  No sewing for me, although I do have some hand applique calling my name.

Hope you are enjoying your evening and had a wonderful day.

Hugs, Cat

I almost forgot....tonight is Friday Night Sew-In.  Be there or be square...lol

What Fantastic Weather

Sorry to go on and on about the weather but I've been enjoying it.  More on that later....

The latest Barbara Brackman CW block.  One of the few projects I'm actually keeping up with.

This is my latest Alzheimer's quilt.  I used the 15 minutes play method.  I made this quilt in about a half hour.  It is all sandwiched and I plan on hand quilting it today.  You might remember the last quilt I made for Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative..."Scraps of Hope".  I'm happy  to say that it sold for $40.00.   If you can... make a quilt, if you can't... buy a quilt.  It all goes for a great cause.   Click here to see all the wonderful quilts made for this cause.

Now back to the weather.  It was so nice out yesterday.  Hubby and I went out to Stoney Creek Metro Park.  We stopped and picked up Subway and had a picnic.  But first we walked.

We walked along Stoney Creek.  It was a nice shady walk, at first.  Then we walked in the sunshine.  Very hot and a good workout.

We saw some wonderful wild flowers.  And I had a devil of time getting a picture of this dragon fly.  Most of my pictures were of just the greenery. 

When we got home I went out in the backyard and found that my peonies had blossomed.  These flowers mean a lot to me.  They came from my parents home up north.  After Dad passed away and we were clearing out the house we decided to dig up the peonies.  These plants were transplanted from every home my parents lived in...  They would be very happy to know that they are with me now.

Wishing you a quilty day and lots of sunshine.

Hugs, Cat