…is my entry for the Alzheimers Challenge Auction. My quilt is due August 1 and I think my entry will be the one that shows up at Ami's door on that very day. This year's challenge has a hockey theme and we even have pictures!

This is a project that I can build in front of you as I go (no secrets!) so I thought you might want to see the line drawings for my house blocks.

This is the page from my notebook that I worked from:

I'm going to add rickrack and ribbon and beads and buttons to dress up the houses. The blocks will be 4" x 4". The 2" borders will have these words:

I'm not sure how I will put the words on the borders. I'd like to applique them but it will depend on the time I have to finish it.

I applique at night and I took the last stitch in my current project on Friday night. Tonight I should be cutting out templates.

Seriously, 7 days have passed and while I thought about writing a post, I never was able to stop long enough to do it. Here’s a quick catch-up:

Lafayette was wonderful! I left during a flashy thunderstorm and am back in Texas where it may not rain until fall. We are looking at a long, hot, dry summer. It happens.

I spent a full day catching up on the papers on my desk. Now that I have both mine and mom’s it takes longer. Her stuff is still in transition so it seems that there is always another address to change or call to make. That will get better.

Linda and I have worked on finishing the manuscript for the next book. Here’s a small sample of what you will see in about a year…

I quilted some more. Still loving the Sweet Sixteen. I promise details in a few days. This is where I hope to pick up today:

It is still in the machine where I was when I shut down Friday afternoon.

We had everyone for dinner last night: Chris and Lorna and Jack, my mom and sister. Jack stayed overnight and we watched Star Wars and ate popcorn – what a night!

This morning Jack and I took mom to Lowe’s to buy flowers for her flower beds. Mom’s birthday is on Easter this year and I’ll be out of town. I often plant flowers for her for her birthday and mother’s day combined. We all went back to the duplex and got them in the ground. I’ve also done some planting at my house – and, yes, I have a gnome. I just couldn’t help myself.

And, last but not least, I’ve started amassing the stuff I can’t forget to take with me when I go on the road again. I leave April 15 for Toronto where I teach for two different guilds. I leave there and fly to Paris (via Boston) where I’ll meet up with Linda, and Linda’s sister (Judy) and cousin (Paula) for 5 days! After that Linda and I go on to teach at the quilt show in Nantes. This is one of those trips where instead of packing more it’s important to pack less. So I’m trying to really be careful about what I pack, hence the growing pile on my dresser.

I promise to write more posts this coming week. I do think there’s chance that things may be a little less hectic!

I am teaching Lafayette, LA, right now. The ladies in my classes have been just lovely (and I must say that the food is also wonderful!)

Today one of my students, Cindy, gave me this lovely bag and I really thought I should share it with you. I don't often receive (and I never expect to receive) gifts from students. Cindy is already an accomplished appliquér. She works with a lot of wool, and cotton, and she hooks rugs. She does more but at that point i was just too impressed to remember more.

She said she often makes these bags for teachers. Aazing! That black fabric is waterproof shearling that she said she can't find any more. It feels like velvet and is stretchy. The appliqué is wool. It is now in my purse and will go with me everywhere. Thank you seems insufficient for such a nice present!

Sent from my iPad

Every now and then we get requests from quilters looking for a Piece O' Cake fabric that we no long have in stock. Out of stock fabric is not easily found on ebay or other websites. I thought I'd try adding a list on the blog to see if quilters who desperately need a bit of an old fabric can connect with a quilter who can help them out. You can see the list over there in the right-hand column.

The first person on this list is Kaye who really really needs some of this fabric:

I haven't figured out how to add photos to the list – they have to be part of a blog post. What that means is that you are more likely to get your request on the list if you send me a good photo, not bigger than 1000 pixels wide.

I can't promise to post all requests, but I will try to be helpful. Please let me know when to remove a request from the blog.

…to the sea. If you are old enough you are already singing the lyrics in your head.

Karen Kay Buckley shared a link with friends (and I'm lucky enough to be one) of a webcam focused on a bald eagle nest in the Norfolk Botanical Garden. This photo is dark because I took the screenshot in the waning light of the day. Click here to go to the sight and see the adult and their babies in real time. Daylight is better. I'm not sure what you can see in the dark because I haven't tried that – but I'll bet you don't see much.

Now that I've visited the site I find myself checking in on the birds. How fast we form links to animals, especially baby ones!

It does make one wonder though… where else might a quilter enjoy a real-time webcam? I'd suggest my studio wall but then you might catch me and/or Steve walking in less-than-presentable dress in front of the camera.

The birds are singing, spring has sprung in north Texas and I am quilting like crazy on my new Sweet Sixteen!

In between my manicure (so that my nails look pretty on camera in class this weekend) and mom's pedicure, and two trips to the pharmacy, I am trying to finish this quilt for Spring Market.

You'd think I have lots of time for this but I'm traveling a lot between now and market. I have to finish this quilt, and one small quilt for our next next book, and there are about 10 days total to do it in. I hope that helps to explain the lack of postings :-).

As I sit and quilt, this amaryllis is blooming in the window…

My friend, Helen, gave me a dish with three amaryllis bulbs. The dish is actually a wonderful loaf-sized baking dish that I know we are going to love.

This is a really nice birthday present and I am really enjoying them as I sew and sew and sew…

I'll write more on the Sweet Sixteen later. I'm learning as I go but so far I can say that I LOVE this machine.