I'm in Ketchikan, Alaska, visiting friends and fishing. We caught our limit of halibut (2 each at about 25 pounds) and quite a few coho salmon. My friend Karen, who is the woman who inspired me to start quilting two years ago, took me to the local quilt shop. It was quite a wonderful shop. Lots of batiks with native themes - salmon, halibut, totems, orcas, ravens, etc. I have too many quilts underway to buy any more fabric at this time, but I did buy a pattern for a small, paper-pieced Christmas tree wall hanging. It's beautiful country up here.

I'm helping DD run a girl scout workshop tomorrow to teach her fellow scouts how to make the neck coolers. This is the almost final step to her Silver award project! RIght now my sewing room's quite a mess with 4 machines lined up ready to go, and other tools packed.

Sunday is DS's cub scouts raingutter regatta.

Hoping to get everything back in order, and then to do some retreat planning and prepping. Still have a little more school stuff to prep too... Would normally start school after Labor Day, but since 2 days that week will be gone for Retreat, have to be ready to start school Monday after retreat.

Enjoying beautiful 70-80 degree weather here! Hasn't reached more than 82 all week, with sun and breezes!! Aaahhh, nice!

The weather is delightfully pleasant for August in the mid-Atlantic and i'm headed to an Italian festival in the big city on saturday.... Sausage and cannoli here we come! Sunday will spend a little time working off the cannoli and hope to bond with my sewing machine and make another block for the August lotto.
V.

Yes! I've started an Irish Chain quilt (so much more fun start something new than finish old projects, not sure why that is!).... Work was dreadful today and I can't wait to sit down in front of my machine and sew my stress away :o) I'll be working on it all day tomorrow too. I didn't know you made an Irish Chain (or a 9 patch block) by strip piecing.... I thought you cut little squares and sewed them together.... so much easier and faster to strip piece!

My Bernina is still in the shop... the tech called on Monday and said the problem was definitely that the thread cutter blade had gone dull and he'd order a new one, but he'd be on vacation when it arrived, so I won't get the machine back until the end of next week sometime. Sewing machine techs shouldn't get vacations when they have my machine... how dare he!?

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

I'm still making hair bows for my dd. This version has the schools name embroidered on one of the ribbons. I'm getting the hang of these and they are turning out really cute :-) Tomorrow is date day with my dh. Movie, dinner and shopping for a dress for 2 weddings next month. Then more sewing on Sunday :-)

Robbi

My quilting misses me. Busy with the last hurrah in the vegetable garden, trying to get all the fall/winter crops in and the summer mess cleaned out. There are tomatoes in bowls, trays and buckets waiting to be canned and today is my oldest g'son's twenty first birthday. There is a cake waiting to be made. I suspect I may get a couple blocks of the last two borders done this weekend.

Lindaoh; hope all tests come back with good results. I, too am having a dry spell due to this old body breaking down. Waiting for results of hip x-rays to see whether I can have a new one.
Theresa

I'm kind of sewing. I saw a QOV someone made that I really liked. I think it's a quarter Log Cabin block...it might be called a half but, technically would be a quarter. So, I drew it out from what I could see of a block...still don't know if it's how they did it, but it looks good to me. Made four of them (10 1/2" unfinished), sewed them together and I have a Log Cabin Pinwheel. This one is blue and white, and I have strips cut for red and white. I really don't care for sewing Log Cabins, but since these strips are 2 1/2" and it isn't a true Log Cabin, I'm ok with it....for now.

LindaOH, I'm sorry you're having health problems. Keep us updated, please.
Lois, There were a few quilt shops I was able to visit while in Alaska, and I'd say you are a strong person to be able to walk out with a small pattern. lol Were you able to get your fish shipped home?
Robbi, Hair bows must be in vogue as Salijo is making them, too. But she makes them for little ones.
Theresa, Hips and knees......good thing they've learned how to replace them, eh?

SharonG/FL

I worked on 1 tree block. Sewing but not quilting, I made a maternity skirt for Tia and 6 cloth diaper inserts. The weekends not over so maybe more trees with take shape :-)

Vicky

I got one quilt bound yesterday. Only 2 more to go. I hate binding... I also cut out parts for 2 quilts for my cousin's twins. I will probably bring these and another one to retreat to work on. I still have my Easy Street on the frame. I am quilting it with a leafy panto. I quilt one row every now and then in between storms.

Jackie

I haven't posted in a while. I'm not quilting this weekend, but I am making cocktail napkins and sewing favour bags for my daughter's bridal shower and her wedding. I've been really busy with wedding tasks. I'm anxious to finish.. as I have a couple of projects I really want to do, but I am enjoying the wedding planning.

Hand quilting is the process of using a needle and thread to sew a running stitch by hand across the entire area to be quilted. This binds the layers together.