Stupid data limits!!!

So, somehow I used up all of this month's data in the first week of my data cycle (thanks for almost nothing, Hughesnet!).  I am still blaming Windows 10 updates, which I can no longer decide when or if to download.  Anyway, it is very hard to create a blog post when you can't get on the internet.  (I know the world is dying to hear my random thoughts.)
So I am combining a couple of the posts I would have made into one while I have a few minutes of "bonus"- very early in the morning- data to use.   When I have had time to play in the sewing room, I have been playing.  Kind of silly when I'm sure I have things I should be working on.  I'm tired of deadlines and have-to's at the moment.
Anyway.....


I had to move the giant bin of felted sweaters for some reason and dug through them in  one of those "I should get rid of these" moments.  I ran across the instructions for these.
Easy, but not really quick.  I'll probably use them as Christmas gifts. I don't know for who(m?)












Recently Kiara came to me because she had bumped her head, and needed an ice pack.  I asked her where mom keeps the boo-boo bunny.  She had no idea what that was.

So I made this for her from a sock, using this book.  It's filled with rice.  I told her to keep it in the freezer, but I think she is sleeping with it.















 As long as I had been digging through the books of stuffies, I decided I needed this creature, from this book.  (I have always felt they had me in mind when they added the subtitle)














The patterns are tiny, so you enlarge them to a size you want.  I think I want this guy to be a bit bigger.  His mouth is a pocket! 

(Or you can just let him stick his tongue out at people.)



















 I have also gone back to making some "opulent ornaments" - or Sparkly Balls, as I call them.


 I still don't love the ones I've made from this fabric.  I have a lot of the fabric, too.  Hmmm, maybe a spring dress instead? 

I have a great piece of Christmas colored fabric, with these small green motifs in between the main design. 

 I just can't get pictures of them where the sparkles show, but they're still pretty!






























This is the quilt I made for my demo at Guild last week.  (Suddenly even the pictures I post from my camera are turning sideways.  I don't know why and nothing I do stops it.  Some days technology is just not my friend.)

This started out as an in-process sample for a scrap therapy class project.  Now it will be a donation.

I love this heart pattern I found in one of my machine quilting books.  I improvise the border to match.

I cannot even try to make a decent "green" segment this time.  I will only say if you care about the threat of climate change, make your voice heard.  People who think it's myth need to be shown that there are enough of us who believe the science, so they know we will not allow them to turn back all the progress we have been making in recent years.  

I am grateful for:

Keeping in touch 

Being someone's therapy

Sewing time (always!)

My new frost free freezer

The days work is not a threat to my health

My first Modern Quilt

After the April Guild meeting, the ArtCGirlz decided to do a modern quilt challenge.  I missed the deadline of having it in the quilt show, but just barely.

 I didn't even enter it because at the entry deadline, it looked like this.

















I got a small pack of 2 1/2 inch squares from one of the vendors at the Syracuse "quilt week".  I stuck them up on the small design surface in the sewing room, and realized they almost matched the leftover blocks from my "Xcentric" quilt.  Here are a couple of different arrangements I played with.  (the butterfly behind them is one of my older UFO's)




















After looking at it on the larger design wall (above) for a couple of weeks, I decided to just do it.  First, I assembled the Four patches and added the floating squares.  I just couldn't decide what to do with that second leftover block.










Finally I decided to take it apart, and realized that was just what I needed!
I had gotten some matching solids in Denver, but didn't like it when I added them in.  So it sat for another couple of days until the answer came to me- negative space quilting!

I did like the different sized squares, so that's how I did it. 
















The rest is just done with straight lines, something I love but don't do enough of.  As it turned out, I had it finished the day before we turned quilts in for the show.  Who'd a thunk it?

 The only hard part after that was deciding which way was up.  Hubby decided it was this way.  I call it "X and Why"

The year has caught up to my coloring on the calendar!  It's a 2016 calendar, but I plan to use the pages from a dollar store calendar with these pictures next year. 

I was saddened by this article in USA today yesterday.  I do my best, but I can see my responsibility here.  Can you?

A polar bear pauses while exploring an area of sea ice in Alaska, in this file photo, date unknown. Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to its fourth-lowest level on record this summer. (Photo: Martin Jeffries, Associated Press)

I am grateful for:
Cait giving me as much time as I want with JOnathan
A good friend who understands
I was able to keep my mouth shut
DVR and DVD's for the many nights when there is NOTHING on tv
Reassurance