Breaking News - First Ribbon!

I misplaced my cell phone over the last few days. It beeped last night about 11:30 pm to let me know it's battery was dead. I had just enough charge to check my messages and lo & behold - Alice called Friday to let me know that her quilt took the first place ribbon for Machine Quilting at their guild's challenge on Thursday! WOW! I'm "an award winning quilter" (ok, let's not get hung up on technicalities . . . . . that it's a tiny guild in a tiny town and may not even actually hand out REAL ribbons ~ let's just enjoy the moment, LOL)




















Yikes! Can't figure out how to turn the picture of Alice's whole quilt, I guess we'll have to tip our heads to see it, sorry ;)

Also, the trapunto wall hanging is done. I am already working on ideas for the next one. It was fun, but a lot of work too. I spoke too soon in the earlier post, by the time all was said and done, I'd snipped the top at least a dozen times -- a couple of them were doozies too! I used "liquid stitch" to repair most of them, only a few still show. I dunked it last night to remove the blue marking and the disolveable thread. I actually have it here at work finishing drying - I couldn't bear to leave it at home ;) I can see lots of areas to improve on the next one. I need to trim the batting even closer ~ and yet, not snip the top so much, sheesh! That will be a task. The shadow coloring worked out wonderfully. I used a hot pink cotton fabric and it shows up as a light rasberry on the top - too cool. I plan to show it at guild next Wednesday (unless I finish the next one first, it will look better!)


Work is fine. Pastor John took this week off for vacation and told me on Tuesday. So we'll have to send the July newsletter out a little late. I'm sure he forgot that I won't be here on Wednesday (quilt guild) so that will push the newsletter back another day . . . . . maybe we should just send postcards that say, "not much news, watch for the August newsletter" lol!

Ok, off to get some work done, while I daydream about my next project (it will have purple for its' shadow coloring, and should be easier to trim!)

Quilt stuff

Ok, on the quilting front, no quilts were ruined in the flood :)
I finished the last quilt in house yesterday. It was for Alice, the lady who did some ripping out for me. I do still have over a dozen baby quilts and 5-7 QoV's, etc. to do for charity. And, the LQS has two T-shirt quilts for me to come get this weekend, or early next week.

I took advantage of the lull and worked on my little Trapunto wall hanging. This was a technique I learned in the class with Karen McTavish. I have chosen a celtic interlocking heart border. I marked and quilted it with the vanish thread last night. I did some of the trimming away, but have way more to do. They say this is the most laborious part of Trapunto. So far, no snips to the quilt top - yeah!!

I'm hoping to get this done in time to show at Quilt Guild next month during Show & Tell. It will be my first Show and Tell, cross your fingers!!

first the flooding

Wow! Columbus flooded last weekend - and it got us! I'll look for some pics, but it was just astounding. Many, Many people lost everything, and these were home not in flood plains - thus - no flood insurance. You know it's bad when there is a FEMA assistance center set up in your town!

We sat on our just completed deck and watched the water all Saturday evening. By 3:30 am Tim and I were walking down the street to check the levels on a stop sign, and having the "well, do we stay or do we go?" conversation. Never thought that would happen. We stayed and by morning, the water was in our yard, it got into the barn some and we had at least 3 feet in the basement. Had to unplug the freezer and fridge down there. By Sunday evening, the fridge had tipped over in the water and was floating on its' back - seriously spooky looking! At least the freezer and fridge were mostly empty due to losing everything in both of them and cleaning them out only a week before. Only the hamburgers for the church picnic that was to happen Sunday were in the freezer, all 120 of them ;) I'll get to dispose of rotten hamburger , ugh! But at least it's not CHICKEN, ask me how I know which is worse ;)

Now it is 10 days later and we are still pumping a few inches out of the basement several times a day. The ground is so saturated that the pressure is forcing water into the basement. Until the water table drops this will be a problem (translation: please God, no more rain!) We have to replace the water heater for sure, most likely the furnace too. Tim hauled off two truckloads of drywall & debris.

We are just grateful it's not worse. As close as we live to the river, it certainly could have been. I've marked the flood line in Sharpie marker and it is officially worse than the last "big one" in 1913 - wow.