Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Back home again

Hi everyone! (waving wildly) Did you miss me?  I certainly missed you!  That was a longer time away than I had planned, but what can I say?  We had perfect weather and a tiny grandson to chase around.  Wouldn't you have stayed longer?  I actually forgot how fast toddlers can be.  That little boy was into everything.  But it was a great, great time.  Plus, I am now allowed to tell you all that we are going to be grandparents again!  To twins!  Yes, they are expecting a boy and a girl at the end of the year.  We are beyond thrilled. How much happiness can one family stand?

We got home to an almost-finished renovation, too.  All that's left is paint and trim, though I think we both know that those things can take forever, too.  Then I get to go shopping for some furniture and rugs! (I may have done some of that already.)

Needless to say, there has not been a lot of sewing going on, what with all the traveling.  I did take a hand project with me, though:


This is a Bridal Bouquet or Nosegay . some blocks that I've been basting and English paper piecing as we go.  I basted more of them than I put together, though, so I still have a bunch of parts to stitch.


I got a package of precut papers from Paper Pieces, which made everything really easy. The papers are HERE, and I got the 10-inch blocks. Bigger pieces, you know. The fabrics are all scrap pieces, which has made for some fun and interesting combinations.

And of course I carried everything around in this great zipper pouch that Preeti made for me:


The bonus for using this is that it makes a great place to stick threaded needles in the car. Plus it kept everything all together so I never left anything behind.  (Which we all know is a real possibility with me!)  And don't worry, no needles ever went near a curious toddler, though I'm sure he would have loved discovering those.

So that's just a small update from here, just to let you know I'm still alive and back to it.  I did do some planning for some fun projects for the fall, too, and I'm ready to get to them.  First, though, I'm hoping to have the Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt finished this week, so be sure to come back to see if I've succeeded.

Hope you are having a lovely end to the summer!

Sharing at Let's Bee Social and Oh Scrap!

16 comments:

Jo said...

Oh wow. That's great news. How exciting come Christmas time. You will be busy then. I get very tired after I have been with the grandies for a few days,,,

piecefulwendy said...

Congratulations to you all! What fun! So glad you had a nice visit. Your EPP project is lovely, as is the bag from Preeti.

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Twins for Christmas - what a present!

Julierose said...

Oh this is lovely--I am going to be working on a small EPP dresden as soon as my papers and template come in..love EPP
congrats on the twins..how wonderful ;)))) hugs, Julierose

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Oh congratulations - a twofer!!!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Congratulations on the twins -- what fun all of you will have!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Congratulations on the twins! Wow! That is the way I would have done it, have a litter all at once.

glen

JanineMarie said...

Oh what happy news!!! I predict a lot of happy quilting for the next few months before all the baby snuggling begins. When the babies come, your little grandson will suddenly seem very big! Your nosegay block is sweet. I envy you being able to stitch in the car. For some reason I get carsick if I sew in the car. Have fun with the last of the kitchen reno!

Preeti said...

Welcome back, dear friend. I have missed you. Of course, I was always in your thoughts - I can see :-) Twins - aha!!!
I think it is time to plan another quilty get-together.

Kate said...

Glad you had a wonderful trip. I love your Bridal Bouquet block. Very pretty. Hope you are able to get back to stitching soon. Congrats on the pending new additions. Twins, wow!

Sara said...

Welcome back! Congratulations on the new babes coming! I have twin grandchildren - double the blessing, but that first year will be a blur for the busy parents. Grandma needs to get busy making baby quilts for those new babies.

PaulaB quilts said...

Wonderful news, what a happy grandma you are! Your nose gay is delightful. Hard to believe those well chosen pieces are all from,scraps. Enjoy buying furniture. Have a fun week!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That is fun news, Mari! I loved seeing your hand stitching project, and the zipper pouch looks very useful. Enjoy your newly remodeled space!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Welcome back and congratulations!

Love that nose gay block. Great fabric choices. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

Karen's Korner said...

Such a pretty block. What exciting news.

Anne Ida said...

Love the Nosegay block! Congrats on the happy news :-)