More good times!

Yesterday we snagged the classroom at Leah's quilt store and we filled it with people and projects! (Click on pix to enlarge!)















Karene pinned the quilt she made for the upcoming fundraiser for the Tug McGraw Foundation. She designed and made this quilt, from idea, to completed quilt top, and it's sew pretty!
















Ms.Yvette (better known as the Obsessive Quilter!) has in the range of a DOZEN block of the month quilts going, simultaneously, and still found time to make this new quilt top.....she and Ellen are trying to figure out something involving a ruler....I'm actually not sure what the issue was.
















Yvette's quilt top uses an interesting technique I had not seen before, a little like the rag quilt that Karen made, in that you leave exposed raw edges throughout, and after washing, it will frey and have a whole new, different look. It's already sew cute, but I'm anxious to see what the final quilt looks like after the freying takes place.















We had a "newbie" with us and we did our dead level best to get her hooked on quilting! Janet is Karen's best friend TiJae's mom, and such a sweet person! I hope we didn't scare her to death and that she comes back on Memorial Day to work on her table runner some more (even though we sort of messed it up.....it still has the potential to be really gorgeous, though smaller than we originally thought!! Thank heavens we had Ellen to help us read that pattern!!)

Here she is admiring her perfectly executed center block!















Jenny was working on something new! Such pretty fabrics! She picked a neat pattern and I look forward to seeing it progress!















TiJae was working on a mask for the upcoming masquerade birthday party that she, Carol and Karen are having (their birthdays are on three consecutive or nearly consecutive days, later this month). She is very creative (and a lot of fun!) and I really admire her talent! (She also brought me a lovely rose bouquet for Mother's Day!! Did I mention she's extremely sweet!?!)




















Carol was working on a beautiful kimono-type party dress. I didn't manage to get a picture that showed her material (a beautiful Asian print in almost an aquamarine color). She put it on at the end and it's going to be amazing.















Karen worked on finishing up a quilt for a friend who lives in Alaska. This friend loves batiks and loves purples. I think she has that nailed! (I had some in my stash that Deb gave me, and I had to guard them closely! She kept eyeing them!!) I think she did a gorgeous job on this! She's going to finish it with a simple meander and off it will go to its new home.















At one point I was concentrating on what I was sewing, and heard everyone saying "Ohhhhhhh, look how cute! Ohhhhhh, so sweet, Joy, you have to see this, come look!" I thought maybe somebody had brought in a completed baby quilt or something, and I turned around completely unprepared for what I saw.

Right through the quilt shop (they got permission from Candi, who was working the front counter) came Laurie, Billy and their new furbaby, Bella! And they brought an arrangement of white roses and the sweetest card for me! Here's a pic of all of us, outside....















And a pic of Laurie, Billy and Bella! She has only been with them a very short time (a week, I think?), but she has gone from deplorable conditions, to a home where she is loved, and treasured! In one week, she's had three baths (she was really dirty - it was time for some pampering and primping!), and she has been treated for an absessed tooth, and spayed! Her shots are now up-to-date and she's recovering nicely from the spaying. She obviously adores her new family!




















(Billy went into his work the day after they got her and told his friends in the body shop, "We took our relationship to the next level......we got a dog!!")

I told Bella she's one of the luckiest dogs on the planet!!

When I got home, I had a phone message from my "son from another mother" wishing me a Happy Mother's Day.....Thank you Patrick!!!

My goal for the week: get that pesky noncooperative quilt off the frame, and plan a Third Saturday family get together/birthday celebration for Karen. Any and all good recipes or party ideas are wanted!!