Thunderstorms, What's Going On, Visitor & Eye Candy

Well today is a fresh new start and there is nothing more I like is slowly waking up to a nice spring thunderstorm.  My Mother always said I had a thing for thunderstorms... she thought is because I'm a  Sag/Scorpio cusp baby with fire and water as my elements and that was the way Mother Nature tend to blend together. She also thought my personality also has some of the same traits.  I don't know if that is at all true, but I do Love me a good storm..... but anyways I'm babbling on.

Yesterday I was working on my Q&N "They Choose & You Make" Challenge.  And I felt like all I managed to do is waste a whole day, get stressed out & frustrated to the point the top went flying across the room.  This is a really pretty pattern that I'm working and definitily a Challenge since I've never made "Snowballs" or "Flying Geese" blocks before.  The pattern is a freebie (got to love freebies!) from Windham Fabrics.  I'm doing mine in scrappy Civil War-ish Fabrics.  I don't have a big stash so this will put a serious dent in it so I guess I can consider it to be stashbusting too. But I have had some help from a couple of fellow quilting ladies to help me fill in the void towards completing the top.  Thank You Ladies.... you know who you are.  Hugs!!!
http://www.windhamfabrics.com/cgi-bin/fabricshop/projects.cgi?patternID=110

This is the center of my quilt at the stage where I was still happy with it. 

Today I refuse to let my Challenge defeat me!! I will stand up it and lay all out on the ground. Now I remember why I started the mini quilts.  LOL They are sooooooo less stressing and much easier to manage.  I will let you know if I won or not. LOL.....only the Shadow knows!!

Oh I have eye candy!  These are the little nine-patches and 2 of the telephone Blue Redwork blocks I've been working on for my Mother's Day Swap. This is my current handwork project when I'm not at the puter or sewing machine. I kind of like this and may have to do another. 

Then after that is my HT Forum Lottery block that went out yesterday.  The first picture is the square of fabric that each of got. We have to make a 12" block using the fabric in some way.  I just happened to be thumbing thru my "Civil War Diary" book when the mail came..... and presto!!! The China Doll block seemed to be a prefect fit for the fabric.  Sooooo traced to fuseable and then tryed needleturn applique on the dress.  Actually came out better than I had expected.  And I might have enough of the fabric left to make another one for myself. I also had my first exiperence with silk thread on the dress. The jury is still out on that one. 

I also got my  6 sets of piano keys done (for the 2nd time) and those are in the mail pile too.  These are for go with a set of pinwheel blocks that is for a Friends Grandbaby quilt. 

Let's else.... oh we had a visitor stop by on our little deck the other day, me & my boy just happen to be out watching the river when "he" stopped by.

Ohhhhhh remember the March 17th Blog Hop?  I was able to have the luck of the Irish on the hop.  I got about half of them done. Well I won 3 times!!!! Drat!! I had a picture to show ya but camera to puter isn't playing nice. Okay so I guess I'll just tell ya. From Trisha of   http://www.allthingscrafty.com/  I won her "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" mugrug.  Then from JMF of  http://jmf-betterthanideserve.blogspot.com/2012/03/quilters-blog-hop.html I won one of her mineral bags for favorite comment left. And finally From http://www.doublenickelquilts.blogspot.com/2012/03/ribbonry-is-done-and-blog-hop-party.html I won a copy of Candace's Ribbon pattern.  Thanks everyone for allowing me to do my 1st Blog Hop and inspiring me to start my own blog!!
So I've been a bit busy lately.  I even put the sewing machine away while my 9 year old son Curtis was here a week for Spring Break. Hummmmm, maybe that is why my challenge top is getting the best of me.  Who Knows how that goes?   Oh yeah ~ the other thing going on was I got my Feb. Mini Quilt top done and as soon as I finish the above projects, I'm going to hand quilt it.  It is a never ending cycle.  LOL!
Toodles,
Tricia