Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

Happy Sunday to all. I am very happy as I have completed the package for BCBS Insurance on the BAMC reimbursement! We received a letter yesterday from Clay’s secondary and this morning I finished up a cover letter and a few other things and the 250 page package is in the Priority Box and going to be mailed in the morning. I have now quit my billing job! Life has been back to normal in the last month and now looking forward to our trip this month.

I have been experiencing more Meniere’s attacks lately (having one today) with the weather and Barometric Pressure going bonkers! Oh well, nothing compared to being BAMC’s billing agent! LOL.

This week I have completed 2 quilts – OMIGOSH and Sweet Stitches! Great week of sewing and so peaceful and quiet! I love the way Clay fixed a way for me to hang my finished quilt tops to take my pictures, but even hanging the quilt does not do them justice in the pictures as they seem to flare on the bottom. Knowing Clay, he will devise a way to correct that issue! The borders are not wavy, they just appear to be on OMIGOSH. This quilt is heavy!!!

Sweet Stitches was a BOM from Kathy Schmitz which included fabric in each monthly block. The project was originally designed to make 12 individual blocks to change out each month, but I wanted to make a quilt from the blocks. I selected a black fabric for the setting blocks that has green, blue, yellow and red dots. (Does not show in the picture) I wanted to add some color to the quilt and am very pleased with the outcome!

I hope that everyone has a great week, I am looking forward to my RF back treatment on Thursday and getting some extra energy! But I know that I am back in the groove of quilting and that makes me happy! Now if Mr Meniere’s would go pester someone else it would really make me happy!

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021; 

Well, it is 5 April 2021 and Spring has come and gone here in South Texas (the new Desert) and Summer is here – they are predicting 90’s this week – and the walk this morning was back to the Sauna! I am getting used to it again (not really).

I finished OMIGOSH yesterday! (Check out my To Do Tuesday post tomorrow) I remember when I purchased that pattern and how I wanted to make the quilt but could not decide on the fabrics and if I really wanted to drive myself to work with such small blocks. I finally decided to use Barbara Brackman’s Ladies Album, Richmond Reds, and Union Blues fat quarter bundles and Bella Solids for the background. Now that I have completed this challenge quilt, I need to review where I was at the beginning of the year and if I was able to accomplish any of my goals.

On 1 January 2021 I posted a listing of UFOs! I must continue to ask myself WHY did I do that? The insurance issue was not yet resolved, and it still is not, but we have both taken a different approach and view of how to handle whatever the outcome of the reimbursement happens. The attitude is now ‘WE DO NOT GIVE A XXXX”. Clay and I are blessed and we just want to get back to a normal peace and quiet life! I will say that the problem is in the appeals process with Medicare and WebTPA. As soon as we get the EOBs back from Web they are going to BCBS and whatever they pay on is it! Our lives have left the train station leaving Insurance Idiots in the dust! LOL

So here I sit on 5 April 2021 trying to make a decision on what I want to do next. So many things that I want to do. Knitting, Cross Stitching, Embroidery, Lap Weaving, Sashiko, and Quilting! I have just too many hobby projects that are near finish, halfway finished, not even started, etc. But I take comfort in the fact that I am not the only one and that makes me feel a little more sane!

As I sat here writing this post, Jaydee called – talk about an Angel appearing! Here is the outcome of that phone call that helped me make decisions on what UFOs I will finish and I mean finish by June 2021!!!

We discussed my UFOs and she suggested that I just go ahead and do a border for the Bountiful Life (it will be a surprise) and call it a day on that quilt.

Then she agreed with my decision on the border for Stars Around the Garden – add the border and do the appliqued flowers in each corner! YEA another one on the road to completion.

Next in line is Dresden Plates quilt. I am going to select the background fabric, cut out some background fabric and draw a grid and start appliquéing them at night. I will take a few days to make a final decision on fabric.

I am going to take a break from hand quilting on Indian Summer as soon as I finish the section I am working on now and just let it sit until I know what I really want to do with the borders.

Jacobean Holiday is a quilt that I started in or around 2010! I have 3 large blocks ready to applique. They are the Christmas gift box, the Tree with Angels, and the Pineapple above the box. I will give myself 2 weeks to either finish the 3 or forget them! That is it! If I do not finish them then the quilt will be put together without them! Final Decision!

Sweet Stitches requires little borders sewn around each block (fabric came with each pattern) so it will become an embroidery quilt with some scrappy borders! I will also have to do button hole stitching around the little goodies that came with each block (i.e., the Birds, Easter eggs) as they are ironed on. Call it a close finish!

Once I am caught up with these projects, I will again start working on Stonefields, Mary Brown, and my Antique Blue and White Quilt which is a sewing project. I signed up for Kay England’s Mystery Medallion quilt but will not start it or the Blue and White until I have completed all of the above UFOs! I am going to shoot for June 2021!

I have enjoyed writing this post. It has given me a way to logically approach the remaining UFOs and I have needed that. Sometimes when we work on UFOs it becomes more of a job than fun, but I have invested a lot of hours in these projects and there is no sense in letting them just sit for someone else to finish them when I am gone!

Now the next very important goal is to get with the long arm and quilt. I may try to get one done before my RF treatment on the 15th. We shall see. If I do it will be Autumn Jubliee OR, OR, OMIGOSH. OMIGOSH is a very heavy quilt and I will do a rather large meandering with a looser stitch length than I usually use. I do not want to have problems with it and I would like to see it on the quilt rack finished. I may have time to do both before we go on our trip. If not, I am certain that in May I will be doing a lot of quilting on my long arm, or start selling the tops!

Well, this is it for today! I will have my To-Do Tuesday on time this week with a set of a goals that are reachable for next week. Have a great week and stay positive (well, as positive as we can with all the craziness).

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021; 

WordPress is driving me nuts on trying to do a post on an iPad! So Check out my HQAL – 28 March 2021 post for my Slow Sunday Stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

Greetings from South Texas where I am sure we have become the next Desert and Coastal Land, hot, dry, and so very windy since December. Last week was not the best – I tried a generic medication and had a horrible reaction – 2 Migraine headaches Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, I had flashes in my right eye along with now a circular floater? Friday I visited the Eye Doctor and she will see me again in 3 weeks. Retina is fine and vision is find – just the stupid floater? is still there.

For HQAL, I have trying to finish the center of Indian Summer – then on to the borders. I did not get as far as I wanted to (unforeseen requirements for me) in my hand quilting, but have made progress and pleased with it so far.

I have also been trying to finish OMIGOSH! The end is near. I finished 16 9 Patch blocks and have been working on the 16 Shoo Fly Blocks. This afternoon I have the remaining 12 Shoo Fly Blocks to sew together tomorrow. I can already feel R-E-L-I-E-F! After I have the blocks sewn, I will put the blocks in sewing order on my Design board. Now hoping that the 30 blocks will go together great with no issues!

Just in case some have not see the pattern by Sue Garmen check it out. I used only fat quarters when making this quilt. I was able to make 2 blocks from each of the fat quarters. My quilt will not be as scrappy as Sue’s, but I like it. When I first started making the quilt, I would cut out 2 blocks at a time. After I made 22 blocks (each “block” consists of 2 each 5″ 9 patches (with 5 each 2 inch 9 patches within the 9 patch) I decided on the remaining 8 fat quarters for the next 8 blocks and cut out all pieces. Then I sewed all the 4 patches, HSTs, and 9 patches. I had previously cut out the background squares and triangles for the nice 2″ square in a square blocks. It seemed to go faster for me and I am very pleased to get to this point. I am sure it will take me the rest of the week to have a quilt top finished and it won’t be soon enough. Here are the 9 patch blocks. I did not take an updated picture that has 2 blocks completed! Oh well, Change is coming to WordPress and I do not like it!

 

Have a great week and hoping that my week is peaceful, calm, and full of time to quilt.  

Hugs, Nanette 

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piercers to share and motivate one another.  We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.  

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Sharon, Sherrie, Gretchen, Karin, Daisey, Connie, Sherrie

PS – WordPress has now automatically sent me to their App to do my post! I certainly hope it works!

Hello TDT followers.  I am on time this week!  Not a lot to show for the half week but better than nothing!

I have made progress on OMIGOSH!  Not as much as I wanted to, but halfway there!  I finished 12 of the 16  9 patch blocks which  are 5” squares unfinished with 2” 9 patches.  Tomorrow I will finish the last 4 of the 9 patch blocks and then begin making the 64 each  Square in a Square blocks that are 2” unfinished that make up the 16 Shoo Fly Blocks.

I have made some progress on Indian Summer also and hope to have the rest of the right side completed by Sunday for our HQAL.  I have not decided on how I will do the borders. I am thinking on it!

Have a great week and I will see if I can finish OMIGOSH once and for all  I am ready to move on!

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021; 

 

I have been nominated for Outstanding Blogger Award by Laura and what a shock!   I definitely take this as an honor from Laura who is one of the hardest working Ladies with a full time job and yet has time to take some day trips for getaways, and still produce some beautiful quilts.  Thank you Laura!

So here goes!

Which lifestyle are you most comfortable living…cluttered or organized?

I love Comfortable living in the country away from the a City.  I am also a true Organized Perfectionist that does not do well around clutter.  I am blessed to be married to another Perfectionist who does not like clutter.  I have always been that way when it comes to my home and vehicles, but when I worked my Desk was always cluttered, but organized in my mind.  I knew where everything was and it drove my peers nuts.  I was blessed with a photographic mind, and if not under stress, can remember where everything and anything is in my daily life, or quilting world.  (Remember ‘NOT UNDER STRESS’!  LOL)   Clay and I share an 800 sq ft. Studio during each day where we spend time on our hobbies like my sewing and he works on whatever the day brings.  After a day of sewing, I prefer to vacuum the floor, straighten up, and clean the sewing machine at the end of the day so when I come in the next morning the room is in order.    Before we enlarged the Studio in 2009 I had my Longarm in the Den and my sewing machine in the one room I had in the original Studio.  What a difference it makes to have a place to do a hobby and come into the house that is in order.   We are so blessed to have this ‘playroom for retirees’ all built by Clay.

What is your favorite quiet place? 

My quiet place….Hum…I would say just being at home on our 5 acres away from noise with Clay.  When we get up each morning, Clay comes to the Studio  to talk with his buddies on the Radio (Ham Radio Operator) and starts our coffee.  I take time to do my sunlamp and watch the weather and then come and have coffee before my daily walk.   I love my 1.5 mile walk each morning listening to Mark Levin or John Solomon and other Podcasts.  I very much miss Rush Limbaugh and he will never be replaced.  Sometimes when the weather is very hot, I will walk at 6 AM in the dark (advantage is that I never leave our property).  During the winter I love walking around 8 AM).  My favorite place was in Sierra Vista, AZ where we would winter in the RV.  But we no longer do that, so I would say that going to Rockport, Texas and just sitting by the water with the wind blowing and the waves coming in and going out can be a very peaceful and quiet place for me.  There is one place that I love to go to clear my head – A Casino!  Where else can you go and be around people, play the poker machines, and have noice so loud that you no longer can think about problems!  LOL. Think about it!

To party hearty or enjoy an intimate gathering?

I have found that smaller gatherings are my cup of tea.    I am what you might consider a ‘loner’.  I love visiting with my friends on the phone (most are out of town or out of state) or doing FaceTime with my friend Kathy.  But I am content to just be at home with Clay working on our hobbies, or just enjoying the sunshine on the porch or watching a movie in the evening and working on my hand projects.  I used to read a lot, but have not read a book in a few years, although I have a full library of books, I figure when I can no longer quilt that I will have plenty of time to read!

Early to bed or a night owl?  

This one is easy!  Early to bed – 10PM every night and Early to Rise – 6 AM!  Why waste the day sleeping – I only take a nap, or lay down during the day if I am sick or just worn out!  I do believe that “no naps here” came from my childhood when my sister and I had to take a nap each afternoon when we were young.   Mother came from Waterloo, Iowa and I do believe that it must be a tradition to take a nap each day if you are from the Mid-West area.   My cousins on my Mother’s side still take naps in the afternoon!  Clay will take an afternoon nap and still be able to drop off to sleep at 10 before I do.

What makes you accountable to your goals?  What keeps you motivated

I am a Type A personality and it makes me feel good to have accomplished something each day.  I wanted to attend college but was unable to do so after high school, so it took me 30 years to the day to walk across the Graduation Stage at Southwest Texas University in 1993!   I earned my degree by going to night school off and on for those 30 years!  It was the greatest feeling that I had ever experienced to be able to achieve my goal even with all the ups and down during my life.  Plus, I started working when I was 14 and retired when I was 54 1/2.  so the majority of my life has been working and producing.  As a younger person I always felt that I was not self disciplined, but soon realized that I am a very disciplined person when it comes to setting goals.  Such as the importance of my daily walking routine to maintain good health and staying on top of household chores (now I have a cleaning lady and just do the laundry).  I love a challenge, and blogging challenges me to stay on top of my goals (providing that unforeseen requirements stay away).  I enjoy seeing what other quilters are working on and becoming inspired more and more to produce more quilts.  I love to make a quilt that challenges my skill as a quilter.  Sometimes though it is nice to make a quilt that is easy to make without much thinking involved.  I was highly motivated when I entered Quilt Shows and miss that motivation immensely, (that stopped in 2014) so I have now challenged myself to quilt a quilt on my Longarm once a month, keep up with goals that I set for myself, and maybe just enjoy doing whatever comes that day.  But my preference is to have my days planned, along with planning trips away from just staying at home all the time.

Here are my questions for the next 5 Bloggers that I nominate for Outstanding Blogger:

How did you learn to quilt?  Self-Taught, Taught by Mother,  Grandmother or a Friend ?

What are your favorite techniques when quilting?  Traditional Applique or Machine Applique, hand sewing, hand quilting, paper piecing, or other techniques used in your quilts. 

Who is your favorite designer?  And why?

Do you attend retreats and if so what is your favorite thing about quilting with a large group of quilters?

Do you feel that Quilters still support and enjoy Quilting Guilds as we did before the Blogging world came into being?

I nominate the following Bloggers for the Outstanding Blogger Award:

Frederic at Quilting Patch Applique

Susan at Quilt Fabrication

Lori @ Quilting Needs

Wendy at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Sharon at Piecing Life Together One Stitch at a Time

To those nominated, there is no obligation to take up the challenge of answering and asking the questions. If you do accept, then please answer the questions, nominate 5 other bloggers and then compile a set of 5 of your own questions.

I leave you with this thought! From GodTube.com Hugs, Nanette

I am posting pictures of my friend Jaydee of her work.   She is a Master Quilter with lots of experience.   Just look at her Civil War Bride quilt.  She will hand quilt it when she finishes the corners.  I believe that she has embroidered around the edges of the applique.   Of course I am behind on either doing  borders on the 9 blocks I have completed, or continue with 6 more blocks!  Time will tell for me!  But Jaydee kept moving on with her’s and it is almost ready for the quilting frame!

Her Churndash is just striking with the Center Medallion

This is probably one of her designs for The Applique Society.  It was through this group that we met and and have been friends for almost 11 years or more now.

Jaydee would design blocks and they would be included in our newsletters.  I am sure that this is a group of them.  She is cleaning up the UFO’s.

I am linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching showing of a great friends hard work.

Have a great day!

Hugs, Nanette

Good afternoon!   To-Do Tuesday has come and gone but I am going to do this one anyway!   Today I am FREE!  I have quit my Insurance Billing Position with BAMC (turned over to Senator Cruz), Medicare (last appeal) and the Secondary Insurance (first and last appeal)!  Now I will sit back and see what they all do with the 2 Final Appeals and the request for assistance from the Senator on all the problems that I have experienced.  Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) will get whatever comes out of my hard work trying to get our problems resolved correctly (doubtful).  After BCBS it will be over with 100%, as I no longer in the business!  If we take a financial hit – so be it.  I have everything in order and filed now – just waiting to send BCBS their package.

The thick folder in front is the last package that will go to BCBS.  I am DONE!

I will say that I have hit the jackpot on my house cleaner!  What a jewel.  Hope it stays this way for a long time.  She did an excellent job – the best that I have ever hired.

My goals for next Tuesday are to finish OMIGOSH and work on Indian summer (hand quilting project).  I have not had time for a month to even think about where I was in mid-February, much less look at the next list of things to do with quilting.  But today has been a fantastic day!  I have been working on OMIGOSH and really getting things done.  I had cut out the 16 remaining blocks I believe in late January or early February.  I did finish 8 of the 16 and now I am making the 4 patches, 9 patches, and HSTs for the next 8.  To challenge myself and break up the monotony I am sewing all 4 and 9 patches for the blocks, then do the Square in a Square blocks and THEN put all 8 blocks together at the same time.  GOAL:  To have them completed by Tuesday!

This is the status for the end of today:

And I am all set to sew the 9 patches for this group tomorrow:

I have made some small progress on Indian summer.

I have been studying the orange, blues, and beige as to how to quilt them.  I tried doing some cross hatching like the middle border, but it just did not go well.  So I will continue on with following the curve lines 1/4″ apart and maybe I can make headway quicker.  Not sure on the borders, I will wait until I get there!

I signed up for Kaye England Medallion Master and had planned to start in February!  That did not happen but I have downloaded the pattern and will have access to Kaye for a Year!

Piecing the Past Quilts has a new BOM coming called Redwork Baskets. Baskets were on my to do list somewhere in space.  This setting really caught my attention.

Well, it is time to shut down the Studio and enjoy my relaxing evening that is ahead.  I will say that I detest DST, but you know – we can shut the blinds and pretend we are still on Standard Time.   I am hoping Texas is successful in removing it from our Constitution and also approving Casino’s in Texas.

Today I did a great walk and just have to brag!  I am trying to lose the 8 pounds from this last year so I have to increase the speed in which I walk.  Today I really hit a great goal.  Hope I can repeat it tomorrow.   I was walking a 20 minute mile, this one was done has exceeded my 20 minute mile!

Hoping every is having a great week, I am just getting a slow start.  I had a great Face Time with Kathy today – so much fun to be able to sit and sew and chat for an hour or so!

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, For the Love of Geese,Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021;