Month: March 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; 

Greetings!  I have missed my life the past month!  Sometimes I wonder if all of the difficult work I have done the last 13 months with BAMC, Medicare, and now SAFD will be worth it in the end.  I have lost precious time in my life to make all the quilts that I want to.  But in the end, is that what I have been put here on this earth to do all the time?  I have always felt that my purpose in life has always been to help others,  be a problem solver, and fight for what is right!    Only time will tell if I have either missed my calling, or hit it on the mark!  LOL!  I know that I am so very very blessed to have Clay with me in my life he has helped me through this mess, sometimes just having him sit there with me was enough to get me through the day.  The paperwork has taken me away from him and from my love of quilting, but God gave me the ability to do the work so I did it.  Clay was my biggest supporter and helped me when the brain was fried.  Best of all he is a great proof reader and helps me if I become to “wordy”.  We will have been together 25 years this summer!  Time has flown, but I would not trade a minute that we have been together!  I love my guy!

I have nothing new to show for the past week, and really for the past month but the following:

This is what I started with – a massive mess of paperwork to go through and set up files.  It is all the paperwork that I have had to do in order to file our reimbursement claim from BAMC last year to Medicare, Clay’s Secondary, and HOPEFULLY BCBS.   I did 3 Spreadsheets that contains all the information from all the BAMC invoices, all the information from the Medicare MSNs, and then I TRIED to make sense of the mess that Clay’s Secondary Insurance has made of their EOBs.  It did not take long to realize that I would have to submit an Appeal due to all of the mistakes they made.  This means another 30 day delay before I can file with BCBS (the 3rd and last of the filings).  So far his insurance will end of costing us 5 months delay before I can file to BCBS.

Now let’s add the last of the stack.  After 5 days, I arrived at this one.

The appeal letter took some time.  A lot of copying, a lot of shredding, and about 40 hours of sitting at the computer and the table going through everything and writing the Appeal Letter and one to Senator Cruz.   But it is all finshed now and as soon as we get the last EOB, the Appeal letter will be in the mail – Return Receipt Requested!  I am hoping it comes tomorrow so I can check it out and get to the Post Office ASAP.

Besides that, I filed a Congressional Inquiry to Senator Ted Cruz on all the problems and work I have had to deal with from February last year until now just to be reimbursed by 3 insurance companies.   If I were 15 years younger I would start a Consulting Business and make a million a year helping people get through the maize of Government Bureaucracies.  But my time has past at the age of 76!  I am so blessed to still have the ability to do what I can do for Clay and I.

Now for the pretty stuff!  Yes those are the White House Easter Eggs signed by President Trump!  OH – the folders?  That is the outcome of my 5 days as an Insurance Claim Processor!   See the stack closest to the chair on the left?  That is a 250 page submission waiting to be sent to BCBS.  I had to prepare 3 of those puppies.

 Tomorrow I will receive a file tub to file this master project in and hopefully I will not have to ever see it again.  I am curious though if Senator Cruz is really interested in all the problems that BAMC deals with each day with Civilian Trauma Patients.  I feel for those people who do not understand how to do what I have done.  The Military Trauma Facilities billing procedures are broken and needs to be fixed, but not until at least 2024 can that happen.

I leave you with this:

Have a wonderful week.  Tomorrow I will be able to start my life again.  Tuesday my new house cleaner will come and all I have to do is sit and quilt or applique – Ah looking forward to that.

Hugs, Nanette

Enjoy the world of Quilting everyday you can!

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; 

WOW!  What a roller coaster I have been on since the last time I posted for a To-Do Tuesday!  February was going just to well for me!  I do believe I have not posted anything since 9 February OUCH!  I really was on a great roll!  Since then we did the Snow event, Insurance Work (again) and I hurt my back (a real ouch!).

Life is beginning to look up today as I hired a Lady to clean the house for me AND  will I have my Radio Frequency treatment (cauterizes the nerves from the T12 disc down) on 1 April.   This way I will be able to get back to my 20 minute mile without pain along with no pain sitting, standing, etc!  It will last for 6 months to a year.   Then the little nerves grow back!

Monday the nerve pain has become better so I have been able to walk Tuesday and this morning.   I was on a 77 day roll with my walking until 13 February and after that on 2 days until Tuesday!  YUK!  Even with some pain it is great to get the exercise going again!  Good for weight and Diabetes!

Here are my projects that remain open from February and still hanging around.

• Applique Projects:
  • • • Jacobean Holidays – 4 Bloocks remaining – √ 1 down 3 to go 
      •  Mary Brown – Prepare a block for the month – X  Poor Mary
    • Cross Stitch:   Minnie Mouse project – X – Poor Minnie
    • Longarm Quilting:
      •  Load Autumn Autumn Jubilee  – X Delayed
    • Sewing:  Continue on with OMIGOSH blocks – √  Working on 8 remaining  
    • Knitting:  Continue on Dish Cloth – X Waiting for the Knitter
    • Hand Quilt :
      • Indian summer – X No Progress
      • Kay’s Wall Hanging Quilt – X No Progress
      • Radiant Feathered Star Wall Hanging – X No Progress

I have completed 8 blocks for OMIGOSH: (The mistake in the circle has been fixed) I have 8 more blocks and then sew the top together!  

I FINALLY finished my center Medallion for Stars Around the Garden but will not be working on sewing the blocks around it until later in the month.  I need to decide how I want to do the borders.

Goals for 8 through 15 March.

• Jacobean Holidays – 4 Bloocks remaining – √ 1 down 3 large blocks to go!
• OMIGOSH – I want this finished by next Tuesday!!!
• Continue on with continual problems with BAMC Insurance issues.  Hopefully today will be only a few hours to develop a new spreadsheet to track invoices and I can sew on OMIGOSH.

It is difficult to see the last of February and the first of March go by so quickly.  Now we will lose an hour this week-end and I have always hated DST.  BUT our Texas Legislatures are working on putting an amendment to the Constitution to NOT participate in DST, just like Arizona.  Also, they are going to try to get an amendment for Casino’s in Texas – Two very smart moves at this time.

I am wishing all a great week – I am hoping that mine brings me more time to sew and relax again.  Happy Stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

From Godtube.com yesterday and today!   For me he does give me sleep, unless I eat a late supper with a baked potato or any sweets at supper!  LOL – Cannot blame him on that one!

And I need this one for today!

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; 

Good afternoon!  Nice weather here in South Texas.  Looks like Spring is upon us AND I have finally finished Stars Around the Garden Medallion.  I missed the last HQAL so it feels good to be back in the routine of my quilting!

I cannot even remember when I started this medallion, but I know that it took me too long to do it and I am not pleased with it 100%, but it is done and now to put the quilt top together.  Here are the blocks that will go around the Center Medallion.

This is Stars Around the Garden quilt pattern.  I am not ready to complete the top because I do not like the border.  The pattern also offers a border with more applique.  I will take some time and decide what I am going to do with the outside border.

In the meantime, I will be completing OMIGOSH and start on my 4  applique blocks left to finish Jacobean Holiday quilt.

Have a great week and keep on stitching!

Hugs, Nanette

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piercers to share and motivate one another.  We pot 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, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Connie, Bella, Gretchen, Daisey Connie, Monica, Sherrie.

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; 

Spring is here in South Texas and I have finished my Stars Around the Garden Medallion!  Click on the link to find more information on my project status.

These are the blocks that will go around the Center Medallion.  I will have to decide on the border.

For today – this is it!  Have a great week, and enjoy all who have been Slow Sunday Stitching today!

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;