Good excuses

It's been a while but I have good excuses.  My computer had a virus and had to go to the computer hospital over the weekend.  One of those pesky windows popped up that looked like an official Windows thing and it told me the computer had 101 nasty viruses so I should click on the window to fix it.  I figured it was bogus and clicked to close the pesky window.  At the computer hospital they told me that if you click ANYWHERE on that window it activates the virus.  You should hit ALT F4 to close it instead.  There - I saved you $100.  I'm going to tattoo ALT F4 on my arm so I don't forget!

I'm also working like crazy on a quilt that I entered in MQS.  They are the only national show that I know of that lets people enter quilts while they are still unfinished - so that's what I did.  I figured it was the only way to get me to finish it!  I have been working night and day (really!) to get it done.  The end is now in sight, I think I will be able to finish the quilting in time to wash it, block it and bind it before it has to go to Overland Park for the show. 

All my customer quilting was finished up at the beginning of the month so I would have time for my own quilt.  This quilt by Marsha the Thimbleberries Lady was one of the last ones I did.  She really does seem to have an unending supply of these.

Her friend Debbie brought me this cute quilt from a pattern by our fellow Guild member, Debbie Wiesner.  She does a nice job of quilting on her sewing machine but wanted me to do this one because she couldn't figure out what to do with it.

This is one of those fusible applique quilts that drive me crazy to quilt.  It has umpteen-zillion teeny weeny pieces fused down and I have to quilt around every single one because they start to peel off.  This was "commissioned" by a lady that wanted to give it as a wedding gift.  She found someone to make it and then me to quilt it.  The woman that did the applique did an excellent job - all those little pieces would drive me crazy!  Although it is an attractive design and I know these kits are really popular - they leave me cold.  It's more like an artsy craftsy project to put it together than a quilt.  JMHO.

I got some really exciting news last night - my newly finished miniature quilt won an award at the AQS Show in Paducah - here is the link to the winners! http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/paducah/2011/quilt_contest/quilt_winners.php
I would love to see it there but I think I would need a boat to get there today, with the Ohio River flooding.