Happy Birthday, Susie!

Saturday was the birthday of my bagel breakfast buddy, Susie. We go to Einstein Bros. Bagels twice a week for breakfast, with two more friends, after we take our kids to school. I wanted to make something fun for Susie's special day since on the day before her birthday she underwent a little foot surgery. Don't you think this pattern is cute? I made veiw "E" pictured in the lower right hand corner. I've gotta admit that the fabric is pretty darn bright, but I thought that Susie would look down right adorable wearing this apron in her bright yellow kitchen. Not to mention that it matches her hot pink cast!!!
Wow! It's been a long time since I've actually cut out a tissue pattern. I definitely prefer using my rotary cutter and mat.
Ahhh...look how sweet! (Blondie was a little bugged that I made her model it around her actual waist and not around her hips.) Didn't that turn out cute? I think I'll make one for myself!

My Ears are Burning

I guess I'd better be careful regarding what I say about my siblings. I never know what my sister might say about me. And to think that she was questioning my integrity!

If you haven't seen my Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom pictures...check out her blog!

And the winner is.....

If you are the holder of ticket #4791812, then you are the lucky winner of my log cabin raffle quilt!!! Congratulations to Nann O. of Orem, Utah.
Thanks to all who participated in the raffle to help raise money for the Ballerina's school. We raised several hundred dollars, but not quite as much as I had hoped. There was definitely a lesson learned in this whole experience and that is that not everyone truly understands the value of a quilt. I think that the principal was really excited about the whole idea, but didn't really catch the vision of the amount of money that could have been raised if she would have been more on board with the whole concept of raffling a quilt.

Fortunately, I think that the quilt is going to a good home. Nann O. belongs to the small quilt group to which I belong and purchased 12 tickets a month or so ago. Although I don't know Nann very well, I'm sure that she'll care for this quilt and use it for many years to come.

Congratulations, Nann O.!!!

It's Official!

Soccer Guy and Girlfriend are officially engaged!!! They're getting married on August 2nd and we couldn't be happier!

Of course, we've known for several weeks but have tired to keep things hush, hush until she actually had a ring on her finger. Well, the ring was finished last week and Soccer Guy sealed the deal on Friday!

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

Cabana Boy Turns Another Year Older

Last Monday my Cabana Boy celebrated his forty-seventh birthday!

On Sunday we had a family gathering to celebrate his and my wonderful sister-in-law's birthday. Their birthdays are less than a week apart and we often get together to celebrate. Here they are blowing out candles on some of the coconut cupcakes that I made.
On Monday we were invited to enjoy Cabana Boy's birthday while watching the Utah Jazz stomp on the Washington Wizards from the comforts of one of the corporate suites. What a fun night!!!Happy birthday, Cabana Boy!!!

Go, Jazz, go!!!

Just Can't Cut It!

Thanks to those of you who sent me emails to make sure that I hadn't been kidnapped once again. Things have been a little wild and crazy here at casa de la Happy Valley Quilter and I have had little time on the computer.

I did want to jump online for a minute and ask for a little input on a burning question that I have.....
See this fabric? Kinda "springy", huh? Don't you just love those little baby chicks and the pussy willow branches? Well, this is a picture of the original fabric from which my grandmother made my baby blanket.

I loved my "chickie blankie" and spent a good portion of my young life hiding under it, rubbing the yarn ties between my fingers, while I sucked my thumb. It was tattered and well worn around the edges at the end of its life. Nothing more than a rag, really. When our fox terrier, Nichols, passed away, he was wrapped in my beloved chickie blankie before he went into the grave. I was a teenager then, and to this day I have never forgotten my chickie blankie.

A few years back my mom and I found this fabric while sorting through some stuff at her home. Can you begin to imagine how excited I was?! I still get a smile on my face every time that I see this blue chickie fabric. My guess is that the fabric was manufactured in the late 1950's or early 1960's, since I was born in 1962. That was back in the day when fabric was 35/36" wide.

Now, I've never been one of "those" quilters who bought fabric and then just couldn't cut into it because it had become a favorite. As a matter of fact, I love cutting into favorite fabrics because then I can enjoy them every time I wrap up in a quilt. So, why is it that I just can't cut into my chickie fabric? The thought literally paralyzes me. On one hand, I don't want the fabric to sit on the shelf until I die, but on the other hand, I can't decide how I should use the remaining four yards of fabric. What's a girl to do?

Now I need your help. How do you think I would/could/should best use my special fabric? The two ideas that I have come up with (so far) is to 1) make a new (bigger) quilt for me OR 2) use the fabric to make four baby quilts to give to each of my children when they have their first child. I'm mostly leaning toward idea #2, as I'm probably a little too old for a baby blanket and I no longer suck my thumb. What do you think? Do you have any great suggestions?