Bathing Beauties or is that Bathing Booties?

Quilting Gallery has a weekly contest and this week's theme is "SUMMER VACATIONS."  You do not have to make a quilt in a week (thank goodness!), just send in a photo of a previously made quilt. People vote on their favorite Friday through Sunday.  (Feel free to vote for my beauties).

I've never done this before, but don't we all have previously made quilts sitting around?  Why not share them.  I always see something in someone else's work that I want to try.  

Anyway, this quilt I made in 2004.  My guild had a block exchange.  We each made twelve of our own and then swapped.   Some were hiliarious with their face expressions.  It was such fun.  I used the attic window thinking that they looked like they were each in a dressing room in front of a mirror trying to get enough courage to come out!  lol 

A week of fun with grandkids!

Jake and Paige were here from Texas for a week with Nana and Papa.  Or should I say their cousins!  They were together a bunch.  And that is fine with me.  They play well together and it keeps them happy.

We went to Frontier City, an amusement park, one evening.  It has been really hot in Oklahoma and we were not going to be miserable all afternoon.  At least Nana wasn't.  :)  They loved it.  Lyndey, the youngest wasn't tall enough to ride all the rides, but enough to keep her smiling.  She did talk her Papa into riding the Tilt-A-Whirl with her.  Bad mistake on Papa's decision.  He felt bad the rest of the evening!!  I knew I couldn't do it and I guess his time has come too. 

The biggest hit was the river renegade ride.  They loved it.  Everyone got saturated including Stacey, my daughter, who had to buy some clothes to come home in.

The picture at the top was taken as we first got to the park and they were not happy.  They wanted to get on with the rides, not picture taking.  It is so difficult to get all four together and smiling!!  I keep trying though.

Lyndey sitting pretty!

Paige, Kayley and Lyndey

Uncle Mike helping Jake shoot!

Rob and my son-in-law, Mike, took Jake out for a shooting lesson with, as Jake says, "real guns".  They had 22s.  Between Rob and Mike they had several and Jake enjoyed it very much.  And the guys said he shot surprisingly well.  Rob and Mike are both very cautious with guns and even Nana put in her two cents in before they left asking him if he knew the number one rule with guns.  He looked up at me like I was nuts and said "Yes, Nana, everyone knows that--don't point the gun at any person".  I was so proud.  His mother is not a lover of guns and though she knew they were going and they would protect her son, I think was glad she wasn't here to worry about it. 

During the week we also went fishing, not much luck there though.  Too hot for fish even.  Jake loves trying though.  He really has patience for a 9 year old--at least when it's fishing.  We made cookies, a must, even decorating them.  We also went swimming several times and did some geocaching.  Paige is my little geocacher.  We even found a travel bug she's taking back to Texas.  We also tried to make a worm farm.  Our worms DIED.  It's so dry here, I couldn't find any worms in the soil, so I went to Wal-Mart and bought some.  Of course, they had been kept in a refrigerator and when we brought them home and put them in the container, they went into shock (so hot again) and died.  It was a good idea we'll try again another day!  They loved messing with the worms anyway and come to think about it, that may have been the reason the poor things didn't make it!

It was a fun week and I'm so happy they get to come and enjoy Oklahoma with their families up here.  BUT, Nana and Papa are sure enjoying today, if you know what I mean! 

Storage for pantograms or STABILIZER ROLLS!

This is a quilted storage unit for pantograms.  When I took the class for the Tin Lizzie at a quilt shop this is how they stored their patterns.  How clever is that?!

I'm thinking why not adjust this for the rolls of stabilizer I have all over my shelves that keep falling over!

Basically, they just quilted a long section that would measure whatever your door size might be.  Then they took a strip of velcro and sewed vertically down the center of quilt.  Then each roll was wound with the ying or yang of the opposite velcro and slapped on the strip.  OR on second thought or LOOK, they just took elastic and sewed down the center every three or four inches allowing a little for fullness in order for the cylinders to slide in.  Yep, that's what they did, see the empty slots?!

Now all I have to do is put this project on my long list of other items that I want to do!!

Super-Sized Nine Patch Baby Quilts

My niece, Kassidy, is having her first baby--a girl--in less than a month!  We are all so excited for her and today there's a shower for her.  I wanted to try the "super-sized nine patch" pattern.                 http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/details.html?idx=184
This pattern is the quickest thing I've ever done.  Three yards of coordinating fabrics will make three tops!  You fold the fabric and make two cuts and you are ready to sew.  They are small but great for  putting on your carpet when the babies are a little older and start wanting to move around a bit!  If you click on the photo you can see that I quilted each one differently also.

My labels are on the quilts but not would I have preferred.  I think I know what the baby's name will be, but one time I did that and the mother changed her mind and the label ended up being wrong.  You never can get the quilt back to change it or add one so I compromised and just said it was made with love from Great Aunt Linda and put a date, so hopefully that will suffice.  Since I am the member in our quilt guild that is always insisting everyone put labels on their quilts, and there will be members at the shower there, had to do something! 

Her nursery is jungle things, so these little quilts should fit right in!

Another little bag!

Another bag.  What was I thinking.  But if the pattern is different, it intrigues me and I have to try it!!
 
The Snippity Snap Purse is the title of the pattern used for this one.  I didn't put the straps on it as I'm using it for either make up or a little sewing bag!
 
What makes this one unusual is the closure.  That is the "snippity snap" part.  A metal tape measure is cut and inserted in the top sections and it pops open and shut.  Pretty clever.  And another thing, the pattern just takes a couple of fat quarters.  How quick and easy is that?!!