Working on my challenge, some pics and some sweet memories

Ok, I got up this morning excited to see which project it would be...It turned out to be number 4 which is Nostalgic Garden on my list. This is going to be a good challenge for me. I pulled out the blocks and have 6 blocks completed and 6 to go. As I was going through the box and patterns I remembered why I had never finished this one. This is a lovely quilt but the embroidery work is why I stopped working on this one. Not because I can't embroider, it's just so SLOW for me. I was going to take these blocks and work on them on my breaks or at lunch...The job I have now, we don't get breaks. We barely get lunch. I will be sitting in front of the TV doing the embroidery work on these. Last year, I did take an embroidery class so this shouldn't be so bad for me now.... Or, here's an idea. Jane, can I send this to you to do the embroidery and I'll do some sewing for you???? Nah, I'm just kidding but you are so quick at this, I really thought about this! This little quilt has a lot of embroidery and embellishing and I was never used to that. Now, maybe I have a little more patience for this. This little quilt has brought back some sweet memories. I have been coloring the blocks and thinking about these...My older sister, Judy, and I were doing this quilt together. It was a BOM from a now, non-existent quilt store in McKinney. Judy would drive to my house, then we would drive to our other sister's house (Peggy) and pick her up and then all three of us would go to the quilt store. Peg is not a quilter and will never be. She has other talents though, so don't feel too badly for her! She can paint! Anyway, the three of us would watch the monthly demo, brouse the quilt store, then go have lunch and spend time together. We did this every month except the last three months. We picked up our last three blocks early because the quilt shop was closing. I had forgotten about that until now...My sisters and I are not as close as we should be now. Maybe this quilt was really meant to help us change that this year. Maybe it was meant for me to work on and remind me to get back in touch with these two wonderful women. I did not see either sister this year at Christmas. We keep in touch by way of e-mails and phone calls but it's not really the same thing, is it? I was coloring the blocks and picked up the phone and called Judy this morning. We talked about the quilt and she said she still had the blocks and would dig them out. I told her I was participating in this challenge and I planned on finishing this quilt this month. I challenged her to work on her blocks too. She said she would try. I told her we would get together and I'd show her mine and help her with hers....I hung up from her and called Peggy. I told her about the quilt and told her the three of us would get together and celebrate when I finished my quilt. And, when Judy finished hers, we would get together again and see each other. She was excited and so was I. Not bad, for one day, huh? Making plans to be with family and finishing some unfinished quilts too. I'm looking forward to finishing this up now and just thought I would share my inspiration with all of you....Now, here's some pics. I have done all the coloring on these blocks now, to do the embroidery. Ok, it's time to stick in a movie....til next time...

Ok, here's the small house blocks I made. These are 4 1/2" and they are for my March BOM...Yes, I'm ahead, for once!!!



Nostalgic Garden
Here's the finished blocks I have for this project. Now, I have to color and finish 6 more and do the embroidery on them.



















Coloring the blocks: