tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-284547732009-11-12T12:08:19.647-05:00THE MUSINGS OF A QUILT MANIAC -MY QUERIES, MY QUANDRIES AND MY QUILTSMcIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.netBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-19372550956410100222009-11-10T00:24:00.003-05:002009-11-10T00:54:51.902-05:00

Oh, Puerto Rico, I miss you already!! We are back from our trip, well rested and relaxed. This tower is in old San Juan near the governor's mansion. We spent an evening there wandering around the streets and shops and having dinner in our favorite restaurant, Toro Saleo. We even had our favorite waiter who was there last year.The weather was gorgeous, 80-85 degrees every day. The Marriott was

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-78997790822765812492009-11-01T09:50:00.004-05:002009-11-01T10:37:13.634-05:00

Despite a heavy work schedule, I have been able to finish one fall project and do some decorating for the season. The first picture is the space above our closets in our den. This arrangement was actually done by my DH. There are different sized wicker and ceramic pumpkins up there with an old wooden tool chest filled with fall colored leaves. He adds the twinkle lights which look so nice at

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-36371827876419856522009-10-16T15:33:00.002-05:002009-10-22T21:28:08.535-05:00

Yes, I know that it is now October 16th and I haven't been around since August. But I have been living in denial that the seasons had changed. I wanted summer to last forever. I even made a trip to Florida two weeks ago as an extension of my favorite season. But this morning when I got up there was white stuff on the lawn and I could no longer live in my fantasy world. SIGH! So I am back!

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-40872492599799281562009-08-08T19:05:00.002-05:002009-08-08T19:25:32.584-05:00

This is my one and only quilting finish this summer. There are so many other distractions when the weather turns sunny and warm that quilting takes a back seat for me. I did get this one quilted and bound. I pieced the top back in January, 2007 at our guild's RI retreat as well as another more autumny( is that a word?) top which I am ready to load on my frame when we get a rainy day. Until

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-25381591885966048332009-07-26T10:00:00.004-05:002009-07-26T10:38:48.456-05:00

I don't have any quiltiness to show but we have had some excitement around here lately. We were planning on going to visit my DS in Vail in September but last Friday as I was wandering the supermarket aisles, I got a call from my son, or so I thought. When I answered it was a doctor from Vail Medical Center informing me that Alex had been involved in an accident while riding his longboard ( for

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-46102560821552340432009-07-12T18:35:00.005-05:002009-07-12T19:11:04.013-05:00

If I told you that I was on a secret mission for the CIA would you believe me?! Well, that and the arrival of summer (finally!) is the reason I am over 30 days away. Usually I am "lurking " around, leaving comments like breadcrumbs all over blogland so you know I am still alive but I haven't even been doing that!! And boy are things going on!! In just a few quick stops, I found that Libby, our

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-76872692191801698032009-06-03T19:53:00.004-05:002009-06-03T20:45:51.839-05:00

Well, it's been 30 days (actually 32) since I posted so here are 30 things that I've done since then, both the QUILTY AND THE NON QUILTY! First the Quilty, or at least fiber related! 1. I made a summer bathrobe. I had a silky slippery one but it never stayed tied, much to my DH's delight. But I couldn't find a nice cottony one. Then I remembered that I had a whole closet of cotton. I pulled

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-16971762727857929382009-05-01T08:24:00.003-05:002009-05-01T09:02:34.203-05:00

Look at this. This is the extent of quilt production at Quilt til You Wilt! It' s sad, really sad. Last Sunday afternoon I had a couple of free hours and this is what I did. Now,although I have two projects that needed to be finished yesterday,I did this instead. Why?? Well, I walked into my bathroom and saw the tissue box with the snowman on it and down the crazy path I skipped.And to boot, it

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-68317273811438993032009-04-22T21:04:00.009-05:002009-04-22T21:53:47.016-05:00

I spent the weekend at the MQX show in Manchester, NH. I have wanted to go for a couple of years and finally made it. I took two classes aimed at beginners with machine quilting frames and came away with some terrific tips and more confidence in quilting on my frame. I again spent lots of time looking (and yearning for) a longarm but the long and the short of it (no pun intended) is that I am

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-71831027071409045132009-04-03T11:33:00.004-05:002009-04-03T12:15:12.155-05:00

This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY -- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these blogs!”I was presented with

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-79882252456132809762009-03-29T21:12:00.003-05:002009-03-29T21:19:37.731-05:00

I started this on Friday during our sewcial and finished the top this afternoon. It was really easy! It was 2 yards of a focus fabric and 7 FQs. The pattern is called "A Path Less Traveled" by M'liss Rae Hawley. The binding will be dark or navy blue. Next up, my Round Robin and doing my taxes!!! Have a great week!

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-40996510591300637142009-03-25T06:30:00.000-05:002009-03-26T05:50:37.092-05:00

And it is maddening of late!! I know it's been two weeks since my last post but I have been working feverishly on the Fairy quilt. I showed a block in my last post. At our last Friday "sew"cial, I put on the borders, pieced the back and made the binding. Here is a photo of Bridie's quilt prior to the quilting. We try to get together every Friday morning and we alternate houses. It's amazing how

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-66771257166568386862009-03-10T09:16:00.006-05:002009-03-18T17:00:47.565-05:00

As I mentioned last weekend, I was in the midst of a sewing room makeover. I have moved from the smaller bedroom to the larger one and everything is now pretty much in place. My DH repainted the room and reconfigured the closet. The carpet was cleaned and everything was moved in.I was hoping to do this makeover in two steps. First, the actual furniture and whatnot one weekend and then the fabric

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-64605048590527135482009-03-04T20:03:00.002-05:002009-03-18T08:26:48.906-05:00

I know I have been gone for a couple of weeks but my computer was sick and had to go to the computer doctor for a checkup. Thanks to Dr. Mike we are back up and running faster than ever!The pictures I have today are the final February finishes that I worked on last weekend. Neither is a pig but sometimes you have to do something new and fun!For Valentine's Day, my hubby bought me a teapot. I have

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-36315341740015412442009-02-20T15:01:00.002-05:002009-03-18T08:31:46.063-05:00

I have finished two more of the piggies hanging around in the poke. The first is the Round the World wall hanging. I did some cross hatch quilting and a simple FM heart border and it is finished and ready to hang.I also finished one of my summer totes. This is an Indigo Junction pattern and super easy! It will make a great bag to carry my lunch to work in this spring and summer. I have two others

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-17256497474650354592009-02-14T15:41:00.005-05:002009-02-15T21:46:38.155-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Bob and I went out to dinner and to the Hartford Symphony to hear Beethoven's 3rd "Eroica". It was a wonderful night out.I finished my Flower Power quilt just in time for Valentine's Day and have it hanging in my hallway. Don't know why I didn't finish it sooner. All it needed was a bit of quilting, the binding and the sleeve ( which were both done!)

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-91115194811574296432009-02-13T00:10:00.001-05:002009-02-14T15:41:18.386-05:00

Last weekend, Bob and I got together with our NJ friends down at the casino for a Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes concert (that's Johnny above). That is actually where Bob first met Susie and Ron, who have become great friends of ours. Here's a picture I took of Southside Susie and my DH or as she calls him "Boyfriend Bob". We all stayed overnight in the area and then they came to our house

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-67233194119147262872009-02-03T22:33:00.001-05:002009-02-04T10:41:27.445-05:00

Those three words were my quilting goals for today when I got out of bed. The first thing was to cut two friendship blocks out of batiks. These blocks will go into a quilt for the gal who has organized our guild's quilt retreat for the last 7 years. These photos aren't the greatest but you get the idea.The second was buttons. I needed to add the button eyes to my snowman quilt. Of course, I only

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-66747751079472802092009-01-28T08:35:00.004-05:002009-01-28T19:10:45.786-05:00

Wow! How did that happen?? Well, here it is - my first post of 2009 and as it turns out, my birthday! Yep, I am a 1/2 century plus 1 year old and really looking forward to what this next 1/2 century has to offer. The weather here is horrible, snow, rain, freezing rain, etc, etc. So I called my boss and explained since it was my birthday and I shouldn't be aggravated on my birthday, I was going to

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-2773205835728016702008-12-30T19:53:00.003-05:002009-03-18T08:31:46.064-05:00

As I'm sure you know, the Chinese name each year after a different animal. For me, this year is the Year of the Pig. I have sooooo many PIGS ( also known as UFOs) in my sewing room that it has truly become a PIG STY! I spent a good hour ( Here Piggy, Piggy, Piggy! ) looking in every nook and cranny for those PIGS in hiding. I came up with a list of 25 (not too bad) which you will see in my

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-63772204344022253752008-12-25T18:42:00.004-05:002008-12-25T18:53:23.647-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone from the East Coast to West, in snowy Wisconsin and balmy Hawaii, in Australia, England, wherever you may be! Best wishes to you and your families from me, my Hubby, Bob, Mr. B and Miss Holly.We had a wonderful but quiet day. Our DS called from Colorado and we opened gifts with him via cell phone. He is having a wonderful time in Colorado. I am on vacation next

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-17154804775299465012008-12-21T12:38:00.003-05:002008-12-22T20:31:20.880-05:00

Here are some of the things I have been working on for Christmas. The sweater is for my greatniece, Bella, who lives in Florida. I know it seems weird to knit a sweater for a baby in Florida. But they live in Jacksonville and it can get COLD. I think they had a very large 12 month old in mind. Well, she will grow into it. I made a really cute Santa apron for her mom but of course forgot to take a

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-9962497153733130492008-12-17T14:28:00.003-05:002008-12-17T14:56:44.922-05:00

I don't have any quilty pictures since it has been so crappy (weatherwise) the last few days, the light has been terrible for taking pictures. But I do have a little movie to share. As you know, I have two kitties, Miss Holly and Mr. B. Holly is a lovebug and loves a good lap or a warm dark place like the laundry room and a basket of "just out of the dryer" clean clothes to nap in. She is

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-50918194379583286292008-12-06T08:19:00.005-05:002008-12-06T08:56:42.956-05:00

I know it's been a month. All I can say is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!! I know that is the case with all of us. This time of year is always hectic. I have been sewing and knitting feverishly but can't show anything yet as most of them are gifts or still in process.I do have a couple of things to show! One is the latest Round Robin I did. This is the last round before we embellish. I added the 3D flying

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28454773.post-18272216453449395852008-11-04T08:37:00.010-05:002008-11-04T09:45:05.264-05:00

I know, I know, it's been a while but I have been to Market in Houston and back. Here are my traveling companions, Lisa, Linda and Diane, and I at the top of the Hilton where we stayed. I actually found some time to spend in the pool and sit out in the sun in my bathing suit as well as have a massage! It is a great hotel and we really enjoyed our stay. And look who I ran into!! Mark Lipinski! He

McIrish Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04636354235693444855mcirishannie@sbcglobal.net10