Blue Quilts

Last week I finished piecing the top and backing to make a baby quilt for my friend Marcia and her mother to give to a new baby in their family.  Her mother pieced the blocks before she had to stop quilting due to health reasons. 

Here is the top.  The blocks all had long pieces that formed a lattice when joined together, so I did not use any sashing strips.

The outer blue border might become scalloped- I am not sure yet.  There was one pieced block left over, so I used it when I pieced the extra blue fabrics for the backing.

Since the baby is going to be a girl, I am planning to add lots of swirly flowers and hearts to all the blue.

We went to visit Charlie's family last weekend.  Our Christmas visit was snowed out.  We barely got in this visit before they got six inches of snow up there last night.  While we were there, it was sunny and cold.

One reason I always enjoy the trip to visit the McBrayers is that Mary Jo's Cloth Store is on the way in Gastonia, NC.  A former grocery store full of fabrics, trims, notions, and bargains!

I bought some fabrics for the blue and white quilt that The Whacky Ladies are making.  White for the sashing, a blue batik for posts and binding, and a contemporary floral in sky blue for the backing.

They had some small pieces of suede in autumn colors, so I picked up a bunch of those. 

I bought some shiny crystal organza for a project for an online class I am taking.  Mary Jo's has a huge bridal section, along with quilting fabric and home decor fabric.  I had to wait behind a bride buying yards of white satin for her dress, and a grandmother buying white silk for her granddaughter's First Communion.

The only other purchases were of some flower pins and a few fat quarters. I got out of there for less than a hundred dollars for the first time ever.  (Okay, $99.95!)

We had a nice visit at my brother-in-law Richard's house.  All Charlie's brothers, his sister, and several nieces were there for dinner Saturday.  Richard's daughter Lindsay brought her teacup chihuahua, Jasper.  Here he is posing in front of his picture in his Santa Claus outfit. His stuffed toy is bigger than he is!

Here is my husband, his cousin Tommy, and his brother Richard when we went to Tommy's house for a visit.  Charlie only has four first cousins, and Tommy is the only male cousin.  This is a huge contrast to my family.  I have 18 cousins on my father's side, and 13 on my mother's.  They live from New England to Florida.  I wouldn't know many of them if I saw them.  Charlie's four all live within a short drive of each other.  Charlie is the oldest of all his siblings and cousins.

We had a beautiful ride home on a sunny but cold day.  There is a long stretch of country highway with lots of farms, pastures, and churches nestled in the foothills.  We could see the snowy tops of Mount Mitchell in Asheville and some of the mountains near Boone.

We were glad to pick up our Kasey from the kennel when we got home.  Teacup  chihuahuas are cute, but don't seem like real dogs to me!  What do you think about that, Kasey?