I truly have awsome friends...

The past few days have been a struggle.  Things came to light Monday night and crisis mode kicked in.  All I did was ask for support from my friends and they were there.  Suggesting healing thoughts and actions.  Letting me vent and keeping me strong and focus on my end goal.  That's what great friends do.  I'm not so deserving of such wonderful people, but I'm soo grateful for them and I hope they know I'm here for them as well.  There's still a lot of work and challenges ahead, but I'm up for the task, because it involves the rest of my life.

Now I'm done talking in code and sending love out to all my friends, I'll share a little bit of quilting stuff.

Since Mimi's class, I've been geared up to work more on my first applique project and restart it with a different perspective.

It's called Applique Affair by Laundry Baskets Quilts.  I met Edyta at Spring Quilt Market and she is another one of those quilting personalities that makes me think of Mimi.  She is gentle, sweet, very conversational and down to earth.  Not to mention she's young! :)  Here's her pattern:



Now, I never follow a patterns suggestion color layout--that is my own "outside of the box" way of thinking.  So here's what I'm picked out for my backgrounds.  The solid is for the main/center blocks and the cross-hatch is for the outside borders:



LOL...black!!  And I'm using batiks for all the pieces.  Though I've noticed I need to find a super sharp needle, because of the batiks weave it's challenging to needle through it.  Any suggestions??

One of Mimi's techniques involves drawing your layout on your fabric.  Well, in this situation it's a bit challenging and a light box doesn't work so well on the black fabric.  I forgot I had purchased transfer paper when visiting Anjea.  I dig it out (after a brainstorming session at work on how to mark my black fabric) and tested it:



The yellow works well, though I was afraid with my handling of the fabric as I do the block it might brush off.  So, I retraced the lines with a silver quilter's pencil.

I've prepared 2 blocks to do while spending time with the hubby in the evenings.  I hope to kick this project off real soon.

Still drooling over the Halloween Baltimore Album.  I did like one suggestion of making it bigger.  I don't what a wall hanging, I want something to decorate my bed!  I'll keep drooling and start making a holiday wish list :)