robins, Road to Ireland etc

Norma mentioned "Road to Ireland quilts" and showed one on her blog today that she had made. Eileen posted one of hers in blues after seeing the one that Lois had made for her mom on my blog a couple posts back.

This is the first one that Lois made and donated for the kids--the original pic I posted is in my "gone with the wind" blog, LOL. I like the way she took a little chunk of the frame with the white.

I am just back from the round robin hand off. We do a little show and tell with them--one person for each of the two groups in the order our names are on the list. When it is your turn, you have to leave the room and try not to listen in--even if you DID hear anything , they would be saying stuff like "oh that black (fill in the blank) looks so good on your top". I wish I had thought to take my digital camera with me because they are looking good--there was not a one that I would not have been proud to take home with me. Each one's theme is so different--even the two that were grandmother's flower garden's at center are so different.

Hold me to this: I am NOT to let this go till the last minute this round. Nag at me if you have to!! I've got till 9-9 to get 4 inch stars and/or log cabins done. I'll post a pic when I get ready to roll on it. It is bright so I may not have to go shopping and before you ask, yep, the person who hands off to me? More black fabric in her round but this time it seems to work better than the previous ones I have gotten.

After lunch a bunch of us went out to a Mexican restaurant that had just opened a few blocks away from the church we had met at. A little more time to spend visiting. I had taken a stack of books for Jane to look through because she was looking for appliqued Christmas block ideas. I had found a few things that Aline might be interested in as well---or at least a spring board for some ideas anyway. It is hard to know what others MIGHT want to try to make. If nothing else they can enjoy looking at some books they may not have seen.

I have not started on that last border on Betsy's revamped quilt yet today but I will! ("'After" pic maybe tomorrow, I hope) SO the 2nd picture that I am sharing is one of Sarah's scrappy quilts. She told me she did the 8 patches in leader and ender fashion . Way to go, Sarah! It inspired me to do the same thing as I worked on Betsy's top yesterday---that might be why some of the sewing was not going as quickly as I thought it might, come to think of it. Anyway, the stack and slash stars were from a couple summers back when the Piecemaker group in Jacksonville invited the Belles up for a Saturday workshop. The blue and yellow block in the 4th row is either an orphaned block from my mom or something from the donation box. Little bits from here and there to make a quilt. Just a fun quilt and it is so soft on the sides and backing. Can't you just see a girl cuddled up in it? I was able to pass on the leftovers to her today from Betsy's top so she has the starts of another one.
Looks like we are about to get some more rain as I hear distant rumbling. DJ said it poured when he was out for lunch. It did just east of Jacksonville but not where we were meeting and eating. There was water on the pavement and it is so hot and humid today that the rain was actually steaming off the highway. At first I thought it was smoke from someone burning but it wasn't. Walking this morning was miserable though we left the house 30 mins earlier than usual. I would describe it as so hot that even bare naked would be too many clothes and/or breathing was like taking a drink of water. BUT we got the job done in spite of my complaints, LOL. I cannot say that I was sorry to be done with that. I will probably need to shut down the computer soon so best get this sent off.

OH, forgot---Forest Jane you must not have read Lorna Landvik's book--they are a book club who someone's wife beating husband termed "angry housewives eating bon bons" sitting around complaining about their husbands. Of course that character had plenty of reason to be afraid of his wife complaining. The women in the club are NOT eating bon bons at all but trying to be good wives and mothers back in the 60's to present day. Good book.

One other story--we went to a Mexican restaurant, as I said and I commented that I had half thought about making chicken enchiladas for supper tonight but would have to come up with some other recipe or substitution. As we were about ready to leave, Pat who was sitting next to me asked if I had come with any ideas. Maybe, I said but Jane or Sarah said maybe I should just ask DJ what he wanted. I told them that he was NO help when it came to menu planning or meal suggestions ordinarily. Basically he leans to the meat, bread, potatoes and beans side of things as that is how he was raised--like, he hasn't eaten if he has no meat? I would get the "I don't know/care" or "whatever" response if I were to ask. Pat said I should get two boxes of cereal and label them that -so when he said "I don't know" that is precisely what he would get, LOL. I thought it was pretty clever myself.