I DON'T Want To Know!!

Yesterday was a near perfect day in my book.  At 5 am the moon wasn't quite down below the horizon, making a beautiful water color picture in the clouds.  Unfortunately cameras just don't do it justice.  Still in the high 30's with a wind chill factor of what feels like -14, I bundled up and took the puppies out.  They didn't like it any better than I did!!

An hour or so later, the sun came up on the other side of the ranch.  What a great way to start the day!!

The plan was to hit two or three quilt shops to find backing for four quilts, three of which were completed.  That's a pretty tall order, since every store doesn't carry every kind of fabric color and pattern.   Our first stop however, was K-Mart for an electric blanket.  That electric mattress pad I got just isn't doing the trick.  We were met with free cheddar popcorn and Nature Valley bars, but no electric blankets.  We're in the desert after all, where it's too hot for electric anything!!

Next stop .... Quilters Market.   I won't go into all the purchases, but the colors in this kit were just mesmerizing.  I know I'm addicted to fabric because I just can't keep my hands off of it.  I love the feeling of accomplishment when I turn this little pile of fabric into a gorgeous quilt.  The thing I CAN'T do well is PICK the fabrics.  I leave that to the experts most of the time, purchasing kits when I can.  As you can see, I learned my lesson and bought backing fabric that matches, saving me hours of stress trying to find the right color.

I won't bore you with all the purchases, but here's one.  I completed the quilt top on the left and needed border material as well as backing, all of which I found here.  Try as I might though, one quilt will go backless, as we just couldn't find anything that worked.

I did find a LOT however.  Backing usually requires three to five yards of material, so by the time we got done, my stack was pretty tall.  I knew I was going to take a hit to my wallet, so I just handed over my credit card and told her I didn't want to know how much it was.  Just charge it, I'll sign it and be surprised when I get the bill.   The man standing behind me laughed .... but doesn't everyone do it that way?

On the way to the second shop, I was shocked to find a dinosaur at McDonald's.  Where did this come from??  I love that there aren't so many rules in Arizona.  This guy is parked so close to the stop light he looks like he's eating it!!  I think I'd even eat at Micky D's if I could get close to this baby!!

Our next stop was Walmart .... still looking for an electric blanket.  They sold out everything before Christmas, so we drove on over to Bed Bath and Beyond.  SOMEONE in this town MUST have an electric blanket.  Eureka!!!  Not only did they have one, but I found a 20% off coupon on my phone.  

Next stop Pat Jones house, one of Miss Patty's quilter friends.  Boy howdy can this lady quilt!  Look at this masterpiece!!  The colors of the desert sunsets just jump out at you.  There's a true artist living in this house and she makes some amazing works of art.

Pat also does all of her own quilting with a long arm in her Artist's garage, shared with her husband and his model railroad.  I hope some day I can make something this gorgeous!!

Totally exhausted and back home, I spent 45 minutes changing out the bed.  Whoever invented mattresses for motorhomes forgot to put some kind of handle on the side so you can lift them up and get the sheets around the corners, not to mention getting the electric cord underneath the mattress.  

With the blanket and quilt finally in place, I put the other two blankets away and counted the minutes till I could jump into a nice warm bed.  It was heaven ... for about ten minutes until I got too hot!!  Turns out it was a balmy 45 degrees, so I turned the blanket off and was still toasty warm.  

Today is Football Sunday, so you'll find me laid out on the couch most of the day.  I do have to go through all that fabric I purchased and get it together with the quilt tops.  I already hid the receipt so I won't have any second thoughts.  After all, you only go around once!!!  My goal is to fill my sewing room to the brim for when I can't drive to the fabric shop any more.   I think I'm ahead of the game!