If you’re like me, it can be hard to find time to sew in the summer when there are so many distractions.  Well, this summer, why don’t you join The Nine-Patch Project?

What’s the Nine-Patch Project?  There really are no rules.  It’s just a commitment to make one nine-patch block each day this summer!  If you do this from June 1 through August 31, you’ll have 92 nine-patch blocks at the end of summer!

What size should they be?  Make your nine-patches any size you want.  Here are the sizes of squares to cut for various sized blocks:

Cut 1 1/2″ squares for 3″ Blocks
Cut 2″ squares for 4 1/2″ Blocks
Cut 2 1/2″ squares for 6″ Blocks
Cut 3 1/2″ squares for 9″ Blocks
Cut 4 1/2″ squares for 12″ Blocks

What fabric should I use?  Anything goes.  Use all the same fabric, use up strips and squares from your stash.  Surely you must have some.  You can be color controlled or completely scrappy.  You can do light/dark, dark/light, you can use two colors in each block or you can use nine different fabrics in each block.  It’s up to you.

What if I miss a day?  Make two the next!  Miss a week, make seven next week.  C’mon, they’re nine-patches.  Nothing could be easier!  This is a no-stress, anything goes project meant to be nothing but fun.

There’s even a Facebook page where you can sign up to join the fun.  9-Patch Project at Facebook here.  You can post pictures of your blocks and be inspired by the pictures others post.  Several of my web  friends are involved in this project, and in the end, we’ll give you some ideas for setting your blocks together.  Don’t overlook the power of the nine-patch!

Here’s a vintage nine-patch quilt that’s in my collection.  Very scrappy, but every center is yellow.

Here’s my version of the above quilt, just using orange for my centers and setting the blocks on point.

Here’s a controlled scrappy that I saw on the internet.  Again, all the centers are the same.

Here’s another on-point version made by Marla.

I sure hope you’ll join in the fun!

Our show-and-tell at Redwork recently was Dish Towels.  I especially love the days-of-the-week themes.

I believe this pattern is by Grace Drayton, who also drew the Campbell Soup kids.

I love the expression on the face of this little Dutch girl.

I’m not sure she’s cut out for housekeeping!

Melinda had these.  I think they’re most unusual.  It’s from the rhyme, “This little pig went to market, this little pig stayed home, this little pig ate roast beef, this little pig had none and this little pig cried ‘wee, wee, wee’ all the way home!”  I remember it from my childhood!

Melinda also had these towels made from a 1940′s pattern called “A Sweet Little Miss.”  It’s the basis for my Merry Margaret patterns.

Here’s a set of mine, where I drew Merry Margaret doing her chores.  I call the pattern All Week Long.

Here are some pretty flower pots with matching fabrics from Happy.

Tea pots seem to have been a popular motif.

Some in Redwork.

Some in pretty colors.

Some in Bluework.

Well, you get the idea!

These are cute with the kitty faces.

I loved these canisters.

Melinda made this for me several years ago.

This bluebird is adorable!

But I think the most unusual was these mushrooms!

We stayed at the Belagio while in Las Vegas.  The hotel is beautiful, starting with the glass installation in the lobby ceiling.  It’s by Washington glass artist Dale Chihuly.

But the truly amazing thing is the garden at the end of the lobby.  I love the wild foxgloves that bloom near our woods, but these were pretty impressive.

Poppies!

And orange tulips!

I love this glass water feature.

There was a lot of whimsy in the garden, like these giant ants and mushrooms.

And I loved this pot spilling flowers out–and the giant trowel.

Here’s another view of the trowel.

In front of the Chihuly Studio, there was glass mixed in with the plants.  How perfect.

I think this was my favorite water feature.  Next time it rains, I’ll picture giant watering cans pouring the water down on me.

At Sally’s suggestion we also wandered through the Wynn and Encore.  It was decorated just for me–with butterflies!

I loved the marble floors.

And it was okay that they threw in some dragonflies.

Not only were there butterflies in the marble floors, but the carpets, too.

Isn’t the mosaic work incredible?

I loved the whimsy of these lights.

This atrium was fantastic with the umbrellas.  They just need the giant watering cans from the Bellagio!

Sally and Melissa.

I try not to look at quilts on Ebay.  Really, I try not to!

But sometimes, they pop up on my screen anyway.

And sometimes there’s orange in them.  And nasturtiums (along with California poppies) are my favorite flowers.

What’s a girl to do but look.

It was sooooo beautiful.

I didn’t intend to buy it, but I did send the photos to my friends and family.

They encouraged me to “go for it!”  So I did!  The quilting on it is amazing.

And it looks great on my Aunt Gloria’s old bed.

And in case you wonder if I’ve always liked orange, this is the dress Melissa wore when she was flower girl in my wedding in 1974!  The bridesmaids wore the same.  Yep, I’ve always loved orange–and nasturtiums and California poppies!

A few weeks ago, my mom, my sister, my daughter and I went to Las Vegas–not to gamble but to eat, shop and be entertained!

Mom and Sally.

Melissa and me.

The afternoon we arrived, we had a late lunch in our hotel, the Belagio, at Olives.  Lunch was delicious, but dessert was even better.

The chocolate cake with raspberries was yummy!

As was the chocolate mousse.

Sally had the creme brulee.

And Melissa opted for a second Lemon Drop!

Our very most favorite restaurant in NYC is Le Cirque.  How lucky that they have one at the Bellagio, too!

We started off with a celebratory Cosmopolitan.  I’m always trying to help out the cranberry growers!

The food is as delicious as the presentation.

Sally’s “Risotro in Harmony with the Seasons.”

The guy at the next table was having the shellfish appetizer, and I just had to have a photo!  Thank you, Mister.

My lobster.  Mmmmm.

Filet topped with foie gras

Salmon.

But the best–chocolate souffle!  Four, please.

Our last night, we ate at Circo, and their souffle was Grand Marnier.  It wasn’t chocolate, but it was a close second!

Mom and Sally had fresh doughnuts with two dipping sauces.

As you can see, we were well fed–especially in the dessert department!

For about 12 years now, I’ve been part of a Redwork group.  From time to time, we branch out from Redwork to other needlework styles.  Recently, we decided to start having themes for out meetings.  A recent theme was Tea Linens.  Everyone brought a pretty tea cup, Linda made scones and I made tea sandwiches. 

Show and tell is always the best part.  Here’s a vintage card table cloth that I picked up years ago for just a few dollars. 

And, of course, when you’re being served tea in bed on a tray, you must have a proper tray cover! Notice the little pocket for your napkin.

This is a pretty design with an interesting stitched edge.

Here’s a closer view.

Ethel made this pillow as a store sample for Anna Lena’s a few years back.  It’s a pattern from Darlene Zimmerman.

One of the ladies brought these pretty dishtowels.

And look at this pretty quilt.  I think Loretta made it. 

I love the delicate rose on the corner of this tea tablecloth.

These stitched tea towels are oldies but goodies.  Don’t you love how the thread color matches the bands on the towels?

The bias tape scalloped border on this cloth is really interesting.

The bias tape is checked!  How cool is that?

A few years back, our project was these blocks from Crabapple Hill Designs.  These are Eleanor’s–still waiting to be put together.

She’s a Red Rose tea drinker, so personalized her tea bag.  How clever!

Monica designed this setting for her blocks.  It is so very sweet–just like she is!

This is so pretty, but I can’t remember whose this is.  Oh, me bad!  Somebody, help!

Ethel made a tablecloth with her designs.

And I did a crazy quilt with my blocks.

Okay, the long awaited Part Deux!  Melissa’s and my big adventure.

Like all concerts now days, there were fabulous big screens, and we were practically underneath them!  The amazing thing about these screens in how much they moved–up and down, together, apart, flat, in a circle.  They were amazing!  This was the start of the show–screens down, deafening cheers from the crowd.

And then it starts to rise…..

….and there they were, right in front of us!  I didn’t think the noise from the crowd could get louder, but it doubled!

In the last post, I mentioned our FOURTH ROW SEATS!  Well, this was the Circle Tour, and out from the stage came this semi-circle about four feet wide.  The area between the semi-circle and the stage is called the pit.  There were six rows in the pit.  That’s where we were, in row four!

And so it began!

Jon was looking great.

And we were sooooo close!

Some people in the back could probably just see him on the screen, like this….

….or this.

But he was right in front of us!

Looking oh, sooo, good!

And working up a sweat.

Did I mention how loud the crowd was.  Luckily, the music was louder, and we were all on our feet.

Ah, the jacket had to come off.

More crowd pleasing songs.

And then Jon took a break.

Melissa and I were sure that after this he was going to be on the semi circle part of the stage, so we left our seats and headed back two rows.  Security scooched us out of the way a couple of times.  Well, that was because Jon came down inside the pit!  He walked right past us!  Right past us!  Then he took the stage and sang Hallelujah.

Oh, how I love that song…..

…and Jon’s performance was fantastic!

Then he amped it up again, and he was just inches from us!  I could have grabbed his ankle, but thought better of it.

At one point, he walked along grabbing hands–and he grabbed Melissa’s then mine!!!!!!!

It was a night to remember.  Thanks, Melissa, for wanting your mom to go along.

Flashback to the mid 80′s.  Melissa is in high school and I’m hooked on MTV!  Melissa’s favorite band–Bon Jovi!

Fast forward to a few months ago when Melissa tells me Bon Jovi is touring and the number one thing on her Bucket List is to see them again before they’re too old–or she’s too old!  I tell her to buy us tickets and she does–fourth row.  FOURTH ROW!!!!

Bon Jovi’s first stop–Seattle.  Melissa and I spent the weekend at my parents condo.  Here’s the view from First and Spring.

Mount Rainier over Safeco Field and the Quest Center.

The waterfront.

Tall buildings.  Hey, I’m from a really small town.

Of course we had to go to Pike’s Place Market.

Aren’t the flowers on the rooftops beautiful?

Years ago when the Market was being refurbished, they had a buy-a-tile fund raiser, and my mom and dad bought tiles for the whole family.  Here are ours!

But, come late afternoon, we’re ready to go!

The concert was at Seattle Center.  Here’s a view of the Space Needle over the top of Experience Music Project.

Great public art on the way in.

Past the International Fountain.

Quick mother/daughter photo op.

Now here’s the cool thing.  A semi-circle comes out from the stage–about four feet wide.  We’re in The Pit–the area inside the circle!  That’s VIP section, baby!

Another peek at the Space Needle before we go inside.

Of course everything is in Melissa’s name–and her name is on the list–BUT, she took her ID out at the airport and put it in her carryon.  It’s not in her purse!  Must be nice to be young and cute.  She just smiled, batted her eyelashes a few times and the guy said No Problem!

We were escorted to a special reception room and the band was there to greet us–well, paper cut outs of them!

The appetizers were waiting for us.

As was the open bar–always high on my list!  As you can see, I did my part to support the cranberry industry.

Soon dinner was served–the pasta bar was yummy!

And who could argue with a Build Your Own Cupcake station!?!

The band didn’t join us, but one guy I nicknamed Phony Bon Jovi was loving having his photo taken with all the cute girls!

I know you want pictures of the real thing, but that will have to wait until Part 2!

Really!  I got to have breakfast with Joe Biden in Seattle last week.

It was a fund raiser to kick off Senator Patty Murray’s re-election campaign.

My parents bought a table, and we were right up front.

I think Bob may have been the only one in the room with a John Deere tie on!  And speaking of Bob, he was turned away by the Secret Service at the security checkpoint!  He had a pocket knife!  Luckily, he could leave it at coat check, but I think the SS kept a close eye on him all through the event….

My sister and her friend Robin were there.

My brother-in-law, Ray.

Cole got an excused absence from school–but had to report to his classmates!

Of course we had warm-up speakers.

I had a clear shot of the stage, and while they aren’t the best quality photos, I’m happy to have them.

Here’s Dow Constantine, King County Executive.

And Congressman Jay Inslee.  He and I have hiked to the old growth cedar grove on Long Island together, but that’s another story!

And Senator Murray, of course.

Then the Vice President himself.

He talked about a half hour and was very engaging.  He pressed some flesh in the crowd afterwards.

Mom, Dad and Cole got to go through the receiving line and had a professional photo with Senator Murray and VP Biden, but we weren’t allowed in.  Bummer!  All in all, a very fun morning.  Oh! Oh!! Scott at http://www.redfishphoto.com/, the official photographer, has given me permission to use the photo.  Here it is!

Doesn’t it look like Joe’s telling my mom a great joke!?!  Actually, he was leaning in to kiss her on the forehead!