Shared Creativity

Getaway Schnibble

2012-01-16T04:17:00.000-08:00

My latest Schnibble is Getawat from the second book. I love this pattern. The one in the book uses solids with a red background. It is nice, but no me so I chose batiks with a black background. I love how it is turning out. The color contrast is fabulous!

I have a little over half of the quilt done.

FQSQA Update

2012-01-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

I am just two blocks behind at this point. I have finished blocks 5, 6, and 7, but not blocks 4 and 8. I should be able to knock those out tomorrow. I have to say these blocks are not the best piecing I have done. Doing block 7 with the templates was a trial. to say the least.

block 5

block 6

block 7

I may end up redoing or replacing blocks 6 and 7. Not sure until I see them all together. Block 7 is smaller than the rest.

Lillie's Dino quilts

2012-01-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Lillie loves dinosaurs. She loves everything about them and can name most of them. She wanted a dinosaur quilt so who was I to say no??? She was so excited when she saw the fabric I ordered.

I made her a good lap sized quilt using a Timeless Treasures print and an Ozarks Tiles pattern. It was really a fast top to put together once I started working on it. It came out pretty cute and she likes it so its all good. I need to quilt and bind it still. Perhaps this weekend.....

While making the top I cut the corners from all the blocks and ended up with a huge pile of scraps. I could not decide if I wanted to make a pillow to match, but settled on an additional quilt. This way Lillie can wrap her dino toys in the smaller quilt.

Getting back to normal

2012-01-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

Now that the New Year is upon us, it is time for me to get back to normal. Today was the first day back to work. Last year was a hard and hectic year of ups, downs, turns, and twists. I am looking forward to a quiet and peaceful 2012. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I have been working on a few projects in the last few weeks, but have not posted any of the pictures. I need to get them up. I also have the FQSQA blocks to post. I remain one block behind, but I do not care for the block so I think I will do an alternate. It is cute enough, but I do not like using templates :( I am not sure if I will just suck it up in the end and do the templates. That is still up in the air.

Quilt Back

This Christmas I only made one quilt. Last year I made 11 and that about drove me over the edge. Though I follow the Pittsburgh Steelers, I took a deep breath and made a Miami Dolphins quilt. It really did turn out nice in the end. I planned on a lap sized quilt, but ended up with a queen. How does that happen???

I pieced the back with the left over fabric since I know I will probably not make another Dolphins quilt....well maybe. Who knows.

A long time

2011-12-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

It has been such a while since I posted. I have been working on some quilts and need to get the pictures up soon. We, very sadly, had to say good bye to my dad in the last few weeks so blogging was not on my mind.

My dad was a great man. He left a family who loves him deeply and miss him terribly. He lived to see his five grandchildren grow up and to hold his first two great-grandchildren. He was also one of the best Air Force officers I have ever known. He served this country for 38 years, first as an enlisted troop, then as a commissioned officer. He is still remembered by many of the Security Forces member. Indeed, many came to say good bye to him.

It is with sadness that I look at the coming Christmas without this wonderful man.

Saturday Sampler blocks

2011-11-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Is it really November? Where did the last year go? Poof! Gone.

Talking to a friend the other day about old blocks she has reminded me of some blocks I started years ago at a local quilt shop. It was a Saturday Sampler kind of thing where if you finished your block, you got the next one free. I did really well.....for a while. I think there were 16 blocks in the set. I moved before we finished so I was able to get the sets for the last four blocks.

Now that I remember these things exist, I want to get the top done. I have 12 finished blocks so I could really just piece them together and be done. But, insane as I am, I want to do the last four. Hopefully this will leave the UFO zone soon.....I love the blocks.

Fall 2011 Blogger Quilt Festival

2011-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

Amy's Creative Side hosts a great blogger quilt festival each spring and fall. I look forward to sharing a quilt and see the wonderful quilts others have made. There are always such great stories to go with many of them.

Last year I discovered Leaders and Enders. What a great technique. I was hooked after the first stitch. For my first l/e quilt I dug out a bin of strips I had cut over the years. They were 1.5 inches and the bin could hardly close. I always thought about doing a Courthouse Steps quilt so that was the pattern of choice. It was quilted by Jan Barnett in Wyoming.

The blocks went faster than I expected as I was making quilts for my family for Christmas last year. Getting it pot together and binding took a bit longer. I finished the binding last night. I love it. It is bigger that I originally thought it would be. Sammie tells me it just looks like the perfect winter cuddle quilt, I agree.

I have a few offers to adopt this quilt and show it all the love it deserves, but it is going to stay here :)

Be sure to head to Amy's Creative Side and see what other wonderful quilts there are to see.

Raawwwrr

2011-10-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

Lillie has been begging me for a dinosaur quilt. I ordered the fabric and showed it to her, she approved. Since she clapped eyes on the fabric she has been 'reminding' me that I need to get going on this for her.

I finally started the first few blocks. I am doing a simple Ozark Tiles block so it is sure to go pretty fast. If I start to slack, I am confident the reminders will prompt me along :) I plan to add a green border, followed by a black border when its all done. The yellow will make stars once there are enough blocks.

FQSQA Block #3

2011-10-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Now this was a fun block to make. I really expected it to take longer than it did. I chose to use repeats of a couple of the fabrics rather than make each different. I am enjoying seeing all the others on the Flickr group. There are some great blocks so far.

Waste not, want not

2011-10-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

The one thing with the twister ruler is there is a bit of waste. The pieces are strange shaped little critters. But, the pieces between the blocks are still big enough to do something with. They can be pieced for a border or for the back of the quilt. For my little quilt I went with the border option.

The pieces were large enough to cut 2 inch squares of each. There are not enough to go all the way around the quilt, however. So this is the result. The top is officially finished.

Design Wall Monday 10/24

2011-10-24T03:46:00.000-07:00

Another Monday...and even closer to the holidays!!

I am trying to clean up some of the mess in my sewing room so I pulled out the pieces to the Steelers quilt I was working on. I am almost done with it. Just add the last three rows and the borders. This is a simple split 9 patch.

Once that is done I can go to the next pile, LOL. There are many....

Caught in the excitement of the twister ruler, I decided to tackle the huge bin of 30s prints I have in the closet. This bin has been following me around for many years....at least 12. I have so many then I want to use them for another pinwheel quilt. Some pieces are not big enough for 10 inch squares so I am cutting them all into 10, 5, and 2.5 inch squares. The smallest ones will be for leader and ender quilts. Who knows how many quilts are waiting to blossom from my bin :)

Be sure to see what the other design walls have to offer today at Judy's blog.

Toys

2011-10-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love new toys??? I got the Twister Rulers this week and could not wait to try them out. I decided to make a trial run using a cute charm pack I had in my stash. Wow. I need to make me more of these. What a fast and fun way to make pinwheels. I have the larger ruler and that will be the next one.

I was able to put the top together in about two days. I still need to trim down the scraps to make a border. If you haven't tried this new ruler, I highly recommend it!

Schnibblicious

2011-10-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

Finally. I have my Plan C Schnibble top done. It was pretty easy to do, just finding time to work on it was a challenge. Last night was the first time in a long time I spent the entire evening quilting. After I finished this top I started piecing backs for the quilts I need to get quilted. I have two done and two to go.

I text a photo of it to a friend and she came back with a perfect name, Schnibblicious. I liked it so it stuck. The fabrics in this one are so soft and pink. Sammie says it reminds her of Jasmine (from Disney's Aladdin). I am sure it was an extra plug so she can have this quilt....it worked.

I am not sure if it is the late afternoon sun or just the soft colors, but it is really difficult to get the pictures true to color on this quilt.

Music can just touch the heart

2011-10-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

The Band Perry has a new song out that touches deeply. The first lines of All My Life are:

Would you walk to the edge of the ocean

Just to fill my jar with sand?

This single line brings me to my knees each time I hear it. It just drums up so many great memories of the wonderful man Greg was.

When Greg and I had out 15th anniversary, about ten years ago, he was TDY (temporary duty of the Air Force) to Pensacola, FL. It was not the first time we had been apart on our anniversary, but I did miss him. That evening he went to the beach of white sand and filled a jar with it. He called me to say that if I could not be with him on the beach that night, he would fill my jar with sand and bring it home to me.

That ratty old mason jar of sand remains one of my most prized possessions.

If you have not heard the song, you can see the video by clicking here.

Your basic political science

2011-10-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have been teaching political science for about 15 years now. I really do enjoy it. Perhaps, you might as well:

Political Science for Dummies

DEMOCRATIC

You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN

You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?

SOCIALIST

You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST

You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE

You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE

You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine.
Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION

You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature' s private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION

You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION

You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION

You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION

You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out of state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION

You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegals.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Design Wall Monday 10/17

2011-10-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

Over the River and Through the Woods by Crabapple Hill

I actually have two things to share one my design wall. One is on the wall, one is a hand project.

I finally finished the tracing of my embroidery so I could begin the stitching. I fully realize it will take YEARS to complete, but that works for me. I just love this quilt. A friend asked me today who this quitl is for and I said ME. I have wanted to do it forever and I am not giving it away. The pattern is by Crabapple Hill. I love all their patterns and would love to have the entire collection. One at a time......

Plan C Schnibble quilt

I am almost done with my Schnibble quilt. I hoped to finish it this morning, but there was more to it than I thought. I have one last row to add and the borders. The piano key border is pieced and ready to go. Just assembly required.

Be sure to check out the other design walls at Judy's blog. Always great stuff happening.

New adventures

2011-10-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have embarked on a new adventure. Horseback riding. OMG it is so fun. My Saturday morning quilting time has been replaced for the time being. But I still have Sunday morning to work on my quilts and get other things done. Right now I have to take advantage of the great weather.

I will admit, it is a bit of challenge trying to get up in the saddle when the stirrup is at eye level. Guess that comes with being 5 foot even. I don't expect that to change any time soon so I either suck it up or find a step ladder.

Just for today

2011-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am the eternal optimist. I generally see every glass as half full, and expect tomorrow to be a good day. I get up at 4 am every morning, looking forward to the adventure of the day.

However, today is International Skeptics Day. Feeling the need to get into the 'holiday' mood, I looked at my UFO list. Yup. I'm a skeptic today!! But tomorrow is another story.....

** image from http://pjzen.wordpress.com/tag/behavior/

FQSQA Block #2

2011-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

What a fun block. I changed it a little from the suggested pattern, but I love how it turned out. Now the wait for block 3.

Little Niki update

2011-10-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you recall a year ago when I posted about my little great-niece. She was born at 1 lb, 1/2 oz. Yup that is a little one. She was about the size of a beanie baby at birth. Her chances of survival were about 5%. You can read her story here.

Many of my fellow bloggers offered their thoughts and prayers to this dear little angel. For months, four to be exact, she was in the hospital. It has been an amazing journey. Little Niki did not have any brain bleeds, like most micro-preemies. She thrived far better than the doctors expected. Today she is perfect, with no issues. She may need glasses.....don't we all :)

Yesterday our little Niki turned one!!! She really is proof that miracles exist and prayers are answered. She is wonderful.

Figgy Pudding

2011-10-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

Figgy Pudding using Take 5 pattern

I guess it is time to accept Christmas is just around the corner. I finished my Figgy Pudding quilt a couple of nights ago. I had the fabric for a couple of years and finally decided to do something with it.

This quilt was made using the Take 5 pattern. It is such a fast and fun pattern to work with. Goes together in a day (in my case not, but it can be done).

Now on to the next one....I have one left to bind. It is my first leader and ender quilt in a Courthouse Steps pattern. I love it. Very scrappy.

Quilting detail done by Jan Barnett

Design Wall Monday 10/10

2011-10-10T03:48:00.000-07:00

It is Monday....again....already.

Fabric selection blacks and white/cream

I started a new project this weekend. I am doing the Over the River quilt by Crabapple and it is just too cute. I did not get far. I am in the middle of tracing the embroidery panel so I can work on it. It is a great hand project to work on during football games :)

The first panel (actually the lower panel in the quilt)

What I am aiming for....

I have about the first half of the first panel done. I am using my patio door as an improvised light box. Hard on the arms, but that is what I have to work with. I should be able to finished it by Wednesday, as long as I have enough light when I get home form work.

Be sure to stop by Judy's blog for other design walls.

Schnibblling along

2011-10-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. I woke up with one of the worst migraines I have ever had. In fact, I stayed in bed until 2 pm. It finally started to fade so I thought I would do something relaxing....you know....quilt.

I really want to finish the Plan C schnibble so I can justify starting a new one out of the second book. I think I am going to do Lincoln. Not sure yet.

In any case, I have Plan C well over half way done. Both Alex and Sammie have expressed interest in ownership of this lovely piece...

The colors did not come out very well in the picture but you get the idea :)

Four Patch Posie Mardi Gras style

2011-10-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ta da!! It is finally done. Actually this quilt went pretty fast, for me. It took a while to get used to all the pink. At first I did not care for it that much, but it grew on me. Ironically, my girls are all fighting over this one. Surprise!

I made the Max and Whiskers quilt for Lillie but she informed me this is the quilt she wants. Alex is now pouting since she says I like Lillie better. LOL. I am sure Alex will get over it.

I think I need to try this pattern again. It is just fun to work on. I need to dig through my stash for another novelty print. I have many.....

The quilting was done by Jan and she replicated the design in the print. The thread is purple, perfect.

Say hello to my little friend

2011-10-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

There are just things I HATE about living in the desert. For the most part it is not too bad, but there are times when I wonder why, oh, why did I leave Wyoming.

I can tell you that little friends like this never hung out in front of my cutting table in Wyoming. And, I only had one scorpion in my house the entire time I lived in El Paso. We have "enjoyed" three of these visitors in the last month. Even my exterminator can't seem to keep them away. I need to think of a Plan B.

Design Wall Monday 10/3

2011-10-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks since I posted a design wall. I missed it. I find that posting my wall makes me want to work on more projects in the hopes I have something to show.

This week I have the new Schnibble I am working on. It is Plan C from the first Schnibble book. I am using Kashmir IV. It is a very light, pastel quilt. A bit out of my norm, but I like it. Sammie really likes the colors in this one. I will most likely give it to her.

Be sure to check out the other walls at Judy's blog.

More Schnibbles....

2011-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

YAY!! I have been looking forward to the new Schnibbles book for a while. In preparation, I had to start a new Schnibble out of the first book. I am working on Plan C. (Pictures will be up in a few days)

The new book looks as enticing as the first one. Now I need to hold my horses until the book arrives. Sometimes Amazon just takes too long. Can't they just teleport these things???

FQSQA Block #1

2011-09-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

The first of the blocks for the FQ Stars Quilts Along was published yesterday. It was a super easy block to make. The next block comes out in two weeks.

If you want to join the fun, click on the icon on my left sidebar.

Max and Whiskers

2011-09-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Whew! I finished a quilt!! I have three more waiting for binding. I decided to finish the Max and Whiskers first since it is the one Lillie is waiting for. She has told me a number of times this one is hers :) But then again, she tells me every quilt is hers.

The fabric is Max and Whiskers by Basic Grey and the pattern is Avignon Picnic, found at Moda Bake Shop. This is the second quilt I have made with this particular pattern and I really like this pattern. I used the extra blocks on the back. The blue background gives the quilt a totally different look.

It was quilted by Jan Barnett and she did paw prints in the quilting. Too cute!

Abby loves the quilt too :)

I think I am going to do the binding on the Mardi Gras 4 patch quilt next. It is too cute too!!

Back to life

2011-09-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

It has been crazy busy. The last couple of weeks were planning for my sister's wedding at my house. It takes a lot to prepare for 110 people when you are working full time and going to school, bit it was so worth it!! It was just beautiful. Now that is done and I can get back to normal life....whatever that is.

For the wedding we had little bowls of goldfish on the tables. My little Lillie was totally into the fish. I have to say this is my favorite picture of her, ever!! Aunt Katie is just an incredible photographer.

Tomorrow we get the first block in the Fat Quarter Quilt Along. I can't wait!!

Russian Dolls

2011-09-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

This was a fast top to put together. It took exactly one week. I came across the fabric in the closet and decided to just play with it. I did the blocks like a leader and ender, just one seam between each other block I was working on.

I used the 4 Patch Posey pattern and the fabric has Russian dolls all over it. I did discover that cutting the blocks larger (these were 5 inches) did not make nicer blocks. If I make another quilt like this I will stick with smaller blocks, around 3.5. Also, I tried to cut the fabric without laying it out full length on two cutting mats, not a good idea. They layers were not as precise as I wanted. Once cut, there was not much I could do about it.

I thought the white sashing would be a good idea, but do not really like it. That's ok. Sammie really loves it. I am going to have the sashing quilted with a purple thread to tone down the harshness. All in all not bad for a week of work.

Since I finished two tops in recent days, I felt it necessary to start a new one LOL. I am doing a Schnibbles, Plan C.

Crates to Dye For

2011-09-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Whoo Hoo!! Finished the top on Saturday and I love it. This is one BIG quilt. The pattern is Apple Crates by Angela from Fussy Cut. It can be found on the MBS site or here.

I was able to get quite a bit of sewing done on Saturday. I have another top that is just about done and started using some extra HST I had from a Schnibble I did.

I was stuck using a design floor so the quilt is at a weird angle. I used all hand dyed fabric, hence the name.

Diagnosis

2011-09-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

I think I know what ails me. It finally has a name...

While looking at design walls on Monday, there was a comment on L'Fair Quilts about starting new projects. Don't we all??? It's like a disease. Well, Quilter Kathy pointed out this is called "startitis." EUREKA! Now I know what I have. Such a wise woman, Kathy :) I would never have know there is such a perfect name out there.

I am assuming this is a progressive disease and the only treatment is to start a new quilt....so I did. I have it cut out and will post some pictures once I have a block done.

Thank goodness for other bloggers who can identify what ails me.

**image from http://www.whizzdome.com/

1993

2011-08-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

As the brand new freshmen swarmed our campus yesterday I realized how young they are. They look like babies!! Then I realized they were born in 1993. My youngest daughter was born in 1993 so I am now old enough to be all of their mother. I am just feeling old today!

What was life like when these youngsters were born? According to What Happened in 1993 here is the price run down. Notice gas as just a bit more than $1. Those were the days!! And you could see a movie for $4. Amazing. I will say though, the current economic crisis has brought some prices have come down so far that they are not too changed from 1993. You can compare the list here.

How Much things cost in 1993

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.96%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 3654
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 6.00%
Average Cost of new house $113,200.00
Average Income per year $31,230.00
Average Monthly Rent $532.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.16
Movie Ticket $4.14
Average cost of new car $12,750.00
Loaf of Bread $1.57
Tuition to Harvard University $23,514.00

Design Wall #35

2011-08-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Manic Monday. The first day of the semester is always so crazy!! I hope everyone enjoys the day with all the kids off to school.

My design wall moved from the wall to the pool table since this quilt is getting so big. It is really bigger than I thought it would be. The picture is a little skewed since it is flat on the table.

Alex loves this one (surprise) and she was telling me that the simplicity of the design is what draws her. I agree with her on this one.

Her comments made me think of the words of Pablo Picasso: Art is the elimination of the unnecessary. How appropriate.

So what is happening on the other design walls? Pop over to Judy's blog to see.

And the demands.....

2011-08-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent the day with a friend making a pillow for her granddaughter. It was as cute as could be. Lillie was hanging with us and just loved the pillow. It was an owl. My friend left and the pillow was out of sight, out of mind....or so I thought.

This morning the first thing Lillie said to me is Oma make me a pillow. Gee...OK....let me drop everything and make a pillow right now! She went to my shelves of fabric and brought me a pack of 4 inch squares in 30s prints. I started to realize she was serious.

So what's an Oma to do???
Here's the pillow....nuff said.

Highway Necessities

2011-08-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this on FB and I love it. I think Nevada needs to invest in these signs EVERYWHERE.

FQSQA

2011-08-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo!! Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along is here. It starts on September 27 and I cannot wait. I had so much fun with the layer cake that I have been waiting for this one. There will be directions for a new star block every other Tuesday. I loved the layer cake quilt along because I was able to stay on top of it. One block every two weeks was not too difficult. It will go through March 2012.

The QA also has drawings for great prizes every couple of weeks. It is such fun to watch the blocks pop up on fellow blogs and the flickr group. It is just fun.

A few years ago Minick and Simpson put out their line American Primer and I was in LOVE. I bought the FQ bundle and have waited for just the perfect project. It is here. We need 16 FQs for the quilt and this bundle has 40. So I can make two quilts, or use the white to make a more scrappy background. Not sure yet. Actually, I could also use some of the extra FQs for the border if I want to make a larger quilt. Ooohhhh the possibilities!

The background I am using is the cream school dress. You can see the entire collection here. It really is gorgeous. I love the cheerful look of this fabric.

Join in the fun!! I know many have said they were planning on it. I cannot wait to see the quilts.

Design Wall #34

2011-08-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

It is already that time. School has started and things are crazy.

Little happening on my design wall. I made a little progress on my Crates quilt, but that is about it. I did get the rest of the strips all cut out so it is just a matter of sewing the blocks. They go pretty fast once I get going. There seems to be a lot of orange/red in the fabrics so I think I will make a couple of extra blue blocks. There is only one real blue.

What is happening on other design walls? Check Judy's blog.

Logic??

2011-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

So here is my FB conversation with my oldest daughter:

Mom:
First my first born daughter steals all my quilts, so I make more. Now my first born granddaughter has stolen them all. I am getting too old for this!!

Katie:

see, i am helping. its beneficial because through me stealing i give you purpose in life: to make more quilts. really you should be thanking me im supporting your relaxation technique
also if i didnt then you would have an excess of money you wouldn't have to spend on fabric, your stress level would be up, therefore you would buy drugs to calm yourself...see im like your own personal therapist

So what is cheaper? A therapist or fabric???

**image from http://the-cat-alyst.blogspot.com

Opinions please

2011-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

I am trying to decide if I want to use the black or the gold for the setting triangles in my Summer quilt. I am really leaning toward the gold.

I put both up on the design wall to audition and still no decision. The pictures are really primitive, but it does give a little sense of the results. Mind you, the border is a floral print on black.

What say you?

Flannel Days

2011-08-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this fabric. It is so soft and warm and just delicious.

I started the blocks last weekend. I have all the fabric cut (hello Go!) and so it is just a matter of piecing the strips. I am not sure if I want to do a log cabin center with half square triangles on the border...I will have to see what happens.

Hopefully I can get at least one or two evenings f sewing in this week.

Design Wall #33

2011-08-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

My friend told me that Monday was cancelled this week. I think I have been told a tall tale since I have to work :(

In any case, this last weekend was pretty productive. I started on my log cabin flannels and will post some pictures later. It is looking good. I have about 8 blocks done so far. I am not sure if I am going to add a half square triangle border on it or not. Too soon to think of borders, LOL. I am, mre or less, winging it.

I also finished a few more blocks in the Apple Crates (I am calling mine Crates to Dye For since I am using my dyed fabrics). They are fast, fun and I love the colors. There are 30 blocks total in the quilt and I have the first eight done. I have 12 colors of dyed fabric so there will be a good variety in the blocks. I am working on the purple and orange blocks now. They have a lot of gradation in the color so it looks like a little more texture.

I began the sashing on my Summer quilt. I love the little stars. They are a pain, but well worth the effort. I need to cut the setting triangles this week and begin placing them . Then I will really get a sense of the final quilt. I have not decided yet if I want to use black or gold for the setting triangles. I will have to audition them and see what looks best. The border is the floral print on black.

Be sure to head over to Judy's blog to see the other design walls.

Precious Moments

2011-08-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Lillie is just fun. I never cease to be amazed at how fascinated she is by quilts and quilting. Yesterday she went through my bedroom and claimed all the quilts. There were two that I am currently hand quilting so she could not have those. She has also taken my scrap bin and so I need to find a new one, LOL.

I had a few minutes to sew last night but it was difficult with my little shadow. She told me what kind of quilt she wants next (one with flowers) and chose the fabric (by Me and My Sister, very cheerful). It is amazing that she already has such strong opinions on the construction of her next quilt. My girls did not show any real interest until they were much older. I really think I have a future quilter here.

I really do need to get her a sewing machine, but I think she might be a little young. She is almost three. How young is too young?

Ooohhhh the decisions!!

2011-08-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

I just got the new Flannel Days FQ bundle by Kansas Troubles. So now what??? I am thinking of two possibilities (1) a Log Cabin quilt or (2) Half square triangles. I just ordered the 6.5 triangle die for my Go! and it will be waiting for me when I get home. I also have the 2.5 inch strip die. Either one will be fast to cut.

So....what do you think?

There are 39 FQs in the bundle so I wonder if I can do both?

The crazies will be out

2011-08-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

I am staying at home this weekend. Why, you ask? Well two reasons:

1. I live in Las Vegas
2. It is Elvis week (Aug 10-16)

Driving to work, through the Strip is already entertaining enough on a regular week, but get all the Elvis wannabes out there and whoo hoo!! I even had "Elvis" trying to sell me a car at the Ford dealership not long ago.

So if you are an Elvis fan, this is the time to throw an Elvis party....or come on down to Vegas and join the fun :) I will just stay home and enjoy a movie or two.

Design Wall #32

2011-08-08T02:09:00.000-07:00

Is it really Monday again??? Where did the week go? it never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes.

I had a great sewing weekend. I am sending quilts out for quilting this week; four of them in fact. I was able to piece all the backs and make all the bindings. I love to stitch binding but hate making it. That is my least favorite part of the quilt. I have all four pressed and rolled, just ready for the quilts. The bonus is that I used up over 28 yards of my stash. One of these days I will be in the black. I think I am just under 30 yards in the red (but I do have some more fabric in the mail).

Last week the Moda Bake Shop had a pattern for the Apple Crate Quilt by Angela at Fussy Cut. I fell in love with it. If you have not seen it yet, you are missing out!!

I decided this is the quilt for my recent dyed fabric. So far I have one finished block. This is a perfect Leader and Ender quilt. If I did not already have one going, that is what I would have done. I figured I just finished four tops so I deserve to start a new one. That's my story and I'm sticken to it!!

Finally, I have 30 stars done on my summer quilt. With all the backings and bindings I was not able to really work on more of them. The stack is growing though.

Be sure to pop in at Judy's blog for the other design walls.

Lovin the Take 5

2011-08-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Take 5 quilt pattern is one of my favorites. I have made a number of them and they are always fast, fun, and turn out cute.

In May a few friends and I all started on Take 5 quilts. I finished the center of the top that day. I finally finished the borders. I used Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey that I bought a few years ago. I still have enough fabric to make another. Maybe I will for a Christmas gift.

Organization

2011-08-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

Looking around my sewing room I came to the conclusion I need to reorganize my ongoing quilts. I have usually looked at them as (a) UFOs (b) PhDs. Now I am thinking I need to have three categories:

1. UFOs
2. PhDs
3. What in the he!! was I thinking???

I will just have to focus on the first two groups. The third....who knows. Maybe I will get a handle on my growing piles. In the meantime, I am starting a new quilt.

**great image from http://eclecticgirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/

Thought for the day

2011-08-04T11:31:00.001-07:00

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." Maya Angelou

Leader and Ender part 2

2011-08-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

I am well on my way to finishing my second Leader and Ender quilt. Now why didn't I start this years ago? I am doing 6x6 2 inch squares of 30s scraps I have in a bin. I think I will make a large quilt out of these since I have so much of the fabric. The blocks are 12 inch finished and I have eight completed.

I introduced a friend of mine to L/E quilts and she is almost done with her first. Ahhhh sharing the addiction :)

I may run out of scraps since Lillie discovered my scrap bin last night. She actually TOOK it out of my sewing room and it is her new toy box.

Another finished flimsy

2011-08-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! I actually finished my 4 patch Mardi Gras quilt top. This one did go pretty fast. I started it in mid-May. I love the way these blocks come out. If you have not tried the 4 Patch Posie pattern, I highly recommend it. It is the same concept as the Stack and Whack. You just do four repeats of the fabric and cut them. I saw some blocks with this fabric years ago and fell in love with it.

I wanted to make more blocks for a larger quilt, but it turned out far bigger than I expected. I plan to use the rest of the print for the binding. I must say this is a very PINK quilt. At first I wasn't sure how I would like all the pink, but I love it. I am also using the pink for the back since I have a lot of it left. Decreasing the stash, you know :)

The top really is square. I am just so short that I cannot get it straight on the design wall. Off she goes to my LAQ this weekend.

Modern?

2011-08-02T05:15:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of buzz these days about the Modern Quilt Guild 100 Days of Modern Quilting. I think it is pretty interesting.

One of the requirements for submissions is an explanation what makes your quilt "modern." Great question. What defines a modern quilt? I often wonder that myself. I tend to think of myself as a traditional quilter, but some of the patterns I use are from modern quilters. Does that make them modern? Is it the fabric? The pattern? The quilting? How deep does the rabbit hole go here?

Art quilts are easier to define....or are they? Are all quilts art? My daughter had an art teacher in high school who argued this point to the death. He said quilts were a craft, not art. I disagreed. What say you?

I think it is easier for me to just say I am a quilter. Period. Less confusion that way.

**image from http://www.wallpapervortex.com/tag-black-white.html

Design Wall #31

2011-08-01T02:22:00.000-07:00

It has been such a while since I posted my design wall.

I am trying to make progress on my Summer Quilt. I thought I would be further along by now. I have 23 of the larger stars done. I think I need about 35. I love the colors and feel of these fabrics. There are smaller stars in the sashing as well. I like the look of the blocks on point.

Hopefully, I can show more progress next week.

Be sure to check out what is going on with the other great design walls at Judy's blog.

Finally getting somewhere

2011-07-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got the quilt bug back. It has been about two months since I really had the desire to do much sewing. Too much chaos in my life.

I was able to finish the Max and Whiskers top. It turned out incredibly cute. I can't wait to get it quilted. I am just piecing the remaining blocks for the back and off it will go to be quilted. I already have the binding ready :)

Hoffman block swap finally done

2011-07-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my oldest UFOs....actually I think the oldest. It was at least 11 years in the making. I finally finished it. This was one of the quilts on my PhD challenge list. I was done about two weeks ago, but have not been blogging of late.

These blocks came from a great group of quilters. We were all stationed in Dover and took a trip to Lancaster, PA for the day. We selected the Hoffman print at the Old Country Store and each made blocks to swap. There were only 12 in the group so I made four additional blocks to have a bigger quilt. I know at least one of the other quilters did the same. She finished her quilt years ago, LOL.

Jan did a fabulous job on the quilting with simple swirls and stars all over. Of course, Lillie has claimed the quilt, but I think I will be able to get it back once I get the next one done :)

To dye for

2011-07-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday a friend came over to learn how to dye fabric. She had never done it. It was such fun!! It has been so long since I dyed fabric. I still have most of the fabric I dyed and can't seem to cut into it. I have used one set for my black fish quilt using a combination of scarlet, turquoise, and lemon yellow.

We did a 12 step gradation dye. I started with basic blue, basic red, and golden yellow. I have not used any of these colors in the past so the results were a surprise. The yellow is a little orange, but still came out fun. The greens are so close in color it is hard to distinguish them. You can see the difference when they are side by side.

The finished span of colors are wonderful. There is a lot of mottle in each piece. I really love the reds and oranges. Now I need to figure out what I am going to do with them. I think they are screaming for stars.

Design Wall #28

2011-07-11T02:24:00.000-07:00

No design wall today as I am trying to get my bindings done. This is the last one in the group. I hope to get it done quickly.

Be sure to check out the other design walls at Judy's blog, the Patchwork Times.

Jewel Stars

2011-07-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite quilt of the ones I just got back. It is made using scraps of batiks I had from another project, Birthday Presents. I wanted to do something with the scraps and this was perfect. I love how it turned out.

I asked Jan to custom quilt it lightly and she did it perfectly. I am not sure who is going to abscond with this quilt, but I suspect it will be Lille or Sam :) Lillie has already made comments in that direction and Sam will think she has ownership since the scraps are from one of her other quilts. See how that works?

The pattern comes from the book Time Out Quilts by Terry Atkinson. I have to say I have made most of the quilts in that book. They are all great projects. This was the only one that I used the same colors as the pattern. Not my usual habit, but it just sang to me.

I have one quilt left to bind. My plan is to sit and stare at the TV tonight and work on this quilt. I am not a big TV viewer, but sometimes that is all my brain is able to handle.

And we have a finished quilt

2011-07-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

I got my quilts back from Jan on Thursday. The first one I wanted to finish was my LCQA. It really turned out cute. The quilting picks up the flowers in the border and there are some scrolls in there too. Just fun :) It is hard to see the quilting in the photos since the fabrics are so busy. I used the green to bind it since I did not have enough of the print, but I think that adds a nice final frame to the quilt as well.

The quilt does not look totally square in the photo, but that was the angle of the picture.

I was stitching the binding on this quilt and Lillie announced it was hers. I told her she had to wait so she went around the house and collected all the quilts she could find. She made a huge pile on the livingroom floor and told me those were ALL her quilts since I had one (the one I was working on). Actually she tells everyone about her quilts. She always says "Oma made my kilt!" It warms the heart to know that even at the age of two and a half, she loves the quilts. That is why I make 'em.

I started on the next binding last night and hope to finish and post pictures by Sunday. I have to say it is the Jewel Stars quilt and it is my favorite.

Rare Vegas sighting

2011-07-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

It is not often we get rain, so there are not many rainbows to enjoy. It is a treat to walk out onto the patio tonight and be greeted with not a single, but a double rainbow. The second rainbow, to the right, is harder to see. It was fleeting and now is gone. I enjoyed it while it lasted :)

Slooooow progress

2011-07-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like Max, Whiskers, and I have been dating way too long!! I have one row left on this quilt and I can ship it off to be quilted. I love the look of it and Lillie has proclaimed this is her kilt forever. I better get going!! I have the blocks for the last row about done, just need to add them.

I will say that it looks totally different from the Love is in the Air quilt, even though it is the same pattern. I think it is the colored background making such an impact. The white gives it another feel.

My summer quilt is coming along. I have 14 blocks now. Doesn't seem like very much, but better than nothing. I am lovin the stars.

The weekend is almost here....hopefully some good quilting time in there. If I get my three quilts back, I will be binding my lil ole heart out :) On Saturday I will be dyeing fabric with a friend. That is always fun.

Counting blessings

2011-07-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

I really am blessed. I have the sweetest family who really takes care of me when I need it.
Yesterday was a really challenging day. I have known for five years it was coming, but I don't think I was really prepared for how difficult it would be. I was married 25 years ago and we planned for many years to go to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. Clearly, that didn't happen. It has always bothered me that I would never have a 25th anniversary, but Greg died just a couple of weeks short of our 20th.

I was out for most of the day and when I got home my mother had been by. She left me flowers and a Jim Shore ladybug. I love ladybugs. It was the sweetest thing in the world. The card just said she was thinking of me. When my daughter, Sammie, got home she had something for me too. She and Lillie threw quarters into a gumball machine until they had two little ladybugs for me. Now tell me that is not sweet!! I really am blessed.

My sweet daughter is 21 today. She is my firecracker baby. Greg wanted to name her America since she was born on the 4th but we finally settled on Samantha (Sam). She is such an incredible daughter and mother to Lillie. I am proud of her. She has grown into a beautiful woman both inside and out.

Enjoy your blessings this 4th of July.

Ready to go

2011-07-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

I got an email last night that my quilts are in the mail and should be here early next week. I can't wait to see them. Jan always does the most gorgeous quilting. In preparation, I have the binding ready to go!! Now the wait.....

Among the three quilts are my LCQA and my oldest UFO. It will be nice to have both of them finished, especially the 11 year old UFO!

Freedom is NOT free

2011-07-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

There is a great price paid for the many freedoms we enjoy in the US. Sometimes there are things that just drive that point home. This week we had an accident at Nellis AFB that is just heartbreaking. The Air Force family lost a young pilot in a training accident. He leaves a wife and sweet nine month old daughter. It breaks my heart. You can read the story here.

As we enter this 4th of July weekend of picnics and festivities, we should pause for a moment to remember the cost. Freedom is NOT free.

PhD Challenge

2011-07-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was the deadline. Myra did such a wonderful job guiding us and deserves a great deal of thanks. It came and went waaaaaaay too fast. I committed to five quilts. One would think I could finish up five quilts in six months, right? Yeah, right.

Sadly, I was able to finish only two of the five. However, the third has been at the LAQ for two months and I really thought I would have it in time to finish it. In my mind it is finished since there is only the binding left to do, but I cannot count it.

My end result was:

2 finished quilts
1 out to be quilted
2 out of the closet and making progress

I plan to finish the quilts as soon as I can, so it was a worthy endeavor to take on the challenge. You can see my progress here. If you tried the PhD Challenge, how did you do?

Pure entertainment

2011-06-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you stumble upon a blog that is just pure entertainment. Most of the blogs I follow are quilting blogs; I learn a LOT, am touched by the stories shared, and get excellent tips and ideas. All great stuff.

However, I have one blog I follow that just cracks me up. Maybe I have a really sick sense of humor, but reading the hateful postings that others leave on blogs is too much. It is really the responses from the offended blogger and the blog owners that I find amusing. I know the words can be really painful to the recipient, but come on......Mr/s Anonymous get a life. No one ever leaves their name when they post hurtful comments. The fact is, if you are posting a comment but you are not willing to leave your name, you're probably not being nice. But you will provide me with entertainment :)

Check out My Favorite Hate Mail. You might just get a laugh or two yourself. Or if you have an offensive comment, you can add your story.

Irons

2011-06-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

Do you ever feel like to have just too many irons in the fire? How do they get there? I keep pulling them out one by one, and ten more jump in. The big question is how can you tame the irons?? I am waiting for the big book of answers to drop out of the sky and explain these things.

On a happy note, I did get my Mardi Gras quilt fixed and back on track last night. Lillie loves Dora the Explorer so I had 30 minutes :)

**iron photo is from http://articles.directorym.com/Iron-a64.html

Duh moment

2011-06-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those??? I have been happily working along on my Mardi Gras quilt (posted here). Last night I got a few minutes of sewing in. I have 36 blocks total, which makes a 6x6 setting...right? Suddenly I realize I only have five blocks in each row.DOH! Ahhhh....I guess I know what I am doing tonight :) I was so hoping to post a finished top this week.

Design Wall #26

2011-06-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

I have not posted a design wall in a while. I have missed it. it has just been so very busy and the girls and I went camping, and so on....

I have a number of things going on in my sewing room and I seem to be getting somewhere, I am just not quite sure where. Watching Lillie every week night has taken a toll on my sewing time. I could sew, but then she wants to join me so I don't really make much progress :)

This week, I have progress on my Summer quilt. I have 10 star blocks done. It does not seem like much for a king sized quilt, but at least I am getting somewhere. I love Kansas Troubles fabric. The colors are so rich. The line I am using is Perennials. It is just gorgeous. I also have a couple of layer cakes in the line to make a wall hanging for over the bed.

Also, I am working on my 4 Patch Posy with the Mardi Gras fabric. I pieced the rows together and have the next few pieced together soon. I am still liking the pink, but BOY it is PINK. I am planning to add a black stop border and then a border of the print. I don't think I have enough print to bind it, but we shall see.

I also have almost all of the Max and Whiskers quilt done, but do not have it up on the design wall right now.

Be sure to check out the great projects on Judy's Patchwork Times blog.

4 patch Mardi Gras

2011-06-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

I few weeks ago I posted the blocks I made from the 4 Patch Posey pattern with a Mardi Gras style fabric. (here) I have 36 blocks and started to put them together with black and pink sashing. I wasn't sure if the pink was too overwhelming, but I think it will work. I do not have enough of the Mardi Gras fabric to use as the cornerstones. I guess that is what happens when you save fabric for years before using it :-/ The setting will be 6x6, and each block is 6.5 inches. It will make a good lap size.

I do like how they are coming together. I was not entirely sure until I took the picture. It is a lot of pink, but the border will also be the print so it will calm it down....I think...

The summer quilt

2011-06-16T06:14:00.001-07:00

Has it really been a week since I posted anything? Gosh!

It has just been busy. Work has been crazy and home has been crazier. This weekend my girls and I are going camping to get away from all the craziness. At least the insane ex-boyfriend can't harass me when I am out of contact :)

I have made some progress on my summer quilt. I want to finish the top by the end of summer so I have a king sized quilt for my bed. Alas, I had to order more fabric (darn!!) so I have more variety. I plan to get a couple more blocks done today since we are not leaving until tomorrow. I think I need about 30 of these blocks. I still have not done the final calculations.

Goodness......

2011-06-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

where have I been?

It has been almost a week since I posted. No quilty stuff going on here. My daughter started her college career this week and I am taking care of my granddaughter every evening. I am WHIPPED! Just look at that face..I think she is having fun running me into the ground.

Saturday, I plan to quilt!

Break out the doughnuts!

2011-06-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

It is National Doughnut Day. Whoo hoo!! You can head over to your local Krispy Kreme for a freebee or make your own. To honor the day, the Salvation Army has published their original recipe for the SA Lassie Doughnuts made for the troops in World War II. Try them out by clicking on the picture. You can also read the story behind them.

It don't get better than this

2011-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

The beauty of nature is just awe inspiring. Words cannot convey it. This was our camping site last weekend. I am so ready to go back.

Do you ever....

2011-06-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

....pull out an old project and think WOW! I remember why I started this. Not only that, I still love it!!

In preparation for my camping trip last weekend, I did just that. I needed a project that was easily portable. I honestly cannot remember when I started this quilt, but I think it was around ten years ago. I wanted to try English paper piecing and wanted a Grandmother's Flower Garden. A perfect match :) I have all the little hexies cut and the paper pieces in a small plastic bin. I used to keep it in the car for those hours waiting on kids to get done with activities. I was never in a hurry to get done with it, just enjoyed the stitching on it.

When I sat down with the bin of pieces, Sam says "gee Mom you have been working on that a LONG time." Ya think???

I still love the quilt and have about 3/4 of the top done. I have gotten back in the groove piecing it. It is all done by hand and I intend to hand quilt it. You can't help but love the look of the 30s prints in this quilt. At least I can't. Right now I have five more flowers waiting to be attached. It is perfect for those last few minutes before bed. There is not really enough energy to walk over to my sewing room, but enough to sit on the bed and add a few more pieces.

I could not get the lighting right in the pictures, but you can get the idea.

100 days of summer

2011-05-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

It is official. We are now in what is often called the 100 Days of Summer. It is the time from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Actually, it is 97 days of summer, but who's counting?? The beginning of summer is always marked by my youngest daughter's birthday. She was born on Memorial Day (May 30) even though day we recognize it is the last Monday in May. She is 18 today!! Happy birthday, Goochie!

In this long stretch of free days I plan to make the quilt for my bed. Last fall we went from a queen sized bed to a king and it is crying for a quilt....yes crying. I have all the supplies piled in my sewing room ready to go. I will make the first cut tomorrow.

I am making this wonderful quilt using Kansas Troubles Perennials line of fabric. They are rich, yummy colors. I figure if I start now.....well.....maybe I am a little too optimistic. We shall see how it progresses! I am sure this quilt will be a frequent visitor on Design Wall Mondays.

Do you have any specific projects to work on this summer? I plan to debut my spiffy new bed quilt on Labor Day. Maybe a mini quilt show is possible? Stay posted!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to remember those who have loved, lost, and served our great nation this weekend.

If you get a chance, watch this great video by CSM Robert McKinley, USA, retired. It is a nice tribute to for us to reflect on our men and women in uniform.

Not cheating

2011-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am going up to Utah this weekend to camp and fish. The girls LOVE to camp but this time they are not coming. In a couple of weeks we will all go.

So here is the conversation with my middle daughter:

Sam: You guys are going camping?

Mom: Yup.

Sam: What is all this stuff??

Mom: Camping gear, you know. You have been camping enough to recognize it.

Sam: You are cheating!!! You are even taking spices for your food....and an air mattress...that's cheating!!

Cheating??? At my age, it is all about the comfort, LOL.

cute image from http://coloringpagesforkids.info/camping-coloring-pages/

And then there were four

2011-05-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

I was able to work on my next block for the Saturday Sampler quilt. I know it was a gift and I am grateful for the kindness, but, darn it, some of the fabric was missing for this block.

Look at these blocks. One of these things are not like the others!!

The pieces for the applique were not with the fabric for the block. I need to dig through my stash and find something that matches. There is supposed to be a flower in each of the corner squares. I am thinking I will wait to see if there are others missing, then decide if I want to modify my idea for the quilt. Maybe I will just have the applique in some of the blocks.

Shipping?

2011-05-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

I love getting squishy packages in the mail. Don't we all?? Opening a new package of fabric goodness can bring an instant smile, no matter what else the day throws at me. I must admit I do buy a lot of fabric online :)
Sometimes I think it is just me, but I generally will not make an online purchase if I have to pay shipping. I am willing to meet a minimum order requirement to avoid shipping, actually quite happily. But if there is shipping no matter what, I will look at another site. I really try to see the perspective of the store, after all someone has to pay the shipping, but...

This is not just in the case of fabric, it is with all online purchases. I have to really want something to pay the extra charge.

I found some really nice fabric online last night, but the shipping increased with the size of the purchase. I decided I don't need it that bad....the shipping was over $25 with the amount of fabric I wanted to buy. Heck, that is 2.5 additional yards!!! I will look for the same stuff on other sites tonight.

I wonder, is it just me or are others as picky as I am? Are you willing to pay shipping if you know you can find the exact same thing at another website and not pay it? Maybe I am just being a little snarky.

Saturday sew-in

2011-05-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

I keep saying I would post a few pics of the work we accomplished in our Saturday sew-in. There were four of us and we did a little stacking and whacking and other things. All I can say is we need to do this again. It was great fun!

I did not get pictures of everyone's blocks, but here are some.

There were two stack and whack quilts. One with playing cards fabric and the other with a great tropical theme fabric. They were both great. The tropical blocks will be sashed with a bright orange. It is so colorful and fun. These were a UFO for over a decade and since our sew-in, the blocks are all pieced and ready to put together. It just takes some other quilters to get that motivation going. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. The blocks are fabulous. I got a text picture of the finished blocks all laid out and I love them. You cannot see it in this block, but there is a lot of red and orange in the fabric. The birds are super cute.

My daughter was doing the cards and this is her second quilt. Not too shabby. She did redo the center a few times, but she persisted and it came out in the end. This is not an easy block for a beginner.

She wants to make a little table topper with four blocks. I think the plan is to add a little red border to add color to the black. I think it will look wonderful! It is so exciting to see my kids quilting.

Three of us also worked on Take 5 quilt blocks. We all got our blocks done, and I was able to finish the center. I just need to add borders. The fabric is Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey. I bought it a few years ago on a trip to the Old Country Store in Intercourse, PA (my favorite place). I want to add a solid brown border since the main border fabric is busy. It will be too busy otherwise. Adding the borders is my goal for this week.

We are headed out of town for the weekend so I need to accomplish what I can before we go.

Design Wall #21

2011-05-23T02:23:00.000-07:00

I missed design wall Monday last week :( There was just too much going on to get a post ready. Since my Courthouse Steps is done, I have two newish quilts up. Actually they are not new, just being revisited. The Steeler's quilt is still in the pile to work on. but I took it off the wall today. I have about half of it done now.

First I have the Max and Whiskers quilt. It is just a fun top. I have about 1/4 of the blocks made and they go pretty fast. I am liking the blue background on this one so far. The fabric is so playful and cute. I hope to have this top done in time to send off for quilting with the next batch I send. Probably the first week of June. Who knows. One can always hope.

Second, I dragged out my next PhD in the hopes of getting it done by the June 30 deadline. I have two done, one being quilted, and two still in the works. This fish quilt is a Southwinds design. I am using fabrics from my first attempt at hand dying. Sammie has been waiting for this quilt for YEARS. In fact, I am really not sure how many years this has been a UFO; at least six. Maybe I can make the deadline and get it off the UFO list.

Be sure to check out all the other design walls at Judy's blog.

Courthouse Steps

2011-05-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

The leader and ender quilt is officially a finished top. I was undecided as to the border, but the center just looked incomplete. Now it is off to be quilted. This top ended up so big, I cannot fit the entire length of it on a photo when it is on the design wall. The blocks are in a 6x8 set.

Each of the bricks is 1.5 inch strips and the finished blocks are 10 inches. Too fun. I even have the binding ready. Whoo hoo!

Where are we headed?

2011-05-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well now! I really have to ask where in the world we are headed. First, we are told to pencil in the end of the world this weekend (or at least the Rapture part) and then the CDC provides us with Zombie Evacuation plans. I need to get my head out of the books and into the real world a bit more, it appears.

I think I will just go in my sewing studio, close the door and keep scissors close at hand if the zombies arrive.

Fun blocks

2011-05-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a full day of quilting with friends on Saturday and plan to post some pictures of our accomplishments tomorrow. We worked on the Take 5 quilts and some Stack and Whack quilts. They were all wonderful by the end of the day.

Of course, we talked about all the projects we are doing and want to do. I brought out some fabric I bought a few years ago to make a Stacked 4 Patch quilt and got the itch to start on it. So far, the blocks are just fun! I must say they are much easier than the stack and whack, but the results are great too. The method is the same. Cutting the repeats of the fabric.

Since I still have not returned all my sewing stuff to my studio yet, I have the blocks laid out on the table. Thus, the weird angle in the photos. I need to haul everything back tonight so the front room does not look so invaded, LOL.

I am not usually into Mardi Gras, but I just loved this fabric for this kind of quilt. I have 16 of the 36 blocks pieced. I wanted to make a few more blocks, but I don't have enough of the focus fabric to cut another set of repeats. I think I am going to use bright pink and black for the sashing.

Maybe I can get some more blocks done tonight and return to my Max and Whiskers tomorrow.

Blogger Quilt Festival

2011-05-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

It is time to sit and enjoy surfing all the incredible blogs out there courtesy of Amy! She always does a fabulous job hosting Blogger Quilt Festivals!! Thanks Amy :) The Blogger Quilt Festival is so much fun.

For my quilt this time, I wanted to share an older quilt. I post the current stuff all the time, so something from a little while back seems in order.

This quilt started out as a moment of frustration. My kids were all in high school and my husband was in command so I ran and ran and ran and.....

Tae Kwon Do, church activities, swimming, band, track...the list went on. I was literally just the taxi driver. I think all mothers of active kids feel like that at times. A little under-appreciated and a lot stressed.

One morning I sent the husband and kids out the door, looked at the dishes in the sink, the laundry on the floor, and thought Oh HECK NO! Today is my day. It did not take me long to know exactly what I wanted to do with my day. By the time the quilt shop in Cheyenne opened, I was at the door.

By the time the kids got home from school I had this entire top pieced, and my mood was substantially better. Nothing like a little quilting therapy. So this is my therapy quilt.

The pattern is Mexican Star by Southwind designs. The quilting was done by Jeanne Knudson in Cody, Wy.

Head over to the Festival and enjoy all the sights!! Just click on the image and you will transport to the right spot!

Wise man

2011-05-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

Now that my long, hard semester has wrapped up, it is time to enjoy!! On Saturday a few friends are coming over to quilt all day. Some are old quilters, some are new. I think it is a perfect end to months of hard work.

Anthony has declared he will not be in the house with all the "hens" cackling. LOL. Smart man!!

We are all making the Take 5 quilt, though there are two who want to finish doing stack and whack tops they are working on. I will post photos of the great work we accomplish. The supply list is simple: sewing machine, chocolate, fabric, chocolate, scissors, chocolate....are you seeing a trend here?? LOL

Happy Friday eve!

*image from http://www.tripadvisor.com

Max and Whiskers

2011-05-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

I am really drawn to Basic Grey fabric lines. I am not sure what it is since they are not what I would usually buy. Maybe I am going through a transition in my tastes. They (whoever they are) say our tastes change about every seven years. Has it been seven years already???

In any case, when I saw the Max and Whiskers line I fell in love with it. I don't know what it is, but I love it. I resisted buying any for a long time. Finally I just bought a jellyroll and some of the teal grunge yardage. I am making the same pattern as the Love is in the Air quilt. I have the blocks almost done, but need to start piecing the rows. The teal background certainly gives it a different look. So far, I like it.

Turned in my last paper last night!! YAY! Bring on the summer.

Lillie's Kilt

2011-05-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Lillie is the cutest little thing. Her vocabulary is growing daily (she is 2.5) and her new favorite word is kilt (quilt). I think in the two months since Lille and Sam moved back into my house she has caught on that Oma loves to makes her kilts.

She has now claimed four of the five quilts I finished last month. Her mother is trying to convince her that at least one belongs to Mommy, but Lillie is just not buying it.

I think I need to get cracking on some more, before she absconds with the rest of them. Lillie joined me in my sewing room for a time last night and told me which fabrics she wants. She wants the Max and Whiskers quilt I am piecing now, too.

I wonder how young is too young to learn to sew? If I plan this right, I can have her addicted by the time she goes to school!!

Design Wall #19

2011-05-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

It is that time again. This should be a good week since my semester ends!! Whoo hoo!

I still have the same two quilts on my design wall, but they did grow. I have two rows left to add on the Courthouse Steps (L/E blocks). I should be able to add those next weekend. I cannot decide if I want to add a border or not. I was thinking a brick red border, but I like the top without as well. There is a lot of red in the blocks and all the centers are dark red.

The Steeler's quilt is still super fast. I need to make a few more blocks, but I have the top half put together. I just did a random setting. I tried to set it in a more organized fashion but did not like the look of it. I like it just the way it is :) I plan to add a thin black border and a wider, outer border of the Steelers fabric. I think I am going to put the gold Steelers fabric on the back. My did will love it.

Be sure to check out the other design walls at Judy's blog.

Saturdays Sampler blocks

2011-05-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

These really are turning out to be fun blocks. I have no idea what fabric I will use for the setting. I only have the fabric for the blocks. I am toying with the idea of ordering something. It is a 3 Sisters fabric (thank you Debbie :)) so I can probably match the colors. I really want to use my stash though....oh....the dilemma!!

I have the first three done, with the exception of the applique stitching on the third. I must say my stitches improved greatly on the second block, so maybe there is hope.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

I am blessed. I have the sweetest mother in the world. I always say my mom is nicer than I will ever be and it is true. I can honestly say there is not one person who does not love my mom. Her life is her family and she takes care of us all. She is there, literally, at the drop of a hat. I remember when I called her to say my husband was really sick and asked her to come help me with the kids so we could deal with all the doctors. My parents (my dad is also wonderful) were in their car in less than an hour, dropped everything without a seconds hesitation. She showed up at my door a day and a half later. The drive normally took three days.

I really am blessed. She is my mother, friend, role model, and mentor.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day! Be pampered, or pamper yourself. You deserve it :)

On a more quilty note: I started on those Saturday Sampler blocks last night. The first block was fast and fun. However, I decided to do machine blanket stitch on the applique. Hmmmm. Not a strength. I have only done this on the machine once before so this is a great chance to hone my skill. Hopefully, by the time I finish all 12 blocks, I will be a bit better.

I know this is not a very good photo, but that is the best I can do at 5 am, LOL.

They are just perfect

2011-05-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

My socks from Nancy at Wyoming Breezes arrived today. They are more than perfect. The fit is perfect, they are so soft!! And I love the colors. They have these great little orange flecks throughout.

One day I hope I can knit socks like her. What a fabulous talent.
THANK YOU!!!

Kinda cool

2011-05-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I pop into Facebook to check out any new updates and this is what I find:

Wow! This was the first time I posted the link to my blog on FB so I was pretty surprised. :) if you are on FB be sure to "like" the American Quilter's Society" (if you don't already). Loads of fun stuff shared in their posts.

Just fun tools

2011-05-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

There are days at work when I need to look at new tools on the Web that are useful for education. Today is one such day. However, I do need to test them out to see how they work before I can share them with clients.

Timetoast.com is a great, fun tool. You can make great interactive timelines of a child's first year, your family events, about anything. In my investigating this tool, I decided that I would make a timeline of the quilting events this year. The fact is, I know when I finish quilts but usually have no idea when I started them. Now I have a record. Bonus: you can embed your timeline directly on you blog or share it with friends and family!

Thought for the day: Time

2011-05-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

~Life's Little Instruction Book,
compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I cannot help but ask: were they quilters??

image from http://nwso.net/2009/02/18/no-time-for-late-ones/

Special Days

2011-05-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

Now I know today is Cinco de Mayo and many people are celebrating with excellent food and drink, but I, personally, am looking forward to tomorrow. Why, you ask? It has a number of very important celebrations we might over look.

1. The most important thing the first Friday in May is that we recognize the Military Spouse. That's right: Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Military Spouses should be honored for the long suffering sacrifices they make on May 6 this year. If you see a person in uniform today, offer a thanks to the spouse! (the Willow Tree figurine Hero sits by my husband's flag. You can find them at willowtree.com or click on the picture)

2. I am still working on papers for this semester so NO Homework Day is for me!! May 6 is No Homework Day and I plan to honor it!!

3. Besides item #1 I think this is my favorite recognition for May 6. It is NO DIET DAY! Ohhhh baby.....break out the chocolate!!! Heck there is even a ribbon to wear! You can learn more at International No Diet Day. Seriously, check it out...it is not really about the chocolate :)

The only thing I can say about tomorrow is Bring it!

The nicest people

2011-05-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we meet the nicest people online. A few years ago I met another woman who lives in Las Vegas. We chatted in our Yahoo group for a while and decided to meet at Starbucks. She was just wonderful and brought me a gift. She had collected the Saturday Sampler from a local quilt shop and had all the pieces in a bag. She also had the book. So I left Starbucks with a new (potential) project under my arm.

Fast forward three years and I stumble into my closet looking for goodnessonlyknowswhat. I forgot....instead my eyes fell on that same bag of rolled up fabric sections for the 2004 Saturday Sampler. In all fairness, I think I need to make the blocks. They really are lovely.

My dilemma is that I have no idea what fabric line these are coming from. I am sure I cannot find the same fabric, but I might be able to match them from the same designer. Many do stick with a similar palette.

Has anyone seen this fabric? Here are the brown and the red. There is also a light blue, but I would like to focus on the brown, since it is one of my favorites.

I am way too excited!!

2011-05-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful blog I visit often and enjoy reading. I have really enjoyed getting to know the blogger over the last year. She is one heck of a fabulous knitter (and quilter) and has great stories that she shares with her readers. I love reading her stories of Japan when she was a teacher there. The photos are sweet!

Well, she was willing to give away three pairs of the most gorgeous socks....and I WON!!! How cool is that??? When I grow up I want to be able to knit socks like Nancy!

So pop over to Wyoming Breezes (yes another bonus....she is from Wyoming) and check it out. You can see MY socks ;) I can't wait to get them!

THANKS Nancy.