Fiberobsessive

Quilt of the Week - Sharon's Black and White with Yellow

2012-02-09T09:12:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just can't see a design from the front. This striking quilt really allows you to see the pieced pattern from the front, but you have to look at the back to see the quilting. The quilting was so hard to see from the front, I actually had to put it back on the frame because I missed 3 spots of putting leaves in the spaces.

Mountain Laurel

2012-02-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

I finished piecing up this little gem yesterday. My daughter gave me the pattern when she lived a short stint in West Virginia. I collect patterns from wherever I visit by local designers and this one came from the town where she lived. The pink is difficult to see in this picture but I'm hoping to make it stand out more when I quilt it, probably next weekend.

Frosty Morning

2012-02-05T08:27:00.000-05:00

Look at these amazing designs created by frost on our car roof and windows this morning. Talk about artwork!

In Daddy's Memory

2012-02-03T10:22:00.001-05:00

When my daddy died in June 2010, my caring guild members each gave me a fat quarter in remembrance. Over my retreat weekend, I was able to get it all pieced and today I finished up the quilting. Now I need to add the binding and then I'll hang it in a prominent place to remind me of the sunshiny home where he will reside forever with our sweet Lord. Thank you, ladies. It was a precious gift.

Retreat Finale Minus Binding

2012-01-31T08:26:00.001-05:00

Here is one of the quilts I finished piecing at the retreat. The fabric is from the Moda line called Blueberry Crumb Cake and the pattern is from the book, Scrap-Basket Sensations, my 3rd quilt from that book. I used wool batting because it is soft and drapes nicely and gives nice definition to the quilting. I was able to finish piecing one other quilt and would have finished a third if I hadn't goofed a 3.5 inch block without having brought extra fabric. I think I'll put it back on the quilting frame and put a small design in the little brown border. It seems too puffy to me to leave it without some quilting.

It's Retreat Time

2012-01-26T08:11:00.002-05:00

I'm off for a 4 day retreat! I have great expectations as I take along 6 quilts to finish. I realize those expectations are a bit high, but, heck, it could happen. The first is my Daddy's Memory. When my daddy died last June, my guild members each gave me a batik fat quarter and this is the quilt I'm making with them.

This is from my trip to Paducah last year, the swirly focus fabric coming from Angie's in Effingham, Illinois on the way down. Oops, that light blue batik fabric doesn't go with this quilt.

This was a recent purchase from Rossville Quilts.

I fell in love with this Blueberry Crumb cake fabric line and is the first time ever buying all the fabric from the same line.

This one's called Sherman's March and is the first Civil War reproduction quilt I've ever made. The fabrics were bought many years ago, the pattern about 4 Paducah trips ago. It's a long time coming. I really like it, just feel more cheerful working with brighter fabrics, so I only work a couple of hours on it at a time and only at retreats. Perhaps a few more years and it'll be finished.

This little gem is a pattern given to me by my daughter when she was living a few months in West Virginia. She knows I collect patterns from each state I visit and she found this little wall hanging from a local pattern designer.

Stay tuned for next week's post of what I actually have finished quilt tops. Now who do you suppose I can get to quilt these?

Ladies, start your engines!

2012-01-19T08:26:00.002-05:00

We held a 1600 race at guild last night and what fun we had! The turnout was wonderful and there were lots of laugh and conversation. I had seen a race posted on youtube and thought, What a great idea to get lots of charity quilts done! We ended up with 19 completed quilts. The winner, one for the fast lane (where the ends were all stitched together before the race started) and one for those starting only with a pile of 40 inch strips. Ruthie and I were both a bit anxious, not knowing if guild members would want to bother to bring a machine and fabric to a meeting and luckily we found that wasn't much of a deterrent.

Our fast track winner, who received a jelly roll prize, was Peggy. I have never seen such organization and preparedness! Her pit crew worked like a well oiled machine and finshed her quilt in 32 minutes. Wow!

Our "start from scratch" winner was Tammy. I ran out of battery so missed the pictures of our winners holding their jelly rolls and wearing their winners' crowns. As soon as my wonderful helper, Ruthie, sends me her pictures, I'll post them.

This is Laurie, speeding along with her beautiful nails, showing you can look classy while working for charity.

Here are a few more closeups showing the variety of quilt tops:

Here is the whole kit and kaboodle. Great job!

Loretta always keeps us in stitches and tonight was no different. She pulled all her strips from fabric she had in her stash that she absolutely hated. Not too bad for an ugly fabric quilt, huh?

Here are a few more finishes:

And here is a little of the work in progress:

Quilt of the Week - Helen's Pinwheels

2012-01-16T11:41:00.000-05:00

Quilt of the Week - Jill's Shoe Quilt

2012-01-12T09:25:00.002-05:00

As you have probably noticed, I have a tendency to post elaborately custom quilted pieces. Today I am featuring a quilt using an all-over design. Though custom work can really make a quilt shine, often people don't want to pay the extra to have that kind of work done on a quilt they are giving to a young person who intends to "use it" everyday. That is the case with this fun quilt pieced by Jill. This one will be used all the time so has been quilted with this Mariposa design. And guess what? I use all-over designs on some of my own quilts, too.

Anybody recognize this?

2012-01-02T13:54:00.002-05:00

Someone dropped this quilt off at Quilter's Harvest for me to quilt but there was no name or phone and I have no record of someone saying they wanted me to quilt it. Does anyone know to whom this quilt belongs? It is made from Moda Kansas Troubles fabrics and came in a cloth bag along with batting.

My Hunter's Star wallhanging

2011-12-31T09:16:00.000-05:00

Two down and 3 to go and only one day to do it in. Oh well, I am excited about this one. I tried a new background design after I saw this demonstrated by Leah Day. I get energized when I try something new and now I am chomping at the bit to move to the next quilt and try something else. That is one reason I love quilting my own things. If it doesn't work, I only have to give it to charity. If it does work, I've got something new to offer customers. I used QD wool batting and SoFine thread.

Island Chain

2011-12-29T10:05:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to getting a quilt of mine quilted. Straight lines are by no means my favorite thing to do but the chains needed them keep them looking like chains. This quilt drove me nuts from the piecing through the quilting process. In the piecing, I kept turning the squares so the chains didn't make chains. I probably used enough thread to make another quilt from what I unstitched. Then came the quilting. I kept forgetting to turn the corners of the chains and stitched to the edge. Rip, rip, rip. Aarrggg! Anyway, it's now done! Now onto my Hunter's Star.

The most wonderful gifts!

2011-12-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

After a non-traditional Christmas dinner of maple glazed salmon grilled outside and stir-fried asparagus, broccoli, peppers, and onions, I received the most wonderful gifts.

I was so surprised and delighted to receive Conversational French CD's from Margot. I have often said I would love to learn another language. I love being able to speak Spanish and get to use it often. I watch foreign films a bunch and they are much more enjoyable when I can understand some of the language, not just read the subtitles.

Olivia's gift brought tears to my eyes when I opened it. She had cross stitched this beautiful sampler with a gazillion beads. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get it to town and get it in line to be blocked and framed.

Lane got me these great long-arm rulers and I can hardly wait to use them. They are for making multiple equally spaced lines quickly. They are from www.quiltersgroove.com. There always seems to be some new gadget I need to try.

Then, to top off the holiday, I woke up to gorgeous snow! I so missed snow on Christmas after such a beautiful display last year. The flakes are huge and I can't keep from just staring out the window. It's pretty wet so I don't know if we'll get to sled in it. Thank you, God, for so richly blessing me with plenty of food, a close family, a warm home, a glorious snowfall, and a ton of sweet friends. I hope you all had a special Christmas.

It's almost Christmas!

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Now I have never been a Santa fan. I know, you may call me Scrooge, but I just never cared for the guy. I always told the girls the story of St. Nicholas and his giving to the poor children, we had a tree, I love giving gifts, Jesus is my best friend, I adore snow and jingle bells, wreaths, and getting together to eat with family and friends, just don't care for the Ho,ho, ho guy. That said, I did see a few Santa jokes that made me laugh out loud....

What do you do if Santa get stuck in the chimney? Pour Santa Flush on him. (Now that's a product from the past, isn't it?)

What do you get if Santa come down the chimney with the fire burning? Krisp Kringle

An honest politician, a kind lawyer and Santa were walking down the street and saw a $20 bill. Who picks it up? Santa, the other 2 don't exist.

Merry Christmas

A Few Small Gifts

2011-12-19T07:31:00.000-05:00

I needed a few small projects this week. Our guild is having a hotpad exchange at our Christmas party and I needed a birthday gift that I wanted to be homemade. I have been making the blocks for a quilt and I loved the pattern but it was way too big, so I cut the block down about half and then it was too small so I added a little border. For the first time, I put the binding on with my long-arm machine. I worked great until I trimmed it with the rotary cutter and got too close to the corner. I ended up having to take the nicked binding off and doing it the old fashioned way. So much for saving time.

I'm Loving My Down Time

2011-12-14T14:07:00.000-05:00

Mind you, I absolutely love quilting for others but sometimes get a real itch to piece some of my own things. I recently bought several pieces from the Moda line, Blueberry Crumb Cake and even though I already have around 6 quilts started, I had to piece a few blocks to see how it would look and so far, I am loving it! The whole quilt is cut out and pieces are bagged according to the blocks so I'll have a great project when some retreats pop up. I have never bought a line of fabrics before, thinking they blended too much for my taste, but fell in love with all but about 4 pieces of this one. It will be hard to stay out of these but I've got so many more projects to finish before Christmas. I only just got my tree up yesterday.

Quilt of the Two Weeks - Joy's Butterflies

2011-12-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, so if you want me to quilt your quilt "the way I'd quilt mine", you'd better expect to wait awhile. I actually made one of these quilts myself several years ago and I had someone quilt it for me and the quilter did such a bad job, I ended up throwing it away. That was before I started quilting myself. Soooo, given the chance to quilt this beauty and to do it "my way" after all these years, I went overboard and now I have to give it back. Waaaaah! Here ya go, Joy, filled with my heart and soul.

2011-11-29T11:11:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful and I had so much for which to be thankful. I so enjoyed my family and food, but was a bit sad to say goodbye to John as he heads back to Michigan to wire wind towers. I made it to JoAnn's for Black Friday, the only sale I go to, but who can resist flannel for $1.49 per yard when it is usually $6 and $7 per yard. I bought 20 yards for NICU backings and the girls' Christmas pj's. I took a number when I went in and only waited about 2 hours to check out. It was really quite fun as everyone seemed in a good mood and I saw many friends that I enjoyed chatting with. I managed to exercise Friday, Saturday, and Monday mornings, so I'm getting back on track. I've started working on Joy's butterflies again and hope to finish it today, then I'll just have one more quilt promised before Christmas. I'm looking forward to quilting my own things and making gifts.

Joy's Butterflies finally started

2011-11-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

This note is especially for Joy, who has waited so patiently for her Butterflies. I have indeed started on it! Still, with Thanksgiving and me being sort of stuck about what to do around the big butterflies, I may not get it to you until later next week. This beauty is flat, square, has enough batting and backing, has perfect hand applique, and even has pretty colors. What more could you want?

The trial completed

2011-11-20T22:31:00.001-05:00

I got the curtain quilt done. It turns out that it wasn't quite as bad as I had anticipated. The curtains managed to roll up pretty easily on the LA rollers. I was able to fold back and pin the curtains as I moved to each new section. It took forever to stitch in all the ditches and around all that embroidery and applique, but it went pretty smoothly. I delivered it to Rossville Quilt shop Saturday morning and treated myself to a pretty piece of fabric.

Pass the Zanax!

2011-11-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

This one takes the cake. It is for the local quilt shop. We trade quilting for a discount, advertising, and just a great friendship. (Not sure how long the friendship will last with stuff like this!) This quilt has "curtains" sewn into it. The top of the curtain in sewn in as the top border was attached to the body, complete with a flange. The curtain tieback is sewn into the side border as it connects to the body. Now, just how am I supposed to quilt under all that curtain and evenly roll up on my LA??? Once I finally figure that out, I have to quilt around applique and all kinds of embroidery. AND it has to be perfect as it will be in the shop for months as well as her website.

Quilt of the Week - Betty's Bethlehem Star

2011-11-16T17:29:00.001-05:00

Betty does it again! I wonder if she ever just makes a log cabin every now and then? I

struggled with the center design. I got everything stitched but the light around the star. I even had the little points stitched but just blanked out for the rest. I posted to a couple of chats and asked for ideas. Joanne hit the jackpot (Too bad there isn't really a prize). She suggested breaking up the curved area with a double row of straight lines and feathering the outside. Well, that got me off and running. I decided since there was so much curviness going on, I'd incorporate some crosshatching. I don't do that much because it takes so much time, but this quilt told me it was worth it.

Quilt of the Week - Susan's Lost Socks

2011-11-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

I finally got the socks done only to find out after I had it off the machine and taking pictures of it, that I missed quilting around 2 heels, and then only when I took a picture of the back. So, in the morning I'll plop it back on the machine and get those stitched.

The Horseradish quilt

2011-11-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about my job is that it brings something different every day. Today, for example, one of my faithful customers brought me this little baby quilt and asked if I could do it before the other quilt she had in line and I said, "Of course". After a bit of chatting, she told me she had been at her son's house putting up horseradish. Well, my family loves horseradish and i asked her if she thought a jar of freshly made horseradish would be an acceptable payment for the quilting on her baby quilt. She was delighted and so was I.

Good trade in my way of seeing things!

Quilt of the Week - Suzanne's Table Runner

2011-11-04T08:22:00.000-04:00

This is just a small piece but really pretty. It has cotton batting and SoFine thread. Suzanne loves swirls and curls so that is what she got.

Wonderful Retreat!

2011-11-01T14:09:00.001-04:00

The retreat was fabulous! I got 5 projects moving along and one completed. I finished Daisy Chain using many 30's fabrics I have had stashed for years. I loved taking walks in the Amish country and enjoyed visiting the quilt shops. I found a great little place that had quiche with broccoli or zucchini and tomatoes and had to eat there twice because it was so good. It came with a warm wheat roll and a dish of grapes, pineapple, and melon drizzled with a raspberry sauce. I couldn't have asked for more. I only managed to swim one evening and then forget to bring my suit home. If found, they said they would mail it to me.

After leaving Shipshewanna, I stopped at a friend's house about a 1/2 hour away. (When you get lost, it takes a bit more time) I chatted away for 4 hours and ate the most wonderful black bean, pepper, onion, carrot concoction with corn chips and drank mugs of hot tea. Such a beautiful day!

I got one of my pieced Baltimore Album done. I still need to tweak some points a bit. There were 98 pieces in this silly block. Is it any wonder I don't have more done?

Shipshewanna Here I Come!

2011-10-27T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm off for 4 days of bliss in Shipshewanna, a lovely Amish community with THREE of the most wonderful quilt shops I know. I'm looking forward to being with some old friends, some new friends, and hours spent trying to finish up some UFO's. I'll be looking for some fabric for a couple of backgrounds, one of which will go on an art quilt of a gingko tree and moon at night, one for the background of an art quilt of yellow poppies. I'm planning my exhibit to the Machine Quilter's Showcase in Kansas City this summer and have the background but am looking for that "Pow" second fabric. And then there is the occasional "jump off the shelf, no idea what to use it for" fabric I always manage to find but takes years to finish because I can never find the perfect pattern.

See you when I get back.

Quilt of the Week - Pat's President's Blocks #3 of 5

2011-10-27T07:56:00.000-04:00

Here is another President's Block quilt. I just recently got these beautiful block patterns and was able to use several on this quilt because of the different sizes. Now I only have to come up with 2 more quilt designs to finish the stack of quilts she sent me from Alabama. What a tribute to her service! I have no idea why the whole top picture came out fuzzy, but it'll have to do as it has already been delivered.

Test Completed - verdict is in

2011-10-23T15:12:00.001-04:00

I tried the method in the video below for making a nine-patch. Yes, it does work and yes, it is pretty accurate. The problem is you can't just make any nine-patch. I thought this would be great for quickly using up all those nickels. Nope! To use a nickel you must make 1.66 inch cuts and they don't put those markings on our rulers. Most sizes are not easily divided by 3. So, if you don't care much about the size of your nine-patches, you might like this method. Personally, I don't have much use for the sizes you can easily make. That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.

Different way to make a nine-patch

2011-10-22T13:10:00.006-04:00

I haven't actually tried this yet but will soon and let you know how accurate it is.

4 for Hope

2011-10-21T08:24:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't know someone who has or has had cancer? Want to help in a simple way and relieve yourself from some stash?

Here is the website so you can check out the information. I jumped on the band wagon and have 24 blocks ready to mail in the memory of Daddy who went to keep our God company last June. I miss you.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0ByuVLV8LbC1lOGY1YWU4ZmItMjIxNS00NmZjLWJkYjYtYTg1Njc5YTE5YzAx&hl=en_US

Halloween is in the Air

2011-10-17T07:39:00.000-04:00

I thought you'd perhaps like to see my handsome son-in-law and my daughter. Makes a mamma proud!

Quilt of the Week - Pat's President's Blocks

2011-10-12T16:14:00.000-04:00

This is one of FIVE quilts made by Pat, who was president of her Alabama quilt guild and the blocks were made by members of the guild. What a prolific group of piecers! Each quilt is a little bit different so I'm hoping to make the quilting a bit different on each one, too.

Quilt of the week - Rossville Quilt Shop

2011-10-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

Here is the newest sample for Rossville Quilts. This is the ever popular 10 minute block. There are half a dozen youtube's on how to make it and a couple of books. Most of the 10 minute block quilts turn the edges of the center block back to give it a curved look, but Marcia decided to just leave her's square. It is a bit of a challenge to quilt because you have to hold the 3D part down and quilt the design at the same time. Each block is 21 inches! This 6 block quilt is 50 x 72 inches.

It was the best of days, it was the worst of day...actually I didn't see any of the best

2011-09-28T09:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I wake up to head to Indianapolis to get one of my girls smashed to follow up on a suspicious lump. (The good news, sort of, is that I need to go back in 6 months and check again) I head out early so I can stop at the post office before I go so I can mail a quilt. Lo and behold I had left my car window down and it has been pouring down rain for 2 days. Today I get to go to the laundromat and wash sleeping bags that were in the car and now smell to high heaven for having sat in water.

I decide I will call my mom on the way home from Indy to ask if she'd like to meet me in Rossvile for lunch. She tells me she needs to go to Frankfort so could I meet her there. That's not too much of a problem, or so I thought. I turn off at Lebanon to take 39 to Frankfort. Part way into the trip I find a Road Closed sign. No detour sign, just road closed. I chose a road to go around the detour, and I'm talking "go around". That road turned and twisted so much that I didn't know where I was. I finally find my way back to 39 and go my merry way, that is until I get almost to Frankfort, where there is yet another Road Closed sign! I drive around the block to find another Road Closed sign. I call my mom and say I can't get to the meeting place. She tries to give me directions, but she goes by sight and not street names so I only got "lost-er". And, besides, she has locked her keys in her car in Rossville. I say, that's ok, I'll drop by her house and get another key. Nothing is quite that easy...she doesn't have another key.

Mom will now spend some time looking for someone to unlock her car in Rossville. Meanwhile, I will go to Rossville to meet her. I call my sister in town and laugh with her about the events and I head out of town to get on 75. Guess what! 75 is not only closed, it is GONE! I call my sister back, almost in hysterics just to get out of the stinkin' town. She talks me through a number of streets and yeah! I'm out of Frankfort. Oh...but you can't take that road to 39 to get to Rossville, because, you guessed it. 39, just outside of Rossville is closed. I finally get to Rossville and meet my mom. The sweet man who shows up to unlock Mom's car has driven all the way from Frankfort. How he got out of town is beyond me! He didn't charge my sweet mom a cent because she had been working at the food pantry. We laugh at the circumstances and head to eat lunch in town. I tell her that next time I ask her out to lunch in Rossville, EAT lunch with me IN ROSSVILLE! Now I go to the quilt shop there in town to pick up a ruler the owner said she had in stock. Yup, it must have sold because it couldn't be found anywhere.

I finally leave Rossville and go to Lafayette, where I will make a quick stop at JoAnn's to pick up 2 books I want and the ruler. Nope, no books, no rulers! I buy a large bag of candy and eat candy all the way home. I have also missed the post office to mail my quilt because it is now closed.

I finally get home to my daughter, whose car is not working. My husband thinks it's a blown head gasket but may be more. Would somebody just shoot me?

Quilt of the Week - Mary's Hand-Dyes

2011-09-23T17:11:00.000-04:00

The colors in this quilt are so beautiful. I took it off the shelf several times and put it back because I just didn't know the best way to quilt it. I finally took the plunge this week and finished it up this morning. I used mostly dark blue SoFine thread and then light blue thread in the light areas. The batting is Hobb's black and it was pretty yucky. It felt more like a stiff felt than a batting. Mary and I are both hoping washing will soften it up a bit.

Winery and a Palace

2011-09-20T11:56:00.000-04:00

Talk about feeling like a princess! My husband took me to Southern Indiana this weekend for a belated anniversary - Can you believe 38 years? First we visited Oliver winery where we took a tour, walked around the beautifully landscaped grounds and pond, and ate French bread with a tomato basil cheese and drank samples of wine.

Next, we drove to West Baden where the most beautiful hotel exists. It was built very early in the 1900's and was at one time a worldwide attraction until the depression where it fell into ruins. A few years ago $500,000,000 was invested in it for restoration. Wow! Every detail is amazing, from the tiny tiles to the door handles. I felt like a princess. There were two pools, one inside, one outside. It was raining Sunday evening but we couldn't resist swimming at night in the rain. The rain was pretty chilly, though, and we finally went inside to swim there, following it with a soak in the hot tub. Here are just a few pictures, some from our room four floors up from our balcony.

Machine replaced

2011-09-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

I have had a bad bearing in my Innova since April and it just kept getting louder and louder. Sunday afternoon, the company was finally in my area (they are from Texas and shipping is steep). They replaced the whole machine and the new one even had some new features. I purrs like a kitten now and I love the new tie-off button that I can push and it will automatically take 3 tiny stitches to lock the threads. I quilted one of my quilts that has been hanging in the "to quilt" que for months to make sure the stitching was right before putting on a new customer quilt. The stitches are beautiful so a batik king sized quilt will go on this morning, the last of 3 Rossville Tonga Batik Block of the Month.

Pattern for the Interlocking chain information for inquiring minds

2011-09-12T12:07:00.000-04:00

The interlocking chain came from the book, Scrap-Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett. The upper right hand corner of the pattern in the book does not interlock. The first picture is from the book. The second picture shows how I adjusted it to make it interlock like the rest of the quilt

Ahhh, Sweet and exhausting quilt camp!

2011-09-12T09:55:00.000-04:00

Other than feeling completely bloated from so much food, quilt camp was a great experience. I managed to complete this interlocking rings quilt even though there was much ripping as I managed to continually turn the pieces wrong. To make things more complicated, two places in the book picture had the placement

wrong. If the author can't get it right, I guess I don't feel so badly about struggling with it myself.

I got this leaf wall hanging completely pieced. Now I have to applique the leaves down.

I got my Connect the Dots quilt center all pieced and part of the SEVEN borders.

And I managed to get most of the blocks pieced on this Daisy Chain quilt. Just a few more blocks, then I have to get the pieced sashings inserted which will add little blue flowers like the green ones.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased. My next piecing opportunity won't be until the end of October.

Daughter's Birthday

2011-09-06T12:27:00.000-04:00

Sunday, we camped out in the woods, had a bon fire, and celebrated Margot's birthday. It was going to be just Lane and me camping, then I thought having a mini birthday party would be fun. When I invited Margot and her husband, they had a friend at their house so they brought him. I called my other daughter to see if she'd like to come and she said she would and she'd bring her boyfriend, who just happened to be with a friend so he brought him along. The more the merrier.

Here is her Yoga Frog quilt, all finished.

Work on the latest UFO

2011-09-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

I think it was last Christmas at the guild party that Mel gave me the wonderful yellow/orange/brown fabric that I loved. It didn't take me long to find a pattern to use with it. I cut and sewed the pieced blocks, cut the large rectangle blocks where the applique would go, and fused one block. I put it in the drawer and here we are, over 3/4 of a year gone, and I finally remembered it. Now all the fusing is done and the middle part is sewn together. The next step is the border of little squares and rectangles. They are all cut, but that and the stitching around the applique will be for camp starting Thursday. Three whole days to work on UFO's, and I have 7 I'm taking. Let's hope for a productive time.

Quilt of the Week - Sharon's 30's for Houston show

2011-09-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

This is Sharon's quilt. She made it for the Quiltinggals reproduction fabrics booth for the show in Houston. It's a really different yet really pretty variation of the Dresden Plate.

No Quilt of the Week, but will a Kindle Cover do?

2011-08-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on the last of 3 king sized Rossville Quilt Block of the Month. All have the same pattern and the same fabric so I won't be posting the same quilt over and over. I have some interesting ones coming up next week, though.

I did finally finish my Kindle Cover. It is a little too snug after I did the topstitching so am considering removing that. The pattern was a nightmare to follow. The instructions were not very user friendly at all, but my Kindle is at least protected now when I travel. I no longer have to worry about getting it scratched. And I did manage to save big bucks from buying a retail cover.

Quilt of the Week - Betty's Stars

2011-08-23T10:31:00.000-04:00

Once again, Betty has created a beauty. She has such a way of using colors that makes the design jump right off the quilt at you.

Marathon Preparation

2011-08-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

I have a super duper quilt camp coming up in a couple of weeks. It is three whole days of major piecing. I go to 4 camps a year and that is really the only time I get to make quilts of my own. Last week I got 3 quilts pieced and my goal is to get 4 more done at this camp. To really get a lot accomplished, I precut and do a little small block piecing and organize in drawers. That way, when I get to camp, I just open a drawer and start right in. So, Saturday and Sunday, I just cut out all my projects. Now I've got to get in quilting mode and do a major push on customer quilts. I have a goal of 7 this week.

The first project is another quilt made off Judy Laquidara's Connect the Dots Mystery, only with it being no mystery and using my colors.

The next project will be an Atkinson design called Daisy Chain using scrap 30's prints.

Thirdly, I will make this Celtic type chain quilt from Scrapbasket Sensations.

And finally, this little wall hanging pattern that my daughter gave me for my birthday from West Virginia where she and her husband lived for a short time designed by a local woman there.

Productive Quilt Camp

2011-08-15T08:37:00.000-04:00

I spent Friday and Saturday at Danville's Threads of Time and managed to get all three of these quilts pieced. The Yoga Frogs are for my daughter's birthday Sept. 7, the split 4-patch is for a wedding in September (her color choices, if you were wondering why I made a quilt in purple and browns and not baiks) and a 60 x 60 wall hanging made from fabrics I bought in Paducah in April. Now to get some fabric cut up for a 3 day camp in September.

First of Three Tonga Nature Block of the Month

2011-08-09T12:35:00.000-04:00

This quilt is Helen's and it is a beautiful Block of the Month from Rossville Quilts by Tonga Batiks. It is 105 x 105 and I have 2 more to do just like it. It is a little difficult to quilt as many of the fabrics blend into each other, so I have to keep a picture of the whole quilt next to me so I don't get lost. It is a beautiful pattern though, isn't it?

And then there was disappointment...

2011-08-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

Ever have one of those quilts where you think it's going to be the greatest quilt only to have it be a disappointment?

Well, I have those times, too. My Daddy died last June and the members of my wonderful quilt guild all gave me a batik fat quarter as a comfort gift. I got enough pieces to make 2 large lap quilts. I planned on making one for me and one for my mom. I kept the yellow and orange pieces for my quilt and pulled out the blue, purple, and green pieces for hers. I saw this quilt pattern a quilter friend was making at a retreat and fell in love with it. It was so unique and I thought it would be great for Mom's quilt. Well, it just didn't seem to sparkle like my friend's quilt so I quilted it with blue thread instead of a neutral color, hoping to bring some life to it and it just didn't happen. Now Mom isn't really into quilt stuff so I'm sure she won't mind, but I'm using a different pattern for mine.

Wedding quilt - continued

2011-08-02T08:01:00.002-04:00

Awhile back I posted a tutorial on cutting a 4 patch and making these 9 patch blocks. My niece is getting married in September and she wanted a quilt with purple and green and her special guy wanted neutrals and browns. So here is what I have done on her purple, green, and neutral, and brown quilt. I have 11 blocks done, 23 four patch blocks and 39 nine patch blocks cut and ready to sew. Luckily, I have a 3 day retreat coming up where I hope to get the whole thing pieced.

Block of the Month from Oregon

2011-07-31T08:50:00.002-04:00

After 3 years and countless struggles with this quilt it is all done except for the binding. I bought the pack of patterns on a trip to Oregon. After I got it home, I realized it needed a special ruler, which I decided I could do without, but was wrong. I was 1/4 inch off when it came to putting the row on after the center star was finished. Now that may not seem like a lot, but I wanted to enter this in Machine Quilter's Showcase a year ago in the BOM category. I was frustrated and put it away. Then MQS announced they were going to do a BOM category again this year, so I dug out the quilt and worked out the bug. I was so excited to enter and had it on my machine to quilt a week before the entry deadline when a customer called me an insisted I get her quilt done for an event. This was no pleasant discussion and I finally caved and did her quilt, making me miss my deadline. Back on the shelf it went again. Finally, yesterday I took it back out, loaded it up and finished quilting it. So after 3 years, here it is....TaDa!

Quilt of the Week - Audrey's Flower Garden

2011-07-25T19:53:00.001-04:00

Now this one tugs at my heartstrings. This beautiful antique quilt was a joy to quilt. I am such a nostalgic person and I turn into a puddle when I see such beautiful things from the past. This sweet quilt was just about as flat as I have ever seen an antique and it is all hand appliqued. I love the unusual center and border.

Quilt of the Week - Betty's Mariner's Compasses

2011-07-19T18:09:00.000-04:00

Well this one was a huge job. I think this one will cover a boat. As usual Betty has created an amazing design and as always, it's complicated. It's a beauty.

Harry Potter Incident

2011-07-17T09:08:00.002-04:00

Went to see Harry Potter. At a very poignant moment where Harry had decided to break the most powerful wand in the world and destroy it, the guy in front of us speaks out "Freaking idiot!" I about blew milk duds out my nose! He turned a very serious movie into a comedy. We laughed all the way home.

My Tractor Babies are Growing Fast

2011-07-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

Here is an update on my Tractor Babies. I'm guessing they will take off next week some time.

I'm not really sure I want them to grow up. Their parents make so much noise I think I'm going insane. Add a bunch of baby wrens to the mix along with the cardinals calling, chickadees chick-a-dee-deeing, the titmice Peter-petering and the fledgling redtail hawks screaming and there won't be any peace. Who says living in the country is quiet?

Going to see Josh Groban

2011-07-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

My husband just won 2 tickets to see Josh Groban and all it cost him was a pint of blood. No, really, he just donated blood and his name was put in a drawing for tickets and he got them. Next to Andrea Bocelli, Groban is my favorite. I had just recently teased Lane about getting tickets to see Bocelli in Ohio and that the tickets were only a little over $2000 for good seats on the main floor. When he picked himself up off the floor, I informed him we could get the nose bleed seats for just $100 - $350 each. Free Groban tickets sound a lot better, don't you think?

Quilt Block Tutorial

2011-07-10T20:23:00.003-04:00

I just discovered this method for making a quilt block. It is such a fun block to do with scraps. I am using it to make a quilt for my niece for her wedding in September. She said she loved purples and greens but her fiance like neutrals and browns. By making it scrappy, I was able to put all the desires in one quilt.

First sew four 5 inch squares to make a 4-patch.

Next, cut 1 1/2 inches from each center seam line.

Third, Rotate the 4 pieces that have 2 narrow strips of each color half a turn.

And finally, sew the block back together.

Here are the rest of the fabrics. Stay tuned for progress pictures as I complete the different blocks and start putting this together.

Finished Crayon Challenge

2011-07-10T20:16:00.001-04:00

I got my crayon challenge done last night. I had to watch 2 movies to get the binding done, Tangled and Prince of Persia. Tangled was so fun but I was glad to have finished before Prince of Persia was over. That is just not my kind of movie.

Surprise in a Tractor

2011-07-09T12:10:00.000-04:00

A huge gully washer rain really put some deep ruts in our gravel driveway, so Lane decided to get on the tractor and grade it. Imagine the surprise when he lifted the hood to check it out first and saw these little baby wrens. Now we have to keep trying to drive up the hill through the ruts for a couple of weeks until they fledge.

Quilt of Week - Diana's Diva

2011-07-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

Is this a hoot or what? Diane is a brand new customer from Alabama and what a surprise I found when I opened her quilts in the mail!

Challenge is ready for quilting

2011-07-07T19:41:00.001-04:00

I finished up my guild crayon challenge today while the tech was working on my machine. The colors in the picture are not nearly as bright as in real life. I almost needed my sunglasses to sew on the borders. So far, I don't have a clue how to quilt it. At first I thought I'd use bright variegated thread but thought it might take away the impact of the bright pinwheels. Hmmm, I think I'll have to think on it awhile.

A Quilt Finish for Me

2011-07-04T12:26:00.001-04:00

I don't get to quilt for me very often so I decided I was taking this nice, long weekend to get some of my quilting done. This is the quilt I found in a box on a shelf a few months ago that was about 3/4 finished with some pieces missing and some pieces partially done and the pattern not kept with the quilt and I'm guessing about 7 years old

The Border

And the Back

I finished piecing it a few weeks ago and now it's quilted. The binding is cut and ready to apply. I thought long and hard how to quilt this thing and finally just gave up on custom and used one of my favorite pantographs, Virginia Flower.

Celebrating 2 birthdays and the 4th of July

2011-07-04T12:16:00.000-04:00

What a great, but exhausting evening we had celebrating 2 birthdays and the 4th of July (actually the 3rd)! We cooked on the grill, ate my husband's traditional birthday cake (oatmeal with broiled coconut topping) and ice cream. Then we made a rope by twisting 3 other ropes together by the boy scout method to hang it 30 feet up on a huge walnut tree limb. It got pretty dark by the time we got it up in the tree so we had to save the actual swinging for another time.

One of the "not so traditional" activities of the evening included mastering (or remastering in my case) the art of hula hooping. Everyone got a real hoot out of the facial expressions and body movements as we struggled the first few, ok, several, times to keep those hoops up and moving.

And of course, my daughter had to one-up me by doing 2 hoops, although she couldn't keep them going more than a couple of seconds.

And here's the birthday girl with her new quilt.

Stump Be-gone

2011-07-02T10:12:00.001-04:00

Now the trees are gone, the stumps are gone, and hopefully in a few days I'll have the ground up pieces gone. It was amazing to watch the stump being chewed up.

Quilt of the Week - Cathy's Big Star

2011-07-02T10:09:00.000-04:00

Cathy's Big Star will be the sample for her class at Fountain Park in Mid July. She's got just enough time to bind it.

Glamour of the 40's

2011-06-24T20:06:00.005-04:00

Take a look at some wonderful photos of my daughter, Olivia, taken by my daughter, Margot. I just love them. Olivia is wearing her hair in the Victory Roll style.
http://www.WhimsicalsbyMargot.blogspot.com

The fighter planes of the WWII era, created an exhaust roll, that remained after the plane left the area, and this roll of dust and exhaust, was the origin of the hairstyle known as the Victory Roll. The loose curls that accompany the rolls, only are reflective of the era, where a straight hair style was not the goal, and a lady always curled her hair, with loose and flowing curls. The war effort was committed to the resources that were available at the time, and all bobby pins were difficult to find, so undeterred, women used pipe cleaners to achieve the look when bobby pins were not found.

A hairstyle to reflect the patriotism of the home front, and the ladies who waited patiently for their return, is the victory roll. It is no wonder that it is becoming popular once again, as our country sends so many to the battle lines, and we wait patiently for our honored soldiers to return to us.

Out with the Old

2011-06-24T08:41:00.001-04:00

I had a tree cutter come this week and remove 2 trees. The maple had been sick for a couple of years and the cedar was just plain ugly and stickery. We also have so many trees that the shade was keeping grass from growing and much of our yard was moss. I didn't realize, though how much more light was going to come through without those trees. I really think I am going to like it much better, once I get used to it. We still have a huge sycamore, 2 sweet gums, another maple and a huge ash, and that is just in the front yard. Lane is planning on making some jewelry boxes out of the cedar.

The really fun part of this event is that the cutter asked me if I wanted to sell my old car. Now I have been wanting to get rid of this car for over a year, but the husband just can't seem to let go of things. I told the cutter that the car had almost 300,000 miles on it, the battery was dead, the AC didn't work and it was starting to smoke a bit and he still wanted it. I sold it to him. It paid for getting one of the tress cut down. It took a little bit of getting used to the idea for Lane, but finally he agreed it was good to get it out of here. What a relief! Here's a picture of the gem.

It's Birthday Time

2011-06-18T15:11:00.000-04:00

Several months ago Judy Laquidara gave a talk at my quilt guild. A few weeks before the meeting, she sent us clues to a mystery quilt that we could have pieced by the time we went to the meeting minus the borders. I used some fabric I had bought a couple of years earlier and could never find the right pattern to go with it. Now I'm not much for greens but since it was a mystery, I thought I might not like it anyway so it wasn't a big loss. When I finally got the top pieced, my daughter loved the quilt and it was just her color preference. She tried to talk me out of it a few times. Since her birthday is July 7, I decided it would make a good gift for her. I just finished quilting it up today and have a few days to get the binding on. I really love the pattern and will probably make one for me out of different colors.

Quilt of the Week - Tammy's Sampler

2011-06-15T17:13:00.000-04:00

This week I'm featuring Tammy's Civil War BOM. I'm not one to ever sew a civil war quilt because the darker colors make me sad. I really appreciate them, though and think they are beautiful, just can't piece one myself. I do love to quilt BOM quilts and this was no exception. I hardly took a break from this one, just had to keep stitching.

Making progress on the challenge.

2011-06-14T15:49:00.000-04:00

My guild put forth a charity challenge a few months ago and it is due in July so I've got to get cracking. A brown paper bag was passed around and we each drew 2 crayons from the bag from which we are to make a quilt by adding only a background. I drew lime green and orange. I have nine, yup, nine 33 x 20 x 6 containers full of scraps and guess who didn't have orange or lime green. It's kind of hard to believe, isn't it? Now I've got tons of blue, yellow, pink, and dark and soft gray-green, but no lime or orange. And guess what? The quilt stores don't have any either! I finally had to order some from ebay. At least I had the black. This is my start. I'm not sure just how I'll set the blocks yet, but I've got a plan for the border. Stay tuned.

Lost Again

2011-06-12T19:21:00.000-04:00

I have lost that darned camera again. I took some pics of great quilts I recently got to quilt but have misplaced the camera. I have looked everywhere except where it is at least 4 times. Aaarrrgggg! Is there an answer for this dilemma?

Quilt of the Week - Hats

2011-06-09T08:32:00.000-04:00

This one was a bit different and I tried a new background idea I found on an old instructional DVD I've had for a few years. It's funny how one can buy a DVD or book and it sits on the shelf after the first watch and just collects dust. I suggest you dust those goodies off and give them another look. There are great ideas on some of these that we totally forgot about.

Quilt of the Week - Sharon's

2011-05-30T19:05:00.001-04:00

Sharon wanted an all-over design but wanted separate borders. I tried a new design I'd seen on Leah Days' 365 quilting ideas for backgrounds. I thought I could probably make it look good as a larger all-over design and it actually turned out pretty good, I think. It was lots of fun to do and was something new and since I do 2 quilts a month for Sharon, I could use a new idea.

It's not Alabama or Missouri but.....

2011-05-27T09:35:00.001-04:00

My mom is fine, just shook up, from the storm Wednesday night. We spent most of yesterday cleaning and getting crews to cut up trees, one of which was my favorite treehouse tree as a kid.

A Case of the Sad Blue Melvins

2011-05-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

Now I'm not sure who came up with the phrase Sad Blue Melvins, but I first heard it when in college and I've been using it since then. The Melvins are those times when you just feel down, you know, when you're down and can't get up. Well, today I'm missing my girls and my SIL and I started feeling the Melvins coming on strong. The best cure for them is to focus on others instead of one's self. Recently, in my guild, it was brought to attention that the hospital has been receiving many NICU quilts for those sick little babies, but there seemed to be a shortage of boy baby quilts. Everyone loves to make those sweet little girl quilts, but baby boys get sick, too. So, to wash away the Melvins, and I must say it worked like a charm, I made a couple of quilts that could go to baby boys.

I'm planning on quilting puppy paws on the dog quilt and horseshoes on the horse quilt. It was quite a bit of fun making quilts from left over fabric from pajamas I made for Christmas and leftovers from a wallet for a dog lover.

Spring just keeps getting springier.

2011-05-21T16:43:00.001-04:00

As you can probably tell by now, I love flowers as much as I love quilting. Today, two more irises blessed me with their beauty. In another day or two, a deep yellow, fluffy iris will add its presence.

Quilt of the Week - Peggy's Child Quilt

2011-05-17T12:11:00.002-04:00

Well, this was a bit of a challenge. She requested no pantos. OK, so what do you put in a quilt that is all squares? I hope she is pleased as I did do a freehand all over except around and in the the picture blocks. Because of the wool batting, there is nice texture. If this one wasn't challenging enough to come up with a design, I have another one just like it! Thanks, Peggy, for keeping me on my toes and making my brain work.

Out on his own

2011-05-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

Check out this little baby finch. This is the 2nd one today that is trying to make it on his own. The first one we picked up and put in the tree and eventually he flew off. This little guy seems to not want to take off. The critters are out today. I was planting a rose bush and one of the clods of dirt I was grabbing to crumble up turned out to be a toad.

Machine Quilter's Showcase - Kansas City

2011-05-14T15:15:00.001-04:00

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Kansas City for classes and a thread buy. I am always amazed that I can spend $500 and only have a couple of bags of thread. The classes were great and I am ready to give the new ideas a go. I took a thread painting class from Claudia Pfeil from Germany and can hardly wait to do some of it, but I've got a bunch of customer quilts to get done before June so thread painting will just have to wait. I have some new ideas for sashings and borders that I'll be able to try right away. In fact, I already tried one idea this morning on a customer quilt.

I met with a group at a restaurant called Carrabba's Italian Restaurant and Wow! what flavor! I had seafood cannelloni with shrimp, crab, and scallops. It was delightful. For dessert I had Creme Brulle provided by Zoltan Kasa, inventor of the IQ I use on my long-arm machine. It was a great evening being with several on-line friends I've never personally met before.

The show was amazing as well. It certainly humbles me when I get to thinking too highly of myself. What artists there are in the quilt world! Claudia, the instructor of one of my classes took Best of Show, using 40,000 crystals in her undersea quilt.

When I got back home, after only 2 days and an overnight stay with my daughter's college friend who lives in KC and graciously allowed me to sleep over, I was amazed at what started blooming in my garden.

These batik irises are always some of the first to bloom and are so striking.

This is my new tree peony. The picture and description said it would have white edges. Well, I guess if you look closely, and use your imagination, you might see edges, but just barely.

Although this is a sweet pink, it is not the lovely lavender the picture showed in the catelog.

My first baby rose of the spring is peeking out and there are many more just waiting to show their faces later this week.

No spring is quite here until you see the Bleeding Hearts.

And finally after a severe pruning last fall, my variegated willow bush is starting to look wonderful.

The Fun of Mother's Day

2011-05-08T08:06:00.000-04:00

My girls are such a blessing to me this Mother's Day, as well as my son-in-law and Olivia's boyfriend. The boys are followers of Christ and kind and gentle men, the girls are, well, my precious daughters. Olivia gave me a hanging basket with the most unusual petunias that she arranged herself as well as a rose for my flower garden called Purple Tiger, a kind of dark purple and white batik.

Margot, though away in West Virginia sent me a beautiful, flow-y white and lace vest, a vest with a story. I had actually tried this vest on while looking for a dress for Easter. Being such a tight wad, I passed on it. What a delight to open my mail and find the same vest! Thank you, girls.

Quilt of the Week - Beke's

2011-05-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

This quilt comes all the way from England. It is very nicely pieced, flat and square in spite of all the little pieces and being 111 inches long.

Four days in Paducah

2011-05-02T11:16:00.004-04:00

It is amazing what items you can find at a show like Paducah that you didn't realize you can not live without. I found these beautiful fabrics that screamed at me to get because there was the perfect quilt waiting to be made that needed them. I found the multicolor fabric at a place called Angie's that I bought and I was still an hour from Paducah. Much of the time in Paducah was spent trying to find the perfect pieces to got with it. The background was finally found in about the 5th from the last booth in the show. Then, of course, there was the trip to Hancock's once we finally got to Paducah that had the most beautiful batiks and once again I found screaming fabric that must be purchased to make that special quilt.

Then there were the hand-dyes that were harder to pass up than ice cream at the Silver Dipper, so, of course, I didn't pass on them. I can just envision beautiful applique roses made from the pinks.

Always on the lookout for batik backgrounds, I found these unusual pieces, the light background with blushes of dusty pink and gray/blue, which I think will go with many of the stash batiks I have. The yellowish wheat batik was a real find for me, very different from most batiks I've seen.

Finally, I had to have a few necessities for the long-arm business. First, I bought a magnifying glass that fits just above the needle so I can see to do those intricate background fills. Next, I bought some snap-on side clamps to help hold quilts more evenly. Lastly, I bought some clamp-on handles that let me use different muscles for quilting so I can perhaps cut down on all the stress in my shoulders. Though I choked on the $200 price tag, in the long run, I think I'll benefit a great deal from them. The 4 days away from quilting has improved the shoulder quite a bit and I actually slept last night with no pain at all. Thanks to all who have kept checking up on me as I heal from this tendonitis.

Now I'm on to quilting the quilt from England and quilts from the sweet ladies from Alabama for their bi-annual qult show in June.

Quilting like a crazy woman!

2011-04-27T15:37:00.000-04:00

I am quilting as fast as I can to get as many quilts as possible done before heading out to Paducah to spend all my money. I leave tomorrow at 7:30 am and am so looking forward to it. I'm hoping the break will help my should heal more quickly. I hope to be refreshed and inspired to resume my quilting when I get back. I have 35 quilts on the shelf and many need to get done within the next few weeks.

Here are a couple of cutie quilts I did today.

Halleluia! Jesus Christ has risen!

2011-04-24T09:39:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful morning to wake! After a sweet walk in my flowers, I am looking forward to a celebration of the life of my Jesus. To some, he is an interesting character from history. To me, he is my personal savior, forgiver, comforter, encourager, my example, my joy. I can hardly wait to arrive at church today to sing praise and thanksgiving to the one who gave me breath and countless other gifts...my children, sweet husband, a close extended family, a home, a job I love, so much food I have to watch what I eat. I adore my son-in-law and even his mother, who is a good friend now. My other daughter is dating a kind and gentle man who also loves the Lord. I am indeed blessed this special morning. Happy Easter!

Looks What's Cooking for Dinner Tonight!

2011-04-22T18:27:00.001-04:00

All these were found in the yard after today's rain. I have heard stories since hunting for mushrooms when I was barely big enough to walk...Look under May Apples, around rotting logs, on hillsides with the sun shining on them. Well, some of these were in the gravel driveway and most were under the pine trees in the shade. Who knows why there was a lonely snakehead mushroom in the middle of all the morels. Guess who's going off the "Watch your cholestrol" diet tonight? There's nothing quite like mushrooms fried in butter and olive oil with salt.

While posting this my husband found a dozen more in the pine needles under the trees.

My First Pink Daffodils

2011-04-22T18:22:00.001-04:00

I bought these daffodil bulbs in the fall and they claimed to be pink. Well, I'm not sure pink is the correct word, maybe salmon. They are pretty, though.

A little sun brings out the playfulness

2011-04-21T16:08:00.000-04:00

Leviticus just wanted to sit in the sun, but Cassiopeia had dreams of playtime. She bopped him several times before he finally jumped right on her. She took off like her tail had been set on fire.

Birthday Present

2011-04-21T15:58:00.001-04:00

Last year I got my first pedicure for my birthday and loved it so much that my mom got me another for this year. Her birthday is just a week before mine, so I got a pedicure for her, too. What a fun time we had getting our feet all pretty and pampered! She chose a light lavender polish and I went bold with blue sparkles. We chatted and laughed the whole time. We decided we had so much fun that we were going to do it again as soon as we can find another time we need to celebrate...maybe my daughter's birthday, or maybe when we have a full day without wind or rain. Mom turned 80 today.

Big Fat Storm

2011-04-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a storm last night. This broken tree top fell, but was luckily stopped just in time by other tree limbs. Without the other tree stopping the fall, the tree top would have fallen right through my studio and daughter's bedroom. We were very blessed not to have received major damage. Not so lucky, one of our neighbor's two greenhouses was destroyed. I just got a call to come get the tomato plants they were starting for me. They were putting tomatoes and onions and peppers in their house and stacking the 2nd greenhouse to the gills with whatever they could fit. I went ahead and bought a hanging basket for my mom's mother's day and some plants I was planning on putting in front of the house so they would have a little bit more room. I have 2 big windows in a room so hopefully the plants will thrive until another week or so when I can plant them outside. It's a little crowded but we'll make do.

Quilt of the Week - Tammy's Sampler

2011-04-19T19:19:00.000-04:00

This was a very different sampler with odd shaped blocks and no balanced pattern. The blocks were random and edged with different sized borders. Even the top and bottom borders were different from the size of the side borders. It was a little challenging to balance the quilting but fun to finally figure out to make it all fit. Over all, the pieced pattern is quite interesting.

Quilt of the Week - Laura's Red and Green

2011-04-11T12:55:00.000-04:00

Today's quilt is so pretty with its contrasting green and red against the light background and I love the pinwheel border. It comes all the way from Montana.

Tendonitis Cramping My Style

2011-04-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

I am continuing to deal with painful tendonitis and I am only getting 2 to 3 quilts done per week instead of the usual five or more. I have been a good girl and icing my shoulder and arm but I don't see any difference. I continue to be awakened at night with the pain so have a tendency to sleep later in the morning so I don't get started quilting until later than usual. Be patient with me if you are waiting on your quilt. I am continuing, just not at the breakneck speed I usually go. Quilt of the week will probably be delayed until next week while I try to catch up on things.

I did take a great picture of my cat on his tiptoes drinking from the bird bath that was so funny that I thought I would post until I realized I had not put the SD card back in the camera.

Quilt of the Week - Joy's Logs

2011-03-25T12:17:00.001-04:00

Notice how beautiful this quilt looks on my bed. Joy has never been to my house so maybe I can keep it and she won't be able to find it. It took several days to quilt as I have tendonitis in my upper arm, caused by guess what? - Quilting, and I could only work a few hours at a time. The doc said to change the angle of the handles a bit and ice it for 30 minutes a day for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, I'll get back on the fast train soon.

Busy weekend

2011-03-21T09:23:00.002-04:00

I went to Threads of Time in Danville with a group of friends Friday evening and Saturday, had a great time of fellowship, making friends with 2 other groups of quilters, and getting many UFO's completed.

The first to get completed was the quilt I found a couple of months ago in a box on a shelf that had been started years ago and forgotten. I put on the final border and now it is hanging on a hanger waiting for a break in my schedule to be quilted.

The next to be finished was this lap batik quilt. I had a dickens of a time trying to find a fabric for the itty bitty border to separate the center of the quilt from the border. The green was just such an odd color that I could match nothing. A young girl from the store of the retreat finally brought me a piece of the ugliest fabric I think I've ever seen and suggested I use that. I thought, you've got to be kidding but when I auditioned a little sliver of it, it worked! I guess Bonnie Hunter is right...There is no ugly fabric, just fabric that hasn't been cut small enough. Here's the ugly fabric and then a picture of it in the quilt.

And now the quilt:

And now a closeup.

I also got the center of a Triple Irish Chain pieced but it has no border yet, so I'll save that picture for another time.

Finally I got the back pieced for my MQS quilt!

Quilt to Hang at Rossville Quilt

2011-03-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Look for this quilt hanging at Rossville Quilts soon. It was a bit of a creative challenge for me as there was no place for feathers on this one. It was fun to do, though, coming up with lots of different designs to fill the separate spaces. They will be making up kits to go with the hanging.

Hope of Spring

2011-03-12T09:22:00.002-05:00

I got a little glimpse

of spring when taking a little walk in the rain a couple of days ago. The excitement is building!

Quilt of the Week is Pat's President's Quilt

2011-03-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

This a special quilt for Pat. The blocks are ones her guild gave her for being president so the quilt is very special to her.

Ribbon at Bloomington

2011-03-07T07:59:00.003-05:00

Camp was a disappointing time as my bobbin case broke and so I had no way to sew. I ended up coming home but had learned about a ribbon on the quilt Mel had pieced and embroidered and I quilted that was entered in the Bloomington show. Saturday, Lane and I took a drive to the show to see the quilt hanging. What a nice surprise to see my name in lights, so to speak, even if they didn't spell it right. I guess that is bound to happen when one spells their name in a goofy way. Congratulations, Mel!.

I Can't Believe I Did it Again!

2011-03-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

I sewed through my fingernail and finger! I had a thread jam and while working to fix it, I bumped the one stitch button and ran the needle through my finger. I love my new Innova machine but I have got to get some kind of protector to keep from bumping that button. In 8 years of long-arm quiltng I never even came close to sewing my finger and I've done it twice in one month. I'm beginning to get the shakes just thinking about starting to quilt in the mornings. I've put in my "protector" request in to my engineer husband. I'm sure he'll come up with something soon, at least I hope so.

Meanwhile, I get to go to a 3 day quilt camp this weekend. Maybe I can get my nerves settled down some there.

Quilt of the Week - Joy Does It Again

2011-02-23T10:18:00.000-05:00

Joy, once again makes Quilt of the Week with her beautifully pieced, flat, square quilt. This one had nice big spaces to fill with quilting. This is one of three large quilts she made with the pile of fat quarters she bought for just one. This quilt is one of the bonus ones. Maybe next week I can post the quilt she actually bought the fat quarters for.