StarryNightQuilter

February is here

2012-02-03T15:11:00.003-05:00

There is pink fabric lying on the cutting mat....oh but to find the time to stitch it up!

How can this be?

2011-11-02T10:40:00.003-04:00

Working on my Masters has definitely gotten in the way of my sewing....but as soon as I see that Christmas is right around the corner:

Christmas Countdown 2011 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2011: Set www.xmasclock.com as your homepage to count the number of days until Christmas 2011!

I start thinking I can create/sew a bunch of gifts. Really not practical - but if anyone is still looking at my blog....Christmas is coming!!

Hearts and Mosaics

2011-02-09T12:36:00.002-05:00

Makes me think of my trip to Airlie Gardens in 2009.

GO Steelers

2011-01-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

It Snows even in North Carolina

2011-01-10T14:47:00.003-05:00

All Gave Some - Some Gave All

2010-05-27T14:09:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day

2010-05-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Spring

2010-03-21T10:52:00.003-04:00

My blog is as neglected as my sewing....hope you all are having a Happy Spring!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-14T11:54:00.006-04:00

Well, you can see from my lack of posts that No Sewing Seems to Be Occurring - -and you would be correct. Between work and my online masters coursework - there is little time left. I can see the fabric and the piles of "to be completed" from where I sit - online at every spare moment - but they are merely gathering dust.

Here's hoping your springtime is allowing you some sewing time!

Deer is Nearly finished.....

2010-01-16T09:45:00.002-05:00

This wallhanging is a gift for a family member. Unfortunately it had some mysterious item spill on it - so I had to bind and wash several times...even though I really hadn't done all the quilting I intended to do on it....so - it needs a little more stitching and its done.

Flannel Quilt Done!

2010-01-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Daughter's Flannel Quilt is done!

Christmas Quilt is Done!

2010-01-10T10:31:00.003-05:00

This Quilt is another one that I quilted on the long arm machine at the local quilt shop. The design is snowflakes.

Thorns and roses

2010-01-06T20:25:00.007-05:00

This quilt is called Thorns and Roses. The roses are my 3 children.

The Thorns are the divorce and difficult times throughout the years. I cannot believe how far back I had to go to find where I started piecing the blocks

and wrote about the beginnings of this quilt: February 2008.

When I wrote:

Long long ago there was a bedroom in a home with the most beautiful cabbage rose wallpaper on the walls. A young maiden bought this lovely fabric for a quilt for that home. She knew she wanted it to be an Irish Chain because she had admired a similar quilt made with the large blocks of the irish chain done in floral fabric. And it was sooo lovely. Many many years later that maiden and her stash of fabric - having survived a divorce, then a 400 mile move and then 5 local moves later - realized that fabric lay uncut - in a clear container in the front of the garage where the maiden now parks her vehicle. Every day when she backed out and every day when she pulled in - she saw that fabric for the Irish Chain quilt. For many many days. One day - she decided - even though she no longer had the lovely wallpaper and room - that it was TIME for the fabric to reach its destiny. It was meant to be an Irish Chain Quilt. It was not meant for the garage or the yard sale pile. It has begun its journey to becoming an Irish Chain Quilt. How much longer will it be before the journey is complete and the quilt is resting on the bed? This is only the beginning... The local quilt show rents time on their long arm machine. Here you can see Thorns and Roses on the long arm and the pattern that you follow to create the quilting. It is so much fun to quilt this way!
I used a solid back so you can see the beautiful feather design I quilted into the quilt.
The Moral of the Story is - Some patterns and fabrics it seems - just need lots of time to gel before they actually start to become ANYTHING.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-04T13:13:00.003-05:00

There is something about Christmas that seems to require some snow - so here's wishing everyone a very Merry white Christmas.

When all these

2009-11-28T11:36:00.003-05:00

end up here - -

I guess SOMEONE needs to rake!

Sailing Under the Harvest Moon

2009-10-24T22:56:00.008-04:00

Our Quilt Guild's Show is next weekend. This is the quilt I entered for the Challenge and is called Sailing under the Harvest Moon - also the Title of our Show.

Finished...though I was working on it right up to the last minute I could submit it. Show next weekend... Maybe my fingers will heal from all the hand stitching of bindings and hanging sleeves by then. Maybe I should reconsider the strategy of starting the quilt 2 weeks before it is due. And have reviewed the pattern so I had some sense that it was TWIN BED SIZED - not a small wallhanging as the pattern picture implied. Hurrying does not lead to good workmanship, though overall I like the look of it.

Also entered: Breland's Stars - which was the only quilt I originally intended to enter so it was totally finished for his graduation gift. Machine pieced and quilted by me on a long arm quilting machine. So this morning I simply had to make the hanging sleeve.

And my Mermaid from the Challenge in the fall. We were given a gift bag and had to match the % of the colors in the gift bag to what we used in our quilt. I got one that had all my favorite colors and it was my first attempt at a quilt like this. It has a lot more detail than the photos show here...buttons, yarns, beads, shells

Now it is on for the mad dash to finish Christmas gifts...would be nice to Not be sewing at 3 am on Christmas eve.

October October - how the time does fly

2009-10-19T21:01:00.001-04:00

Soon - you will see the Harvest Moon submission for the quilt show....

It's been a long long time....

2009-09-23T19:19:00.005-04:00

Yes, my world has been busy - but here's a few little things I have completed for Block in a Bag

Summertime was the theme for the first

And Girly things for the 2nd

And finally Bugs- here is my Lazy Bug

Doggy quilt

2009-06-30T17:14:00.006-04:00

This is a cheater cloth but I knew the niece's little boy would love it since it looks like his dog. So I free motion quilted around the dogs...(ok, that was ENOUGH!!)and still have to sew down the binding...

Purse

2009-06-30T17:12:00.003-04:00

It really helps if you have a pattern, which I did not...It also helps if you applique the flower on BEFORE you assemble the purse...live and learn!

Project for birthday gifts

2009-06-30T17:09:00.003-04:00

Used up some of the extra minky fabric to make a mini teddy bear...so soft.
For my niece's two children

This is the next baby quilt

2009-06-30T17:03:00.008-04:00

This is the back fabric

The quilting...is a modified design from a book.

For the same friend...who delivered a healthy baby boy last month. These are all lovely soft batiks and the bird and branch are a lovely addition. She has decided to hang this one on the wall. The back shows the fabric for the other sewn items in the room.

Been so busy...

2009-06-30T16:54:00.007-04:00

The quilting

The minkee...

This is the baby quilt for my friend who lost her first baby. I put it aside and she asked if I would go ahead and finish it....I quilted it on the long arm at the local quilt shop - which helped improve the look of it I think...I wasn't too sure about these fabrics, and the minkee...whooowee - that stuff really stretches...

Just binding left to stitch....

Star Quilt Along

2009-06-14T19:49:00.005-04:00

WHEW~~ Finally finished this Star Quilt Along for my son's graduation gift. I finished it June 10, at 10pm. Graduation was June 11 at 8 am.

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/04/star-quilt-along-week-1.html

I quilted it on a long arm machine at a local quilt shop - which was a blast. The owner let me pick the quilting pattern so I picked a pattern with stars and loops which wasn't too difficult.

May Block in a Bag

2009-05-28T19:37:00.005-04:00

May's Theme - Under the Sea

April Block in A Bag

2009-05-28T19:30:00.006-04:00

Teaparty Theme
Dimensional Flower

Isn't this lovely?

2009-05-22T00:48:00.005-04:00

This bloom is about 14" across. Amazing!!

Sashing or Not?

2009-05-22T00:41:00.004-04:00

Does it need sashing?

Yes, I think it does..

Getting Close to Finished...

2009-05-11T18:46:00.001-04:00

Spring in my Garden

2009-04-20T17:29:00.003-04:00

See the BEE?

Star Block 13

2009-04-20T17:20:00.002-04:00

Done!!

Pat Knoechel

2009-04-10T21:12:00.006-04:00

Pat Knoechel speaks to the guild, sharing great ideas and marvelous samples.

Pat is the sister of Eleanor Burns of Quilt in a Day.
This was a way she used some extra star blocks.
A review of the fuse and applique process.

Lover's Knot

Isn't that border of checks adorable?

Day and Night

You won't believe how they designed this pattern so that it is not paper pieced and looks pretty simple....I will let you know!

Saw this at a Garden Show and HAD to Have it

2009-04-07T19:36:00.005-04:00

Look at those lovely little bells...

PieriThe kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"

A woman should

2009-04-07T19:28:00.001-04:00

Carline shared this from her blog: http://ladyofmanycloth.blogspot.com/

from Maya Angelou

A woman should Have... enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...
A woman should have.... something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour.
A woman should have... a youth she's content to leave behind.
A woman should have... a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.
A woman should have... a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.
A woman should have... one friend who always makes her laugh.. and one who lets her cry.
A woman should have... a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.
A woman should have... eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.
A woman should have... a feeling of control over her destiny.
Every woman should know... how to fall in love without losing herself.
Every woman should know... how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship.
Every woman should know... when to try harder and when to walk away.
Every woman should know... that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips or the nature of her parents.
Every woman should know... that her childhood may not have been perfect... but it's over.
Every woman should know... what she would and wouldn't do for love or more
Every woman should know... how to live alone.. even if she doesn't like it
Every woman should know... whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.
Every woman should know... where to go..... be it to her best friend's kitchen table or a charming Inn in the woods when her soul needs soothing.
Every woman should know... What she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month and a year

Blogs Blogs Blogs

2009-04-06T21:05:00.003-04:00

There are oh so many great blogs out there - - I just stumbled across a few more in my search for another pincushion pattern --
http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/

http://forgetfulelephants.blogspot.com/

http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/

http://just-because-i-am-me.blogspot.com/

WHOO HOO

2009-03-29T20:37:00.006-04:00

Star Quilt along blocks ONE more to go!!

Beautiful Batiks

2009-03-27T14:17:00.009-04:00

Shopping at the Quilt Show

2009-03-27T14:08:00.007-04:00

There were lots of great vendors at the Charlotte Quilt show. I have been working very hard at using fabric I already own - - but there were so many beauties at the show - I resisted the first time I walked through - but weakened in the end. Look at these 2 great patterns, some beach fabric I have been collecting and some others I couldn't resist.

Taffy learns about quilting while sleeping

2009-03-22T09:01:00.007-04:00

Star Quilt Along

2009-03-22T08:54:00.001-04:00

Block 5

Starry Night

2009-03-18T19:06:00.005-04:00

This is really cool. Students at a middle school I serve paint murals on the walls around their school. (They have a very good art teacher) This is one of the walls they are painting.

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~Vincent Van Gogh

Star Quilt A Long Blocks

2009-03-02T21:21:00.009-05:00

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

A long long time ago - (April 2008) my quilting buddy shared this blog http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/04/star-quilt-along-week-1.html with me and asked if I wanted to quilt a long with her. Then life got in the way - and we never did...although - of course I had already bought fabric...so I put it on my must do list for 2009. So here goes - today when we had a snow day - I completed blocks 1 - 4 and cut out block 5. The fabric for the background has little gold flecks in it and the other fabrics are more olivey green in nature than they might appear here.

March 1 - Roaring in

2009-03-02T00:22:00.002-05:00

Snow Day - Snow Day

2009-03-02T00:08:00.006-05:00

Well - here comes March - roaring in like a lion --look what we got! So far about 5 inches. Expecting 3 - 5 more tonight.

A real huge blast of snow for this southern area!!

Block in a Bag

2009-01-28T14:39:00.002-05:00

Way back on this post - I talked about joining the Block in A Bag Group. Wow - that was nearly a whole year ago. How time flies.
So now in the above slide show - you can see the blocks I received. Honestly - they are so beautiful - I just sit and look at them...and then wonder - what next? Combine them all into one quilt - wallhanging? Combine some and let some be their own mini wallhanging? Make each one a separate mini wallhanging?
What to do - what to do???
Everyone who participated really got blocks that were beautiful - but I think my tropical theme got the widest variety of blocks - and in my opinion - the most beautiful. Maybe its just because they are mine?
Regardless - isn't it amazing what you can get when you give each person a selection of fabric and a theme?

It isn't much

2009-01-20T10:23:00.002-05:00

But it is probably all the snow we will get - - maybe for the entire winter....But here where no one knows what to do with snow- it was enough to cancel all the area schools and many businesses.

Rooster

2009-01-19T19:00:00.001-05:00

Another Done.

Calendar Mini Quilts

2009-01-19T18:51:00.003-05:00

My friend Denise had once created these mini quilts for each month, and was kind enough to share the patterns with me....ok, so it was many years ago....many many....
So I finished January and February today.
Now I need some ideas for March. Not too keen on the pattern for March or April.

Finished the Baby Quilt top

2009-01-19T12:56:00.004-05:00

This is a baby quilt for my friend's daughter-in-law. Was quite hesitant about making this one - her fabric choices were my concern....but we had cut this out for her first pregnancy which unfortunately was a baby she lost. She really wanted the same fabric for this pregnancy - so I went ahead and constructed. She has mixed in Minkee fabric with the blocks - and really wants the Minkee as the back. With SO much stretch in this fabric - I am concerned about how this will quilt out....
Any suggestions?? Has anyone mixed cottons and Minkee or used it as a quilt back?

YippeeDoodle

2009-01-19T12:56:00.001-05:00

the Steelers are going to the Superbowl!!!

Good Luck Steelers

2009-01-18T15:57:00.001-05:00

Here we go Steelers

2009-01-11T13:12:00.003-05:00

Missing the days of Terry...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T22:52:00.002-05:00

Stitch stitch stitch...

I finished the rooster block for my friend just in time...she came to visit tonight!
I finished the fleece blanket with appliqued name and snowflakes for son's girlfriend just in time for her return from New York.
I finished quilting the Christmas wallhanging and just have to bind the edges.

Progress - -progress!!

Ah December- One Stitch at a Time

2008-12-30T02:02:00.008-05:00

Such a lovely month...It is so nice to have time off to enjoy the decorations...and eat all the goodies and visit with friends - FINISH PROJECTS. I am hoping to finish lots of project this week, but I think I need Eleanor Burns "Quilt in a Day" speed to finish all the nearly finished but somehow STILL not finished projects....but today I rescued the extra rooster block and figured out how to calculate the checkerboard border...(that is interesting for someone as Math Challenged as I am) but with a little trimming of the block, I got it to fit...now for the quilting and binding and off goes Mr. Rooster to my friend for a Christmas gift...
Stay tuned for the finished photo

So what is on the to be finished list:

1.The irish chain - the blocks are pieced and the borders need to go on:

2. The flannel lap quilt STILL needs backed and quilted - it has been aging gracefully since last January - oh dear :

3. The stars quilt STILL needs recalculated additional row of stars- it is in a stack of miscalculated frustration:

4. The wrap purses need finishing and handles

5. The Eiffel Tower Tote Bag/Purse needs constructed

6. The winter wallhanging needs one more snowflake and binding

Oh Dear - I am starting to get nauseous...how will I finish all these and get on to the new - - yeah yeah - I know - one stitch at a time...

Block in a Bag for December

2008-12-30T01:58:00.002-05:00

I decided to try one of these "through the window" or "through the iron gate" ideas since the block for December was our own choice of patterns. The fabric provided was the floral which I fussy cut and rearranged to look like a garden of flowers, and the blue for background. An interesting technique and not too difficult except for cutting out the black...

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2008-12-07T21:24:00.005-05:00

So here it is - -I am trying not to PANIC - - but Christmas is only 18 days away....and the to do list is enormous!!

Shopping - -it would be nice if I had a list with some ideas....
Baking - - Is it really necessary to bake 15 different kinds of cookies??? ---yes --- in my world -- it is!! I really should get started. I need several cans full by Thursday....Too bad I have to go to work everyday!

Decorating - - ok, that is NEARLY finished..The Christmas houses are all snuggled in the snow and lit...the candles are in place...and after several repairs on the vacuum cleaner - -all the needles are swept up.....I just cannot get the angel on top of the tree....you see - - the tree is too tall and touching the ceiling. I tried cutting the top with the sharpest thing I had - -a Bread knife....I have done this years past - - when no tools could be found - cut branches off the bottom of the tree with a knife...it isn't easy, but it CAN BE DONE. But not this tree top...no siree...it is a big thick branch and I CANNOT get the darn knife through it. So I sent the former Marine to borrow the tree trimmer. He forgot. So the tree is all decorated and naked at the top. Pitiful...

Did I mention the list of gifts to be sewn? I dare not --the sight of it would surely make me cry. Better get busy and fast....I could use some elves!

Meanwhile - -Taffy just sits and watches. She is ready for a stocking full of new chew toys and doggy treats. She will have to WAIT. I wish she could bake and shop!!

Taffy is so happy - - it's the Holiday Season!

2008-11-29T00:55:00.003-05:00

(PSST - it's popcorn in the bottle that she is after)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T22:15:00.007-05:00

"When I'm worried

and I can't sleep

I count my blessings

instead of sheep

And I fall asleep

counting my blessings"

Lyrics: Bing Crosby - Count Your Blessings

Thank you Veterans

2008-11-11T13:35:00.004-05:00

Today we honor tribute to those who served our country.

Thank you veterans and their families!

To those who served and came home

and those who did not...

We are grateful for their service!

The Challenge Quilt - Mermaid

2008-10-30T18:23:00.010-04:00

Yippee!!!

I am so happy - - I won a ribbon in our Quilt Guild's Challenge. The challenge was to create a quilt to represent the colors of the gift bag we drew at random. Quilts were judged on the basis of innovation, use of color, use of "frou frou" and viewers choice.

I haven't won anything like this before. And I must admit - I was really clueless on this process...though I have had the creation of this in my mind for quite some time in my continuous endeavor to be at the beach or be reminded of the beach. And - -I have never attached all these items to a quilt....I impaled my finger a few times trying to stitch through the quilt...so I am really happy that my mermaid was well received and WON a RIBBON!! My prize was a lovely stack of fall colored fat quarters!!

Who would be

A mermaid fair,

Singing alone,

Combing her hair

Under the sea,

In a golden curl

With a comb of pearl,

On a throne?

I would be a mermaid fair;

I would sing to myself the whole of the day;

With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;

And still as I comb I would sing and say,

Who is it loves me? who loves not me?"

- Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Mermaid

Balloon Rally

2008-10-25T22:33:00.012-04:00

What a lovely day here for a Balloon Event!! There were 55 balloons scheduled to lift off this afternoon, but since the wind picked up some - -I don't think I counted that many...and since there were occasional gusts of winds, the lift off, instead of happening very quickly and simultanously, took nearly an hour - so it was a lovely view - a few here and there lifting off and slipping off over the tree tops.

I won a Balloon Ride when we first moved here..about 10 years ago....it is the most amazing experience. Like floating over a slowiy moving landscape...incredibly quiet and lovely. If you ever have a chance - - take a hot air balloon ride. Fabulous.

Where did September and most of October go?

2008-10-20T17:12:00.009-04:00

Wow - I have been neglecting my blog.....But I have been working lots and sewing some. My latest endeavor is wrap purses...from the book It's a Wrap. This is a nice project to work on while watching tv - - wrap wrap glue wrap wrap wrap glue...Of course I have no idea what I will do when I get to the handles, and have to invent some sort of pockets for the inside....

If you haven't seen these - they are really lovely!!

I was at a Fiber and Quilting show recently and bought a wrap bowl that really wasn't wrapped. The creator did an amazing thing - she just stitched the clothes line and dyed it. CLEVER isn't it?
This one is a knitting and crocheting ribbon yarn. It wraps really nicely, and doesn't ravel like the fabric I used on the above...I think Batiks would be nice for this project - - less or no raveling...

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude?

2008-08-29T12:08:00.006-04:00

Well, It may not be a change in latitude, but it certainly is a change in attitude. This is the Block in a Bag for Sept. Yes - you read correctly - not due till the 4th Tuesday in Sept. And it is totally done. Theme - Chinese Lantern.

It feels good and also odd to have this done so far in advance.

So I did another block I want to just make into a tiny wallhanging.

Maybe I just need to get that out of the way early in the month so I feel free to work on other things?

I took my new baby to the beach

2008-08-17T22:43:00.005-04:00

There is nothing quite like a convertible and the beach.....

Finished LoggyBunnies

2008-08-11T16:49:00.004-04:00

I love Paris

2008-08-11T16:37:00.007-04:00

Where oh where did July go? It flew by so fast - I think I missed it.

However - I did finish by block in a bag for July. The theme was travel. Well, the two places I really want to go are Paris and Italy - so Paris it is.....The fabric provided was so great - I hated to cut it....and I am so glad I made one block out of another fabric for myself - -now I am not sure WHAT I will do with it - but I have it:

(Is that a quilter/fabric lover statement or what?)

This is the Sample.

This is the submitted block and fabric closeups:

2008-08-03T22:43:00.011-04:00

So - Christmas in July was great fun....I made several great purchases. Here are some of the things I made to sell.... I made several of these aprons,

a crayon and coloring book bag,

This lovely apron, a bunch of these square pincushions

and these really funny cupcake pincushions.

Just when I think I am going to be ahead of the game....

2008-07-07T21:51:00.002-04:00

New projects pop up. Our quilt guild is having a Christmas in July sale....so we have been encouraged to make items to offer for a suggested donation to raise money for our next guild show - we need quilt stands....so of course instead of working on my block for this month - I am making aprons and pincushions and who knows what else.

Also - I had to hurry up and quilt the loggybunnies since the baby was born last week. I got to see her today....well I could sorta see her - - I stayed up till 4 am finishing the binding...so my eyes are RATHER TIRED...but she is a lovely perfect little baby girl...and Mom and Dad are doing well and proud as punch....and they liked the quilt...One of these days - I am going to keep track of the hours I spent on a project....no that is probably as bad of an idea as when I started keeping track of my spending. Well, actually that was a good thing - I became less wasteful..and more conscious of what I was spending. Ok, maybe it is as bad as when I figured out what I make /hour if I work at home every evening like I used to do....THAT WAS DISGUSTING......

So - coming up - -photos of the finished baby quilt - - I hope I got all the extra threads off and the pins out.....and some aprons, pincushions and who knows what else.

Roosters Rule

2008-06-29T22:03:00.004-04:00

Chicken/Rooster Theme for Block in a Bag......

I searched and searched for rooster patterns similar to a ceramic rooster I saw on a catalog......and then tried to mush together a few different images - - a whole 'nother month of researching ......

My son's idea for the chicken theme was to skip looking for a chicken or rooster pattern - -and make a cow...I am not sure what he is talking about....and then he says - you know - like the chick-fil-a cow saying "eat more chicken." A funny idea but I wasn't sure it would fly with the block recipient....so back to searching for more chickens..roosters.....

Finally I found a reasonable pattern and cut it out, fused it on, stitched around it with regular thread and didn't like that at all.

Started over and used invisible thread...which I have never used. I never liked that shiny look the stitches gave off....but it was better than the regular thread that didn't match. Of course there were many minutes of adjusting the tension for the invisible thread and the bobbin thread to work together properly....changing the needle.....

Yes, I am growing and learning....but would someone remind me WHY I signed up for this stressful activity?????

So here they are......cockadoodledoo.....

Why is this Chicken Music Playing??????

2008-06-27T14:54:00.001-04:00

The chickens are coming.......

I have neglected my blog....

2008-06-27T14:31:00.009-04:00

but that's ok.................Don't Worry - Be Happy!!

Yes, I have not been attending to my blog. A combination of stressful and damanding work schedule (is that a freudian slip?? - dam manding - instead of demanding.....oh dear)

and one very happy event.....

My son is now out of the Marine corps...and home. Those years sure did fly by it seems now - though it didn't seem like it while he was in Iraq....It is so great having him here. He is such a funny guy. I forgot that. He is so happy to be free to choose what to do - and has spent a lot of time fixing and repairing things here at the house - - taking me with him everywhere he goes - -we spend time laughing together at Walmart and Lowes and grocery stores....Yes - this big guy being home requires a LOT more cooking than I had been doing. I forgot how much I liked cooking though - so that has been great. Lots of his friends always coming and going - - so the need for food and beverage is always great. The hours are usually much later than I have been keeping...but there is a smile on my face....so why worry about being tired.

I have some hilarious stories I will be sharing about some of the fun we are having....to come.....

Did I mention there are now weapons everywhere? Yes, yes...we are now well protected.

(Sssshhhh - his quilt however - that I started when he left - - still isn't done...oh dear. No matter - too hot for quilts right now.)

Missing - Block in a Bag 4 Month of May

2008-06-27T14:12:00.007-04:00

I must apologize, and I have regrets regarding block in a bag 4...the house block....it was actually my favorite of all the ones I have done so far......and I forgot to take a picture of it.

The recipient made a point to thank me for such a lovely block - so I was proud. Maybe I am getting better at this.....with the exception of still researching ideas all month - - and then a mad dash to finish it the weekend/night before it is due.

Actually, I was still stitching around the windows of the house the afternoon of the guild meeting...so obviously I am getting worse about getting it done in advance....

It was really lovely - - so I took a picture of the pattern, just to give you an idea.... And actually my block looked a good bit like this one. I did use a stony fabric for the house - but I left off the date above the door.

Block in a Bag # 3- Theme: Baskets

2008-04-22T10:00:00.007-04:00

Well here it is.... Remember last month when I said I was NOT waiting till the last minute to finish this month's block in a bag. HA. Did it again. Knew I only had the handle to finish - and again experimenting with what I wanted to do. That was delayed because I was going to create dimensional flowers for in the basket - - - well - that didn't happen - - since we only get 3 fabrics and I wasn't sure what color scheme would go with the 3 I got - beige, green and brown. And also - I would like to figure out how to do a braided handle - or a twisted handle - - Any suggestions? But finally just went ahead and stitched flowers and finished the handle in a normal manner. I once recall being shown some trick for bias strips and applique - but forgot that as well...

2008-04-17T18:05:00.001-04:00

Look what bloomed in my garden today!! I thought I had wasted my money on this peony several years ago - cause nothing ever grew - - until this year. I am so happy!!

Block in a Bag #2

2008-03-25T12:43:00.005-04:00

Procrastination is truly detrimental to the enjoyment of creating....in other words, waiting till the day before to construct block #2 does NOT make the event a happy one.

Someone please remind me why I signed up for this activity - - oh yes, I wanted to create learning opportunities...oh now I see - what an enormous amount I have learned in creating block #2.

If you wait till the last minute -multitudes of interruptions will occur to interfere with the amount of time you THOUGHT you had.
Searching through many patterns and deciding which one without measuring it out - may result in an idea that won't fit the confines of the Block Activity - and you will have NO MORE TIME to look at patterns.
Probably best to start with the requirements with regard to finished size and design down, rather than have a design idea, and while sketching it out at the last minute - you find the design doesn't fit.
Method of creation needs to be explored and practiced prior to the last minute - otherwise you waste a bunch of fabric trying techniques that you aren't very good at and
Finally - start early - create a sample - leave time for errors and getting HELP!!

So here it is - the Tea Party Block. Not at all what I had originally intended -but completed barely 5 hours prior to the meeting. PHEW!!

The Tale of the Irish Chain

2008-02-29T17:01:00.005-05:00

Long long ago there was a bedroom in a home with the most beautiful cabbage rose wallpaper on the walls. A young maiden bought this lovely fabric for a quilt for that home. She knew she wanted it to be an Irish Chain because she had admired a similar quilt made with the large blocks of the irish chain done in floral fabric. And it was sooo lovely.
Many many years later that maiden and her stash of fabric - having survived a divorce, then a 400 mile move and then 5 local moves later - realized that fabric lay uncut - in a clear container in the front of the garage where the maiden now parks her vehicle. Every day when she backed out and every day when she pulled in - she saw that fabric for the Irish Chain quilt. For many many days. One day - she decided - even though she no longer had the lovely wallpaper and room - that it was TIME for the fabric to reach its destiny. It was meant to be an Irish Chain Quilt. It was not meant for the garage or the yard sale pile. It has begun its journey to becoming an Irish Chain Quilt. How much longer will it be before the journey is complete and the quilt is resting on the bed? This is only the beginning...

The Moral of the Story is - Some patterns and fabrics it seems - just need lots of time to gel before they actually start to become ANYTHING.

The Quilt Shop Sale

2008-02-23T14:26:00.012-05:00

Our local quilt shop had a 2 day "Prior to Inventory - everything $3.99/yd" sale. The poor souls who worked there carried more than a thousand bolts of fabric down a two story flight of steps to a sale room. It was incredible. Tables down the center of the room and around the perimeter. One wall had 3 long tables where the employees did nothing but cut fabric, and occasionally ring a bell when a bolt was emptied. The lines were long - but that gave one time to stare at more fabric on the tables or in other peoples arms. There was a lot of - "if you aren't buying ALL of that - can I have it when you have your piece cut?" And the general happy comraderie that quilters and fabric lovers share. So - I promised I would post what I purchased so here goes.

The flannels - were originally $10.99 and $12.99/yd. so they were a great buy. Looking at my pile - I would say now - I didn't purchase enough!!! But - I was attempting to buy only for identified projects. These flannels will be united with leftover flannels from the lap quilt I made my dad to make another for my stepmother.

Then came the BIG QUESTION - what fabrics to buy for the block in a bag activity with the quilt guild. (See previous post) I really wanted a beachy theme, and look what I found.....I can't wait to see what these become - Then of course - batiks were another great buy. I only got these...what was I thinking??? I SHOULD HAVE GOT MORE!!

This rose fabric was just too too beautiful to pass up. As was this bluish purple.

Then of course I had to get these fat quarters -

and for some reason I thought I needed some red. Oh yes, that was if I made a bird block for the block in a bag - - I was going to make a cardinal - (Our State Bird)- Well, now I have some reds don't I.

Stay tuned for what each of these become.....

Block in a Bag #1

2008-02-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

I joined the local Quilt Guild last fall - to make some new quilting friends, and to be inspired to be more productive. Well - it is working!! The Quilt Guild started a few new things this year - one of which that I signed up for was Block in a Bag. A pretty cool idea. Here is how it works:
You pick a theme and buy three fabrics to match your theme that you want everyone to use in your blocks. Cut ten fat eighths. Put a fat eighth of each of the three fabrics in a bag with your name and the theme, and the names of the other 9 participants. When it is your month - distribute the bags to each of the 9 participants in your group and the following month - they bring back the block made to fit your theme, using the 3 fabrics. They can add other fabrics, but the 3 provided should be the major fabrics in the block. The block must be at least 8"x8" and no greater than 12"x12". It can be square or rectangular. The result - if you make one too - 10 blocks!! Cool!!

This month was not my month to distribute a bag. I received a bag with some blue, some brown and some green, and the theme was birds and birdhouses.

I looked and looked at patterns and ideas. I would have liked to do a bird, and have still considered adding an appliqued one to the block I made, but not too happy with my machine applique skills. You can applique, foundation piece or piece from your own design or a pattern.

I paper pieced the birdhouse. It had been a really long time since I had done paper piecing, so it took me a while to remember how that process works.

I actually intended for this to be a trial block - and was going to use some blues and greens of my own, then decide if I liked it or not - but by accident - used the blue provided, and then knew there wouldn't be enough to start over - so - it is what it is. I need to be more careful next month.

It is nice to have that finished 2 weeks in advance. Much better than waiting till the last minute.

Cookie Search

2008-02-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

Ok Quilters - I am on a search for a cookie recipe. This recipe I tasted at a bakery and it was the best peanut butter cookie ever. Unfortunately - the bakery is no longer in business. I can't imagine why....we surely haven't cut carbs enough to put a bakery out of business have we???

Anyway - this peanut butter cookie was moist and almost flakey - with peanuts in it. Don't think that it was crunchy peanut butter because the nuts were large.

Anyone want to volunteer up a recipe like that? It would make me SEW Happy!!

Here come bloggy bunnies - I mean loggy bunnies -

2008-01-27T22:02:00.000-05:00

The other day while browsing blogs - I was so amazed at the clever names for some of the knitting blog sites - really clever, cute, I wish I could think of one of those to name this quilt - but maybe a quilt doesn't need a name. It just needs to be finished?

1. So here is how One Piece of Bunny Fabric becomes - a quilt. So - you take some fabric you already own - I don't even remember WHY I bought bunny fabric - I have had it ever so long - it seems to have even reproduced, cause I also have other pieces of bunny fabric I don't remember buying...

2. You cut some strips and piece some logs 3. Then you arrange the logs and VOILA - - - -bloggy lunnies?

Well - - - Maybe it is log bunnies - I don't know - but the Baby Quilt for My Marine's friends baby is all pieced...

A revelation - Goodbye B problems

2008-01-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

This morning - I woke up and looked for a while at the 2 finished wallhangings in my room. I realized that progress has been made. Life sometimes goes by so quickly - we don't have time to applaud the little episodes of progress and growth. But there it is, My Little Quilt Sampler - made from scraps of garments from my then little girl (now 21) and it is finished.

Actually I see now that it has been hanging long enough to start to stretch, it needs to come down for a while I suppose. So today - I have to say - It is so nice to finally be beyond some of the b problems that plagued me in my first few years of quilting. I took this class to make a sampler for my first quilt. It had a pieced border. I was new to quilting. The border had thousands of little squares. It did not fit when I got to the point of attaching it. I was out of matching fabric. It is still in a box somewhere in storage land of my sister's house or my aunt's house in another state. I need to relocate it....cause I have finally gotten beyond the border -itis. I think. For many quilts after that - I never could get the border on - or finish the quilt. It was a b block. I would get that far and it wasn't quilter ADD (attention deficit disorder- and the continuous distraction of a new pattern - new fabric - new idea) that drove me away from finishing it and on to another problem - it was fear of not finishing it Right. Once a wise man asked me - why do you think it is that you don't finish things. I responded - because I am afraid it isn't going to be done right. And he then asked - How many right ways are there to do something. To which I wrongly replied - ONE. It has taken me years to learn how many right ways there are and to start to let go of always trying to do it some ONE RIGHT Way. This perfectionist attitude would amaze my highly organized extremely productive sister who always described me as a creative slob. Then came another sampler quilt - that had bowtie blocks in the last border. oh oh - - I couldn't get those bowties constructed for the life of me. I was just too afraid I didn't know the RIGHT way to do them. I researched the many different ways to create them until I never did. Well, almost never did, cause on the way across from my bed, hangs the finished sampler - bowties and all. Now bindings - I must admit are the last b challenge still hanging around in my life. I recently finished a quilt that had been waiting for Backing (oh yes, another b problem.....what is the right backing - should it match - should it not. etc and etc. More worrying - less finishing) and finished it in a hurry to try and get it into our quilt guild's show. I did not. The binding at the corners was so uncooperative. So fellow bloggers.....seeing posts from others who manage to get beyond their fears - whether it be of b things or something else - is so encouraging to me - and so I say - thank you!!! Thank you for sharing your photos and ideas and gently guiding me into feeling it is ok to not quite know if it is RIGHT, but finish it anyway.

Flannel on a Snowy Day

2008-01-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

Nothing like sewing flannel on a snowy day. Or curling up under a flannel quilt on a snowy day. OOPS - watch out for those pins. This one is not finished yet - but getting close - thanks to having a snow day to work on it....Found this adorable polar bear panel and snowy print flannel....Won't this be an adorable lap quilt?

One more border to go and then quilt and binding.

Taffy already likes it!

Sewing on a Snow Day

2008-01-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

So - what to sew on a snow day - - Never mind being distracted by having to walk in the snow - yes - we must walk in the snow. It may be the only snow we see here in 2008. Walking the dog in the snow is another thing. Cocker spaniel hair gets really wet in the snow. And then clumps up. And then takes forever to dry - - so now I get to sew to the aroma of wet dog hair...

So - for many years I have had this booklet of patterns from my sewing buddy Denise for these small calendar quilt wallhangings - one for each month. Sewing Buddy Denise is more of a finisher than I - and finished her whole year's worth. Me - I just kep moving that pattern around - - BUT not this year. This is my year to make what I have been contemplating making and FINISH it. So - January and February got finished today. I don't care for the pattern for March -so if you have any ideas to share....let me know. March...Shamrocks...pots of gold....leprechauns...daffodils....

Keep Summer even when it Snows.

2008-01-17T20:48:00.000-05:00

The Flamingo in the flower bed seems a little out of place in snow doesn't he? I have just got to always have that bit of summer present though.

My camellia doesn't mind the snow - it is blooming away!!

It's a Snow Day

2008-01-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

Don't you just LOVE Snow Days? They are so rare here - but satisfying nonetheless - an opportunity to stay in all day and do NOTHING that is required - - you can stay in your pjs if you want. Have hot chocolate. Watch movies. Oh yes - and what else - SEW!!

Welcome

2008-01-14T14:13:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my Blog. I hope to hear from lots of quilters. We have so much to share!!

This is one of the many star quilts in progress. This one is for my son serving in the Marine Corp. It needs another border of stars and another border of red and white stripes....quilting and binding.