August Birthday Stitch Day

We're almost through with the Amazing Quilt Babes stitch days this year. Today was Carolyn's day, and she used fabrics for this beauty ALL from her stash. Of course, it helped that she found the kit from a long time ago all ready put together. She spent the last week cutting all the logs to the right size, and kitting those individual blocks for us to sew today.
We were short a member today again (Vicky this time), but Carolyn had already made quite a few of the blocks before today, so that helped get as many on the board as we did. What appears to be the white of the design wall or sashing is actually the last two strips on the log cabin. The blocks are set on point, and with just the last two rounds the lightest color really makes them pop! The edges on the bottom are small log cabins with setting triangles on each corner. This quilt will be a giant at 110" square! Carolyn is on the back row, right side.
While we were all together, Carolyn's daughter stopped by to show us a quilt top she had made, and brought along her 6 month old daughter. She also wanted to share her Strip Club quilt top she had just finished, too. One of our LQS's started a Strip Club. Each month, you pick up your kit which includes the pattern and all the precut strips for $35.00 and make it up. It's big enough for a comfortable lap quilt, 49" X 61". I think this is not for me, but another nice idea to get folks into the shop.
Carolyn believes it's never too early to learn to quilt with Grandma, right?

Purses from California

Way back in the early Spring when I went to Asilomar, I purchased a wacky, happy handbag from one of the artists' in residence at Asilomar. If you don't remember how that one looked, check it out here.

I could have sold that handbag a hundred times since then, and every time I see my Doc, she comments on how I always find the neatest things on my trips. She really, really, really liked my handbag this year, too. I got to thinking about how much she's helped me emotionally as well as physically over the years, and I thought getting her one of these purses would be a nice thank you.

I ordered two of them, and this is the one I gave her today. Her squeals and smiles told me how me she liked it (right Dr. S?) BUT, she insisted on paying me for it. Oh well.....

I asked Pat Busby (the designer)for a handbag to carry this fall, and while I don't think I would ever have asked her to make THIS bag, I have fallen in love with it!
I can hardly wait to start carrying it!

I have Pat's web address in the car, because I am trying to promote several of her patterns to local quilt shops, so I'll post her information in the next post. Watch this space!

I know, I know.....

I know I should be working on my parts for my September retreat. I know I should be cutting stuff for the three nun's quilts I've committed to for delivery by Christmas. I plan on working on those on our Colorado trip which is coming up in a couple of weeks, and all I've done is move that fabric around on the table. I know I should be doing anything other than playing with my dogz.

I just started pulling fabric to take with me for other stuff, and I just couldn't stop playing with the dogz. My trainer is going to have her first baby the first part of November, and these just called to me. Since she and her husband are very untraditional, I thought these would be perfect for their little boy to be.


And oh yes, Las Vegas was wonderful! I had a watsu massage, and won enough on the slots to pay for a day in the spa. Cirque du Soleil was great, and as the theater was in the round, we sat right at the stage edge - PERFECT!! Mama Mia was fun, also, even though we had seen the show before, we still laughed and sang and danced in our seats. Click on the Las Vegas button for some of the show we saw.

Now, we are home just in time to take my grandkids that arrived from WA shopping for school clothes. I had forgotten how tiring it is to get haircuts, go to the dentist, get a school physical, register for school, find gym clothes that fit (wahhhh), and get all the appropriate school supplies and clothes. They start school this Thursday, and I think I have it all done. My son even gave me a big hug this afternoon for everything that I've done in short order for him. Here are the girls with my Mom when we went to visit her today. She hasn't seen these girls for about 7 years, and she was so happy to get to hug them both.

And last, you've heard about Koi or goldfish growing as big as the pond or bowl they are put into? I wonder if we had not had this big 19" diameter bowl, would Clyde have gotten so big? Other cats like their fuzzy beds, and their cat hammocks and cat trees....my cats? Give them a hard, cold bowl and they are quite happy!

Running Away!

It's too hot!

I don't want to clean house, cook dinner, or run any errands!

There's too much commotion here with my grandkids and my son!

I'm tired of taking care of everyone!

So I am running away!

Actually, my hubby and I are running away to Las Vegas on Sunday, returning late Wednesday night. We're going to stay at the Bellagio, go to dinner at our most favorite place, Picasso's, see Mama Mia (again), and the new Cirque du Soleile show with all the Beatles tunes.

While we're away, I am hoping the parts department expands it's inventory. I've left notes for the Quilting Fairy.

More Fiber Postcards for a Cause

Here are the series of four postcards for FiberArt for a Cause that I've made over the last few nights. This is the sunprinted fabric with tissue paper (with some decopaged papers on it, too) that I experimented with the other night. I've added some beads, sequins, Angelina Fibers, threads and metalwork (scrapbooking stuff); Imagine has fused beads and pieces of a Buddhist prayer flag. The sequined ribbons are laid on top of the tulle netting that I quilted over to keep all the sparkleys inside. In real life, the tulle netting almost disappears. It just shows up here because of the scanning light. I also used Bonash fixative to bond the pieces of thread and Angelina to the fabric. The edges are machine overcast with the same rayon thread I used for the quilting.

For a good explanation of tissue paper dyed fabric, check out Quilting Arts Magazine, Summer 2006 Edition. Click on the magazine cover that shows red and blue buildings on it to select the table of contents. I really like trying at least one "process" thing out of each of these magazines. Sometimes, they work for me, and other times it just doesn't do the same things, or I just don't like the results. But it is fun, and it does keep my brain thinking in the creativity mode!

Of course, these days my brain is mush. No excuse, not even the heat.

Fiber Art for a Cause

I got busy last night and got some screenprinting done (my handwriting from a garden journal), painted a little organza, made some shisha mirrors, tissue dyed fabric (unsuccessfully) and played with beads and generally made a nice little mess in my stewdio. I made myself clean up before I played anymore, though.

Then I made the first of five Fabric Postcards for FiberArt for a Cause. I've named this Postcard "Morning's Glory." I added a little shisha mirror for the center of what turned out to look sort of like an orange-ish red morning glory. The painted organza is layered over the top of my screenprinted writing, and then stitched with rayon thread. So zimple, and I rather like it.

The next three Postcards are going to be a series where my my unsuccessful tissue paper dying experiment didn't quite work out right. I didn't care for the results so much, so I used some decoupage gel, adhered the tissue paper to the fabric, and now I am going to embellish them. Don't know with what yet, but the series is called Dream, Create, Inspire. So who knows what tonight will bring?

And the last Postcard will be something made with some "created fabric" where I used tulle netting over loose sulky threads that are shiny and bronze looking. I think a nice shaped heart with something else will be pretty cool.

So that's what I've been up to in the last couple of days - including making parts for Gwennie's retreat!

And update on Mother - the elephant in the room was fed and watered today with the doctor leading the way - at least it has a name, and it's condition is known to all. Considering Mom's prognosis 18 months ago was just 3-6 months, she's gone quite a distance with the current chemotherapy treatments (4-6 weeks apart). Dr told her she could continue on, or stop whenever she wanted. He also reiterated to her that the cancer was not going to get better. AND that the treatments now might even make more of her days be on the "bad side" rather than having the majority of days qualify as good. She doesn't want to give up yet, and she/we decided that she should try getting the chemo treatments for another two times and that way she can evaluate how she feels before and after the treatments. With the rare antibody she developed after a May blood transfusion, she can't have any more blood transfusions, so high dose iron, and oxygen is helping her feel a little less breathless and able to be a lot more active. So much to take in, talk about, and accept. But we're getting there. She was still able to laugh about some stuff when we went to Sonic (bad Sharon, no biscuit) and there weren't any big episodes of tears, so as always, my Mother the optimistic pessimist carries on.