Now I'm on a roll!

Back from Mayo yesterday, and all is well!

Today I spent a bit of time in the garden, repairing fencing where the deer got in and ate all the tops of every plant that was there. Beans, squash, and even the tomatoes! Then I spent a wonderful couple of hours in the pool, and now the grandchildren are here splashing around. The girls will stay all night, the wittle boy goes home for his own bed. A wonderful day, all in all!

Here are my quilting buddies, the Amazing Quilt Babes, with the latest birthday quilt. We worked on it the day before we left for Mayo, but I just didn't have the time to get it downloaded, etc for the blog. It's Carolyn's and we managed to get all the hundreds of blocks required for it. It will be a BIG beauty when it's done!

While at Mayo, I was able to get two more charity quilts done, one completely quilted AND bound - the other bound in the car, and the last one bound while waiting for his testing to be complete. I also finished up the class sample for the circles class I will be teaching at a LQS. I quite like it, and I think I must make at least another one for me, this time! If you double click on the picture, I think you'll be able to see the circles inside the circles or on the sides of the circles.

Tomorrow is back to the gym, then back to more charity quilts!

Good News!

It's been a while, hasn't it? I just can't believe how fast the time flies, and I can't seem to put my finger on where the time goes!

Wabi Sabi is the piece shown above this entry. It is hanging at the Sabatini Gallery in Topeka, KS "Covers Blown" exhibit along with two other pieces of mine. I went to the opening reception, and everyone was buzzing about my pieces. It was so wonderful to see people looking closely at how things were done, and asking questions about them! Sort of a validation of the number of brain hours I spent figuring out how to represent my mental thoughts in a visual way with fiber, you know?

The gallery did a beautiful job of hanging the exhibit - the lighting was fabulous and the venue will draw many people from the community, too. The reason I am showing you Wabi Sabi is because it will be going to a new home. It SOLD!!! I am pretty excited about that, let me tell you!

I've been getting projects cut and bagged for our upcoming Rochester, Minnesota Mayo Clinic trip. So far, I have 8 projects in various stages. Do you think that will be enough for two weeks? LOL! I even have two quilts that will be bound in the car when I am not driving. We don't anticipate any unexpected events to occur this time. Just a day surgery to for a little repair on an incision, and then a week-long annual post transplant checkup. So I should be able to plow right through a bunch of stuff!

Other than that, our yard is looking like a professional is taking care of it! With all the rain we've had, everything is just luscious! I decided that now would be a great time for pictures of a few of my favorite things like I did last spring.

This is my newest birdhouse, hanging on the garden shed. I really love the "chimes" made of kitchen utensils. You can't see it, but the clapper is a "church key".

The daisy bed has been invaded by some sort of wild yellow flower that I'm not quite sure of, but they can stay as long as they continue to balance the color like this.

We have 10 or so Sweet Bay Magnolias around the house, north and south sides. I'd like to have more of them, and I will probably replace some large Kanardi Junipers with magnolias next year. They are the latest blooming magnolias, and they tolerate the extremely cold temperatures and ice we have here in the midwest. They smell absolutely glorious when they bloom, too. They are a bit early this year, but they are gorgeous! And the aroma? It drifts in my bedroom windows at night, and makes me dream....

This chicken with hens and chicks in her is from my mother's house. The hens and chicks (and I think I see a new little rooster) are many, many generations of the same plant that my mother grew as I was growing up. When anyone remarked on them, she would just break some off, hand them over and they are now growing in all sorts of friends and relatives gardens. By the end of the summer, this pot will be over-flowing again, looking for new homes to go to. I have it sitting at the head of our driveway, beside the walkway to the back deck, and I see her every day. It makes me smile to think of how many chicks are growing somewhere else because of my mom's generosity. It also makes me a bit sad because I really miss my mom.

So now, I will be back to getting bags and boxes and fabric ready to go. My brain seems to be working overtime, and I've almost gotten a new art quilt designed in my head. Now, to get it out to the paper design wall. Hopefully, when I get back, there will be something on paper! I am going to use my poem: Where Sharon's from as a starting point. Unfortunately, I don't think this piece will be for sale, like "Her Mother's Daughter" in my last entry, but I must need to work these things out, I suppose. Here it is again:

Where Sharon's From
I am from apple dumplings,
from Capezio shoes
and phosphate drinks.
I am from the laundry flapping in the wind
and the penny pinching.
I am from the pink hollyhocks,
the double blossoms perfect
for making a clothespin baby's skirt.

I am from the scrabble dirt farmers
and wide hips and big feet,
from Rollie and Isabel
and all the Unknowns in the genealogy charts.
I am from the stubborn and the strong.
From "work before pleasure" and
"idle hands are the devil's workshop".
I am from vacation bible school
with baptismal blue Bible gifts.

I'm from the Heartland,
tacos and enchiladas,
pot roast on Saturdays
and fried chicken on Sundays.
From my Papa's softly whispered "Bonita Chiquita",
and my Father's arc welded steel,
and my Mother's sudsy hands.
I am from forgotten
black and white pictures,
misplaced names and places.
Faces that look at me from the mirror of my life.

Almost Back to Normal

We made a quick trip out to Las Vegas last weekend. John Hurley is great in Spamalot, and if you are a fan of Monty Python, you would really enjoy the show! I played the slots on "free" money from Bellagio (for my birthday) and "free" money from the Wynn from joining their players club. All in all, I didn't spend any of MY money, and won about 1800 quarters - which were promptly spent in the spa and at the boutique. We even had time to sit out in the sun, poolside before we came back home!

We had one day back home, and then drove the 8 hour trip to Rochester Minnesota for hubby's appt at Mayo Clinic. He had a liver transplant in 2004 and a kidney transplant in 2005. Now there is an incisional hernia that must be repaired...and since his annual evaluations are already scheduled in June, we are hoping that it can be repaired at that time. That saves us an entire additional trip, so in the meantime, his anti-rejection medications are being adjusted so he can have the surgery. He's feeling great, so perhaps with this last surgery, he can have a great summer for a change!


The weather here has been glorious! Birds chirping, grass growing, mosquitoes biting!

Our grandson, Stephen and Opa have a wonderful time in the yard. Stephen likes anything with motors, and Opa likes to do anything that makes Stephen happy. We have almost two acres, and these two spent the entire morning like this the other day!



I've been putting out my garden ornaments slowly. I found these "Nerdy Nerds" at the hardware store the other day - it seems that Stephen thinks they are real, and he has entire conversations with this one that is by the front patio.


Now, lest you think that I've given up quilting,I want you to think again. I dislike the process of pin basting immensely! Everything else about making the quilt is fine with me, but the pin basting is for the birds! So, this afternoon, I spent doing that dratted chore, and now I have two of the six quilts for Duschene Clinics for this summer ready to run under the machine.




Fabric Karma has been good to me this year, too. The week before we had our whirlwind trip to Las Vegas and MN, a friend from my Bunko group brought me a car trunk load of fabric from her sister-in-law to use for charity quilts. That's what the top quilt is made from, as well as this next picture. It's on my design wall, ready to stitch together tomorrow, and then....sigh.....pin baste. The middle one is the second of two baby quilts gone bad, so I revamped them and I'm using them for these lap quilts. The rest of the year, I am going to make simple single Irish chains for the charity quilts since they make up rather fast, and I can move on to my OWN things!

Her Mother's Daughter

All my life I thought I looked like my father. I thought I acted like my father. He was such a handsome man, and such a strong character. All of his brothers and sisters looked like each other, and more specifically like their mother. My sister looked like my dad, too. So why wouldn't I? Just because I was a fair, towhead girl didn't mean anything did it?

Over the years, occasionally I would be told that I looked just like my mother. Well, that just couldn't be, and I just knew they were only seeing what they wanted to see! I'd been told that my daughter looked like my husband, and he wasn't her biological father, so that just proved my point, didn't it?

During the last two weeks in particular that I was with Mom, her nurses would say something about how alike my mother and I were. Hmmm, I said to myself. Are they seeing what they want to see? Something that would make mother feel good as she was at her business of dying? The last week, a new nurse came on duty early in the morning. She had only seen mom once or twice in the night. I walked up behind her, and touched her on her shoulder. I started to say, "Hi, I'm (Izzy's daughter)", and she finished the sentence with me (that which is in parenthesis). And then we both just laughed. I guess I AM my mother's daughter after all.

This piece was completed for the Kansas Art Quilter's group Altered Views. I had already started a different piece of work, but this one just had to be done. I've not only altered my view of how I look (like my mother), but also several other views of myself have been altered in the last month that I spent with her as well.

The venue for this work is at the Kansas Art Quilter's website in addition to the Covers Blown and other exhibits. Some I have work in, and others, I don't. Enjoy!

We're doing OK

I'm working at getting over a bad bout of pneumonia. The anitbiotics helped tremendously, and I am finally out of bed since last Thursday. Everything I've read says that my resistance is lower after dealing with my mother's death, but I didn't believe it until the doc said, go home and go to bed. So I did.

I've been working on re-vamping my sewing room, with a new sewing center. I've spent only a couple of hours off and on today, but headway is happening. I've got the storage solutions installed, and fabric re-folded. Maybe it wasn't the antibiotics after all, but the fabric fondling that made me feel better.

The picture above is of my four grand-daughters mugging it up to make me smile. Maybe it will make you smile too!

And now it's over

My mother passed away peacefully with a soft sigh early in the morning of April 20, holding my hand, as we both wished.

Since then, I've been absorbed with all the goings on that are necessary to close out the business end of someone's life. Today was the final part - cleaning out her apartment and turning in the keys.

I will miss her dearly.

More from Asilomar Trip

Everyday my friend, Wendy and I left the park grounds, and each day we would stop and take a picture of this beautiful "butterflied" moose. There was a stained glass window in the house with butterflies, too, so I think the moose must be pretty special for them. Isn't it just wonderful?





And this is the sunset over the ocean about 7PM. The first picture was taken at 7:05 PM, the second was within about 5 more minutes, just as the sun started to sink below the horizon. In all the years I've been going to Asilomar, this is the first time I've ever gotten a clear night with no rain or clouds!




This is the project I finally landed on, and started on Thursday morning before I left on Friday. Making these blocks is really addictive, and far easier than I ever imagined. I can hardly wait to make more.



This will probably be the last post for a while, as Mother is declining rapidly now. I will be spending the next days at her bedside. Stay stitching, though, while I am away.

Back from Asilomar

Just back yesterday from my week in California at Asilomar with Empty Spools and Dale Fleming (of 6 minute circle fame). Due to the flights returning to the Midwest from the coast, I always stay over the last night in San Jose, the come home on Saturday. I didn't get back home until close to 11 PM, and then I had a small crisis to handle with mother before I could turn in.

So, a few notes on the trip, with more promised later. This is another version of Dale's Butterfly quilt that is on her book, but it is in a different colorway. Everything is sewn on the sewing machine - no hand work at all! Isn't it great? (sorry for the angle, but it was on a work board and I just don't have the time to work on it in Photoshop)


This was our classroom. I'll tell you more about Asilomar and the buildings in the next blog post, but for now, you can see my work space. There were 24 of us in the class, and in addition to this working area, there is another smaller room with a fireplace behind where I took this picture where we sat while she discussed color, and techniques.
The grounds are so beautiful! This is what greeted me just outside my door when I went out in the morning to breakfast on the first day. Mule deer are just blending in the scenery everywhere!


This is probably one of my most favorite pictures I've taken while I've been at Asilomar. It was on the way to the beach early one morning. I looked over to my left from the boardwalk, and all I saw was the light fog leaving it's moisture on the grasses on the hill. I tried to get some of the birds (and couldn't) to stay still on top of some of the grasses so their silhouettes could be seen, too. It was so peaceful and beautiful with the day starting fresh. I hope that when you click to enlarge this picture, you can see the moisture, too.

Today was a quick trip to Mother's, and then a check around the yard. Hubby had been busy weeding while I was gone, and also worked on my last year's anniversary present that has been boxed up in the shed until warmer weather came. (Our anniversary is in December) Here's what he wanted me to see:

It's a kinetic sculpture we had seen when we traveled in Santa Fe and Taos NM last year. It's about 42" across, and about 6' or more from the ground. It turns with the slightest of breezes, and when it turns, the two sides turn opposite each other, and it also turns around and around. It's almost mesmerizing to sit and watch it. And watch it I will! I can see it from our eating nook, the hearth room, and my swimming pool area, too.

Next post will be my class projects and learning samples. Happy Spring!

Another Birthday Quilt day

Today was another Amazing Quilt Babes birthday stitch day. Since it's been a while since I've explained how my stitch group does this, maybe I should explain it again!

There are 6 of us in the group. Usually in December, we set our calendar for the next year, planning a stitch day about every 6 weeks (none in the month of December). Then we draw names to see who gets which stitch day for their "birthday" gift. The birthday girl chooses the pattern, makes sure to bring instructions for everyone, and might even teach a new technique or review and old one for the day. She also brings everything already cut and ready to sew - it is susually "kitted" up in baggies for the subsets of the larger blocks. For example, today, we had log cabin block baggies, and flying geese baggies.

We begin the morning about 9 AM or so, and sew until lunch time. We all bring our own lunch; the birthday girl brings dessert. Today it was a Baskin Robbins chocolate mint ice cream pie! Then back to sewing again until we run out of parts or out of steam or out of time. Today we got all but 16 blocks completed, and about 1/3of the quilt sewn together.

This is what Ibby brought as the diagram to show how the log cabins were constructed. She was REALLY prepared! And we even got a new phrase to use when pieceing; as in "I've got a 1230 here". This means that one of the pieces in the baggie was cut at 12:30 at night, and probably was cut the wrong size.

Here's the group, once again in our usually places. The birthday girl is wearing RED.

Not bad for having several 1230s along the way, and numerous re-takes on some blocks that weren't sized quite right. Lesson learned for today? Check the size of the block as you go, instead of waiting until you have almost 100 of them done! LOL! It made for a lot of chatting as we unsewed some of our early pieces. This quilt pattern is Double Duty by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, 78" X 78". Most of the fabrics used were from Jo Morton's line. It's a great fat quarter project, too, as it takes 6 Fats for the geese, 10 Fats of lights for the log cabins and 18 Fats of mediums and darks, plus yardage for the setting triangles, backing and binding.

Now, I've got to get the suitcases out and get them into the room for packing. I'll pack my gear until the NCAA basketball game starts in about an hour then, I'll be in front of the television rooting for our KU Jayhawks! Then back to packing, and hopefully to bed early. Out of here bright and early tomorrow morning for Asilomar, near Pacific Grove California. See you in a week with tales of circles, ovals, un-paper piecing, and wavy gravy (my term) from Dale Fleming's class!

Another little quilt

Just a quick entry today. We've woken to the NOAH weather radio warning us of storms with quarter size hail, so I couldn't get back to sleep. Just a normal morning in KS in the springtime! For Margaret - the Welcome Spring wallhanging is 44" long by about 40" wide.

I haven't been feeling too "maverick" lately with all the finishing up projects I've been working on. Here is the 4th of the 6 charity quilts promised to Caritas Clinics by June. This quilt is 44" X 60" - a nice small lap quilt.


I also have a piece due by May for my annual Kansas Art Quilter's work, "Altered Views". (If you go to the web site, I've three pieces in the Covers Blown exhibit.) I've been toying with an idea with my mother's, my daughter's face, my grand daughter's face and mine all jumbled together. I'm leaving Saturday for Empty Spools seminars for a week with Dale Fleming of "6 minute circles". I'm thinking that some of the techniques I'll learn there will lend themselves quite nicely to my thoughts of "altered views". Empty Spools is at Asilomar State Park near Monterey CA (Pacific Grove). A wonderful retreat for me each year, too. I almost didn't go this year because of my mother's illness, but she insisted that I need to the time. Isn't that sweet of her?

Gosh!

Has it really been 2 weeks since I last posted on this blog? How time flies!

We've had crazy weather, just like everywhere else in blogland, but I think Spring really and truly will be here this week. In honor of that auspicious occasion, I finally finished the quilting on my Spring wallhanging. It's completely bound and ready to hang on the official day now.
Bonnie and Clyde had their annual trip to the vet yesterday. When I went to get Clyde, I found him here, sleeping as usual. It looks as if he is getting measured. He is longer than my 24" ruler, but I don't think that proving he is "tall" will keep the vet from telling him he is not tall enough for his weight.

The trip to the vet was uneventful for Bonnie, but Clyde got his spring haircut. Here he is showing off his clean tummy. I figured it was too much information to show his back side (under his tail). But when he is walking away from you, he looks like he is wearing riding pants! LOL! And yes, Dr. Gary told him he can only have 1/2 cup of the low-cal food a day, and Clyde is not a happy cat these days. He lays in front of his food dish, and looks at me as if to say "Don't you love me anymore?"

Stephen and Opa got the Gator out and checked out the flower beds. This picture was taken about 10 minutes before he conked out and fell asleep on the ride around the yard. He loves turning the key on for Opa...I'm afraid it won't be long before I look out and see him driving it around the yard on his own!

Two (of 6) 2007 Charity Quilts DONE!

I finally got the two quilts done (pieced), done (quilted), and done (bound) for January and February. I also have the March and April ones done, and waiting now for the inspiration for the second done to happen.

This blue/red/gold one is the last of the Carpenter's Star (or whatever it is) that will be done for Caritas.

We are going to use a Single Irish chain pattern for the 2007 quilts since it is quicker to piece and far quicker to quilt, too. I don't care much for the fabrics used in this quilt, but it IS bright and cheerful.

However, with that said, the next two (not shown yet) are NOT either one of these patterns LOL! I used the Minnesota Hot Dish, and discovered that I didn't care that much for my color choices and I knew I wouldn't like them any better by making them any larger. So, they will make great lap quilts in the necessary 45" X 60" sizes we need for the Clinic's purposes. Not only will I be making the March and April goals with these quilt tops, but also decreasing my UFOS. Such a deal! Once they are done and done, I'll post them, too.

When my friend Carolyn and I went to the Caritas fundraising auction, the I Spy Quilts sadly didn't generate much interest. So Carolyn won the bid on the pink one, and I won the bid on the blue one. Now, I don't have to make my little Stephen an I Spy quilt! Here he is inspecting HIS quilt!



Such is the life, isn't it? Nothing could be better than a spot in the sun, and a stack of quilts. Clyde thinks so!

I AM SO EXCITED!

First!

For the anonymous poster who asked about the 6.5" blocks in my friendship exchange in the last post: I always use basic blocks, and I think most if not all of these blocks came from either The Quick and Easy Block Tool by C &T Publishing or Barbara Brackman's Block Base. There are a couple of paper pieced ones done by my two friends, but since I DONT paper piece, I don't have a clue!

Also, someone way back when I posted my Beach Kitties asked me where I found the pattern. I have to admit that I put that question aside, then forgot about it while I was looking for the pattern so I could tell you about it. I still don't have a clue where the pattern went, but I CAN tell you that it was about 5 years ago that I got it. A note is on my design wall now, reminding me that if I find it, I will post the designer.

Now, about the news of why I am so excited!

I belong to the Kansas Art Quilters Organization. Each year, they earn a grant to further our artistic endeavors. And for the last couple of years, I have been fortunate enough to get one of the 15 or so seats in the classes. I've studied with Rayna Gilman, Rayna Gillman & Jette Clover on personal mark making and Jan Myers Newbury on shibori dyeing. So, imagine my surprise when one of my "sheroes" is going to be here in May AND I GOT A SEAT IN THE CLASS!!


In the event that you don't recognize this woman, her name is Jean Ray Laury, and she is FANTASTIC!!!!

So now, I am off to pin a couple more quilts to be ready for quilting, and take some pictures of the two charity quilts that are finally done! Tonight is one of the charity auction events where the I Spy and my friend Carolyn's quilt will be auctioned. Semi-formal, no less!

It pays to get up early

I am not, nor have I ever been, an early riser. Yes, I can rise and shine if I have to, but I just prefer not to. Recently, I have been going to bed earlier, but I still get up around the same time. This might have something to do with working out at the gym 5 days per week, but I digress.

Last night, I went to bed thinking about my goals for today. I really, really want to finish up at least two of the Caritas Clinics charity quilts. I guess that's what woke me earlier than usual. On my way downstairs to the stewdio, I caught a glimpse of the sky peeking through the landing window. I grabbed my camera, stepped outside, and for the first time in a long time, I saw the sun rise. The sky was just beautiful

I'm supposed to be quilting today...supposed to be working on those two charity quilts that will bring me to my goal of at least one charity quilt completed per month - well, almost, anyway. So what if the January one is still waiting along with the February one? And that the next two are waiting for just a couple of borders to be attached? So what, if I want to play with something else?

So?

Yesterday, a few of the Amazing Quilt Babes came over for a "free" stitch day. In other words, we got to play with whatever we wanted to do. It wasn't a birthday stitch day, so four of us played with backings and blocks and prepping applique. We also managed to make it to the "new" little quilt shop 13 miles south of my house, The Needle Nest. You know, we HAD to go!

I played with making more 6.5" blocks to go with the existing 60 blocks I already have. About 3 years ago, a few friends and I (Bonnie included) exchanged 6.5" blocks with each other. I love every one of them! I had just gotten my new Pfaff, and I learned that with the proper equipment (IDT foot), I can do weensy bitsy pieces! I just couldn't put them away today when it was time to set up the quilting machine. No, I just couldn't put them back in their bag, could I?

I remembered Bonnie's 4 Patch and furrows setting, and I wondered how it would work with these blocks? So, instead of quilting on those two charity quilts, I got out other equipment. The new rotary cutter blade, and my new EZ Angle 6.5" ruler, and my new fabric. Now, this fabric is so very different than what I usually work with, but I DID want the quilt to look old-fashioned.



The bottom row is where I ran out of the darker fabric, and I still need to make another dozen 6.5" blocks, but I do think I'm going to like it!

Put on your Sunglasses

This is the view out my stewdio window. Those poor little finches are all fluffed up and still singing their song for me! Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see their pretty red feathers, too.

The weather still isn't cooperating here on the edge of the prairies. Today is our 36th day of below freezing temperatures! An Alberta Clipper came through here last night with wind gusts of 50 mph, and my sewing room was a bit on the chilly side when I started this morning! The sun is out and shining now, though, so it doesn't feel quite so cold. They say that it should be in the 50's by the end of the next week, but we'll see.

I've been busy this last week working on yet another donation quilt. I have two granddaughters who attend a private school, and their annual fundraising auction is March 2. I originally was going to make two small quilts, but Carolyn offered to make one, too, so that left me with only one to do. Isn't that nice?

The I Spy baby quilt (monkey wrench pattern) was actually the brainchild of my partner in crime, eh quilting, Carolyn. The blocks finish at 6", so they're pretty cute! (And these birds look a bit happier than the finches outside my window, too.)

I Spy Quilt 56" square

Carolyn's Child's Quilt (From P.S. I Love You) 59" X 62"

Will it ever come?

We still have ice on our driveway, left from the end of December. There is still snow on the bird feeders. The air is so frosty in the mornings when I leave for the gym, it hurts my nose. It has been darned cold, and it will continue to be darned cold this next week. The local meteorologist told us to prepare ourselves for the coldest part of the winter that will be here this coming week. What does that mean, I wonder?

Well, I just can't stand it anymore! So I prepared myself. Here's my Spring! And it's not too late, either! This is from an book called Seasonal Banners (unknown author). Of course, I've modified it to make it my own.

Birthday Friends

I don't need to go into much detail for the latest birthday quilt the Amazing Quilt Babes completed this last Saturday. (For those of you who are new to my blog, search "birthday quilt" on this blog page, and you can read about how this is done.) I was the lucky girl who drew January for my stitch birthday, and I just couldn't decide what I want them to do. I finally hit on the fact that I have a tub of finished blocks that they could put together for me. So, it is yet ANOTHER Everything But the Kitchen Sink. I had most of the stars completed by the time they arrived at 9:00 AM, and the top (less the borders) was complete by about 2:00 PM.

Because we were such good girls, we decided a little adventure was in order. A new shop has opened in Louisburg, KS called the Needle Nest. As luck would have it, it is only 13 miles from my house. So off we went! It is a lovely little shop, in an 1850's house. They don't have a ton of fabric, but what they have is luscious. About half of the shop is yarn, and they have a great little detached building all decorated up for classes. I liked the people there so much, I went back again yesterday, and signed up for a knitting class in March. As if I need another project!