Warning - gobins ahead!

This wonderful piece of 1998 Alexander Henry fabric is from Shirlee's stash (an Amazing Quilt Babe), and she brought it to stitch group this past week so I could use it on the back of my 2006 birthday quilt.



Isn't just wonderful?
Friday, I was getting things ready for our Saturday birthday stitch day, when my dd came by and asked if Stephen could stay a while so she could get her hair cut. So of course, I invited him into the stewdio, and what did he spy? First he had to point to all the children on the little piece of fabric that he pulled out of the box, then he played and played and played with the bigger piece.






He never did take a nap while he was here, just rested a while on the cat/pumpkin fabric and gave it lots of wet kisses, too! Poor baby - doesn't have an I Spy quilt, so he made one for himself!

Today was our stitch day, and we started about 9:30. I just love these days with my friends! Each of us made one more pumpkin for the pumpkin patch, and then had it sewn together by lunchtime with the sashings and cornerstones. What a team! Then we played around with inner border fabric for a while. I went downstairs to the master stash, and while I was there, Shirlee found the perfect piece in the stewdio's "simple" stash. It's black with a little white soft dot pattern with gold crescent moons on it. Just enough to set off the borders from the pumpkins, I think!

Then we made letters. Each of us drew a letter from the basket, and then made whatever letter was drawn. It was interesting to see how everyone in our group approaches the same task differently. There were a lot of laughs and the letters were made very quickly! We completed everything while they were here, had lunch, shared stories and friendship, a lot of laughs, and everyone was walking out of the door by about 2:30 PM.



After they left, I finished making the letters into blocks, but most of the work was already done! I've been playing with the letters for "HAPPY JACK'S" since about 4:00 PM, and I think I am going to stop now. Hopefully I will have the rest of the PUMPKIN PATCH letters, and the numbers 2006 completed by this time tomorrow. We'll see.

March Weights and Measures

Another successful month - actually 28 days! I am very pleased with the results of my efforts! There are many days I feel like an old woman at the gym,especially while my trainer helps me stretch, and I inadvertently groan or moan. But, I'll get there!

The news is very good - I've lost a total of 12.55 pounds, and a total of 15.5" from my body which is more inches than pounds in the last month. The weight loss is actually 13.2 lbs of fat, but I gained .85 of lean muscle! To be exact:

3" from my hips,
2" from my calf
2.5" from my waist
4" from my bust
2.5" from my neck

Then again, today I was outside with our grandson, Stephen, and now I see my picture, and I think I still have a long way to go. But I have to remind myself, that just two months ago, I couldn't even squat in this position, let alone sit that way for a long time while he talked to all the fish in the pond!

Ode to Tonya

I've been getting ready for my (imitation) birthday this coming March 4, with the Amazing Quilt Babes. I thought since Tonya is away from her goblins and skeletons I would go ahead and post the beginnings of the birthday day work.

It's been hard to stop making the pumpkins, since I have them all cut and ready to sew. And I have to admit that the letters are quite addictive too. But, I've made myself stop now, so the group can have some of the fun too!

This is the first fabric that was audtioned, and the "jacks" stayed overnight on the bubbles. The next day, I decided I just didn't like it for a Halloween quilt with some punch to it.

So I rooted around in the stash, and finally decided on the green leaves for the sashing and the swirly back and beige for the cornerstones. I think the purple will also make it a bit more lively too. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the apostrophe and the small letter "C" that I practiced getting the sizes right.


And I mis-posted the other day. There will be a total of 23 letters for this quilt. I told the girls the other night at stitch group, so I will tell you, too. This is going to be Happy Jack's Pumpkin Patch with a total of 9 pumpkins, all different fabrics for the backgrounds as well as the pumpkins.

The Queen's Room

I have a confession to make. Other than the main quilt display wall where I hang my large quilts in the hearth room, I have no walls on which to hang my quilts.

I have 38 very, very large windows in this house, for which I am glad. But! No walls for quilts, for which I am sad.

I could hang a quilt in the upstairs guest bedrooms, but I wouldn't get to see it, or enjoy it, so I don't. After a few months of being in this house, I discovered that I could use the downstairs powder room, AKA the Queen's room as a display wall, too!

I got busy and stencilled the room, and over the last couple of years, I've found garden accessories that I like, too.

This is the entry wall - it's not really tilted...

Flowers on the bottom of the wall...

And this is above the "throne"...

So now, there is a small quilt rack hanging in there, and all my guests always make a comment after visiting this little room off the hearth room! The quilt that is hanging there is a special wool one that my Not So Secret Quilting Buddy from a small on-line friendship group made for me. It was perfect hanging there since this Christmas. Tomorrow, I am going to change it for Le Fleurs de Jardin.

Thank You! (English)

Gracias! Merci! Asanti! Hsieh Hsieh!
Thank you in Spanish, French, Swahili, Chinese

Or so says the packaging on the forbidden Girl Scout cookies my hubby left out to tempt me overnight! I totally ignored them, and only ate up the written words, doncha see?

Yesterday, like the good daughter I am, I took care of Mom's grocery shopping. Well, actually, I made the shopping list and Hubby went shopping while I was at the gym, and then we both drove over to Mom's highrise. After lugging everything upstairs to the fifth floor - yes, they have an elevator - we didn't find Mom. So we put away her things, and fixed her meds for the next couple of weeks. Then we went looking for her. I tell you, she is just so busy at this place!

Surprise! Surprise! She was shopping! Her retirement community's "What Not Shop" was having their bi-annual half price sale and the library was selling their books too!

Here's what I bought for only $15.00! Thus, the many thanks given to Lakeview Village for all my books! I can't bear to think about being without a book to read.


The stack on the right that are standing vertically are books on tape for a quilting friend of mine who listens while she sews. It only distracts me - I find myself sitting and listening to the tape instead of sewing. How child-like, I suppose! I think back to kindergarten days when the first FM radio was brought into the school for Friday story hour, and we all sat on the auditorium floor, Indian style on our sit-upons. I even remember that the story of Jason's Golden Fleece. But I digress. LOL!

And here's what Mom bought for me. She even had it wrapped up in tissue paper!

It's only about 2" high and 3" long, but the wheel turns and makes the needle go up and down. And it's useful, too! It's actually a pencil sharpener!

So it was a nice day, even though no official quilting or sewing was to be had.

This message sponsored by the letter "H"

The letter "H" wants to say hello! Wonder what other members of the family will be stopping by to say something?

So, all right, already! I'm getting ready for my (imitation) birthday stitch day when the Amazing Quilt Babes will be making 15 amazing letters to go along with the letter H. Should be some fun on March 4!

Asilomar is only 17 days away!

Well, the multiple personality quilter is back at my doorstep! I've finished up my samples of the connecting block, star and houses for my small friendship group exchange for this year, and I've put them away for a while.

I've decided that maybe it's time to get my fabrics all ready for my trip to Empty Spools Seminar at Asilomar in March. I absolutely love going to this week long retreat! It's is in Pacific Grove, CA, and it's so very relaxing!

They provide 3 meals a day plus snacks, and a quilt shop comes for the week, right on site - the Cotton Patch. There's a program every night along with show and share. A shuttle bus that runs every afternoon to the two quilt stores downtown: The Handmaiden and Back Porch. What more could a person ask?

Well, for a kid from Kansas, the ocean is just icing on the cake, too! I always sleep with the windows open so I can hear the surf all night long!

This is my friend Wendy (from Martinez, CA) standing behind me in 2002 just before the surf got us!


A blurb from the Asilomar web-site tells a bit more:

"Nestled along the shoreline of California's famed Monterey Peninsula, Asilomar is a tranquil ocean front retreat cradled by forests and white sand beaches. Designed by acclaimed architect Julia Morgan and embracing the Arts & Crafts architectural style, Asilomar harmonizes with its natural surroundings and has played host to thousands of visitors since its founding in 1913. Rich with history, scenic beauty and serenity, Asilomar is the ideal location for group meetings, corporate retreats, weddings, family reunions and vacation getaways."

There's a short video that shares more of the sights on the grounds of the retreat.

This will be the sixth year I get to go, but if their prices get much higher, I don't know if I can do it again or not. I am in the second session this year with our favorite Gwen Marston for liberated strip quilts. Can you imagine? An entire week with one instructor! To date, it's the only quilting retreat that I have found that keeps you in one class with one instructor, and you can really soak up the flavors of the technique or process.

So far, I've been with Judy Dale (absolutely fabulous!), Lynn Kough, Jane Burch Cochran (stunningly fun and liberating!), Mary Lou Weidman, Sue Benner, and Lura Schwarz Smith (wonderful magic!). (I know this is already 6 instructors, but I got to go TWICE in one year!)

This is a picture of Judy Dale (left) and I the year after I took her class on designing and sewing curves and points. This is my original design called "Joy" that is hand quilted. I thought she would like to see a finished project!


So back to the class: The supply list says to bring 20 or more fat quarters. Most people will probably bring 1800's or 1930's reproductions. When I talked to her on the telephone (YES! She called ME!), she said to bring a border fabric that I absolutely love. So here is my selection of fabrics to take.


Not reproductions, are they? LOL! I always seem to be the kid that walks to a different beat. The bright red fabric with the yellow/turquoise and pink flowers is my border fabric. I've been saving it for something special, and I think this just might be it! I've pulled hand dyes to go with, and a few bright batiks from my scrap basket. Now, not a single one of them is a quarter cut. Most are fat quarters, and some are fat eighths. I haven't counted how many of them there are, but I'm sure I will be cutting a lot more than other people in the class!

Here's the final selection, all boxed up. Of course, there's still 17 days to go before I leave, so who knows how many other pieces might get slipped in there! The year I went for Mary Lou Weidman's class, I took 250 fat quarters. How many did I use? Only 4 of the ones I took! LOL!

Warning - Construction Ahead!

Use extreme caution when navigating through the mezzanine levels of fabric.....



The tables can be hazardous with piles of color that make you dizzy.....





Pattern books may disappear when your back is turned.....



But a starry night finally comes into view, and you're home safe!



There will be 9 stars, 4 house blocks and 12 connecting blocks. None of these four have been sewn together yet - just auditioning colors!

Quilts, blocks, babies and cats!

I finally got the baby quilt completed, and it is now sitting patiently waiting to be gifted until my friend can settle down. She's on a high because her new little grand daughter arrived a couple of weeks early - on Valentine's Day, no less. Baby and daugher come home from the hospital today, so I am thinking that by this weekend, this quilt should be at her house!

The anvils were finally completed and put in the mail for the swap. I went to put away the identical ones that I had made (and kept making and making and making), and I discovered that in my haste to finish them, I hadn't finished them at all! I still have four left to piece, and I think they will be finished by tonight.

My small friendship trio have decided that we want to do another exchange of blocks this year, too. So after deciding on a particular pattern, we then re-drafted it to suit ourselves! LOL! It will be houses ala Freddy Moran (sigh-not Tonya), and stars ala Alex Anderson with 6" blocks inside the stars. We are all using the wild and crazy brights. I think I want my backgrounds all black with white and the other two gals want their white with black. Now, I have to decide what my stepping stones in the joining blocks will be - probably red. Anyway, here's the first house I made for myself.



Yesterday, little Stephen joined us for the morning and for lunch. He is growing so fast, it's hard to keep up with him. And when he goes home, I am just tuckered. We have a large tire swing that was made into a horse - don't ask me how they do that, but it's pretty nifty. The last few times he was here, I held him on it, and he just loved it. His mother says he throws a tantrum at the playground when they have to take him out of the swing, so we know he loves it. When mom came to get him yesterday, she made the mistake of showing us the new swing she brought for us to hang in the tree for him - he just had to get in it. So instead of a tree, my hubby and daughter got to use their muscles. And yep, he threw a big tantrum when we took him out!



And last, every time I get up to answer the phone, or get a snack, or check the computer, this is what I come back to. Can this really be comfortable?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

This quilt is probably one of my most favorite display quilts! It's 84" square, and I travelled back and forth to Colorado when I was making it. I think I lost as many of the geese on the road as what I actually made. It was supposed to have a fancy schmancy pieced border on it, but it just didn't want to fit. So, here it is, in all it's glory.

When I put it up, it signals to me that Spring really will come. Even if there is snow on the ground and it's below freezing, I know when I see this red and white sparkling on the wall in my hearth room, the seasons WILL change.

I'm like our friend Finn these days. Spending more time at sewing and with friends than at the computer. But, when I am in blogville, I stroll through the paths my friends send me on, and smile, and shake my head and laugh occasionally, too. Valentine's Day can be for our friends too. So I thank you all for sharing your smiles and stories and loves and laughs.

Where has the time gone?

So where has all the time gone, eh?

I've been running in circles, doing errands, housework, celebrating my hubby's birthday, and doing a little Ebay listing. Other than that, nothing on the quilting front, nothing on the completed front at all.

BUT, last week, when I was at the gym, I experienced extreme dizziness, and almost passed out a couple of times. I had only seen my physician last week, and my resting pulse had gone up about 20 points, too, since then. On Monday, my resting pulse had raced up even higher to 100 bpm! Whooee! Was I ever worried!

Well, turns out that the weight loss has already paid off! I saw the doc Tuesday afternoon, and got the word that my blood pressure medication could be cut in half, and probably in half again in a couple of weeks. Now, that makes me happy!

In celebration, here is a picture of my Bonnie girl, giving her last hugs to this wacky baby quilt I made a couple of years ago. I really liked the Alexander Henry circus print colors, but could never think of what to do with it, until I thought about the wacky technique of skewing the blocks like Gwen Marston.

Anvils and dollbabies

I finally have all the anvils completed to send out for the swap.

I am so talented! I can really make the fabric pay for itself with all the different ways I can sew it! If there is a half square unit, I can sew it 6 different ways, including wrong sides together, and each corner going the wrong way. Each unit incrementally increases the number of times I can sew it together wrong. And if I have sewn it together all the different ways, I can even sew it exactly the same way wrong again!

To make matters worse, for each of the anvils I am sending in for the swap, I decided to make one more for myself. So I've officially made 30 of them, but if you count the number of times I have sewn them together numerous ways, I probably have made about 120!!

On a bright note, my small stitch group, The Amazing Quilt Babes arrived early Saturday morning, each with their own doll baby. One member is busy getting her daughter's wedding party's dresses ready, so she made the sashings, and the hearts. She also helped put it together. So now, we have the top done!



I am very proud of myself. I didn't volunteer to do the quilting, nor make the label nor do the binding. Aren't I a good girl?

Safety first

Do you always remember to put your blade away? My friend, Carolyn didn't. I think she didn't really want me to see it, but she didn't have a bandaid in her sewing kit, so she had to ask for one. Of course, she got a good scolding. Then what did I do? I used her blade, cut something, walked away and left it open, too. Give me mine that has the automatic retractable blade anytime! LOL!

But then, Carolyn told us the story about an employee at one of the quilt shops in Iowa she visits a lot. Apparently, she was cutting something with an automatic retracting blade, put it down, and then knocked it off the cutting table...right on top of her foot, and of course, it opened somehow.

In that instance, I think fate was telling her she needed a quilt fairy to come and cut everything for her!

What am I doing today?

The Babes were here this morning working on a group project and left around lunch time. Now, I am making anvils, of course! More than 4 and less than 15. HA HA HA! When I complete them all, I will explain why my numbers keep multiplying!

Weights and measures

I actually got weighed and measured officially at the gym on Monday, but I truly had no time to post until now. I'm still making anvil blocks, of course!

The news is good - I've lost 10.5 pounds, and a total of 7" from my body. To be exact:
2" from my hips,
1" from my calf
2" from my waist
1" from my bust
and my neck stayed the same, but the double chins don't wag so much anymore.

So all in all, not a bad report, eh? Considering my first weigh-in was before Christmas, and we've had the holidays plus my island trip since then, I think 10.5 pounds is quite respectable!

Back to the anvils! Only 4 more to go!

Anvils and cats

Today I have spent making Oriental Anvils. Boring, boring, boring. I had this bright idea last year about joining a swap with an on-line friendship group of mine. I don't do swaps. Why did I do this one? Hmmmm, maybe it was because I thought it would be a nice way to start using some of the Japanese fabrics I started collecting (while in Japan) in 1998. Maybe I was just crazy. Well, of course, hubby would say the latter, rather than the former. So. I've been sewing anvils. Oh, I guess I already said that. Guess what I've been doing for the last two days when I've had time? Sewing anvils. Is this boring yet? You should try sewing anvils. I'm not really complaining....it is nice to see some of these pretty fabrics again, AND I am sewing! But still, it's boring.



So after I had nine of them on the design wall, I decided to take the picture of them and import it into Photoshop to play around with them. You know - to break up the monotony. Maybe these blocks would more exciting, eh?

How about twirling anvils? Sounds sort of dangerous, I suppose.



Or what about liquid anvils? I don't know how effective liquid anvils would be if you needed an anvil. But I do like the look of the liquid colors.



What would you say to polar coordinates. Too much math? Maybe I just need to finish sewing the regular blocks.



And lest you think I am just too, too, too, traditional, here's my first maverick little quilt. I actually made a lot of these when I got going. I think I made about 3 of the cats, or at least until I ran out of the cat fabric. Then I moved on to wacky looking "popsicle" characters from the first Michael Miller fabric I remember. Everyone we knew who was having a baby got one of these wacky character quilts.



close-up of the little fish that was quilted, and the fading.



Now that mine is all faded from numerous washings with my own grandchildren, Clyde has adopted it as his own. A wacky cat for a wacky quilt.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering how big Clyde is, do this math problem. If a cat is lying on a quilt where the blocks are 7" square and the sashings are 2" finished, how many more anvil blocks need to be made. I mean, how big is this big lunker of a cat?

Warning! Multiple Personality Quilter

Warning! What you are about to see and read is a day in the life of a multiple personality quilter. Well, part of what you will see, anyway. The doll baby block was part of this documentation. There is such a flurry of activity, it is difficult to document it all at once.

BACKGROUND

So many different obligations, so many different styles, so many different fabrics are quite natural to the multiple personality quilter's brain.

The warm, nurturing "grandmother" personality figure she calls Oma works on a baby quilt; at the same time, the friendly, "wacko" personality she calls Sharon works on wild black and bright house blocks. In addition, the personality figure she aspires to actually be cuts and sews elegant Japanese fabric anvil blocks. Interestingly enough, there is no name for this personality. It is probably a fleeting impersonation of a known associate.

A heretofore previously undocumented personality revealed herself in the late evening hours last night. That "planner" personality sat down at the dinner table with a graphing pad, and drew out plans for yet another quilt, totally different than anything in the work room. Something called Happy Jack's Pumpkin Patch. Something about letters. For her to be planning something related to Halloween is obviously due to the excessive stimulation of various fabrics and the stressors of dull needles, lost rulers, and the clash of fabrics laying in a heap on the cutting table. There are no orange fabrics in the room, but the black must have stimulated her brain to veer off in yet another personality.

And through all of this she keeps mumbling, "Wabi sabi", "Wabi sabi", "I gotta get those leaves on Wabi sabi".

At times, all the personalities would converse amongst themselves, and discover tools laying about on the work table. Some were new inventions, and some had been used before, but now were being used in new ways, or perhaps the correct ways; only the quilter knows for sure.

Grandmother personality - Baby quilt

The baby quilt is now a quilt top 53" square, and the backing actually fits! The batting just needs to end up the same size, and it is ready to quilt. Because there is a Beethoven concert this afternoon to soothe the grandmother's soul, quilting will be delayed until another day.

Planner Personality - Happy Jacks Pumpkin Patch

Planning begins for Feb 18 stitch day with the Amazing Quilt Babes. Letters will be introduced for group therapy.

Wabi Sabi concerns

Fluffs of this fabric were drug out of hidden boxes, (dare I say bags from Joanne's were spotted from perhaps a forbidden purchase?) and tossed on the table with an onion (??). Nothing further was done with them except move them about from time to time.

New tool finding

A new tool was given to this quilter around Christmas, but it was not re-discovered until the frenzy of organization occurred last week. It is from Follow Your Heart, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. It was found to be a most excellent marking tool made wax chalk which disappears with heat.

It was used to mark the lines for the house top in the friendship house block.

Prognosis

There is nothing to worry about regarding any of the personalities observed. The multiple personalities seem to work well together, and only occasionally do they seem to confuse their jobs. As long as this subject continues to laugh a lot, exercise, diet, and sleep occasionally, there should be great satisfaction with completed projects. Of course, more personalities could reveal themselves as well, but as long as they "play" together nicely, there is no reason to revisit this issue with any of them.

The multiple personality Quilter's diet

The Pasta Diet

1. You walka pasta da bakery.

2.. You walka pasta da candy store.

3.. You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.

4... You walka pasta da table and fridge.

You will lose weight!

Doll Baby on Parade

Doll baby, doll baby, come out and play! I've spent most of today working on this cute little redheaded monster! Something so simple was made so terribly difficult by having to put my brain back to the 1970's and use templates - GASP!!!!

This is one-fourth of a baby quilt being made, and the center sashings (not attached yet) connect the girls by holding hearts. The center sashing on this one will be where the pin is in her hand on the right side of the picture. Each doll baby's hair is different, too. It can be a bob, a little knotty, kinky style, or braids like this little girl. This little redhead was either playing in the dirt, or she has freckles all over her body. I think if one of the pictures is clicked, a larger view will show them.

The eyes can be buttons or embroidered, but since it's for a small baby, embroidery probably will be the best. I really don't like doing embroidery if I can help it, though. So instead, I thought using Eleanor Burns' technique for machine embroidery would work the best for her eye circles and her mouth. I like the way they turned out, too. That only left the iris to embroider, so that wasn't so bad.

Isn't she cute?



In case anyone has never used the old fashioned way of machine embroidery, I've included a simple "how-to" picture or two.

You simply draw the embroidery thread down through the fabric and back up, leaving both tails on top of the piece at the beginning point of the embroidery. Put the sewing machine needle through the ends and stitch a couple stitches forward, a couple back, stop with the needle down, then twist the thread one end across the other, left to right. Stitch one stitch through, stop, then twist the thread across the other way, right to left.

It sounds tedious but it's pretty quick. I like to use perle cotton, and regular embroidery floss works well, too. I also use a piece of Golden Threads tissue paper or tracing paper under the work for stabilization. You can either use an invisible thread on top, or a thread that matches the embroidery floss. I like to use a shade darker just for a little bit of dimension in the embroidery.