And again....

And here I am again, another month in the making of yet another blog post. Do you find yourself running here, running there, turning in circles and having to take deep, big breaths at this time of the year? I sure do! Here some highlights of what I've missed posting....

Carol, Shirlee, Vicky, Sharon (standing), Ibby

Frog on the thorns

When we have a lot of rain, the toad come out to play.  I was trimming our bed of roses, when this little fellow became apparent.  Pretty tricky sitting, if you ask me!

Frog in the fountain

Then, on the other side of the steps, we have a recirculating fountain, and this guy came out to see me, too. Lovely day, even though toads aren't my favorite - they are good for the garden bugs!

I've been on Weight Watchers now since the end of February and I've made a promise to try new foods. Here's something that is ZERO points! Yes, it's free to eat! It's called Shiratake noodles, made from something and tofu is used to bind it. I added Laughing Cow Cheese, and a about 2 oz of chicken, and voila! A BIG lunch that is only 4 pts total! Thanks to my friend Joan who turned me on to these noodles. So far I've lost about 18 lbs.

Spinach fettucine

David Taylor has been visiting since last Wednesday, staying with hubby and I. I took a two day machine quilting class with him, and I think I finally have it! He's at my guild today and tomorrow teaching applique and machine stippling (a la David Taylor). I'd like to use that excuse as to why I haven't blogged recently, but it's not. I've just enjoying the lovely spring we've been having. Keep quilting!

May sunset in Missouri

Cambria tales

Last year, when the Sea Side Stitchers were at our home by the sea, we met some really nice friends we didn't even know we had! THIS year, we didn't see Loris on the first or second day, so we put a note out for her. You should always look around you for invitations, right?

Loris and the "invitation"

It seemed that everywhere we went, we saw art and beautiful things.  I think the ocean must be the inspiration to be so artful, don't you?

A pink door in the woods as in invitation to the woods?

Wouldn't this be a beautiful applique piece?

This is Wendy, the "camp director".  Here, she's working on a kit that she thought someone was really nice and had gotten all the pieces cut, and some of them even basted to the backing.  Hmmmmm, after a few minutes, she remembered that SHE had actually done that several years ago - LOL!  Time to get that UFO finished I think!

Wendy, Camp Director

Here are all the Sea Side Stitchers (and Harriet the Hedgehog).  We are reaping the rewards of Wendy's hard work from all week - aren't these soft cover books the "bomb"?

Sherri, Sharon, Harriet, Wendy, Margaret, Marj, Carol (in front)

We had marvelous weather for most of the week, but it did rain towards the end.  That didn't stop us!

Wendy and Sharon enjoying the hot tub

The surf was higher than in any years previous, and Carol was just fascinated with it - no matter how cold or windy it was.  This is the last morning, when the surf was almost up to our deck!

Carol's looking for the otter who visited every day

 Sherri and Marj were working on blocks for a block exchange.  I have to say that I really admire them that they would make 42!!! of these paper pieced blocks and the GIVE them away!

Marj, and some of her many, many paper pieced blocks

Carol worked on several projects this week, but this one really took off.  (The books on the top shelf are not part of the quilt!)

Caro, and the blended quilt

 Sharon worked on Mayo the Wonderdog, and completed the rest of the Star Whimsey blocks from her birthday quilt from the Amazing Quilt Babes.

Sharon and the Star Whimsey blocks (Mayo behind)

Sherri worked diligently day and night to complete her blocks.  Aren't they just gorgeous?  What you can't see, is that she fussy cut a little snowflake for the center of each of these blocks.

Sherri with her 42!!!! paper pieced blocks for an exchange

Margaret designed her own spheres and worked all week on this quilt.  Of course, even though she brought 1,523 yards of fabric, she didn't really have the right colors and had to go shopping at least 3 different times for just the right ones.  I think she added another 2,843 yards to carry home in her suitcase!  LOL!

Margaret with the fabulous quilt she made

And so, with all good things, the week had to end.  Until next year, Cambria!

 

So, here I am again - back from the missing. Can it have been almost two months since I last posted and had hopes of being back here regularly? Answer - yes, indeed it has!

There are times in all our lives, when either the days or weeks or months get so full of things for everyone else, there is no time for yourself. I think that's how it's been for me. Letting go of the stress is as hard on your mind and body as actually going through the actual stress itself. And that is where I've landed. After having taken care of hubby, the house (for sale), selling the other house (now done), and just general nonsense of living, I am now ready for more action. I think my frame of mind is a bit better - or so I hope.

Tiny planes do not make me happy, but I boarded it anyway!

I managed to make it to my annual Cambria, CA girlfriend retreat which was a pleasant respite from it all. 2 days before leaving, Hubby went back in the hospital to deal with an infection. You've heard "come h..ll or high water?" That was me! I left him at the hospital (no danger except loneliness) and braved the tsunami warnings on the west coast. So, now you understand just how serious I am about my quilting retreat, eh? Since Daylight Savings Time was the same night/morning as my departure (as well as the NCAA Championship finals) I had to leave at a really early dark time in the morning. Literally, I went to bed after I got up to go to the airport LOL!

I'll post more pictures of the trip in a couple of days, but here's the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve walking trails that we were on most every day. Notice the gloves? It was a bit nippy for some! This trail is just down the street from "our" house on the beach.

Margaret, Sherri, Wendy, Carol all ready to boogie down the lane.

We spent the week laughing and sewing, and of course, it ended all too soon. The weather surprised us, but ended with a lot of wind and rain as we prepared to leave. Fitting, I'd say, wouldn't you?

Little Quiltgranny on a BIG bench along the ocean boardwalk.

And what have I been working on since I've been home?

Mayo the Wonder Dog

David Taylor was here last year, and he is such a great teacher and friend. He'll be back for another private session with my friends and I on how to machine quilt naturally (not meandering, feathers etc.) So, I thought it might be nice to actually finish the piece I started when he was here last May. LOL!

I have lots more to share, and I PROMISE that I'll be back in a few days to get it all caught up.

Stitch Stitch Stitch!

So, here we are again, back to the hopes of Spring! The last couple of days have surprised us all, and I've even had the windows open! It rained a bit last night, and I see sprouts of green in the grass, even! So it won't be long, I think.

I've passed off my Round Robin starter block, and now I have my round sitting patiently on the design wall for ideas. This will be the last time I am able to post anything about the Round Robins, though, as we are keeping them secret until the final reveal. Our group has decided that "anything goes". My Round Robin is going to be a traditional center block that they add borders to....or not. I told them they could add 2 sides or 3 sides, or whatever they felt it needed. The one I have now (Nancy's) is based on the grid method. Each of us will complete the equivalent of 10 (6") blocks. They may be separate, or they could be any combination of 6" blocks such as a 12" block which would be equal to 4. I have an idea simmering, but I am going to wait another couple of days before beginning.

What's in My Garden?

This past Saturday was the first 2011 birthday stitch day with the Amazing Quilt Babes. We give each other a day of stitching for a birthday gift, with the Birthday girl preparing the blocks to be sewn, and serving birthday dessert. We divide up the year with those special stitch days, and even though it might not be your birthday or even your month, we celebrate the day as if it was. It was my day to celebrate, and celebrate we did.  

It helps to have a rosy outlook on life!
Vicky, Ibby, Sharon, Shirlee and Carol

We worked on Star Whimsey, and I think I am going to love . love . love . this quilt when it's completed! I pilfered used Ibby's leftovers from last fall for some of the blocks. She works in Colonial colors which are difficult for me to choose on my own, so shopping in her scraps made this quite perfect!

Star Whimsey

One of the things I love about working with a group of quilters is that I always learn something. This Saturday I learned an easy way to mark half square triangles. I've used Thangles, and I've used Fons and Porter's methods and just about every other technique there is. The most perfect HSTs for me are when I mark the diagonal, then sew about a thread's width away from the line, then press it back and trim off the background and the extra triangle. If I make larger HSTs, I save those trimmings and make smaller HSTs to store away for a rainy another day. Amazing Quilt Babe Carol, helped mark the squares for this project, and here's what she did:

An emery board has multiple uses!

She pulled out an emery board and marked those squares lickety split! I have a sandpaper board, but it's always lost in another place where I can't find it readily. With this method, the square stays put, you have a straight edge, and it's small enough to store in your machine tray along with your seam ripper. Too cool! Thanks Carol for sharing this little tip!

Life is getting back to normal, or what will be the new normal here at Quiltgranny's Shoe. And life is good. All I need is a quilt, a cat and a dog to make me smile!

Mayo and Clyde sharing a warm spot on "Stars over Cambria"

Newsy applique

Today is the big day for football lovers. Me? Not so much, but it's nice to spend it with hubby: he watches the game and I sew and watch the commercials. Our chili was made yesterday and is heating up nicely for dinner later tonight. This afternoon, we'll take in a bit of culture by attending a Mozart and Smetna symphony as a belated birthday present for Hubby.

Our 13" snow waves

Thanks to all of you who sent emails wishing us well while we were at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. We were able to get everything taken care of nicely, and Hubby is doing ever so much better now. We have a short term and a long term plan in place to keep him going, and he is already feeling tons better. We went up a day earlier than necessary to miss a storm that moved in, and then we came home the Friday before the big storm hit Monday night and Tuesday. Even with the bad weather, Hubby's meds arrived via UPS air, and we were grateful for that. We'll get a shipment each week, as this new plan is being administered out of Mendota Heights, MN. What a wonder the age of technology is!

Mayo the Wonder Dog testing how deep it might be!

While we were on the road, I found two products that I have absolutely fallen in love with. When I travel, I like to pack light and then do laundry if I need to. The only problem with that is taking laundry soap can be a real problem. I generally use liquid soap at home, so that's out of the question. This is what I found at the store in Rochester, and not only is it convenient to travel with, but it's also a great product.  

Purex 3-in-1

The second product I just happened to find when I was looking for a small bottle of dish soap to use in the hotel suite. These are soap impregnated sheets that suds up when you wet them. We were there one week, and I only used one. I kept it in a plastic baggie between uses. Now, of course, all I washed was my popcorn bowl, a knife and fork, my drinking glass and Mayo's food bowl. But, I think I would like to have these on hand for all my travels!

If you stayed with me this long, NOW we can talk about my applique. In my last post, I showed you the different ways I like to do applique. Since then, I've had a few emails asking me what kind of thread do I like to use. Now, this subject can be as touchy as whether to pre-wash your fabric or not (I don't). Let me first say that I have no affiliation to any product or brand of anything I talk about on my blog. If I ever do, I will be sure to tell you about it. Wouldn't it be nice if some thread company wanted to give me free thread so I could talk about it? LOL! So back to business. I say use what works for you, just as you should use whatever applique technique works for you, and this is only my opinion.

My version of a folk art design (18/5" square) with Karen Kay Buckley circles, freezer paper birds and back basted pot.

My favorite thread for hand applique is DMC machine embroidery thread. It comes in luscious colors, and I can always find one that is just right for my work. I actually like the special DMC packs that I can only find one time a year, which happens to be now. Otherwise, I use the smaller, shorter spools. The flash makes it look shiny, but it really has a matte finish.

Two version of DMC machine embroidery thread

So you might be asking, "Why don't you use silk thread?" About 10 years ago, I happened onto the silk thread for applique thread (no pun intended) on-line and promptly bought some and started using it. I didn't like how slippery it was, but I have to tell you that I DID love how it melted into the fabric. AND, everyone seemed to be saying that it WAS the applique thread to use! About a year later, I took several classes with Nancy Pearson and she showed us how silk thread stretches, and then breaks. She said she would never use it for that reason. Made sense to me, so I gave away my silk thread and started using Mettler cotton thread. That was nice, but I happened across the DMC and have been a fan ever since. In a pinch, though, I will use Coats and Clark and Auriful.


And of course, the most important thing to help you applique is a 17 lb. cat named Clyde.  All you have to do is sit down, and there he will be, giving you hugs while Mayo the Wonder Dog supervises!

Do you know the way to Applique?

Well, the snow is flying like crazy around here.  6.5" the other night and another 2"-6" expected on Sunday.  Too much snow for my liking for sure, and the temps are quite cold too.  Brrrr!  Here's Mayo the Wonder Dog checking out the snow at night.  It's a good thing I've got her on a string to reel her back in when I get too cold!

Can you see the happy faces above her head  (not photo shopped!)

I find myself doing applique the way the project calls for it.  There is no one right way.  You should do it the way that works for you!  And I use all different ways:

For circles, I love Karen Kay Buckley's mylar templates that can be used again and again - and they are just perfect, perfect, perfect circles!  You baste your fabric over them, pull it up like a yo-yo, then press them to put a crease in.  Here's where Mary Ellen's Best Press comes into play for me.  It doesn't leave a residue like starch, but makes a nice stiff crease!  (Not a paid commercial for either product!)

Circles, circles, circles

Sometimes, the applique just calls for a freezer paper template like these leaves I am making for my guild Round Robin.  I press the freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric, then baste them together.  Most of the time, I don't take them out, but just stitch the applique piece down, and at the last inch or so, I take the freezer paper out.  There's one out already, because I didn't want to make another one.  So it got Mary Ellened and taken out to re-use again!  This is also a good car passenger project to do.

Freezer paper templates

Here is Clyde making sure that I don't forget about the amazing Babes quilt project. He's on the focus fabric which is a Christmas fabric from the Moda line.

Clyde and my selection of background fabrics

Because the central block has big sweeping pieces, I like to back-baste these, so they don't wrinkle and move around a lot. It also make the project much more portable and easy to work on because there are no pins. You mark your fabric on the back, place the applique fabric on the front (right side out), then baste on the line. I trim the extra fabric off, but not to the 1/4" line. When I am ready to applique, I then trim it to the right seam allowance, and needle turn under. I think that the basting stitches that have pierced the applique fabric make it a bit easier to turn - maybe it gives it a little memory?

Back basting

Then, here is the last project that has come out the box.  It's my "birthday quilt" that the Amazing Quilt Babes will be working on for me in February.  That's our gift to each other, sewing time - and my birthday isn't until April, but it will be my official Babe birthday!  LOL!  Oh, I see what's wrong with this picture - it's not applique!  Ha!  A girl has to do some sewing machine time too!

Last applique project

And you know your puppy is growing up when she can't fit in her favorite chair the way she used to! I LOVE THIS DOG!

Mayo the Wonder Dog

Don't worry if you don't hear from me this next week or so on the blog. Hubby is going back to Mayo Clinic (yes in all this snow and cold weather), but all will be well. We're going to get some stuff straightened out for him that will require a stay in the hospital. Mayo will get to go to Leads and Leashes in Byron MN and play the day away, and I'll be coach and "private nurse" while he's in the hospital. During the day, I'll applique then back to the apartment at night to sew on that "not" applique project.

Until later, and show me the way you applique! Or better yet, leave a message directing me to your page of projects. It's great eye candy when I'm away from home!

On my way back to Slow Cloth

The health issues that were plaguing our family continued to be problems through the end of the year. Today we are at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN to see what can be done to get Hubby around the corner and through the woods, so to speak. It's been a rough start to a new year, but there's always hope for the next day, isn't there?

In the meantime, as I was spinning my wheels, getting this house ready for the market I dugout located this antique leaves and vines quilt top from the thirties in a "safe" place in my closet. A friend of mine located this in Shipshewana, IN a few years ago, and I absolutely fell in love. This is something I've always wanted to do, but since I don't do hand applique so much anymore, this will be the surrogate!  

It's king size, which is unusual for that time period.

I want this year to be the year of "slow cloth" as defined by Elaine Lipson. I plan on getting this tiop basted, then start the hand quilting journey with it through this year. Will you join me in slowing down and enjoying the journey? I've put Elaine's list of 10 qualities of Slow Cloth below my signature, but it can apply to just about anything you might "do", and I think it will enrich my daily life!

10 QUALITIES OF SLOW CLOTH,BY ELAINE LIPSON

• She defined Slow Cloth several years ago on her blog. Read the original post which is beautifully written. (Copyright Elaine Lipson 2007-2010; all rights reserved).
• Joy
  Slow Cloth has the possibility of joy in the process. In other words, the journey matters as much as the destination.
• Contemplation
  Slow Cloth offers the quality of meditation or contemplation in the process.
• Skill
  Slow Cloth involves skill and has the possibility of mastery.
• Diversity
  Slow Cloth acknowledges the rich diversity and multicultural history of textile art.
• Teaching
  Slow Cloth honors its teachers and lineage even in its most contemporary expressions.
• Materials
  Slow Cloth is thoughtful in its use of materials and respects their source.
• Quality
  Slow Cloth artists, designers, crafters and artisans want to make things that last and are well-made.
• Beauty
  It's in the eye of the beholder, yes, but it's in our nature to reach for beauty and create it where we can.
• Community
  Slow Cloth supports community by sharing knowledge and respecting relationships.
• Expression
  Slow Cloth is expressive of individuals and/or cultures. The human creative force is reflected and evident in the work.