Textile House

A Farmin' we will go!

2011-12-27T08:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you enjoyed this time and celebrated with those dearest to you.

I was able to squeeze in some piecing to keep up with my Farmer's Wife commitment. I actually made one extra... I'm hoping I can make one less next time around! LOL!

This week I decided to make all my blocks in Whimsical fabrics. Here is a look at my endeavor...

Block 2 - Autumn Tints:

Block 10 - Bowtie:

Block 12 - Broken Sugar Bowl:

Block 16 - Calico Puzzle:

Block 70 - Prairie Queen:

Block 72 - Railroad:

All together now:

Believe it or not, I found this one the most challenging,

just because of the angle of the corner cuts and trying to get the edges to match

This week's favorite was Calico Puzzle. I love the colors and the pinwheel type look.

11 down, 100 to go!

Go and check out Nyshma's blocks this week. She made a REALLY hard one and it looked great! Maybe I need to ask for suggestions on that one.

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year celebration!!

A Farmer's Wife?

2011-12-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

I tried to stay away. I really did.
My daughter convinced me that resistance was futile.

Over the Thanksgiving break, Nyshma and her newly minted husband, came for their first Thanksgiving as a married couple.

I taught her how to use templates. Nyshma will be using freezer paper as her templates to cut her pieces while I have decided to go with Marti Michell's templates for my pieces. We also set a deadline for making our blocks and posting about our progress. And then we were off!

It took forever to decide what fabric to use...

I did alot of pre-washing so I could have an excuse to fondle my stash... and I procrastinated alot.

I finally decided to go with a mix of Lynette Anderson's new line (Secret Garden), an older line of hers (Summertime Friends) and a mix of Whimsical fabrics by Terri Degenkolb.

Yesterday was the first deadline and it was met. Here they are in no particular order...

Block #1 - Nyshma and I did our template tutorial using this block so I thought it was appropriate that I get it done during the first round.

Block #9 - This one was straight forward HST. We are trying to do a mix of simple and complex blocks to keep us from falling off the wagon due to frustration.

Block #13 - This one was actually the most difficult block of the bunch. I had to trim because it was slightly larger than needed. I also had to re-build it a couple of times. I marked it as DIFFICULT.

Block #21 - Then we have this one that was super easy. I am really not that happy with it though. I feel the light is a bit too light when put against the others. I'll hold on to it and see if it will blend in with the other blocks. I told my sister that with 100+ blocks, it just might fit in.

Block #23 - I think this is my favorite right now but I think it's more because it was the only Star block of the bunch... I'm bias, I love stars!

Although, I sort of, kind of, like block #1 too. I think the fussy cut center is so darn cute! My sister hates it though. LOL!

Okay. In recap, 5 blocks down.. Gazillion to go!

Go check out Nyshma's efforts at Starchild Quilts! She could use a bit of encouragement!

What I love about the holiday season...

2011-11-16T10:06:00.000-06:00

The Music...

I can play holiday music all year long. Is that weird? I say not! I don't care!

But I restrain myself after Valentines day and just listen to it in the car.

The Food...

A couple of years ago we went to Williams and Sonoma for a cooking demo and decided to follow all their recipes... Except for the turkey brine, we loved it and go that route. Do you know that the average person gains 20 pounds between Halloween and New Years? I think that if I lose the weight before the season starts, I get a free pass and then I'm good. Thoughts anyone?

The Movies...

I have this thing, where I watch Jane Austen during the season... It's my free pass to force people to watch it with me. Then there are all the Holiday movies that are forced down peoples throats.. The Holidays, Family Man, Family Jewel, Bridget Jones Diary and... DIE HARD!! Yup, I force it down everyones throat and LOVE IT!

The People...

I get to see my peeps during the holidays. It can get stressful and while we are all huddled together we are a hair's breath away from killing each other but we have all year to recover and then we look forward to it again!!

But most of all, I love the Hope that the season brings. Have you ever stood by and watched the kids wait their turn to speak to Santa? The shine in the eyes, the fidgeting, the joy? It's the hope that really gets me going...

This is my 16 year old nephew.

He is autistic and this year he taught me not to give up that hope.

Go check out what the big guy told him about being too old to visit Santa here:

pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com

13 Quilts featured on Quilt Story!

2011-10-14T04:06:00.000-05:00

When I posted the story of my daughter’s 13 quilts, many of you enjoyed it and RC even suggested I submit it to Quilt Story. Well, my sister took it out of my hands and submitted it on my behalf!

Heather and Megan appeared to share your enthusiasm and have featured the post today! That post means a lot to me, not just as quilter but as a mother, and it warms my heart that it was embraced by all who read it.

Thank you all for dropping by, for your encouragement and for simply sharing a few minutes of your day with me.

Someone brought home a ribbon...

2011-10-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

Back in August, before the craziness began, I put Beth into the Images 2011 quilt show.

I had never entered a quilt into a show but when my sister told me that the deadline for submissions to the Images 2011 show was almost upon us, I got a serious itch to send in a picture. I was a bit floored when Beth was accepted into the juried show.
When Beth returned from Margaret's I was insanely happy. I knew she would not disappoint.

But of course, with quilting like this...

and this...

I could easily accept that she would impress. LOL!

I was still surprised when I received an email letting me know that my entry had won a ribbon!

I was not able to actually see Beth on display, but I sent a good entourage to represent.

My sister who says I'm a REAL quilter

and my daughter was doing her best to document the occasion.

I can't tell you how happy I am with this quilt and how I'm going to be working hard to get my daughter her own wedding quilt so I can have Beth back at home. LOL!

13 Quilts

2011-09-16T04:30:00.114-05:00

In case you are new here I'll share that my daughter (see previous post) is a quilter. And because she is a quilter, part of her wedding planning was to complete 13 quilts to celebrate the quilter she has become.

The idea of the 13 quilts stems from the dowry quilts our pioneer women would complete before they were married.

"All young ladies were expected to marry shortly after their education, possessing a dowry of quilts, usually thirteen—a baker's dozen. Twelve quilt tops were to be finished before her engagement."

"When a woman was pledged to marry, the thirteenth quilt—called the Bride's or Wedding Quilt—was designed and quilted."

From: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/parkin22.html
It was said that making the 13 quilts would allow the girls to improve on their skills and prepare them for marriage. It also allowed them to bring something to the marriage, in a time when there was very little to spare. With 13 quilts the brides would start life with one quilt for each month of the year, plus a special Wedding quilt.

Shortly after her engagement my daughter, Nyshma, decided to complete a quilt dowry. A lofty goal for someone that had never completed a quilt on her own. She felt comfortable with the sewing machine and had made a few quilt blocks here and there, but making a full quilt from start to finish was never achieved. That first year she came home for Christmas and worked on her first quilt.

A for Andrea (Original pattern by Camille Roskelley)

She learned the basics on this project including raw edge applique.

Next came Stashbuster from a back issue of American Patchwork and Quilting

(sorry don't recall the exact issue and designer at this time)

This one was the most complex quilt she had attempted at that time. She showed some serious organizational skills here. I only gave a few pointers on how to piece on an angle (the bunny ear thing) but didn't touch this one at all.

I think after that one she wanted to make sure Ryan got a quilt to keep him warm while he was finishing his degree in Rochester, NY.

She decided on a very masculine quilt from a book that we picked up from the library. For this she learned to work with big whole cloth pieces. Cutting large pieces of cloth which at times is very awkward.

I loved the next one! I am a huge buggy barn fan but the truth is that I had not been able to figure out the whole stack and slash thing that the most appealing patterns use. I have about 4 or 5 of their books but I never had made one quilt. For this one, the student became the teacher. She threw herself into the project and became an expert!

Hospitality from Buggy Barn's Certifiably Crazy

At this point I was able to convince her to join me on my yearly retreat with the Dallas quilt guild. She was the talk of the retreat because a) she was the youngest attendee and b) she had a very modern looking quilt and was breezing right through it.

Wild Things (pattern by Camille Roskelley)

She put 3 distinct borders on Wild Things and was ready to never put another border on a quilt for the rest of her quilting ventures! LOL!

That is why she altered the Piece of Cake pattern by Camille Roskelley from a lap quilt to a baby quilt. She just did not want to deal with adding borders to the piece! LOL!

Piece of Life was made using Make Life by Sweetwater for Moda

The last quilt she finished in Texas was named The Green Monster. She wanted to make a wonky nine patch but her blocks ended up a bit bigger than she expected. Then the quilt decided that it needed a border and it grew... and grew... and grew...

The Green Monster with all it's borders!

At this point Nyshma was flying solo and was feeling fairly confident. She was ready for a challenge. Shiloh by Bonnie Blue Quilts was selected and she learned to making flying geese with the help of Monique Dillard's Fit to be Geese Ruler. It was at this time that she moved to NH and she was unable to finish the quilt since I, bad mother that I am, did not 'lend' her my rulers. I know! I was EVIL. I just envisioned the 'Let me Borrow it' becoming 'Sorry, you will never see them again'.

Not to dispare, because I bought her a set of her own the rulers (big and small) for Christmas and, as time started ticking off this past summer, Shiloh was completed. This is my favorite of all! And, I got to be the first to cuddle under it while I bound it before the wedding!!

While Shiloh waited to be finished there was time for some simplicity and Nyshma found it in Rachel Griffith's postage stamp quilt along.

Sunkissed Stamps became quilt #9.

And as if on a roll, thanks to T-Brenda who wanted a demo of the buggy barn method,

quilt #10 was started soon after.

House of Stars from Buggy Barn's Star Crossing

We are getting down to the wire here...
I had requested to make quilt #13 (yes, I'll come back to 11 & 12 shortly), which was the wedding quilt. Nyshma selected Bali Wedding Star as the pattern and I started working on it... and then stopped. Call it lack of enthusiasm, loss love, what ever you want, but I could not finish that quilt. BUT, I had finished another quilt that I thought would fit right in and I brought it to the table as a substitute.

Nyshma accepted Beth (pattern Elizabeth by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.)
as her Wedding quilt until I complete Bali Wedding Stars.

If you have been paying close attention you know that we have 11 quilts accounted for, but you might not realize that most of them are still just tops.

With the big day fast approaching and time becoming precious, Nyshma reached out to Margaret (Mainely Quilts of Love) who had recently completed the quilting on Beth, and who had quilted almost everything Nysh has ever made, to see if she could, possibly, take 5-6 tops to be quilted before the wedding. Margaret must have known how much this project meant to my daughter because she stepped up to bat on this one and agreed to do it.

At 4 weeks away from the wedding, I finally convince Dre to allow me to take one of the two quilts left to make, off her plate.

She wanted to make a companion quilt to the piece she made for her fiancee, Ryan. For it to compliment the earlier quilt she wanted to use the left over batik from that quilt. So, she put the fabric in the mail and selected a pattern from Kim Diehl's book Simple Comfort called Twilight Hopscotch. It arrived just in time for me to take to a retreat I was planning to attend and I start piecing immediately.

When I was close to finishing, I emailed Margaret who had just finished the other quilts and crossed my fingers. We were 3 weeks away from the wedding and the top had to travel from Texas to Maine. She told me that she was going on vacation the following week and was leaving on Thursday... BUT... if I got the quilt to her house by Tuesday she would do it before she left. Can you believe it??
An express mail package left my house to Maine on Saturday, it arrived on Monday and Nyshma had quilt #11 in her hands that following Saturday.

To compliment the earlier piece called "Ryan's Quilt", this one was named "Dre's Quilt" (Dre comes from AnDREa - her middle name)

We were 2 weeks away from the wedding with one quilt left to complete and 5 quilts in need of binding. Bindings were attached and some were actually bound (thanks T-Brenda!), but unfortunately, quilt #12 was not completed in time for the wedding.

Family Homecoming (pattern from the book Simplify by Camile Roskelley) was cut, and many of it's blocks pieced, but as the house began to fill with family and friends, the sound of the sewing machine was silenced.

The night before the wedding, as we packed the quilts and prepared to load the car, Nyshma decided to chose a quilt with sufficient emotional value to stand in for that last wedding quilt.

She selected the first quilt I made for her. I was just learning to quilt myself (I'm a first generation quilter - self taught) and she was about 9 years old. Over the years, this quilt has been well loved. It traveled with her to college and now, with a home of her own, it rests on the arm of the sofa in her living room.

First Star made a good stand in for quilt #12.

On the day of her wedding, while friends laughed and danced and saluted the couple,

13 quilts were displayed. Standing as testament to the determination of a new quilter.

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. The Venue was very dark.

Thank you, Margaret for your exceptional work and for helping make this dream come true for Nyshma!

She's Married...

2011-09-13T06:22:00.001-05:00

My little girl is no longer playing house.

She is all grown up and married.

After a year of planning...

shopping...

and down right stressing out... it happened.

Family was re-united

And new bonds were strengthened

Birthdays were sung

The vows were rehearsed.

Then, in the early morning,

the girls got ready to be dolled up.

And finally, that evening...

Her Dad and I walked her down the aisle...

and handed her over into the care of the man she loves.

To have and to hold...

in good times and in bad...

for richer, for poorer...

in sickness and health...

to love and honor...

for all the days of their lives.

I'm back home now. A big sigh of relief that it's over and at the same time missing that little girl that wanted to be all grown up. Today I pulled out her baby pictures looking for that first photo on the post and found many memories waiting to be recalled.

These will be added to the treasures gathered from her life. Trinkets to pull out when I miss her. Trinkets to remind me how happy she was the day she wed, and in truth, what else can a mother ask for?

A Day to Remember

2011-09-12T05:50:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of Kim Potvin

Catching up is hard to do, but I will be back later with details and more pictures.

The results of a concerted effort...

2011-08-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

My first efforts into embroidery were bad. I really didn't think they were bad until I washed the piece.

See, I felt I was doing great because I was stitching over the pattern and the pattern appeared to hide the spaces I was leaving between the stitches. I also thought I was an expert because I was whizzing right along. I didn't understand that the big stitches I was taking allowed me speed but was making my piece look horribly inconsistent and crooked... especially in the curves.

When I finally rinsed out the piece to remove the pattern from under the stitches this is what appeared. You should really click on the image to get a good close up of it.

Needless to say I had to redo the piece.

This was the new and improved effort.

Here is a closer look...

Notice the second P and the M. Also notice the vine.. Can you see the LARGE stitches? The crooked stitches of the line leading to the first P?

Here is the new one....

The P is more rounded. The lines are more straight. The vine has many more stitches. The M is still missing a stitch, but it is more rounded. Definitely an improvement.

Before I ventured into my second try, I googled embroidery stitches and found Mary Corbet's Needle n Thread site. This lady has a wealth of knowledge and she shares it in a ton of mini videos. I wish I had taken a picture of the back of these pieces because they were as different as night is to day.

Anyway, I finally finished an embroidery piece that would not embarrass me and put together my "secret" project. I was incorporating it into a mini quilt.

This was heading to my favorite pumpkin lady for her birthday.

She loves handmade things and if it has a primitive look, even better...

I framed it in a churn dash because it is her favorite pieced block.

It was quite a learning experience but one that I will be able to use over and over again.

Time passing in a NY Minute...

2011-08-05T12:28:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's been two months since I've posted? It sure doesn't feel that it's been that long but when I looked at my last post I was flabbergasted!
I thought it best to drop in now before things heat up for the wedding. This is the calm before the storm...

Talking about the wedding, June had me in NY with these three lovely ladies...

We went for the wedding dress fitting here...

But each one had a particular hot spot they wanted to see while in the Big City so we made a weekend out of it. First up was the New York Public Library. Lindsey had this on her must see list.

If you didn't know, I was born in NY and lived in Brooklyn for the first 11 years of my life but I had never been to this library. This is not your typical library. This is a mix of Museum and Library all wrapped into one. There were some serious literary artifacts housed in there, but we went to see this...

The stuff toys that inspired A. A Milne to write the Winnie the Pooh books. There is alot of history in that library and a lot of Hollywood too. Even though I had never been there, I kept running into familiar places I had seen in movies. Like The Day after Tomorrow, where a young Jake Gyllenhaal is stranded in the library while the world goes into a global deep freeze, and Sex in the City, where Carrie goes to the library to marry Mr Big!

The girls? Well they always found time to monkey around!

That night Nyshma scheduled her NY destination with a trip to a cupcake bar called Sweet Revenge

I sat this one out since I had suffered an injury while working out with my personal trainer and needed to get off my leg. I was also not very motivated to have cupcakes with a beer.... yuck. The girls had a blast though and came back with high praises for the unique bar.

The next day was the fitting.. (sorry no pics of that due to the secrecy surrounding "the Dress"). That afternoon was Jessi's turn to pick the location to visit and she decided she had to go to the Met.

I had never been to this museum and I will say that you need much more than an afternoon to see it. The layout is a bit challenging but sooo worth it.

Because of the size of the place, and it being our last stop of the day...

I think the girls were a bit exhausted...

They took every opportunity to sit.

Mostly, while waiting for me to catchup with them. LOL!

Some incredible pieces can be seen at this museum but my all time favorite was this one:

The piece is by Daniel Chester French and is called Mourning Victory. I walked into the room where this sculpture is and it just stopped me in my tracks. It felt as if the angel was just emerging into the room... Then I saw the stars..

Honestly! The pictures just don't do it justice. It is really beautiful.

Talking about pictures... I need to show you all the talent my Jessi has behind the lense.
My girls all have their talents. Nyshma is a quilter and makes beauty out of bits of Fiber, Lindsey is a singer and turns air into loud, outrageous, beautiful sound and Jess is a photographer taking light and bending it to her hearts content...

She has been honing her skills over the years and has just left me speechless with the array of pictures she took during our weekend. She just has that unique talent to look at something in the right angle and capture a unique shot.

The below slide show gives you just a glimpse of the pictures she took on the last day in NY.

It was a weekend I will treasure. It had been a long time since I spent time with my three girls and that weekend was a gift.

Will be back soon with more of my two month hiatus.

Adventures in Embroidery...

2011-05-31T05:00:00.001-05:00

It's nice to have had a long weekend to enjoy. After the storms we saw in Texas last week...

This was taken from my back porch.

I was ready for some of this:

I decided to work on my daughter's quilt but got sidetracked. You see, while I was off at Market a few weeks ago I got to chatting with the darling Gail Pan who designs some outstanding embroidery work like this one:

I had a bug about working on some embroidery this year but after seeing her work in person and seeing all the other wonderful quilts using embroidery as embellishments, I knew I had to dive in.

Isn't he cute?

Well I put that aside when I realized that I needed to get going with a special birthday present... Can't show you pics of that, but while I was working on this 'special' project I learned a lot about embroidery.

Things that I have learned as I teach myself to embroider

1) Read the instructions of the products you are using. They may save your final project...
2) Don't compromise your stitch length for speed. You will regret it when you look back at your work...
3) Visual tutorials make a BIG difference.
4) When it comes to curves, do as you would while driving a car, go slow to avoid derailing!!
5) Don't be a cheap A** and get good thread!

More on these points later in the week.

Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend and that your week started on a good footing!

A bit more on my trip to Market..

2011-05-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned that I had met Tara Lynn Darr of Sew Unique Creations. Her book is such a treat, here is a sneak peak of the projects you'll find in it.

My sister, the new Vanna!

A few booths (beside Fig Tree's) that I remembered to photograph

Kathy Schmitz - What a charming lady.

She was just so down to earth and fun to chat with.

She has some ornaments coming out for those embroidery buffs.

Got to express a bit of admiration to Julie Herman from JayBird Quilts.

I have followed her blog since forever and have really loved seeing her go from blogger to designer.

Then there was Sweetwater. Their new line Hometown was the hottest ticket around.

Loved Sunkissed (still cannot find any pattern worthy of cutting into it) and Hometown is just as delicious.

And then there was Tula Pink's Prince Charming.

They won 2nd place on best booth. No wonder on that account, it was wall to wall Princes! Her new line reminds me of Neptune which I never got to touch. I will need some of this one so I don't find myself kicking myself later.

Besides the quilts in the books I chatted about yesterday, here are a few quilts that have made it to my must make before I croak list.

Quilts I want to make:

French vintage by Thimble Creek Quilts was made with French General fabric.

Is it just me or does French General have a monopoly on making all quilts look fantastic? Someone should look into that because I didn't buy their Petite Ecole line and I'm worried I might see a quilt I need to make using that line. I also hesitated on their new line and by the time I got back to the table at Sample Spree they were all gone. I felt a bit sick. The good thing is that it hasn't hit the stores yet, so there is still hope.

This one is a BOM from This and That made with Etchings by Three Sisters.

I kept going back to the This and That booth to look at the pattern and I picked up a flyer at Sample Spree but I could not nail down why I liked it so much. It was your typical pieced BOM pattern. That was until I saw that the fabric used was Three Sisters. I am a bit of a three sister's addict.

This one is a mystery. I don't know the designer but I saw it last year and was loving it. Since I had just started piecing Opening Day I was not too insistent on this one but this year I pouted a bit and my sister (Vanna again in this picture) ordered the pattern and will be carrying it. I am soo excited! I can't wait for it to come in!

This little one comes in the same pattern! It's a Two-fer!

Last but not least, continuing in my quest to be an applique'r,

I picked up Edyta Sitar's Reaching Out

Can you believe that she made that using a fusible applique method?

Here is a CloseUp:

She makes you feel you can tackle anything.

I really didn't buy much (Wedding bells on the horizon makes you a bit more careful with the budget) but I did break down and picked up a Fat Eighth of Ruby by Camille and Bonnie.

I don't know if I am totally in love with it yet, but I picked it up in case I have a fit later because I need it.

Of course, I already mentioned my obsession with Three Sisters.

I love these Fat eighths that are being sold. It gives you more than a layer cake but not as much as a FQ.

Just the perfect amount to get you going.

And then I picked up the prize of the evening: Hometown by Sweetwater

My daughter had strict instructions for me going into Sample Spree. Either a sample of Tula Pink's Prince Charming or Sweetwater's Hometown.

Free Spirit was not at Sample Spree so that killed the Tula Pink idea so I headed straight to Moda's table (like the other gazillion other quilters). I was looking for just one FQ bundle of Hometown. There was NONE to be found. I crawled around the whole table, getting elbowed, pushed and shoved. While peeking under people and touching things that should have not been touched by strangers. Just when I was about to give up and was in front of the checkout person, out from my peripheral vision I caught the sight of a cardboard cover moving enough to get a glimpse of what was underneath. It was TWO bundles of Hometown. I developed some internal propulsion engines and soared over two ladies (I did apologize after) to put my hand over one of those bundles. My heart was racing, my face was flaming but I was able to hold my head high when I called my baby the next day and told her "I got your Hometown - It was no problem!" LOL! The things we do for our kids!

My trip was great! Met some outstanding quilters and made some new friends. One of my favorite meet ups happened before the craziness of market actually kicked off. On Thursday, as I touched down at the convention center, Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies was heading out. I was so lucky to meet up with her for a few minutes, something that I never thought would happen with her being on the other side of the country. It was like seeing an old friend even though we had never actually "met". We have chatted so much off line and through our blogs that it felt like we already shared that first meeting before. On the downside... We were so wrapped up in chatting we forgot to take a darn picture!! LOL! Oh well, We now have a reason to meet up again. Hopefully soon!

So much to chat about...

2011-05-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

I was there last weekend.

I got home on Monday and yesterday had to go to work.. :(

I was not very functional but what can you do?

Before I left I was busy getting ready. I sewed a couple of blouses, but only one made it to market.

My sister gave me this button last year and thought it look super cute on my new blouse.

I also decided on the layout for my Opening Day quilt. I put it away for now but that was quite time consuming. I just could not decide on that perfectly pleasing arrangement. Now that THAT is done, I can pull it out when I have time to put it together.

After I put that away and cleared out my sewing room I felt ready to tackle market and the over load of yumminess that comes with that.

Riley Blake always has the cutest props!

Michael Miller's peeps had some serious energy romping around with capes and playing the superheros.

Gail Pan who is so funny and charming! She is an inspiration to take my embroidery serious.

Aren't those elves just adorable!! I had to have it.

And I met TARA! (Ignore how unflattering the pic is for me - she looks great!). Her new book Simply Charming is just that, simply charming. They are small quilts that are so lovely! The book was on my MUST have list and I was able to have her sign it for me. Notice Two Piece Puzzle in the background. I had to have a picture.

My second favorite "Tara" quilt is Shenandoah Valley. It was just as gorgeous in person than on the pics I saw online. Now, I have my own pattern to make this beauty!

Loved Joanna's booth. That is my sister, Brenda who invited me to go with her and experience all this delicious eye candy.

I picked up this book too (Some Kind of Wonderful - Do you remember that 80's movie? That is also a favorite). It has alot of embroidery projects but they were so very pretty,

I just couldn't help myself.

I also met Camille. She is so cute! LOL! She was super busy but took a moment for a Fan girl and took a picture with me. Her new patterns are going to be a hit! Big Blocks, Big Quilts!

Can I say that meeting Monique Dillard, the genius behind my favorite tool (Fit to be Geese Rulers) was a super treat. I was able to see all the quilts from her new book Fat Quarter Winners and I walked away with my own signed copy! Her new ruler, Fit to be Quarter, is headed to a quilt shop near you and it is a must have in my arsenal of Fit to be "fill in the blank" rulers.

Okay... this post is getting WAAAY too long.

More on Market goodies later.

Beth is no longer calling...

2011-04-18T05:00:00.042-05:00

This weekend I can call a finish.
I have been working on this one over the weekends.
Last weekend I finished all the blocks and got most of the rows sewn together.

This is how the quilt looked at the beginning of last weekend.

I had added the four square blocks and sewn the blocks into rows by the end of the weekend.

This weekend, I finished sewing the rows together.

I had completed the quilt as stated in the pattern on Saturday.

But I was looking to make it a bit bigger and added a few borders...

And finally, I stopped adding borders! LOL!

It ended being 83 -3/4".

I'm feeling pretty good about it.

The quilt was actually quite easy even though it looks sooo complex. Things that I'm still struggling with... all the stray threads! AG! I'm going to spend a good amount of time clipping those threads before sending to the quilter. Also, the size of the quilt requires that I purchase almost 8 yds of the fabric I wanted to buy for backing. A bit more than I wanted to spend and the few places that carry the fabric only have 6 yds. I'll have to buy it from different shops. I'm looking for alternatives. sigh.
Next, will be to cut the batting to size so when the backing is ready, I can just ship this out.

I'm really happy to have finished something!

I'm in love....

2011-04-12T11:52:00.000-05:00

I was surfing blogland recently and ran into Jenean Morrison's blog... and I fell in love. Her new line for Free Spirit is called Silent Cinema and it's a must have in my stash.

This is a big statement for me since I have not bought fabric as a 'just because I love it' since Market last fall.

I have been tempted... but have not fallen.

This line reminds me a bit of Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley (also from Free Spirit) but... more yummy.

I am thinking that I need some of this... Desperately.

I might even know what to do with it...

I have only repeated a quilt pattern once, but Piece of Cake 2 could be made with a bit of this.

Or maybe I can make June Bug (also by Thimble Blossom).

Or maybe a Canasta Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman.

Or something inspired from Film in the Fridge blog. (I love her modern quilts)

Here is the thing... regardless of what I decide to make, this fabric will be a dream to work with.
Did I mention that I need to get me some of that?

(all images came from Jenean Morrison's blog with her permission - Thanks!)

Weekend Happiness!

2011-04-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

Don't know how your week has been but mine has dragged! I was ready for Friday, on Tuesday. UGH!

Yesterday I was going to see Gwen Marston at the Dallas Quilt Guild meeting but I realized that the meeting was moved from our regular location. When I GPS'd it... it was FAR. Too far for me to venture out on a weeknight and feel comfortable. I was a bit upset since I was looking forward to it, but driving at night is not my strong suit and you have to be REALLY special to have me drive over an hour each way to hear you speak for just an hour. I would have spent more time on the road than at the meeting.

Anyway... that was just the icing on a week that found me a bit on the down side.

So.. Now it's Friday! And I am ready for the weekend to start! I will be finishing up Elizabeth this weekend. I need to think about the backing. I love flannel as backing on my quilts but I think I love a good design more. Since this line of fabric did not have a flannel counterpart, I have been debating which of Luna Notte's fabric I should buy to serve as backing. Think, think, think.

After I wrap up that project, I'm back to working on my Bali Star. Took a breather on that and I'm really happy I did, since it cleared my mind and allowed me to get enthusiastic about the project again.

I also have my baskets I'm working on. That is longer project since my handles are all appliqued and I don't want to rush through them since they serve as a great 'take along' project. But I have made great progress on that piece.

My big applique project is on hold. I think I need more guidance. I'm a bit stuck on transferring the pieces to the background. The book only has a small diagram on a square grid to give you an idea about placement. I'm not sure how to enlarge that so I can use it as a placement guide. Suggestions??

In the meantime, I will enjoy every minute of my well earned weekend. I hope you will be able to enjoy yours as well!

The Lincoln Lawyer

2011-04-06T05:00:00.034-05:00

Last night my sister and I went to the movies. Quite a treat in the middle of the week but when you have a coupon that expires the next day... well you make time to go.

We saw The Lincoln Lawyer and I was very surprised. The movie was actually VERY good. I was surprised because I'm not a huge fan of Matthew McConaughey. He just doesn't do it for me but he was excellent in this movie and I find it a shame that the movie was not promoted properly.

This movie is based on the book of the same name by Michael Connelly. I have the book on my TBR pile and had loaded it on my iPod to listen to it - now I'll have to pick up the other book in the series because the movie left me wanting more from the character McConaughey played.

From Wikipedia:

Moderately successful criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller operates around Los Angeles County out of a Lincoln Town Car driven by a former client working off his legal fees (hence the title). While most clients are drug dealers and gangsters, the story focuses on an unusually important case of wealthy Los Angeles realtor Louis Roulet accused of assault and attempted murder. At first, he appears to be innocent and set up by the female "victim."

However, Roulet's lies and many surprising revelations changes Mickey's original case theory, making him reconsider the situation of Jesus Menendez, a former client serving time in San Quentin State Prison after pleading guilty to a similar and mysteriously related crime.

The movie takes you on a good ride with plenty of twists and turns. Haller is slick and very manipulative but wen he finds himself on the other side of the con, he has to re-evaluate his life and how he does business.

If you have set this one to the side thinking that you can wait for it on video... don't. Go and see it. It is very much worth the trip to the cinema.

Productive Weekend...

2011-04-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

First, I will apologize for the poor quality of the pics. I took them this morning with my phone before I ran out the door to work.

This weekend I had some time to work on Beth...

I made the edges last night and put them on the wall this morning.

I also finished all the stars.

I am only missing the four patch blocks.

I'm a bit excited that I'm so close to finishing this quilt. It has been on my TBM (To Be Made) list for so long...
I am thinking that I will add a border to enlarge the quilt, like Nicole did with her Elizabeth.

I need to play with the block placement but a few days on the wall should have things popping. Then I can move things around to avoid those common fabrics from 'touching'. Hey! I can go just so far on the scrappy feel.

The Bias Tape Maker

2011-03-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

With my efforts to do more applique this year comes the need to learn about tools that might make the process a bit smoother.

When I was cutting out my applique pieces for my Love Letter's block I noticed that there were a few 'stems' to be made. I recalled that I had a bias tape maker back from when I thought I might use it (about 10 years ago). I pulled it out and realized that the tool was less than efficient.

So when I had to cut and make the handles on my Petite Fours block I decided to venture out and look for another option...

I discovered an updated version of the bias tape maker that I needed to check out.

As you can see it looks very much like the older model (still available at you local JoAnn's store)

here is the difference.... Notice how after feeding the fabric in the older model, it still comes out 'opened', while the new model is ready to feed to your iron with no tweaking.

Here is another look. See how the mouth of the new version is tight around the fabric,

while the older version feeds it open.

The end result is the same. You still get the bias tape you were aiming for, but the older model requires that your fingers get close and personal with your iron, while the newer version allows you to maintain a respectable distance from the heat.

Needless to say, I love my new bias tape maker, and my fingers do too!

Wondering how I feed the 1" strip through the tape maker?

Well I use my handy dandy stilleto which came courtesy of my favorite Pumpkin Patch.

I love that tool! It not only worked to push that fabric through the bias tape measure, it also helps me feed my fabric through the machine AND it also has helped me fold under the applique handles of my Petite Fours baskets. I don't know what I would do without that darn thing. I love it!

I also got a Pressing Tool with my stilleto which has saved my fingers more than once during this new adventure!

Hurray for new tools!

The Sci-Fi addict in me rejoices

2011-03-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

I am a jinx. Yup. You can ask anyone in my family. If I like something new on your person, I try to be evasive in my compliment. You grew out your nails and they look great... I will look but will comment more on the color of your nailpolish than on the length since it will cause a nail to chip.
Working on your complexion? Hmmm. 'Your makeup today looks nice.' is all you will get if you want to avoid a break out tomorrow. I have learned to keep my comments to a less than enthusiastic level. Inside, Happy dance for you...Outside, subdued acknowledgement.

I had always thought that my bad luck with enthusiastic responses translated into my choices in television shows getting canned. I try not to completely fall in love with a show because I don't expect it to get renewed. Worse... it just might get canceled Mid Season.

I was reading an article today that made me realize that the problem is not me!! YEAH! It's my love of SciFi. All Sci-fi fans must feel the same way. Journey Man - Canceled, Dollhouse - Canceled, Tru Calling - Canceled, Dark Angel - Canceled, Life on Mars - Canceled, Firefly - Canceled, Jericho - Canceled, and on and on I can go.

So when Fringe came on the scene a couple of years ago I was hesitant to embrace it, but couldn't stop myself. This year the show was moved to the worst slot on TV land - Friday. The kiss of death for shows like Medium. It's like pergutory for shows that are ready to move to their everlasting rewards. Fringe seemed destined to follow suit since the ratings were doing a nose dive (could also have been due to the baby mama storyline they were feeding us).

Anyway, today I read that my little show has been picked up for a Fourth Season!!! WOOOHOO!!! Maybe a mid year cancelation might still happen but to know that I will get at least SOMETHING next fall, is a treat and I celebrate (in a subdued manner - of course).

Hail to the sci-Fi Junkies!!

Beth, I hear you calling....

2011-03-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

I have had that Kiss song stuck in my head since yesterday morning. I had been feeling under the weather last week and took Thursday and Friday off, which found me gravitating toward my books and fabrics. I just lay on the bed and opened up my favorite book (Miss Rosie's Quilt Co - Spice of Life Quilts). I have almost all the patterns in that book and bought the book mostly for the pattern called Elizabeth. I fell in love with that pattern a while ago but the half square triangles were killing me and so I kept saying to myself that I could only get this one done when I had time to hit my head against the wall with those HST.

Well last week while I was in bed staring at the pattern I decided to break it down into pieces. I pulled my post it notes and started breaking the pattern down. I like to do this so I can determine color and to visualize the actual process of making each piece. It's not the same to know there are 24 delectable mountain squares than to know that each square will have 6 small half square triangles and a large half square triangle with a single 2.5" square. So the delectable mountain breaks down into 8 units.

As I was breaking down the quilt I chanced to remember that last week at the quilt show I dropped by the Bonnie Blue Quilt booth and picked up some Spinning Star triangle paper, Nicole blogged about a couple of months ago. I wanted to give it a try since I'm not having much luck loving any method of making HST.

This had me out of bed scrambling for my Luna Notte FQ bundle (I chose my fabrics a LOONNNGGG time ago). One thing I needed to figure out was how to keep the paper stable without the pins. I find that the pins distort the paper a bit and I have a problem with that.

It occurred to me that if I can stabilize my Bali Wedding Star pieces with this Sewline glue stick and have minimal, to no residual glue, I can use it on these HST papers.

Worked like a charm. All I had to do was follow the lines and these puppies were getting completed in no time at all!!

I was done with the HST in blink of an eye. I then sat down and trimmed the papers (much easier than trimming each individual triangle since it's just follow the line - no measuring). I pulled the paper off the little buggers while I was in bed watching Fringe.

At that point I realized... I was done with the most intimidating part of this quilt.

Beth started to take form as the weekend progressed.

Even though I was feeling crappy the progress on this one was amazing.

Yesterday I went back to work and that Kiss song kept playing over and over in my head. It seemed like this quilt kept calling me. I could not wait to get back to the project.

I'm wrapping up the stars but I ran out of the light cream fabric (marble tones). I am a bit upset over it since it was due to a mistake in cutting - cut more than I needed, but I'm hoping to find more online, someplace! ARG! In the meantime, I have some four squares to make.

Lesson on this one, don't let the pattern intimidate you. Just break it down to the elemental pieces and take it one block at a time. Oh... and make sure you don't cut more pieces than you need when you have a limited amount of fabric.
:)

Quilt Celebration 2011

2011-03-12T18:05:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I took the day off from work and headed off to Dallas, where my guild opened their annual Quilt Show.

This is the show that I will always credit for bringing me back to quilting. A few years ago my sister, Brenda, came for a visit and her trip coincided with the quilt show, so I dragged her butt to the show and fell in love with the craft all over again.

This year's show was just as yummy as the pasts. It's theme was Stars!
And there were stars everywhere.

I actually have this pattern (It's from Bonnie Blue Quilts - Glory Bound) but Dorothy Welch added a few borders to make it larger. I think I'll need to borrow that idea when I make mine.

Remember this quilt? It won a pretty ribbon! (Full Bloom by Carrie Nelson)

Congrats to Carol Dickschat who pieced this beauty!

I love this quilt. I also have the pattern!! Yeah Me!

Gorgeous is an understatement. I think I'll make it when I become a real quilter. LOL!

Congrats to Nina Johnston for the ribbon this beauty earned.

Lots of stars and gorgeous applique peppered the aisles of this show. I setup the slide show below. I hope it works. The quilters that created each piece is credited after the quilt itself.(I think you can change the speed of the slideshow or move ahead manually if you find things going a bit too slow).

As to the vendors... that is worth a whole post! I'll just say that there was some damage to the bank account, but not as much as there could have been if I had bought that darn Big Board Iron surface that I wanted!!

Hope you are having a quilty weekend!!

Piece of Fandango

2011-03-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

I had not posted about this finish but it has been on my bed for about a month now, so I think it's about time. I started this one back in November while I was at the Modern Quilt Guild retreat.

The pattern is Piece of Cake 2 by Thimbleblossom and the fabric is Fandango by Kate Spain.

I love that this fabric line had Flannel pieces, because I was able to use it as backing.

It is so yummy soft, it is insane!

Mary over at Quilt Hollow was able to get this quilted for the holidays, but I had failed to finish attaching the binding until January.

Tonight I took it to Show and Tell at the Modern Quilt Guild. It's always great getting together with that bunch. I just wish the meetings were closer.
This weekend my other guild (Dallas Quilt Guild) will be putting on their annual quilt show. I took the day off from work and will be there to open the doors. I'll take pictures and share when I get back!

Anxiety to get something done.

2011-02-28T05:00:00.036-06:00

Have you ever felt creatively stumped? Last summer I had this need to get something done. I needed to get something finished. Something I could see done so that I could once again feel creative. I'm feeling that way lately.

I have a few projects going. That alone is a red flag. I'm a start one, finish one type of gal and for me to have several projects in the works tells me that I cannot focus. Like when you are in an accident, incident, where you panic and you cannot function properly. I'm letting the anxiety kick in.

I am actively working on my Bali Wedding Star, Opening Day and my new Applique project. I also have my Two Piece Puzzle that is on the sidelines.

Well yesterday, instead of working on any of these projects, I started on something else.

A few weeks ago I was at my local quilt store and they were having a Fig Tree & Co trunk show. On the wall was this quilt:

I had seen the quilt online both on Johanna's website (picture above was hijacked from her site) and also at Sherri's site (I believe she actually pieced this beauty). But I was not very intrigued. I have basket issues that have left me scarred. So, I was very surprised when I saw this quilt on the wall and fell in love.

I immediately bought the pattern.

I had to have it.

I already had a Fat Eighth of Breakfast at Tiffany's that was calling to be used in a project.

On Saturday, I went back to my local quilt shop to pick up some of this yumminess for my Applique project (I sooo love this line. I can't believe I didn't buy a FE or FQ bundle - now I can only pick up bits and pieces of it. I feel like crying!) and while I was there I found some Fig Tree yardage that screamed to be used in the border of Petit Fours.

Well, if I already HAD the borders, might as well start up on the blocks.

This small blocks come together sooo quick! I had 7 done in no time. A little something extra... the handle is appliqued on. I kept telling myself that I was practicing for the BIG applique project!

I think they are coming out okay.

Anyway. I started on this project now. I feel guilty as hell. I just need to get something done. Something finished. Then I can relax a bit, but until then, the lack of finished projects will drive me crazy!!

Have you ever felt like this?

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

2011-02-24T05:36:00.000-06:00

I am an avid reader and for a several years I had been posting reviews on my other blog but since I have stopped reviewing as often I decided to just post my thoughts here.

I have been reading alot of Young Adult books recently and since I love me some good Sci Fi, this book just screamed to be read. I had seen the previews for the movie many months ago but I did not know that it had been adapted from a book. As soon as I found out I went in search of the book.

The book is penned by Pittacus Lore who is suppose to be an elder from the planet Lorien. In actuality, it's a pseudonym for James Frey who has written many Sci Fi pieces in the past. I found that little nugget of information added to the mystery of this book so I pass it along.

John Smith is one among nine alien children that were sent to Earth when their planet was taken over by the Mogadorian race. They were each sent with a warrior protector that is pledged to their safety. The Mogadorians are tracking them down as a means to wrapup loose ends since their next target is this planet.

The Loric children must be killed in order. If attacked out of order the harm that is inflicted on the child will kick back to the attacker. So the Mogadorians must track each one in it's own time.

We catch up with John as he realizes that he must move AGAIN because his enemies have just found Number Three and he knows that they will be tracking him down next. Moving to the small town of Paradise, Ohio seemed perfect except that he goes and falls for the wrong girl. The girl that the school bully (son of the local sheriff) has his eye on. Oh well!

The book is rich in detail of the world where John and Henri (John's protector/father figure) come from. John starts developing his legacy gifts - powers that are inherent to Loriens but don't manifest until puberty and we get a glimpse of how he has felt detached from his past until these gifts make him look back on his connection to this planet he barely remembers but is destined to die for.

Yes. There is a huge battle in the book that reminded me of the movie War of the Worlds. It was scary and tense and made me think, "Dang, This is good". If I'm on the edge of my seat and stopping the book (I listen to my books) because I'm too stressed out. The book is a winner.
Hey, some people ride roller-coasters. I read a good book!

Last Friday the movie version of the book was released and I went to see it on the first day. I will say that, like most movie adaptations, the book was much better, but.. The movie was very good too. I think they did a fantastic job at twisting things a bit here and there so we could get the excitement of the book within the 2 hour span the movie allows.

The book goes much more in depth as to the conflict within John and his relationship with his planet and protector. It also develops the secondary characters much more. We get to understand Henri as a person and not just as a protector. We see what was sacrificed on Lorien to give these kids a chance at survival. I think that even if you see the movie first, you can still benefit from reading the book. Like watching the Extended edition (or director's cut) on a great movie.

Anyway. I definitely recommend this one to all you Sci Fi junkies.

Applique? Anyone?

2011-02-23T05:00:00.048-06:00

My sister over at the Pumpkin Patch is an applique goddess. She works on all those fancy wool projects and spits out her completed pieces without breaking a sweat. Me? I have some issues. I have not found the right project for me.

Karen over at Log Cabin Quilter is also a queen at her applique. I'm always drooling over her work and I'm just plain jealous that I cannot find the patience and commitment to follow through on an applique project. To my dismay my January Guild retreat was full of wondrous applique projects.

I finally broke down and decided I needed to find the right project. I searched through all my books and patterns and even bought a new pattern, but in the end I decided to tackle one from the gals over at Blackbird Designs.

I bought this book over the holidays because I am in love with the Holly Leaf quilt I saw at the Houston Quilt Festival a couple of years ago. But, the book has several gorgeous quilts to chose from.

Among them is this piece. I have noticed that some quilt shops are actually making this as a block of the month. I loved this colorway and thought that I could try and tackle it.

This is the first block.

And this is the mess I made getting ready. LOL!

I use freezer paper to get the templates. The gals at blackbird designs suggested we stack and cut instead of tracing each individual piece. I admit, I never even thought of that. duh!

I then use my handy dandy glue stick and glue the edges over.

Here is a close up of some of the circles I got done on Monday. I've used a regular Elmers glue stick in the past but since I had to buy the Sewline Glue Pen for the Bali Wedding Star project, I just grabbed that.

I use this method instead of the traditional needle turn because I am not coordinated enough to get the pieces folded over in the right spot. Also, this allows me to do a bit on machine if I want.

After I have the pieces made, my next step will be to place on the background and using a few dots of Roxanne Glue Baste-it, set it in place.

So, to those that have done it before.. any suggestions? Shortcuts?

I'll post on my progress, but would love to hear your thoughts. Maybe I can try another method for the next block. In the meantime, you should check out Thelma's applique project over at her blog. She is also working on a Blackbird Design but from another of their titles.

Bali Wedding Star update

2011-02-22T10:15:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I participated in the Word Up Sewing Party. I was so busy sewing, that I never gave an update.

I started with 4 sets out of the 11 that need to be completed

Progress was excruciatingly slow. The process itself is so easy, but it is also very slow.

I actually started making them two at a time because the pace was killing me.

I am still struggling with the Arcs, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. 9 out of the 11 arcs are completed (when I took the pic the last two arc were missing one color - thus the tail).

Last weekend I went to the last class in the series and we discussed putting the pieces together.

Going from this...

To this.

Everyone at the class wanted to walk out with a block made. I personally had no intentions on rushing through the pieces just to see one made. I told the instructor that since I am so controlling I would need to finish up all my components first before I put together one single block. That way I would know I had all the background colors I wanted and didn't cluster any particular color. She then confided that she had done the exact same thing! I wonder if she said that so I wouldn't feel like a control freak? Hmmm..

I got a lot more of the taupe backgrounds cut (bought some more of these to calm that yellowish undertone that quilt was having). The instructor was nice enough to open the door to another "finish it day" around April - May, which will allow us to work on the quilt and then come in to wrap things up.

It's a long haul but I am really loving the colors and now that the tedious arcs are almost done I think things will move a little faster.

We hope.

Gifts to Cherish...

2011-02-17T11:34:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I got a little somthing in the mail from my favorite Pumpkin Patch.

Isnt it gorgeous?

I am a huge fan of most anything star related, so this was right up my alley. The fact that the piece is handmade (that star is paper pieced!!) and signed by the artist / quilter made it extra special.

This is truely a treasure and I immediately had to wear it. It's about an inch and a half which I found perfectly sized. I am not too into swapping out my jewelery but I have made the exception for this one on a couple of occasions already. I love that they also come as Fobs for my scissors! I think I need to buy me one of those. Check out the other designs that are being carried by Pumpkin Patch Primitives!!

With this cutie came a little bracelet from my favorite store (Brighton)...

I'm told that this design has been retired and the fact that both of my sisters have one, made me feel quite a special trooper.

Thanks Sis! I loved them both!

Hope your day is full of surprises too!

PW is in the house!!!

2011-02-15T10:23:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to see The Pioneer Woman and her entourage as they passed by Dallas for the Black Heels to Tractor Wheels book tour.

If you don't know who she is... well... you're missing out. She is the queen of blogging in my book. She blogs about her life as a ranchers wife, about homeschooling her 4 kids, about cooking for Marlboro Man (she calls her hubby that), and about Photography. She doesn't presume to know everything but shares what she has learned along the way. If you subscribe to her site for anything, do it for the cooking and the photography. You will find yourself hooked on her crazy personality and her talents in both of these areas.

Her kids were there. It was a bit surreal to see these kids who you feel you actually know because you have seen them as they grow up through her eyes. You have gone to their soccer games and watched them freak out when their horse galloped away, you watched them ride in their first rodeo, and rope their first calf. Surreal.

and Mr. MM himself was there. He was minding his own business when someone must have approached him to sign the Black Heels book and before he knew it, there was a line to get his siggy on the book and photo ops. He was such a trooper!!

Yes... I had no pity for him and was there to harass him too.

LOL! He is just such a nice guy!

He is very shy but if you mention anything ranch related, he will chat you up.

You see that Green bracelet? It says that I was among the 500s. By the end of the evening they had given out over 600 bracelets to identify the order in which you would get your books signed. We were the Cinderella crowd. We approached Ree for the signing at midnight. I was determined to get my whole 60 seconds with her, so we chatted a bit. LOL! Thanks to my sister, I have a whole series of pics of the conversation. I was a bit animated.

It was definitely an experience. If you have a chance to meet her, don't hesitate.
Just make sure you get there EARLY and bring proper entertainment. It could be a long wait.

Guess Who is Coming To Dallas...

2011-02-14T05:00:00.003-06:00

And guess Who is going to see her???

I'm a bit excited!

Word Up Sewing Party

2011-01-29T13:10:00.000-06:00

Today is the Charming Girls Sewing party and since my Word this year is Participate (see my icon on the right?) I thought I'd do just that.

I headed out this morning and picked up a few treats, ran some errands and grabbed a pizza. Now I have setup my workstation, have my book queued up (I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore), and I'm ready to get going!

I'm going to be working on my Bali Wedding Star quilt. There is plenty to work on so, I'm just going for it.

Dallas Quilt Guild Retreat 2011

2011-01-25T06:44:00.058-06:00

A couple of weekends ago the Dallas Quilt Guild had their annual retreat.
I love going to this retreat. This is my second year going and it was just as wonderful as last year.

There were less guild members this year (about 80 or so) but this gave us more room to spread out and more space to walk around and really see everyone's projects.

I love that this retreat is in January. It really gets you revved up for the year. Really inspired.

This is Full Bloom designed by Miss Carrie Nelson - Pieced by Carol Dickshat. She is putting this baby in our quilt show this year. The theme of the show is Stars - how appropriate.

And the applique that was being made! This is a Block of the Week program not sure who designed it but those blocks were only 3.5". It was really outstanding work by Peggy Slesinger.

The photo just doesn't do it justice.

Then there was this one. Again, not sure who the designer is but it was brought to life by Wendy Groves. She was ironing the blocks and I loved each one but when she put it together... Wow.

Funny, I am not a huge fan of this layout but I loved this one. Wendy was also working on a Green version of Carrie's Stella Blue pattern. A woman after my own heart! LOL!

The table where these ladies sat was just full of talent. I loved this one too. It was being put together by Wendy's Mom.

I sat with some pretty talented ladies as well. Renee, my roommate, worked on a batik landscape project that was outstanding, I loved that I saw it go from strips to a quilt. I wish I had taken a picture!!! AG!

And then there was Ragi who was one of the most industrious of all. She arrived late Friday and brought several UFOs that were in the last stages of completion. She was just kicking them out like there was no tomorrow. She also quilted the most gorgeous mini of a TCU mascot. Again.. No PICS!!! What was I thinking!

Marian Ann was my other table mate and she, like I, was working on a project that was just taking us much longer than we wanted. Her pattern appeared in an issue of McCall's quilting a few years ago. She was switching up the colors to give it a more modern/summer feel. Lovely lovely.

I worked on my Bali Wedding Star for most of the retreat. I also made a few Flying Geese for my Opening Day quilt. But most of all, I was inspired by these talented ladies. Always there with a words of encouragement and a welcoming smile.

A Wedding Journey... The Quilt

2011-01-17T22:24:00.002-06:00

Ah you thought that I would not mention the quilt? Well, you are wrong, I have to chat you all up a bit but not much since I do want to keep the reveal under wraps, but since Nyshma chose the pattern that she wanted for her wedding quilt, only the reveal needs to be withheld, the actual process is open for blogging.

I have been quilting for many years now and I have taken many classes and done many quilts but when the wedding quilt was chosen I realized that I could not do it on my own.

My daughter saw this quilt last year at our local quilt show

It is really quite gorgeous.

Bali Wedding Star by Judy Niemeyer

That one is a bit brighter than what she wanted but she could see that this was the one. It is definitely not an easy quilt, but will be so worth the trouble.

I found a certified teacher (yes, quilters go through a specialized training just to be able to teach the process) that was starting a 4 session class that I could join. I have three of the classes under my belt and am busy making the arcs for the quilt.

My daughter preferred more muted, earth tones so I didn't buy the kit that was offered but went out and made my own sets.

11 sets of 8 fabrics.

I have started piecing the arc and realized that it takes forever to complete each one,

so I'm in for a good haul.

Good thing she is an only child! LOL!

Will keep you updated on my progress.

2010 Quilty Recap

2011-01-11T12:50:00.002-06:00

2010 was not at all what I expected when it comes to my craft. I started with the engines revving to go but work got in the way and I felt very uninspired during summer.

Still, I got a fair amount of quilting done.

All my Schnibbles got quilted in 2010 - I only have one straggler left to be bound which I will include among my first few projects in 2011.

Madeline, Sunday Best and Tagalong were started and finished during 2010. Picnic and Winter White were made in 2009 but were completed in 2010.

I made quilts for my favorite girls this year...

Hidden Stars went to my Lindsey in April and Little Bits of Love found it's way to Jessi in November.

Coming Soon arrived just in time to welcome my cousins first child, Camila Victoria in September.

I was able to kick out a few tops that were sitting around for over 10 years begging to be finished. It's a Jungle Out There, Compass Stars and The Bounty all were quilted and bound in 2010! Yeah, for reducing the UFO pile!!

And then there were the last two of the year. I actually had not posted about these since they didn't get bound until early December.

Bread and Butter could have been the UFO of the year,
but I found a second wind in Fall and got her completed.

She was quilted by Margaret who did a wonderful job taming this wild beasty.

It got ALOT of use during Xmas.

Everyone seemed to want to throw it over themselves and enjoy the warmth of the flannel backing. The colors look great on the sofa too!

Short Story was started while in my summer slump and I was surprised that I actually finished it

just as summer ended.

I love this quilt. Love Love Love it. Mary quilted it with a design that just goes perfectly with the fabric. It's MY first quilt. The first quilt I claimed as mine.

I have other quilts but those are more house quilts. Quilts that belong to my house, but this one is mine. The batting is a dream (I wish I could remember what I used) and it has the perfect weight.

I finished one more top in 2010 but I decided that I will not count it as a 2010 finish because it has not been bound. Quilted, but not bound. As soon as I get the last stitch on it, I will call it finished.

A few other WIP that move onto 2011. Opening Day and Two Piece Puzzle were started in 2010 and become a priority for 2011. I can't wait for these to be finished but there is one more that was started and never blogged about. I don't even have pictures yet.. I am making my daughter her wedding quilt. I'll have more details next week since I'll be heading to my guild's Retreat this weekend and will be working on it almost exclusively.

So... that was my Quilty year. Next up.. Goals for 2011 (which I already started talking about above).

Charming Girl Word Up!

2011-01-10T11:30:00.000-06:00

The Charming Girls are choosing a word that will reflect what we want to see more of in our lives during 2011. It took me a while to decide on a word because I would find a word and then it would slip from my mind... I'm horrible remembering things which is why I am the queen of list!

So the other day I was taking a shower and was thinking that I kept FORGETTING my freakin word (yeah, while I'm in the shower I'm either daydreaming about hitting the lotto, or I can be found recriminating myself for everything I forgot to do the day before). So I thought I'd use the word Memories.. Make more of them by not forgetting so much... but by the time I got out of the shower and was dressed, ready to tackle my day... I had forgotten. :)

So I decided that was too lofty of a goal.

After more thought and a few notes to keep me on track, I decided that the word that reflects what I would like to see more of in 2011 is... Participate.

To take part of more things. I would like to Share more. These are the two key definitions to Participate. I love going to guild but the drive always drags me down. I want to attend more of the meetings, join in more of the activities. I would like to volunteer more and make sure I follow through - not just at the guild but at other events and causes I feel for. I would like to blog more, sharing my life and what I'm up to (this would contribute to more memories I can look back on). I can easily go on and on about how that word could be interpreted but I'm leaving it open so I can grow with it.

What is your word for 2011?

A Blessed Christmas

2010-12-27T18:24:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm not very big on surprises. Not at all. They make me feel out of the loop as if there has been some plotting and talking behind my back (which there is), but this year, I'll take this surprise ANY day.

You see that young couple between my parents and me. That is my daughter and my future son in law that showed up at my door on Christmas eve. I thought this would be my first Xmas without her and she had plotted with my sisters for months to surprise me. I still feel the sting in the back of my eyes just remembering the first glimpse of them.

Besides my daughter, son in law, and parents... my home was full for the holidays

From left to right.. Brenda (my sister) and her son GenePaul, Jessica (my younger sister), Harvey (my brother), Me, Nyshma and Ryan. In front, the patriarchs of the Family, My Mom and Dad. We had not been this complete in over 8 years so it was quite a blessing. Missing was my niece, Sydle which we hope will join the next reunion in September, for my daughter's wedding.

The house was decorated by my talented sister, Brenda who knows exactly where to put each ornament so that it will shine to it's brightest potential and although she shared the cold she picked up on the plane with me, she did make sure that I had pretty sights and sounds around the house to bring me comfort.

There was some doodling around by my brother, who might not know how to quilt but can hold his own in the artistic arena.

Lots of Goofing around with our unofficial Puertorican white boy, Michael (he insists he is really a Miguelito) who pretends he is part of the clan and we let him, because he knows how to add a great flare to any gathering.

Overall an outstanding Christmas with a crew that knows what love is all about.
On the topic of surprises.. I just want to say, although I loved this one... Give the Gift of Anticipation next time!! LOL!

I hope all your Christmases have been as blessed as mine!

Jane Austen and Remakes

2010-12-14T10:51:00.000-06:00

Jane Austen does it for me. No questions, no tip toeing around it. She just does it for me.
This time of year I pull out my Pride and Prejudice DVD and glom it. I tend to prefer the Colin Firth / Jennifer Ehle version, as does the rest of humanity, but I have been watching the Matthew Macfadyen / Kiera Knightly version these last couple of years since it's alot easier to suck someone into watching a 2 hour movie vs a 5 hour series...

Last Christmas I was giving new material. I got this:

I loved the Hugh Grant / Emma Thompson version but after seeing this one on PBS I could not believe I found a superior version. Hattie Morahan owns the role of Elinor Dashwood. there is so much open emotion revealed by all of the characters that I will never watch the Hollywood version again.

Talking about remakes, I'll be watching this one next:

I own the Ciarán Hinds / Amanda Root version but after watching once I couldn't really figure out what the big deal was. I could not really relate or sympathize with the heroine. BBC remade it at the same time as the Sense and Sensibility one. I loved it. Sally Hawkins made me feel for Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones allowed me to see Capt Wentworth as a man really hurt by Miss Elliot's betrayal. If you feel for the characters the Happy Ever After is so much sweeter.

Now, on to a matter left unattended for too long...

The unfinished Pinwheel project is headed off to Mary at the Quilt Hollow.
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it.

A UFO vs a WIP?

2010-12-06T05:30:00.029-06:00

What makes a UFO? Is it the project that has been sitting around for more than 6 months? or is it more the project that you put away knowing that it has stopped inspiring you?

I vote for the later. I wrap up the year with three WIPs but I was determined that I would not end it with any UFOs. But I admit that with just a few weeks for years end, I have one. This is a project that has stopped 'doing it' for me. It's a project I started quite revved up about but just dwindled to nothing.It's a project I know I will never finish.

Earlier this year Rachel Griffin from p.s. i quilt, had a Pinwheel quilt-along and many wonderful quilts were born out of the quilt-along. But, alas, not mine.

I honestly think this project was doomed from the get go since I was not in love with the fabric. I wanted to make it with Sanae's Freebird line but my daughter chose that line to make hers (which never flourished either) and I went ahead and picked up Blackbird Designs Garden Party.

I actually followed along until the very last two blocks. One was not something I liked so I decided to substitute it and then Rachel took a break of her own and I lost my rhythm. When she popped back and said, chose your own pinwheel for the last block... I had moved on. Summer was super busy and I never looked at this project again.

Following in my "No UFOs" in 2010, I am going to do something with it... I'm giving it away. Don't want it, Won't finish it. And it's not hanging around!!

So... let me know if you want it. I have 12 blocks completed. You can see them in this post: Pinwheel sampler. They are all the right size (no wonkiness to them) and the rest of the layer cake with the scraps are all part of the bundle. You take it all. One thing that is missing is the background fabric. Here is what really clued me in that the project was a UFO: I used the background on another project!

It's a solid background and although the original solid was a P&B textile solid, I believe you can find a match in the moda solids or the kona solids by Kaufman. Since there are a few blocks left to make (I believe 4) you could probably scatter the mixed backgrounds among the existing blocks and it could pass. If you want to look for the solid, I have a few swatches in the scraps that might help match it.

Anyway, cleaning out my craft room in preparation for my holiday guests proved to be a treasure trove of interesting finds (old fabric collections, old quilts, etc.) but this one was a thorn in my side and I refuse to put it away!!

Leave me a comment letting me know you want it, and if I get more than one person interested, I'll do the Random number thing on Friday.

Have a great week!!

No Name has a name

2010-11-22T17:00:00.001-06:00

Little Bits of Love is headed to it's new home this week. I had mentioned that this one didn't have a name and I was waiting for the AHA moment. Well it sure took it's time!

It wasn't until I was making up the label that it smacked me over the head. The quilt has been the bain of my existence for a while and I think it's like that fussy child that nothing is ever right until it finally is.

It seems appropriate that it's going to my Jessi. Among my girls she is strong willed and tough to budge. When she makes up her mind, you better just throw in the towel and roll with it.

Never one to be quiet, she was the one that really sneaked up on me. I don't think I ever shared this with her but the first time she came to my house I thought for sure I would not be able to deal with her. She was a chatterbox and opinionated and had waaaayyy to much energy. She really hasn't changed much but there is so much more to her. Underneath it all she is also a romantic. An artist. A poet. She is loyal and proud and has a love for life that I have seldom seen in a person.

I really was not sure if this was her quilt. I loved the pattern since I saw it but I could not see it going to her. I think it was the white, too stark, too one dimensional. But as I was looking at fabrics in Houston, those batiks where flagging me down and yelling at me to use them for Jessi's quilt, for THIS quilt.

As I worked on this piece it kept reaffirming itself. As I cut the batiks I thought of her. Each piece is so unique, even fabric from the same bolt stands no repetition. Each piece has it's own depth, it's own design. It was just so appropriate. The white gave it the balance it needed and the quilting just brought it to life!

Wondering what is that something in the corner of the quilting...

I asked Margaret to make this one uniquely Jess.

The VW is in homage to Jessi's pride and joy.

Yup. Jess loves her car to near obsession,

so it seemed appropriate that the logo be included in the quilt that is just for her.

Take a peek at the backing. This was the crux of my existence. After two failed attempts in getting a fabric that 'played' well with the darker batiks, I gave up and just went with the jewel batik flannel. I am telling you! This quilt would not fit into a standard formula. It was going to do what it wanted to do and you could either accept it or lose sleep over it. I just went with it.

No Name is now called Little Bits of Love

625 little bits of my heart sent to my Jessi Girl.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Charming Girls - Holiday Traditions

2010-11-15T11:57:00.000-06:00

I've been a bad Charming Girl because I have not been playing with the others! I only have the excuse of work and play has really not allowed me to catchup with my girls. Not really an excuse, so I'm working on this.

The Charming Girls have a Theme going on and we are to post abit about our personal Holiday Traditions. I honestly can't say that my family has an enduring holiday tradition but I have endeavored to establish a few myself so the my daughter can share them along with her own children.

Holiday Ornaments is a big one for me.

Each Ornament has a history, each one holds a memory.

And although some are not as pretty as others, they are all special and go on the tree until they fall apart and need to be retired.

As to traditional holiday foods... Nope. If my mom is around we will definitely make a traditional Puertorican Christmas dinner on Christmas eve. Pork Roast, Rice with gandules, pasteles, bread and butter! All very yummy, but it will not replace the Christmas day meal even if we have left overs. Christmas Lasagna got established when my daughter was about 7 or 8. I don't recall how it became a "tradition" but I do recall that I first made it because it was a one dish meal that everyone liked and was not viewed as Christmasy. I think I just wanted something that didn't require slaving over a stove but could easily feed many. Now, I get asked if I'm making lasagna on Xmas. I always say "Of Course". And it has become expected. Sorry, no recipe since everyone makes lasagna to fit your own personal taste and I've made it for so long, I don't follow anything anymore. I think the most 'dificult' part of the process is a) Seasoning the Ricotta and b) putting it together. The 'easiest' part? You can prepare ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven whenever the time to eat gets close. A cheesecake on the side, a loaf of bread and you are done! If you make it in a disposable pan you will have minimal clean up afterwards too!

You can't beat Christmas Lasagna! :)

Although we don't do it any more since my daughter is older and we have moved away from a strong Art district, we did have a Christmas outing every year as my daughter grew up.

Growing up in NY, my parents used to take me every year to Radio City Music Hall to watch The Christmas Spectacular. As an adult, I realize that my Dad must have saved all year to get tickets to take a family of 5 to this show. We used to walk the streets looking at the window decorations and would top it off watching the skaters at Rockefeller Center. It is a cherished childhood memory and I wanted something like that for my own daughter.

So as soon as she could sit still during a performance, I started taking her to Boston to see The Nutcracker. It was a dress up day and we would put on our finest Christmas wear and go to the city for the show. When she was around 4 I actually drove to NY for the Christmas Spectacular but I don't think she remembers. She will remember The Nutcracker though. I hope she will pass that one on.

Okay, I think I might be getting depressed! This will be the first year that I can ever remember that I won't have my daughter with me on Xmas and although ALL my family will be in house (parents, sisters, nephew and even my reclusive brother) my daughter will not be there. Ok. I'm officially depressed!

Funny story though.. I mentioned it last year in my post about Christmas but it's funny as heck so why not!

Our Nativity set gets laid down as soon as the Christmas tree goes up but baby Jesus doesn't show up until Xmas morning. It's my way of keeping focus on what Christmas is all about. I had done this for many years but it wasn't until several years ago that my daughter (then 19) realized that the baby was missing from the manger. She went nuts! Thought Pepper (our small dog) had eaten it and we would now have to run to the vet with her. We had a good laugh out of that one.

I hope everyone not only survives the Holiday, but also enjoys every minute of them, building new memories to recall all year long!!

Unstoppable..

2010-11-14T20:12:00.000-06:00

I know that next weekend most of us will be in line to catch a glimpse of this...

My daughter and her friends (known as The Marauders) have been making every book and ever movie an event to celebrate. Although the nest is empty, I will be watching when The End begins...

BUT...

If you are are among those that will not be there to watch the beginning of The End, you should go watch this....

I just got back from watching it and I was blown away. Had me at the edge of my seat, tension in my gut, and jacket covering my eyes almost from the first scene. What is so incredible is that Unstoppable is inspired by the "Crazy Eights" unmanned train incident in 2001. Albeit on a smaller scale, many of the events we see actually happen back in 2001 when train #8888, left its rail yard in Walbridge, Ohio, unmanned and began a 66-mile journey through northwest Ohio. With all the holiday movies coming out in the next few weeks, make sure you squeeze in this one. It was Fantastic!!

I'm still celebrating...

2010-11-11T13:28:00.000-06:00

Because I had to work on my birthday I will be extending my personal celebration over the weekend with early dinner and a movie on Sunday but I needed to pop in and share. This year my wish list was very practical. You might think that my gifts are a bit off but I'll tell you that I love them.

First I'll start with the pretty gift.

It's a Camera Bag for my pride and joy.
I own a Nikon and a couple of lens but my current Camera Bag was a bit of a clunker.
I had been eying this one for a while. At first I wanted it in Red but I 'eyed' it for too long and they discontinued it. I was excited that the brown came out and it matched so well with my other bags. My 'baby' now has a beautiful new home. Woot Woot!! Happy Birthday to Me!!

Second.. The whopper of all gifts...

Yes. It's a Rice Cooker.
Do you know any Hispanic families? We are breed on Rice and Beans. Our standard for Rice is unique. It's something we have in common with Asian families. The difference is that we like our rice loose. Well, our household had been struggling with the rice cooker for many months. The rice would either turn out raw, over cooked, or a mixture of both, but it was a rare occasion when the rice would be perfect. Sigh. I might not eat rice every day but I want my rice to be delicious every time. I have not given this baby a test drive but the reviews have been positive AND it's so pretty, I just might put up with bad rice for a bit longer if my test drive flops. Happy Birthday to Me!!

Thanks to my sisters and my baby girl for the wonderfully, thoughtful presents!

What else did I get?

After work I headed over to Vera Bradley - I have a weakness for Vera Bags.
They were having a sale event and I needed to pick up a cosmetic bag to match my Weekender bag. I was telling my sister that I was having problems because I used my new bag over the weekend but my cosmetic bag didn't match. As everyone in last weeks retreat found out... I'm a bit anal. Everything in it's place and all that. LOL! Not only did I pick up the cosmetic bag but a new Gym bag too. Happy Birthday to Me!!

THEN to top things off, when I got home, My Short Story quilt was waiting for me on the doorstep! Mary over at Quilt Hollow had completed the quilting and put it in the mail early this week. I was so excited!! I could not take a picture because it was already dark but I'll be sharing soon enough. Happy Birthday to ME!!

Okay, so now to what you all have been waiting for.
I will tell you that I read each and every one of your comments. I loved reading your stories and I appreciate that you shared them with me. That was a wonderful gift. Thank you.
After pulling out any double postings, I ended up with 82 comments. From Random.org...

Our winner is # 52

April from Artsy Fartsy Designs who wrote:

Hi Sandy! Happy early birthday! we should have celebrated this weekend at the retreat along with Lisa's! and Angie's was last week! so many birthdays!
i hope yours is a great day!!

Birthdays were always a huge ordeal to my Mom. She made our birthdays so special & made us feel so loved, even as adults. She passed away 4 1/2 years ago the day before my 25th birthday. So unfortunately I share my birthday with a not so great anniversary. HOWever, 4 years later & I'm finally able to enjoy my day again. I would have to say this year (my 29th) was the best birthday since her passing away. Just feeling loved from friends and family really makes it great :) We celebrated my *last* birthday celebration- as next year I will not be 30, but it will be the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday! :-D

This is what I'm talking about when I thank you all for sharing your stories with me. Many were as touching as April's. Funny thing is that April was at the Modern Guild Retreat last weekend with me and we got to know each other better. She understands my anal tendencies because, as Juanita commented on another post, my workstation was definitely the tidiest. LOL!

I just might have to adopt April's idea of having an anniversary of my birthday but I'll wait to hit 50 since so many of you said that was the BEST of all!!

Cheers to many more wonderful birthdays to come, for you and for me!!

A quilty weekend if I say so myself!

2010-11-09T19:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend I spent it with my quilty buddies from the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. You are probably saying, "but... your not a modern quilter.", I would then say, "Hey! I can be modern if I want to!" LOL!

Seriously, I had a great time. What is nice about the group is that there is a great big pool of creativity all in one spot. Not only do these ladies give "Liberated Quilting" a new face, they also can appreciate traditional quilting.

I wanted to make a dent on my Opening Day quilt but I also needed to take something that would be a bit mindless so I took my Fandango layer cake and Thimbleblossom's Piece of Cake 2 as a backup.

I spent alot of time making many of these...

That turned into all of these!

I made 28 blocks with just 8 more Sawtooth stars to complete that part of the quilt.
There are many, many more flying geese to make but I'm not going to focus on that. I'm taking it one at a time.

I'll admit that I was feeling unproductive because I had been making star after star after star and still not completing my quilt. So, on Saturday night I put away Opening Day and pulled out my backup project.

As soon as Fandango came out I knew I wanted to use it for this project.
The pattern is by Camille Roskelley from Thimbleblossoms.

The quilt is sure easy to make. I'm talking immediate gratification here.
I had all the blocks made by 9am the next morning and was off to get some sashing added.

Then comes the layout -

this one was tough because every block was busy and just danced all over the place.

Then... you twist!

By the time I left on Sunday afternoon, I had the blocks layed out and ready to sew into rows.

You know what is the best part of this quick quilt? Fandango has a flannel line! I just ordered the backing for the quilt in a gorgeous flannel that extends the beauty of this fabric around to the back of the quilt. I'm just all around excited!

So, a productive weekend if I say so myself. Made a good dent on my Opening Day, have a new quilt top almost completed and got to know a group of some really amazing gals! Fabulous!

Don't miss out on my Birthday Giveaway! Leave a comment on my previous post (What a Weekend!) for a chance to win a copy of Carrie Nelson's new book. I'll be back on Thursday with the name of the winner!!

What a Weekend!

2010-11-03T06:00:00.011-05:00

Closing the comments

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to participate!!

Will be back soon with the winner!

I'm back from Quilt Market and enjoyed every moment. My only regret... I needed more time and should have taken more pictures!
Unfortunately we just had one day to see the booths and meet with the vendors. The other day was spent in classes and lectures. If I would ever go again, I would definitely drop the lectures and show up just for the show itself.

The first day was Sample Spree. not sure how people take pictures during this event.. honestly, it's just crazy. Well now I can say I did it. Picked up lots of goodies and was completely exhausted after just an hour. Funny thing happened the next day.. Pulled up my blog reader and found this picture over at the Jolly Jabber...

I circled what caught my eye. It was my daughter in the middle of they mayhem trying to get past the crowd with her own goodies. I'm happy there was no evidence of my own weak moment at the Moda table. LOL!

The next day we were on the floor nice and early but we still didn't have enough time to see it all. I was able to see many new designers and new upcoming fabrics from old favorites, and I also had a close encounter with my favorite designer....

Yup. I finally met THE Carrie Nelson. What a wonderful lady. I think I babbled... so embarrassing, lol! Told her I had started Opening Day and thanked her for my Fit to be Geese Rulers. I then stalked her, dragging my daughter over to a book signing. We chatted some more about my daughter's unique name and she shared a story of a friend of hers that had a more challenging name than my baby. That meeting was definitely the highlight of my trip. I'm such a fan girl!

The next day I drove home with these...

You might ask how I ended up with three books? Well, one is my signed copy, the other is my daughter's copy (she overindulged a bit and needed me to send her some of her stash through the mail), and the last one was waiting for me when I got home, since I pre-ordered my copy!

Well... since it's my birthday next week, and some say that giving is better than receiving... (I'm really working on that one - lol!) I've decided to give away the copy I ordered.

YEAH!! A GIVEAWAY!!

To enter, leave a comment sharing a memorable Birthday story. I'll pick a winner at random on Nov 10th (my birthday)!
Since I don't have many followers you have a good chance of winning, so leave a comment and help me celebrate my birthday!!

Update: I have noticed that many comments don't have an email associated with it. Please make sure that you leave me a way to contact you. If I cannot contact the winner I will have to chose someone else. You can either update your profile or leave your email in your comment. Thanks!!

Guess where I'll be this weekend....

2010-10-28T06:00:00.017-05:00

Yup.. I'm a bit excited! My sister Brenda is a quilt shop owner (PumpkinPatchPrimitives.com) and she decided to go to market this year. I was very excited when she asked me to join her in Houston but now that the day has arrived, I'm super pumped! Not only will I be getting to see my sister, but my daughter was also invited and she will be flying in today as well!!

I'm taking my camera and will take pics as we go. I'm signing off for now since it's a long, long drive and I still have a few things to cross off my To Do list. Have a great weekend!!!

A New Project - Opening Day

2010-10-27T23:20:00.002-05:00

It's time to chose a new project. This one just might be the last project of the year so I had to make sure it was a good one. Many options to chose from but I kept going back to the fact that I don't have a Christmas Quilt. Soon everyone will be pulling out their holiday decorations and I'll be all jealous.

Last year I said I wanted to make a Christmas quilt and went out and bought a FQ bundle of Glace by Three Sisters to make my quilt.
Here we are just a few weeks away from the holidays and I don't have my quilt made. Well, no more. My pending quilts have all gone out to the quilters and I'm ready to start a new quilt.

How appropriate that I chose Opening Day as my pattern!

I assume that you have heard that our Rangers made it to the World Series. I moved to Texas just a few years ago but this state has really taken me in and made me feel like I was a Texan all my life. I have loved my Red Sox and Pats (originally from New England) but credit where it's due. Go Rangers!!!

I started cutting and piecing this past weekend and I'm loving it

Those flying geese are a breeze with my Fit to be Geese ruler. I love that darn thing!
Thanks Carrie!!

I have only 3 stars pictured but I already have 8 made. I think this one will be made in no time at all. I don't think that anyone will be able to quilt it for me by Christmas but to know that it was made and ready will get me through the season without turning so green. LOL!

Have a great week!!

Two off to the quilters!

2010-10-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

I sent off a couple of my babies to the quilters last week.

Short Story has been making it's way over to Mary at the Quilt Hollow.

and this special piece is headed to Margaret at Mainely Quilts of Love.

These ladies are a true treasure. Both do exquisite work and are always ready to make suggestions so that the final product ends up being exactly what the quilt is meant to be. I can't wait to have them come back home.

No Name project in Progress

2010-10-09T05:30:00.002-05:00

"No Name" was originally named 25 in 25 and first appeared in American Patchwork and Quilting's April 2004 issue.

As I went searching for a project for a particular loved one, I kept coming back to this quilt. It seemed to really speak to me but the white solids had me questioning the selection. I just had a real problem getting over the solid white. I have a problem with solids period. I've been working at getting past this but I still haven't really gotten over it yet.

When I was in Houston last year I passed a booth that was selling FQ batiks for a steal and as I was looking over the selections, this quilt finally, FINALLY became something I could visualize. I could see the beautiful batiks surrounded by that stark white which would get quilted to add the life that would hug my darling girl. Funny how some quilts make you wait before the decide to get in your face and insist on getting done.

I started cutting and piecing last weekend.

I made a good dent on the 25 blocks that I need.

But I still have 9 blocks before I can attach the sashing and call this top done.

I've been looking for a 108" wide hand dyed flannel for the backing but that fell through. So now I will need to piece the backing before I send this baby out to get quilted. I will also need to decide on what to name it and have been waiting for that AHA moment. Nothing yet.

New Additions to the Stash

2010-10-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

I am such a stash junkie! Yup. I am. I freely admit it. I am not embarrassed (too much) by it.
Why? It's a wonderful thing.

Last month a few pre-ordered Pre-Cuts arrived at my door from the Pumpkin Patch. and I had failed to share with you all.

I love Kansas Trouble prints but I was not able to get my hands on Butterfly Garden in the Spring, so I made sure I requested my little bit of Summers End. This Fat Eighth bundle is just enough for my fix. LOL!

I loved the New Clermont Farm line by Minik & Simpson but I have no idea what to use it for.

Maybe my version of this?

I've been working very closely with "Collection for a Cause - Hope" for some time now since I won a Fat Eighth bundle from Kelly but I had already ordered a FQ bundle so this one was just an added treat for me.

I REALLY have no idea what to do with this one though. I'll have to look over my patterns.

Last but not least (on the fabric front)...

Maison De Garance by French General. This beauty already has a project assigned to it.

I picked up a copy of one of Miss Rosie's newest patterns, Brown Eyed Girl.

Another cute little thing that made it into my work space was this thread holder. I love it. My sister Brenda picked it up for me on one of her adventures and when I was visiting her a few weeks ago she gave it to me.

Can you see how my Precensia thread is displayed to all it's glory. I love this thread.

Okay... Now that I'm listing all my new acquisitions it sure looks like alot... but in my defense I bought it all over time, I'm just getting around to sharing now. Heck! No guts, No glory, Right?

Yesterday, I picked up the Nottingham Star pattern after Thelma, Lisa and Nicole pimped it out earlier this week.

So to wrap things up...
In: WAAYY to much.
Out: Not enough!

A Wedding Journey.. The Dress

2010-10-02T06:00:00.008-05:00

Sorry, not alot of pictures on this one since it's Top Secret! but I will share the journey with you.

This one is a biggie on the list. It's a bit early but Nyshma really wanted to get this one out of the way and now that she is living far away, there would be little opportunity for me to be with her. So we took advantage and went a shopping!

We had both seen a dress she really liked at a Bridal show here in Texas and before she moved we went and tried it on...

This one was the one to beat because she loved it. I encouraged her to keep looking to make sure that her feelings with the dress were not due to it being the first one she tried on. I honestly believe that until you put on that dress, it all feels a bit foreign.

After visiting the venue we drove down to Portsmouth, NH and met with the lovely ladies at Madeline's Daughter. The young lady assigned to our appointment was just wonderful and she brought some exceptional dresses to compete with the first.

There were some tears shed there and we thought we found a strong contender.
Still we walked away because we had one more stop before the decision was made.

We were visiting Kleinfeld's the next weekend.

The trip to NY was a last minute addition to our itinerary but after spending the summer watching many, many reruns of Say Yes to the Dress we had to find an excuse to go there. The excuse was a particular Dress that my DD (dear Daughter) had on her wish list and she just HAD to try on before her final decision.

The traffic in NY was horrendous, but we already knew that. The hotel was horrible, but we had low expectations. But it all was worth it because she found it! She found the one!

We almost walked away defeated but after about 8-9 dresses, the consultant took us to the back room where she let us loose to see if we found something she had missed.

Peaking from a plastic garment bag was a dress that had a top similar to the first dress DD loved and a bit of the second dress we had on the list. Pulling it out of the bag brought an inhale of breath and a few dropped jaws. I admit to tearing up when she stepped into it because I knew this was the one.

I wish I could tell you more but I have been sworn to secrecy and the pictures shown here have been previously approved (one had to get cropped several times over before approval was given).

Needless to say.. she said YES to the dress.

We left on a high and headed off to meet with a friend for lunch. We found this place where you select the pasta of your choice and it's cooked in front of you. Definitely yummy.

Nyshma's Yumminess

My Yumminess

We then headed out for dessert and I had to take a picture for Thelma...

These little bite size cupcakes (they are just a bit larger than a quarter) were soo delicious! I was tempted to go back for more but by then we were running late and I was just exhausted.

It was a wonderful adventure and quite a success so every minute was worth it. I was blessed to have shared this time not just with my daughter but with my sisters too (one is pictured above with DD and the other can be found here). Thanks Gals, for putting up with a fretful Mom!

That's it for now, will be back with more closer to the date.

A Wedding Journey.. The Venue

2010-10-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

As some of you might know my only child is getting married. It's bittersweet because she is my baby and she is living far from me. She is very excited and I have been lucky to have her want my input on the wedding. With that I flew out to New Hampshire from my cozy corner of Texas to do some initial prep work for the big day (Next Labor Day weekend).

First up was the Venue. This was a big milestone because all timelines are based off the venue selection. You might want to get married on a certain date but if you can't find a place to have your wedding, you will need to re-evaluate your date.

Her top three venues were all booked on her date, but she was lucky to find a place close to her new home that offers her the feel she was looking for. Next year she will celebrate her wedding at The Bedford Village Inn.

Here Nyshma is standing on a small platform where the Bride and Groom

can stand as the ceremony takes place.

Here you can see the area where the chairs would be placed facing the small platform where she was standing before.

When she visited a few weeks before with her fiancee the venue was preparing for a wedding and she was able to see the chairs in place.

The chairs would have some covers but it helped to get an idea of the layout.

We were lucky to see the landscaping as it will be next year because we visited about the same time the wedding will take place.

Here is the entrance. Lovely!

What made this a challenge was that my daughter wanted a barn wedding. A rustic feel to the place was a must since she really is a let your hair down type of a gal...

The beams did her in.

Again, a peak at the place setup for a wedding really helped...

I really wasn't sure about the place but after visiting it I knew this would work for them and was happy they could accommodate the date they wanted.

Hope you enjoyed the preview..

Next up.. The Dress!

Revisiting the old to avoid UFOs

2010-09-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I took inventory of my goals this year and realized I wasn't even close to meeting them. Worse than that, I would wrap up the year with a new UFO!! That just could not be tolerated, so I decided to revisit my Bread and Butter quilt. Remember how frustrated I was back in March when this baby got the best of me? Go here for a recap.

I decided to pull off that last border which was so off I could not look at it any more.
I was much more calm and after taking pictures of a few my recent successes, I was bayoued by the boost to my self esteem and slowly attached the border again. It was still off on one corner but it was sooo much better than before.

There is nothing to be done with the wavy blocks but I'm hoping that Margaret at Mainely Quilts of Love can perform a miracle so that it's not too obvious after quilting.

By sending this one off I make sure that I will not end the year with any unfinished quilts.

Round up of August Adventures

2010-09-13T17:33:00.000-05:00

August is a special month in my house.
Two of our girls celebrate thier birthday during the month.

My parent's baby girl opens up the month with a birthday on the 7th.

My baby girl closed the month with a birthday on the 31st.

It was a bitter sweet time for this last one since, after a year of living back home, Dre picked up and moved back to New England to start a new adventure.

In preparation of her wedding we went off to do a bit of bonding before she started her cross country trek to her new home.

I am under strict instructions to not show any of the possible dresses but this one holds a special place in the bride's heart since it was the first one she fell for.

Friday I'll be getting on a plane to visit her, and do some more bonding over Venues, more dresses and bridal shows. I can't wait!!

Getting back to business

2010-09-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

It had been raining all week.

Not that I'm complaining since it means that I didn't have to water the sapling we planted in spring.

It's been quite hot this summer and this rain definitely came at a good time. Yesterday we finally got some sunshine which allowed me to take pics of some of my recent finishes.

First up is Sunday Best.

I sent Mary over at Quilt Hollow a few Schnibbles to quilt and I must say, they turned out wonderful! I love these little quilts!

Isn't the quilting just exquisite?

Winter White is up next.

This was the first Schnibble I made, back in September of last year.

I had bought the backing last year but found myself short so I had to use the fabric for the binding to piece it a bit larger.

Swirls were quilted on this piece and made it adorable!

Tagalong was also quilted but I failed to take a picture before it headed off to it's new home at the Pumpkin Patch. I'm hoping that some pictures might be forthcoming after it settles into it's new home.

I also finished Short Story!!!

It is quite large at approx 73".

I love that I chose different background prints since I think it gives the quilt some depth.
I'm waiting for the yardage for the fabric line (Collection for a Cause: Hope by Moda) comes out so I can pick up the backing and send this one out to be quilted. I can't wait to get this one quilted and bound since I'm feeling like this one just might be mine. :)

I'll be back with more but for now, Have a great week!

Ugh... It's already September!

2010-09-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

I am alive and will be posting soon about what I have been upto...

Added some shhhtuff to my stash
Finished Short Story top
Started 25/25
Added binding to three Schnibbles
Baby Girl moved away

It's been busy but productive. I just have not gotten around to chat about it. I'm hoping to get to the chatting in the next few days.

Hope your Labor Day weekend was fun!

Tutorial: How to make a passable label for your quilt

2010-08-14T04:34:00.031-05:00

Everyone makes labels in different ways... from getting them printed professionally, using services like Spoonflower.com, to just free-handing a signature and note directly on the back of the quilt. I have thought of using the first and have done the later but most of the time I take a moment to make a decent label that is different and unique for each quilt.

A while ago Thelma (Cupcakes 'n Daisies) and I got chatting over labels and how my labels looks so well done. When I shared my secret with her she suggested I write up a tutorial, so here I am many months later with a quick tutorial.

Here we go...

Things you need:
Computer w/ a word processing software
Printer
Tape
Micron Pens .05
Light box or a well illuminated Window

First step... Decide what to write. I sometimes scope out the quilt poems out in blogland and use something like that before jotting down the general info of the quilt, but most of the time I just put the name of the quilt, who it's for (if I'm giving it away), when I completed the top and when it was quilted. My name and where I lived when completed also goes on the label.

Now, I'm not so talented as to have some outstanding penmanship with gorgeous handwriting so I type this all up into a word document using some cute font. I keep this label document on my computer and just edit it when I type a new label. The file is formatted to fit a 3" square fabric but I play with it when I make a label that is a bit different.

I print out the page and take it over to my handy dandy light box...

You like my light box?
Let's pause here to give you a better look at the quality of this light box.

I even made a hole to pull out the cord of the desk lamp I put in the small cooler

I got from my local 7 eleven.

Do I need some fancy glass top? Nope. I use my ruler as the surface.

Okay. so back to the label. I tape the print out onto the light box surface.

I then tape the piece of muslin onto the label.

Using as many colors as I want, I just trace with the Micron pens.

When I'm done tracing, I take the label to my ironing board and press it to heat set the ink.

Last step is to attach to your quilt. I prefer to put the label onto the quilt before it's quilted so that the quilting can secure it in place but sometimes I attach whenever I can get to it. This one got incorporated into the backing of the quilt...

BTW: If you don't have a fancy shmancy light box, like mine you can just tape the printout to your window and let nature serve as your light box.

Hope this helps someone out there.

I've been a bad, bad girl...

2010-08-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago I was very bad....

I went off on my own and traveled to my local quilt shop...

I had a coupon in hand from their newsletter...

It gave me 20% off....

I bought a little something....

I then bought a little something to go with it...

I think I'm addicted to every thing 3 Sister's comes out with. I bought the pinks from their Aster Manor collection to compliment the reds and gray. I think this will be what I'll be using to make my version of Elizabeth (pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co that I have been drooling over for FOREVA!). I thought of using the Park Avenue line but I can see this one working better. Now I just need to finish the other two projects I have started (Short Story and Two Pieced Puzzle) and I can start Elizabeth!

Oh... I also got me some of this...

I'm making Camille Roskelley's new pattern Piece of Cake {2} with this beauty. For when I need that feeling of immediate gratification.

Aren't these fabrics just too yummy to pass up! Left on my wish list.. 2 layer cakes of Bliss - I want to make my version of Imagine (from the book Schnibbles Times Two) with this line. I think it would look fabulous!!

Ok.. I'm leaving the confessional!

Coming Soon... here and gone.

2010-08-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

My version of Coming Soon (pattern by Camille Roskelly of Thimble Blossoms) arrived at my door on Monday. Can you believe it? Mary had this one in and out of the frame so quickly my head is still whirling. I really appreciate it since the new owner is... Coming Soon... (sorry, I had to do it!)

I love the crinkling that a quilt gets after that first wash.

Like it's already been snuggled with and loved.

I had to piece the back since I made the borders of the quilt a little larger than the pattern called for.

But I think, that having to piece the back added a bit more flair.

It also gave me a chance to incorporate the label onto the quilt.

I love the big flowers Mary quilted on it since it allows for a bit more loft to the quilt.

I hope it's loved and cherished in it's new home.

Feeling like MacGyver

2010-08-09T11:43:00.000-05:00

I was chatting with Darlene over at Quilting Daze, about Short Story (the quilt I am working on from the Schnibbles Times Two book - which she already made: Here) and how it can feel a bit off while making it, especially if you have a problem with things not looking as you are use to. I have learned to trust Miss Carrie when it comes to her patterns because not always will you walk on the straight and narrow to get to your final destination, but eventually you will get there.

What I found most frustrating with this project has nothing to do with the pattern and everything to do with the ruler used in the pattern. It happens to all new rulers.. the slip and slide. I typically buy rulers that have a modicum of grip and I do fairly well, but this was a specialty ruler and I had limited options.

I had found that if I used the ruler on a certain table I could put enough pressure to avoid much of the slip and slide but yesterday we put away the fold-able table and I had to resort to my usual cutting spot. After cutting a few triangles I knew I could not work with the ruler without proper grips.

JoAnn's sells little round adhesive grips that work marvelously but I had recently run out of them and I was not heading to JoAnn's (20 minutes away) to get a replacement pack. I first tried double sided tape to get some sort of grasp on the ruler but it really wasn't working for me.

Here is what a did....

Quick call to my sister (Thanks, Jess!) who was out and about, had her stopping at the local Home Depot for some extra fine sandpaper. I originally wanted some that already had adhesive, but there was none so she brought me the regular kind.

Cutting out a thin strip, I put some of that double sided tape I had at home on the back of the strip.

I then just put the now adhesive sandpaper onto my slippery ruler.

Worked fabulously!

It was gripping like a charm and I was able to cut out several more triangles for the blocks of my Short Story quilt. I felt a bit like MacGyver, trying to solve the problem with rudimentary tools vs going out and getting the little dots that are already out there.

Hope this helps someone that just might have a slippery ruler that needs some taming!

A bit of something completed

2010-08-04T09:27:00.001-05:00

Even though I have been busy at work I did make some time to make a baby quilt for my cousin that is expected to pop this month. She is actually a second cousin, being the only daughter of my first cousin. Confused? My extended family is quite huge. Anyway... I was a bit excited that I was able to complete this top.

I selected Camille Roskelley's new pattern called Coming Soon...

and combined it with the florals of Momo's Freebird line.

The pattern came together like a dream. Very easy and with quick results.

Then it was just a matter of finding the right placement for the colors.

I did add a slightly larger border...

And failed to take that into account when I bought the backing for the quilt, which, in turn, caused my backing to fall a bit short of the mark. I had to be a little creative and make it a tad larger. I don't have a picture of it but I'll show it to you all when I get it back from Mary. Mary from over at Quilt Hollow agreed to quilt it for me so it would arrive at its destination in time to welcome it's new owner to the world.

I'm so happy I did something in July and I hope that this month will be more productive..

Well, Color Me Embarrased!!!

2010-07-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

This morning I headed off in a huff to the local sewing machine repair shop to ask what the heck they did to my baby... (see previous post to review symptoms of the so called Baby). The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi! {start unpacking the Baby from it's carrier - plopping it on the counter} I brought my machine in back in January for it's annual cleaning {pull out receipt to demonstrate proper documentation} and when I took it out last night for it's first run, nothing happened.
At this point the guy has plugged in my machine and started threading it...
more Me: Oh, the machine ran. It ran and ran and ran. But not one stitch would stick to the fabric. The bobbin thread won't pull up... {and then I kicked it in high gear by pulling out the little strip of fabric with the demo stitches that was brought home with the machine after the cleaning...} I would love to know how you were able to get those stitches on there because it does not want to play with me...

At this point the guy bends down and asks...
Repair Guy: Did you change the needle.

Me (still puffed up): Yes. I broke the other needle after putting the machine in high gear when the stitches would not grab. {Yes. that was a bit embarrassing, like if I sewed faster there was a chance of the bobbin thread rising from the depths of that hole}

He takes the needle off and looks at it... Here my stomach sank, because I had removed that bobbin case gazillion times, re-threaded the machine bazillion times, but..... He turns the needle a 1/4 turn to the left and re-attaches... I knew what was coming... He pulls the little piece of fabric I had brought with me and puts it under the foot... {sigh} the machine just purred and sewed like a charm.

Repair Guy: Ma'am, {don't you hate when they ma'am you with that "you're an idiot" tone - or maybe it was just my imagination} Most sewing machines use the needles with the flat part facing away, but the Featherweights need the flat portion of the needle facing left. If the needle is not just right, it won't pick up the bobbin thread.

God Bless him. He said that in a way that allowed me to save face. Like, "yeah, you're an idiot for not knowing this but most people are idiots and we get this all the time"

Packed my bags, thanked him profusely for having wasted 5 minutes while he heard my rant and headed home.

Well, it seems that when I setup my sewing area so diligently I took the needle off to make sure it was the right size for my project and when I put it back on I turned it around. Can you believe that this was what caused all my frustrations yesterday?

Look how smooth that puppy sews...

All because the flat of the needle needs to face left.

A bit embarrassed here...

Good intentions and all...

2010-07-24T08:21:00.000-05:00

My Friday Night Sew-In was a bit of a flop. I had the best of intentions... Here is how it went:

Since my 'big' machine is setup for machine quilting a baby quilt I'm working on I pulled out my Featherweight which had been in it's box since I brought it home from it's yearly cleaning expedition. I wound a bobbin with my thread and I layed out my fabric. I still have some blocks to finish for my Short Story quilt so I was looking forward to something nice, easy and with some quick results.

When I was setting my 1/4 inch seam I noticed there was a problem. The machine ran but the stitches were not connecting. The bobbin thread was not being pulled to the top so.. no stitches.

After about half an hour of fidgeting with the thing I had gotten myself so upset I had to walk away. Do you think some universal force is out to stop me from piecing anything?

Anyway, this morning I'm off to take my baby to the doctors... I'm just happy that this happened at home and not at a class or worse.. a Retreat! I would have been REALLY upset if that happened.

It was not all lost. Although no sewing was done, I did stay away from work and watched the last few episodes of a series I had started to watch over a year ago.

I had been turned off when I heard about the ending but the show was so good and so out there I always knew I would want to finish watching it. I am happy I did. It was really a great series. I'm curious what the BBC version (the original) would look like.

So that was me. How did your Sew-In day go? Hopefully better than mine.

Friday Night Sew-In

2010-07-23T11:33:00.000-05:00

I need some help. I have not found my groove this summer and need some motivation, so I'm joining the Friday Night Sew-In

I was over at the Quilt Hollow and saw that Mary was participating. I thought this just might be what I need to get at least SOMETHING done! It will also get me to post about my work tomorrow.

So... if you are feeling unmotivated drop by Handmade by Heidi and join the Friday Night Sew-In, and keep an eye out for my post tomorrow.

A Short Story emerges...

2010-07-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have been on a forced creative hiatus. Ugh.

Last year the economy had really slowed work down quite a bit but this year it has been non-stop, go go go since mid May and there is no end in sight. I work in a position where I have to do the work, it's not something that I an just walk away or check out over the weekend and come back to it on Monday. I have a deadline and the project needs to be done by that date. It's a bit nerve wrecking if you are running behind and with more projects that you have time to complete, you are always behind. So, weekends have been pulled into the work week and whenever I take a breather, I don't feel I can actually sit down to get anything done.

I wanted to work on so many projects but, until recently I have not been able to pull myself into actually cutting anything or sewing anything.

I was going through a bit of withdrawal and finally broke down and cut up the Fat Eighth bundle I won over at Kelly's during a Charming Club giveaway. I had been scoping out the fabric and when I actually won I was VERY excited.

I decided to use the fabric to make a quilt from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. new book Schnibbles Times Two. I decided to make the larger version of Short Story. The fabric was just enough so I was very happy. I cut out all the fabric and separated the strips into the 49 blocks.

This fabric collection is just gorgeous!

The more I cut, the more I fell in love with each piece.

I have made 8 blocks. Not alot but I'm happy to see SOMETHING coming out of the sewing room that doesn't come from the creative juices of my daughter.

The blocks come together very easy, which is nice since I can easily sit down and sew a few seams here and there when I can.

I won't be able to finish this one to make it for the Schnibbles contest but I'm VERY happy that I'm actually getting something done.

Applique Done... or Not

2010-05-25T05:00:00.025-05:00

Over the weekend I finished the Applique piece I needed to make for my retreat in June.

I was able to pull out the freezer paper without tearing out the seams. Woo hoo!!!
The stitching went fast and, I think, with a bit of practice and more thought as to thread and needle, the stitches might become invisible.

I actually liked it so much, I decided not to ruin it by using it as a sample to quilt on.

Since this is the center to a gorgeous piece that was featured many years ago in American Patchwork and Quilting, I'm going to keep it as the start of another keeper.

The quilt is called Autumn Splendor and the pattern can be downloaded from the allpeoplequilt.com site (actually it's on bhg.com) here.

So, I'm back to the drawing board on my applique. I already chose another pattern by Kim Diehl from her book Simple Traditions. I'm trying another technique for this one based on the applique instructions in the book. I'll post pictures when I have the pieces further along. Here's hoping I won't fall in love with this one too!

Spice of Life Quilts by Carrie Nelson

2010-05-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

Look at what I got on Friday..

The book is sooo darn wonderful! I wish I could make them all. I already knew that I would love many of the patterns in the book since I already owned four of them (the four on the left are in the book - True Blue, Jellystone, Opening Day and Ginger Belle):

What other patterns are in the book?
Whirligig, Double Duty, Three Coins, 501, Open Door, Going Buggy, Home Sweet Home, Raising the Roof and for the big prize... Elizabeth.

I was debating on buying Elizabeth a few months ago when I found out it would be included in the book. I was so excited that I would have all these wonderful patterns under one roof so to say, I was counting down to the publication day.

The images are gorgeous and I love that the instructions also have color images. I love my new book and have been looking at it over and over and over all weekend!! I just wish I had more time to make more quilts!

Thanks Carrie for sharing your great talent with us!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-21T05:15:00.008-05:00

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is sponsoring a Blogger Quilt Festival this week and I decided to participate by showcasing one of my favorite quilts (my current favorite!).

I have many quilts that I could have chosen, especially since I've been on a "Finish it!" binge this last year but I admit that the quilt that I most love is my Red White and Blue piece.

I made this one as a Christmas present for my sister last year. I completed the top by August but it was not until I discovered Margaret from Mainely Quilts of Love that I actually had any hopes of finishing it on time.

I used a Jelly roll from Sandy Gervais' Zippity Doo Dah line and a couple of Charm packs.

The backing was made from flannel and pieced with a few left over scraps.

I also used more of the left over scraps for the binding.

The stars were appliqued leaving the edges raw so when the quilt was washed it turned all scruffy.

I love that it feels so cuddly and warm. I see it often since my sister and I share a house and she keeps it at the foot of the bed. I was really happy how this one turned out and sometimes I wish I had made one for myself but with so many gorgeous quilts waiting to be made I have trouble repeating a design. I'm thinking that the next 'favorite' quilt is just a binding away!

Don't miss all the other great quilts being displayed this week during the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Just click on the image below to take you to the list of blogger's participating!

Applique: Why I love to hate it

2010-05-18T06:00:00.014-05:00

In June I'll be taking a class with the last vestiges of my list of great quilters. Back when I started to quilt there were big names galore and I followed and took classes with them all. Jeana Kimball, Jane Hall, Fons and Porter, Alex Anderson, Karen Stone, Carol Doak, Ami Simms... yup I was a quilt teacher groupie. I was lucky that I could knock many names off of 'the list' every time I went to Vermont for the quilt festival. I would head up to the festival every year for 3 days full of classes. I even traveled to Houston from New Hampshire and took a few classes there as well. One teacher just kept escaping my grasp... Hariett Hargrave.

She was known to me as the queen of machine quilting and then I realized she also was the bomb at machine applique, both things I desperately wanted to learn. Unfortunately I never had a chance to coincide with a venue that she was teaching and so many years past and I gave up learning from her, teaching myself in a rough shot manner.

Well, the first weekend in June I'm headed for a quilt retreat with my quilty daughter to take a machine quilting class with Ms Hargrave. Yup. I wore her down!

Here is the thing... among the supply list is a 12" - 14" applique block. hmm.. that was a class I wanted to take with HER!

I love applique. Have a mentioned it? No? Well I do. I hate making it though. It's not so much the work in preparing the pieces (although I hate that too) but it's that I don't want to do it by hand. I want it to look like I made it by hand, but I want to make it on the machine. Do you do this? Can you give me some tips? Can you share the secret? Is there a secret?

I have resorted to fusible raw edge applique and have done the zig zag thing when push comes to shove, but I want to know how to do Mock Hand Applique!!

Anyway, here is what I have done up to now...

This is using some stitch that looks like what the books say to use.

I have used freezer paper to cut and mold the pieces. Used washable glue to get the edges to turn over and stay put. My dilemma usually pops up when I have to remove the paper. How do you do that without messing up the seams? I hear you cut a slit in the back and give it a good yank... the fabric is glued to this paper and the stitches have gone through the paper... how are you suppose to yank without pulling the stitches?

This is what the piece is suppose to look like: (do you see the half square triangles on the left from my two piece puzzle quilt that has been put on hold until I get this done?)

It's the center of a quilt I dream to make sometime when all these other wonderful quilts stop getting in the way!

That is my rant for the day.

My Daughter, the quilter

2010-05-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

My little girl is a quilter.

I had known this was the case after she made this gorgeous piece back in December. Until then, I always felt she was just dabbling in the craft. But as her talent grows it's like seeing a child take her first steps and then run off on her own.

She currently is making a quilt by Bonnie Blue Quilts called Shiloh.

Take a peek at her first block...

She also completed a Buggy Barn piece that had intimidated me!

She now is my reference for my Crazy Geese Quilt.

Isn't it a beauty?

She is working diligently on completing 13 quilts before she says her I do's. She has 6 tops completed and 7 to go. You can follow her progress here: D-E-F-E-N-E-S-T-R-A-T-E [and other musings]

The proud mom...

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my daughter and I went on a Stash Enhancement expedition. There were some backing needs and that was a perfect excuse to drive down to Ft Worth and visit The Cabbage Rose quilt shop (did you know they are featured in this month's Quilt Sampler magazine?). Well, while there my darling daughter gave me a budget and set me loose to pick up something for mother's day.

Since I have not had much luck getting FQ bundles from Moda I didn't leave this one to chance. I snatched up 3 Sister's new line Park Avenue. I love 3 Sister's designs. Their Martinque is a bit too light for me but their upcoming Luna Notte will be a wonderful addition. I might have gone with French General's Rural Jardin since the darn thing has been growing on me since I've seen the whole line but the shop was out of the bundles which made the selection a no brainer.

I also bought two charms from two other lines. Tweet Tweet by Keiki and Fresh Cotton by Fig Tree Quilts. These are for a couple of Schnibbles from Carrie's Schnibble Times Two book that arrived last month.

We then went to have lunch at Uno's (it had been years since I ate there) and went to see Iron Man 2. It was a gorgeous day in Fort Worth, Tx and walking through Sundance Square and knew it was a blessing to just enjoy this moment.

I did get off my own present to my Mom.

I finished the binding for The Bounty last month so I was able to get that in the mail last week. Not sure if got there one time but when it does, I'm positive that it will be loved.

My mother has wanted a larger quilt for a while so I'm hoping this one will fit the bill since it's the largest one I had ever completed.

I have another quilt made for a VERY special mother but unfortunately I have not finished the quilting on it.

I love you Sis!! This one is headed your way as soon as I finish the quilting.

Happy Mother's Day!

Garden Inspired Schnibble

2010-04-29T20:14:00.015-05:00

Completed this one just under the wire so to say but the little bugger turned out so darn cute!

My Garden Inspired Schnibble.

Used Garden Inspiration charms by Kansas Trouble. Still have quite a bit of this fabric and really ned to think of how I'm going to use it because I like how they go together.

I originally was not sure about the dark tones but in the end... I like.

End of the month is Closing in

2010-04-27T12:03:00.030-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates but I've been a busy beaver. I think I just might make this month's goals (still have a few days to go!).

First off, an update on my Two Pieced Puzzle.

I have half of the blocks finished!

After our last update, I pieced the hourglass centers over the week and then when the weekend hit, I got all the cornerstone blocks made.

Here are all 28 of them (three are on the back of the wall because they didn't fit in front). Don't they look WONDERFUL! It also shows how big this puppy will be. I have never made one this big. I am so excited!

I had to stop myself from making the others because I had another project to work on this month.

A Garden Inspired Schnibble...

Making this one using Kansas Troubles' Garden Inspiration line.

I worked on this one over this weekend and by monday I had the center completed.

It's darker than I thought but I think after I quilt it I can pop out the stars that I selected to make. (Notice there are four stars forming in the center).
With just a few more days in the month I am working on the border (almost completed) and wrapping up the binding on The Bounty quilt.

Will post soon with the final tally of projects for April.

Weekend updates...

2010-04-12T14:03:00.000-05:00

I was a bit crabby last Saturday. It was bad. I felt like I needed to crawl back in bed and ask god for a redo. Nope. Cannot blame it on PMS or some hormonal thing. Just plain crabby. I planned to go to the Ft Worth Botanical gardens with some friends and then hit the Bear Creek Quilt Guild show but after I was ready at 10:30 am the thought of waiting on others got me so irrationally rattled I thought it best for all involved that I avoid social gatherings altogether (didn't want to ruin everyone elses day).

My daughter was good enough to weather the fire with me and offered to go to do lunch and a movie. Sounded good to me. Well, the lunch never happened because I had to send the undercooked pasta back twice and the movie was a bit of a let down (saw Date Night and it really didn't live up to my expectations), so I decided to call it a day and GO HOME!

I entertainied myself with a few movie rentals and tried to stay FAR away from the sewing room. No need to share the bad day with my wonderful fabric. I might either cut things VERY wrong or cut off some useful apendages. I will tell you that I could not wait for the day to end.

Sunday was wonderful just to make up for Saturday.

Saw this movie...

FABULOUS! I had no intentions of seeing it.

The trailers did nothing for me but the movie bowled me over!

Laughed like a crazy freak.

I also finished cutting my Two Piece Quilt. Yuppers!

Everything is cut and lined up. If you are familiar with the pattern you might noticed that I have a few pieces cut that are not on the instruction sheet. Well I'll tell you... I'm not a big fan of small loose blocks. The pattern calls for two sizes of 2" strips that will eventually get 2" cornerstone squares attached to them.

I cut the red fabric into a larger 8.5" strips (one 4.5" and the other 7.5") so I can add two neutral strips to each end.

I can then cut the resulting units into 2" strips without ever dealing with the smaller 2" squares.

I get the same end results but never had to cut all that tan fabric into those small squares. I also find that this helps with the accuracy of the final strip.

Downside? It limits your fabric combinations. Since I had a good fabric selection to start off with, this didn't bother me much. I think I would play it by ear when it comes to using this technique for all patterns. This one just worked out well since there were many blocks to make and a good amount of fabric to use.

Overall the weekend was not a complete flop. I got alot done on Sunday to make up for the washout on Saturday.

Oh! Almost forgot...

I also picked up a new Iron on Saturday. My old one (cheap walmart purchase) died within 8-9 months of arriving in the house. I decided to get a 'good' one (Rowenta 8080). Some people love Rowentas and others just hate them. I got a traveling Rowenta iron for Christmas and have loved it, so when I had to replace the home unit, I decided to go with Rowenta again. I find it's much heavier than any other iron I've used in the past and the steam is REALLY HOT, so the work gets done quicker. I'll keep you posted if it's not up to par.

Making one for me...

2010-04-07T06:00:00.042-05:00

I have made several quilts but none really feel mine. They are born with a purpose and they go to be loved by others. This year I knew I would be making quilts for me. Some would go on to live happy lives with others, but I would finally have one to call my own.

I thought the first "My Quilt" would be the T for Texas quilt but then I fell in love and decided to make another.

I started cutting on Sunday....

I am excited!!!

I have a few other "My Quilts" planned for this year. You all know about my T for Texas (fell in love with it as soon as I saw it at the Houston Quilt Festival) but did you know that I also enhanced my stash for this quilt?

True Blue by Carrie Nelson from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

I saw it made at Houston and knew I had to have one.

I also decided I wanted a Christmas Quilt and after seeing Nicole (Sister's Choice Quilts) make this one here, I knew I needed my own.

It's called Opening Day and it's also by Carrie Nelson from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

I have my eye on Buggy Barn's Crazy Goose quilt but I'm not sure if I'll get to it this year. I'm planning on using the new Looking Back line by Moda. Who doesn't love Buggy Barn quilts but funny thing is, I've rarely seen them made. Don't you feel like sometimes everyone else knows something that you don't?

Pinwheel Sampler Update

2010-04-06T06:35:00.001-05:00

First goal for the month... check!

All six blocks. There are two of each design so I have 12 of the 16 blocks completed. Now I just need to wait for Rachel to post the next block. I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

Here they are individually...

Block One (completed last month)

Block Two

Block Three

Block Four

Block Five

Block Six (my personal favorite so far)

Onto my next goal...

*** Note: For those inquiring minds. I did modify my blocks in comparison to Rachel's tutorials. She makes all her blocks with half square triangles. I find that adds bulk to the block (more seams) so if I have a section that can be made differently and yeild a less bulky (seam ridden) block, I'll take it.

I made several blocks (# 4, 5 & 6) with Flying Geese units. I used my wonderful Fit to Be Geese ruler by Open Gate. I love the darn thing and decided to order thier Fit to be Square ruler too. I'm hoping that it will give me just as impecable square in a square blocks. I'll keep you posted.

April is here with the promise of new beginings.

2010-04-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

This time of year is such a treat. The grass is turning green and flowers are blooming and after next weekend, we will be NASCAR race-free for a good 6 months. YEAH!!

We decided to remove the tree that would not grow in our front yard and replace it with a Maple tree so last weekend while I worked on my first project of the month we had quite a few hands uprooting our garden to get some color in the flower bed.

They are new blooms but they promise to grow into something... colorful!

My quilty goals?

First: Catchup with ps i quilt's Pinwheel quilt along (see link on sidebar). I'm making this using Moda's Garden Party by Blackbird Designs. I got the first block made last month but I'm a bit behind since Rachel is on block #6.

Second: Cut and start piecing Two Piece Puzzle by Tara Lynn Darr. This one appeared in American Patchwork and Quilting's February issue and as soon as I saw it.. I fell in love. I have been enhancing my stash for this one and now that I have what I need, I'm ready to get going. I would love to finish it this month but I'll be happy to make a good dent on it.

Third: Make this month's Schnibble. That would be Tag along. I was not sure if I wanted to tackle this one but the pattern sort of fell in my lap and I decided I should not skip two months in a row.

While we are on the topic.. Did you hear that Miss Carrie has a new book coming out? This one is out next week and I've already pre-ordered my copy. I can't wait for it to arrive!

Last but not least: I need to bind The Bounty. This one is headed off to a special home next month so no more procrastinating!! I NEED to finish this one.

Keeping it simple this month and hoping I can meet all my goals.

Have a great quilty month!!!

Meeting Karen Stone Again

2010-04-03T17:50:00.024-05:00

I had the pleasure to sit through a chat with Karen Stone when she visited my (and her) guild meeting this month.

I took a class with Karen about 11 years ago when I had just started quilting and Karen was at the Vermont Quilt Festival teaching her NY Beauty pattern. I loved her color theory and I quickly figured out that I like taking classes that have more to offer than just a pattern.

Since Karen is local to Texas (although not so much local to Dallas), she brought 3 suitcases full of her quilts. Unfortunately the hall where we have our meetings has terrible lighting and most of my pictures ended up blurred (shutter stayed open too long).

You can still get a glimpse of the beauty of the quilts from the blurry pics.

I fell in love with this one in particular. It's called McComma's Beauty and Karen made it with civil war repro fabrics. It has a very masculine look because it was for her father. It is really quite gorgeous.

It will need to go on my list of quilts to make in 2011 because I am done modifiying my 2010 list!!

Some last minute finishes in March

2010-03-30T23:26:00.023-05:00

Last weekend was very fruitful. Although I didn't get a start on my March entry for the BOM quilt, I was able to get a start on my PinWheel Sampler quilt.

I'm using the Garden Party layer cake I picked up at the quilt show a couple of weekends ago. It's turning out quiet nice. My Daughter is also working on her sampler using Momo's Freebird line.

I also added the final Border to my Bread and Butter Quilt.

Not a bad month although I didn't meet all my goals.

I didn't finish binding my Bounty quilt but made a good dent in it.

I also finished my Hidden Star quilt and it was delivered to the Birthday girl a few weeks ago.

No quilting was done for my Schnibbles but I was not disappointed since I will be taking a machine quilting class with Hariett Hargrave in June and these little quilts are great to work on as pratice pieces.

I think I need to be less ambitious next month.

The quilter's Four letter word...

2010-03-30T10:42:00.024-05:00

B-I-A-S

I could leave it at that. Every quilter knows that THAT is the word that should not be spoken aloud. It is the nightmare of the perfectionist and has killed the hopes of many newbie quilters. Yes. Even after sooo many year at this, I get kicked in the a** by that dreaded thing.

Look at my beautiful quilt.

Bread and Butter was completed over the weekend.

Not take a closer look....

See the ripples? After struggling with templates and fabric placement, my last border killed my quilt. Should I take it off and redo? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? That would be a NO.

I actually pulled it off my design wall, folded it up and put it way. Maybe I'll forget how disappointed I am in that last border and send it to get quilted someday. For now...it has been discarded as a lesson learned. Don't fool around with the big bad bias.