My tatted Rose and Embroidered Hearts Wrist Cuff was chosen to be in thismonths gift guide on Etsy
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Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions
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Etsy Shades of Ruby Gift Guide
2 Jul 2009 | 9:42 am -
Hummingbird and Lavender
1 Jul 2009 | 8:56 pmThe latest view outside my window! -
A Small Quail Family
27 Jun 2009 | 9:57 amA family of Quails!This is a small family since I usually see at least five babies in a family.Look how big the feet are on the baby! -
One of a Kind Art-Wear from 1000Markets!
11 Jun 2009 | 5:07 pmProduced by Fatal Attraction from 1000Markets!Designs created by the talented artists from 1000Markets -
Ferns, Lady bug and Ant Hand Embroidered Cuff
10 Jun 2009 | 4:12 pmHere's my newest cuff...
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Among the Usual Days
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"Hints for Immigrants" by Carl De Haas 1848
25 Jun 2009 | 10:48 amWe've just discovered that the book "North America Wisconsin Hints for Immigrants" by Carl De Haas is online at the Wisconsin Historical Society website.What makes this so special is that Carl De Haas is my great-great-grandfather. He wrote this information to help friends from Germany who might wish to immigrate to America. He begins with advice on passage to America and warnings on packing -
Women of the Bible Quilt Blocks 1-5
25 May 2009 | 9:43 pmI'm taking part in the Women of the Bible Quilt Study led online by Carol Honderich. I've finished the first 5 blocks of my Women of the Bible quilt and want to share my thoughts and questions on these women's stories. Eve's block..........she ate the forbidden fruit and shared it with Adam..........why such a risk?.......... did she want something more than the safety of the Garden of Eden?..... -
Casual Fashion at the Lake - 1940
15 May 2009 | 5:31 pmI love this photo of my aunt and mother. The picture was taken around 1940 when my dad was dating my mom. He and his twin brother must have done some urging to get their sister and dad's girlfriend to climb that tree. Just click on the picture above to look at a larger version and you will see they don't seem all that sure about the whole thing. :)The picture shows casual fashion of the time. -
A Day in Paradise, Arizona
4 May 2009 | 8:00 amWe spent yesterday in paradise. Paradise, Arizona is officially a ghost town but there are a few residences still there. At one time it was a booming mining town with stores, school and the usual saloons. George Walker founded the town in the late 1800s. His historic house built in 1902 is a lovely place to stay when visiting the area. That is, if you don't mind driving 5 miles of narrow dirt -
Two Inaugurations: Lincoln 1861 and Obama 2009
20 Jan 2009 | 12:40 pmAs I watched Obama ride the train on the route that Abraham Lincoln took to his inauguration it struck me how different were the circumstances of the two rides. I remembered reading about how distraught Mrs. Lincoln was when this happened. Lincoln had many enemies as it was well known he did not support slavery. A plot to assassinate him had been discovered in Baltimore. For fear of
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Cottons 'n Wool
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Wool Garden #7 and a win
3 Jul 2009 | 4:44 pmI just finished Block #7 in the nick of time. I have a feeling that Block #8 will be here in the next few days. Whew, that was close. It’s lookin good! Head on over to Farmhouse Woolens to see what Karen has new to offer. Then check out her blog to see her new house. It’s spectacular. I’m green with envy! A few weeks ago I won a giveaway on Deb’s blog and look what I got! Wow, I’m gonna be smelling really good! Some fun things for hubby too! How fun… Thanks Deb. Sunday is reveal… -
Enough love?
30 Jun 2009 | 4:19 pmHaving only had one child (a girl),and then having 1 grandchild (a girl), I always wondered if you could love a second child as much as the first. And then…knowing that the baby was going to be a boy…well, that really threw me for a loop. What would I do with a boy? I only know girls! Well, along came Mr. Mason to show me that my worries were completely unfounded. He completely grabbed my heart strings and never let them go. He is the sweetest, easiest , mellowest (is that a word?) baby ever born. (Hmm, sounds like a proud Grammy, huh?). I don’t think he had a fussy spell (for no… -
Sample Spree surprise
16 Jun 2009 | 12:01 amAs you might know, I wasn’t able to go to Quilt Market in Pittsburgh this year because Mason was due the day before we were supposed to leave. One of the most fun things to do when there is to go to Sample Spree and I was really sad to know I was missing it. Well, I got a phone call the night of Sample Spree from Anne telling me that I needn’t have worried about it (which made me think that maybe there wasn’t anything there I would have wanted – Horrors!). Oh no, that wasn’t it at all. She shopped for ME, mailed the package from the convention center and I… -
Another tape…I mean cape
14 Jun 2009 | 12:01 amWhen I made the cape for Emma, I also made one for her friend, Kayden, who just became a big sis to Madelyn a week after Mason was born. Hopefully, I can get a picture of the two little girls wearing them. I wonder if Emma will want this one instead. Hmmmm. -
A Goodbye gift
10 Jun 2009 | 12:01 amWhen I lived in Walnut Creek, Ca, I was part of a wonderful group called “The Wednesday Group” at ThimbleCreek Quilt Shop. The group consisted of enormously talented gals who were always willing to share their talents and knowledge with everyone. I knew when we made the decision to leave Calif that I would really miss them. On my last Wednesday there, they surprised me with a luncheon and these gorgeous friendship blocks. Anne Sutton and Verna Mosquera organized the party and the block instructions which were: Blocks should be red/green applique’d…
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QuiltersBlogs.com
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Crazy For Quilts!
2 Jul 2009 | 7:41 amMy entry for the Alliance for American Quilts contest is finished and was ready to send in, but I got an extension from Amy Milne in order to keep it for our first taping for Quilt Out Loud!. In each episode Mark and I open the show with a “What’s Up?” segment in which we both bring in something to show. So, I brought my quilt. I’m so pleased with how it turned out and hope it fetches a good sum in the auction! ~Jodie -
Quilt Out Loud: What’s Up?
1 Jul 2009 | 10:34 amHere Mark & I are sharing our Flip Videos with each other in preparation for the “What’s Up?” segment for one of the first three episodes of Quilt Out Loud. Sherry Cowley’s sunroom made for a wonderful set! At one point one of the cameramen pointed out a deer on the hill behind us. Note the mugs Mark had made. NICE! ~Jodie -
We’re Taping Out Loud!
29 Jun 2009 | 4:53 amI’m about to head off for our third and final day of taping the first three episodes for Quilt Out Loud. It has gone amazingly smoothly–and on time. The photo above was taken yesreday when Mark & I were preparing for our book review segment on machine quilting books. Here we were preparing Saturday for a segment with Debbie Kalenty, Patsy Thompson and Linda Lum DeBono. I didn’t get any pictures with Pat Sloan or Janet-Lee Santuesanio and Mary Schilkefrom MQX, but others were snapping away and will share I’m sure. Today we sew, cook, and do some designing. -
My New Sewing Area
27 Jun 2009 | 6:10 pmA new sewing machine is THE most exciting thing. But add to that a new iron and ironing table and I call that “Quilter’s Heaven.” And not just any iron–a Reliable iron. Mark Lipinski, my co-host on Quilt Out Loud, and Jean Nolte, Love of Quilting’s editor, rave about the iron, so I’ve been anxious to give it a whirl. Baby Lock and Reliable are sponsoring our new show on QNNtv.com, Quilt Out Loud, so three boxes arrived on my porch sent from the Quilting Gods. I set the Reliable iron up on what was my ironing table and the Baby Lock perpendicular to it, so… -
End of an Era
25 Jun 2009 | 2:59 pmSads news. The Cranston Print Works plant has closed its doors, so cotton fabric for quilting is no longer made in the U.S. If you’ve ever been on a tour of the plant you’ll know how amazing it is to see all of the steps involved. We visited about 5 years ago and shot a show. (For Friends in the Bee–you can watch it on QNNtv.com) I came away with a new appreciation for fabric, and befuddled as to how it can sell for what it does. Just following yardage through the production process was exhausting! I’m a native of Rhode Island, so it hits home for me even more that…
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Simplify
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4
28 Jun 2009 | 11:53 pmCan't believe it. This little man turned 4 today... He is my baby boy, my little Canon (although he insists these days that his name is Harry Potter), and I'm just not ready for him to grow up. (his 'best... -
7 summer faves
24 Jun 2009 | 3:22 pm(Because nothing says summer like sno cones. Also, we don't have them here {ridiculous, I know}, so this was in Idaho last week. Which also explains the long sleeves. Brr...) It's over 100 degrees here in our happy little corner... -
One Happy Meal
19 Jun 2009 | 11:03 amOkay, you KNOW I never blog about cooking. I rarely blog about food actually, as it just makes me feel guilty for not cooking more than... oh, once or twice a month (don't judge). In fact, I don't usually read... -
...jiggity jig
17 Jun 2009 | 2:42 pmI think it is safe to say, I am traveled out. Don't get me wrong, it has been a fantastic month and I wouldn't change a thing, but I am ready to be home for a little while. This last... -
26
10 Jun 2009 | 1:51 pmYep, its true. I'm another year older. To celebrate, I'm wearing red polkas and my favorite new aqua necklace from Chicago, enjoying my freshly painted guest room, not making mac & cheese for breakfast (again) for this little stinker (?!?),...
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Just Us Quilters
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Get listed~!
7 Jun 2009 | 7:03 am -
We're starting over, it seems.. grrrrrr
5 Jun 2009 | 8:10 amOk, here's the NEW deal...Mr. Linky is messing up HUGELY! And I refuse to participate in the glitches.So, here's the NEW deal...Leave a comment here with your site url (crafty/quilty blogs only plz, no advertising sites) and I will start a linkable list in blogger. I have to manually do this, which is a pain in the rear, but this is the 2nd time I've had to delete the whole list. We were up to 300 quilt blogs! frustrating, but maybe this way, it won't happen again?? oK, PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADD THE BUTTON HTML LINK BACK TO YOUR SITE IF YOU CHOSE TO PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING!Ok,… -
New quilter's Pillow!
25 May 2009 | 2:44 pmI just finished up a lovely mod quilt pillow! A sweet Annie holding her own quilt. I know you're a quilter and you'll enjoy this! Head on over to my Niki's Sew Country site for purchase infohttp://www.nikissewcountry.com/I'm calling this one THE NIKI PILLOW! cute eh?
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The Quilt Rambler
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Grand Finale of Jamie Wallen Workshops
30 Jun 2009 | 8:44 pmHere's our two day troopers! At the end of the day we are tired but happy! This really was a Texas Marathon! Yesterday the fabric bowls, locker hook rugs and part one of thread bowls. Today finishing up the thread bowls, learning to paint with inks, learning to fabric dye and then fabric painting. Whew! I think we wore Jamie out!He's spraying our thread bowls with sealant. They all turned out really nice. Tomorrow I'll post all the photos from the week on my webshots, right now there are just the early days.No one should be surprised that I dyed a wide back purple and fuchsia! Can't wait for… -
Texas Marathon Fabric Art Buffet Workshop with Jamie Wallen
29 Jun 2009 | 9:03 pmToday was DAY ONE of our Texas Marathon Fabric Art Buffet -- a taste of several fabric art classes that Jamie Wallen has to offer. We hit the ground running and today had three different projects going on...First we experienced Jamie Wallen and Rosanne Campisi's gallery fabric bowls. I can tell these are going to be very very addictive! What makes them different than the other fabric bowls out there is they are not 'wrapped' but are instead sewn in a manner that you do not have raw edges or lots of strings. Truly a gallery style basket/bowl instead of the ones that tend to be more crafty. -
Jamie Wallen's Thread Fusion Workshop
27 Jun 2009 | 9:11 pmDay four of workshops at the Quilts 'N Kaboodle studio. Our enrollment grew so much we had to purchase a new table, take out the small couch and totally re-arrange the room but it was worth it!Thread Fusion today was really several workshops in one. Jamie does beautiful thread work and takes the quilting style up a notch from the Mystical CottonTracks he taught the two days before. Lots of sparks to the old imagination, actually more like brain overload because he is so generous to share design elements and to keep sharing!We had a lot of laughter and fun in this class. The gals were all so… -
Workshop Updates and Other Art
26 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmThursday and Friday have been two busy days at the Quilts 'N Kaboodle studio! Both days were Jamie Wallen's Mystical Cotton Track workshopwith two different groups of students- a 'long version' of what he teaches at national quilting venues. The beauty of having a national teacher teaching in a private studio is the limited class size and the individual attention from the teacher -- I think we all felt like we were 'teacher's pet' at least once or twice during the day! Jamie is by far the most attentive teacher!Thursday's class attendees were the same A-1 gals from the previous day's A-1… -
A-1 Maintenance Class with Jamie Wallen
24 Jun 2009 | 10:10 pmToday was a fun day in the Quilts 'N Kaboodle studio. My friend, and national longarm teacher as well as fellow A-1 dealer, Jamie Wallen taught an A-1 Maintenance Class to several A-1 longarm quilting machine owners. He covered everything from the daily oiling to the quarterly "spa treatment" and walked everyone through being confident in adjusting the timing on the machine.All in attendance were very observant and diligent in taking additional notes on the handouts that Jamie provided.Maintenance is sometimes treated as a dirty word, but in reality we maintain a lot of things in our…
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All Things Quilty
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Wednesday Works-in-Progress: Kid's Quilts and more Painted Fabric
1 Jul 2009 | 7:09 amWednesday already...this will be my last blog until next week, since we are heading to the mountains for our annual Fourth of July river float with family and friends. Can't wait!Here is a finished quilt top for a little girl. Very easy, just squares and four-patches, plus two rectangles with machine-appliqued hearts.I like for appliques on bed quilts to have turned edges, not just fused, but I did not want to hand-applique. I turned and ironed the edges, pinned on, and machine-stitched. On one of them, I used some of my machine stitches to add decorative elements. This one is for a little… -
Painting Fabric
30 Jun 2009 | 5:42 amYesterday was hot and dry, but not as humid as the weekend. Perfect weather for fabric painting!I gathered up my stuff and spent the afternoon on the screen porch, where I paint on a glass table that wipes up easily. All of these pieces were painted with Setacolor transparent paints. Some of them are sun-printed. Just apply paint, place some leaves, flowers, pasta or whatever on top, and let them dry flat in the sun. I used those one inch sponge daubers for most of the paint application. I pick them up when they are on sale at Michael's at twelve for a dollar. This one is printed with… -
Weekend at Home
29 Jun 2009 | 5:15 amWe were tempted to go to our mountain place this past weekend, especially with temperatures here in the nineties. But Charlie had to work all day Friday, and we are going up for the long Fourth of July weekend. So, we had a very pleasant weekend at home. We went to see the new Star Trek movie on Friday- very enjoyable although those time-space continuum movies always confuse me. At one point, young Spock was actually in the same place and having a conversation with his older self (Leonard Nimoy looking ancient.) My husband was a huge fan of the original Star Trek TV series, and we have seen… -
Photo Memory Book
27 Jun 2009 | 10:28 amSomehow I got a Shutterfly account this year. I believe it was when I bought some scrapbooking items at Archivers' in Raleigh. So far, it has brought quite a few benefits, including about 40 free photos to put in my husband's scrapbook. This week, they offered a free 20-page, hard-cover photo book just for the price of shipping and tax. I'm sure they hoped I would order several extra copies for $40.00 a pop. It took awhile to put the book together online, but it turned out very nice. And was much quicker than creating scrapbook pages! I surprised my husband with it when he got home last… -
More Yellow Brick Road...and a little watercolor
26 Jun 2009 | 8:06 amI made some more Yellow Brick Road quilt blocks yesterday in preparation for my bee's Sew-In day on July 9. We are going to meet at our LQS, Quilts Like Crazy, here in Wake Forest. Donna got hold of a large box of donated fabric from the guild, which we divided up at our last meeting. I chose the black fabric with polka dots and bows, as well as the white background fabric with little posies. Going through my stash, I was surprised to see how many polka dot fabrics I had! When I was at the bookstore the other day, I browsed the sale racks and picked up a beginner's kit for watercolor…
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Hanne's Quilt Corner
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One project a month challenge
30 Jun 2009 | 2:14 pmI am working on so many big projects right now so the finish tally is really low. This is my one and only June finish - Noah’s Ark BOM, designed by Lynette Anderson. Still aiming at at least one finish a month through the year :-) Hanne -
Heath wave stitchery
30 Jun 2009 | 2:04 pmIt is to hot for machine sewing, + 30 degrees C in the shade and no AC in our one storey house, but it is still good for stitchery - isn’t it always ? :-) I brought this stitchery on the trip on Saturday and it is done now. I dedicate this block to a special friend who is going through a very very rough patch right now. I had her in my mind all Saturday. She is like a sunflower - shining bright on all who knows her, growing in little soil. The bunnies fits the metaphors too - we are all hoping for a new spring for you dear friend ! I finished another block for this quilt yesterday. -
Saturday day trip
30 Jun 2009 | 1:50 pmOn Saturday DH and I went to Hvaler, a 2 hours drive south from where we live, to visit DH’s aunt. Hvaler is a cluster of small islands, now connected to the main land by bridges and an underwater tunnel. This is DH’s summer paradise - the house where his mother grew up and his aunt is now spending the summer months. This is an old farm that has been in the family at least 4 generations. Here you see a corner of the barn, where the outhouse also is situated. We got wonderful food - here DH is carrying warm bread rolls and fresh coffee. The property is filled with lovely flowers - DH’s… -
Inspiration and bargains
25 Jun 2009 | 2:32 pmThis is why I went shopping on Tuesday - to find fabrics for my basket quilt - and the fabrics I found was Perfect, no less :-) I am not working on this quilt now when the weather is hot. If you live in Norway you know we just have to spend time outdoors when the weather allows - you never know if the days of sun and heath will last for more than a few days at a time. I am sitting outdoors with my laptop, audiobooks and stitchery - life is good :-) You know I have a very very very soft spot for Lappemakeriet’s BOMs and now I caved in to the last one ;-) It is very soon out of… -
A wonderful Tuesday
25 Jun 2009 | 2:07 pmOn Tuesday I needed to shop for the basket quilt I am working on, an there is no better day to go to Lappemakeriet than Tuesdays, for Kaffelappen - Coffee Patch, between 11 am and 2 pm. There one can enjoy the shop, meet like minded people and have coffee and cake - and if time allows, bring hand work. Lappemakeriet moved in to new locations, 3 houses down the road, this weekend, and now all is on one floor. The coffee room / class room is lovely and I am looking forward to spend time there, both as teacher and as student. The 4 photos above is from the class room. On the walls…
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Little Quilts
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Two Trunk Shows at Little Quilts
2 Jul 2009 | 2:22 pmLittle Quilts is hosting not one, but two trunk shows right now. Threads That Bind show is featured on the mantel in the wool area of the shop: appealing wool figures known as Crow Catcher (pumpkin man), Stocking Stuffer (Santa), Perfect Potion (witch), and Candy Cane (snowman; not pictured). These guys really have a presence:Just arrived today, July 2nd, are ten fantastic quilts from Civil War Legacies, a pattern company featuring reproduction style quilts. In the group shown below are Grandpa's Cards, Allie Beane, Alexander's Bean Pot, and Abigail's Gowns, to name a few: Shown below is… -
Primitive Portrait Wall Quilt Series Samples at Little Quilts
28 Jun 2009 | 6:41 amThree primitive portrait wall quilts (click to enlarge photo) by Karen Mowery, Folk Art Children, are currently on display in the shop. Album Quilt 1870 (top) pattern includes fabric for the album quilt and quilt block in hoop, along with hand-drawn face on fabric ($18); Berks County 1850 (center) is available with hand-drawn face on fabric and organdy fabric for apron ($9) or with complete kit ($24.95); Silhouette No.1 (bottom) is available as pattern only ($8.50). All are 16x20" and can add a unique touch to your home. -
Alternate Colorways for Second Saturday Sampler
23 Jun 2009 | 2:56 amHere are June's alternate blocks for Second Saturday Sampler. Remember, in addition to the main 10" block (optional 6" size shown below with the alternates) , you may want to make the monthly block in Feedsack, Oriental, or Blue and Yellow prints. -
Trunk Show at Little Quilts: New Designer
22 Jun 2009 | 5:35 amCome in to Little Quilts to see the latest trunk show; this is from a brand-new designer named Remember When. Here is Pat a Cake (38" x 48"), a summery nine-patch with entrancing scalloped borders: Yours 'Til Butterflies (69" x 88"), a zippy rendition of 30s butterflies: Notice that there is no applique with these butterflies: they are all pieced and even have cute little four-patches:Gathered in Time (72"x 88"), a homey reproduction with lots of flying geese and chevron inner borders: -
Carrie Nelson Visits Little Quilts
20 Jun 2009 | 3:33 amWhile Carrie Nelson (see her June 18th blog post) was visiting Georgia to speak at the Etowah Valley Quilt Guild about her quilts and life as a pattern designer (attended in force by many Little Quilts devotees as well as the regular Guild members :-) -- see Field Trip photo), Carrie visited quilt shops in the area and posted lovely photos of each shop, including Little Quilts: Thank you, Carrie! At her talk, Carrie showed a bounty of her quilts, including many of her Schnibbles, and spoke about what interests her about designing quilts, such as how she enjoys the challenge of puzzling out a…
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Common Threads
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Wendy's Blocks
25 Jun 2009 | 7:58 amSuper late, but these really were great to make. The fabrics had such wonderful, rich saturated colors.Since all the fabrics were solids, it really forced me to think more about the design than the fabric. Ever notice that sometimes we let designer fabrics do the work for us? I'm realizing that more and more, especially after having a blast with these solids! Hope Wendy likes! -
The Story of Jon's Quilt
27 May 2009 | 8:05 amModern, minimal, masculine is completed. Here it is on Jon's bed in the cave (his basement room). It's perfect and I can't thank you all enough for the effort you put into your blocks. He hasn't seen it yet, but I know he's going to love it.Here's the guy you made it for. His future is bright! I'm a happy mom that he'll be wrapped in a quilt made by all of us.The quilt has had a few renditions since I first posted the top. I took it apart a couple of weeks ago and did a redesign. I paired some of the blocks and framed them as pairs for the top section and for the bottom section, framed the… -
A couple late blocks for Wendy!
23 May 2009 | 10:28 amSorry these are late. I was a little nervous with them at first because there are so many colors, but it was fun! I played with scale on these two. They look like they're different sizes, but they're really both 10.5 inches! Hope you like them! -
Another Block for Wendy
21 May 2009 | 11:02 amI can't get over how much I love the colors that Wendy chose for her quilt and her inspirations. And after seeing all the great blocks already made for her, the finished quilt is going to be gorgeous.Here is my little addition to the quilt. I loved making this block because there was no way to do it wrong. Every color combination looked amazing. I hope you like it! -
A Late Block for Lynn
20 May 2009 | 2:44 pmIt took me a while to get this block finished but I happy to report it is finished and ready to go to the post office. I am sorry it took so long but I am so happy to be feeling good enough to get back on the sewing machine. As I mentioned on my blog, my long absence was due to some serious morning sickness but I have happily turned a corner where the thought of my sewing machine no longer makes me nauseous.I hope you like it, Lynn!
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Stitchin' Friends
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What to do with quilting magazines...
3 Jul 2009 | 4:13 amIn my quilting life, I collect many things - like gadgets, fabric, rulers, needles, buttons, threads, etc. All of these I use and enjoy in my projects. Another collection of sorts is quilting magazines and books, which I dearly love to look at again and again for inspiration - seldom making the exact quilt but using elements of them in my own designs. The only problem - now where did I see that particular technique or applique pattern or border design - so I spend lots and lots of time looking through my "library", which while enjoyable, seldom leads to finding the quilt I wanted. This was… -
And the winner is......
28 Jun 2009 | 5:56 pmSending a shout out to Andrea in the UK, known as the Welsh Quilter. Andrea said...I would love to be included - what a lovely prize. I have good scissors that I hide and rubbish scissors that anyone is welcome to use - lol !Well Andrea, I am pleased to present to you a new pair of Ginger Embroidery scissors. I asked my dear husband to call out a number and he picked yours! Send me your address and I will get them in the mail to you along with a little surprise.And a big thank you to all of you who left such nice comments. I enjoyed reading each and every one and hope you will continue to… -
Tuesday Morning finds!
25 Jun 2009 | 3:31 pmDo you have a Tuesday Morning store in your town? We do, and it is one of my all time favorite places to visit. I always have to check out their sewing and craft supplies and today I found some really good buys. They often have Fons and Porter products. I have a F&P Scissor set and Rotary Cutter that I got there and they are really great to use.The first is a set of EZ rule templates. These sold for $3.99 for the set of three. I looked everywhere for that Pyramid Ruler when I was wanting to start a Thousand Pyramids quilt and believe me, I paid a lot more than $3.99 for that one ruler… -
A gift to say Thank You!
21 Jun 2009 | 4:17 amDo you like scissors as much as I do? Scissors have to be on my list of favorite sewing tools and heaven only knows how many pairs I have. (Wonder why they are called a pair of scissors?) I have small scissors tucked away in each sewing basket. Speciality scissors for applique, paper piecing, etc. and fold up scissors for my purse.I would like to say thank you to all who read my blog, whether you leave a comment or not. I do have a counter and just out of curiosity I sometimes count the number of times a specific post is read, and it usually close to 150 times. Its fun to share my joy of… -
From candle jar to pin cushion...
17 Jun 2009 | 6:37 pmTonight I made a trip to Michael's to find Fabric Medium, recommended in Helen Stubbins Faux Applique book. I have been looking for this stuff in several stores and finally just ordered off the internet. While at Michael's, I came across candle jars on sale for $4.00! Now I just love candles in my kitchen, and this one is called Ginger Citrus and smells wonderful, so it came home with me.I cleaned the label off the jar, and muttered the whole time about why do they have to make them so hard to get off. Then placed the jar on my kitchen table, lit the candle and added my jar topper. Sure…
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Quiltville's Quips & Snips
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Leaving on a Jet Plane..
1 Jul 2009 | 6:41 amI'm packing and planning and getting ready for my trip to Oregon! I leave Friday!SO if you don't hear from me for a while, never fear....I'm getting the rest and relaxation I need :c) -
Simple Solution CAT
29 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pmPer special request, this is what I'm using. It comes in a gallon for about $17.00 and it also came with a full spray bottle attached to it as a bonus at Petsmart! -
Its a beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...
29 Jun 2009 | 11:12 amShe survived! And she just MIGHT thrive!I saw no hair nor sound of her after putting her out yesterday. My poor mother's heart was in a panic. What if I didn't do the right thing? What if she just runs off for good? Would she survive the night?The other voice in my head said "SO BE IT!!"So this morning, when I let the other cats out...and saw Chloe meowering on the back deck to be LET IN...I knew she survived the night, and all would be well. She even let me PET HER??! Maybe this is tough love for kitties!We have a 2 tiered deck..the upper level goes across the main floor of the house, one… -
Chloe Moved OUT!!
28 Jun 2009 | 9:31 amChloe is NOW an outdoor cat!!!! I kept smelling something down here in my studio...she's been peeing on the carpet in front of the fireplace..NO MORE!!!!!She poops on my chairs...I have taken care of her for about a year now, and no amount of incentive or cat training (HA!!! That is a contrast in terms if ever there was one!) will work.She is NOT a lovey cat. You can't pick her up, you can't pet her. It's no wonder she was a rescue, I am such a sucker!I am cleaning carpet ;c(I don't want to take her to the pound...WHO is going to want a cat that can't be potty trained? I feel like she has a… -
Meet My Mom...
27 Jun 2009 | 3:27 pmMy mom had an article printed about her in her local Idaho paper! I thought it was such a cute article and I am so proud of her, I wanted to share it with you ;c)She is a master gardener and has a yearly plant and starter sale at her home in Garden Valley, ID. She is known all over, and it tickles me.Way to go mom!!
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Threads of Friendship
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My 1st Blog Post (with a little help).
30 Jun 2009 | 3:45 amAfter returning from Perth at least 5kg heavier (mostly due to fabric... I think) and then receiving three parcels similar to those in Kylie earlier post, I began to get a little stressed at the quantity of fabric I had acquired for my stash... So it was time to make a few presents. I knew our friend was pregnant with a baby girl after two boys, so bring on the pink quilt. I used most of the pink gingham and floral flannels I had bought from Textile Traders... A simple but effective quilt – With four children it is most weeks that I have to solve the “birthday gift challenge”. So back… -
building buying baking and bludging
27 Jun 2009 | 4:53 amTaking my inspiration from Janelle for a bit of alliteration in the heading…. The Zig Zag Quilt is building into a gorgeous project, all those yummy Amy Butler fabrics have come together beautifully, this is the project on the top of the list to finish after church tomorrow. The Wee Princess has already claimed this quilt for her bed, it should look great all quilted up. This Zig Zag design would make a great Boy’s quilt, my Dad’s in need of a quilt so I might have to keep an eye out for some fabric, the stash has a bit of a female flavour. Always looking for an… -
Winter Warmers
25 Jun 2009 | 8:04 pmIt actually feels like winter has finally come to Perth, & with it the chilly temps & the lovely downpours of rain – but alas, no snow. We made our favourite winter weather dessert this week, Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding. (It’s not that pretty, but it tastes so good!) The recipe came from ‘The CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints’ – page 109 if you have a copy at your house. I actually have 2 copies of this trusty recipe book, mine (45th edition circa 1997) and my Nanna’s (11th edition circa 1951! – I really must restore this precious treasure) Yes, I… -
The Week that Was.
21 Jun 2009 | 12:13 amThere were 2 highlights from this (almost) past week, the first one was the Craft Night held at work on Wednesday night. We had over 100+ ladies come for a ‘one night only’ evening of bargain fabric shopping – all the craft fabrics were $6 per metre & we had fat 1/4’s for $2, plus lots more bargains. I made 2 more bag samples for the evening, they are from the New Look pattern 6467. My boss chose the colours & fabrics for the bags, the red one is in Fremantle Dockers colours (Australian Rules Football) – red, white, purple & green (My DH thoroughly approves). I also… -
The Wrap Up….
14 Jun 2009 | 5:25 amIt’s taken me this long to recover from our trip to Perth and to find a few minutes to put this post together! And I did my back in lugging the excess luggage that arrived by post on Friday morning!! (Just kidding….about the back that is!) Wow, what a time. The bank balance is a little depleted and so is the sleep bank. Katherine, Abigail and I arrived home late and I finally slipped into bed at 3am….then I had to get up and go to work! We had a wonderful time and didn’t waste a single minute. Lot’s of lovely sewing and time spent investing in our very special…
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Canton Village Quilt Works
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The Big Day....
30 Jun 2009 | 4:23 amHello Everyone,Today is the day where I announce the winners of my birthday giveaway. First off, I want to say that I am blown away by all of you! Thank you so much for the wonderful birthday wishes, you are all very kind. I had a wonderful day, last Tuesday. I am still making my way through all the comments and trying to respond to each individual. I have visited many new blogs and love all you talented and crafty people. I hope that you will continue to come back to my blog for inspiration as well. Now for the big moment. I received a total of 359 comments. So I decided to use the random… -
It's Time To Celebrate!!!
23 Jun 2009 | 3:55 amHello Everyone,Well, yes today is a day for celebration! Why, you ask, it is my birthday. I would like to share my blessings over the year with YOU, my readers. I cannot begin to tell you how many of you have given me wonderful inspiration, tips, suggestions, and just have touched me throughout the past couple of years. In honor of that and to show my appreciation, I would like to have a big giveaway! It will run ALL week long and end on June 30, when I will draw the winners!!! I have 4 prizes and yes, one secret one. So let's take a peek!The first is a wonderful jelly roll and two charm… -
Design Wall Love
20 Jun 2009 | 4:19 amHello Everyone,I have to say I have been busy the last week and lacking on my blog reading. So today I vow to get caught up.But first an update, for those of you who remember or participated, pillowcases were delivered to the Hole in The Wall Gang Camp. A total of 1,600 pillowcases. Thank you all for your generous donations. Our goal next year is 2,000!! So I will be putting a call out for some more help. You can read an article about it here. All I can say is that they were absolutely thrilled!!Also, my website has had a slight MAKEOVER!! So go check it out. I think it is a little simpler… -
The Colors of Inspiration
11 Jun 2009 | 1:34 pmHello Everyone,First I wanted to cover just a bit of business. I promised you a slideshow in my last post, just click here and turn on your volume (if you would like to hear the music). Lots of quilty goodness! Also, my newest Podcast episode is NOW available, click here or go to my sidebar and click on the link to listen to some great tips. You can also check out my June Newsletter here. Lots of stuff going on!Now on to more fun stuff and some great colorful inspiration. I recently finished this Pineapple quilt that I began about 7 years ago. Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge… -
Just Plain Fun!
5 Jun 2009 | 10:43 amHello Everyone,Last weekend, my friends Pam, Justine and I went on a wonderful quilting retreat in Chester, VT. This was our second year at this retreat and we had such a fantastic time. Lots of fun with old friends and new. Plenty of inspiration to be had. I wanted to share just a few pictures with you. Hopefully, by my next post I will have a slideshow of the retreat containing TONS of inspiration for you.For now, Justine, Pam and I welcome you to our retreat...Country Treasures is a phenomenal quilt shop in Chester, VT. The shop owner Sue, is full of energy and ideas. We just love her and…
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The Quilting B
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Kaikoura to Franz Josef
21 Jun 2009 | 4:22 amUnfortunately for the two nights we spent at Kaikoura the weather was very cold grey and windy so the boats for the whale watching weren't going out as it was too rough. We did however get to have crayfish or lobster. We also had the best fish and chips from a little shop in the main street, lovely freshly battered blue eye cod and crumbed hoki, my favourite was the cod. I also managed to find the patchwork shop where I just had to buy a tiny bit of fabric. Kaikoura is a very pretty place with the mountains right near the ocean. Very early in the morning (6.45am) we left for Franz Josef as it… -
I'm Beck.
17 Jun 2009 | 4:09 amPlease excuse the attempt at a kiwi accent, did it give you a clue to where I have been? Yes beautiful stunning New Zealand. This was our second trip to NZ, we loved it so much the first time (2004)that when I saw a package deal in January for flights and car hire we just had to revist. The worst part of the trip was that we had to fly into Auckland so we spent the first two nights very briefly in firstly Taupo then Wellington the second night so lots of driving to be on the ferry bright and early after the first two nights. We had previously spent two nights in Auckland and parts of the… -
Swaps
12 May 2009 | 7:48 amI have recently joined two swaps. The first is a vintage sheet swap run by Chaletgirl. I only had time to find two sheets and here they are, I really liked them both and I can't wait to see what I get back. I have also joined with with Christine's Nine Patch swap in reproduction fabrics now how could I resist? I thought I would use this Dear Jane FQ to make my first 12 blocks for this month. I didn't have enough of one background so I used two different backgrounds.Only to find I only had enough for 11 blocks!!!!!!!! Oh well, back to the drawing board I guess. -
Mixed Bag
12 May 2009 | 6:20 amThis past week so far has been a bit of everything. I couldn't seem to settle on one thing....until I got some new wool. I have been going a bit hexagon mad of late, well perhaps it's been a bit longer as I have been very interested in crocheted hexagons since I saw Julia's scarf.I learnt to crochet when I was about 12 I think, Mum sent me to a lesson with a lady that taught in her house. I think I only had the one lesson and picked it up right away, my first finished item was a beret. I had been knitting for a few years by then as Mum could knit but not crochet hence the lessons.Then… -
A small reprieve...
26 Apr 2009 | 10:51 pmAs the cold weather has hit I decided to make a run this morning to the small local supermarket for some lamb shanks destined for either lamb shank soup or braised lamb shanks in the slow cooker. The best laid plans and all that...of course they didn't have any so I had to revise my plans and have made my Nan's curried sausages which I hated when I was young and I got some lamb bbq chops to make braised chops in the slow cooker instead for tomorrow.Snowball bush When I returned home the sun had appeared. Although it didn't last long I thought I would quickly grab some photos of the garden…
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With Needle in Hand
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A Month Later.....
13 Jun 2009 | 5:25 amThings have been hopping around here. We got through graduation with a multitude of tears from me. :-( It was a great time with lots of family and friends visiting (but not quite enough company - we missed you Mom, M & V!!!).We are so very proud of her. Now she and Rudy(remember the tulip eater??) are off tomorrow to the big city for 6 weeks of "school". They are attending the National K-9 Learning Center where she will be certified as a Master Trainer. She is excited!! Rudy doesn't know what he's gotten himself into!!So now you know why I've not taken time to post in the last month. What… -
Another Milestone
14 May 2009 | 12:06 pmMy baby turns 18 today!! Happy Happy Birthday sweet Sue-Sue!!You have grown into a beautiful lady!!We are very proud of you!! Love ya bunches!! -
Happy Mother's Day
10 May 2009 | 1:13 pmI was surprised by my sweet daughter with beautiful tulips for Mother's Day. I hope you had as great a Mother's Day as I did. -
The Case of the Missing Tulips
6 May 2009 | 7:27 amI love to read. The past few years I have really enjoyed reading what they call "cozy" mystery series'. That would be those that have no sex or bad language in them. Of course, they couldn't leave out the murder or they wouldn't be mysteries but there is really no "blood and guts" in them either. They are fun to read and there are loads of them out there. Our local library has a ton of them so I'm fortunate to never be at a loss as to what to read next.Imagine my surprise to find my own real live mystery here at home. Relax folks, no murder here.....yet!! The tulips have been blooming for a… -
Prom 2009
5 May 2009 | 10:22 amOK, I know you are all wondering why it was necessary to go to the airport to pick up Hannah's date. Back in those sweet days I was talking about in my last post, we lived in Houston TX and spent a great deal of time with some wonderful people. We all went to church together, several of us worked together at a local Mother's Day Out program, we vacationed together. Well, you get the picture. We were always together. We were very, very close. Then we moved and, as is too many times the case sadly, we grew apart.Enter the world of technology. What with internet and unlimited text messages our…
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Little Girl Quilts
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Overdue...
25 Jun 2009 | 9:00 amHuhu, bin noch da-ha ;o) Ich habe gerade endlich die bisher fertigen Blöcke für Anne's BOM fotografiert...dabei habe ich den Mai-Block sogar noch vor Anfang des Monats fertig bekommen...Inzwischen stichel ich schon an dem Körbchen für diesen Monat...Hi there, I didn't fall off the edge of the world ;o) I finally made pictures of the finished blocks for Anne's BOM...and I even finished the May block in time for this month's block, which I already began stitching...Zur Zeit gibt es sonst nicht so viel zu zeigen...ich hoffe, dass sich das demnächst wieder ändert.At the moment, there… -
Polka Dots & Strawberries
7 Jun 2009 | 9:00 amHeute ist Wahltag...nö, nicht die Europa-Wahl...zumindest nicht auf meinem Blog - sondern ich stimme mit Euch darüber ab, ob wir die letzte Woche nicht einfach noch mal wiederholen...zu viel Arbeit, zu wenig Zeit....Also, wer ist dafür, dass erst morgen der Juni beginnt??? ;o) Ich bin: DAFÜR!Auf diesem Wege auch ein ganz herzliches DANKESCHÖN für all Eure lieben Kommentare ~ ich bemühe mich, die Kommentare nach und nach abzuarbeiten...leider fiel die Zeit heute dafür auch etwas kurz aus, da ich die meiste Zeit mit flauem Magen auf dem Sofa lag...grrr...Today is election day...no, not… -
Last Block
28 May 2009 | 9:00 pmSo...der letzte Block des Designer Mystery BOM ist letzte Woche bei mir eingetrudelt & ich habe ihn Stück für Stück zwischendurch zusammengenäht. Ursprünglich wollte ich die Blöcke in einen großen Quilt für's Bett verarbeiten... und hatte auch schon mit einigen Design-Ideen gespielt {ich hatte eigentlich extra ein paar Bilder gespeichert der EQ-Entwürfe, komme aber momentan nicht an sie heran...}. Herausgekommen ist etwas, das schon jemand vor mir viel besser gemacht hat ;o) ~ Amandajean @ CrazyMomQuilts hat ein ähnliches Layout für ihren Star Quilt-Along gewählt... Inzwischen… -
Mein Kuschelquilt
26 May 2009 | 1:30 pmIhr seid so lieb ~ danke für Eure Kommentare! So, und jetzt zeige ich die anderen Fotos, die ich bisher vom Quilt gemacht habe...leider hatte ich noch keine Gelegenheit, den Quilt draußen in Szene zu setzen (wie ich es eigentlich vorgehabt habe) ~ ich hoffe, das Wetter spielt am Wochenende mit, dann hole ich es nach ;o). Nichtsdestotrotz wird auch dieser Eintrag sehr fotolastig...hihi...Stoffe + Fotos sind für mich eben unwiderstehlich.You're so sweet ~ thanks for all the comment love! So, and now I show you the other photos I made from my quilt so far....unfortunately I couldn't take a… -
I {HEART} moda
25 May 2009 | 2:11 pm...hihi, das dürfte mittlerweile kein Geheimnis mehr sein ;o). Warum also der Post-Titel? Nun, vor langer, langer Zeit, genauer gesagt im Oktober, war das Thema des moda Fabric Matcher Contests, "Fun with Figs... Naja, wie einige von Euch wissen, liebe ich eigentlich alles aus der Feder {oder dem Farbkasten} der talentierten Joanna Figueroa (Fig Tree Quilts)....also hab ich ein bisschen gespielt...und dann ein bisschen mehr...und dann noch...naja, ich denke ihr könnt Euch vorstellen, wie's weiterging. Wäre die Seite nicht so langsam, wären es nicht nur 6 gespeicherte Layouts geworden…
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Highland Quilter
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A Tisket A Tasket baskets
28 Jun 2009 | 2:24 amAll my baskets are full and completed!! I am thoroughly enjoying this free BOM supplied by Anne at Bunny Hill Designs...Thank you so much. I am making my blocks using Winsome fabric and the whole effect is very gentle and pretty!Only a few days unitl the next block is posted. If you are interested in this pattern click on the button on my side bar and it will take you to Anne's blog. -
Hobart Craft Fair
28 Jun 2009 | 1:49 amSaturday saw Meredith, Leanne,Christine and myself up bright and early so we could attend the Stitcher's and Craft Fair.We had our mandatory coffee and pastry at Banjoes at Campbell Town and then drove on to Hobart where we spent about 2 hours wandering around the stalls and quilt exhibition. The fair was a bit disappointing this year, with only a few good quilting stalls. Lots of beads, stamps and scrapbooking stalls for those so inclined.I did mange to buy a couple of things though.... What visit to Hobart would be complete without a visit to the wonderful Quilted Crow shop? We visited with… -
A Tisket, A Tasket
16 Jun 2009 | 3:10 amWell the holiday is over.... and I am back at work!! Crafting has ground to a slow crawl...At the weekend I did manage to spend time getting my Tisket/Tasket blocks ready to stitch. I am blanket stitching them but have decided it is time to get over my fear of needle-turn applique. The blanket stitching looks good and I enjoy doing it, but needle-turn looks much more effective. So the next project I need to applique I am going to needleturn and not stress out too much if you can see a stitch or two. These blocks are just so cute...I can imagine a very sweet cot quilt being made from… -
Noah's Ark
9 Jun 2009 | 1:05 amAs some of you know I have a Noah's Ark addiction, so when Lynette Anderson offered a free Noah's Ark Block of the Month last year I could not resist. I deligently kept up for a whole 3 months and then just collected the next 9 blocks, putting them carefully in the cupboard...as you do!! As I am on holidays I decided that this would be a manageable WISP to complete this week...so here it is....Excuse the bad photography, its winter and the light is not good, hence the photos are not good... And here it is framed and hanging on the loungeroom wall..... -
Busy Stitching Weekend!
8 Jun 2009 | 2:55 amThis weekend is the Queen's Birthday Long-Weekend in Tasmania and I have been a right sloth. I have sat on the couch, stitched, played in the Sewing-room and watched the entire first season of House...24 - 40 minute episodes... I did force myself to go for a walk this morning,only because I had a huge case of couch butt and stitchers' back!! So what did I do?? I looked through my Dear Jane book ...yes I have joined the thousands of mad women around the world working on a Baby Jane Quilt! I finished the very first block-A1. (yes it is in reverse...) Found my Noah's Ark quilt, and did a lot of…
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Quilter Going Bananas
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Sailing
2 Jul 2009 | 5:15 pmYesterday was a fantastic day! We spent the afternoon on a sailboat. DH and I got to go snorkeling and saw all kinds of coral, fish, squid and a sting-ray. The best part was just enjoying the wind in my hair and gliding along in the ocean. DH took this pic while we were snorkeling of the sailboat. Click on the pics for a closer look-see.B1 and B2, aka the Bananas in Pyjamas came on the sailboat too. They were very excited. The fellow who steered the sailboat, Nick, a fabulous fellow from Ireland, was very knowledgable about sailing and marine life. We learned a lot talking with him. When Nick… -
Happy Canada Day
30 Jun 2009 | 10:01 pmHappy Canada Day!to my fellow Canadians today. I'm wearing red and white to celebrate that Canada is now 142 years young! Until next time... -
We All Live in a Yellow Submarine...
29 Jun 2009 | 8:00 pmWe all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine...Great song, see a very silly version of it here: Today B1 and B2, aka the Bananas in Pyjamas got to go on a submarine. Yup! No foolin'!Click on the pics for a closer look-see. Here they are in the boat that takes them to the submarine...And here they are inside the submarine going down to 100 ft so we could see all the different kinds of coral and fish!The Bananas thought they submarine was very kewl and had a great time! They loved it that there were so many blue fish and yellow fish that matched them, LOL!Until next… -
The Beach Life
28 Jun 2009 | 9:30 amAhhhhh! The Beach Life! B1 and B2, aka the Bananas in Pyjamas are enjoying their holiday in Grand Cayman. Click on the pics for a closer look-see.Here they are lounging on a chair under some shade....Then they decided to write their names in the sand....And here they are in the ocean and they love it because it's so warm. But it's cloudy today after the wild thunderstorm we got to watch from our balcony last night....Lastly here's their new friend Chloe the yorkshire terrier playing with her frisbee on the beach. She belongs to the people who manage the condo complex where we are staying.Stay… -
Wow! 20!
25 Jun 2009 | 4:00 amYup, that's what everyone says, Wow! 20! as in you've been married for 20 years? Congratulations!On this day, June 25, 1989, DH and I got married.By the time we celebrated our 4th anniversary in 1993, I had just brought home from the hospital (the week before) our youngest child. Yup, we had 3 kids in just under 2.5 years. 15 months apart between child #1 and #2 and 15 months apart between child #2 and #3. It was absolute chaos during those years let me tell you. Now the children are 18, 17 and 16 and I wonder where on earth did the time go? If you see it flying by please let me know, LOL.So…
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A Quilting Life
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Blogiversary!
1 Jul 2009 | 7:49 pmJuly 1st...where did June go...or May for that matter? June seems to be the month when it's nice just to relax after another school year, and July is when I really get serious about summer goals. So, of course, I started another list...and in doing so I realized I needed to catch up on and finish a few works in progress (because I have a dozen new projects I want to start...and I'm not buying any more of those plastic storage boxes)!!! First off, I caught up on my Gail Pan A Christmas Wish Block of the Month. I was two and a half blocks behind, but now I'm ready for the next block due out… -
Things I Heart
27 Jun 2009 | 3:33 pmI heart this pattern. This is Madeline, a new applique' design by Joanna of Fresh Figs. It was a lot of fun to make, and since the shapes were simple you don't need to be an expert at applique' to make it. The pattern comes with options to make two sizes; I made the smaller size which will fit into a 16 x 20 frame, but I think I'm going to add some borders and make a small wallhanging with it for my sewing room! I still need to add the embroidered handmade at the top as well.And I heart this quilt. I finished my "Gift from the Sea" quilt! This is a quilt I've been wanting to make for about… -
Gratitudes and a Tip at the End!
25 Jun 2009 | 2:45 pmI'm grateful that we have clouds! We haven't had measureable rain in a very long time, and so clouds always make me happy. Hoping, just hoping that some nice rain is on it's way. I thought about naming this post "Why I Live at the P.O." after a Eudora Welty short story that I read several times in college--but really gratitudes seemed more appropriate. It's just that many wonderful things have come this week by way of the post office! Today I received six, yes six, brand new patterns from Mary of Mary's Cottage Quilts. I recently won them on her blog, and I can hardly wait to get started… -
Busy with This and That
23 Jun 2009 | 9:33 amI've been busy doing a lot of small things...and some of the things don't necessarily make great pictures (like piecing quilt backs, making binding, prepping stitchery blocks and such). And I've been working on things I'm not quite ready to share yet, like the prizes for my blogiversary give-away coming up in just over a week...yes, I started blogging last year on July 1st! I finished the quilt above (Flower Baskets by Joined at the Hip) quite a while ago, but only got the binding on the other day. It's now hanging on the wall, and every time I look at it I wonder why I waited so long to… -
It's Here!
19 Jun 2009 | 10:55 amThe new Fat Quarter Shop 2009 Designer Mystery Block of the Month arrived in the mail yesterday! I was heading off to sew with some friends, so I decided to cut it out right away! This months pattern is designed by Brenda Riddle of Little Acorns, and it's a terrific block. These blocks are always designed well, and there is always plenty of fabric to make the block with left-overs to spare! In fact I had so much fun making one block that I decided to make two! Using my Prairie Paisley leftovers from this Schnibbles quilt, I decided to cut out another block. That way, when next May comes…
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Anyone Can Quilt
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Vintage Sheets Quilt... and a tiny Dachshund.
29 Jun 2009 | 9:12 pmLook at this tiny girl! This is what I spent hours hand stitching the other day. Both of my girls fell in love with this little dog, which means I get to make another one. It'll be fun, I think I should have a Bette Davis marathon while I work on the next one. Please say hello to my new love. On the design wall is my new summer quilt in the making.I've been wanting to make a quilt out of vintage sheets from the 60's and 70's. The tough part is finding old sheets at thrift stores that are in good shape. After a bit of searching I… -
Wish you were there... Part Two
24 Jun 2009 | 11:14 amOk, let's see how many pictures I can fit into one post THIS time! You can't blame me can you? What would you do in a situation like that?? Gaaa!... (Napoleon Dynamite anyone?) Moving on. Monica lives in beautiful Astoria, Oregon. It's right on the Columbia river near the ocean. It's full of historic buildings and old houses with tons of character. You can see the water from almost every point in town. Including from our hotel balcony. I snapped these pictures from our balcony after tea and stitching group. … -
Wish you were there... Part One.
23 Jun 2009 | 11:55 amWhat do you do when a Zombie invites you to her stitching group? Which just happens to be a beautiful three hour drive north? You pack your bags and hit the road that's what you do!! I still can't believe I was there. Getting to meet Monica, her friends, and her wonderful family was such a treat. Let's start at the beginning. Upon arrival, Monica, my girls, and I met the stitching ladies for tea. We left my dear husband and Cowgirl Rosie at the hotel for t.v. cuddle time. Big sis was sure to bring Josie, her Blythe doll, who… -
The cottages are finally quilted...this sucker's huuuge.
3 Jun 2009 | 10:22 amI've been machine quilting my cottage quilt off and on for quite a while now. I don't know why it's taken me so long. Usually I just dedicate a couple of days to quilting a quilt and get it finished. This dear was so patient with me. I have to tell you, I love how it's coming along. This little lady measures 72 1/2 x 89 1/2! She's quite the hefty gal. I decided to add scrappy strips around each block and then trim them all to the same size. Whenever you do a block swap, you have to expect that the blocks… -
My Spring Quilt.
1 Jun 2009 | 3:51 pmI just finished this quilt top! I've had this fabulous Shangri-La Jelly Roll for over a year and finally decided to chop into it. I used this pattern in a twin size by Cozy Quilt Designs. This was my first coin quilt and I really loved using this pattern. It was easy as pie. I really love each and every one of these fabrics. And the blue print for the background and borders gives me heart palpitations. I looooove you my precious blue fabric. Now maybe I can stop eating these.But they are my friends. And they match my rotary…
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Cherry House Quilts
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All Things Brilliant!
2 Jul 2009 | 12:36 pmI love things done well, done creatively, done outside of the box...I love to watch an amazing play in a football game, I love to watch Elizabeth (Lizzy) create art beyond what I thought her capable of (and she's capable of soooo much), I love Melissa and Ashlee's song writing ability - to turn thoughts and words into amazing verses...I love all things brilliant!!! Years ago when Simply Quilts repeats were on HGTV & DIY; I would DVR them, then watch my favorite ones over and over, trying to learn, and take in techniques that were unfamiliar to me. One of my all time favorites was… -
Pay it Forward
27 Jun 2009 | 9:51 pmIn 2008 I signed up for Jennifer Jordan's Pay it Forward, where she had 3 people sign up so she could make something for them, and we in turn would make something for someone else. In the mail a few days ago, I received a precious little apron, and matching pot holders. Do you know what this means? It means it's my turn, my turn to say "hey, want me to send you a present, made from my own two hands?" So that's what I'm saying...sign up, for this cool thing...knowing me, it's going to be a quilty kind of thing, more likely than a wearing kind of thing...but that's okay, cause who… -
Queued up
24 Jun 2009 | 3:06 pmI love the idea of british queues, everything neatly lined up, and this case fabric patiently waiting in line to be turned into quilts. This is what I've been up to... 1. My Red Letter Day quilt for Fons and Porter is in the mail...such a relief! This fabric is so fun, and special (it doesn't hurt that my sweet daughter designed it); go get some fast if you haven't already! 2. Lizzy was here for two minutes two days, it was too short, but I'm so glad she was here to celebrate her birthday...our day of beauty was grand! While all the pets were so happy to see our girl, Pinecone would… -
I didn't forget...I promise!
11 Jun 2009 | 5:16 amYesterday was the 10th, the day of the drawing for the fabulous Anniversary Gifts. I did have the drawing, we'll get to the names in a minute...I wanted to have a cute picture with Mick holding the names of the winners in his mouth. He's not a slobbery dog so that would not have been an issue, but he is on the other hand a jumpy, sometimes nervous dog. There was no getting him to hold still and understand these instructions: 1. Mick hold these pieces of paper in your mouth, no Mick; don't eat them, just hold them. Round two: Okay Mick, just stand still while I hang this little sign… -
Come Celebrate with us...2 year anniversary!!!
5 Jun 2009 | 10:39 pmHi dear friends!!! It's our anniversary, and we would love for you to join us! We are celebrating quilting, family, friends, community, sharing, caring...everything good thingy! As is the tradition in our house, we like to give away something on our special day, as our way of saying "you matter to us, we care about you, and we thank you for being a part of our lives!" What's the gift? Well, like all good gifts, it is a surprise, but I'll tell you this much; it's gonna be grand! Think patterns, think fabric, and a little something delicious...not bad, right? Since we are…
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Quilt News
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Winding Ways
18 Jun 2009 | 9:38 pmA curved piecing technique: -
Stolen Design Work?
18 Jun 2009 | 7:55 pmDesigner Kimberly Shaw displays her artwork next to fabric being sold by Fabri-Quilt, Inc. and tells a despicable tale of lawyers and piss-poor treatment. -
SW Triple Treasure
15 Jun 2009 | 11:53 amJoan Basset announces her newest pattern, SW Triple Treasure. This easy pieced & appliqued wall hanging is template free. The center pot is pieced and the side pots are prepared for appliqueing by using a strip pieced and traced interfacing method. Check out her blog for a few other interesting adaptations! -
Learn a new Technique!
9 Jun 2009 | 4:39 pmNow is your chance to enroll in one or both of the two new online quilting classes being offered this summer by Chiseled In Cloth – “Create a Pattern Class” Learn to use your computer to design your own portrait and pictorial quilt patterns. No drawing skills necessary! Use your own photos – All skill levels (beginners are welcome!) Using Screen capture “how to” videos (pause and work along) for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or the free software Gimp. This 4-week class begins June 27. “Rosebud” Learn to “appliquilt” this single rosebud wall quilt. Beginner,… -
Heirloom Quilting Designs
30 May 2009 | 2:09 pmJoanie Zeier Poole of Heirloom Quilting Designs gives us a preview of her books.
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Red Fish Circle
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Gone Fishin'
1 Jul 2009 | 11:34 amSee ya in a couple of weeks.*(This illustration was purchased and featured in a poetry journal published by Tangerine Press, a division of Scholastic). -
And the Winner Is....
29 Jun 2009 | 6:09 pm(Picked randomly)Heatherfeather022Congratulations, I will e-mail you later today to tell you the good news and ship your book out this week!Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks for your lovely comments. Check back for more fabric give aways later this summer. -
Look Whoooo's Back
29 Jun 2009 | 10:49 amOn A Whim Owls Are Back. Two new colors and one old favorite. Should hit stores in August. -
Ahhhhhhhh Summer Days
29 Jun 2009 | 10:29 amGoldfinchesand gold shadowsMimosa breezesand dappled boats waiting.... -
Window Seat
28 Jun 2009 | 3:32 pmFinished the fabric panel pillow tops.
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Candle Lite Quilter
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100TH POST GIVEAWAY
26 Jun 2009 | 7:24 amYEAH!!!! It's my 100th post and I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!! I am giving away 2 charm packs created by my quilt store and two 1/2 yard cuts of Nature's Chorus by April Cornell. You will have 3 chances to enter your name and I will draw the name out of a hat on July 13th. Here are the different ways you can enter... 1. Join my blog as a follower (if you already are, that counts!) 2. Post about my giveaway on your blog 3. Leave me a comment and let me know the name of your favorite quilt pattern. Be sure to let me know in your comment what you have done so I know how many times your name should be… -
Swanky Start....Brrrrr
26 Jun 2009 | 7:10 amHello!!! Yesterday i dropped off the quilts for my nephews at the quilters and they should be done in about 3 weeks ... i can't wait to see them, they will look awesome! So last night i needed something to do so i started a new project. This jumble of material... will eventually become this quilt... I'm using the Swanky jellyroll and a bit of yardage and can't wait to finish this girly quilt. So, we have a ranch house and when we put the air conditioner in our bedroom window, we can close off all the other rooms, bathroom and laundry room and the AC in our bedroom will cool down the entire… -
HO HUM...
23 Jun 2009 | 11:23 amHello everyone!!! Well, it's been almost a week since my last post and I was hoping to post more often, however, i have nothing to post about! This weekend I bought backing fabric for 2 of the quilts (Alex & Matthew) and Michael's was bought a week earlier. Below is a pic of the cute bag given to me when I was at the Door Mouse purchasing fabric. They are making them for their 30th Anniversary this year so that customers can bring them back to put there fabric in. Just another step for them to go green...isn't it pretty! This weekend we went to ballgames for Alexander's team and they were… -
Hour Bag Fabric
18 Jun 2009 | 11:15 amMy Cousin and I went shopping last weekend and i was on the hunt for backing material for the boys' quilts ... i found Michael's backing and binding but had no luck with Alex and Matthew's. While we were shopping i happened to come across the CUTEST fabric and decided to make a bag with it ... the bag my cousin happened to be carrying ... it is called the Hour Bag. She found the pattern on someones website and it is absolutely adorable! Maybe if she sends me a picture of it i can post it in the near future...in the meantime, here is the fabric i bought to make it...isn't it just awesome! i… -
SWIRL
15 Jun 2009 | 6:16 pmI am so excited to say that Michael's quilt is finished! It looks awesome and Michael did a great job picking out some awesome colors! The orange is so bright that it just gives a WOW factor to this quilt. Michael has chosen solid black for the backing with orange binding and that too will look great! Michael has chosen the name SWIRL for his quilt. Tomorrow night i will get the backing put together for Michaels and then i will start doing some piecing for Alex and Matthew's quilts and I have to purchase some more fabric for their backings and bindings also...darn, i guess that means a trip…
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Contemporary Traditions
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Quilt Studio Workshop: Storage
1 Jul 2009 | 5:55 amQuilt Studio is calling for posts on storage this month. I have a couple of ideas that have worked well in my studio to share with you. The first is a new fabric storage system and the second is a book shelf with a cutting/ironing table on top. Last Christmas my husband gave me these wonderful drawers for my fabric. He got them at The Container Store. They are clear plastic sweater drawers -
Tina’s Quilt
30 Jun 2009 | 4:09 amTina has been making slow but steady progress on her quilt. It is interesting that some days she just doesn’t have the patience to sit and work on it. Other days she works and works on it and doesn’t want to stop. That’s pretty normal, huh? At this point all of the strips are sewn together and I am cutting them into lengths to use as blocks. WOW! It is starting to look like a quilt! -
Life List
27 Jun 2009 | 4:22 amI haven’t done one of these games in a while so here goes… the things I have done are in bold type. 1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii *I even lived in Hawaii!!* 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain -
Quilt Inspiration: Pattern on Pattern
25 Jun 2009 | 4:34 amI designed this quilt top some time ago in Electric Quilt. I used ideas from Ruth B. McDowell’s book Pattern on Pattern to create the design. In the book, Ms McDowell suggests laying a pattern in different sizes on top of each other to create sub-patterns. I like the repetition of shapes.It looks almost as though the shapes are echoes of each other or maybe like they are ripples on a pond. I -
Quilt for a General
16 Jun 2009 | 8:07 amThis quilt was pieced by Quiltnbee . She did a lovely job with it. I especially like the fabrics she chose. The background fabric for the stars and the alternating fabrics in the 25 patch blocks are all black on white prints. That gives a continuity to the quilt but still allows for a variation that gives the quilt a touch of “sparkle”. I also love how she pieced the back. I imagine
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Quilting with the Past
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Finished top
2 Jul 2009 | 10:51 am.... And then I had 8 star points. Which background should I use?I wanted to use fabric from my stash. A dark pink? .. hmm nope.Mustard?... nice but it doesn't have that WOW!A dark grey?.. Also nice. But what is under the dark grey fabric. Yes BLUE!The blue is calling me. I can't help it. A light blue? ...no.Yes this is the fabric I like, a darker petrol blue! Yes. The star is coming together... Only the tricking thing from a lone star is the center. It's the last sewing part. I'm always a bit nervous for it. Afraid that I sewed a bra!Pinning carefully.And there it goes..pfeww! I'm satisfied. -
Hi
17 Jun 2009 | 1:11 amHi, life’s busy here,I have started running again.. I run three times a week approx. 4.9 miles. I enjoy it so much. I guess running is as addicting as quilting :-) I’m thinking of a splendid goal…I want to run the marathon of New York when I’m 50!! ( well keep dreaming Lucy ;-) Right now I’m 43 so I have loads of time to train for it . Finally I’m working on my small Amish Lone star. I’m teaching the Lone star as a workshop and I think an Amish quilt is a good example to show. This was my first choice of fabrics.But somehow I have always blue and red in my quilts. So I decided… -
Solids
5 May 2009 | 7:48 amSpring fever has hit here and I am enjoying spending lots of time outside, running and of course taking pictures.Today I took some solids from my stash. I want to make a small lonestar. Think solids are perfect for this. I hope to show you my progress coming week! Lucy -
Elburg
15 Apr 2009 | 10:50 pmThere is not so much sewing going on here. I'm still working on projects I can't show at this moment.Maybe you like to see some pictures I took when we visited Elburg about a month ago. It's a nice old place here in the Netherlands.Some beautiful old houses on a street.The saddle from an old delivery bicycle.This is a typical Dutch fishermans boat. It could be 100 years odl and maybe even more. I love the color of the wood and all the browns.Since I bought my DSRL camera 1.5 years ago, I'm more and more into photography. It looks like that it is going to be my second hobby! I have to learn a… -
Houses
26 Mar 2009 | 2:21 pm" Dit huis is proper genoeg om gezond te zijn, en stoffig genoeg om gelukkig te zijn."It started with one little house made inspired by The Little Quilts houses. It's a very fun block to make from scraps.With four houses I could make a mini quilt.. But sometimes an idea doesn't work.. I couldn't choose how to set them.Nothing worked i.m.o. I decided to go for simplicity, four houses together framed by a nice red fabric.Quilted and almost the binding is done, BUT there is something. I still don't like it. The chimneys are blending in the doors.So four new houses were easily made..Yes this is…
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Barn Quilt Memories
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Updatin'
3 Jul 2009 | 6:42 amI am sure that I need several new posts here as I catch up with my own blog. To start with, there have been several Barn Quilt alerts sent to me that I would like to share.I have not made it to the book store yet, but look for "Quilters World Magazine". There is a story titled: TAKE A TRIP On the Beautiful Barn-Quilt Trail.An wonderful youtube video of the Barn Quilts of Kankakee County (Illinois) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V20-FFvyNVAAs a part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, is the Orleans County Country Barn Quilt Trail: A first-of-its-kind travel experience for New York State –… -
staying up...
28 Jun 2009 | 2:34 amI hope that everyone is following the travels of Suzi Parron on her blog: http://americanquilttrail.blogspot.com/. Her most recent trip to Iowa (and Wisconsin) has some great personal tales, and wonderful pictures of Barn Quilts.The most recent Barn Quilt in Iowa is pictured below. Painted by a talented long arm quilter, I say job well done. She is looking for the name of the quilt block. See more pictures on her blog: http://myquilter.blogspot.com/2009/06/barn-quilt.html -
Correction
19 Jun 2009 | 3:16 amCorrection:The "first" barn quilt that was done in Adams County, Ohio was actually the Ohio Star on the Lewis Mountain Herbs and Everlastings gift shop, designed by Mark Lewis and Bill Brown (see previous post). In 2001, Donna Sue Groves along with friends Pete Whan and Elaine Collins, had the idea to organize a grass roots committee and paint more Quilt Blocks.From the Adams County Travel and Visitors Bureau:Adams County's "Clothesline of Quilts"Donna Sue Groves had a dream to someday honor her mother with a large painting on their barn of her mother's passion, quilting. That one beautiful… -
Lewis Mountain and a big / little piece of history...
18 Jun 2009 | 5:43 pmThe first Barn Quilt that was painted (besides the one on Nina Maxine and Donna Sue Groves' tobacco barn), was on the gift shop at Lewis Mountain Herbs and Everlastings, Manchester, Ohio. This is a herb farm and nursery, and for over 20 years home to the Olde Thyme Herb Fair. On October 31, 2001 the Ohio Star Quilt Block was unveiled. Now the farm is for sale (see below).Farm and Business for SaleLewis Mountain Herbs and EverlastingsFor more information call Judy Lewis at 937-549-2484 or e-mail mtherbs@bright.netLocated in rural Southern Ohio two (2) miles from the Ohio River. Established… -
18 Jun 2009 | 4:10 am
18 Jun 2009 | 4:10 amHere is a wonderful Barn Quilt (4 x 8 hanging on a fence), with a great story. I am not sure if you can see this from the road (Hwy 90 & Grey Gap Rd), but the Yellow Ribbon Trading Post would be worth a look-see if you are passin' thru Marrowbone, Ky.My Quilt is named Trail of Tears...My family on my mothers side (Vera Franks-Ambroselli) is from Choctaw descent. Most of her trible had to leave Kentucky during the removals of the 1800's and were moved to Indian Reservations in Oklahoma. My Great Grandfather lived on the Indian Reservation in Oklahoma until age 3 then his family became…
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Art and Quilts, cogitations thereon
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I hope practice does make perfect! I’m waiting…
2 Jul 2009 | 10:01 amI’ve been doing some exercises in value studies to try to improve my composition skills. If you have a strong composition worked out ahead of time, much of the work of making the quilt is done. When you’ve made a few quilts, it’s not hard to figure out construction, quilting and finishing – after all that really is the busy work. The secret of success is that strong composition. I know many people compose their pieces on the design wall but I find all that getting up and down with different bits of fabric – different shapes, colours, textures, values… -
From Inspiration to a Series
30 Jun 2009 | 8:12 amIn my last blog I showed the picture of Durham (UK) castle and cathedral. That picture and several others I took across the river Wear which flows around the base of the rock upon which the castle and the cathedral are built were very inspiring. Durham is a town really worth visiting – if you can figure out how out how to use the car park – we had to have assistance from several passersby! Probably be better to go by train! You can get all around the UK by train and it’s great just to sit there and dream your way through landscapes. I sure… -
I am NOT a camera!
27 Jun 2009 | 6:04 amI don’t like entering those shows where one has to put one’s work into a category: abstract, pictorial, traditional, innovative etc. I think of my quilts mainly in an abstract way. Yes, sure, I begin with a photograph of a group of buildings, chimney tops or industrial buildings that has caught my eye…but my interest is beyond that surface description and way beyond what the camera actually caught. What intrigues me is usually a dynamic arrangement of shapes, particularly where there’s a mixture of skinny shapes and block like shapes where they’re interacting with one another. The… -
An Interesting Exercise
24 Jun 2009 | 6:33 amWatching the Fashion Show last night, Bravo’s answer to the stalled-in-court Project Runway, I was fascinated by the “mood board” that Mizrahi showed designers to help them grasp the main concepts of his next group of fashions. A mood board is a tool used in designing many different things: music albums, websites, interior design, fashion collections, film, jewelry collections, flower gardens and so on. The board can be presented in landscape or portrait mode. It includes the main colour scheme, styles, inspirations, theme and mood for the intended… -
colour and color
22 Jun 2009 | 7:27 amI do hate it when the jurors in a quilt show give a prize for “best use of colour” to some quilt that has a million different colours on it: “Most use of color” might be a more apt designation! Using more different hues than anyone else does not constitute good color practice! Think about it in terms of interior design – only one thing worse than beige beige beige is red yellow green blue brown and pink in one room!! In the same way that a composition is strengthened by harmony within shapes/lines and textures, so is color harmony something to be sought. I know…
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Sunrise Quilt Studio
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Sun Painting
3 Jul 2009 | 3:54 pmSince the sun was shining this morning, I decided to get my daughters outside and do some sun painting with them. It took me awhile to get things gathered up and everything outside, but we finally got it together and painted some fabric.This is my second piece. I used red, yellow, cobalt blue and purple, then sprinkled canning salt all over the fabric.This was my first piece - same colors as the one above, but I used rock salt instead. I didn't like the results of those large pieces of salt. I didn't get the drawing action the way I wanted. The salt seemed to act like a mask instead.This is… -
Latest Fabric Postcards
1 Jul 2009 | 10:41 amHere are the 2 latest fabric postcards I have made. Both are the window drawing technique using a pigma pen then colored with colored pencils.This postcard was a trial with thread painting. I ran out of the rayon magenta thread and didn't have enough of the lighter pink thread to thread paint the entire card. So I left it as is. I have rayon thread on my shopping list. -
New Postcards & Importance of Blocking
30 Jun 2009 | 8:58 amHere are a few of the postcards I have been experimenting with lately. They are all a small "window" snapshot of another larger drawing from a Dover copywrite free coloring book. I made a window in a piece of cardstock and moved the window around the coloring book page until I found an image that appealed to me. Then I traced the image onto tracing paper, scanned it, enlarged it to 4.5x6.5" and then traced the enlargement onto white muslin with a pigma pen after I had applied fusible web to the back of the muslin. The fusible web made the muslin stable enough to draw on. The entire piece is… -
Postcards for Carma House
29 Jun 2009 | 6:24 amThe Learning Fiber Arts group is making and sending fabric postcards to Shirley the list owner to be donated to Carma House. Shirley has been donating her art quilts to Carma House and now her own family is in need of the facilities services. As a show of support to Shirley, we are donating the postcards which Carma House will sell to help support their work.The postcards are blank - no writing on the back except for a small notation of the name of the card and the maker - so that people who purchase the cards can send them in the mail with their own messages. That means we send them to… -
Hand Embroidered Quilt
26 Jun 2009 | 6:08 amThis well-loved quilt was hand embroidered and hand quilted by my Aunt Georgia back in the 1970's. She made one for each of her nieces and nephews which numbered 11! She was always doing some kind of needleart work in her spare time from quilting, embroidering, or crocheting.She bought this pre-printed top either at a Ben Franklin store or ordered it through a catalog and embroidered it then quilted it using a large hoop on a stand.My daughters still use this quilt. The binding is frayed and some of the quilting has worn away, but the embroidery is still secure and vibrant in color. Thinking…
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Susie Can Stitch
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Circus Embroidery - Free Patterns!
25 Jun 2009 | 7:01 amLast spring I posted about a circus embroidery piece my Grandma Nelson did for my mom when mom was a child. That would have been sometime in the 1940's. People really liked it and recently Shawn Lorette contacted me at Flickr to see if I would allow her to make tracings of that embroidery piece so that free patterns can be available to people who want to embroidery it themselves.HERE is her flickr photoset for the tracings. If you want to copy them, you choose the picture you like and click on "All Sizes" You can download the image to your own computer or print off a copy in a size you… -
My Own Kids' Baby Blankets
24 Jun 2009 | 8:00 amI want to share the quilts I made several years ago for my own sweet babies. My son turned 12 this spring and my daughter turns 9 next week. Where do the years go?I was a very new quilter when I was pregnant with my son. Before I was pregnant, I tried to make a baby quilt for a nephew who is just a bit older than my son, but that quilt was a total disaster and I never finished it. I learned that I really need to work from a pattern with nice, clear instructions. That nephew received a sewn fleece blanket and a hooded bath towel instead of a quilt.The pattern was in the book Quilts for Baby by… -
Pom Review and Wedding
22 Jun 2009 | 6:46 amI reviewed another pom pom making tool for Craft Critique. Read my thoughts HERE. Turns out that even though it's cheap, it is still not worth it.-------------Today is my 18th Wedding Anniversary! The years tick by faster and faster all the time. I was almost the first of all my friends to get married right after college. We were so happy then and it has just gotten better over the years. We sort of only celebrate the big anniversaries every 5 years, but I think we'll go out to a nice restaurant tonight.It rained on our wedding day in 1991, and that is supposed to be good luck. It was! We had… -
Green Tote
16 Jun 2009 | 2:05 pmI loved the Amy Butler Birdie Sling Totes I made for Mother's Day gifts so much that I had to make one for myself: Can you tell how large it is? This would make a great market bag. I plan to use it when I go on summertime outings with my kids and I need to carry a bunch of this-and-that.Last year when we were in Estes Park, Colorado, my mom and I found a fantastic fabric and gift shop. Mom picked out these lovely green prints and passed them along to me when she realized that she wasn't going to sew anything with them. The greens are Anna Maria Horner Garden Party prints. I can't figure out… -
Library Tote
7 Jun 2009 | 6:35 pmI made my niece this little tote at the last minute for her birthday. Her mom suggested that she could use a bag for her library books. This fabric and straps are all from JoAnns. The red floral was a couple of fat quarters. I wish my store had that print on the bolt because I really like it!I backed both the lining and the outside fabric with interfacing so this little bag stands up on it's own and is quite sturdy.The reverse is cute too. The little pocket is for her library card. A couple of years ago, I made this same little girl a pink Hello Kitty tote. I always intended to make another…
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The Quilter
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Refrigerator
1 Jul 2009 | 6:15 am -
Hugs 'n Kisses
30 Jun 2009 | 10:35 amHelen is being very generous and giving away the pattern for this BOM. Isn't it just the cutest thing? -
Noah's Ark
28 Jun 2009 | 5:50 pmI stitched up Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark BOM. This one is for me; you need to give yourself a present every now and then. Tanya added a fabulous border so I 'borrowed' her idea. I set my sewing machine on a serpentine stitch that resembled waves then added the walking foot and presto! it's quilted. The backing is an old Jeffery Gutcheon white on tan fabric with stylized waves. One couldn't find a more perfect backing. It is bound and signed and up on my wall. Too cute! -
Four
24 Jun 2009 | 6:00 pmAnd the final giveaway is from This-n-That Fabrics. Good Luck! -
Three Giveaway
24 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmAnd Quilting on a Budget is having a giveaway.
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Giraffe Dreams
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Wednesday Women II
2 Jul 2009 | 2:44 pmYesterday was Wednesday, and I had the lucky opportunity to eat lunch with Megan. It was weird, though, because the restaurant was so quick with the food, that it felt like we were there for five minutes. We ordered, the food came, we ate, we got the check, we stood up to leave... wait! It has only been five minutes! We didn't get time to talk!! It's weird when the service is too good.The restaurant was super busy, so I felt funny about taking a picture of us with 4 million people sitting around. I only got a picture of my food. But here is Megan, in the red long sleeves, part of the crowd… -
In Honor of Family
30 Jun 2009 | 9:12 pmfascinating photo... I can't remember where I found itPlease, please go to TirubaTuba's blog and read this post. She is doing a contest that will have some impact on waiting kids. And you might even win a prize or even become a "published" artist or author!There are thousands of older kids waiting to be adopted. They want a family, but they are scared and hesitant about what they may be getting into. Tuba wants to share with them what your family means to you... maybe they won't be quite so scared any more. And maybe, if a nice family steps up to adopt them, they'll all get off on the right… -
Sore Feet for the Homeless
29 Jun 2009 | 5:02 pmHere is my interesting day which I hinted about yesterday: today I volunteered at Project Homeless Connect. It was an all-day event for homeless people. They come to one place and get services all at once, such as help getting a state ID, housing information, employment information, applying for county services, legal assistance, medical and dental help, free haircuts, a free lunch, plus lots more.I was an intake person. Each intake person meets with an incoming client, takes down some info, and then accompanies the person around the room, to make sure the client finds the services he or she… -
An Award and a Bright Light
28 Jun 2009 | 7:41 pmI didn't think I had much to write about today, but then I discovered that Beth over at Walk a Mile chose me to win this lovely blog award. Beth and I became pals at church, especially through working on mission teams together. She is an inspiration to me! Thank you, Beth! I am honored! (I’ll follow the blog award rules in a couple of days.)Today we had church outside in a little "town square" area at a new development in our 'burb. It was a beautiful day to be outside!Pastor Penny did a sermon on Saul and his conversion along the road to Damascus. Saul was blinded by a bright light. And it… -
It Was a Good Day to Sew
27 Jun 2009 | 8:56 pmI got up too early, felt groggy, but was willing to do so because I got to sew ALL DAY today. A nice little Diet Coke solved the grogginess problem.Met three other women at my church and hunkered down to sew. I made this top.This was made by Clara (not her real name). These were made by Jezabelle (NHRN). Don't you wish you could have a bite or three? Become a quilter, join us at my church on the appropriate Saturday, and you, too, might be lucky enough to savor the sweet goodness of these caramel rolls. (They're the Diet version, because she used less butter than was called for.)
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Third Girl From the Right
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Artisits For Change
17 Jun 2009 | 11:55 amI just joined Artists For Change a Kiva lending team.You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions… -
Better Late Than Never
12 Jun 2009 | 9:12 amThis gorgeous Anniversary card was made for me by my darling husband using a soon to be released My 3D Scenes template. I love the way he has used these images from our life together. They bring back happy memories and make me look forward to the years of happiness we have ahead of us. You can use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the picture to scroll around this 3D greeting card. Click on the Stevie Wonder album cover and you will hear the first song from our wedding June 9th, 1996.Thank You Yalli, I Love You!! -
A Woman of Valour
14 May 2009 | 7:44 amA difficult text. Don't analyze it. Just hear the love, the appreciation, the awe for what women accomplish. We can aspire to be everything that the words describe, and more. The postcards that I created with "A Woman of Valour" as my inspiration are almost ready to fly around the world. The creative effort has kept me rooted in my head for the last couple of months. It has been a time of dreaming and problem solving rather than my usual creative enterprise of sitting at my sewing machine for hour after hour.First - fabric dye with sparkles sponged over a cut out of a woman's profile onto… -
A simple plan for controlling the "galloping gimmes"
13 May 2009 | 7:47 amGive your children a weekly allowance equal to one dollar per year of age - my children get $8.00 a week. This allowance is not dependent on good behaviour or the completion of chores. It is to help them earn the value of money, the importance of budgeting and the satisfaction that comes from making a purchase with their own money. Explain to them that their allowance and any other money they may receive will be allocated for the following purposes:10% will go to charity - the children put theirs in Tzedakah Boxes30% will go in the bank - I've actually bumped that part up a bit. Our bank… -
In honour of a small stone and my cousin Nomi
12 May 2009 | 10:37 amMy garden is awake and ripe for enjoyment. The clematis vines are twining, the buds are forming on the strawberry plants, the furniture has found places to welcome and soothe us. The trees are leafing out to provide shade. Soon the vegetables will be planted and our garden will feed us food as well as beauty and relaxation.
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Wild Thread Studio Art Quilts
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Explore
21 Jun 2009 | 5:04 amMelanie over at her My Croft blog has posted information about a free, 10 day online course that encourages you to dig deeper into those underneath layers of your mind. Unearthing that which moves us, draws us, calls us, talks to us (you get my point) can help churn the creative waters. If you are interesting in some self-exploration please check out this link to Shelley Klammer's workshop and enjoy your travels! Free E-Course, Deepening Creativity -
Communities
20 Jun 2009 | 8:49 amChapter 1Awhile back when I was still selling on Ebay I was contacted by Michelle who wanted to know if I was interested in displaying and selling my work at her Handmade Gallery. This shop was connected to the Wallkill River School in a local town. Michelle is a young woman whose blog title makes me laugh, knowing her as I do. She is a talented, sensitive soul with a heart of gold and the energy of a child. Anyway, after becoming involved with the Handmade Gallery I met Janet. Janet is a mixed media and jewelry artist. I remember this gorgeous beaded necklace she created that took her months… -
Artistic Fabric
14 Jun 2009 | 11:35 amDyed fabric that was soy waxed, over painted with textile paint, then screen printed, over painted with some more paint and then both machine and hand stitched. This is a small (7x11") example of Art Cloth...meaning it is created from a whole piece of cloth as opposed to stitched together pieces. For some stunning examples of Art Cloth piece please click on this link...enjoy!http://www.artclothnetwork.com/ -
Finished Pieces
2 Jun 2009 | 4:01 amThought I'd show you 2 recent pieces after they have been completed. I added free motion stitching to the one above and another small piece of fabric that I made. I like the unexpected red. The piece below had foils and paint added to it. Interesting how the paint infused the piece with energy - previously it had been very subtle and quiet. -
Artistic Expression
30 May 2009 | 10:46 amI love artistic pieces that calm, serene and of a limited palette...I really do. I could look at Toni Grote's work all day, getting lost the quietness and beauty of her paintings. I find it quite interesting that what calls me isn't what comes out of me. All of my work tends to be about multiple layers and hidden depths and busy-ness. Is anyone else drawn to work that is much different from their own? Perhaps this makes perfect sense on some level...being attracted to art work that is different from my own holds an element of mystery about the artist, their method and their motivation. I…
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Art-Quilt-Works
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It was really hot
28 Jun 2009 | 6:02 amoutside on Saturday, but five ladies were in attendance at the Dye Workshop I taught here in Columbia that was organized by Catherine. She's the one who's hands you see zip locking her dye bag. On average they dyes about 8 yards each. My daughter Lyn once again came through with a healthy lunch of chicken salad on a bed of lettuce with wedges of cantaloupe, Low fat chips and croissants and a choice of either a lemon or orange flavored cup cake for those who can indulge in both sugar and flour. Of course I passed on these but enjoyed the fresh brewed tea she had for us.After the class I went… -
"Thinking
21 Jun 2009 | 8:27 amwon't move a mountain, but one shovel full of dirt and rock at a time will.I got out of bed this morning thinking that I really needed to cleared away all of the residual stuff left from the garage sale that had taken up residence on my side of the garage; but mainly I needed to clear away the stuff that had found its way on top of my print table. That more so than just the clutter in general was interfering with my creative though processes . I was thinking this way because telling myself that if I got it done I could do something creative maybe today or at least on a few days this week.Art… -
New Blog for stuff I am riding myself of
18 Jun 2009 | 4:37 pmInstead of putting my stash and stuff on this blog I created another one especially for that purpose so if you have been checking here to see what I am riding myself of go here instead.I will keep adding stuff as I make my way through it. -
The Facts, just the facts....
15 Jun 2009 | 9:00 amI had a week that was nothing to blog about or take photo's of so here are the facts.I read three more books and am almost done with the last one before I can start listening to three on CD's.I saw three movies on Sunday, My Life in Ruin, eeh, Pelham 123, pretty good, and UP, smiling.On Friday, I went through my stuff and gathered some items to put out in our first since living here garage/yard sale, Lyn at the last minute decided we should participate in our sub-divisions annual event and try to rid ourselves of some no longer being used stuff, like my Gazelle. (this is the only time… -
I put down the book I was reading
8 Jun 2009 | 8:24 amon Sunday long enough, once the rain stopped, to go with Lyn to Stephens Park for the annual Art in the Park art fair sponsored by the Columbia Art League, an organization I keep telling myself I should join but haven't as yet. I selected a few of my favorite sites to share with you of our outing.Those who know me know I have a large elephant collection as a result of no effort on my part. The short of a long story is that I brought one to put on my coffee table back in the 70's when jungle themed wall paper was the rage and an elephant just seemed to go with the decor. Needless to say…
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Barbara Strobel Lardon
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A Look At The Back & My Garden
3 Jul 2009 | 8:09 amThought I would show the back of "The Canadian".As some of you know, I tried a new technique for me of quilting the entire goose onblack stabilizer and then fused it to the already quilted top. I then machine stitched around the entire edge of the goose, insuring it would not detach over time.So here you can see that outline stitch as well as how the wing looks from the back. I have also embellished a bit with some feathers and have one more on the sleeve which I have to still attach.It is very dry here. Has been cloudy and looking like rain for the entire week but all we have gotten is… -
"The Canadian"
2 Jul 2009 | 7:02 amIn honor of "Canada Day" I have finished "The Canadian".This quilt measures 41 1/2" by 21 1/2".It is designed, raw edged fused appliqued & quilted by me.The inspirational photo was taken by my wildlife photographer Jeffrey J. Strobel.Detail of quilting.This quilt is dedicated to my father, Charles S. Strobel, who never tired of watching the geese in flight. Although he is no longer here on earth, I feel his spirit each time I see these the Canadian Goose overhead. -
Organic Line Quilting
26 Jun 2009 | 10:26 amI have been working hard finding time to at least do a few of my organic lines in the background of my goose quilt. This morning I got all the way to the top of the reeds.It is not hard....just time consuming and you go through a lot of thread. I am happy with the results and think it suits this piece perfectly.Today is our (Bob and I) 28th wedding anniversary. We were both married before and he had two girls (Robin and Christy) and I had two boys (Jason and Jon). Then we had Molly together.We are very lucky to have been able to blend our two families perfectly together andwe love them all as… -
The Goose Once Again
25 Jun 2009 | 11:31 amI finished the work on the second wing....added some water to the background and now will begin quilting. There is one piece missing on the goose body but I had to find the rightfabric before adding it. So that will be added tonight since I found it this morning when I went to buy gray thread at "The Sewing Basket".When quilting is complete I plan on just binding this piece and keeping the wing going off the body of the quilt. Hopefully I can work that out. -
The Culprit and The Goose
24 Jun 2009 | 10:39 amHere is a photo of the Culprit, aka Bella! She is just keeping me busy and has bonded to me like glue. This is much to the dismay of my two dogs who have to adjust to her demands for my attention.Only two more days and she will be going home. I think I will miss her!Progress continues on The Goose. I have to work with Bella leaning on my leg or lying on my feet . So moving back and forth between my cutting table and my design wall is difficult but doable. I am fusing to black stabilizer so that I can quilt the entire background first and then the goose will go ontop.
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Art @ The Hermitage
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Unwelcome Visitors
30 Jun 2009 | 7:12 pmWe woke up to a kitchen full of these little bastards this morning. I saw a few of them running around yesterday and feared they'd multiply overnight when I couldn't be there to keep an eye on them, and I was right. We dispatched them after a half hour's hard labor, but they'll probably be back again tomorrow morning. They always seem to "test" us for a couple of days before they move on. Fortunately, once they're gone they tend to stay gone for months. I think this invasion is retaliation for my drowning out one of their colonies a couple of days ago when I revived an old planter that hadn't… -
The Garden - five weeks later...
27 Jun 2009 | 4:42 pmWhat a change from the pics on May 21! Most of the plants are covered with hard, little green veggies. I'm getting impatient! Another couple weeks of weather like we've had for the past two days, and we'll have veggies up the wazoo. (ACK! What am I saying... please, NO!!!) Picked the first strawberry today... A half for each of us tonight with a bottle of champagne to celebrate First Harvest!! (That's reason enough for champagne, isn't it???) -
Hey! Some excitement...!
26 Jun 2009 | 4:07 pmIt F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. arrived!! I've been waiting for this magazine for what seems like forever. It was announced last fall and the Premier Issue finally fell into my hot little hands yesterday. It's an absolute masterpiece, and (though I didn't think so while I was waiting) it was absolutely worth waiting for! It's nearly 150 pages, with a gorgeous color photo (or two) on nearly every page - even the ads are beautiful - printed on wonderful, heavy paper, and filled with so many exciting ideas my head is spinning. I've barely been able to put it down! It just screams at me to dive into my studio… -
No excitement here...
25 Jun 2009 | 12:00 pmAs my header says... Excitement??? Not here! This has been a month of taking care of sick cats and little else. It's sent us into some terrible habits that we're now working our butts off to break; staying up too late, getting up too late, drinking too much, eating too much take-'n'-bake pizza, wasting too much time in front of the computer, lumping around doing nothing... UGH. June has been an almost total waste. By the time we give three cats six doses of sub-q fluids, four pills, and five syringes of liquid meds (all of which they hate and fight like tigers to avoid), then deal with… -
Prayer
6 Jun 2009 | 5:17 pmI've often said I'm not a prayin' woman, and the concept of intercessionary prayer (as in, "Oh dear Jesus, send me a new Cadillac or a new refrigerator or a new husband or a million dollars, etc...") really turns me off. Prayer in the form of meditation, on the other hand, really does something for me - it calms me down, tunes me in, fills the hole in my soul, and just plain feels good. This prayer is shared by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley and is hanging in their beautiful lobby atrium. I see it every time I go there for my organ lesson, and it never fails to have an effect…
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Artwork by Jamie Fingal
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Girl Scout Ecco-Bag - so cool!
29 Jun 2009 | 3:58 pmThis cool ecco-bag was made from recycled plastic bottles and it showcases a portion of my art quilt "Green is in My Nature." The bag was produced by ABC Bakers, one of the two Girl Scout Cookie makers. They printed 15,000 bags and are part of the 2010 Cookie Incentive Program. They are not for resale. ABC will not be making any money from these bags. They have been well received by both volunteers and girls alike. I know that I am personally thrilled about it!As part of the Product Sales Convention in Reno, NV - every attendee received one of these bags - and they were a big hit! ABC Bakers… -
Edges Special Exhibit - Festival in Long Beach
25 Jun 2009 | 7:49 amPacific Coast Fiber Artists and Friends present "Edges" a 21 piece collection that will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach - July 23-26th. Sponsored by Interweave/Quilting Arts. Curated by Leslie Jenison and Jamie Fingal. Artists: Betty Amador, Carol Henke, Carolyn Ryan, Cindy Cooksey, Desiree Habicht, Frances Holliday Alford, Gwen Mayer, Jane LaFazio, Jeannie Moore, Joanell Connolly, Julie Schlueter, Karen Rips, Kathy York, Loris Bogue, Muna Elias, Pamela Price Klebaum, Paula Chung, Stacy Hurt and Terry Waldron. Leslie and I also have pieces in the show. -
One Foot Square 2009 for SAQA Auction
18 Jun 2009 | 10:59 pm"Coffee on the House"is the name of this piece; and thanks to everyone who gave me ideas of what to name it. If you want to look it up on the SAQA website, click on this -
New Mouse in Town
17 Jun 2009 | 4:44 pmThere's a new mouse in townNow Heavy Metal Mouse has a friendAren't their tails cute? -
Studio Visit
12 Jun 2009 | 3:47 pmI was thrilled that Rayna Gillman came to visit me in my studio this morning. She is in the OC to teach a 2-Day Workshop at Fullerton College. She wanted me to wear one of my aprons for the picture. Doesn't she have the greatest smile! There are more pictures on her blog - just click on her name. It was truly wonderful to meet Rayna, after only talking to each other on-line.
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Me & My Quilts
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Holiday Weekend!
3 Jul 2009 | 7:09 amI've made progress with the roses for Jazzberry Jam ~ Each one is slightly different (angle, fabric combinations, etc.) ~I'm hoping to have the top stitched together before I meet up with Chris on Sunday ~ Dave & Friends (the b&w kitties) is quilted and ready for binding. My co-workers will be happy ~ they've been waiting impatiently for that wall hanging to be hung at the office!Friday will be a family day ~ airport taxi service, doggie pick-up, younger son spending the day, and family dinner. The rest of the weekend will hopefully involve lots of time in the workshop and… -
Camp Sefton
2 Jul 2009 | 4:00 amGuess who's coming to stay at Camp Sefton for a week?And then again for another week later in the month?TIPPY!I promise you, there is no way you can stay grumpy when she's nearby ~ the chatter of tiny toenails on hardwood floors, belly rubs, walks around the block, dancing for treats, naptime snuggling . . . and a tail that never stops wagging!Here's to grand-dog visits!Quiltdivajulie--------------------------p.s. If you get a chance to see Wicked, GO! It was AWESOME! -
July Quilt Auction
1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 amDo you remember Tonya's Priority HOPE Challenge from earlier this year?This is one of the Priority Quilts I created in response.Essential Ingredient goes on the auction block July 1-10!Click here to see all the quilts offered ~ hope you'll consider bidding to support our efforts to raise funds for Alzheimer's research!p.s. There was an excellent article about AAQI and Ami Simms in the Flint Journal recently ~ click here to read all about it.Thanks a lot!!Quiltdivajulie -
Have You Seen It?
29 Jun 2009 | 6:20 pmHave you seen Wicked?We purchased our tickets last December and now, it is finally time to use them.The performance is Tuesday evening at the Orpheum Theatre . . .We're meeting the kids after work for dinner before the show. (Lauren and Eric saw the show on Broadway and loved it. I think this is their third time!)It is going to be SUCH FUN!Quiltdivajulie -
Studio Weekend Wrap Up
28 Jun 2009 | 11:00 amHere is the finished top ~ Eventide measures 43" square and will become a wall hanging (likely near my desk at work). I love how the secondary patterns emerge and disappear depending on how you look at this one! Thanks, Wanda, for sharing your class photos and information with those of us who live too far away to participate in person! Because I used fabrics from my stash, I had only "so much" to work with ~ hence the scrappy pieced back (after reserving for the hanging sleeve(s) and binding, I have essentially "none" of these fabrics left over).My quality assurance manager, Miss Angel, kept…
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About.com Quilting
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Lilacs & Roses Quilt
30 Jun 2009 | 4:47 pmLilacs and roses are two of my favorite flowers -- this quilt design reminded me of a combination of each one. Two different blocks (shown here) are sewn in horizontal rows to make a quilt with lots of movement across its surface. Sew it floral or choose another set of fabrics to change the quilt's character. -
Cathedral Rag Quilt Pattern
27 Jun 2009 | 1:42 amIn the three years I've written for About.com Quilting, one of the most-requested patterns has been the rag Cathedral Window quilt. I've been cutting circles and clipping seam allowances for the past few days and am getting ready to put the first quilt together. When I began working on it, I thought I wanted the more vivid print (top photo) to be the front focal, with the lavender batik providing the curved, ragged edges -- now I'm not so sure. Which do you prefer? Or how about a combination? (The circles are mocked-up, so you'll have to imagine the finished look, but thanks for your input.)… -
Best Sewing Machines for Quilters
25 Jun 2009 | 5:36 amAre you looking for advice before buying a new sewing machine? Maybe the online quilting community can help you decide which machine is best for you. A few months ago, I asked quilters to tell us about their favorite sewing machines, and (so far) 130 people have responded. You'll find opinions on sewing machine brands in general and on specific models, and the quilters point out why the machines have earned top-billing at their homes. Like jmay2, who wrote: I bought a Bernina 830 almost 30 years ago. My husband complained that it cost more than the used car he'd recently purchased from a… -
Quick & Easy Wallhanging Pattern
23 Jun 2009 | 12:36 amThis quilt block is called Christmas Star, but the design is suitable for any theme you want to give it, and the quilt is a good choice whenever you need a quick and easy project. At 20" square, it doesn't take long to put the block together, and surrounding it with setting triangles and a couple of borders is a breeze. If you like, change the look dramatically by altering the placement of color and color value within the design. Janet Wickell -
Raspberry & Chocolate Pinwheels
20 Jun 2009 | 3:30 amThis 6" framed pinwheel block is assembled in shades of raspberry and chocolate -- a yummy combination. You'll use four fabrics for each quilt block: two pinks and two tans or browns. The placement of the four fabrics within the blocks is up to you. If going scrappy isn't your thing, simply use fewer fabrics. More Pinwheel Quilt Patterns Blocks by Michelle
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Bunny Tales
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Creativity
1 Jul 2009 | 7:45 pmCreativity never ceases to amaze me. It’s what makes the world so much fun! If you haven’t been over to my Flickr group lately, stop by! You will not believe your eyes! These quilters are so CREATIVE! I’ve linked a few photos from the group. There are pages and pages of amazing blocks! Just click on the photos below, or the Flickr link above and you're in for a treat! From France Bienvenue The French have such a creative style…and their language is naturally so romantic. A welcome sign for guests and friends… -
20,017 Comments For One Giveaway!
29 Jun 2009 | 7:41 pmCan you imagine? It’s true! When The Pioneer Woman does a giveaway, she gets between 10,000 and 20.000 comments. Check out her June 23rd cooking post. Me,not having a clue, actually entered one of her giveaways. She divided it into 3 groups, my comment was something like number 401. Great I thought! First one in the third group. Here I am I shouted and waved my arms right in front of my computer. I was sure one of the three pink Kitchenaid mixers she was giving away was mine! Ha! Did my jaw drop! Over 10,000 comments in that… -
Windows Live Writer
27 Jun 2009 | 9:06 pmI’ve been blogging for over two years and just found this program about 6 months ago! If you haven’t tired it I highly recommend it. It’s called Windows Live Writer and it opens up all sorts of creative things for bloggers. Like what? Like an album of photos arranged in any order you like! If you click on the picture it opens up a different screen showing all the photos. Click the back arrow to return to my post. Mooch is my poster girl for the purpose of this demo… View Full AlbumOr, let’s say you want to show a map of a city or location you’re blogging about….you can do it! -
In love with toweling!
26 Jun 2009 | 3:30 amIs it possible? Can you actually fall in love with toweling? You know, it’s that fabric that comes with two finished edges. All you have to do is cut and hem two ends and you have a towel! A towel! So how exciting can that be? Enter The French General! Kaari Meng thank you! I opened up this piece of LINEN toweling today and fell in love. I can think of so many things to do with this! I may have to order bolts and bolts just to have…then line them up on top of the shelves in the kitchen to look at every day. If I tie a bow around the bolts they become decor don’t you think? 25 bolts? Is… -
Pure, Natural, Timeless and I love it!
23 Jun 2009 | 7:21 pmI love this fabric! AU.THEN.TIC by Sweetwater and Moda Fabrics. It’s delightful, new and so creative! And I’ll be using it this week in a new design. I can’t wait to get started! If I can just stop reading the fabric long enough I might get something done LOL! Just look at the fabric in the above photo. Can’t you just see this in so many things? I can! I can appliqué and read at the same time. Who could ask for more? Or how about this print? It’s exactly how I feel when I look at it! These words say it…
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Thimbleanna
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Broccoli Salad
30 Jun 2009 | 5:19 pmThanks for all the Grandma-Shirt Love. You guys are all so sweet! I wore that shirt all day on Saturday and it sure is comfortable. I just try not to look in the mirror! ;-) I don’t have much else to report this week. My boss came in to my office at noon today and asked if I could make a quick trip to NJ for a meeting tomorrow, so I’m leaving in 15 minutes to go hop on an airplane. I thought my NJ trips were over for awhile, but I guess not. No time to plan a quickie visit into NYC this time {sigh}. In the meantime, how about a quick summer recipe for broccoli… -
Summer Sewing
27 Jun 2009 | 10:59 amSo, how’s your weekend going? More importantly, how’s your summer going? Can you believe it’s almost July? I feel like it should still be May, at least. It’s pretty lazy-going here in ThimbleannaLand this summer. I actually dragged out my embroidery machine last week and played with my endless hoop. The endless hoop allows you to embroider long, repeating designs for things like borders and edgings. I bought the hoop 4 or 5 years ago and have never used it — I think I was scared of it. Which, as usual, turned out to be completely unfounded. It’s easy as pie… -
Distracted
23 Jun 2009 | 5:22 pmWell, I’m a little late with a weekend report, but I have a good excuse. I’ve had my nose buried in The Help. I completely avoided the computer last night and sat out on the patio reading until dark, enjoying the last of my peonies and savoring every word. I couldn’t help myself. I loved this book and haven’t been as excited about a book group book in a long time. I finally finished it today on my lunch break. Fortunately, no one came into my cube to see the tears in my eyes. Yvette commented on my last post about how sad she was to see the book end and I… -
Grocery Shopping
19 Jun 2009 | 8:13 pmLast weekend, TheManoftheHouse came home from his weekly shopping trip (he does the grocery shopping, which works for us — I’d rather be outdoors and, although he wouldn’t admit it, there’s great sightseeing to be had in a grocery store) and told me about this conversation he had with a woman in the checkout line. She was meticulously placing her groceries in piles on the conveyor belt and he said “Wow, you’re organized.” She explained her system to him and proceeded to show him her shopping list on a sheet of paper torn out of a notebook. So,… -
Yippy Skippy!
16 Jun 2009 | 7:28 pmWow! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on the last two posts. You are all so very kind, generous, AND clever! I’ve had a great time reading every one — and laughing a lot too. Talk about making a girl happy — thank you! Several other things are making me REALLY happy — starting with this adorable little silver bird. This is another one of my fabulous prize winnings from the last month or two. This time from Sweet Emma of SilverPebble. I love birds and I Love Love Love this little silver bird. I’ve been wearing her since she arrived and this…
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crazy mom quilts
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another one for my collection
2 Jul 2009 | 5:43 pmmy sweet, sweet friend Linda sent me this quilt for my birthday!!! isn't that so sweet? I LOVE IT! I'm going to use the upcoming holiday as an excuse to take a little break from the blog. I'm gonna celebrate my birthday with my sis (and the entire country). You know, it sounds fun to have a birthday on a holiday, but in reality most of the time it's kind of a pain. But I'm going to try to make the best of it. :)Have a great holiday weekend! And THANK YOU so much for all the well wishes for my retreat teaching opportunity. I appreciate it so much! -
i'm sooooo excited
30 Jun 2009 | 3:46 pmwell, excited isn't nearly strong enough...i'm ecstatic!!! i will be teaching at a quilting retreat in Colorado in November! i am also going to be putting together a quilt (to be given away at the retreat) from the fabulous fabric shown above. more details about the retreat can be found here. i have to say, that when i started this little old blog i had no idea the opportunities that would come about. it's pretty amazing. and wonderful. :)and....the winner of the oh cherry oh scraps is Sara. thanks to all of you for playing along!-----today is day 65 of the quilt along, in case you needed a… -
scraps
29 Jun 2009 | 9:26 amthanks for all the sweet comments on my oh cherry oh quilt! i can't believe that i'm going to say this, but i have too many fabric scraps. i really do. so i've decided to giving away my oh cherry oh scraps.leave me a comment with your name, location and what you would do with the scraps if you were to win them.here's an example: my name is amandajean and i live in wisconsin. if i were to use these scraps i would add them to my spiderweb quilt and would probably make a doll quilt or two.one comment per person and please make sure that there is a way to contact you in the event that you win. -
oh cherrry oh
26 Jun 2009 | 7:16 ammy 20th quilt of the year is done!this was my first time using a layer cake (precut squares that measure 10") and a jelly roll (precut strips that are 2.5" wide). it made the quilt top assembly very quick. i used the pattern patchwork rendezvous and the fabric is oh cherry oh from moda.all the time i saved in assembling the qulit top i made up for quilting it. i used almost 18 bobbins of thread! i still can't believe that i did that much quilting on this baby, but it was so worth it. i love the texture! i was hoping that this might become my signature quilting design, but it's way too labor… -
the last 10
23 Jun 2009 | 11:28 ami finished my 9 patch blocks yesterday for the one a day quilt along!!!! i haven't had time to lay out all 70 out yet, so i'm a little nervous...i hope they all can get along. :)i'm not sure that i should admit this, but i'm already planning my next one...----today is day 58 of the quilt along.
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Don't Look Now
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Double figures!
28 Jun 2009 | 7:19 amOn Saturday someone in our family clicked over to double figures .... how I can possibly have a child that's 10 years old? Happy Birthday my little big girl! Luckily, Melbourne turned on a spectacular sunshiny day ... because we spent the day here .... Some of us spent the day screaming and giggling on the thrill rides ... On these rides you have to be of a certain height ... and when you are 10 years old, being taller than 120cm is a breeze!!! The chickens hung out on the rides where you can't be any taller than 120cm .... Other more sensible people sat out… -
Just pretend that this isn't my 100th post ... ok?
22 Jun 2009 | 6:50 amYep this is my 100th post but as explained in my last post it wont be the celebration post just yet .... however, there are a couple of things to celebrate since my last post! First up Mai from Handmade by Mai left my 3000th comment when she stopped by last week. I will be sending Mai a couple of patterns as my monkey making time is totally taken up at the moment with my current quilt. Next up and thanks to the old random number generator blogless Chriss Jasper who left the 110th comment for the last post will be receiving the How Does your garden… -
A little Bernina 820 love ...
12 Jun 2009 | 3:48 amSo does it feel like I have been avoiding you guys? Well in a way I guess I have .. this is my 99th post and we all know what is meant to come with my next post ... I have thought up a pretty nice giveaway but I am so heavily overcommited at the moment that actually making it in time has been impossible. Being as far behind with things as I am at the moment isn't fun it's nauseating I'm afraid ..... :( So I figure my options are either to keep my head stuck firmly in the sand and hope you all wont notice that I haven't been around or just to stray from the line and… -
A little self indulgence ...
28 May 2009 | 7:35 pmFor a few weeks now I have been slogging away with my hand stitching. I have resisted the urge to turn on the Bernina. A little germ of an idea crept into my thoughts earlier in the week and it has been nagging me ever since ... this morning after dropping off the kiddos I decided that resistance was futile ... I love you Bernina 820 ... I truly do! I should have actually been doing Mr DLN's books .... oops don't tell him please!!!!!! Enjoy your weekend! Kellie PS. If you have had trouble opening my blog this week could you please shoot me an… -
Some people travel to Sydney to see ...
25 May 2009 | 3:42 amthe beautiful sites! I've been there done that ... so when Mr DLN and I had our grown ups only weekend away this weekend I went here instead ... and then I took a short walk to here ... why would I do this... because I didn't have enough fabric ....silly!!!! So at least for the time being ... I do now! I drew up a plan for this lot last night and I can't wait to start cutting ... but for now it's back to my hand sewing! A few weeks ago I sent off a box filled with my patterns on a very long journey across to the other side…
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DreamWeaver's Quilts Quilt Epiphany Blog
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A Touch o’ the Irish–Quilting, that is!
30 Jun 2009 | 8:08 amI’ve been a bit behind on the blogging lately. I have all these pictures that I’ve taken, and things stored up in the back of my head to blog about, and then life gets in the way, and the stuff never makes it to the keyboard and thence to the screen. One of the most exciting things happened at the beginning of June: One of my Inchie Quilts called Where the Inchies Are appeared in Irish Quilting Magazine! Cool, right? Now take a look at the picture of the quilt in the magazine:(...)Read the rest of A Touch o’ the Irish–Quilting, that is! (302 words) Go quilt! Your work… -
Shall We Meet in Des Moines for the AQS Quilt Expo?
24 Jun 2009 | 3:21 amAre you planning to attend the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, Iowa this year in October? I am, and I’ll be teaching my newest techniques and projects there October 28-31! Check out the workshop descriptions here on the Workshops page, and then head over to the AQS site to download the Registration Guide for the show. On the workshop menu are Inchie projects and a lecture, as well as workshops on embellishments, machine appliqué and there’s even a class for bloggers and those that would like to start blogging online. Online registration for the Des Moines Quilt Expo is coming soon… -
Want to Write a Quilt Book? (Part 2)
23 Jun 2009 | 12:19 pmSo where was I? Part 2 of this article got preempted by various things, so now my thoughts are a bit scattered, which is what I get for not writing it right after I’d finished Part 1 while I was on a roll! So what was it that I said I would talk about in Part 2 again? Hang on while I go check… … … Ah, there it is: “I’ll share a few thoughts about the actual submission process, and the things that I think made my proposal for Inchie Quilts attractive to AQS.” Hmmm. Okay, here we go. Early in the Inchie development process, I thought the whole concept would… -
Inchie Quilt Reveal #1
19 Jun 2009 | 8:57 amSince the new owner of this quilt, the lovely Nadine@Patchowl, has received it, I can now share it with all of you. Nadine was one of the winners of the Giveaway, and she told me what colors she liked, and sent me some paint color cards since she recently painted the sewing area where she planned to hang the quilt. I started making her a quilt with those colors, but then in a different email conversation, she mentioned that she really liked the new Moda Patisserie line of fabrics, and I just happened to have a charm pack of those fabrics, so I started the quilt again and used Patisserie… -
Bookish Things
17 Jun 2009 | 2:03 pmAQS put up a lovely introduction to Inchie Quilts on the AQS Publishing Blog. I think Bonnie Browning writes the entries on the blog, but I’m not positive. Whoever the mystery writer there at AQS is, she said some really cool things about the book! I realize that as the publisher it’s their job to say wonderful things about the book (and if the publisher didn’t think it was great, it wouldn’t be a book at all), but it’s still pretty cool. I love the AQS Publishing blog, and for more reasons than the above. For example, the post just after the one about Inchie…
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This That and The Other
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And speaking of gardens...
3 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amMAINE!KANSAS! NORTH CAROLINA!NEW MEXICO!andOKLAHOMA!Oh so close !!!I'm still missingWyomingNorth DakotaKentuckyAlaskaOnly FOUR more and I'll have all the states!How very cool is that.I've had a couple peoples email andoffer to send fabric from all 4 of those states, butI haven't received it yet. If you have mailed fabricfrom one of those 4 states, please email me. Do you live in one of those states?Do you know someone that lives in one of those states?ooxx`jodi -
How does your garden grow?
2 Jul 2009 | 6:01 amMy garden is coming along quite nicely!The lettuce is oh so yummy...We won't be eating these, but man I just love these flowers...I picked my first 2 yellow zucchini Wednesday morning...The green zucchini are coming along too...The old wheelbarrow is overflowing with nasturtiums...and the Hosta's are loving their new home this year...I've been spending as much time as I can here....Enjoying every square inch of it all... -
Old Red Barn Quilt Along
1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amIt's ALL DONE !I joined in the fun over at Dana's BlogOld Red Barn Co. and her Quilt Along.I've actually made a similar pattern in a few baby quilts.Super Fun! Super Easy! and Super Fast!I love how this one turned out.I used a "Oh Cherry Oh!" jelly rolland a few other fabrics I had on hand.I also LOVE the backing.I ended up quilting it from the backside,just following along between the littlerick rack like design.{p.s. The backing fabric came from The Fat Quarter Shop. It came lickety splitand packaged simply awesome! I will most definitely be ordering from them again! -
Needle Little Inspiration ?
30 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amSimply Visit Lori @ Bee in my Bonnet! I was thrilled to discover Lori's blog.I have long admired her Apron Club Quilt and wasecstatic to find her blog and not only see her other patterns,but simply enjoy everything on her blog!Here is another of Lori's patterns; Comforts of HomeSo gosh darn cute!This is a more recent patternIs it not the cutest!And this one! Family Reunion.Oh so cute! It's a work in progress,You must go see the other blocks; {click on the pic's}Lori has a regular feature on her blog too.Vintage Mondays!I have that tulip bowl with lid! It was my grams' and I love it.I must… -
Postcards from Hawaii
29 Jun 2009 | 9:26 amBack in February I won a Give Awayover at Lisa Boyer's blog; Dorky Homemade Quilts.She made a fabulous quilt she named; "Postcards from Hawaii".Go HERE to see her quilt.She gave away some charm squares of the Hawaiian fabricshe used in her quilt. I was so excited!I had also received some fabulous Hawaiian fabric fromLettie of Polka Dot Pineapple, for my Grandma's FlowerGarden Quilt project.So I gathered my winnings from Lisa,the left overs from Lettie and...here is my own "Postcards from Hawaii" Quilt!It is smaller than Lisa's but I absolutely love itIt's the prefect lap size quilt to bring…
