Stitches and Ditches

This was a first

2010-10-20T04:02:00.002-04:00

Never did this before...interesting, Olfa blade too. Bright side, new blade is much sharper and may not require me to press down so hard :-)

What a Guy!

2010-10-17T20:06:00.002-04:00

So I have been known to pick on DH for the number of hours he spends on Craigslist and eBay...I think I'm going to hold my tongue from now on.

LOOK AT WHAT HE FOUND!!!!

Absolutely FRICKIN' AMAZING!

Side view showing tiger grain oak and wood carving Closed top front view
Red Eye Model 66 machine (we looked it up, manufactured in 1915!)

Front with top open and machine upright

We need to find a belt, but everything seems to move the way its supposed to. How do you like that? I've got me a heck of a guy! Dontcha think?

A winner has been picked......

2010-10-16T08:51:00.004-04:00

Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave such lovely comments about the giveaway! I have had a great time and hope you all have too!

Congrats to Kylie! Comment #93 (as chosen by DH...after his second sip of coffee this morning :-)

Now I just need an address!

WOW!!! and a finish

2010-10-08T12:25:00.003-04:00

A recent completion, the Sonnet Charm top I finished at the retreat. Binding finished at 11:30 pm and in use as seen here the following morning at 7:30am :-0)
And for the WOW!!! part....as of this morning there have been 170 comments regarding the Fall into fall giveaway from last week! I am so amazed at the response and I want to say thank you for all the nice comments. I will pick a name on the 15th of October, so keep the entries coming and Good Luck!

Fall into fall giveaway

2010-10-02T09:42:00.005-04:00

OMG I am so sorry I am late in posting this! I feel asleep in the recliner while binding a quilt last night! :-)

Here it is! My giveaway offering!

8 Fresh Air from Moda FQs and a pattern from Lazy Girl Designs for The Towne Purse. I though these were great fall fabrics for someone to be able to pop together sweet fall purse.

So please leave a comment to enter, the contest runs until October 15, at which time I will draw the name of the lucky winner. Make sure that I can contact you, what a shame to win but have your email set on no reply and forfeit to the next person :-( Please click on the link on the right to see postings of many more great giveaways at other blogging buddies! Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

****Added 10/3 In response to comment question, yes I will send anywhere!!! Good luck!****

Fall into fall giveaway!

2010-09-25T11:28:00.003-04:00

Fall into fall giveaway!

Come back on 10/1 to see a give away I will be having that will run from 10/1 through 10/15.

If you'd like to join in and do a give away yourself, please click the scarecrow to join!

Also, click on the scarecrow to visit a blog that will listing ALL the sites that will be having a giveaway during this time.

But please do stop back after the first to see what I'll be gifting and to leave a comment to be eligible in the drawing!

Let me tell you about an awesome retreat

2010-09-22T18:57:00.008-04:00

Annual retreat in North Webster, IN... a blast as usual, I just heart those ladies so much. There is just something so calming and reassuring about being around a group of ladies who not only share your interests, but help you to understand your place in the universe and the sisterhood of women. OK that sounded corny I know, but I sit at the age of 42 and see those younger than me struggling with the same things I struggled with I cant help but look to those older than me who fought and survived the same battles I'm currently facing.

I was very productive during the 5 days of sewing. I know my attitude of using things up really helped me to plow through the projects since I started with mostly UFOs and orphan blocks and worked to give them a home. We went shopping in Shipshewana as we always do, I thought I was being a good girl, buying only fat quarters from Lolly's famous boat. We got a great deal by buying 100 FQs, so that is all I bought, 100. It wasn't until we got back to the cottage did my buddy Darlene point out that 100 fat quarters are in fact the same as 25 yards of fabric! Yikes! Thanks Darlene...geesh!

Here are some pics of what I managed to accomplish.

Fall orphan blocks. This quilt is the result of 4 swaps and a BOM that never got completed with various flying geese thrown in there to make it somewhat square.
GPS Giant Postage Stamp swap blocks finally at home in a quilt top.

This was a BOM from years ago, Broken Stained Glass from planetpatchwork.com. I doubt very seriously if this were all the blocks in the BOM, but its together now.

A pieced back using the Turning Twenty pattern in homespuns. This will eventually back a quilt with wool batting, my first time using it. Its the winter quilt for our bed, i need to get a move on before it gets cold.

See my cute little Kilroy peeking out! :-0)

A RxR from Mailblocks from a couple of years ago. Fuzzy appliqued flowers still need to have some more leaves put into the barren places that just need a little more.

And my Sonnet charm pack quilt, also from several years ago, finally ready to be quited.

This year's challenge was Itty Bitty, it had to fit in a 10"x13" frame. So here it is, all finished. The buttons were DH's idea, I still just wasn't pleased with the way the centers came out and he was the button man.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the favors I gave. Hand made soaps in various yummy scents. Sandy at Earthlydelightsoap made up these darling little bags with two different soap scents. I highly recommend her soap, we've been using it for years and in addition to smelling just wonderful, it leaves your skin so soft and smooth. I cannot say enough about her customer service, i contacted her to explain what I needed and my budget and she made these special sized bags, she's the greatest! I am a very happy customer!

So now the North Webster September retreat is over, next to start planning for is May. And I also need to get all these tops quilted and finished!

Good wool, bad iron, nothing complete

2010-08-15T00:00:00.007-04:00

So I have this Block of the Month penny rug pattern by Connie Huddleson called "Pennies" which is absolutely adorable with a different theme block for each month. My idea, instead of making a wall hanging that measures 33"x42" as its shown, is to make the penny rugs on various backgrounds and I can hang them as little mini seasonal wall hangings. So this is November's block...do you see what my bad iron did? The brown rust marks from the iron? Grrr! Any ideas on what to use? I am leaning towards a Tide stick but I have never tried it on wool before. Ok, so I throw the pumpkin penny rug aside and decide to start on my mini quilt challenge for the upcoming September retreat. My husband casually said, "You know, you can do any shape with that wool, you don't always need to do circles." Thanks Gene, like my mind isn't already crammed full with ideas, you have to get me going on a whole new tangent. So after a hour or so with my graph paper, I came up with this:

I really like it. I like it so much that I become nervous about my blanket stitch. Sure, I do a fair job on gentle curves and circles, but i will really need to sharpen my skills if I want those little points to really stand out. Which led me to this:

Another in progress candle wrap, hopefully honing my blanket stitch skills. i thought these looked a little like peppermints and I think I might make another for my Christmas candles they're really turning out cute. Finished pics will be soon I hope!

Better for orphans to have a home

2010-07-11T15:31:00.003-04:00

Quick and easy utility quilt made long enough for my 6'4" son to stretch out under. I used orphan blocks and my scrap pile. I felt a little guilty slicing up the orphans at first, but then i decided it was better for them to have a home rather than live stashed away in a tote somewhere. I started with orphans I was fairly sure I wasn't ever going to do anything with and added strips and pieces from my scraps to make 12" squares. I then cut them on the diagonal and added solid red strips from jelly roll to make the diamonds. Q said he really likes the feel of fleece so I just did a large meander all over with the fleece as the batting/backing with turned over backing for binding. Quick, easy and done.

And then, out from the depths of the UFO pile.....

2010-07-04T20:17:00.003-04:00

Sonnet from April Cornell, man I just love these colors!

So several years ago I bought some yardage and several charm packs, most of which were homespuns. Then I started cutting everything up and stitching. Maybe it was a different time in my quilting life, but the wonkiness of the homespuns drove me crazy and away it went to UFO pile.

Today I am in a finish it, use it or move it along kind of period and I pulled this back out. Still in love with the fabrics....its not their fault they are stretchy, I am ok with wonky right now so I am just trying to finish as quickly and easily as I can so i am using what i had precut and I need an inner border so that I can just do more rail fence blocks around the outside and show a definite change. So what do you all think? #1 #2 #3 or #4?

Something new

2010-06-30T22:29:00.002-04:00

Most recent completion, a wall hanging from homespuns and wool. Used a Pat Sloan pattern as a jumping off point.

Current projects

2010-06-13T10:10:00.002-04:00

This is just a little wool welcome banner I am working on for my own front door. Using mostly wool from thrift store sweaters and skirts. I have a few more leaves to sew on the branch and it will be time to back quilt and bind it. I initially planned to hand quilt it, but the more I think about it, a tight stipple might make it pop out a little more. And I am trying to get this quilted to take with me back to PA this coming weekend. My grandfather passed away and his memorial is this weekend and I'd like to get this to my sister who chose the fabrics last summer when we vacationed in TN together.

Projects from retreat

2010-05-12T11:34:00.004-04:00

A scrappy something or other made from swap blocks. Not a whole lot more going to happen to this, just a nice red border. Great reversible oilcloth bag kit found on shopping trip. Really retro and cool!
Kit from shopping trip, so easy and quick, now just a border and be done!

Pattern and fabric selected by DH about 3 years ago, I was petrified at the paper piecing, but I think I kinda won the battle.

So, am I ready to get back to sewing?

2010-05-12T10:25:00.004-04:00

Where have I been? Well not sewing that's for sure. But now I am ready to talk about sewing and maybe that will bet me to thinking about sewing and hopefully that will actually get me sewing again.

I did go to retreat a couple weekends ago. It was juts what I needed to get the creativity flowing again. Can you believe that before i left I seriously considered taking my fishing pole? That's how much I have been out of the quilty loop.

A few pics of retreat:

I will post what I managed to get accomplished later on.

Other retreat doings

2009-09-29T10:36:00.003-04:00

This is an adorable little purse made from a pattern that Alison had...I actually made three of these, two were intended for my friend Jamie's mom and sister, but Jamie's daughters confiscated them as they were pulled from the bag :-) Forgive the long skinny pic, I didn't think you needed to see all the coats that have been hanging on the coat hooks since last spring! This is the top for my sister Amy. These are the fabrics picked by her when we vacationed in Tennessee a few months ago. I really played with the geese, this way and that, and the general consensus at the retreat was that it looked much more exciting and moving all jumbled up.

Guess what! I won!

2009-09-25T17:47:00.003-04:00

I won this awesome cow block from Rhonda aka Ravelly1

How lucky am I? You cannot live in IN without seeing at least a few of these on the way to anywhere! LOL To see how its made, she has shared an awesome shadow tutorial, that can be adapted to any subject check it out! I'm so excited! Rhonda makes it look easier than it probably is, but I'm going to try one!

Home from retreat!

2009-09-23T11:46:00.005-04:00

This is for anyone out there who has thought about going to a quilting retreat but has been too apprehensive to go.....GO!!!!!!! I know everyone thinks they're shy or that they wont fit in, but look at it this way, how can you go wrong with a room full of other women who share the same passions as yourself? I always have a wonderful time with old and new friends at retreat. There is so much experience to draw from, if you have a question or a technique that has been a problem in the past, chances are there will be someone there who is proficient and will take the time to show you one on one. Best of all is the friends you make. I have always been one of the guys, having very few female friends. But when I am at retreat surrounded by women, older and younger I feel....(searching for a not too overly sappy term)....belonging, kinship, centered.

Anyhoo....next time a retreat presents itself to you please just go for it! Take your open mind and you desire to learn and share and just jump in head first!

This is the cottage we stay at taken from the dock out on the lake a couple of May retreats ago. Gifties made for Liz who is the Retreat Mom who keeps us all in check with her whip and wit and the other for Alison, quilter, chef and friend extraordinaire.

Pumpkin blocks for a swap completed at retreat.

Christmasy Delectable Mountain blocks for an upcoming swap. (I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! this pattern, have already made 36 half blocks, going to make more for sure!)

For the rest of you woolenators to drool over, purchased at Lolly's and Yoder's in Shipshewana.

More pics to come when my quilt hanger gets home from work :-)

Wool Tissue holders

2009-09-12T14:28:00.005-04:00

I thought these little tissue holders were just adorable. One of my favorite online shops QuiltersQuarter seems to be clearing its shelves of lots of great stuff, and I found this little kit for a wool tissue holder for 65% off!

Of course they were so easy and simple to make I had to make a few to help me make a dent in my wool. Aren't they great?

Retreat Prep

2009-09-08T07:55:00.003-04:00

I am fortunate enough to be able to go to two retreats a year in North Webster, IN. The fall retreat is only 8 days away!!! As always I'm psyched to get away and meet with my quilty buddies but this time I am SUPER PSYCHED that my bestest buddy Jamie is going with me!

Jamie has just jumped into this whole quilting adventure with both feet, each time I talk to her she has just come back from a fabric store!

I have been gathering projects to work on during the five days I'll be away. I have so very many UFOs to choose from and I'm fighting off the urge to take new potential projects just so I can whittle down the UFO pile a bit. I have been pre-cutting everything so that when I get there I can just put the pedal to the metal and sew! I'm hoping to return home with enough tops to keep the frame and I busy for months!

I want to play with wool

2009-08-30T11:01:00.003-04:00

I don't know if its the slight chill in the evening air or the schedule change at work that has allowed me to have my relaxing evenings back, but I was really needing some wool time. So I have been working on this penny rug and its finally finished!

I have learned a few things, which is always a good thing, and I realize now that I need to throw my wool back in a hot washer for another go around, its really not as felted as I thought with just one trip through. I need to continue practicing my buttonhole stitch to work to get a more even consistent stitch width and length. But all and all, I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Stuff

2009-08-30T10:22:00.003-04:00

The countdown is on! I have about 2½ weeks to prepare for the retreat in September. I have been cutting kits and gathering fabrics to hopefully finish loads of tops during the five day quilting extravaganza! But I have managed to complete a few things.

A chili pepper potholder made from a pattern found in Pam Bono's Big Book Of Rotary Cutter Quilts for a swap at Mailblocks. Lotto blocks using Marcia Hohn's pattern for Starflower from Quilterscache.com for lotto blocks.

UFO or UFOs?

2009-08-15T23:37:00.005-04:00

So I did it, I backed a UFO with another UFO. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Scrappy and fun...I'm smiling!

Back is Turning Twenty from homespuns.

Front is Wonky Houses from quiltville.com with some free formed wonky looking trees and geese all around.

Just a little time...

2009-08-08T13:09:00.005-04:00

Last weekend my mom, sister and I all met in Gatlinburg, TN for a mini girls only reunion. We had lots of fun talking and exploring Smokey Mountain National Park. What a beautiful area, I know I will be returning as soon as I can! It was a great way to spend the first part of my vacation.

The second part has been spent doing a little tidying up around my sewing area and trying to get caught up on some swap/lotto blocks.

This first pic are my Blocks in a Box from The Golden Thimble.com Aren't they fun? Super easy and a nice size at 9" they will work up into a couple of quilts very quickly.

These are Bear Tracks blocks from Quilterscache.com Talk about a really nice autumn quilt for the winner Genevieve!

Me and my poor machine...

2009-07-28T05:29:00.004-04:00

...have been apart now for almost two weeks! I have just not had a spare minute to sit down and have some girl on machine action and I'm truly missing it!
I would show some great non quilty pics if I had them. I guess I could take some pics of yummy recipes that I have been trying. But its garden time and who wants to see the sliced tomatoes and cukes I ate last night? Or the sliced cukes and tomatoes I ate the night before? :-)

Work, work, work makes Mary an unfulfilled quilter.

UFO Analysis

2009-07-14T16:42:00.007-04:00

I am involved in a UFO challenge at Mailblocks, we have four months to complete up to ten different UFO's that we listed at the beginning of the challenge. This really got me to thinking about how many UFO's I truly have and what makes them UFO's. Why have some of my projects lain at the back of the closet or at the bottom of the stack for so long? So I decided to pull a few out and seriously evaluate them.

This is a 4 Patch Stack n' Whack that I started at last September's retreat. What about is it that had it tucked away to live a life of loneliness? I think its maybe because I don't really like it. I loved the fabric, the whacked patterns did not turn out as dramatic as I would have liked and the blocks look uninspiring. I am thinking they might be better served if I gave them to someone who likes them or make a little charity quilt. Its not that they're not nice, I am just bored.

These raggedy flowers are just nine of a total thirty six that I have from a row robin that finished in April. I like them, I plan to add leaves and some butterflies and a nice floral border. Why haven't I worked on them? I think because there's still so much work to be done to complete the top let alone quilt the big beasty once the top is done. Oh yeah, and let us not forget that once its done and on my bed a 90lb. muddy dog will surely fly in there to avoid having her feet wiped off and roll all over that cream fabric! :-)

This is an older one, Wonky Houses from Quiltville.com made during a swap in 2006. I loved the blocks and decided to make some wonky trees for corner stones. But its small, I want to make a really killer border, like maybe pieced deer or bears with larger wonky trees. Again...that's just a lot of work. Maybe I will just make a nice colorful scrappy border of geese and use the following quilt to back it?

Homespun Turning Twenty from 2007. This was a retreat project that I used unloved homespuns just to try out the pattern. Now I really like it! I have a distressed black that I planned to make an inner border and smaller pieces of homespun for an outer border. I think the colors will work well with the Wonky Houses from the previous post. (Wow, it sounds like I have a definitive plan...maybe these will be my next UFOs to tackle!)

A Row x Row from Quilting in Indiana. This is a killer top, can you guess what I haven't finished it? Because I have been too lazy to figure out how to continue the black and white pinwheels into the border. I have a really nice gray for a border, but my laziness just keeps me from continuing.

A row x row from Mailblocks, really cute isn't it? I designed it with a particular lady in mind, an ovarian cancer survivor that i have so much love and respect for. I have been telling her about it for 3 years now. I wonder when she's going to finally tell me to get off the pot and MAKE HER QUILT ALREADY!!! What has me stuck on this one? I am envisioning a picket fence border around the outside. Again, I am just dragging my feet at designing the block for the borders.

Another Round Robin. I am disappointed at this one. One robiner made her round completely contrary to my color requests. I'm sure you can guess which round has me upset. Its almost 2 years old, and I pull it out occasionally. My anger keeps lessening each time I drag it out, maybe in another year I will actually be able to throw a black border on it and get it quilted.

This was a Row x Row that got hung up in the events of one Robiners life and I got it back after an extra six months. I was so excited about this when it started, it just makes me happy to look at. But somehow it got lost in the shuffle and now I do not have the intended border fabric anymore....Grrr! So now I am on the lookout for a nice complimentary fabric, but it always slips my mind when fabric shopping.

There's another factor in finishing UFOs, the cost of completion. Now when I look at the stack of UFO's I cannot help but to see $$$ fly around in the potential cost for batting and backing. Of course I could always piece the backings...but that would become a UFO in itself!

Good Gawd! This is just a drop in the UFO bucket around here...this partial list has really hit home....I need to go and hang my head in shame.....

Decision Made

2009-07-08T17:26:00.007-04:00

Ok, so the decision has been made. Not that I didn't like the waviness of the second, I just knew I wanted to do a border that would let the striped fabric really stand out and I was afraid the straight closed in border of the stripes would not work well with the waves. If it were larger than a kid sized I think I might have tried out the second setting. It is now on the frame and ready to be quilted....not sure how I want to do that either!
The applique is raggedy edged and was super easy to put together, all done in one day actually. DH asked what kind of template I used. I explained that I had to make special trip to get it and it was quite pricey...a dinner plate and a saucer :-) All in all I am so pleased with this design that I'm going to scour the stash for more workable directional fabrics to make another, I think the stripes make all the difference.

Opinions Please

2009-07-07T15:32:00.002-04:00

This is the challenge for September's retreat called Dots and Dashes. At least 50% of the quilt needs to use stripes or polka dots. (Click on pic to see the patterns in the bullseyes are actually made from dots.) So which setting do you like the best?

Of course there will be borders, but I cant begin to think about those until I have my center finished.

Lotto and swap blocks

2009-07-01T16:07:00.004-04:00

What I did with my Tuesday :-) First Lotto blocks in purple and yellows using Castles in the Air block by Quilterscache. And next swap blocks using Quiltville's Nine Patch split with Red Ok, now I really like the looks of these blocks. And since I started trying to convert my scraps using Bonnie's Scrap User's System I have plenty of 2½" squares and 2½x4½" bricks that I can make plenty more of these blocks.
I love scrap quilts, so I'm thinking a border containing greens would make a nifty Christmas throw that still had the scrappy look I love.

I'll be darned if it didnt work!

2009-06-29T11:23:00.003-04:00

Have you noticed on my side bar? The listing of my fabric purchases? Half way though the year and the total is $245. That my dears is TRULY AMAZING! When I decided way back when in this post Looking Forward to start listing my fabric purchases to keep me in check I would have never thought I could have been anywhere near as frugal as I have been the first part of the year. I have to say, I think I am going to continue. I have barely made a dent in my stash, so why buy more? Its time to clear out the old.

However, I will be going north to retreat in September, with our regular shopping trip to Shipshewana, I know I will have to buy! buy! buy! at Yoder's and Lolly's. Plus, there's a Pennsylvania Dutch BOM at the Fat Quarter Shop using the Wisscasset Collection by Minick and Simpson that I'm afraid has my name written all over it. But I think if I am very careful, I still just might be able to stay under $500 this year....can I do it?

Wishin' and wool

2009-06-23T12:37:00.006-04:00

This is my wool. This is the disorganized state it lives in. I suppose I could buy another tote for all that's overflowing, but it will still live in the corner of my bedroom. In the future, when the boys move out and I can claim more than just a corner as my sewing space, I want shelves so that I can look and see and be inspired rather than dump everything out on the coffee table in the living room to remind myself of what I already have. I'm searching for some sort of...what's that word?...oh yeah ORGANIZATION!

None the less, I did manage to make this.

A flattened view.

AC and pennies

2009-06-20T18:42:00.006-04:00

Hot and humid days makes weeds grow tall enough to stick their tongues out at you. As you stand staring from inside your AC cooled window they taunt you, challenging you to summon the energy to face the heat and come after them.

Boo-ya weeds, I'll just make a penny rug and watch movies.

Baglady swaps

2009-06-14T16:33:00.008-04:00

For those of you who have never participated in a Baglady type of swap, here's what happens. You take a gallon Ziploc bag and stuff it full of fabric. Then you send it off to another brave soul and received a Ziploc bag of your own to work on from someone else. You are allowed to a certain amount of your own fabric and its up to you to create a top for the original owner and then send it back. I love the challenge of these types of swaps, and you know what else I love? Getting back a beautiful top of my own! This top was made for me by Ellen see her blog here.
Now isn't that just gorgeous? I used fleece from my stash for backing and I'm super psyched about finally getting it quilted and the binding on it!

Couple of quilts for a couple of sweet twins

2009-06-09T11:41:00.007-04:00

Our friends Matt and Janelle had a sweet little girl and boy about a month and a half ago and I finally finsihed a quilt for each.

A bandana pocket quilt for Collin.

This was taken before washing, the pocket is now all frayed looking now. Deatail of the star and loop quilting

A sweet little heart quilt, pattern from Jofigure.com, for pretty little Kahlen.

Close up of heart quilting on Kahlen's quilt.

Some things I have managed to accomplish recently

2009-06-03T10:18:00.009-04:00

Scrappy Heart swap (LOVE THIS PATTERN!) blocks from Quilt Patterns from Seattle

A Dandy swap blocks from Quilterscache

Potholder for Mailblocks swap pattern is from Judy Hopkins Around the Block

Canada Day Tablerunner Mystery from JoFigure.com

Lotto Blocks Attic Window from Delewarequilts.com

I can't talk right now, I'm battling crabgrass

2009-06-03T08:50:00.007-04:00

I think that's what I should put on my voicemail, away message for email, Blogger and Facebook.

Like many other people, we decided this year we needed to focus on us, family, home, house and friends. To begin with we completed our renovation of the living room that was years in the making. Last year we did nothing to the yard, no pool, no weeding, no planting, other than an obligatory mowing, that's all that happened. So now this year we're starting all over again and now all the weeds have 2 years of roots to battle, and have previously dropped their seeds, so when you think you have an area clear you come back a week later to baby weeds starting to grow again. Grrrrr!

I did have a chance to do some sewing. A few finishes here and there, but mostly I focused on swap blocks. May retreat in North Webster was a blast as usual. New faces and new friends and many of my buddies from previous retreats. I had a really nice relaxing time. I didn't get a whole lot done, but that was fine with me, I really needed to recuperate more than anything else.

So this post is a bit of everything, consider it a catch up with a little of this and a little of that.

Our new window seat, the cushion is in the process of being made. I'm still looking for the perfect fabric. Gene says make it in muslin for the time being since the dogs like to sleep there, so that's what I'm doing, a denim covering for now. I think he did an awesome job on this seat and it has tons of storage underneath and little side tables for drinks.

This was the challenge for May retreat. An Undercover Crate using the free pattern from Laura Gunn http://lauragunn.typepad.com/paintinmyhair/ She shows hers with just two fabrics, but I pieced the sides of mine to stay within the challenge rules. We were each given an old pattern book and we needed to use an idea from that book to make anything excepts a quilt, wall hanging, table topper, etc. So the spools pattern was from the book and Laura's excellent and easy to follow pattern made the rest.

Crazy cool bag that Susan showed me how/made for me. Its hard to tell the dimensions from the pic, but its 24"x9"x18" with wood dowel handles. Its awesome! I think I might make a couple more, why not have one for fabrics and supplies?

Jamie finally quilted the top she started in December. Even her daughters Jessie and Julie got into the action. We still need to bind it, but I am very proud of her. She managed to zigzag around the edges and her family is using it until then :-)

Now I promise to be a good girl and try to keep up with my blog a little better. I have managed to finish a few things, I'll need to get some pics and get them posted. Its nice to be back! :-)

Stuff

2009-03-25T11:47:00.004-04:00

So this is as far as I've gotten on the border for the fish quilt.... Because this is what's happening.....

First day of tiling. Standing in the center of the mess you can see, the front area.

Towards back yard.

Down the hallway towards bedrooms and bathroom.

Front entry.

That's about 500 square feet of tile folks. I will post more pics as we go along.

Current WIP

2009-03-13T16:35:00.004-04:00

Here are my fish swap blocks from a couple of months ago with some free formed seaweed. I had planned on just bordering and being done, but after playing around with Tonya's at Lazygalqulting free form lettering on Emily's quilt, I have decided to border it with a little fishy saying. So I enlisted some creative brainpower from my buddies at Mailblocks and Kerry gave me the cutest little saying!

"Any old fish can just float along and dream but it takes a really special fish to swim against the stream."

Now to get started on those letters!

BOM at Harmonyquilts

2009-03-11T11:11:00.006-04:00

I do not know where my fascination with sampler quilts that involve houses came from, but I must have thirty different "one of these days" patterns saved. This BOM was posted to a list I belong to and I just tought it was adorable and just couldnt resist doing this BOM from Harmonyquilts.

My first block:

Orange Crush done!

2009-03-10T08:01:00.007-04:00

Front. I think I might have screwed up the orientation of a couple of the blocks....but its still cute. Lots of seams between pieced front and back, it made quilting a little difficult. Back. Swapped blocks and unloved fabric.

Those dogs are such camera hogs!

Giveaway at AverettLadyNana's Blog!

2009-02-26T08:21:00.003-05:00

Be sure to check out AverettLadyNana's blog for a wonderfully generous giveaway!

Good Gawd get this quilt out of my house!

2009-02-25T14:51:00.009-05:00

This is the Christmas gift for my son's girlfriend Emily. So I started it in September. Then I ran out of black. So I ordered more. In the meantime I started on something else. Then I worked on smaller Christmas presents. Then in December I finished the top and back and put it on the frame. Then I ran out of quilting thread and needed to order more. So in January I started back on it, only to find that something was going on with the machine and I couldn't get it to quilt more than 8" without the thread breaking. I fiddled with it and finally took the machine in to be serviced. Yesterday morning (Can you hear the whistling from High Plains Drifter?) I woke and told myself enough was enough and it would either be quilted or i would be dead by sundown. Woohoo! Finished the binding this morning, washed it this afternoon and its OUTTA HERE FINALLY!

Front Back made from orphan blocks with a little free form words done Lazygalquilting style.

Emily acting goofy but happy.
Added 2/27

DH said I should have told the whole story about this quilt from the beginning. OK, here goes. Emily asked for a quilt, she said she had some fabric from a project she did at school and would like for me to use it. The first was a red batik, the star points. The others were a couple of different brights but were such poor quality that I really didn't want to use them for fear the quilt would fall apart after the first washing. So I bought some other batiks and headed off to retreat with a basic plan in mind. (There was no pattern, just me, my graph paper and a desire to use my tri-rec rulers) Once I got there I was seated next to a really sweet lady named Sandy. I had seen her posts online but this was our first time to meet. We sewed and chatted and I was really glad we sat together because we were having such a good time. I soon realized there wasn't a whole lot of Emily's favorite fabric. I tweaked the pattern here and there, trying to find a way to highlight her favorite when Sandy said, "I have some of that fabric...as a matter of fact I have some of it here with me and you can have it!" Well if I didn't already think Sandy was just the bees knees I sure would have then! So DH is right, I really need to give credit where its due, if it weren't for Sandy, this quilt wouldn't have been made!

Just a few things

2009-02-24T10:20:00.007-05:00

Angela's RxR with my addition on the bottom

Closeups of blocks....made by an embellishmentally challenged person :-)

Good thing she's looking for a folkart stlye of quilt huh?

Yellow and black churndash blocks for Judy's swap.

Sister's Choice swap blocks.

Going for a six pack!

2009-02-01T16:28:00.005-05:00

As I drove home this morning listening to an Indianapolis talk radio station I heard the caller say he was rooting for the Cardinals today because Steeler fans are the most obnoxious and what will they be like with SIX Super Bowl rings?

Poor jealous Indy Colts fan, sucks to be you doesn't it?

Steelers version of the Lord's Prayer pre-playoff win but too cute not to pass on.

Our Father,

Who art in Pittsburgh,

Football Be thy Game.

Thy Kingdom Come,

5 Superbowls Won,

On Earth as it is in Heinz Field.

Give us this Day a Play-off Victory,

And forgive us our penalties,

As we defeat those who play against us.

But lead us into victory,

And deliver us to Tampa!

A-Ben

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!

Double Delight Mystery

2008-12-30T12:04:00.001-05:00

Got my fabrics picked out for the Double Delight Mystery at Quiltville....do you?

A quilter is born?

2008-12-30T10:47:00.005-05:00

So I have been quilting for about seven years, in that time I have made a few quilts for my friend Jamie and her growing family. I always showed off what I was working on at the time and Jamie, being a sweet person and a good friend would say how great they were, what pretty colors, lots of time involved.... thank you, thank you, thank you, etc.

But I never tried to get her interested, basically because she showed appreciation for the final product but wasn't all that interested in how it was constructed. So i was shocked and excited when she told me she was going to ask for a sewing machine for Christmas because she wanted to learn to quilt.

She and the kids came over last night and I helped her get her machine set up and gave her some pre-cut squares to start playing with. I got her going and then started raiding my notions and tools to see what I could give her to help her along. (I think she's pretty much set for a little while at least, I didn't realize how many extras I had!) After a four patch, she was excited, then a 4x4 block of squares, then a 16x16 block of squares...she sewed and sewed...perhaps a quilter was born last night! :-) We shall see!

Jamie sewing while her daughter Juli matched up pairs of blocks declaring as she went, "Oooh, this is a cute one!" " Now those are cute together!" and "I love the pink ones!" She was just adorable and DH and I were cracking up listening to her!
Unfurling after the final seam....

Examining her work and points...

Showing off! Way to go Jamie!

I sent her home with enough 4" squares to make a nice sized lap quilt. We'll border it and she can quilt it on the frame when she is done with the piecing.

RxR Update

2008-12-17T15:53:00.002-05:00

Here is Cynthia's RxR from Mailblocks with my addition (bottom row) I think this is going to be just an awesome fall quilt. I almost wish I had chose some nice autumny colors for mine, maybe I would actually get it done before next fall!

Don't look now Momma's got her wool out!

2008-11-25T12:19:00.006-05:00

My life, is different, I have been told by so many people that hear my tales of normal everyday life here at Casa de Leonard that we should have our own reality show. Hmmm, would a camera man know that when I scream DANGER WILL ROBINSON that means I'm headed out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and for every one's safety they should remain calm and continue staring at a fixed point in the room lest they be blinded? I think for the public safety we'll just keep the show off the airwaves.

My husband has always been a singer, not that he sings well, but that he adapts current situations into a little tune. The boys were awoken with a little ditty that went something like this, "Wake up, wake up you sleepy heads, its time to get your hineys out of bed!" or he has been caught serenading the cat with "God bless the fuzzy one!" Currently, he has been singing "Don't look now, momma's got her wool out!" Based on a Rodney Carrington song that he heard on the radio Called "Don't look now!" You can click if you want, but after the penis post from a week ago I thought I'd let you have your choice to watch :-)

So anyhoo, these candle wraps are what I've been working on. The gold light bulb was the first, bought as a kit from eBay and the other three were just me messing around with wool I already had and pattern ideas sketched out on freezer paper. I thought these were just a great quick Christmas gift idea. ***12/1 Teresa from Stitchinbythelake asked how these are held together, I used 2 buttons and 2 lengths of floss to wrap around the buttons. Try some yourself, they're sooo easy!

Fishes Everywhere

2008-11-25T11:59:00.004-05:00

My blocks from current swap at Mailblocks. The guidelines were only the fish needed to be bright on a dark blue background. Once swapped I plan to make a great little boys quilt for my friends son with some free formed seaweed and bubble quilting. You can find the pattern here.

They don't call it INVISIgrip for nothing

2008-11-20T19:22:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things about a quilt retreat is that everyone is so relaxed and generous. Not only is the advice and inspiration plentiful, but everyone has different tools and notions they're more than willing to allow you to experiment with.

I purchased a Martelli Rotary cutter after my retreat buddy Kathleen showed me hers. Now Kathleen is left handed and found this to be most comfortable for her. I on the other hand have tried lots of different cutters. I like a blade that stays out not the pressure sensitive ones. My major problem has been that I have large hands and no matter which I tried, my hand or finger would inevitably hit the safety button as I was cutting and I would bash my knuckles against the cutting mat and if I was extremely unlucky that day, the ruler would slip and I'd ruin a piece of fabric. Now I find that I have more control, my hand doesn't get as tired as quickly and I can cut through lots of layers of fabric at once. It took some getting used to, but now I am a true fan of the Martelli cutter, next purchase will be a 60mm.

Along with the Martelli, I had the opportunity to use some rulers with Invisipgrip from Omnigrid. A thin clear non slip plastic that adheres to the back of your rulers to prevent slipping. Wow, that stuff was so great, i had to buy some. So it arrived today, the first ruler I applied it to was my 12½ x 12½" ruler. Awesome, couldn't wait to put it on my smaller rulers. I cut out one for my 6 x6 and another for my 6½ x 6½ and another for my 4x14 (this one would be a little small but I was confident that it would still work. Then I tried to get the darn invisible stuff unstuck from the backing paper...then my DH tried...then DS1 tried....then DS2 tried....then DSGF tried.....what was going on????? The first piece went on so easily! We all spent 30 minutes trying to un-stick this stuff from the backing, I was really POed, said screw it and went to make myself a cup of coffee. When the logical mathematical quilter in my brain could finally be heard....6x6, 6½ x6½ and 4 x 12 could all be cut from one 12½ x12½ piece!!!!!! I was trying to get double duty out of a single duty 12½ x 12½" piece! DS summed it all up when he said, "They don't call it INVISIgrip for nothing!" LOL

Row Robins

2008-11-17T07:02:00.004-05:00

I really enjoy robins, be they row or round :-) This is my row from a current exchange, raggedy edge applique flowers on a four patch cream background. The top is my starter row and the pretty second row was made by my fellow robin Susan. I plan to add raggedy leaves, butterflies and bees to complete it. I thought this would be a great pattern because everyone just needs to dig through their scrap bin to come up with flower fabric. This is the first one to come my way from Karen. Her Americana stars top will be to celebrate the citizenship of her beautiful little grand daughter. I added the second row to Karen's beautiful starter. Honestly the gold isn't nearly as bold as it looks.

HeeHee!

2008-11-11T13:09:00.004-05:00

Another funny from my buddy Janet, she keeps me cracking up with emails she sends!

But will they bloom?

I wonder whether they would look better on the kitchen table or in the entry?

I wonder if they come in different colors?

What about the fragrance?

I wonder if they're cheaper by the dozen?

I wonder if it would help to put those preservative packets in the water?

I wonder if they come in long stemmed?

I wonder if they'll bloom soon?

Captured at 115th and Allisonville Rd. in Fishers, Indianapolis. The sign is real and was up for two hours before someone stopped and told them how to spell PEONIES!

Looking forward

2008-11-10T13:43:00.007-05:00

I have been thinking about the year to come and my quilting plans. Although its a little early, I'm starting on some quilting/stash/fabric buying resolutions. I might just get started on these a little early, but I don't think I'll be breaking any rules, especially since I'm making them :-)

1. Finish up at least six UFOs most of which are tops.
Why do I have the machine and frame if I'm not going to use it?

2. Make and donate six lap + size quilts to charity.
I think if I plan on one every two months its a more do-able schedule.

3. Complete two projects with the fabrics I have purchased that are so neatly bundled up together and I haven't dared to rip into.
I buy far too many collections of fabrics looking so pretty together. I'm too chicken to just dive into them fearing I wont do them justice.

4. Make one king sized, two sided quilt from nothing but fabrics from the scrap bin using crumb piecing and stash for borders or sashing. I save all these tiny scraps, for what? I rarely paper piece or applique.

5. This is the biggie, I will list on my blog every fabric purchase I make to hold myself accountable for the $$ that is being spent. I would like to list a dollar amount, but I have no clue as to how much I normally spend, shame on me. So an ongoing list on here should help to keep my perspective and hopefully keep me from impulse buying.

I think this is a good start... check back in a year to see if it will be a good finish!

Recents

2008-10-28T12:48:00.004-04:00

From the tone of my last post I guess I implied that I hadn't been sewing anything, which isn't exactly true. I have done a little, but none of which has been terribly inspiring to me.

To begin with, the boys girlfriends asked for quilts. So Stephanie likes orange, so I showed her some batiks I had orange and blue with orange, and I made this for her at retreat in September. About 3 days after my return she broke up with Q. Now I have a nice center but not a whole lot of motivation to finish. Emily, Gene's girlfriend wanted brights on black. This is going in the direction I want, but now I am regretting some of the red and orange squares in the nine patches, I think I need to do some ripping and insert different color squares where it makes the pattern look wonky. And of course I ran out of Kona black. I thought I had some here at the house but when I pulled the top out to work on the borders I found it definitely wasn't Kona, so I've ordered more.

These are blue and cream Jacob's Ladders for the lottery at Mailblocks for this month.

And here are six of the 23 total blocks I made for a Scrappy Irish Chain swap at Mailblocks.

So all in all, I have been sewing, just not with the intensity that I have in the past. I think my motivation is slowly returning, I am working on my Orange Crush Mystery today, getting all of the blocks assembled and hopefully a nice border or two. Then it will be time to choose which Orphan blocks or UFO will grace the back and I'll get it on the frame finally.

My OH My....

2008-10-06T22:52:00.002-04:00

Its been a while since I've been on Blogger. Perhaps because this is my quilt blog and I have been going through a motivational drought of late? Yes, I have basically kept up with my commitments, but that's it, and its not been joyfully either, but instead with a "I gotta catch up" attitude which leaves me a feeling of duty done, rather than satisfyingly and gleefully complete.

I think I'm finally heading out into the light again. Is it the weather getting cooler? Thoughts of Christmas looming over my head? Hopefully its just my passion returning.

Door close, window open

2008-08-03T05:02:00.005-04:00

I believe in luck, I am definitely one of those people who think that if a door closes, a window will open in its place.

I was scheduled to attend a meeting for work about 40 miles away on Tuesday. I had planned to visit a fabric shop that was very close to the meeting afterwards. I used a mapping site to plan my route, the directions were easy and simple. My printer has been driving me mad lately, it has a full ink cartridge, all the test copies come out perfectly, but when I try to print, I get nothing but a blank page. So instead of printing a map, with specific directions and mileage, I looked at the estimated time my trip should take and headed out, after all, there was only 5 turns on my entire route.

Then I hit construction, and traffic caused by the construction, I was sure I had missed my turn because I had been driving for well over an hour and knew I would be missing the meeting but I still had a shop to find! So as I backtracked, taking different turns here and there, I spent 2 hours looking for the quilt shop before I gave up and headed for home stopping at a Joanns along the way. I saw a lady buying a 6x24" ruler and asked if she was a quilter. Yes, she was. Did she know where the shop called Zig Zag was located? She replied, it closed 6 months ago. Just great. With the price of gas where it is, I just had a 2½ hour wild goose chase. Well I still felt I needed to buy fabric, so I stopped just a few miles from my house at the Back Door quilt shop.

The meeting was one of many scheduled so I rescheduled for Thursday. Not a big difference, but I work nights, so i worked until 8am and the meeting started at 2pm, an hours drive, plus showering, etc. I was running on about 3 hours of sleep and knew that would be all I would be getting before starting another ten hour shift that night. I learned of an alternate route, fewer turns, country driving, less traffic and it would bring me right to the location of the meeting, and I headed off. So I actually made the meeting and was driving home thinking about all the irritation I had caused myself a few days prior, I was stopped at a red light, looked to my right and had one of those "Angels singing Aaaaaahhhhhh! and a ray of blinding light" moments, I'll be danged if it wasn't a quilt shop! Not the one I was looking for, but an honest to God real live quilt shop nonetheless! I had to stop. Yes, I had spent my allocated fabric dollars a few days earlier at the Back Door, but, but, but I still HAD to go in! What a great little shop! And I do mean little. The owner was extremely friendly and apologized for being so tiny, explaining she was looking for another larger location. But it was so cozy, and had tons to see and look at. I told her the whole story, and she said, "The Zig Zag isn't closed, I just talked to the owner last week." What??????? You've got to be #%$&* kidding me!!! So I know where I'm going on my next SEX (Stash Enhancing Experience) field trip! LOL

While browsing, I happened upon a collection called Prairie Paisley by Moda which I have seen in magazines and online, but none do justice to this gorgeous collection as does seeing it in person, and her lone star shop sample was incredible, so I splurged and bought this:

Try this link for a better view of the entire fabric collection:

Moda's Prairie Paisley by Minick& Simpson

There's about 9 yards of fabric there, enough I think to make at a lap/twin sized quilt. It didn't take me long to figure out what I'm going to do with this....Why a Wild Goose Chase quilt of course!

I'm a Wylde Woman!

2008-07-26T00:01:00.005-04:00

Wow! Thanks to Rhonda over at Patches and Pieces for presenting me with this beautiful Wylde Women Award!

This award was created by Tammy Vitale to send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

These are the rules of this award:
1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.
2. Link back to this blog site (http://http://www.tammyvitale.com//) (so I can go visit all these wonderful women.)

Well, let me see here, I know a few Wylde Women and I would like to present this award to:

Amanda at Amanda's Musings

Gina at Quilting in the Valleys

Val at Pumpkin Patch Quilter

Neighbors who would have thought?

2008-07-15T00:22:00.004-04:00

I did want to mention something that happened here in the neighborhood this past weekend that was just, really nice. We have lived here for 7 years and honestly we knew none of our neighbors. Yes, we'd wave to be polite and maybe say a hello now and then, but we knew no one. There was the preacher and his wife, the couple with the golden retrievers, the blonde and the guy with the beard or the people the kids help shovel snow for.
Well, Stan and Shirley (formerly known as the preacher and his wife) decided to have a block party. They provided hot dogs and hamburgers and all were welcome to bring a covered dish and attend. This was to take place in the cul-de-sac in front of the house. We felt compelled to attend, even though we really didn't want to. So we took some cookies and potato salad and headed out.
What a nice time we all had getting acquainted! Donna and Gene (formerly known as the people the kids shovel snow for) sang songs while Gene played along on his guitar. Mike and Patty (formerly known as the couple with the golden retrievers) brought their DGG Ashton and I just fell in love with her curly red hair and we played in the front yard. Ron and Paula (formerly known as the guy with the beard and the blonde) told us all about the history of the area since they had grown up here in town and their house was the first in the addition to be built 30 years ago.
We all had to tear everything down quickly and head inside as the storm rolled in and promised to do it again, and I really hope we do. It was relaxing and very enjoyable. We have some super sweet neighbors! Maybe you do too?

Changing patterns

2008-07-14T22:26:00.003-04:00

This first pic is a row robin I was working on. Susan, the owner, wanted red, black and white exploding or bursting stars in red, white and black. I chose these two thinking they both looked like they fell within the guidelines. I argued with DH as to whether or not the star row on the left looked like it was bursting. I see bursting, he sees boring bars.Next I have pics of lotto blocks for Mailblocks. The block was my choice, its My Blue Heaven from Quilterscache. The only input I had was that the blocks were to have a light blue background and the quilters choice for the other colors, but that it looked to me like butterflies against a blue summer sky. So I made these, with butterflies in mind, the striped fabric was cut on the bias to make the stripes go in the right direction. And I think they do look like butterflies.
But then I thought to myself that I didn't really specify that the hsts could be different colors and I was afraid that everyone would take the instructions very literally, so I made these. I thought they were rather boring until I put them up on the design wall to take the pic.
Well now, that's a rocking awesome star in the middle where the blocks intersect...I didn't notice that at first. But that's the fun of playing with blocks on a design wall isn't it?

Recents

2008-07-08T12:39:00.003-04:00

Bear paw blocks for a swap at Mailblocks I think I'll make some more and use them on point as a back to my Homespun Turning Twenty UFO 8" Batik Happy Blocks for a swap. I've made 50 of these, the maximum is 75 and the due date is not until August, I plan to make at least 25 to 50 more, hopefully!
Dog block swap at Mailblocks Blocks were supposed to be 12", my puppies are 24" I had hoped that I could just trim them up to be 12" but I would have lost part of their ears, so I expanded to make them 24" square, I hope Ronda and Melanie arent upset.

Summertime

2008-07-08T12:23:00.004-04:00

I guess its the summertime that's making me neglect my blog. I've been enjoying mornings on the deck with my coffee, watching the birds and a bowling ball of a squirrel that lives in my backyard. I call him a bowling ball because he will wait patiently for the birds to perch on the privacy fence in the backyard, then catapult himself towards them sending them flying and sometimes falling off their roost! Evenings are spent either in the adirondack chairs in front or on the deck in back after the sun goes down. I have been trying to spend some time on the yard. Let me assure you, its not beautiful, I'm just playing catch up with the weeds I've let take over in the past month or so.

I finally started taking things into my own hands regarding the renovation of the living room. Q and I tore up all the carpet before DH got home one day last week. So now we have concrete floors. I am hoping this will be enough to light a fire under him so that he gets moving on the drywall. He thinks by asking me "What furniture colors are you going for? What colors are you going to paint the walls? Have you thought about what furniture you you're going to buy?" that he is putting me on the spot, in other words, "If you're going to make me do all this work then you better be prepared to get a move on also!" But I was already prepared, I have the paint samples in my purse and I've been to the furniture store twice and know exactly what I want, I just haven't decided on a color yet because he's not made a decision on the floor :-) Still just waiting on him!

How lucky am I?

2008-06-10T17:35:00.002-04:00

June has started out to be a really lucky month for me, first I won the lotto for the tulip blocks from Mailblocks shown in the previous post! Then, I won the FQ lotto at Quilting in Indiana for neutral FQs! Plus, this is my surrogate birthday month at Quilting in Indiana also, there were too many November birthdays so I chose June instead...its going to be a month of squishy fun! I will post photos of all at the end of the month!

Lottery blocks

2008-06-01T13:40:00.002-04:00

Lottery blocks for May at Mailblocks using Tulip Quilt Block pattern. I think these are so sweet, the winner will be so happy!

Trudging through the UFOs

2008-05-28T14:22:00.002-04:00

When I said I was going to start busting through some of the UFO's I have laying around I decided the fastest way to do this would be to start making 2 sided quilts. This is the first, a generous twin (What do you know...held up by one of my generous twins! Hehehe!) all made entirely from swapped blocks and stash fabrics. That beige has been around since I started quilting six years ago so I'm glad to see it's finally earning its keep for the room and board I've provided over the years. ;-)

Step 5 Complete!

2008-05-26T14:04:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a little bit of sprinkling here this morning which kept me in the house, Step #5 of my OC is done! Woohoo! I'm not going to post a pic since it looks like the pic in the previous post except there's setting triangles and corners.

Now what kind of trouble can I get into? Looks like maybe more rain....:-0)

OC Progress and Indy Life

2008-05-25T11:36:00.005-04:00

So I woke up this morning with plans of working in the yard, but it was a little chilly so decided to sew a little instead. I knew I still had work to do on step #4 of the Orange Crush mystery at Quiltville, I had the hsts done and a couple of the spinning stars completed, but I needed to finish them up. A quick peek and what do you know? Bonnie had step #5 posted so now I was close to being two steps behind! I finished the spinning stars and cut the squares for the Album block. So...they're going to be set on point...why could I not picture the way they were going to look side by side in my mind? I just had to make 5 completed Album blocks just to ease my curiosity a little. Here's a little preview hanging on my design wall, and I likey! There's only one thing I may just have to change, I used a blue that's very similar to the blue in the spinning stars for my Album block corners in a few blocks (see bottom right Album block) and I'm not sure if they'll stand out too much, so i may be ripping a little.

I live just south of Indianapolis and today is the 500. I had the TV on while sewing mostly as background noise, I am not a race fan. I just cannot see the thrill of watching a race, honest, i have tried numerous times since moving here in the early 90's. Its hard to not know something about Indycar racing with all the press coverage. I will say I am excited to hear there are 3 ladies racing today, Danica, Sarah, and Milka. Way to go girls! All of you! There have only been six women to start in the 500 and today will have 3 of the six who qualified! Sending them all the positive girl power vibes I can today!

Ok...now out to the garden since its almost noon! :-)

Finishes

2008-05-21T05:32:00.002-04:00

First of all the table runner for the Fat Quarter Frenzy Challenge at Quilting in Indiana, I finally butched up :-) and cut into Jennifer's gorgeous fabric. I hope she likes the results! And the Relay for Life charity quilt completed. I was a little disappointed in the amount it brought in, only $280. But the raffle was cut short at the relay by 24 hours, essentially the whole thing, so all the tickets that sold were in the two days prior at work. I'm not happy about what happened, but I am happy with the results of my efforts, it turned out really well.

Retreat goodies

2008-05-14T19:08:00.003-04:00

I also wanted to share the favors I made for the retreat. A FQ for everyone, 3 pieces of Lindt Lindor chocolates, (Warning, if you've never tried these and wish to, they're highly addictive!) and some awesome quilting postcards. The postcards were specially made for me by Vicki at Nanasnotecards.tripod.com aren't they wonderful? I plan to return to her again for September's retreat gifties.

And this was the big piece of quilter's candy that everyone received. Everyone seemed to be happy :-)

Retreat May 2008

2008-05-14T18:19:00.003-04:00

Wow! Wow! Wow! Another great retreat! I just love meeting up with my friends in northern IN twice a year for our retreats, they are such blasts! Sewing, laughing, eating, ooohing and aaahing, great friends, what could be better?

I did manage to be productive while being social, which is always a bonus! I have several swap blocks done and did manage to work on my Orange Crush. I forgot the quilt to be repaired at home, but that's ok, I'll manage on my own.

We have a challenge every year that is due the next retreat, this year's challenge was to make something that was at least 30" in one direction that represented an emotion or feeling you felt at retreat. Let me tell you, EVERYONE completely outdid themselves. I wish I could post pics of everyone, but my camera was acting up. Although its so hard to pick a favorite, I would have to say this one from Liz represented the feeling of the retreat most concisely for me. Liz showed it to us in two stages, the black and white upper portion first. She said, "This is life." Then she unveiled the lower colorful portion and said, "This is life at the retreat!" What a wonderful interpretation!

This was my previously mentioned secretive challenge piece apparently as I was about to fling it back over the railing :-) My label says, Nestled among the new spring leaves and situated alongside a lake of sparkling blue waters sits a cottage that contains twenty bright lights, glowing glowing orbs of inspiration. Nineteen of which are perfect and one that's a little off center.

Another highlight for me was this beautiful antique quilt that Jody bought at an estate sale. Completely hand quilted and just drop dead gorgeous.

There will be another retreat in September, which just isn't soon enough for me!

No lack of things to do

2008-04-27T09:19:00.003-04:00

Another retreat project has appeared! A friend of mine at work has had this quilt for 30+ years and has recently noticed that all of the squares of this fabric are wearing away and she has asked me to repair her quilt. It should be fairly straight forward, replace the squares and reconnect the straight furrow quilting. Now i need to find some really funky fabric so my repaired squares wont stand out as a definite repair. It may not be as dramatic as repairing a masterpiece from the 1840's but to me, its a neat challenge :-)

Retreat Prep, etc.

2008-04-24T19:33:00.005-04:00

I am busy preparing for the retreat next week. I have all the components cut for several different projects as well as some swaps I am participating in. My buddy Pam really showed me the light regarding pre-cutting. She amazed me with the amount she accomplished when we first met at retreat several years ago. Everything was organized into plastic bags and she just sewed her little heart out. No waiting in lines at the cutting mats, the irons and boards were used to press block components and not pre-pressing yardage, always something available to work on even if just for a couple minutes here and there. So my to-do tote is filling up, we'll just see how much I actually get accomplished!

Jennifer's fabrics and prototype woven table runner (previous post) are still hanging on the design wall mocking me :-)

The purple and green charity quilt for Relay for Life is still on the frame 25% quilted.

With so much to do, what am I doing here? I had better get to sewing!

I am normally not a chicken!

2008-04-22T14:07:00.008-04:00

I love participating in quilting challenges of all kinds. I have used fabric belonging to other people, I have used UFOs belonging to other people, I have used a challenging fabric, and I have designed quilts based on a concept, however this challenge has me really nervous.

The challenge is Fat Quarter Frenzy from Quilting in Indiana. We have exchanged 4 coordinating FQs and we're to make something from those FQs alone without any additional fabric.

I have always wanted to try weaving fabric, so I thought this would be an awesome way to try the technique out by making table runner. But before I slashed through Jennifer's fabric, I wanted to make a sample from my own FQs.

In progress:

Finished with Jennifer's fabrics intended for the "real" one:

Now I am faced with a few problems/questions.

#1 The finished size shown is 35"x12" and I used every bit of the FQs to accomplish this. Unless I wanted to cut the length down to around 20" I will still need most of the fabric supplied which leaves me next to none for binding unless I wanted to piece it. My solution is to buy prepackaged binding and call it embellishment :-)

#2 The large floral print is frightening to me, will it remain cohesive looking if only 1¼" square blocks are showing?

#3 The fabric strips are fused to a fusible webbing, because I am not allowed to use any extra fabric, I will not be able to back it, will the non fusible side provide enough strength to make the table runner usable?

#4 How long will the fusible hold? I really do not want to use batting and quilt it because I will lose the braided effect if I stitch it down. Also, stitching off every strip is a bit of a pain, I am considering using a Heat and Bond tape, but once again, how long will it hold?

If you have an answer or comment to anything, please post, I'd like all the help I can get! Thank you!

a meme

2008-04-11T19:22:00.003-04:00

From Floribunda

1. If you were to attend a costume party tonight, as what or whom would you go?
Ghost...I think I have a clean sheet! :-)

2. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling? The standard is lettuce, tomato, Mayo and pickles. I prefer gas for convenience, but charcoal for flavor.

3. You are chosen to have lunch with the President. The condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask?
Are you proud of what will be written in the history books about you?

4. It’s your first day of vacation, what are you doing?
Napping.

5. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies?
Have not been to the movies in years, I'm a rent them months later kind of person. So I'd say nothing.

6. How long was it from ‘the first date’ until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding?
Hehe, first date Sunday, moved in together Tuesday, pregnant with twins 2 months later, six years until his divorce, proposal as we left the lawyers office, wedding a month later when we both could get off work at the same time.

7. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person?
Honesty.

8. Everyone hears discussions that they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other?
Religion.

9. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose? Strawberry topping.

10. What food item would need to be removed from the market altogether in order for you to live a healthier, longer life?
All white flour products.

...Feel free to tag yourself for this meme if you need something to write about today. If you do, leave a comment and let me know.

Knock on wood, I'm actually ahead

2008-04-08T08:32:00.005-04:00

Here we have step 1 of the Orange Crush Mystery at Quiltville. Now I'm anxiously awaiting on step 2. Naturally I went shopping in the stash for coordinating fabrics, no sense in making a scrap quilt from assorted scraps and then buying coordinating fabric. I have been thinking that I'd like to try something a little brighter than normal which is why I decided to use the fabrics shown.

Also, this is a RxR from Mailblocks....sure doesn't look like a RxR does it? Well Mindi has decided to use some blocks from a previous blue, black and white swap as a starter and wants to add more to it to make a full size quilt for her son. So I pulled out all of my non girly looking blues and just had some fun making different blocks. (please forgive the crappy photo)

Cursing Myself

2008-04-01T07:53:00.004-04:00

"Oh My, not another mystery!" I say to Myself. Myself says back, "Hush, dont worry, its not another mystery quilt I am loading upon you, its two!"

Bonnie at Quiltville's Orange Crush Mystery

and

Gayle at Sentimental Stitches Shipshewana Amish

Currents

2008-03-31T09:23:00.006-04:00

So this is what has been consuming my time recently, its a charity quilt for Relay For Life scheduled in May. I have since added some borders and am currently working on an additional border for the top and bottom to make it rectangular. The fabrics are a collection called Heirloom Lilacs by Debbie Beaves from RJR.

So to break the monotony of purple and green, I chose to make some lotto blocks for Mailblocks. They were quick and easy and just
the perfect break from the other

My sister

2008-03-26T15:36:00.003-04:00

This is my dad and my sister Amy from a visit in September, perhaps you can see a likeness in the painting from the previous post? To answer a couple questions that I have been asked, Klye is 17, a junior in high school and he does plan on a career in art, most likely graphic arts. He got an A- as a grade, his teacher wanted to keep it to display in the annual art show and he said, "No way, I want the money!"
My mom saw the photo of the painting and is very pleased that I bought it for her, we all agree, that's Amy fifteen years ago!

Some things just can't be explained, but are just so cool!

2008-03-22T18:12:00.007-04:00

I work nights, so Friday afternoon I woke when the boys returned home from school. As I walked into my living room, I saw this painting of my sister resting atop my printer. I said, "Wow Guys! Which one of you painted your Aunt Amy? It's great!" They responded that it was made by their friend Kyle who happened to get off the bus with them at our house. This painting was based on a photograph Kyle was given by another classmate in his art class, the students were to exchange photos and were to create a painting based on that photo. DH came home from work and had the same response, so I know its not just a sister thing, this painting is an incredible likeness of my sister in FL.
We discussed it and decided to offer Kyle some money for it, I think my mom would be thrilled to have it. Kyle was stunned and agreed to let us purchase it, but only after Monday when it needs to be presented to be graded! :-)

Quilting in IN lotto blocks

2008-03-18T06:00:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of lottery blocks for Quilting in Indiana using Fancy Flowers block pattern from Quilterscache.com

Wool Woes

2008-03-18T05:26:00.008-04:00

This wool thing is really starting to frustrate me. I have always been a jump before looking kind of gal so naturally when I decided to start dabbling in wool I went crazy, purchasing from many different places.
My wool collection started with a Marcus Brothers wool packet, which I have since found out is not 100% wool, but rather 70% wool and 30% nylon.
So then I bought some 100% wool from Quilters Quarter which I found to be rather expensive, but after researching, the prices are pretty comparable. I bought some Mill Dyed and hand dyed just to see the difference in coloration. When it arrived, it was plain un-felted wool. So after washing it several times, I have now felted it myself, but lost yardage due to shrinkage. I bought a pre-packed kit also 100% from The Back Door which is just up the road from me. Their wool looks nothing like the wool I felted, it has a softer, more ripply texture.
To add to my experimentation I also bought several 100% wool sweaters from the thrift store and felted them. I have found this wool to be very dense and thick. I also bought what is supposed to be 100% wool from several eBay stores, some new and some recylced all of which has completely different textures and drape.
Now I am just confused. I cannot even say which I like best, well yes I can, the hand dyes are my favorites because of the color variations. I am seriously thinking about loading up a sampling of all my wools and heading into The Back Door for some professional advice. Of all that I have learned on the Internet, I guess there's no way of ever understanding the 'hand' of any fabric without using, you know, your hand!

Penny rug attempt

2008-03-10T13:57:00.006-04:00

wool

My first shot at a penny rug. I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought loads of wool, and have been perfecting my felting technique on new wool, and recycled wool from the thrift store.

Tagged, I'm IT!

2008-02-27T16:25:00.012-05:00

Joan over at My Quilt Life has tagged me to list seven random or weird facts about myself. Its taken me five days to compose this post, I've had a hard time coming up with 7 things about myself, perhaps I'm just not all that interesting?

Here are THE RULES:

Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
Post THE RULES on your blog.
Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
Tag 7 people and link to them.
Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Ok, here goes:

1. I will never hand out love advice. DH and I started dating, moved in together and found out we were pregnant with twins within three months and are still together 18 years later. So who ever really knows?

2.One of the great injustices in my life was when I was in 3rd grade. In 2nd, we were taught a few of our multiplication tables, like ones, twos and threes and were told that we would learn the rest in 3rd grade. When we showed up for 3rd grade they expected us to already know all of them. So I revolted, deciding that I would never learn them. I received my one and only "paddling" and a call to my parents. My mother quizzed me on my times tables non-stop for 3 weeks until I knew them backwards and forwards. I dreaded the weekends because I knew they would be filled with nothing but multiplication tables. If I got the wrong answer I had to go to my bedroom and write it out 30 times while saying it aloud. By the time I finally knew them, my little sister was the only child in kindergarten who knew all of them.

3. I have a tattoo of a rhino on my left hip/butt. DH told me I was hard to buy presents for at holidays and that I should start to "collect" something to make it easier. My collection started with a tattoo. Now I have lots of rhinos hanging around.

4. I hate to talk on the phone. DH has been asked by our provider several times if my phone has been lost because it rarely shows activity on it. If you actually have a conversation with me on the phone consider yourself lucky, its doesn't happen often. This is probably why I dint stay in touch with family and friends like I should.

5. I am planning on a trip to Wales and England in (hopefully)2010. I am an avid reader of medieval novels and spend tons of time online researching various regions and castles I want to visit.

6. I cannot parallel park to save my life. It was never a requirement when I got my license I rarely go anywhere where its necessary and I will park blocks out of my way or illegally to avoid parallel parking.

7. I love tomatoes. I eat them in some form or another just about everyday. When DH and I first started living together he actually pulled my mom aside and asked if I knew how to cook anything that didn't have tomatoes in it! I have since shown him I am able to cook just about anything, but because I am the cook, I choose to cook what I like which just happens to be tomatoes. The poor gravy/Shake and Bake loving guy still hasn't wasted away to nothing!

So now the TagEES!

You Make My day Award

2008-02-27T15:09:00.004-05:00

I have been awarded the You Make My Day Award by Rhonda over at Patches and Pieces

Thank you Rhonda! You Make My Day Also!

The rules for the "You Make My Day" award, are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know through an email or posting to their blog so they can pass it on.

So I would like to award the following people:

Laurie from Laurie's Blog

Sandy at Thyme for Sewing

Ellen at Cats and Quilts

Judy at Irishlakequilter

Valerie at Quilt Mommy Quilts

Debi at Quilting with Debi

Lisa From the Quiltery

Marlene at Madame Quilter

Nancy at Blogging Near Philadelphia

LuckyBear at The Lucky Lady Quilter

Diane at Big Iron

Thank you guys for making my day with your great blogs!

Bamboo batting

2008-02-26T16:05:00.002-05:00

I'm in the process of quilting the secretive Retreat challenge and I found some bamboo batting called Nature-Fil by Fairfield at Joanns that I thought I'd give a try. Perhaps its because I am trying to talk DH on to the bamboo bandwagon here at the house. I want bamboo floors. He wants carpeting but will concede to hardwood floors. I am not waffling, I want bamboo.

Normally I would hate to say that I was enticed to buy based on packaging, but in this case, I definitely was.

From the package:
"Unique and renewable, bamboo is one of a few fibers that are naturally antibacterial.... Often, sprays and chemicals manufacturers add to kill bacteria may cause allergies and skin conditions. Bamboo eliminates the need for these chemicals entirely....
Bamboo plants absorbs 2/3 more carbon dioxide and release 2/3 more oxygen than any other plant on earth."

Thus far, I am loving the way it quilts. I did see a downside in the method required to pre-shrink it, no quick spin in the washer and dryer for this batting. But since I normally like the antique look there will not be a huge problem with the 2 to 3% shrinkage. And although the quilting is fairly close on this particular quilt, bamboo batting can apparently be quilted up to 8" apart.

So, tell me Quilty bloggers, have you tried bamboo batting? How does it wash? What are your opinions?

Recent stuff

2008-02-24T11:53:00.003-05:00

What's been happening around here? Well I have been getting some stuff done which is a nice change from my normal moaning that I haven't enough time to do what I want. Of course there isn't enough time in the week to do everything I'd like to, but its nice to see progress.

First thing I'd like to tell you about is that I'm almost done with my challenge project for the May retreat. Whew! All it needs now is a little quilting and a little binding and poof! Done! I'd love to show you what I've done, but it will remain a secret until I return in May.

I have my starter rows for another Row Robin, the only one I plan on participating in this year. A very simple pattern based entirely on the colors of my focus fabric. (hung along the top)

Happy blocks bright and wild. I cant wait to see what I get back once these are all swapped out.
And my entries for this month's lottery at Mailblocks. Pattern is Patience Corners from Quilterscache.

We have a winner!

2008-02-15T18:00:00.002-05:00

We have a winner in the One World One Heart Event! I drew a name and the winner is Val from Quilt Mommy Quilts. Congratulations Val! And thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello!

Help me I'm spinning.....

2008-02-04T10:19:00.001-05:00

and spinning, and spinning and I cant get these confounded blocks to go uphill! Oh there we are, I didnt read all the instructions on Quiltville during Bonnie's Bargellobowl and now I just have the makings of a downer of a top. So now I have a decison to make, shall I make pairs of uphills to match? Or just border it and be done?

One world One Heart

2008-02-04T07:28:00.000-05:00

Inspired first by an invite by Debi at Quilting with Debi

I have decided to join in on the fun and make my own contribution to One World One Heart.

According to Debi,

"....It is a blog-wide giveaway event. The original idea behind this was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. Last years event had nearly 100 participants and many connections were made because of it......friendships that are still going strong...."

Which I just thought was a wicked cool idea, so with that, I have decided to offer this package of hand dyed 5" charm squares. I believe there are around 120, but I cannot honestly say for sure, I was counting as I was arranging, and you know how quilters are so easily distracted by the next piece of fabric they see :-)

So here's how it goes, leave a comment on this post by Feb 14, 2008 and you will be entered to win this charm pack. I'll draw a name the morning of Feb 15 and contact that person for their address.

Good Luck!

Getting ready to play with Bonnie

2008-02-01T19:41:00.000-05:00

I have started to sort out my 2½" strips for Bonnie at Quiltville's Bargellobowl on Sunday. Her instructions only call for 128 strips, but I think I have at least twice that dug out and pressed, so maybe it will become a full or queen sized top by the time its done.

Just this one new starter project and then back to the UFOs!

Waking up is just the first part

2008-01-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

Nice way to wake up, under a quilt you were sewing the binding on before you went to sleep :-)

Bonus #1 Not getting stabbed while you were asleep by the needle

Bonus #2 Actually finding the needle on the couch with little effort

Bonus #3 Only being about 16" away from having the binding finished on a long time UFO!

Finshed up the binding over first cuppa so now its a DONE!

This is the front of the 2006 RR at Mailblocks called I've Got The Blues Back made from swap blocks and long time unloved fabric from stash.

Swapping fun

2008-01-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

For the past week or so, I've been dedicating myself to blocks for upcoming swaps. I like to get them done ahead of time so there's no huge rush right before a deadline.

First we have Scrappy Tennessee blocks from Quilterscache, actually done CORRECTLY this time :-) Its a really good thing I like these blocks, because I have made enough to make a king sized quilt from the mistake blocks and a twin size from the right ones. Scrappy Floating stars from About.com These are actually small, only 3½" I plan to make a nice table runner with the results of this swap.
And finally Pink and brown Courthouse Steps from AZPatch I have been in lots of pink and brown swaps, so I have quite a few 6½" pink and brown blocks, and I have collected tons of pink and brown fabrics, so I think these blocks will be then end of my pink and brown days.

Man I love that man!

2008-01-28T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had a bit of a scare last week, DH was in the hospital Thursday and half of Friday. He was at work walking along holding a spiral notebook when suddenly he was doubled over in excruciating pain. He gave it a little time to see if it would pass and finally called me to say he was driving himself home and I would need to take him to the ER despite my urgings that he just go to ER in the city and I would find my way there. When he got here he was drenched in sweat (the high was like 12 degrees that day) completely gray, and couldn't stand without help. (I'm sure we looked hysterical getting him from his truck to my van, him outweighing me by 80lbs and standing a foot taller than me, it was like dancing with a drunken bear!) I have never seen him in so much pain. At the hospital they gave him 3 ultrasounds and a CAT scan and couldn't find anything to explain the pain he was in so they called a surgeon. Luckily the surgeon wasn't too anxious to cut into him without a reasonable suspicion and he spent Thursday getting pain shots every few hours. By Friday at noon, he felt a lot better, still a little sore in the area the pain was, but well enough, according to him, he would have gone back to work if they had released him earlier. Their best guess is a small muscle tear or strain in the abdominal wall. I'll tell you what, with the pain he was in I would have thought it was something MUCH more serious. I know we've been so fortunate and haven't had to deal with any health problems like this in the 18 years we've been together (knock on wood) but it sure did make me realize how vital he is to me!

Best laid plans

2008-01-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

So I made 49 of these for a swap on Mailblocks. I used about 40 different fabrics and sewed my little heart out planning on making a quilt for our bed when all was said and done. I was so happy to have finished them early.

Then I was informed that what I made were not the Tennessee blocks from Quilterscache. Grrr! Back to the drawing board! I guess that's what I get for using a doodle for a pattern rather than using an actual copy.

However, a bonus will be a bed quilt and a couch quilt by the time all is said and done!

Mutterings 1/5 and 1/12

2008-01-13T19:28:00.000-05:00

Mist :: morning

Eating :: table

Beacon :: light

Speaker :: woofer

Episodes :: soap opera

Conference :: call

Sneak attack :: fish

Medic :: army

Web :: spider

2008 :: new

Dream big ::clouds

Competition :: beat

Torn :: fabric

Modeling :: clay

Coaster :: roller

Slut :: new york

Spread :: butter

Amanda :: cousin

Romance :: novel

Paradise :: palm trees

to play along, visit:

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/um/ind/week_258/

New year and busting through the stash

2008-01-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

I guess the start of a new year makes every quilter retrospective. What did I accomplish? What didn't I finish? What new things did I start? This year, my thoughts are revolving around my stash. I considered pulling everything off the shelves and out of the drawers, refolding very neatly and reorganizing according to color and the size of the piece. But then I remembered all the UFOs and swap blocks I have sitting around and I feel irresponsible fondling fabric when I could be putting my energies to better use.

So my focus for the beginning of this year is to start working my way through all the fabric I have sitting here. I seem to go through cycles when I buy fabric. I go through a stock up on the basics phase, then I go through a buy huge pieces just because they're on sale phase, then I go through a buy fat quarters phase, etc. The fabrics that seem to be assaulting my sensibilities right now are the ones I bought on sale. I never fully fell in love with them so there's no reason to have 5 yards of black red and green floral hanging around anymore.
So I have decided to start using these unloved fabrics up in one way or another. I go to retreat in May and i will be taking whats left of the unloved fabrics with me for the 'dumping ground' and whatever is left will be donated to Peggy, the Project Linus coordinator for northern Indiana. I'm sure she'll be able to put it all to good use.

This is 2006 Rowrobin from Mailblocks. I was hoping for a Delftware looking quilt of all blues and whites only. However when it was returned to me there were other colors, pink included. It sat in my drawer for over a year while I pouted about the addition of other colors despite my specific instructions. Last week I pulled it out and decided I would just embrace the pink and used one of my unloved blue and pink florals to border it (rather difficult to see the pink in the blue border fabric) and do a small inner border of a pink that I have had lying around. Now I am working on a back made of swapped blocks and other blue and pink unloved ones to finish it up.

2006 Baglady done for me by Liz at Beyondbeginners

Liz did a great job working outside of her comfort zone regarding fabrics on this one. Its been sitting here for a while. I've been trying to figure out a quilting design to do it justice. (finally decided on a geometrical stippling of straight vertical and horizontal lines, sorry don't have a close up)

To back it, I pulled out some unloved, a yellow brick looking fabric and a pale green floral. Its hard to see the whole thing, there are four yellow squares framed in the pale green.

Muttering again

2008-01-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

Memorable :: event

Resolution :: again

Goal :: field

2008 :: new

Sensational ::too good to be true

Popular demand :: back by

Old :: shoes

Music :: lyrics

Intense :: training

2007 :: old

to play along, visit: http://subliminal.lunanina.com

Happy Halloween?

2008-01-04T16:21:00.000-05:00

Well doesn't time fly? Where the heck have I been? Hope you all had a great holiday, ours was pretty quiet, which was nice because the months leading up to it were pretty hectic.

I did want to share my

2007 Purple Purples! Row Robin from Mailblocks

That's it for now, hope to see you all sooner than 2 months from now! :-)

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T16:58:00.000-04:00

Forgive me.....but too funny to pass up :-) The kids will be doing the honors of passing out candy this year. What's in the witches cauldron this year? Kit Kats, Almond Joys, Lifesavers Gummies, Now and Laters, and Halloween pencils.

Unconscious mutterings 10/28

2007-10-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

Inaugural :: address

Pledge :: of allegiance

String :: trimmer

Trot :: horse

Fitness :: center

Cinder :: black

Edge :: of a cliff

31 :: days

Blue :: bayou

Leather :: English

To play along, visit:http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

Unconscious Mutterings 10/21

2007-10-26T17:28:00.000-04:00

Las Vegas :: viva

Linus :: project

Struck :: in the head

Movie :: ticket

Anxious :: moment

Bandit :: mask

Picks :: sports

Lasso :: loop

Dinner :: diner

Bargain :: price

Another one down for Oct!

2007-10-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

Still no machine, so no completed sewing. But I can at least mark another thing off my October To-Do list! This is my completed signature block for the exchange at Quilting in Indiana. I've made 30 so far, if we have more signups I'll make more then!