August 2015

I gaveupbloghong on my computer as it !ept blowing away my work. Just discovered I can blog on my new tablet! I heard a big DUH from all of you in the blogosphere! Be nice.

Anyway, the big guy and I visited family on Washington State in July and there were seven kids who didn't have quilts. I got three made while we were there for five days and have finished two more since we got home. Working on one now and just bought a panel for the seventh one ---- whew. Pictures below.

 Have to transfer more pics from phone to tablet. But this is a little taste of what I have been doing.

Three - count them 3 finished!

After three days of procrastination induced MY QUILTS NEED TO BE DONE BY FRIDAY insomnia, my quilts are finished! Three of them. Two have only been in the works for the past year as they are block of the month ones but the third has been in my quilting line for over twelve (!!!) years. Delivering them to the Manteca (California) Quilters Guild show tomorrow morning.

Thursday, again already

So, it is the second Thursday of the year and I am blogging, as promised.

Didn't make it to Saturday sampler last Saturday. Yesterday, when I picked up my block for the month I changed my class time from 11:45 to 9:30. A group from the mini group I just joined all go at 9:30 so maybe that is the push I need.

Speaking of the mini group, yesterday was the second time I've gone to the group meeting - the last two Christmas parties don't count as we didn't sew. I didn't have a machine to take as when I got my little brother back from friend Patty I forgot the foot pedal! So Tuesday night I assembled a bunch of blocks that I needed to cut and a quilt I am sewing the back on and took that.

Today was the first day in about two weeks that I have been home - big sigh. I was going to sew but by the time I had fixed breakfast and cleaned up, made a birthday card and took it to the post office the big guy got home and wanted to take me to lunch.  We went for GF pizza and salad at Mtn. Mike's down the street. Then a trip to Jo-Ann for yarn to make a scarf for a friend.

Didn't buy enough of the hairy stuff so will go back tomorrow for another skein.

By the time we got back I could barely keep my eyes open and had to take three loads of laundry off the line and hang it  in the house as it was sunny but too cold to dry outside. Which reminds me, I have to check the bathroom - I put a heater in there to dry the first load. It is probably a sauna by now.

Thanks for checking in

Happy New Year 2015!

Now is the time for my yearly resolutions. Here is one that only matters here - I resolve to blog once a week - on Thursdays.
And one that matters to me personally - draw and paint more.
I am having a very nice Christmas. Did you know it is still Christmas? Today is day seven of the 12 days of Christmas.
In honor of the fifth day (five golden rings -remember the Miss Piggy rendition) and the visit of my all grown up grandson I threw a party. My Central Valley friends had never met him so I invited them over for coffee and gingerbread. It was a lot of fun and my house fairy cleaned like a mad woman so the house is presentable for a couple of days.
I sewed for a half an hour yesterday. Got one more basket almost finished.
So, Happy New Year. Blog at  you next week!

Cuffing a Christmas stocking

I know I promised more about the Houston show in my last blog post but I'm on to other things right now and am excited about a tutorial from Jenny Doan of the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I've been making Christmas stockings out of silk scraps from a project my former quilting buddy and I made eight years ago.

 
I've been embroidering them in the style of Victorian crazy quilts and embellishing with sparkly clear glass beads.

Orange crazy quilt stocking - the cuff will be solid range.

The first two have antique lace as the cuffs but the one I am currently working on is more masculine and I didn't want to put lace on it. The tutorial above showed me how to easily attach a cuff.

stitching detail

This is my second foray into Christmas stockings this year - I made a magic one for our new granddaughter during the summer. It is six inches long but when Santa fills it on Christmas eve it magically grows to hold all the gifts.

Magic stocking - Santa brought us a new grandchild!

You may be wondering why I need so many stockings. Our young man and his parents have them and the new baby has one, the Big Guy and I have them. So here's the deal: our Church, St. Basil's Greek Orthodox Christian Church, along with all the other churches in our archdiocese, have a Christmas luncheon which uses the proceeds to support and help pay off our seminarian's school loans upon graduation.  This year the luncheon is here at St. Basil's and I am helping the chair stock the boutique.

The sachet will look like this without the beak and comb!f

So I will donate these to the Boutique at the luncheon along with some home grown, pesticide free, oregano and some lavender sachets our youngest daughter taught me how to make.  The sachets will be made from orphan blocks. The shape of the sachets is from the chicken pincushion tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Co.'s tutorial sans beak, comb and tail feathers!

The boutique is being set up on Friday the 5th of December. If you have any items you would like to donate contact me for the address.

I MESSED WITH TEXAS!

I am sitting in Hobby airport in Houston waiting for my flight home after spending the past five days with my Texas cousin and attending the International Quilt Festival.  I was also lucky enough to connect with another cousin on my dad's side of the family. The two cousins and I went out to lunch and spent a good part of the afternoon together. The trip was a gift from my daughter artquiltmaker who also came with her college roommate.

Part of the Ruby Exhibit celebrating 40 years of IQ Festivals

My mom's side cousin invited the three of us to stay in her very lovely home in The Woodlands, north of Houston. The stay turned into a big slumber party. We were a super compatible group.

Lunch with the cousins was Thursday (I totally pigged out at the Cheesecake Factory. They have a great gluten free menu, including 'Godiva' cheesecake).

My 'Carroll' cousin

Friday cousin V came with us to the IQ Festival with the attitude "I have no interest in quilting". We walked around looking at quilts for the morning, had lunch at Papasitos Cantina in the Hilton (Gluten free menu, didn't like the rice or refried beans - Tex/Mex doesn't please my California palate) then visited the vendors. About half an hour in V decided she was going to do the "Learn to Quilt" session with West Houston Quilt Guild. She's hooked! Bought fabric, ruler, rotary cutter, and mat (not all at the show - more later).

Our newest quilter!

We stayed at the show from open at 10 a.m. til close at 7 p.m. and we probably only saw one quarter of it!

Enough for now. I have places to go and things to do. Will continue in a couple of days.

I haven't blogged in a very long time - I have thought about it, does that count?

The summer flew by! It finished up with our second annual trip to Montana to see our youngest daughter, her husband and new baby girl. I fell in love with our baby girl! Being a grandma is second only to being a mom. I love it! We spent three weeks in Montana and worked really hard, if you can call helping to take care of a baby hard! We loved every minute of it and look forward to our next trip.

Of course a big part of getting ready for the trip was making a quilt.

Really bad picture of finished quilt

Much better picture of quilt top

I quilted it myself and did get the binding on before we got there but couldn't find the picture of it finished! The center section inside the small black border was a challenge at Manteca Quilt Guild. It is the answer to a sudoku puzzle done in fabric. I added the black, red and green borders to make it 'drag around' size for the baby. It is currently a 'tummy time' mat.

While we were there we visited the town of Whitefish - a touristy and cute town with a great quilt shop. Left the bag with the shop name at our daughter's - sorry but am sure I will be back there before too long. I had seen a quick quilt on one of the Missouri Star quilt Company's great tutorials and figured out a quicker way to make it. My version of a 'quilt as you go'.

I picked a line of Moda fabric including a pack of 2.25" precut squares, five 1/4 yard WF pieces, a yard and a half of backing (the orange and yellow piece) and instead of batting I used white cotton flannel. I sewed the quarter yards together along the WOF for the top, then the quilt sandwich along the top. I placed the precuts on point along the four seams and sewed them down along the pinked edges of the little squares from top of the quilt to bottom and back up the other side. when those were sewn on I sewed a big zig-zag line down the center of each color of fabric.

I used another color from the same Moda line for the bias binding. I made the binding using another tutorial on continuous bias binding from Missouri star. It was really slick! I got more that enough binding for the forty-four inch square quilt.

When I started this quilt I thought I would finish it in a couple of hours - HAH! I did get it done before we left and probably only spent about eight hours on it which really isn't much. and I think it turned out well. Our daughter liked it! So now the baby girl has two quilts.

Back on the home front I have been making basket blocks from the 'Buck-a-Block' club at Quilter's Quarters.  I realized that I was just fooling around as I had three quilt tops in the pipeline that really need to be finished. So here is a picture of the basket blocks and look for more to come on my adventures in quilting (as opposed to piecing).

A Surprise Visit!

Yesterday, about four o'clock, I got a phone call from apaperaddict. She and my granddog, Beene, would be here to visit for a couple of days in two hours! She is the daughter who thinks nothing of mopping the ceiling - while just yesterday morning I had mopped my kitchen floor for the first time in forever! Was so glad I had as that meant I only had to vacuum, clean the bathrooms, empty the trash and pick up the stuff I had pulled out of the closet earlier this month and thrown on the couch. Oh, yes, and get rid of the spider webs as it is not yet Halloween, nor time to sprinkle them with Christmas glitter!

Well, I got it all done before she got there and still had time to go to the store and get food for dinner. I didn't think a sliced apple with peanut butter on it, my usual fare (as the big guy is dieting and cooks garbage - I mean food - I find inedible) would do for company dinner ;=)

I really should have worn my glasses while cleaning. I missed many spider webs. Apaperaddicts only comment was that I needed her cleaning lady for about a month! I had no argument for that - but really, one day after madly vacuuming one can't even tell I did it. At least when I sew I have something to show for it for years!

I helped her with a project last night, too.

We are calling this her car angel because she is on a road trip in her new car. She has a month to spend traveling.

Tomorrow we are going to wedding number three in the last six weeks! I have given up making quilts as gifts because of the time they take and the cost.  I want to concentrate on quilts for me for a change. But I still love making gifts for my friends and just completed the third set of pillowslips for our friend who is the bride tomorrow. I unfortunately forgot to buy wrapping paper and a card. Apaperaddict had a great idea. She suggested I fold them like fancy napkins and just put a ribbon around them. It worked out great!. There was even room to slip the handmade card in.

Isn't that cute?!

So, now I get to work on the sudoku wallhanging. And putting together the block of the month blocks, and the Saturday sampler blocks. And the quilt for our granddaughter.

I also finished the raggedy quilt and washed it and took it to artquiltmaker's and put it in her dryer.  Had to iron the elephants parading border as it got very wrinkled. The colors are not good in this photo, either. I just today figured out how to turn on the flash. I am slowly beginnng to understand the blankety blank smartphone.

Hooray! I'm sewing again!

After about three weeks of no sewing I got out of my car and out of my big comfy chair and back into my sewing room last night. Just before going to bed I started digging around in my unsorted stack of fabric looking for something appropriate for a raggedy  baby quilt border.  I found some  elephants on parade that is perfect!

Sudoku Tiny Quilt

Got up early, made coffee and went in and started sewing. On a new project. Just to get myself energized. Only one block. Can't wait to get back to it. Incorrigible, I know.

If you have made a raggedy quilt you are probably wondering why I need a border. Weeeeelllll, once again, it is a measuring failure. The quilt was just a tad too small to be useful. I used my Viking to join the border and batting (as you may know raggedy quilts are quilt as you go). Am not happy with the back side stitching but not taking it out and will use the featherweight to do the other three sides. Sorry, I haven't taken any in progress pictures of this one.

Tomorrow I am sewing with my guild micro group (only two of us) on the ribbon baby quilt for Roller Derby Daughter who will give us grandchild number two the first week of August - a girly one.

Still on my design wall 

Munsel Color System once again.

I haven't blogged about the Munsel System in quite a while but this morning while sitting in my BFFs garden with artquiltmaker Jaye shared a tweet with me that had beautiful pillows which used the Munsell System, either on purpose or intuitively, to good effect.

New York  Beauties by Alex Veronelli, via Twitter

This is red and teal, complements with green-yellow and purple as discords.

I love the Munsell System, the colors always work!

Tutorial Glutton

I made "At The Farm" in a MNAG class with Gwen Marsten eons ago

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Neither of the pictures in this post are related to the post! Decorative only (coludn't post without pictures!).

I recently started watching tutorials by the Missouri Star Quilt Company ( https://www.youtube.com/user/MissouriQuiltCo I  love all the different quilts Jenny makes and how simple they are.

My current two favs are the foundation pieced Spider Web quilt and the disappearing four patch.

I tried to put the pictures in but can't lift them from MSQC's website. Go there to look at them!

Jenny uses a lot of precuts. That makes the prep for one's quilt so much faster - not much cutting! That being said, the spiderweb quilt is a stash buster so I would use my scraps instead of buy a charm pack. I would purchase her foundation piecing paper as the pack comes with about 250 pieces and appears to be quite easy to remove from the completed patch.

This has been a short and sweet post. I have to close and go watch MSQC's tutorial on pillowcases. Want to make some for a wedding present.

This is a Christmas quilt I designed for aetquiltmaker about 13 years ago

Scrapitude - mystery revealed

I finished the mystery part  of Scrapitude finally! It was hellish to cut out but quite fun and easy to sew together. I only made two mistakes which I didn't notice but artquiltmaker saw right away! They are not getting fixed as I am not a perfectionist. Now I need to figure out what I am going to do for a border. AQ had a good idea which I am going to try out. But it is secret til finished :)....

My current project is quilting the donation abc quilt. It is not going well. I ripped out the first try and am now in the process of ripping out the second try. Third time's a charm?

More Scrapitude cutting!!!

Started putting the corner posts on the scrapitude sashing and found I had cut only half of them!  Considered cutting the rest from the batik  jelly roll I got at the Manteca show but then realized I have a box of 2 1/2 inch scrap blocks. So have pulled that out and, other than measuring each one, it has been an easy solution! Phew! (Visualize me wiping my brow in relief!)

This is my sewing table! The box at the bottom is my 2 1/2 ich scrap box. The computer - a little notebook - has the scrapitude directions up so I do it right. The boxes behind my Featherweight have the different pieces of scrapitude in them.

A Day in San Francisco

I went with Artquiltmaker to San Francisco the other day.

Union Square from the fourth floor of the Macy's building (Starbucks kiosk)

We had intended on going to the Asian Art Museum to see the Yoga exhibit. I misread the web site on hours of operation and when we arrived we found that it, like most museums, was closed on Monday. So we decided to do a little fabric therapy and got on Muni and took ourselves to Britex. What a candy shop for sewists! We went up to the fourth floor and worked our way down. Any fabric or notion one could possibly need or want was there. I thoroughly enjoy fondling all the fabric and notions while artquiltmaker found some fabric she needed.

We stopped by the Westfield center to scout out lunch possibilities but decided we were not hungry so toodled up to Nordstroms for sox and cocktail dresses (not to be worn together!) for a big do AQ has this summer. We found two very satisfactory dresses - wish I had taken pictures - and several pair of sox, none of them cashmere.

We had delicious chicken, wild rice and mushroom soup for lunch - hearty, healthy and gluten free!

We then wandered over to Crate and Barell to look at lamps for AQ's living room. The one she had in mind looked way too big for the space so we looked at others but without satisfaction. On our way out we saw my dream, water saver drought watering can!

 

 Ad AQ bought it for me for Mother's day!

Dyeing for eggs!

Couldn't stop thinking about the brown phase the eggs went through while dyeing them earlier. So, hauled out my half dozen brown eggs and plopped them into the left-over dye and cooked them for fifteen minutes. This is the way to go!

The egg on the left is from the first batch.