Thanks Mom!

I spent the day with my mom yesterday. We went to her favorite fabric store (and the place where she takes her Bernina classes.) She is a fabulous seamstress. As my children will say when they need anything sewn or mended. "Grandma Esther can do it!" She was my 4-H leader when I was a kid. There is no way I could make a list of all the things she has taught me over the years, some trival, some life-changing, but all have contributed to who and what I am today. I could write for days about my mom...but suffice it to say...she's a "good thing!" We're planning to do a couple of "collaborative" quilts with mom doing the embroidery on her Bernina and me doing the piecing and quilting. We bought some redwork designs for her machine and we're going to start there. Should be so much fun! She also bought a walking foot for her machine so I can start doing some machine quilting. I had no idea how EXPENSIVE it would be. But, I can't tell you how excited I am to get started. I did a tiny sample when I was at her house yesterday. What fun! I hope I can do this on a quilt.
So....a walking foot...an opportunity to try something new...I need to get something ready to quilt. Of course, that means buying fabric. I controlled myself and only bought what I needed to prepare these quilts for quilting. Here is the backing and binding I chose for the Disappearing Nine Patch. I love it. The blue backing has the soft, quiet feel of the quilt.


My other purchase was the back for the red and white quilt-a-long quilt. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but isn't it fun!
It's not enough fabric on its own, so I'll have to piece something to make it work. I think it will make the back just as interesting as the front. If I can get these two basted and ready...this is what I'll be doing this weekend. A trip to the farm and a weekend of quilting. So, for all you machine quilters out there...any hints and tips? I think I have an idea of how I might want to quilt the Disappearing Nine Patch, but I'm stumped on the red and white quilt-a-long quilt. I want to keep it simple, since I'm so new at this. Any thoughts?
Have a great weekend everyone. Hope the sun will be shining in your neck of the woods!

Quilt-A-Long Top Finished!

Sipping a cup of dark, hot coffee, morning sunshine bathing the room, and a finished top covering the ironing board; I'm in heaven! My wish would be that I could offer you a cup of coffee or tea and that you could join me to celebrate. The pictures just don't do it justice. After all of that fussing over how to put these quilt-a-long blocks together, it kind of just flowed into this. I set each block just a little bit off kilter. It's hard to see the wonkyness, but in person it has just a bit of my modern sensibility. Then I added sashing and a border with corner blocks. When I started quilting along with AmandaJean, it was simply to get some practice sewing again and refamiliarize myself with and learn new quilting techniques. I really didn't have any idea in my head that this would even turn out to be a quilt. Now I can't wait to put it together into a finished piece. I just can't say how much I appreciate AmandaJean for all the time and effort she put into making the quilt-a-long happen.
I think I'm proudest of how square the blocks are and the quilt too. Be sure to check out the flickr group for the quilt-a-long. It's so much fun to see all the different quilts that are being created from the same set of blocks.
Besides working on this top, I've been hand quilting away on the Fence Rail quilt. It takes me about an hour to do each block. I think I have about 45 left to go. I think I'm realizing why I put this quilt away for so many years. Though I love the touch of the hand on a quilt and I enjoy hand quilting, it is time consuming. I have committed to working on it at least a bit each day.

Sew Mama Sew Quilting Month Diversion

So....I took a quick trip to Sew Mama Sew to see what the block of the week was. I just love pinwheels...so I took just a minute to make a block from this neat light turquoise Alexander Henry fabric (doesn't show really well in the pic). Could be a quilt someday. It was just fun making what they call the double pinwheel.

Quilting Marathon

I've decided to take the advice of my blogger friends and put aside some of the quilts I've been designing and focus on some unfinished projects that I need to get back to. I think a finish or two will help get me back to my normal have fun frame of mind. This is a fence rail quilt that has been unfinished for a terribly long time. It was my second quilt (pretty ambitious for someone who knew nothing!) that was started probably some time in the 90's. It was a time when I had little kids, and was probably close to the busiest time of my life. It is about 2/3 of the way done with the hand quilting. It's been sitting on a frame for many years gathering dust. The close-up shows the fabric much better. It's very large...I think I planned it for our queen size bed (which we no longer have!) I also finally found some backing fabric for my Hop, Skip, and a Jump quilt so I can piece that quilt back and get started on hand quilting that as well. Finishing these will be wonderful...so I'm off to quilt for the weekend. Hope yours is filled with time for sewing!

Are You Hungry?

So many people in the world are. After yesterday's whiny post...thought better of getting down in the dumps when life really is good. Here is a link to a great site that is both fun and educational for you and feeds people at the same time. Free Rice is simply a vocabulary game. For every word you get correct 20 grains of rice are donated to the program. You can set the program to remember your level when you come back to play again. The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Tell your friends and especially those teenagers out there who need to build up their vocabulary for the SAT and ACT tests. To give it a try or to find out more, just click on the picture. It's amazing what we can do to help others without leaving our homes...just a click of a mouse.

Ahhh Ha Moment

Been a really hard week in the sewing room. Lots of work and not much to show for it except a pile of "think I might just throw it aways", a worn out seam ripper and a not so good attitude hanging around. I think that internal critic has been working overtime. I can't seem to get on track. Everything I put on the design wall just doesn't seem to make muster...if you know what I mean. I worked with my disappearing nine patch and added frames for each of the blocks...it's now in a heap on the floor...can't decide to whether to start ripping or just put it away for now. Here is what it looks like. Maybe quilting could transform it. As I stared at it more and more...it began to take on the look of a depressing hospital room. As I post it here...it seems to look a bit better to me. I really don't know where to go with this!
I did get a wonderful book over the weekend, Quiltmaker's Color Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. It is a fascinating book about understanding color from a quilter's perspective. The book has a series of exercises; they call them color explorations. I worked all weekend on a couple of those and really struggled. One challenge I'm working on is to make a small quilt for each member of your family with colors that you feel represent them. When you're finished the challenge is to show it to that person and see what they think. It sounded like so much fun...and at first, so EASY. Well, I'm STILL on the one for my youngest son...so much for easy. It's hard to really THINK about color choices.
As for the title of this post...(yes, it takes me awhile to get to the point!) I did have one of those ahh ha moments as I struggled with my design efforts and fabric choices. I think I am what this book calls "Matchioso". I've let fabric designers make my color choices for me. I need to think about how the colors and fabrics I choose will express and support my design ideas. I tend to almost choose fabrics first and then design around them. It's like the Disappearing Nine Patch. I had the fabrics and said to myself...what can I do with these...rather than thinking about what might make the the pattern sing.
Like I said...my internal critic is on overdrive...I almost deleted this whole post...it's so not like me. I need an attitude adjustment or some spring flowers would be nice!

I've Been Tagged!

Goodness gracious! What a day! First, I found out I won a set of 10 fat quarters from Sew Mama Sew in celebration of February as quilting month. I was shocked...in awe...flabbergasted and oh SO HAPPY! Simply fabulous...and just for visiting. I'll post pictures when the package arrives. I wonder what it will be. And now I've been tagged by Country Mouse. Isn't blogging FUN! Not that most of you would be interested in these random things about me, but I'm pretty obedient, so here goes.
THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

OK, so, 7 random facts.....
1. I have two houses. Long story really...but it all started with the hubby having a residency requirement for a new job in the city, having just built a home in the country we couldn't give it up. Bought a small townhome in the city and ended up with one child in school in the country, one in the city and me caught in the middle. The oldest is now in college, so we're no longer a split family, (THANK GOODNESS) but we still have the house in the country and we hope to be back there full time in the future.
2. I am a certified sailor. I sail a 22 foot Starwind.
3. I am addicted to Project Runway. Believe it or not...this is something my two teenage sons and I do together. I record the shows and watch episodes multiple times!
4. I stayed in a Red Roof Inn on my honeymoon.
5. I was a gymnastics coach at age 16.
6. I have taught and worked in inner city schools my entire career.
7. I am an artist wannabe. I love art, music, design etc. I would love to study and make a life in the arts. Maybe in my next life!

So know you know some of my weirdness. I'm not sure I know who else to tag. How about these talented women to start with. Sherri, Jen and Joyce you have been tagged! So...if you are so inclined...help us get to know you a bit better with 7 tidbits about yourselves. Have fun!

Celebrating Those We Love

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Isn't it great to have a day that is set aside to remind us how much we love those in our lives! Woe is me...my honey bun is in Los Angeles. What was that...feeling sorry for myself. NAW! There is no way with such a wonderful guy. Knowing we wouldn't be together for the actual day...he came out to the farm on Wednesday morning (where I was dutifully dog and house sitting). The day was simply gorgeous, sun shining, chilly, but definitely not the bitter cold we've had for the last while, and not a breath of wind. We headed down to the pond with the dogs and our skates and skated on the far pond together for over an hour. Now THAT's romantic and just plain fun. He left for the airport and I packed up the dogs and headed back to the city. Even though we had made a pact not to celebrate until Saturday...there were 2 cards on my pillow at home and roses came today. He never could abide by a pact to put off any kind of celebration. We've tried this before, but he can never wait. You would think after 24 1/2 years I would learn. Just wait until he comes home...I have a few things up my sleeve. Spent the morning packing up little Valentine gifts for my other 2 boys. My 16 year old is getting his favorite breakfast cereals. He's a cereal addict. I make him eat healthy, no sugar full of fiber cereal. This is his day for Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Captain Crunch. No generics in the bag! He'll be in heaven. Of course, there is a bit of chocolate in there too! For my college son, I put together a little bag of treats with some healthy snacks, a dvd he's been wanting and a coupon for a grocery shopping trip with his mom (my treat)! I'll see if I can't fill up that fridge of his. That way I know he'll be eating well...at least for a week or so! My parents came from the airport today and picked up their dog so I got to give them a hug as well. What a great day! Hope yours is fabulous too!

Quilt-A-Long Quilt Setting - Any Thoughts?

Don't you just love a wedding! It's so much fun watching a couple start their life together. My nephew overcame a broken collarbone (from a rogue wave at the beachside bachelor party) and a pretty severe case of nerves to marry a lovely girl on a gorgeous day. Brought back memories I haven't thought about for such a long time...the boulders that my brothers appropriated from the hotel garden and thoughtfully deposited in the back of my car, the long walk down the aisle and the joyful jog back up with my new hubby and that great kiss that we stopped for after we escaped all the watchful eyes. My dad's face when told him I was taking off that dress to go to the bathroom before we left for the church. (I never did...he would have dropped dead right there!) So wonderful to be in warm, sunny Florida. Nice to see family...if only for a day or so. I'm on dog watching duty at my folk's house in the country. Thank goodness I brought some projects and my sewing machine. The farm is one giant mud hole. At least first thing in the morning it's frozen and I can get in a walk with the dogs without being covered with mud.
I've been working on my red and white Quilt-A-Long quilt. I think I've decided on the placement of the blocks and I liked the idea I saw on Crazy Mom quilts using pinwheel blocks as the corner blocks for the sashing. I made 20 small pinwheel blocks using my favorite fabric that is in the quilt. After they were made...I thought they might be too small, so I added some off kilter log cabin logs and trimmed so they are now 5 inches square. I have 6 of those done so far. I'm not sure I have enough fabric to finish all 20...so, now what should I do? I don't know if it would look ok to do some of the logs in this fabric and some in another...should I just keep going and see how many I can get done? I guess if they don't work for this they might make a nice little quilt on their own. I am SO not a good planner. Truly I work on a wing and a prayer. Any suggestions?

Super Bowl of Cleaning and a Place for Pins

Had fun on Sunday watching the Super Bowl. I do love a close game where the ending is in doubt until the very last second. Haven't been doing much sewing lately...kind of under the weather this week. Worked out very hard on Monday and it went downhill from there. I did make a couple of cute pincushions for gifts for my mom and a sewing friend. Got the pattern from Tammy. I think they turned out cute! They are BIG! I traced my sewing lamp base for the circle pattern. I wasn't REALLY paying attention to the size until I started stuffing. They will definitely hold LOTS of pins!
You know sometimes when you don't feel good, it feels good to clean and organize. When my body is out of whack I seem to need my surroundings neat and orderly. Crawling into a crisply made bed feels good! My sewing room was a cluttered nightmare. Imagine piles of fabric, scraps and fuzz all over the floor, rulers, stacks of bills, unfinished thank you notes, things to do lists etc etc. I was too embarrassed to take a picture and document the mayham, so, with all that said, I spent two days cleaning and organizing. Here are the results. I can see the tabletop and the carpet...fabric is folded and organized, scraps are sorted, and WIPs are hung in the closet. I wonder how long this will last?

I am excited to get sewing after I get home from the wedding in Florida. I have the last block for the quilt-a-long to finish, 2 more blocks for the disappearing 9 patch, oooh and so much more. So much to do. I'm looking forward to the wedding, but I will miss a weekend of sewing. Those Saturdays are pretty precious! Have a great weekend everyone!

Sew Mama Sew Quilting Month - Disappearing Nine Patch

What a fun way to spend a Saturday...learning something new...playing with fabric...Yippee! The first block in Sew Mama Sew's celebration of February as Quilting Month is the nine patch and its variations. I chose the Disappearing Nine Patch. It looked like something I could handle and a block with lots of possibilities. I pulled out these fat quarters that I got at a 99 cent after Christmas sale and a couple of solids.
I used the tutorial on Helen's blog. Thanks Helen! Cut lots of 4 inch squares for the 9 patch blocks. I found after sewing the first block that it wasn't the 11 inch square that it should have been, so I spent some time playing with getting that perfect scant quarter inch seam. I think I may have been successful. The rest of the blocks were just about perfect. I'm learning!
I've finished 6 of them so far. I have more fabric....maybe enough for another 6 blocks. I'm going to make a few more later tonight...practice makes perfect. Maybe I'll have this technique down by the time I finish. It's interesting how the fabrics play together in these blocks. Maybe this could be a baby quilt.

Sewin' with Sew Mama Sew

Just a quick note to say how excited I am to sew along with Sew Mama Sew's February Quilting Month. Today, a whole variety of 9 patch blocks were posted along with great pictures and tutorials for each one. What a great opportunity to learn lots about different blocks and new techniques. I'm excited to participate. I think I'll give the Disappearing Nine Patch a try tonight or tomorrow. Again, enjoy the weekend. It's time for a glass of wine and some hubby conversation! (Maybe some blog surfing later on!)

No Longer in a Bind!

It's taken me 3...yes, count them, 3 days to bind this quilt. I'm so happy it's done with a week to spare before the wedding. Does anyone else get stressed binding a quilt? For me it seems, I've worked so hard on the design, piecing and quilting that that final step is really stressful. I don't sew on a fancy machine (no walking foot), so I don't know if I imagine things slipping around...all I know is at this point, I really don't want to mess it up.

It's washed and dried and ready for its label, a pretty package and "The Big Day! I sure hope the happy couple loves it at much as I do. My hubby even said to take a bunch of pictures. He thinks I'm going to miss it! I think he may be right!

Have a great weekend everyone!