Bell ringing, a gift and a giveaway

This morning, I spent a couple of hours bell ringing for the Salvation Army.  I am the one in the blue coat.  Chris B., on the left, is our new guild president.  I had a really good time.  It was great fun greeting people and sharing Christmas greetings.  I was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of the people who came by us.  In these hard times, and in this depressed area, it was really heartwarming to see just how much people are willing to share.  It was a good morning, and I plan on doing this again next year.

When I got home, after a side trip to Puyallup to the quilt store, I found a box on my porch addressed to me.  It was from Friends4Kenya.  I didn't know what it was, or who they were.  I brought the box in and immediately opened it.  Look at this beautiful basket that was inside!  I was stunned and couldn't figure out where it came from or why I would deserve such a thing of beauty.  So, I went online.  Friends4Kenya is a small group of women, mostly quilters, who work with women in an area outside Nairobi.  They have taught these women to make these beautiful cloth baskets.  Be sure and visit the site and read about these wonderful women. Once I found out who these women are, and that I am related to two of them my marriage, I began to figure out how this beautiful basket came to me.  Willa, I assume this is from you.  I love it.  Thank you.

And just why would someone send me this beautiful basket?  It is almost my birthday.  That's right.  I will be turning 65 next Saturday, the 10th.  I have thought of many ways to celebrate this event here.  I decided on a giveaway.  Then, I had to decide on something I could afford for the prize.  When I went to Puyallup, I found this Ruby charm pack and this very cute Schnibbles pattern that is charm pack friendly.  I love the Ruby line for Moda and hope you do, too.

If you want to enter to win these two things, please leave me a comment telling me about the best present you remember ever getting.  Why was it so special?

I will leave this open until next Saturday, December 10.

Good luck, everyone.  I look forward to reading all your stories.

Another sneak peak

I am working on another mini quilt for an exchange.  For this one, we are supposed to make triangle trees.  The max size is 50" total perimeter.  This little quilt will be about 12" x 12".  I didn't think I would be making mini quilts when I started this adventure, but now I love them.  It is a wonderful way to practice different designs, piecing techniques, applique techniques, and quilting.  I also love exchanging them.  If any of you want to do a mini quilt exchange with me, just let me know.  I am always up for the fun and challenge. 

I didn't get much more done in the studio today.  I had errands to run and swap ornament blocks to sort and get into the mail.  I had my usual dismal experience at the local chain fabric store.  It is getting so bad, I have decided not to go there any more.  I am sure that many of you have JoAnn Fabric stores where the store is clean, warm, and the people are friendly and knowledgeable  That has not been my experience at my local JAF.  Today, they had at least 15 people waiting to be helped somehow, and two people working.  When I asked if there would be a better time to come back when more people would be working, I was told that the shifts were all filled and that she was sorry I was having a negative experience.  I will find another place to get notions and batting from now on.  One of my biggest pet peeves is poor service, and I have given these people enough chances.

Okay, enough soap box whining.  Tomorrow, I am going to be a Salvation Army bell ringer for the first time.  Our guild has been doing this for a few years now.  I have the first shift, so I have the buckets in the back seat of my car right now.  I am looking forward to ringing my bell and sharing Christmas greetings. 

Until tomorrow evening, joyful quilting, everyone.

A tease and new thrift shop finds

This is all I can show of the red and white mini quilt.  I finished piecing the top this afternoon.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  Almost all the points survived and the corners match.  I will figure out how to quilt it next weekend.

I went to the doc to have him look at my ear, and he pronounced the infection gone.  On the way home, I stopped to pick up some King Tut thread to quilt the Jacob's Ladder and some small things to get ready for the gift exchange at my guild meeting.  Then I went to the local Goodwill.  I was really excited to find these wonderful things.

Look at all these wonderful shirts!

Intriguing plaids.

Hawaiian prints and a chartreuse plaid.

Look at the reds.

I even found a good sized piece of Grannies Flowers from 1997.  It is going to help create the back for the JL.  I also found a king sized floral on black sheet, a table cloth for our dining table, and cloth napkins.  All in all, a very successful trip.  I was excited to discover that the store had enlarged its linens section.  I will have to keep my eye out there.

Tomorrow, I start my week with Bella.  Until Friday, joyful quilting, everyone.

WIPs or UFOs?

When I started the year, I had four completed quilts under my belt, and plans to make as many quilts as I could with the time and fabric I had.  I didn't even know what a UFO was, and when they talked about them at my guild, I had to ask someone what it was all about.  Now, things are a bit different.  I haven't counted the number of quilts I have finished, but I soon will.  I have been looking at the stack of projects I have in various stages of completion.  In other words, UFOs.

There are a few things I just don't have any interest in finishing right now, but the others will be put back on my to-do list for the new year.  A few of them need backs, quilting, and binding.  A few of them need more borders before I can even think about finishing.  Some need more blocks.  I have listed six of them for the UFO challenge at my guild.  As I finish each of them, I have plenty more to add. 

As I think about next year and quilting, I wonder if I will finally settle into one style.  Do I really need to?  When I look at the list I have started of quilts I want to make, it looks like I will still be trying a bit of everything.  Over the next few weeks, I think I will be posting a bit about what I have accomplished this year, and what I hope to do next.  This is mostly because I am making Christmas presents and won't be able to show much of what I am doing.  I am also doing it so I will have it out there and will have a list to compare to at the end of next year.

In the meantime, I am still quilting and having great fun.  I will show you all the things I am making after they have been given.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

A new look for a vintage skirt

When I was young, my mother found a pattern in a magazine for a Seminole patchwork skirt.  I think it was the seventies, and I think it was McCall's, but I can't find the pattern or the issue.  Maybe one of you remember it.  It was made with bias tape cut into many tiny pieces and sewn into traditional patterns in rows.  The skirt had 3.5 yards gathered into a small waistband.  It was thirty inches long.  I have been saving this for a long time, only bringing it out to show occasionally.  Last night, I had a brilliant idea of how to have this incredible work on display all the time.  I decided to make it into a quilt.

Look at all that piecing!  I am going to have to figure out a way to quilt this that does not detract from the piecing at all.  Here is a look at the back.

When I think about all the patience it took to put this skirt together, I am amazed.  I am such a slow piecer, I think this would have taken me many years.  I don't remember how long it took Mom.  She was a very talented woman who often made complex and beautiful things.  One time, she made a mosaic coffee table where she cut hundreds of small square tiles into small pieces to create a seascape.  It was wonderful to grow up in a family where creating beautiful artistic things was celebrated. 

The other thing I did today, that I can show, was the mug rugs for the hunters.

The backs are plaid.

Today, I had an unexpected visit with Bella.  She has a nasty cold and both her parents had meetings, so I didn't get a full day in the studio.  I hope she gets well soon.

Tomorrow, I am working on a mini red and white quilt, and other things on my list.  The ear infection is almost conquered, and I am not in constant pain, so that is a good thing.  I hope you all have a joy filled day.

Wonky ornaments

I am in an ornament exchange on Mary Lou Weidman's Yahoo group and I made these 24 5" x 5" ornament blocks for the exchange.  You can't see it, but I did fancy machine decorative stitching on 12 of the blocks.  It was fun, but it uses so much thread.  It also tends to pucker if you don't use an interfacing.  I didn't want to add the extra weight, so I just ironed the puckers out as much as I could.  I am the collector and distributor for this exchange, and some of the ornaments that have come in so far are real beauties.  It will be interesting to see what I put together when the exchange is all done.  Any ideas?

I also finished this mug rug top.  The two with the deer heads are still in progress.  I am excited to have the next three full days in the studio.  It seems like it has been a long time.  I have a long list of things to get made for Christmas, so it is good to have these days.

I have been thinking about New Year's resolutions.  It is about that time, after all.  One of the things I want to do is organize my stash better.  My stash is made up mostly of bigger scraps.  I see that some people pre-cut their scraps into 2.5" strips or squares so they are ready to pull for quilting projects.  Others do this plus making strings for other projects.  I am torn about just what to do at this point.  I would appreciate hearing about how you organize your stash of smaller than fat quarter pieces.

Until tomorrow, joyful quilting, everyone.

Victoria and me

Victoria sent me this photo of both of us holding our exchange quilts.  I am on the left.  Victoria is holding the quilt I made for her.  The round "Christmas ball" is made from velvet scraps.  This is the first, and probably last, quilt I have made using embellishments.  I had total fun picking fabric and creating the feeling of an old fashioned Christmas tree.  I hand quilted it using green pearl cotton.  It was fun to make a real Christmas quilt.

Look what I got from Victoria!

Victoria at 15 Minutes Play hosted a mini holiday quilt exchange, and I think I got the best quilt!  We could each select a holiday for a 12" x 12" mini quilt.  Then Victoria sent us a name and a holiday to create a quilt.  I was sent Victoria's name and Christmas.  I was pretty excited about it, but had no idea Victoria had my name.  I thought about asking for Christmas, but really wanted a Dia de los Muertos.  There are some quilters who belong to this group who have some fantastic fabric, so I thought I just might get one.  My alternative was fall.  (Seasons were okay, as well as holidays.)  Victoria just happened to have this wonderful fabric.  Can you see the hand embroidery and the bead embellishments?  On the back is a pocket with a handwritten note on fabric.  I just love this quilt and it will live on my studio wall all year.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the Christmas quilt I made for Victoria.  I will let you know when she posts it so you can see it. 

I was lucky enough to meet Victoria yesterday in Edmonds, WA where we exchanged our quilts.  It was wonderful meeting her in person.  Along with the quilt, she also gifted me with some very fun goodies.

There was also a tin of spices, but my husband took those to the kitchen immediately.  He loves a good spice mix.

Today, I am going to grab some studio time for a couple of hours before I start the cooking process.  I hope you are all going to have a joy filled day.



Getting things done

Today, I was able to finish my Jacob's Ladder top.  I am calling this quilt Hidden Garden.  It is so hard to show all the wonderful floral fabrics and great colors with a photograph.  This is the first quilt where I have had to match so many corners and points.  They are not all perfect, but I don't care.  I just really like this quilt. I am so happy I got the top finished today.

I have been dealing with a terrible ear ache for a few days and finally went to the doc this morning.  I have an ear infection.  I don't think I have had an ear infection since I was a kid.  It is most unpleasant.  Hopefully, the antibiotics and the ear drops will help quickly.

Last week, on our way home for the cabin in the woods, we stopped in Chehalis at Sister's Fabric. This is one of my all time favorite fabric stores.  There is an amazing selection of fabrics, including a fantastic collection of gorgeous flannels.  I purchased these batiks for a quilt I designed that I will start on after the new year.  I love these fall colors, so I will use this one all year long.

These beauties are for our youngest son's next quilt.  He loves these colors, and I am going to add them into the string quilt I started a couple of weeks ago.   I hope he likes it.

I am making mug rugs for a couple of hunters in the family.  I thought this fabric would be appropriate. I love the plaid.  I did some fussy cutting on the bottom fabric earlier this evening.  These small quilts are fun to make and are good gifts.

This bunch is from my stash and is destined for a 15" x 15" quilt for Bella's other quilting grandmother.  This is a sneak peak for her.  I just hope the pattern I have come up with is not too complicated for me.  The pieces are going to be very small, I think.

It was great to be back in the studio today.  I don't think I will be back until Friday unless I can sneak a little bit in on Thursday morning.  After all, how long does it take to prepare enchiladas?

In the meantime, joyful quilting, everyone.

Still away from studio

We stayed in this lovely cabin in Packwood, WA over the weekend.  Packwood is at the base of the Mt. Rainier area.  We were able to go exploring a bit before we headed home on Monday.

This is a small waterfall on Summit Creek near the Summit Creek campground.  There was a bit of snow on the ground in places, but it was mostly just overcast and breezy.

I loved all the moss covered rocks along the creek.  Of course, I saw quilt colors everywhere.  Look at these greens, blues, purples, and grays.  I think I will add purple to my string quilt and I will have a quilt to remind me of this fun weekend.

I will be away from the studio until Monday.  I am working on hand work whenever I get a chance, like when Bella is napping.  I will be on a ferry for two hours tomorrow, and I will take projects along for the ride.  I miss time in the studio, but I occasionally have to take time out for the rest of my life.  I am just grateful I have such a wonderful life that allows me to spend time with Bella and time to quilt.

Until next week, joyful quilting everyone. 

Going away

Hello.  We are going out of town for a couple of days, so I won't be posting until at least Tuesday.  I have been working on a couple of things I can't post yet.  Big surprises.
Until next time,
Joyful quilting, everyone.

11-11-11 National Corduroy Day has arrived!

Back in late August at a Rebels meeting, Nifty of Nifty Quilts gave us some very interesting vintage corduroy and set us the challenge of making something for National Corduroy Day.  This is what I got,

I remember when I was a kid and loved wide waled corduroy pants in the winter.  This fabric, however, was pronounced by one Rebel as possibly the all time winner of the ugliest fabric award.  We all accepted the challenge anyway.

I auditioned several fabrics from my stash, including teal, but ended up hitting garage sales for corduroy pants in blue and a grey/green.  I also found a heavy work shirt in red.  I found a wonderful purple corduroy shirt at the thrift store, but I liked it so much I wear it all the time.  The rest, I decided, would become one with the "ugly" fabric and make a pillow top and back.  I also added some gold batik from my stash.

Back

Front

It was interesting working with the corduroy.  It likes to be sewn together.  I think there might be a corduroy quilt in my future, but it will have some purple.  I do love purple corduroy.

For 30+ more wonderful corduroy projects, head on over to Nifty Quilts for links.

Enjoy the day.

Starting the Christmas presents

I had quite a few things I had to do today that did not involve quilting.  I finally made some time this afternoon to start on the Christmas list.  These little 1" x 2" flying geese will go into mug rugs for a couple of men on my list.  I know Tom loves his, so I decided other men might like them too.
I will be with Bella the next three days, so I will be back on Friday.  Hopefully, I will have more time to create quilts.  Until then, joyful quilting, everyone.

Finished JL blocks

The last group of blocks.

The design wall with all 42 blocks.  There are 21 different florals in this project.  Here are some closeups of a few of them.

Now, all I have to do is sew all the blocks together and quilt it.

I also made a change on the warm and cool wall hanging from yesterday.  Have you ever decided not to finish something right away, but you didn't know why?  I knew I liked the wall hanging, but there was something keeping me from finishing it.  Then, I got an email from Margaret.  She pinned it right on the nose.  The block with the cross, while I loved it, was too big and detracted from the overall look of the piece.  Can you see how I fixed it?

The last thing I did was to play with making fabric from velvet.  I am thinking of using it in a project I am going to start in the next few days.  This may be the last look you get at it until after Thanksgiving.

I have one more day in the studio until my Bella week starts.  There are so many things I want to do.  Maybe I will actually get some Christmas presents made. 

Until tomorrow, joyful quilting, everyone.