Confessions of a Mad Quilter

The Bathroom....Days 4-8

2008-10-29T22:35:00.003-05:00

So. I pull in to the driveway from Quilt Market on Monday evening and my husband says: "Go check out the bathroom!". I go into the house and there's 2 or 3 guys laying tile on the bathroom floor. Can I reiterate that this is a SMALL room? I can't see much of anything, but I can tell that there's tile. We go out to eat and then I rush off to Audrey's orchestra performance.

Tuesday, they grouted all the tile and it looks fabulous! Here's Audrey checking out the shower for size.

Here's a shot of both types of tile used....and yes! The walls are going to be red!

On another note, Quilt Market was good! I think attendance was down, but there was some great stuff there. The highlight for me was spending some time chatting with Jay McCarroll of Project Runway fame. Jay has designed fabric for FreeSpirit and it is too cute! A little bit weird, but cute, all the same.

Jay was very down-to-earth and we had a nice conversation. I asked him if it was a stretch to go from fashion design to fabric design. He said that he has always wanted to do fabric and was thrilled to be given this chance. The fabric line is still in the final stages of production and I think it will be available in early '09. It's quirky and fun and I just have to have some! My rep came to see me today and she doesn't even have sales samples yet, but will call me the minute she gets them.

Till tomorrow,
S.

Day 3

2008-10-22T20:33:00.002-05:00

Progress Day 3. As you can see, the shower has been all framed out as well as the storage shelves. The tile guys are supposed to come tomorrow to put in and tile the shower pan.

Okay. You're probably wondering what the plan is. We took out the tub, and obviously we're replacing it with a stand-up shower. Since there was absolutely no storage in this room, we decided to go with the shower plus cabinet. The shower will be white subway tile with a black accent and the floor tile will be black and white. There will be a white pedestal sink and a white toilet. The walls will have white beadboard wainscot and the upper walls will be RED! It's going to be SOOOOOOOO much better and I can't wait for it to be done!

Oh, by the way, did I mention that I am leaving tomorrow morning for FIVE DAYS for Quilt Market? Should I be scared?

Updates to continue next Tuesday.

Layers

2008-10-22T15:41:00.003-05:00

Here's the bathroom progress on Day 2. The plumber came and replaced all the cast iron pipe under the house and re-piped the shower, toilet and sink. Brad put in the subfloor in preparation for tile.

Since I now have flooring, I got up closer to my "archeological" wall for inspection. My assumptions yesterday were all wrong! The oldest layer is a masonite-type board that looks like tile. My guess is early 1900's. At some point it was painted teal green.

I discovered the next layer when I pulled off some of the flowery wallpaper. There's only a strip about 3" high about 4' off the floor. It's water lillies with bubbles. I photoshopped 2 sections together to give you an idea of the overall pattern. My guess, from looking at books on bungalow bathrooms, is this paper dates sometime in the 20's or 30's - when the Art Deco/Craftsman craze happened.

The brittle paper with the starburst flowers on it also has small metallic dots on it. They didn't photograph well - they are just pinpoints of metallic. My guess (based on the metallic aspect as well as the overall design) is 1950's. This was a cheesecloth-backed paper.

Then, behind the sink and the toilet, is this awful paper. The color here is not right - it's an icky shade of mauve. Of course, I'm a bit biased becasue mauve is my least favorite color in the spectrum. Based on color and scale, I'm guessing 70's or 80's. Oh yeah, this paper is attached to sheetrock, which was added at that time. The walls themselves are shiplap, or solid wood.

Then, sometime in the late 80's or early 90's, the mauve ditsy wallpaper was painted over in a light moss green. We bought the house in late 1994.

You probably don't find all of this as fascinating as I do, but it's been kind of fun to see how the house has changed over the years.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

Bathroom Re-Do......Day 1

2008-10-21T16:35:00.003-05:00

On top of running a quilt shop, driving Miss A. all around town, and various other commitments and activities, we are remodeling a bathroom. Not just a bathroom....the only bathroom downstairs!

A little backstory. Our house was built in 1900. I'm sure it's been "updated" by various owners throughout the years. But, the last "update" was probably a little bit tackier than all the rest. Here's a "before" picture.

It's hard to get perspective because this is a pass-through bathroom. It's very small and there are doors to the left and the right of where I was standing to take this photo. The tub and the sink are cast iron, and are probably fairly close to original. The toilet was "new" (as in , piece of crap) and the linoleum on the floor was just horrible. Due to rust-out leaks, the sink and tub have had the water cut off to them for quite some time. It's really been no big deal for Miss A. to shower upstairs. But when the running toilet couldn't be repaired, we became desperate! We have not had a working toilet downstairs for over a month now.

Luckily, a friend of ours at church remodels homes and specializes in those in the historic district where we live. We talked to Brad and he could fit us in within 2 weeks! The excavation began yesterday.

First, he removed all the fixtures. The sink and toilet are now in my backyard and the tub made it as far as my laundry room. I can't get to my washer and dryer. I am amazed that one man got that monstrosity as far as he did by himself. But it's got to go outside! I have clothes to wash!

Then he ripped out all of the old flooring. We knew that we had a leak around the toilet, and we suspected that this was not the first one. We were right. I asked Brad what he found under the lino and he found particle board over the original tongue-and-groove flooring. Of course, since the original was never repaired properly, it could not be saved. Most of yesterday was spent replacing rotted joists.

This is the wall where the tub was. I find the layers on the wall fascinating! I can see some sort of wallboard or paper that simulates tile closest to the floor. I couldn't get close enough to it to inspect properly...seeing how there was no floor to walk on. Above that is a green something. And above that is what I think was the original layer - it's a wall paper with cheesecloth/fabric backing. Here's the closeup...thank you, zoom lens. I'm no expert, but to me, this looks a few decades more modern than 1900. More like 1920's. I guess it's possible that the bathroom was added later, but by the structure of the house, I don't really think so. But I think it's kind of cool, anyway. If you look on the right side of the photo below, you can see the mauve calico wallpaper that had been painted over. They didn't even try to paint behind the toilet and the sink.

Of course, Inspector Merle had to check it all out. We've pulled off the skirting to the house so that the plumber can access the pipes under the house. They are the original cast iron and need to be replaced. It probably didn't take long for this smart cat to figure out that he could get back outside by dropping down to the ground and strolling out from under the house. The dumb one, (that would be Sophie), I'm not so sure she would make that connection.

We made it through the night with a couple of 1x12's as the walkway from the hall to the bedrooms. Nobody fell off. And, thankfully, the weather is still warm.

Wonder what I'll find when I get home this afternoon? I'll let you know...

No More Grillin'

2008-09-19T07:53:00.003-05:00

Nope. We're not talking food here. We're talking orthodontia.

We visited the orthodontist this week - with the fervent hope that Audrey would be getting her braces off. Of course, Mom wanted to take a few photos.

Me: "Hey, Audrey! Let me take your picture!"

Her: "No! Talk to the hand!"

Me: "You're being a punk!"

Her: "Yeah....so?"

The techs were all laughing at this exchange and they basically shamed her into actually smiling for a photo.

Before

Dr. Crise did her check and declared her "done" and approved the removal of the braces. Although this was the plan for the day, I kept saying that it might not happen if everything wasn't all lined up properly.

The tech got her clippers and snip! Snip! Snip! Seconds later she was pulling out arch wires and all.

Everything came out in tact!

Now back in the day when I wore braces, each individual tooth was banded. It took HOURS to get everything pried off. I know you may find this photo a little bit gross, but I was fascinated by the advancement in technology!

After grinding all the glue off, we have a bright smile!

After

After looking at braces for 2 years, I still catch myself doing a double-take when she smiles. Isn't she pretty?

*Sorry for the squints and glares. The chairs face plate glass windows and the sun was shining bright!

What I Was Trying to Do

2008-07-31T20:27:00.003-05:00

Sarah N. asked what I was trying to make before I was a doofus and cut off the zipper head. Well, last week I made this bag for the Roadshow - Farmer's Market Tote" from Let's Do Lunch by Terri Atkinson. Fabric line is "Farmer's Market" by Sandi Henderson....how appropriate, huh?

Inside the bag is a zippered pocket and a key hook.

I was trying to make the demonstration step-out, all the while thinking, "I need to make sure to tell them to be careful not to cut off the zipper head." Seriously, that's EXACTLY what I was thinking as I cut the darn thing off!

Here's a laundry bag sample I sewed together last weekend. It's Fig Tree Quilts "Easiest Accessory Bags Ever" and made from "Garden Party" by Anna Maria Horner. This photo shows that each side features a different fabric with a common bottom. Can you tell I'm obsessed with this fabric line?

I must now return my attention to So You Think You Can Dance. Go Joshua! 4 Real.

Whoops!

2008-07-28T21:09:00.002-05:00

What's wrong with this picture?

I think I'll go to bed now.....

Battle of the Bag

2008-07-27T20:53:00.003-05:00

So, I'm still working on samples for the Minnesota Roadshow. One of the items is "Lynne's Tote" by Terri Atkinson from her book "Let's Do Lunch". The first steps are to piece the bag and then quilt it along with a strip for handles and a square for the pocket. Since there were multiple pieces, I thought it would be easier to quilt on my sewing machine. I haven't quilted on my Pfaff in ages and this project demanded free-motion quilting.

One of my friends was teaching a class today at the shop so I decided to run up there early to use the big ironing board to fuse-baste the project. I chit-chatted with Sarah and her students for a while (completely stalling from the task at hand) and returned home to begin.

I stitched the edges of everything down and then ironed on a couple of scrap pieces to warm up. Moved on to the handle rectangle. UGH! This is HARD and it's ugly! Thank goodness the handle pieces are cut down to 1-1/4" strips. The hardest part for me is I don't know where to put my hands. Everything feels awkward and jerky.

So I decided to go back to the shop and look at the machine quilting books. The girls were surprised to see me again. I browsed through the books and NONE of them talk about hand position except Diane Gaudynski's. And she talks about manipulating BIG quilts. Perhaps some machine quilting gloves will help.

I came back home and just started on the body of the bag, stopping more often to try to re-position my hands. The gloves DID help. Problem is I think the bed of my machine is too high and I kept getting cramps in between my shoulders. What would have taken me 15 minutes to quilt on the longarm took about 3 hours. But I did it - and I finished the bag. Nothing like taking all day to do it!

The fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner's "Garden Party" line. Aren't they luscious?

A Dilemma

2008-07-25T20:46:00.003-05:00

I have a dilemma. (You need to read this with all the southern inflection I can give it.....pronounce it "die-LEM-a").

I have SERIOUSLY fallen off the blogging wagon.....have you noticed? And once I fell off, it has been oh-so-hard to get back on. I mean, where do I start? Quilt Market? End of school? The wedding of my step-daughter, the trip to Vegas, the Market Review Party, Audrey's orchestra camp, or the many other various and sundry details of the last 2 months? If it's any consolation, I write blog entries in my head every day, and before I know it, it's 11pm and time for bed.

So, do I back-track or just pick up where I am right now?

For now, I'll just start with current events.

The shop is hosting the Minnesota Road Show in early August. This is a teaching trunk show put together by 4 Minnesota quilt artists: Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs, Debbie Bowles of Maple Island Quilts, Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures, and Linda Hohag of Brandywine Design. We will get a box of their samples and I will do a lecture presentation of specfic techniques. SO.....in order to get it "right", I need to make a sample of their samples. Did you follow that? Anyway, I have been sewing furiously the past couple of weeks to get ready.

This is a sample from "The Sweet Life" by Anka's Treasures and features cutting template-free diamonds using Layer Cake squares.

And this one is "Bent Pieces" from Maple Island Quilts using Debbie's innovative curved piecing technique. And this is the tote bag I made for Audrey to take to orchestra camp using Timeless Treasures' "Taxi" fabrics.
I have to brag on Audrey now. She went to camp at the University of Texas-Arlington last week. She completely volunteered to go even tho she wouldn't know a soul there. She auditioned for the 7th-8th grade orchestras but was placed in the next level orchestra -with high school kids. AND she was awarded 1st chair in the 2nd violin section! AND she won a scholarship award as outstanding section leader! We were all so pleasantly shocked and surprised. I must say it is so rewarding as a parent to see your child blossom and grow into a confident young lady. YOU ROCK, Audrey!

And I pinky swear to try to blog more often.

Two in a Row

2008-05-11T21:21:00.004-05:00

Holy cow....Two posts in a row. How was your weekend? Mine turned out great. I did finish the quilt on the longarm and bound this morning before church. This is "Tangerine Dreams". It uses our precut strips that we sell in the store (Orange Happy Strips) plus Sandy Gervais' "Fresh Squeezed" fabrics by Moda for the centers and the borders and binding. The pattern is "King's Ransom" by 4th & 6th Designs. It was a lot of fun to make and is brighter orange in real life

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. After church and lunch and grocery shopping, I took a 3 hour nap. While napping, a strong, handsome man shoveled almost 2 yards of compost into my front flower bed. All I had to do this afternoon is plant! How wonderful is that? I have a few more things to put into containers, and I think I'll get that done tomorrow night. The last load of laundry is in the dryer and it's finale night on Survivor.

A quilt finish, a nap, gardening, laundry complete and Survivor. What more could a girl want?

It's Official

2008-05-10T14:50:00.003-05:00

Well, yes, I am a bad blogger. And I could list out all of the reasons why I haven't blogged in so long, but it would just sound like a bunch of whining and excuses here in Crazyville. You all have real lives. You know how real life can intrude on all your fun. But that's not what's so official. Having a bona-fide TEENAGER in the house is official. Nevermind that she's been acting like a teenager for some time now. Now, it's OFFICIAL. Nevermind that we've been kind of celebrating said birthday for a couple of weeks now...(having your birthday fall on or near Mother's Day really sucks when you want to do something fun with other kids). How much longer until she can drive herself somewhere? Three more years? Will I live that long?

Moving on. It's really, truly spring here in North Texas. And spring means gardening. And the bulk of the gardening has to be done before Spring Market (which is next week) because when I get back it's going to be balls-to-the wall sample sewing. Ay-yi-yi. But I just can't resist. I spent Thursday with one of my dearest friends (who I hadn't seen in FOREVER) at a local garden center. I swear - we touched every plant out there. I came home with lots of plants - more than you see here on the table. It's my goal to get them all in the ground this weekend. Yeah, sure. It's good to have goals, right? I've had 3 yards of compost piled up on my lawn for several weeks now, and rumor has it my DH is working it into the beds this afternoon. We'll see how that is when I get home. Anyhoo...Mr. Merle is our gardening cat and he just had to lounge on the table with the new plants. He's also Mr. Nosybutt, and has to investigate anything new in his world. I'd suggest you don't park in my driveway with the windows down. Unless you really like orange cat hair. Just sayin'.

After my friend left on Thursday afternoon, I went to another local garden center here in town. I got a really good deal on this potted Black-eyed Susan Vine. I think I'll put a few bamboo poles in it and let it go to town. I also stopped into the Mexican pottery place and purchased this really cool strawberry pot - can you say "Happy Mother's Day" to me? I plan to put moss rose in it. I'm really out of control this time of year. Then it will get hot and I will be much less motivated.

And finally, here's a "really stupid things you see while you're in your car" item ala Crazy Aunt Purl. I was sitting in the Chik-Fil-A drive-thru last night and the car in front of me had this chihuahua bouncing around in the car and sitting in the back window barking like mad at everthing that drove by. How annoying would that be? Where's that dog's seat belt? How do you drive with a dog racing around the car? Am I missing something here? Maybe it's not so odd....maybe it's just me.

There has been a little bit of sewing at Chez Crazy lately, but quite frankly, I don't remember what it was. I do have a quilt on the Gammill right now. The grand master plan is to have it quilted and bound by tomorrow night. Unless a man with a tiller shows up. Then who knows.

Did'ja Miss Me?

2008-03-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

Huh? Huh? Did'ja?

Believe it or not, I actually went on Spring Break! Will tell you all about that in the next post (once I download my meager photos), but I wanted to share the ONLY thing quilting-related in my life in the past 3 weeks.

This 1000 Pyramids quilt was a test sample for a new die-cut kit we are offering in the shop. Over 700 pieces - already pre-cut! How fun is that?

Here's a close-up of the floral fabrics that are in this kit.

Can't you just envision this in Kaffes.......or 30's.......or reproductions? Anybody got a Round TUIT they can loan me?

Welcome to Texas!

2008-03-04T07:18:00.003-06:00

There's an old adage in Texas - "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 24 hours.".

How true. It was 74 degrees on Sunday afternoon. Severe thunderstorms Sunday night with flash flood warnings. Snow began Monday night and we woke up to 5-1/2" of snow on Tuesday morning! Afternoon temperatures are expected to be 67. I would call that a pretty exreme 48-hour swing!

Here's Audrey stomping around in the snow with her ruler. And this was before 7am. She's normally not very concious at that time in the morning - but hey, there's snow!

Here's a view of our house from the front - it's hard to tell where the sidewalk and flowerbeds begin and end.

I took this shot of the house across the street. That majestic old oak tree is just stunning.

The funny thing? Dallas (25 miles south) has virtually no snow. It's kind of weird watching the "local" traffic and weather..... I guess we'll enjoy our 2-hour delay for school and maybe even go out for breakfast.

Making Binding......

2008-02-20T15:41:00.002-06:00

......the Sophie way. Is it any wonder I get anything done? (oh yeah, just overlook all the clutter....I'm not finished cleaning yet!) And yes, she does think she owns the ironing board.

Can you believe I haven't been in my sewing room for almost 2 weeks? Last Thursday I quilted and bound this small shop sample. Other than that, I've had meetings in the evenings, or I get home late, or I've just been too tired to think.

As an update on Audrey's camp quilt: I asked her when she got home what the other girls thought of her quilt and her respones was - "They thought I was all that and a bag of chips!". I guess it's good to be thought of as "all that". And by the way, yes, it was too short for her bunk, but she took a blanket for the tuck-you-toes part and the quilt was just top dressing.

Last night Audrey and I attended a Super Suppers gathering with other women from church. If you've never heard of Super Suppers, it's this place where you go and assemble entree casseroles from fresh ingredients to take home and bake. They've done all the chopping and pre-cooking for you! We had a great time - Audrey loved the "Mr. Wizard" assembly part - even if she won't eat anything that was prepared (she has yet to learn to eat like a human; if it's not a chicken nugget, a fish stick, a sandwich or a bowl of soup or cereal, or cheese pizza, she doesn't want it...). I made 4 entrees - a barbecue chicken braided bread thing, chicken spaghetti, King Ranch casserole (chicken with a Mexican flair), and parmesan chicken with creamy sage sauce. I put one in the fridge for Thursday and the others in the freezer for later. I'll let you know how it all tastes once I actually get to cook it! What's nice is that you can make a 1/2 serving which serves 3 people. We can have it for dinner once and then there's leftovers that Mr. Man can eat later in the week. When I make chicken spaghetti or King Ranch casserole, it's enough to feed an entire army.

Tonight we're meeting with our financial advisor (another night with no cooking) and tomorrow morning I'm have a minor medical procedure done (girl parts...yuk! Don't want 'em, done using 'em) and will be out of it most of the day. When do I get to sew again?

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program....

2008-02-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

Minor halt to the scrappin' and cleanin' program.

Audrey leaves on church retreat tomorrow afternoon for the weekend. She's been working on a "camp quilt" for several weeks. Small problem. She pieces....she doesn't quilt or bind. Mom does that.

So - guess what mom did today?

She's all happy, and so am I.

P.S. Sneaky photo of adorable cat eating dinner.....

I Repent!

2008-02-03T22:08:00.000-06:00

I swear on a stack of bibles that I will never throw scraps in a corner for over 2 years without cutting them down....that is, if I EVER finish cutting down the current pile.

I feel like I've been cutting forever.

The upside is that I've cut out 4 different quilts. Here's a bin with all the pieces (except sashing) for Bonnie's "Boxy Stars".

Here's a bin with pieces for "Crayon Box" blocks.

Oops. Make that MORE "Crayon Box" blocks. I've already made one top.

Here's a pile of "Honecomb" blocks ready for leaders/enders.

Here's a pile of strips for Bonnie's "Bargello-Bowl" challenge.

Yep. Got that put together today. (Sorry, can't resiste a challenge!) It still needs borders, but the closet with yardage has a full size box springs and mattress in it at the moment. Makes it kind of hard to rootle for the right piece of fabric.

And here's the 2-1/2" strip bin. It's still full.

But the corner is looking better. The cardboard box is almost empty (just a few books and magazines - no fabric) and the blue bin is really only about half-full... it just looks full because I dug through it looking for something and it's "fluffed".

I AM making progress. It's just boring as all get-out.

I Couldn't Resist

2008-01-25T22:58:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned that I have the attention span of a gnat?

I've been slogging through the scrap pile....diligently cutting pieces for a couple of patterns at the same time. As the piles were growing, I couldn't resist "testing" a few blocks. This is also known as "Gee, I'd rather sew than continue cutting".

Here's a couple of "Crayon Box" blocks from Quiltville.com.

Then there's the "Boxy Stars" block - also from Quiltville.com.
Do you remember the customer quilt I showed at the beginning of January? You can take a second look here. Anyway, I just had to try to replicate it. Do we like?

Time for bed. But I'd still rather be sewing.

It's Official......

2008-01-23T22:02:00.001-06:00

......I am a slob.

Now this is not news to my closest friends. Nor is it really news to me.

My sewing room is so out of sorts that I'm not able to really function. This is my place of refuge - sewing calms me down and relieves stress for me. When it's this bad, it's not a happy place. I've been blowing and going on projects since October (and trust me - the place wasn't all that tidy before that). It's time to step back and deal with the mess before moving forward.

This is my cutting table after one whole night of putting stuff away. It's still cluttered.

One of my earliest blog entries was in January 2006 - scroll through it... see the corner that's all clean? See the last blue tub on the sewing table needing to be cut down into scrapsaver sizes?

Two years later - here's my reality. See the blue tub? It still has the original scraps in it plus more on top. See the corner? See the additional overflowing box? Good gravy! If I wasn't so "thrifty" (translation: cheap), I would chuck it all and start over. I love scrap quilts, and am a true believer that I can create really cool things out of leftovers and trash. It's not the value I would be throwing away; it's the possiblities.

Okay. So the challenge is to cut up all the scraps so that I can actually clean the floors. But wait! The most popular size of strips these days is 2-1/2". My 2-1/2" strip bin is almost full! Whatever should I do?

Okay. Here's the plan. I printed off a couple of patterns from Bonnie's Quiltville site that uses 2-1/2" wide pieces. I'll make a couple of leader/ender kits as I go! That's the ticket!

But do I really have the time this idea will take? Probably not, but I'll give it my best shot.

And then we find a compromise.

A Day on the Town

2008-01-04T21:39:00.000-06:00

Audrey and I spent yesterday shopping in downtown McKinney. Surrounding the old downtown area are antique malls and boutique shops - we were specifically looking for a vintage vanity table.

Did you know there's a lot of crap these days in antique malls? We tried to decide which was our favorite.

She liked the ceramic owl statue (for $55 , at that....).

I preferred the neon ceramic Aztec bird bookends. I was so taken with them that I forgot to see how much they were... Do you think Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte would be appalled?

I must say, this was by far my favorite sign. Think we could get away with it at the shop?

We also visited an upholstery shop - I just wanted to see if there was anything that would be appropriate for Russell's new office. No go -but in the trim room (yes, there was a whole room of trim), I saw these and were fascinated.

I have no idea what you would put them on, but they were in Kaffe-like colors -so I had to take their picture.

I also uncovered this vintage quilt hanging over a metal quilt rack.

My guess is 1880's - and the $895 price tag reflected that. The only sad thing is that the harsh metal ends of the rack have rubbed the fabric into shreds. Here's a close-up a set of blocks - the logs finish at about 1/2".

We also saw this cute pillow - and oh so easy! The strips of fabric were cut on the bias and stitched down the middle with the right side facing the base fabric. Then the strip was folded over the seam so that the right side showed. The edges of the strips weren't finished off or anything.

Then there was this....thing. It's a pillow with 3-D roses on it. I didn't know whether to be intrigued by it or afraid of it. You be the judge.

And yes, we did look at vanities. It was kind of a Goldilocks and the 3 Bears kind of expedition. Too expensive, not enough drawers, drawers too deep - yadda, yadda, yadda.

Audrey really liked this one - but it was really beat up and it sat so low that I felt she wouldn't be happy with it once the "cool" wore off. It just wasn't practical.

This was the first one we found - Audrey didn't really like, but we took a second look before we went home. There was another lady that we had seen in several other places that was also looking at vanities. This one was $100 less than anything else out there and it has 6 drawers. Once Audrey was convinced that we could paint it red (once the weather warms up a bit) and that if we didn't buy it then, the other lady would, she decided that it would be perfect!

Sometimes you just have to know how to work the teenage mind....LOL! We'll pick it up this weekend.

A New Year, A New Post

2008-01-02T21:28:00.000-06:00

It's a new year....the last 2 weeks have been a blur. Many people don't realize that when you work retail, there is no such thing as a Christmas vacation. Once we got through Christmas, then it was time to begin counting things! Aaargh! We have a really good POS and inventory system, but you've still got to lay eyes on everything in the store. Were you aware that we currently have over 17,000 fat quarters in stock? I know this because we counted each and every one of them!

Besides working, I've seen 3 movies in the last 2 weeks. Now, I am not a big movie-goer (I could be sewing instead, doncha know..). But, the Friday before Christmas, my husband suggested we go to the movies. Since he usually doesn't want to leave the house, how could I say no? We went to see National Treasure 2. It's a good family adventure movie - you know it's going to be preposterous and you know how it's going to end, but it's a fun ride along the way. On Christmas day, we as a family are pretty much done with festivities - so we go to the movies! Since we saw our Christmas flick on Friday, we saw I Am Legend. It was okay - but when it was over I was kind of scratching my head. It ended without an ending, IMHO. Russ is never home on NY eve (since he plays in one band or another), so Audrey and I have started a tradition of going to the latest showing of movie. Last year was Charlotte's Web, this year we saw Juno. I have to say - taking my almost 13yo to see a movie about a 16yo pregnant girl may not seem like the most logical choice, but we thoroughly enjoyed the movie (it's VERY funny) and it led to really good discussion. I'd love to know if there is a soundtrack available - the movie is full of these fun, quirky songs. I checked tonight at Best Buy, but didn't see it.

I was really good in 2006 of tracking every project I worked on - and I did well in 2007 until about the last quarter. I haven't even pulled out my note cards to see how many things I worked on. But, here's a few things I got done prior to Christmas.

As you know, we've been working on remodeling Audrey's room since October. Her closet is microscopic, so we decided to go with external wardrobes from IKEA and turn her closet into a shelving unit. We also decided to not put the small louvered doors back and to hang a curtain over the opening instead. I worked all one day on making the curtain with the black grommets. Here's a helpful hint.....count the right number of holes needed to make the curtain ends land on the backside before you cut out the holes. Don't ask me how I know this to be true. Hence, the black and white fabric on the top. Sometimes you just gotta punt and git'er done.

I also made Audey this i-pod holder. It was a cute little pattern out of Quilts n More magazine. Have you discovered this gem yet? It's published by Better Homes and Gardens (the same publishers as American Patchwork & Quilting) and contains great smaller projects. Every issue I've looked at has something that I would actually make. I can't say that about all the quilting publications out there.

Now this is a travesty. This is my back-door neighbor's driveway. Can you believe that they have covered a load of crap on their driveway with a quilt? Yeah, it's a ragged out quilt, but it was RAINING the day I took this picture. What on earth is a quilt going to protect in the rain? It just made me sad.

Now here's some eye candy that is way cool. A customer brought this quilt top in last weekend to pick out borders. It was in great shape and was completely hand pieced. Can you believe we had the right shade of orange? I was fascinated with this top - I'd like to reproduce it using rectangles and connector corners. There's now way I'm going to inset all those pieces!

I also made a quilt top over New Year's, but no photo yet. Perhaps tomorrow.

Later!

Easy Breezy Backsack

2007-12-11T18:19:00.001-06:00

Due to work, Christmas parties, and some (unfun) family obligations, there hasn't been a whole lot of sewing going on at Chez Allen. This is the sum total of my efforts last week - an Eazy Breezy Backsack for Miss Thing. And yes - it does match her clothes. Not really on purpose, but her wardrobe does mainly consist of black, white, red and a dash of yellow. She picked out the fabrics, and anyone who knows her can tell! She has an obsession with polka dots. The backpack was fairly easy to make - but I sure am rusty at machine quilting on my Pfaff! Someday, maybe I'll have the time to practice so that my machine quilting doesn't look like I have epilepsy. If it wasn't for the icky task of loading it on the Gammill, I'd have quilted it on that instead! Oh well, she's happy - and I guess that's all that matters.

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson! *

2007-12-02T20:43:00.000-06:00

This was supposed to be a simple split 9-patch, but it's what you get when you sew when you're extremely tired.

The sad part? I looked at it and immediately knew it was wrong......but I had to stare at it for over 30 seconds to figure out how to fix it!

Our market review party at the shop was this afternoon. It went extremely well, but I wish I could now sleep for a week....... Perhaps I'll go to bed early tonight to get that head start!

* Okay, 'fess up. How many of you are too young to get the reference?

Photos, Finally!

2007-11-30T07:37:00.000-06:00

When last we met (a long, long time ago....) we were in the midst of renovating 2 rooms of the house. It's been a slow-go, but I am proud to report that all the sheetrock repair, painting and carpeting is complete. This is girl-child's room. Yes - we stayed with the medium gray on the walls. More coats of paint helped it. The carpet is a charcoal gray, and the trim is true white. And check out the chandelier! Okay. When a 12yo girl tells you that her heart is set on having a black chandelier in her bedroom, you just have to take a deep breath and try to figure out how to do that. Have you priced chandeliers lately? OMG! Anyway, fate smiled on me. I was telling a couple of really good customers about Audrey's grand decorating scheme and bemoaning the cost of chandeliers when Sue says, "I've got one in the back of my truck. Do you want it?". Well, um, heck yeah! Long story short - it was in several pieces when I got it. I completely re-wired it, painted it, re-wired all the crystals, figured out how to put it back together and it's now hanging in the room! (It's still missing 15 crystals, but they've been ordered.). After the daddy-man finished hanging it, we just stared at the miracle. Thanks, Sue! The windows are another story for another day.

We're still trying to decide what kind of furniture makes the most sense (from an organization + style point of view) before we can put both rooms completely back together. I did decide to replace the full sized bed in the guest/music room with a daybed. It's here, but it needs a custom-made quilt because of the funky sizing (twin sized, but not quite). Know where I can get a custom-sized quilt? har, har......... Perhaps I need to make an appointment with myself.....for Spring, maybe?

I have been sewing quite a bit lately in preparation for our Market Review Party this Sunday. I will confess, the past few weeks I have been torn..."Paint or sew? Sew or paint?". It's been a juggling act. Anyway, this top was made using Kaffe Fassett strips and the pattern is in the new "More Strip Clubbing" book. It may be hard to tell, but it's draped over a mattress stuffed behind my longarm. Actually, 2 full sized beds have been stuffed behind the longarm for almost a month. They were both moved out last week, so I quilted this quilt yesterday. Photo forthcoming.

I also complted this yesterday. It's block #1 of a new BOM called "Piece, Love and Applique" we're going to begin in January. You can see a photo of the whole quilt here. Isn't it adorable? And yes, glutton for punishment that I am, I hand-appliqued the block......

Time for the shower and off to work.

Help!

2007-11-29T08:14:00.001-06:00

Okay. Have I been gone from Blogger so long that things work differently now? I'm trying to bring in some photos and I keep clicking the "Add Image" icon and getting nothing. Is Blogger having a cranky day, or am I missing something?

Change

2007-11-29T07:41:00.000-06:00

How do you handle change? With grace? Kicking and screaming? I am currently neck-deep in a whole lotta change. Changes personally - changes at home - changes professionally......I don't even know where to begin. The good news is that I can see that in the long run all of these changes are going to be good for me, but darn if it's not a little bit hard while in the midst of it. There is so much change goin' on that I'm at the point of just shrugging my shoulders and asking what's next. Don't worry - everybody's fine, but if I start listing everything out, I'm afraid it's going to come off as whining. Whining is not acceptable. Venting = good; whining = not so much - and it's a fine line between venting and whining so I'm not even going to go there. But it does boil down to me not having enough hours in the day to get all the things done that need doing. That might account for me not blogging in FOREVER.

I feel like I've been off the reservation for so long here in blog-land that it's hard to jump back in. I write a blog post in my head daily, but before I know it, it's 11:00pm and I'm falling face down into bed. I was originally going to talk about intention in this post (at least that's how I've written it in my head for the last couple of weeks). When I started this blog, my intention was to post if not daily, at least a couple of times per week. I did really good for a while. And then I was going to talk about the actual intent regarding the content of my blog. Personal journal? Project recording? Quilt shop marketing? Right now I just don't know. I guess I'll just have to settle in again and see where it goes. Why do I feel guilty for not blogging in 2 months? Why do I feel like I've been letting people down by not posting? Perhaps the fact that people in my everyday life comment about my current lack of posting. Do I really want to put that much pressure on myself in the midst of everything else right now? I guess I AM a glutton of punishment, if nothing else! Perhaps my goal for right now is to just attempt to stay current.

I had a couple of pictures to post, but apparently you can't add photos to blogger after you've begun writing text. Or perhaps the photo button just doesn't want to work for me right now. I'll try again in the next post.

I just want to say "Thank You" for even coming back to my blog after such a long time. I promise to try to post more often.

Scattered....

2007-09-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

Where did September go? Oh yeah, I remember now. It started with Shop Hop and toe surgery. I feel like there's been a million things going on all at once.

Let's start with the remodel of Audrey's bedroom.

Merle supervising.....

We have moved all of her stuff out of the room except for the bed and began cutting in paint...you gotta love those 12 foot ceilings.

The "theme" is Old-Style Hollywood. Audrey's favorite movie star is Audrey Hepburn. Colors will be black, white, gray and red. Audrey picked the paint color (much to my disagreement), and now that the walls are all painted - she doesn't like the color (and I agree). Back to square one. We're also dealing with bad windows and the town's Historic Preservation officer that won't let us replace them with more energy-efficient ones. Now we have to get creative with a solution while Audrey is basically living in the living room with all her stuff. Did I mention that chaos makes me crazy?

I did finish this quilt earlier in the month. It's a pre-cut kit from Benartex and it sewed together like a dream.

I also made this little cell phone purse for Audrey's orchestra director's birthday. Isn't it cute?

As far as sewing goes this month, I feel like I have quilter's ADD. I started this project as a sample for a BOM I hope to begin soon. The blocks are all made, they just need to be put together along with a pieced border.

But wait, what about that BOM that's been running since January - I was keeping up with the sample, but heck-fire! It's September all ready! Shouldn't I be done by now? This is the last applique block and there's a few more pieced blocks to go. I hope to be finished before my customers!

It's the end of September, right? That means October starts in 2 days. The next Strip Club meeting is in early November. Quilt Market is in late October. In order to avoid the very familiar "oh crap" moment, I selected a pattern and will be using a Decadent Victorian jelly roll by April Cornell for Moda. The pattern is a two block (alternating) pattern and here's the first blocks.

Between school actvities, church (and its various meetings), private music lessons, the ongoing paint saga, as well as a minor medical procedure this afternoon, I'm trying to squeeze in as much sewing as possible. Some days I feel like George Jetson on that treadmill thingy yelling "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!"....

I know this is my life right now. And don't get me wrong - I am supremely grateful for the fullness and the blessings that I have. I just would like the world to stop spinning for just a minute or two so that I can catch my breath.

Oh yeah. Remember the morning glory plants that are threatening to eat my house? Here they are in all their glory (ha ha ha....). I wish the contrast was better so that you could see the vibrancy of the blooms. My flowerbeds may look like crap this year, but these sure are pretty.

Toe Update

2007-09-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

Many of you kind folks have asked about my toe - so I'll update you on that.

Last Thursday, I realized that it was probably on its way to a raging infection. The consensus at the shop was that I should probably get a doctor to look at it. Called the podiatrist and got an appointment that morning.

Well, you can guess where this is heading. The toenail had to go. NOW. "But doctor, Shop Hop started this morning! I have 40 hours to go before Monday!". "That's too bad. Now you'll just feel a stick and a sting...."

Needless to say, I spent the majority of Shop Hop on Darvocet. It was interesting, to say the least. And yes, Merle is still a favored pet in our house. He can't help it if he's a big lazy lump. He was born that way.

Things are much better now (down to just a single band-aid), but it will take a year for my toenail to grow back. A YEAR, people! Thank goodness shoes-and-socks weather is just around the corner.

I have quilty things to share with you, but my camera cord decided to take a little vacation and forgot to tell me where it went. Hopefully, it will reappear very soon!

Injured!

2007-09-01T21:41:00.001-05:00

Merle (the cat) tried to kill me tonight.

I was stepping out the back door to get something out of my car and Merle was sitting at the top of the concrete steps. I didn't see him until too late and I lost my balance and slammed my left foot toenail-down on the concrete. I apparently completely skinned the bottom of my big toe. I say apparently because I was sitting in the dark blinded by the pain - Russ helped me in the house and I threw my foot up on the counter and he cleaned and bandaged me up.

The throbbing is down to a dull roar and I have been banished to my recliner to elevate it. It's already swelling, but I don't think it's broken. NOT the way I wanted to begin my holiday weekend. We're supposed to be painting Audrey's room.

I think I'm most upset about scraping up the paint from my relatively fresh pedicure. I treat myself about twice a year. Such a bummer.

Oh great. I just noticed I am bleeding under the toenail of the second toe. Time to get another bandaid.

*** Update, Sunday morning: Took the bandages off and really looked. I did not skin up my toe. All the bleeding came from UNDER my toenail. It's still sore, but I guess it's a good thing that it only hurts from the top, and not the bottom. Thank goodness it's still sandal season - I think I would die if I had to put on a closed-toe shoe!

Where Did The Time Go?

2007-08-30T10:16:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness! Has it really been 3 weeks since I posted? Where did the time go? Actually, I know where it went - working, orchestra rehearsals, gearing up for back-to-school, a short trip to Austin, and a little bit of sewing.

Over the last 3 weeks, here's what I've gotten done.

This batik log cabin was pieced by my friend Sarah, but I quilted and bound it.

This is the culmination of 108 flying geese! I designed it as our Shop Hop quilt (the big North Texas Shop Hop is next week....) and have been busy writing the pattern and making kits. I think it turned out pretty good!

Our Strip Club meeting is the weekend after Shop Hop, so I had to get busy making that sample as well. In honor of Quilt Pink month, I chose hot pink, black and white. The pattern is called "Crosswalk in Paris". Doesn't it look perfect for a teenage girl?

This week has been spent with church board and orchestra board meetings. We're also remodeling Audrey's bedroom (at a snail's pace, of course....) and I think sanding and painting is on the agenda this weekend. Looks like sewing is on the back burner for a while!

Diamond Delight

2007-08-08T16:16:00.001-05:00

I decided that I needed to make a sample with the new Fresh Air jelly rolls that have come into the shop. The pattern -Diamond Delight- is in the book "Strip Clubbing" and is just perfect for these fabrics. After stripping and cutting all the diamonds, I have a 1 complete row (out of 5) done.

Then I looked at the calendar. OMG! It's August. The North Texas Shop Hop is in 30 days...this year's theme is a scavenger hunt (The Case of the Wild Goose Chase), and each shop will feature a quilt that utilizes flying geese units.

If this blog had sound, you would be hearing the screech of brakes as I change gears from Diamond Delight to Shop Hop. I designed a quilt on Sunday, cut the fabric on Monday, and am now in the process of making 108 flying geese. And when I finish that, I must quickly get started on the next Strip Club quilt for September.

So, I will gaze longingly at the diamonds. Don't worry, I'll come back to you.....someday...

Randomness

2007-08-01T16:14:00.000-05:00

The quilting continues. Not as quickly as I would like, but that's the way it goes.

This quilt has taken much longer to actually finish than I wanted. I got the top done and quilted in about a week, but it took another week for me to bind it. It's a Cozy Quilt pattern (Four Square) using the Katie Jump Rope fabric strips that we have for sale at the shop.
It's got old-fashioned muslin for the background and solid squares and I just love the retro feel.
I didn't piece this quilt, but I did quilt it. It's from the book "Minnesota Charms" and uses our Novelty charm squares. What a great twist on an I Spy quilt!

I pieced and finished another quilt last week using Andover's American Folk Art Museum Columns, but I had to pack it off to New York (Andover is going to publish it on their website) and forgot to take its picture before it went. Some days I'm like a chicken with my head cut off...

Perhaps you've heard how much rain we've received in North Texas this summer. Now it's just hot and humid (although it's been storming today). My flower beds are an absolute mess. It's been either too wet or too hot and the grass and weeds are taking over. But I thought I'd show you a picture of the volunteer Morning Glory that is about to eat my house. There's actually a minnow bucket with a clematis under the big bunch in the front, and the big wad in the back is climbing on the spent columbines and up the porch post and is threatening to strangle the geraniums in the pot. But I just don't have the heart to rip it out. What the hey. It's green and it's blooming and from the street you can't really tell that it's a wild mutant. I kinda like that in a garden.

We're in the process of remodeling Audrey's bedroom. We've had a contractor in and out of the house for the last week repairing and re-texturing the drywall. I'm glad we're making progress in that area, but I'm getting absolutely nothing else done. I guess I'll just play Scarlett O'Hara and perhaps tomorrow will be a better day!

2007-07-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

I have finished reading Harry Potter #7 - I can now return to my regularly-scheduled life.

The Perfect Day

2007-07-12T21:20:00.001-05:00

....for me, that is. Today was my day off. Audrey is in Ft. Worth for the week and Russ went to work. I slept in. WAY in...9:30 to be exact.

Then I sewed. And sewed. And sewed. (I'd show pics, but my camera is sitting on my desk at work.)

Russ even had a gig this evening and hasn't come home yet. So I sewed some more.

Now I'm sitting in my recliner watching TV. I have applique to do, but I'm kinda liking the sitting.

Tomorrow I head back to the real world.

A Busy Bee

2007-07-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

I've been busy working on samples for the store. Let me tell you - a clean sewing room makes all the difference in the world for productivity! Plus, I've kept it neat for going on 2 weeks now! That may be a record for me!

This little purse is "Amanda's Purse" made out of charm squares and 2 fat quarters. It was really quick and easy...that is, once I unsewed the upside-down zipper!

This is "Cindy Lou Who" made out of Moda Christmas Past charm squares using a Miss Rosie pattern.

I quilted this quilt last week - the pattern is "Take 5" and we die-cut the block pieces for kits. It has been really selling well - tell folks that it's pre-cut and they can't resist! Audrey sure did like the fabric.....there may be another quilt just like it in her future...

And finally, a project out of my own stash! We are offering a BOM in the shop called "BluFusion", but I wanted to try it in a different color. Can you believe that all the blocks are the same pattern? Color placement really can make a difference in how a block looks. Sure do wish I could spend about a month making things from my own stash. I guess I'll just keep whittling away at it.

Number Four

2007-06-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Okay. Here's the 4th thing I finished on my list today. This quilt has been all but finished for 5 years - it just needed binding. I know it's hard to see, but it has Americana embroidered blocks with crayon shading. I don't know if the fold lines are going to come out easily.

Here's a close-up of one of the blocks - wrinkles and all.

I started something new tonight. When it gets to a "showable" stage I'll give you a peek.

Time for The Tonight Show. A friend of mine is on vacay in LA with her family and they got tickets for tonight's taping. Maybe I'll see her!

The Third

2007-06-28T15:33:00.001-05:00

Another of Audrey's quilt tops. Quilted and bound. On to item number next!

Two Down

2007-06-28T13:34:00.001-05:00

Quilted and bound. This is Audrey's quilt - she picked out the fabrics and pieced it herself.

My helpers are still helping.....

And yes, Sophies DOES own the pointy-end of the ironing board......

One Down

2007-06-28T10:15:00.001-05:00

One obligation complete. Now all I have to do is pack it up and pass it on.

The garden cart rain gauge. This was empty Sunday evening. I measured 6-3/4" in it and it's still raining......and we're not even getting the worst of it. Wish I could send some to all of you who are in desperate need! I know how that is - we were in a severe drought last summer. Perhaps this is a case of "Be very careful what you wish for...".

The Flood

2007-06-27T22:11:00.000-05:00

Just curious....is the massive flooding of North Texas making the national news? People are drowning and thousands of homes have been destroyed.

More rain is coming. Please pray for those who are suffering.

The Excavation

2007-06-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

I found my cord to the camera! Here's a shot of the pie I made Saturday night. It's a lemon cream pie with real meringue. Just don't be too harsh...since I had to refrigerate it overnight, the meringue shrunk. But it had sugar beads on it the next morning! In my southern upbringing, sugar beads are the sign of a good meringue!

Okay, I kicked my own butt and finished up the clean sweep in my sewing room. I shut the door in order to keep the furballs out. I moved furniture around and swept the floors and vacuumed the area rugs. I even threw things away and emptied the trashcan. The room is now ready for me to begin work again.

The downside to cleaning up the clutter is finding projects that need attention. These are things outside of the UFOs that are properly stored in their little project bins waiting for me to get back to them. This is a quilt top that Audrey made. It's not big (about 38" x 45"), so it shouldn't take that long to finish. I got backing and binding for it today.

Another one of Audrey's tops - about the same size. Again, I got backing/binding for it today.

This is a quilt kit I picked up at the local guild meeting I attended in May. We do our own version of Quilts of Valor for soldiers at Ft. Hood. It's pre-cut squares of 4 fabrics of questionable quality. I had totally forgotten I had it. I drew up a plan in EQ6 just so I would know how to distribute the fabrics evenly. I don't have to quilt it - I can pass it back to the guild for someone else to quilt. A couple of hours should knock this out.
I also uncovered this kit that I won as a door prize at the Dallas Quilt Show in March. It's a Benartex Building Blocks kits - all the pieces are pre-cut and the instructions have several block suggestions and you get to decide what you want to make. The fabric is Christmas Cats....it doesn't really thrill me. Do I make it and donate it to charity, or do I pass it on as is?

I found a roll of fabrics that I bought at Moda several months ago...it was (50) 11"x20" pieces of sample yardage. I don't even know what line it is. Anyway, I took it to work on Saturday and cut it into tumblers using my new Accucut die-cut machine. So now I have 400 tumblers waiting to be made into something.

Then there's the quilt that I made after the fall Quilt Market in 2001. Made the top, had it quilted by my buddy Richard Larson, and used it as a display in the store. It still doesn't have binding. How hard would it be to get that done? Not long at all. I just need to do it. I'll show the front of the quilt when I get it done.

So, the $64,000 question is: Will I actually do all of these chores before I start a new project? I may have to spend my free time building an ark. It's still raining. And raining. And raining. I have a nice crop of mushrooms on the front lawn.

Time for bed. Peace out.

Still Schlumping

2007-06-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

After not making much progress on Friday in the clean-up of the sewing room, I have yet to return.

I DID make a pie on Saturday night for the church picnic on Sunday. For those of you who know me, cooking is not on my Top 10 list of things to do. I can cook; I choose not to! I even have a picture of said pie, but I can't locate the cord for my camera.

After church and the picnic on Sunday, I came home and took a nap and then read a book. A WHOLE book.....450 pages. Stayed up way too late doing it, too.

Nothing last night, either. Let's hold out hope for this evening. But don't hold your breath.

The Clean Sweep

2007-06-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

These two are SO not helping me make much progress.....

In a Schlump

2007-06-21T21:30:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been in a schlump? You know...you have all these great ideas in your head, all these things you want to accomplish, all these things that NEED to be done, but absolutely no energy or drive to do it? With the end of school and becoming Mom's Taxi Service (more so than normal), trying to change my lifestyle through diet and excercise, and more work to get done than hours in a day, I have kind of cratered.

It doesn't help that my sewing room looks like the Mad Scientist (or a family of small hyenas) has moved in. Now, I'm NOT a neatnik. But, there comes a point when anything productive comes to a screeching halt due to the chaos. Merle doesn't mind, but I do.

My goal for tomorrow (and the weekend, if necessary) is to put things back in order. Wish me luck.

However, one of those "I gotta get this done NOW" tasks came up - the Strip Club sample for July. So, since I could actually get to my sewing machine, I pieced the strips at home and did all the cutting/subcutting at work.

This was a quick and fun quilt to make. I wonder how it would look completely scrappy? The 2-1/2" strip bin is overflowing.....Oh well, that's for another day.

An explosion of strings....

2007-06-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

I was scheduled to teach a Spider Web class on Saturday (with Bonnie's permission, of course). I only had one student signed up, so I begged Diane and Sue to come on in and take the class too. Funny thing is, the paying student didn't show up! So, we basically made a giant mess and had a great time sewing together.

So, can any one explain why there appears to be more strings in the bucket after making 9 blocks than there was before we started?

Not Dead......Yet....

2007-05-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Nope, I haven't died. And the Blogger software hasn't been disabled. I've just been trying to keep my head above water over the last month.

So, here's a recap of what's been going on lately...

I attend Quilt Market in Salt Lake City the first part of May. Having lived in Texas my whole life, I really enjoyed the mountain scenery. On our first day, the husband of a quilt shop owner recommended that we drive back to town through the Provo canyon. The drive was gorgeous! We took a slight detour to Sundance - Robert Redford's resort.

This is a view of one of the ski lifts with snow still on the mountains. During our stay in SLC, they were still getting snow in the higher elevations and we would check the "white" each morning. And it's MAY! Such a departure from the weather here at home - thunderstorms, tornadoes, and 85 degree temps...

Upon return from Market, I spent the next 2 weeks meeting with fabric reps (I'd rather see them in my shop than at Market) looking at approximately 10,000 different pieces of fabric. Turns the brain to absolute mush. Also on the schedule was making plans and samples for our Market Review Party, year-end orchestra rehearsals and concerts, and the girl child's 12th birthday (a celebration which lasted for several days).

On top of all that, I misplaced my battery charger and couldn't take or download pictures.

Since I haven't had the opportunity to take real quilt pictures, I'll share this picture with you. I was at Wal-Mart during Mother's Day weekend and this just struck me as hilarious.

I didn't receive a 3-foot statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe for Mother's Day. Did you?

School is almost out. May is almost over. Thank God.

One Block Wonders

2007-04-23T14:33:00.000-05:00

I spent yesterday playing with my friends - we all worked with the book "One Block Wonders". This is a technique we all have been wanting to try, but were either too chicken to tackle it on our own or couldn't quite find time. By setting aside a time to work together, we all had a great time and are no longer scared of the process!

Sue used a piece of Amy Butler fabric. This pic shows what her fabric looked like before cutting and how some of her blocks turned out.

Diane chose a Kaufman novelty print that is very "Jetsons"-like. She's making this quilt for her husband who likes to read science fiction.
Sarah chose the new Jasmine line of fabric.
I fondled every bolt in the store before making my choice. I ended up picking a Moda fabric depicting moose and woodlands. Not that I'm into mooses, but I liked the colorations of this scenic print. I guess I thought by using a scenic print, I would get more variations of blocks - and I did!
I must say that the whole cutting out thing was much easier than I anticipated. The only rule we broke was that we split our fabric on the fold so that we were only working with a half-width of fabric at a time. We just figured it would be easier than trying to cut a 45" strip of fabric - we wouldn't have to keep moving our mats or our rulers. After I got home last night from running errands, I finished piecing the first half of my blocks
The premise of the layout process is that you use a design wall and putter with your blocks to get your colorations laid out in a pleasing manner. This was my first attempt at throwing the blocks on the wall - I'm not crazy about this layout. But until you see them all together, you don't really know how they're going to flow together. I can see that there are more predominantly blue blocks; when I re-arrange, I think I'll start with the blue blocks towards the center and work outwards with the rest. The other thing I am considering is stopping with this amount of blocks. My best guess is this will make a center approximately 30" x 45" which would turn into a small lap quilt with borders. I can't decide. Do you think I should make the other half of the blocks?

All in all, this is a fun quilt to make. My only problem is now I want to whack up all sorts of fabric to see how the blocks will turn out. Just what I need.....another addiction......

Juggling

2007-04-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been juggling a couple of projects - you know - those "but first" things. Several quilts were in various stages, and I needed to get them done.

This is my completed "Not so Square" quilt. I had to finish this project before I could begin the Strip Club sample for May because it was taking up the design wall. I've had several comments from people who have seen this quilt in person, because the blocks are bigger than they perceived when they saw the blocks in process on my blog. This is a pretty good-sized quilt - 78" x 90". I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with this quilt - but it's completely finished and I'm just proud that it didn't turn into a UFO.

This Jo Morton Log Cabin is a sample for the shop. Diane pieced it, but I needed to quilt it before I could begin the Strip Club sample because we already had the kits cut and on the sales floor. Didnt' it turn out pretty?

And finally, the sample for Strip Club for May. The fabrics are Dimples by Andover and the pattern is "Butterflies and Blooms".

Whew! I've been really intent on getting things done, not only because done is good, but because I'm going to meet a couple of friends this afternoon to play. Remember this book?

I talked about it when it first came out about a year ago - I feel in love with the quilts but just haven't taken the time figure it out. We all want to learn this technique, and decided that our best chance was to just schedule a time to do it all together. I'll let you know how it goes....

Project "Next"

2007-04-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is the current project I'm working on (not including the hand-appliqued BOM sample that is on-going).

I bought a fat quarter bundle at the P&B fabrics warehouse the day we set up our booth at the Dallas quilt show. I had absolutely no busines buying it, but it jumped in my hand and wouldn't leave. The infatuation with the fabrics has cooled a little bit, but I'm committed to finishing the quilt.

I found a pattern at the show written by a friend of mine. These are the blocks, and there will be sashing in between them. That's all cut out and waiting to be sewn. Now if I could only find a few hours of uninteruppted time to put it together!

The Latest Finish

2007-04-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

Bonnie over at quiltville.com recently posted her method for making spider web blocks. The week of the Dallas quilt show, I made a couple of test blocks. This past week I went ahead and finsihed the whole quilt. It's not very big - about 47" square, but done is done.

What do you think about this horrid orange? When making the test blocks, I pulled a hunk of solid from my stash. Instead of starting over when I decided to make the quilt, I went ahead and kept using it. It's the hunk of fabric that would not die- I still have a little over 2 yards left!

Remember those 3" rail blocks that I kept making after I finished the rail quilt? And I wondered why on earth I kept making them? Serendipty! Those blocks were the basis for the piano key border. I think I only had to make 12 or 15 additional blocks.

Don't you just hate those quilts that finish between 42" and 50" wide? I'm ususally too thrifty to cut that second length, so I split the fabric on the fold and usually piece something in.

Here's where serendipity comes in again. I had a stack of crumb blocks almost finished so I finished up 9 of them to go down the middle of the backing. It still wasn't wide enough, so I added a couple of pre-cut 3-1/2" strips down the sides of the blocks. I must say it was quite fun to be able to use pre-made and pre-cut things for this quilt - even if they weren't intended for this purpose.

I came THIS close to throwing out the leftover strings in the bucket when I finished this project. I swear, the bucket looks fuller than when I started. And it seems like all the same fabrics are still in it! And it's not like I don't have tubs of strings from the last 15 years, too. Why can't I throw anything away? It's a sickness! How on earth am I supposed to use this stuff up? I'll leave you with that rhetorical question....

Spring Training Report

2007-03-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I've been back for a week and am just now posting.

Anyhoo, last weekend we were flown out to Phoenix on a Texas Rangers spring training junket. We were housed in the the beautiful JW Marriott Desert Ridge resort - a 5-star hotel in the middle of the desert.

Of course, when we arrived on Friday, it was raining and overcast.

Notice the lovely green grass. ONLY on the resort grounds and golf courses was there green grass. Perhaps this is why there were bunnies everywhere! They came for the green grass buffet!

I know some of you live in Arizona and other desert locales, and while I did my best to appreciate it, there's no place like home where everything is green and bursting forth this time of year.

Here's a pic of Russ at the baseball game in Surprise, AZ. He said "Hey, take my picture in front of the mountains!" and then proceeded to stand right in a place where the buildings covered up most of the mountains. But the light standard was safe from falling over with him leaning up against it.... As you can see, Saturday was overcast and threatening more rain...

This is as close as we got to Sammy Sosa.

Saturday evening, there was a cocktail party with a handful of Ranger players (past and present) invited to autograph baseballs. Of course, Russ and I got a bigger charge out of meeting the past players (Jim Sundberg, Rusty Greer, Fergie Jenkins, Tom Grieve, Art Howe) than the current players because, let's face it, we haven't really been following baseball for the last couple of years and don't really "know" the current crop. But we met so great people and had a blast. Free booze can do that to ya.... After the party, we went to a local casino where we did our best to support the Arizona Indian economy...

Of course, Sunday the weather was brilliant and we had to get on a bus at 11:00am to go back to the airport. This seems to be the trend whenever we go on vacay. This last photo is of us with Rusty Greer. He was one of our favorite players in the late '90s and was an all-around nice guy the whole weekend.

All in all, we had a great time and would certainly like to be invited back next year!

Dallas Quilt Show Re-cap

2007-03-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

Okay. Have you ever felt like George Jetson, screaming "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!"? Man, oh, man, do I ever relate. The last 2 weeks have been a blur. But, I'm getting ready for a little bit of R&R. Russ is being sent to Phoenix this weekend by his company to represent them at a gathering of stadium boxholders of the Texas Rangers. (That was kind of a run-on sentence...I hope you got the gist of it!) Anyway, we're going to be wined and dined and taken to a Rangers spring training game on Saturday. It ought to be fun - at least it will be a change of scenery!

Okay, about the quilt show. Here's a picture of our booth.

I know it looks a little crowded, but we wanted to cram it full of a wide selection of kits. I think it was a great plan, and one we'll probably do again next year.

I didn't get a chance to really walk all of the quilts, but here's a couple that I found intriguing.

This quilt was called "Little Cities" and was on the end of the aisle where our booth was. When we set up our booth on Thursday, all the quilts were being judged, so we didn't know who the winners were at that time. But I loved this one at first sight. I have this thing for blocks that look like nested boxes. Plus the color arragement was stunning.

See all those tiny circles and fish? They were satin-stitch appliqued to perfection. And I don't even really care for satin-stitch applique. But this was cool.

I just liked the exquisite applique on this one. It was gorgeous.

Fun, fun, fun. You couldn't help but smile when viewing this quilt.

This is a Karen Stone pattern. It's one of those kind of things where I know I COULD if I chose to, but right now I think I'll just enjoy the work of others.

Another applique quilt - I think there's something like over 1500 circles on this quilt. The quilt I'm currently working on might have 40 berries on a block. I guess I don't have room to complain after seeing this one!

I think there's 14-15 berries per bunch. Oy vey!

Okay. Now for my rant on the insanity of quilt judging. I have a friend who worked as a judges' scribe during the judging. We got to talking about the quilts that won ribbons and those that didn't and why. Take this quilt for example. It got a 2nd place in the Master's pieced category.

Masterful piecing, exquisite quilting. But apparently the judges seriously argued at length about whether is was ribbon-worthy. Why?

Do you see the left-hand vertical seam between the background and the green triangle? It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but there was a little wobble and it wasn't perfectly straight after quilting. Can you say "splitting hairs"?

This was a version of the "Almost Insane" pattern by Liz Lois. Impeccably pieced, tiny blocks. It hung straight and flat and was a vision to behold. But it didn't win a judged ribbon (the ribbon hanging on it was a past show chair's favorite choice). I asked my friend why.

Apparently, out of hundreds of fabrics, there were a couple that weren't "period". And they discounted all other qualities because of that.

This is why I no longer play the judged quilt show game. Your heart and soul's work is under scrutiny by people who have a particular bias on any particular day. It's a constantly moving target. It can make one crazy. Don't get me wrong. If people chose not to display their quilts, there would be no quilt shows. I'm just saying that I once got into that whole "I want to WIN a ribbon" mentality and it made me insane. I'm all for sharing the joy of your work. But I highly recommend that if you aren't a professional, full-time show quilter, get your head in the right place before you enter, so that you are not disappointed. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with your work - you just didn't meet the unknown subjective criteria of the judges on that particular day. Just my humble opinion, of course.

I will now step down from my soap box and fold some laundry in order to pack. Have a great weekend!

The Show Deadline is Looming....

2007-03-07T17:39:00.000-06:00

We pack out for the Dallas quilt show one week from today. We're still cutting kits and making samples.... Yes, this is all my fault - I totally changed concepts on what we are taking to the show last week. KITS! It's all going to be kits! Not bolts, not bolt boxes, but KITS!

So, here's a cute little quickie I did this weekend. It's small (36 x 45) and uses 8 fat quarters. I enjoyed making it so much that I would totally do it again as a baby gift or a charity quilt.

Now I'm on to table runner samples....

It's Finished!

2007-03-06T21:09:00.000-06:00

It's done. The colors are much richer in person, but it is a beautiful quilt - if I may say so myself!

The response in the store has been great, so all the hard work was worth it. Now on to more samples for the show next week. Hopefully, I'll have another picture tomorrow....

Just Shoot Me Now!

2007-03-01T20:36:00.000-06:00

I have gone and lost my ever-lovin' mind! See, this is a sample for the Dallas Quilt Show. The top has been finished since Sunday, but due to other commitments, I haven't had a chance to get this top loaded on the longarm til today.

See, this is a really cool quilt, which is made up of predominantly solids. It NEEDS texture to make it come alive. Unfortunately, the texturing is kicking my butt! I've been working on this all day, and finally had to quit for tonight because my wrist is throbbing from 9 hours of vibration and tight movements. I'd love to get this finished this weekend, but I just don't know. Why oh why do I always bite off more than I can chew?

Wahr-lahr!*

2007-02-18T19:47:00.000-06:00

* Spoken with an East Texas accent..

Here it is! March's Strip Club sample - "Gift Boxes".

I humped it today to get it quilted and bound. Now I need to focus on the Dallas Quilt Show which is less than one month away....

The Next Step

2007-02-17T11:12:00.000-06:00

Here's the next step on my current Strip Club project. Actually, all the blocks are set together and I need to add the final border and quilt it.

That's my goal this weekend, but I must confess, work has gone much slower because I've been holding out on you. I've been busy APPLIQUEING a BOM sample for the shop called Gingerbread Joy.

Each month of this BOM consists of a 12" appliqued block (either a flower spray or a gingerbread person), a 12" pieced block and a 6" pieced block. I just finished month 8's flower spray. Since the weather has been so cold lately, I find I'd much rather sit upstairs in my chair with a quilt and a cat on my lap and applique and watch TV than be downstairs where it is much colder. Thus, actual sewing machine progress has been slow. Today is a beautiful day, so hopefully I'll be motivated to sew when I get home this evening.

Have a great day!
Susan

What's It Gonna Be?

2007-02-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

I started a new project tonight. It's time for me to get busy on March's Strip Club sample. This time we're using the Sun and Moon collection from Marcus Brothers.

Here's a start..... What do you think it's gonna be?

Stay tuned for more.....

Nirvana

2007-02-05T18:23:00.000-06:00

What a week. Not only have we been inundated with fabric this past week, but my hard drive on my desktop computer at work crashed on Thursday. Fortunately, we have a computer repair place around the corner from the shop and they took my unit right away to be fixed. We managed to save all the data, but not the programs. Isn't this like deja vu all over again? I went through this a couple of months ago, but I guess they really didn't fix the problem. The good news is that I have a brand spanking new hard drive and shouldn't have these kinds of problems in the immediate future.

The real downside to all of this is that not only could I not do my "work" for 3 days, but replacing all the programs and getting the computer re-networked added another day to my workload. Just when I thought I was all caught up, the UPS man brought 4 more big boxes of fabric. I feel like George Jetson - "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!".

So it's Monday. Audrey has rehearsals for the local youth orchestra on Mondays. Rehearsals are held on the square in downtown McKinney. Even though I only live about 6 blocks from there, practice is only about an hour and I usually hang out with the other moms. There's this new coffee shop across the street and I noticed last week that there was free WI-FI. I grabbed my laptop on the way over here. I've got a glass of wine and have loaded all of the new Kaffe Fassett fabrics on my website and now I'm blogging. Let's hear it for making good use of down time!

I do wish I didn't work all the time, but sometimes a girl just can't help it when there's things to be done. But doing it with a glass of wine makes it better.....

The Scrappy Monster

2007-01-30T16:59:00.000-06:00

Well, here's a shot of the scrappy monster in all its glory. I had to have 2 girls stand on chairs to fit it all in the frame!

Here's a closeup of the blocks. As you can see, there is every type of fabric under the sun in this quilt. I used no planning, layout or care regarding fabric color or pattern when piecing the blocks together. I have several friends and customers who almost go into epileptic shock when I tell them this - "Oh, I could NEVER do it that way!" Why? Why is scrappy so hard for some people? I'm not trying to talk down about those people....I just truly don't understand it. If the intent from the get-go is to use the everything and the kitchen sink, wouldn't you just make yourself crazy trying to have it make sense all along? I even told one friend that in order to get over her scrappy-phobia, she should try to make the blocks as UGLY and MISMATCHED as she could! Her eyes lit up and she said that she thinks she might can do that. Perhaps if she is not TRYING to create a matched masterpiece of each block, she'll end up with one by accident. Again, this is one of life's mysteries that I am trying to understand.
Since the quilt was 84" wide, I needed some filler blocks to expand the backing. So, there's more blocks slithering down the back. The green was something I had on hand (I needed 6 yards), and I quilted it with variegated thread, hoping to get a nice design on the back. It's currently on the bed, and but it's still kind of stiff since I only washed it once. I bet it will get nice and soft after a few more washings....

Time to go. It's "Family Fun Night" which means I make EVERYBODY accompany me to the grocery store. If I have to suffer through it, so can they. The upside is we get to eat out first!

Susan

Not having DSL sucks....

2007-01-28T21:38:00.000-06:00

I was chastised by a customer today for not updating my blog. We've been having DSL problems at home for 2 weeks now.

I have a connection now - but the camera is at work.

I'll do my best to update from the shop tomorrow.

Susan

A Little Bit of Crazy

2007-01-16T15:14:00.000-06:00

Ya'll know I'm crazy, right? Well if you didn't, here's the quilt to prove it.

This quilt is 84" x 96" and is comprised of 3" rail blocks - each piece finishes at 1" x 3". If you do the math, that's 2,688 pieces.

Now, I will back up and say that I pieced this quilt over a number of years. I have a bucket that I would toss 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" strips in, and would use them as leaders/enders. The subsequent 12" blocks (56 of them) have been finished for a long time. I set them together on New Year's Day and finally pieced a back for it yesterday and loaded it on the longarm. And the funny thing is, the bucket is still full and I keep running them through the machine. You can see 2 finished block segments on the end of the ironing board next to my best friend, Magic Sizing. What on earth do I need more rail blocks for? I guess because they're there.

I think this quilt will actually live on my bed. The good news is that I will finish quilting it within the week. I don't leave quilts loaded on the longarm for long - it's too enticing as a cat hammock. I'll show you a full on photo once I get it bound.

The Story of a UFO.....

2007-01-12T09:38:00.000-06:00

Grab a cup of coffee and a snack.....it's Story Time!

Laura showed a stack of UFO applique blocks on her blog a day or so ago. As I studied her piles of blocks, I realized that I had one of the same UFO's! Although I knew exactly where it was in my sewing room, I hadn't really looked at it in years. I couldn't remember exactly how much work is left to do to finish it, so I dragged it out to evaluate

The center section is completely pieced together with a small inner border added.

The borders are all appliqued - they just need to be cut down to size and sewn on, and the corner swags and motifs have to be appliqued on. Even the applique pieces for the swag corners and accents is all traced on the fabric. I would call it 85-90% complete. So, what's the story?

Back in 1999 (as evidenced by the signature block), I had just become a longarm quilter and was working from home. I was strictly a piecer back then - I had tried a little bit of applique in my beginning sampler classes, but DID NOT love the process. I understood it, I appreciated it, but I called it the "A" word for seven years and absolutely had no use for it, personally.

I was visiting a quilt shop in a neighboring town quite frequently to pick up and drop off quilts for quilting. I saw the sample for this BOM and simply fell in love. The blocks are 20" and I figured the pieces were big enough that I could learn to applique enough to get it done. During this time, my troubled stepson came to live with us. To say it was an adjustment is an understatement. Our house became the Hotel of Last Resort. So, after dinner each evening, I would become a recluse in my bedroom and applique. Even though it was a difficult summer, being in that situation forced me to spend time developing my skills and was probably the turning point for me regarding applique. I don't do a whole lot of it (except right now - for a shop sample BOM), but I do like to do it and am even pretty good at it.

Why did I abandon this project? If I recall correctly, the borders need to be cut down to size. Since I was working at home at the time, I think I became intimidated about the space needed to measure and cut them accurately and I just put it aside for later. Well, it's now almost 8 YEARS later and my intimidation is long gone. I no longer LOVE the quilt, but I do respect its place in my quilting life and I will make it a goal to finish this year.

And Laura, thank you for sparking me to dig this dinosaur out of the drawer.

UPDATE (Saturday -5:00pm): The borders are sewn on. Now, all I have to do is applique the corner swags in my spare time....bwaahaaahaaa....

The pattern is "Baskets, Berries, and Leaves" - a BOM set from Jan Patek/Alma Allen.

2007-01-09T06:35:00.000-06:00

I'm too fat to groom like a lady..........

2007-01-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

The Wonderful World of Ikea
Okay. So maybe I'm a little behind (har..har...I just wish I had a little behind...). Today Audrey and I went to Ikea. There's one in Frisco - about 20 miles away and it's been open about a year, but we've never been.

Audrey has been begging for a bedroom "makeover" for a couple of years, but I've been putting her off because she's such a slob that I've been hesitant to put a lot of money into something that she's not going to take care of. I think we're about ready to seriously invest, and we went to Ikea to look over wall units/storage solutions.

She's also been asking for a new bed. The bed she had was a wooden Jenny Lind spool-type bed and even though it fits the "style" of our house, she never really liked it. So, while browsing the entire store, we looked at beds to see what kind of style she wanted.

Lo,and behold, we spied this bed on sale for $29. Since I wasn't sure if the slats of her old bed would fit, I went ahead and splurged another $29 for the Ikea slats. And we broke down the old bed and put this one together ourselves!

I made her put this quilt on the bed - she liked it when I made it, but she doesn't like it anymore. She's now thinking about doing her room in black and white with a greyish tone of purple (yuk...). Maybe if I wait long enough she'll come up with something else! I'm not opposed to the black and white - I just don't think the grey-purple accent is going to work. We'll see. Her room makeover will be a major ordeal - we need to replace the flooring, repair the sheetrock cracks, paint, find new window covering options and replace the light fixture. It will probably be Spring before we start. I'm hoping the new bed will hold her for a while.

But I can see us going back to Ikea for more fun ideas......

The Year In Review

2006-12-30T22:48:00.000-06:00

Well, once again I left my camera at work - so no photos today.

If you've been with me for the year, you may recall that I spent all of last New Year's weekend cleaning and organizing my sewing room. I swore that I would keep it picked up (you know...that "clean as you go" thing). Well, in the frenzy of the last few months, the table was piled up again and the Sophie hairballs were thick. I decided last night that if I cleaned up then, I could sew without guilt on New Year's and start clean again.

I was derailed last night by a broken vacuum cleaner belt.

Russ solved that problem this morning, and after I got home from work, counting fat quarters at the shop (over 12,ooo!), dinner, Target and WalMart, I finished cleaning up. I started to sew, but it was almost 10 so I decided to tally up my project index cards for 2006. (To catch everyone up, I decided on New Year's that I would try to track all my projects on index cards - I did pretty good on remembering to do it!)

So, here's 2006 in a nutshell:

25 shop samples (5 quilt tops, 7 pieced by others but quilted by me, and 13 complete quilts)
7 other quilts completed from start to finish
1 quilt quilted for someone else (can you say barter?)
4 UFO's finished
6 quilts donated
52 yards of stash used (I could use more if I weren't making all those darned shop samples!)
37 other projects finished (postcards, tote bags, night shirts)

I didn't get as many UFO's finished as I wanted - and I only created 2 tops that need to be quilted. But I guess I came out ahead - I finished more than I made!

But I have learned one thing about myself. I don't go backwards. If I don't work my way all the way through a project at one time, I have a hard time going back and finishing. I blame most of this on my chosen profession - owning a quilt shop, there's always something new to be made for the shop. I fantasize about having a whole month to sew on MY stuff, but that's not the real world I live in. Oh well, I'll retire someday. I can console myself with the fact that I have plenty of projects and fabric to keep me busy!

My goal for 2006 is to make more personal time to sew. Think I can do it?

2006-12-27T20:05:00.000-06:00

So, whadja get for Christmas?

I got a new recliner for the bedroom. This is the chair where I do all my handwork as well as work on my laptop.

It's a pretty good improvement over my old chair, doncha think? This chair is 11 years old and completely worn out!
I did my best to crop out the "nest" of clutter surrounding the chairs - someday I'll make time to actually clean things up!

I've spent the last 2 weeks really humping to get my on-line store set up before the 1st of the year. My web design guy still has not delivered my "new look", but I went ahead anyway. I've decided web designers are just grown up gamers who have no concept of time or space. Go ahead - take a look!

I feel a chest cold or bronchitis coming on, so I think I'll just sit in my new chair and watch tv.

Farewell, Dear Friend

2006-12-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I lost a dear friend. This is Toby - a member of my family for the last 17 years - longer than my husband. Her age finally got the best of her and I had to make the horribly difficult decision to let her go. I know she's in a better place, but it still makes me sad.

Today is Christmas Eve. We'll go over to my in-laws' house this afternoon for the Allen family Christmas. I still have cooking to do, so I'd best get to it.

Happy Holidays to you all,
Susan

Postcard Q&A

2006-12-18T22:19:00.000-06:00

I've received several questions regarding my Christmas postcards - but all comments were sent "anonymous" so I can't respond directly. Let's see if I can cover all the bases.

1. All 29 postcards were made the same. I saw the design in one of the books on fabric postcards at the shop. I didn't make a design template; I just eye-balled (or "free-eyed" as my friend Sarah says) the placement of the strips and the star.

I figured that since I had a boatload of cards to make in a day or so, I didn't have much time to be individually creative. I had to find a groove and stay in it.

2. All the elements were fused to a background cut 4-1/4" x 6-1/4" and then top-stitched with a straight stitch.

3. I used Fast-2-Fuse cut 4" x 6" in the middle of the card. This product is like Timtex, except it already has the fusible on it. I fused the face of the card to the Fast-2-Fuse before I stitched the design elements down.

4. I made postcard backings out of cardstock. I then fused the cardstock to the back side of the Fast-2-Fuse.

5. I then trimmed everything flush with a rotary cutter and buttonhole stitched the edge.

6. After I finished the edges, I applied hot-fix crystals to the star.

7. I took the cards to the post office with regular 39 cent stamps and had the cards hand-cancelled. Of the 3 people I've talked to who received them, 2 people had some crystals missing. Don't know if I didn't apply enough heat (I was kind of in a hurry!) or if crystals just don't mail well. Further field-testing will be required.

Maybe tomorrow I'll snap a pic of some other cards I've made.

Good night!

Christmas Cards

2006-12-18T11:35:00.000-06:00

I forgot to tell you all about my new addiction. I know I am slow coming to the party, but I am absolutely in love with fabric postcards!

I made 29 of these guys as my Christmas cards this year - and it's been years since I've sent out cards! I couldn't show you until now because I had to wait until they were delivered - I wanted them to be a surprise.

You've gotta love the magic properties of Wonder Under....

Happy holidays to you all,
Susan

The Art of Procrastination

2006-12-14T08:09:00.000-06:00

I have a dual personality, it seems. On the one hand, I am never idle. I can accomplish many things in a small amount of time. On the other hand, I can put off certain things indefinitely. Unfortunately, for me - procrastination is a dramatically downward spiral. When I finally decide to do whatever it is I have put off forever, I then wonder if it's even worth doing - because I know it will take longer to get it done than if I had just started it when I was supposed to. Surely I am old enough to know this lesson - yet I keep repeating the cycle.

Like blogging. It's been forever since I have posted. I read my blog lists every day (and sometimes more than once a day). I ENJOY when people put a new post on their blogs. Every day I think - "I really need to put a new post on my blog". I write blog posts in my head. I sit at a computer most of the day. Why can't I just get this done? I don't have my camera with me. I forgot to take a photo of something. I'm just too tired once there's a bit of quiet time. Whatever the excuse, I seem to find it. Then I start comparing myself to other bloggers - "Well, SHE hasn't posted a new post since November 20 - so I'm not THAT bad about posting." The procrastination continues. Why? This blog is a voluntary thing. There are no grades or monetary ramifications. However, I feel a certain amount of responsibility to my small readership base. And I apologize profusely for my procrastination. Is all this way too deep for a Thursday morning? Can I blame it on the margaritas from last night?

So, let's play catch-up. Since we last met, I have begun sewing on a block-of-the-month sample for the shop. I have appliqued (5) 12" blocks and pieced (4) 12" blocks and (4) 6" blocks. I have made 29 fabric postcards for my Christmas cards - all have been adressed and mailed except 2. I have become the homework monitor since I found out that Audrey is slightly behind the 8-ball and the semester is rapidly coming to a close. I have endured and recovered from a computer crash at work. I have written and published a 6-page newsletter. I have done a marginal amount of Christmas shopping, but nothing's wrapped. I sometimes feel like George Jetson - 'Jane! Get me off this crazy thing!". I am SO ready for January and the end of the silly season.

But I have no pictures for today. My camera's downstairs and some other photos are on my computer at work. But stick with me. This post is a first step. I think I can conquer my procrastination.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2006-11-22T14:38:00.000-06:00

This is what you get when you sew when you're tired.....the worst part is, I completely screwed up the star points on the bottom and didn't even notice when I sewed the right side on backwards!

The Market Review party went very well, and I all but collapsed on Sunday.

I have spent this week CLEANING my office. Man-o-man, was it ever bad. Unfortunately, the majority of the clutter was stuff that I needed to take home - sample quilts, bolt-ends of fabrics, stuff and more stuff. This now means that I must sort through it and put it AWAY in my sewing room. But wouldn't it be more fun to start something new???? We'll see where my discipline takes me.....

I hope all of my US friends have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving day tomorrow. We will spend the day at Russ' sister's house. I cooked a turkey last night and tonight I will make brownies and then tomorrow morning will be the corn casserole. Pacing it all out makes it seem like I'm not cooking all that much - just how I like it!

Gobble, gobble -
Susan

2006-11-16T20:27:00.000-06:00

Well, tomorrow is D-Day regarding the Quilt Market party - I've sewn all that I can and tonight I'm going to sit in my recliner, watch Grey's Anatomy and ER and hand applique.

The mad-scientist workspace clean-up will just have to wait for another day.

Could it be that I'm no longer motivated to sew simply because the mess is just too overwhelming? Interestingly enough, my office at work looks worse. I think I know what's on my agenda for next week....

Now for random thoughts -

One morning this week as I was driving past my side-yard, I noticed this iris blooming. It's mid-November. What's up with that? This particular iris has never bloomed before. Do you think it's schizophrenic?
As I was perusing the photos I downloaded from my camera, I ran across this photo. It's a partial quilt being designed/made by Jo Morton for her new book due out in early '07. Don't you just love the pink?
I also attended a schoolhouse session with Kaffe Fassett. Here he is explaining his design wall philosophy: use a neutral (taupe or khaki) flannel sheet as your design wall. White is too stark and reflects too much light. He designs ALL of his quilts this way - every single piece is placed on the design wall before a stitch is sewn. I'm not sure I'm that patient, but it's an interesting theory.

Okay. Cristina just got busted for covering for Burke by Dr. Bailey. I should pay attention now.

I'll do my best to post pictures of all the new samples this weekend.

A Little Tease....

2006-11-09T09:04:00.000-06:00

Here's a little tease on what I'm sewing for our Market Review party....

Yeah, it's just a table runner, but it's quilted and bound!

Remember this? The last time I showed it, it was just the appliqued middle. I bordered it with squares and actually HAND-QUILTED it! It's been finished for a couple of weeks, and since I had black thread on the machine from binding the table runner, I went ahead and bound it too.

I lost most of yesterday. I went to visit my grandmother for what I thought was going to be a couple of hours. It turned into way more than that and ended on an ugly emotional note. She is 90 and has always been a controlling, domineering personality. Let's just say that she has not mellowed with age. Even though I KNOW how she is, how can she still have the ability to cut me to the quick and hurt me? I left her house in emotional shambles. I was just too exhausted to function once I got home. I know many of you have taken on the responsibility of caring for aging parents. And some of those parents are difficult to deal with due to personality, age and dementia. I admire all of you who have chosen to do this on a daily basis. You are truly saints. I thank God daily for my loving, understanding husband and friends who support me when I've been beaten down. I hope all of you have these kinds of wonderful friends in your life.

Enough drama - back to work for me......

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing.....

2006-11-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

Since my return from Quilt Market, I have been sewing like a mad woman (...and, that's different, how?). Seriously, we're having a Market Review party at the shop on the 17th, and we're all working very hard to have as many samples on hand as possible. I'd show you pictures, but guess where my camera is? Yep, right next to my computer at work. I'll share as soon as I get my act together.

However, since my internet service at home is apparently stronger than that at the La Quinta in Houston, here's the shot of Merle as a dash ornament.

Isn't he just the cutest?

We Made It!

2006-10-27T07:53:00.000-05:00

I've tried since last night to upload a picture of Merle sitting on the dash of my car - I left the hatch up while loading the car yesterday morning and came back out and had a big orange dash ornament! I laughed pretty hard at that one!

It's been raining here a lot in Houston and I had to drive through more high water than I wanted to - apparently the flooding of surface streets is quite common here.

There have been a couple comments with questions regarding Quilt Market. It is held in the same convention space as the International Quilt Festival. The Festival quilts are hung, but they've not been judged yet (or if they have, the ribbons have not been attached). If there's time, we have the opportunity to look at the quilts. I will not be returning next weekend for Festival - primarily because I have so many employees going to Festival that someone has to stay and work! But also because I have a 6th grader and Dad has been good enough to take vacation this week so that I can come to Market. I just can't logistically manage it.

Someday I would like to return for Festival - if only to look at the booths and see what is selling.

We went to 3 quilt shops yesterday and I was very good. I bought a handful of fat quarters (at $1.50 each - and they have a purpose) and a pattern. After going crazy in Minneapolis in May and not even finding a home for all the crap I bought then, I am being more careful!

Gotta go - it's my turn for the shower!

Susan

Off to Market, Jiggity-Jig

2006-10-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I leave this morning to head to Houston for Quilt Market. The anticipation of the "hunt" always gets my juices flowing. What will I find? What will I learn? Hope there's something GOOD!

Audrey got braces yesterday and I'm leaving her to whine with her daddy. But I will be back in time to Trick-or Treat!

Later,
Susan

A Day at the Texas State Fair

2006-10-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Howdy, folks (said in a deep baritone voice). This is Big Tex welcoming you to the Texas State Fair. Today was the last day of the fair and we finally got around to going.

After eating the requisite corny dog upon arrival, we wandered to the new car exhibits. I don't know why - we're not in the market for a new car. At the Jeep area, there was a climbing wall for kids. Audrey LOVES climbing walls. When it was her turn, I took out my camera and she scampered up the wall so fast I couldn't keep the camera focused! This was the best of the bunch - but she looks like she's headless!

We stumbled across this photo op - Audrey refused to play, so I handed her my camera and Russ and I stepped in. I thought it was kind of fitting since my husband works for a dairy!

Here's a shot of Elsie the Cow. Yes, she works for the competitor (Borden's). But she's so cute I had to take her picture. But we never did figure out why she has a chain and a lock wrapped around her head.....

The biggest draw at the petting zoo was this red kangaroo with a baby joey sticking out of her pocket. Kinda cool, yet kinda creepy, too.

After wandering all over the midway looking for the fried Twinkies (Russ' idea - not mine), Audrey begged to ride a ride. At $5 a pop, I try to discourage it. But, it is the state fair, so I agreed to one ride. Big problem - she won't ride alone. Since I was the one who HADN'T just eaten the fried Twinkie, I was elected. As they strapped us in, I leaned over to Audrey and whispered in her ear....."Does this not show you how much I love you?". The ride was okay with a minimum of motion sickness. Thank goodness she settled for one ride.

Here's a shot of the world's largest pig - over 1100 pounds. I guess he ate too many fried Twinkies.

Oh, and by the way. I quilted next month's Strip Club quilt this morning.
All in all, it was a pretty productive day.

A Week's Worth of Work

2006-10-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

I have not even opened the door on my sewing room this week. I've been working with Quiltropolis to move my web site and begin setting up my web mall. That led me to realize that I also should get a better photo editor than Microsoft Picture Organizer. So, I went out and bought Photoshop Elements. MANY hours were spent making this little montage button. It doesn't look like much, but I'm pretty proud of it. You see, I have taught myself "creativity" in quilting, but I'm still so left-brained that it is ridiculous. Being creative is still hard work for me.

The mall thing is coming along, but it's going to take some time because the rest of my life and job won't wait on the back burner. I have a strip club sample to make and maybe I'll get started on that today.

It's supposed to rain all day which is fine with me. It's a great excuse to just hang out at the house!

I'm a Quiltin' Fool

2006-10-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

I've been a quilting fool...I've longarm quilted 4 quilts since Friday night! And I bound 2 of them!

Here's the quilt I pieced in the last week - it's from Bonnie's quitville.com site and the pattern is Scrappy Bargello. And it was all pieced from the stash - even the back.

This is Audrey's quilt. I signed her up for our beginning quilting class at the store and for the last 4 weeks she has pieced this quilt. I quilted and bound it this afternoon. Pretty good for an eleven-year-old, huh? However, she did have a little difficulty holding it still for the photo!

This is a fun quilt by Sarah, who works at the store. She made it for her brother-in-law whose birthday happens to be on Halloween. I don't usually quilt for other people any more, but Sarah's done a lot for me, and since it wasn't that big of a quilt, I quilted it for her so that she can get it in the mail on time. The pattern is "BQ" by Maple Island Quilts.

This final quilt is a sample for the store using Marti Michell's new Log Cabin ruler.

I'll probably spend the majority of the next week working on my website -I'm moving it over to Quiltropolis and there's technical stuff that I don't know how to do...I'll probably be scratching my head quite a lot....But I'm determined to get it done. Hopefully I'll also make enough progress so that my designer can complete my "updated" look. It's very daunting to me to jump head first into something that I really know nothing about and I tend to procrastinate. But no more - I must get it done!

Have a great week,

Susan

Good Intentions

2006-10-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

It appears that I have the best intentions regarding blogging - but it's only happening about once a week.

Last Sunday I attended the Plano Balloon Fest with Russ - he's on the "Moo Crew" and we help out each year. The festival was pretty much a complete bust - the temperature was great, but the wind was too much to fly. We did decide at the last minute (once the winds died down a little) to inflate the small balloon on the field for the crowd. We have a giant cow balloon (otherwise known as the "big" balloon), but there's no way we could have held her down with the winds.

On one of my many trips to the post office this week, Audrey and I saw this hawk on the field next to the PO. A guy in his truck said he saw it zoom in over the freeway and zero in on a mouse in the grass. We watched the hawk play with it for a minute or two, but traffic was backing up behind us and we had to go. It was surreal to see a predator bird do his work at 6:00 in the evening!

I took a couple of days off this week (burnout is certainly knocking on MY door!) and after I did a few chores, I began playing with my 2-1/2" strip bin. Before I knew it, I had a complete quilt. It's Bonnie's Strip Twist pattern! And it all came from my stash.

I'm now playing with her Scrappy Bargello pattern. I have 2 and a half panels done....It's great to sew for fun again. I know it won't last, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Have a great week,
Susan

Ft. Worth Quilt Show - The Last Batch

2006-09-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

I don't know what happened to the blog over the last few days - a few friends alerted me to the problem and it seems that publishing the little test message below brought it all back. Anyway, here's the last few shots I took at the Ft. Worth quilt show.

I liked this one because it was all pieced. I admire the tenacity of the maker to get all these odd-shaped pieces to FIT together! Plus, the optical illusion aspect was pretty cool too.

Russ wanted me to take a picture of this one. It's very brown (and doesn't translate well digitally), but it was very Texas-themed and he liked it a lot.
There was a special members exhibit - the theme was to take a country song and translate it into a quilt. I really liked this interpretation of Buck Owen's "Act Naturally". The film strip has photo transfers of famous "cowboy" actors.
And finally, I'm a sucker for quilts using Kaffe Fassett stripes. Simple piecing - striking result.

My life is absolutely CRAZY right now. September has been a very active month at the shop - wth a major event each weekend. I'm very close to reaching burnout and my house looks like a tornado has been through it (....even worse than normal!). I haven't really sewn much in the last few weeks - I've been puttering with the Quilt Pink blocks that have been turned in at the shop. About half of them are too small to fit into the setting design I picked, so now I have to come up with an alternate plan of how to set them. Ugh!

I am DESPERATELY wanting to sew on something FUN - not just because I HAVE to. But my sewing room looks like the tornado stayed for a while. Perhaps I can take some time this week and do some cleaning/straightening and become more motivated to spend time in there.

I took some photos from the Plano Balloon Fest (which was pretty much a total bust due to windy weather) on Sunday, and I'll do my best to post them in the next day or so.

A Test

2006-09-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

It seems my blog has disappeared. I'm trying this post to see if it will REappear!

Ft. Worth Quilt Show, Part 2

2006-09-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

I spied this quilt almost the minute I walked into the show. Does it look familiar? It's our Nuts and Bolts quilt from the Quilt Sampler magazine - only the maker substituted a purple shot cotton. Did we get a design mention in the description? Heck no!

This quilt is Cinnamon Stitches (pattern by Piece O' Cake). I've always loved this pattern -but I don't own the patterns because I didn't know how to applique when it was published. The colors aren't clear, but the quilt was made with lovely reds, greens, and cheddars. It was also difficult to photograph because I couldn't back up far enough to get it all in.

Here's another shot that includes a portion of the vine border.

Being married to a guitar player, I just had to take a picture of this one!

I thought this quilt was really creative. It's all hand applique and the design inspiration was Broadway playbills. I think it was made for a theatre student.

That's all for tonight....more to come tomorrow!

TheView on My Way to Work

2006-09-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

I was sitting at the stop light at the freeway this morning and looked up - and there was a hot air balloon just drifting through the sky. The mornings have finally cooled off enough for balloons to fly well.

This weekend is the Plano Balloon Fest - Russ will be on the "Moo Crew" for Schepp's Dairy. Audrey and I usually help out, but I don't know if I'm going to make it this year. If I do, I'll try to get a picture of "Airabelle", the giant cow balloon. It's a sight to behold.

Happy Birthday To Me

2006-09-19T20:49:00.000-05:00

Sunday was my birthday. It started off with a booming thunderstorm around 5:30 am. What a welcome sound!

My family wanted to do something for my birthday - even tho staying home would have been just fine. So, I decided they could take me to the Fort Worth quilt show. I've never been. So, we headed off in the rain. The show was small (in comparison to the Dallas show) but there were some great quilts. It sure was nice to attend a show as a tourist and not as a vendor! I took quite a few pictures and will share them over the next few days.

This was the best of show quilt. It was hand appliqued and is a true charm quilt. Every piece of green and red is different!

And - it was quilted within an inch of its life.....yes, ALL of the background was stipple quilted....by HAND.

This quilt was a lovely study in reproduction fabrics and blocks. Each block measures 6".

I liked this one because of the Kaffe Fassett fabrics and the simplicity of the piecing. I just wish the camera had captured it better.

I was really drawn to this one because of the 2 fabrics and the effect of the reverse applique. How simple but how intriguing.

That's it for now - more photos later!

Expectations vs. Reality

2006-09-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those visions in your head that just DID NOT turn out like your mind's eye? It happens to me more often than I'd like - and here's another example.

I've had this idea for a new kit sample percolating around in my head. I've done all the math (you have to think ahead if there's a chance that you'll kit the quilt to sell). I had a plan. I made 6 blocks and went BLECHHH.

I know what's wrong. There's too much contrast. I recognize that now. I should have known that before I ever cut a piece of fabric. I was just too tired to think straight and too anxious to start. I have 6 blocks completed and another 24 completely cut and subcut ready to go. Now what do I do? What's my time worth? Should I finish what I started, even though it won't work out for my purposes, I don't like it, and I don't even want it personally? I'm thinking not. I should just cut my losses and move on. But it bugs me on a deeper level to completely abandon a project. But I know it's for the best, and I have a friend who is willing to take it off my hands.

It's kind of like ripping off a bandaid. Do it quickly and minimize the pain.

Back to square one......

Here's another project I plan to undertake. This is a pair of Audrey's favorite Levis....the knees were completely ripped out. I plan on making a tiered skirt out of the top of the pants by adding layers of cotton - I had a devil of a time getting her to select a fabric yesterday. Over 3000 bolts to choose from and she can't find anything she likes...what's wrong with her? Is she a genetic mutant?

I've never done this before - we'll see how it works out. The acutal test will be will she really wear it?

I'm venturing into uncharted territory....

Stepping Stones

2006-09-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

I've had a few comments asking about the quilt in my last post. The quilt/pattern is called "Stepping Stones" and was made for our September Strip Club.

For more information on Strip Club, click here.

Now, I must shower so that we can get on the road!

Nose to the Grindstone

2006-09-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

This is how I spent my week. I had a sample that I HAD to make for an event, and I was behind on my schedule due to holdups on fabric delivery.

I started this quilt at 7pm on Monday night, and put the last stitch on the binding at 9:30 this morning (Friday). And yes, I did go to work this week too.

I don't even want to LOOK at my sewing machine for a few days.....but the quilt did turn out kinda purty....

Tonya, I feel your pain with cats and backing fabric. Here's Merle impeding the ironing process. He was quite content with his tent thing.

You gotta love 'em.

We're running away for the Labor Day weekend. I may sleep for two days straight.

At Loose Ends

2006-08-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

I'm at loose ends. I have a project for work that I need to be sewing on.....but.....the focus fabric hasn't been delivered yet. I really can't select colors or do anything on it until Monday when the fabric should be here.

I finished the applique on my Lori Smith small quilt. It needs border squares - perhaps I'll dig through the stash for that tomorrow.

After dinner tonight, I had about an hour and a half to sew until I had to pick up Audrey from a friend's house.

I had begun machine quilting this quilt a couple of weeks ago when I ran out of brown thread. Of course, it was a color that we don't carry in the store. So I special-ordered a box of thread and it was backordered! The thread finally arrived and I finished the quilting and bound it this evening.

This piece is 16" x 24" and is fused applique and machine quilted. DOMESTIC machine quilted.... and man, do I need to gain some more skill. It's a totally different process than longarm quilting. My head knows what I want my hands to do, but there's a certain disconnect in the execution. I guess it's like anything. You have to do a lot of it before things become smooth.

I'm now off to bed. My eyelids weigh 20 pounds a piece.

What's Your Favorite Quilting Website?

2006-08-24T19:56:00.000-05:00

Wow! Two posts from me in one day. Do you think the earth will open up and swallow me whole?

What's your favorite quilt shop website? The reason I'm asking is a long and sordid story.

My current website for the shop is www.thequiltasylum.com. I paid someone to set it up for me a year or so ago and she did. It is functional, but not particularly sexy. I did teach myself how to update the information on it. I've never had an official logo and I have no graphics skills.

I was approached by a branding company in March. They wanted to create a cool logo and update my website to match. I signed on and we began our work. We met several times, and I was really excited to get this off the ground before the Quilt Sampler magazine was published. Around early May, I received notice that my designer was quitting the company, but the owner would take care of me. I went to Quilt Market, the magazine hit, and we were swamped. I didn't get a chance to raise my head until mid-July. I fired off an e-mail asking what was happening on my project. I got a really nasty e-mail back basically firing me as a client. What's up with that? Now what am I going to do?

After a couple of weeks, I finally looked up the designer in the phone book. I placed a call to see if he was willing to finish the work directly. He agreed! He's freelancing now and can work on my stuff in a couple of weeks. Yay!

So, I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago, but thought I wouldn't waste my time since my new website was on the way - I'm updating and creating pages on the current site in preparation for the conversion. Nothing like a learning curve that's straight up! The way I look at it - the more content work I do up front, the less money it will cost me in the end. But, oh, is it slow going.

And if I save money in one area, I can spend it in another, right? Work with me....it's woman logic. SO. If I'm going to have a "perfect world" website wish list, what should be on it? I KNOW you guys probably surf more sites than I do. And I'm asking for your help. Tell me your favorite quilting websites - I would prefer those for brick-and-mortar shops, since I am one, but will certainly look at ALL retail sites recommended- and WHY you like it. Is it navigation, is it content, is it photos and cool graphics, or is it product? If I'm going to invest in this, I'd like to get it somewhat right.

I'm off now to soak my aching head....

Quilt In A Week (More or Less.....)

2006-08-24T16:11:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny how priorities can change in an instant, depending upon circumstance?

I bought the kit and pattern for this quilt at the Dallas Quilt Show back in March from Bonnie Blue Qulits out of Houston. Believe it or not - this is the first KIT I have ever purchased! I fondled it, petted it, and put it in its own rubbermaid container to wait for "someday".

Fast forward 5 months and we are now going have a Bonnie Blue Quilts trunk show during Shop Hop the weekend after Labor Day. This particular quilt is not in the trunk show. But wait! What if I made my kit by then? We could have another quilt for display!

I began cutting on Friday night, August 11. I finshed the binding on Sunday, August 20. That's little more than a week for a 76" x 76" quilt with a lot of little bitty pieces! My "someday" kit is now turned into a quilt!

I've been hand-appliqueing a small quilt in between work and Audrey's activities this week. What I SHOULD be doing is making the sample for September's Strip Club. But I am waiting on the setting fabric to arrive before I select my strips. Again, priorities are set by circumstance.

I remember fondly the days of when I could pick and choose what I sew.....and when I sewed it!

Another UFO Done!

2006-08-15T21:24:00.000-05:00

I finished the Lady of the Lake quilt before we left on vacation, but I didn't get a chance to take its picture. If you remember, these blocks were started as a Thangles demonstration at the Dallas Quilt Show in 2004. I uncovered about 16 blocks and pre-cut strips for more Thangles. I finished enough blocks for this setting and laid it all out on the design wall. I just HAD to sew the blocks together so that I could take them down!

ALL the fabric for the blocks originally came from my stash - the only new fabric added was the sashing and the posts. This quilt has been donated to Project Linus. How can I keep producing quilts out of my sewing room yet it doesn't look any different? It's encouraging and depressing all at the same time. Does that make any sense?

I figured it was time for another Merle fix. Since it's so hot outside, he's been hanging with me on the sewing table. I may have to kick him out in order to cut borders for my current project. We'll just have to see if he can behave....LOL!

The Vacay, Part 2

2006-08-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

After 5 attempts, blogger is not playing nice with my pictures.

After the aquarium, we visited the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier in Corpus Christi Bay. What a fascinating tour! We had a challenging time trying to impress upon Audrey and Tori the significance of an aircraft carrier and its role during wartime.

We left Corpus and went to Port Aransas. Monday morning we took a 4-hour fishing tour - the fish were not biting (but I caught the only 2 small ones!) and the girls got a big kick out of seeing dolphins in the bay. We spent the afternoon at Mustang State Park and the beach.

Tuesday, we travelled to Galveston. Our hotel was right on the seawall and the girls couldn't wait to get into the water. Wednesday morning we took a Galveston Bay history and dolphin watching tour. No matter how many times you see them, it is still amazing to see dolphins right there in the bay. We watched a movie on the The Great Storm (Galveston was devastated by a hurricane in 1900) and visited Quilts By the Bay. More beach combing and shell collecting was done in the afternoon.

Thursday, we left Galveston and headed into Houston. I have a friend that works at the Houston Zoo and we made arrangements for Steve to take us on a tour behind the scenes in the bird department. The girls thought that was really cool (and it really was!). It was so hot and steamy that we didn't stay for long. We headed for home.

The following week was filled with middle school registration and orientation, haircuts, orchestra board meeting, doctor appointments, orchestra jump start as well as creating and publishing the quarterly newsletter for the shop. I haven't known if I was coming or going for the past week!

I've actually been sewing the past couple of days - and if Blogger ever decides to play nice again, maybe I'll show you a picture....

So, no, I haven't run away or been in a dreadful accident. Although running away looked pretty good at one point.......

The Tale of The Deadbeat Blogger

2006-08-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

You know it's been too long since you've written a blog post when a customer from out of town calls the shop to see if I'm okay - to verify that I haven't run away from home or been a victim of a tragic accident! Hi Ruby! All is well - my life has just been at a frantic pace for the last two weeks.

We had a successful vacation. Audrey took a friend with her and we headed out Saturday morning. Our first stop was in New Braunfels and Natural Bridge Caverns.

Even tho we purchased our tickets online, we still had to wait 2 hours for our tour. Audrey decided to "pan" for gemstones to pass the time.

This is what you get when you try to take a digital picture in the dark. Poor Audrey's head barely made it into the picture!

The second day we headed to Corpus Christi and visited the Texas State Aquarium. The entryway was really cool with the recirculating waterfall.

Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of a fish in an aquarium? I thought this fish was fabulous - periwinkle, magenta and orange. What do you think those colors would look like in a quilt?

Going, Going, Gone....

2006-07-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

I'm leaving on a well-deserved vacation in about an hour, but I thought I'd share what I did this week.

The Quilt Asylum participates in the North Texas Quilt Shop Hop eash September and we always make a quilt. This year's theme is "Be A Star" and each store will decorate and dress to a particular movie theme (ours is "A League of Their Own"). Each shop will hand out a block kit, and this year we are doing star blocks.

Since there are 10 shops in our grouping, I made 2 extra blocks so that I would have 12 blocks to set - you can't do much with 10 blocks! The setting pattern is "BQ" by Maple Island Quilts and it goes together quickly!

We're headed to the Texas coast - Port Aransas and Galveston and points in between. It'll be nice to get away for a few days before the back-to-school insanity begins - we have to be back by Friday for middle school registration!

Ya'll be good and I'll be back in about a week.

Susan

Ketchup

2006-07-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

What a whirlwind week and a half! To begin with, I went from driving this.....

To driving this......

Yup. I got a new car - a Honda Element! I purchased the Ford Excursion right after opening my business as a tax break and also because we thought we might be doing a number of quilt shows. But, at this point, quilt shows are more trouble than they're worth and the price of gas was killing me. I've been thinking about getting a more gas-efficient car for a couple of months now - and once I started test driving there was no turning back. I LOOOOOOOVE this car - it handles so nicely and I can pull directly into any parking space I want! And it's such a cool color (kiwi green). I am no longer driving a bus and it's a good thing! We're going to take it on a trip to the Texas coast next week, so we'll see how it handles on a long-distance adventure.

This is a picture of my finished block from Becky Goldsmith's workshop last week. I took this workshop for a couple of reasons:
1) Becky is a friend of mine and I thought it would be fun.
2) I really wanted to learn how she pieces curves together that have been paper pieced.

The first day of the workshop concentrated on the paper pieceing of the arcs. I have paper pieced before, but Becky's method was easier and made more sense. At the beginning of the day, she stated that we would probably only get a quarter of the block done - not the whole thing. Diane and I looked at each other and thought - "Alrighty then. A gauntlet's been thrown down!". We pieced furiously and I had mine ALMOST finished by 4:00. I came home Wednesday night and put the finishing touches on it. The center circle in the photo was an audition fabric - I have since put a salmon pink circle on the block.

The second day was dedicated to learning applique the "Piece O' Cake way". This was going to be an old dog, new tricks kinds of day. I've been appliqueing fairly successfully for several years and I've seen their DVD on applique and I was skeptical that I could change my ways. But I was determined to have an open mind and at least try their way for the day. And you know what? I learned a thing or two! I will probably incorporate some of their techinques into my applique repetoire. I was really pleased that my outer circle actually looks like a circle without any flat spots or points. If nothing else, I am no longer reluctant to applique circles.

I spent today piecing my Lady of the Lake blocks into a quilt top. I even dug around in the closet for backing fabric, but I ran out of steam before loading the quilt on the machine.

I'll leave you with a garden photo. This is an Angel's Trumpet that I planted as a baby plant this spring. Isn't it wonderful! The white thing hanging in the window is my flannel design sheet....

Have a great week!
Susan

I Get to Take a Workshop!

2006-07-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

I have lots to tell you about, but no time to really blog. I promise more details later.

However, I am fortunate enough to take a little time off to attend a workshop with Becky Goldsmith of Piece O' Cake designs tomorrow and Thursday. Becky is a friend of mine and she and Linda shop in the store regularly.

Becky is teaching "Everyday Best" right here in McKinney, so Diane and I are going to sit in the back row and heckle and have a good time and we just might learn something too! I'm going to use Kaffe Fassett fabrics for my block - it should be interesting!

I haven't taken a workshop in 5 or more years. I'll let you know how it goes....

It's a Southern Thang

2006-07-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

Last night was a true Southern dinner. We finally harvested 17 okra....which I supplemented with a couple of purchased yellow squash (until our squash are ready), all fried to a golden brown. Add grilled chicken and you've got a meal!

Is it any wonder I need to drop a couple of pounds?

** I don't cook like this all the time. It's not always the most healthy, but it's not always this bad, either.

A Night of Baseball

2006-07-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Frisco RoughRiders baseball game. The RoughRiders are a double-A team in the Texas League and a farm team for the Texas Rangers. Frisco is the next town to the west of McKinney and about a 30 minute drive.

Russ got tickets from his company and they were fantastic! VIP parking, complimentary food and beverage, and great seats in the second row behind home plate parallel to the third base line. We could call the pitches much better than the umpire....LOL!

Here's a photo of Deuce, the RoughRider's praire dog mascot. One thing that's great about minor league baseball - the stadium is small and intimate and they provide entertainment throughout the game whenever there's downtime during the game. There's dancing, games, and general silliness. It's great for kids. Audrey had a blast. And that says a lot about an 11-year-old girl who doesn't do sports and spends most of her time watching TV. I was prepared to be overwhelmed by the heat (it was 102 here yesterday), but the stadium is build in such a way that the buildings block the evening sun and the breeze was great. I even had a good time.

They also had bunnies! We were walking behind the concessions buildings to avoid the crowd and along the shrubs on the fence line were 5 baby bunnies happily munching grass. I guess they're used to people - we got within 2 feet of them and the never flinched. Of course, I didn't have my camera.....

If you like baseball (even just a little) and have access to a minor league park, go on out for a game. You'll be highly entertained and much closer to the action than at a major league park. Last night was a nice break from our everyday routine.

Collaborative Quilting

2006-07-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

I picked up a new book at United Notions yesterday and have spent the day browsing through it - "Collaborative Quilting" by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran.

All I can say is "WOW". If you're a fan of Gwen Marston, maverick quilting, or screaming bright quilts ala Freddy Moran - RUN, don't walk - to your nearest quilt shop and grab a copy. (or, shameless plug, call me and I'll get it for you.....). It's got over 250 pages of design theory by both Gwen and Freddy, loads of photos of their work, ideas for collaboration, block designs for your "parts department", and "recipes" for 31 projects.

Oh my. There's days when I wish I didn't have to work for a living.