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I finally made something

2009-07-03T18:40:00.001-04:00

Needlefelted Pumpkin Man

Checking In

2008-05-04T21:25:00.002-04:00

Many things going on. Possibly moving to a new house where we can keep our alpaca, Leah, and some more alpaca friends we'll be buying. Finished up 2 classes this past semester...Modern Art and Web Design. I'll be taking a summer cram course...Music Intro (it's a General Education requirement). This fall I'm taking Personal Finance (another Gen Ed) and Federal Tax Accounting (my minor).

I'm learning to spin and am shopping for a wheel. Dyed 23 yards of multi fabric 2 weeks ago. Got the urge to make something new with the hand dyes.

In the meantime, I'm in crash cleaning mode as we prepare to list our house. Good things happening, but a lot all at once.

At Least I've Completed Something

2007-10-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

Two pillowcases in quart size ziploc bags for our guild charity project. It felt good to do something again!

Back in the Saddle

2007-10-03T07:39:00.000-04:00

Many things have happened...some good....some not so good. The unhappy part is that my dad passed away after many years battling ALS. He was 70. This disease robbed our family. Dad always made the best of it. Mom was his tireless caregiver. So I have been helping Mom sort out the paperwork. They had planned well, but I found out that no matter how well you plan, there is still much paperwork.

This course of events once again affirms that you gotta live each day to the fullest and don't put off things...you just don't know how long you have.

Happy events...Oldest son made Eagle Scout.

We are now planning an event called a "Court of Honor"...basically the ceremony where the awarding happens. Calls need to be made, a caterer gotten, invitations out....It's like a mini-wedding or something.

Happy events...We are now alpaca owners. We purchased a 3 month old female...Finaleah Girl (Leah).

Leah is the little one in the center. Her mother on the left is named Judy Garland.
She is boarded at Almosta Ranch Alpacas in Mohrsville (about 20 miles from here). This is the beginning of what we hope will be our retirement activity. We both come from livestock backgrounds and have been "livestockless" for many years. We wanted to find an animal that we did not need to kill and that wouldn't kill us! Alpacas fit the bill. Plus their fiber is just lovely...I've even started knitting again (I am awful at it, but enjoy it anyway). Since alpacas only have 1 baby a year and are extremely expensive, we figured we'd start now as it will take many years to get a small herd on a budget. Our alpaca operation is called Take2 Alpacas. I told my husband "No More Businesses" as I now do the books for Turning Point Media (our bread & butter), Jo Griffith Quilts (which holds its own), Soccer Expert USA (a partnership which sells instructional soccer videos), and now Take2 Alpacas. Way too many tax returns.

Happy events: Spent a lovely Saturday appraising quilts as a fund raiser for Winters Heritage House in Elizabethtown, PA.

There were other things happening as well. We had a fine art appraiser and a general antique appraiser. They were cooking on the hearth. Here are some new friends with their pot of chicken corn soup...Yum!

A friendly blacksmith was making all kinds of goodies.

And their lush kitchen garden was making its last hurrah for the summer.

So I guess that's it for me for now. I hope to have some quilt content soon!

Excuses Excuses

2007-08-22T15:36:00.001-04:00

I am (or rather the computer is) recovering from a complete computer failure. I ended up needing to take it in to get completely wiped out and start fresh. I've lost files in the process, had to reinstall all of my programs (EQ, Artista, Quickbooks, Photoshop, and the list goes on). Two things that can really make me nuts...broken computers and broken cars. I am a compulsive "fixer" and the more I try to "fix"...the worse it becomes.

However...I did finally get to do some sewing... And then the sewing machine broke! What are the odds of that? Okay...three things that make me nuts...broken computers, cars AND sewing machines. So I took it in for repair and just got it back. Ugh! Of course when I took it in, my dealer was trying to sell me another machine. No thanks. I'm holding out for when the sewing machine manufacturers wake up and design a machine for quilters like me. I don't want a long arm. Don't have room. Don't like the feeling. Need to touch the fabric when I machine quilt. And quilt sitting down at a nice sized table that supports the quilt. Here are the specs of the sewing machine I think every quilter would want....

1. It must have at least 18" in length in the harp area (under the arm)
2. It must have at least 9" of height from the bed to the underside of the harp.
3. Automatic thread cutter
4. Feed dog drop capability
5. High speed (at least 1000 stitches per min.)
6. It must fit into a decent sized sewing table (like my Horn MultiLift)
7. It needs to have straight stitch, zig zag, and a buttonhole stitch (blanket)
8. Manual thread tension

No embroidery, no other fancy stuff, this is all I need. I really believe that every quilter would want one of these. I told that to the dealer and was told that something might be in the works ("Wouldn't it be nice for embroidery")...I don't want embroidery. That would take such a machine from around $2K (the price it SHOULD be) to (I figure)about $7K. Unbelievable. I really don't think such a machine would be that difficult. But I guess I was out when the R&D people at the sewing machine companies were making decisions. So I'll sit tight and wait. No more sewing machines till they make my dream machine.

Next order of business is to get Photoshop working on this computer so I can post pics again.

Finished

2007-08-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

It has been so long since my last entry, I barely remembered my log in ID and password. I have learned many things this summer which I will share.

1. Summer classes are hard. The last time I took summer classes was in 1984. I was MUCH younger then and able to multitask better. I have been trying desparately to cram as many classes as possible into my schedule and I have found my limit. I started with a 6 week class in American History-Post 1860. Some weeks we had to read 200 pages. Now, mind you, this is not Harlequin Romance material. This is US History. Tough reading. I will say that the professor chose a textbook which was as readable as one could have hoped for. That class started May 26 and ended July 2. I also took a 12 week Geology class with a lab component (4 credits). That started May 26 and just ended yesterday. Then beginning July 6 I took Contemporary Moral Problems. Writing, writing, writing. Reading. and Thinking about stuff that gives one headaches. That just ended yesterday. I have spent many many hours in front of the computer. I have not touched a sewing machine since June 3. I am losing my mind. I have not dyed any fabric during these wonderously hot wonderful dyeing days this summer. I have been sitting in front of a computer writing papers.

This degree is something I need to complete. I feel very strongly about that. But I also feel that I will not take more than 2 classes in the summer again. It is way too intense. My husband says that if he had to do as much work as I have been doing he never would have graduated. He thinks that I would do better to take some classes locally and transfer them in instead of doing them online. I don't know. Take it from me...Online classes are hard. You have to be very disciplined and able to stick to a daily schedule.

Enough bellyachin'...I have finally gotten to get caught up on my reading. One of my favorite artists is Susan Shie. She has just posted a new edition of her diary which I always look forward to. Some of my other favorites are Melody Johnson Mrs. Mel has just moved to Tennessee and has a lovely new home. Then we have Pam RuBert Check out her blog and wonderful art.

Elder son got accepted to a special week for young entrepreneurs at Lycoming College. Today is being spent readying him for that experience. Beginning tomorrow night, I will be trying to catch up on our business paperwork which has gotten sorely behind due to this last week being finals for 2 of my classes. Well, I am off to iron some shirts and pants so that my son doesn't look like a slob in front of total strangers. It's a mom thing. I hope to have something artsy to show real soon.

Vacation

2007-06-27T22:18:00.000-04:00

My sister in law has been after us to visit her in Portland, Oregon. So we are finally going. I have done 2 weeks of schoolwork in 3 days and will be leaving the house at 3AM to catch a plane.

I am hopeful that I'll be able to relax a bit because work has been nutz. It always gets that way before a planned vacation. Murphy's Law I guess. I have my Ipod updated, magazines...and schoolwork. I have a major test, a quiz, a lab, and a new class starting...all online.

The kids are excited and the cat knew of the impending doom of going to the kennel. He cried the whole way.

Many Things

2007-06-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

I got behind on my schoolwork. Now I am paying for it. My neck is killing me from being hunched over a computer for hours and I have 26 powerpoint slides to read about igneous rocks. I am going to die.

Had a fab weekend doing quilt appraisals at Lancaster Heritage Center. We looked at 79 quilts. Just a wonderful time, looking at terrific quilts and meeting very nice people!

In addition to doing school stuff this week, I am preparing for my son's Eagle Scout project this weekend. He is building a fence line at the county Easter Seals camp. I'm really proud of him as he was able to get all of the supplies donated, got a crew together and is ready to go at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning. My job is to create lunch for 20 people. As an overachiever, this is no easy task. I have to keep an appropriate perspective as this is not the "Ladies Club", this is a group of boy scouts and dads. So I believe I have an appropriate menu, but of course all of it has to be done on Friday afternoon/evening.

In addition, we are gearing up to take a trip to Portland, Oregon the end of June. My husband's sister has been after us to visit and we finally are going. I was in San Francisco once, but that's the only place "out west" I've been. She lives near Mt. St. Helens, so I can't wait to see that.

That's it for now. Back to the rocks....

What's New

2007-06-01T12:51:00.001-04:00

It seems like when the first big heatwave hits, our A/C breaks down. Go figure. It froze up solid. So now I am on a waiting list of many other souls in similar predicaments. The problem is that we live in the woods, and the humidity gets unbearable. However, it does give me an excuse not to cook anything indoors.

Me: Hi, you service our air conditioner, and , uh, it's frozen up solid.
A/C place: Have you cleaned the filter?
Me: Well, like, uh, not this month, but I took it out
and it wasn't that dirty (lie)
A/C place: Have you had any other problems? When was it serviced last?
Me: No other problems and it was serviced..... 2 years ago.
A/C place: (silence)
Me: I know, I should have had it done last year,
but, but, everything was working fine, and, uh,
please put us on your list to come out....please.

So here I am sweating and a piss-poor excuse for a homeowner.

I've been hugely busy with school (taking 3 classes this summer), helping kids study for final exams, and readying to teach tomorrow. I'll be teaching a 3 hour class on machine quilting and hope everyone enjoys the method as much as I enjoy sharing.

I have so many ideas for quilts right now, but not much time to execute anything. Just drawing a few rough sketches in my book and that's about it. That stinks.

Mom's Day

2007-05-14T09:23:00.000-04:00

We have a tradition around Mother's Day in Berks County....And it always involves plants. I don't really know exactly how it started, but I'm sure it has something to do with my dad always saying that the earliest you can plant is Mother's Day. The winter just hangs on too long to start any earlier. So my lovely family graced me with some geraniums for the front hanger....

And then the real work started. After 14 years of living here, we have finally decided to do something with the flower beds...or lack thereof. Twenty bags of mulch and $135 later, we had this...

Not bad, if I do say so myself...I told DH that we better put the "Sale" sign on the place NOW! We aren't planning to do so for at least 4 years, but we're daydreaming a bit these days. We'd like a place with some acreage. We have 1.3 right now, but would like to have at least 5, a small barn, and separate rooms to support our hobbies. Maybe move the studio onsite. We'd like to have some critters too. When we first moved here 14 years ago, we looked at a place not too far away from here that met all of the criteria. However, with a 1 & 3 year old and full time jobs outside the house, we felt it was too much for us at the time. We were probably right, but now we're kicking our butts. So, we will continue to repair and improve our current abode...and dream.

I took Mom's Day off from work/housework/sewing stuff, so today it's catchup. We have a busy week with Max attending his first prom (he got asked by a Senior girl). Things have changed a lot since 1976. The kids kind of go in gangs to these affairs. I splurged on flowers (granted I don't even know this girl, just that she's a good kid and in the orchestra). We went to the florist, where the wrist corsages started at $16.99. "Show me more" I say. So they did, and I ended up purchasing the corsage that "I" would have liked to get in 1976, but didn't. Total flower bill $39.99 (corsage & boutinneire). In 1976, you had to get some guy to ask you to the prom or else you didn't go. "It just wasn't done", I explain to my son. He looks at me like I'm an alien. "And girls didn't ask guys, either". (Another look). "So if you didn't get asked, you just didn't go", he asks. "Yup." "That's kind of sad," he says. "It is." As a quilt appraiser, I relish things from the past, but this is one area that I'm glad has changed.

Now I Understand the Attraction

2007-05-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

First, I must confess that I had no real desire to go to Disney World. The only reason I did was because my son was playing in the orchestra there (more on that fantastic business model later), the trip was priced right, and my other son who is autistic was thrilled at the prospect of going to Disney.

However, after walking around four parks in four days in 90 degree heat, I now understand the general population's attraction to Disney World.

The positives:
1. There is a lot to do that is all included in the ticket price.
2. It is well staffed with friendly people. I did not encounter one surly "cast member"
3. It is clean
4. It is the most handicapped accessible park I have ever been in. All four parks were like that.
5. The hotel was just fine (All Star Music Resort)
6. The transportation to and from the parks worked well.
7. They had a person who was a Johnny Depp look alike dressed as Cap'n Jack Sparrow (my husband had to drag me away).
8. They had the most photogenic gorillas I have ever seen.

The negatives (but not totally unexpected or annoying)
1. Every ride exits through a gift shop.
2. Food/drinks are expensive. We had some meal vouchers which helped. But being from Berks County, we think everything is expensive.
3. They tell me that it wasn't that crowded. I would not want to be there on peak season.
4. We waited in many lines. One was 70 minutes. Most were 30 minutes. We did develop a strategy through. Get a Fast Pass (a voucher with a return time), go wait in line for a different attraction, then go back with the Fast Pass.

Disney is a first class operation. I was impressed, and I can see why some folks go back multiple times. But I don't plan to any time soon. I have too many other things I haven't seen (Rockies, Grand Canyon, Arizona, Mexico, England & Wales, and on and on).

Now for the terrific business model..... Disney offers high school music groups the "opportunity" to perform there. First, they have to try out by sending a tape of the group. Then (if selected), they pay to come down, stay at a Disney Resort, buy Disney food and provide "Disney" entertainment to Disney guests. Now, Now, dear readers, before I get comments saying that I am a mean, jaded old bag... It was a wonderful moment seeing our school groups performing there and one that I will never forget. But you gotta admit, the model that Disney uses is a really good one. You're bound to get people to Disney who probably would not have gone there, but go because their child is performing. And there were lots of groups of school kids there. In fact a large portion of All Star Music Resort appeared to be full of performers, chaparones, and parents.

But all in all, it was a great trip and one that I would recommend.

Now I'm digging out of work...and laundry. And desperately trying to sew some.

I'm Gonna Get Me Some Mouse Ears

2007-04-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

So at 2:30 AM we are to be at the high school, board a bus, and head to Phila. airport for a whirlwind tour of the Disney complex in Florida. Weather says 90 degrees during the day and 67 at nite. This means that my pastey white cottage cheese thighs will make their first appearance of the season. Ugh. But I didn't bother to either get "cooked" or sprayed at a tanning place, so I guess that's what I get. I did get 80 half-squares completed this week. Also got my math paper completed. And....Drum Roll, Please....As long as I finish my last quiz on Tuesday, I am exempt from the Math final. Yes!

Speaking of Math. This class has been a bit of an eye opener. I've really been math-phobic for many years (except for accounting-type math, which is how I've made (and still do) my living for the past 18 years. But studying all of these math giants since January, I almost wish I knew more about higher levels of math. Take my last paper on Andrew Wiles. Now this is a fellow who made "geek" chic! Anyway, he was smitten with Fermat's Last Theorem since he was 10 years old. He ended up working away at it his entire life, finally getting proof of the theorem in 1993, by using several other "maths" to solve the problem. Kind of an If-Then situation...If he could prove one theorem, then he could prove Fermat. I announced this to my husband over lunch yesterday. He looked as though I had lost my mind. I guess I've spent so much time obsessing over Newton, Leibniz, Wiles, Fermat, Euclid and many others, that it is with a bit of sadness that I let go of my math class. But with an A, baby! So I will let it go.

Reality check, I got my bill for summer from college. Please fork over $1417 by May 15. I am taking American History Post-1877 and Geology & Lab. This will meet half of my Science requirement and half of my History requirement. I'm taking a third class this summer: Contemporary Moral Problems, which should be insightful, and finish off the History requirement.

Last Saturday at Boyd's Bears was lots of fun with Dawn the Appraiser. We saw lots of quilts in the morning and it sort of tapered off in the PM. Dawn is very gracious and I learned much from observing her in action.

Quick

2007-04-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

A quick post...I'm heading to Gettysburg with Dawn Heefner tomorrow. There is going to be a quilt event at Boyd's Bears (never have been there). Dawn was asked to appraise quilts and invited me to help. A wonderful opportunity to work with an appraiser with a huge amount of talent! I'm really looking forward to this.

Anyway, got all of the fabric cut for the split nine. I need to sew about 80 squares together to cut up into half-square triangles, then all of the pieces will be ready to finish the last 74 blocks.

Went to QHC last Saturday. Went back to the Quilt National exhibit 3 times. It's always so inspiring. There was this one quilt with beets on it that kept calling me back. I didn't buy much: thread, fabric marker, and some ink.

We're leaving for Epcot on Friday, as my son is playing with the high school orchestra and we all decided to tag along. It's not one of those places I've been dying to go to, but the price was right, the boys are getting older, so we figured why not. Lucky the cat gets to vacation at Country Pet Hideaway. They always say he is a model cat (an act he puts on to make me look like a liar).

Oh and I took my last test for Art History, so that class is over. Two more quizzes and one paper for Math...If I keep up the good work I won't have to take the final. I hope, I hope.

Fabric Going Bye-Bye

2007-04-05T08:07:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a bunch of hand-dyes to Brubakers this morning. They will be selling them for me at the Lancaster show next week. Amy and the folks at Brubakers are so nice...I will probably buy my next machine from them. I have a Bernina now, but I'm not totally brand-loyal. And I really like the Janome 6500 I messed with. Now Janome has a new one. Lord knows I need another machine. I currently have 4.

Back to the fabric....If you are at Lancaster, check it out. It was a particularly good batch. I experimented with a new dye formula with spectacular results.

(Shameless Plug: Anyone booking a fabric dyeing workshop will benefit from the new recipe!!!)

I cut the last of the fabric for the split-nine patch and finally can get to sewing blocks again. I start getting a little loopy when I haven't sewn in a long time. Just ain't right.

School Daze

2007-04-03T17:24:00.000-04:00

Believe me...there is quilting content here.....

I am taking a math class that is hazardous to my health. I have a quiz once a week. This week it covered over 50 pages of reading and 78 power point slides. Out of this, the quiz is only 10 questions. After I'm through, all I want to do is either have a big ol' glass of wine or go head first into a bag of Double Stuff Oreos. Be proud dear readers....I didn't do either today...yet.

Anyway, Quilt Content.....I went to Winterthur on Saturday for their Quilts in A Material World conference. What a terrific day. Linda Eaton (the curator at Winterthur) organized a wonderful event and also currated the show of some of Winterthur's collection. I got to hook up with friends from American Quilt Study Group. They served us a terrific lunch and reception. The quilts were wonderful...real old stuff that as an appraiser I never see. The speakers were dynamite. Just a really nice day. Hope they make it an annual event.

I am going to cut fabric tonight. Goal...finish the rest of the cutting for the half-square quilt.

Golly What A Mess!

2007-03-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

It rained, snowed, sleeted and snowed again for the past two days. Nasty. Heavy snow. Since my asthma is a mess because it was 70 degrees earlier in the week and it's 30 degrees now, I am on a bunch of prednisone again. At least I can breathe, but it makes you wide awake after a day or two. So I was up at 4AM this morning, organizing the sewing room which has gone to shambles after the Museum Bag project:

My goal here is to cut the rest of the squares. According to my calculations, I need to cut the following: 222 Light 3" squares; 222 Dark 3" squares; 222 light/dark patches measuring 3" finished.

I have 26 blocks finished. I need 100. Here they are....

So at least I'm sorted into piles of light and dark, got the ironing board set up and I'm ready to press and cut. You will note on the first pic, the lovely cutting mat you get with the expensive sewing table to the left of the pic. The machine pushes down below the surface. You get a piece to cover the hole, and then you get a cutting mat the entire size of the table top. Sweet. A bit hard to store the cutting mat, but very sweet. Hey, but what else do I do? I don't go to bars (much), only buy clothes/shoes when necessary, and never buy jewelry. I just sew.

Okay, then after the pile sorting, I wrote up the directions for the Museum Bag just in case I died or something and someone else wanted to make one. Then Dyl & I shoveled the front and back decks. Nasty, Nasty, Nasty. Heavy, wet, awful. And one of the shovels broke. Great.

Might take the kids sledding this afternoon after the roads clear up. But the sun is shining and last night the deer cleaned out my birdfeeders.

The Bag

2007-03-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the completed bag for the museum. I made some directions and such so if anyone is interested, drop me a line.

I still have some handsewing to do. It would look better with a handquilted feather wreath in the middle, but I try not to handquilt anything if I can help it.

I finished my midterm and got a really good grade. It was hard and I had knots in my stomach going into it. I had computer problems and had to have the test reset two times. I would get to Question #2 (out of 60+) and it would freeze up. But persistence prevailed and I got through it. Now I have 3 papers to write before March 29.

My sewing room is a total wreck. I did get invited to go to the quilt show in Somerset, New Jersey on Sunday though. It was a lovely time, with lots of nice quilts and good vendors. Made me feel guilty that I don't show more. So I made a decision to take the Perkiomen Valley (split 9 patch) that I'm working on and finish it up to send to a few shows instead of selling it at Kutztown.

Mid-Term

2007-02-26T10:01:00.000-05:00

I am currently enrolled as a Art History major at Mansfield Univ. This is to complete a degree which should have been completed 30 years ago.

I'm taking 2 classes a semester and at this rate, my son and I should graduate college about the same time. Anyway...this Thursday is my first "big" exam. And I'm a wreck. My husband keeps saying, "Don't worry about it...all you have to do is get a "C". Well, I'm not a "C" kinda gal. So far, I've been doing pretty well in this one particular class: Math & Culture. My other class is Intro to Art History and that is going fine. But even though the Math class isn't actually doing problems, it does deal with understanding the great theorems of math and being able to interrelate them. We also did a logic exercise...something which I had never even heard of before now. I've been spending a lot of time with math, therefore, not a lot of time quilting.

The bag for the museum is still in pieces. I had bought the last of the brown fabric and have gone to 2 other stores and not been able to match it (I need one more yard...thought I'd have enough when I bought the end of the bolt). So I have decided to "celebrate the difference." The back side is going to be purple.

The one thing that I will say about being in school at this late stage of the game...I seem to appreciate education more. When you're younger, you (or at least I) are more interested in social stuff, the future, activities, yada, yada. In my position, I feel that I'm able to look at the book knowledge and have life experience to apply it and appreciate it. So I guess that's a good thing. The down side...I'm old. Being a typical type "A"...What will I do with this knowledge? I dunno. I do feel that the art side is definitely helpful in appraising. I'm being exposed to wonderful works of art that yeah, you see them in a museum, but to break down the process, learn about the artist and the circumstances in which the art was created, is a wonderful experience.

So that's it for now. Gotta study math.

Outside & Inside

2007-02-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

It started with snow, then ice balls, then snow. I think we have around 8" or so.

The kids were off, DH was working on drywall, my math quiz was postponed till tomorrow, so I began a project.

This is the front of a carrying bag for the museum to send loaner educational materials to the local schools. I'm kind of making this as we go based on a pattern provided to me. The only thing I've looked at the pattern for is how to attach the dowel handles and how they did the bottom. I ran out of brown for the lining of the back. So now I'm at a standstill till I get back to the fabric store for another yard. My goal with this project is to avoid as much handsewing as possible.

We'll see.

Just Life & the Superbowl Turkey

2007-02-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

School has been taking up a lot of time. Reading, taking notes, doing papers, yada, yada. But I guess if you're still moving, then you know you're alive. So I am definitely alive.

Last night was the Berks County Orchestra performance. My son Max was playing violin. He tried out totally on a whim and got in. He was so pleased, and so were we. They played 4 selections: the overture from Handel's Fireworks, The first movement form Symphony #25 by Mozart, The Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and an Armed Forces Salute. All of the classical stuff was amazing (as an ex-classical music disc jockey, I feel I can say that they were so good, they sounded like any respectable orchestra I've heard). The Stravinsky (who is a hard composer for non-classical afficionados to listen to) had everyone in awe. You could have heard a pin drop. The Armed Forces salute was terrific. I am far from a flag-waving kinda gal (I mean, I love my country, but I don't feel I need to wear a flag pin on every garment), but this particular piece made up of the themes of the main branches of the military was extremely moving and touching. All of that, plus, my son was the handsomest on the stage (in my opinion) and they all looked so professional and polished for a bunch of high school kids. I was impressed.

On the quilt front...hmmm. Well, not much. I am currently writing a paper on Mathematics and Quilting which is due on Thursday. I did spend some quality time with four of my reference books (I knew I was buying lots of books for a reason!) and some interesting websites. I am just not caught up at the moment.

So then to add to the fun, I decided to take the free turkey I got for spending money at the Giant food store and de-frost him for today's dinner. A Superbowl Turkey. I'm going to stick his butt in a turkey oven bag and cook him. Hopefully it will provide several no fuss meals.

So that's it for now. Back to the paper. Recruit children to break up bread for stuffing. Rotate laundry. Back to life.

A Commission & Half-Squares My Way

2007-01-21T05:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a pic of a quilt I was commissioned to make in December full of children's drawings. Never took a shot of it completed. Attractive dryer vent to the left.

As promised, here are half-squares the way that annoys me the least. These get boring after awhile and doing them this way makes it tolerable for me. I need 300 of these for the quilt I'm currently working on....

First slice bias strips wide enough to go point to point on the desired finished square measurement, plus 1/2" (two 1/4" seam allowances)

Next place the strips right sides together...

Sew 1/4" seam down one side...

Keep adding strips to each side, until you've created a nice hunk of stripped fabric. Press your seam allowances as you desire. In this case, toward the dark fabric...

I am using a 6" square here. My desired unfinished size of the squares is 3". Align the diagonal line on your seam line (the ditch)...

And again...

Cut the two sides along the top of your ruler...

Keep doing this on your stripped piece of fabric until you get a stack of these...

Turn the stack around...

Align your freshly cut edge with the edge of your square and again aligning the diagonal line of the ruler along your stitched seam...

And there you have it. A perfect non-wonky patch!

On other notes, last week was my first week of being a college student again. Had a few technology issues (taking quizzes online), which will hopefully be worked out before my next math quiz on Tuesday. I'm okay with the actual school work, but computer things not working makes me crazy. I took one quiz 5 times and I still don't know if it went through with answers in it or not. I already had to write a paper and have another big one due on 2/8. I haven't picked a topic yet, which needs to be done early this week.

Finally!!!!

2007-01-12T18:45:00.000-05:00

Thank heaven for youth. I've been moaning about my missing camera for nearly a month now. Went into the office this morning and mentioned that the camera was still missing. One of our highly observent staffers (Bryan) said, "That camera's been in one of the camera cases (video camera) for a long time. Here ya go. I figured Len (DH) wanted it in there for some reason." He was referring to my husband who has been saying, "I don't know where that camera is." Anyway, it's been found and now I can get my blogging back to normal. Sheesh.

Here is the beginning of the Perkiomen Valley quilt I started. It's going to take 100 of these split-9's. Pressing is a key issue with these bad boys. The best way I've found yet is to sew them into three rows, press the seam allowances within the row toward the split patch, sew the rows together and then press those seams open.

When I get to doing the split patches, I'll show my 2 methods. I haven't decided which one I like best. Actually, there is a third way, but there is no way I'm piecing together 2 half-square triangles, or using templates of any kind. Ick. If it can't be done with a ruler and rotary cutter, I don't do it.

First Week Update and Where is my Camera?

2007-01-08T15:15:00.000-05:00

We have a missing camera somewhere in either this house or the studio. I am so frustrated, I could scream.

Anyway...On the quilt front. I am working on a quilt to sell at Kutztown Festival. Why sell quilts? Well, generally I don't. I donate many, but don't actually create to sell. However, I've always wanted to do Kutztown Festival. So, I will give it a try. The pattern is called Perkiomen Valley. It is a variation of split 9-patch. During the 1st half of the 20th century, there was a bit of a fad in the area I grew up in (Perkiomen Valley/Collegeville), where many of the ladies were making these split 9's. Another name for the design is called "Road to Collegeville". So, I've always wanted to make one of these buggers, just to say I did it. There are 100 blocks of nine patches each. I am using up light and dark fabrics I have on hand. A conglomeration of batiks, traditional, tone on tones, yada, yada. I've been cutting 3" squares of lights and darks, and piecing together the light/dark half square triangles.

If I had my camera, I could show you the 2 ways I do it (the half squares, that is).

Of special note here...if you ever get to see a trunk show by Gerald Roy, make sure you do it. He has a wonderful collection of Perkiomen Valley quilts and tops in the Pilgrim/Roy Collection. I tried to buy a Perkiomen Valley top in Ebay a couple of months ago. I stopped bidding at $450 (Sheesh! For a top!)

2007

2007-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

The camera is missing so I can't show you my little accomplishments for the holiday. I finished 2 36" square wall hangings for a non profit group. They were left over blocks from a commission I had done for them in December. I just couldn't see the "orphan" blocks sitting in a drawer somewhere, or worse getting thrown out or something. I just have to iron on the label and call them to pick them up.

This week will be tidying up after the holiday. I haven't touched "real" work, although I did some quilting and knitting...and ate too much. So now it's back to make some positive changes in the old girl. My credo for this year is "Balance". Trying to budget my daily time on this planet so that I can get in all of the elements that make me feel complete and whole. Working at my art, working with DH in the biz, helping the kids find their way in the world, volunteer work.

But alas, it all comes down to planning and discipline. One of my goals is to do 30 minutes of some kind of "exercise" 6 days a week. So I start today.

A Holiday Tradition

2006-12-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

Last nite I made fruitcakes. Nine, to be exact. I struggle with this fruitcake making every year. They are sticky and messy to make. They are also expensive to make. The fruit alone costs about $4 per cake. It's just that I have never not made fruitcake at Christmas. Ever since I left home, I have taken the "secret" family recipe with me--the one my grandmother allegedly found on the back of a cereal box in the '30s. It's something that joins my mother and I together every holiday.

"How many are you making this year?"
"I dunno. They are a pain in the butt to make."
"Yeah, expensive too."
"A freakin' sticky mess."
"Yeah."
"Get me enough fruit to make 5 batches."
"Five batches? Are you nuts?"
"Well, somehow they all disappear."
"Yeah, I know."
"Do you have pans?" (Ed: Disposable tinfoil pans)
"I'll get you pans"
"Okay."
"I really don't feel like making the things this year."
"Me neither."

And yet the fruitcakes get made. Every year. Some traditions die a slow death.

Stuff 'n Junk

2006-12-02T18:22:00.000-05:00

I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere. Currently working on a commission that I can't show until after December 18th when it's being presented to someone at a dinner. It's composed of 16 blocks with sashing and 8" borders. It's about 60" square. A large wall hanging in batiks with a traditional composition. I got all of the blocks quilted today and have to figure out something for the sashing. I've also been working at my "real" job more, as this is a busy time of the year for my husband.

Did two quilt appraisals this week. It's good to get in front of quilts and I really enjoy the process of working with clients.

Something else new... I'm starting college in January. BA in Art History @ Mansfield University. Some will be on-line. Some will be at other PA state colleges in the area. This is going to take some time. However, as I journeyed on in my art and appraising career, I just felt that my education was not broad-based enough. I'm really looking forward to starting, but I'm scared. Wondering if I can cut it. They took all of my credits from classes taken over the years. I figure that if I do what I need to do, it will take me 6 years to finish. My son and I will be finishing about the same time...go figure.

Sewing Room - Fini'

2006-11-17T08:19:00.000-05:00

I really owe my husband after this morning....

This is the Horn MultiLift 5000 electronic adjustable height sewing machine table with cup holder. Yes...a cup holder. This is my Xmas, birthday, anniversary, etc. present for the next 5 years.

We bought it at Brubakers Sewing in New Holland. Loaded it up in the pick-up and then brought it home. We then found out that it wouldn't come through the door without taking it apart. It is the heaviest thing I've helped lift in a LONG time. It weighs a ton.

Even with the legs off it, it weighed a ton. Got it into the sewing room and set it up. Somehow got wires crossed, not pushed in far enough and got the keypad locked up, too. So Amy at Brubakers got a nice tech guy from Horn to call me and talk me through it. Now my table works...and I am very happy. Got a new chair too. And a light that looks like a three-headed monster with a full-spectrum lamp, magnifier, and clip. Way cool... I am now a complete woman.

When A Good Idea Goes Bad

2006-11-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

I have been working on these blocks for the past 3 days. Fortunately, I did not get too far. They aren't even worth saving.

Here was the good idea....I would enter a kind of funky traditional quilt at Kutztown next year and sell it to fund my other quilty activities. I came up with a design on EQ5. Every block was curved...New York Beauty, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul and some other unknown block. Here are the "Pete" blocks. In the trashcan where they belong.

The upside of this little adventure. First, I learned that I get bored with making things that I'm really not "sold" on. (Duh!) Second, why waste time on doing that? (Double Duh!) Third, cutting templates is a total drag. Fourth, why waste time doing something that is totally agitating?

Kutztown may not see a quilt from me this year, but at least I will be at peace. The next project is a small commission piece. After that is finished, I'll be on to other adventures, unless I start some in the meantime. Right now, I'm grieving over the Pete blocks in the trashcan, but they really are hopeless (and ugly too).

Paint Day

2006-11-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

Not fabric unfortunately, but the next best thing... The Sewing Room.

I'm not a particularly good painter, however, 4 years of hard use by my artist son has taken its toll. Son has moved his area to the newly finished garage. So armed with my 4 year old Colonial White paint, paint roller, brush and various rags and such, I attacked the walls. I had tried earlier to just touch up the walls, however it had really yellowed over the past years, leaving icky looking blotches where I had tried to fix it. So, I painted the "obvious" walls.

You will note the shelving...This will eventually be all mine. However, right now it is storing stuff that will be part of a yard sale next spring.

I do have a plan here, Thursday: Scrub floors, Friday-Sunday: move my stuff. One of the things I did you will see here:

This is a close-up of the Block Butler. This is a sticky design wall fabric I purchased several years ago. I have had mixed feelings about the Block Butler. First, it was expensive ($60). Second, the threads get stuck to it (duh) but are hard to remove. The more threads that are stuck, the less tacky it is...to the point where you have to stick straight pins in the blocks to hold them to the Block Butler (so what is the point of having it?) The Block Butler instructions say that you can wash it. So that's what I did. Delicate cycle with a cap of Synthrapol. Here are the results....

Many of the threads came off in clumps, much like when you pre-wash fabric. Not all of the threads, but many. The downside is that threads that come off the front during the wash then get stuck to the back (which was totally clean prior to the wash). Some kind of grey grime also got stuck to both the front and back. I don't know if this is accumulated dust or some kind of washer detergent grime that was redeposited. Anyway, it came out of the washer just fine and appears to have regained a little of its tacky qualities. I'm still a bit indifferent to the Block Butler. It looks a little better than it did before the wash, but we'll see how it performs.

I am starting the commission quilt next week. I got all of the blocks Monday and I think it will turn out really cute. Well, back to "real" work...I have a script I need to get approved today.

Post Mortem Reorganization

2006-10-25T12:13:00.000-04:00

Back from one of the nicest quilt guilds...McLean Quilters Unlimited. I did a program about my work in appraisals and then held a fabric dyeing workshop. I got back last nite, and today is reorganization day. Drying out all of the dye gear and getting it packed up so it is ready for next time.

Now that all of my official obligations have been accomplished, I am really, really going to get organized to move into my new sewing digs. Sure, it's just across the stairwell, but as any quilter knows, moving your "stuff" is dangerous business. What if you stick something somewhere and you'll never find it again? When it was at the bottom of the 12 inch stack of quilt magazines and fat quarters, you could find it. But now that the thing is "organized" it might never be found.

I will post progress reports, in the hope of encouraging other people, or gaining some sympathy.

Insomnia

2006-10-15T05:19:00.000-04:00

I go through spells where I can't sleep. I've been awake since 3AM and decided to come down into the studio to do some packing. I'm teaching Timid Souls quilt class on Saturday in Lancaster. So right now I have batting being pre-soaked to spin and dry and cut for the kits (which I cut last nite). Then I have fabric to dye for Virginia trip, finish the kits for Timid Souls hand-dyeing class, and pack stuff for the appraisal lecture. I haven't been through my collection of antique fabrics/ephemera in awhile, so I'm looking forward to that. I just keep adding things as I find them and don't go through the entire collection until I need it for something...and I usually find things that I forgot I bought.

I'm also working toward moving the studio. I just took down some quilts I had hanging and will put them away. The only problem with moving to a smaller space is the design wall issue. The only thing I can figure out is that we need to make some kind of moveable, foldable system.

Enough of the boring stuff. I hope to have something interesting to show soon.

I Am Such A Tourist

2006-10-09T15:45:00.000-04:00

Back from AQSG (American Quilt Study Group)Seminar. It was held in Farmington, CT, at the Hartford Marriott Farmington. It only took about 4 1/2 hours to get there. Here's a couple of shots of the Hudson River at 60 miles an hour....

Since I had some extra time, I decided to stop in Litchfield, CT. Now here's a town right out of New England. It absolutely looked like photos in Yankee Magazine. The quaint little downtown area...(complete with a Talbot's)...

And is this quintessential New England, or what?

This is where the real tourist comes in. In fact, it's more like something my grandmother would do... Before you think I'm totally nuts, I would like to relate that I am still shell-shocked from the hotel I stayed in at Paducah last spring...dirty, smoke-filled, wallpaper peeling...and $130 a nite.
THIS room was $99 a nite.....

Nice "facilities" too....

And a view of the courtyard....

Besides all of the terrific speakers (my head is swimming with the information)...We took a side trip to Mark Twain's house in Hartford....Very nice digs...

And by golly Harriet Beecher Stowe's house was right across the yard from his...

Both were very nice inside, but alas, no photos allowed.

I also can't show you photos from the Seminar either, copyright being what it is these days. But if you have any interest in historical quilts and fabrics, AQSG is the group to which you need to belong.

On the road home....

Rockin' Lancaster Auction Nite

2006-09-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

What a nice event! There's my quilt in the back of the shot. There were over 50 items sold at the auction; most of them were full size or child size wooden rocking chairs. It was really exciting to see all of the rockers and other pieces of art all together. Here's a wider shot of the room...

There was an artists reception first and then the main event. They were serving red Rockin' Martinis (very smooth going down and then give you a kick later on!) Lots of gourmet munchies. And of course the rockers. Each one with its own personality and style. My quilt went to a nice family, so I am able to emotionally part with it. It's sort of silly, but when you spend so much time with a quilt, you do get attached in a weird sort of way.

But now on to other things. I have a commission I am starting. Did some prep work, went fabric shopping with the client. It has a hard deadine of December 18, but is totally doable.

I leave Wednesday for Farmington, CT to American Quilt Study Group seminar. I hope to get my brain full of good info, as the folks who attend this event are the best in the country. When I get home next Sunday, I have to get in the dye pit big time. I have fabric to prepare for the Virginia classes and ordering supplies for the workshop. Many things to do.

What's Goin' Down

2006-09-25T16:49:00.000-04:00

I've been working on my son's Civics project. I think we finally have it under control. Dyl is on the autistic spectrum...which means he has some characteristics of autism, but not all. Mostly, it is relegated to the language area. He doesn't always understand what you say, can't express himself well enough to get along in the regular world, and therefore has serious social issues. Actually, maybe we're the ones with the social issues, because Dyl really doesn't care what anyone thinks. He's very happy in his world; it's the rest of us with the "problem".

We had a quilt guild meeting on Saturday. George Sicialiano (the miniature quilt guy) came and did his enjoyable presentation. Way too many pieces for me, but it is intriguing. I might have to try it sometime.

We then went to an open house at a local alpaca farm. Those critters are just too cute. They had a few in a small pen away from their other alpaca friends. When they get nervous, they make this humming noise. Dyl really liked the noise.

Today, I've spent digging out of paperwork from the past four days and getting ready to pay the business's final bills of the month and payroll. Don't know where September went.

Next Wed. I leave for Farmington, CT to American Quilt Study Group seminar. These folks are the real heavyweights of the quilt history world and I hope to learn a lot from them.

Hopefully, will have some work to show later this week.

Teaching, Drawing & Wasting Time

2006-09-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

I'm teaching at the museum tomorrow, and have packed everything except the sink. A class on placemats with multiple finishes. We have 3 signed up. The nice thing about smaller classes is that we get the project completed and usually have some time to fool around with some other techniques.

This is a drawing I'm working on. Don't know what it's going to be yet. I have an idea, but can't decide on the execution. Fused or painted.

My husband got me this for my birthday last week. The sound is incredible, but it is another electronic gadget that draws you in and before you know it 2 hours is gone. This is an example of how I got sucked in today.... There was a folder in the Ipod called On-The-Go. So I stuck Prince's Little Red Corvette in there. Then I thought, Hmmm...there's the Who "Going Mobile". Steppenwolf "Born to Be Wild". Johnny Cash "I've Been Everywhere". Tracy Chapman "Fast Car". Rob Zombie "Never Gonna Stop" (that's the song about My Durango).....

I guess you see where this is going. I have to admit it is fun, but you can really waste time with this thing.

Moving Sale

2006-09-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

I posted a few items for my Moving Sale.

I'll be adding daily with newest stuff first. Please take a look and if anything tickles your fancy, drop me an email. I am at maximum density and this stuff needs a new home.

De-Cluttering

2006-09-11T16:10:00.000-04:00

I'm having a Yard Sale on my website. Go HERE to see pictures of stuff I have loaded so far. Believe me, there will be more. (I'm having website problems so the prices aren't up yet, but any and all offers are graciously considered.)

Pretty soon, I'll be moving my sewing space for the third time in five years. We have a very small house, you see. And we are constantly trying to make the best use of the space we have. Right now, I have a lovely large room. However, we are at maximum overload in other parts of the house. So, the plan of attack is happening in phases.

Phase 1 - Complete - Get a storage shed to store gas powered lawn/garden/snow equipment.

Phase 2 - Near Completion - Create a more climate/rodent controlled environment (insulate, dehumidify, heat/AC in our large garage. Move son's painting studio to workshop space in garage.

Phase 3 - Get freezer and other non-sewing related stuff out of lower level (washing machine/dryer/glass christmas ornaments get to remain) and move me and my sewing gear back to that area.

Phase 4 - Re-do lower level. Drywall, new carpet, tile landing.

Phase 5 - Relocate the "way too large" furniture and TV out of our "way too small" living area upstairs and place in renovated lower level.

Phase 6 - Purchase smaller furniture for upstairs

Phase 7 - Install stainless steel dye sink in sewing area.

This is all do-able; time and cash being considerations. But mostly it is elbow grease.

Fabric Dyeing Tomorrow

2006-09-06T14:28:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm going to prewash 15 yards to dye tomorrow. The weatherguys are talking 80 degree temps, which is lovely for fabric dyeing. I have just enough dye to do the 15 yards. That will give me something to offer at the "Placemat Class" next week at the Museum. Then I'll need to restock my dye supply before an October dyeing session. I'm trying to get some fabric in stock for the winter, but recently have been selling it as soon as I dye it. (Nice problem to have)

Over the weekend, we went to the Jersey shore to watch the hurricane come in. This was not the original intent (as the trip was reserved in July), but that is how it worked out. We went to Cape May Point in the middle of the storm. It was amazing! I felt like someone from the Weather Channel. The wind was wild and the rain was so hard and had bits of sand in it (stung like crazy). But it was a reminder of how small we are against nature. There must be a quilt in there somewhere.

Will post again soon.

The Latest Addition to the Family

2006-08-26T15:01:00.000-04:00

This is quilting related, believe it or not. We live in a little house when compared to our family's varied interests and need for space (1400 sq. feet). Anyway, this shed will house a bunch of stuff which by its absence will allow me to move my studio (again) and maybe even get a dye sink. That would be so sweet.

So I'm looking forward to moving/tossing/rearranging stuff so that I can move. The only things I'll share in my new location is the washer/dryer (which is okay), the cat's litter box (which I'll put up with because he is pretty tidy & doesn't smell), and the freezer (an upright). All of the other stuff will be sewing related or it will be G-O-N-E.

We had a horrible accident with the freezer this week. Somehow it got unplugged and was in that state for a couple of days. Everything in it was ruined. Just awful. So my son & I took it all out to the burn pile and set it on fire. Smelled like a big BBQ. The neighbors probably wondered what we were doing down here.

Tomorrow I'm working on a video shoot. We're shooting 5 commercials in one day, with 5 actors and two locations. I have to cook a "stunt turkey" for the commercial dealing with Thanksgiving. This morning we were dyeing Easter eggs for that particular spot. It's going to be a long day, but this is what buys wooden sheds and increased space.

I need to get back to a project on the design wall, which I haven't shown here yet because I'm not sure if it's worthy of photography. It's made with scraps from the auction quilt (which has a bid now). This morning, I worked on accounting stuff so that the CPA can look at everything and give us some advice for the rest of the year. It may involve trading in my van and getting something new for the business. We went out looking yesterday and I'm still in "sticker shock". Very tiring, overwhelming, and depressing. My car has 115,000 on it and has been fine (we've had good luck with Toyotas), but I know its time is drawing to a close. And I've always had trouble judging distance in it. Ugh..I hate even talking about it here.

Think I'll sew. The solution for all of the world's problems.

Drunkard's Path & How I Got Yelled at Yesterday

2006-08-16T07:34:00.000-04:00

Since I showed you my screw-ups on the back of the drunkard's path, I was asked to show the front. This is an example of my constant struggle with traditional quiltmaking and my darker, more dangerous side. I got all of the fabrics on the "sale" rack and thought they'd be something fun to mess with. Now for the advertisement...

Last year at Paducah, I saw this interesting gadget called the Curve Master (www.curvemaster.biz). It's a plastic presser foot that allows you to piece a curved piece against a straight piece, or a convex curve against a concave. I had always wanted to make a drunkard's path from my early quiltmaking days and had never tried because I didn't want to fuss with the piecing. Well, the Curve Master works. And it works incredibly well. The only problem I had with it was that the attachment for my sewing machine jiggled loose and the plastic shank broke. I emailed the Curve Master folks and lo and behold a new pack of shanks arrived in the mail...free of charge. Wow, a company who stands behind their product!

Now the next advertisement, since I had gotten the Curve Master to make the blocks, how about some templates. Betty Kiser from The Path Less Traveled (www.thepathlesstraveled.com) had just what I needed. A lovely set of hot pink templates for drunkard's path. You wouldn't want to try this without them. You can cut up to 4 thicknesses with no problem, using a small rotary cutter. Very slick. So now that I've made the drunkard's path, I'll be surprised if I do it again. But it was fun and the above products guarded against frustration and potential disaster.
They are now going to a friend at my guild who wants to try them out.

Now on to my exciting day in the big city. Center City Lancaster is really a great place on Market Days (Tuesday, Friday & Saturday). Central Market is open with lots of interesting things to see (and eat). Plus, it's summer and tourist season, so much more interesting. My job yesterday was to sit in the alley outside of the museum across from Central Market and sell raffle tickets to benefit the educational programming at the Museum from 10AM to 2PM. A very worthy cause, I might add, because they will do whatever it takes to get programming in front of schools and such. And all on a shoestring budget. It was a lovely day, not too hot, so I brought along some reading (The Red Dyes by Gosta Sandberg), some SAQA journals, and the new Keepsake Quilting catalog.

After about 2 hours of sitting, a woman smoking a cigar approached, waving her hand in the air and yelled at a noticeable volume...

Woman: I don't know who you think you are, but I have my cigars right here (pointing to her purse), and I'm going to smoke them.

Me: Okay

Woman: You have no right to tell me to leave.

Me: Okay

Woman: Everytime I come out here you policemen harass me and I'm not leaving.

Me: (Pretend to read my book)

Woman: So that's it, don't you even think of trying to make me leave.

Me: (Head still buried in book)

This banter went on for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or two. For the rest of my shift, she sat on the bench outside of the Market and watched me. Creepy.

All I was thinking was "Please don't burn me or the quilt...Well, at least I can heal, but the quilt can't".

On a more normal note, I did get to chat with some nice folks from Maui. We talked about Hawaiian quilts. Talked with some quilters from Virginia and PA, too, who happened by. So, all in all, a good day, except for the cigar lady.

Fabric Dyeing

2006-08-14T18:36:00.000-04:00

Here are the results of my weekend dyeing session. I dunno if it was the temperature, the water, my reckless technique...but I had some glorious results.
Twenty one full yard pieces and 8 half yard pieces. Here they are labeled and ready to be delivered to Brubaker's Sewing in New Holland. Buy them there. They are nice people and take excellent care of their customers.

I have another 25 yards left, but I'm out of several dye colors. So, I'm putting together an order for Pro-Chem. That's it for now. Tomorrow, I'm working a four hour shift selling raffle tickets in Lancaster to benefit the Museum.

Quilting Finished

2006-08-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

This is the back of the pink/green/blue drunkard's path quilt for our guild charity project. I re-basted the entire thing and the quilting went much more smoothly.

Here's why I encourage everyone to make a lot of quilts...

With every one, you learn a little something...you get a little better...you learn to save time and frustration.

It's the only way to improve your skills. You can read all of the magazines and books in the world, but you gotta take the step and do it.

Working on quilts for these kinds of things is good for you. Sure, they are usually traditional quilts, but you can still decorate them with machine quilting you wanted to try. This is far from perfect, but in the end, someone gets a nifty quilt and you, as the quiltmaker, get practice. How many things in life are as mutually beneficial as that?

Next project.... I am using the hand dyed scraps from an earlier project for the second in a series I've been working on for 5 years. Yes...only the second in five years. Shameful.

Dangnabbit!

2006-07-28T18:35:00.000-04:00

This is the back of a charity quilt for guild. I've had the top done for ages and am using this to get warmed up for other projects.

But, did I use my normal care in pin basting it. NOOOOOOOO. Since it was raining and the deck was wet (I usually pin baste on the deck), I decided to try to pin baste it on berber style carpet. First mistake.

Then the batting was slightly too small, so I tried to pull it out to the edges. Second mistake.

Then I figured I could handle any problems during the quilting. Third mistake.

Lesson learned (again): You pay dearly for shortcuts. I'll go rip now.

Placemats Complete

2006-07-20T10:08:00.000-04:00

Here is the class sample I promised. This is the one I'll be teaching on September 16. The beauty of placemats (or any small quilted object for that matter) is that you get quick results and can try out a few techniques along the way.
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We will also be examining other ways to make placemats, like these...
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Now, I'm off to my next project. This one will hopefully be a large art quilt. Hmm...we shall see.

This Week's Goings On

2006-07-14T06:33:00.000-04:00

Out here in the woods, we get our mail by rural carrier. Jan is our Mail Lady. She drives a gold Jeep and somehow manages to make her daily rounds no matter what. The roads around here can get pretty dicey in the winter, but somehow she manages to make it. Anyway, Jan is leaving to join her family in San Diego, so I decided to make her this:

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This is a type of quilt I experimented with a few years ago and needed a reason to try again. It is painted with Dynaflow, set with an iron, machine quilted and beaded. The binding is fused. I started the drawing in the morning and began working with the paint. Before I knew it, it was 11AM. To me, losing track of time is a good indicator of a process that you might want to explore further. So, I'm going to do that. I have some other things that have been rolling around my head and keeping me from sleeping. One idea in particular that's been bugging me for a few years. So I'm thinking that I'll try this technique.

Tomorrow is our quilt guild picnic. Hosted by the gracious Mary at her home. We all converge upon her kitchen, bathroom, and backyard. We eat, gab, and show our latest work. One thing that we've done for years is the New Year's Resolution. This is where you write something you want to accomplish by the July Meeting on a slip of paper. At the picnic, you have to fess up as to whether you completed it. If you haven't, you have to turn over 1 yard of fabric to be placed in a drawing for the folks who completed their resolution. I am so remiss this year that I didn't even fill out the paper with the resolution. So, tomorrow, I shall bring a yard of fabric and my jug of lemonade to the picnic.

We did have a lovely vacation. And Lucky the cat got a "Good Cat" report from the kennel. They said he was the nicest cat there. He was either on his best behavior or the other cats were very evil.

More later. I need to make one more placemat before I post them.

Vacation

2006-06-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

We haven't taken a real vacation in some time. A "real" vacation is one where two of the 4 days don't need to involve a Saturday & Sunday. This will be a real exercise, but we have 3 good employees who work hard and will hold down the fort. Of course, we'll be electronically connected. I just want to sit in the sand, look at the ocean, maybe sketch and have cocktails. Poor Lucky is off to the kennel. Last time, he was depressed and lost some weight. And this cat who is usually planning to attack me at any time is unusually subdued today. I think he knows it's coming.

Anyway, no pics today, as DH has the camera. I have been working on placemats for a class sample. I made 3: different styles & finishes. Then I looked at what I had originally said we would do in class and it has nothing to do with the 3 I made. I'm an idiot. So I'm going to follow my own directions and make what I promised this afternoon.

I made reservations for the American Quilt Study Group's Seminar in CT this October. I've never been to it, but am told that it will be a terrific learning experience. Although I have a hotel room for AQS in Paducah next year, I don't think I'm going. Instead, I'll go to the next Seminar that is at the Univ. of Nebraska I think. I like going to Paducah, but it is expensive and since I won't be testing for certification any time soon, I think I'll pass for 2007. Need to broaden my appraising horizons for a bit and I think Seminar is a good place to go.

So that's about it for now.

Betsy Ross

2006-06-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

Father's Day was one for the history books. My long-suffering husband got a day-long visit to the City of Brotherly Love. First, he got to drive the "world's largest parking lot" (Schuylkill Expressway). Then a tour of the city on one of those duck boats (www.phillyducks.com), with crazy tourists quacking their duck bill whistles. Then a long walk in 90 degree heat to visit Elfreth's Alley (the oldest occupied neighborhood in America), the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, and Ben Franklin's grave.

Although I've lived near Philadelphia almost all my life, I'd never been to Betsy Ross' house. A tiny little brick house with some nifty artifacts inside. There was a beige quilted petticoat in very nice condition. There is some question whether or not Betsy really did make the first flag. Seems there really isn't any documentation just the story Betsy told about George Washington coming to visit her about making a flag. He wanted 6 pointed stars, and she said she couldn't get the flag and a dress for Martha completed, so she made the stars 5 pointed ones. Good story if nothing else. Betsy's descendents have made little flags through the years and a few were on display. It seems that her descendents were also good seamstresses, and made these little flags to show their stitching ability.

I kept thinking about how hard life was then. Old Betsy had 3 husbands during her lifetime, ran an upholstery shop, made flags for the Navy and made musket balls. Very sobering.

Class Samples

2006-06-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

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Here is "Winesap". I'll be teaching my "Timid Souls" class in October at the Museum. This little wallhanging is a nifty way for beginners to learn basic quiltmaking skills. I make up kits for everyone and we complete this project in one day. Now, I'm on to make some placemats for class in September. More pics later.

Getting on With Life

2006-06-04T06:29:00.000-04:00

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(There is actually frustrated art quilter content in this post...keep reading)
I've been up to my head lately in "Gotta Do" stuff. One was looking up an obscure quilt block in a friend's antique quilt in this book. This is one of the many books appraisers look to in identifying block designs. I also have this info in EQ5 and don't know why I'm not messing with that, considering I took 3 classes in it at Paducah this year.
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Another thing I've been doing is embroidering staff shirts for our video crew so they don't sweat their butts off this summer. This is our company logo, which I imported as a jpg into Artista Designer, punched the design, digitized it, and now it lives in my sewing machine ready to embroider shirts.
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Lastly, I promised my sister in law, Donna, that I'd fix her comforter. This is a bit of a nasty repair as Ralph Lauren didn't leave me much to work with. I think I might use some fused fabric to stabilize the edge before I sew it back together.

I've had these projects on deck for months, but the museum quilt took the #1 slot until recently. I've cleaned up the studio pretty well. Will be finished these jobs soon, studying for the kids' finals will be over this week....and then what?

The big question. I don't know. I have ideas that have been rolling around my head for months, but for some reason now that I'm confronted with actually executing them, I'm blocked. What do I do first? How should I go about it? What if it sucks? Deep down I know that the only way to get over this is to roll up my sleeves and do it. DH thinks I'm trying to go in too many directions at once. Maybe. Some things are my duties that really must be done (i.e., caring for family, trying to keep the Board of Health out of my house, taking care of the video business that is how we get to have the house, food and health insurance). Then...I have the Quilt Business (referred to lovingly as my Monkey Business). The accountant says that this business is good for our tax situation because of the amount of $ I lose over a year. Something to be proud of I guess.

I have several different areas I'm working on in the quilt biz. 1. I appraise quilts; 2. I teach; 3. I dye fabric; 4. I make quilts. As I make this list, I wonder how come "making quilts" is Number 4. Not good. None of these 4 things make boocoo's of money. That's not necessarily important...but helpful. What I would like is for these 4 things to help support my annual trip to Paducah or other events I should be going to (like Seminar at American Quilt Study Group) in a way that offsets the cost. That would be nice.

Then, there's the art. I find myself getting farther and farther away from traditional quiltmaking. While I enjoy the traditional stuff and enjoy teaching it to folks who are just getting interested, my own work is drifting. Example: The quilt I just finished for the Museum. I started with a fine design in EQ5. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it and it would have made a nice quilt that would have brought a decent price at the auction (all proceeds go to the Museum). But the more I looked at it, I just couldn't wrap my arms around doing it. Is this how your own "voice" develops (Man, I hate those cliche'd words, but you know what I mean). So I ditched the whole idea and went in another direction without a pattern of any kind other than a small drawing. It took every technical ability I had to execute it (piecing bias against straight of grain, piecing bias against bias, applique and quilting every inch of it).

So, I'm back to the question. "Now what?" The only way to find out "what" is to get my chores finished and start cranking out new pieces. As one of my lifetime goals is to get into Quilt National, I first need to make something worthy. I think I am ready for this level of rejection now.

Time to fill up the coffee cup. Donna...your comforter will be finished today. Tell Ralph Lauren that he couldn't sew his way out of a paper bag.

Woo Hoo!

2006-05-21T12:15:00.000-04:00

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I ended up only 2 days late on the deadline. Delivered the finished project on Wednesday, May 17. The quilt will spend the summer at Lancaster Newspaper's office and then will be auctioned off in September. They have a lovely opening nite on Friday, June 2 if you happen to be in the hood!

So my DH says, "So what are you going to do now?" A tough question. Because this quilt took so long to make I haven't given it too much thought. All I've thought about for the past several months is making the deadline on it. I have much work to do toward getting AQS certification for appraisals. I really need to get some quilt ideas out of my head and onto paper or, better yet, cloth. I need to help my kids study for finals. I need to get my eyes checked. I need to embroider Turning Point logos onto some summer shirts for the staff so they don't sweat to death. Among other things. But DH is great, helping me clean up the sewing room, moving some of the stuff, and letting Roomba the robotic vacuum cleaner do its thing. I picked up the sewing machine yesterday and will now try to clean up the rest of my room and re-group. You will notice I have not said a lick about housework!;)

Post Mortem

2006-05-19T11:15:00.000-04:00

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I delivered the Rockin quilt on Wednesday. This is what has happened to my sewing space during its construction though. There is crap everywhere. I did manage to unpack the dirty clothes from Paducah (3 weeks ago), but my papers, treasures and other junk still remain in the suitcase on the floor. Very sad.

I dropped the sewing machine off at the dealer's this morning for a cleaning/overhaul. Haven't had it done since I bought it 1 1/2 years ago. Again, very sad. Even the poor cat is trying to stay out of the way by sleeping on a plastic storage box containing stuff from the table runner finale class last weekend. Shameful.

I have some domestic chores that definitely need doin'.

So now, with new found zeal, I will begin the clean-up and reorganization of my space. I just can't start anything new in it's current condition.

Last Border

2006-05-11T13:06:00.000-04:00

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Each one of these bad boys takes 3 hours to quilt. Quilted all morning, took my lunch break and now I'm mentally prepared to finish this quilt. I forgot how long it takes to make a queen size quilt. However, during the "zen" of stippling, I am able to work out some design ideas I've had for awhile. So I guess that time is useful. The quilt "was" due on Monday...It just ain't happening. Right now, my goal is to get it completed by Tuesday morning so that I can get it to the studio to have the photography done. I still have 400 inches of binding to make and sew on. If I can get all of this done, I'll be able to deliver it to the museum on Wednesday.

Where I've Been

2006-05-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

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Here's the center
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You can see the rocking chair quilted in with some freeform feathers.
Stipple, stipple, stipple.
According to my figuring, I'm about 4-5 days behind schedule. Each one of the matchstick borders that I'm working on now take about 2 hours to quilt. My husband and children have been very supportive as I've been holed away in the studio every spare minute. Will update again later this week. Not much more to say except I'm tired!

Paducah - Day 3 & 4

2006-04-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

I've been in a bunch of classes. Start at 7AM and end around 8:30 at nite. A very long day. Unfortunately, I don't have permission to publish my pics. But, we've seen some very interesting quilts. Electric Quilt class was well worth the price of admission. I learned so much. Now I can get designs in the computer instead of drawing everything.

Here are some pics I can show...
Here I am ready for another day of fun & games..
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The obligatory Quilt Show Mural pic...
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The Sneak Preview Opening...Nothing short of a mob scene...
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And dinner...THIS is Barbeque. In Cenral PA, Barbeque is similar to Manwich. This is the real McCoy from a local BBQ shack. Don't be jealous.
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Paducah - Day 2

2006-04-25T07:33:00.000-04:00

Started my day with a short jaunt to the River (the Ohio). Just plain big.
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Bordering the River is a painted wall, detailing Paducah's history. I'm guessing that the wall is intended to keep back a rising river, however, I wouldn't want to count on it. Nuthin's gonna stop that river if it decides to overflow!
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I spent most of the day at the Museum, retaking my Insurance Appraisal class. The museum is a wonderful place, and the quilts on display there are breathtaking. Right now, in addition to modern quilts, they have a display of Anita Shackleford's Red & Green antique quilts. A very nice representation. You can't take pics inside the museum...so here is the outside.
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Here is a pic of the quilt I brought for my friend Sue. We did an appraisal on it and it did kind of stump many of us on how to place value on it because it is an antique top that has been newly quilted. Two things going on at once, which makes it tricky.
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Last, here is the Trolley preparing to take quilters through the various stops in Paducah. This town really knows how to treat the quilters. Every business has quilts in the windows and are overly helpful. Had dinner at a place called Max's in town with some of my quilter cronies. Excellent wood-fired chiken pizza!

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Tuesday brings Day 2 of the Insurance Appraisal Class, a quick trip to the Rotary Club show after class (currated by my Appraisal teachers from their collections), and a Preview of the show at the Executive Inn after that.

Paducah - Day 1

2006-04-23T20:56:00.000-04:00

Paducah is not an easy place to get to. From Harrisburg, you fly to Detroit, then to Memphis, then to Paducah. After spending all day on the plane, I got to the Barkley Regional Airport (think TV show "Wings" and you have the idea). Since I'm about 5 miles away from the heart of the action in downtown Paducah, I have rented a trusty "steed". I present the Daewoo.
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Here is a lesson in economics... Small town is deluged once a year with 35,000 quilters. They come from all over. The only car rental place in town is Hertz at the Barkley Regional Airport. They have a small fleet of Daewoos. During Quilt Week, these little beauties rent for $329 per week for this fine example of automotive excellence.

Next, we have the Baymont. Today, the parking lot is nearly empty. In 2 days, you will have trouble finding a spot.

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I've been with the Baymont for 2 years. You have to make reservations this year, in hopes of getting a room next year. I am not a happy camper this year, however. I got bumped into a smoking room. It absolutely stinks. I have emptied a half bottle of Febreze heavy duty, plus the Febreze Air Spray. It smells better now. Like flowers, citrus, & cigarette smoke. Ugh.

Anyway, here are tomorrow's festivities. 9AM-4:30 PM Quilt Appraisal Class at MAQS with Gerald Roy and Bobbie Aug (they are wonderful). 6PM MAQS Friends Event at the Museum. 7PM Dinner with some of my appraisal class friends from last year. Time to get my gear ready for tomorrow and get some zzzzzz's.

Time Out

2006-04-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

I've just spent the last 4 days in Mystic, CT. What a lovely place. Because we're small biz owners, getting away is a major undertaking...usually, involving laptops, cell phones, and client files. But we did manage to pack in some terrific sights...

First, we went to Sagamore Hill...Home of Teddy Roosevelt. Nice digs...
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Then, Mystic Seaport.
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Spent 1 1/2 days touring Mystic. Went to Mystic Pizza of the movie fame. Also went to the Native American Museum near the Foxwoods Casino where they "just happened" to have a quilt exhibit!

Took a ferry from Point Judith, RI to Block Island. Here are the cliffs and the lighthouse. I could definitely live here...
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Getting it Together

2006-04-08T06:21:00.000-04:00

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One part of the process I wish I could do differently: Pin basting for quilting.
I just haven't found a better way than to do it on our deck.

First, you masking-tape the backing "wrong side up" to the deck. Then lay the batting on top. Then lay the quilt top "right side up" on top. Starting in the center, you start safety pinning every few inches. The basting process for this quilt took 2 1/2 hours and hundreds of safety pins...every pin I had!

Well it's back to the show in Lancaster for today and tomorrow, and then to begin quilting. Might even get some in tonight though.

One To Go

2006-04-05T20:38:00.000-04:00

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Finally got a chance to sit and work on the Rockin' quilt today. Shortly after this pic was taken, I finished the other border, pre-washed the batt (Hobbs Heirloom 80/20, my batt of choice), and got everything ready to pin baste on Friday afternoon on the deck (weather permitting).

The next four days are Quilters Heritage Celebration at the Lancaster Host. I'll be doing Sit-n-Sew classes at the Brubaker's Sewing booth at the Expo Center. I'm really looking forward to it. Owner Amy and her crew are a great bunch and I'm thrilled to be able to spend the show with them! If you're "in the hood", stop by and say hi!

Time Out

2006-03-27T01:43:00.000-05:00

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During the Quilter's Heritage Celebration, I'm going to be helping out my friend Amy, who owns Brubaker's Sewing in New Holland (www.brubakerssewing.com) In order to be a bit more useful, she graciously loaned me a new Pfaff 2027 to play with.

My review of the Pfaff 2027.... A very nice machine. Has all of the stitches you need...none that you don't. There wasn't one "Gosh, I wish it had that stitch" comment the entire time. Very easy to use. One thing that I liked was that almost any decorative stitch could be achieved using 1 foot, so you weren't constantly changing feet to change stitches. You could be plugging away on one stitch, punch the number of the one you wanted to change to, and keep sewing without stopping. Very nice. The other thing I liked was the built in walking foot. I didn't think I'd like it, but it is very nice. Easy to engage and disengage. All of the regular feet, are popped on and off the bottom of the presser foot, so you're changing the foot only, not the whole shank...much like my beloved Singer Creative Touch (ca. 1980)...God rest it's soul.

On this little practice piece, I ran some thicker thread in the border and thinner elsewhere. It handled everything I did to it. I think I would like it better for free motion if it was set down into a cabinet or had a large extension table. Doing the feathers was a bit hard because there wasn't anywhere to rest your left hand...it was kind of hanging off in Space. The tension for free motion was easy to adjust and I got a nice balanced stitch with very little fuss. The bobbin was easy to fill and change. I made a few buttonholes. The semi-automatic mode is the one I liked best. The holes were very nice, even and tight. The satin stitch was very impressive. It has a needle up/down built into the foot pedal which is very handy, and I used it a lot.

One other thing, besides having the stitches I use the most...zig zag and buttonhole for machine applique...it does have a mock hand quilting stitch. Very clever. You put nylon thread in the needle and whatever you want to show in the bobbin. It makes a stitch with the nylon and then pulls the bobbin thread up for a stitch, then does a nylon stitch...So you have a line of clear, color, clear, color, clear...

My final analysis...A nice moderately priced machine with everything a quilter could want. If you want a machine that can mimic crazy quilting stitches, free motion, and sew clothes without having 250 other stitches you may never use, the Pfaff 2027 should be on your "take a look at" list.

The Backside

2006-03-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

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This is the first time I've ever tried this. Hope it's not going to be more trouble than it's worth. Now it's back to the drawing board. I need to decide how to finish off the front. Purple borders, but haven't decided on some kind of setting squares or whether to forget it.

More to Dye For

2006-03-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

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I overdyed a few pieces and dyed a new piece of Kona PFD for the borders.
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Here's some waiting for a washout. A nice hot orange!
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I decided to do a pieced back on the quilt. Here are a bunch of 15" squares waiting to be sewn together.

Back to the sewing machine!

I've Outgrown the Block Butler

2006-03-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

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Got the inner border on this morning. Wrestling this quilt is beginning to be a problem. I'm at 70" now with another 20" to go.

Now...to re-dye the borders. I am going to try to overdye the 3 yard piece I dyed with the original lot and maybe a new 3 yard piece of Kona bleached PFD. Purple...My favorite color anyway...Maybe with some hints of the dark blue and fuschia. But of course...I must yield to the dye. There are no guarantees. I held up some commercial batiks I had on hand to see what looks best and the purple really won out. It corrals the other action.

This is the point in the process where my brain starts thinking about the actual quilting. I'm sure I'll be stewing about this when I should be sleeping. That's what usually happens. What color thread? What pattern? Will I mess it up?

I have enough of the mustard color to do a piped binding, so I might do that too.

Well, off to the dye pit.

The Yellow Had to Go

2006-03-20T08:33:00.000-05:00

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Too much yellow/tan...it had to go. I struggled with where to go. Even enlisted comments from DH on this. He didn't like the yellow from the beginning, but like a supportive spouse kept his comments to himself. Whatta guy.

The cat also helped make a design decision...

While the quilt was on the wall, he jumped at it and put 1/4" hole in the center. Hence the square in the center. So the next logical choice was to have some continuity to keep your eye moving around. I machine appliqued the center square and the setting triangles using nylon thread and a skinny buttonhole stitch. I then squared everything up and trimmed the fabric from behind.

I need to gain another 30" in size on this quilt. So the next step is a wonky striped border and then a larger outer border (I need to dye more fabric for the border).

My goal is to have the top completed and basted by the end of the month. That will leave three weeks in April (as I'm going to Paducah for a week) for the quilting. Then finishing the first 2 weeks of May before it comes due on May 15.

Discipline is going to be key here. So, today...I am working on work stuff this morning and then the quilt this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Where To Go???

2006-03-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

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This is part of the process that makes me nuts. Where to go? The problem with improvisational quilting is that it is just that...improvisational.

As a genuine type A, Virgo, the planner of all planners...dealing with the unknown, making a decision and sticking with it (especially if there is fusing involved!) is the pits for me.

Right now, I am leaning toward the lower right-hand corner. Maybe some appliqued feathers or something. I also thought about doing trapunto in the large open spaces. Might be too boring. Also thought about doing a bunch of funky log cabin blocks like the one that is pinned up in the middle. Starting to get bored with the squares though.

The problem is that it is about 61" square now. I really need to make a decision before it grows another 30 inches or so. Over the next few days, I'll be pinning and taking down, pinning some more and taking it down. If I do go with applique, I have to dye more fabric. And I just ordered another bolt and haven't gotten it yet. Ugh.

I know I'm going to be back down here in the middle of the night looking at this.

Making Progress

2006-03-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

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(Please ignore the other quilt in the background!)

Got some solid blocks of time this morning! I was really sweating having enough of the center fabric. I knew I should have dyed extra, but didn't...and I used nearly every scrap. This kind of improvisational piecing is really what I enjoy the most. I get totally absorbed in the process. Solving problems along the way. Hoping for the best. Fearing the worst as well.

Proof That We Have Survived

2006-03-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

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There are three things that remind me that we have survived another winter. One are these snowbells. The first little flowers that show up around here. The second (which hasn't happened yet) is what I call "The Greening of the Willow Canes". There are a few weeping willow trees nearby whose branches begin to turn a limey green as the weather warms. And last, when the sign appears that Bohringers hamburger stand will open for the season on March 17. Bohringers is one of those little hamburger stands from the '50's that somehow has survived. You eat out on picnic tables. They make their own ice cream (lemon is the best). The place is always mobbed.

Now on to quilt stuff. I began working on the center of my Rockin Squares project. I'm happy with the colors so far (although the 3 yard panel I dyed for the borders may be too light and will have to be overdyed.) As you can see, though, the cat likes what I've done so far!
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Big Change of Plans

2006-03-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

I just wasn't happy with what I had come up with for the Rockin Lancaster Project. Not happy at all. Sure, it looked fine, but I knew in my heart it wasn't me. It didn't push my abilities. So I drew this...
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Now, keeping the "best laid plans of mice and men" in mind, it may not end up looking like this at all. But it will be pretty improvisational. So knowing that this is where I needed to go...A fabric dying day was in order...

Here is the "Pre-Game" show... (Note the unused scale in the background!)
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Here is a scary sight...Safety First!
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And 17 yards later....
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Finally!

2006-03-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

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I finally got to work through a bunch of designs and color combinations. I believe I have finally settled on one!

I decided to work in close values in one of my favorite combinations...blue, gold, rust, green. This is most likely going to require a trip to the fabric store! I am also planning to do a pieced back...maybe bars.

The finished product should be about 95" square (sorry folks, no "pillow tuck"). This project needs to be completed by May 15th, when it will be on tour for the summer and then get auctioned in September. The proceeds will support the quilt collections at the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum. In my usual work style, I have waited much too long to get started, but will get it finished somehow.

Say a prayer.

Oh, and here is a new pic of Lucky...He is a big, bad cat and king of the castle.
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Death & Taxes

2006-02-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

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It is 1:30 in the afternoon. I've been awake since 3:30 AM. And Uncle Sam has been the cause of my sleeplessness. Because we own a small company, taxes (really the recordkeeping of the taxes) take a huge bite of my time. I do all of the quarterly payroll & sales tax for the company. At the end of the year, I roll it all up and send it to our accountant to do the year end returns. So, in the wee hours of the morning, I start churning about getting all of the paperwork, files, spreadsheets, etc. ready for the accountant. So downstairs I headed and began slogging through the work. I've been working steadily all morning...the result is pictured above. A whole year of my life is now in this Fed Ex envelope. Kind of depressing.

The good news is that it is done. I have a clean slate work-wise. I hope to get some quilt work completed now....but must have large cup of coffee first!

Practice

2006-02-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

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Here is my accomplishment for Saturday, when I volunteered at the museum...doing a machine quilting demo. With me were Cindy Garman (a fab hand-quilter) and Betty Jean (doing bobbin lacemaking). This is the poor quilt that was handquilted and then ripped out (see the January blog entry on "Junk Day". Nylon smoke thread on top and metrosene on the back. I drew the spine and kind of "winged it" on the feathers. A few feathers are a bit wonky, but this is practice and I don't care too much.

My goal is to get ready for the large quilt I'm making for the Museum to auction off. I don't do this kind of more heirloom-esque machine quilting often, so I need to get in the groove.

Help Send a Poor Appraisal Student to School

2006-02-17T18:09:00.000-05:00

If you're heading to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Fest, be sure to stop by and see Amy at Brubaker's Sewing. Not only are these the nicest people around, but they are graciously selling my fabric at fabulous prices.

Here it is all ready to deliver to Brubaker's tomorrow. This also proves that exercise equipment is useful for many things!
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Old Man Winter Returns

2006-02-12T17:40:00.000-05:00

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I really thought we'd get through this winter without getting dumped on...
The house looks so cute in the snow...after spending three hours clearing the "driveway from hell". Winters can be very tough here.
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Even the birds got a "lid" of snow.
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Pets have the right idea. "Hmmm. I'll just stay inside and watch my humans bust their butts."
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But the view off the back deck is beautiful and makes up for 11 inches of wet heavy snow. You can see the mountains outline through the trees.
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Snow is good for some things!

Tablerunner Part Deux

2006-01-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

We had three lovely ladies at class yesterday. And I left my camera at home...Duh. Anyway, we are getting together again, hopefully in Feb, to finish their project. Pineapples can take a long time; everyone got two out of the three blocks finished.

Today, I am working on client scripts and kids homework. DH is off to a commercial shoot. And I decided to indulge the boys and I to pancakes for breakfast. If you have time and the buttermilk, make 'em from scratch. The recipe in your old Betty Crocker cookbook works well. If you don't have time, the BEST mix (uses a bit of oil, water, and an egg) is the one from Maple Grove Farms of Vermont. You'll find it next to all of the Aunt Jemima mixes, except it'll probably be the most expensive one on the shelf. But for the few times I indulge, it's absolutely worth having it around.

This week is going to be another hairy one at the office, but my goal is to have a Toaster Cover completed by next Saturday.

Hotdogs Again

2006-01-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

It has been a wicked week. Way too much going on at work. Husband gone on a two day shoot with all but me and one other employee to run the show. So the kids are getting hot dogs again tonight.

My oldest, Max, has a favorite "poison meat stick". His is Nathans. I find it a bit too slender and spicy for my liking. I like the dogs you get at the ballpark. Nothing quite tastes like them. I have tried various means and brands to get that ballpark dog, but have been unsuccessful.

I really hate resorting to a delightful meal like hotdogs, but it is a necessity this week. The gourmet has left the building.

I am teaching a class ("Pineapple Table Runner") at the Museum tomorrow. Six are signed up. I have the chocolate and the door-prizes, so we're set. Hopefully, they'll let me take pics.

My Guilty Pleasure

2006-01-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

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Okay...I love creating art and interesting, soulful pieces...
But if you want mindless instant gratification...Nothing beats the embroidery module on my sewing machine. Pull a design, burn it to a CD, suck it into the sewing machine, hoop your fabric, press a button and sip coffee. It tells you when you need to change thread colors. I love the pretty thread colors. Sulky is so pretty. I know everyone is using Isacord these days (I have some of that too), but I really love Sulky.

The above pic is the start to a center to a toaster cover/tea cozy class sample. My goal is to see how many interesting toaster covers/tea cozys I can make without going plum crazy. I decided to start with something rather traditional and move on to something dangerous

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Here is the finished design. I really am a sewing machine junkie. These new machines are just way too much fun. I figure it this way...I don't buy tons of clothes, go to bars (much), or spend lots of $ getting stuff done to my hair or nails. This is my guilty pleasure...Sewing machines, fabric and thread.

Saturday Outing

2006-01-15T07:07:00.000-05:00

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Decided to venture out to the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg. I haven't been there since I was in 7th grade and decided that the children deserved the same experience. The place grew since I was there last...a huge maze of connected buildings with three arenas inside. We viewed all of the farm equipment and then moved on to the animals. Above is a sassy looking chicken. Below is a shot of four cows...one with no head.
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And this...is what you had to walk through in places. By this time, we were ready to leave.
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And since this is a quilt blog, I offer my quilt for the guild's charity project this year.
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I decided to try out the quilting designs on my sewing machine's embroidery module. It turned out relatively okay, but re-hooping every 8 inches or so was annoying.
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I finished up the directions for the Pineapple Table Runner this week and plan to get to some new stuff next week. Hmmm... Maybe actually create some art! Now there's an idea!

Junk Day

2006-01-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

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I couldn't decide if this image looked like a scene from Sanford & Son or the Beverly Hillbillies. This truck is enroute to Ephrata Recycling. DH finally decided to clean out stuff and take it to the dump. Items include his beloved gas grill that finally bit it this past summer, old patio set, rusted Radio Flyer wagon, various computer guts, and my file cabinet that collapsed on itself about a month ago.

It is truly a very cleansing act. The garage is already looking better.

Next cleanout is a piece I lovingly call Caesura.
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It lacks...well, everything. It has been hanging here on the Block Butler for a year. I started hand quilting it, but stopped. I am going to try some paint or something. I just don't know. There is something I like about it, but the size is all wrong. It just needs some sort of resolution. Possibly as a new cat blanket.

And last but not least....
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This is a quilt I made for the sole purpose of having something to handquilt when I do demo days at the Textile Museum. I love the colors, but I made a bad choice in batting. It is difficult to hand quilt between the tight weave of the batik and this batting from hell. Actually after doing a 3 hour quilting shift, my hand just aches. So last night when I should have been sleeping, I was secretly plotting to disect the quilt. This kills me, but is necessary. I will take out all of the handquilting I've done so far, spray it down to tighten up the weave and get some of the water-soluable marks off, get a new batting (I'm thinking about using one of the new Heritage Collection from Mountain Mist, either Touch of Wool or Touch of Cashmere), hand baste it (which I despise...I love my safety pins), and start again. It must be done...it is messing with my chi.

Discipline

2006-01-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

Reading everyone else's resolutions for the year, leaves me compelled to leave my own right here on this here blog.

My resolution for this year is to try to be more disciplined.

The first area of my new found discipline will be to lose weight. (I think everyone has this one on their list.) After going through a host of eating issues in my early 20's and being fashionably emaciated for years, slowly but surely the weight has crept on. I cannot blame it any longer on having a baby, as Max is now 15. (It was always a great excuse, too.) I will try to accomplish this by limiting my intake. This, I am finding, is a challenge. I love to cook and I love to eat more. In the past few years, though, I have noticed that I'm sluggish and lacking energy. I have to believe that the extra love handles, thigh handles, butt...well you get the idea...is much to blame for my current condition.

The second area I want to work on is discipline at work. I work with my husband, and even though we had 2 other employees besides him and me, I have been getting sucked more and more into the business, in addition to dealing with the house, kids, homework, oh, and my businesses of teaching, appraising, and creating. This past year I have been going out on more sales calls and producing, in addition to the accounting and tax stuff. So we hired a new guy to help. He started yesterday. So now we have 3 employees and hopefully can get them to the level where they can handle things so that I can concentrate more on my businesses. Hey we might even get a vacation that doesn't have to involve just a Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday.

The third (if you've made it this far, you should be sainted) area of discipline will be my quilt businesses. I'm heading back to Paducah this spring for more classes in preparation to hopefully sit for my AQS Certification exam some year. I've been studying a lot on my own and taking every opportunity to do appraisals. I have an exciting opportunity coming up on April 1, where I'll be assisting Trish Herr and Dawn Heefner with a Quilt Conservation day at the Textile Museum. I am really looking forward to it...a fabulous opportunity to observe two of the best textile historians in the biz.

I also want to develop some works to enter into shows. I didn't enter anything last year and it really bothered me.

My plan to accomplish #2 & 3 (because they are closely related) is to start by devoting half days to the TV biz and the Quilt biz. Hopefully, this will at least get the ball rolling and get me in the groove of cleanly switching gears.

So, that's it, I've said it...now to see if I can do it!

Making Things...

2005-12-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

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It feels good to be sewing again. I find that when I don't sew, I start feeling a little crazy. The children are in their electronics-induced comas (i.e., videogames) so I try to use the time as efficiently as possible...oh, and put in a load of wash, fold the wash, plan a New Year's Eve dinner for friends (who thankfully don't care what the house looks like!), update the website finally, and yada, yada, yada.

This is a pic of a project I'll be teaching at the Lancaster Heritage Museum on January 28th. If you have always wanted to learn to make traditional blocks the easy way, please come join me. At my classes, we sew, chat, eat chocolate, and such...generally have a pleasant day whilst learning about foundation piecing.

I've also been spending time with Electric Quilt. I have my new project for the Lancaster Quilt Museum in the works and will post the preliminary drawings soon. After much soul-searching, I am going to attempt some kind of queen-size quilt. I want it to be "me", but want to make something that will have broad appeal so that it brings the Museum lots of $$. As quilt artists, I guess we sometimes have to walk that fine line between "the art" and "commercialism". My plan (which seems to change hourly) is to take a traditional design, "rock" the blocks (to keep in the Rockin' Lancaster theme), and use my hand-dyes as accents to the bold colors of the Amish traditions of our area. Like last year, I'll be keeping my progress on-line at my website. Please check it out in the coming weeks to see the thrill of victory and agony of defeat.

Where I've Been

2005-12-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

So much to do...so little time. Unfortunately, Threadnest had to take a back seat.

Whaz happenin?

1. Learning about Medicare and Home Health Care for an ill parent.
2. Major bathroom renovation. (This, of course, began with a small crack in a 30 year old fiberglass tub and led to "Well if we're gonna do "this", then we might as well do "that".
3. Cat suspected of a horrible terminal cat illness, but was then cleared (after an expensive vet bill)
4. Homework and projects with 2 children.
5. Charity quilt for the Guild
6. Drunkard's Path quilt top (very cutesy colors)for DH's grandchild (supposed to be a girl...ended up a boy...so much for the pink & lime quilt)
7. Learning Electric Quilt
8. Taught a class
9. Made class samples
10. Making more class samples
11. Firmed up teaching schedule with Lanc Quilt & Textile Museum
12. Invited to participate in Museum's Art Fundraiser
13. Doing appraisals and studying.

I will have some pics soon. Life has just been insane. The good kind of insane, but insane just the same!

Good Times...Bad Times...Rag Time

2005-10-09T18:53:00.000-04:00

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I can hear you now..."What on God's green earth were you thinking?" Here's the story behind this (ah-hem) beauty. I made one of these last year for a friend with a serious illness. Before I could get it in the box and shipped, my husband grabbed it and said, "This is nice...would you make me one?" Now, coming from my artsy husband (far more artsy than me and a great supporter of my quilting stuff), I was surprised. Perhaps it was the soft comfy flannel had temporarily sucked out his brain. "Of course," I said. This required an expensive trip to Sauders to buy the fabric for his "woobie" and other nice quilting cottons that I didn't need. The pile of flannel has been sitting since then. Since the Purple Martin hoopla and September classes/lectures are over, I decided that October would be the month I would get things in order and complete some long overdue projects (mending, Scout badge sewing, and of course the woobie). Little did my husband know that I had decided that I would never make one of these things again. But for him? Well...So look out David Letterman...Here's my list...

THE TOP TEN REASONS RAG QUILTS ARE A MAJOR PAIN

1. They take a lot of fabric (at least 12 yards)
2. They are boring to make (cut 8" squares of flannel, sandwich 7" square of batting, and sew, sew, sew...I made 157 squares
3. They are expensive to make (see #1)
4. They are hard on your sewing machine (lint)
5. They are hard on your hands (clip, clip, clip and clip some more)
6. They are hard on your washing machine (heavy & thread-shedding)
7. They are hard on your dryer (clean out lint and fuzz every 5 minutes or set your house on fire)
8. Flannel doesn't come in any great colors, so your quilt might look weird (see photo)
9. It's really hard to plan any kind of design, so your quilt might look weird (see photo)
10. Did I mention that they are expensive and boring to make?

I started last week and finished yesterday. Just in time for DH's birthday tomorrow. But was I done yet? As the Black-Eyed Peas would say "No, No, No, No!" Here is a cat mat to protect Lucky's favorite chair in the bedroom.

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But, wait, there's more! Here is one of two attractive plant mats! Martha, eat your heart out!

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So that's it. All obligations have been fulfilled for now. I'll be finishing a new class sample this week!

The Purple Martin Gala

2005-10-02T13:17:00.000-04:00

The Purple Martin House Project final auction and gala was held at a lovely spot in Lancaster. Here I am with the nice folks from the Museum. The room was decked out in all of it's purple finery, with delicious munchies and purple martin martinis (which went down waaaay too easy!)
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The auction consisted of 33 items. Most of them were Purple Martin Houses made by a local Amish craftsman and painted by the artists. We were also permitted to execute the theme in our own medium.
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One of the many amazing pieces was a redware martin house.
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Here I am saying goodbye to my quilt. It went to a nice family.
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The auction fetched $45K for the Museum and I was so honored to be a part of the project.

At It Again

2005-09-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

Had a dyeing day last Monday. Did about 20 yards of fabric and a dozen socks (to use up the extra dye!) Here's how I normally do things...In all sorts of plastic lids (like sheet cake lids)...
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My son Max had just come home from a camping trip and had trash bags all over the deck from his gear. So I thought...Why not dye the fabric in a trash bag? Here is a piece of Kona Bleached PFD and a piece of Roc-lon Nature's Dyeable Unbleached.
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Then I squirted strong dye solution all over the place.
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Rolled it up like a jelly roll and squeezed the tube.
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Let it sit overnight because I was too tired to deal with it. And voila! I got some really nice patterns. And the process seemed to use less dye.
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This dyeing business takes constant experimentation!

Woo Hoo! My Quilt's in Fiberarts Magazine

2005-08-15T16:44:00.000-04:00

Just got my new issue of Fiberarts magazine and there on page 9 is my quilt, "Homecoming", and a small article about the Purple Martin Project. Way cool!
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The Fair...Part Deux

2005-08-15T16:11:00.000-04:00

I promised more pics....Here is one of the side show attractions....This lady hangs by her hair whilst doing all sorts of things...Gave me a headache just watching!

Ahh...my personal favorite....This is as close to a Wall of Death as we get
around here....Motorcycle guys in an iron cage...

Here is a display of the Grange Cookery area depicted with Barbies & Kens

Always a crowd pleaser....the Angel Food Cake contest!

And last but certainly not least...the winners of the Small Vegetable Arrangement contest.

So...that's enough excitement for one day...
The next fair is the Bowers Chili Pepper Festival in September!

The Reading Fair

2005-08-14T12:55:00.000-04:00

I promised pics from the Reading Fair (proun: Redding). Here are half of the pics: Here are my sons about to ride a carnival ride put together by someone with a 4th Grade education:

Next, we have the awards for 3 canned vegetables. These folks get my admiration. I find it much easier to spend $1 for a can of beets.

On to the quilt barn...They had a display of antique quilts...I love the snappy redwork one.

Best pumpkin is below....

Here is the back end of my son, while his father (gray hair) is about to be eaten by a blow-up T-Rex

And last but certainly not least....Best of Show Garlic. Stand by...more tomorrow!

Leftovers are Good

2005-08-10T14:01:00.000-04:00

Decided to make something with the leftovers from the One-Yard Hearts class. Free-cutting, fused, wave quilted with variegated thread. I really love the freedom of just cutting up fused fabric and playing with it. Problem is, like everyone else, I seldom give myself the luxury of time. Too many things to do, deadlines to meet, cats to neuter (just one today...Lucky isn't so lucky today).

But I will take time later today to attend the Reading Fair....Ah yes, a truly cultural event. Ending with what is touted as the "World's Largest Demolition Derby" tonight at 7:30. The upside is that I will have the opportunity to risk food poisoning and artery disease by feeding my family "fair food" tonight. Also, we'll get to see what the locals have to offer in prize-winning zuchini. The downside is that my kids will insist on riding fair rides that have been put together by some scary looking individuals.

Fairs are a big deal in these parts. Every little town or borough has their own, complete with prizes of $3 for "Best" whatever. They are truly a slice of life and an interesting place to people watch. So I hope to have some pics tomorrow!

2005-08-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

I have finally gotten to work on some class samples. This is called One Yard Hearts. The nice people at Brubaker's Sewing Center (www.brubakerssewing.com) are hosting the class on September 24th. Just a half day of cutting and fusing with one yard of multi-colored fabric. Very freeing and a lot of fun.

I just got a new batch of dye powder from Pro Chemical along with some Print Paste Mix which I have never tried. I've done some color work with dye sticks, but didn't like the crayon-y lines. I'm hoping to get some better results with dye thickened with the Mix. I'll either have great results...or a huge mess. Some of my messes have been legendary. Like the time I tried to use basting spray on a twin size quilt on the deck. The wind blew up one corner and not thinking, I stepped on it. Then I stepped on it again with my other foot to free up the already stuck foot. It got worse from there. The batt ended up stuck together. I had leaves and other tree leavings stuck to my feet, which of course ended up lodged in the batt. I ended up calling in reinforcements (husband) to help me get the thing flat again.

Yup...you live...you learn.

Teenagers

2005-07-25T12:08:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest teenager to grace our home. His name is Lucky (so much for inventive cat names).

The story goes like this. I'm riding a trolley in Paducah during the show, when the cell phone rings from my husband. "Howz it going? Well, something happened today." In my pessimistic mind, I'm thinking "He was in an accident. Something happened to one of the kids...(and the list of horrors goes on from there)".

He says "Well during the shoot today (he was doing a commercial for a city-wide clean up project), some kids found three kittens under an abandoned car. I brought one home and we're feeding it cat milk from the pet store."

(Note: I really wasn't looking for a cat. I wanted a Yorkshire Terrier. We had already had a bad experience with a stray tom cat for about 4 months. We had to relocate him (i.e., Animal Rescue League) because he was getting the crap kicked out of him by some neighborhood cat and he wasn't happy to remain a housecat. See February blog).

Given the other horrific things that could have happened, a small cat seemed harmless enough. When I arrived back from AQS, I was introduced to our new family member (he was so small he looked like a large hamster). I honestly didn't know if he was going to make it. But as luck would have it, he has grown into a sassy teenager cat.

Our home now belongs to him and he is allowing us to live in it. Any tips from "cat people" would be appreciated, as I am finding myself becoming one of your kind.

Homeless Fabric Finds Loving Home

2005-06-20T10:11:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were visiting from Missouri and Texas respectively. We did all of the tourist things and shopped till we dropped. Look at what I came home with! The Bird In Hand Country Store in the village of Bird In Hand was having a sale. I'm working on my charity quilt for our guild and will post my progress soon!!!

Wha Happund?????

2005-06-13T15:38:00.000-04:00

All of my type got "downsized". It was fine yesterday. Then you needed a magnifying glass to read it!!!! And I didn't touch the html...I really didn't. So I changed my template, thinking that would solve the problem, but in the process lost the code for the Artful Quilters webring. Ugh.

The Opening

2005-06-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

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Last evening was the opening for the Purple Martin House Project. My offering, "Homecoming", will be displayed in the lobby of the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum. Here I am with some visitors at last nite's event (I'm in the blue jacket w/glasses). Silent bids are being taken in person and over the web (see www.lancasterheritage.com for more info).
It was such an honor to be part of the project and see the wonderful work of many artists. They also had a very lovely reception! All of the proceeds go to help support the museum. The next big event is the live auction to be held September 24, 2005.

Next project.....I have 5 quilts to appraise and photograph. Getting to look at other people's quilts is the best job in the world!

The Dangers of Multi-Tasking

2005-05-27T18:27:00.000-04:00

It seemed simple enough. Make the basting concoction for the chicken and make hummingbird food. My son Max said he saw one flying eye-level at the deck door looking for the feeder. The hummingbird food is 1 cup water to 1 1/2 cups gran. sugar. Cook till clear.

The basting concoction...I'm letting you in on a secret. This is what Esther (the Mennonite cleaning lady at my last job) uses at all the chicken barbeques her church does for fund raisers. Take one stick of butter. Stick it in a pyrex measuring cup and melt it in the microwave. Take some apple cider vinegar and pour in until you can kind of smell it above the butter. Add plenty of salt (I use kosher) and black pepper. Mix together and baste the chicken while it is grilling. Esther puts it in a spray bottle. I tried it, but as the butter cooled, it started clogging. PS: Drinking wine during the grilling process also helps.

So I had the hummingbird food cooling on the stove in a small saucepan and the measuring cup of Esther's chicken juice on the counter. Whoops! I forgot the pepper! Went to the pantry. Couldn't find the black pepper, but found the white pepper. Took off the lid and dumped a good shaker-full in the hummingbird food.

It's been a long week.

The Classical Music/Warner Brothers Connection

2005-05-24T08:03:00.000-04:00

Last night was my son's orchestra concert. He's been playing violin since 3rd grade (he's now finishing 8th grade). Anyway, my other son Dylan (who's on the autism spectrum) and I were sitting in the audience. The orchestra delves into a shakey, but respectable, version of the Barber of Seville. Dylan leans over and says...."Mom...Isn't that the Bugs Bunny Barbershop music?"

I remember waking up Saturday mornings to watch the Bugs Bunny Show with my brother and sister in the '60s/early '70s. All of those great cartoons...and they stand up to the test of time. Because here I am with one son playing the music and one able to recognize it from a classic cartoon.

We Have Lift-Off

2005-05-18T07:28:00.000-04:00

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The Martin quilt is finished. Sewed on the binding and label while sitting at Hawk Mountain, waiting for my son at a scout meeting. It was such a beautiful day, I didn't realize I was roasting my arms. On Monday, I took it down to the folks at Lancaster Heritage and turned it over to the lovely Helene Tingle...a fabulous supporter of the arts. Many of the other artists invited to participate in the project are decorating actual wooden martin houses made by a local Amish craftsman. I got to see many of them and they are wonderful.

The opening of the Purple Martin House Project is Friday, June 3, at 5PM. If you're in the 'hood, you really should come see the houses, hooked rugs, quilts and redware--all with the Purple Martin House theme!

A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do

2005-05-11T15:11:00.000-04:00

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Between yesterday and today, I've dyed 30 yards of fabric. I have also ruined 2 sets of underpants. I'm a messy dyer. Sure, I can do the sweet neat baggie thing, but nothin' beats gettin' in there elbow deep with my Playtex Living Gloves! Had my annual Gyn appointment at noon and had to explain the colors all over myself. Since I only dye during decent weather, I have to really go for the gusto from time to time until it gets too cold. I did 15 yards of unbleached and 15 yards of bleached mercerized. I have one more load to go in the washer and then it's to the ironing board. Now I have some fabric for the website, which I hope to get up next week.

I Quilted and Quilted Some More

2005-05-08T09:49:00.000-04:00

Eight hours of quilting later.....
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The quilting on this quilt had me in a tizzy. With the appliques all over the place in no particular order? What to do, What to do? I consulted my members of my family...explaining what I hand in mind. "What would you think if I did (fill in the blank)?" The formula (or lack of one) went like this...In the Ditch around every applique and background triangle. Light triangles=straight lines using presser foot as guide. Dark triangles=my grafitti style, which includes stipple, flowers, squiggles, feather fronds, and words.

Today, I bind. Goal is to get this done today. I'm planning to dye fabric this week, as we're getting a warm spell. Finally!!!!

Everybody's Got Their Method and Here's Mine

2005-04-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

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There are as many ways to temporarily make a quilt stay together as there quilters. Here's the way I do it. This is my Deck Basting Method. You need masking tape, safety pins, and a deck. First you tape down the backing (wrong side up), then you tape down the batting, and finally tape down the top. Caution: This method does not work well in areas where there are many birds overhead and lousy weather does impede your progress.

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The real beauty of this method is in the pinning. The spaces between the deck boards are just the right size for the pins to go between! Voila! You have a quilt in bondage, ready to quilt....Which is what I'm doing now...This is due in 2 weeks. Yikes!

Hedonism

2005-04-28T10:23:00.000-04:00

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Where else in the world can you wander down a lovely tree-lined street, eating chocolate thimbles and buttons, view some of the most famous quilts in the world, buy antique quilts at very decent prices, shop at tons of quilt fabric and gadget vendors....And then return to your hotel room to watch a channel dedicated to nothing but quilting shows? Ahhh....Paducah!!!!

Yes, Brothers and Sisters, I have returned from the Holy Land. It was an incredible week, filled with wonderful new friends and terrific experiences. Getting to Paducah is not so easy. A full day of travel (3 planes). In the future, if I had a room mate, I would consider driving. Depending on your class schedule, you need a car (unless you are lucky enough to get a room at the Executive Inn). I was at the Baymont Inn, about 5 miles out of town--A pleasant enough place with a decent Continental Breakfast (free). My classes started Monday...and the busses didn't start until later in the week. So I had to rent a car....a fully loaded Dawoo. I honestly didn't know they were still making them. This particular model had roll-up windows and a ride like you were sitting on a skateboard. But it did get me where I needed to go, when I wanted to go.

My classes with Bobbie Aug and Gerald Roy were fantastic. Wonderfully gracious, entertaining, and knowledgeable. I also had classes with Chris Moline and Carol Butzke--they, too, were a delight. The week went by too fast. Besides the classes, I think what I enjoyed most was looking at the quilts in the Museum of the AQS. Seeing the quilts in magazines is one thing, seeing them "in person" is something else. There was a Hollis exhibit--breathtaking. She came to our Fair Market Value class and talked about her work. I also got to see her at the museum during a break, where she was talking about her art.

During one free afternoon riding on the trolley, I met up with Anyx Mercado...a quilt artist with a studio downtown. She invited me back to her temporary studio. Her permanent location is part of the Artist Relocation Program. This is such a terrific program. The folks who came up with it are to be commended. The guy at Hertz (yes, they were responsible for the Dawoo) told me that 20 years ago, you could buy an empty lot in Paducah for $1500. He said the downtown was a "hole". Paducah has transformed itself to a lovely up and coming tourist spot.

The show itself was great....lots of quilts....lots of vendors. Of particular note....Mary Koval's booth with antique quilts (she was so nice, talking about her quilts and prices, and allowing us to look at anything we wanted...She also helped me pick out a great piece of copperplate and toile). Another great vendor was Xenia and the nice folks at Legacy Quilts (who gave us tips on how to get fabric samples and split them with other appraisal students). AND lastly, I had the opportunity to view Melody Johnson's Triumph of Tulips (one of the winners) in all of it's glory. The pictures don't do it justice.

So that is it for me...I am taking the classes for credit through West KY Tech College and must write a paper for everything I took. I have 4 completed....3 to go by the end of the week. I also will begin quilting the Martin Quilt this week...as it is due in about 2 weeks. Gotta get to work.