~ Zany Quilter ~

Vintage Sheet Winner and Quilt Retreat!!

2012-02-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

I used the random number generator and #3 is the winner...

The winner is Brittany!! I'll be contacting you for mailing info!! Congrats...

The Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild is doing it's first retreat this weekend in Southeren Utah. Not to brag or anything, but check out the digs.... TheSuiteRetreat....A-frickin-mazing! Thanks to Andrea for finding such a lovely place to stay.... Be sure you click on it....really!

I need to get my stuff together, find some clothes and projects and booze... Yeah!! ;-)

More sheets...

2012-02-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

I worked on ripping some of my full size sheets into fat quarter-like rectangles. Ripping is very interesting, once you get past the first rip. Because the first rip straightens out the grain-line (is that the right word) of the fabric, you will get a wonky rip most of the time. So I save the bigger wonky parts for something later...

I followed Jeni's advice on sheet ripping...and on sheet shopping. It is no secret that if I could grow young again I'd want to be her.... ;-) She is having a sale this weekend, on a side note...

I thought I'd do a litte giveaway for 16 assorted, wonderfully colorful vintage sheet fat quarters....

These are all from my full-size sheet stash...mostly purchased on Ebay or local thrift shops. The sheets were soaked/washed in a slurry of Oxyclean, Tide and Downy... Honestly, they are ready to use!! If you are interested, please leave a comment... I'll pick on Tuesday evening and mail it out on Wednesday. You could be quilting using vintage sheets by the weekend! Good luck...

Some great ideas for vintage sheets are available on the Vintage Sheet Blog...or search the groups on flicker for Vintage Sheet quilts/swaps, etc.....lovely eye candy there!!

Using it...

2012-01-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

I already feel like a quilting rock start with my new design wall....I sort of have a drunken, haphazard mess of HST on the wall yet I feel like a genius?? LOL...

I wonder if they will stick on there all night long...or will I find a pile of HST on the floor tomorrow??? Hmmm....

Happy Quilting....

Awesome design wall...

2012-01-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well, won't you look at that??? My very own design wall....We used the tutorial from Oh, Fransson...We cut the 4'x8' sheets of foam into 4'x6' sheets...and seamed together with duct tape.

My Dad...measuring....

Instead of just pushing the foam onto the nails, we dug out the back of the foam a bit and inserted these things that you put on the bottoms of chair legs...just so the design wall wouldn't slowly rip through the foam and slide down the wall--it is a wee bit heavy...

Seamed the front with duct tape....in retrospect, should have gone with clear tape...turns out that batting isn't as thick as you might think!! LOL...

So here I am painting the center line so it doesn't show through the batting....I'm really not that fat...the camera adds about 30 pounds you know....

Ta da....final dimensions are 6' tall and 8' across....It is covered in Warm 'n White batting...stapled and taped on the back side....

Pretty frickin' awesome, huh?? Happy B-day to me....You know, I'm turning 39 again!!

Me and my dog Buddy....Trying out the Rosie the Riveter look...Rebecca says it's more like Aunt Jemima...what a hater!!!

Anyhow, that is all for now!! There is no excuse for me not making something really awesome in the near future... maybe we can look forward to Design Wall posts...

Happy Quilting!

Vintage sheets...

2012-01-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

...are an addiction!! I just love the pics on Flickr (search for vintage sheet groups). Every day the doorstep has a few packages--fat quarters from Etsy, sheets from Ebay...I need to stop, but I can't!! Check it out...

I know there is a little bit of creep factor if you think about the fact that someone might have (most likely) slept on these sheets at some point in time. But after a hot wash, some Oxyclean, Downy and Bounce....well, they are reborn!! The colors can be soft or vivid (some sheets are sold new in the package)... It is very interesting...maybe I'll do a FQ vintage sheet giveaway soon....

My last day of the design floor is today...tomorrow my Dad is going to help me set up my new design wall!! I've always wanted one but never had the space.... Our new house has lots of rooms and I now have plenty of space in my sewing room.... Bite me Freddie Mac!! This is the PITA quilt that I'm making for my Mom....LOL...Beware of free online patterns...you get what you pay for!!

I still love fabric from the quilt shop, but for an old-timer, trying something different is refreshing!! Just wait and see what I make from my sheets....if I stop online shopping!!

Design table...

2012-01-16T21:58:00.000-08:00

Damn, I need a design wall!! Dad...help! I bought the foam boards today at Home Depot and they wouldn't fit in the car...so I had to go back in and return them. That sucked...LOL...

Here are some of my HST vintage sheet blocks on the table. It was late at night and the lighting is bad, but you'll ge the picture...

Anyhow, how much fun is this? So much fun that I've been online shopping for vintage sheets--I spent wayyyyy too much money this weekend on old linens! I-must-stop-going-on-Ebay! I read that people can find nice vintage sheets at their local thrift shops...I haven't had that experience. I can find lots of shirts--but no cute vintage sheets. None. None. So I'm forced to pay way TOO much online, but it is worth it, right??

Ryan had the flu all weekend so I stayed in and got some cutting, sewing and painting done (in between cleaning up vomit). I almost thought that I was looking forward to returning to work tomorrow...but then I remembered what is like and the feeling passed!!

Happy sewing!

Vintage Sheet LOVE!

2012-01-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

I'm so inspired by the Jeni's blog In Color Order... she is young, talented, has an obviously great understanding of color and she makes me want to go back and be 20-something again!! Such energy and such a promising future in quilting, in my opinion...

Anyhow, I've been reading her posts about using vintage sheets for quilts and I decided to take the plunge. Here are pics of my recent purchases... Most have come from Etsy shops (search vintage sheets or vintage sheet fat quarters) and a few from Ebay. Rebecca bought me some for my birthday and I bought some during a few late night online shopping expeditions...

It is definitely different than working with quilt shop cottons. They smell like polyester when you iron them...but they don't need to be ironed coming out of the dryer. They are different weights...depending on use, or original fabric. I think most are part cotton/part poly... I really need some orange, green and purple to round out my stash. I've also ordered full size sheets from Ebay for backings, borders, backgrounds, etc.

You know, I love working with the plaid shirt fabrics for manly quilts--this is the girly version of that idea, I think. I'll let you see what I'm working on as soon as I get some more HSTs together!!

Happy Quilting....

Block Swap...

2012-01-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

We are doing a Block Party-like swap at the LVMQG. I made my blocks for Sharon...but I can't remember the name of the line of fabric?? Anyone???

There are actually two blocks there...they are not sewn up the center. ;-) This was an interesting block... What is that fabric??? Ack!!!

EDIT: My friend Cola sent me the link to the fabric: From Little Things...Thanks, Cola!!!

http://www.sarahfielke.com/products/fromlittlethingsfabric/

The LVMQG is planning a retreat to Utah in about a month. I need to get together some "kits" of my own so I have something to work on... I've never been on a retreat before but I'm sooooo excited!!

Happy Quilting...

My pillow!

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

The LVMQG hosted a pillow swap and all of our finished pillows were revealed last Thursday. We each picked an "inspiration fat quarter" from Quiltique and exchanged it with another guild member. My pillow was made by Sharon from Sew Extreme... I LOVE it!! Mine is the one in the front, with the white background and pink/orange strips. It looks like a books on a shelf to me... :-)

I'm sort of inspired to make another pillow for the guest room...we'll see when I can get the time to get that done! I had to steal this photo from the LVMQG site because I never can seem to get a picture during the day when the light is good. I usually blog at night and without a good daytime pic I'm screwed! I wrote this post several days ago but with out the pic...well, what good is a post with no picture??

Thanks, Sharon!!

LVMQG Pillow Swap

2011-12-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics of my pillow...the first pillow I've made in over 20 years!!

My swap partner picked a FQ of the green fabric that is fussy cut on the right side...the "Josef Mar...." fabric. I added the other greens and some linen fabric that I had around and Ta-Da!! My partner requested "traditional colors, modern design" and I hope I hit the mark :-)

The reveal/swap is tonight...I'll show the pillow I receive on my blog tomorrow!!

Happy Holidays!!

2011-12-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

I'm back...and sewing. It has been a while since I've posted or sewn anything--but I have a lot of great changes to tell you about!!

First, we moved to a much bigger house! We have spent the last month renovating and moving...it really sucked!! Our old house was a small 3 bedroom/2 bath with a pool (that I hated) and our new one has 5 bedrooms, a loft, a mancave (for Ryan) an open kitchen and living room, etc. Twice the size, less payment per month. Yeah!! But the best thing of all is that I have a sewing room again!!! Check it out...

I made some curtains for the sewing room... "Just Wing It" is the fabric line...

I also got this fabulous vintage Ethan Allen hutch off of Craigslist for my sewing room... Lots of room for misc sewing implements, etc. Very cool, in my opinion. I've become a Craigslist junky--don't let me get started on my other purchases!!

And here is Buddy is his bed in my sewing room. I bought the sherpa-like throw to match the aqua/yellow theme that I'm going with...but now Buddy looks a little Liberace-like. I guess the aqua isn't as masculine as I'd hoped....Thank God he is color-blind!

The real Liberace....they could be brothers!!

I made an excellent pillow for the MQG pillow exchange on Dec 29th. I can't show you the front, but here is the back...just lovely, for my first pillow. Seriously, I was lucky that the damn pillow fit in the cover I made for it. Really...why does a 12" pillow require a 16" square...honestly about a 17" square for the cover? Maybe I should have read some directions online?? Oh well...I also might not have left enough overlap on the back side....2" instead of 3-4"?? Who knew??? I could try to put in a button and buttonhole but what if I screw it up?? Better leave well enough alone...

The good news is that I don't have to shop for Rebecca. This year, I bought her a roof for Christmas and she bought us a house! Yeah....no lines for those purchases...

Happy Holidays!

Warm/Cool Quilt is finished

2011-10-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

I finished this about two weeks ago and hung it up behind my dining room table. It measures 56" x 70"....

I also have been working on some blocks for the Modern Block Swap at the LVMQG.

I made two spider web blocks for Tracey...Her kit was super organized and the directions were easy to follow. I'm really enjoying this block swap and I hope we do another in 2012!!

I haven't been getting much sewing done lately as my job is kicking my butt!! I spend all my time writing lesson plans, lessons, grading tests and calling parents. It looks like this year is going to be very long....I guess that is why they call it "work"!!!

Happy Quilting!

Modern Baby Quilt!

2011-09-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

My blog is so neglected. Sorry....it has been a busy few weeks starting school and finishing up summer projects. A friend adopted a baby last month so I needed to throw together a quick quilt for the shower this month....Her request was "green" and it is a boy. I used Kona Raffia as the solid and a variety of greens from Quiltique...

It measures 50" x 50". I plan on trimming and binding tonight. I quilted it using my wavy stitch on the Viking--it only took me two episodes of Law and Order!! My plan is to get it bound tonight during "movie night" with my family! I think the movie is 10,000 BC?? Hmmm....

Last month I did finish quilting the charity quilt...and I even made a coordinating table runner for the Mesquite auction in November. Sadly I didn't take a pic of the table runner to prove I did it (LOL) but I swear I did!! Here is pic of the finished quilt...

I'm back on the blogging and sewing now, I promise!! Next project is some placemats that will match my warm/cool quilt that I finished last month and forgot to photograph prior to sending it to the longarmer. Anyhow, game on!! Happy Sewing!

ps...here is a pic of my son....He is starting middle school this year and he is a fantastic kid!!

Shank You...Shank You Very Much!

2011-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

I just want to say a big "Shank You" to HBO for the 6-season series Oz that we watched in July. And another "Shank You" to Showtime for the 5 seasons of Dexter we watched in June. And a final "Shank You" to F/X for Sons of Anarchy--we watched the last 3 seasons in August. Yes, it has been an excessive TV watching summer, but I've been getting some sewing done.

I finished my Warm/Cool QAL top, but I forgot to take a picture before taking it to the quilter so you will have to be satisfied with an "After" picture in a few weeks.

Today I pin basted the Lucky Stars charity quilt top that I finished in June. Some diagonal line quilting will complete this project. I also quilted half of it....the pic isn't that hot, but it is proof that I'm doing more than controlling the remote!

That is all that is going on around here. I'm dreading going back to work because I'm sure I was destined to be a stay-at-home housewife...but I've got to pay the bills, right?!

Oh yeah, we are now watching DVR'd episodes of In Plain Sight, Rescue Me, and Rizzoli and Isles. And I have about 25 episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent saved as well. And a few Deadliest Catch. Wait, a bunch of Hoarders as well--that show always motivates me to clean my house and make some donations to the Goodwill!! That is a lot of sewing time!!

Warm/Cool Quilt Along Progress

2011-08-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this project for the last week or so... I need to make 20 of these big blocks...

Here are four blocks together...

Happy Quilting....

Kona Solids Challenge Quilt...

2011-07-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

I can finally post a pic of my finished Kona quilt. We all got a charm square pack from Kona about 3 months ago and had to make something with it for our July MQG meeting. Me and another member each switched half our charms with each other....so I actually had two of each color...but only from half the pack. ??? Make sense....???

It is pretty small, measuring about 32" x 40". ;-) I am working on my Warm/Cool quilt along and will have a post on that progress tomorrow...Happy Quilting!!

Wednesday's WIP....

2011-07-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Gosh, there is so much in progress...where to start?

My Warm/Cool QAL squares are cut and I've got about 1/3 of them sewn, cut, pressed and trimmed...There are 310 of them....I cut at 4.5" and then trim to 4" so they will finish at 3.5". What was I thinking?

Oh, I also got back my Dad's quilt for his cabin. And I got it bound in two days...lots of Sons of Anarchy and Oz....The quilting was done by Kalynda Klemmer...

It is a large Queen comforter sized quilt...all from vintage men's shirts!! ;-)

Today I'm off to paint Rebecca's new office at the high school. The school is one of the best, but at 20 years old, it could use some TLC. We've been cleaning over there for several days and today is the painting day....Happy Quilting!

Projects....

2011-07-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

I did finish my Kona Solids Challenge for the LVMQG...but I can't show it until after the meeting at the end of the month...but it is done, quilted and bound!!

Next, I decided to make a warm/cool quilt....I've pulled my fabrics and determined that I have too much fabric (that I don't like anymore). So I'll bag up more for the local high school Home Ec teacher. But here is what I'm working from for my quilt....I need over 300 squares of fabric for this little project! Looks like there is a lot of TV time in my future. By the way, we did watch over 60 episodes of Dexter in two weeks...now we are on to Oz (yes, it was the late 1990's when it originally ran on HBO)...

I've been working on a quilt for my Mom for Christmas. The directions were from Moda Bake Shop and they are difficult to follow...wrong yardage, wrong directions, pictures that don't match the directions, etc. Due to my own mis-cutting (massive confusion in this project), I had to order a second layer cake of a "now out of print" line of fabric so I could continue...But now I'm on the right track, I hope!!

The quilter finished quilting my Dad's plaid quilt so I made the binding last night and am awaiting it's return....

Also, Happy Mochi Yum Yum arrived last week. I love 25 out of 29 of the prints...there are four that I'm just not into...but they will eventually be used for something! I'm thinking of making a king-sized hexagon pinwheel quilt for my bed but I need to test out my idea on some junk fabric to see how it turns out...

Anyhow, the list of unfinished projects is so long. There are many more in various stages of completion on the table but I just don't know when I'll get it all done! And I'm giving up caffeine again so I'm quite certain that my eyes are going to fall out of my head....so no quilting until this passes. ;-) Happy Quilting!!!

Kona Solids Challenge Quilt...

2011-07-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

I made a bold move and cut up my charm squares for my Kona Solids quilt...this is all you get to see of the quilt until I show it at the MQG meeting in July. It needs to be fully completed...quilted and bound, by the end of July! Ack....

I'm happy to report that Happy Mochi Yum Yum is now available at the Fat Quarter Shop.... I'm definitely going to make a new quilt for my bed, which is a California King, so I bought 1/2 yard of each fabric. I think that will cover it!! I've really been careful about not adding to the ridiculous stash of fabrics I have accumulated, but I couldn't pass this line up....

I also made my blocks for the Block Party swap....Andrea requested snowball blocks from her Tula Pink Prince Charming fabrics....

There is more sewing on tap for today! And it is hot and muggy-ish here in LV. Stay cool!

Finished Lucky Star quilt top...

2011-07-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I worked on piecing these blocks together while I was in Tahoe. I finally go the top put together during one of our marathon Dexter-watching afternoons. We are trying to watch all 5 seasons as fast as possible....go fingure???!

The colors are very muted....it measures 60" x 75" and I'll quilt it with some parallel lines. I also had some leftover scraps so be watching for a table runner in the future....The auction is in November so I have some time to set it aside before quilting it. I desperately need to work on my Kona Solids challenge quilt which is due next month at the LVMQG meeting....what to do, what to do???

Happy Quilting!!

Block Party Kit...

2011-06-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've got my stuff ready for the Block Party...

Assorted Kona solids, some basic directions from Lazy Gal Quilting, the Word Play book, a few inspiration blocks, and some graph paper. The graph paper might be helpful if a person hasn't done much free piecing and needs to sketch a block.

I used light gray thread...should I include some in the kit? The individual letter blocks are cut down to 5" and finish at 4.5" each. So each block should square up to 9.5" and finish at 9". Sort of interesting, I hope.

Anyhow, now I have to work on something else....probably backing for my Dad's quilt so I can ship it off to the quilter. I also have another charity quilt that is almost done....maybe I should finish that one up as well and send it out at the same time? Hmmm...

FYI...it was already over 80 degrees at 5am today. And is well over 100 by 9am. Probably hit about 112 degrees today, again! This stinks after the cool air of Tahoe....Happy Quilting!

Tahoe Retreat...

2011-06-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

We decided to rent a cabin at Lake Tahoe this year for vacation. My Mom is coming along, and Buddy, so it should be all sorts of entertaining! I'm excited to bring along a few sewing projects...

1. My Block Party stuff...I need to make my new inspiration block

2. Charity Quilt....Lucky Stars pattern

3. Charity Quilt...string quilt for a twin-sized bed

4. Kona Solids Challenge for the LVMQG
Hopefully I have everything packed so that I'm not missing something while I'm away. I'm also bringing my sewing machine, iron...cutting supplies, etc. I'm sure I will forget something but maybe there is a quilt shop at Lake Tahoe??? Enjoy your week of sewing!

TGIF...

2011-06-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Thank God It's Finished....

I know I haven't posted much lately, but I haven't been napping on the couch all day (well, maybe on a few days). I've been trying to finish the quilt I started for my Dad's cabin. I started this back in February with the goal of working on the 100 blocks a little each week and having an easy finish. Well, it didn't happen quite that way. So I made a decision in May to NOT work on anything else until I had this done...and now it it finished! Queen-sized (95" x 95") courthouse steps quilt made entirely from recycled vintage men's shirts. I actually had cut up so much fabric when making Ryan's quilt that I mostly just used those leftovers...with a few new additions added in at the last minute. It still needs to be quilted by a longarmer, but it will be done soon..... Yeah!!!

Happy Father's Day Dad!!

What's next???

Change of heart...

2011-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

I decided that I'm not going to do the string quilt for the MQG Block Party. First of all, I need a lot of blocks. And I just remebered that I'm going to need it finished by the beginning of November. The Block Party won't be over by then so I'd be screwed for the charity event. So I'm going to work on the string blocks myself next week and do something more interesting for the Block Party....

I'm going to make L-O-V-E blocks/quilt inspired by the Rumspringa quilt on Lazy Gal Quilting's blog... using these fabrics I ordered from Pink Chalk...I ordered two of the Bits & Pieces Scrap Bags....solids, sorbet colors. I figured that going with the "you get what you get and don't throw a fit" method of fabric selection was quite modern. :-)

I have been sewing on my Dad's cabin quilt. I have a goal of finishing the top by Father's Day...it has only been in the works for about 6 months now....This is my first "real" day off from school--at least I didn't lay in bed all day!! Happy Sewing...

Happy Mochi Yum Yum...

2011-06-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

While I was blog surfing today I happened upon this post at The Happy Zombie...I absolutely love this fabric!! Happy Mochi Yum Yum looks so cute and fun...I know that I will buy the fat quarters of this line, and I don't do that often (or really ever!). Check it out....

Fat Quarter Shop will definitely have my order when this stack arrives in their store....Maybe I'll even make something for my own bedroom? Hmmmm....Maybe a super large, king-sized zig zag quilt???
;-D
ps....only 6 more days of school!!!

Block Party...

2011-05-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about something the LVMQG is going to start in June....our own Block Party! Our President, Andrea, went to Quilt Market and picked up a copy of Block Party and we are planning on getting together our fabrics and inspiration blocks for a swap in June. I already had a block in mind and I am using my coveted stash of Zany for Zinnias fabric that I have been hoarding for way too long! I loved the fabric when it came out and continued to buy it long after it became scarce (from Ebay and other online resources). I have made a king-sized and queen-sized quilt from my stash of Zinnias....and now I plan on making a nice string quilt for an auction in December.

Here is my inspiration block....

And here are my fabrics!

I made a box/kit that has a bunch of fabric, my inspiration block, and the foundations for all the string blocks. Each month the box with rotate to a new member who will make a few blocks from my fabrics. I liked the idea of a string block because a lot of people have never made one and they turn out so cute and forgiving...and the blocks can be made oversized and cut down without a problem...Perfect for a swap event! This is a rough picture...but it will end up 6 blocks x 7 blocks....I am shooting for a twin-sized bed quilt.

Anyhow, that is all for today. I'm hoping to complete my Dad's cabin quilt top this weekend so I better get to sewing and pressing! LOL....Have a nice, long holiday weekend!

Name Quilt...

2011-05-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been very busy here at my house lately so there has been little quilting. But last weekend I got the chance to make a name quilt for my co-teacher. She is from Hawaii so I tried to incorporate wavy quilting in the background, and some raw edged applique in her favorite color, purple. The background is Kona Ash.....It is an end of the year gift for her....

Anyhow, that is all that has happened around here the last few weeks. Summer is coming soon so maybe I'll get busy and make some new stuff! :-D 16 days left (teaching 8th graders isn't much fun right now....LOL)!

New project....

2011-04-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

I need to make my co-teacher a name quilt to hang on the wall. Yes, I know it is a little late in the year, but she is the third one I've had this year and I have finally decided she is here to stay! I sent her some fabric color schemes and she likes this one...pinks, purples and a dark gray.

Her name contains about 10 letters so there will be a wide variety of batiks used in the project. This should keep me busy this weekend. Happy Quilting to you all!

The WRONG way to Mod Mosaic...

2011-04-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ok....so the whole thing with the Mod Mosaic block is that it is free-form, improv, uses up your scraps, etc. So I decide that I might make a Mod Mosaic panel quilt (about 15" by 50") for my classroom--but not from scraps. I recently bought a bunch of Meadowsweet fat quarters and I wanted to use those--but not waste any (I'm allergic to fabric waste). This lead me to the Freezer Paper Technique that completely goes against the improv-y Mod Mosaic theme (please don't let Oh, Fransson see this post!! LOL)....

I ripped off about 50" of freezer paper and began breaking it up into smaller chucks by marking wonky lines on the paper side (using pencil and a 24" acrylic ruler). It looked sort of like a big puzzle when I was done...After breaking it into several small chunks, I further broke the chunks down into little pieces.

I cut the chunks apart and made little notes/numberings on each piece so I could re-assemble this mess. I even wrote down what fabric I wanted on each piece....

Then I cut the pieces out and pressed the waxy side to the right side of my fabric (taking care not to waste any fabric).... I cut the pieces 1/4" away from the freezer paper.

And then re-assembled the pieces on the table. Definitely take pictures as you go or you will spend forever trying to figure out how it all fits together.

Then I began sewing the white strips in between the colored pieces. As I picked up a colored piece, I left behind the freezer paper in the right spot so I could put it back together again. You can obviously tell I had some early problems with this step and spent a few hours looking at the hot mess on the table wondering how the shizzle it would all would fit back into the chunk...

As I got a chunk done, I put it back together to form my quilt top. See the blue lines....those define my "chunks"....It does end up a bit larger than the original piece of freezer paper (each white strips adds an extra 1/2" ). Hmmm....A bit time consuming, but it did turn out OK.

I'll try the improv method this week at the MQG meeting...I think if I use actual scraps it might make the random cutting less painful :-D Happy Quilting!!

Today I had lunch with....

2011-04-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

Latifah Saafir....one of the founders of the Modern Quilt Guild (out of Los Angeles). Yes, she came to Las Vegas on Vacation in made arrangements to meet up with the LVMQG President Andrea and a few of the officers. ;-) She was very nice and so energetic about Modern Quilting! Very motivational.... You know, it is amazing how a little blogging and online communication can lead to such a big thing like the MQG. Thanks Latifah!!!

I have been working on a project this week. A member of the LVMQG, Cola, is going to do a demonstration on the Mod Mosaic block this Thursday....I don't know if my "improv" is up to par so I tried making a Mod Mosaic panel using freezer paper. I'll post more on that later, but this is how it is going so far...

I'm going to attempt the Mod Mosaic block "improv style" this Thursday! Wish me luck....

Pomegranate Center Quilt...

2011-04-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

In my spare time I've been working on a modern quilt made from a Kona charm pack. The pack was labeled "Classics" but I don't think so....The design is the Red Center quilt that I saw on the Material Obsession blog. Someday I'll make a Red Center using my Kaffe fabrics, but today it was the Kona solids and some dark grey. Obviously, the center square is the color Pomegranate....

Anyhow, now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to quilt it. I bought a lot of grey thread so that isn't a problem...Any ideas??? It is quite small....maybe 32" x 40". Any ideas? I'm leaning toward just sewing 1/4" inside the grey throughout the top...not even quilting the colored pieces. ??? Hmmm....

Raffle Quilt Ending...

2011-04-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is a good story...get out your tissues!

We sold about $520 worth of raffle tickets prior to the school carnival. Now you have to remember that my school is in the inner-city so I knew it would be hard to sell tickets to the students. But I sold about $10 worth at school. A little 6th grader bought one ticket to try to win the quilt for her Mom. When the drawing was held, a student pulled the winning ticket and I didn't recognize the name but it was the 6th grader.

She was getting her face painted but her brother heard her name called on the bullhorn and he said he would go get her. I recognized the brother....he is an 8th grader who was helping the teacher next to me with her "Rat Race" booth (yes, in the 'hood rats are very popular!). I told her that her student's sister had won the quilt and she told me that their family lives in the neighborhood. They are struggling...the teacher bought the brother a Subway sandwich for helping with her booth and he kept it wrapped up so he could take it home to give to his Mom. Really. That is a nice son. And the daughter won the raffle quilt. That Mom did a nice job with those two kids--she is getting a sandwich and a quilt tonight!

Thanks to everyone in the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild who helped to make the quilt and everyone who bought a raffle ticket to help support the Knudson Counselor's Fund. Your contributions are appreciated!!!

Quilt Raffle sign is finished....

2011-04-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

I finished the Quilt Raffle sign....it turned out cute, I think.

And I finished painting the workout room. Maybe now I'll be motivated to work out....LOL!

I have a little Kona Solids project that I started last week. Maybe I'll pull that out and get it done. Lots of drama at work makes me distracted and lazy--I think some quilting and exercise is in order ;-D

Happy Quilting....

Weekend Projects...

2011-04-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am making a little quilt sign for the raffle at my school this week. I still need to sew around the inside of the letters and bind/wash it. It is a little raw edged applique....very raw! LOL...

Our big project this week was painting the exercise room....Here is a sneak peek! Aqua Pura by Behr. It is a very pale aqua color....

It has been busy, busy, busy lately at work so no time to play! Maybe later this week....

Signature Thread...

2011-03-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I got some new thread today. All of the grey/gray threads from Signature. I like machine quilting with Signature 100% cotton thread....it is a thicker weight and makes the quilt look "finished" to me. I purchase it at Kingsmen Quilting...very affordable.

I also made two blocks for the Moda 1800 star blocks challenge...And Ryan got new glasses and a crisp new buzz cut. He likes his hair short...military short. He is growing up! Next year he will be in 6th grade and he is so excited about it!!!

Anyhow, tomorrow is the MQG meeting. Good times here in Las Vegas. It was a sunny and hot 80+ degress outside today--I needed to run the A/C in my car after school! LOL....Happy Quilting!

Name Tag for MQG...

2011-03-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Whew. Finished. This is my second attempt at a "modern" name tag.

My Mom didn't teach me how to embroider so this is my "improv" embroidering...LOL! One of my problems on the first one was turning it inside-out and trying to get nice corners. ?? So I just decided to go with the pinking shears. Isn't "raw edged" modern??

Done is good. Now on to something else! I'm putting aside my Tortilla Soup quilt for a while....I find the linen hard to deal with and I need a break from it. ??? What now?

Selvage Winner...Jan!!

2011-03-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

I managed to get Ryan to put down the Wii remote for a moment and pick a name from the bowl of entrants...

Jan is the winner of the selvages and selvage book!

I can't wait to see what you make, Jan! I hope I can find your e-mail....if not, please e-mail me your address!

:-D Thanks to everyone who entered....I'm going to trimming down my stash, maybe I have some other stuff you might want?? LOL.....

Selvage Giveaway...

2011-03-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

You know, like any good ~~hoarder~~ quilter, I have way too much stuff in my stash. I need to clear some room from my storage cabinet so I've decided to part with my selvage collection. This is the back story...

Last summer I got the book Quilts from the Selvage Edge (which I am also including in the giveaway). I was so inspired that I went through my entire stash and cut off the selvages from all my fabric, including about an inch of the fabric as well. This was helpful because I ended up donating a ton of older fabric to a local high school Home Ec. teacher. Anyhow, I fully intended to make a really awesome selvage quilt, or accessories, or something like that. But it didn't happen, and I'm doubting that it will ever happen, so I figured someone out there might have some extra motivation but be lacking the necessary selvages.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment. I'll pick the winner on Friday and mail out a big box of selvages to some lucky reader!!! Good luck!

Tortilla Soup Quilt

2011-03-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

This week I have been sewing and trimming 200 HST from my Gypsy Bandana fabric and some linen I recently purchased. I've never worked with linen before but have always admired quilts that incorporated a little linen for texture. This is what I learned: it is harder to work with...harder to cut, harder to press, etc. And when I picked up a square of linen it felt like I was picking up a fresh corn tortilla--thick and weighty. Thus, the name of the quilt.

I added in a few aquas and some scraps from my stash. I'll let you know how it progresses....

Finished....

2011-03-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

The Modern Quilt Guild made the blocks and I assembled them into a quilt for a raffle for my school. It turned out very modern....

It is nice to be finished with that quilt....Maybe Gypsy Bandana will be a Monday project.... ;-D

Gypsy Bandana Fabric...

2011-03-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

I am so inspired by this quilt on Red Pepper Quilts....I went looking for a center panel piece like hers and found this Gypsy Bandana panel instead... It will be cut into a 17.5" square....

And I bought some fat quarters to go with it....actually, it all came in a bundle from Fat Quarter Shop.

I also bought some natural colored linen to go with it. It is definitely my next project....after I finish binding the raffle quilt! Almost done....

Still quilting....

2011-03-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

And watching "127 Hours"...a very good movie!

Anyhow, I might finish the quilting tonight and then I can move on to the binding ;-D

Pin basting...again!

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

This week I put together the blocks that we made at the Modern Quilt Guild meeting last week. ;-D Don't they look nice? Kate Spain's Central Park and Kona Snow...

My plan is to do some diagonal line quilting. My special attachment that I ordered that was supposed to fit "all walking feet" and provide a guide for straight line sewing didn't fit my walking foot. So I'm back to mixing together parts from other sewing machines and taping them to my walking foot to provide a guide of sorts. At the local quilt show yesterday and sewing machine dealer in town told me that the walking foot for the Juki does have a guide available? But I don't believe him. I went to his store last year to look at the Juki and he was so shady that I ordered online instead. I fear he is just trying to get me to come back to his store in the hopes of selling me something else (the strategy he tried last time). But if anyone knows that Juki really does make a walking foot with an attachable guide, please let me know! It is the one drawback that drives me nuts on this machine...;-D

We went to the local Quilt Show yesterday. Sadly, it wasn't the quality show that is was five or six years ago. There were about half as many quilts....lots of vendors. It seems that fewer people are entering the show? Or they aren't letting as many people enter? I'm not sure. Several years ago, when I was a longarmer, I loved to look at the quilting on the quilts! Now, not so much interested in the quilting as I am in the piecing. What a turnaround....Anyhow, I get my Flickr online quilt show every morning with my coffee so I'm OK for inspiration!! Happy quilting.....

Blue Man and Mom's Finish....

2011-02-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

We got to go to the Blue Man Group last night....what an awesome show! Worth the car payment it cost....really! Here is a pic of Ryan with one of the Blue Men...

Mom finished her Tequila Mat....here it is set up for a party!

I'll try to get some sewing done this week so maybe I have something interesting by Friday! Happy Sewing....

Journal Cover...

2011-02-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

I used the tutorial over at Bloom and made myself this cute little journal cover...

The fabrics are Fresh Flowers paired with some linen I bought the other day. I really like the look of linen in some quilts I've seen online lately and I thought maybe I could try incorporating a little in an upcoming project. Isn't it cute? I made it under an hour while watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

I've also been working on the auction quilt for my school...finishing up the last few wonky blocks from the Central Park layer cake. Most of the blocks were made by the members of the Modern Quilt Guild (LV) the other night...

The blocks still need to be bordered on three sides with a solid (can't decide between Kona Snow or White). I have a lot to do...I'd best get to it!

Oh, Buddy is being cute again....

:-D

Mom's Margarita Mug...

2011-02-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

So my Mom made this larger version of a mug rug for her liquor cabinet. It will have some shot glasses and margarita glasses resting on it...eventually. I'll show a pic of that later. I just put on the binding....check it out!

It is about 13" x 13". The fabrics are from Quiltique, I believe. Good job, Mom!

Modern Quilt Guild meeting....

2011-02-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

We met at Quiltique on Thursday night and had a mug rug swap! Look at what I got to take home...This quilter is big into brights and scrappy quilts...just wonderful and full of life!!

A *very* bright mug rug made of finished 1/2" squares! Awesome...We also did a little sew-in making wonky blocks from a Central Park layer cake. I'm planning on making them into a quilt to raffle for my school in April....I guess I had better get on it, huh? The guild meeting was fun--I got to see a few finished (inspiring) quilts and hang out with some very nice ladies. I'm looking forward to this...something different
;-D

Rainbow TATW is Quilted!

2011-02-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

I got on my J.O.B. and basted (both spray and pins....overkill!) my fruit and veggie trip around the world quilt. I just quilted concentric diamonds along all the different colorways...with matching thread. That was the tedious part....I'm binding it in green peas and lettuce. It will hang in my classroom during March...

The colors are so bright...my students will love it!! Is it modern enough for the Modern Quilt Guild meeeting this week? I also need to work on a little display thing for the class on Wonky Blocks that I'm going to teach Thursday at the meeting....I'll show you that later this week! Happy Quilting!

Dad's Cabin Quilt....

2011-02-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a queen-sized bed quilt for the guest room at my Dad's cabin. I made a quilt for him (about 20 years ago) that is currently on the guest bed and I wish I had a picture....it was peaches and browns...with a light cream background, if I recall. Some pattern I got out of an Ocean Waves book..in 1992. I think I used some sort of puffy polyester batting and I tried (read: failed) my hand at stitching in the ditch. Anyhow, I think it is time for a new quilt....

I'm using the leftover strips from Ryan's bed quilt and doing 100 Courthouse Steps (lazy log cabin) blocks. I think they will finish to about 10 1/2" square...making a 100" square quilt. If it needs to be bigger I can add some strips for the border. But being bold and brave, I decided to tackle all 100 blocks at a time...hmmm....So I sew a bunch, then iron a bunch, then trim a bunch....etc. ;-D

Watching some DVR'd episodes of "Justified" and trimming....that is my Sunday plan!!

Another finish...Dream On Quilt!

2011-02-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

I actually quilted this one myself...it was 60" x 70". I'm proud to say there is not a pucker/tuck anywhere ...on the front or the back!!

The suspicious bump is Buddy....the quilt was hot from the dryer...perfect for a Chihuahua!

And a pic of the back side....the quilting is 1 1/2" apart....I have since ordered a quilting guide attachment from Keepsake Quilting that was recommended by a reader ;-D What a lifesaver that will be! I checked out her blog, QuiltersCrossingTX this morning...lots of fabric eye candy!! Thanks so much!

And the finished tumbler quilt....bound and ready for auction!

I don't know what to work on next....??? Hmmm...so many projects, so little time!

Pin Basting...

2011-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

So I chickened out on spray basting this quilt. It is 60" x 70"...I'll go back to spraying on the next, smaller quilt. Lots of taping the back to the floor....and lots of pins!

I am quilting diagonal, parallel lines 1.5" apart...I didn't want to mark the quilt but my Juki doesn't come with a guide for quilting parallel lines. My plan was to use painter's tape as a guide. But when the quilt was all bunched up being quilted, the tape came off. So I needed to make some sort of guide....I tried several options--all of them being taped to my walking foot....

The cardstock on the left is a sort of guide....but the metal guide on the right side (from my Viking) is what I really need....but for the left side (it needs to be in the reverse). I need to find one for another machine online, buy it, and just attach it to my walking foot...possibly using a more permanent method like duct tape
;-D LOL.....Anyhow, hopefully I'll have it all quilted tonight and I can get a pic tomorrow!

The Tumbler Quilt Got Quilted...

2011-02-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

When I bought the Juki last summer I swore that I would learn to quilt some of my own quilts. Since I sold my longarm stuff, I've always sent my quilts out to be quilted. And I love the longarmers!!

But I miss the feeling of completing the whole quilt myself. So I started small, with some straight line quilting, and quilted a chartity tumbler quilt. The fabric was one layer cake of City Weekend. The size is 46" x 58". The tutorial for this is pretty cool and can be found here, in the Moda Bake Shop. I added an extra row at the bottom and just cut an extra two tumblers from my backing fabric. I have to bind and wash it so there will be another photo later....

** A commenter asked...how much fabric for the backing and binding. I probably got 2.5 yards for the backing and another 1/2 yard for the binding.....

I also finished a mug rug for the MQG meeting. We are doing a mug rug swap...I might make another one because I think they are so much fun!!

Anyhow, my plan today is to pin baste the Dream On quilt I made last summer and try out some more straight line quilting. I did try the spray basting, but it made such a stink! I know I should do it outdoors but how do I tape the backing down on the dirty sidewalk and not get it dirty??? Any ideas? I know I could put it on a sheet...but I can't tape it to the sheet to keep it tight....???

I'm off to sew....

Finished Buggy Barn....

2011-02-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

I got the Buggy Barn quilt back from the quilter last week and got it bound and hung up! Yeah....one more finish for me. It will hang there most of the year...

I also got two new books in the mail today...hopefully they will inspire some modern quilting!!

Happy sewing.....

Wonky Blocks Tutorial...

2011-02-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that I was going to teach a little class at the next LV MQG meeting on making wonky blocks from a layer cake. A reader asked if I could make a tutorial on wonky blocks so I did right here....Or you can find it at the top of my page, near the header picture....It is a very "stack, whack, shuffle, sew" kind of method....not anything wildly original, but they do turn out nicely!

I hope this helps someone to break out of the box and do some wonky sewing....

;-D

Props. aka...How to improve a blog...?

2011-02-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

Wait...before I start on this topic...did I mention who was at the LV Modern Quilt Guild meeting the other night? Camille Roskelley...you know, the Moda designer for the Bliss fabric line? She lives in LV and will hopefully come back again to be in our guild. She brought her baby...he was adorable, and she was lovely and so nice for someone so famous...Anyhow, I just had to brag about that ;-D....

When I first started blogging I was lucky to get the picture in the right spot in the post. I didn't really consider the quality of the picture, though I wanted decent pics. I read another blogger's posts about how to take pictures that would look nice on the blog--most of it went right over my head, but I remember her talking about using "props" as backgrounds to accent her quilts.

Genius.

So six months later I begin to notice how yellow and faded my pictures are looking. A combination of bad winter lighting, tinted windows on the house, butter yellow interior walls, solar screens and a general lack of skill were to blame. So I remembered about the props and bought this at Marshall's or Ross last week....

A twin sized white bed quilt--with very modern straight line quilting ($24.99). I just spread this out, in a room where I can get some natural lighting....and voila! You can actually see the nice colors of the fabrics. Anyhow, this prop will be showing up in many of my pics in the hope that we can all enjoy the quilts a little more....LOL. If anyone has any other tips or hints, please let me know! Thanks....

Yes, I know giveaways also improve a blog...I'll work on another one!! ;-D

Happy Birthday to me....

2011-01-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my birthday. I'm not really into birthdays, but I did find the time to buy myself a little fabric. I am very inspired by this quilt on http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com/.... I think it was one of those group projects for a charity...so there is a lot of variety in the fabrics. This necessitated a trip to the quilt shop for these beauties...

I went with some oranges that were almost red...and some that were almost a cheddar yellow. The purples were just a mish mash...but I tried to find some magenta to make it sparkle...

Now....what to do with them?

Kaffe Winner....

2011-01-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Kaffe fat quarters was Jan Hatchett of http://www.janhatchett.com/....

My son, Ryan, was the random number generator.... ;-)

Congrats! I'll contact you to get your address...

Happy Quilting everyone...and thanks for reading!

Footbiking....

2011-01-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a Footbike? It is a cross between a scooter and a bike....very cool! We all own one and love to take them out in the spring and fall....

They are great exercise....it takes a lot to push an adult around on one of these things! And there is never any time to sit...darn it! People always stare at us and point because I guess we look sort of funny...or way too cool...hard to determine. LOL. These pics were taken last May (currently all the flowers in the yard have been cut back for the winter--you wouldn't want a winter picture of a house in LV). Footbiking is good for people who would like to run, but can't....possibly due to knee injuries, or just old age. The Footbikes have brakes for the front and rear on the handles--and all the parts can be fixed/adjusted at your local bike shop. ;-) This will part of our Sunday...

I'll post the giveaway winner later tonight. Get some quilting done!!!

Rebecca's name quilt....and 100th Post!

2011-01-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have another finish from my stack of UFOs....Rebecca's name quilt. I lasted posted about this in August 2010 and just got around to finishing it last night. It only took about 4 hours...including the binding. Seriously, what was my problem? Check it out! It is for her office (cell) at her school....The letters were pieced with recycled men's shirts....single-fold biased binding and crosshatching!

I got something in the mail this week that I'm so excited about....a Kona Cottons color chart ;-D Now I'll know what colors I have, and what I need to order (online, most likely). It would have been less expensive at Pink Chalk, but they were out of stock when I ordered...

The Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild had it's first meeting Thursday night at Quiltique. What a fun bunch of ladies!! We will meet again in a month for a mug rug swap and mini-sew-in....Many claimed that they felt funny cutting and making "wonky" blocks (and everyone is afraid of wasting fabric) so I graciously offered to bring a layer cake and teach a little class on "wonky" blocks. Remember this quilt....I'm going to quilt this prior to the next MQG meeting at the end of February!

The ladies will all cut and sew a few blocks, for practice, and then I'll get them back to make a quilt. ;-D And I have to grin again ;-D How nice of them!!! As time goes on, hopefully others will have ideas to share and we can all help make blocks for each other's quilts while learning new techniques at the same time. Genius!

Tomorrow is my birthday so I treated myself to some fat quarters....I'll wash and iron them today for Sunday's post. But in anticipation of my 100th post (which is today!!!), I was prepared for a little giveaway...

A small little collection of Kaffe Fassett fat quarters--perfect to start a spring project! Just leave me a comment and you are entered...Please don't post about this to other blog sites--I'd really like a reader who has read my blog more than today to win, if you know what I mean. And how discouraging is it when there are 400 comments--a loyal reader might feel that there is no way to win! :-D Anyhow, thanks to the dozen or so who actually do come back regularly. I'll draw a winner Sunday evening (Jan 30th)...around 7pm in Las Vegas. Happy Quilting!

Finished Zentangle Quilt....

2011-01-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

So this is it....all done!

I love it....it turned out OK....for my classroom. Now I'm working on a charity quilt...more pics tomorrow or Friday!! We have our Modern Quilt Guild first meeting tomorrow at Quiltique....I can't wait!!!

Zentangle Quilt preview....

2011-01-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Zentangle--a meditative type of doodling, ususally done in black and white, using repetitive shapes inside of a constrained space....at least that is what I think it is!! Check out the official Zentangle website for a better definition...Zentangles are usually done with pen and paper....but I figured that anything that could be done on paper could be done with fabric. So here it is...my Zentangle wall quilt. It still needs binding, and a hanging sleeve, and some other details, but this is what I have so far....

I'm writing a tutorial on it, though it isn't that difficult to figure out. I also have a couple of other ideas for Zentangle quilts....I'll let you know when I have it done and there is a final picture. ;-) Off to do some binding and watch "Salt"....Happy Quilting!

A quilt finish and art quilt....

2011-01-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

I did finish binding the "Not My Grandma's Quilt" and it will be mailed off to my sister tomorrow. Yeah!

In addition, I wanted to show you the little wall art quilt that I bought from Etsy...moonspiritstudios! Raw edge applique and some hand stitching/beading. It is hanging in my cell (classroom) as we speak!

Anyhow, that is all for today. Maybe I'll come up with something new tomorrow!! Oh yeah, the mug rugs went over really well....the ladies were very appreciative ;-D Inexpensive gift set....good idea for teacher gifts for the end of the year, or the holidays....

"Modern" Valentine Mug Rugs...

2011-01-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

As I've told you before, we are getting a Modern Quilt Guild here in LV. The first meeting is in a couple of weeks so I'm trying to incorporate some "modern" piecing into my quilts....These are little mug rugs that I'm going to give a couple of my fellow guards (teachers) on Tuesday. I'm also giving them the mugs, the hot chocolate, and maybe a few Valentine colored Dove chocolates in the mugs. A little "relaxation" gift set for a few teachers who go above and beyond and are feeling the stress at work (and don't have an outlet like quilting to calm them down!!)....

While I worked on binding those (using single-fold binding--a first for me), my friend Denise was piecing together a rag quilt for a friend's baby shower. The theme was "monkeys"....

A very cute line of fabric, though I'm not sure of the name. But it isn't overpoweringly "monkey/jungle"....too cute for a little boy, huh? She will do the trimming and washing and have this ready for the shower in two weeks!! Easy peasy....Happy Quilting!

Valentine Quilt...

2011-01-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

I got my Valentine quilt back from the longarmer. It looks great, and it bound, so another finish for me!!!

It is going to hang on the wall in my cell (oh, classroom) so the inmates (students) and I can enjoy looking at something more interesting than Pre-Algebra!! It measures 48" x 48" and was made entirely from my Valentine scraps...including the backing! Woohoo....

Yesterday morning I was working a couple of mug rugs for some colleagues at work...and today I'm going to wrap up my super secret project and tutorial. It is so secret that I can't even hint about it.....More on that tomorrow....My friend Denise is coming over to finish a baby rag quilt...of course I'll take pics of it and post them here! ;-) Happy Quilting!!

Not my Grandma's Quilt...

2011-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

God knows I don't mind blogging about quilts that aren't my own....this is one of them. It is my sister's friend's deceased Grandma's quilt....Grandma died whilst piecing this from an obsolete (5 year old) Jo-Ann's block of the month club....My sister passed the unfinished top to me and I tidied it up, sent it to Merrie Berrie Quilting, and now I'm going to slap on a binding and add this to my list of completed projects ;-D

I think the Grandma, though I didn't know her, would be thankful that this UFO got completed...and that her family will cuddle under it and think of her. Happy Quilting!

ps. If I die in the midst of all my quilting chaos, I totally expect a bunch of you all to step up and finish all of my PIGS (projects in grocery sacks)....LOL!

Rainbow Trip Around The World quilt...

2011-01-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy at work this past week that I have barely had any time to sew. But I did manage to piece together this TATW that I cut out last October. I'm planning on quilting it myself so maybe I'll get it basted this week and quilted next weekend. Maybe....

I'm sort of addicted to longarmers. When I had my own longarm, I didn't mind quilting. But I don't really enjoy it yet with my Juki. I think I just need more practice....or rather, I need more time to practice. I haven't even had much Jamie and Claire time lately (Drums of Autumn book). Work stinks!!! But here is a picture of the top....

I'm considering trying to make something for the Modern Quilt Guild challenge. The challenge is to make a monochomatic quilt. And no, that doesn't mean yellow with a splash of white. Darn. You have to stick within your color range for your whole quilt. I'm going to shop my stash and see what I might have. But I'm not really into buying monochromatic fabric so I don't know what to do. I don't really want to go buy more fabric....but I want to enter the challenge. Hmmm.....Maybe I deviate off the challenge and do one of my own. ;-D I'd like to do a single color quilt, but I need the license to add white (or another neutral) in with it to satisfy my own personal tastes. Why make a quilt that I don't think I'll like? Well, duh, that is why they call it a challenge, huh? LOL....

The Dam Tour...Hoover Dam!!

2011-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Even though I was born in LV in 1970, I've never toured the Hoover Dam. I've driven over it going to AZ, and been in a boat on Lake Mead right next to it, but I've never done the Dam tour. Students in the area all do the tour in elementary school, but the adults in my family have somehow seemed to miss it...

So we did the Dam tour on Wedsnesday (yes, I must say Dam at every opportunity available...it is an elementary school thing...LOL). "The kids need to get on the Dam bus, stay in line on the Dam tour, and maybe they can buy a Dam souvenir at the end".....Get it??? ;-D

So here are some Dam pictures....Inside the dam, where they turn water power into electricity!!!

This one is looking through a hole on the side of the dam, from the inside. Rebecca says Chevy Chase looked out the same hole in a Vacation movie 20 years ago....very scary, for me...

Stairs that go up and down in the dam....but no where to stop...no landings. If the top guy falls backwards, everyone falls backward. Obviously no OSHA laws back then....

Ryan on the top, my Mom keeping a hold on him so he doesn't accidentally get swept over, me cowering near the street....LOL...

A view down the "non-lake" side....totally alarming....

The Colorado river after it passes through the Dam, on it's way to other states....

The Lake Mead side of the Dam....see how low the water level it? Please let it snow for 5 solid years in the Rocky Mountains to help build up the lake again!!! Right now the lake is only 39% full...down from 100% 12 years ago!! That "bathtub ring" around the lake is over 100 feet tall....it has dropped 120 feet in the last dozen years...

The bridge that had to be built after 9/11....since it was determined that Hoover Dam might be a good spot for some terrorist action. And the traffic going over the Dam was getting a little backed up...with security check points, and tourists, etc. You can actually walk along the side of the bridge, all the way up there, if you'd like....when you drive over it, thought, you don't even know you are on the bridge (Thank God!)...the barriers on the side are so high that you can't see over, or out of your driving lane....

Anyhow, if you make it to Las Vegas, I definitely recommend the Dam tour...go early, though, as tourists start to arrive in the late morning....;-D

Valentine Quilt....

2010-12-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally finished the UFO "Heart Crazies" that I bought as a kit years ago.....This is the pattern.

I'm not into the folksy kind of quilts, so I wouldn't have bought the pattern based on the picture. But it was already made up at Quiltique and turned out quilt nice, I thought, so I bought it. The pattern is from Buggy Barn.

Here is my finished quilt top....

And an up close....

I had already purchased the backing, binding, and border fabrics so this quilt was essentially FREE!! I'm going to have it quilted by the quilter who did the one in the LQS....Hopefully we can both recall how the first one was quilted since I want it done just the same!!!

I didn't get much sewing done because of Jamie and Claire (Outlander series....). And we went on a Dam Tour Wednesday....I'm going to post some great pics of that tomorrow!!! It was pretty Dam awesome!

After Christmas Sale at Quiltique...

2010-12-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

10 fat quarters for $10. Seriously. End of bolt fat quarters (aka....clearance), but still....so I bought 30 that I thought screamed "modern" and some Kona solids to match at our new Hobby Lobby.

And some aqua/lime fat quarters....

I usually don't show my purchases because I'm a closeted hoarder of fabric....but aren't they cute? I'm off to finish my Valentine quilt top and then maybe move on to something "modern".....LOL!

Happy Holidays...

2010-12-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hopefully I'll get in some sewing today, but this morning started with decaf tea and pizzelles...

Grandma came over and Ryan opened his presents. Santa still comes to visit here so there were a lot of presents for him to open...Buddy got a new toy and I'll make him a small braided pull toy from some jelly roll strips later today. He has such a small mouth that he needs a little, soft pull toy! Plus he is old came from a hard life before our house....he doesn't have as many teeth as he should. But he is happy to be here and he is loving all the attention he gets during Winter Break!

Happy Holidays to you and your families....Enjoy!

Buggy Barn "Heart Crazies"

2010-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you....those ladies at Buggy Barn are just amazing!! If you haven't made a quilt using the Buggy Barn method, give it a try! It is kind of like stack, whack, shuffle and sew....but a whole new level. You usually layer about 10 (or more) layers of fabric and lay a freezer paper pattern on top with the design penciled in (by you....from the template they provide).

Then you cut, shuffle, shuffle again and start sewing.

You will get the wonky, modern look of something that is either free form or paper pieced...but without all the hassle. There is a little trimming involved after each bit of sewing, but very little fabric is wasted.

Then I trimmed to a consistent size...9" x 14"....Tada....

I bought this kit at Quiltique (years ago) and am just getting around to sewing it together. It need to hang in the dining room after Christmas so I'd better get on it! It will really be more like Feb/March before it gets quilted, I'd imagine. Sadly, I can't really remember if there was an inner border, then an outer border? Anyhow, I'll post a pic once the top is completed...however that turns out! Tonight I'm going to put all the blocks on my design floor and pin the top....;-D More pics tomorrow....

Quilts of Christmas Past...

2010-12-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

This Grinch quilt was made for my son when he was about 4 years old. There is a matching one just like it for my daughter...maybe the border is a little different. Since I'm lacking in anything really good to show you, this will have to do...

It was made from the Grinch line of fabric that Jo-Ann's sold in the early 2000-ish years. I had acquired so much fabric (like 30-40 yards of it) intending to make a few more quilts, but I never got around to it. I gave all the fabric away to someone on one of my quilting forums. I hope she made something nice with it....Anyhow, we got a new camera (ours was dying and taking worse pictures every day). Hopefully, you all will get to see the actual colors that my quilts are....not the darker colors that were coming up lately! Anyhow, this was a test....

Caffeine is a gateway drug....

2010-12-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

for me. My morning coffee leads me to something sweet, like a doughnut, then some chocolate, then an afternoon Coke, some more chocolate, and eventually an evening cup of coffee (which doesn't keep me awake...it just keeps me alive). If I can't get a caffeine fix, I usually go for some form of sugar to try to perk me up....Nonetheless, I'm overweight. I need to lose some weight in the New Year, so I'm giving up caffeine--and hopefully all the other sugary items that go with my caffeine addiction. It isn't pretty, but I'm getting it done. I have 16 days of Winter Break to straighten up before I have to rise and shine at 5am for school. ;-D So that is my major project right now....

Yesterday I got a surprise in the mail from the UK. Sue over at Quilt Times sent me a little mug rug for participating in the Christmas Quilt Along this fall. Isn't it wonderful?

I will use it to set my decaf Earl Gray tea on this morning....with a little honey and milk, just like "across the pond"--isn't that what we should say??? Thank you Sue! I've never gotten a quilty gift in the mail....how exciting!!! And I'm definitely in for the Christmas Quilt along this coming year....all year long. Do I use the same button? I should go back and re-read that post on your blog ;-)

For anyone who is wondering....I got a lot of Christmas stuff done because of the quilt along. I made and quilted the tree skirt, and did the big Christmas quilt. I honestly never would have found the time if I didn't have the CQA to motivate me.

I'm working on a Buggy Barn quilt right now....Here is a sneak peek, but I'll do a post on it tomorrow.
Happy Quilting!!

Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild?? Yes!!!

2010-12-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Well look at what I found? I've been kicking around the idea of trying to get a MQG started here in Vegas...and it turns out someone else had the same idea!!! Yeah...The first meeting will be Jan 27th at Quiltique. Hmmmm....I want to branch out in to to some more modern stuff. This is the push I need!!!

I'm so happy right now. Like Santa actually exists....and wants us to have a MQG in Vegas ;-D

This did involve the purchase of a bit of fabric.....but I'm sure you knew that already!!!

Lucky Stars quilts....

2010-12-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

This pattern is called Lucky Stars, by Atkinson Designs. I love how it turns out...and it pretty quick to boot! I've made it in two colorways....one patriotic for my nephew in CA. And then my Christmas quilt this year. Both are made from vintage shirts--upcycled shirts??? LOL....

Though it doesn't look it from the pattern pic, it really is quite nice for a boy's quilt. It is made with the stitch/flip method for the triangles so there is a little waste...but it is a good beginner's quilt. Anyhow, we've been so busy around our house lately that I haven't done any sewing or blog posting! I'll work to improve, I promise...hopefully!! Happy sewing...

Black Friday purchases...

2010-11-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd show you my Black Friday purchases....
First, six layer cakes from Green Fairy Quilts....they were on sale for $22.95 each!!

I'm planning on making charity quilts from the Pure, City Weekend, and Dream On. I'm going to make something for my Mom from Maison De Garance. And I'm giving Joyce the Whimsy and Breakfast at Tiffany's (for the charity quilts...or whatever she wants). Anyhow, it was an online deal so I didn't have to go out at all...

Also, 20 yards of backing fabric for 3 quilts. All on sale 30%-35% off. ;-D That is all I got....

I hope your Black Friday was full of bargains and fun stuff!!

Happy Thanksgiving from sunny Las Vegas!!

2010-11-25T09:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm thankful for lots of things...where to start?

1. My family is all healthy and happy ;-) Rebecca says "fat and plumpy"....LOL!
2. My dog is spoiled and makes us all feel so loved....thanks Buddy!
3. We both have teaching jobs that were relatively unaffected by the recession--we still have our house and savings! Our careers are fulfilling and we make a difference every day!!!
4. We have enough leisure time to pursue hobbies: quilting, scrapbooking, blogging, excercising....
5. Everyone is content and satisfied.

We are very lucky and sincerely hope that you and your family/friends enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving!

ps. On a more shallow note, I'm thankful that the quilt shops are having big sales tomorrow and Saturday!! I'm just buying backing fabric, I swear!!!

To Do List....

2010-11-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

Well now, I need to prioritize my list of "things of to do"--quilting-wise, that is. The Valentine top is pieced and will be sent to the quilter next week. So what to do next?

Not in any order...

1. Piece the quilt top for the dining room--for after the holidays. It is a Buggy Barn pattern and I purchased the kit a year or so ago, cut the pieces last summer, and then left it in a container, untouched, for months.

EDIT: I can't get a good pic today, but maybe later this week!

2. Bind the tree skirt. That is important....Maybe I should work on that today.

3. Make the anime quilt for my classroom--inspired by this one on Flickr. Fabrics have come in from all over--maybe I have enough?

4. Day of the Dead wall hanging...how cute would that be? Love that theme. Have already purchased some fabric...is anyone surprised? And I made a bag out of it last year....

5. Vintage plaid shirt quilt for my Dad's cabin. I have lots of leftover strips from Ryan's quilt and a nice quilt for my Dad's guest room is in order. He is currently using a peach/brown quilt that I made in the early 1990's....I think it is my duty to retire that quilt and make a new one!! I'm thinking "log cabin" pattern, since it is going to be in an actual log cabin. But is that too obvious? Maybe a string quilt?? Love those....hmmm...I've got enough strips that I could probably do both....LOL!

6. Vintage plaid Halloween quilt. I have all the fabrics, just no motivation. Hmmm....

7. Finish Alli's Halloween quilt. Prior to the nasty split with my ex, Allison was working on a Yellow Brick Road Halloween quilt. It is almost done. I should just finish it, but it is like pouring salt into an open wound right now. Maybe I'll put that off until next summer.

9. Kaffe quilt. I bought a lot of Kaffe fabric last summer and I'm anxious to cut into it. I have many quilts in my head....which one to do???

10. The 3-D shadow quilt. This seems kind of cool...I bought the background and shadow fabrics, and I have tons of fabric for the squares, so what is my problem??? Get busy, Vic!

11. I just ordered a Pure layer cake from Green Fairy Quilts. Free shipping this weekend. I need to make a quilt to match my couch. Not that Valentine isn't appropriate all year 'round, but why not have something that matches???

12. Finish Rebecca's name quilt. Maybe this weekend? I just need to quilt it--how long can that take? I have the binding ready to go...

OK, this list doesn't even dent what I have going on around here, but it is a start. Wish me luck!! Also, look at what I saw when I went into Ryan's bathroom last night after he brushed his teeth...

Did you know that Listerine can get a "foamy head" like a glass of beer? Upon further investigation I found Ryan giggling about it in his room--he wondered if it would explode like a can of soda!! OMG, can you imagine the blue mess if it did actually explode?? What a cutie pie ....LOL...

Valentine blocks are finished...

2010-11-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

So I've been working on the log cabin blocks for the Valentine Quilt. Here they are....on my "design floor" waiting to be pinned...

Anyhow, just thought I'd give a teaser. I should have the quilt top pieced this week. I'm doing a "show and tell" at school because the inmates are curious about how a pile of fabric becomes a quilt. They've now seen pieces (logs) and the blocks....next, I'll bring in the top, and batting and the back to show how it gets assembled into a "blanket" (gasp!!). LOL....more to come!

Quilted Tree Skirt...

2010-11-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

So I stayed up late and got the skirt quilted. It did involve a lot of marking, but the sewing was surprisingly easy and relaxing. I picked a center point in the circle and then connected to a mark along the edge of the quilt. Since the top was 36" square, I marked every 2" along the edge. I backstitched at each beginning and end....this is wash out marker...I just didn't have time to learn to stipple, though that has now moved up on my list of things to do. I really wanted to just send it to a longarmer, but I persevered. This sort of quilting is a big pain on the longarm...but perfect for a regular sewing machine. ;-D A decent choice...

After I finished I soaked it in the washer, cold water, let it spin and then took it to the dryer. I was admiring my work when I noticed some BLEEDING from a red. Well, all the pieces from one particular red shirt. Bleeding to the front, back and anywhere it touched during the spin cycle. PANIC!! I Spray 'N Washed the affected areas, rewashed it, mostly by hand, and got out the bleeding. Then into the dryer with a few big fluffy towels so dry. I did end up with a little bleeding on the back side, but you don't need to see that! The front looks good. The scary part is that I know I used that particular shirt fabric in my big Christmas quilt that is at the quilter right now. Darn it....that will trouble for years to come. Maybe I'll get some Retayne (or whatever that product is that prevents bleeding). I have color catcher sheets....but the problem is when the top is spinning and sending out dye to everypart that it touches....not really "free floating" dye in the water. It just needs to be bound and it will be done! I was leaning toward a red binding (will I ever learn??)....

While we were watching Robin Hood, and then a few episodes of Modern Family, we set out the pieces for the fruit/veggie quilt. It will only be 51" by 51" when it is finished. But then we had to stay up late pinning it so the dog wouldn't destroy it! My design wall is the carpet in my living room!!! It is definitely very festive...

Well, that is all I have to share. I need to check out the other quilts from the quilt along. Have a nice Sunday!

Quilting Along....Update #2

2010-11-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I have 3/8 of the tree skirt quilted. Check it out. I'm going to mark the rest and then quilt when Ryan goes in the shower. It is movie night and he doesn't like it when I sew and distrub the movie. Darn picky kids!! LOL....Who is this fat girl quilting on the tree skirt? Why, that is me? I must diet.... ;-)

On to more marking!!!

Two finishes....and an adult beverage!

2010-11-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

So we have two finishes for today....first, the purple/aqua quilt came back from Merrie Berrie Quilting. She did an allover pattern (she doesn't panto...don't be jealous of her skills!! LOL)....I had it bound in three days!! It has been washed and dried and mailed out to NY!!!

Then, Rebecca finished clipping the Syracuse quilt and it got washed and all raggy...

I had to whip up the adult beverage to get me through the quilting on this tree skirt. I'm doing radiating lines from the center...all must be marked, then sewn. ;-D

Yep, wild cherry Kool-Aid. How cool is it when you are old enough to make Kool-Aid in the winter??

Anyhow, I'm back to quilting. Another post later to see my progress!!!

Christmas Quilt Along--tree skirt!

2010-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

So I drug out the tree skirt that I made in September and I basted it. My plan is to quilt it on my Juki. Here is my proof....

But I usually send my stuff to a longarmer and I'm baffled by this idea. Maybe just straight lines? Or cross-hatching? Or I could practice some stippling and try that? Hmmm....so here it sits!!! I must run a couple of errands but I'll come back to it later today--I've been sick this weekend so I have a lot to catch up on!!!

Oh yeah, dogs like Butterscotch suckers...at least Buddy does!! I always get the "beggin' paw" (one paw raised so he is standing on 3 legs) when he wants something. The first pic is when he wanted pizza...then the sucker!

He has us so well trained. And NO, I didn't put the sucker back in my mouth. YES, we did brush his teeth after that snack. NO, we don't frequently feed him candy....But it was sort of cute!

No, it's not gay pride...but it is fruity!!!

2010-11-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

Oh my....I need to come out of the closet about something. I've bought fabric recently while on my moratorium. Yes, I suck. Yes, it was a lie of omission. But here it is in all it's glory.....fruit/veggie fabric!!!

This fruit stand fabric was just calling my name the other day at the Christmas Goose. I bought about half of it there, then ordered more online from Fabric Paradise. This will make the cutest little wall hanging for my classroom in the spring. I have 16 different prints....Any idea for a quilt pattern? It has to fit in a 48" by 48" space. And I don't want the pieces to be so small that you can't tell what fruit/veggie it is...I was thinking about some sort of rainbow rail fence?? Hmmm....I'll work something out in EQ and let you know....But if anyone has a killer idea, please let me know. I could even do an "around the world" type of quilt....I have 1/2 yard of each fabric....Maybe that is the winning ticket?

And I must also come out of the closet about the anime fabric I purchased. I don't have a picture, but I did buy about 8 yards of fabric to make an anime quilt. And because I'm working on my Valentine quilt, and I didn't buy any fabric for that, I feel slightly OK about my purchases.

I determined that the deal with my daughter, as depressing as it is, probably sparked the fabric buying binge. I was doing just fine until that point, then I sort of went a little crazy. But I'm back on track now...back on the wagon, as they say! ;-D Happy quilting.....

Christmas quilt top FINISHED!

2010-11-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, on Halloween, I was busy piecing together this top that I've been working on in the Christmas Quilt-Along. It is all made from vintage shirts....

Here is Ryan enjoying some time with Buddy...

I've been cutting strips for my Valentine quilt. Hopefully I'll get some more done today and I can begin sewing soon. I also must confess that I bought some fabric online. I'll share more of that later. ;-D So much for the moratorium!!!

Today is the baby shower for a colleague so I've been busy making games, buying prizes, cooking and preparing appetizers, etc. Thankfully I already had the gifts made! I hope you all get some sewing time in today....Happy Quilting!!

Be nice to your longarmer... :-D

2010-11-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you what inspired this post. I used to be a longarmer--I've owned several longarm machines and quilted for others as well as myself. Honestly, I hated quilting for others. It is very difficult to see a quilting design in some quilts...they just don't sing to you. Or the piecer has one idea for quilting and you have another. Or you can't execute what they want done....or you can do it, but it will take so long that you will never make any money at it. Etc, etc, etc. Longarming is a very difficult business...unruly quilt tops, clients, tension/machine issues, low pay, etc. And do you know how much stress there is when you are trying to figure out what is going to make the customer happy....what if they don't like it? Ack...stress, stress, and more stress!!

Here is a fact: one minute of longarm quilting can take up to 15 minutes to remove (if you mess up and have to frog, or rip out, the stitches). Nobody pays you to remove errant stitches....Honestly, I think I made less than $5 per hour quilting. I'm not joking. And I needed to pay off a $17,000 machine, and all the supplies that go with it, etc. My point is that quilting is not just a "fun hobby" turned profit. Quilters work hard to make quilts that are beautiful, affordable, and durable.

Today, I was speaking with a longarmer friend of mine in another state (she quilted the two tops above). I've been sending her quilts for years...probably 10 years or so. Her work is wonderful...she is very accomplished and she can look at a quilt and know just what to do with it. I trust her and have never been disappointed in her work. Her tension is always "spot on" and her designs are executed with ease. I love her work! She has a distinctive style that works for me....Today she called me because she received a quilt that I sent her in the mail. But she was distressed because a client wrote her a nasty e-mail complaining about the quilting that she had done on a quilt.

The piecer requested "all feathers" and the longarmer told her that because of some elements in the quilt top, "all feathers" wouldn't be possible so she suggested another option. The piecer agreed...but then came unglued when she received the top back in the mail (she mailed it to the longarmer in another state). The longarmer feels hurt, and shocked, because she thought they both had agreed to the quilting plan. She is worried she might not get paid...and she is upset that the piecer is not happy with the quilting. Picking out all the quilting on the top and quilting it again is not possible. Apparantly, the e-mail was alarmingly mean.

My thoughts: it is just a quilt top. Yes, it might take a long time to make the top...and yes, you might have a vision and it might not be perfectly what you want. But it is what it is. I've had a top quilted with the wrong panto. I've had a top quilted with a brand of thread that is so thin that it actually broke in several places while the quilter was quilting...the only thing holding the "sort of" quilting lines together is the Super Glue that I applied to glue the quilting to the top and prevent a massive unraveling. I've personally picked a color thread that ended up being way too dark and made the quilting look like crap. I've thought that "variegated" thread was so cool and found out the hard way that it made the quilting look choppy. So I've experienced my fair share of crappy quilting...but we still love those quilts and they adorn my sofa and Buddy doesn't give a care about the quilting (or the piecing for that matter). Try out different quilters until you find one with a style your appreciate. Or use one for pantos, a different one for custom...a different one if you need one super fast, etc. Tell your longarmer what you want...and if she can't do it, get your top back and go somewhere else. She'd want you to be happy...she wouldn't be insulted, and she might even be relieved that she doesn't feel pressured to do something that she can't/won't be able to execute. It is only a quilt top....

So don't sweat the small stuff!! And it is all small stuff....

Just my two cents....

Quilt Festival...Dahlia

2010-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing my quilt for the Blogger's Quilt Festival...

This was made from the Quiltsmart Dahlia pattern. The pattern had a bunch of foundation fabric, premarked with fold and sew lines. I bought it at the quilt show in Las Vegas one year and then took a class on how to use the pattern at Fabric Boutique in Vegas. Though I like how it turned out, it was a TON of finger pressing. The pattern fabric had some fusible aspect to it and so it couldn't be ironed. Anyhow, I used 1930's fabric and it was quilted by Kalynda Klemmer.

I'd recommend this pattern if you aren't into curved piecing...and you have a lot of time! I've also seen it done in batiks and it is absolutely stunning. ;-D I hope you enjoyed my quilt show...

Baby Shower...

2010-10-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Like I posted earlier, a colleague at work is having a baby girl. I made a Bliss rag quilt, a diaper changing thing (with a hand towel and some Bliss) and a hooded towel (made with a towel and washcloth). A teacher at a previous school gave me a couple of hooded towels for my son when he was born. I thought it was sort of silly, but I used them for years...until they fell apart! Here are my gifts....

What else have I been doing? Well, I pulled some fabric for my Valentine quilt. I might start on that this weekend. I think the Christmas quilt along is coming up...I should look at all of that as well. Anyhow, I did get something done this week!! The purple/aqua quilt was mailed to the quilter, so that is off my plate. Wow, I can't wait to see what I do this weekend!! It is a 3 day weekend in Nevada (Nevada Day is celebrated Friday) and then the kids get Monday and Tuesday off as well for Staff Development Day at our public schools. Unfortunately, Ryan has a doctor appt. on Monday so I will have to miss one day of Staff Development (awww...shucks...;-D) and I'll just stay home and quilt until the appt. So I'm getting a 4 day weekend...Ryan gets 5 days off in a row! You should see the happy dance around here....

Finished the TOP!

2010-10-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Oh my...I finally finished the purple/aqua top. It it for a twin bed so it measures 72" x 96". 8" finished blocks set 9 x 12. The backing will be put together today and I'll pack it up for the quilter. ;-D Yeah, one more project done!!

I'm going to send it to Merri Berrie Quilting in Colorado. Just a nice overall....maybe some flowers, butterflies, swirls....whatever she thinks looks nice! Next, work on the Christmas quilt for the Quilt Along...

Tea n Bickies (what is a bickie?)

2010-10-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

So this morning was going really badly. Not that anyone cares, but my ex and I (whom I've posted about previously--the lost quilt saga) reached an impasse regarding sharing the children we had together 10 years ago. The end result is that I won't be seeing my daughter Allison for the next six years...until she is old enough to get a driver's license and drive herself to my house. That is totally depressing...and our house is very, very sad for this loss. Maybe Allison reads my blog at home--if you do, Alli, you can leave an anonymous comment!!! Then I can get back to you somehow.....Anyhow, let me get past my personal drama...

I was on Flickr--my drug of choice when I want to have some coffee and zone out. I just watch the pictures of the quilts pass by and I find it relaxing. This morning, while I was drinking and stewing, I happened to watch a bunch of pictures of an anime quilt roll by on the slideshow. Personally, I'm not into anime (the Japanese cartoon characters with wild hair, etc.) but my 8th grade students are VERY into anime. I couldn't help but think how fanastic a quilt for my classroom would be if it were anime themed like the one in Flickr.

So I discovered the lady who made the quilt and her blog....teanbickies. Click HERE to link to the quilt I'm referencing. Can you believe it? Look at all the fussy cutting, and the differnt blocks that make that quilt so dynamic--and original--and just plain cool??? I've e-mailed the woman and I hope to get the name of a source for anime fabric. Should I just check e-quilter? I've never seen anime fabric in the stores, though honestly, I might have and would have passed it by. But now I am INSPIRED!!! Thank you, Clair, for making my day better with your totally amazing quilt.

This brings me to my point. All you bloggers who think that maybe you are writing for nobody, and that maybe you are wasting your time....YOU AREN'T!! Lots of people enjoy reading the blogs, and looking at the pictures, and maybe they don't comment (so you think you are alone)--but your are not! It can be months down the line, after your initial post, before someone goes back and reads through all your posts and finds something, a little piece of info or a beautiful picture, that inspires them to do something awesome. Keep writing, bloggers!! You are better than a magazine, better than a book....and FREE. I love it!! Thanks.

Bliss Baby Quilt....

2010-10-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

So a colleague at work is having a baby girl. The shower is in two weeks so I didn't have much time to make a regular quilt (and get it quilted) so....a rag quilt!! I used the Bliss fabric (yes, this did necessitate a trip to the fabric shop for a bit of Bliss--but I swear, I only bought what I needed!!!). She couldn't decide her colors for the baby's room so I just figured that I'd make what I would want if i were having a baby girl! LOL....

It still needs to have the ragged edge parts cut and a good washing/drying. But itsn't it cute?? I'll post a final pic when it is done...along with a couple other things I'm adding for the shower.

Rebecca isn't enjoying piecing the Syracuse quilt. She has only done the "X" part and the trimming at the end. Turns out the whole sewing of the body of the quilt isn't that hot. Apparantly, if your seams aren't all equal then you quilt will be difficult to piece together (rows to rows). LOL...who knew??? ;-D

Well, it is finally raining here in Las Vegas. I have to find something, like a coat, to wear and get Ryan in some pants, I think. Only bad Moms let their kids go to school in the cold rain, right?

Purple and Aqua wonky quad quilt...

2010-10-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

OK, they aren't actually wonky squares so I'm calling them wonky quadrilaterals (random four sided figures). I've been secretly forcing myself to sew each night and guess what? I'm almost done. Check it out....

It is on the floor, awaiting the massive pinning this will happen tonight. ;-D My goal is to have the top completed this weekend (or week), then piece the backing, and send it off to the quilter!! Yeah! It might be done by Christmas...or maybe Valentine's Day??? LOL....

Fall Quilter's Blog Giveaway Winner....

2010-10-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

I did the random number generator thing, and counted through all the posts....the winner is....

Linda at Living4Quilting!! Thank you to all who posted on my blog...I wish I had enough Bliss to give everyone a roll (LOL....like I'm the fabric fairy??!). I hope you all enjoyed checking out all the blogs involved in this giveaway, I know I did. It was nice to see some fresh blogs and "meet" some new online people.

I'm sad to see the Bliss go out the door. Quiltique, my LQS, has every bolt from the line. It is all wonderful, let me tell you. Camille Roskelley, one of the designers, is a resident of Las Vegas and she came to the store for a book signing a few weeks ago. Sadly, I had to hold myself back.... ;-D But it so beautiful, I'm sure it will be around in a few months when I give up on the moratorium....

Congrats, Linda!!! I'll ship the roll this weekend....

Syracuse Rag Quilt...Rebecca's Project!

2010-10-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I posted yesterday, Rebecca is cutting out 6" squares for her Syracuse rag quilt. This is big for her because I've always cut the squares and she has sewn. Now, she is going to do the whole thing!!!
Here is her design....She learned how to use EQ!

Here are her little sandwiches all stacked up and ready to sew....

We are off to buy some thread and get her going on this project! The good news is that it doesn't have to go to a longarmer (we are getting a ltitle too close to Christmas to be playing that game!).

Sunday night she sewed them all together and tonight they are laying on the floor, ready for pinning....

Buddy jumped in to the shot...what a cutie pie! Well, we have to go pin now, and watch an episode of House on the DVR. It is looking great, though....:-D

Madison's Rag Quilt...

2010-10-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is my niece, Madison, getting ready to sew a rag quilt. She picked out the fabrics and her and her Mom, and Grandma, all worked to put it together....

Here is the "before washing" photo...

And here is the "after washing" picture....Very cute, huh? Polka dots was theme...leaning towards browns and light blues. Madison picked out the fabrics at a few of the local quilt shops...The Quilter's Studio and Chocolate and Cotton, I believe. My sister, Gwen, tells me that she didn't really enjoy the cutting process (who does???) and so she will lean towards the pre-cuts next time around! ;-)

There seems to be a theme here...I'm trying to force my family into quilting and I'm starting them out on rag quilts. Hmmmm....Oh well, the more the merrier! Gwen sent me some other pics of quilts that now reside at her house--you will seem them in later posts! Thanks, Gwen...
Good night....

Valentine....

2010-10-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

So this is my Sunday morning...coffee and my EQ software. I'm planning on making a Valentine wall quilt for my classroom....48" x 48". Notice my Valentine coffee mug?

Several years ago I decided to redo my kitchen in Valentine. Yes, Valentine dishes, Valentine placemats, red kitchen accessories, etc. I even rescued this Valentine wallhanging from a LQS..it was for sale and nobody seemed to want it. It is some sort of raw-edged applique/stack-n-slash quilt. The borders are wonky, and the quilting, if you could see it, is a little marginal. But it looks nice in a Valentine themed kitchen....

Anyhow, this is my EQ design for a Valentine quilt for the classroom. I have a large stash of Valentine's fabrics....

I'm thinking of a 2" block in the center, then 1" finished strips going around--it would be an 8" block (8'5" unfinished). That might make a decent dent in the massive amount of Valentine fabric I'm hoarding. I've made several queen and king-sized pink/red quilts and still haven"t used it up. This will give me something to work on in my **free** time... ROTFLOL

Tonight I plan on working on my aqua and purple quilt for my niece--watch for a post tomorrow or Tuesday regarding my progress. I did the Chrismas Quilt Along yesterday and made some progress on that quilt...One of these days I need to quilt the tree skirt...or I could take it to a quilter??? OMG, why am I being such a wimp about this? Lots of people quilt on their own machine at home. Suck it up, Vic, and get it done. I mean, it is under the presents, under the tree and pretty much out of sight. What better quilt to practice on than that one? Oh, let me tell you why. I'm so lazy that I'll probably never want to make another tree skirt in my life and I'll have to look at it forever. That is why. But my vision isn't what it used to be...so maybe I should quilt it! In 15 years I won't even be able to see the details in the quilting so what will it matter? LOL....

Anyhow, Happy Quilting!

Christmas Quilt Along...

2010-10-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Final Update for Christmas Quilt Along: I got the blocks all sew and pressed. I still need to square them up, but that is it for now...here is the proof! You'll see me working on the border next Saturday.... ;-D

Update #1: Well, I did a little Christmas Pin Along and got this far...

Then I started sewing...I'm still sewing...More later. I hope to press and square the stars today...

Rebecca is sort of quilting along. She bought some orange and blue fabrics to make an orange and blue Syracuse U. rag quilt for her brother. She is going to cut out the squares tonight...or so she thinks! She has yet to cut fabric (she is a scrapbooker)....We'll see how this goes!

I did work a little on my Christmas quilt last Saturday...you see, every Saturday is my own Christmas Quilt Along! I pieced the star tips together and the squares are attached to each end. This is what I have to work with today...

The center block ends up larger than it needs to be...so more trimming after the tips are attached. But when the star is finished, and the borders are attached, each block should look like this...

Although I love the look of the vintage shirts, they can be a little tricky to work with. The pieces tend to stretch, and grow a little wonky. If I were a fan of spray starch, I think I would use it now ;-D But I'm not, so I don't. I need twenty of these block to make a 60" by 75" quilt top. I guess they must be 15" blocks...

But before I can get to this project, I have to take Ryan to the video store for a new game, the Halloween store for a costume, and a try to find him some long pants for the winter. Since we are in Las Vegas, winter is only about 4 months....so pants are troublesome. Why do kids grow non-proportionally? Too tight in the tummy, too short, way too long, pant legs to big that he could hid a machete in one leg and a shotgun in the other? I despise shopping for pants. Anyhow, after all that trauma, and a shot of orange flavored Patron, I'll be ready to sew. I hope everyone else is getting some Christmas stuff done today....Happy Quilting!

Lakehouse Fun Flowers..

2010-10-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know I'm on a fabric buying moratorium. But I have gone and bought a few shirts from the Goodwill (less than 10, though, in two months). And they were really great shirts, I might add. Anyhow, I saw this new line of fabric advertised on Fat Quarter Shop....Lakehouse's Fun Flowers. They totally said "Buy me now, Vic"....so I headed down to Fabric Boutique and snagged two yards of the flower print and a few fat quarters. Total spent: $42.

Can't you just picture the flowers fussy cut and then something amazing going on with the colored fat quarters around the flower? What is the amazing thing that will happen? Well, we all must wait and see because that is a bit unclear. I thought about a log cabin sort of thing....or maybe making them the centers of some stars....or.....???? Anyhow, I just had to have them for a wall quilt for my classroom. But first I must make a little Valentine one for after the holidays. I wanted to make a holiday quilt/winter quilt but I don't want to offend any of the inmates who don't celebrate anything. But a pink and red Valentine will be perfect for Jan/Feb....

So that is my confession. But they had the ENTIRE LINE OF BLISS and I didn't buy a thing. I'm not going to touch/fondle the jelly roll of Bliss for my giveaway. I've secured it out of sight for safe keeping...Not to worry, folks...all is well here! But I must say, I feel like I pimped myself out for some new followers with the giveaway. I now have 39 followers...wow, the pressure! I guess I need to get on my quilting J-O-B and get some stuff done, huh? Thanks for reading (or at least looking at the pictures--and yes, I should have at least ironed the crease out of the flower print....LOL)!

Also, I posted an actual pic of myself on my profile. I wanted to drop 30 pounds first but then I figured you'd NEVER see the real me...So that is it...I'm not a skinny little cartoon avatar with perfect hair! ;-D

Saturday stuff...

2010-10-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I have some news. Denise washed the Seuss quilt and the reds didn't run! Yeah...here are some pics...

Aren't the graphics just perfect? I mean, they are exactly as they are in the book....just adorable. She is going to gift it with a few Seuss books as well. What a lucky baby!!! And best of all, she enjoyed making the quilt and is planning on doing a couple more for some other pregnant friends. Yeah, a new quilter!!! Way to go, Denise! Some day my sister will send pics of the rag quilt her and her daughter made....Gwen, where are the pics?? ;-D I need more stuff to blog about, sheesh.....

I worked on my Christmas quilt along quilt. I drug out the Featherweight and went "old school". Doesn't the set up look so quaint....The real deal is like this: I'm sewing late at night because I'm trying to force myself to do an hour of quilting each night. So I look like crap, feel exhausted, the dog is giving me dirty looks from the couch because I'm not petting him, Criminal Minds is playing on the TV and Rebecca is trying to deal with all the drama in Sped. dept at her work....Ack!! Not the peaceful piecing you might expect! But I'm making progress on my Christmas quilt....

Alli, my daughter, is working on her Halloween quilt from last October. No, I didn't have to chain her to the sewing maching this time *LOL*. She actually asked to work on it and her seams are just perfect this time around. We had a little drama last year when she was finishing a Christmas quilt for her other Mom and she got a little sloppy with the seams because she was watching TV and not taking it seriously. So we put away the sewing for a while and now that she has come back to it she is more enthusiastic than ever. Here she is (by the way, she is only 9 years old and has been sewing for a couple of years now)....

Did you see her technique...guiding the fabric through the machine carefully, lining it up against the seam guide thingy to get an accurate seam, not letting the pins scratch the bed of the featherweight. OMG, I'm in heaven!! Grandma Lois, my Mom, says that with her appreciation of all the fabrics Alli is sure to be a lifetime quilter. I can only hope, right? Who else am I going to leave all my stash to when I'm too old to see anymore??? Hahaha....I love you Alli!!!

Fall Into Fall Blog Giveaway...Comment on this post to enter...

2010-09-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to participate in the Fall Into Fall Blog Giveaway (see the picture of the scarecrow to the side?)....I believe I am supposed to show what I'm giving away and then my loyal readers (all 3 of you) will post a comment and I'll use the "random number generator" to select a winner on October 15th.

I am giving away a Bliss jelly roll....tada! I love the reds and aqua and pink...So really I bought you the gift that I want...isn't that what shopping is all about?? LOL! Anyhow, all you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment ON THIS POST. Only one comment, please. I'll likely go on sensory overload and SNAP if people leave multiple comments in an attempt to increase their probability of winning...so one comment is all you get! Thanks. The math teacher in me wants to keep it all fair and square :-D

Once the winner is selected, on October 15th, I'll hope the winner checks back in and I can get an address so that I can send the jelly roll and pattern for the quilt that I want you to make and send back to me by Christmas....hahaha...well, sort of....OK, you can do with it what you want!! LOL....