How NOT to Quilt a Quilt...

Or the saga of the 'Train-wreck Quilt'...

Started out with a 'good idea' or at least I THOUGHT it was a 'good idea'...

The Apple Quilt - the mystery quilt from last year's Arizona Quilting Retreat - was unfinished. They are doing a 'reveal' of the quilts from last year at this year's retreat in a couple of weeks. So..I thought I would 'finish it up' so I could show a finished quilt at the retreat since I was one of only a couple of us that actually finished sewing the top during last year's retreat. ..They already all saw it as a top!

When I came home from the retreat, my DM thought it looked kinda like a tablecloth..which I agreed with, once she said it. So I thought I would use a really thin batting so it 'could' be used as a tablecloth, should I so desire to do so sometime in the future. Also, a thin batting would make a nice couch quilt since we usually don't get really cold here (Unfortunately, the present weather system belies that though...it was 27 Saturday morning when I got up and with wind chill since its breezy, that translated to 20 degrees!!! This is So Cal, fergoodnessske!)

I settled on using the heavyweight flannel that WalMart sells for diapers. It has a nice hand, washes well, is definately thinner than Warm and White and is fair-to-middlin' cheap to boot. Hunted some down (first Wally World did not have any).

Washed, dried, cut the chunk in half and stitched it back together to make a piece large enough for the batting. Pieced the backing for the quilt out of the leftover apple fabric. And here is where I started to go wrong. I decided to 'birth' the quilt-mostly because I could not find any red fabric that matched the red in the quilt to bind it with and the other fabrics were just not right or I didn't have enough of them.

Sigh...'birthing' a quilt this big is disastrous! This is THE biggest quilt I have tackled so far. I did a couple of rows of top stitching after turning the quilt. That part went ok. Starting the interior quilting was nothing but an exercise in frustration. The backing and the flannel stayed in place since they were mostly un-pieced...but the top...it stretched, it buckled, it twisted...it went every which way but the right way. Next mistake was thinking it would 'quilt out' ...HAH...that made things worse. (and never make decisions like this when you are tired and its late and its dark out...) By light of morning I got out the seam ripper and tried to repair the damage.

Thinking that a little steam and some spray sizing would help, I hoisted the thing onto the ironing board and pinned it every couple of inches after steaming it within an inch of its very existence...by the time I was done with the pins (almost every pin I own, mind you)...it looked - well - ok, not splendid but ok. This thing has a mind of its own though. Started stitching..still buckling - even with the walking foot...so...I did the only thing you can do at this point and tried to get the buckles at the intersections...and went back over them the other direction to firmly plaster them into place. Not the prettiest solution...but..it is DONE...

I washed and dried it..and though its a 'train-wreak'...if I didn't tell you..you might not notice. I will see if anyone ever does! I love how a quilt gets to looking 'quilty' after its first washing!

And its pretty cozy after all...I have it on my lap to clip the miscellaneous thread ends...

I realize now that what I SHOULD have done is stitch the top to the flannel starting in the middle like you are supposed to, then done the birthing and left the back loose or maybe a few extra stitching lines...

Live, learn and do better on the next one...

Here are the Quilt Inspectors giving the quilt a good going over. The tan one is Dustie (she's shy...I could not get her to face the camera), the grey one is Misty and the tiger colored one is Tiger!

----------On another subject--------------
The wind is blowing quite heavily here (30mph) - and its chilly still. I put the trash can out for trash pickup this morning...got back home and no trash can...either someone stole it or more likely it was last seen rolling away for parts unknown. We will have to call the trash company in the morning for a new one...they have numbers on them and someday it will turn up - the last time it took a couple of weeks for them to find the absconded-with trash can, but find it they did.

A-Maze-ing Revealed

This is my first reveal for the 12x12x4 Challenge:

I added 'The A-Maze-ing Miss Bee' to the quilt to make it into a kind of 'interactive' quilt. The bee can be stuck to the quilt anywhere as she is made of felt which sticks to the flannel. Because the sticking is not foolproof (!), I made sure she would not get lost by using the perl cotton to attach her to the back of the quilt thru the flower.

Materials are cotton flannel for the background - the back is covered in the same flannel, black bias tape for the maze walls, felt and fleece for the bee and flower with perl cotton embroidery.

The back also has the information about the quilt printed on muslin and fused.

Making Lemonade

Last year I started knitting this scarf on my Knifty Knitter...was going along just fine - more than halfway to where I wanted...then it wasn't winter anymore so I stopped working on it. Needed the Knifty Knitter loom for something else and thought.."well, just slip it off and when you are done with the other project, slip it back on and finish"..

You know that old saying about best laid plans? Well, one of my darling kitty-cats found the project and was dragging it around the house with much glee - DH rescued the poor thing from the taloned monster. But..the damage was done! I could NOT figure out how to get it back onto the Knifty Knitter loom the right direction and several rows had been pulled out..It languished in another stack until this morning when I had a flash of inspiration about what to DO WITH IT!

A few tassels, a couple of buttons and some beads, and voila! I have a scarf-collar! Beauty of using the button fastener is I can make a new one anytime I want to match any outfit I want to pair this with!

My First Quilt

I posted most of this over on the About Quilting forum but then decided it really belongs here - so here it is, in an expanded version:

I started quilting very late in 2002 - the first weekend in either November or December, I believe it was. My first quilt was done using Jodi Barrows' Square in a Square ruler. My girlfriends and I had gone to a craft show where it was being demoed...

The class was called 'Perfect Points' and my friend Julia (who is also my office partner) wanted to go see that demo. She had been trying to get me to learn to quilt..but I had been really resistant up to that point.."Why would anyone cut up perfectly good fabric into little pieces, just to sew it back together again" was my whine every time she mentioned quilting. The lady doing the demo had the RIGHT answer - "Why, it's to make it more beautiful!"...and shockingly, that made absolute sense to me...She showed how to sew strips to the sides of a square, lay down the ruler in the right places, and whack off anything that stuck out...seemed easy enough to me.. I muttered under my breath "I think I could do that", my 3 girlfriends HEARD me and as one, turned towards me with looks on their faces like I had grown another head!

They all bought the book and the ruler at the show - me, I was a little more reserved and said I would like to try it first before buying (it still being a shock to my system that I even was considering quilting,after all)...so my girlfriend who has a very nice big quilt studio invited us over to learn to use the ruler.

I am anal enough that I wanted to make something I could use, if I was going to invest the time to do it..so I decided to make a lap quilt. I used the pattern that came with the ruler as my starting point - it was blue squares with red points and red squares with blue points...but that seemed odd to me, so I decided I wanted solid colored stars.

I had in my possessions, thanks to the generosity of my parents, a brand new sewing machine, a rotary cutter, a huge mat and the proper ruler... amazingly - I originally planned on using them for garment sewing...but just had not gotten to that, what with the kids having to be toted here and there and working full time and cats and dogs...yanno...all that stuff...

So..off to my girlfriend's house I go, new sewing machine in hand, and three 2-yard pieces of fabric from WalMart - I certainly wasn't going to spend a lot of money on fabric if I didn't know if I even LIKED quilting - that I had DH pick out. He picked a raspberry, a dark blue and a golden tan with little gold stars on it - went together very nicely!

My friends showed me how to use the rotary cutter (mine was still in its package!) and how to line up fabric and how to chain piece and how to figure out where my 1/4 mark was on the machine. I busily sewed and sewed and pressed and whacked off the pieces that stuck out - we were there for 4-5 hours...and had almost all of the blocks made by the time we left...just had a couple more to do...

Went home, started putting rows together and had the top finished by the next evening. Decided to use fleece for the back and had it quilted by the next weekend...AND...there has been no stopping me since...

We shall however, never discuss quilt number 2, which remains tucked away in my quilting room...and which if I need a dose of humility, I drag out to see if I can fix..I haven't gotten rid of it because my sister says she LIKES it...so someday, if I ever figure out what to do with it, it may find its way to her house.

My cats love to sleep on my lap under my Stars quilt. It's seen a lot of use since it was created and still looks great - even if it is just $2 a yard fabric from WalMart!

"Health and Wealth"

Last year I heard a bunch of whining about not putting the tangerine and the penny in the stockings from my dearest daughter...I wrote about it last January here.

This year, a week or so before the big event, DD calls up to confirm she is going to be attending and casually mentions to me "Don't forget the Health and Wealth"...me being a bit dense at that point, did not catch the meaning...She explained..."You know...the shiny coin and the orange fruit" - enlightenment dawned.

So...I put the tangerine in the toe and added not just the shiny penny, but a nickle, a dime, and a quarter too...and some mini Reese's peanut butter cups for good measure.

She was happy with her "Health and Wealth".

I did forget the new toothbrush and pack of gum though...so I am not quite on the Good Santa Mom list...Next year I need to review my posts BEFORE Christmas so I get it right...or maybe I should just leave myself a note in the stockings when I pack them up this weekend!

Works in Progress

I finished off my maze quiltlet for the 12x12x4 challenge. I am not posting any more pictures of it here until later in the month for the reveal..so stay tuned! But I did make this beaded hanger for displaying my littler quilts...its a 12" dowel with quilt tacks in the ends to fasten the picture wire around, a length of picture hanger wire strung with wooden beads and 4 cafe curtain clips...



The vest looks like a 'real' vest now:




I bought two kinds of buttons - the kind you can cover with fabric and some really cute flower buttons. In the interest of getting this done, I think I will start with the flower buttons....but...here is my current dilemma: this is just a wee bit snuggish if I actually lop one side over and would make regular button holes. So I am thinking about other possibilities. Sophie is drawing me a picture of a kind she saw at a Sewing Expo...I could use embroidery thread and make loops in the seam allowance..I could make tabs (kinda clunky though)... or some sort of heavy cording with an orientalish frog on the opposite side...or?? Open for suggestions...

I bought and washed the fabric for the mystery table runner that we are doing at the retreat. Have to make a pile of HSTs...I picked Valentine's fabric because I don't have any quilted items for putting out for that holiday.

I also got some very thin fleece for the batting for the Apple Quilt (which was last year's retreat mystery quilt. I got that pieced together and layed out...There is a picture of the Apple Quilt over here. I need to piece together the backing fabric (which is the center part of that I cut the borders off of) and get it pinned. This one is going to be a 'tablecloth'...I am birthing it since I have failed in my efforts to find a suitable red to bind it with anyways...then since the batting is fleece, I will do just minimal quilting - wrangling that thing thru my home machine may be dang near impossible. I do think this may be the biggest quilt I have attempted to quilt.

It may not be possible to keep this momentum going now that I am back to work, but I am going to try! Road to California is in a couple of weeks and Retreat is a couple of weeks after that...so I am definitely going to be BUSY!

And Now...for the First Meme of 2007:

The A-B-Cs of My Quilting Style
Debra tagged all of us!

A- Artist? Melody Johnson (and I get to take a class from her in a couple weeks, yippie!)
B- Best Blogging Buddies? Gee..ya'll are my buds!
C- Crazy or Sane Quilting? Crazy is fascinating!
D- Dyeing or Stamping? I've done more dyeing than stamping, though one of my WISPs needs stamping.
E- Essential Item? for quilting would have to be materials to quilt.
F- Favorite Fabrics? Batiks and Brights.
G- Great Quilt Design? Wholecloth.
H- Hand or Machine Quilt? Depends on the project. I like both.
I- Indispensable Notion? yup...it's the Gingher's.
J- Janome or Bernina? Don't rightly know...my machines are all Singers.
K- Kits or Original Designs? Not sure if I would ever DO a kit, though some of them look nice. I like my own designs better.
L- Life in the Studio is? Where I would rather be.
M- Most Projects Made in One Year? Do quilty gifts count? If so, this year - 37 quilty gifts, 6 journal pages, three ugly fabric challenges and a mystery quilt...I am sure there is stuff I forgot too...
N- Number of Gadgets? not a clue...too many to count.
O- OH, I wish I hadn’t. . . . .? no idea...
P- Pet Peeves about Quilting? Having to work gets in the way of quilting time.
Q- Quilt Show? Road to California!
R- Reason to Rip Out? Depends on ultimate purpose of item..and if its bad enough to warrant ripping...some stuff just doesn't go together right without at least one rip out!
S- Sewing or Knitting? I wouldn't mind doing more knitting...I just haven't quite got the hang of it. Crochet, I get...so I do that more...but sewing is better than either of those.
T- Tag, You're It! Consider yourself tagged.
U- UFOs? Only one that will probably NEVER get done...have at least 12 WISPs at last count...hoping to get two of them squared away in the next day or so.
V- Vexing Quilt Pattern? Haven't met one yet.
W- Wishlist Item? Longarm machine or treadle.
X- Xtra Fabric you will never use? You never know about spare pieces of fabric...could be just the thing you need...
Y- Your Biggest Goof? Moi? Goof? Shirley, you are kidding...
Z- Zip! And it’s finished? The piecing for my Penrose Posey went pretty quick-like...it however languishes on the WISP stack... and gets petted every once in a while.

SRE Vest Progress

Spent most of the day working on the silk ribbon embroidery (SRE) vest that I started in September. The embroidery is DONE! I hopefully will get it put together either tonight or tomorrow.

Here is the design on the back:


And here are the front pieces:



I am thinking of getting some of those buttons you cover with your own fabric and making buttons with a flower on them for the vest - otherwise I am thinking I need some pretty metal buttons...don't know if I will get to Joann's tomorrow or not - I hear they are having a great sale on batting and quilting notions on New Year's Day...

The ABCs of ME ME-ME

Sophie tagged me. Last meme of 2006!

A- Available or single? Not for a loooooong time.
B- Best Friend? Julia. She’s responsible for infecting me with quilt-pox. She’s also my sometime office partner (we share an official office but both of us have been co-located in client sites for years.)
C- Cake or Pie? Usually like pie better – though our secret family birthday cake is pretty tasty! Key Lime is definitely in my top ten. Apricot, apple and boysenberry make the list too.
D- Drink of Choice? Tea – specifically Stash Chai Spice with cream and Splenda…yum…
E- Essential Item? Computer of some sort…artistic materials…
F- Favorite Color? Green.
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Can’t eat either variety – they are made with corn syrup to which I am dreadfully allergic. Worms seem like more fun though! Especially in a ‘Dirt’ cake for a little boy…
H- Hometown? Not comfortable saying but its somewhere in So Cal.
I- Indulgence? Dark Chocolate...Belgian…
J- January or February? January…it’s a month of new hope.
K- Kids and names? Have two – one of each kind – eh, make that three (I recently acquired a DDIL). Sorry for not posting the names…but that’s not something I am comfortable with either. Both kids have two middle names. DD’s name has a cool translation and it fits her.
L- Life is incomplete without? My DH.
M- Marriage Date? August 27, 1978
N- Number of Siblings? One sister.
O- Oranges or apples? Apples. The greener/fresher the better. Love to pick them and eat them right off the tree.
P- Phobias/Fears? Spiders. Used to have problem with heights but that’s mostly gone. And I can whack spiders with the best of them!
Q- Favorite Quote? “The best revenge is living well” – DH. Or “There are no coincidences” – James Redfield
R- Reason to Smile? Today – it’s a beautiful day.
S- Season? Fall…love the colors and the tang of coolness in the air. We actually DO have some trees in So Cal that turn magnificent colors! Someday I want to do a Color Tour of the East Coast during Fall…
T- Tag three people! If you haven’t done this…yer it!
U- Unknown Fact About Me? If I said, it wouldn’t be unknown anymore!
V- Vegetable you hate? Not really fond of Brussels sprouts though I have been known to choke them down. With. Lots. Of. Butter. And some nutmeg.
W- Worst habit? Procrastination! Second would be getting diverted…like on this meme!
X- X-Rays you’ve had? A bunch…probably too many
Y- Your favorite food? Dark chocolate…and fresh raspberries
Z- Zodiac? Leo/Virgo…and the best of both, I might add.

My Little Black Sheep

One of the gifts I received was this cutie patootie little black sheep. His tail pulls out and is a tape measure. My friend who bought him said he came in a box of 12 white sheep and 1 black sheep...everyone wants the black sheep though so the store owner has tons of the white ones and the black ones go as soon as she opens the box.

Maybe she should invest in a box of black dye!

It's A-Maze-ing - Progress

My theme for the Quilt Studio 12x12x4 Challenge is 'Circles'. My first exploration this year is a circular maze. I've always thought a maze would be a neat quilting design.

The design I chose is a floor pattern in the nave of the cathedral in Chartres, France. This cathedral was built in 1235 AD. The pattern is known as 'Chemin de Jerusalem' (Road to Jerusalem). Here's a picture of the floor:



In the process of investigating circular mazes, I learned the secrets of how to draw a particular type called a Cretan maze. Fascinating stuff! I decided the full Chartres maze would be too intricate for my little 12 inch piece so I used a modified version that has 5 rings instead of 11. Here is the pattern:


I used a piece of mottled green flannel to represent the green turf that a lot of mazes in Europe are constructed with. I used my old Staedtler Mars SuperBow compass from my early college days to draw the rings onto the flannel and then used pre-fused bias tape and ironed on the maze walls.

I need to stitch down the bias tape and put the on the backing and satin stitch bind...and I have a little surprise that I haven't finished yet - hopefully it looks as cute as I think it will.

Merry Christmas to All!

Now that the annual Christmas Festivities are over I can reveal the Christmas presents that I made this year.
I made pillowcase sets for all the guys. A couple said I even got the colors right for their sheet sets (pretty good for stabbing in the dark!) The second one from the left on the top row is upside down - the cuff is actually the yellow and blue print. The one on the bottom right has monkeys in the print, which went over really well.

For the younger ladies, I made raggy schlep bags out of blue jeans. A couple of the gals used them right away to haul all their gifts home in! The squares on these were 7 inches which makes a sizable bag. I think they liked them. I folded the top points over to make a casing and included a piece of clothesline that if they want can be used for a drawstring to close the bag.
I washed each one of these separately in a pillowcase then shook them outside to get the strings off..the birds will have a lovely time using these thread scraps in their nests!

This is the one for my new DDIL...she is expecting a girl that they have named Lily, so I made her schlep bag into a diaper bag out of Disney character fabric - Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore.
There were supposed to be 4 pieces of fabric in the bundle, but when I went to start the cutting...danged if there were only three and no time go back to Joann's to complain. So I made the best of what I had and used up almost all of the 3 FQ's - only a couple of tiny scraps left.
Notice I did not cut off the top triangles and put the handles on the points. This makes the bag a bit deeper.

This is the one for my DM. She wanted one that she can carry a notebook in for her piano lessons, so I made hers with the extended points too. I put the handles on differently too.

This is the one for my DS. I love the way this one turned out! (It's more stunning in real life than the picture) I think I will go back to the store and get more of the fabrics to make me a matching one! I put dragonfly appliques on hers.


On the receiving end:
A Dyson Animal Ball (they wrapped it in a 'crazy quilt' of wrapping paper - my Dad said it was actually rather difficult to do on purpose but it looked so CUTE!), a mini Exercycle that I am putting under my desk so I can exercise while reading blogs, Electric Quilt 6, two sweaters, two long sleeved cotton shirts, two pairs of incredibly soft sleep sox, a package of cafe curtain clips for hanging my mini-quilts, a Grammie's Brag Book for pictures of Lily when she arrives, a six-piece Poinsettia bowl that will be great for next year's relish tray at the Christmas party, homemade cookies, some good old fashioned cash and gift cards for movies and good eating!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Wishing you all the very best for Christmas and have a marvelous New Year!

Closer to the Finish Line

Boy...this re-arranging the living room sure has taken up a goodly chunk of the week. Today I rented one of those Rug Doctor machines and had at the living room and hallway. I am glad I did not put up the tree yet!
Finished a couple more presents - have two more cut out and one more to cut...I am pretty sure I will get done!
Tomorrow I have to return the Rug Doctor and hit Costco for the party food - hopefully early in the day before all the crowds. Then move the furniture back into the living room, decorate, wrap and bake a batch or two of cookies and that will be that!

This Is The Table That Suze Built

Table is DONE and behind the sofa! Color at least matches the color of the trim on the sofa, so that worked out. I was going to put another coat on this morning...but just got too anxious to have the project done with so I skipped it - the can recommended two coats so that's where I stopped!


Here's the view from the front...you can't see the table, only whats on it! I have nominal Christmas decorations up - the Christmas Carol Bear sitting on the speaker is a Vermont Teddy Bear that I got from a Christmas drawing from a local radio show I listen to.
In the foreground is the coffee table - I restored its finish and replaced a couple of the leg brackets on it that were making the table wobbly. Now its solid! That's my hand paper pieced and hand quilted Hunter's Star table runner on top.

This is the mantel to our curved fireplace with our Nativity. It stays out all year - DH likes looking at it. In the left corner is the Angel with harp music box...its electronic and I think the battery is running down, she's sounding a wee bit tired (like me!) Next to her is the Swedish Angel Bells. Next is a stained glass Angel that a friend from work made for me one year for our Christmas exchange. Gracing the two sides of the Nativity are 'Hope' Beanie Bears. On the other side of the Nativity is a little Angel holding a dove - DM thinks she looks like I did as a child. Then a Threadbear Bear which a friend gave me as a thank you for dog sitting, a 'Darling' Beanie Dog that has the same birthday as me and which DH got for me for my birthday several years ago. There are a couple more Beanie Bears in the back, including a 'Princess Diana' Beanie Bear.

I used to put out my collection of Christmas music boxes on the mantel but since the youngest cat likes to jump, I have been reluctant to trust all of them up there!

One of these days I need to make a mantel cloth...it will be a tricky one since the mantel is curved around a 90 degree angle.

Notes from the Workshop

Did not find a skinny table for behind the sofa...so I am making one myself. Bought a chunk of lumber, 4 screw on legs, 4 brackets for holding the legs on, 1 can of stain, a brush, a sanding block and some mineral spirits for cleanup.

Here's what my workshop, aka my kitchen, looks like. These are the legs suspended upside down from twine anchored from one cabinet to another. The color on these is not too bad.



Here is the table top (its 1"x8"x7') resting on my TV tray saw horses. I am not liking the color on this too much...will have to see what it looks like after another coat but I think its going to be too light so I may have to make another trip to the hardware store to get a darker color. The kitchen cabinets behind are the right color (those are the ones I restored a couple of weeks ago) . I might just make a skinny table runner and call it a day though.


Here is a picture of the Batik Birds hanging over the sofa (the one that will get the skinny table put behind it) and yes, the borders are a bit 'friendly', actually a lot 'friendly'! (they definitely wave)...This was my very first hand quilted piece and I did not know very much then! I used some icky poly batting and did not measure the borders too well. I should just cut them off and rebind the piece, but that's a job for another day! The quilting's not too bad, especially in the center - I ripped it out several times before I was happy with it! The center is a hand painted batik piece that my Auntie brought back from Bali a long time ago...it was sitting in my craft stash, waiting...

Most of it was quilted in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore while I was waiting for DH to pick me up - I went into work in a carpool at the time and we only had one car that worked. I would sit in one of their comfy chairs and stitch away...I think I sold a couple of hand quilting books for them - people would come up and ask about what I was doing.

But, even with its foibles, I still like it!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Did something today that I have not done in YEARS! I re-arranged the living room...it was definitely time. I am tired but happy that its looking pretty nice. I need to go get a very skinny table for behind one of the sofas and some table lamps to finish it off so I think I will head over to the local Target early in the morning...need to go to Home Depot for some other repair items anyway and its just next door.

I even got more sewing done, hung up one of my wall quilts (the picture is the center of the quilt..I need to get a full picture of it - it has a flying geese border) and decided to do the 12x12x4 Challenge since I designed 4 pieces already...I am WOMAN...hear me ROAR!

Getting 'Mall'ed

Had this coupon for 20 bucks off...tried to redeem it online but website said one of my items would not ship until January 7th! Kinda late for Christmas...so I had to visit the mall to pick up the items. I headed out after lunch...BIG mistake...should have been there when the doors opened at 11...The mall was crowded - it took about 15 minutes just to get OFF the freeway at it's exit...then finding a parking spot was no easy task. What I like about this particular mall is there is metered parking close to the stores (its an outdoor mall) and since I knew what I wanted and where to go, if there was a spot open, that would have been ideal...but..no such luck. Found a spot a the top of the new parking structure down the road a bit...It was pretty chilly here today (it was colder here than in New York City!) Made my way over to the store, dodging guys pushing hand cream and shoppers with strollers and large packages...once inside the store, a saleslady came up and got me the items...a definite advantage of knowing what you want! I was outta there in less time than it took to get off the freeway - and there were several large SUV's that were fighting over my space. I took a back route home.

I am OFFICIALLY DONE with shopping for this year. I do have to get food at the end of the week for the party, and I have a few maintenance chores I need to do that will necessitate heading into the hardware store, but for gifting...I AM DONE with the shopping!

Still have to finish making the rest of the gifts that I am making, then pop them into the waiting bags that have already been purchased!

Recycling with California Liquid Sunshine

Yesterday...decided to get the recycling out of the garage - DS used to do it but since he's married, he doesn't do that for us anymore. It needed to be done badly - the bags were in the way of getting to the Christmas decorations! Took two loads in my small car. The first load was easy. Got almost 15 dollars. Second load had more cans and when I got there it started misting-was hoping to get done before the skies let loose - they were looking rather ominous...but no such luck! The recycle guy made me an emergency raincoat by cutting holes in a big plastic bag, but by the time I was done dumping the stuff out of the car, I still looked like a drowned rat - water was dripping from my now soaking locks of hair. Recycling here is a two step process -you fill up the cans and the guy gives you a slip for what it's worth - then you have to go into the grocery store to turn in the slip to get the cash. The second load I got almost 20 bucks...and the rain stopped as soon as I got in the store. I went home and took a nice hot shower!

Time Keeps On Slip'in, Slip'in, Into The Future

Whew...its been a busy couple of weeks!

Weekend before last, on Saturday, I taught my DS how to make the secret family birthday cake for his birthday - I bought him all the tools and supplies and made a copy of the all important recipe. He thought it was humorous to have to SWEAR, with his right hand in the air, that he would NOT REVEAL the recipe except to direct family members or his children (once they are past the age of 16) who must agree to the same terms! Hey...I had to do it, my Mamma had to do it, Granny had to do it...its really very fun to have a secret family birthday cake!

I also taught him how to make turkey soup - he had frozen a turkey carcass after T-Day and wanted to learn how to make that too. His bride was not feeling well, so she did not participate much that day.

The next day was his birthday party. He wanted to borrow our barbecue, which I had to dig out of the garage (I looked like a very dirty urchin after I retrieved it out of its hiding place - its very dusty in our garage!) and then my DD picked it up and hauled over to his place in her truck. We finished making the cake (the frosting, yummm!) and added the veggies to the soup. He barbecued a bunch of meats and we had a wonderful time - watched Pirates of the Caribbean and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...

So..I was exhausted after that.. and just wanted to go to sleep!

During the last week, I purchased some supplies for making Christmas gifts.

Last weekend, I started in on making gifts...I cannot reveal most of them here, since persons to receive them are known to frequent this blog (Hi!)...will post pix after Christmas...

My best quilting buddy (and sometime office partner - we share an 'official' office but have both been working at different client sites for several years) had a 'project day' at her house for our sewing/quilting/crafting group - we are all computer professionals, by the by! One of these days we are actually going to form a guild! We brought our machines and set up in her living room...One lady was working on trimming quilt blocks, another was making machine embroidered Christmas Ornaments (She made me the lovely white dove in the picture above), another lady was making a machine embroidered Bear (she collects bears...and is thinking of making one for each of her 6 grandkids!), my GF was knitting and fixing a broken beaded bracelet and me...I had an assembly line going making my items! Its really fun getting together and seeing how all our projects are going. Here is a picture of the pincushions I made for my sewing buddies:

I got back home and put my sewing room back together (it's amazing how much I dragged over to my friend's!) In the process, I decided I HAD to sort most of my stash...it does look better now and its way easier to see what I have! It neatly folded and filed horizontally in the two totes...One tote has all the larger than 1/4 yd pieces, the other has the fq's and smaller pieces and a couple of gallon baggies of scraps. Before I folded them, I was having trouble getting the totes closed...now its really easy! (now I should organize by color...but that's for another day!).

Sunday I set up my assembly line again. It's amazing the difference in how your back feels when you are cutting at a table that the right height - I HAD good intentions of getting all the pieces cut before I headed over to my GF's on Saturday...but you know that old saying about the best of intentions! Was cranking right along...SMOKEN'...when I discovered a loose thread somewhere where a loose thread was NOT supposed to be...ARRRRGH - I had sewed one piece with raw edges where a folded edge was supposed to be....sigh...the only recourse was to ENTIRELY FROG STITCH the item...then, making another item that had to be washed, I dropped it in the dirt outside the back door while shaking it out and had to wash it all over again!

Yesterday...I decided to try a different route home and missed a turn in the dark...ended up kinda lost...because the name of the street I was on changed names and I did not realize it, so I missed that street too when I turned around. Luckily in So Cal...freeways are all over the place and once I found a street that I knew was junction with the freeway, I was back in business. But for a while..I was a wee bit panicked!

Came home today and made a batch of coconut fudge for the nibble table at work tomorrow.

Luckily for me...vacation starts in 3 days...I have off until after New Year's - Hurrah!

Bathtime, Hummingbird Style

Living in a dry area, the tree leaves get covered with a layer of brownish dust that I periodically like to wash off - makes the trees look much better. So this morning I was out watering the trees and spraying off the dusty leaves when all of a sudden I noticed a pair of hummingbirds were frolicking in the spray...they would dart into the water, then dart over to a dry branch and shake the water drops off, then fly back into the spray...this lasted for at least 10 minutes..I was 'buzzed' a couple of times - hummingbirds are really loud when they get close! They also were making the cutest little chirps. These two were brownish with a small ruby spot on the throat. From what I can tell from pictures, they most closely matched the Plain-Capped Starthroat Hummingbird pictures - but that species is not known to come this far west - so they were probably some other species. Alas, a larger bird decided that those trees are HIS and ran them off - but what a treat while it lasted!

No Cooking, No Dishes...No Leftovers

Because I have been sick (still am by the by), instead of going to the family get-together at my sister's place like we normally do, we went out for dinner at a local casino's buffet - they put on a terrific spread. No cooking, no dishes...but no leftovers either -which is either good if you tend to pig out on leftovers the next day or bad if you really wanted another taste! I tried not to breathe on anyone and luckily we had a table away from groups.
They had some interesting additions to the traditional menu - pumpkin soup which was very delicious, pumpkin napoleons - also quite tasty, salmon encrusted with ground up pumpkin seeds, and prime rib. But some stuff we have at the family get-together, I really missed - the angel eggs, the mincemeat cookies, the corn pudding...and most of all, the family.

Punkin Puddin and WIP Cream

One of DH's and my favorite desserts is Punkin Puddin...It's made like you would make the filling for pumpkin pie, but with a few mods to make it lower-carb: Splenda instead of sugar, cream instead of evaporated milk and no crust..I also cook it at 400F for 20-25 minutes so its a little faster than waiting for a pie.
Last night we got to hankering for some...but I had no cream in the house and being sick with no desire to head out to the market, I needed something else...so, I melted some low-carb Butter Pecan ice cream in the zapper and made do! It was simply....delish! Served it warm with a scoop of the Butter Pecan ice cream and a drizzle of no-carb maple syrup...YUMMMMM...

And now for the WIP...I am working on the squares for the back of the Heart's Garden quilt:
Here are some strips waiting to be sewn.

Here are some blocks waiting to be ironed. I am pressing the seams open because there are so many of them and since the fabrics are different weights I thought they would look nicer if there were not other colors showing thru the lighter fabrics.

Here is the project book (this quilt is complex enough that it needs a project book!). Inside are all the designs, measurements, and snips of all the fabrics I am using.

And...here are 4 of the completed blocks. You can see the pattern start to emerge! There are actually two different blocks - I found this out quite accidentally! But it looks better when the cuts are rotated on the alternating blocks.

I still have a lot of blocks to do before I can start assembling the Quilt-As-You-Go squares...

Hair, Hair, Hair

I have had long hair for most of my life...Mama took a picture of me, sans clothes, just wearin' my hair when I was in second grade - hair was down my back to my knees. It got cut a couple of times, mostly still shoulder length except for the time we went to the beauty school on a school field trip and I came back with a 'Twiggy' cut or very short for those of you who don't know who Twiggy was...it was really easy to care for! But..gradually, it got longer again...

It usually gets washed every other day...with hair thickening shampoo and the ends treated to thickening conditioner.

Tuesday I needed to wash the hair....I had to drag my sorry sick butt to the Dr and the hair was icky. I had read a forum post about using just conditioner, no shampoo, for long hair and thought, in my fever-addled condition, that 'what the hey...I could try that'.

So..the technique is to slime up the hair with conditioner making sure its all well-covered with the stuff, wind it up on top of your head and pin or put an old shower cap on...do your other 'stuff' in the shower whilst the conditioner does its 'stuff'...then massage really well - I used my fingernails and gave my scalp a good scratching too - and rinse well for at least 2 to 3 minutes to get all the excess off...

And what do you know...it WORKED as advertised! Hair came out soft, fluffy, not stuck to my head as I expected with just using conditioner and even today, its still lookin' ok. I have to give this technique a good trial, but this first experience quite amazed me. I think the tricks are that you have to let it set and you have to rinse, rinse, rinse...

PS...the Doc has no idea what I have...took a throat culture in case its strep (but I haven't had a high fever), put me on antibiotics 'just in case', gave me a pill to stop the coughing but whose major side effect is to cause stuffy, runny noses, a pill to stop the runny nose, and an invitation to attend a session at the lab with the vampire...24 hours later and I still have a sore throat, but the cough is pretty well suppressed. And I still feel like ... well, use yer imagination!

Thats My Story...and I'm Stickin' To It!

Rian issued a challenge to show the contents of our purses...on the contention that most of us large bag carriers have way too much 'stuff' in there. Well, I need most of it! (That's my story!) I am still a 'working girl' so I have stuff in my purse that will retire from being useful once I retire...but that may not be for a while.
So...here ya go...
This is the contents of the purse. I have a appointment book, my checkbook, a small notebook (DH is always asking me if I have paper), a hairbrush, my 'supplies' since I haven't quite reached the age I can go without them..in there are also cough drops and pepto-bismol tablets, my wallet with credit cards and pictures of the kids, eyeglasses holder, eyeglasses spray and wiper, hand cream, lip balm with sunscreen, a small mirror, ibuprofen, a tape measure, Vaseline, the car charger for my cell phone, aspercreme, my money pouch so I don't have to carry the rest of this stuff while I am at work (it gets locked in the desk), pens and pencils (DH is always making off with them!), the cellphone clip in case I don't have a pocket, the bluetooth earpiece for the cellphone, a pedometer, three different badges to get into different buildings at work - each with their own desk keys and neck straps, and my business cards. These things I don't really need, but have in there anyway: a gift certificate to See's Candies that I keep meaning to redeem, and a foldup Frisbee that's fun to play with(top left). I sometimes cram in a book and frequently there are Joann's coupons in there too.



Here are the keys. And yes, I do know what they all are. Front door, gate, back door, my car, DH's car, gas lock, and PO Box, a hair tie (I have long hair and sometimes I just gotta pony-tail it) and my 'ruby' key ring fob that you use in the LQS to determine color values...on a separate ring - see pic with keys attached, is the key to the computer lock and the store 'value' cards that get scanned at the checkout. I use the D-ring clips to attach the keys to a belt loop if I don't have a pocket. I used to have a large diaper pin on there for pinning them to me, but haven't had to do that in a long time, so I took that off..
I realized after I took the picture that the bag is a bit grubby...but its also been in use for more than 6 years. I will have to replace it one of these days...the inner lining is starting to fail...but I am so used to it that I will look for something similar!

More Meme Stuff..."Those Were The Days"

The things I do to amuse myself...sigh.

What was your first childhood pet?
A big tomcat named Tom is the first one I can remember. He has the dubious honor of being the cat that snuck in while we were looking elsewhere, jumped up on the counter and started gnawing on the salmon that was supposed to be for our dinner...I think we ended up with grilled cheese sandwiches instead.
What was your favorite comic?
Calvin and Hobbes. Current fave is Dilbert.
What was your favorite childhood book?
Oh...I read too much to have just one favorite! I loved going to the library!
Did you ever have an imaginary friend as a child?
I don't think so...at least not one that I recall. I had a very good imagination though.
Did you play an instrument as a child?
Flute and guitar. Baritone saxophone in High School - they needed a bass section and the fingering was close to the flute fingering, so I volunteered. It was a pain marching with that 65 pound monstrosity...I named it 'Herr Baron Ludwig von Foghorne' and used a drummer's strap that goes across the body to keep it from strangling me - normally saxophones are suspended from the neck! It stretched over my head to below my knees. Still have the flute and guitar. Have my grandmother's C-Sax somewhere in the garage. I actually play the flute better now than when I was in high school.
What was the first hit single record you bought?
No idea. My sis and I didn't go much for single records. I remember getting the Monkee's album though.
What tune sums up teenage summers?
'The Summer Smiles'
What was first pop concert you went to?
I think 'Jesus Christ, Superstar' is as close to a pop concert as I have gotten. Saw it at the Greek Theater in Hollywood. If I went to any other ones, they don't stand out enough to remember.
Fave teenage TV program?
Dark Shadows!
Were you a naughty or a good girl at school?
Mostly good. I did get in trouble occasionally though... once when a tyrant of a little boy started teasing me unmercilessly about a boil I had on my leg...I went after him with a jumprope...that got me called into the Principal's office with my mom...and another time when we were in band in Elementary school - the band practice was at the Junior High, about 5 miles from the Elementary school, a couple of hours earlier than the Elementary school started...The teacher did not show up...so I got the bright idea to walk to the Elementary school and convinced the rest of the kids - probably 20 or so - to go with me - I knew how to get there! We walked in the train track ditch - no tracks - there hadn't been a train in there in many a year. But since it was a ditch, we could not be seen either! Normally, after practice, we were bussed back to the Elementary school. The schools both panicked when neither one knew where we were! We did get to the Elementary school just as it started the morning session... But I almost got paddled for that one.
Miss Popularity, Artsy Pants, weirdo or geek, which of these groups classify you at secondary[high] school?
I was a Band Freak and very bookish...not popular. Though I did hang out with an improv group (see prior meme) but most of us were Band Freaks...
Girl most likely to [as in year book]?
I dunno what they thought of me...mostly I ignored their opinions of me!
What color did you paint your bedroom as a teenager?
Walls were white...it was a rental. We had a pink rug and pink flowered bedspreads and curtains.
Very first paid job ever?
Babysitting. It was the first time I ever was around 'naughty' children - my younger sister was the only kid I really knew well and she was not that kind of kid!...there were 4 of them and only one of me...one of the instigators finally wore herself down and fell asleep in one of the door ways...I covered her with an afghan but left her there...I sure was NOT going to try to pick her up (she was too big for me to pick up anyway) or wake her up to get her into a bed! But the parents thought that was not the right thing to do...so they never hired me again. I could not WAIT til they got home. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life! I don't remember ever doing any other babysitting either, except for occasionally staying with my sis.
Have you ever been really drunk?
No.
Did you smoke dope? and if so did you do a Bill Clinton [ smoking but not inhaling]?
No.
A stupid thing you did?
I was one of 21 people stuffed in a Volkswagen Bug and the guy actually drove it with it that crammed...
Left handed or right handed?
Right. Though I can do most things left-handed too, including writing, drawing and eating. Learned to shoot a bow left handed - turns out I am left-eyed so shooting works better that way anyway.
Should you play a board game with me?
Yeah...but I won't play chess with you! Chess makes me incredibly nervous - I get panic attacks playing it.
If you came to visit me what would we do?
It would probably involve crafts or quilting or eating...cool scenery works for me too.

Another Meme and Yeah...This Time I Really am Bored

BAH...I am still sick...I am supposed to be out shopping for the d***** turkey but I am too sick to be motivated to go anywhere - 'sides in the grocery store I would be just giving out presents of my germs - not so nice...throat is killing me. I will be going to the doc in the AM if its not gone to see if its one of those kind that antibiotics can help...it has the potential of fouling up my Turkey Day plans...
So..I am bored. I read a bunch of blogs. I read some forums. I read my email. Should be working on Christmas presents but...not motivated to do that either...sigh. So..I tried this meme...

Someone knocks on your door at 2am, who do you want it to be?
We have a fenced yard with a gate...if it was someone we know, they'd call first. And if it was someone we don't know, we probably would not answer the door anyway.
Your boss tells you he/she will give you a $20 raise if you'll do your job naked. Do you stay and take the raise?
Well..if I could do it on my telecommute days...I might consider it! (She's have to trust me that I was naked...not even gonna do the webcam bit to prove it though!)
Put yourself in a nutshell.
I am a generalist and like a bit of this and a bit of that.
Ever see a ghost?
Yes. After my BIL died, both DH and I saw a cold black misty shape that tried to communicate with us...we saw it at different times. Lasted until we buried him. Have seen others too.
Happy with your body?At present? Not particularly...would trade it for two figs....or something like that. Can I have one that's perky, 20 pounds slimmer, 20 years younger and that actually enjoyed exercising?? And is well??? Pleeeezz?
A reason to move to Iceland.
Its a little remote for me...but if I had to have a reason, the pictures make it look charming.
A place you've lived that you miss.
Don't really miss places.
A job you'd never do, no matter how much you were paid.
Spider handler or researcher.
A band/group you thought was cool when you were 13.
Liked the Doors and the Beatles but the Monkees were all that!
You have a nightmare, who's the first person you think to call?
Wouldn't call anyone particularly...might wake up DH but probably not...if it was sufficiently interesting, I might write down what I recall of the dream and have my mom do dream analysis on it the next day - she's very good at getting to the root of whatever is bothering you that caused the dream in the first place.
Wanna have kids before you're 30?
Did. Two. One of each kind.
A memory from high school.
Bad: A girl deliberately stepped on my toe after I had an operation on said toe and I told her to be careful where she was walking...She laughed...I hope she gets/got hers in bad karma.
Good: We had a cool group that put on improv skits called ALGHNAJF...it stood for 'The Acme Little Giant Hydro Nuclear Atomic Jute Factory - Formerly Known As Major Morris Wolfback's Traveling Side Show - Masters of the Jest, Purveyors of Mirth and Bringers of Happiness and Joy to the World'(that last phrase was sung..you know the tune!)....you had to be able to SAY the name out loud - correctly - to join the group...I was the Grand Wizzier of the Treasury...with a grand total of two cents, which I tried to give away at opportune times...but oddly, no one ever wanted to take my two cents. We were very funny and put on skits for the elementary schools and even got taped for a local TV show once.
Ever had a crush on a friend's parent?
No...ick..
Do you look more like your mom or dad?
More like my mom..actually probably more like my mom's mom...
Something you've always wanted to learn to do.
Play the harp.
How you'd like your life to be in 10 years.
I should like to be happy and still able to do crafty projects. We'll see if my traitorous body will cooperate at least that far...
Something you learned this year.
Silk Ribbon embroidery (and encrusted crazy quilting). Delicious.
What do you want for your birthday?
I tend to ask for craft supplies. Gift cards so I can pick out the craft supplies myself are always nice. A nice relaxing meal at a good restaurant. Calls from my kids.
Name 4 things you did yesterday.
1. Did a couple loads of laundry.
2. Cut out squares for Christmas projects...but that really wore me out.
3. Made some frozen shrimp scampi and veggies for dinner.
4. Talked on the phone to my DD.
Last item you bought yourself?
Green chenille yarn and some confetti yarn for a scarf...started making it up and love the colors but just don't love the way it hangs...I need a much bigger crochet hook - a big fat one so the piece is soft not stiff. It would make a good hot pad at this point!
What did you have for breakfast?
A bowl of ice cream with frozen blueberries...the only thing that sounded good on a sore throat.
Name a celeb you crush on.
Alan Rickman. mmm...love that voice...
Name the last 3 songs you heard.
'From This Moment'
'You Know My Name'
Mariachi music - neighbors two doors down had a wedding reception last night with mariachi's, a loudspeaker, a DJ and about a hundred cars (thank goodness we don't park on the street!)It got a bit tiresome after midnight...thankfully it was not too obnoxious in the back bedroom...The big white tent with the twinkly lights came down this morning.
How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
I need at least 5. Feel better with 8 but some nights I just can't stay asleep.
What do you wish you were doing right now?
Anything but being sick...
Who's the first person in your phone book on your cell?
DH...I put his cell in as A1...
Last time you witnessed a fight?
A real one? Don't remember. Movie fights? Last night.
Name 3 places you'd like to travel to.
1. New Zealand/Australia
2. Hawaii
3. Washington State
Do you know how to ice skate?
Yes. Took lessons in High School. If I could have found a sponsor, might have tried to train for Olympics. I loved it. Still love watching.
Name something you like that's out of the ordinary.
Working on (writing/debugging) computer programs at 3 in the morning...that used to be the cheapest time to work on the computers back in college - you got more bang for the lab buck and it was quiet and peaceful in the computer center. It's still quiet and peaceful at that hour, so sometimes, that's when I work!
Is bigger really better?
Depends majorly on what 'it' is...could be...might not be...
What do you think of Brad Pitt?
Not much. Overrated in my opinion.
What color are your toenails.
Me colored.
Do you own anything with a skull on it?
Not that I can recall.
Traveled to Europe?
Yes. Twice. Once in early college - stayed the entire summer with family and traveled around Europe on a Eurail pass with my sis and Grandmother. Then when my kids were young (7 and 9) we went for 3 weeks.
Last movie you watched?
The new James Bond Movie - Casino Royale...its a trip and a half...Daniel Craig is very good as 007...Love those big blue eyes! DH took me out to see it last night since the mariachi's were sooo loud - we had to escape! I did my best not to breathe on anyone. I don't think I got close to anyone and we always sit in the front row anyway so there were no patrons around us.
Where were you when you had your first kiss?
Under the lilac tree on the side yard at my childhood home.
Last board game you played?
Don't remember! It probably was Monopoly.
Leather or lace?
Lace.
Ever had a black eye?
Not that I recall...but might have as a kid.
Have you ever worn fishnet stockings?
Yes...and they were rather painful too! The netting cut into the bottoms of my feet. But..it was the style! Would I wear them now? Probably not...Have only worn regular hose twice in the last year (both last month - for the wedding rehearsal and the wedding.)

Meme for the Bored

I guess this means I am bored? (not really, but I am suffering from some strange stomach thing that's making me run down the hall to the porcelain throne room frequently...I hope it stops soon.)
From Calico Cat
1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?
Optimizing images to find the best compromise between small file size and adequate image quality is a challenge for anyone who works with images on the Web.
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching?
Air...if I reach backwards a bit, I run into a box of embellishments for crazy quilting...laces, ribbons, buttons, beads and embroidery floss.
3. What's the last program you watched on tv?
Dancing with the Stars! Emmett Rules!
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
Close to 7 pm
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now?
The neighbor's noisy diesel truck...sigh
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?
About 45 minutes ago when I waved goodbye to DH as he left for class, and then closed the gate behind him.
7. What are you wearing?
Flannel pj bottoms, old computer show T-Shirt, slipper boots.
8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?
I know I dreamed...but just don't remember what it was about. Unless I have a pad of paper by the bed to jot down notes as soon as I wake up, they are fleeting as dewdrops on a sunny morning.
9. When was the last time you laughed?
DH cracked a joke a couple of hours ago.
10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now?
Nothing except white paint...boring! There isn't much of the walls that can be seen though..too much furniture!
11. Have you seen anything strange lately?
Not that I can think of...
12. What do you think about this meme?
Well...I AM doing it, yanno...
13. What's the last film you saw?
Stranger Than Fiction - best Will Ferrell movie yet. Enjoyed it. (Did NOT like Barat...bah..ick..waste of money)
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?
Save it to start with...then buy a couple of good investment properties...blow a little on treats like a vacation and maybe a long arm quilting setup (with the room addition it needs)
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.
I read technical computer books before bed. (see question 1!)
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be?
Every child would go to bed at night, well fed and knowing he/she was loved.
17. Do you like dancing?
Like it...just can't do it very well...DH is ballroom dancing trained...he tries to get me to dance but its comical at best. My rythmic timing is soooo off!
18. Last crafty endeavour?
Worked on my string quilt blocks.
19. What do you want your children's names to be, girl/boy?
That boat has left the harbor a looooong time ago! We had one boy's name in reserve in case the girl turned out not to be a girl: Jonathan Russell...
20. What amused you recently?
Dorothy posted yesterday that it was National Clean Out Your Fridge Day...not that I particularly planned on cleaning out MY fridge...but the gals at work picked yesterday to clean out the communal fridge (it was stinky) and it tickled me it just happened to be NCOYF Day...

Wedding Quilt Siggy Blocks

Had a question on a previous post asking to explain how I prepared the wedding quilt siggy blocks for DS and DDIL's wedding quilt that I am making. Here is a sample of what the blank blocks look like:


I cut the white muslin squares 6.5 inches. I cut squares of freezer paper to 8.5 inches. Center the muslin square on the shiny side of the freezer paper. Fold the edges over - first the sides, then the top and bottom. Iron the freezer paper to the muslin. By covering the edges of the muslin square with the freezer paper, you guarantee that whatever your guests write in the square, they won't get into your seam allowance!

I provided both black and colored fabric ink pens and the results were really cute!


Here are a couple of the finished squares. Once you get them home, peel the freezer paper off, iron the ink to set it and you have gorgeous blocks to set into your quilt!

Run Run Gingerbread Boys!

Aren't these the cutest ornaments? We had a craft fair at work today and I could not resist these cuties...they are fabric fused to craft foam and die stamped...I am thinking of making something similar but not die stamping them...just cutting with my sharp little scissors.

Ye Olde Oaken Cabinets

One of those chores that owners of oak cabinets face, especially if said cabinets are in the bathroom or the kitchen (I have them in both- what was the builder thinking!) is periodically refinishing the surface of the cabinets since moisture can make them a bit grayish and streaky...I hadn't done mine in a while and they were in sore need! I use a restorer called Howard Restor-a-Finish..you apply it with a pad of fine steel wool, wipe dry then top with orange oil wax...it took me two days, but I finished both bathrooms and the kitchen...owww! my hands are sore! But ye olde oaken cabinets look purty dang good...and I managed to not get any of the stuff in my fingernails. Most of the neighbors have replaced their cabinets (or at least the doors) but I have managed to keep mine looking good enough that I don't see the need to spend all that money to replace them...especially since the Howard stuff is relatively inexpensive and only takes a couple of days for me to do...

Ok..So I'm Late With This Meme...

From Shelina's blog
(better late than never, eh?)

Have You Ever?
1 Taken a quilting class
2 Paper pieced
3 Hand quilted
4 Hand pieced
5 Created your own pattern
6 Published a pattern in a magazine or book
7 Gone on a quilting retreat
8 Gone to a quilting convention
9 Met someone who wrote a quilting book
10 Combined your quilting with some other craft
11 Done any three dimensional quilting - like fabric origami
12 Made something using Thimbleberries fabric (no...and don't plan to!)
13 Made something using batiks
14 Dyed your own fabric
15 Made a landscape hanging
16 Made a New York Beauty quilt - does one block count?
17 Made a baby quilt (in process)
18 Made a wall hanging
19 Made a journal quilt
20 Submitted your journal quilt for viewing as long as viewing on the web counts!
21 Made a fabric postcard
22 Made a artistic trading card (ATC)
23 Exchanged artistic trading cards
24 Mailed your own postcard
25 Made a lap quilt
26 Made a twin size quilt
27 Made a full size quilt
28 Made a queen size quilt
29 Made a king size quilt
30 Donated a quilt to charity - no, but I worked on a charity quilt
31 Sent a quilt out to a quilter
32 Thrown away a UFO - no, but getting close...
33 Given away a UFO
34 Cut up a UFO and made something else with it
35 Ripped fabric instead of cutting it
36 Made a quilt exactly like the pattern, with no changes whatsoever
37 Done any Sashiko - didn't know it was Sashiko at the time though!
38 Quilted your own quilt
39 Did free motion quilting
40 Put any embroidery or beads on your quilt
41 Given away your quilt to a stranger
42 Swapped fabric
43 swapped blocks
44 participated in a round robin
45 participated in an ostritch round robin
46 kept a journal about your quilting
47 written a letter to someone who made an antique quilt
49 kept a blog about your quilting
50 participated in a gift exchange
51 sent a quilting random act of kindness
52 joined a newsgroup about quilting
53 made a quilt using a pattern from quilterscache
54 joined an online block of the month
55 made a block of the month quilt
56 subscribed to a fabric of the month club
57 bought fabric at an online store
58 bought fabric from ebay
59 own more than one sewing machine
60 have a room dedicated solely to sewing - no, but its close!
61 hide a fabric purchase
62 finished making a holiday gift before July
63 spent more than $200 in one quilt shopping trip
64 made a quilt using a book from the library
65 worked with someone else to make a quilt
66. joined a quilt guild - no, but in process of starting one...
67 become president of a quilt guild
68 taught a quilting class
69 helped someone else get the quilting bug
70 taught a child to sew
71 made a Dear Jane block
72 Made a miniature quilt
73 watch QNN - quilters news network
73 subscribe to a quilting magazine from your own country
74 subscribe to a quilting magazine from another country - bought a few copies though
75 buy fabric from another country
76 swapped completed quilts with someone else
77 asked for quilting help online
78 gone to a quilt shop to ask for quilting help
79 bought fabric at a local quilt shop
80 traveled more than 100 miles to go to a quilt shop
81 used nontraditional fabric for a quilt - something other than cotton or flannel
82 made a quilt using instructions given to you on a blog
83 make comments on someone's quilting blog
84 meet a quilter in person after only having talked online
85 had a quilting retreat in your home
86 own quilting software
87 made a quilt you designed on your quilting software
88 done any quilt research - history, interviewing quilters, etc.
89 had any quilt related subject published anywhere
90 donated a quilt to a museum
91 bought a quilt from a thrift store
92 made a quilt using fabric from a thrift store
93 made a quilt using photos
94 made a pastel quilt
95 made a quilt using brights
96 made a quilt using ethnic fabric from another country - African, Asian, etc.
97 made a quilt using leftover blocks from other quilts
98 had your quilt in a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, TV, etc.
99. submitted your quilt to a quilt show - no, but I plan to!
100. won any ribbons with your quilts
101 had more finished quilts than UFOs
102 made a quilt using reproduction fabrics
103 took a break from quilting that was longer than a year
104 made money with your quilting
105 had a job in the fabric / quilting industry

She's gone Beta, A New Kind of Blog...

<Cue Music>
Shes gone Beta, look at that Blog
Shes gone Beta, away from her roots
Shes gone Beta, a new kind of Blog
Shes gone Beta, here she comes....
</Fade Music>

(with appologies to Alan Jackson)

If you are using an RSS reader...sorry about the old posts being republished!