TREES IN JAPANESE!

I am not at my own computer, so I am having difficulty posting a photo of Leas's tree. Please follow the link to her blog.

Here we are, Christmas Eve Day, and I just had to make a quick post to show you a cute tree quilt from Japan! Lea found my pattern and has her cute tree quilt on her blog. Also, Lea has a darling primitive quilt for Christmas that you will love! And, be sure and click on her Flickr photos and see lots more of the cute primitive quilts she has made! Thank you for sharing, Lea!

I have been browsing blogs just a little, but there is a problem with the Internet here at my son's house. My darling 16 year old grandson was messing with their Internet hookup for his
X-Box (?) There has been no reception since then. Currently I am on line at my sister's house. Sigh. On top of that, the little genius killed my husband's new I-phone. Ah well. I don't want to minimize it, but what the heck can you do about it? He professes to know everything!

Chevy Chase and his Christmas Vacation is playing on the TV, and it is not easy to concentrate. That is one rediculous movie! Last night we watched Tim Allen and his Santa Clause movie. Cute stuff! Now I am ready for Jimmy Stewart and It's A Wonderful Life! In spite of the set backs and problems we all face from time to time, it really is a wonderful life. We are blessed beyond measure! I wish Christmas Blessings on you all! Thanks for reading my musings and for the sweet comments that you leave. Merry Christmas to all!

News flash: The I-phone is not broken! It's a Christmas Miracle! We are all on speaking terms again! LOL! What a relief!

TREES AROUND THE WORLD

I just posted a few Tree Quilts on my website, so if you haven't looked lately, wander over to Patchalot Patterns and click on the little tree quilt to go to the gallery. The newest ones are on page two. Nancy, from Indiana, just sent a photo today, so I am showing hers here as well. It is very nice! Her border is different from the others that were sent to me. I just love them all!

On page three I have placed the "unusual" ones. Kim and Judy both made tree skirts. They are different from each other, and both darling! Darlene posted a picture on her blog of her quilt on her table with a big jar or gingerbread men. It is so adorable that I had to have it! Well, sort of. I just borrowed her photo in case any of you missed seeing it on her blog. Eileen's is on page three also, because her quilting is so lovely that I wanted to show it off. I added links to blogs for all those that I knew. I hope I posted all the photos that were sent to me. I think I did!

I want to thank everyone who participated! Honestly, I have been thrilled at the response! I got and e-mail from a reader in Holland who posted it on a quilter's bulletin board there, so maybe a few little Tree Quilts will be sprouting over there as well. http://www.prikpagina.nl/read.php?f=1210&i=108960&t=108960 Check it out! Check out Anna's blog as well: Carpe Quiltem. How cute is that?!

Tomorrow I leave for Arizona and I haven't packed yet! I have been working on a new quilt design for spring and wanted it finished before I leave. I actually got the top done! Yea! I will show you in January. Sigh. I know, I know, but Christmas has to come first! I am looking forward to spending time with my family. My Dad is there, as well as my son and his family. My youngest son is driving down from Utah and will be introducing us to a girl he is dating. I can only hope he has finally found the right girl! We need to get him married! Do I sound desperate? Well he is pushing 30 and I am almost pushing daisies! I guess we can't rush these things.

I will probably continue blogging once I get to AZ, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

(Judy L. -don't delete me. I'll be back- lol!)

I MEANT TO DO THAT

In a previous post I mentioned that my friend Kathy, in San Diego, CA, sent me bundles of wool blanket pieces. At first I was perplexed because the wool is so thick, unlike what we normally buy for our craft projects. But after playing around with it I have really come to enjoy how nicely it handles and holds the stitches, etc. The crow on the basket was the first thing I tried. After I added the holly, it had to sit a while and ferment.

As that was stewing on the back burner of my brain, I decided that I could actually put things IN the basket! So I thought about gingerbread men. I didn't have quite the right color, so I asked my friend Joan if she had any gingerbread wool. "Oh I know I do", says Joan. So off I go to Joan's house while she digs through her wool stash. Joan pulls out TWO YARDS of the perfect camel colored wool that she bought to make a skirt. She never made the skirt, so she felted the wool and it was all to my good fortune! The gingerbread are about three inches high, so you can see there are many more gingerbread men we can make. I can see them dancing around penny rugs, etc. Don't I have the coolest friends? Well, this little crow is flying off to California for Christmas, and the gingerbread men are running as fast as they can to Joan's house! I know that Joan is not so sure about the little satin skirt at the bottom of the project, but she will come to love it, as I have. When I first showed the blanket project with the satin binding still on it, I was half way joking about leaving it on. So many of you liked it, and I have to say that I have come to like it a lot also. Sometimes things are so hokey that you have to love them. Remember shabby before it became chic?

I might also add that this type of project is so relaxing because it doesn't need to be perfect! In fact, you want it to look homespun and primitive. That means adding knots where they don't normally go and making imperfect stitches on purpose. I could get really good at this striving for imperfection thing!

So sorry Kim, Darlene and Angie, these already have a home. LOL!

GIVE IT OR KEEP IT?

I began sewing little Saffiote blocks from 301 Country Christmas Quilt Blocks, a few months ago. They are very primitive and so cute! Paula at A Latte Quilts showed a project she just completed from the same book. Hers is really adorable! By the way, isn't that the cutest blog name?

I have yet to compile my blocks into a quilt. I still want to do that, but need to make more blocks. In the meantime, I made three of this block, because I thought it was so cute (pg. 71 if you have the book). It is one of Cheri's "create it" blocks, where she just puts in a picture of the block as she made it and then you make your own version. I have this flag fabric from years ago and I keep cutting out little American flags for various projects. I added the border and stitched the words, and with a minimum of quilting, it is now a gift to share at the LQS Christmas party tomorrow night. Or maybe I will keep it. I can't decide. VBG! What would you do? (Yeah, I'll probably give it. Sigh.)

CHRISTMAS CUTIES

Look at this little cutie I picked up yesterday! I went to lunch with friends and then we stopped at a folk art/primitive gift shop that is right down the street from our LQS here in Virginia Beach. I couldn't resist this little angel. It looks like an old chocolate mold, tho I hate to use "chocolate" and "mold" in the same sentence. I don't decorate for Christmas, other than getting out just a few things. We always go to Arizona or Minnesota to be with our kids, so we don't entertain or have company. Still, I can't resist picking up a little something every year. I love tree ornaments, but I haven't had a tree in years! I have to make or buy a few every year for my grandkids.

I stopped at What's Your Stitch N Stuff (LQS) yesterday also. They were just unpacking the new Williamsburg line of fabric. I wanted to shout, "Please stop! Can't you see you're killing me"! Judy L. is pricking my conscience again about stash busting. I actually left without purchasing anything. Whew, narrow escape! I try not to go there too often because I know I am weak. It really is a wonderful shop. If you ever are in this area you must go visit. They have kits there for my little Trees on the Table! Don't feel like looking for just the right fabric? Give them a call: 757-523-2711. Tell them I sent you!

The little wool flower is one I just made. I was inspired by one in the new Blackbird Designs book, You're Invited. (Thanks for the link Libby!). The one in the book is made from cutting up wool sweaters. Mine is from old wool blankets. Let me tell you, there was fuzz flying. I practically need to wear protective eye covering! I really hate fuzz in my eyes! Anyway, this is small enough to be a pin, and in fact, that is what it is! The actual coloring is nicer than the photo shows.

Question: Are you having trouble clicking on a picture on blogs to enlarge it? Starting today my computer wants to open the photos I click on in a picture program, but sometimes it can't open it. Is it just me, or is anyone else having this problem? Just thought I would ask.

Have a nice weekend one and all!

$100,000 QUILT

I received this link from a friend who has a friend that has a quilt that is competing for big bucks! I thought it was worth passing along. Take a look and maybe you will want to vote for your favorite quilt. Apparently someone will win $100,000. Sadly, I don't have a quilt in this competition, but someone will appreciate your vote!

This one is Casablanca, by Claudia Myers and quilted by Marilyn Badger.

http://www.quiltingchallenge.com/voting/

AND MORE TREES!

At the risk of revealing my OCD I decided to show you my smaller version of the Trees on the Table. By now everyone knows that this is a free pattern at my web site. I made three of the 24 inch size, and need to make one more. But in the meantime, I started making a 12 inch version. Naturally smaller is always adorable... like in puppies, kittys, babies, (and dare I mention petites vs. me!). So I couldn't resist making several of these little cuties. They do go quickly because there are no pieced borders. The pinwheels take some time- they are made from one inch finished HSTs. But that is what makes them so cute! Right? If you want to dive in and make these, the tree top is a three inch finished square, and pretty much everything else is in one inch finished strips. I will leave you to do your own exact figuring.

Wandering around Blogland I have seen some pretty nice work lately that I want to direct you to it in case you missed it. I know there is a ton more, but here are a couple to check out:

• Rose Marie, in Toronto (Applique N Patch Quilting) is getting her house decorated for Christmas and has the nerve to show a little tree quilt that is NOT the Patchalot tree quilt! Can you imagine? I have to admit, it is pretty cute though, and oddly, it has the stringy border thing going on! Plus, she is taking the Tonya Winter Class, and has a wonderful winter project in the works! Check it out!


• At Kim's Big Quilting Adventure Kim posted a really cute Christmas quilt that she just whipped up. It is called It's A Wrap, and really you just have to see it. You will have to scroll through a bunch of Kim's holiday decorating before you see it, so keep going. But it's OK to stop and look at her decorating on the way. Especially those cool wooden letters she just covered. Kim posts EVERY DAY, so you can't turn your back for a minute or you will miss volumes.


• Our talented friend Karen has done it again with her painted shoes. I wondered what she was talking about when she mentioned finding shoes to paint. Nothing should surprise me! Go see what the Sew Primitive Quilter is up to, and don't forget to click shoes, (just like Dorothy) to see a close-up! AND, don't miss her darling sampler that she did by machine!

THANK YOU

Thank you for the world so sweet,

Thank you for the food we eat,

Thank you for the birds that sing,

Thank you God, for everything!

Wishing you all the blessings that come from a thankful heart!

WOOL IN PROGRESS

I have been playing with my wool blanket scraps and look what I dreamed up! This little flower design is from Blackbird Designs, Fresh from the Garden, only they did it as a little rug. I just love the yellow plaid background. The little cotton print border gives it a some balance. Can you tell how thick this wool is?

The second picture shows the tail end of a green blanket, and I left it there just for fun! This one is still a WIP. I am just playing around and seeing where my needle and thread lead me. The basket and the background are both heavy blankets, and the rest is regular wool. I will show more as I devise it. More and more I am getting the feeling that anything goes! (Just ask Tonya!--see sidebar)

Have you seen the latest Blackbird Designs book, You're Invited? They show beds with skirts made out of old sweaters. Personally, I cannot see myself going that far! But of course the photos are wonderful!

If you like Blackbird Designs and others from Kansas City Star Quilts, check out that link! Good stuff!

HAPPY STITCHES

Is everyone getting sick of seeing these quilts? And it's not even Thanksgiving yet! Oh, but I am feeling so happy about getting these done so soon! I actually finished quilting the third one today, but didn't get a photo yet. Not that anyone needs another photo. I wanted to show this top quilt because no one else has made this version, and I think it turned out pretty cute. Oh face it, I love them all!

The second quilt seems to be the favorite version among the photos that were sent to me. I think I am keeping that one! But for now, these two are over at What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff (LQS). They are on display, as they have made up kits.

Did you happen to notice that I finally have my blog title showing in the header? I had not been able to figure that out, and so have gone nameless, lo these many months. Karen, from Sew Primitive, came to my rescue yesterday and put it in for me. She is now the expert, having done a beautiful job on her own blog of updating and beautifying it. Go take a look! Thanks Karen! (Thanks to Angie, the Thread Catcher, also, who tried to explain it to me, but then I got a better offer! What can I say? Take a look at Angie's blog also, and see her new header!)

That brings me to my little string doll quilt, which I have just finished quilting. Remember Dawn and Lucy got everyone going on these little string quilts a while back. There is a link to Lucy for directions on my sidebar. Not that you need directions, but it's always fun to see what Lucy is creating. Anyway, mine is quite a bit bigger than the ones Dawn and Lucy made, but I do like it. Wouldn't it look cute with a shiny orange pumpkin sitting on it? Maybe next year.

I just finished reading The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, and loved it! I have heard the title going around for a while, then my friend Joan read it and gave it to me with the admonition that I must read it. It is a charming story of a little white girl in South Carolina who is taken in by a family of black sisters in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement. That is the stage. The real story is about a girl searching for her mother's love and how she finds it and more in this home. It is very touching. I highly recommend it!

BITS AND PIECES

Greetings Earthlings! I thought I better add something new so you know I am still kicking! I had a doctor appointment this morning and I still have a pulse. Got my flu shot for good luck. I get one every year, but really, you never know if it saves you from anything. It seems like my husband and I get sick every year at Christmas. We always travel to see our kids, so between the wonderful recycled airplane air, and the germs our grandkids bring home, we manage to snag some germs of some type. Some variation that apparently is not included in the flu shot formula.

Monday my friend, Sue, and I went to the movie, Elizabeth, the Golden Age. I never saw the first movie, but really want to see it now. This movie was wonderful, I thought. The staging, the costumes, the writing, and the acting were all wonderful. Cate Blanchett played Elizabeth, and she was wonderful! This is the kind of movie where you leave the theater wanting more. I definitely need to get the first movie, but I need a good book also. Preferably an historical novel. Any suggestions?

I am still working on my little tree quilts. I have one that is almost done being quilted, and two more spray basted and ready to go. I really am pleased with the response to this little project, and hope you will let me know if you have a quilt you want to display on my website.

Also, I got a couple of small pieces hand quilted. I just sit in my little thread nest each night watching TV while I stitch away. Most of the shows I like are not on until 10:00pm, so I record them on the DVR. Then I watch them when I want to. The DVR is such a huge improvement over the VCR! It is so easy to program! My new favorite program is CANE, with Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo, Rita Moreno, and the bad guy is Ken Howard, who I normally love, but he is real bad here!

I quilted the little churn dash quilt using a heavier than normal, variagated dark thread. I did it in small Baptist Fans, and I love the effect! I was inspired by Tonya to give it a try. I found that I am more comfortable using a hoop and some drawn lines. Tonya free-hand stitches hers and doesn't use a hoop. The woman is so dang unconventional! Check out her blog and tutorials if you are not familiar with Tonya. Oh do hurry, she is signing up people for a new class!

My husband returned from a business trip to Japan, and home via Hawaii. He will be catching up on his sleep for a while, I think. Would you believe he had to call me from the airport to come and get him because I thought he was getting in at night and he got in in the morning? I am so bad! And I felt so bad. I was lying in bed thinking to myself that there was no real need to rush out of bed, nothing urgent to attend to. Then the phone rang...and I raced to the airport, right after I got dressed. No need confessing that I was still lounging around. Am I right?

More news and photos later, after I unbury my camera. I know it's here somewhere!

PINWHEEL PARADE

As you see, I have been getting quite a variety of little Tree quilts to post on my website. Each quilter adds a bit of herself to everything she makes, and this is no exception! I am very happy with the response! As you can see, if you are a new visitor, this pattern is provided to you free. My website will direct you to the proper page.

If you contacted me at my Yahoo e-mail address and I haven't answered, please try the address listed in my blog profile. I automatically delete all spam on Yahoo and sometimes I forget to make sure it is all spam. No offense intended. I took my e-mail address off my website because the spammers went wild! I even had someone crack into it and send spam from my account! Honestly, this is a Viagra free zone!

If any of you are shop owners and would like to use Trees on the Table in kits, all you need to do is contact me and place an order for some of my other patterns! I am editing the pattern a bit so that I can e-mail it for shop use without all the web links on it. Hopefully you will see some designs that you like and we will both benefit!

Now I must make haste and see if I can finish my second Trees quilt top. I have had a few people sending photos of their second quilt already! I am telling you, this is such an easy design!

ROAD TRIP PART DEUX

I don't usually post this often. I like to give people some time to catch up. However, there is much to blog about lately! As many of you know, my friend Kim issued a challenge to bloggers on Friday to make my little Trees on the Table quilt. First of all, let me tell you that I have never met Kim. We just hit it off in blogland. Now she is my biggest promoter! Thanks to Kim several people have completed the quilt or are in the process. I have posted pictures of the completed ones on my website. I have gotten a huge response to this design! I got a sweet e-mail from Veronica in Chile who is teaching her friend how to make it. Luckily she is doing her own translating into Spanish! Muy bueno! Isn't that exciting? Keep 'em coming my friends! That is Kim's cute quilt in the photo.

I would be remiss if I didn't continue on about our road trip! I neglected to mention our new friend, Suzie. Suzie is my friend Joan's GPS navigational unit. Her last name is Garmen. Oh my gosh were we happy to have Suzie along for the ride! Suzie directed us through the back roads of Virginia without a hitch. Well, sometimes she got her left and right mixed up, but who doesn't? Suzie amazed us! If you plug in an address, Suzie will take you there. At one point Suzie said, "Are you indoors? I am turning off the satellite connection". If we missed a turn, Suzie would say, "Recalculating", and turn us around! Yes, we got quite used to hearing Suzie say "Recalculating". In fact, sometimes Suzie would sound a little miffed with us, but she always forgave us and redirected us to where we were headed. As we drove down the road I had an epiphany! Have you ever wondered how God hears the prayers of so many people at once? Well, Suzie kind of does the same thing! There are so many roads in the world, and so many people looking for directions. Think about it and you draw your own conclusions.

On to the quilt shops! We stopped at a lovely shop in Madison, Virginia called That Little Quilt Shop, located in a restored 1800's church! The shop owner wasn't in on Friday, but the shop certainly reflected her excellent taste in fabric and design. The three shops that we visited all participated in a shop hop just before we were there. Each had a beautiful quilt of original design from a group of challenge fabrics. Each quilt was amazing! On top of that, Gay Kulenguski, the owner of That Little Quilt Shop, has designed many other patterns that she has for sale in her shop. I have a feeling that Gay and I could be great friends, just based on her designs! Some of them have a similar flavor to what I design. Joan and I decided that next year we will plan a trip to correspond with the area shop hop, just to visit these three shops again, and maybe see some others as well. And YES, we bought fabric!

But wait! There's more! I haven't told you about Cottonwood! Our travels took us in a circle and we were lucky enough to get back to Charlottesburg before Cottonwood closed. Mary Humphrey, the owner, had met Joan a couple weeks earlier in Virginia Beach while visiting What's your Stitch N Stuff. She expressed some interest in my patterns, so I somewhat nervously approached her. I hate blowing my own horn and I hate putting people on the spot about buying from me, (see why I love Kim?) Mary actually did buy a bunch of my patterns and we are making plans for a trunk show! I am excited! Cottonwood is one of the primo vendors at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton in February. I am walking on air! Joan is excited too. She happened to bring her Fish Creek Cabin quilt that she just finished from my pattern. Mary has borrowed it to hang in her store! You have to understand that this is the shop/vendor that Joan rushes to the minute we arrive at Quilt Fest! (Mary, if you are reading this, excuse us while we gush!) We were so excited that we forgot to take a picture of Cottonwood! Oh, and it was dark by the time we left.

ROAD TRIP

Last Thursday and Friday my friend Joan and I took off for parts unknown....at least to us. We left Virginia Beach and drove west to Charlottesville, Virginia. Our goal was to visit Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson; and then the Virginia Quilt Museum, a little farther north. And, of course, to see as many quilt shops as we could.

Monticello was interesting. It was actually smaller than I had imagined, but for the time period in which it was built, I am sure it was considered large. Sometimes the legend renders things larger than life. It was quite fascinating, and I will probably want to read more about the man now that I have visited his home. It rained the whole time we were there so we only saw the interior of the house and didn't spend any time on the grounds. We couldn't take pictures inside, and because of the rain, I forgot to take any outside. But enough about the founder of our nation, let's get to the quilt shops!
Friday morning we drove further west and stopped in Staunton, VA. We visited a wonderful shop there called Rachel's Quilt Patch. This shop was featured in the Quilt Sampler Magazine a year ago. It is absolutely charming! The shop is in an old train station. We met Rachel Brown, the owner, who happens to be quite a talented lady. She has an applique book out called Adoration Quilts. The quilts were on display and are really lovely. There is a cute box of ceramic magnets that coordinate with the book. Also, she has a new book, a child's Christmas story, called Small Camel Follows the Star. Joan and I both bought one of those and a little stuffed camel! So cute! Yes, we also bought fabric!

From there we drove on to the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg. I have to say I expected more. It is located in an old house, which was neat, (Joan in picture) and there were a few wonderful old Civil War era quilts on display. Not nearly enough! They also had some current Native American quilts on display that were very nice. No tour, no informational handout, again-no photos! The best thing they had was folded on a rack in an upstairs bedroom and it should have been displayed more prominently. The quilt was the inspiration for a line of reproduction fabric by Quilting Treasures. It loads slowly, but you must click on that link and see the design, fabrics and directions! I sneaked a photo of the actual quilt all folded on the rack. I know the Quilt Police will be knocking on my door.

Isn't it wonderful! I should have bought the pack of fat quarters at the gift shop! But I did pick up a few pieces at Rachel's and at another shop called Cottonwood.

That is all I have time to report on for today! More on Cottonwood later!

TREES ON THE TABLE

I have been delighted to see my little tree quilt coming to life so quickly. Libby and Kim are the first that have completed theirs and sent me photos. I will get them posted on my web site, but in the meantime you can go to their blogs and see for your self how cute they turned out! They each decided on a different border, which makes it even more fun to view. Libby, of course, added her special touch and made hers primitive looking. I love it! Kim decided to issue a challenge to see how many people would like to make one this weekend. That's great if you can do it, but it is also great if you make it whenever you have the time. Once you see how easy it is, you may want to make more than one, as Libby, Kim and I are doing.

Libby and Kim both caught an error or two in cutting, which I have corrected on the pattern. Not a big deal, you would have figured it out. But it always helps to have extra eyes when it comes to proofing directions. So thanks my friends!

As you can see, I posted a photo of the quilt on the top of my sidebar for now. You can find the free directions by going to my website, patchalotpatterns.com, and clicking on free patterns. If you e-mail me a photo of your tree quilt I will add a link to your blog, with your permission. I am so happy with the positive response you have given me! Have fun with it!

I have lots more to share, but will have to come back later! I hope you do too!

SORRY, PATCHALOT PATTERNS WEBSITE IS SHUT DOWN. TO FIND THIS PATTERN SEARCH BLOG FOR "TREES".

KID STUFF

I have been laughing at my funny grandchildren and just have to share a couple of stories. This is the part where you can zone out if you only want to see quilt stuff. But if you want a laugh, read on!

Remember the little Plumpkin, as I have so often called her? She is two years old and lives in Minnesota. She decided to walk to her other Grandmother's house who only lives about ten miles away. My daughter was chasing her down the sidewalk when she turned around and said, "Mom, I'm not a kid anymore!" Apparently this is a quote from one of the Lion King movies. Here she is all decked out for Halloween. Don't mess with her!

The other funny story comes from Arizona. My son and granddaughter (the flyer -age 11) decided to make a pillow case. He bought some fabric and prepared to cut it. Darling granddaughter gets out the supplies. First she finds my cutting mat under the bed. Then she goes into the garage and gets her dad's right angle tool from his woodshop. Next, she pulls out the drawer in the kitchen and removes the pizza cutter! She was overheard saying, "this isn't turning out as good as when Grama does it." Hmmm, should I tell her?

TREES ON THE TABLE

It has been fun getting so many opinions on this quilt. I played around yet again and came up with this option. I like it a lot, but then I liked all the other versions as well! So I just had to make a decision, and since the response was pretty much half and half, this one works for me. It finishes at 24" square. If you want to make it, I have spent a couple days writing directions. Believe me, you can make the quilt faster than that! Go to my web site and click on the free pattern link on the right side of the opening page. If you make this quilt I would love to have you send me a photo to post on my web site. Deal?

Saturday I went over to the LQS to see a quilt that one of the ladies (BC) made from my pattern, Pioneer Trail. It turned out really great! Several of the quilters have a Friday Bee that meets at the LQS and they did a block exchange using this pattern. They asked me to come to their meeting in January to see all the quilts that they completed from this pattern. I am excited to see them. I told them each person with a completed quilt can choose one of my patterns. This is the first one that I have seen completed. Yes, it needs binding, but essentially, it is done. BC has made at least two others of my patterns that turned out really neat. Last year she made Christmas Kisses from Judie Rothermels Spirit of the Season line, and she made Quilt Jam in pinks and browns. Both are gorgeous!
Hopefully you can enlarge those photos for a good look!

DESIGNER DILEMMA

I took the poll down, but sure enjoyed your input! Be sure to go to my website for the link to the instructions for any of these versions of this quilt!

What do you do when an idea keeps mutating? This is where I drive myself crazy. There are so many directions that this design could take at this point. EQ allows me to appraise each idea before I decide which to make. Even then, there is no right or wrong answer, just a personal preference. These are just three examples of what I have been considering. This finishes at 24 inches. Do you have a favorite arrangement?


I am going to try to write directions for this and get it up on my web site as a free pattern. Hopefully this weekend. Then if you want to make this, you can decide on your own ending!

Have a great weekend everyone!

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Aside from being glued to the computer to see what everyone in the world is doing on a daily basis, I have been doing a little sewing. I came up with this idea for a table topper a while back and finally had time to give it a whirl in actual fabric. This is what I have so far. (I just realized I wrote "whirl" about a pinwheel. Sometimes it takes me a while to catch up with my own cleverness.)


This is the block in EQ. It is 8" finished. I made the tree with the Tri-Recs Ruler. Now, if you are interested you can mess around with it on your computer and see what you think the next round should be. I have a plan, but it would be fun to get input. Do you EQ? :)


I am trying to limit myself on the computer as it seems my life could be spent in more productive ways. (She says with sarcasm). It seems that I have an addictive personality. I base that on all the same reasons that you, yourself, might have an addictive personality if you are back here reading my blog again. Apparently chocolate and Moda is not enough! A good start, but we want more out of life. I think a clone would be a great thing, actually. Another self who could follow directions and "giturdun", as Vicky says.
Speaking of chocolate and Moda, Kim was on that subject yesterday. She won a pack of fat quarters in a drawing. But really, you have to read Kim's version of it. She tells the story as only Kim can!

WOOLLY- WOOLLY

Look what my friend in California sent me! WOOL! She has been into wool for a long time, way before it was the rage. And she has bought tons of it at garage sales in the form of old blankets. That is what she sent me--big pieces of thick, wool blankets! What can I do with it? I'm thinking, I'm thinking... It is such wonderful wool! You will have to come back often because it may take a while for me to make something. But I will, and it will be really cute!

If you saw my cute little turkey pincushion a few days ago, I mentioned a chicken pincushion kit that I also purchased. Well, here she is, all stitched together! I just love this little thing! As I mentioned previously, the designer works at The Quilted Apple in Phoenix and makes them exclusively for that shop. I told her she needs to write a book! She wasn't too interested, but I warned her that after my blogging friends see these everyone will want them.

One more comment about the Memory Foam. Everyone seems to be interested in it. I think that is the stuff that you "apply directly to the forehead"! Maybe that is what Kim was trying in that photo of her below. She doesn't look too pleased with the results.

Have a great weekend everyone!

NEEDLING

Do you have a friend who is constantly needling you, and not in a quilty way? Meet Kim! Kim is my blog buddy, whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting. She makes me laugh at the insane comments that she makes, both on her blog and mine. But that is not enough for her, nooooo, she has to thread her way into my life through e-mails, accosting me even further. I made the mistake of suggesting to her on one occasion (or maybe several) that my age is becoming an inhibiting factor. Once in a while I forget things. Not like Darlene, mind you, who forgets she has scissors clamped in her teeth. Well, I once went to a quilt class and totally forgot to take my sewing machine, but luckily I discovered that I had taken the class before, so I just enjoyed the social aspect of it. (True story).

But enough about me, let's get back to Kim. I said to Kim that I have so many project ideas floating around in my head, and not enough time for follow through. Kim says, "The problem is that it takes a lot more time to make a quilt than it does to think up the ideas! Of course, age may take care of that eventually! LOL!" No matter how you read that it sounds like she is sticking it to me. Believe me she has made many other comments to me as well, but of course they slip my mind at the moment. Actually, that point illustrates one of my really good characteristics: I never hold a grudge for long.

Seriously folks, I gotta get some of that Memory Foam I keep hearing about!

TALKING TURKEY

I don't know if you can see how cute this little pincushion is, but I just love it! When I was at The Quilted Apple in Phoenix they had a table full of cute wool pin cushions.
"Where's the book?" I cried! There is no book, they were designed by a staff member and sold only as kits.
I bought a chicken, a pumpkin, and three turkeys! I had to get one for each of my two quilt buddies, of course! The kits are great! Each kit contains the wool pieces, all cut to shape; Perle cotton coordinating thread, a needle, and two straight pins for positioning. Plus, there is a little bag, cut and stitched to fit, filled with crushed walnut shells as the pin cushion filler! They called

it "lizard litter", which, I guess means something if you live in Arizona. I'm clueless. Here is a picture of the cute little package. Obviously irresistible!

I picked up a pattern while I was at The Quilted Apple, which I worked on while at my son's house and am finishing up here. It is a wall quilt (have I already used the "padded room" joke here?) It needs a bit of applique and then I can sew the blocks together. Maybe I will have it ready to show in a couple days.

I have a quick recipe to share, one that my aunt made while I was in AZ. I think it is called Corn Pudding. We go for easy, right? So here you go:


1 - 16-1/2 oz can of whole kernel corn
1 - 16-1/2 oz. can of creamed corn
1 pkg. Jiffy Corn Bread/Muffin Mix
1 stick melted margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Mix all together, adding sour cream last.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Try it as a side dish, or on top of chili it's yummy!

DOLLEY AND DARCIE

You may remember this quilt from an earlier post of mine. It is called Dolley Madison Stars. I had been admiring those Baptist Fans that Darcie has been doing, and I thought this quilt might look good with them. So I sent it off to Darlin' Darcie (you can check out her blog) and she quilted it for me. She did a great job, and the fans really add to the old fashioned appeal of this pattern. If you have spent any time visiting Darcie's blog, you already know how talented she is in so many ways. It was so fun to connect with her through the magic of the internet!
By the way, I don't normally have a wreath on my pillow, but it needed a little something to add interest to the photo. So now I am explaining why my photo is interesting.






The second photo is of the back of the quilt. I decided to add stash to coordinate with a larger piece of fabric that wasn't big enough. It was actually hard to part with these big pieces of my stash because I love them and wonder what I could make with them. That must be a symptom of the illness :o) On the other hand, now I love the back of the quilt as well as the front. As I pieced the back together I actually cut some of the larger pieces into several smaller pieces just to make it look "more interesting". I also used up the rest of the sashing fabric. By the time I got done, the back ending up taking several days to complete. When I got the quilt back from Darcie I looked for the sashing fabric to bind it, and realized that it was used up! Sometimes I really outdo myself!
For those of you who have been finishing up UFOs like crazy this year, this is my one UFO accomplishment! Yes, I did start others to be completed in the future. I also actually completed some projects from start to finish! It counts if they are small, right?

OUR LITTLE FLYER

This is my darling granddaughter who I just visited in Arizona. She is into cheerleading and is the "flyer" in her group. That means she is the one who climbs to the top of the group and they let go and catch her. She loves it! She is eleven years old and bursting with energy. In the bottom picture I tried to catch a photo of her in a flip. The light isn't good enough, but she flips all over the place. I never was that light on my feet in my life. She definitely takes after her mother!

When this darling girl was much smaller she couldn't pronouce her "Rs" and she called me "Grama Mousie". Isn't that a riot? Don't you just conjur up a picture of a little mouse in a dress and bonnet sitting in a rocking chair and stitching away?

That's all for today--I'm off to the races!

BOUND AND BEAUTIFUL

Both of my new quilt designs are bound and beautiful, (she humbly admits). The top photo shows the design I am calling Wintergreen. You would not believe how much I tweaked this design, over and over and over, and this is the final result! Thanks EQ6!!! I was going to call it Fiddlesticks, because I spent so much time fiddling with it, but then I saw a new pattern out with that name! The competition is brutal! The main fabrics for both these quilts comes from Judie Rothermel's Spirit of the Season II fabric line, by Marcus Brothers. This fabric is so rich and luscious! I will be teaching this class at What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff in November.

The applique design I named Cotillion. I made this twice. The first one I made by hand applique. I enjoy doing that, and will keep it on display at my house! The second time I used machine blanket stitch. I am teaching this one at A Different Touch, which happens to be the local Bernina dealer, so I figured I would promote machine work. My wonderful friend, Marae, in Arizona, machine quilted both these quilts for me. She did such a nice job. I don't know it you can tell, but she cross-hatched the background and did a nice big cable in the border. I requested an old fashioned look, and that is what she did!

I should have patterns ready for these by the middle of October--as fast as I can get them published! Wish me luck!

Just a note: For those of you who like to visit my Dad's blog, he has a couple of new entries.

WEIGHING IN

So that's my problem! I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years!

My friend sent me this recently--if only! Yes, I am back from my trip and ate way too much! You didn't hear me saying, "no thanks", though. My son came in one night at 10:00 with an ice cream and brownie concoction from Cold Stone Ice Cream. That had to cost me 5 pounds right there! So now it's time to stop eating and bite the bullet. Hmmm, I wonder if there are flavored bullets? Chocolate, for example.

I had a lovely time visiting family and two weeks went quickly. I did visit The Quilted Apple, a nice shop in Phoenix. The owner of the shop, Judith Vegso, is a real sweetheart. I picked up my two newest quilts from my quilter and took them to show her. She bought a dozen patterns, so I left happy! I will get photos up soon. The Quilted Apple has a wonderful supply of hand dyed wool. Of course I had to purchase some of that. They had several shades of every color, and in plaids and checks! So if you are in the Phoenix area and wonder where to go for wool, check out The Quilted Apple! More on that later. I just wanted to pop in and say hello. Now I really need to get the binding on a quilt I just got back so I can get photos!

SURROUNDED

I left home on September 11 to travel to Mesa, Arizona, where I am visiting family. The first leg of my trip took me to Atlanta, where I arranged to have a long layover so I could have lunch with my daughter who lives there. I have to admit to having a small bit of anxiety about flying on September 11. Of course there was no problem. I met my daughter in the atrium at the airport where they have a food court. We had a nice lunch at Atlanta Bread, lower corner in photo. While there we saw two different groups of servicemen and women paraded through the airport. We all stood and applauded them. They were on their way to Iraq. They looked rather embarrassed to be the center of attention. My heart was in my throat as we cheered them. They are so young. Here I am feeling anxiety about flying on 9-11 and they are on their way to face the enemy! Imagine the anxiety they are feeling! As you can see in the photo, they surrounded the atrium on the balcony. I wanted to blow kisses to them all, but alas, I restrained myself. Why embarrass them further? Instead I whispered prayers of gratitude and asked God's blessing on them all. What a day to be reminded that our freedom, that we take so much for granted, comes at a price.