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.

OFF TO THE DESERT

I borrowed this photo from someone on line. It is in Virginia Beach, where I live. The birds are pelicans, if you didn't know. We see them often around here. One day my husband and I watched as they flew into the water and swooped up fish. So fun to watch nature being natural. Unless, like my friend Pat, you have elk in your garden! She lives in Washington State though, not here. If you want to see a picture of an elk laughing at her, go to her blog. She is doing some wonderful photography now, but she is the one who got me quilting and taught me everything I know. Or tried to! She is an amazing quilter and has been asked to speak and teach at the quilt guild in Bremerton next June. If you live around there you should go! Tell her I sent you.

Tomorrow, Sept. 11, I am going to Arizona for two weeks. I stop in Atlanta and have a three hour layover, so I am hoping to spend a little time with my daughter who lives there. Then on to Mesa, AZ to see my Dad and other family. My son lives there also. I know I will have stories to tell about my grandchildren there. My 11 year old granddaughter called me yesterday to ask a question. She said, "I got out your sewing machine to work on a few things." I can hear the machine going in the background, and asked if she had on headphones. "No, the phone is tucked under my chin" she says! I asked what she was working on and she said she was sewing all her dad's boxer shorts closed in the front. OK.

Aside from visiting my loved ones, I will be feasting on Mexican food every chance I get! Tia Rosa, I am coming!

STRING DOLL QUILTS

I had to jump on the band wagon with these little string doll quilts. Lucy's method is on my sidebar with her tutorial. I didn't realize quite how small hers really is. Mine is probably twice the size of Lucy's and Dawn's. Of course, now I want to make a smaller one! Love that cheddar!

Dawn made the two little quilts pictured below. I swiped her photo. I tried to find it on her blog and link to it, but I couldn't find her blog entry for it. She is off to Quilt Camp, so she will never find out. (Cause blogs are so private-Ha!) Dawn used cheddar in hers, as did Lucy. Suddenly my CW fabrics are starting to look a little blah. I am in trouble if that happens because that is all I ever buy. But just look at how that cheddar color perks up a quilt! When I first started quilting I only bought mauve and blue. I guess we do change, thankfully!

Addendum: Because I never found Dawn's post on this, I forgot that Lucy actually made the little 4-patch quilt and she and Dawn traded! Guess they were the original doll quilt traders!

I added a new tutorial to my sidebar list. Wendy did a really nice one on applique using starch. It is a great method! I have actually used it myself with great results. Check out her blog, Snippets of a Quilter!

If you have read about my family on my blog you remember that I mentioned that we are a nutty group. Not just one of us, but pretty much all of us. I was talking to my Dad the other day and he mentioned going out to eat with my aunt and uncle. He said they were talking about his funeral again. My Dad is never shy about bringing it up. He has made it very clear to all of us that he wants to be cremated and then have his ashes buried with my Mom. My aunt was questioning him about what would become of his ashes. She didn't know the plan. Her husband said that they put the ashes in trays. She was still puzzled by this, and my uncle said, "you've heard of ash trays?"

And with that, I will wrap it up for today!

WINTERGREEN, ETC.

The local quilt shop, What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff , is having their Open House on Saturday to introduce new classes. They do this a couple times a year so people can come in and see what classes are being offered, talk to the teachers and ask questions, etc. I have a new design that I already sent off to the quilters, so I made up a sample version to display until I get the larger one back. Except for the green and white 4-patch blocks, the fabrics are from Judie Rothermel's Christmas line, Spirit of the Season II, by Marcus Brothers. At the suggestion of my good friend I am calling the quilt Wintergreen.
By the way, Tazzie has a photo of her newest class project on her blog. It is really darling. You should go take a look! She also used Judie Rothermel's fabric, but from a different fabric line. She used Charm Squares and gives big hints on how to make it.

I am going to cut this short and get some work done around the house today. I am not happy about it, but my maid hasn't shown up here since, well, ever. So here I am, quilt designer turned house cleaner. I read recently someones opinion that quilt teachers are nothing more than glorified housewives. I think it was supposed to be an insult, but really I wonder if that person thinks that housewives and homemakers should never do anything else? Why do people feel the need to denigrate housewives and mothers? I say YOU TRY AND DO IT! I always loved being a housewife and mother. I like to use the term "homemaker" because it sounds like it describes someone who creates a special place--home! But you can't hurt my feelings calling me a housewife. It's a good working description. Although of late I am more of a retired housewife! But I did my time with the kids and the canning and the cleaning, and the laughing and the loving and the laundry. Not always pleasant, sometimes annoying, but very rewarding, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! And guess what? I can do other stuff too!

TUTORIALS

Recently there have been some very nice tutorials on some of the quilt blogs that I visit. I started to bookmark them, and then it occurred to me that I could add links to some of them on my sidebar, and so, after asking permission from the author/blogger, I did add a few. Each one teaches a method or project that you may find helpful. These ladies have gone to a lot of trouble to photograph and detail each step in their tutorial. If you want to see the rest of their blog simply go to their address at the top of the screen and delete everything after .com, and hit enter. In the case of Tonya's blog, she has so many tutorials that she has a whole list of them on her sidebar, so I just linked her whole blog and you can go look at her sidebar for great stuff to try! I do think that is an excellent idea to put links on your blog to the tutorials that you have written. Sometimes we might miss them or want to find them again and that makes it easy. Just a thought.

I am constantly amazed at all the talent out there in blogland and so grateful that I found you all and can benefit from what you share. Really, there is way too much for any one person to keep up with, but I do what I can.

There are at least three blogs or websites that I still would like to put on my sidebar. Most everyone knows these sites. Be sure to check their sidebars also for other links.

1. Judy Laquidara's blog, with her wonderful creative designs that she offers in the form of free monthly stash busting patterns. Plus, she has a new book out!!!

2. Mary Johnson's blog will direct you to her website with her instructions for Heartstring Quilts for charity, and more!

3. Bonnie Hunter's website which is filled with tons of patterns and instructions for scrap quilts, plus lots of other information and inspiration. Bonnie is actually the original Quilt Goddess and the rest of us are mere mortals. If you haven't been to her site, prepare to be amazed!

I am sure I missed some tutorials, and will continue to add links as I find them. In the meantime, go to my sidebar and look for links to Tonya's blog, Tracey's blog, Judy's blog, Lucy's blog and Patti's blog. Good thing it's a long weekend!

Oh, I also added a link at Patchalot Patterns for two small projects. Enjoy!

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE GOLDEN RULE

Remember that first day back to school when you were a kid? My Mom always took a picture. Here we are all lined up waiting for the school bus. I am the one right in the middle. Look at all those cute little skirts and white socks and strapped shoes. We were required to wear skirts all the years that I went to school, through college! I remember that when the weather was cold I was able to wear leggings or corduroy pants under my skirt. I was supposed to take them off in the cloak room before school started. Often I left them on during school, and my teacher never said anything. My Mom always did though. She was always after me to behave like a lady. I must have been a real challenge for her.

School lunches were a quarter back then, but we always packed a lunch. We couldn't afford to buy lunch every day! We couldn't afford Wonder Bread either, and that was what they advertised on TV all the time. On those rare occasions when we got to have Wonder Bread it was so soft and squishy and it seemed to melt in our mouths. That was a real treat, and we loved it!

We had a brand new school to go to when I started first grade. I suppose that was to accommodate all the Baby Boomers that were just beginning to impact our country. (Now I believe we will see a huge increase in nursing homes and assisted living facilities rising up!) Our elementary school had it all! We had a beautiful auditorium, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, music, art, the works! We had wonderful teachers and received a good education. In short, we were very blessed. We were also taught by parents who grew up during the Depression, to be grateful for what we had.

Every classroom had an American Flag displayed in it. With our hand over our heart, we said the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. No one taught us about saying things that were "politically correct", but we were taught to be polite. We were taught to respect those who were different from us in race, religion or culture. We were taught that the Golden Rule was applicable in every situation. I believe that these principles will never grow old. Obviously there were problems in the world then, just as there are now. We may not be able to change the world, but each of us has a sphere of influence. As parents and grandparents we need to take this responsibility in hand and make sure to teach our children and grandchildren that kindness matters. The beginning of a new school year is a good time to reinforce this. There is nothing political about this. It is just good sense!

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you! Pass it on...

EVOLUTION

Children of this young generation travel differently than those that preceded them. They are securely belted in. They wear head phones and a glazed over look, with mouth dropped open as they stare at the screen on the seat back in front of them.

When I was a child, we counted cows when traveling. We counted cars on a train as it passed. We counted licence plates from how many different states. We sang about bottles of beer on a wall. Logically, I should excel in math as a result of this. Unfortunately not.

When I was a child there were no seat belt laws. In fact, there were no seat belts! I remember my little brother's head shattering the windshield of the car once, after the slamming of brakes. My parents exclaimed, "Oh, you really have a hard head!" Now I see that it was their way of diffusing the situation. At the time though, I thought "I bet I coulda done that!" It was so cool! Yes, things have changed. Some things are better, some not so much. For example, cars back then had fenders actually made of steel, as compared to the styrofoam bumpers of today. We may not have been belted in, but we were in vehicles that were quite substantial, and I think offered more protection.

Ah well. Things change, that is life. Recently the little Plumpkin, above, was sitting at the computer tapping away. Her brother told her to get away from the computer. She replied, "I can't, I'm checking my email!" And so it begins: one granddaughter goes off to college and the youngest moves into her place at the computer. The evolution of life. Ya gotta love it!

TIME TO UNWIND

Thanks everybody for your nice comments on my applique design. It is always good to know that there are a few people out there who like what I am doing. Usually I spend so much time admiring what everyone else is doing that I have "failure to launch." (Did you see that movie? It was cute!) In other words, I don't get my own projects off the ground. Today I actually got the instructions written! Woohoo! I still need to perfect the illustrations, but it is coming along.

The photo here on the left is of my son and a quilt I made him a couple years ago. It is from Open A Can of Worms, by Debbie Caffrey. That might be my all time favorite book. I have made more quilts out of that book than any other. They are good basic scrap quilts. Great directions, etc.

The reason it came to mind is all the talk about orphan blocks made me think of the back of the quilt. I got a number of uglier than sin blocks in an exchange, and rather than make them into a quilt I used them on the back of the quilt. After I sewed them together with alternating plain squares I started to like them. Fabric is funny that way. You can't look at it too closely, you just have to look at what it does. Well, it was too late for those blocks to become anything but a quilt back. I was anxious to get the quilt done so I did not alter my plan. However, since that time I have had the urge to make those blocks again into a real quilt of its own. Some day maybe I will even do it!

I also got several comments on the books I recommended in my last entry. Wow, I never knew there were so many sicko grandmothers out there in the quilt world! Somehow I feel so much more at home amongst you. I was thinking it was only Kim. (Watch the comment box to see me get slapped upside the head!) Kim cracks me up, but she isn't a grandmother so she is still wound a little tight. Do I think grandmothers are wound less tight? Yes, I do. I think when your kids are gone you can take a deep breath, relax, and unwind. This is really not a reflection on Kim's son, or anyone else's. More a reflection on my own! Look at the young man in that picture. He looks so sweet and innocent, doesn't he? He almost single handedly took the whole family down. I am happy to report that he came to his senses just in time. Happily, that is all in the past, and I never want to wind up like that again. Matter of fact, maybe that is why my life proceeds at such a leisurely pace. Remember that song "Up a Lazy River"? Just the pace of that song says it all!

I started to recommend another book and got a bit side tracked. I just finished Jeffery Deaver's The Sleeping Doll. Another thriller with some great twists in the story. Sickos rejoice-there are always more crime novels than we could ever read!

CHRISTMAS APPLIQUE

Here is my latest project! Remember I mentioned scheduling a class when I had not made the quilt yet? Well, this is it. The center design is from a vintage quilt that caught my fancy, then I added a sawtooth border. I really loved the cheddar in the original and was excited to have the perfect color, thanks to Judie Rothermel's wonderful reproduction lines. The outer border is from Judie's latest Christmas line. There is no cheddar in the fabric, but it looks as though there is a hint and it brings the whole thing together. Next time you are in your LQS take a look at this fabric and see if you agree. This piece is hand appliqued. I kind of got hooked on that after the Home Sweet Home quilt. I am doing another by machine applique because the class I am teaching is at the Bernina shop, A Different Touch, here in town. By the way, the background isn't as white as it appears here. More the color of muslin.

I am still sewing in the DR because I am still without AC in my sewing room and office. I can sit here in the office for short periods of time, but sewing is another story. At this point my repairman is probably afraid to face me. He claims he went to California (3 weeks ago!) and forgot his cell phone. What are the chances?

Meanwhile, I finished a couple of good murder mysteries, An Unquiet Grave, and A Thousand Bones, written by two women who collaborate and write under the name P. J. Parrish. My husband enjoyed them also.

A NEW HOUSE

I have been a bad blogger. I can't keep up with the posting and the reading of other blogs. I want to, I just seem to be swamped. So if I haven't visited you for a while, it is not from lack of interest, it is lack of time. That and the heat. Our AC went out in this zone of the house, the zone where I sew and where my computer is. It is 100 degrees outside and about 90 degrees in here. I took my sewing machine upstairs to the dining room. We have coolness up there! I have been getting some sewing done, so I am pleased about that! OK, OK, pictures to come!


This is what a starter home looked like in 1950.
I posted this picture on my Dad's blog to go along with a story he was telling. It is a snapshot of our first house in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. I grew up in this house. NOBODY had air conditioning back then!

When I was 4 years old, back in 1950, my family moved from a one bedroom apartment to this newly constructed house in a newly constructed neighborhood. America was rebounding after WWII and my Dad got a GI loan to buy a new house. The house had two small bedrooms on the main floor, along with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. There was a full basement with a washing machine. Mom hung all our clothes outside on a clothesline. The second floor was unfinished. My Dad finished the upstairs and made two big bedrooms with a small bathroom in the center. He had to raise the roof in the back of the house to do that. He also added a garage on the side, and a vestibule on the front. This was done over several years. My Mom always had ideas and my Dad fulfilled her every dream. She had him knock a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the living room so there was a big window pass-through. Then bar stools were added to the LR side. This really helped open up those two small rooms. See where the front door is in the photo? Mom had Dad knock a hole in the wall next to that door that went into the bedroom. That gave two entries into the room that became the dining room. Our little house changed dramatically over the years.

My Mom was quite a gardener. She and my Dad created a wonderful yard for us to play in. The picture is of my sister and me playing dolls. I was quite a tom boy, so this didn't happen too often. I would have rather been playing baseball in the street with the boys. I would like the photo better if we were sitting on a quilt, but I am pretty sure that it was an army blanket. Everyone had spare army blankets in those days. Sturdy wool things they were too.
That little willow tree started out as a branch from a tree in my grandmother's yard. It grew to be enormous. I went back there to visit a few years ago and one of our neighbors still lived in the house next door. He was cursing that tree for all the branches it lost in every rain storm. We loved it though, as kids. We could climb it and hide in the low hanging branches. Back in those days, when it was hot, people spent as much time outside as they could. Inside was not cooler. Dad put in a patio and got a grill and he cooked outside almost every night. (I wonder if he remembers it that way?) My Dad made the best hamburgers!

BRIGHT IDEAS

Have you ever scheduled a class to teach and you haven't made the quilt yet? Well that is what I did yesterday. I fiddled around with a new design last week and got all excited and went and scheduled it. I sure hope it looks as good in fabric as it does in my mind. Luckily my mind is assisted greatly by EQ6. I never was one to color in squares on graph paper, so EQ saves my life. While I was dreaming up projects, I went back into my EQ5 program to see what wonderful things I had left behind. I spent most of Monday clicking and clacking at the computer, changing the design a little here and then a little there. I made some blocks and then went back to the drawing board. I have an overall idea of what I am doing, I just keep fiddling to get it where I want it. Yesterday I went to buy fabric for these two projects. They are both going to use Judie Rothermel's new Christmas fabric. At least that will be the base, with a bunch of stash thrown in. I have a difficult time buying all my fabric for a quilt in one stop. I really am a stash quilter at heart. I can audition fabric all day to find the right look, but I go into a shop and am overwhelmed with the bigness of the bolts. I buy a little of this and a little of that, then take it home and throw it in the stash and it might be years before it comes out in just the right place. At the same time, some of the purchases never do surface and find their perfect place. I know, I should be doing string quilts, etc. And really, I want to. But I might need one of those pieces in the future when that color or texture can't be found anywhere but in the bottom of the box.

My daughter was here last week and we ran around and hit a few quilt shops. She likes the really cute brights with boats and bugs and bumblebees. There is a shop a few blocks from where I live that is strictly brights. It is a great little shop, if you are into the bright fabric. She is, I am not. The shop that I frequent the most specializes in CW repros and folk art and is on the other side of town. Figures, doesn't it?
This photo is my daughter and a quilt she made with my help a couple years ago. I was totally lost working in these wild colors, but in the end, it turned out really cute. Isn't funny how awkward we feel when we are out of our element? She left me with another wild one to finish up and get quilted for her. My kids still think that my life revolves around them. OK, OK it does. I just really need my own time and space on occasion. I intend to spend the rest of the day in my sewing room working on my own new ideas. Here's hoping...

For those of you who are interested in my Dad's stories, he posted a couple more. Click on his blog on the side bar. He thinks it is funny that anyone is interested. Leave a comment, or just say hi. He enjoys that.