#8 Golden Hill Road

SURRENDER

2012-01-26T00:30:00.001-05:00

Every Monday Effy issues a challenge of a word, a concept, or a technique to those of us participating in the BOOK OF DAYS project. Just as an aside ... the best part about the BOD project is that it is free so hurry over and sign up now for a wonderful year of glittery love and goodness in the art journaling world.

Our challenge this week was the word "surrender." Sometimes an image or an idea will pop into my head immediate with these kinds of challenges, and then other times the concept has to mutter around in the back of my mind stirring around in my subconcious for several days before a page or spread begins to surface. I've learned over time to not rush the process. It will come in its own time. And that is how it happened with the challenge for this week.

I went on about my business exploring a new ezine calle Sprout from Amanda at Persitent Green. What a beautiful little publication filled with poetry, images, photography, and inspiration. Well done, Amanda. As I read the articles in the themed issued on Abundance my percolating ideas and visions began to take shape. I began to jot notes down on scraps of paper - words and phrases. I began to look at images with a new purpose and direction in mind.

The next step, unplanned and not even a clue as to the coming connection occured after watching Jeanette in her Creative POP video for January share her exploration of charcoal drawing while working on a image of a face inspired by a magazine photography. Faces seem to crop up a lot on art journaling spreads. I'm not sure why. It may be that using an image of a human being gives life and verbal power to the journaling message. It may be that using an image of a human being could invoke empathy for the emotions shared on the page. I'm not sure and this is pure speculation. I've played around with including people on my pages and sometimes it works and sometimes it feels contrived. However I do believe what better place to explore and experiment than in your daily art journal. I've never really thought of myself as having much ability for drawing realistic images, but I think this goes to show with practice, one does find their skills improving over time.

Well, the rest is history. You can see my "work-in-progress" as I integrated all of these prompts as they came together in one spread. I started by preparing the base pages with gesso and then used sketching and charcoal pencils to create a light sketch as an idea for the page. When I had everything the way I liked it I started firming everything up more permanently with my Pitt pens. What is next? I think I'll be playing with my Inktense pencils and color blocks and, of course, finishing out the lettering and text with my Pitt pens. I think, the way I'm using these pens every day, I'd best be looking for a bulk supplier. These pens are the best for working over mixed media like acrylics, watercolor, inks, and pages that have been coated with Fixatif or sealed with a matt medium.

SOLILOQUY

2012-01-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

ART JOURNAL CARAVAN 2012 has a whole new format this year. Tangie has us focusing on a word prompt but I think our words this year a from "How To Increase Your Vocabulary by 52 Words in One Year." Whew, these are words that I know but don't often appear in my day-to-day conversation and keep me thinking about how to get down on the page with images.

This week was a little easier. Soliloquy basically means "talking to yourself." LOL And there is plenty of chatter going on in my head at all times. I did notice that it only took me a couple of days during the week Mike was gone to start my own personal conversation, my on-going soliloquy once again.

This was a fun spread to work with lettering while I journaled about all the decisions I talk myself through as we work on phase one of finished the other side of the house ... Toby's studio and living quarters for the summer seasons at Tanglewood.

Supplies used on this spread include: A collage background using images from collage sheets Tangie Baxter shared with all the people participating in the Book of Days project plus tissue paper. The base was prepared with gesso and I used Pitt pens from Faber Casterll for the lettering. The outlining with done with a white Gelly Roll pen.

STAMP CARVING 101

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000-05:00

I've been having a blast in another on-line class with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. This time I'm taking Stamp Carving 101 and learning all kinds of tips and tricks about carving my own rubber stamps. This is the journaling I did for January 24th and 24th about stamp carving and the good time I've been having with the class as I learn new techniques and materials to use that are different this time around.

I really had to chuckle inside as we worked on the first lesson. It was just like teaching beginning machine applique. We started with an open heart so we could learn how to do inside and outside points and inside and outside curves.

I did some hand carving of rubber stamps years and years ago. I found a few of those stamps while unpacking boxes (yes, I'm still unpacking boxes - a job that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life) while I was looking for texture stamps for creating backgrounds for my pages. I was also looking for alphabet and number stamps. Now the funny thing about that is, just a short year ago when Eryn was here we went through some boxes and I gave her any of the alphabet stamps sets she wanted because my thought was, "When will I ever be using or needing these stamp sets?" Just goes to show, you never know what lies in the path ahead.

On with Lesson Two of the class ... we worked on creating interlocking or nesting stamps. These stamped images were like mirror images. We carved stripes in the block and then carved an identical block removing the opposite strips.

And last week we worked with a project Julie calls "contained chevrons." Doesn't this create a cool pattern. I love using it for a tag design and will be making some tags with this stamp to send out in "Happy Mail" packages to my Book of Days friends.

I added a few more carvings of my own just for fun and extra practice. I like the texture created with the rounded rectangle shapes that look like a remote control to me. I tried carving a Queen Anne's Lace flower stem. It's not light, airy, or lacy like the real flower is, but I rather like the primitive nature of this image.

And then I carved a word. Sentiment stamps can be fun but I think you must be careful with the frequency of use. Another words, you don't want the same message coming up on every project you create. However, I figured the word "enjoy" would have enough places or times it could be used to justify the time spent carving. So meticulous in design and execution ... I worked like a master. And then I was ready for the first test stamping. OOPS ... forgot about reversing a directional or word design ... sigh ... note to self ...

2012-01-22T20:04:00.001-05:00

It was a day for "arting with Effy" during COA and playing with supplies and techniques.

Chickadees have been my favorite bird since I was 5 years old so it only seemed fitting that he would make an appropriate subjuect for my watercolor practice.

My chickies on the next page were the result of my trying some dripage with watered-down acrylic paints and then letting the images "talk" to me. The little orange chickies appreared out of nowhere on the page just like the little birds at the top of the page sitting on the fence posts. Sorry they got cut off a little in the scan. It just seemed to me like the "very formal" little chickadee was looking over to the three little chicks on the next page and saying,

"What's happenin' over there? Stop looking at the ground. Look up. Spread your wings, little chickies. Get ready to fly!"

And while I was working on the lettering I remembered loving the springtime in Oregon when the chickadees, the junkos, and the barn swallows would be lined up on the power line that ran from the garage to the house. Those babies were all taking turns learning how to fly with the mamas and the papas swooping around showing them how it is done.

Inspiration: images from the internet, Donna Downey, Effy Wild, Tangie Baxter, and Sandra van der Geest.

IT'S ALL ABOUT STYLE

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had great fun putting together the stylish bird lady. I was going to use her for one of the weekends we went into Boston for a symphony concert. Dressed like that would just be "going in style" but we ended up playing with the twins and going out to dinner with the family rather than going to the concert. What's a girl to do ... all dressed up and changed where we were going.

The background is collage tissue paper and stenciled letters with a little bit of acrylic paint for fun. Printables are from Tangie Baxter: Collage sheet Mania Bundles, and then then I played with my watercolors a little adding the tree and thr ground/lawn for the house.

Quote from Coco Chanel: Fashion Fades. Only style remains the same.

IT WAS A GOOD DAY

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yep ... a very good day ... a day to make one smile ... a day to remember when things aren't so good.

Supplies used ... all from Tangie's new kit UP UP AND AWAY except for the bird which is from Sherrie JD's Viva Frida

2012-01-19T11:18:00.004-05:00

a visual reminder to keep things simple, to not overthink or read too much into a given situation

Supplies used: collaged onto my painted background are digital images from:
Tangie Baxter: Deconstructed No. 2 and Black Licorice
LMurphy: Charming Women
I also used pan pastels, Pitt pens, and a white gelly roll pen for adding details.

ARTING WITH EFFY

2012-01-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

I spent the day creating backgrounds in my altered book while chatting through a live stream with Effy and friends and watching Effy create a painting. Such good information about working with inks and colorwashes and tips about layering and which mediums to use with what type of material. My journal spread for the next couple of days is all ready for the pen. I love my little hummer stencil. I found him packaged up with 3 other cupcake stencils on the dollar aisle at Michaels. Love it when I find a good bargin like that.

All in all, it was a good day for arting in the studio as it was still zero degrees outside even at noon; our high this afternoon was 8, and I never was able to get the studio warm enough to run the longarm even with the pellet stove running full blast. Not good weather for quilting, but good weather for arting. Read on for details on a couple of spreads I worked on today.

This spread was really fun. I started with the pages of my book coated with gesso and then splatted a little bit of colorwash ink on the page and smudged the leftover ink from my bird stencil from the previous page. From there I collaged bits and pieces from the paper towel I was using to mop up extra liquid from my pages and gave the edges a little bit of stain with the butterscotch distress ink from Ranger. After that it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that with layers of paint as I searched for the right patina for my page. I used an empty paint spool as a stamp for my circles, sprayed a bit more ink to the page and decided that was enough for now. I'm not quite sure how I'll be able to journal over the texture of the paper towels, but I'll leave that to be solved another day. For now, I like my spread.

This next spread has created a little bit of a challenge in a different way. I remembered the fun I had and the dramatic effect created when prepping the page with black gesso. So I decided to do another spread that way. I also wanted to use one of the catherdral stencils I got from Artists Cellar last week. I used my pan pastels to add the color and used Fixative to seal the color. At Effy's suggestion I outlined the stencil sections with silver ... my silver quilt marking pencil is finally put to good use.

It's a very dark page, but I love the way the red "burns" like embers. I'm not quite sure how I want to continue with this page and how the journaling with fit with this design. I think this page needs some thinking and percolating time. If you have any ideas or thoughtS, drop a line in the comment box.

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

2012-01-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

I suffer from an insatiable hunger for learning new things. And to satisfy that hunger I've found myself signing up for a multitude of on-line classes and workshops having to do with mixed media and art journaling. And now, to keep them all straight!!!

I figured out there were year-long workshops that I could integrate into the altered book format I'm using for art journaling and then there are all kinds of inspiration spots and stops along the way.

To integrate ...

Art Journal Caravan with Tangie Baxter: this is my third year on this adventure. Every year I do a little more and learn more than my poor little peabrain can handle. But I wouldn't miss is for the world.

Book of Days with Effy Wild: after getting the daily art journaling habit going with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer I was on the search for another group to help me continue with the habit. And then Effy's workshop popped up. The best part ... it's FREE and packed with all kinds of inspiring goodness.

Be a Seed with Milliande: another freebie that is going for as long as the inspiration keeps flowing. You just can't help but be in awe as you watch her work.

One Little Word with Ali Edwards: its so simple and Ali is a whiz a breaking things down into a do-able format, and AJC and BOD are both based on choosing a word for the year, so I figured I might as well play along with Ali, too.

And for inspiration I'm starting with:

Doodles Unleashed with Traci Bautista - a freebie with Strathmore
Inspiration Wednesday with Donna Downey - grab your coffee and watch her work.
Stamp Carving 101 with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer - you know, I was doing all this stamping way back before they "invented dirt" but I decided I'd better see what was new about the whole process, plus, I just love Julie's classes.

There will be more classes and inspiration down the road as I get further into the year, but this is a start for now and I'm having a blast getting my fingers all sticky with ink and paint stains on the palms of my hands.

About my first journaling spread ... I would like a little more art on the page but I love the color combination. Still struggling with getting my Pitt pens to work over all the paint/gesso layers but I'm feeling really good about my lettering style.

1 SQUARE + 1 SQUARE = A STAR

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

How can that be? How can 1 dark square in a square plus 1 light square in a square equal a star?

2011-11-13T13:35:00.001-05:00

30 DAYS: 7-12 finished spread

"Hmmmm," I say to myself, "you know you created this problem yourself because you didn't start fresh with a new journal that is the same size as Julie is using." But I wanted to use what I had on hand. As I get further into the class I'm learning how to work around and problem-solve my way out of issues AND learn some new skills. Here I am, makin' lemonade :)

LEAVES ARE FALLING

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that just two weeks ago we had 24" of snow on the ground and still had leaves on the trees. The neighborhood kids were building snow jack-o-lanterns rather than snowmen.

ENOUGH ALREADY

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

inspired by CLOUDS 365 Project Blog

The best laid plans seem to go awry but enough already. Friends are calling. Emails come in daily. Facebook messages and notifications. Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I do believe life is beginning to slowly return to normal. Yes, the distractions are gradually beginning to dissipate. I say, ENOUGH ALREADY!

30 DAYS: additional pages prepped

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Getting ahead in the process with page prep ... possible prompt: I'm thinking blueberry memories and the song Blue Velvet. (did I just date myself?) LOL

the collaged sentiment points in a pretty clear direction for this spread ... we'll see what happens.

no ideas yet where this will go just using up left over paint and inked stamps

30 DAYS: Day 8 and Day 9

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Day 7 when our task was to use tags in our journals, my page was already pretty full with BIG numbers and collage borders not to mention my play with collaging a lady as a focal point. My solution was to draw a tag behind the lady and continue with the journaling in the remaining space. But that just didn't seem right. I didn't feel as if I was being true to the intent of the technique or format of the lessons for this week.

So, I pondered ... and I paced ...

and I thought ... and I wondered ...

And then, on Day 8 Julie made a postcard flap on her page with "secret" journaling hidden underneath. Ah ha! The light bulbs went off. Surely there is a way I can incorporate a flap in my journaling. After a little more thinking and plotting I came up with a way for add a fold-out flap to the edge of my page to add journaling space to Day 8. I also added a center seam flap for Day 9 having the two flaps meet with a mitered corner.

edge flap open

center seam flap open

center seam flap closed

Other things added:

I finished the shoes and legs for the collaged art dollie
I used a receipt from the art supply store and some ad material for collaging on the flaps. Strategic placement of gesso over the sale total was critical. LOL
I closed both flaps and re-stamped the number 9 on top of the flaps so it shows if flaps are closed but is there if they're open
I played with some circle stencil texture

One more thing I would like to do is find the tie closures for envelopes and add that to my flaps so they could be closed until I want to reveal/read the hidden journaling beneath the flaps. I'm not sure if I will continue with more flaps or tags on the right side of the spread. That is to be determined yet. For now, back to doing some advance page prep ... gluing 2 pages together for added foundation or base strength, coating with gesso creating more "tooth" to the surface which will help the paint adhere to the page, adding some collage materials and stencil texture, and one of my biggest helps:

I jot down quotes, meaningful phrases, and journaling prompts on post-it notes and stick them in the my journal on different pages at random so when I'm out and about I am already to go ahead with journaling on pages that are all prepped.

30 DAYS: Day 7

2011-11-07T18:47:00.004-05:00

There's nothing like waking up in the morning with something to look forward to. The inner dialog goes like this:

"Oh, these quilts are sooooo warm and comfy. I don't want to leave the warm nest to get up to a shivering cold room. What time is it anyway?"

"Ugh, I need coffee ... Miso, what did you do with my other slipper? My toes are freezing!"

"Wait," ... hurrying out to the computer ... "get this puppy booted up. It's time for the next installment of my 30 Days in Your Journal class. What time did Julie say we could expect the new lesson to be posted? Gosh, I can't remember a thing these days. Coffee, I need coffee."

"Ok, computer is booting, coffee maker is heating up. I think I'm going to make it."

"Oh, YAY, the new lesson is posted," sigh, settling into my comfy chair coffee in hand ready to be inspired and energized with art journaling goodness for another day!

Today was all about tags and personal ephemera, but I'm facing a major dilemma with my page layout. I auditioned some tags on my page but even for "maximalest me" this page seems to be pretty full with out many more additions. I pondered different solutions throughout the day thinking i might have a major light bulb moment, but such was not the case. So, I mapped out a tentative plan for the journaling text path for each day and decided that I will go ahead making my tags and saving them in the "fodder file" for another day.

Having said that, you can see what I did do with my page spread today ... check out the close-up. In addition to my short, very short patch of journaling, I doodled my tag and my art dollie. She definitely is sporting an up-do these days but needs some serious help in the wardrobe department. I need to do something with her heels but I'm not sure if I should color her legs or leave them as is. What do you think?

Note to self ... next time remember ...

smaller numbers (but I like my big numbers)
fewer numbers on a spread (I can live with that)
use a larger journal (but this fits so well in my purse)

30 DAYS: Day 6

2011-11-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

My previous spread was full earlier in the week so I moved forward in my page prep; I wanted to play with a little bit of Teesha Moore style with creating a collage lady and page borders. I wanted to keep continuity with my big numbers. This part was done earlier in the week - I think about Day 3 or 4.

Day 6 rolls around and it's time to prep new pages and to add tags and background texture. Oh no, I was so intent on continuing with my theme and my agenda, I forgot that Julie would have "assignments" for me. She would have ideas for me to experiment with in my journal. Like ... adding tags and doing more with my background. What to do ... what to do ...

Problem solved! I doodled my tag around my lady and painted the "tag" with white acrylic. I also punched a hole in my tag/page and will add a ribbon tie after I'm finished with this side. and now for the background. How to stamp all those circles ... that is the questions at hand.

In my vast stash of rubber stamps I don't think there are any plain ring circles. Always time for a little shopping on the Internet, but then, do I really want to buy MORE supplies for the class - especially rubber stamps. Think, think think ... walk away from the studio table and ponder a little.

Problem solved! I found my perfect circle stamp using the end of an empty thread spool and then using a Smooch spray misting down inside. The ink ran down the insides and allowed me to create a "coffee cup" stain type of print. Gotta love the happy accidents.

Now to think about my journaling text path ... but, not to worry ... that's not until tomorrow ...

30 DAYS: Day 4

2011-11-04T12:56:00.000-04:00

I added some collage, played with my pan pastels and checked out the journaling over the gesso and paint with the new Pitt pens. Wow, what a difference. Just like anything - when you have the right tools :) (the BEFORE page)

My new favorite thing for adding definition to the collaged shapes - playing with the pan pastels. I have only the basic colors but will definitely be going back and adding to the set.

As close friends and family know, those who know me well, my patience is non-existant. When I'm ready to go, when I'm ready to try something new, I need to do it now. It's called striking while the "creative iron" is hot, and that's how I am right now wanting to play with stenciling my page backgrounds. I can't wait for some of Julie's stencils to get here. So, in the meantime I did a little bit of play with a basic stencil from the local hobby store. The visual texture adds a whole new dimension to the page. AND ... now that I'm seeing them all together across the spread, I'm liking my big numbers. I wasn't sure about them to start with because they seemed to take over the whole page. I'm sure it doesn't help that my journal page size is about 5x8. I had to change around my way of thinking about what these pages are all about.

This journal is about:

recording your days ... simply with spontenaity
having fun playing with new techniques and different materials
exploring and enjoying the process

30 DAYS: Day 3

2011-11-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

I love a treat. I hadn't really thought of my day as a treat but that is what it turned out to be. In the beginning my day started as a day of running errands. Let's just take care of everything that needs to be done all at once and then I'm in for the next few days not having to go anywhere and i can create or do whatever strikes my fancy without interuption. (Mike flew out to Oregon early this morning so that REALLY helps keeping the interuptions under control LOL)

First on the list was to plug into the GPS the address to Miller's in Pittsfield. This is an art supply store I'd seen once during one of my exploring escapades but couldn't really remember exactly how to get there again. Ahhhh, I was in heaven the minute I walked in the door. How wonderful to wander the aisles soaking up all the goodness on those shelves. My bag was suprisingly small when I left but full of goodies I'd been secretly wanting for some time. I found my pens (Pitt pens from Faber Castell) and my pan pastels. I can't wait to get home and play with these last little pots of goodness. I've always loved playing with my oil pastels. I like getting my fingers into the mix and creating smeared blurred softer lines over my work.

And then it was off to Michaels to see if I can find any number and alpha rubber stamps that might work for the art journaling workshop and some stencils. I know I can always find stickers (DD and I had such fun playing in our calendars with stickers.) and I wanted to check out the paint markers from Sharpie.

My biggest quandry in all of this is that I'm not sure about the kind of journal I'm using. So far I've just been working in my moleskine. I wonder, do I need a journal filled with watercolor paper; do I need to be making my own signatures; what am I doing and where am I going with this art form? Not sure but I know my direction and my style will eventually emerge.

Later: While the "delete gesso" in the 30 Days journal was drying I decided to play with a digital design (see picture above) I had done earlier and make it more hybrid. I'm liking the more organic feel to my page when I play with it hands-on compared to printing it out digitally. The real-time dimension and texture make the page seem more alive. Aside from the fact that I haven't quite figured out how to correct my spelling error ... thank you DD for pointing out the right way to spell acupuncture.

I feel good about this page. I experimented with the new pens doing some drawing and outline work with the grass and sand castle bridge and had fun playing with the text. The journaling is all about taking time out for yourself - recognizing when you're weary and stepping back for a little bit. And then the hard part ... Get Back to Work!

30 DAYS IN YOUR ART JOURNAL: DAY 1 and Day 2

2011-11-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

Today is the day I start a new-to-me online workshop with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. I stumbled across her blog the other day, did a little exploring and found myself signing up for her class. I excited to learn some hands-on techniques with my art journaling. I've been playing with the digital side for quite some time now and feel like I missed a step or two in my learning along the way because I have never done the paper scrapping.

And so it begins with a wonderfully organized lesson format delivered daily ... lessons filled with clear consice directions, great suggestions for alternative materials or techniques, and learnings to take away from the lesson of the day to tuck away in your bucket of tricks.

Day 1: we prepped our pages and played with creating a background, stamping, and journaling.

Day 2: we continued adding more visual interest to our page

Now I'm frustrated because I don't seem to have the supplies I need to get the effects I want to create. I'm struggling to find the right pen that will write over my painting ... arrrrgh ... I see a shopping trip looming on the horizon.

I also don't like the way my journaling is jammed up against each other. I need some breathing and doodling room between the entries. I think it might be time for my favorite "hands-on" delete key ... paint over what I don't like with gesso and then start again.

FALL JOURNAL: Prompt 1

2011-10-01T14:01:00.000-04:00

Our first prompt is to start prepping the pages and designing the cover to our journal. I had an idea of a stamp I wanted to use but when I stamped the image on my cover, it was just too small. Gesso to the rescue and start over again.

I pulled out my acrylic paints and started to play setting up the scene for twiggy trees and leaves on the background. My tree stamp was all ready ... but, wait, it's too small. Oh no, and there are no photoshop image handles to grab for resizing. What to do? What to do?

Breathe, relax, think this through. This is only a twiggy tree which really is an easy thing to draw. Anyone can draw a twiggy tree. I even had kindergartners creating trees by blowing through a straw into the tempra paint pool on their paper.

Step One: load the paint onto the palette
Step Two: wet the brush and load with paint
Step Three: check back for a visual on your twiggy tree images and start with the trunk.
Step Four: just keep going adding branches, and maybe a row of bushes behind the tree, a few mountains in the background ... hey, I could even stamp some of those smaller trees in the background so they make a little bit of a forest further away.
Step Five: dab some leaves on the ground and just a few clinging to the branches yet.

And that's how a cover comes together for a Fall Journal.

FALL JOURNALING PROJECT

2011-09-24T13:41:00.000-04:00

My favorite season of the year is the Fall. I love the color of the sunshine; I love the crisp clean air; I love crunching through the leaves on our walks through the park and the woods while Miso gets her sniffs on. Yeah, it's sweater weather.

It just doesn't seem fair that such a great season can be only 3 months long (if we're lucky) and winter can seem to go on and on forever. So I guess the only solution is to make the best of it by enjoying the season while we can making the most of each day.

I got a new kit from Tangie Baxter the other day and I think this might be a fun challenge and project to work on over the next few months ... a project that helps me celebrate this season that just feels so good. Tangie's kit is geared specifically to Halloween. It is full of images, backgrounds, and daily prompts plus adding in the tutorial videos, too. I love it when you can actually watch a person in action as they work with their pages. I learn something new every time even though I may have seen the tutorial many times before. I notice something different with each viewing.

Rather than limit my journaling to the month of October, I'll be working on October following Tangie's prompts and adding in prompts to cover September and November on my own.

I'm going to use one the small moleskine paper backed journals and play with some gesso and gluing pages together to give them the strength they need for collaging and to hold the paint.

I'll be going though my boxes of rubber stamps pulling out the ones that are seasonally appropriate. I can't believe all the stamping Pam and I used to do back in the day. It seems funny to see people excited about something we were doing years ago like it's a whole brand new thing. I do know I like working with the "new" cling stamps that just attach to the acrylic blocks. That was a "new" thing about when we began to move on to other crafty interests. Progress ...

And, I'm going through all my magazines foraging for fodder. I'm looking for color, words, and pictures than might be usable for collage work.

Woo Hoo ... there's the plan and it's time to get started!

2011-04-29T12:20:00.001-04:00

As I was journaling this morning I thought I might check in with the daily prompt generator and see what might be the suggested line of thought for the day.

TODAY'S PROMPT: "Know your limitations and be content with them. Too much ambition results in promotion to a job you can't do." - David Brent

This is so appropriate to what happens to me when coming up with ideas about how to quilt a quilt. I can easily come with a multitude of design possibilities that look good on paper but when it comes to the actuall execution of a given design plan, look out. Be sure to keep things in perspective before you start making suggestions to customers regarding possible custom quilting jobs. Have a good sense of the time that is going to be involved and what that means to your bottom line and their quilting budget. In another words, how much you charge for your services in quilting the quilt. Such was the topic of my conversation with Ruth yesterday.

Ruth has a quilt with flying geese units going all the way around the quilt. The size of the quilt is like a large double or queen bed sized quilt. The reason she called was to check in about how to do a p2p pattern so she could drop a motif in each one of the geese. Keep in mind, this means there are easily more than 200 geese units flying around the edges of this quilt. But not to worry, we have Creative Studio and that makes everything so much easier!

Everything we were talking about as possible quilting ideas for this goose border using p2p pattern was sounding do-able ... time consumming but do-able until I told her I would be clicking the boundaries of the geese and using the new stretch handles to tweak the motif placement. Many of our piecers are quite precise with their patchwork, but we're all human and we are working with fabric.

The only guarantees in the quilting process are: The fabric will move; our seams will be off kilter just a bit here and there; stretching will have happened as we pressed. There is nothing quite so humbling as when I quilt one of my own quilts. Yep, I'm human and even though I do my best, no matter how careful I am, and no matter how close I keep my seam ripper (and use frequently) my seams will on occassion wobble, my points might be cut off, and my borders might even flap just a tad.

This final bit of tweaking on each motif raises our level of precision in the quilting up a notch and that is what I call "quilt-show-quality" quilting and I do adjust my fees accordingly. And then there is the sky units of each goose. The question of the day ... leave it empty or put something in? But now, when you think about the added hours in finishing up the borders of the quilt, the clock is ticking and the job price is going up faster, almost, than gas prices these days.

The solution: Ruth and I both agreed (with no complaints from the customer) that doing a feather border pattern over the geese units would suit the overall quilting design just fine. The quilting could be finished in a timely manner and within budget. Having a clear sense of the possibilities is a must when choosing a design plan for a quilt, and coming up with a plan that matches ...

how the quilt will be used
who the quilt is for
what kind of budget are we working with
what is the time frame for a finish date to be met
and, most importantly, developing a plan that reflects your style and is compatible with your skill as a quilter

All of these points are critical to keep in mind when working out a design plan whether for yourself or when working with a customer. There is a fine line we walk between the advice from Goethe and Brent as to when and how brave to be ... how much courage and risk taking are you up to on any given day, or is a "play it safe" kind of day. But once again, when all of these pieces of the patchwork puzzle are in place we have a win-win for everyone involved.

And with that said, I may be in and out a little during the next week ... Mike is flying in today for the first time since early January. It's been a long 4 months and I just might be a little distracted :)

... know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... and ... be innovative with your craft ...

2011-04-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today's post is about something I struggle with all the time ... the proverbial "to-do" list. I'll let you in on a little secret (shhh ... don't tell ... and ... I don't think I'm alone on the list.)

PUMPKIN PATCH CLASS: DIAMONDS ON THE DOUBLE

2011-04-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

Ah a day for petting the fabrics, playing in the scrap bins, and getting a little bit ahead on the cutting for several different projects while I prep for Saturday's class using my pattern called MQS 112 DIAMONDS ON THE DOUBLE at Pumpkin Patch Quilts in Lee. Here's what I worked on cutting:

OLGA'S MAP QUILT

2011-04-08T18:55:00.000-04:00

Now here's a fun quilt. (Thanks so much to Olga for sharing with us how she used Loopy Sash and 1375 LOOPY STARS. Anita's Cream Swirl is a perfect match. Great pattern selection.

LYNN'S SAMPLER QUILT

2011-04-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

Isn't this the prettiest sampler quilt? I love the fabrics Lynn chose for her blocks and the center medallion being set off with the jewel points of gold is perfect. Check out those multi-colored corner triangles. How absolutely perfect to pull everthing help each of the fabrics pop. And Lynn made the perfect choice when she picked the border and "plain" block dark batik fabric to complement the primary color tone on tones.

We discussed possible options for custom quilting but I was afraid if weren't careful when making design and thread color choices we could easily have a "war" happening between the piecing and the quilting.

I designed a panto, an edge-to-edge quilting design for this quilt called 1485 RIBBONS AND LEAVES. I want the quilting to be fairly open and full of motion. The swirling of the ribbons and the tumbling leaves captured in the ribbons enhances the patchwork without distracting from the Lynn's skill as a piecer. Nice work Lynn!

A close-up of her center medallion ...

I used a King Tut varigated thread called Sheaves which has several shades of yellow to gold for the top thread and a Signature 100% cotton thread in a medium yellow shade for the bobbin. Batting is the 80/20 from The Warm Company (Warm Bond) so this quilt will wash up nice and soft with wonderful antique puffiness around the stitching lines.

1485 RIBBONS AND LEAVES is available in the store formatted for both Statler and Intelliquilter and marked down for one week only at an introductory discounted price of only $12. Pop on over to the store and add this great pattern to your library while the price is marked down.

... know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... and ... be innovative with your craft ...

BABY SHOWER QUILT

2011-04-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

Sindy and her friends wanted to make a quilt - a grandma quilt - for a new baby due to arrive in May. They gathered their scraps and yardage and set to work.

IRISH MIST

2011-04-05T14:22:00.000-04:00

If you were at the Southeast Statler Retreat in Atlanta this year you may recall a request for design help on a quilt called Irish Mist. Many in the audience had suggestions but most were edge-to-edge.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

2011-04-04T14:09:00.000-04:00

Susan's quilt ... a scrappy 9-Patch using all different shades of red and brown. Part of what makes this quilt so effective is the way Susan used so many different textures, so many different shades, and varied the scale of print. What really pops is the fabric that is a paisley with reds and browns and just one little spark of blue.

Light red is always a shade that is hard to grasp when on a search through your stash because we have labeled that tint "pink" so we breeze right on by the pink fabric basket. But look how well the pinks work in with the reds keeping a good flow of value across the quilt top.

Susan's plans are to use this quilt on her bed during the month of February. How perfect is that since this quilt looks to me just like chocolate covered cherries or strawberries dipped in chocolate. I would never have thought to use this color combination which just goes to show there is inspiration no matter where you look (or taste LOL).

I used an edge-to-edge quilting pattern called 1458 HEARTS AND VINES FLIPPED E2E for Susan's quilt and got to hone my "relocate to two points" while working on the quilt.

First I set up my rows with alternating plus and created a CSQ file of just two rows sized specifically for Susan's quilt top. I was pushing the limit of throat space as I rolled - the two row pass is about 17.5" but with the start/top point in the middle I actually needed 22" of sewing space. I ended up going back in and dividing my CSQ two row file into two separate rows when I got the the bottom half of the quilt. There is nothing worse than to be quilting along and get the "abort" message due to an obstacle in the sewing path! That is when you take time out, regroup, breath ... and have another chocolate covered cherry. LOL

I mentioned earlier that I used "relocate to two points" with each roll to set up the next two (or one) row. Because of quilt shrinkage I couldn't just use the start/end points. I used the points of the hearts in the quilting pattern and my crosshairs to check to make sure I kept the pattern lining up correctly as I stitched my way down the quilt. It took a little bit to get used to seeing the quilt design not line up on the screen but knowing that it was lining up on the quilt. I also drew a "throat space-quilt edge" pattern boundary for each pass so I could check to make sure the rows were going to fit in the stitching space. That little trick helped me know when to switch to a single row pass.

Like the way this pattern looks? Want to add it to your pattern library? It is one of 3 patterns that for one day only ... the MONDAY ONE DAY featured patterns markdown of 30%. The patterns featured for today only at only $10.50 per pattern are:

STATLER

INTELLIQUILTER

... know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... be innovative with your craft ....

RED AND WHITE

2011-04-02T12:39:00.000-04:00

I love red and white. I love red clothes. I love red shoes. I love red dishes. I love red in my quilts. So you can imagine my excitement when I read about the exhibit held in New York City in conjunction with the American Folk Art Museum just this last week for one week only. Joanna S. Rose shared her 650 red and white quilts from her collection of over a thousand quilts as a gift to the people of the city and surrounding area. Quilters flocked to the event and were amazed to see such a tradition of 3 decades of quilts hung in such an artful way. This was definitely not your typical quilt show.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend this show. I think subconciously for me New York City is still 3000 miles away rather than just the short train ride of only two and a half hours it takes to get there from Lenox. To read more about this show visit Martha's blog and to see even more photos visit the flicker album created for visitors to share their view of the show. And you can bet I'm signed up for the newsletter from the museum so I don't miss out on the next exhibit of interest. In fact, several of us from our quilt guild are trying to get our calendars together for a day trip to the city later this month. I'll keep you posted and take lots of photos.

These are some pillowcases that I always use with my red and white Hopscotch quilt. (Click on the link for the pattern.) They were a wedding gift for Mike and me forty-one years ago. Dare I say they are antique or vintage, and if I do, does that make Mike and me antique or vintage???

LOL Probably best not search too long for the answer to that question. I think it depends mostly on the day how "antique" I might feel.

Have a wonderful quilty weekend ... and ...

...know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... be innovative with your craft ...

STONEHENGE HOLIDAY

2011-04-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Here it is ... one of the prettiest Christmas collections of fabric I've ever seen. You may be familiear with the Stonehenge line of fabrics from Northcott. It is a stale in their fabrics and they are the most versatile luscious texture laden fabrics I've seen in a long time. Definitely good stuff t have in your stash for just about any quilt project you could think of working on. Lots of colors even across a single piece of yardage. And then when they start playing with the add-ons o the basic line you end up with a pallette of fabric that allows you to paint across your design wall in ways you've never imagined. So you can see why I was so excited to get this box of yardage in the mail from Northcott the other day. These weekend definitely has playtime set aside because look what else was in the box!

I have some definite ideas about how to use the collection to set off these beautiful panels and can hardly wait to get started with the cutting and piecing of the border blocks. Most people are thinking about or even getting started on their Spring gardening this weekend. Not the case here in the Northeast. If it is going to look like Christmas outside on the first of April then I think I'll just go with the flow and work on Christmas!

... know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... be innovative with your craft ...

DAYBOOK 7 January 3-9 2011

2011-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

CURIOUSER 8

2010-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 7

2010-10-11T16:18:00.000-04:00

DAYBOOK 6 OCTOBER 3-10

2010-10-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

PATCHWORK TEA ROSES

2010-10-05T16:24:00.000-04:00

and HERE

DAYBOOK 5 OCTOBER 3

2010-10-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

SCATTER GARDEN UPDATE

2010-09-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

STITCH THEN PAINT

2010-09-28T09:43:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 5

2010-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

COLOR STUDY

2010-09-23T06:08:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 4

2010-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

SAYING GOODBYE

2010-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

BERKSHIRE QUILTERS GUILD

2010-09-18T06:41:00.000-04:00

GOOD COOKIN' 9

2010-09-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

AWAKENINGS

2010-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

TRASH OR TREASURE

2010-09-14T06:52:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 3

2010-09-13T08:21:00.000-04:00

DAYBOOK 2

2010-09-12T06:33:00.000-04:00

GOOD COOKIN 8

2010-09-11T06:46:00.000-04:00

LEAF SEASON SALE

2010-09-09T06:50:00.000-04:00

JOURNAL QUILT PROMPT: DANCE

2010-09-08T06:54:00.000-04:00

SISTERS 2010 SNAPSHOT: IMAGE TRANSFER

2010-09-07T06:58:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 2

2010-09-06T06:02:00.000-04:00

DAYBOOK 1

2010-09-05T06:07:00.000-04:00

SEASONAL CHANGES

2010-09-04T06:11:00.000-04:00

SUN COMPASS FREEBIES

2010-08-31T07:43:00.000-04:00

CURIOUSER 1

2010-08-30T07:48:00.000-04:00

GOOD COOKIN' 7

2010-08-28T07:53:00.000-04:00

A PROJECT IN HAND, ANOTHER IN MIND

2010-08-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

WE'VE MOVED

2008-09-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

Finally ... it's been a remodeling 2 weeks ... house and website!

I've been wanting all the components of my website all in one place under one roof so to speak, and I think I'm finally there. So,to celebrate the newly remodeled on-line Mountaintop Quilting Studio, I'm having a GRAND OPENING SALE from now until the end of the month.There are about 30 new designs, some new collections, and more to come!

The next step in all of this moving business is that my blog will now be located with the website and I will no longer be posting here at blogger. You'll still get to read all about my quilting adventures and mishaps, just in a different place.

Visit http://www.mountaintopquilting.com/ for all the details and to check out the new look.And, let me know if you see any typos or missing links. :) ... and remember to bookmark the site so you can easily come back often.

Kay

QUILTING FOR JILL

2008-09-24T02:05:00.001-04:00

First ... let's take a look at those quilts I teased you with yesterday. I promised more pictures of the customer quilts I've been working on, so, here they are! Jill has been bringing her quilt tops to me for her for several years now. Jill used to be a fabric rep for a fabric company and found herself with yards and yards of samples when she retired. Jill makes the best use of a variety of fabrics in her quilts of most any one I know in the quilting world. She has a real eye for color and manages to put just the right little bit of zing in simple traditional quilt patterns.

Jill brought 3 quilts to me to finish up for her this time. She asked for simple edge to edge quilting on the first two. I put leaves on the Fall Chain and simple daisies on the purple and aqua quilt. For the life of me, I can not think of the name of this block. Any one out there able to help me?

Jill's third quilt - the red, white, and blue chain quilt features a piano key border with red frames, a 3" white inner border, and a 6" white outer border. She knew she wanted feathers in the white borders and an edge-to-edge design in the main body of the quilt. Some quilters refer to this kind of quilting as border-to-border quilting.

We decided to use a wiggly line serpentine stitching for a faux "stitch-in-the-ditch" to help define the red frames. I also used the same stitch to define the piano keys.

I used a swirling pattern for the body of the quilt and I digitized a new point-to-point feather pattern to use in the white borders. I love how easily this feather pattern sets up in the borders. I designed it to work as a dead-end border layout so I don't have to struggle with working my way around the corner.

The results is a frame of a beautiful feather design that surrounds the quilt in graceful undulating lines.

REMODELING

2008-09-23T02:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a very full week!

REMODELING the soon-to-be new guest room on the main floor.
REMODELING my website with a whole new look.
... and ... Lots and lots of quilting.

Things I've learned about myself:
I have no desire to ever have a job that consists of day-in and day-out time at the computer entering data. Redoing a website can be fun ... the decorating part ... but the organizing, sorting, and putting things where they belong in a pleasing display can get to be a little tedious. But, the store is filled; old designs displayed nicely and there are about 30 new designs!

The web master promises me I should be live by Tuesday! Can't wait after all the hard work. Be sure to come in soon and check out the new look and take advantage of the Grand Opening Sale going on until the end of September.

I have no desire to ever have a job in construction (ie: tearing up the room, insulating it, hanging drywall, texturizing, preping for painting or paint.) All I want to do is the decorating part ... you know, hanging the quilts on the walls and displaying them on the bed.

We're supposed to be able to begin painting on Tuesday and hopefully have everything put back together for guests this weekend when I'm hosting a Creative Studio Class taught by Al Hutchins.

I know I have way too many shoes. I think it's time to pare them down and maybe I can have the remaining favorites all sorted in a 25 cube shoe storage unit. It's a thought.

I know I have way too much fabric. What a chore taking it all down into the basement so the remodeling could begin. But, I'm doing my best to use it up in class samples, pattern design, and projects here and there.

But let talk about all the fun stuff ... those quilts I finished up for customer this week. I tell you about the first two quilts tonight and then I'll add more tomorrow.

These quilts are for my friend Juanita. She made the brown and pink nine-patch for her grand daughter Melissa. It is a king size quilt and I think that might be the last time Juanita makes one that big. She always makes big bed size quilts for everybody in her family, but this one was the biggest of all!

The flowers in the fabric were my inspiration for a pattern I called 1003 A NEW DAY DAISY. I love how it goes with the quilt so well. I used it on another quilt again tonight - a puzzle quilt with all batik fabrics. There is a similar flower in the border fabric; these flowers are just light and cherry.

The second quilt was pieced by Juanita's daughter who will be giving the quilt to her daughter Laura. All flannel and a stack and slash which is a great quilt pattern. Everyone needs to make at least one stack and slash in their lifetime! They are so fun and easy to do. I call them instant sucess quilts.

I used a pattern I call 1232 RIPPLES & HEARTS which worked up great with all that soft flannel and a puffy batt. I know Laura is going to love snuggling in her quilt this winter when the temperatures get chilly!

KALEIDOSCOPE QUILTING

2008-09-14T22:29:00.000-04:00

Recently I taught a class at Pioneer Quilts based on my kaleidoscope quilt that is published as a pattern in Marti Michell's book Kaleidoscope ABC's. We had such a good time learning how to use Marti's Kaleido-Ruler making it much easier to complete the blocks.

Last week Darlene brought her quilt top in for me to finish for her. I thought you might enjoy seeing the "after class" tutorial I put together for the girls and how great Darlene's quilt looks. The "after class" tutorial is to serve as a reminder filled with those little class details, tips, and tricks we tend to forget the day after class ... but we still have more blocks to piece.

When I made my quilt, I used strips and scraps from a country red and blue exchange from a couple of summers ago. As you can see, this quilt works great as a scrappy stash buster and I love the circular motion created by the block units as your eye travels across the top of the quilt.

ON THE ROAD-LAST LEGS

2008-09-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

To finish up the last legs of our wonderful adventure driving across country ...

a brief overnight stay in Pittsburg and drive up 28 on some beautiful country roads on our way into Boston. As you can see, the CRV was packed from front to back with all of Toby's horns, mutes, and a couple of tubs of music - scores, experpts, and arrangements for his brass groups, lessons, and master classes.

I had fun trying nightime pictures while driving in the car. I think this one would look kind of cool done up in fabric!

Boston on a good day is such a great place to visit. I had been there once before briefly just for a day, but now it gets even better because grandbabies are there to play with as well as visiting with our son and his wife.

We did the usual touristy things ... walked almost all of the freedom trail and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Toby during his regular night time practice session in the hall. What a wonderful inspirational place whether you're making music with your horn or with your needle. I want to have some fun developing a digitized quilting collection from the elements of ornamentation in this historic much-loved symphony performance hall.

ON THE ROAD-THE GATEWAY ARCH

2008-09-07T03:01:00.000-04:00

At the last second we decided since we were driving through St Louis we might as well stop and check out the Gateway Arch. I wonder how many of you have driven through St Louis as tourists. It seems like the freeways catch us up every time we've driven through the fair city.

It only took us three times around ... across the river and back before we finally caught the right exit the get to the Arch. Mike is stubborn and perservers and we eventually made it to the landmark!

I love the color and changes in the sky in these pictures to say nothing of the form and shape of the Arch from the different perspectives.

After enjoying the view from the top of the Arch we visitied and had dinner with a family friend who works at an up and coming restaraunt that must be on your "have to go to" list when in St Louis. Justin works at Niche located about 3 miles from the Gateway Arch. We were treated royally with absolutely the best food of the whole trip and the chef came out to speak directly to Mike about his gluten-free dietary needs. Chef Craft (recognized in April by Food & Wine Magazine as one of 2008's Best New Chefs in America) then commenced to serve Mike with a gourmet gluten-free meal including homemade ice cream for dessert - a favorite Mike doesn't get to enjoy much any more.

AUGUST DRAWING WINNER

2008-09-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

Wow, lots and lots of names to draw from for our August Freebies! This month's winner will be choosing from two options for prizes: a copy of one of my books (Curves That Connect or Blocks that Connect - your choice) ... or 3 Statler block designs of your choice.

Carol, Chris, Lisa, Frances, Andrea, Tonya, Sandra, Jackie, Debbie, Julie, Donna, Karen, Nancy, Callie, Kristin, Sally, Erica, Becky, and Jan are all hoping to see their name in lights on this post. In fact, because I'm a week late in posting the name of the winner, I'm going to choose two lucky people. So let's get to the drawing - the lucky winners are ...

BECKY EVERETT and CALLIE HERNANDEZ

Becky and Callie, drop me an email or post a comment to let me know what prize you would like.

The September drawing will be for 3 fat quarters or an E2E design for your quilting machine. Just post a comment to any post during the month of September or make a purchase from the web store to "get your name into the hat!" Drawing will be held on or near October 1st.

Keep those machines purring and humming and enjoy the Fall crispness that is in the air.

ON THE ROAD-A QUILT SHOP STOP

2008-09-06T09:39:00.000-04:00

It's not often a quilt designer from Oregon will make a personal delivery on an order from a quilt shop in Amarillo Texas ... but ... since it was on our route east we made it a scheduled stop for a break and for dinner.

Sisters' Scraps Quilt Shop was easy to find right off the interstate and what a cute shop. As you can see from the picture the walls are covered with lots of beautiful samples and there are rooms and rooms filled with bolts and bolts of fabric. Their classroom is spacious and well lit with room for everyone to spread out with all of their sewing gear and have a fun time creating with friends. Thanks Nicole, Kim and Peggy for a great shop tour and good suggestions for dinner spots in the area.

What pattern of mine will you find at their shop? They ordered one of my top sellers Sweet Nothings which you can find listed in the pattern section of their website, or you can order directly from me. As shown here, Sweet Nothings is sewn up using 30's Reproduction fabrics, but it looks just as stunning done up with batiks on a black background. The quilt as designed finishes at 51" x 67", a perfect lap size quilt for napping, but could be easily enlarged by just making more blocks.

The pattern also includes the templates for the optional applique border. Another border option: a dear friend of mine Irene made lots of half square triangles from her scraps and then created a sawtooth border for the outside edge of her quilt.

If you're ever in the area you'll want to be sure and visit this shop. You won't be disappointed. Not traveling on the road? Be sure to visit them on the web at http://www.sistersscraps.com/ .

ON THE ROAD-A COLOR PALETTE

2008-09-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Miles and miles across the great Southwest with gorgeous color palette inspiration.

ON THE ROAD - TREE TEXTURE

2008-09-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

I love looking for color and texture inspiration outdoors in nature. Enjoy the look of color, value, and texture in this tree study from the Grand Canyon.

ON THE ROAD-GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

2008-09-01T22:23:00.000-04:00

It lives up to all of the press hype and advertising. I do believe this is the most amazing natural landmark I have ever seen. We visited Yellowstone National Park just a couple of years ago. We saw lots of different bubbling mud pots, spectacular canyon views, geysers and animals ... but ... I have to say, the Grand Canyon views top them all.

At the first view point we were treated to not only amazing views but a thunderstorm off in the distance with lightning and booming thunder claps rolling and echoing through the canyons.

I love finding little "window views" with my camera viewfinder.

The awesome power of wind, water and weather.

A flat faced cliff and a steep wall of rock in every direction you could look.

Isolated tableland jutting out from the edge of the canyon ... or ...

... standing as a lone tower up from the canyon floor.

You'll definitely want to include Grand Canyon National Park on your adventure list.

ON THE ROAD-PART TWO

2008-08-31T15:26:00.000-04:00

Much excitement driving across the Mojave Desert into Needles, CA! A lightning thunderstorm that was as beautiful as only the great Southwest can offer. And then it began to rain. The first squall was heavy but do-able ... most likely because we were able to follow a truck.

However, during the second squall we were on our own. The rain came down so hard and fast the little center stripe markers that stick up above the surface of the road were underwater and it was most difficult to see exactly where the road was.

As we came up to the crest of a hill just before descending into Needles the shoulder of the road was lined with trucks. I said to Mike, "I wonder what they know that we don't." but we kept going and found a room in Needles for the night.

When Mike checked in he found that they had been without power most of the day - during a high temperature of 115; 27 power poles had been knocked down due to wind and flash flooding; and the road was closed just beyond the town of Needles. Now we know what those truckers knew that we didn't!

The next morning the freeway was truck central as the road east opened up to traffic ... we shared the road with all the trucks that had been stopped for the night plus all the new ones that joined us on their trek headed east.

Next destination: Grand Canyon National Park.

ON THE ROAD-PART ONE

2008-08-28T00:10:00.000-04:00

A little background: Our son Toby and his family are moving from San Diego to Boston where he won the Principal Trombone Chair with the Boston Symphony. We are driving their car across the country for them safely transporting Toby’s many horns and several boxes or irreplaceable arrangements of excepts … his music stash.

And so our adventure begins.
DAY 1: Flew to San Diego; met up with Mike’s brother and his wife; had a picnic lunch on the campus of San Diego State University while Toby teaches the last lessons for his trombone students before he leaves the west coast.

Spent the afternoon and evening walking through Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. Got to see all the animals who were more active in the evening when the temperatures began to cool down. Highlights for all of us were being able to see the koala bears and the pandas.

DAY 2: Mike and his brother worked during the summers of their high school years as counselors at Camp Pacific in Carlsbad and wanted to drive up and revisit past memories. We had a great time chatting while wiggling our toes in the sand and waves of the surf.

In the afternoon we drove to El Cajon so I could visit with Darlene at The Quilters’ Connection to deliver patterns and to pick up a quilt sample I had loaned her. What a great shop with lots happening. Be sure to drop in and see her great collection of batiks and brights if you are in the area.

The evening was spent attending a gala affair under the stars with the San Diego Symphony and the Salk Institute. The black tie affair began with champagne and hoers devours, followed by a delicious gourmet dinner, a concert line-up of light classical favorites mixed with special guest artist John Pizarelli and his trio. How fun that their encore presentation was "Get your Kicks on Route 66" the very route we have planned for our trip to the east coast.

Oh my … what a heavenly evening!

Day 3: Sailing on the beautiful San Diego Bay with Captain Mike on the Kiwi! Thank you Garret and Toby for making this a most wonderful afternoon.

The rest of the day and part of Day 4 was spend helping Toby finish up with packing, getting the house ready for the final walk-through with his landlord, and getting Toby to the airport.

And then we were off ... on our way following Route 66 as far as we can to get to Boston. More stories and pictures to come at the next stop where there is Internet access in our room.

ON VACATION

2008-08-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness! Being on the road more weeks than being home makes being home like being on vacation! I loved everywhere I went but it sure is good to be home even it is for only a couple more days before I have to leave again. So, where have I been?

July:
Our second annual Statler retreat in Sisters. We started with a day touring the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show for inspiration checking out the quilting on lots and lots of quilts. We had some great sessions working with the Creative Studio software, fun with our clam digger challenge to practice our Auto Sketch skills, and some fast and furious badminton games in the evenings.

Then I was home for just a short week repacking for a quick weekend trip to San Diego to see the grand babies and hear Toby in a summer concert with the San Diego Symphony.

Back home ... just enough time to do a quick load of wash, repack, and then it was off to Long Beach for the first West Coast International Quilt Festival. As with any project, getting started with the "first" is always a little rough. There are some bugs to be worked out but I'm sure the festival will be even bigger and better next year with even more vendors, another awesome quilt show, great classes to be taken by super teachers, and lots and lots of eager and happy shoppers.
August: Back home ... do another quick load of wash ... and then off to Alabama to help my daughter learn how to can and have a little bit of vacation. We did go to one quilt store while I was there. I got to meet Becky of Sew What! in Oxford. Becky was so nice to invite us to visit her guild meeting the next day. Eryn and I thought we might make it but the call of vacationing activities was just too strong. Thanks for thinking of us, Becky.

Eryn and I did have a good time canning beans and tomatoes. I'd never heard of Rattlesnake Beans before but they canned up just like regular beans and the stripes disappeared when the beans were cooked just like the man said. We ended up with 35 quarts of tomatoes and 14 quarts of beans. Eryn makes a mean pot of bean soup to get her through the week once the school year starts up for her at JSU again. All of that canning helped me remember some of the more simple things I enjoyed before quilting took over my life!

Eryn and Frankie: "Oh Dear! What are we going to do with all of these tomatoes?"

After getting home from Alabama, we had our annual Scrappy Sister Retreat here at my house. We've been retreating every summer now since 2000. We have an organized strip exchange and then work on the challenge project ... piecing a quilt top using the 2 1/2" and 4 1/2" strips we've exchanged. We've had some pretty amazing quilts come from our exchanges over the years.

We had the additional challenge this year of working all weekend in a record setting heat wave for our usually mild Pacific Northwest. But not to worry, on Monday we were back to our usual rain and mid-60's weather. Sometimes, I think we're going to go crazy with this wild 40 degree swings on the thermometer!

I do need some help from all of you deciding just what to do for borders on my Retreat Challenge quilt. Post your vote in the poll at the top of the page as to your preference for Design 1 with the square in a square border or Design 2 with the half crystal block border. This is a new pattern I'm developing for release at Fall Market in Houston this year. It also needs a name - any and all suggestions are welcomed!

And, now where am I off to next? In just a couple of days we leave for San Diego ... another concert, and then we're driving our son's/daughter-in-law's car to Boston for them. They're flying and getting settled with babies, meeting movers, and getting set for rehearsals and various recording sessions to start with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Toby.

It's been a busy busy summer ... and I've loved every minute of it! Good times with family and friends are just the best and never to be taken for granted.

JULY DRAWING WINNER

2008-08-05T01:45:00.001-04:00

Sorry for being a little bit late ... you didn't miss the announcement, I missed posting it.

The winner for our July drawing for a free medallion of your choice (or a piecing pattern) is ... (drrrrrrrum rollllllllllllll!)

CLAUDIA WHITLOCK

Claudia, I'll be posting this announcement in my yahoo newsletter also, so hopefully you catch up with your winnings one place or another. Send me an email as to which medallion or piecing pattern you would like to add to your library and I'll get the file off into cyberspace for you ASAP! You can find all of the designs to choose from in the catalog.

Claudia won with a lucky number 9 drawn from THE HAT. And now we'd best begin our list for the August drawing.

How to get your name into THE HAT? It's simple ...easy peasy ... just post a comment on my blog or make a purchase during this month and your name is added to the list.

What are we hoping for this month? On (or near VBG) August 31st I will be drawing some lucky winner's name for your choice of ...
... a copy of one of my books (Curves That Connect or Blocks that Connect - your choice)
... or 3 Statler block designs of your choice

Keep those machines purring and humming and stay cool in these hot August days!

WHOLECLOTH FUN

2008-07-09T02:32:00.000-04:00

What a fun day playing with one of my new wholecloth designs. I love this shiny red fabric. I've got to go back to the store and read where it comes from and more detail about what the fiber content is. I know it is mostly cotton with some shiny threads woven in for the glitz.

I first heard about this fabric from my friend Dani. She quilted a Sun Compass quilt using a creamy yellow metalic color of the same fabric. I had to beat feet down to Fabric Depot to find some for me. I found both the creamy yellow and this yummy red that is perfect for a holiday wholecloth. I even found the perfect backing fabric on the 50% off rack.

Now, that was fun ... trying to get good pictures of shiny fabric! Enjoy!

Quilting detail at the bottom of the wallhanging.

Closeup of 1237 Ornamental Feather

Closeup of 1236 Circle of Angels

Closeup of 1229 WB Medallion

1075 Bead Strings was used in the border and 1077 Touching Beads was used for the sashing. I couldn't get a good picture of the 4th block used ... 1233 Pine Cones & Berries. Sorry. This sample is just a 4 block sampler with the blocks being set in at about 17" and the wallhanging finishing about 38" square. It could easily be enlarged to bed size. Wouldn't this be yummy on the bed during the holiday season after Thanksgiving all the way through New Years!

A GOOD BOOK, A GOOD SONG, AND EYE CANDY

2008-07-07T17:04:00.000-04:00

A GOOD BOOK: I just finished two good books, one mentioned in an earlier post The Last Wife of Henry VIII. Insterestingly enough, Katherine Parr was a part of court life throughout all of Henry's wives so this book provides a different perspective as an overall view of his reign and desparation to sire an heir to the throne. The chronology of his life and keeping track of his many wives has been difficult for me to follow and this book helped to get "things" in order in my brain.

Another book I would recommend written by Elizabeth Chadwick is the tale of John Marshal father of one of the greatest knights of all time Sir William Marshal A Place Beyond Courage. It took a little bit to get into the story in the beginning, but once it started rolling it is a good read. I think the slow start may have been my trouble in transitioning from the 1500 and all of the Henry VIII drama going back in time to the mid 12th century.

What sparked all this interest in English historical fiction? From way back I've always loved any good book or movie about King Arthur, Robin Hood, King Henry VII, and even Princess Diana and that has continued to the present with a renewal of that interest being sparked by the TV series on showtime The Tudors and the reading of two best sellers by Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. I like the comparitive views presented by reading books from the perspective of the Church and the Kings and their lords.

A simple re source to help me keep track of where I am "in time" as I read has been a chronologial listing of English Monarchs. I appreciate a good story that is historically sound and well-researched.

A GOOD SONG: Being fairly new to the blog scene I find myself spending way too much time exploring different blogs and adding them to my favorites to come back and check out. As time goes on I find myself editing my bookmarks deleting some and adding new ones. And, a few are becoming regular favorites ... enough to maybe even think about starting a blog roll. One of those sites came to light this morning.

Part of our regular morning ritual is reading the paper over breakfast. Mike reads word for word the items of interest to him while I quickly scan the headlines over his shoulder asking an occassional question about an ariticle here and there. I'm interested in only one part of the paper and must anxiously wait until he finishes reading the comics before I can delve into the daily crossword puzzle. Oh how I love the days when I'm incredibally inteligent and rue the days I don't know nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin'.

So, to tie all this together ... crossword puzzles, a good song, and blog rolls? I found a blog that posts all the answers to the Star Tribune crossword each day with comments, links, and general repsonses to the clues, the words, the themes ... you name it. Good quick reading and much easier than hunting up a word in my crossword dictionary.

But what about the good song? Today there was a link posted with 65D: Give it a go: TRY. "TRY me, TRY me..." What a great start to my morning!

THE EYE CANDY: we had some special visitors come walking down the driveway just proud as ... well, you can see ... there were five of them in all ... not a bit afraid of me ... and very intent on eating seeds that had fallen naturally along the fenceline of the pasture.

I love the color of their feathers and the fanned topnot on each of their heads.

I love the way the line of flowers leads your eye across the picture. This is a concept I try to teach in my quilting classes when dealing with the layout of scrappy quilts making them works of art rather than jumbles of color and fabric.

Isn't this little garden of purple flowers just the greatest study on value? Texture and scale differences are minimal, but the change in value holds your interest and makes you come back for a second look.

And, finally, a photo entitled A Mother-Daughter Portrait.

I love you Eryn.

POSTAGE STAMP HEXAGON QUILT

2008-07-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is the story of the Hexagon quilt. I started the hexagon quilt in the early 90's as a take-along project while waiting for our kids during music lessons, contest performances, cross country races, and track meets. It was small and easily fit into my purse in a plastic birthday card sized envelope. I had everything I needed ...

pre-cut fabric hexagons
card stock foundation papers
basted hexagons
scissors, needle, and thread
the project (at that time it was small enough to fit very nicely into my bag without being wadded into a ball like a rag

But after this kids graduated and went away to college part of my "empty nest" was no more waiting time to be filled and the hexagon quilt was put away for another day, to work on sometime, and soon a forgotten UFO. Until, last summer.

One of the things Eryn asked for last summer was the hexagon quilt. Did I still have it? Could she have it? Could it be her quilt to finish? Absolutely! And, even better, Eryn would be visiting during her in-between homes moving time which happened to coincide with our Scrappy Sister annual quilting retreat.I had been using 30's reproduction prints for the hexagon quilt, and, at the retreat, we just happened to be trading strips of 30's reproduction fabrics. Eryn got to take my place in the strip exchange so she would have a stash for cutting new hexagons. She circulated through the tables during the retreat driving hard bargins with the ladies as she traded strips for different strips she liked better. We got her set up with a rotary cutter, a stacked template like I describe in yesterday's post, and the UFO quilt kit.

I would hear off and on about surprise "squishies" arriving in the mail as different Scrappy Sisters mailed 30's scraps to Eryn to help her along the way to finishing her quilt. And what progress she has made!. When I gave the UFO to her it measure about 18" in length and about 12" in width. Check out the length now! I think it must be nearly 4'x6'. It covers the top of her dining room table. The desired finished length is still up in the air. She has decided it will be a large wall hanging rather than a bed quilt. And from the looks of things, I think it might be time to think about ordering the half hexagon card stock from Paper Pieces.

While I was visiting Eryn earlier in June we found some great looking organizing containers for her hexagons. She used the antique sherbet glasses for sorting the unbasted hexagons by color. By the way, if anyone knows the name of the crystal pattern for these glasses, let us know. I know it is hard to see that pattern on them from this picture. I'll ask her to send me a picture of just one so you can get a good look at it and help us identify the pattern. She is looking for more. She has eight right now but would like more since she has more that eight colors. I think she needs about 4 more.

After she bastes the hexagons she sorts them into her Fiestaware tea cups. Her new search now is to find brown Fiestaware. Do they even make it in brown? I think the cinnabar might be her closest bet. She's done a great job working the reds into the quilt. I tended to avoid the reds when I started because they seemed to jump right off the quilt at me. She has also added some of the more bold colors that have joined the palette of 30's prints ... the darker blues, the brighter oranges, browns (which are very hard to find) and, for today's project she has been working in the black prints with grace and style so they look like the belong in the quilt. Not an easy task.

During our antique outings we also found this primitive tool boxs. I thought it would be a good storage piece for my studio or to use for display in the different shows I go to. Wrong! It is perfect for storing the 6" squares of fabric before they are cut into hexagons. Another bin is used for her cutter, scissors, needle case, and template, and she uses an antique aluminum measuring cup for corralling her pre-cut card stock shapes.

How big are the hexagons? Eryn is working with hexagons that measure 3/4" on the side. Just the right size to not make the quilt seam "klunky" and yet big enough to allow centering of fussy cut prints from the conversational prints of the 30's.

STAR BOUQUET

2008-07-04T21:31:00.001-04:00

One of the things I did while I was in Alabama visiting my daughter was to help her with her first real quilt. You'll remember me posting about the sock monkey quilt she wanted to make for her friend who is expecting her baby in October.

While Eryn worked on piecing blocks, I basted fabric hexagons to card stock forms which she will add using the hand-piecing English Paper Piecing technique to her hexagon quilt. She has been working on her hexagon quilt for about a year now but that story is for another post. Stay tuned!
Bottom line ... when I got home I realized how much I like revisiting this hand piecing technique. It's a nice change from sewing like a mad-woman at the longarm or piecing samples for classes and patterns as fast as I can make them on my home machine. So off I went to Paper Pieces to see what kinds of projects they had that might interest me.

To begin with, anything on sale will always catch my eye and they are currently running a special on all star patterns. Two patterns and four charm pack pre-cut shapes later I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the mail. Tuesday was a happy day at our house.

But as I opened the package and looked inside my pattern I groaned. What on earth was I thinking! Yes, read the fine print on the pattern. I think ... no, I know ... when I was ordering I had a hard time visualizing just how small the pieces must be to make a quilt that finishes at ... look again, you read it right the first time ... 14" x 16". Those little pieces are smaller the my thumbnail!

The sides of the hexagons (that's how you measure hexagons) is 1/2" and the little six-pointed star finishes from point to point a total of 3 1/2". The good news is I now have a use for those tiny scraps in baggies at the back of the drawer.

I gathered up my red, white, and blue scraps and decided today was the day to tackle this project. After all, I only need to make 23 stars. I haven't even thought about the diamond shapes yet that are used to connect the stars. We'll just take this one tiny baby step at a time.

First step was to create a cutting template. I found with the hexagon quilt using a template with the 1/4" seam allowance added on makes a big difference when pre-cutting the shapes. I like to use the extra-thick template plastic from EZ Quilting. I trace the small finished-size card stock on the template plastic and then use a ruler to add the quarter inch. After I have one shape cut out from the template plastic, I put a piece of double stick tape on the back, stick it to the template plastic and cut out another layer. I usually end up with about 4 layers stuck together. Then I don't have to worry about trimming away the edges of my template as I cut my fabric shapes with the rotary cutter.

Then next step was to gather my fabrics. I don't need big yardage for this project - I just need a strip about 2" x 10" for the jewel shapes ... 11 different blues and 12 different reds. I can also cut the hexagon star centers from this yardage. Not making much of a dent in the stash but every LITTLE bit helps. I have plenty of patriotic fabrics in my stash. I absolutely love red, white, and blue, and, two years ago our small quilting bee traded fabric strips in country reds and blues at our annual retreat.

After the fabric shapes are cut I'm finally to the basting step and it was just as I remembered. Relaxing! Put in a movie to listen to and look up occasionally in the really good parts, sit back in the rocking recliner, snacks and beverages close at hand and enjoy the afternoon. (Opps, I think I forgot to tell you, I dropped my DH Mike at the airport early this morning to fly to San Diego. He is playing in a three day trombone fest with our son ... 76+ trombones in concert with the San Diego Symphony and Marvin Hamlisch in a big star spangled Fourth of July celebration firewroks and all. What a great sound! If you live in the San Diego area you'll not want to miss this concert. So, it's just me and the dogs for this Fourth of July holiday.)

Of course, after all those little pieces were floating around on the cutting table I had to think of some way to keep things organized. Hooray for me! So far I have two stars completely sewn together and all the pieced basted for two more stars. What better way to celebrate the Fourth!

Have a happy and safe holiday celebration.

A NEW DRAWING ...

2008-07-04T01:01:00.000-04:00

Elaine made her choice ... here's what she had to say:

OH MY GOSH!!! I never win anything. Thank you, Thank you!!! I’m just so excited, I can hardly sit still!!!!

I have just been drooling over your patterns! I would just love your “1190 Leafy E2E” I can just see it on a quilt. I even think it would look wonderful on a whole cloth quilt.

I’m just having a hard time believing I won!!!
Again,
Thank you, and have a GREAT 4th!!!

Elaine Reed
Glad to be a SS..

And this is what her pattern 1190 Leafy E2 looks like:
She's right about using this pattern to create a wholecloth quilt. Isn't that a wonderful secondary trellised design that is created when rows are simple repeated across the quilt fabric. Again, CONGRATULATIONS to Elaine. Looking forward to seeing pictures when you use the pattern on a quilt.

And now it's time to empty the hat filled with names for the June drawing and start a new drawing for the month of July. All you have to do to get your name in the hat is to post a comment to one of my postings on the blog or make a purchase from Mountaintop Quilting. Easy as pie! For the July drawing I'll be offering a free medallion quilting pattern of your choice OR a free piecing pattern. (That way, everyone who reads gets to participate ... Statler quilters and piecers alike.)

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July if you are celebrating the holiday here in the USA!

AND THE WINNER IS ...

2008-07-02T16:59:00.001-04:00

The winner for the drawing for the free edge-to-edge design for her Statler computerized quilting machine goes to ...

ELAINE REED!!!!!

Hooray for Elaine and thanks to all 20 of you who got your name in the hat! Elaine you will need to send me an email privately at mntopquilting@comcast.net letting me know which design you would like and I will get your new design winging it's way to you through cyberspace immediately. You can see all of your choices at the on-line store in the edge-to-edge category.

ALMOST THERE

2008-06-11T02:19:00.000-04:00

The weather is a mystery to me. I posted another rose picture to remind me that we had sunshine and warmer temperatures (still way below normal) but warmer than today and certainly dryer. We got all the way up to 47 today plus rain - the Oregon drizzly kind. Our snow levels are so low the state road department got the snow plows out again. 14" of new snow in the mountains this time of year surely must be some kind of record. But, it was nice on Sunday. Should have planted my geraniums and tomatoes then instead of quilting! But, onto other more pleasant things.

ALMOST THERE #1 ... I can't believe it isn't midnight yet and I'm all packed and ready to head for the airport. Usually when I have an early morning flight across country I will just stay up all night. Helps me throw my body clock off and I don't suffer from from jet lag. I'm usually asleep before we even lift off the runway! Crossword puzzles saved up from the last few days are packed; ipod is loaded with books, grandbaby photos, and a tune or two; got my Starbucks card loaded and ready to be whipped out on my stop in Phoenix; got everything we need to make the baby quilt for Eryn's friend; what am I forgetting? Hmmmm, scary thought when I think everything of any real importance is all ready to go in the bags.

ALMOST THERE #2 ... what's been on the machine? I've been working on Ruth's Double Wedding Ring quilt. First, I must say, Ruth, you did a great job with the piecing. Your quilt top just rested on the batting so nice and flat and square. Not easy to do with all those bias and curved edges. I worked out some great tips to streamline the quilting process with a Double Wedding Ring. I'll be doing a short workshop with the gals in Sisters, Oregon during our retreat this summer in July. Creative Studio, our new software update for our Statlers, makes the project much easier and much more accurate that it has been in the past.

Here's a tip for "toppers/piecers" and longarmers when you have a Double Wedding Ring quilt project:

Have the quilter baste down the edges of the outside bands and drop the quilting motifs in the melons and center areas. This should keep the costs for the quilting at a reasonable rate because no quilting has been added to the bands. I charge at a medium custom rate for this service. If I had added the ditch quilting to the bill, the pricing would have gone to the high end or heirloom quilting rates.

The piecer can then do the quilting in the ring areas. Many times they are quilted with stitch in the ditch to define those boundaries. Whether quilting is added in each of the little ring patches is up to the piecer. This kind of ditch quilting is done much more easily on the domestic sewing machine than on the longarm and can easily save the piecer quite a bit of money on the quilting bill.

ALMOST THERE #3 ... my list of "chores" to finish up before I leave are almost finished. Just a few things to finish cleaning up in the kitchen. Let the dogs out one last time for the night. Last thing to take care of ... a couple of reminders for you readers.

If you're a Statler quilter you'll want to be sure and "get your name in the hat" the the drawing for a free edge-to-edge design at the end of this month. It's easy - click on "post a comment" at the end of any post to enter the drawing. You don't even have to comment on the post - you can just say, "Put my name in the hat!" Right now, if no one else posts a comment you have a 50/50 chance of winning. Pretty good odds.

Also, remember to post your vote regarding the poll for this month regarding music playlist widgets on blogs. You'll find the poll at the top of the sidebar.

Have a great week from now until next Wednesday. I have no idea how my posting time will be. I will have my laptop with me and I usually work and keep up with my emails during Eryn's practice time. She as to keep her lip up and her fingers agile for her bassoon performances. I do remember her making reference to some trim in the guest room that needed finishing. Oh dear, sounds like another ALMOST THERE.

STITCH OUT SAMPLER

2008-06-09T01:43:00.000-04:00

Hooray for a day of sunshine! Even for an Oregonian, the rain is getting to be a bit much for this time of year. It's time for sandals, short pants and sweaters to be packed away. Let's see if I'm as ready for summer after next week when I visit my daughter in the Alabama heat and humidity. Then I'll be glad to be back in the cloudy cool Pacific Northwest - where we do love our roses!

My Joseph's coat has been a real distraction as he shines in all his glory outside the window at my desk. The color variegation and the multiple blossoms on one stem - I know they have a name for that type of rose, just can't remember right now - is truly a wonder to behold.

Just a note: click on any picture to enlarge and see the quilting up close and personal.

I took today to play with my longarm machine. I wanted to get a stitch out sampler of some of the new patterns and to review some of the functions and procedures with Creative Studio, our new software for our Statler Machines. You never know how much you've internalized the processes until you step outside of the box and begin actually applying them in new and different ways. Some of the things I tried today were as easy as pie. I found others that made me think a little bit to work it out, and then I found those processes that need a little more time with the manual.

When I looked at the designs for this latest release I found a common thread running throughout. Most of these new designs are all about TEXTURE.

I played with the traditional clamshell pattern taking it a step further by adding echoes to the shape to help make it an easy edge-to-edge design, and then adding additional textural patterns inside of the clam shapes. The possibilities are endless.

The clamshell is a design that appears to be easily executed but has in the past been one that put me a little on edge. Keeping the curves nice and rounded; keeping the spacing accurate; managing to keep the points out of the curved line above and below - these are some of the challenges when executing this design. The computer driven machines help with the accuracy but there are set-up issues with the alternating trim design. I'm not a big fan of multiple tie-off points which is a part of alternating patterns. And, through all of this technical jargon, much thought, and many hours at the computer mouse in hand, I finally came up with some designs that are easily executed, accurate, and give a fresh new look to an old favorite.

There are 14 designs in the collection ... 6 single blocks, 6 edge-to-edge designs, and two bonus edge-to-edge designs added in to increase the flexibility when working with a Classic rather than an Optimum. The bonus single rows will also allow other options with an odd sized quilt when the rows just won't divide up right and the pattern becomes too distorted. This collection (1207) is on sale this month for almost half off the total value is purchased individually ... and ... if you drop a comment (say, "Put my name in the hat!") in the box at the end of this post you'll be entered into a drawing to get a free edge-to-edge pattern! This picture shows a row of 1217 Clam Bubbles E2E and a row of 1208 Clam Double E2E. I had no idea the two different patterns would fit together so easily like that!. Fun surprises all around.

Two fun edge-to-edge designs I've shown you before as line drawings are just as cute stitched out. 1218 Sock Monkey and 1220 Cloudy Cascades sitiched out like a dream today. I had run a single pattern of them before as a test. Today I wanted to include them in actual stitch out for my customers to review. Sometimes it's hard to translate what you see on the screen to how it might look on a quilt top. Much easier when you're looking at an actual stitch out.

Cloudy Cascades gives you a chance to practice with Alternating function in the Creative Studio program so the mountains don't march down the quilt top in rows.

The tiger stripe blocks and triangle are really all about texture. These designs would look so good on an lodge type quilt, a guy quilt ... think about the texture that is created with a baptist fan but now make it into wavy lines following a diamond shaped pattern. 1210 Tiger Stripe 1, 1211 Tiger Stripe Tri angle, and 1212 Tiger Stripe 2 look good stitched out to the desired size be it large or small so density of quilting is easily controlled and balanced.

And, last of all, I do several "soldier" quilts throughout the year and I'm always looking for ways to create designs that work for both men and women, are utilitarian in nature as these quilts will be well-used and well-loved, and the designs must set-up and stitch out easily. 1197 Ripples & Stars and 1216 Clam Star E2E are two new designs that will meet those needs. Both patterns are offered at half price during this next week. Be sure to visit the Mountaintop webstore to take advantage of the sales.

Remember to participate in the poll at the top of the side bar, and get your name in the hat for a free pattern to add to your Statler Library. The drawing will be held first thing in the morning July 1st!

THIS AND THAT

2008-06-08T03:27:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh, sight of relief. I've finished uploading all the new patterns into the catalog! Time for a break and fun stuff.

Just Playing: I visited a blog Spoolsewing last night and saw the cutest stuffed bird mobile. Look for Laura's post on May 24th. I stitched my practice bird out tonight but couldn't find any stuffing to finish him. So tomorrow it's off to the store to buy a bag of stuffing. Pictures to follow later, He's a pretty sorry looking little flat birdie right now.

We celebrated the weekend with dinner in tonight and a movie. We watched Lions for Lambs. Very thought-provoking ... and I'll leave it at that. I highly recommend the movie because the subject matter is so timely. I don't think the premise is to take sides, but rather to prod and poke us none too gently away from apathy and to make us think about what we believe, to understand why we believe what we do, and to stand up for those beliefs. We can make a difference. We can make the world a better place. The cost may be higher than any of us ever imagined, but to do any less would be shameful. The world deserved only the best from each and everyone of us.

I've been "reading" like crazy (with my Ipod) while I work. (Don't you just love it when you can multi-task to great activities at the same time - quilting and reading!) I've been reading several of Phillipa Gregory's books about the wives of Henry VIII, and of course, I've been watching the Tudor series on Showtime faithfully every Sunday night. But, now everything is finished ... my books are finished; my TV show is over. I'm going through some serious withdrawal. It was time to visit my favorite on-line "bookstore" Audible.com and find some new reading material.

I've finished up some great books lately. I've always wanted to read The Joy Luck Club but could never get going. Everyt ime I tried to read it, it seemed like it had a slow start and I just couldn't ever get going with enough momentum to want to go back and keep reading the next day. However, listening to it got me hooked. Soon I was off and running not able to unplug my earbuds for even a second. After many many years ... when did that book first come out? Sometime in the early 90's? At last, I have finally read it.

I went from there to Peony in Love. What a poignant love story. Celebrating all that women have to offer in their art, their poetry, music and their writing, and yet, how many times the women of Peony's time were dragged down their spirits crushed by their culture and by fear for after all, "I'm just a girl."

I've never really been a big fan of books set in the Orient, but after seeing the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, I left the movie theater and went straight to the bookstore to purchase the book. After that I finished that book I found Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. An unbelievable story of women in Asia - how they struggled and survived amazing obstacles in their lives with honor and grace. I come away from each of these novels with a greater understanding and appreciation of a culture very different from the world we live in today.

What did I find at Audible tonight, you ask. Oohhhh, way too many books added to my wish list. I did find I wasn't quite ready to leave the Tudors yet so I picked up a book called The Last Wife of Henry VIII. I think it will satisfy my hunger to know and understand the life and times of women juggling life at court attending to the King or present Queen while having to leave their children back at the farm to be raised by attendants. I think I never truly had an appreciation of how much the women of the times were just pawns in political games in the struggle between families for power and wealth. After all, Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn, too, said, "I'm just a girl."

Thank goodness, the life and times of women in the world have and are continuing to change and grow. As women become more empowered each day with each step, we no longer have to say those defeating words. We celebrate with our head held high because ... we are girls!

What have you been reading lately ... any good books to recommend? Add your top read to the comments, and don't forget to respond to the poll about music playlists on blog sites. Let your voice be heard.

ROCKY RAILROAD BED

2008-06-05T01:02:00.000-04:00

And, now ... for the rest of the story ... Plots of Rocks.

Walter is a longarm customer of mine and always brings me interesting quilt tops with interesting ideas and suggestions for quilting designs. This last winter he brought me a Railroad quilt. I couldn't believe the care he took in piecing the fussy-cut rails and the actual pattern he picked to go with all of these railroad fabrics was perfect. And, now to the quilting.

We talked about a lot of different possibilities included the use of the traditional railroad crossing signs and signals. But it true what they say about quilts talking to you. As Walter's quilt hung on the design wall waiting patiently for it's turn to loaded onto the machine, it kept saying,

"Keep it simple. Let my fabrics shine through on this one."

"Remember the young man who will be sleeping or napping under me. He doesn't want something all fancied up. He wants a peaceful rest and to stay warm."

"He just wants to appreciate Walter for knowing how much he likes trains."

And, so, after much careful listening to the quilt top, a plot of rocks was born. The collection consists of a Rock Block, a Rock Triangle, and a design called Rocks Fill P2P. I stitched straight lines in following the path of the rails, did a quarter inch echo in the blue triangle blocks, and a simple crosshatch block in the railway company logo blocks. The borders were filled with rocks with the set-up made easy using the point-to-point rock design.

And Walter sent me the nicest note of appreciation for the design choices I worked out for his quilt telling me how much the young man liked his new quilt. Thank you Walter, for sending me the challenges that help me to grow in new directions and to see the design possibilities with new eyes.

PATTERNS & PLOTS OF ROCKS

2008-06-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

Today was a day of cutting, piecing, and computers.

First, the cutting ... my red and white sample of TWISTING RIBBONS is hanging in my trunk show at Fabric Depot and this means I need to have another sample on hand for booth hangings in the area and regional retail shows.

I like the swirling twirly motion in the blue and white mock-up. So, today I started the blue and white sample ... a day of cutting and piecing blocks. I need a total of 48 blocks for a twin size quilt. Sometimes I don't like knowing I need 96 two inch squares with lines drawn on the diagonal ready to complete sew-n-fold corners. I sorted the patches and blocks in sets of twelve blocks so the numbers wouldn't be quite so overwhelming. I have 20 blocks more than half finished so there is hope, but I still have a lot of triangles to prep before I can sew!

The second thing I did to help manage the "numbers I don't want to know, was to break up the cutting/piecing tasks by working on other projects. The other project of the day was to update my online web store with all the new Statler patterns I've been digitizing over the last 2 months.

NOTE TO SELF: Never, ever wait this long to add the new patterns to the catalog! Oh my, I think I would rather be drawing diagonal lines on squares in preparation for piecing face-to-face half square triangles!

But, enough of the whining. Statler users, you'll want to be sure and get yourself over to the Mountaintop "store" and check out the new designs. I have half of them loaded and ready for your shopping. I will be getting the rest of them uploaded tomorrow. Click on the "What's New" bar under each category to see the new patterns. Overall you will find 14 new blocks, 3 new border/sashing patterns (Grab a martini and check out the Olive Eye Sashing!), 8 new edge-to-edge designs including a great Sock Monkey design for Eryn's Monkey Business quilt and all of you Northwest quilters won't want to miss Cloudy Cascades (both to be added tomorrow), and 4 new triangle designs.

The sale for this month features a design called Ripples and Stars. The Ripples edge-to-edge we've all loved to use so far has morphed into a new pattern with the addition of stars scattered randomly through the ripples. The new Ripples and Star pattern is on sale for the next week until June 15th for half price to celebrate Flag Day.

I used this pattern on an American Hero quilt I finished back in March. American Hero quilts are presented to the parents of soldiers who have lost their lives in combat. A very worthy cause to support those who serve and sacrifice with honor and courage.

But, what about the "plots of rocks" you ask? You'll have to come back tomorrow to read about their story.

BABY QUILTS & A FRENCH BRAID

2008-06-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

I am always amazed at what a difference fabric choices make when we piece our quilts. Simple changes in color, value, and scale can make a quilt look completely different. My husband contends we could just make the same pattern over and over with different fabrics ad noone would be the wiser. I don't think I would go quite that far. I can barely stand to make more than two samples of each pattern I design. But I will confess to being pretty tired of a pattern by the time I've gone through all the steps getting it print ready.

Two of my friends used the free baby size Bebe Bears quilt recently for new babies soon to arrive in their family/neighborhood. I wanted to share their pictures with you today so you could see what I talking about.

What a difference the fabric makes! I love the softness of Ann's quilt. And Juanita chose to use just two fabrics and add two columns and two rows to her version because she wanted a larger crawling floor mat size baby quilt for her new great grandson. By the way, adding two rows/columns makes the quilt finish at about 45"x45".

Ann's expectan friends are lovers of horses and are using a "horse theme" in the nursery so I didgitized a rocking horse pattern to go on her quilt. Isn't this simple little rocking horse just the cutest pattern to go on a baby quilt! Rocking Horse is a new edge-to- edge pattern now available at the Mntop webstore.

What else has been on the machine? Sunday was a quilting day. I love it when I have time to devote to the quilting machine with no interuptions and Sunday just happened to be that day this week. Marilyn brought in her newly completed French Braid quilt. I used an elegant falling leaf pattern as an all-over pattern with a mustard colored thread. What a rich combinaton - the combination of the rich colors with this fabric line, her great piecing, and a beautiful quilting pattern in a wonderful thread. GREAT JOB MARILYN!

SPLICING BATTING SCRAPS

2008-06-02T00:32:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in a previous post that it is a rare occasion when I will splice together batting scraps for use in a quilt. However, when I do use batting scraps in a quilt, there is a way to splice them without creating a gap or a ridge where the two pieces are joined. This is how I do a batting splice.

I quilt as much as I can with the first piece of batting working my way down the quilt. I stop quilting about 6" from the edge of the batting. Flip the top up out of your way and lay the second piece of batting on top of the first piece. Cut through the two pieces of batting with a wavy or serpentine line as shown in the picture. Make sure you are going out to the edges (top/bottom) of the two pieces of batting.

When you finish the cutting line remove the small loose scraps and fit the wavy line back together. At this point, you can use spray adhesive to keep the batting pieces in place if you are concerned about them shifting during the quilting process.

I will use the process if the quilting is of medium scale and fairly consistent in density so I won't have to worry about the batting coming loose with repeated washings and daily wear and tear. I will splice batting (only my own and never a customer quilt) on small projects, baby quilts, and even throw size, but I'm reluctant to do a splice on a full bed size quilt. I don't like the idea of a potential weak area going all the way across my favorite king size quilt ... especially when I know how my husband pulls the covers!

TREASURED MEMORIES

2008-05-31T14:26:00.000-04:00

Yes, she's lived in all of these houses. Sue is one of my longarm customers and I can always count on her to give a challenge with every quilt. Sue definitely qualifies for the TIF (Take It Further) challenges I read about in so many other quilting blogs.

(Note: you can click on any image for a larger more detailed view.)

One time she used all of her husband's silk ties to create a quilt/wall hanging that was all circles. I've seen other tie quilts, but Sue took it a step further and used raw silk for the background fabric. Another wall hanging was done using up more of the ties but adding coins from all of the different countries where her husband had worked as an embellishing element.

This time, it is the "HOUSE QUILT." Sue used old photos for creating the houses and then asked her kids about their memories from each house. Sue interpreted those memories with bead, buttons, trim, and embroidery embellishments for each block. She forgot about needing to attach the embellishments after I completed the quilting so the challenge was double as I worked around each button and bead hoping not to hit them with the needle or catch them with the hopping foot.

For me, the quilting challenge became a question of how to enhance the memories of each block. The quilting became a freehand fill sampler using ever fill I ever seen and even dreaming up a couple of new ones.

I started with completing the obvious ... the sky areas and the grass or ground areas. The houses were a little more difficult because of the beading and buttons. But the detailing on the houses was so much more defined when I did stitch in the ditch where ever I could. Sue will have a few areas to complete on her own either by hand or with her domestic machine.

Sometimes the fabric was a good guide in dictating the fill pattern to be used. After I finished all of the sky/ground areas I went back to look at the roof of each house. Sue was very careful to pick fabrics that looked like the actual roofing material of each house. I followed her lead and quilted shakes, shingles, and swirly curvy roofing tiles. It is always difficult to use a two dimensional representation look three dimensional, but Sue did a good job by using proportion and scale, piecing lines, and embroidery stitches, and floss color to help create shadows, forward projecting roof lines, and under eaves areas.

Sometimes sky fill was easy because of the embroidery Sue had done to begin with. The fireworks in the sky gave me a theme to follow continuing with swirls and "shadow" fireworks. I also created a shadow forest behind the tall evergreen tree on the left to help enhance a single lone tree.
This building has a wonderful story. It was the only time Sue had to live in an apartment building. The building is located in Chicago ... hence, Lake Michigan in the foreground. And, of course, you'll notice the absence of any green, landscaping, flowers since Sue was living in the "concrete canyons." For one who loves her yard and gardening, the single lone ornamental tree she could see from her second story window was what helped her to keep her sanity.

The other item of interest with this building is an embroidered motif. This logo wasn't really on the side of the building, but Sue added it to help remember the other building tenants and to explain interesting visitors she may have met coming and going from the building. You may have to look closely at the picture on the left side of the building to see the embroidered Play Bunny logo - their headquarters is located in this building in Chicago.

No, this is not a giant peach or orange tree with only one orange. Sue could see the town water tower from one of her windows which was painted to look like a peach. What Sue remembers most about this water tower was, if one were approaching from just the right direction ... how much the top of the water tower looked like a bare baby's bottom.

Ah, Glasgow Kentucky ... where they actually created a mosaic of the town name and the state embedded right into the street!

Such a family treasure - a unique way to capture the memories and a great conversation starter for family gatherings. Sue, how are you ever going to decide who is the keeper of such a wonderful family heirloom? Is it time to get started making one for each of your children!

MONKEY BUSINESS

2008-05-28T23:59:00.000-04:00

Now is this a fun quilt or what! When I look at my "to-do" list for today I see nothing about making a sock monkey quilt, but I guess this is a clear example of what they call "going with the flow" or "striking when the iron is hot." So, as Paul Harvey would say, "... and now, for the rest of the story ..."

My daughter has a friend who is expecting and due in October. Eryn has been after me to design a quilt for her to make for her friend. First was the picking of the fabric. Sock Monkey fabric was the selection of the day. And now for the pattern.

At first I thought I would use the same pattern as the one (Bebe Bears) I pieced for the twins and released at Spring Market. But, when I got up this morning, something just didn't feel right about that pattern with the monkey fabric.

Back to the drawing board and in just a quick 15 or 20 minutes I had the pattern done! Well, the drawings were finished; the pattern still has to be written. Some quick calculations as to how many strip sets were needed for the sashing blocks and how many squares would be needed for the half square triangles, and I was on my way to the cutting board rotary cutter in hand.

Piecing began at about 11:00 this morning and the borders were on with the top being finished by 6:00 this evening. I think I just set a new PR for the fastest time on record I've ever had a quilt come together. I took lots of construction/technique photos along the way to help in the pattern write-up. Tomorrow I will finish cutting the kit for Eryn, get the first steps of construction written out for her, and ship it off to her in a priority envelope so she can get started piecing the blocks.

If you're reading this post, Eryn, you need to call me and let me know if you have a 1/4" foot with your "Hello Kitty" sewing machine!

A FORGOTTEN UFO

2008-05-22T01:57:00.000-04:00

Well look what I found! While searching through my 30's stash of strips, scraps, and fat quarters looking for some missing orphan blocks I found something else I had forgotten all about.

These are birthday blocks pieced for me by members of our Scrappy Sisters quilting group. They were made for me about eight years ago and have been languishing in a drawer waiting for me to have time to get them together into a quilt. As you can see on the table I even have a much rumpled and wrinkled quilt plan.

Along with these single blocks I had four corners of three rows each with the blocks in a horizontal set. I had cut the inside blocks in half to make the corners. Who knows now what on earth I was planning to do. No EQ printout for that idea ... at least, none found to date.

Our Scrappy Sisters group has a Finishing Club. Each person who joins must contribute $10 and four fat quarters. We report our square inches for each project finished during a quarter. Each person who reports in per quarter has their name in the hat for the drawing of a fat quarter bundle. We have enough participants to have three or four winners each quarter. At the "end of our year" ... our annual retreat in August, the person who has reported the most square inches finished wins the "pot of gold." We've had great fun finishing up our UFO's and getting to those projects that have been on the "want to do" list for several years.

Seems like this just might be the year to get the birthday block quilt finished up and on the bed. Oh, and I never did find those orphan blocks I was looking for. Drat! There's always tomorrow.

SPRING MARKET 2008

2008-05-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

Another market season finished and a part of history ... what a grand time to meet up with old friends and make new friends. Market is a place where all of us with quilt related product come together in one large venue to offer our wares to shop owners and other people who do retail sales to the general public. Many of us who vend at shows see each other on a regular basis throughout the year "on the floor" at the various trade shows and quilt festivals. Cries of "see you in Long Beach" (for the new Summer Quilt Festival) were heard often as we packed up our booths and pushed our carts of product to our cars and vans yesterday afternoon.

My home for the last three days in booth 1506 was comfy being surrounded by my quilts. A new thing I learned was how helpful it was for people to see the same quilt in two different fabric styles. Sweet Nothings was hung in 30's with the batik sample right beside it. Wonderful contrast.

Sandra with Just Curves is now carrying all of my patterns that feature curved patch piecing - Cotton Candy Kisses, Picnic Party, and Asian Pinwheels. If you are still have trouble piecing curves using my quick and easy method, I suggest you try her Curve Master foot which is sized for all of the different brands of home machines.

On Friday everyone came t o pick up all the literature they could manage to carry in their totes and bags from all of us vendors - many small pattern companies, the various batting companies, and the notions and ruler booths. To get to each of the smaller booths the show owners had to walk through the big multi-booth setups for all of the major fabric companies and get a quick peek at the new fabric lines. Saturday was a day of appointments with these fabric companies for most of the shop owners And Saturday and Sunday were also the days they came back to us pattern vendors to place their orders. I handed out lots of brochures, saw many familiar faces and repeat customers, and will be filling orders today.

In the big scheme of things, I think it was a good market; I'm looking forward to the retail festival in Longbeach this summer, and will have a booth in Houston for the Fall Market.

CATCHING UP

2008-05-14T13:19:00.000-04:00

Oh my! New grandbabies, getting very sick with a repspiratory infection, and then playing catch-up really does put one behind. But, we should be back on schedule now. So let's get to the fun stuff .. what have I been working on?

Digitizing and Designing seem to be the task of the day. I have several new digitized designs for you Statler Users that will be posted soon into the online catalog. And, of course, International Spring Market is here in Portland, OR starting this afternoon with setup and the show floor opening to buyers on Friday. I have 3 new patterns to present to shop owners and then the public this spring.

MQS 117 TWISTING RIBBONS: What a great pattern with a traditional look and using only four fabrics. Piecing techniques include strip piecing and sew-n-fold corners making this pattern quick and easy to piece, and you will be able to make a "free" small throw quiltlet from the left-overs after trimming away "waste" triangles.

MQS 118 PEEK-A-BOO: Another quick and easy pattern to piece! I can always tell which patterns are favorites for me and are quick to piece because I will have multiple samples of that pattern. This pattern is one of those quilts. Only three fabrics needed - work for contrast in value and scale to create the light dark affect as the blocks form strong diagonal lines. To help stay within the designs lines of the pattern, I've included mitered borders as a part of the quilt pattern. (More about piecing mitered borders later.)

And finally, MQS 120 BEBE BEARS! Remember the baby quilts I made for our new expanded family ... I decided to include the multiple sizes into a c omplete pattern. We have a queen size quilt for the Moma and PaPa Bear, the baby size quilt for the baby bears, and we mustn't leave out the Grandma and Grandpa Bear. There is a throw size, as well, for snuggling, cuddling and loving at Grandma and Grandpa's house, too.

As promised two long months ago, the free pattern for the baby quilt can be found in the "FREE IS GOOD" folder on my yahoo newsletter site.

It's good to be back! Have a wonderful day and come back soon to see pictures and read all about Spring Market here in beautiful Portland Oregon.

THEY'RE HERE!!!

2008-03-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

I'll bet you all thought I went to the retreat and just ran away ... never to come back. Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, but if I was going to run away, it would be back to those two sweet little grand babies!

Yes, they are here, healthy and home eating, sleeping, and ... well, you know what babies do. VBG

Much to the joy (and consternation) of extended family members, the babies came on February 29th about 8:25 in the morning. They had to spend a week in the hospital gathering strength, passing tests, and gaining weight before they could come home.

They have a daily workout routine they must do called "tummy time." Preemies have great stretching muscles and reflexes but their flexor reactions/muscles still need more work. So, the babies spend about 30 minutes every day on their tummies on a blanket on the floor working on pulling in developing the flexor muscles.

I did get the quilts all finished for the family. I was in the air on my way to teach in San Diego and deliver the quilts while the babies were being born. Talk about perfect timing. Babies and Momma and Poppa love the quilts. The pattern is such an easy pattern I will be sharing it as a free pattern as soon as I get all the directions written. I love the idea of the matching quilts for the family as a shower gift. It's fun to see the parents wrapped up in the big quilt with the babies cuddled in a miniature of the same pattern and fabrics. After weeks of struggling with making a decision as which pattern to use for the baby quilts, I think I came up with a pretty good solution.

RETREAT ... YEAH!!!

2008-02-10T15:57:00.000-05:00

Oh, I'm almost packed with enough UFO's to piece for a month and the retreat only lasts until Wednesday. I think I won't run out of stuff to work on ... bindings to finish, taking the quilting out of a small wallhanging (just didn't like the way it looked), Andrea's Moma quilt to piece, 3 quilts that are class/pattern samples with blocks finished just waiting to be pieced into rows, and two baggies of "goose poop" just waiting to be squared, pressed, and pieced into mini basket blocks.

We're going to the Tilikum Retreat Center where they will feed us well, comfy beds, relaxing setting looking out over the valley. There will be about 12 of us. Barb Lamb is the organizer and calls the retreat "Quilters on the Lam" - great fun with good friends ... and 2+ whole days of uninterupted quilting bliss!

I promise to take lots of pictures and to give a full reports of all accomplished when I get back on Wednesday.

GRANDBABIES COMING SOON!

2008-02-07T00:58:00.000-05:00

Ah, the Grandma bug has bitten me. The babies are doing well. They've made it to 32 weeks and are weighing in at 4 lbs now. We're hoping they stay inside for at least 4 more weeks before they decided to brave our world and be born.

In the meantime, I searched and found the crochet hook and did a few practice pieces to remember how to do the basic stitches before trying my hand at the booties pattern I picked up at the store the other day. I must say, remembering how to do the basic stitches was easy. It was reading and interpreting the pattern that became the challenge. I'm not sure I've gotten it all right yet, but I think the booties came out pretty cute and I'm sure Colin and Luci won't notice an errant stitch here or there.

The fabric under the booties is planned for blankets. I still need to find some coordinating fabric to go with this cheery flannel. I haven't decided if I want to make it into quiltlets or receiving blankets. This is not a good time for indecision. Those babies are coming soon so I'd best be making up my mind. All you Grandmas out there need to let me know of a good baby quilt pattern. What is your favorite that would suit this cute flannel?

Lots of Fun Stuff to Check Out

2008-02-03T02:01:00.000-05:00

What a fun-filled great day ... work sandwiched in with play is a good balance. We had two students play their trombone solos today for league competition and they did so well. They have 5 more weeks to polish everything up before district where they compete to qualify for state.

Lunch out with my hubby is a very rare happening and is always a great treat ... followed by a quick but careful drive through the snow to get me back home and Mike off for his afternoon trombone students.

After a quick chat with my friends Al and Barb in NC I spent the rest of the day at the computer getting all the pdf's written and uploaded to my yahoo newsletter site so you will all know about the SALES, NEW DESIGNS, and FREEBIES I just uploaded to the "store" and my yahoo file sections.

I didn't want any of my blogger friends to miss out on the good deals, so I'm posting the list with links here, too. You'll find ...

new designs

wholecloth designs

free patchwork projects

free Statler pattern

sales flyer

link

And yes, I did have way too much fun creating my little valentine guy with AutoSketch.

HAPPY FEBRUARY!

SNOWDAYS

2008-01-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated!
I should hardly admire more if real stars fell
And lodged on my coat."
--Henry David Thoreau, 1856

Hasn't this been the strangest winter for weather here in the Pacific Northwest? Snow, rain, and then snow again! Areas of our state getting lots of snow that usually don't have much snow while other areas of a regular winter snow event get a mere skiff! Strange, indeed.

I love the snowy weather. It gives me a great excuse for staying inside day after day and quilting the day away or getting some much needed computer work time in without many interuptions. While at the computer I took a break and googled "snowflake." Wow, what a lot of fun sites come up with all kinds of activities for kids, adults, quilters, knitters, crocheters, photographers. To share just a few of my favorites...

First, you'll want to be sure and visit Quilt Design Northwest and check out Marje's website. Follow her advice for brightening a gray cold wintery day with her easily pieced pattern for snowflake decor. With many options regarding size, excellent instructions for easy painless paper piecing, and even a free bonus snowflake block offered online at her website, you can't go wrong.

This last December I found Ken Libbrecht's book The Art of the Snowflake and spent way more time than I should have browsing through all the beautiful photographs and absorbing the information about different kinds of snowflakes. You can get a sampling of his wonderful artwork and information at his website.

Amazon has a great book out for kids. I would have loved having this book when I was teaching school. I think kids of all ages would have fun creating snowflakes for all seasons. It reminds me of a favorite of all my classes when I was teaching ... If Snowflakes Fell in Flavors. Don't forget the recipe for growing your own snowflakes, and did you know that the man-made snow used on the slopes to beef up the snowbase for winter activities doesn't form real snowflakes? It may look like snow but it is really ice droplets.

For the people who love to crochet I found a free on-line pattern for creating snowflakes with pearle cotton. Creating a virtual snowflake on line is a fun thing to do ... good practice for controlling your mouse and you can even hear the sounds of the scissors snipping away as you cut out the snowflake. Better Homes & Gardens also has a similar activity. Want to create the "real" thing using with beads? BHG also has a free online pattern for easy-to-make pretty beaded snowflakes for hanging in the window. Many times snowflake decorating falls within the holiday decorating scheme but I always feel so sad when all the Christmas decorations come down so I save my snowy wintery things for the month of January.
This next discovery was a big surprise in my snowflake searching. You may be familiar with Paula Nadelstern's beautiful book on snowflakes and quilts. Check your bank balance before purchasing. The asking price for this book is now for as little as $80 and as much as $175! Great investment if this book is in your library of quilting books.

A snowflake quilt that is a little more within my budget is Terry Martin's Snowflake Follies. I'm seeing lots of quilts in different picture galleries using a variety of settings for the traditional carpenter's star block. In fact, I even have one I pieced in the early 90's still waiting to be quilted. I think I need to pull that top out of the closet and finish the quilting before all this snow goes away!

QUILTING CRUISE & THE COLOR OF SUNSHINE

2008-01-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

Lots of plotting and planning happening in the studio these days. I've been putting the final touches on new designs due to be released in a week. Several new E2E designs I'm sure you will enjoy using on your quilts. Some are designs that have been cooking on the back burner for a while and some are filling special request for fellow quilters. Never hesitate to drop me an email or give me a call if you need a design altered or you have an idea you need worked up into a pattern.

The design catalog is a work in progress. It seems to have a life of its own but I'm beginning to get a handle on how to "tame" it and make it work for me and for quilters. Some days I feel like my head will explode if I have to learn one more new piece of software ... or ... if I have to make one more piece of software work for me the way I need it to work. I have had (knock on wood) pretty good success with all my programs and Vista. I did have to have to Geek Squad out for some fine tuning, and I have one program that I still can not get to run yet. The odd thing about that program - it's a brand new up-to-date program. Ah well, what's a few more hours on the phone with tech support. You gotta keep your sense of humor!

Final touches are falling into place in the planning for our cruise to Alaska this coming September. Statler/AutoSketch Classes, Piecing Classes, Quilt Shop Tours, and sight-seeing in some of the most beautiful country in the world. It's a cruise you won't want to miss. Continue to check back often for updates and more information.

DESIGN SNEAK PREVIEWS:
1148 ROSES ... and ... 1149 WOVEN HEARTS

Stay tuned for more updates with designs and patterns.

And finally, food for thought ... THE COLOR OF SUNSHINE. Have you ever notice the difference in the color of Spring Sunshine vs. Winter or Autumn Sunshine? I'm sure there is a scientific explanation as to what causes these differences but I'm not sure I want to explore that avenue. It would destroy the magic of recognizing June Sunshine and how different it is from August Sunshine.

Enjoy this picture of January Sunshine about 4:00 in the afternoon as it casts it's rays across the trees. Honest, no trick photography here, just a study in texture and natural color.