Thanks for this fun Meme, Shelina!
Have You Ever?
1. Taken a quilting class
2. Paper pieced
3. Hand quilted
4. Hand pieced
5. Created your own pattern
6. Published a pattern in a magazine or book
7. Gone on a quilting retreat
8. Gone to a quilting convention
9. Met someone who wrote a quilting book
10 combined your quilting with some other craft
11. Done any three dimensional quilting - like fabric origami
12. Made something using Thimbleberries fabric
13. Made something using batiks
14. Dyed your own fabric
15. Made a landscape hanging
16 Made a New York Beauty quilt
17 Made a baby quilt
18 Made a wall hanging
19 Made a journal quilt
20 Submitted your journal quilt for viewing
21 Made a fabric postcard
22 Made a artistic trading card (ATC)
23 Exchanged artistic trading cards
24. Mailed your own postcard
25. Made a lap quilt
26 Made a twin size quilt
27 Made a full size quilt
28 Made a queen size quilt
29 Made a king size quilt
30 Donated a quilt to charity
31 Sent a quilt out to a quilter
32 Thrown away a UFO
33 Given away a UFO
34 Cut up a UFO and made something else with it
35 Ripped fabric instead of cutting it
36 Made a quilt exactly like the pattern, with no changes whatsoever
37 Done any Sashiko
38 Quilted your own quilt
39 Did free motion quilting
40 Put any embroidery or beads on your quilt
41 Given away your quilt to a stranger
42 Swapped fabric
43 swapped blocks
44 participated in a round robin
45 participated in an ostritch round robin
46 kept a journal about your quilting
47 written a letter to someone who made an antique quilt
49 kept a blog about your quilting
50 participated in a gift exchange
51 sent a quilting random act of kindness
52 joined a newsgroup about quilting
53 made a quilt using a pattern from quilterscache
54 joined an online block of the month
55 made a block of the month quilt
56 subscribed to a fabric of the month club
57 bought fabric at an online store
58 bought fabric from ebay
59 own more than one sewing machine
60 have a room dedicated solely to sewing
61 hide a fabric purchase
62 finished making a holiday gift before July
63 spent more than $200 in one quilt shopping trip
64 made a quilt using a book from the library
65 worked with someone else to make a quilt
66. joined a quilt guild
67 become president of a quilt guild
68 taught a quilting class
69 helped someone else get the quilting bug
70 taught a child to sew
71 made a Dear Jane block
72 Made a miniature quilt
73 watch QNN - quilters news network
73 subscribe to a quilting magazine from your own country
74 subscribe to a quilting magazine from another country
75 buy fabric from another country
76 swapped completed quilts with someone else
77 asked for quilting help online
78 gone to a quilt shop to ask for quilting help
79 bought fabric at a local quilt shop
80 traveled more than 100 miles to go to a quilt shop
81 used nontraditional fabric for a quilt - something other than cotton or flannel
82 made a quilt using instructions given to you on a blog
83 make comments on someone's quilting blog
84 meet a quilter in person after only having talked online
85 had a quilting retreat in your home
86 own quilting software
87 made a quilt you designed on your quilting software
88 done any quilt research - history, interviewing quilters, etc.
89 had any quilt related subject published anywhere
90 donated a quilt to a museum
91 bought a quilt from a thrift store
92 made a quilt using fabric from a thrift store
93 made a quilt using photos
94 made a pastel quilt
95 made a quilt using brights
96 made a quilt using ethnic fabric from another country - African, Asian, etc.
97 made a quilt using leftover blocks from other quilts
98 had your quilt in a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, TV, etc.
99. submitted your quilt to a quilt show
100. won any ribbons with your quilts
101 had more finished quilts than UFOs
102 made a quilt using reproduction fabrics
103 took a break from quilting that was longer than a year
104 made money with your quilting
105 had a job in the fabric / quilting industry
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
October Goals
Any time I have left in October will be spent binding the Northwest Medical Teams quilt and completing the appliqué, so I figured I might as well report completion of my October goals.
I'm so very pleased with how I did - all but one of them finished! I've never before succeeded so well with goals I've sent for myself. I'm not sure what the difference was, but I think making them realistic had something to do with that. Having several days of sewing time at a quilting retreat made a big difference also. I had so much fun crossing each of them off as I finished. I'm not sure the fact that I put them out there for all to see made much of a difference - but it sure didn't hurt.
So I'm going to try the same thing for November to see whether I can make the magic work for the second month in a row. The hardest part of this for me is setting realistic goals. I always think I can get more done than I actually can - does anyone else have that problem? So here's what I'm going to try doing - I'm going to list a bunch of things here that I could put on the list for November. Then I'm going to look them through carefully today and tomorrow to try to bring some "reality" into the situation. Then I'll decide what they'll actually be on Wednesday, when I'll list them on my sidebar. We'll see how that works!
Possible goals for November:
1. Start the baby quilt for Joseph Logan
2. Start the baby quilt for Sophie Marie
3. Complete a camper bed size quilt top from the 2" squares.
4. Quilt a Christmas table runner
5. Keep up to date with the BOM's
6. Prep at least two Warm Hearts blocks
7. Finish current round on pre-1830's medallion
8. Prep border appliqué for It's a Wonderful Life
9. Finish the Perennial Patchwork top
10. Finish the Emma's Quilt top
11. Make more blocks for string quilt
12. Make blocks for Judy's and Jeanne's Gratitudes quilt from 2" squares.
13. Finish 1930's Daisy Twist quilt top
14. Start cutting to size all the scraps in the giant scrap tub
Oh boy - that's way, way too many! But I wanted to give myself lots to choose from. I need 40 hours in my days!
I'm so very pleased with how I did - all but one of them finished! I've never before succeeded so well with goals I've sent for myself. I'm not sure what the difference was, but I think making them realistic had something to do with that. Having several days of sewing time at a quilting retreat made a big difference also. I had so much fun crossing each of them off as I finished. I'm not sure the fact that I put them out there for all to see made much of a difference - but it sure didn't hurt.
So I'm going to try the same thing for November to see whether I can make the magic work for the second month in a row. The hardest part of this for me is setting realistic goals. I always think I can get more done than I actually can - does anyone else have that problem? So here's what I'm going to try doing - I'm going to list a bunch of things here that I could put on the list for November. Then I'm going to look them through carefully today and tomorrow to try to bring some "reality" into the situation. Then I'll decide what they'll actually be on Wednesday, when I'll list them on my sidebar. We'll see how that works!
Possible goals for November:
1. Start the baby quilt for Joseph Logan
2. Start the baby quilt for Sophie Marie
3. Complete a camper bed size quilt top from the 2" squares.
4. Quilt a Christmas table runner
5. Keep up to date with the BOM's
6. Prep at least two Warm Hearts blocks
7. Finish current round on pre-1830's medallion
8. Prep border appliqué for It's a Wonderful Life
9. Finish the Perennial Patchwork top
10. Finish the Emma's Quilt top
11. Make more blocks for string quilt
12. Make blocks for Judy's and Jeanne's Gratitudes quilt from 2" squares.
13. Finish 1930's Daisy Twist quilt top
14. Start cutting to size all the scraps in the giant scrap tub
Oh boy - that's way, way too many! But I wanted to give myself lots to choose from. I need 40 hours in my days!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
A colorful display
Can't believe it's almost November! My October got away from me just like it did for so many other bloggers. We still haven't had a frost yet - extremely unusual for this time of year. Mostly sunny days - not much rain at all. This certainly would have been the year to grow tomatoes and still have ripe ones to eat 
come Thanksgiving. Because our weather has been so unseasonably warm our leaves are late turning colors. The leaves on our pink dogwood have finally turned to red. It looked so beautiful I couldn't resist taking a picture. Contrast it with our crab apple, which has hardly any leaves yet, and our sweet gum, which has just a few starting to turn. I love fall colors!I need to clarify something about the Northwest Medical Teams auction quilt. I didn't make the quilt. I co-chaired the effort to make it and appliquéd the bottom border but that's it. My co-chair designed the quilt and chose the fabrics. She cut all the fabrics and put together block kits.
Everyone in our little guild took kits home and stitches the blocks. We put the top minus borders together at a Friday sew-in last spring. Three other members appliquéd the other borders. I stitched on the borders and quilted it. The hand stitching on the binding will be a group effort, as will be attaching all the three dimensional flowers to the top and bottom borders. This truly was the work of a large number of quilters. The guild makes 1-3 quilts every year to donate to this auction. This year's was by far the most complex quilt we've ever done for our donation.************
Gratitudes:
1. Hot tea with milk
2. Microhandles for my longarm made by my son-in-law
3. Fresh, clean sheets
4. A new haircut and color change
5. Pumpkins
************
The quilting is done!
I am very happy to report that the quilting is finished on the guild donation quilt for the Northwest Medical Teams auction on November 18th. I'm hoping to get the binding machine stitched on tonight so I can spend the next few evenings stitching it down. We still have the three 
dimensional flowers to sew on the top and bottom border - red buds on the drooping branches in the top border and gathered and stuffed lily of the valley flowers on the bottom. There are also three large, three-dimensional folded fans to appliqué on the border. We'll do that hand stitching at our guild retreat next Sunday. I hope to send 
the finished quilt home on Sunday afternoon with my co-chair. I think I'm cured from volunteering - at least for a while anyway. I got so tired of this quilt while I was working on it. It isn't my style, or my colors, or my type of fabric. I certainly hope it brings a good price - at least $1000. If it does then it will all be 
worthwhile. The auction has grown every year - last year the auction, the silent auctions, and donations brought in a total of almost $75,000 to buy medical supplies to send with the volunteers. They travel all over the world to provide health care for people in catastrophic emergency situations.It's a BIG quilt - 93" x 109". Pictures from top to bottom - a block, the bottom border, the top border (upside down) the right side border and the left side border.
************Gratitudes:
1. Take out Chinese for dinner
2. Red leaves on the dogwood against the blue sky
3. Pumpkin spice lattés
4. Clean sewing rooms
5. A productive weekend
************
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The return of the 2" squares . . . .
The 2" squares languished in the dark in their pizza boxes for years. In the meantime I'd learned all about stitching through little pieces of scrap fabric in between batches of piecing. This was to save thread, to prevent the machine from becoming unthreaded, and to keep the machine from "eating" sharp points on little pieces of fabric. Quilt teachers everywhere touted this system, giving these little scraps cutesy names. I dutifully stitched through my scrap until it was so covered with thread that I could hardly see the original fabric, at which time I tossed it and started on another.Then along came the reining queen of scrap piecing, quilt construction, and online tutorials - Bonnie Hunter of
Quiltville fame and the Quilt Mavericks ring. Being a lady of creative brilliance, Bonnie had come up with her Leader-Ender system. What a tremendous concept - instead of wasting thread in scraps piece a second quilt at the same time you are piecing your primary quilt. I "met" Bonnie through the Stashbusters yahoo group three or four years ago and quickly became one of her biggest fans. I loved the idea of leader-enders. I was doing almost no piecing at the time - having become completely addicted to needle turn appliqué and folk art quilts - but I promised myself that as soon as I started piecing again I'd try the leader-ender system.Fast forward to this year. I'm still doing appliqué but I'm
also piecing again. And when I started piecing I suddenly remembered all those 2" squares. So I dug out the pizza boxes and separated the thousands of squares into lights and darks, which wasn't hard because each box was already arranged from light to dark when I took the illumination class years ago. I dumped the lights into one basket and the darks into another. Many of the pieces are really mediums, which just adds more interest to the mix. I started sewing a light and a dark square together as my leader ender piece. I pressed them and tossed them into a third container. I did this for months and months without any idea what I'd do with them. Fast forward to last week. When I finished the current round on my medallion I decided I wanted to play with the squares. They could be 4-patches, 9-patches, postage stamp blocks or any of several dozen other things. However, my friend Kathie in New Jersey had started a making postage stamp blocks that really spoke to me. I know it was because she had wonderful scraps from lots of 19th century reproduction fabrics. I decided that even though mine are entirely different fabrics that was what I wanted to do. So I did. And I really like how they are turning out. So far I have no idea how I will set them together.
As you can see I have hundreds more 2" squares to stitch together. They represent a history of the first 10 to 12 years of my stash, plus many oddball 2" squares that I've cut from scraps since then and added to the mix. Years and years from now they will be a historians dream - a palette of fabrics from the early part of the late 20th century quilting renaissance. Separately some are pretty and some are darn ugly - but all together they make a beautiful new whole.
Fast forward a few years . . .
to 1996 or 1997. Donna Ingram and Pat Slusser of Watercolor Quilts fame wrote a couple books and started teaching throughout the country. Dierdre Amsden published a book on colourwash quilts. Quilters everywhere were on the colorwash-watercolor-creative illusions road. They started creating all sorts of visual illusions in quilts. One of the popular illusions was creating illumination in quilts. One chose an area of the quilt for the source of "light"created a design that seemed to glow and radiate from that source. Donna Ingram and Pat Slusser came to our guild and taught a class on adding illumination to quilts. The class list called for lots and lots of 2" squares of light, medium and dark fabrics.
What to take for the class? Once again total crazyness took over. Here was this stack of 8" squares sitting on the shelf taking up space. I decided to cut them all into 2" squares, sort them by color and value, and take them to class. I went to a local pizza place and bought 12 new large pizza boxes. Took me at least a couple weeks to cut and sort all the squares. I arranged them in the pizza boxes according to color and value. Come class day I was ready - carrying a stack of pizza boxes almost too high to see over. I was all ready to learn, having also ruled off a huge piece of Pellon fleece in 2" squares.
Well, creating illumination in quilts turned out to be WAY outside my comfort zone. I had arranged about 200 squares on my grid by the time the class was over. I wasn't enjoying the process at all. I took the grid home, hung it in the upstairs junk room and left it there. Squares drifted off. I picked them off the floor and carefully placed them in the right pizza boxes. After about three years I decided I would never finish it, so I pulled all the other squares off the fleece, put them back in the pizza boxes, and stuck the pizza boxes in a closet. I used the Pellon fleece to expand my design wall in my sewing room downstairs. The 2" squares began to age nicely tucked away in the corner of the dark closet. I did my best to forget that they were there.
Part 3 to follow . . . .
What to take for the class? Once again total crazyness took over. Here was this stack of 8" squares sitting on the shelf taking up space. I decided to cut them all into 2" squares, sort them by color and value, and take them to class. I went to a local pizza place and bought 12 new large pizza boxes. Took me at least a couple weeks to cut and sort all the squares. I arranged them in the pizza boxes according to color and value. Come class day I was ready - carrying a stack of pizza boxes almost too high to see over. I was all ready to learn, having also ruled off a huge piece of Pellon fleece in 2" squares.
Well, creating illumination in quilts turned out to be WAY outside my comfort zone. I had arranged about 200 squares on my grid by the time the class was over. I wasn't enjoying the process at all. I took the grid home, hung it in the upstairs junk room and left it there. Squares drifted off. I picked them off the floor and carefully placed them in the right pizza boxes. After about three years I decided I would never finish it, so I pulled all the other squares off the fleece, put them back in the pizza boxes, and stuck the pizza boxes in a closet. I used the Pellon fleece to expand my design wall in my sewing room downstairs. The 2" squares began to age nicely tucked away in the corner of the dark closet. I did my best to forget that they were there.
Part 3 to follow . . . .
A scrappy tale . . .
Several of you asked for the story of the 2" squares, so here you are. Once you read this you'll know how crazy I can be!
In 1992 I was teaching quilting for Daisy Kingdom in Portland Oregon. Nancy the class manager asked me if I'd like to go to Quilt Market and Festival in Houston. She'd made a bargain with the store owner. If I bought my plane ticket and agreed to work setting up and taking down the huge Daisy Kingdom booth I could share the hotel room with Nancy and they'd pay for my food and classes. Of course I jumped at the chance!
One of the classes I took was Making Scrap Quilts by Darra Duffy Williamson. I had her book on scrap quilts - one of the first books on scrap quilts that was published - and loved everything in it. The list of class supplies included "a good, varied selection of scraps in lights, mediums and darks of many colors". I had a terrible time picking what to take - as usual when faced with choosing fabric without knowing what the quilt was to look like. I finally decided I couldn't leave anything behind - that I'd cut an 8" square of every fabric I had. My stash wasn't nearly as extensive as it is now, but it was still very large. I must have been nuts - I proceeded to do exactly that. The squares filled a huge tote and weighed a LOT. Thank goodness the airlines were very lax with weight restrictions back then. The stack of squares must have been at least 6 feet tall if I'd stacked them one on the other.
The class was wonderful. I learned a lot. However, I made a sum total of 4, 6" churn dashes the entire day. I gave some fabric to my table mate who'd not brought any. I didn't touch at least 98% of the fabric I took. So I returned home with a huge stack of 8" squares that promptly went back on the shelf in the sewing room.
More later . . . .
In 1992 I was teaching quilting for Daisy Kingdom in Portland Oregon. Nancy the class manager asked me if I'd like to go to Quilt Market and Festival in Houston. She'd made a bargain with the store owner. If I bought my plane ticket and agreed to work setting up and taking down the huge Daisy Kingdom booth I could share the hotel room with Nancy and they'd pay for my food and classes. Of course I jumped at the chance!
One of the classes I took was Making Scrap Quilts by Darra Duffy Williamson. I had her book on scrap quilts - one of the first books on scrap quilts that was published - and loved everything in it. The list of class supplies included "a good, varied selection of scraps in lights, mediums and darks of many colors". I had a terrible time picking what to take - as usual when faced with choosing fabric without knowing what the quilt was to look like. I finally decided I couldn't leave anything behind - that I'd cut an 8" square of every fabric I had. My stash wasn't nearly as extensive as it is now, but it was still very large. I must have been nuts - I proceeded to do exactly that. The squares filled a huge tote and weighed a LOT. Thank goodness the airlines were very lax with weight restrictions back then. The stack of squares must have been at least 6 feet tall if I'd stacked them one on the other.
The class was wonderful. I learned a lot. However, I made a sum total of 4, 6" churn dashes the entire day. I gave some fabric to my table mate who'd not brought any. I didn't touch at least 98% of the fabric I took. So I returned home with a huge stack of 8" squares that promptly went back on the shelf in the sewing room.
More later . . . .
Monday, October 23, 2006
A great time was had by all!
I got back from my quilting retreat about 12:30 yesterday afternoon. It took me the rest of the day to unpack, do laundry, put everything away, etc. It would be faster if I didn't always take half my sewing room LOL!
Our weather was perfect, our little retreat house was perfect, the fellowship was perfect, the food was perfect, the shopping was perfect, and we got a lot of stitching done. What more could one ask for? I forgot to take any pictures of the house so check it out on this link: http://www.coosbayhouse.com. Be sure to enlarge the picture of the view from the dining area - incredible! The rate for renting this house is VERY reasonable, especially when you consider what the "absent hostess" does for guests. A basket of goodies, several bottles of chilled sparkling cider, pretty wine glasses and a nice note greeted us upon arrival. Everything one could want for comfort was supplied - even several different shower gels to choose from. The well equipped kitchen had a full spice and herb cupboard, condiments of every kind in the
refrigerator and microwave popcorn and other goodies in the cupboard. Lovely fluffy towels in the bathrooms, comfy beds and a sewing room with great lighting. The only drawback is that the sewing area isn't really large enough for the 10 quilters the house will sleep - but we had only 6 so we did just fine. Unfortunately two had to drop out at the last minute, and four others of our regulars had schedule conflicts. If all 13 members of our online group had been able to come we would have been in trouble.
Wednesday night I finished my appliqué block for the mystery quilt so I'm all caught up on my BOM's. Thursday I worked on my pre-1830's medallion and by the end of the day it was completed and ready for show and tell at class on Thursday. I plan to get each month's
round finished on time from now until the last class next January. I started the handstitching on the Quilt Pink binding that evening and it was all done on Saturday by the time we got back from our shopping excursion - I'd taken it to stitch on in the car.
I didn't work on my String blocks - instead I made postage stamp blocks from my leader ender squares. I'd sewed so many squares together while piecing the flying geese border on my medallion that I wanted to keep working on it. I originally planned on making them 10x10 squares, which would have been a 15" block, but I miscounted while making the very first one. I was making them from four-patches and it would have been really
complicated to take a row off - so I made them 12x12 instead. That's a finished 18" block - which means it will take fewer blocks to make a quilt top. There is a bit of everything in these blocks - just like the Broken Dishes quilt. There is a story about why I have so many 2" squares to use up - I can tell the story later if anyone is interested.
Pictures from the top down - my medallion, my postage stamp leader-ender project, Jo's mini that she started in a class with Sally Collins and finished at retreat, and Ardis' mini in a slightly larger scales than Jo's that she brought for show and tell.
I was really good while shopping, even though I stopped at 3 quilt shops on the way there and two more on Saturday. Other than fabric I bought for Sophie Marie's baby quilt, plus two sets of penny squares for a redwork baby quilt for each grandchild, I bought a pattern, an inexpensive book and a little bottle of glue. This was a milestone event for me everyone - I've never spent so little when shopping on a retreat. I'm so proud of myself! This brings retirement just that much closer!
I'm currently home right now because we almost had an electrical fire while I was gone. The PUD electrician is here replacing the thermostats and figuring out what happened. Apparently on Thursday when my husband came home the living room was way too hot, which means the thermostat is bad. When he removed it he found all the wires inside burned and scorched. God was certainly watching out for us! Thank goodness the house didn't burn!
I have lots and lots of blog reading to do - over 100 posts - so it will take me awhile to catch up with what everyone is doing. I have dozens of emails also. I'm eager to see what everyone has been up to!
***********
Gratitudes:
1. A perfect retreat
2. I lost weight during the retreat!
3. A house fire that didn't happen
4. Coming home to my hubby and dog
5. Quilty friends
************
Our weather was perfect, our little retreat house was perfect, the fellowship was perfect, the food was perfect, the shopping was perfect, and we got a lot of stitching done. What more could one ask for? I forgot to take any pictures of the house so check it out on this link: http://www.coosbayhouse.com. Be sure to enlarge the picture of the view from the dining area - incredible! The rate for renting this house is VERY reasonable, especially when you consider what the "absent hostess" does for guests. A basket of goodies, several bottles of chilled sparkling cider, pretty wine glasses and a nice note greeted us upon arrival. Everything one could want for comfort was supplied - even several different shower gels to choose from. The well equipped kitchen had a full spice and herb cupboard, condiments of every kind in the
refrigerator and microwave popcorn and other goodies in the cupboard. Lovely fluffy towels in the bathrooms, comfy beds and a sewing room with great lighting. The only drawback is that the sewing area isn't really large enough for the 10 quilters the house will sleep - but we had only 6 so we did just fine. Unfortunately two had to drop out at the last minute, and four others of our regulars had schedule conflicts. If all 13 members of our online group had been able to come we would have been in trouble.Wednesday night I finished my appliqué block for the mystery quilt so I'm all caught up on my BOM's. Thursday I worked on my pre-1830's medallion and by the end of the day it was completed and ready for show and tell at class on Thursday. I plan to get each month's
round finished on time from now until the last class next January. I started the handstitching on the Quilt Pink binding that evening and it was all done on Saturday by the time we got back from our shopping excursion - I'd taken it to stitch on in the car. I didn't work on my String blocks - instead I made postage stamp blocks from my leader ender squares. I'd sewed so many squares together while piecing the flying geese border on my medallion that I wanted to keep working on it. I originally planned on making them 10x10 squares, which would have been a 15" block, but I miscounted while making the very first one. I was making them from four-patches and it would have been really
complicated to take a row off - so I made them 12x12 instead. That's a finished 18" block - which means it will take fewer blocks to make a quilt top. There is a bit of everything in these blocks - just like the Broken Dishes quilt. There is a story about why I have so many 2" squares to use up - I can tell the story later if anyone is interested.Pictures from the top down - my medallion, my postage stamp leader-ender project, Jo's mini that she started in a class with Sally Collins and finished at retreat, and Ardis' mini in a slightly larger scales than Jo's that she brought for show and tell.
I was really good while shopping, even though I stopped at 3 quilt shops on the way there and two more on Saturday. Other than fabric I bought for Sophie Marie's baby quilt, plus two sets of penny squares for a redwork baby quilt for each grandchild, I bought a pattern, an inexpensive book and a little bottle of glue. This was a milestone event for me everyone - I've never spent so little when shopping on a retreat. I'm so proud of myself! This brings retirement just that much closer!I'm currently home right now because we almost had an electrical fire while I was gone. The PUD electrician is here replacing the thermostats and figuring out what happened. Apparently on Thursday when my husband came home the living room was way too hot, which means the thermostat is bad. When he removed it he found all the wires inside burned and scorched. God was certainly watching out for us! Thank goodness the house didn't burn!
I have lots and lots of blog reading to do - over 100 posts - so it will take me awhile to catch up with what everyone is doing. I have dozens of emails also. I'm eager to see what everyone has been up to!
***********
Gratitudes:
1. A perfect retreat
2. I lost weight during the retreat!
3. A house fire that didn't happen
4. Coming home to my hubby and dog
5. Quilty friends
************
Monday, October 16, 2006
I found this very interesting, as my favorite season is fall and my second favorite is spring. Winter is my third favorite and summer my least favorite. I took the test several times, changing an answer her and there, but it always turned out this way. I always long for snow every winter and hardly ever get it. One thing is true for sure - I much prefer being inside sewing or reading than outside doing any of the things one usually does outside.
| You Belong in Winter |
 Quiet, calm, and totally at peace... You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter. |
Sunday, October 15, 2006
A productive weekend
But so far not as productive as I'd hoped. I wanted to get started quilting the massive auction quilt but now it's Sunday afternoon and I'm currently "fluffing" the batting in the dryer. 
The backing is on the machine, but since I had to use a kingsize batting - the batting on the roll isn't nearly wide enough - I had to get out all the wrinkles from being rolled so tightly in the plastic cover. While I'm waiting I'm trying to get the rest of the decorations put up - they've been sitting on the dining room table since last weekend.
I've finished the last appliqué block for Heirloom Stitches so I'm all caught up with that until the next installment comes. I pieced the two October blocks for the mystery quilt and prepped the appliqué block. It's very simple - just an oak leaf and a star - so it won't take long to do. That will catch me up on that one. I have the binding on the Quilt Pink quilt stitched on by machine and just waiting for the hand stitching. I also have a few fabrics chosen for the appliqué hearts. I've started a pile of things in the corner of the living room - all ready to pack into the car to take to the retreat. So far the pile includes the basket of Mistletoe Manor fabrics, pattern and freezer paper for the Warm Hearts quilt so I can prep some blocks, the basket of fabrics for my medallion quilt so I can make the flying geese for the last round before the next class, my mystery quilt appliqué, the quilt pink quilt, and the fabrics for the three dimensional flowers that go on my border for the auction quilt. That's a pretty good start I think. I still have to pack up the machine, all my rulers and cutting tools, my good chair, my string quilt stuff, and all the other stuff I know I'll decide at the last minute that I need to take.I really need the break this retreat will provide - I can't wait! This retreat is with my PINS pals - Phenominal Internet Northwest Stitchers. Some of you may remember me talking about the spring retreat last March. We all met on the Internet on Pat Sloan's yahoo group, and have been getting together twice a year for the last three years. It's going to be so good to see them again and catch up on what everyone is doing. We are renting a "quilt house" in Coos Bay, Oregon. I have to do Friday dinner but that's it for cooking. I'm going to do a nummy crock pot soup of some kind, a salad, and good crusty bakery bread.
I hear the dryer buzzing - I'd better go get back to work.
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Gratitudes:
1. A good drink for the flowers and lawn from the rain.
2. Hobbs Heirloom batting - my favorite!
3. Fresh grapes and bananas
4. Silk flowers and garlands that look almost real
5. Dolls and teddy bears - old friends brought out from the attic
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Friday, October 13, 2006
Stuff
Friday afternoon and I'm off work - yipyee! This weekend will be devoted to getting the northwest medical team quilt quilted, as well as packing for my quilt retreat next week. I can hardly wait to see my online quilty friends again!
We went to our daughter's and son-in-laws on Wednesday, so I took along the quilt. I have the sweetest daughter in the world! Here is the note that waited for me in my email this morning. I'm so glad they like the quilt.
Hi Mom,
I thought I'd let you know that it was quite nice sleeping under the quilt last night. When I got in bed, I snuggled all down into the bed, and it was like you were tucking me in. :) We both still love the quilt!!!! It's amazing!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you!
me
I need to confess to a boo-boo. When I was quilting the Quilt Pink quilt this past weekend I stopped with the needle in the quilt to pick something off the floor. Unfortunately when I stood up I hit the machine hard with my body, causing the machine to move about an inch to the right and ripping a tear in the quilt. I knew sooner or later I'd tear a quilt - I guess every longarmer does at least once - so I'm so glad it wasn't a customer quilt! It's not just the top - it's the backing too. I'm glad it was this quilt, because I can fix it pretty easily. I'll just appliqué a scattering of pink hearts across the front, including one over the hole, and I'll place the label over the hole in the back. I hope once is enough and I never do that again!
My bit of important news for the week is that our granddaughter-to-be has a name - Sophie Marie. Old fashioned and sweet - I like that!
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Gratitudes:
1. Orange and yellow leaves against a clear deep blue sky.
2. A catered breakfast this morning courtesy of our CEO.
3. A good book to read
4. Detroit is up 2-0 on the Oakland A's.
5. A quilty weekend has begun
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We went to our daughter's and son-in-laws on Wednesday, so I took along the quilt. I have the sweetest daughter in the world! Here is the note that waited for me in my email this morning. I'm so glad they like the quilt.
Hi Mom,
I thought I'd let you know that it was quite nice sleeping under the quilt last night. When I got in bed, I snuggled all down into the bed, and it was like you were tucking me in. :) We both still love the quilt!!!! It's amazing!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you!
me
I need to confess to a boo-boo. When I was quilting the Quilt Pink quilt this past weekend I stopped with the needle in the quilt to pick something off the floor. Unfortunately when I stood up I hit the machine hard with my body, causing the machine to move about an inch to the right and ripping a tear in the quilt. I knew sooner or later I'd tear a quilt - I guess every longarmer does at least once - so I'm so glad it wasn't a customer quilt! It's not just the top - it's the backing too. I'm glad it was this quilt, because I can fix it pretty easily. I'll just appliqué a scattering of pink hearts across the front, including one over the hole, and I'll place the label over the hole in the back. I hope once is enough and I never do that again!
My bit of important news for the week is that our granddaughter-to-be has a name - Sophie Marie. Old fashioned and sweet - I like that!
************
Gratitudes:
1. Orange and yellow leaves against a clear deep blue sky.
2. A catered breakfast this morning courtesy of our CEO.
3. A good book to read
4. Detroit is up 2-0 on the Oakland A's.
5. A quilty weekend has begun
************
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Quilt Pink
I decided I just couldn't deal with the Northwest Medical Teams quilt today so I loaded the Quilt Pink quilt instead. It just said "hearts" to me, so I quilted it with an all-over pattern called "Timeless Hearts" by Willow Leaf Studio. I'm happy to say that the quilting is finished! Hopefully I'll have time to make the binding tomorrow evening and stitch it to the quilt so I can do the handwork the rest of the evenings this week. It's not due to the chairperson until January because the Ebay auction isn't until March, but it will be very good to have it done.
I'll post a picture when the binding is completed. Someone with an embroidery machine in the guild will make the label, so I won't have a picture of that.
I'll post a picture when the binding is completed. Someone with an embroidery machine in the guild will make the label, so I won't have a picture of that.
All done!
This past week certainly flew by. It seemed like Friday was here before the week had even started. It was a very busy week at work, and that always makes the days pass quickly. Next week will be more of the same, with no break in my schedule to even look at things on my desk until Thursday afternoon.I didn't have a lot of time for quilting - but did find enough
to finish Broken Dishes! Finished the binding at the kids house on Wednesday night and sewed on the label this morning. I really like how it turned out - makes me almost wish it was going to grace our bed. I'm glad from my daughter and her husband to have it - the only bed quilt I've made for her is the twin size one I made when she 
was heading off to college. They've been married over 7 years - it's time they had a quilt on their bed! I made a "Quiltville" style back using lots of fabrics I am no longer in love with. It's a great way to use them up - no extra need be spent on quilt backing.I did get a little appliqué done on the last Heirloom Stitches block for September - it's about half done. I hope to finish that this week. Today I must focus on finishing the borders on the Northwest Medical Teams top and getting that loaded onto the machine.
So sorry to anyone out there who is a Yankee fan - but it was so enjoyable watching Detroit leave them in the dust this weekend. Go Tigers - you deserve to win the World Series!
Now it's time to get off this computer and get something done today!
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Gratitudes:
1. Rain!
2. Oakland-Detroit American League Championship series
3. A DH who happily does the grocery shopping
4. Crisp new Washington Red Delicious apples
5. A garage door opener
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Monday, October 2, 2006
October Goals
So many people are posting October goals that I decided I'd get on the band wagon. I'm not much for making lists - you'd never know that by looking at my side bar would you LOL! I pretty much keep my goals in my head and go from there. But I'm getting a big kick out of listing things in my sidebar - and being motivated by the idea of checking them off - so I decided to add an October goals list. Probably too ambitious but what the heck - if you reach for the stars you will at least land on the moon. Some of these things - the Quilt Pink quilt, the Northwest Medical Teams quilt and the Broken Dishes are things that must be done. I've been doing a good job keeping up with the BOM's and I want that to continue. Now that I'm catching up with the medallion I want to stay caught up. The rest are just things I'd like to do if I can find the time. I do have a quilting retreat in a couple weeks that will give me three full days of non-stop quilting - I'm really looking forward to that!
Here are the pictures I couldn't load last night
Sunday, October 1, 2006
A very busy weekend
It was a very busy quilty weekend - just like I thought it would be. Friday night I refolded and straightened all the fabrics for the medallion. I also finished piecing the four cornerstone blocks - Ohio Stars - for the next border. The rest of the evening was spent packing for Saturday.
There were six of us who showed up for Quilt Pink day. Cleo - who organized the whole thing - was dressed in pink and had pink decorations all over her white car. We had pink lemonade and strawberry cupcakes with white frosting and pink sprinkles - plus chips and sub sandwiches the were NOT pink. We worked steadily from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 when we packed up. I got my top together except for the last border. The other five got all the other donated blocks together into a quilt top through the first border. I almost got my back all pieced, and the back was started for the other one. We made a baby quilt with the 12 remaining blocks, enlarging it by adding several borders. We worked hard but had a very enjoyable time sewing together. (Blogger is being stubborn and refusing to upload any more pictures. I'll have to post the others in the morning.)Today I slept in until almost 9:00 a.m. - unheard of for me! I guess I was really tired. Turned out I was lazy all day - never did get dressed. I love pajamas that double as casual around the house wear! In the morning I finished the borders on the two large Quilt Pink tops, and finished constructing the backing for both quilts. I'm not sure how I ended up with both of them. Seemed like no one else was volunteering to take them home so I found myself saying I would. Finally finished with both tops and both backs around 2:00 this afternoon. Then I stitched the last border onto the Northwest Medical Teams quilt top. As soon as my co-chair brings me more border fabric I can lengthen the last two borders and get it ready to go on the longarm. She was supposed to bring it yesterday but was feeling very lousy from bronchitis and forgot. I'm amazed she got there at all.
This evening I made the binding for Broken Dishes and machine stitched it onto the quilt. I got it all trimmed and have started handstitching the binding to the back. I want it all finished by Thursday so I can take it to guild for show and tell.
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Gratitudes:
1. A very satisfactory quilty weekend
2. The walking foot on my Pfaff
3. A patient, loving husband
4. Birthday shopping for Rick is finished!
5. The fellowship of quilters
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