Sheila's Quilts Plus...

We have FMQ!

2012-02-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

Beginning and end of the month FMQ practice. Unfortunately, there was no practice in between these two pieces, but I'm encouraged that I can do this!

Misc doodling - Beginning Jan2012

End of Jan2012

I really, really, really, need to work on the quilting not being so dense, but for now I was concentrating on the motif and the motion. I can't make leaves going to the left!

We have socks!

2012-02-01T08:13:00.000-05:00

Running late for work so I'll get better pics later with the particulars, but one finish and one needing only bind-off as of midnight (even though I was tempted to knit into the Pacific time zone to get them finished). These were both UFOs from 2011.

Sept2011 UFO

Jan2011 UFO

Close but no cigar

2012-02-01T08:12:00.000-05:00

Progress is progress! Still not finished, but at least the end is in sight. It looks so small here, but I ran out of room for all the blocks I have. I'll add another row to the width and two to the length.

Diagonal 4-patch, end Jan2012

It's been a long dry spell!

2012-01-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

First of all, Happy New Year! I'm so glad 2011 is done with and I made it to the other side. To quote a facebook friend, my plans in 2012 are to " Eat less, move more. Frown less, smile more. Do what I can, when I can." Especially those moving & smiling parts.

I haven't sewn a stitch since probably April, so I've decided to participate in Judy's UFO challenge to get several projects to the finished flimsy stage:

1- Rangeley Stars
2- Triple 4-patch swap
3- Blue/white Duck & Ducklings
4- Black S&W
5- 4-patch on design wall (Yes, I cheated and made this #5 so I could get it off the wall!)
6- Swap from California Cruisin' book
7- Cheap Trick
8- Green County Lines
9- Patriotic Hidden Star
10- Baskets BOM
11- Green Caffrey mystery
12- Leaf Season

I also joined in on SewCalGal's free motion quilting challenge. A lot of comfort quilts are going to be my practice pieces this year, so hopefully next year I can quilt this year's finished UFOs.

And last but not least, I've joined Denise's 12 in 2012 sock knitting challenge. I think I've only finished one pair of socks this year!

NQR

2011-06-07T20:12:00.000-04:00

This is pretty cute... a dad waving to his teenage son on the bus each school day through the year.

http://waveatthebus.blogspot.com/

2011-05-30T08:48:00.000-04:00

Find time today to Honor those Americans who have given their lives to keep this nation free.

Attend a memorial service in your area.

Learn and display proper flag etiquette.

Participate in a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m.

And thank every vet you see.

2011-04-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

I was a Fotomate, back in the day. Fun job!

c. 1975

2011-04-18T07:06:00.003-04:00

Try as I might, there's not a whole lot of stitchin' goin' on. Work has been sucking the life out of me for the past several weeks, which leaves me mentally and emotionally depleted. My work BFF was "let go," supposedly for lack of funds, and four days later we got a bombshell dropped on us that a new layer of management had been added -- another whole layer of BS to each and every day. More people will be leaving, I suspect, and even when you know you excel at your job, it's difficult not to worry. And even though I know quiltmaking calms me and gives me that "Calgon, take me away!" feeling, sometimes it takes more energy than I have just to pick up where I left off.

I had a personal goal to have this baby finished-to-flimsy by April 16th, but that didn't happen. Yesterday I was putting blocks on the wall to get a visual and realized something was wrong. There should have been only two chains, but I was ending up with three?

These were the alternate blocks I sewed.

Sewed wrong, that is. There was no place to put them in a 3-chain design. Yes, there are some in the picture, but they don't go.

The seam should have been on the other side.

Although a quilt with three chains was also part of my EQ file, I'll have to make a decision tonight: make three chains then one chain across; keep going with three chains and make more blocks to make it the size I wanted; or unpick 48 blocks.

The week in pictures

2011-03-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of time to sew during the week, so staging the next step helps for whenever I get back to it.

Baby Steps 101

2011-03-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

1. Take on a challenge from Linda to get off my duff and piece the quilt shown.
2. Find the unused box of 4-inch squares from Y2K and start pairing them up. See that Cup-a-Soup box? Chock full of squares cut from every fabric the shop bought that year.

3. Unhook the laptop from the display and make room to sew.

4. Dig out the sewing machine and dust it off!

5. Find that DVD of Mad Men that needs watched and returned.

6. Start sewing.

7. Decide that you can't hear the storyline and switch to music instead.
8. Put the DVD back in while you square up.
9. Trim the squares because they really aren't all 4 inches after all. Or square for that matter.

9. Rinse and repeat.
10. Delight in the small things.

This really should be a finished socks post

2010-12-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

... but oh well. The picture, taken this morning, shows what I accomplished through Sunday evening, and I'm very happy with that progress in three weeks. I don't think I'll ever go back to one sock at a time.

The grey pair only needs cast off, but I need to unearth the book to see how to do that. About 10 rounds plus the cuff is needed on the other pair. I have something going on every night this week, so none of that will happen before the weekend. Then I need to move on to some Christmas gifts so I won't feel so guilty about what I spent during a cyber-Monday sale.

Nothing but knittin' this week

2010-11-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

I've managed to do quite a bit of knitting this week. I'm past the heel and ready for the leg on the second dark sock, and I found two skeins of Regia Cotton in the nether regions of my stash to restart the two-at-once last Sunday. Toe-up this time, just because it's what I'm used to.

I'm not entirely fond of this cotton yarn (very splitty!), but I'm loving the process. I want to work on quilts tomorrow, so I'm hoping to make it through the heels on the grey tonight, leaving nothing but legs to work on during the coming week.

Must get a pedicure!

Progress

2010-11-11T08:21:00.000-05:00

Last week felt frigid here for early November, and I managed to come down with a nasty upper respiratory and sinus infection that doesn't want to go away. This week is better with temps in the high 60s, but it's been a rough week with the time change.

I've made a little progress on the one sock thanks to some mindless ribbing on the leg while watching TV. A little bit to go on the cuff and I'm ready to start the next. It cracks me up how distorted these can look when the ribbing isn't expanded. Must ask Santa for some sock blockers.

The two-at-once didn't fare as well. I love the process, but they were too tight when I tried one on Grant last week. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a couple of hours to invest in starting again. It's not nearly the mindless process (yet) as one at a time.

I also managed to make it to the post office with a couple of toddler quilts and an old round robin UFO that didn't move me anymore for Gloria.

Is anyone else shocked at how little fits in a Flat Rate Priority Mail box these days?

Socks!

2010-11-02T07:54:00.000-04:00

It's been many months since I last knit on anything but I was inspired to play along with Judy's November Sock KAL.

The blue Sockotta cotton/wool socks were started before the 2010 Olympics but, sadly, I dropped a stitch and didn't notice it until the sock was bound off and they got pushed aside for a more patient day. I fixed and finished it last weekend so I could start the ones in the center with my currently preferred toe-up, one-at-a-time. I needed something to fall back on if I got too frustrated with the new method. The center sock is a wool/nylon OnLine yarn that, thankfully, is getting softer as I knit.

The green and black toddler socks on the right are from stashed Essential yarn from Knitpicks a few years ago when it came in 462-yard skeins. Sunday I buckled down and forced myself to learn two socks-at-once in daylight hours. Early in the summer I bought the books recommended by Mary and read them a lot, but hadn't tried the method.

It really defeats the purpose of knitting two at once to make them different colors, I guess you're thinking? I didn't have two identical skeins of any yarn, so I decided to use different colors of the same yarn. As it turns out, it's hell on the eyes to knit black /dark yarn, so teaming it with the green works better for tracking where I am. Another reason for using two colors was to track Sock 1 and Sock 2... I thought. It took a bit to realize Sock 1 changes with each portion of the round. Before that realization, there were quite a few gymnastic effects and frustrating moments when trying to knit the black 'Sock 1' first each time.

I'll have to work on these during lunch hours if I hope to make any significant progress during the month. My nights are mostly filled with what little quiltmaking happens in my life right now.

Back again!

2010-11-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

Right after my last post and all my virus issues, the display went out on my 6 y/o laptop and I was without a computer for about 5 weeks while looking for the perfect economic solution (free). The first week was really rough (think DTs!), but I eventually came around and managed to live a life with only my work computer and lunchtime to tide me over. The good thing is I managed to get a lot of stuff done in my downtime.

Here are a couple of quilts I finished and sent off to Gloria in Utah to quilt and donate for her project. I'll have better pictures from her once they are quilted. A couple of toddler quilts are on their way as well.

Grant helped me peel/core/slice apples again this year. This tool is the greatest invention.

Oliver turned 2! My little cuddlebug sweetheart.

Who cares about cake; give me the icing!

Super Mario and Luigi went trick-or-treating. I made their hats by piecing fabric to cover cheap home store paint caps. Marker on muslin glued to the front for the letters.

July in review

2010-08-09T08:24:00.000-04:00

In addition to canning (strawberry jam, cherry pie filling, blueberry jam, blueberry butter, apricot jam, and shiro plum jam) and lots of reading & DVDs, July was spent like this:

Finally got &*%X# borders on
the QOV; still need to make the
pillowcase and get it sent off.

Went to a baby shower

Dealt with this mishap!

Pulled out a brown bag UFO from
...2000?

Used triangle paper for the first
time. The jury's still out.

HSTs went into these LQS
mystery pieces 'n' parts.

And I'm still dealing with more computer viruses
than I've ever seen since I've owned a computer.

Take care,

Sheila

Catching up

2010-06-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

I’m working backwards through some pictures I’ve taken and not posted in recent months.

***

Stash Enhancement--9.47 pounds

Connecting Threads had a scraps ‘n’ ends sale at their Columbus distribution center today. It’s only about four exits from me on the outerbelt, and at $5 a pound, why not? Luckily, I went in with a budget or I would have done some major damage. Some of their fabric lines seem to me to have an inconsistent quality from one fabric to another, so it was nice to be able to feel the fabric before buying it. Other than to acquire some more blues and reds for QOV quilts, I wish I’d had a project in mind. As it was I mostly grabbed some pieces to add new life to the scrap bin.

***

Here’s Oscar with a recent shave, haircut and a paw-dicure. I was amazed how brown-ish his fur was after all that long white hair. He was sick for about a week before this (and did some major damage to the carpet). Luckily he’s okay. Am I the only person who’s never heard of the sick dog diet of boiled hamburger & rice? After eating that, he will hardly touch his regular food now.

***

A few months ago I took Grant to see the movie How to Train Your Dragon at the Movie Tavern near me which has a (very pricey!!) Flapjacks and a Flick feature for kids on Saturday mornings. (My son warned me they were the worst pancakes I’d ever eat, and he wasn’t kidding.) Grant’s become infatuated with dragons and Vikings since then and wanted a dragon cake for his 4^th birthday in May. Isn’t this a cute idea?

I’d be a bad Nana if I didn’t include a picture of my boys!

***

My car finally hit 50,000 miles after 6.5 years. That's an average of 641 miles a month and includes several round trips between Ohio and Texas. I think I deserve an insurance discount, don't you?

***

The stocking below was a pattern I tested for Gudrun Erla in early March. It’s from her latest QAYG book, Fast and Furious Holiday. I’m not sure the plaids were quite what she was looking for, but I think it turned out cute in all its maleness. This experience was a good lesson for me in how directions can be interpreted differently!

That’s all for now. Tomorrow, an update on the QOV and maybe some finished jam.

Take care,

Sheila

The quilting stitch

2010-06-07T17:07:00.000-04:00

I could look all day at how quilting transforms a quilt. Keryn's Square Spiral panto is a favorite of mine ever since Anne used it on my spider web. But look at the dramatic difference on a light fabric quilt.

More of the Memorial Day quilt

2010-06-07T07:34:00.001-04:00

I didn’t meet Judy’s mail by June 6th deadline, but definite progress has been made. I have three row-sets hanging here, but abandoned pressing open the long seams and sewing the final two seams in favor of cutting and piecing all the parts for the five borders. We’ll get back at it next weekend!

Memorial Day Quilting

2010-06-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

I didn't really fall off the face of the earth, and I'm determined to blog more consistently.

I've taken Judy up on her offer to quilt and donate to QOV tops made according to her pattern. On top of a hectic week, I struggled choosing fabrics but finally made a decision on Saturday night. Step 3 was finished Monday (except for pressing), and I should have no problem meeting her June 6th deadline.

JSS 2010 Quilt Day

2010-04-19T09:01:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the 6th annual quilt day for the all-volunteer James Stitching Sisters, and a first for me. The goal of "210 for 2010" was exceeded, and I believe the final tally was 369 completed quilts turned in since quilt day in 2009.

While the group hosts weekly opportunities at the JSS center or in local quilt shops to work toward the same goal, more than 170 women set up shop this day in a church gymnasium to make tops toward next year's quilt goal. Most attending were breast cancer survivors, family members, or staff of tOSU Medical Center or JamesCare. While I don't fall into any of those categories, I'm just happy and blessed to be able to help in some way. The amount of organization that went into something of this magnitude was amazing. There were areas dedicated to cutting, pressing, pinning, or making bindings. There were more prepared kits available than people to make them. Local girl scouts fed the troops. More than 500 requests went out for door prizes and no one went home empty-handed. It was just a really great experience, and I met so many fantastic people.

I posted a few pictures of the day, but this was my favorite:

Fight like a girl indeed!

Although she isn't pictured, one lady in attendance has survived breast cancer for 28 years. That's amazing, considering how far technology and medicine have come in 28 years.

Labels

2010-04-16T12:21:00.001-04:00

There was mention of how to make labels on the HeartStrings group this morning, so I uploaded a few pictures to a new webshots album of older ones I've done. I like to use MS Word to create labels and occasionally use the WordArt feature. Sometimes I use a picture of the quilt or fabric as a background for the text. Stitching a small *binding* around the stiff label fabric helps when sewing it to the quilt.

labels

Sheila

Quilts of Valor

2010-03-31T22:19:00.001-04:00

These are on their way to Alycia for Quilts of Valor and were both quilted by Joanne.

Happy National Quilting Day!

2010-03-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

I had a happy surprise when I went to the P.O. Box yesterday afternoon and found a huge box full of quilts! Between these and the abundant sunshine this week I believe my quilting mojo has been restored, just in time for National Quilting Day.

Joanne has done an absolutely wonderful job on these. I couldn't be happier with how they all turned out, and can't believe she was ever worried or didn't like a couple of them. She had the freedom to do whatever she wanted and I tried to assure her there was no way she could ruin them (her worry). And I told her time and again that they were just tops hanging in the closet, but she was making them into quilts. She played around with a pantograph and freehand quilting as well as boogie boards (or something like that!). She says she learned a lot... including some new choice words. hahaha

I set about trimming them all last night and made bindings for three of the four. I'm debating about the orange binding, but I want to make it look more gender neutral and not so baby boy-ish colorwise. I started on the binding for the red quilt first as I want to send it and another to Alycia for her QOV projects. Better pictures will come once they are washed & fluffy.

Binding kept me up VERY late last night, and I couldn't believe it was 6:45AM when I woke up--I was sure Oscar had peed somewhere inside by that hour, but thankfully he was still sound asleep. We're used to a morning walk at 5:00AM!

I hope to get at least a couple of tops together today, finish the binding on the red quilt, and run by a quilt shop that's having a $ale. Maybe I can find some backing fabrics.

How are you spending the day???

Take care,

Sheila

2010-03-09T06:44:00.000-05:00

Someone eats oatmeal for breakfast nearly every day... with brown sugar & vanilla.

Someone came to visit Nana the other day. Such smoochability! He's engrossed in a Signing Time video here. (If you have kids or grandkids, this is an excellent communication tool before they learn to speak.)

Someone got a bath and didn't care for it one bit!

Someone sewed her finger last week. Ouch! She wonders if it's considered Workers Comp since she was testing a designer's pattern? Ha. Here's a peek:

Someone is working on my Barbara's Antique quilt. I'm excited to see in person what she's done with all of them!

Take care,

Sheila

P.S. Re: the previous post, the quilt shop tells me that we were only supposed to get one 10" block OR two 5" blocks from the fabric... not both as the pattern indicated. hmph

February's tally

2010-03-01T08:58:00.000-05:00

Attn. Quilt Shops: If you are going to offer a BOM, why not give directions on how to use the skimpy fabric cuts to get all the required pieces?

This Bountiful Baskets BOM is supposed to have one 10" block and two 5" blocks each month. I didn't get enough fabric to make two of those three, and it reminded me why I don't do BOMs anymore. But I succumbed to the thought of having a quilt in repro fabrics, since that is a fabric addiction I've resisted. I've been quilting since 1999 and sewing for 43 years; if everyone got the same fabric cuts I did, there is no way a beginner would be able to work through it.

I did manage to get a little sock knitting in--made it through the heel on one, then started the other to try a different gusset/heel to see which I like better. This Sockotta sock yarn has nearly equal parts cotton and wool and feels much better to me.

I didn't watch much of the Olympics since my TV is not cooperating with the DTV converter, so I tried to catch the highlights on the computer the following day. I spent most of my month reading (all excellent reads):

Here's to a more productive March.

Sheila

I've been in a weather funk!

2010-02-28T10:32:00.001-05:00

Central Ohio is working toward record snowfall this February (usually one of the two driest months in Ohio). A few weeks back we did get all the snow that was promised, and then some. And then another storm shortly after and little bits daily since then. It was beautiful and sparkling while it fell, with huge flakes or sometimes the cutest little snow pellets. Otherwise, I'm so over the snow and the piles of dirty snow everywhere. We had a whole day of sunshine last week and it really felt good. I even opened my windows most of the day, even though it was slightly below freezing temps.

With all the snow came overfilled gutters of ice and gutter to ground icicles. One of the largest (easily 25" diameter; I'm sure I looked funny to the neighbors hanging off the stairwell trying to knock it down with the broom handle) just happened to be outside the wall of my spare quilting/computer room, leaving water spots on and a buckle in the wall and cracks in the corner. Just what I needed.

Another was off the back gutter to my deck. It was so large I couldn't break it with a hammer, so I chipped away at it for days until the hammer could break off the largest part. Despite my best efforts to make it fall away from the house, the ~~icicle~~ ice monster fell into the huge pile of frozen snow and previously chipped ice, pushing it all right into my dining room.

The good news is that we are in for a week of 30-deg temps and then a week of 40s!! I am so ready for beautiful flowers, lush hostas, and my CSA. And long walks on dry ground.

Countdown

2010-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have meetings every night this week, so this morning I pulled out stuff to work on once the Olympics start: a new sock and handquilting.

I started the handquilting years ago but didn't get far. I waffle about handquilting a top purchased at a sample sale (vs. something I made myself), so I may take out the stitching on that one block and go for some big stitch utility quilting instead.

Morning sampler

2010-02-05T08:36:00.003-05:00

Mary's new sock kick has motivated me to a finish. (And she is fast!) Mary, I love that you're making them in Scarlet & Gray -- Buckeye colors. ; )

This pair was started in May'09 and has been languishing... waiting for those last 20 or so rows of the second leg to be done. As is my usual, once I know what it's going to look like, I've moved on.

Last week I discovered that this young pup has been using my dining room as his personal potty. I have an open kitchen/dining/living area, but I never go through the dining room, or even use it much for that matter. Unfortunately I've had to go back to crating him while I'm at work. Here's a picture of one of his milder moments this morning.

Non-diet food: I made some kolaches to take to work today. One could find sausage kolaches in nearly every donut shop in north Texas, but no one locally has heard of them. Just as well, since it's cheaper to make them. This last batch is fresh from the oven, but a couple mysteriously vaporized as soon as this picture was snapped!

Eckrich breakfast links rolled in Pillsbury Grands biscuits (biscuits were separated in half horizontally before rolling).

We're supposed to be in for "the biggest snowstorm of the season" today and tomorrow, but it hasn't started yet. Are the weather people in your area incite-ful alarmists too? By listening to them, you'd never know this is a northern climate with four seasons.

The good news is... I finally found the cord to my new camera! It looks just like one of my computer cords, so it was right under my nose the whole time.

Happy Thanksgiving/Christmas/NewYear!

2010-01-26T05:20:00.000-05:00

I really am still alive. I just haven't been in the quilting mood for so, so long. Well, I haven't been in the mood to make anything... but I still think about quilting nearly every day all day.

During my little unintended hiatus from blogging I did manage to finish a couple of string quilts, bind several JSS quilts, start only one new quilt, organize all the pictures and free patterns stored on my computer, clean and organize my sewing/storage room, make some QAYG blocks, and work on cutting 'kits' for some long-term scrap projects. Seems like boring, un-blogworthy shtuff. Plus the usual day-to-day work, family, dog, exercise, and choke over the cost of medical treatment. If I could find my camera cord, I'd share it all with you!

And I'd share a picture of the puny little snow we got last night, but go check out Jeanne's California pics instead... amazing!

Sheila
P.S. It seems blogger has changed a bit; I may have to retrain myself!

Knock, knock...

2009-11-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

... is anyone home?

I'm here. Just hadn't been feeling that great and ended up in the big white house again for a few days last week after some trouble breathing. After an oxymoronic "minor" invasive procedure ("It's done hundreds of times a day." "Well, not to me it's not!"), I'm home and feeling better than I have in months. I can live with nothing but D5W to eat, but they really need to work on that letting the patient sleep thing.

Some good news was that I'd lost 9 pounds in the month since my last episode. Yeah, it may be fluid loss, but it's still a loss. I've been 99% diligent about what I eat, eating only fresh foods prepared by me and splurging with one meal out on paydays. Not entirely easy when you cook for one, but it has to become a way of life if I want to be around to see those grandkids grow up!

AND! I have a hunky new workout partner and personal trainer. He's the antithesis of my preferred tall, dark & handsome, but a cutie nonetheless. Please meet Oscar:

Sorry for the dark pic, but with the flash on you see nothing but green eyes; he blends into everything! Oscar's a terrier mutt/mix sweetie and comes to me from my daughter-in-law's sister who was here visiting. I was thinking about finding a rescue pup anyhow, so this works out perfectly for me. He'll be 5 years old next month and is so very mellow and a snuggler. He's used to being out in a fenced yard whenever he wants, so it's a bit of an adjustment for him since I have an upper level condo, but he's doing great. We're working on getting him on the P&P schedule that works best for ... ummm... both of us!? Double treats for him when he makes deposits near a dog dropping container instead of after our walk is done and nearer my door.

Hopefully back to some quilting this week... it seems like it's been forever.

Take care,
Sheila

Let's Kick-off November

2009-11-02T09:44:00.042-05:00

Okay, so October was a near total loss in the quilting department and I'm determined to make November better.

No sewing being done. Sadly, no October Schnibbles. Yesterday I summoned the energy to work on cleaning out some UFOs. Joanne wants to practice with new pantos, so these are on their way to her for quilting. I can't wait to see what magic she works on them!

From 2003 -Stars & Moons- This has a really cute backing of a little boy riding a spaceship.

From 2005 - The non-pattern I've only known as "Rainy Day Satisfaction."

From 2007 - another Disappearing 9-Patch. These make such cute kid quilts for donation.

From around 2005 (and my matchy-matchy, scared of scrappy days), I think.

Barbara's Antique pattern by Debbie Caffrey.

*****

Thanks for all the cards, emails and general good vibes regarding my health. You all are the best, and your good thoughts mean the world to me. There are definitely issues but we are going to watch-and-wait for now while trying some non-surgical, non-medicinal interventions first. I'm crying over NO CAFFEINE, though!

*****

Make the most of today!

Sheila

2009-10-25T18:20:00.002-04:00

Although I've never been a prolific blogger, I hope to be back to posting soon. I had a bit of a health scare a couple of weeks ago and have been through the mill with tests and such. I hope to know more this week and get life moving forward again, one way or another.

My younger grandson turned 1 on Friday, and his party and baptism were today. Of course, I went off and left my camera at home, so I have to wait for others to send me pictures to post.

There's definitely no quilting going on, but hopefully soon!

September wasn't a total loss

2009-10-06T23:27:00.008-04:00

September didn't start out too well. My dishwasher went on the fritz. I thought my sewing machine died, but it was just a faulty power strip. My iron died and had to be replaced. Then my sewing machine really did start acting up, just as I was trying to finish and mail some promised quilts.

I managed to get the County Lines quilt to the semi-flimsy stage and just need to add borders and get it quilted.

My challenge quilt for JSS made it to the flimsy stage and was turned in on time, along with backing & binding; it got 2nd place for best use of pink. Now to find time to get to the center and get it quilted and bound.

I got the bindings on couple of Heartstrings quilts and am working my way through the handstitching, then they'll be ready for washing and pictures.

Cricket from the Heartstrings group mentioned needing a couple of quilts for homeless kids, and I certainly have plenty of those ready for completion. I got the binding on this lasagna quilt before my machine gave out. The gifted coin quilt from Megan was already bound and didn't make it to it's intended destination back in April or May, so it was in 'the stack' and ready to go. I added a couple of coordinating purchased blankets because I was told these quilts would be all these girls had and I was concerned they wouldn't be warm enough.

blogger seems to have flipped this on its head

the quilt Megan hated

Onward and upward.... making goals for October.

Take care,

Sheila

September Schnibbles (part deux)

2009-10-05T18:23:00.005-04:00

I have been stalled on this since Saturday, not knowing how I want to finish it.

Not only have I decided to try to work from my stash for the remaining months, but I'm going to make them all at least lap size and donate them. To do that, I think turning it on point gives me more bang for my buck in getting it up to size. At least this month.

I will not admit defeat

2009-10-01T00:03:00.008-04:00

September's child in the Year of Schnibbles

Kinda sorta not finished.

Trying to stay organized

Two blocks done.

My two favorite fabrics in the Mill House Inn line.

Tomorrow's another day.

And I'm challenging myself to work with stash only for the rest of the months.

Star mystery

2009-09-19T09:23:00.011-04:00

Friday was the final class for our advanced mystery at the LQS. Remember the Tucker Trimmer? We'd made a total of 48 stars (I think) along the way and then made 12 more in this class. The twelve small accented (my black) background stars become the center of an even bigger star, then the medium and other small stars surround it to make a 17" finished block. Here is one of mine. In hindsight, I would not have tried to use all those different yellows, but I think it will look fine when it's done and quilted. Crossing fingers.

Something's wrong with my sewing machine; it won't turn on (which doesn't bode well for my wallet). So procrastinator me wasn't able to finish up the homework, but I decided to go to the class anyhow to see how it was put together. As it turned out I was able to borrow a machine there, but in addition to being behind because the homework wasn't done, I had issues with 1/4" on that machine. So, I still have eleven more of these babies to make.

Anyhow, this is how the instructor's quilt turned out. She was jumping out of her shoes to be to a point to show us this. My picture doesn't do it justice; her gold accents just sparkled. This whopper turned out at 93x110 I think she said. None of us had intended to make the larger version, but after seeing it put together we all decided we just might have to. I've since decided to split my blocks into two lap-size quilts with six blocks each and then a similar border.

The pattern is Rangeley Stars by Deb Tucker/Studio 180. Here's her gallery of other versions of this quilt.

All in all, a fun time with good people!

My challenge quilt

2009-09-15T10:44:00.003-04:00

James Stitching Sisters has a challenge once or twice a year. The one that ended Sunday involved taking a bolt of fabric to use in a backing, then make a quilt top to go with. The bolt fabric had to appear in any amount on the front. Part of what I also remembered was, do not bring the bolt back to the Center; if there's some left, cut it up to use in other JSS quilts, make more backings, etc... you get the picture. Just don't bring it back.

Of course, I took the prettiest bolt of those I could choose from. It just happened to be a nearly-full bolt, and I now have about 10 yards left. With a couple of more backings and bindings and a scrappy quilt or two added in, I should be able to finish this up sometime in the next decade. ha!

So, here is the challenge quilt I delivered Sunday, the deadline. (I love deadlines!) I hadn't planned to use that much of the challenge fabric on the front, but I sort of peter'd out on the design end here and just slapped on the borders after weeks of staring at it and trying to decide what I wanted to do. Part of my problem was in using those particular pinks & reds, which were in limited supply in the stash. I wasn't about to tear apart the blocks I had made in order to make it more scrappy.

another crappy pic from my LR floor

The quilt pattern is Winner's Bouquet by Terry Atkinson. It really was quite easy to put together--gentle curves and a couple of remembered tips from other bloggers helped me immensely along the way. In my 10 years of quilting, this is the first time I've used templates, but Carrie's tape idea worked so well on the templates I put it on all my rulers too! And Wanda's tip about stitching the end of the curve first was a lifesaver. I did stitch mine the opposite/ crosswise direction from the stitching line because at the time I remembered the process but not the specifics. It worked great. Thanks ladies!

We'll have a little banquet next week where all the challenge quilts are revealed, so I hope to have pics from that.

Have you heard...

2009-09-15T09:17:00.003-04:00

of Karen's Tool Time Tuesday? I've been following her blog/these posts for several months and I'm always amazed at what she comes up with. Very creative! One of my favorites is recycling the TimBits box.

2009-09-05T10:23:00.008-04:00

I haven't been to a quilt show in years, so I made a list of those coming up this Fall in Ohio or nearby and hope to make it to several. Yesterday afternoon I decided to get my lazy butt out the door before the weekend traffic kicked in and drove to a little town south of Columbus for the Circleville Quilt Show. The show was nice, if small, with quite a few hand-quilted quilts. Some of my favorites are shown here, but it was hard to get good pictures in such small spaces and less-than-optimal lighting.

This navy and dark red kaleidoscope quilt was by their featured Master Quilter, Katie Schneider, and one of my favorites. It would have been my viewer's choice if it had been eligible.

Because I don't have enough UFOs or ideas, I picked up this Amazing Nickel Quilts book while I saw it and was offered a 'show special' of 20% off. I wasn't even aware there was a third book until recently. And since *someone* signed up to participate in A Year of Schnibbles, those patterns made it home too. Of course, neither are what I need this month, but I hope they're in the queue.

Last but not least, I didn't know she was going to be there but had the good fortune of meeting Debra at the show. She was manning the booth for an LQS and is just as sweet in person as in email. She does beautiful redwork too and gave me a few good pointers.

When we're not at cookouts, I plan to spend the rest of the weekend quilting--a couple more blocks and then borders for the Winner's Bouquet; more blocks for the mystery quilt; and some diamond blocks for Heartstrings. I best get a move on.

Take care, and have a safe weekend~

Sheila

Off the Beaten Path

2009-08-25T12:30:00.004-04:00

These are a few of my daily or weekly favorites.

The Daily Motivator -- I've been reading messages on this site since 1998 or 1999, and they are archived and searchable from 1995.

Notes from the Universe -- Along the lines of a saying I heard many years ago: "What you think, you are." I found these books at the library initially.

Indexed -- Jessica Hagy is an Ohio native who condenses the -isms of life to index cards. If you look around a bit, you're sure to find something that makes you laugh out loud or say "ain't that the truth!"

PostSecret -- Anonymous homemade postcards, sometimes graphic, showing the secrets that people harbor. Postcards change weekly on Sunday.

What web sites that make you think about life in different ways?

2009-08-24T09:21:00.016-04:00

Binding is the sum total of my quilty pursuits this past week. I can’t even claim to have made these.

A couple of years ago I read online about a local group, the James Stitching Sisters, that has a sewing center near my home as well as sit-n-stitch groups at several LQS. The Sisters group makes quilts for local breast cancer patients going through chemo and has a really neat setup in donated space with everything needed to make quilts. It’s seriously like a mini quilt shop… bolts and bolts of fabric, thread, patterns, sewing machines, cutting areas, and two HQ16s for quilting. I’m really shy and hate to walk into groups where I don’t know anyone, but I couldn’t be more glad I took the plunge and finally met this group a few months back. I’ve met different women each time, and they are all uniquely skilled and a lot of fun to be around.

As with most donation quilting, there are quilts in various stages of completion. The cute TATW variation made with rectangles was already quilted so I brought it home to bind. The pattern for the quilt below is, I believe, in Evelyn Sloppy’s 40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts. I quilted it there and brought it home for binding also; one side left to go.

Of course, I needed something to get me through all that binding, so I rented a few movies. Each was good in its own way. Gran Torino was my favorite of the three. Stepbrothers was funny, but not for the prudish faint-of-heart! Revolutionary Road left me wondering.

*****

In other news last week, someone turned 30!!! My gosh, I am definitely not old enough to have a child that age. This 5-generation picture was taken 30 years ago at my cousin’s wedding shower when Chris was just three months old. (ETA: not sure what's happening with this picture; I guess I'll try to post it later.)

Have a quilty week!

Sheila

Worst blogger award

2009-08-17T08:14:00.012-04:00

Yeah, well. I'm the worst blogger in the world. It is what it is. But I have been busy.

Last weekend the kids went out of town for a little R&R before school starts up and to celebrate the sale of a portion of their company. GMan stayed with me and O.P. went down the road to the other grandparents. We are really fortunate to all live within a few miles of each other and I have never once regretted moving back from Texas to be near this one. In addition to a little fun at the big scary mouse house, we played badminton inside and had endless hours of trains, watching movies, and peeling tons of apples to make applesauce. G was thrilled that the owner beneath me was out of town too, which meant he could run and jump without me trying to keep the rambunctiousness of a 3 y/o in check.

This was a little gift/blog win from Joanne, who moved this past week from Indiana to New Hampshire. Really cute stuff, but I'll have to let those fabrics age a bit while I decide on a pattern. Thank you, Joanne, and let me know when your machine is up and running again!

Yesterday was a PIGS day at the LQS... lots of fun, people, and food. What more could ya ask for? I knew no one but the owner, so I didn't spend as much time gabbing as others, but still felt like I didn't accomplish much. Then the power went out with an hour left to our day, so we all had to pack it in.

One of the things I worked on was this County Lines project that I bought a couple of years ago. This will most likely be a charity quilt.

Friday was the 2nd class of our Mystery and we are now making these 5-inch blocks -- twelve with the accent as the background and another 24 with the usual background. Slooooow going; here are eight done with the black/accent background shown with the 12 blocks we made from the first class. Friday's class was short and I only got one made then, and another seven yesterday. Thankfully the next class is a month away, with 28 blocks to go. I did come to appreciate the Tucker Trimmer though. It will be interesting to see how this all comes together. That stuff on the right in the picture below is the S&W I had to pull out of the way.

Here are two UFOs I took that I didn't get around to working on. The blocks in the top are pair sets for disappearing 9-patch which, when it all came together, I lost interest in when I didn't care for my choice of background. The fabric on the bottom is a Lasagna quilt that just needs the rows sewn together and decide on a border. These will both be Project Linus quilts.

More stuff I took and didn't work on!

I'm still enjoying my fruit every week, although it's starting to pile up! Yellow Shiro plums and apricots and apples out the wazoo right now, and no time to do anything with them. This fresh-from-the-oven pic was a Plum Torte I made for a birthday celebration at work last week. I figured something that (urban?) legend says gets printed in the New York Times for 20 straight years might be tasty. I threw in the blueberries so it would have a little color, and they provided a little more sweetness thankfully, as the Shiro plums were amazingly tart when cooked (tart skin, sweet flesh).

What are your favorite apricot or plum or apple recipes?

Until next time,

Sheila

Creating more WIPs

2009-07-26T04:20:00.011-04:00

My favorite LQS was having buy two get one free special on classes this summer, so I signed myself up for a little quilting camaraderie that I miss so much from my days in Texas.

Friday was day 1 of 3 for the 'Advanced Mystery' and this is the result of this portion of the class. I would have had another block but screwed up cutting it. I'm assured my mistake will be put to use later in the quilt. I need to make nine more this size and then cut more fabric for the next session.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a total mystery to me. If it's "highly recommended" that you have two tools for a mystery class, you investigate the tools, don't you?? One of them was this Tucker Trimmer...

which is basically a half- and quarter-square triangle block trimmer. The black dot and solid lines at the top end of the ruler indicate trimming for whole-inch sizes; when flipped around to the half dot side, the dotted lines indicate trimming for half-inch sizes. Below shows a QST made from two HST, which was then trimmed to 4". Line up the crosswise center seam on the solid line marked 4, and trim two sides. Flip the block around, line it up and trim again.

At $13.50, I don't make enough QSTs to justify this, but at least I didn't buy the Magic Wand. I already have a Quick Quarter for that, even if I don't know where it is.

This pretty thing is the result of Saturday's class using Terry Atkinson's Winner's Bouquet pattern. This will be a lapsize quilt when done.

The background fabric (light blue floral) for this is my challenge fabric for a project due Labor Day weekend and the fuchsias and pinks were from the stash.

Here is all the fabric left from cutting blocks for the Winner's Bouquet. I only cut enough for 16 blocks to begin with, and I'm not sure how many blocks the other lady cut for. She was going to throw all those batik leftovers in the trash, but I convinced her I would put them to work in Heartstrings quilts. I think this is what I like least about cutting with templates.

What I've been reading: David Baldacci's First Family: an excellent page-turner featuring Sean & Michelle, the former Secret Service agents from his previous novels.

I slept from 6-11pm last night and have been up since... so I'm off to breakfast with the boys and then a nap!

Until next time,

Sheila

2009-07-13T10:05:00.002-04:00

I missed the ferry on the "first quilt" thingy going around. Just as well, since my first ever quilt attempt is still in pieces. In a container. In storage in Texas. It was The Rambler pattern with muslin and a green floral from the big box fabric store. No directions, just something I'd seen at a show. I'd always sewn clothes since I was 10 or so, but knew nothing about quilting angles and triangles. Very humbling, and someday it will be finished.

My second quilt was an I Spy for my then-significant other's daughter, and I'll have to ask for a picture of it. Snowballs with a schoolbus border. Lots and lots of snowball blocks. At the time, I swore I would never make another snowball as long as I quilted.

So, here is the 3rd started/2nd finished quilt I made the year I began quilting (1999). Little flange and all. I need to photograph this outdoors to get the true colors.

It was for my Grandfather for Christmas in 1999, and it lives with me now. It was from the book Four Blocks Say More, which I believe is out of print.

Several years ago I started another that will eventually go to QOV:

Take care,

Sheila

2009-07-13T08:05:00.006-04:00

I had a novel idea yesterday. Turn off the computer and work on quilts. I ~~feel like~~ know I spend a lot of time on the computer, and one great blog or news article often leads to another and another... Or I'll sit down to check my bank balance or the status of an order and manage to get sidetracked before I even make it to where I was headed (much like this post, eh?).

I had several quilts in mind to work on yesterday, but only worked on this one and, other than a nap, worked on it the whole day. I ran into or created all kinds of issues when putting this together . It's in rows now; a little further along than the picture. Thought about making five more blocks to make it a bit longer, but we'll see (this is actually a sideways view).

And for your enjoyment, here's me making deals with myself all weekend to get to this point:

Friday Me: I want to call in sick and stay home and quilt.

My Conscience: Another unpaid day? After an unpaid holiday and another day off watching GMan while O.P. had surgery? Not today.

Saturday Me: I want to quilt.

My Conscience: Noooooo... The house is a mess. If you clean first, then you can quilt. And while you're at it, the fridge is empty and we are out of silly little stuff like TP & body wash & shampoo.

Sunday Me: I want to cut out a new hexagon quilt.

My Conscience: Noooooooo! You already have that Stack 'n' Whack from umpteen years ago that you haven't finished; when you finish that, you can cut out a new quilt.

Sunday evening Me: I want to work on my other sock.

My Conscience: NO! You can get the binding done on all those quilts over there long before you'll finish that sock.

Food for thought

2009-07-06T09:34:00.005-04:00

When I say FTC, do you think of bloggers? The original article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j6DZ0gpsCSwquntzof4FR4yfqYXwD98V7B880

And some interesting thoughts in the comment section of this post:

http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2009/07/the-federal-trade-commission-is-keeping-an-eye-on-blogger-freebies.html

We all know of blogs whose pages are filled with product/site icons & advertisements. Should they be required to state whether or not they are compensated for the products they endorse (and freebies are compensation), whether or not there is a prominent advertisement on their site? If there is compensation involved, do you question the objectivity of the endorsement?

And along the same lines, are you as suspicious as me of blogs where you are forced to read a post outside of a blog reader? Do you find that more often than not those blogs have lots of advertising? I always wonder who is tracking what about my visit there.

Thursday is fruit day

2009-07-02T21:11:00.005-04:00

Week 1 leftovers

Last summer was my first experience with shopping a farmers' market for fruits, veggies, meats, cheese, honey, and all sorts of other great organic food. I was in heaven. I bought all kinds of produce I'd never tried and had blast. Although my mother was not an adventurous cook, it very much reminded me of my childhood when we shopped at farm stands throughout the summer and bought our eggs from a farm early every Sunday morning before church. They had an egg refrigerator on the back porch and a little bowl for the money; it was a small town honor system.

One of the things I wanted to try this year was making jams/jellies and salsa. I asked for and received a canning set for Christmas, and committed to a 20-week fruit CSA for this summer. I signed up for a 4-person share so that I would have enough to preserve and some for me and the kids to enjoy through the week. For three weeks we received strawberries, and boy were they delicious.

The first week I followed one of the recipes for strawberry jam in the the Ball Blue Book "bible" and added 7 cups!! of sugar to two quarts of strawberries. The thought of eight 8-oz jars of jam with 7 cups of sugar divided among them made my pancreas squirm, but I did it anyhow. If nothing else, it was a good reference point for future sessions. I have a few jars left from the first batches (it's like your first quilt, you know?), but gave the rest away to the kids and my daughter-in-law's parents & sister.

I researched and found a different type of pectin that doesn't rely on sugar to gel. I bought it at Whole Foods Market, where it was about $2 less than the manufacturer if you can believe that. Each box makes 2-4 batches of jam or jelly, so it ends up being less expensive than the common varieties of pectin. And I'm much happier with the results (2 cups sugar v. 7 cups).

This week we received three different types of cherries, but I have no clue what types. Does anyone have good tips for distinguishing cherries? I'll make a pie for the weekend, and Susan told me I must try her Cherry Bounce recipe. I've never heard of it, but it sounds interesting.

Cherry Bounce

2 cups whole, unpitted sour cherries, gently washed

1/3 cup sugar

peel of one lemon

3 cups bourbon

Put the cherries in a quart jar. Add sugar and lemon peel, then fill with bourbon. Set in sun for at least two weeks, then store in a dark cupboard for two months or longer. Strain/filter to drink in small shot-type glasses, or repackage for great holiday gifts.

The process sounds a lot like limoncello and all I can think of is me imitating Carly Simon singing Anticipation.

Take care,

Sheila

The pursuit of hand-knit sock happiness

2009-07-02T00:08:00.005-04:00

I first started knitting socks about two years ago. I'm not good at it, easily frustrated by it, and certainly not fast. But it's entertaining on those nights where I just 'have' to watch TV or when it's too warm to hold a quilt for binding.

Several weeks ago I finished these socks. They are very thick; way too thick for my taste to wear in shoes, so maybe house socks in winter or to wear in boots. As soon as those socks were done, I couldn't wait to start another pair. In fact, I wouldn't let myself start another pair until I'd finished them.

I've struggled with understanding short-row heels and have several sets of directions to try in the pursuit of happiness. Tried a heel and it came out perfectly (I was in love!) but the sock was too short and the heel too shallow. Knit, rip back. Knit, rip back. Knit, rip back. I wasn't willing to waste all my time finishing a sock that wouldn't be worn, so I perservered. I honestly ripped this sock out probably six times (from the heel to the arch) before I had something that fit and something I was happy with. Not only that, I finally understood what was going on with sock shaping! You are seeing it now it its half-a-sock glory because it's taken me 6 weeks to get this far and I don't see a 'pair' anytime in the near future. [Although 'near' is relative... can you believe it's July already? In 2009?]

Do you remember that I once said I was a tight knitter? My gauge on this is ~12spi and 13rpi on #0; that's a whole lot of knitting to do over and over on a 10.25" foot. But I don't want a sock that my foot is going to be sliding around in or one that the light shines through. The cramps in my hands tell me I may have to relax those specs a little if I want to continue knitting socks, but for now it is what it is.

And can I just say that all that ripping is a testament to this yarn (ONline Supersocke; thank you, Miss Howdy for the recommendation); for the number of times it has been ripped and re-knit, it doesn't look one bit different than it did when first pulled from the skein. I know it will wear like iron. And yes, I know it's not a particularly attractive color scheme (cough), but it was ~~cheap~~ on sale and expensive plain yarn would not have been nearly as entertaining to practice with.

Can you stand another binding tip?

2009-07-01T23:11:00.007-04:00

The other day Carrie posted about her method for binding and Mary asked about our favorite tips, so I thought I’d combine the two.

I start with 2.5” strips and lay them in a single layer, right side up. However many layers you feel comfortable cutting is good; I have four strips here.

Since this is a plain pink fabric, I marked the right side with chalk so I wouldn’t get them flip-flopped while sewing.

Next I take my Easy Angle and position the flat-tipped end near the selvage and lop off the fabric through all the layers.

After the first ends are cut, grab all (four) layers at the other end of the strips (selvages again) and line them up… single layers, right sides up… and make the exact same cut. That bulge? I only line up as much fabric as is needed to fit under the Easy Angle; I don’t worry about the rest of the length. Repeat with the rest of your strips.

This is how two strips line up for sewing (but of course you turn it 45deg). Those flat-tipped edges make a nice little ¼” margin and it doesn’t take much time to feed through all the strips by chain-piecing.

I love my Easy Angle!! I will admit it took me a couple of years to figure out how to use it correctly, but once I did it’s been my tool of choice for everything from HSTs to those nasty little corner connectors to binding. All the cutting is done beforehand, so there are no rabbit ears to worry about or guessing about where ¼” is when lining up opposing angles.

Here I'm ready to clip the threads & press in half. I don’t bother with pressing open the seams until I get to each one.

One other tip. You know that ugly mess of slithering binding when you’re done pressing? I roll up the pressed binding around my outstretched hand and toss it on a flashlight (or something sturdy that won’t tip as it’s unraveled), set it beside my sewing machine and take off with applying it. I took this picture before it was fixed, but I feel the binding doesn’t get tangled as much when applying to the quilt if the raw edges are facing upward. Make the center hole big enough that the binding will just unroll from the flashlight as you apply it. Otherwise you spend all your time picking up the flashlight.

This picture shows the beginning and end of the binding; they’ve been measured, trimmed and I’m ready to sew these two ends together before the final stitches to the quilt. Since this final seam is so awkward, I use pins to keep it lined up.

I hope you enjoy these little tips. I’ve been doing my bindings this way for years and, to me, it saves so much time. After the binding strips are cut, it probably takes less than ½ hour to trim, sew, and press the strips and apply the binding.

Back tomorrow with more of the sweet stuff that's been filling my days.

Take care,

Sheila

Snippets of life

2009-05-14T08:58:00.010-04:00

Life is chugging along... working and Nana-ing. with a little quilting and knitting thrown in.

I managed to finish the socks I was working on and I'll have to remember to get a picture of them. They're much to warm to wear now, but they'll be perfect in the winter. I ordered a bunch of sock yarn that was on sale so I could practice, practice, practice making heels with inexpensive yarn instead of all the horrible heels I made with pricey yarn.

I've been neglectful about publicly acknowledging some great wins I got in the mail. First was Megan's give-away quilt that only needed binding. I'm still amazed that she put so much work into this and didn't like it. Our Project Linus Make-a-Blanket day is this Sunday, so this will be one of the quilts I part with then. It will be really bright, adorable and hope-inspiring for some little girl who needs a hug.

The other great gift was from an Earth Day giveaway by Cheryl over at Ponderings. They are faux paper towels, and I can't get a good picture of these to save my soul. Let me tell you, these are so practical and I find myself using them all the time now. Making more using her directions is on my agenda for the weekend too.

As much as I wish this next one were my little secret, I'll share. I'm nice like that. I found this great new book at the quilt shop a couple of weeks ago. It was the only one left and I paid full price. LOL So unlike me, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to find it online, and with my luck it wouldn't be in the shop when I got back. Let me tell you it is worth every penny. It's geared toward 2.5" strips, but also gives directions for using scraps or fat quarters. This has been my night-time read ever since I bought it. Visit Kim!

Quilts to show soon... I've been binding, binding, binding. And even some machine quilting!

More later... I have to be to work in 15 minutes and haven't even been in the shower yet!

Take care,

Sheila

An Earworm for your Friday

2009-04-24T12:51:00.002-04:00

Ahhh memories. Where were you in '77?

MTB

Smile Makers

2009-04-22T07:41:00.001-04:00

Monday evening view from the 'penthouse.'

***

Now if I could only figure out which birds call in the dark of morning.

ooooh I won something!

2009-04-19T10:48:00.004-04:00

Well, heck... if I'm not going to have anything blog-worthy of my own, I guess the next best thing is to win something! Megan offered up this adorable quilt in a contest, so I put my two cents in and she announced today that I won. I'm so excited!! I'll be donating the quilt to the charity of her choice or to one locally here.

My local Project Linus group is a wealth of information with regard to local charities, so I was pleased to learn through them of a teen center at our Children's Hospital and also of a Homeless Families Foundation. I like that the HFF strives to house families together in apartment-like residences while helping them get back on their feet. Both of these places are perfect for larger size quilts.

By the way, I learned of Megan's quilt give-away through Joanne's blog. If you remember Joanne's quilty stimulus package offer (NOTE: the stimulus offer is now closed; the link is for reference only!), my number came up so I sent this quilt top to her last weekend.

I am hoping to get it back in time (and bound and re-mailed!) for an April 25th deadline. I'll be excited to count something toward yardage used with this backing, another backing, and bindings for three quilts.

Other than a few kiddie charity tops ready to quilt, not much else is going on around here. I'm still working long hours, spending all the free time I can with the grandsons, and decompressing with a little knitting in the evenings. We did have some fun on Easter... while hunting eggs in the yard, we all turned around and there were three ducks standing there. Truly serendipitous, and GMan was beside himself over it.

I guess I could count getting GMan to poop on the pot as my most memorable goal attained last week! It turned a switch in his little brain and he's been accident free since a week ago Friday. I wish everyone could be so easily ~~bribed~~ encouraged with stickers.

I've been reading too. No matter how tired I am, I can't fall asleep without reading. Currently on the nightstand is A Single Thread (Bostwick) which I'm enjoying immensely. I recently finished The Friday Night Knitting Club (Jacobs), which I liked (oooh... a movie in 2010 with Julia Roberts!) (as the mother??? LOL) and Comfort Food (also Jacobs), which I didn't care for. She has another one out, Knit Two, which is next on my list. [for some reason my tinyurl's aren't working for me... I hope they do for you!]

Until next time (which likely will not be today, tomorrow, or 40+ times in a week...), take care.

Sheila

2009-04-04T12:09:00.003-04:00

Many months ago when I first found Quilting Gallery, I added to Google Reader several blogs of those who live near(er) me. One of those was Joan in Cincinnati's Quilting on a Budget. You can find all manner of interesting quilting tidbits and sales on her blog.

I received the last of the ordered yellow Kona cottons today from Hancocks, and I'm more sure than ever that I'm going the wrong direction. I've been collecting teal/purple combos for years with the sole intention of making a Hunter's Star quilt. I have no deadline to make it (it's for me), but every once in a while I get an itch to find the perfect 'other' color to use with those. Maybe I'll try some greens next.

Grant spent the night with Nana so we rented some videos and got BOGO blizzards from DQ with a birthday coupon (mine was Oreo CheeseQuake! yummy), ordered some pizza, and enjoyed each other's company by playing with trains and Lincoln Logs while watching Horton Hears a Who. Today we met up with his mommy, daddy & little brother for a pancake breakfast the local Kiwanis group was hosting. [That wasn't a very healthy eating period for me!]

I've had a few 4-hours-of-sleep nights this week, then an insomniac grandson, so I think I'll take a nap then watch a movie and possibly stitch down binding and/or make headway on the never-ending socks.

Take care,

Sheila

The cold wind blows

2009-03-30T06:22:00.004-04:00

The temp reads 34 right now. It seems like we haven't seen that temp for a long time, but when I look at the weather calendar it was just last week. I won't complain that we don't have ice or snow, though.

I spent nearly the whole weekend running errands I've been putting off, but at least they are out of the way. I thought I was going to get a 4-day weekend, but one of my co-workers has landed in the hospital, so I will have to go in today after all.

I managed to sneak in a little sewing time yesterday. This is a partial picture of a D9P started in January that was to the block stage then and to a half-flimsy stage last week. I was trying for an 'old world' look here, but that green is a little brighter in the top than it looked as yardage. Both the green and the burgundy were directional, which I didn't notice when I was cutting my strips or I would have cut it differently. It's 57x69ish now and I have enough blocks to add a row, but I may use them on the back and donate this to the local women's cancer group.

The first d9p I ever saw was done in three fabrics, and that's the way I've always done mine, with strip-piecing. With 4.5" cut strips sewn red-light-red and light-red-light (then the same with green sets) you can get 9 pieces from each strip. Sew together into 9-patches and then chop them up. You have to play around with the blocks to decide which color you want going which direction, and then be careful to sew them together correctly. I originally intended for the large red blocks to start in the corner, but obviously sewed the wrong side. And I wasn't going to unsew them all. I did have to unsew one row, which is why it stalled last weekend.

I have somehow managed to add 21.25 yards to the stash this month alone, and that's my yearly total too. This top brought my usage total to 8.5 yards for the year. I'll see if I can't piece the back tonight and enhance that number.

{Wow... I see blogger has made some changes and pictures show up as pictures in the compose stage! Or maybe I just wasn't doing it correctly before.}

Have a great week,

Sheila

There WAS an offer for inexpensive quilting...

2009-03-20T18:53:00.002-04:00

... but by the time I read about it all the spaces were filled. Anyhow, part of the deal was paying on time, and times and people being how they are, I threw my hat in the ring anyways. Something may just open up! You can read about it here.

******

Happy Spring! My daylilies are already popping through, and I'm hoping the hostas made it.

Sheila

2009-03-17T05:04:00.011-04:00

Dropping by to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Obviously my blogging has been nonexistent, which ~~probably~~ means my quilting has as well. I'm not sure where the funk comes from, but I know it will pass.

I did manage to augment the stash a wee bit when Knots and Bolts had their last sale (and now they are having another... check it out).

And in my ongoing quest to find *the* perfect yellow (or yellow/orange combo) to complement my teals for a planned quilt, I got these fabrics as well. They tend toward gold or cream, though (which is no reflection on the shop). I think I need to buy something that looks outrageously yellow online and maybe it will be the subdued but clear color I want. The good thing is someday I will have a beautiful yellow-toned quilt from all the try-outs! (and yes, this picture is dark, but the flash was washing it out even more. And yes, that is not a yellow at the back.)

I also picked up these magazines cheap, online.

And this stuff not-so-cheap at a third shop.

[I was going to alert you all to a blog that scours the web looking for quilty sales, but they seem to be down for renovation just now. So...]

Here's a link to a quilt that I donated to Carole when she first got her longarm. It was the perfect match of me with too many UFO's with no destination and someone who could practice her quilting, with the understanding it would be donated to charity. She did a fantastic job. The pattern was a Debbie Caffrey mystery from a workshop through the Plano guild many, many years ago... 2000?? And I was glad Carole posted the picture because it was one of the tops I had no picture of. Thanks again, Carole!

And last but not least, I was looking for pictures of the Dallas Quilt Show and came across this quilter in training. Isn't it adorable???

I am off to find my mojo. Have a lucky day!

Sheilagh

Not much action here

2009-02-23T07:00:00.010-05:00

Part of the problem with blogging is that you really have to have something to say, eh? Or better yet, something to show. Work has been busy and full of drama, so I pretty much collapse at night after eating a too-late dinner. In no particular order, I have managed to:

• make it to both Kinko's and the post office to mail Linda J. some patterns I promised her too long ago
• say goodbye forever to Uncle Sam’s harassment about my 2007 taxes
• wonder how someone who makes so little can owe so much
• update my résumé
• and again, since no one needs a two-page résumé
• apply for a new job
• mourn the loss of youthful energy
• bake a 14-lb ham, just because it was on sale
• wonder why I didn’t have it cut in half
• make some cheesy potatoes to go with
• take some of both to my elderly neighbor
• resist the urge (so far) to drive 1.5 hours to a 50% off fabric sale
• fill online shopping baskets with fabric
• delete said baskets

• pick up my knitting
• admire the fact that I finally made it past the cast-on, toe-up, with circular needles
• realize I knit too tightly

• watch (good movie—wish I’d read the book)

• watch (like some books I read, I think I have to watch the whole thing to find the redeeming value—it took me days and I still didn’t find it)

• order a charm pack to go with this quilt because I got a little carried away with cutting (the kit was a generous give-away by Miss Rosie’s owner) last Fall

• audition backgrounds for these blocks

No fabric in, none out!

I hope you all have a great, productive week.

Sheila

MishMash

2009-02-10T07:43:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post as I'm running late to work. I'm down 0.4# this week which, thankfully, wasn't a gain! I've invested in some rubberband exercise thingys for those days when we're covered in ice or snow, and some Biggest Loser DVDs. The thing that amazed me most about my Daily Plate this week is that, even though I never add salt to my food, my sodium content is almost consistently 75% higher than it should be.

No fabric in or out last week... another good thing, because I sure was tempted by some sales I saw online. And I heard about one at a quilt shop in this state where everything is 50% off in February. Friday = Payday = Road Trip!

Here's my older grandson's big-boy-bed quilt. My nemesis I should say. I wasn't thrilled with making him a rag quilt to begin with, but I did it because that's what his mother wanted... and to fit a long twin bed with a 9"-deep mattress. I slogged my way through this monster, and they thought it was way too big so, if I could, cut it down to make a smaller quilt for his bed and a carry-along or two from the rest. Of course, with all that batting already stitched inside it was a mess--either continue to rag it and pull the batting from the edges, or bind it. Finally, I decided to bind it. THEM. This is the bed-sized one, and he got a carry along a few weeks back. UGH. But a done ugh, nonetheless. I still have a 3-block by 7-block piece left that I'll turn into a stuffed animals quilt for his bed, but not for awhile.

MissMad's Cobblestone quilt

2009-02-06T08:25:00.001-05:00

The cobblestone pattern is my go-to (read: lack of imagination) quilt. Here's one I made for MissMad's 1st birthday last April. Unfortunately, she only got the top at that time. The quilt was finished and bound in July... but there were some boo-boos in my quilting (HQ rental). By then I was deep in the throes of GMan's big-boy quilt, so MissMad's got set aside. Well, she finally got the quilt last week. I was trying for the old-fashioned look and, while I love the quilt, it's a little *old* looking for a little girl. I think I'll try something brighter for her 2nd birthday... and a finished quilt this time.

The top was made from one jelly roll--Moda Daydreams line, I think--and it measures 48x60. The back is a soothing lite aqua stripe, and I thought the striped binding incorporated all the colors of the quilt. Although I didn't really care for the binding when it was done, there was no way I was taking it off.

Off to meet the accountant at work, and back home to quilt shortly... I hope!

Take care,
Sheila

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T07:35:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy week on the work front. The boss has been on vacation and we've had another person quit, so everything tends to just get backed up while I put out fires. I feel as though we're always working in crisis mode.

Nothing new on the quilting front; nothing in, nothing out. I'm still attaching bindings that I cut two weeks ago. Did you know I'm a very slow binder? Very. I did get a long overdue quilt delivered, but all the fabric was accounted for in May '08. I forgot to get a finished picture of it, too, so I hope my son was able to do so.

Nothing new on the weight loss front; at least I'm holding steady. Thank goodness for my OXO Salad Spinner, a variety of organic lettuce and tomatoes, and a rotisserie chicken from Sam's. I can eat lunch all week for about $10.

What have I been, doing. Hmmm. We got an inch or so of ice and several inches of snow earlier in the week, so going anywhere but work has been hit or miss. There are very few times it's a necessity to go anywhere when it takes an hour to dig the car out! I had to borrow a neighbor's ice scraper to break into my car that first day; now I carry one with me. Thankfully I only live 4 miles from work.

I've been sewing down binding at night, so I watched a movie my son raved about -Into the Wild- one night and Boz Scaggs Greatest Hits Live dvd on another. Friday I watched the kids, which wore me out! Yesterday was a Grantman-n-Nana day at Chuck E. Cheese's which was an interesting experience because he was a bit afraid to try most of the stuff. It's changed a lot; age 2.5 is probably a little young and he'll enjoy it more when he's older. But we'll always have the memories.

Yesterday was also a beautiful, sunny, 40+degree day and I think we all needed that. It reminded me that seasonal affective disorder is very real, and I need to make the effort to get outside for something other than getting to and from my car to go to work!

Life is like Groundhog Day, ya know? I've come to adopt this as my personal metaphor. Every single, stinkin' day you get the chance to do it all over again and try to get it right. Whatever 'it' is for you. Whatever 'right' is for you. Stashbusting. Weight loss. Job search. Letting go of the past. Taking another step in the direction of your dreams. Anything and everything, do it again and again until it's right for you.

Happy Groundhog Day.

February 1 Stash Report

2009-02-02T07:20:00.000-05:00

Fabric Added: -0- yards
Fabric Added YTD: -0- yards

Fabric Used this Week: -0- yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: -5- yards

Sunday Stash Report

2009-01-25T21:23:00.003-05:00

January 25 Stash Report

Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 3.5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 5 yards

Lots of life drama going on here, but little quilting.

Day of Service & I have HEAT

2009-01-20T06:50:00.003-05:00

What else can a quilter do on a national Day of Service but work on quilts?

Having had no heat for four days and nights brought home in so many ways how what we do matters. Regardless of how many layers of clothes I had to wear, or the number of quilts that kept me warm, I was thankful every day that I had those means of keeping warmer and a home to be shielded from the elements.

We take so much for granted, and one of my Action goals for the year is to find something to be grateful for in every negative situation. That does not include "adding the word positive to a negative sentence," like my co-worker Mary says when I tell her to be positive. LOL

Although I had to work most of the day, then scooted out early to meet the furnace repairman. I finished the binding on one quilt while watching TV in the evening and then moved on to creating more red-centered blocks to supplement those previously sent for assembly into Heartstrings quilts.

Tonight is a CPR class after work and then home to bake an apple pie for the boss's birthday lunch tomorrow.

Monday Weigh-in

2009-01-19T06:18:00.001-05:00

This week: -1.8
YTD: -1.8

Not my goal for the week, but I'll take it after the week I've had.

Sunday Stash Report (on Monday)

2009-01-19T05:55:00.004-05:00

January 18 Stash Report

Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 1.5 yards

Bindings are the only thing accomplished in quilting this week (again!) But that means I got my sewing machine back. Hallelujah.

My Plate

2009-01-18T15:28:00.004-05:00

I have not officially joined Sharon's weight loss challenge, but I'm playing along in spirit. There will be no 'before' pictures of me. The weight I want to lose is significant at more than 100 pounds, but this is my year for Action, and I believe in myself.

I don't remember how I heard of this a couple of weeks ago, but I signed up for a free tool called The Daily Plate, which is now a part of Live Strong. For me, it is great to track the foods I eat and to easily see at a glance the content of the foods I'm eating and where I stand for the day. It also has a graphing function that allows you to watch the fluctuations in, say, sodium or carb intake for the week. It has thousands of commercial & fast food meals in the database, you can add your foods individually, or you can make your own meals for food you always eat together. My big one for last week was 15-bean soup with ham & cornbread.

I did have a slip-up day yesterday, but today I'm back on track. I really, really need to increase my vegetables from none, don't you think?

Brrrrrrrrrr

2009-01-18T14:53:00.003-05:00

It's been a chilly few days here at Chez Sheila. I woke up 3:30 Friday morning to -13deg temps outside and NO HEAT. Called the landlord's contracted company at 5:30AM and received a return call at 8:45AM. The repairman finally showed up at 4:18PM and within 11 minutes told me my furnace needed a part replaced and the parts shop closed at 4:30. Would he be back on Saturday? No. Not until Monday. No heat for 4 days and nights. I was furious, but now I'm just resigned to the fact.

What does tick me off is that after my Fall inspection in November my landlord was to have been notified that this part needed replaced... badly. Someone dropped the ball, obviously. Either he knew and didn't authorize the repair or he wasn't told. The landlord is also not returning my phone calls or email.

It's amazing how cold it can feel inside with no heat, and despite four layers of clothing. Luckily the kids had a space heater to lend me and brought it over Friday night. It works nicely in a closed room, so I move it from the bedroom to the computer/sewing room as needed and pretty much avoid the large open area of LR/DR/Kitchen. The kids offered to let me use the futon in their basement to sleep, but with no bathroom on that level it just wouldn't work for someone who has URGENT needs 2-3 times a night!

I'm grateful as well that the outside temps have risen... it was 30 when I woke up this morning and it's 20 now. It's been snowing most of the day, but there's not the wind of the past few days. I've chosen to stay in most of these days because it takes so darn long to warm up from the outside, and with no heat it's even worse. At least I have four walls and a roof.

I almost forgot!

2009-01-14T08:06:00.005-05:00

I got the great news yesterday that my sewing machine is done. He actually thought it was unfixable as he's found a pin in a drive shaft has fallen out. He's pretty sure he could not fix it and it would cost $$hundreds to have the manufacturer do so. Sorry... I don't love this machine that much and would rather put $$hundreds to a new one. But then he decided to SuperGlue it! Can you imagine? He claims it works better, smoother, and quieter, has a perfect straight stitch, and will still do freemotion quilting. For now I can live with that, because there is no money in the budget for a new machine... although I'd probably do without groceries or something to make it happen because this past week or so has just been killing me.

Do you have a ‘word’ for 2009?

2009-01-14T07:49:00.002-05:00

I am a huge fan of Christine Kane’s blog, which I’ve been reading since probably Dec07. She shares things learned from her own life about how to resolve internal issues and how to guide our lives with intention.

Each December Christine encourages her readers to choose a word that will guide his/her life through the coming year. I’ve struggled with a word this year… I mean, it’s already January 14^th! I considered Passion… Encouragement... Gratitude… Calmness… Positivity, and a slew of others. But as I considered each one, I felt limited--felt that I hadn’t yet discovered how to incorporate it into some areas of my life, and I didn't want to do this half-way.

Yesterday I finally settled on Action as my word for the year. Action from me for me that will benefit me emotionally, physically, and spiritually AND will allow good things to radiate to others. I firmly believe that if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we cannot give 100% to anything else we do. I've already spent too much of my life thinking about how I want life and not doing anything about it. In 2009 I will act.

More later…. It’s a Brrrrr-y 8deg here this morning and I must ~~get moving~~ Act.

Donation quilts

2009-01-12T09:48:00.001-05:00

These are two of the quilts I managed to get sent out last week. They went to Cricket in MA for her homeless shelter projects.

This rail fence is the one that killed my machine. I tried to do Terry Twist thingys in the blocks. It turned out okay, but after the binding went on (by machine, a first) the ol' Janome died. Hopefully all it needs is a cleaning; I'm still waiting to hear.

This blue-ish quilt is the pattern Tea Party from the book More! Laps from Fats. It was originally for a friend, but after I saw I wasn't going to be able to complete another quilt I'd promised Cricket, I released it. It only needed the binding sewn down on one side. I practiced a meander on this, using the HQ16 rental at a local shop.

Stash Report

2009-01-12T09:36:00.001-05:00

I'm a week behind in getting this set up, but still nothing much to report:

January 11 Stash Report

Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 0.5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 0.5 yards

The sewing machine is out of commission so binding is all I have... and 0.5 yard is stretching the count.

Sticking toes in the water

2009-01-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

Chronicling life from the penthouse.... quilts, grandkids, knitting, reading, & cooking. Okay, so it's only the second story.