Past, Present and Future

Past - Here's a quilt top 5 years in the making (60" x 60"). I finally finished it at Cindy's Up-North Quilt Retreat. Baptist Fans keep calling out to me for the quilting. I don't think I want to hand quilt it though. Not sure how I would go about it on the machine.

Present - Claire is very adamant about not decorating or listening to Holiday music or any other acknowledgment of Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving. This past weekend she admitted that it was just too beautiful to waste the good weather. She decorated the front of the house with lights and bows and garland. The lollipops are a new addition this year.

Future - not very far away now-unless you're 6 years old - then it's forever! This is the "real" Santa at Van Atta's Holiday Open House.  Cubby is hoping for a very Batman Christmas.

Give it Another Go

I haven't done much quilting lately. My quilt room is probably the hottest room in my house. I have central air conditioning but it never seems to really cool off the upstairs. Someday I'll need to invest in better insulation.

I'm also busy taking care of a very busy 5 (he'll tell you 5 and a HALF) year old. The other day I tried to sneak upstairs. Just for yuks I counted... I made it to 19 before both Cubby AND Chloe were at the quilt room door.

 Here is what happens when you try to sew "just one more seam" when it's late at night and you're really too tired.

Next night. OK, that's the way it's supposed to go.

Finally. Here is Terry's finished block. At this rate it would take me HOW LONG? to make enough blocks for a quilt?

Today's rain (finally!) has reminded us that cooler, quilting weather is on the way.

It's been a warm summer (ok 'hot' but you'll never find me complaining about the heat because I really hate being cold) but I'm not ready to give up on summer quite yet.

"Gamma, Gamma. Can I play with your phone?"

The Ayes (i's) Have it

I just finished reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It's a fictional account of Ernest Hemingway's first marriage as told by his wife, Hadley Richardson. It takes into account their time in Paris in the 1920's whe he wrote The Sun Also Rises and all of their real life friends such as Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This was a time after WWI. They were survivors. Celebrating every day as though it were their last. As Cole Porter wrote, "Anything Goes".

This is my "i" quilt (18" x 20"). We each took a vowel. Many ideas came to mind (like ice cream) but I like the graphic quality of the lower case 'i'. I originally thought of solid backgrounds with printed fabric i's but then I came across this great fabric in the stash that I had purchased from Kari (see earlier post) and this is what evolved.

Yesterday, the whole bunch went to Kalamazoo to celebrate my dad's 81st birthday. It was a beautiful day to travel and a fine day for a birthday party complete with corned beef and cabbage, of course!

Tangerine Tuxedo

C'mon and see, see, see, Tennessee Tuxedo... Do you remember the cartoon series Tennessee Tuxedo? From 1963-1966, Tennessee and his friend, Chumley would escape from the zoo for some misadventure. They were always rescued at the last minute by Dr. Stanley Livingston. Don Adams was the voice of Tennessee at the same time he was on Get Smart (1965-1970). I wonder if he ever got his characters mixed up? Very coincidentally, I just read in a magazine that Tennessee Tuxedo is going to be released soon on DVD! I wonder if Cubby would find it funny?

Here is my little quilt "Tangerine Tuxedo" (12"x19"). This is part 2 of a pentaptytch (5-part) art piece. We took a large piece of paper, drew lines and circles the length of the paper and then cut the whole into five pieces. Each piece was interpreted separately by a different quilter. The only commonality was the orange "ribbon" running through all five sections.

I hope to pick up Claire's Dr. Seuss Quilt from the quilter in Howell this week. Can't wait to see how it turned out. Wasn't the weather perfect today? I actually raked a little and cut back some of my grass plants. And I met my new neighbor, Rebecca. All sorts of things happen when we are cocooned inside for the winter!

Purple Shirley!

This is the little quilt I did for Daisy's Paint chip challenge (20" x 20"). I didn't make it to the December meeting so I'm not sure who has seen it. We had to include the four colors on our paint chip and could add one additional color. I chose lime green of course!

The title of the Post come from a neighbor of my mom's. My mother had a sage green living room and chose to recover a pair of side chairs in purple wide wale corduroy. A woman before her time, we all know now that purple and green are au currant. Her neighbor came over to see the newly redecorated room and could only exclaim, "Purple, Shirley!".

For Christmas Chloe got the greatest present since sliced bread. Deer, elk, and moose shed their antlers every spring and some enterprising entrepreneurs are picking them up, cleaning them, sanding them and selling them as dog chews (at a premium price). They do not splinter. However, dogs do like to playfully toss them in the air and my cousin's Rottweiler threw hers through the glass door of an antique china cabinet. Ooops!

Trees Plus...

Played a bit more with the trees this week. I'm caught up now for this installment. I need to get busy on my Sauder entry so I guess that's what I'll focus on this week. 

Here's a couple of the trees added to the barn. I really like the way the hand-dyed fabric makes the barn look weathered.  Couldn't get my sewing machine to blanket stitch so I had to zig zag the star. I used rayon Sulky and a piece of paper toweling underneath as a stabilizer. It's easy to rip off when you are done.

"Purple mountains majesty" and all that...

Here are the pieces pinned on top of another quilt on my design wall. I wanted to try using a light background since I don't do that very often and it's SO popular right now but I kind of like the way it looks with the more intense colors peeking out from between the blocks. Stick with the plan! Still have about 17 more trees to use. 

Forest For The Trees

I certainly don't need to start a new quilt project but I HAVE recently finished two quilts so a new quilt seems in order. I'll work on the other UFO's later...

I've been making trees this weekend. I didn't realize how many batiks I had until I started digging out the greens.  

A couple of weeks ago I got a great deal on Ebay. It was advertised as "20 batik fat quarters with some cuts". (Maybe she finished her project? Maybe she decided she didn't like batiks? Maybe she was getting rid of her mom's stuff?) Anyway, there were 29 good sized pieces, some with only small pieces cut from them and in addition to the batiks, there were several hand dyes.  I got the whole shebang for under $20!

The trees are part of a larger project I found in a magazine.  More to come.  

Quilt Swap

I decided to join an online quilt swap.  This is my 8.5" x 11" entry and it's even done on time!

I used fusing, buttons, beads and even some baby rickrack I found in my stash. There was no date on the rickrack wrapping insert but I think it's probably left over from the 40's. It was given to me from a friend's mother's estate.  I wonder what our estate sales will look like or will my kids just send everything to the landfill? Fiber recycling? Grind it up for insulation?

Christmas Mayhem

Does it seem like the Holidays get a little crazier each year? This year Santa actually stopped by our house on Christmas Eve. Jacob received a Nerf Football and was very excited to see Santa. After Santa went off to visit other boys and girls, Jacob put his head in his hands and exclaimed, "Oh no! Santa brought me the wrong present! I wanted a penguin Pillow Pet!".  We tried to explain that Santa would be back during the night and could still bring the penguin but Jacob wasn't too sure. Thank goodness, on Christmas Morning there it was under the tree. 

"I knew it!  Just what I wanted!"  One happy 4 year old. 

**Note jealous dog tail between Jacob and Santa.

In all the pre-holiday craziness, I actually forgot to give Jacob his Cowboy Quilt?!? So for all of you procrastinators out there, keep on!  I wasn't finishing the binding in the wee hours of the morning. If so, the quilt would have been under the tree and probably pushed aside to get to the toys. This way it can be its own presentation and may get a more appreciated reception.

Here is the Country Stitches block #11. After lunch I'm off to pick up the 12th and final block. It's not my colors but I think the blocks will make a nice quilt for my parent's bed. My sister said that's a good idea since the one they are currently using is one she made in the 70's. You'd think with two quilters in the family.....

Foster Fridays

Another generation of Foster Fridays!

Time goes so fast!  It seems like just yesterday that my kids, Irene's kids, Mary Hutchin's twins and Enola's kids were running around the library and playground at Foster on Friday afternoons.  And now we have the next generation.  Foster Community Center is a wonderful resource to have in our community.  A great place for quilters to gather on Friday afternoons.  

Sauder Village 2010

Okay, so I'm a little behind. Finals and all that. I snagged this picture off of Ruth's blog just because I wanted to have a record of our annual trip to Sauder Village. It is always such a great day.

My sister drafted and appliqued a mallard duck block for Deb's block exchange bird quilt. Chris, I thought you might enjoy seeing these geese.

I loved this folk art applique quilt. See the rooster in the bottom row? One of his relatives may find his way into my "chicken quilt". I've been gathering fabric and several ideas have been incubating since December. Black, white, yellow and red polka dots. Stay tuned.

This Piece-O-Cake-esque applique just seemed so fresh to me. Ideas for wool applique maybe?

Block of the Month

This is the third (March) block of the month from Country Stitches. Unfortunately, I didn't complete it in time to get the next one free so I had to pay $6 for the April block. I actually kind of like the navy flowered print - what? me? navy blue with flowers?

Only two more weeks of classes and then maybe I can finish some of the quilt projects I have started. I played in my quilt room last night for about and hour and a half after block exchange and it was good to be in the studio again. Gennie even curled up on her comforter and caught a few zzzzzzzs. 

Medical abbrieviations test tonight. Only 3 more exams after this.

 

Mea Culpa

OK. I admit it. I hope I don't find a burning "Q" in my front yard. To all of you on fabric fasts and all of you ex - Country Stitches employees, I have strayed and signed up for the $6.00 quilt. There were 75 people at the first meeting - can you believe it? You get the first block for 6 bucks and as long as you bring the completed block in the next month, the next block kit is free. The idea is that you will also find something you can't live without when you come in to pick up your kit. So far I have spent an extra $3. I'm trying to hold my own on the impulse buying...

 
Here is the February block #2. Of course it uses dark colors. What else would you expect? There was also a second, pastel floral choice but that didn't appeal to me at all.

Have you ever tried to get a poinsettia to "rebloom"? It takes so many hours of daylight, so many hours of darkness. So much heat, so much cold, etc.  This little trooper is from Christmas 2008. He spent all summer on my sun porch and I brought him in a little too late, I thought. Apparently, whatever it is that I screwed up was just what he needed and I have been rewarded with a little tiny "bloom". (The flower of the poinsettia is actually its yellow center. The red “petals” surrounding those flowers are modified leaves, called bracts.) Smile for today.

It's all in the family

It's been really wet in California. Here are a couple of pictures from my sister in Los Angeles. There is a cement trench that "directs" the L.A. River where to run around the city. We have walked my sister's dogs along the walking path when the river was just a trickle and you can see the bottom of the river, ducks paddling, turtles, etc.  Not this week!

These pictures were taken at the beginning of the week. There is another round of storms expected today.

Here are Chris' latest quilt creations. When it just keeps raining, you have to stay home and keep dry. (In between mopping up muddy dog prints) Good time to quilt.

Here's what she has to say:

Main fabrics came from "Quilted Angel" in Petaluma, CA. My husband Raul and son Isaac were on a post-Christmas road trip. Got a call from Isaac who said, "Dad's on his hands and knees looking at fat quarters, he wants to talk to you." Afterwards walking through the store Raul heard murmurs of, "What a nice man.....My husband would never buy fabric..."

 

Quilternity and Music eternity

Hooray! My birthday fabric has finally arrived. Last year between Christmas and New Year's, I ordered fabric from From Here to Quilternity. I hadn't thought about it again until Cyndee sent me a link to their 35% off sale. I couldn't resist. I think some of these fabrics will find their way into Bonnie's quilt along.

I am so easily influenced. Ruth has been so happy about her new piano, (can't wait to see it next week at Block Exchange) that I got out some of my old piano music and have actually played a few times in the last couple of weeks. This old standby was one of my recital pieces when I was a kid. The notes written in pencil marks are from the time Ian thought he would learn the piano but was soon on to other things. What really got to me though was the copyright date: 1964. It seems like an eternity ago but since I started taking piano lessons when I was nine years old, this was probably a new piece of music then! Ouch! 

Snowy Sunday

Find one old infant play mat in the closet.

Add an afghan from the sofa to make a tent for a 3 year old.

After the 3 year old goes home, add one jealous old yellow lab (sorry the picture is not better, had to grab it when I could.)

Saw this canvas at World Market. On Bonnie's blog, she mentioned a trend toward lighter quilts. Maybe this has possibilities as a future project.

Classes officially started yesterday at LCC. Good thing I didn't wait until Monday to log in. My first online assignment is due by 11:59 pm tonight!  Here we go again!

New Projects for 2010

Today, I plan to spend time digging out my studio.  Working on last minute Christmas projects and using it as a Christmas present wrapping center have left it a little disheveled. Now it's time to get back to normal (we all have our own degrees of normal). Mine is nowhere near immaculate or perfect but if I can find my tools without digging TOO deep, then I'm happy.

I received 3 new books for Christmas full of inspiration for new projects. What about those UFO's? They'll keep. 

My sister sent my this book on Woven Quilts by Anna Faustino. The first projects start out with simple(!?) basket weave. Other projects combine bits and pieces of different woven pieces with added applique and embellishments - right up my alley.

I gave myself a present of Skinny Quilts and Table Runners II edited by Eleanor Levie. It includes small quilts by favorite designers including two of my personal favorites, Sue Spargo and Frieda Anderson. A good way to try new techniques in a small doable project. (Fewer UFO's)

Beyond the Block by Johnson/Wells combines different elements and block sizes to create visually exciting quilts. I've been pondering trying out more creative settings and it's given me ideas for ANOTHER new quilt. Maybe I could use some of those UFO's as a practice project.

Here's looking to a creative 2010. Try something new.

Step out of your box. 

Letting Go... or not

In a previous post, Cyndee noted that I had donated this wall hanging to the Solar Circle project. Yes, I did. And on Saturday, I went to the "Alternative Holiday Sale" and bought it back. I guess I wasn't ready to part with it. My mom likes it and she may receive it for Christmas. She said something about having a place for it near the piano... I've already added a few wooden buttons and some beads since Saturday (not in this photo). We'll just have to see what it looks like by December 25th.

Kzoo Show continued....

Here are a few more quilts from the Log Cabin Quilter's show in Kalamazoo:

This was quite striking and really grabbed your attention when you came around the corner.

I have this pattern somewhere. I also have a stack of lime green Christmas fabrics. Rather whimsical.

This is another quilt by Billie Gunderson. "Yellow Submarine" is Cubby's favorite DVD at the moment. He's quite taken with the Blue Meanies and doesn't seem to find them threatening at all. " 1, 2, 3, 4, can I have a little more? ... look at Meeeeeeeee. ALL TOGETHER NOW!" You'll have to get him to sing it for you.  He gave a full voice rendition at Speedway last night. Gotta love him!