Seams To An End

State of the stash

2012-02-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year.... when we take stock of what we've accomplished and what still needs doing. I got a big ole reality check yesterday. I've been systematically organizing and cleaning out my workroom. There are two banquet tables in addition to my mom's sewing cabinet. One of the tables is raised for a cutting table and the other is a catch all. In theory, it's a table at my right for tools and leaders/enders but right now it's home to patterns, books, dog biscuits and lots more fabric. That doesn't count all the fabric set aside on the cutting table waiting to be cut down and added to my scrap users system.

I have been making progress..... more and more of the table tops are visible every day. While cutting down the scraps, I made up the additional chunky churn dash blocks needed for the swap project. I'm like Bonnie, I hate to throw away small pieces that don't fit into the standard precut sizes of the scrap system. Yesterday I tried to squeeze a few more pieces into 1 of the 3 plastic shoe boxes of crumbs and the lid wouldn't fit..... sigh. In my mind I thought I'd whip up a few crumb blocks so I could get the lid back on. I should have known better. When you stir up pieces and strings, they're hard to squash back down. 32 (6.5") crumb blocks later and the lid fits.

So.... through the process of cleaning and organizing, I've discovered I have way more fabric than I'll ever use. It really IS worse than I thought it was. Good thing I like scrap quilts.

Part of my motivation for cleaning and organizing is to create a workspace for my older daughter.... she's says she's interested in making a quilt... YAY! (2 people can use up surplus fabric even quicker!)

In addition to the 32 crumb blocks, this week I've pieced 25 of the remaining chunky churn dash blocks, half way done with the 1/4 sq triangle blocks that alternate with the churn dash blocks, finished the two guild BOMs.

There is some progress on the kitchen front. Bruce finished patching the walls and painted yesterday. The ceiling is white and the walls are Oat Bran.....gotta love the name for a kitchen. I think he's going to start hanging the wall cabinets soon. I'm so ready to be able to cook food in the convenience of a kitchen with all my tools handy instead of spread all over the place. I am amazed at how much I took for granted even with the dumpy old kitchen we had. Perhaps that will help me appreciate the new one just that much more.

A full design wall!

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

My design wall is full.... from side to side and top to bottom... with all 20 blocks from this past Wednesday's Bonnie Hunter workshop. The quilt block is her Scrappy Trip Around the World. I think she should add the word Quick in there somewhere. I had 4 blocks completely done and 4 more nearly there by the end of the workshop. The rest just came together in a couple of evening sessions. Think I'll call mine 'In 5 Days'. (any Jules Verne fans? *grin*)

I can't get enough of Bonnie or her patterns! She is such an kind, generous spirit. I had the treat of hearing her 2 more times on this visit to CA and each time I take away something new from her presentations. Definitely an inspiration!

This will be my first link up of the year to Judy Laquidara's Design Wall Monday. Check out what others are up to here.

Thoughts for a new year

2012-01-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

I've decided not to declare specific resolutions this year but I am going to try to work a little differently.

One thing I want to do is live a little 'greener'. Last year I got a worm bin started. I'm going to ramp that up a bit and get a few more worms so they can process more kitchen scraps and produce more castings for my garden. I learned they don't use up near the kitchen scraps I produce so this year I got a small composter. Small steps.... but every little bit helps.

On the quilting front I'm going to focus on finishing more UFOs and resisting the temptation of joining more projects and challenges. I didn't do well last year keeping up. But I'm finding that following blogs and occasionally posting here is enough of a motivation for me to keep projects moving forward.

My biggest current goal is to nibble away at the disorganization in my work space. I just spent 4 days on and off looking for the already completed cheddar bow tie units. The emptying of a bedroom for an adult child moving home brought the problem to the forefront. I had a lot more fabric in that room than I realized. Not all of it will fit in my workroom fabric cabinets. I'm hoping to incorporate a lot of it in backing or cut up for more scrap quilts. I love Bonnie Hunter's motto..... if it doesn't fit, it's time to make a quilt.

Speaking of..... it's time to get back to work!

A New Normal

2012-01-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

That's my motto!

Each day is different. Not good different or bad different..... just different. So each day I remind myself this is my new normal... till it isn't.

The kitchen remodel is coming along. The electrical took longer than Bruce thought but it's done and now things are moving faster. He's patching the holes he had to make to run wires. We were able to use the kitchen during that phase but that will be coming to an end this weekend and I will be moving the cooking station to the camper in the driveway. The coffee maker will probably go in my bathroom.... sigh.

The holidays were fun. All the kids were home. We wrapped lights around the new refrigerator that's sitting in the living room and that was our tree.

Allie moved home and gotten mostly settled in her room. Classes started for her at the local JC this past week. I'm proud of her ... setting goals and working on them!

The week between Christmas and New Year we helped Lor get his car to Lake Tahoe then picked up our new furries on the way home. Finn and Colby are fitting right in.... the only critter they are a little apprehensive of is the dog..... but he's so hyper, that's understandable. Finn is the red van (mostly white) and has straight ears. Colby is the red tabby and has the folded ears of a Scottish Fold. They are not litter mates. Colby is 2 mos younger but they are both from the same breeder. Needless to say they are very entertaining and a big part of our new normal.

2011-12-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

So much is going on, I'm getting dizzy bouncing from project to project. On top of that I've got a nifty little head cold. Please please let this be a quicky...... I have no time to be working in slow motion.

I think I alluded to the kitchen remodel in the previous post. It's been a balancing act trying to determine when to pack EVERYTHING up and rely on disposable plates, cups and flatware. The oven is gone.... sniff. I will miss that thing. Original to the house built in 1956. It was a brown okeefe and merritt wall cabinet mount. (Countertops were and still are a yellow formica -- yes, this remodel is long over due. ) NEVER had a problem with it the 25 years we've lived here. All the food stuffs were moved to the hallway pantry and all the cooking tools are boxed up... with a few exceptions.... basic items to make one pot meals in a crock pot or on the stove. Talked to Ikea today and the all the cabinets and appliances will be arriving this week. Here are some recent photos....

Bruce using the sawsall to cut through that lovely yellow formica. Man that was loud! Freaked out the cats.....

Bruce standing where the pocket door and cabinets used to be. That strip to his right is now gone too. And the other side of the opening is framed in. We are widening it and shifting it. Currently he is in the attic working on the wiring. Once the wiring is done, everything else comes out. Fun times!

I'll post more photos when it's gutted but for those of you who've been here in the last year or so, the player piano is no longer in the kitchen. ;-) Don't ask.... just be happy for me.

And before I forget...... I'm sending a big THANK YOU out to the universe. Thank you Aunt Hazel for making our new kitchen possible!!

Project #2 is finishing up customer quilts before Christmas. One last mongo one on Wanda ... about 1/3 done. Hope to have that finished in the next day or so..... so I can move on to Project #3 ... and #1 as needed.

Project #3 you ask? Allie has decided to transfer from her SLO Albertsons to one here in San Diego and go back to college (community for now). It's a really GOOD move for her but....... it means I need to completely clean out one bedroom. It's the one that I store all my batting and customer projects ..... plus a lot of other stuff. I see lots of trips to thrift shops in the near future.

She will probably arrive around the 19th or 20th. Stacey and Sterling arrive on the 19th. Lor arrives on the 21st. So we will have a full house without a kitchen. Wheeeeee.

What about the Orca Bay Mystery?..... I'm working on it when I have a few minutes here or there. Step one is nearly half done and I've made a quarter of the small turquoise string blocks. That's it.... I want to do as Bonnie suggested and do a few of each step so I feel like I'm keeping up. I know I will finish it eventually... I love her patterns.

I'm going to leave you with a cute kitty photo. Miles and Rory are curled up together in a big shipping box that held a gift.

Oh and please stay tuned.... I will have more cute kitty news and photos soon.

Bags are packed..

2011-11-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, all my quilting bags are packed. Tomorrow is retreat day! My plan is to finish up a couple hot projects while at the retreat. That way my slate will be clear for the next Bonnie Hunter mystery starting a week from Friday. Woohoo! I can't wait. I did pick out my colors for the mystery..... I'm sticking pretty close to Bonnie's palette this time, only swapping out teal/turquoise for her royal/sky blues.

Here's what I pulled out of the cabinet so far

I have no business starting this project. We'll be tearing up our kitchen for a remodel in the very near future. I DO love her patterns though... and I'll try my best to keep up. It's so much fun to watch everyone's progress and see all the color variations!

I'll share retreat accomplishments soon!

Takes me back

2011-10-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I found a old Kenmore sewing machine on Craigslist. The seller admitted he and his girl friend knew nothing about the machine. It had been given to them but they had never used it.

What caught my eye was that it was a similar model to the machine my parents gave me as a HS graduation present. I loved that machine and often regretted trading it in. And the price was right so I went to check it out.

Well, it wasn't frozen but very stiff when turning the wheel. I decided to take a chance on it any way. This morning I cleaned out a couple decades of lint and crud, oiled the heck out of it, adjusted the tension and gave it a new needle and it stitches like a dream. Gotta love the old all metal machines. They keep going and going.

I did have to pick up a couple parts.... replaced a cracked O ring and 2 gently used spool spindles. I could probably triple my money right now but I'm not letting this one get away.

Happy stitching!

End of another week

2011-10-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm actively working on two quilting projects at the moment. Both have a similar deadline... ASAP. LOL!!

The first is a quilt for DD#2's boyfriend's mom. I've shown progress on this one already but it's "come a long way, baby!" The blocks are sewn together and awaiting borders.

Here's what I'm thinking for the border. LOVE that border fabric!! It's going to be an elegant quilt.

Hope to get the borders on this weekend. There will be fussy cutting involved because I want to match the pattern across the border.

The other project I'm working on is a seasonal opportunity quilt for one of the guilds I belong to.

I will show a sneak peek.... some of the blocks on my design wall .... in a moment, but I want to say something about volunteerism in general first.

Most organizations don't run without dedicated volunteers. I get that. I really do. Over the years I've been on school site councils, a parent classroom helper, Girl Scout Leader (13 yrs), Service Unit Manager (coordinates leaders), band booster president and treasurer. I used to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours/week in the band room organizing music, fitting uniforms et.al. So what I'm going to say comes from a place of knowledge.

I belong to a couple of quilt guilds that are both struggling for people to run various committees and fill various offices. I know that there are many people who belong that will never step forward to help because to do so is way out of their comfort zone. My mom was one of those people. Should they belong to the guild? Absolutely! Some people will eventually help, starting small. Some won't. They still have something to contribute, be it friendship, inspiration or other intangibles. We need to be sensitive to the fact that if someone doesn't jump at the requests for help, there is probably a very good reason. I'm in a place right now where I can't volunteer as much as I have in the past. I'm hopeful that will change in the future but for now I will contribute what little I can. Perhaps I'm being too sensitive but I'm feeling pressure to do more. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest and for understanding if I say I can't do more to help.

Now on to the quilt..... I'm so excited about this simple, simple block! Most of you have probably already played with the disappearing 4 patch but this is my first time. It definitely won't be my last. I'm looking ahead to playing with this block using light and dark 6 1/2 inch scrap squares from an online swap I belong to.

Remember the Red and White quilts on display at the Armory in NYC back in March? Well, I haven't been able to forget them. So when it came time to make a "seasonal opportunity quilt" for the guild, I thought a red and white quilt would be a fun, contemporary one for the Nov-Dec holiday season. And with my limited time, this block was the perfect solution. Above are 12 of the 36 blocks. I've only worked a few nights on this and all 36 blocks are sewn and most are stitched in rows. Should have the rest of it together tonight. Woohoo. Complete photos soon. Thanks for stopping by!

I'm a bad blogger

2011-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been busy...HONEST! I've finished several quilt projects that had deadlines. A few were gifts and several for customers. I made a big, quick quilt for S & S. Summer was busy finding free/inexpensive furnishings for their first UNFURNISHED apartment. Thank you to all our friends and neighbors who passed along their surplus items. The result is a very useful space with lots of character.

I did get called back to the school library job with the same hours. It was an eleventh hour decision...nothing like hearing where they wanted me to go the evening before school started. We are on our first break of the school year now... the 2 week Fall break. And a couple days ago it became an honest to goodness break for me when the regular baseball season concluded.

Want to see what I'm working on now?

I wish the colors were truer in this photo. The background gold spoted fabric is richer and the bright golds are not yellow. But you can see the design and overall idea. The pattern is Allemande by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. This quilt is for Sterling's mom.

Most of you know I'm a big fan of Bonnie Hunter and her designs. I've adopted her scrap users system and I can't imagine not using leaders and enders. A couple months ago Bonnie found a old "cheddar" bow tie quilt while shopping for antiques. She decided to make one for herself as a leader and ender project and asked if anyone wanted to quilt along with her? I found a bolt of the right color solid orange with approximately 2 yards left, so I'm in. Once I got the orange all cut, I did the math and realized my quilt would not be very big. So I'm playing with a 2 block design to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the bowties. What do you think so far?

I'm using scrappy blues for the bowties and light/neutral shirt scraps for the alternate blocks. Gotta love a nearly free project!

Check out what others are working on at Judy L's Design Wall Monday!

Happy quilting!

(I put the word cheddar in quotes above because I recently asked a quilt historian/appraiser what was the difference between cheddar and chrome orange. Her reply was that while cheddar is very discriptive, chrome orange is the correct name used for historical purposes due to the chemicals used in the manufacture of the old oranges. FWIW - I prefer the more descriptive "cheddar".)

This and that

2011-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

School is out for summer break. For us that means 6 weeks. Our district uses a 'year round' calendar. I'm using the plural tense because my layoff notice was rescinded. It was actually rescinded 3 weeks ago but I didn't make the news widely known because a few other coworkers did not receive the same news. My fingers are still crossed for them because we need everybody!

The last day of school was also the first day of the longest Padres homestand of the year. Wheeeee..... but that's ok, working one job per day is a piece of cake after the perspective of two. My plans for the break? Some gardening, visiting with family, reading, going to a Rush concert with S & S and lots and lots of quilting. I'm getting quite a backlog of finished flimsies.... time to make some backs and get those puppies quilted. A couple are gifts but I might be offering a few for sale. Here are some recent finishes.....
#1 is a variation of McGuffey by Carrie Nelson (Miss Rosie's Quilt Co) using some Clermont Farms fat qtrs I found for cheap on ebay. *grin* I did add a couple additional fabrics from my stash so by the time you factor in backing and binding too, my stash numbers will look better.

Next is the finished top using the Democracy line from Moda. I don't know if it's a pattern.... I probably saw a picture somewhere and tweaked it to make it my own. This was a ufo from 3-4 years ago and will be for sale soon.

And this is what is currently on the design wall... a fun, contemporary blue and green string quilt because my string bin runeth over. There is nothing like a mindless project from time to time.

My own Progress and Accountability

2011-05-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Judy Laquidara posted some thoughts on progress and accountability on her blog. Several bloggers have organized tracking activities for their readers including Judy with her weekly Stash Reports on Sundays and Design Wall Mondays. I, too, find posting about my progress in a public forum seems to lead to more productivity and keeps my purchasing under control. And even though I don't post each week, I do keep motivated by thinking about my next post and reading other quilters' progress.

That being said... LOL ... I've had a red week. In my defense, I've got a couple of my own designs I want to try and I found a killer deal on some kona solids. Without further ado....

Used since last report: 10.5 yards
Used year to Date:    61.25 yards
Added since last report:    21 yards
Added Year to Date:    46.25 yards
Net Used for 2011:    15.5 yards

Fabric used went into completing a UFO top and binding and nearly completing a new, smaller top with some of the fabric purchased since last report.

The finished UFO top was a charm pack project from a few years ago using Democracy by Sandy Gervais. It has borders attached and binding made. A better photo will follow when the weather clears. I'll be quilting and finding a new home for that one.

And a preview of my next project.... Doesn't every project need a director?

Check out how others are doing with their project goals at Judy's blog.

Stash Report - May 8 and a Flimsy Finish

2011-05-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

Remember this?

Well, here is the finished top.

I'm calling it Santa Ana. For those of you from parts other than Southern California, a Santa Ana is a dry wind from the east.... the opposite of our 'norm'. If you heard about our bad fires from a few years ago, those were fueled by Santa Ana Winds. The day I took this photo, I had the toughest time getting a decent shot because the Santa Ana's were blowing.

This quilt and back came entirely from blocks won and stash.... woohoo! So good news in the stash report dept.

Used since last report: 8 yards
Used year to Date:    50.75 yards
Added since last report:    0 yards
Added Year to Date:    25.25 yards
Net Used for 2011:    25.5 yards

Mother's Day.... a little early

2011-05-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, my son called me the week before Mother's Day to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. Not sure whether we have Hallmark's pre holiday coverage to thank for the early greeting but we lovingly joke about it now. So, this year, to continue the tradition, I got to spend a couple days with 2 of my kids the weekend before Mother's Day.

The occasion? My nephew and his beautiful bride's wedding. I love this photo.... Chelsea smiling while David recites his vows.

And....I finally got to see my son Lor. He moved back to the northern part of California from Mississippi in March but this was my first chance to see him in 1-1/2 years. More than one person at the wedding did a double take... he hadn't been seen in these parts for awhile. It sure was good to see him!!

Stacey and her beau, Sterling were able to adjust their class schedules and come down for the occasion too. I'm thankful we've gotten to see them more this school year.

The only one missing was Allie . . but it's understandable. She's saving up for her really good friend's wedding in a couple of months.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

Design Wall . . HELP!

2011-04-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am easily distracted.... I alluded to that fact in my last post. I had good intentions. I want to organize and clean up my sewing room so I can have others over. I've had a few friends and family express interest in learning to quilt, plus I like to quill (rolled paper crafts) and have hopes I can entice a couple other friends to join me in returning to that craft.

In one pile I found a zip bag with the blocks recently won at a guild BOM. I use the term blocks loosely. There were 8 finished blocks and kits to make 19 more. So here's my logic...... 'The cutting is all done. Why don't you just whip up the remaining blocks?' So I did... except it was bit longer process than a whip. What I learned.... even though they were kitted, still check the measurements. Sigh.... They are done and all measure within a 1/4 inch of each other.

Here's where I need your help. I wanted an alternate block that I could tweak to fit the BOM blocks (cut a little bit off and not loose points/elements) and really like the one I found but.... I can't decide on the background fabric. Both fabrics are from my stash and there is enough of each to finish the quilt. I like the look of the carmel colored one person and the lighter one in the photo. Helllllllllp. TIA

Check out what others are working on over at Judy's Patchwork Times.

Finished Flimsies

2011-04-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

I tend to get tops to the finished center stage and then set them aside. Perhaps I should just make borderless quilts. =P

I'm really proud of myself on this one. I don't usually stick with a project from start to finish. (AKA - I'm easily distracted) But I did with this one...... and it's big. Pieced borders are on, backing is made and binding fabric is with the project.

Also finished is my Roll Roll Cotton Boll - Bonnie Hunter's most recent mystery quilt. I LOVE this quilt. I gift or sell most of my quilts but this one is a keeper! Backing is made and binding fabric is also set aside with this one. Looks like it's time to schedule some longarm time for my own quilts.

Stash Report - April 17, 2011

2011-04-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

The opening homestand was challenging for a variety of reasons, the least of which was mother nature. I've never worked a game with 3 long rain delays before. But we survived.

And now I'm on Spring Break from school and a week off from the ballpark. So what's a girl to do? =)

I finished up two tops by adding their pieced borders (photos to follow) then made the backs to go with each of them. So between the two, I used up some stash yardage. Here are my numbers:

Used since last report: 14.5 yards
Used year to Date:    42.75 yards
Added since last report:    8.25 yards
Added Year to Date:    25.25 yards
Net Used for 2011:    17.5 yards

Did you notice I added some too? I was hoping you didn't...LOL. The 8+ yards I found online at a hard to pass up price arrived. Now don't you agree.... they were worth it!

Pinch Me.... again

2011-04-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

I love baseball. I've loved baseball for as long as I can remember. I'll watch other sports if I have nothing else to do but I can't get enough of baseball. November to February are sad months for me. ;-)

As a kid, I remember others bringing transistor radios to school so we could listen to the games, especially the playoffs if the Dodgers were involved (sorry folks... I grew up in LA). Less than a year after we were married, Bruce and I had season tickets for the Padres... Plaza 29 Row 8 at the Murph. After several tough years, 1984 was soooo much fun .... with apologies to Cubs fans.

Fast forward to January 2005. Even though I had season tickets at Petco Park, I applied for a job with the Padres and I got it! Today marks the beginning of my 7th season working for the team I love. I pinch myself each time I really think about it. It doesn't get much better than this!

Go PADRES!

Funky and Fun

2011-04-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

Nothing new of my own to show you but I have to share this customer quilt cause it's so funky and fun. It's a log cabin setting I've never seen before. It is old, the customer's grand mother made it but that's all she knows about it. Enjoy!

Another design floor post

2011-03-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

My workroom/sewing room is a patio room. Two walls are glass windows, one wall has a large sliding window on it and the one wall with no windows has a bank of cabinets. In other words, no room for a large design wall. I've wrapped a mid sized shelving unit with fleece and that is my design space for smaller projects.

So it's off to a spare bedroom to lay out the 132 blocks on the floor. I was mostly able to make it work. a couple of the blocks are leaning up against the runners on the rocker that's pushed up against the closet. But at least I can leave it there while I work on the assembly.

Check out what others are working on over at Judy's blog.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-03-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

Well.... nothing's really ugly. How about the good, the bad and the good?!

Good #1 - Remember this WIP?

I just finished all the blocks for this quilt, all 132. I'm going with a 11 X 12 setting with hopes it will end up queen size. I think there is enough room in one of the spare bedrooms to play with layouts..... without help from fuzzy friends. That's on tomorrow's agenda.

The bad.... I just can't seem to resist good deals on fabric. $5 per yard = good. =P

I picked up a 5.5 yd piece for a customer quilt back.. I'm not going to count that because I'll be seaming the back and loading it on the long arm shortly but.... WHILE I WAS AT THE FABRIC SHOP, 4 additional yards followed me home. Then today, I received a jelly roll in the mail, another really good deal I got on ebay. It's a roll of Arnold's Attic by Barbara Brackman. I'm a sucker for the earthy greens, browns and rusty reds. Those rolls are 2.75 yds so that's 6.75 for the week. If that were all... I don't think I'd be calling the week "bad" but I decided to google Arnold's Attic and I found someone selling what was left of that line in her shop for $5 yd.   3.5 yds were added to the 'Cart' .... and of course, I had to check her other store offerings. Martinique for $5 yd too. Sigh.... 5 yds for a back. That purchase hasn't arrived so I'll add the yardage when it gets here.

Used this Week: 3 yards
Used year to Date:    28.25 yards
Added this Week:    6.75 yards
Added Year to Date:    17 yards
Net Used for 2011:    11.25 yards

I'm still in the black... for now.

Now back to some good stuff. I've been getting lots of customer quilts. Business was off last year. January was encouraging but then nothing came in in last month. But in the last two weeks, I've had 6 dropped off for quilting. Yay! I've finished 3 and am now loading a funky old quilt. It belongs to a non quilter friend. She doesn't know much about it other than her grandmother made it. It's a variation of a log cabin I've never seen. I'll post photos soon. I'll be doing everything for her except the hand work on the binding.

The last good thing? Can anyone say BASEBALL?!! The season opens on Thursday.

Spring?

2011-03-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

The calendar says tomorrow is the first day of Spring. Yesterday my son sent me this photo as he was leaving work.

His comment was this is what the street looked like. I mean... there is more space between some of the trees than others but ...... street? LOL! Can you tell I was born and raised in SoCal?

Stash Report & Design wall March 7th

2011-03-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

First things first..... my stash report for fabrics purchased and used since my last report is:

Used this Week: 13.25 yards
Used year to Date:    25.25 yards
Added this Week:    3.25
Added Year to Date:    11.25
Net Used for 2011:    14 yards

Finally making some headway in that dept. Some of that was used in the border and backing of my UFO project for February.... which was finished and sent to it's new home on Feb. 27th. Phew... just made it. Got your shades on? Here is photo of the finished top.
A little about this quilt. The chunky churndash blocks were part of an online swap I participated in this past Sept-Nov. I framed them like a square in a square mostly because swap blocks are inherently not all the same size. I squared the new blocks to a uniform size then stitched the quilt center together. The center is busy to say the least and nothing I auditioned for a border looked right. I was determined not to buy fabric for this project. The quilt was for my older daughter.... among her favorite colors are blue, green and orange. I don't know about you but orange is not a major part of my stash but........ I've also participated in a fabric square swap online (baseball/quilter related *grin*) the past few years. So I did a bunch of digging and found enough orange, gold and yellow to give it a scrappy orange look. It's loud but very Allie.

The January UFO is about an hour from being done..... just a bit of binding left. So I'm really not too far behind the one per month goal.

The only fabric purchased this week is going straight into the project on the design wall. It's a two color quilt - pale yellow and dark green scrappy - using the pattern True Blue from the Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. book Spice of Life Quilts. (It's the book on the cover) I took a quick count this afternoon... I have 69 blocks done.... need 132 total, so I'm just past halfway.

Greens from the stash are not a problem but pale yellows are another color in limited supply, hence the purchases. Isn't this a fun design? I love the movement. This one will be a gift... might have to make another for me. =)

Whirlwind

2011-03-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

It's been nearly a month since I posted on my blog.... sigh. What a busy, crazy month... and all good!

The Lor has landed... in South Lake Tahoe. Bruce picked Lor and his kitty up yesterday at the Reno airport and delivered them to his new apartment in South Lake Tahoe. They slept on the floor in sleeping bags last night ..... purchasing a bed is on today's agenda. But let me back up.

Approx 3 weeks ago Lor was contacted about an opening for a store manager at the Lake Tahoe Community College bookstore. A week and a half ago he was flown out for an interview etc. Originally the job was going to start on March 14th. He was offered the job but they bumped the start date to March 7th so he can shadow the current manager. He had all of 7 days to tie up things in Mississippi and arrange things on the other end in CA. It was going to cost a stupidly crazy amount of $$ to ship the few pieces of furniture he had, so the decision was made to compensate him an additional amount and buy new stuff in SLT. He boxed up all his smaller stuff and shipped it freight. He really didn't have that much... most of the kitchen supplies belonged to his roommate.

That's where I came in..... for the past week and a half, I've been shopping..... and shopping ... and shopping between work shifts. He needed a few casual business work outfits and most everything to set up a new solo apartment. I love hunting down bargains.... I'm hopeful I picked up enough to get him started so he can focus on the new job and not basic necessities.

The other contributing factor to the challenges of the past couple of weeks has been the weather, on both sides of the Rockies. From the wild thunderstorms and tornado watches in northern MS & western TN recently to the snow - lots and lots of snow - falling in the Tahoe area. Someday Lor will look back and recall the events of the past 3 weeks with more humor but right now I think the overwhelming feeling is exhaustion. He's such a great employee... I know he'll be a super boss. Congratulations Lor!

PS... I'll post later today on my quilty accomplishments of the past month.... not too bad, all things considered ;-)

Project progress... design wall and other surfaces

2011-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

The topic of UFO's and PIGS (UnFinished Objects and Projects In Grocery Sacks) has been circulating recently. I definitely have way too many.... somewhere between 35-50. So why do I have so many? Why do I continue to start new projects with so many left to finish? There is no one answer.... I do love planning and starting a project and usually start with the intention of finishing. But then a project with a deadline comes along and before you know it, the original project has been relegated to a project box, out of sight, out of mind.

Right now I have too many irons in the fire. I'm pushing on the Chunky Churn Dash. It's for Allie. She loves blues and oranges. The center of the quilt reads blue due to the alternate block so I decided to change it up and add an orange/golden/yellow border. Hope to have the borders on and load it on the LA by next weekend.

I got as far as the pieced borders finished on RRCB and 4 blocks done on Jared Takes a Wife. I'm a bit behind on the Civil War blocks.... And I made a sample block for a wedding gift quilt.... LOL I'm tired just thinking of all I want to accomplish.

Checking back in

2011-02-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

I've been busy stitching, couple customer quilts and a few different ones of my own. For some reason I've been particularly distracted lately, bouncing from thing to thing. I started January working on Roll Roll Cotton Boll and got the center and pieced border together, just not added to each other. The UFO for the month, Music, saw the back pieced, quilting done with a music themed panto and binding attached before the end of the month. I'm halfway done with the binding handwork but did not make it by the 31st. Amongst all this, I took a Bonnie Hunter class at Road and started a Jared Takes a Wife quilt. I'm loving the way this one is turning out and will probably turn it into my next Leader and Ender project.

While at Road to California I did pick up a little bit of fabric. It's time to acknowledge those additions in this weeks Stash Report:

Used this Week: 5.25 yards
Used year to Date:    12 yards
Added this Week:    8
Added Year to Date:    0
Net Used for 2011:    4 yards

Looking forward. This months UFO is the Chunky Churndash for DD#1. I'm pushing to get that one done with hopes of getting it to her ASAP. Quilty hugs from mom!

A special day

2011-01-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening was so fun.... something I had hoped would happen one day. I got to meet Bonnie Hunter. *VBG* Several of us met her for dinner before the guild meeting. That was nice... just to chat before the busyness of the meeting. At the meeting it was great to see all the quilts inspired by her patterns. And it was fun to watch all the light bulbs go on as she explained her stash users system and leaders and enders. My camera battery pooped out.... so no photos but I will charge it up for Thursday. Now my focus is to prepare for her Jared Takes a Wife workshop at Road to CA. Before I cut up massive amounts of fabric I decided to make a sample block. I like it...

Design Wall...er. Floor Monday

2011-01-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

Large scrappy quilts (all I seem to do anymore...scrappy I mean, not all large) get laid out on the floor for playing with the placement. As soon as I lay down the first block it's like I've rung the dinner bell.....come and get it! The furry moths come to that unresistible flame. It's funny too. One likes to roll on them. Another likes to run across them and send them flying. Still another like to pretend he's a paperweight but you take your life in your hands should you want to remove the fabric from beneath said paperweight. Needless to say, once it gets to this stage, I sew those puppies together as quickly as possible. Quilting would be boring with out all the help.
The good news: The center to RRCB is together and I'm partially finished piecing the outer border. More math involved because I went with a 4 X 5 setting but I think I've got enough units. More good news: My husband really likes the color and design of this one so it looks like it will have a home in our living room.
And just when you thought that was all the good news.... Remember this block... the red, green & gold guild BOM? I missed the last meeting and thought they had already drawn the winner. I assumed I would just be handing over the completed block. But nope.... my name went in and ... came back out of the basket. I was handed 7 completed blocks PLUS a bag full of other stuff including extra block kits and border fabric. WOW... wasn't expecting that. Winners at another guild are given just the blocks and you are on your own from there. So add this one to my UFO list. :-D

Check out what is on other quilters walls (and floors) this week over at Judy L's Design Wall Post.

Start post

Stash Report - Week 3 & quilty thoughts

2011-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date:    6.75 yards
Added this Week:    0
Added Year to Date:    0
Net Used for 2011:    6.75 yards

I have been busy, honest. I spent a ton of time finishing up a custom quilt for a customer... more on that in a moment... plus I've been stitching like crazy on my RRCB with hopes of getting it done and sharing it at the guild meeting where Bonnie Hunter is speaking tomorrow night. I have been getting lots of help too. Miles has been assisting with cutting and Nacho with the pressing. *VBG* But nothing used that had not already been counted and nothing added. Hopefully I can keep my 'added' in the one digit range.... heading to Road to California on Thursday. I don't 'need' anything... I know, I know, famous last words.

Here is a close up of one of the blocks on the customer quilt. I'm not sure why I shot this one.... only about half the quilting in that block and none of the surrounding blocks were quilted by me. But let me back up. I got a call shortly after Thanksgiving from the friend of a customer. The call started out confusing, it was not clear what she wanted me to do. Eventually it did make sense though.... she was looking for someone to finish quilting a quilt another longarmer had started but not finished. ???? I had never heard of such a thing but I scheduled an appointment for her to bring it by and we could consider her options.

The other LAer had gotten it about 2/3 done. For whatever reason, it had taken 11 months to do that much. (insert big eyes emoticon) I did a panto on her friends version of the same quilt with a 3 week turnaround. I felt sooooo bad for the quilter. Both she and her friend are fairly new to quilting and I did not want her to give up on the hobby because of this experience. So I agreed to finish custom quilting it and gave her a date I would have it completed for her. It ended up taking me twice as long as I estimated.... I don't do much custom work other than my own.... so the day before I told her I would have it completed, I called to tell her it would take a couple days more. I knew of her previous experience of very little communication and missed deadlines, so I knew it was crucial I kept her informed. I will think long and hard before I agree to finish another project started by someone else, but that's not my reason for this posting.

PEOPLE.... if you are in some sort of service business... follow through and keep your peeps informed. I got a hug from the customer.... she was over the moon thrilled it was done.... and probably a customer for life.

On the flip side .... I'm on the other end of something similar right now. I participate in an fabric square swap online. The gal doing the flinging (sorting and sending) has been sitting on all the squares of several dozen participants for over 2 months. Frustration is building and people are pulling out of future participation because one person is not following through. I know if the same person is the flinger next year, I'll sit the year out. Sigh.... perhaps my old age is showing..... or DNA or something. I do what I say I will do. Am I in the minority? In the words of Nike..... JUST DO IT!

One Day Left-Design wall Monday

2011-01-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Winter break nears the end. This break is the only one I get completely off from both the school and ballpark jobs. A mental health break if you will. I've worked on a couple customer quilts but I've done many of my own quilt projects as well.

Tomorrow is the last day... Tuesday it's back to work... to BOTH jobs. Yep, school during the day, ballpark at night. Pitchers and catchers might have one more month before they report but our season starts Tuesday. It's behind the scenes stuff but it will be good to be working with the gang again.

I'm nearing the completion of step 5 in the RRCB mystery. I got a little tired of just working on the HSTs, so I started assembling some of the blocks as well. I mean, they gotta go together eventually, right? So why not break up the monotony a bit. On the design wall are a few of the blocks as they come together.

The two odd blocks are: (top) Week 2 of the Civil War Quilt and (bottom) CV guild BOM.

One more photo just for the fun of it... Rory doing the cat walk along the backing roller under the quilt on the longarm.

Cheers to a fun, productive last day of vacation! If you want to see what others have on their design wall, check out Judy L's blog.

Stash Report - Week 2

2011-01-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

I'm still in the black, plugging along. Most of my usage went into the backing for my UFO challenge project for January. The fabric I chose was directional so I used a little more than a regular backing... oh darn.

Used this Week: 3.25 yards

Used year to Date: 6.75 yards

Added this Week: 0

Added Year to Date: 0

Net Used for 2011: 6.75 yards

Most of the rest went into BOMs, BOWs and cutting up leftover scraps into strips, strings or 2 inch squares ala Bonnie Hunter's scrap users system. I've been very neglectful cleaning up after previous projects and the cutting table is, well, embarrassingly piled high and mostly unusable.

It was about twice this high so I am making some headway. BTW I do count fabric cut and added to the scrap bins because it is much easier to count before it's cut down. I have no clue how many 2 inch squares are in a yard...LOL!

Good luck to all the others busting their stash with support and encouragement over at Judy L's blog.

Hole in my head

2011-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

I don't need a new project either, but I couldn't say no to this one. Several blogs alerted me to the fact that Barbara Brackman, quilt historian, was hosting a BOW to commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial. In addition to a new block each Saturday, she will be sharing historical snippets and stories. I love an excuse to play with reproduction fabrics. Here is my version of the first block, Catch Me If You Can. It's not too late to join in. Check out the Civil War Quilts blog.

Design Wall Monday

2011-01-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

New Year, new Design Wall Monday, NEW DESIGN WALL. That's right! My main, medium size, in studio, design wall was a two piece white curtain wrapped around a large shelving unit. It hid the "stuff" on the shelves and provided a surface to pin units to. The key word there is PIN. Over the weekend I got some fleece and made new panels to cover the shelf unit. So far it gets two thumbs up with the only draw back being the stretchiness of the fabric.

Look Ma, no pins! The two blocks in this photo are just sticking there. *VBG*

Onto what's ON the wall..... Every time I make a Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt I say ... 'Oh WOW, this is my new favorite'... well, I'm going to say it again. I'm still working on step 5's HSTs but I had to stop long enough to put one of each block together. Roll Roll Cotton Boll IS my new favorite!

Stash Report - Week 1 - 2011

2011-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to ~~try~~ commit to monitor my stash usage again this year. I'm one of THOSE who fizzled out early last year. =P But the slate is clean and I'm determined buy less/use the stash more this year. Without further ado here are my first week numbers:

Used this Week: 3.5 yards
Used year to Date:    3.5 yards
Added this Week:    0
Added Year to Date:    0
Net Used for 2011:    3.5 yards

Most of the used went into a quilt for my daughter Allie. This past fall I participated in a Chunky Churn Dash (washed) swap with the gals at the yahoo group quiltvilleswap. What fun blocks! And I love the variety of the blocks received but I wasn't sure how they would work together. And inherent in a swap, not all blocks are the same size so.... two fabrics were used and the blocks were turned into square in a squares and will be squared up to the same size. It's turning out so cool! Here's a few of the blocks on the design wall.

UFO for January

2011-01-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Judy drew the number 6. I didn't assign numbers to my projects so I did an ennie meenie type count off times 6 on my moderate level projects and came up with the 9 patch pizzaz Music quilt.
I'm more than glad this is the first one to finish. I was thinking just last week about this quilt and how I would like to hang it on a blank wall in the living room.

This quilt was started 3+ years ago at a Judy Sisneros workshop. All the fabrics have a music theme. I could have just quilted it as is.. after all the borders are on, but I got an idea to add an applique quote to the border. Music is a large part of our lives and one of my favorite related quotes is "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here."

Done on this project = fusible applique, quilting, binding and sleeve. I'm going to fit it in around a couple of other need to get done projects this month so stay tuned..

Reflections and aspirations

2010-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

2010 was a year of thoughtfulness and growth. DH still does not have full time employment but we've discovered we don't need as much as we thought we did. He's picking up odd jobs here and there and he worked for the Padres this past season which was a lot of fun. I have faith something good is just around the corner for him... he is such a great employee.

Longarming business has picked up some for me, so maybe we are slowly climbing out of this recession. It helps I have a new found desire to work on customer quilts due to the improvements on my Gammill. I'm hanging in at the school library and will be keeping good thoughts the district will find a way to fund that (IMHO) essential position. And I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE START OF THE BASEBALL SEASON. Oh, I'm sorry, was I SCREAMING?! :) Can you tell I love that job? LOL In a little over a week we start the interview process for new hires... it's just around the corner!

Looking ahead to 2011 I will aim to

be healthier - eat better, exercise regularly so I will feel better and my clothes will fit better
be more aware of my time - identify time wasters, increase productivity
do a better job of staying connected to friends and family - I love FB (if you are reading this on FB... click on the post header and it will take you to my blog =))

I could list a lot of specific things but I don't think I will because most of them fall into one of the categories above.

Cheers to a wonderful 2011 for us all!
Karen

RRCB in progress

2010-12-31T13:30:00.000-08:00

OMG Bonnie posted the next step (7) this morning and the quilt center was revealed. I am sooooo glad I participated in this years Quiltville mystery. And I didn't do too bad guestimating how many units to make considering I didn't have enough of the constant for the whole quilt. I factored 75% then rounded up. I have just the right amount of everything for a 4 X 6 (Bonnie's is a 5 X 6) setting. I'll look at the borders before deciding if I want a 4 X 6 or 4 X 5 quilt. Here are the units from steps 1-4. I hope to catch up soon.

My UFO list for 2011

2010-12-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

With 3 days left to this year, it's high time I posted my list for Judy L's UFO challenge. But first a disclaimer. Judy gave us license to tweak the challenge to fit our situation and I will be doing just that. Many of you know I work multiple jobs. Right now is a quiet time for me but come March, I'll be ramping up for baseball. A couple of months a year I don't get to sew as much as I would like because I come home from the school job, change into my uniform and head to the ballpark, arriving home around 11:30 at night. I love all the jobs so I make it work but there is not much time left over when the team is in town. So for my challenge, I will not be numbering the projects. What I have done instead is rank the projects by how much is left to finish. During months when I have more time, I will randomly choose a project from my (L) "Lots left" list.

Without further ad0, here is my list and some photos. You will also find the list on the left side of my blog page. The starred ones are the 12 I've selected for the challenge.

* (E) Fish Stack n Wack-needs binding

* (E) Double Delight-needs quilting, binding

* (E) Confetti-needs back, quilting, binding

* (E) Weekend Retreat Kashmir-needs back, quilting, binding

* (E) Tad Plaid-needs back, quilting, binding

* (M) Spin with a view-needs borders, back, quilting, binding

* (M) "Music" 9 patch pizzaz-needs applique in border, back, quilting, binding

* (M) Blue/Green sampler-needs borders, back, quilting, binding

* (M) Seaside Rose basket weave-needs pieced border, back, quilting, binding

* (L) Sunny Lanes #1-all blocks done
* (L) Sunny Lanes #2-all blocks done

* (L) Chunky Churn Dash-~~1/2 blocks~~ blocks done

The gifts have all been gifted..

2010-12-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

.. so now I can post photos of the quilty ones.

First.... only 10 months late... the quilt to celebrate my friend Patty's major birthday.
A string quilt for Stacey's boyfriend.. titled 'Different Strings'. (He's a HUGE Rush fan :-D)
And last, a little Schnibble of a quilt (Nice Day) for Sterling's mom since they invited Stacey to the bay area for the Holidays and are always so welcoming to her. This one is using the Maison de Garance line from Moda. Love that line!
I spent quite a bit of time yesterday pulling out my UFO's and photographing all or part of them. I stopped at 24.... there's a few more but enough is enough. I will be posting a list with photos soon as I plan to join Judy L's UFO challenge.

Yay for rainy days...

2010-11-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

In preparation for Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt sew-a-long, I spent some time cleaning my workroom. In doing so I discovered 2 applique blocks I agreed to do for our guilds next opportunity quilt. I do a decent job at applique but find it tedious. I knew I would be easily distracted once the mystery project started so I worked 3 nights straight to get them to the first stage. Check that off the list.

Decided to clean my Pfaff next. It's making a weird sound when I run some scrap pieces thru it... sigh...not enough time to have it looked at and back before the mystery starts. My solution? Pull out this baby..It's a 1951 Singer model 201. It's been so long since I've used it, I had to look up how to load the bobbin. I'd forgotten how nice a seam this machine stitches but man is it heavy. By comparison the 221s ARE Featherweights. Earlier today I finished Step 1 using the Singer. I'm loving the colors. I wasn't sure there was enough variation between the blue and green at first. Now I'm anxious to see Step 2.
Yay for rainy days! Tomorrow it's back to the longarm.

I'M ready for a mystery!

2010-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

It's nearly time for Bonnie Hunter's next online mystery quilt, Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll. I've been busy clearing other quilt responsibilities. I have one small custom quilt left to quilt up for a customer then I can join in with the minions following along next Friday. Here are the colors I've decided to use.... minus the neutral background fabrics. Chocolate browns, yellow green, teal blues and the constant (4th color) is the rust. Her pattern calls for 1.75 yds of the constant but I have 1.5 yds so I've decided to make my quilt 3/4 size.... twinish instead of queenish. I'm determined to make this quilt entirely out of stash.

Bonnie's mysteries are labor intensive to say the least but they have become my favorite quilts. Care to join us?

I'm the happiest longarmer in town

2010-10-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Back to school tomorrow. Those without a second job got 2 whole weeks off. I'm happy with the 10 I got.... man did I need those. The last week of school I got sick and 3 weeks later I'm still fighting off an occasional cough. Of course the last home stand and the 4 day trip to northern Calif didn't give me much of a chance to rest and recharge. I did see the final game of the season on TV in the Bay Area. I'm not totally disappointed. It was a good season and I am rooting for the Giants now. I'm still a huge Boche fan.

Here is what accompanied me home tho..... she is just too darn cute and a cuddler to boot. And the best part is she's won Miles over. I thought he'd be the toughest sell but he was the first to play with her.

I've been busy in my workroom. The last quilt shown on the LA was the blue/green split 9 patch. All that one needs is the binding. I also finished the red/black/white one for Stacey and her roommates. Funny story behind this one. DH delivered Ace back to college and helped her move in since I was busy with jobs. I found out her LR furniture was the red version. I had planned to make her a quickie throw using a green/blue/brown coffee fabric line I had on hand but decided against that when I heard about the red sofa & chair. One of her roommates spent part of the summer in Paris so when I discovered the Rouge et Noir line from Michael Miller, I snatched up a FQ bundle. Here is the funny part. Pops told me he saw a Eiffel Tower poster in their apartment. Perfect, I thought. A couple of the FQ's were Eiffel Tower prints. Later I asked Ace to send me a photo of the poster. Her reply was I can't find a poster with the Eiffel Tower in it. LOL...not sure what Bruce thought he saw or where he saw it. I got the quilt together super quick and decided to quilt it on Thursday. I wanted to have a fresh experience on the LA because I was scheduled to attend a LA maintenance/repair class on Saturday.

I AM the happiest longarmer in town! I spent 10 hours (was supposed to be 4.5 hours) with the AMAZING Ron Paul and 3 other LA's. He walked us through so many mechanical issues with our machines. It was great because at least one of the machines needed tweaking in each instance. Bruce attended with me so I know now we should be able to solve more problems ourselves. But here is the best part. In the 7 years I've had my machine, I've never been satisified with it. It had a vibration I could never fix. Guess what? Most of it is gone. We tweaked two things on my machine... loosened the motor belt and replaced the steel needle bar with an aluminum one and WOOHOO. . . I feel like I have a new machine. I've already quilted one wall hanging and I can't wait to do another!!

Last but not least, I've got half a string quilt done... here is my design wall. I'm loving this quilt. It's green in more than one way. Yes, there is green fabric but most of the fabric is also repurposed fabric. The center strings are Kona Black, the plaid and stripe strings are homespun scraps and strips of thrift/rummage sale mens cotton shirts. At the last minute I decided to add the Kona Cardinal corners and they add just the right pop. Now to decide on a setting. This simple zig zag is fun but I think I will try a couple other layouts before stitching the blocks together. Stay tuned...

Flashback

2010-09-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Back when I was in college, I would more often than not get sick right after finals were over. A couple of quarters I didn't make it through finals week before it hit. Last Thursday I finished the aforementioned 25 straight days work block. By Friday evening I could feel the beginnings of a sore throat. Several helpings of homemade chicken noodle soup and meds later, I'm feeling somewhat better. Maybe another day off from school and I'll be back to my old self...... just in time for our two week fall break.
I did get a fair amount accomplished over the weekend. The previous design wall photo of split 9 patch blocks are stitched together, borders added, backing pieced and is loaded on the LA, half way quilted using the ebb and flow pattern.
Earlier today (during on of my few energy spurts), I pulled fabric from the stash cabinet.... mostly thrift store shirtings and a few homespuns ..... and cut a pile of random strings. My next no brainer project is going to be a masculine string quilt with black center strings. Hoping this pile will get me most of the way there. Photos on the design wall as they are completed.

Go Padres..... I believe!

22/25 and a smaller pot of coffee

2010-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Day 22. My feet seem to be the most tired. Otherwise I'm holding up well. I'm trying to stay off my feet when I have some free time so piecing precut fabric is a good activity. Here's what's on my design wall.I don't know why but this photo is washed out compared to the real thing. Had fun playing with an asymmetrical layout with the split nine patch blocks. Another leader and ender project nears completion. :-)

Today was the first day making coffee just for me. Stacey went back to college yesterday. I know how excited she is to get back to campus life, so I'm happy for her but I miss her already too.

Can't wait to go to the SD Quilt Show on Friday!

11/25

2010-09-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Wow. Lots has happened since my last post. Too much to cover so I think I will just pick up with the now. I have been on FB with weekly-ish updates. Hope you've caught those.

Today is day 11 of 25 straight days working one or the other or both of my jobs. I'm not really looking for sympathy, I'm just recording it for motivational purposes. I didn't even realize I was going to have such a long stretch till a coworker at Petco mentioned it. It's definitely not the norm but 16 home games in 20 days on top of a day job will do it. My next day off is Sept 17... just in time for the San Diego Quilt Show.Woohoo. I'll try to remember my camera.

There is another 11 day stretch starting Sept. 20th. Then on Oct. 1st I will head to points north to visit my DDs, check out the youngest's new apartment, then continue up the state to pick up this little chiquita. Her name is Aurora (Rory) and she is about 4 weeks older than this photo now. She's a straight ear Scottish Fold. Can't wait to meet her!

Got my fingers crossed for a post season berth. GO PADRES!!

Design wall (and floor) Monday....er. Tuesday

2010-02-16T05:09:00.000-08:00

and I'll throw in a stash report.

I have multiple design wall surfaces/options. Do you? There is a white curtain that covers a shelving unit in my sewing room. It will accommodate a small lap or large wall hanging size quilt. I have another curtain that I hang from a portable quilt rack for bigger projects... I'm kind of wishing I had used that one as you will see a little later and then, there is the portable roll up design wall. This first one is on the portable. I will be transporting it to and from class. I know it doesn't look like much yet. Pinwheel blocks will go in the open areas. I'm just starting to work on those.

Yesterday being a holiday, I thought I would assemble this topand I was too lazy to get out the curtain/portable quilt rack so I spread a sheet on the floor. That sounded the call for the quilt patrol to stop by and help. Helper #1: Casi# 2 - Miles aka. Spots# 3 - Nacho aka. Grumpy (ie. don't attempt to move him, just work in a different area)#4 - last but not least, the gentle giant CosmoMiles was the most helpful. Or should I call him the critic? He was under the impression I needed the blocks rearranged.

I'm heading the right direction in the stash dept. I did assemble a back for a large queen quilt plus the misc. pieces for the project on the design wall, so used since the last report: 7 yards. Purchased: 2 yds for a back and 1.5 yds to blend with the others on the design wall. Net for this period 3.5 yds used. YTD:

11 yds added
13.5 yds used
YTD Stash reduced by 2.5 yds

Yay! I'm finally in the black. Now to just stay there. :cD

Stash Report - Jan. 24th

2010-01-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

No change for me this week. That means nothing added YAY! Not that I haven't been tempted. Suzanne over at Knots & Bolts is having a great clearance sale. I also haven't used anything this week to record yet. I am quilting, but mostly on little, scrappy projects. Those yardage used numbers will be added soon. So YTD...

7.5 yds added
6.5 yds used
-1 yard net

Ok.... I had an eye opener yesterday. I was working on my sales tax report (which I realized after I submitted it, I did wrong. Doesn't affect the amount I owe but geez....). I have to include tax on supplies I used for personal use. For me that means batting used for my own projects. I only finished 2 personal projects last year. Good Grief! I sew a lot so that tells you something. Yes, my flimsy pile has gotten quite large. 2010 - The YEAR of the UFO!

Here comes the sun ... do do do do

2010-01-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

The dogs and I throughly enjoyed the patches of sun that popped out today. Wow what a week! We survived with minimal damage, just lost some big ol limbs on a few of the California Pepper trees that rim our property.

The last storm was a cool one. The highs were in the 50's which is cool for us. The cats have been curling up with each other or finding other warm spots. Here's where I found Miles yesterday.Yes, my laptop is warm. No, you can't sleep there. I'm so mean sometimes!

Yesterday, DH's friend Craig stopped by. He's the guy that keeps his eyes open for old machines for me so we opened up a recent find to show him and I took some photos to share here. It's a 1922 Singer model 66 Red eye treadle in really nice shape. The table/drawers are very plain compared to most that I've seen. My local sewing machine/repair guru says it was probably a school model. Does anyone know more? It's in amazingly nice shape.... just needed a belt. I got one from same guru so hopefully I'll get to give it a test spin sometime soon.Back to the mongo custom quilt I'm quilting. It's 101 x 116". It's very simple open ruler work but I'm still ready for it to be done. Custom work is not my comfort zone. I'm a perfectionist so the inevitable little hick ups bug me. I know my aunt will love it though and I will have a weight off my shoulders when it's done. If I would just quit procrastinating..... LOL.

Design wall Monday

2010-01-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

AKA Good grief....my math was off, WAY OFF!

My current leader and ender project is Sunny Lanes from the Nickel Quilts book. Each block has 16 units, 8 HST and 8 4patch. My wacko calculations came up with 320 of each to make 20 blocks. I got 10 blocks done. Only then did I realize I have way too many units left. Sigh. Revised plan. I'm going to make 2 twin quilts using 24 blocks each. It won't be long before I have enough additional units for both quilts.

This is the part of leaders and enders I love....putting the pieces together. I've already got an idea for my next one..... I've always wanted to do an Ocean Waves quilt.

Since I've been using scraps, I'll count the yardage used once the tops are done. So my stash report is nothing in and nothing out.

Harlequin Star

2010-01-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Sunshiners! Here are photos of the January BOM during construction. If you're like me, a visual is helpful.

I don't know the origin of this block.... I saw a similar one in a photo and came up with my own version.

Fabrics: 1 light, 1 med #1, 1 med #2, 1 dark square
Step 1: I stacked all the fabrics for Step 1's cuts.
Step 2: Matching (2) light squares with (2)Med # 1 & (2)dark squares with (2)Med #2, make 4 (of each color paring) HST units. Square up.

Step 3: Trim down remaining med #1 & 2 blocks.
Step 4: Big apology here. Somehow the photos of the next units did not turn out but you should be able to figure out the construction of those upon seeing the following final layout of the units. Please call or email me at the numbers provided on your paperwork if you have questions..... here is the final layout. Happy stitching!

Stash Report

2010-01-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is my first report for the year, but I wasn't home last weekend so I hope I'm forgiven.

Added since the first of the month: 7.5 yards
Used since Jan 1: 6.5 yards
YTD net: - 1 yard

2.5 of the yards used is fabric I'm cutting for the guild BOM I'm coordinating this month. Yay for BOM's! My goal it to continue to monitor my usage .... and more importantly, my intake .... in the weekly reports. I know from past experience, it helps me moderate the intake. Last year I did not participate in Judy L's challenge, consequently a lot of fabric followed me home. Sigh! I'm back Judy!

I'm going to post a photo of the BOM as a visual aid to help the gals in the guild with construction. Check out my next post.

Feeling better

2010-01-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

FINALLY!

The kids were all home for the holidays. It sure was fun to have them here all at once . . and fun to watch the dynamics change as they came and left. DD #1 is so good at pushing buttons. Ahhhh, I miss those days, NOT! LOL!

On the 2nd, Ace and I drove north, returning her to school for the winter quarter. The trip was one to forget. I can't remember it taking longer to drive the 350 miles but traffic was something else. Guess everyone else had the same idea as us.... try to get back a day early. Driving slower (aka crawling) gave us time to look around. Ace commented how many cars with Oregon plates were on the road. The reason finally clicked when we saw yellow feathers peaking out of one vehicle.....heehee, the Ducks had played in the Rose Bowl the day before.

Even though we arrived later than planned, we got her settled with some fresh supplies for her kitchen, text books picked up, etc. The big topic on campus was - which students were on academic probation. OUCH! Yes, her dorm apartment is at the top of a hill. Most of the hill is below the point of this photo. They'll be no freshman 15 for that girl.

I felt a sore throat coming on during the trip north. Long story short, I gradually got better till Thursday, then WHAM. Finally today, I'm able to eat again. Yay food.

Since my energy level is low, I've been playing with the blog. Hope you like the changes.

Where has the year gone?

2009-12-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Wow... blink and it's gone. One more day of school for me. The school library job is 1/2 time, I work M-Th. Then we have a 3 1/2 week winter break. This is the only break I get from both jobs and I'm soooo looking forward to it. I have lots of quilting plans. Including setting goals for next year. A lot of fabric came home with me this year and that needs to change.

Here are some, but not all, projects completed this year. This first one is Ace's dorm bed quilt. She picked out all the fabrics.... all greens and browns in the fossil fern line. I want to make another one of these in batiks... it's a fun and simple pattern.

Good grief. I only have one more photo to share at the moment. Guess it's time to shoot a few more. I really have been busy! Honest!

Next is Bonnie Hunter's mystery Orange Crush. This quilt will go to my older daughter when she has a more stable living arrangement. She LOVES orange.

Sigh.... I can't seem to get blogger to load anymore photos. Let me try one more thing.

Hmmmmm ..... nope, no luck. I'll try again soon. To whet your quilt appetite, I will have 6 more quilts to share, well 4 are finished tops and 2 are done done. Stay tuned.

Later edit.... duh! Another reason why I should blog more often... LOL The photo screen was there all along, just hidden behind another window. Here is the finished Orange Crush.

And since I know what I'm doing again .... a peek at my latest project. It's Miss Rosie's pattern Summer Rental using fabrics from the Kashmir III line. I haven't been this excited about a project in a long time.

I have 24 more star blocks to make plus 24 diagonal chain blocks. But hey, I've got 3 1/2 weeks coming up.

Life

2009-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Life is good. Lots of peaks and valleys but generally good.

Blog posts - I don't know why I've been away so long. Perhaps I'm overthinking things. I need to revisit KISS. I do know I've been having fun reading others' blogs lately and so posting is a natural next step.

Highlights -

Kids in the photo (see last post) went to the state competition and did well, finishing mid pack. Woohoo. Funny aside.... I recently discovered a new teacher at our school (who I really, really like - probably because she knows more than I do on juvenile literature) is the mom of the red head standing next to Ace in that picture. Small world!

I completed another fun year working for the Padres. A month into the season one of our supervisors resigned due to being offered his dream daytime job. So I applied for the position along with a dozen or so coworkers. Mid June found me with a new job title "Captain". I LOVE the new role! I've got a funny story about the transition. See that 'A' to the left? I was supposed to get the letter B along with a pass key for access to certain areas of the ballpark. The letter A gets you access to the clubhouses among other things. Can't say I wasn't tempted (grin) but I also knew that would be my last day working there if I did. It sure didn't take them long to get me the correct letter B. I did snap a photo of the elite credential before they asked for it back tho.

Ace decided on a college and major.... Cal Poly - Landscape Architecture. I KNOW this is a very strenuous degree but I also know she is up to the challenge.

My DH was laid off and joined the masses scrambling for the few jobs out there. I feel so sad and frustrated for him because I know he feels even more so. We are hanging in there but this is definitely one of the valleys.

We went to Yosemite in June. Camped at the Wiwona Campground at the south end of the park and drove to the valley each day for lots of hiking. The last night there we stopped at Glacier Point to watch the sunset on the way back to our campsite. Ace took this photo. I need to find out if the resolution is good enough to enlarge it to poster size. That sunset was the crowning jewel on a wonderful visit. Yosemite is still one of my most favorite places and it was fun sharing it with our two girls.

Ace left for college in September and now we have an empty nest. What do you do with an empty nest? LOL We have two new furries. Maysie actually came to us before Ace left. Her trumpet teacher found the pup, a verrrry underweight stray Westie but couldn't keep her. We've fattened her up and she and Snoop are good buds. We lost Jasper a couple months ago and I could tell Cosmo was missing him something terrible so I brought home a shelter kitty. She's still new and time will tell if she warms up to the boys. Her name is Casi and she sure has won my heart. I will post photos of both in the future.

I have been quilting up a storm in the absence and will be posting details in the near future. In the interest of KISS.... that's all for now.

Good News

2009-02-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Wow. Another long break between posts. The really good news is my computer is back from the Apple doctor and is working like new so there is no excuse.

And I have more good news! My youngest has followed in her sibling's footsteps and done quite well at Academic Decathlon.Here's a photo of all the kids plus their coach and a few important county education mucky mucks after they won the county title last week. Next stop is the state competition in Sacramento in two weeks. Second from the left is 'Nas', their coach. The student next to Nas is Brian. Brian & my daughter (purple top, black jacket & blue jeans) have known each other for 6+ years and they both play trumpet. In fact, they both take lessons from the same instructor, play in the same band etc. By nature trumpet players are VERY competitive. See how Brian has lots of medals around his neck and is holding a certificate? He's 'off the charts' smart. He won 5 medals, 4 gold and one silver and the certificate is for being the 2nd highest scorer in his division. Now here's where the trumpet player thang comes in. Ace has fewer medals.... she got a bronze in Economics and ....... a gold in Music. You got it... Brian's one and only non-gold medal was in Music and Ace periodically asks him 'I forgot. Can you remind me what the silver was for?' to which she gets the icy cold Brian stare. Heehee....

I'm so proud of these kids. Go Lancers!!

Antidote to frustration

2009-01-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

AKA quilting therapy. Wow what a week. One of my favorite scrappy quilts (below) resulted from a 'therapy' session a couple years ago following a particularly stressful week thanks to a former close friend (now she's a casual friend-much less drama).

This week was a combination of events that came to a head yesterday but the underlying theme was coworkers and friends saying they would do something and then not following through. I like to think I give people the benefit of the doubt the first time they flake out and often, the second and third. I know things come up occasionally to change plans or priority but when it becomes a pattern it gets frustrating to say the least. It definitely gives pause to reevaluate the connection.

Indulging the need to rant in writing helps me release; an emotional pressure valve of sorts. That AND an hour or so of stitching and cutting, and I'm nearly back to mellow. I'll post accomplishments in my stash busting report later today.

Changing it up

2009-01-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

We've had some amazing sunsets lately. The new header is one I took a couple years ago but remains a favorite. I need to find a better vantage point for local sunset shots.

I've noticed a few other things that need tweaking on the blog. Stay tuned.

Thoughts on communication

2009-01-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

I touched on catching up with my oldest daughter in yesterday's post. It's been REALLY good to talk to her in person! That's pretty much the only way she communicates. She will answer an occasional email or text message. The only time she calls... and I mean only... is when she needs something. Do her periods of silence bother me? More than I can say....but she is 20 (re. marches to her own drummer) and has never been one to talk much to anyone, so I don't take it personal. But I do worry about the unknown. Her home is 350 miles away which is just a tad too far for a quick visit when I don't get a reply. She leaves tomorrow to go back to her new apartment. Sigh. I've asked her to call more but I know the calls will dwindle. I've come to the conclusion I must make more trips to stay connected.

Thinking about Allie and her communication habits got me to thinking about communicating with others in general. I know I'm guilty of making assumptions, assuming I know the intent of another's words or their silence in the case of no communication. I've seen it in others too. I'm not sure what the answer is.... perhaps just the realization that we make those leaps will help keep us from continuing.

What I do know is that relationships change, be they family or friends. Kids grow up and develop their own identity. Friendships ebb and flow. It's ok to be sad for the connection lost to the change.

Guess that's enough heavy stuff for tonight. Sometimes writing things down helps me think things through. And besides.... my camera battery ran out of juice.....as soon as the card reader was working again. :cP Photos tomorrow...

Allie's home

2009-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing when an adult kid comes home for a visit. Especially this one since she's not much at phoning or emailing. My mind is much more at ease now that I've caught up with her life. She had to find a new place to live on short notice and only spent a week on a friend's couch before finding a great one. So all is good. And look what she made for us today while we were at work/school......amazingly tasty banana cream pie from scratch.The week before Christmas I was working on a gift and I threw the timing off on my Pfaff. Yeah... I was trying to stitch through several layers of denim. I was able to hand turn the last few inches of stitches. The repair of the machine was under warranty but I just hate being without a machine while it's in the shop, so I decided to bring out a Singer 201 a friend found for me. It was the first time using this machine. I now know why many folk call this the best Singer made. As much as I like sewing with one of my featherweights, I really like this grown up model. I'm a little apprehensive about using the 201 though, it's almost too nice to use. The decals are all intact.... slight scratches in the paint but nothing major. This photo isn't the best but you can get the general idea. Oh yeah, it's a centennial model too. And this is the project I started on her New Year's Eve. Here is one block each of the two blocks in Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt, Double Delight. I have lots of trimming left to do on the square in a square units for the top block. Slow and steady, enjoying the process. :c)

Three cheers for the Genius Bar

2009-01-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Apple Stores have a Genius Bar.... in store tech support for Mac's, iPods & iPhones...free if it's software related. Who knew... well, my nephews did because they told me. It took a couple weeks to find an appointment slot that worked with my schedule but WHOO HOO..... I'm back in business. They were able to fix my intermittent internet connection problem AND the photo card reader problem. The only thing they weren't able to help with was the Palm PDA link. I jokingly commented that I guess this means I need an iTouch or iPhone. His reply was "I couldn't live without my iPhone." Ah, youth. :c)

So I'm back... the computer issues were a big part of my absence. But that doesn't mean I've been twiddling my thumbs.

I'm loving my new job. I've come to the conclusion that the library was "neglected", for lack of a better word, for a while. With the help of my friend, we've scavenged good used copies of popular titles that were lacking. And 'my' kids are learning.... the readers come and visit me often and ask if there is anything new. :c)

Over the holiday break, I quilted A LOT! I prepped lots of hand work projects including 2 Woodland Creatures applique BOM's and the applique part of the last Pearl Pereira mystery quilt. I also quilted and applied the binding on Bonnie Hunter's Orange Crush mystery quilt. Used torquoise thread and the panto Feelin Groovy. The point was to work on UFO's in 09. HA! The day I took Orange Crush off the longarm Bonnie announced a new mystery. Double Delight. It calls for 3 yards of double pink. Even though I'm not a pink person I just happened to have a 3 yard piece of pink. Plus all the other fabrics too. Guess I was meant to do this quilt. I've completed Steps 1 & 2 minus some of the trimming. I also did part of step 3 so I could put a couple blocks together. OMG.... I think this one is my favorite so far. I promise to post photos soon. I decided to use Bonnie's color scheme.

Now that my photo card reader is accessable again I have one more photo to share. We have 2 Ginkgo trees out front. They were planted at the same time yet one turns a dull yellow brown and the other turns this gorgeous gold....2-3 weeks after the first one is completely bare. This is what it looked like the week before Christmas. The following week there was a carpet of gold on the lawn. Smile stuff.

Retreat Review et.al

2008-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

I took my camera with me.... really I did. Did I get it out? NOOO. geez.

I arrived Friday about 3 and most of the attendees were there already. My friends had saved me a more than ample space and I was up and stitching within the hour. I didn't even take my bag to the room till bedtime... I wanted to sew.

Saturday ended up being gorgeous and warm.... 85+ degrees. (sorry to those with snow already) Sunday was soooo different. 65 and blustery. What a difference a day makes. I promise next time I will get photos. I attend retreats here 2-3 times a year.

I ended up taking 4 projects to work on. I don't know why I do that, guess I want a choice depending on my mood. Only one was worked on. All the blocks were finished being pieced and I began sewing the blocks together for my version of Orange Crush. I'm liking it but wow.... anyone got a pair of sunglasses. *grin* Here is what is done so far..(hmmm. My card reader won't work. I'l try again later to load the photo.)

I love going to retreats like this. I can sew to my hearts content without the normal home distractions interfering. I am going to take some hand work next time though. As much as I love these gals, the loud, non-stop chatter in the workroom drains my energy. There are some wonderful little outside spots to sit and re-energize and do a little hand work.

On a totally different subject.... I noticed a few fellow quilters talking about facebook so I signed up today. I saw someone with the same AIM address as my son so I invited him to be my "friend" and the person was not my son at all. Yikes! To any of you bloggers out there... what are your reasons for using facebook (or myspace) too? After looking around a little, I'm not sure I get it. Is there something you can do there that you can't on a blog? TIA

Monday recap

2008-11-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

I got the ugly fabric challenge piece finished. Can you guess which is the challenge fabric? LOL The thing is, I like lime green .... so I made something I would use later. The pattern is just OK... IF I make it again, I won't use the peltex. It made it too hard to construct. The good news is I finished up the purse on my Pfaff... just back from the repair shop. Perhaps other parts of the construction would have been easier on the Pfaff.... instead of my featherweight.

Next on the list today was a simple 2 piece curtain for a window in the library. It's a window between interior rooms. The other room is the computer lab and since the lab opens this week to classes, the time is now to cover the opening and keep my office from becoming a fishbowl. Look at the fabric I found.... ties into my theme for the year 'Explore Reading'.Time to hit the hay. Tomorrow's gonna be a long one, between school and the Madonna concert and voting in there somewhere.

What to take to the retreat

2008-11-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Today is the day to do most of my packing for the upcoming retreat. I work T-F this week (including the Madonna concert tomorrow night at Petco Park) and leave right after work on Friday so it's now or never.

I have one of those "guilty" projects I should take along. Then there is my daughter's graduation quilt I should start. There's another UFO I dug out recently I'd like to finish.... it just needs borders. Last but not least are a couple of applique quilts that need the next blocks to be prepped and glued so I will have hand work ready. Yikes.... sounds like too much already. Decisions, decisions.

One thing I have decided is to remove the stash yardage used tally in the side column. I'm going to focus my weekly reports on project progress sans numbers. This past week found some progress on the retreat challenge. That's it.... and some reading. I tend to loose track of time when I read.

Off to pack.

Misc. projects

2008-10-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

No photos.... sorry. It's such a big mess I'm not taking pictures. Ace and I finally finished painting the living room this afternoon. What's the big deal, you ask? Welllll, we started the project 2 months ago but stopped because we had to wait to move some large pieces of furniture. One unpainted wall had a player piano and a very large TV cabinet along it. My husband found a place to store the piano in his garage BUT we needed to hire a piano mover to get it out of the house.... it's THAT heavy. In the meantime the project sat, half finished. I've been living with the living room in disarray and was growing tired of it. So I compromised. Don't laugh too hard.... but the piano is now in my kitchen. The whole reason the piano needed to be moved was because we are moving the dining table from the kitchen nook to the far end of the living room. So till we can hire a piano mover, the piano will live in the nook. If the kitties have anything to say about it, that won't happen too soon. It's a perfect height for a perch in front of the kitchen window.

An the best part, now I can put the living room back together.... just in time for the holidays! Yay!!

My other weekend project was a guild retreat challenge. We were given a fat quarter of an 'ugly' fabric and given free reign on what to make. The thing is.... I like the fabric so I'm making a purse I'll use afterwards. Photos soon. Perhaps tomorrow. :c)

The New Job

2008-10-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's post I mentioned I wasn't sure I wanted this job .... my first impression after the interview. The school has over 700 students, 33 classes (6 of those Special Day Classes) and the job is only 19.5 hours per week. Even without a calculator I knew I couldn't schedule all the classes weekly. The demographics of the school were another concern.... most of the students are of Hispanic origin and my knowledge of the Spanish language is basic at best. The principal addressed my concerns ..... there would be assistance with language issues and class visits would be every other week. I'm not happy about the every other week schedule but without more hours.... well, we do the best we can. 20 or more hours per week would mean the district would have to pay benefits and there are very few schools doing that right now.

Now that I've been there a few weeks I'm glad I said yes. It is an old school, built in the 1930's, so it has some unique characteristics from expansion and remodeling projects. I'm trying to ignore the snide comments from others, attributing those to subconscious attempts to feel better about their own place. I prefer older things in general so I'm enjoying the uniqueness of the campus.

I'm really liking the staff. I would much rather work at a school with marginal facilities and great people than visa versa. There are a good number of male teachers which is feel is crucial to an elementary experience.

One of the things I'm not totally happy with is the overall age of the library collection and it's condition. There are several books in the library that are older than me and I'm coming up on the big 51 in 3 days. With the limited funds available I'll do my best to fill some holes. In the meantime look what me and my BFF/childrens library mentor found at a recent book sale. Each of these used books were 10 cents each. I found 130 books, she had a similar amount. I sat last night and slapped on barcodes while watching game 7 of the ALCS..... Did the Rays really win?? LOL

'Bout Time

2008-10-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here contemplating all that's happened since my last post. I'm also giving a bit of thought to why I haven't posted. I guess in a nut shell.... with all the happenings of the last 4-5 weeks, my life is a bit out of balance. I know writing helps give me perspective so I'm gonna do my best to make time to post.

Happenings.....

That job interview I mentioned in my last post was odd at best. I did not get the job but I learned a lot in my two weeks subbing at that school.
The baseball season came to an end and closed a disappointing year. There's a bit of melancholy at the end of each season... you never know who will be back next year ... so you say good by and cross your fingers. A highlight of the last homestand, for me, was being awarded the September MVP award (employee of the month). There was an on field ceremony prior to a game and all I could think was "please don't trip, please don't trip"...LOL
The week after the odd interview/sub job, I was sick..... I don't get sick very often. The boys were out of town so I was able to take it easy. Thursday of that week, Sept 18th, I had another interview. I left that interview with a different type of odd feeling. I knew I nailed it but I wasn't sure I wanted the job. By the time I got home, I found a voice mail from the principal offering me the job.
Fast forward... I took the job and spent 3 weeks getting the library in shape for class visitations. Why 3 weeks? The school underwent some remodeling over the summer and that included the library. The new window heights dictated all the bookcases be moved and my first day on the job I got to direct district workers where I wanted everything to go. Yeah, I got to redesign the library layout. How cool is that?!
My quilting business has trickled down to almost nothing. I attribute it to a combo of things. The economy has my customers being more selective about what they have me quilt and what they quilt themselves . Some of the gals I used to quilt for got short arms or mid arms and for whatever reason.... there seems to be a proliferation of longarmers in my region. I've got some ideas on how I will remarket my services... will work on that soon.

Quilting progress. Some of the things I've been working on....
Block 4 from Judy L's BOM project and ......A top from the Blended Wall Quilts. The pattern is called Elizabeth.... I'm calling mine Desert Palette. I've been collecting dusty colors that remind me of our local desert. Everything in this quilt is from stash.... blocks from collected fabrics, borders and back from stash and batting was pieced from leftovers. Whoohoo!

More photos...... A recent early morning found this handsome fellow using my neighbor's patio shade cover as a hammock. I'll leave you with one last photo that tells me autumn has arrived. It's finally cool enough for my fuzzy friends to curl up together. Awww...More soon.

1 - 2 - 3

2008-09-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! I've caught up on the BOM project by Judy L. Here are blocks 1, 2 & 3....

...back to the long arm to finish a customer quilt, now that the sun is off the wall against the machine. It's toasty here today. Cheers!

Lifting this up...

2008-09-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

to the universe. I'm hoping you'all can keep a good thought and fingers crossed for me next week. I'll be interviewing for a job that would be such a good fit for both me and the school. How do I know this? Because I subbed there this past week and I'll be doing the same next week. It's a open library clerk/tech position, 3 am hours a day, 5 days a week. Yes, you'd be correct if you said 15 hours per week is not enough time for the library to be open at any school let alone an elementary school. In our district classified personnel took the hardest hit in the budget cutting process. The district pays for 2 hours/day (isn't that SO generous) and any difference is made up by the school site. Not only is this site increasing the LC hours by 5/week, they also added a second "special projects" person who will keep the library open for an additional 3 to 3.5 hours a day. That speaks to their dedication to the library as a tool for literacy. I like their vision and the "special projects" gal and I work well together. So... crossed fingers for me would be most appreciated. Oh yeah..... another plus.... the hours perfectly mesh with my Padres job. :cD

I've done well getting on top of a couple projects so I hope to have some blocks of time this weekend to quilt. Stay tuned for a quilty post.

Paint color

2008-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here is an old and new corner of the living room. Gotta love 80's/90's stenciling. Yes, the room is way overdue for a redo.

Here is a painting my dad picked up when they lived in the Sierra foothills of California many years ago. On the white wall the painting just sat there.... now it pops. What a difference a little color makes!

I forgot to mention one thing in yesterday's post. I got my very first BUP (Big Ungainly Package) boxed and shipped. I'm participating in a fabric square swap with some gals who are also baseball fans and my contribution was just under 250 squares separated into numerous individual baggies. I barely got the flat rate box closed.. :c) I can't wait to see what is chucked my way in a couple weeks. I got the Nickel Quilts book just for this swap.

It's back to work tonight...... the team's back in town.

Where has the time gone?

2008-08-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

I've been working without a list lately. Not good. I've been busy and have accomplished a fair amount but focus and follow through are lacking. Blogging got left in the dust. Sigh....

Here are a few of the recent highlights:

The haul from Long Beach...

2 books... One-Block Wonder Encore and More Nickel Quilts, 2 paper pieced patterns, 2 purse patterns and some more fork pins. The fabric in the photo is from my stash and I used it to make two of the Sonoma Swing Bags.

Block #1 from Judy L's BOM quilt. I really like the way it turned out!

2 of the 9 blocks needed for a small project ("Elizabeth") from a blended quilts book for Rosie's monthly class. The fabrics are some I had been collecting for years (and years). They remind me of colors from our local desert. I'm thinking of the name Desert Palette.

Ace has been painting for me. 2 walls are done in the living room. I'll get some photos when she starts on the next wall. I'm LOVING the color.... "Spice" from the Laura Ashley collection by Valspar. It's a yummy warm terracotta/orange. Gotta love husbands. I asked Bruce what he thought and he said "about what?" And I worried he wouldn't like it. LOL He does!

I loved the green Sonoma Swing bags I made so much, I decided to make a couple more in blue, one of which will go to Allie. Now she will have a safe place to put her paychecks so she won't have problems with money matters like those from the past couple weeks. Sigh! Long sad story.

One more set of photos.... mostly for the friends and family who read this blog. My oldest, a son who just turned 24, recently got his hair cut. What's the big deal, you ask? Well.... here's a before photo ....actually taken a little over a year ago....

Here's what he looks like now......
Bruce's comment was... he's got ears. LOL

Another trip

2008-07-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

The trip home last Saturday was long, for a couple reasons. I decided to try driving both ways traveling no more than 60 miles per hour. 99% of the cars whizzed by me but I got 34-36 miles per gallon.... that's amazing for my car... 30 was all I saw before. That was probably a $4-6 savings per tank X 3 tanks. I think it was worth it. Traffic in LA was the pits... that added an hour too.

I did find some gold fabric for the BOM project at Creation Station. Now to prewash the lot and I'll be ready for step one.

This week has been productive. I quilted 3 quilts on the long arm, finished the binding on another and did a little piecing on the mystery quilt. Think I mentioned the quilt is kind of a medallion. Here is the center of the quilt.... it still needs to be squared to 24".There will be two leaves appliqued on either side of the lily stem. Here is another block. There will be 8 of these eventually.

Do you see what I see? Yep, lots of background for custom work. :c) More pieces as they are completed.

Tomorrow morning I catch a charter bus with other quilters to the International Quilt Festival in Long beach. I have a feeling there won't be time to catch everything I want to see. I do have a shopping list and will do my best to stick to it. LOL - wish me luck.

On the bird nest front we came home to find the babies more mobile. Here's one of the little guys on a branch just to the right of his nest.Later that day the nest and canopy were empty. One or more of the babies must had fallen out so mom moved the gang to a dense shrub 15 feet away..... under Ace's bedroom window. LOL So much for this teenager sleeping in. Last but not least is a cute one of Miles.....
I'll post the loot tomorrow night.

Out of town

2008-07-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today's posts are coming to you from Allie's new apartment in SLO. She moved in a couple weeks ago so Ace and I thought we'd check it out and bring her a dresser. (she doesn't have a bed yet...she's been sleeping on the floor. Kids, sigh!) I'm letting the girls sleep in a bit....

Her new place is real nice, much nicer than the one she moved out of. She'll be sharing a large bedroom with one gal and the apt with two others but that will save her a couple hundred a month. Yay! Wish I had photos for you but I forgot my camera.

Ace and I will be heading home later today. Hope to see if we can round up a bed before we leave.

On the way home I want to stop at a quilt shop in Buellton called The Creation Station and see if I can find a gold that will work with my stash fabrics for Judy L's BOM project. It's hard to beat their prices so I stop if I can when I'm driving through. I did decide on this combo using the darker/oatmeal fabric for the background.
I'm anxious to get home and get back to sewing. Isn't it fun how a little away time can rejuvenate our creative energies?!

Cool Beans

2008-07-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Back when I helped with band activities, there was a kid who would exclaim 'Cool Beans' when something good happened. Even now, I catch myself slipping into Margaretspeak occasionally. :c)

Recent events in the cool department.....

We have a birds nest in the wisteria canopy right outside the kitchen window/front door. Up until 14 months ago some of our cats were indoor/outdoor cats so birds kept a healthy distance. I'm thouroughly enjoying watching mama mockingbird feed her babies .... from the same view the cats have now. ;c)

Last weekend the Padres had a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of 1998...the magical year the boys came so close to winning it all. A lot of the former players were on hand for the festivities ... Steve Finley, Kevin Brown, Carlos Hernandez, Andy Ashby, Quilvio Veras, Tony (of course) etc. Trevor Hoffman is the only current Padres player who played on the 98 team. Trevor's wife Tracy occasionally uses one of my suites and she got one Saturday night for her family and to host some of the former players wives. A gracious lady! As I'm walking to my car Saturday night after the game, a car slows down and a window rolls down. It's Tracy wishing me a good night. :c)

Dreamin & Scheming

2008-07-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

aka... I should be doing something else...LOL. I guess fabric selection is one of my favorite parts of the process. Here's what I've pulled for Judy L's BOM.The stripe is the inspiration fabric.... I might use a bit of it in the outer border but I know Judy mentioned this pattern is not suitable for directionals. The light gold print will be for the setting triangles area, *a* darker gold (not enough of that one in my stash) will be the sashing & borders, the greens will be in the blocks. The reds and blue will add the pop to the blocks and possibly sashing. My only dilemma is which background to use. Above is my first choice... an oatmeal color print that blends nicely with the stripe fabric. Below is a lighter cream on cream that gives more contrast but still works. I have time to mull that one around. Let me know your thoughts.

Random thoughts and fun things

2008-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I picked up my quilts from the fair.... no comments from the judges...hmmm. That's disappointing but I'll continue to enter.

Cute Mini Me moment at Petco Tuesday night after the game. Scott Hairston's youngest little guy is approx. 2 1/2 yrs old. He saw dad coming down the corridor from the clubhouse and ran to greet him. When they got together you could see they had identical shoes on, one much the miniature. :c) Speaking of Scott.... is he hot right now or what?!!

I subscribe to the Yahoo group Stashbusters and am participating in the UFO challenge with hopes of whittling away at my long list of UFO's. I've been able to meet the minimum goal of at least one finish per quarter. The buy in to the challenge was FQs and for each finish, your name is entered into a quarterly drawing. Cher notified me I was the second quarter FQ winner. Monday night I came home to a mailing envelope filled with all these lovely fabrics. I had no idea there would be so many. Christmas in July to be sure! I really have a soft spot in my heart for scrap quilts so these beauties have come to the right place. :c)

I've decided I'm going to participate in Judy L's BOM project that starts on Aug 1st. I was struggling with color and fabric choices then ran across Vicki W's solution to the same dilemma. She got her inspiration from the colors in a printed fabric. I decided this quilt will be for the spare bedroom and I have a large chunk of fabric (bolt *grin*) I planned to use as a focus for that room, so I will pull the colors from that fabric and possibly use some of it in the quilt as well. I'll post a photo of the fabric soon.... my fabric choices will be scrappy within the colors I choose. My stash is heaviest in the small cut dept.

My final thoughts for today have to do with time spent on the computer.... specifically how much time *I* spend on the computer. My absence from blogland in June was related. I wanted to try focusing more time on projects and less on the computer and I was successful. But.... I missed the cyber connections. So my project for July is to set some priorities and limits. Wish me luck!

ttfn

Blink

2008-07-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 29 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 31 yards
Yardage purchased since last report: 9 yards
Yardage used since last report: 19 yards

Yeah, June went by THAT fast. Here's the Cliff Notes version....

Work: Starting May 19th, we worked 29 home games in 42 days. By comparison, there are only 9 home games the whole month of July. Geez, who makes the schedule any way?! Highlights... one of my best friends and her family in one of my suites... felt kind of weird but it was fun to see the suite through their eyes.... The red carpet rolled out for the front office of the Twins, who occupied 2 of my suites one evening. Lots of big wigs from all the parties involved and I think we made a good impression!.... A wives baby shower another night for Katie Peavy, Jody Gerut's wife and Jen... the owner's daughter. As they were leaving the suite Lindsey Bard offered us one of the Oreo Balls she made....OMG those are good!!

Family: Ace finished her Junior year in HS and I attended my last School Site Council meeting. Attended a bridal shower and wedding.... the oldest grandson Ian (my nephew) married his sweetheart Gina the end of June. Allie was able to come to town for the wedding... It was good to see her even though it was quick. A fun aside.... I was getting my hair done the Tuesday before the wedding and James took a call before washing my hair. As he's walking back to me he says "Guess I'll be seeing you Saturday". Long story short, Gina's family friend had to back out of officiating the ceremony at the last minute and Ian called James to see if he could fill in. Most of our family has James do their hair and he's known Ian since he was 7 or 8, so it was cool to have him involved. I just NEVER knew he did that on the side. :cD

Quilting: I've been busy in this dept!! A quicky photo review....

Quilted a couple customer quilts including this one with a fun, new (to me) panto called Tea Rose.

Finished Susan's retirement quilt. I waited till the week after school was out to give it to her.... I knew she'd be cleaning out her office and would have time to chat for a minute. I might do another one of these someday.... I like the look and it's not hard, just tedious.

Finished the top of Kelly's graduation quilt just in time for her party. Since then I have quilted it and am in the process of stitching down the binding. Here is a close up of the quilting... another new panto Flip Flopping Around. The pink pig fabric is the label and is a piece left over from a quillow and dress I made for Kel when she was a toddler. Enlarge the photo to see all the things the pigs are "saying". Kelly is going to Cal in the Fall, hence the bear reference. I'll post a whole quilt photo when all the hand work is done.

My machine did not sell..sigh .... times are tough and I think people are being more cautious with their finances. There is a chance the interested buyer will have the money in a month or two.

I started another project.... through a class at Rosie's Calico Cupboard. I'd been eying a sample called Confetti from the shop for a while thinking "I could do that" without a pattern. I'm GLAD I took the class....
I made it bigger than the pattern called for.... It will be the summer quilt for our bed. All the blocks are in rows and I'm just sewing the last few rows together. The entire quilt is from stash...Whoo hoo!!

The last weekend of June I attended Amidon Quiltwork's Mystery Weekend Retreat. I LOVE mystery quilts but let me tell you, this was no ordinary mystery quilt. Pearl Pereira creates an original pattern just for the retreat and breaks it into steps. They are basically pieced tops but they always feature some applique. The retreat includes a kit of fabric and the participants select their kit by a random number drawing. I was the very last person to choose but Nancy Amidon is an awesome host and created extra kits so even the last person would have a choice too. I love, love, love my kit and the way it is turning out. I'll post photos when I get back to that project.... after Confetti. Some of the gals at the retreat have been doing the mystery weekend with Pearl and Nancy for 6+ years... no wonder it took me a couple years to snag an opening. You betcha I paid a deposit to hold my place for next year.

I gotta run and pick up a couple quilts from the San Diego County Fair that ended yesterday. This is the first time I entered quilts and one of the two got a Third Place ribbon. I can't wait to see what the judges had to say about the two because the one that won was a quilt I slapped together one weekend in a fit of quilt therapy. The other was much more difficult and IMHO a much more striking quilt. Quilting friends in the know told me after the fact that it might have had a better chance in a different category. Next year I'm going to have Lisa help me fill out the forms..... she has won Best in Show two years in a row.

ttfn

Too cute not to post

2008-06-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 7.5 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 52.5 yards

On my way to make final rounds for the night, here's what I found. 3 fuzzy boys snoozing... LOL ... all while the suround sound booms from the video playing.

Still Busy

2008-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 7.5 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 52.5 yards
Yardage purchased this week: 20 yards
Yardage used this week: 8.5

Yep..... typical May/June. Still busy. The retreat was wonderful and productive. I was able to finish the blocks and assemble this top.....

The borders still need to be added. Deadline for the completed top? June 12th... graduation day for Kelly. I did come up with a name for it.. Beach Bear. Kel's a SoCal beach gal heading to Cal (Bears) next year. I'll have it quilted by August when she leaves. The back will include a leftover piece of the fabric used in a quilt I made for her when she was a toddler. :c)

I also got the top sans borders completed at the retreat for this quilt....

I won 3rd place in the patriotic block challenge. Did I get a photo of my original creation? Sheesh....no. The best part about retreats, though, is the sisterhood of quilters. Inspiration abounds! I got to talk a while with one of the top long arm quilters in San Diego county. She was totally gracious and fun to boot. And she turned me on to a great tool. Wendy and her friend each had a SewEzi table for their machines. I ordered one Monday and it arrived by Friday. :c)

On Monday I went to Rosie's for borders and backing. 20 yards followed me home. Sigh. 8.5 yards have already been used but still.....

Borders are on the slice and splice and I'm half way done with the quilting. I'm working with a fun new (to me) panto called Funky Fleur de Lys by Keryn Emmerson. Will finish that up tomorrow morning and add the binding. This one is for a special lady, retiring on the 12th.

Other news... I've been quilting customer quilts as quickly as possible because I have a potential buyer for my Gammill. Keep your fingers crossed.

More when I can.

2008-05-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

Yikes.... what a busy time. I'm running around trying to get my supplies together for the retreat. I should be out the door in about 45 minutes. Still have to pack my clothes. LOL But all my quilting gear is packed and ready to go. Priorities you know! ;c)

Thought I would be able to pack a little after work last night but the game ran a bit late and it was a sad loss in several ways. The boys were winning prior to Chris Young getting hit in the nose with a line drive and Josh Bard spraining an ankle on a slide home... both in one inning and both by (obviously not on purpose) Albert Pujols. After that the game when down hill, a long 11-3 loss. Good thoughts for our boys would be appreciated.

TTFN.... hopefully lots to show you Sunday night.

Craig's list find - Fate?

2008-05-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

A several weeks back Ace asked if she could get a guitar with some of her savings. It was an odd conversation with the way she couched her question. I think she thought I was going to say no. She tends to bounce around and not stick with any one thing so that was probably part of the reason for her apprehension. Her brother and sister had long since spent their money (we shared a distant relative's inheritance with them). I told her of course. The following week we visited the guitar shop across the street from the wind instrument shop where she takes trumpet lessons just to get a feel for different makes and prices. There was a really nice guy there ... an independent teacher, not a sales rep.... who answered lots of questions about the different guitars out there. A day or two later I asked her if she wanted to start looking around. She said no, she wanted to wait till after AP tests were over. Smart kid.... she knew it would be a distraction from her studies. Well, Wednesday afternoon was her last AP test for this year. Today on the way home from shopping I asked her if she had started looking yet. Nope. After unloading the groceries I took a quick peek on Craig's List. She got a never used Martin with a hard case, stand & tuner for a REALLY good price. It had only been on the list for 5 hours. Yes, that's a tag attached to the tuners. LOL Gotta love how things work out sometimes.

Must be May

2008-05-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 14.5 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 45.5 yards

First things first. 4.5 yards of fabric followed me home last Friday. The price was right... $10 for the lot but that doesn't help the bottom line. The numbers above have been adjusted. :c/

When I get lots of irons in the fire, my stress quotient goes way up. For me that usually is right before Christmas and the end of the school year. Our school is not out for another 4 weeks and I'm not as involved in school things (ie. band) as I used to be but I've made up for it in other areas. Plus the Padres will be home most of the next 6 weeks (who creates the schedule anyway?!?) so I'm going to go ahead and plan on being a stress puppy and maybe it won't be as bad as I imagine. LOL Actually I know acknowledging the upcoming volume of activity will help me remember to take deep breaths when the going gets tough.

Yesterday I helped hang quilts for the CV guild show that starts today. I'm also working first shift this morning. I mailed off my entry forms for the big SD quilt show in August yesterday too. Even though the 3 shows I'm entering this year are non juried, I'm hopeful to get some good feedback from the experts.

I am going to a quilt retreat with my MIL next Thursday. It's the annual retreat for the Sunshine Quilters guild.... I've been the contact from our guild. There are 4 guilds sharing the facilities. It's so fun to see other quilters projects.... I usually come home with the desire to join their guilds too. :cP One of the gals from our guild called me this week to check on some details and ended the conversation with "See you next week." My reply was "Next week?" Sheesh! I lost a week somewhere.

I know last post I promised some photos. I need to clean off my cutting table so I can "fix" the next quilt top before loading it. So I'm taking a 'before' photo. Yes, I'm basically a slob. :c) I would much rather be creating than cleaning. If I would just clean as I go, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Do you have an area of your life that is totally organized, no matter how unorganized everything else gets? My house usually experiences varying degrees of clutter but my car is usually pretty darn clean and clutter free.

Here is the Snoopster sporting his summer cut. Isn't my quilt room mascot styling? :c) (please ignore the decomposing yard features... guess I could refer to him as my junkyard dog..LOL)

Back to work for me.

More quilts

2008-05-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

A fun aside about the gal who brought me two quilts yesterday. She was the room mom for my older daughter's (now 20 yrs old) first grade class. She saw my name on a list of LAers at a LQS and recognized it from 13-14 years ago. A few weeks back I quilted a couple quilts for her and her mom. When she left yesterday she mentioned she would have a couple more by the end of the month. :cD

Today at quilt class I had a couple other gals come up to me and say they'd have one each for me next week. AND when I got home there was an email from the VP of one of my guilds asking if I would quilt the president's quilt.... to be presented at the meeting in June. Yikes.... it's raining quilts. That's a good thing but it's back to work for me. Will try to have a photo or two next post.

ttfn

Grateful

2008-05-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

My phone had been a bit quiet lately. I know there are ebbs and flows to any business but my quiet time gave me a chance to work on a couple charity quilts and do some piecing. Well, this past week my phone rang several times and now I've got a 3+ week back log. Yay.

The flip side of that good news is that I will have a little less time to work on my own projects. Perhaps that is a blessing in disguise. I'm mightly tempted to start Judy L's next QFAH project. I really love her patterns! But..... with the large number of home games during the next 6-8 weeks and the growing number of customer quilts, I think I'd better just stick to the 3-4 projects already underway. I never say never though. I reserve the right to change my mind. LOL

I also want to take this opportunity to thank blog ring participants for posting the ring link info near the top of their blog page. I'm much more likely to use the ring to visit other's blogs if the link is easy to find.

Thanks for stopping by!

Staying Positive

2008-05-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

Here is a photo of a new (to me) panto I'm trying. So far my review is a thumbs up. I like more intricate patterns cause sometimes the real simple ones the customers prefer get monotonous. It's on a quilt for a relative. I like having the opportunity to try new patterns out on non customer quilts. The quilt is a monster. I wound 9 bobbins and after the first pass I don't think I will have enough. The pattern is Vanilla Orchid by Keryn Emmerson and is available through Golden Threads.
I decided to make one more comment about the Choosing Your Attitude saying I referred to a couple days ago because on the chance a coworker is reading this I will catch you-know-what on Friday when we return to work if I don't add a caveat. The department head I credited with the saying had her least stellar, most unprofessional day since I've worked for her, last homestand. She chose to rake the entire department over the coals for the misactions of a few during our pregame briefing. She had the nerve to add her 'Choose Your Attitude' at the end of the briefing. Not one of her finer moments and it did take a while for me to choose a better attitude but my point is even if you don't succeed at first, keep aiming for the positive and you will succeed.

Weekly report & stashbusting goal

2008-05-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Goal for year - fabric used from stash: 60 yards
YTD net yardaged used: 19 yards
YTD yardage needed to reach goal: 41 yards

In keeping with my desire to succeed, I've decided to track my fabric usage (and acquisition). The spiral pad on my cutting table just wasn't working because things were getting piled on top. When I'm in the middle of a creative phase it's an absolute mess. So I'm going to try Judy L's system. The more 'in front of my face' the reminders are, the better they seem to work. I did report on April's accomplishments on this post. Yesterday's accomplishments included finishing the charity quilt and working a bit more on Kelly's batik quilt. Yay!

Quilt goals for the coming week include:

Quilt a quilt for my SIL.
Complete the BOM for SQ guild.
Finish the blocks for Kelly's quilt.
Quilt a quilt for the mother of a friend.... if it arrives.
Send out flyers to quilt shops and guilds about my LA.
Deliver the 4 CR4TS charity quilts I've completed so far. This could be dangerous.... they're delivered to the largest LQS in the county.

I do go back to work at Petco on Friday for a short 3 game homestand. I still love working there but the atmosphere is a bit different this year cause the team is struggling. I know I'm not the only one hoping they snap out of it soon. On the plus side, I'm participating in the baseballswap this year so Padres losses = fabric squares donated from my stash. My other team... the LA Angels of Anaheim (is that the current name? LOL) is doing better so it's probably a push.

Back to work on my list. Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday.

'Choose Your Attitude'

2008-05-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to get in just 25-30 minutes of quilting. I had hoped for more but at least it was something. I define quilting as any part of the process. Yesterday was longarm time. I'm almost done with this charity quilt. After I finish the few rows left on that, I'm hopeful I can return to making blocks for this batik quilt. I really like that some of the blocks have fabrics with similar value while others have more contrast. Once upon a time I wouldn't do a quilt that wasn't symmetrical. I didn't do scrappy either.... I love the way the hobby has evolved for me!

So what does all this have to do with the post title? LOL... I suppose I could find a tie in to choosing how you look at a quilt project but that wasn't what I had in mind. I might break my thoughts on this quote into two posts.

A couple of my coworkers at Petco read this blog occasionally and they will know exactly where the quote comes from. The head of the Premium Seating dept. usually ends each briefing with it. The staff at Petco is known throughout the industry for providing exceptional service due in part to this manager's ability to motivate employees.

I DO like the quote. I believe we do have a lot more control over our attitudes than we think we do. At the beginning of each day I try to find a calm place where I can contemplate the "intention" of the day, mostly in general terms. As the day progresses, I find the need to remind myself of the quote a few times when things don't go as I had invisioned. Some days I struggle to keep a positive, open attitude though. Melancholy sneaks in and can be tough to kick out.

I know I'm a sensitive person so perhaps I struggle with this more than most. I do believe that most conflict is the result of misreading signs and misunderstanding communication. I am consciously working on choosing a positive attitude when faced with the unanticipated. And I try to remind myself that what we are experiencing with others is only a small "tip of the iceberg" in their total day's experience and we have no idea what else they've struggled with.

I guess I'm hopeful that more and more people will choose a more positive attitude. I think the domino effect would be amazing.

ttfn

Goals, lists and other productivity tools

2008-05-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Before I jump to my topic du jour, here is the photo I promised. All the background fabric including the outer border are music prints...hence the name Classical Crossroads.I decided not to crop out so much of my front porch deck so you could see the shady retreat the wisteria creates.... now that the weather is warming.

I'm a list person. I accomplish so much more when I create and work from a list. I think it has something to do with the way my brain is wired. My memory is selective at best, but most of the time non existent. So a list is a must and I do ok on the days I use one.

Goals are a different animal. I know the importance of goals but when I attempt to set one or more of them, follow through to completion is a serious problem. That inability to see something through is probably wiring related too. Or perhaps the problem is setting too broad a goal without smaller stepping stone goals to get bigger projects done.

Routines are another tool that I could use to a better advantage. Hmmm.....

So one of my goals for May is to develop a system to incorporate stepping stone goals and routines into my daily & weekly lists. AND I'm going to enlist the help of my husband. Tonight we are going out for dinner and a play so I'm going to take along some paper for goal brainstorming.

One of the household goals is to progress on the living room remodel. I know it's not realistic to expect it to be finished this month so one of the discussions tonight will be how much we think we can get done.
Quilty goals include finishing quilting the charity quilts for Rosie. #4 is on the machine; 5 & 6 are in the queue.
Quilt the Classical Crossroads quilt.
Finish piecing Kelly's graduation quilt.
Quilt for 15 minutes (at least) a day, everyday. (Thank you Suzanne!)
Step up the marketing of my current long arm machine so I can take delivery and get down to business with the A-1.
Blog everyday.... keep it super simple though. One topic per day.

I would love to hear what works for you.

ttfn

May Day

2008-05-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm still here, attempting the computer world juggle like most others. Mostly I've been an occasional lurker this past month. That doesn't mean I haven't been busy.... I have! When I'm not on the computer as much I get more quilting done. Yay!

I'm going to use this first post of the month to reflect on April's accomplishments.

Finished assembling the Carolina Crossroads top. I have to get a photo of it later today so I can enter it in the upcoming San Diego Quilt Show ... I post it here too shortly. I used 2 yards in the borders and 5 yards for the backing, all from stash. :c) I decided to name my quilt Classical Crossroads because of the musical nature of the background fabric.
I have 30+ UFO's, so what do I do? Start a couple new ones. Good grief! I'm a sucker for a quilt mystery. Bonnie Hunter started a new scrappy mystery April 1st. At first I thought I would play along in my head. HA, HAHA! 4 weeks later I have steps 1&2 done. Step 1 used 1.75 yards, step 2: 3 yards.
Yes, I did say "a couple". The other new project is a graduation gift for a neighbor gal/good friend of my DD Stacey. We've lived here 22 years and I remember the day Kelly was born almost 18 years ago. When she was a toddler I made her a quillow and a t-shirt dress with pink pig fabric. She was a pig fanatic! Next month she graduates as salutatorian and will head to CAL in the fall. So it's time for a big girl quilt for her dorm room. This one is very southern CA tropical with a turquoise/lime green batik as the focus fabric. I picked up the batik (2-3 lb bag of scraps from SCRUBS... I don't know how that translates to yardage....maybe 4 yards added, perhaps more?) All the rest is from my stash. So far I've cut up 4 yards for that project. Oh.... and the best part! I've found a remnant of THE pink pig fabric. I'll work that into the backing. :c)

I've been keeping up with longarming while I wait for a buyer for my Gammill to come along. I've had a few inquiries and one decent nibble but nothing definite yet. I'm thinking of offering a finders fee to anyone who helps bring a buyer in lieu of paying big bucks to other sites. One gal wanted 5% of the sales price to list it on her site. I DON'T THINK SO!! That's over $700. I am willing to offer $150 to the person who refers the buyer to me. Check out the listing here ...the one dated March 30th. Just make sure the person gives me your name and a way to contact you.

I'm going to post goals for the month tomorrow.... and probably some random other thoughts too. LOL

I'm baaaaack. I've missed blogging!

15 minutes and a bottle of wine

2008-04-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

What a day! It's April 12th, right? Sure it's not July 12? It got up to 93 degrees here today. I haven't heard if it's a record high yet, but there is a good chance it's close if not. I decided to take advantage of the toasty weather and steam clean our carpets. I know anyone with pets will understand the need to do that frequently. The first room I cleaned is totally dry.... the others are close. Amazing. Did I mention it's a dry heat? :c)

15 minutes? No.. it has nothing to do with fame. LOL I've been trying to quilt/piece for at least 15 minutes everyday. I have projects to complete. Making time to quilt for at least 15 minutes every day is my attempt to complete a few. So far this month I've been able to stick to it. I only got 20 minutes in today but most days it leads to more.

On days where I have other "have to" things to do I use quilting as a incentive. Once a modest activity is complete I give myself 15 minutes to quilt. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in 15 minutes. Plus it motivates me to power through other chores so I can get back to the machine. A fun aside.... about the same time Suzanne started a related blog titled Quilt Everyday. Sounds like we arrived at the same approach independently. :c) It seems to be working for me.... perhaps it will for you too!

Last but not least ... the wine. We topped off the evening with a tasty Cab from our favorite vintner Bruce Hansen of Hansen Vineyards. Nice finish. The weatherman is saying more of the same tomorrow.

Cheers to 15 minutes a day!

Just in time

2008-04-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

The birdhouse quilt is finished.... just in time. Tonight is the guild meeting where it becomes our March/April seasonal opportunity quilt. I'm thrilled I was able to finish a UFO and create something for a good cause too. Yay.I called it Birdville. *grin* It's not very big.... only 42x49.... perfect for the seasonal catagory.

Back to work.... I'm trying to get the Carolina Crossroads top together so I can share it at class tomorrow. Wish me luck.

And the winner is...

2008-04-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Lynn Douglass. Yay Lynn!!

I had to wait till tonight to draw a name for the blogversary gifty cause I wanted my daughter to help and she and I have been two ships in the night. Today was a day baseball game so I got to see my family for dinner and enlist her help.

Thanks to everyone who took time to leave a message..... it adds an element of fun to blogging.

I had enough energy left tonight to work on Bonnie's Quiltville Mystery, Carolina Crossroads. All the blocks are together and now I'm assembling the rows. I'm loving the way it's coming together. I'll post a photo when I get the borders on. I'm motivated to get the top together so I can photograph it and enter it in the San Diego Quilt show.

I managed to get a couple fun photos of Miles this morning. He finds the craziest places to perch. This time it was the ladder to the loft bed. Enjoy!

Hi Ho Hi Ho

2008-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

It's back to work I go! It's Opening Day, so it's a sell out & Mr. Cy Young Award is pitching .... not to mention lots of extra pomp. I can't wait!

I did work last Friday at the Exhibition game with the Angels..... very low key, but it was fun to see everyone and check out the condition of the suites. Good thing too. 3 of the big screen tvs weren't working..... sure hope they got them fixed!!

I don't know where this past week went. My older daughter Allie was home for Spring Break so that is probably part of it. Plus I've been machine quilting up a storm in anticipation of selling Wanda and the arrival of the A-1. I am totally caught up with customer quilts and will just fill in with a few charity quilts while I wait. No nibbles yet on the Gammill but I just listed her on the House of Hansen website so I'm hopeful to get some exposure there. Cross your fingers for me.

I'm so bad about following through on things sometimes. Here is the little gifty that will be going to one lucky commentor. It's an 8 pack of pastel batik fat quarters and some fork pins. (I LOVE those pins!!) I've set the last day to comment as April 1st. No fooling. So it's not too late to comment. (Sheesh... It's only been 1.5 months since my 1 year blogversary and a couple posts past #100)

Last but not least... a belated stashbusting report. A couple weeks ago a LQS had a super sale and 6.75 yards of Civil War repro fabrics followed me home. Since my last report I have used 11.25 yard from the stash though so at least I'm going in the right direction. It doesn't seem like much but because most of my time has been on the long arm, I'm not totally surprised.

Gotta run and get a couple more things done before heading to the ballpark. Till next time it's....

Play Ball!

Easter Greetings

2008-03-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter holiday. Ours is pretty low key. Bruce went to church with his mom this morning and Stacey and I are taking it easy. It's her last day of Spring break and first day she's had at home since last weekend. She met a young man in math class her sophomore year. Part way through the school year he moved to New Jersey. They have stayed in touch via various technologies and this week Matt came to San Diego for Spring break with his adult sister and her son. Stacey was able to meet up with him each day for a few hours. On Friday Matt came over mid day and stayed through dinner. He's a very nice, polite, but quiet young man. They're kind of cute together.... she's 5'3" and he's 6'4". I have a feeling he's not done growing. :c)

I do have a tasty batch of Black Forest style Split Pea soup on the stove. It has the traditional ham bone plus lots of extra spices but what makes this one different is the German style veal sausage and beer that are added. Yum.... I can't wait!

I've been putzing today, bouncing between a few things. I did some SID work on the bird house quilt...... a little more than half way done with that. You can't see much yet but here is one of the houses with some detail work.

I also put together a couple blocks so I can remember the pattern I found on Keryn's blog. She calls it Double Woven. I dug through my thrift shop shirtings and came up with these mediums and darks.
I told Keryn in a comment on her blog, my samples would be hung on the design wall with hopes they would inspire me to complete a couple UFO's thus lifting my guilt at starting a new project. LOL... we'll see how much motivation they provide. I love those blocks!

The photo makes the centers look cheddar.... it's actually more of a egg yolk yellow.

A couple days ago I made a block for a class challenge. The teacher asked us to use a small amount of a common floral fabric and bring her back a 12.5" block with a WOW for the background and up to 3 other fabrics in blue and/or yellow. My first attempt is the bottom block in the photo. Between the fact that the WOW in that block was a very loose weave fabric and my slight undercutting the size of the pieces, that block was seriously less than 12.5" and definitely not square. Sooooo.... take two was the top block. The block is from the Civil War Love Letters book and is called Tents of the Enemy. I did resize it for the challenge.

I got a call earlier today from a customer. I recently quilted a wedding gift for her. She's leaving for the wedding in England in a little over a week and she called to see if I could do another before she leaves. And because I've been busting my tush working through my backlog, I was able to say yes! Whoohoo.

ttfn

Happy Birthday Allie

2008-03-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Allie is 20 today. Her last final was yesterday and she got off work 3 hours early today. On the way home from work she called me for the recipe for her favorite soup: Potato Soup. Her birthday celebration included going to some friend's home and making Potato Soup for the gang. I asked her why she didn't make it at her place then take it to her friends.... guess she doesn't have any large soup pots in her apartment. Sigh..... guess what I'm going to go get her for a gift?! She's coming home Monday so we'll have a little party for her then. I DO have one of her gifts so far.... Jack Johnson's newest CD. This one has a special story. There was a boy in elementary school Allie had a crush on. Once done with 6th grade ..... the kids who had been together for 7 years scattered to at least 4 different middle schools. Danny went to one school, Allie to another. I know she has fond memories of those years. Danny became a talented singer/musician/song writer and just happened to be Jack Johnson's cousin. A couple years ago Danny was diagnosed with cancer and last October he succumbed to the disease. Before he passed, his cousin Jack had Danny sing some back ups on one of the tracks. If you have the CD, check out the credits on If I Had Eyes. I have a feeling the CD will mean a lot to her.

So here is Allie's favorite Potato Soup recipe....

2 celery sticks
1 carrot
1 sm onion + 2 green onions
Finely chop first 4 ingredients

4 med potatoes, cubed
3-4 cups chicken broth
6 strips bacon, diced
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp mace
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups milk

In medium saucepan bring broth to a boil. To broth add celery, carrots, onions and potatoes. Cook until tender.

In large saucepan cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain. Pour all but 1/4 cup bacon drippings from pan. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil.

Add celery, carrots, onions, potatoes and broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in bacon, mace and red pepper. Heat through.

Happy Birthday chica. Your dad and I are proud of you!

It's about time!

2008-03-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans . . . and all that. A few days ago I sat down to log on and discovered all the photos I planned to download and post were somehow corrupted on the card. There were some wonderful desert flower photos from our weekend visit a couple weeks ago plus lots, I mean LOTS of quilt photos. I've been quilting up a storm on the long arm. I spent a couple hours trying everything I could think of to recover the photos... with no luck. In the end I wiped the card clean. Some of the photos I'll be able to recreate and perhaps my SIL will be willing to share a few of her flower photos..... I like to include photos in the posts and the corruption problem put a damper on my desire to post that day.

Since then I've been "hanging" out at Petco Park completing the preseason training. All that's left for next week is picking up the new credential. I love this time of year. The grass is greening, the weather warming and the promise of a new baseball season is limitless. I'm ready to play ball. :cD

The last non customer quilt I quilted was a bright Camp Reach For The Sky one. We are pretty much given carte blanche with the quilting; the only request being to blend the thread with the top. The front of this one is a bright and scrappy so I took a photo of the back so you can see the quilting. The panto is a new one to me... Bird of Paradise by Patricia Ritter. I love it! And I have a feeling customers will too.

One of the photos I lost was of the goodies for the winner of my 100th post drawing. I will take another photo this weekend but till then you will need to imagine a pastel moss green and peach batik fat quarter pack (I think there are 7-8 fat quarters) and a package of my most favorite pins (fork pins). Since this is post #99 I will be drawing soon. Keep the comments coming. :c)

Till I take a few more quilty photos here are a couple of fun others. First is Miles snoozing in the sun.

And a sure sign of spring at our place is this beauty in full bloom. Patty.... notice the leaf color.. heehee.

Thanks for stopping by.

Quickie Post

2008-03-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Bruce, Snoopy and I are leaving here shortly for a quick overnight visit to our desert trailer. They've gotten a decent amount of rain out there this winter so supposedly the flowers are fantastic right now. We'll go check it out. Note to self.... remember the camera. :c)

Before I go tho...... a brief follow up on the long arm test drive. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the A-1. The gal who let me try her machine is fairly new to LAing and wasn't familiar with all the things it would do. Even so, I could tell it is a much better fit for me. So I stopped on the way home to let an aquaintance know I'm ready to sell my Wanda .... her friend expressed interest. I then called Ms. Lynn and told her to start my paperwork for a new A-1. After the familiarity that comes with a test run she was able to answer some additional questions I had and now I'm even more anxious to make the switch.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend...

It's still Thursday

2008-03-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Can't remember if I mentioned the vertical row setting idea for the birdhouse blocks came from brainstorming at a Sharyn Craig workshop last fall. Because I only had 11 blocks, part of the brainstorming included what to do with the area where the 12th block would be.

The concensus was to add a cat .... the sun glasses were Sherri's idea. Andi contributed the the unique flying geese idea. I wish I could be at the guild meeting next Tuesday to see how they like it. My MIL agreed to sell tickets for me.... then I get it back, quilt it and otherwise get it ready for the raffle drawing held at the April meeting after more tickets are sold.

Tuesday night will find me at Padres training instead. I'm ready to go back to work!

I did slip off the No Buy wagon last Friday. Rosie's had a coupon good only on Leap Day..... Fat Quarters were $1 each and all regular priced fabrics were 10% off their regular discounted price. I didn't think I brought home that much. HA. Totals: 9 half yard cuts of Civil War repro pieces and 9 fat quarters. Guess I owe some penalty squares. :cP

Tomorrow I'm going to test drive a different make and model Long Arm. I'm anxious to see how it compares.

I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open.... I'll try to post again tomorrow with yardage used and other updates.

Is it really Thursday

2008-03-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Good grief! I had every intention of posting before this. I wanted to post my Quiltathon progress....yes, I did participate on Sunday. I just didn't post that I did. I also wanted to post about the stashbusting I did .... a respectable amount in my world.... sashing and borders on one quilt and a backing for another. I must report a slippage of sorts too.... a relatively small amount of reproduction fabrics followed me home last Friday. I have a hair appointment I need to run off to here in a moment so here is a snippet of things to come.

Remember these blocks?

Here they are with coping strips and sashing between rows. In the upper left are some "flying geese" variations I wanted to incorporate in the border. Because the blocks were not a uniform size, the coping strips gave me the opportunity to square them up. The birdhouse posts are part of the coping strips.

Wait till you see how the top turned out..... stay tuned. This quilt is my offering to one of my guilds. It will be raffled off as a seasonal opportunity quilt. I wasn't crazy about the blocks by themselves. I have a feeling I'll be spending a fair amount on ticket chances trying to get it back...LOL.

Quiltathon - Post ONE

2008-03-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

I thought I was all ready to jump in with both feet BUT.... I forgot to do the FAFSA filing for my daughter who attends college. Here in California, it has to be filed by tomorrow if she wants to be eligible for work study or loans. Sigh.... so once I'm done with that I WILL be joining you'all. First on my list..... Finishing the custom quilting on the loaded quilt.

ttfn

Gotta love the internet

2008-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

I received an email from Jana in WA today with a clue about the vintage quilt pattern name. Her clue led me to the website of Ruby Short McKim, a artist and quilt designer from the 1920's and 30's. And Jana was right, I did have the quilt upside down. LOL... Here it is right side up.The pattern is called Oriental Poppy and Ruby's descendants have made reprints of this pattern available along with others. How cool is that?! Thanks again Jana!

Midweek report and a request for help

2008-02-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

I've done well this week.... so far. Two customer quilts finished, one of Rosie's Camp Reach for the Sky quilts quilted and another step closer to getting my sub number for the elementary school district. That last one is a story for another time... cause it's not over yet.

One of the customer quilts was a bugger. The gal is new to quilting. I don't know if she knows much about measuring for sashing and borders or how to square things up. She asked me when I delivered this quilt today if I would do another one for her. I will definitely do a more thorough check in with her present next time. Good opportunity to teach. :c) Here is one of the problem areas...
This is after I pressed a fold and basted the green border..... and.....

quilted. There was a lot of fullness in this quilt. The panto, Featheration by Meredith England was a good one to suck some of that up.

Ok... I'm looking for persons with older quilt pattern knowledge to help me. Today at quilt class we had a "yard sale" of sorts. Gals brought quilt and sewing related items they no longer wanted and put a for sale price on them. This following hand pieced and appliqued top followed me home. I bought it from Janiece. She found it at her MIL's place after she passed away. That's all she knows about it. As you can see, there are 3 vertical rows. There are 4 additional flower blocks and 4 (not the 5 needed) leaf/stem blocks to make an additional row. The off white background is slightly stained. Anyone ever seen this pattern before? Know what it's called? TIA for any possible help.