DONE!!!!

I finished "Cammy's Quilt" yesterday!!! It is really a nice quilt (if I may say so myself). Cammerin (who it is for) really likes it as well, and chose the backing (red tie-dyed flannel). This quilt is made totally from fabric I had! including the backing. I am going to use some of my handdyes as well for the binding, so other than the batting, I will not have to purchase anything---my kind of quilt. I plan to load it tomorrow and begin quilting---I think I will do a simple meandering---it is so busy, anything fancy will be "lost" I think. The next picture I post will be of a completed quilt! Thanks again for the encouragement!!!

xoxo

Progress!

Although I don't blog for comments--it is always nice to get some!!! I got two nice comments about my latest quilting project and it gave me such a rush----a rush to complete the project. We all quilt for our own pleasure I know and honestly, even if no one made a comment about my projects, I would still quilt---but when someone notices---well, it pushes me to finish.

After I finished doing some work on the computer, I completed the remainder of the blocks and started putting the quilt together. I have 5 more rows to go before it is complete and I am liking it!!!! It looks like my Grandson :c)---all bright and spontaneous! I have to work at the hospital tomorrow, so I probably will not get a chance to work on it again until Sunday afternoon, but it should be done by next week and ready for quilting.

Thanks for the encouragement! Keep it up---maybe it will push me to complete some of these UFO's :c)

xoxo

P/S: I just looked at the quilt again and it looks like there are a couple of blocks just "floating". The borders on those are pale green check homespun and a pale blue plaid homespun. Isn't it interesting how some fabrics photograph.

My Latest Quilting Project!

Today I stayed home and sewed all day---well I did stop for an hour or so and vacuum the house---other than that, I had a really relaxing productive day! This is my latest "creation". It is a relatively simple quilt---for my grandson who has asked for a new quilt. At the Guild auction last year, I purchased a paper bag of homespun fat quarters. I don't know why I did---I really don't like homespun, but I got "caught up" :-). Anyway, since then I purchased a book of Kaffe quilts and this was one of the quilts in that book. Now I don't know about you, but although I absolutely LOVE Kaffe prints, I have a very hard time finding them. The quilt in the book used Kaffe "shot cotton" (I have NEVER ever seen this for sale around here) and Kaffe stripes. The quilt is my interpretation---homespun and my hand dyed fabric. I have also added a row so it will be a bit bigger since my Grandson's bed is queen size. It is comprised of 111 blocks---and they are almost all made!!! When I am doing mundane, repetitive sewing, I often stop and start to put the quilt together just to keep up my interest. The picture is reflective of what the quilt will look like. Rather than put together rows, I put four blocks together--essentially make two rows at the same time. Hopefully I will have all the blocks made and the rows pinned together.

Hope all is going well with you! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Patricia

My Sewing Space!!!!

My two featherweights---(love these machines) stored under the longarm table with various bins of scraps, and UFO's.

Looking out of my studio from the bay window toward the hall leading into the kitchen...notice the door I can close any time I want :c)

Bins filled with rulers, pre-cuts, thread, handdyes, etc. To the side, just out of the picture is magazines, and batting scraps (don't know why I can't throw those away).

Stand along shelfing filled with my radio, baskets of panto's, patterns, fabric, UFO's, bags, etc.

My sewing table--- up toward the ceiling is my television and DVD player so I can "watch" tv or video's as I quilt.

What do you think of my quilting studio? Does it look like I could be on an episode of "Horders"? This was once a formal dining room, but who uses a dining room these days--certainly not us--so I put it to good use. When I first moved in I felt like I had oodles of space. Now I am not so sure. It does look a bit unorganized, but I am about to begin another project and I am going to clean and get it in order. I really need more storage space, but I am afraid to really put things on the wall for fear it will fall down and make a hole in the wall....so I use lots of floor space for storage.

As you can see I have numerous sewing machines. One (the Brother) I piece on; the Viking is reserved for special piecing--ie: sewing on piping, fancy stitching, etc.; a embroidery machine for making labels, etc.. I also have a serger and a machine for doing blind heming left over from my garment sewing days. The first picture is of my two Featherweights that I use when I take classes or when the Guild has sewing days; and then of course there is Olivia, my longarm.

I once felt bad about the chaos, but there are doors that I can close, no one gains admittance unless they too are quilters, or close friends/family members so the unorganization doesn't bother them. It is my space and although it may be a put off to some, this is where my creative juices flow freely.

I just need to gather them up from the floor every now and then.

xoxo

Back Home!

We got back home last night, and are we all really weary! Poor Coal even isn't himself---- It was so very hot in Oklahoma--my goodness! It was as if we were in an oven. The services for my MIL were beautiful. She had 40 grandchildren and only 2 weren't there, one being our oldest son. Even one grandson came all the way from Iraq. I don't know how many great-grands she had.

A Granddaughter read the scriptures, another sang and a Great-granddaughter read a poem she wrote. It was so sweet! All together there were about 200 family members! It was clear from the attendance and the comments that people made, that she made a impact on a lot of people in her 96 years (I thought she was only 95) on this earth.

There was a lot of reconnecting and the younger cousins have decided to have a yearly reunion, so the next time we meet, it will be for a fun occasion and not such a sad one! They have a planning committee and everything. I just hope it isn't in August---Oklahoma is NOT the place to be during that month.

I am home for the next week and then school starts again. I plan to do some sewing, and of course more dyeing. It is just so very hot---I think I will get up really early and start.

Well just wanted to touch base! Take care and there will be more later!

xoxo

Transitions!

Yesterday my mother-in-law of 35 years left this life after 95 years! I always said I wanted to be like her "when I grew up". She still lived alone, was of very sharp mind---it was wonderful to hear her talk about the many changes that had occurred in her lifetime--and only stopped driving because "other people don't drive as well as they once did". One of her most recent joys was being able to vote for the first black President and to ensure that would happen, I registered her as an absentee voter and she voted early---"Just in case because I surely want my vote to count". She began school riding a horse and saw microwaves, cell phones, computers, color televisions, space travel, alternative fuel cars, to name just a few things she saw "invented". It was mind-bogging to me to imagine how much she had seen the world change---although she would say, "the more the world changes, the more it seems the same". She said she really wished sometimes she had been born in a different time because she wanted so much to get an education to "work in a bank" or be a "nurse", but I honestly don't think she could have made a bigger impact than she did "just as she was". The last time I talked with her, when I asked her how she was feeling, she laughed and said "now Baby, how do you think a 95 year old woman feels------tired!" and laughed her infectious laugh.

She will truly be missed, and definitely has left her "print" on this earth, but she more than deserves her rest!

Tuesday's Thoughts---

As I was reading other blogs, it came to me----I often don't blog because I either don't have pictures or I don't have anything "quilty" to say. It occurred to me as I was reading other blogs, that I really don't have to always talk about quilty things---after all this is my blog and the purpose of it is to allow me an opportunity to share things about quilting certainly, but that doesn't stop me from digressing a bit. I can talk about other things as well. Since I really don't know who is reading this or not, it kind of gives me a freedom that I really should learn to take advantage of. If someone stops reading and goes to another blog, I will never know, so there is no way I can get hurt or embarrassed.

I plan to do that now. I am feeling a bit burdened right now---Lane calls it "a smile turned upside down". Like him, I try to look at things positively, although I must confess I am often more of a pessimist. I have found that I often expect little of people so I am not disappointed.

I don't know what has brought on this current "down in the dumps"---well I know, but I don't want to say. I am just so tired--of being a lot to others, but not always getting anything in return. I guess that is why I love quilting---it is a hobby that allows me to be creative, and have some control over what happens. These days I don't seem to have much control over anything--I know I am not the "Long Ranger"---a lot of people are feeling the same way. I know that things could be so much worst and I am really thankful that they aren't that bad, but it would sure be nice to have things all neat in a row and not have to do so much thinking and negotiating. Okay--thanks for allowing me to have a "little pity party"---I promise that I will be so much better tomorrow!

Hugs and have a great evening!

Summer Is Definitely Here!!!!

It has been so very hot here in Middle TN. Today it is over 100 but it feels like it is 200!!!! I am complaining, but to be honest, I would much rather be hot than cold---so actually, I guess, this is my favorite time of year.

Well, what have I been up to! I finished a couple of quilts----one for my Granddaughter, Marissa. That is pictured above. I finished quilting it in bright green, and then put bright green piping. I think it has really added to the quilt. Rather than bright green fabric, I used green grosgrain ribbon! It was much easier and although I have the piping tool, it really can be done without it if you use ribbon. I think it turned out pretty good given it was my first one. I also finished a "Turning Twenty" baby quilt for one of the girls I work with at the hospital. It is for a little boy and I used blue/yellow and red 30's. I am going to pipe it in red ribbon.

Of course I have been doing some dyeing. I have nine yards washing now and I must say, it appears that the colors are great. I had posted earlier that I think I found the secret. The secret to bright colors is to not add a lot of water to the dye color formula. What I do is add just enough water to result in one cup (if dyeing 1 yard) or less depending on how much fabric you are dyeing. I squeeze it through completely and then let it batch overnight. The colors are so bright. Hopefully this really is the trick since I love the bright colors!

I purchased this really great scrap quilt book and saw this great quilt made from old plaid shirts. I am a real fan of Bonnie Hunter and the quilts she makes from scraps, although I have never used recycled clothing, so off to Goodwill I went. I purchased about 25 shirts, some for as low as .25 and have cut them up. It is amazing how much fabric you can salvage. Essentially, I only threw away the cuffs, and the collar (although I used it on some shirts). The picture above is of the pieces I salvaged. I think I need some light color ones and when I get time I will go back to the Goodwill to look for some. The quilt is great looking and it has definitely moved up on my "To Do" list. I have a couple of quilts I have to finish first.

Thanks so much for stopping by to spend a couple of minutes. Have a great remainder of the day and the week-end. "Talk" to you later!!!!

I Have Been So Very LAZY!!!!!!

I have been checking in regularly, but it has been so very HOT here that I haven't had the energy to think about writing something. When I get home from work, I get all tired out just walking from the car to the house! Still, I would rather be hot than cold.

I have been doing some quilting of course. Finished quilting my bright square quilt, it is called Marissa's Quilt, since it is for my granddaughter Marissa. I also put a bright green piping on it---it really added some zing! I also finished a baby quilt for one of the girls at work. I used the "Yellow Brick Road" pattern in blue and yellow. Somewhere along the way, I either didn't cut out some of the blocks, or cut too many of one, so I had to add another FQ. I added a red, like the border and it is looking kinda nice (picture to follow).

I also did some dyeing. Above is the pictures of the results of my labor. I am so glad that I dyed some half yard pieces, since I love the colors! Aren't the color's vibrate!!!! I think I have discovered the secret! I am going to try again next week and see if it works again and then I will share it! I was just playing around and so really didn't dye as much as I wanted, nor in the colorways, but I do like the way these look--BTW, it looks like I need a new ironing board cover :-(

Well, just wanted to check in---thanks so much for being patient with me! I will try to do better! Have a great week!

I Am Having So Much Fun!!!!

Diane is visiting from Florida and we are having so much fun!!! We have visited 3 quilt shops (are about to leave for another in a little while) and of course, have done our share of helping the budget here in TN. We also went to a Debbie Caffey trunk show and class that my guild hosted this week-end. Both were fantastic!!!! The class was a technique one rather than really making a entire quilt and it was so worth it. If you ever get a chance to attend one of her classes, do go. For those of you who don't know her, she is actually the person who first began to use 2.5 strips for quilts and talked Moda into selling them. She called them "worms". She teaches all kinds of great ways to use your "worms"/jelly rolls--ways to cut them, neat rulers to use, etc. I can't wait to try one of the quilts in the book I purchased.

Just wanted to drop by and say hi! No pictures unfortunately, but when you are having fun, who has time for pictures.

Hugs! enjoy the remainder of your Sunday!