Under the Weather!

After feeling like I missed the bullet the last couple of years....no cold or flu. It was my turn.
For the past week I've been doing all the over the counter stuff. My cough got so bad I went to the ER yesterday. Chest X-Ray, two breathing treatments, some steroids, and prescriptions for more along with one for antibiotics I am home. I am not looking for sympathy but wanted to explain why I've been absent and will be until I get over the hump. See you in a bit!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Maya is on the Mend!!

That's great news because it means I can get back to this.

I've done very little sewing while she's been ill and tending to her has been my first priority. Also being afraid for her has kept me pretty paralyzed..that is par for the course for me. When I'm afraid, I hunker down and stay put.

I'm so glad that she is doing better and that I still
have some time with her.

Two Finishes ~ First in 2011

Last week was a "lost" week. My dog is still sick, and I had a minor procedure done at the hospital and the anesthesia took a couple of days to work it's way out of my system. Let's just say I caught up on my sleep.

I got the binding sewn on two quilts and they will go out in the mail tomorrow.

I made a lot of 8" half square triangles from my "rust" fabrics in the stash. I didn't know what I was going to do with them all, but I managed to get 3 quilts out of them. Two crib size and one generous throw. This is the last of them....a crib size. I enjoyed them all and am ready to move on.

The second one is a double bed size quilt. I didn't have the pattern, but I had seen the quilt on Flickr a long time ago and had some of the fabrics, but not enough, and Victoria from Bumblebeans came through with the rest. I love this quilt!

I love that the person who originally made this saw that using these 5 fabrics in this way could give the illusion of a lace overlay. Very clever!

This quilt was started in 2010, but got set aside for a bit and was finally finished when I got the binding on. I enjoyed working on it, and would love to sleep under it, but am passing it along to someone who I hope will love it as much as I do.

Pin Basted and Ready to Machine Quilt

I've been finishing up a few things that came back from the quilters and I'll have pictures of those later this week.

While considering yet another wrinkle in the Mariner's Compass Quilt, I put together this little quilt from my african fabrics and some batik blocks of African Dancers. I love it!

This is the quilt top, pin basted and ready to be quilted. I'll do the quilting myself...just a simple grid and some kind of geometric frames on the border.

The back is also fabulous with just one strip of pieced strips down the center.
I think either side will look fabulous.

I have not been present here because my baby girl, Maya, has been very sick. We've been to the vets and we've done two sessions of extensive lab work, but we don't have a diagnosis.

She has had a major lower gastrointestinal upset and no, I won't ruin your day with details....but for the past 3 weeks I've been cooking her meals myself. White rice and boiled chicken meat.

Understand that I don't cook for myself daily, so she should really be feeling princess-y and know that my love for her has no bounds.

In addition, she has been doing major lounging and has dibs on my bed from the moment I get up until I move her out so that I can go to bed at night.

During this long illness she has required extra trips "out" and since I've been so worried about her, I have accommodated every diva-like desire of hers.

She has given me a couple of false hopes and it seemed like everything had settled down, only to get bad again. So, I'm hoping that her unusual perky-ness and cessation of belly upset today means she is on the mend and not another false hope.

Stay tuned....

2011 ~ I'm Ready! (tomorrow is 1/1/11!)

A Little Diversion

I'm still procrastinating on starting the Mariner's Compass quilt. I wish I knew how to use those Electric Quilt programs so that I could plan it all out there.

Meanwhile, I had an itch to make something quickly and ran across some batik squares of African Dancers
that I bought in the vendor faire at a quilt show many years ago.

I decided to pair that with some african fabrics from my stash and make a wall size quilt for my ETSY shop.

It was a simple little diversion. I framed the batik squares and some of the african prints.

I used full size blocks of the other prints.

I pieced a backing.

Today I will layer, pin baste, and quilt it.

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

Layer Cake in The Mail!

I didn't think that this fabric would be available until March or April. It made it's debut at Quilt Market and someone there showed swatches on their blog (thank you anonymous blogger....I forgot to thank you). Last week on the Quilter Blog Roundup I saw the swatches again and someone was selling jelly rolls and layer cakes. Wa-hoo....I was on that like a cheap suit.

And, look what the mailman brought me today!

Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey for Moda. If you want to see more photos of the fabrics in the collection Sherbet Pips, you will find them on her blog, "comfortstitching".

I have not yet formulated a plan....but I shall. After all, I waited for months before cutting into Flea Market Fancy and have just used the last of that collection. I'm patient.

Meanwhile, I have some paper-pieced mariner's compass blocks and mariner's star blocks that need to be made for quilts in blue (2). And a quilt for my other granddaughter utilizing Seattle Mariner's colors (don't ask!).

Another One Ready to Go...

My young neighbor from across the way came by to show me his 4 new "hot wheels" and his new shirt. He also showed me his newest ninja moves. I love that!

I asked his mom to help me show off this finish before I send it off. This pattern "Georgia's Quilt" I bought from Red Pepper Quilt's Etsy shop. She had written about it on her blog and I thought I'd like to make it one day.

When my grandaughter Ashley said that her favorite color is pink, I immediately knew what quilt I'd make. I think there is about 35 different pinks and creams in this one.

I will ship it out tomorrow.

I wanted to do something different on the back so that she could show either side on her bed and get 2 looks from one quilt. I like it too.

Binding Finished Friday.....ready to go!

I finished stitching the binding on this quilt Friday, then I got sidetracked making a baby quilt.

I just need to wash this, dry it, admire the soft crinkliness of it and send it off.

This is a wedding gift.

I used the last of my Flea Market Fancy fabrics making it ~ I had been hording them waiting for a special project and this was it.

I hope they like it!

Just a little detour....

My hairdresser Tracey is having a baby, and I thought I had time, but when I saw her yesterday afternoon it was clear that she's further along than I thought.

She told me her last work day is the 29th of this month....so I set aside all that binding I was hand stitching and put together a baby girl rail fence quilt.

I got it pieced and got most of the quilting done before I went to bed, and when I got home from running errands today, I finished it.

Tomorrow it gets washed.

I have the binding finished on one of the quilts, so now I'm back to start on the other.

Binding, binding, binding.....

Sewing the binding on two quilts today.
Once it's on, I can pick up this handwork to do in the evening while the TV watches me.

I know a lot of quilters have learned how to stitch down the binding by machine, but I am not one of them. I can sew it on by machine, but must stitch it down by hand once it is folded over to the back side of the quilt.

There is something pleasing about doing this last little bit by hand. My grandmother, the first quilter I was aware of, used to piece by hand. She and the "Ladies Aid Society" used to meet and hand quilt their quilts at a large frame set up in the living room during the winter, and under the black walnut trees out in the side yard during the summer.

Although I was taught to hand piece, I abandoned it quickly and wouldn't be a quilter today if I hadn't learned to use a rotary cutter and my sewing machine.

So, when I hand stitch the binding on my quilt, it is an homage to my Grandmother and I am satisfied.

Loveliness in the Mail.....

I love getting packages in the mail.
Even if I am expecting them, they always take me by surprise.

I ordered these dishtowels from Pony and Poppy on ETSY.

The talented Amy Stone makes lots of different things from paper, cloth and ink....go take a look and be prepared to treat yourself.

I love these and my time in the kitchen will be cheerier (is that a word?) now that these will be there.

When I was making lots of quilts, I sold on ETSY under the name Tenderoni Quilts and one day I hope to get back to stocking the store with projects. I like patronizing ETSY as a buyer too. And as you can see, I always feel like I hit the jackpot when I receive my purchase!

Holiday Baking

Okay, so I haven't gotten back into the zone on my newest quilt yet.

I've gotten a little sidetracked with the holidays, which seem to have crept up. I have some holiday baking to do so I got online and ordered a new toy. A food processor will make quick work of all that mixing and chopping ~ and I have gotten too used to doing without one. The FedEx guy (still in shorts even though it's only about 40 degrees today ~ go figure!) delivered it today.

I'm making Almond Biscotti.

That lovely little tool helped me put it together and get it ready for the oven in less than 5 minutes. Uh huh....that's what I'm talkin' about!

These other pictures were just because.

Who Needs Words?

A Picture is Worth a Thousand......

Thankful for all of you!

Still in the Zone, Just in a Different Way.....

Getting ready to work on some new quilts that require a new skill set means practice, practice, practice. So there is not much progress on the actual quilts because I haven't really started them.
I'm still in the reading and learning phase.

So, first things first....I needed to reorganize my workspace so that I could do the extra steps necessary when paper piecing. So I got a little worktable to put to my right at the corner of the sewing table
so that I can press and trim as I go.

I also found the neatest iron ..... I love it because it is heavy and I don't feel like I really need to press down. It is hot. It has burst of steam when I need it for actually ironing clothes and getting a good crease in things. It is big so that I can really press fabric in a snap.
Did I mention that I love it? I do. Hamilton Beach I love your iron!

I'm practicing on some simple paper piecing projects.
They probably won't end up in a quilt....but I'm learning some stuff I wouldn't have learned without practicing and would have been really sad to learn while working on my actual quilts....so, it's a good thing.



This paper piecing stuff requires new and unfamiliar tools as well as new ways of looking at the block. Sort of working backwards and feels like I'm guessing at whether the fabric will actually cover the
shape when it's stitched in. A little crazy making for this quilter.

I now have a selection of tools from which many quilts could spring if I get enthused, which at this point I am not. Still, my niece has made her request and I love this girl to pieces so I want to meet her expectations and challenge mine.

So, in the midst of all this preparedness our city had it's annual quilt show sponsored by the local quild. I didn't take a single picture and spent more time looking through the vendor section than the show. Yet, there were some stunning quilts.

Luckily I found a picture of one of the quilts that really caught my eye. It is an image of the sugar skulls that signal that it is Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. I love those images and this quilt was outstanding in person....sparkly, embellished, and so well executed it got my vote for best in show.

And, so today I work on some more practice blocks while Maya stays alert at her post. Checking the view from her ever-vigilant post for any stray leaves that might bounce across the lawn or heaven forbid an errant squirrel come into the yard setting off a race from the slider in the living room to the big window in the bedroom.

Save On Rotary Cutter Blades.....!!

Wilma in North Carolina posted something on her blog that I couldn't hardly believe....she found blades at Harbor Freight that looked like they would work in her rotary cutter and they were about a buck apiece! Click HERE to see them. Wilma, bless her heart, did the field research for us and ordered them. Yep, they work. Just fine.

Why then, have I been paying about $25 for a pack of 5??

The cost of quilting fabrics and quilting accessories (tools of all sorts included) is through the roof.
Why? Because they can and because they know we will pay it.

Thanks Wilma, I'm going to Harbor Freight. There's one about 4 miles from my home. (You can also order them online....even with postage you'll save a bundle.)

I guess I'm drawing a line in the sand.

Getting Ready...

After looking closely at this book and realizing I haven't a clue....I've decided to choose a simpler mariner's compass and have ordered yet another book! The technique in this book is so alien to what I know or what was taught in the class I took, that I don't know how to "translate" it.

Maya is snoozing while I make all these decisions about the how-to's.

I needed some input from my niece Ann about her color choices for
this quilt. She sent me some paint chips in colors they like and I told her I'd take them into consideration and might add one or two.
I like the colors she selected. I've chosen a pale gray for the background and the center medallion will feature shades of blue with touches of pale gold and some burgundy. The frame will be a variety of water/ocean colors from deepest blue to palest seafoam and all points in between in the storm at sea pattern. I'm excited.

But, I need to practice paper piecing, so I've chosen some simple blocks to play with. Also, since this quilt will be slow going since every bit of it will be a learning curve for me, I've decided to also work on another quilt at the same time. That too is something I've never done before. I usually just plow right through a quilt before starting another.

Nothing like changing up the way I do things, is there?

My fabric has all arrived and I'm pleased with the choices and the editing of it all. I had very little blue in my stash and now that's not the case.

Also, the library has located the books on disc I requested and I picked them up yesterday.

Wow! It looks like I'm ready.