Retreat Recap...

I couldn't end my trip without posting photographs of some of the fabulous

 quilts created by my friends. There were so many beautiful quilt tops sewn

 together over the past three days - and not all were the group project pattern.

Alice made this stunning quilt top. She was set up on the table behind me, so

I got to watch her work on it. Alice is also the new owner of Prissy! Since I

brought my new Crescendo home, I've been trying to find a new home for

my hardworking, reliable Prissy. I took her to use at the retreat and let 

everyone know that she was "adoptable". Alice played with her and decided

to take her home with her. I'm really thrilled that they have found each other.

This is the quilt top my "roomie", Melinda finished. She started this top a few

years ago and decided that fall was the perfect time to complete her UFO.

I think it turned out lovely. She was right...it was time she finished this one.

Betty is one of my friends from the guild. She always makes colorful 

quilts and this one is no exception. I love her black and red poppy quilt.

I'll look forward to Show and Tell at the guild when she's got it all done!

My friend (and retreat hostess), Susan Slaton of Wazoo Quilts made

this quilt from a precut pack of batiks that a number of the women

bought when we went shopping. She'll add borders and her stellar

longarm skills to this pretty patchwork to create a stunning new quilt.
I wouldn't be surprised if she had it finished by the weekend!

This is Paulie's black and white version of the retreat project

"Jelly Roll Jam II" (free pattern from Fat Quarter Shop. Love it!

Here's Sandi's version in fall and jewel-toned batiks. Yummy!

This quilt is really elegant. Gladys chose a soft, soothing palette for her design.

This is my new pal, Linda Macklin. She made this project quilt using

fall-colored, ACORN-themed fabrics! Squeee! I threatened to abscond

with this beauty. It reminded me of Wisconsin whenever I walked past it.

(You may think she's smiling at the camera, but she was just taunting me!)

I first met Dawna at the Sebring retreat I attended last year at the 

Kenilworth Inn. Remember, there were four "Donna"s and one Dawna?

There were only two Donnas and one Dawna at this one. hee hee

I like how she arranged her six-piece blocks from light to darks. It made

for a completely different effect for the blocks. It's very spring-like, too!

  My last picture to share with you is the official "roommates" photo of me with my new friend, Melinda. I really enjoyed getting to know her and  sharing this retreat in her company. Until we see each other at a future retreat or quilt show...Wishing all "Happy Quilting and Happy Hearts".

The Calm After The Storm...

 Rebecca sits at the top of my new shelf unit. She's calmly stitching away having

witnessed the storm that was "Me", cleaning and rearranging my creative space.

This is the first thing I see whenever I enter through the door of my studio.

 My cutting table is clean and waiting for me to start the next project.

All Most of my laces are arranged on tubes and hang from the tension rods

I placed between the legs on my table. In this place, they're handy and ready

to use without sorting through loose pieces in boxes or drawers. I need to roll

a few more pieces I found while cleaning, but this is what's sorted so far.

 When I'm in the studio, I look to my left and see my machines, ready and 

waiting on their tables. Miss Ellie is set up on a larger table so I don't have

to move her to use the embroidery feature anymore. I just have to add the 

embroidery arm, set the design, thread her up and go. Handsome picked her up

 to move her out of the room during the "storm" and commented on how heavy

 she is. I'm infinitely happy that I can just leave her on the table to use now.

 If I stand behind Prissy (my Babylock Espire), and look back toward the door,

you can see what I see from here. My stand, holding a little more fabric (I know),

my storage cabinets on the right and my cutting table on the left. My acorn ornaments

all hang from a tension rod suspended in the window, and a few of my favorite pieces

of needlework hang on the walls. (Those are my completed "Sweet Stitches" panels

hanging on the door.) You can also see some of my small quilts hanging in the hallway.

 I've organized future projects in their own plastic storage boxes under

the cutting table. This way, they're kept together, clean and organized.

 These are my storage cabinets. I'm not going to open the doors because one

of you might fear for my sanity and call the authorities. I have fabric on bolts

behind four of those doors, and more plastic containers with current projects

inside the last one. Each one has the project name on it so that I can just pull the

one I want instead of having to sort through every one to find what I'm looking for.

 Each shelf on my new wall unit has a display of some of my favorite things.

This shelf has British tins, a small English figurine and, of course, a corgi. It was

a sweet gift from a generous blog friends TerriBoog and her dog, Bittabit, who

sent along a few other corgi things (see post here to see all the goodies she sent).

 This shelf has a watercolor painted by Sharon Chapman; a tiny treasured bear

handmade by a dear friend in Wisconsin (which sits on another gift from a Florida

friend about twenty years ago); a small creamer with beautiful little violets from Mom

(Grace); and one of my two Susan Pilotto creations (Mouse Droppings Fine Folk Art).

 Another shelf holds my own "Harris" the Tweed Rabbit pincushion; another

gift (the sweet, heart-shaped dish) from Terri; the incredible needlework beetle

I won from Lee from Notes From Under The Mountain blog; my own button

heart art piece; a crocheted floral mat from a friend who no longer sells them; and

my beautiful card from one of my family members in England. It's my "sweet" shelf.

 Pincushions and wool animals are front and center on one of my shelves.

That top pincushion with the lace and seam binding was made by dear friend, 

Dawn Edmonds of The Feathered Nest. She really has a way with canvas,

and seam binding. She's creates the loveliest sachets and pincushions.

 Of course, you knew I'd have a shelf dedicated to acorns, didn't you?

The leather case in the back hold a pair of antique binoculars. I hope to

someday create a steampunk piece with an embellished bird sitting on

top of those field glasses. For now, it looks just right with my acorns.

Today, I'll be in the studio. I have a little catching up to do, now that I'm all

reorganized. I have two class models to make for the shop in Venice. It was

nice to enjoy the calm after the storm, but no time to sit around on my laurels.

You'll want to be sure to visit tomorrow. 

I'll tell you all about my 1600 Post Giveaway!

Yes, Honey...

 It's not often that I get a special request from Handsome, but when he asks

 me to create something just for him, my answer is always, "Yes, Honey!"

To tell the truth, I'm always honored to do things for him, whether it's to

hold the new snare wires just where he needs them until he can tighten them

onto his newest drum; cut his hair; or help him with something in the yard. I'm an

old-fashioned wife that way. This time, his request was for a new iPad case.

 I have a stash of music-themed fabrics (don't look so surprised!), so I hauled

them out and let him choose his favorite. I just purchased this one at 

Sandy's Quilt Shop and I love it! I glad Handsome did, too! Next, I showed him 

his choices for the lining/contrast fabric. He also asked for a velcro closure instead

of the flap I usually add. Once that was all decided, it was time for me to wake up 

Prissy (my Babylock quilt machine) from her afternoon nap and get to work.

By late day yesterday, I handed the finished iPad case over to Handsome.

He thanked me and told me it was exactly what he envisioned.

Mission Accomplished!

I can't tell you how much I like seeing that smile on his face.

I got an email from my friend, Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

She's moved her blog over to WordPress, in case you hadn't heard.

I want to share her new URL so that you can visit her new home.

She's at http://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/ now.

She'll be glad you stopped in to visit.

Be sure to click here to enter my 1200 Post Giveaway if you haven't yet.

I'll be drawing all the winning names on August 31st at midnight.

There's still time to enter!

Hospice Quilts...

In our quilt guild, we make quilts to donate to various causes. Among them are Headstart quilts for school age children. They get to choose their favorite from the piles that we donate, sleep on them during rest period each day at school, and then keep them to take home at the end of the school year. The Headstart quilts measure 36" square, and because they're washed frequently, must be surface quilted no further than 4" apart.

We also make doll quilts which are donated to the Salvation Army for gift giving during the holidays. Those quilts measure about 24" square and can be any color or pattern of cotton fabric.

We also make Hospice quilts for nursing homes. At the last meeting, there was a call for quilts with a patriotic theme for the veterans in the nursing homes. These quilts have 6 1/2" squares, sewn together in a 6 x 6 block pattern. Each decorative block must alternate with a white (or ivory) block. That way they can be "autographed" by friends and family members of the recipient. Backings are all light colored in case the signatures overflow the front onto the back.

I'm going to make one of the patriotic quilts today to hand in at our August meeting next week. I'm going to alternate the "America" fabric and the navy stars fabric with the white so it's even a little more colorful. I'll take pictures and show you the finished quilt before the end of the week. For now, I'm off to wake up Prissy to get this quilt done!

Happy Quilting!

PS. This post marks post number 1191. Nine more posts to 1200! I think there might be a giveaway in the near future to celebrate!

I Really Like Paper Piecing...

This is my first attempt at paper piecing and I am really happy with the way the block went together. I had a little trouble with the "reverse" thinking at the beginning, but quickly "turned my thinking around" (I know...narf!) and this Friendship Star block was my first paper pieced block.

Loreen (my friend and our class instructor) shared a joke with our friend, Will. They had all of us laughing. Will is quite accomplished with his machines. He's got more than two Babylocks and was sitting at his Janome for the class. He told us that he earned three ribbons at the Venice (FL) Quilt Show a few weeks ago. We were all duly impressed, even though we didn't get to see the actual quilts.

There were five of us taking the class, but most of the gals were camera shy. That's my Sofia in the foreground, and she was quite happy to help me create my block(s). I like the fact that, unlike Miss Ellie (my Ellisimo) and Prissy (my Espire), Sofie only weights about 12 pounds. It's a truly portable machine, so I don't have to worry about lugging around something heavier.

If anyone needed to cut their fabrics, the main cutting table in the front of the shop was available. It's also where we gathered to watch Loreen demonstrate layout or other paper piecing techniques. There may have been money and merchandise exchanging hands, too, although I was sworn to secrecy so I couldn't possibly comment.

This was as far as I got on the second block yesterday. It's called Kansas Troubles. I used the same fabrics that I've been using in my Farmer's Wife blocks, so I can add it to the blocks to go into my Farmer's Wife quilt when I complete them.

All in all, I think the class was a great success for me. I now understand the concept of paper piecing, and have completed one block, with patterns for three more from the class to finish. They meet every week, so perhaps I'll go back over again. All I can say for now is that I'm happy I took the class, because I've found that I really like paper piecing! If you haven't tried it before, get thee to a class and learn. Who knows? You might like it, too!

I Can See Clearly Now...

Two days of singing...performing a Soundsations show on Monday morning, followed by a Chorale rehearsal Monday evening, and then a Soundsations rehearsal yesterday afternoon. No time to sew until today.

I can hear them calling now. Miss Ellie, Prissy and Evvie beckoning me back to the studio. They're anxious to feel my hand guiding fabric beneath their feet, longing for a new spool of thread and a project to create.

The wait is over girls. I have two days where you'll have my undivided attention. A camper table quilt to assemble for surface quilting, two commissions to create by the end of this month, and a few other projects waiting their turn.

I also have a table mat and potholders to sew together for our quilt guild's fund raiser boutique that I want to take to next week's meeting.

I'll be back in the studio today. It's gonna be a bright, sunshine-y day!

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This...

I thought you might like to see the next assortment of fabrics I'm going to play with. They're going to become quilts for the Flying Cloud. One quilt - the one for me - will be more flowery, and the other will be more masculine for Handsome. They'll cover us on chilly evenings as we slumber in our new coach.
This fabric will be made into pillowcases. It's appropriately called "On The Road" by Dan Morris for Robert Kaufman. It will make wonderful cases as it's extremely soft. I'll also use it for accents on the quilts.
This fabric will be featured prominently in my quilt. It's called "Silence Beauty" (I know, it's not a title befitting me, is it?). It's manufactured by Quilt Gate. This floral will be beautiful with all the birch wood in the coach, and I love the soft colors.

So, I'm going to make two nearly-twin size quilts. They'll be perfect for naps or full-fledged sleeping. I have a slot open with Kathy to have them machine quilted on March 8th. Tick. Tock. Here we go again. Off to the races!

I hope you have a great day planned. The weather here is perfect and my view from the studio is peaceful and serene even as I'm cutting fabrics and whirring away at the sewing machine. I promise I'll show you photo updates, but I can assure you that Prissy is really earning her keep these days.

Right Under My Nose...

These are the fabrics I've chosen for my 12-month quilt project. I joined a local quilt group, The Disconnected Piecers, last month and one of the members is teaching a free class. I'm learning applique' techniques, and there will be twelve blocks to complete...one per month. At the end of the year, I'll be able to assemble the quilt.

I'm really fond of the colors I've chosen. The pattern shows the design sewn in dark colors, but I want to go for a different look, so I pulled the jelly roll from my stash with all those pretty patterns, and then selected the coordinating fabrics. I also had to purchase the lightest color fabric as the background for all the squares.

I promise I'll show you each square as I finish it so you can share my applique' journey. I think it will be an interesting twelve months, don't you?
Guess what else happened yesterday? This will probably be a yawner for y'all, but I was pretty excited. We had our usual summer storms pass through on Sunday night. I always run into the studio to make sure all of my machines are unplugged. I guess, without realizing it, I had also unplugged the "accelerator" control on Prissy. When I went to sew yesterday, nothing happened. When I figured out why, I had to plug it back in.
Look. Do you see it? There. Peeking out from under Prissy. Could it be? Tell me it is! Slowly, I reach for it and this is what I found...
Woo Hoo!!!! It's my favorite, sharp, almost vintage, seam ripper! What was lost is found. It had been right under my nose the entire time. Safe and sound, but virtually invisible.
From my vantage point, the seam ripper had been obscured by the connector for my foot pedal. I swear I'd looked there before. I even lifted the machine up once, but apparently, it was still covered by the machine and I didn't see it.
I was so grateful that I got out the brass polish and cleaned it up. Then I perched it on the crocheted (tuffet) pincushion that was created by Twyla at Two Crazy Crafters. I left it there for the afternoon and then hung it on the hook right next to my machine for safekeeping before I turned out the light in the studio for the night. One lost item from my list moved to the "found" column. Now, if only I could find those berry bowls!
One more thing...
Some of you had voiced your regrets at not requesting one of my 400th Follower Artist Trading Cards. I contacted you, asked for your address and told you I would do a Phase II set. Not exactly like the first set, but incorporating the same elements. (The embroidery on the right side of the ballerinas is a different design and color.)

They're ready now and will be mailing out today. Thanks again for asking for one of my mini art pieces. I hope you all enjoy a creative day!