The Quilted Snail

Stretching Art Challenge

2012-01-16T16:40:00.002-06:00

I've been a part of an online group for a number of years now that does an annual art quilt challenge. The purpose has been to grow the skills of those that participate and I've enjoyed being a part of the group. The finished quilts and dolls are then displayed at one of the large quilt shows back on the east coast of the US. We'd love to have more people join us this year....all info is below. If you're interested in joining in leave a comment and I'll send you the name of the Yahoo group for you to join so you can join us.

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Announcing SAT14:

Foundations of ---------- For Stretching Art and Tradition 14, create a quilt, garment or dollinterpreting the theme "Foundations of __________________". You mayinterpret the theme as liberally or strictly as you like. Please, no foundation garments. Other than underwear, you might choose Foundations ofQuilting, Foundations of Faith, Architecture, or a good breakfast. We would like to encourage you to consider our original challenge intention, which was and still is the growth of the individual artists, through stretching yourselves by attempting a new form, technique, or material.

Stretching Artis an annual, un-juried fiber arts challenge which is displayed at thePennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in Philadelphia, PA. If you would like to join the challenge, or would like more information, please join our yahoo group: StretchingArt.

Adminstravia:
Size of quilts must be no smaller than 18" and no larger than 30" in any direction.

Dolls must be a minimum of 18" tall and must come with a stand or be self-supporting.

Garments must come with a means to hang them.

Quilts must be delivered by August 17, 2012. (Delivery address will be given after signing up on Yahoo).

We are required to provide mailing info to PNQE2 weeks prior to ship date(the Friday before Labor Day).

Deadline to commit is March 1, 2012

* Note - if we do not have the minimum of 15 participants, PNQE will not accept our exhibit, so the deadline to commit is important.

Gratitudes -
1. Warmer temps mean the snow is almost melted.
2. Made progress with rewriting my resume today.

Thread Giveaway

2012-01-14T21:25:00.002-06:00

Nancy from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shop is offering a wonderful giveaway on her blog of hand-dyed embroidery threads. I love using hand-dyed threads in my CQ work and these look lovely. Check them out by clicking "here"and enter her giveaway, tell her I sent you there. =)

Gratitudes:
1. todays weather was a little warmer
2. for my upstairs neighbor's son who shoveled the snow from the sidewalks here at the house.

Tree and UFO blocks

2011-11-13T20:18:00.005-06:00

I just couldn't take it anymore and had to do some quilting this weekend. Should have been working on the commissioned sewing if I wasn't going to work on homework, but it's been so long since I've been able to actually quilt that I couldn't resist any longer. This quilt started with blocks from friends on QuiltChicks (Jane, Jodi, and Pat if I'm remembering correctly). I added two tree blocks, and 2 12 inch square blocks. the 2 inch squares that wind through the top are leftover strip sets from a swap I was in several years ago. Those blocks have yet to be put together. The pic is a little dark, but the predominate colors are assorted dark greens, several shades of dark brown and a splash of red. I'm still looking fabric to use as a border but haven't decided what color I want to use.

Meanwhile, I've pulled blocks for three more UFO quilts - two set of pastels, and a set of Blue/Yellow blocks. Need to pull out the commissioned sewing as well and get cracking on that stuff as well.

And finally, I've got several block possibilities going at the present time for my next submission as well, including a quilt that I plan to submit for possible submission. =)

Gratitudes:

1. Warmer temps this weekend.

2. School is going ok so far............now to finish strongly.

The winners are.....and answers to questions

2011-11-12T08:24:00.003-06:00

The winners have been drawn for the two copies of Volume 4 of the 100 Blocks published by QuiltMaker - Congrats to Linda and Jean. And emails contacting them for addresses have been sent. If I don't hear back from either / both of them then I'll draw another comment as needed.

Now to answer questions -
Lori L asked how the border was done on the quilt I made from the block - The border was made by using one of the side sections of the block and laying it end to end to get a continual line.

An anonymous commenter asked what I would rate the difficulty of this block as - and I would say it's on the low to middle side of intermediate.

Dix asked how I choose "Quilted Snail" for my blog name - that came about after an ill-fated backpack trip with Campfire Girls as a kid when I was nicknamed snail. Long story there, but needless to say the name stuck, and people have collected snail figurines and stuff for me ever since. I had found the snail transfers 10 or more yrs ago on ebay (well 6 of the 7 in the set). Made the blocks and put them into a quilt. And figured that since I love quilting, the name "The Quilted Snail" was a good one for me and decided to use it in my blog and website.

Gratitudes:
1. My knee is doing soooooooooooo much better after physical therapy. Still more room to improve, but I can see it working. And i'm thankful for that.
2. A mini warmup is coming in the weather...won't last, but I'll enjoy while I can. =)

100 Blocks Blog Tour

2011-11-09T22:55:00.016-06:00

Welcome to the 100 Blocks Blog Tour! I'm glad to have you visit my blog today. I love to design quilt blocks and quilts from those blocks. And have talked about trying to get my patterns published for years, so having a block published in Vol. 4 of the magazine has been exciting for me. When designing I still do a lot of my initial sketching by hand. But when I really get down to working on block patterns and layouts I move to the computer. I have been using Visio for most of what I do because it lets me play with it and I have to admit that it's been easier to work with it because of the years of experience with it. I love to play with blocks that go together quickly and simply but look a lot more complex than they really are or have secondary patterns that develop when the blocks are put together.

This block started with the idea of ribbon winding around a square. It came together fairly easily, and I liked the secondary patterns that developed when the blocks were put together. The block started off looking like the block at the right. And one of the many layouts that I came up with is shown to the left. In the end I decided to simplify it just a little and took out the blue flying geese shown in the pics above. I don't think that anything was lost. When I made the sample quilt, I used a section of the block to make a border for one side of the quilt.

Be sure to leave me a comment if you'd like to win one of two copies of the magazine! And if you leave a comment as "anonymous" please make sure to include a way to contact you if your is drawn.

Gratitudes -
1. A new, more efficient heater with the cold temps that are outside!
2. For the good day at South Newton High School today with the kids. =)

100 Blocks Blog Tour this week

2011-11-07T07:07:00.009-06:00

The Blog hop in celebration of the release of QuiltMakers 100 Blocks, V. 4 is this week and starts today. QuiltMaker will be giving away a copy of the magazine to one of my blog readers (will be shipped from QuiltMaker). In addition I'll be giving away a copy of the magazine to someone who makes a comment to celebrate my block being included in the magazine (i'll be shipping this one).

I'm looking forward to talking about my block and the design process that I use when designing. on Thursday.

So be sure to come back and visit on Thursday November 11th and leave a comment on my blog to have a chance to win one of two copies of the magazine! Click here - http://quiltmaker.com/100blocks

Don't forget to check out all of the other blogs that will be showcased this week. =)

Gratitudes:
1. For the priveledge of having my block pattern published.
2. For the fun that I have when designing my block patterns and quilts!

Wonky 12-Patch Pattern

2011-11-07T05:50:00.008-06:00

This weekend I started and finished up a quilt top that will eventually go to Sunshine Quilts. And wanted to share the pattern. The pattern can be found on my website by clicking on the top most link on the following link: Http://thequiltedsnail.com/quiltpatterns.html

Enjoy! If you make the quilt, I'd love to see pictures of the finished quilt.

One note - the size of the finished blocks in the quilt can be changed by just changing the size of the squares that you start out with. Remember to allow an extra 2" in cut size when cutting your squares. For example if you wanted 14" finished squares you would need to cut 16.5" squares of your fabrics.

Gratitudes:
1. Allergy meds are a good thing when the nose is all stuffed up!
2. Rainy weather is much better than threats of snow!

Got to Quilt!

2011-11-07T05:13:00.003-06:00

Most of what I do here at home these days seems to be tied up with getting homework done or working on commissioned stuff that I have piled up here......but everyonce in a while I just gotta do something quilty so that I don't go nuts...lol. This weekend was one of those weekends when I needed to do something quilty, of course I had to work on my homework first and get the urgent stuff out of the way first. The next 5 weeks will be crazy busy trying to finish off projects for school, but the end of this semester is in sight.

After that I pulled a piece of fabric that had been in a pile of smaller pieces of fabric that I'd inherited after an online friend passed away a yr+ ago. It had been one that I had not been sure of what to do with. I finally decided to use it as one of the two fabrics in a wonky 12 patch block design. I'll post the pattern for the quilt in a bit so that any of you who read this blog can make it if you want to. Eventually when finished the quilt will go to Sunshine Quilts in Bev's memory.

Meanwhile I've pulled a bunch of orphan blocks that work together to put together as a quilt for American Heros. Just need to get some of them trimmed up and then I can start laying out the blocks to see how they'll fit together. =)

Gratitudes:
1. This semester is starting to wind down and the end is about 5 weeks away now.
2. PT is helping my knee feel some better! Slow but sure seems to be the key to healing of the torn cartiledge.

QuiltMakers Blog Hop is coming!

2011-10-31T21:39:00.003-05:00

The Blog hop in celebration of the release of QuiltMakers 100 Blocks, V. 4 is coming next week. I'll be giving away a copy of the magazine to someone who makes a comment to celebrate my block being included in the magazine (will be shipped from QuiltMaker), so be sure to come back and visit on Thursday next week! Click here - http://quiltmaker.com/100 blocks

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out all of the other blogs that will be showcased next week. =)

Gratitudes -
1. For having signed up for Student Health Insurance with the troubles I'm having with my knee.
2. For my knee feeling somewhat better (part of the time at any rate) with the PT exercises and icing.

Rick-Rack and Quillts

2011-10-27T05:31:00.004-05:00

One of the members in a yahoo groups that I'm in was asking how to use rick rack in quilts, which brought to mind a couple of quilts that I've made in the last year and embellished with rick-rack. The first quilt I made with it can be seen here - http://quiltedsnail.blogspot.com/2011/05/ufo-project-finished.html .

I ended up with lots of scraps from the first project so I took them and cut strips of the shorter pieces and made 30 blocks from them. I then took the rick-rack that had been left from the first project and sewed it onto the blocks I finished for this quilt on top of the seam between the two different fabrics in the blocks. I used a zigzag stitch to sew the trim on. And love the little pop of color that it gives to the quilt top.

I used the jumbo rickrack in these two quilts,but the smaller sizes could be used as well, maybe even multiple rows of them for more of an impact.

Gratitudes:
1. Fall Break in my observation school gives me an extra day to sleep in this week!
2.For all that God provides.

Finished something for me!

2011-09-19T06:04:00.007-05:00

Started cleaning up around the apt this weekend - something that has been totally neglected lately with everything else going on. Thankfully there isn't anyone else to gripe at me for that, on the other hand that means there is no one else to help clean either. At any rate, while cleaning up the piles around here (or trying to any way) I got distracted by a project I'd started a while back....I ended up working on and finishing up a purse organizer made from leftovers from a quilt made 5 or more yrs ago. Love the colors in the squares. Will be using it in my tote bag that I take to school. =) Now to make myself a pretty tote bag to go with it....lol.

Gratitudes -
1. Lots of work to keep me busy and help pay the bills
2. Lovely rain - even if that means the humidity in the air made my sheets damp last night.

Surfacing....

2011-09-17T14:16:00.006-05:00

Seems like forever since I've been able to post here, much less actually quilt. =( Grad school and work have been keeping me busy to say the least. And things don't look like they will slow down anytime soon. Starting next week I'll be observing at the school where I'll be student teaching and am supposed to be teaching 2-3 hrs a week as well. Student teaching starts in the Spring and goes for 10 wks. Still working on the commissioned sewing as well.

I did get to do some quilting though in August when I scrambled to make a sample quilt using the block that has been accepted for publication in Vol. 4 of QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks From Todays Top Designers. Pics of the quilt will be posted later after the magazine has been published and is for sale.

I do have to say that I am very happy to have had the block accepted for publication in the magazine because one of my long time dreams is to have my patterns published. Finally decided that this was the year I was at least going to try to accomplish this. Have designed a quilt pattern that I plan on sending in to see if I can get it published.....just need time to actually put it together and quilt it. Am hoping to get that done by the end of the year. And am also working on my design for submittal for volume 5 of the 100 Blocks. =)

At the present time I'm waiting for info back on ordering wholesale copies of the magazine (have the opportunity to do so since my block is in it). Sent out an email to various lists asking how many, if any, would be interested in buying a copy from me and having me sign it. Am now trying to decide how many copies that I am willing to order. So if anyone reading this wants a copy - let me know now so i can add you in to the total that I'm looking at getting.

Hopefully tonite I'll get a little bit of time to work on my top for the Dorinda mystery...am three rules behind on it. But at least I know what I want to do for the first one of those. =) I also need to get the binding onto my niece's quilt so that I can get it finished off and back to her.

Gratitudes:
1. Wonderful, cooler temps here!
2. God's manifold provisions in all areas of my life

Going crazy...........and excitement

2011-07-28T07:20:00.006-05:00

Life has been a wee bit crazy this summer with three summer school classes in two sessions. Have also been doing a lot of commissioned sewing these days - scrubs, muu-muu style tops and dresses, and a few quilts. Have what seems like a ton of commissioned sewing yet to get sewn up still here as well. Needless to say I haven't gotten a lot of quilting for me done with everything else going on. A couple of the quilts that I was commissioned to finished for a friend are shown in the pics below. Work at the store is still happening as well. One of these days i might actually get caught up on all that I have to do here........

But the excitement for me the last week has been that the block design I submitted for publication in the Fall 2011 issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from todays top designers was accepted! It will be in the issue that goes on sale mid-November 2011. Getting my designs published has been a long held dream, and one that I decided to go for in the midst of all the craziness instead of just talkin about it it. Now I'm working hard to get a sample quilt made so that it can be photographed for publication in the same issue. Will work on that next week....have the fabric, and know what I'm going to make. =) And have the design drawn up for my next block submission as well....just need to get the sample block made for it.

Gratitudes:
1. For a long-time dream coming true.

2. for all of the opportunities for extra income that God has provided.

Quilting Again!

2011-07-09T15:16:00.004-05:00

Summer School derailed most of my sewing & quilting for June, and now that the first class is over I've got a couple of days to quilt and sew again. =) Of course my sewing /quilting these days is made of the various commissions that I've got in house at the moment. At the moment, I've got 10 more scrub tops cut out and in process, and also have 8 other tops / dresses also cut out for the same gal. Also have a quilt going onto the frame that is for a friends daughter.

And finally am working on a wall-hanging that I've been commissioned to finish for another friend. I've got the satin-stitching finished around 3 of the pine trees so far, and am getting ready to start on the 4th one. Not hard work, just fiddly to say the least. Worst of it is that the colors are very close in shade so I'm having a wee bit of trouble seeing where the edges are because I can't find my clear open-toed foot.......argh.....need to go take another look for it. While I'm working on the stitching, I'm also thinking about how to quilt it....esp. the outer two borders of it......any ideas anyone?

Gratitudes:
1. Thankful for the commissioned work that is helping me to be able to set aside some money.

2. Thankful for all of my good friends everywhere.

UFO Project finished

2011-05-22T12:56:00.004-05:00

A year or more ago I had taken a work shop led by Karen Stone.......finished the I started in class during teh actual workshop. But that's where it stayed until yesterday. Had intended to make 3 more blocks to go with this one...........but after all the headaches of taking the paper out (it's paper-pieced) I decided it was time for a change in plans. Ended up setting the completed block on point (after repairing it that is) and used coordinating fabric for the setting triangles. Used more of the rickrack as an edge treatment in the binding. Added a hanging sleeve to the back and got the binding on late last nite. Got everything sewn down today. Haven't decided what i'm doing with this one....will decide that some where down the road.

Gratitudes:
1. Got a great price on an Ott Floor lamp. =)
2. Making progress on the commissioned sewing that I've been working on.

Empty tote!

2011-05-21T07:02:00.005-05:00

As I've been going thru things here in the house I've been working to condense, get rid of or use up things that I moved this last time....now that doesn't mean I'm trying to get rid of my stash - but it does mean that i'm working on using what I have without adding a lot to it. This weekend is UFO weekend on one of my groups, so yesterday I emptied a small tote that had a set of 6 UFO blocks that had been sent to me a yr or so back if I rememeber right.

Finished off the satin stitching on the flowers and made the alternate blocks from the fabric that had been sent with the blocks. Only fabric I had to add to make the quilt was the wow that I used to frame the alternate blocks and then the two borders. Nice to have this done and outta my to-do pile. =) This quilt top will be going to American Heros eventually.

Gratitudes:
1. Time to quilt =)
2. Summer break.

Been a while..........

2011-05-16T10:09:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I posted, mainly because I was going nuts with school and all that I had going on with it, and with working 20 or so hrs a week on top of school. Have been doing a lot of sewing for others (well for one person at any rate) for pay as well - am thanful for the extra income. Needless to say there has not been a lot of time to actually quilt and sew for pleasure the last couple of months.

Did manage to finish off a couple of UFOs - the patriotic double wedding ring that I had in the works for American Heroes. The rings were paper-pieced out of pre-cut squares I'd already trimmed down from scraps. The rings are machine appliqued (buttonhole stitched) to background squares of various WOW's. the finished quilt top is about 60" square if I remember right. It has already been sent off to American Heros with 6 other quilt tops to be quilted and then given to a wounded military vet. the second UFO finished off was made using patriotic snowball blocks and sashing. Some of the leftover triangle blocks made from the snowballs were used as setting triangles for the quilt.

This past week I've been busy making a lot of scrub tops for the same gal I've been doing sewing for the last several months. Took a break from them (still have 2 more to do before Wed) to put together a quilt top last nite. The pic on the left shows the fabric I started with. the fabric is was one of the current dress fabrics that has the elastic gathering at the top of it (remember those dresses from yrs ago?). I took out all of the elastic thread that made the gathers (chain stitched). then soaked the fabric with the elastic had been so that the holes would disappear and ironed it dry. What started out as a 27" piece of fabric at the top ended up being 48" wide. =) The pic on the right shows the top as it is right now. I love how the colors shade from yellow to fuschia. Still need to figure out what i'm going to do for the final border. Will go 'shopping' in my stash for that.

I've got one more piece that is blues to purple to do something along the same lines with. Am thinking i'll use a WOW for sashing on it instead of black though. Might do a snowball block and sashing type of quilt.....or not.....lol.

Now back to the remaining 2 of 11 scrub tops so that I can have them all ready to deliver on Wed morning this week.....

Gratitudes:
1. Extra income from sewing
2. My quilt frame is together and working!

Mixed feelings...

2011-04-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Mixed feelings here....need to go see one of the docs or PA's at the school health center 'cause I have a place on my leg that just won't go away. It's not an allergic reaction to something because the antihistamines I've been taking for my allergies here haven't affected it. I know my mom has had to have some places removed that have been pre-trouble spots, so i now i need to be concerned esp. since it fits some of the rules for skin cancer. Time will tell what it is....meanwhile I'm thankful to have the med. center at school since i can see the docs there for free and have insurance to help with any tests needed. Gratitudes: 1. Have health insurance unlike the past 3 yrs when I didn't. 2. Only 3 more weeks left in this semester!

National Quilt Day

2011-03-19T17:56:00.003-05:00

Got a little bit of quilting done today in honor of National Quilt day.....when I worked on finishing up a UFO. I had made the center block more than a yr ago as a test block before making a commissioned double wedding ring quilt. And like so many of my projects, it then sat around aging as I worked on other things. Unlike most DWR quilts, the only way I'll make one is to paper-piece that arcs and then applique them onto a solid background square. First one I did was hand appliqued, this one is machine appliqued.

Finally decided on a layout yesterday, and made the extra rings that I needed....but like a space case, miscounted and made 4 arcs too many. oops.....So rather than just have them lay around, I'm going to put them on the corner triangles. Once those are finished and on the quilt, I plan on putting a triple border on - either gold-blue-red(outer) or blue-gold-red layout....haven't pulled fabrics other than knowing what gold i plan on using....lol.....When finished this quilt will be going to American Heros at some point.

Gratitudes:
1. it's warming up here and the heating bill is going down!
2. Have the blessing of some commissioned sewing that will bring in the equivalent to one extra paycheck.

Civil War BOM Blocks To Date

2011-03-06T08:13:00.004-06:00

I was tempted into doing the Civil War Block of the Week by Barbara Brackman by a good friend of mind. And so far I've managed to stay up-to-date on this BOM....but that is only because I made 3 blocks last weekend, and the last 2 this weekend.....lol. You'd think that it wouldn't be hard to make one block a week....but these blocks are only 8 inches finished in size and a 9-patch block just doesn't do that number evenly so there are lots of fiddly cuts and odd numbers. These are coming out 1 block a week, so there are 42 more blocks to make before I really think about setting them in some way.

I'm using up bits and pieces of CW fabrics that I've had leftover from two CW block swaps in the blocks. And then filling in with fabrics from FQ's where I need to. I like how the blocks have turned out so far...except for onef the first ones (middle block, left column). And that one I like the block...but not fond of the fabrics that I choose because they were too close in value so the pattern is lost. Haven't decided to redo or not. And there was one block that ended up about a 1/4" too big despite my best efforts....but I think I've figured out how to set these so that I can still use that block and not have to remake it.

Gratitudes:
1. Great grades on the latest two tests
2. Heating bill should go down now that the other two apts in this house are occupied.

IMOB Sunshine Quilts

2011-02-26T07:38:00.009-06:00

Some months ago I 'inherited' some fabric from the stash of a much loved, founding member of sunshine quilts when she passed away. Finally got it washed a few weeks ago, and have started makign quilts from it. Here are pics of the 5 that I've finished off so far. Have made a small dent in the fabric that I received, but still have many more to go I'm sure. =) Don't know when these will be quilted because things are crazy in grad school at the present time and will be for a year and half at least.........so they are just going into my tote of finished charity tops until I either have time to do them or someone else can quilt them for me.

Gratitudes:
1. Grad School is going well so far.
2. Extra hrs at work to help pay the bills.

Cross-Stitch Projects

2011-02-26T06:36:00.012-06:00

One of the things I've been trying to do over the last year is to focus on getting UFO's finished. Last year I had just focused on working with quilting UFO's and on getting some of my many sets of blocks into finished quilt tops. Made a lot of progress on that and now have all my swap blocks into one large tote, down from two of them.

What I've ignored for years though is not only finishing my cross-stitch UFO's, but also doing anything with the finished pieces. Instead all I've done is leave them folded up and collected in three filled gallon sized ziploc bags. (Yes, i have a lot of finished cross-stitch work - 53 different pieces at last count.) Part of my problem has been I just don't have the wall space to take and frame everything and then hang it. Already have a bunch of stuff framed, but it is still boxed because I can 't hang it here in this apt. So have not known what to do with it.

One piece is now on a cross-country trip as the starting block for a quilting block robin. In going through stuff, I was reminded of a set of cross-stitch pieces that my parents had given me yrs ago - actually 3 different coordinating series of cross-stitch pieces they had picked up in Denmark when they traveled over there. The main focus of them are various mushrooms and I like them, but have never really known what to do with them.

I have had one in process also for more years than I can remember. Finally finished it off yesterday and am happy to not have it "nagging" at me to finish it. Picture is above. lol............. It will go with the other 7 that have been finished for years to wait while I finish off the remaining kits, and find the one that is among the land of the missing.... Meanwhile I have decided in general terms how I want to set them into a quilt (and you thought I'd do something different?). Just need to get the remaining kits finished so I can put them all in the same quilt. Didn't quite end up the way the graph showed the colors, but even tho I know that there are 'design improvements' in it, I couldn't tell you for sure where all of them ended up being. The two pics here are of the ones that have been finished for year. I've got one more of the small kits among the land of the missing that needs to be found so that I can finish it as well.

One lesson learned in finishing this off that will be applied to the other danish kits that I've got - I will set up a card of some sort to label the floss while i'm working on it......and the shades are very close to each other in some instances....not a good combination when unfinished for a long time! Pic to the right is the piece that I finished yesterday.

Gratitudes:

1. Snow from Thursday nite was almost melted yesterday...hopefully last nite's snow will be gone quickly too!

2. Extra hrs at work to help the income!

UFO Block finished....

2011-02-19T20:56:00.005-06:00

Last year I took a workshop taught by Karen Stone on improvisational quilting. I love her quilts, and just couldn't resist taking the workshop. The project for the workshop is similar to the one you can see on this site, with the only real difference being size. The pattern she gave us is only 10 inches square. She also taught us how to design our own quilts using the same techniques that she does and I'm looking forward to trying that in the future.

In the 8 hrs of the workshop I finished piecing the first of four blocks that I'm planning for a wallhanging. The points are all paper-pieced and then stitched together. Baby rick was supposed to be used for embellishment of the block, but I couldn't find a color that i liked. The color I ended up with was not at all what I have started out thinking of. This one spoke to me, even tho it's a little bigger than I would have liked.....I figure it's a design enhancement! lol

Three more blocks are still to be made. And then I'll decide on how to set them.

Gratitudes:
1. "Quiet" weekend.....
2. One lab report done...one more to go for this weekend.

Finished a UFO today!

2011-02-18T13:47:00.006-06:00

Finished off several projects today - two quilt tops for Sunshine, and a wallhanging made from block that I had received in a swap way back in 2003. They were well aged for sure! For some reason, blogger won't show the pic of the wallhanging any way but sideways......sorry about that.

the blocks I used in the quilt were chosen because they had relevance to my life to this point. There were two other blocks that I ended up using in different projects because they didn't have anything to do with my life. The blocks stand for:
San Antonio, upper left - I'm a native born Texan and proud of it!
Phoenix, upper right - lived in Phoenix for 30 yrs and Mesa for 3 yrs as child. Have many dear friends there that I miss a lot.
San Francisco, bottom left - I spent almost all of my school days in southern CA (Riverside) and was able to visit San Fran as a kid with my family.
Boston, bottom right - Loved living in the Boston area for 2 years while in Grad School at Northeastern University. Wouldn't mind living there again at some point.

Gratitudes:
1. Good grades on the 3 exams I've taken so far!
2. Gorgeous spring like weather at the present time - love it!

In Case Anyone Wondered.....

2011-02-16T20:33:00.006-06:00

..........what kinds of things I'm doing in some of my labs for technology education. Basically the lab projects are the kinds of things that once we are teaching will be having the kids do. For example, in my teaching manufacturing technology class in the first few labs we've used the laser engraver, an injection molding apparatus, metal bending setup, among other things.

I'm enjoying it all and am glad that I'm able to be in this program. =)

Orphans and inherited stash....

2011-02-12T20:33:00.009-06:00

Have made some progress in getting projects finished up....finished BD gifts for my parents. =) My dad's will be going in the mail no later than monday this coming week.

Have been working on finishing off some quilt tops for American Heros and Sunshine. Which has made it 'fun' this week to get around in my sewing room, since the floor in it is my design wall! For the American Heros top I started with leftover strips sets that I used as the center of star blocks. I then added some patriotic hearts that I had and a couple of orphan blocks to round out the quilt. I bordered the hearts to the same size as the stars to make it easier to put together. Finished quilt is shown above.

I've also finished one top for Sunshine and am working on a second one currently. Both of these started with fabrics I inherited from Sunshine's quilting angel's estate. More quilts to go before I finish off the fabric i have from her stash. Pics of the finished top, and the one in progress are below.

Gratitudes:
1. Temps have warmed up here!
2. Second semester is going well so far. =)

Sunshine Quilts In Action

2011-01-27T04:56:00.002-06:00

For yrs now I've been making quilts for Sunshine quilts (tops that have been quilted by others) and have enjoyed every bit of it. For the first time, I have links that i can share that show some of the quilts (including one of mine!) in action, and some background about what is done. Currently the quilts that the members of Sunshine make are given to two different groups - Wrap Them In Love and Wrap A Smile.

The mission of Wrap A Smile is to do free surgeries for kids and some adults who have cleft lips and/or cleft palate. The quilts that are made and sent are used to cover those that are selected for surgery. The current mission, going on now, is to Peru. If you click here, and then scroll down in the blog post to the video labeled "Bev's Quilts", the next to last quilt shown "in action" is one that I made and another member of the group quilted for me. =) To read more about what happens on one of their missions, click here and then scroll back to read the posts for this trip.

Gratitudes:
1. For the skills for and love of quilting that God has given me.
2. For the plumbing here in the apartment being fixed!

Orphan Blocks

2011-01-24T18:19:00.005-06:00

I went through all of the sets of blocks that I've got today, and the tops that need quilting to make sure that everything was listed on this yrs spreadsheet (and no it wasn't....). And found these two orphan blocks. They are made with hand-dyed fabrics and were made with pp'd patterns that were in the Foundation Piecer Magazine yrs ago. Now I've sold all of the issues that I had owned, and have no desire to make any more of these blocks.............but my problem is what do I do with the blocks. Finished size of them is 6". Anyone have any ideas for me?

Have also been getting all the fabric that has been scattered across this apartment corralled in the stash room, and in the right boxes or totes. Things are looking much better around here and that makes me happier. Still to be done is to go through the lg tote of fabric I'd pulled together for projects back when everything went into storage so that I know what is there, and what needs to be recorded on my quilting spreadsheet so I can keep track of it. Am making progress with getting things done this year and that feels good. Next sewing project tho is to get the commissioned fleece hoods made and sent off.

Gratitudes:
1. Leaking pipes in basement are fixed!
2. Am current on homework....lol.

Projects in Progress

2011-01-17T07:25:00.004-06:00

Have enjoyed the long weekend. =) Started working on getting my fabric and stash room under control. Something that was drastically needed after having the stash in storage for over a yr, buying more fabric, and having it scattered across this apt in piles and totes everywhere. For those that don't know, I normally have it sorted into boxes and totes by color and/or type of fabric. This has not been the case over the last 18 months as i keep finding boxes and totes of "Assorted Fabs" - ugh. So I've got everything pulled out and piles of colors and types sorted out ready to go back into the proper boxes.

Have been sorting out things to sell as I go through them as well. First pile to be sorted out was a large bunch of FQ's that I'm tired of moving around between various totes. I've finally admitted that I'll probably never use these so I'm going to list them for sale and hopefully get rid of them. Need to go through my quilt books as well and see what I can get rid of there.

The only problem with doing things like this is that I'm easily distracted and get caught up in new projects.....lol. One of the "mini-stashes" that I found were large pieces leftover from various quilt backs. I took three of them and made the baby quilt shown to the right. Had the perfect amount of the teddy bear fabric to cut 16 rectangles that were 7.5" wide by 9.5" tall, with nothing useable leftover. Fabrics used for framing were also leftovers. There is enough left of the tan to use for background in something else. Remaining red will be used for the binding. Blocks ended up at 9.5" wide by 11.5" unfinished. I still need to pull fabric for a border, but am not sure about what color I want to use for that. Need to take the quilt with me when I go upstairs to work on stash organization and see what looks good with it. When finished it will be a gift for the daughter of a very good friend who is pregnant with child #1. Will wait to send it until she has a baby shower later in the year.

Also in the works is a quilt for American Heros made from orphan blocks. Some were mine, many in it came from my friends Nancy, Susan, Jane, and Jodi. The pic to the left shows the two fabrics that I was considering, but I don't like either one, so it's back to the 'drawing board' for fabric. Need to head upstairs and see what I've got in the boxes of blue fabrics to see what will work.

Next up to finish off are a stack of quilted postcards that I am going to use as thankyou's for various things. And a pair of commissioned fleece hoods that I've been paid for and need to get made....gotta find the pattern tho first! lol. After that I need to put together the gifts I'm making my dad and mom for their BD's....stitching is all done....woohoo. Have due dates for both of those so need to get busy on them. After that it's onto BD gifts for later this spring. =)

Gratitudes:
1. Warmer weather yesterday.
2. School holidays! lol

2011 Goals

2011-01-15T14:53:00.003-06:00

I know i'm running "late" in posting this but I've done a lot of thinking about what some of my goals for this year are going to be. One obviously will be to do well in all of my classes in school throughout this entire year. That is one that will prove to be challenging the further I go in the Woodrow Wilson Teaching fellowship / STEM program. It is one though that I'm looking forward to.

I've thought too about whether to post them or not here on my blog, and decided that I'm going to as that will give me a bit more accountability, if nothing else to myself. The rest of the goals can be broken down into 3 main areas as follows:

Life in general -
1. Continue to keep up as best I can with the Bible Reading schedule that my church, CBC, in Phoenix is doing this year.
2. Get my quilt frame and machine set up.
3. Get this apt straightened up.
4. Find somewhere to sell the antique thread chest that I own.
5. Set up spare bedroom.
6. Set up page on blog and website to sell my quilts and quilt kits.
7. List completed Hoods, fabrics, books, etc. for sale where appropriate.

Quilting -
1. Design and submit a block for publication in QuiltMaker's 100 Block Fall 2011 issue - actually do this and not just talk about it.
2. Work up a Quilt Design to be submitted hopefully for publication - actually do this instead of just talking about how I want to do it!
3. Continue designing and making the batik beauty blocks.
4. Design setting for the basket blocks from the batik beauty blocks. Make pattern for publication?
5. Make American Hero Quilts.
6. Make Sunshine Quilts.
7. Start working on a book wit my quilt settings in it using the Orphan blocks I have.
8. Stay up-to-date on the Block Robin that I'm hosting.
9. Complete my Stretching Art 2011 Challenge quilt.
10. Make final CQ blocks (unembellished) for Pink & Yellow Kitty Quilt.
11. Finish wallhanging started in Karen Stone workshop in April 2010 - finish 1st block, make remaining 3 blocks and finish.
12. Make lap quilt for wedding present for Sarah P.
13. Make baby quilt for Krissy R.
14. Put together hugs quilt for TF.
15. Get P's mom's quilt quilted and back to her.
16. Stay current with the heart block swap I signed up for.
17. Work on Susan's stitchery BOM.

Cross-Stitch and General Sewing -
1. Design a quilt setting for the cross-stitch mushrooms done on linen
2. Finish mom's BD Present - due in May
3. Finish dad's BD present - due in Feb
4. Finish mushroom cross-stitch on linen that is in progress.
5. Finish hummingbird for K.
6. Make fleece hoods for RM
7. Finish P's crocheted kitchen towels
8. Finish D's belated Christmas Present.

Seems like a lot, but I've found that I work well under pressure.....lol. And there are several things that I really want done because I'm tired of just talking about them and not actually working to make them a reality. I keep track of all that I need to do, am working on and have completed in a spreadsheet, but I'm also going to put the list in a new page on my blog as a means of keeping track here on my blog as well.

Gratitudes -
1. For the strength that God gives me.
2. For a good start to the second semester of grad school.

Thread Giveaway

2011-01-15T13:32:00.005-06:00

One of my quilting buddies, Susan, is hosting a giveaway of some of her hand-dyed embroidery thread. It is wonderful! If you're interested, click the button below to go to her blog and see how to sign up for the giveaway -

Gratitudes:
1. Warmer weather relatively speaking!
2. God's control over everything that happens in our lives.

Grown-up triangle strips

2010-12-23T11:12:00.005-06:00

Finished off the quilt top with the triangle strips that I'd been working on over the last week. When I started this project I had one plan in mind - that of making 12" finished square blocks.....but like so many times before these blocks had a plan of their own and started to talk to me and refused to shut up until I changed my plan and did what they were asking for....LOL. This Quilt will be going to American Heros at some point. Need to finish off more tops for them first before it is sent.

Have been working on the next UFO project that has been sitting on my cutting table for a couple of weeks now. This project started with the strip sets that are in the center of the blocks, they were a gift from a friend. Lots of fun fabrics in them but what to do with them.....lol. Have added fabrics on either side of the strips sets, and will be setting them so that they turn in alternate directions. And if I've done everything right the last fabric added will all go in the same basic direction.

Still need to think about what I want to do for the border(s) yet, but that may happen after the first of the year. I think this one will become a comfort quilt for someone that I know who is undergoing chemo at the present time.

Next project after this one will be a hugs quilt made from heart blocks.

Gratitudes:
1. Final grades are in and I did end up with 3 A's an a B! So thankful for being able to get back into the swing of school and do well!

2. I get to see family and friends in just a couple of days! Woohoo.......

Finished!

2010-12-21T13:55:00.007-06:00

Finished off the Christmas gifts this morning. Will post pics of them later, but meanwhile here are a couple of hint of what I was working on .....

Of course with the short attention span that I have I have started a couple of "new UFO" projects....that is new projects made with UFO bits and pieces of stuff. The first one will be with the triangle strips that I talked about last time. I've finished making the triangle strips, and have also finished making the string pieced "yardage" needed out of red scraps. The red strip is cut at 3" wide, and long enough for 16 blocks. Have added the WOW strips on either side of the triangles, and am now trying to decide what side of the strip that I want to add the string-pieced reds to....on the same side as the points, or on the opposite side. Pic to the right shows the two possibilities. Once that is sewn on, then I'll add another row of WOW. Finally I plan to add a row of gold onto the blocks.

The second project I just barely started is some 3-D flying geese blocks made in the one-seam method that Ricky Tims describes in this You-Tube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Mu0C_QL8Y . Used a couple of pieces of fabric from the stash that I inherited from a fellow Sunshine Quilter.....Super quick and easy to do. the only thing to remember is that the piece you cut for the geese should be 1/2 inch shorter than what the total of teh background squares are unfinished. For example in the ones I did, I cut 2 - 4.5" unfinished squares for the background, and then cut a triangle that was 4.5" by 8.5" in size. And then sewed them together as shown in the video. Finished sample block is shown to the left.

Gratitudes:
1. Almost ready for vacation!
2. Have enough snow cleared away to make it to work today. =)

UFO or New Project.....that is the question

2010-12-18T07:29:00.005-06:00

I'd almost finished off one of the two final christmas gifts that I need to get made before Christmas this year...when of course I ran out of the thread that I need for the final steps (buttonholes!).

So instead of making a special trip out to get more thread yesterday when I knew I'd be working last nite and could get it then.....I started working on a UFO/New Project........can't decide which one it is because it's really both in one project. The pp'd pattern strips are ones that my friend Susan, of http://desertskyquilts.livejournal.com/ gave me when she retired several yrs ago and was house-cleaning stuff prior to going on the road fulltime with her husband. Kept them because they looked like fun but just had never done anything with them. The blue fabrics in the strips I've done so far are 3.5" squares that I trimmed to size several yrs ago and just never did anything with them..........am using a WOW for the background. I've enough of the blues for 16 of the 18 pattern sections that I have. The strips work up to 12.5" unfinished long, and I'm planning on adding to them to make them into 12.5" squares. This is one of those projects that will tell me what it wants to be as it "grows up". =) Next up is a narrow strip of WOW on either side of the pieced strip. Then probably a strip-pieced section of scrappy reds on the white side. After that who knows....

Another project I need to finish up is a few quilted postcards - I found the three at the bottom of the pic. the cross-stitch portions are from little ornaments that I'd made yrs ago and then never used. Figured I'd use them better in this way. Have another pile of these little cross-stitch pieces to use in the same manner. the Christmas ones are all now finished and two of them have already been sent off to their new homes.

Gratitudes:

1. Passed 3 of my classes with A's! Still waiting for the final grade.
2. Vacation is coming!

Goodies in the mail!

2010-12-09T14:02:00.002-06:00

Love getting mail when I get goodies in it! Today's mail brought the goodies that I won from Quilters Newsletter and their recent contest for Ami Simms Alzheimers Initiative. My winning quiltlet is shown to the right. I'm thankful for everyone who voted for it!

In the goodies that came were EQ7, which i'm looking forward to being able to use in my quilt designing. 10 yds of fabric from the Wintergraphix III line of fabric by Jason Yenter and In The Beginning Fabrics. There are 8 pieces of fabric total - 7 one yd long pieces, and a 3 yd long piece. Am looking forward to working with these fabrics when I have time to play. =) Pics of the fabrics are below. =)

Meanwhile I finally remembered where my gold E-beads were so that I do the beading needed for the center of a poinsettia that I put on a quilted postcard. Now I can put the back onto it and finish it. I've also two more hooded scarves this week. One for me and one for a classmate. Bought some more remnants of fleece while it is on sale so that I can get some made up and listed for sale. Thankfully they are really quick to make so I should be able to get them made up and listed this weekend w/o a problem. I used a fun dotted fleece, lined in black for the last one of mine. And am enjoying it when i leave for early morning classes at school. =) Am looking forward to having fun playing with color combinations as I make more.

Gratitudes:
1. Apt is staying fairly warm in spite of windows that aren't well sealed.
2. And for figuring out ways to seal off the leaky windows!

Winter is here......

2010-12-05T07:46:00.003-06:00

...........and after the 'cool' temps of last week, I decided I really do need to have something to add some protection to my head and ears. It wasn't the temps as such, but the wind was cold! And I know it's gonna get colder before winter is gone. Now don't get me wrong....I love winter. And the snow we got yesterday is beautiful..... but as I get older I've learned a little bit of sense and know I need to wear something on my head.

My frustration has always been that I don't like hats.....so I decided what I wanted was a combination of a hood and scarf. Found a coat pattern for fleece fabrics that I had bought last yr sometime that had a coat with a hood on it. And the way the pieces were made, the front band of the coat was attached to the hood. I took the pattern piece and modified it to do what I want. And now I have a nice comfy, and hopefully warm hood and scarf combo. Used a remnant from Joann's that cost me under $3 total for the 1 yd piece of fabric. =) I want to make at least one more, and have plans for several more fleece scarves as well. Just need to get them made......

Gratitudes:
1. Lots of beautiful, white fluffy snow
2. The semester is almost over!

New Pattern on my Website

2010-12-01T16:23:00.002-06:00

I've added a new pattern to my website for a purse organizer. You can find it here -

http://thequiltedsnail.com/quiltPatterns.html

Gratitudes:
1. This semester is almost over!
2. Lovely snow today. =)

Finished school design project!

2010-11-28T21:10:00.004-06:00

Woohoo, finished my part of the group design project for my technical design and communication class tonite. Am so glad to have this done. Project will be going back to school tomorrow. As a group we decided to design a possible solution for the problem of how to transport aid received by those people in developing countries in times of natural disasters. To this end we designed and built a prototype pack and frame to make transporting aid easier.

Yours truly got to make the pack because I was the only one that knows how to sew in the group, much less knows anything about designing anything to be sewn. the pack is made from flourescent Orange vinyl. The vinyl is the type that hanging outdoor signs are made from. And while not as heavy as some vinyl is, it was still 'interesting' to work with, not necessarily fun though!

Gratitudes:

1. For my machine behaving for the most part while sewing on the pack today.

2. For the odds and ends of fabric and batting that I have and how they help to block the drafts of cold air from antique windows that are not snuggly fitted.

Batik Blocks To Date

2010-11-07T19:16:00.003-06:00

I got the latest five batik blocks put together today from the yellow sections that I had posted earlier. I was initially worried that the yellows would blend in with the muslin I'm using for the background. But after seeing how they look in the picture as finished blocks I'm much happier. =) And I ended up with a pile of small scraps from making these five that will give me at least one more block as well. =)

With these five blocks finished, I now have a total of 21 blocks completed. And have drawn up a total of 42 different patterns to use in making blocks.....so I'm only half way through what I've got drawn up....now if I were half way through using up the scraps I'd be doing good...LOL.............however, having basically used up only two of the seven colors of these teeny scraps that I've been saving.....I do believe that it is going to take me a while to use them all up....not to mention that I'm going to end up having a whole lot of blocks as a result. I have a feeling I'll be making more than one quilt from these blocks...maybe one for me and one to sell.

The blocks as they look all together are shown to the left.

Gratitudes:

1. For the work that God has given me.
2. For the ability that God has given me in designing and quilting.

Finally!

2010-11-06T11:41:00.004-05:00

Finally finished off all of the teeny yellow scraps of batiks that I had.....and have ended up with enough pp'd sections for 5 more blocks. Began to think I was never going to get them all used up. =) Untrimmed sections are shown over at the right....most of these i know what block they are going into, just have one more to figure out.

I've pulled the coordinating fabrics for the blocks and will finish up the blocks sometime tonite after I get home from work and running a couple of errands after work. The pile if itty-bitty scraps shown at the top right of the pic below is going to end up as snippets and will be used as applique for quilted postcards. Thinking at the moment I'll do flowers of some sort out of them.

Gratitudes -

1. Laryngitis is almost gone, altho allergies are still driving me nuts.

2. For surviving the two tests I had last week. =) And getting an A on one of my midterms.

Phooey.....

2010-10-31T08:20:00.002-05:00

Still not feeling good this weekend, altho the allergies seem to have settled down to laryngitis at the moment. Could hardly talk yesterday, was so much fun when I was working with fellow project members at school....Not! Thankfully it doesn't hurt, just don't have much in teh way of volume. And even more thankfully - I don't have to worry about presenting a mini-lesson tomorrow in my construction technology class because mine is already done!
In between working on homework this weekend (still to do today - write a paper due tomorrow nite, and study for a midterm test that is tomorrow afternoon), I've been working on UFO's with an online group that I'm in. My post yesterday shows some of what I've finished this week. And the pic in this post shows the 11 quilted postcards that I finished embellishing iwth flowers and final edge finishing this morning. Still have 9 more of these critters in turquoise & Black, greens, fuschia & black, and org & black to finish off. Still thinking about how to embellish them..... Next up on the plate will either be the next batik block or doing the button hole stitching on the green quilt w/yellow flowers.

Gratitudes:
1. For friends who are always there to support me no matter what happens.
2. For my parents safe return from their latest trip.

Ugh.....

2010-10-30T13:16:00.005-05:00

...........haven't been feeling good the last couple of days and as of last nite the crud has settled into laryngitis....good thing I live alone. Of course, having laryngitis doesn't work too when you work in retail....but that's another point.

Have finished off several projects, pics that I can show are below.

Gratitudes:
1. My throat doesn't hurt even tho I can't talk very well.
2. I have today off to work on my homework a good thing with the coming week.

Decisions....

2010-10-29T10:55:00.003-05:00

Two of the UFO's I have pulled out to work on are pieces of cross-stitch. One will be going into the Block Robin that I'm going to be hosting starting in January. The other is a doorpull featuring some really pretty roses. Rather than put it back into the UFO's that I've got stashed away upstairs, I'm going to get it finished.....and in doing so I'm debating about what fabric I want to use for a small border around the stitched piece.

The fabric I'm drawn to is shown in the pic to the right. It is a hoffman that I rescued from a giveaway pile at the retreat I went to the first weekend of this month. What do any of you think about the combination of the fabric and cross-stitch? Once this is done I'll probably sell it.

Gratitudes:
1. I have a working heater and fan in the apt - just in time for cold weather!
2. For meds that are helping keep the allergies (?) in control at the moment.

Block 16

2010-10-25T05:22:00.000-05:00

Was finally able to finish the latest batik block last nite. And at the moment, I've used all the browns that I can in blocks....still have a few pieces left, but not enough variety to make one of these blocks.
Next up will be another yellow block. Don't know if that will be enough to use them all up or not, but I'm gonna try....lol. After that I'll go back to working on the orange scraps again. Looking at the piles, there might be enough for another couple of blocks from each color way. Need to get more patterns drawn up as well so that I've got a variety to work from.

Gratitudes:
1. The storm that just went through here did not do a tremendous amt of damage here where I live (altho I haven't checked for further leaks in the ceiling yet).
2. For the extra hrs at work - the extra income is a blessing to me.

New projects

2010-10-22T12:23:00.004-05:00

In case anyone ever wondered, I'm easily distracted by new projects....which is probably why I have so many UFO's. Since the retreat i went to a couple of weeks ago, I've started a couple of new projects. The little one will finish up a cross-stitch UFO and work into an entry for a contest that Quilters Newsletter is holding for the Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative ( click here for their blog posting about it). The top is together but will be embellished some.

The second one is a top that I've started made from 1" wide strips (cut) that I had left over from another project that I was working on at the retreat. Had too many strips to toss out, and the green top with the flowers below is how that project is turning out so far. Still need to do the Buttonhole stitching around the flowers. Next border will be more of the brown wood print fabric that I used for the first border. After that ..... who knows. =)

Gratitudes:
1. Lots of extra hrs this week at work.
2. Good grades so far in class, and the Midterm I had this week went better than I was afraid it was going to.

Blocks 14 and 15

2010-10-16T06:28:00.009-05:00

Finished off Batik blocks 14, and 15 - and finished the yellow batik scraps for now. Still have a few left but not enough variety to make another block with. Found that I had enough browns to make one final 4" finished block center, and that is made, but haven't decided what block (will be#16 when finished) to make with it yet.

Will do that this weekend in between working on altering the waistband of a new pair of jeans (gotta take them in 3" so that they fit me). It's taking me longer than I'd like to get the seams ripped out because my hand keeps going numb and when that happens it doesn't like to work too well. =( I need the jeans to wear to my construction technology lab on Tuesday morning 'cause we'll be outside working on building a shed. And I don't want to wear my good work pants to do that! Gotta get busy on homework today as well.....got oodles of it including a lesson presentation to be written in powerpoint, visual aids to be made for the same lesson, a CAD drawing to be finished (2/3's done), a paper to be started, and a mid-term to study for. Doesn't that all sound like a fun way to spend the weekend? Meanwhile I continue to wait for the broken windows in the apt and the motor in the heater to be replaced....sigh.....

Meanwhile, here are the pics of the three latest blocks.

Gratitudes:
1. For more hrs the next couple of weeks at work
2. for the ability to alter clothes so they fit when needed

Batik Blocks Process

2010-10-14T13:38:00.005-05:00

I'm continuing to make more batik blocks and having fun making them. And even enjoying the process of using the teeny tiny pieces that are going into the crazy pieced sections of the blocks. Don't necessarily enjoy pulling the fabric off, but that is a part of the process to making them. Taking it off a block at a time makes it easier to handle doing though. The basic steps that I've been going through to make these blocks are as follows (well after I design the pattern that is!) -

Sort out all of the same 'color' scraps into separate groups. I want these blocks to read as single colors. The color groupings of scraps that I have are as follows - yellow, gold, brown, orange, pink, green, blue, and purple. There will be multiple shades of each broad catagory of color in each block, but over all each block will read as one of the colors. Sizes of scraps range from a 1 inch triangle to larger pieces that I used for multiple pieces. Some of the pieces I've been using are shown in the pic to the right.

Once the scraps are sorted by colors, then I choose a block pattern based on what size scraps that I have and how many that I have. Once the block pattern is chosen, then I proceed to make the pieced section or sections. In this case, like those in the upper right section of the pic above. So I needed a block that would allow me to use those in it. As such I decided to make 4 - 3-inch squares that were crazy pieced, because this pattern had the smallest pieces in it. The resulting squares are shown in the pic to the left.

The final steps of the process include choosing the batik that I'll use to go with the pieced sections, make the sections of the block that are pieced 'normally' or are the final parts of the pp'd pattern, and assemble the block. In this case, the final block is shown to the right. =)

Gratitudes:
1. My road trip to WI was good and the weather was great all weekend.
2. Even tho I've managed to forget one of my flash drives in a school lab, I had already uploaded the needed class assignments so nothing was lost. =)

UFO Blocks now in a top.

2010-10-12T07:40:00.004-05:00

Went to a quilt retreat over the weekend and had a great time with friends. Finished up several Christmas gifts and a BD gift for a friend first. Then worked on putting together a top from a set of UFO blocks. That top finishes off my UFO Challenge list for one of the groups that I'm a part of - pretty good for all that has happened this year in my life. =)

Gratitudes:
1. For the safe travels over the past weekend.
2. For school work that is going well so far.

Newest block and this week's doings....

2010-10-05T21:22:00.005-05:00

Finished up another batik beauty block, this is number 11. Have enough orange scraps to do one more block with them and then that color may be gone.....or I may end up finishing them off in a quilted postcard....The half sq triangles used in this block were leftover from one of the earlier blocks that I made. Am really trying to not end up putting more scraps into the bags as I empty them. After I finish using up the orange scraps, will work with the yellow and gold that I've got so that I can totally empty the baggie they've been in. =)

Will be working more blocks this weekend at the retreat in WI with some good friends from one of my quilt lists that I'm headed to Thursday. Am looking to the time with them. Will have lots of other projects there with me tho to work on as well. Am taking a number of Christmas gifts with me to get finished as well.

Unfortunately my sewing time will be moderated some by homework 'cause I've got reading that I need to take with me to work on and research for my next paper that needs to be done.

And hopefully by the time I get home on Sunday the heating and fan for the heating will actually be working...both of which aren't at this time. And hopefully the broken windows will have been replaced......Not holding my breath because I've been trying to get hte windows replaced by the prop. mgnt company for over a month and they still aren't done

Gratitudes:
1. For plenty of warm quilts with the heater in my apt not working

2. For the registration process of the student version CAD software finally working tonite after 2 weeks of trying to do it.

Block Robin Possibilities

2010-10-03T09:16:00.007-05:00

I'm getting ready to send out a sign up notice for a block robin swap to a group that I'm a part of, and am considering what I want to start out with. Last time I did this I used a piece of cross-stitch that I'd stitched yrs before and never did anything with. And will be doing the same thing this time as well. There are two pieces that I'm debating about using - I've added a picture of these to this post. The floral piece is from about 15 yrs ago, and measures out at about 6.5" by 27.5" as it is now, and the second piece is 11.5" by 17.5" and was dated 1990 for the completion of the stitching. Needless to say it's about time that I do something with both of them......LOL.

Both would need to be trimmed some to fit the 4" grid of squares. They would still end up bigger than the minimum of the equivalent of a 12" finished block. But since this would be the beginning block that's ok. =)

Not sure which way I want to go for this swap, but I've got time to figure that out because the first mailing date for the swap won't be until 1/7/11. =) What do any of you think about the two possibilities?

For those that are interested, here's a pic of the wallhanging I made from the first Block Robin I was in. Used all of the blocks that I got except one, which was a beautiful redwork feathered, floral heart. That got used as the center of a CQ wallhanging. =)

Gratitudes:
1. I've got lots of snuggly sweatshirts to wear in the cool fall weather and cool temps in my apt (heater and fan aren't working....sigh).

2. Making Headway on the pile of homework and school projects that I need to get done.

More blocks and an 'experiment'

2010-10-01T21:58:00.005-05:00

Finished up three more batik beauty blocks. And in doing so made a dent in the small orange batik scraps that I've been saving. These blocks are numbers 8, 9, and 10 so far....with a lot more scraps remaining to be used. And after making these three blocks, the even teenier scraps inspired me to try making some snippet postcards..... Still need to finish them, but I think they turned out cute. =) And having made them, means I have almost no scraps in the trash. I can deal with that. Have another 6 or so blocks designed, but need to get more done because I've got way more scraps than those six patterns will use. Am beginning to wonder how big this quilt will end up being......

Gratitudes -
1. Found my work shoes....albeit after buying another pair at Goodwill.
2. The wonderful cool fall weather and the retreat next week!

The Process Pledge

2010-09-25T16:19:00.003-05:00

For a while now I've seen a gif on several of the blogs that my quilty friends have, for "The Process Pledge"....and having been a huge proponent of processes in my IT work, had to check it out and see what it was. Basically, the blogger who started this challenged others to do more than just to blog about what they've finished. But instead to talk about the process of creating their quilts and artworks.

And I have to admit I'm so guilty of posting only about the end product rather than what goes on as I'm in the midst of creating. And that's not reflective how I feel of the process of design and creation - I love that part and do it constantly. So with having said all of that - I'm going to take part in this as well.

I, Moira, pledge to talk more about my processes, even when i can't quite put them into words or be totally clear. I'm going to put my feelings and thinking out there for others.

Gratitudes:
1. The gift from God of being able to design and work with my quilts.
2. My stash of beautiful fabrics to work with.

Goodwill Find....

2010-09-25T15:04:00.005-05:00

Was down in Indianapolis the past couple of days with my GF (had to attend a conference for school down there), and we went to the Goodwill Outlet there. Found a pair of shoes for work for $4 - almost brand new, and in great shape. A couple of embroidered pieces for my quilting work, and a nice mid-weight jacket for this fall / winter.

One of the best things tho that I came home with was a quilt top made from 30's prints, Feedsack prints (real ones!), and 40's prints. I think the blocks are made from a variation of the Puss-in-the-Corner block pattern. All of the fabrics are in great shape, only one of the muslin squares has any slight (very slight) darkening. Blocks were hand pieced, and then for the most part were machine pieced together. A couple of blocks have sections where the original maker had to be creative because she was running out of fabric. Quilt size is roughly 76" square. Haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet....but just knew I couldn't leave it there. Pics of the quilt top are below. =)

Gratitudes:

1. Wonderful fall weather - and it's even starting to cool off!
2. For the retreat that I'm looking forward to in a couple of weeks!

Latest Blocks

2010-09-21T20:11:00.007-05:00

I've finished up four more batik blocks this week. Used all of the brown itty-bitty scraps that I had been saving. =) One color down, six more colors to go. =) About time to start designing more blocks ....... Pics of the latest ones are below.

Gratitudes -

1. School is going well.
2. Have started back to work at Joann's....now only if corporate would cooperate....

Another batik lovely finished

2010-09-16T16:00:00.004-05:00

Finished up another block this afternoon from my itty-bitty batik scraps. This one is in purples. =) Still have enough purple for another block. Made one oops in this block, but am not going to go back and fix the goof. Now to decide what block to make with them.....

Gratitudes -

1. The wonderful fall weather we are having out here.
2. For the provision of the wonderfully lg apt I'm living in out here.

Settling in.....

2010-09-15T19:55:00.004-05:00

Hard to believe that it was one month ago that I arrived here in IN...and I'm now finishing my third week of grad school. Where does the time go? Am finally starting to feel a little more settled in, altho to look at the disaster that is still present here in my apt you might wonder about that. Have been going thru everything and sorting stuff to go out as I go thru it. Some of my stuff will remain boxed up while here because I just don't need it out, but don't want to or can't get rid of it at this point in time. However, I have been sorting out oodles of stuff....such as at least 1/3 of the kitchen stuff that I moved out here...........

And as I was unpacking some of my quilting stuff, I found a couple of pp'd patterns that I'd printed off yrs ago and had never made up. Now seemed the perfect time to start working making the blocks because I'd also found a back of itty-bitty batik scraps that I was saving for the 'perfect' project that are perfect for the blocks. =) Will be drawing up additional block patterns to go with the two that I had printed, and once I have worked through all of the scraps will figure out how I'm going to set them. Pics of the two blocks, including a closeup of one of them with my thumb drive in the picture to give perspective to how small the batik pieces really are, are below.

Gratitudes:
1. A safe move out here

2. A smooth transition back to school

T-8 days and counting.....

2010-08-05T09:47:00.004-05:00

Only 8 more days here in N. Tx before the trek to IN begins. Hard to believe that I start classed on the 23rd of August.....where does the time go?

I've been finishing up projects that were in various stages of progress over the last few weeks. Pics below are of the most recent quilt tops that I've finished for American Heros, a couple of tops that I plan to finish and sell, and one for Sunshine quilts.

Gratitudes -
1. Broken tooth doesn't hurt, and the dentist here believes that it will hold till I get to IN and can get an appt with a dentist there....and he thinks it can be salvaged, ultimately ending up with a crown on it. =)

2. For the provision of the student loans!

Connecting Threads interview with Anita Grossman

2010-07-14T12:34:00.004-05:00

Just read a great interview with Anita Grossman that Connecting Threads has posted. They've got a great contest going on right now to win her new book as well.

You can read the interview here and enter the contest as well.

To border or not to border....

2010-06-30T13:15:00.003-05:00

Just finished a quilt top that was started with scraps from a friends stash.....have it all together except for the decision whether to border it or not. I did have to add a few squares of green from my stash to make the complete blocks, and have some yardage of the batiky looking squares. Pic of it is below...... What do you all think - does it need another border or does it look ok as is?

Gratitudes -

1. A job that helps pay the bills and that deals with things that I enjoy. =)
2. The cooler weather and rain here in N. Tx this week.

More Finished UFO's

2010-06-27T22:30:00.005-05:00

The last 10 days have been stressful for me as I've been working over night shifts at a different store helping to get the remodel of it finished. Will be glad to not be working from 9 PM to 5 AM. And now trying to get back into a normal sleep pattern has proven to be harder than I thought it would be. Ugh.....I will say this though, in not being able to sleep I've been able to get a lot of quilting done and have finished up a bunch of UFO's over the last few days. =)

Finished off a set of basket swap blocks made from repro fabrics from a 2-3 (?) years ago and combined them with leftover strip sets from a swap that I was in last year. Set them all together in a strippy quilt and love how it turned out.

Have also finished off the final 4 Sunshine Challenge quilts. Blocks in these were from Claire A, Pat F, Ann D, Donna H, Shirlee G, and Lori A. Pics are below.

Gratitudes -
1. God's bountiful provision for all of my needs.
2. I'm done with the overnite shifts at work!

More Sunshine Challenge Quilts

2010-06-10T08:31:00.007-05:00

Still working my way through the challenge blocks from Sunshine. I've finished off another 4 tops and have used a total of 92 blocks out of the 123 that I started with. =) Blocks in these tops were by Carol E, Betty H, Carol M, and Shirlee G. I've enjoyed playing with these blocks, and am planning to offer another challenge with the remaining inherited fall & halloween fabs once I've moved to IN later this summer. =) Pics of the quilts are below.

Gratitudes:
1. Registration for the Fall semester is done and I've been able to get into all of the classes I'm supposed to take!

2. The cooler weather yesterday and today here in N. TX.

Sunshine Challenge blocks

2010-05-22T22:50:00.008-05:00

A couple of yrs ago (2008 I think it was) I issued a challenge to everyone that was a part of the Sunshine Quilts yahoo list............the challenge consisted of those who wanted to 'play' taking one (or more) of a bunch of FQ's that I had inherited from a quilting friend after she passed away. They were then to take the fabric and make 9" finished blocks and send the blocks to me. I would then put the blocks together into finished quilt tops. The tops would then be donated to Sunshine and would go to kids around the world.

Well with all of the turmoil of the past couple of yrs, I'm just now getting the blocks put together into tops. So far I've used 35 blocks out of the 123 that I received. Pics below are of the 4 tops that I've finished so far............. Blocks used in the quilts below came from Susan N. and Lori A.

Gratitudes -

1. for the meds that are sorta controlling my allergies............
2. for open enrollment that will enable me to have at least some health insurance

More quilts from Terry's legacy of scraps

2010-05-16T08:04:00.011-05:00

Last year I inherited oodles of scraps from a friend who was a part of one of my online quilt groups. It has been my pleasure to make quilts from those scraps that are being donated to a couple of different groups in her honor. Over the last couple of weeks I've finished up quilt tops from the strings she had collected and from a whole bunch of 2" squares that she had saved. Pics of these quilts are below -

n addition, knowing that I won't have as much time to sew & quilt once I'm in school this fall, I've started working on Christmas gifts for this year. And have finished up three of them so far. Below are teasers of what I've been working on. =) Have fabric for three more and will be working on them next.....

Gratitudes -

1. for the gift of quilting friends

2. for the gift of being able to bless others through the quilts that I send to sunshine and American Heroes.

Making progress on UFO's

2010-05-16T07:49:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have oodles of blocks that I've gotten through the various swaps that I've been in. One of my goals for this year has been to work on getting these blocks into quilt tops. Some of the tops I'm keeping for when I need a gift and will eventually be finished off. Some of them are being sent to groups that I support and others will actually quilt the tops that I finish.

Yesterday I finished putting together a top with a set of heart blocks from one of the many swaps that I've been in and 4 flower blocks in the same colors from a second swap that I'd been in several yrs after the heart block swap. Sashing and border fabric came from my stash. I've kept the remaining border fabric with the top for use as binding when I do get around to quilting this quilt.

Now onto my next project......swap blocks for a swap that is due in June.....

Gratitudes:
1. Things are progressing for the alternative teaching certification program/fellowship and my move to IN.

2. That I know I can rest in complete faith and trust in God, knowing that He will supply all of my needs for the first yr in IN - no matter how bleak things look at the moment.

Finally celebrating.....

2010-05-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

Finally I can celebrate some great new career-wise......I'd forgotten what it was like to have good news that I couldn't share with all that I know.....boy was I getting antsy. =)

In December of last year I applied to two different alternative teacher certification programs - one in Phoenix and one in Indiana. I interviewed for the Phoenix program in January and the IN program in February. Found out quickly that I was not selected for the Phoenix program. Found out the middle of April that I was being offered a spot in the IN program, but could not say anything until the official announcement about who had been selected for the program had been made.

The program in IN is actually a fellowship that will enable me to earn a Master's Degree of Technology in Education as I prepare to teach technology in a high needs rural school in Northern IN. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is the foundation that is the group that has offered me the fellowship. I will be attending Purdue University starting in the Fall 2010 semester for two years (content knowledge development, "how-to teach technology coursework, and student teaching) and then will spend at least 3 yrs teaching in Indiana. But since I hope to not have to make another career change I hope that continues for many more yrs after that. I will be teaching on the secondary level (high school or jr high).

Do not know when I'll be moving to IN because there are still lots of decisions to make and lots of info that I need before doing so.

Gratitudes:
1. For God's perfect provision of all I need in His perfect timing.
2. For the opportunity found in the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship.
3. For the way that God is already providing for my needs in this next phase of my life.

A 'new' UFO finish

2010-04-16T10:43:00.004-05:00

Finished off another UFO earlier in the month but am just getting pics posted of it. The blocks in the two quilt pics shown below were from a challenge that I had made on the Sunshine Quilt list. The original challenge was to use some halloween FQ's I had inherited in Kid friendly blocks that I would then put together. One of the gals that participated wanted the Halloween FQ's because she collects them, but made blocks in exchange out of kid-friendly fab's in exchange. Pics below are of the two quilt tops that I made from some of the blocks that she sent me.

In other news, I'm starting to go thru stuff here in the house and in the storage room. Need to do some more downsizing which is hard to do when most of my stuff is in storage.

Gratitudes -

1. God's mercy and his supplying of all my needs

2. For time to catch up on the projects I've accumulated around here.

Two kinds of time......

2010-03-20T19:41:00.002-05:00

I have multiple magazines subscriptions - quilting, women's interest, cooking, and general interest. Most months I find inspiration for quilts, recipes that sound good, and other assorted ideas. But in reading the April issue of Good Housekeeping I found something to challenge me in the Editor's column. In it she talks about a conference that she went to and the subject of time. What she wrote gave me food for thought.,

The basic two types of time are Chronos - minutes, hours, days - the schedule that all of us live our lives by these days. And Kairos - event-centered, memorable time, the moments that make the deepest impression on us when we are fully living our lives.

I know for me, I have to wonder how much more should I be living by the second instead of racing the clock to live according to a schedule. None of us can walk away from all Chronos based time, but do we really look for the Kairos moments?

What do you think?

Gratitudes:
1. God's bountiful supplying of my needs
2. For the ability to quilt

Finishes.....

2010-03-17T14:18:00.007-05:00

Woohoo...I've managed to finish the top and back for the T-shirt quilt. Only thing left to do is to figure out how I need to adjust the back so that there is enough room too put it onto the frame by the gal who is going to quilt it for me.

And the latest project that I finished today is a purse for me. Both of the two that i've been using are coming apart, so I needed to get a new one. But I haven't been able to find one that I liked, so I decided to make one for myself. =) Pictures of the purse are below. The purse Front has a pocket made from a quilted piece from the stash of a quilting friend who passed away last year. Used another piece from her as an inside pocket as well. The main body of the purse is denim and I used a remnant to line it. The only thing I don't like is that the fusible fleece didn't want to bond to the denim when I tried ironing it on today. The purse was made in a similar manner to how I make tote bags and was easy to make. =)

Gratitudes:
1. God has supplied financially and enabled me to pay rent and my auto insurance. Hallelujah!
2. Lots of hrs at work, which keeps me busy.

Progress has been made!

2010-03-06T13:50:00.007-06:00

Lazy day today since I don't have to go into the store until 6 pm tonite. =) As such, I've finally been able to make visible progress on the commissioned t-shirt quilt today. Have gotten the center of the quilt back pieced. At this point the quilt back measures 73" long by 72" wide. Have to wait to add the border fabric until I know what size the front will piece to. Next up is trimming the t-shirt fronts down to managable sizes so I can the quilt front together.

Have also managed to finish a donation quilt this week as well. The maple leaf blocks were sent to me by Jane, and the strip set blocks in the setting blocks were from the orphan blocks I inherited from Terry D.

Next up on the horizon, other than finishing off the commissioned quilt that is, is to work on the two commissioned projects for my land lady, finish off the purse that I am making myself, and continue with the projects (baby quilts, etc) that I have ready to make and then sell. Also have a tablerunner that I need to get made before the 20th of March.

Gratitudes:
1. One week down in my wait for the outcome of last weeks interview in IN.
2. The wonderful spring weather we've had here in N. Tx this week.

Finished Quilts....

2010-03-03T10:00:00.008-06:00

In the past couple of weeks I've finished off another UFO (the 4th for this year!) and have also finished two baby quilts that I will be listing for sale this week. Also have a couple of tote sets that I've finished up and will also be listing for sale this week as well. Thinking of listing all items on both Ebay and Etsy, along with links to them on my website and blog. Really need to be able to start making some extra money by selling some of the things that I'm making.

The tablerunner is the 'twin' of the tabletopper that I finished in February. I'm thinking about selling this as well as the baby quilts.

Both of the baby quilts started with 3 FQ's of a cute Boyd's Bear flannel print. I cut 6" squares of the flannel and used them for the centers of the blocks. Added coordinating borders around the flannel and ended up with cute quilts. Still have enough of the flannel to make one more baby quilt, and the plan for that is in my head. =)

I have a lot of fun making tote bags. And working at Joann Fabrics part-time has given me access to the remnants as they are made. Have gotten a lot of fun fabrics to use for totes. The two pictured below are made from a couple of prequilted fabrics that I picked up as remnants. I had enough fabric to not only make the tote bags but also small little zippered bags to match.

Gratitudes:

1. Love being able to get remnants at great prices which makes sewing totes and quilts more affordable for me.

2. For the ability to sew and create. =)

Interviewing for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship

2010-03-03T09:26:00.002-06:00

This past weekend I was in the Indianapolis area with long-time friends Pam and Dan and their girls. Flew out there to interview for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program. I continue to be impressed with this program and those that are running it. I am glad that I applied for acceptance into it. And am praying that I will receive an acceptance letter for the Fall 2010 cohort. Did come away from the time at the interview with lots of things to think about. Have a to-do list as well - beginning with getting my application for federal financial aid completed and submitted before 3/12. Plan is to get that done before the weekend is over.

Also over the weekend I got the score on the remaining section of the Praxis I test. The writing section was definately my weakest one, but I still passed it with two points to spare (Got a 174, which is in the middle of the average score range, and needed 172 for the program.) I can live with being 'average' in writing since I'm looking at teaching math and/or technology. =) Also found out that I passed the other two sections with above average scores (math - 188 out of a possible 190, and reading (comprehension) - 182 out of a possible 190), something I'm very happy over since I was worried about the reading portion of the test.

If I do receive an offer of a fellowship, and accept it, I'll be moving to Indiana sometime in May. And my first day of graduate classes towards a Master's Degree in Education could be as early as June 1st.

Gratitudes -
1. Safe travels to and from Indiana last weekend.
2. A good interview for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship.
3. A great time of fellowship with my longtime friends.

More UFO's completed.....

2010-02-15T23:04:00.005-06:00

One of my goals for this year is to get as many of my UFO's finished up as possible. I've been making progress on that over the past couple of week. And over the last couple of days have finished up two more.

The tabletopper was made from a Christmas fabric that I was intriqued by because of the colors in it. Haven't decided what I'm going to do with it. Might sell it....or might give it as a gift. The second finish is a quilt top made from blocks that I made with a bunch of the leftover batik strips that had accumulated in my scrap bins. This quilt will be donated to either American Heros or Sunshine Quilts.

Gratitudes:
1. I don't have to take the AEPA test since I was not offered a spot in the Phoenix program.

2. I get a partial refund from my registration fee for the AEPA.

New Windows

2010-02-14T08:45:00.004-06:00

This was posted to one of my email quilt groups, and I thought it was worth thinking about and posting here.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly."
"Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent,.

Everytime her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
cleaned our windows".

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

no author given
+++++++++++++++++++++

Winter is here!

2010-02-12T18:58:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a winter wonderland type of day with 11 or so inches of snow here where I live in N. Tx. Thankfully I didn't have to work today (thanks to someone asking me to trade with them!) so I didn't have to get out and drive in it. It was beautiful to look at this morning when I got up for the day. Have a meeting at the store tomorrow morning so it will be interesting to deal with ice on sidewalks and parking lots tomorrow morning. =P

Staying at home today gave me lots of time to sew tonite. I finished the binding on a UFO (the second one for the year). And put a quilt top together as well that will be donated to American Heros. Have started blocks for another quilt top as well and will work on putting them together. Next up is working on pressing more interfacing onto t-shirts for the t-shirt quilt.

Gratitudes:
1. Didn't have to drive on the slick streets today.

2. Have had fun sewing today. =)

First UFO Completion of 2010!

2010-02-10T00:02:00.002-06:00

I finished off my first UFO of 2010 tonite after finishing the final wallhanging of 8 that the kids of LCCC started last year. Am glad to get these done and will be even happier to get them back to my friend Tammy so she can give them to the kids that were in her class last year. =)

Gratitudes:

1. The wallhangings are done!

2. My flight reservation has been made for the trip to Indianapolis for my interview for the Woodrol Wilson Fellowship. =)

Completed House Block

2010-02-09T11:45:00.004-06:00

One of the online groups that I'm in is making a quilt made of house blocks as a gift for someone. And I was finally able to get my block finished last nite. I love how my block turned out and am looking forward to seeing the finished quilt!

Gratitudes -

1. I passed the reading and math sections of the Praxis 1 test with good scores.

2. The score on the writing section should be back within a couple of weeks.

Planning ahead............

2010-02-04T01:17:00.006-06:00

One of the things I am working on getting better at this year is actually working on Christmas gifts throughout the year instead of waiting till Oct/Nov to start. One nice thing about working PT for Joann's is that I have been able to score some awesome deals on fabric that I'll use to make gifts for birthdays and Christmas this year. =)

Have finished up two fleece scarves so far. Not sure who they will be for or whether I'll list them for sale. Still thinking about that. Still plan on adding more lace to the bottom scarf in the pic, but that won't take long to do. Will get that tomorrow when I go into work and finish the final work on the scarf this weekend. =) Have several more pieces of fleece to work on and am thinking of cool things to do with them. =)

Gratitudes:

1. Extra hrs at work and for unemployment being extended.

2. For progress made on the commissioned t-shirt quilt.

Fav Fabric swap....

2010-02-02T17:43:00.003-06:00

Love taking part in Fav Fabric swaps. They are a great way to get back blocks for a sampler quilt all made with a common focus fabric without having to make them all yourself. I finished up two of the last three blocks that I need to make for the current one that I'm in this afternoon. Will mail them out tomorrow. Picture of the blocks is to the side.

Now back to the task of finishing up the set of 8 quilted wallhangings that I'm working on finishing up. 2 down and 6 more to finish. Once done they will go to back to church to be given to the kids who made the blocks.

Gratitudes -
1. Travel last weekend to Phoenix went well.
2. Interview for the Phoenix Teaching Fellows program went ok.

Live from Phoenix......

2010-01-30T19:20:00.003-06:00

This weekend is the first of the interviews for the alternative teaching programs that I've applied to. I'm out here in Phoenix this weekend and will be in the "Interview and other sessions" that are scheduled for tomorrow - yes on Sunday! Will be interesting to see how it goes.

Trip out here was good and the plane was not full - I'm thankful for that! Was glad to get out of the cold weather back in North Tx as well. Beautiful weather out here.....

Am scheduled for an nterview for the IN program on 2/26. Will spend a couple of days out there visiting friends who live in the Indy area.

And am also getting ready for the first of two tests that I am scheduled to take on 2/8. Should be interestng to see how it goes. Am more worried about the test I am scheduled for on 3/27.

Time will tell what the Lord does with the education possibilities. Both programs have pluses and minuses, so I'm torn about which one I really want. One of the biggest differences is the salary level..........major difference there between the two programs. Am still looking at stuff in Tx as well.

Have been doing some quilting this past week as well. Will be sending one off for quilting in early March, and will be finishing up 8 wallhangings and a lg lap quilt by mid Feb.

Gratitudes:
1. For both scheduled interviews for the Alt. Teaching Certification programs.
2. For the good flight today and beautiful weather here in Phx.

Quilting again.............

2010-01-23T18:15:00.006-06:00

With the move last year, getting settled into the room that I'm renting and most everything I own (including 99% of my stash) being in storage I haven't been doing a lot of quilting since August 2009. And anyone who knows me, knows that is sooooooooooooo not normal for me. I did get Christmas gifts made, but that's not the same as quilting. =)

Well I can now say that I'm back to quilting and loving it. Have put together 4 tops for wallhangings from a group of blocks that one of the sunday school classes had done last year in church here in Tx. Got those quilted and the binding ready to be put on them. Have also put together a flannel quilt top for Sunshine (second one of a matching set), and three quilt tops from scraps that I inherited from an online quilt friend's stash after she passed away. The last three quilt tops will be donated to either Sunshine or Am. Heroes. Pics of the last three quilt tops and the Sunshine top are below.

Gratitudes:
1. All my supporting documentation made it by the Grace of God for the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship program that I've applied for.

2. I've got three days off from Joann's and have been having fun sewing!

2010-01-12T23:58:00.005-06:00

My dear niece gave me two awards -

The first is the Lovely Lady Award -
The rules are simple -

1. Thank the person who gave the award
2. Copy the award
3. Post it on your blog
4. Tell seven things about yourself that your readers don't know.
5. Link seven new bloggers as recipients
6. Notify the winners with comments on their blogs
7. Keep being awesome!

Hmmm, lets see 7 things that my readers don't know -

1. I owned a motorcycle for more than 4 yrs........(well most people don't know that)
2. I've been to the Holy Land (Egypt, Israel, and Jordan) during the time the plane was hijacked in Lebanon.
3. I nearly missed the flight back from Israel on the trip in #2
4. I loved living in Boston during grad school adn would move back if I had a job back there.
5. My stuff is in 2 storage containers - a Pod and a storage room. Think I need to downsize?
6.Am thinking about doing a pickle dish quilt in the same way I've done the double wedding ring quilt.
7. I currently own 3 laptops - but only one works at the moment.

And the Second award is - the Lemonade Stand award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attititude and gratitude.

The rules are simple:
1. Do a quick post about the person that tagged you saying thanks.
2. Answer the 10 questions.
3. Tag 6 people
4. Follow 3 new blogs and list them.
5. Challenge one person to do something new or crazy.

The 10 questions -
1. Have you ever been to a rodeo? Nope, but I do watch it on tv.
2. Have you ever tried to ride a cow? Nope
3. Have you ever milked a cow or goat? Nope
4. Have you ever been to a Demolition Derby? Nope
5. What is your favorite Country song, the artist? Three Wooden Crosses by Randy Travis
6. Do you like to hunt? Never done it, but love to eat the results (esp. venison!)
7. Have you ever cooked your breakfast over an open fire in your backyard? Nope, but have on campouts!
8. Have you ever thought that the muck was shallow and when you stepped in it you sank knee-deep? Not literally.....but metaphorically I have.
9. What is the hardest thing you've ever done? Look for a job and deal with unemployment.
10. (This question is optional) What is one of your most embarrassing moments? At the moment I can't think of one....but that doesn't mean I don't have them.

And because it's late at night ( or more acurately very early morning) I nomiate the following for these of these awards:

1. Susan
2. Candi
3. Gail
4. Fran
5. Karrin

Gratitudes:
1. the weather here in N. TX is warmer than last week!
2. the results of the applications I've submitted for alt. certification programs are in God's hands and not mine.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T02:18:00.008-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

There is a train of thought that says what you do on New Years Day is what you'll do through out the entire year..........so I sewed to my hearts content and finished off the swap blocks I owe for two different swaps that I'm in. I'm not superstitious, but what can I say - I don't want to be looking for a job for all of this year after 2009! You can see pics of the Lotto and Fav Fabric blocks I made below -

Gratitudes:
1. For the safe travels back from Phoenix last week.

2. For the unexpected visit to urgent care this week being affordable.

Delivered!

2009-10-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

Finished up the pillow shams yesterday and delivered everything yesterday afternoon. =) My customer was really happy with it and I'm thankful for that. This picture shows the quilt and shams on the bed.

Gratitudes:

1. Am finished with this commissioned quilt.

2. The book with the Praxis Info in it (review quide and practise study tests) arrived in the mail yesterday.

The end is in sight.........

2009-10-21T10:06:00.004-05:00

.........I've finished the commissioned Double Wedding Ring quilt! And love how it turned out. =) The quilting is great, and I'm thankful that Trish was able to get it done so quickly for me. Am working on the matching pillow shams at the present time and the plan is to finish them either today or tomorrow so I can deliver them tomorrow. =) Here are a couple pics of the finished quilt and the quilting.

Gratitudes -

1. I had just enough of one of the green fabrics to make the right number of arcs for the quilt and the pillow shams.

2. For Trish slipping this quilt into her line up and quilting it for me.

Molly's lotto block

2009-10-21T09:42:00.005-05:00

I'm in a monthly block exchange with a group of friends. And love making the blocks because the blocks always stretch me in some way and help me to grow as a quilter. This month's block is for Molly and she sent out civil war fabrics to everyone, along with different block pattern. She sent me the Swamp Angel Block pattern and plenty of fabric for it. =) Finished it up last nite and will get it in the mail today tomorrow.

And I received a block yesterday that was made for me by Cap'n Nancy. Thanks Nancy for the great block! Love how the block turned out - esp. since I had no clue what to do with the set of Fq's that were the starting point for the blocks made for me this year. =) Am looking forward to seeing the rest of the blocks and thinking about what I want to do for alternate blocks.

Gratitudes -

1. For the room that I'm renting and the room I have to sew there.

2. For the the way that God will continue to lead me as I consider going into teaching.

Dreams

2009-09-30T21:38:00.003-05:00

In the early part of September I received a newsletter by email from Crown Financial Ministries. One of the articles that was in the newsletter this month had the following couple of sentences.

"But now I’d like to ask, “What dream has God put in your heart?” If you know it, let me encourage you to go for it with all of your might. Follow the leading God has given you, and don’t let anything stop you from fulfilling His special purpose for your life!"

I've been thinking about this since getting the newsletter, and about what dream He has given to me. Still don't have an answer to that at this point........... What about those of you that are reading my blog - what dream do you have and what are you doing to fulfill that dream?

Gratitudes -
1. For a God that never leaves us alone no matter how dark our days can seem.
2. For a church family (near and far) that cares for me.

Finding my quilting mojo

2009-09-30T19:40:00.003-05:00

Am finally finding my quilting mojo again........and have managed to finish a quilt that is to be a gift for the oldest son of good friends. The stars are made from 4 brushed cotton fat-quarters that were part of a set given to me by a friend. The quilt for his brother is being quilted now and also has fabrics from the same set of FQ's.

Next up are the two Pillow shams that I need to make to match the DWR quilt. Along with blocks that I need to make for a private swap I'm doing with a couple of good friends............

Gratitudes:

1. For the blessing of being able to quilt and sew.

2. For God's provision in all things.

DWR quilt top is finished!

2009-09-24T11:17:00.003-05:00

Yippee-skippee..............the quilt top is finished as of this morning. Am sooooooooo glad to have this much done. It's going into the mail this morning and will be off to the gal doing the quilting for me. Now onto the two baby quilts I've been commissioned to make.

Gratitudes:

1. The short sale of my house was completed on time and is now totally gone for me. Hallelujah!
2. The beautiful, cool fall weather that N. Tx has had so far this week. Am loving it!

Progress...

2009-08-30T17:06:00.003-05:00

....has been made on the DWR that I'm working on...........and other than a sore finger from all the hand sewing, I'm loving how it's turning out. =)

Have started sewing the rings for the next 5 full blocks and 4 quarter blocks. The current plan is to get them together and pinned to background squares so that I can take them with me to work on when I make a flying trip to Northern CA for an in-person interview Wed of this week.

Gratitudes:
1. For still being able to sew and quilt even with most of my stuff in storage at this time.

2. For the coming interview this week.

The ending of an "era"

2009-08-30T08:49:00.002-05:00

An "era" is ending for me as I get closer to moving out of my TX house. Moving day came and went yesterday, and most of what was still in the house is now residing in my rented storage unit. Frig and sofa will be moved there sometime this week, exact date depends on when closing gets scheduled for. I need to call the gal I spoke with about rentring a room from so that I have somewhere to move when the short sale closes.

This coming Wed I fly to Oakland CA for a job interview (contract job possibility). Am making the RT all the same day 'cause I had to pay for it..........will be a long day, but Lord willing it will go well. Haven't heard anything about the job possibility in MA............which is a bummer 'cause I'd really like to get that job. Love living out there as well, but will go where ever God opens the door for the next job.

Meanwhile have been enjoying continuing to work on the DWR quilt. Have 2 more full blocks finished and am working on the third. Am also working on making arcs for the next 5 full blocks and 4 quarter blocks. Am planning on taking those with me to applique down as I make the RT trip to/from Oakland next week.

Gratitudes:
1. God has opened the door for a job interview in CA.
2. The phone interview last week went great!

Roller coasters of life....

2009-08-28T23:57:00.005-05:00

....that's what it has seemed like was happening to with the short sale of my house this week. There were many twists and turns, but thankfully everything is now falling into place (dont'cha just love how God works things out) and it looks like it will close late next week or the first of the week after that. I'll be happy to have it over and done with...........

The quilt pic on the right is the first DWR block that I made as a test block. It's in RWB colors and I have 8 more blocks planned to go with it. It will be the center medallion of an American Hero quilt when I'm finished with it. The planned blocks will not be full blocks like this, but when finished and together it will look like there are 5 interlocking rings.

The picture on the left shows two orphan blocks that I found this week while going through stuff. Both are paper-pieced and made with Hand-dyed fabric. Am thinking of maybe making a table topper of some sort with them.....

Gratitudes -

1. Cooler weather today

2. Good friends who are willing to help me move stuff into storage.

Quilting Mojo

2009-08-25T19:52:00.003-05:00

One of the things that vanished during July and most of August as well with everything that was happening was my quilting mojo...........it's been a long time since i have felt so wiped out, so much so that I wasn't even quilting.

However, I have found it again and am once again quilting. And other than needing to get the border on a quilt so I can send it off to be quilted, I have started a double wedding ring quilt that I have been commissioned to make. I love the colors and love how it is turning out. And even have plans to make a second one to use the sample block that I made in RWB colors. It will be going to American Heroes when finished. And yes, there was a time when I had sworn I would never make one............

Meanwhile, here is a picture of what I've got completed so far. I'm paper-piecing the arcs using 6 shades of green. Two shades of lavendar are in the arcs. And because I stymied in getting the attempted machine applique to look good, have decided to hand applique the rings down to the background fabric squares. Yes, I can applique, and it even looks decent...........but the laugh is on me because I had never wanted to do a hand applique quilt because it is a "slow" method. I do like how it's looking, and will have no excuse to not use hand applique to do one of the BOM's that I have stashed away.

Gratitudes:
1. Thankful for the fact that I'm a fast stitcher 'cause I need to get this quilt done quickly!

2. For understanding clients.

Musings

2009-08-25T19:26:00.002-05:00

I've been remiss in posting because of a whole mess of stress and turbulence in my life over the last couple of months. Among that stress was packing to put everything into storage, getting most of it into a storage POD and then at the 11th hr having the sale fall through. Have a second, approved offer/contract for the short sale of the house here in TX but are waiting now to find out when we'll have to close. Could be as early as the 31st, or around the 10th of September.....all depends on if the foreclosure date is moved out from 9/1 or not.............so this week is going to be crazy with getting everything else here packed up (final stages of it) and into the storage room. Still need to make final decisions on where I'm going to live as well...........sigh......

In the meantime, the following poem is one that I found while I was cleaning up the desk where my computer is at the present time. While not directly drawn from scripture, I thought it worth posting since I have been praying for the will of God to be done since I was laid off in September of 2007.

The Will of God,
Author Unknown

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the Arms of God cannot support you,
Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the Power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will ever take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the Army of God cannot protect you,
Where the Hands of God cannot mold you.

The Will of God will never take you,
Where the Love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the Authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you.

Gratitudes:
1. The bank pproved second offer on my house.
2. For friends who have said they will help me move when needed, even on short notice.

A "Kept" Woman

2009-07-11T00:49:00.002-05:00

A friend sent me the following and I thought it was truly applicable, especially with all that is going on for me these days.
********************************
I Am a 'kept' Woman

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,
but GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer,
but the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong,
but the LORD kept my mouth shut. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, but GOD has helped me
to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc. (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up.
When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Mt. 11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you hear me!
I'm blessed to be 'kept '.

Do you know a 'kept ' woman?If so pass it on to her to let her
know she is 'kept 'I'm 'kept' by the love and grace of God!

Abraham Lincoln

2009-06-24T10:39:00.003-05:00

The following quote has been floating around cyberspace lately and attributed to Abraham Lincoln. While I can't find confirmation that he actually did say this, I still think this is worth thinking about in light of the current political and economic situation here in the U.S..

*************
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

***********************
Gratitudes:
1. For a God who provides all I need to live no matter what is going on around me.
2. For the time that I have to get everything sorted through, weeded out, packed and ready for either storage or moving before the end of July.

UFO progress

2009-06-22T09:04:00.007-05:00

Finished off three quilt tops this week - 1 ufo and 2 tops from stash. The ufo started with 10 9-Patches featuring fabric with yellow roses I made 7+ yrs ago or there abouts, don't remember exactl when they came to be. I think the were leftover after making a quilt for an adopted aunt some years back. Also in the quilt are the 4 remaining block from the only millenium swap that I took part in. Made 12 setting blocks and put them together with some white-on-white background fabric and ended up with the quilt shown. This will be going to American Heros.

The yellow/green quilt with Boyd's Bears fabric as the main print started as three remnant pieces of flannel. It will be going to Sunshine for a kid somewhere in the world. =)

The RWB quilt was made from the precut squares of red, white & blue fabrics that I have........it ended up almost a twin sized quilt and didn't make a dent in the number of squares I have cut. This will be going to American Heros.

Gratitudes:

1. For a God who is never surprised by anything that happens to us.

2. For the progress made in getting the short sale of my house approved.

Quilty Finishes for last week

2009-06-08T15:20:00.003-05:00

Finished off a quilt top made from some 9-Patches that I'd been given a while back. Everything except for the blocks came from my stash.

Have also packaged up my swap package for the Summer Pincushion Swap that I'm taking part of at the moment. Found the perfect fabric for the swap and had fun putting goodies together for it. Will be putting it into the mail tomorrow. =)

Gratitudes:

1. for a wonderful stash that I can go "shopping" for my quilting.

2. For the two groups that I send quilts to and the good work they are doing.

Optimism...........

2009-06-08T15:12:00.003-05:00

I've been scheduled for an in-person interview (3rd interview) for a job that I really want on Friday of this week. I'm so thankful to have made it this far in the process and am praying that God will open the door for a job offer as a result.

Meanwhile I'm continuing to pull my hair out dealing with the short sale of this house..........ugh.....

Gratitudes

1. That God is in control of everything and no matter how helpless I feel at times, He will provide all that I need.
2. For all of my friends, both near and far, who are praying for the interview to go well.

Catching up part 2

2009-06-01T18:39:00.009-05:00

Pics of the Sunshine quilts I've finished during May -

Gratitudes -

1. for a plentiful stash that allows me to create quilts for others

2. for a God who is always there with me, no matter how the circumstances feel.

Catching Up....

2009-05-22T19:08:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I posted pics of the quilt tops that I've finished lately, so I thought I'd try catching up.........the following pics are all of tops that have been finished for American Heroes during May.

Gratitudes -

1. Good friends who are always there for me.
2. For the progress made in getting approval from the lender for the short sale of my house. and for God's provision in the final details of getting approval.