2012 Year End

It's been a long year for me with the first 5 months of the year consumed with student teaching, classes and working part-time.   Summer saw me scrambling to survive 3 summer school classes, a 2 week training class in Illinois, packing and then moving 3.5 hrs away from Lafayette, and starting to teach full time.  

The last 4 months of 2013 has seen me complete my first semester of teaching at DeKalb High School as an Engineering teacher, working part-time at Joann Fabrics to help make ends meet, trying to stay up with all of my class work in my last year of grad school, and working on commissioned sewing (clothing of various types). 

Notice that there's no mention of being able to do much quilting in there.............sigh................that would be because I haven't been able to do much quilting at all this year, and I really miss it!   I'm hoping that will change in the coming year, at least after I finish defending my master's portfolio the end of April.  

Some of my goals that I have for the coming year is to work to get one or more of my quilt patterns written up and out for testing.  I want to start listing them for sale on my website and etsy, but know i have to do the prep work for that before hand.   I also plan to start working on more block patterns and quilt patterns for submission to quilt magazines for publication.    I also hope to actually

And if you're looking for giveaways to enter, check out the one that my quilting buddy Susan is hosting on her blog.  =) 

Gratitudes:
1. Being able to spend time in sunny and warm Phoenix over Christmas.
2. Having survived my first semester as a teacher.  =)

New Block Design

This has been a long, and sometimes (mostly?) hard summer as I dealt with difficult summer school classes, extra training classes that had to be taken, packing, and a move across the state to where I'm now teaching.    With everything that went on there never seemed to be anytime to actually do any quilting, sewing, designing.  

Thankfully this week and last I've been able to do some designing and sewing.   Last week I made a sample of a quilt block that I designed for submission to QuiltMaker for their Spring 2013 issue of Top 100 Quilt Blocks.   That has to be sent in before the end of September.   Because it is being submitted I can't post a pic of it here at this point.   

The next thing up I designed a pp'd block of a rocket for a friend who wanted to make a baby quilt with rockets for a friend of hers.  When I went to make a sample block I was reminded of how long it had been since I'd made anything because I found I'd forgotten one seam allowance and had to redo one of the blocks sections.....OOPS!    Redid that section and everything went together w/o problems.      I think it turned out cute.   =)

If you're interested in using the block (6" finished sized), you can find the pattern on my website by clicking HERE.  Look in the "New Patterns" section of the page for the link to the pattern.

Next up I'm working on putting together 12 of the orphan blocks that have been around here for several years into a lap quilt.    Am putting sashing on the blocks now and thinking about what I want to do for the border.   This one will mostly be sold after it is finished.   Then it will be onto the commissioned tops that I have here and need to get done.   Probably should continue to unpack and shift boxes and totes around so I can set up my quilt frame as well.  =)

Gratitudes:
1. For teaching at a great high school with supportive administrators.

2. For a great class of middle-schoolers - they give me hope for the future!

Stretching Art 2012

This week has been filled with a lot of sewing for a change.   Finished up the top for a signature quilt for a friend that ended up being a king-sized top.   And it's off in the mail to them.    Am looking forward to hearing that how the recipient likes it.   Am glad to have it finished up.

Today i started working on the thread painting on the challenge quilt that I need to have finished by the end of the month.  I haven't done as much thread painting as some peopel would do, but that is for two reasons - one, because this is the first time that I've done anything like this, and second - because I just wanted it to give the idea of what is there and not fully "color" the picture in as it were.    I've finished the thread painting for all but the background of the quilt center - but am still debating on what to do for the tan background fabric.      Basically all that is left

now is just the binding and adding  sleeve and label to the back.    I'm planning to get everything finished up this weekend so that I can get it in the mail for the exhibit that it will be in later this summer.

And last week, I finished off another UFO block into a pincushion.   It went out in the mail as my final Pay-It-Forward gift for 2012.  

Gratitudes -

1. The school board approved my contract for next year.

2. The new pain med has made a world of difference in how the arthritis in my knee feels.

More pincushions and a couple of boxes

Have still be working on getting pincushions made for Pay-It-Forward gifts that I need to get made and into the mail.     The two that I finished yesterday were made from scraps and orphan block sections.     The purple one will be headed off to a new home once I pick up mailing envelopes.

The orange one may end up living with me for a while because I really like how it turned out.   I made up the pattern I used for it and I'm considering making it into a bigger size and using it as the basis for a quilt.   That'll be a while down the road tho because I won't have time to do anything like that for a while.  I have one more pincushion to make for a Pay-It-Forward gift and have pulled another orphan block for that.   I plan to sew it up today and then everything will be ready to mail off to their new homes.  =)

In student teaching this past semester I ended up having 3 prep periods.   A lot of the time I used those periods to not only get ready for the classes that I was teaching, in addition to working on my homework, but all to refresh my skills in making things from wood.   I knew that there was  a possibility that I could end up having to teach a wood shop/materials processes type of class and my skills have pretty much line dormant since way back in junior high except for one class here at Purdue.     The main wood used in both was red oak.   Also used was poplar (in the bottom box) and small amounts of black walnut, white oak, and cherry in the top box.

My enjoyment in working with wood as I've been working with these boxes is but one of the  things that has confirmed I'm teaching what I should be.   =)   I've even thought about in the future about getting some tools so that I can make more stuff......lol.....or maybe I just need to find someone who already has it all that will let me use the stuff.  

Gratitudes:

1.  for the abilities and enjoyment that God has given me in making things - both quilted and in other mediums.

2. For a prof who is willing to work with me so that I can complete both his class this summer and still take the 2-wk training class that I need to take for the teaching position that I've offered.

Normal what's that?

Student teaching has finished up as of this past Friday, hard to believe that 10 weeks has flown by so fast.   I truly will miss the kids that were in my classes and will miss being at South Newton HS.    I have accepted a teaching position and am getting ready for a crazy summer to come.   There will be 3 summer school courses at Purdue, a 2-wk PLTW training session over in the Urbana area, a crazy hunt for somewhere to rent in the vicinity of where I'll be teaching, and then moving before the end of July.   Will have two weeks to get moved into whatever I rent and get my classroom set up and ready to start teaching the middle of August.   Normal......I don't think so.............insanity is more what it seems like to me...lol.

I have the month of May technically out of classes, but have to get a good chunk of the work for the final class this summer finished up in addition to getting a lot done in preparation for my move.    Have started on the homework, but have to retrieve my jump drive (left it as SNHS this past Friday) before I can get it finished.   Ah well..........

Have started working hard on the commissioned sewing again, and took a few minutes to finish up three pincushions that started with itty-bitty, leftover half-square triangle blocks from a long-ago project.   these will all be used as gifts - perhaps for the Paying It Forward gifts that I owe.....need 5 (or was it 4?) for that....

Next up quilt wise is continuing to work on my quilt top for the Stretching Art Quilt Challenge 2012 that I'm in.     The quilt isn't due to the end of July - early August, but with everything going on I need to get it done this month.  Top is fused together, and next step is to baste everything together (backing, batting, top).   Then I'll start with the thread painting/quilting.   The theme for the challenge this year is "Foundations".   And I chose to go with the theme of 'foundations of education' with a nod to transitioning to a career as a tech ed teacher.   I used a rendition of the one-room school house in Strawberry Arizona that I found on the 'net as my inspiration for the piece.   Seemed fitting since I'll be teaching in a rural school, albeit not in a one room school house.

Gratitudes -

1. A good student teaching experience at SNHS.   Great teachers to work with, Great students in the classes.
2. The strength of God to get everything done that I have to do before the end of July.

Sometimes I just gotta.......

...........work on quilty projects or I'll go nuts. So over this past week I've been putting in a bunch of hours working on UFO's and getting them finished up. Pics of all that I've finished up are below.

the first quilt is a quilt top for American Heros. It started with a set of 15 blocks that had been given to me by a friend from one of my quilt lists. the second quilt finished was a top that I had made a couple of yrs ago. this one just needed quilting and binding. It has been sold and will be going to its new home as soon as I finishe up one more quilt.

The next top started with some UFO fabric that was from the estate of a friend on the Sunshine quilt list. The striped fabric came from her and I added the wine and blue fabrics. The blues were from the scraps leftover after a quilt I had finished up last year.

The final project finished was a postcard that I made as a birthday card for an 80th birthday for someone special. =) To get the '80' on there I used a couple of iron on crystal number.

I've also finished up block designs to be submitted for consideration in issues 6-9 of QuiltMaker Top 100 Blocks. The one for issue 6 will be going in the mail today, but can't post pictures of them here.

Gratitudes:

1. Student teaching is almost here and I'm getting closer to being done with this year.

2. No surgery needed for my knee, altho I do have to learn to live with arthritis in my knee.

Stretching Art Challenge

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

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.