Flower Power

Getting to go to "Fishland" w/my DH and packing all my sewing trappings and UFO's is mind bloggleing! I call this my own personnel private sewing retreat! He fishes all day, I get the motel room all to myself! No cooking,cleaning,phone calls, just what ever I please to do! I read a great book "Culture of Corruption" by Michelle Malkin and finished it, watch t.v.,snack,take a walk. Well, the weather was not walking weather this year, so I didn't do any walking. Brrrr,most days it was in the high 40's,sunny w/clouds, some breezes. But, I had the heater turned up and was very comfy! So,I sewed on my project of 3 vacation's: a wool table runner. Now, as you can see this isn't rocket science, but, I also take other UFO's and generally switch back and forth in sewing on them. This required just alot of cutting the flowers, even w/a pattern I still couldn't be accurate on some of the petals, however, they are my flowers and they "grew" just the way I like them!!! The flowers are connected to the backing by french knots, and the leaves by a stem stitch. The wavy green wool is "felted"down, this was my first try at hand felting. It was a little slow, but soon I was able to develop a rhythm of "punching" with the 5 needles in their holder. Is it finished you say?? Oh,no, I still have to add the under wool backing and edges! Will I wait until next year you ask?? Mmmm not sure, I am kinda thinking I might get it finished sooner!
Click on photo's for a real close up!

Quilt Show Views

I am showing you some of the interesting exhibits at the Falling Leaves Quilt Show last weekend. Oh, they were all interesting and lovely, but there were over two hundred!! I couldn't photo all of them.

The vignettes of old dolls and their furniture adorned all the nooks and cranny's. This is my antique wicker buggy displayed w/doll and shawl was furnished by a very active member who is also a antique doll collector.The bathing beauty babe w/the 3D boobs wall hanging, was just to0 fun and was done so cute, but alas it didn't catch the judges attention for an award.

This quilt was called "Ann's Houses". Just adorable done in Freddy Moran fabrics. It earned a Blue Ribbon for Ann!

This is Ann's jacket. Can you imagine sewing all those patches. The colors were so blended. Very nice.

Here again is one of Ann's creations, called Material Girls was the title. Don'tcha just love the fabrics! This also earned Ann a Blue Ribbon!

Falling Leaves Quilt Show Awards

Here are the results of the Falling Leaves Quilt Show entrys that I made. I was very pleased to recieve the Blue Ribbon, 1st, for my "Leaves and Geese" jacket and a Red 2nd place for the small tree hanging. I showed them to you on a previous post after the local fair judge didn't consider either of the entrys as worthy of an award. Of course there was different competition at the quilt show. I do take that into consideration. The fair judges do not give comments as to their critic and the quilt show judges dictate to scribes to write a lengthy one. Giving good remarks and if needed suggestions to improve upon. I didn't recieve the latter for either! I didn't enter my Crazy for Circles lap quilt for judging. Just for exhibit. The fringe didn't look very good after I washed it!!! (See other post)
So...the quilt show is over and a "new quilting" season begins for the show next year!!! I have no idea what project I will start for next year!

Blackberry Time

A while back we picked blackberries that grow profusely on our creeks bank. We harvest enough for a couple of these delish cobblers and had juiced a batch to put in the freezer to make jelly when the days are cooler! Yum mo!!

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Summer Projects

Wow, it has been a couple of months since I have "talked" to you!!! We were privileged to have our 12 year old grandson during that time as our daughter brought him to stay with us and she spent several days here also then went home to rest and then came back to pick him up and spend the 4Th of July with us. So we had a month of "too much fun"!!! I wanted to share the projects I have finally finished, just in time for the local fair and the Falling Leaves Quilt Show in October. I have not be too productive this year having to recoup from a illness in February. Takes longer than I wanted. The jacket is an adaptation of a commercial pattern. I call this "Leaves and Geese". You can see the "thread play" I did on the leaves if you click on the image. It is a batik fabric and it is lined in a black poly like satin. It was a real challenge. It took me several month of pushing myself to work on it! The "bullseye" quilt is from a skills day at our llqg.org. It "rags" up when washed. The "Crystal Tree" was so fun also to try and rack my "brains" to decorate. I used fairy frost fabric and it really was great! Well the toad is just for fun! He lives in the water barrel w/the two gold fish that never want to be seen!

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Fabric,Fabric!

I got a nudge from a dear friend as to updating my blog! Time goes so quickly these days. There sometimes are distractions from what I wish I could be attending too! But, isn't life a total distraction!!!! I came across a poem that I know all of us "fabricohlics" can relate to. At her request,I asked and received permission from the author to publish it! This is her blog: The Crafty Quilter’s Closet

(When I read it I get the rhythm of a Dr. Seuss story!) Soon after I read this I dashed to a fabric store that ,sadly, is going to close at the end of June and they are having a unbelievable close out sale! I just needed to add to my stash of Fairyfrost. (No really ;0) ) The one I needed is third from the bottom!

Quilt Magic, A Poem
Written by Kristin Hoog,
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I wonder, Do you know I am outside of the shop?Taunting and teasing until I must stop.
Cautiously at first, I open the door;then I smile, as my gaze drifts over the store.
Fabric, and more fabric. Such a pleasant surprise!Do you see the same twinkle in everyones’ eyes?
Fabric in bundles, fabric on racks.Fabric on bolts and fabric with tacks.
Colors so vibrant in yellows, blues, greens,Polka-dots, stripes and orange jelly beans.
I have lots of fabric at home, It is true!But I’m sure I don’t have THIS shade of blue.
This fabric is lovely! It will play just the part In the quilt I’ve decided, today I will start.
2 yards or 4 yards? Running out would just stink. And you know, you can never have enough pink.
And look over there at that fat quarter pack Oh, how did that ever get in my sack?
Batiks how they call me, the colors, so extensive,12 dollars per yard. That’s not SO expensive.
Look at that rack. That fabric, it’s new?!Hmmm. Do my kids really need shoes?
Okay, I’ll stop now. At least for this trip…Maybe, just maybe, one more fabric strip.
I leave with my bag overflowing with the fabric,Happy and under the spell of Quilt Magic

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A Jacket Challenge!

I have had this jacket pattern and the fabric "buried" in my "to do" stack for over a year or more !! So...with not a thing to do (can you hear the laughing!!) I cleared "the deck" and got to work. It has been a while since I did any "clothes sewing". I have changed some of the pattern's rules several times! The leaves just begged for some "thread play". Click on images to see up close! So I dug into my thread stash and went to it! The sleeves were a bit of a challenge but hopefully when they are connected to their spot the "oops" won't be noticed! There is muslin backing and then the lining will be the last challenge . I am using Slovy to support the thread play on top of the muslin. Stay tuned for future updates.

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Making A Chenille Scarf

Attended another skills day our http://llqg.org had last Saturday on making a chenille scarf. It was so much fun, like a magic trick! It takes 2 yards of homespun fabric , the fabric has to have the weave the same on both sides. All the cutting is done on the bias in 6 inch strips and we cut 7 strips. They are stacked and the middle one (#4) is to be the stable strip. Then it is all pinned and I sewed from the middle on a chalk line (to determine the middle) about 3/8Th of a inch apart all the way across the 6 inches. It took 2 bobbins of matching thread to do this (Of which you cannot see anyway) and at least 30 minutes. Of course that sounds easy. The cutting took some time as our instructor helped us to learn the folding of the fabric. You need a brand new blade in your rotary cutter and it should be a large one. I used the 60. Then when the sewing is done comes the cutting of the rows and not to cut the middle layer is very,very important or you will have just long rope like strips, (like the fringe in the photo). So, you can use a chenille cutter or very sharp blunt tip small scissors. I used the Clover chenille cutter which worked well. I am showing you a leftover piece of the fabric to compare with the finished scarf. We started at 10 a.m. "worked" for a couple hours and then enjoyed a wonderful lunch of Beef Barley soup prepared by our skills day chairman that was accompanied by the rest of us bringing "go with" such as french bread, fresh shrimp and dipping sauce, several chocolate deserts,fresh strawberries and dipping cream!

Oh, yes, we know how to sew and eat well! After lunch it was back to the "sweatshop". By mid afternoon most of us were done and packed up to rush home to the washing machine to toss our scarfs in w/a couple pair of jeans I also added a sweatshirt. This is how the magic happens. When it comes out of the dryer, what a different look! I want to do this again!!!!

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Bulls Eye!!!!!

In January I attended a guild skills day to learn how to do this "crazy" pattern! There were about 12 of us and we all had a different interpretation of fabrics to use. My thought: Bulls Eye? Target shooting of course and so I choose from my "stash" these wacky black on white and white on black and reds of all combinations! I have not decided how I am going to arrange all 20 blocks yet. After the 3 circles are sewn on top of each other, then I cut the block into quarters. Then comes the crazy part, putting different quarters together to make a block!!! I am told that after all is assembled and completed that washing makes the edges fray and no mistakes will be seen! Ha, I'll bet!

I had a Bday the end of January and our daughter in Oregon sent me these absolutely 15 gorgeous stems of orchids. I have some that are still flowering.

Cactus Rose

Where do I begin!!!??? Well, Happy 2009 to all! Whew, this is the first day in 2 months that I have actually sat at my "Bernie" and put the pedal down! Yay! Our Christmas Tree farm has consumed me right up until 3 days before the Blessed Jesus's Birthday! Then it took over a week until today to get the " old bod" in high gear again! So...I put a pot roast in the oven and set the "delay start" timer and made a cup of tea and off to my sewing room I dashed!! These photos are of my last mini paper piecing project class hence "Cactus Rose" that was started in November. I'll try to have them in sequential order, but you'll get the idea I am sure! They trim up to 2 inch squares!!! The next process is to put'em together and frame them with a great fabric that I have not yet choosen from my stash or dashed to the "local fabric den" to purchase! Of which I just may have to force myself to do! I recieved a great present from one of the local "fabric dens". My mini class resumes this coming week and as this is my Bday month I was sent a 30% off coupon for any fabric cut from a bolt at the store where I attend the class!! Geez, can you imagine that!!! I hope you can click on the photos to see them up-close and personal!