Wish List 2011 Connecting Threads
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November 12th, 2011 That's what I think about that! Be the first to tell me what you think. » UncategorizedTime for another Swap….
Praying for those in Japan…
and knowing how very blessed I am…
Food
Water
Shelter
Health
Thank you, Father
March 12th, 2011 That's what I think about that! Be the first to tell me what you think. » Blessings in my life, Struggles
Water
Shelter
Health
Thank you, Father
On My Bucket List
Cathedral Windows~still in need of some handwork~
Years ago I fell in love with my neighbors Cathedral Windows quilt, which she had made entirely by hand. I knew someone I would make such a quilt….that was well over 30 years ago. My neighbor and I agreed we would get together ’soon’ so she could teach me how to create a beautiful quilt like she had.
‘Soon’ never arrived. My babies were growing up and life happened, ’soon’ didn’t.
After a number of strokes and continued decline in health, my neighbor had to move into an assisted living facility. Although she is doing well, I am not so sure she would still be able to teach me how to make this beautiful quilt. Now when we visit with her, we talk about the ‘old neighborhood’ and we catch her up on what our boys are doing.
The years continued to go along and Cathedral Windows remained on my Bucket List. Isn’t it just a fantastic looking quilt! Ed calls it ‘3-D’ and I agree!
Recently I came across this tutorial and it all clicked! After all the years of trying to figure this block out in my head, it just clicked! This is a fantastic step by step with lots of pictures (for my visual learning curve!). So….after waiting until the 4 weeks of instructions were posted, I set to work…followed the steps and tada! A pillow top is born.
I am so excited! I loved the process and love the finished product. Not so sure I will ever commit to making one large enough to fit our bed (like I had thought I would do 30+ years ago). I am happy to say I can cross this off my Bucket List and add it to my “I really like this block” list…which means there most likely will be one or two more Cathedral Windows projects in my future!
March 11th, 2011 That's what I think about that! 1 Comment » Bucket List, QuiltingJR1080 aka IAAQ
IAAQ (It's An Art Quilt!)
IAAQ finished size 38×49
Well, actually the pattern is Jelly Roll 1600 but I had already used several strips of my Jelly Roll in another project and then I changed the size of my finished top ~~ so my Jelly Roll quilt is actually closer to a JR1080. With me? No? That’s ok…just roll with it!
Last Saturday the FABs gathered for fun and good times, including a sewing project! What did we make? Watch this video.
Yep…we were on a roll and had a great time with a Jelly Roll Non-Race….no one was in a hurry and we just took our time, chatting and comparing notes along the way. The lady in the video finished her quilt top in 35 minutes. I don’t recall what the FABs times were but I do know we were all done within a couple of hours. I think I was last to finish (had the fewest strips..made the smallest quilt…and finished last…yeah, that would be me).
Ms. Norma did not let any dust grow on her flimsy…it was on her long arm and quilted before her sewing machine had time to cool off~appliqued lady bugs will dance across hers when it is finished. Pat has added borders to hers and is debating the addition of stars as well, Pat’s quilt is a QOV donation quilt. Cher is thinking about doing some free motion loops, she used a darling spring-y jelly roll with butterflies and flowers. Linda named hers “Hot Mess”, this pattern was not her cup of tea but she played along anyway~her flimsy has been folded and put out of sight…kinda of like ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Although…the rest of us really liked how her’s turned out…it is scrappy and fun!
I did manage to move mine right along as well. I put up the leaf on my sewing table and got IAAQ quilted as quickly as possible. I am gaining confidence in my quilting ability and have enjoyed quilting my own quilts in the last couple of years…but that is another post for another time!
OK…now the disclaimer…this is not my typical type of quilt to make, I’m more of a traditional kinda quilter. Quilts are suppose to have blocks and borders and a pattern that flows. IMHO my JR1080 has none of that. I have named this quilt IAAQ (It’s An Art Quilt) ~ because it is!
IAAQ is now making it’s home on the back of the sofa, where it is adding quite a bit of color to our living room. A few years ago I used this same fabric line (Decadent Victorian by Moda) to make table toppers and a table runner for our coffee and end tables…the JR was well aged and ready to be used!
You can see each of the FABs JR1600 here: Ms. Norma, Linda, Pat, Cher.
March 10th, 2011 That's what I think about that! 3 Comments » FAB's, QuiltingPlaying catch up
2010 Holiday Photos
Annual Thanksgiving Camping Trip
One of my most favorite camp grounds is Umpqua Lighthouse State Park just south of Winchester Bay
Look closely…see our cabin hidden in the trees? No? Well…here’s a close up…
A view of our cabin from the other side of the lake
What a beautiful way to start the morning…enjoying this view from the cabin porch while waking up with our first cup of coffee
So many different mushrooms…(I need more practice with my camera)
We stay in cabins ~ and always take a walk around the lake. The weather was beautiful. Yatzhee and plenty of wonderful family time.
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~ Christmas 2010 ~
Yep…we’ve got a baseball vacation scheduled for summer 2011…hoping to catch a Mariners game in SanFran!
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~ New Years 2011 ~
Ryan & Chris…Face Rock…Bandon
New Years Eve @ Shore Acres…wonderful evening…and made it back to the truck just as the rain started!
Home in time for a late dinner of Crab Louie…fresh crab…Southern Oregon Coast living at it’s finest!
March 8th, 2011 That's what I think about that! 1 Comment » Ed & I, Family, Holidays, Outdoor LifeA Visit From Our Gwillim Grands
Maddie 9, Izzie 3 and JJ 8 ~ Gma and Gpa OLD
Yep…we had an all too short visit from our 3 youngest grands recently. We got in as much cuddling and laughter as time would allow and then POOF! they were off on the last leg of their journey from Kansas to Washington.
March 7th, 2011 That's what I think about that! Be the first to tell me what you think. » Blessings in my life, Grandkids, Royhappy bday to me!
yep…March 6th is when my FABulous pals treated me to an amazing bday celebration! What a day we had. We ‘met’ early in the morning and everyone waited in wonder as I opened some beautiful and PERFECT gifts from each one. A true sign of friendship is KNOWING each other well enough to give gifts that ‘fit’ each other to a “T”. My FABulous pals know me very well indeed!
No one would ever know we live in 3 different states and 2 different countries. ;-). When I think of these gals I remember the song I learned in Brownie Scouts:
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.
That’s how long, I will be your friend.
A fire burns bright, it warms the heart.
We’ve been friends, from the very start.
You have one hand, I have the other.
Put them together, We have each other.
Silver is precious, Gold is too.
I am precious, and so are you.
You help me, and I’ll help you
and together we will see it through.
Across the land Across the sea
Friends forever We will always be
A couple of these gals I have known for well over 10 years…the other 2 gals for just a few years…All 5 are dear dear friends…truly 4 in a million!
OK…First up…and in order of gift opening: Ms. Norma
- cupcake buttons! whoo hoo…have you seen everything that is being done with cupcakes of late…I already have an idea of how to use a few of these
- 5 pansy tacks…the 5th project from a length of pansy print she bought when we first met ‘live and in person’ a few years ago. She stretched that fabric for all it was worth…and did a FABtastic job of it too.
- these gals know I do love Mary Engelbreit…Ms. Norma made me this wonderful ME shopping bag and matching Humbug bag…I am thinking she was cracking up during a recent conversation we had about using cloth shopping bags, all the while knowing this one was sitting wrapped up in my livingroom waiting for me to open it
Next: Pat
- I think Pat also got a chuckle when I posted a comment on her blog about this darling darling tablerunner~I told her if we were neighbors I would be borrowing it often and inviting her over for tea so she could enjoy it at my house. 30’s are my all time fav prints…I adore this table runner, it is already on the table, waiting for Pat to arrive so we can have a good long chit chat!
Next: Cher
- yep…sneeky pals I have…in the weeks prior to my FAB bday I received a text msg from Cher…”pick…and no ?’s~~pink or purple“ Well purple is the official FAB color but pink is my certainly one of my fav colors…my text reply: “either, neither or both…or pink ;-)” Cher was giving me a say in my gift from her. This FABulous purse! She had made one for another FAB earlier and I admired it…and now I have my own! filled with pockets! I need pockets in a purse…purses should be illegal if they do not have pockets..plenty of pockets!
- a ME panel with fun chocolate sayings….after all every bday should include chocolate!
- along with a scented pen and note pads
Last, but certainly not least…Linda:
- yep…a story behind this one as well. A few pals are each making these darling wallhangings, encouraging each other along the way. Linda gave me my choice of several months to choose from, she would make one of them and surprise me with it for my FAB bday. I gave her my choices but kept mentioning this particular one over and over again. Had she chosen a different one I would have been surprised (but just as happy!) as the hints were too obvious to ignore! (Hey! I am youngest of 5 kids and totally spoiled by husband…I know how to get my point across!).
**quilt is shown on my background piece..which stays the same throughout the year and the monthy/seasonal quilts are buttoned on and off as you change them**
I also received wonderful additions to my ever growing selvege collection…that someday…yes, someday…I will be making something absolutely FABULOUS with!
Thanks FAB pals…you are the bestest!
AND AND AND
That isn’t all…after my gift opening time we sewed…and sewed and sewed…details next time around…what a fun fun wknd it was!
March 6th, 2011 That's what I think about that! 1 Comment » Birthdays, FAB's11 in 11….progress!
#3 of 11 in 11…Cher’s Gym Floor…circa 2006.
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#4 of 11 in 11…Pointless Wonder…circa 2010.
Story of this sad quilt can be found here.
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#5 of 11 in 11…Remembering Auntie February 2011
~made in memory of a dear friends Auntie~
*floor model approved…aka Akria*
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#6 of 11 in 11…Thank You For Serving (TYFS) #1…February 2011.
Our son is currently serving in Afghanistan…in his honor and as a thank you to those who have and are serving, I will periodically be making RWB quilts and donating them to our local VA Hospital.
*no, this one isn’t quite completed…still need to finish one side of the binding, snip loose threads and add a label….but decided to utilize Mr. Quilt Holder as long as he was holding up the rest of the quilts for this post. Thank you Mr. Quilt Holder and floor model, Akria for your patience.
As soon as I have 5 TYFS quilts completed I will send those along…waiting until I have 10 ‘love’ quilts ready, those will go to my pal Lydia who works with foster kids in San Diego County.
***special shout out to my FAB pal Pat, who sends me her leftover Wisconsin Air…which is perfect for batting! Thanks Pat…each of these quilts are filled with love and Wisconsin Air.***
March 6th, 2011 That's what I think about that! 1 Comment » 11 in 11, Quilting for LoveMug Rug Swap
My future DIL, Chris…my niece, Mandy and HOPEFULLY my sister, Nancy will all be joining me in this swap…should be fun for them as this will be a first swap for each one of them.
