The Quilter in Me

August

2011-08-12T18:22:00.002-04:00

Gertie is planning a new project.

Aunt Gertie's latest addition.

2011-04-07T20:10:00.000-04:00

http://auntgertieandcousinmartha.blogspot.com/

Aunt Gertie is off to the quilt shop again.

2011-03-30T20:26:00.002-04:00

http://auntgertieandcousinmartha.blogspot.com/

Gertie is long arm huntung!

2011-03-17T19:15:00.000-04:00

Shopping again!

Have you checked in on Aunt Gertiez?

2011-03-10T18:48:00.002-05:00

Aunt Gertie is motorcycle shopping this week.

2011-03-02T17:26:00.001-05:00

Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha are out shopping.

Gertie is in Deland, FL

2011-02-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

I am following Aunt Gertie to Deland, FL (http://auntgertieandcousinmartha.blogspot.com/) while my sewing machine is in the shop for repair. It seems the screen needs a little adjustment. I may have to pull out my "almost as old as I am" backup.

Aunt Gerties on the road again!

2011-02-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

Aunt Gertie is headed south to warmer weather. Check out her adventures.

I almost forgot!

2011-02-09T15:43:00.002-05:00

Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha have joined me with a blog of their own. Please pay them a visit!

What to do next?

2011-02-09T07:42:00.005-05:00

My sewing machine has to go into the shop. The screen is acting up. When I turn on the machine it seems as though the contrast needs adjusting and after s little while the screen goes blank as though it had a screen saver...except it doesn't. So off to the shop it goes. I so need a back up machine but don't have one so the big question now is what to do next? I have all those projects that are in process but they cannot proceed without a machine. I may bring out my serger for the log cabin project. I guess I need to sort through my hand projects as well. The Halloween Baltimore Album block I started on my trip home for Christmas? Or the Mexican Rose project that has been my traveling project for the last 5 years? Or I can straighten up my scraps and plan a new quilt? I have options. I'm just not sure which way to turn.

So Many Projects...

2011-02-01T18:19:00.013-05:00

We have all said it..."So may projects, so little time." I've been trying to finish up a few things that have been hanging around. I think I need to make a resolution this year to finish so many projects. I just have to decide what that number should be. What a question! I think I have just been too distracted this last year to finish anything but a few tote bags..ok maybe a table runner or two as well. So here is a potential list of projects that should be finished.

I finished my sister's wedding quilt, Red Lotus Wedding. This was a joint effort with one of my other sisters. It is only slightly overdue (We won't talk about when the wedding was). The finished quilt is king size. Thank goodness I had the long arm to quilt it with. My shoulders are no longer up to quilting a bed size quilt on my sewing machine. This one is finished, done an ready to be mailed!

Of course, I'm much better at starting things than finishing them. I needed something bright to cheer me up since the days have been a little gray. Gray by Florida standards that is, but it's as good an excuse as any. So I have been practicing my pineapple blocks and turning them into flowers while I dream of spring. In the end the quilt should be throw size. I just have to decide what I want to do for sashing. I have already put the blocks together and taken them apart again once. I guess that's how that UFO pile keeps growing.

I started a Christmas table centerpiece. This one has been moving right along. I am paper piecing the log cabin blocks because their finished size is 4". Nine blocks of nine. I have 6 blocks finished. I am using the Benartex Peppermint and Holly Berries fabric. So cute! This project does not take much concentration so it has been a good late night project. I am one of those morning people every one hates. I get up at 5 every day (yes, Saturday and Sunday too). Sorry, I can't help it. The downside is I am falling asleep on the couch at 9:00 at night. I need a low concentration project after dinner or I will just have to take it out again and start over.

At the other end of the spectrum I have another flame quilt I am working on. This one is a one-of-a-kind project for a good friend. The flames are pieced, not appliqued. This is a new technique for me. I have drawn out the flames, transferred them to freezer paper. Cut out all the little pieces and sewn them back together again. I have had some issues with the bias and the finished pieces. I believe it is a matter of how the pieces are cut out. I need to pay a little more attention to the grain direction of the fabric. You'd think I would know that by now.

Those are my short term goals. Of course there are many other little projects hanging around waiting for my attention. Maybe I'll alternate on old project, one new project. Or maybe not.

So many colors...So many choices.

2010-06-13T06:45:00.006-04:00

Finally...We bought a house in Florida. I guess we are staying for a while. Honey said this is "the last house he will ever buy". I'm not so sure about that. I it is...I'm happy with it. The house sits on 2 acres on a little street outside of town. It is not in a neighborhood, although we do have neighbors. I'll have a sewing room and a longarm room. No more quilting in the basement.

My challenge has been paint colors. It's not easy picking colors or the entire house at one time. I thought I had everything chosen..and then.. I had forgotten the guest bath. All the colors were settled until I looked at the master bath again. We had originally though it would need to be re-tiled. After investigation it does not need re-tiling, just cleaning and sealing. That meant the new paint should go with the existing tile. So...the green that was going into my sewing room is now going into the master bath and bedroom. The blue from the master is now going into the guest bedroom. musical colors it seems. Oh and I forgot the guest bath again. Still no decision there.

Now I need new colors for my sewing room and long arm room. These are my creative rooms so the options are endless. I finally decided that I will stick with the green or the longarm room. I'm going to do the chair rail thing and put a darker green on the bottom and lighter on top. Then I'm going to paint the vines and flowers that in this wall hanging quilt I made. I'm thinking about a large quilt block for my sewing room.

Oh ...and the guest bath, I forgot to look at it again. Why is it such a problem? The tub is a cream and mauve color. The tile is grey and the grout is the mauve from the tub. I'd like a neutral color to bring it all together. I seem to have a color block when it comes to the bathroom.

They're back!!!

2010-02-06T15:09:00.007-05:00

I know it's been a long time. This move to Florida has really gotten in to the way of my sewing. Finally we are settled for a while. We're still looking for that perfect house. you know..the last house we'll ever buy kind of house. no pressure! but at least we have a place to live until that magical house appears on the market.I ave not been doing much sewing during this time. There have been too many other things to think about; where to live, where the best grocery store is, how to get from point A to point B in a large city I'm not familiar with. Everything seems to take longer than it should. Now, don't think I'm complaining, just explaining.

During all this time, my ghosts have been quiet. I almost thought they forgot to move with me. For those who are not familiar with my ghosts, most of the time I am haunted by ideas or quilts. Check out the October issue of www.sewinggazette.com for a more detailed explanation. Well, no need for concern, my ghosts are active again. I had a flicker when looking at the spiky leaves of the palm trees and palmetto bushes here. It would be great to duplicate them in a New York Beauty block.

Honey and I took a drive down to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the country. The city was founded in 1565. A city that old and with a colorful history has many ghosts. We did not take the ghost tour this time, but I think the local spirits woke up my personal ghosts. My ghosts went from sleeping on my shoulder to swirling around my head again and we were there in the bright Florida sunshine. How powerful the local ethereal beings must be when the sun goes down. I know it is only February, but once again, I am being haunted by new ideas and images for quilts.

Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour!

2009-11-09T19:48:00.018-05:00

I have a block in the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks coming out in the next few days. I had a sneak preview and now have quilt ideas swarming around my head. This book is wonderful! So great I think I'll give away a copy of the book. To register, please post a comment on my blog. You can also send an e-mail to julie@quiltedpleasures.com. Make sure I have a way to contact you ifyou win! Tell me what your working on and if your ready for the holidays. (I am not!) I'll put your names in hat and pull out a winner on Thursday November 12th. Look for my block, Hot Fudge Please! Is there anything as good as a bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day? It's great as a place mat.
Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily Nov. 9-13 at www.Quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore! Look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.

I am finally starting to settle in in Jacksonville. The weather is beautiful, but I do miss wearing a jacket now and then. The trip was a little hard on my electronics. I had to replace my computer. Too many bumps on the way down I guess. Of course it was right before the new Windows 7 was released. I wasn't sure what to do. After a little research I went ahead with a Vista machine that included the Windows 7 upgrade. I would have liked to buy a Mac, but have too much software that only runs on Windows. I still have my Mac laptop though. Now I just need a new copy of Electric Quilt. Seems I left that box behind.

I am still in the process of setting up my sewing room. Many of my things remain in Erie, Pa, like most of my fabric. My sewing machine has been in the shop as well. Not for much longer though. I got the call today. A board was replaced and the machine is sewing better than it has in quite a while. I can't wait to get it back and get back to work. I've been doing a little hand sewing to pass the time.

Rolling, roling, rolling...

2009-09-13T07:43:00.009-04:00

I have lived on the shores of Lake Erie most of my life. I am used to having the lake as a directional landmark. When you live in this area, you usually know the lake is always north and from that can determine which direction you are headed. If the lake is on your right, you're headed west. It's quite simple. I have grown up with trips to the beach, lots of snow and not much sun. Summer temperatures reach 90 an average of 5 days a year. This summer, we had a hard time reaching 80. My mother used to say the temperature had to reach 80 before we could wear shorts. If I still listened to her advice, I would not have been able to wear shorts this summer. I compromise with shorts and a sweatshirt. All of this is about to change.

Honey and I (and all the little ones) are moving south. We are headed to Jacksonville. I am exchanging the lake for the ocean. I'll have to adjust to the ocean being east instead of the lake up north. It is quite an adventure. I have brought the kiddies down with all the essentials. Honey will follow with the remainder of the house.

If you have heard about my cat Cleo, you'll know that she is afraid of everything. I thought she would be the biggest challenge. She will hiss, spit and whap you if you upset her. She can be very playing, but does not like being picked up and held. She's not a very big fan of petting either. I tricked her into going into a cage by setting her food in it. Fortunately it's a soft cage. She tried to jump out after I closed the top. She really surprised me by settling down about an hour into our trip.

Charlie is my Great Pyrenees. He's 10 and is just starting to have hip problems. Oh and he weighs about 150 pounds. I had to lift him into the car, front half and then back half. The little boys, Booboo and Petey hopped right into the car and we were off.

I took my time. I was pulling a trailer and had some concerns about going through the mountains of West Virginia. We stopped to stretch, to get gas, to sleep, and to get hamburgers for everyone. Now, we're in Florida and the real adventure can begin.

Not Quite What I was thinking...

2009-09-05T14:20:00.007-04:00

The word is out... Honey and I are moving to Florida. I have been packing, packing, packing, and living with boxes up to my eyeballs. I have sorted all of my clothes. Winter clothes go to Goodwill. The few I am saving are probably 10 times what I will actually need. Do you think the Goodwill in Florida has a market for a down jacket? or wool blazers? I guess I'll find out.
I have given away about 25% of my basement stores and the attic hideaways...and I am still up to my eyeballs in boxes. The accumulation of my fabric stash was a little shocking when I pulled it out of the attic and stacked it all together. Somehow it remained in the GO TO FLORIDA PILE though, even with a kind offer to help me sell some off.
We decided we had to do something about the kitchen counter top and floor before we put the house on the market. We have an amazing friend coming in to help replace what needs to be replaced. I knew that would be messy. I wasn't expecting this. Counter's strewn everywhere and mixed in with my boxes (sigh). The boys are very confused. Booboo is trying to climb into every box he thinks might be going. Petey sits on the couch giving me the big sad eyes. Charlie is trying to sleep through everything and hoping it will all go away.Even the cat is being more friendly. Maybe she's afraid she'll get left behind also. Just wait until I try to put her in the car. Friendly cat will disappear I'm afraid and witchy-witch cat will return.
So we are off on another grand adventure.

Changing Things Up

2009-08-02T20:37:00.007-04:00

I think our vacation to find summer really woke me up. I realized I had been falling into a routine that had become monotonous. It's time to shake things up a little. I decided to take a little break from quilting. (Jaw drops in shock!) Don't worry, not a long break. I decided I needed a new jacket. I went round and round looking at patterns, trying to find just the right combination. conservative enough to last forever (almost anyway), stylish enough that I will want to wear it and was easy enough that I wouldn't get bogged down in making it. That's quite a tall order. I decided on a McCalls pattern, made the muslin and hated it. Good thing I used muslin first. Remind me about this jacket the next time I want to skip that step. I finally settled on Vogue 1064. I ordered a grey wool three season suiting and a grey silk lining. I have to say, it went together beautifully. I still have to send it out to the cleaners so they can press it.

Then, I promised to make the Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag for T. It is a beautiful bag, but has piping all the way around. It has been some time since I have done piping, so I thought I had better make a "sample" bag to make sure my piping skills were up to speed. Off to the quilt store because (of course) I didn't have anything that would do in my stash. I bought a beautiful black/grey and tan fabric and a very cool stripe for the piping. I came home and cut everything out and realized...I can't use the stripe. I have to cut the piping strips on the bias and the stripes were already on the bias. So back to the quilt store for more fabric. In the end, I like how the bag turned out. Now I just need to fill it. Hmmm.

I'm ready to add some color to my sewing again. Working with all this grey has been soothing but it's time for another change.

Home Again, Home Again...

2009-07-23T11:02:00.012-04:00

Summer has been a little slow in coming to Erie, Pennsylvania this year. Our temperatures have been in the high 60's and low 70's for most of June and July. If I wanted to see summer, I had to take matters into my own hands. Fortunately, We have family in Jacksonville, Florida. Last week Honey and I headed south. We took the motorcycles. The little puppy boys (That includes my Great Pyrenees) went to Camp Diane and Camp Bonnie. Diane NextDoor watched the cat for me as well.

The weather was a balmy 65F when we left Friday evening. We made it to Clarksburg, WV on Friday. If you are ever near Clarksburg on a motorcycle, make sure to head East on 50. What a great road. Unfortunately we missed that side trip this time. We had 700+ miles to go. The mountains were beautiful as always. Very misty which turned into rain at the higher elevations. We rode the rollercoaster between rainy and cold at elevation down to hot and muggy in the valleys. Ah well, the joys of riding. Once we cleared the mountains, the weather was beautiful.

Most of our trip was spent visiting family. Honey's brothers, sister, and mother were all happy to see us. We took a short 300 mile (round trip) ride to visit my sister in Tallahassee. What a beautiful town. I agree with her the live oaks are stunning and Tallahassee has plenty of them. She also has a really cute quilt shop. I stopped in the Quilting Patch and looked around.

My sister-in-law has the same crazy infatuation with fabric that I do. She took off an afternoon so we could do a little shopping. We visited Paula's Fine Fabric and looked at the Bernina Sewing Machines. Neither Chris or I are really looking for a new machine, but it was fun to look at what is new. Paula also had rows of beautiful apparel and handbag. I love the Michael Miller collections she carries. Paula's focus is clothing, not quilting. She did have a few quilts that must have snuck in her back door though. She also has a service person in the store on Wednesdays. Chris and I agreed it would be nice to know you could drop off your machine Tuesday and pick it back up on Wednesday when it needed a cleaning. After Paula's we went down to Old Green Cupboard. They have quite a fabric collection. We were there a long time. I bought fabric to make a new bag and more of the In The Beginning Wintergraphix snowflakes. It's really too bad we can't buy more time to make the beautiful things. Old Green Cupboard has plenty to offer in addition to fabric. The store was full of pumpkins last week. They were all so cute. It's a good thing we brought the bikes down, or I might have brought many more home with me.

Unfortunately we only had a week to spend in the south. We took 2 days to come home. The weather cooled off again as soon as we hit the mountains of West Virginia. It's still in the high 60's and low 70's here at home. I hope summer arrives before September. I would like a little warm weather before the snow starts to fly.

Time for a Vacation

2009-07-09T16:16:00.008-04:00

This week has been a crazy week. I started a new top on Saturday. I have not made too many knit tops. Just a silly fear on my part. I decided that fear of knit was irrational. I know, I know, when is fear ever rational. It was time to have confidence and move forward. I used Butterick 4886. I was able to do most of the sewing on my serger and that was a good thing. My regular machine stuck it's tongue out at me. I had to take it to the shop to have the thread cutter fixed. My sister said it needed a vacation.

I did get out my old machine in the meantime. This is the Singer I learned on. It's older than I am. A little cleaning and a little oil. It runs like a champ. The top is finished. It's not perfect, but it is wearable (with a cami of course).

I move on to a little quilting on my longarm. My machine is in the basement which is great most of the time. This week though it has been a little damp in the basement. Time to get out the dehumidifier. It as been in the high 60's and 70's here all week. Not exactly our usual July weather. Why does all that matter? I've been having tension issues. I think my thread has absorbed some of that dampness. Similar to paper kept out of the package this time of year tends to jam the copier. So I spent last night and this morning ripping out stitches. I don't really mind taking them out if they come out easy, it's the thought of having to put them all back in an no guarantee the tension is fixed (heavy sigh). Maybe I'm the one that needs a vacation.

Happy July 4th!

2009-07-04T06:34:00.010-04:00

I can't believe it is July 4th already. Honey and I are getting ready to take a ride down to Fla. It's about 700 miles to his brother's house. We have the quilt shops already scoped out, a trip to Tallahassee to see my sister and maybe a little ride down to St. Augustine to see a few ghosts. The little boys are all excited about going to Camp Diane (Diane Next Door).

My bag did wonderful on it's test ride. I took it out to Warren, Pa which is about 90 minutes from home. I stopped at Quiltessentials in Pittsfield, one of my favorite quilt shops! I bought this wonderful purple butterfly fabric that I have no idea what I will do with.

Then on to Warren to the shop there. They were having a Shop Hop. I missed the tour bus, but they were still very busy. I found this great Galaxy batik to play with. I wished (as always) that I had a bigger fabric budget to play with. That would also mean I need a bigger time budget to work with all that extra fabric.

Getting back to the purpose of my trip. My new bag certainly gets quite a bit of attention. I need to devise a rain cover for it if I am going to take it to Fla. I don't think I can make one that fast enough. We may have to bring along an extra large baggie for it. I am taking quilts back to my sister-in-law so I'll have plenty of room for any extra purchases while we are gone.

I've been working on placemats again for my fall classes. I like the smaller projects for class. We can take home a completed top. The blue mat is for my paper piecing class. The brown/black is for my curves class. I've also been working on a few seasonal/holiday ones, but they are nowhere near finished yet.

Test Drive

2009-06-27T09:40:00.007-04:00

Ready for a test ride! My bag is finished!

I added grommets to the bottom of the bag and threaded the bungee cords through them. I never did find purple cords, but the green coordinate well. I added a strip of fabric to hold the hooks when not on the bike. I can also push the cords into the bottom of the bag so they won't catch on anything.

This bag is huge! I tested how much fabric I could put in it on a Shop Hop.

I might even be able to fit some clothes in it as well, in case I have to stay overnight somewhere.

Here's how it looks on my bike. Looking pretty good I think.

The final adjustments. I made a little do-hickey thingy to hold the straps together so they don't flap in the wind. I shortened the bungees a few inches so they are tight over the fender.

What do I have left to do?

Take it for a test ride and fill it with new fabric!

Progress

2009-06-23T22:17:00.009-04:00

My mother is a knitter. If you read her latest post, she talks about knitting rows and rows without the project seeming to get any longer. http://lorrieknitsandsews.blogspot.com/ That's the way I feel the quilting has been on my bag. Then...all of a sudden, it's finished. I quilted the fabric in a cross hatch, using a quilting arm on the smaller pieces. I marked the larger pieces. I have a tendency to wander on bigger pieces. Once you start to wander, each row follows the last. It looks like I've been drinking. So, I marked the lines 1.5" apart.

I lined the pockets with matching fabric and added velcro closures so I don't loose things as I ride down the road. That would be very sad! I also added a band of Timtex. Timtex is a very heavy weight interfacing that added considerable body to the top of my pockets, right where the velcro is.

One pocket went on tonight, the other will wait until tomorrow. There are also side pockets that will get similar treatment. This is the pocket. I wasn't even trying to match the fabric on here and I find it difficult to find the pocket top. Lucky me! I'm sure that won't happen again.

Here are the little boys trying to help me out.

Off and Sewing

2009-06-05T14:18:00.008-04:00

Although I have been distracted by class projects for this fall, I have also been assembling supplies to begin my motorcycle bag in earnest. Here are the changes I am planning in a little more detail.

First, The bag must have a way to attach to the motorcycle. I am going to use bungee cords attached to the base of the bag. I have metal grommets to put in the floor of the bag and will feed the cords through the holes and tie knots inside the bag. I also have a panel on the outside of the bag so that I can tuck the bungee cords with hooks inside the panel when it is not on the bike. I am contemplating putting zippers in to zip those pesky hooks inside. I've had bags before that got hooked on just about anything because the hooks did not have a safe home.

I have cut out the pieces roughly so that I can quilt first. I suppose it might have been easier to quilt the whole thing and then cut it out. Ah well. I have chosen a variegated purple thread for the quilting. It is a King Tut Cotton from Superior thread. The light purple dragonflies are the contrast fabric and the lining. I am using a fusible fleece as the batting and Decor bond interfacing to give the bag body. The quilting will be a simple grid about 1.5" apart. So, for a day or two I will be quilting, quilting, quilting!

My local quilt had their quilt show this weekend. I worked the admissions table on Saturday for a few hours. I also had 6 quilts in the show, mostly because of my absentmindedness. I turned in my list of 3 quilts at last months meeting. I was having a little trouble remembering the sizes of each quilt. I promptly forgot all about the list. After a gentle reminder in the newsletter, I called one of the kind ladies that was accepting quilts to take to set up. I had 2 of the quilts ready, I told her, but I couldn't remember the third quilt. When I dropped them off she told me who to call to find out what was on the list. So I called. Neither quilt I had dropped off was on the list. (Sigh!) I called another kind friend who was accepting quilts to take to set up. "I'll bring them right over." I said. Now, it also seemed a little silly to me to make them go through all the quilts in the show to find my quilts. So they ended up in the show anyway. Guess I had better pay more attention next time.

The Sewing Gazette

2009-06-01T08:38:00.006-04:00

It's official. I sent out the first issue of the Sewing Gazette. It is a newsletter in a PDF format that I hope to send out monthly. It is general sewing related information, not just quilt things. You can sign up for your copy at http://www.sewinggazette.com/. There is a great interview with Laurie MacDonald from Chili Pepper Quilts. She is doing some amazing things with paper piecing. Check her website while your browsing. www.chilipepperquilts.com If you have other people you would like me to talk to or little tidbits you think I should include, please send me an e-mail and I'll do my best.

What else am I working on? Placemats and table runners for my fall classes. I'll share these when I get them finished. I've been playing with paper piecing more and a few simple curves. I've been working through this idea that you can create any shape with a few simple lines and curves. This time of year I'm really thinking ice cream! You'll have to wait until next time for more on that.

My motorcycle bag. I've been collecting supplies. The fabric arrived for the exterior. It's amazingly beautiful. Love that Kona Bay fabric! I bought the fusible fleece and the decor-bond interfacing to give it body. I still need purple bungee cords to strap it on the back of the bike. Black will do, but I would love to find purple. I have D rings, zipper, grommets and fasteners. I still need a little bit of webbing.

I was originally thinking saddle bags, but my tailpipe is too high and I haven't been able to find a frame to keep the fabric away from it. I decided on a bag to attach to the passenger seat. I am using the Butterick 3934 Duffel to get started. It is the right shape and about the right size. I will have to shorten the straps, add cinch straps to the top and a panel on the bottom for the bungee cords. More pictures to follow soon.

Check it out!

2009-05-21T19:34:00.008-04:00

I stopped in the quilt store today. I know, no surprise there. The new issue of Quilter's Home is out. Guess who's Watermelon Buffet quilt is in this issue. The new issue is not online yet, but I'm sure it will be shortly. My quilt shop always seems to get their magazines before anyone else. I think they have a special connection.

I ordered the fabric for my bags for the bike. I can't wait until it arrives. I have a little planning to do in the meantime. I have a few measurements to take of the bike, and see how I am going to work around the tail pipe. Heat and fabric don't usually do well together. I wonder if I can get purple bungee cords. I'll need grommets, velcro, webbing for the straps, and at least 1 zipper. Time to search the internet for sources.

My Latest Challenge

2009-05-21T18:19:00.009-04:00

I'm giving myself a challenge project, stepping outside my comfort zone a little. First, a little background. I have been riding motorcycles for about 20 years (Yes, I started riding before I could walk, haha.) One of the things I learned over the years it that it is very helpful to have a place to put all your stuff. Riding motorcycles requires stuff. You have several different pairs of gloves in case the weather changes, hot weather gloves, cold weather gloves, waterproof gloves. I always carry a sweatshirt in case the temperature drops. Honey gave me a heated jacket liner for Christmas. I have to bring that. A rain suit is a good idea if you have the room. There always seems to be lots of stuff before you even begin to bring anything along or (heaven forbid) purchase something like fabric along the way.

My current bike is a 2005 Kawasaki Z750s. It is a great little bike. Fast when I want to be fast. It looks fast all the time, so I must be fast. Blue is a good color. Other drivers seems to see me coming. Always a good trait in a motorcycle. It is comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. Great for those 14 hour trips to Florida, or 10 hours to Tennessee. My bike has one major downfall. There are no bags. No place to put all that stuff. I have a bungee thing to tie things down on the back seat. That works for the larger items. It does not work so well for fabric. I have looked at every motorcycle bag that is out there. There are some that are very nice. They tend to be very black. Maybe black and red and black and yellow, but always black.

So, now to my challenge. I am going to make a duffle bag out of very pretty, girly fabric that I can attach to the back of my bike so I look like a girl (a fast girl) going down the highway. I want bungee thingys on the bottom to fasten around the back seat, but I want to be able to put them away so I can carry my pretty bag in to where ever I'm going. So. Follow along with me on this new adventure. I'm picking out the fabric now. I like the green ginkgo by Kona Bay, but I would have to paint my bike green or get a new one. I know, I know I have said lime green is a neutral. I think I'll try to stay in the blue/purple family this time. Maybe I'll use the Ginkgo to make a bag for Honey's green Goldwing. Like he needs more room to put things. Ha! I love the Lavish Florals by Kona Bay. I think maybe the Lavish Florals April in violet. The challenge is not so much the making of the duffle bag. I have done that before. The challenge will be the outfitting it for the motorcycle. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it's coming along as I work on it. I wonder if I should make a rain cover for it also. Hmmm..

Market Days

2009-05-18T14:39:00.011-04:00

For those of you that are not familiar, Quilt Market is a vendor show where the Quilt Shop Owners attend to learn new techniques and products to bring back and share with their customers. I had a booth to share my new designs with the shops. The spring show travels around the country. The fall show is always in Houston. This spring we were in Pittsburgh, Pa. For me, Pittsburgh is a two hour drive.

We arrived on Thursday to set up our booth. It took us several loops around the convention center to find a place to park. The garage was full. After much grumbling, we realized it had worked out better than being in the garage. We were parked right by the elevator. We unloaded the car and got everything up and looking great in a few short hours. We even met some of our booth neighbors.

Friday morning we arrived at the convention center early. I wasn't sure how long it would take to drive in. The show opened at 9:30, we arrived around 8:30. It gave us a chance to walk around and see some of the other booths and make notes about where I needed to get back to. There are classes offered all weekend and the shop owners will come down tot he convention floor in between. On Friday, they typically walk the floor and decide where to spend their time and who they need to get back to. They shop for all the wonderful things they bring back to you, Fabric, patterns, rulers, templates...everything.

I talked to so many shops in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. There were quite a few Canadians there as well. We talked about quilts and teaching classes and what cool new things we saw. It didn't take long for my head to start spinning. I made many new friends and have many new ideas. While 3 days of standing and talking and walking and standing and talking and walking can wear you out. The excitement and flow of ideas is amazing. I will bring you some of the cool new toys I found as I go through all of the things that followed me home.

Make sure you check out http://www.quiltinggallery.com/ also. Michele has a great site with loads of information to share. I was lucky enough to have a booth across from her.

I picked up this pattern while at Market. It's by Purse-O-Nalities of Palm Harbor. I used Kona Bay fabric and am thrilled with the results. The front of the bag is pleated and it's huge! I did change the handles slightly. The directions were easy to follow. I did make a cutting mistake right off the bat. It was my own fault for not reading the directions thoroughly. The pattern fort he back comes in 3 pieces because it won't fit on one piece of paper. Silly me, I put two of the three pieces together. It was easily fixed. I cut other pieces out of the bad cut. Now I'm looking for something to put in the bottom. I could use cardboard, but I'll look around a little first.

It's all so exciting!

2009-05-18T08:13:00.005-04:00

I know you are all curious about my weekend in Pittsburgh at Quilt Market. I'll get to that in a little bit. I have to pull together all the information from the weekend and right now it is all still spinning around my brain.

First I wanted to let you in on my great big secret. There is a new source of sewing information. Please check out http://www.sewinggazette.com/. This will be bi-monthly to start and switching to monthly as soon as a few things are worked out. The Sewing Gazette is a newsletter that you can read online or print out if you like. It will bring sewers like us great information about happenings in the industry, very cool new tools, little recipes you can serve to your friends when they come over to sew, and much much more. Please sign up for the mailing list. The first issue will be out shortly and boy is it full of some great things. There is information on Bamboo as a fiber and new marking tools.

Check it all out and let me know what you think!

Counting Down..

2009-05-12T10:40:00.009-04:00

Today is Tuesday. I'm leaving bright and early Thursday morning. The boxes are piling up in the dining room. The car gets packed tomorrow. I'm off to Quilt Market in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Fortunately, it's only a 2 hour drive. I have so many things I want to see this trip to Market. I promise to bring back all the new, very cool things that I find. Here are the new designs I am taking.

Lily Pads Table runner

Marmalade Throw

Palumbo's Puzzle Throw

Ravishing Rayven Throw (This was designed for my Great Niece, Rayven Rose)

Stop by and see me if you are going to Market.

Where have I been?

2009-05-04T07:53:00.007-04:00

I have been heads down getting ready for Quilt Market. For those that don't know, Quilt Market is a show for the shop owners to attend to see what is new in the world of quilts and bring those things back to their shops. I have about a week left and am so happy to have only bindings left to finish. YEAH! I'll have pictures of the quilts for you then. Quilt Market is in Pittsburgh this year, only a 2 hour drive for me. I'm going down on Thursday to set up and the show runs Friday-Sunday. I'm so excited. Most of the local shops are going, so I will see many, many people that I know this time. The thought of it all almost makes my head spin.

My Simplicity jacket is coming along, very slowly. I have quilted some of the pieces, but am still working on it. I had thought about quilting the fabric on my longarm, but thought I might be more likely to use the scraps if they were not quilted. Not that I ever do. I keep thinking I need to make several scrap quilts to use up those little pieces. Right now they go into an already overstuffed box. I wonder how many quilts I would have to make to put a dent in that pile. Would I then have room for more new fabric? Hmmm...

I took a little motorcycle marketing trip last weekend up Route 5. I stopped at several shops along the way. It was a beautiful day to be out, 75 and sunny. Route 5 runs along Lake Erie. It was a little cool in some spots right along the lake. I did spend some time on Route 20 on the way home and it was much warmer and Route 20 is less than half a mile from Route 5. Crazy! My plan (excuse) was to stop in the shops and give them my flyer for quilt market. I think the Motorcycle Marketing Trip should become a regular activity.

Three Weeks and Counting

2009-04-22T06:54:00.005-04:00

I leave for Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in 3 weeks. These next 3 weeks will be full of binding quilts and printing patterns. I thought you might be interested in this article on bias vs straight binding. http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/CBT/index.htm Most of the time I use a straight binding. I have been contemplating the switch to bias bindings because they wear better. When done correctly, they also lie beautifully. The downside is always figuring out how much fabric I will need. Shelley Rodgers from http://www.quiltedparadise.com/ has a great chart that makes calculating easy. Of course you can always purchase binging already cut. These are called lollipops. You can see why. This particular group is available from http://www.popsbindings.com/.

I have big plans for this weekend. I would really like to finish the Palumbo quilt top. I have 40 blocks finished, granted all the easy ones are done. There are 24 paper pieced blocks to go. In a perfect world, I will have those finished Friday night. I already planning a little break for Saturday. I want to take a ride up into NY along Route 5. Route 5 runs along Lake Erie. There are a couple new shops I found in Jamestown I would like to visit and always the shop in Dunkirk. I guess I had better put the big bag on the back of the bike, or I'll have trouble bringing things home. I heard it might be 75!

A Binding I am Going

2009-04-18T18:17:00.008-04:00

I am deep in Quilt Market preparation mode. I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized there are only four weeks left. YIKES! I am not really in a time crunch yet, but those dates kind of sneak up behind me and shout BOO. I have most of my new designs made and quilted, but quite a bit of binding to do still. It looks like several nights in from of the television, hand sewing the binding. Hmmm, that does not sound so bad.

I was out at the North East Crazy Quilter's Quilt Show today and helped serve (and taste test) pie. There were some amazing quilts on display. I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera. I did a little shopping though and picked up the Sewline Fabric Pencil. Now this looks really cool. It is a mechanical pencil with a ceramic lead that is used to mark fabric. The lead comes in a a variety of colors, white, yellow and green. You can also buy the eraser refills. I have used white and yellow pencils for ever, but they always need sharpening and you have to compensate for the thickness of the lead when you are using them with a ruler. I know there are pens available also, but they always seem to dry our before I think they should. I think I'll need at least one more of these so I can have a white and a yellow available at all times.

What else have I been trying out? I have a small sample of Quilter's Dream (http://www.quiltersdreambatting.com/ )new Orient batting. It is a blend of silk, bamboo, botanic tencel and cotton that has a beautiful hand. It is machine wash and dry so I am thinking it will do wonderful in a new jacket. My plan is Simplicity 2858, using the Wilmington Essentials print. I know the pattern is not a quilted jacket, but I am going to quilt the outer shell anyway. I will have to quilt the fabric and then cut out the pieces to make sure the fit is correct. There is always some shrinkage when a fabric is quilted. I am only going to quilt the outer fabric to the batting. I will construct the lining as directed so I do not have to finish the seams. I will let you know how it all turns out. I have to finish my samples for market first.

The Martha Washington Sewing Table

2009-04-11T06:41:00.002-04:00

For those interested in my red sewing cabinet, here is a link that gives some of the history of that style of cabinet. http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1994/6/1994_6_30.shtml

My New Sewing Room

2009-04-03T17:04:00.016-04:00

It's been a month since the big move and I think my new sewing room is finally coming together. I have an odd shaped room to work with, but I am very happy with the results. As some of you know, I had my sewing all over the house. My cutting table, fabric and ironing board were on the second floor and my sewing machine was on the first. I would do the sewing aerobics every day. Upstairs to cut, downstairs to sew, upstairs to press, back downstairs to sew. It was getting a little crazy. I think Honey was getting a little tired of the sewing paraphernalia spread everywhere.Now, we have consolidated most everything into 1 room. My fabric is still in the attic, but at least it is all on the same floor.

I do not have any "real" sewing furniture. The tables made specifically for sewing are beautiful, but the do not fit well in my room. My room is only 8 feet wide in the largest section. I have 2 six foot tables in a corner to cut and sew on with shelves under both. I love having the extra space to spread out on when working on a large project. It also gives the "little boys" a place to sleep or watch the going's on out the window. I also love having a basket to collect all my scraps just under the table. I really should make more scrap quilts. Add them to the project list I guess.

I have added a few shelves and still need one more. Maybe this weekend. The shelves and drawers are next to my sewing machine. I can open the drawers without getting up. I keep my thread and needles in there, close at hand. My room is about 16ft. long. At the other end I have my ironing board, my serger and an old Martha Washington sewing cabinet. Some day I'll strip the red paint off and refinish it.

I love having this dedicated space. Honey teases about the invisible line at the doorway. The one that allows everything to go in and nothing to come out. I need a few things fort he walls, but I think I'm going to paint it first. Best of all, I love looking out the window while I'm working.

It really is Spring!

2009-03-25T09:05:00.011-04:00

I think it finally is. We made it through St.Patrick's Day without the usual heavy snow. It's time to dust my motorcycle, change the oil, check the battery and decide where the first ride will be to. I'm thinking maybe a little quilt shop in Dunkirk, NY. Quilted Memories is one of my favorite shops, although I don't get there very often. They have a great fabric collection. I always wish I had brought more money when I visit.

Maybe I'll put together my own little shop hop. I don't think I've been to the Carriage Quilt Shop. There is also the Quilt Farm and the Calico Cat. Route 5 is such a beautiful ride also. It runs along Lake Erie all the way up to Buffalo.

I'm teaching at Millcreek Vac & Sew in May. May 2 is my Floral Delight class. I used the Benartex Flower Show II for my version, but it works well with any large floral print. On May 23rd I'll be teaching Ravishing Rayven. I have a new Great Niece, Rayven Rose. I designed this quilt for her. My Niece, Rayven's mother Kat, does not like pink though so we went with a Black/White/Red version.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-03-17T09:48:00.003-04:00

I think Spring is finally here. We may get one more big snow, but the birds are back and flowers are starting to come up. I've been feeling the urge to spring clean. It may be the more of office to create sewing room that started it. So many trash bags made it the curb. My next project is the basement. The warmer weather makes it a little easier to work down there. I have to go through all the boxes that have been move from Cleveland to Cincinnati to Erie. Everything I really need has already been replaced. I just need to let go of the past, throw out the bad and donate the good. I need the room to make a more pleasant longarm environment.

We are rearranging the house!

2009-02-28T06:57:00.009-05:00

Moving furniture is not one of my favorite activities. There are some people I know that move things around every few months to make the room more this or more that. I am not one of those people. I arrange furniture and it tends to stay that way for years. Honey didn't have to ask more than once for this change though.

Honey and I are about to change up at least 2 rooms in our house. He needs to have an office to handle all of his truck things. It has to be accessible to auditors, which means we don't really want it on the second floor. They would have to traipse through the entire house to get to it. We don't really want it in the basement either. The basement does not give off that professional feeling. We have decided to put it in the "little bedroom". There are no beds in the little bedroom. The "little bedroom" is a small room on the first floor that I currently use to work my day job from and I use it for my sewing machine. All of my other sewing paraphernalia is upstairs in the "office". Now the office does have 2 desks in it currently. Honey's desk is falling apart. It is going into the trash. The plan is to move my desk and the file cabinet downstairs to the "little bedroom" and move the rest of my sewing stuff upstairs to the "office" The "office" then becomes a sewing room, since it mostly is anyway. I get all my sewing things on one floor and don't have to do the sewing aerobics anymore. We also have to move a table from the basement to the new sewing room and a file cabinet from the basement to the new office. Gram's couch will come up to our bedroom. I think the whole house will be in an uproar all weekend. Good thing I decided not to paint first.

My new sewing room. I've never had a sewing room. It is currently a very cheerful yellow. I am watching the light this morning to see how it comes in the windows. I want to make sure it will not blind me as I sew in the morning or the evening. I also have to move my cutting table to a more lighted corner. It can be a little shady in the evening where it is now. My sewing machine is going on a regular table for now. I will now have room for a real sewing table once I find one I like. I'll need to look at more little cubby holes also, to put fabric in.

It's moving day at my house!

Progress?

2009-02-21T09:25:00.009-05:00

I've been working diligently on Palumbo's Puzzle. I have about 20 blocks to finish and then string them all together. Everything was going along just fine...until I had a little distraction this past week. Nothing bad. Just the curious nature of how my mind works. I was pinning and sewing the curves together, just like I have been. I happened to pick up 3 yellow pins, 1 green and 1 red. Well, I noticed the play of the green and yellow pin heads off the black and gray fabric of the quilt. The colors were muted and looked great against the dark background. I had to stop and record the colors to go back to later. Now they have been haunting me. I've been dreaming muted lemons and limes. This is how it always happens for me. I am happily doing my thing and BAM! Something clicks in my head and I have a new idea.

I think I need a better idea storage tool. I keep a journal (well, maybe 2 or 3). I keep pictures, usually on my computer or they stay in my phone. I keep fabric color combinations together under my cutting table. The problem I am having is that all these ideas go in and then they rarely come out again. It may be because there are always new ideas to work on. I think truly it is the disjointed nature of how I keep the ideas. I need the pictures to come together with the color combinations and the journal sketches somehow. I'm looking for ideas...

What else is new and exciting? Honey and I are discussing going to the Kentucky Truck Show next month. http://www.truckingshow.com/ I think it will be very cool! I'm hoping it will be similar to the motorcycle shows, only much larger vehicles and so a much larger canvas for custom paint. It is so amazing what these artists can do. I also am very curious about the sleeper quilts. I have only seen the $40 blanket variety from your local truck stop. SOMEBODY must be making custom quilts for these souped up semis!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-13T09:35:00.007-05:00

Ok, So Valentine's isn't until tomorrow. Honey and I celebrated last weekend in Chicago. It seems like Valentines week here. Not such a bad thing.

Honey was in Chicago on Tuesday. BooBoo and I left Erie on Thursday. I stayed with my best friend Thursday night. We do this every year. I get to her house about 10pm and we stay up until 2 or 3 talking. I headed off west when she went in to work on Friday. Honey was working the motorcycle show, finishing the setup at the Stephens Convention Center. I wish I could say we filled our weekend with very exciting plans. No so. It was just a nice weekend away. We did take a little trip south of Chicago to look at a trailer for his truck. Not the peak of excitement though.

BooBoo got to play with all his friends. He is madly in love with Riley, a white shepherd. He got to see Roy and Pat, and the Yamaha boys. Eggs for breakfast, a hamburger for lunch. (He won't eat dog food when we are on the road). He thought it was a great trip. Now, don't go thinking the other boys missed out. Charlie and Petey were at Camp Diane's. Spoiled rotten would be a good description. Bailey got to go to Aunt Bonnie's. Spoiled rotten again. Bailey's sister lives with Aunt Bonnie as well as 2 Springer Spaniels, Gunner and Gabby.

I took several photos of the custom paint jobs on the motorcycles. I love the color combinations they use. I've also been looking at some of the lines of the pieces parts, like this fender from one of the Victory Ness bikes. The flow of the exhaust pipe has a nice curve to it. The different shapes of the handle bars. I'm working on a design using the exhaust pipe curve. I'll work on the handle bars later. Who knew motorcycles could inspire quilts.

Snow again

2009-01-29T07:00:00.030-05:00

It snowed again yesterday, another 8-12 inches. We've had over 120 inches already this year. Not as much as some areas, but almost a record for here. My mother reminded me it doesn't snow when it is very cold here. I guess I should be happy it has warmed up enough to snow. I had to shovel some of the backyard to give the little boys room to go out.

I've signed up for Facebook. I'm moving into the digital age I guess. I was not a fan of My Space. Too many kids I think. It seemed too much like an obsession. Not that Facebook isn't full of kids or a bit like an obsession. There seem to be more people my age there and I have been surprised by some of the people that are there. The Today Show has a page for example, well Hoda and Kathy Lee anyway. We'll see how it goes. If you are on Facebook, let me know what you think of it.

I finished my stealth project. You'll still have to wait to see it. I gave it to my quilter, Alison Schmidt. This quilt needed a higher level of quilting than I am capable of. Alison does a great job and I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

I've just started working on a commission quilt. A couple of the drivers that have been on the motorcycle tour have asked for quilts for their semi bunks. The quilts are 55" x 85", long and narrow. The first quilt is black/purple and grey to match his truck. I've added a little of the lime green to brighten it up a bit. The next one is green with darker green flames. I think I'll have to applique the flames. I'm still working on drawing that one up. The third quilt we have been discusing has a mission style design. I'm waiting for the applique artwork to match their bedroom. The mission quilt will be king size. I'll be busy with these for a little while.

I'm headed to Cleveland this weekend for the IMS Motorcycle Show (http://www.motorcycleshows.com/). It's the same show I was at in Houston. Honey left on Tuesday to start the setup. I'll stay until Sunday. The show closes at 4:00 for the Superbowl. Honey will be tearing down the booths during the game. I think they play it over the loadspeakers. Next weekend we'll be in Chicago. Maybe I'll find another inspiration bike like the one in Houston. I'll certainly get some good flame ideas.

That Creative Place

2009-01-13T20:29:00.008-05:00

Do you remember how important your high school yearbook was? At the end of the year, it was critical to make sure all not my friends signed the pages. Heaven forbid they didn't get that chance to mark up all the white space. I might forget them forever over the summer. I have not gone back to those pages very often over the years. I still think about all those signatures though. There was one that still stands out today. A good friend of mine wrote, "I am at a creative low." and signed his name. I guess it stands out because I understand that feeling. How many times have you been called upon to be witty, clever, or profound. It is a hard thing to do on the spot. I am much better at developing ideas over time. I think most of us are that way.

I think I have told you I keep several journals around to jot things down. My ghosts, or ideas as they run rampant through my head. Just last night at our quilt guild meeting, a friend of mine was talking about all the crazy ideas that run through her head and how quilting gives her a chance to channel them into something productive. I understood completely.

How do we develop these fleeting glimpses into something usable and productive? How do we make sense of all the craziness? I have found that I have more ideas flowing when I am doing the most mundane activities. Driving any distance will bring out an amazing array. Exercising is also a good way or riding my motorcycle. Most recently, I have been paper piecing points. It must be the repetitiveness of the task at hand.

I am working on what my mother would call a "Stealth Project". I can't give you much detail right now other than it involves quite a bit of paper piecing and an incredible numnber of points. Each block is taking much longer than I had anticipated, but there is no sense in hurrying. I'll just make more mistakes and have to take it all out again. The bonus has been the myriad of ideas I have been thinking through as each pointy section goes together. I don't think I can turn them all into quilts, but I certainly have been able to contemplate the viability of each as a quilt design.

Going back to my good friend having a creative low, it is hard to have exactly the right thing to say at the right moment. I keep filling those journal pages to help me when the need arises. If I'm really stuck, maybe I could go get on the treadmill or take the motorcycle out for a spin (Not in January though). The best idea is to go back through the pages and look for an idea that just needs a little refinement.

Sometimes It's the Little Things

2009-01-05T20:51:00.011-05:00

I have been working hard on a new paper-pieced quilt recently. To me, paper-piecing is very similar to color by number. As you attach the colors in the correct sequence, a picture appears. There are 64 squares in this quilt, with 3 different block variations. I would usually complete a block at a time and sew the rows together as the blocks are finished. This time around I am constructing all of the sections and will piece the blocks once the paper-piecing is finished. I don't get the same sense of accomplishment as seeing the rows go together, but I like finishing all of one particular section. It's a very similar feeling to chain piecing.

I have added a new tool recently, the wooden iron. I was very sceptical that it would improve my piecing. Silly me. First though, you have to understand my sewing set up and then you will understand why this $5 tool is has had such a big impact. Honey and I live in a just the right size house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 floors and a basement. The "office" is on the second floor. It is a strange room that is 7' wide and 16' long, but looks like 2 squares that have been offset. We have our desks and computers set up here. My sewing machine was originally in this room and so my cutting table is set up here, as well as my stash (everything that is not in the storage area off our bedroom that is). My serger, my iron and ironing board are also in the office. When I upgraded my sewing machine, it moved to the first floor into "the little bedroom" which has no bed. This room could hold a larger worktable. I recently purchased a long arm quilting machine. That went into the basement of course. The end result is I have sewing machines etc on every floor of the house. I'm sure you can picture how this works. I design and cut out my quilts on the second floor, bring the fabric down to my sewing machine on the first floor, run back upstairs to press, run back downstairs to sew, run back upstairs to press and cut a few more pieces...

I bought this little $5 wooden iron. It works much better than finger pressing and I don't have to worry about a hot mini iron falling on the floor or being knocked over by the puppies. I can finish a paper-pieced section to run upstairs to press. So... I am sewing all of the paper-pieced sections before I construct them into blocks.

My plan is to turn the basement into my studio and move everything down to one level. In the meantime, sewing can be an aerobic sport.

They say inspiration can be found anywhere

2009-01-04T18:27:00.013-05:00

I know I should take my camera more often. Maybe I just need a smaller one that will fit in my pocket. I tell myself I would have more blog posts if I took more pictures. Maybe I just need a smaller camera. I'm sure I need another gadget around. Truth is, I really like my camera. It takes great pictures, but it is an SLR and therefore does not fit in my pocket.

This year I would like to expand my inspiration journal. I keep several notebooks around and colored pencils to jot things down as ideas come to me. These fleeting ideas are my ghosts and if I don't get them down on paper, they may disappear entirely, or they may haunt me for days on end. I don't always have those books with me though to record all of my ghosts, hence the camera discussion. I have a camera phone that takes pretty good pictures, but right now I cannot get them from my phone to my computer to show you. Seems I have to add texting to do that.

I went to Houston to visit Honey as he worked the International Motorcycle Show. The show is always great. I get to sit on all the new models and check out all the new gear. There has been a trend for custom paint and accessories in the past few years. I was drawn to one bike in particular this year. I just loved the color combination. It wasn't very long before I started to see a quilt reflecting back from the gas tank of that bike. My ghosts had followed me to Houston! Of course, I did not have my camera or one of my notebooks. What's a girl to do? I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a few shots.

So now I have these great motivational pictures and no way to share them. One of my sister's insists I am a die hard quilter if I am able to see quilts in the gas tanks of motorcycles. This is the same sister who had a dream I bought a hot pink chopper with a front end so extended it needed separate controls to turn. I think I need to borrow her dream fairies!

I hope you see quilts in all of the everyday things around you.

Is it Spring yet?

2009-01-02T19:59:00.008-05:00

I think January is one of the hardest months her in Erie, Pa. We have more grey days than sunny days and it seems as though every day in January is grey. Honey laughs at me because I always talk about moving to a warmer climate this time of year, not that I think it will ever happen. I did find this great fabric by Blank quilting. It reminds me of the Arizona desert. Much as I love Arizona, it's too far away from my family to be a realistic place to move. I can have a little piece of the desert though. I think this will be a wall hanging for the hallway.

I've also been seeing green. No not green with envy (well maybe a little). Most of Honey's family lives in Florida as well as my youngest sister. There are certain shades of green that transport me to sunny FLA in January and February. The green of the palm trees and that funny stiff grass they have. Honey and I typically head south in March for a short visit. Daytona Bike Week is the motorcycling official start of spring. Honey is usually working the show and I come along for a break in the weather and to visit with friends and family. I have known some motorcyclists to ride down from Ohio only to find snow on the ground when they try to ride home. Much as I might like to get my bike out early this year, I don't think I'm quite up to riding in the snow, even with my new Gerbings electric jacket liner. It plugs into the side of the bike and will keep me toasty warm on those cool night rides home. No, that's not a picture of honey and I but my new jacket liner looks just like hers does. It even has plugs for glove liners on the sleeves. I've had die hard riders tell me the heated clothing is cheating, but I'm all for extending my riding season and I am a freeze baby at heart.

As a quilter, I feel very lucky to be able to look through my fabrics or go to the quilt store and be transported to a different place or a different time of year. I love the large floral prints this time of year. I can create my own garden. The best part of a quilted garden is that all of the flowers look perfect and they don't require any watering. It may be a rose garden, or it may be Iris', but it will certainly be spring in my sewing room.

I think it's time to turn up the thermostat and start working on that garden, or the desert quilt.

Stay warm and let the fabrics take the grey out of your sewing room.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T09:55:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year to all. I've been thinking about 2008 recently. I'm sure most people review this time of year. The television stations all do anyway. 2008 certainly was a full year. My first published quilt, my first quilt market, a new Gammill long arm. At times it was very crazy. Looking back makes me wonder what changes the new year will bring.

I'm am very excited to start teaching in a few weeks. Nothing like starting off the new year with changes right from the get go. I'm teaching my Red Lotus Wedding quilt at Millcreek Vacuum and Sewing here in Erie on the 24th of January.

I've been working hard on the long arm as well. I have a couple quilts my mother gave me to quilt. She bought them at garage sales many years ago and never had time to finish putting them together. and then there is the pile of tops that I have been "saving" for a couple years. Don't we all have those piles, the unfinished or UFO, the "just needs a border", the finished top and the "just needs a binding" piles? Hopefully I'll be able to get through some of those this year.

What else is new? I'm working out a few new designs. I've made a few (4) of the Mini Bow Tucks bags from Quilts Illustrated. Here is the one I made for my mother for Christmas. She is a knitter and likes to make socks. I thought it was just the right size for socks and yarn. I also made one for my sister and put the Warm Company Insul-brite in as part of the batting. My thought was she could use it as a lunch bag. It's also just the right size to out a water bottle or thermos in. I have yet to make one for myself, but I'm think about making the regular size Bow Tucks. I have the fabric and everything in the biggest pile of all, Projects yet to be started.

So many ideas, never enough time. This is Jan 1. Maybe this year I can finish them. (Ha Ha Ha).

Have a great year!

Is it Christmas already?

2008-11-29T10:51:00.022-05:00

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is almost here. The calendar keeps surprising me. I was in Houston again last weekend to visit with Phyllis. Honey was in Houston for the motorcycle show so it seemed like a good time for a few days off. We had a lake effect blizzard in Erie as I was leaving. They got about 8" while I was gone. I think I left just in time. It was raining when I came home. Most of the snow had turned to slush.

The show in Houston seemed small this year. BMW was not there. Yamaha brought the big trucks in for their display, but did not put up their usual booth. Honey is working with Victory this year. To give you a little back ground, once upon a time I had a t-shirt business. I had a booth at these shows to sell the shirts. I have quite a few friends that still work the "Winter Tour". I'll have to wait until they come to Cleveland to see them though. They were not in Houston. I did get a chance to check out all the new bikes though. Yamaha has a 950 cruiser that looks interesting. I like the Victory Vegas in the red. Kawasaki has a new concourse also that looks pretty cool. There are times I wish my bike had saddle bags to carry things around. I have a bag I can strap to the rear seat that works pretty well. Here are our bikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway 2 years ago. We're thinking about taking a trip down towards Chattanooga and back through Nashville this summer. Let me know if there are any must see quilting places along the way!

I've been working on Christmas recently so I can't show you too much yet. I did get a few purse frames while at Market. I've been trying to design something to go along with them. Not anything too fancy, although some of the frames are pretty dressy. I'd like them to be used. If I make them too fancy they will sit is a drawer.

I also made a table runner for my cousin. A thank you for helping me out at Market. It's the first time I have worked with silk, certainly not the last though. I was thrilled with how it turned out. I embroidered snowflakes on white silk dipioni. I then made 4 patch blocks to make the center of the runner with pale blue and silver grey and placed the snowflake blocks around the outside. I had thought about beading it, but was afraid she wouldn't be able to put anything on top of it then. I used a lightweight knit interfacing on the back of the silk and stabilized it with an iron on stabilizer fort he embroidery. My designs were not very high stitch counts or very dense. I was concerned about it puckering with a more dense design. The pictures did not come out very well. Sorry. The silk just reflected back and you can't see the embroidery. I've had the same trouble photographing white. Maybe someday I'll get the hang of that.

Dilly Dallying in Houston

2008-10-27T06:41:00.022-04:00

Hey all!

I was Houston for Quilt Market last weekend. What an amazing place to be! I left Erie, Pa Wednesday, just as the temperature was dropping. It was in the 40's when I left. The drive to Houston took 2 days. It's about 1500 miles. It's a fairly easy trip, as long as you don't mind driving. I stayed on the highways all the way. There are plenty of gas stops and rest areas along the way.

We went in Friday to set up the booth. I love that anticipation right before the show. The booths were so amazing! Attendance was down this year, but we still had a good show. Here are new designs I was showing. Pleated Paradise has pleated sashing. I've got some great new ideas for Pittsburgh in the spring.

Now that I am home again, I can spend some time with my new longarm, well, new to me anyway. It came about a week before I left. I have it set up in the basement and did not have time to even thread it. I spent last night trying to figure it out. I put some muslin on it to play with and got it threaded. I had the hardest time with the needle, mostly because I was trying to put it in backwards. I think I've got it now. I wanted to get it going because I know my sisters will want to give it a go on Sunday.

I'm having the Great Cookie Bakeoff on Sunday. Every year we get together to make Christmas cookies. This year we decided to make them Halloween cookies instead. The whole family is coming over. I think I'll have about 16-20 people here. We're having Butternut Squash Soup, Pumpkin Bread, Macaroni and Cheese, Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, Mummy Meatloaf and Shrunken Apple Heads. Did you catch the theme? We're making Halloween cutout cookies and spooky spiders that look like chocolate haystacks with eyes.

I may need another vacation after all this...

Happy Halloween everyone!

Just in case you were wondering...

2008-09-30T18:18:00.014-04:00

In case you've been wondering what I've been up to... I am deep into market preparation mode. I am going to have a booth at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston this year. I am so excited and a little nervous. I knew it was going to be quite a bit of work, and of course it has been. I have 4 new quilt designs. Sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer for those. In addition to finishing up my quilts, I have been researching everything else that needs to happen to go. I think Honey is going to out together some poles to hang the quilt in my booth for me. All of the draping needs to be fire retardant, so I have had to figure out how that all works. Of course I need to make a sign with my name on it, oh and the pole covers. Sleeves to fit over the poles to make them pretty. You just can't go to a show without those! When I first considered going to the show, I thought, "Well, I've done motorcycle shows before. This can't be that different right? It's still a show." Well, silly me. This show is very similar and at the same time, very different. This show is much more about how pretty everything is and the booths at Market show all the time and attention pretty gets. I'm just trying to make sure my booth doesn't stand out like a sore thumb or like I put up a big sign that said "THIS IS MY FIRST SHOW!" Yes, in caps with the exclamation point. In the end, it will be just fine. I'm very happy with my quilts and my prospective booth layout. Here are the boys, by the way, helping me get ready. They have worked so hard! Bailey Boy has been out helping PaPa. They have worked their little paws to the bone!

The Quilting around Chautauqua show was last weekend as well. I had 4 quilts in the guild room and 1 in a vendor booth. Those will also be going to Houston as soon as I go pick them up. I ran out of the house without my camera, of course. I don't have any great pictures of the quilts. I did have a friend take a picture of me in front of Jan's quilt. It was set up with a copy of Quilter's Home in front of it.

Here's a little teaser as well. This project has so many of those things I like, lime green fabric, bright colors, curves, paper piecing. I'm going to try to use freezer paper for my templates this time. You can buy the freezer paper in sheets to go through the printer. I think that sounds a whole lot better than tracing each plastic template 36 times. They come in 50 sheet packages in both letter size and 12 x 15. I'll have to use the letter size. The larger pages won't go through my printer. C. Jenkins make it. http://www.cjenkinscompany.com/C_Jenkins_Freezer_Paper_s/2.htm

I've been doing some research on batting as well, but that will have to wait until next time. I have to give the bamboo batting a try first.

Have fun stitching!

A Little Sewing Fun

2008-09-07T18:46:00.010-04:00

I have borrowed a new book from my guild's library "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolff. It is so much fun. The book covers many different ways to fold, gather and stitch fabric to achieve 3 dimensionsal results. I have so many new ideas my head is spinning. I think I'm going to have to buy this book for my reference library. Jus tlooking through all the photos has given me ideas. There are also detailed instructions on how to pleat, tuck, gather and fold. The book is divided into sections, organized by technique. Definately worth checking into. Love it!

I also have been working on a little jacket and top for work. This is McCall's 5007 jacket and the top is New Look 6669. Both went together very easily. The top took me about 5 hours to cut and sew. I did lengthen the jacket about 2 inches. I like to weat my tops out right now and I wanted to make sure the jacket come down past the hem of the top. It may or may not be fashionable, but it is a little more professional looking. I think they'll look great with a pair of black pants. In fact, I think I'll wear them tomorrow.

As for my quilts, I have been busy , busy getting reasy for the quilt show in Chatauqua at the endo f the month. I have 2 more that need quilting. I have also been planning what I should take to Houston in October. Sorry, you'll have to wait and see on those. They are only on paper right now, now yet in fabric. I can give you a few little hints though. I love the Benartex Fossil Ferns. http://www.benartex.com/ You can be sure I'll be using some of that fabric. I also have taken some ideas from the book that I think I might use in a table runner. There is still that wedding quilt as well. I'll have more hints and sneak peaks later. Maybe I'll get back to that mirror idea...

Did you know there have been studues which prove sewing reduces blood pressure? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3831/is_200011/ai_n8921765

Happy sewing all.

The Baby Quilt

2008-08-16T07:57:00.007-04:00

It's finished. I love it. Seems funny to be saying that. Now, let me explain. I have been asked to make a baby quilt for someone. As I'm sure you know, there were some requests and requirements. I could design the quilt, but it had to be in yellow and white. No other colors. I was very concerned. It's not that I have a problem with a monochromatic design. They can be amazingly beautiful. I was concerned about the amount of contract you can get with yellow and white. I designed the quilt. I thought it would be OK. I bought the fabric, I thought it might be boring. I added Minkee to the top to give it some texture and interest. I think it came out great. The Minkee is so very soft. The backing is traditional cotton. I might even do this again! (I am glad it was just a baby quilt though)

I felt the need to move into a little color. I have a throw planned for Diane Next Door using the Loralie panel we purchased, but first a small tote bag. I have been eyeing this fabric at my local quilt store, trying to decide what to make of it. I decided a tote would be great (with a little extra fabric to go into something later). I knew I wanted to use my favorite green. It wasn't in the baby quilt or the red lotus flower quilt. I had been feeling some of those withdrawal symptoms, sweaty palms, the whole thing. The pattern is from Lazy Girl Designs. The bottom of the bag was solid black, until I started quilting that is. The lining is that wonderful green. It's almost too bright, but I shouldn't loose anything in there. I had some decisions with the handles. I was going to use a pair of wooden handles I had lying around, but they were too small. I also had a pair of vinyl longer handles, the ended up being too narrow. In the end I decided to make the fabric handles. I love it! Now I can move on to those crazy ladies from Loralie and then maybe that Halloween quilt...

Check out the Benartex website when you get a minute. www.benartex.com My Floral Delight quilt is on the front page!

Here's what the little boys have been up to.

Busy..Busy..Busy

2008-08-04T14:29:00.007-04:00

I went to the Grand Reopening of Millcreek Vacuum and Sewing over on Saturday. Loralie from Loralie Designs was there to speak. http://www.loraliedesigns.com/ She is so incredible creative! I bought some of the Sew Fancy and Sew Girls lines to make a wall hanging for my sewing room..someday anyway. My neighbor, Diane Next Door bought the Masquerade Ball panel and has named every lady on it.

I didn't have much time to stay and chat though. Honey and I are trying to work out a booth at the Houston Quilt Market in October. I have quilts to make, quilts to quilt as well as the whole booth to design. I'm looking at these poles to hang the quilts. http://www.ironpals.com/ I am curious how well they work. Market is in 2 1/2 months, not very far away and then it will be Christmas!

By the way, the September/October issue of Quilter's Home is hitting the stores. I have not received mine in the mail yet, but I was able to buy a copy at my local quilt store and at Barnes and Noble. (just in case you wanted to see my quilt in it).

Back to work!

The Lazy Days of Summer

2008-07-29T12:33:00.006-04:00

Oh how I am wishing for a lazy summer day. This summer has been jam packed. I can't believe July is almost over already. I typically have a bed size quilt at least started by now for a Christmas gift. Hmmm, not this year. I haven't had any time to think that far ahead. Now don't think I'm complaining, really, I am not. This summer has been full of really exciting happenings, well exciting for me anyway. In May I went to Portland, OR. In June I went to San Francisco. In July I've been catching up.

I have been working on a log cabin quilt with a lotus block. I've finished the top of version one. Here are the teasers.

Love, Love, Love the second combination. I'm combining this block with cream and gold log cabin blocks. Sew much fun!

You'll have to check out the next issue if Quilter's Home http://www.quiltershomemag.com/ as well. It should be available August 5th. I'm camping out by the mailbox for my copy. My quilt "Just for Jan" is in the Sept/Oct issue! I made this quilt for my sister for Christmas last year. Our birthday's are back to back, the 3rd and 4th. I often wonder if that is why we like so many of the same things. She is my color companion. We like the same blend of colors and the same types of design. This issue is coming out just in time for our birthdays. How appropriate! When I told Jan, she said she wanted an autographed copy! What a great sister. My sisters (I have 4) are the main reason I have started publishing my patterns. They ganged up on me and demanded I start writing out the instructions. I promised them and now one of my quilt has been published. Smart girls, those sisters of mine

I've also been working on a baby quilt for a friend of my sister in law. I love pinwheels for baby's. I'm also using Minkee for part of the blocks. This is a one block quilt. The pinwheels are in the center of the blocks.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer as well. I'd better get busy again.

My Perfect Day

2008-07-08T12:11:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking recently, it's time to have one of those perfect days. I know exactly how I would spend that day, so I've been planning. Not that it takes long to plan. I want to spend my day riding to several quilt shops. I rode to my brother's house last weekend for the holiday. I brought my sister her quilt. It was a beautiful day for a ride and that just got me thinking again.

I've read about quite a few people that use quilting as a way to relax and and get away from the craziness of everyday life. Mark Lipinski shared his view in the last issue of Quilter's Home. http://www.quiltershomemag.com/issuex/0708/. I have to admit that I also use quilting as a way to relax. How can you be stressed out when you are sorting through beautiful fabric. I fold and refold, put it away, take it out again, put it away again, just to sort through my stash and see what I have. I love to put pieces next each other and see how they play together. I get into that zone, stitching the pieces together, where I can sort through the things in my life. I feel blessed to have this wonderful craft.

I have to admit though, I get the same feelings riding my motorcycle. When you ride a motorcycle, you have to constantly watch what is going on around you. The same kind of focus you should have when running a sewing machine. Pay attention, you wouldn't want to sew through your finger. (I've come close and know a few who have.) My favorite trips on my bike involve a remote country road, a few curves in the road and trees overhead. As I ride down these roads, my mind starts drifting towards the colors around me and the shapes of the scenery. A new quilt design comes to mind. It is very similar to sorting through those piles of fabric.

So, my perfect day involves riding my motorcycle down some of those country roads to the quilt shop to pick out new fabric. I'll take in the colors and shapes and then translate them directly to fabric. and then start all over again on my way to the next shop. I wonder what the weather will be like on Saturday.

Why do I quilt?

2008-06-22T22:31:00.009-04:00

I have to backup a little before I answer that question. I spent last weekend in San Francisco for my sister's wedding. I have been very busy leading up to this trip with Quilt Market and making my dress for the wedding. I didn't have much time to plan my travel project. Now I have a hand applique project that I have been working on for the last 3 years. The pattern is Mexican Rose from Applique Quilts from 2005. It was designed by Donna McCall. I only work on it in airports and on planes it seems. It has become my flying project. I have finished one block and am well into the second. I found it goes much faster if I turn the edges at home and can focus on sewing. That is where the problem stemmed from for this trip. I needed to cut out more pieces and turn the edges. I use the starch and press method to prepare my pieces. I starch (or use sizing) the edges and press them down to the wrong side. Of course, this all requires a few minutes to prepare and I just didn't seem able to put it together in time.

So did I leave without something to keep me busy? Of course not. I have been intrigued by the dimensional flowers and have been considering putting them together with those mirrors I keep talking about. I saw mirrors used in a ceremonial coat in Seattle last winter and keep thinking about how to incorporate them in a quilt, to the point of feeling haunted by them. I quickly cut the required squares to fold into roses, following the directions of Rebecca Wat and her book Fantastic Fabric Folding. I made one rose before I left, and came home with only that one rose.

Which brings me to this question about why I quilt. Seems like a stretch, I know. I quilt because I love fabric and I love how the colors play together. I learned to sew making garments. I still make some clothes, my dress for the wedding, my own wedding dress, a shirt here and there. I still enjoy making clothes, but I have to make something I might actually wear. Quite frankly, my clothing color choices are far more boring than my quilt color choices. I wear alot of black and navy with a few colors thrown in. I just can't seem to wear that fuchsia pink and lime green combination that I can put together in a quilt.

I cut out those squares for the roses, contemplating what colors to take along and what I would eventually do with them. For me it's about the feel of the fabric and putting the colors together. I love planning a quilt and playing with different color combinations. I love making the quilt and seeing the blocks and the quilt come together. I especially love finished the quilt and then laying it out on the bed and running my hands over the beautiful results. I didn't need to sew and fold any of those squares this past weekend. I just needed them with me to take out and look at once in a while, admiring the shades of red and the feel of the fabric. Someday I'll fold all those flowers and someday I'll have 12 blocks of the Mexican Rose. I've heard Mark Lipinski say we are often buying the dream of a quilt when we buy fabric. That is what I have, a dream (Oh, and alot of fabric to play with).

So why do you quilt?

The Almost Time

2008-06-10T16:02:00.009-04:00

I'm almost ready. This is what I call the almost time. I am leaving on Thursday for San Francisco. My youngest sister is getting married on Saturday. I'm traveling with Jen and family. If you go by ages, she is sister 3. I have 4 all together. Jen and family and I make up 6 people, a whole row on the airplane. No we are not flying United! Here she is with the kids. Honey cannot come for this trip. He has had to go back to work.

I have my suitcase out, although not yet packed. My "probably" clothes are on the bed, waiting to see if they will make the final cut. My dress and shoes for the wedding festivities are ready to go. Everything is almost ready. Tomorrow I have to make the final decisions. Should I take the brown capri's or the black ones? or both? Do I take 3 pairs of shoes or 4? This weekend is going to be one of those trips where I will need at least 2 outfits for everyday, 1 dressy, 1 more casual. That means 6 changes of clothes, plus a few extra tops and an extra pair of pants in case I change my mind. (I'm sure you have NEVER experienced that.) You'll notice there are not nearkly enough clothes on the bed yet, Of course I always carry an extra pair of socks and an extra pair of underwear. Fortunately I have never needed them (I did come close on my Portland trip though). I think I'll put them in my carry on this time. Then for sure I won't need them.

I am pulling my travel project together. I'm trying to exorcise those mirror ghosts again. I'm trying out some dimensional flowers with a few mirrors thrown in. I was thinking about a carousel horse, but I don't have time to plan that out right. Instead I will go for a practice run on the flowers and maybe put them in a vase. I guess I'll have to get that worked out tonight. I have my books packed. I went to the library this afternoon and picked out a couple books. Edith Head's Hollywood and Couture An Illustrated History of the Great Paris Designers and Their Creations. Edith Head's Hollywood is the story of Edith Head's career in costume design. She dressed all the greats from Mae West in She Done Him Wrong to Robert Redford and Paul Newman in The Sting. How could I not be intrigued? This will certainly be first on my list. As for the second book, Couture, haven't you always wondered where today's fashions come from?

It's almost time and I am almost ready. I'd better get a little something for the kids on the plane. It's going to be a long ride for them.

PS. Too bad BooBoo can't go this time. He's ready.

In case you've been wondering...

2008-06-02T22:06:00.009-04:00

If I seem like I've been a little distracted recently, I suppose I have.

Quilt Market was great! My patterns will be available wholesale from Pattern Peddlers. I shipped out the last package today.

My dress for my sister's wedding is almost finished. I tried it on today and am very happy with how it is turning out. It need a hem and the jacket need a little hemming. Here is it on Dressy Bessy. The wedding will be in San Francisco. You never really know what the temperature will be like. We are taking a short cruise under the Bay Bridge. A breeze of the water can be pretty chilly also. I just thought I would play it safe.

I still need to quilt my Parade of Flowers Quilt. That's next on my list. I'm hoping to get that finished before I leave for the wedding. I have about a week and a half left. It will be on display at Millcreek Vac as well as my Floral Delight quilt when I get it back from Benartex.

In the meantime, I have also finished the Chocolate Creams pattern and the Poinsettia Holiday. They are now available on my website.

I've been saving the best for last. We adopted a new puppy. His name is Bailey. He's an 8 month old Shih Tzu. He was neglected by his previous owner, but is settling in nicely with my little boys. He's also learning his manners. and has had quite a haircut. The groomer took off a pound and a half of hair. My goodness!

I'm really looking forward to my sister's wedding. The fun of the festivities and family will be great. My aunts will be there in addition to most of the immediate family. I'm am also looking forward to the break, short though it will be. When I return, I've got a couple great ideas for new quilts!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig

2008-05-23T13:31:00.008-04:00

Well, I'm back home again safely. I had a great visit with my aunt and uncle and a great time at Quilt Market. As for traveling on United Airlines...let's just say I had not planned to see San Francisco at 2:00am on my way to Portland.

My aunt and I went to Quilt Market on Saturday, almost straight from the airport. (I had been scheduled to arrive Friday night. Instead I arrived Saturday morning with no luggage) On this first day I really just wanted to take it all in. We walked the whole show to see who was there. I stopped to talk to some of the batting companies as I have recently purchased a Gammil longarm machine. (It hasn't arrived yet, so I am planning ahead.) I was putting together a plan for Sunday, when my bags should have caught up with me. We talked with quite a few people on Saturday. I certainly came home with a bag full of literature. I haven't been through all of it yet so I still am not sure what is there.Saturday night we had dinner with my cousin A. We have been trying to figure out how long it has been since we have seen each other. I think since 1984. Way too long, that's for sure.

Sunday was the day to get things done. My aunt had a piano recital so she could not come along. I followed my trusty GPS downtown alone. Geography is not my strong suit so I was very happy to have it along. I had a great day talking with Benartex, Blank Quilting and Fabri-Quilt. I used the Flower Show II collection from Benartex (http://www.benartex.com/) for my Floral Delight quilt and I used Fabri-quilt's Suede for a watermelon design that should be in Quilter's Home (http://www.quiltershomemag.com/) next summer. I also had a chance to talk with the Pattern Peddlers ( http://www.patternpeddlers.com/) and two of the print houses. I bought the Quilters Hangup sleeve to try out and Mary Ellen's Best Press starch alternative, as well as a few other things. I met Nancy from Nana's Pretties. She was so nice and so helpful. (http://www.nanaspretties.com/) She also has the cutest patterns.

I was worried about the trip to Quilt Market being worthwhile at this point in my quilting career. It was so far beyond my expectation. Not anymore, now I am now planning my trip to Houston in the fall.

Quilts or clothes?

2008-05-06T19:39:00.015-04:00

How did you start sewing? Did you start with quilts? or with clothes? I started with clothes. Doll clothes to be more specific. By the time I was in high school, I was making most of my clothes. I went to two proms. My mother made my dress for my first prom and I made the dress for the second. Somewhere in that time frame, I decided I was not good enough to want to wear what I had made. I know now I had missed the mark on what the problem was. I did not have a skill problem, I had a patience problem. Good enough while I was making the garment was not good enough to wear. Funny how I can see that clearly now. So I am back to making clothes . Now I have a time issue more that a lack of patience. Here is my latest creation. I just received my first Burda WOF magazine. This is such a cute little top. It would be cute without the elastic at the waist as well. You may see that later. Honey asked me the other day if I ever use that dress form.

I've been working hard to get my quilts finished before I go to market. Floral Delight is finished at at Benartex. Chocolate Creams needs to be quilted. Here is a sneak peak of my current projects. The red flower is a poinsettia quilt. I have been trying to find time to make myself a holiday throw and never seem to get it togther around the holidays. I figured if I didn't get it done now, it would be another year. I am going to redo my sample in fall colors, more like sunflowers. I just found this poppy fabric last week. I have big plans for it as well. It's already committed to go to Millcreek Vac and Sew when I get it done, as a sample for my pattern.

I ran across this picture the other day and thought I would share. It is from Christmas at my parents 2 years ago. Honey and the BooBoo Boy, reading a story. So cute!

To Market, To Market...

2008-04-27T22:21:00.007-04:00

Well, I've made my plans...I bought my plane ticket, registered and have a place to stay. I'm going to Quilt Market next month. This is my first time. I'm not really sure what to expect, other than being overwhelmed by it all. I know that will happen. I have a list of the booths so I know most of who will be there. I'll have to go through it and make a plan. If I don't, I'll probably wander aimlessly for both days. I won't have a booth for this show. My plan is to scope it out so I know what to expect in the fall. I want to have booth in Houston. I'm not worried about working a booth at the show. I have done enough of those. In another life, I worked the motorcycle show circuit, selling shirts. I'm more concerned about what to bring to a show like this. Since I won't have a booth, I also want to take advantage and make as many connections as I can. That's the hard part. So, alot of planning up front is the only way.

I finished my Floral Delight quilt. I used the Benartex Flower Show II fabric. Boy do those flowers stand out. Here are the focus fabrics I used. I fussy cut the flowers and centered them on a snowball block. Sorry, you will have to wait for a picture of the quilt. I sent it off to Benartex for use at market. (Whoo hoo!)

I'd better get busy planning!

Missing Pieces

2008-04-12T08:06:00.009-04:00

My baby quilt for Maggie, the Yorkshire Terrier is almost finished. It would be finished except for one minor issue. I seem to have lost a block. How can that be? I have 11 of one and 12 of the other. I should have 12 of each. I know I cut out 12. I don't have any stray pieces left. It has just disappeared. One block, gone. I know I'll find it, but I am also sure that will be AFTER I remake it. Isn't that just the way it goes.

I've been working hard on another donation quilt as well. My niece and nephew's school has a raffle every year to raise money. It helps keep the tuition down. After a little "pretty please with sugar on top" I agreed to make on of the quilts. Their mother is making a few others for them. I have pictures of the children in one of the classrooms ready to be printed onto the fabric paper. I am going to use them in the center of a snowball block. Here is the alternate block. I am hoping it will have more color when I put the pictures in. I'm still deciding on how to include the names. I think I will type them under the picture and then print it out. I have to have the quilt in Cleveland by next weekend. I don't think I'll have the time to embroider them.

We're headed out to clean up the yard today. There are still quite a few winter leftovers to get picked up, branches and stuff. I need to start figuring out my vegetable garden. You know, how big to make it. How many tomato plants I need (and that is NEED you know). Now about those tomato plants. Here's the story. There are two adults in our house, no children. They are all grown and on their own. We eat our fair share of tomato sauce. My husband is Italian, spaghetti and gnocchi are served frequently. So every year I think we need lots of tomatoes. I was looking at a packet of heirloom tomatoes a few weeks ago. They were so beautiful, I thought they would be perfect. There were nine plants in the packet. WHAT was I thinking, NINE plants. I'll have tomatoes for years to come in the freezer, especially if I follow the directions and give each plant the room it needs to grow (I've been known to crowd them in the past, like 6 plants in about 4 square feet.). I'll be giving tomatoes to the neighbors. Of course Diane Next Door will like that. She comes over and takes what she needs anyway. There are always too many tomatoes, but this will be ridiculous. But, once you have the plants, you have to plant them. You can't let them die. I'm planning all this and in our climate, I can't even plant them for another 5-6 weeks.

I never laughed so hard...

2008-04-09T17:28:00.011-04:00

I laughed so hard my cheeks are still sore. Mark Lipinski was in town today. If you have ever seen him speak, you understand what I mean. If you have not seen him speak, you should find out where he will be next. We heard the story of his quilting life today. He even showed us his very first quilt, as well as many others that he has done. They were, of course, spectacular. His stories were even better though. I loved his story about teaching in Lancaster, Pa. (the heart of amish country). He explained how his classes became rated R. He took us through the quilts that have been in magazines and explained how he sees quilts all around him. I drove 100 miles to see him today and would do it again tomorrow! Oh, how I wished I had brought my memory card for my camera. I had my camera. Alas, my memory card was at home in my computer (heavy sigh).

I think I mentioned my dear friend Jan has a new little puppy. I started a little baby quilt for Maggie. I think these 5" blocks are the smallest I have pieced so far. When looking at some of the miniature quilts at the show today, I was thinking of these blocks. They sure feel miniature to me. I did get a little help from the boys on this one. I think Boo knew who it was for.

I believe I have also decided on a new iron. As I explained last time, my poor iron gave up the ghost. I was pressing the hood on one of the raincoats for the little boys at the time. I thought I had the temperature up to high for the fabric I had used. It scorched, just a little, and it smelled funny. I thought maybe I had melted the fabric a little. You know how cotton/poly can get a crusty if you scorch it. Well, I went back to press the next section (I did remember to turn down the temp). No heat. nothing, nada, zippo. Cold as can be. Well that's very strange, I thought. I didn't think I had turned it off. The light was still on.So I horsed around with it for awhile. Tipped it down, and back up, turned it upside down to make sure the holes weren't clogged. All looked well. Alas, all was not well. The poor thing was gone from this world an on to the next. After much searching, I found my husbands old sunbeam down in the basement. I know, I should be thrilled he had an iron to find. It served him well. It's a light weight steam job. It heats up quickly and no auto shut off. I still hate it. It's too light and it runs out of water very quickly. Soooo, I've been looking for a replacement. I liked my Rowenta, but thought I might like a cordless iron this time. Weel, the maytag isn't avaiable anymore and I didn't like the other options. Maybe that new Oliso...or... a steam generating model. Yup, I think I'm going to go with the Rowenta Pressure Iron and Steamer.

What else am I working on? I finished the top for the Corry YMCA donation quilt. It still needs quilting. I'll get that started tonight. I have an embroidery quilt design disk I think I am going to use for it. You've probably seen them. They are embroidery designs that look like a quilting design. You hoop the quilt section, batting, backing and all, and embroider away. It's cheating, I know. It is a donation quilt though and the designs are beautiful. They are just the right size for the blocks. Then, I'm going to put a green binding on it to finish it off. A quick label and it's ready to go. I am really hoping to get it all finished up this week so I can take it out to them next week.

April showers bring...

2008-04-05T17:18:00.023-04:00

dogs in raincoats? I made the little boys raincoats. What a hoot! They don't understand the hoods yet. They look so happy!

Today is the first day in a while it hasn't rained. I'm not complaining, really, it could be snowing here still. The rain does make it easy to sit and sew. I can look out the window while sitting at my machine and I think, "What a nice day to be in and to not have to go anywhere". Well, I wish I didn't have to go anywhere anyway.

My latest pattern is coming along. I have made this design 3 times now. Each time I make it, it looks completely different. I have been trying to decide what size blocks to use for the pattern. I'm thinking I'll stick with a 10" block. The quilt goes together faster and there is room for some spectacular quilting if desired. This particular version is going to the YMCA in Corry for their auction in May.

I've been working hard through my projects. Maybe a little too hard. I had to take my sewing machine in for service. Seems it got tired and decided to just stop, mid seam. Poor thing. They took good care of her at the sewing machine hospital. She got about two weeks of rest and relaxation. Now I've got her back home and she is back to her old self. My iron seems to be a little jealous though. No sooner did I bring my machine home and the iron decided it was time for a break. She didn't even give me any warning, just refused to heat up this morning. So I'm looking for a new iron. I can't decide if I should get another one of the same or if I should try something different, like a cordless one, or maybe that Oliso that can sense when you touch it. In the meantime, I'll have to use my husbands old iron that has been hanging out in the basement. I guess it won't take me very long to decide.

So much to do...

2008-04-01T10:15:00.009-04:00

I am feeling a little buried, at least until this weekend. I have quite a bit of quilting to do. That always makes me feel behind the eight ball. I'm never quite sure how long it will take to quilt an item. I have to finish quilting the snowflake wall hanging to take down to the shop in Meadville. I also have a auction quilt I am giving to the YMCA of Corry, Pa to finish. Better get busy on those.

JB and I had a GREAT time at the sewing show. I met her at CWRU in Cleveland after her family went to a Tuba concert. We took the littlest, W with us and the other 2 went with Da. We were not looking for anything in particular this time, except maybe a replacement rotary cutter. I had one of those with the flowers on it. Purple and lime green. You can see why it attracted me. Well, it somehow got miss-placed. I'm not sure if it fell in the trash can or is folded up in a piece of fabric under my cutting table. I did not expect to find the replacement. They have a new pattern out now. It has too much orange for me. My darling sister found one for me though on our second trip around the booths. I was talking to the embroidery machine guy and she said she just knew that had to be the one I was looking for. How could she tell?

I found some great trims as well. I think they will be used on some little girly girl puppy dog clothing. The Vogue fabric booth had quite a bit in their remnants box. They were mostly $1/yard. It's hard to beat that. We gave out a few of my pattern flyers as well and talked to some ladies about a quilt guild on the east side of Cleveland. There seems to be a need for a quilt shop and guild on the near east side. JB has to travel at least 30 miles to get to the closet shop. That's silly in a city the size of Cleveland. She is talking about having to go to Painesville or Richfield. I, on the other hand have about 6 shops within 30 miles, and Erie is much, much smaller. Go figure.

Is it time?

2008-03-26T21:42:00.010-04:00

As you all probably know, I have been working on the dog clothing line as well as my quilt patterns. I have a few things up for sale on Etsy and am working on adding more. I believe it is time to have a little separation in my blog discussions, so I am creating a blog for the boys and their clothing. Now, that does not mean they won't appear here, so don't despair. I won't deprive you of those cute little faces and some of their outrageous antics and outfits. I just need some separation. So if you want to read all about the boys and their latest walks and sleeping places, here is their new blog. http://www.booboosbag.blogspot.com/.

Now, for my latest quilting ideas, I've been thinking about doing a fabric portrait of the boys. I took a couple of their pictures and enlarged them to see how it would look. I need to go looking for fabric. That's always a hard thing to do! I have some black, I need the white and tan for Petey and Charlie. I might need more black as well. We'll have to see how what I have plays together. There needs to be a certain level of contrast on Boo to show his face correctly. These are the pictures I am considering using as guides. This is one of Charlie is one of my favorites. I think I will try to make each portrait about 8 x 10 and then put them together in one wall hanging. This will be a whole new challenge for me. I have not tried to recreate a photo before so we'll see how it goes.

It's Finished!

2008-03-20T14:40:00.012-04:00

Hey all,

I have been so busy recently. I FINALLY finished Diane Next Door's lap quilt. She is just thrilled. She wanted that furry fleece on the back. It looks kind of like a poodle, in this case a white poodle.It's very warm, snuggly and very slippery. The pink and brown will go great in her living room. I have also finished the top to the second version to be used for a pattern shortly. I think I'll call it Candy Coated Chocolate. The colors are more my style, you know, lime green and turquoise with brown.

I have also cut out and started the next project. Another lap quilt, I know. It's such a nice size to work on. large enough to be fun, but not so large as to get boring. I'm still looking for a name for this one as well. The fabric is just stunning. Benartex, Flower Show II.

I set up my Etsy store as well. Both BooBoo and Petey are featured. I made two green plaid coats and a denim jacket that are up for sale with more to come. The link is http://www.booboosbag.etsy.com/. Check it out. They have the best handmade stuff for sale. My youngest sister recommended it. She's on top of all the trends and knows where to find all the coolest things.

I hope the weather is warm wherever you are!

Sneak Peek

2008-03-13T06:58:00.009-04:00

I was out at The Sewing Loft in Union City yesterday. They are taking my watermelon quilt and patterns to a quilt show in Pittsburgh this weekend. Yeah! Jeanie also said she would like to take them April 9th when Mark Lipinski will be in town. In addition to having Mark speak (which is always a hoot) the shops will have booths. They will have several pattern designers with booths. Although I was not chosen to have a booth, my quilts will be at several of the shop booths. It's going to be a great day!

Diane Next Door's quilt is almost finished. Just a little more binding to go. I have also changed the colors and made a second one that I will use for a pattern. I'm still working out those directions. It's probably an intermediate pattern. I think the hardest part is making sure the color placement is correct.

I've been working on a new line of puppy clothing as well. I think it will be called BooBoo's Bag and will be for sale on Etsy.com. Here's a sneak peek. I have always had larger dogs, until Petey and Boo came along. I surprise myself at how much fun the clothing is for the "little boys". I'll let you know when I get it all up and going.

Here's my latest yarn project. It's been a slow go, but only because there has been so much else going on. It's going to be a long sleeve cardigan. As I told my Mom, there is a lot of air in this project.

I guess I had better get busy!

Ooh the Snow and Ice!

2008-03-05T17:25:00.026-05:00

We had about a foot of snow early this week, then 60 degrees and now ice. It was beautiful on the trees, but not so much on the roads. I woke up this morning and could not see out of the front windows of the house. They were covered in a sheet of ice. I took some pictures of the trees though. So incredibly beautiful. It was a good day to stay inside if you could. I, of course had to go out. There was a good 3/8" sheet on my car. Strangely, the doors were not frozen shut. The ice shattered over the door shattered when I opened it.

I've been thinking about how to portray these branches in a quilt. The trees were glistening like they had had a shower of glitter this morning. This is probably another one of those potential quilt ideas that will haunt me until I get it figured out.

I thought it would also be a good day to show you some of my finished projects. I have finished my green sweater. It does look stunning on my dressmaker's dummy. Too bad I can't wear for at least a month. I guess I could turn the heat up in the house and pretend it's summer here.

Here is Boo in his sweater. Doesn't he look so dapper? Just stunning! I don't think he is quite as happy about wearing it just now though. What a look i am getting! I haven't started Petey's matching sweater yet. It's on my list. Petey doesn't look very anxious about not having yet. Gosh, I can't understand why not.

Diane Next Door's lap quilt is almost finished. I had to buy more brown today for her border. I'm going to make a second with the same design and write up a pattern for it. These colors are much more cheerful. Diane's, if you remember , were pink and brown. A great match for her living room, but not very exciting. I'm going to take both to my guild meeting on Monday if I can stay focused and get the second top finished.

Thinking of Spring

2008-03-01T06:58:00.021-05:00

If you looked out my window right now, you would be quite certain it was winter and spring is a long way off. There is about 12" of snow on the ground. we got a couple more inches last night. I'm hoping this is almost the last of it. I have been working on quilting my snowflake wall hanging as a result. I'm sure I won't feel like quilting it when the snow is gone and the flowers are blooming. I'll put up the real picture when it's finished.

I have to quilt my Daisy quilt as well, but I am still waiting for the backing fabric to come in. I wasn't sure what I wanted to use for the back when I bought the rest of the material. Silly me, The dark green was gone, of course, when I went back to get it. Fortunately it is not a seasonal print and my local shop could get it back in.

I sent the boys out to play in the snow. Charlie has no problem of course, even when the snow is this deep. He could sit out there for days if I let him. He sits in the middle of the yard with the snow falling gently on top of him. You would think he was sitting on the beach by the ocean by the look on his face. Here's Charlie waiting for it to snow. The little boys are not quite so happy the snow is so deep. Boo likes to follow Charlie around, but has to leap from one of Charlie's paw prints to the next. He's only about a foot tall himself. I think he likes the challenge though. Poor Petey stays behind and watches them walk around the yard. Petey would rather be at the beach. He doesn't like snow or rain for that matter. He is happiest sleeping on the couch or in a chair.

All the pieces of my green sweater are finished. I still have to put them together. I sure wish it was warm enough to wear it.

I had better started on that, or it will be fall and the pieces will still be sitting on the table.

My Scrap Quilt

2008-02-24T19:31:00.008-05:00

I just don't understand. I have been working on my scrap quilt for my friend Patty. I have made about 35 of the 6" blocks. The same block I posted earlier. I have used my scrap bag for the blocks. The bag of green is JUST AS FULL AS WHEN I STARTED! How can that be? Granted, I knew I had not used half of it yet, but it should be going down with all that I have used so far. I think the pieces are multiplying when I am not looking. I'll NEVER run out this way. I wonder if all the colors do the same thing. They, the scraps that is, must feel jeopardized by being used in a quilt and feel they have to multiply to survive. Here's my stack of blocks. I'm making all 120 blocks before I put them together so they are truly random. I didn't want to put together the blocks from my scrap bag, run out of scraps and have to pull from my stash for the rest. I thought if that happened I would like to mix all of the blocks together so you couldn't tell there were some that were too similar. Silly me, my scraps of green are never going to run out. I'll have a full bag even when I'm finished. Enough to make 10 more just the same probably.

The boys are truly curious about all this fabric on the floor. They have been trying to sleep on it. It must smell like me is all I can figure. Either that or it's just strange to have fabric on the floor.

I did finish BooBoo's Sweater. I think I'm going to take out the little sleeve's and redo them. They seem a little tighter than they should be. I'll show you a picture when I get Petey's finished. The colors are so dark, you can hardly see the sweater on Boo. Next time I think I'll go with red. My green sweater is coming along as well. The back is finished and the front now looks like hte back picture I posted the other day. I only had to start the front twice. Seems there were 2 rows of shells before the first row of holes. Once again pictures to follow later. Of course I could probably repost the picture of the sweater back and call it the front. They do look the same.

Anyway... back to working on those scraps.

It isn't Winter Blues

2008-02-21T22:29:00.011-05:00

I've been working hard on the quilted throw for Diane NextDoor. It's coming along nicely, but I'm getting bored. I have 12 more blocks to finish for the top. I love the way the pattern is turning out, but I think I'm getting tired of the colors. They are beautiful, but I think I am in need of something bright, like lime green maybe (I know, I know..I already put lime green in everything) or maybe some bright blue (that would CERTAINLY be a change for me, just kidding) It's been mighty cold here and I think the bright colors would cheer me up a little.

Usually, I am planning a trip to Florida for Daytona's bike week about now. Honey isn't working the show this year, so we are not going. I'm going to miss the break in the weather. Daytona Bike Week, for those who are not motorcyclists, is the second largest event of the year. Sturgis is the largest. More importantly, it is the first sign of spring. I like to go down as they are getting set up so I can visit with my vendor friends before the real craziness starts. I'll have to find another way to welcome spring this year. This picture isfrom a couple years ago. It is the Yamaha Star demo tent going up.

Here's a picture of a sweater I am working on. Yes, it's crochet. This is the back. Actually it's the third version of the back. Seems you have to start out right for the pattern to look right. I miss counted the number of chains and got to the armholes before I realized it was going to be too small.I paid more attention this time and it looks much better. In fact, it looks alot like the picture on the pattern. Imagine that!

It's time to give it up for tonight though, otherwise I'll be taking it out again tomorrow. Just in case you were wondering what the little boys are up to, they have gone to bed without me.

Winter Break

2008-02-17T09:15:00.010-05:00

I guess I have been taking a short break. It started when I looked at my sewing area.
Oh my gosh, what happened! What a mess I have been making. I expect a mess in the kitchen when I am cooking, but not usually this bad when I am sewing. Must be the creative process at work. I needed to spread out the scraps to choose the right size and color for this quilt. So this is the result. Funny how it doesn't bother me when I am sewing, only when I stand back and look at it. I guess I had better keep sewing!

I've been working on a scrap quilt for a good friend of mine. Unfortunately I only see her a couple times a year and she is getting ready to go through Chemo for lung cancer. The cancer is gone, but she still has to have the treatments. I thought she might like something to cuddle up with when she is not feeling well. Get better soon Patty! Here's the paper pieced block I designed for her. I love the layout possibilities of it. You'll see more of it later I'm sure.

We are planning to go to quilt market in May so I have been trying to put together the new designs I want to take. I have 4 new quilts that I would like to make, take pictures and write the patterns. They are mostly throws, so that helps. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done. I still have a few months so we'll see what I get finished.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the thought of it all, so I finished the scarf I was working on. Just in time for the birthday party later today. It was so late last night when I finished it, I decided to start a sweater for BooBoo. I have enough yarn to make a matching sweater for Petey. They'll be so cute. This one went so fast, I'm sure they will be more. I think I have 3 1/2 hours into it. Who says knitting takes forever. It's a great break from sewing. I still feel like I am accomplishing something. They tend to be small play projects. A play project is something that is just fun. Fun colors, fun design, something silly to distract me. I think BooBoo's sweater counts. I might have to do one in a brighter color though.

Guess I had better get busy again.

BooBoo's new girlfriend

2008-02-08T10:26:00.004-05:00

I stayed with my friend Tina Thursday night. I got there very late after a mishap with my wallet and a long discussion with the toll booth attendant on the turnpike. I can't believe they took a personal check. Amazing.

BooBoo has very excited too see all of his cousins again, especially Riley, the white shepherd. I think he's in love. They are certainly quite a pair. Jake and Jasmin were excited to see Boo as well. I'm sure Boo thinks he's a big dog. Petey and Charlie went to Camp Diane (that would be my neighbor). Petey gets so excited about playing with her dog, he never looks back. I'm not sure he even misses me.

The motorcycle show was good. I always enjoy seeing my friends. I may be making a dog carrying bag for a friend of mine and more of the glasses cases. I'm working on the design for the carrying bag. It has to small though, she has a yorkie that is about 3 pounds.

Guess I had better get busy.

Chicago Road Trip

2008-02-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

I'm headed to Chicago tomorrow to see my DH and another motorcycle show. You might think that I would get tired of going to the shows by now. For some strange reason it isn't so. It's not even the idea of seeing new things, afterall I have been to 5 shows in the last 4 months. I must be crazy! I do get to see all my old friends though and I still like looking at the bikes. We talk about the ones we like as if we had millions of dollars and unlimited garage space. In realty, my bike is fairly new, a 2005 and DH's has a 1997 goldwing.

I'm very excited about going. I am stopping at my dear friend Tina's tomorrow night. She lives a couple hours from the convention center. With our bust lives, it's about the only time we get to see each other. Of course we'll stay up too late tomorrow night talking about everything.

I seem to be on a pink and brown run rught now. I started working on a scarf for a small break from quilting. It's coming along nicely. I thought it might gow ith my purple coard and of course it does not. I could wear it with my work coat, except my coat is black and this is definately brown. Oh well. I like it anyway. I really like the way the pattern is forming. It looks kind of argyle.

I'm also working on a quilt for Diane Next Door. Guess what colors, pink and brown. Oh well. Maybe my next quilt will be purple and orange to make up for it.

I found this great dog print fabric today. I may make some of those sunglass cases out of it, or I may keep it for a new blanket for BooBoo. Lime green like this can be very sneaky. It has showed up in almost every one of my quilts for about two years now. I don't usually add it to my original design, but it somehow ends up there before the quilt is finished. Maybe I'll make my next quilt lime green and fuchsia. THAT wouldbe attractive.

Well, I have to finish packing and then off to Chicago I go.

Cleveland

2008-02-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

I thought it was about time I talked about some of the other important things in my life. My DH was in Cleveland last weekend working the motorcycle show. He helps some of the manufacturer booths get ready for each show.

I came along with BooBoo, the youngest and smallest of our three dogs. Boo is a Pek-a-poo and about 10 pounds. Just about the maximum I can carry around all day long. I still can't believe he has a bag to ride around in, to say nothing of the sunglasses. Bear Enterprises has been at the shows this year selling sunglasses for dogs. So stinking cute. I have started making glasses cases for the sunglasses out of dog print fabrics. Shelley has 4 different size glasses for the different size dogs.

Here are both the little boys. As you can see they are very happy to be wearing their hats. Ha! Petey and Charlie, my Great Pyrenees stayed at Camp Diane (That would be Diane Next Door) while Boo and I went to see Papa.
We're making more glasses cases and working on a quilt for Diane. I'm still working out the design details though so you'll have to wait for that picture. In the mean time I'm looking for more dog print fabric. Shoot, I think I have to go shopping.
Have a great one!

Inspiration

2007-12-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come at the strangest moments, as I am driving down the road or while I am exercising. It also can take many forms. Sometimes I just get an idea for a series of colors, sometimes an object is the beginning of a quilt. I never really know how the next one will start.

I saw a wall hanging in a shop when I was in Seattle, WA a few weeks ago. It was an embroidered and beaded piece of fabric that came from a ceremonial robe. I was amazed at the amount of work that went into creating it. I did not take a picture of it. I do not want to copy it. I keep thinking about it though. The one aspect that keeps returning is the use of tiny mirrors in the design. They were sewn down across the corners. I've never seen mirrors used as an embellishment, but I am ready to give them a try. Well, as soon as I come up with a design that can use them. It will come. I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night, or have to stop my morning workout to sketch it out.

Keep your mind open and the ideas will flow. If I try to work to hard at it I will have writer's block, staring at a blank piece of paper. I am sure it is turning over in my subconscious, working out the details.

Supreme Slider

2007-11-20T16:14:00.000-05:00

I have been trying out a new Supreme Slider recently. I bought it in Houston at the Quilt Festival. It is a teflon mat that fit's in the bed of your machine with a little hole in the center for the needle to go through. It is designed to make the surface of your machine more slippery and therefore make free motion quilting easier. The back of the sheet is tacky. I think it uses static to stick, but I am not sure. It is very sticky. It didn't move, even when I forgot to lower my feed dogs. when it get's dirty, you can rinse it in water and the stickyness will return. Very impressive. I tried it with a wall hanging and it worked great. I also have been quilting a queen size quilt for my sister and I could not tell the difference with and without it. I believe tht was a result of the size of my quilt though, not hte fault of the Supreme Slider. It's just hard to move that much fabric through a machine. All in all, I was happy with how it works. I have given you the link to their site if you have any questions.

Houston Quilt Festival

2007-11-05T11:09:00.000-05:00

I have just come back from the Quilt Festival in Houston, Tx. The quilts were absolutely amazing and inspiring. I went on Thursday and on Saturday. I heard a rumor there were about 53,000 people at the show. It didn't seem that crowded most of the time though. There were people there from all over the world. I met a few of the ladies staying in my hotel that came on a bus from Iowa. I walked from the train with a few women from Virginia and Maine. Everyone was extremely friendly!

Every possible type of vendor was there. not just fabric and patterns, although there were quite a few of those. I was surprised by the number of booths with embellishments, beads, trims, paints, buttons. I knew they would be there, but there were so many. I was pretty good and bought just a little bit of this and a little of that. My favorite finds were some fabric for a quilt for my sister that is getting married. Black Batik is very hard to find. I also thought I would try the fusible stabilizer for turning applique. I'll let you know how it works out.

If you plan to go next year, I would certainly plan a few days. I did not have time to get around to all of the quilts on display and I would have like to have spent more time shopping. Of course wouldn't we all like more time for that.

Introduction

2007-10-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Quilted Pleasures! My name is Julie Pieri. I am a quilt designer from Erie, Pennsylvania. I am creating this blog to provide a way to share quilt inspirations. I will be writing about what inspires me and hope you will share your stories as well.

Please check back soon, as this site is under construction. You can also learn more about me on my website www.quiltedpleasures.com.