2.7.13

I have been BUSY. Next week, I will be even BUSIER. I have accomplished a LOT and I will show you pictures strung out across the next few days.
First of all, I made a tote from a pattern that Quilty Friend (the Original) gave me. You would think I would have a picture of it, but it is too dark to take a good picture so instead, I will skip to the next business.

I went to my first Audrey class and came home EXHAUSTED. Brain overload. I sewed a total of four 9 inch seams and I was proud of that. I did not even get to make the nine-patch, no doubt while you are reading this, I am working on it. I spent the next four days (averaging 10+ hours) working on my schematics for the Kindergarten and First Grade Quilts. As I am writing this, it has been SIX days since the first class and I am only just now BEGINNING to think about the Second Grade quilt. You see, she sets up her classes so the Second Graders do what all the others do as well as their own work. 

Now, I am not sure I really am a Second Grader, but you know I pretty much want to be best at everything. I think now in maturity, I am able to translate that to be MY best at everything. Anyway, I enjoyed planning my schematic so much, most mornings I could not wait to get up to get started on it and was usually at it by 5:00 a.m.

2.6.13

See our wonderful little car? I am so glad we chose that one. It is a PEACH!


Press the play button. Saturday, Quilty Friend (the ORIGINAL) thought we could squeeze in a little fabric shopping before the weather turned, but we did NOT. Q (AKA Thelma) was driving and we slid back down the very first hill in the neighborhood before we even came to any of the steeper ones. My husband came to the rescue so we did not have to walk up the hills to get home.

Now look at some pictures I took that very morning when the temps were in the mid 40s.

I don't even remember what kind of bird this is, but he was very, very busy. He was here with five or six of his friends. I think they must have known something was about to happen.

 Here it is, Monday morning, and after a full day of temperatures in the forties, there is still a lot of snow on the ground in places, and the roof below my studio window is mostly covered and has about an inch of snow. I hope this little bird found enough to eat and a warm place to go.

2.5.13

TEA TIME TUESDAY

Occasionally I am tempted to take my VIRTUAL tea paraphernalia collection and make it ACTUAL. I have been trying to figure out where to buy one of these.  

 It is called The Lazy Teapot and was designed by Lotte Alpert. Not only does it make pouring easier, check this out:

 

Now, brewing and keeping the tea HOT is as easy as a touch of the finger.  If you see one of these somewhere for sale, let me know. If I had one of these up here in the studio, I would never have to go downstairs...

2.4.13

AMEN

2.3.13

 This is a tufted Tit-Mouse. Can you see the peach color just under his wings and above his legs? For all I know, this might be a female but its color was a little more vibrant than the others I saw flying around the other afternoon.

He looks like he is singing but really, he just sat with his mouth open for quite sometime before flying off. Lots of birds visit the little roof below my window. Can you see his little tuft? Kind of like a cardinal's tuft.

Can you see the hawk? Big, beautiful bird. There is a female with him sometimes, but she is much harder to spot. I have seen red feathers on some of the hawks around here, but only when they fly. This could be one of them. Red Shouldered or Red Tailed, I am not sure.

2.2.13

I kind of like birds. To photograph, anyway. (You knew I liked chickens as ART) Here are some recent birds added to my photographic collection. This one is from a recent trip to Florida. 




It is some sort of heron, I think. It may be an anhinga but it did not "shoulder" the way they do.

I took these pictures at Lake Eola, Orlando. The lake has a few swans and a lot of birds who have joined the swans. We saw a large variety who had no hesitation about walking amongst the throng of people visiting the lake that Sunday.

Come back tomorrow and see some local birds that live up here in the hills with us.

2.1.13

By the time you are reading this, I expect I have had a very humbling experience in a beginner quilt class. I am posting these pictures of a quilt I made for my father and his little dog a couple of years ago in case I need to remind myself that I really DO know how to quilt no matter how hard I found it to do a full day beginner lesson.

I remember I bought a couple of charm packs--five inch square pieces of fabric that sample an entire line of fabric. I bought them when charm packs were an affordable choice. I think I paid under $5 for each pack. I used a sett like one my grandmother and great-aunt used on a baby quilt for my brother ( Streak O'Sunshine, I think it is called). I followed a diagonal line up for the color groups. I really liked the fabric I found for the backing. 

This is the first quilt that I used Big Stitch for the quilting. I remember spreading it out on the dinning room table and quilting in diagonal lines to emphasize the color arrangement. It was fun to do and came together really quickly. Now it is a nap quilt for my father and a different little dog.

1.31.13

Poor cold raven. Can you see the ice crystals?

Are you wondering where I am today? I and my strawberry batik notebook are at Sharpe Memorial Methodist Church, Young Harris, Georgia, taking a quilt class!

 

1.30.13

My January SMALL QUILT CHALLENGE 2013 is complete! I FINALLY attached the binding. I spent almost a month trying to decide if I would put the binding on by machine or by hand. 

Usually I would attach one part by machine, then hand finish the other side but this time, the entire quilt was done by hand and I didn't want to impurify my project. Here it is. It is 19" square. I have found that a quilt which is smaller than a fat quarter yields a TON of scraps for future quilts.

I posted it in my Yahoo group called SmallQuiltTalk .  The group is moderated by Kathleen Tracy, whom I have mentioned before. She is the author of many books I have been studying over the past couple of months. One of my small quilts in the works comes from her Hexagon Flowers Doll Quilt.

1.29.13

TEA TIME TUESDAY

My new favorite tea. We were at Whole Foods and SOMEbody bought gourmet beer for the same price as this cannister. THEY only got 6 bottles but I got 36 cups worth.

The next time I get some of this I will have to order it from The Republic of Tea because I am NOT going to wait until I find a Whole Foods around here.

1.28.13

Thought for the Week

This little poster comes from HERE. It was one of those things floating around the FaceBook and/or Pinterest Universe and I found it and liked it. It makes creativity sound like LOVE, doesn't it?

This week I begin my Audrey Class. Audrey Hiers is a member of the "BIG" Guild to which I belong--Misty Mountain Quilt Guild. She has long been recognized as an expert in her artistry and periodically teaches classes. She calls them Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. I hope I am up to her Second Grade class instruction because that is what I am going to take. Here is what the John C. Campbell Folk School says about her when she is on the teaching schedule.

Audrey Hiers had 30 years of service as an educator in Florida before moving to Blairsville, GA, in 1987. Since moving to the mountains, her quilt life has included teaching classes and workshops, offering lectures, and serving as president of the local guild, Misty Mountain Quilters. 

She finds special joy in teaching beginning quilting to children and adults. Audrey's original design, "Crazy Daisies," appeared in McCall's Quilting Magazine, August 2010. Most recently published was "Big Boy," a whimsical quilt of colorful chickens, which appeared in American Quilts for the American Home (Quilting Magazine 2011 special spring issue). 

Instead of me "lifting" photos of her work to show you, follow the links below to see some of what she is about.

Find her My Other Garden--Fast Charm Square HERE.
Find her Big Boy HERE--It is a CHICKEN Quilt!

You can see I am going to have great mentorship this week while I try to use up my creativity.
  

1.27.13

We did NOT get the ice storm we were promised but we did have a few drippy, cold hours.

 I can't say I am disappointed but I might have liked to see a few snowflakes.

 Anyway, it was good weather for hand-sewing. I decided to attach my binding to my January Small Quilts Challenge by hand since all other aspects were hand done. Besides, the sewing machine is nicely stored under my desk and I didn't want to bother setting it up. Time enough later for good light and color choosing for the next project.

1.26.13

I liked having a binder cover so I looked around in my stash for another piece of fabric. This time I was not worried that I would have to throw it away if it was too small for the notebook because I had Plan B--table mats.

 

I used my walking foot and made some straight line quilting then put on the free-motion foot and let go. I enjoyed it so much! Also, I just LOVE this "new" notebook.

1.25.13

I decided to make a binder cover. I looked in my stash for a piece of fabric big enough but not one I had emotional attachments to. It is hard to throw out a ruined project when it is made of lovely fabric. After I got going on this, I realized if I made it too small to fit the notebook, I could always turn it into place mats! I picked this cheery hot peppers fabric from deeeeeeeep in my stash and quilted it up. I did not put a backing on it when I quilted it. I just used the peppers and the batting. 

 Also, I was out of 407 spray adhesive so I just held on to it the best I could. I made a wonderful discovery.  The fabric really pouched up inside the quilting lines and even though I used a very thin quilt batting, it looks quite substantial! I used the pebble quilting design but on these hot peppers, I call it SELTZER BUBBLES. 

1.24.13

I found this free pattern HERE and had to make one. My idea was to try out the design and go forward with a porcupine design. I like it so well I may just keep making the mice.

1.23.13

I bought this pattern called One-Yard Apron by Indygo Junction.  It was one I had hoped I would use over and over again. Unfortunately, the directions for attaching the ties was ambiguous so I just made up my own way to do it. I hate it when a great idea is engineered poorly. I bought this great fabric. Bread and cheese! My plan was to make two of these and give one away or sell it.

Now I have a half yard of bread and a half yard of cheese left and no motivation to try it again.
Maybe I could do something for the table with this cool fabric.

In the mean time, I do have another apron/bib to wear and I got the ties to function adequately.  

1.18.13

I will be "Off Blog" while we get ready for a trip south to visit family. Really, I am looking forward to the trip with the exception of the fact that it is time to buy underwear.

THE IRON MAIDEN

In fact, in a remark to QuiltyFriend (the Original) I said that I would rather have a mammogram.  I have asked/stated to my accompanying family that I will require an afternoon at a REAL MALL to accomplish this mission and I wish to do so ALONE with NO ONE waiting for me.  Surely I would have taken care of this little task locally if not for the fact that I would have had to drive to Atlanta or Chattanooga to find what I require.
"The Iron Maiden has an embrace anyone would want to avoid. Once inside the Iron Maiden’s conical frame, you’re unable to move because of dozens of steel points stabbing from every direction. An interrogator screams questions at you through a small hole, while poking you with jagged edges, or just leaving you for hours to stew in your thoughts."
 ~~ The Web Urbanist

Do you think you will miss me and wish you could be with me on my shopping trip? Then check THIS out: You can download your own torture device COLORING BOOK! It is the next best thing to being there.

Erik Ruhling is author of the book Infernal Device: Machinery of Torture & Execution, a visual history of such devices as the Iron Maiden, Guillotine, Tongue Tearer, and Ear Chopper. I've just discovered that Ruhling also created The Torture Device Coloring Book. It's available for download for $3.44 or as a print-on-demand from Lulu for $8.85.

1.17.13

Yes, it is true. I have enjoyed 2012, loading my vision of Tangerine Tango into my stash. I am not a "green" person but I have noticed green creeping its way in. Why, just the other day while with  QuiltyFriend (the original) I bought a grab bag full of green scraps...not an emerald one in the bunch, though. What would you used as a "go with"? I always though yellow (Topaz?) made a nice friend to emerald.

1.16.13

The First Bluebirds of Spring are here. Maybe they never left. I have 38 daffodils and day lilies poking their heads up through the mulch. HomeSon says he saw them on Christmas Day. It has been wet here and we only had snow for a day or so and then it just looked like a Florida yard with white sand here and there.  I did miss having a winter this year. I was ready, with the heavy bathrobe, you know? And plenty of tea!

1.15.13

Happy Birthday, Mom! I would like to have tea with you today. Would you care to share a pot?

We could all make our lives better if we bought this from Upham Street Pottery.

1.14.13

A good Monday thought.  What are you chanting in your secret heart today? Whatever it is, remember the power it has and the influence it carries with your brain chemistry.

1.13.13

Happy Birthday, AwaySon!

1.12.13

Friendship Group has a Scrappy Challenge. Before the next meeting I have to have used up all of the fat eighth of a yard of a yellow 30s style fabric and a fat eighth of a yard of a white on white.

A fat eighth is a piece of fabric which is 9 inches by approximately 22 inches. The challenge this year is to use ALL of the fabric.   

I made this star to use up some of the white and some of the yellow. I added in blue from my stash.

I made these tumbling blocks and added the orange and blue from my stash.


 







I added teal and orange to the white from the Scrappy fabric to make "Repro Sitting Cat" from QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks series. I think it is in book 5. You can see it is "in progress".

To use up the last of the Scrappy white fabric I chose "Cuppa Joe" by Sindy Rodenmeyer. I had to "smallify" the mug. Oops, I forgot to add the yellow band so it is also in progress.

This hexie flower measures just about 10 inches across and is ready for the hand seaming. The hexies and tumbling blocks are addicting but I prefer to work on a much smaller scale. 

I have an assortment of very small triangles left over and I am going to try my hand at fusible applique. I hope to do this over the next couple of days so I may be able to show you some results in February.

1.11.13

Did I tell you I finally finished the Cherries Bathrobe? It is GINORMOUS! With my hands at my sides, it hangs down to my finger tips. It is polar fleece and does nothing for me in the way of visual enhancement but if I am unusually cold and I slip it on over whatever else I am wearing, it only takes about an hour and I am just as comfortable as anyone else in the room. If I happen to be sitting in front of the fire, it takes even less time! I could easily have made one size smaller but I am glad I did not.

1.10.13

EDITED TO ADD photo to the right after 2.5 hours of sewing and pressing.
It was tough, but I figured out how to cut the first block for Saturday Soiree for Marcus Brothers by Faye Burgos. The little pieces of fabric came with a diagram and also a list of template sizes but NO WHERE does it say, for example, cut 6 of template A with fabric 1 being careful to reserve some of fabric 1 for template 4. 

Fabric 1

I felt like a page of the directions was missing. I suppose quilt shops all across the land are struggling with that. The quilt shops buy the line of fabric and the backing and then buy the permission to make copies of the block directions. They only have what the program gives them, so it is not really their fault. Besides, this is my first Block of the Month, so I don't really know any better, do I ?

Leftover scraps from Block 1

Mine is cut, anyway, and I hope to do some of the machine sewing and pressing today. It is a fairly straightforward block, and looks like it might be the one on the top left.

1.9.13

Today, I attend Friendship Group at Country Stitches in Blue Ridge. I DID sign up for the Soiree Block-of-the-Month and I expect to pick up my first month's worth of fabric and pattern. 

The Friendship Group also has a monthly Scrappy Sew Along, which has my name on the list, too. There were two choices and I chose 30s Reproduction Prints over fruits and vegetables. If you are a knitter and not accustomed to quilt lingo, 30s Reproduction Prints refers to the cheery small prints on bright pastels found on feed sacks and dress goods in the 1930s. I have a plan in mind for mine.

Priscilla usually hands out a fat eighth of a print and a coordinating fat eighth neutral. I am looking forward to this first step to see how it goes with the design I have in mind.