Archive for June, 2008

An out of the ordinary day

June 30, 2008 at 12:30 am · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts ·Tagged , ,

It has been an exceptional Sunday. Mainly because I didn’t have to go to work. Can’t remember the last time I didn’t work on a Sunday. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary; it was just nice to change the routine and to have time to lollygag. Which I did. I cut up some of Tina Givens’ new Annabella fabrics and mixed them with some others. It was a squares and rectangles kind of project from Blue Underground:

I ended up with some of these:

And will eventually begin to arrange them…something like this:

I believe I have completed 26 out of 35 blocks. These blocks go together so zippity-quick! I had a hard time choosing between the brown/pink/yellow colorway and the GREY/red/green colorway. I can’t believe I didn’t go with the grey/red/green first, but this was so fast that I might make another. I know a girl whose name is very close to Annabella and she might like a quilt for her bed.

Taking a break from all of that fun, we wandered to the bookstore where we bought the new Mysterious Benedict Society book (if you are a grown-up and you can save Mr. Benedict, you will have my highest admiration) for someone who is reading and reading and reading this summer. While I had a book coupon to spare, I resisted literary temptation since my summer reading stack is growing into a summer and beyond reading stack.

I only came home with this delightful summer reading:

Oh, and, er, I came home to find that I had left the iron ON while we were gone. I DOUBLE CHECKED IT before we left…I wonder if I actually turned it back on instead of off. It would seem that any replacement iron will have to be of the dreaded auto-shut-off variety. I’m getting closer to The Home every day. And while it sounds like it might be very relaxing at The Home, I doubt they will let me bring my sewing machine, my stash and a variety of sharp implements. I’d better keep it together a while longer!

I hope your Sunday was great too!

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Friday, really?

June 27, 2008 at 9:18 pm · Filed under Books, Quilts

Where do these weeks go? You know the commercial in which the mom finds the family’s rollover phone minutes in the trash? I want to find time that way. Monday starts nicely, you blink, and the whole week is over. I gotta get a handle on time. I did not get done as much as I coulda/shoulda/woulda during this camp week. By Wednesday, I guess I got a little smug. Oh, time? I’ve got plenty of that.

This block got done today just in the nick of time. I believe I promised myself I would start it on Monday. Instead, I had to bribe myself today with a viewing of Mrs. Dalloway on DVD (followed by a very interesting movie called Snowcake with Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver–I’ve actually got 26:42 left of that to watch, shh, don’t spoil the ending). Oh, and I guess I still have a running stitch that needs to go in the solid background:

And a certain fabric must have been near the top of a pile when I was doing a practice wedge block:

May I just interrupt this post to ask: What NOW WordPress??? You and me and your image uploader are going to have fisticuffs in short order. Straighten up.

This is a test wedge for the quilt I was going on about the other day so long ago:

And now I’m just going to show you some ultra-eye candy that arrived in the mailbox the other day from this magazine:

I used to read this mag and Patchwork Quilts Tsushin fairly regularly when I first started quilting. We used to have a nice Japanese book store not too far away and being sans child at the time, we would wander out and shop for Japanese treasures. Then they cut waaaay back on the quilt and craft offerings and we stopped going out as often. And then they closed. I occasionally pick one up at a used book store. One shop has a nice little stash that I feel sure they are saving just for me to buy one or two now and then.

This is the July 2008 issue (no. 123) that I selected from Purl. I got a nifty Purl gift certificate for my birthday and have just been sitting back and quietly planning my purchases. So I got some of Anna Maria’s Drawing Room fabrics and my one and only lone piece of Liberty lawn:

Oh, she is soooooo lonely.

Anyways, back to Quilts Japan. This is the summer-iest magazine ever. I want to sit down and make some of these happy and refreshing projects.

Like:

Or (I think this one is my favorite):

But, this is pretty too:

Look at that cute lamp!

Then there’s this that the lamp is sitting upon:

I don’t know if you can see it in this LOVELY photo, but I really like the petals that are quilted into the lighter background wedges.

I also like this:

And this:

I just love that one!

This is nice too:

Oooh, ahhhh:

No, really, WordPress, this is getting ridiculous and I’m starting to get a teensy bit angry…

I’ll try to look at a full size image of something pretty to assuage my bad feelings:

And now this:

Finally, there is this (this is pure eye candy as there is no pattern for it):

There are patterns for all of the other projects shown (and then some). All in all, this is a GREAT issue! Perfect for long (??), lazy summer days of either stitching or dreaming.

Maybe next time, I’ll show you some of the treasured creations from art camp. There is a too-die-for Nancy Drew marionette!

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Respite-ish

June 23, 2008 at 8:53 pm · Filed under Books, Fabric, Quilts ·Tagged , ,

Nothing like a day at camp to clear the brain. My brain is clear because dear daughter was at camp. What a good day to be inside doing all sorts of art-y things–it has stormed off and on and off and on all day. We saw some resplendent lightning that must have been striking right around hubby’s office. I believe that was something related to the sagging auto industry. Or maybe it was just a round of great new ideas related to saving the auto industry…yeah, that must be it.

I have four quilts lined up to be quilted, but I wasn’t willing to settle in to any of them right off the bat. So I did a little investigative work on a possible new block o’ the month thing of a kind of a deal.

I’ve been poring through this book:

So many wonderful ideas spilling from its pages.

I am poking around with this quilt:

This quilt was made in 1954 by Jesse Dresser Jacobs of Lewiston, Idaho. Since I paid attention to the caption, I discovered that it is a re-make of sorts of this quilt:

Sorry it’s a little dark–I’ll blame the stormy weather.

This quilt was made around 1830-1850 possibly in Wales by “Mrs. Williams” who left it to Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs when she died in thanks for all of the help the couple had given her over the years. Mrs. Jacobs then made her version of the quilt (it’s the first quilt pictured in this post) after collecting fabrics for more than 20 years. The whole story actually brought a tear to my eye. sniffle

I’m thinking this would be very interesting in Kaffe-y prints. I believe the wedge ruler will also come in to play here. Perhaps the center square will be a wedge-y circle, although a center star would be lovely too.

So, a little testing:

I’m thinking I prefer the light background, but black could be nice. Maybe another background option will present itself.

After this bit of playing around, I got to work on some machine quilting and tonight I need to get started on a little applique block.

Right now, however, I need to see what kind of a mess I’ve made of some chocolate chip shortbread. I think I needed to use a bigger pan. Most days I think I have a better handle on the sewing than on the cooking…

I hope this finds you well!

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Well, that took long enough

June 20, 2008 at 10:03 pm · Filed under Medallion Quilt-along, Quilts ·Tagged , ,

I’m not referring to the amount of time it took to finish the first round of the medallion. I’m referring to the amount of time it took to get to work on the first round of the medallion. Sheesh. Well, the park isn’t going to play itself, now is it? There has been driving around to be done, eyes and bodies to be checked, friends to be played with, math to be practiced. Today, however, we stayed at home and took a small child hostage, er, I mean, we invited a friend to come over and play. And I worked on the medallion.

I took Anita’s recommendation to press seams open on the square in a square blocks. It so greatly reduces bulk, but it also seems to require open seam management skills that I don’t “seem” to have. It was kind of like having to drive in the roundabout to a far-afield doctor’s appointment the other day–too many things to pay attention to and I’m not sure I’m in the right lane and hey, what’s that guy doing? I have it on good authority that our roundabouts are a little different than most others. Aha, apparently I have a more international feel for the roundabout. I knew there was something wrong with ours.

Anyhoo, I digress and all is well with the medallion but I may have to do a tiny bit of easing when I PRECISELY do the next round.

I thought about doing a little tutorial for you, but I wasn’t quite sure you’d be interested. If anyone wants to see how to eat a hole in the middle of a cucumber slice without breaking the slice’s “circle,” let me know! Although there could be a week’s delay in bringing you this information as the instructor is going to art day camp all next week. I hope this won’t be too problematic for you.

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I’m tired and it’s only Monday

June 16, 2008 at 8:57 pm · Filed under Books, Everyday Things

Ah, summer. It’s a thrill a minute in the summer. I’m sure I might get to sew next week…maybe yet this week. Wish me luck. I thought I’d share some highlights of the day.

Definitely THE high point

A sweet and generous reader, Peta, sent me this issue of Australian Homespun magazine. It contains a SUE SPARGO pattern that I’ve never seen. I am sooooooooooo happy to have this!!! If I could get my energy up, this would be a wonderful summer project! Thank you very much, Peta!!!! I’m going to have a nice long sit with this tonight (better have some coffee to stay awake).

That was fun and, in comparison, maybe these are the low-lights of the day.

We’re having a little math reaffirmation this summer.

While someone earned a little extra spending money by scrubbing the grubby porch chairs–oh my gosh, they sparkle–I mowed and swept up and weeded and trimmed.

Then we planted some flower seeds and a couple of tomato plants.

My thumbs are entirely brown. Someone say a little prayer for Early Girl and her friend Roma.

I did have some quilt-y thoughts:

I believe I also settled on fabrics for the first medallion round.

After getting signed up for the library summer reading program, we may do some reading later:

Some of us are decidedly further along in our books than others:

And maybe I’ll eat the last one of these:

Of course, since we may not break out of the 70s this week, maybe I’ll save the last one for a hotter day (or not). I hear tell they also make pomegranate-chocolate chip ice cream. Say it with me, “mmmmmm….”

By the way, have you joined Quilting Bloggers?

I hope you’re having a stitchy day!

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Jackie’s having a drawing!

June 16, 2008 at 12:32 pm · Filed under Quilts

In honor of her upcoming 29th birthday, Jackie is having a drawing AND SHE WILL QUILT A QUILT FOR YOU IF YOU WIN! This could be your chance to have your quilt quilted by a soon-to-be-movie-star!

You should run over and see her post about it. Say hey to Rolo while you’re there!

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Strawberry lemonade and…

June 10, 2008 at 9:12 pm · Filed under Fabric, Quilts

Steadily working on this today before The Great Summer Quilting Slow Down of ’08:

I’m quilting this for a friend and I’m trying a new quilting shape today. I can’t recommend the Patsy Thompson DVDs enough! It is sucking up thread like nobody’s business.

Had to go in to the thread stash to see if I had more.

Ah, yes.

Indeed I have two more, so don’t panic. We have neon lime green covered!

I’m working on this summer-y quilt but am about to face a different set of seasonal fabrics.

Poinsettias and holly berries? Wha????? I am NOT ready for this.

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Start in the center

June 9, 2008 at 8:44 pm · Filed under Medallion Quilt-along, Quilts

And work your way out.

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Material Obsession book

June 7, 2008 at 12:10 pm · Filed under Books

Just wanted to pop in before going to work to point you to Sue Spargo’s blog where she says she’ll be selling the Material Obsession girls’ book by the end of the month. Yes, go ahead and squeal with delight! We understand!

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Have a Bloomin’ Friday

June 6, 2008 at 8:49 pm · Filed under Medallion Quilt-along, Quilts

I’m going to dedicate this blog post to Anita. I’m working on my medallion center today:

It won’t actually be set on point. It just looks like I have more done when I look at it on point than when I photograph it straight on…optical illusions and all.

And then the UPS man arrived with some COFFEE. As I am always up for trying recommended coffees, I ordered some that Anita mentioned. Since it’s 90-something here today, I immediately put it on ice with an umbrella straw for added festiveness (I hope Zoka can forgive the Starbucks mug).

Mmmmm….delicious.

Thanks for the fun, Anita!

Oh, and we had a very proud parents evening last night. We got to see and celebrate a sea of 2nd to 6th graders who did what they were supposed to do all year long. What a great bunch of kids! We are especially proud of one child in particular!

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