April | 2009 | Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

Archive for April, 2009

Such a treat!

April 29, 2009 at 4:01 pm · Filed under Quilts

Doll-sized quilts are flying all across quilt-land as part of Doll Quilt Swap 6 (DQS6). After seeing the fabulous and creative doll quilts being made, I finally joined in during DQS5. It was such fun, I joined up again for DQS6.

Today I received my quilt. I can’t stop looking at it:

dqs6recd

It was made by the talented and wonderful Tia at Campfollowerbags–I’m sure you’ve heard of Tia! She makes bags and quilts from military uniforms. Most recently, she conceived and spearheads an effort to make Bushfire Quilts for families in Victoria, Australia. I am amazed and inspired by how much she does! With that in mind, I am totally blown away by receiving my DQS6 quilt from her. And I am blown away by the quilt–there is so much detail in this quilt!

There are ZIG ZAGs, hand stitching, machine stitching, shot cottons, Kaffe prints, Liberty prints, gingham, black and white text, map fabric. I think she’s been up inside my head rooting around to see what I like.

I can’t get over it. Did I mention the back:

dqs6back

I aspire to all of this detail!

Look at these weensy (as opposed to wincey…) strips in the triangles:

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Those are some tiny AND FLAT strips!

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That binding is awesome!

Tia also included some gorgeous fabrics and a great Australian mag:

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Thank you so very much, Tia! Thanks also to the DQS6 organizers and my group swap mama, Katy!

Pardon me, I have to go back to looking at my quilt…

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Oh, I don’t know if/when there will be a DQS7. We’ll let the organizers catch their breath for a while and then start hounding them for another round. Keep an eye on the DQS Flickr page for announcement, if you’re interested.

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I don’t like Mondays

April 27, 2009 at 3:39 pm · Filed under Books, Dogs!, Everyday Things, Quilts

Generally, I don’t mind Mondays. I awoke bright and early with a good attitude. After all, it was lovely and I got to wear sandals and short sleeves. And then small things started going downhill. A girl might begin to think she was being conspired against.

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I went downstairs to start the day’s laundry. Yuck. The inside of the washer was covered in dirty stuff. Probably crumbling wood support beams or something minor like that. So, OK, do a rinse load to get that stuff out and start the actual laundry after walking the dogs.

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Note to self: For a variety of reasons, it is probably not a good idea to walk the dogs on the morning of garbage day (although I think it is their favorite day and time for walks..). The skittish-est of the dogs got out of her harness during a skirmish with some empty garbage cans. Mind you, the dogs wear harnesses instead of just collars during walks because they’ve both gotten out of their collars (see previous note re skittish dog…).

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I could see in her wee brain that she was trying to decide what to do with her newfound freedom. In the end, she crouched on the sidewalk and submitted to re-harnessing. I think a full-body harness is next.

Upon returning home, I thought it was a good time for a fresh pot of coffee in the freshly washed coffee making apparatus. Mmmmmm….can’t you just smell it?

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AND CAN’T YOU JUST SEE IT FLOWING OVER THE COUNTERTOP AND ONTO THE KITCHEN FLOOR BECAUSE I FORGOT TO PUT THE POT UNDERNEATH?!?!?

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Sigh. I guess the kitchen rug needed washing anyway.

But it is a lovely day, warm, sunny. Did I mention a tad windy? Gosh, I don’t even mind that I’ve had to retrieve the garbage cans about eight times.

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And then I met my arch-nemesis.

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The linen thread. I’ve stitched with this before. Ten blocks of decorative straight stitching, most recently. Just two more blocks to go and I’d be ready to pin a quilt.

Even with the help of my able linen-stitching assitants, I am not yet done with the second block. Good heavens it is hard getting this stuff through the fabric!

assistance

Those are finger cots, by the way.

Oh well, there is still part of the day left. If I get these math books checked and some dinner made, I *might* get this quilt pinned.

In the meantime, the granny square without end is about 30 inches across…with no end in sight. Kind of addictive. Except that my skin appears to be bothered by prolonged contact with metal (a crochet hook, for example…I guess I could wear finger cot protection…). And the rounds are getting prolong-ier.

I was going to mention Kaffe scrap bags over at Glorious Color…but it looks like I didn’t need to mention it because they are sold out. OK, then I will mention that they have Jay McCarroll’s fabric collection on sale.

Oh, and I saw a really great new book over the weekend called Super Size ‘Em by Debbie Kratovil. Great super-sized blocks that she shows with a lot of Kaffe fabrics (including a lovely Princess Feather). Ooooh aaaaah. I will definitely be adding this one to my book collection!

If you’re having a Monday with a few bumps in the road, go listen to some Flight of the Conchords (caution: Hurt Feelings has a couple of bad words…) and you’ll surely cheer up.

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I respond well to bossy

April 21, 2009 at 4:19 pm · Filed under Everyday Things, Quilts

Evidence:

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The bossy needlework manual took me back to childhood and I got back in touch with my inner crochet-er. Yes, it’s just a granny square, but I consider it progress. I also have an easy wavy ripple sample, and a few silly what-nots which confirmed that I can do this thing! I have not, however, cracked the code of Babette. You’ll want to go say hey to gimpy Anita if you want to see some Babette goodness.

Oh, and I think I’m going to have to pay rent over at Attic24.

I’ve been saving the crochet for AFTER I get a respectable amount of other things done…quilting quilted, bindings on and so forth.

Like AFTER I finished this for DQS6:

dsq6done

Still needs a label. I wonder whose mailbox this will land in??? Hmm…

And AFTER I returned to this to quick-like add flowers to the border (oh, and finish the two applique blocks…) (and then it needs to be buttonhole stitched, I suppose, and then quilted…details, details):

folkart

Maybe I will take the crochet to dance class. Maybe the wool will help dampen the NOISE in the cinder block hallway so that a person can think during dance class. Bitter? Me? Yes.

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Cotton giveaway winner

April 18, 2009 at 6:55 am · Filed under Fabric

Good thing the household giveaway draw-er gets up early. I considered the need for a spinning barrel for entries a la Dialing for Dollars from back in The Day. But an Ikea jar had to fill in:

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And without further ado, the winner:

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Yea, Jess! Congratulations!

Thanks again to old friends and newcomers for visiting, commenting and playing along!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Thank you!

April 17, 2009 at 7:49 am · Filed under Everyday Things

flower

I wanted to pop in and THANK YOU all for your comments and well wishes on the blog-iversary! I’m feeling very deadline-y this week so I haven’t had a chance to reply to everyone. Rest assured, I’m enjoying your visits and plan to virtually get out and visit some new-to-me blogs very soon.

You still have time to enter by commenting on my previous post.

Thanks, everyone!!

flowers

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It IS all about the cotton

April 14, 2009 at 8:54 am · Filed under Fabric

cotton
Yesterday was my cotton anniversary — two years of this blog.

Since the traditional gift of the second anniversary IS cotton, of course, there is a little cotton giveaway. I’ll be sending off eight fat quarters of cheery, festive Monaco and Pretty Please fabrics. I still can’t get enough of these fun fabrics I’ve been using in the Birdcage quilt and in the Lover’s Knot/Rose Dream blocks! The winner can even specify whether she/he prefers pink/orange, blue/green or a mix in the stack.

I’ll be giving one entry to all commenters up to now on my last 10 posts, one entry for commenting on this post and one entry if you post a link to this giveaway on your blog (email me a link to your post at alobsiger(at)gmail.com). You’ll have until Friday, April 17 at 11:59 pm EST to enter. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday, April 18.

Thanks for all the camaraderie and kind comments over the past two years! Here’s to more cotton in the future!

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Lover’s knot/rose dream block

April 11, 2009 at 7:34 am · Filed under Quilts, Tools

I thought I would post some info about this block:

rdblock1

I’ve seen this called Lover’s Knot and also Rose Dream. This is a 12″ pieced block (please refer to recent conversion to curved piecing…). I used a template set acquired on eBay from Jerry’s Gizmos. I had another set for an 8″ block but I thought the inset piece was a little narrow for my tastes. Can I add that the Bernina #57 patchwork foot really makes a difference for me in piecing these curves. I’m sure that other machines probably have a similar foot–a 1/4″ foot but with a little edger kind of thing. It helps me control the curve a little better–kind of like training wheels. I can’t stand to use #57 for straight seams (you know, already having found the 1/4″ “sweet spot” with a regular 1/4″ foot…), but love it for curves.

Matilda’s Own also has an acrylic set for 4″ and for 8″ blocks. You may be able to get those from Kathy. While it is super-easy to get goodies from Australia, I couldn’t find anyone in the U.S. who carries Matilda’s Own templates–and they make some great ones.

So, that’s the block info. The blocks are fun to make and the imagination runs wild with fabric and color possibilities. This may be a slow-moving project with a block added here and there. But I would like to run off and make a block right now…

EDITED TO ADD: I’m also wondering if the Melon Block template (templates make an 8″ block) from Elisa’s Backporch could be slightly modified to achieve the same block as above. One would need to cut both concave pieces using the shorter concave template and then add a square to two ends one of those pieces. Clear as mud, but I think this template set might work too.

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Opening day

April 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm · Filed under Everyday Things, Fabric, Quilts

I think the Peeps were ready for the Tigers’ home opener:

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I can’t tell for sure, but I think they’re doing the wave.

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Look, you can eat an entire row for just 140 calories! And you get a gram of protein! See, Katy, it says “natural flavors.” That has to be good, right? Don’t worry, I’m not planning to send the entire stadium. While acquiring these, I found the last bag of Lifesavers jelly beans in a 1/4 mile radius. Thank heaven. Cuz I was out.

I’m posting this for Pam to see. I told her I had the bossy needlework manual from which I learned to crochet eons ago (having since lost those skillz). She has a bossy manual too. This one cost my granny one thin dime:

onethindime

For a dime, you could acquire all of these mad needlework skillz:

allofthis

It’s the old-school, bossy approach to teaching needlework. I like that in an instruction manual:

bossy

Had I been any older when I learned from this, I’m sure I would have had an opinion of what the manual could do with its left hand. Perhaps this manual–used at such a tender age–is the root of all of my problems with authority. Ya think?

Oh well.

I can’t get enough of the bright Free Spirit’s bright Monaco and Pretty Please fabrics. And I couldn’t get enough of Kathy’s Arcadia quilt (scroll down) the other day:

rdblock

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Oh, is that ever a fun block to make!

Have a peaceful weekend!

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PEZ fabric

April 9, 2009 at 1:24 pm · Filed under Fabric

While Stephanie (oh, wait, if you read today’s post, she may have lead herself astray…) was leading me astray, I found that AE Nathan has a group of PEZ fabrics. Wasn’t that your favorite candy?? All full of artificial goodness, Katy! Since I have eaten all the jelly beans, it would be safer to substitute fabric candy…or candy fabric.

To further lead you astray, Fabric Shack has its Amy Butler fabrics at 20% off and has a pretty darn good price to begin with. Oh no, the solids are calling me…

My apologies.

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