A day off!

Well, three, actually!  My kids are on spring break this week, so I am taking off today, tomorrow and Friday to be with them.  Which, of course, means that yesterday at work was AWFUL!  I swear, sometimes days off almost aren't worth it with all the extra work you put in before and after you leave!  Almost not worth it, but after not setting my alarm clock today, dressing in comfy sweats, and lingering over breakfast, I'll say they days off definitely ARE worth it!

So, with 24 commenters about which quilt I should quilt next, the one with the most mentions was Star Power with 13 mentions.  I don't think I said I was going to quilt the one with the most votes, did I?  'Cause I'm not.  I'm not even going to work on the one with the second most number of mentions, Make Mine Nine with 11 mentions (although, if only 9 people had mentioned it, I probably would have considered that a sign...).  Nope, I'm going to start with Plaid Dresden with 9 mentions because 1) I think the quilting will be straightforward and obvious to me once I get started and 2) I made it for my sister's vacation home in New Hampshire, and I can't wait to snuggle up under it while I am up there visiting.

Imagine me, a cozy lump curled up under the quilt

 I'd love to have it done for my visit at the end of June...but that isn't happening.  I know my limits, and I'm not going to make myself crazy.

Thanks everyone for pitching in your two cents.  I used the Random Number Generator to pick a winner for the giveaway, and I got #15, my sister.  That won't work - she doesn't quilt, and didn't want to be added to the drawing.  Back to the RNG, and #8 came up this time, Char!  Let me know what you'd like me to buy for you at the quilt shop this week, Char!

On the quilting front, I haven't finished hand quilting the Charm quilt yet.  My step-father made a surprise visit on Sunday, and we spent the afternoon finishing up construction on my chicken tractor.  I just have a few details left to take care of, and then it will be ready for residents.  I'm excited to be so close to being done, but that meant many valuable hours away from needle, thread and thimble.

I've also been reading up a storm.  I finished Sonoma Rose, by Jennifer Chiaverini, and am now finishing the second of Dana Cameron's Emma Fielding mysteries.  The third is en route to me from a PaperBackSwap.com member right now.  I sure do love that site!  This week, 3 items were requested from me, 2 audiobooks and one paperback, so once they reach their destinations, I'll have 5 book credits!  If you like to read, have books that you are willing to part with, and like getting goodies in the mail, I encourage you to sign up for paperbackswap.com!

OK, off to quilt and watch McLeod's Daughters - a perfect way to spend a couple of hours.  Enjoy your day!

Will you help me decide? (giveaway)

My sister called with something akin to panic in her voice, wondering if I had dropped off the face of the earth.  Apparently, I haven't posted anything on my blog for a while.  OK, sis, I get the hint.  It's just that I haven't done anything new lately, and I don't want to bore anyone, myself included.

But seriously, I have made significant progress hand quilting my Charm lap/baby quilt.  I'm hoping to have it done this weekend. I like the meander around the polka dots on the backing, but it isn't the fastest way to quilt. 

The back - I'm quilting from the back with the dots as a guide

The front - makes me even more diligent about making sure my stitches are even since it is the back of my quilting that will be on the front of my quilt!

For my next hand quilting project, I want to do something even simpler, something with straight lines, either a crosshatch or outline stitch.  And I would like my next quilt that I finish to be one that is big enough to sleep under.  So, I pulled out my quilt tops and selected the bed-sized ones that could conceivably look nice with simple, straight line stitching. 

I can't decide which to quilt first, so I'm hoping you all will help me decide.  There will be a fabric surprise in store for one lucky commenter - I plan to use some credit at a quilt shop next week to buy some batting, and I'm willing to use some of that credit on one of you.  Let me know which of the following quilts YOU think I should quilt next, and if you want to suggest a quilting motif, too, even better!  Next Tuesday (4/10/12), I'll choose a random commenter and find out what kind of fabric that person would like me to find for him/her at the quilt shop next week.  Just consider me your personal shopper!

Anyway, here are the options, with names that I am trying out for now.  Feel free to suggest better names if you think of something. (ignore the wrinkles - the poor tops have been squirreled away in an armoire for months, or even YEARS, in some cases.  I swear I could hear them breathe a sigh of relief to see the light of day when I pulled them out!):

A. Plaid Dresden

It isn't really as washed out looking as it appears in this bright sunlight

B. Ribbon of Hope

Flapping in the breeze - this quilt just wouldn't stay still for a photo!  It was like photographing one of my children!

C. Star Power

I completely forgot I had made this top!

D. Lincoln Logs

I thought you were supposed to photograph your quilts in natural light - why do all mine seem so washed out?

E. Make Mine Nine

Just pretend this is a decent photo - I despair of ever getting a good-looking shot of these quilts!

Got an opinion about which I should plan to quilt next?  I'd love to hear it!

Some of you may be wondering what I've been doing since I haven't whipped out anything new or finished anything old lately.  Honestly, I've been reading.  Somehow I completely missed that Jennifer Chiaverini's Sonomo Rose came out, so that's what I'm reading now.  I didn't even realize it was an Elm Creek Quilts book since it doesn't have "quilt" in the name, like all the others do!  I also discovered a new-to-me cozy mystery series.  Some of you know I grew up (mostly) in Maine and that I majored in Archaeology in college.  Dana Cameron writes a series of mysteries with a female archaeologist from Maine named Emma Fielding as the protagonist.  I picked up the first book in the series, Site Unseen, at a used book store last weekend and blazed through it, thoroughly enjoying it.  The only thing that could have made it better is some quilts.  And lucky me, there are 5 more books to enjoy in the series!  I ordered the 2nd and 3rd in the series from paperbackswap.com.  Which of you introduced me to that site, anyway?  I have yet to properly thank you - I LOVE IT!  It is my go-to location when I am looking to acquire new books, and such a great way to unload the books I have that I don't want to keep.

I've also been playing basketball.  Me, the 5 foot tall soccer player (well, 25 years ago, anyway) who has never played an organized game of basketball in my life!  I got together a team of women (we called ourselves the I Team - I for Ibruprofen!) who also work at the University where I work, and we've played a game every week for the last 5 weeks against some sorority girls, also known as tall, quick, lithe, energizer bunnies half our age.  We beat them the first 4 times out, but last night, we just couldn't keep up and lost.  I can't wait to play again next year!  My bruises should have faded by then...

The chicken coop is coming together slowly.  Unfortunately, I approached its construction much like I do my quilts, with a general idea of what I want, but no pattern.  I've discovered it is easier to fudge things with fabric than with wood.  And my kids have the attention span of gnats, so they only ever want to work on it for about 20 minutes before they lose interest and want to skateboard or ride bikes or do anything other than build.  We might not have chickens for a long time...

I've also been busy with Cub Scouts.  We've been working on Language and Culture Belt Loops and Pins, which included a trip to a Mexican restaurant in town with some native speakers and a performance of a skit/song at last night's pack meeting where I was the ONLY ONE SINGING!  The little twerps left me hanging out to dry, which was unfair since they were wearing homemade Elephant masks to disguise themselves and I was just myself.  We've also been working on Art Belt Loops and Pins, which included a visit to an art gallery with lots of western (read Cowboys and Indians) art that the boys loved.  And finally, we've been working on Disability Awareness Belt Loops and Pins, which included a trip to a Special Olympics event and a visit from a blind Eagle Scout who shared with us his guide dog, his cane, his talking computer, his braille, and his Goalball.  Goalball is a Paralypmics sport, and he was on a world championship 19-and-under team, and is still playing now on the US National Team.  Needless to say, not only were the boys rapt, but so were the parents!  Cub Scouts is a lot of time and effort and work for me, but it is one of the most rewarding things that I do!

As of last weekend, it is Drive-In Movie season again.  I'm still on the Board of Directors, and still the Volunteer Coordinator, so that is keeping me busy, too.  We'll be heading there tonight for a double feature of kids movies - The Adventures of TinTin and We Bought A Zoo.  I'm not sure who's more excited, the kids or me!

Finally, I'm still teaching karate once a week, as well as taking classes myself.  I find it hard to believe that I enjoy teaching it even more than I enjoy learning it myself.  I know I do a lot, but they are all things that I really enjoy doing - how can I say "no"?

And for those of you who are wondering, no, I didn't quit my job.  I'm still going there every day, too.  Somehow I convinced myself that things would slow down in April, but I haven't had lunch or left on time all week. (sigh) I'm so glad I enjoy my job since I spend so much time there.

Books, books, books!!!

As expected, yesterday was exhausting, so when I got home yesterday evening, I climbed into bed with my Earlene Fowler Love Mercy book; the sewing room would have to wait. Alas, no more pieced letters. But while sitting on the bleachers during the morning's basketball games, I did finish sewing the center circles onto my plaid Dresden Plates.


Quick question: why did none of you mention that I hadn't yet sewn those circles on PRIOR to my sewing the top together? It would have been SOOOO much easier if I had sewn those on first, the way it is supposed to be done! Oh well, done is done.

So, since I don't have new sewing to show you, how about new books? Bernie emailed me to see how I got my list of Quilt Fiction on my sidebar, which made me realize that I'd not updated my list with my most recent acquisitions, which made me wonder if some of the other books I wanted might be available yet, which led me to discover that there are some new books that have come out that I hadn't realized, and some others coming out soon. Yay!

I picked up the following titles (used) to add to my quilt fiction collection:

• Cat's Cradle, Jacob's Ladder and Double Wedding Room, all from Lizbie Brown - these are from a series of 6 books. I have the first two, Broken Star and Turkey Tracks, and once these arrive, I'll just be missing the third, Shoo Fly. I've been trying to find these books for years - they are hard to come by here in the US. In summary, "Elizabeth, a widowed American, left Virginia to run a quilt shop in Bath. There, she finds herself unofficially teaming up with Max, a PI whose office is above her shop." (from http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/lizbie-brown/broken-star.htm) I've not read these three yet.

• Sister's Choice, Endless Chain, Touching Stars and Wedding Ring from Emilie Richards' Shenandoah Album series. Oops, looks like I missed one - Lover's Knot. Oh well, I'll get it later. No rush, as I've read all of these (and LOVE them!). By the way, I also love her Ministry is Murder series, although I have one of those left to read. And in it, the protagonist's mom is a quilter, so there are quilts in these books, too.

• Murder by Serpents: The Mystery Quilt by Barbara Graham. I know nothing about this book or this author, but I like quilts and I like mysteries. The editorial review from Amazon reads, "Spring in East Tennessee is normally the most beautiful of seasons, a time of growth and renewal. Residents of tiny Park County are shocked when it is also a time for murder. When a snake-handling preacher is murdered with his own snakes, Sheriff Tony Abernathy and his wife, Theo, a quilt shop owner are thrown into the search for a killer. From the beginning of the investigation, it seems like an unlikely choice of weapons. Why kill a man few people even knew existed? The trouble has just begun. Soon the entire sheriff's department is fighting rising water, more deaths and illegal drugs. Theo aides Tony's search as she runs her shop, designs a mystery quilt (pattern included) and is mom to their two young sons." We'll see. If I like it, she has another book in the series. I've not bought it yet, though, since all I can find online is a $26 hardcover, and that is a bit out of my price range for my quilt fiction library purchases.

• The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich. Again, I know nothing about the book or the author, but one of the reviews on Amazon reads, "Carly McKay, a 29-year-old TV producer in Tucson, Ariz., comes from a loving Catholic family—a great dad and two sisters—all of whom have been scarred by the wife and mom who abandoned them 17 years earlier. On assignment from Tucson Today, Carly travels to Bilby, a small town revitalized by a thriving artist community, to interview Brandywine Seaver, a hip psychic quilt maker. Brandy gives skeptical Carly a quilt and a reading, telling her that her mother's not dead and that "[e]verything's about to change." When her mother's shocking return confirms Brandy's reading and she also loses her job, an angry Carly returns to Bilby to give back the "Quilt of Evil." She ends up staying in order to reimagine her life, and in the process discovers new love and the courage to take charge of her destiny."
  Again, we'll see.

And I am waiting on pins and needles (hee hee hee) for the following books to be released:

• Earlene Fowler's next Benni Harper book, Spider Web, is due out in late May. Woo hoo! this may be my favorite series of all time!
• Marie Bostwick's fourth Cobbled Court Quilts books, Threading the Needle, which is due out at the end of May, plenty of time for you to read the first 3 if you've not read them yet!

• Clare O'Donohue's third in her Someday Quilts Mystery Series, The Double Cross, actually came out in September. How did I miss that!?! Next order, that will be on it!

• Arlene Sachitano's fourth Loose Threads Mystery, Quilt by Association, was released in late December. I guess that will be on my next book order, too!

• Jennifer Chiaverini's The Union Quilters will be out in late February. Perhaps I should plan my next book order for then. I like all of her books, but I particularly like the ones with a historical slant/theme.

Also, does anybody know the answer to this: I have Bonnie Hunter's Scraps and Shirttails 2 and Tonya Ricucci's Word Play Quilts on my TO BUY list. But I am wondering, are they (the authors) better off if we buy the book from a "bricks and mortar" bookstore, from Amazon, or directly from them? Does it make a difference? I want to do whatever I can to support these artists/authors in the fullest way possible (within my limited means). Does anyone know?

Overcast

Overcast. That word held many meanings for my Sunday.

First, it was the weather. Blah. Gray, cold, a perfect day for staying inside, which I did. I would have liked to just sew, but the filth in my house got to be too much, so I spent the morning cleaning. I have to say that, when I did go down to sew, it was without the guilt that sometimes accompanies me as I do what I want to do, rather than what I should do.

Second, it was a stitch that I employed for the first time as I made two additional T-Shirt Drawstring Backpacks for my sister and her son. I may need to go back to my niece's skirt and employ the overcast stitch in a couple places there so that her seams don't unravel.

I like that the t-shirts they gave me had images on both sides so these bags are reversible.

Third, overcast described my mood. Six students from my university were involved in a car accident, and two of them were quite banged up. One, a student who has been to my house on a number of occasions, may be paralyzed. Another couldn't be identified for a number of hours because of the extent of the injury. I spent the day in a cloud of sadness and dismay and an aching heart for those kids, their parents, the driver, the whole web of lives that this accident touched. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they begin the long recovery process.

On a happier note, I finished piecing the Plaid Dresden so my design wall is now empty and ready to receive a new project.

I have lots of hand quilting to do, so I hope to be disciplined and focus most of my sewing energy on getting some of these tops quilted, but I know myself and that I'll be sneaking down to visit my sewing machine every so often, so the design wall won't be empty for long.

I survived!

What DIDN'T we do this weekend!?! First, the parade on Friday night. Of course, it snowed! But we kept warm inside decorating our cars until the very last minute.

Once we were out there, the snow stopped and the kids did a great job moving forward - having a movie to watch helped!

I brought up the rear carrying the banner I made from fabric fused to fabric. I cut the letters free-hand - kind of fun, although some letters (S, N, W) are hard to get right the first time!

Saturday and Sunday were super busy, too (I won't bore you with the details of the 2 basketball games, Santa's workshop, movie, luncheon with our "adopted" international student, grocery shopping, laundry, blah, blah, blah), but I did get some sewing done.

1) All four of my wallhangings are now completed and just waiting to go into frames - photo to come when the frames arrive.
2) I finished all the sashing and cornerstones for my Plaid Dresden and got one row sewn together (I know, the photo looks the same as last time, but I promise you, there are more sewn seams this time!)

3) My latest Leaders & Enders project has been to make scrappy log cabin blocks from my scrap bag using 2" strips. Here's what I have so far, all in various stages of completion, and none completely done.

4) I did all the prep work for a project I am working on for my niece for Christmas. I've never made clothing before, but I'm trying out a skirt. We'll see...

Today is bright, but frigid, and I really just want to be on the couch quilting and sipping tea, but you know how it goes. Instead, I will embrace my full life and the excitement that each new day brings!

Second wind

I had been feeling a bit under the weather earlier this week, so not much sewing was taking place. Instead, I made homemade soup, slathered myself in Vicks Vapor Rub, and buried myself in blankets and sweatsuits before the sun even went down to read and rest and get well. I'm happy to report that it worked, and I feel fit as a fiddle now, but you know that inertia that sets in when you don't sew for a while? I seemed to have lost my drive to go downstairs into the sewing room and get back at it. My bed and my books had a siren call that I couldn't resist.


Well, there's nothing like getting fabric in the mail to catapault you back into the sewing room! Nancy, known on the blogosphere as Mamanance, sent me some homespuns from her collection for my Plaid Dresden Plate quilt (which needs a name, by the way; any ideas?), and that was all the impetus I needed. Thanks, Nancy! Every single fabric you sent is now in my quilt!

As soon as I made it back to the house from the mailblox yesterday, I finished piecing together the last two plates, which are now ready to be appliqued down during stolen moments this week - during lunch, waiting at the bus stop with the kids, in between karate classes this afternoon.

And I started piecing together the sashing strips and the 9-patch cornerstones.
To the unpracticed eye, it may seem like I haven't gotten much done, but believe me, I was a whirling dervish in the sewing room last night. And I feel so much more settled now that most of the quilt is off the floor and on the design wall - I hate building a quilt on the floor; I'm spoiled, I know.

So, goals are good, right? My goal is to have this entire top pieced together by the time I go to bed Sunday night. I'm really anxious to have these blocks be a top and this top be a quilt. When my sister and I spend our "twins retreat" up at her new vacation home in New Hampshire in April, I plan to sleep under this quilt!

And I'll leave you with an image that a colleague sent me - obviously the photographer is NOT a quilter - I would be THRILLED to see that many quilt magazines in one place!

Slowing down with some hand sewing and reading

This has been my first full week at home since Labor Day. Aaaahhhh! I thought I would spend lots of time in the sewing room with my machine and my fabric, but instead I have found myself hanging out with the boys, working on Halloween costumes and reading Halloween books and watching Halloween movies. Do you think they're excited about Halloween?

So, that means instead of a quilt top to show you, all I've managed to do this week is applique down two more scrappy plaid Dresden Plates.

It's going to be a busy Halloween weekend with pumpkin carving tonight, work tomorrow morning and a Halloween party tomorrow afternoon, plus a Halloween party and trick or treating on Sunday, but I really want to fire up the machine and do something that looks like progress. Check back on Sunday - I promise to have something to show!

I've also been doing a lot of reading lately. I love Emilie Richards' Shenandoah Album series of books, but I've read all of them and no new ones seem to be coming out anytime soon. Then I discovered her Ministry is Murder cozy mystery series - love it!!! I've finished the first two, and have the third at my bedside. And lucky me, she just published the 5th in the series, so I have a couple weeks of reading ahead of me. I also just read her book, Happiness Key, which I also enjoyed. I'm going to have to check out even more of her books!

I've completely run out of Beverly Connor's Lindsay Chamberlain mystery series. There were only 5 books, and I devoured them. I was an archaeology major in college, so these stories about a forensic anthropologist really appealed to me. The website says there's another book in the works, but I don't know how accurate that is. Beverly Connor has another longer series with another protagonist, Diane Fallon, also a forensic anthropologist, which I am going to try next.

And what have I been reading to my kids when I can distract them from Halloween? My two absolute favorite quilt books for kids, Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt

and The Quiltmaker's Gift.

If the young people in your life don't have these books, GET THEM! I love reading them, I love the artwork, I love the messages in both of them. They are wonderful!

And finally, I leave you with images of the two most special people in my life...

today is western wear day at school...

and who doesn't love hanging out in a wheelbarrow?

Daydreaming about the future

Remember these plaid Dresden Plates I worked on while traveling (before they took my needles away, that is)?

Here's where I am going with them.

I'm making quite a dent in my plaids and homespun stash, and since the blocks and sashing are so big (16" blocks, 3" wide sashing strips), it is coming together quickly. If I add one more row, it should measure 76.5" square. Notice I said "should", it won't, and I'm OK with that.


Anyway, here's the plan. My sister and her husband bought a second house in rural New Hampshire, walking distance to a swimming beach on a lake, just across the road from some hiking trails through the woods. They've spent the summer (and their savings) fixing it up with the idea that they can use it as a vacation home, but also as a vacation rental and retreat location. Her husband is an English teacher and a triathelete, so he was thinking of running creative writing and triathalon retreats. My sister is a knitter, so she was thinking of running knitting retreats. Guess what I get to do?


You guessed it! Quilting retreats! My head is spinning with the possibilities! I'm thinking of starting with a weekend flannel rag quilt workshop for beginners. I've not only made them, but also taught two other people how to make them so far, so it seems like a good place to start, as well as something that can be completed prior to the end of the workshop.


So anyway, back to the plaid Dresden Plates. I am making quilts for the beds in the house. It will take me quite some time, but what better advertising for the quilting retreats than sleeping under quilts by the instructor, right? (OK, there's probably better advertising out there, but humor me; I'm excited!) And since there will be retreats there that will attract both men and women, I wanted to make something that might appeal to both. The plaids say "masculine" and "cabin in the woods" to me, while the Dresden Plates say "a touch of femininity" and "an appreciation of pretty things." Do you think that works, or am I way off base?


And since I'm dreaming about the future, let me just tell you how my kids are making me realize that the future is rushing up and past me, despite my best efforts to slow it down. When I came back from abroad, Donald showed me how he now knows how to tie his own shoes! I am so proud! But gosh, that wasn't a milestone I wanted to miss, and it feels like one that just opens the floodgates for more independence.


Then yesterday, Jason was elected to student council. I don't even think we HAD student council in third grade. But he is walking on cloud nine. I must say, his poster was pretty,

and his speech was earnest and heartfelt. Again, I am so proud! I just hope he doesn't take this elected office idea too far and try to run for president one day. He just might win, and I'd really hate to have him have such a thankless job.

And finally, I'm worrying about my friend's future. Remember my neighbor who moved to a retirement community with her husband who has Alzheimers? Remember my recent visits with them and the adventures we had? Her husband died yesterday morning. I'm so sad, and so concerned for her. They were married well over 40 years, possibly over 50 years. I can't imagine being left alone after all that time together. I need to make sure to make a greater effort to go see her more often; she's only a little over an hour's drive away, but she's no longer driving, so it is up to me.

We never know what the future may hold...

Checklist

As I prepare to leave for this trip to Latin America, I keep noticing little ways in which my little guys are growing up, and I fret about what I will miss while I am gone. Donald seems to incorporate more and more sophisticated words in his vocabulary every day - he doesn't sound like a little kid anymore. And he has moved into his own room and has been busily setting about making it his own space. Jason is running for Student Council Secretary (because 3rd graders can't run for President) and spent last night working on his campaign speech. This weekend he is headed to New York City with his grandmom to do A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM at the Natural History Museum. I hate to miss any of this!

However, duty calls. (For all of you misguided folks who thought this was a pleasure trip - NOPE! I'll be working or traveling every day, including Saturday and Sunday. I'll try include some fun stuff in there to share with all of you - and to get my mind off the fact that I am working every darned day!)

I need lists to keep me on task as I prepare for this trip abroad (my plane leaves in 4 hours). Unfortunately, the list shows me how much I have yet to do. The truth is, some of it just isn't going to get done!

Prepare some Dresden Plate blocks to applique onto backgrounds on this trip - check!

Finish another color word - YELLOW (W really threw me for a loop!) - check!

Stock up on books and PlayAway audio books for this trip - check!

Catch up on laundry and recycling so my family doesn't have to deal with it in my absence - check!

Help the kids clean their rooms so their Daddy won't throw away all their toys while I am gone - check!

Clean the fish bowl - check!

Prepare presentation for Friday's conference in Mexico City - nope

Edit scholarship market letters for this year that were supposed to have been mailed already - nope

Make travel arrangements for prospective students to visit campus next month - nope

Finish project for Board of Trustees meeting later this month - nope

Pack for this trip - other than my quilting and reading materials, nope

I'd better get cracking! (You can kinda see where my priorities lie, though, can't you?) Next time you hear from me, I'll be somewhere exotic...stay tuned! And be sure to leave a comment on my last post by midnight EST tonight if you want to be entered in the giveaway for a mystery gift from my travels.