Much Needed Prayer

Life is busy. That goes without saying if you happen to be a mom. We tend to take for granted that one day will be pretty much like the next, and if we behave ourselves nothing much will go wrong. Life will be good…and busy.

But…you knew that was coming didn’t you. But, no matter how much sameness there is in our everyday life there’s always the chance that something unexpected might happen. Such is the case in the life of one of our quilting icons, Libby Lehman. One day she’s in Paducah immersed in the quilting life she so loves, the next thing we know she’s in the hospital having surgery for an aneurysm.

In the event that you haven’t heard, on May 2 it was announced on The Quilt Show that Miss Libby was in a Houston hospital suffering from an aneurysm. On May 5 the update said that the swelling in her brain had gone down but that the stroke she suffered on Friday was massive. The stroke paralyzed her left side. Miss Libby is left handed.

She was kept unconscious for several days but the good news today was that she was awake a couple of times and did respond to her husband’s voice. She is still in critical but stable condition. She and her family members need our prayers. While her body is healing, her family, close friends, and the quilting community in general are no doubt trying to overcome the shock that this unexpected event has inflicted.

I think I can honestly say there are a lot of quilters out there who love Miss Libby as if she was a blood relative and who admire her work and creativity. If you read my previous post you might remember my mentioning Martha Pullen’s Quilt Academy. It was there that I was first introduced to Miss Libby and her wonderful thread painting skills. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, it was at that first academy so you can see why my brain was on overload at the end of the first day. I have admired her work ever since. I have her Threadplay book and have planned on trying her techniques since I first saw her lecture at the academy, I think that was in 2001 but don’t hold me to that. While it doesn’t seem like that many years have passed, they have. Look at all these years where I’ve wanted to do something and haven’t. Yes, I’ve been busy raising and teaching our children, running the shop, etc., but (there’s that word again) I’ve lost out on ten years of possibly creating something beautiful.

Unexpected health issues like those that have happened and are playing out in Miss Libby’s life are a wake up call to us all. No one knows what’s going on inside their body at any given time, and we don’t know when our body is going to go crazy on us and retaliate for not taking better care of it. I for one am guilty of said negligence…very guilty. Needless to say, since learning about Miss Libby’s condition I have been doing a lot of thinking. There are some things I need to take care of, some are health related, many are family related, and I need to do that sooner than later because I have no guarantee that there will be a later. How about you?

The folks at The Quilt Show have graciously opened two episodes with Libby Lehman for viewing, free of charge to all. They are episodes #112 and #513. Whether you are or are not familiar with this wonderful quilter’s work, you need to take some time and watch these shows. Don’t put this off as they are only available until May 12.

The family has asked that no flowers or quilts be sent to the hospital, but cards, either the paper variety or fabric cards can be sent and would be appropriate at this time. I get the feeling that Miss Libby might just top Santa when it comes to getting mail. The address for sending her a card is:

Libby Lehman
617 Caroline
Houston, TX 77002

While a card shows that we care about her condition and serves to let the family know just how highly we regard this talented woman, though I’m sure they already know that, continued prayer on her behalf is really what she needs most of all. Yes, I know she’s not the only person in the world who is in critical condition at the moment, but she’s the only quilting person that I know at the moment who’s creative abilities would be sorely missed were they not able to continue to bless and enrich the lives of those of us who live and breathe quilting. So take a moment now and as often as you think of Miss Libby in the coming days and weeks and ask our Great Physician if He would be merciful to her, give her strength and healing, give the doctors wisdom, and allow her to fully recover. God does still answer prayers. He does still allow for miracles. All we are told to do is to ask in prayer, believing, and He will answer. The verse that I’ve learned to cling to in times like these is Psalm 18:30, “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” You can’t get any better than perfect.

Sleepy Saturday

While I love you dearly, I was tempted, almost beyond my ability to resist, to stay in bed this morning and not bother opening the shop. “Why?” you ask. Because it was dark, rainy, and just a perfect day for staying in bed snoozing, or maybe reading a book. With Paducah coming to an end, and it being a rainy day, I was pretty sure no one much would be out and about today. Unfortunately, I was right.

While I know quilters in this area and beyond look forward to the AQS show in Paducah each year, quilt shop owners do not. Well, maybe I should only speak for myself. This quilt shop owner doesn’t look forward to Paducah time because it pretty much kills business for the whole month of April and on into May. “Why?” you ask again. Because folks who make plans to go to Paducah save their money for weeks before the trip, then spend their money on the trip, and then are broke once they get back home from the trip for a few more weeks. It really takes a bite out of our monthly sales figures. Not good for a small, independent quilt shop. Even if they don’t buy all that much at the show it still costs a dollar or two to make the trip, especially if they stay for three or four days.

In past years, we’ve had folks drop in on their way to Paducah which is always nice. We didn’t this year as far as I could determine. We also have had folks drop in on their way back home from Paducah. Again, I don’t think a single person who’s been on their way home stopped by. I’m not sure what to make of that, but I have some theories rolling around in my head that I’ll let stay there for the time being.

I have heard, by way of conversations, from a few ladies who went that the quilts, while mostly beautiful, were too artsy for their taste and there was almost nothing there that they’d take the time to make. The skill level was amazing as one would expect, but the “life” in the quilts left something to be desired. One person thought there were too many pictorial quilts, something she’d never bother trying…me neither for that matter. Call me old fashioned (I’ve been called worse and probably will be again if you keep on reading), but I still marvel as much if not more over the appliqué quilts made back in the ‘30s and the hand quilting that was done on them than over the modern/contemporary quilts of today. Maybe that’s because those quilts from long ago were made with very primitive tools by comparison to what we have today, and the fabrics were whatever the quilter could get her hands on. No matchy matchy, dye or print fabric especially for a particular quilt back then.

I know I’m opening a can of worms here, and no, I’m not knocking or belittling the quilts that were exhibited this year, or any year. I greatly admire the work of these artists and know enough to appreciate all the time and energy that gets put into these quilts. I well remember my introduction into the world of art quilting by Caryl Bryer Fallert and her stunning quilt New Dawn. I went to Martha Pullen’s Quilt Academy the very first year it was held, and every year thereafter, just to see Nancy Zieman. She was the only person on the program who I’d ever heard of. You have to understand, at this point in time I was not into quilting but was very much into sewing, especially children’s garments. In that same venue I not only saw Mrs. Zieman and Mrs. Fallert-Gentry, but I also fell under the spell of Jinny Beyer and Ricky Tims. This was a three day event and I went home after the first day with brain overload…bigtime!

When I got home I pulled up New Dawn on the computer to show my husband. I told him I’d found what I wanted for Christmas (you can stop laughing any time now…). When he saw the photo of the quilt his exact words were, “That’s not a quilt!” When I told him it was an art quilt he was just as dumbfounded as I had been. Who would have thought that someone could take fabric and make something that looked so much like a painting. To this day that remains one of my most favorite quilts to look at. Victoria saved a photo of it to my phone and that’s what shows up any time I press the “on” button. She also saved a photo of Ricky Tim’s Fire Dragon Rhapsody (you might have to scroll down a few rows to see it). This is the quilt I see after I swipe the little arrow to open my phone. It is also the quilt that Mr. Tims debuted at our shop in April 2005 when he taught here. He’d not entered it into Paducah that year because he’d entered the Lonestar quilt he and his dad had done together. So you see, I do appreciate and admire art quilts.

It just appears to me, by way of observation, that the quilting world seems to still be split into two sectors. If that truly is the case, and neither the twain shall meet, maybe the shows need to be split as well. Maybe there needs to be a major show for traditional quilters and a separate major show for the contemporary, art, and modern quilter. Just thinkin’ out loud here…

According to the speaker at a recent guild meeting, quilts that won ribbons years ago wouldn’t even be considered for shows today. I know the observation wasn’t meant to sound snooty, but I couldn’t help but kinda hear it that way. I have no doubt that those quilts from years ago were just as well made but not nearly as over the top as those we’re seeing now. If it’s true that skillfully made quilts that are traditional in nature will face higher hurdles just to make it into the major quilt shows where all the big money is to be had, then those quilts may very well be doomed to be relegated to local quilt shows where they may only get local exposure and never be seen by the larger quilting population who would appreciate them just as much as they do those over-the-top quilts at the major shows. And no, I’m not knocking the local quilt shows either because some of them are pretty good size and have some awesome quilts on display. I just can’t help but wonder what would happen if those quilters who prefer traditional quilts and who go to the AQS show in Paducah each year only to come back somewhat to very disappointed because they see their quilting world going more and more toward the artsy side of quilting decided to just quit going to the show all together. Would they be missed? Are there enough of the artsy quilt lovers out there to sustain a show of such magnitude? I’d already heard from vendors at past shows that sales were down and some vendors opted not to even go to one of the biggest shows on the books. Yes, it makes you wonder what would happen if the traditionally minded quilters stepped away, or “shrugged” if you will, and used their buying power differently. Hmmm…

OK…this whole post totally went down a rabbit trail because what I’d REALLY meant to tell you about is a new set of FREE projects called Quilting Editions that is supposed to start today on the Quilting Tizzy blog. Here is the list of supplies that you’ll need. Sheryl will give us two sets of instructions each month and showed four different projects that she’ll be sharing with us. I can’t wait to get to project #4 because that one has a teapot on it. As of this posting the instructions weren’t up yet but be patient. She has lots of critters vying for her attention, not to mention family and life in general. Just keep checking back until you see the instructions pop up. You could always subscribe to her blog which will prevent you from missing anything important. These projects should be quite interesting and will no doubt make me a bit hungry for strawberries, one of my all-time favorites. Let the cutting, and sewing, begin!

And the Winners Are…

Sorry to be so long in announcing who won all the goodies from Saturday’s giveaway. Life just seems to keep happening and getting in the way of making the announcement. So, without further ado, here are the lucky winners and what they’ve won:

Ann B. – The Giving Quilt book and pin
Dana S. – The Giving Quilt pin
Cheryl E. – The Wedding Ring pin
Janet R. – The Wedding Ring pin
Hueisei – Sonoma Rose pin
Denise P. – Sonoma Rose pin

Congratulations! Thanks so much to all of you for letting me know which pre-cuts, if any, you prefer. I hadn’t even thought about the 2-1/2” mini charms making our sewing so much quicker. They are a bit pricier you know, so for those who’ve not used them yet you might want to weigh price vs. convenience when buying these. Then again, they’re so cute it’s almost impossible to resist them! I’ll be looking into getting more pre-cuts now that I know I don’t have to have a lot of supporting fabrics to go with them.

I won’t keep you long but did want to point out a blog you might want to check into if you’ve not done so already. Jenny at Elefantz is doing Monogram Monday and shares a new letter every Monday that you can use to make a sampler or individual items. The letter for today is “J” so you’ll have to do some catching up. She has several really nice designs for free that you’ll want to take advantage of as well.

Looks like we get to enjoy some warm days for a while. I love sunshine! Victoria is ready to get a good tan and has already been mowing. We have tulips blooming along with our Chinese Almond bushes. I just saw a new sprig of it coming up in the side yard. How it got there is anyone’s guess. I’ll take it though. You’ll hear no complaints from me about self-planting plants, as long as they’re not weeds of course.

The Giving Quilt – Review and Giveaway

A few weeks back I was contacted by Mary Pomponio of Plume Books to see if I would be interested in doing a review of Jennifer Chiaverini’s book, The Giving Quilt which is to be released in paperback tomorrow (April 2). Obviously, my answer was YES! and I waited for the book to arrive.

While waiting, I debated on whether or not to read any of the many other books that Mrs. Chiaverini had written and decided against it. With this confession I have no doubt that you can’t believe that I, a quilt shop owner, have never read any of the Elm Creek Quilts books. I have collected several of them, probably at least 10, in hardback version but have never taken the time to read any of them. While I love books that carry on with familiar characters, I tend to prefer to start at the beginning and read the books in order. Since I’ve not had a chance to do this it’s not been done. So, rather than starting at the beginning of this series I decided to assume that I might not be the only quilty person out there who had never read an Elm Creek book and see if the book could stand alone without the benefit of having read any of the background information of the main characters. The book passed on this point with flying colors. If you happen to be one who has never read the Elm Creek series do not hesitate to pick up a copy of this book so that you too can begin your adventure into the lives of the Elm Creek Quilters.

In addition to some of the regular Elm Creek characters, the book focuses on the lives of five ladies who are attending a quilt camp sponsored by the Elm Creek Quilters. You get to learn “the rest of the story” so to speak about each of these ladies through flashbacks of the events in their lives that brought them together at camp. Through their stories, we are reminded that what may appear on one’s surface might be somewhat-to-greatly different than what lies underneath. I must admit that while I could identify with aspects in each of their lives, I don’t think I would be able to handle some of their situations quite as graciously as they do. If it is true that a writer puts much of themselves into their work, than I can only deduce that Mrs. Chiaverini is a very gracious and wise woman.

The timing of the review request was rather interesting. How? First off, the book starts with the Elm Creek ladies getting ready to host a quilt camp. We had just finished our third quilt camp, in as many months, just three days before Ms. Pomponio contacted me. Knowing what goes in to putting together a camp was not lost on me as I began reading the book. It did make me wish that I had a similar facility in which to host such a camp. The focus of the Elm Creek Quilters camp, called Quiltsgiving, was just that…giving. Sylvia asks at the beginning of camp, “Why do you give?” The answers were as varied as the quilters themselves. The quilts to be made that week were to be donated to Project Linus. The quilt design that the ladies learned to make there could then be used in their own community later on.

The second interesting aspect regarding timing was the cover of the book. The quilt shown there uses the same block that is in our first quarter Thimbleberries Club project. I didn’t realize until I read the book that the block is named Resolution Square. You learn something new every day!

While my preferred genre of reading is mysteries-I like the challenge of figuring out “who done it”-I did enjoy reading this book very much and do plan on starting at the beginning and reading those which came before. I know I have the first six books already which should be a good start and will have to see where the others that I have fall in the timeline. I just bought The Union Quilters in hardcover (don’t tell Victoria, she’s Confederate all the way!) while on vacation even though I knew it would be a while before I could get to it. Once a collector, always a collector; if it isn’t fabric it’s books and more…much, much more.

In addition to sending the book for me to read and review, Ms. Pomponio also sent a copy for me to give away on this blog. Plus, she graciously sent some beautiful quilt pins based on the books in the collection as well. I was thrilled to see that these pins were made by the company where we have gotten our charms and quilt pins the past several years, PinPeddlers. They do such wonderful work!

Wouldn’t you like to win? You have six opportunities to do so. Someone will win the book and a matching quilt pin, and five someones will each win a quilt pin. All I ask is that you leave a comment below. If you’d like, you’re welcome to answer a question that I’ve wanted to ask while you’re at it. I would be ever so grateful. The question is which of the pre-cuts, i.e. 2-1/2” strips, 5” squares, 10” squares, etc. do you buy most often? If you never buy pre-cuts please let me know that too. Do you buy them even if there are no supporting fabrics in the shop from which you are buying them? Just curious… You have until the end of our Spring Eggstravaganza to leave a comment. That would be by 5:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, April 6. Yes, we are having our loaded eggs this week so be sure to drop in for that. There’s a surprise in every egg!

What a Lovely Week!

Yes, what a lovely week it has been. We’ve had sunshine, and we’ve had snow. Thankfully, we had more sunshine than snow, but it was nice to look out for just a brief moment and see snow flying through the air, and I do mean flying! The wind was blowing it almost completely horizontally. What a treat!

Of course Valentine’s Day falling during the week made for a nice change as well. I got these from my husband of soon to be 25 years, and Dove chocolates and a new book to read from my secret stitchin’ sister at our guild meeting on Thursday night. Our program that evening was given by Miss Bonnie on the red and white quilts that were exhibited at the Armory in New York back in 2011. Absolutely perfect for a guild meeting that fell on Valentine’s Day.

I had all three of children here at one time or another during the week which hasn’t happened for a while. Everyone seems to be going in their own direction these days, except me of course. I’m here all the time, save for going to a guild meeting now and then and an occasional Friday night date. That’s probably just as well because I still can’t seem to find enough time to get done all that I want and need to do. Amazing!

We had our second Stitchin’ Camp last weekend and the ladies seemed to enjoy themselves as much as ever. They get sooooo many projects finished at camp! We had a few who had attended the first camp and returned for the second camp, and we had several who returned from last year, and then there were a few who had never been to camp before. I love having them all! I need to come up with a little different menu for the third camp which will be held March 7-9. Want to join us? There’s still room if you do.

On Saturday afternoon we have Show-n-Tell. We’ve seem some amazing quilts over the years during this time. Like this quilt shown at our January camp by Miss Frances. It started its life with just the center section that was taught in a guild workshop several years ago. The center section is known as a Gordian Knot and was taught by Nancy Allain. Our guild later had a challenge whereby the quilt had to start with a medallion center and was to grow from there. Miss Frances did a wonderful job of incorporating all the different requirements of the challenge.

Miss Pat taught a spiral table runner at the January camp and we had several of those to enjoy. She also brought several of her quilts that were made with the Twister tool and the X-Block tool. She believes that learning how to use a tool isn’t enough. You have to use the tool over and over again in order to really master it and keep the technique in your head. In order to master the technique she usually makes six, or more, of the new project so she doesn’t forget how. Here’s one of the runners that Victoria made (not my Victoria). Aren’t the colors wonderful!!!

Another impressive runner that was made in the January camp is this one. Susan did a beautiful job on this one, making it longer than the pattern says. While it looks very complicated, it’s done with striped fabric from the Holiday Flourish collection by Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman. Isn’t this runner absolutely gorgeous! You’d have to see it in person to really appreciate its beauty. If you’ve been looking for a quick and easy runner this one is exactly what you need. What an impact you get with only seven seams!

OK…I can now see how Flicker might come in handy for posting lots of show-n-tell photos. I’ll have to look into setting up an account so you can see all the other wonderful projects that we enjoyed during both camps as well as our camps last year. I think I have some photos from those camps as well that I could share with you.

I want to alert you to a new blog hop sponsored by Moda that starts tomorrow. You won’t want to miss this hop as there will be several 9” block patterns to save and prizes to win. Some of the designers you will know and some of them will be new to both you and me. I’m putting a reminder on my calendar now so I don’t get caught up in other goings on here and forget. This should be great fun so mark your calendar too!

Freebie Friday!

It’s been a while since I put together a list of freebies that I find as I cruise around the internet. I’m usually not looking for freebies; they just seem to pop up somehow. I’m not complaining mind you. It’s always nice to find free surprises. Even though we all have more on our to-do lists than we can possibly ever get done it never hurts to have options. The more the merrier I always think. Just click on the underlined words and you should be transported like magic on a wonderful adventure.

Be sure to check out Peck’s Pieces to get the last blocks of the Snowmen in the Pines wallhanging along with Miss Marjory’s newest offering, Chain of Love. If you get crackin’, I bet you can get that one finished for Valentine’s Day.

Do you like mysteries? I do if we’re talking in novel form. I’m not quite so keen on quilt mysteries but couldn’t resist following along with the New Year’s Day 2013 Mystery offered by Sheryl of Quilting Tizzy. All the clues are still there but she won’t leave them up forever. Just click on the link at the top of the page and you’ll find everything you need to get you going.

I’ve been following the Sentiments Sampler by Dawn Heese for Henry Glass Fabrics since October. It is a lovely 12 block sampler set on-point. I wish I could tell you that I have all the fabrics that were used to make that quilt, but I do not. There’s just so much room in the shop and so much room in our budget (yes, we kinda sorta do have one…such as it is). Be sure to save or print all the patterns for the blocks because there’s no guarantee how long they’ll be available.

Bunny Hill Designs is one of my favorites so I was thrilled when Anne posted a pattern for a heart to make on her blog January 5. She didn’t just make one heart she made a bunch of them! Go over and look at the different styles she made and the different ways she displayed them. I’ve got my pattern printed out and have been looking over my fabric options. Decisions, decisions…

January tends to be the month when we make resolutions to do many things. One such thing is oftentimes getting organized. I ran across these free storage labels when looking for something else…imagine that! There are round labels, square labels, and rectangular labels. Laminate them and they’ll last for a very long time. BHG has made the patterns in multiple colors so you could even color-code some things around the house. How clever is that! Thankfully, they give you the correct size of label that you’ll need to purchase if you don’t have them on hand already. So, if you want to organize your pantry, laundry room, sewing room, wherever, you now have the perfect labels for the task.

Speaking of labels, I think I may have shared this link before but couldn’t find it quickly when I went back through older posts so I’ll include it here for your convenience. I’ve had so much fun changing up the clip art on these labels. I made some for Victoria to put on gifts this past Christmas. I used the regular mailing label size template but deleted whatever the little picture was on the left hand side. I then put a harp clip art in that space making unique labels that left no doubt in anyone’s mind who was giving them a gift. I used them for the generic “From: The Andersons” as well as for our local guild since I’m now the secretary and have to mail out the newsletter to some of our members. I have a little mouse sitting on a pink spool of thread on those labels. Too cute! Give these a try. If you prefer unique address labels this is the way to go.

In looking to see whether or not I had given you the last label information or not, I discovered that there were ads at the bottom of my blog pages. Since I rarely read my own blog I didn’t realize these were there. I apologize for them being there and will look into how to get rid of them. I think I probably have to pay WordPress some amount in order to have them removed. Rest assured that I’m not making any money off the ads, but I do believe that they are in an effort to cover the cost of the FREE blog site they offer. Maybe it’s only in our beloved Quiltland that things offered for free really are.

Happy New Year!

The New Year has arrived! For us it arrived quietly – no bells, no whistles. Yep, we were asleep when the clock struck twelve. Victoria stayed up though. Ahhhh, youth…

The New Year finds us with internet service again after being down since the 17th, the guy who came out to fix it didn’t fix it correctly. I can now get to the internet and can receive e-mails, but for some reason I can’t send e-mails. I’m hoping that I can get that problem resolved tomorrow. Speaking of resolutions, have you made any? I’m toying with the idea of resolving to lose weight because I need to in a bad sort of way, but I know me well enough to know that saying I’m going to do it and doing it are two totally different things. However, the day after Christmas we had occasion to do a lot of walking and stair climbing. It was obvious that I was very much out of shape based on how very much out of breath I was most of the time. Any ideas on what kind of diet or program might work for me? Feel free to tell me what’s worked for you. We have a 25th anniversary coming up in June and Rick wants to go to the Caribbean. He’s lost weight, but I’ve not. I need to get with the program before the date gets any closer.

How have you spent your first day of the New Year? I’ve spent most of mine working on our guild’s newsletter. Somehow, I got roped into being the secretary for the coming year which means I have to do the newsletter every month. It should be interesting to see what the membership thinks of this first one given that it’s ten pages long. They tend to like it short and sweet, but I’m not a short and sweet kind of person sooo…I might just get fired before I get started. Then again, finding officers isn’t always easy so they might decide to grin and bear me for the next 12 months.

About the only other thing I did, besides take a nap, was follow the New Year Mystery Quilt at Quilting Tizzy. I didn’t get to do any of the steps as they were revealed, but I’ve saved all the clues so that I can give it a try later on. It looks like it will be a really neat quilt once it’s done. Visit Sheryl’s blog and try her mystery for yourself. She gave some pre-cutting instructions on December 18 so you might want to back up and start there. Be sure to send her photos of what you get done.

Let the New Year begin!

Freebie Friday!

Here it is, Friday yet again. While it’s the first Friday in December I bet the last Friday in December will be here before we know it, and definitely before we want it to be. Being that it’s Friday I thought I’d share a few more freebies that I’ve found either through e-mails that I’ve received or while surfing the internet. It’s true that surfing the net can be fun and entertaining, but it’s equally true that it is one of the biggest time sinks now known to man, or woman as the case may be. Sit yourself down in front of the computer and before you know it that hour that you were going to spend sewing just got spent on surfing instead. If you’d spent that time sewing you’d probably have more to show for it, but then again, on occasion, you do have something to show for surfing. Like the following…

I’ve already shared Peck’s Pieces with you before, but when I went there today to get the last of the Halloween blocks (are you surprised that I’m behind on that? Didn’t think so…) I found that Miss Marjory is offering a new free project called Santa in the Pines. This is a four block wallhanging that should go together fairly quickly. You’ll need to scroll down to November 13 to get the beginning instructions and first block. If you scroll down to October 16 she shows you a mug rug that she made using one of the blocks. That would make a great, quick gift for the coffee or tea drinking fan on your list. Pair it with a mug, a half-dozen cookies, and some coffee or tea samples and you’re all set.

Speaking of cookies, I got an e-mail from Better Homes & Gardens with a link to lots of cookie ideas and recipes. Of course, the chocolate ones grabbed my attention immediately. I kept thinking, if only I had another cup of tea (yes, I’ve already had three cups of Barry’s Gold this morning) and some of those chocolate cookies. What a grand lunch that would make! I am definitely a cookie-holic, and I’ve always blamed it on my great-grandmother who would give me cookies and a glass of water when I walked next door to her house. Oh, the memories…

Anyhow, I was thinking that a body could spend every day of December baking cookies just from this one website and never get through all those recipes, but wouldn’t it be fun to have the time and energy to try. Maybe one of these years we’ll spend the whole month of December baking cookies here at the shop. We could have a giant cookie exchange! Think you’d be interested? We’d have to diet all year long before and after in order to do it relatively guilt free. Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever felt guilty when eating cookies, only satisfied and comforted, so maybe I wouldn’t have to diet after all. As they say, any excuse will do when you don’t want to loan out your mule…

Last, but not least, I thought I’d share another quick and easy project that would have the added bonus of allowing you to practice your machine quilting while making something for your own holiday table or to give as a gift. This pattern comes from Linda Visnaw by way of Fabri-Quilt’s blog. Click on the link and you’ll be able to download a PDF file for the pattern. It would be a great way to use up scraps of fabrics for the backgrounds, the stars, the binding, and backing. Oh yes, let’s not forget to mention batting scraps as well. Shrink the idea down and you could make mug rugs to match. Get those creative juices flowing and see what you can come up with. For instance, how about a feather tree design. I can see it, can you?

Now for a biggie…how about a FREE week in France?! Paris to be exact! If you win, I get to go too! Thank heavens I took two years of French in high school… How do you win such a wonderful trip? All you have to do is share your needlework story in 250 words or less between now and January 31, 2013. DMC will be collecting submissions and a panel of judges will select the winner. All you need to do is fill out this DMC Memories Contest Form. In order for me to join you, and play interpreter (please quit laughing…), you’ll need to mention the name of the shop on your form. In addition to getting to go to Paris we’ll get to tour the DMC factory. Can you just imagine all the wonderful colors we’ll get to see! I’ve heard Paris in springtime is lovely, maybe that’s when we’ll get to go. Start writing!!!

Before I leave you I want to share a little more of my Holiday Lane project from last week that I’m still working on. It’s always challenging to me to decide just how to finish the edges of a raw-edge appliqué project. I can blanket stitch the edges, but that’s not always the best way to finisheverything. In this case, I started with the rooftops of my houses. I wanted them to look a bit more interesting than what plain old blanket stitching could do, so I borrowed and idea from Stacy and did this instead. I used the Ricky Tims Stable Stuff on the back because I shrank the stitch down to as small as it would go. I tried one rooftop without it and while it did all right it seemed to pucker just a bit whereas the ones with the Stable Stuff stayed nice and flat.

It takes a bit longer to do this type of stitch of course, but I think the end results are so much better. If you have a good imagination you can just see the snow piled up on the roof of each of those houses. I did the snow on the window sill as well. It gives it a 3-D effect. Now to decide what to do with the tree and window. I have a new stitch that I’ve not used before that I want to try on the houses. I’ll show you that in a future post. Since I’ve never done it before I need to practice a bit first before I try it on my project. Taking out decorative stitches is not always easy and rarely fun. Trust me on this one…

It’s my turn!!! The day I’ve been waiting for (and fretting over) has finally arrived. Ever since I ran across this pattern on Jill Finley’s website last year I have wanted to make it. Did I get a round to it? No, of course not. Soooooo, when I discovered that there was going to be a blog hop and the main attraction was going to be this pillow I decided I’d better sign up or the project would be one more thing on my wanna-do-one-of-these-days list. Yes, it is a very, very long list.

Finding time to make the project now proved to be just as difficult as it has been all year, but remembering the words of my high school band director, Mr. Lambert, I decided that results, not excuses, were what I needed to strive for. Of course, I had to make the project my own and change some things. I know you’re not surprised. Before I tell you what I changed though I’ll show you the whole project. Cute, huh!

Now, to explain the changes and why, just in case you’re interested. The main thing I changed was the construction method of the project. Rather than doing the piecing I turned the project into an appliqué one. Why? Well, first because all this time that’s what I thought it was to begin with. No, I had not looked at the actual instructions until it was time to start working on the project. Secondly, and more importantly, because I greatly dislike sewing on a drawn line and flipping back corners. Yes, I dislike it enough to prefer the “A” word technique. I used the measurements of the rectangles given for the houses and drafted my appliqué patterns accordingly…with one exception. You see, I prefer smaller projects and really didn’t need such a large pillow. You may not have been able to tell it from the photo, but I shrank the houses so that they’re only 2-1/4” wide and their height is half of the measurements given for those rectangles in the original pattern. Of course, I then had to draw my own rooftops and trees, but that wasn’t too difficult, even for someone like me who has trouble drawing stick figures that are recognizable.

I decided that instead of having a black background I would use a lovely night sky fabric that we have on hand and Michael Miller’s Fairy Frost for the snow covered ground. I mean after all, if there’s that much snow on the rooftops there must be snow on the ground. Right? Then I decided I didn’t want dark windows but lighted ones, hence the golden glow emanating from two of the houses. I also thought it might be kind of interesting to look into one of those houses and see the occupants’ tree all decorated up. Last, but not least, I made one of the houses yellow because I’ve always wanted to paint our house yellow. I doubt that it will ever happen though. It used to be a medium shade of green at one time many, many years ago. We found evidence of that on the part that was built in the 1850s.

My project ended up measuring about 11”x16” (I didn’t measure it after it was put together) and will be a wallhanging instead of a pillow. Then again, I might get creative and decide to use it as the center, or one section somewhere, in a larger wallhanging and add some of my favorite wintery things in other blocks. Talk about getting the creative juices flowing!!! I think I’ll live with it as is for the time being and just ruminate over it a while. As they say, you can’t rush greatness…

Many thanks to Miss Jill for so generously giving us her pattern. I love her work and plan on making several projects from her latest book…one of these days. Thanks too to Mdm. Samm for all she does to promote and encourage our creativity and to Miss Pauline for cheering us on and answering question after question for this technically challenged person. Be sure to visit each and every one of the blogs listed below because without a doubt you’ll find even more inspiration. That’s what it’s all about; inspiring and challenging each other to explore areas that are interesting but maybe a little scary were it not for the reassurance of like-minded individuals, of which there are thankfully many.

Words and Stitches
Trying to Blog
Peanut’s Patchwork
Moosestash Quilting
A Loose Thread
stitch, stitch, stitch
In Stitches and Seams
Hooked on Quilting – Enjoy!
A Reformed Heath’n
As Sweet as Peaches
Geema’s Wonderings

Touring Time!

Today I ran across a blog tour being hosted by Quiltmaker magazine to showcase their latest edition (Volume 6) of their popular 100 Blocks magazine. We received our copies either Friday or Saturday. I’m not sure which since I found the already opened box yesterday. My guess is that Miss Martha opened it one of those two days and since it didn’t really interest her she forgot to tell me they were here. No harm done though. I took a copy upstairs yesterday and still haven’t gotten a chance to look through it yet.

That’s why I was so glad to run across the blog tour of designers whose blocks were in the magazine. Now I’ve not only looked at several of the blocks through their blogs and personal insights, but I’ve also found some new blogs to follow. Plus, each designer has a copy of the new magazine to give away just for reading their post and leaving a comment. At least one of the designers whose site I’ve visited has even more that she’s giving away, but I won’t tell you who it is. You need to go touring around all the blogs and see if you can find her yourself. The tour started yesterday so we’re a little bit behind. If you start now you can catch up though. It ends on Friday so if you like winning free things you need to get a move on.

A bit of advice if I may, be sure to bookmark or sign up for future blog posts when you find a designer you like. I didn’t do that on a past blog hop and have regretted it ever since. One designer had a cute little spider mug rug and I haven’t been able to find it again. Bummer!

On my list of things to do for tonight is sitting down with a copy of this new magazine and looking at each and every block carefully and thoroughly. I know I will find some great blocks that will run the gambit from paper-piecing to applique, scrappy to controlled. The hardest thing will be deciding which ones to tackle first. Oh yes, I almost forgot…there are contest details on the very last page of the magazine. There are ten chances to win ten of the actual blocks made by the designers showcased in this issue. How are you at haiku?