Quilt video–Awesome!

This is well worth the 6 minutes, sit down with a cuppa Joe and enjoy!

Reflections on Family

I’ve been thinking about “family” quilt a lot lately, and the life cycles each of us experience.

Weddings, anniversaries and retirements.  My family has been caught up in all of those things in the last month.

Our family is far flung, with my husband’s family in the Seattle area, my mom in Montana, and my brother in New Hampshire.  I have more cousins than most, and they are all over the place; I can’t even keep track, especially since they are having their own kids now!

My husband and I flew to Seattle to attend the wedding of his youngest daughter a couple of weeks ago.  Even though it was a short trip, I was glad to get back home.  We couldn’t pick up the dogs (my kids!) until late on Sunday and the house sure was quiet without them.

Our wedding anniversary is today.  We spent the weekend together, going out on Saturday night, talking and re-connecting.

I spoke with my mom yesterday afternoon.  She’s getting ready to retire and one of her biggest disappointments is not getting to be near her grandkids, who range in age from 7 to 12.   I suggested that maybe she consider moving near them; they will change drastically over the next 10 years, and this is a time that can’t be lived via video chat.  While there would be some challenges to address, I think she would regret not taking advantage of the opportunity.

Obviously, there has to be personally compelling reason to move across the country than to do it for someone else.  My mother is highly intelligent, well educated, loves gardening and being outside so it’s not like she’s ready to sit back in a rocker waiting for someone to visit.  I’m hoping she would write the novel she’s always wanted to write, incorporating the local history into that story or become a visiting professor in a local college.

She was concerned that I not feel left behind.  I know my mother cares about me, but re-connecting with her grandkids is something that she needs and wants, and that is most important to me.  As I told her, it’s just as expensive to fly from Montana to Boise as it is from Boise to New Hampshire!  And I am OK with video chats!

We mark milestones with celebration and quilts and I’m recognizing those events cycling through my life.  The year is already speeding by, and I want to slow it down to enjoy it to its fullest.

ACE Raffle Quilt

I quilted a full size quilt on Sunday, for the Boise State University Association of Classified Employees Chili Feed and Quilt Raffle.

This is an annual event that the Association puts on to assist eligible Boise State University employees with food vouchers for meals on campus once or twice a week.  The top was made by a volunteer, who will also bind the quilt.

I did the quilting, an overall meandering style with orange thread and Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting, and pieced the back.

Raffle tickets are available for $2 each, or 12 for $10.  Email me if you’d like tickets, and I’ll get you in touch with an ACE Senate member.

Sew close!

I am *sew* close to having some finished tops!

I thought I was ready to put borders on the flannel quilt, but I measured and I need another row, then I can add the borders.

I found some border fabric for the 10 Minute Block throw, so just have to add those.

And, I went and bought more flannel to make another flannel quilt!  Yes, the goal was, and still is, to get that flannel stash used up, but I am making them for my nieces, so it’s not stash building!  At least, that’s the plan for now.  And they can’t both have the same quilt!  Not only that, a lot of the flannel I have left has baby prints and that is not really appropriate for a 7 year old, will be 8 year old by the time she gets the quilt.  So, I took advantage of the 50% off sale at JoAnn’s to add more variety and get the backs for both quilts.

I also took in a gorgeous customer quilt on Sunday, and can’t wait to see it finished!

What’s prompting me to clear out my stash is that I want to re-organize and/or remodel the Quilt Cave.  So I’m looking over my stash and feeling very blessed.

Dreams.  Oh, the dreams!

Pre-Design Studio III webinar–today!

I signed up for the free Pre-Design Studio III webinar today.  It starts at 7 CET, which is 11 am MST here in Boise.

I’m pretty excited about it, because I took the demonstration class for Pre-Design Studio II at Innovations in September and eventually bought the software.  However, because of being in school, and the fact that I knew I was going to get a new computer and didn’t want to have to re-register the software, I didn’t install it right away; in fact, I just got it installed and activated about 3 weeks ago.  Have I used it?  No.

I then saw the notification that there was an upgrade!  What?!?  I was really disappointed until I saw that one of the new features was to be able to export the file to a format that can be used on a computerized quilting machine or other software!  And the best part?  It was only a $26 cost to upgrade!!  YES!!

So, I’m really excited about attending this webinar, so I can quickly re-familiarize myself with the software and start working on making some original pantographs.  I even have a photo in mind to start with.

There’s still time if you want to attend, but you’ll have to sign up here:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/990072670

Tomorrow Should Be Sunday!

I set my intentions to enjoy each and every moment this weekend, but I still need more weekend!

I spent time with a friend of mine, who offered to sew up a bunch of the fabrics I cut to make more of the 10-minute blocks.  She had a computer problem, which we solved, and she also shared some of her sewing room organizational tips with me.

Afterwards, I attended the Organizing Your Sewing Room seminar that Karen held at Quilt Expressions on Saturday.

Do you see a theme here?    I’m not one to set New Year’s resolutions, but I have recently gotten the organizational bug.  So, yes, I am wanting to do something in my sewing room. 

The “something” is find more space and/or better utilize the space I have.  While I feel blessed to have the 10’ x 20’ bonus room over the garage serving as my Quilt Cave, I feel I could utilize the space better.  I’ve had a contractor over to look at it to see what ideas he has, and I’ve received a reply to my email inquiry from a local custom furniture maker, whom I need to call back.  Now I need to develop a “bubble diagram” to figure out what my work centers are so I can prioritize my tasks and figure out what is needed where, before I start tearing everything apart.

This is probably connected to the other projects I’ve started, namely re-arranging items and clearing off long forgotten residents from my office desk.  After working on it most of the afternoon, I can actually see the Formica on the desk top!!  It’s not finished, and I still have a couple of very large piles to go through, but now I have a space in which to work!  It’s actually comfortable to sit at my desk!

I’m a terrible procrastinator, which is part of why this has become such a problem.  I am determined to develop better habits so that I don’t have to spend my precious sewing time cleaning up my messes.  Putting it off doesn’t make it go away, and I just have to remember that!

Now that I have an almost cleaned off desk, it feels like tomorrow should be Sunday!

A Great Start to 2011…!!

Wanna know what I did on my vacation??

Since Thursday, I have been busting my stash!  Oh, I did visit Country Quilter to take advantage of their 40% off sale, although I did bring home ONE 3 yard purchase for which I do not currently have a purpose, but I do have an idea!  And it is right up my alley in all it’s dark fuscia pink glory!!  My intention was pure, though…my purpose for going was for in-progress or planned projects which are to be made in the next 2 months, namely the Vandal quilt.  Hey, I don’t have much gold and black, what can I say!?! 

I got the gold and black fabric washed up, but haven’t cut any more of it…I got tired of all those small pieces, so I distracted myself:

1. I started the 10 Minute Block and finished most of the quilt! 
   To my credit, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do for the border, then my friend Verna suggested making a skinny dark blue inside of the purple I already added to the quilt.  Wonderful!  Except I only have about 8 inches of the purple outer fabric left and I’m not sure I can find any more of it.  If that’s the case I’ll have to figure out another border treatment.  But hey, it wasn’t for lack of trying!  Overall, I used up 2 1/2 yards of fabric for the interior…yay!!
   
2. After demonstrating the technique to my friend, Verna, I cut this entire stack of 10” squares from my stash to make more 10 Minute Blocks!
   
   I am hoping Verna will want to practice the technique on my already-cut fabric, which will result in at least one, probably two, more quilts!  I’m thinking I can donate the results to the women’s shelter in town.
   
3. I cut this much of a black and silver (yes, Lola, SILVER!) Irish Chain quilt whose fate is yet to be determined.  I worked it up in EQ7 and it’s lovely!
   
   I even started making some of the 9 patch blocks…
   
   
   
   
4. Cut and sewed the blocks for a twin sized quilt pattern called Cotton Candy that I’ve had my eye on since Quilt Magazine came out with its December/January 2011 issue! 
   
   I woke up this morning and, knowing it was my last day of a long Christmas break before going back to work, I jumped out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and started sewing the last of the blocks for this quilt.
   
   I got it laid out before DH and I went to run errands…one of which was to get the border, as I didn’t have enough of one color in my stash to complete the project.  I might move a block or two around, but I’m rather liking this one!
   
   And…because I changed up the layout, I have quite a few blocks left over! I see a second Cotton Candy quilt in my future…
   

Vacation is over so, now, I better buckle down and get some “real” work done!