The Busy Season

I love Christmas, but it seems that it becomes busier and busier each year... where did the month go? Well today I got a free moment to try getting back on my Mega Quilter and finishing quilting MY quilt, which has been on it for a couple months I think. Anyway... I previously had issues with the thread continuously breaking. Someone suggested the bobbin area might be dirty and need cleaning. So I cleaned it. Good tip! Thanks Jeanette! So I get a row done, then stop to roll it up another row, and begin again... then I break a needle! OUCH. Ok... found the needles, removed the piece of needle that got lodged in the feed dogs, inserted a new needle, threaded it... and we're back to the breaking thread. GOOD GRIEF. Oh, and also, the stitches are skipping some... take a look at these pics... I don't get it... and don't know how to fix it either? Any ideas?

Where Did November Go???/

I CANNOT believe I haven't blogged here all month... and now it's the week of Thanksgiving. Sheesh! I'm still trying to finish Amanda's quilt for her dorm... it's coming along, but so is winter soon! TTYL

Getting Better All the Time

I think I'm getting better... in fact I completed the practice quilt and pulled it off today so I could inspect the backside... this is where I saw all the bobbin problems... and could tell a huge difference where I finally got the tension set correctly... but here's the last couple rows...

Coffee, Tea.. or.... ?

Last month I made a "Coffee Break" art quilt, and since then I have been aching to make a Tea Time one as well. Last nite I finally started it and I was so excited about it, I finished it today! Here they both are...





(I'm not sure why this turned sideways after uploading, it's not like this on my computer...)

One Art Fair... Coming Up!

Next weekend is the Art Fair. I'm hurrying to get enough done to not have an empty table. Sheesh... so I'm working on it... here are a couple pieces that will be there.

The first one is a flower garden (Zippity Doo Dah) with flowers made of buttons and zippers, and a sun of spiraled yarn. Below is a typical log cabin design, but assembled in an Atypical fashion - it's a no-sew piece.

Ahh September!

Well it's the 10th of Sept so I figured I need to get in gear with this blog. The political scene is pretty dismal, like kids on a playground hitting each other. It's almost too much to watch at this point. Thank goodness it's coming to a close soon. On to more important things, like quilting and art! I'm working on an art quilt for a daughter of a friend of mine. She'll be turning 5 in a few days, and I sure hope to that this ready for her wall. The request was something to fill a 12" x 12" space and she's all into Princess stuff these days, so I thought a pink and purple castle would be appropriate. I have a page where Im posting pics as I progress, but I've been sick for a few days (4 to be exact) so I'm a little behind. Here's a peek if you want to see it. I'll post the final version here once it's done.
--WELL HERE IT IS!! Sept 13th and it's done. -Delivered even!



I have another idea in the works.. and in that I have started using some of the fabric from the dye project below! some blues and greens have already made their way into it...keep tuned to see what turns out!

Dyed Fabric - Ready to Quilt

The other day I attended a fabric dyeing workshop which introduced me to a fairly involved, and somewhat tedious method of dyeing fabric. There were many color schemes to choose from and I chose the 'Tutti Fruiti' which was pretty much like a rainbow color scheme. I think the final result was a bit more pastel than the photo but pretty all the same. Now I just have to figure out what to make from these colors. Any ideas?

More Art Quilts

Onward and upward I move into the Art Quilt realm, I have a real feel for these 'trees' so I'm doing another one which is almost done. It's even named already, it's called "13 Leaves Til Winter" All I have to do is put the border on then I can assemble it with a back for hanging. I'm already in mode for my next set, I showed this to a friend of mine yesterday and she gabve me a great idea... so I'm moving on with it... but I won't tell you till Im done... hehehe anyway, here's a pic of my trees without the border... but by tomorrow (I hope) it'll be properly 'dressed'.

Ruth's Weed Garden

Yes,... Yes... I know, it's been a few days. Sew sue me. LOL - Get it? I've actually been busy gardening, or cleaning up the surrounding grounds so I CAN garden... and I've had a few dear friends helping, for whom I am very grateful, and we're making progress! We burned a few piles of branches, leaves, and other cuttings, and removed a LOT of weeds, oh, and did I mention weeding?

Yah, lots of that... so much so, that I was inspired to create a new piece called Ruth's Weed Garden. Here it is...I contemplated naming it Weeds of the World, all sewn with the same thread... but that seemed too long and needed explaining, so Ruth's Weed Garden won out. So there you have it, today's post is my weed garden, I'd much rather keep it online and in quilt pieces, than in my front yard.

Practicing on the Mega

Well I managed to finally reload my bobbin and it created 'caterpillars' underneath when I sewed... So I got out the book, looked to see if I did something wrong, but No... it's looking good. Then I figured only thing left is the tension. I fiddled around with that, and presto! I got it to work. So I got some more practicing in and I must say my loops are looking smoother, and I managed some other daring feats as well. Step by step... closer we get...

By the way I have a treat for you, I found this online at the Quilters Warehouse, I tried to post it here so you don't have to click to see it, altho, it doesn't seem to keep the animation here on my blog, so if you have a second... click the link.


Short Arm Quilter

Oh My Stars!

Oh My Stars!! Today was a great day! It was so exciting! I attended a fabric dyeing workshop where I learned to use a sun-reactive paint to hand dye fabrics. It was so much fun I could have done it all day, but I think they wanted to go home. So here are some of the resulting fabrics, and I am 'dyeing' to make something with them! But for now....

My Troll

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

I found a drawing of a figure similar to mine posted by a Bill West, altho it was a 2 year old post of his... and I thought - WOW someone else draws these silly things... so I wanted to post MY version of what I used to draw in school, many decades ago... so here it is!

Dogs Like Quilting Too

One of the projects I found easy to practice on when learning to free-hand meander, was this set of Doggie Placemats I made for our dogs. They loved them and didn't seem to care what I quilted on them, as long as their food and water were there. It also helped to absorb the water when I splashed a little in filling their water dishes.

I have also created a pattern for these doggie placemats and have the pattern and instructions for sale for only $4.99 + $1.99 s&h - PayPal preferred. So email me if you would like one of these.

Something Worthwhile

A friend of mine passed some older magazines on to me pertaining to Quilting. Most of them were titled "lady's circle patchwork quilts" which I'm pretty sure was one of the first quilting magazines printed, and I'm also pretty sure they are no longer in print. However, some ideas never go out of style, like the one I read about this morning. The article told about a woman in Ohio that wanted to make blankets, quilts, for the homeless. It told how she placed an ad in the newspaper recruiting anyone who wanted to help and the turnout was magnificent.

They met at her church, and that day alone they managed to cut, sew, iron and piece together 115 quilt tops! That's what you can do when 200 people show up with machines, thread, fabric scraps etc, and commence upon a common task! WOW. They then proceeded to meet again the succeeding Saturdays to layer and quilt the tops and then distribute to homeless shelters in the area. They continue to do this once a year in January. (Personally, I think October would be better).
Now, I know this issue of the magazine was dated May 1995, but not only is that not that long ago, but also there are more people quilting now-a-days than there were back then (13 yrs ago). So, I'm thinking, why not? Let's get more groups together and have these 'sessions' once a year to turn out as many blankets as we can for the homeless. Many of them are homeless not of their own accord, and wouldn't it feel better to help them? :-)

Quilting Direction

I have been quilting for a few years now, actually longer if you count the quilt I made when my daughter was 2 years old, and i guess we really should count it, after all, it is a quilt, it's just that it's not made by today's rules... it's got alot of polyester in it... but then, that was the fabric of choice in the 70's.

Since cotton has come into our world, all the rules have changed. I only made the one (well 2) quilts back then, after which I switched to sewing clothes for my baby girl and then after a while, being a working mom, that dwindled as well. Lately, however, I have found my interest perking back up. I'm actually going on my 3rd year now of immersing myself with 'real quilters', and embarking on quilting projects, to learn the current day rules of quilting. You know, how to make your points pointy, and your mitered bindings accurate, etc. Except what I'm finding out now, is that the 'rules' only apply if you want (or need) them to. Think about it... in the 70's it was perfectly acceptable to make a quilt with polyester! Now it's not? I guess it all depends on how artful you want to take it. And I'm finding that since I'm not the most traditional of people, I don't necessarily want my quilts to be either. I can't even imagine cutting our 800 triangles for some pattern, or even 100 of anything. WOW, I'd lose interest WAY before I was done cutting those, not to mention then sewing them back together??? Yikes!

I don't mind making semi-traditional quilts for my grand-daughters, but I suspect even those will give way to the more un-conventional style soon. Ya, I think of myself as more the artful quilter. This has been coming on for over a year, I've just wondering how to get started. I think I found a clue this past weekend. I attended the Quilt Show in Long Beach, CA and found some VERY intriguing ideas.

Here's my first piece and I can't WAIT to post some more for you to see! And at the same time I'll be redoing my website to showcase and maybe even sell these new pieces. I hope you pop on over and come back to see how it's going! See ya later.

Yikes!

I can't believe a month has passed already since my last blog... I think about it all the time, I see things when I'm out, and I say to myself, or my hubby, I'm gonna blog about that! And sometimes I even take a picture so I'll remember when I take the pictures off my camera. problem is, this month I didn't take the pictures off for a while, and when I did, I had 213 pictures to go thru. Yikes! So I'll be adding them one at a time, stay tuned. . .

Let's start with these cute little storage containers I saw in the store the other day. I recently heard that since we stopped shipments of toys from China that they are doing other things to make money to make up for the loss of income. I never thought they would be sending us their garbage tho. It seems they are twisting up their newspapers, and making these items which we are importing and selling! What an idea... why don't WE do that with some of OUR garbage!!!

The 10 best ways to handle a job interview

I ran across this and thought it's a good list to remember... so I thought I'd share it.

The 10 best ways to handle a job interview
June 3, 2008
By Calvin Sun

Given the current economy, maintaining contacts with other companies can be critical. Knowing the right people can help you land a better job, one with more pay or perhaps the chance of advancement. But getting that next job, of course, often involves an interview. Here are some tips to help you excel.

(1) Be on time
Give yourself enough time to reach your destination, especially if you're unfamiliar with the area. You will have enough stress with respect to the actual interview. Don't add to it by complicating your travel to there. Consider a dry run prior to interview day, especially if you're driving. Remember that mapping and navigational services could take you (as they did me) through an empty field or the wrong way on a one-way street.

Don't get there too early, either. Doing so makes you look as though you have no other job and could hurt you later during salary negotiations. Plan to arrive between 10 to 20 minutes before your time. If you really do get there on the early side, consider joking with the receptionist or your interviewer about your surprise or "anger" over the lack of traffic. Then get serious and say that all you need is a place to sit down, because you have work you can do while you wait.

(2)Occupy yourself while waiting
Do bring work with you, so you can do it. There's always another e-mail or memo to write, or a chance to review your to-do list or project plan. You even could start on the thank-you note to your interviewer(s). (See below.)
Whatever you do, don't look up every time someone passes by. Doing so makes you look weak and anxious.

READ MORE HERE...

Machine Quilting . . . here I come!

The Mega Quilter is up and running, now all I have to do is practice... practice... and ya, more practice... so to that end, I found this little presentation. It's kind of cool so I thought I'd share it with ya'all.



Lessons

and.. here's my first stitches.. .they aren't great but I want to remember what they looked like so that when I'm better, I can laugh at them. LOL

Life After Minxie

A new creature has come into our lives, and pretty much turned it upside down.

Some weeks ago, I ventured up to the 'little garage' to peek at the 3 kittens a mother cat had given birth to in our grass catcher (device hooked to the back of a riding mower to 'catch grass' as its cut). There were 3 kittens in there and Mom was somewhere out getting food I suppose. The next day I looked and I saw 1 kitten, and heard one mewing from somewhere else. After a while I found it UNDER the grass catcher, so I carefully lifted it up and put it back in with its one sibling, also wondering where the 3rd one was...

The next day, when I checked, there was one kitten again, and again I heard the other mewing from somewhere else. This time I found it, with Mom, tucked safely in the belly of a pot belly stove we were storing up in that garage (not hooked up). I know this because when I started to look down the stove pipe, mom was coming UP the stove pipe at me. So I figured Mom and kitten were now happy in the stove belly. Odd that she didn't take the one left in the grass catcher. It was beginning to try and crawl tho, and I was afraid it would crawl out of the thing, and get lost or eaten like kitten #3 which never was seen again. So I went and got a tall box. and put the kitten in it, and set it between the stove and the grass catcher so Mom could hear and find it.

Next day... Mom and kitten were gone from the stove, and the kitten in the box was... still in the box! It seemed she had deserted it. So the only thing I could do, was take the kitten down to the house, and learn about feeding it. PetSmart had some baby bottles sized perfectly for orphaned kittens (and other creatures) and amazingly cans of 'milk replacement formula' that you mix with water and feed from the bottle... Every Three Hours. OH MY. And so I did. The kitten thrived for 4 or 5 days, even started walking around the house a bit, getting its land-legs. Oh, I didn't mention, these kittens were all of maybe 4 weeks old when we first found them; barely a handful. So after feeding her and seeing she'd be fine, I took her to the garage to see if Mom cat wanted her back... Mom was laying in the corner with a sibling kitten,.. so I left the healthy kitten in the garage and shut the door tight so they couldnt get out that way.

Later that day I went to check on them... all were gone from the corner... and only a strange weak and painful mewing was coming from the pot belly stove. We looked in and it was the kitten who had been in the corner earlier... it seemed next to death. It couldn't move its head more than a fraction, its legs were a lost coause and it was wet from ? laying in its own urine? Not sure why it was 1/2 wet. So seeing Mom and healthy kitten had left... out the window, we scooped this sick one into a box and took it up to the house. I gave her a few drops of milk from the bottle... left for an hour or two, and gave it more every few hours that nite. By morning, it was 1/2 way to normal again! So I continued the treatment, cleaned it up and today we have... Minxie! I didnt weigh her in the beginning but I'd be surprised if she was more then 8 oz... last week I weighed her and she was 11-3/8 oz, and this week 13-3/8oz!! Yes, she's coming along... and here she is!

Eclectic vs. Eccentric

Eclectic
1Pronunciation: \e-ˈklek-tik, i-\
2: [noun] composed of elements drawn from various sources.

Eccentric
Main Entry: 1ec·cen·tric
Pronunciation: \ik-ˈsen-trik, ek-\
1: [adjective] deviating from an established or usual pattern or style b: deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct especially in odd or whimsical ways.

I've been called both of these, and I'm not so sure I knew, or those casting the label knew, the definitions of each. So today I decided to look them up. I was surprised by the first one, not the second. But then I did some further research... and Google Images had this image to offer in the way of describing Eccentric. I am fairly certain I have NEVER worn a swan around my neck. Being a 70's child or not, I'm sure I would remember that! Now, this one I don't have as much of a problem with, altho I can't wear shoes that high, or skirts that short... but I don't mind how she's dressed at all.

On the Eclectic side, Google found these bracelets to fit the bill (I like them!) and this wine rack is nothing short of COOL!! ...but if THIS is deemed eclectic, then I'm afraid eclectic has lost it's meaning. This is about as vanilla as furniture comes! (unless they only mean the hanging lamp) and Kristin, I hate to have to say it, but your interiors are about as eclectic as my cat.

LET'S HEAR FROM SOME OF YOU. What do YOU deem as eclectic, or eccentric?

Regret . . .

Never spend time regretting the time you spent doing something you hadn't planned or wanted to do.

...the time you are spending regretting it, is time spent away from enjoying the current moment.

Sharing

Today I want to share a recipe with you. We'll call it recipe Tuesday and if you want more recipes, you can come to my website and see a whole list of them, and/or add one of your own!

Here's today's:

Yummy Wake Up Smoothie

1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup hulled strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries, or peeled and sliced kiwi (about 2)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey


Place all the ingredients in the blender and process on high speed until smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds.

Pour into glasses and serve.

Should we publically shame them?

Litter bugs. Some people think nothing of putting down their window and tossing huge waded up pieces of trash out the window.. not once, but even twice. I guess it was too much trash to get it tossed out all in one heave! It's nice that they have such respect for their cars to not want trash to sit around in it, so by all means, let's get it out... the window will suffice! eXcuse ME... but we don't need it littering up the roads here either!... so I was thinking... maybe we need a website where we post pictures of the cars seen to have passengers littering from them. Maybe then they won't want to be seen on there so they would stop littering? Think it'd work?

A Week of Re-organizing or ... Welcome to the Cotton Closet!

Actually this began more than a week ago, approx April 22nd I think. But the most progress has been seen in the past week, which is why I haven't been blogging. My sewing room is a 9' x 13' bedroom which became unusable due to the amount of fabric and other craft stuff in the room. It was in bad need of a makeover. Well no one from HGTV was ringing my bell, and I didn't have $1,000 to throw at it either so I figured we'd see what a bit of good old fashioned elbow grease and a few dollars here or there could do. I have a running pictoral of it here but I'd like to tell you how it started...with fabric occupying one wall in these little cubicle bins I had put in from the local superstore. they were cramping my fabric and I couldn't see all of it. I needed a solution where they could lay out flat. I needed shelves and the closet would keep it out of the harmful daylight sun so it wouldn't fade! So my hubby built shelves in the closet and away I went, filling them from fabric I was finding everywhere... I'm STILL finding it.. but it's a lot more organized now, and it's easier to put things away when you know where they go, and have the room to do it. Take a peek at the pictoral trip, and stay posted to see the ending result. Here's the room so far. Thanks for tuning it!

The birds are singing

The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and all is well with the world. Well, my corner of it anyway. No reason in particular, I just like to look out my door and take in all that God has given me to appreciate. I like to remind myself that no matter how bad I think my problems are, someone else has it worse somewhere. It's all perspective. . . and faith. Faith that the door soon to be opened will show itself. So I continue to look for doors. I think it drives my husband nuts, and maybe a few of my friends, but hey, they are my doors I'm looking for, so I keep looking.

I'm an idea person, I've been told this and I also feel it myself. I get tons of ideas, and mostly good ones. It's the problem of how to follow thru on them and turn them into reality that challenges me. I can usually think it thru to a certain point, then I don't know where to go from there.
I think what I need is a company that is willing to "take it from there and run with it" for me. We'd both make a LOT of money I think. So if you're out there, and you're a "take the ball and run" person or company, looking for an idea person, I'm your gal! Call me! (well, email me)LOL... until then. . . Later!

Always have witnesses

April was an odd month for me. Several things got in the way of me blogging and I can only hope going forward that will cease. One thing that changed my life in April was my underestimation of a certain person.

Girlx will be what we'll call her, not to protect her, mind you, but to not add search results based on searching of her name. It's too late for anyone to protect her, she has already become the person she apparently chooses to be; and at such a young age. It's sad really. But the lesson I learned is invaluable. Never let your guard down, when you know someone wants you "out of the way". You will walk straight into their trap.

Why does someone choose to mess with another person's life? Don't they have a life enough of their own? Shouldn't they concentrate on their newly married status and enjoy the new life they have in a new country, living with a new husband, the world at her fingertips. Why is that not enough? Ahhh yes, the friend she wanted to bring over. The only thing I can think of, is she needed to make room for the friend. No, that would be too obvious. There must be some other reason to whine and cry and lie and file complaints about a person that did you the favor of bringing you to the new country, to reunite you with your fiance, and to take you into open arms welcoming your arrival. I know that is not the way I was raised to show gratitude. I just don't understand it.

Not only did I recommend her to come to this country instead of our hiring someone else to replace our dearly departing team member, but I also recommended her to continue on in the team to follow the end of that project. Wow, that will teach me. Or will it? Do I really have to give up on human beings just because one person chooses to act like a spoiled child? Whatever her motives were, this childish behavior, which didn't belong in the workplace, should not steer me away from believing that basically Most people are good at heart. I've believed that all my life, tried to look for the good in people and teach that to my daughter as well. I will continue to do so, and just learn from this experience that those people Do exist out there, and don't let yourself be left alone with them. Always, always have witnesses.

Happy Easter

Easter is celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. It can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.

That's Today. Happy Easter. Today is the day I thank the Lord for the sacrifice of His son Jesus.

As a child I attended a church where we celebrated Easter with a Easter Sunrise Service out on Lake Michigan. The congregation gathered at the church and carpooled down to the lake. We assembled on the 'rock' of Fullerton beach and our minister offered a few prayers, we sang a few songs, and I believe we had a short sermon. Then we all traipsed back to the church for a pancake breakfast. It was cold and windy on the lakefront, and earlier than I ever wanted to be up, but somehow these are the memories I refer to as fond memories of my childhood Easter.

Day 2.. or Day 3 ?

On day 2, or was that 3? I'm not sure as I think I lost a whole day travelling. So today we had a nice day with just the twins, burping, feeding, and BATH time. No, I didn't take pictures... maybe next time. We also watched a movie named "Once" which was about an Irish vacuum repair man/songwriter and a girl, and at the end of the movie we finally realized they never named them during the movie. Even the credits called them Guy and Girl. ! lol

Anyway, it was a nice mellow day. Oh I did get a short trip to the mini market. I plan on going again tomorrow. But today I bought 2 cans of soup (Lobster Bisque & Cock-a-Leekie (and a container of creamy rice with rhubarb... very yummy!

On To England

After a long hard week (or 2 or 3) I was really looking forward to getting away - spend some time with my daughter, and my new grandbabies! This trip couldnt have come at a better time. Well, ok, yes it could have, but I did need it now more than ... anyway the story begins in Bloomington.

I arrived at BMI airport, a nice small airport and sat for a bit enjoying some water, and logging on to the FREE wireless internet they offer. YAY Bloomington. There was no line for security, in fact I didnt even see the Security people so I'll take my time... 10 minutes later, I looked up and there was a line 3/4 the way down the hallway! Who were these people?? Where did they come from? I asked one and it seems there was a softball team travelling, ok... they will be gone soon. Well at 4:40 they still weren't gone, and I thought I needed to be on the plane at 4:45 so I started getting panicky. Nothing I could do tho, the security guy said, just get back in line lady (he didnt care that my flight was at 5:15). So back in line I went... soon to notice John & Adam from work wandering around the airport. They had come to see me off! How nice that was, too bad I had to stand in line, but they stood and chatted with me until I got to the head of the line and needed to go thru security. Thanks guys that meant alot that you showed up! It made me forget for a bit that I thought I should have been in line earlier. Good thing I wasn't or I'd have missed seeing them.

Ok so here is a sculpture I was looking at while waiting for them to call boarding for my flight... interesting...
they are Horses made of wire, or cable since it's so thick, just running in midair. That's about as long as I had to look around, then we boarded the plane. Nice plane, a lttle small, but we only had a little over an hour flight to Detroit where I'd get a bigger one to go to London.

The flight was fine, no turbulance, no problems. Nice and smooth, thank you Lord. Even the landing was quite smooth for a landing.

In Detroit I went thru this tunnel first to get to the terminal for International, then I came out and found this fountain. I couldnt capture what it was doing, but it was set to a computer generated pattern to turn parts of it off and on at different times to make the water appear to be dancing. It was quite entertaining..
I found the next gate and then searched out dinner at a nearby restaurant (Tequileria), great cheese/chicken quesadillas, altho if i get to go there on the way back, I want to try the Salmon Quesadillas.. they were out of them this trip, but they sounded delish! Onward and upward, off to London we go.

Another nice, smooth flight, but very very long. And sitting next to someone who doesn't talk, can be quite frustrating for the likes of me. So I got some sewing done, some reading, and watched The Bee Movie, which I had been wanting to see. It was very funny. We landed early! I think the windy weather might have helped us along... a good tail wind will do it every time!

After arriving, I got thru Passport inspection and customs rather quickly and after a small to-do about which coach I should take to Cambridge, I boarded a coach and away we went. It all happened rather quickly - infact the coach driver waited on me to board as he was running 15 min late himself, so there was no time to call my daughter or anything. I figured I'd deal with it later...but Later in Cambridge, I heard there was a bus for Ely and if I called my daughter, it'd take her at least 30 min to get there. I'll just take the bus. So I did and managed to call her just before boarding it saying I'll see you in Ely at 3:30 on Market street... and we did. I was soooo glad to see her, I didnt care that it was out in the street, I just wanted a hug.


The rest of the day was spent with the babies. Holding, feeding, burping, walking, they are lovely. I only got the one snap above of Grace, but I'll get more this weekend. That was her in my lap, and it only looks like she's holding the bottle... hands aren't quite big enough yet. But they indeed are little gems. Like their mother. Talk to you more later!