Sunny and Cold

It's currently freezing up in here.  Literally.  As I write, it's 22 degrees.  We're lucky enough to be in a little snow-free zone so the pavement is dry and going to the grocery store is not threatening to life and limb - at least no more than usual.

Here's what happens to celery in a hard freeze.

Some years we can keep using it until Christmas if we don't get a hard freeze.  This cold snap ended that dream.  Instead of salad, it'll be compost.  It was pretty while it lasted and made the garden smell nice.


I'm kind of into poinsettias this year.  I ordered one from the local high school dance team and it was delivered the week before Thanksgiving.  It's really lovely.  The big challenge will be to keep it alive until Christmas.

I'm not used to having a plant in the house that requires regular watering.  The cold, sunny weather also means that it's unusually dry, which isn't helping much.

I'm also finding myself charmed by wool projects and found this cute pillow pattern a couple of weeks ago.  (Because I don't have enough projects - yeah that's what it is.)  The top is finished and I'm aiming for it to be a completed pillow by the end of the weekend.  I'm particularly pleased that my box of leftover beads, some dating back to a project in the cretaceous period (mid '70's) that have been hauled around for decades actually worked perfectly for this.

I've never been a real beading fanatic.  When I have used them, it's been sparingly.  The thing is, one can rarely buy 6 seed beads.  They come in a little tube of about 5000 and I'm pretty sure there will be some left over for my descendants three generations hence.  

I'm really liking doing handwork with wool.  It goes faster than I would've thought and it has a calming effect.  Who knew?  Okay, I'm sure a lot of people did, but some of us catch on a little more slowly.  

If you've got snow and ice this weekend, I'm thinking of you.  Been there, done that and it's a giant pain.  Stay safe and warm.

Candy

Happy Thanksgiving

Last Tuesday it was dark and rainy all day.  I'd had a head cold for  a week and basically felt like the last poppy of the year:

I was about to embark on a major whine when I saw a picture of Washington, Illinois.  Then I thought about the typhoon damage in the Philippines.  People, I've got nothing to complain about.  And we're having some bright sunshine, which always helps me look on the bright side.

I have these three little Christmas Cacti.  I love them because they don't take much upkeep.  And every year at about Thanksgiving, they bloom.  By Christmas, they're finished, but better early than never.  When the days are short and the nights long, that little bit of cheer is special.

I've often said that I learn something on every quilt I make.  I showed the top of my new quilt a couple of weeks ago (tentatively named "Mother Goes Mod") and last week I got ready to quilt it.  To sandwich the quilt, I lightly spray adhesive on the wrong side of the back (outside, of course) and then  masking tape it to the wood floor in the dining room.  Then I spray one side of the batting, spread it over the back and then add the top.  It's fairly quick (patience is not my best) and works well for me.
Only last week, the tape wouldn't stick to the backing.  I thought maybe the tape was old and got a different roll.  Same problem.  It got really frustrating really fast.  It took me a while, but I think I have it figured out.

I usually wash all my fabric as soon as it comes in the door.  Because I was using a layer cake for this project and I needed all ten inches of the squares, I didn't wash them and I didn't wash any of the other fabrics that went into it, including the backing.  (Imagine a tiny light going on here.)  Whatever finish is added to the fabric by the manufacturer is usually washed out.  But since I didn't wash these fabrics . . .

I finally just layered fabrics and batting, turned them over, smoothed out the back, turned it over and smoothed the front.  Checked the back one more time and started quilting.  So far, so good.  Live and learn.

On most of it I'm quilting from the back, using the flowered fabric as a guide.  Where that fabric appears on the front, I quilt from the front.  I'm using the same Aurifil thread on the top and in the bobbin.  It should be finished by the end of the week and next week I'll work on directions so the pattern will be ready by the first of the year.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Candy

It's Not Cheating To Do It the Easy Way

The run -up to the holidays has started and I formally announce that it's not cheating to do it the easy way.

The end-of-year holidays are supposed to be fun.  Sometimes being the Mom, Dad, Host or Hostess kind of sucks the fun out of it.  I'm pretty sure that too much to do, too many projects, too much stress and feeling crabby while waiting for it to be over is not the point.  Just keep saying to yourself, "I have nothing to prove." And let 'em make their own sandwiches.

While cleaning some stuff out, I came across a very simple runner pattern in the October, 2000 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.  I had saved the pattern many years ago and filed it away.  The border fabric I used is actually what's pictured in the magazine.  I really loved it and bought a bunch as I knew it would eventually go away. The project was quick and easy and I did only the most basic of quilting in about an hour.  I trimmed the batting and backing separately so I could just fold the backing over the front to finish instead of cutting separate binding.

It will live on my kitchen table for a few weeks.
Is it original?  No
Is every point perfect? No
Is every quilting stitch where it should be?  No
Will something probably get spilled on it?  Hey, it's me.  Of course.
Will I worry about any of the above?  NO

It was quick.  It was fun.  It's cute.  End of story.

A New Little Quilt

Now that it's November, I can no longer pretend it's just late summer.  As un-PC as it may seem, I miss the smell of burning leaves.  Watching someone unclog leaf-blocked storm drains just doesn't do it.

I've put off a few chores like mulching the hydrangeas and planting bulbs and now regret it as it's really chilly out.  The good news is that sunny weather isn't beckoning me out of the studio. Now I have no excuses.

Ever wonder what to do with a Layer Cake?  Not the yellow cake with chocolate frosting type.  We all know what to do with that.  I'm talking about the stack of ten inch squares of fabric. They're interesting and colorful and tempting, but what can you do with them?

I finally bought one a couple of weeks ago because it seemed like an interesting challenge and I had an idea.  I've been looking at Modern Quilts the last couple of years and liked many of them, but decided that they weren't really me.  What if I could do something sort of modern without a big commitment?

I chose Pat Sloan's Bobbins and Bits by Moda.  There are 42 squares in the collection and since they're designed as a group, everything goes with everything.  Also, the pinking at the edges is so shallow that you really have a usable 10 inches.  The only other thing I bought was a coordinating solid.

(At this point, I have to go off on a little tangent to say that there are so many more great solids than there used to be.  At least it seems like it to me.  If Modern Quilting has sparked that, I'd like to say "Thank you so much.")

One 10 inch square gave me an 8 ½ inch square and seven 1 ½ inch squares with just a bit left over.  In theory, I could've made 42 12- inch blocks.  Because I was experimenting, I goofed a couple up, but I have plenty more to play with.

This turned out to be a good way to play with some fabrics that I wouldn't necessarily want to buy yardage of (sorry to dangle that participle).  It also gave me lots of combinations to try.  I even decided that I kind of like gray.

Here's the basic block:

And the twelve block top:

It makes a cheery quilt for dark winter days and it's quick to do.

I have to show you something that made me chuckle.  

I didn't catch it right away, but now it just shouts at me.  Comment back when you see it.  Can you imagine how many yards (in more than one color) were printed this way?  

The pattern for this will be out about the first of the year at which time I'll give readers of this blog a discount, so check back.

Here are the familiars looking cute.  It's not Ella's (left) best pic, but I'm posting it anyway because she likes to play in the mud and bring it into the house.  This is Toby's "I'm a good boy" face.  Because there are so few places that are out of his reach, being good is especially hard for him.

Take time to quilt,
Candy

End of October

Even though the weather is sunny and warm, fall marches on.  The beautiful trees I posted last week have lost almost all their leaves.  It happened in about four days and it wasn't even windy.  Still, the weather makes it hard to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.  The thought of a day shopping at the mall makes my blood run cold, especially when I could be quilting.  The gift-buying will be nearly all on-line this year.  I love the idea of buying a gift when I think of it and shopping in my bathrobe.

About 30 of us from my guild went on Quilt Retreat last weekend.  The retreat center is only about 30 miles away, the setting is lovely, the staff hospitable and the food really good.  (Yes, I say that about most any food I don't have to cook, but the food WAS really good.)  I made some progress on a Christmas quilt that will be a pattern next year, took pictures for the guild and did a little embroidery.  But the best part was hanging out with other quilters.  It's fun to get to know members of the guild better and enjoy their talent.  I belonged to the guild for about five years before participating.  What was I thinking?

I've just finished quilting a project I started last year.  It was a kit I bought at the Northwest Quilt Expo. I rarely buy kits, but this one was so cute and the price quite reasonable so I went for it.  I finished all the piecing last fall and then put it away after Halloween.  All that's left is the binding.

The new Christmas quilt is a row quilt.  It was initially inspired by some great Christmas fabric.  One of the fabrics in the group is a print of 3-inch squares, which made it a perfect place to start.  The great thing about row quilts is that it's super easy to make them whatever size you need.  Time getting short?  Just stop, add a border (or not), quilt it, bind it and call it good.  Nobody has to know what the original plan was or how big you thought you would make it.  The pattern will be available next summer.

About the holidays in general:
The first year I was married, we lived a couple thousand miles from family and it occurred to me about the week before Thanksgiving that it was up to me to make the holidays special.  There are always a million cool projects and not nearly enough time to do them all.  For a couple of years I actually candied my own fruit for fruit cake.  It made the house smell marvelous and I still have the recipe, but seriously, there aren't enough minutes for that kind of thing anymore.  And I wondered why the holidays became more stressful than fun.

So here's some good advice from someone who's just learning to take it.  Do some things you love and the rest of the stuff the easiest way you can.  Also, delegate.  There's no rule that says you have to do everything.  The season is supposed to be fun for you, too.

A Little of This . . .

Regular Oregon fall is back (finally) and it features lots of sun and blue sky.  Apparently, this is our most colorful leaf week.  I'm not sure who figures that out, but I'm pretty sure they're right.

Wonderful color combination.  Could be a quilt in there.

Our dogs are allowed on one piece of furniture.  It's an old love seat that's been recovered several times.  At some point it would've cheaper to replace it, but it's comfy, good for naps (both human and dog) and fits the space perfectly.  I even made a couple of matching pillows and plan to make a couple more as I way overestimated the yardage to recover it.  The other evening, we found Toby hugging a pillow.

That's actually a new behavior for him.  Wish he'd traded in raiding the pantry for this one.  He loves Ritz Crackers and has been known to help himself to a stack when he's a bit peckish.  Toby actually held the pose while I got the camera.  He knows when he's being adorable and isn't above working it.


Sweet Husband was in Las Vegas this week and sent me this photo of a men's store in the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

Apparently there are about 500  sewing machines in the collection.  I would pay real money to see that and at some point I probably will.  I'm not really into antiques that much, but old sewing machines really charm me.  There's something special about a straight-stitchin', non-computerized, all metal, dependable workhorse of a  sewing machine.  I learned to sew on a 1951 Singer Featherweight (that I still have).  They were pretty easy to maintain and the motherboard never failed.

I'm working on a Christmas pattern that will be available next summer.  I decided to get ahead of the curve for a change even if it means creating Halloween in February.  When the top is finished, I'll post a preview.

Keep quilting,

Candy

Try Something New

Fall fell like a ton of bricks on the Northwest after a very sunny summer.  September here is generally pretty dry, but it rained a LOT last month.  The good news is that things are pretty green again.  The bad news is that my tomatoes got clobbered, as did most everyone's. The mums got pounded, but Sweet Husband staked them back up and now we have chrysanthemum trees.

After a very busy September at the "day job," I'm anxious to get back into the studio and make some quilts!  But first I took a little detour to the Portland Art & Soul Mixed Media Retreat last week.  I find it really fun and inspirational to take a class here and there outside of the quilting arena.  It changes my perspective and gives me new ideas and directions.  Art & Soul retreats are held yearly in Portland, Kansas City and Virginia Beach.  I took two classes:  No Excuses Art Journaling with Gina Rossi Armfield (www.noexcusesjournaling.com) and IPAD as Art with Lisa Thorpe.  Check out their websites; their work is pretty cool.  New skills almost always bleed over into your main passion, so try something different once in a while.  The new thing may not turn out to be a passion, but you'll take something useful with you.

Here's my little project for today:  I made the quilt "Haunting Hoofbeats" from the Dandelion Seed Design pattern.  It's very cute and goes together easily.  Haunted house, headless horseman and tomb stones, how could one go wrong?  However, if it's not in bright light, my choice of background fabric just blends in a little too well.  So now I have a couple of choices:  I can dump it and wait until I find the perfect background fabric to do it again, dump it and call it a learning exercise, or see if I can fix it with a little paint.   I seriously considered all the options and decided to try some paint.  Even if it doesn't work, it'll be worth a little time to take a shot.  The photos make the background stand out more than it does in life, but you'll get the idea.

Here are the paints I started out with.

I tried out my paint colors on a scrap of the background fabric.

It's acrylic paint so it can be thinned a bit with water.  TEST IT.  If the paint is too watery, it will bleed.  It's also worth noting that acrylic paint is permanent; once you get it where you don't want it, it's not ever coming out.  I mixed some together to get the colors I wanted.  The only drawback with mixing is that it's tough to get the exact shade twice.  On this background it won't really matter since it already has lots of shades of red, yellow and green; I'm just spicing them up a bit.

I wound up not using the lightest yellow as it was almost white and the darkest yellow I used sparingly as the paint is starting to get chunky and needs to be replaced.  (That bottle is probably 10 years old.)


Test using paint  right out of the bottle or tube, thinning it down a bit and dry brushing.  Let it dry before adding more as the color tends to blend in more as it dries.  You can always add another layer of paint or dry brush some highlights.


The changes are subtle, which is fine, but the house windows will shine out a bit more when the panes are quilted in and I've just lightened a bit around the path, tomb stones and sword hilt.

If I still feel the colors are too dark, I can go in and add some more highlights after the hanging has been quilted.

I'll post this when it's finished so you can see how it turned out.

Candy

The Cart Works

It's true!  The shopping cart on mob quilts.com finally works.  It's a lucky thing I didn't have to figure this out all on my own.  My sweet husband has put in a bunch of hours on this site (as did my son).  I'm  not as much help as I'd wish.  I'm happiest among my fabric and at my sewing machine.  Big surprise there.

Labor Day Weekend always seems like the beginning of fall to me even though there are plenty of warm days left.  I've never gotten over the feeling that the beginning of the school year is sort of like New Years.  It's time reorganize, make some lists, turn over a new leaf or two and plan how the next  months will be efficiently used so that all the holidays are less stressful.  Some years work out better than others and I firmly believe this will be a good one.  It's good if I actually do the things on the list.

I learned how to use the staple gun yesterday.  This may sound a bit out of my area and normally I'd agree.  However, the painted quilts need to be framed, and my sweet husband has gotten very efficient at making the wood frames.  The old staple gun was the biggest problem.  So I bought him a new one for Christmas last year that hooks up to the air compressor.  Talk about simplifying the job!

I still need to paint the sides so they look finished, but the big work is done.  There are more in my head and I'm excited to get them onto canvas.  Maybe that's why there's not much room for computer logic 

Enjoy the last day of the holiday weekend.

Candy

Just Around the Corner

It's almost Labor Day Weekend and my question is, how did it get here so fast?  Luckily, there's still time for more warm weather and it's a good thing because I have a couple million tomatoes that aren't ripe yet.  I have a great recipe for fried green tomatoes, but I'd like to enjoy some ripe ones, too.  Home-grown tomatoes are so meaty as opposed to the store-bought ones that are mostly skin, seeds and water.

About the web page:  (Insert weeping and gnashing of teeth.) It's being worked on and we hope to get the shopping cart working in the next few days.  In the meantime, if you'd like to buy a pattern, please email me and we'll get connected by phone.  There's no shipping charge until we get this cart thing worked out.

We just finished a new pattern for fall called "Set an Autumn Table." It includes runner, placemat, napkin and mug mat.  There is a bit of basic paper piecing and some fusing.  The items are all quick to make and mostly use scraps.

Set an Autumn Table

I'll be teaching this one at Let's Quilt in West Linn, OR on October 6, starting at noon.  For more information and to sign up, go to www.letsquiltshop.com  

Colors of Fall

Colors of Fall is one of my all-time favorites.  It's got piecing and some fusing.  This one I'm also teaching at Let's Quilt on September 22.  

This last thing I just have to share.  Barb and I visited my mom down in Southern Oregon a couple of weeks ago.  Mom lives on a busy street only about a mile from downtown so we were surprised that she's visited several times a week by five wild turkey hens.  They wander up the driveway, past the back door to hang out under the dogwood tree for a while and then they leave.  

I followed them with  my iPad and found that they're quite camera shy.  When I cornered them behind the wall, they just flew up to the top.

 They weren't so crazy about being photographed there either and one flew up to the garage roof.

I have a few seconds of video, but it just runs continuously when I put in on here and it's kind of annoying.  So here's a still instead.

We have no idea where they're nesting or who else they visit, but these girls are pretty funny.

And speaking of girls, Ella says hi to all her fans.  She seems to think that being cute and trying to dig up moles in the back yard are worthy of fame.

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend.

Candy

Inspirations From Afar

It's mid-summer, my favorite time of year.  After our longest vacation in 20 years, I'm settled in to enjoy   sunshine in the Northwest.  Our trip to Turkey and Greece was truly amazing.  Four thousand years of history around the Aegean Sea is pretty mind-blowing.  We packed a lot into 2 weeks, were exhausted when we got home and have a couple hundred pictures to remind of us all we saw.

I took lots of pictures as inspiration for some new quilts.

 Some interesting shapes and shadows at Topkapi Palace.

These beautiful tiles in Istanbul have been looking bright and gorgeous for over 1,000 years!

Look familiar?  This floor is a couple of THOUSAND years old, uncovered in Ephasus.

This is also in a home in Ephasus.  

And of course a rug made in Turkey.  

I should be well supplied with inspiration for a long time.


The second week of July was kind of weird as I saw Barbara off to Sisters for quilt classes and the show.  I've been every year starting in 1993.  I really miss it, but I knew that packing up to go after being home only 4 days was going to be a little much.  Also, my boss really likes it if I show up to work once in a while.  I was actually pretty okay with missing it until I saw what some of the ladies from my quilt guild did in various classes at the Quilter's Affair (classes and lectures held the week before the Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters). Barb came home with lots of info, both artistic and technical on machine quilting.  I did miss that week away with nothing but quilts on my mind.  Home comes with lots of distractions.

At this point in the summer I want to quilt lots of flowers and trees even as the quilt shops are getting fall and Christmas fabrics, magazines and patterns in.  I understand the need to get on those projects if they're going to be ready for fall and winter holidays, but I feel like a kid inundated with back-to-school ads smack in the middle of vacation.  I'm just not ready to think about it.  (Okay, I'm always ready to think about Halloween, but Christmas is just too much.)

Enjoy these long summer days of bright colors, open windows, and local fruits and vegetables.  My little garden is already giving me some little tomatoes, cucumbers and of course zucchini.  Roadside stands supply an impressive amount of goodies I can't grow myself.  They also make pretty pictures (and quilts) before we eat 'em.

Keep on quilting!
Candy

PS  Be sure to lock your car or you may be gifted with a bag of zucchini.

The Sewing Machines

Summer's back!  I am energetic again!  When the sun comes out, I'm a whole new woman, and this woman is happier and gets more accomplished.

I've been working on a second Blue Star Mothers quilt.  This one's bigger and scrappier, although as you can see, it's a controlled scrappiness.  (I may have some control issues, but that's a whole other blog.)  All quilt projects teach us something.  Sometimes it's that it contains a technique, or color combo or block that we never want to do again.  This is actually a really good thing to learn.  If you don't like a project, take the time to figure out why.  Then you never have to go there again.

But I digress.  Here's a chunk of the new quilt.

And here's the lesson.  I have not yet found the perfect sewing machine.  My Janome Horizon does many things well.  It has lots of space for quilting and quilts beautifully.  (Okay, there was that time last fall, but never mind.)  It has about 9000 stitches and puts up with acrylic painted canvas which is a bit like soft plastic.  It also has a whole bunch of feet, including a special dual feed foot which is a bummer to put on and makes it sound like a freight train.  I generally love this machine, but it's not ideal for patchwork where I want a lot of little seams to match up.

I've had this  machine for almost 3 years (Thanks, Mom) and use it almost every day.

I'm not a super perfectionist, but I like everything to match. Okay, mixed message.  Let's just say match within reason.

I do not like to stop and put on feet that don't just snap on.  I'm patient with the quilt, but not so much with my machinery.

 I fought this for about a dozen Blue Star blocks and then decided not to fight anymore.  My ten-year-old Pfaff 2044 is always set up in Barb's space and its integrated dual feed works great.  I'm so much happier with the blocks and there is decidedly less ripping out.  It's true that the sewing space on the Pfaff is smaller, it does not have push-button thread cutting (which is really nice, by the way) and the bobbins are smaller and have to be refilled more often.  But if you want some seams to match up, look out!  This baby gets it done.

And no changing of feet.


So is the ultimate machine out there?  Maybe.  Does it cost the earth?  Possibly.  Am I fine until Barb moves to a bigger place and can do quilting activities there and takes the Pfaff with her?  Absolutely!  Until then, I won't jump off any bridges until I get to them.


Check out these Queen Anne cherries.  I don't really like the taste of cherries except in pie, but I love the look and think there might be a cherry quilt in my future.  In my spare time.  (Imagine insane laughter.)

By the way, I'm teaching the Blue Star Mothers quilt at Let's Quilt in West Linn, this Saturday.    There are a few spaces left and new students are most welcome.

Enjoy Summer!

Candy

Happy Long Weekend

I would like to take a  moment to whine about the weather.  When we were in Southern Oregon for Mother's day it was 92, the kind of summer weather I grew up on.  At mid-morning today, we're enjoying a chilly 54.  Not exactly great for Memorial Day weekend.  However, given the tornado weather in Oklahoma this week, and the fact that my house is in one piece makes it impossible to be anything but grateful.  Mission of Love and eQuilter are collecting funds and quilts for tornado victims. For more information, go to the eQuilter website.

Once in a while, I find that I need to let new ideas bubble around in my imagination for a while.  I want to sew, but don't want to figure anything out.  I didn't want to invest time or brain power in choosing a pattern or figuring out what fabric to use where.  What I did was make a quilt from a kit.

My first kit quilt was made in the late 70's.  My mother-in-law sent away for a baby quilt kit.  After it arrived, she had a "what was I thinking" moment and gave it to me.  The fabric was sort of marginal and looked like it had been cut with a chain saw.  Coming from a clothing and textiles background, I found the lack of attention to grain line pretty unimpressive.  I finished the quilt and have no memory of what happened to it.  The whole experience really put me off kits.

In the last few years, kits have come back into fashion and are offered in many quilt shops.  They're so much better than 35 years ago (I guess that shouldn't be a big surprise).  The fabrics are actual cotton and cut and assembled with care.  I love the process of creating my own designs and choosing colors and fabrics myself.  There are times, however, when a kit meets certain needs and just feels right.

I finished the top of my kit quilt and it will be perfect for a summer nap.  Or to wrap up in on the 4th of July if the weather doesn't shape up.

Years ago I bought a poppy with the most delightful coral flowers.  When my husband built raised beds in the front last year, we divided it and replanted.  The main plant and two of the smaller ones survived and it's poppy time again.  

This coral is probably my favorite color.  I'd love for my mother to do a watercolor of them.  I'll have to work on that.  In the meantime, I'm wondering if I can create a quilt from one of these pictures.  They just speak to me.  The only thing I don't like is that they last such a short time.  I want them to be there all summer.  Actually, winter would be good too.  Guess I'll have to get busy on that quilt.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and stay safe.  

Candy