oodles of burros. Oh and fabric.

Okay, so this will be yet another post that's a little weak on the fabric and sewing. Just can't help it.
Spent the last week on the road...in, of all places, Laughlin, NV-- home of the largest biker rally in the
West. Which would be the Laughlin River Run.

Kinda lacking in quilt shops but the event is a little like the biker version of say, Quilt Market or for you west coast gals PIQF. Endless vendor booths filled with various biker paraphernalia...including some pretty spiffy things. Only difference would be...ummm...well, this event is much louder than a quilt show. And alcohol is consumed in impressive quantities. And the majority of the attendees are clad in black leather. I could go on, but don't think I need to.

Did I shop? Of course! I got a tshirt, a leather cuff bracelet, and a few other odds and ends.

According to reports, there were 60,000 of us. There are lots of places to ride...my favorite being the tiny mining town of Oatman. Narrow winding roads to travel and what's in the town? Other than a crazy number of Harleys? Look closely...

These critters wander the streets...some people feed them hay pellets but those don't seem to interest them much. They're sweet and quite thoroughly pettable. The roar of all those Harleys doesn't faze them in the slightest.

The trip was 9 hours each way which is a bit much so we broke it up into 2 days each way. This meant that we spent the night in Bakersfield...this can only be a good thing if you're a quilter because
this means a trip to STRAWBERRY PATCHES!!

Because we needed to beat the heat I only spent an hour there. Which was not nearly enough time. Luckily they offer shipping...so I didn't have to try to bungee cord my purchases on the back of the bike*.

I have to say, Suzanne owns the most inspirational quilt shop anyplace. I went nuts shopping. Oh yes, I did. And honestly it's worth a 4 hour drive just to see the place. If you're even further away than I am, you can still shop there. And you can also do what I did last night and scroll thru all the awesome projects on her Tutorial Tuesday section on her blog.
*If there's still any confusion at all about what I'm talking about, you can click here and all shall be made clear. Well, to be honest there was a teeny bit of "artistic license" regarding the photo...

Let's try this again...

You know how it goes...sometimes there's nothing to write about, so you don't. Then sometimes there IS something to write about, but it's too dark to take a photo, so you don't. Then the thing you want to write about disappears under a pile of fabric. Then you don't have internet for a couple of days because of this wonderful thing called "satellite internet" which sounds so very Jetson's and works about as well as something George himself might have come up with.

Next thing you know, another month has gone by.



So what has happened in the last month? Well, snow, for one thing. Lots of snow. To me, anyway. Got to shovel it, eat it, frolic in it (of course!) and even DRIVE in it. Yikes.



But I think that's about over now. Which means ski season is over. Kinda bittersweet really. I had some wonderful days and some really really super awful ones. But I'm glad that I can say I know how to ski. Well, sort of. My goal next year is to make it onto at least the easiest of the intermediate runs. Pretty sure I can do that, too. Here's a photo from one of the particularly good days:




Everything is waking up and leafing out and spraying pollen everywhere. Which would be 100% delightful if breathing wasn't something I like to do.

I'm itching (literally) to get busy with the garden, but around here the rule is "No planting until after Frog Jump!" and you know what? I know what that means...

So the back still has white on it but it's of the wildflower variety.

Cat wanted to know what I was so busy looking at this morning but clearly he's not impressed.



But what about quilting? And sewing? And all that good stuff? Of course that's been going on. At Home is still not finished; in fact I'm not sure where all the parts are
at the moment. One of the wide border strips has been sewn on. And I just got the backing fabric in the mail so I guess I better start digging.

I also have a new BOM coming out for Spring Market. Not the usual huge group of patterns as in the past, but I think this is cute and hope you'll like it. More when I can show something.

How about embroidery? Do any of you enjoy that? I really got a craving to sit and stitch awhile back so designed this monogrammed piece. Stitched it with outline stich on linen which I purchased with a Joann's coupon, but it would also be nice on osnaberg or any other lineny looking fabric. I'll be turning it into a pillow some one of these days and if there's any interest, I might just pattern it up.

what's new

Okay, many hours have passed since my last post and I'm pleased to announce that my 2 Hour Dishcloth is finally finished.



I have no clue how many hours it actually took--and I ended up using a different border pattern than the one in the book because after a half hour of trying, I just couldn't figure it out. And who could bear to use a dishcloth that took a whole day to make? I have no idea if it's any good...I haven't been able to bring myself to get the thing wet, let alone use it for cleaning food off of stuff.



I have the original At Home quilt but it really doesn't go with the room colors since new sofas arrived. Believe me, I'm not complaining. There are few things more fun than decorating a room and purchasing the fabric required to do that. I could have done a different quilt--I could probably make At Home in my sleep at this point, but it's so quick and easy and just the right size to snuggle under.



This one is going to be mostly Moda's "Papillon", but I've added bits of "Etchings", some French General and strips of some favorite old Lecien Quilter's Basic. I felt that the quilt needed a bit more red than the jelly roll provided so I added some extra. And while I adore pink, it turns out that SOME PEOPLE have real issues with that color, so those strips were eliminated. Sigh...

Once the quilt is finished, I'll get started on pillows, chair cushions, and who knows what all else.



When I'm not sewing or crocheting at an embarrassingly slow pace, I'm enjoying nature. Sometimes with my striped friend who provides pretty good company.




Wild turkeys and quail are a bit skittish and don't cooperate at all with my plans to photograph them. The deer are a bit better but they ignore my requests to scootch just a little closer.



Finally, I've got a question for any of you who are experienced at this whole living-in-the-country thing. Anybody have sheep? I've been researching the topic and am mighty tempted but would appreciate any advice.

bad blogger

Okay, so much for my blogging resolve. Do you want to hear my excuses? Nah, neither do I.

I'm not going to talk about skiing...it's a bit of a sore subject these days (pun intended) but how cool is this? My brother got this for me from a local antique shop. He figured I just might need it.



I do love getting comments...and Mascanlon shamed me into tearing the twill tape off my tower and jelly roll of Papillon...and she's right. Just like a bandaid, it only hurts for a moment. Now I have wonderful whole pieces of fabric to agonize over. I ordered border fabrics from the best mail order place ever*...and as soon as those arrive I'll get cracking on my new version of At Home. I'm tempted to do a version of one of Pam's quilts as well. I just love Papillon and it's even more fun to throw in a few strips that aren't from the collection...seems to make the projects look older. I mean that in the good way, of course.



What else have I been doing? Well, among other things, trying crochet again. With my new favorite color. Found a book called "2 Hour Dishcloths" and I have to say that the one thing I DO know is that I'll never give a quilt pattern a name which implies how long it should take a person to complete the project. Because 2 hours? Excuse me? I guess I'm totally lame because I've spent 2 hours on the first 10 rows.



Continuing the kitchen theme, I'm back to one of my true sewing project loves--dish towels. Here I've used my new favorite fabric--Osnaburg. It looks so much like linen but is a fraction of the price and is 100% cotton.

Time to get back to work--I have fabric bits to cut out. I've been neglecting blogs and have missed keeping up with Pam's...and now that I'm caught up I'm really eager to make a bunch of those granny square blocks...while dreaming of having a flock of mini-sheep of my own. Of course up here they'd be little puffy hors d'oeuvres for the local wildlife. But a girl can dream.



*Fat Quarter Shop could not be more different from another well known online store...who takes your order, sends you a confirmation telling you that they may or may not actually have what you ordered and then you never hear another peep outta them. Grrr.

s.w.a.k.

Okay, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. And by that I mean me buying something shaped like a heart. Even though I've designed several quilts that feature hearts, they've never been my favorite theme. I can't think of a single thing I own that has a heart on it.

Don't get me wrong--hearts are fun to cut out and fun to pick fabrics for and fun to stitch. But then I'm over them.

Well, last weekend I was at an awesome antique mall in Roseville, CA. The sort of place you can literally get lost in. Wasn't looking for anything heart shaped, of course. But found this and couldn't resist. Yesterday it was installed on the garden gate where I can see it from the kitchen window. Installed by another non-heart lover, I might add.



I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day that's as filled with as many hearts as you might want.

nothing much

Okay...here's where things get tough. There's nothing much to report on but if I stop? Next thing you know, 7 months have gone by blah blah.

There's been lots of skiing...less falling, I'm pleased to report. I've been told that I "almost look like I know what I'm doing" which was meant as high praise and I'll take it.

I do have a question for you. Does anyone else have a problem opening Moda's precuts? I don't mean that the twill tape is tied too tightly or anything...that's not the issue. It's the fact that the towers and jelly rolls are so nice just the way they are. I picked up a tower and jelly roll of "Papillon" recently. The colors are absolutely perfect for decorating but no quilts, pillows, etc are gonna happen if I can't bring myself to untie them.

Haven't bought a jelly roll in ages. Years, actually. Was wondering what to do with it--assuming I ever unroll it--and I'm leaning toward this one. After all, I do have the pattern already :)

I did complete a small project recently--it was my dad's birthday and he'd asked for a new pillowcase. He loves pigs so this fabric was perfect. Dug thru my stash and found a dot and a perfect piece of PKM to coordinate. He loves it--as does one of his cats.



Finally--thanks for all the Key to My Heart love! The pillow pattern has been selling very well. Just remember--it's only available until Valentine's Day--then it's gone for good. Because I'm difficult that way.

Key to My Heart

Okay, without further ado...here it is. Just in time for Valentine's Day, a new pillow design. I know...it seemed to take me forever to get it done but I was out of town and then skiing (twice) and blah blah blah. But it's a pretty quick project and was fun to make.

Pam has been at me for ages to do a pillow pattern. She makes pillows using my method because it's quick and easy and has a finished look. So here it is...the first of hopefully several pillow patterns. This one is available only via my website--not in quilt shops.

I about lost my mind when I saw her version of "Key to My Heart" even tho hers doesn't have a key. It's absolutely adorable--and her leaves are the cutest ever.

I'm pleased that I didn't have to spend any money at all to make mine...used up some favorite fabric bits. Didn't have "the right" color thread but made do because let me tell you it's a DRIVE
to get to the nearest shop that carries thread. The only thing I needed to shop for was the key. I'm lucky because even tho I'm in a town that only has one traffic light, it happens to have a shop that carries a huge assortment of old rusty keys. The day I was there, the owner was very busy and I had to wait a long time to purchase my key. I stood there happily gazing at all the bins full of rusty treasures but he felt badly to have kept me waiting so insisted that I just take the key. How cool was that?



So how do you get the pattern? Go to my website and you'll find the pattern in two forms. If you want a printed pattern the price is $7.95 plus shipping. If, however, you'd like to have a PDF to download and print yourself, that option is $6.95. My website isn't set up to handle this automatically, so once payment is received I'll be emailing the PDF pattern to you. As quickly as I possibly can--hopefully within minutes, but absolutely the same day.

Another detail...this is a limited edition pattern. On Valentine's Day poof! it's gone. Hopefully to be followed by another pillow but who knows. Spring is coming and it would be nice to have a pillow to celebrate but these days I'm a bit distracted because there are still snow covered hills I haven't fallen down on yet.

more that's new...including some sort of lesson (I think)

First of all, thanks for such a great welcome back! As anyone with a blog will agree, sometimes you just don't know if anyone is really out there reading. You've inspired me to make posting more of a priority like it used to be.


I also want to thank those of you who sent me sweet messages on my birthday which was a couple weeks back. It was a very special day for me (well, a couple of days actually) and made turning 50 about as good as it could be. Went to the Carmel/Pacific Grove area for a couple of days where the weather was beautiful and the sunsets were anything but dull.


Periodically sent Pam texts asking for restaurant suggestions, etc...and at Rosine's in Monterey I got my slice of birthday cake. Yes, that's one serving of cake sitting there. Delicious cake, I might add.

Before I get onto my next subject I just want to reassure all you quilters that yes, there soon will be pics of my latest project--but right now it's just weird chunks of fabric. And a rusty key. Hard to photograph. But it's a Valentine's project that Pam and I will both make but in different colors. For what I'm thinking will be a limited edition pattern. So stay tuned. Especially if you like pillows.

Anyway.

I've always wanted to learn how to ski but never had the opportunity. My parents were the ultimate stay-indoors kind of people. We'd go to Yosemite every winter, but it was to look at the snow. Maybe walk in it a little. In fact, my mother didn't learn how to ride a bicycle until she was 50. I do not have an athletic bone in my unusually tall body.

Just before Christmas, I took my first skiing lesson. It was scary but I did it. I didn't have fun, not exactly, but came away with the sense that I could have fun if I knew what I was doing. First week in January brought my second trip to the slopes. And by "slopes" I mean that area where the little kids who are barely out of diapers go effortlessly careening down the incline. There was nothing effortless about anything I did that day. Unless you count falling down. Which it turns out is something I have no trouble doing.

Here's the thing. I'm pretty good at quilting. It was never difficult for me. I learned by reading books--meticulously following the instructions and studying the techniques. Slowly, and at my own pace.

Well, you know what? Skiing isn't like that.


Last Friday was my 3rd day skiing. I'm 3 for 3 falling when I get off the chair lift at the beginner hill. My first time at that "real" hill? I froze. Metaphorically speaking. I ended up walking down the entire hill. Me, my new fancy boots and my new fancy poles. The ones with the flowers on them. I was told "you can't possibly walk down this hill". Oh, just watch me.

It was everything I could do not to cry like a little girl. Like a very big little girl. Got another lesson that day. From a fantastic teacher whose only goal was getting my confidence back. He convinced me to get back onto the chair lift (where I fell again). It took me 20 minutes to get down a hill that anyone else could have skied down in under 2. My hour long lesson had ended when I was probably still 3/4 of the way up the hill. But the instructor, on his own time, insisted that we try it again. And yes, I fell getting off the chair that time as well. And slid rather impressively I might add. But you know what? I did it again. I skied down that hill. I was terrified every single minute, but I did it. Once I reached the flatter part? I was having fun. I'm told I was smiling. I was a little too busy trying to keep my now jello-like body upright to tell.

Why am I sharing this story? I've had students who were afraid of the whole quilting process. From picking the "wrong" fabrics to the worries of less than perfect stitches, learning to make a quilt can be stressful. Accepting the fact that you simply can't control everything that happens. You learn by doing.


Tomorrow I think I'm gonna try it again. It's not defeatist to say that I'm gonna fall some more. It's just reality. I'm gonna fall some more. But I have waterproof pants and a waterproof parka and fancy gloves and a scarf to match. Gotta be stylin' when you're lying in the snow, you know.
And I may be the worst skier in the entire county, but I've got the coolest looking skis. Because I'm a quilter and my gear must color coordinate.


When I get back? I'll be curled up by the wood stove working on that pillow. Because making quilts is easy. You can't fall down.

starting over

According to Blogger, it's been almost 7 months since I've last been here. Seems impossible, but I'm sure Blogger is telling the truth.

And after all, a whole lot has happened in that time. Of course that's what a blog is for...sharing all those bits and pieces of life as it happens. Unfortunately, for various reasons I just wasn't really able to do that.

My life has changed in many BIG ways during this time and quilting has had to take a back seat to lots of other goings on. The changes were absolutely necessary, but sadly my creativity disappeared during those months. I'm relieved it's coming back. My head is once again filling up with applique designs that should soon be in process. Roses, always roses...but other motifs as well. I can't wait to get the designs on paper and then of course cloth.



There are other changes in my life as well. I'd spent all my years in the San Francisco bay area and while I always had a rose and perennial garden, there was the steady sound of a freeway in the background and all the other noises that go along with living in crowded suburbia. These days a fair amount of my time is spent in a place where all I hear is birds. And breezes. No rose garden, but lots of oaks, pine trees and canyon views. Deer and bobcats wander around. What I spend time looking at has affected the colors I'm now drawn to...I still love bright happy fabrics but these days I'm wanting to experiment with a more subdued palette.


I've brought Bittersweet back out and had a great time making a Delectable Mountains quilt--out of Civil War fabrics! Not one piece came from my stash--and that quilt may be the only one I've ever made that doesn't use any fabrics with roses on them.



I've made quilts with bluebirds on them but have never before been able to look out the window and actually see bluebirds. These are Mountain Bluebirds so aren't quite as bright as their eastern cousins, but they're a thrill for me every time I see them.

Even the eggs are different up here. Fresh from hens belonging to a new friend and instead of plain white, they're brown, pink and an aqua that's so pretty I have a hard time using them.

I now have a sewing machine in each of 2 counties. Life is good.

gardens and quilts and stuff

The one part of my life right now that seems just right is my new little back yard. It's already quite pretty and has plenty of spots for me to tuck things into. And that's what I've been doing. So when unpacking gets to be a bit much...that's where you'll find me. I'm planning some pretty pillows for the chairs...I think it's going to be a very girly kind of place.



Summer is also a good time for some leisurely projects...I've decided that "A Dash of Sugar" (you know--that free pattern over there on the right?) would make a very pretty shower curtain. So I think that's going to happen.

Summer also seems like a good time to find some new homes for a few of my quilts. There are some pieced quilts for sale up on my website and there are 2 appliqued quilts as well. And more will follow. Obviously these are one of a kind. I enjoyed designing and making them and hopefully someone has just the right spot for one.



Be sure to scroll down just a bit...there are 2 giveaways you don't want to miss.

Strip-Smart Quilts

I have to be honest about a couple of things. When Kathy asked me if I'd participate in her blog hop, I didn't even hesitate. If you're lucky enough to know Kathy, you know she's about the sweetest person ever--and is just as talented. So of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book...and the ruler.

So the book arrived...and it was great to just sit back and look thru it...at all the pretty quilts...hmmm...which one most strikes my fancy...

Days passed and all of a sudden came the realization that my day was coming up and soon. My sewing machine had just been moved...but most supplies were still at the old house. I was suddenly sorry I'd agreed to be a part of this...because I just didn't have the time. Or the attention span.



So I decided to see just how quickly I could make this happen. Picked a quilt pretty much at random, and grabbed some of the few pieces of fabric that are here. (Annie's Farm Stand by LakeHouse Dry Goods, dontcha know). Kicked the cat off the ironing board (that's another story for another day) and quickly skimmed the instructions.


Cut my strips...stitched them together at warp speed...kicked the cat off the ironing board yet again...and grabbed the ruler.

As an aside, when Kathy mailed me the ruler, she packed it very carefully. And added the words "Fragile" "Do Not Bend" and so on. The USPS quite helpfully, decided that she must really have meant "BEND", so they did. And the ruler arrived in 3 pieces. Sigh...

So again, just quickly skimming the cutting instructions? Off I went.



Time for assembly. Again, to be honest? Did not take the time to pin. Just grabbed triangles and sewed. Didn't need to pin because the seams effortlessly nested together.

The entire process? Would have taken less than 5 minutes but I ran out of bobbin thread.

I guess what I'm saying is that the book is fantastic...the projects are great and the ruler is amazing. Kathy did a great job with her instructions--I barely paid attention and my block is darn close to perfect.

Kind of a weird testimonial, but there you go. If I could do it with little attention and even less time? It's a great thing.

So you know the drill. Leave a comment and I'll draw a name and Kathy will make sure you get to play as well.