Where does time go?

Man, it's been over a week already since I last posted! So, what have I been up to?
Sunday--our local quilt shop had their annual Super Bowl Sale (40% off!) and I volunteered to work (I also teach there) as there is never enough help. Heck, at those prices, she is busy!! I was a little worried that I might break my own rule of NO fabric buying period--I don't even include the 4 B's in my rule (backings, bindings, borders and ??-can't remember the 4th right now). It was hard, and I did end up buying fabric for my Quilt 24 Challenge (a coordinate ONLY--the ones shown are what my hubby gave me for my birthday) and fabric for a friend who is making a baby quilt. My challenge required solid fabric and I just do not have solids in my stash. And, I choose 4 yards total of something that I do not need, but absolutely wanted! It's a deep fuschia with orange dots on it. I thought it would make a great border. I got 3 yards of that and 1 yard of a wonderful batik orange to go with it. Now, I am not counting it as buying fabric--because the quilt shop owner pays us in yardage when we work--so I literally worked for that fabric. Okay--so it's kind of pushing the limit--but hey--it's my own rule AND that is the FIRST fabric I acquired (notice I didn't say "bought"! LOL) that is purely a "want" since last July! So, was I a bad girl? No, I don't feel bad. I did need the first fabric I bought and the other, well.... So, now the debate is, should I put that Fabric Diet button on my sidebar? LOLTaxes--ugh! It gets worse every year. Things get more complicated the older we get. I used to love doing taxes! Yeah, that was when my hubby just got a W-2, and I was a SAHM. :) So, now I spread out all my stuff and work 3-4 hours daily on it. I am going on a 3 week trip with Kirt and then on a 9 day trip with some girlfriends and I would like a lot of this tax stuff done before I go.

Making samples.........cleaning my sewing room. It lasted all of one day! My hubby came out right after I cleaned my work table off and was impressed--until he saw it 2 days later and wondered what happened! never mind, just never mind! LOL I also started to work on my Calendar quilt. I saw it posted last year on Pat Sloan's website, but the year was too far gone to start it. I unfortunately didn't remember until last week, so I'm playing catch up with Jan. But basically it's like a string quilt--you add a piece of fabric EVERY day to the row, usually a strip. And you make 4- 91 strips per row and put sashing inbetween the rows and you have a quilt. My original intentions were to add strips of whatever I was working on at the time. Well, I decided against that for a number of reasons. I might not have enough fabric to "give" to that project. What if I have a spell where I'm not piecing but catching up on quilting (which I DESPERATELY need to do!) and my fabrics would be all over the board. So, I decided to do a "theme" per month. January will have all blues/purples in it, Feb. will have pinks/reds. March will have greens, April will be florals, etc. Now, the question is: will I continue to do this all year? Time will tell!

Do you fuse?

Do you use fusible web? What is your favorite type? I used to be a loyal fan of Heat and Bond LITE and then I was forced to use Steam a Seam II for a project and with a change in how to use it a bit, found that I might like that a bit better. Quilter's Home magazine just had an article in the Jan. 2007 issue regarding fusibles and their differences. And it's funny how even those quilters differed in opinions. So, what's your favorite? Scroll down the side bar and vote for your favorite fusible web. I'm going to leave that up until late February, so come back and visit to view all the results.

Serendipity at it's best

Don't you just love how some things just fall right in place? Not that it happens very often, but I love it. And my little adventure included NO NEW fabric buying, 1/2 my work done and about a 9 year old project being revitalized! It all started when our quilt group (who is ready to do another retreat) was discussing something we could do together. We normally do our own thing as of late, but thought it would be nice to learn something new together. All the rage around here is the One Block Wonder quilts by Maxine Rosenthal. We all agreed and I got the book. 1st panic attack--geez, I might have to actually break my no fabric buying (NONE for me since LAST July!). But as I was poking around some of my fabrics, I came across a beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabric and lo and behold, there was EXACTLY what I needed--4 yards. And that is unusual for me to buy that much fabric at full price with not a thing to do with it. I was set.
Then last week after perusing the book some more, I realized it is just like a Stack and Whack, only it's set together differently. She also uses fabrics that has fewer colors. My wheels started spinning again. Gee, I did 2 or 3 S & W quilts quite a few years ago (probably 8 or 9) and don't quite remember finishing all of them. So I went bin hunting and sure enough, there was a Stack and Whack and all the blocks were done! Perfect! Of course, I immediately took down what was on my design wall and had to start playing! I love it. I might not buy the same thing today to do it, but it certainly fulfills my love for brights! (fewer colors means more of the blocks will have the same colors, making it easier to make a "colorwash" look). The only thing is by interlocking the blocks, you need more of them to make a nice size quilt. BUT I had MORE of the same fabric. I vaguely remember thinking I was going to make a bunch of these baby quilts until I realized they take more work than usual, which is probably why I quit.
So there you have it: no new fabric purchased, 1/2 my work done (I'll make more to make the quilt bigger) AND an old UFO taken off the books.

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Gratitudes:
1. the unexpected treasures that can brighten a day
2. meeting deadlines and having time to spare
3. no-bake cookies

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Quilt me Pink

Yeah! the Quilt Pink quilt is done and sent off to the Quilt Pink foundation to be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The flowers in the center of the quilt represented those who have had breast cancer. I had a number of kind ladies help me make blocks ala "Tonya" style. It was a new method for most, let me tell you! And actually, most of the ladies that helped didn't even quilt. I was glad so many gave the effort for this great cause.
I don't know if you can see the quilting or not, but I quilted in words of encouragement, such as: hope, hugs, kisses, strength, faith, etc.
this is the back of the quilt. I used up ALL the extra squares and all the extra fabric. I had 3 full strips (2") left and that's it besides some odd and end scraps.

101st post

"L" is SOOOO big!!

Wow! I didn't realize that my last post was my 100th one. Hmm, should have made it special. Oh well. I have been SO busy. This is one of my husband's busiest times of the year, making it mine! He runs a big softball tournament indoors and I do the all the food for the staff of 60 and college coaches (300). And have no method of cooking since it's held indoors at an athletic fieldhouse. Which means I have to cook and prepare everything ahead of time and then figure out how to get it all warmed up and served with limited electric. I always make my fudgy brownies. It's funny, one of the umpires asked me when he first saw me if I brought my brownies. They are worth breaking your diet over! I can't brag too much, because they are from a mix, but a very special one. :) And then he takes a huge crew over to Europe for a big tournament there and my daughters and their husbands have to go and help and I stay home with the grandkids. My Mom flew up to help me this year. Last year, I did it by myself and got the flu. Not a good thing with (2) 2 year olds and a 5 year old! And this year there was a 9 month old baby. But we got along great and it was a huge help to have another adult to help. The picture is of the 9 month old--we taught him to do "SOOO BIG" and patty cake. What a cutie!

When everyone went home I received a package in the mail of a pattern and fabric. I'm sewing some blocks for a well known quilter for a new pattern. TINY---DOUBLE blanket stitch on lots of curves and circles. It's going to be a gorgeous quilt when it's done! I don't have permission to reveal it yet, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to show a teaser! So, my last 4 days have been hunched over a sewing machine! I'll share the full picture when I'm allowed. :) And now on to finish the Quilt Pink quilt. But first a little side trip to the quilt store. She is having a special where all machines brought in for cleaning, etc. are only $9.95! What a deal! I hope there's not a limit! heeheehee I have all those classroom machines that need done and $10 is a LOT cheaper than $60 each!

Quilt 24 Challenge

I am starting a new challenge for a new year! Like we don't have enough to do already, right? :) Remember my posts from April/May of last year where I had a challenge with a friend using 24 FQ's? I'm doing it again and opening the challenge up to anyone who would like to join in. I am not posting the official rules until Jan. 21 (you can come to the meeting, y'all are invited!--or check out the website the evening of the 21st). Details will be on my website under Quilt 24 Challenge.

A baby with no quilt!

Right before Christmas, like on the 21st, my 6 year old granddaughter was with me when I made a run to the quilt store to pick up a quilt. While I was talking with the owner, she perused all the fabrics. Of course, she found some that she just HAD to have--at home, no less! And then, she got really excited--"Nana--come here quick!" I ran over there and she stood in front of a baby quilt and had a bolt of fabric in her hand that was the backing fabric. She went on to tell me about her new little baby cousin (on the other side of the family) and she DIDN'T have a quilt! Can you imagine? She reminded me that she helped me make a quilt for her cousin earlier this year (my grandson) and that we really, really needed to make baby Meghan a quilt. What's a Nana to say? Of course we bought enough for a backing. I was sure that I had fabric somewhere to come up with a top! ;) Of course that meant she had to come home with me and help me put this quilt together. She was going to visit the baby on the 23rd and we had no time to spare!
She helped me choose a few embroidery designs and the colors she wanted to use. She laid out the quilt all by herself, as usual. I suggested that maybe she spread out her yellows a bit more and she looked at me and said, "Don't you see the pattern I made with the yellows?" Oh, okay! :) I love that independence in her! I hope she keeps it. Staying true to what you believe in.

We sewed much later than she should have been up, but we were pushing the clock! I got up at 3:30 AM because I couldn't sleep, and ended up getting it quilted. So when she woke up, all she had to do was make the label and snip the extra threads for me. It was cute, she made her name really big on her homemade label and wanted to put it right on front, because she wanted everyone to know who made it! Not a modest bone in her! And she made it home on time by 10 AM! Whew--and I thought I cut things close!

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Gratitudes:
1. a fun granddaughter that loves to quilt!
2. a new project in the making (shh, it's a secret still)
3. dinner from the freezer (yeah, no cooking tonight!)
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Miniature Quilt Store--in polymer clay!

Check out this miniature quilt store, all done in polymer clay..

For more pictures and information, check out this site: Creating a Miniature Quilt Storefront

What a neat thing to do--but my oh my, what patience they had!

I finally broke down and upgraded to the new blogger. I figured my days were numbered and I better do it before I was forced to and ran into problems. I like the new format, although in doing my template, I lost all my stuff in my sidebar, so I'm still working on those.

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Gratitudes:

1. beautiful sunny blue skies--in Ohio!!

2. email friends who share inspiring and uplifting stories

3. Market Spice Tea from Seattle

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I wish to each and every one of you a SAFE, healthy and joyful new year.

2006 is behind us, and I am so glad! There were a few bright spots, one was having another grandson. He is such a joy and delight and we are SO blessed with the most beautiful and wonderful grandkids! A couple of great trips thrown in and new blogger friends, which is such a delight to me. There were many other trials and rough spots last year, and I thank God for the opportunities to grow in my walk with Him.

I'm looking forward to a brand new year with some exciting possiblities in store for me. I just hope that I can keep my head on straight, my lists organized and my health and energy high enough to do all I want to do! I'm not setting any goals, per se, although my "Fabric Depression" has almost become a game. I STILL haven't purchased any fabric for me (I have purchased some for gifts), and I'm not counting the fabric Kirt bought me for my birthday. After all, I didn't ask for it! :)

I have taken down all the Christmas stuff and now is the time that I get out all the Snowman stuff. I think that my snowmen outnumber my Christmas things. At least it keeps it in a festive mood for a few more months. And it doesn't look like we are going to get any snow anytime soon-so I'll create my own. It's a lot warmer that way, and safer to drive!

Here is a new project I'm working on. A student showed me an embroidery CD that does the applique and stitching while in the hoop the entire time! Of course I had to have it myself. This is one of 12 snowmen--they are all so adorable. I also did purchase a redwork snowman CD to do too. I'm thinking since my living room is now kind of reddish--I should make that quilt soon! All my other snowman stuff was blue.

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Gratitudes:

1. A fresh start of a new year

2. 4 healthy and wonderful grandchildren

3. Homemade chicken noodle soup

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Thanks to Jeanne of Spiral for her inspiring gratitudes list. I decided that I needed to do the same.

more living room pictures

This is for those who wanted more living room pictures! I don't think people believe we painted a wall red! But it looks great--and have the best quilt in mind to do. Actually, the fabric is where I pulled my paint color! and it's not a bright red--but not a barn red either. But it looks great with my new black furniture. Now to start working on my quilt.....

Jamaica-mon!

Wow--this is the calmest I've ever been for Christmas--I ought to go to Jamaica more often! :) We had a very relaxing time. We renewed our wedding vows in a gorgeous gazebo on the cliff overlooking the ocean. We even had a cake, champagne and bouquet of flowers. It was a very special and touching ceremony as we reaffirmed our commitment to one another for at least another 32 years!We had a great time--even after I got stung by a bee. I ended up having to have an ER dr. come to the resort to give me a shot and medicine. I was "forced" to stay off my feet with my leg up and out of the sun. So I laid on a chair with my feet at the head of the chair, elevated with a towel over my leg! We couldn't do any tours after that, but that's okay. Even that pressure was taken off of us. Not the best hair do in the top picture--it looked fine in the room! :) The wind and humidity played havoc with it the moment I stepped out the door. Oh well--but isn't that a beautiful site? We watched many weddings over the course of time while we were there. And the bottom picture is a self-portrait! As you can tell, most of our other pictures were too far away to even see us, so we did our own!
Sorry--nothing quilty about this post, but just wanted to share. I did take some pictures there for possible inspiration for a quilt. But opted out of taking anything to work on.

getting a new look

Not me--heehee--my great room. After doing the blue/yellow color scheme for quite a few years, I decided to move on to something else. My hubby had our carpet replaced one time while I was gone to a little darker tan (to cover all the dirt!) and the yellow couch had to go. So I decided I wanted a black leather couch, loveseat and chairs, and a poppy red wall. Actually, there is a quilt I want to make with those colors in it--and why not change the WHOLE great room to match? That's what I thought! :) So, hubby painted the large window wall a beautiful shade of red (it's not bright--but not a barn red either)...we ordered the furniture and it's in place, I changed my Christmas tree colors from white/creams to all reds, including some oversized ornaments. The only thing left was all my end tables and sofa table and my pie safe (which had punched tin doors that my hubby hated-and wanted to burn!) that didn't quite go in my new room. The tables were all antiqued white and the pie safe was natural oak. I talked him into painting it all black. He took the doors off the pie safe and left them off and painted it all black. They all look fantastic! Just how I imagined. I then loaded as many quilts as I could in it and changed the location so it would be a featured part of the room. It looks so nice, all filled with quilts. Ahhhh, now the kitchen doesn't look so good anymore.......um....Kirt? what do you think about the kitchen now? Boy, doesn't one thing lead to another?

Well, I'm off for a little R&R with hubby in Jamaica. I wonder why I ever agree to go away in December, but actually it's a much needed break. And since I didn't get my shopping done, I think I'll just shop online this year, from a chaise lounge. :) I'll be back....probably :)

peeking around the corner....

Hi--I'm Karen.....I feel like I have to re-introduce myself! I've been out of touch for such a long time. Long story........cruising along life's highway and hit a major bump in the road. But I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. The world sure doesn't stop when your own life does! Unfortunately, I haven't been doing a whole lot of sewing...but I will soon be back at it. I did do a few things during this barren period, thank goodness for classes that require samples! A little motivation sometimes is needed.

Here is the one thing that I have worked on in the past weeks....I took the book, "Monterrey Medallions" by Terry Atkinson and made a mystery class out of it. I gave the students weekly updates on what they were to buy, helping them choose colors, what to cut and a little bit of sewing. Then we met on a Saturday for an all day class. We had a potluck salad lunch with lots of yummy food and then I prepared dinner for them while they sewed. Here are the 4 blocks that were in the quilt and then the final layout that I chose.

my lucky day

I'm a little late getting started on the Oct. One hour challenge, but decided to buckle down last night after a class and at least do 2 blocks. While I was sewing, it seemed oddly familiar. I vaguely remember starting a leaf quilt years ago and didn't finish. I had made a smaller leaf quilt, liked it so much that I wanted to make a larger one with larger blocks. So, I got up and started hunting and look what I found! All kinds of HST's already done in the RIGHT size even! The stems were about half done, but everything was cut. And the best part--I had enough blocks to do the smaller version except 2! And I just made 2! I liked the colors of my BG and other leaf colors a little bit better--but this is like killing 2 birds with one stone. I do the challenge AND finish up a UFO that's about 9-10 years old! Woohoo! Now what are the chances of that happening again? I'm so glad that I didn't cut the other fabric up yet. I'll put it away on the shelf to age a little more for another project.
Here are some of my blocks done (they are all done now that I had a big boost!) and I'm testing what I might want in that center alternate block. The 2 blocks I made before I remembered about these blocks have a different background, but I think they are going to be okay. I'm toying with the idea of appliqueing a leaf in that block. That's a real leaf I went out and picked up and stuck up there. I might use leaves from my yard as patterns. I'm just trying to decide now what color BG I want. The tan seems a bit sedate for me. The leaf fabric I am trying out here didn't have enough contrast in my opinion. Although the white is stark, it really has nice contrast. So, I have all month to play yet.

purses and bags and totes, oh my!

Finally--get to post some pictures! Here are some of the purses/bags that I have made these last few weeks. A purse/bag/tote lover, I am, I am!
"Towne Purse", a Lazy Girl pattern. I have made SO many of these purses, they are one of my favorites with all the pockets inside. I modified it a bit to use pre-quilted fabric and made the bottom larger to hold my large wallet (stuffed with receipts--not $$, LOL). I know, it's a spring purse. I had it mostly cut out to do a class demo from before, so when I had another class, I finished while doing the demos. Clever, huh?
This is my Slouchy bag. It's from a new book from Cindy Taylor Oates, Slouchy Bags. I love the old, faded, well worn look of this home dec fabric. It fits over the shoulder, across the body and sits on your hip. I'm hoping to wear it in Houston Quilt Festival. I love wearing a purse that doesn't keep falling off your shoulder. I wore a book bag last year, but every time I had to pay for something, I had to take the whole thing off. A little cumbersome too. So, I'm hoping this one will do the trick. It's about 2" narrower than the pattern and an 1" shorter because I was limited on fabric. I could have pieced some together, but in this case, I had almost enough, so went with it.

Here is another type of bag I'm making with vinyl mesh. I made a bunch of them last year and just got some white mesh and fuschia mesh! I can see the fuschia mesh with black fabric with pink polka dots on it. They are so sturdy. I made small ones to use as "shell collecting" bags. The sand runs right through the bag and all you bring home is shells and not half of the beach!

time out for purses

I'm am such a sucker for purses/totes--anything that can hold anything, including baskets, stuff from the Container Store, rubbermaid, whatever. And I do not discriminate--I like 'em cheap, expensive, handmade, woven or whatever. It's funny, I could give or take shoes, mostly because I love to be barefoot. But purses are my downfall! And I love making them. I had a class last Thursday on the pink one (a LazyGirl pattern), so I had my excuse to make yet another! And then my cousin sent me some tea stained yummy looking fabrics that screamed "big" and "oversized", like a big, cushy chair.
Darn blogger--won't let me load pictures...so another time.. :(

A little behind..

I wish my behind were little--LOL. I meant that I was a little behind on my Sept. One Hour Challenge, but the top is now done AND I have the backing all pieced and ready to load onto Zoe, my HQ16. I'm just trying to decide how to quilt it. How did everyone else do theirs? The biggest joy is that I now have an EMPTY space on my shelf where all my darker homespun plaids used to be! This is the last of those plaids! I do have another plaid quilt or two in progress, but I am done with these. I gave the last bits of it after I pieced the backing (2 1-gallon ziploc bags worth) to a student who is just beginning and envies my stash. I don't believe I've ever had an empty spot before! What a great feeling. If I keep plugging away at my stash, it will get reduced to a managable level. I think you need a certain amount to have the variety to choose from, but mine was over the top.
Here is a close up of Frosty Flakes-which I've been plugging away on since August. It was a pattern of Joni Pikes that I had seen in Houston last year, and being a snowman lover, I had to have it. It takes a while to do (all the good ones do, don't they?) and 117 buttons later, I'm done! Binding, label and all.
I also made a purse ( I taught a class on a Lazy Girl purse Thursday) and I always like to have little demos along the way to show the process, it's easier for the visual learners. I end up with lots of purses, oh darn! :) And then I made a slouchy purse from some tea-stained home dec fabric my cousin sent to me. I'll take pictures and post them later. That means 3 off of my Oct. list, now to just figure out how to cross the lines through the finished ones. I finally figured out how to get the list there to start with after a few hours of browsing and reading. I'm trying to keep up! :)

Done and Done!

This is one of the reunion quilts I made and this one was raffled off. Thanks to Nancy's blog a while back, I got the idea when I needed a quick quilt for the reunion. It's done, labeled and on it's way to the winner, one of my cousins.
This Tumbling Blocks wall hanging was a class sample I used to teach set in piecing. I took it to my Amish friend (long story--but needed an excuse to take some friends to see her) and her mother quilted it for me. Her mother is aging and unfortunately does not see very well anymore and is a bit shaky now. Mary informed me that after this quilt, her mother won't be quilting anymore as the quality wasn't very good. When she informed me of that in her note telling me it was finished, I just prayed it wasn't awful. As I headed to her house, I thought of the different scenarios of how I would react if it was really bad and should I or shouldn't I have Mary re-do it herself (she offered in her note). Well, when I got there and saw it, it wasn't the best I have seen, but certainly not awful. And is my motive to have a very valuable piece because an Amish woman quilted it? No. I figured it is just a little more piece of history in the quilt and I noted that this was her mother's last quilt due to failing health on my label. So, it's bound, labeled and hanging in my sewing room. It matches so well. :)

Thanks to all who encouraged me to buy more fabric! LOL I did think about it and I went through all my Kaffe fabric and decided that it was okay to splurge on some backing for some of the quilt tops I have made. I am NOT buying for stash sake, but for specific backings. I rarely allow myself the luxury of putting coordinating backings on my quilts. It's just so hard to justify that kind of $$ for a backing. But since it's half price, I thought it would okay to do at least a few backings! I appreciate all the comments and encouragements! There is not a financial need to hold back (after all--I WORK for fabric!), but just being more careful and responsible with my resources AND to relieve a little guilt...heehee. So, Hancocks--here I come!

I shouldn't have opened it

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. I just KNEW I shouldn't have opened that email from Hancock's of Paducah, because looky what I found...







I just came in to get my camera because I just finished 2, yes two! quilts. Okay, so one is a wallhanging, but it's done with label and all. And since my camera was sitting right by my computer, I'll check the email really quick....now I'm in a quilter's dilema..I vowed to not buy fabric--and here is one of my favorites for 1/2 price! What great backings for all those Kaffe tops I have done! I am sitting here with my heart pounding and developing a headache because I know what I SHOULD do is not what I WANT to do. HELP ME SOMEONE!! I'm sinking and I need a lifeline! Me and my big mouth...or should I say, happy fingers on the keyboard?

Sept. & Oct. goals

Picture on left: "Scrappy Oaks", done in 2002 or 2003. Just thought I'd share a quilt. :)

I never posted my goals for Sept., but here is what I worked on:
1. Ostrich Challenge--finished Round One
2. Frosty Flakes-finished piecing, quilted, bound and is now waiting on buttons. I haven't shown a picture of it yet, because w/o buttons, it doesn't look like much. And it's the last thing to do!
3. One Hour Challenge-Sept.-blocks are done and rows partially assembled.
4. Quilt Pink-designed, cut out and some blocks sewn (with help).
5. Reversible Quilt--I thought I was done with this quilt until I got it home and on the bed. I needed to add 12" width wise to make it work on my bed. DONE!!!
6. Reunion Hatchet Quilt-quilted and the binding on top. Needs it hand sewn on back and labeled.
7. Pincushion/Threadcatchers-finished 4 more and have 1 more to go. I'm putting them in my classroom by each machine.
8. Faithful Friends-quilted, bound, labeled and given to my friend. Oops--forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

And now, sharing my Oct. goals, I'm going to try Starfishy's method of only working on 10 at a time, rotating them when I get bored working on them. Sounds like a plan to me!
1. Sept One Hour Challenge-finish top, quilt it
2. Oct. One Hour challenge-piece blocks and make top to flimsy stage
3. Reunion Hatchet-finish binding and label it--ship it off to raffle winner
4. Quilt Pink- finish blocks, make top to flimsy stage
5. Frosty Flakes-add buttons and label
6. BB (Bias Buddies--my Friday night quilt group) Christmas ornaments--make 16 ornament blocks for Christmas exchange
7. BB Flowers--assemble blocks into top, quilt
8. Bright Coneflower-quilt, bind, label
9. G'ma's Wedding Ring--get binding on--I won't EVEN tell you how old this UFO is! I stopped at the binding because of all the curved edges. NOW is the time to finish it!
10. Baby Tumbling blocks-binding on and labeled

There, I said it in public--maybe that will be my push to buckle down and quit flitting from one thing to another!

Sept. and Oct. Fabric Diets

Well, September has come and gone and didn't buy any fabric. (Well, I did, but it was strictly a gift, none for me-so that doesn't count). My cousin was duly impressed with my strong willpower and resolve UNTIL she saw my fabric stash! She then told me I needed to be in a fabric depression! LOL She's right and I've been doing good and will continue again into October. The only difference is that I'm not buying ANY fabric at all. I'm really trying to see how I can adjust and be creative to use what I have.

Now I'll try again for October. Oh, how I wish I could do the same thing with food! :)

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia

Imagine, if you will, a quirky yet romantic mellowdrama replete with young lovers, old flings, intrigue, and celebration. Now combine that with 22 hit songs from the Swedish disco super-group ABBA, a little spandex and sparkle, and you have "Mamma Mia". This Broadway musical has hit Las Vegas by storm, bringing audiences both 1970's nostalgia and just plain feel-good fun. The story takes place on a Greek island where Donna, a middle-aged, free loving, American ex-pat, owns a small hotel and bar. Her 20 year old daughterhas come there to have her wedding, but also hopes to be reunited with her absentee father. Three possible "candidates" from Donna's colorful past are invited to the island as well as her former bandmates Tanya and Rosie. As the story unfolds, the ABBA favorites are crooned, harmonized, and belted out, creating a perfect atmosphere for the story's comic mishaps. Whether you're a disco junkie, a Broadway fanatic, or just want to see a fantastically entertaining musical..."Mamma Mia" is where its at!

Review by Kristine Gregorian

This is how we spent our afternoon--loved it! We saw it for the first time in Toronto and it was just as good. We took our youngest daughter, who is a fanatical music lover, and of course she loved it too. It was fun to see an entire theatre on their feet dancing and singing with the cast (mostly at the end) and they were our age! There were a few popular songs that people couldn't help but slightly singing along and when the whole theatre was doing it, it was like a low hum, pretty funny.

Quilt Pink Day

National Quilt Pink Day was yesterday and my studio was one of the participants. I had friends and students come to help make blocks using Tonya's Take the Leap Challenge. I added a center vase of flowers (not done yet) to represent all those we have known that had breast cancer. I have a few more X's and O's to make to complete it. Of course, getting into the theme of things, I made PINK strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing, pink m & m's, pink kisses, mints wrapped with the pink ribbon, and pink lemonade. My pool boy (aka my hubby--hey, if my cuz can have one, so can I!) made pizzas for lunch. I was pleased with all we got done. I hope to have it sewn and quilted and ready to send off by the end of the month. The deadline isn't until Feb., but I don't want it lingering around.
Please take note of the block on the last row, second from the right. Sue worked so hard on her block and decided to take the Liberated Quilting one more step, her "+" is her version of an X! We had a lot of fun with her and she was a good egg. We weren't making fun of her, just laughing with her liberated quilting fun. They all enjoyed the liberated quilting, although it was hard for some of them to let loose after hearing me ingrain in them to be accurate. :)
They are going to start auctioning all these quilts in February to raise money for the Susan Komen Foundation. Thanks to all who helped me on this effort.