Cutting

I would like to be playing with creating words for my Unstable quilt but instead I have spent the past day and a half cutting 2" squares. For the love of Pete I have forgotten how time consuming cutting out a large project is. Thank goodness I have coffee on my side or I would have long given up. I have cut for hours and this is all I have to show for it.
This all started because I needed a small piece of fabric for an applique I was working on last fall. I have a very small square footage home so all of my fabric is stored in totes in my garage. When I went to pull that piece of fabric that whole tote full of fabric smelled mildewy. So, I have spent the past few months washing all my fabric in vinegar and baking soda, then pressing and putting it back away. You can't imagine how much time this really takes to do. Lucky for me none of the fabric was at the point that it was more then just a slight smell. No stains or anything like that. In the process I came across so many small pieces of fabric that I just didn't want to continue storing. So I looked for a couple of scrap quilt patterns and found one that is made only of 2" squares. Perfect. The plan was to get it cut for my quilt retreat the end of January. Well that is next weekend and here the procrastinator that I am I will be cutting up until the point that I leave. But hey I am cutting again, I am sewing again, that has been a long time coming!
Last night my daughter and I had a movie night. We made little artichoke snacks, turned all the lights off and watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What fun. We love alien movies in my house and she and I got a kick out of it that the two places the aliens were visting was Indiana where we live and Wyoming where my son who loves sci fi movies lives. I hadn't seen that movie since it came out in the 70's. Richard Dreyfuss was so young looking and we kept thinking that the other main character was so familiar to us but we couldn't place her. Well it was Melinda Dillon who played Ralphie's mom in A Christmas Story. It was a fun night.

The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource, adding color and suspense to all our life. -Daniel J. Boorstin

Unstable and Bitchy

I was working on my computer this weekend, actually I was trying to load my ipod with new music which is always a hassle for me as I am technically challenged. Anyway, I kept glancing over at all the piles of unfinished projects that I had tossed on my son’s bed and my Unstable and Bitchy blocks were staring back at me. So I went and grabbed a tablecloth and hung it up on the wall and started arranging the blocks. Less all the fillers I will still have to do I think I have it where I want it. This is the result of a tea towel a friend bought me in Paducah one year.
I plan on putting a border on the left side and the bottom with the Lucille Kallen quote: A man’s home is his castle, and his wife is the janitor. This has sat for a couple of years so I am glad to get moving on it again.

“Good humor makes all things tolerable. “ – Henry Ward Beecher

Sewing Again

Woo Hoo! I got my sewing machine out again. That has been a long time coming. As soon as my middle child left to go back to college this past weekend I pulled it out and set it up in his room. I then dumped all the bags of unfinished projects on his bed and went through them. Nothing called out to me to finish. So I pulled a couple of tubs of fabric in from the garage and started cutting 2” squares from my smaller pieces. I kind of have a plan but we will see if I follow through. If I don’t at least I have the quilting bug again. Once I started cutting I went and grabbed the tin that held the pieces for a T quilt that I was working on and I started trimming the pieces up for it. So let’s hope I keep this momentum going. Oh and look at this awesome lamp my friend Linda’s husband made. I love it, as it is full of new and old notions.

I did get out of the house for a few hours and went to see the new True Grit movie. As most of you know I love, love westerns and I also like Jeff Bridges so it was a definite must. I did like the re-do of this story. I like John Wayne but he isn’t my favorite western star. He seemed to be the same character in most of his movies, John Wayne. So I enjoyed Jeff Bridges take on the Rooster Cogburn character.
Snow is here! I plan to do some hand quilting tonight.

“The years teach much which the days never knew.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Few of my Favorites

We all have those favorite blogs we love to go to for inspiration or a good read. I thought I would share a few of my favorites. These are my go to ones. The ones I can’t pass up. The blogs that will always inspire me.

Victoria is the most prolific quilter I am come across. Her Bumblebeans blog is full of quilts, full of color and also full or her generosity. She also has some great tutorials you won’t want to miss and to top it all off she lives in beautiful New York City and is always sharing pictures of her jaunts around town.

Lila is one of my favorite designers. Her clothes are so cute, heck she even has a pattern for boots and her fabrics are full of fun color.

Tracy is my go to when I am having the blahs at home. Her decorating sense is so inspiring. She also has an antiques business and shares that with her readers also at her A Cottage Industry blog.

I have always believed I could actually live the life of a hermit. I love staying in and doing only the things I enjoy. I live a little of that through Lisa at Black Bear Cabin. She is a busy mother of a little girl but they live in the woods in a Log Cabin and even though she could possibly have a neighbor within site I would like to believe that her little cabin sits in the mountains away from all hustle and bustle.

Valori Wells is the full package. She designs fabrics, quilts, and clothing. She is an artist with her paintings and drawings and she is a professional photographer. Add to that mother and wife and creator of all things beautiful and you have one fun blog to read.

Nancy lives in the mountains of Montana and not only does she make wonderful primitive quilts and all things gorgeous in wool she photographs the wildlife around her cabin. Her blog is called Tom Miner Folk art and it is always worth a visit.

Color, color and more color. That is Sue Spargo and her wool quilts, bags, etc. I met Sue many years ago when she was first getting started in the business with Jan Patek and she is has just grown to be the most amazing designer. She also travels the world and shares those travels with you. Plus to add to all this; her business is a family business and you get to see the workshops and beautiful wools and threads they dye. If you ever need to get inspired with color this is the blog you want to visit.

And last but always first in my book is Tonya over at Lazy gal. She is my big inspiration! I love her use of words, words and more words and also her fabulous use of color. Plus she always gives great reviews on television programs.

I hope you get a chance to stop in and visit my friends that I live vicariously through out there in the blog world. It will be time well spent!

Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground....

Civil War Quilts

I have long been a lover of civil war style quilts. The picture above is one I did back in the 90’s. Barbara Brackman is a quilt historian located in Lawrence, Kansas. She has started a new Civil War Quilts blog site to commemorate the 2011 Sesquicentennial of the start of the civil war. She is offering a free block of the month and great stories to go along with each block. I don’t know if I will actually do the blocks but I love reading the stories so I know I will follow along. The first block has already been posted. It sounded like too much fun not to share!

Kiss your life. Accept it, just as it is. Today. Now. So that those moments of happiness you’re waiting for don’t pass you by.

A Busy Week

Thank you for all the nice comments on the quilts for the Christmas Season. I always enjoy pulling 25 from my picture archives. I wish I could let you know what book or site they came from but I never save that information.
I had last week off and I spent it watching Westerns and doing some hand quilting. It had been awhile since I had quilted so I had to get my fingers calloused again. They hurt for a few days there. I very seldom use a thimble. If I do I use one it is a soft leather thimble. I worked on 5 different quilts. I get bored working on the same one so I just switched around.



I would work on an area and I when I got that area done I would move on to another quilt. Four of the quilts are just small ones around 18 x 20 and one is a crib quilt size. I was able to finish one and I have all the appliqués quilted on the remaining 3 small ones and the larger one has even more quilted on it.



I also finished the appliqué on a small quilt and got the binding done on another that has been quilted forever but just needed that finishing touch.



It was a good start for the New Year. As for making resolutions I have only made one; to be the best person I can possibly be, honest and true to myself. Happy New Year!

“If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others.” - Anne Morrow Lindbergh