Crazy By Design

Canine Couture

2012-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Really, I am a cat person. But I have owned and loved many dogs in my life. Currently, though, Bruce and I live only with our furson (feline) Boomer these days.

My daughter Megan and her hubby Ron, however, have two female cats and two male dogs. On weekends, they love to take their dogs Chip and Charlie out to dog parks to let them run and play.

This year, after Christmas, Megan asked me if I would make “the boys” some fleece coats for the anticipated (but still to arrive) annual frigid winter temperatures. Meg gave me their measurements, and we shopped for a pattern and fleece. Yesterday, Sunday, they came over for a “fitting”.

Charlie (lab and border collie mix) and Chip (shepherd and ?? mix)

Charlie has silky fur and and dignified demeanor

Chip is as wacky (look at those ears!) and playful as he looks

Chip models his coat, below. Somewhere along the way, the measurements must have been wrong, because Chip’s coat needs to be shortened from neck to tail. There will be a red belt that will go around him and meet (with Velcro hook and loop tape) under his chest. The part under he neck is just pinned, too; we needed to see where that Velcro placement would be.

Charlie’s fit him better, but we still need to do all the velcro placements and add the belt.

DH Bruce and DSIL Ron just humored us, but Ron did admit that the dogs do need something to keep them warm outside.

So, a few little tweaks to the coats this afternoon and the granddogs will have their coats. And then I will begin my CQJP February block and color-washing some laces. Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Fabric Postcards

2012-01-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

Over at Crazy Quilting International, we are having our first swap of the year, and the subject is postcards. The only time I have ever done a postcard was in a Helen Gibb class back in 2009 at the CQ retreat in Omaha. Here is that card from almost 3 years ago.

While the thought of experimenting with other methods of constructing a postcard (like crazy quilting) did occur to me, I thought I would stick to a tried-and-true formula for me. I love the feminine look with a printed silk image as a focal point, with lots of lace, ribbon and flowers.

So these are the two that I came up with, below.

I really tried not to foof up this one (above) too much, but that was the best I could do, LOL. There are some vintage elements in it, like the meandering pink and blue trim (purchased at Piecemakers in So. Cal. years ago), the two little flowers above it, and the center leaf thingy above that. The rose and trim above the silkie print is my own golden dyed lace of course, and that is layered over some vintage lace. The leaf that you can barely see in the lower right was actually cut from a 7” piece of a three-figure-per-yard fabric I bought several years ago in Denver. Yep, I only bought 7” - they would only cut it along complete motifs, and I could not afford 14”, LOL.

But the one below is my favorite. So foof-y and feminine. So unlike me!

All the laces on this one are vintage. So are the vintage millinery flowers along the silkie print left upper side and the millinery leaf “fan” she is holding in her hand.

I will put these in sleeves and mail them in envelopes instead of as postcards. Actually, I only signed up to swap one postcard, but I want to give Debbie the hostess (I doubt if she reads my blog, LOL) her choice of one first as a giftie. :-) Anyway, I forgot to take a picture of the backs, but they are covered in a coordinating cotton. In the center layer is a piece Tyvek that I bonded to the front and back, then zig-zagged over the edges.

Now, back to the sewing machine! I have been making fleece jackets for my two grand-dogs. They are coming over for a fitting tomorrow courtesy of my DD Megan and DSIL Ron; the dogs Chip and Charlie have yet to learn how to drive.

Hugs,

CQMagOnline January 2012 is out!

2012-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

The oldest online CQ Magazine, CQMagOnline, has just published Vol. 11, Issue #1. Woo-hoo! You can check it out here:

http://www.cqmagonline.com/Volume11/Issue01/index.shtml

I am doubly excited because not only is Cathy`s Crazy by Design a sponsor of the issue, but I have an article in it. This issue it is The Inspiration Corner, Focus: Hearts. I hope to have more of these articles on varying subjects as catalysts to spark ideas and creativity in others. Exploring themes has always been one of the things I like best, so why not share?

I have been busy creating postcards for our Crazy Quilting International Postcard Swap. All I have left to do is bind one with a zig-zag stitch. But that means changing the thread in my sewing machine, so lazybones here decided to come blog instead, LOL.

May your weekend be wonderful!

CQ Journal Project and 123 TAST!

2012-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

The last couple weeks have been a flurry of activity, having spent a week in California, then arriving home (with the Great Stash Acquisitions) to sort and fondle them. And cut, dye, and attempt to begin listing them in my Etsy. (And all my Valentine packs sold out this week!) And to all this, we have been tending grandkids and I have been stitching and hanging with my friends (to help Lee move and to plan our CQI Retreat with Bev). More on that later.

So, FINALLY, here are my TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) stitches for Weeks 1, 2 and 3. They are no great shakes, believe me. But I have done them on my first CQJP block, which is now finished. To prove it, here are my pictures.

Completed Block 1

Fly stitch is not my best stitch by a long shot, but here I have used it, as I usually do, as just little V’s in gold Kreinik (see picture below). Then I did some fly stitch leaves. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have ever done fly stitch leaves, so for me this was a stretch (don’t laugh). You will notice on the picture above that as you go upper left to lower right on the fly stitch leaf seam, each one gets incrementally better. Another thousand or so, and I should have it down! ;-)

Outline stitch (wrapped) scallops with fly stitch leaves

I also included some fly stitch lace, so I did three variations of the Fly Stitch. Week 2 was the Buttonhole stitch, and the pink metallic Kreinik seam below is my first example. (Can you tell that I like Kreinik metallic threads?)

In the first picture of the full block, you can see I also did the half wheel buttonhole seam treatment (with a nasty thread that shed a lot and was loosey goosey). Those are not technical terms, LOL. I should (and may) rip it out and do it over. I also did a reverse buttonhole motif on the green and added a bead to its center. Three examples.

The Feather Stitch is the Week 3 challenge, and I did a basic seam and added silk ribbon roses. It is one of my fall-back seam treatments, and I consider it cheating. But it finished off the block with the color that I needed there. I will do another feather stitch variation as I begin block #2 this weekend. :-)

Now, I just need to figure out where I need to load my pictures and do all the linky things that are the bane of my existence!!

Have a great weekend!

Needlebook for a Friend

2012-01-19T23:29:00.000-08:00

While staying at Susie’s house in California last week, Gerry and I were asked by Susie to stitch on a needle book she had pieced for herself. The fabric was a striped silk which was taken from a wonderful blouse that Susie had found at a thrift store.

Gerry started. Here is her lovely work on the front.

My part was next. In taking the back, I tried to harmonize with Gerry’s work, yet “do my own thing”.

We all think it turned out nicely! What do you think?

I got to babysit my granddaughter London today for the first time in a couple weeks. It was nice to get my “baby fix”, although at almost 2 ½ (next month), she is quite the toddler. And definitely a two-year-old. Ninety-five percent of the time, she is an angel. The other five percent is filling her imperative role as a toddler; to get her way. But at least I can still make her laugh!

Eating an “orange” (a clementine)

Grammy, you’re so funny! (I was making fish faces)

See Food! (seafood)

I have finished my January block for CQJP and the TAST weeks 1 and 2 stitches. I will show those tomorrow.

g’nite!

California Dreamin'

2012-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last week, Susie Wolfe invited Gerry K and I to spend the week with her at her home in Southern California. We had been planning this for awhile, and we all agreed that it was better than Christmas!! To add to my excitement, SoCal is where I was born and raised, so it was doubly delightful to see some of my old “haunts”.

As Gerry K related in her post we had ABSOLUTELY the best time. Susie was the most gracious hostess, providing us yummy soups for dinner, all the breakfast fixins, chauffeur service (LOL), and her lovely, generous self. Oh, and she had the cutest dog named Smoky, who kindly put up with us, too.

Susie and Smoky

Susie kept her pink Christmas tree up so that we could see it. She is making a pink, cream and mint green tree skirt (with silver accents) for her CQJournal Project for 2012, so the hunt for those colors were her Shopping Mission.

Gerry’s Shopping Mission was Anything Gold, and she was also on the lookout for velvet ribbons and any special treasure, of course. :-)

Our first full day, Saturday, was spent in the Los Angeles Fabric District. In six hours, we barely scratched the surface of the shops and their offerings, yet were able to find fantastic deals on beautiful things. We spent some serious coin. :-)

Susie and Gerry loved Berger Beads (as do many other people I know), but not being a major bead person myself, I found their dusty boxes and lackluster displays boring. Blasphemy! I know, I know. But I am the lace person. And fabrics. And linens. But I digress...

Gerry generously shared her pushcart with us, and we managed to fill it up every day with our purchases. (Imagine that!)

At the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday, Susie knew all THE places we would love, and guided us there. The first stop was the linens lady. The pile on the tarp in front of me was $1 per piece. Other prices were more (and some less). It was a blast digging through it.

But by far my favorite place was the Lace Lady, where we were all so busy that we didn’t get a picture. It was delightful to meet Dawn, and I am thrilled to have a wonderful new contact and supplier. And I am sure she was thrilled to exchange her lace for all the green stuff ($$) I left behind, LOL.

It was 80 degrees that day, and we stopped for some liquid refreshment. Here is Susie with some lovely gardens in the background.

And here the red flowers in the background accent Gerry’s red outfit. We were all smiles!

On Monday Susie took us to M&L Fabrics. Gerry showed some pictures of the main room on her blog. There were rows and rows of “regular” fabrics. But I wanted to show you one of the nearly dozen walls (or aisles) of fancy fabrics. A Crazy Quilter’s dream!

And the trim shop nearby yielded both Susie and Gerry lots of gold. And silver, too.

Again, it was another bright, clear, warm and sunny day in Southern California. I had forgotten how much I love (and miss) palm trees.

Tuesday was our day for the San Fernando Flea Market. Again, Susie knew all the right vendors. This fabulous fabric and trim booth was one of our very favorites. Between this shop, M&L fabrics, and all my lace acquisitions, I had to mail two large boxes of goodies home (in addition to stuffing my suitcase and carry-on). You will eventually be seeing some of these lovely fabrics in my Etsy shop.

This booth (below) was a highlight. We dug through tables full of appliques. Gerry mentioned on her blog that they were $1 each, but that is incorrect. They were 50c each (2/$1). When I was done there, my arms were overflowing, and I paid $15.00. Talk about gold in California . . .

Below, Susie is wearing a hat that she found at this fantastic booth at the Rose Bowl. The owner of the booth made mostly girls dresses, with little hats, purses and headbands to coordinate. But she also had some delightful women’s hats, and while I was buying spring outfits for my granddaughters, Susie was being practical and bought this darling hat!

We spent Wednesday visiting Thrift shops and scoring some great deals on half-price silk garments, other fancy fabrics and trims. Susie also found a cute cup and saucer to make a pincushion in. Here we are, below, butting up and sharing our thrifting finds.

The most hilarious find was this belt buckle that Susie found and bestowed upon Gerry:

It was such a great week, and the three of us had a marvelous time. It meant so much to spend such a perfect week with dear friends. I love you, Susie and Gerry!!

Hugs,

Ready to go with CQJP and TAST

2012-01-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of you ladies are participating in Sharon Boggon`s TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) as well as the CQJP (Crazy Quilt Journal Project). Like many of you, I am combining the two. I have shown pictures of this needlepoint piece in the past, as well as my piecing in progress. The piecing is done, and this is what it looks like now.

The blocks are just ironed and pinned on, and I am still shuffling them around. Again, the greens are not nearly as bright in life; I amped up the exposure on the picture so you could differentiate between the various blacks. I had to do some tweaking to what will eventually be the finished block size (7.5 inches square) because the salvageable area of the needlepoint (it’s vintage) was an inch smaller than I had originally planned for.

I may still do some rearranging of the blocks, but I am not sure it will matter once the blocks are stitched on. These blocks will be given seam treatments only, in the bright colors of the needlepoint, so that the blocks (hopefully) frame and complement the flowers, not compete with it.

Now I am off to gather threads. And I am leaving for a week’s vacation on Friday, so if I don`t blog during that time, you will know why. I plan to take one or two of these blocks along, plus my red/black/green journal cover and a red and white UFO from the past (see picture).

I promise to bring back lots of fun pictures of friends, shopping, thrifting and all sorts of good things!!

Hugs,

Happy New Year! Vintage Images for You

2011-12-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some vintage, copyright-free images for you! Enjoy!

Origin of the “Don’t Drink and Drive” slogan: The Johnson kids take the family car for a joyride when their parents aren’t looking…

Mabel knew she’d wow the party-goers with her festive Clock Hat.

Can you hear me NOW?

After returning the car, the Johnson kids decide to make some Special Brownies.

It was obvious that the near-naked old man had been through a lot, but she would NOT touch his staff.

OK, this one is so ridiculous, I can’t even caption it! Any suggestions?

And a Happy and Blessed New Year to you!!

Hugs,

Projects and Christmas Cracker

2011-12-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

There are just a few things I wanted to share before year end. In my next post, I will have some vintage New Years images for you, but first…

This was the Christmas Cracker I got from Molly P. in the Crazy Quilting International annual Christmas Cracker Swap. Thank you, dear Molly! The pieced block that covered the cracker is awesome, and I will definitely use that - I think it’s time for a new Christmas pillow. I love the beads and sequins, finger cots and beading thread - all sorts of good things I can use. And I especially love the lavender lace lamb!! This was such a fun giftie!

As I was finishing up the piecing of my CQ Journal Project yesterday (finished photo in the next day or two). I realized that the center needlepoint I plan to use only has a salvageable area of 15x15”, not 16 x 16 as I had originally planned. That just means that the finished block area will have to be 7.5 x 7.5 inches each, but I need to re-mark each block (at least on the back), or I will end up having to chop off things I don’t want to. I know. I’ve done THAT before.

My daughter Megan has two dogs, Chester and Charlie. She asked me if I would make “the granddogs” some winter coats. She bought the fleece, I bought the pattern and have cut them out according to their measurements. The plan is to get these done over the New Years weekend. We keep waiting to get snow this winter, but even so, it’s very cold and they need some protection. *Sigh* Yep, I’m a sucker! ;-)

My step-daughter Emily is having fun with her Cricut machine, and this is the sign she made me for Christmas. Isn’t it cute? She made one for Bruce that says “Laboratory”. Hehehe, she knows us too well.

With that, I am off to fill orders and get them mailed today, last mailing of the year. It’s been a great year for Cathy’s Crazy by Design. Thank you all for your friendship and support.

Hugs,

2011 Goal Review

2011-12-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, am I glad this year is almost over! It’s sure been one crazy ride, hasn’t it? Too many disasters, too many lives lost - and that’s just my cooking!!! Seriously, the roller coaster of disasters starting in March with the Japan earthquake and tsunami, the Turkey earthquake, Hurricane Irene, flooding, fires, tornadoes. Whew! Many people lost their lives, still others lost jobs (DH among them), others lost their homes or their savings. But have no fear! The Fat Cats keep getting richer! But I digress…

Next year, 2012, will be easier. Simpler. With that in mind, I have set no new goals or resolutions for myself to tick off. But since 2011 is drawing to a close, I may as well wrap up this year’s look at what I accomplished with my goals for this year.

1. Goal: Participate in 3-4 CQ round robins.   100% complete.

2. Goal: Piece my “CQ by 2012” quilt and have half of seamwork done.
Progress: This morphed into the CQJP for 2012, which is now pieced. Half of the seamwork? Well, since we haven’t even started CQJP yet, I will give myself 50% on this one.

3. Goal: Enter at least 2 CQ or quilting competitions.
Progress: 50%  I did one.

4. Teach a CQ class locally.
Progress: 0%. I decided I didn’t want to pursue this in 2011.

5. Goal: Attend 3 CQ retreats or gatherings.
Progress: 100%. CQ Adventure (Connecticut, April), CQI Retreat (Colorado, September) and Victorian Stitchery Retreat (Kansas, November).

6. Goal: Take a class with Carole Samples
Progress: It was awesome! 100%.

7. Goal: Finish or give away at least 3 UFO’s.
Progress: 100%. This was done at mid-year.

8. Goal: Finish Seascape Valance.
Progress: Um…. I hope to work on it this winter. Did some seamwork, though. 20%

9. Goal: De-stash.
Progress: 100%. Progress detailed last October.

10. Goal: Sew a quilt for granddaughter London.
Progress: I did one cheater quilt, hated it, and gave it to Goodwill. Will try again in 2012. 50%

11. Goal: Ramp up Etsy presence.
Progress:   100%. I still plan to expand my fabrics, patterns and vintage linens sections more, but the laces and trims have been doing great - better than I had hoped for!

12. Goal: Begin reselling vintage things. Rolled into #11.

13. Goal: Conduct a local sew-for-charity event. 100%.

14. Goal: 400 blog posts. 0%
Goal: Contests/tutorials: 100%
Goal: 250 followers. 100%.
Total for Item #14, 67%.

Overall rating: Approximately 80% of my goals were accomplished. I’m happy with that.

And if truth be told, I have created a few more UFO’s during the year….

Half-done Journal Cover. I am actually still working on this one.

Potential Boho Purse…. stuff gathered, drooled on, then put away until next Spring.

Until next time,

Merry Christmas and Father Christmas Fashion Show

2011-12-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

I would love to take this opportunity to wish all my readers and Blogland friends a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Solstice, or whatever you celebrate. Our family celebrates Christmas and some celebrate Hanukkah. We are a United Nations of beliefs; Catholic, Mormon, Jews, Atheists, and everything in between, including a distant uncle who thinks he’s a Klingon.

This is Christmas Eve, and before Bruce and I relax in front of the fireplace and tree to open a few little gifties, I wanted to share some vintage Christmas images with you. Feel free to copy and save them to your collections - they are copyright free.

I have always preferred the Father Christmas image to that of Santa Claus. Somehow, I think the noble Father Christmas embodies selfless giving. IMHO, he is the Missing Link between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. Please, no angry emails, I am just trying to explain how I think the idea of religion and giving during this season morphed into commercialism.

But, back to Father Christmas. This guy was a natty dresser. He knew that it took more than a bright red suit to be remembered. I offer these pictures as proof.

This blue cloak and hat are trimmed with the finest white fur.

As a change of pace, Father Christmas sometimes sports a yellow ensemble.

Pay no attention to the fact that he is giving a tree that looks remarkably like the lonely one in the first picture.

Here we see Father C modeling his royal purple gown. Not pictured: the tree holder sewn onto back shoulder area, leaving hands free for a walking stick.

Sometimes Father Christmas even wore lavender. Yes, lavender. But no fur on the hat (why overdo it?)

This khaki-colored ensemble sports dark fur. This outfit is lighter weight, reserved for years that were not as cold.

Even Father C sported a red cloak now and then, mostly for photo ops with kids.

Nothing says “Outdoor Man” like this green cloak trimmed in leather cuffs and fur collar.

Father Christmas loved green, as you can see with this mint green number.

“Does this make me look fat?”

Then there was the year that Mrs. Father Christmas (Mother Christmas?) sent all his caps to the cleaners. He was forced to wear this wide-brimmed cap, a precursor to today’s ten gallon hat.

And possibly my favorite…..

The Natural Man, Father Christmas. Doesn’t he look, um, God-like? Or at least Moses-like! All that walking and giving paid off; he has the physique of a man forty years younger.

No, I have not had any egg nog. Yet.

Hugs,

Forget the Hokey-Pokey; LACE is What it’s All About!

2011-12-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I told you about my two lovely books made by Cat Baumgartner. The Cherish book now holds many of my special embellishments waiting for their eventual turn in a crazy quilt project. But my first idea for one of these books was to store some special lace - lace that I had been given as a gift and I knew I could never use. It was much too precious. So, I had Cat make me a larger book and stitch the title of Lace on it.

Have I told you how much I love these fabric books? LOL

If you read my earlier post, there was a hint and a link to another post showing the lace that I need to find a home for. It is the vast (relatively speaking, I guess. When you feel the weight of preservation and history bearing down, it seems vast) collection of vintage salesman samples dating back roughly a century.

Click pictures to embiggen

These two pictures represent a portion of the laces; I am hoping they all fit in the one book. If not, however, I will just have to have another book made. Don’t you feel sorry for me? LOL ;-o

Now I have a dilemma that I need your help with. How should I display and group them? I really don`t want to start without a plan. And I believe that some sort of organization of the laces is desirable, as opposed to just slapping them in helter-skelter.

Some of the larger pieces, like above, will take two pages of this book. I do not want to fold them on one page, but if they are spanning two pages, they will still be folded a bit. Of course, I can always pad that portion a bit to prevent permanent creases there, much like we do when we fold our quilts for mailing or storage.

But for the rest of the pieces that fit on one page, should I use only page of each spread, or both?

Should I sort them, like the laces pictured below, in numerical order? Each sample has a stock number and a price (Oh! If we could only get them for that price NOW!)

Perhaps instead of sorting by numbers, I should sort by style. These curved edges look so yummy together, don’t they?

Or, maybe I should throw out the idea of numbering and style and go with sorting them by pattern. See the example below. They all are related laces, all having the same brown stitching and heart motif.

Here is a close-up of this pattern. Please don’t drool on your keyboard!

As you see, I have some decisions to make. And many of the laces are one-of-a-kind, meaning that their number appears waaaaay out of synch with the rest, or it is the only one of its size, style or pattern. So there will necessarily be a section at the back of these “onesies” for lack of a better word.

So, I would love to hear your thoughts on how you would organize the laces! Once I get them sorted and in their pages, I can spend some leisurely time basting them in lightly.

That will be a day later this month or in January when it’s cold, snowy and I don’t have anywhere to go. We can build a fire in the fireplace, and I will sit back in a comfy chair with my coffee by my side to stitch. I will have to skip the chocolate as I stitch on this!! LOL

And now I am off to check out Cat’s Etsy shop again. Maybe I can get Santa to check it out, too, as he shops for me for Christmas. ;-)

OH SANTA….. here’s a hint:

Hugs,

Enjoying Life

2011-12-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for the Holidays? I am. Well, except for wrapping a handful of grandkid gifts. And delivering the gifties to the neighbors. But this weekend, that will all be checked off. Whew!

So, in keeping with the happenings around the Blogosphere, I have chosen a theme word for 2012. That word is ENJOY. Now that I am retired and no longer have to work for The Man, I think I will be enjoying life more, doing what I want. Kids are grown and on their own. Grandkids make regular visits and then return home with their parents (don’t laugh - you KNOW that is one of the benefits of being a Grandparent!) I just passed my annual physical, mammogram, colonoscopy, eye exam and dental exam with flying colors. Life is good.

I am going to ENJOY stitching in 2012. I mentioned before that I have signed up for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP). And today I just signed up for TAST, which most of you know is Sharon Boggon`s Take a Stitch Tuesday. If you are one of the 43 stitchers on the planet who have not yet signed up, you can visit Sharon`s blog here and read about it.

What else will I be ENJOYing in 2012? First off, after I close out my 2011 goals, I am not, repeat NOT, setting any for this year. I have some ideas swirling around for this and that, and if they materialize, great. If not, no big deal. In 2012 I will not even be accountable to myself for checking things off a list. Whew, that is some more pressure off too. :-) And I would like to start a regular feature on my blog, to let you know what I am enjoying, what I am thankful for, what I recognize and appreciate in my life. I have seen it on another blog, and I love it. It goes something like this:

Today I enjoyed/am thankful for:

Sight: Seeing and talking to an old friend at the grocery store.
Sound: Andrea Bocelli and Natalie Cole singing The Christmas Song
Taste: Some fantastic red grapes
Smell: Morning coffee
Touch: Bruce’s hair when we hugged this afternoon

But I won’t promise to do it every day or every post, just regularly. Must keep it light and not let it become an obligation.

And here are some vintage Christmas images for you. Today I selected ones that fit the theme of Christmas greenery. Enjoy!

A Book I Cherish

2011-12-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Although I am called Cat a lot, I really am only The Other Utah Cat. Just ask my friend Cathy Baumgartner of Utah, aka Baumcat, or The Original Cat. I don`t know how I found out about The Original Cat, but it was some time ago. Cat was once a CQI (Crazy Quilting International) member and did a lot of work with the comfort doll project several years ago. And I know she and Gerry H were friends back in the days when Gerry lived here in Utah (a fact she doesn`t talk about too much, hehehehe).

Anyway, I worship The Original Cat. No, really. I have pieces of her art all over the house, and I am always humbled in their presence. I don`t think she has ever sewn/quilted/crazyquilted/painted/whatever’ed something that I don`t love. And I have been a big fan of her Etsy shoppe, too.

One of my most recent acquisitions is this lovely cloth journal that Cat made. She actually made LOTS of them, but this was the one I bought. It’s made of muslin, so soft and scrumptious, then free-motion quilted. And a sweet scrap of muslin ties it closed. I would be happy to leave the book empty and just feast my eyes. But the pages beckon.

Cat free-motioned all of the pages in different styles - vertical lines, horizontal lines, circles, wavy lines, minimal outlines - each one ready to cushion some scrap of art, a memory or drawing, a tidbit or trinket.

But what to use it for? Well, my first idea didn`t work out because I needed more pages, and larger ones at that. But that is my story for next time. So this is what I decided.

The bobbin lace from Jennifer, 2011

Why not use it to store and protect those beautiful things that I cherish and that I want to use someday in my crazy quilting? These beautiful pieces need a Place of Honor to wait until their purpose is realized. It’s just not fair that I should have them ~~tossed~~ ~~jumbled~~ stored in with the rest of the stash.

Motif by Shirlee Fassell, Heart by Martha Green

Just a simple tacking stitch or two to hold them, and viola! Artful storage! :-)

This is the only scrap of fabric I have left from my trip to Europe when I was in high school. In the summer of 1970, I went to summer school in Seefeld, Austria. One day we took the train into Innsbruck, and I purchased fabric. I made it all up into dresses, and this piece, which was to be a pocket but was omitted, is all that I kept. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve kicked myself for not saving all the scraps! But it will be Cherished until I use it in something.

And as a side note, doesn’t it almost look as though it would be something you could find in a fabric store today? This piece is 41 years old!

So, what about my idea for the Cherish journal that didn’t work out? There’s a happy answer to that.

I had Cat to make a large book as a special commission and title it Lace. The pages are simple, not fancily-stitched, but will be a very important background for what is to come. And that project is my story for next time. Do you want a hint? (besides the word “Lace” on the book, hehe). Check out this post from 2009 and meet me back here in a day or two. ;-)

Holidays and other Preparations

2011-12-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

My goodness - this message has been sitting in my draft box for a week! Life just keeps hitting me up one side and down the other, LOL. What a crazy time of year!

As I mentioned before, I'll be participating in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project for 2012. You may remember that last summer I found the needlepoint picture below at an estate sale. It has lovely bright flowers with a black background. And I asked you, my readers, how you would frame it. In the emails I received, the majority of the responses agreed with my gut feeling, which was to piece black or mostly-black blocks to surround the needlepoint. Then, stitch the seams with the bright colors of the flowers to tie them all together, to complement the center without overwhelming it.

So, there will be 12 blocks pieced, each will finish to 8” square, although they are pieced about a half inch larger on each side now. The center piece will be trimmed to 16” x 16”, the length and width of two blocks.

As you can see, I am including some dark greens and reds in with the black, although the pictures make them look lighter than they are. In real life, they read very dark and will blend in nicely when stitched on.

In Crazy Quilting International, we are also doing our annual Christmas Cracker Swap. These are the crackers I sent to my recipient. There is always such talk of anticipation, and ladies who don`t know if they can wait until December 24 or 25. So, I included a little “cheater cracker” - the white one - that my recipient could open immediately (which she did, LOL).

Christmas fabrics and trims were inside that one. The larger, main cracker, holds other goodies that are not seasonal, but will hopefully bring some smiles to her!

I have been meaning to post a picture FOREVER (well, at least two months) of this cute little vintage bicycle pin I bought on Etsy. It reminds me of the bicycle I stitched on my I Love Paris purse last year. Isn’t it just a simple, charming design? I am going to use it as inspiration for a stitched bicycle in the future.

“I Love Paris” Purse 2010

I had to laugh when my friend Connie Eyberg had a bicycle pin pictured on her blog. See her bicycle pin in her gorgeous Boho bag here. Great minds think alike!

And finally, I have snapped a few shots of our simple Christmas decorating this year, but they turned out awful. Yep, that’s what happens when you do it in the evening. Maybe I will remember sometime during the day when there is light enough to SEE! What a concept!

Take care, and take time for yourself this season.

Free Shipping on My Etsy!

2011-11-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

From now (probablySunday as you are reading this) through “Cyber Monday”, which is November 28, and Tuesday November 29, the cost of shipping in my Etsy store is FREE. Just use the coupon code

FREESHIPWEEKEND2011

as you check out and the shipping charges will be deleted. If you cannot figure it out or have a problem, just let me know in your order notes and I will refund your shipping costs through Paypal. This offer is only being posted on my blog, not on my Etsy site - it is just for my Etsy readers in appreciation of your support throughout the year.

Oh, and I have lots of Christmas appliques: wreaths, angels, wings, and NOEL. The link to my Etsy store is in the sidebar.

Check out some of my new listings, and I will be back in a couple days with some stitching updates!

Enjoy!

Newly in: stunning Venice lace trim

Cute French-themed shabby wall hanging

Vintage metal lace

Vintage jacquard trim

Daylily lace. I also have irises and roses ...

Boho bags, priced to sell

Dyed beading lace for inserting ribbon trim

Vintage teatime-themed trim

A COW! Only 1 or 2 left

Vintage velvet/velveteen trim

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

This is a great time of the year to pause and give thanks for the people and things that are important to us. So the purpose of this post is just to thank YOU, dear readers, for your support, friendships, comments and other kindnesses. The internet has made it so easy for women to connect and forge friendships, and it has been a true blessing for me to get to know so many of you. Thank you.

I hope you will enjoy these vintage images. They are copyright-free, so feel free to copy and save them for yourselves for future use.

And I just noticed that all the pictures I selected (I have dozens of Thanksgiving images) were all of live turkeys, not cooked and served on a table. Having dealt with live turkeys on the Farm and cooked ones in the kitchen, I can say that I do prefer them cooked (they are so dumb!), but the images of the live birds are so charming. I wish they were that “cute” in person, hehehe!

Enjoy your family, friends and your blessings.

Hugs,

A Few Links for you to Check out

2011-11-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

I have been battling a cold for a few days and have not felt up to getting much done in the way of stitching or working on my Etsy shop. But I think the worst is over, so I will spend some time photographing things I want to show you this weekend. :-)

In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to show you a few things.

This video was made by UTCX (Utah CycloCross) - it was a cycling race held at Wheeler Farm three times during October, right in the middle of our busiest month. But it was fun to watch, and even if you don`t dig the soundtrack, the footage has a lot of wonderful scenes of Historic Wheeler Farm, where I worked for 3.5 years as a bookkeeper (I just retired). The Farm is literally a one-block walk from my home.

http://grizzlyadam.net/2011/10/utcx-5-video.html

Secondly, DH Bruce is now volunteering at The Leonardo, a newly-opened arts, sciences, technology and culture museum. In fact, he is not only on their home page, but was a featured interviewee on Veterans Day. See that article here. Later today (Friday) he is volunteering and will get to meet the first US Adaptive Bobsled Team. Each of the members wears a prosthetic limb.

So, that`s my short, picture-less post for today. But I`ll be back to talk to you soon.

Hugs,

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012

2011-11-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

Crazy Quilters, Please Join Us!!

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project is an annual challenge issued to all needle-artists to produce a major crazy quilt project within the established twelve month period.

The overall goals of the Project are:

-- To increase awareness of crazy quilting at the local, national, and international levels.

-- To challenge crazy quilter's to continually expand their creativity and improve their individual technical skills.

-- To inspire, and encourage crazy quilter's through publication of our individual works in a consolidated and inter-active web-based format.

-- To provide a central location for the public to view examples of crazy quilt projects in progress and completed.

Visit the CQJP Blog and register today!!

Our Honorary Chairman is none other than J. Marsha Michler, well known crazy quilter and author of many CQ and other books. Visit her website here.

We hope you will join us in this, the largest CQ project for 2012! Let’s work together to show the world our beautiful art!

Hugs,

Victorian Stitchery Retreat - Part 2 of 2

2011-11-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I told you about my classes and teachers, as well as showing you some pictures of our top-notch venue. Today I would like to share with you some pictures of the incredible and creative eye candy which abounded. And of course, it was the sharing of both the teachers, organizers and participants that made it extra special.

I wish I had had the time, resources and necessary talent to capture everyone in a picture, but these will have to suffice. I am hoping that other ladies will share their pictures in their blogs as well. So, without further ado, here come the pictures.

Show and Share, Tuesday Evening

Mae Vernon and her CQ

Detail of Mae`s clever sheep with hooks and eyes

Barbara Warner’s CQ with Grandmother’s vintage lace

Val Bothell and her CQ

Merrie Kay Roberts and her Boho Purse

Gerry Krueger with her Grandmother to Granddaughter CQ Block

Rhonda Perry with her CQ Teddy Bear

Marsha Hines with her Fireplace Mantel Cover

Bonnie Hargrove, below, modeled her vest which was not only a hit at Show and Share, but also won First Place in the CQ Contest. The theme this year was Wearables. I have included some detail pictures for you. Alert: drool cloths are necessary!!

The Incomparable Bonnie Hargrove

Vest Back

Vest Left Front

Vest Right Front

Jane Teeter’s Kansas Tribute Collage

De Crow’s colorful CQ

Back side of GORGEOUS purse made by Andrea Hainkens

Marci Hainkel showed us a quilt that she made from Blocks of the Month she got from Anne’s Glory Box in Australia. After completing the blocks, she chose a novel placement for them in the quilt.

Detail

More detail

Victoria Foley of KC shows “Buttons and Bows and Kiddos"

Pam Peugh and her incredible silk ribbon and CQ’ed landscape

Friends from The Old Days in Omaha - Cindy Gibson and Lydia Tolton

I tried hard to get pictures and names of everyone and everything, but fell short. It was particularly difficult to photograph things as they were passed around (sometimes the only way you could see something) and keep up with the action. My apologies to those I missed, for these pictures are only a small sampling of the incredible talent that was displayed.

Allie’s Class - Curved Piecing

Ingrid Gardiol and Pam Peugh work hard

Marci Hainkel lit the class with her neon colors - and her sense of humor

Not photographed: Jane Ann Slaine and Jackie Kiernan-Hale, both of KC, MO. Sorry ladies, the pictures were blurry beyond recognition!

Merri Kay Roberts brought her Featherweight

Gerry Krueger got lots of piecing done

Toni Jordan from Sacramento was working in reds and greens

Here is Suzanne Moore from Texas, oblivious to the camera!

Two of my favorite ladies, Bonnie Hargrove and Barbara Warner

Pam Woolbright is intent on her piecing

This is sweet Dorothy Densmoor

Lonna Hammond’s shirt is so cute!!

Meet Liz Rudder and her beautiful work. Would you believe she hates to piece?

Miss Carole’s Class

Showing a template holder made for her

The outer box for the template holder

lovely stitching and an inscription

More lovely stitching

Correction: The hearts below were DESIGNED by Miss Carole and beautifully stitched by the one and only Marci Hainkel. My apologies for that missssssssnake!

One of Miss Carole`s hearts

More of Miss Carole’s and Marci Hainkel`s work

Gerry’s Button Painting Class

Gerry had two button painting classes, one on Monday night and one on Thursday night. Here are some of the ladies from the Thursday night class, hard at work:

L-R: Nark (Nancy Royer from Arkansas), Jennepher, Cindy and Freema

Gerry helps Barbara, while Susie Jarosz, ? , Jane and Annie paint

Miss Carole’s Talk on Crazy Quilt Piecing

Candace Kling waves

Allie always has a cute smile!

Miss Carole gave a great talk with lots of visuals

Volunteers held up large boards

Each Block Style was shown and discussed

There was so much to learn!

Miss Carole has certainly done an incredible amount of research

What a fun time! It was over way too soon. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Hugs,

Victorian Stitchery Retreat in Wichita

2011-11-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

This was the first, but hopefully not the last, Victorian Stitchery Retreat that I attended. Hosted by Val Bothell of The Pink Bunny. We had a super lineup of teachers and a fantastic venue at The Hotel at Old Town. Gerry K and I shared a suite, and it was to die for!

The Atrium area where we had breakfast every morning

View from our suite looking south through Old Town

Oh my, where to start?

Our class for the first day was Candace Kling’s Ribbon Flowers. She is so awesome! You will see pictures of some of her flowers scattered throughout the backgrounds of some of the pictures I post. You can also see many on Candace’s website. Naturally, I won’t post all the pictures of her work that I took for my own personal use. But if you every have the opportunity to take a class from Candace, take it!

Some of my near-completed flowers

Candace explained everything thoroughly, clearly, and was so organized. She kept the class moving along and yet had time for everyone and their questions. I want to be like her when I grow up! Truly, I have had her book for over ten years, and learned my first ribbon flower from it. I used to pour over it while I took candlelight bubblebaths (soft music, white wine). That seemed to really tickle Candace! I could’ve kicked myself for not bringing the book for her to sign, but I do intend to take more of her classes.

By the way, next May Candace is teaching a “miniature” ribbon class, which are smaller-sized forms, perfect for CQ. It will be held at at Nancy’s Sewing Basket in Seattle (there is, however, a pre-requisite of having taken one of her classes previously).

Allie’s Class Sample

The next day was Tuesday, and we had Allie’s Curved Piecing Class, which was so much fun! The eye candy was almost overwhelming. Allie’s simple method of piecing was a delight to me, because I had used the same technique to piece my “I Love Paris” purse. Naturally, Allie had some helpful hints (like leaving a wider margin, which is ALWAYS my downfall). And she uses a knit interfacing, which I tried for the first time and loved. Now I am a believer, and will try anything Allie suggests (short of jumping off a cliff, LOL!) She also showed us curved flip-and-sew, and was a kind, patient teacher.

Allie working with Rhonda Perry. At left: Toni J

Below is my center block, completely pieced. The surrounding darker border is about 2/3 complete. I can’t wait to finish piecing this future wallhanging. Hopefully during the next week. And then I have to get back to my Seascape Valance (more in a coming post).

The third and fourth days of the Retreat were our long-awaited 2-day stitching class with the one and only Miss Carole Samples. Oh my! I wish I could just record her lovely soft voice and play it as background “music” when I work! She must be about the sweetest, most gentle soul I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Gerry K gave Miss Carole one of her paisley Victorian Pin Cushions. Paisleys are her favorites, and Miss Carole was brought nearly to tears, but was definitely speechless and overwhelmed. Then Ingrid gave her a crystal-headed pin to put in it!

Miss Carole and me

Over the two days, we learned how to use her templates to not only “decipher” complicated stitches, but to design our own. Miss Carole also taught some varied and more unusual stitches, and generously shared her work and time with everyone.

Miss Carole with Ingrid and Freema

In July my friend Wilma from The Netherlands had gifted me with lots of pieces of gorgeous fabric from Austria (a country we both love). You might remember my post here. Anyway, I used it to piece a 17x12” cover for the notebook in which I will keep my stitch designs. This was my working piece for Miss Carole’s class.

Above and below: Some of the seams I stitched as class exercises. They are not complete.

I have lots more to show you tomorrow, like candid photos of old and new friends, some gorgeous eye candy from the Show and Share, pictures from Miss Carole’s talk on Wednesday evening, and from Gerry’s button class on Thursday evening.

But for now, nighty-night. I snapped this picture of the building next door from out the window by my hotel bed. I think it could pass for 1938 (or whatever). I kept expecting to see Dick Tracey or Humphrey Bogart or some other character strike a pose under the street lamp!

The street lamp illuminated the stark, cold evening . . .

Until tomorrow,

Some Cool Things - and then Off Again!

2011-11-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy this last week with Retiring (yessssssssss! Last Day was Wednesday) and preparing for the Victorian Crazy Quilting Retreat in Wichita, Kansas. I have so much to share, that I have actually started a LIST. And with this post I can cross off two of them - they are the Cool Things.

This lovely CQ block was made by my dear friend Diane Matheson of Canada. You may remember that she came to visit me for a few days in September before we drove off to the CQI Retreat in Colorado. While she was here, she finished up this block.

“Mother” Block made by Diane Matheson

This block had originally been a challenge for Diane in another online group where someone else had picked out some of the fabrics, and Diane had to Do Her Thing with it. Upon completion, she donated it to the Crazy Quilting International “Making Memories” fundraiser for the Colorado chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. CQI auctioned them off on Ebay, and I bid on this one, and won! I am so thrilled to have this, and I got it arrived last week, which was eerie timing. October 31 was the 5th anniversary of my mother’s passing, and November 4 would have been her 83rd birthday. Naturally, I`ve had it hung up and have been contemplating it, saddened because my mom is gone, but warmed because of the love I know my dear friend Diane put into this.

And while I am on the subject of Things That Dear People Have Made, my friend Jennifer at Wheeler Farm made this lovely bobbin lace rocking horse for me as a going away present. Isn’t it to die for? It is about 8” square. I will put it on my next CQ for sure.

As always with the pictures, you can click on them to “embiggen”.

I will take lots of pictures at the Retreat and give a full “Show and Tell” when I get home.

Hugs,

Catching Up

2011-10-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

At Wheeler Farm where I work (for one more week), we got a call from a guy (sorry I don`t know enough to give proper credit) who bought the largest pumpkin grown in Utah this year. That would be the bottom pumpkin in the photo below. He also bought two other huge ones, and made this pumpkin snowman in front of his house. Pretty cool, eh? Well, he is donating it to Wheeler Farm, and they were setting it up today (think cranes, bobcat loaders). I hope to get some more pictures of it in situ at the Farm.

If the bales of straw don`t help you appreciate the scale, notice the can of coke sitting near the stem of the middle pumpkin. The snowman is over 10 feet tall! It will be placed inside our pumpkin patch and hay maze compound where people who come to enjoy the fall festivities there can have a photo opportunity!

* * * * * * *

Late flowers from my garden. The leaves are falling quickly now, and we had our first COLD north wind today. Hang on, autumn, HANG ON!!

* * * * * * * *

My Facebook page has a couple photos on it of Bruce and I with our new granddaughter Remi (short for Remington). Bruce`s daughter Stacy and her husband now have a boy (Hunter, age 2 ½) and Remi. His other daughter Emily and her hubby are in town visiting for about 10 days. Their children are Deacon (3 ½) and Abbie (turning 2 this week). We will see everyone at a birthday party this weekend for Abbie, so we will get lots of updated Grandkid pictures. Fair warning! LOL

In the meantime, we still tend DGD London every Tuesday. My son Shane had a “challenging” morning with her before he dropped her off. Not unlike a typical 2-year-old, she first got some maple syrup in her clean hair, then INSISTED on dressing herself.

She looked like a little waif when she arrived:

Fugitive from the Fashion Police

So, I plopped her into the bathtub, which is easy-peasy if you say the word “Bubbles”. We washed her and her hair, played with bubbles and gave each other Bubble Kisses, and just generally had a fun time.

Dressed with a new outfit from Grammy, plus a hair bow. Things are looking up!

A clean new “mommy”, London tucks her “baby” into its crib.

The next couple pictures are blurry (she never holds still), but I wanted you to see how darling and curly her hair is when it dries.

She will probably hate those natural curls as a teenager, but at least for now, she`s my darling little Babycakes!

* * * * * * * *

And finally, check out my Etsy (link on sidebar). I have added some new Christmas-themed venice lace appliques. I am having trouble keeping the shop stocked, which is a good thing. Sales are good, and I am grateful. Thank you to those of you who stop by! :-)

And in my next photo session (as soon as I clear up the lace mess, LOL), I will get pictures of some of my current CQ projects and estate sale finds. Must make room in the studio, which I THINK is still there, buried under piles of fabric, lace, holiday decorations, supplies. *sigh*. I need a maid!

Hugs,

Crazy Quilts for the Cure

2011-10-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

In celebration of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, Crazy Quilting International has listed three quilts for sale on Ebay. Ninety percent (90%) of the proceeds will to to the Susan G. Komen Foundation; the rest is just to cover administrative and material costs.

These quilts were assembled from blocks stitched with love by the members of CQI (an online Yahoo group for crazy quilters; see link on my sidebar). Leslie Ehrlich did the assembly, binding and backing.

Golden Crazy Quilt for the Cure:
*http://tinyurl.com/3ny5kpa*

Crazy Quilt for the Cure:
*http://tinyurl.com/4yntky9*

Another Crazy Quilt for the Cure:
*http://tinyurl.com/3zzfyma*

A Tribute to Mother Breast Cancer Wall Hanging:
*http://tinyurl.com/3en8ybr*

At this point, they all have at least one bid on them, so they will all sell. But I would like to challenge you all to dig deep and if you can afford to, make a bid on one of these lovely pieces! (I have, and I have my fingers crossed!).

Hugs,

And the Winner is . . .

2011-10-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my celebratory drawing for a $25 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop! After submitting the 128 entrant numbers to Mr. Random Number Generator, he spit back this:

Min: 1

Max: 128

Result:

And then counting down the entries, the winner is………. DOLORES from Canada! Congratulations, Dolores! I have sent you a private email so that we can “take care of business”, LOL.

Again, thank you to everyone for participating. I would love to be able to gift every single one of you, but that would about break the bank! ;-)

* * * * * * * * * * *

One of our daughter’s (Bruce’s daughter Stacy) had a baby girl last night! After only 3 hours of labor, Stacy gave birth to Remington (she will be called Remi). They already have a little boy named Hunter who is 2 ½. Tonight we get to go visit them in the hospital! From the only picture we’ve received (by cell phone), I can tell she is a cutie.

I have some goodies that I unearthed at an Estate Sale last weekend. I’ll show pictures of that later this week, along with a cool vintage brooch I found on Etsy.

And autumn (Indian Summer) has arrived here in the Salt Lake Valley. I’m trying to get some good pictures of our yard, the Farm, and the mountains to share. We had the chimney swept, the furnace got its yearly exam, and Bruce is off to get wood tomorrow. Hopefully it will be soon be cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace during the evening!

Hugs,

2011-10-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

It’s time for a quarterly review of my artistic goals for this year. I am finding that a lot of my goals have changed over time, and am now questioning the wisdom of yearly goals. Maybe quarterly is better to allow flexibility? Quilters, sewers, embroiderers, actually any crafter in general, knows that eventually some things will end up as UFOs. We lose interest or momentum, and the desire to see it finished. Into a drawer it goes. I’ve read in several blogs that people are realizing that the reason some projects become UFOs is because interests and tastes change. If they didn’t, I guess we’d all still be wearing poodle skirts!

So let’s quickly review:

1. Goal: Participate in 3-4 CQ round robins. 100% complete.

2. Goal: Piece my “CQ by 2012” quilt and have half of seamwork done.
Progress: Nada. I will still call it 10%, since I have my ideas and color schemes in mind.

3. Goal: Enter at least 2 CQ or quilting competitions.
Progress: 50% (CQI annual handbag contest, entered and won first place).

4. Teach a CQ class locally.
Progress: 0%. And it will not happen this year; too many other irons in the fire. One of the things I'm thinking of is teaching basic sewing classes to girls in the neighborhood, next year.

Sandy and Cathy at CQI Retreat

5. Goal: Attend 3 CQ retreats or gatherings.
Progress: I have attended two of three retreats, and will be attending the third, Val Bothell’s Pink Bunny in Wichita, next month. 67%.

6. Goal: Take a class with Carole Samples
Progress: I’m enrolled to take this at the retreat next month (Oh Happy Day!) and will soon be 100%. But for now, let’s say 50%.

7. Goal: Finish or give away at least 3 UFO’s.
Progress: 100%. This was done at mid-year.

8. Goal: Finish Seascape Valance.
Progress: Seriously? I HAVE been working on it. My first step is to stitch seam treatments over all the fused seams, and I worked on it at the CQI retreat, getting quite a bit done. I will be doing a post later this month to re-introduce this project to my readers and show my progress. 20%.

9. Goal: De-stash.
Progress: 100%. I took several garbage bagsful to the CQI retreat in Colorado for the Stash Dash, and donated more stuff to the fire relief effort for Texas stitchers being coordinated by Shari at the Yahoo StitchMap group. I have even dug into my tubs of fancy fabrics to sell assortments on my Etsy.

10. Goal: Sew a quilt for granddaughter London.
Progress: Well… I am getting antsy to do it, does that count? LOL. It’s getting colder here, and London loves to nap with blankies. One of these days I may just whip out fabrics and have at it. Everything is gathered, though. 25%

Need to get this listed!

11. Goal: Ramp up Etsy presence.
Progress: My sales have been going great, and I have rearranged my schedule (have quit my bookkeeping job at the Farm) to accommodate more time with Etsy. I have over 100 listings at any given time, and I still have so much more to do. But my goal (ramping up) is met 100%, even though I plan to keep growing. Especially with the Holiday crafting and gifting season coming!

12. Goal: Begin reselling vintage fabrics, linens and collectibles. Progress: Rolled into #11.

13. Goal: Conduct a local sew-for-charity event. 100%.

14. Goal: 400 blog posts. Nope, I just don’t talk that much, LOL!
Goal: 3 Giveaways and 2 Tutorials: 100% (counting current giveaway)
Goal: Reach 250 followers. 100%. Thank you, dear friends!

Overall progress: roughly 62-65%, about where I should be. And it probably won’t get better than that, considering my abandoned goals. But I am happy, especially as I recapped it all, because it represents a lot of work.

Next year: no formal goals. Maybe some quarterly targets to shoot for, but that’s it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Don’t forget to enter my 250 Follower Giveaway! You just need to leave a comment on yesterday’s post (link here) and you will be entered to win $25 of merchandise of your choosing from my Etsy shop. And I add new things every day! Deadline is Sunday the 16th and the drawing will be on Monday the 17th. Good luck!

Hugs,

Giveaway Time Again!

2011-10-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Better late than never (which seems to be the story of my life, LOL), it’s time for the long-promised Crazy by Design Giveaway, which I promised to have when I reached 250 subscribers. So let’s get to it!

Golden Dyed Venice and Tulle Butterfly

The Prize: A $25.00 e-gift certificate to my Etsy Shop. The winner will get a special coupon code to enable them to select $25.00 worth of free merchandise from my Etsy Shop (see link in sidebar). You will be able to select from my hand-dyed golden venice laces and appliques, DMC perle cotton threads, zippers, twill tape, or other sewing supplies; other laces and trims, fancy fabric assortments; vintage sewing patterns, and whatever else I can get listed between now and the deadline! :-)

How to enter? Just leave a comment on this post. Make sure that you leave an email address if your comment does not link back to your blog or email address. I must have a way to contact you! Entries without a means of contact will not be considered.

Deadline: All comments must be made on THIS POST and THIS POST ONLY by Sunday evening, October 16, 2011. Midnight my time (Mountain Daylight) or as long as blogger time stamps it before midnight of the 16th.

On Monday afternoon (can’t get to it before then), each post will be assigned a number in chronological order. Then our old friend, Mr. Random Generator, will select the winner. I will post that name and number on Monday evening.

That`s all there is to it. No extra entries for being a subscriber (although if you’d like to subscribe, we would love to have you!) and no other hoops to jump through. Easy is Good. :-)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Next post: My 3rd Quarter Goals Assessment for this year.

Until next time!

Free E-Book of Sewing Tips

2011-10-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to a fun newsletter and monthly e-magazine called Bustle & Sew. Helen, the proprietress, has the most wonderful embroidery patterns, along with knitting patterns, applique, and so much more. Everything is so cheery and whimsical. Purely delightful!

This past summer she put out a call for readers to submit a sewing tip or hint to be included in an e-book. It was published last week, and my tip is included, so I am happy about that. I see that my friend Shari Jensen also has a tip in it. The book is entitled Top Tips for Stitchers.

The book is free to download, and Helen gave us permission to promote it on our blogs. The link to the Bustle and Sew blog is here. You can read the book here, or download a pdf copy here.

My guess is that you will become a fan of Bustle and Sew too!

Hugs,

Heart for Betty

2011-10-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

One of the icons of Crazy Quilting, Betty Pillsbury, suffered a lot of damage to her home and business herb gardens this past summer. Hurricane Irene caused unprecedented high waters, spreading destruction in her path. Cheryl Anderson, a member of Crazy Quilting International and a general good hearted person, is organizing a “Hearts for Betty” campaign. We were just asked to make a 6-8” heart for Betty, to give her good cheer. This was one of the projects I worked on at the recent CQI Retreat in Colorado.

Instead of crazy quilting it, I cut out two hearts from muslin. On the one designated as the front, I added a crocheted (by me) basket and flowers I made with silk ribbon and organdy. One flower is from a vintage trim, some are from lace overstitched with silk perle, and some are tatted. Then with the help of a small vintage crocheted circle, vintage millinery leaves and vintage buttons, all the little nooks and crannies were filled.

Between the front and back I sandwiched a small piece of batting, then machine stitched it closed. On top of that, I stem stitched the border by hand and trimmed the edges with pinking shears. The dangly things are just bits of vintage rayon, scrunched. The hanger is a piece of vintage green trim.

The picture of the back didn’t turn out, but it's plain except for my initials embroidered in white and a small lace heart attached. I will be sending it off to Cheryl this week. It was a sweet, quick project that I thoroughly enjoyed.

WE HAD SNOW TODAY!!! Snow on October 6?!? It’s not unheard of, but still… Luckily, it didn’t stick, but it sure ruined the day for our Halloween Hay Maze at Wheeler Farm…

What are you working on? I have pictures to share of my stuff in the next post or two. I haven’t even decorated my house for autumn yet, and it’s my favorite season. Perhaps tomorrow, but definitely by the weekend.

And finally, I have NOT forgotten the prize giveaway I talked about. I will get that together and announce the details this weekend. Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Back from the Retreat

2011-10-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

I actually started this post several days ago but got interrupted or sidetracked, or something. :-) In the meantime, several ladies have posted pictures of the Crazy Quilting International Retreat, so I will include a link later so you can see theirs, since my pictures are incomplete.

We kicked things off with a Meet and Greet on Wednesday evening, and got to see the quilts that are being put together by Leslie from the blocks donated for Hearts & Hands for Sendai. They are gorgeous, and you can see some of them here.

On Thursday morning, The Fabric Fairy visited us, filling many tables with fabric, lace, buttons (with the help of several friends). She was shaking in her boots as she looked at the starting lineup of all those ladies with scissors in their hands, about to run for the stash. And wouldn’t you know it, they were eyeing her lovely brocade ~~getup~~ ~~costume~~ ensemble, drooling over the fabric! It was a good thing she had wings on to help her get away….

ahem. HYDRAULIC wings….

The cabin we stayed in was beautiful, spacious, light and airy, and had everything we needed. And even with all these ladies, we didn’t come close to running out of toilet paper. Don’t laugh…. it happened last year. :-( So, below are the ladies enjoying the Stash Dash.

L-R: Juli, Sharon, Josie, Connie, Michelle, Martha, Helen, Sandy and Heidi

L-R: Sarah (my sistah from another mother), Gerry K, Diane, Janet and Laurie

Claudina (in back) and Holly. Such fun ladies! ~~and troublemakers~~

Helen T (in rear). On the couch: Heidi and her mother, CQI member Pam Watson, all the way from England!!

L-R: Holly, Leslie, Colleen, Juli, Sharon, Josie

Hazel, Colleen and Josie

Lovely Rick-Rack flowers made by Sandy. Aren’t they to die for?

The above picture was taken from one of the patios outside the cabin. Isn’t it gorgeous??

When Diane and I drove to Colorado from Utah on Wednesday, Sept. 21, there were no signs of fall colors. But when I returned home the following Sunday, September 25, these are what the hills around Park City, Utah looked like:

Sorry I don’t have much to say about the Retreat. I was just tired and happy to get home. But Janet gave a great account of the activities and had some great pictures (and thanks, Janet, for letting me use the picture of the Fabric Fairy). Visit Janet’s Blog for a complete recap.

More Pre-Retreat Adventures

2011-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Things have been so busy here that Diane M and I will be happy to get on the road in the morning for our 7-hour drive to the Crazy Quilting International 4th Annual Retreat in Estes Park, Colorado. :-)

Yesterday (Monday) we met for lunch with my local (that’s local, not loco, although she’s really both!) friend Bev. Bev and I say that we “met in Australia”, because we actually met through Sharon Boggon’s Pin Tangle blog! After lunch, we headed over the Humanitarian Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church, which is based in Utah). Bev volunteered there for 10 years, and I did periodically through one summer.

Last year I took Diane and Ingrid there (see post here) and we hunted through huge bins for fabric. That was exactly the mission that we were on today! Fabric for the CQI Stash Dash and/or the Texas fire victims.

Diane climbed into the large cardboard bins

And she had a ball searching for fancy fabric!

Diane, Cathy and Bev

Sorry the picture is blurry, but a volunteer volunteered to take the picture, so we are grateful regardless.

This morning, Tuesday, my granddaughter London arrived for her weekly visit with Grammy and Grandpa (“Dammy and Papa”). And she had the extra fun of having Auntie Diane here too (and she says that clear as a bell!)

London checks out the “baby cow”, Triton

She even held still for a half second so I snapped this picture

We all went on a wagon ride around the farm, visited all the animals (but missed the new Belgian Draft Horses that arrived last week. Their fence was being mended and they were in a far pasture). London loved the cows and all the ducks (every bird was a duck, whether it was a chicken, duck or goose).

Watching the ~~duck~~s chickens

Not a great picture, but at least I remembered to use the camera a couple times!

Right now London is napping, and Diane and I are packing our CQ wares and doing laundry - things we cannot seem to get done with a toddler around. London loves Auntie Diane and sat rapt while she read her Mother Goose stories. Maybe she is enchanted with Diane’s British accent? She is, after all, named London!

This is my final post until I get back from the Retreat, and I will probably (hopefully) have lots of pictures and stories to tell.

Until next time,

We Are Having Great Fun!!

2011-09-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Diane arrived safely on Friday night and we all got settled and had a good night’s sleep. Then on Saturday morning we visited two great estate sales up in the hills of Salt Lake. Both were in very nice neighborhoods. On the first one, we ladies hit the jackpot, and on the second one dear Bruce found some treasures. I will save pictures of the booty for another post.

Anyway, Saturday afternoon we stitched and sorted stash. Diane wanted to go out and get some grapes from our arbor to munch on, and we ended up harvesting all the green grapes AND the concords.

We had so much (and there are more than half left on the vines) that we went around and shared with neighbors - five other families. And THEN we decided to juice the concords, and ended up with several quarts of grape juice (which we may bring to the Retreat).

Today, Sunday, we visited JoAnn’s fabric store (BRUCE wanted to go, so we tagged along). True story - he needed foam paint brushes, a new glue gun and glue sticks. Diane bought some beads and I got a quarter yard of some lovely embossed velvet.

When we got home in the afternoon, we had a visit from a green thing.

OOOOOOPS……….. wrong picture. Here is the green thing that visited:

The Fabric Fairy!!!!!!!

She just dropped by for a moment to make sure we had all the stash in order for the CQI Stash Dash at Estes Park Colorado. She will fly back to officiate at that time. Anyway, she flew off to help Shari Jensen in Colorado gather stash donations for the needleworking fire victims in Bastrop, TX. Shari has been very busy!

After Bruce barbecued steak for dinner, Diane and I did some more stitching and gathering supplies. Now we are off to watch another episode of the Tudors and drool over the costumes. To say nothing of the actors

We will hopefully be able to check in again after tomorrow. We are having lunch with my friend Bev and then all going to the Humanitarian Center to find more stash.

Until next report….

A Quick Post to Tell You …

2011-09-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have added Google Translator to my blog (top of the sidebar) as I have had requests from a couple of my international subscribers. And since I love and appreciate all of you, of course I want to make it easier. A translator certainly makes life easier for me when I read blogs in other languages. :-)

Right now I am leaving for the airport to pick up my friend Diane. We will have several fun days together, and we will get pictures to share. Hopefully there will be some estate sales for tomorrow morning to kick things off, but we will just “go with the flow”.

Enjoy these vintage images that I have uploaded for you...

Talk to you soon! Hugs,

This and That and That, too.

2011-09-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

The title says it all; basically this is going to be a ~~hodgepodge~~ catch-up post because I have so many things to tell you and show you that I am sort of just randomly going to my “blog” file (where my blog pictures are) and uploading at random. :-) I think my dear hubby’s ADHD is rubbing off on me. Is it contagious?

Anyway, here we go. First, I just wanted to show you one of the purses that I am going to put together later this winter. I didn’t have time to finish it before the boutique, but I wanted to show you. The wool needlepoint piece I got for $1 when Bruce and I had a booth at the flea market in August. There was an antique dealer next to us, and she had this in her $1 basket. It had a lot of faded spots, but the center was nearly perfect.

yes, the picture is upside down. That tells you how my day has been going...

So I threw together some fabrics and laces and trims and I am stoked!! I have no idea where I got that lace piece, or how much of the lace I will keep around it, but I do know that the flowers and lace will be a focal point. Duh.

Next up, I wanted to show you a couple pictures of The Muddy Gutter Boys. Bruce (left) is in a musical trio with his two best friends. They have been together since their teens (1964), almost a half century. They play folk music - a lot of Kingston Trio and that sort of thing. They are really good. And funny.

Sometimes Bruce plays guitar, sometimes banjo. Rob, in the middle, always ~~sits on~~ plays his bass. And he tells jokes while Bruce and Mike (on the right) are tuning. Mike also plays the banjo and guitar.

They have played in such far away and exotic places as Orem, Woods Cross, and Unincorporated. :-) Seriously, though, they play at family gatherings, church functions, company parties, retirement facilities, etc. Basically, anybody who’ll pay their (small) fee and give them (and us wives who accompany them) a free meal. We always have fun.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My friend Diane Matheson will arrive tomorrow (or maybe today, Friday, as you’re reading this). We will have a few fun days of stitching and relaxing, taking London to the Farm, visiting the Humanitarian Center with my friend Bev, and I guess I will start packing, too. Yikes. Then we will leave next Wednesday to the 4th annual Crazy Quilting International Retreat in Estes Park, Colorado.

So, let me show you a few pictures of what our retreats have been like in the last three years.

2008: The picture below was taken in the Denver Art Museum after we had a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the beautiful crazy quilts in their collection.

L-R: Connie K, Leslie E, MaryFrancis M, Debbie Q, Gerry K, Gerry H, me (holding Laurie B back so she won’t run away) and Janet P.

In 2009, we rented a cabin in Breckenridge, Colorado with (among other things) a hot tub. There are legendary stories about THAT year, but don’t believe everything you hear. hehehe. This was the year that we were able to answer a question for the ages, one that has confounded quilters for ~~centuries~~ ~~years~~ well, maybe a few months: What happens when CRAZY quilters get drunk?

Answer: They make a SANE quilt!!

That was a fun year (well, they ALL were) and our numbers grew, as you can see. In 2010 (last year) our sweet friend Hideko Ishida visited from Japan. Our retreat was held in Estes Park, Colorado in a huge rented cabin. Below are a couple pictures from last year.

Eating out one night

Kerry (far left) and Hideko (far right) join the others in the Stash Dash

This year, 2011, we are once again in Estes Park in an even LARGER cabin. Our numbers continue to grow. This year our teachers are Martha Green and Gerry Krueger. We will have visitors from Canada and the United Kingdom. And Texas. Not that Texas is a foreign country (although some would argue, LOL), but at least one member who is coming lost her home and everything in the fires that have recently ravaged the state (family and furkids all safe).

So, I have a lot of packing to do (stitching stuff and dyed lace and other inventory since we will have a vendor day). I am bringing along my seascape valance, pictured below, which you may remember from last year. It has been upgraded from UFO to Major Focus Project this fall.

Better late than never.

A Trip to the Antique Store

2011-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

In the midst of preparing for the boutique (to say nothing of next week’s CQ Retreat), I got a postcard from my friend Joan who owns an antique store (see stories here, here, here and here). She had just returned from a show in Denver and had some old CQ blocks and all sorts of vintage ribbons and trims in. Did I want to see them? Twenty minutes later, Bruce and I were on her doorstep, LOL.

My discretionary funds are very low these days (it’s called retirement), but she always gives me a good deal (and this time it was a great deal), plus I got some credit in exchange for giving her some Etsy lessons. Let me show you some of my treasures.

There were lots of vintage ribbon flowers from the 1920’s, but this was a style I had never seen before. I bought it and hope to analyze it and see if I can figure out how it’s done. I do have a class with Candace Kling in November at the Pink Bunny retreat, so if I can’t figure it out, I am sure Candace knows.

See the stamens tucked in there?

This is the back. I don’t know what those two black threads were for.

Bruce always loves a good antique store, and he settled himself down after doing his rounds, knowing that I would inspect every scrap of ribbon, trim and lace in the store. To keep him occupied, I had him sort through the baskets of buttons for me. I told him to think large and unusual; things that would go on Boho bags or that would just look awesome on a crazy quilt.

I have to tell you - he did a super job! This was my favorite thing he found, and he knew it was perfect the moment he saw it. What a wonderful button, eh? It almost looks like you are looking down on a vintage hat!

Below are some of the other buttons he found.

And here are my trims:

And this one (below) I believe I got enough of to share. I will have to go through things carefully when I get back from Colorado. And I am ashamed to admit this, but I still haven’t put everything away that I got in Connecticut last April! I realized it when I began finally cleaning my studio up this week...

This was so unusual I couldn’t resist:

A couple views of some antique metallic trim I bought:

And the

piece de resistance

Vintage metal thread and silk ribbon basket applique

It just occurs to me that I don’t have any pictures of the lace I got. Hmmmm… where did I put it all anyway? I know it’s not buried in the studio

Hey, check out my Etsy shop if you haven’t done so for awhile. I am still trying to add new motifs, but some are selling as fast as I can get them listed! ;-) Lots of new things, and I would like to get at least one of everything listed before I take my stash to Colorado!

Oh, and I have reached 250 followers, so when I get back from Colorado, I am going to do a giveaway! Don’t know what yet, but I am open to suggestions…..

Talk to you soon!

Boutique is Over and I Have a Life Again!

2011-09-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my long absence - it is the longest period I have ever gone without blogging, and I have so much to share. But don’t worry, I will spread it out over the next several posts so I don’t put you to sleep, LOL!!

Somebody tell me WHY I am doing boutiques (she said as she banged her head against the wall). Seriously, I do know why, and it’s complicated.

I feel the need to create, and have my creations validated. Does that make sense? When we’ve made as many (insert anything here: quilts, dolls, purses, aprons, etc) that we could ever use ourselves and also given them away to countless friends and family members, what are we supposed to do? Stop creating? No, of course not! We continue to do our thing, perhaps trying to sell a few to maybe make some pocket change to go out and buy more Stuff.

Big Boho; lace is 1/3 of tablecloth border.

Well, I did make some pocket change. And that’s about it. I forgot the three important things you need to consider when getting back into boutiques (like buying a house): location, location, location. In this case (in the Salt Lake Valley) location = clientele. My purses and aprons and crazy quilting are eclectic, traditional with a touch of bohemian/vintage.

Boho Tote. No CQ, but some great lace. And a rose and some cool bling.

This boutique was held in Mormon Mommy Suburbia. A new area, middle class and up. Mommies are all stay-at-home, well coiffed and manicured, skinny, in heels, with 2-3 kids along PLUS pushing a stroller. That sums up 90% of the show attendees. Honest. They were buying petti-rompers and hair things for their little girls. And headbands and slinky clothes and gaudy jewelry. I had never heard of a petti-romper until the boutique. They are hideous, slinky one-piece things of tricot and cheap nylon lace that are probably assembled in China by people who make 3c per hour and work 6 days per week.

Honestly, I am not bitter; I just am trying to be humorous about the whole thing and have chalked it all up to a learning experience. I need to get into a Salt Lake City proper boutique/market where the people are of varied backgrounds, more individual, eclectic - more of my market. Not young mothers, but mature women who do their own thing. :-)

I only got a couple pictures of the boutique, and since I was a newcomer, my area was with other newbies in the back, unlit corner. I did install lights in my booth by the second day, so it wasn’t all that bad. But the pictures were all dark.

So, here is how I did my Crazy by Design sign. My blog header, Etsy banner and business cards (in other words, the colors of my brand) are tan and brown with maroon and dark rose. I searched high and low for a polka dot fabric that would work, and this one, described as tan with brown, was the closest I could get. It looks more yellow than tan.

I covered a piece of foam core with a thin batting (glued down with Fabri-Tac). Then I covered that with my cotton fabric and stapled it on the reverse side. (See below)

Next, I printed out my business name, making the C R A Z Y quite large (one letter per page) in my chosen font (HarbaraHand, which I found online and have used on Etsy and my cards). Then I cut out the letters. I chose a brown suedecloth for the letters, and fused some Misty Fuse (or the equivalent) to the back. Then I traced the letters backwards on the fused back. I cut them out, then fused them to the fabric. I printed the “by Design” on a piece of muslin, then fused that on in an oval.

The finishing was just hot-glueing on some cording around the oval and hand stitching on some of my own dyed lace around the outside.

I plan to add a rolled silk rose or two somewhere on it for the future, but this was a rush job. :-)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So now I am back to work this week at the Farm (well, M,W, F mornings). My tasks this week are to clean up my studio (it looks like someone set off a bomb in it) and get it organized. My friend Diane Matheson arrives from Canada on Friday evening for a visit. We will hang around, shop, visit the Farm and the Humanitarian Center (fabric hunt!) and stitch and pack for the Retreat. We will leave on Wednesday and stay until Monday of the following week. But I will fill you in on that more later in the week and early next week.

In the meantime, it is PEACH season here in Utah, and we bought a case of them at the Farmers Market this weekend. They were ripe enough to work with today, so the first thing I did was bake a pie. And it looks as nice as it tastes, even if I do say so myself! I also put up a few quarts of peaches. Tomorrow evening (after DGD London goes home) I will do a couple batches of jam. The rest will be for eating. Peaches are my favorite fruit, so I can’t get enough of them! :-)

When I heated up the oven for the pie, it started smoking once the temperature got hot. Bruce had cooked Breakfast For Dinner the other night and had left some pancakes on a tray in the oven (where we hold them to stay warm after they are cooked). He had forgotten them after dinner and they had been there for days. They were hard as rocks, and now burned.

So when I took a picture of my pie, he insisted take a picture of one of his pancakes to share with you (equal opportunity). Gee, aren’t you glad? LOL

Do not try this at home!

Take care and I’ll be back tomorrow.

Hugs,

Of Hail, Colors and… my favorite subject

2011-08-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

I will start out with my favorite subject, London. This is another Shameless Granny picture-sharing moment. The pix are from Tuesday, when London (DGD) was over to hang out for the day.

We discovered that London loved watermelon. When she saw one on the kitchen counter, she cried “WawaMELon!!” and jumped up and down. She was NOT happy that she had to wait until after her nap in the afternoon, but thank goodness it’s easy to distract an almost-two year old. (She will be two on August 31).

The only pic I snapped BEFORE I realized she needed a bib!

London eats watermelon like a Big Girl

Looking and laughing at Grandpa (PAPA)

“Papa" eats watermelon too!
“Dammy" never touches the stuff...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The picture below was taken a few days ago. We were having a perfectly beautiful, hot day and my fabulous rose bush was blooming its brains out again. And then the hail struck and ruined it all. Sometimes Mother Nature can be a b****.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And finally, I thought I’d share with you Pantone’s predicted hot colors for Fall 2011. For the most part, I really like the pallette. The bamboo could go, IMHO. And why is Quarry in there? I get the icy blender Orchid Hush (sort of), but Quarry? Just asking…. Pantone says

   Orchid Hush, a unique tone of gray with complex orchid
   undertones, blends well with any other color in the palette.
   Quarry, a reliable medium gray, remains, as always,
   a practical, dependable staple.

Is Quarry a “staple” in your wardrobe? Tell me what you think about these colors! And if you would like to visit Pantone’s site, you can visit it here.

And now, back to ~~the sweat shop~~ making purses!

Hugs

More Boho Bags Done

2011-08-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

There’s no getting around it: I am letting too many things distract me from sewing as much as I should be to complete my purses. Silly things, unimportant things….. like sleep, Bruce (just kidding!), eating, my job, laundry and watching The Tudors on Showtime (Wow, the costumes/clothing and jewelry for that show are amazing!) But I digress…

I have finished two more purses (actually I have a few inches of trim to finish sewing down on one, but I can do that in a few minutes). They are definitely fancier, more Bohemian than the one I did last week.

The brown, gold and red fabric in this purse was the one I really wanted to get my hands on and work with. I almost hope this purse doesn’t sell, because I love the warm, rich colors so much. I used the same pattern as the last (black and tan) one.

This time I crazy pieced the flap and used the focal fabric intact for the front body. These pictures don’t do it justice; the colors are so rich and vibrant (and the fabric so luxurious) in person. And that shiny gold patch on the flap only looks that way in the photo - in real life it recedes and behaves itself.

On this one I added some of my dyed lace from my Etsy shop in addition to some really wide lace that I found at a yard sale. The lace was from an old tablecloth. I used exactly one third of it (5 scallops) on this purse, and have enough to use on two more purses.

The front faux “buckle” is really part of an earring (meaning I have one more to use elsewhere) with a touch of gathered silk velvet inside. Gerry sent me the delicious red trim that I put around the purse edge. I also auditioned it on the flap, but it was toooo much red.

I had no problems with layering or thicknesses this time. The lining fabric was a bit more substantial, and the back fabric didn’t need interfacing.

Next I wanted to do a pink and green one. On this one, the fabric for the strap and the bullion fringe came from a thrift store valance I bought last week for $2.50. I have enough fabric to do two more straps and enough fringe to do one more purse. I should’ve bought all three valance pieces; I bet it won’t still be there when I go back tomorrow.

The embroidered roses came from a bit of a valance that Gerry shared with me when I visited with her last February. That faux clasp is another…. you guessed it… earring.

I did lots more trims and layering this time, which is easy with invisible thread (even though it took me awhile to get the hang of managing it in my sewing machine).

This (below) is the back. I bought the tapestry fabric years ago from a local interior design store. They had a sale once where they were selling remnants for $5/yard. They’ve never repeated it. And they have been “going out of business” for 18 months now. I stop by periodically to see if they have any unwanted fabric sample books or any remnants to sell, but I am always turned away. But I can wait … someday they really will be closing those doors…. muahahahaha…..

This purse is larger; a basic slouch style with no flap. Instead, I thought this heavy embroidered piece would make an interesting “flap”. Half is sewn to the back (see above) and the other half, weighted with the earring, folds over the front. Lazy woman’s purse flap! ;-)

One of the things I did this weekend was to go through all my home dec fabrics - particularly those that are to be focal fabrics for upcoming purses. I sorted them and added supporting fabrics and trims so I could make sure to get the most mileage out of what I have. I have them stacked, and now that I have three purses under my belt (so to speak) in two different sizes and styles, I think I am ready to assembly line them. The size and style of the purse will be dependent on the size of the fabric sample or piece I have for the focal part. Or it may depend on my mood, hehehe. Whatever.

I am really loving these two particular groupings, but sometimes they come together totally different than I expect.

I am trying to concentrate more on the darker, brighter colors for autumn. I will save the lighter colors for the, uh, “Spring Show” (wink).

In the meantime, I have also been making zipper flowers, which I will make into little brooches to pin on the aprons (or sell individually) at the boutique. And later this week I will put it ALL down and work on a crazy quilt block for Cathy L - her English Garden block. More about that next time.

Hugs,

Boho Bag is Done

2011-08-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to call this my Henry Ford Boho Bag. Henry developed the assembly line, and that’s all I could think of as I was making this first prototype; how can I break this down into manageable steps, assembly-line style? The boutique I am making these for begins in 22 days. But who’s counting?

This is how it finished out. Basically, black and gold/tan with some off-white laces. The big vintage button with rhinestones that I wanted to feature on the center came apart (stone from setting) as I was applying it. It can be glued (thank goodness for E6000) and used later, but it missed the boat for this first experimental purse. And these pictures tell me that the button needs some black lace around it to soften the transition to the almost-white lace.

Inside lining is patterned satin. The portion under the flap is intentionally VERY simple. All trims were machine sewn with invisible thread.

The outer trim of the bag is three layers, although the lace part doesn’t show much on the front. The fringe trim and beaded trim are edged with a small hand-dyed venice lace trim.

On the back, the larger lace trim shows. All trims were added AFTER the purse was assembled. I sewed the purse with wrong (lined) sides together because everything was so thick that I knew that turning edges to the inside would not be pretty. Therefore, the raw edges are between the front and back trims, which was a decent solution for this purse, but something that needs to be addressed in future assemblies.

The vintage black velvet strips cover raw edges and meet at the back center, where they are tied and left to dangle.

Lessons I Learned /Changes I Will Make:

1. The piecing onto a fusible background is great. I match up edges as well as possible, but gaps are covered by lace/gimp/trim that are stitched on later by machine.
2. The fabric used for the back of the purse is mid-weight home decorator fabric and does not need to be stabilized, just lined. I will save a layer there.
3. I need to use a bit sturdier lining to avoid such a contrast in fabric weights between the outside and the lining. Tone down the weights on the outside, beef up the lining weights. I need to be able to stitch right sides together and turn (“birth”) the purse through an opening. (I hope this makes sense to you experienced seamstresses).
4. Add trims to the outer bag edges AFTER purse is constructed. There are too many layers to try to keep straight if you baste them to the inside before stitching and turning. God Bless Invisible Thread. I believe adding one layer of trim around the flap will be fine if added before stitching/turning.
5. Deal with purse handles BEFORE stitching and turning, not after. I need to get creative, like dear Gerry (see her awesome bag here).
6. GET WILD. This purse is too tame. I’m thinking too much like a Utahn instead of a Californian. I just realized I have lived more of my life here in Utah than I did in California. Your condolences are noted..... LOL :-) Seriously, I need to use bigger and bolder laces, trims, and colors. Maybe I should just go smoke some marijuana and see what happens. JUST KIDDING! (just wanted to see if you were still reading, LOL).

I have started the second and third purses and will have some results to show before the weekend. At least that’s the plan.

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FLEA MARKET

My stitching time has recently been curtailed because we had a yard (tag) sale a couple weekends ago and then a booth at a flea market this past weekend. Whew! I love it - our quantity of Junque is much lighter and our wallets a bit heavier. We were really busy, even with our makeshift display.

I ~~got rid of~~ sold all my lower-end laces and many of my lower-end vintage linens. So now I can focus on listing the nicer things to sell online. And the fabric. I sold a lot of fabric, which is great because fabrics are generally heavy and a hard sell (postage-wise) on Etsy or Ebay.

See that bright blue, red, yellow fabric next to Raggedy Ann (below)? It’s less than a half yard and I never really “saw” it until I hung it there. I kept looking at it, drawn to it.... and after a couple hours had to take it down and hide it away so it wouldn’t sell. And I only did that with 3 or 4 things, LOL. :-) I sold most of the vintage clothes I had, too. Bruce sold lots of his old radio and electronic parts and old cameras. It was a great, fun day, but hot and very physically taxing. We may do this one more time in October. If we lose our sanity again.

And then yesterday (Tuesday) we had DGD London all day - until her dad got home from work at 8pm. These pictures are from last week. She discovered that my sideboard (where linens are stored) had a great hiding compartment.

Hehe .... Hi Dammy! (her way of saying “Grammy”).

Let’s just use this vintage hand-crocheted tablecloth for a stepping stone ...

And so, I am back to the madness......... thanks for stopping by!!

Hugs,

So Much to Catch Up On!

2011-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve been a lousy blogger this month, but if you are as busy as I am in the summertime, I bet you haven’t even noticed! Blogging seems to take a back seat when there are family get-togethers and vacations and all sorts of adventures in nice weather!

A Magnolia Pearl Handbag

Where to start???

We currently have Boho Fever at Crazy Quilting International. Boho is a style popularized by Robyn Brown of Magnolia Pearl. It’s a bohemian, hippy style - lots of lace, vintage fabrics (think carpetbags), trims and tassels. It fits so well with the whole crazy quilting thing. Pat Winter started earlier this summer with her boho bags, then Gerry did too when Susie went to visit her (and the barn). They have all taken embellishment to the Nth degree, and each of their purses is nothing short of amazing.

So, last week I was accepted into a local boutique (one of the larger ones in the state, actually). And it is in 5 weeks (or maybe 4 as I write this). Short notice to come up with “crazy quilt purses, farm girl aprons and wall hangings”. Since the acceptance rate versus rejection rate is 1:5, I made it in by virtue of the fact that CQ is still a relative rarity in the boutique circuit. It will be unique.

My mission, therefore, is to turn the Boho style into a QUICK CQ purse. I would like to have between 18-25 purses made by Labor Day. Impossible? Probably, but I will get close. Let me tell you about my preparation and my plan.

Although I did not begin with dyeing lace, I thought the pictures of the dyed lace in the evening sun were lovely, so I`ll show those as I ~~blather on~~ talk about my plan. In my stash, I have collected a lot of home decorator fabrics over the years: tapestries, velvets, floral jacquards - lots of mid-weight variety and colors.

To supplement it, I visited a couple local upscale furniture stores last week and was able to gather another couple bags of free fabric samples from discontinued fabric lines.

THAT’s when I dyed the lace. Like a scavenger, I raided all my thick (and some thin too) laces. Anything that was too white got a little soak in a dye bath. While they were drying, I ran over to JoAnn’s fabrics to stock up on fusible fleece. The fusible fleece I bought is very thin and supple, but adds a definite strength and stabilizing factor to the focal fabrics.

While I was at JoAnn’s, I picked up some trims that were on closeout, which I also used a discount coupon on. Plus, they will give you a discount on the last portion on a bolt if you take it, so that was my very lucky night!!

And Gerry came to the rescue to fill in some holes in my colorways for me. We send each other “Care Packages” whenever one of us puts out an SOS to the other! :-) Thank you Gerry, they are lovely!

Lastly, I pulled all my supplementary fabrics (velvet, brocade, corduroy - yes, corduroy) and thinner laces, trims, etc, and sorted them by colorway.

Laces ready for action...

Oooh, I see a couple pink bags in my near future!!

Some beaded home dec trims. Glad I stocked up when they were on sale a couple years ago...

So, my first purse is basically a black and gold colorway. There was one rose print tapestry sample fabric in that color, and I had just enough black trims to go with it. Also, I figured if I messed it up too bad and couldn’t sell it, that would be a good color combo for yours truly. Hehe. There is a method to my madness.

All I have left to do is tack on some velvet trim to the back and attach th=e//=/9 (that was my cat Boomer stepping on the keys.... he wants attention)... where was I? Oh yeah, I still need to attach the strap. I’m a little worried about that because the purse is so thick. Should’ve done it in a prior step, but I was figuring out all the other stuff. I might have saved myself a lot of grief, to say nothing of a couple hours time, if I had used a commercial pattern, but REALLY! Who does that?

Here’s a sneak peek of one corner of the front flap.

And here is a sneak peek of the back. That’s the velvet I still have to attach. When I post the completed pictures, I will explain what I did (in exchange for some honest comments and suggestions!!).

And finally, a picture of a little goldfinch I snapped through the front window this morning. We have had a lot of smaller birds this year, which is delightful. Probably because all those darn magpies and scrub jays have stayed away.

Now, I’m off to pay attention to that cat. If I don’t I’ll be sorry at 3:00 a.m.

Summer at the Farm

2011-08-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Summertime at Wheeler Farm, where I work part-time as a bookkeeper, is always a “happening” time. Families come and visit in droves - who doesn’t love to see the animals? Summer camp is going. The lawns and newly-remodeled Activity Barn are in high demand for family reunions, weddings and receptions and parties of all kinds. There are festivals, farmers’ markets, 5-K runs. Whew!

And when our family comes to visit from out-of-state, the farm is a must-see for children and adults alike. Recently Bruce’s daughter Emily with hubby Chad and our sweet grandchildren Deacon (3) and Abbie (1 1/2) visited.

Deacon, Emily, Chad & Abbie

Deacon wonders about the hole in the outhouse!

It’s fun looking at the cows ...

.... until the wind shifts...

Deacon walks like Grandpa

Monkey see, monkey do

Abbie and her dad check out the horses

Deacon likes the kids (baby goats)

Deacon threw a stick into the raging creek

The water level of the creek above (photo taken in the afternoon of June 30, 2011) was just a wee bit higher than the photo of the same place I took in the morning a year and three weeks earlier on June 8, 2010 (below).

Meet Norman, our new Jersey calf (a bull) born in June this year. Isn’t he cute??

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One of the ladies in CQI had to drop out of the English Garden II Round Robin (hope your hand feels better soon, Ritva!). Since I was the “angel” for the RR, I will get to step in and finish a block for Cathy Labath. These lovely blocks just arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and I am looking forward to stitching on one. They are up on my design board now, and I am just waiting for them to talk to me! :-)

Hugs,

Making Flowers from Zippers

2011-07-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

When I posted this picture of a zipper rose I had stitched onto a crazy quilt block a couple weeks ago, it stirred a lot of comments on my blog, my emailbox and on the Crazy Quilting International List. I vowed to do a zipper flower tutorial, and here it is!

Zipper rose surrounded by old jewelry and findings

I only do three types of zipper flowers, and I will show each of those. You can find a lot more images and tutorials if you Google zipper flowers. The variety is endless. But let’s get started with some basic ones!

Most of us have zippers in our respective stashes, from back in the day when we used to sew, or from that great box of old sewing stuff we bought at a yard sale. Or whatever. One of the most popular looks around now in jewelry is florals made from zippers, particularly with the metal teeth. But there are almost as many flowers made with the plastic, color-coordinated teeth, particularly when used as hair adornments (or pins, or shoe decorations) for young girls.

Supplies you will need:

Zipper (metal or polyester teeth), virtually any length or color

Craft scissors or rotary cutter

Needle and sturdy thread

Straight pins (optional)

Button or other embellishment as desired

Basic Rolled Flower

Select a zipper at least 7” in length. If you have longer zippers, you will be able to get a larger flower out of each side of the zipper, or make two (or more) flowers from each side. After making a few flowers, you will learn how much zipper you need for each type of flower. In some cases, you will be able to make up to six flowers out of one long zipper! That’s economy!

At 45c, this zipper probably dates back to the Stone Age, LOL

If you have a separating zipper, that’s great. If not, you will need to separate the zipper into two parts. For this you will want to use either a pair of craft scissors or a rotary cutter. Be smart - do NOT use your good shears! (I don’t need to explain why, do I?) Cut off the bottom metal (or plastic) tab by slicing off the bottom tab with your craft scissors or rotary cutter.

Scissors point to the cut area.

Beginning at one end of one zipper tape, roll tightly to form a center.

Sometimes it helps to roll teeth-side down on a flat surface to keep your flower from “telescoping”.

Every once in awhile, take a stitch across the zipper tape with your needle and thread. I always double my thread for (1) strength and (2) my sanity. I always lose needles if I don’t double the thread. ;-)

Pretend you don’t see the condition of my gardening hands...

Continue to roll and stitch until you either come to the end of you tape or you get the desired size. Knot and cut your thread.

The back of the flower should look something like this.

Gathered Flower

For the Gathered Flower, you will need a longer zipper - probably at least 12”, but could be even longer. Begin the flower center the same as for the Basic Flower (roll center tightly). Then you will use your needle and thread to gather - with smallish but not tiny stitches - the zipper tape.

There are two ways to do this. You can gather an inch or two, pull it up to form loose gathers, and then tack with stitches to the rolled center. Repeat until finished.

OR (and this is my preferred way), you can just stitch your way all along the length of the zipper tape at one. Spacing does not need to be perfect, but you don’t want the stitches to be too large as they will leave visible gaps in the rose.

Once the stitches are complete, you can then pull them up gather the whole length at once.

The next part is a bit fiddley, but basically if you keep the teeth up and the gathering down, the rose will nearly wind itself into position.

At the end (and using the same needle and thread that you have not cut from the gathering stitches), fold back the trimmed zipper tape under the flower and tack down. You will also want to take several tacking stitches along the backside to secure.

At this point, for any of the flowers, you can tack them to a quilt block, add a felt backing (and a pin back if desired) to make brooches, etc.

Loop Flower

Once again, select your zipper. You will want at least a 14” zipper for this 5-loop flower. If you want more loops, select longer lengths. Cut off your end tab again and separate sections. You will work with just one side, so this zipper will make two loop flowers.

For the 5-loop flower, mark the zipper tape into five sections with an air-soluable pen (or you can just use straight pins).

Using your threaded sewing needle as a spindle and beginning at one end of the zipper, make a loop, TEETH SIDE UP. The markings you made will help you keep the loops relatively equal. Each mark represents where you should pierce the tape with the needle. Try to think of this needle/spindle as the center point of the flower, around which you will rotate as you make each loop.

For the second loop, take the long edge and make another loop, manipulating as necessary to keep the teeth side up.

Repeat for the third loop, which will naturally place itself between the first two.

Repeat for the fourth and fifth loops. See the picture below. After this picture was taken, I actually readjusted that last loop (just take it off the needle and redo). I also recommend folding the tape back here to avoid any loose ends showing.

At this point, you could sew on a button, beads, sequins, or another rolled flower to the center portion. I just used an old silver button as you can see below.

FINISHED! See how easy that is?!?

From here, of course, you can add foiliage, layer the flowers, make a cluster, or more.

I hope you enjoy this and if you create your own flowers, please share pictures! And watch my Etsy shop, as I will be listing zippers this week!

Enjoy!

Catching Up

2011-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I am almost done with the zipper tutorial; will probably post that tomorrow later in the day. In the meantime, I have a few things to share. Sort of like Show & Tell, LOL.

Now that Bruce is officially retired, he is not only cleaning up his laBORatory, but also beginning some of the “honey-do” projects that we’ve had around for awhile. One of them is putting up new house numbers by our mailbox to replace the almost 50-year-old tarnished ones that have been there from Day One. These are hand painted Mexican ceramic tiles, set in a wrought iron frame. The numbers are out of sequence, which I would rather show than when they are actually up and in the right sequence. :-)

The above picture I saw on one of my favorite blogs, Empress of Dirt. Just had to pass it on so you could enjoy, too!

And finally, this is one of the cool things that I found at an estate sale this weekend. It’s a finished needlepoint picture, in pristine condition. I love the colors, the arrangement, everything. It measures about 16x20”. I would really like to do some sort of CQ-ed frame for it. It would have to be simple, so as not to compete with the picture. Right now it’s up on my design board so we can “talk” to each other. There are a few other projects that need doing first, so this one can percolate for awhile. Oh, and I only paid $3.00 for it....

Tomorrow: The Zipper Flower Tutorial (if I have any energy after tending DGD London all day, LOL). I’ll be showing you three variations on making flowers with zippers - for your crazy quilting, collages, or to decorate headbands, handbags, etc.

Talk to you then! Hugs,

Lost Quilts

2011-07-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

It’s something we always have in the back of our minds when we send off a piece of our work. What if it gets lost? Goes missing? Is stolen or otherwise unaccounted for? This is always a sad occurrence, but when your loss is a world-recognized award-winning quilt, into which you put your heart and soul (to say nothing of the expense) AND it is the quilt that graces your very own book cover, well... words fall short.

This week C&T Publishing announced in a press release here that three quilts and a table runner have gone missing from the Spring Quilt Market that was held in May here in Salt Lake City. As a crazy quilter, I am of course, particularly distraught that among those quilts was Allison Aller’s jewel, Crazy in the Garden.

It is mortifying that this could not only happen in our quilting world, but that it actually did happen here in Salt Lake City. It is not known (or at least is not known by the general public) whether the quilts were stolen at the venue, “acquired” by someone in the packing and shipping process, or lost in the mails.

Many quilters are posting these pictures on their blogs, and they have also been listed in the Lost Quilts website. Everyone seems to be stunned, frustrated, angry, and saddened. Condolences are being offered all around, as we needleworkers all understand their loss.

Since many of my readers are Utahns, I would like to appeal to you to keep yours eyes open as you are out and about locally at quilting or needlework shops or quilt gatherings and the like.

Perhaps with all of us working together, spreading the word and being additional sets of vigilant eyes, these lost quilts can find their way home. We quilters - traditional and crazy - are practiced at working together toward a common goal. Our politicians could take a lesson from us.

Hugs,

The Last Steampunk CQ Block Finished

2011-07-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Whew. This was a hard round robin because it turned out that Steampunk is more easily interpreted with “things” than with stitching. But working on Colleen’s block - the last one for me - was really fun. Of all the blocks in the round robin, I believe hers had the best background (“canvas”) on which to work, and it was also the largest at almost 15x15”. Colleen had even stabilized hers with a thin fleece-type backing, which was not only brilliant but necessary.

Colleen’s Completed Block

When the block came to me, the black items were all in the bottom half of the block; the black trim on the left with rivets, the black fabric piece in lower right and the “chicken scratch” in the lower half of the white piece. I added the black lace curving around the center area, the “Late Edition” ribbon, and the black trim on the right. I felt that helped even out the black in the block.

Then I added an old crocheted key motif, which I had been holding on to for the perfect block. This was it. The block was large enough to handle it, and keys are such a great Steampunk motif (so is black and heavy lace). It also served to break up a lot of the vertical directionality of the piecing and trims in that area.

Winged Hearts

Kathi S had added the winged heart on the right (on the scrap of wool), so I decided to repeat the motif with a vintage-look heart button and some metal stuff that looked like wings. Another spot on the block would have been better, but being the last one to work on the block meant that there were not that many open spots.

The clock and metal circle were already on the block, and they rather reminded me of a watch. So I added some old broken chain (gotta love broken jewelry!) to make it look pocketwatch-ISH.

And finally, I topped it off with some STITCHING, which I was itching to do (tacking on THINGS doesn’t count as stitching). So, I laced the thin brown patch with some variegated perle cotton.

I love the way this piece turned out - very textural and so much variety. Colleen - I hope you like it! It will be winging its way to you in the next few days.

And now I will focus on cleaning up my studio for the rest of the week so I can decide which project(s) to tackle next. I am really thinking that my Seascape Valance needs some attention, and I hope to begin piecing my big CQ by 2012. And I have a couple other ideas up my sleeve, but I will save those for another post.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the meantime, I have added fabric packages to my Etsy shop. It seems I get one big category tackled every week or two. Next I would like to add sewing supplies (zippers, gripper fabric for children’s feet in sewn items, and so much more). But next up will be the Zipper Flower tutorial first...

By the way, the Anniversary Sale in my Etsy shop will continue through the end of the month, so feel free to use it even if you have already purchased and used the code already. Just type in JULY11TENPERCENT during checkout (where indicated for coupon code) and your discount will be deducted.

Until next time,

Another Treasury Feature!

2011-07-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Lucky me! One of my dyed lace butterflies was featured in an Etsy Treasury!

Treasuries are groups of items specially selected to fit a certain theme. They are curated by whomever wishes to take the time to jump through all the necessary hoops to curate one, and are presented to the entire Etsy population. It gives one a lot of exposure, and the past two treasuries I have been in have always helped generate sales. Woo-hoo!

Check out the treasury here.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,

Bits and Bobs ...

2011-07-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I’m just doing a quick post to share some of this week’s happenings with you...

This is the apron I was asked to make for my friend Darci at work. She picked the fabrics and style. It turned out sooo cute (much better than the picture shows) and looks adorable on her.

And her are the latest pictures of my dear granddaughter London. She is almost 23 months (where does the time go?) and is a very active and chatty little toddler.

I need to buy her some magnetic letters to play with on the refrigerator, since she has a fascination with refrigerator magnets!

These pictures were taken on Tuesday, and we just let her hair go all curly. That is a sippy cup (not a bottle) that she is drinking from. After all, she is a Big Girl!

Lots of teeth now... Loves her “Dammy” (Grammy - me), and “Papa” (Grandpa Bruce), goes down easily for her afternoon nap, loves cheese, strawberries and peanut butter (there’s a girl after my heart!), loves Boomer our cat (the feeling is NOT mutual, hehe), and loves to “weed boots” (read books). Wish I could freeze time!

Hugs,

Mid-Year Goal Check-in

2011-07-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we passed the mid-year mark a couple weeks ago and it’s taken me until now to get a moment to sit down and review my progress against the goals I set for myself for 2011 (needlework-related goals).

This time of year is so busy for me - one of my grown sons had a birthday, Bruce and I celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday (we didn’t forget this year! LOL). Plus working part-time at the Farm, building my Etsy, Bruce’s surgery and retirement (and all the paperwork that goes with THOSE), tending DGD London once a week, plus stitching, sewing private commissions, the garden..... whew! But I love it all. Well, maybe not the paperwork.... So, here we go.

1. Goal: Participate in 3-4 CQ round robins.
Progress: Complete. (I have one block left to mail, but it is done except
for writing in the booklet). 100%

2. Goal: Piece my "CQ by 2012” quilt and have half of seamwork done.
Progress: None, except that I’ve decided on my colors and basic design idea. This is the same as 3 months ago, but I have been gathering things, and I can feel the desire to work on it finally building.... planning to start in September or October. 10%

2. Goal: Piece my "CQ by 2012” quilt and have half of seamwork done.
Progress: None, except that I’ve decided on my colors and basic design idea. This is the same as 3 months ago, but I have been gathering things, and I can feel the desire to work on it finally building.... planning to start in September or October. 10%

3. Goal: Enter at least 2 CQ or quilting competitions.
Progress: I entered the CQI annual purse contest and won first place this year. There is another contest I had planned to enter this month, but time is getting away from me and I realize it will not happen. Must look for something else. 50%

4. Goal: Teach a CQ class locally.
Progress: No progress on this in the last three months. I keep vacillating, but DH is encouraging me (and you, too, BJ!), so it may happen. 0%

5. Goal: Attend 3 CQ retreats or gatherings.
Progress: Have attended one (CQ Adventure in CT) and am registered for two more: the CQI Retreat in Colorado (September) and the Victorian Stitchery Retreat (Pink Bunny) in Wichita in November. - no change this quarter - 33%

6. Goal: Take a class with Carole Samples.
Progress: I am registered for a 2-day class with Carole Samples in Wichita in November!!!! This remains the same, so since it is already paid for, I am going to mark it as 33%

7. Goal: Finish (or give away) at least 3 UFO`s.
Progress: Last quarter, I finished and auctioned off my Teatime Wallhanging and gave away (to CQI, who auctioned it off) a wool crazy quilt top, putting me at 67%. Well, the block I used to make my purse (see above) was a UFO that I reworked, so this one is complete! 100%

8. Goal: Finish Seascape Valance.
Progress: None yet, but I will begin working on it this month. 0%

9. Goal: De-stash.
Progress: More progress here. This has been relatively easy for me. After gathering up two tote bins full of stuff for CQI, took a carload of things to the local church Humanitarian Center. Wheeler Farm, where I work, closed down their costume department and was going to throw away the fabric, laces, etc. Literally. Into. The. Dumpster. Well, I rescued them all. Yes, I did keep some of the lace (nothing there older than the 1980’s), but 99% of it went to the Humanitarian Center. To it I added a sack of 50 cut-and-ready-to-sew pillowcases that I had been hanging onto for a charity project. They will assemble them and use ‘em. Still up in this category: We are having a huge yard sale in late August or mid September. I will call this category done AFTER the yard sale, just in case I find more stuff to get rid of. 75%

10. Goal: Sew a quilt for London (DGD).
Progress: Some progress here. I have decided to make London a quilt from my vintage sheet collection - such lovely floral cottons. It will be a simple patch quilt with a flannel or minky back. Everything is gathered. 25%

11. Goal: Ramp up Etsy presence.
Progress: Woo-hoo! More progress! I have been focusing on this in June and July, and the shop appearance and sales show it! Rather than having an average of 12-15 items, I now have an average of 40-45, some of that in a second category of vintage patterns.
That is due to a huge box of patterns I ran across at an estate sale. But I digress. Next up is adding the fabric packs (this month), the vintage lace and trims (hopefully also this month) and then the vintage linens and vintage fabrics and other (slated for August). 50%

~~12.~~ 11. Goal: Begin reselling my vintage fabrics, linens and collectibles. Progress: I am going to roll this one into #11 above, because it makes sense.

~~13.~~ 12. Goal: Conduct a local sew-for-charity event.
Progress: I could not get permission to hold another Operation Pillowcase at Wheeler Farm, so instead donated them to the Humanitarian Center (See Destash #9, above). Since they were donated to a charitable cause who will use them, I am considering this complete. 100%

14. 13. Goal: Blog milestones: 400 posts, 250 followers, 3 giveaways and 2 tutorials in 2011.
Progress: Posts: at 350, 50 to go in approximately 5 months (10/month or one every 3 days. Do-able and on track). 50%. Followers: I believe I started at about 178-180 followers and now am at 212. So we have had approximately 35 (out of 70 hopeful) join us, or 50%. Giveaways: Two out of three are done. 67%. Hmmm... it’s about time for another, wouldn’t you say?? LOL Tutorials: One done (needlebooks) and one planned (zipper flowers). 50%. Overall in this category: 55%

So all this averages out to about 50%, which is right where I should be. So why do I feel guilty because some items are still at 0%?? And another thought - what if my goals change mid-year? I am not sure that I want to teach this year. Right now I prefer to focus on Etsy (and a couple other irons I have in the fire) and not spread myself too thin. Or is that just an excuse?

Did you set goals for yourself this year? How are you progressing, and what, if any hurdles are you experiencing? Were your goals realistic? Have they changed or remained the same? I would love to hear your goals, progress and thoughts...

Hugs,

Crazy Quilting Steampunk Style

2011-07-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I finished another block in our Steampunk Round Robin at Crazy Quilting International. As I worked, I wondered how I could further combine traditional crazy quilting (motifs, stitching) with the Steampunk style. Steampunk is often described as “Victorian Industrial”. Think of Jules Verne, fantastic flying machines, or a computer that looks like an 1890’s cash register.

Earlier in this round robin, I had combined stitching with metallic parts, to come up with some varied Steampunk motifs. This included both seam treatments and individual motifs fashioned of buttons, beads, washers, and lace.

Because the block belonging to Kathi S was constructed in blocks (you’ll see it momentarily), each square or rectangle lent itself to a motif. Also, all the seams were stitched down with raw edges showing, giving it a very basic, building-block feel. Perfect for a steampunk backdrop.

The first motif I added was a zipper “rose” surrounded by a gaudy old earring topped with a filigree charm. The other earring from this pair (which I found in a North Carolina flea market for 25 cents) appears on my Images of Africa quilt, LOL.

I had bought large lot of these black separating zippers to sell in my Etsy shop and wanted to try it out first for flowers, as zipper flower embellishments are quite popular now. It worked great - I just ran a gathering stitch along the tape side, then pulled to gather it a bit. After that, I just coiled it and tacked it down. And I used about half of one side of the zipper, so the entire zipper would make 4 roses! I think I will need to add them to the shop!

Victorian Friendship Rings, Steampunk Style

But by far my favorite motif was this Steampunk take on the traditional friendship circles in Victorian embroidery. These are three rings from an old necklace I had. Cool, huh?

Here is the block as it now looks. It will be on its way to the next stitcher in a day or two.

Hugs,

Who is Lina Cavalieri?

2011-07-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

So, who IS Lina Cavalieri?

Well, to start with, she is the lovely lady pictured in my blog header and background artwork within the picture frame. Lina was an Italian opera singer who lived from 1874 - 1944 and in her time was known as the most beautiful woman in the world.

But she was much more than just (just?!?) a lovely opera singer. She was a world figure who dated tycoons and famous men. She was orphaned at age 15 and went to live in a Catholic orphanage run by strict nuns.

But she was too much of a free spirit, so she ran away to Paris,where she began using her lovely voice (and good looks, no doubt) to sing in cafes and open other doors of opportunity.

Oh. And she loved pearls. Pearls with everything, even with diamonds. She preferred her signature pearl choker with longer strands.

Yes, she looked innocent, but she could also be very naughty! Read about her on Wikipedia here.

During World War II (when she was well into her sixties) she did volunteer nursing. In 1944 she was killed in her Florence home when the city was bombed.

I hope you enjoy (and will use) these images of beautiful Lina Cavalieri.

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Check out the current issue of Sew Beautiful Magazine! Our friend Marsha Greenberg of Hankie Couture is featured! And you can get a free pattern for the square-necked sundress free from Marsha and Sew Beautiful at:
http://www.sewbeautifulmag.com. Just go to Web Extras, then Articles & Projects, then click on Hankie Couture.

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And just in case you have not had your quota of beauty today, I must throw in some of nature’s finest handiwork, courtesy of my garden. LOL.

My daughter says this frog statuette (below), which I bought at Tuesday Morning, looks like it is giving an obscene gesture. Personally, I think he’s doing his imitation of Rodin’s The Thinker.

Diane M, these delphinium close-ups are for you. :-)

Wouldn’t it be nice to be as beautiful as these roses when WE are old and withered and faded?

And Stacie, this one is for you! :-) My “repurposed” birdbath...

Must try this in silk ribbon:

Red Yarrow

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sendai Block Finished

2011-07-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

The deadline to finish the Hearts and Hands for Sendai block was June 30. Here it is, July 5th, and I am finally done. As usual, I am juggling too many balls. But at my age (over the half-century mark), things aren’t likely to be changing, LOL. This block will, however, be in the mail to Leslie (who is coordinating this effort and assembling the quilts) tomorrow.

I have had the lace Geisha for years, and knew this was the perfect piece for it. The blue brocade on the right side had swirl patterns in it that reminded me of waves (as in tsunami), so I added the blue scroll lace in that area to represent the water. The other blue section is stitched with a traditional Japanese pattern which also signifies water.

The two pink fabrics were patterned with cherry blossoms, so to the bottom I added a spray of white lace flowers that I painted pink. A little center, some stitches representing stamens, some leaves... viola!

The trim that goes across the top had the perfect colors for the block, except the edges were red. So, I just stitched over them with pink metallic Kreinik braid. The fan in the top corner was made from lace that Hideko donated to the auction at our Crazy Quilting International Retreat in September last year. I bid on it and won. It is a cherry blossom pattern, and I love that I was able to use it to make a lace fan for this block that will benefit Japan!

The kite was the last motif I added, and it seemed appropriate since the shape of the fabric it rests on is roughly a kite shape. There are two layers of fabric for the kite; the background pink with red is a piece of silk from a vintage kimono, and the top blue butterfly fabric was a recent (maybe 10 years old) cotton print here in the US. The green and blue fabric the kite rests on (also in left bottom) was the first fabric - from a vintage dress - I selected for this jewel-toned block. Everything grew from that. I wanted it to be a colorful, cheerful piece.

And speaking of colorful and cheerful, my sweet friend Wilma from the Netherlands send me this wonderful gift of fabrics she had left over from her Austria wall hanging. You can see her lovely quilt here. Wilma had recently visited Austria, and we talked about that beautiful country when we met at the CQ Adventure in Connecticut last April. I had spent a summer there going to school while I was in high school. I only had one scrap of fabric left from my trip , and lots of ribbons in red, white, black and green. They will be lovely trims on the crazy quilt block I make with these. Thank you, Wilma!!

The Austria Block will move up on my priority list for this year!

And now I will leave you with some pictures from the front yard today. We had our new living room window installed today, which made tending London rather interesting. She thought it was so cool after they removed the old window, and we could stand there waving through the hole at everyone! I did take before and after pictures of the living room window, but I am not posting them (they are, after all, just windows). You’re welcome.

Flower pots are growing nicely. Delphiniums blooming!

Delphiniums and yarrow. Soon the daylilies and friends will join them.

An old birdbath that no longer holds water is still useful as a decoration.

I’m off to bed with high hopes that the neighborhood delinquents that were shooting off fireworks last night until after midnight will not be giving us an encore. I don’t want to turn into the cranky old lady who has the police on speed dial...

Hugs,