Unearthing the Sewing Machine

As my studio is the place where everything goes when I'm tidying for guests, it's always the last room cleaned. (Read as Rarely Ever TIDY) And guess where the guys went on Christmas Eve to watch the game? You got it in one! My studio. At least the stocking stuffers were hidden (under the laundry) and no unmentionables were in sight!
As for my work...
Yes, yes, I know Christmas won't be for another 363, but maybe my Christmas quilt will be done by then. It's simple, a Stitched Scraps pattern, that I've been using as leaders and enders for several months. Also, I got out my Oriental Lanterns to get some progress on it. My daughter claimed this one long ago. I suppose she'd like to sleep under it some day!

Merry, Merry!

Merry Christmas, everyone! My DH did real good for his little wifey this year. There's a new store in Seaport Village called The Cabbage Tree that sells all New Zealand made stuff. He bought me the necklace and the wall piece I liked so much. We went to NZ in 2004 and I LOVED it, so these pieces bring back happy memories.
Look what Cathy With a C gave me! Tons of little scraps. Is it a Christmas gift to a dear friend or a revenge hit on a bitter enemy? No, Cathy never does mean stuff... although we do kid her about being a dictator at PQM when she's left in charge! Now that all the prep work of Christmas is over, sorting scraps sounds kinda fun.

Pretty Ornaments

Yes, I made all but the glass ornaments. No, I didn't make any of them this year. This is the way displayed ornaments that I made. That way they don't get lost on the Christmas tree. Now I've got to get back to Christmas Eve Clean-Up!

Super-Fast!

Mountain Girl (pictured below) went together in a hurry-flurry! I'd been wanting to experiment with this Disappearing Nine-Patch Pattern ever since I spotted the photo-tutorial on Life is a Stitch. I chose the fabric, cut, sewed, and finished this top all today at our prayer quilt meeting. It's going to Nolie, who is dealing with a scary mass on her liver--please lift her up in prayer. She likes the great outdoors, so this seemed remarkably appropriate.
Here's a detail of the mountaineering fabric.

Movie to recommend: An Inconvenient Truth

Another Tote Completed

Yay! Another tote completed. The yellow and blue theme is based on somebody else's preferences--I won't say whom as there is a remote chance she might see it. (really, really remote!) I'm so pleased that I was able to make this out of stash fabrics and not shop for more. (Stashbuster Alert!)Today I went to the drapery store and got estimates on drapes for four rooms in our house. If we go ahead with only one, that's still progress! For those who are interested, there's a 15% off labor sale at Calico Corners until the 28th. I sure hope that will help light a fire under my DH.

Geck-O!

This little lizard was one of the patterns I offered to my Girl Scouts for their cross-stitch class. Of course, they chose the more complicated patterns! But I made this guy up, figuring I could include him in a quilt sooner or later. He's a cutie pie, but needs a name. Any suggestions?

On the right you'll notice a couple mile-a-minute blocks. I have no idea what will happen to them, but they're such a great thing to work on when you're having an off day--no thought required!

Miss Mousie

This little cross-stitch piece was given me by Debbie when her cross-stitch store went out of business. I think it's Hunca Munca from Beatrix Potter's Two Bad Mice. I'm featuring it in a scrap quilt that I'm titling Miss Mousie.
The flying geese you see here were made by Cathy with a C. She didn't need them for her quilt, so graciously donated them to moi, the Scrap Queen. I found fabric that I liked with them and, voila! Stars! There will be a total of 11 star blocks plus Miss Mousie herself.

A friend sent me this link: it has got to be the funniest Christmas carol mix-up I think I've ever heard. I highly recommend clicking for a good laugh!

Christmas Projects

Yes, it's that time. Okay, past that time. But here is my Christmas Card Station. I've got a little view of, well, of the street, but it's pleasant enough. We get no snow here, but this is a nice spot to work without the temptation of the one-eyed zombie maker (TV). I've been uploading Christmas songs on my iPod and getting into the spirit. This will be the first year I'm sending pre-made photo cards. Sure is easier than making my own, I must say! With luck, I will be able to get to my next ragtime project--pretty colors, huh? It'll be all pinks, blues, and a few other pastels scattered in there. Oh, the flannels are so soft to work with. (I do wind up spitting lint, though!)

Fringe Binge!

Here's my very first ragtime flannel quilt. It's finished--even including the washing and washing and washing and drying--except for the label. I had the fringe cut at Quilter's Paradise in Escondido. The next one will have stuffing, but this will have to be flat. (title by my DD)

You May Need Sunglasses

I blew right through this scrappy top. It was so much fun to work on that I hated to stop! I adore working with super-brights. These are the scraps from a confetti quilt I titled Rio. Then I made a bunch of 4-patch units from the leftovers. I made a top with neon guitars running between the 4-patches and entitled it "Rock and Roll High School." (No pics available) I still had 30 4-patches left so I framed 'em ala Stitched Scraps for this little darling. Now presenting

Tilt-a-Whirl!No, I don't know who it's for yet, but God does.

And in shopping news.......
these are the fabulous fabrics I couldn't resist at The Quilter's Market in Tuscon. I would have bought more but I was exercising self-control. Ga-horgeous stuff, though. You can click on their link and see how beautifully bright things are! Huh, I didn't realize until I saw the pictures here that I bought all stuff with circles. Weird.

Scrap Swap

I was part of a Scrap Swap: I filled an envelope full of scrap fabric (no piece smaller than 2") and sent it off to Connecticut. In turn I received an envelope from Riverside containing these--I asked her to focus on bright and BOY! Did she ever! Fun stuff!

Also, my new favorite store: Quilter's Market in Tuscon. It's almost exclusively bright. It was like walking around inside my own stash! I'll admit to buying one yard of fabric just for stash building.

Now I'm making Ragtime Quilts: this is the first--I hope to finish it today--but I have at least 2 more cut out and ready to rock.

Betsy Ross was a Scrap Quilter

Yup, that indeed is the name of this quilt. It started out with the leftover half-square triangles from Jan's flag quilt. Then I dug a bunch of yellow 3" blocks out of the pre-cut scrap box that have been refusing to play well with others. Then the stars on navy joined the party... three borders later and I thought I was done. Then we decided to designate it as a quilt for a family who lost their home in Rancho Bernardo--we have about 35 requests from that event--so I needed to make it bigger. Hence the "piano key" border on the outside. It seems to work. Another one I'm happy to pass on to Cathy with a C to create a cross back.

Sharon--bless her heart!--finished the back for Jewel of the Orient. Isn't it pretty? I'm so glad we have quilters happy and willing to make the fancy backs. (So I don't have to!)

Thanksgiving Leftovers

That, indeed, is the name of this quilt top. It consists of what I call "crumbs," scraps too small to fit into my category of normally useful. That is, less that 2.5" square, but at least 1" in both dimensions. I'll share the link for the tutorial, aptly entitled "Mile a Minute" Blocks!

Background: I heard about this block on Stashbuster. So I read through the tutorial (quite easy) and committed it to memory. I was having a bad day, so I just sat down and made a bunch of these in browns (Browns?!) and stuck 'em in a box. They're in the box about a week and a half when I hear that my beloved Uncle Don has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of course I called and offered a prayer quilt. And he says, "You know, I'd like one that's a little funky." Doy! I had already been at work! So, simple framing with black and--would you believe it?--the border fabric was cut and just waiting in my scrap box! I only had a few inches left over. Talk about "A God Thing!"*

*That's what we say--a lot!-- in our Prayer Quilt Ministry when something comes together so perfectly with supplies and timing and requests. It's amazing. Even the beloved atheists in my life might agree that we get an awful lot of happy coincidences. (If I had a smily, I'd put one here.)

Starry Night?

Take a look at these bee-yoo-tee-ful quilt squares. This was a block swap from the About.com quilting forum. We were to make a star block out of batik fabric with the same creamy fabric for the background. I made 9 of the middle left star and sent 8 to the swap hostess. So did 8 other quilters. Just a few days ago I received these in the mail. Pretty, huh? This is a possible layout. I don't know exactly what I'll do, but I really like 'em!

You might have noticed the creamy honey color between the quilt squares. What is that, you ask? It's our new carpet! Yes, it's installed and I really like it! Somehow it makes the room look like the light is on.

Okay, big brag time: last night's Mission Improvible show. Well, if you missed it, you missed plenty. I gave a lecture on Galileo and Tod translated it into mime--folks were laughing so hard, I hardly got a word out! I sang a torch song to the writer of Afoot and Afield in San Diego, Jerry Schad. Scooter did his disturbingly hilarious interpretive dance while I recited a beat poem, "Squeezed." I got to practice my Parisian accent for "Cirque de la Lune." (And I gotta tell you, it's hard to exaggerate Parisian French!) We had nine people in the show and every one of them shone. Starring moments:

• Mamie's intros & playing with the audience (I think they wanted to take her home!)
• Steve "I think my head is stuck!"
• Marc made "Birds fly upside down" make sense
• Scooter's dance (and coconuts!)
• Tod's impersonations of Elvis and Ozzy Osborne
• Carl and his wrench
  
• James in Quick Cuts
  
• Matt's tiger

Girl Scouts CAN!

Tuesday saw our Girl Scouts starting into my cross-stitch workshop. They picked exactly the patterns I expected them to do. Two choose the Chinese symbol for longevity and the other is doing a Harry Potter Tribute. These were online freebie patterns and you can find them by clicking the titles. These girls can sew a quilt, do wirework, peyote stitch, and use a rotary cutter without trips to Urgent Care. I am looking forward to seeing how they do!

Wuthering Heights Tote Finished

Yes! The next tote is done--totally out of my stash. I'm hearing the DJ say, "Give it up! Whoop-whoop!" Yes, the voices in my head are very supportive.

I bought the fabric while visiting Dawn in Pensacola, Florida. It was a collection of fat quarters with a label that named it "Wuthering Heights." I know, I know, the fabric is totally not me. But that doesn't mean I can't love it! And make pretty stuff with it! So that's a Stashbuster Alert!

Check out the link to the right for my next improv show: this Saturday! Come and join us--it's fun, safe, clean, and family-friendly, not to mention great for your health--laughter is GOOD FOR YOU! (And cheese is always funny, but that's off-topic.)

Cleaning Out My Stash!

I'm offering these beads on Freecycle.org. They're totally free, no strings attached. (Pun intended.) The largest are 1" long. The blue are glass with metallic lining, the brass are nice-looking plastic. This is the whole lot.

Old Blocks Become New!

I love love love quilting for charity. I'm so grateful I can help others in this way. When I have orphan blocks, I put them aside until I have enough--5 is my minimum--to send to Marine Comfort Quilts. It's a totally volunteer organization started by a Marine Mom. They put together a complete quilt of 30 blocks and send it to a military family who lost someone in the current conflict. Each of the blocks is signed so the family knows that they are supported by people all over the country. I've even brought in completed blocks to Girl Scout meetings and had them sign 'em.

If you're interested in this organization, here's the link: Marine Comfort Quilts.


All but two of the blocks pictured came from old blocks that never made it into quilts. When I helped to empty a friend's condo (as she was moving to assisted living), we found the cobweb blocks! They were probably twenty years old but in good condition so I framed 'em to get to the regulation 12.5" and signed 'em in the plainer spaces. What a great way to keep such beautiful work alive!

Quilting in the Conflagration

So I got it finished. Jewel of the Orient. Now I can hand it off to Cathy... I feel so impotent with this fire raging through my city. All I can do is sew and cook... I've already cleaned out the extra pillows and blankets--I almost gave away my husband's favorite warm blankie!--and canned ready-to-eats--they won't take homemade goods and took them to the stadium yesterday. Now they're asking us to stay off the roads and conserve power.

I think I'll go sew some more. I just have to be smart about the iron. It's hot inside and too smoky outside to open the windows!

Wildfire Sets Home Improvement Back

This is my dining room in preparation for the carpet installation. It's a pretty good idea of what the rest of the house feels like. So, all ready, right? Yup, all ready! Even the weather's been cooperating: nice and dry, a little hot, windy but that's fine. It should sweep the new carpet smell right out of the house! Everything's ready. So let's relax. Turn on the TV. Smell the fresh... smoke? Huh? What's that on the news? My city is burning? Hmm. Better answer the phone.
"Hello, this is Cole's Carpets calling. We noticed you were in a certain area of San Diego. Are you sure you want your carpets installed tomorrow?"

Gee, I guess there are more important things than home improvement... ya think?



What's that? This is SUPPOSED to be a creativity blog, you say? Okay, here's some gorgeous fat quarters I picked up in Columbus.

Tonight's dinner was a masterpiece:

• Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Confit and Homemade Creme Fraiche
• Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
• Tomato Tart from scratch
• Chocolate Chip Blondies with Vanilla Ice Cream or Creme Fraiche

I cooked all day... and I did make the tart dough in my studio, so it still counts as going to my studio and making stuff!

Jewel of the Orient

We're currently getting the house ready for new carpet, moving stuff from room to room in preparation. My studio will get to keep its unique blueberry carpeting, but that means I get to put a lot more stuff in there. Like mattresses. Remember that beautiful tabletop I cleared off? Well, now it's folded down to make room. So sad...

This is a prayer quilt in progress for Robin, who's dealing with breast cancer. The pattern is Jewel Box and the fabric is Oriental so I'm calling it Jewel of the Orient. I was told she likes peach and sage--the sage came out a little turquoise in the pic-- so I found these in the Asian fabrics.

This will be cut up for the border. I like it so much, though, I may need to get more for the back!

My Cutting Counter

This is how I set up my cutting space. On the wall next to it hang my large rulers. Everything here I find useful and it's easy to get to. (Well, the tassels are just fun.) Underneath this is a large cabinet where I keep my supplies.

Back from Columbus!

Sorry I've been gone so long, kids. I've been visiting my sis-in-law, Barbara, in Columbus, Ohio. She's not doing so well, so I brought her a prayer quilt. Send up a prayer for her comfort, will ya?

I named Barbara's quilt "Order From Chaos." The pattern is French Braid and I made it up from a picture I saw online. Pretty neat, huh? I used tons of scraps! When I was trying to figure out what to use as a border, I ran into trouble. I tried green, then gold, the blue, but nothing looked right. I finally figured out that it couldn't possibly work as just one color... so I used four!


I took my traveling sewing machine and sewed in the hotel room at night. Yes, I'm crazy. And yes, that's Hello Kitty you see on the machine. It's a stripped-down Janome: very light, half-sized, no light, and only one speed. Still, it gives a really straight stitch and keeps me sane. Tips for visiting Columbus:

• Drink bottled water--the tap tastes like chlorine
• Drive! The streets are well-lit and the signs are plentiful.
• Go to Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant in German Village. Fun even when you're alone. And go late. That's when the band (Squeezin' and Wheezin') arrives--accordion and tuba!
• While you're there, stop into The Red Stable. Cool, funky jewelry adjusted to you while you wait! (And at really decent prices!)
  
• Wear red. It's a big football town.
  
• If you're looking for a friendly church in the southwest part of town, here it is.
• And yes, if you must shop for fabric... go to Quilting Beginnings. It's right by the airport!

The Back is Done!

Yes, Kiwi Twist is now ready for quilting--look out, Yuki!

I was watching an episode of Quilt in a Day and saw that a featured quilter liked to use up the leftovers from her quilts on the back. So, for my back, I used the extra 2 blocks and the leafy fabric to create a panel down the middle. I must admit, some Kiwi fabric is leftover... maybe I'll make a purse!
I'll post a pic soon--I'm having a little trouble with the website.

Hail to the King!

Finally! I got the last borders on Kiwi Twist and had a bit of a surprise waiting for me: it's a king! Well, it might be a large queen. (Does that make it an empress?)

Here's the history: I purchased the inspiration fabrics while on vacation in New Zealand three years ago. Then, two years later, I decided to go with the twist and turn pattern. Skip ahead to about four weeks ago when laying it out and I discovered that I had accidentally made 44 blocks instead of the 30 I had originally planned. Today I finally laid it out on a standard king mattress and it fits! (a little short for sleeping maybe, but...)

Now I have to get a back ready (time to dig into the stash!)---hoo-eee! Then it's off to Yuki for quilting!

An Amazing Gift

Last week, Therese decided to blow my mind and surprise me with a quilt top. She said that this scrappy version of this was my idea so she was giving it to me. THANK YOU!!!! I get to do whatever I want with it.... I am completely blown away. It's hard to make me speechless, but she did it! I was in such a state I couldn't accept that it was real until today, a week later!
It's a large lap-size quilt. I love it! (And I've got fabric in the stash to back it--woo-hoo!)

Below you'll see some fabrics that I think are muted. I want to use thiem in that muted fabric block swap I mentioned in my last post. But I don't know... do these seem muted to the general public? Each seems to have a grey or brown undertone. What do you think?

Cut it Up Thursday

Scrapbuster Alert! Cut it Up Thursday led to 30 blocks being made! The swap calls for Double 4-Patch blocks made with cream and muted colors. I'm not much for the muties, but I did have a few in my scraps. So chop, chop! I had a rough day yesterday and spent the mental part of today processing while my fingers did the walking...or the quilting!

I think I'll keep my 10 faves and send the other 20 in. Then I'll get 20 new ones from quilters all over the country! Fun 'n' games! The deadline's not for a while yet--Nov 12--maybe I'll make more!

I also had a chat with one of my very besties, Dawn. She's so good at keeping it real. And the best mom around! While on the phone, not only did I start the cutting, I sorted my "Unsorted Scraps" box. Now they're all in the right places: Light, Medium, Dark, and Bright.