Heading Out....

Hello Quilters!

I haven't posted anything for a few days, been crazy crazy over here. I'm heading out again on Thursday, hitting Clark, PA for a couple days, and moving back into Ohio where I'll be visiting Ashtabula, Copley, Canton, and Warren!

I've got good friends in Ashtabula, and in the Akron Area, so it's going to be a reunion of sorts! FUN!

I've spent the last few days kitting up quilts from recycled fabrics for the next Scraps & Shirttails book...and I swear. I have GOT to be done buying clothing for quilts! Even after kitting these up, I feel like I haven't made a dent. It's a good thing I'm mad for plaid and the feel of utility scrap quilts. I'm going to be making them for a long long time!

Projects coming with me: In this bag...20 blocks inspired by the fun ironing board cover I picked up earlier this summer at the antique mall between Indiana and Ohio! I've even pieced the sashings and the pinwheel cornerstones. This just needs to be set together. I'll deal with borders once I get the top done. I'm thinking a sawtooth border thing to take the triangles to the outside edge of the quilt. I can never tell ahead of time what I want to do. And I'll probably deal with the borders when I get back home.

In this bag: Would you believe it is 156 blocks in shades of green/red/raspberry?! I spent many hours kitting this, but that's what Lifetime Movie Network is good for! Now I can just sit and sew these...it's going to be great.

In this bag: 252 2.5" X 19" strips for another quilt...all colors and values. I really DO like the "kitchen sink" variety of scrap quilt the best...it gives me so much to look at when putting colors together!

My ever bursting bag of recycled fabric strings! I'm working on some string blocks to go with some other blocks that I'm doing with 1.5" leader/ender squares also out of recycled fabrics and muslin. Of course, kitting up the other two quilts gave me even MORE strings to shove into this bag. A project for every bit of every fabric!

I really have learned that when sewing on the road....I get MORE sewing time in if I can kit up my projects ahead of time. With all the hours it took to cut these up, I have given myself that many more hours of real sewing time while on the road! It's like doubling the retreat time if you can do all the cutting ahead.

When I leave Ohio, I'll be heading up to Michigan to meet up with Lucy, Isabeau and Joes who are coming over from The Netherlands for Gwen Marston's retreat with me!! WHoowohoooo! We've had this planned for about a year, and I can't believe it is finally here. My car will be packed with not only my trunkshow stuff, but FOUR sewing machines so they each have something to sew with while at the retreat! My car has 3 feather weights, and I'm not sure if I am bringing Shotgun the Bernina or the Singer 301 I bought in June as my own machine. I'm thinking about it! What's a girl to do with too many machines? :cD


The theme for the retreat this year is applique combined with piecing. Not wanting to start a new UFO, I think it's time I do something with an old one. This is an Oak Leaf and Reel I started when I lived in IDAHO believe it or not...so that is what...10 years ago? Too much muslin, too many of the same fabrics. All the blocks are THE SAME. Yes, this is NOT a scrap quilt. I think I wanted muslin because I wanted the hand quilting to show...and it will when I get to it, but right now...BORING SNORING is more how I feel about it. So here is my applique part.

The question is....do I want to do some really amazing pieced border on it?(I've got my pieced borders book with me for design inspiration) or do I want to take the blocks apart, insert a really cool pieced sashing, put it back together and THEN border it? I need some life added to this thing. Feel free to send me suggestions! I've even got 3 extra blocks that didn't make it into this on-point layout. I think I was originally going to set them straight. So...I could add pieced sashing and reset them straight again! PS. The blocks finish at 16". I've got plenty of the red/chedder/muslin fabrics. I don't have any more of that same green, but I've pulled lots similar to it. We'll see what I come home with, aye?

Machines...IN THE MAIL!!!

It's one thing when boxes of fabric show up on my doorstep and I do the happy dance of joy either finding ways to use it in charity quilts, or donate it to organizations in need!

But today....a box with fabric, cotton shirts, thread....and a VINTAGE SINGER arrived on my doorstep!!

Thank you so much Ila! You didn't include your email address, so I'm hoping you see my post here.

This machine is amazing. It looks like it was either a treadle that was motorized, or a very early motorized machine...it still has the shuttle bobbin! The shuttle is still there!

I did some research on the singer website. Her serial number is G8916262. This makes her a model #128 Singer, born on Aug 1, 1921. She was manufactured at the Elizabethport factory, in Elizabeth, NJ.

I can tell her decal work was gorgeous at one time! The fact that most of it is worn off is a sign of a good long life of hard use to me, and I love this about old machines. I would rather see a machine with pin scratches and scraped off decals, than one in mint condition any day because they have had a LIFE! They meant something to someone, just as my machines mean something to me. The more we use them, the more they have a place in our lives. Some machine that sat in a closet un-used just does not have a story, does it?

Thank you so much for trusting me with her, Ila! I am naming her after you :cD

Wednesday Questions....Conversion of Sizes

I get some really thought provoking questions in my email, and sometimes I think posting them here will help other people who might be wondering the same thing.

For instance, today I found this email:

Hello,
I want to know if there is a way to change a queen size pattern if you only want a twin size quilt? And how do I know how much fabric I will need. If you can help it will greatly appreicated. I also make a lot of baby quilts.

First off, being a scrap quilter, I typically don't have to worry about things like yardage amounts, unless it is something specific...borders, sashing, binding.

Usually when I want to make a smaller quilt from a larger pattern, I just make fewer blocks.

Figuring the fabric is a bit more difficult..I prefer to have more
than I need, than to fall short.

If you can figure how much fabric you will need to BACK the size of
quilt you want, that is a guide line on how much fabric you might need
for the front. I usually add a bit extra, because some fabric is lost
in the piecing and cutting of the top.

There are no hard and fast rules here. The more pieces in the top,
the more is taken up in the seams, and the more fabric you will need
for the top, but it is a good guideline to start with....how much it
will take to back the size you want, plus some.

I think this is why I like being a scrap quilter. It's easier on all levels! You don't have to worry about running out of something, if you do, you substitute something else similar, and it adds more interest to the quilt. I don't have to worry if I have enough, and if I have more than enough, the left overs are always welcome!

Sometimes, when taking a larger quilt down to a smaller size, I will also make the block smaller, because I like the repeat of blocks across the quilt. Let's face it..a quilt set 4 X 5 is going to be a lot more interesting than a quilt set 2 X 3. There is just more to go on with the secondary designs that way.

So this is where my mind takes me...and it's the easiest way for me to guestimate how much I am going to need for the top of any quilt. Hope it helps someone!

I've hand quilted this morning..for about 1.5 hours! Now I'm off to tackle some drawers, and then get myself to the gym for a session with Charlee. I hope she doesn't whoop my butt too badly today! :cD

Answers to Questions....

Several people asking the same questions have prompted this reply so I don't have to write more than one reply!

I am doing the fans all over the quilt, filling the whole surface with them. My favorite way of doing fans is to start in one corner, and go all the way around the outside edge, and then do another round inside that one, and inside that one..ending up somewhere in the center. It's like a spiral of fans. It works great when you are quilting by hoop, (or without as Tonya does)

On little things, I don't mark them anymore, just eyeball...thanks to Tonya for that one too. But for this one, I AM using a stencil...the quilt is so regimented, it just isn't one that I want random fans on...and I want the fans to be larger than my usual 5 arc little ones. It's hard for me to keep them even when I do them bigger,so I am using a stencil, and using regular chalk board chalk to mark the arcs. They are mostly brushed off by the time I finish quilting them.

I'm happy that I got done what little I did this morning, made me feel energized for the rest of the day! Now I need to get myself in gear and run some errands and get on with the day. It's a beautiful mid September day out there!

Tuesday Morning...

This is my trainer, Charlee! Isn't she gorgeous? She reminds me of Whitney Houston, and she is the most generous, loving, spiritually minded lady I know. I am honored to call her my friend. We had the best time at her party the other night (There is NO WAY this buff woman looks anything like 50!) and we all decided that we have to do this again, not just wait for another birthday to roll around, but to get together just for fun..all of us.

I put a movie on early this morning. Some lame thing on Lifetime Movie Network, otherwise known as the man-hater channel. But it was background noise while I tackled my closet.

I stood there with my door shut, in my undies, trying on EVERYTHING in my closet and getting rid of things I didn't like anymore, or things that just didn't fit right. My legs are too long..a lot of my pants are just too short unless I'm wearing them with flats, and then only barely passable. So..out.

I went through all the skirts, got rid of over half of them. What do I do with all this stuff? I mean, I love feeling feminine in skirts, but I don't have the kind of job where I can wear a skirt every day, or even every other day.

I love flowing skirts, mid calf to ankle length, when it is hot in the summer,but it is turning fall now..

At any rate, I couldn't let EVERYTHING go, so I kept what fit, what I liked, and maybe I'll try to give them one more shot and wear them more. If I don't....this time next year...they are gone. At least I am down by half.

Tomorrow I'll start on the dresser drawers. As it is I only have time to give this about an hour a day....and bit by bit things are getting gone through, and it is true what they say about less is more. I'm reaquainting myself with what I have...and getting rid of what I don't want. Reminding myself of things that I forgot I had (!!! A sure sign there is too much!) and matching things with other things in my mind to switch up my wardrobe a bit without having to go buy anything.

Oh. I went through shoes too. How many pairs of black flats, loafers and pumps does one girl need? And I always seem to fall for the same cute style anyway, so they all resemble each other? Just because they are on sale doesn't mean I need to keep buying the same thing, does it?

Now I am just trying to get the rest of my day going...I keep peeking back into my closet and seeing how nice it looks in there, and I want to do the same thing to the rest of this house closet by closet by drawer by drawer by cabinet by cabinet. I can do this an hour at a time!

And on a quilty note....

I'm taking my own organizing advice, and now that it is cool enough, I am going to sit at my hand quilting for an hour (or maybe a bit less, depends) in the morning. It's time to get the "In The Pink" Dear Jane at sea quilting going. You can tell by the pic I've only done a couple of baptist fans so far. It's been in storage! And you know what? When I unfolded it I found a stain on it. Whhhaaaa. I know this is the life of a quilt....especially one that is a UFO for so long, but I am hoping that after I quilt it and bind it and wash it, that I can do some oxyclean stuff..it looks like something brown...not blood, maybe dr pepper? chocolate? Got on one small space. I tried cleaning it with a dish towel and some soap, but then the pink started to bleed..whhaaaaa..(and yes, it is pre washed) SO. I'm going to wait. Going to quilt, bind, wash, dye catcher, oxy clean, whatever.

If I wait til night time I'm too tired to hand quilt. My eye sight isn't what it was. Even reading, my eyes are so dry at night. So...if I do just even ONE FAN in the mornings when I am here at home, before everything else, it will get there.

Fall Fever....?

Today I started something….

I hate my closet. I hate my dresser drawers. I mean, I am one person…how many pairs of jeans, tshirts, shorts, underwear, bras, socks, shoes does one person need? More than half this stuff I don’t even wear!

It would take me more than all day to go through it all, so today….I just tackled the jeans/shorts/capris/sweats stuff. And over 1/2 of it is now gone, and that looks better

This meant trying on all the jeans to determine which ones fit and which ones could GO…

Of course this means recycling the denim from the jeans, the ones that don't have spandex at least ;c) Some of the capris were regular cotton fabric, hawaiian print or something similar..recyle those into quilts too I think!

Tomorrow I’ll tackle another part of the closet, because it’s the same thing. How many skirts and blouses and tops does one girl need? This is stupid because I don’t wear skirts or dresses all that much. I like them. To be honest, I LOVE THEM. I just never wear them. So why do I buy them? I don’t know. They need to go live somewhere else too. If I don’t wear it now, why do I think that some day I will actually want to?

At least, it is putting my thoughts into some place positive…I think it comes from being gone so much, that when I'm home, I want THIS in order too.

I'm off for a yoga class, and then I have a quilt to load on the machine...yes..machine quilting is in order for today! Whoooopie!! :cD

Just for Chuckles..

This came in my email today!! I thought it was too funny not to share....

Weekend has been good so far. I'm back to working on my pineapple blocks. I know it's not much of an update, it's the same pictures as last time.

But it feels good to have the TV on and me piecing away, not making much of a dent in the small scraps even if each pineapple block takes 45 pieces fer cryin out loud!!

I've got a party to go to in just a bit. My personal trainer has turned 50! It's an all girls party, all of her clients are getting together to throw her this bash. I'm taking a broccoli salad and a beverage....there will be BBQ and pool games, no boys allowed! (and that is why this pic goes so well with this post!)

Have a great weekend!

9-11

I am remembering where I was when the planes crashed into the towers and the world came crashing down. I was at home in our house in Waxahachie. I was on aim with my friend Cassie who lives in Brooklyn, NY…and she told me to turn on CNN….and the world went crazy.

I saw the second plane hit the tower there live on TV. I didn’t understand it, it looked like a movie, it was so surreal.

I remember how quiet the sky was for days because no planes flew anywhere. We always had planes going over head because we were south of Dallas.

I was glued to CNN for days and nothing got done…..until I finally told myself to turn it OFF, that life had to go on, and there wasn’t anything I could do about the pain and suffering of other people. I couldn’t let myself get swallowed up in their grief. I couldn’t lie down and die with them.

I can’t believe it’s been 8 years. I was in NYC a couple months ago, and I walked around where the towers were. There is some construction going on there now. But it’s still a big huge hole in the ground, and it is amazing to me that more damage wasn’t done to the buildings and areas surrounding where the towers stood.

Planes still fly over my house….and sometimes it still freaks me out.

Got my Feet back in NC!

Hey everyone!

I'm back home as of 6pm last night. It's a 10 hour drive from where I was in Indiana to my front door. I had Ken Follett's "World without End" Keeping me company the whole way and I still have a long way to go on it. I like this narrator better than the guy who read "Pillars of the Earth...." Sometimes the narrator just makes it for me!

The show in Auburn was wonderful! It was the weekend that Auburn does their classic car show as well, so we saw refurbished antique cars going up and down streets every which way we went.

This morning when I came down to my studio to turn on the desktop computer (Yes, the one I got on Memorial Day...) It wouldn't turn on!!! I think the power supply went pffftt on it :c( It IS under warranty, and I have all my paperwork together for it, so it is going to mean a side trip to Best Buy to drop it off and have it looked at. I'm really thankful for the terabyte "my book" back up that I got over Christmas. I just had to plug my laptop into it, and I've got all my data, everything I need.

I still have to unload my car. URGH. It definitely looks like I've been living in it for two weeks. Shotgun the Bernina is ready to come out of the front passenger seat and take up her rightful place here in my studio where I hope to do some serious sewing over the next two weeks off!

I saw leaves starting to turn across southern Ohio as I got closer to West Virginia yesterday. WAIT!! SLOW DOWN!! I'm not ready for this yet. Summer went too fast! But I do admit to liking the feeling of a comfy pair of jeans and a soft well worn sweater over my tshirts :c)

I'm anxious to find places for my purchases, and I tell you what, I'll have more JAM than I need to get me through the winter. When traveling places, I love to pick up edibles, because let's face it....if I brought home clutter from every trip, I'd be buried! And that goes for quilty items too. Why is it if we have three of something, we suddenly think 12 of them is better? I ought to take my own word for it when it comes to vintage sewing machines! I think I have enough now.....

(But don't hold your breath!!)

So Edibles are a great thing to bring home from various places. The baked goodies from Shipshewana? ALL GONE of course! But here you will see some jellys, jams, butters that I picked up, as well as some homemade peach jam from Teri, and some salsa and cold packed beef from Carol. YUM! Thanks Ladies! Every time I indulge myself with these, I'll think of you and the great time we had!

Fleas!!

Or Finds from the Flea Market, Rather!



This was such a fun experience. Mind you, much of it is like any other large flea market, full of lots of unneccessary plastic items, kettle corn, gadgets....

Shamwows seemed to be selling hot and heavy, and I bought some myself. I remember using them when I was in the Netherlands at Lucy's house and they really are very absorbent and last a long time.

Knock off handbags were everywhere, and I found one I liked for $15....I love leather handbags and how durable they are. They really take a beating. I figure for $15 I couldn't even buy the zippers this thing has, and I'm not one of those who wants to spend my quilting time making handbags.

2 iphone cases at 3 bucks a piece...

2 super duper veggie peelers (I got to be the demo girl for this one, step right up here ma'am and let me show you how it's done!....) and I could hardly NOT buy them after that, besides that, they really DO a great job and I hate my peeler at home. $7 each or 2 for $12. Considering she said that they will last 10 to 15 years, why did I buy the second one? Because it saved me 2 bucks. (or cost me 5 extra, depending on how you look at it!)



I admit it...I fell victim to the dreaded whoopie pies. :c( BUT! I got the ones made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal! *LOL* As if that helps with the lard and sugar content...still. It's Shipshewana for cryin out loud!

The produce/baked goods/jams/pickles aisles were my favorite. The colors..the smells! Oh MY! The potted flowers, mums, etc...were just GLORIOUS. I don't think these pics will do it justice, but you just HAD to be there.

The BBQ booth..oh yummy. I wish I could package up that aroma and do a scratch n sniff right here on my blog page for you. Too fun.



My big purchase was yesterday, and I didn't post about it..but I found THIS QUILT...it's a 19th century applique, and it's got those wonky borders I love that just end where they end and run off the edge of the quilt. The cross hatching is SO close together, and the stitches are miniscule. I think the reason it survived thus far is that it IS quilted so heavily, even in the applique...or that would all be gone by now. The green is actually a print that is very faded. I'm thinking it was a yellow that was overdyed with blue to get the green color, and as that fades it is left with this very very yellowy green color. This color reminds me of the sweetpotato or yam vine plant...I love that vibrant color!

The reds are pretty shredded, but it didn't stop me from wanting to take this baby home. I paid $55 which I thought was an absolute steal! I want to fold it and display it from the rack in my front entry.


This afternoon I drove to LaGrange, Indiana, 10 miles up the road from my hotel, and lo and behold, there was a farmer's market going on at the courthouse square from 3 to 7! OH goodie! Look at the black raspberries that are going to be tomorrow's breakfast! And I just had to succomb to a loaf of pumpkin nut bread, and a loaf of bacon cheese bread.

Tomorrow I'm off to Carol's house in Ossian for a couple days, and from there I'm on to Teri's and the Home of the Classics Quilt Show in Auburn!

Home of Shipshewana Auction & Flea Market

This is on my agenda for tomorrow :c)

Home of Shipshewana Auction & Flea Market

Hello from MICHIGAN!!!

Yes, that's Michigan!!

Thanks to my friend Randy, who wanted to play travel agent and find me a hotel
on hotels.com that was in the Shipshewana,Indiana area but would not
cost me $115 a night...I am 15 miles away in Sturgis,Michigan. What a
riot! After she clicked purchase on the website for me...she said..OMGoodness!...I just put you in Michigan!

Not a biggie...pretty drive here, and nice to be out of the touristy
Amish stuff. I really admire the people as a culture,but the touristy stuff gets a bit overly commercial and a bit much for me.

Surprisingly, though the hotel doesn't look like much on the outside, the
room is spacious and very clean and comfortable with all I need.
SO...I might stay here a couple nights instead of just the one I
planned. I need some time off. I need a retreat from the retreat I just finished!

I arrived in Hicksville Ohio on Thursday afternoon. On Friday morning, I was honored to meet up with Subee of Subee Sews and caravan with her out to Milford, Indiana for our retreat at Camp Mack! What a fabulous location this was. Camp Mack is owned by Church of the Brethren, and it has hotel style lodging, comfy beds, GREAT FOOD (goodness, great food!) and sits on a lake. We had two large rooms all full of quilters sewing pedal to the metal laughing up a storm, taking off to go shopping at near by quilt shops, having a ball.

The weather on Friday got a bit rainy, but that was okay! I have to tell you the most bonding experience was the "opening ceremony" that we did. If you have read Jennifer Chiaverini's (spelling) Elm Creek novels, you will remember that they gather in a circle and pass a lit candle around introducing themselves and stating what they hoped to accomplish by being there. We each held our own tapers, and the first person lit hers....told about herself, and then when she was done, her neighbor lit HER taper off the first one, and the first one went and set her candle in the middle of the center table in a big bowl of sand (we didn't want to burn the place down!) And it was just really a very moving experience! Funny, warm, hilarious...it was really a great way to start this retreat off.

Saturday was my Star Struck workshop..and if you weren't taking the class, you could "free sew" in the other room across the foyer.


In between class and dinner the weather had cleared enough for me to grab a sweater and do some power walking on the trails through the woods. Just beautiful! I took a couple pics of wildflowers I came across. It's starting to feel like fall already up here.

After dinner Friday I was able to do some power sewing myself on some projects I had brought. I have decided to rename my trusty bernina...since she often accompanies me in the front passenger seat, with the seat belt holding her securely in place, I've decided to call her SHOTGUN!! :cD Really, as heavily loaded as my car is, there is no WAY to put her in another rolling type case and make room for it in the back. I have to take her "au naturel" and just buckle her in. Shotgun is a great nickname, don't you think?

Sunday was the Virginia Bound workshop...and the scraps were flying! Some people found out that they like the ease of running pre-cut patches through the machine as in the Star Struck class more than they liked piecing with odd strings onto paper foundations. But SOME people were the opposite...they loved the freedom of just being able to grab this and that and making a mess and digging in and loving the variety you get when string piecing. It was a perfect example on why we should try anything and everything, and even if you learn that you don't LIKE a technique, you've at least learned THAT much! Anything that expands our boundaries gives us a bigger playground to play in, right?

Last evening most of the ladies left..but 5 of us hung around.....3 of us even stayed one more night (It was only $24!! what a bargain!) and so we caravanned out for Chinese Food. 2 of the 5 left to go home....3 of us stayed up and sewed. (This is like 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed....)

In the morning..this morning....2 of us went to Shipshewana! And then one went her own way.....

And now we are down to just me :c) In Michigan!

Shipshewana was wonderful today. Maryann and I first started out by hitting the bulk foods store. Oh the goodies! I bought bulk spices, bulk rolled 7 grain cereal, oh just oodles of stuff I can't get at home. I love stores like this. After that we parked at Yoders....and from there we walked everywhere. We had to hike off all the good food we'd had all weekend. We found Lolly's...and we found Lolly's BASEMENT...where there is this rowboat FULL of FQs!! What a hoot. I felt like a kid in one of those McDonald's Ball Play Grounds! If you buy 12 you get them for $2. So of course I needed to find 12. They are going in a project I have with me, so I'm trying to justify it, right?

More shopping, more browsing, lunch on the patio at a sandwich place...and Maryann took off her way. That left me the afternoon to go tour the Mennohof. Interesting! Was a great place to rest my feet and legs. I learned some things I didn't know.


Of course, if I had to tell you my fave experience of the day, it was long before we reached Shipshewana. As we got closer, I started getting glimpses of Amish Wash on the line...it's Monday, don't you know? And I sent up a prayer of thanks that I didn't have to prove what kind of housekeeper and wife I was by being up the earliest and being the first one to have my laundry hanging in the breeze! I saw one lady hanging hers, and felt bad for her, all of her other neighbors had beat her to it, the slovenly lazy woman!! It was 8am, and she was LATE getting it out! Poor thing...

This post is getting extra long, so I think I'll close here and add some more when I am able later. These pics were taken on my phone, so if anything is out of focus or uncropped...hey, what can I say??

With Love From Michigan,

And She's Off!

I'm headed back to Indiana today! The car is packed and loaded to the gills. I've got book on MP3 player (Listening to Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett..) extra music on the iphone in case I get too bored with the book...

I've got more projects than I need, which is the same thing as bringing a security blanket, right?

Here's a funny that came my way....things I will Not be doing, but would be fun to :c)

30 Fun Things To Do When Driving:

1. Vary your vehicle’s speed inversely with the speed limit.
2. Roll down your windows and blast talk radio. Attempt to headbang.
3. At stop lights, eye the person in the next car suspiciously. With a look of fear, lock your doors.
4. Two words: Chicken suit.
5. Write the words “Help me” on your back window in red paint. The more it looks like blood, the better.
6. Have conversations, looking periodically at the passenger seat, when driving alone.
7. Laugh a lot. A whole lot.
8. Stop at the green lights.
9. Go at the red ones.
10. Occasionally wave a stuffed animal/troll doll/Barbie out your window or sunroof. Feel free to make it dance.
11. Eat food that requires silverware.
12. Pass cars, then drive very slowly.
13. Sing without having the radio on.
14. Honk frequently without motivation.
15. Wave at people often. If they wave back, offer an angry look and an obscene gesture.
16. Ask people for Grey Poupon.
17. Let pedestrians know who’s boss.
18. Look behind you frequently, with a very paranoid look.
19. Restart your car at every stop light.
20. Hang numerous car-fresheners in the rear-view mirror. Talk to them, stroking them lovingly.
21. Lob burning things in the windows of smokers who throw their butts out the window.
22. Keep at least five cats in the car.
23. Root (cheer, not snuffle in the mud) for firetrucks.
27. Stop and collect roadkill.
28. Stop and pray to roadkill.
29. Throw Spam.
30. Get in the fast lane and gradually … slow … down … to a stop. then get out and watch the cars. Throw Spam at them.
31. Chinese Firedrill. Get at least 2 people in a car (the more the better) when the light turns red everyone get out and run around the car and yell “fire, fire!” Then get back in the car but switch drivers. Then drive off when the light turns green and act like nothing happened. (Called Chinese Fire Drill because China is so crowded that there is no place to run in a fire. So you have to get back in.)

Can you do a chinese firedrill by yourself?? Heck, they might not think it so strange in West Virginia! *LOL*

Be safe, sew lots!

Companion Angle Found!!

HA! I knew (or hoped) it would show up!

Last evening when I was gathering everything to go to my Bee meeting...I went to add the pink thread to the handwork bag for binding the quilt at bee, and lo and behold...(And a HUGE AHA! and TADA!! and HAPPY DANCE!) There was the companion angle...I must have picked it up and put it into the bag when emptying my car!

I knew it had to be around somewhere, because I had the easy angle, and knew they were together..so that issue is now SOLVED!

I had a great time at bee last night. These ladies are SO fun to be around, oh we laughed and joked and talked and commiserated on life, love and chin hairs. :c)

Yes, you heard that right. Yesterday, I kept feeling SOMETHING tickle me. I couldn't figure out what it was, I kept brushing it away, brushing it away, right there, under my chin, on my neck.

I found the culprit..a hair..about 2" long. Only.......*gasp* it was ATTACHED! OMGoodness. I was horrified! I called Jeff to come check it out. He was repulsed..*LOL* And then curious...."Mom, how come YOU can grow those, and I can't?!"

*MORTIFIED*

Straight to the bathroom to grab the tweezers out of the drawer and remove that offensive 2" long hair.

What I want to know is.....is walking around with a 2" long "under the chin" hair akin to walking around with broccoli or spinach in your teeth? Where everyone else sees it but you, and you don't find it out yourself for a long time, then have to go through your memory wondering if people were really smiling at you because they found you charming, or they were just secretly chuckling at your broccoli grin? :cÞ

Do me a favor. Next time you see me with a really long chin hair, take me aside, do the kind thing, and tell me. I promise you will be my friend for life!!

Back to the kitting up. I've got my little block parts all stacked in this walmart cake carrier! I love these..I can stack 4 of these in my big Lands End tote, and it's perfect to take to a retreat! I've got some other projects to go too. I'm working on a quilt where part of the blocks are string pieced, so that string piecing bag is going to go with me too. The phone book foundations are already cut to 8". :c)

I talked to my editor yesterday...quilts need to be sent for photography TOMORROW! *EEK!* So I've got to finish that binding and sleeve on the last one today, make sure everything is labeled, do the instructions for the two last quilts..and get everything to mail off tomorrow. It's going to be a cram packed couple of days.

I'm off to the gym...I've got an appt with my personal trainer at 10, I'm sure she is going to kill me but good since I haven't seen her for 3 weeks. I need it. I just hope I can walk when she is done with me :c)

AUUUGHHHH!?

The gremlins seem to have run off with my companion angle ruler!! (*&#@$(*&!

I found my ez angle in my stuff from the last trunk show..but WHERE is the companion angle? :c|

Official Jammie Day!!

I've just decided to rebel! I'm staying home today...I'm kitting up stuff for taking to Indiana with me. I'm teaching at a retreat at Camp Mack in Milford Indiana starting Friday. It's sponsord by the Sew Easy guild of Butler Indiana! I SO can not wait...

The following weekend I'm teaching at Home of the Classics Quilt Show in Auburn, IN...I've got 5 days in between both gigs, and I'm staying with Bev, who has told me I can feel free to sew all I want while there.

So, back to the kitting....it's lots easier and more productive for me if I kit up the tops I'm making, so I don't have to bring the WHOLE STASH in the car. And I figure if I need something, well, what's a girl to do? SHOP? :cD

It's been a long time since I've stayed in Jammies all day. I have a quilt bee meeting tonight at Laura's, but never fear, I'll be OUT of Jammies by then. I finished quilting project #12 for the leaders/enders book, and it's coming with me to put binding/sleeve on while at bee. So some of you will get a sneak preview ;c)

I had a great time snapping pics of vintage quilts while wandering antique malls, so I'm leaving you with some eye candy here!

Maybe, just maybe you'd like to join me for a Jammie Monday too? Come on, you know you WANT to!