Hello from AZ!

I arrived yesterday after multitudinous airport delays!

We sat on the runway in Greensboro NC for 45 minutes because we were informed it was snowing in Chicago! Good thing I had the hand quilting with me :c) This pic is of the snow through my window upon landing. The only thing it doesn't show is how the snow was blowing SIDEWAYS!! :cP We sat here on the runway while they cleared stuff so we could get to our gate.

Once arriving in Chicago, I barely had time to get from F terminal to C terminal to catch my plane...walked right on board without having to stop and wait..they were already boarding.

Once buckled in, huffing and puffing, we were told we had to wait for the de-icer truck to make its way to us...and that took another 45 minutes! Let me tell you, we were lucky to get OUT of Chicago, in fact, when we landed in Phoenix, I overheard a gate lady telling several frustrated passengers that they were not going anywhere because Chicago had been closed down with nothing going in or out for more than 3 hours. Well, my flight was 3 hours 45 minutes, so I think that we were probably one of the last planes to leave O'Hare!

I met my brother's plane just as he was landing, a few gates down from mine. What a wonderful reunion! We were met by my dad down by baggage claim and off we went to go see my other brother at his office.

I'm having a wonderful reunion with my family. This pic is of my two brothers (both younger than me, yes I am the old one!) and my dad...the 4 of us have not been together at the same time in 7.5 years. Way too long.

Last night we all went to my nephew's high school choir Christmas Concert, and it was fabulous. A real family time of love and support. It was just what I needed to get me into the Holiday spirit.

I met my young niece, Ashley, who is 7 years old. The first time I got to hug and hold her and she is 7. Where do the years go? She has glued herself to my lap and my side, and my heart is full with being loved on by a little girl, a blessing that I have missed in my life since losing my daughter in infancy. I never let myself get too close to little girls because it hurt too much, but even that is healing as I spend this time with family.

And this is getting pretty long and deep, so I'm going to end it here and wish you all the same...the joy of loved ones around you, related or not. We're all on this journey together.

Step 5, Let The Blocks Begin!

It's up and ready folks. I've tried to keep things as simple as possible in this step, even fewer photos because the more photos I seem to put the more confused people get.

You can find step 5 HERE!
It is also linked at the bottom of part 4.

I am leaving in the morning to go visit family in AZ! I'm returning Sunday, the 13th....so you will have almost a week to finish step 5 before we move on to the layouts in step 6.

I will be unavailable to answer questions this coming week. There is however, a world wide wealth of knowledge on the quiltvillechat list so if you have any questions, instead of asking me personally, please direct them to the list! I'll check in when I can. There is a link to joining the list in my right sidebar! ---->

And here I am, hard hat and all....this afternoon my son Jeff and I went to go choose the granite slab that will be my new counter tops come Dec 15th! It's been a long time coming. The color is called Sapphire Jolie...nice, eh? I'm excited about the kitchen re-do, even if we have to do it just a little bit at a time, this step is a BIG one for me...

Part 4, Up and Ready!

I know some of you are ready for more sewing, and quite a lot of you are NOT! But remember, it's not a race. Part 4 is ready to roll! You can get to it HERE. It is also linked at the bottom of part 3 :c)

I'm feeling really tired today. No gym today. Just can't do it. I was going to do a yoga class, but after yesterday, I'm so sore I can't move! It wouldn't be a pretty sight.

I am excited! My friend Karen and I are going to go to the "First Friday" Art Gallery tour this evening! I'm meeting her down town at 4:30. Since moving here (almost 2 years ago, can you believe it?) I really haven't had the time to discover all the wonders of Winston Salem. At dinner the other night at the Thai place downtown, she mentioned all that was going on, and I jumped right on it! I don't have to be anywhere else....this sounds like fun!

Perched on the edge.....of 700!!!

I just peeked at my followers link in the side bar below...it's hidden pretty far down there, because having it higher up in the bar was causing some issues with people's IE.

Oh. My. GoOdNeSs!! You guys have put me at 699 followers!!! I am sitting here holding my breath until there are 700 of you...*turning various shades of blue...* (No not really)

I'm just thrilled! Thank you so much for reading my drivel, really. It's a treat to know you are there when there are most likely better more productive things you could (should?!) be doing! HA!

699 followers AND Susan Boyle in one day? Awesome!

I'm just about to do some sewing, getting the columns together. It's been a busy day. I met with my trainer at 8am, we are revising my workouts because I still can't run, jump, jar or otherwise POUND on my right ankle. We are heading to 3 months injured right now, and it is a bummer, but I have found that power walking does wonders...walking I'm fine. I can do the elliptical trainer, and increased my time on it from 15 minutes when I first started back, to 45 minutes yesterday..just adding 5 to 10 minutes additional each time. So that's my cardio.

After that, it was errand-girl! Sam's club for prescription drop off, another place for oil change and tire rotation...while that was being done I walked to the plaza up the street to get my hair trimmed, and by the time I was done, the car was ready (This is multitasking at it's best!) From there, I went to the car wash for a super deluxe in and out job to get rid of this year's road grunge from the travel. It sorely needed it! And nothing lifts my spirits more than a hair trim and a clean car all in the same day! A couple other errands rounded out my day, and I've been home since working on book stuff.

Several of you have commented that the Orphan Backing I've been working on for Carolina Christmas really could be a quilt in it's own right. I agree..it could!! But there are reasons I want it to be a back, for instance....it will get a photo op in the NEXT book as a cool backing. You know, some times I like to do things that have no pattern to them, just for eye inspiration. The backs in the Scraps & Shirttails book photographed really well, and people loved seeing them as I travel around with the quilts.

So this one, this crazy orphan backing, would be great to show as the quilts travel, without having to have TWO quilts to lug around, you know? Using this orphan collage as a backing gives it a tie in and extra added interest to more quilts made with recycled fabrics. I can also use recycled blocks!

So those are my reasons....inclusion as an "extra" in the next book, and less weight to travel, and good show-ability for trunk shows.

So what do you think now? Should it still be it's own quilt, or are you seeing my reasoning? :cD

Bawling My Eyes Out....

I just picked up Susan Boyle's album. The first track, Wild Horses, just opened flood gates!

I love this woman! She embodies everything I believe in and stand for. What a fabulous voice, what a wonderful story!

For those of us who have "Dreamed a Dream" and worked hard to get there, it's worth a listen!

I'm planning on getting step 4 for the mystery done tomorrow. That is if everything works out, I'm doing last go-through book edits at the same time trying to pull everything together there with my editor, the tech editor, myself, the graphic artist guy. Yes, I'm home....but I'm still working!

I leave Tues for AZ, so I hope step 5 will be ready on Monday before I go to bed. I return on Sunday, so there will likely be a week between step 5 and 6...

Considering Background Yardage...

I admit....this is the part that is hard for me. Figuring yardage when cut with specific rulers, etc. When figuring the background fabric, I didn't take into consideration the amount of background fabric that would result in "bonus triangles" or otherwise cut off and lost. I was just looking at the surface of the quilt and guesstimating. I did say in the yardage requirements that all yardages are "approximates". But that didn't cover my hiney enough.

At this point you are going to need to add to your your background fabrics for a total of 4 -1/4 yards. This much yardage just "sounded" like too much for me, but so much is lost in the bonus triangles from step 3. And it was pointed out to me in an email this morning that the squares from step 3 took 2 5/8 yards! I had used my background squares from my pre-cut 2.5" light squares bin for this step. I know not everyone has that bin to work out of!

Those of you working scrappy shouldn't have a problem. those of you with a particular background fabric, you are going to need more. This is a BIG quilt. With the borders it finishes at 96" square.

I am doing the borders as an optional step, and will write separate yardage requirements for the pieced border hopefully this evening. If you want to plan to use the same background fabric in the pieced border as well, add another 3/4 yard for a total of 5 yards background there for good measure. Better too much than not enough?

There is one more block step in step 4 that requires some background fabric. And the borders require some more background fabric....all else is the main fabric colors and amounts given should be sufficient for them.

I hope this doesn't trip too many people up. Maybe this is an opportunity to pull in a variety of fabrics into your quilt making, one of the main reasons I go scrappy!

Part 3, Red & Ready!

I just finished uploading part 3 of the Mystery. You can reach it here!

I had a bit of round a bout with my ftp program...some how files got renamed the same as other files (they were numbered files) and it rewrote some..so all of a sudden I had pictures that weren't the pictures I was supposed to have..pictures went missing when they were written over by others, so AUUGHHH! It's been a bit of a bru-haha over here. I think I've got it straightened out, and I sent out a call for help, if anyone has the first picture in Step 1, of the gold strips with the neutral strips and the strip set being sewn through the machine? I need that .jpg file if you have it!!

Someone emailed a bit befuddled because "they" thought that the steps were going to be once a week or farther apart and she was already falling behind. Some wanted them on the hour, every hour! Some thought it was every day! I said a couple weeks ago that there would be 2 steps per week. That means a step about every 3 days, and I am keeping with that.

And don't worry...if you can't keep up...it's not a race! You can click to the next step when you are ready, you don't have to try to keep up with other people. Breathe, Live...and click the link when you are ready.

I had a call from the guy who is installing my Compu-Quilter..He'll be here around the time I get back from Arizona, so you can see what irons I've got in the fire...along with new counter tops coming? I have got to do these steps as they fit into my schedule, and I know I can't please half the people half the time, so you will just have to bear with what I can do, okay?

I'm still getting emails from people who want directions to make it smaller. I'm sorry, but there isn't time for math and recalculating. You can easily wait another week or two and see what the outcome is, and then decide how you want to resize it to fit your purposes, deal? Thanks for understanding!

Some people have not been able to get their printers to cooperate. You can easily copy and paste from the webpage into a word document to make things fit on the page how you want them. Try that, you can make it fit your own needs that way by omitting pictures, text or whatever. It's easy. I can't help it if not everyone's printers are the same, there are too many variables for monitor settings, printer settings, page settings, etc.

I'm off to bed..it's been a long day!

Sneak Preview!

Well! I'll have you know my whole day went out the window!

That is.....I stayed home and sewed and the other things I was supposed to do....just will have to wait for another day.

When the muse strikes, you have to run with it, right? And OH, what a delightful mess I've made in the quilting room today! A red and green bomb truly went off....

I've got the columns laid out...this is the office/sunroom floor, in other words, DH-land. And he's just going to have to put up with quilt backing columns on the floor for a bit, because there is no where else in the house big enough to lay this stuff out! Lucky enough I can close the double doors and keep the dogs and cats out of there from rearranging things.

Speaking of which....Oscar is doing FINE! The antibiotics have seemed to have cleared everything up, and I'm really really happy to say he is back to normal. He's been really really lovey and cuddly and purr purr purr...so I think in his own cat way he is saying THANKS, I feel better now. >^..^<

The next step for me is to trim all the columns to the same length...No just sewing sewing sewing and then lopping off the extra at the end. These all need to be the same so I don't end up with troubles when I load it to quilt it..

But before I do that....it's time for dinner...and I really REALLY ought to clean up the mess around the quilting room before I try to machine these long columns together....(but I don't wanna...)

Besides, after dinner I have plans to finish writing step 3 of the Mystery! Cleaning can come AFTER that, right?

And What Could THIS Be?!

It would be really EASY to just piece a simple back of one fabric and call it done.

OR...I could combine random pieces of Christmas fabrics I want to clear out, you know the old ones that have been hanging around forever, the novelty ones that never seem to be right to go with anything else, they are too cute or too...eh?

But what if I go through my orphan bin and pull blocks that have Christmassy colors and feel to them?

And you know what? One of those Christmas fabrics (or more than one) have a bit of blue...especially the cute Gingerbread men that was a door prize some years ago. (Robin in Elizabeth City, if you are reading this, you KNOW I thought of you when I pulled out this fabric!! :cD)

Can I pull blocks and random leftover units in these colors, and piece a really FUN back for Carolina Christmas??

You bet I can!!

So here's what I'm doing. I'm separating the blocks that I think will work into piles by sizes. I'm making columns of the various sizes with bits and pieces of various Christmas type fabrics to tie it all together. I'm not using JUST Christmas fabric in the blocks, but I'm going more for color than whether it has a Christmas print in it or not, designating it as a "Christmas" fabric. To me Christmas is about the colors, not about what the print is on the fabric. That said...I'm really happy to be using some of these cute novelty ones that I could never find a home for!

The quilt finishes 96" X 96"...so that means I need a backing that is about 102" X 102" to be big enough. I'm nearly GIDDY over how much odd ball orphans and holiday fabrics this will find a home for! About 9-10 yards all together I'm figuring...

I've got 4 columns pieced. I'll piece more strips and stuff to go between them. At this point I'm just playing!

While sewing I make sure that the columns measure the same WIDTH, tho each column can be a different width from the next one. I just want them uniform so they will lay flat when sewn together. I'll trim them to length later. A bit of extra length will allow me to adjust them up, down, or turn them around for final placement.

I'll take more pics as it comes along....Not a whole lotta planning going on here, just sew and go! I'm thinking this is going to give me a reversible quilt.....and Im happy to be making more space in the orphan bin and that shelf of holiday fabrics!

No-Sew-Day !!

Sometimes, it's just NOT in the cards.

Today was the first day that I was back "home alone" as DH took the whole week off last week, so.....today was filled with things like catching up on paperwork, filling all the book orders that couldn't go out over the weekend because of the holiday, paying bills, running to pick up a prescription at Jeff's Doctor's office, going to the post office....

Before I even left the house, I had to hang around for the guy from the counter top place to come measure my kitchen for the new counter tops we are putting in (That's Christmas for both of us....no "stuff" just new counter tops. :c) Tomorrow I should be able to go pick out the slabs of granite I want.

I also made a run to Whole Foods....(looking for some of that great french cheese, didn't find any..whhaaa) and went browsing through a great used book/game/cd/dvd store in Winston Salem that I'd heard about but had never been to.

I Bought...get this.....a lovely gorgeous very heavy thick hard bound book of artwork from The Louvre!! There was a book like this AT the Louvre, and they wanted some ridiculous price like 65 EUROS or something for it, and it would have been too heavy for my luggage anyway. So....I find it....in the 2nd hand store....for $10!! It looks brand new! I am SO a happy shopper. Does it matter that I didn't transport it back from Paris in my luggage? Nope. Not to me it doesn't. So...I'll be browsing through it at my leisure.

After that I met up with 9 of my quilting buddies for dinner and socializing at Down Town Thai in Winston Salem. I dont make many of our "bee" meetings during the year as they tend to fall when I am out of town, but when I do find that I'm around and can meet with them, I have the best time. These ladies are fabulous and I just love being with them. And of course, the food was to die for...I love thai food!

So now I'm home..it's past 9pm. My eyes are bleary, I'm tired.....so this is a day that not a stitch got done. I think I'll go curl up with Diana Gabaldon's "Echo in the Bone" and read a couple pages before closing my eyes for the night.

If I get the other paperwork that is pressing finished, I'll finish the work on Step 3 of the mystery and get it uploaded for you, hopefully by tomorrow night.....

Its Here!

Well sorta....I haven't got my copy yet, but I started getting comments about the Jan/Feb issue of Quiltmaker magazine from readers, so hey...it's out there!

This is the first issue of my regular column on Scrap Reduction! The column title? Addicted To Scraps! Some of you might remember when I was making Old Kentucky Album, wondering if I should throw in those old dusty blue and mauve fabrics left over from sewing in the early 1990s....and you know what? I'm glad I did! I found a home for them, and they blended really well with today's "civil war" reproductions...and I got this TOP out of them.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...It's still a TOP, but dang, Quiltmaker made it look better in the picture than I remember it being close up! *hehehe* Look! No wrinkles...and no stray threads! (or cat hair??)

You can read the preview HERE!

I have some other happenings going on here....After much deliberation (and waiting about a year) I'm having my APQS Millenium upgraded with the addition of Compu-Quilter. My hopes is that I can digitize some of my own designs and then, in true Quiltville Bonnie Fashion, be quilting on one thing at the same time as I am piecing on another! *LOL*

At one time I thought there was no way I was going to become a computer-driven long arm quilter. But the way my life is going, something has to happen because I just can't keep up! So...I plan on still doing a lot of freehanding on quilts, but the addition of the ability to size and rotate my block designs and save them is only going to add to my toolbox. I've been long arm quilting since 1995, hopefully this will put new life in it for me. This is going to happen the week between Christmas and New Years, so you can see why I needed to run the Mystery a bit early!

Carolina Christmas, Part Deux :cD

This could get to be a habit....of wanting to sleep in in the morning, rather than get up at the crack of dawn to deal with FTP programs and hoping that I get everything uploaded right before the crowds start emailing saying WHERE IS IT?!!

So...tada! You can find part 2 here!

It's also linked at the bottom of part 1.....

Remember it's not a race! So you don't have to feel bad if you aren't ready to move on yet. The mystery will be left up until June 1st, so there is time.

Today was a lovely easy day. I went into the gym about 10:30...did my thang...came home, showered, worked on website stuff, finished making the turkey soup that is my MUST HAVE post Thanksgiving. (or any holiday involving turkey!) I love the smell of it simmering in the crockpot. It's just comfort food for me! Warms me right through.

Here is my basic recipe.....tho I think I've posted it before:

Turkey Soup

* carcass from cooked 15-18 lb turkey
* 3-4 quarts water
* 2 tsp celery salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 2 chicken boullion cubes (optional)
* minced garlic to taste (1 to 2 cloves)
* 1 tsp poultry seasoning
* 1 dried bay leaf
* 1 cup uncooked pearl barley
* 2 cups carrots, peeled, sliced (about 3 medium carrots)
* 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped (about 1 medium onion)
* 2 cups celery. chopped, (about 3 medium stalks celery)
* 4 cups cut-up cooked turkey
* 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped if desired


Directions

1. Break up turkey carcass (wings and all) to fit large crock pot. (I remove as much skin as possible before putting it into the pot.)
2. Add water, salt,pepper, garlic, poultry seasoning and bay leaf. Simmer on high for a few hours, until meat falls off the bones and carcass falls apart. Skim off any residue that rises to the surface.
3. Pour contents into a large colander placed over a large bowl or pot so the broth flows through, separating the meat/bones from the broth.
4. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut or tear into bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bones and bay leaf. (Watch for itty bitty bones...they like to hide!)
5. Keep the broth over night in the refrigerator. The following day, skim fat from broth; Return to crock pot, beginning to heat on low. Add de-boned turkey meat to broth; stir in barley. Heat to simmer.
6. Stir in carrots, onion, celery. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and barley are tender. I've also added things like zucchini, potatoes, turnips, whatever other veggies or dried beans (small white beans are good..or lentils?) you want to add to it. For extra color you can also add mixed frozen veggies..you know the ones with diced carrots, peas, corn, limas, etc?
7. You can make it more fiesta style by adding a can of rotel tomatoes....
8. Oh yeah....if you have left over gravy from thanksgiving dinner, stir that in too...it thickens things nicely. :c)
9. Stir in parsley in desired

YUMMY! Make some corn bread to serve on the side....honey butter is sticky good. :c)

Wild Array of Reds!

I've got a border in the works! And once that light goes on, once I've tried and tested a few units, and once I get the centers and corners worked out.....there is no stopping me! I love it when the inspiration kicks in to high gear!

I can't give all the details on the border....but I want you to know that the fabric is flying here! Yes yes yes yes yes!

Another reason I love having my scraps, new and old, sorted by SIZE and ready to pull and sew. Look at these reds! There is quite a bit from traditional plaids and stripes from shirts, but the other prints I've pulled are just as fun and round out the eclectic mix. Can I really put in a cutesy 1980's red with white hearts (definitely VIP!) next to a red with green Japanese symbols that says ETERNITY? Absolutely! It's red! I'm going for variety and color here.

What about the red with the alphabet letters? Sure, why not. But the letters are blue....SO? Throw it in! Red with neon green stars? Definitely not a traditional type fabric, but it will sparkle in some fun...weehhhaaaa...

Let's face it. This life is going to pass quickly enough. I want to leave them wondering just WHAT I was under the influence of 100 years from now..*hehehe*

While digging through these, I saw so many more strips of various colors and genres that I would love to work into a quilt. The drawers are FULL. I have been doing cutting (yeah, thanks to the silly people who will fill up a box of scraps, mail it UPS with NO RETURN ADDRESS !! You know who you are... :c))and because these have been cut from other people's scraps....they are NEW to me. Oh, the possibilities!

But first...back to border construction.

I'm thinking that Step 2 of Carolina Christmas Mystery will be ready to go up on Sunday, sound like a plan?

Carolina Christmas, Part 1!

This is a kin to making school lunches for the next day, before you go to bed the night before! I know we have lots of international quilters playing along, so I'm uploading the directions before I go to bed.

You can get to step one of Carolina Christmas HERE!

I do hope you plan to play along. I am so happy with how this quilt is turning out! I can't wait to get it on my bed....a Christmas Quilt for my own bed! That is IF I get it quilted and bound before Christmas Eve. Can I make it? I hope so!

Happy Thanksgiving! (LONG!)

It definitely IS the day before the Mystery here....Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's great for reflection. For slowing down...other than cooking, it is basically stress free. Feed the guys, let them watch football, I get the turkey soup going in the crockpot from the leftovers of dinner, and voila! I get to sew.

For those with questions, let me see if I can answer them off the top of my head. I'm getting dozens and dozens of emails a day, so pardon me if some of this stuff is a repeat, I just want to make sure that people have the info.

Wonder Cut Ruler....I have it, I've used it, it was designed by friends of mine from when I lived in Idaho. I like it for many things, but it leaves bias edges on the outside of my units. I have to cut very strange measurements to work with this ruler (My strips are cut on the inch and half inch, and they don't work with the wonder cut ruler) But if you don't mind, and your units come out the right size, you are free to use it. Yes, you can cut your yardage into BIAS STRIPS so that your units turn out on the straight of grain, but who wants to? Just my opinion.

You can use whatever method you want to use to give you the units that measure the right size. I will post the size they need to be.

In talking with my friend Carol yesterday in a gmail chat, I realized that I "DO" do some things differently. (Go figure!) And she said if we looked back a couple of years she would be in the same boat of having to have everything matchy matchy, all the same fabric, planned out from start to finish including borders, backing and binding before she even started the project. Does this sound like some of you? :c) (This is what I call "control oriented" by the way, and it is neither right nor wrong....it's like being right handed or left handed, right brained or left brained....but we can work with that!)

After letting go, releasing the control and letting things happen, she has now turned into a whirlwind scrap quilter and is having so much more fun than she ever imagined! (Right Carol?!)

I also had an email from another friend yesterday asking how I know "what to do" with bunches of left over 4 patches or bonus triangles that have been squared down.....that she is afraid to start putting them together in case they are muddy or don't work. Does this sound like you?

In fact, her words are so perfect that I'm going to quote her here. I hope she forgives me, I won't mention names! She writes:

"I know this may sound like a silly question, but - here goes:

How does one go from mindlessly sewing four patches/half-square triangles together to actually putting them into a quilt? I spent three hours today sewing together those little cut-off triangles. Now they are all pressed and ready to be sized. Then, as I have ALWAYS done, I put them into ziploc bags by size. Then I browse magazines, get books from the library, search quilting blogs, but NEVER put anything together because I can't seem to BEGIN. What if the colors won't work, the blocks be muddled, or worst of all " I might need this in Bonnie's next mystery".

How ever do you BEGIN? I am sure that I could just begin, but where?

I have bags and bags of squares and triangles, boxes of cut strips, but I can't BEGIN. I got a yard of lime green to do alternate squares of four-patches, but my minds says what if: it isn't enough, I don't like it, etc. I buy more fabric as a "focus" and then don't ever use it because it might not work out."

And this is my reply:

Usually I just start playing with blocks that will use the sizes of triangles I have. I generally work scrappy, so it isn't a problem for me. Instead of thinking of a whole quilt, I'll make a hand full of blocks and just start playing....I never plan things out all the way to the end, I kind of play with options as I go and decide on settings or alternate blocks and sashings as I work... borders come last.

I think you have to allow yourself the time to play and not worry about muddled blocks or colors...because how are you going to find out what works if you don't allow yourself the opportunity to MAKE mistakes? It's the only way to learn...live dangerously..you might be surprised at the results!

So how does this fit in with this mystery? I'm very relaxed as I piece. I've separated my fabrics into color families. Reds, greens, neutrals...with that one gold piece that is going to be the constant. I don't worry about how MANY reds or how MANY greens. Just a bunch. I started by going to my 2.5" pre cut bins and pulling what I had there for starters. From there I went to the containers of cut up shirt parts, and FQs to pull more to round out what I needed. While cutting things like 1/2 square triangles...I'd just cut as many from a strip as I could until the strip was gone, then move on to the next strip. If the strip comes out of the bin...I use it up! I don't want to put anything back INTO the bin....It might not give me an equal number of each kind of green triangle...but they are all green. I don't over think things.

In my fabric choices....I've got plaids, stripes, prints from recycled clothing in reds and greens and neutrals....but I needed some more variety as it was looking very plaid-sy so I went to the 2.5" scrap bin and started pulling some other reds and greens....in the reds i even chose some very dated (or out dated!) Christmas fabrics to throw in for good measure. Some of you who have been quilting a long time will remember a red background fabric with ducks on it? scattered holly? OH yes, and cattails? That fabric has been around since the late 80s I think....well, it was already cut into 2.5" strips....it was a vibrant red that I needed, and what other quilt would I want to put it in? So I put it in.

As I was cutting the pieces I needed....when I get down to the end of the strip set, I cut any remainders into 2.5", 2" or 1.5" squares. Anything less than that either became a crumb for the pineapple blocks I'm making or tossed (yes! tossed! If it's less than 3/4" I don't save it....you have to stop somewhere!)so that entire strip was annihilated. Gone. I'm not putting 1/2 a strip back into that drawer!

So where does this leave us? The more variety in a scrap quilt the better. If you run out of something it is not a crucial point. If you get to the point where nothing in your stash works for borders, you get to go shopping!

Because it was already November when I decided that this brewing project would make a good mystery, and because I am only working a few steps ahead of you (I'm hoping to get the center sewn today!) I haven't gotten as far as planning borders yet. I'm going to let it happen. This way it is a mystery for me too! Many people might find this quilt large enough and intensive enough as it is without having to go on piecing borders for it and a plain border will suffice. It really will.

The best part of this quilt for me....is that I have always wanted a Christmas quilt for MY BED. So there you go. That was the beginning of everything. Of the color choices, the fabric choices, the size, everything. It's time I had a Christmas quilt for my bed!

I plan on clearing out a lot of old Christmas fabrics from my stash in a scrappy back for this quilt. Will I piece a pattern for the back? maybe...we'll see!

Most of all, I'm just enjoying playing with the fabrics, the blocks, the colors.....and I am REALLY REALLY loving how this is coming together, and I hope you will too.

As far as WHEN the first clue will go live? I've got to get the pages complete, so look for them tomorrow morning. I'm a morning person, so chances are, it should be ready when most of the US is waking up if not earlier :c)

Feeling Somewhat "Normal"!

It's Saturday morning and I am HOME! I woke up this morning not able to think what day it was....as I look back at my calendar, I haven't spent a Saturday home in months!

Last night I sat and watched a movie, cutting up the last of the shirt parts (mostly collars, cuffs, yokes, with a few sleeves thrown in for good measure) That Bingo-Bonnie sent me months ago! (yes, Bingo-Bonnie, the box is empty now and I've got a whole pile of usable pieces and strings!) I'm cutting 2"X5" strips from them to do a braided border on a class sample that has to be done by March. I figure that will be my "leader/ender" project for the next little while. Braids are one of those things that are hard to do continuously, unless you are working on many of them at the same time...it's all little short seams. Building it as a leader/ender will be a no-brainer!

I'm going to need a lot more rectangles than this, and yes, I'm using more solid red 2" cornerstones on them....I'm using up leftover small yardages of various reds just to clear them out. I only cut a hand full, just enough to get me started!

I'm needing to get on the pic editing bandwagon as far as the Paris pictures go. But I thought I'd tease you with the pic below, it's the two pieces of toile that I brought home with me.

They are both museum reproduction prints. I"m not sure what I'm going to do with them yet...but I just HAD to bring them home. There are 2 metres each, and they are double wide, so about 110" wide. Enough to do for SOMETHING I think. They are a bit heavier than normal cotton, because they are decorator prints. I'm going to wash them to get any "scotchguard" type of finish off of them, and hoping it will soften them up a bit.

Other "normal" things going on here? I have a load of firewood being delivered today so I'm ready to stoke up the wood stove in the basement studio. I love a wood fire! And I can get it as toasty as I want down here. The rest of the house seems to be setting the scene for "thermostat wars". I like it 69 or 70, and DH keeps bumping it down to 66. Urgh. My body is fine, but if my hands or feet get cold, I'm miserable. But after today, my winter supply of fire wood will be stacked and ready just outside my basement back door....

We are thinking of catching a movie this afternoon. I love a matinee! It just makes me feel like I'm playing hookie from other things I should be doing. Up for suggestion is the new one with Sandra Bullock. It has football, that will make hubby happy, it has Sandra (going blond!) which should keep me happy. It's a win win!

Oscar Update

Here's Oscar on a pile of newly aquired, not yet washed shirts! I forgot I had this pic in my files, and it's a good one for this post, even with the red-eye going on.

I got the call from the vet. He does NOT have leukemia. It still doesn't explain the mass in his lung (it showed up in 2 views....)and so, we continue on antibiotics to see if it is indeed just a pneumonia thing and not a cancerous mass thing. A week should tell.

He is under the weather, but I can say I didn't hear him cough today, and he's only been on antibiotic 24 hours, so.....cross fingers and we shall see!!

Today....I sew. I just couldn't yesterday.

Veggie Burgers are THIS Bad??

I came upon this chart....GOODNESS, I don't think I'll ever order another burger anywhere ever again! You may have to click the pic to get it full screen size and to be able to read it....

The one that amazed me most was the Veggie Burger at the top left. a "healthy" alternative?? I don't think so!

Back to ordering Salads....dressing on the side....unsweet tea.....and back to the gym I go!

You know the foot is still bothering me a bit. It's tight in the mornings, stairs are difficult until it gets warmed up and stretched out. No running,jumping, jarring, and still going to take a lot of time to get it back to normal, if there is such a thing. I'm limiting myself to walking, stretching, yoga, pilates....but it puts my cardio all to heck. Whhhaaaa!

Still waiting to hear back from the vet on Oscar's test results. In the mean time, he is pretty feisty when it comes to giving him meds! He hooked me a good one last night and I came up with a bloody finger :c| Hoping it's just pneumonia!

PS..to the person who said they'd stick with the Wendy's Baconator? you may be surprised to find that your baconator has 970 calories all by itself!!! Check here!

Simple Things....

Simple Quilts with lots of color make me happy!!! For those of you wondering what to do with those leader/ender 4 patches that have been stock piling up....look at this antique! It has fabrics dating through the 1950s..but look at that solid red for punch! I also love how the darks in the 4 patches do NOT go all the same direction but look like they are moving around....I love how the binding changes color half way down the left side. Maybe that's two different pieces of backing fabric folded around to the front? Come to think of it, with a closer look, the binding is different on ALL sides!

SUPER quilt...easy, and an effective use of scraps...this one gets lots of bells and whistles from me!

(Trying to think of happier things here, than focusing on cat test results)

Kitty Troubles....

I need good thoughts for Oscar, my kitty.

He was coughing a bit when I left for Littleton, Rocky Mount, and Elizabeth City. I got home from Elizabeth City yesterday afternoon. Today was the first chance I could get him to the vet.

The vet heard wheezing while listening to his breathing, thinking it might be asthma, she suggested xrays.

The xrays show a mass, which might either be pneumonia, or cancer.

We did a leukemia test...I'm waiting for the results on that. In the mean time he has been started on an antibiotic in case it IS pneumonia....which is the best case scenario.

If leukemia is ruled out, we wait a week and see if the antibiotic is helping. If the mass doesn't go away....we have decisions to make. If the leukemia test comes back positive, we have decisions to make.

Today is my first day home for the holiday season. I'm done traveling and teaching until January! However, I'm going to Arizona for a few days in December to spend time with my two brothers and my Dad. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them, even if the last thing I want to do right now is think about going back on the road! Let the next 3 weeks be spent at home NOT thinking of anything but being home....and I'll deal with family when I get there! *LOL*

Many questions have come in regarding the upcoming mystery. Though most of the pieces can be cut from 2.5" strips, if you are NOT using the easy angle for construction, please don't cut your strips ahead of time. You'll have to do it a bit differently to get 2" finished triangle units. Plan accordingly. Some of the units need an even larger piece, so even though some have said they have cut all their fabric ahead of time into 2.5" strips, unauthorized by me, they may be in for a surprise! Sorry.....but it's best to wait until I say "GO" before you jump ahead, okay?

You don't HAVE to have the Easy Angle ruler to do this, but I don't understand why anyone would not want to at least try it. You can find it at Joanne's if one is near you, you can use a coupon for it. It will cost you $3 or $4 bucks with a coupon. Some Walmarts have them. You can order them on amazon or ebay. I think the other fabric chains like Hancocks and Hobby Lobby (which also have regular sales and coupons) have them. The pattern for the mystery is free, so isn't it a fair deal to at least TRY to find one for a few dollars and see if this helps your quilt making? I LOVE this ruler. I would not be caught without it. I plan to keep using it in the future. It's in your best interest to have the tools to follow along.

Someone asked if I were uploading ALL the steps in one day. Nope. There is no way you can make this quilt all in one day, and I'm working just a couple steps ahead of everyone else. I'm planning on perhaps 2 steps a week...but if I don't get to it with all that is going on, you may have to wait...I'm not doing this on a set schedule, it has to fit in with my life. It takes a lot of time, not only to design the quilt, but to complete the quilt before you, to take the photos, to write the directions, to upload them to the website and have them linked to everything else in the proper sequence. Hours and Hours. I love doing it! I just need your patience and understanding.

If there is a link at the bottom of whatever page you are working on, then you can click to get to the next step. If not....wait until there is a link! I'll also be posting an announcement here on my blog, and on my website, as well as the two email lists when each step goes public.

If you want a smaller quilt? I suggest you wait until all the clues are revealed before starting so you can decide how many of what unit to make. Same with larger. Just wait and see. Because of time limitations I'm not able to do the math for everyone who wants a different size....or if they want to use a different method to make the units.

I'm hoping to get my car unpacked and things put away this afternoon...I need to set my machine back up, get something for dinner cooking in the crockpot, and then hopefully spend some time SEWING today! :cD

To All The Veterans....

Thank you for your courage, your time, and your sacrifice!

Carolina Christmas!

~A Quiltville Mystery!~

Bring in the Holiday Spirit by sewing through the season!! The quilt center measures an ample 82" X 82" before borders!

This is a "limited edition" mystery, as the quilt I am making will be appearing in a future book. If you start this project, you will need to follow along and print out the instructions as they are revealed. The project will be available on the Quiltville.com website until June 1, 2010 when it will be retired.

Though I am making this quilt using fabrics from recycled clothing, you can use anything you would like! Not in the mood for a quilt in Christmas colors? Choose any 3 complimentary colors and add a background fabric to it!

I will be posting the first challenge the day after Thanksgiving. (You know you really didn't want to spend that day shopping with the crowds, right?) So on Friday, November 27th, be watching the Quiltville.com website, or my blog for the link to the first clue! You can also join my "announcement only" email list, Quiltville@yahoogroups.com and receive an email in your inbox when each step is posted. If you like to participate on a list with lots of chatter from other quilters also participating in this mystery from around the globe, our other list, Quiltvillechat@yahoogroups.com might be the list for you! I do hope you plan to play along! Turn on some holiday music (Only AFTER Thanksgiving in my house!) make a cup of tea or cocoa, and quilt in the Holidays with us!

Click here for Fabric Requirements and other info!~