Taming The Piles...

I had an AWESOME weekend! And I guess technically it is still going on for me since I don't leave til tomorrow morning, but today was filled with all kinds of monday things. I've done computer bookwork and invoicing, I've made a bank deposit, a run to the gym, and a pedicure (Oh yes, this is a must.....can't show up in public with gross toes in Georgia!) and have been to the grocery store.

I bought FRESH PEACHES! I love this time of year! And Watermelon (seedless) was on sale for under $4.00 too....

But the one thing I could NOT find was those super duper extra huge ziploc bags for storing things. My Walmart doesn't have them! I just heard from Karen Dianne that her Publix has them, but Publix isn't here near me....I suppose I can find some ON the trip, but I wanted to do some organizing before leaving tomorrow. Maybe Target? maybe...Home Depot? Lowes? they have home organize-y stuff too?

I have boxes of scrap pieces that haven't been cut, and I thought of using these to help organize my closet. I know enough not to zip them shut all the way, to let them breathe, but I like that they could stack next to each other and keep things in plain view which would be better for me than rubbermaid tubs.

I am making great headway on the magazine project. It's all kitted up (and many parts sewn) and will hit the road with me tomorrow, though I don't know if I'll find much time to work on it. Since it is a ROAD TRIP, Shotgun, the Bernina can ride in the car with me.

I'm really looking forward to visiting the Pieceful Hearts guild of North Augusta, SC. I used to belong to this guild, and boy do I miss these ladies! I saw several of them at the NC Quilt Symposium a couple months back, and this will be fun.

I'm also taking next weekend to visit DS#1 Jason and his sweetie, Kim...and giving plenty of love and belly tickles to my 3 grand-cats....Kim's mom is also a quilter, so we might get some retreat time in on Sunday. I'll either head home Sunday night after dinner, or wait til Monday morning. Playing it by ear at that point.

So back to the organizing stuff. There is STILL way too much fabric in this basement. And it's not that I'm tired enough of any pieces or parts to want to ditch them or give them away. I'm very blessed with very useable fabric. I just need to USE IT! And because I had such a great time sewing this weekend, I have renewed zeal for using what I have on hand, finding a purpose for these pieces to make beautiful quilts. I need to be inspired by ideas that will use the sizes I've already cut...because the 2" drawers and the 2.5" drawers (of both strips, and pre-cut squares!) are FULL. I need those to go into beautiful quilts, so I can cut some more of the stuff I haven't. I need the old to go, so I can feed in some new and not feel like I'm sewing with the same old things all the time.

Most of all I need this to be FUN. And I think I'm finding that again :c)However, I'm still looking at these two piles of blues/neutrals that I posted pics of the other day.....and wondering why after all this sewing they haven't gone down a BIT?!

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When Tongues Waggle...

This is me, taking a minute email break during my weekend supposedly "OFF" the computer! I've been sewing like a mad fiend, and listening to books on MP3 and watching movies on netflix and LOVING the down time.

As I went through my comments it seems there has been lots of speculation over "WHICH" magazine was involved. And it is ALL speculation. I'm professional enough, or try to be, to not drag names of a magazine I am working to create a better relationship with through the wringer. Even in my original rant about crazy contracts, I was careful not to mention the country or the name of the magazine. That still holds true.

And if you guys keep hauling it up and guessing and making comments about this one or that one or the other one from whichever country, it is going to get blown way out of proportion. I don't want this to backfire on me in the process now that we have reached a better level of agreement, okay?

The contract has been re-negotiated. Strides have been made in making this beneficial for everyone, so please just let me rest it right now..I need positive vibes to get this project together and have it there by the first week of November. I'll be cramming on it every spare minute between now and the time I send it off. :c)

Back to the machine!

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In the Essence of Compromise....

After many many emails flying back and forth over this contract thing, I think we've reached a compromise. I feel better about this. They feel good about this....

The quilt I was going to send just won't work with the time frame of their contract, though they are augmenting it to help me a bit. A NEW PROJECT is what I am sending them instead! Some additional funds have been added to cover the cost of the shipping. This helps me A LOT. Postage gets more and more expensive, Especially to overseas destinations. I can't afford to lose nearly half of what a magazine pays me to ship the quilt to them on my own. So yes, contract negotiations do work, and I'm getting braver about asking for fairness!

So..This NEW PROJECT? Can't show you because THAT is part of the contract too, but suffice it to say that it is one I already have in the works, and it is approved by this new updated contract for inclusion another one of my books down the road, with a projected release date (the book, not the magazine) of Fall, 2012. I WILL be able to include this quilt in both the magazine, AND my future book. The Magazine should be available in May, 2011 so you will get a preview!

When the magazine is available, I'll let you know so you can check it out!

Let's just say that my job for today is cutting a bunch more scrap strips from blues and neutrals! I've got some boxes that have mysteriously shown up on my doorstep crammed with all kinds of good chunks of scrap fabrics, and I'm digging there first, with the purpose of cutting things down and using what I can in this project.

I'm happy with it. I need to be able to do "double duty" with some of these quilts to make it worth my time to make them. And I really need the publicity that this "out of the USA" magazine will bring me. It's cheaper advertising than I could afford to pay for, so....pedal to the metal...I'm SEWING!!

I leave for teaching in Georgia on Tuesday....so I think I'll be enjoying a long 3 day weekend with new renewal toward this quilt! (And if I get it kitted up, It may likely go on the road with me next week too!)

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It's MS-150 Time!!

It's Ride-for-MS Time! Your Pledges Are Needed! (This is the special spam edition to help my hubby Dave raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society)

2010 Bike MS: Breakaway To The Beach!
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of this ride!

Each mile he will ride, each dollar we will raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure Multiple Sclerosis and to improve the lives of all people affected by MS.

No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of millions who suffer from MS, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference!

For nearly 15 years I have provided quilt patterns on this website free of charge. If you find this site to be beneficial to you as a quilt maker, I ask that you please consider making a pledge to help fight Multiple Sclerosis as a way to say "Thanks!" for all you find here.

If you can spare even $10 to $20, please think of someone you know who is living with MS daily and all that they go through and all that your donation can do to help. If you know someone with MS, PLEASE donate and forward this on to those who have family members with MS. Your continued support is necessary to help find a cure for this disease.


WHY WE RIDE:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild such as numbness in the limbs or severe--paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 but the unpredictable effects can be life-long. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. A person with MS does not know when it will strike, what symptoms they will have, when it will get worse or better, or if they will become permanently disabled. But there is one thing people with MS can count on . . . the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The National MS Society is the largest private sponsor of MS research in the world and proudly provides local programs designed to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by MS. By choosing sponsor the MS Bike Tour, you are joining thousands of people across the country united in the mission: to end the devastating effects of MS.

Click here to Sponsor Dave!

Thank you so much for all your support over the years! It's great to have you on Team Quiltville! :c)

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Reading Between The Lines...

Today I was getting ready to fill out a contract to have my quilt appear in a magazine over seas.

I've been dealing with Magazines strictly within the USA, and I thought certain things were pretty standard...after a few months post publication, the copyright returns to me and I am pretty much free to do what I want with it, be it publish it on my website, or put it in a future book, or whatever. It's MINE.

Well, I neglected to read some small print ahead of time on this project, and it just about stopped me in my tracks when I read it this morning. The contract reads:

The Artisan agrees that THE WORK will not be given to any other publication --magazine or book -- or published within (Insert country) or overseas, AT ANY TIME.

I had to really stop here and re read that. They were basically telling me that I could not put my own quilt in my own book at any time. Is it not my quilt anymore?

I had to ask myself then....when is my quilt MY QUILT and when is it not? I've basically just signed over my quilt for the rest of my life? How desperately do I want my quilt to show up in this magazine that isn't even available within the USA?

NOT. VERY.

I decided that the fee they were going to give me to have my quilt in their magazine, minus the horrendously expensive shipping charge it would take to get it there, plus the fact that they also want "the project" (does this mean the quilt?) to be made available to their magazine for publicity purposes and craft shows for ONE YEAR after the publication of the magazine.....just is too much to ask for me.

They want to keep the quilt for a year after publication? And not cover the shipping cost of getting the quilt to them....and tell me that I can't ever publish it anywhere else..EVER....Why is this a good deal??

I'd rather keep my quilt to myself 100% and know that it is mine...than deal with this.

I'm feeling cranky today. Why are designers putting up with this kind of restriction on our businesses? Why do magazines think they can get us to limit ourselves far beyond reason like this? I can see why a lot of "big name" designers don't even bother to deal with Magazines anymore.

That said...I LOVE LOVE LOVE working with Quiltmaker. They've been nothing but fabulous with me, and I will be a Quiltmaker girl for life.

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A Dreamsicle Funny......

Before I left for Texas, I got an email from Mark Pfeiler of Quilting on the Square in Holton, KS telling me that they were sending me a "special package" in honor of my completing the Dreamsicles quilt.

The WHOLE time I was gone to Texas I wondered if it had come yet, what it was, I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive!

I arrived home Sunday afternoon, and there on the desk was a BOX!! But I was a bit confused, because the brochure didn't say it was from Quilting on the Square, it was from some place in IOWA?! This couldn't be the same box, could it?

I tore into the box with reckless abandon. Inside was a brochure for the place it came from, Fernhill Crafts & Quilts, and it looked really neat! I searched for a note, but there wasn't one, just one word on the store brochure that said simply "ENJOY!"

By this time DH had come round to see what I was getting into. I opened up the little white inner box that was labeled with the gold Fernhill sticker.

There was tissue inside.

Inside of the tissue was something wrapped in saran wrap, and it SURE SMELLED GOOD!

DH took a whiff, and I took a whiff, and he looked at me and said..."I know what that smell is, but I can't place it!" I said...."It's DREAMSICLE!!!" :cD

At this point, I remembered Mark saying he was sending something, and I know Iowa is right near Kansas, so 2+2 came together and I was pretty sure I had it figured out.

All except ONE PART. Now bear with me here.....

I've had packages like this before. I've had colorful chunks of stuff wrapped in cellophane that smelled just EVER so heavenly come my way, and turn out to be.....

SOAP!

So I wrote Mark a big thank you letter, thanking him for the wonderful soap and that I can't wait to get in the shower with it because it smelled so good, etc....and...

His laughing reply was:

"Hate to burst your bubble, but think again! It's NOT SOAP!!"

Oh boy, did I go red in the face. Turns out what I thought was soap was actually:

DREAMSICLE FUDGE!!

I didn't know whether to die of embarrassment, or die from laughing my pants off, or both! It's just a dang good thing I didn't take the Dreamsicle Fudge into the shower BEFORE I talked to Mark!!

The Moral Of The Story: Some things that smell really good....ARE EDIBLE! :cD And this one was really really tasty!

Thanks so much Mark, for thinking of me, for celebrating the finish of the Dreamsicle Quilt, for giving me an embarrassing moment that I will not live down for a long long time!

Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, who else can you laugh at?

I think I'll go have another sliver of fudge....

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Golden Triangle Quilters of Beaumont, TX!

It was a whirlwind tour to Southeast Texas, but we crammed it full of everything any quilter could want! Mona picked me up at the airport, meeting me down at baggage claim, waving a "bricks and stepping stones" quilt top she had made out of recycled clothing as her FLAG to get my attention. The woman is a trooper! She even brought a collapsible cart thing so we could load up the big duffels of quilts and get everything to her car. I tell you what, the first time we stepped OUT of the airport and into the parking garage, I knew what HOT really meant!

The heat from the previous week in Kansas City did little to "acclimate" me!

With the A/C in the car on full blast, she said "There is a quilt shop 3 miles from here, do you want to go?!" Well.....YES! of course!

I was looking for more english paper piecing hexagons. I was also looking for more roxanne quilting needles, size 9, and the shop had neither :c( But I did find some more YLI quilting thread, this time in PINK! And I snatched that up for my quilting thread collection. What can I say...I might never use that color, but it's good to have on hand?

I did end up a couple nights later just getting online and ordering both the needles and the paper hexagons and I'm set. They should be here in a couple days.


We tipped the scales at the noon guild meeting, pulling people in from Louisiana and Houston....I think the count was something like 141+ but I might be off a bit. All I know is that we had standing room only until more chairs were brought out. This made me one nervous nelly!! But there is one thing I've learned...when you feel like you are going to have a nervous breakdown...talk about the quilts...show them the quilts..get them to ask questions, and it all goes okay :c)

Thursday was the busy day as we also had an evening meeting. Even the evening meeting was busier than usual, and that made me feel really great that so many people came out to support the guild!

One of the fun things I did.....I had gone through my collection of old magazines recently as DH had put me up some new shelves. Not sure what I was looking for, but I came upon THIS:



This was a June 1983 issue of QUILT magazine! I brought this issue with me, and showed it to the ladies, saying "You've come a long way, baby!" And asked if there was anyone in the room who was in this picture? One of the gals in the front row where I was standing said "WE ARE THOSE LADIES!!" This was 27 years later. And they are still active in the guild, still beautiful as ever. WHAT FUN to pass that issue around and have them remember some who have passed on, some who've moved away, and those who are still here.

This is what I mean about quilting being a lifestyle choice. Not just a hobby. Our lives are woven through our quilts and our relationships with each other are so important. I can't imagine any place I'd rather be than surrounded by quilters who "Get me".

Of course, the highlight of my trip was to get to spend time with Bonnie Minor of Naptime News. She has always been such a great email friend, I knew she would just be fabulous in person, and she did not disappoint! I feel like we've been friends forever, and her positive upbeat spirit is just infectious!



Friday, we packed the classroom for a Crumbs workshop! It is so hilarious, to see people come with their scraps all organized into nice little containers, and by the time we've sewn for an hour, they have scrap salad EVERYWHERE! Lots of stretching and growing and out of the box! Look at Denise Green's adorable little project! She had this all together by the end of the day!



And I might be wrong on the name, but I think this is Chris...oh please correct me if I am wrong! I get good with faces, but names don't stick so well when you go from town to town to town like a vagrant the way I do!



These were Winnie's blocks. I just love how she mixed the brights with that very traditional brown floral! FUN!!

Saturday we filled up the day with a My Blue Heaven workshop! of course, we had some batik heavens, and red heavens, and green heavens, and plaid heavens. It was just heaven all the way around! I really like this class because I get to teach how I use the easy angle ruler and the companion angle ruler in all my scrap quilting.

It's really hard to get a good pic when you are talking...and the faces I'm making are less than attractive! LOL!!! and you can see I had my sweater over my sleeveless blouse...the A/C was running overtime!



Now you see them now you don't...fastest hands in Texas! *LOL*!!



My thanks to Bonnie Minor who said I could steal any of the pics she uploaded to her facebook :c) I couldn't have posted these without her! And my thanks to the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild for inviting me to come play! I hope it isn't too long until we cross paths again!

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Monday Morning...

....and I am HOME......ALONE!! I returned home from Beaumont yesterday afternoon, and promptly crawled into bed for a 2.5 hour nap.

Can I tell you how blissful this feels? Yes, even Jeff is off to classes at the community college this morning. I am really hoping this is the year he buckles down and gets his GED so he can move on with his life. I love my son, I want him to find some motivation for his life, to find what makes him happy, for him to set some goals and work toward them...and become independent!

I know all kids mature at their own rate. I know this. I am living this. But it is so hard to encourage a kid who has no motivation. :c|

So what am I going to do today? The options are many! I feel the need to do simple things like wash and change bedding. To sweep some, and dust some, and mop some, and maybe even (MAYBE) cook something! I'm feeling the need to "Nest" just a bit. I'm home for a week!

The only thing I have firmly set my sights on is a bee meeting tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing the girls and filling the evening with stitches and laughter!

And I have a choice on which handwork project I can bring...either the Dreamsicles quilt that still needs the binding stitched down, or the baby quilt for my new-to-be-nephew who is due to arrive in a couple weeks (Still unnamed, can't finish the label until I know his name!) OR...

I can attach THESE units



To the mother ship:



And watch it come together! I've got almost..ALMOST....5 of the 6 diamond units done, can you see how they fill in between the star points?

And look at what I did to organize my pieces!



I bought this travel organizer many years ago, and it has been stuck back in a cupboard. It works PERFECT for the hexagons in progress! 3 clear compartments with zippers, one big compartment on the end with a zipper, and there is even a zipper you can't see on the back of the organizer. I've got my hexagon map in there to keep it close :c)



It all rolls up nicely into a little bundle and is held by a velcro strap. It was perfect for traveling with this project....it lays in my lap with everything right where I need it! Perfect for a couch, a guild meeting, an airport or plane seat.

I probably over stuffed it with too many hexagons, but you know how it is when I start to cut! It is all about variety, and heaven forbid I fall short in that category! I just kept cutting! LOL

I have pics to share from my visit to Texas, but I don't want to do this all in one post..besides..this is the second time I'm writing this post, when i went to publish it, blogger freaked out and asked for my login, my login failed! (WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?!) and I lost the post. Anyone else have that going on?

Be watching for more about Texas tomorrow....that is if I can get THIS POST to post today! (and always click SAVE first just in case it doesn't go!)

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Greater Kansas City Quilters....

Last week I had the privilege of visiting SEVERAL groups in the Kansas City area. It just so happens that the only workshops were hosted by the Greater Kansas City Quilters! The other guilds were able to join in on the classes, so we've got members from Olathe and Lee's Summit included as well. I just don't know everyone well enough to know where everyone came from or which guild they belong to, but it doesn't matter, because we all had so much FUN!



Of course, this pic is from the Pineapple blossom workshop......the fabrics and colors were great! And you should have seen the yummy salad bar that was set up for lunch with all the fixins....It was a GREAT day! That was the day we had a morning guild presentation, a half day workshop, and then drive over to Olathe to meet with that guild for dinner, and then do THEIR guild meeting...talk about zombie making, but it was SO fun.



We were back the next morning with the Greater Kansas City Quilters for a full day Cathedral Stars workshop. The fabric choices were terrific, and getting to know the ladies better was the best part for me. It's hard to do that with a half day class and the kind of schedule we'd had the day before, but a full day class allows us to slow down a bit and enjoy each other.

Considering how HOT HOT HOT it was outside, it was cool as a cucumber inside and we were happy to be sewing!



I have to confess...everything EVERYTHING they tell you about Kansas City BBQ is absolutely TRUE! Just look at these ribs! (And they were all mine! *LOL*) Actually we could have fed an army...and finger-licking-good really should have been a rib slogan, not a fried chicken one. YUM!! Yes, it is true, there was no starving going on anywhere!



After the Cathedral Stars workshop, we took a little detour....turns out Margaret ended up having surgery when what she really wanted to do was come to the lecture and workshop. So....since she couldn't come to US, we came to HER! It made my day to see her excitement. I know she will be up and getting around soon. From what I hear, she already feels better than she did BEFORE the hip surgery. It was so great meeting you Margaret, you are a terrific lady!



More book signings! Sharon also had cookbooks for her guild for sale....300 of the best to die for recipes. I even bought a book myself. Not that I will cook anything soon....but one can dream, can't one? LOL! Oh, and the project in the hoop? That's Sharon's. She is doing some amazing work on it, and I hope she will show it on her blog when it is done. By this time I had already finished the quilting on Dreamsicles-Creamsicles (I don't know which one it is!!!)and had turned donned my new cape asw "hex-girl".



Sharon's hubby K caught this pic of us before we left for the airport. Can you read what the frame says? "Eat, Sleep, Quilt!" (And not always in that order...;c)) I just love it! This little car put on HUNDREDS of miles driving me to and from everywhere.



If you haven't seen what I travel with....here's a good shot for you! Two 50lb military duffel bags of quilts as checked luggage, my clothes in a carry on, and a laptop bag on my shoulder (which also holds that handwork project) It's quite a load!

Thanks for the warm (and HOT HOT HOT, AFRICA HOT) welcome, KC! I hope it isn't too long until I am able to come back for another visit!

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Quilting With Machines!

I have two friends involved in pulling this event together, and I am so proud of them and the work they do!

First off, let me apologize to them for being a bit neglectful >_< I had said I would make this post in JULY...and somehow, well Kathy's card got in my sewing stuff from that trip and I didn't uncover it til yesterday, which reminded me that I was delinquent on this post, so I hope she will forgive me. AND...I think I'm still in time!

Have you heard of Quilting With Machines??

Let me tell you, if you are ANYWHERE near Ohio at the end of September (Sept 22-25) of 2010, you NEED to go. You need to check out the website now, you need to find out if there is still availability in classes...and definitely go for the show and the vendors!

It's not just for long arm machines. It's ANY kind of machine. That even means treadle, handcrank, domestic electric, whatever!

The location? Sawmill Creek Resort and Convention Center, 400 Sawmill Creek Dr. W, Huron, OH 44839, phone: 800-729-6455

As I said, two of the ladies deeply involved in this I consider dear friends: Janice Kiser and Kathy McCarty are both phenomenal quilters and wonderful gals all around!

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In A Bind....

First Off....my photo shoot on Friday with the folks from Kansas City Star was FABULOUS!! I had the best time and it was so great to get to know the people involved on that end of pulling these books together. You know, as they say....it TAKES A VILLAGE! (And that would make me the village idiot, but that's a topic for another time..)

It took most of the day, at least 6 hours or perhaps maybe a bit more to get 5 quilts staged for "Glamor Shots", the pics where they are draped artistically in a living situation be it on a wall, over a sofa, on the bed with pillows and decor...

The homes we used were VERY contemporary, and it was so fun to see my traditional quilts playing a part in the eclectic surroundings. I want my quilts to appeal to traditional AND modern quilters. It's all about color and geometric design, and any quilt can be "updated" or "toned down" by fabric choices.

I'm not so "into" this whole modern quilt guild rage....truth be told. I love geometry and small pieces, and graphic impact. I just want it "ALL". I don't want to have to pigeon hole myself under one description because sometimes I like working bright, bold and funky, and the other times, I'm perfectly happy to be stitching my 3/4" hexagons in a very traditional manner. I want to piece for the joy of piecing...and that means not all projects will be rushed through. I've made SO many quilts in my life that sewing big gigantic squares of designer fabric together for something that is done in a day just does not interest me.

It just seems to me that being a quilter should be all-accepting in a way, and all appreciative. I've had this thought that if I showed up to a modern quilt guild, and showed one of my quilts for show and tell, they'd show me the door because it wasn't "modern" enough. But then, take any pattern, make it out of "modern" fabrics, and it qualifies. It's a weird conundrum. I also feel that if I were to be trendy and making things out of strictly "new" "modern" fabric lines, that over time I'm going to end up with a quilt that looks very dated and kitted. I'd have to always be running and chasing after the newest release of something so I don't get caught with "last season's" colors or fabrics or designers.

I get uncomfortable when groups form an "us" vs "them" kind of category. I don't want to have to quilt by someone else's guide lines as to what is modern and what is not. It's a funny thing, because I enjoy looking at all kinds of quilts and appreciating them for what went into them and the stories behind them....

And I'm rambling on, not where I wanted to go, but this is flow of consciousness writing at its best at 6:43am!

Yesterday was a BINDING day for me! (Hence the title for this post!)


I was going to use an orange binding for Dreamsicles, but you know what? It didn't want orange! It didn't want lime, or turquoise...but it did want...PURPLE! Here I am squaring the corners and straightening the edges before applying the binding. I know some like to trim after. I like the straight edge that I get by applying a straight edge binding to a straight edge quilt.



It never ceases to amaze me how LIGHT a hand quilted quilt feels compared to a machine quilted one. I wish this quilt were big enough to really snuggle under. The combination of the hand quilting and the wool batting really do create a wonderful drape and feel. It takes two rulers to square my quilts, even my big ones. I use the big 15" square for the corners, and a long straight edge ruler for the sides....



See those stitches? That red thread played so well through this whole quilt! I just love the texture. You can see the purple binding being applied here.



And while I was at it, I put the scrappy blue binding on my Sister's baby quilt..I'm due with a nephew in September! I don't know what his name will be yet, but I've had this top made out of left over Blue Ridge Beauty blocks for years...only the last few babies have all been GIRLS so it hadn't been gifted away from Auntie Bonnie yet. The label is on, just waiting to be signed with a name as soon as I find out what that is. Oh...baby anticipation!



Last Night while watching "The Closer" and "Rizzoli and Isles" on TNT, I finished the hand stitching on THIS binding....I'm glad to have it done, it's a king sized ginormous thing, and is being sent off to Australia to be featured in an upcoming magazine....Anyone know the best way to get something there "Slow Boat" so it doesn't have to cost so much? It doesn't need to be there til November.....so if I send it now....(Or maybe it's safer just to send it airmail and eat the $$?)

I'm off to Texas tomorrow! Whoot! So that means today is filled with things like mail order, updating my calendar, tackling paperwork and laundry simultaneously, and repacking the trunkshow to include the samples I need for the crumbs workshop in Beaumont!



It also means I need some more hexagons for this trip! I was running short on neutrals, so I started cutting those. That lead to pulling out some 2.5" strips of greens and reds to supplement what was already cut in those colors, and I'm pressing the strips and hope to get time to cut some more variety today. I love how portable this project is, that is until it gets time to add the little satellite units to the "Mother Ship"....and it's growing! All the 6 large star points are on now, and I've got to piece 6 of these other diamond shapes to go in between the star points. And on it grows...

Since it does feel like fall is coming soon, it doesn't feel so bad to be working on a red/green/neutral thing. Most of the year, I can't make myself work in these colors, but this feels okay somehow, especially since this is now a 10 year old UFO and I need to see it THROUGH to DONE! I've thrown double pinks in with the reds in hopes that it looks just more "vintage" and less "Christmas".....but I'm not sure I've convinced myself. I had one lady at the last class ask me if I was making a "Tree Skirt" >_< well no, not exactly. I'm not cutting a hole in the center of this thing to put it around a tree....

Okay..enough rambling....gotta get this day moving!

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Hot, Hot, Africa Hot!!

Quiltgranny Sharon and I were trying to figure out who it was/where it was that this phrase came into our lingo. It's Hot Hot, Africa Hot goes way back into when we first knew each other about 15 years ago. Either it was part of Interquilt, or when we were both part of a group called Electric Threads. Either way, let me tell you, I have found out what Hot Hot Africa Hot really feels like!



Yesterday morning (Since we didn't have to visit the night time needlers for a guild program til last night..which gave us most of the day OFF!) I thought I could beat it by going out for a long walk/jog at 7am. It was already hot....I did 5.25 miles, saw lots of cool things on the way, that were also turning Hot Hot Africa hot!

Partway down the road I crossed an overpass with this little brook running by. It looked so lush down in there I just had to snap a pic!



I kept running in the way that i do.....run a little, walk a little, run a little (okay mostly the down hills) walk a little, and I came upon these two fellas, and they followed me from one end of the fence to the other!




Well of course, we all know the best grass is on the OTHER side of the fence. They were so cute and friendly I couldn't help but rest a bit and give them both some rubs and ear tickles :cD



Isn't this so pretty? AND HILLY!? Just a beautiful morning for a long ribbon of country road.



But within a couple of hours, the heat sensor on the outside of the car read 108!! CAN YOU SEE IT?!? Yep, definitely a cause for HOT HOT AFRICA HOT!!


I did do some shopping damage while out yesterday. The red was 50% off. I needed a big piece for setting some blocks, and this is perfect! The oranges were gifted to me by Sharon and may end up as the binding on Creamsicles. The turquoise and limes? 50% off remnants at Joann's yesterday. I'm such a big spender..lol!



A while later, a nap and a lovely cool pasta salad dinner, made by Sharon's terrific hubby K was just what we needed to hit the road again to visit the Night Time Needlers guild. Look at this sign that saved us the BEST parking spot by the door! This just tickled me. I've never had a designated parking spot before :c)

By the time we were done....it was way past 10pm. Put the car on autopilot home, kick off the shoes, head to bed. Life really has been non stop since I arrived on Sunday!

Today is the BIG DAY for me. I'm being picked up in the next 15 minutes by my editor, Jenifer...and we are going to go do the Photo Shoot for the next book! Still Hot hot Africa Hot.....it's going to be INDOORS! Thank you very much! At least with this heat and humidity it will be easy to get the creases out of the quilts from shipping!

And tomorrow....Dorothy is clicking her heels and saying "There's No Place Like Home!" I'm back to NC by Dinner time!

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