Hitting the Road, and Hitting a WALL!

I'm packing today, and hitting the road tomorrow; yes, it's that time again! Are any of you going? I'm excited to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, see the always AWESOME quilt show and to visit the vendors mall. I'm taking a machine quilting class from Bethanne Nemesh on Friday.

This is the class that I've signed up for: "Fast to Fancy Freehand Feathers", isn't this photo tempting? We'll see how much I can learn in four hours! I'll give it my best, and I'll return with a full report. In the meantime, I've hit a wall with the Temecula Scavenger Hunt sew-along. If you've been following the last couple of posts from me you'll know that two of our grandchildren are currently visiting. In a slap-dash attempt to get ahead with this weeks' clue and get my quilt on schedule before I leave tomorrow, I quickly got all of the nine-patches stitched up and set yesterday afternoon. I thought I was ahead of the game; how clever of me!

From here, it was a hop, skip and a jump to bordering two sides and calling it a day. Think again!

 I pieced together the framed nine-patches with the spacer strips, as instructed. It did not fit-- at all!

With both ends pinned, I had a bit of excess in the center! Okay, this clearly wasn't working!

Back to square one. Here's the cautionary tale: ALWAYS square up, at every step! I did not!! The instructions were clear, the blocks should measure exactly 3 5/8" after adding the four side triangles. 

We won't even mention what mine were measuring! I was over-confident, I never even checked. 🙄

Check out the difference that going back to basics makes! I took each block apart. Just like I taught my granddaughter last week, I marked my seam lines and realigned my thinking to an ACCURATE 1/4" seam allowance! See what a difference it makes?

With pieced blocks this small, it makes a HUGE difference to be 100% accurate, and that's everything!  All that debris, in the lower part of the photo is what I trimmed away, block after block. I was truly giving my seam ripper a workout!

Good to go; at last!

So, here's where I am right now. I laid out those re-sewn, and perfect, nine-patches alongside one edge and measured. It's all good; but then-- it's not! I'm unhappy with that light brown framing these blocks. I feel that there needs to be more contrast at this point, a much darker brown to echo back to the center rows. I have to continue taking these apart anyway,and so-- these framing triangles are going into the trash can and a darker, espresso brown is going to be reintroduced. This next step will have to wait until I return from MidAtlantic though; I need to finish packing, and I need to add a new seam ripper to my to the top of my shopping list! In the meantime, I'm going to pop up some popcorn and enjoy some after-school time with my grandchildren while I still can! 

I'll be back soon. 

Life is Good!

This Little Light...

... o' mine, I'm gonna let it shine!  This might be one of the brightest purchases I've made in a while. It's a Vivilux lamp, I bought it at MidAtlantic Quilt Festival last month. This is the desk lamp version, there's also a clamp-on and a stick-on that you can attach in the throat of your sewing machine. The beauty of these is that they're rechargeable; so, they can be used virtually anywhere; cord-free. There are three levels of illumination. I tried it out right away in the hotel room where we stayed; I fell in love with it immediately.If I were going to critique anything at all about it I would say that it is maybe just a little bit too lightweight. The gooseneck is uber-flexible and if you pull it down too low it has a tendency to tip forward on its nose. I remedied that situation when I returned home by sliding a sand-filled strawberry emery down the shaft and positioning it just behind the lamp base. That counter weight adds just enough ballast to stabilize the unit (and it's cute!🍓).

I can even pull the light straight through the throat of the machine and shine it directly on the needle while stitching. Look for these, the beauty is three-fold: the design, the ability to place the perfect degree of light exactly where it's needed and the portability. I can already tell you that this little light o' mine will be shinin' here, there and everywhere!

Life is Good!

Transforming Towels

What started out life as humble kitchen towels have been transformed into something SEW much more! On Sunday afternoon the Service Group of our church, namely, the COGs (Circle of Grace), met to cut, bind, and attach tags to these towels; transforming them into adult bibs for distribution to local nursing homes and/or facilities with  a need for adult bibs. These are soft and substantial towels, they will serve the purpose well; protecting clothing and should stand up to vigorous laundering. The pattern that we used can be found here. 

These went together quite well, there were tasks for all, even the youngest of seamstresses; here she diligently applies binding to a neck opening. 

Tags with our church logo were attached to a hanging loop on the side of each newly-made (or about to be) bib. 

Among the items that I am packing to take to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival tomorrow is this bin of bibs-in-the-making to work on during "down time". Quiltkeemosabe and I can get a lot done in little snatches of time back in the hotel room in the evenings. We should have fifty bibs completed in short order; and in the hands of those who can use them the most. 

If you're attending to MidAtlantic this year, and see me wandering around, be sure and say "hello!"; 

I'll be roaming the vendors mall, at the show or in a workshop with Jamie Wallen on Friday. This year, thankfully, I don't see winter weather as a threat in Hampton, VA!

Sorry, Hannes, you can't ride along this time; your job, while I'm away, is to keep an eye on Dad. 

🐾

Life is Good!

C'mon Along...

C'mon along on a quick walk through of the quilts that caught my eye at MAQF 2018, some award-winning and some that were just my very favorites. It was a great show, I simply couldn't be a judge.

I took a lecture and a class from the immensely talented Sue Nickels. She is a wonderful instructor, extremely well-prepared and super organized. I got a lot accomplished in class and finished two machine appliqued blocks since I have been back home. I am inspired and eager to see these blocks in a wallhanging-- when? Hmmm. We'll see.

And in between the show and the workshop that I took was shopping, visiting, more shopping, eating and-- yes, you guessed it-- more shopping. I came home fully supplied, enough to last until next year. Maybe. 

😲Also-- just a bit of MidAtlantic Quilt Festival trivia-- in yesterday's post I mentioned the fact that the event moved from Williamsburg, VA to Hampton, VA somewhere in the mid-2000's, but I was unsure exactly when that change took place. I contacted Mancuso show management and this is the official answer, in case any of you were wondering the same thing:  "The show moved from Williamsburg and was held (for just one year) in the Hampton Coliseum in 2005. In 2006, it moved to the Hampton Roads Convention Center where it has been held ever since."  Now we know. 

Life is Good!

MidAtlantic Memories

MAQF  Williamsburg, VA  2000

I've been going up to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival for a long time, somewhere in the vicinity of twenty years; always with friends and always making memories. Back when I started going up it was held in Williamsburg, VA; it moved to Hampton in 2005. Back in those earlier days I traveled with these two: Quiltkeemosabe in the center and Maredda, on the right. We met in the summer of 1992. I was teaching a class at a local quilt shop and these two ladies signed up, they were both brand-new in town and were wanting to connect with the quilting community. The three of us became fast friends from that very day. We were always up for an adventure, that never changed. I moved away in January of 1995, to Puerto Rico. I still remember the day that the moving van arrived, sitting on a bed amidst boxes piled high, with Maredda; she assured me that I would make new friends. I wasn't so sure. I moved once again, in July of 1996, from Puerto Rico to Geneva, Switzerland. Through it all Maredda sent notes and cards and photos, so did Quiltkeemosabe, even at foreign postal rates. Eventually, Quiltkeemosabe moved away too. The two of us vowed to move back one day. Maredda remained and continued to be faithful with prolific correspondence. During this time of being scattered, one from another, the three of us launched a Round Robin challenge with other local quilters from "back home".  Again, my friends were loyal; keeping me as a part of the group despite exorbitant postal rates at each "round". We had a grand unveiling party and social gathering at Maredda's home in May of 1997. What fun we had that evening, as always.

Maredda with her Round Robin quilt top at the "unveiling" event. 

Each time that I managed a "home leave" the three of us got together again. Sometimes our adventures were attending a quilt show, or maybe a fabric shopping excursion or sharing a meal; but there was always MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in February. The last time the three of us went together was in 2003. After that, things changed; Maredda's husband had retired and they had purchased a large recreational vehicle together to winter in Texas on the gulf coast. I had returned "back home" by that time and we built our home and were settled. Quiltkeemosabe had moved again but wasn't too far away, she moved back, for good, in 2005; but the three amigas were no longer bonded as we had been before. Sadly, Maredda was leaving us-- by inches. Her memory was fading fast, Alzheimer's was claiming her, although we didn't quite understand what was happening at the time.

One day, maybe ten years ago, I found a fat envelope in my mailbox containing many cards and letters that I had sent to her when we lived far away. She had kept them, and mailed them back to me (or someone did). Rather than viewing this as a rejection of our friendship Quiltkeemosabe was quick to point out to me that letting go of things that she was trying so desperately to remember, or keep organized, was necessary for her tortured mind. Since then I have read through and through these letters and cards, I am thankful that she returned them, they serve as a precious journal of those long-ago days for me now. 

This photo was taken in the fall of 2004, Hannes was just a tiny puppy! I had stopped by a local rec-center where I knew Maredda quilted with friends on Wednesday mornings to show her our newest family member. We had a wonderful visit that morning but things were changing, despite how hard we tried to pretend that they weren't.

I think of Maredda every day. Each time that I look at the window and beyond. At the window in our eating area because there hangs one of these monthly quilt minis that she made for me many years ago. This is such a fitting gift and lovely reminder as she always decorated her home seasonally. I think of her when I look beyond the window, too; as there stands the birdbath that she hauled out to our home construction site in early 2001 after witnessing birds bathing there in a rain-filled rut left by a tractor tire. We immediately placed that birdbath and filled it, long before our house had roof or walls. It stands in the side yard to this day, providing a bathing and drinking respite for our fine feathered friends and reminding me of a long ago kindness bestowed by a loving friend. 

MidAtlantic Quilt Festival 2018 ~ I am the shortest one standing, Quiltkeemosabe on far right. 

Fast forward to yet another MidAtlantic Quilt festival, this one; just a few weeks ago. This photo was taken on the very day that Maredda passed away; although we didn't learn this very sad fact until days after we had returned. Naturally, my heart broke but I was thankful that her suffering was over at long last. She had already been gone from us now for a long time, but we will never forget her and all the fun that we had together. Maredda was right after all: I did acquire new friends. Hold on to them tightly, make memories while you can; life changes with twists and turns you might never expect but your memories will be your treasures forever! ❤

Life is Good!

"...With My Little Eye..."

"...With My Little Eye..."  ~  47" X 54"

I  put this I Spy quilt together yesterday, it was quick and easy; I followed the directions in the pattern book to the letter. I was eager to try this pattern and the cutting template, both of which I purchased at MidAtlantic Quilt Festival last month. Created by Karen Montgomery, the book Crazy For More and the set of non-slip Creative Grids templates "Scrap Crazy" combine for some effortless and precise piecing. I am already planning my next project using these tools. The pattern book has many other appealing patterns and the templates are an absolute joy to use.

This quilt will be for Lynnleigh, her favorite color is orange.  She chose all the cute little novelty prints that she wanted in her quilt over the weekend. She dug deep into Nana's bins and placed everything that she wanted in one pile. You might think this would put a big dent in my fabric scrap bins. Think again! This bin, below, with its bulging cover is one of five.

I plan to back this quilt with a white Minkee-type blanket and quilt it on the longarm without any batting. It should be the perfect drag-along quilt for my favorite three-year-old!

Life is Good!

Quick Trim

I mentioned the Quick Trim Ruler by Creative Grids yesterday, I have already given mine a workout since returning home from MidAtlantic Quilt Festival. I used mine yesterday morning to join binding strips... flawlessly. I am grateful that I happened by The Quilt Company's booth when Karen Montgomery was expertly demonstrating this tool that she designed. Along with the ability to align corners for strip joins (as shown here) at a perfect quarter inch.
This tool is also great for precisely constructing flying geese and half square triangle units. You can also use this ruler as a compass and draw perfect circles with it!  Before the demo ended I had this ruler and a pattern (Old Dog, New Tricks) in my hand ready to check out! I will be experimenting with the ruler in the coming weeks and blogging about my results, stay tuned. Take a few minutes and watch the video found at the Quick Trim Ruler link above. Believe me, you will be as amazed at the versatility of this ruler as I was and I know you're going to want your own.

You can see the binding join, above, as the binding strip was applied to this scrappy tumbler quilt; perfect alignment after stitching with no dog ears to trim. Nice. This ruler also has a special highlighted line at 2.25", exactly the width I cut my binding; it's like this tool has ESP! This was the view across my sewing table after lunch yesterday... it was a bright and cheerful sight!

"TMX2 Again" with its binding in place, seam line marked for stitching; and "DeRailed", in the background, ready to be loaded onto Snowbird.

I did get the binding stitched and basted in place for hand sewing later. All in all it was a good day, made even easier by a great new tool.

Life is Good!

Lessons Learned While Driving...

...in less than optimum conditions! A view similar to this one* was all that I could manage exactly one week ago today as we motored on up to Hampton VA for our annual trip to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.  It was my turn to drive this year, when I picked up MJMR and Quiltkeemosabe at their homes it was raining; it didn't take too long, however, for the conditions to become deplorable. What started off as normal rain showers quickly devolved into relentless monsoon-type rain and wind, it was a white-knuckle ride most of the way. So, what lessons did I learn along the way?
1. Remain Calm ~ everything goes better when one remains calm
2. Trust Your Instincts ~ stay focused and alert and rely on your own driving skills and abilities 
3. Have Faith  ~ pray constantly for protection and be grateful for guidance (both God's and especially GPS!)
The best part of the entire trip was parking the car and, at long last, checking into the hotel safe and sound; I was never happier to see the sun shining brightly the next morning.

The quilt show and the merchants' mall didn't disappoint this year. By far, though, the highlight of the show for me was running into this lady and her amazing wholecloth quilt that she designed and for which she received a blue ribbon in "Best Longarm Machine Workmanship". I have known Gina for 20+ years; back when I taught quilting classes in a precious little quilt shop in the early to mid 1990's. This gal and her Mom signed up for every class that was offered there, she was so eager to learn! And learn she did. I couldn't be happier or more excited for her; she's quilting with major-leaguers now.

This was my shopping haul; not too bad. I did enjoy my time away, it was relaxing and inspirational. I caught up with dear friends, stolled through the quilt show and took my time in each and every vendor booth.  I will profile the Creative Grids Quick Trim Ruler pictured above tomorrow, it's a versatile tool! Back to those lessons learned behind the steering wheel: Remain Calm, Trust Your Instincts and Have Faith... those apply to all aspects of life, every day; I need to remember that. I'm feeling like Dorothy after her trip to Oz; since the trip going up was so exhausting it's simply good to be back home, (and back here blogging away again too) there's no place quite like it.

Life is Good!

*photo from web images