Quarterly Crunch Time

Will I ever learn? (No!) It is time to finish up my class proposals and samples for Spring 2010 at the Stitchin' Post and I always take on more than I should. New this term will be an Introduction to Photoshop Elements for Quilters class, plus a couple of more shorter classes on more advanced topics, another round of my scrap classes ("Simply Charming")--that's 4 samples right there!--and a new art quilt class called "Happy Accident Quilts". One sample is done so far...

I love messing around with Photoshop Elements and have a bunch of ideas for projects, but the reality is that working on digital collages and other images can easily consume most of a day. I learn a lot and will be a better teacher for having spent the time, but time on the computer doesn't move fabric under the needle!

Whine whine whine--at least it is warmer and puppies got their first decent walk in almost a week.

I Feel the Need...

To Bead! This is my second project made with right-angle weave, although maybe I should say third attempt since I had to make the bracelet twice--the first one was too small, even for my scrawny wrists... Funny how much quicker one gets the second time around!

Right-angle weave creates a lovely fabric that is fluid and drapes nicely. Some stitches don't wrap comfortably around small wrists (especially if one maintains a death-grip tension like I tend to do), but this bracelet is quite nice to wear.

Here's an interesting observation--I very rarely buy quilt kits (except charm packs and jelly rolls for class samples), and even then I generally toss something in from my stash to personalize the design somehow. I often succumb to the lure of jewelry kits, though. Maybe that is because it is harder to find the unique goodies some designers incorporate into their designs. Or perhaps because some kits use techniques I'm not familiar with yet, so can't visualize the results to design my own. It could just be that bracelets are my "instant gratification" projects and I get seduced by having everything ready to go in one cute little package. Whatever the reason, it is a good reminder not to judge people who want to make a quilt exactly like the one in the magazine or in the shop too harshly.

Holiday Bling

I whipped up this bracelet last night for our quilt guild luncheon today. Well, "whipped up" makes the process sound quick and painless, but there was more than a little grumbling and cursing before I was done! This stitch (spiral rope) involves multiple thread passes through the center "core" beads, so it works best when those beads have large holes. I had to use a very fine needle to get through the Czech beads I had on hand--Japanese beads would have made it so much easier. The thread only goes through the outer beads once, so this will be a perfect design for the tiny striped seed beads I've been hording.

Done is Good!

I just love 30's reproduction prints (I like jelly beans, too!). I started this quilt in a workshop with Gwen Marston from her "Liberated String Quilts" book. It has been quilted for a while but I couldn't decide what to use for binding. I tried several different fabrics but they competed with the border. The yellow is perfect--not too busy, not too bold. I've got another version of this waiting to be quilted (the story of my life these days...)

Looks More Like Me

Just had to include my original to show how different it is from the second version. This one was much harder since I was limited to the charm pack (what ding dong made that rule?!? Oh, yeah, yours truly...). Now I have two tablerunners waiting to be quilted...

Clear as Mud...

I have always been a fan of clear colors--no grayed, muddy fabrics for this girl! I felt compelled to buy them (some book I read said no stash would be complete without them), but hated seeing them next to my favorites. A couple of years ago, I cleaned out my stash and pulled out those yucky bits I knew I'd never use. Funny thing, when they were together in a pile by themselves, I loved them together! Since then I've had a "mud" shelf where the collection lives quite happily.

I dug into my light mud yesterday to coordinate with a Moda charm square pack for a quick tablerunner sample for my Simply Charming class this weekend. The Evening Mist fabric line is muted and lovely, but I always like to toss in a few extras to extend the value range or add a different scale of print. I'm quite pleased with the result! ("Game Board" pattern by Anka's Treasures).

Lake House Holiday Quilts

The quilts are up at the Lake House! Bevalee and I had fun bossing around our Caldera Springs helpers--funny that we didn't hear as much grumbling as we might have if it were strictly hubbies on the ladders!


This year is the first time we have quilts in the foyer and they make the entry warm and homey. We have room for a few more small quilts in that space, so I'll try to find time in the next year to finish one I've been working on for ages.


The largest quilts are in the Living Room, where they frame a glorious view of Mt. Bachelor (it was too bright to get a direct shot, though). The soaring ceilings are wonderful for displaying these bigger quilts -- the bottoms are still at least 8' above the ground! A few of the quilts in this room aren't specifically holiday quilts, but the mix of colors and styles makes for a nice display.

Most of the quilts are in the Family Room again this year. Quite a few are traditional red and green Christmas quilts, but there are a few others to jazz things up

Hooray, now I can stop sewing on hanging sleeves and get back to other projects!