Adventures in Quilting

Freedom Day!

2012-02-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

I forgot! While I was in Ghana, I decided to retire! I've always said when it wasn't fun any more, I would get out. My 401k has returned to pre-2008 levels, I don't love my job any more, so - "It's Time." My last day is June 29th! So that's what's up with the countdown clock over there on the right...

And I did restring the necklace...again...I can't believe I found all the beads!

The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas.

I'm ba-ack!

2012-02-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

The thing about blogging is, if you let yourself get out of the habit, you let yourself get out of the habit. Truth of the matter is, I haven't been sewing. Jewels in the Castle Wall took it all out of me. But, I'm back in the saddle again!

Let me catch up, in reverse chronological order...starting with last night. My next door neighbor invited me to join a group called The Girlfriends. It's a local group of about 14 women, and every month they get together and do a new activity. Each member takes turns hosting the activity, and last night Tomicka and I chose a beading class at Beads by Design in Marietta. Everyone had a great time and walked away with a completed project...except me! While I was walking around the store, I remembered a glass pendant that I bought in Houston 2 years ago that I really wanted to use. So I learned the process and strung the beads when I got home...and take my word for it, it was very pretty. Was, because I hung it up to take a picture, but my phone was upstairs. When I came back, it had fallen and there were beads all over the floor. Drat! I'll restring it later...(we all know what happens when I come back to something...later...)

And Quilting on the Square has a free Block of the Month Mariner's Compass - and they also had a contest to get the first block completed. I stayed up until 1 to get it finished and sent in. And I won! Here is the February Block - Which Way is North?

In December, my colleague Connie retired from Towers Watson. I had shown her a picture of the shoe quilt in progress, and she said she coveted the red and black shoe. So I made her a wall hanging as her retirement gift. I added a lot more buttons after I took this picture...that one little button looked lonely! It's called "Louboutins for Connie's Retirement."

In November I went to the Houston Quilt Show. The Houston Quilt show is indescribable...here is a view of the floor from the second floor:

This is the quilt that won Best of Show...It's called Harmony Within, by Sue McCarty. I wish you could see it in person. Talk about the picture not doing it justice...

Every where you see the gold and red...that's not patchwork...that's quilting! The border...quilting. The gold is quilted on a black background. See those meticulously placed pearls?

And finally - here are abbreviated pictures from Ghana! Only 108 photos....it wasn't easy getting that down from over a thousand, but it had to be done. OK - I'm back to blogging! Instead of a quote, here's a picture to close:

Georgia Quilt Show - Honorable Mention!

2011-10-23T11:04:00.003-04:00

Spent all day yesterday at the Georgia Quilt Show! "Jewels in the Castle Wall" received an Honorable Mention. Again, the competition in this category was fierce, so it is wonderful just to be recognized! Isn't the Internet machine amazing? I "met" Leona on Facebook and sent her the quilt to be quilted. I finally got to meet her in person yesterday. This is the two of us at the show in front of the quilt.

This was the first place quilt in the Bed Quilt category - "Splendeferous" - it is an amazing quilt, lots of complexity and detail. The quilting is amazing!

Second place: - "My Sand Devils"

"Logs and Stars in Scraps" - Third. This is an incredibly complex, non-strip pieced, beautiful quilt.

All the quilts in the show were gorgeous! So much hard work and creativity! For more pictures, if you're on Facebook, you can see them on the Original Sewing Expo's page.

As for me, I'm about to enter three weeks of epic back to back travel for work. I leave this afternoon for New York, then to Dallas on Tuesday. Don't come back from Dallas until Thursday.

The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that it's difficult to determine whether or not they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-09-30T11:07:00.002-04:00

I'm ba-ack! We had an amazing trip to Ghana! I have over 1000 photos, and will post a link as soon as I get them down to something manageable.

But first - "Not Fast Food" won first place in the East Cobb Quilt Show in the 2-person bed quilt category! I've seen photos of some of the quilts in the category, and am so humbled by the honor. This was a very competitive category. I'm posting a photo from Melinda's website because it has the ribbons attached. I couldn't attend the show because we left for Ghana the day the winners were announced. We had internet access in Ghana, so I received several congratulatory emails and texts while away! I'm still basking in the glow! Wow!

And more good news! "Jewels in the Castle Wall" was juried into the Georgia Quilt Show. After Leona finished quilting it with metallic threads, it looked kind of like a brick wall, so I changed the name. It is really a beautiful quilt!

More photos to come of the trip to Ghana later! So happy to be home!

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. -- Lin Yutang.

Reflect and Remember

2011-09-11T19:08:00.007-04:00

I know it has been so long since I've posted...I've been in California a lot with my stepfather (crisis seems to have passed), and the only quilting I have done has been putting binding on.

"Survivor Tree" salvaged from the ruins of the WTC in 2001

Today is the tenth anniversary of September 11th. We were living in California at the time, so it was just 6AM on the West Coast. I was up, getting ready for work - my morning habit was to listen to KCBS, All News, All The Time, Traffic on the 8's while I got ready. I still stream KCBS sometimes here, when I can't take any more of the hatred spewed out by the local right wing stations. But I digress... The newscaster broke in to say that a plane had hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center...I envisioned a small plane hitting the tower, tried to think of which one was the North Tower, and continued getting ready. Then they broke in to say that a second plane had hit the other tower. I woke Al up and asked him to turn on the television. He asked what channel? I said, if what they're saying on the radio is true, it doesn't matter, any channel. And indeed, all the stations had feed of the two towers on fire as we tried to figure out what this meant. Terrorist attack was not even on my mind. Later, one tower pancaked down in a tremendous crash, then the other. My sister lives in New York, but I wasn't even remotely concerned that she would be at the WTC...she stays away from tall buildings if she can help it. I lived in NYC in the 80's, and I still have friends there. Later I found out that everyone I knew and loved was OK. When I worked in Capital Markets for Bank of America, we used to stay at The Millenium Hotel (another blog/another time about wonderful memories of me, Susan and Joann in the Big Apple), and in the days that followed, we learned that the front of The Millenium was completely blown out when the towers crashed, but the hotel was still standing. Susan has been back,and said it is now a Hilton. I was supposed to be in Seattle, and I can't remember why I came back early, but I was thankful to not be someplace where I needed to rely on a plane to get back home.

I went in to the office, and I remember some out of town people who were there for a meeting having the presence of mind to get a rental car and get on the road right away to go home. I don't know if I would have thought of that, and then, folks couldn't get rental cars since they were all taken. Because one of the planes was headed for SF, we closed the office, not knowing if the terrorists might target skyscrapers in SF.

It's sad to think of the loss of life and treasure since then. I watched the coverage this morning of 9/11 and the opening of the National 9/11 Memorial. I think the architects got it exactly right...the memorial is beautiful. It was great to see the progress they have made.

Scient People Team Reunion - 8/11

From September, 1999 to May, 2001, I worked at a dot-com called Scient as part of the People Team (HR). We had such a great group of people - it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we all came together so well, as evidenced by the willingness of so many of the group to get together 10 years later. Even though we worked our butts off, many, many 12-15 hour days, it was the best job I ever had. I used to joke about being the Adult Supervision. It was a unique culture and great work environment. To this day, you could wake me up at 2:00 AM and I could still tell you the Scient Values (Spirit, Community, Growth, Innovation, Urgency, Excellence). We definitely drank the Scient Kool-aid. Even knowing that the whole dot-com thing would implode, I would still do it again. Look at the great friends we all made!

Then it was off to the annual retreat out in Danville...what a talented group! I worked on the binding for the red and white quilt and on a couple of the mystery projects. It's always great seeing everyone, and then on Sunday I came back home. This is the mystery project and I just love Benita's choice of fabrics. The picture does not do it justice!

And once again, I came back from the retreat to find that all three of my quilts had been accepted into the East Cobb Show!

So I've been putting on bindings and sleeves and today I dropped off all three quilts! And "Not Fast Food", which is now renamed to "Jewels in the Castle Wall," has also been accepted into the Georgia Quilt Show!

OK, so I haven't blogged in ages, and I am headed off to Ghana on Thursday, so it will be another couple of weeks before you hear from me again. Until then, happy stitching!

I dream of a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.

Who WAS the President before George H.W. Bush????*

2011-07-31T19:40:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in a month of Sundays...literally! It has been a month since the last Sunday I posted. I've been to California twice since then, headed out there again on Wednesday, instead of going to Montana to the Quiltworx Retreat where I belong. I've been trying to help my 81-year old Stepfather, who has decided to give away the little bit of money he has to a bunch of scammers from Jamaica. I'm not sure if it is Alzheimer's or if he truly does believe he has won $2 Million and all he has to do is send in his life savings to get it. The few moments of quilting have been spent putting the binding on the red and white quilt.

We took him to the Dr. to have him declared incompetent to handle his financial affairs. Like when you call someone to work on your computer and it works perfectly, the day we took him to the Dr., he was 110% focused. The title of this post comes from some of the questions asked to determine his cognitive ability.
"Who's the President of the United States?"
"Obama!"
"Who was the president before that?"
"Bush"
"Who was the president before that?"
"Clinton"
At this point, I was starting to think myself, who was the president before that? After thinking long and hard - Oh yeah, George H. W. Bush. And glad I didn't have to answer the question... who was the president before Bush 41?

* Ronald Reagan

Develop your eccentricities while you are young. That way, when you get
old, people won't think you're going gaga. - David Ogilvy

Leona is Amazing!

2011-07-05T21:43:00.002-04:00

Check out Leona's step-by-step of how she is quilting Not Fast Food. I'm really excited about the potential use of metallic threads:

TURBO QUILTER: Great CLIENT Quilts Inspire Me to Draw Original Quilt Motifs = A Lot of FUN#comment-form

--Americans will not be happy until we can fry oxygen. Andy Borowitz

Not Fast Food

2011-06-27T07:48:00.005-04:00

It was pointed out to me that I had not posted a completed picture of Not Fast Food...so here it is! Non-quilters always ask, "How long did that take?" There is no easy answer to that question - I know they mean, "how long did it take to sew the dang thing," but how long did it take has to include agonizing over fabric choices, cutting fabric, arranging the layout, etc. I went into KiwiQuilts last week, and I was telling one of the customers that each of the blocks took between 10 and 15 hours (most took 15) to sew, and that I named it Not Fast Food because I was a White Glove at the East Cobb Show in 2009, and a gentleman said to me that he was glad that quilting had not gone the way of fast food. I thought of him when I was working on this piece and the first block took about 10 hours to piece. Tracy thought that was really the name of the pattern, and had not been able to find it. Hmmmmm.....wonder why? It's a Block of the Month from Starr Fabrics. You can buy the whole kit at once and save on postage, but I would recommend joining their mailing list, and when they have their 12 days of Christmas sale or another sale, they'll send you a note and you can get it then, or buy it at one of the quilt shows. I bought it at the Chicago show a couple of years ago, and it was 50% off.

I am sooooo glad to be finished with this. I learned a lot, and my piecing got so much better by the end. It is off to Leona Harden to be quilted.

I spent the day Saturday down at Quilts and Fixins in Jonesboro to sell Raffle Tickets for the East Cobb Raffle Quilt. This picture does not do it justice. I met lots of quilters and we sold lots of tickets, so it was a good day!

I owe, I owe, so off to work I go! Have a great day!

I have not lost my mind - it's backed up on disk somewhere.

Freakin' Rock Star From Mars

2011-06-15T20:21:00.001-04:00

I made it under the wire with my entries to the East Cobb Quilt Show. I did not finish the shoe quilt, wasn't even able to get it to a point where I could pretend it was a quilt. So I have two entries this year: The Amazon Star on the left and Not Fast Food. The Amazon Star needs some work, as it is not quilt show worthy. It has the World's Biggest Feathers (tm), and I have to try to figure out how to fill them in.

And I finished piecing Not Fast Food...

I took them to the Post Office at 4:45 and told the attendant that I needed them postmarked today! to which he obliged. Having sewn for hours every single day for the last couple of months, I am now going to work on the Brown Sugar Stitchers Treasurer's Report, and then, bed.
"Forty percent of Americans would not vote for Obama if he personally saved them from drowning." Bill Maher

Paper Piecing

2011-06-11T08:44:00.000-04:00

100% of the quilters surveyed (me!) love the sharp points and intricate designs you can get with paper piecing, but hate taking the paper off. Not only is it a pain, but it's messy. I started taking paper off last night at 7, finished at 11:30, only took the paper off six blocks and I have a million little pieces of paper on my sewing room floor. I started out trying to put it in the trash can, but that little extra motion was taking up time, so then just started dropping it on the floor. As I was sweeping it up, I decided to share, because 85% of the people who read this blog want to see my messy sewing room floor.

Back at it this morning, but I have an appointment for a facial at 3, so I can't work on this all day today.

79% of all statistics are made up.

Still working on it...

2011-06-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

Sashing on all the rows, everything all lined up, pieced border pieced...I should finish it up by Friday. I was hoping to finish it this weekend, but piecing the border took longer than I thought, and making sure that all the blocks are lined up is going to take longer than I expected. I didn't get started on it until about noon today...our sprinkler system is out and I had to hand water all the new landscaping we put in last year. We've had mid-90's weather for the last two weeks, so no water has really started to take a toll on the plants. I have a jillion hydrangeas. Which just for the record, I have never liked. Don't ask me why I let the landscaper talk me into them.

"I'm from Georgia where the tea is sweet and accents are sweeter. Peaches are the ladies. Summer starts in April. Macaroni and cheese is a vegetable. BBQ is the state food. Ya'll is a proper pronoun. Chicken is fried. Biscuits come with gravy. Everyone is Honey. Someone is always getting their heart blessed. And we are all "fixin" to do something.” Jerome Cade

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T20:30:00.003-04:00

Remembering those who have lost their lives in service to our country, as well as those who have served and are now serving in the military and the sacrificies they are making.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning up several of the blocks on Not Fast Food that were way wonky. One thing I can say is that I have definitely improved my paper piecing skills over the course of these blocks, and that's what it's all about, right? When I look at the blocks I pieced initially and the one I just finished up, seriously, they are like night and day.

So today I started putting it together. The pattern calls for a 3 1/2 inch sashing, but when I laid it out, I didn't like such a big sashing....the blocks looked too far apart, and after all that hard work, the sashing just kind of drowned the block. So I made the sashing 3 inches instead of 3 1/2. And I squared the blocks off to 12 1/4."

So this will be set on point, and I was so careful when I cut the setting blocks...you can imagine my consternation when those end setting blocks didn't fit! And then I realized...duh! Of course they didn't fit - the top was now quite a bit smaller than the pattern. So I'm going to clean it up at the end...dividing 7/8" and 1/4" is just too hard for my pea brain.

When someone asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway.

And Done!

2011-05-28T15:14:00.001-04:00

Woo-hoo! Just finished the last block! Yippee! It took a little bit longer because I wasn't paying attention and cut off the seam allowance (on the left)...duh!

Don't ask me what I was thinking...I have never cut off the seam allowance before. A little bit of scotch tape and it was all good. I had to resew 5, 6, 7, and 8, because I cut those off with the seam allowance, but it could have been on the other side where I would have had to resew the whole dang thing.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Wayne Gretzky

One! Ha, ha, ha, ha, One! One more block to go!

2011-05-23T23:32:00.001-04:00

LOL - Now I'm The Count from Sesame Street! It's because this block drove me in-sane! Aaaaugh! I want to be like Oprah and savor this last block..."no bitter, all sweet," reflect on the journey, the takeout meals, the unwashed clothes, the missed holiday celebrations while I was sewing. Maybe have Chris Rock or Tom Hanks come and help me look back on how far I've come since that first block...instead, I think I'll just try to get 'er done. Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin

Two!

2011-05-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to finish this block before the world came to an end today at 6, but we had a guild meeting, an applique class after that, and then I went to the sewing machine hospital to get my machines back! Yippee! The 200/730 is sewing beautifully! They didn't charge me for the 830, but my back is hurting so bad, I left it in the car!

"BREAKING NEWS*******RAPTURE HALTED: Because of discrepancies surrounding His "manger" birth, Jesus was unable to produce His original long form birth certificate, so the Rapture is temporarily on hold while Trump hires investigators to track down the 3 wise men who were "supposedly" witness to the newly born Jesus back in the day. Unfortunately, this means MONDAY will still come as originally scheduled."

Three!

2011-05-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

This block was sooooooo hard! In fact, it was so hard that I turned it around... there were just too many places to line up that weren't working. I hope wherever this quilt ends up it doesn't get washed...there are pieces here that are hanging on by the slenderest of threads! I'll have to be more careful on the next block...

Four! (Four more, four more...)

2011-05-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

They're starting to look alike, aren't they?

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid doing entirely."

"I've got five more blocks to go now...

2011-05-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

...over the hill and just around the bend...I've got to keep on sew - ing...I've got to sew on....uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh...I'm so tired now...but I just can't lose my stride..."

I crack myself up sometimes!

This was the best line from the Correspondents Dinner: "Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans, because it will streamline their search for a Vice President." 

Six!

2011-05-04T23:51:00.000-04:00

"Donald Trump says he has a great relationship with 'the Blacks'...unless the Blacks are a family of white people, I bet he's mistaken." Seth Myers, White House Correspondents Dinner, 2011

Mission Accomplished!

2011-05-02T20:01:00.002-04:00

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." Jessica Dovey
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." Mark Twain

Seven...no, not the movie...

2011-04-30T19:33:00.003-04:00

Seven blocks to go!

Apparently I have sewn so much that I have worn my sewing machine out! I had to take it and the 830 back to the sewing machine hospital. I was not at all happy with the sewing machine hospital...we do seem to have a love hate relationship, don't we? I'll start to think they're OK and then they'll go and do something else. It is absolutely my fault that I didn't bring the 830 back in right away after I had it serviced and it wasn't sewing properly. When I told the service manager that I had not been able to get the tension to sew correctly, she found the original service slip from January and said they will have to charge me AGAIN to service it. I said if she looked at the stitches she could see that I had not sewn on it since I had it back, but she said they don't keep that record and it doesn't matter anyway. Actually, I think the machine records service record and stitches...I'll have to check. I may or may not make a fuss...I'm excellent about voting with my feet, although Bernina makes it really hard to do that. There's no other dealer in the greater Atlanta Metro area, which is why I keep going back there. We'll see.

I played around with how to lay this out:

Actually - truth, truth - I'm getting bored, and I was trying to play around with different layouts to see if I could stick a fork in this and call it done.

I went to the ECQG night meeting for the first time Thursday night. It was very nice and the people were friendly. The speaker was Margaret Miller.

There ain't no answer, there ain't gonna be any answer...there never has been an answer...there's the answer.

Gertrude Stein

Eight!

2011-04-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

Do you remember a song from the 60's by Edwin Starr "Twenty-Five Miles" where he counts down the miles to go to get to his girlfriend's house? THAT song has been playing in my mind...I actually do have it on iTunes, so I should play it today.

This is my least favorite of all the blocks...not because there are sooooooo many hard places to match up, but I think there is too much negative space (the light background). Maybe it will look better when it is quilted.

It was really hard...I spent all day yesterday working on it...This is another 112 piece block. The next one is a 104 piece block.

Y'all are gonna spoil me...and I'm already past my sell-by date.

Stephen Colbert

Ten, Nine...

2011-04-22T20:55:00.001-04:00

I finished # 10 last weekend before I left for New York to see Jeffrey star in "Honk!", but I didn't have time to post before or after I got back. Then I left for Dallas (95 degrees!) and Chicago (45 degrees!) There are 112 pieces in this block!

And now today I have finished # 9! Can I tell you how good it feels to be in the SINGLE digits? There are only 104 pieces in this block.

A bed without quilts is like a sky without stars

Sankofa -

2011-04-22T20:47:00.001-04:00

The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland held their first ever quilt show on Saturday! It was sooooo good! You know that fear of throwing party and nobody comes? Imagine if you throw a quilt show and nobody comes? Of course, you know your family and friends will come, but aside from that...well - we need not have worried. There were HUNDREDS of people there! Family and friends of course, but it was great to see all my friends from EBHQ...and members of my mini-group - Susan and Anne - oh, it made me miss California so much! Saturday morning, Doris, Regina and I walked Lake Merritt in the morning...

..., then I went to the show. This is my favorite quilt from the show...it is Swirling Batiks by Benita Jones...all those curves!

Sunday morning I went for a walk at Redwood before I headed back home. I am so out of shape...

This hill near 'bout kilt me. And this was the easy way! Redwood Park was about 15 minutes from our house...it was a lot easier to walk with such a beautiful place to hike so close to home. Farther down in the valley, there are waterfalls and more beautiful Redwoods.

No atoms casually together hurl'd

Could e'er produce so beautiful a world.

John Dryden

11 More to Go!

2011-04-04T20:42:00.001-04:00

I am sooooo happy to have more finished than I have left to go. I'm happy to have finished this block, because I will not have time this week to do any more. Tomorrow I'm going to dinner with Leslie, who is here from Washington, D.C., for a diversity conference, and Wednesday night I'm going to dinner with Anne and Jennifer. Thursday night I will be packing (oh, who am I kidding? I won't start packing until Friday morning when I leave!) for California. I might maybe wash Thursday night. The weekend after that I have to go to NYC to see my nephew Jeffrey starring in The Ugly Duckling. I have managed to be home for a bit, but then I have to go to Dallas and Chicago back to back. So if I manage to finish three more blocks this month, it will be a miracle.

I'm going to California because The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland is having their first quilt show. I will be showing the Liberated Shaded Nine-Patch, because I didn't finish the shoe quilt.

If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me. ~Song title by Jimmy Buffet

Halfway there!

2011-04-03T12:06:00.004-04:00

12 down, 12 to go! The blocks are definitely getting harder...way too many places to match up. After ripping these seams out about 3 times, I finally came up with the idea of using my walking foot. Duh! So the problem is that even though my piecing is accurate, fabric shifts and stretches and pulls...and in some of the places where there are 12 pieces of fabric intersecting, the feed dog pulls the bottom fabric away from the top at an uneven rate. Using the walking foot moves the top and bottom layers along at an even rate. I mostly use my walking foot for putting on binding; never thought about it for piecing.

Never do anything you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics.

10 down, 14 to go!

2011-03-30T22:50:00.003-04:00

Ooh wee, this block was hard. I started it Monday night, just finished it tonight. Sooooo many places that had to match up. I just want to go out and buy a big old batch of Roxanne's Basting Glue. By the time I get to the end, I'll just be sitting in a corner babbling to myself. This is my favorite block, and since I got it to behave, I'm going to put it right in the middle of the quilt.

Whew! Time to go watch Top Chef. I hope Richard Blais wins!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No use being a damned fool about it. W. C. Fields

16 and 15

2011-03-27T18:56:00.001-04:00

I finished block 16 after book club yesterday and just finished 15...by the way, those are blocks left to go, not blocks completed. I'm confusing myself! I was trying to post these pictures side by side, but can't get them to post next to each other.

My goal was to finish 3 blocks this weekend, but we had a little excitement last night. I was sewing a block when a huge thunderstorm started. My sewing room is in the basement, and I could hear the hail as if I were outside. It truly came down in buckets. Then there was a huge burst of thunder and lightening, a spark and a flash and the electricity went out. A couple of minutes later, the electricity came back on, but the telephone was out, the televisions were out. This morning Al went outside and said the sprinklers ran all night because the sprinkler controller blew out. The garage door opener blew out. Oh, and the alarm system. Can you say, whole house surge protector? But thankfully, the most important thing, my sewing machine is just fine! Since I was sewing at the time, I was really surprised when it came back up with no problem. It was plugged into a surge protector, but it's a cheap one that I really thought of as more of an extension cord.

The piecing on these blocks is pretty good. Roxanne's Basting Glue is our friend.

The Atlanta Shop Hop was this weekend, but I didn't participate. I said the only way I would hop is if they would let me sell some of the fabric I have in my Resource Center!

Procrastinate! It frees up time to quilt!

17!

2011-03-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I started thinking about the East Cobb Quilt Show in September and somehow I started thinking about Not Fast Food and how I had planned to finish that in time for the show. I spent an hour looking for the pattern (when am I going to get organized?), and decided I can finish this...by June 15. Right. I don't know if I can or not...each block takes 8 hours...and I have 17 more to go, which means I need 136 more hours to finish it by June. OK, I'm going to give it a shot. Stay tuned.

Here's the block I finished tonight. Using some of the techniques I've learned from Judy Neimeyer, it came together a lot better than the previous ones. I didn't have to take it apart 90 times. Only 89 times.

Sew much fabric, sew little time!

Red and White Quilt Finished!

2011-03-21T00:30:00.002-04:00

Check it out! Red and White Single Irish Chain...done!

I have to finish the back tomorrow, and then try to find someone who can move me to the top of the list for quilting. With the East Cobb Show coming up this year, I know everyone will be very busy.

I went by Tiny Stitches after Hoopsisters class at Atlanta Sewing Center today to ask Melinda if she had time to quilt it. As I suspected, with Shop Hop and classes and quilts already in the que AND she's going to market with her sister in May, she didn't have time. Melinda does beautiful quilting - she quilted Ra, Batik Sun Dance, and Salsa with Extra Guacamole on the Side. But, when you're that good, you're in demand.

As I was looking around in Tiny Stitches, I saw the shoe panel that Bessie had been looking for! After she finished embellishing her cute quilt last year, she said she wanted to do another, but couldn't find the panel any more. I was surprised to see this panel, and thought maybe they had reissued it...but Melinda told me they had just found it when they were moving stuff around.

And I found these two great panels...I see them as the center medallion in a bigger quilt, but they are fantastic panels in and of themselves. I have to show these now, because who knows when I will actually do something with them?

I must get busy finishing my quilts for the East Cobb show...I want to show the Amazon Star, If The Shoe Fits, and Japanese Fans. I would LOVE to show Misty Blue Latte, but I'm not sure I can finish it. Well - I gotta get going, huh?

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way - when you criticize them - you're a mile away and you have their shoes!

On a roll!

2011-03-06T11:27:00.001-05:00

Finished the BQ2 quilt. All it needed was borders, but geez, piecing borders and a back took forever! I think it may have taken longer than piecing the blocks! This was just something I put together quickly. I should finish the red and white quilt today. Back to work!

I didn't post last week because it was my birthday. I was in New York, and celebrated my nephew Joseph's 18th birthday on Friday night at the Cheesecake Factory. On Sunday, my birthday, we started out the day by doing yard work! The nice weather from the week before had caused stuff to start blooming, so we needed to cut the roses back and cut some of the overgrown plants in the yard. Al took me to dinner at Caper's Sunday night, and I was so exhausted when we got back, I went to bed!

Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.

Hi Sandi! Here's a closeup of a block...they're huge - 24" - which means it comes together very quickly...it's a weekend project for sure!

Rock Star from Mars

2011-03-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

Guess what the name of the Amazon Star quilt is??? ROFLOL - 20 years from now it won't mean a thing, but for now, I think it is hilarious!

‎"I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total freakin' rock star from Mars."
Charlie Sheen

Finally Finished!

2011-02-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

I finished the Amazon Star yesterday! Woo-hoo - something finished! In the morning, I went to the Brown Sugar Stitchers Guild planning committee meeting for our Quilt Show, which will be in October/November.

So now, back to the red and white quilt for Barbara!

What I Learned in Quilting School

2011-02-08T20:21:00.003-05:00

Back from a great weekend at Quilting by the Bay in Florida! Judy Niemeyer is there all week, and I needed to get help with my Amazon Star and figure out why the star points weren't lining up. I redid the Mariners Compass part and it still wasn't lining up...and we all know that I'm anal about points matching. Judy was able to diagnose the problem quickly and set me on the right track!

Why yes, that is me next to Judy, hiding behind that gorgeous quilt! Judy was packing up at the end of the second day and Sue wanted to take a picture. I quickly grabbed the quilt to hide behind! The quilt is a new pattern that is coming soon to a quilt shop near you...Cattails in the Meadow...and it is so pretty!

Those are my flat-out GORGEOUS Japanese Fans on the table. Want to see?

I am officially a Judy Groupie!

Why I don't do swaps!

2011-02-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

But I forget that I don't do swaps! :) The log cabin is my favorite block...it's a beginner's block, but I just love all the things you can do with it, and I belong to a Yahoo Group where it's a round robin...one person starts the round with the center pieces, then mails it on to another person who adds three logs, they mail it on to another person who adds three logs and so on until the last person sends it back to the original person. It's fun, because others are selecting the fabrics/colors that go on your block. Some of the swaps have themes, like this one is all scrappy, and there are rules.

OK - so if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I am anal about seams lining up and being straight and matching and all that...but when you are in a swap, you have given up all control over the straight thing. The last round robin I participated in, I actually loved the fabrics, and the seams were straight enough...so when they started another round, I thought, oh, this will be a good quilt to donate to Carrie Steele Pitts. Today I got my first round:

Seriously? Does this person own a ruler? That is not a distortion, that is how wonky that block is...and there are 18 more just like it! So I promptly resigned from the swap. I hate to not keep my commitment, but do I really want this person working on my block? I don't think so.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like some cheese to go with my whine!

Neither rain nor hail, but actually snow and ice are a different story...

2011-01-16T11:52:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday my "Maui Flower Power" was featured in O.V.s newsletter - perfect for the winter chill!

Then Sunday night, we had about 5-6 inches of snow in the Atlanta Metro area. When I went to bed, it was starting to flurry a little, and when I woke up Monday morning, we were blanketed in snow. Al, of course, needed to go out in the snow, despite the fact that everything was closed. On the news, they were saying, "Don't go out unless you have to. Everything is closed. There is nothing to do. Take our word for it." The bank was closed, Publix was closed, restaurants were closed. I had stocked up on Saturday, so I was absolutely ready for the storm. I had chocolate, toilet paper, bread and soup...all the basic necessities! My friend Carol was here from Seattle, expecting to go back Monday, but over 1900 flights were cancelled at the ATL.

Tuesday was a bit worse, because it warmed up a bit, then went down to the teens overnight, and the snow was now...ice. Al went to Wal-Mart and came back to report that there were long lines, but basically, everything was closed and there wasn't much on the shelves. He said once you got off our street and onto the main road, it wasn't that bad. If we had known, we would have gotten a couple of bags of salt, because Wednesday he tried to get out and couldn't...the snow was a solid sheet of ice, several inches thick, and our driveway slopes down.

Thursday morning I heard the newscasters talking about how they had broken up the ice in their driveways with shovels and hoes, so I passed that along to Al, who went out there with garden tools, and he was able to get enough traction to go out again...to Wal-Mart, which was still standing. The bank opened at noon. We got mail! By Friday, everything was back to normal, although there was still a lot of snow on the ground.

And Barbara asked me to make a quilt for her son Aaron's Godparents, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in February. I normally don't do commission requests (no time, takes the fun out of my hobby, and hello, have you seen my UFO's?), but for a soror, for Barbara, and for 50 years, I'll make an exception. Yesterday we went to KiwiQuilts to pick out the fabric...I'm just going to do a single Irish Chain, which will go fairly quickly, and let the contrast of the red and white do all the work. It was my first day out, and it was good to get a breath of fresh air! Still a few patches of ice, but it was in the 50's and a lot of the ice melted. Barbara and I went to a great restaurant for lunch - Capers - it was absolutely delicious. I had a steak salad that was perfectly cooked. Will definitely go back!

I always do a test block. This didn't take much time I'm pleased with the results.

Lord, Deliver me from Y seams!

2011-01-09T18:01:00.001-05:00

This is now sewn together. I'm like a 16th of an inch off on that inner circle, and I've resewn it 20 times, so I've just decided to put this down for today and work on the Brown Sugar Stitchers Treasurer's Report.

If you are going down a road and don't like what's in front of you and look behind you and don't like what you see, get off the road. Create a new path! Maya Angelou

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:22:00.001-05:00

In a little less than 5 hours, 2010 will be in the history books! From a quilting perspective, I didn't accomplish much. So my word for 2011 will be "complete"...I will finish the Amazon Star, If the Shoe Fits, Bali Wedding Star, Celtic Wave and Dragon Star quilts in 2010. And do the Fabric is Better Than Food challenge for O.V.s Christmas party, which involves a piece of green fabric that looks like Fairy Frost. Oh - and the TNT quilt from Hoopsisters, which I am starting to hate. Looking at this thing, I could have pieced, quilted and embroidered it in the amount of time months 1-6 have taken. Months 7-8 are not yet completed because the 830 is not loving the water soluble thread required. I'll finish it because I'm so far into it, and it's name will be, "Most Expensive Wall Hanging Ever!" At $30 a lesson, we're $240 in to it just for the monthly designs/classes.

"Most Expensive Wall Hanging Ever!"

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better person. ~Benjamin Franklin

Playing Catch Up

2010-12-27T22:30:00.002-05:00

It seems like such a short time ago I was bragging about being on time with the TNT block of the month ...now I am desperately behind. We are on month eight...I finished month four tonight...I was going to try to tackle month five before I go to bed, but sleep is calling my name.

I have to tell you, I don't love this quilt. I'm not feeling it. Each block takes about an hour to complete, so you are looking at 16 hours out of my life, which I guess isn't bad. 18 more to go, plus putting it together time.

And I did get Al to drive me to Intown yesterday. And they did not have ANY of the fabrics for the Amazon Star. But they did have a 40% off everything in the store sale! Called out to Tiny Stitches and they don't have the pattern either. So I ordered the pattern online today, and I'll just keep working on this one this week. I am committed to catching up on this and the Ribbon Bargello while I'm off this week. Given that the temp will be in the teens tomorrow, it won't be hard to stay home and sew!

Art ISN'T Easy...White Christmas!

2010-12-26T12:43:00.002-05:00

All the joys of the holiday season to you and yours! We had a white Christmas yesterday!

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...just like the ones I used to know..."

Irving Berlin

LOL - I have never known a white Christmas in all my years. It snowed all day yesterday, and some of it stuck. We stayed in all day...I worked on putting the Amazon Star together, and I messed up...big time. I did a terrible job on the the center Mariner's Compass...it's so pretty, but I didn't press it correctly, and it doesn't fit. Don't ask me why I didn't notice until I started putting it together. Worse - I don't have enough fabric. I am going to try to talk Al into taking me to Intown Quilters to see if they still have any of this. I don't want to drive, although I've heard that the roads are in good shape and aren't icy at all. I've already looked online to no avail. Intown has the best selection of batiks in Atlanta, and it's where I got most of these batiks. But I bought them in March, and I'm not holding out a lot of hope that nine months later they might still have them. I also need another pattern, which they probably won't have.

Since I didn't feel like sewing after my discovery, I cleaned up my sewing room. Al came in and said he couldn't see any difference from before, then he said, "What's important is that you can see a difference." And I can!

Piece by piece...

2010-12-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

Art isn’t easy.
Every minor detail is a major decision,
Have to keep things in scale
Have to hold to your vision....

I started sewing at 7 AM this morning and I am just finishing now. There's no place I can lay out 104 x 104. Big Momma is panting hard. I've really completed two quilts...there isn't a single seam on here that I haven't had to sew twice! All the sections are completed, now I will start "putting it together."

Every little detail plays a part...

2010-12-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

Having just a vision's no solution,
Everything depends on execution:

Putting it together...

That's what counts!

(Still hearing Sondheim.)

The Art of Making Art....

2010-12-10T20:20:00.001-05:00

...is putting it together.

What can I say? It's Sondheim week in my sewing room. As I sewed my final seam and started thinking about "putting it together," that song from "Into the Woods" kept playing in my mind. The Barbara Streisand version.

OK, so now all I have to do is put it together.
...Piece by piece...
...Bit by bit....

Getting Closer...

2010-12-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

It's been a tough week at work...last night I was on the phone until midnight...but every other night I worked on the corner points for an hour or so. Today I signed off at 7 and finished up the corner points to the Amazon Star. The final part is the long spikes on the corner, which hopefully I can finish next week. Tomorrow I head up to NYC to see Jeffrey, my youngest nephew, in a play. Here are the corner points...I don't love the gold fabric here, but I'm hoping when it is quilted, it will tone down a bit.

What I did on my Thanksgiving Vacation...

2010-11-28T17:41:00.004-05:00

My Aunt Dot is visiting her daughter, Sebra, in Dacula, GA for the holiday, and yesterday Al and I drove out to visit. As we walked up to the front door, Al said, "I don't think this is the right house." I was thinking the same thing, because I remembered steps and this house did not have any. I said, "Why's that?" and he pointed to the "McCain/Palin" bumper sticker on one of the cars in the driveway! What was really funny is that he had his "Obama 08" cap on!

I've gotten a lot of quilting done over the last four days. I have pieced all but the outer ring on the Amazon Star. I'm pretty certain I can finish piecing this over Christmas vacation, which would be a good thing to have at least one project finished this year! Here is what one of the completed star points looks like:

Much prettier in person, and I'm getting excited about this piece! I would love to enter it in the East Cobb show in September, but I can't remember their max size. This might be too big.

I'm very pleased with the way the points are sharp as a tack and all line up and so far, it's lying pretty flat. Once I start putting all those Y-seams together, it will be a different story, but so far, so good!

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. ~Johnny Carson

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little bit crazy at work...we're in the midst of a merger, and there are so many deadlines and not enough time. One of the best things about the merger, though, is that for the first time in my professional career, I have the day after Thanksgiving off without having to take a personal vacation day. I worked at Bank of America for 28 years, and banks are not allowed to be closed four days in a row (rule instituted after The Depression to prevent runs on banks. The idea was to give people access to their money), we barely had Thanksgiving Day off at Scient, and it wasn't a holiday at Watson Wyatt. I will do some work, because I haven't done expenses in about four months, and my office looks like a disaster, but it will be good to get up when I feel like getting up in the morning!

So today, I did quilting in between cooking dinner. I am not going to work on anything else until I finish this project. This is the Amazon Star that I started at Asilomar last March in Judy Niemeyer's class...I worked on the center Mariner's Compass when I went to the retreat at Toccoa last month, and I've just finished the outer star points today.

Which one of these is not like the other one?

One of the reasons I'm so slow is that on repetitive pieces like this, I sew them one at a time. I've found that I have a short attention span, and when I'm chain piecing, I don't focus (today I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) and I end up making mistakes and having to unsew. Even with unsewing, I didn't do tooo badly with these star points, and only had to redo the one.

Here's what I've finished so far:

This is laid out on the floor of the pool room, since it is already too big for my design wall. Finished size is 104 x 104, which is where the name "Amazon Star" comes from. When I find my camera, I'll get a better picture posted. The colors are really pretty on this, and they're not coming through on my iPhone photo.

Sorry I haven't posted in ages. One of my New Year's resolutions is to post to my blog at least once a week.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner,
Stay off your thighs!
~Author Unknown

Lots of Quilt Activity, Not Much Quilting Going On

2010-10-04T08:27:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, September 18th, I went to the show quilt show put on by the Chattahoochee Evening Star Quilt Guild. They put on a great show! I was invited by Julie, who was in my Bali Wedding Star class last year. That little stinker has finished her quilt, quilted it herself, AND won first place in the show! That is just wrong, especially when you consider the stage mine is in. Here's her gorgeous quilt:

Then on the 19th, Brown Sugar Stitchers did quilting demonstrations at the Atlanta History Center. We arranged the quilts from hand piecing to machine quilting, and the demonstration the same way. I was exhausted by the time we left.

Beep...

2010-09-16T15:25:00.000-04:00

I dialed a number and got the following recording: "I am not available to come to the phone right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. Please leave a message after the beep. I am making some changes in my life. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."

But who's counting?

2010-08-26T18:37:00.007-04:00

Who's keeping track of UFO's (Unfinished Objects) for me? You know, projects you've seen started on this blog, then next week, look! Another great project! Started but not finished!

And now, this week - look! Another great project started! Earlier this year I promised Tracy that I would teach a class for her - little did I know how utterly bored I would be with this quilt. So when I was in the store last week, she asked me when I could do the class, and I couldn't put it off any longer. AND she sent an email out, so I really couldn't put it off any longer. But look how much I've gotten done just this week! Halfway there!

The color is not coming through correctly, but it's red and black. Here is the one I did in like 2005:

Best. Project. EVER!

2010-08-22T22:10:00.011-04:00

Ann always does such a great job with the retreat...she does her best to make it special and fun -
she always makes a gift for each participant, plans at least one mystery quilt, gives us each a pattern, and let's not forget the games! So our gift exchange is that you are given a number and you choose your gift based on your number...then the fun begins! We have done the gift exchange where you can keep your gift or choose one of someone else's, but we have a variation on that theme. Ann has made up Quilter's Dice, and if you roll a double you get to choose a gift, and if you roll the guild's symbol, the gift is yours and no one can take it. Sally chose my gift, and the oohs and aahs when she opened it were very rewarding! Well worth the time and effort. But it kept getting taken away from her! And she kept winning it back by rolling doubles! In the end she lost it on a double that was rolled by Teri, so I am going to surprise Sally with a wallhanging. She worked hard for it and we all had lots of fun!

But the best project? This key hanger thing!

My keys can't get lost! Well, they can, but not as

easily. My mother used to say I would lose my head if it wasn't attached, and that is as true today as it was 50 years ago! Case in point...I just spent most of the weekend looking for my iPhone. I knew it was here, because I had it on Friday. And I knew it was here because Mobile Me (the Best App ever! Well worth the $100 a year) said it was. But where? Not in my office where I had it last, not in my sewing room, not in my closet, not in the laundry room under a stack of clothes. Mobile Me has perfected the science of finding lost things...now that you know it's in the house, but where, you can send out a little signal! But I still couldn't find the dang thing! Finally this afternoon after eliminating all the places I thought it was, I gave the beeping signal one last try and looked in the garage. Voila! A very faint signal! From my car? Move the car outside...nope...from the garbage can! Either I scooped my iPhone up with some stuff I threw away on my desk, or I had it in my hand when I was throwing something else away. Anyway...I'm a happy camper. Until they make a little GPS signal with beeper for keys and glasses, which will make someone very, very rich, this key chain thingie is fabulous! And it only took about half an hour to make!

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'll bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

For the Retreat

2010-08-08T19:14:00.004-04:00

I've mentioned in the past the retreat that I go to in the Bay Area - at San Damiano in Danville. I don't think I've mentioned that we do a gift exchange...Friday night, after dinner, Saturday night after dinner, and then on Sunday, but I'm never around for that one. So, I've got one gift done.

It's a panel that I've quilted and added borders to. It took all day, much longer than I had planned, but there it is on the left. I see that my quilting needs to be redone. It looks kinda bad, huh? My straight lines aren't. I think I'll redo it with a filler that doesn't require a lot of accuracy. Why is there never enough time to do something right the first time, but always time to do it over?

Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!

TNT - Hoopsisters

2010-07-25T13:38:00.004-04:00

Months 1 through 3 - this is a block of the month from Hoopsisters. It's an embroidery technique where the blocks are quilted in the hoop and embroidered. I cannot believe that I am actually on time with a project! Months 1-3 - done!

BSS 10th Anniversary Celebration

2010-07-18T21:24:00.006-04:00

The Brown Sugar Stitchers held their 10th Anniversary Celebration yesterday. Under the leadership of Elisa Woods, the celebration was more than just a coming together of quilters to mark the passage of time. The guild honored several community leaders in Atlanta for their service. The honorees were (l-r) Author Pearl Cleage (What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day), Carrie Steele Pitts Home Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Lavizzo, Congressman and Civil Rights Leader John Lewis, Channel 2 Anchorperson Monica Pearson, and Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale. They are each holding the quilts they received, and you could tell they were all pleased and honored to be acknowledged in such a special way. The program was held at The Pecan in College Park. It was awesome!

Photos of me with John Lewis and my new BFF Monica Pearson (she doesn't know this yet!)

I am adding to my UFO list ( just kidding - it's a Block of the Month, and each block is taking about 4 hours...so I can stay on top of that monthly!) I am taking a class at Atlanta Sewing Center using a new embroidery-applique technique from HoopSisters. Here are the completed blocks from Month 2. Month 1 is in my camera, which I cannot locate at the moment. I know it's around somewhere, because I downloaded the photos from yesterday!

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
Albert Einstein

You Know You Are a Quilter If...

2010-07-12T14:04:00.002-04:00

There's more fabric in the house than food...
"Fat Quarters" are not the heaviest part of your body...
Your ironing board is always set up but you never iron clothes...
You think of your job as an interruption of your quilting time...
You pet (or fondle!) fabric...
People are always picking threads off you...
You can measure a scant 1/4 by eye...
"Featherweight" is not a category of boxer...
Your "UFO's" are not from outer space...
You clean up your sewing room & they think you are leaving...

Aurora Borealis

2010-07-11T13:32:00.010-04:00

The colors are feeling so much like "Aurora Borealis" to me. Six down, 18 more to go!

Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake. Marie Beyon Ray

19 is less than 20

2010-07-05T21:44:00.002-04:00

Just saying that I had 20 blocks to go was discouraging, so I had to get down to a number with a one in front of it, not a two! This block was soooooo hard. When you look at all those places that have to line up, you can see why. I still see one place where I am going to have to unsew.

As a weekend quilter, days off mean a lot! So I intended to spend today getting the number down to 18, but it wasn't to be. Spent all day working on computer issues.

I know I said that I was going to call this "Not Fast Food," but this is feeling like Aurora Borealis. What do you think?

Now Back to Me

2010-06-14T18:42:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. Worse, that's how long it's been since I have done any serious sewing. My day job has been very demanding and I have been trying to have a life in between there, also...like, I went to Cali for Jayme's wedding (GORGEOUS bride and wedding!), but I did sign up for a class (not another UFO - SKILL BUILDING!) using a new technique from Hoopsisters. My 200/730 was acting up in class (I think she is jealous!), so I didn't finish the block in class, but I will work on it next weekend.

So I put all my UFO's in a bag and pulled out - Not Fast Food. This block only took 8 hours! Woo-hoo! And only 20 more to go! (I shouldn't count remaining blocks, should I?)

On June 14th, Jimmy Dean passed away. I've been trying to figure out how to post this complaint call, but I can't. It is hysterical! The language at the end is salty, so don't listen if anything beyond the normal four letter words is offensive!

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/rcvzcwthtz--Jimmy-Dean-Sausage-Complaint-Call

What looks like neat on an ordinary day

2010-05-22T12:27:00.005-04:00

I'm here to tell you why I am not neater...because I just finished cleaning up for an hour and a half. And not everything's put away. And I could have completely cut the strips for the bargello quilt and probably sewn a bunch of strips togther in that time. But it's as put away as it's gonna get, and I think I better get pictures up before I revert to my messy ways!

The top thrown over the back of the chair is my just finished project. It's a BQ pattern...goes together very quickly. I am about to return to the Wedding Star and I wanted to get the BQ Quilt out of the plastic bin.

And here's Al's pool room, back to normal, with all my junk out. I donated a bunch of magazines, and books, and kits, and rules, and fabric, and irons, and, and, and....I still have too much stuff, but, it's a start.

It's Oldies but Goodies day on the iPod...I went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Thursday night with my neighbor and a group of her friends. They get together every month and do an activity, and they are a very welcoming group of women, and have invited me to join them. Afterwards we went to the OK Cafe for dinner - I had the Salmon Croquettes, Collard Greens and Cabbage with delicious cornbread muffins...while we were sitting there, "Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things," by Martha and the Vandellas came on. If I had been with a different group of women, we would have fallen out right there and probably all started singing. LOL! You know what I'm talking about! Anyway, I created a Genius playlist that is taking me back to the 60's. Right now listening to "You Better Stop Dogging Me Around," by Jackie Wilson. Brings back memories of Mom and her friends, drinking Bourbon and milk, and smoking.

"Therapy is extremely expensive...popping bubble wrap is radically cheap." Jimmy Buffett

Remembering Lena Horne 1917-2010

2010-05-10T18:31:00.005-04:00

I always thought that my mother was named after Lena Horne, but Mom actually was named after another Lena in our family. When we were growing up, Ms. Horne was the standard of beauty, and I'll never forget seeing her 1981 Broadway show - "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music." My favorite line from that play, which I remember to this day, was when she does a slow, sultry dip to the floor and says, "Yeah, I know what you're thinking, can you get back up?" Which she proceeded to do! I'm at least 20 years younger than she was at the time, and I can't do it now and would have had trouble doing it back then. RIP, Lena. You left a legacy!

Photos of Lena Horne Stormy Weather

"You wouldn't be allowed to get on a particular bus, but you'd be asked to sign your autograph." Lena Horne

Inspiration!

2010-05-09T13:09:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning inspired by the SATC2 trailer to make a shoe with all Swarovski crystals! I have gotten so cocky with the metallic thread...scared of me! LOL! I did the outline in silver metallic thread, but I don't like the 5mm crystals - so I ordered some 3mm crystals to use instead. Putting those on should keep me out of trouble for a while!

Raise Your Hand...

2010-05-02T21:16:00.003-04:00

...if you believed me when I said that I had moved to acceptance on the fact that I couldn't use metallic thread in my machine and that there was no way I would try metallic thread ever again. OF COURSE I tried it again! Don't be silly! I tried Yenmet thread and Wonderfil and they both sewed out beautifully! So I banged out several more shoes...and here they are:

I have 3 more blocks to do, and I think I might do an all boot quilt, and a year of special occasions...

The gene pool could use a little chlorine...

It's a Guy Thang....

2010-04-29T23:48:00.003-04:00

...You wouldn't understand!

Today is Al's birthday. For weeks he has been bugging me about sewing some ...patches on some...military bag. Would you ask Michaelangelo to paint the inside of your house? OK, so Michaelangelo I'm not, so I sucked it up and did his patches. I had no idea how hard it would be. The fabric keep slipping and I couldn't glue the patches down so they would stay in place so they kept slipping...what a pain! It was worth it though when I suprised him with it...I told him I was too busy to work on it, so he didn't know I was putting it together. I think it's the happiest I've seen him in the 20 something years we've been together. Reminds me of how I was knocking myself out making these gourmet meals when we were dating and I made him a turkey sandwich once and he said it was the best meal I had ever made for him. I guess it really is the simple things. For some people!

Superwoman!

2010-04-11T13:15:00.010-04:00

Yesterday I kept hearing Alicia Keys singing "Superwoman" in my mind. It wasn't that it was a hard day, just too much going on. I fell asleep last night on the sofa in a good, hard, solid sleep, and I can't remember the last time I did that.

The day started with me getting ready for the cleaning people. I know, poor me. But there was a lot to put away and move around before they got here. I don't clean up for the cleaning people, but you need to put things away and get things organized that the cleaning people can't handle. Then our book club was meeting at 9:00 am instead of 10:00 to discuss "Their Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston. Everybody loved the book, and we had a good discussion.

Then, off to teach my first quilt shop class at KiwiQuilts. I taught a post card class, and the students did a fantastic job. It was only supposed to be a 3-hour class but it ended up being 4.5 hours. Check these out:

This postcard was made by a person who is going on a cruise. You can barely see it in the photo, but it has all the ports of call of their trip. We decided that when she makes the card that she needs a lighter fabric, and should make the ports of call bigger.

How cute are these flip-flops?!

Pretty, colorful card!

This was my favorite card! It was created by a woman who is new to quilting. It started out with her just wanting to learn the technique, so she put a plain piece of purple fabric on the fusible. Way too plain, so we painted it and dried it in the sun. Now we had bling! She had the idea of putting the purple fabric on and then we embellished with buttons. While we had no plan, it turned out to be a gorgeous card.

Good job, Ladies! I was so tired after class! I had dinner from Chili's! And I get a gold star - in keeping with my newly organized self, I put ALL my class supplies away.

"Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest with an S on my chest, oh yes, I'm a Superwoman." OK, so it wasn't a Superwoman worthy day, but it was busy...maybe a little "s"?

How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy.

Cooking With Gas!

2010-03-28T19:37:00.007-04:00

or Sewing With Electricity might be more appropriate. I got both my machines back yesterday! Woo-hoo! The tech had not called to say my 200/730 needed a new motherboard or some other very expensive, out-of-warranty repair, but just to say "She's ready!"

You know how the definition of insansity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result? WHY would I sit down to the 830 this morning and attempt my shoe with the metallic thread again? Please help me understand why? And when it ate the thread and jammed (again), my first thought was where could I take it to be repaired...because there is no way I could take it in to ASC for a third time with metallic thread stuck in the bobbin! I actually did manage to get all the thread out myself, and really have moved to acceptance that the metallic thread is not, repeat, not going to work. I get it. Really. Seriously. No metallic thread.

This is a funny story from Asilomar about sewing machines...I rented a machine rather than lug one of mine cross country. The machines are all Bernina's - just the basic mechanical model. When I started sewing on the rented machine, I couldn't figure out how to cut the thread. So I mused out loud, "I wonder where the thread cutter is.....?" The woman sitting across from me handed me a pair of scissors and said, "You need to come on back to the real world!" LOL - and Marilyn, who is from Canada and is the funniest person you ever want to meet said, "Honey, the real world sux. You just stay in whatever world you want." It was pretty funny when I realized there was no thread cutter! I thought all machines I had thread cutters!

Worked on restoring order to the sewing room last night and Friday. Leave for NYC tomorrow morning. Judy is coming from California on Friday to help me get organized and said, "Don't get too far ahead!" HA! No danger of that! And you can't even see what's on the other side of the pool table!

But - there's magic happening in the sewing room! Oooooooh - how purty! The challenge will be to keep it this way!

I know I'm in my own little world...but it's okay - they know me here.

Catching Up

2010-03-09T14:22:00.014-05:00

So much to catch up on...I haven't written in over a month, I know. One reason is because I haven't been sewing, and not because I don't want to sew, because I do, I really do. To answer my husband's question about why I have 3 sewing machines (actually 7, but I'm not counting the 3 Featherweights and my old Singer in this discussion...kinda like I don't count those Dove candies in my daily Weight Watcher count), because it is entirely possible for two of them to be broken at the same time! Or because I can sew on one while the other is embroidering. Seriously, both my machines are in the shop. The 200/730 had been going to sleep and I would have to turn it on and off to reboot it (it's Windows based), until finally, it just wouldn't wake up anymore...just went to sleep. When I came back from Asilomar last night, there was a message from the tech...this is not good. When I called today, he wasn't in, and I can't talk to him until Saturday. Sigh. And my 830 really doesn't like metallic thread. I was working on my shoe quilt...the heel of the shoe I was making has an overlay of metallic thread...I did everything they recommend when you work with metallic thread (slow the machine down, use a thread net, use a larger-eyed needle) and the machine just ate the thread. And the bobbin case jammed and I couldn't get the bobbin off. Also Not Good. Deep Sigh. So I had to take them both in to the dealer. I still have my first Bernina that I can use - the 180 that I use for classes.

So - I went to NYC for my birthday, came back the next week and went to Tampa to visit Ann and Paul Lee at their beautiful home in Tierra Verde, then left for a week in Asilomar for a class with Judy Niemeyer, brought to you by Empty Spools. Whew! I'm tired thinking about all that travel!

We stayed at the Westin in Times Square - these are photos from our room on the 38th floor. I really didn't think we would make it in, since there were storms that day and flights were being cancelled left and right. But because it was my birthday, the weather gods smiled on me and we landed only half an hour late.

Paul and Ann have a beautiful home, right on the water. We took Paul's boat out on Sunday -

I learned so much in Judy's class at Asilomar...techniques and skills that I can use for any project, not just Judy's. My class members were very focused. They started sewing early in the morning and kept sewing through 10-11 at night. I enjoyed my walks on the beach every morning, my massages in the afternoon, and going in to town for shopping and dinner! I learned a lot but it was also a vacation for me and I enjoyed it.

Finally, just before I left, we finally got started on the work from the flood in September. When we moved here, there was carpet in my sewing room, and I wanted to take that up and put in hardwood or tile, but it was just too expensive. So I put it off. It's just way too hard to keep clean, so while we were having all the repair work done on the house, I took all the stuff out of the sewing room. Here's what it looked like piled up on Al's pool table:

I am so very lucky to have a wonderful husband who enables me in my quilting vice.

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." Dave Barry

AWLTP

2010-01-31T11:40:00.004-05:00

Netlingo's acronym of the day is AWLTP - Avoiding Work Like the Plague...which is what I'm doing today. I got behind at work last week and committed to spending this morning working on job descriptions and some other stuff. So this morning I thought, "I'll work on a shoe block, then start on the job descriptions" by 10AM. So I did the lace shoe and thought, "I'll just do this flat and start on the job descriptions by 11AM." It's now almost 12 and I really must go do those dang job descriptions. But not before I show you these shoes!

You know you want 'em. Actually, I have a pair of mules that look a lot like the lace shoe...I think I wore them once! I would go take a picture right now because I think I still have them, but really...I must go do those job descriptions!

Save the earth! It's the only planet with chocolate.

If The Shoe Fits...

2010-01-24T17:22:00.004-05:00

Buy It in Every Color! I needed a break from all the sewing and cutting for the Bali Wedding Star. I needed something quick and easy for this rainy day in Georgia, so I worked on my "If the Shoe Fits" wallhanging. You know it's bad when you have UFO's in your mind! Actually there's a name for those also...NESTY - Not Even STarted Yet. I've had everything for this wall hanging for a while, just needed to do it. It didn't take long, so it was perfect for a quick project. One block - done!

Time is that quality of nature that prevents events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working.

Just Couldn't Wait!

2010-01-19T21:56:00.005-05:00

After all that cutting and sewing and unsewing, I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And I couldn't wait to see what the arcs are going to look like, so I experimented with two...just to see. Check it out:

Canustandit? Those arcs are gorgeous! If I do say so myself! I have to finish up the star points, then the four patches that meet in the center of the stars, and I can start (finally!) putting some blocks together. The advanced paper piecing class meets on the 30th, and after having three places where I could be that day, I now have none, so I signed up for the class today. Woo-hoo! Progress!

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

2010-01-17T08:34:00.008-05:00

At yesterday's Brown Sugar Stitchers meeting, Laura rightly told me that I have been negligent in my postings. I told her it's because I have been working on one project that is long term and intensive. Laura advised that I should post my progress. Wise woman! OK, so I have been cutting and sewing and unsewing since the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I don't have even one block completed. But I'm getting there. So here is what I have done so far:

At our meeting yesterday, we talked about one of our guild members who counts pieces. I've never done it before, and I'm not sure I want to do it again! I don't want to know! So far, this top is 1140 pieces. And I'm still cutting!

The unsewing part has been on the melon star points. I'm kinda anal about stuff lining up. Even though I was sewing on the lines, at the place where the lines meet, for some reason I didn't always end up with the points being straight. A lot of people would keep going, say don't worry about that, you can't even see it, if it can't be seen by a galloping horse at 40 miles an hour, don't worry about it. Can you see where the points are off (the one on the left) - see where the black point meets at the top?

This bothers me, so those points had to be be done over so that they are sharp and line up like the one on the right. Probably about three quarters of the 78 melon star points had at least two sewings. Fun! I will admit that I was a little less anal about some of the star points that are less than perfect. I'm not obsessive about perfection! "A beautiful thing is never perfect." -Egyptian proverb.

Here's news - there's a new quilt shop in Powder Springs! Kiwiquilts! Ten minutes from my house! woo-hoo! The owner is very nice...moved here from Arkansas and opened in September. Al and I were driving up Thornton Rd one night around midnight and I looked over and saw the sign and said, "Is that a quilt shop?" It was bitterly cold, but I asked Al to turn around and I went over to the shop and peered in and yes, indeed, it's a quilt shop. Al said I can smell a quilt store! It's small, but she has room to grow on both sides. Good luck and much success in your new business, Tracy!

And for the second year in a row, Nina won the Tri-Guild challenge with the Intown and Phoenix Guilds. The theme was something like the Seasons in Color...obviously I didn't participate, since I can't name the theme. I had an idea, but it stayed in my head and never made it to reality. I commit to doing it next year, no matter how much I don't like the challenge.

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be a great, creative year!

Dear Lord - So far today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I'm thankful for that.

But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed. And from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen

Angels Amongst Us

2009-12-31T18:12:00.003-05:00

I learned today that Lorna lost her valiant battle against breast cancer this morning. When I was in Arlington earlier this month, I visited her in the rehabilitation center. She was so happy to have been able to stand for 4.5 minutes in physical therapy that morning. She spoke of getting stronger and when she would be able to leave the hospital and come back to work. As a result of her hope, I had hope, and fully expected her to get better.

Lorna kept a positive mental attitude throughout her ordeal, and often said that if her suffering motivated just one person to get a mammogram, it would be worthwhile. I am happy that I shared time with her on this earth, and she truly left footprints on my heart. Rest in peace, Lorna.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die...

Thomas Campbell, "Hallowed Ground"

Folded Fabric Ornaments

2009-12-22T19:19:00.009-05:00

I've been busily working on the wedding ring quilt, but also took time out to make some fabric Christmas ornaments for presents. How cute are these?The red one will have a white ribbon and is for a Delta soror, Barbara, and the green and gold one is for my neighbor Sandra. They will get them when we get together for our Christmas luncheon Thursday. These little puppies are addictive, and may become my new airplane project. Here is a video tutorial on how to make these if you are so inclined. They are time consuming...both of these took about 6 hours each.

Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live...Dennis Miller.

The Secret

2009-12-14T18:07:00.002-05:00

Wait, you mean this works? You mean if I just put it out to The Universe, it will happen? Last week I said that I was going to win the giveaway over at 44th Street Fabric, and guess what? I won! Seriously!

So...the health care bill is going to pass, Obama's popularity will rise in the polls, my flight will leave on time tomorrow, I will lose 20 pounds by the end of January, aw hell...world peace! And just in case you think I'm not serious, I am quite sincere about all of the above. Notice I did not say I would win a million dollars! Although if The Universe is in a generous mood, toss the benjamins in!

Anyway - thanks, Bev!

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, DC. This wasn't for religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. --Jay Leno

Find Jaso!

2009-12-07T20:41:00.003-05:00

This is fun! 44th Street Fabric has a giveaway every Monday...you have to find the fabric with a photo of the CEO, Jason to be entered into the drawing. If you mention it on your blog, you get double the fabric if you win! Since I'm going to win, thought it would be great to have double the fabric! Check it out at their blog, then go look for Jason.

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. - Cicero

Focus, Jeanette....

2009-12-01T16:25:00.005-05:00

But first, let me get over my shock that it is December already! What happened to 2009? Where did it go? I am so not ready for this year to be over!

But the title for this post comes from the fact that I have four hard-core, major, intensive projects going on...Misty Blue Latte, Not Fast Food, the hand applique journey quilt (I haven't posted any blocks of that one!) and this past week I started another project, Judy Niemeyer's Bali Wedding Star. Here's a photo of the instructor's quilt.

Very pretty! Not to mention that I have a few quick projects on deck, like I have to finish a wedding quilt for next June. So now is when I have to have a little chat with myself and come up with a plan to get this all done.

The best part of procrastination is that you are never bored, because you always have all kinds of things that you should be doing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T16:56:00.003-05:00

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.

Daylight Saving Time

2009-11-01T08:54:00.003-05:00

Oh, I like to think I am just so up on all the latest in technology. I know I can't keep up with my 16-year old nephew, but I like to think I can hold my own beyond just knowing how to turn the computer on and off. I can load and use most of my software, I'm very good at Excel and Powerpoint, and I can help others with basic problems. So how is it I lost an entire post the Sunday that we went off DST? It was a good post, too! (Of course it was!)

No really - I had a link to my Houston Quilt Show photos. And I commented on finishing up UFO's...I completed the binding and showed "When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall" at our September Guild meeting. This is a not very good photo of a quilt that really grows on you. It was a UFO for about 5 years. When I took the class, it was billed as Intermediate, but the block looks (and is!) so easy. Come to find out, the Intermediate part was matching up all those seams and corners because fabric shifts and moves as you sew it. Fast forward a few years, improved skills, and I finished it. It really is a lovely quilt, not at all what I am usually drawn to. There was more but I can't remember it now!

Words of Encouragement

2009-10-11T16:13:00.007-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and coincidentally, I finished a quilt for my colleague, Lorna Ridley, who is valiantly fighting breast cancer. Lorna had finished her treatment and was getting ready for reconstructive surgery when she discovered the cancer had metastasized to her bone. She is currently struggling with physical therapy so that she can walk. I visited her in the hospital on Wednesday in Arlington; her spirits were high and she is determined to fight and get back to her life. The quilt looked beautiful on her bed, and she loved it!

This quilt is titled, "Words of Encouragement," because of the positive affirmations and words printed on one of the fabrics. The back of the quilt is the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on brown, with a panel of words of encouragement. The quilting is ribbons, a repeat of the awareness ribbon, and is quilted with pink thread by Ladye Buckner, herself a survivor.

Please keep Lorna in your thoughts and prayers.

Once you choose hope, anything's possible."

Christopher Reeve

Another Bite of the Elephant

2009-09-27T09:36:00.007-04:00

I have been quilting and busy with quilt related stuff, but haven't had time to write! So here is the next completed block. And yes, another 10+ hour block.

I have already decided the name for this quilt! I was a white glove hostess for the East Cobb Quilt Show, and as one of the observors walked by, he said to me how happy he was that the art of quilting has survived and thrived and has not gone the way of fast food. I assured him that we have our fast food equivalents! But based on how long this is taking, I decided to call it "Not Fast Food." More like the Tasting Menu at a 5-star restaurant.

Speaking of the Cobb Show, I received "Excellent" feedback from the judges! Visual Impact, Piecing Techniques, and Quilting Design were all rated "Excellent"! Comments were that "Pairing of batiks with black fabrics and variegated quilting thread is a very effective combination. Binding is well applied. Corners should be 90 degrees."

Remembering Senator Edward M. Kennedy

2009-08-26T07:57:00.002-04:00

Delivering the eulogy for Robert Kennedy in 1968, Ted Kennedy said, "My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the world."

"The work goes on...the cause endures...the hope still lives...and the dream shall never die."

Senator Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009

How do you eat an elephant?

2009-08-25T21:58:00.003-04:00

One bite at a time!

This is what 1/8 of a block looks like. It took an hour and a half. I am now going to go clean up the kitchen before going to bed.

Just alike but different

2009-08-24T17:53:00.005-04:00

Another 10 hour block! I just realized that the last block I said was 8 hours was actually 10. And so was this one. At this rate, I'll finish this quilt when I'm eligible for Social Security, since there are 24 blocks! Oy vey! Only 22 more to go, 220 hours at the rate I'm going. Hmmm....I may have to downsize this quilt, and one thing for darn sure...this quilt will not be given away...it's staying with me!
Guess what? It's the same block as before! Just the ends are turned differently. So the center blue in the first block is the outer purple in the second. The gold in the first one is the green in the second. Just alike but different! Check it out:

"Born to quilt...forced to work."

Customer Care

2009-08-21T21:05:00.003-04:00

So I wrote a very nice letter to Delta Customer Service when I got back, complimenting Michael F. It was the least I could do, don't you think? I should have given him a tip, but I didn't think about it until I was rushing through security. And this is hysterical! I got an email response from Customer Care that was the nicest letter I have ever received from a business. I was expecting the usual cut and paste response, but no...this person got an A in her Creative Writing class. Here's the closing:

"You are a special person to take the time to write about a good experience with us and as my day comes to a close, I will smile knowing there are people like you flying with us. As a Gold Medallion member, you are an integral part of our customer base and we deeply value your business."

I can just see her smiling now, thinking of the wonderful customers who are flying Delta. What a wonderful way to wrap up the week. (Anybody got an air sickness bag?)

On my last few Delta flights, the flight attendants have been trying to lighten up their spiel a little bit. "As you exit the plane, please check the seat pocket in front of you, but if you leave anything behind, don't worry. Tomorrow you will be able to find it on eBay."
"If you are seated next to a child, or someone just acting like a child, please assist with their breathing apparatus."
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
But my favorite is from Southwest:
"Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."

2009-08-19T13:45:00.006-04:00

I really don't like to spend a lot of time sitting in airports. Yes, the Crown Club is nice, but so is my living room. If I can walk up to the gate as they are starting to board, that is perfect timing as far as I'm concerned. This occasionally results in drama, as happened last Friday, when I arrived at the ATL at 11:10 for my 11:55 flight.

New Rule: Baggage must be checked in and present at the check-in counters at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

It used to be 30 minutes, but somewhere in there it changed. So I arrived at the airport already too late to check my bag. My bag for the weekend quilt retreat at San Damiano, which had all my quilt supplies and fabric, not to mention my clothes, my bag which weighed 52 pounds, my bag which was too big to carry on the plane. Michael F. at the counter said that it was too late to check my bag and he would see if he could get me on the next flight. Me: (airily) "Oh, I can make this one. I don't mind if my bag gets there later." Michael F: "No, you have to travel with your bag." Me: "Oh. What time's the next flight?" Michael F: "3PM...but it's oversold. You would have to go standby." Me: "What about the flight after that?" Michael F: "6PM, but it's oversold also. Everything is oversold." Me: (Texting Al to come back to the airport.) "What about tomorrow?" Michael F: "It would be too expensive, but the first flight is sold out anyway." "What if I just cancel? What would the penalty be?" "I'll have to go check...I don't know off the top of my head." "OK, thanks so much." I don't know if it was the polite thank you, I don't know if it was time for Michael's break and he didn't feel like dealing with my problem any more or what, but Michael suddenly turned around and said, "Let me see if I can get you on this flight." And he did! I was within the 30 minute timeframe, so, you know, come on. I fully expected no suitcase when I arrived in SF, but guess what? Luggage made it, too! Go, Michael F!

I will spare you the details of the rental car that was in Sue Walton's name, so Hertz wouldn't let me have it, and the traffic at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the Bay Bridge. All that vanished when I got out to San Damiano and saw all my Quilting Divas. The setup there is we have a big square conference room where we set up 16 tables, then behind that is a kitchen, then behind that are our rooms. It's not luxury, but for $200 for 3 days, 2 nights, who's complaining? It is very clean. I sewed until midnight, and set the alarm to get up at 5:20 am to go meet Regina, Rafiki, and Brent at Lake Merritt for a 6 am walk. When the alarm went off, I lifted my head up and thought, "I can't do it." Cannot do it. Good thing I told Regina that if I didn't make it for 6, I would see them at Peet's at 7 for coffee. So I lay back down for a bit, then drag myself out of bed at 6, quietly walk down the hallway, carefully lock the conference room door as I go out to my car, get in the car and put the key in the ignition and look at the clock and think, "Huh. I didn't notice that clock was so off yesterday." Then it hit me...the clock wasn't off - I was! I had not changed the time on my alarm, which was still on Atlanta time, so it was really 2:20 when the alarm went off. Since I had so carefully locked the doors when I left, I couldn't get back in, sure couldn't call anybody at that time of the morning, so I curled up in a fetal position on the back seat of the car and listened to KGO until 5:30. Once I get up (that's the hard part), I'm up, and usually can't take a nap during the day. I think I stayed up until about midnight Saturday. I know I busted Marilyn when she wrote a Facebook message at 11 that she was planning on a marathon night sewing at the retreat. Marilyn had been packed up and ready for bed for hours!

The quilt retreat was so much fun! We had wine (I still can't drink and sew!) and the food at San Damiano is excellent; we had 3 iPods, and games, and a good time was had by all. Some of the Divas think they have privacy on the internet, so no pictures.

And I came back to more good news! Both of the quilts that I submitted to the East Cobb Quilt Show were accepted! I submitted RA, aka the Sunshine Quilt, and Batik Sun Dance. East Cobb is a juried and judged show. I have to work on RA a bit more...under the gun for time, I wasn't as careful with sewing the binding on. I can't wait to get feedback on my work! Let's make a note of that when I'm backing here crying about something the judges said! I've never submitted work to be judged before, so this should be...interesting!

I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara I could save the world.

Why there are UFO's...

2009-08-09T18:02:00.006-04:00

Seriously! This is an 8-hour block! One block! People complete entire quilts in less time! So admittedly my paper piecing skills are a little rusty, and hopefully as I go along this will be faster, or it really will end up as a UFO! BTW - This is the pattern and fabric that got me in trouble in Chicago at the end of the show.

Knowing me, this one will probably get finished...it is soooooo challenging, and I do love a challenge. I admit to having ADD. I do get bored easily. Which I guess is why that "just can't cut it," a pattern with a bunch of large squares and rectangles, still isn't completed.

So, Marva called me with good news today - RA, aka The Sunshine Quilt, won second place at the quilt show. Actually third place, but who am I to argue? There was a tie for first place! How bout that? I've never won a ribbon in my life, never even crossed my mind that this could be in the running for a ribbon, so that was pretty cool.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When it hands you tomatoes, make Bloody Mary's!"

Thank goodness for Epsom Salts!

2009-08-03T20:03:00.005-04:00

Whew! Friday we hung the quilts for the Brown Sugar Stitchers show, The Many Facets of African-American Quilting, at the South Fulton Arts Center, 4645 Butner Rd, Atlanta, GA. I think we finally left about 9:30 PM - I think we started about 1:30 in the afternoon. We had intended to start earlier, but a tree fell down and our start time was delayed. I got off a plane from Philadelphia and went right to the Arts Center, even though Marva had sent me an email not to come. Some folks are just hard headed! I was so sore, all I could do was fall in bed. Back up Saturday morning to get to the center for 8:30. I was there all by myself! We were worried about some quilts falling down and there were about 5 quilts that had not been hung. Only about 5 or so quilts fell and we were able to get everything up in time. I was worried early in the morning because we did not have a lot of traffic, but by the afternoon, there were hundreds of people there. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi was wonderful! I got my books signed and then we went to dinner with her. She is very entertaining, well spoken, and we saw some quilts that will be in her Obama book/show. We were not allowed to take pictures (darn!), but the book will be amazing!

ATL folks - the show is fantastic, and worth the drive from wherever you are!

In Philly, Jennifer and I did the Rocky Steps (Philadelphia Museum of Art)...I didn't see Rocky, but the steps weren't that bad. We were both going, "That wasn't so bad!"

So...what else? I sent Miz Rosie a card to celebrate completion of her second masters a couple of weeks ago...

I am dog tired! I think I can finish piecing the "Can't Cut It" pattern tonight, though. It's easy peasy.

" When life hands you lemons, ask for Tequila and salt and call me!"

The Many Facets of African-American Quilting

2009-07-13T14:42:00.007-04:00

The Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild Proudly Presents "The Many Facets of African-American Quilting." The show runs August 1st through August 7th, 2009 (closed Sunday, August 2nd) at the South Fulton Arts Center, from 10AM to 5PM daily. The show is open to the public (of course!) and is FREE! We are pleased to announce that we will be honored to have Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, renowned quilter, author, lecturer and curator lecture on Saturday, August 1st, at 2PM at the South Fulton Arts Center, and again on Sunday, August 2nd at 2PM at the Hammonds House Museum. There will be a book signing and reception at both locations. Here are the quilts I will have in the show!

This one is Liberated Shaded Nine-Patch. The pattern is Shaded Nine-Patch and is a swap from the online African American Yahoo Group. Some of us missed the deadline (whoosh!) and decided that we would swap amongst ourselves. Jo said she had been "liberated" from the deadline, so that's why I called it my "Liberated" Shaded Nine Patch. I set it this way to have Adinkra symbols quilted in the negative space:

This is my Carrie Steele Pitts quilt. Carrie Steele is our guild's signature project, where we complete quilts and donate them to the children in the home to have as gifts for the rest of their lives. This quilt is sooooo sweet. You can't see the hearts in the quilting, but it turned out so well, I know the little princess who receives it will have sweet dreams.

This one is Maui Flower Power - the orchids remind me of Hawaii. This is from a class I took in 2004! I should call it Finally Finished!!!

This is my challenge piece, New York Beauty Goes to Africa. The challenge is issued to all guild members to create a piece interpreting The Many Facets of African American Quilting and what that means. To me, European quilting is characterized by repitition, sharp points, and matching patches. Our African heritage is more free-form (like jazz) and colorful. This block features the New York Beauty block, lots of sharp points and matching edges in African Print fabrics. I LOVE this, and am going to start working on blocks to finish this quilt.

And you've seen "Ra," the Egyptian God of the Sun. I thought I would lose my mind completing it. If I ever do that one again, I will put the circle on before quilting, and include that in the quilting.

We have over 140 quilts to display, and from what I saw being turned in on Saturday, it's going to be a great show! I spent all day yesterday cleaning up my sewing room. It looked like a fabric tornado had hit there! I took two big bags of garbage out, but the room doesn't look any different!

"Think of it as a power tool with thread."

La Bella Vita

2009-07-02T20:05:00.009-04:00

Ah yes, the beautiful life...

How do you know when you are living the beautiful life?

Well...

When you are living the beautiful life, this is your backyard...

Your neighbors are movie producers who develop...mannequins... to dangle over the side of the house...for the entertainment of passersby...

And this is your gym...back and forth on this three times a week should take care of your cardio needs...

As you can imagine, I've enjoyed my visit to Marina Del Rey in California, and my taste of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Walking on the beach every day has been great. Pam and I haven't spent this much time together since college, and we've done really well! We go back home on Sunday, to the Lifestyles of the Middle Class and Hardworking! I've only finished one of the five quilts I'm entering into the Brown Sugar Stitchers show, so...time to get going! (Is it the deadline yet?)

"I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better." Beatrice Kaufman

Shopportunity and Inspiration

2009-06-14T09:37:00.010-04:00

I don't ever want to forget that quilting is my hobby. Sometimes we get so lost in output, and getting everything perfect, that it's easy to lose the fun in the process! I try to free myself to enjoy my hobby...deadlines are a reality, even though I do sometimes treat them as guidelines, something to be aspired to. :)

But the point (and I do have one) isn't about deadlines - it's about taking the time to tap into creativity and inspiration, about letting go and enjoying the hobby. Sometimes that's hard to do with deadlines to swaps, and shows, and birthdays, and illnesses, and donation quilts, and trying to have a life in there somewhere.

Yesterday I took a break and went to a quilt shop down in McDonough. I really should have been working on one of the gazillion projects I have going on, or the guild newsletter, or clearing a path in my sewing room. But, I went shopping instead! The shop is A Scarlet Thread, and it's one of the nicest quilt stores I've been in. Over 7000 bolts of fabric! It occupies the entire building, and I think they have tried to address every little annoyance we have about quilt stores. They have a wide variety of batiks and Asian prints, both of which are favorites. The store is about 50 miles from my house, and so it's not likely that I will just pop in on a whim, but it was so inspiring to see different fabrics and different quilts. When you go to different parts of the country and to quilt shows, you see what others are working on and you can get inspiration from seeing new things or seeing new things in a different way.

Remember this?

I found this pattern when I visited Denver last year. I haven't seen it here in Atlanta, so getting out exposed me to something different that I may not have seen otherwise. As I was quilting it, I decided that I really was not enjoying the process...I was just doing a straight line that followed the curve of the design. I was so not feeling inspired, and so I sent it to long arm quilter Melinda Fulkerson. In this lifetime, I could not have come up with this! This is a great example of "Quilting makes the Quilt!" Thanks for the wonderful quilting, Melinda!

"I love deadlines...I especially like that whoosing sound they make as they fly by."

Let's Stay Together

2009-06-11T19:59:00.009-04:00

Went to see Al Green and Etta James at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre last night. Wonderful evening and a great show! Etta James opened at 7:30PM EXACTLY! Apparently there was a question as to whether or not she would actually show up, as she has cancelled a number of shows in Atlanta over the years.

Folks kinda strolled in and got there when they got there. Hard to believe this is a sold out show. The weather was absolutely perfect, after a thunderstorm earlier in the day.

Etta James sang all her old blues songs. I thought her best song was a cover of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." What a difference maturity makes! Her song, "I'd Rather Go Blind" than see her man with someone else made me laugh and say, "I'd rather put his eyes out." She closed with "At Last," and yes, continued her tacky reference to Beyonce. “Where’s what’s her name? Where’s Beyonce?... I just want to whoop her a.." Tacky. But at 71, I guess she's earned the right...she sounded great and put on a good show.

After Etta James cleared the stage, Rev. Al Green held church! When Al took the stage, he did not stop moving for the next hour and a half! He handed out about 30 roses throughout the show. He started out with songs from his latest CD, "Lay It Down," but even he acknowledged that we had not come to here that. Who else but Al Green can go from “Amazing Grace” to “Let’s Stay Together” without missing a beat?

Photo Credit: AccessAtlanta.

Surprise!

2009-06-09T20:56:00.008-04:00

So much to update! Starting with most recent first...just came back from a surprise visit to Oakland. We had the best time ever! The gang got together for the first time in months...I was talking to Regina one day and she told me about it and we cooked up this plan to surprise everyone! We did not tell anyone we were coming (besides Regina, of course, and we stayed with her)...we went to the party with Regina, then she went inside and said to everyone that we wanted them to call us so we could say hi. They said, "Oh, it's so late in Atlanta, they'll be in bed." (I don't know what they think has happened to us since we moved to Atlanta - 10 o'clock on a Saturday night in bed????) So she called my cell phone and held it up and everyone said, "Hi, Al and Jeanette!" We talked for a bit as we walked up to the front door, and, in a moment that Hollywood could not have scripted, Abner said to me on the phone, "Let me know next time you are going to be in town...I'll pick you up at the airport!" We rang the doorbell, Judy's friend Michael (who was the only one there who does not know us!) opened the door, and I said to Abner, "Which airport?" I'll never forget the looks on everyone's faces, and it was a wonderful evening. We enjoyed catching up with everyone. Everything Harriet cooked was delicious, of course. Back home on Sunday and still on a high about the wonderful weekend! I forgot to charge the battery in my camera, so no photos.

OK - so what else? I finished my block for our BSS President O.V.'s quilt. The quilt will be red and white (Delta colors) and I borrowed some elephant fabric (Delta symbol) from Lynette. The block is called "Arkansas Crossroads," to honor her Arkansas heritage.

And...I finished my Carrie Steele Pitts quilt. Look at me, way ahead of time! At Shannon's to be quilted on the long arm. Here's the finished top...

I am not proud...this is a kit, purchased at Tiny Stitches in March. It is The Princess and the Pea. I hope the little princess who receives this will enjoy this quilt for the rest of her life!

I also finished my postcards for the Black Music Month swap for the online African American Quilt group. Only two weeks late...

"Good friends are like bras, supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good and are always close to your heart."

Thought for the day is...

2009-04-22T19:57:00.004-04:00

I have nothing quilt related to post. But I came across this saying today, and wanted to capture it someplace where I won't lose it.

Life is short - Break the rules...Forgive quickly...Kiss slowly...Love truly...Laugh uncontrollably... And never regret anything that made you smile.

Going to Chicago...

2009-04-20T08:40:00.013-04:00

Rosemont actually, but the plane landed in Chicago. (Remember that old blues song, "I'm going to Chicago, Sorry But I Can't Take You"? Lou Rawls used to sing it.) This past weekend was the annual quilt show in Rosemont, right outside of Chicago. My seat mate on the flight up asked why I was going to Chicago and I told him I was going to a quilt show. He said, "Excuse Me?" (Leaning in to hear better.) "A quilt show." "I'm sorry, are you saying 'quilts?'" I think he is still trying to process that someone would travel to go look at quilts...at a convention center, no less! Reminds me of several years ago when the Houston Astros made it to the World Series and the out of town team couldn't get hotel rooms because they were all booked by quilters. The annual show in Houston is like going to Mecca for quilters, and at least 50,000 quilters descend on Houston every year to see the fabulous quilts and to purchase all the latest fabrics and gadgets from the vendors at the show.

The Chicago show is much smaller, but still...

These are the cars lined up to get into the parking lot! What recession?

I didn't find a lot of inspiration at the show, but I did find fabric! (Shocked, I tell you, shocked!) Actually, I was well-behaved until the end of the show, when I did go a little bit over budget (OK, a LOT over budget). I had lunch with a wonderful group of women from the online African-American Quilting Group, and came home with a jam-packed suitcase and carry-on!

"Good friends are like stars...you don't always see them, but you know they're always there." Anonymous

Ramblin' Rose...Ramblin' Rose...

2009-04-05T08:33:00.008-04:00

Each of the Latte blocks has a name...this one is called Rambling Rose. I love this block - turned out just beautiful, don't you think? All the while I was sewing yesterday, I kept hearing Nat King Cole in my mind..."Ramblin' Rose...Ramblin Rose...why I want you, Heaven knows. Though I love you, with a love true, who can cling to, a Ramblin' Rose?"

"--There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers."

- Richard Feynman

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night...

2009-03-29T09:54:00.009-04:00

shall stay these quilters from their appointed rounds! LOL! This weekend is shop hop for the nine quilt shops here in Metro Atlanta. Last year there were 13, and I made it to all of them! I think the total trip was 300+ miles, with Patrick's in Covington being the most distance away. This year, my quilting friends and I planned to go to lunch (we must eat to meet!), go to the three here in Cobb County, and go to a couple of bead stores, but Mother Nature majorly interfered with our plans. On Friday night, the Weather Service was predicting severe weather for our area, with thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding...everything but fire and pestilence...so reluctantly Friday night we called off our plans. Yesterday morning, it was raining hard, a few claps of thunder, but nothing that would prevent a few hardy souls from getting out on the road. By two in the afternoon, it wasn't even raining, so we conferred, decided we would not melt if a few drops of rain hit us, and off we went! We managed to make it to Red Hen, Tiny Stitches, and Little Quilts. While we were in Red Hen, there was a brief cloudburst, but it was barely drizzling the rest of the day. We did our part for the quilting economy, and then had dinner and margaritas! End to a perfect day! I got home a little bit before 11PM. Al was just starting to send out the search party for me.

"Life is a glorious banquet, a limitless and delicious buffet."
--Maya Angelou

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2009-03-22T18:27:00.012-04:00

I haven't had time to write because I have been so busy learning my new machine! It is a very steep learning curve. I have to just say how much I love it...today. At one point, I was ready to throw it out the window...or jump out myself! I have to admit that most of my problems have been when I have been trying to prove that I am smarter than she is. She is way smarter than me, and the sooner I admit that, the better off I'll be! Resistance is Fu-tile. She's stubborn, too! She has a name...Big Momma, because she is quite big, and in honor of all the Big Mommas and Madeas (and Aunt Dot's) who taught us to sew.

There are so many features, I can't begin to list them all, most of them designed for convenience. I decided to take the plunge and do the Latte Quilt on the new machine...it's a great way to learn the machine and all the features. I love, love, love the jumbo hoop, which allowed me to stitch out the first block out all in one hooping. Which means that I didn't have to deal with placement issues, trying to line templates up, I was able to just put it in the embroidery hoop once and go - one and done! Check these blocks out:

This will go to my Sister-in-Law Audrey, who loves the color blue. I'm trying to think of a name...Blue Latte, Cloudy Latte, Out of the Blue.... what do you think?

I've also had another birthday since my last post. Inspired by Regina's birthday party, I decided to have a non-birthday party birthday party for myself. That's where you don't tell people it's your birthday...although some knew it was, and brought gifts. I had a blast! We had chocolate martinis, we played bid whist, we listened to good music. Bessie has improved on the martini recipe, with both light and dark creme de cacao...she had one at a restaurant and the bartender shared his recipe with her and made her promise not to tell - that the recipe was "just between us girls." So she promptly told us (he said, "just between us girls." We're girls!), and I must admit, it is mmm-mmm-good. Our last guests left at 1 AM! I know my mother was spinning in her grave, but I did not finish cleaning up - just went to bed, and got up Sunday morning and finished the dishes. As much fun as we had, it made me miss Regina and Harriett. Harriett's birthday is in December, then Regina's, then mine, and for several years we have gone to Calistoga to celebrate. We rented a wonderful guest house at a B&B...massages, champagne, good food and good friends. I miss them!

The next day, Sunday the 28th, it snowed! And a big snow, not a little piddling sprinkle! Flights were cancelled, and our neighbors' kids had enough snow to build a snow man! I was a California Sissy and did not even go outside to take pictures...these were taken from inside the house! LOL!

"The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes."

--Frank Lloyd Wright

Ooooooh, Baby!

2009-02-13T10:37:00.018-05:00

Busy, busy, busy! Al and I went to Belize the second week of January to celebrate Regina's 60th birthday. Forty of Regina's friends and family all congregated in Belize! We were there for a week, and it was a great way to start off the year. We discovered Belize in 2003 when six of us celebrated Harriet's 50th birthday there. We rented a house in Placencia for a week. Regina fell in love with Belize, went back, found property in Hopkins, built a home, and here we were, five years later! This photo is us arriving in Belize - you take a puddle jumper from Belize City, or you can drive for three hours from Belize City to your destination, over unpaved, bumpy, pot-holed roads. Al said, "take the puddle jumper." Believe it or not, I don't like flying, but I really don't like flying in teeny, tiny little airplanes. Anyway, on arrival, Al asked the pilot if he could sit in the front seat, and off we went for the 20 minute flight to Hopkins. I know this was the highlight of the trip for Al. Actually, I was OK with the puddle jumper when Al got in the front seat, next to the 24 year-old pilot. Since he flew C-5's when he was in the Air Force, he should be able to handle a little puddle jumper, right?

Regina, Me, Harriet at the party

One day we took the Hokey Pokey from Independence to Placencia and walked around. We walked from downtown to the house we rented previously. It was a good stroll down memory lane.

Regina is Oprah's # 1 fan, so the highlight of her birthday party is when her daughter, Lency, and BFF Pat, dressed as Oprah and Gail, and we all roasted Regina. It was a beautiful full moon night, and we danced the night away to music from the 60's to today. The next day Regina had us all over to her house for a house warming party.

The next week I went to California to get training on my new Bernina! I bought the machine from Sew Images, the Bernina dealership in Oakland, from Cecilia Franklin. The Bernina dealership here in Atlanta is huge, but the people there are not always as warm and friendly as I would like. I know they won't miss my little money, but it will make a difference for Cecilia.

My new machine...Ooooooh, Baby! Three words for this machine: A-MA-ZING! It will take me a long time to discover all the features, and they are plentiful! So far, my favorite features are the way the pressure foot hovers over the fabric so that you can position the fabric to sew, that you don't need a foot pedal to sew, and the bobbin that holds a huge amount of thread. I forget how much, but it's a lot. Oh, and the arm! Look at all that room, compared to the 200/730 model. The photo on the bottom is Cecilia Franklin, Owner, Sew Images. Cecilia knows more about sewing machines than anyone in the world!

Change HAS come!

2009-01-20T20:18:00.007-05:00

Aretha's hat, Michelle's dress (without the green bow and shoes - didn't love that look, but loved the lemongrass dress), President Barack Hussein Obama's speech...these are a few of my favorite things from today. When I voted back in November, I thought of my mother from Dixons Mills, AL, who did not have the right to vote until 1964 and who was not alive to see this day. I thought of MLK, who prayed for the day when we would be judged by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. I thought of myself, and how fortunate and grateful I was to be able to cast my vote for a black man who is articulate and intelligent.

And Sarah Palin...remember when you mocked Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer? "Well, I guess a small time mayor is kind of like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities." And Rudy Guliani, remember when you sneered about Obama's "work" as a community organizer. Guess what? That's what a community organizer does. They get out the vote and get their candidates elected. Now ya know.

Really, there are no words to express my joy over the election of our new President. Sasha Obama sums up the day for me--thumbs up!

And at 12:01, the White House website was switched over: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Happy New Year!

2008-12-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

It's been a productive holiday season. I finished piecing three UFO's ("UnFinished Objects" to the non-quilters), and I was feeling pretty good about that until today when I decided I needed to catalog my UFO's...I have 15 UFO's! And all of them are projects I want to finish...nothing that I can declare dead and move on. So, my next step will be to look at them and see what I can complete this year. When I first started quilting, I took every class that came my way...I finished stuff, but I didn't worry about finishing everything I started since I was skill building (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). As a result, I have 15 UFO's dating back to 2003!

So, during my little holiday break I finished a Christmas log cabin that was from a swap two years ago and a zig zag quilt that was my first sign-up class (after completing my beginner quilt classes). This was my oldest UFO, and now I only have one other from 2003. The Strips and Curves quilt is from a class with Louisa Smith in July, 2004. Here's the photo of the Strips and Curves...I'm about halfway through quilting it. I really like it! I'm not counting the Circle Bargello in those UFO's. I started quilting it, but decided to wait until January when I get my new Bernina!

I mentioned last time I posted that I had put my passport renewal in the mail...got it back by the next FRIDAY! It was definitely worth the $60 to not have to worry about it and to have it back so fast! And everybody LOVED the Obama postcard! I've had a few requests for a card, and requests for the digitized logo. I also played with the software over the holiday, and learned a lot about that, too! Oh - and I did finish my Carrie Steel Pitts quilt.

So I've got my quilting groove back! Getting stuff done again! 2009 is going to be a great creative year! Happy New Year to you, and wishing you a creative New Year!

Stitches and Hugs!

December 29th - 15 UFO's

Don't blame me, I voted for, uh, the other guy

2008-12-15T11:56:00.001-05:00

From Salon.com
December 11, 2008 WASHINGTON -- There was a time, though admittedly it's hard to remember now, when George W. Bush was remarkably popular. So popular, in fact, that he easily won reelection four years ago, racking up what was the largest popular vote total for any presidential candidate until Barack Obama shattered it this year.
So it's a particularly amusing sign of how far the political climate has shifted that in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, only 33 percent of respondents admit to having voted for the guy twice, while 52 percent said they'd never voted for him at all. If that were actually true, of course, Bush would never have had the chance to run the country so firmly into the ground that people are now pretending they never liked him.

I voted for "That One"

2008-12-01T10:24:00.001-05:00

My last postcard for a while...the deadline for the "Sistah to Sistah, Try Something New" swap, hosted by my friend Rosie Chapman, was in SEPTEMBER, for goodness sakes! I just could not get motivated to work on cards...totally burned out! The theme of this swap was to experiment and try a new technique that you had not used before. I tried several new techniques, but none of them were worthy. Might have had something to do with my frame of mind. So the "try something new" for me was to digitize the Obama logo (which I downloaded from his website, and which is available for personal use...no copyright violation!) in my Artista software, and designed this postcard in the software. I FINALLY put them in the mail Saturday, along with my passport renewal (with additional expedite fees for my procrastination!). When I came up with the idea it was very current, but I think the recipients will still appreciate the sentiment. I couldn't resist the Sarah Palin "you betcha" dig! Visit Rosie's website to see her work at http://web.mac.com/mizrosie/Rosie_Chapman/Welcome.html