Catching Up

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

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...

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!

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.

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

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

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

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!

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....

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!

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

Daylight Saving Time

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

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

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."