Spring has Sprung

I'm one of those "Women Who Do Much." I've gotten better since Baby K was born and quit a bunch of committees, but Ravlery is a dangerous place...I am hosting several Mini Sock Swaps. This month the theme is Spring Flowers. I used some self-striping yarn with pink, green and blue sections. I was hoping that the amounts of pink and blue would be reversed, but I didn't want to destroy a brand new ball of yarn trying to start at just the right place in the colors. Last weekend I had some quilting time and quilted a pantograph on this shop sample that my mom pieced:
Here's the back where you can see the panto, called "Java." Sorry, don't have the designer's name handy!
Baby K used her potty not once but TWICE tonight! Can I get a cheer for early potty training?!?
Here she is playing with some blocks. It is so adorable when she concentrates on her play so intently. This was a 20 minute project of trying to get the blocks to snap together (some were Legos, some weren't).
Play time continued...

Ponderings

Amy brought up some questions about blogging and quilting, so I decided to respond to her topics.

1) How many quilts should be shown on the blog?
I use my blog as a journal of my crafts, with a big helping of Baby K's development on the side. When I visit other blogs, I like to see what people are working on, so the bottom line is SHOW ME MORE! I think the question came up after visiting a quilt show, and how much to show of other people's work. Again, I think more is better, especially with comments about what appeals to you...it helps readers get to know you through this anonymous online venue.

2) Alot of quilts "make the rounds" at national shows, so am I missing anything by not going to the big ones like Paducah or Houston?
Since there are a few nationally known quilters from Arizona (Gina Perkes and Sharon Schamber), I get to see a few quilts in person before they become big winners at the national shows. I'd go to the major shows more for the festive atmosphere and excitement...speaking as a one-time-only attendee at Houston! If you can see the artists you want to see in a smaller venue, I think that's more enjoyable.

3) What to do about my own quilting slump?
I chalk this one up to the seasons and cycles of life. Amy's not quilting because she just found out she's pregnant and is not feeling well. I'm not quilting because Baby K is almost 2! If you can find a few peaceful minutes to enjoy your craft, that's great! If it makes you feel guilty, re-evaluate and say no to some of the extra deadlines that are usually self-imposed.

4) What to do about all my UFOs, WIPs, and stash?
Ahh, the eternal question. I try to balance the amount of fabric coming in with the amount of quilting I get done. I don't have a humongous stash, but it's larger than the space available, so I try to keep it under control. I figure that once the slump is over (see above) then I will be able to finish things. Luckily, I haven't abandoned many projects completely, I just get hit with start-itis and a new project seems more appealing that something I'm in the middle of.

5) It would be nice if charities accpeted fabric, but they all seem to want finished quilts!
Isn't that the truth! There are some sewing guilds that like donations, so if you are seriously trying to cull the stash, that might be an option. My problem is that I love all my quilts and I can't bear to give them away! But is it a good thing to let them sit in the corner? Another eternal dilemma.

New Arrival

Meet our new Kitty Cat, cleverly named K.C. She's a big girl! KC is more social than our other cat Gidget, which is fun for Baby K. There was the typical sibling rivalry - much hissing and growling between the two sister-kitties, but they seem to be working it out. After a three month sock interlude, I've picked up the miter obsession again.
These squares still need to be blocked so they lay flat, but I don't want to leave them out overnight since I don't know if KC is enamored of straight pins like some previous four-legged residents of this house! It's supposed to be warm tomorrow (in the 90s) so I can block them and let them dry on the patio for an hour or so.

Growth

Baby K was sitting so nicely on the couch this afternoon while I was taking pictures of socks...I thought, I haven't done a bunny picture in a while! So here she is at 20 months:

(the mark on her cheek is a daycare mishap) And just for fun, I went back to the bunny picture from this time last year...

It's such a cliche, but she is growing up SO FAST!

I finished a Jaywalker out of STR January One...the grey background is covering up the couch and Baby K's arm, but I suppose I should have centered the sock. Oh well, my photoshop skills definitely leave room for improvement! I thought it was so interesting how the 2-stitch difference between the leg and the foot of the sock really changed how the colors lined up.

Now I have to get busy because I have 2 socks without mates! This Jaywalker and the Winterberry Tofutsies...and one of these days I'll quilt again too!

Pop Quiz

This meme is floating around, so I thought I'd hop on the train. Deb and Amy played along too!

1. If you were to attend a costume party tonight, as what or whom would you go?
I love a good pun, so I would put on my fanciest dress, and wear a sign around my neck that says "I'm Sorry." Then I'd be a FORMAL APOLOGY...get it?!?

2. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling? I don't have a preference for gas or charcoal, and I'm pretty traditional. Lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, mustard.

3. You are chosen to have lunch with the President. The condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask?

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I guess I'd ask GW what he plans on doing next...will he try to be a crusader like Jimmy Carter or lay low like his father?

4. It’s your first day of vacation, what are you doing?
Since there are 21 school days left, I've been thinking about this alot :-) I think I will get some light reading (Earlene Fowler and Jennifer Chavierinni) and spend the day on the couch.

5. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies?
Soda. I've gone through no-popcorn phases, but I always get something to drink!

6. How long was it from ‘the first date’ until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding?
My first date with B. was on January 20th, and there was a pseudo-proposal on Valentine's Day. The actual question came up at Easter, and we got married July 4th.

7. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person?
Thoughtful opinions. With so much hot air coming from all directions, it's refreshing to talk with people that put some thought into their words.

8. Everyone hears discussions that they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other?
Rocket science, I guess. One of my Libra traits is seeing all sides of an issue, so I can discuss pretty much anything!

9. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose?
Hot fudge!

10. What food item would need to be removed from the market altogether in order for you to live a healthier, longer life?
I'd hate to take anything away completely. I'd like to see the healthy stuff be more convenient... like veggie packs in vending machines instead of M-n-Ms!

WIP Wednesday

(for the non-quilters/knitters WIP = work in progress)

I am home this afternoon because Baby K threw up twice last night. Poor baby! She seems to be fine now, hopefully it's a 24-hour kind of thing.

While she napped, I got my sewing machine out - what a thrill! I put borders on some kaleidoscope blocks. Here is a sampling with the original fabric for comparison on the right. (Alexander Henry "xanadu")

The ordination stole I've been knitting is no longer a deadline project. My friend in seminary was recently told that the Diocesan Altar Guild is providing the vestments for her ordination service. It was a blow to my pride that she won't be using it for that special service, but she definitely will use it in the future. I can't give you a progress photo of that one because I took it to school to work on during our state standards testing. Plus, I can usually get a few rows done during my prep hour and lunch each day. I'm about halfway done with it.

My main focus has been socks. I turned the heel on the first Jaywalker, and I'm trying to speed through the foot. Baby K has learned to say "knitting," but the t's aren't very clear, so it's more like "nee-ning." Her other new trick is to put her fingers to her cheeks and grin like a little Shirley Temple. I don't know where she learned it, but it's adorable!

Random Wednesday

I am posting from school (shhhh...it's a half-day, so the kids are doing review. The education buzzwords for today are "writing across the curriculum" and "independent practice.") So, no pictures but some fun links.

Baby K talks a lot. Yesterday we were playing in the backyard and she kept calling for "Eli! Emma!" - two of her friends from school. And this morning we were eating breakfast, the cat walked by and Baby K pointed to my cereal and said "Gidget eat." Clearly we have a genius brewing ;-) - complete sentences at 20 months!! Mommy explained that the cat has her own food and doesn't like Frosted Mini Wheats.

Yesterday, knitters took over Toronto! The Yarn Harlot has launched her latest book tour, and she set up a photo scavenger hunt to confound the locals with inexplicable knitter behaviour.

We aren't sure if it was an April Fool's hoax, but there was a rumor that Julia Roberts (yes, the movie star and documented knitter) has joined Ravelry. There is no way to confirm her membership, but it may be a publicity stunt for her upcoming movie version of the popular book The Friday Night Knitting Club.

If you are looking for an amusing way to waste an inordinate amount of time, browse through the t-shirts on Cafe Press. I especially love geek humor. Today, Baby K is wearing a pink t-shirt that says "My Mommy is a Math Teacher," and mine has a math diagram with the instructions to "Find x." X is circled and the caption says "Here it is." Cracks me up every time!!! (I need to get the one about pi and i...go look, it's funnier that way)

Just one little thing

Ravelry is a dangerous place.
I looked at the requirements for the swap - one mini sock that can be knit in about 2 hours. Hey, I can do that! And I have an empty keychain sock blocker, and leftover bits of sock yarn! This is perfect! Baby K wanted to get in on the action. She loves to carry little things around or drag stuff, so she grabbed the little sock and one end of the ball and off she went...

My projects

The ordination stole is now longer than the cat stand...which has turned into a Baby K jungle gym. We dragged it to the center of the living room, up against the sofa to minimize the chances that she will fall off onto the tile floor. That fabric challenge I talked about? Well, I still won't meet the show deadline, but I continued piecing. I used Ricky Tims' "Caveman Quilting" techniques to do the freehand curves. I have fabric for a border, which will be wavy also. The BIG project this week was finishing a customer quilt. It had lots of green fabric, gorgeous batiks. I did some pseudo-McTavishing in the black background, which made my eyes water - hard to see black thread on black fabric and I was doing small motifs!
Here is the main block design...very simple but striking with her wonderful colors. I was crazy enough to start a new sock project...another pair of Jaywalkers in STR January One. Socks That Rock yarn is luscious!!! This is my "March Madness" project...which means it's madness to think I'll finish in 3 weeks, LOL.

Quilting Details

I apologize for the fuzzy picture...I was in a hurry in the crowds. This is an example of Sharon Schamber's quilting - microscopic perfection! She uses so many different shapes: clamshells, miniature feathers, pebbles, straight lines, etc. You can also see her innovative scalloped binding. Some more wonderful feathers. The quilt is a basic two-color pattern, but looking at the details on the back is breath-taking. (Pieced by Linda Adkins, quilted by Judy Taylor if I remember correctly)
Detail of Gina Perkes' Best of Show quilt. She does the same microscopic background fill as Sharon Schamber.
Gina Perkes also won the Wearable category. Beautiful work!
I loved the feathers on this Burgoyne Surrounded quilt...but I didn't get the name of the quilter.

More from AQG 2008

This quilt was called "Berry Limeade" - perfect for a St. Patrick's Day post!
The colorful pieced background caught my eye on this quilt...my apologies to the quilter for not writing down his/her name! This cute small quilt featured lots of buttons - from Wal-Mart the quilter specified. Large buttons were featured in the center, and many smaller buttons, color coordinated, filled the border.Look again, this next quilt is a log cabin, with the light half done in all white. Gives you some ideas for alternative layouts, huh?
Speaking of alternative layouts...I like the difference between vertical and horizontal rows, a twist on the traditional row quilt.
Ta Ta for now, I need to put the corned beef and cabbage on to boil for a traditional Irish supper!

Quilt Show

The Arizona Quilters Guild annual show was this weekend, and there were some spectacular quilts! I am going to spread out the pictures...this is the overview, and I will share detail photos in a few days.


Best in Show went to Gina Perkes from Payson, AZ:The giraffes caught my eye in traditional form: And in artistic representation:
Debbie Graves pieced and quilted the next beauty. She is the past president of my local chapter. Her original design reminds me of the knitted miter squares I am working on! I am always drawn to color gradient quilts, and this gorgeous quilt was honored with "Best Use of Color:"
More to come...

Spring has Sprung!

Hubby was on Spring Break this week and worked in the backyard. Our large shade tree died in the frost last year, and Santa brought us a gift certificate to re-landscape. Here is a close up of the new nectarine tree:

Here is the new view from the patio:
In the middle is a glassy-leaf privet, which we hope will give us nice shade and privacy when it matures. On the left is a pomegranate, and the right is the nectarine. The grass was just cut down...we do not overseed in the winter, but it will be lush in a month or so!

Hubby installed pull-down shades on the patio, which makes it very pleasant in the mornings and evenings...until July and August when we desert-dwellers hibernate in the air conditioning! Baby K loves to pick up rocks outside. Here she is with her collection...Moving on to my quilting projects - This is step one of the IMQA Fabric Challenge. I have had the design clearly in my head since last fall, and I purchased the fabric in December. Unfortunately, this project will not make it to the show since the deadline for entries is March 26th. I had a moment of optimism when I thought that I could just mail the paperwork and finish the quilting in April, but they want pictures with the entry. I plan to finish the quilt, and now that's one less thing on my March to-do list! Baby K is quite an explorer and climber now. Last week she enjoyed taking her bears for a ride in an empty box. Again, the cheap entertainment wins!

Progress

I'm a few hours early for WIP Wednesday. This is the status of my knitting projects:

I'm past the fiddly cuff and into the groove of the baubles on the second Winterberry sock from the Limited Edition TOFUtsies club. It's hard to rationalize personal knitting time when I have monster deadlines looming, but I manage to overcome those obstacles ;-)

And the ordination stole is now Longer Than Baby K's favorite push toy...maybe 20 inches done or so? I'm probably overestimating, but I will be sitting down to work on it in a minute, so it's a moot point.

Baby K has some cute games that she plays with the rocks in the backyard...I'll get some pictures of that tomorrow. Happy Stitching!

Lazy Saturday

Mommy is home with Baby K today while Daddy works at a Habitat for Humanity homesite. I have sewing and knitting to do...many inches to go on the ordination stole and I could at least cut out pieces for the challenge quilt while the baby plays...but I'd rather goof around on the computer.

Baby K loves those expensive, educational toys -ha ha ha. Walk down the grocery aisle and pick out anything plastic and she'll love it!
She enjoys hats too! Right now, we are basking in the balmy spring weather...thank goodness for wireless connections and laptops that allow me to surf on the patio. Baby K is collecting rocks. My big plan for the day is to walk up to the neighborhood park where the swings are, then stop for a sub sandwich for lunch.

Longer than...

I did the math, and I need to knit 1 inch per day on the ordination stole so that it's finished in time for the service. I've been bringing it to work and I can get the 6 rows (which equal one inch) done in about 10 minutes. Right now, the stole is longer than my computer! (yes, that would be more interesting with photos, but I'm blogging from work. Check out Ms. Imbrium - I totally got the idea from her!!)

Since I listed my other deadline projects in the last post, they have been on my mind and I am starting to freak out a little bit. Yikes! I really need to spend time at the sewing machine during the week after Baby K goes to bed...

Back to Normal

It's amazing what you can get done in just one hour without interruptions! Baby K went to bed, and I squared up all these t-shirt blocks and got the top finished. It's one of my March-deadline projects, ready for the longarm. Another deadline project is knitting. My friends Julie is at seminary and she will be ordained as a deacon in June. I am making the stole for her to wear during the service...it needs to be about 100 inches long. Good thing I have a few months to work on it!
Thanks for all the get-well wishes. Baby K bounced back on Thursday after the fever broke and we had one bad night of teething (2ndd molars, ugh). We're putting shoes on for a trip to Grandma's house.
My next March deadline is the IMQA fabric challenge. I've had the design mentally prepared for months, and even purchased the fabric last fall...now that the deadline is right around the corner, I may actually get it done!

On the homefront

I had grand plans of quilting all day while B. was a work and K. was at daycare. Then, K and I got sick, so she has to stay home. It's a day and night regimen of Tylenol and Motrin trying to keep her fever under control. She is in good spirits today. There was one period yesterday when her fever went up above 102.5 and she got pretty lethargic. We try to sponge her off continually, and she enjoyed playing with the washcloth!

Yes, she's going through a "stripper"phase where she takes off all her clothes. Yet another reason I'm thankful to live in Phoenix with the balmy winters!

Tonya came up with the idea of a housewarming party for Bonnie, who just moved. Here's my first attempt at a wonky free-pieced house. It was a fun, quick block, but I didn't pull out my whole scrap bin to work with, which limited my options. On the next one, I'll make the roof wider and make the door and window out of different colors.Another suggestion from Tonya was to send Bonnie any orphan blocks we have from the patterns that she offers. (If you haven't visited Quiltville, go now! Bonnie has terrific suggestions for organizing your scraps and she has put together an extensive library of free patterns using those scraps. The gallery is full of inspiration!) I'm sending one of my boxy star blocks.

Perfect!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hubby came through like a champ...flowers on the counter when I got home and chocolate, my favorite flavor:Although a girl at school gave me a new flavor of Hershey's Kiss. Have you tried the CHEESECAKE ones??? Yummy filling!

Last weekend I was able to get some quilting done. I'm hoping to teach Karla Alexander's Aurora Aura quilt next month. I put wavy lines in the "ocean" part and flame/vines in the Aurora Borealis sections. I am very pleased with the result.