Sunday Sewing

Where does the time go??? It was Friday night, I blinked, and now it's Sunday evening! Friday night, B. and I went to the Joyce Meyer conference. It was a great event, especially since we tend to have quality conversations in the car. Baby K had fun with her favorite babysitter, Elizabeth. Paace of mind is a great thing, and I'm very grateful we have a trustworthy friend to babysit when we take the rare night away from baby!

Saturday I had some longarm time, which I spent basting a quilt for my mom. I won't be advertsing that service very much...it's B-O-R-I-N-G! You stare at the gorgeous quilt and all you're doing is straight lines. At least it sparks the creative center of my brain so I'm ready for the next project! I finally dug out some hangars with clips so I can hang quilts on the bar that B. installed next to my machine. I can ponder quilting designs while viewing the whole quilt.

I got borders on the Orange Delight:
Here you see the corner of the "squares squared" center, a one inch black border, a 3 inch orange border in Kerstin's favorite fabric, then the piano keys. I am going to piece one more set of piano keys, then get out my knitting while my Sunday TV shows are on.

Speaking of knitting, I finished the 2nd Inside Out sock! Yay me!!! No finished object picture though, because I decided to frog the leg of the first sock and re-do the cables on bigger needles. 55 more rounds...no problem! And the excitement is building for kit #2, which will be shipped this week. Three cheers for Blue Moon Sockateers!

Books

Today's topic is 13 books I love. Most of these titles I have read at least 3 time! My mom says I read faster than anyone she knows. If it’s light fiction, I can get through almost 100 pages an hour. Yes, I read every word, and retain it too!

1. Harry Potter... every couple years I start with Year 1 and read them all again.
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon... a great series that I'm anxious to read again. Lots of yummy Scottish men in kilts ;-)
3. The Yarn Harlot...in print AND online. I'm waiting for Knitting Rules and Casts On to arrive next week.
4. Earlene Fowler mysteries...the quilting titles caught my eye first, and she gives you a great feeling for the San Luis Obispo area.
5. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott...I have a collection of "how to write fiction" books, and she is my favorite.
6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert... details of her personal journey after a messy divorce. Now if I could get someone to finance MY journey!!!
7. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (series) by Alexander McCall Smith...I talked about these books a few weeks ago. I really need to get caught up on the current installments! However, I was not as impressed with his other novel 44 Scotland Street.
8. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova... I heard the buzz about this novel when it was first published. It is a great story-within-a-story retelling of Dracula.
9. The Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith... just a fun read!
10. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton... I love her illustrations. This is a cute bedtime story for Baby K.
11. Little House on the Prairie...another series that I would read over and over as a little girl.
12. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell...why are kids always drawn to survival stories? This is an award winner...Newberry or Caldecott, I'm not sure, but it's well deserved!
13. The Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan...as long as I'm strolling down memory lane, I'll include this one. It's about a girl with ESP. I went through a stage of fascination with ESP and poltergeists as a kid. Plus, I was trying to find something to read in my school library and this title jumped out at me!

Inspiration

Quickie post so I don't forget where I saw this amazing quilt. Check out the Cherubs! (scroll down to March 12th)

I am going to MQS in June, where I am sure I will see many more like this to inspire me.

Year One

It's my 1st Blogger-versary!!

I started blogging on Yahoo 360 during the Yarn Harlot’s 2006 Knitting Olympics. I made a Booga bag which I carried for a while, until I got tired of digging for things in the bottom.

I should make a lining for it and it might be more useful! I-cord handles also stretch quite a bit! In the future, I will use store-bought handles for bags I intend to use on a daily basis.

ANYWAY, after a couple months, I gave up on Yahoo – it was too difficult for people to find my blog and comment. So I switched to Blogger and my first post was April 17, 2006. It’s amazing how life can change in one year! Last year, we had just been contacted about adopting Baby K and B. was finishing up his college coursework. Today, we are chasing an 8-month around the house and B. is filling out job applications.
Just for fun, here is a picture of my first-ever quilt, finished in 2004. I used a Terry Atkinson pattern called "Lasagna." It's reversible too, with a large piece of the focal fabric (Alexander Henry zoo animals) on the back.

Not mine

This is the quilt I was working on over the weekend. I used a pantograph from Willow Leaf Studios...no close ups of the quilting though. I am on the right - my sister in law, who made the top, is on the left. I thought her fabric choices were outstanding!

I had to get a picture of Baby K's fabulous hairstyle today :-) She has some very long tendrils, and a very prominent cowlick. She must have been thrashing around during her nap to get it all going in different directions!

My brilliant idea to put my sock on a circular needle didn't work. I forgot that the sock is too narrow to work on one circ...and I didn't feel like asking my mom to search for yet another needle and then teach me to use two circulars! I decided that I'll put the stitches on 3 needles instead of 4. I'm using a US2 for the first cable, that should give it room to get over my ankle. I plan to go back to 1s, but we'll see as the leg progresses.

Fiber Content

Quality knitting time in the hospital waiting room:

B. had outpatient surgery yesterday to remove the "plate" from his leg. You can see the hardware on the left. He crushed the top of his tibia 5 years ago in a motorcycle accident, needed a bone graft and the plate was holding the graft in place. It was so close to the surface of his skin that it was causing problems. We still have to wait another 10 years or so until he is "old enough" for a full knee replacement.

He is up and walking this morning! The memory of 10 days in the hospital right after the accident is so burned in my head that I forget that most of these outpatient procedures are fairly easy in terms of recovery.

On the right, you will see that I have started the heel on my second "Inside Out" sock from the Rockin Sock Club! I put the instep stitches on waste yarn since the metal stitch holder got in my way on the first sock. I plan to use circular needles for the leg...it was a PITA to work the cables on DPNs and keep the stitches distributed. The cables stitches always seemed to end up right at the end of a needle! And, I am going up one size for the first cable since it's a pretty tight fit getting the sock on over my arch and heel. I am excited at the prospect of finishing this pair before the next kit arrives!

Photo Shoot

Baby K is 8 months old! These bunny pictures are getting to be more difficult as she becomes more mobile...


I think we'll have a re-take with Daddy helping!

A list

Newsflash...having "theme" days on your blog actually gives you something to talk about! Whoda thunk it! I blame the lack of fiber content on life getting in the way. When I have time to play with my longarm, it's usually just a quick pantograph. I'll share when I try something custom! I haven't had time to do any piecing or knitting either. So here's the list for today:

Some people have been giving out "Thinking Blogger Awards," a list of blogs that they find inspiring. For 13 on Thursday, I will share my daily reads:

1. The Yarn Harlot. Her 2006 Knitting Olympics inspired me to join the blogiverse.

2. Red Shoe Ramblings. The Daily Art Thang continually shows the beauty of the world around and within us.

3. Stumbling Over Chaos. A knitter with adorable cats. She has become "contest central" -check it out for a multitude of ways to win yarny goodness!

4. January One. Awesome photography of knitting! She knows good patterns...Jaywalkers, Log Cabin blankets, mitered squares, and the Central Park Hoodie.

5. Franklin. He knows Dolores. Enough said.

6. Crazy Aunt Purl. Southern fried commentary on life in L.A.

7. Lazy Gal Quilting. I learned to free-piece letters...now I want to add titles to all my quilts!

8. a Mad Fabriholic. I love her bold fabric choices! And lessons on being a great mom - redecorating during breakfast AND a surprise trip to Disneyland this year!

9. Rockin Sock Club. Check here for the latest news on the club. Everyone's at camp right now, sounds like fun!

10. Knotty Girls. Jen and La tell it like it is. Drop in for Eye Candy Friday!

11. The Calico Cat. Another crafty cat lover ;-) And we went to the same high school - the internet is such a small world!

12. Ms. Imbrium. I *love* the Donegal!

13. Be*Mused. Bright cheery quilts galore.

In the meantime

I had a request to see Baby K in her Easter bonnet...I hope this will satisfy the craving, because we didn't do bonnets or baskets this year! B. and I are in the church choir, and we sang at two services on Easter Sunday. I asked Grandma to come up and babysit, which she was THRILLED to do, of course. She brought some toys for the baby and chocolate for the parents. Perfect! Next year, at about 20 months old, Baby K will be in prime egg-hunting shape and we'll go all out.

Aunt Joyce came down to take Baby K to the zoo last week. Daddy said she really enjoyed the small mammal exhibit.
She is starting to pull up on everything, including her playpen and crib:
This sweet little bird brought Easter greetings:
And Baby K finally discovered the cat door into the laundry room! She hasn't tried to crawl through yet, but the opening is definitely too small for her. Man, she can cross the floor in a hurry when she wants to!

Funny Faces

No new quilting or knitting to show off today...

I got several inquiries at my guild meeting about finishing quilts for people on my longarm. Of course, that's why I bought the machine - to run a quilting business, I'm just a little nervous about carving that time out since B. is home alone with the baby all day. It doesn't seem fair to ignore them in the evenings or on the weekends to quilt! So, I'm trying to stall potential customers until June when I am out of school and home every day. That way B. can sleep in while I get up at dawn with Baby K, then I can have some guilt-free quilting time later in the day! Work with me people...it's a plan. We'll deal with reality later!!

Here is Baby K's reaction to plain yogurt:

We needed a video camera to capture the full body twitch as she tasted sour..

Here's a much nicer picture that shows off all four teeth:

New WIP

Friday, I took a personal day off from school to take a class with Karen McTavish! It was a wholecloth design class. She described how to do the color trapunto work that is one of her hallmarks, but that was a separate class. Here is my creation... In case the detail didn't come through, here is a close up photo taken with the flash turned off:
The next step, obviously, is quilting it. I have never done feathers on my longarm, so I may have to do a practice piece...and watch the McTavishing video multiple times! She says she holds a ruler (or Gam Guide Jr) against the hopping foot and uses that to guide her quilting. Sounds like an interesting technique for control.

Next up is my guild block of the month. The pattern is "Autumn Tint 2" from Quilter's Cache:

And to end on a high note, more of Baby K's Spring fashions!

Fluff

(This idea shamelessly stolen from Rhonda)

Thirteen places I have been on vacation:
1. Hawaii
2. Minnesota
3. Colorado
4. Puerta Vallarta, Mexico
5. Cruise Ships
6. British Isles
7. California
8. Washington D.C.
9. Texas
10. Florida
11. Whistler, Canada
12. Cozumel, Mexico
13. New York City

WOW - that was harder than I thought it would be!! Mainly because of my self-imposed criteria that it had to be an actual VACATION trip. I have travelled alot because of my Air Force career and quilting/stamping conventions, but that was business (supposedly, hahaha).

Vacations that I dream about...
* Baby K's first trip to Disneyland
* Australia and New Zealand
* Scotland
* Germany
* Russia
* Italy with my brother and SIL who are both architects
* African Safari

I am a big fan of "The Amazing Race." We just got a DVR box with our cable subscription last year, which makes it MUCH easier to follow a sequential show. I saw all of season 10, and I am cheering on Uchenna and Joyce in the All-Star Race. The show feeds my love of travel, although I know the participants can't really enjoy the spectacular places they are visiting.

Books that fuel the travel bug:
Eat, Pray Love. I just finished it...and I can't recommend it highly enough! Imagine spending 4 months in Italy, then India, then Indonesia. What a year of experiences.

The Ladies #1 Detective Agency. I got such a sense of Africa from this series. I haven't read all of the books yet, so I'll have to get back to that one of these days. Not much action in the books, but you feel like you are transported!

Only 12 more days...

til Easter! Which means the end of Lent!



This is what I found when I was looking for a picture to put in today's post. (Search for the "Stars" can) How cool is that - a cola tribute to quilters!

Background: while driving to the Pancake Supper on Shove Tuesday, B. and I had a discussion about what to give up for Lent. (We are Episcopalian, so we kind of pick and choose which Catholic traditions to observe, LOL.) I decided to give up french fries, which wouldn't be too difficult since we are cutting way back on how much we eat out. Then I decided I needed more of a challenge, so I pledged to give up Pepsi. It hasn't been too bad, I just had a one-can-a-day habit...but let me tell you, I will really enjoy a big cup fresh from the soda fountain after church on Easter Sunday!

I was going to continue the "fast" after Easter by not keeping soda in the fridge at home, but I may have to get a quilty Pepsi can, just for show!

And in case you are wondering, B. gave up candy, which expanded to all sweets. Too bad we got our Girl Scout Cookie order right after Lent started! His one exception has been a cake he baked from scratch. I have provided terrible temptation though by keeping chocolate in the house. He's a trooper!

Stage One Complete

Here is Baby K trying to pull up on the barstools. I'm dreading the moment that she slips and smashes her nose on the tile! I wish my back could bend like that...


I put Kerstin's top together! It sure reads orange, LOL. She picked the fabric...I just sewed :-) The next step is a small black border, then a slightly larger orange border (she loves the daisy print) and then 6-inch piano keys with all the scraps.



I finished the first of the Rockin Socks! They're a little tight going over my ankle, but I didn't want to go up a needle size and have them slide down my leg. They fit perfectly once they're on! I immediately cast on for it's mate. B. is amazed that I may actually finish this pair before the second kit arrives! Thank goodness for March Madness and Spring Break that allowed me some quality knitting time.

Squares, Updated

I laid out the blocks for Kerstin's quilt...

Then counted and recounted my blocks, and found a mistake in the pattern! Looks like I need one more block to fill in the blank space. I did some minor shuffling after this picture was taken and I have plans for the borders. Stay tuned!

Baby K got some new clothes this week so we are having a fashion show.
I am much too practical a mother. Dresses like this are for pictures only! K. is on the go non-stop now, so we keep her in cotton onesies. Thank goodness baby clothes are relatively cheap. It's about time for a garage sale to make room in her closet!

2007 Quilt Show, Part Three

These are some more of my favorites from the Arizona Quilters Guild 2007 show:

"Sunday Morning Sudoku" by karen G. Fisher. This looks like a fun technique for playing with color placement. It won third place in the Small pieced, machine quilted category.

You need to click for the larger version to see the amazing quilting in the alternate blocks! This is "Spanish Crosses" by Marlene Cordes. She won an Honorable Mention in the Small Quilt, Mixed Technique, Machine Quilted category.

Finally, I enjoyed the color play in these non-traditional log cabins! I am drawn to the strong geometrics...things I could display in my classroom! "Log Cabin Goes Round" by Vera Smith.

Working over Break

We're thinking it's time to get a video camera. Baby K is on the move! This is the farthest she has ventured into the kitchen. She has a little pink ball that she likes to chase around and she can almost pull up on her toy box and the coffee table. This is a labor of love. (Mom - remember that saying that done is better than perfect???) I made this quilt top 2 years ago for my Dad's birthday. Mom quilted it with parallel (and not-so-parallel) lines. Then she decided the quilting is too horrible to exist in the world. And since I have soooooo much more free time than she does (see above picture...HA!) she dumped it back in my lap to pick out all the quilting and re-do it. I'm not sure what she was thinking, and I'm questioning my own sanity for doing it, but it is an overdue present for my Dad. So here we are. I spent 2 hours last night and haven't even got one block undone.
What would you do now?

Finally, I'll end on a high note. Can I just say that I love pantographs for my longarm??? This quilt is 60x60, and it took me about two hours to quilt. Love that!! It's a shop sample. I'm not sure what fabric line it is, but I think it's gorgeous.

More from the quilt show

Here are some more of the fantastic quilts I saw this weekend at the Arizona Quilters Guild annual exhibit.

This is called "Basket Case" by Sharon Brooks. (Third place in the Theme category "Out of the Attic - Old and New")


Next is "She's a 30's Star" by Debbie Stanton. First Place - Large Quilt, Pieced and Professionally Quilted. Beautiful trapunto work.

Here's what I'm working towards in my longarm quilting! This won a blue ribbon for Exemplary Machine Quilting. It's "Amish Square in a Square" by Mary Nyberg.

And our happy Baby K!

2007 Quilt Show

For Amy...

Sunbonnet Kitties by Lynnette Mault

This was the most unusual quilt I saw...two in one! The stars float off the background,coonected at the center. "Not so plane geometry" by Diane Magarelli.

I tried to take a side view to show the 3D effect...

Finally, this year's trend - One Block Wonder! I loved the setting with a piece of the original fabric on the front. This is "Caught in the Whirlwinds" by Caryl Spenny.

More throughout the week as I match pictures to their creators!

Friday night knit club

Here is Baby K in her 7 month bunny picture: It is so fun to look back at all the pictures. I am going to combine them into a poster when she's a year old.

Now that she's mobile, she like to crawl across the room and get into her toy box.

On to the knitting! I kept measuring and trying on the sock to see if it was time to start the heel. This looks about right, but I went ahead and knit about 4 more rows to get the exact measurement.

You can see the heel taking shape...just a few more short rows and I'll start my first cable, woo-hoo! The curved needle in front is the stitch holder. Quite a pain to juggle that...I'll try waste yarn on sock #2. And I'm not a big fan of the Susan Bates metal DPNs that I'm using. My hands get sore! Any Rockin Sock knitters out there - I've seen alot of comments about going up to a size 2 for the leg...pros and cons??? Take a look at my yarn "cake" on the left. It's starting to fall apart and become a cone! I'll post a better picture this weekend. Spring Break has arrived, thank goodness. I'm planning to visit Stitch-n-Bitch this week after months of being too busy!