Current Events

Quilter's ADD...I started a new project, even though I haven't finished the QOV Mystery or the May blocks for my block-of-the-month project! And I have quite a pileof UFO's tucked away that probably only need a border or something to finish. But, at least this is a stash project, so I do get credit for avoiding unnecessary spending. The pattern is Twisted Sister by Ami Simms. I am using black backgrounds and a variety of brown, gold and green batiks. Hopefully this is a masculine look, because it is destined for another returning soldier!

Friday the family went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly exhibit "The Nature of Glass." This blue and purple collection was in perhaps the most gorgeous section...right under a palo verde tree that provided lots of shade!

Here are some pink "fiddleheads" with green swirllies (yep, technical term) among some prickly pear.

At the entrance, you are greeted by glass yucca formations and agave/century plants on the terraces. The whole place is beautiful.

Just for Amy

Amy is a quilt-blogging friend (aka The Calico Cat) and she's on an I-Spy kick. I promised her a picture of the one I made for Baby K last fall...here is the back. In real life, it's a dark purple from the Moda Marbles line. I used a simple crosshatch and spirals in the border.

Here's the front side. I'd take a full size picture, but I haven't gotten around to binding it yet. Bad mommy!

May Update

Finished half of a pair of Shur'tugal socks in STR Alley Oop (details on Ravelry).

Almost to the end of the mystery quilt!

Baby K continues to brighten every day with her smiles.

Daddy brought home a huge flower arrangement from his school's graduation, and K "planted" on in the yard.

And then she got in touch with her inner farmer...

Yay Photos!

My life over the last week or so...
I love working on this quilt since the fabrics are right up my alley. Lots of blue and wonderful prints, some batik and lots of Kaffe Fasset! I got all the blocks outlined, then I am filling in some free-hand feathers, using a multi-color thread on top and a navy blue on the back. A tip for stitching feathers that I learned from DeLoa Jones: think of curving into the spine like the curve of a freeway on-ramp. You come in at a gentle angle, not straight across! Also, imagine how a question mark curves from top to bottom. Gidget has a new favorite spot to nap in the evenings. She isn't very social, but she comes halfway down the stairs to hang out.
Here is Kendra with some of our Topsy Turvy brand tomatoes. I added them to the sausage and rice we had for dinner last night.
And here she is before swim lessons. I wanted a nice pose with the pool in the background, but she didn't cooperate! This is our first year of formal lessons. It's a parent-tot class, so I am in the pool with her. We practice kicking and blowing bubbles. She does not want to put her face in yet, but she looks forward to the Hokey Pokey and playing with the toys in the shallow beach-entry area at the end of class each day.

Text Only

Here's a glimpse inside my head...

There are no pictures for this post because the camera is upstairs and I am too lazy to run up and get it. Plus, I want to take a few pictures of the QOV mystery quilt that I am working on, but I'd probably get sidetracked sewing or something and then never make it back to the blog post!

I had a good Mother's Day. I let Daddy get up at 6am with our little angel, and woke up to coffee on the patio an hour later. Their card to me was perfect - a little grumpy-faced baby with the caption "Mom, I know I'm difficult and spoiled rotten...Fortunately I'm cute enough to make up for it." Baby K is two-and-three-quarters, and we get a screeching NOOOOOO if we ask her to do something. Of course, two seconds later we ask and get a sweet "Yes, Mama." On the patio this morning, she decided to jump rope. I missed a fantastic video opportunity because all she was doing was holding a rope and jumping up and down. It made me laugh so hard!

Then we went to church and I was able to sew for a bit while K. took her nap. Then it was off to Grandma's house for dinner. Sunday afternoons are so hard to manage because we can never predict naptime. The plan is always to put her down when we get home around 12:30 and let her sleep 2 hours or so. Today we were late because we stopped for lunch, and then it took a while for her to quiet down. So, we had to wake her up, which is a slow process and she's always grumpy for about an hour. But, it worked out because Grandma has fun toys and K. got to sit on the tractor!

Tomorrow starts the last full week of school here in Arizona. I have one more unit test to give and then next week I will do a couple days of review before final exams. And what will I do with my free time over the summer? Quilt, quilt and more quilting! I have several QOVs to finish this month, then two for friends, then my own pile which I don't even dare to count. At least then I'll have pictures to share!

Guidance

Here is my progress on the QOV Mystery (#7 from Persimmon Quilts). There are lots more red and white half square triangles ready, plus tons of 2 7/8 inch white squares for Clue #2. There are some people who can't stand mystery projects because they need to know what the whole thing looks like, but I enjoy the suspense. Birthday and Christmas presents can sit in my house for weeks ahead of the actual day, too! (That used to drive my college roommate crazy, ha ha.)

A few years ago, I took a class from Jackie Robinson, who told us that we were all perfectly capable of making half-square triangles WITHOUT drawing a line across one of the fabrics! I took that admonishment to heart. Here is the process I use:
Although smaller squares are easier, I am currently working with 5-inch pieces!My machine is set up with a quarter-inch foot, and the extension table has a ruler printed on it. You can see from the Purple Thang (TM) that I have markers to help me line up the fabric. If I am sewing 1/4 inch off the diagonal to get 2 half square triangels, then I line up the point right under the right-hand edge of my presser foot. Then, I watch the bottom corner of the fabric and make sure it crosses over my markers...the spot on my ruler and also the line on my bobbin case. Figure out some markers on your own machine and save some time piecing those half-square triangles.

I saw a hilarious description of the quilt binding process on this blog. (warning - adult language)

Spring has Sprung

I am worried about the political divisions in our country and the potential for a flu epidemic. But, since those things are beyond my control, I will focus on the happy things in my life! I love to visit blogs and see pictures and read about everyone's life...those sneak peaks into the ordinary moments that fill our days. I have been an infrequent blogger for a while, and I realize I don't say much! For someone who dreams of being published someday, that's a sad state of affairs, which I will try to change - starting now.

I've dedicated most of my quilting time recently to Quilts of Valor. Last month, I quilted a beautiful top for a lady in California. A few weeks ago, I sent off a quilt to be presented to soldiers in Colorado (read about it here). And, I put borders on my Boxy Stars, so it's ready for quilting.As I was browsing around the QOV website, I noticed a link for a mystery pattern. (Instructions here.) I raided my stash (and my mother's stash as well!) and I'll start on that as my next project. I have piles of quilts in every room of my house, so I need an outlet for this hobby!

We're enjoying gorgeous spring weather after flirting with summer temperatures early last week. Baby K loves to have picnics, so we took some fresh strawberries outside for a snack.

3 years and counting

Friday was my 3rd blogiversary! It's been a fun way to journal my crafty projects and Baby K's daily adventures...thanks for tagging along.

She had a fun Easter Egg hunt last week at church.

I finished the first half of the April assignment for the Quilt Show project:I finally loaded a new project on the longarm. I thought of you Samantha! Fun nine-patches with Kaffe Fassett fabric:

Sunday Sewing

To satisfy my quilting urge, I started a scrappy project using Bonnie's Boxy Stars pattern. I personally have issues with totally random scrap quilts, so I made the main star potion of each block in similar colors...of course, once I took the picture I can see that my values (light and dark) are way off! Oh well, that helps with the scrappy feel.
I am going to add more red and blue stars and send this to Quilts of Valor. They are trying to collect over 1,000 quilts by May 31st to present to a Marine Battalion that is returning home. I have some other blocks ready to assemble into a top, so I hope to contribute several finished quilts to this effort.
Some quilters have trouble with their cats laying on their projects when they are trying to take pictures...I have an enthusiastic little girl! I asked her to help, and first she rolled among all the blocks, then started throwing them in the air.
This next photo is just proof of my insanity: When I trim the corners of the Boxy Stars, I have half-square triangles, already matched in lights and darks. They are about 1.5inches square. My mom and I have had this conversation for years. It seems like such a waste to throw all these scraps out, but really...when are we ever going to sew them into something useful??? Well, I'm making a dedicated effort to use them as leader/enders when I chain piece, and I promise blogland that I will find a pattern for HST and work on it this summer! Maybe Broken Dishes?

Linky Loo

Thursday Thirteen...random thoughts

1. Hey Blogger, why is uploading photos hit-or-miss these days?!? Very irritating.

2. I started the book Emerald a couple weeks ago. Did King Edward and Wallis Simpson have a child? If so, what was her life like? It's been a great read so far.

3. I joined a sock knit-a-long with some other folks on Ravelry. I am using some Socks That Rock yarn to knit the Shur' tugal pattern.

4. The pattern inspiration came from the novel Eragon, which I checked out from the library on Monday. So now I'm reading two books at once - one at home and one during lunch at school. It feels weird, I am usually a monogamous reader!

5. This is an area where my brother and I have completely different attitudes. I will read books many, many times. The Little House on the Prairie series was in endless rotation for much of my childhood, and now I revisit Harry Potter every couple years. Ty, on the other hand, thinks there are too many books in the world to waste your time re-reading anything.

6. I am in more of a quilt piecing mood than a longarm mood. Mom brought me a king size quilt to finish, and she had very specific ideas about the quilting. Now I'm nervous to start on it!

7. I am mulling over some ideas for a challenge. The theme is "Geometry" - perfect for a high school math teacher, right?!? I'm leaning towards the Fibonacci Sequence.

8. My other idea, not necessarily for the challenge, is a Sudoku quilt. It will be fun to arrange the nine fabrics nine different ways!

9. I am continuing with the Sue Garman Block of the Month at The Quilt Show. I think my polka dotted background makes it very busy, but rather than abandon the project or buy a bunch of new fabric, I'm just going to continuing using my stash.

10. Hubby and I have been discussing gardening. He'd like to build a raised garden in our yard. I think it would be great as a family project...I've shared how baby K likes to dig in the dirt and water anything and everything! The drawback is that I know it takes almost daily upkeep to tend a vegetable garden, and with his schedule, I'd end up with those chores. I'm not too thrilled about that! Since planting season is several months away, we have time to decide.

11. Another decision that always crops up at the end of the school year is job-hunting. Hubby works at a charter school, which doesn't pay into the state retirement system or count as experience for public school seniority. For these and other reasons, I'd like him to get hired in a public school. Unfortunately, with the dire state budget we are facing, that is unlikely to happen for next year. We're hoping he can at least switch to regular school hours and get home in the early afternoon!

12. Speaking of school, several teachers and I were comiserating about the lack of motivation in our students. There is a significant percentage of my students who seem to take pride in doing nothing. They don't even bring a pencil or paper to class! So, President Obama, please don't push "merit pay" on me until you figure out a way to hold the students accountable for their actions too.

13. On a happier note, I was thinking ahead to summer vacation. One option is a trip to Minnesota to visit my new nephew, but I am leaning towards a trip to the beach and Legoland! Ever since I heard about it, I've been anxious to have a child who would enjoy it, and Baby K loves to build towers and bridges.

Growth

Baby K amused herself for HOURS yesterday with a bucket of water. An old bottle brush has become her magic wand - she waves it and says "biddly boo!" Our trees are starting to bloom. I think the pomegranates are so interesting! Looks like we will have a good crop...any suggestions for juicing or other recipes?
And the Topsy Turvy (tm) tomato is starting to sprout also.
Daddy and Baby K had a picnic in the yard. Happy Spring!

Random Saturday

Daddy planted a plum tree, and Baby K helped dig and find worms, which were transferred to the compost pile.Then she went shopping with Mommy. She fell asleep on the way home, so I carried her inside and laid her on the couch. She opened her eyes long enough to say "It's not naptime," then she didn't move for the next hour and a half! Here's the other Quilt of Valor that I mentioned in my last post:

I used 2.5x4.5 inch bricks in the first border, then put several red squares on point in two corners of the outer border. The center is a pattern called "Baby Steps" from House of Quilts, (c) 1998.

Time Flies

How is it the end of Spring Break already??? Hubby and I had a nice getaway to a local hotel on Monday night. We tried a new restaurant - Brazilian BBQ, where waiters carve the meat right at your table. Yummy! Baby K enjoyed her first sleepover at Grandma's house.

Yesterday, Baby K got a haircut. I was tired of all the tears when combing her hair, so we went for the classic bob.
I'm busy working on finishing some projects for Quilts of Valor. I finished this starry top several years ago, and it was waiting for a binding. I thought I had purchased some of the red sashing, but couldn't find it. Argh. So, I pieced some scrappy blues. Great project to work on while basketball is on!
I have another top for QOV, but it was a crib size pattern, so I had to improvise on some additional borders.
I finished a sock:
The multi-colored yarn, Socks that Rock colorway Flower Power, does such interesting things! I was getting spirals of color in smaller stripes along the leg and heel, then in pooled on the foot. I was tempted to break the yarn and move the colors around, but the pooling is part of the charm.

Crafty

Big news first...I'm finally an aunt! My brother picked up his son this morning and they will be home this weekend. Woo-Hoo!

I've been knitting small projects. They're great for the sense of accomplishment when you finish. First is the lace cuff for a pair of socks:And a ruffled tee for Baby K. I knit this in the round, so there are no seams! Just a few ends to weave in.

My Lenten discipline of exercise is not going so well...I was busy with a quilting deadline and missed Friday, then today I came home and vegged on the couch since I had a killer headache all day at school. I guess some is better than none, and habits take time to build, yada yada yada. (can you tell I'm really good at rationalization?!?!)

Errands

Phew...I finished the hanging sleeve on my show entries last night at 9:30pm. Dropped them off today at 10am. As the saying goes, if it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done! The show is next weekend. I volunteered to work for my longarm chapter...we are selling raffle tickets to win free longarm quilting services. I love the show atmosphere and the thrill of seeing my own work on display.

In the meantime, I have been knitting the ruffley edge to baby K's tank top:And went a little wild for polka dots! Baby K pulled the purple fabric off the shelf, so I got that for Grandma to make a sundress. The other two will go in the Block-of-the-Month that I am working on.
We'll see how long I keep up...I made the feathered star center and the four-patch border and several of the stars for the outer border. The pattern calls for several additional scrappy borders. March is pinwheels and then we do some more stars. I'm not sure I want something that big and scrappy. Something about it is not working for me. I like what I've done so far, so I've been thinking about adding just one more border and keeping it as a wall hanging.

What I really need is focus! I have several tops ready for the longarm, a couple that need binding that I've promised to Quilts of Valor, plus several personal designs that I want to play with. Do I have an audience interested in testing some patterns?!?

Quilt Lesson

I gave my friend Michelle her first quilting lesson today. Isn't it fun to share hobbies with friends?!? A few months ago we went shopping and the pattern "Reel Fine" appealed to her. She is an experienced sewer, so I assured her that while the pattern looks difficult, she could handle it step by step. She fell in love with some batiks:
(What looks like two pieces on the right is actually from a single piece of variegated fabric)
I made a sample of the pattern in EQ6 so she could see how the colors went together:


She cut everything for a queen size quilt in just a couple hours, and when she started sewing, she said, "You know, this isn't brain surgery." Yep, step by step is all it takes! She wants more lessons as she puts the blocks together. Oh wow, an excuse to quilt all day! "Sorry honey, Michelle needs my help...I'll be back in time for dinner." :-)

Here's a sneak peek of a quilt that will be entered in a show in a couple weeks. I'm about halfway done with the binding. I had fun with the meandering leaves.And I'm almost done with the body of baby K's knitted t-shirt. I love watching variegated yarn knit up. It's always a surprise.

Pay it Forward

Since I was mentioned BY NAME on a friend's blog, I thought I'd rise to the challenge and join the Pay It Forward game. Here's how it works:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done in the next 12 months.
- You have no clue what it's going to be.
- I reserve the right to do something unusual.

The catch? You have to put this in your blog as well. Pass on the love!

I was intimidated at first with the pressure of creating for someone else...but I've been in lots of swaps for quilt blocks, hand-stamped art, and mini socks, so I know I can do it. And with a 12 month deadline...yeah, even with a toddler on the verge of potty training and a full time job, I think I can create a few special things. So to all my anonymous readers, now is the time to come out of the woodwork and comment!

Stages

The final stage...here is the back of my sweater vest, with the center wedge added and the 2 halves grafted together. I didn't follow the instructions - I thought I knew how to do a wrap and turn! Oh well, it doesn't seem noticeable. The biggest problem is that it is HUGE. When I started this project (4 years ago) I just wanted to cast on something...don't you ever get the startitis itch?!? Well, for some silly reason I made the large, when the medium (4 inches smaller at the chest) would have been fine. And when you make the pieces seperately over many years, you don't realize that it's getting so big. Hubby was very supportive, saying a loose fit will be fine and it's only my second sweater project, etc. etc. What a sweetheart! Now I just need a hands-on seaming lesson and we'll see if a warm water bath can shrink it a tad.
The middle stage...stars for my Block of the Month project. Notice that they are only four and a half inches square. Lots of small pieces in this one. Now I'm anxious for the next step and I have to wait a whole week. That gives me time to finish the bindings, labels and hanging sleeves for my show quilts which are due soon.
And the beginning stage. When my LYS closed, there were just a few odd balls of yarn that I thought would make something cute for Baby K. I decided on a little tank top with a ruffle at the top.

Finally, a shout out to my brother. Hop over to his blog. When he recovers from jetlag, there will be cute pictures of the baby he is adopting from Russia. Of course, I enjoy his sense of humor on just about everything so the baby pictures are just a bonus. I love you, bro!