House fire across the street

These photos are of a big fire just across the street from my house. It happened about midnight on Christmas Eve/ Christmas morning. Everybody got out, including all the pets. Two neighbors lost their homes, one is repairable, the other not. Seems like someone set fire to a barn that set about 20 yards behind the worst damaged house, which set the house on fire & it went from there. I woke up to people talking outside & a bright orange sky outside my bedroom window. It was very scary & chaotic, an event I don't want to go through again. My house didn't suffer any damage, but if the wind had changed it's been a different story for us. Now we're dealing with a mass of people on an otherwise quiet street, fire investigators, police detectives, rubber-neckers, as well as friends & family of the victims helping them salvage what they can. Seems there was a deputy sheriff that spotted the fire first & called it in then went door to door to wake everyone up. I'll send him a thank you note from the neighborhood. To make things worse, since it happened on a holiday & a Sunday, all agencies like Red Cross that normally are on call were closed with their phones on an answering machine, you couldn't reach them. Someone did find Red Cross however & they showed up late in the day on Sunday to offer help. Needless to say my Christmas could have been better due to the arsonist & it has been deemed arson. The Christmas part was fine. There's a reward out for info about the fire. It seems like around the holidays there's always some tragedy in the area. This time it was it my own back yard.

My Christmas Wish

I wish that nobody fights with anyone else, that all technology works the way it should, that nobody gets hurt in any way, the weather is good, travel is safe, there are no cross words spit out, that no one is hungry or homeless, that everyone is healthy, that everyone, every being is cared for and is happy.
All the best to you.

Masters Art Quilts II Book Review

I received this wonderful book a few weeks ago to review. Masters Art quilts II contains works by 40 quilt artists, both from the USA & other countries. The colorful book contains a wealth of inspiration. There are several quilts from each artist in this book that picture diversified styles, techniques and subject matter. Color is one thing that excites me & this book does the trick. Its not only colorful but well thought out and well laid out. Martha Seilman has done a wonderful job putting this book together. It is one that you'll want to look though over and over. It makes a great addition to any quilters library.

Equipment for Sale

Thought I'd mention that I'm selling a Bernina 2500 Serger, good shape, with attachments, and a Pfaff Hobby Grand quilter with frame that does up to kind size quilts. I bought them a couple of years ago, thinking I'd use them, but I don't - it turns out. So I'd like to sell them. Email me privately if your interested I need to get these things out of the house.

Where have I been?

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I've been busy bouncing back & forth between doctor visits with DH. He's doing fine, back to work full time -- I have my sanity back somewhat now. Life has been busy with the kids, DH, & grandkids, very little time for me it seems. And life goes on . . .

Where have I been?

No, I didn't drop off the face of the earth. I've been bouncing around from doctor to doctor with DH, who has gone back to work full time and life is returning to my version of normal.
I've had another birthday, which began with a bang, actually it began with a tornado warning at 6:30 in the morning, no tornado actually occurred, but it rained all day.
I'm still quilting but not churning out quilts as much as I was. They just pile up in the house, making it look cluttered. I've decided that i will only make a quilt if I'm giving it away, or it goes out of the house in some way. I've got too much in my house. IMO

Anyway, life goes on . . .

Unexpected surgery update

Just a quick note to let you know that DH is doing well, up& about, nearly back to pre-surgery condition. More good news is that the cancer is only stage II instead of stage IV, as previously thought. Otherwise, quilt wise, I've made a Halloween table runner, throw quilt & table topper in a Halloween theme. Life is slowly getting back to normal.

Surgery update

Well, DH had the surgery yesterday and came through just fine. They did find cancer that had spread to his bladder, so a bit more surgery was needed. The good news is they got it all!! He "may" have to do chemo, that is still up I. The air for the time being. He needs to fully recover from this surgery first. He did well last night & is back to himself today. He made a short video on the IPad for the grandkids so they'll k ow where he is. These IPads are wonderful.

I brought a table runner & a throw sized quilt, both Halloween themed, to work on. I hadn't planned to hand quilt them but I need something to do while he's in the hospital, which will be about a week if all goes well. Between the 2 quilts & this IPad, I'm staying busy & keeping up with the rest of the world.

The only down side so far is that this weekend is our youngest grandsons birthday, he turns 4 and we will miss it somewhat. We can always have another party once DH gets back home. I finished the owl quilt about a month ago for grandsons birthday, it's shown in a previous post.

Anyway, so far, so good on the surgery & recovery. I'm keeping a diary of sorts of the whole ordeal. More updates later, both on the post op & on the quilt progress. Stay tuned . . .

Unexpected Surgery for Hubby

We visited the surgeon Monday who told us this would be a major surgery, i.e. he'd be cutting, not laproscopy as I'd hoped. Anyway, husband will be home 4 to 6 weeks recovering. no one in the family is happy about the fact that it is major surgery, but the blockage is too large to be removed with a scope. So-- I've put my life on hold, am preparing to spend most of the weekend at the hospital. I'm gathering some hand sewing projects to take, to stay busy during the time there, and taking the Ipad also. I don't know whether or not the hospital is Wi-Fi, but I have a book I'm reading & several other apps to play with to occupy myself. I'll update this as I get time in the coming weeks. I'll either complete many projects or go completely crazy while husband is home for 4 to 6 weeks.. . . .

New quilting project

This is a new quilt in the works. Some of the blocks are inspired by RaNae Merrill, who wrote about spiral quilting in a couple of books. Each of the spiral blocks, around the center, took an hour each to sew & there are 12 of them, each of the 4 pointed rays took 1.5 hours each to make. The targeted size of the finished quilt is 48 inches square. My quandrum is "does it need anything else & if so, what?" so, I'll post more pics once the project is finished. Stay tuned . . .

New book project

I've begun a new book project but you won't find it in a bookstore. Actually I'm making a fabric book on the topic of quilting. It will be a one of a kind, mixed media book of 32 pages. It will incorporate painting, stitching, stamp ing, and the like. Follow along as I create the pages. Here are the front & back covers. I'll post more pages as I complete them.
Stay tuned . .

Another project finished

I made this notebook cover on the Bernina 830 from a project on a podcast.MIT uses embroidery, monograming, quilting & decorative stitching plus regular sewing. It was fun to do & taught how to use several of the sewing machines features. I'm sure I'll make more & I'll take orders :) if anyone is interested, just email me. Stay ruined to see what else I can make on this amazing machine.

Mid Summer Update

Just to let you know what's going on lately. I've been watching podcasts, on my IPad, on the Bernina 830 machine & version 6 software. I'm just now finding the time to get to these. It's nearly 100 degrees outside, so it's too hot to do anything else. I'm about to begin a project from one of the podcasts, a book cover.mill post the results, good or not, once I finish it. I've been doing some embroidery on a table runner for my dining room table.it's cream colored linen & 71/2 feet long.

I've nearly finished the owl quilt for my youngest grandsons birthday present. I have yet to bind it, then it's done. I've also begun a medallion quilt with spiral, paper pieced, motifs around the center circle. I've only got 2 motifs finished, they take an hour each to complete. Here are photos of the owl quilt & the beginnings of the medallion quilt.

We had thought about going to the Knoxville Quilt show but I don't think it's going tom work out to go, too many variables that are uncertain. I went 2 years ago& it was nice. Next year the show is moving to Michigan. Oh well, there's always Paducah. . . . . Stay tuned . . .

What is McTavishing?

I learned a new quilting technique called McTavishing. It's a blend of free motion and zebtangleing. Well, it's actually quilting with swirly lines or curvy lines in groups of 3 or 4 lines before backtracking & beginning in a different direction, branching off from the current line of stitching. The finished project is very pretty, much better than stippling. The tecnique's originator is long arm Quilters Karen McTavish, hence the technique name. She has a book out on the technique ats well worth e price, I think. She also has written some other books on quilting. I recently completed a jacket quilted in this technique (will post a photo when I get one). McTavishing can be used as a fill stitch or as a design in itself. If you can find either a book or a class, take it.mi think you'll be happy you did.

Another Jacket

This is my first design for fall. It's T shirt knit, with the ruffled front, a "lettuce" edge on the sleeves and on the bottom hem. I'm beginning to design clothes for fall. I saw a jacket similar to the one I made at a local retail store for about $35,. That makes me feel pretty good to know what my work is worth. If it's $35 retail for a mass production, I wonder what my " designer" item would sell for? Just a thought, just wondering, that's all. Anyway, here is the jacket, or swather or wrap or whatever you want to call it.

Silky chevron tunic

Here is the latest project. The outer fabric is actually drapery fabric from a local craft & fabric store. It has silk lining, I had some silk on hand. The sleeves are sheer, bell shaped, long sleeves. The center strip is organza. The bottom originally had elastic, but i took it out because it looked too lumpy at the bottom hem, so now is flows. This wasn't the easiest project I've ever made. I did accomplish turning my design into a real piece of clothing.

Designed this top

I modified a pattern I have to make this top. It's cotton striped cut on the bias, with the front sides going at opposite diagonals to create a chevron separated by a thin strip of solid color. The back is done the same, the sleeves have solid color bands at the bottom of 3/4 length sleeves where the stripe of the fabric is vertical. The bottom hem has elastic for a snugged fit. I don't prefer tom have a lose bottomed shirt blowing up with the wind, its unnerving as well as embarrassing. Since this top turned out as I designed, my next attempt will be the same style of top in a sheer stripe. This top will be lined since the outer fabric is sheer. We'll see how that goes.

Emilys jacket

Recently I got inspired to design a jacket. While at the local Fabric store, I this antique looking pink sarin fabric in the home dec department. Although my daughter, who was with me, said it'd make a cute canopy for Emily's bed, if she had a canopy for her bed, I had other ideas for the fabric. I had this jacket in mind. It wasn't difficult to make. I altered the sleeves to be puffy & added a sleeve band with decorative stitching. I'm surprised how well it turned out. Here it is.

Post script on the end of the world.

Well, it's now 6:20 pm & the world where I am did not end. The Rapture, as I understand it, takes all children since they're supposed to be innocent. My grandkids are still here so it must have not happened and I'm thankful for that. I think some day what this guy keeps predicting may happen, but the world has to get a lot worse than it is now for the rapture & judgment day will happen & that won't be in my life time.

Is today the end of the world?!?

I just thought I'd write a note here regarding something I heard from somewhere today. I heard that the world is supposed to end tonight. Really, that's what I was told. Now, I don't believe everything I hear & this is definitely "way out there", but just in case you don't hear any more from me, after today, you'll know what happened- the world really did end. However, I expect to be around tomorrow. I don't know where this idea originates, but I hope it's wrong!

Project Pillow Case & ghost radar

I made another dozen pillow cases for tornado victims. This batch goes to Tuscaloosa, AL. My contact there said they'd given some pillow cases out & they were well received. The first batch went to Nettleton, MS and were a big hit.

Since my house is haunted, my daughter & I have become interested in ghost detection. She found a ghost detector app, which I got, and it's amazing what it picks up. We know for a fact our house is haunted because more than one of us on more than one occasion has been " ghosted" in the house. My daughter was touched by some unseen force a few weeks after we moved in & my son was spoken to by one in the middle of night while he was here. A friend of my daughter's is psychic & told us that there is a door to the other side that is open in our hallway. Something grabbed my daughter's ankle one day as she went upstairs too. Anyway,this ghost detector has picked up several "beings" in the house & several words too. We just live with it & don't get too freaked out by their (ghosts) presence. Its the same software that the professional ghost hunters use. This thing is weird, but fun.
And life goes on. . . .

Blogger app test

Ignore this post, it's just a test to see how the blogger app works on the IPad. I'll attempt to upload the last photo of the new quilt & see how & if it works. Like its said "There's an app for that. This one was tested & works, so far.

Newest Quilt

Here are s couple of photos of my latest art quilt. I call it "Joy rising", a la Oprah, hope she doesn't mind. The piece is 36" by 48" and isn't yet completed. I still have to quilt it. I did add a layer of gray tulle to the background to make it a bit dull, it was too bright. The middle was left in its full color. I hope to finish it soon.

IPod Touch

I like my iPad so much that I also got an iPod touch. I hot Emily one for communication since they are similar to an IPad, which are hard to find around here. I liked the camera on the IPod, so I bought myself one. Yesterday on the paper I could have sworn I saw an ad for IPod Touch on sale ay Walgreens. We went to their store to get one, only they don't carry them. We got one at another store - not on sale. Anyway, I looked again when we got home & I could not find the ad anywhere, I looked thru the whole paper four times! I couldnt find it. I don't know where I saw it! It was weird. Maybe it was a vision or something, I don't know . Now I have my own IPod Touch. The one I gotyesterday was for Emily for communication. I liked the camera on it so I bought myself one. It's only $$. I wish my IPad had a camera, but I couldn't find one that did, everyone was out of stock. Oh well, I have the camera function now.

Weather, crazy weather, joining clubs,etc.

I've seen some crazy weather in my time, but this spring is one for the books. First, a rash
Of tornadoes, including an outbreak in the south a few weeks ago, then floods, fires in
the west, now we're under a storm watch tha could produce tornadoes, baseball sized hail & very high winds. Maybe I should check my insurance coverage for hail. :)
All this severe weather makes me think about next year, 2012, according to some the year that's the end of time. You might remember the movie about a polar shift that happens in 2011. I think it was called "the Day After Tomorrow". Anyway, this weather & accompanying disasters make me think the polar shift depicted in that movie has begun. I don't want to alarm anyone, but it sure seems like it to me.

On a better note, I recently joined 3 quilting organizations In hopes to better keep up with the quilting world. I'd like to become more widely known in quilting circles as a quilt artist. I'd also like to get into at least one big show in the coming year & one of the groups, SAQA, has a program to help that goal become a reality. I joined the following: AQS, IQA, SAQA. I'm in the process of redefining my quilting goals. I decided that I like doing art quilts more than traditional bed quilts, so that's the direction I'm going. There's a lot I have to learn before I jump in to the big time, but if one doe ST try they never get anywhere. At least that's my point of view. So I'm going to try and see what happens. I'll keep you posted on my progress of lackmthere of.

New Quilt finished

Here's my latest quilt, a 36" x 48" applique. The embellishments are mulberry paper leaves (from scrapbook supplies), silk flowers & beads. The design is original. The first is a full view of the quilt, the others are detail shots.

On an artistic note, I just joined the SAQA & hope to join the visioning project as well through the same group. With this quilt I hope I'm off to a good start.

Project Pillow Case Update

Toady I shipped the first dozen pillow cases to the Nettleton Food Pantry I MS to put into the food baskets they send out to tornado victims, I hope to do more & send them to the other locations on the list. I think the Nettleton Food Bank is taking stuff to Smithcille (?) MS, a little town that got hit by an F5 tornado. I just hope the south has no more tornadoesmthis spring, they've had more than their share already.

BTW, ignore my typos. I'm om the IPad & I haven't mastered the keyboard yet.

Osama Bib Laden Dead

Woke up to the happy news. I know, it's bad to rejoice in the death of anyone, but, as it's said, an eye for an eye. It's taken 10 years to vet it done, but the Good old USA did it.
Some doubt that it was really Bin Laden & I too would like to see proof that it was truly him, but the news of his death is good news to those who lost so much on 9/11. We must remember there are others out there who are just evil as Bin Laden was. We must watch for them as well.

Things happen in 3s. That came true today for me. 1) Osama was killed, 2) my son's divorce is final today, and 3) I figured out the game of sudoku-something I've been working on for a while. Things that have been hanging over me for a while came to a glorious end today.

And life goes on . . .

Another donation address

A member of the quilt art email list posted an address for donations in Tuscaloosa. It it
Amy Youngblood
Taylorville Baptist Church
7201 Moundville Lane
Tuscaloosa AL 35405

From her email, it sounds like they could use just about anything.
Here is an email from someone in Chattanooga TN to contact about sending donations.
The plea is overwhelming, nearly every time I check there's something new .
More later as this project develops. . .

Just in:
Joyce Teal
1307 Alethea Drive
Hixson TH 37343

She said her county borders Ringold GA & she'd see that donations go there. She further gave the okay to send donations to her.

Another note, remember that the addresses I've posted are ONLY for donation purposes, once the recovery is over, they will be removed for privacy purposes. Don't pass these addresses on unless you're sure it will be used for donation purposes only.

Pillow case project Donation Address

The donation address for anyone who wants to send pillow cases is
Nettleton Food Pantry
102 Front Ave
Nettleton MS 38858
This address is from a friend of my daughters who lived in Miss. She said the food bank would put pillow cases innthe food boxes it gives to the tornado victims & it would be the quickest way to get it to the people who need it.

Get thosensewing machines going & help out. Pillowcases patterns are free on Allpeoplequilt.com/million pillow case challenge.

Pillow cases are really east to make, and kind of addictive to make as well, not to mention fun.

Project Pillow Case

I came up with the idea to make pillow cases & send them to tornado victims. Consider this, you have nothing but the clothes your back after a disaster. You begin to accumulate things that people have donated but you have nothing to put this stuff in, no way to carry around what's left of your life. You are given a brand new , empty pillow case. Suddenly you have a "bag" formwhats left of your life. THIS is why I'm doing the pillow cases. I'm in the process of finding a place to take them to be distributed to tornado victims.

Since I've been in some tornadoes,(3),although I didn't have any personal loss, I understand exactly what the victims are going through.mI also used to be on the local Rde Cross disaster response team so I've seen personal loss first hand & that's another reason I'm doing this.

If any of you wish to join me in this endeavor, please let me know.
. As soon as I get an address to send the pillow cases to, I'll post it here. Until then, won't be too long, I'll be making pillow cases. In one day, I made six already. I plan on reporting my numbers to the 1,000,000 pillow case challenge on the All People Quilt website. We'll see how it goes. I just want do my part.

Storm Photos

Here are some photos I took of an incoming storm that went severe after it passed over my house. We're safe with no damage. This weekend's been a rocky ride that continues into tomorrow.
r

Acrylic Inks on Fabric, Part 2

As promised here are the pictures of the small quilt with the blocks painted in acrylic inks. I can't decide whether or not to add another, wider border.What do you think?

Acrylic Inks on Fabric

Here are some quilt blocks I painted with the acrylic inks, Liquitex brand. They are part of a not yet completed quit. The designs came from a book by Don Linn. I'll post the completed quilt once its finished. The color palette is just 4 colors, sap green, yellow, orange, & magenta. The inks leave the fabric soft enough to sew on & it dries quickly. The only time it bleeds is when two areas side by side are wet or if too much water is used either in the colors or in the brush. I do like these inks & hope to use them in a more painterly fashion in future projects. They are available from Dick Blick in lots of colors. I happen to find mine at the local Hobby Lobby.

Lost Opportunity

last week I met with the program Director for a new local art teaching facility about teaching a class on color. I was notified yesterday that their board didn't think I had enough experience teaching to do the job. I've taught for many years, just have taken a long (8 year) break due to family things of which most of you are aware. Getting this news was like a slap in the face. Oh well, what goes around, comes around. There will be other opportunities in the future. I think I just wasted my time doing the presentation. I can still teach the class to someone else.
On a much brighter note, my guild's annual quilt show is May 14, 2011 this year. Same place & time, Nicholasville Christian Church basement, 10 am - 4 pm & we have a quilt to raffle too. This one is done in green tones & is queen sized. You can get tickets from any member. Later . . .

IQF Cincinnati

Went to the IQF yesterday in Cincinnati.
Had a blast.I saw some fantastic quilts too. It inspired me to enter some of my quilts in some bigger shows. Most of what was displayed were art quilts other than a Baltimore Album display. I also saw Pokey Bolton there. She didn't. See me, but I recognized her anyway. The crowds were so thick that fit was difficult to move without running over someone or getting run over myself, which happened a couple of times. I came home with $$ left in my pocket surprisingly. I'm to the point of having so much fabric that I need to use what I have before getting more. Anyway, I had fun. My guild went as a group so we left hubby babysitting. it was a nice break. Today it's back to the grind. Would I go back next year-in a heartbeat.

Opportunities on the Horizon

Yesterday, Wedensday, I had a meeting with the program director of The Art Village in Versailles, KY about teaching classes there. The feedback was positive. She had some logistics to work out but I think I'll get to don the class. The first class is on color, so if you're interested in this class & are in the area, call The Art Village in Versailles KY at 859-879-0320 and ask about the class. I'm not sure of the exact date yet but it will be a 4hour class sometime after May 15. The piece quilter's annual spring show is Maya 14,2011 at the Nichxilasville Christian church, 200 West Maple St., Nicholasville KY, just south of Lexington. The class will be after that a & will most likely be on a Saturday. Mark your calendar for the quilt show. It runs May 14th from 10am till 4pm. Hope you all will come.

IPAd

I got an IPad yesterday, The original one since everybody was out of stock on the IPad2. I guess I was lucky to find one at all. Since the Apple store & Best Buy were both out, I found this sone at the local Walmart. I'm slowly learning how to operate the IPad, so forgive any typos I make. At this time I'm watching severe weather in the area. Western KY has tornadoes confirmed & we ware under a tornado watch for the rest of the day.I' highly interested in the severe weather a since I took a storms spotters class a few weeks ago. I know wwwhat to look for now.

This blasted Headache!

For a solid week, 7 days, I've had a headache. I think its sinus from weather changes, although it also feels like a migraine. I've taken everything I can think of to get rid of it but no luck. Most of you know I'm a naturopathic doctor so I use mostly natural remedies, which usually work well-- not this time. I've also taken over the counter meds but nothing works. The weather here in KY last week was warm & nice. This week its turned cold & wet, so I suspect the major weather change has to do with this headache. Its happened before but its never lasted this long. On a scale of 1-10, this one is about a 3 or a 4, yesterday, when it rained, it went to a 7 or 8, pain wise. I can't stay in the house all the time, I have a life to live, but I'm just very tired of the headache flaring up when I go outside. I'll either get over it or die & leave it & I'm too far from dead. LOL. I'll just wear it out or it will wear me out, whichever comes first. . . .BTW, just as I published this post, on the page that tells you the post was published successfully, there was an ad for "the headache center".Is that ironic or what!!

Quilt for Japan Disaster

Here is my response to the disaster in Japan. It is a wall hanging quilt, 24" by 30" in size. It is machine pieced, appliqued and quilted.

The tree branch symbolizes the land & its people, who've been shaken (the bare branch), and the leaves, some who've fallen, but one remains, still hanging on.

This picture shows the calligraphic symbols that mean love & luck. Those were the only stencils I had to use on the quilt. The Japanese people must have both to survive.

Like so many who made quilts in response to the 9/11 disaster in New york (i did that too) this is my response to the disaster in Japan.

Japan Earthquake- My Thoughts

I think, and have thought this for a while, that the news media is supporting the fear of people who would not otherwise give second thought to radiation. I can understand the danger in Japan, but that's in Japan, a long way from the USA. It seems to me that in the dramatization of the bad news in Japan the news media keeps pushing the idea of danger in whatever situation it reports on. I say listen but think for yourself, take the news with a "grain of salt" and don't worry about something that is too far away to count. Yes, its a real fear for those in the vicinity, but that is there & I am not. I've been in a disaster situation myself in the recent past (tornado) & its not fun. I also was on the DART team for the local red cross office years ago, so I understand disaster situations from both sides, and I've also learned the news media can make things sound worse than they actually are & they can be pushy & get in the way. Are they taught to do this somewhere? They can be rude & deceitful in order to get the story, as that is my experience with them. I think its stupid, on their part, to put themselves into dangerous situations just for the story. I truly feel for the Japanese people who have nothing now, & I applaud those who've go into help. But the news people aren't helping the situation by sensationalizing the situation. Again, just my thoughts on the situation.

Butterfly Wall Hanging

This is the latest finished quilt. It has hand stitching (the black lines) done in black perle cotton in a chain stitch. The rest is free motion machine work, hand applique & thread painting (the flowers). I've worked on it for about 3 weeks & finished it this morning. The quilt is 36" by 44" in size.This is my entry for the Hive Creative Challenge, Spring 2011.
I've also completed the top to the ALS quilt but it didn't turn out as well as I'd like so I'm planning to do another that is easier construction but just as nice once its together. I'll post that when & if its done. Later. . .

Creative Vison Machine Update

I got the machine back today, a part was replaced. I'm embroidering a piece now to test it out. So far, so good. The dealer said the hoop on the other design might have gotten bumped onto & that's why it was misaligned. This time, I moved the machine far away from the wall.

Spring Finally

Today is March 1, 2011. The sun is out, its cool, but it feels like spring in the air just the same. Yesterday it rained, 2.5 inches, it did the same thing last Thursday. Plus, both days we had severe weather move through my area. Life has had its ups and downs lately. My autistic granddaughter transferred schools successfully & likes the new school to our surprise. On the down side, I attempted to embroider something on my Pfaff Creative Vision machine over the weekend. The first try turned out terribly misaligned- didn't use enough stabilizer. Since the design took 90 minutes to do, I tried again the next day. This time the needle broke, so I replaced it. That happens sometimes so I wasn't concerned. However, when none of the feet would stay on the machine (they're supposed to snap on & wouldn't) and the take up lever wouldn't catch the thread, I knew it needed to be fixed. Yesterday, in the pouring rain, I took it to the dealer, who dutifully wrote down the problems, then told me she wasn't sure when the technician would be in to fix it. "We never know" she said. Bummer. I'll check back about the end of the week and hope for the best. This is the 2nd Pfaff product I've had trouble with. You'd think I'd quit buying them. At least my Bernina machines give me little to no trouble at all & the dealer is prompt in fixing it if needed. The same dealer called on Saturday to tell me than an item I ordered & paid for 6 months ago was no longer available- it wasn't made anymore. She, at least, offered me a store credit (which I took) & a huge apology. It wouldn't have been such a big deal but this is about the 3rd time I've used the machine in the past 6 months. I finally got a workbook online that allowed me to learn how to use it, then these things happen. I'll just keep plugging on, but I won't wait another 6 months to have it fixed- I hope to have it fixed by next week or the dealer will get a not so nice phone call on why hasn't it been fixed yet. And life goes on . . .

Latest Project

Here's my latest project, designed on EQ6. The plan is to submit this, once finished, to the Quilter's Dream contest for ALS patients, that is the quilts are donated to ALS patients. I've only begun the project, have 1 block out of 25 done so far. I hope to at least finish this quilt in time to submit it to the contest. We'll see how it goes. The quilt will be done in batiks. Stay tuned for progress reports. . .

Snow Day

This is the view from my back porch today, Feb. 7th. The flakes are huge. It snowed like this 32 years ago today, the day I had my son. Guess what today is? That's right, his birthday. Talk about deja vu! That year we got about 8 inches or so. I hope that's not a repeat.

I'm playing . . .

With color. I painted with markers. It needs details yet.

This one was done with gouache. I need to add details yet, but haven't figured out what exactly to add. This one might be an entry into the fabric design field. I'm trying to break in but its not easy. I had the same design enlarged to make into a quilt but haven't got up the nerve to try it yet, maybe one of these days . . .

This one was also done in gouache. It also needs a background yet & I haven't figured out what to put in it.
I've spent more time painting lately than sewing or quilting. I have, as of yesterday (Feb.5) began an applique butterfly, a large one. I'm doing the butterfly on muslin first then I'll find a background for it. And that's what I've been working on lately.

Looking for Inspiration

I'm between projects & looking for inspiration for a new project. When I do this, I comb through old magazines, buy new ones, look at other people's work, anything for an idea. It can get expensive if I buy too many magazines or books for one picture that catches my eye. Right now I'm thumbing through a machine quilting magazines I bought today, drooling over the amazing quilts in them. Perhaps I'll find something to jump start my creativity. Stay tuned to see what I come up with. , ,

New Items on Etsy

New Items on Etsy

I just put up 3 new items on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/wilowind. Have a look.

Making Little Things

In my last post I said I was looking for a project. Today I found something to sew,pillowcases & pillowcase dresses. I've made 2 of each. That brings the pillowcase total to 7, to date, the little dress total to 2- so far. I'll probably make more of them, they're easy & take little time to complete. I'm still looking for a bigger project of some sort. I feel like I'm in a blue hole of sorts, just depressed a bit. Don't know if its the cloudy, cold weather or something else. I've started back on St. Johns Wort which helps somewhat. I think if the sun would come out for a few days & I could get interested in something I'd be better. I'm sure I'll get over it in time. This is my low time of year, opposite my birthday in the fall, when my energy is high, so this low spot is expected. Don't worry, this too will pass.

Finally Finished

I finally finished this quilt top (still to be quilted). I began the project last September and finished it after the first of this year. The patterns came from Australain(sp) Patchwork & Quilting magazine, in 3 parts. In addition to the piecing, gold & black fusible bias tape were added around some of the shapes in the blocks. The quilt is about 68" by 72". I plan for it to be a wall hanging in my dining room once finished.It was a bit of a challenge but I finished it. Right now I'm looking for other projects, I've done some small things, but I'm in that state of looking for something that catches my eye. So far, no luck. I'll find something eventually.

Update on Zentangle quilt

I began the project with enthusiasm, however, I'm sad to report that it is not working out. The quilt is bunching up under the heaviness of the stitching done to gain the black areas. I've done everything I can think of to fix the problem, but nothing's working. I think I will abandon this project for now. Perhaps it was because I didn't start in the middle of the quilt or what, I don't know. Its just not worth completing at this point. Perhaps I'll try a smaller project at another time. I tried.

New project begun

I read how to make zentangles (my latest passion) into quilts. So I've begun one. I had the original drawing enlarged, traced it onto white muslin with a blue water soluble pen & have begun to free motion quilt it, going over the blue lines with black thread.This second photo is the original zentangle drawing. I'm keeping a log of the number of hours I spend working on it, which will be many from the looks of it. I'll post progress pics as I go. This project is tougher than it looks or sounds. The quilt is only 24" square, but its taking lots of time to stitch.
Stay tuned . . .