Asheville

On the Road Again

-Willie Nelson

I'm teaching a class this morning at Sweet Home Quilt Co. aka "Bad Melisas" then Sir Quilt Dude, Little DD and I are off to Asheville. We are going to visit Emily and Russ. So it is family time until we return on Monday....then it is back to work. Will take my camera I promise. We girls are going antiquing while the guys play golf WHOO HOOO

Nice house huh? Emily loves living in Asheville. Wonder which bedroom is mine.

The Winner!

And the WINNER is..... Pat

NUMBER 39...LEIANN. Congratuations email me and we will send you dah goodies.
Oh BTW is there a dad gum secret to getting the Number Generator thingy to appear on this blog. I keep getting messages saying the file is corrupt! Imagine that...I've been corrupted! And I didn't even have fun at it!

I need some coffee.

This Little Piggy

First you jump off the cliff and you build your wings on the way down.

-Ray Bradbury

I think I said I was going to post this give a way on Saturday, or maybe it was Friday. My days are blurring into more days. Of the last 72 hours I have spent 44 hours in my sewing room. SEWING! OH MY! I will be going back upstairs to sew today, Sir Quilt Dude is on the golf course so I am going to have a great time sewing and watching some Net Flix movies. Today is "Victoria and Albert and Music and Lyrics." I want to be entertained and see some good costumes I don't want any movies that make me think or anything blowing up!

Well here it is my THIS LITTLE PIGGY DID NOT GO TO MARKET give a way. I have enjoyed reading the market posts but frankly I'm still...well...I miss it. I know I made the right decision but, you know. It is that second guessing stuff. So, for all you wonderful bloggers I have some prizes for you!!! Pretend you are at Market and enjoy:

A Layer Cake from April Cornell (imagine you got this at market Sample Spree aka Trample Spree)

A Mitering Ruler from Marti Michell(because at Market you see all the latest kool notions!)

A little wool kit from Bareroots (for fall, ya'll) (another visit to the market floor)
Stars All Around Us,book from Cherie Ralston (all the new books are rolling out at market, here is one I got some time ago..I loved it sooo much I bought the dang thing twice. Nuthin wrong with me, nope. I made the alphabet quilt in this book but you will have wait to see it if I come to your guild sometime!! teehee)

Oh and guess what! Sir Quilt Dude wants to clear out some of the patterns in stock(new stuff is coming) so he said at dinner last night, he would offer my patterns at $6.00 each (regularly $8.50, buy four and he will pay the postage. You can order them from my web site anytime from now until Memorial Day Monday.

So I said I will GIVE 4 PATTERNS AWAY WITH TO MY GIVE A WAY WINNER! HUMPH!

Here are the rulz. Post a comment on this blog and you get your name entered. There you go! You have until Wednesday night Midnight EST. (I have limits as to how late I will stay up people). I will announce the winner on Thursday morning after I have some coffee.

That was easy! Going to sew now.

Sewing Alone Retreat

When I recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things-not the great occasions-that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness.

-Bob Hope

I'm having my own stitch in...wanna come? I love to oversize units and trim them up to a perfect size. I love the fabric spaghetti the trimmings make. YUM YUM. It is calorie free so eat up.

I love to jump in the crayon box with all the colors. Isn't it purty? Kinda like dancing with the rainbow. humm what could I be creating? Why do I need so many colors? I'll never tell (well at least not now)

I love the mess (well kinda). Lets just say I don't mind the mess but I tidy up daily. The Silver Thimble does not work well in chaos...that is because my mind is always in design overdrive chaos, I need organization everywhere else.

OOH BABY that looks like my stash just barfed up a basket full of fabbies! Time to fold and put it back here. That top shelf looks like I'm about to have an avalanche. SHEESH keeping the stash room/closet is a dad gum full time job.

Or here!

So I didn't go to Market...I didn't go to the mountains to sew with buddies. I stayed home and I am sewing my brains out. I went to the sewing room yesterday at 6:30 am and left at 10pm. Sir Quilt Dude came home and scrounged up some left overs. Here is what I ate. (sans Tuna sandwich and bowl of little carrots which I consumed). I'm perfectly happy. See the apple with the sticker on it? I washed it so don't send me notes about washing my fruit..I ate the sticker, good fiber!

And for all the hours I have been in the sewing room this is what I have produced. Today I will finish these. Hint: gonna use that box of rainbow ALL day.....

I had so much fun I'm going to do it again today.

Tomorrow...a give a way.......stay tuned.

Just For You

Work is love made visible.
-Kahlil Gibran

If you have any doubt about the joy and comfort quilts bring to peoples lives I will invite you now to my guilds annual Just For You event. We make quilts for Childrens Health Care of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Hospital. We make lots of um! (339 and counting) Yesterday we turned in our quilts and they were displayed in the sanctuary of Cannon Methodist Church (that is where we meet monthly).

Everyone went upstairs to the sanctuary and walked around looking at the quilts. We sat down and the pastor of the church asked us to get up and go stand next to a quilt and place a hand on a quilt. He then gave a lovely blessing for the quilts. It was a moment people I'm just sayin...



We had a speaker who talked about her child who was a very sick baby (won't go into the details but...oh MY!). As it turns out, she is actually a member of the church and did not know it at the time that the quilt was made by a member of our guild. She talked about how much it meant to see her baby wrapped in a bright and happy quilt and the immense kindness of strangers. She felt the healing power of prayer and was so grateful for the generosity of others. Her child is better and undergoing treatment for A Typical HUS. For now he is an active toddler but he will have this disease for life and they are unsure where the road to a cure will take them.

I guess the main point here is this.....If you have any doubt about participating in charity quilts. If you think you don't have time....Put aside the doubt, find the time, and jump in there and whip up a quilt for some unknown stranger. You won't be sorry. I promise.

And here is Debbie. She chaired the Just For You committee for the past two years, and prior to that she was the person who came up the idea of doing this project for the guild 9 years ago. (Her son had been quite sick and spent some time at Scottish Rite, and he is a happy and fine young man now :) She is a special person and a very special friend.

If you have any interest in making a quilt for this wonderful cause get in touch with me. We gladly accept quilts from anyone who would like to contribute!

Sewing today andTHINKING ABOUT some new little quilts for the hospital...next year. JUST FOR YOU!


PS...and there is Melisa waving at me cuz she is on a plane RIGHT NOW going to quilt market. And yes I'm sad cuz I'm not there!!!

Lookie

Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go.

-Louise Driscoll

Lookie! This is the project that we did this weekend at Silver Thimble Club/Grayson. Melisa kitted it up for the club and it was a yo yo good time!

She has some extra kits so if you want one get in touch with her at the above link!!! We had a blast. I think the runner is going to look so cute next spring. Or in the spring of 2020 whenever it manages to get finished! Dang those UFO's!!!!

Here is a quilt that blew my skirt up and guess what. Mary Ellen/Little Quilts is kitting this baby up for us in August...We will be using the Wing Clipper ruler for sure on this quilt. I love, love, love it. (ok Pat you have enough projects..slow down)(That was the good angel talking to me though my ear).

My SIL made this quilt and she even picked out all the fabrics her very own self. That is ordinarily my job...She's growing up (sniff sniff) Didn't she do a great job? She was so proud. And now it is going to be a great kit for the club and for Little Quilts! OH by the way the pattern is from the book "40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts" by Evelyn Sloppy. If you are going to a deserted island and you can only take your sewing machine and one book...this is the book. There are so many great quilts. We have used the book for a couple of years in my club and every quilt that we kitted up for the club has been terrific. HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!!!

Ok so I'm not packing for Spring Quilt Market...I think I'll go sew now.

No Big Dance for Me

Work and live to serve others, to leave the world a little better than you found it and garner for yourself as much peace of mind as you can. This is happiness.

-David Sarnoff

I have been sewing away today with some interruptions. Of course! nothing drastic, it comes with the territory of having a home business. The perks FAR OUT WAY the problems believe me! Today was funky star and bazillion half square triangle day.

I'm having a bit of a hard time these days you see....I made a decision a few months ago that was a good decision for me and my design company but now the reality of it has come home to roost. My decision you ask??? I'm not going to the big dance next week in Minneapolis. Sitting out Spring Market...Stayin home...WORKING ON MAJOR and most wonderful projects that will all be revealed in their own time. But the decision is still difficult. Am I doing the right thing? maybe...maybe not.... is it a gamble???oh heck yeah....

The decision was made and now I have to read all the blogs about market and wish I was there. Oh well I'm going to be in Houston with big stuff and loads of new things with great changes and a whole new look. I think I'll have a marching band playing beside my Fall booth..whoop whoop. My heart will be at Spring Market but alas I will be here in Atlanta working toward a big FALL.

How is this for a funky star?

Secrets

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect....it means you decide to see beyond the imperfections.

-unknown

The first rule of blogging is not to whine about not having time to blog. Ok so that is it...read between the blogging lines. WHEWWW.

I have been sewing, yes sewing, and working on SEVERAL wonderful and secret projects. I think this should be the first rule of blogging. We should not HAVE to keep secrets. %^&*()^&*^&**(. It is not nice, wrong and I hate it.

That being said today was flying geese, nine patches, half square triangles and some redesigning. The design process is so much fun but things change along the way one has to learn to not set things in stone, be flexible Pat, Relax...let it happen, quilts are funny that way. The fabric and and process takes on a life of its own. Just about the time you have it all planned out. BAM you decide to go try something different! Here is a peak at some sewing done by my friend BJ she won't mind if I use this photo cuz I cropped out the secret stuff. I bet you would like to punch me right about now!

Tomorrow I'll spill the beans about a decision I made a few months ago that was difficult to say the least. Right now, I need to sleep the dang committee is in over drive these days waking me up at all hours of the night with visions of new quilts dancing in my head. Can you come over and help me sew? I'll be awake about 3:30 am.

The Great Napkin Project

The reason a dog has so many friends is that his tail ways instead of his tongue.
-unknown

The great napkin project has been going on in the evenings around here. What does that mean??? Well see it is like this, I have a bazillion, I mean two bazillion lovely napkins, mostly linen, in wonderful condition, inherited from my mother and mother in law. They were both Air Force officers wives who traveled the world and managed to collect two bazillion linen napkins and the table cloths that went with them. I got an insane idea about a year ago that I should wash, iron and organize the whole lot of them. That is as far as it got...an idea..... They have been sitting in two giant laundry baskets waiting for me to iron, starch and enshrine them properly. UNTIL THIS WEEK. Here is the conversation with my friend Suzanne.

Sunday night phone rings..
Suz "Hey what are you doin?"
Me "You won't believe it"
Suz "What"
Me "Remember all those napkins? Well, I have been ironing them since 11:30 am...and it is now 9 pm"
Suz "You gotta be kidding"
Me: "Nope, and I have watched the WHOLE, HBO series on John Adams" (I just love that Abigail)
Suz: "Have you lost your mind"
Me: "Well no, but I know a lot about the founding fathers"
Suz: "You don't have time to iron NAPKINS"
Me: "I know, I know"
Suz: "This is like saying I think I'll paint the house while it is burning to the ground"
Me: "I know, I know"
Suz: "Just put the blasted things in a laundry basket and stuff it in the closet"
Me: "I did that and they have been haunting me"
Suz: "How many napkins"
Me: "Hundreds"
Suz: "Are you finished?"
Me: "Nope"
Suz: "Get the laundry basket like I told you...this is ridiculous..." "Don't you have enough to do without dealing with napkins????"
Me: "I've gone to far to turn back now"
Suz: "Stubborn"
Me: "I know, I know...."
Me: "Gotta go...I just burned my finger on the iron"

I finished the napkins ironing each evening this week. They are pressed and starched and ready for service. My mom would be so happy that they are being cared for. Do you think my girls will do this? Does anyone even value this kind of stuff anymore? I would take a picture of them but I left my camera in the classroom of A Scarlet Thread. I will be back there in the morning to teach and retrieve my camera..will send photo next post. From now on I'm sticking with ironing only when it pertains to quilting.

If you come to my house I will serve you tea, or coffee, or water, or wine or whatever.... and you will get a lovely napkin. But can you wash it and press it before you leave????

Porch Pollen

A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "That was FUN"

-unknown

I spent yesterday sewing binding on my Tic Tacs quilt. I love to make multi colored binding from the scraps of the quilt. Making bias binding and sewing it to the quilt and then hand stitching it is one of my favorite parts of the quilt making process. For me, the hand stitching is very relaxing. I spent last night watching TV with a needle in my hand....

And here is my binding on the floor beside me trailing into my sewing machine. Isn't is purty? So tidy heaped up on the floor! And yes, I know you can wrap it around an empty toilet paper roll and wear it around your neck and feed the binding into the sewing machine that way. I just don't take the time to do that. I'm into the heaping it on the floor and GIT ER DUN method.

Sir Quilt Dude and I spent Saturday cleaning our porch HOLEY POLLEN ON THE PORCH...HAVE MERCY!!! We washed and sprayed and wiped and cleaned nasty pollen off the porch for hours. If I ever let it accumulate like that again I hope someone will come and slap me. The porch is so pretty and ready for summer and eating outside. I love to have my morning coffee out there and watch the birdies. But dang people you can't imagine how much pollen was out there. I went through two bottles of 409! It is clean now so you can come on over, it is safe.

I am up early so I can get a few hours of sewing time in and then...I am off to Teresa's with my small group to sew today. I'm taking some more of the above quilt to stitch and bind with me. Sewing with friends, what could be better than that?? I've been in the sewing room working on special projects so this will be a good day to be out of the house for a few hours with friends. I'll take my camera!