A Group full of Fabulous!

Beauty is not in the face. Beauty is a light in the heart. -unknown

2012 Stitch IN came to a close at 9pm on Saturday night. What a week! I have so much to show and so much to tell! It is hard to know where to begin. 

The projects completed were a record for us. 132! I lost track of the number of empty bobbins. I was well over 100! We did not count calories..OH NO that would just be wrong on so many levels!!!! 

Here are some photo memories with comments of course. You think I would begin with the quilts. NOPE. I begin with people, quilters and what is better than that?  It is what quilting is all about. 

Top Left..the final game of Left Right Center..who will win those blocks and have to make a quilt with them and bring it to the Stitch In next summer???

Top right. Karin WON! She was so excited can you see the joy on her face? Can you feel the magic? Yes friends Karin was speechless. Well, she said some stuff about the win but I cannot repeat what she said. It was not so nice.

Bottom Left. Melisa gave a demo on sewing mats to put under your machine. Stops slippage and bounceage..(my spell check just blew it's brain!). This little project was probably to most popular demo we had this week. Their mats were each adorable and spoke to their personalities..they looked great on the front of their design walls and as you can see in the bottom right photo they looked great on their rear design walls!

Top photo. Ok girls, lets take a photo of the class. They really cooperate don't they?? 

Middle left Melisa showing us how to make the mats. 

Middle right we had fun with crayon day and made quilt labels/pincushions/do dads. I love adult women playing with crayons!

Bottom left. Mercidene, always has a smile for me! Love her

Bottom Right: Leisa modeling her mother of the groom dress and sunglasses..hahaha. The dress is very wonderful! Then the lady in the dress is very special too! 

Top Right: They are beginning to settle down. It helps to take the kids out into the burning hot sun. They want to get this photo stuff over with hahahahaha.

Top Left: Karin her joy over winning those blocks knows no bounds!

Middle left and Bottom Left: Aren't they beautiful (not all of the ladies that were at the Stitch In are shown here. Just the ones that were there when I squeezed in a photo op)

Middle: They just laughed for 6 days 12 hours per day. 

Middle right: games games games

Bottom Right: Chris had the best tee shirt on the last day! What is better than Seuss?

The quilts are coming! Just you wait and see!

SUMMER STITCH IN 2012

I have not been on a cruise. I have not been in the hospital. I have not been visiting relatives, I have not been at the gym, I have not been blogging (duh), I have not been watching TV, I have not been dieting, I have not been sad, I have not been sitting on the porch drinking tea. Where's Waldo?? Pat??

I have been hosting the annual SUMMER STITCH IN 2012!! This the eighth summer of the funnest fun that ever was fun.
I have taken a ton of photos and have soooo many stories to tell.Right now I'm dashing off a blog post with a couple of photos to give you a small sample of what has been going on here.

The Stitch IN lasts for 6 days from 9 am to 9 pm...yes people that would be 12 hours per day of sewing madness. I have photos, I have stories..oh doooo I have stories....

I will do justice to my blog as soon as the Stitch In closes. :(.

Just lookie!


Well of course I would show a quilt from my book. The cover quilt as a matter o fact. Scrappy Nines! Oh how I love thee. My book..and the quilt too. shamless..plug...


Kristie and the little project she made and she cut 3 kits for me to give away!! We have what I call Pat's Princess Prizes. I get to do that YOU know..give away prizes..and be a Princess. Yes I have a crown too!


Sarah laid this baby out..What is better than than a log cabin? With the traditional little red centers! I'm going to pass out from log cabin joy.


Well there is Sarah holding up her lil twister quilt. Sarah = red love yup! This girl loves red.

Ok the gang is rollin in for day 5. Time for the games to begin for the day. I'll be back with many, many, more photos and stories.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Camp and Sewing

Emily has posted about the camp scholarship fund in our little angel Jackson's honor. I hope you will visit her blog and have a nice read.www.footprintsandhope.blogspot.com. The above quote is for Emily and her Russ. It sums up their attitude pretty well.

I am a whirlwind of excitement now. Guess what is this weekend !!! THIMBLES CLUB...YEAH BABY. Friday and Saturday and then (drum roll pahleeeze) Monday at 9 am we rock the house (which happens to be my church) with SUMMER STITCH IN 2012. There will be 36 mad for quilting women sewing their brains out and fingers to the bone from 9am - 9pm for 6 days. Yes my friends you heard me right, I said 6 days. My camera is charged up and ready to go. This year promises to be a good one. 

Aside from getting goodie bags ready and planning for the big week I have been working on my project list. (choke, gasp, wheeze). I've been doing some big stitch quilting, tons of fun and works up fairly fast. I'm using 3 strands of floss and a crewel needle. I marked my piece with Clover white disappearing ink pen. I have used them before with good success. I was lucky that my motif transferred to the dark fabric through my light box. Lucky yes, very lucky! It is not pretty when I throw myself on the floor and pitch an old fashion southern HISSY FIT! (that would be a tantrum).


Writing today, with a side order of mental breaks called visits to Pinterest. What is wrong with this picture??? My eyes are falling out of my head between non stop sewing, hand stitching, and writing. So what does Pat do? Takes a break from it all by visiting my Pinterest Boards. Me thinks I need an intervention. 

Monday thoughts while sewing

                        Love isn't love till you give it away
                              Love isn't love till it's free
                               The love in your heart
                               Wasn't put there to stay
                     Oh love isn't love till you give it away 

                                                            -Reba McIntire
                          (sung at Camp High Harbor by 500 campers Friday night, sniff sniff)

 It is Monday..Let's get this week started! What a terrific weekend I had. We went to the Camp Scholarship dedication for our sweet Jackson. There is a big story to be told here and I'm about to jump through this computer to tell the story. The truth is, it is Emily's story to tell so I will let her take her time and write the story on her blog. I will let you know when she completes her posting if you would like to read it will be your option.


I have been super productive here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters, movin down the road with several projects and changes, all of which you will  be seeing soon. This makes blogging about what I'm up to difficult as usual! dang dang double dang. I think I must have said that a zillion times before..sorry


I had an idea for a new book while I was sewing. I think I will write a manuscript and send it to BRAVO TV. I think it will be a super big hit which will afford the Earl de Schlep and I the opportunity to retire to Bali or Fiji or some place like that. Here is the idea...How about a TV show called...drumroll pahleeez

"The Real Quilters of Georgia".   

 I think this could be the next big thing, or there is a possibility that I have been spending too much time in the sewing room and going a little wacko. Can you imagine the cast of characters?


Rhonda Ruler : she measures but not accurately
Tammy Triangles: she is one sharp cookie alright!
Monica Measures: she critiques every project (yes there are quilt police)
Belinda Bobbin: she is kinda wound up too tight
Rachel Ripper: She was a dancer in college (use your imagination)
Dawn Dresden: So sweet she brings snacks to every event



Oh!!!! I could write about people and then move out of the country because everyone I know would worry if they were one of the characters. hahahahahaha I just crack myself up. I could get  in some real trouble. This could be BIG fun.


That is it for my Monday thoughts while sewing what do you think???

A special quilt

 If I had a flower for every time you made me smile and laugh I would have a garden to walk in forever. 

-unknown

I have been wanting to show you a very special quilt. VERY VERY SPECIAL. My friend Debbie has a fabulous family. I have had the pleasure of meeting them on several occasions over the years and it has always been super fun. Her Mom and Dad live in Ohio so when they come to Georgia it is always a treat to get to see them. Dad was celebrating his 80th birthday. This man may be 80 but I'm telling you he is actually 30 at heart. He is energetic and so much fun. I want to be like him when I'm 80.  Deb's Mom is well, the same as Dad with a hefty side order of adorable! They are an amazing family to be sure!! 


Deb, her siblings and Mom decided to give Dad a grand surprise celebration for his 80th. Do you feel a quilt coming on here? Get ready...........Debbie wanted to make an autograph quilt so that everyone who was at the party could sign it. I think they had 110 million people or so at the party.  Did Debbie choose a traditional autograph block? NO! she chose this pattern by the designers Don't Look Now. Wowwwieeee. (this photo is not a good representation of the color of the background. It is not that pink and strong. More subtle.)

Whata project. I got to see it several times during the construction process. You know, conversations about fabric, technique, process stuff, conversations we love. Debbie was reeeely brave on this one because she did all the work and then had people sign it at the party.  All it would take was one person to drop the PERMANENT MARKER on the project, and well.... it would not have been pretty.
( just sayin, I was nervous)

Debbie's Mom loves turquoise and uses it in the decor of her home, so the choice of colors for this project was easy. Debbie machine appliqued the project with invisible thread and no raw edges (love that!). All her sisters and brother signed their names on each of the birds on the tree. (so sweet, birdies and their children (6) on the tree..sniff sniff).  

Then came the quilting. Debbie owns a long arm which she uses for her own projects. She knew she want to free motion the background of the quilt and was a bit nervous about it. She practiced and practiced and finally jumped in there and did it. She brought it over for me to see before she left for summer at the lake (in New York..gone for 6 weeks, I miss her tons!). She will be with her Mom and Dad so she wanted to give dad the finished and bound quilt.

I was shocked and amazed at the fabulous job she did on the quilting. (NOTE TO SELF: really Pat, you were shocked and amazed..this is Debbie here why would you be shocked and amazed) It was a work of art and some kinda of fabulous workmanship! She really has got it goin on with that long arm.  Isn't this a wonderful project? So different than most autograph quilts...so creative. I just love it. 

BTW, Debbie is using the stripe fabric from the tree trunk and branches for the binding. I did not get to see it finished. I bet it really looks terrific! Just the perfect finishing touch. What a gift for a special man and his family! Good job Deb!!!!






  

I hope you are having a fabulous day with friends and family. Grill sumthin! SALUTE THE FLAG DAY. Happy Birthday land that I love!

 

Get a Jump on Christmas

I received this from two dear friends on the same day. Vicki my blogging friend and Jan D. I loved it so much I wanted to use it today on my blog. I am not neatly put together just so you know!

Sewing all day today whooop whoop. I finished some deadline things and now on to other deadline things. I'm celebrating the fact that I have had my nail polish on for 4 days and no chips. Hey! it is important to find joy in the little things in life right??? 


I needed to set up some small handwork items so that when relaxing (do I ever reeely do that?) with the Earl de Schlep I can keep my projects going. I like to have things to pick up and stitch as I go out the door as well. I traced a whole bunch of embroidery projects to get a small jump on holiday giving goodies! I ironed some freezer paper (love those Reynolds Wrap people!) to stabilize the tea towel I was using. Then onto the light box and tracing with my handy dandy Frixion Pen. You probably know about all this but heck I took some photos anyway! Let's see how many of these little projects I can complete in one month! (haha could be a slim Christmas). 

 On to the sewing room again for a full day. Too hot to cook or eat!