Silver Thimble Talk

On the Road Again

2012-01-26T07:05:00.000-05:00

Borrowed from Pinterest
ON THE ROAD AGAIN...JUST GOTTA GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN..sing with me please. Tap those toes cuz here we go! ON THE ROAD AGAIN deedahdeedahdeedahdee. OK I'll stop.

Traveling, retreats, workshops, guild talks/trunk shows and joyful family news. I have been zooming through January like I'm on fire and having a ball. From Georgia to Tennessee and now onto Florida. I have stories to tell so here we go.

Last weekend was THIMBLES CLUB. I don't need to repeat the wondermus time we all have when we get be together. (you have heard that before). We met for the last time at our home at Highlands Presbyterian Church and now we are movin on to an even bigger facility with tons of options and open arms of the THIMBLES QUILT CLUB. We will continue the luv fest and welcome new friends! There is tons of room for tons of quilting and fellowship. I'm so excited. If you live in the Atlanta area we will be meeting at Saint John Neumann Church on each and every third weekend of the month. Come play with us. If you are passing through Atlanta...stop by!

Lets look at what this group showed up with this month.

Suz and a quilt she said was out of the box for her to work with these colors. It was lovely.

Teresa and a busted small travel iron that she hot glued a pen or sumthin to the handle and fixed the darn thing. As for me, I probably would have jumped in the car and headed to JoAnn's and bought a new one. I'm not smart like Teresa!

Pam and Elaine bought the Emily Jane kit, split it and each made a smaller version of the quilt. love love love.

OK so Shelia made this monkey and the quilt below...read on..

Shelia has a new GREAT GRANDBABY on the way...go back and look at Shelia..did you hear me I said Great grandbaby. Shelia had children when she was 6 years old. She is a testimony to living with a joyful spirit. Keeps you lookin young and gorgeous. Lucky baby.

Jane and her first row of the quilt in progress. Beach cottages. There was some discussion of the red windows. I think it involved a red light district on the beach..OH MY!!!!

Sarah and the pattern "Kitty's Baskets" from my book..sniff sniff. She did it in batiks, hand needle turned every motif. It is so lovely. Thank you Sarah you did me proud girlfriend. (and yes you can make my neutral quilts with color! send me a picture please.)

And again, I have two more photos but I'll stop here...

Mercidene with her fun quilting.

Suzanne C. with her gorgeous batik all sashed up and ready to go!

Lookie. This is Suzanne's block of the month quilt that Debbie and I designed. Patchwork cottage offered this program in 2011. Suzanne was the first one I had seen with it all finished. WoWzer another hit. Good job Suzanne!

Holey Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt "Orca Bay" That is Karin the fantastic quilt maker in front of it..Karin the Amazing! Look at that quilt will ya! There are no words for this beauty.

Gretchen and a bit of the Schnibles. I want to live in those houses. It was great to have Gretch back with us..we love her and missed her while she was not with us for a few months. She is back and now we can smile again!

Orca Bay needs one more look. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

Pat and her black white and red goodness. Goodness me oh my.

I can't remember who is behind this quilt. I think it is Shelia, or Julie, or Gretch..no maybe it is Suz, or Pat..OH WHO CARES IT IS A GREAT QUILT.

And here come the wagons all decked out for Valentines Day. Jane got a decorate me note from the principal to decorate hers. Similar to public humiliation..


She needs to tidy the thing up a bit too. More public humiliation. We don't mess around. You have to be strong to be a quilter with a big group of women.

Now we are talking..a Valentines basket and some red tinsel and hearts all around. Good job Karin.

Sarah with her kitty wrapped up in a heart blankie, shiney tinsel and that horn! Keepin that dollar store in business yes sirreee.

That is it from Thimbles this month but wait till you hear the surprise I got!!!

Great Trip

2012-01-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

Life is like a bicycle in order to keep your balance you must keep moving. -unknown

We are home from our visit to the Village Quilters in Loudon TN. Tellico Village to be precise. Whata trip. This guild is HUGE and boy to they have it goin on. So much fun! I took some photos of their show and tell. (finally she had her camera ready and her brain engaged and focused!!! I know that is what you are thinkin right?) It was a great guild meeting, they have around 300 members so the place was jumpin. They do a lot of community service projects and workshops etc. Lets look at some quilts!

The room was huge and they kept comin in! There was electricity in the air. Or maybe the heat was on...

Who took this photo of me. I was NOT singing.

Twister = fun

Not a great photo, but it was a great quilt...Hunters Star quilt using the fabulous Rapid Fire Ruler by Deb Tucker. If you have not seen or used her rulers...say tuned.

Wondermus!

Little quilt for a little someone.

Isn't this interesting. I really like the setting.

How much is that doggie in the window?! I mean can you believe this!

Darling runner with some dimension. Those petals of those flowers were not stitched down.

I SPY...I'm going to make one of these for my future grandchild...in the future.

Scrappiness...love

I was talking..was anyone sleeping? I hope not.


This was my show and tell. There is NOT a body under that stack. I bring about 75 quilts to share. The ladies who hold up the quilts were exhausted I'm sure. WELL IT IS OFF TO THE SEWING ROOM FOR ME TODAY. I'll take me camera.

On the Road Again

2012-01-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

Do What Makes you Happy

Be With Who Makes you Smile

Laugh As Much as You Breathe

Love As Long As you Live

January is a month full of travel for me. I'm off this morning to Knoxville for two fabulous days of teaching. Yup a huge room full of quilters. Lecture/Trunck show and 2 workshops. Sir Quilt Dude is packing the 75 quilts we bring to show and we are off! I'm looking forward to this trip so much. Do you think I may get to stop by a quilt shop on the way? Keep your fingers crossed. There are some great shops in Knoxville! I'm getting some hand work to play with in the car. I'm one of the lucky ones, I can read or sew in the car. No motion sickness for me, so I'm perfectly happy to ride shot gun!

I finished my big secret project that kept me busy for the last few weeks so now I'm back to sewing. I have a grand baby coming in May so I better hop to it. They are decorating the nursery in Aqua and white. Sweet soft baby. I'm looking for great aqua fabrics for a sumthin, sumthin,m sumthin I will be making. (ok so it is not a stretch to figure out what I'm making duh) And guess what..that has to be a sewing secret as well. dang, dang double dang. Sometimes I think I lead a secret life. Which is not so swell when I want to blog about everything I do.

When I get back I want to show you (and I talked about this in December) some of my favorite "Special" quilt books. I collect coffee table books, you know the ones that make you wonder if you should really pull out the credit card to buy. I love these books and want to show you a few. So stay tuned!

You Never Know

2012-01-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

Joy and sorrow are inseparable...together they come, and when one sits alone with you...remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

-- Kahlil Gibran

I have been away teaching and spending time with fabulous quilters from the Lake Oconee Quilt Guild. I have a little story to tell but will need to keep names and stuff out of my story. Here goes. After I finished my guild lecture/trunk show I was signing some books for some of the members. A lady came up to my little table and took my hand and got soooo close to my face. I'm talking nose to nose here! With tears in her eyes she said that she had lost her husband and had not smiled or laughed in months until today. She thanked me for helping her to smile and laugh again. Blown away...completely mush...shook to my core, I will NEVER RECOVER or forget this sweet lady. We talked briefly and I told her that I think quilting is NOT about the huge stack of quilts I brought to show. It is about relationships and has enormous power to heal, bring joy, and form amazing friendships. I asked her to go home and take up the needle again, invite some friends over to sew...she promised she would. There are tears in my eyes as I write this...I can't explain it..I don't even know why I choose to write this. I hope you will understand. This is NOT ABOUT me or anything I said or did.

Well, maybe I do know. The lesson in this exchange between two strangers was huge. The first being...YOU NEVER KNOW...for me, it is that you never know the path God will put you on or the people that will walk into your life so suddenly and impact the way you think. I was bouncing around having fun with an audience of quilters, doin my think so to speak, without any knowledge that there was a person sitting in a chair that was suffering and was experiencing a tiny but of fun and joy that had left her life for so many months and found a few minutes of relief, WHO KNEW???? I know that I will see her face in every guild talk I do from now on I will never forget..and I will FOREVER be grateful that I have been allowed to do what I do and I will never take that for granted, because YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!!

So while I usually send you pictures of quilts after I visit a guild and such..No quilts today. JUST PEOPLE, wonderful wonderful ladies, quilters all traveling the same road with different ups and downs happening in their lives. Isn't being a quilter the most special thing???

BTW my special friend from the story above is not in any of these pictures. These are some of the fabulous ladies that attended the workshop. What fun we had too!

AND WE'RE OFF!

2012-01-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.

-Twyla Tharp

Here we go...another new year. Last year was full of such fun and wonderfulness for me and my family. This year has bright hope for the same!!! I'm not so much a resolution maker but I am a list maker. There are so many things on my list that I want to explore in 2012. Don't get excited I will NOT BE climbing Mt Kilimanjaro's summit. We have settled that over a bag of Cheetos... but, I have many other things to explore. So lets just see where I go. I'm beginning right here.

And here. BTW, Copic sketch markers.........a very good thing!

I've been in my sewing room playing with the above...I call this a return to my roots. In college I was originally a studio art major. No interest in commercial art for me, nope! There is also a reason for leaving the art world it is called WORK, family and life. No regrets just the facts. Now I'm making a return and doing some exploring. I'm lovin to too! Wonder where this will go. JOY RISING here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters.

HAPPY 2012 LETS MAKE IT COLORFUL!!!

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Broadcast

2011-12-27T13:56:00.000-05:00

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

Christmas is in the rear view mirror now. I love this week after Christmas! The kids are still here and we are enjoying family time and relaxing together (with a side order of planning a nursery for the new little one that is on the way!). Emily is trying to get a cold so instead of shopping for cribs and rocking chairs we are staying in today..fine with me! I chance get in touch with my blog friends.

The holidays are a time of family and celebrations, with so many wonderful blessings from 2011 ...we look forward to an even more fabulous 2012! I'm so excited I can hardly stand myself. First the arrival of our first Grandchild. Just typing those words brings tears of joy and anticipation!

Then there are the toooo many to count reasons for joy here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters.. My club HAS A NEW HOME! We will be holding our regular monthly meetings at my church Saint John Neumann. The facilities are a dream come true and the church is welcoming this fabulous group of quilters with OPEN ARMS. We begin our meetings at the new facility in February! I can't wait!!!! We have been together for 8 years and we continue to grow and welcome new members. Whata group.

Then there are so many things to share from my design studio (which is really a sewing room... lets not get over done with this!) with the additions of projects that I am collaborating on with some friends, a new web site! wheww..this is still a work in progress but the new site is live now. I'm going to be adding tutorials and kits and goodies as fast as possible so stay tuned.

Here are a few moments to remember from our holidays.

Who doesn't love a good Gingerbread House? Break me off a piece of that one!!!

And the fashion of the day..le chapeau...our tiny Christmas hat. What fun! Julie chose the happiest gift of Christmas!

The First and Second Tuesday Stitchers UNLESS Life Gets in the Way...all wearing our tiny hats from Julie! Teresa never took hers off the whole month of December.


Yes, Santa remembered me with these in my stocking! Sewing snacks. whattaguy........

My sweet babies!

My Son in Love...gonna be a Daddy soooon.

The best man...Sir Quilt Dude, who has been promoted to the Earl de Schlep...He makes my world and everything on the planet amazing. In 2012...it will be 40 years together.

It is good to be back to blogging!

I need a salad!

2011-12-20T17:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Hanukkah to all who begin the

Festival of Lights tonight! Blessings!

Cooking, and baking and cleaning and wrapping. Family is on the way and we will all be together so whatever we do it will be okay. Holidays are made for being with family and friends!!! yup

Here is your thought for today.

Is it okay to eat cookies for breakfast, lunch AND DINNER? Things are a bit outta control around here. I need a salad infusion! yikees.

Dreaming

2011-12-18T17:55:00.001-05:00

I just spent the weekend with the THIMBLES...the amazing THIMBLES...is it possible to love a group/club so much it takes your breath away? A group of quilters..amazing women...strong, wise, silly, crazy, gentle, kind and every other good adjective in the dictionary. I love them so and I am honored to be able to spend one weekend every month in their midst. They feed my soul and cheer me on and are a perfect storm of what being a QUILTMAKER is all about. I wish I could bottle this club and let every quilter in the world have this kind of experience in your lives, all I have is this blog to share them with you and hope you will enjoy hearing about my very special club of fantastic people. Come to Atlanta on the third weekend of any month. You'll see. (and if you come in December don't plan on a diet cuz these ladies can cook!)

Here is a special quote for today. I'll send you some photos of some of the quilts tomorrow. I gotta go download them..

This is so true, so lets dream MORE IN 2012!! I know for sure that dreams really do come true so..... No resolutions. JUST DREAMS! What will yours be?

A Time for Simple Thoughts and Words

2011-12-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. - Martha Graham

One the of the things I enjoy most about my blog is sharing quotes and inspirational pieces that I find and are important to me. I love to keep files, collect books, and jot down things other people say that are funny or that move me in some way. I don't always remember where I found them but I always try to do the right thing and give due credit to the person who moved me to share their thoughts with others. I thought that this special time of year would be a good time to just focus on the words of others. I will send more along throughout the next few weeks. I hope you will.............

Enjoy

2011-12-13T04:13:00.000-05:00

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

– Diane Ackerman

We had a wonderful weekend in Asheville. The Biltmore was amazing and the Grove Park Inn with all the Gingerbread houses and choirs singing...crisp ~~cool~~ cold mountain air was deeliteful!! Best of all the 5 of us just enjoying being together. The expecting parents were adorable. So happy to be planning their family. Makes you all fuzzy and happy to be watching your adult children preparing for the next generation to come. Yup it is all good! Here are some of the Gingerbread houses from the Grove Park Inn. The first place house was not on display, it was being sent to New York for an appearance on Good Morning America. dang!


This beauty was one of the top 10. Talk about sugar!

Well who doesn't love a good sewing machine!


And a mouse in a bowl of spools and ribbons!


This box of Christmas ornaments was the second place winner. I swear they looked like real glass ornaments! Somebody has a lot of time on their hands. I wonder if the maker eats as she goes!

This toy box was one of the top ten. Amazing!


Another top ten. sheesh Who does this? Who thinks of these things? OK so the same can be said of quilt designs right?


While we were gingerbreading I caught Thing 1 and Thing 2 looking longingly out the windows of the Grove Park at the golfers below. hmm. Pay attention men there are 250,000 more gingerbread houses to see.

On to the Biltmore House. George Washington Vanderbilt certainly built himself a sweet little place there! This is the side view. The house is a mere 135, 000 square feet.

I love these two young women, yes I do.

The whole family took me to Asheville Cotton Co. They were in the middle of their Saturday Sampler so the place was packed. Mary Beth made a bee line for the rack of books and found my book and held it up over her head like Rocky on the Steps...right in the middle of the group listening to their Saturday lecture. It was funny. Robin the store owner was cutting my fabric in I was pulling bolts of fabric left and right. I was shoppin it up. The Earl De Schelp told me to go for it. soo what is a girl to do? I tried to buy a Bernina 820 that part didn't exactly go my way.

I want to sew...real bad......but you know how it is, so much going on right now. Maybe soon I'll lock myself in my sewing room. I will probably be making bumpers for the nursery.

2011-12-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” -Pearl S. Buck

Well Miz Buck would be proud of me! I have been gettin er dun here here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters. I have a special project (don't whine you know it has to be a secret which will be revealed at sometime in the future!). I have been putting in some very late nights...very late. The other night I was working and struggling with a new project. It was 1 am and I had a major moment of inspiration. (it was divine). I told myself I was going to go to bed after I put this one little thing down on paper. Next thing I knew I looked at the clock and it was 4:30 am! CRIKEY I had been lost in the design for HOURS and was so happy I forgot to sleep. THE... I'M GOING TO BE TIRED TOMORROW REALITY HIT ME, but I swear the magic of getting those creative thoughts aligned is such an amazing thing. Until the real world hits and one is faced with the reality that one is far beyond the age where one should pull an all nighter! (dang!)

We are planning a weekend trip to Asheville! I'm so excited. The whole family will be together speading family Christmas joy in the Mountains of North Carolina.

We are going here!

The fabulous Grove Park Inn!

To see these...

National Gingerbread Contest Houses..I wonder if I can break off a piece of them?

Then we are on to the amazing Biltmore House, they decorated the house and invited us in for a VISIT. So sweet of them to do that.

I'm going to mind blank all the work that needs to be done and go have a great time with the hubby and our wonderful children. We always have so much fun together. I'll take my camera!

2011-12-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.-Albert Einstein

I've been busy with final home holiday decorations and writing...writing and writing.I enjoy writing but I am anxious to get at my sewing machine. I wish I could do both at the same time. That would be a good resolution for 2012..figure out how to write and sew simultaneously. (high probability for errors!)

I wanted to show you some photos of Thimbles Club show and tellz. I better show you now because you need to see this right? Who doesn't love a good ~~bring and bra~~g show and tell. Here we go!

Marti and a UFO from the past...NO LONGER A UFO! Look at the smile on her face. Yes siree she is enjoying her retirement!


Leisa showing us the Primitive magazine page where she got the idea to make this.

She took a pre-made quilted table runner (from Wal Mart no less) and did some wonky applique! BOOM DONE! So if you are in the burbs of Atlanta and want to get a table runner..don't bother to go to Wal Mart, we got um all.


Marilyn and her fantastic quilt.Marilyn and Ann are havin fun showin it off!

Becky's finished quilt from a retreat she attended last year. This quilt is really sooo very nice! Good job Beck!

Debbie brought this big as the house quilt by! It is super king size and super wonderful. Another UFO into the finish line.

Linda and the best snowman of the year! We all tried to steal him. Not a good idea when Santa is watching.

Linda again. Wowzer!

Linda again. Way out of the box quilt for her. She likes more traditional colors and design. We should all step out of the box more often...what do you think?

Tricia's Emily Jane in purp! I love it was much as the original color (red) in the pattern.. No maybe I love it better.. I just love it. yup

Kim and her Farmers Wife quilt. Finished and quilted. There are no words..no words at all.


This is Karmen's baby quilt. The baby is about 28 now. hahaha Talk about finishing a UFO...oh my! Cute quilt!

Here comes the Sandra show!

Sandra II who doesn't love a great wonky house.

Sandra III. Carpenters Star..love!

And we end our bring and brag where we began..with Marti and her retirement UFO completion party. We did this kit with Thimbles club about 47 years ago. Marti is still smiling and laughing!

I'm doing a workshop tomorrow can't wait to spend the day with the Spirited Quilters Guild!

It's the HAPPIEST TIME OF THE YEAR!!!

2011-11-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.- Buddha

Thanksgiving is in the rear view mirror now! What a great time with family and friends we had! The food was, as usual, wonderful and plentiful. YIKEES. It is salad and fruit for me today. Our family tradition is to decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. My kids heads would spin off their shoulders if I even thought of decorating this joint before Thanksgiving! I made the mistake of pulling out my Christmas china last Wednesday. Mary Beth refused to eat a cookie on those plates! Nope no way... The fall holiday decor must remain up until the day after the turkey has strut through the house..yep that's IT.My kids have rulz about this stuff.

Then on Friday...all hell breaks loose and we make Chili and goodies to eat throughout the day while the parade and football march on with the Christmas decorations drug out from here to kingdom come! I must admit I love that day. Having adult children and a Son In Love makes the set up wonderful.

Look who is watching TV while putting the Santas on the top mantle. Talk about close up viewing.

Boxes everywhere!

I especially love when they break out in song while hanging from their toes on ladders.

How to hang a quilt on a railing. You throw one leg over it while pinning the middle. I would have to go to the hospital if I tried that!

Don't know where to put stuff..just pile it in the kitchen of course! Mom can find a place to hide it! oi vey

And people don't think it snows in the south...Hold on I have a thing about cords showing. Cone back. Zone one is not right!

Santa is working on Zone 8, Hogging the step ladder too!

Is that quilt batting bits I see? hmmmm


Don't know where stuff should go..just trow it back in Mom's bathtub she will have to deal with it if we leave it in the kitchen or the tub right??? Hey there are quilts in there!

I finished Zone 972 last night,and the halls are decked the joint is ready. Come on over. Perhaps I should post the finished decor. You know me, I like to show the reality of the holiday fun here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters... there are plenty of pristine photos out there! Wait till I start BAKING...great balls of flour everywhere.

Hold on There!!!!

2011-11-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing.

-William Shakespeare

My goodness...holey moley...it is holiday time. I'm still thinking it is time for the watermelon and flag waving. What happened to summer? Why is everyone at the mall? I have visions of quilt designs running around in my head NOT SUGAR PLUM FAIRIES! I need a do over, a mulligan. What is going on?

Oh well it will get done and we will all be Merry and Bright. right?

Today is put the Snow Village up day. I have informed The
Earl de Schlep to be home early and prepare for village construction. That alone is a 3 day job..today it is a one day job. I shall not rest. The village much go up before Thanksgiving. Why??? Because I can't deal with village construction while I am turning the joint into Santa Land. nope no way. Plus it has to snow inside the house for the VILLAGE to be complete. I rent a snow blower and blow the stuff from here to kingdom come. It is swell! I'll take some photos. Everyone thinks it is so pristine...I'll show the reality of it all..just for you!

Remember the cool sewing carts they are hiding in the lawn and garden department of Sam's. As usual the Thimbles have taken it to a new level, and here is the proof.

Exhibit A

We have Karin's little sewing wagon. Complete with license plate and twinkle lights.

Yes friends...this little wagon was loaded for bear!

Inside the basket is Moda Man and Loose Threads. Don't go there it is a Thimble thing...I promise!

Note the horn on the front. Get behind her and she will honk that horn and you will have a surprise!

Exhibit B

Sarah loves all things red. Sarah especially loves all things red with tinsel and adornmentalized (my blog my language)

These two were along for the ride. I think their names are Henrietta and Max..but I can't be sure. I was laughing so hard I lost oxygen to my brain. Notice the cup holder in the front of the cart, AND the horn. That horn will blow you into next Thursday. Don't tell Karin, hers was a little whimpy.

There they are. Parked side by side. Henrietta and Max sitting so sweetly. Moda Man and Loose Threads doing heaven only knows!

Dear Santa,

Please bring sewing carts to all my sewing friends.

Love,

The Head Thimble

(the cheetos are in the pantry you get way to many cookies)

I'm TOAST!

2011-11-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.-Mother Teresa

This is it...I will never recover. I'm in love with this person in the photo...over the moon...a gonner!

MY BABY IS HAVIN A BABY!!! Finally I can say it out loud. I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!


HOLEY BUCKETS OF JOY!!! 13 weeks old today.

I'm going to be a very good Grandmother. I will only let my grandchild have one hot fudge sundae for breakfast...yes sir I'm going to be the GRAND spoiler! I've got the road map too!

WHATTA THANKSGIVING WE ARE HAVING. A little turkey already bakin in the oven teehee!

Come Away With Me !!!

2011-11-16T04:00:00.002-05:00

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill

of creative effort. -Franklin D. Roosevelt

How about a retreat? Let me know if you would be interested in coming to a retreat in the North Georgia Mountains...Ellijay Georgia to be exact. I am hosting two weekend retreats. This first is full BUT...I just opened up a second retreat for February 2-5. We stay in luxury condos with fully equipped kitchens. Lunch, dinner and light snacks are provided (good food too!). Breakfast is on your own (in case you want to relax, drink coffee and enjoy the morning!OR in case you sewed until the wee hours and need some extra rest) If you would like to hear more about our little slice of HEAVEN. Just let me know and I will send you all the details.

Yup that is the view alright!

Yup that is where we stay alright! I rent out the whole place sew we can be "Just Us".

This is the funnest fun that ever was fun! Games, prizes and tons of surprises...An unforgettable experience!

2011-11-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. - James Allen

From the vast territory of Texas and Houston quilt market to the mountains of North Georgia and then to Savannah by the sea...dang I have been there in the last three weeks. I'm home now and anxious to get back to designs and sewing and blogging and cooking. I don't think I can eat another meal from a bag. Road food so to speak. What I'm craving now is my own cooking!

Chattin it up with Jodi Davis and Mary Burns in Houston

I have had a fabulous couple of weeks meeting friends at market and meeting quilters around the Great state of Georgia. I feel like I have made at least 2000 new friends. We talked, we learned, we planned, we quilted..well kinda. I am anxious to get behind my sewing machine! When I am around quilting 24/7 and have no opportunity to sew I get an itch to lock up in the sewing room and just sew, sew, sew. Benadryl won't help. My Bernina is the only known cure for sure!

Quilting is the topic...with Neutrals to begin the show!

There has been some amazing news from Silver Thimble World Headquarters. (insert drumroll please). It seems that my book will be going into a SECOND printing after only a month in stores.
Spotlight on Neutrals is getting around!!!! Let's just do a little happy dance....can you believe it? I'm so grateful that the quilting world likes my little bookie! Just VERY VERY GRATEFUL.


Quilts going up and down so fast my head was spinning. I bring around 60 quilts to show. I'm a quilter and if I go to a class or lecture dang I wanna see some quilts. Don't you agree?

More teaching and the obligatory Coke Zero in the foreground..hahaha

Bumpin my gums..sheesh My father used to fuss at me about talking with my hands.

I love this photo of " US" Bj and I!

Precious Karen Burns the Martingale Halloween bunny. She is so stinkin cute!

I have some more fabulous news to share but it will have to wait until Friday. Stay tuned.Silver Thimble World Headquarters is a joy filled place. Why not come for a visit? The door is always open.

Happy to be home and bloggin it up...that 's me!

Sewing Carts! OH MY!!!

2011-11-09T04:52:00.000-05:00

The soul should always stand ajar. Ready to welcome

the ecstatic experience.

- Emily Dickinson

In the never ending quest to bring the latest toys to the sewing classrooms of the world...this little baby dropped into my last Thimbles Club meeting..yes my sewing on the go friends, I introduce you to the SEWING WAGON!!!!!

This baby folds up flat as a flitter..heck you can practically fit it in your ~~purse~~ maybe that is a bit of a stretch. Anyway, you can dump your junk, machine and every notion on the planet needed for sewing on the go. It holds up to 200 pounds or sumthin like that. Wheel the thing into classes and retreats and you will be the envy of the group! You can even put your sewing snacks and favorite beverages in it!!

This is a 1-800-GOTTA HAVE IT, kind of thing! When Jane wheeled the thing into Thimbles there were screams of delight, 5 people disappeared from class for about an hour under the disguise of going out for lunch, 5 of these Ultimate Sewing Carts returned. They were trying to get a leg up on the rest of the group. sneaky sneaky

In the true spirit of sewing sisterhood we tend to all want what the other ones have. My group will also help each other out. If they know you are busy sewing and one person is going to the store they will just purchase 20 and bring them back for the others in the group. It is a sure sale. If one of us has it we all gotta have it. Money, checks and credit cards fly out of the purses like popcorn in a popper. They are generous that way or perhaps it is a form of validation, " I saw this and thought it was a great idea...what do you think?"

I guess I'm going to have to put in a request to the church for them to re-stripe the parking lot because I'm expecting 70 of the carts to come wheeling into class this month. We will all need a spot to park them. It will be an explosion of red sewing carts!

If you want to get one, and you live in the Atalanta area..forget it we got them all. The rest of you can find these sewing carts hidden in the lawn and garden section of Sam's Club. I don't know why they put sewing stuff in that section of the store...makes no sense to me. I wonder if they come in colors?

Lookie!

2011-11-08T05:04:00.000-05:00

I am not afraid…I was born to do this.- Joan of Arc

More market photos. Thanks to Becky who took some great photos while I was busy doing heaven knows what! Lookie! Sing with me

PEOPLE DEE DAH DEE...PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE...DEE DAH DAH ARE THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD...

There was Mary Ellen/Little Quilts and sweet Jackie!

Becky standing with "Our Quilt" she and I pieced together...(very special memories are in that quilt)

Kathy Brown Love her rulers and books! And her fabric with Red Rooster is super lovely. ...such a great person! Thanks Kathy!

Sue Spargo and I chattin it up in our booth. I luvs me some Spargo what a great folk artist!

The Quiltworks people chose quilts from my book for the decor of their booth. sigh

BJ and I...friends for life!

Rockin the Schoolhouse presentation..(my children just passed out at my description I'll be hearing from them about that)

More Rockin..ROCKIN, ROCKIN ROCKIN! so much fun!

BJ's cards..all on the website!

Talk about PEOPLE. Part of the line for Schoolhouse. This makes me TWITCH!
Wayyy too many people!

BJ and I getting ready to set that angel free to fly.

Our next door neighbors Paula and Mary Ellen/aka Bonnie Blue with Becky. The sweetest people! They were great neighbors.

Becky and the divine Mizzz. Alex Andersen

Kelly Jackson/aka I Have a Notion. Can you tell her apron was full of scissors? It must have weighed a ton...that was a lot o' steel.

See that Bunny behind me? That is Karen B..the Martingale bunny with blinkin ears. I'm tellin you she is the sweetest, thing. And so dang cute! I'm laughing trying not to screw up the ladies book that I was signing. My signature in that book is worth pennies!

Well if it isn't Lynette Andersen herself hangin with the Silver Thimble! What a hoot she is. Those Aussies!

People...it is all about PEOPLE. Quilting...relationships...with some fabulous quilts thrown in. Thanks Houston!

Fall Market Photos

2011-11-07T07:50:00.000-05:00

Asking a quilter to mend is like asking Michelangelo to paint your garage. ~Author Unknown

I have been on a teaching whirlwind since I came home, traveling all over the state of Georgia doing workshops for the Georgia Quilt Council. I'm having a terrific time meeting new quilters and spending time with them! It is amazing how much I love to be in the quilt classroom. Well, maybe not so surprising because I spent over 20 years teaching Kindergarten and First Grade, I still miss those little ones. I think teaching will always be " where it's at" for me.

I will be doing 3 more workshops this week ending with a trip to Savannah. Maybe I'll drop by and have a bite to eat with Paula Deen while I'm there. Ya'll.

I will show you some photos of market today and tomorrow. Becky took a ton of photos, me....well I was having so much fun bouncing around like Tigger that my camera was the last thing on my mind. (Is there a punishment for bloggers who are not taking proper photos to report back??? If so you my turn my name in?sheesh)


Becky and I with Jackie from http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com (what a doll!)

Lines and people everywhere for my Martingale book signing. sigh..

Our little booth. It looked great. Very HAPPY I was very pleased.

And we had our own little POLE DANCER flying above our heads. Straight from BJ's Garden!!!

The fabulous Kelly from I HAVE A NOTION. On Halloween she was trotting around with an apron on with about 20 different scissors hanging from the apron. It was so funny. (ok, I know, no photo of that, sheesh)

Book signing at the United Notions booth. Look on the table, do you see the little bag of Cheetos that was given to me as I was signing the books......How funny. (Hey maybe I could be their spokes person, or maybe that is not such a great idea)

See my book on the rack of books in the Martingale Booth. I about peed in my pants when I first saw it.


Jodi Davis from QNN TV. Sweetie Pie..so warm and friendly. AND CUTE TOO!

This week I will be teaching a lot and will have some great people and quilting to show you. (my camera is glued to my hand) I have enjoyed these past few weeks watching my book take flight but it is time to get back to the business of designing, sewing and blogging!!!!!!!!!!! Stay tuned.

Quilt Market OH MY!!

2011-11-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. -Aristotle

Try as I may, blogging just DID NOT HAPPEN.

THERE WAS THIS..................
28 hours of driving, to and from Houston, a ~~bug bite .~~ probably a spider or creature from the black lagoon (if I could find the little booooger I would end its life NOW and never have a regret) and a vicious allergic reaction, sweating, massive headache, eyes watering as if I was into the ugly cry, and we won't mention the sneezing and what my nose was doing..soo lovely! Booth set up, trip to Painted Pony & Quilts (such a terrific shop!), Houston traffic , Sample Spree. Up every day at 6 am, working the booth, schoolhouse, book signings (boy was that fun!), dinner, back to the room to review the days happenings, remembering what needed to be done Kristie and Becky writing everything down for me (thank goodness because my brain was mush), falling in the bed and starting the process over again. Did I mention the spider? Then there was the matter of my lost and not yet found cell phone not good (I bet the darn spider got that too!)

There were the ANGELS in my life BJ, Becky, Brenda and Kristie...They were there when I needed help and knew what to do even before I knew, they anticipated my every thought and helped me so much (I was very busy and my brain was in overdrive, so what else is new... very scary). They kept track of everything and the booth ran so efficiently... I owe them so much. Did I tell you how blessed I am?? I love them more than I love cheetos. To infinity and beyond.

What can I say...Martingale people...SIMPLY THE BEST. Thank you MARY, MARY, KAREN, KAREN AND KAREN...If you need a job and your name is Mary or Karen you might try Martingale..hahahaha.

There was this quilt. The third quilt BJ and I have designed together. The response to this quilt ballllewwww us away! I was a dooozie of a hit!

BJ's cards. ANOTHER HOME RUN. I am so happy for her. She is my design partner and my friend for life. She is holding a bundle of fabric in Painted Pony and Quilts that was made for our Star Spangled Celebration quilt.

And my little bookie. I was hoping for a good response. What we got was MIND BLOWINGLY AMAZING........I have no words. (insert tears of joy here I can't see my computer screen now!) Yes, I'm proud of the book but most of all I'm grateful for the opportunity to write it. The response was fun and now it is back to business and designing!!!!

I do have more pictures which I will show them over the next couple of days. I missed my blog, I missed reading your comments, I'm back now and there is lots to say and chat about. (BTW after reviewing my photos..there will be a boycott on the cheeto thing, some power walking, possibly a personal trainer and a plastic surgeon!!!!!!)

Winner Final Martingale Monday!!!

2011-10-27T03:37:00.000-04:00

Oh my bags are packed, I'm ready to go deedahdeedahdah...sing along with me!!!

The rental van is packed...The suitcases are packed. The ~~crap~~ decor for the booth is packed (wheww). The first aide kit is ready, the credit card companies have been notified that they should be ready for some serious action (oh boy). The fingers and toes have been manicured, hair cut...twelve pairs of shoes are on standby depending on what mood the feet are in. The snacks are within grabbing range in the car. Sunglasses ready (the sun is bigger in Texas than in Georgia, ask me how I know this)..new undies...in the suitcase. Invoices ready, business cards and flyers ready. New quilts ready. Book quilts SUPER READY.. Chocolate, well of course.

Thanks for all your great suggestions on what to pack. The official survey would report that the majority of you are worried about my underwear and my feet. Check. I'm ready on both counts.

I will send photos as soon as possible. My plan is to give you an often unseen look at quilt market. You know me I'll put the Silver Thimble Spin on things. Maybe even a fashion report! How about that???

According to my GPS our trip is 13.5 hours..with a catheter. We will see. I'm picking BJ up at 4am. sheesh! I will hit the PUBLISH BUTTON ON THIS BLOG right before I leave. I will be going to bed at 7:45!

Love you all more than I love my cheetos (which are packed BTW)

THE GRAND PRIZE LAST BIG WINNER IS:
Result #9 Terry....FROM OHIO...
Contact me with your snail mail.
CONGRATULATIONS TERRRY!!!!!
WHOO HOO

I'm off to HOUSTON RIGHT NOW!

Final Martingale Monday!

2011-10-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath. -Michael Caine

Ok, I think I need to hit the reset button on this day. After internet problems, and hours of phone conversation (with people who are difficult to understand)..the internet has been restored and life is back to normal crazy. We leave for Houston on Thursday morning very early or prior to the butt crack of dawn as I might have been heard saying. Yes friends I will be burning rubber like Sherman through Atlanta flying through the middle of town........ Houston bound!

So, this is the last MARTINGALE MONDAY...This has been so much fun chatting with you about my book and showing you some of the projects. The book is out and in quilt stores! Finally! I'm so happy about the responses I have gotten from people both locally and through emails. Thank you all for your support. I hope you will enjoy working with Neutrals or just using some of the patterns to put your own twist on things. Don't forget to send me photos. I love to share those on my blog.

Here is my plan for the last WINNER!!!! I will choose one person to win the following.

Well of course...the star of the show!

Pat's Pasta roll. In neutrals of course!

A spool of Aurifil Thread...yummy!

A little sumthin to snack on!

And a surprise from International Quilt Market. I don't even know what it will be but I will be finding something very special for the big WINNER.

I will announce the winner on Thursday morning just prior to leaving for Houston. You have until Midnight EST on Wednesday to put a comment on my blog and tell me what I MUST NOT forget to pack to take to International Quilt Market... Be creative with your responses! PAHHLEEEZEE.

Slight problem...

2011-10-24T11:39:00.000-04:00

We interrupt this Martingale Monday post!!

Blogging from my iPad..no photos...Internet down at Silver Thimble Headquarters...WE ARE ON THE PHONE!!!!! WITH PEGGGYY!!!! Frustration reigns. Me thinks it is time for the official PRE MARKET BREAKDOWN.

I'll be back after I finish talking to PEGGY in downtown Calcutta.

Winner Week #7 Martingale Monday

2011-10-20T09:17:00.000-04:00

WE HAVE A WINNER!

WEHAVE A SECOND WINNER!!

WE HAVE A THIRD WINNER!!!

-Pat Wys/Silver Thimble Quilt Co.

Thursday morning, what the heck happened to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? I promised to answer my own question "What inspires you to Quilt?". That was Monday...ok so I'm a teeny bit late. Here is the answer. These are not in any order, they are just what happens at different times.

Inspiration 1: Other quilters, particularly the members of my Silver Thimble Club which meets monthly here in the burbs of Atlanta, then there are the workshops, guilds etc. that I visit and teach/lead, and also the blogging community etc. Just people and their quilts. I see them and I am just blown away and want to create, and sew .Usually, I'm teaching or lecturing so I have to wait until I can get home to sew..that is the hard part. I see everything and talk to so many people who are sewing. I want to jump in the chairs and sew with them. Lots of times when I'm reading blogs about quilting etc I just get up from the computer and go sew..I can't take it anymore I have to sew!

Inspiration 2: A good quilt shop. How do I know if the quilt shop is good? Well, there is this feeling, my heart starts racing...my brain is jumpin, sweating can occur, I tend to squeal..and act like a fool..the credit cards and cash jump out of my purse...I looooose all control, the final blow comes when I want to run OUT of the store and go immediately home and sew. I can't wait to go home. I drive very fast, run in the house and take up the needle and rotary cutter! Refuse to cook dinner could care less about watching TV or cleaning house. That is how I know I am inspired by a quilt shop. There is no relief from this feeling, I just have to sew something or sit down and draw out my latest design idea.

Inspriation 3: Books, particularly lovely coffee table books with fantastic quilt photography. Very inspirational, and I have a growing collection of great quilting books. Perhaps I will do a separate blog post on that subject. Interested???

Ok lets have some winners!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 47 Result: 14
#14 QUILTS AND PIECES

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 47 Result: 44

#44 Barb

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 47 Result: 19
#19 Barb C.

Send me an email with your snail mail addresses and I will get your winning prizes right along to you.

OH MY!!! JUST FORGOT I HAVE A HAIR APPT...GEEEZE. If you are in Atlanta I'm the one in the CTS speeding along the road. Move over I'm on a mission.

Martingale Monday #7

2011-10-17T08:05:00.001-04:00

He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day...needs to reorganize his life. George Matthew Adams

Martingale Monday #7! Wow the time is flying by and Market is almost here. I have to say I am really looking forward to this Market. I can't wait to see friends that always come by the booth for some fun and to see what is new! My book is making its debut and I will doing some book signings and demos! Most of all I will have dear friends along to share the fun. The grand plan is for the Silver Thimble Gang is to ROCK THE HOUSE!

I want to show you another special quilt from my book. The name of the quilt is "Sunnyside"

Oh how I love thee. This quilt is so cool. The quilt has a teeny secret too. I snuck a tiny bit of non neutral fabric in there. See, there is a gold fabric that appears a couple of times in the quilt. There is a reason for this but you will have to read the book to find out why! (I'm so bad!) Anyway I do like this quilt...a lot. I especially like the setting triangles on the non border...(non border hahaha!)

Here is another project. Woven pillow sham. Those strips are not sewn...they are woven. Remember the paper placemats you made in First grade? Well this is the grown up technique. Fun and fast and super cool. Buttons add some extra pizzazzzzzz.

How about some prizes this week. Yup we like that. Three winners again this week.

A signed copy of my book. The signature alone is worth PENNIES!
Also, a $10.00 gift card to iTunes..I would like to keep your feet tapping and humming to the music as you sew. This makes for happy quilts.

I enjoyed your comments so much last week, this week I would love it if you would tell me who, or what inspires you to quilt. Is it a store, a person, the internet, blogs, books (well duh!), magazines, guilds, workshops? What keeps you fired up (my term for inspired) and wanting to make more projects? Tomorrow I will tell you a little secret about what makes me want to create and sew. Put that comment on this blog and get a chance to win!

Winners announced on Thursday morning prior to my hair appointment.

AT LAST!

2011-10-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

Blessings brighten as they take their flight. - Edward Young

Yup! They are here. I can come in the house and leave my post on the driveway, the books were delivered yesterday. WOW! So you can find me in the office with a fine point sharpie signing books, smiling, remembering the journey that brought these lovely books to a reality. (This is actually the photo Mary Ellen sent me when she got the Little Quilts shipment, my camera is getting a charge!)

And if you really want to know how BLESSED I am, go read this blog post from Becky. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends. I'll stay here and count THOSE blessings it will take me a while!

Have a fabulous FRIDAY friends!

Winner Martingale Week #6

2011-10-13T04:15:00.002-04:00

Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is. Vince Lombardi

Got me some winners, yes I do, yes I do. Drew me some numbers yes I did. Three winners this week! They will win a signed copy of that little book I wrote (and yes I'm still sitting on the driveway waiting for the books to arrive!) and a spool of Aurifil thread (yummy) . Here are the numbers that I drew. Come on down (insert Bob Barker voice). Email me and send me your snail mail addy and I'll send you some goodies.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 56 Result: 17

Number 17 izzzz Gene!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 56 Result: 51

Number 51 izzzz Mageez!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 56 Result: 50

Number 50 izzzz Sallie!

Will you just look at that. What are the chances that I would draw 51 and 50 right in a row. Are you amazed? well I guess it is not that amazing. I'm going to go drink coffee now. Rumor has it that this is my last day of driveway sitting..books may be arriving today. whewww.

BTW if you are in the Atlanta area this weekend come see me. I will be singing books at Tiny Stitches in Marietta on Saturday morning 8:30 until noonish, and on Sunday at Patchwork Cottage in Snellville from 12 -4 ! Sure would like to meet you COME ON DOWN..(there is that Bob Barker again!) (and yes it is 4:14 am..can't sleep)

Check This

2011-10-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

Ask not what fun does for you. Ask rather what you do for fun.

-unknown

I have some good, good fun to share! First of all, I got an email from those lovely friends at Martingale. They are hosting a QUILTMAKERS TREASURE HUNT! Now I ask you who doesn't luv a good hunt? You need to follow this link thingy and get on over there click on the Quiltmakers Treasure Hunt at the top of the page and registrate yo self and win some prizes (well that is the goal at least). Go on now, git along and WIN WIN WIN! HAVE FUN! Come back and finish reading my blog post. I'll be here waiting.
(btw my spell check just blew its brain..my spell check thinks I'm stupid.)
Yesterday sooo many friends posted the BEST stories in the comment section of the blog. I laughed and cried and enjoyed every word that ~~ya'll yous guys~~, you all wrote. I think you would enjoy reading the stories too so here is the link to yesterday..Enjoy. (Hopefully more people will write stories today.)

As promised here is the little binding hint I wanted to show you today. I will be posting a full binding tutorial on my new spruced up web site A. M. (after market that is...) Ok here we got. Comments are under each photo.

First, hopefully are sewing the binding to the finished (Quilted) quilt/project with your walking foot ON (trust me it is the right thing to do! The walking foot keeps all those layers in perfect allignment).

When you are sewing binding on and you get to a corner,normally most people will stop 1/4" from the right side and bottom of the corner. My suggestion is that you stop with needle down through all the layers.

Then pivot the quilt and sew about 3 stitches into the corner of the quilt. Cut the thread and set the quilt FREE from the bed of the machine.

See those cute little stitches. :)

Now that you have those little stitches you have a great 45 degree line to set the corner of the binding. Fold the binding up and over the corner and you are off to the races again on the next side of the quilt. *** This photo may confuse you a bit..I used the foot of the machine to hold the quilt so I could show you the 45 degree angle of the fold. I did not fold the quilt up and over the corner yet... (try sewing, holding a quilt, taking a photo, singing to the ipod, drinkin a Coke Zero and eating a snack...pretty much how we roll here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters)

Ok is this helpful? I think you will like the end result. Perfect mitered corners on your quilt!!!! Let me know what you think.

Martingale Week #6

2011-10-10T08:58:00.000-04:00

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page

- Mark Houlahan -

Monday...Martingale Monday that is! I'm getting closer to Quilt Market and the excitement builds. Even with all that is ahead that must be done, and sleep that is lost and stress of getting it all together, I have to say I love it and I'm so blessed to be doing work that I love dearly.

Here is the quilt from my book that I wanted to share with you today.This quilt has some personal feelings attached to its beginnings. It all begins with this!

This glass basket belonged to my fabulous Grandmother. Katherine Margaret Sly, nicknamed "Kitty". (yes I said Sly..my maiden name Wys my married name no vowels my whole life, only impostors, HAVE MERCY!). Kitty was an artist, she painted and taught piano lessons her whole life. She went to art school and the Conservatory of Music. She taught me so much! I loved spending time with her because she would draw and create with me all the time. Her love and encouragement was a force in my life that I draw such inspiration from all the time. This glass basket was hers and became the first, in what has grown to be quite a collection of glass baskets...none as special as " Kitty's Basket".

Here is my quilt so named "Kitty's Baskets." I have to tell you that when I planned this quilt I thought..Can I make a group of flowers from Neutral fabrics..without it looking like dead flowers from a funeral home? (my brain on overload). I'm happy with the results and I'm happy that the quilt is HAPPY LOOKING. I arranged the flowers in the baskets so that each basket had a slightly different arrangement (not so symmetrical so to speak). I also hand quilted this project #1 because it was the right thing to do #2 I wanted at least 1 project in my book so show that option. #3 Kitty would have preferred it that way. I used taupe floss and did a kinda big stitchy grid. It was very easy.

I'm sure that Kitty would love it. I'll ask her when I see her in heaven.

This is another project from the book. A mantle scarf made from grey silk and embellished with white snowflakes and 40 zillion crystals. no 50 zillion crystals. It looks so pretty across my mantle. The photo in the book captures the crystals very well but seeing it in person is AMAZING. I'm very happy with this project. BTW when I appilqued the snowflakes I appliqued them through the top, batting and backing layers so it was "self quilted" as I sewed which made the project go even faster to completion. It is a goooood thing!

On to the prizes. This week I will give a way THREE signed books along with a spool of Neutral Aurifil thread! So we will have three winners this week. WOWZER! Post a comment to this blog and tell me about your grandmother or grandfather or someone who had a profound influence on your life. Kitty would love to hear what you have to say. Please post before midnight EST on Wednesday.I will draw for the winners and make the announcement on Thursday morning.

Come back tomorrow, I will show you that little binding trick.

The Driveway

2011-10-07T09:08:00.000-04:00

Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy, in utensils you don't own, to make a dish the dog wouldn't eat. ~Author Unknown

I've been sitting on the driveway all week long, day and night, waiting. For what??? I'm waiting for the shipment of MY BOOK. Many, many books. The thing about sitting on the driveway is that you notice the extreme temperatures this time of year in Atlanta. Sweating one minute, chilly the next. Then there are the bugs. If their is a mosquito within 700 miles of me he will find me. (that's cuz I'm so sweet righ?.Or maybe the fact that they love Oscar de la Renta parfum). You get to see lots of neighbors passing by. They stop and say Hi and their dogs visit my lawn (swell)., At any rate I decided to cook a pork butt and make some barbeque because my Son In Love in coming in this weekend. So I put the butt on the grill. Then I went back to my driveway sitting. I got distracted and didn't want to leave my post because I knew Mr. UPS would arrive around 5pm. I was cookin the BUTT low and slow (this is the South people). This was the result...I believe there was a bit of a flare up on the grill.

HOLEY OVER COOKED BUTT!

Debbie came by and was showing me this quilt. So stinkin cute.

I showed her my butt. She laughed so hard she was cryin. She told me that maybe I could make one of these quilts one day. I told her that would never happen if I keep serving burned pork REAR END! It is now 9 am...I have lit the grill AGAIN, and now I'm cooking the Son In Love some wings, and it is back to the driveway,neosporin on all my insect bites and I've got a long extension cord and my featherweight hooked up out there. Its going to be a lovely day!

Winner Week #5 Martingale Monday

2011-10-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

The road to success is always under construction.-unknown

We have a winner!

Thursday morning and ya'll (insert Paula Deen accent) know what that means. I have drawn another winner.

Donna S. from Indiana! Contact me privately and I'll be sending you those prizes real soon! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

As you all can see I'm making progress in my ability to get the #$%^&*( number generator thingy to show up on the blog. sheesh. As God is my wittness I will figure this out! (insert Scarlett O'Hara accent).

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 43

We leave for market 3 WEEKS! from today (insert screaming with southern accent..it is a gift..so unique). I'm fine with that. Nothing much to do. I think I'll read a book and eat some Bon Bons today.

This photo pretty much sums it up. If you come to see me, bring a fire extinguisher..and cheetos.

More Martingale Monday goodies and some photos from the weekend book signings. (if anyone shows up!).

2011-10-05T08:43:00.000-04:00

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

-Napoleon Hill

I have a goal. Maybe if I say it out loud it will happen. Right? Saying it on my blog is the same as sayin it out loud right? Probably not. I don't know, maybe I just need more coffee this morning. Here is my goal. I want to be ready for market 3 days before I drive the land yacht out of the driveway. I want to relax and read a book or watch 87 hours of movies, get a pedicure, take a nap, or do some non market related sewing. 3 DAYS ... Can this happen? (fat chance). Nope I will be running around with my hair on fire from now until we leave.

I did manage to go to small group sewing yesterday. I mind blanked the fact that I was playing hookie from market prep and enjoyed sewing with wonderful friends. Teresa made a soopper doopper lunch. Here it is.

And you thought i was going to take a lovely food picture styled and ready for a professional cooking magazine right? I'll leave that to the culinary arts people. I'm keepin it REAL here at Silver Thimble World Headquarters. Trust me lunch was gooood!

Maybe I'll do a whole series of photos and call it Inside Refrigerators of the South.

Back to sewing (I really do need coffee).

I love this wall hanging Teresa made, Cathy was making one too. And LOOK THERE IS MY FOOT AGAIN! HAHAHA This time I had on a shoe. I was breaking in some new shoes I plan to wear at market. And today I have a brand new blister and the shoes are back in box. What is up with me getting feet in every photo??

OOOH Baby. Kathy Schmitz stitchery. I did this one myself. Finished it too, and it is in a drawer in my sewing room. I really must get that thing out and frame it or pillow it up. NEW GOAL!

Teresa made this wall hanging. She is going to hang it on the wall where she is standing. That girl has a great eye for color and fabric. She is a PROFESSIONAL at making fabric choices. Amazing workmanship too.

Holey Cow now this made my skirt fly up. (my mother used to say that all the time) Look at this bed in Teresa's guest bedroom. I love, love, love this quilt. And check out that pillow at the head of the bed. It is my Wrapped in Comfort pillow pattern. Neutral baby...yup yup yup

And here is a photo of more feet. And Julie's Chippawa Nine patch quilt. NICE. VERY VERY NICE!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my Martingale Monday #5 blog post. You may be this weeks WINNER!

If you are in the Atlanta area this weekend I will be signing books at Little Quilts (in Marietta) Saturday 10 am and at Sweet Home Quilt Co. (Conyers) on Sunday 1-4 pm. Come by and lets sit a spell and have some fun. I will be wearing those shoes again! and probably laughing. Come see us!

Martingale Week #5

2011-10-03T04:00:00.044-04:00

"...because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

" For Good " - from the Musical Wicked
(long post with Pat's Primer lesson)

I have just had the best weekend! Seeing Wicked with my girls, watching a movie with Sir Quilt Dude and the girls, everyone snuggled, each under one of my quilts. Sunday morning breakfast together and then up to the sewing room to make some projects for Emily's new home and Mary Beth's new apartment, and a side order of cookie baking thrown in. What can be better than that? Now it is Martingale Monday, so lets get our quilt on!

The name of this quilt is "Goin My Way?" It is very simple and is one of those quilts that can easily be made larger. Need it wider..add another vertical strip. Need it longer just continue the braided strips a little longer. The strips are trimmed down vertically after they are sewn so you end up with precise lengths super easy. I put a light neutral outside the braided sections so the body of the quilt would "float" in the center. See I do quilts with borders! Were you worried I would never send you a quilt with borders? Detailed instructions are in the book (well duh!)

On to the prizes.

This book is another compilation of fabulous quilts from several different designers. Now that I have this book in my hand there are several different quilts I would love to choose for my "Thimbles Club". Yes sirreee this is another goodie!not a great photo..sorry

Then of course you will get a copy of MY BOOK all signed and smoochy kisses from me in it.

Your Bonus prize from me this week is the CD of the musical Wicked....dee dah dee dah dooooo... YUP lovely music to sew by!

Now it is on to the promised thoughts on BINDING. Here we go class lets all sit in our places with bright shinning faces. (oh heavens can you tell I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for 23 years?) If you are an expert on binding you are dismissed to go and sew now.

I have always taught with a basic way of thinking. Don't tell people (adults or children) how to do something without giving them a reason why you like a particular technique. I would also suggest learning lots of different techniques and listening to lots of different teachers.. then pick the way that suits you and your sewing style best. (be a life long learner so to speak).

Binding. I prefer Bias binding in almost every situation. Here is why.

#1: Bias binding is more supple. Bias softens and drapes sooo well.

#2: Bias Binding is more durable. Over time it will out live straight of grain binding. Because of the angle of the threads running down and around edges of the quilt it will be durable. I admit that we could say that we will be dead by the time our binding wears out so why should we bother... lets be nice to our descendants. ok? It is the right thing to do.

#3: Bias binding cooperates so nicely when stitched onto the quilt by machine and looks so lovely when hand stitched to the back.

#4: What in the heck is cuter than plaids and stripes on the binding. NOTHING! don't argue with me here I'm just sayin!

#5: Hand sewing binding down is relaxing and a good excuse to drink a cup of tea, or coke zero, or eat some cookies (or cheetos with your cheeto picker!)

Lets talk about cutting fabric on the bias. First of all...I just can't deal with the tube method of cutting binding. I end up flopping myself on the floor and throwing a hissy fit. My friend Betty showed me how to fold fabric super easy to create bias strips. In my book there is a detailed description with handy dandy diagrams. I will show you some photos of what I'm talking about below. Also, Gene made a Utube video of this technique so pop on over and watch him in person..or check out his blog post on this topic the video is on the blog post as well. He did a great job, thanks Gene! I will not be making a Utube because I would have to put on makeup, get my teeth whitened, see a plastic surgeon, have a pedicure and get my hair cut only to look moderately presentable..you are going to have to deal with my camera.

Cutting Step #1

Lay your fabric out. Right side up or wrong side up it does not matter. The selvage is at the top and bottom of the photo. Fabric is running lengthwise from left to right. This can be done with a full width of fabric or less!

#2 First Fold

Fold the top left corner down to the bottom edge of the selvage. You have now established the bias of the fabric, which is the diagonal fold! Elapsed time 3 seconds

#3 Second Fold

Fold the bottom left edge (corner) up to the top right edge, folding the second fold onto the first fold. Remember this.."Always fold the bias edge ONTO ITSELF" You now have two folds stacked onto each other. Elapsed time 2.5 seconds

#4 Another fold

If you are working with a full width of fabric you will need to fold again with the bottom left edge folded up to the top right edge or "folded onto itself ." The folded fabric will be laying at an angle just like the above photo. Notice the feet in the photo..you won't have toes like that lookin at you!what a professional photo! Elapsed time 1.5 seconds

#5 Turn and Slice

Gently turn your fabric and slice through all the layers cutting your binding strips. You will want to make the first slice by cutting the folded edges away. I call this " Givin the fabric a little haircut". Once you cut the folds away, cut the binding into your desired widths. I like 2" - 2 1/4" you may want to start with 2 1/2" and then work your way to using 2 1/4" widths, and so on! Elapsed time 7 seconds.

Total folding and cutting time: 14ish seconds. I really is fast once you get the hang of it. If you have to find this little tutorial and read it 99 times and practice it may take 7-14 hours. The bottom line here is that it does NOT TAKE any longer to make bias binding strips than it takes to cut straight of grain strips.

Sew your strips together,end to end. The ends are already cut at a 45 degree angle so it is a snap! don't roll your eyes at me!

Here is the formula for figuring out how much fabric to buy if making bias binding.

Length of quilt x 2 + Width of quilt x 2 divided by WOF multiplied by width of binding. Then add about 10 inches..or so...this covers your corners and beginning and ending processes the number is generous!

Next time I'll show you some sewing ideas for your binding to the quilt. Right now you have readers fatigue I'm sure!

Post a comment and tell me if you like live theater and what you have seen and loved. Winner announced on Thursday! (I pinky swear I will make shorter blog posts). I would also love to hear what you think of the Show Me How to Make Bias strips tutorial.

Wicked

2011-09-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

Either you run the day or the day runs you. -Jim Rohn

I have my TO DO list which follows me day and night...another productive day ahead, as soon as I drink more coffee! HAPPY FRIDAY TO ALL.

My girls did something very special this year. They took their Dad on a date to a concert, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. It was his fathers day gift. They laughed about all the veeecations (as Dad called them) when they sat in the back seat and listened to Bob Seger CD's over and over again (or cassette tapes, you know what I mean don't pretend you don't). So off they went on their date and had a great time.

Now it is time for my mothers day gift! They are taking me to see WICKED Yup! Tomorrow my girls and I will be in the historic Fox Theater in Atlanta seeing the most fabulous musical WICKED. If you are ever in Atanta try to go see the Fox it is an amazing place.

I don't know what I'm more excited about, the theater or just having a girl date with my sweetie pies. So, this weekend we will all be home enjoying each other and having some family time. My Son in Love will be absent :( we will miss him this weekend but he has coaching responsibilities. If I know those girls, my rear end will end up in the car at sometime, going shopping at some point. oh boy

I will need to mind blank the fact that the calendar has turned to October and now we are DAYS away from Market and Houston. I'll be like Scarlett O'Hara and think about it tomorrow or Monday.

Martingale Monday #5. This time I'm including the ode to binding thoughts!! Looks like the books are shipping early next week. Yahoo. I'm going to sit on the driveway and wait until they come. Come visit me.

Winner Week #4

2011-09-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

Everything in life is luck.

-Donald Trump

Week #4 and we have a winner. Dance with our winner, cheer and stomp your feet. Ok sit down you may bust a hip! Here is the Random Number thingy which I have followed instructions and still can't get the stupid thing uploaded properly. I will blame the computer but most likely it is operator error.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 61

Here is our LUCKY WINNER...CINDI. whoooo hoooo Congratulations girl you won the whole Enchilada! Please contact me and I'll bring you the prizes cuz you are in GEORGIA!!!! AND YOU ARE HOLDING A QUILT THAT WAS ON MY LAST BLOG POST...AND YOU ARE MY LUCKY FRIEND TODAY.
SERENDIPITY, I love it when that happens.

I finished the binding on Mary Beth's new quilt. She has moved out and now is living on her own. I guess that makes us officially EMPTY NESTERS. I know I'm supposed to be happy about this but I miss her. She is decorating her bedroom in purples and greens so her aunt Tricia and I made her this quilt while we were in the mountains last month. Leisa quilted it and I finally got the binding on it. The quilt is large I swear Omar the Tent maker size. I don't usually make this type of quilt but I do like it a lot. It is a Turning Twenty Again. It was easy I made it scrappy and not line specific (no surprises there). I would make one again. YUP!

Scrappy back toooo. Used the fabric I have and stitched up the back! She is going to love how cuddly it is those green strips are flannel. so soft.
Now I have to go wash it because my kids don't like to get " crunchy" quilts. They are quilt lovers and cuddly like that too!

Yesterday

2011-09-28T06:04:00.000-04:00

All my scattering moments are taken up with my needle. ~Ellen Birdseye Wheaton, 1851

YESTERDAY. There are so many things to say about yesterday. Several years ago..I think around 2002, a group of us formed an unbelievable, magical circle of friends and quilting. We have gathered at a camp here in Georgia twice a year and we have ourselves a sewing and fellowship filled good time. I can't EVEN put it all into words how many memories live at that camp. Yesterday I went down to the camp for the day to spend sometime and sit and sew. My time is limited because.........well you know it is the market prep and other work obligations that prevent me from being able to spend a whole week at retreat. YESTERDAY I needed that place MORE than I even knew when I was driving there. One day, not a whole week, was all I had time for right now so off I went. I enjoyed it so much and I loved being there with friends in that room YESTERDAY!

Here are some photos of the finished quilts that were flying around the room. With ~~peanut~~ cheeto gallery comments.

Sharon and this wonderful blue and tan. She had a terrific technique for sewing the blocks that made the quilt construction sooo easy. What is better than blue and tan I ask..What is better than Sharon? I wish you knew her. I love her, she is the most generous kind hearted human being. A very special friend.

Get ready cuz here comes Margo's show and tell. #1

Margo #2 we call her Magoo not Margo it is a term of enderment trust me. I think this is a Thimbleberries quilt. sheesh

Magoo #3 is on the left. This quilt has a story. See those blocks? All of the Crows (as we called ourselves) made those blocks and we traded them. Magoo put the quilt together with everyones block. The other members of the group (myself included) tried to remember where we had put our blocks. Magoo actually made the dang quilt. Holey smokes way to go! My little block is in the top left corner. (I sure you knew that !)

MAGOO AGAIN #4. And she works full time as a nurse!

Ok you guessed it more Magoo #5. Showing my Slice of Christmas pattern for Tree Skirts..sooper dooper Thanks Magoo.


Magoo has to sit down now because it is Sharon's turn. I would tell you our nick name for Sharon but I would have some splainin to do..so for now she is Sharon II. Sharon I was the short one in photo one. Sharon II does amazing hand quilting. This quilt is a commission quilt from someone who wanted it hand quilted. Fabulous quilt and Sharon is putting some wonderful handwork on the quilt.

This baby is worth a closer look!

Sandy's baby quilt or maybe it is Vicky's not sure but I love that Suess fabric!

Cindi's pumpkin table runner. I considered throwing her on the ground and taking it away from her..But then that just is not nice and Cindi is the nicest person!

Leslie top and Cindi with a Star Quilt they made at a recent retreat. I don't really know the name of the quilt but I do know it used a fancy specialty ruler. I'll find out more. Both these quilts are going to be great. The quilt was a terrific border too.

Teresa and her Neutral quilt. This quilt is so sophisticated and wonderful. Teresa has the best eye for choosing fabrics and color. She made the model for the quilt on the cover of my book. She is a most excellent quilter and I am grateful for her sewing help! She is peaking from behind the quilt most probably making some funny wise crack.

There was a quilt I missed that Debbie was making a child's quilt..I will get a picture and post it as soon as I run Debbie down! haha I'll have to put my sneakers on!

Once again I have overloaded you with photos. I hope you will forgive me but I really love to show quilters off to other quilters.

Yesterday (sing with me)
All my troubles seemed so far away...OOh I believe in YESTERDAY!! DEE DAH DEEE DAH DOOOOO

Martingale Monday Week #4

2011-09-26T08:53:00.000-04:00

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

- Mother Teresa

Martingale Monday #4...here we go again. Fix yo self a cuppa or a gulpa and let me show you some quilts!

I think this quilt is more of what a lot of people would think of when they sit down and decide to make an all neutral quilt. It is softer, lighter more subtle. The technique is so much fun and super fast! It is what I called a Double Disappearing Nine Patch. Of course the explanation of the technique is in the book. If you are looking for a quilt to give as a wedding gift or a fast finish this quilt is the ticket. By the way, I always make neutral quilts as wedding gifts. Young couples taste and decor change with every Pottery Barn Catalog edition.. but neutrals are timeless. The name of the quilt is Summer Stitch In. Named for the week long super fun retreat I host every year. Some of you will remember my posts from July with all the fun and quilts (100) we worked on.(and the shenanigans)

Notice no borders..you can add borders if you want..it is your quilt!
By the way did you know that I use neutral quilts as table cloths in my home?? If you come over for dinner I will put one on the table just to prove it! I don't worry about spills..I can always make another quilt. I worry more about spills on my family linen table cloths than my quilts. I can't replace them! Heck if you come over I'll serve you spaghetti pie on a quilt table cloth. (You will be drinking from a sippy cup with a plastic bib on.)

Here are the goodies you can win this week if you post a comment on this blog and tell me if you make binding from straight of grain strips or bias. Why do I want to know? You will find out next week on Martingale Monday #5. The winner this week will be announced on Thursday after I have several sippasss of coffee.

Drum roll..(ok just stomp your feet, who carries a drum around?) Here are the goodies I am giving away this week to dah winner.

Kim Brackett's second book. I swear this girl has got it going on. I loved and made a couple of quilts from book #1 with my Silver Thimble Club...now she hits us with this baby. oooooh baby baby. I may like this book better than the first. No..yes...I don't know but you are gonna flip!

My book..shipping to stores next week. You can also order it from my web site with free shipping until Nov 15th.

My favorite ruler Creative Grids 6.5" x 12.5". I walk around with this thing in my hand. Even when I'm baking cookies. I love me some Creative Grids (I'm not paid to say that just so ya know, but I could be bought haha)

If you know me this needs no explanation..JUMBO BAG! That'll get ya through the day.

Ok that is is IT now go tell me your thinking on binding pahleeze.

2011-09-23T14:54:00.000-04:00

Success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.

-Helen Keller

Here are some quilts that I thought you might enjoy from our last Thimbles class. I had left my memory card to my camera at home (sweet! another totally gifted move on my part) so I missed some photos. As usual the Thimbles group never disappoints with their accomplishments. Betcha wish you could be there in person. Well you can... on the third weekend of each and every month.

This is an amazing piece by Pat B. paper pieced and all that jazz! My jaw hit the floor when she whipped this baby out.

Here are a couple of close ups of Pat's eagle. What I want to say about this is serious stuff...listen up! (please). Leisa quilted it and while her quilting is absolutely amazing it complements the artistry and sewing perfection that Pat did. I'm telling you one enhanced the other! Sewing and custom long arm quilting. I have had some things quilted in the past and they turned out so that the longarm quilting overpowered my the piece work. I have such respect for the artistry and skill of a great long armer! I also love to see the artistry and skill of the quiltmaker be highlighted at all times. I wish my photos were better but then...I'm no artist with the camera so I let both Pat and Leisa down..sheesh.

Twister going on right there! If you haven't tried this it is tons o' fun!

Karin with a quilt for her granddaughter. This quilt looks like SHERBERT. It is one happy quilt.

Pat B again...sheesh she has been reeeely busy. Love this quilt..but then there is that eagle. Pat is standing on the left in case you see her in the grocery store tell her you like her quilts.

Guess who..It was Pat's day for show and tell. Kitty Kats!


I may have shown you this one before but here is Sarah and her SELVAGE QUILT. Did you hear me? those are selvages..many many many. Guess where Sarah is RIGHT THIS MINUTE? CHINA probably buying silk (and ripping the selvages off of it.) Or walking on the Great Wall of China or sumthin like that.

Hope you all have a terrific weekend and will join me on Martingale Monday #4...there shall be quilts and prizes!

Winner Week #3 Martingale Monday

2011-09-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.
-Henry David Thoreau

I have been literally burried in my sewing room finishing new quilt for market. The quilt is safely off to Leisa to work her magic with the long arm and I'm surfacing and onto other items on a massive TO DO list.

Thank you all again for your fabulous comments. I'm so glad you are enjoying this little "walk through" the projects in my book. It has been so much fun to write about the quilts and remember how they were all born. It is like falling in love all over again.

I drew for the winner so here it is. Number 46!!! PATTY FROM MA.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 46 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations Patty (nice name!) Contact me privately and send me that snail mail address! Is it snowing yet in MA? (it is cold there I hear!)

Tomorrow I want to show you some quilts from Silver Thimble Club and some outstanding quilting.

I'll be back..it is nice to have that " Big Project" completed...and I can breathe a little better. At least for today.

Martingale Monday #3

2011-09-19T03:00:00.000-04:00

Always remember you are unique just like everyone else! - unknown

I hope everyone had a smashing good time this weekend. I know I did! This was Thimbles weekend and there was fun and laughter and quilting. What can be better than that?

I want to show you this quilt which is in MY BOOK.. The name of the quilt is French Silk, so named after one of my favorite pies. (no I will not name a quilt cheetos that would be just wrong on sooo many levels.) This quilt is super simple to construct. The most amazing thing about THIS QUILT is that it is made from a combination of cotton fabrics and SILK. ok so don't pass out and knock your head on the floor...and don't tell me I'm crazy. This quilt was so much fun, when together like BUHHTAH and is so lovely the way the light catches the silk after it was quilted. Quilted not by me, but by Leisa Wiggley longarm artist superior! and I dooo mean ARTIST.

I'm showing you the photo that is in the book because it also shows you the Elegant Bolster Pillow that is also in the book. I think this photo is great. Here is the funny thing. I named the bolster pillow "Tootsie Roll", but for obvious reasons I had to change the name, or get a legal team I guess. I swear I could NOT come up with anything. So Elegant Bolster Pillow it was. The creativity of that name knows no limits.

Here is the 411 on working with silk. I used dupioni. I like that name. dupioni, dupioni, dupioni, it sounds really up town don't you think?? The down side to silk is that it doesn't ravel.... it falls off in chunks so I used a stabilizer which was just the ticket. The solid brown parts of the quilt were the silk units the other two fabrics were regular cotton quilting fabric. Nice huh? This pattern design is screaming for any print that you would want to use as a focus..you could really highlight some fabulous fabric with this design. just sayin!

Here is a flat shot of the quilt.

Here is the Elegant Bolster Pillow sitting on the steps in my house.

I loved stepping away from traditional cotton fabric choices and watching the results unfold right in front of me. I hope this will encourage you to try to quilt with silks. (and lots of the fabric companies are starting to put out lines of silk, isn't that nice they did that for my book!) There are so many gorgeous colors and weights to choose. I will be doing this again you can bet on it!!!

Here come dah prizes. Put a comment on this here bloggie and tell me your favorite genre or look for your quilts. If you comment you will win a chance to snag the autographed copy of my book.of course.

And this book.. Holey Cow those people at Martingale are all quilters.. I loved them before and now that I know they are ALLL QUILTERS I love them even more. I wonder if they are all sitting around in staff meetings whipping down binding and comparing each others 1/4" seams. Is it a prerequisite to getting a job there? Do you submit a quilt along with your resume. dang! They wrote this book and I want to keep it but ... it will go to some lucky winner..A Bakers Dozen written by the staff of That Patchwork Place.

And for the bonus extra prize...I love these little babies. I'm a cliping fool with these Wonder Clips. Great for sewing on binding (I'm a hand binding lovah myself) You are going to win the giant box and there are 50 in the box! whooo hoooo. That is two books and a box!

BTW this photo is sideways and I don't know why!
Comments! I love the comments it is such good reading. And a welcome break to marathon sewing which is going on at Silver Thimble World Headquarters.

Cheeto Picker unleashed!

2011-09-16T03:00:00.107-04:00

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Dalai Lama

I have gotten a lot of comments and requests to explain the finer points of the Cheeto Picker. First of all I have discovered that snacks pertaining to sewing time are a very personal thing. From Herbal Tea to Bubble Gum I think I've heard it all. I do have some confusion on one topic that I would like to explore. Lots of people said that they have NO FOOD within a mile of their quilting projects because they worry about making a mess. But many of the NO FOOD club said they have coffee or tea or Coke while quilting. HUH????? What is that about? I use coffee and tea to dye my projects if I want them to look all vintage like and aged..I'm confused. With all do respect tell me do you people drink coffee through a sippy cup? How could a harmless cookie do damage to a quilt? I'm going with the idea that people who don't allow food near their quilts are using this as a means of diet restriction and self abuse. Eat some cake! Literally. I bet the members of the "no food near quilts club" are extra skinny.

So now we get to the subject of the best kind of snacks, sweet vs salty. My preference is for both. I come from the more is better way of thinking that is why fat quarters don't make sense to me. Why buy a fat quarter when you can buy 5 yards? seriously friends..

There are 2 winners in the Best of Quilting Snack category. The first! Well of course it is the beloved Cheeto. Heaven in a bag.

The Cheeto is problematic in that it can be messy. WELL QUILTERS the answer is often right in front on you on the notions wall of many quilt shops. It is the Cheeto Picker! Long enough to reach to the bottom the the large bags you get from Sam's and Cosco. Delicate enough to hold on! You need to be aware that you should not blindly grab for the Cheeto Picker because you can end up with your seam ripper impaled on your lip. I know this..how?

If your local quilt shop does not carry these babies just ask them to order you one. Please leave my name out of it.You are on your own I have already made a fool of myself at a national level...get your own Cheeto Picker.


The picker can be used in other ways as well. Popcorn especially this time of year I just love caramel corn. It is a versatile tool.


Then there is this...you can watch your feet and fingers blow up while sewing and eating. SALTY!

The winner in the sweet category. Perhaps the MOST perfect food to eat while sewing. TWIZZLERS!! YAHOOOOO

It comes in giant 2 lb. bags. Which makes sense to me. I have always believed that more of a GOOD thing is best. Fat quarters make no sense to me. Why buy a fat quarter when you can buy 3 yards! Twizzlers can be eaten totally hands free, the technique is as follows... Pop one end of the Twizz in your mouth and feed your self while you sew. It takes a bit of practice but after a 2 lb. bag you will have it down pat. I do not suggest you practice this in one sitting but I won't elaborate on that point. 2lbs = a lot of Twizz!

When you come to my Silver Thimble Club you will meet Mary Agnes she and I will show you how to have a hands free Twizzler race. I believe I am and reigning champ..or we will just go with that cuz this is my blog.

At this point I need to tell you that there is one food that should never be brought into the sewing room.

Powdered no less. Can you imagine the powdered sugar all inside your precious sewing machine. This is just wrong on so many levels. Please trust me on this I know I'm right! BTW I bought a bag of these babies just for that photo. What I don't do for my blog. They were delish!

Okay now that I have given you the best...get to the store, get your snacks and picker and start your engines. You will be happier quilters and you will get so much more done because you will not be runnin back and forth to the dang kitchen. Please let me know if this blog tutorial was helpful. I would love some "feedback"

Do we need to discuss adult beverages while sewing? nah

Winner #2 Martingale Monday!

2011-09-15T05:40:00.000-04:00

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the

greater part of life is sunshine.

- Thomas Jefferson

We have a winner again! Week #2 of the Martingale Monday fun is history. Just you wait cuz I'm going to party down next Monday.Visit me Monday September 19th for more book talk and some prizes.

This week the winner izzz!

Number 69
(will somebody tell me how to get that cute little box on number generator onto my blog..I have tried and it is not workin for me. I'm gonna pitch a hissy fit..southern style)

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 69 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Susan from IA

Susan chews bubble gum while she is sewing. I think this is hilarious. I can just imagine her blowing giant bubbles obstructing the view of her machine and thus her 1/4" foot. How funny. Well Susan you have won yourself 2 books and one big cone of Aurfil thread. That should require you to stock up on tons of DOUBLE BUBBLE cuz you got some sewin to do! Contact me with your snail mail addy and I'll put Sir Quilt Dude on the shipping stuff. (he is th highly paid servant to Silver Thimble World Headquarters thhadd be me)

In honor of everyone who put their snack preferences in writing through the comments on Mondays blog I will take you on a snacking while sewing journey tomorrow with photos and instructions for proper snacking. You can always get a tutorial on how to make a dang half square triangle but only HERE will you find a tutorial on snacking and quilting. TOMORROW! This is an important ground breaking blog...do not join weight watchers today..you might want to put that off until you hear from me.

JOY RISING

2011-09-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

Here we go again...sing and dance with me!

So it is Monday.... I'm sewing and getting ready to fix dinner. The door bell rings..and these arrive.

With this lovely card. (Good thing cuz I might have had some splainin to do if you know who got home from work and I was getting flowers!)

Well don't that just FROST YOUR CAKE..flowers and everything! How nice. Those people are so sweet. I dashed off a beautifully written thank you email. (my mother is rolling her eyeballs in heaven right now.." so you don't have time to write a proper thank you! I raised you better than that!" ).

Then I went back to sewing and dinner prep..

UPS man arrives (usually between 5 and 6). I told Mary Beth to get the package cuz it is probably the toner Dad ordered for the printer.

NOPE...NOT THE TONER...IT WAS THIS!

The book, MY BOOK, I can hold it in my hand. It has pages. I can't even tell you the emotion. Is this real? Do I really have a number in the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS? I can't believe it. I suppose it was such a long time comin that it is now an out of body experience. I have to tell you this...and I mean this..(BRACE YOUR SELF CUZ I'm gonna get all sappy and serious here...) My overwhelming emotion is gratitude. I'm so grateful to my family for the support, my friends who lift me up and are the flowers in my life garden, to the members of the Silver Thimble Quilt Club..to the Martingale people...and to anyone who may decide to purchase my book for their quilting library...I'm sooo humbled by the whole thing. I'm mean it people..there are tears flowing as I type. (too much information huh?)

Ok so where does one keep this precious book?

They will notice it up there that is for sure! (bad glare sorry)

For guests who need to have something to read while visiting the luxury suite. We can light those candles on the back of the facilities for ambiance.


In here, everyone opens these doors 10,000 times a day right? And next to the sweet tea..this is the south you know!


One should never text while driving...but this text doesn't count does it?


We will store it in here. I'm the only one that turns the thing on anyway. It will be safe in there.

Another email was sent to Martingale Headquarters here is how it read.

Dear Martingale friends of my Mom,

Mom was making my favorite dinner. Roasted Pork Loin, with those yummy roasted new potatoes, fresh green beans and mom’s awesome homemade yeast rolls. She was so happy she got flowers today..Then the UPS truck came and Mom said the toner for the printer was here. WRONG.

It was the book..

The pork loin is a charred remain.

The roasted potatoes are the color of her HavenStone quilt (which I called dark and creepy anyway I like purple)

The green beans are dried and stuck to the bottom of the pot (which I have to wash)

And the rolls are hockey pucks.

Thank goodness the Sweet Tea is safe in the fridge cuz Mom is GONE MENTALLY…

Sincerely yours,

Hungry in Atlanta

The Wys family

So that was my day yesterday. Nothing out of the ordinary happening at Silver Thimble World Headquarters.

Martingale Monday #2

2011-09-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.- Abraham Lincoln

Good Monday morning! Well here we are again. Martingale Monday! Wheeww that week went fast.

I want to show you another quilt from the "book" and chat a bit about the quilt and its design. I decided to choose this quilt.

HavenStone Named for the subdivision where we built our new home. It is darker than the other quilts in the book and that was the goal..deep neutrals. When I designed the quilt I wanted the look of stacked stone coupled the drama that comes with a snails trail blocks. My friend Becky and I sewed the quilt together and had a lot of fun. This quilt was out of the box for me and was so much fund to play with VALUE. Could I make an interesting quilt blacks, browns, and grays? The answer was YES, but the secret is value. In my book I wrote a section on the use of value when thinking about color choices. Using the high contrast of the light creams, tans and icey grays was critical. If I had not done that it would have been named Mud Slide! or something worse. This quilt has soooo much movement. It dances. Another aspect of this quilt is the alternating block which has the 60 degree triangle unit (also named Peaky and Spike, named by the late Doreen Speckman.) This block adds another opportunity for visual movement in the quilt. Super fun and fast to make.

Then there is the whole border no border thing. I chose to do pieced setting triangles and called it quits. I'm like that. I don't believe that every quilt needs a "border". Don't get me wrong I do plenty of borders and when I do make a border I love love love a pieced border but I have freed myself from the idea that every quilt has to have an inner border and an outer border..come join me.

Here is a funny thing. I have shown some of the quilts to my Thimbles club members. I'm always listening and watching their faces to see what their reactions will be to my designs.(so far no one has had to be hospitalized from sickness) This quilt is one that people gasp and I here wows and OH MY!

Ok here are the goodies for you to have a chance to win. First there is the signed copy of " Spotlight on Neutrals" Yup my little baby.

Then there is this book "Flip Your Way to Fabulous Quilts" by Donna Lynn Thomas. YOU ARE GONNA FLIP! I enjoyed the book very much.

As special "Love you more than I love my self cleaning oven" I will send along a giant and I mean GIANT spool of my favorite thread..Aurifil. This baby will keep you sewing for 1.5 years! You can choose either the lighter tan or the deeper gray.First you will have to win!

Leave me a message on this blog post and tell me your favorite snack to have while sewing. Oh this should be good! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday. I will announce the winner on Thursday morning after I drink my ~~cup~~ pot of coffee.

And yes there will be a blog post about the finer points of the cheeto picker! This week.

Winner Week #1 Martingale Monday!

2011-09-08T12:31:00.000-04:00

Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.- Helen Keller

And the winner is... #13: GeeMa. Let me know your snail address and I will send your prizes along to you (as soon as MY book gets here). I'm soooo happy for you!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 13 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Thank you everyone for your fabulous comments and good wishes..Don't forget about Martingale Monday next week September 12. More fun ahead! I promise.

BTW I got an email from a friend at Martingale and she said. "Awesome blog posts Pat! But gee, I wish you were a little more excited about your book.... :-)" (perhaps I should tone my excitement down a bit! On second thought NO, no, no! I'm having too much fun.)

Be back tomorrow, apparently I will need to put up a tutorial on the finer points of the CHEETO PICKER!

2011-09-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

Delay is preferable to error.- Thomas Jefferson

Lookie what those nice folks at Quiltmaker magazine sent me. My block is on the mug along with 99 others who's blocks were in Vol. 1 edition to the magazine. This mug must certainly be a collectors item. I suppose there are only 100 in existence. Aren't you impressed? I'll have to keep it under lock and key cuz a robber would certainly by pass the jewelery and silver to get to this mug.

I have been accomplishing quite a lot. In case you think all I do is sew with neutral fabrics...The following photos are for you.

A little stitching. I'm over the moon for purple and green right now. Is it a phase? I'm eating grapes at this very moment. At 5 o'clock perhaps grapes in a different form..join me!

I've been doing some applique'. If you are allergic to applique please take some meds and come with me to applique land. There is great happiness there. I will be adding some machine applique lessons to my new web site/blog..as soon as I finish this little project.

I've been doing some hand stitching. Here is the thing about hand work for me. If you put a needle and some sewing in my hand all stress leaves my body. It is the most relaxing thing! If there are cheetos and my cheeto picker nearby..even better. You do know about my cheeto picker right?

Then there is the dang mess I make when in the middle of a quilt design. This gets on my last nerve. So I will just go do some stitching and FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

Martingale Monday #1

2011-09-05T08:45:00.000-04:00

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let's launch this party okay? I'm going to celebrate the coming of a book..my book. I can hardly think and speak the words MY BOOK! I'm having trouble typing the words MY BOOK. holey cow!!!

It seems like such a long time ago that I was sitting at my computer and chatting with Mary Ellen, it was about 8pm. I opened my email (I was paying attention to Mary Ellen I swear) and there was an email from Mary Green, Editor in Chief of Martingale & Co. I said to Mary Ellen.
"There is an email here from Mary Green". Mary Ellen (who knows Mary Green and just about everyone else in the quilting industry) said " Well open it dummy!" Pat
" I'm scared". Mary Ellen " Then send it to me and I will read it for you." I opened the email...I'm no dummy! So began the journey, after I got up off the floor and had some adult beverage(s) and called 10,001 people.

The subject of the book is the use of neutral fabrics as the "Stars of the Show". It is my hope that my book (there went my heart again my book) will help quilters to rethink the use of neutral fabrics. When I go in quilt stores I often here them referred to as backgrounds. Lets rethink that okay? You won't be sorry!

So here is the book..MY BOOK

Isn't it purty? So far you have see as much of it as I have. The book will be shipping Oct 4th. I dunno when I will get my copies. I ordered 75 million copies. The UPS man is gonna be very unhappy with me.

The quilt on the cover is called Scrappy Nines. It is quite possibly one of my favorite quilt designs. EVER!!! When it was chosen for the cover I knew it would work well! But there are other quilts in the book that I'm happy about to.(I will talk about them each Martingale Monday). They are all my kids so they must be loved equally.

Scrappy Nines is made from 2 different blocks, set in an alternating pattern. There are a lot of nine patches to be made, once they are completed the rest of the quilt goes together fairly quickly. It is not difficult at all and has HUGE visual appeal.

Here is a little sumthin I would like you to know about me and about the way I design. I like designs that are complete so I frequently add a little "finishing border." In the case of Scrappy Nines it is there. Can you see it? It is the final little outside row of 2 nine patches and a spacer strip. Which finishes the design! Without those borders the quilt pattern would be chopped off ! BOOOOO. In addition to the finishing border..I stopped the quilt and did not add any additional borders. I'm like that too. I quite frequently don't add borders. In this quilt the finishing border is enough. Or at least I thought so!

Here are some goodies I will be giving away for my first Martingale Monday!

#1 A signed copy of Spotlight on Neutrals. This signed copy will only escalate in value. It will be worth millions. You will be able to sell it on ebay and send your children and all your ancestors to college! Aren't you thrilled?

#2 A special book "Quilting those Flirty '30's" What a great title. What a special book. Guess who the publisher was??? Congratulations to Cynthia Tomazewski most excellent writer. Can I have some of those vowels in your name I can sure use them?

#3 A "Pat's Pasta" roll of neutrals, blacks, tans, creams etc. similar to the photo below but with more of a range of neutral fabbies.

Put a comment right here on this blog post. Winner will be announced on Thursday Sept 8. Tell me what you think of the cover and your thoughts on neutral fabrics. I would love it if you could invite your blogging friends to join our party but it is not a requirement for winning. I will ship the above winning box of goodies as soon as I receive MY BOOKS...sigh.

You can preorder my book right here on my website! Have a linky on me! www.silverthimblequilt.com