Saturday, February 28, 2009

A finished quilt....and it goes to....

....not going to charity or to hubby.....daughter V has claimed it!
I asked Hubby (after posting here) if he would like it...nope....liked the pattern but didn't like the white & turquoise in it. I was trying to use up all the same fabric out of my stash, so it has pieced borders that are a little crazy.

Daughter asked if she could have it...sure...I'll make something else for the Hubby & for Charity. I'll probably do the same pattern for charity, just different colors.

At least I finally got to sew this week.....used some fabric!

Thank you Hubby for holding it up so I could snap a photo!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Charity or my Husband

I've set a goal to do a large size charity quilt each month of 2009. So far, I've done the same pattern for two QOV quilts, but in different colors, for January & February. I was ready for a change for March, and began a 9-patch variation using up more solid scraps....I seriously think these solid scraps are reproducing in the box when I'm not looking!
First, I made a bunch of scrappy 9-patch blocks (squares cut 4 inches) with the center square always being black.
Next, I cut the block in half both up & down and side to side....my blocks were 11 inch, so I came out with (4) 5.5 inch blocks.

I flipped the blocks up on the upper right & lower left side and sewed together my new block


This is what I can out with...no borders yet. Right now, it measures about 50 X 50 inches.

The next decision....is this my March quilt to charity or does my patient Hubby get a new quilt after 8 years? I went to put the Log Cabin quilt (showed in the previous post) back on the bed & noticed it has some major wear & tear places. Today is Hubby's birthday, so maybe a new quilt is in order!
In Closing: March is just a day away...any special goals for you? I am working on staying up with my planned projects, as well as doing a couple of fabric experiments I have shelved for a while. Please, share your plans............

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Keeping an inventory of your Quilts

One of my goals this year is to photograph & keep a current log of my quilts. I have given away alot more than I have kept, so I asked family and friends to send me a photo of the quilt I have given them...no photo's yet, but I'm still hoping!
This is a quilt I made about 8 years ago for my Hubby. It is paper pieced logs cabin blocks made from the scraps of other quilts. It is tied with small black knots...wanted to get it quilted, but didn't have the money.
In Closing: How do you document your quilts? Do you put a label on each one? Do your quilts have names? Share, please..........

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Stashbusting Report #8

Fabric in this week-2 yards
Fabric in YTD-42 yards

Fabric used this week-0 yards
Fabric used YTD-40 yards

Not good....more bought than used...but I will get busy this week, now that I can find my cutting board under all the reconstruction piles!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Sewingroom Makeover done!

Hi, my name is Suzanne & I am a fabricaholic ("Hi Suzanne & welcome to the group!")
A couple of weeks ago I was getting some patterns down from a high shelf, when the patterns came tumbling down, along with the shelves. Hubby got out his trusty tools & got to repairing & painting...so here are the photos
This is my new organized pile of clothing patterns (in white unit) & finished quilt tops waiting to be quilted (on the left)
I had to include this photo...while Hubby worked on the closet, I stored all the batting & stuffing in the baby bed in our room...did not realized how much I had jammed in the closet!

The photo below is the shelving unit that fell (without all the books on it)


After removing the shelves,Hubby painted the wall. I am going to put up the pictures that are stored underneath the ironing board. To the left of photo is all my mending & refashioning projects...I better start working on that pile too!



Below is a slim photo of my closet all piled with my quilting stuff with the closet doors still on



Here is the new closet...Hubby removed the doors & the closet rod & put in two long shelves (with extra bracing). After the paint was dry, I immediately filled the closet up! I will make a curtain to cover up the area...hhhmmm...I better go buy some fabric, huh! LOL! The top shelf is costume, craft & cross-stitch patterns. The second shelf is quilting pattern (applique & piecing), plus a very large section of quilting ideas. The bottom is all that batting & boxes of Flannel, fabric for clothing projects, a bag of yarn & a couple bolts of muslin

Wow....I am really ready to sew now...I need to start making a to-do list, because there is ALOT to do! At least my family will know where I am....

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Quilting...bras....finished UFO's

As I have been cleaning/re-organizing/putting back together the sewingroom, I have tried to photograph some of my finished pieces that were stuck in piles...and there were ALOT of piles, folks! Below is a landscape piece I hand painted in a fabric dyeing class back in September 2008. I had fun just quilting in what I thought I had painted: lake, rocks, trees & sky.

This piece is from the same fabric dyeing class taught by Anne Munoz. I used various foam stamps and just layered leaf over leaf. I quilted it a couple months ago and thought I was done. Looking at it again, I'm going to add some more quilting!

In Closing: I got an e-mail about this group of South Carolina Quilters & just had to pass it on. They are a very creative group of women trying to raise awareness, as well as money, to fight breast cancer....enjoy.....http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Quilting Along with Judy in the snow

I am signed up for Judy's Quilting Along project at Patchwork Times. I signed up at the project e-mail, then I received a e-mail with a photo of the Quilt...Bears in the Farmhouse...along with the fabric requirements. I completely pulled fabrics from my stash, which wasn't too difficult, seeing as boxes of fabric are stacked all around my living room while the shelves are being rebuilt. The project called for the focus fabric to be a stripe...I do not have one strip in the whole pile! I choose (from left to right) Focus-multi-colored check, Sashing-yellow, Coordinates-green, purple, blue, orange, half square triangles-muslin & borders-red. I am really excited to be doing this project as part of my stashbusting goal this year!

We got hit by another storm over the weekend, so I snapped a couple of photos with the camera phone. Hubby & Daughter V visiting while her husband pushes snow off the driveways of their storage/house building.

Of course, I also had to take a cute photo of grandson...his other Grandma takes him out on the sled around the yard...he loves it. Since he is walking pretty good, they may put him on ski's this winter around his first birthday.

Back to cleaning out boxes of various fabrics....it will never end! Hubby is putting extra shelf supports & painting the closet tomorrow, then I need to get everything back in...hope it fits!

Stashbusting Report #7

Fabric in this week-5.5 yards
Fabric in YTD-42 yards

Fabric used this week-0 yards
Fabric used YTD-40 yards

Not doing so great, folks! With reconstruction on my sewingroom, & no sewing done, but I went to a President's fabric sale at Joann's ....my numbers are suffering. I will do better, as soon as the construction is done...thank you, Hubby!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Draper Utah Temple Open House

I got to spend some wonderful time with my family this last Saturday attending the public Open House of the Draper Utah Temple. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons), Temples are a very important & sacred place for us.
This Temple is built high up in the hills above the city of Draper, which is south of Salt Lake in the Salt Lake Valley. The snow was pretty, but extremely cold!

The views are quite expansive from the Temple lot area. Here's Daughter V waiting for the bus that took us up to the Temple grounds. The Open House runs for about 6 weeks, which translates into about 60,000 people going through the tour

Saturday when we were there, the air over the Valley was a little hazy...not as clear as in this photo

After a ten minute introductory movie, we walked thru various parts of the Temple. Nothing is closed to the public before the Temple is actually dedicated. I loved the use of the Sego Lily flower throughout the building...it's the state flower of Utah. The windows of the dressing/restrooms even had log cabin patterned panes in them. Here are my kids who went...left to right...daughter V, daughter E holding baby Tayge & son-in-law B. Husband doesn't like his picture taken. Afterwards, you went back into a church building next to the Temple for refreshments & a visitng area where church members could answer any questions.

I am so glad I have the knowledge of the Gospel in my life, and that I know for sure that I can be together Forever with my family!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Yucky weather & a busy week

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...yesterday was 50 degrees & had a hint of Spring. I told my Dad that that probably meant we'd get hit good with snow soon....
...and this is what I woke up to this morning...we've got a few inches overnight & it continues to snow. The dogs love it, the cats put up with it & I truly dislike it...give me beach & warmth!

I have a super busy week planned. I keep thinking "next" week will be a little slower, a little quieter.....NOT! So far, on the list...

1.Daughter V needs to find a job...got laid off last week
2.Feeding the missionaries, as well as a family, from our Church (both tonight)
3.Quilt Chapter meeting & I am not feeling prepared as President
4.Put back together sewingroom...new shelves or bookcase needed
5.In charge of Ward (Church) Adults Valentines party & (again) not feeling prepared(Friday)
6.House feels extremely disorganized...need to do major cleaning

Oh, also in the last post, Katie Z commented it was good nothing fell on my head when the shelves in the sewingroom came crashing down. Actually, one of my Grandmother H's paperback hit right between my eyes...the title...."Let's Get Well" by Adele Davis (one of her favorite Health writers)...it left a little mark, but I wasn't feeling too healthy afterwards!

Well, I better get busy, huh.....


In Closing: I couldn't resist stealing this photo from my Daughter E's blog...isn't grandbaby Tayge's expression hilarious! So, what do you think the caption of this photo should be...Please, share!

"Mom! What are you doing with that camera!"

"Look out World, here I come"



Sunday, February 8, 2009

And the books came tumbling down...

What a messy room!

I had a friend ask me if she could borrow some doll patterns..."sure, BJ, I'll get those for you...hang on a minute"....Crash! I reached for the patterns on the top shelf in my sewing room, the shelf shifted & the books/patterns all came tumbling down. The support bars of the shelving had come out of the wall & the shelves followed. Hubby & I heard a weird popping sound a few days earlier & couldn't figure where it was coming from...it was the screws popping out of the wall
To do list for Monday....go to Lowe's for a bookcase or new shelving unit!

Stashbusting report #6

Fabric in this week-0 yards
Fabric in YTD-36.5 Yards

Fabric used this week-0 yards
Fabric used YTD-40 yards

No sewing this week...Book shelf fell down & so now the room is more a book storage room (everywhere!) than a sewing room...trip to Lowe's scheduled tomorrow!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Quilt blog exploring

The grandbaby is sleeping, so I thought I would do a little quilting blog exploring. I enjoy reading what other quilts are doing around the World...such creativity! I followed a link from Judy at Patchwork Times, which I now have on my blog on the right side...Quilting Gallery. Check it out...very nice. You can find blogs & stores listed by your location.
I found a great quilting blog called Bejeweled quilts (bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com) from American Samoa. I went to High School for a while in Western Samoa, so I just had to take a peek. This is one creative quilter. I have posted two of her photo's of a quilt she has for a giveaway...what is the title of the giveaway...the Ugly Quilt
Wow, I think it's a great quilt, don't you. One woman's ugly is another's beauty, I guess

I even like the back of the quilt!

In Closing:Do you have any websites to share for quilting/sewing/refashioning viewing? Share, please....

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

More camera phone fun

I am like a kid with a new toy...I'm taking photo's of anything & everything! I decided to post a couple photos of January Snowman Hangings I have up in the living room right now...yeah, I know, it's February...time to change to Hearts & Valentines!
This first one is a applique hanging I did about 7 years ago...use buttons for the letter "o", plus added some buttons down his front
This second hanging I did in about 1995 for my mom....when she passed away, my dad gave them all back to me. This snowman is pieced with an appliqued nose & I added a red ribbon for a bow tie


In closing: Besides Christmas & Easter, what other Holidays/Seasons/Themes do you decorate for in your home? Share, please......

Monday, February 2, 2009

Posting success!

I love my cell phone camera..take a photo...send it to my e-mail...post it instantly!
It couldn't be easier!
This is my 2nd QOV quilt...again, the Flea Market Fancy pattern, but with yellow sashing & border. I put together the backing out of scraps, like the other QOV quilt of the same pattern. The yellow fabric in this photo looks really nice, but I think it is kind of overwhelming in real life..kind of neon yellow. Hey, it was good quality fabric on sale...what can I say!

In Closing: I love my cell phone...what Technology would you have a hard time living without? Share, please......

Learning a bit of Technology


I got a cell phone this last week & I have been figuring out how to use it. One of the first things I did was try & take a photo of a quilt, naturally. I am not sure how I got the little audio logo on it...it's not on the other photos...oh well, I'll will figure it out some way.
This is the baby quilt I did in solids for the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake. They asked me to bind two quilts that were already tied, so I threw in my own quilt with them.
I can now comfortably close my box of solid fabrics. Before, the lid wouldn't stay on because it was so jammed with fabric. I am going to keep working on that fabric stash!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Stashbusting Report #5

Fabric in this week-4 yards
Fabric in YTD-36.5 yards

Fabric used this week-2 yards
Fabric used YTD-40 yards

Fourty yards looks so good, but when you see I brought in 36.5 yards, that's only a total use of 3.5 yards over all...I guess I better just get busy, huh!