Sandy's Quilter's Block

November already?

2009-08-25T08:35:00.009+02:00

I have taken quite a few fall walks, enjoying the beautiful color show.

Believe it or not, I had 5 big beautiful sunflowers in my garden this year. Three weeks ago, high

winds came through and ripped every petal from them and they hung close to the ground before

DH chopped them down.

The heather in August was just glorious!

So, what have I been doing for the last 3 months? Is it just me, or does anyone else think that time has sped up over the last couple years. I can't believe it's nearly the middle of November already. If I look back at the year as a whole, I feel very inadequate as far as quilting goes. What do I have to show for it? Last year about this time, I joined a challenge to finish my projects before the New Year began. That didn't happen. I finished 2 of the 6 items I had in my basket. However, I can safely say that I haven't added to the pile. DH's pants were hemmed, 4 sets of shoe fresheners were crafted and given as presents, 1 table runner was completed and gifted, 1 large quilt top was gifted to a charity, a cheater quilt was completed, and blocks were sewn. A pretty meager count, I may be forgetting the odd thing or two, but close enough to all that I did this year. I am hoping to do much better in the next year. There's always room to improve! ;o)

Bonnie Scotland

2009-08-13T12:05:00.010+02:00

We had a fabulous holiday in Scotland. The weather was better than we expected, dry for the most part and partly cloudy most days. The Military Tattoo in Edinburgh was the absolute highlight of our holiday and it was the perfect day for it. Even the sun setting behind the Castle was spectacular.

As far as quilting interest goes, there is a lot going on this fall in the UK and Europe. Purchasing tickets beforehand will save you a couple quid. Go here to find out more.

Juliet sent me some wonderful fabrics for my birthday, thank you so much. Now I must find time to sew and quilt this fall.
My Schoolhouse block is still on hold. To solve my problem with the block it would involve a lot of ripping out or setting these aside and re-piecing the same block in a different layout of colors. I hate to rip out seams so now I am thinking about scrapping the entire block and choosing a different one. Possibly an applique block. I love the thistle picture at the top of this posting, so maybe I will play with that image a bit and see if it's something worth doing. I can't help thinking that I am turning this row quilt into a complicated nightmare and it has stopped me from sewing anything else. Have a good week everyone :o)

Cheater quilts....... Who's cheating?

2009-07-22T15:51:00.006+02:00

Love this 50's painting scene, so I just had to start my blog today with it.

I don't take credit on making any cheater quilts I've ever bought. I only praise their beauty and functional qualities. About 11 years ago, I decided to buy one for our bed. It was gorgeous and lasted about 9 years and went through at least that many washes in my home machine. Recently, I saw one in the store and thought how nice it would be to have one again. I bought the king size (yes, we are one of the few couples who still sleep on a full size bed) since my DH and I usually fight over the covers at night. This one goes to the floor and is like a coverlet so that when I make the bed, the pillows get tucked in at the head of the bed. I also bought the shams for our extra pillows. It is just wonderful and there is no way I could've made one so cheap. The quilting is very elaborate with hearts and vines and swirls all over it. The blue and white colors look great next to my dark furniture. I am very proud of my find and I am hoping it will last for another 9 or 10 or maybe more years! Have you ever bought a cheater quilt or wish you had?

Ok, remember my last post I talked about working on my row quilt. Here it is. I did in fact get some houses done. After sewing the first one, I made an adjustment to the pattern that I found for free on-line. The next picture shows it better, but I combined a step and took out one of the 90 degree triangles. This was an easy paper pieced block. Before I go any further with this row, I would like some opinions about what you think about the layout of this pattern. Maybe the white strip at the top of the windows doesn't look right?

So the yellow one on the left shows the triangle on the roof and the purple one on the right shows the triangle taken away with the front roof being one odd shape piece. However, the more I look at these blocks, the more I am unsure of the white strip above the windows. Maybe I should remove that as well?

Well, it's been overcast all day and it has finally decided to rain. And I mean raining buckets. Before we get any thunder and lightening, I think I will post this and power down my computer.

Perfect Day

2009-06-02T21:26:00.003+02:00

Today was, in fact, the perfect day. My DH hurried and got his work done, came home around noon and we skipped off to take pictures of the countryside and have a picnic. We have to cherish our summer days as we don't get very many of them. We couldn't travel too far from home as DH had to go back into work and meet with some people. But, I will take any time my hubby will spend with me. I don't have any pictures to share at this time. The camera I used today was a Canon Rebel II and it's old.....I think 18 years old. So it uses 35mm print film. Now the challenge will be to find somewhere that will print not only the color film, but I also have black and white film to be developed. It's a good little camera, but I am thinking of selling it. I have a 3 year old Canon digital that I absolutely love, so there's no need to keep the old one.

I couldn't end this post without a flower picture, so I chose this beautiful poppy. These flowers are so delicate and the petals look like crepe paper to me. Tomorrow I plan on staying home for a change and working on my row quilt. No, I mean it this time. Definitely. It's a done deal. For sure. No, really. REALLY!..........really.

Angel Wears Prada

2009-05-27T10:26:00.017+02:00

The beginning of this month brought the annual Angel Festival in the city near us. It was so much fun strolling through the streets looking in the shop windows spotting these creative handmade angels. This one was in an art gallery which is made of paper and cardboard.

Sorry about the shadows on this window, it was a hard one to capture. This was in a florist window and is made from gauze materials, twig framing and a garland of silk flowers.
This one was near the top of the city hall building and looks to be made with tin foil and celophane for the wings.
Here's a unique one. It was in a bay type window and one one side it read, " The Angel Wears
Prada". She looked to be wearing a wig and made from cardboard, foil wings, and fancy fabrics and trims. Though you can't see her feet, she had crafted cardboard shoes on and held several shopping bags. I didn't get a picture of the right window pane, but it had a crafted pair of shoes on display. It was very creative. This whole event was to generate money for the local church, not the cathedral. We purchased a street map with the location of all angels entered.
These are just a fraction of the entries.

A few weeks ago, DH and I went driving and discovered a Chocolate shop where you can go in and watch them create handmade chocolates. Go here to see what they sell. Check out the chocolate shoes, they are awesome in reality. I literally felt like a kid in a candy store, only difference is that I actually have money now that I am somewhat older, and can buy anything I want to. When you're a kid and only have 25 cents, you're pretty limited. Chocolate was a bit cheaper in my kid years. DH remembers 5 cent candy. I don't think my parents let me have sweets until I was a bit older. I remember my Dad bringing me candy cigarettes once. Boy, my mother didn't like that one bit. She thought it would encourage me to smoke later on.

DH and I worked all weekend in our garden. There was just too much to do, however, I can say it looks 100% better and I am sure the plants are loving it. We have a pick-up truck so we packed the bed full of ivy. We pulled out what looked like years of over growth. We didn't pull anything out when we moved here last summer. Seems like everywhere we've lived, we had to pull out tons of ivy. I personally can't stand the stuff. I don't even like it appliqued on quilts or printed on fabrics. I am sure there are people that love ivy, but I am definitely not one of them.
I actually got something sewn yesterday. My son had a reuseable grocery bag that needed mending and a pair of pants that needed a button. Yep, both jobs took about 10 minutes in total. UUUGGHH. I really need to schedule some time for my projects. Today, however, is another one of those busy days where I am in and out most of the time.
Have a good day and I hope you have time to create! ;o)

Flowers everywhere

2009-04-28T15:52:00.010+02:00

I made it to my favorite garden spot to get some pictures of the tulips in bloom. These were just gorgeous, even though the sun didn't want to shine that day.

Here's some more! This purple is my favorite!

I don't have a clue as to what these are, but they were blooming as well. Here's some more flowers in bloom. Love this one, it looks like a lamp shade to me. The tiny blue ones are just adorable, but again, I have no clue as to what they are. Periwinkle, maybe?

"So much time and so little to do....... strike that reverse it!" As Gene Wilder said in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That's the way I feel today. There must be at least 100 thoughts going through my mind today with so much I need to do. Being the treasurer for our morning bowling league has just taken all my energy. This is our final week for the season, so I will be tying all the loose ends up and getting everything ready for the presentation of prizes next week. Do I want to do this again next season? Right now, I'm thinking NO. However, I am sure come next week when we go to vote for officers I will volunteer again.

Needless to say once again, I haven't had any time to do any quilting. My sewing room is near the back door, so everyday I breeze through there without stopping, practically. I was able to sew up hems in 2 pairs of my DH pants last week, but that's it. It comes down to prioritizing my time, so usually quilting loses out. Hope you enjoyed looking at my pictures. Have a great day.

Beautiful Spring

2009-04-15T12:59:00.011+02:00

What a wonderful time of year! Everything is blooming and beautiful. Needless to say I cannot be bothered with staying indoors working on my sewing projects. I guess I should, but I'll reserve those gray dreary dark days for that. So, I will share with you some of the pictures my son and I have been taking over the past 2 months. The snowdrops were everywhere in February and March.

Soon after followed the crocuses which were in gorgeous colors of purple, white and yellow. There were carpets of these in the village. They've died off and have given way to the daffodils.

The grape hyacinths are blooming.
And I even found some regular hyacinths.
The tulips are blooming now, but I haven't had a chance to go out and get some pictures. Maybe next weekend. I hope you've enjoyed looking at only a small fraction of our pictures. I just love all these vibrant cheerful colors. Enjoy the rest of our spring season.

dreary day ahead

2009-02-14T10:41:00.003+01:00

This gorgeous flower was taken in 2006 in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland. DH and I took a vacation there. It's so bright and cheerful, something I need on a dreary dark day like today.

A friend of mine asked me "what is my row quilt theme?" Not sure I have an answer other than using 30's fabrics and my favorite old fashioned looking blocks. Summer also comes to mind, but that might just be due to the colors in these fabrics.

Yesterday, I drew up a schoolhouse block and tried to scan it into my computer. The scanner didn't want to work so I searched the web for some free paper piecing patterns. Found one I really liked and it was similar to the one I had drawn earlier, so I'll use that one. My goal today is to sew up a couple of these schoolhouses.

Monday, Monday

2009-02-02T14:23:00.004+01:00

Yes, I did it! I actually sewed for about 6 hours straight yesterday. So all the posys' are done and the row is sewn on. Next will be the school house block which is paper pieced.

We woke up to SNOW! Lots of it and it's been snowing on and off all day. London has been hit really hard and transportation has nearly come to a stand still, even the tubes are only running one now. It's suppose to continue to be cold and nasty, so it's a good time to be inside sewing.

Didn't the SuperBowl game end with some excitement? The Cards tried to come alive in the last minutes of the 4th quarter, but they just couldn't hold their meager lead. Holmes was awesome when he caught the Steelers winning TD in the end zone. Way to go Pittsburg!
On that happy note, I am retreating to my sewing room to get those school houses drawn up.
Have a great Monday!

Where did it go?

2009-01-30T14:48:00.006+01:00

I just love this statue of a horse's head made from bronze with a very pretty patina. Very surreal. My son took this picture in July last year at one of those parks and gardens that showcases students work. Some of these were for sale, however I don't think we could afford these beautiful pieces.
Here's another statue made from marble.

January is gone already. Where did it go? I don't have much acccomplished for the first month of 2009. But, I am working on getting those posy's done. I have 2 made and 9 to go before sewing them into a row and onto the row quilt. Here is a picture so far.

They look a little boring at the moment, but maybe when they're all in a row and on the quilt they'll come to life. I've decided on a row of pieced teacups AND the schoolhouse. Afterwards I will measure the top and see if it needs more rows before putting on the borders. It's a haphazard way, no exact measurements, but that's the way I've always done things. It only has to roughly be a queen size to fit my bed.

Hopefully, if all goes well, this weekend will be my sewing marathon weekend. If so, I'll post on Monday as to my progress. Have a great weekend.

Inspired

2009-01-16T15:05:00.008+01:00

Believe it or not, I've actually been sewing! Yep, I finished up the kimono blocks for my row quilt and added some sashings to them and got them on the quilt. Whew! I must be slacking after being out of it so long as I had to rip out 3 times before it was right. Here's a picture so far.

Here's the top so far. The backing will be a violet color with a floral pattern. The outer borders will be a random brick type pattern. I'm sorry my picture is so wonky looking. It was laid out on the floor when I took the picture. Oh well, this gives you an idea anyway. If you can't tell what the blocks are in each row, they are; kimono, sailboats, hearts, scotties/westies, pinwheel, butterfly, courthouse steps, basket, and sunbonnet sue (holding an umbrella).

The next 2 rows will consist of a posey applique block and a pieced block. The pieced block was going to be a paper-pieced school house, but now I'm not quite sure about it. Maybe something else pieced. Any suggestions? I will spend the weekend drawing up the posey and cutting those out. UUUGGHHH! I am anxious to get this thing done and am hoping to mail it off to be long-arm quilted by the start of February. The finished size will be somewhere close to a queen size.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend :o)

Short post

2008-12-29T12:46:00.010+01:00

I hope everyone had a joyous Christmas with loads of merry making and pressie giving.

We had some snow during the first week of December. Our front gate looks more inviting snow covered,so I had to start off my post with it. We didn't have a White Christmas, however.

This is our tabletop tree. Our livingroom is a bit too small for our big tree, so we'll store it while we live here. No problem....we have several small table size trees to scatter around the house, just to be festive.

I have a confession to make....I didn't get back to sewing up my UFO's, so I still have 3 to go before New Years Day. I was able to work on some blocks, but there's so much more to do. Maybe that's my problem, I am looking at the whole instead of one task at a time. It just feels like a mountain of work I can't deal with right now. I will continue to plug away at it slowly, just not before New Years is over with, sorry Finn.

Have a very Happy New Year everyone!

It's Freezing!

2008-12-03T09:27:00.009+01:00

A butterfly block from my row quilt.

Paper pieced Kimono block I am working on now for the row quilt.

It is freezing outside! Our driveway is a sheet of ice. The garbage had to go to the curb, so out I went to brave the cold. I hung on to everything in my path- the house, the truck, the gate-just praying the whole time I wouldn't fall on my bum. Chucked the bag by the side of the road and made my way back following the same path. Finally, the back door. AH, I made it without falling. I act older than I am, just in my nature, I'm a very cautious person. The garbage man, however, didn't make it. :o( Through the window, I watched him pull up, jump out of the truck, looking confident, threw me a wave, then he disappeared under the hedgerow. Poor man....he got up and gave me a half smile, tossed the bag in the back of his truck and hobbled back.

I keep saying I'm not ready for the winter months. Like it or not, ready or not, they are here!

A week ago, I went to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate. It was a good distraction. So many wonderfully talented people out there. I just love to see what the artists are up to in their work. Everywhere I looked were signs saying that photography is prohibited. Yet, all around me were people holding cell phone cameras and pocket cameras. It put me off. Being a little rude, I got in a few of their shots on purpose. I'm bad.

Why can't people respect the artist?

The vendor halls were so crowded, I felt like a lost sheep trying to get out of the herd. Finally, I came upon the Bernina stall. Drooling with anticipation, I asked the salesperson about the 440QE machine. This machine is so awesome, it's been on the market for 4 or 5 years. Unlike computer stores. You would never go up to an HP or Dell dealer and say to your hubby, "honey, I want this, I wont leave this hall until I have it". I look at computers and say, "I guess if we NEED it, we'll HAVE to get it, but there are strings, we can't get the extras (and under my breath, it will be out of date in a couple years, money not well spent)" . There's just no love in buying a computer or anything else as far as that goes..........uuuhhh except fabric! hahaha

Back to the Bernina stall, the salesperson showed me all the cool stuff on the machine, quizzed me about my Bernina, it's a 160 Virtuosa almost 11 years old now, and really didn't have to pitch me much of a sale. Once I actually tried out the BSR, I knew I had to have it. I've been reading about it for 4 years! AND the machine came with some free extras, like the really wide acrylic table, the walking foot, and a free gift! Now we're talkin' !

In just 3 LONG days, it came to my door. Yeah, it was an expense or should I say an investment, but at least it lasts a lot longer than that stupid HP! I could possibly sew on this machine until I'm in my 80's, if I live that long!

I sewed and sewed yesterday and didn't even realize how late it was when I finally took a break.

My older Bernina was the same way, I could sew for hours without a care in the world.

Now if I can get my mind straight on what to work on and stick to it. I am going back and forth between finishing the 30's row quilt I've had in my UFO pile for uummmm......6 years, and working on the art work for my new series of postcards. I want to make them using the phrases and silly sayings I talked about in my last post. By the way, thank you to those of you who have given me some interesting and surprizing suggestions.

Now I'm off. It's actually sunny outside and the ice is starting to melt. Happy sewing to you all. ;o)

Rainy Sunday

2008-10-24T10:58:00.009+02:00

I love this picture. It reminds me of a Koosh ball. It also looks like flowers you would see Dr. Suess put in his books. The colors are almost unreal, but believe me this was not altered.

It's raining cats and dogs today! Why do we say that phrase anyway? Anybody know? Our English is riddled with all sorts of crazy phrases that we seem to carry on for no particular reason other than it sticks in your mind as something you heard one time or more often at some point in your childhood. My mother said all kinds of wacky phrases that I really couldn't put a logical reason to. Like these:

"For Pete's Sake"

"For Crying In the Sink"

"Were you raised in a Barn?"

"For the Love of Pete"

"Honest Sakes" - This was my Grandmother's favorite phrase

"Come Hell or High Water"

"The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease" - This was my Father-In-Law's phrase

"One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure" - This was also my Father-In-Law's phrase

I am sure you can think of so many more that you've heard or even caught yourself saying. Sometimes a phrase will slip out and I'll think "why did I say that?", and there's no going back once it's out there, you've proved how old you are. Luckily, these phrases won't be passed to my son, he's never said anything remotely close to a cliche/catch phrase.

If you have a great old catch phrase, then please send it to me. I am thinking of making a collage/quilt out of some phrases.

We have a mole problem in our yard. He is just making a mess! I think we've tried everything to get rid of him, including pouring urine down his tunnels. We have tried drowning him, although it's nearly always wet here anyway, so he is immune to that anyway. We bought a trap that didn't work at all. He actually dragged it down further and buried it. Maybe he thought it would make a great decorative piece in his comfy home? The sonic pulse contraptions work, but you need probably a dozen of them to line the entire perimeter of the yard. He has just worked his way around them. My husband thinks it's funny. I think HE'S funny. So, here we are at an impass. What to do now? No, we won't be blowing holes in the ground like the "Caddyshack" movie.

Time to throw away the rotten pumpkins and start on something Christmassy! Have a wonderful autumn day! :o)

Tired Aching Feet

2008-09-19T15:08:00.013+02:00

I love this picture my son took. He is extremely good at this kind of thing. Anyway I just thought I would share this one with you as it has beautiful orangey tones reminding me that it will soon be, what we Michiganians call, an Indian Summer! Here in England we are going through some of our last days of summer with warmer temps and some bright sun here and there. The colors are starting to come out with the ivy turning a beautiful red velvet color. A lot of houses and pubs have old ivy vines climbing up the walls and it is just beautiful to see it in the red colors.

Yesterday I went with the hiking club to Hebden (which I believe is Patrick Stewarts home town). We had a gorgeous day in a very beautiful setting. We hiked for 5.3 miles. It was not the farthest I've ever hiked, but my feet were extremely sore and this morning I couldn't get out of bed. I think I may have pulled something in the bottom of my foot extending through the heel and up to the ankle. Every time I put pressure or my body weight on it, I just feel extreme pain. If there's anyone out there who may have gone through this before, please leave me a comment on your experience. I've taken Aleve and Tylenol with no relief. Today I am staying off it and hoping it clears up. Sorry about being so whiny!

The country wall hanging I am working on for the New Years Challenge is not going too well. As I suspected before, it's a piece I absolutely hate and really don't want to continue on. I think the best thing I can do now is just finish it and get it out of my way. Donating it to someone or giving it as a gift would make me feel better. If I finish the row I am working on and not go any further with it, is there anyone out there who would want it? Here is a picture of it so far............

And here is the row I am working on. It is not the right length so it needs some bars or something to make it fit, however if someone gets it, they can add whatever they want or take off anything they don't like because the entire top is constructed in rows. The blank rectangle was suppose to be for some embroidery I was going to add.

It measures 42+" across and 34" down with the spool row another 6+ " in length ( width will be the same 42+" across, so it isn't quite square and there are no borders, yet? This project was started 5 years ago as a row robin quilt. There were 5 of us, I think, and we each started with a row and passed it around adding a row to it.
Everyone have a wonderful Indian Summer weekend!

T-G-I-F

2008-09-05T17:49:00.002+02:00

Too bad we have wet weather today. DH and I didn't care much we still went out in it and splashed around doing errands and then went gallery hopping, dripping with rain and sloshing in mud from the streets. Saw some gorgeous original art from local artists. Would love to own one of them! Lots of great talent out there. It was so wet today that I left my camera at home, so I have nothing to show you. This weekend is the Great Northern Needlecraft Show. DH and I will go on Sunday and maybe it won't be so wet.
Off to rest my weary feet! Have a great weekend everyone. :o)

One Down......

2008-09-04T09:37:00.002+02:00

Here's the first one down with 3 to go. This was the easy one to finish as it is just a small table runner. These fabrics remind me of the civil war type colors.
The next project is more frustrating. I started it 4 years +ago! Three of the rows have been ripped out and tossed, so I am going to be brainstorming today and sketching it all out. There are 5 rows that are definitely staying, but 2 are getting the boot. It was originally suppose to be a wall size, but it is turning out to be quite large. As I progress on it, I will get some pictures posted. Time to get going!

The New Year's Eve Challenge

2008-09-02T08:22:00.002+02:00

I am taking part in Finns Challenge to finish your UFO's by New Years Eve. I have 4 projects picked out. There are two that will be harder for me to complete. She explains that "finish" is what you consider it to be like completed blocks, or a completed top, or all the way to a completed quilt. My projects are at different stages. So here is my list:

1) Civil War color/fabrics table runner. It is currently a top needing borders, sandwiching, quilting and finishing.

2) Country themed wall size. A partial top needing more blocks, borders, and embroidery. I want to complete it to the very end, so it will also need sandwiching, quilting and finishing.

3) Autumn leaves wall size or lap size. This is currently just a few completed blocks. They will need resizing, the addition of more blocks, sewn to a top, borders or no borders (I haven't decided) and then to a complete finish....I hope.

4) 30's Queen size Row Quilt. This is also a partial top needing more blocks, rows, and borders which I want to finish to a completed top. I will ship this one off to be quilted on a long arm.

Good luck to everyone whose joined in...... :o)

Insomnia

2008-08-29T06:36:00.005+02:00

Can't sleep, so there's no doubt I'll be dragging my feet later on. Sometimes it's just hard to get to sleep and stay asleep. Maybe it's the thousand or so thoughts racing through my mind. You know, scattered thoughts about what didn't get finished that day. Or what will get accomplished tomorrow. Seems like I have a running "to do" list in my mind at all times. Exercise, especailly yoga, is great to get myself relaxed, but usually it's just more quiet time for me to concentrate on "the list". Shopping is also a great get-away for a few hours, I end up buying things I need on "the list". Vacations and holidays are always great, but then I find myself longing for the list and feeling guilty that I couldn't check something off it that day. Even though the list grows and shrinks constantly, I'm convinced I will never be rid of the list. It's attached to me and to be honest I would be lost without it. Ordered these fabrics before our move and I just love them. They will make a really fun quilt, but I'm stuck on what pattern to use. I want to show off the larger print fabrics and minimize the smaller print wild ones. Any suggestions? I also bought this group of fabrics:

Aren't these fabrics yummy? I love them.....so much that I'm afraid to cut into them. So, really, give me your suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. :o)

Finally, I'm back

2008-08-18T09:22:00.002+02:00

I can't believe how long it took me to get hooked up again after our move. BT and Sky don't work well together that's all I have to say about that. It's done with and I am back. Yeah!!

Isn't this flower gorgeous? I love it with the dew on the petals. My son took this one with his video camera. We were wandering around Valley Gardens one June morning and we just had to stop and gaze at these beauties. Of all the pictures I have, I would like to take my favorites and make mini quilts out of them one day.

My sewing room is all set up waiting for me to get to work. The movers did a horrible job of mixing up everything they possibly could. It took me days to find the legs to my cabinets and I had to find them before putting the fabrics in. My fabrics are jumbled as well, so one day I will have to sort out everything into their proper color groups. It's a good week to stay in and do all this as we have predicted weather of rain until Friday.

I hope to get back in the swing of things and visit the blogs I've neglected over the last few months. It will be nice to catch up with you all again. Cheers!

Beautiful Season

2008-04-30T10:05:00.002+02:00

This is truly the beautiful season. Everything is in bloom and the air is filled with the sweet scent of spring flowers. My lilac tree is just beautiful this year. I love this color of purple. Just glancing across the yard and seeing this tree in full bloom is relaxing to me, then the scent hits my nose and fills my head with memories from years gone too swiftly. It's an escape I need right now, as this is also the moving season for my family. The past couple days, my heart has been heavy with emotion. My son will be leaving the nest. It's comforting to know that both DH and I have taught him things he will need to know on his own. He is taking my love of cooking and his Dad's work ethics. He's got talent in storytelling and writing. He has the tools to succeed, yet in these uncertain times, I do worry.

Since I have been helping my son pack out, I haven't had time for myself. There are so many projects I would like to start and finish. However, it will have to wait until after we move.
Germany has been a lovely experience. My German language skills are minimal after 4 years. I tried hard, but it just didn't sink in good enough to carry on a conversation.
Gutentag - good day (or hello)
Danke - thank you
Bitte - please
Ich mawkta ein mal schnitzel mit pommes, bitte - I would like 1 schnitzel with fries, please
Ich ben Americaneran - I am American (female)
Ich ben Americaner - I am American (male)
tsooes (choose)- informal good by
Auf Wiedersahen - formal good by
These basic words and phrases helped, but I guess I didn't feel confident enough with it and would usually end up saying this along with a desperate expression on my face:
Bitte, sprecken zie English? - please, speak you English?
Most of the time I would get a smile or laugh from them and they would break out with way more knowlege of English than I could ever know of the German language.

My son had 2 years of German in high school and 2 semesters of German here, so his skills are better than mine by far. When you get a doctor bill in your post box with a payment slip to take to your bank that throws me off a lot. I couldn't read the bills at all. The telephone company was the worst by far. I could never get anyone from customer service who could speak English.
Finally, we had to find someone at work who knew enough German to help us. The post here really needs a liason to work with everyone. If there is one around, we never knew it.

Maybe there's a quilt idea in here somewhere. Will have to dwell on it and maybe get my sketchbook out. Have a wonderful day. ;o)

Snow? Not Now

2008-03-26T07:16:00.011+01:00

Look what we woke up to this morning! SNOW and it keeps coming. My tulips are now buried under a thick blanket of fresh snow. Why didn't we get this in January or February? Nature has waited until Spring to give it to us here in Europe. Oh well, it won't last and we do need the precipitation. Sigh..... Good day to stay in and get some work done.

Yesterday I went shopping and had to buy some cheery flowers for my living room. The flower shop had mums, tulips, Gerber Daisy's, and lots of bouquets with springy flowers, but when I laid my eyes on these roses, I just couldn't resist. They are so beautiful. Roses are my absolute favorite flower and there isn't one variety I don't like.

In my country phase, I made a queen size quilt for my son's bed. This was about 9 years ago. He's used it everyday since then and I've washed it probably a dozen times. The binding is the plaid fabrics you used to see a lot of. They are a looser woven fabric compared to the quilting cottons today. Well, I should have known this would happen, but it's showing a lot of wear and tear. So, someday soon I will have to take the binding off and replace it with something else. Probably a solid double bias cut binding as the corners are rounded.

Here's the back of the quilt.
Here's a couple pictures of the tears.

Now this is only a couple edges. I would have to say that 80% of the binding is still in excellent condition, however, this is disheartening and I will have to fix it. My lesson for today, do not use loosely woven fabrics for the binding even if they are a double thickness. :o)

Spring has sprung

2008-03-18T15:15:00.007+01:00

Oh my gosh, it's been forever since I posted something! UUGGGHH! I feel bad as I have nothing to show for my being MIA either! Well, let me tell you that I have been busy with

packing boxes up, inventorying everything, and tying up those loose ends before our move.

Moving is extremely time consuming, however, I would like to darken my sewing room door
a few more times before that inevitable day when it all gets packed into boxes, then crates and shipped off to the final destination. Such a process!

This is a wall quilt I made a couple years ago from scraps I had lingering in my scrap basket. I really like the way this turned out and now am sorry I didn't make it into a lap size quilt.

Here's another wall quilt I love. It was a challenge for me with all the set in seams. Go here http://www.jinnybeyer.com/ to visit Jinny Beyer's site. However, I don't think she has this pattern there. You can find out how to recreate it in her book; "Designing Tessellations". Wonderful book that I don't spend enough time with. I'm not sure if it is out of print. Anyway, here it is:

The sun is finally shining today. Even if it is still chilly, the sun is a much welcome sight. The daffodils and tulips are blooming here. The fruit trees and forsythias are in full bloom as well.

The picture at the top is from last May. I love taking pictures of flowers and trying to recreate them in a quilt. Here is a quilt I made a couple years back for a family auction, so everything in it is family related.

And a close-up of the center.....oops! kinda dark, sorry. It it a bright blue and white quilt. I loved the dark navy fabrics in this with the blue and white toile.

The pansy's in the center are appliqued and I used fabric pens to paint on the centers. One day I'll try this again and keep it for myself. I am a firm believer in making quilts and samples to keep. My sample book is heaving, so I will have to make another one one day.

Here is another family quilt I made for my mother this time. She loves red and white. Again, sorry it's so dark. I didn't get a very good picture of this one before sending it off to her 3 Valentine days ago. I have been to her house since, and she did have it hanging.....do you ever wonder how appreciative people who receive your blood, sweat and tears of a quilt you made just for them is treated? Most gifts I give for weddings or graduations or birthdays....I don't care what they do with "they know where the garbage is" if they don't like it and I don't mind (now this is a gift I am talking about like a coffee maker). BUT, if I make a quilt.....that's a different story all together. I don't make quilts willy-nilly. They take a tremendous amount of time and patience (and a lot of other things, I assure you), of course you all know this. So I really care if it is thrown into a closet on the floor, or is being used to sop up water from a leaky clothes washer. If anyone gets a quilt from me, I won't say it, but you better appreciate it. Otherwise, they won't get another gift from me.......ever. They could very well hang it only while I'm around and neatly and properly put it away when I leave, that's fine and that makes me happy....thrilled as a matter of fact. OK, so I said my peace!

Moving on...... I just finished Robin McGraw's book, yes, Dr. Phil's wife. It's titled "Inside My Heart". It's pretty good, however, I think a lot of it is, DUH, no kidding....who is she trying to get through to here, young 20 somethings who have just gotten involved with a significant other? She repeats herself quite a bit, too and I find that very irritating. My son is reading "The Mist" by Stephen King. We saw the movie a few weeks ago. It was disturbing in a way and I didn't remember it being that bad in the story.

Signs of spring

2008-02-25T11:23:00.006+01:00

I've completed this post card for my husband's nephew. It's early, his wedding isn't until the end of June. However, with our impending move, I knew I wouldn't be able to get something accomplished until fall. And the way my mind works, if I don't get it at least started it will just become a memory or lost idea. So, here it is all finished.

The words are written with a pigma pen. Appliques and background fabrics are all silk. The embellishments are glass beads and small metal beads. Finished is standard postcard size, 4"X6". It was great fun doing this one.

I've set the Valentine lap quilt aside for now and probably won't get back to it until later on in the year. Huh, along with about 7 other projects in different phases of progress. Usually I keep a log on each project and notes or ideas of its direction. It's somewhat an organized system. Haven't lost or forgotten about anything yet.

Speaking of organization, my sewing room used to consist of an awkward table and everything else crammed in a closet in milk crates. And I had to share the room with my husband who loves to tinker with electronic things and take them apart. About 5 years ago, I told my DH that I've had it and I need proper storage space and would like my own room. So, we were moving anyway and searched for a bigger house. Ikea is my favorite store and I have lots of their furniture throughout my house. In the sewing room, I have 2 tall Ikea cabinets with shelves and drawers and 1 Ikea bookcase to match. My sewing machine sits on a 6 foot long Ikea table with a 2 drawer unit on the far end for my thread spools. Here are some pictures.

This is the best workspace now and I have so much room to spread out. My pictures don't do the room justice, it is larger than it looks and I didn't get over half the room in the pictures as I have my Valentine project still laid out on the floor. To the left of my machine is a cutting mat, so when I need to cut something I don't have to jump up and find a space on another table. The ironing board is also in this room. Will have to consider all the spaces we need for our next move and hope we will find a house with large enough rooms for the furniture.

Took a hike yesterday and noticed my neighbors have lots of great spring flowers coming up. There were pretty purple crocus's, carpets dainty snowdrops, and loads of sprouting tulips! Even the trees look like there are tiny buds making an appearance. The weather has been ideal and I hope it lasts with the threat of frost a distant memory. My neighbors have much prettier yards than mine. I planted 100 tulip bulbs 2 autumns ago. Some will come up, but they always look sickly. Maybe my dirt isn't as healthy. The only plants that look healthy in my garden are the weeds and there are lots of them. Oh well, at least I can grow something! :o)

Painful Memories

2008-02-18T09:35:00.007+01:00

This week I had a final dental appointment before our move. It was sad, really. After 45 years, I have finally found an excellent dentist! My childhood memories of dental visits were always traumatic. Oh how I hated climbing up into that funky chair. After the initial "And how are we today" by the children's dentist, I knew pain would inevitably follow. Now when I was growing up, sweets were a rare thing. My sis and I only got candy at Halloween and maybe a handful of taffy at Christmas. No exaggeration, it's true. Yet my teeth are appalling. Not quite as horrifying as seeing metal mouth in a James Bond flick, but I assure you, I can count on one hand the number of teeth I have that do NOT have a filling or crown. My husband is the same way, although he has fewer fillings than I. One dentist told him once that he has good spit (saliva). What does that mean? Is there such a thing as good and bad spit?

Anyway, when I was 7 years old a dentist told my Mother and I that I would need braces. And would have to wear them for at least 2 years AND that I may need them when my permanent teeth come in. Really, no joking here, he really told us this.....

UHH, NO was my response. My teeth weren't crooked, I just had bad spit that made my teeth rot. OK, maybe it was the cheap inadequate toothpaste? Or the way I brushed my teeth? Whatever was causing the cavities, I KNOW it wasn't that my teeth were crooked! Needless to say, I didn't get the braces, thankfully, and we found ourselves a new dentist.

By the way, my mother also suffers from bad spit and lots of cavities, crowns and whatnot (she once had a gold tooth). My father was no exception either, he had a full set of falsies by the time he was 23. I blamed his bad teeth on the fact that he started smoking at the ripe old age of 13 and his family was very poor and couldn't afford check-ups for 10 children.

My son, has good spit. He has the best spit on the planet! He's going to be 25 soon and has not had one bad check-up (knock on wood and whatever else is around). EVER. No, not one cavity! How did that happen? Well, I'm not going to question a good thing! I am just so happy and overjoyed for him. He's been blessed with a wonderful set of teeth. Now let me tell you his routine (secret). Since he could eat solid food, he's had an apple everyday. Yeah, maybe an apple a day does keep the doctor/dentist away? When he was a baby, we had to give him fluoride drops every day and later he drank fluoridated water. He never had soda pop, still doesn't drink them. However, he had inherited my chocoholic gene.

Now, I made a comment about cheap toothpaste. Over the years, I think they've improved the formula. Not just the hype about whitening and blah, blah, blah. It's the paste or gel itself, way better than the stuff they used to pass off. Do you remember the stuff? It was like flavored paste that turns to foam, no substance whatsoever. And what was with that red tablet stuff we had to chew up in school? OOHH, it was horrible.

What made my dentist better than the rest was that I found him to be honest, firm yet caring. After all, he pulled 2 wisdom teeth for me 2 years ago (yeah, I'm "lucky" because I didn't have them out when I was 20, go figure. This is what my sis used to say to me all the time). He didn't "put me out" for this, no, just a local and yank, cracking sounds (my skull), yeah I could hear it all. And it's a little alarming when he says "hummm, I've never seen that before". He gave them to me as a memento. I have them in a tiny jar on my desk. Weird, I know. Now, when will those other 2 come in? UUGGGHH....

It's an experience I won't forget anytime soon, but I am still going to keep the teeth. My son had all 4 of his out about 3 weeks before I did. Maybe I was just waiting to have someone to go through it with me? My great dentist said that this was nothing, he had a patient who was in her 80's finally getting her wisdoms out. I wondered if the whole experience of hearing her teeth breaking away from your jaw shocked her so much it killed her or at least gives her nightmares? He also told me they sometimes can grow back? Is this possible? One dentist told me that if I haven't had my wisdoms out by now (I was only 25) then they weren't ever going to grow in. RIGHT, good-bye! Another quack.

Soon I will be on the hunt for a good dentist, maybe even a great one. At least I've had enough to know what to look for. In the meantime, keep brushing and flossing! :o)