Caron Mosey: Michigan Quilts!

Hey Mom, What're Those?

2008-08-18T18:58:00.007-04:00

"Those are lotz bigger than the birdies, Mom."

"Those are even bigger than the squirrels, Mom!"

"I don't know, Stormie, let me look. Scoot over so I can see."

"Hmmm... those are baby deer, Stormie! They're eating our apples that fell off the tree!"

"Where's their mommy, Mommy? Don't they gotta have a mommy?"

"I'm sure they do, Stormie. Just watch, she'll probably come by."

"When, Mommy, When? Can I go out and see them?"

"No, Stormie. You're an indoor cat. You don't go outside." (Major pouting on the part of the cat...)

"Hey Stormie, there she is!!! Look! She was just over in the neighbor's garden, eating their corn and tomatoes!"

Later that same day... in the quiet of the evening... Dear Jane block number I-8 "Pete's Paintbox" is sewn. What a great day!

2008-08-17T17:02:00.004-04:00

I haven't been doing much work on my Dear Jane blocks lately... but I HAVE been quilting! Here are the latest blocks I have finished. Top left: E7 Bread Basket, paper pieced (not perfect, but it is done). Next: G12- Gloriae, hand pieced and appliqued. I took artistic liberties with this one. If you compare it to the one in the Dear Jane book, you'll see that the corners are different. I ~~love the purple fabric, and wanted to see more of it~~ got lazy. The last one is a little difficult to see the differences in the focus fabric and the background. It is block E8-Mamma's Maze. It shows up much better in person than in the scan.

Why is it everytime I scan one of my blocks, it shows up with threads all over it, or I have forgotten to rinse out my blue fade-out lines? Oh well, at least you know I'm working!

Have a great week!

Dear Jane on Facebook

2008-08-16T17:17:00.003-04:00

Are you on Facebook? Facebook is a social utility on the Internet that connects you with the people around you. It can be as private or as public as YOU want it to be. It's a great way to connect to people you know... and to meet new people who share ideas and hobbies with you.

I joined Facebook within the past month, and already I have connected with old friends, made new ones, and found some very exciting things I didn't know were there.

There is a Dear Jane group on Facebook now. If you are a Dear Jane quilter, or have thought about starting your own Dear Jane quilt, please check it out. First, if you haven't already, visit http://www.facebook.com/ and look around. Please sign up - it is absolutely free! Add my name (Caron Mosey) as a friend (and when you do so, in your message to me let me know that you read my blog). On the left side of your page are some options. Click on the Groups option. Then you will be taken to a page where you can do a search. Type in Dear Jane. When you see the Dear Jane quilt, click on that and sign up to be a member of that group. I think you'll enjoy it!

Feeling better... feeling lighter

2008-08-12T18:54:00.001-04:00

No pictures today. Just great news. I'm starting to feel human again after being really, really sick. AND, two sizes smaller now!!!! I did some power shopping on my lunch break today. Nothing fits anymore. Two sizes smaller. YAHOO!!!!!

Under The Weather (which has been beautiful, BTW)

2008-08-09T12:03:00.005-04:00

Two weeks of my life have been consumed with health issues. Stupid, stupid insides!!! I spent part of this week in the local emergency room. I'm back home now, taking tons of medications which do all kinds of strange things to my body and my dreams. Five more days on them, then (hopefully) I'll be done.

Before my illness kicked into high gear, I posted a giveaway question on this blog post. Nobody came close, so here's another hint, left. It has a theme... can you figure it out? Take a guess and post it in the comments. The person who comes closest will win... something related to the theme.

I haven't done much sewing on my Dear Jane quilt lately, just keeping up with the Block of the Week. I'm going through my list of "to do's" and trying to be productive in getting those things done. I find a great sense of accomplishment comes when I can cross something off the list and move on.

Pardon me while I go take another pill and cross it off the list, too. Hope you have a happy, healthy weekend.

Millie Sews for Samantha

2008-08-04T17:35:00.004-04:00

This is Millie. She lives with me now. She's a little unhappy that she has to live in the basement, but happy that she gets HALF of the basement to herself and her very old friend, Bernie Nova. Millie is starting to earn her keep by practicing sewing on Sammy's crib quilt. Sammy and Jake are getting a new house, and they need bedroom stuff. Millie is helping out in that area.

It's kind of hard to see, but if you look really hard and squint your eyes, you might get to see my first flower I created with Millie. Yes, we may just become very good friends. We like to hold hands. So far, Millie has been kind. If she becomes a pest, I will let you know.

Beach Babies Safely Home

2008-08-03T08:16:00.004-04:00

My oldest son and his family returned safely last night from a week-long trip to Daytona Beach. Two of my favorite pictures...

"Sammy - Pretty in Pink" Beach Baby and "Jake the Sand Angel." These are keepers!

You can tell a lot about a person's moral character...

2008-08-01T06:57:00.003-04:00

You can tell a lot about a person's moral character by the way they respond to issues in life. In late June, I bought a little bag of "Chinese Coins" from a shop on Etsy. They were very inexpensive... only $1.50 plus $1.50 shipping, but they were exactly what I was looking for as an embellishment on my newest quilt "Over the Celtic Rainbow." I paid using PayPal, and waited for them to arrive. A week or so later, I got a small, plain envelope in the mail... you know the kind you use to pay bills with? It was placed in a plastic bag by the postal service, it had been ripped open and was seriously damaged. No contents inside, of course. No note, just the envelope. I didn't know who it was from, so I dropped the little envelope into a larger envelope and put a note with it. I returned the damaged envelope to the sender.

Another week went by, and it occurred to me that maybe the envelope had held my purchased coins! So I contacted the seller on Etsy and asked. Yes, it was her/him. Here's the response I received:

"Yes I am in florida and the envelope was taped up. I go to the post office so, it wasn't mailed from my house. Oh sweetie I am so sorry about this. What would you like to do?"

That response was followed by this one:

"Sorry I thought I got back with you I mailed them out July 3rd. I have looked thru my stuff and those were my last set of those. If you don't get them tommorow which has already been plenty of time. I will refund the money unless you see something else you want for the same price in my store and I can send those out instead. Just let me know."

Of course, I didn't receive the coins, and asked for a reimbursement. It never arrived. So, following Etsy protocol, my feedback for the seller was negative.

Then I received this:

"I am sorry that this happened. I already mailed you the money back and put in a couple of item for your trouble. Went out in a nice secure envelope. I don't think I deserve negative feedback. What else do I need to do to make you happy????"

So, I responded that all I needed was the refund via PayPal and I'd be a happy camper. The reply?

"I offered a refund but, you decided to ruin my feedback with the negative."

So, apparently the comment "I already mailed you the money back and put in a couple of item for your trouble" was a line of crap. She didn't just offer, she said she SENT the refund!

At this point in time, the issue ISN'T about the money. It's about the principle of the thing! And it clearly shows the character of a person who would lie and deceive someone else, all for $3.00.

Keep the money. It will make you feel as if you have won a huge battle. Actually, it's not a battle you have won. It's a battle Satan has won at your expense. I'll more than triple that amount and make a donation to my local church to help further the kingdom of God. And I will also be in prayer for you. It seems as if there is much more work to be done in the name of Jesus.

Happy to be His servant.

A UFO... And it isn't in the air (yet)

2008-07-25T20:17:00.003-04:00

I'm determined to finish my UFO's and improve my sense of organization. (YEAH, RIGHT). No, really!!! I made this block tonight to help finish a quilt I started over a year ago. It's not going to be a large quilt, more like a medium-sized wall hanging. It has a theme... can you figure it out? Take a guess and post it in the comments. The person who comes closest will win... something. Not sure what yet - let's make that a mystery! If two or more people come close to guessing the right answer, I'll draw a name from that group. HINT: Read the title.

I've spent a lot of time lately on Etsy looking around at all kinds of things, especially quilts. There are some really nice things, and then there are some, well, not quite as nice items. Some of the prices SHOCK me!!! How can you make a full-sized (or Queen or King, even) quilt and only charge $170? The fabric and materials alone would come close with today's fabric prices at just under $10.00 per yard! Front, back and batting... plus the time you put into the quilt has to count for SOMETHING, doesn't it? I'd like to see prices be affordable for people, but I think on the other hand, if we don't start upping the prices we are giving away our artistic talent and hundreds of hours of our time for very, very little.

I took a look at some very gorgeous hand-dyed fabrics online today (not on Etsy). They were fabulous, and priced between $15 - #30 for under one yard. Ridiculous? I don't think so! Someone bought the dye, mixed the colors, bought the other solutions and powders to complete the process, paid for the fabric, spent the time dying, cleaning up, cutting, ironing, etc. That time has to count for something. Here are a few of my favorites; take a peek!

Blue Hawaii Quilt

Bird of Paradise

Chocolate Covered Cherry Quilt

Mariner's Compass

The goddess Thetis

Visit Etsy yourself and do a search for quilts. You'll be surprised what you find!

A Front Porch Kind of Evening

2008-07-23T06:50:00.006-04:00

We had a beautiful evening last night here in
Flushing, Michigan. I started the grill, then went out and watered the flowers, most of which are in pots scattered around the yard. I threw the chicken on the grill, hubby came home, and everything was perfect. Then the rain blew in out of nowhere! The chicken survived under the lid of the grill.

Actually, it was a beautiful evening, even with the rain. It was one of those great summer rains... a little thunder, a little lightening, then a peaceful, warm rain. The kind I used to love when I was a kid. I'd sit on the screened porch on the glider with a good book (sometimes two) on my lap. I loved to read on those kinds of evenings, listening to the rain come down and the thunder rumble. I'd get up and go outside when I knew there was a strong possibility of a rainbow.

Dean and I went outside last night and saw the beautiful rainbow off to the south. It was stunning! But I missed having a porch. My next house WILL have one. Maybe a partially covered deck, too, to protect my grill.

I love the American front porch. Do you have one? Please share your photos on your blog and post a comment below so we can all see! This is one in Selma, Alabama, USA. Selma is the second oldest city in Alabama (behind Mobile), and has the largest contiguous historic district. It is known for its Civil War and Civil Rights history.

I'd show you my front porch, but there isn't room to sit on it. Not really a porch. Sad, sad me.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

2008-07-21T07:10:00.004-04:00

What a fun weekend! Jake and Sammy spent the night Saturday! Look who doesn't just lay around anymore! Though she can't sit on her own yet, Samantha does NOT want to be on her back. Oh, pardon me. Except when she rolls to get where she wants to be. And she's climbing! And teething (oooooh... owie). Also on some solid foods now. Do you happen to know how absolutely fabulous strained carrots can be? More! More!

Jake, Grammy and Bumpa put together the big dinosaur puzzle. Loads of fun (oh my aching knees). Grammy went to bed at 9:00 PM Sunday night. Wonder why?

Another Block, Another Quilt

2008-07-20T06:39:00.006-04:00

This is L-11 of my Dear Sammy Jane quilt, finished for the Block of the Week.

I was busy finishing up my newest quilt last week, so I didn't get much done on my DJ quilt. I need to get better photos taken of "Over the Celtic Rainbow."

It's difficult shooting something with so much black/grey. More photos of the quilt, including up-close shots are available on my Etsy site.

The quilt was fun to make, and it's almost all machine made. Those of you who know me know that I mostly work by hand on my quilts. This pushed my boundaries a lot, and for that I'm grateful. The quilt also includes embellishments of beads and metal.

I've found a great way to stay on track with the projects I want to do. I use Gmail for my email program. Because that's part of the Google suite of tools, I now use iGoogle as my homepage. On that page, you can add many different boxes of "tools" to make the page be what YOU want it to be. Here's what it looks like (below). On iGoogle, I keep a To Do list in the top left corner, and I check it frequently throughout the day. It helps me keep organized. Someone showed the site to me, and I found it useful. Check it out!

Viewer's Choice

2008-07-15T06:48:00.009-04:00

This is I6-Viewer's Choice from my Dear Sammy Jane quilt. I love doing applique. Dislike the tiny little "melons" in the corners. They are so small, considering this little block is 4 inches square. Ick.

I whipped up a little crib quilt last weekend. Very shortly, I will be tossing it onto my new Next Generation Frame and quilting it with my new Pfaff Grand Quilter. I'm a little nervous about doing that. Putting the sewing machine on the frame means I am back to sewing on my old Bernina Nova, and I love sewing on the new Pfaff. It runs like a charm, purrs like a kitten. I've been a hand quilter, and this is a scary move.

I played some more on Picnik.com with this photo of one of our day lilies. Here are two variations I came up with. Which do you like best?

Simple Blocks

2008-07-11T06:41:00.007-04:00

I'm always impressed with what you can do with very simple quilt blocks. With a change of color, size and design, you can take something very basic and make something beautiful. The mid-80's were my "Triangle Period." I loved what you could do with a triangle. The possibilities were endless!

Lady of the Lake is a beautiful block made entirely out of half-square triangles. You can see two beautiful versions here. By taking the block and changing some colors, you can get gorgeous patterns. Play with it yourself using a coloring page found here.

I used this block as the background in a pictorial quilt that was included in my book "Contemporary Quilts From Traditional Designs." The photos you see here are a sneak peek from that quilt, which will be going up for sale on Brookside Creations this weekend. Stay tuned!

Jonquils and Other Assorted Goodies

2008-07-10T06:51:00.009-04:00

This simple little block is J1- Josepha's Jonquil. Hmmm... not looking like a flower to me. But it's done!

I haven't posted much lately. I've been busy surfing the web, working on machine quilting my Celtic quilt, and working. I find after I get home from work, do dinner and any picking up around the house, that I only have the stamina to sew for about an hour or so. After that, my brain seems to need some time to just sit and veg. It's frustrating, to say the least!

In my mindless wanderings around the web, I happened upon a great photo editing website called Picnik. I took a few photos and played with them. I see some great quilt ideas here!

From this rose... to this:

And from this sunflower... to this:
I want to mention one more link for you to visit. Now that I'm doing more machine quilting, I happened upon Superior Threads. What a great site!

Wishing you a Sunny Day!!!

Frolick in the Sun

2008-07-06T12:49:00.005-04:00

Those of us who weren't afraid to put on a bathing suit enjoyed the waters of Waterford yesterday. Samantha opted to snuggle with her Grandpa Dean, while Jake showed off his slick new swimming techniques to his daddy. Lots of fun in the sun, followed by a festive feast along the shore and a bonfire in the evening. Doesn't get much better than this!

I spent some of the weekend quilting my first quilt on the new Pfaff Grand Quilter. here's a sneak peek...

Awesome video

2008-07-05T07:08:00.002-04:00

In honor of the anniversary of our country (USA), you might like to visit this video; It's a marvelous presentation of the "BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC."

“He will thunder from His holy dwelling and roar mightily against His land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on earth.” Jeremiah 25:30

A lot accomplished!

2008-07-04T19:09:00.002-04:00

I had a productive day today. I spent most of the morning and half the afternoon working on a few things for Brookside Creations. I finished a pretty tan and blue pillow that I had done some cross stitch for. The perfect fabrics all came together a few weekends ago when I was at Country Stitches. So I wrapped up that project and got it entered into my Etsy shop. You can see it here on my website, and if you go there there are more pictures.

I learned how to drive the lawn tractor today... got my first lesson. I figured it would be a good idea to know how to drive it if I ever needed to help out.

Other than that, it's been a quiet day. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Happy 4th of July!

Medley

2008-07-03T06:44:00.002-04:00

This is E6... Michelle's Medley. There are 36 pieces in this block, and I'm glad I chose to paper piece it!

I had the day off work yesterday... had to go in for a medical test. It sure would be nice to have some of whatever it is they put in your IV to put you to sleep for ten minutes.

"OK Caron, night night..." ZONK

"Mrs. Mosey, time to go home!" HUH?

I felt relaxed all day... and got some sewing done, which was nice.

I have a four-day weekend coming up starting on Friday. Yippie! Hope everyone has a great 4th of July, wherever you may be!

Thus Far...

2008-06-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

Here's where I am so far...

Monday

2008-06-30T20:17:00.005-04:00

I really enjoyed sewing these blocks. There's nothing like a new sewing machine to make you smile! It's like sewing through butter... just as smooth and quiet as can be! I'm getting used to my new Pfaff Grand Quilter by sewing blocks before I put it in its big Next Generation frame. I'm not a patient person, but I think this time is time well spent.

Row D is now complete, and I've started on row E.

Have a GREAT WEEK!

My baby in Minnesota

2008-06-27T15:47:00.004-04:00

Thanks so much to Marge for taking a photo of my "baby"

at the Minnesota Quilters 2008 show for me!

A Corner Slice of Applique

2008-06-25T07:06:00.004-04:00

I worked on a corner of my latest quilt last night...

Stormie watched, of course. This is her favorite spot lately... Daddy's computer chair, right in front of the front window. She runs and hits it just right so it spins and she faces out the window. Not real happy that I turned the chair to take her picture. Their was a bird in the birdbath just outside the window.

Cackle cackle.

No more mailing your children to grandma...

2008-06-24T17:09:00.004-04:00

If you are a quilter in the United States, or if you plan on mailing something to the United States, this might interest you.

In 1775, the first Postmaster General was appointed by the Continental Congress. That was Benjamin Franklin! The Pony Express began in 1860. In 1971, the United States Postal Service® began operations. 1982 was the last year Postal Service accepted a public service subsidy. That’s right – Not a single one of your tax dollars goes to the postal service! Translated: The United States Postal Service is no longer owned by the U.S. government.

And, it should be noted that while you can ship quilts, fabric, notions, etc.
you can no longer mail children using the U.S.P.S.

Really! You haven’t been able to since 1913. Don’t believe me? Check this out!!!

Now, this really begs the question: What kind of an idiot MAILS THEIR CHILD? Or even thinks about it?

Oh my.

Have you ever made a Postage Stamp quilt? If not, then go here to see how easy it is!

A Yellow Mood

2008-06-24T07:23:00.004-04:00

Today feels like a bright, yellow kind of day...

Go spread some sunshine!