Design Wall Monday

My design wall is a few miles down the road right now at CCCatlover's house! Aviva's chuppah (wedding canopy) is finally being quilted.

These pictures show us loading it on the frame.

I HAD to take this picture as I NEVER, EVER, EVER make things square! This chuppah was built on bias edges. I had no real pattern other than the stars. Every turn was an agony of "what to do next." (my poor friends had to suffer in what we like to refer to as chuppah "hell" also) However, all of the agonized, kvetching and picking the brains of those around me, resulted in something that was square! I have no earthly idea how I did this but attribute it to sheer, utter luck!!

Here are some shots of the continuous curve quilting I did on Sunday. It's not the greatest but it's the first time I've done continuous curve. It's getting better but is a far cry from smooth! The thread in the pics looks like the tension is off but I think that's just because I had my camera setting on macro.

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the rest of the design walls listed on Judy's blog.

UFO Challenge-a finish

I managed to finish 3 UFO's this month! There weren't the most difficult but a finish is a finish! Count me in!!

Started this tablerunner last year. Made it from a pack of charm squares and a Charmers pattern.



I finished two of the snowman tablerunners. I started these last year at retreat.







So sorry, the photos aren't the greatest.

This is my story....

As you can see, the title isn't Stash report......

Retreat + Quilty codependants + 1/2 price, yes HALF PRICE quilt shop fabric....and not the garbage that has never sold but the ENTIRE stock in the store =

Stash Enhancement drunken delight and giddiness a very quietly stated stash report.


Here was my reasoning and see if you too would have given in to all of the above influences.
1. The price of cotton is about to rise dramaticlly. The quilt shop owners told us that the price of fabric is going to rise a minimum of $1/yard. They wanted to clear the stock so they could put out the more expensive new lines. No, they weren't just trying to sell us, here is an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer backing their claim.

2. I bought name brand, Moda ect., for half price!

3. I bought only 3 pretties. I focused on Marbles, blenders, backgrounds, lights, and compliments/backgrounds to specialty lines (cowboy ect).
4. We went to two different shops. One had the entire store at 1/2 price and the other had quite a number bolts. The second store had Christmas fabric on sale. I bought some fabulous Americana, red/white/blue fabrics from the Christmas sale. Those were only 20% off. Still a good price.

5. I made a deal with myself not to feel tooooo guilty if I buy fabric but to seriously curtail my spending this year. Ahem....I may have failed in the curtail part in January, but perhaps it will equal out in July when I won't need to buy??

USAGE since last report
---The kippot for Aviva's wedding used 12 1/2 yds! They actually used over 13 but I have a number of scraps and will count that when I use it. Because the kippot are curved and have 4 pieces in each the top and the lining, they consume a lot of fabric.
---Pillowcases (using the newly aquired fabric) 6 yds.
---Three table runners (I only count fabric from my stash when projects are finished) 6 yds.
---100 ft. of clothesline and 3 partial spools of thread for a clothesline basket.

All in all a good two weeks.

Used this Week: 24.5
Used year to Date: 38
Added this Week: 42.5
Added Year to Date: 48.5
Used for 2011: 10.5

Scoot on over to Judy's blog and catch up on all the other participating stash busters!

Stash Report

I've decided to use this stash report to track my fabric as opposed to feeling guilty for purchasing. I really do not want to buy...often. However, on occasion, it is a necessity...whether physical (need to right shade of fabric) or mental, (need to fondle some new fabric)

I did however clear 13 yards! I made all of these pillowcases from flannel. I had bought it from Joanns the day after Thanksgiving. I wanted to make myself a robe but gosh it is too thin and (so aggrivating) printed off grain! My friend didn't realize what she said when she told me to make a pillowcase! I made a few for me, a few for my fellow roommates at retreat, plus a few from golf fabric for my husband (hey, he supports my quilting habit and deserves something once in a while too!) I made the pillowcases a few inches bigger all the way around to try to compensate if they shrink.




I discovered that it requires a boatload of fabric to make the number of kippot needed for Aviva's wedding. Naturally I don't have enough candy fabric! I bought M&M and Tootsie Roll fabricsthat are so cute!

The tally....

Used this Week: 13
Used year to Date: 13.5
Added this Week: 6
Added Year to Date: 6
Net Used for 2011: 7.5

Scoot on over to Judy's blog and catch up on all the other participating stash busters!

Snow Day here too??

I decided that in solidarity for all those poor students and teachers off of school today, I too would take a personal "snow day." My plate is so full that I am overwhelmed. A snow day is exactly what I need to recharge before retreat next week!

So how will I spend my day? Cleaning. Washing. Cutting fabric and exercising! It will all be for the best as I will need all of my energies next week to sew, sew, sew!!!!

Design Wall

I can go to retreat!! My original rule was I couldn't go if Aviva's chuppah wasn't finished. I modified it to read, I can't go until I have the top done and ....IT IS DONE!



The bottom must not be straight on the design wall as the stars look different sizes.

Such a relief to have this off of my shoulders. Next stop....quilting~

Stash Report

I've been thinking about stash this morning. We have fabric stash and then we have all the rest of the stash. The gidgets and gadgets. The tools, rulers, sticky things, storage containers. The thread and oooooo don't forget the quilt patterns, clothing patterns, craft patterns, magazines, books, computer printouts, and saved computer files of our someday projects. Like the fabric stash, these things overwhelm me. Which leads me to....

I've been cleaning. Cleaning with a purpose. I've managed to cull 50, no that is not a typo, 50 patterns, books, and other assorted items. I can't wait to share my trash with others!! LOL!! I am going to retreat next week and have decided to hold a silly little giveaway so all 20 participants walk away with something. Most of the items are patterns that I've accumulated from $1 sales, Half Price book clearance etc. But some of the patterns and books are "good ones." One that I bought, still like, but know I'll never ever work on. It is so freeing knowing that these items will no longer be weighing me down.

I cleaned out clothing patterns, size 20, don't need those any longer, to "sell" at our monthly guild silent auction. I've purged out quilty gift items that I've received but will never use.
I've even yanked things off of the shelf that pain me but I know, know, know, I just like owning and won't ever actually see finished.

Fabric. Well, I used a whole .5 yard this week recovering this. REad about it here. It's a super functional table that I use constantly at home and is fab. for traveling to retreat.

I also made an additional padded ironing surface to take to retreat.

Pop over to Judy's blog and see how others are actually busting fabric!


Used this Week: .5
Used year to Date: .5
Added this Week: 0
Added Year to Date: 0
Net Used for 2011: .5

Shop With a Cop

I know it's a bit late to talk about this but....I want a record of it so here goes.

In December I volunteered with the Shop with a Cop program. I was surprised that so many
policing agencies participated.




I was paired with a little girl......




....and a guy from Border Patrol. Both were soooo shy!





Of course our local police were represented. This guy is a "new guy." He graduated about 2 months ago. I helped out with the "scenarios"portion of their schooling. I'm not saying I was difficult during those scenarios but....he remembered me.





Members of the IndoorFootball Team, The Hammerheads also participated. They were dynamic and added alot of spice to both the shopping and lunch experience.

Ride Aong...with the Parking Control?????

I volunteer with our police department. I was, "loaned out" to help with a project with the Parking Control Department. We never got a chance to work on the project. After the guy picked me up at the police station, on the way to his office, he received a call of a water main break. He looked at me and said "Wanna go see?" Me? Wanting to experience an adventure? Are you kidding me? "Of COURSE I want to go see!"




Luckily, eventually, the heros arrived to turn off the water! Show over!



By the time we got to the Parking Patrol Office (a word I use very lightly here....it's more like a cave), there was no time to work on the project. Mr. Parking Patrol Manager took me on a tour of the cave. There was a room filled with these!





Parking meters in various states of assembly! To be honest, I've never given a parking meter a second thought! But, it seems that they, like everything else in the world, have a home, and someone in charge of them. And when the meters are many, many years old (and like me past their prime) they need repaired. No botox or fancy creams here. Just a lone man, 80 something years old, that repairs the meters. (my"tour guide" told me that this man is one of a dying breed. That once he is gone, there is noone here that is able to repair the meters. I told him it reminded me of a watch repairman. He agreed.) No sending them in for updates. These are good old fashioned mechanical objects here. With everything going electronic, I bet in a few years his workbench will be a thing of the past.



Two steps away from the parking meters were the police bikes. Don't know if they were in for repair or this is where they live but I got a picture nonetheless.



It just goes to show that there is adventure in everything. When my girls were little, we used to take our adventure baskets and go look for adventures. I never in a million years thought that a few hours with the Parking Patrol would be this interesting. Or this much adventure! Go figure!

State of my backside

OK I AM GOING TO DO THIS! Yes, I know I accomplished alot from last year

to this year..So did Dan. But.....


but I must lose 25 more lbs. How do I do this when immediately in January, I go to retreat? This year we splurged on ourselves and are spending an entire week there.....I must be on track when I leave home so that I can be strong when the cook at retreat pulls out his daily homemade bread and desserts!

I've lost a whole 6 lbs since July! whoo.hoo. :(

Here is my new resolve to be strong and get this done! Anyone want to join me?

Playing with my friends...Library

After we ate cucumbers and hot cocoa.......we walked to the library. It was really alot of fun. For most of the time, we were the only ones in the children's section. No whispering or tippy toeing. Good thing as Ms. Monkey loved taking books off of the shelves and piling them on our seats!



This library furniture is so cute! There are cubbies behind and under the child sized seating that keeps things "neat." The enormous tinker toy decorations are adorable.



Couldn't resist a picture of the three of us.



Just a nice picture.




Ms. Kitten is reading. She read me this entire book. I don't know who was more thrilled!



We checked out books and then walked home. Luckily, I forgot a bag!!! Ms. Monkey insisted on carrying her own books.....they kept slipping from her hands! It was a funny sight seeing this little thing loaded down with books but insisting on carrying them.



And Ms. Kitten? She was too busy trying to walk and read at the same time to notice anything else going on around her!




All in all a good afternoon. Now that we have finished everything we wanted to do on our list....well, we are going to have to create a new list of fun things!

Playing with my Friends...Presents

Ilove playing with my friends...whether they are young or old! These two, Miss Kitten and Miss Monkey, happen to be my most favoriteist friends of all. We haven't gotten together for quite a while and I missed our playtime. One afternoon I picked them up from school,for an afternoon of fun. We began at my house for a snack. It was cold (uhmmm , that's relative here. It IS south Texas) and I had hot cocoa. I really didn't want to give them cookies or more sweets, but what else can you eat with cocoa? Ms. Monkey took her cookie and instead of dunking it, dropped it in the cocoa! She thought it was hysterical! One spoon later, she decided she didn't want cookies. Not want cookies!!! Are You KIDDING me?



Cucumbers? YES! YES! This is what they want with their cocoa. CUCUMBERS! This little thing, cookies vs. cucumbers assures that we are totaly unrelated! Then to boot, they dunked their cucumbers into the cocoa! Nummy!



I had so much fun making them a present. I was at Joanns and they had fleece blankets...a monkey and a kitten! How could I resist???






Ms. Kitten was particulary thrilled. You see, Minkee loves fleece blankets. The day I made the kitten blanket she decided to uhm.. investigate (read, scratch at it). Well, the back is a lovely solid pink.....so.....When Ms. Kitten discovered that Minkee "signed" her cat blanket, she was thrilled!!!

Design Wall/Chuppah

This week has brought, thankfully and finally, many changes to my design wall. Last week I was here. As I was the week before, and the one before that! I've finally been inspired to get this thing done! This morning I was here......


....complete with mitered corners! Yes! Me! Mitering corners!

This evening I was here....


It's a bit misleading as the left and right are not attached yet.

I have a really big problem. The top and bottom have .75 difference. I don't know if I should compensate when I add the top and bottom borders or if I let the difference grow.If I split the difference before adding the top and bottom borders, all the excess will be in those solid triangles. If I let the problem grow....well, it will just get worse! I don't know if the problem came in with the triangle border or before. I had tons of trouble adding the triangles. I must have ripped the biased edges a million times. Seriously, I learned a valuable lesson that the degree of angles really matters! LOL!

Hopefully by next week the top will be done!