Just One Quilt

Batting by the roll...

2008-11-20T16:58:00.007-05:00

I love to buy my quilt batting by the roll at Joanns.com when I have a 50% off coupon ;-)

Here's a photo of the batting stand I made. Well, actually my ex-DH made it for me but it was MY idea..lol. He cut the seat off an old office chair and then we plopped the roll of batting on it. Tough, huh? lol.

I have to keep it out in the garage where my mid-arm quilting machine and frame are located. I just cover it and roll it in the corner out of the way until I need it. (Don't even ask why it won't fit under the frame!)

Next, is a photo of one of my newest, most favorite, tools! Literally... made by Black and Decker! These cordelss scissors cut through batting like butter! Although I've never attempted to cut butter with scissors!?!? I doubted them at first too. The end doesn't look like it opens wide enough to go through a single layer of batting, much less a double layer. But, they really do work. Don't just take my word for it... they're pretty cheap so go get a pair and try them for yourself.

Don't run out for them just yet! This ad is for the sale at Ace Hardware the day after Thanksgiving. (It's a great deal! I paid $19.99 for mine at Walmart!)

Dedicated to those that gave all.

2008-11-11T06:36:00.004-05:00

To my friend Arlene on the loss of her only child...

2nd Lt. Michael Felsberg
U.S. Marine
KIA - October 13, 2004
Ramadi, Iraq

Carpenter's Star

2008-11-10T17:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry the photo is so dark! But, with my photography, it's either too dark or too bright. If I ever manage to retire... I'm going take time and learn how to take decent photos.

I have to quilt my scrappy Confetti Stars quilt and then this top is next! I plan to use it for Thanksgiving this year so I don't have much time to get it done. Wish me luck!

Practice, practice, practice...

2008-11-07T15:15:00.012-05:00

I'm working on a few little quilt tops for the "Weather Creek Quilts" google group I mentioned a couple of posts back. Designer Trudie Hughes is conducting a series of quilt lessons and suggested that we have a few small quilt tops saved for pieced border practicing a little later on.

The photo above is a top I made to practice the "Birds in the Air" piecing. Fun to make and only took a couple of hours at most.

The fabrics next to it at the bottom left of the photo are ones I was auditioning to see if I have anything that I can use in the pieced border later on. (The colors are off but my photos usually are :-)

Love this fabric with the animals in the park that I used for the alternate blocks...

Some patterns being produced these days try to make things so simple that there's no longer any expectation of accuracy. Am I the only that's getting tired of nearly all the recently designed patterns instructing you to "sew and flip" and whack off the extra fabric? They've even termed it "bonus triangles" to make you think you're getting something out of that fabric you just wasted! It's so common in fact, that quilters are making little quilt tops just to start using them all up!

With fabric creeping up to the $10 a yard price range... and the economy in the tank.... I'd rather not waste a yard here and another there because the pattern designers assume we can't sew accurately!?! I'm all for quicker and easier methods... I work a full time job and my quilting time is limited. But, I don't want to get so absorbed into finding them that I avoid using the skills that I've worked so hard to accomplish.

I love patterns as much as the next girl. I buy many just to put in my binder and look through when I'm too tired to sew, or need a little inspiration. But, I don't want patterns to be the "be all, end all" of my quilting. I hope as I continue to fine tune my skills and add to them, I'll be more inclined to blaze my own trails and less likely to just clone what I see!

I want to learn as much as I can, while I can. How often do you find a designer willing to take quilters by the hand and work to make sure they learn the fundamentals? Although I do have some 20 years quilting experience, it's good to step back and practice a few skills that are a little rusty. It's even better to learn a few new ones!

I splurged this week and bought a cute brightly colored fabric panel... Lots of possibilities with this one! ;-) I give most of the quilts I make away and making quilts for children going through tough times is rewarding beyond belief.

I don't think I could ever sell one of my quilts, could you? There's a little bit of my heart in each and every one. You give your heart away, you don't sell it.

Scrap Twist quilt

2008-10-20T18:55:00.010-04:00

This is what I've been working on this week while waiting for my quilting machine to get repaired. I can't wait to see the magic happen when the blocks are sewn together!

This is a fun pattern to make! I was asking some friends for scrap quilt suggestions when one of them suggested I check out Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville website. I know she has many free quilt patterns there so I went to take a second look and decided on "Strip Twist". Click on the previous link to see how the diamonds sparkle when the blocks are pieced. Diamonds are a girl's best friend and these are no exception.

I had the 2 1/2" strips pre-cut and I was able to use up quite a few oddballs that always got tossed aside when I'd go through my neutral strips. The ones that are a little too "noisy" to put with the neutrals and a little too "blah" to put with darks and mediums. Now they've found that "just right" place to call home.

I have two large hampers full of Thimbleberries scraps that I really need to turn into quilts. I think I can use most of them up just by trying out more of Bonnie's patterns!

The next photo shows the orphan fabrics that I'll be using for the Scrap Twist borders. A couple of non-descript fabrcis that I decided to take out and use. I generally don't pre-wash Thimbleberries fabrics but these were stored in a bin in my garage for quite a while.

I think I'll go hunt for my spray bottle of water and spritz these pretty good to get all these wrinkles out! Black and a deep burnt sunset orange... pefect fall colors, don't you think?

The retirement life of a quilting icon...

2008-10-17T16:15:00.006-04:00

I neglected to mention the Rail Fence quilt below is the result of one of the first quilt lessons on "Weather Creek Quilts." A relatively new Google group I've joined. There is a slight charge to belong to the group, $60 per year (cheap at only $5 per month!) The proceeds go toward the children's shelter La Causa.

My own sister works as a counselor in children and family services so I'm familiar with the great need of children's shelters.

Trudie Hughes, the group owner of Weather Creek Quilts, is a familiar name among quilters. She's a retired quilt shop owner who's written 14 quilt books, many patterns and designed the rulers I've used for over a decade. It's the only brand ruler my local quilt shop would carry! My very first quilt was from one of her books. The Scrapaholic quilt is now available as a single pattern. I still have it in my living room and it's been well loved, let me tell you!

I'm a fairly experienced quilter but I'm going through the group lessons from the beginning. If there's a more accurate or time saving method of doing something Trudie knows how to do it! I hope to learn all the tricks she's willing to share. This isn't a chatty group but rather more of a classroom setting.

This week we're making a mystery scrap quilt. I have my blocks done but I won't post the photo because others are still working on it. It's really been a lot of fun to put together!

I've heard some quilters recently comment about being bored in retirement. I suppose retirement is just like other stages of life... it's up to you what you make of it. Trudie makes 25 quilts a month... and donates them. What an amazing inspiration!

And now for our regularly scheduled break...

2008-10-13T18:10:00.008-04:00

The colors on this photo are waaaaayyy off! I'll try to get a photo outside in the sunlight, if it ever stops raining...

I've been cutting fabric for scrap quilts all week and this was a fun break. I needed something that I could get done quickly! I didn't need it for a last minute gift or other special occasion. I needed it for me ;-)

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And, as much as I dearly love Thimbleberries... every once in a while I need to clean my palate and flood my senses with something a little different than I normally work with!

As soon as I get this quilted I'm going to take my friend Eileen's advice and put it away for the next time I NEED a quick gift! (Just in case I don't have a measly little half a day it took to make this...lol ;-)

I even had enough fabric and enough time to make a duplicate. One to keep and one to donate!

I'm baaaack!

2008-10-06T16:22:00.008-04:00

After almost a year of trials and tribulations...

I'm finally in the mood to quilt again! And I'm back with a passion!!!!

I guess it could be worse... I could be bored! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I can't stand being bored....

I'm anxious to get back to my machine so I'll keep this post short and sweet. Well, at least short..lol...
Here's what I'm working on today--->

It's from the Atkinson pattern "Confetti Stars" made with Thimbleberries scraps. I'm making the twin size version. I don't know what standard they use to determine what size to call quilts these days! This top is on a full size bed and I still have 8" of borders to add. (I bet the queen size is gynormous!!! lol.)

I decided to pull an old "what was I thinking when I bought this?" fabric off the shelf to use for the border. Aren't scrap quilts just the best for using up stuff you might not otherwise? And truly, I can't remember why I thought I'd EVER use a fabric with.... hot pink flowers in it ;-) LOL! Nope, not my normal "thing" by a long shot.

The fabric is from the Thimbleberries collection "Christmas Greetings", though it sure doesn't LOOK Christmasy, does it?... it must have been on sale... realllllly cheap! But, it looks just fine next to the scrap quilt. Actually, better than fine... but I'll know for sure when it's quilted, that is, when it's too late to change it.

The top fabric is hard to see but it's black with a pinkish purple texture running through. It's from the Thimbleberries "Tuxedo" collection. I didn't buy them to go together but it worked out to be a happy accident!

I don't think there is one scrap of pink in this quilt. Sam, my ex-DH who also happens to probably be my best friend in the world... still..., took one look and said "oh, so is that your maverick quilt?". (All I can say is that I was cutting my strips while watching the Vice Presidential cantidate debates last week wih .... or was that Tina Fey from SNL, hard to tell the difference, eh????)
Hmmmm.... couldn't have thought of a better name for this quilt if I tried!!!! ROFLOL! "Maverick" it is! I tend to name all my quilts before I send them to their new homes. This one is destined to be a 40th birthday present for someone who's stuck by me in though the best and worst of times. Hope it conveys, even just a little, how special she is to me.

Only 999 yards of fabric to use, 999 yards... take 2 down and sew them around...997 yards of fabric to use! (Sung to the tune of 99 bottles of beer on the wall...heeheehee).

Yep, I'm a happy girl... I'm sewing again!

Crockpot Pulled Pork Recipe

2007-10-15T21:14:00.001-04:00

3 to 4 pound boneless pork loin (center cut)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vinegar
1 onion, sliced
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar
1 Tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tsp. salt1 Tsp. black pepper

Place pork loin in a crockpot. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the pork. Cook 10 hours on low or about 6 hours on high. When you remove pork from pot it will shred easily with a fork. I mix the pork with barbeque sauce since I know my family likes it that way. We eat it on buns with cole slaw on top. (Not sure if the slaw is just a southern thing or not?) When we have guests, I serve it as soon as possible after taking it out of the crockpot with the barbeque sauce on the side.

I like to pour the remaining contents of the crockpot in the blender along with whatever make barbeque sauce I have on hand and blend well. The extra flavor from the cooked onions and seasoning is delicious!