One Stitch Off

Mug Rugs for Your Sweetie

2012-01-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

First, let me start out with saying please excuse my photography skills. I believe I've established from prior posts that photography isn't my thing. Regardless, I had to take pictures to share with you my latest mug rugs. In combination with the mugs I found, I think they are fabulous. I love them!

Mug rugs are fun to make, are a quick little project and the fun continues when you hunt for the perfect mug to go with the rug. I must admit, though, that I've often wondered what should come first - the mug or the rug. Anyway, if you are in the mood for a mug rug sew fest, you can find tutorials to mug rugs here, here and here. A quick Google search will lead you to many other mug rug tutorials as well.

Choosing the Right Quilting Design for Your Quilt

2012-01-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

After finishing our quilt top, many of us, including me, struggle with how to choose a quilting design to finish up our quilt. If you are in the same camp as me, please check out the eclass called Quilt Whisperer. I've taken this eclass and it was a big help in determining the final quilting design. The class starts today, but the instructor says new students can usually add during the first week. Happy designing!!

Pics from the ASQG Quilt Show

2011-11-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

Last time I posted, I mentioned that the Annie Star Quilt Guild was preparing for its biennial quilt show. Here are some pictures from some of my favorite quilts:

This quilt, pieced by Marilyn G., won Best of Show. Well deserved! The piecing on this quilt was amazing.
This quilt was also made by Marilyn G. How darling is this?
This is a kaleidoscope quilt. Very attractive. The black background really makes the designs pop.
This quilt was huge. Really, about the biggest quilt I've ever seen in a show. So big that I couldn't get a picture of the entire quilt. And the maker also machine quilted it.!
And since Halloween was just last week, I needed to include a picture of this cute wall hanging. Would love to have this hanging in my house around Halloween.

A Sneak Peak & Vacation Plans

2011-09-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I belong to the Annie Star Quilt Guild and we are holding our biennial quilt show this coming month, October. My friend Carol encouraged me to enter a few quilts, so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at one of my entries.
This quilt is put together from blocks made by me and my friends to celebrate my 50th birthday, so it is very special to me.

With that, I'm off to the airport to spend some relaxation time in Cabo. Enjoy your week, I know I'll be enjoying mine!!

Where have I been?

2011-09-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

Hi friends. Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged. I guess it's been a busy summer. My oldest son graduated from college and we just moved him down to Santa Barbara for grad school. My youngest is still in the Navy. I haven't seen him since Easter (I'm so glad I flew out to see him then), and won't see him until Christmas or New Years. My hubby and I got in a week vacation to Reno, a weekend get-away to San Francisco, and are now on the countdown for Cabo San Lucas.

Here's a picture of me from our San Francisco trip, performing indoor skydiving:

I haven't been doing much teaching lately and have been enjoying the break. I did have one class on the schedule in Paradise, but only had 1 sign-up so it was cancelled. On the plus side, I have a group of women who have me scheduled for a private class so that should be fun!

I'm trying to get up to speed with my Tin Lizzie and have just ordered a good selection of colors of Glide thread. I am also considering getting a Towa gauge. Does anyone have experience with them that would like to give me an opinion? As far as the Glide thread goes, I love it. It has a sheen like the Rainbow threads, and is very well priced.

Yesterday I got together with my small quilt group, Material Girls. I had a good day. I sewed handles on a bunch of little baskets, which was a pain because the baskets are little and it's hard to sew around the rim. I also got bindings sewed to three wall hangings (I still have to do the hand stitching), I laid out quilt blocks on the design wall and have them organized to piece together for a quilt called Pave the Way, I bought more fabric and got it cut for another Pave the Way, and pieced together three small mug runs. Not bad for a days work.

My big project now is to get the binding on the quilt I have entered into the local quilt show. The binding as been sewn on, so again - more handwork. It's pretty big, 92" x 96" so it's going to take awhile.

OK, that's it for now.

Mug Rug Fever

2011-06-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little late coming to the party, but I've got the mug rug fever. This mug rug was truly a collaborative effort.

I made the rug, my friend (and partner-in-pounding) Pam found the coordinating mug and added the binding. I took this cutie to my office today and will be placing my mug on its rug tomorrow! I can hardly wait!
You can find the pattern for this mug rug here, but also, if you do a quick google search, you will find 100s of them!

So, now that I have the fever, I need to make more. If you know me, you know my philosophy: It's as easy to make one as it is a dozen! So, with that in mind, here's my work in process for the next 12 or 15 or so...
I will, of course, be adding black and white polka dots for the borders, and have found the cutest polka dot mugs at Pier One. I think they will make great Christmas gifts!!

A Chance to Win a DVD from Adam

2011-05-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

Are you on Facebook? If so, please visit Adam Chenevert and comment on his post for a chance to win a DVD of your choice, either Wholecloth Design and Execution or 2,500 Feathers. As for me, I'm trying to get my owl quilt finished up. I hope to have pictures to share soon.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my handsome son:
And pictures of my Easter destination, Pensacola Beach, FL:

What I'm Working On

2011-04-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Pam surprised me with the fabric and pattern for this cute table topper by The Pattern Basket.
Isn't it cute? I'm almost done but won't get it quilted before Easter, which is okay since I won't be home for Easter this year. Instead, I'll be visiting with my son in Pensacola, FL. I'll keep my eyes open for a quilt shop and will also be hot on the trail of geocaches. From where he's stationed, I think I can pick up a geocache in 4 different states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Wish me luck and I'll catch up with you in a few weeks.

2,500 feathers by Adam Chenevert

2011-04-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

He's at it again. Adam Chenevert has a new DVD out that's all about feathers. 2,500 to be exact.

In six simple lessons you'll learn how to draw 2,500 completely unique and beautiful feathers in an easy to understand and follow format. All you need is a sketchbook, a DVD player, and your imagination.

There are over five hours worth of lessons on the DVD which will take you from novice to feather master all in the course of an afternoon. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

You can find the DVD in Adam's Etsy store. I haven't purchased mine yet, but you can rest assured that I will. I do have his Wholecloth Design and Execution DVD and highly recommend it.

Finally Making Progress!

2011-03-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

I had a nice time on the quilting get-away and was sewing like a mad woman. Here's pics of a few of the tops I got done. Obviously the quilting still needs to come, but still I'm happy to have got this far!

30's butterflies - before and after:

Owls, before and after:
Crop circles (started at Pacific Internal Quilt Festival in a class taught by Sharon Pederson), before and after:
Stay tuned. I actually finished 8 tops so more pics to come!!

On Vacation

2011-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

Hi friends. Good news on 3 counts. First, the orthopedic specialist gave me a shot of cortisone and prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy. Hopefully this will take care of my torn rotator cuff without surgery. Second, the swelling in my shoulder has gone and I have regained movement in my arm. Yea! Third, since my art is better, I'm able to go on vacation. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. Six of us are heading to Bodega Bay to spend 5 days QUILTING. I'm so excited. This is the second year that we will have rented a huge 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with a gigantic dining room table that we'll set our machines up at. I have above 15 ufos packed up and ready to go. I hope that I am super productive as I have a lot of projects to finish. Here's a few pics of the house we'll be staying in. When I return, I post pics of my finished projects (positive thinking!) Have a great week.

One Arm Out (of commission)

2011-02-15T19:08:00.001-08:00

Here's a pic that looks quite a bit like I've looked over the past few days. Except this person doesn't appear to be crying from the pain, like I have been.

Turns out that I've torn some tendons in my left arm so I've gotten nothing accomplished during the last week. So, instead of sharing with you what I've been working on lately, I thought I'd share what I haven't been working on - here's pics of a few of my ufo's:

Redwork:
30's Reproduction Blocks from several block swaps:
Bali blocks from a block swap:
Blocks with a butter-colored background from a block swap (why did I participate in so many block swaps?):
Grandma's flowers:
A half-made sunflower I made after taking Melinda Bula's class:
Blocks I won in the quilt's block of the month activity.

Oh my, I'm starting to get worried about all these ufo's. And this is just the start of them!

Wholecloth Design and Execution - Don't Miss This Opportunity

2011-02-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have been a fan of Adam Chenevert's quilting style and skill for a long time now and had the opportunity to take his online Wholecloth Design and Execution class through MQResource. I'm a fan of his facebook page and just found out that he is offering his class on Etsy, in DVD format that can viewed on a computer. I can only say I hope you don't miss out on this opportunity to purchase this DVD.
The disc contains five and a half hours of easy to understand videos that can turn even a beginning quilter into a wholecloth master.

Included with the disc is a bonus video featuring thirty-five additional fills that you won't want to miss out on.

Want to know more about Adam? Check out this link.

A Winner!

2011-01-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

A winner!! Thanks to all of your who left comments and became followers. True to our word, Library Gal and I held our "happy hour" drawing, during a real happy hour. Several friends were there to help us out and draw the names. My friend Sue dipped her hand into my bucket and JEANETTE - YOU WON!!! For those of you who didn't win, please continue to follow this blog as we'll have another opportunity for you to win soon. Congrats to Jeanette and thanks to Sue for drawing her name.

Keep Your Comments Coming - 2 Days Till Giveaway

2011-01-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hi - Thank you all for commenting and joining in on the fun. We are overwhelmed and appreciative of your kind comments. Two more days till the giveaway. I will draw a winner at approx 5 pm, Friday. Library Gal will also draw a winner at the same time. Good luck to you all!

PS - Since I don't have a quilt-related picture to show you, here's one of my oldest son and his girlfriend.

Happy Hour Giveaway for One Stitch Off Jewelry

2011-01-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Our Happy Hour Giveaway for One Stitch Off Jewelry!

Happy MLK Day! Pam and I have decided to do a giveaway for not one but two necklaces! I am giving away a Love, Laugh, Quilt necklace like the one below.
Leave a comment here on my blog and for an extra chance to win, become a follower of my blog. Already a follower? Just let me know and you'll receive an extra chance to win.

Pam, my partner in pounding, is giving away a Quilt and Bee Happy necklace like the one shown below. Visit her at Library Gal Quilts and leave her a comment and become a follower too!

Winners will be picked Friday January 21st at 5 p.m. Happy Hour you might call it!

The Road to California is this week in Ontario, California. If you are a southern California gal, you should absolutely try to go! Stop by Honey Run Quilter's booth to see our necklaces in person!

Spread the love and mention the giveaway on your blog if you have time! Thanks and good luck!

I'm a Winner!!

2011-01-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Wow! Not too long ago, Brandie of the abc blog had a give-away. To enter, she asked that you leave a comment with your New Year's resolution. For me, that's an easy one. I've had the same New Year's resolution for about 8 years now: Organize my recipes. I'm proud to report that 1) I did make progress on that endeavor during 2010, and 2) I'm a winner. Brandie is what you call Wonderwoman. She bakes, cooks, appliques, quilts, sews, etc., etc. In fact, she does so much, I can't keep up with it all. One of her activities is sewing totes, which I believe she sells locally. So, she whipped up a few for her give-away, and I was one of the lucky ones. Here it it, isn't it beautiful?
In the spirit of give-aways, I'll be hosting one beginning tomorrow, Monday, January 17. Please be sure to check in and see what and how you can win!!

It's squirrels for the new year!

2011-01-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'll admit it. I've become a bit of a squirrel and nut collector. It all started with my husband, who was joking with some guy friends and called them horn*y squirrels. Then the guys designed and ordered custom cycling jerseys that feature a squirrel. Since then it's been a bit of a competition to gather the most and biggest acorns. We have this cute little guy sitting outside our back sliding door.

Here's a picture of a nice iron grate I picked up somewhere. I really like it.
Here's a few pictures of the current acorn display. Can you guess which acorn my hubby contributed to the display? (Hint, see the bottom pic.)
So what does this have to do with quilting? Many of my fellow quilters know that I've always got an eye open for squirrel-related items. Carol G. sent me an email and directed me to this year's Bunny Hill Designs free BOM. Yep, you guessed it. A whole quilt of squirrels, and FREE!
Can I pass it up? NO WAY. In fact, I am planning on making two, one for hubby and one for his friend.
I may tweak a squirrel or two to make it more "man-friendly." Would any of you like to join me in making this darling quilt? Check out the link to Bunny Hill Designs for the details. In general, a new block is posted on the 5th of each month. That gives you a whole month to finish one (or in my case two) blocks. Easy peasy.

More cuteness in the shop

2010-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hi - Are you ready for the new year? Library Gal and I have been gearing up for 2011 by putting together some cuteness in our etsy shop. Please stop by if you get a chance. As far as new year's goes, well be taking our son back to the airport so he can return to the Navy base. I'm a bit sad because I think this may be our last Christmas together as family, but excited for him. Have a safe new year's eve and a fabulous 2011!

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hi friends. No, I didn't get lost or forget about my blog. Instead, I put blogging on hold so I could prepare for the holidays.

The mistletoe has been hung.

The mantle and table are decorated.

The trees are decorated.

And my son is home!!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Great Give Away!

2010-11-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hi - How was your Thanksgiving? Unfortunately, I'm afraid mine translated to about a pound a day. Yikes. Time to start exercising and eating in moderation. I wanted to tell you about a great give away hosted by Morning Star Quilts. Visit their blog and follow the rules for a chance to win a Hoffman bali pop. With names like Mocha Mint, Berry Bliss, Zinfandel, Blue Hawaiian, and Pink Lemonade, who could resist? Good luck!

Quilting the Owl Towel

2010-11-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Yep, I looked over my "finished quilts for 2010" and was horrified by my surprisingly small list. So, I'm trying to finish up every thing I can before year end. Right now I'm quilting the owl, tea towel that is. Here's two pics of it on my Juki.

If I can get it finished up this weekend, I can display it for Thanksgiving. On the Thanksgiving front, I got the turkey, fresh cranberries and brie cheese today. I'd better make a list for the rest or I'm sure to forget something. BTW, if anyone has a good baked brie recipe please send it my way.

Tomorrow I'll be teaching Beyond Stippling at Honey Run Quilters. Hope to see a few of you there!

"Tea Towel Owls" Wall Hanging

2010-11-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

I was wondering through Hubbs (a wonderful local shop) last month when I saw this super cute tea towel. Since I seem to have been on an owl quilt kick lately, my mind immediately kicked in to quilter gear. Wouldn't that be cute as the center of a quilt, I thought. Later that week, I found a fall-inspired charm pack at the local quilt shop and the next thing you know .....
Isn't it cute? I hope to have it quilted up by Thanksgiving. I have my glass pumpkins and acorn collection out and I hung a fall wreath on the front door this morning. Next up, preparing my Thanksgiving day menu (not that it changes much from year to year, lol!). What are you doing to prepare for Thanksgiving this year?

Strawberry Season?

2010-11-09T18:21:00.001-08:00

I like strawberries, but I love the strawberry patterns by Fig Tree Quilts. Although I don't have a little girl, I couldn't resist the Berry Sweet Bag pattern at Fig Tree's booth at PIQF.

And, of course, I had to have the Strawberry Shortcake pincushion pattern too! Here are the finished products. I was even able to use buttons from my vintage button collection to finish them off.

And, for those of you that know me, yes . . . I made 12 strawberries. I always say, why make only one when you can make a dozen!

New Necklaces

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Library Gal Quilts and I have been busy. Here's what we've put together this week.

PIQF 2010 - Treasures and Tips

2010-10-25T20:45:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, I'm still recovering from our fun-filled weekend at Pacific International Quilt Festival. For those of you who follow me, you know that Pam (Library Gal Quilts) and I went to PIQF. Thanks to all of you who have inquired about or ordered our mixed-metal quilters jewelry, we've been quite busy. I am just now sorting through all my treasures and wanted to share them with you, along with a few tips that I picked up at the show. From Fig Tree threads, I picked up the cutest Berry Sweet Bag kit. It's funny how a mother of two grown boys would be so attracted to a strawberry bag, but I went back to it three times and finally decided that I had to have it. I think I'll make it for myself, paired with jeans I think it will be sooooo cute. I also love the owl patterns, so when I saw these, I was all over them. I especially appreciate the mini kit, with all the pattern pieces already fused and cut out. That should make this a very quick, but very quick project. And what a cute idea for a quick baby gift, the Minkee Binkee kit. I also bought the Bitty Buddy, sure to come in handy just about anywhere I sew or quilt; and the Curve Master, a presser foot that really does sew curved seams quickly without pinning. For those of you who have taken my free-motion classes, you know that I am a big fan of the Supreme Slider. Well, I picked up a Sew Slip, which is similar, but larger, has a larger needle opening, is thinner, and less expensive. Thanks to Nancy Hepp, I'll have one for demo at my upcoming classes. Finally, I learned that a Chopping Mat from the Dollar Tree (two for a dollar) make good tracing templates. (Thanks to Sharon Pederson for that tip.) I've already cut out the templates for the Berry Sweet Bag!

That's it for me. What have you been up to? Do you have any tips that you care to share?

Our Winner and Thank You

2010-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Have you heard? Sharon of Grassroots Quilt Studios is the big winner! For joining in our give-away, Sharon gets her pick of any of the designs we already have, or she can choose a personalized message....we had a suggestion from a quilter here for her longarm business of "long armed and dangerous! How funny is that!

Pam and I want to give a big shout out to Nicole of Sisters Choice. So many of you came by to visit us through her. Nichole, thank you for sharing your blogging friends with us.

Also, a very special thank you to Carmen of Honey Run Quilters for showcasing our jewelry in her booth. Carmen, thank you so much! Honey Run Quilters is a fabulous quilt store and I encourage you to visit it if you are ever in Northern California.

Also, thank you to all of you for leaving comments and suggestions. We are thrilled with all of your positive comments on our venture! Thank you too, for becoming followers of One Stitch Off and Library Gal Quilts.

Now, for Pacific International. Yes, we went for the quilts (and vendors), but were very fortunate to be there while an Indian wedding was in progress. Here's a picture of the bride. And the bride's procession.

The women were so beautiful. We felt very plain compared to them. And the reception area. Here's Pam - no we weren't crashing the wedding, although we did give some thought to how we would pull it off. Oh my gosh, every girl's fairytale dream. Finally, here's a close up of one of the tables - just beautiful.
I'll post pics from PIQF as soon as I sort through them.

Until next time, happy quilting.

We Have A Winner!

2010-10-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you for leaving comments and becoming followers. We've had so much fun these last few days. As promised, we just drew names for the winner of a One Stitch Off mixed metal necklace, custom, hand-stamped, and made for quilters by quilters. Our lucky winner is SHARON, who said her favorite stamped saying is Keep Calm and Quilt. Congratulations to Sharon. We'll be in touch.

Tomorrow, pictures from PIQF so stay tuned.

Order Information

2010-10-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your overwhelming interest in our quilt-themed necklaces. Many of you have asked how much the necklaces cost and how to order them, so here's the info:

The necklaces are $22 each, plus $1.50 for shipping. If you want a personalized necklace the price is $35 plus shipping. To order, please send an email to 1stitchoff@gmail.com and we'll send you the order form. Just email us back the information on the form and presto - our little hands and fingers get busy!! Once we finish your order, we'll send you a PayPal invoice. If you don't have PayPal, we'll be glad to work out other arrangements.

We should have our Etsy shop stocked soon (www.etsy.com/shop/1stitchoff) but we will be taking this weekend off to enjoy the Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Again, thank you all for your comments and feedback!

Debbie and Pam

A Give Away!!

2010-10-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. Well, I like quilting and I like jewelry and really, don't they go together quite well? I mean, who wouldn't want to be all jeweled up while quilting? Library Gal Quilts and I cooked up this great idea to start making stamped metal jewelry targeted toward the quilter. I guess you could say jewelry for quilters made by quilters. We both love how it looks and have been pounding our hearts out getting it up and going. One Stitch Off Mixed Metal Stamped Jewelry has been born! We are proud to say that it is going to be at Pacific International Quilt Festival, available in the Honey Run Quilters booth (#110). Please stop by and see if for yourself if you are going to the show.

Because we are giddy with positivity, we want to give away a personalized stamped necklace. Yours could say, Mom, Wife, Grandma, Quilter...we'll add the charm you'd like or crystals in a favorite color. So, spread the word and good luck!

To win a personalized necklace here's the two things you need to do:

l. Please leave a comment telling us which necklace you like best on both of our blogs.
2. Suggest one necklace message such as: "live, laugh, quilt"
Library Gal Quilts and I will throw all the names in a basket Saturday night and pull the winner at 10 pm.

If you are a follower or become a follower, mention that in your comments for an extra chance to win.

If you would like to order any of these designs, or a personalized themed necklace, email us at: 1stitchoff@gmail.com and we'll get it going for you. For example, my son just joined the Navy and graduated from boot camp last week so I had to have a necklace that will keep him close to my heart while he's away. My triple-stacked necklace says his name, navy mom, proud of my sailor; and has a Navy charm. Super cute if I do say so myself. These necklaces are reasonably priced at $22 + $1.50 shipping, with personalized necklaces running slightly more.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck! Debbie and Pam in Chico

What Happened to Sept?

2010-09-29T21:29:00.001-07:00

I wonder what happened to September? It's almost gone and boy, did it speed by! I've been going nonstop this month.

I was able to teach a class, attend a sew/quilt day (on my birthday, too), partake in two wine tastings, celebrate my hubby's birthday, go out to dinner with some family, create some jewelry and work, work, work. My hubby was without a secretary for almost a month, so all my days off (except the day I taught a class and my birthday) have been spent helping him out. I am really ready for a rest.

Here's some pictures from my recent class, each wall hanging started with a vintage linen napkin:

Still Quilting ... Plus More

2010-09-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hi. I've been busy these last few weeks. Yes, I'm still quilting, plus I've embarked on another hobby (more of that to come later). I've got about 4 wall hangings in various stages of completion, plus a few other quilts on the planning list. Oh, and my nephew's wife is expecting a baby so I hope to make a baby quilt soon, too. Here's a pic of a little wall hanging that I am almost done with (just finishing up the binding and still have to add a bead for an eye). I bought this cute pattern from Kellie at Don't Look Now. Also, this must be the year of the owl because I've started another. Here's the center block. What do you think?

Laptop Redo

2010-08-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

First things first. A special thank you to Mod Podge Rocks for all the tips, ideas and inspiration. I visit the blog regularly, but have not attempted a real project until now. You won't believe the things that can be done with Mod Podge and fabric, or Mod Podge and just about anything else for that matter.

Those who know me know that I love black and white polka dots. In fact, you can find a bit of black and white polka in most of my quilts. Recently I bought some black and white polka coffee cups. I was sitting at my laptop, drinking a cup of coffee from my super cute coffee cup and a light went on - yes, it was inspiration. Off I went to the quilt shop for fabric and the hardware store for the wet sandpaper and steel wool, and a new project was started. With that said, I'm posting before and after pics of my laptop redo, along with a pic that shows all of the supplies I used.

Here's a quick rundown on the process that I used:
1. Apply the back side of the fabric with a coat of Mod Podge Gloss and let dry. (Note: This step is extremely important because it prevents the fabric from fraying when you cut it.)
2. Cut the fabric to size and applied a thin layer of Mod Podge to the top of the laptop.
3. Place the fabric, right side up, on the top of the laptop. Immediately use the edge of a credit card or something similar to smooth out the fabric and to remove any bubbles or wrinkles.
4. Wait 30 minutes.
5. Cover the fabric with a layer of Mod Podge; apply the first layer of Mod Podge from side to side. Wait 30 minutes.
6. Add another layer of Mod Podge; this time apply alternate the direction in which the Mod Podge is applied. Wait 30 minutes. Continue this process until about 5 layers have been applied.
7. After the last layer has set for about an hour, wet sand the fabric, wipe the top with a damp cloth and then with a dry cloth, and follow with 0000 steel wool. This will take the "bumps" out and make the top smooth. (Note: I learned that wet sand means you take a piece of the sandpaper, soak it in water for about 15 minutes, and then use the wet sandpaper.)
8. Repeat steps 5, 6 until you reach your desired number of layers of Mod Podge (my laptop has about 10 layers of Mod Podge) and then repeat step 7.
9. Tape off the areas that you don't want to varnish.
10. Finish with a coat or two of clear varnish.
11. Sit back and admire your handiwork!

If this inspires you, please drop me a note and let me know what you made, and send a pic if you can. And don't forget to visit Mod Podge Rocks.

Catching Up and On the Wall

2010-08-11T22:59:00.001-07:00

Hi friends, it's been a very busy few weeks for me. In an earlier post I mentioned my plans, which have now come and gone. First, I vacationed in Cabo San Lucas. A great vacation. We arrived home at 10 pm and threw a send-off to the Navy party for our youngest son at 6 pm the following day. After the party, I tried to spend as much time with my son as possible. It was a bit hard because he was getting nervous and not sleeping at night, so when he finally did fall asleep he slept, and slept, and slept. We had a final night out for dinner at a favorite restaurant and then delivered him to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) for check-in. The following morning we were able to attend his swearing-in ceremony and then he was off for the Great Lakes, IL. Fast forward to the weekend and I attended my high school reunion. Thirty-five years, can that be right? So, now I'm back to work and planning out my projects. I am working on a cute owl quilt and have another owl quilt waiting in the wings. I guess this will be the year of the owl. Also, I've decided to Mod Podge the top of my laptop with fabric (black and white polkas, what else?). This evening I was all set to go when I reviewed instructions on the Mod Podge Rocks site and found that there is a special Mod Podge with use for fabric. I don't know how much of a difference it makes but I thought I'd wait until tomorrow so I can run out and pick up a bottle. Stay tuned for before and after pics.

That's it for me. A very busy few weeks indeed. Do you have vacation plans? What are you working on?

A little crafty

2010-07-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have many quilt tops waiting to be quilted and many UFOs waiting to be completed, but I've felt a little crafty. Remember the animal print purse I made not too long ago? Well, I had left over fabric so decided to make a matching Maggie, little wallet, and little pails. I call my Maggie the "Maggie Deluxe." I made the larger-sized Maggie to hold my iPhone, then attached the smaller-sized Maggie to the back to hold the earphones. I attached a strap from the center back and I can attach it to my purse, luggage tag style.

Three finished quilts

2010-07-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

I finished up three small baby quilts. Two I finished up several weeks ago; the third - the vintage quilt top with the drummer bear - was finished up last night. I can't recall where I found the drummer bear, perhaps an estate sale?, but it's super cute. The edges were finished so I think it was a summer coverlet but now it's a quilt. All I need to finish it up is add the binding. I made the other two quilts for "Quilts for Babes." Finally, I'm including a pic of a super cute purse I made a few weeks ago. Right now I'm working on making a Lazy Girls "Maggie" to match. I've also been helping my friend Imogene quilt a baby quilt. It is such a darling quilt with a nursery rhyme theme. She's working on the binding now so once it's complete I'll be sure to post a pic. That's it for now. Have a great week!

Catching Up and Something Cute!

2010-07-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. It's been a few weeks since I've blogged; I've been busy, busy, busy. Here's what's been going on (skip this part and go to the bottom of the post if you want to get to the "Something Cute").

As some of you know, I have that full-time job that gets in my creative way. Plus, there's the 90 mile drive to and from. Also, as a state employee, I've been furloughed for the last year or so, which for me was great. I had three day weekends for the first three weeks of each month. Unfortunately, furloughs are over so back to full time work. It wouldn't be so bad if I was back to full pay, but no - this is California, so I'm now working for federal minimum wage, at least until California's budget situation is resolved.

I also had the great fun of moving recently. A daily commute of 90 miles each way is just too much for me, so I have a sweet loft studio near my workplace. I drive in on Monday, stay and work for the week, and head home on Thursday evenings. My studio is, of course, a quilting studio complete with an 8' x 8' design wall. So far, so good, right? Well, I had the unfortunate luck of having a neighbor who was very loud and inconsiderate of her neighbors. And, she brought boyfriends back to her apartment for partying at 3 and 4 am. It was not a good experience, so a week or so ago I moved apartments. My new studio is WAY, WAY better. Nice neighbors, plus I have a patio! But really, the moving part was a drag. Luckily, my 19 year old son came to help me out and it was nice having him here.

So, about my 19 year old son, his name is Spencer and he is a Navy recruit. He leaves for Boot Camp in less than a month so I've been trying to be home as much as possible to spend these last few months with him, which is difficult because (1) that job of mine, 90 miles out of town, continually gets in the way, and (2) he's hardly home and apparently prefers to spend his time hanging with his friends than with me. Oh well, what's a mom to do? How about taking him on a fabulous trip before he leaves?

Vacation it is! I've been trying to come up with a fabulous vacation idea for the two of us. First I thought Disneyland, but then I realized that standing in long lines was just not something that either of us wanted to do. I thought about Tahoe, the Bay Area, even Hawaii. Then, completely unexpected, a friend of ours send an email asking if we want to meet and stay with him at his timeshare in CABO SAN LUCAS. My exact response: Can you say "margarita"!? So yes, we're off to Cabo in the very near future.

With all this activity, I've had little time for quilting, but luckily I have my friend Pam who keeps me up-to-date with important quilt-related information. Right now she's at Sister's in Oregon and I'm sure she's having a great time. She sent me a quick text pic this afternoon; a pic of fabric - lots of fabric! SOMETHING CUTE: Yesterday she sent me a link to the cutest blog called Bee in My Bonnet. Check out the blog and be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win one of these cute, cute pincushions and please let her know that One Stitch Off sent you her way. If you don't win, don't fret - she has a tutorial that guides you through the steps to make one for yourself!

That's it for now. I'll be in touch soon.

I-Spy Fabric Swap

2010-06-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the I-Spy fabric swap that I participated in recently? Well, Kate's at it again. If you are interested, jump over and sign up here. But act fast, it's only open to the first 30 that leave a comment.

What's the Big Stink?

2010-06-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's a corpse flower! Yep, Pam (you know her as Library Gal) and I had lunch on Friday and took a quick side trip to visit a corpse flower. This particular flower is only one of just a few in California. It is native to the island of Sumatra and is the largest unbranched inflorescense in the world, and it's related to the common calla lily and philodendron. Most corpse flowers only bloom once every few years. This particular flower seems to be on the three-year cycle and I saw (and smelled) it then, too. So, why is it called the corpse flower - it's smell. It is one stinky flower, which is apparently how it lures flies. They say the smell reminds people of decaying flesh, which fortunately I've never had to smell. To me, it smelled like a garbage dumpster on a hot day - or maybe a dead and stinky starfish. Yuck. But, despite its smell, it was a cool flower to visit.

Now for Some Quilted Sunflowers

2010-05-28T12:29:00.007-07:00

Here's just a peak or two at some quilting on a few Shining Sunflowers.

Still More Shining Sunflowers

2010-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've taught Sharon Schamber's Shining Sunflower class maybe 7 or 8 times now and every time a new sunflower is made I feel like a proud mom, and Saturday's class was no exception. On Saturday we had 9 new sunflowers bloom. I received a request for pictures of the sunflowers so here you go. My next post will include pictures of some of the sunflowers I've quilted, to give you a few quilting design ideas. Enjoy!

I Spy

2010-05-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I joined a I-Spy Fabric Swap. How fun! The swap ended May 1, and shortly after May 15th I received a package filled with 200 different squares of fabric. A special shout out goes to Katie for hosting the swap. My package included fabrics from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Washington, Oregon, New York, North Dakota, Minnesota, Maine, Virginia, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Vancouver, BC! Of course, now comes the hard part of deciding how to use them. I have a few ideas but would welcome any ideas that you have. If you are considering participating in an I-Spy Fabric Swap, check out Katie's blog at fabriKate designs here.

I'm Back!

2010-05-13T18:05:00.001-07:00

Hi friends - I hope all has been well with you. I didn't intend to take a break from blogging, but things just seemed to get in my way. First, I participated in the Wildflower bicycle ride, then I started making cute little things like Maggies (by Lazy Girl Designs) and Little Wallets (by Valori Wells) and checkbook covers (by Crazy Mom Quilts) and I just couldn't stop. You see, I'm one of those who thinks it's just as easy to make 12 of something as it is to make 1, so my pile of sewing projects just continues to grow and grow. I did make good progress and will try to post a pic next week of my crafts.

I'm also back to quilting and have the polka dot sunflower well on its way to completion. I'll be happy to have it finished because I'm scheduled to teach another class the Saturday after next and every time I teach the class, I make a sunflower. Also, I've been spending time looking over MQResource. I encourage you to check it out. It's filled with tons of information for anyone who machine quilts. I especially enjoy looking at the finished quilts. It's like going to a new quilt show every day. Oh, and did I mention that I've now taken 3 classes online through MQResource? Quilt Whisperer by Carla Barrett, Feather Boot Camp by Suzanne Early, and Wholecloth Execution and Design by Adam Chenevert. I can't say enough about how great these classes are and you'd be surprised by how well it works via the internet.

Well, that's about it for now. My hubby and I are off to San Francisco tomorrow, then to Sacramento on Saturday afternoon/evening so we can watch Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour on Sunday. Have a great weekend and I'll touch base again next week.

Quilts for Babes - Quilt #2 Quilted

2010-04-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hi. I have the Quilts for Babes all packaged up and ready to mail to Kathy if Magnolia Designs, but thought I'd share a pic of the quilting on Quilt #2. I think it turned out really cute, but then perhaps I'm biased. PS - I have two other Quilts for Babes started. Stay tuned!

Gardening

2010-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was so beautiful; I officially have spring fever. I spent Friday morning at the garden shop picking up some flowers and Friday afternoon planting them. Here's a pic of before and after, and also a pic of my "pet" turtle. Finally, I'm including a pic of my little fountain that I built myself! After getting the plants planted, I spent some time clearing out some overgrown areas of the yard and guess what? I'm definitely allergic to something in my yard. I spent Friday night trying not to scratch my skin to pieces and Saturday at urgent care getting a shot for some much needed relief. Now I have an excuse to get out of future yard work! I hope you are enjoying the weather. Even though it rained last night and this morning here in Northern California, I understand that we're back on track for 79 degrees on Friday. Yeah!

Quilts for Babes - Quilt #2

2010-04-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

Hi friends. I hope you had a great weekend! I taught a machine quilting class on Saturday, then puttered around the house on Sunday. (My intended bike ride was canceled due to the wind and rain.) Since I spent the day indoors, I made another Quilt for Babes. If you're a quilter, I encourage to join in. The details are in the post below. Have a great week and happy quilting.

Quilts for Babes - Join In!

2010-04-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

When I read that Amber of One Shabby Chick was joining forces with Kathy to make and donate small quilts (around 24" x 36") to a hospital's ICU for babies, I knew that I wanted to join in. You see, my baby boy (now 19 years old) was born about 11 weeks early and spent several months in Kaiser's NICU. I wasn't a quilter then, but I certainly am now so what a great way to help out. One Shabby Chick put the call out for 8 1/2" pinwheel blocks (or even small quilts of any style- not just pinwheels). Plus, she's having a giveaway to help sweeten the deal too....for every block you send to her, you get one entry....a quilt will get you 10 entries. The deadline is May 1 so you still have plenty of time to get a block or two, or even a small quilt, whipped up.

Here's a link to a tutorial on making a pinwheel block. For 8.5" square pinwheels you'll need to cut 5" squares of your fabric, which will yield 4.5" half square triangle units. (I always over-cut my squares just slightly, then square up to 4.5".)

I had so much fun making my first pinwheel block quilt that I'm planning another and I'm inviting you to join in the fun on project "Quilts for Babes." Be sure to let One Shabby Chick know that want to contribute and she'll mail you her address. Have a great day!

Finished Quilt in 2010 #3

2010-04-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

If you check in from time to time then you know I've been working diligently on my 2009 Bunny Hill Designs BOM called "A Tisket A Tasket." I am happy to announce that it's finally finished. Yeah! You may have been lucky enough to get the patterns for free, but if not they are now available for purchase here. I enlarged the pattern to 125% and am very happy with the size. This year, Bunny Hill Designs free BOM is called Snowbound and you can find the patterns for free here. Why don't you join me in making Snowbound?

Machine Quilting Tip #3

2010-03-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Do you love to quilt feathers? Looking for something just as fun, but a bit different? How about leaves. Kim Stotsenberg, over at Sew-n-Sew Quilting, has published a great booklet called Just Leaf It. The booklet teaches how to quilt the basic leaf shape, how to add swirls and curlicues, and includes a sampler of leaf designs for borders, corners, squares, setting triangles, and melon shapes. It also has leaf designs for four different quilt patterns and a picture gallery. I'm including a pic of a small wall hanging that I made utilizing Kim's technique and booklet.

You can purchase Just Leaf It at Kim's blog, here.

If you visit Kim's blog, please be sure to leave her a comment and let her know that you heard about her here.

Machine Quilting Tip #2

2010-03-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

One thing I love is the look of curved crosshatching and I've always had my eye out for just the right tool. Well, I've found it and its DeLoa's Boomerang rulers! She has three different boomerangs that have different curves depending on how curvy you want your crosshatching to be, based on 12", 15", and 20" circles. The rulers have increments of 1/4" up to 1 1/4" so you can have a choice of how far apart you want your lines. They also have the increments from the concave as well as convex curves for easier handling. These rulers are intended for long-arm quilters and are made of Plexiglass so they are a bit more expensive than your regular stencil. However, they work great. I just used mine to mark cross-hatching on the baskets of my Bunny Hills BOM. Deloa has a free instructional video on her website... check it out!

Machine Quilting Tip #1

2010-03-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I taught a no-mark, free-motion feathers quilting class at my local quilt shop. During the class, I shared a number of machine quilting tips with my students. I have additional tips and information that I promised to share on my blog, but instead of starting out with one of my own, I wanted to share this great tip on Aligning the Quilt Sandwich from Red Pepper Quilts. This tip/tutorial is particularly useful if you like to piece your backing and want to align the back with the top. Also, Red Pepper Quilts quilted her mini quilt with a square spiral and shares a very clever way to mark where to take the turns. Please be sure to leave a comment for Red Pepper Quilts thanking her for her tip/tutorial and let her know that you heard about her here. Thanks for visiting and I'll share tip #2 in the next few days.

The Polka Dot Sunflower

2010-03-10T21:58:00.001-08:00

If you've followed this blog at all, you know that I teach a class on this sunflower and each time I make another. I decided to break out of my traditional rut and go for the polka dots. So here's a pic of the wall hanging in process. I still need to quilt it, but that will come. In 2010 I promise!

PS - If you see faint stitching on the wall hanging, it's because I've machine basted it with Vanish Lite.

A delightful introduction

2010-03-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Pam (you know her as Library Gal Quilts) and a few of her friends threw a party this weekend to introduce their friends to Miss Meander, their new long arm machine. And do those girls know how to throw a party! Miss Meander has her own studio and it was beautifully decorated with quilts on the walls (what else?), beautiful flowers, a dessert table, and the laughter and sounds of friendships made through quilting. Four gals are the owners of Miss Meander and I predict they will all be quilting up a storm in no time. I am, of course, jealous.

Finished Quilt in 2010 - #2

2010-03-03T13:02:00.001-08:00

Several weeks ago I showed you a sneak peek. Here's the finished project. It's based on a pattern from Don't look now. I used a vintage linen napkin as the background and went from there. It was so much fun. I can hardly wait to make another one!

I Promised You a Nightmare!

2010-02-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

So, I'm glad this happened to me and not one of my students. Luckily they all had fabulous taste and their sunflowers came out beautiful. Me, on the other hand, no so. First let me tell you that the sunflower is constructed upside down on paper, so you don't know what it will look like until it's done. OK, now I've given you the only excuse I can come up with. I'm posting a before (nightmare) and after (slightly less nightmarish) picture for your ?enjoyment? I replaced the center, added an additional ring in the center to tone down the bright blue, changed out one side of the stem, and replaced three petals. Tomorrow I'll post a few more pics from Saturday's class, along with my newest polka-dot sunflower.

More Fabulous Shining Sunflowers

2010-02-23T22:11:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I taught the Shining Sunflower quilt class at my local quilt shop. It was a great day. I think everyone really enjoyed the class and each and every student left with a completed sunflower. Now they just need to add borders and quilt as desired. I'm posting pics of some of the finished sunflowers for you to admire. Stay tuned for my next post. I'll be showing the most UGLY sunflower ever made. And yes, I confess, it was made by yours truly. But, I was able to perform a bit of surgery on it so I'll show you the UGLY before pic and they NOT QUITE AS UGLY pic. Until then, have a great night!

A Sneak Peak

2010-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

How has your week been? The weather in Northern California has been fantastic; although rain is forecast for later this week, today's temp was 69 degrees with the same forecast for tomorrow. Yeah! So, I should be working on my UFO's. Really! But it's so much fun to start something new. So, I decided it would be okay to start something new as long as it was small. Here's a sneak peak on how it's coming. I was making good progress until I sewed my thumb - no really, I got my thumb under the foot and directly in the path of the needle, so that's it for me tonight. Take care and have a good evening.

Travel Advice Needed

2010-02-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Help! I'm planning a trip for the end of December through the beginning of January and need some suggestions. First. The trip will be international (outside the US). Second, we like warmer climates. Third, we like to get out, explore the country, drive, hike, bike, whatever it takes to experience the culture. I have spent time looking at places such as Thailand, Chile, Costa Rica and just can't decide on a destination. Can any of you offer any suggestions? My hubby and I are looking for something other than sitting by a pool. Please leave me your suggestions!

Two Milestones

2010-02-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

This has been a significant week in the lives of my boys. On Friday, my youngest (in the beanie, looking ever so happy) moved out and into a house with his brother and two other roommates. Yesterday, my oldest (and new roommate to my youngest) turned 21. We celebrated at the Sierra Nevada Brewery where he ordered the "sampler," 2 oz shot glasses of 16 different Sierra Nevada beers. No, he didn't drink them all. Luckily he's a good college student and had classes today so he didn't over indulge. The house sounds strangely quiet as my hubby and I adjust to being empty-nesters. And how was your week?

A Giveaway!

2010-02-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Kerri at Lovely Little Handmades is having a 100th post giveaway. Check out her post here and enter to win. Kerri also has a great Etsy shop where she sells fabulous fabrics, including some adorable Japanese prints. Good luck and be sure to check out her Etsy shop!

A Big Improvement

2010-02-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

Do you have trouble with detailed work? I have monovision contacts (one eye is fit with a distance lens and the other eye is fit with a near lens, supposedly providing clear vision for both distance vision and near) but still have trouble with detailed machine quilting work. So, I was quite excited when I ran across the Gammill magnifier. It has an 181/2" flexible neck with a clamp and it was easy to attach to my domestic machine (a Juki). I just clamped it to the handle and adjusted the neck to get the magnifier in position. I thought it would take some time to adjust to and it did - about 2 seconds! I love it!

Babycakes!

2010-02-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Yumm. Tonight I took a class called "Crazy for Cupcakes," put on by a local bakery called Babycakes that specializes in cupcakes. There were a total of 7 students. We learned the recipes for, and then made, both vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. Then, the owner brought out Italian butter cream frosting, chocolate butter cream frosting, and toppings and we frosted/topped our cupcakes. Each of us took home a dozen cupcakes; 6 of each type. Since I'm watching what I eat, I plan on taking my cupcakes in to work tomorrow to share with my coworkers. I've already signed up for the next class called "Top that Cupcake." In that class, I'll learn the recipes for the frosting and will learn to pipe the frosting onto more cupcakes. YUMM!

On the wall

2010-01-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

This week has not been nearly as productive as the last. For the last two nights, I've cut out fabric to make checkbook covers and wallets. Now, I just need to get down to business and get them sewed together, but I'm here and my favorite sewing machine (Pfaff 7530) is there. (For those of you that don't know, I live in one town and work in another.) So tonight I'm tracing out shapes to make a raw edge applique wall hanging (more on that later) based on a pattern I bought recently from Don't Look Now. Since I don't have anything to current to share, here's a picture of a vintage linen that I quilted and have hanging in my studio.

A productive week

2010-01-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I spent the week in Bodega Bay, doing nothing but quilting. Woo hoo! It's amazing how much you can get accomplished when you have large blocks of uninterrupted time to devote. I fixed my bird quilt, I pieced a bali's quilt for an upcoming wedding gift, pieced a backing for my Bunny Hill BOM using a few blocks that I messed up on, and made some super cute wallets and checkbook covers.

Hanging Quilts the Rachel Way

2010-01-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today I was lucky enough to teach a quilt class to a great group of gals. By the end of the day, everyone was well on their way to mastering background fills. I mentioned to the class, and want to share with you, a great idea on hanging quilts by Rachel at p.s. i quilt. Clicking here will take you to her post that includes step-by-step instructions for her method. Also, for those of you interested in Carla's class called Quilt Whisperer, click here. Carla's class, which will be held on March 13 at High Sierra Quilters in Cameron Park, is all about how to choose the best quilting design to enhance your quilts, and she also discusses which batting to choose, thread selection, and tips for achieving perfect tension. Finally, for those of you that are interesting in quilting leaves into your projects, check out Just Leaf It by Kim Stotsenberg. Kim's book gives step-by-step instructions on how to make a sampler of leaf designs for borders, blocks and setting triangles. To order, email Kim at thatsewnsew@yahoo.com. I'm including a pic of a little something I made using Kim's instructions.

Easy Scallops

2010-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me how I made the scallops on my Bunny Hill Designs quilt (see pic below) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you my new toy, I mean tool. I purchased EZ Quilting's Easy Scallop, by Darlene Zimmerman after I saw a demo of it at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. It is incredibly easy. It comes in two sizes and allows you to make scallops from 4" to 12." First, you measure the length of your border, decide on the number of scallops you want, and divide the border length by that number. This gives you scallop size and you simply set the tool to the scallop size and you're ready to mark your scallops. For the scalloped inner border, I cut a piece of freezer paper to the length of my top and bottom borders, and another the length of my side borders. Next, I marked the scallops onto the freezer paper and cut out them out. Then, I used the freezer paper and starch technique to finish the edges of the scallops. Finally, I put the yellow scallops on top of the darker border and appliqued it in place and then cut away the darker fabric from the back. Super simple. I hope this was helpful.

Finished Quilt in 2010 - #1

2010-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can hardly believe that it is already Jan 11th. Here's a brief overview of what I've been up to. For New Year's Eve, my DH joined me in Sacramento and we had a wonderful night out, dining at Morton's and enjoying a bit of the bubbly. New Year's Day was spent at the IMAX theater, where we saw Avatar on the BIG screen. Fabulous! The following day we drove to Reno to celebrate our wedding anniversary and spent the night at the Sienna, Reno's only boutique hotel right on the Truckee River. January 5th, was our 24th wedding anniversary, and it was the 2nd anniversary that we've spent apart. Both times, I was working out of town. Good thing we celebrated over the weekend! I finally made it home over the weekend, the first since Christmas weekend. In addition to catching up with the bookkeeping and bill paying at my DH's office, I was faced with a house that still looked like Christmas. I spent the remainder of the weekend putting things back in order.

On the quilt front, I'll be teaching a Beyond Stippling free-motion quilting class at my local quilt shop this Saturday. Then, next week I'll be going on a 4-day quilt retreat and I have high hopes to complete a number of UFO's.

As it is, I feel quite accomplished to report that I've finished finished my first quilt for 2010. I finally finished Out the Window, by Material Obsession. I need to add some small beads for the eyes and then I'll be hanging it up in my office at work.

The birds on my other bird quilt are no longer "walking on water." That's right, I set them free and am much happier for it. I had big plans on getting them repieced this week and pulled out and brought Kaffe fabrics with me to my studio, but left the birds at home. Oh well, what do you do?

I'll leave you with a few pics of Out the Window, birds set free, and my cat, Lucky. When I sort the laundry on my bed, she always tries to get in the middle of the warm clothes. This time she jumped right into the laundry basket and believe me, she did not want to move!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:29:00.001-08:00

Walking on water - a horrible mistake

2009-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Help! I loved this bird pattern the moment I saw it. Unfortunately I decided to use a "cloud-like" background, then thought I'd be smart and make the sky in different values, from light at the tip to darker at the bottom. Another unfortunate, I didn't put it up on a design wall first. So now, what do I have? Birds who clearly appear to be walking on water. What to do? Any suggestions? My only thoughts right now are to use a jumbo rick rack in brown, and stitch it under their feet so it looks like they are walking on something, then using regular-sized rick rack in green to make flower stems here and there, and then adding flowers to the top of the stems. Please, give me some other suggestions. On another note, my Bunny Hill Designs BOM is now fully pieced and almost ready to be quilted. I just need to prepare the backing and them I'm ready to quilt. And now, it's time to say good bye to 2009 and hello to 2010. I hope you have a safe New Year's Eve, a happy New Year's Day, and a great 2010.

A few gift items

2009-12-22T07:30:00.001-08:00

Here are pics of a few of crafty items I've made for the holidays. Tutorials can be found here for the checkbook cover (by Crazy Mom Quilts), baked potato bag, and cooper bookmark (by Carla at Feathered Fibers).

What crafty items will you be working on in 2010? Please share.

A Vintage Christmas Wish

2009-12-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we're on the final countdown for Christmas. Are you ready? I finally got my cards out yesterday. I wrapped some small gifts this evening and made some mock toffee and some Extreme Toasted Marshmallow Candy Bar Rice Crispy Treats. (Clearly this is not going to be a low-cal holiday.) And with that, I think I'm done. I'll make a quick to Sacramento tomorrow for 3 1/2 days, then will head back home to enjoy the holiday. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

A good sized ottoman

2009-12-14T19:16:00.001-08:00

Each evening, my DH and I sit on the 8 foot couch and fight for foot space on the small ottoman. So, I had a vision. Why not make a huge ottoman? First I thought I'd use a child's sized mattress as a base but then remembered that I had (1) a door and (2) a king-sized memory foam, both taking up space in my garage. So, I'm half way there, right? A quick trip to Joann's for fabric and Home Depot for the legs and brackets, and I'm on my way. Now, just a bit of sweet-talking to my DH and woo-hoo! A great ottoman, 80" x 24". It's perfect for everyone sitting on the couch.

A few random things

2009-12-09T21:20:00.001-08:00

Well, it was fall last week, but has turned to winter this week, with lows down to 21 or so the last few days. Burr! It's been a busy weekend. Saturday and Sunday I attended Cindy Needham's Good Time Weekend, with lots of quilting and chatting and, oh, must I mention the eating? Saturday was the day that the last Bunny Hill Designs free quilt pattern came out. Yes, I was right on top of it. I headed home Saturday evening, printed out the pattern along the way, and whipped the remaining block up. Now I just need to add borders and quilt (right, like a month project for me) but at least I have a plan. Monday and Tuesday were work, work, work, as well as today (Wed) and tomorrow. Somewhere in there I made a double batch of lemon cookies for an office get-together, and got some gifts together for Christmas. Also, my small quilt group, Material Girls, met last night for our annual dinner and gift exchange. I have been with the Material Girls from our first meeting (hosted at my house) and I believe this is our 12th year together. It's been so nice to get to know such a great group of women. All in all, a very busy few days. Tonight I'm headed to bed early and have no projects scheduled tomorrow or Friday. Maybe I'll get something done on Sat, we'll see. So, how are you doing with quilting/sewing projects? Are you busy shopping, too busy to quilt? I'm leaving you with a few pictures, in no particular order; Suzanne's Christmas apron (so cute!) Connie's Shining Sunflower (a class that I taught earlier in the year), and my Bunny Hill Designs block of the month quilt (without borders). Have a good few days and I'll check in with you this weekend.

The Look of Fall

2009-12-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to a quilt retreat weekend, called Good Times Weekend, put on by Cindy Needham. It's held at the local quilt shop, about 5 miles from my home. The route from my home to the quilt shop takes me by the park, which was in all its glory. The leaves are turning and it was so pretty that I couldn't help myself, I had to stop at the one-mile park to take a few pics. Since it was around 9 am there weren't many people out. During the summer this swimming hole is packed (and adequately supervised by my son, one of the lifeguards). It's just beautiful. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful area.

A Pink Flower & A Vintage Linen Napkin

2009-12-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of a wall hanging I just finished. It started as a vintage linen napkin plus a vintage floral applique piece that I purchased off Etsy.com. While you can't see it, the back is a piece of old linen (hint: a good source of backing fabric that you can often find quite cheap, especially if it has a bad spot that you can work around). I started this wall hanging as a demo on how to use Elmer's Washable Glue in quilting at my local quilt show. I used Elmer's to glue the napkin to the background piece, then stitched the napkin in place and cut away the background piece behind the napkin. Then I glued the flower in place. Finally I started quilting and in the process stitched the applique piece in place. I marked the spine with the washable blue marker and then added the feathers as I went. The first picture shows my marking. The second picture shows the completed piece. The third picture is a little something I worked up on my phone with a kaleidoscope application. I simply selected the picture, hit the start button, and watched the picture turn into a really cool one. That's it for today. Drop me a note if you hae other ideas on how to share on incorporating vintage linen napkins into quilts.

Bunny Hill Designs - BOM

2009-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

How are you doing? Have you recovered from the turkey feast? I ate way too much, that's for sure!

Do you know about the free block of the month pattern from Bunny Hill Designs? You can find it here. Each month a pattern comes out on the 5th. I have been faithfully keeping up with it, often finishing up my block the day it came out. I am now anxiously awaiting the final block. In the meantime, I've got it pieced together and am ready to start working on the border. That way I can spring into action on December 5. Here's a pic of my progress so far. What do you think? Any suggestions on a border? I was thinking that something with scallops would be nice. Well, I'd love to hear your ideas! (PS - I enlarged the pattern to 125%. With the sashing, each block measures12 1/2" unfinished.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. We will have a small group for dinner; 8 or maybe nine of us total. But, I like to cook for 20 because I love the leftovers. It takes the guess work out of "what's for dinner?" through the weekend. I have the dinner table already set, the spinach dip made, and the green bean casserole and the stuffing ready to pop in the over. Tomorrow morning I'll put the bird in, get the sweet potatoes going (this year in the crock pot), and prepare the cranberries and rest of the appetizers. My friend Sue is bringing a fruit salad, pumpkin pie, and wine. We won't go to bed hungry, that's for sure. Oh, and I pulled out my cranberry margarita recipe and have all the ingredients lined up and ready to go. Woo hoo! One sad note, my youngest son remarked that this will be his last Thanksgiving with the family for a long, long time - in August he heads off to the Navy for a six year commitment.

On the quilting front, I now have an 8' x 8' design wall in my Sacramento studio. Very cool. I almost have my bunny hill block-of-the-month pieced together so I'll be ready on December 5th to finish the final block and get it put together. I'm working on a few Christmas gifts so can't say much about those - just in case the recipient may be reading this blog.

Good luck to all of you brave enough to venture out on Black Friday. I think I'll stay home, sew and quilt, and enjoy the leftovers.

No Mark Feathers

2009-11-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm pleased to report that everyone who took my class yesterday left knowing how to machine quilt feathers - without marking! Now, practice, practice, practice, as that really is the trick. In class we used a high contrast thread so we could see our work, but now students are ready to select a thread color that matches their quilt top and go - go - go (no, I don't mean dance.) Here's a few pics of students enjoying the class.

More Vintage Pin Cushions

2009-11-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm teaching a machine quilting class at Honey Run Quilters called No Mark Feathers. I'm looking forward to it and think it will be well received. Students started signing up for the class in August and it quickly booked up. I'll take a few pics of the class to post. In the meantime, here's pictures of a few more pin cushions. Enjoy.

More Vintage Pin Cushions

2009-11-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, they just keep coming. But aren't they cute? So cute I can hardly stand it! Do you have any special collections? Let me know, I'd love to hear about it.

Vintage Pin Cushions

2009-11-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hi friends - The weekend is almost here and for us furloughed state workers, that means a 3-day weekend. Yeah! I haven't quilted a stitch all week and am I'm hoping to finally finish quilting my sunflower wallhanging made with Kaffe fabrics. I hope to have good news to report on Monday regarding my progress. In the mean time, here are a few pictures of pin cushions from my vintage collection.

Machine Quilting

2009-11-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

I taught a machine quilting class on Saturday. The class title is Beyond Stipple and it is designed to teach quilters a variety of background fillers besides the basic stipple. In two weeks, I'll teach a class called No Mark Feathers, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've had a great response to my classes so I must be doing something right! If you are in Northern California, you can check out the class schedule and sign up for the Beyond Stipple class here and the No Mark Feathers class here.

Another Fabulous Quilt Show

2009-10-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Annie Star Quilt Guild's biennial quilt show, held in Chico, CA. Kudos to Kaywood and Debi for their great work in organizing the show. It was great! Here are a few pictures of quilts, with more to come!

Pacific International Quilt Festival

2009-10-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who attended the PIQF, wasn't it great? For those of you who did not attend, I recommend you put it on your calendar for next year (Oct 14 - 17, 2010) and start planning now! I haven't been in a number of years and wasn't planning on attending this year, but a friend had some extra room so invited me along. What a fabulous event. I enjoyed every minute of it, and occasionally kicked myself for letting the recent years slip by without attending. We were there Friday and half of Saturday and that really wasn't enough time. There was sooooo much to see. Beautiful quilts, interesting quilts, big quilts, small quilts. There was also sooooo much to buy. And, by Friday some vendors were already sold out of some items. Yikes! You really need to be on your toes or you'll miss out. Also, the long arm dealers are there with an opportunity for you to try out their machines. I was able to pick up a few patterns, a small bit of fabric, and lots of gadgets and supplies. I'm posting a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Love that LOVE

2009-10-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

This is just a quick note to let you know that Mrs. Schmenkan Quilts is having a give-away for a stack of 8 fat quarters of Amy Butler's LOVE in honor of Sweetest Day. Be sure to check out her blog and leave a comment - who knows, maybe you'll be the winner. But be sure to hurry, the deadline is Saturday, Oct 17. Good luck!

Good stuff

2009-10-12T19:42:00.001-07:00

Hi friends. This post isn't about quilting, sewing or crafting, but it is about GOOD STUFF! With the weather changing (and the big storm headed this way this evening), don't you want to be warm and cuddly at night? Well, I have two words for you: Fleece Sheets! No kidding, check them out at Costco. Last year I bought my son some fleece sheets and he said he loved them. This weekend I was cruising the Costco aisles (obviously I was without my DH) and came across King fleece sheets, about $35.00 in the store. I can only say - WOW! I absolutely love them. Now, for more GOOD STUFF. For quite some time, I've followed the Bakerella blog. Now Bakerella has its own website and you need to check it out. Today they featured snickerdoodle cupcookies (my phrase, not theirs). But how cool! It is certainly on my "to make" list. I mean really, have you ever meet a snickerdoodle that you didn't like? Now image a snickerdoodle cupcake with snickerdoodle cookies on top. Wait - I just gained 2 pounds thinking about them. But with the cold, wet weather barreling in, doesn't it sound nice to stay indoors, get the fireplace going and bake? OK, that's it for now. Let me know if you 1) get fleece sheets and 2) make snickerdoodle cupcookies. Stay warm and dry!

It was my time - a quilting retreat, that is!

2009-10-07T21:13:00.001-07:00

I'm almost recovered from the fun times at Cindy Needham's "My Time Quilting Retreat." Three fun-filled, and fairly productive days. We left at 6 am Friday morning and arrived at the McCloud Mercantile around 8:30 am. Upon arrival, all 38 retreaters quickly settled in and got busy. This was my second time attending a Cindy retreat in McCloud and it was great. The accommodations are fantastic as they are just steps from the main quilt area. My room was probably 800 square feet. Wow! I was able to finish quilting a block swap quilt top, a Christmas block-of-the-month, and made good progress on a vintage linen that I'd started some time ago but forgot about. It was also fun to meet new quilters and to be inspired by the multitude of quilting projects that were in process. Enjoy the pictures!

A long week

2009-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, thanks for checking back. Well, it's been a long week already. For those of you who don't know, I live in one town and work in another so I'm constantly moving back and forth. Luckily I have sewing machines set up in both places so I can sew when I get the chance, but it's a bit complicated packing projects back and forth. Add to that two family birthdays last weekend (my husband and youngest son), and throw in mono for one son (diagnosed on Friday - still terribly sick, and over his birthday no less!) and you'll understand why I don't have much in the way of quilting to share. So, this week I don't have any pictures to post, but I do have a cool link for you - especially if you love free motion quilting. Leah has started an incredible journey, 365 days of free motion quilting fillers, so be sure to check out her blog. Each day she presents a new filler design, accompanied by a video. How cool is that? Thanks Leah, for inspiring all of us. PS. This weekend, I'm headed to McCloud to enjoy a quilting retreat put on by Cindy Needham. This will be my second retreat and if you get a chance to sign up for one, I highly recommend it. Cindy puts so much thought and care in to her retreats to make each one a special time for her "guests." Cindy is offering 4 to 5 a year, and they fill up fast. I'm already on the schedule to attend two next year and can hardly wait.

PS - Check out my pic of the "Out the Window" bird quilt below. Does anyone see anything wrong with the top and bottom borders? LOL. I didn't even notice the mistake until I looked at the pic - and where were my friends? No one pointed out the problem! Anyway, the quilt has been ditched and I'll finish quilting it this weekend. Stay tuned for a finished picture.

Quilting with Cindy and Goldie

2009-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend quilting at a Good Times Weekend with Cindy Needham and Goldie. Plenty of quilting, sewing, eating, and chatting. Cindy and Goldie have been hosting these weekends (4 a year) for a while now and they continue to gain in popularity. They set the dates for 2010 and I had to stay up until midnight one night to ensure that my email reservation was made timely! I took a few pics to share with you from this weekend. First, I still need to applique some flowers into the 4 corners of my "out the window" wall hanging by Material Obsessions, but otherwise it's done! I also took a picture of my progress on the Bunny Hills Designs block of the month. Isn't it cute! I can hardly wait for the new pattern each month. Since the Good Times Weekend is held in the Honey Run Quilters classroom, I was able to manage some shopping time. Check out the cool Dresden flower quilt and give Honey Run Quilters a call to place your order! Sue, from one of my earlier Sunflower classes, is now hooked on sunflowers and made her second one. Fabulous, isn't it? Finally, Suzanne - who gets way too much accomplished - made this cute Christmas stocking. Of course, her choice of fabrics were so good that I had to run to the quilt shop and get my own collection. Hope you had a great weekend and enjoy the pictures.

North State River Run

2009-09-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the annual North State River Run with nine quilt shops participating in the fun. I didn't get a chance to visit all nine quilt shops but did make it to Honey Run Quilters in Chico, and Morning Star Quilts and Debbie's Quilt Shop in Paradise. Each shop had a particular theme and I really got a kick out of Debbie's Quilt Shop - its theme was a birthday party complete with party favors and birthday cake. Since it's my birthday week I felt like they were throwing me a party! While at Morning Star Quilts, I snapped a picture of one of the quilts displayed in the store then had some fun and turned the picture into a kaleidoscope picture. What do you think? I'm not sure who made the quilt, maybe Jen? If you know, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. It's a fabulous quilt with a great choice of colors. Enjoy the pictures.

On the wall

2009-09-08T22:06:00.001-07:00

Well, I've had a few fun days. I spent Monday at the local quilt shop; sewing and celebrating Pam's birthday (Happy Birthday, Pam!). Today my friend Lesa came to visit and we hit the mall and the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! I am posting two pics of quilts that have been on my design wall. I've added borders to the Shining Sunflower wall hanging and tonight I'm going to get it pinned and ready for machine quilting. Don't you love the backing fabric? I'm also making good progress on Out the Window, a pattern by Material Obsession. I hope to have the border pieced by next week so I can work on it at an upcoming retreat. Did I mention that Pam gave me the new Material Obsession Two book as an early birthday present? I'm so lucky! I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Flumes and Fabric

2009-09-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. This morning my hubby and I got up early, had a fabulous breakfast at a local cafe, and took Coco (our dog) for a nice hike along the Centerville water flume. It gets a bit tricky in spots where you have to cross the flume on a catwalk. Coco didn't like the catwalks one bit! On another front, take a look at my new stash. On Friday I made a stop at the local quilt shop and also had two packages arrive from etsy. What fun! Am busy thinking up ideas on what to make next. How about you - are you enjoying your weekend or doing anything special? How about project ideas - do you have any projects to suggest as a use for my new fabric? Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Wine anyone?

2009-09-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance, visit Fuzio's Universal Bistro in Sacramento. For the last month or so I've been visiting them on Tuesday nights for wine tasting. Each month they feature a different winery. Last month they featured wines by Due Vigne (www.duevigne.com) and I left with a bottle of their 2005 cab, which I highly recommend (I have hidden away for a special occasion.) Last week, Maddi's husband Jeff accompanied her to help pour and they were just preparing to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary. Congrats to you two! This month Fuzio's is having a whole slate of specials including a special wine (go online to fuzio.com to get the secret "word" for a fabulous discount), a raffle, and fire-grilled pizzas on Saturday Sept 5th for $3.00. I'll leave you wih a pic of Maddi and Jeff, and a pic of Due Vigne bottles lined up for pouring. Take care and keep in touch. Next up, pictures of my design wall and crafty items I've been working on.

The sunflowers keep blooming

2009-08-30T17:50:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pics from the last class. Aren't they cool? Most people used "traditional" sunflower colors with back or red backgrounds, but Carmen added her own flair with a cool, icy blue sunflower. Isn't it great? If you look really hard at the upper right hand corner of her sunflower you'll notice a faint image of a bird. This time around I tried a different color scheme as well. I've included a "before" and "after" picture for you to enjoy. Hope you all had a great weekend.

I love the internet

2009-08-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

I love to surf the internet, checkout out quilting blogs for inspiration. Tonight I came across Don't Look Now. What a great site. And, she's giving away this FABULOUS quilt. Visit her blog, leave a comment, and you could win.

Pics from the class.

2009-08-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday's class was a blast. I had a full house and everyone left at the end of the day with a sunflower. Now class participants will just need to add the borders on and they'll be ready to quilt it up. Thanks to all who took the class. I hope you enjoyed it! Here's a few pics from the class with more to follow in a few days. What do yo think? Aren't they fabulous? Each and every sunflower is different and it's fun to see what each one turns out like. No two are ever the same. I feel like a proud mama every time a new sunflower blooms.

Off to class.

2009-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today should be a great day. I'm heading out to the local quilt shop, Honey Run Quilters, to teach a quilting class, Shining Sunflower, which is a wall hanging designed by Sharon Schamber. It's pieced together using a fabulous technique, Elmer's Washable Glue. The class is especially fun because by the end of the day, all class participants will have finished their sunflowers and the room will light up like a garden. Here's a pic of one from an earlier class.

Cheers!

2009-08-21T21:06:00.001-07:00

My first post. I have a bit of work to do to get this blog up and going, but I think I can do it with coaching from my friend Pam.