Long Time, No See

No, I didn't really drop off the face of the earth.  Just . . . . Life.  I've been busy, I've been lazy, I've been "under the weather".  You know . . . "things".  I know you all know how you can just get busy and forget the blog.  Not that I forgot, I just never could get around to actually writing a blog post.

the first camellia of the year

So, what have I been busy with?  I taught two bag classes,  I took a class on Liberated Medallion quilts from Gwen Marston.  I got sick.  I'm sure there were other things in there as well.

First, I taught a tote bag class at the local quilt shop "Cow Lick Quilts".  I had a lot of fun, and I think my students did too.  They were all successful and all the bags came out really cute.   Here are some photos from the first class:

L. and her bag made with batiks

J. and her bag made with selvage squares

C. and both her bag (on the left) and the other C.'s bag too

Then, to meet the demand of students that couldn't make the first class, I taught another class a few weeks later.  Unfortunately, I forgot my cell phone that day and so I didn't get any photos.  :(

But J. made another bag and I got a photo of that.  She used an orphan block that is part of an orphan block challenge for the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild.  I love how this one came out!

I had so much fun at my class with Gwen Marston,  We were at Quilted Strait over in Port Gamble again, and their facility is such a great place to sew.  If you want to see some photos of the class, check out Nifty Quilter's blog post about the class.  Nifty sat right across the table from me.  And another table over was Rene of Rene Creates blog.  We all had a great time with Gwen, as usual.  I will do another post, with photos, about the class, so I won't say any more right now.  Yes, you'll have to wait.  Sorry.

The only downside to the class with Gwen is that I got sick right after I got home.  I think the Spring allergies (everything was starting to bloom and the trees were spewing whatever it is they spew) probably caused a sinus infection, which then caused a tooth to flare up.  I ended up with the tooth being pulled and I was on 2 antibiotics for two weeks.  And now I'm continuing one of the antibiotics for another week to get rid of the last of the infection from the tooth.  I'm almost done with that one.  It hasn't been much fun, as I'm sure you can imagine.  And the worst part of all of this is that I haven't felt well enough to work on the quilt I was doing in the class with Gwen.  I've lost my momentum.  I hope to get back to it soon.  I'm still trying to catch up on everything I got behind on by being sick.  

I'm now the Block of the Month chairperson for the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild.  I found a block I really liked last month, but ended up having to write the tutorial for it, since we changing the size of the block.  The block is based on the 3 Dimensional block by Zen Chic.  You can see Zen Chic's video here.

Here is one of my blocks:

And here is the link to the tutorial I wrote.  If you make the block, I'd love to see photos.  I still want to use this block to make a quilt for me!

At the February meeting of the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild, we did a Make and Take that was some cute pinsies!  These are great for marking your blocks or rows when assembling a quilt.  And they were very easy to do too.

The cute pincushion is one my sister made for me a few years ago, using wool and a found vintage pitcher.

This week I tried something new and joined Instagram.  It will be another adventure!  If you want to find me there, I'm posting as indigo_threads.  

DS and I had some fun this week, dyeing eggs and making Spring cookies.

They're very yummy as well as very cute.  And lots of fun to decorate!

Sadly, the cookies are almost all gone.

Be sure to check out Kelly's post over at Pinkadot Quilts about Simon and Garfunkel.  I also found that video, and strangely, I love Disturbed's version of the song.  It's quite different from S & G, but it's a powerful version.  (Did you know that there are a LOT of different covers of The Sound of Silence?  I counted 35 on Wikipedia.   I didn't know that!)

Happy quilting!
Sharon

Secret Santa - Part Deux

On my last post, I promised that I would show you what I received from my Secret Santa.  Here is the wonderful, beautiful tote bag that J. made for me!  I love it!

It's a great size and I can fit what I need into it.  It's padded so well that I could use it for a case for my laptop.  The handles are padded and very comfortable to use.  And I  love the pattern AND the fabrics J. used for the tote.  Thank you so much, J!

I'm very impressed with the inset zipper.  I've never tried one of those before.

Here's the inside.  Two pockets!  And you can see how well padded it is.  J. did an awesome job on this - it's perfectly sewn and constructed.  

I just took it to a guild meeting today, and I even got the bulky guild camera in here with no strain.  The tote holds quite a bit of stuff.  I'm really happy with this one!

The Block of the Month for the Modern Quilt Guild in December was our choice of block in red and white.  So, inspired by Audrey's Tipsy Geese quilt on Quilty Folk blog, and the fact that I've had Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion book for a while now and I've wanted to play with that, I made the wonky Flying Geese block.  I had to throw in the little bit of dots just for fun!

A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to try the Rail Fence block from Sujata's book.  I made this sample with some old fabrics that were lying around.  (the question I asked my resident Linguist about whether I should say "lying" vs "laying" caused a 10 minute linguistic discourse!)  

Ever since I got this block done, I've been thinking about what fabrics I want to use for this quilt.  There are so many great ideas of what others have done using this block. (see the Cultural Fusion Quilts blog)  I've even pulled out a big pile of fabrics, but no decision yet.  I'm thinking of using some of my greens since I have so many of them I can't squeeze any more on the shelf!  But what to put with them?  Do I want all florals with them?  Do I want to put some purples with them?  What do I want to do????    So, my thinking cap is on.  I'll let you know when I decide!  

Maybe I should just start making one or two blocks and see what develops.  You know, not plan out the whole thing in the beginning but let the quilt evolve.  Hmmmmm.....

Have a great weekend!  I hope you get to spend some time being creative!

A New Year's Post

Well, 2015 has gone down the tubes and now it's the start of a shiny, brand-new year!  I hope everyone had very happy holidays.  And I hope 2016 will be a good year for all of us, with all the quilty goodness one could hope for.

I'd like to take a moment here to say "thank you" to all my readers who stick with me, through the dry spells when I don't post.  December was one of those times.  I just had so many things going on that blogging just kind of fell off my radar.  But I was sewing and having fun times.  

My granddaughters did another year of ballet, with the December recital being, as usual, selected pieces from the Nutcracker.  It's fun to see them in the different roles and watch how they've progressed from year to year.

We had a very fun Christmas over at DS #1's house with the granddaughters.  We must have been good this year, because I think Santa was kind to every one of us.  Another aspect of Christmas I enjoy is seeing how the girls' Christmas lists have changed over the years.  Our oldest DGD has now become a teenager, and it's so fun to see how she's growing up.  I think the best part of Christmas Day was playing games with the whole family after dinner.  That was so much fun!

The big, fun sewing project I was doing in December was making a Secret Santa gift for another member in the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild, that I joined this last year.  Her choice of style matched up with mine very well, so it was easy to make something for her.  The guild gave everyone a list of possible hand-made gifts to choose from.  We were to pick 5 things from the list.  That actually made it a lot easier.  So, one of the items my recipient chose was an insulated lunch bag,  And she likes text fabrics and brights with white. That sounded easy-peasy to me! 

I took an idea from Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen, one of my fave books.  I was doing the improv piecing of the sew & flip triangles.  Very fun and easy.  This was test block #1.  It was so soothing to be doing improv again, just sitting and sewing bits together and then seeing how they worked together.  I want to do more of that! 

test block #2

test block #3

It was interesting to see that, even though I thought I was being totally random in my placement of the triangles, they all came out at similar angles.  I don't know if that's good or not, just interesting.

And this is the design I went with.  It was more fun and less expected than the layouts in the test blocks, which pleased me.  The pattern for the lunch bag I was using was this one from All People Quilt.  It was a pretty good pattern and easy to do.  The only thing I would change the next time I make this bag would be to make the bag bigger.

Once I had the front and back put together, I did simple straight line quilting, and I used Thermolam, the insulated batting that one would use for pot holders.  I thought that would insulate the bag pretty well.  I also used a layer of cotton batting, which in retrospect was too much.  Just the Thermolam would be enough, I think.  Of course, making the bag big enough to account for all the batting would help too.  The pattern didn't call for any batting, so that's one reason why it seemed to be on the smaller side.

Here is the completed bag, with the top open.

And closed.

Here is the back of the bag.  My recipient's first name starts with G, so I thought it would be fun to personalize it for her.  I used Tonya's book Word Play Quilts, of course!

Here's a closeup of the text fabric I used in the center of the G.  If you  click on the picture, you can read what it says.  

The inside of the bag.  I used some plastic canvas in the bottom to help the bag hold it's shape. 

And I made a mug rug to go with, using the leftover scraps of the piecing.  I wish I had done the join of the binding a little better than that!  Sheesh!  That's kind of embarrassing.

Here is the entire gift.  G. said her fave designer is Amy Butler, so I found this little jelly roll to include.  

We had a fun Christmas meeting with the Tacoma MQG, and my recipient loved her gift!  Next time I'll share the wonderful gift that I received.

Ready or Not . . .

. . . the holidays are coming!  Are you ready?  I think I'm mostly ready.  Well, except for wrapping the presents, finishing the few Christmas cards left and baking two batches of cookies.  That's close though, don't you think?  I'm trying to maintain serenity.  (Yeah, right.)

Christmas Spools
17 x 21 inches

Just to add some Christmas cheer to my blog, here's an "oldie but a goodie" that I've put up every year since I made it.  This was made sometime between 1986 and 1990.  (Bad quilter - didn't put on a label)  It definitely has '80's fabrics in there!  I was inspired to make this by a sample in the window of my favorite quilt shop at that time "Going to Pieces" in Pleasanton, California.  I just fell in love with that little quilt, so I went home and copied it from memory.  No pattern.  And I made mitered corners on those spools!   And hand-quilted.  I still love it!

Here is the first half of the flying geese I need to make for the mystery quilt I'm working on.  I couldn't even get them all in the photo!  And sorry for the crummy picture - it doesn't work too well to take pix at night.  I need to make this many again, only in different colors.  I'm not sure how big these units are, but over on the left there are 2 of my Block Lotto blocks for this month and they are 7 inch blocks.

Here are some more mystery quilt units that I've been working on.  It's hard to tell from the photo, but that is a rusty red and a black-ish brown.  This quilt will be autumn colors.  Nothing is hard sewing, but there is lots and lots of pieces and units.

I bought the Paperweights pattern from Karen Griska (of the Selvage Blog) on her Etsy store.  I'm making a little test sample quiltlet to see how well the fusible I'm using will work.  I think this will be cute!  

We had a deer visitor again yesterday.  This deer used to come around with his mama and sibling, and now he's on his own.  (really, I don't know if it's a "he" - I just call him that).  He's still young.  This spring's baby, I think.  But there he was lying in the yard, and he stayed that way for at least 20 minutes.  My picture-taking (through the kitchen window) didn't seem to bother him at all.  He watched me as much as I watched him!  Then he just got up and sauntered off.

Good luck with your last-minute holiday preparations!  I hope you get a few minutes to do some sewing or quilting.  I'm going to go sew with friends this afternoon!

Happy First Day of Spring!

False Plum

Huckleberry

Mini Daffodil

Lilac

Raindrops on the pond

Even though the weather is still cold (with a possibility of snow today!), the robins are back, the wild geese are coming through on their way north, the local ducks are cavorting on the pond, and the frogs have started their night-time serenading.  So, it's looking like Spring is right on schedule.  Happy Spring!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my readers, friends and family!  I wish everyone a healthy, fun, creative 2014, filled with all the fabric and quilty goodness you desire!

More later.....

This & That

I know . . . long time, no see.  Again.  I've been a bad blogger this year.  I guess I need to step up my game here.  I keep meaning to post, but it just never quite happens.  I hope next year I'll do better.

Here is my latest "creation".  I made myself a new apron since I was hostess for Thanksgiving this year.  I used batiks, and it's a two-sided apron.  Pattern by Mary Mulari - The Church Ladies Apron.  It was pretty easy to do, but I simplified it too.

close up of fabric

I made the neck piece simpler and also made the apron ties skinnier and only used one fabric for them.

side 2

I didn't add the pockets either.  I never use the pockets on an apron.  They just seem to catch crumbs and things.  Who's got time to put their hands in the pockets when they're cooking anyway?  I've always been mystified about pockets on aprons.  Besides, that leaves more fabric for me to play with another time!

side 2 closeup

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Everyone in the family was here, except for my niece who's in graduate school in Vermont.  My sister and nephew came, and that was a lot of fun.  It was fun to see the cousins talking and having fun together.

My sister brought me a gift when she came.  Well, actually she brought all my birthday presents as this was the first time we'd seen each other since my birthday.  But this one was very special to me.  She brought me my late mother's recipe boxes.  The one on the right was her original one.  I "enhanced" it when I was in high school by decoupaging some cut-outs from a magazine or something.  It doesn't look very good and I was always sorry I mucked it up.  The one on the left was one DH and I made for her a number of years ago.  We bought the box, he stained it and made the stencils and I stenciled it.  I think I'm going to ditch my old, sad plastic recipe boxes and start using my mom's.  I just need to sort through her recipes that are still in them.

This was a 'make & take' project from my LQS, Heavenly Quilts and Fabrics last month.  Now I need to get it done in time for Christmas!  My friend K in CA did blanket-stitch stitching around all the appliques for me (not included in this photo), and now I need to quilt and bind it, and then sew buttons on for the eyes and mouth.  We'll see if I can actually get it done in time for this year.

Last week I took a class at Heavenly Quilts.  Lisa taught us the braid quilt.  This is what I have so far.  I think I need 2 more braids to make a lap quilt the right size.  I have lots of strips cut and ready to go.  My guild gives the lap quilts to a couple of the local assisted living facilities.

At the guild's Christmas party last Friday, we drew for our next year's challenge.  The Ugly Fabric Challenge.  I think these fabrics are waaaay beyond ugly - they're in the "Hideous" category!  We had to got to pick a stapled-shut brown paper sack.  Then we had to write our name on the back of the index card that had swatches of the fabrics stapled to it, so that when it's done, people can tell which fabrics we were working with.  The finished quilts will be shown with these swatches at the quilt show.  Each fabric is about a fat quarter in size, and we only have to use a recognizable piece.  How big do you think that would be?  I'm thinking an inch square should do it.  *grin*  The challenge is due in July.  

I have no idea what I'll be doing with these, but I was assured that over-dying or using the wrong side of the fabric is allowed, so that definitely opens up more possibilities!  These fabrics just make me shudder!  Ewww!  The sad part is, I recognize that middle fabric from (I think) the 80's.  I think I may have even had some of it.  I do find it the least offensive of the three.  Just saying . . .

We've been having very cold weather for here.  Two nights ago was our coldest, when we got down to 14 degrees!   Brrr!  I spent all weekend inside, trying to stay warm.  We've been very dry too.  The static electricity is getting pretty wild.  We've had no ice, except in the pond, which is quite frozen.  Most days there hasn't even been any frost on the cars.  It's too dry!  So the power has never gone out.  Yay!  The furnace has been working overtime.  We even had sun for a few days, which was nice.  We're clouded over now, so it's starting to warm up. That's a relative term.  We made it up to 32*F today.  And  now there's a  possibility of  snow.  

It's been so much fun seeing other bloggers' homes all decorated for the holidays.  Our tiny tree is up and decorated, and DH put some lights on the front of the house.  I still need to put up my Christmas wall quilts.  And that's all that's going on.  I guess we're kind of humbug here - the kids are grown up and it just seems like too much work anymore.  I'd rather be sewing!  I love getting the decorations out, but I really hate putting them away.  So I don't do it anymore.  But I LOVE seeing how other's have decorated and admire them for doing it!  I have to say, my Christmas quilts do make me happy.  And that's enough now.

New Year, New Start

Wow, another long blogging break for me.  I hope to post more often this year.  Last year, I sadly neglected my blog too often.

Dunkel says "Happy New Year!"

 
Anywho, I hope all my readers had a wonderful holiday season and are off to a good start on the New Year.

I want to thank everyone for their words of sympathy on the loss of my father-in-law.  His death was completely unexpected and quite a shock.  We went to California the week before Christmas for a memorial service for him.  It was a hurried and difficult trip.  And the worst was that DH came down with a nasty virus just as we were leaving Seattle.  But there were a couple of high points.  We had gorgeous weather, which was unusual for the Central Valley in Dec.  Blue skies and bright sunshine.  It was so nice to have some sunshine!  And I think we had the world's best beef enchiladas at a little taqueria - out of this world!

So, needless to say, our Christmas preparations were rushed and our celebration a little low-key.  But, in spite of DH being so sick and miserable and me fighting it off as well, we had a nice holiday.  Went to dinner and to see The Hobbit with friends on Christmas Eve (I LOVED the movie!), spent the day at our oldest son's house on Christmas, then we (me, DH and The Kid) had our Christmas on Boxing Day.

We met our "new" grand-dog.  This is Hannah and she's 11.  My oldest son is so happy to have a dog again, and she seems to adore him too. A big dog with a great big "woof!" which she is demonstrating here.  She's a sweetheart.

I managed to hold off the worst of the virus until we got through those 3 days, then it had me down for the rest of December and into the new year.  Ugh.  I seem to be over the worst of it now, but I'm still on medications and still coughing, and DH is still not feeling well either.  He actually went to the Dr. (we were afraid he had strep throat because his throat hurt so severely for so long), but it's just a virus - not even the flu.  It's a tough one though.  We're still taking it easy around here.

A. and her fleece pillowcase

L. and her kitty pillowcase

I did manage to get my Christmas sewing done.  I made everyone a new pillowcase again this year.  Mine isn't finished yet, though.  And I still have one more present to finish for the The Kid.  It won't take long, when I can get into the quilt studio.  I have managed to sew 5 blocks on my Low Volume quilt since Christmas.  That's it . . . all the sewing I have accomplished.  I'm hoping to get in there this week to do a little more.

Just wanted to mention . . . my sister has started an Etsy shop.  She doesn't have much in there yet, but is planning on more soon.  Pop over and take a look.  She hasn't started a blog yet, but I'm trying to get her to do that soon.  She's a very creative person and has a lot to share.