My favorite things...

Have you been listening to the podcasts of Amy and April called Quiltcast? If not hop on over to the itunes store here. I've been listening to it as I take my walks in the mornings. The podcasts are full of great information and I feel like they're walking with me having a casual conversation about life and quilting and how to do both at the same time!

One of the features of the podcast is a top five - sewing supplies and sources of inspiration so far. I'm really enjoying that. Recently Camille listed her favorite supplies and I couldn't agree more with all her featured items. So in addition to all of those, I thought I'd share 5 of my favorites...

Disappearing marking pens ~ my favorite is Dritz because they seem to last longer than any others. I use the purple marker which disappears in a day or so to mark almost all my quilting. Obviously you can't mark the whole quilt unless you're going to quilt it pretty quick, but I just mark as I go and have found the purple lines to be really visible on almost every fabric.

My dry erase board ~ I started using this when I was writing my book as a way to stay organized and on track. I've since kept it up as a way remind me what I have going and what I may want to do next. Seems to be much too much to keep in my head!

Freezer Paper ~ I use it for hand appliqué, making templates that I then rotary cut around, and paper piecing. If you haven't tried it yet - the waxy side sticks to your fabric when you hit it with a dry iron, but the paper then pulls off cleanly. It's sold in most grocery stores {does anyone still use it for freezing?} Used it this weekend for my September Lucky Stars block!

I do a different method of paper piecing than most. The pattern is on freezer paper, but the pieces are not sewn directly to the paper. The paper pulls right off.

Quilt Pattern books ~ I have tons of quilting books, but these are my go-to favorites for finding new blocks, naming blocks and construction. I think between the three I have enough patterns to last a lifetime!

Bias Square ruler ~ My most frequently used specialty ruler! It's great for squaring up units of a block or blocks themselves up to 8". I love the clearly visible diagonal line and the fact that there's a solid line from each 1/8" marking to the diagonal. These 6" blocks came from Judy Hopkins book above and were squared up with my Bias Square!

I'm starting what will be a year-long project reminiscent of the Farmer's Wife quilt along and totally inspired by this gorgeous quilt. Stay tuned!

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Meet the Help.

Most days lately I have been spending all my time at home, not wanting to leave my mother alone.

But truth is, I need a break on occasion, and luckily I have someone trustworthy that will sit with her two or three times a week.
Today was one of those days.
I got to spend a few uninterrupted hours at the studio, and can I just tell you, it was GRAND.

Tammy ( my apprentice before Lois) and Lois, were working on a 7x10 Walking on Sunshine rug.
L and I made two that size, one to Montana, and one to Oregon, but it doesn't make my neck feel real good, and makes my headache worse, so they are doing this 3rd one, which is actually Tammy's WEDDING PRESENT,  without me.
It's a BIG JOB.
Much to their dismay, I videotaped them at work, so you can see what a job a rug this big really is.


Don't they rock????   Really????

Oh, btw, Lois is NOT  a midget...but she is doing the side that I usually do, and I'm tall.  So in order to REACH the treadles, she is sitting on a tiny little stool.  It's awful to be short.

Right, Chica???
Happy Anniversary to Tammy and Shawn!!!

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Yes, I'm bad.

I refuse to say "My bad" because I think it sounds ridiculous.  It's bad English.  And deep down in my heart, I'm an old English major.
Still.
Good grief.  I refuse to give in to nonsense like that.  What ever happened to just good old swear words.
You know the ones I mean.
My father used to be a "sailor", in the United States Navy, and he knew how  to swear like one.
Today we  string words together in a silly way, and expect people to smile and understand.

But I apologize, for my absence.
Here's the truth, because you know I'm going to tell you the truth.

I have had incredibly tough headache days, where I was banned from approaching all the bridges in the surrounding area.

And my mother is dying.
Is there a nicer way to say that?   Maybe, but that's what is happening.  Her heart is failing, and Hospice is helping us help her through whatever time she has left.
So my children and grandchildren have been here a lot, and it's been a little hectic.
I have only been to the studio for quick visits here and there.  Lois is holding down that fort.

I have been home the rest of the time.
When she rests, I take Roy for walks around the block, or I sew for my grandgirls.

The jean skirt from an old pair of jeans is on YouTube, just google it if you want to make one.

The skirts with the fabric on the bottom are just something I whip up, I measure the fabric to be TWICE around the bottom of the jeans where I have cut them off.
Then just measure the length you need.
Very easy.

They're fun and different, and I love making them, especially because I know that soon they will be older and won't want Mimi to make them skirts.  They won't be "cool" anymore.
So I love doing it NOW.

 I have a SKYPE with my doctor next Friday.  The 13th.  Yes.   Perfect.

This morning, I woke up and knew right away it was a better day headache wise.  Hallelujah.
Only a 6-7.   I wanted to cheer, and dance, but I knew I should be careful.

Youngest daughter came, and while my mother slept, we decided to make GLAZED PUMPKIN DONUTS.   I found the recipe over at Shine's Thyme.    I'm not sure if I should thank her, or throw rocks at her.
OMG, they are so GOOD.  And they had to be tested, you just know they did.

 We made a mess, but it was fun.  It was just the kind of diversion we needed right about then.

  

I think that as a family, we just need to spend time together, and we have.    It's good, for us, and for my mother.

We glazed some, and we left some plain, and we shook some in sugar and cinnamon.

 

DH kept appearing around the corner to STEAL one.

 So yes, I'm ok, in the broadest sense of the word.
I am doing one day at a time. 
I keep trying to remember that right now is really all that I have.
Right NOW.
Which I think calls for a donut.

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Bangles...

Seems like it's been a busy week, but I did manage to get some sewing in. I've become rather obsessed with my "Bangles" quilt. It's from Sarah Fielke's book, Hand Quilted with Love. The quilt popped out at me the first time I flipped through the book. But all those "Y" seams ~ I'll admit I was a little intimidated! Then I saw this one and this one. It's what sharing our quilting projects is all about. Seeing someone else successfully tackle those "Y"s, gave me the courage to give it a go!

All my prints are laid out and sewn into hexagons. I'm to the point of slooowly sewing the print hexagons together with the white ones.

I used this inspiration fabric from a line called "Blythe", added a few more pieces from the line, and finally threw in some stash fabrics. The colors are very rich!

Hopefully I'll have more to show next week, along with some tips that have helped make this project move along smoothly.

This Saturday I'll be at Winston's Sewing Center from 10-12 with a book signing and trunk show. Hope to see some of you there!

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Glitches and dessert.

Summer is over, right??  You wouldn't know by the humidity is northeast New York.  I have been pacing myself, and it seems to be working out.
In the mornings, I get myself moving, and go to the studio.  I have been working on the AVL, plugging away on the red warp, weaving towels.
I re-pegged it yesterday, for a new pattern.
I am really liking this one.

My goal is to finish this 25 yard warp, and put a 75 yard warp on the AVL, before I have to do anything about my head.  That way, I will have a towel warp to work on all winter long.

When I first saw pictures of the AVL, there was a light attached to the loom.  Unfortunately, it didn't come with the loom.  I have searched for a light that would clamp on and do the job, but I haven't had much luck.  I even took the picture of the loom with the light on it, to the lighting store.  They had lights that would work, that were very expensive, but nothing that resembled what I wanted.
Finally, I emailed the previous owner of the loom, and asked her if she would sell me the light that she used on the loom.
She graciously offered to just send it to me, said she should have included it with the loom in the first place.
It finally came!!!

See how it just slips over the castle!!!!

 It looks like it was MADE for a loom.
This loom.

 

 Here it is, how simple!!!!  Made by Electrix, and impossible to find.

 Thank you Elaine........I hope you like the thank you gift I sent you in the mail!!!
Gee, I wonder what it could be.

Now just this week, I have been having LOOM PROBLEMS.
Very disturbing glitches with the AVL.
It kept missing harnesses, and I had to keep going backwards, taking out my weft, and starting again. 
It was getting tedious.  So today, I got the manual out.
See on the left, where it says "one or more harnesses that are supposed to raise, don't"??
And then next to it..........left treadle isn't being pressed all the way down?

OK, here's the deal.......the right treadle raises the harnesses, and the left lowers them.
But it is 'easy' to allow your left foot to just "ride" down........in other words, just to let the left treadle fall, and not PUSH it down with your left foot.

See far right, where it says.........concentrate on getting both treadles all the way through their travel???

So I wove a towel, and I paid attention.......down with my right, and DOWN with my left, instead of free falling..........and guess what, I had not one problem at all.   All the harnesses raised exactly when they were supposed to, and it was perfect.  
I love it when the problem turns out to be simple, and fixable. 
Maybe this time my head will fall into that category.  For once.

Sometimes in the afternoon, when I come home to rest my head, I eventually decide to bake.
It just makes me feel better.
Last week, I made a chocolate zucchini cake.  It was the darkest chocolate, and as decadent as any dessert I have ever eaten.  I used Hersheys DARK chocolate powder.   I should have taken a picture of it, but we were too busy eating it to care.  Sorry.

Today, I tried another recipe, Almond Zucchini cake.  And this one was hands down the BEST.
I can't even describe it....moist and delicious.  I suggested to DH that we just cut the cake down the middle and pig out..........but in a moment of clarity, he declined.
He did say it was his favorite dessert EVER.

You can find BOTH these recipes on my recipe board on PINTEREST.  See the link above right.
You won't be sorry, unless you eat it all.
I had a super huge piece, but I walked 4 miles first.

I may have to freeze some zucchini.

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Fat Quarter Friendly Quilts...

What quilter doesn't love a fat quarter pack? Even my husband, who could not tell you the size of a fat quarter, knows that they're collected by quilters everywhere. I have mixed emotions about them. They look so pretty all tied up, but I'm always anxious to pull each fabric out to get a closer look. Someday, if I win the lottery, I'll buy two of each one - one to open and one to look pretty on the shelf!

Scrumptious - photo used with permission by Camille Roskelley at Simplify

Your favorite fat quarter pack would be really useful for three of the quilts in my new book, Simply Modern Christmas.

First up, Garden Lattice...

This pattern looks fantastic in so many color combinations! Here's my original one in grays and yellows...

I recently made a new one using a Nordika fat quarter pack - the line by Jeni Baker from Art Gallery Fabrics. I changed it a little by putting the blocks on point and adding setting triangles in gray. I'll show you more of this one once it's quilted!

"Joy" is also made with fat quarters...

And the first one I did using primarily Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson (the blocks are set straight here instead of on point)...

And finally "Argyle"...

Here's my "Wild Child Argyle", with it's single rebel block...

You'll also notice I changed the colors and used white and black, creating an "X" effect across the quilt. I love how changing up the fabrics a bit can change the whole look of the quilt!

So grab a fat quarter pack {yes, you have to open it} and get sewing. Don't forget to add anything you make from the book to the flickr group!

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A little rant, and a sale.

Ok, at the very bottom of this post I have copied my recent newsletter, because I realized that some of my bloggers may not get my newsletter, and I want to offer these great sale savings on to you.  If that's blatant retail, then so be it.

I have good days and bad.  But L and I did get those two big sock rugs done.  It amazes me what a well oiled machine we are making TWO 7'x10' rugs in four mornings.  We don't even have to talk, I know what she's doing, she knows what I'm doing, and before long this rug begins to appear, tightly woven, straight edges and all.
It's very rewarding.

I have decided that we all have some inherent qualities for dealing with pain.
It's kind of like having a baby.  You forget it.   What's that old joke, about if you didn't forget it, you wouldn't ever do it again.   Well, you do.  You talk about it, but it loses its punch. Pain just isn't the same in retrospect.
Which is why, I've decided, that one day I can be wiped out, on the couch, thinking about how far away is the nearest bridge...............and the next day I'm back weaving and dreaming about things I want to do.
Pain knocks me down, but it doesn't own me.  The minute pain backs off, I am on my feet again, like a worn out, punch drunk, old fighter, not ready to leave the ring.

Every day is a new one.  I roll with it.  If it starts off tough, I take it easy.  I wait until I think I can get moving, then I do.  I get busy, it gets better.  Or if it doesn't get better, at least it doesn't dominate my thoughts.
I am adamant.
It doesn't own me.
It is HH, the headache, the monster, but it is not me.
It is NOT who I am.

Every day, I set a goal for myself.   To do something, however small.   Then if I feel like it, I do more.
Like yesterday, I made a zucchini chocolate cake.....to die for, I might add.  I went to the library.
I rode through the countryside at dusk, and breathed in the smell of fresh cut fields.
Some days, it's SAE, my friend's advice, Scrap All Expectations.

But still, this headache does not own me.

Every day, I count my blessings.  My family, my friends, Sweet Boy Roy.  The people I love, the people who love me.
My stamina.  My determination.  My overall health.  My studio.   The incredible life I have lived.
The life I intend to live.  My dreams.

No, headache, you DO NOT OWN ME.
Not now.  Not ever.
You can stalk me daily, you can nag at me, beat on me, knock me down occasionally.
But you do not own me.  I am more than YOU. 
Get over it.

The Sale ..........

 Hello everyone.......
It's time for a VERY SERIOUS SALE......end of summer, Labor Day, fall is here, time to shake things up SALE.

SO, THROUGH SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, we  are having a CLEARANCE.

ALL RUGS ON MY WEB SITE.......YES, ALL.........ARE 40% OFF.

HIP TO BE SQUARE LOOPER LOOMS REGULAR $39.95, are $29.95
LOOPER REFILLS REGULAR $18.95, are $12.95
LOOPER RUG KITS, 5LB BAGS LOOPED ALREADY, $21.95
ALL TOTE BAGS ARE 50% OFF.
ALL SOCKETBOOKS ARE 50% OFF.
ALL SOCK MONKEYS are $24.95......we have a lot of them, they are not on my web site, just specify felt eyes or button eyes, and color preference, we will do the best we can.
LAST DAY OF SALE IS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7TH!!!!  NO LATER.  DON'T MISS IT!!!

When you make a purchase, it will show the regular price.  I will refund you the discount via Paypal ASAP.

Schacht Wolf Pup LT, brand new, still in wrapper.  Retails for $1250, only one available, $950 plus shipping or you pick up. 
Four harness, 6 treadles, this is the only loom I would think of taking anywhere, as it is so easily transportable.
It is a great little loom.
 

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