March?

So it's March? I don't believe it. This is what we had just last week, and we are still digging out of it!

We live in a maintenance provided community, but when the city truck came by, they plowed the end of the driveway back in!  The top picture shows me making a path for Mayo the Wonder Dog who doesn't like getting her pinky toes in the snow.

Looking out my front door after just a few hours.

Mayo can't decide where the steps are!

Notice the doggie footsteps out the door and a u-turn right back inside!  LOL!

Besides being so busy with the snow and other life events, we have been busy with something else that has really taken me by surprise.  Remember this?  

The east side of the stewdio which took me almost a year to set up? 

The south side that I finally got just so?

This is what it looks like now!

It almost looks like I'm moving, right?

And here, with all the empty shelves and tubs?

It took a year to sort and organize and get just right.  Where did it go and why?

It's ALL in the back corner for storage!

Every inch was used!

The relocation of all the junk important items only took about a week to accomplish, which surprised me greatly.  Hubby has decided that we really, really, really, need to finish the downstairs instead of my making do with space heaters and lighting that "almost" works.  Such a sweet guy!  The builder has been here; the cabinetmaker has been here; we've been out to select the counter tops, and the paint colors.  Still to choose is the carpet and the tile, the fixtures and the final measurements to make sure everything is exactly how we I want it.  

Guess when they are going to start?  A WEEK from tomorrow!  YIKES!!!!!!  They tell me it will take 5-6 weeks, and we will need to leave with our menagerie at least twice during the project - once when they paint, and once when the lay and finish the hardwood floor in my living room upstairs.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that is being done too!  

At first I was overwhelmed with the short time frame I've had to get the room cleared, but now that it's almost done, I am getting excited.  My friends in the neighborhood have been great to take a few items to store in their garage like shelving components and animal kennels (which we will need when we vacate) that were just too bulky for the storage space.  

Sewing?  Yes, that will continue too.  I have a guild workshop the second Monday of the month and a week long retreat the third week.  Just to make sure I didn't pack my most important things this is where I put them:

At least they are safe in the guest bathtub!
The tale of the pink tutu/s will be in the next post...stay tuned!

Hooray for Saturday!
I took today just for me! I walked the dog a couple of times with my friend (which I still consider time for me), but that was all! Hubby was sweet and made our lunch and a delicious dinner. It was a nice quiet day with me at the sewing machine, and he reading the last of his book.
Why did I want this time today? Well, I worked 53 hours and drove 886 miles in 6 days! For those of you who don't know, I merchandise flowers at three different SuperTarget stores. I love my part time job, except at the end of these big holidays. I am just soooo tired! Out of 6,000 bouquets and vased products, there were only about 2 dozen (total) left at all three of my stores the next morning. I would say it was a successful event! 

I've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Following are my two thousand words about what I sewed today:

Under the needle

The finished project

This was fun, but if you plan on using your selvages in this manner, make sure you load a LOT of bobbins before you begin.  I used 8 bobbins total....but since it was old thread that I don't like to use for my quilting, I am a happy camper to upcycle all this trash treasure!  I still have some selvage left and I have a plan.  Watch out! I'll be bob-bob-bobbin along over the next few days, getting ready for the next project!

Fun, fun!

After I read the book in my last post, I have been itching to paint, fuse and play in my strewdio. I let all the ideas in my head simmer, and I finally decided I would play with some of the ideas that the book led me to.

All of this involved some paint, some fusible web, some sample stretch velvet scraps, some chiffon pieces and other various and sundry scraps gifted me a couple of weeks ago. Sue W, do any of these look familiar? LOL! I TOLD you I would pass them on to someone find a use for them, didn't I?

Painted fusible web, fused velvets and chiffons

At any rate, if this turns out the way I think it might, there will be more fusing, more painting, and more thread play in the next few weeks,  

I wanted to take the time to play now when I had a few hours, since my next week will be jam packed full with flowers to merchandise at three different stores. I might not be in this space on Sunday, so I thought I would post now, in keeping with my new resolve to post at least once a week again!

Check back for the next steps!

Super Week

I've had a marvelous week, even though it's been cold, then in the 70's then cold again. That's winter in the Midwest, for sure! I haven't been able to ride my bike or start my C25K (Couch to 5K) program outside, but I have been working inside a little bit.

The two ongoing scrap projects I've been working on continue to excite me! I received my exchange blocks from Bobbi and Deck the other day! And they are as different from mine as they could be! If you have ever hesitated about participating in a block swap, hesitate no more! Get out there and do it! Just look at these beauties!

Aren't they wonderful?

Many of you know that I also am an avid reader.  I belong to goodreads.com, and track my books there as well as share my reviews with others.  And of course, I get reviews from the people I follow so I can possibly make good choices for my reading materials.  Recently, I became a member of Net Galley, and I was able to recently read a galley copy of a new surface design book in exchange for a review on my blog.  The book is Fabric Surface Design: Painting, Stamping, Rubbing, Stenciling, Silk Screening, Resists, Image Transfer, Marbling, Crayons & Colored Pencils, Batik, Nature Prints, Monotype Printing, by Cheryl Rezendes.  Whew!  What a mouthful!  It will be available for purchase next month.

It is a most wonderful book!  I truly think the title didn't really need to say all that, but all in all, I would buy this book in a heartbeat!  The photographs are beautiful, and the explanations are very clear and informative.  There is even a section on how to use the book to your best advantage.  Sections on the fundamentals of setting up your workspace, organization, and equipment not only make suggestions but tell you why you need this.

Then there are the section on how to explore the media with a great tutorial on comparing textile paints.  Selecting fabrics to work with, and how to prepare it for paint (stretching or flat), and then all the different methods of painting are reviewed.  While there is not exactly a direct tutorial that you follow for each section, I was dying to get into the paint pots and stretch a piece of fabric on a stretcher frame, and try all the different methods the author shared, both in writing and in pictures.  

And it doesn't stop there, either!  The author goes on to explain how to add texture,  and then goes even further to explain surface design techniques.  There is a chapter on how to make your own stamps from different media.  Stenciling techniques, nature printing, printing with plants, and many other types of prints are explained and shown for the reader.  Interspersed with the chapters are full size pages of other artists and their work, and the types of surface design.

Beautifully illustrated, clearly written and basic instructions along with "exploration of possibilities) are the best reasons I have to recommend this book to you if you've ever thought about playing around with surface design.  Get it!

I will have another review of an e-book from Fons and Porter on Log Cabin quilts later in the week, so check back then.  

Another week

It's been really cold here, with periods of sunshine. We are still way below the amount of rainfall that we need. It is supposed to rain a little bit tonight and tomorrow, but I don't think it will be enough to matter much. I am getting a bit weary of the cold, but that is winter in the Midwest!
Not much new here this week. I've worked a little bit, played a little bit and sewn a little bit. We also have a visitor here from France, who we have been entertaining. Flat Clementine is the sister of Celestine, the daughter of my 1987/88 foreign exchange student/daughter, Helene. She went to work with me and then to a friends house to play. I am hoping to be able to get her out to the Lewis and Clark trail, the Santa Fe Trail and Stagecoach stop in Olathe, KS, and to Westport Landing where part of the Civil War was fought. That's just a few places I have in store - if the weather cooperates!
I've been working on some Japanese X blocks to exchange with some friends. They really are a good scrap buster, easy to make and fun to see the random results.

Japanese X blocks

Another good scrap buster are the pineapple blocks.  They just seem to keep coming.  I love them, and I don't think I will ever run out of scraps for these blocks!

Trash to Treasure Pineapple blocks

This is my last tub of scraps to "process". I never thought I'd see this day! LOL!

Tub o'scraps 

Organized strips/squares

This is the scrap strips/squares new condo. They live under my big board ironing station (which sits on top of a thrift store sofa table). I dismantled three children's sliding drawer plastic bins and replaced the drawers with my own baskets. I have found that if I can see in the basket or tub more easily, I am more apt to use them.  
Just in case you were worried, I still have the equivalent of three more of the big tubs, all "processed" and put away in their appropriate tubs. I don't think I will run out anytime soon!

An almost perfect week

Before I get too far into this year, I need to start with the end of last year first!  And don't forget, you can always double click any photo to enlarge it if you'd like.

Ibby, Shirlee, Quiltgranny, Carol and Vicky (seated) 
Christmas-2012

Yes, the gal pals are still together after all these years, and we had a rollicking good time with food, games and gifts at Carol's home for the holidays.  We just got together again at my house this past weekend to test out the new stewdio space.  As always, it was a lot of fun with laughs and lunch and a lot of sewing.  We've decided to take a break from our birthday quilts this year and work on our own projects instead.  Watch out longarmers in the KC area!  Lots of UFOs are going to be coming your way!

Hard at work!

Even Mayo is looking for her UFO!

We had a scare the other day with Clyde, our 13 year old cat, brother to Bonnie. He is generally a mellow, happy go lucky guy and doesn't get into much trouble. Around bedtime, he started crying and wailing. It went on all night, and all he wanted was to be held. It was a LONG night! After an afternoon long visit to our vet, we discovered he has kidney stones. Not unheard of for a cat, but not as common as bladder stones. Nothing to be done for him except a change in diet, lots of fluid (how do you get a cat to do anything he doesn't want to do?) and some pain meds for the next 10 days.

This is Himself just 12 hours after beginning his pain meds. 

But of course, there was a wool/leather combo he just had to check out! All 13 lbs of him!

I don't have any pictures of what everyone was working on, but I do have some show and tell that they brought.  The first one is Carol's umpteenth rendition of a baby quilt for her soon-to-arrive second grandchild, Claire.  We all agreed that we love this one!

Claire's Zigzags

Shirlee shared her birds with us for the first time.  She had a tough year last year with chemo and radiation treatments, but her applique kept her busy.  She also worked on some Kim McLean flowers that are just out of this world, too, but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE want to steal these birds!  They are from a Barbara Brackman pattern (which is traditionally more civil war era colors), but Shirlee sure knows how to choose the fabrics to make them sing, doesn't she!

I worked on a swap that I am doing with some new/old friends.  The Japanese X block is quite fun to make, especially with using my scraps that I just recently sorted.    Five blocks down, 100s a few to go......

When everyone left, and it was such a beautiful day here, I decided there was no time like the present to give my Christmas present from Hubby an inaugural ride.  Isn't it great?

Look both ways!

My new ladybug helmet

The last trip I made down our street was with Mayo, the Wonder Dog in the basket. I wasn't too sure how this would work out since she usually likes to charge bicycle wheels instead of riding over them, but she just sat ever so quietly and rode. I need to get a quilted basket liner made, a handlebar basket made, and find Mayo's harness so she ride safely in the back. I wouldn't want to risk her jumping out right in the lanes of traffic!

Mayo the Wonder Dog and Quiltgranny, rockin' and rollin'!

It's supposed to get really cold again for the next few days/weeks.  I'm so glad we got to go out and play.  As a matter of fact, I'm so happy I got to play ALL day with my friends and my toys!  See you next week!

She's ALIVE!!!

Where oh where is Quiltgranny?

 
This "disappearing act" seems to have been a regular thing with me for the last 6 months or so, but I can assure you I have my feet back under me now, and the wind in my sails!
I could tell you that I've been sick (which I have), I could tell you that the family has been sick (which they have), or I could tell you that the dog ate my homework (which I don't think happened).  
    Mostly, I have to admit a certain kind of ennui, a kind that I can't quite put my finger on, but I am in a better frame of mind today and so too, last week. The definition of ennui is weary or bored. Bored, I am not, but weary I am. I don't know about you, I am weary of the senseless killing across the nation and the world; the movies filled with hate, blood and guts; and the overall negative tone and spirit of non-compromise in our political world. I am weary of the ads on television for cars I don't want, for medicines I will never use, and all the sports anyone could ever care to watch hour after hour.

     I was also weary of getting ready for the holiday, and then getting it all undone and put away.  Nothing seemed to be easy this past year.  And all I wanted for Christmas was an "easy button"!  LOL!  I didn't get it, though.

     ENOUGH of all that, I said!!!!  I just want to sew!  And like Rodney King said, "Can't we all just get along?"

     So with that said, my New Year will be filled with positive views and I will turn away from the negative. 

     So really, what has  Quiltgranny been doing besides whining (internally)?

     Well first, I took myself to a local retreat with some girlfriends the first week of December.  I thought that would be a nice break from the craziness, and it was!  It just wasn't long enough or far enough away, even though my car looks like I am packed for a month!  LOL!  

Retreat HO!

Ibby and her Christmas Ornaments

I liked Ibbys's ornaments so I much, I made some to make covers for binders.

These were a Christmas present for Phyllis, my neighbor.

I also have fallen in love with Gyleen Fitzgerald's Trash to Treasure Pineapple ruler.  It's like eating peanuts, you can't stop with just one! I have about 30 of them done now.

Nancy's Olivia.  I love the Snail's Trail blocks!

Tina with a finished Snail's Trail - I love the borders!

     I still have been working on the "stewdio" space.  I've had a couple of small groups over, and so some areas have been tweaked.  As soon as I download more pictures, I'll get an updated view.  I am loving working in my space now.  My friend Sue W. sent me a nice email telling me how I've inspired her to work on her space too.  So, I will keep sharing the news on the "stewdio" too in the coming weeks and months.
     Right now, I am working on Japanese X blocks.  These are part of a swap that I was lucky enough to arrange with some friends who have already completed the first leg of a swap with others.  Apparently I missed their initial arrangements, but lucky for me, they still needed/wanted a few more of them.  Last night, I got all the parts together, and tonight I am going to sew some before and maybe after Downton Abbey.  I love their scrappiness!  The tutorial is here, if you want to make some of your own.

This one is from Gone Aussie Quilting

     My guild has a lot of projects coming up this year, and as soon as I can get a handle on which ones I want to do, I will start sharing those with you too.  In the meantime, stay happy, healthy, warm and stitching!

Mayo the Wonder Dog is a great snuggler under a flannel rag quilt!

Happy Thanksgiving