Happy Halloween!!

I'm home again! I have tons to yak about but in the meantime...

HAVE A SPOOKY DAY!

*** Edited to ask.. didn't anyone think this flower looked like a little skull? I couldn't believe how cool it was!

Off to Quilt Market.

Hope to update during the week, but if not, see you back here on Halloween!!! Have a wonderful week chickadees!

Sunday Sunshine

Have a beautiful, peaceful Sunday my friends.

All the cool kids are doin' it.

I've been reading a lot about freezer paper stencils lately. It looks so fun. When Frankie was probably in 3rd or 4th grade, I did some painting on fabric, but I drew the designs on and used craft paint and some kind of additive that made it flow nicely onto fabric. It was during my kind of folk arty phase, where I did a lot of wood painting etc. Ew. Now that I really think about it, it was around when I was 40, because for my 40th birthday my mom bought me a scroll saw. Yikes, that's 12 years ago my friends, and most of you were probably in high school. Maybe college.. And Frankie, 2nd grade, MAYBE. Probably 1st. But as it is with us old folks, I digress. I hope I can stay awake for this whole post. I should get some Geritol, which again, just shows how darn old I am because do they even make Geritol anymore? No.

Lets get back to my freezer paper stencil project shall we? I was interested but it wasn't till I saw this this on Jennifer's blog that I really wanted to get in on the action. Frankie and I had seen a lot of cute clothes at a darling boutique that had silver paint details that we loved. Jennifer was super nice and told me the paint she used. Frankie and I scored some bargain jeans at Ross and I started thinking about what I wanted to do. A lot of the stuff we'd seen had skull designs. Very fun, Very Tarina Tarantino, who we love.

In the meantime, PIQF comes along and I find this cool Day of the Dead fabric. I grabbed a fat quarter for inspiration.

One day I'm bored and think gee, I bet I could use this skull for a freezer paper stencil. (Old people talk to themselves, a lot.) I am not that good at the visualization of negative images, lets just start with that. Jennifer was like a genius when she did that tiger because WOW. Did you see that? Anyway I didn't have the paint she recommended yet but I remembered an article from the Fons and Porter quilt magazine about using liquid dishwashing detergent to bleach jeans. I made my stencil, a primitive not that cool version of the original. I ironed it on to the jeans and glopped on the dishwashing detergent and let it dry. Then I laundered the jeans. Oh, and I put a piece of cardboard into the leg of the jeans to make sure the detergent didn't seep through. That's probably obvious but I put it in so you don't think I'm lame.

Here are my results! Frankie and I are thrilled with them. I'll probably think about doing some more to these jeans but for now she can wear them for some Halloween type fun. So thanks again blogging friends for all the inspiration. And thank you Jennifer, for the paint information. I found a place to get that Exciter Pack! And I can't wait.

Just another day.

The weather has been so nice here. I had the windows open all day letting fresh air in. Someone in the house has a cold and someone else who's going to Houston next week has been trying to avoid it. No point in naming names.

We used to call these little winged creatures Skippers. I don't know what they're really called but this afternoon when I forced the dogs to go outside we saw a ton of them. Seriously. It scared poor Peep even.

My sunflowers are getting so tall. Some are over 5 feet now, which I think is pretty good since I planted them so late. I'll have a yard full of birds now that my little scarecrow is all grown up and moved away.

I miss that girl.

International Man of Mystery

Its hard to get good photos at PIQF, there are so many quilts and so many people. Two quilts really jumped out at me. In the small collection, Japan: A Journey Around Kimono Fabric - Yoshiko Katagirl. Recent works based on her series of articles in Patchwork Tsushin, there was this quilt. I loved the tiny half square triangles. Probably 3/4 of a inch big. I can't even imagine sewing those small things together and having them still be square.

Its the colors and the baskets that fascinate me in this quilt. I think baskets are my favorite blocks. I am not one to fully enjoy the random nature of this quilt, the interrupted rows make me look to connect them somehow. Maybe that was the intention of the quilt artist.

The circles are also amazing. Round for one thing! And some are textured, the fabric is stitched and drawn up in some technique I am unfamiliar with. Really amazing. Plus it looks like crepe type fabric, so no easy task to work with in the first place.



And this piece..
Oh Illya, sigh. From 1964-68, you were my man of mystery.

There really is something for everyone at a show this size.

PIQF Report

Thursday Sandy and I made our way down to PIQF. We've got it down to a science now. We rendezvous downtown 9am (ish).. she lives about 45 minutes or so from me. We make it to the convention center by around 10. We walk over and the crowd has gone through the line and we're in before you know it.

Sandy is patient and kind and listened to my manic ramblings all the way there. Thank you Sandy, you're a great friend. I was wound up with tons to say. She barely got a word in edgewise. Pam, back off the coffee. (ha ha ha just kidding I LOVE COFFEE) (sorry, I'll settle down now)

The greatest part about the show was how happy Sandy was to find her book and quilt sample in The Quilt House booth. This picture isn't the greatest of Sandy but we had limited time to really stage the shot because busy shoppers were kindly letting us wedge ourselves in between them and the goods. I made a big scene and I'm sure that Sandy was mortified but she was a good sport. Her book is the greatest and I'm sure when you go to her site you'll see her lovely work and feel inspired.

I didn't buy that much stuff. To be honest, I wasn't that wowed by the vendors this year. My favorite vender just didn't have the same WOW factor it usually has. I bought a couple of Lecien fat quarters and some buttons. Under $20. Normally there will be something there we've never seen and have to have. My cool shop with all the thirties fabrics didn't have anything new. SHOCKER. I didn't buy anything there. What else. I bought a pokey thing to stick in my Roxanne's Glue. I bought a thread stand. No way to make that look interesting, unless you, like me, love my huge spool of thread and want to gaze at that again. Because wow, I bet its going to rock.

I went again today with Elizabeth to deliver some patterns. We walked the show again and we agreed, nothing to wow us as consumers. We bought a couple of little frames for needlepunch and I bought a fat quarter of Day of the Dead fabric for a little garment project I have going for Frankie but that was it.

OH! But before I forget, I got to briefly see what was left of Jackie's pincushions at the Fig Tree Quilts booth. The few that were left were darling, I hope she can get a photo tomorrow. The display was darling.

And that my friends, is the end of this tale.

PIQF

Sandy and I are off to PIQF today. I'm sure we'll both have reports to tell you all about it!! In the meantime my fine feathered friends, have a wonderful day!

Marie Claire has some Idees for me.

Thanks to Jackie I found my Marie Claire Idees, since I'm in a copycat kind of mood. I can't believe all the cool magazines that I've missed out on! Coffee and Marie for me my friends.

For a lazy girl I have a busy week, two working days, two days at PIQF and then a day to meet up with my girl. I'll report in on my activities.

What are you making with Marie?

Everyday inspiration

A couple of weeks ago I picked up these paint cards at the hardware store. I was on some other mission that ended up taking me past the Martha Stewart Paint display and they caught my eye. I love Martha, I've loved her since I was pregnant with Frankie, sitting home on maternity leave, waiting those last two weeks before her arrival and watching endless hours of daytime TV. (The grammar police will soon be here, look at all those commas.. yikes I hear the sirens now.) Martha came on our local PBS channel with her Thanksgiving special and I was hooked. I have the Fire King to prove it.

I have tried and tried since I picked these cards up, to get a good photo of them. Did I brag too much about my picture taking skills, is that why I am unable to get a nice clear shot? I love the soft colors. Normally I don't like green with aqua, but I see how they're so artfully chosen my gal Martha and it opens possibilities that I didn't consider before.


I've been working on my fun knitted purse from Laughing Hens and it's almost done. Now I need a new project, particularly since I am off to Quilt Market and there will be times when I need to keep busy but still chat. Something to pick up and then put down. I went on a mission to find some yarn and look what I ended up with. I think I'll make a new purse just like the one I am making now because I haven't had my fill of that picot edge.


My recent fabric purchases fresh from my cutting table where I carelessly tossed them. (I mean seriously, am I even using the table now?? ) I didn't even really think about these purchases, at least in relationship to the cards, but somehow, those colors are just on my mind. I'll save this pile and hope for a project to come along. (or possibly pile it all back on the table, sigh. )

News from the dork.

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Thursday I had a nice lunch out with my friends Carol and Robyn. Carol and Robyn are my mother-daughter sewing friends. I met them years ago when I used to have a little club at another quilt shop. Wonderful women and I'm priviledged to know them. We've been trying to schedule some time since July and just never seem to be all free at once.

We were supposed to meet up with Robyn at a local restaurant close to the school where she works. When we called to say we were running late she said come to the school, they've made lunch here! And what a lunch it was! Enchiladas, rice, salad, sodas, cake. Really great fun. Then we went back to Carol's for more chatting and catching up. Its been a busy summer for all of us, so we caught up on the kids and the families etc. I had a great day!

On the ride home there were some amazing clouds. Coming thru the canyon and over the grade I couldn't believe how white and billowy they were. Cliche clouds my friends!! The photos don't even capture how beautiful they were. But I know, it's not like you haven't seen some clouds before right? Still they're good looking and I really enjoyed them too.





This is on the backroad towards town. You can see the clouds getting darker. Wow, I wasn't home maybe half and hour and it began to pour HUGE FAT RAINDROPS. It was warm out and the windows were open, it smelled so good. It finally feels like fall here now. A little rain, some really cool weather, the change of the light, you can' t help but love it all.

I know it sounds dorky but I just couldn't help but feel happy. It was pretty out, I had a fun with my friends, my book on tape was awesome, it was just a super day all around. I hope you guys have a super day too!

Houston We Have Liftoff!

Its official, we're going.
International Quilt Market- Fall

Ok, it was official before too, but now there are business cards. And postcards to previous customers to let them know we'll be there and to stop by and see what's new. Later when the printing is done there will be fresh brochures and bookmarks and buttons and new patterns. I can't wait.

But it isn't till the end of the month, so I'll have to wait a bit. In the mean time there will be Pacific International Quilt Show. That's next week and believe me, I'll be there with bells on come Thursday morning. Sandy and I go every year. We have our plan, we pack a lunch, we synchronize our watches and we kick some shopping a.... ooops sorry, I get a little carried away. Sandy is so mature but sadly, I am not. I'll get two days there, Friday Elizabeth and I will go and look at some booths. We're all business.

....lets not kid ourselves SHOPPPING. There are tons of people who go and look at all the amazing quilts first but let me tell you my friends, I'm free to admit I'm shallow. I want to see all that those vendors have to offer (except possibly that guy with the creepy puppets. I'm pretty sure I'm not interested in that!) The quilts will be there the whole exhibit. And I'll enjoy them at my leisure, when I finish my shopping!

Phew!

Luckily yesterday there was nothing new at the shop I absolutely had to have. Its a relief really because I need to finish things here. But still sad because I'm bored by my projects and wanted something new. There's just no pleasing me somedays is there?

Its overcast again today, I love when mornings start like that. I don't really have an agenda, so I started washing the sofa slipcovers. It just seemed like something that should be done. I love fall but the mold and dust on the leaves really gets to me, so I've taken allergy meds for days, and have the sluggish feeling associated with them. So I'll go with it. Do a little of this and a little of that. That's how I roll.

And for fun, here's a funny photo of Frankie on another outing on the Sheriff's boat. They love to tease her about her height.

Blob of a day.

After several days of sewing and making things I ended up in a lump on Sunday. The best I could do was some mending, but it needed to be done so I'm glad. I got other not so creative things done and spent most of my day in the room there with my TV, at my ironing board desk. You can't be creative every day I guess.

I did find the large hunk of white and red polka dot fabric, thank goodness. I was wondering how I was doing to get all my sashing out of the piece closest to the surface of all the piles of fabric around here. So I can get back to that. And then maybe some organization. I have a couple of stalled projects on my table that I can pack up and save for later, instead of leaving them lying around.

What I need is an assistant that I can pass stuff off to to get finished. I'm great at starting and not so great at finishing. I don't know whether to hope for something wonderful to be at work today or not, because you know, those blocks could end up in a pile again, interrupted by something new.

Have a fine Monday chickadees.

Slow Sunday

Sunday is starting off slow around here. Coffee, reading blogs, sending email. I thought I'd show you my sunflowers, they're looking good don't you think?

And this, well this is just crazy! I borrowed Elizabeth's Quilt Patis to make this little block. In that spirit of I-think-I-know-best, I pressed when I shouldn't have and managed to iron the patis to the blocks, but I was able to get them out. I am such a dork.

Have a peaceful day!