Ack!!! Fail!

I am still struggling with posting photos.  If anyone out there has any insight,  please feel free to share.  When I try to upload a picture,  it takes forever and after a while, it usually says something about losing network connection.  I coughed up the five bucks for more storage to no avail, waaah!  So discouraging.  I did manage to get a few photos loaded while I watched the Ravens win today.  It's possible that the potent sangria that I mixed up earlier gave me some patience, heh heh. 

Here is a peek of the top I made when I declared war on my stash.  It's about twin size.  I have the backing picked out but no sandwich made yet.  I really hope to get it done soon so I can send it to Basics in New York.  The light side of the squares is a funny cat print that I have had for a while.  I used it on the back of a quilt for my daughter a long time ago.  I  think I'm having a new crush on half square triangles. 

This is what I have really wanted to show you for a couple weeks now.  Say hello to Skippy.  I checked this book out of the local library and it had this pattern in it.  So doggone cute.  The original pattern did not have the drops of water, that was my genius addition.  I just felt that all the open space needed something so I used the feather die from my Accuquilt Go and made a bunch of drips.  Lots of fun.

This was the pattern from the book.  I took it to Staples and had it enlarged, A LOT.  Then I made some freezer paper templates.  I did cut the fabric pieces with a seam allowance so I could turn the edges under and then I topstitched the pieces into place.  It worked very well. 

Here is Skippy before he started playing with the water. 

I have some fabrics picked out to make a couple more of these.  I will have a nice little stash of baby quilts soon.  It will be nice to know they are there and not have to put other projects on hold every time someone I know gets preggers.  There is already another pregnancy at work, oy!

      Yesterday I had a little road trip  with some of my Wild Thread friends.  We went to two awesome quilt shops in Pennsylvania.  OMG!  I hope I don't offend anyone when I tell you that we all agreed that we enjoyed 'fabric orgasms' yesterday.  Oh dear, I can't believe I wrote that but we had such a good time and came home with so much fantastic fabric.  Thanks to my eagle eyed  friend, Chris, I now have some of Aneela Hooey's Little Apples fabric.  One of the shops just had its building sold so they are having a liquidation sale, 25% off the already good prices.  Yee haw!  And the other store had

 33, 000 bolts.  So if you were thinking about doubting the big fabric O., think again.  I found out on the way home that I didn't even see the UPSTAIRS of the second store.  Probably a good thing.  It is so much fun to get together with the girls, boy does the conversation go all over.  Failing vision and stray whiskers on our chins were mentioned as well as some brainstorming for handmade holiday gifts.  I am putting together a list of ideas for gifts I can make for my friends.  If you have any ideas that have been hits with your friends, please let me know.  I know it's not even october, but guess what?  I was at Walmart today and they had  Christmas trees and lights out for sale already.  Sheesh!

I hope you had a good weekend and, seriously, if you have any suggestions for my uploading issues, please share.  Thank you!

Not quite.

How do you like my little setup?  I got this swing for mother's day and I am loving it.  I complained a little bit about missing it when it rained for days.  It's wide enough to stretch  out completely with a book, AND the back actually folds down flat if anyone is interested in an afternoon snooze.  Who could that be?

Anyway, yesterday I finally got my act together and ordered up some more Picasa storage to solve my blogging problem.  They said it might take up to 24 hours to go through and they weren't fooling.  I brought my computer and some books out to the swing.  Got Pandora radio playing, opened blogger and then........... it took 5 minutes, FIVE!, to get that picture to upload.  So forgive me for skipping the other pictures I was going to show you.  Maybe tomorrow.  Today, I give up on my plan for blogging.

Now I'm going to stretch out, put my head on a pillow or two (I made these from vintage tablecloths) and read my book until 1pm when the Ravens play the Titans.  If you didn't hear, the Ravens are on fire so far this year.  They gave the Steelers such a whuppin last week, I've been grinning for a week. Sorry Steeler's fans. (not really) 

Just a quickie post!

Here are some pics of the two quilts I cut out during the hurricane when I didn't have any power.  The pattern is from Boo Davis' book that I linked to in the last post.  I don't know why blogger let me upload these two photos but I'm not arguing.  Are these doggies cute or what?  I just rummaged around in my stash for the fabrics and wow.  Who knew I had so many browns?  I didn't. 

This design is a little addictive.  I really want to try different color combinations.  I couldn't resist making a red 'Clifford' doggie with a fun aqua background. 

I am still working on getting more storage space so I can get back in business with my posts.  My latest problem is that I can't seem to get back to the page that I can order the storage space from.  Yeesh!  It popped up before when I was trying to upload my photos so I keep trying which is very time consuming.  And then a couple photos went through!  Nutty!

Anyway,  thanks to all of you for being patient.  I have kept busy in the sewing room and really do have things to show.  This past weekend I declared war on my stash.  I have a lot of fabrics that just aren't doing it for me anymore and I want to buy newer and brighter fabrics.  To make room,  I decided to just USE SOME UP.  I pulled out a couple piles of fat quarters and ironed them and chopped them up.  I cut them into 10 inch squares and then made a bunch of half square triangles.  Charity quilts coming up people!  I will definitely send one to the Basics Quilt Gather.  Victoria and Pat Sloan are trying to get a few hundred quilts together  this fall.  How's your stash doing?  Need to make room for new stuff?  Bang out a quick and easy quilt and get a warm fuzzy at the same time by donating to a cause.

G'nite!

What's a gal to do?

Well!!! I am a bit bugged. I have been trying for days and days to publish a post with some super cute photos but I can't get the photos to upload.  First it works very slowly then says 'network connection is lost'.  Same thing for days and I have been perilously close to having a potty mouth over it.  Today I got a window message that said I have run out of storage space with Picasa.  More storage space is available for purchase and is cheap.  Has this happened to anyone?  Did you buy more storage?  Did that fix the problem?  How much storage does a blogger need?  I have gotten a ton of free enjoyment, entertainment and inspiration from the blogging world so I can't complain about a $5 charge for 20 GB. 
    What is a quilter to do without power?  For example when a hurricane blows through and leaves you without power for 3 days.  And don't even think about feeling sorry for us because 3 days is a record.  We have never gotten power back that fast.  And even better, this time we were able, for the first time, to power our water pump with our generator.  Woo hoo!  Homes with wells need to power their water pumps to get water.  I can live without electricity for way longer than I can cope without water.  We breezed through  Irene's aftermath.  And can I say that there is so much more time in the day without the distraction of the computer or TV.  I read 4 books for one thing.  And what went on in the sewing room?  Well, since I expected to be without power, I spent Saturday finishing two quilt backs.  So first off,  I got 2 quilts sandwiched and basted and ready for quilting.  Then I decided to cut up fabric for some new quilts.  I actually made a list of things to do that included 'cut out 3 quilts'.  I got two done and as soon as the power was back, I zipped them right together.  Lordy, they are cute!!      
     When I went to New York recently, my friend and I had a little time to kill and popped into a Borders bookstore that was having a liquidation sale.  I found several books that I was interested in.  Since we had a bunch of walking around to do and didn't want to have to carry the books around, we decided to come back later on our way to the bus when we were leaving and had our rolling suitcases.  Oops, we didn't make it back and of course I REALLY wanted one of the books, a great quilt book by Boo Davis,  Dare to be Square Quilting.  Well, I could not remember the author or the name of the book but I thought I might recognize the cover.  Mostly, I just remembered a specific quilt in the book that I HAD to make.  I headed to Amazon and searched under rew release quilting books.  Then I scrolled through page after page until, ta dah!  I found it. With no power, I picked fabrics and cut out all the pieces for  2 tops in that design I fell in love with.  As soon as I solve my photo upload issue, I'll share.  And I'll have more to show too because I got the book, Quilts, Baby by Linda Kopp at the library and I am making multiples of one of the designs in that book too.  My sewing room was tidy briefly but now there is fabric and freezer paper patterns everywhere.
      I also made some silly things with Mod Podge.  It's sad how much trash we generate at the hospital.  I started recycling something from work.  Completely dopey but vaguely useful and I had fun.  Bet you're really itching for those photos aren't you?
     If you have any insight on the photo storage issue, puh leeze share it with me.  Thank you!

Storm's a'comin Pa!!

Warning:  this post might be a little whiny in spots.  Sorry,  sometimes that's just how I roll.

I guess Irene is heading our way.  We don't live on the coast thank goodness but we have issues that come up with heavy rainstorms.  Our driveway is one.  Do you remember learning about erosion in elementary school?  Well, if you want, just send your kids over here to see a live demonstration of erosion.  This is what our drive  looks like now, thanks to just a couple of heavy rains in the last couple weeks.  Imagine what will happen if we really get slammed with Irene.   I am a lousy photographer because this does not do it justice. 

 

This is the Grand Canyon of Maryland.  Btw, did you know there is a 'Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania'?  There is and if you take a road trip there,  make sure you also check out Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land.  Kids love it.

Ok, back on topic.  The deepest parts of this crevasse are probably more than a foot deep.  Definitely not friendly to tires.  And we are a family of a few small cars.  It's a challenge to get up this hell hill without bending an axle.

 As you can see, there are trees on one side and a fence on the other.  Makes it tricky to go around the bad spots. 

I have an awesome big brother who very kindly pops over every now and then with his skidloader and pushes all the gravel back where it belongs and we are happy for a couple months before................

 This is the drive above the bad part.   I think this is part of the problem because of all the runnoff that picks of speed on this straightaway before hitting the hill.  Our plan is a couple of speed bumps here to slow the water down and even divert it.  Until we get that done, we are going to use some sandbags.  My sister-in-law suggested that yesterday and we are ready to give it a try.  Mr. 9patch stocked up on some bags of sand yesterday.  Cross your fingers for us.

Today while we wait for Irene,  I am getting all the laundry done.  If there is a widespread power outage around here, we are always the last to get power  back on.  No power equals no water when you live in the sticks and have a well.  In the last 10 years we have twice lost power for days, once for 6 days and once for 4. Honestly folks,  I can tolerate just about anything as long as I can have a cup of coffee and a shower in the morning.  One time when we lost power, I got in the car and drove 2 miles to a convenience store to find out that they had no power either.  So I turned around and went 4 miles the other way to a Burger King - no power there either.  Five more miles to a McDonalds where I got to wait in line and listen to city folks complain about not having power for FOUR whole hours.  Yes, I confess I was a little bitter.

 We have a generator now and we have it set up to plug into the house so we can have the basics like the water pump and a refrigerator and a light or two.  We haven't used it that way yet so I sure hope it works.  The gas cans are lined up next to the generator, our cell phones, MP3 players,  and computers are charged, candles and lighters are at the ready.  Bring it on!!

What do you do to get ready for a big storm?

Kitty Cocktails

 There's a little bit of excitement down on the purple couch.  Look at them, putting their feet on the furniture and acting silly.  Wanna know what has them worked up?

 It must have something to do with the fact that I decided to cut into a certain fabric and start a new quilt.

 Kitty cocktails!  The Purple Couch Cats (and elephant) really like this fabric.

 It makes them want to have a party.

 When I went to New York recently and bought this fabric at City Quilter,  my friend and I were inspired by a quilt they had on the wall.  It was the perfect quilt for this fabric and any other that has a large fun print.  Here is the process that I used to make a quilt in a similar style.

First, I got out some graph paper and made an outline for the quilt. 

Second,  I eyeballed it and outlined 3 random large squares.  These will be the large blocks from the cocktail fabric.

 Check this out!  I was feeling artistic.

 

Next, I just drew lines to make random blocks of different sizes.

I used a pencil so I could make changes until it looked acceptable to me.

Ta dah!  I decided this was worth keeping.

Now comes the math.  I decided that each square on the graph would equal one and a half inches.  Block by block I counted squares and determined the size of the block.  Then I added one half inch to the length and width to get the sizes to cut.

I raided my stash for fabrics that coordinated with my focus blocks and I cut the blocks.  It was RANDOM!

I pinned my little master pattern up and put it all together on the design wall.  I scribbled and scratched all over the pattern as I cut the blocks to make sure I got all of them done.

And here it is.  Hmm?  Something isn't quite right.  Oops, I reviewed the master and found a mistake.  The top focus block is supposed to be square, lol.  Easy fix. 

We had an earthquake here on the east coast today.  Craziness!  I woke up to glorious weather.  I announced to my son and my mother that I am going to move.  That's right, as soon as I find a magical land where the weather is like this every single day, I'm out of here!  I was in the sewing room putting this top together, the windows were open, the breeze was coming in, and I had music on.  Outside I could hear a chainsaw nearby, somebody working.  And then............everything started shaking like crazy.  At first I thought it was a tree hitting the ground (from the chainsaw), but the shaking got worse so I thought a big tree must have hit the house.  But goodness, the floor was rolling back and forth and at the same time it sounded like something gigantic was clamoring across the roof.  My son was outside in the gazebo by the pool.  He first thought the gazebo was uneven, like a chair with a short leg, because it was rocking.  Then he saw the pool and the water was surging back and forth.  No aftershocks so far.  Let's hope this is the last of the excitement, I am happy to keep it an isolated incident to tell my grandchildren about. 

Anyway,  I finished sewing this top together while watching CNN and getting the scoop.  If you have ever shied away from Y seams, don't.  No big deal. See! 

  I have to confess that I had planned to frame each of the focus blocks with skinny strips of a contrasting fabric but I completely forgot.  Oh well.

Don't worry, I have plans to put some borders on to jazz this up a little. As soon as I decide on fabric and design.  Ugh, me and borders, a difficult relationship.

Now, since I haven't posted in a while, I want to show you that I did get another quilt done.  Another baby quilt with tumbler blocks.  I did some straight line quilting in the body of it but free motioned on the border.

Can you see where I stitched Baby Boy?   This will probably be for a co-worker.  Her shower is next month and she's having a boy.  No sooner do I finish one then it's headed out the door.  Sigh,  so hard to get ahead with the finishes but I'm still going to try. 



A finish and fabrics.

I finally finished the quilt I made for the Modern Quilt Guild Kaufman kona cotton challenge.   The Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild set minimal guidelines, we had to use at least some of each charm square and we could only use solids for the projects.  I happened to have another charm pack so I used both and I also used my scraps in the border.  Let's not revisit the borders ok.  I already posted about that mess, bleh.  

 Since this quilt is baby sized, I didn't want to quilt it too densely, I want it to be soft.  I decided to just stitch gentle waves across the top.  I just stitched pairs of lines and  did it without any plan.  And I like it!! 

You can see it a little better on the back.  I used a multi-colored variegated thread.

Now that I've been home for several days,  the Purple Couch Gang were getting impatient to see the fabrics I brought home with me.  They were getting downright surly so we held a little photo shoot today.  You might think this delicious goldy  yellow is dots but look close, they are shaped like little teardrops.  Cute!

Something has happened to me and I'm going to blame it on the hoedown fabric.  I found myself unable to resist these nutty novelty fabrics.  It's partly the words and phrases and partly because every time I look I see something new.  Chris and I saw a quilt sample at the City Quilter that's a perfect design for fabrics like this.  I'll let you know when I give it a try.  This fabric is for 'damsels' on picking a husband.

Here's a nutty Halloween type print called Ghastlies.  It's hilarious, you really have to keep looking at every inch of it. 

I grew up reading The Adams Family books that my grandmother always had out.  Seriously, look at that little girl's face and tell me those eyes don't scream Adam's Family to you. 

Kitty cocktails.  'nuff said.

 And here is a pile of goodies.  There was a silent auction at the Saturday event at FIT and I won a colorful fat quarter stack.  Thirty nine FQ's AND two half yard panels!!  Yeehaw!

The panels look like this, pictures from fairy tales.   

And there are several of this coordinating print with different background colors.  Won't these come in handy for another batch of baby quilts.

And check this out - two prints in one FQ.  I have 3 of these.

Between 3 and 6 of each of these.   A fun ticket print, something that looks like pez, argyle (love that!), and a wild floral.

A more sedate floral, kind of a retro dot, and some shirting prints in a few different colors.

AND......... there's even more to show off.  Both of the events we went to had goodie bags for us.  Among other fun things, they had a charm pack with 2 coordinating fat quarters packaged up with a pattern.  I got the same fabrics both days which thrilled me.  THEN, my awesome friend Chris got one with the same fabric and gave it to me.  I said, "Oh no, I can't."  But she insisted, said it was her thank you for the weekend.  So I said, "Ooooooh, okay."

As we sat at FIT waiting for Jay and Marianne to hit the runway, I opened up my charms and started looking through the fabrics. Oh my goodness, check out the pale greens! I was going on about how much I loved those greens and another lady sitting there heard me. She showed me that she got  two of the greens for her fat quarters, and asked if I wanted to make a trade.  Wellllll  yeah!!  So I let her pick from my FQ pairs and she gave me these lovelies.   The green is a lot better in person.  I just couldn't get a good representation.   And one of the coolest things is that many of these fabrics have words and letters on them!  I'm in heaven. 

I hope I didn't make you too jealous.  I will now go back to my regular blogging and stop gushing about my adventures.  If it makes anyone feel better,  I still haven't found that durn stepstool.  Grrrrr.

Saturday afternoon at the Fashion Institute of Technology

The second part of my NYC adventure was the afternoon event at F.I.T.   What a great presentation of quilt personalities.  We got to hear Mary Fons (daughter of Marianne) talk about how she fought against becoming a quilter until she hit age thirty. She could be a successful stand up comedienne.  She now has an online show called Quilty which is on QNN TV, an online network.  She is wildly entertaining and I can't wait to check out her show.

We got to enjoy seeing and hearing Mary and Marianne together.  A great pair!



 Next up was Mark Lipinski.  He is a HOOT!!  If you ever get a chance to hear him speak, do it. 

And Jay McCarroll!  You already know I have a case of hero worship when it comes to Jay.  Honest, I was rooting for him from the beginning of his season on Project Runway.  And when he showed his final clothing line and there was a cool quilted coat with quilt patches on it, I knew he had to win.

 Jay was interviewed by Mark  for the SOS initiative of the Alliance of American Quilts.  A very fun and entertaining interview. 

We also got a wonderful sneak peak at Jay's newest clothing line.  I really love it, so colorful and patchworky.  Those little monochromatic dresses were adorable and just look at the gorgeous skirt in green silks  that Victoria has on.

Photography is not my strength but that skirt is so darn beautiful and it really suited  Victoria.  It was all silky and had great big pockets!

And then.............. I got to have a few minutes with Mark Lipinsky and Jodie Davis!   I really didn't have a chance to get nervous, not with that pair.  They really put me at ease and the interview was over before I knew it.  Right here, Jodie is laughing because Mark asked me if I ever quilt in the nude.  I told him that it was more likely that I would be swimming in the nude, lol.

I got a chance to talk about Olivia's summer list and how fun it was to make letters and words.

I was supposed to present a 'touchstone' quilt of mine and hopefully I got that across.  I'm not sure but at any rate, we (I) had fun.  Afterwards my hands were shaking for about half an hour. 

There was a silent auction to benefit the Alliance.  Tomorrow I'll show you the fat quarter stack I 'won' and the other goodies that came home with me.  My sewing mojo is going to have lots to play with this fall.  G'nite!