grannygoodstuff

Goals for 2012

2012-01-04T14:02:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of 'UFO' projects from past years... I found another one this morning - thankfully, with all the backing and binding fabric in a tidy zippy bag - the date on the backing fabric is 1995....

UFO from 1995

UFO - current decade...

backing fabric of UFO - another current decade

UFO - a mystery quilt started in early 2000's

Scrap buster from 2011 ready to quilt

Now, I'm not sure where they are hiding... but I think I have some blocks waiting to become quilts - or possibly tote bags - such as this one I did recently:

....proving that there's more than one way to 'finish' an 'unfinished object'!

It's a good thing to take inventory once in a while - I wonder what else I'll find?

Happy New Year - 2012

2012-01-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't know how the years go by sew fast... but here's a little review of what I accomplished last year:


I finished this . . .


Made a bunch (5 or 6?) of these kitty beds . . .

took a few trips... mostly to quilt shows, one to a Bead Fest and sometimes just to see the ones I love.

In short, I enjoyed my family, my friends and my sewing, art and crafty projects.

I taught others to craft, dye, sew and quilt.

I thrived in the love of a wonderful husband.

I traveled - to NY, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia -

not far from home, but far enough to appreciate home when we returned!

I invite you to form a list of all the places you went last year, all the things you made (besides $) and most of all, all the people who love you. It's amazing how good life is when you see it from the right angle!

sew on!

Merry Christmas to all - God Bless Us, Every One, whatever we celebrate!

2011-12-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

One of the many blessings of living near Pittsburgh, PA is the opportunity to visit the Heinz Memorial Chapel, where some of the most amazing stained glass windows are installed.

Here is a link to the chapel, so you can enjoy your own tour of those famous chapel windows.

Many of the windows depict inventors, musicians, authors, scientists, and other inspirational people from Pennsylvania's history in addition to biblical and religious history.

If you have a chance to visit Pittsburgh, stop in the chapel for a dab of inspiration.

....and for those who are not celebrating Christmas, here are some other 'holiday wishes' for you.

I have always wanted to visit Stonehenge...

and if you are curious about Kwanzaa, I found an excellent explanation here.

Blessings on all those celebrating the feast of lights.

....and for those who are not celebrating anything in particular while the rest of us are singing and lighting candles and exchanging gifts....my sympathies.

Now, excuse me while I wrap that last homemade gift and put some cookies on a plate.

Free Holiday Printables available now through 12/25

2011-12-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

Free Holiday Printables

available now til Christmas - a new one every day! aren't these kiddos just too cute?
use them for paper crafts, holiday decorating... I wonder what will be there tomorrow?

The long awaited paper piecing tutorial

2011-11-18T13:00:00.005-05:00

this tutorial is for a 6 inch rug mug......

First, choose your fabrics - assorted strips & scraps in small prints, monotones, or solids

- amounts will vary according to the mood of the muse....

keep in mind that paper piecing is not a frugal method of fabric consumption... 8-)

Cut your paper pattern into sections - cut between the sections - leaving all lines - even the dotted ones, for now...
...if you are in my NewBees class, this pattern has been sent to you...

assemble tools: trash, rotary cutter & mat, small ruler, snips, glue stick, skewer and of course your sewing machine!

Before proceeding, thread your sewing machine with a neutral thread and shorten the stitch length. test your stitch length on a scrap of paper - it should tear easily along the stitching - yet feed easily through the sewing machine.
Your stitches should not separate the paper pattern until you are ready to remove the paper.

glue first fabric piece over the #1 space, leaving at least 1/4" seam allowances on both sides of the first two stitching lines....

let fabric extend past paper so it is easier to see position..... you only need a little dab of glue - don't go over the lines with it!

align piece #2 along edge of piece #1 - sew ON THE SOLID LINE between sections 1 and 2 with paper side up.

finger press piece 2 open - confirm that all of area #2 is completely covered with seam allowance...

fold on line - use an index card to get a nice straight fold

align ruler over seam - trim seam allowances to 1/4"

after trimming pieces 1 and 2

it's okay to trim outside edge now....

piece 3 has been added and pressed open

piece 3 is trimmed- allowing 1/4" seam allowance - note the little paper ^ at the bottom has come away - that's okay!

paper side up - showing stitching ON LINES - trimmed - ready for pieces 4 & 5

oopsie! notice how pieces are too small... boooo - hate getting to last piece and messing up! I have tried unstitching these but have not really been successful - this is why it is soooo difficult to estimate fabric needed for paper piecing... best advice: lots!

trim to dotted lines - I put the ruler on the dotted line and trim - leaving 1/4" seam allowances all the way around...

all trimmed - ready to sew!

trimmed sections ready to join - yes, I ran out of the original red paisley and had to use a different red for the last two blocks, but I like it better this way!

last set of seams rotate around center - remove all paper now and press.

use the tweezers on those tiny points!

add a border - I used a solid red 1 1/2" strip from my scrap stash.

press first two sides out before adding next borders....

use a skewer to guide the machine over those bumpy seam intersections!

press open - I used a piece of parchment paper under my block
so that nasty brown scorch mark on my ironing board wouldn't transfer to my block...

layer - backing fabric right side up, finished block, and batting trimmed to size of block.

sew all the way around... 1/4" seam of course!

trim off corners to reduce bulk

turn right side out through slit cut into back ..... insert scrap of MystyFuse or Stitch Witchery or whatever fusible you like.


be sure to read directions... and seal the opening! you can also close the opening with a small iron-on applique that matches the back for a more 'professional' appearance 8-)

Add top stitching all around to finish

Hope you enjoyed your paper piecing experience - there are some other paper piecing links to refer to if you get stuck:

just go to "YOU TUBE" and search for "paper piecing tutorials". New videos are added and removed all the time, so just look for something from a publisher that sounds familiar to you - they are usually better than the ones on blogs.

The ones by Fons & Porter and C&T are excellent.

on the C&T tutorial, Karen Johnson of Connecting Threads teaches the most common version of Foundation Piecing - usually known as Paper Piecing - to make a baby bib with fussy cutting using the 'add a quarter' ruler.

a little work around the house - in the mud!

2011-11-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

The retaining wall along the side of the house was getting scary - rotting wood, nasty, etc. so had to have it replaced. The gents from Bakers Landscaping said they would be here Tuesday morning... I woke up to pouring rain, and thought to myself..... "no way they will show up in this weather!"

Much to my surprise - they arrived promptly and got right to work.... in the pouring rain!

tools, mud, more mud.....

camera shy...

I made a pot of "Winter Soup" while they worked....

seriously, I turned this pic before I uploaded it.... just touch your left ear to your shoulder.....

didn't they do a nice job of cleaning up?

I am so happy with our new retaining wall... they did it all in only 4 hours, and yes, I gave them hot soup!
They deserved more, but that seemed to make them happy!

C&T New Product test revealed... the joy of exploration!

2011-11-14T07:24:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, I have a 'relationship' with C&T as a product tester (a 'Creative Trouper') and last summer I had a fun time playing with one of their newest creative fibers - which didn't have a name at the time, but now I know is called "mul-tex"!

When this fiber arrived... I was admittedly a bit stumped - it was shiny almost waterproof plastic on one side, and the other side was like a finely spun interfacing... I really had to put my thinking cap on for this one! In July, I was taking watercolor classes at the Greensburg Art Center - so I worked with what was handy! The above pieces were painted with translucent watercolors. I noticed they had a tendency to curl...

Here is my first try at a little scrap book - I turned the pages so the fibrous side was out, and sewed a few pieces into this little book with the pages open at the top for storing tiny trinkets & fiber scraps that are too small to put back into the 'stash' collection. This also lets me store the scraps 'color sorted' from yellow to red! I love that Ferris Wheel stamp from Pat Catan's! I used several different ink colors and kept stamping over the image for a more interesting effect.

But the deal is.... I have to make something to send back to C&T! Sometimes it's sew darn hard to return things, you know what I mean, right? I decided to make a 'bigger, better, more complex version of the little book.
You can see the final results below, and on the C&T Flickr page - along with all the other results!

printed in ink jet printer - love my fireworks!

crumpled & painted with metallic inks - notice how it stays translucent?

tried a tie-dye fold - with metallic inks again...

loving these watercolor results - the only hard part is waiting for it to dry!

acrylic paint with silver & two shades of blue - less translucent, but still has nice depth and texture! this was slathered on rather thick, as you can see!


This was a piece that I really tortured until the two layers separated... the fiber part was soaked with watercolor wash and draped over a bottle to dry, but was very fragile while wet! Once dry, it was terrific!

here's the finished 'album' with stored snippets.....

and a view from the front... Sweet Book!

For those who are looking for my 'newbee' paper piecing tute, I've had a little change in my schedule... you can click on the "subscribe to" icon in the left column, and get a notice in your email as soon as it's published.

Thanks for visiting with me! Let me know if you try the mul-tex - and remember to share pictures!

QUILT COMPANY EAST QUILT SHOW - TODAY THRU SATURDAY

2011-11-03T11:02:00.000-04:00

These baskets are available - at the QCE Quilt Show...

10am-7pm Thurs., Nov 4th
10am-7pm. Fri., Nov 5th
10am-4pm Sat., Nov 6th
3 Lakes Golf Club
6700 Saltsburg Rd
Penn Hills, PA 15235

Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild and a drive over the mountain...

2011-10-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

For "Make a Difference Day" the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild joined together to start a new quilt from "Habitat" fabrics....

Mary, Judy and Kathleen with their blocks

Mary, Kathleen...... and ME..... working on our blocks!

We had six blocks finished, and enjoyed a lot of conversation, pattern patter, and sewing tips!

The next day, Sunday, was a beautiful- sunny- bright- perfect- day- for- a- drive kind of day. So, Kathy and I took a break from our sewing machines and went off to enjoy a little foliage before the fall rains wash it all into the gutters!

The pull off was the site of a former restaurant built in the shape of a ship that had burned years ago... but the rubble remains. I still find it amazing that anything was ever built on this spot! It must be a bad spot for fires, because there was a car that pulled off and burned here more recently - altho not much evidence of that remained....

The view is still spectacular, and worth the drive!

Looking south/southeast towards Somerset, PA

and as the sun got lower on the horizon... there was another photo op!

Then we stopped for a nice dinner on the way home!

Hoping your weekend was also lovely,
hugs & smoochies,
ggs

how remove sticky tags from fabric...

2011-10-06T10:43:00.001-04:00

A fat quarter often has a label on it - price tag or other wise - and most of the time they peel right off without a struggle. However, once in a while that label has been on that fabric for way too long - and it refuses to come off without a fight!

Recently, while pressing a fat quarter, I noticed that the label had not come completely off... there were still 'label remnants' stuck to the right side of that fabric. However, it peeled right off while the fabric was still hot from the iron!

I could have saved myself so much time if I'd only known this sooner.... Just press it from the wrong side (not the label itself - the 'other side') until it's nice and hot - then it peels right off! Sew simple, everyone should know this trick... but I've never seen it before.

If you test this on other fabrics... make sure the heat of the iron isn't too high for the fabric you are pressing. Wool, silk, rayon, and polyester blends can't take the high temp that cotton and linen take.

Save your scraps and selvedges in big plastic jars like this pic I found on C&T's blog:

Someone's in the basement with Helga....

2011-09-02T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hi friends,

I'm a little busy today trying to quilt my Happiness Key Mystery Quilt - designed by Pat Sloan, blogged in tandem with author Emilie Richards fabulous novel... a trilogy perfect for summer reading... I read a total of 7 of her books this summer. They were all tough to put down - no wonder I got so little quilting done the past couple of months!

This pic was taken with about half the applique and embroidered words - it looks much better than this now - really!

You can see the results of the other HK quilts and a few assorted challenges along the way at the Flickr group here. I'll add a pic of my finished quilt as soon as I get the binding on... I promise!!!

Have to get busy so I can party with family tomorrow!

September is here already!

2011-09-01T10:15:00.001-04:00

The past two weeks have been a blur - I know I was in Philadelphia at the Bead Fest (Oaks) for a day, had a wonderful visit with my lovely daughter, toured the new headquarters of Quilts for Kids, and spent a horrible amount of time doing laundry... oh, yes, now I remember... dear sweet hubby was working on the plumbing while I was away, and I've been cleaning up the after effects ever since!

The good part is that the kitchen sink is now draining nicely. I won't dwell on the still ongoing cleanup efforts.

I did manage to get a little fabric postcard made for my FATraders exchange group.

Fiber art by Thea McCurry

This was for the "Dog Dayz of Summer" trade. Couldn't resist this little snoozing pooch.

As much as I love summer weather, Hurricane Irene has been tough on some of my friends & family lately. Sure hope the folks in Vermont are able to get back to normal soon.

Would love to visit longer, but there is thunder & lightning here today, so this is brief.

Hoping to post again soon!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.

putting on the brakes - what to do when the quilt back is too short...

2011-08-12T08:21:00.002-04:00

So yesterday, I thought I was making great headway on a little scrap quilt. I had pieced the back according to "John's diagonal method" and thought I had plenty of backing under this little quilt.
I realized just in the nick of time that the backing was going to be about 4" shy of getting to the edge of the last border... YIKES!!! how did that happen? I had measured so carefully - this just could not be!

I checked again... yes, for sure, it would not reach. Just a few inches.

So, what did I do you ask? (or maybe not...) I stopped right there in the middle of the quilt. I took the whole thing off the frame, and cut the existing backing fabric about 6 inches away from the quilting I had just finished - in a nice straight line.... well, okay, I confess - I actually TORE that strip off. I had a 'short' piece left in the 'backings box' that was never going to back much of anything and I cut that in half to make a piece long enough to match the piece I had already torn off the quilt back, sewed those together and then added the new piece a little into the middle of the quilt back rather than just adding it to the edge.

Now it looks like I pieced the back this way intentionally, and here is a pic of the finished quilt

yes, the binding is on it now... I used the dark teal/turquoise for the binding. all done. what's next?

Quilts for Kids day at the quilt frame

2011-08-10T12:28:00.001-04:00

QuiltsforKids.org is going to get the one I'm quilting today - it's on the frame, I'll post a pic as soon as I have it done... before I send this one and another to Philadelphia (I will probably take them in person next week) click on the linkie to see a gallery of grateful kids.

This is not to be confused with Quilts4Kids.com which is a similar organization in Australia. I can't afford the shipping to send them quilts, but if you're in Au, maybe you could help them out. They have several kids on their waiting list who would appreciate your help.

Having a wonderful day, hope you are too!
I just found out I won the red/aqua fabric bundle from Michael Miller fabrics.... how lucky can I get? I really hit the jackpot this birthday!
aren't these wonderful?

Thank you Michael Miller!!!!
now hop on over to their blog and comment to win some Red/White/Black fabrics....good luck!

First week in August

2011-08-08T21:32:00.007-04:00

Hello again,

My blog is suffering from summer fun - I'm just having too much of it! Last Saturday was our annual Block Party BBQ. The street was closed off - all two blocks of it - and the neighbors got together to catch up on family doings and who had heard from which former neighbors recently. The weather (which was extremely wet in the morning) cooperated just in time to light up the grill and let the local littles play in the sprinkler.

Between travel, recuperating from travel, and all the other fun stuff - not to mention the exhaustive heat - it has been too hot to spend much time at the upstairs sewing machine - but I have spent enough time to get a couple of the corners done for my RRCB:

yeah, I know... still in the drawer.

... and a "Trend class" sample is quilted and bound:

The 4 x 6ers have almost all received their postcards from me for July before the middle of August:

Isabell's, Janet's, and mine

and I've received this beautiful little quiltie from my friend, Lani, all the way from California!

Lani's pc

doesn't it look like a sunrise behind a Manzanita? I love it! and, it's her first try at a postcard quilt. I think she did a great job on it - she has a wonderful sense of design - and I love those bright colors!

The FATraders exchanged embellished coasters which we joined into books to celebrate our 6th anniversary on Yahoo.... it took a bit longer than expected due to the postal workers strike in Canada, but I'm loving my little book. Here it is:

I've also been working on an embroidery block of the month - I'm keeping up pretty well with the Little Birdie Stitches by Little Miss Shabby... I'll post those pics in a day or so, along with the latest update on the Happiness Key Mystery quilt.

...and I've sewn, cut, re-sewn, rearranged, cut, sewn again on my QCE Guild fabric challenge - due in Sept. which I can't post pics of or any other details until the 'Reveal' at the next guild meeting.

The QCE guild has a quilt show coming up in November - and I'm trying to prep a new quilt or two for that deadline. I'm also trying to get to Philadelphia to spend a couple of days with my one and only daughter, who has graciously kept her calendar free for the time of my visit. Smoochies!

midsummer days

2011-07-22T07:36:00.000-04:00

Hello again!

I'll be you're wondering whether I'm still blogging or not? Well, of course I am! But, summer being what it is with so much to do and only 24 hours in a day, etc. Sometimes the writing takes a backseat to the doing... and what I've been doing is - for the moment - a secret! I do so wish I could tell you all about the new product from C&T that I'm testing, but no, sorry, no can do - not yet! It is interesting stuff, tho, and I'm enjoying the playtime.

I've been scrunching it, ironing it, painting it, separating it, draping it and sprinkling it with sparkles. It has an intriguing ethereal quality about it.

That's not all, of course. I'm also working on a 'fabric challenge' for QCE guild - which is supposed to be a secret until the 'unveiling' in September. So far, I've done a little shopping and a lot of cutting - enough for at least 2 quilts of the required size limit. I like having choices, but hate making decisions. What a conundrum!

I've also been working on a quilt for my good friend Carolyn T. so I think I can show you a pic of that...

If you squint a bit, the bright parts seem to curve, but really they're straight.

a little prayer

2011-07-22T07:35:00.000-04:00

Dear Lord,

Help me deal with today.... and leave tomorrow to you.

Thanks,

Thea

Singing the Knoxville Blues while I danced the night away

2011-07-19T13:22:00.000-04:00

I went to Knoxville last week for the AQS Quilt Show – more info here: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/knoxville/2011/general_info/

The weather cooperated for the most part, with only light showers during the times when I absolutely HAD to be outside. The show quilts were amazing – I especially enjoyed the retrospective on Linda Roy’s quilts. I got to meet her and she is a lovely, encouraging person. She also won “Best in Show”… http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/16/best-sew-knoxville-quilt-show-wraps-local-earning/

Linda Roy at Knoxville

The other special exhibit that stopped me in my tracks was the Alzheimer’s exhibit… this link explains what it’s all about, but nothing on a blog can show the impact of all those little purple strips each with the name of an Alzheimer’s victim. http://www.alzquilts.org/alil.html

Leah Day's quilt was totally awesome, of course!

each area was filled with a different quilting pattern!

Another impressive group effort was this quilter's view of the river....

A River Runs Through It special group exhibit

Later that day we stopped by the Smoky Mountain Palace to see the Cirque de Chine

for info go to http://www.smokymountainpalace.com/

A troop of amazing acrobats, jugglers and contortionists who performed the most impressive feats of daring I’ve ever seen on a stage. The only downside was that there were so many empty seats in the auditorium. They deserve a full house every night! ...and those daring guys on the motorcycles just woulda knocked my socks off if I'd been wearing any!

The following day, we dropped by the birthplace of that famous American icon, Davy Crockett.

There is a state park bearing his name in TN. http://tn.gov/environment/parks/DavyCrockettSHP/index.shtml The park has a very nice pool conveniently located near the entrance and a nice looking camp ground.

Crockett memorial w/Dwaine McCurry

DeeDee gave it a 2 paws up!


David Crockett birthplace - Limestone TN


Outdoor oven at Crockett homestead

The little cabin is reconstructed, of course, but it’s still impressive! The Park Ranger at the museum/visitors center was gracious and entertained us with his stories and memorabilia.

The cabin interior looked pitch black to me... but fortunately, the flash on my camera was up to the task, although it lacked somewhat in focus.

to the right of the door, the sleeping area

and to the left of the door, the living area.....

garden behind cabin - looks a lot like mine - full of weeds!!!

The garden behind the cabin was 'maintained' by a local gardening group who must all be too busy pulling their own weeds so the contents of the cabin's garden were a bit on the wild side - much like Davy Crockett!

Then we went on to Jonesborough for the Contra Dance – a highlight of our Saturday night.

http://www.historicjonesboroughdancesociety.org/ where over 100 dancers filled the floor for several hours of good dancing fun with an ice cream break for good measure!

Good to be home – to savor the memories of a wonderful trip!

whoops! there goes June!

2011-06-25T08:37:00.000-04:00

It's been busy, even without getting any sewing or quilting done (at least for myself!) but I've had lots of fun and good family time anyway...

I have a set of scrap blocks ready for sashing.... not these, but the ones I swapped for...
that will be ready for you to see soon.. really, I mean it!

and a really fun party! note these photos are intentionally small so as not to insult the 'models'....
and note these are all completely out of sequence, too!

Pinata hats for all!

the Birthday Girl in her new t'shirt!

rolling in the grass is still fun!


the mystery guy guest....

Hope your summer is fun, too!

Talent Tuesday

2011-06-21T06:36:00.000-04:00

Postcards made last month for 4x6ers swap - Buildings theme

Today is a good day to expand an existing talent.

Whether you like to sew, paint, jog, swim, bike, or whatever. Push yourself just a little out of your comfort zone today. Experiment with a new recipe, try a different route, speak to someone you have never spoken to before.

I'm taking an art class today... in watercolors. I haven't had an art class since I was 14, so this is scary!

I might find out that I know a lot less than I thought I did. Maybe I really can't learn everything from the internet. Who knows? I'm going to try - really give it a shot.

And tomorrow, I'm going to try gelatin printing. I've already mixed the gelatin in a pan - it is in the fridge getting firmer by the minute. I'm giddy with anticipation. Will it really work?

I won't know for sure until I try! The theme for the next 4x6ers swap is 'Free Choice'.... I wonder where the muse will lead me?

Hello Summer, here I am!

2011-06-15T07:46:00.000-04:00

Hello again,

I'm trying to figure out for the 50th year why time seems to go so much faster in the June-August months than any other time of year...although the whole year does seem to whip around faster all the time.

Time seems to go especially fast during June - what with birthday parties, weddings, graduations, baby showers, family visits and pot lucks. And I left out vacations... which I'm still planning for July to coincide with the Knoxville Quilt Show, of course!

I'm going to be taking a class with one of my very favorite bloggers/designers, Laura Wasilowski, who really knows how to have a good time!

Laura Wasilowski

Click the link above to get to Laura's website. See the quilts in her gallery - fun, fun, fun!

this is one of my designs... still not finished, of course!

ttfn,
ggs

Setacolor painting on cotton - results show

2011-06-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

left to right - pearl white, cobalt, marine, green, violet, oriental red, vermillion, buttercup, lemon

results on the porch rail - wanted to shoot the pics on the clothesline, but the wind picked up!

that's the shadow of my arm crossing my 'spray painted' shirt and the painted fabbies on the rail.

ttfn,
ggs

Friday is DYE DAY!!!

2011-06-03T09:21:00.001-04:00

It looks like today is THE DAY!!
I've been studying Mickey Lawler's SKYDYES book on fabric painting for some time now... I have my full set of Setacolors, buckets, sponges, brushes, a bolt of white fabric, a waterproof apron, rubber gloves and perfect weather! Actually, the weather has been the most difficult, since it always seems too hot, too cold, too windy... but today is cool, clear, and calm. Today is IT.

Don't try to call me - my hands are busy.... see you tomorrow!

a few scrappy blocks

2011-05-31T11:44:00.000-04:00

I threw together a dozen scrap blocks this weekend. There were several partial bundles of nickels, samples, charms or what-have-you in my stash that needed to find a use - so they are all sewn and pressed now. Thanks to BumbleBeans at '15 minutes play' for the incentive - altho mine took considerably longer than 15 minutes.
Here's the result:

.....quite a colorful assortment, no?

B52, thimbles, Middle Ridge UMC and the PA Grand Canyon

2011-05-27T09:58:00.001-04:00

Greetings and welcome back - to those who have been 'following' my blog - you may need to 'follow' again, since Blogspot has apparently lost track of you during their event of May 12-13-14.... sorry, but I did try to get you back, it just doesn't seem like it's going to happen!

We (dh and I) took a little trip recently to Rome NY - to the former Griffiss Air Base which is now an industrial park/trucking terminal/research center/etc. Have to admit, they have done a great job with the property as a business/industrial park - although it is obviously still a work in progress. Many of the USAF buildings are now in use by new occupants. The B52 hangars are now expanded and still in use, but many of the small base landmarks have been torn down or are in the process of falling apart and the street names have been changed, so it was a little more difficult finding our way around than we thought it would be. There is a B52 on 'static display' which was the first B52 to land at Griffiss way back when... they thought that reflective white paint and metallic curtains in the cockpit would protect the occupants from the effects of a nuclear blast. How's that for anticipation?

B52 tail at Griffiss - Rome, NY

B52 wing - Griffiss, Rome, NY

the base airstrip overall doesn't look much different, tho...

Griffiss airfield May 21, 2011 - first 'air show'

Fort Stanwix is also at Rome NY - right downtown - so we stopped there for a closer look and found a couple of thimbles that had been unearthed during the excavation...

thimbles found at Fort Stanwix excavation - circa 1800

next on the agenda was a stop at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon on the way home.... now, compared to the 'other' Grand Canyon, it's a very humble relation, but still impressive, even on a rather dreary day.

Yes, of course there was a trail all the way to the bottom. We did NOT try it! It was definitely worth the detour through Wellsboro, tho!

On the way out of the canyon, we passed a charming little church and I had to snap a few pics to share of that too. Here is the Middle Ridge UMC - a very small but sweet structure.

We have had some severe storms around here lately - but nothing as bad as the tornadoes in the Midwest. I can't really complain, but I did wait for so long to see my azalea in bloom only to have the storms beat the old shrub down to the ground....

a few storms later.... and the petals are just nasty brown pulp. Ugh! This was the best pic I got this year.

Now, don't worry - it will recover - and the same thing will happen next year! I wonder if they have hybridized a storm resistant azalea yet?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend - it's Memorial Day weekend here in the States. Time to honor our military veterans and heroes and have family picnics and maybe a few fireworks if the weather cooperates!

I'm going to the studio to paint, glue, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
ttfn, ggs

long time between posts - sew sorry!

2011-05-10T15:58:00.000-04:00

Hello again,

Sorry to have been away for so long - no excuses, just life and taxes getting in the way of my fun!

Spring has finally sprung into an abundance of weeds and other flowers - the tulips were so beautiful this year -

...and then we had a really nasty cold hard rain, and now they are all bare stems.....

The daffodils suffered a similar fate before I could get a picture. Maybe next year!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day - totally spoiled and pampered.

I've been doing a little sewing and quilting, but nothing quite ready for exposure just yet!

I did say I would post more pics of the Cincinnati quilt show, so here's what I have - keep in mind that each of these is a small section of the show - these pics were taken from the second story walkway.


Special exhibits in the far left corner... Quilts with Words, Canadian quilts, and quilters photography

vendors in foreground also had wonderful quilts on display!


notice the 'rest area' on the right side? lots of tired feet!

rows 400, 500 and 600 - do you see Pat Sloan? She's in Row 400 on the end!

The quilts lined the walls to the left of the aisles above, and further to the right---- too far away to show up in the photos, but lots of them, including Baltimore style, Susan Shie, SAQA exhibit, and lots more.....

LOTS of shopping opportunities, too!

see those stencils on the lower left? they double as silk screens! awesome!

the middle aisle, right side... check out those handbags!

the other end of aisles 400, 500, 600, etc.

center aisle - 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, gasp!

some of the vendor booths were really crowded....

this vendor is selling heirloom sewing/embroidery patterns that make everything "in the hoop"!! fascinating!

Triptych made for Fiber Art Traders swap - mine is in the middle!
...on the left is by Sandra Smith and on the right is by Sharon Wildwind

I've been celebrating the Artist in Me with a little fabric dyeing, silk painting, and watercolor dabbling - but I really must get to finishing something with all my artsy goodies!

lost weekend...bingeing at the quilt show!

2011-04-10T08:53:00.004-04:00

It's so hard to fathom that it's almost time to leave. I have barely scratched the surface of the visual delights and learning (and shopping!) opportunities here at the INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL in Cincinnati. Truly an inspiring experience. I got a hug from Pat Sloan and she has wonderful pics posted on her blog, so check that out!

This week I learned to dye silk with Marlene Glickman and cotton dyeing in the microwave with Diane Ricks. I also learned how to use the digital imaging features of EQ7, which is too much fun! Mary Ellen Krantz is very knowledgeable about computers (she's a quilting computer geek - first generation!) and is very generous with her information. She also has a sweet personality and a great sense of humor!
this is what I learned from Mary Ellen:

This was all done in EQ7 - no other software involved. I can do it from my own pictures, too! Check back to see more EQ7 goodies in a few days.

I must admit the City of Cincinnati threw us a wonderful party on Friday evening. Generously portioned adult beverages and delicious edibles - also in generous portions - so they obviously want us to come back next year! They had a live band "AFTER MIDNIGHT" playing lively dance music for us - the kind I knew all the words to! ...and in case you've ever wondered.... Pokey Bolton can really get down!!! That gal has more bounce that a superball!

We'll be driving home with lots of great memories later this afternoon.

I'll post a few pics when I get home, but they never do the quilts justice anyway, so don't get your expectations up too high!

Hugs 4 now!

GGS

Silk Dyes for EVERYBODY~~~ jump in! it's fun! it's SAFE!

2011-04-07T16:07:00.001-04:00

I've arrived in Cincinnati, and even taken my first class!

This morning, I painted/dyed/otherwise scrunched & colored silks with Marlene Glickman. The class is called "Stencil Sensatins" and involves lots of different methods of stenciling onto fabrics....

I wished it was an all day class - it was so much fun, I didn't want to stop!

I made a lovely scrunch dyed scarf to match my sweater - and some other samples of various methods of stenciling onto fabrics, wet and dry, etc. Wonderful teacher - very knowledgeable and patient.

I had done silk dyeing many years ago - it was beautiful, but very time consuming and messy. Marlene's method and dyes are almost INSTANT, and there is no heat setting required, either. Go to her website and watch her video - this is so safe and fun, you can do it with your kids and not have to worry about them sticking their painted little fingers in their mouths while they are painting the silk.

If you ever have a chance to take a class with Marlene, don't pass it up!

Amy Butler's Style Stitches Origami bag

2011-03-31T17:00:00.000-04:00

Made one of my little Origami Bags for the Amy Butler sew along today...
a bit of a struggle, but I'm under the wire....

good size for storing zippers!

The Irish Chain in me.... went to Lancaster!

2011-03-21T21:15:00.005-04:00

I spent St. Patrick's Day at the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster PA - and I wore a deelibopper headband with little sparkly shamrocks and feathers. Almost everyone who looked at me smiled - it was a wonderful day!
Beautiful quilts on display, marvelous vendors with lovely new tools, books and fabrics. I also ran into some old friends that I hadn't seen in a long time, and met some new friends that I hope to meet again.

a sampling of the AQS wallhanging quilts
- every one deserved a prize!!!

and an overview of the first floor - the show altogether is about 6 TIMES this size... for starters!

AQS Lancaster - 1/4th of first floor exhibit hall....

The talents of machine quilters continues to amaze me.... watch for these winners in future magazines! Of course, pictures never do them justice - you really need to see these in person to fully appreciate the talent and skill involved!

One of the tools I brought home is a finger guard for my rotary ruler.... no more finger cutting for me! It goes onto the ruler with little suction cups and is easy to move to all kinds of rulers. I'll have to share that in a future post, because now, I have to move on to a little quilting!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Block of the Month for QCE this month is Irish Chain. This is a simple pattern that alternates two blocks. I like to make the simplest one first to give myself a sense of accomplishment, then I proceed to the more difficult block. Here is the simple one:

Irish Chain Block 1

This has a 6 1/2" CENTER square surrounded by 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips and 2 1/2" squares. It finishes to a 10" block; 10 1/2" unfinished.
This quilt has 12 of these blocks.

First, sew a square to each end of 2 of the strips, then sew the remaining two strips to opposite sides of the large center square. Press the seams toward the green corner squares on the outside pieces, and toward the center of the block on the center square unit. Then sew the three sections together to complete the block.

The second block is a bit more complicated, being a 5x5 layout of 2 1/2" squares there are 13 of these in the quilt:

Irish Chain Block 2

This block will have 9 of the dark squares, 12 of the medium and 4 of the light (25 total).

I lay out the squares to the left of my sewing machine so I keep the pieces in order as I sew. I pick up the pieces in the second column from the left and turn them over like the pages of a book and lay them on the pieces of the first column, then turn the pieces in the fourth column and lay them on the pieces of the third colum. Then I pin them... pick them up in order and sew them, column by column, chain piecing so there is a continuous bit of thread holding them in their proper order. when I get to the bottom of one column, I insert a little scrap of a bright color to remind me that I've reached the bottom of a column, then proceed to sew the next column. When I've finished the first/second and third/fourth columns, I join the two columns together (leaving the little joining threads intact) then open that set of rows, lay this out on the table where it all started to make sure I have the orientation correct, and join the pieces of column 5 to the rest of the rows.

NOW it's time to press! The top, middle and bottom rows are pressed in one direction, and the other two rows are pressed in the opposite direction. Now it is easy to match up those rows and complete the block!

The block should look like this from the wrong side when finished:

wrong side of Irish Chain Block 2 showing pressing

These blocks can then be assembled to make a quilt that will be 56" square with the addition of a 3" border:

Irish Chain Quilt

This is an excellent design for small redwork (or greenwork) patches and works up very quickly. The size is a generous proportion for a baby quilt or a comfy lap quilt for that tall guy in your life!

Quilting 101 - watch out - rotary cutters are SHARP!!!

2011-03-09T06:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally gave myself a serious wound with my rotary cutter..... took off a sliver of my left index finger, 'cause it was too close to the groove in my June Tailor cutting ruler - sometimes the hardest advice to follow is my own. Shame on me! I know better, I really do! If you are curious about the right way to use these rulers, check out their videos here.

The first lesson in quilting is "SAFETY FIRST" - never underestimate the rotary cutter - don't leave it open when you put it down, even for a moment! The second is to keep your fingers away from the edge of the ruler.

I sound like a broken record (does anyone remember records?) sometimes I feel like I'm boring my students with this constant lecture, but it just cannot be overemphasized - you MUST respect those sharp things!

....because if you don't - you could end up with one of these on your finger!

Now don't worry - it's healing fine - but oh my did it ever bleed!

Thankfully, I was able to keep the fabric clean, and went back to cutting after it was bandaged.

The worst after effect is.... typing w/o a left index finger is SO challenging! So, after this monster bandage comes off, I'll be blogging again. Watch for my "Quilting for Beginners" lessons to start soon.

ttfn,
gss

March onward to the finish line... and a bit of Oscar

2011-03-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

I finished a few things last month - so I thought I'd post a few pics while I'm thinking about it...

Sue Luxbacher won 12 of these blocks on Feb 28th at the QCE meeting - congratulations, Sue!

RRCB quilt blocks are all done and pressed - hope to get these assembled in March (yikes, better get started!)

FATraders Button Doll #1 Lacy Jane

FATraders Button Doll #2 Time Flyer

Cottage Rose class sample finished for Monroeville JoAnns

Inside of new Studio Kat Designs handbag coming out THIS MONTH!!!

Little Blue Bird Quilt - Entered in Three Rivers Quilt Show

Turkey Tracks (Wandering Foot) Also entered in Three Rivers Quilt Show

Finished Studio Kat Designs handbag - front

and back - love that zippered pocket - so easy to make!

Finished these 2 Little Miss Shabby's "Little Bird" Block of the Month

Easy as Pie tote from THE BAG MAKERS BIBLE

ARTIST TRADING CARDS for FATraders swap

Now, February only had 28 days, or I might have gotten a couple more bags done... I have one cut out and waiting for assembly on the cutting table, so if you'll excuse me, I'll talk about the OSCARS now...

I just want to say that the critics were much too hard on the performances of James Franco and Anne Hathaway - I've been watching the Oscars since the early 60's and I thought this year's presentations were very entertaining. Altho James Franco looked exhausted (have to wonder about the schedules these entertainers are on since he hopped a plane and didn't even get to enjoy the after parties...) I enjoyed almost every bit of it, including the appearance of Kirk Douglas - whom I did not recognize or understand, but I was glad to see that he's still on his feet and recuperating from a very serious stroke! Kirk has always been one of my favorite actors - a rags to riches guy with a better pelvis than Elvis! OH MY!! did I really say that? I wasn't always this old, ya know?

Gotta go - lots to do today!

so much fun, so little time! ...shhh, it's a secret!

2011-02-18T09:05:00.000-05:00

Hello there - thanks for stopping by!

It's hard to believe that this month is more than half gone... I know I need to post more often, but the lack of a post in this case just means I'm having fun, ok? No, I haven't been sick, didn't break my arm or anything..

Yesterday was one of those days - a few errands in the morning, lunch with friends, evening meetup with more friends.... so much fun, so little time!

So, I'll just tell you what I've been up to so far this month....
For instance, I started another Block of the Month, this one from Little Miss Shabby at

Little Bird BOM by Little Miss Shabby

http://www.littlemissshabby.com/ just scroll down to the info in the right column on her site - all the instructions are there - yardage, layout, etc. and there's a Flickr page for all those stitching along, too! There's an amazing assortment of styles and color combos to browse through 8-) I'm almost finished with the February block - those are 40's/50's reproduction fabrics from LECIEN called "OLD NEW FABRIC COLLECTION SPAICY SCRAP" - it came out in the Fall of 2009, so you won't find it now unless you try eBay or Etsy.

I don't remember many Februaries (plural of February?) when there was a RAINBOW in Western PA. Other places, maybe, but not here, so I thought this was special (not that I had any impact on the creation of a rainbow, of course!) My only accomplishment here was in catching the pic!

February 2011 - Quilting 101 class, Monroeville JoAnns

I did teach a few classes this month... my fave is the Q101 class - loved the Newbies! Not sure whether I should black out their faces since I didn't get and 'model releases' from any of these folks.

And, I emptied a tote bag that had been full of books & fabrics... now if I could just read those books and make something from that fabric!

I did make a little sample for the next Quilting 202 class - this will be running during April and May at the JoAnns in Greensburg and Monroeville - where I teach. Hoping to have lots of students for this fun little quilt... this could be a big stash buster - takes small quantities of 10 fabrics, but of course, the folks at JoAnns would like you to buy theirs....

Q202 class sample - April - May 2011

Not many people know that I'm a 'mid arm quilter' - meaning I quilt on an HQ16 (named Helga) - and occasionally I quilt for others... and I recently finished this beauty for Virginia.

Virginia's Bright Braids

Now for the secret....
Today's project is a new handbag design from StudioKatDesigns - did you know I'm also a pattern tester?
I'll take some pics as I go along to give you a few hints... but the big reveal is at least a month away.... she does have some preliminary samples on her blog - just click the link above.

Have a great weekend!
GGS

Jaybird has a giveaway on her blog today - Pink Chalk Fabrics! Yumm!!

2011-02-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the link - leave a comment or 4 to get into the drawing!

...and remember...

Have a wonderful Monday!

LOCAL QUILT ARTIST DESIGNS COMMEMORATIVE BLOCK TO BENEFIT

2011-01-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

The Angel kits are ready. at Quilter's Corner! Sue Cook of Larkspur Lane Designs created this charmer.

Click the link above to read the story of the lovely commemorative angel that my friend Sue Cook has designed as a benefit for the Cleland family.

You might have an angel of your own to commemorate with this sweet little quilt...
Kits are available at Quilter's Corner at 724-348-8010.

And stop by Sue's blog and tell her what a wonderful person she is!

another day, another dollar

2011-01-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Love to spend a few chatting today - esp. considering the weather! but, have to clear the car & get to work, so I'll see you later!

ttfn,
GGS

Thea's Star - QCE BOM Tutorial

2011-01-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

Here is the tutuorial I promised you for this month's block - named after myself, since I couldn't find anything exactly like it in any of my reference books. This is a 12" finished size block - a basic 9 patch!
(This is intended to be a baby/child quilt for a special new arrival.)

This easy 9 patch block will use the ‘Fast Flying Geese’ method found on page 76 of Georgia Bonesteel’s EASY DOES IT QUILTS. Or the online version that was distributed last year:

http://www.patchpieces.com/files/flyinggeese.pdf

Or this more detailed tutorial:

http://piecefulkwilter.blogspot.com/2010/02/no-waste-flying-geese-tutorial.html

Every quilter has favorite methods for making simple pieced units. Flying Geese are also known as FG’s. This block will use 4” x 2” finished size FG units, strip piecing, and five plain 4 ½” squares.

Each block kit contains: Two strips of pink and a strip of red for the strippy units, Four small green squares and a large red square for the flying geese, and five 4 1/2” squares, (1 green & 4 pink)

Sort the pieces – set the 4 ½” sqs aside for now.

Check your ¼” seam before starting. (Remember - the lines on an index card are 1/4" apart.)

Sew the pink strips on either side of the red strip – press the pink toward the red. This should measure 4 ½” x 10”. Cut this into FOUR 2 ½”.sections and set them aside.

Now, make the FG (Flying Geese) units. You can use whichever method you prefer - the kit uses the method referenced in the links above. If you need it, here are my step-by-step pics...

Line up two of the small squares on opposite corners of the lager square:

draw a light pencil line across small squares corner to corner, sew 1/4" away from BOTH SIDES of this line - then cut on the line.

Press toward the 'dark' or larger triangles (formerly the square)

Now you will have pieces that look like this:

Add the other two squares, also with lines drawn on the diagonal, and sew on both sides of those lines. I recommend using a scrap 'leader' so the points don't get jammed into the needle hole and cause a nasty ole' thread nest..... which is what happended to me just after I snapped this picture!

chain piece both sections at once - or more if you are making a lot of blocks at a time.

Then cut these apart on the line and press the seam allowance in the opposite direction.

At this point, you might want to check the size -- mine sometimes stretch a bit and need a little trim. Yours might, too!

Now join the geese to the strip pieced section to make the arrows.

I recommend using a skewer to guide the seam intersection directly under the needle so you get a nice sharp point on that goosey beak!

Now you are ready to join the 9 pieces together into the block.
Join the sections together to make the block:

wrong side, showing seam alignment

Notice seams going in opposing directions?

Join seams with points of geese facing up so you can see the points as you sew. Again, use the skewer to guide the seam intersection directly under the needle.

Here's what it would look like done with 12 blocks, straight set:

and here's the same block set on point this time with 13 blocks:

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Drop a note and let me know how you like this block / quilt.

Suspense in the sewing room.... the mystery is solved!

2011-01-20T08:17:00.000-05:00

The Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt - Roll Roll Cotton Boll - is 'solved' at last... here is the version I've drawn in EQ7, which is not quite accurate, but will give you an idea how this will look... to see more completed versions, you would need to join the QUILTVILLE Yahoo Group and browse through the album - some of the other color schemes are wonderful...or check Bonnie Hunter's blog here - but if you're not into that, you can make do with this, at least in theory:

However, the reality is this:

and each of these little darlings is taking me about 45 minutes, so it may be a while yet before all of these blocks are assembled and combined with their alternate blocks (which are completed and trimmed) and assembled into the top, and then I'll be working on those lovely pieced borders - which my sketch above just doesn't really portray accurately at all! Those little shapes are not diamonds, they are squares!... and there are hundreds of them patiently waiting in strips, resting comfortably in their own little drawer.

... and I'm debating with myself whether to make this a square quilt - instead of a long quilt - because the square will be plenty big enough for our bed anyway. And then I could make a table runner for a 10' banquet table from the leftovers! Anyone have a 10' table that needs a tablerunner?

Check back soon for a tutorial on this block - I just need a snow day to get it ready!

I've named this "Thea's Star" since I could not find it online or in any of my quilt block reference books.

I've gotta run - teaching another class this morning!

Quilting 101 class today!

2011-01-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

Teaching is my 'alternate' career. I do it for the joy. I love teaching, always have.

I'll be teaching a "Quilting 101" class this afternoon - I love introducing new quilters to the mysteries of quilting. The tools, the fabrics, the colors, the 1/4 inch seam....

the pressing, well, you get the idea.... it's a lot to teach in 2 hours!

Quilting is like a game that you can learn in an afternoon and spend the rest of your life enjoying. The experience of playing the game never gets boring! Well, maybe for my sons, but not for me!

I have a very low boredom threshold, personally, so I try to keep my classes moving along at a quick pace.

The block we make in the Quilting 101 class is a 'simple' 9 patch in a 13 1/2" size.

I try to show them the 'value' 'contrast' 'scale' and 'design' options in this simple block by showing the students different samples... and I watch for the moment when they 'get it'! the light bulbs over their heads suddenly brighten and the big wide smiles cross their faces.... that magic moment is what I look forward to most of all.

They may or may not come out of the class with a finished block or have any idea what they will eventually do with it, but as long as that light inside of them is on I've achieved my goal.

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

New Habits for a New Year!

2011-01-11T08:24:00.000-05:00

I found this quote on Nancy Zeiman's blog - "Forming a new “habit” takes 30 days. If, during the month of January, you use one short “10-20-or 30 Minute pocket of time” each day, you will be amazed by what you can accomplish. Be sure to take “before” and “after” photos."

I bought her book, 10, 20, 30 Minutes to Sew when it was first published. I put many of her suggestions into practice, and today my friends tell me how 'productive' I am! I often sew (or quilt) in short spurts of inspiration (or for instant gratification) now.... but when my children were small, it was a necessity! Now Nancy has a TV show, an online store, all the modern goodies... and a line of patterns based on the 10, 20, 30 minutes concept! She is one productive lady! ... and I mean that as a compliment.

I try to have some handwork near my rocking chair so if I sit down to rest my feet, my hands have something to play with. Usually knitting or crochet, sometimes snipping or 'unstitching' - but this weekend I started to use up the rolls of selvages and scraps of rug yarn tht have been lurking around for way longer than I care to think of, and this is what I made:

Kitty Snuggler #1

This is a kitty snuggler for a rescued cat - I found the idea online, of course! the one in the picture was made of yarn, and crocheted to look like bricks. Hmm, fat chance I could get that effect! There are dozens of patterns for all kinds of supplies at: http://www.snugglesproject.org/

They even have a pattern for 'Fun Fur' yarn - which has gone somewhat out of style for humans, but kitties still love the stuff - so if you have some in your stash, maybe you would consider making a kitty happy?

The rescue cats love these - you know how cats like to play in bags, right?
and it gives them a better place to sleep than in their litter box!

So, my goal for January is to use up all of my rug yarn and fabric strips (1 1/2") to make 5 more of these for Traci's rescue kitties, and then maybe make a few more for the local animal shelters.

So, when I have a bit of fabric to trim from a quilt before I put that binding on... this is where those strips will go. I sure hope the kitties enjoy them!

Roll Roll Cotton Boll, a Merry Christmas Holiday, too!

2010-12-24T17:48:00.000-05:00

Here's a little quilt sketch that I turned into a puzzle for my visitor's amusement:

Click here to go to the puzzle when you are done reading the blog - and leaving me a note, of course!

It's been a busy week at Granny's - mostly sewing, of course.....

I know this doesn't look like much... but these little baggies contain Clue 5 of the Mystery quilt.... 600 half square triangles - finished size? 1 1/2 INCHES.... plus an extra 24 - for insurance purposes.

I've also finished a couple of little gifty things, but they are surprises, so you can't peek!

Have to finish the wrapping now.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Good Night!

GGS

Preparing for the Winter Solstice

2010-12-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

December 21 is a Solstice Day in 2010

"The December solstice will occur at 23:38 (or 11.38pm) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on December 21, 2010. It is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere due to the seasonal differences. Its date varies from December 20 to December 23 depending on the year in the Gregorian calendar."

This is the time of year when I ponder my (usually meager and sometimes even dubious) achievements of the past year and start planning for the next year. I ask myself how many quilts have I finished? how many are quilted and waiting to be finished (3) How many tops are waiting on the line to be quilted (14) How many quilt tops are partly sewn together, waiting for me to figure out how to finish them, find 'just the right fabric' or the hardest part... figure out the math? (too many to count!)

I have also achieved a few intermediate creations.... small projects that give me the gratification I need so that I can go back and continue working on the more 'monumental' projects. If you have followed my blogs, you will have seen most of those.

Here is a photo gallery of the 'Ladies in Waiting' on my clothesline:

these are little 'table toppers' waiting for me to find backs, decide on thread, quilt designs, etc...

this is a wall hanging I made in a class a couple of decades ago... still waiting for my free motion quilting skills to catch up with my imagination.....

this wall hanging was started at a retreat a couple of years ago....

this was a class sample.....now on the frame being quilted... almost twin size!

another little quilt done for a class sample....

a Mexican Star made at a retreat.... still pondering how to quilt this one, too!

this is a 'block of the month' that I won back when I lived in California, added applique to it for a couple of years, took another 6 months to find this perfect back/border fabric, and even though you can't see the quilt top in this picture, believe me - it will be worth it! and 2011 WILL BE the year it gets completed!

This next one is a little scrap quilt I made using pages from a phone book and piles of scraps - surprisingly, I didn't have a 'just right' backing fabric! Go figure! I think I have one now, though, so this will be finished soon, too!

Strippy Scrap Quilt

So that's some of what's waiting to be quilted - there are a couple more - but they are to be surprises, so I don't want to spoil it...

I also enjoyed a short visit with son, Jason, recently - we went to Meyer's Dairy for ice cream, of course!

They had such a nice tree, we just had to use it as a backdrop!

So there will be Winter soon, and I am starting to think I have bear dna in me somewhere because I have such an urge to hybernate, but I won't.
I'll get up, get dressed, put my shoes on, and sew....
and dream of warmer weather, flowers, birds chirping and the coming of Spring.

What do you do to help you survive the cold season? Aside from covering up with quilts?

Happy Holidays to YOU!!!

2010-12-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

the Christmas CanCan is a dance we all seem to be doing these days... Turn up your sound and enjoy the link!

I've been working some more on my Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery quilt... still don't know what it will look like, but I'm starting to have fantasies about how all these parts will fit together...

I have HST's in one drawer:

and little pink and green strips in another...

and lots of little green and 'neutral' pieces in another drawer...

and 60 of these 8 inch lovelies in another drawer...........................

Now I'm thinking that these 60 blocks alone would make a good size quilt...
for instance:

but I really have no idea what these will end up like, so I may as well wait for Bonnie Hunter to tell me in due time... but being patient has never been my strong suit.

ah well, lots of holiday chaos to enjoy...

see you next time~!

Balloon Fest in Gallup NM

2010-12-09T07:33:00.001-05:00

I was not the fortunate attendee - but my friend, Jamie, was there - in a BALLOON!

I am not normally a jealous person, but I'm making an exception today!

yes, I'm still working on the Roll Roll Cotton Boll ~~challenge~~ mystery... making a little progress

...not quite as much fun as a balloon fest, and not nearly as colorful!

Three weeks til Christmas....

2010-12-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, only 3 short weeks until Christmas eve...
no, I don't have my 'shopping' done, although I've done a little shopping!
no, I don't have any cookies baked, either!
but have I been busy? you betcha!

busy reading blogs, sorting my office stuff (the quilt/guild/show/shop related box-see below), and working on a few things in the studio, which has suddenly become a frigid wasteland..... Brrrr!!!

I took pics of all the quilts waiting to be quilted - they are waiting patiently on the clothesline next to Helga... I can't post all the pics cause some are 'surprises'...
I also am working on the Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery quilt with Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.

Here's a couple of samples of my previous efforts at using up my scraps...
this is a pillow top waiting to be completed... this is foundation pieced directly onto the batting scraps - no additional quilting needed! Just needs another border, a back and a pillow insert and some lucky recipient will be getting this for Christmas! (well, at least I hope they feel lucky to receive it - sometimes it's a little hard to tell....)

another quilt top on the aforementioned clothesline is this strippy quilt - I used phone book pages for the foundations in this one... the paper falls out so easily -

and it's a great way to use up the wonky strips that result from 'squaring up' before rotary cutting the 'real' quilt pieces! dd may recognize some of these fabs from her college quilt! This will also be a gift... but it's a 'quilt in waiting' for today!

my next 'phone book quilt' may have to be smaller blocks - the phone book has shrunk this year!

...that's the new one on top, last year's is on the bottom.... all the pages are torn out now from the old one.

so, I'm off to work in the ~~tundra room~~ studio
- Step 4 of the mystery quilt will include fabrics from these two bins:

this one is a shoebox - nice and tidy!

this one holds three loads of laundry - except it's all scraps!

I have my emergency rations at hand:

chocolate hidden in my extra large thimble.....

and in case I need serious nourishment,

and then I can quilt this little table topper/wallhanging,whatever.....

and pet my latest acquisitions, courtesy of dd via Lonni Rossi....

and if I need to warm up, I can finish sorting/filing/recycling this overflowing box of quilt related paper....

So, I have plenty to keep me busy today, besides cruising on over to the Blog Hop for more Holiday make-it ideas and recipes.... click on link below to visit!

Henry Glass Holiday Blog Hop

and just one more little thing before I sign off.... my good friend Lani has a story published in a book!

check this out, too, I'm so proud of her!

http://lanilongshore.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/journey-of-the-journal-quilts/

whew! that's all for today - ttfn!

My hat is off to Rosa Parks - 55 years ago today she made the news....

2010-12-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

Rosa Parks was a humble lady with a lot of backbone.

Take a little time to review her story - I remember this being on the news when I was a kid!

Have a great day - take a bus ride!

Rosa Parks' booking photo at the Montgomery, Alabama police station in 1954, after refusing to give up her seat on the bus.

a week of organizing and recuperation

2010-11-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

Good morning peeps!

I apologize for being a bit behind the blogging lately - my only real excuse is illness - I've been struggling to appear 'normal' (whatever that is.... anyone who knows me knows I'm NOT normal!) while suffering from a nasty head cold that was trying - almost successfully - to become bronchitis. I think I have successfully won this round - I slept through the night last night for the first time in.... weeks!

Last week, dd (Traci) came to visit for Thanksgiving week. While she was here, she offered to 'sort out' my office... if you've been to my house, you know this was no small offer. My office has been impassable for about a year. I had a very narrow path to the printer, which was becoming more of an obstacle course than a path, and I was (and AM) extremely grateful for her help. She is and always has been a good 'sorter' - she did sorting jobs for me since she was a wee little toddler, it has always come naturally to her. So, my office is now close to beautiful. I'm inspired to make new curtains and maybe even remodel the bulletin board. I'd love to show you what a great job she did, but the memory chip for my camera is now travelling with her - safely tucked into her laptop - so I'll be picking up a new one while I'm out grocery shopping today.

Last year she helped me sort my yarn stash - a major accomplishment, too!

this is the yarn stash which is now stored neat and tidy under the bed!

I'm a very fortunate mom, indeed!

a little under the weather, still sewing!

2010-11-26T07:12:00.000-05:00

Good morning!
I'm sitting in the dark waiting for the rest of the family to wake up - yesterday was Thanksgiving, after all, and so today is 'sleeping in' day.

I've been getting over a cold - still trying to get through the day without medication, but getting a bit better each day. What I'm really looking forward to is a good night's sleep!

While I'm recuperating, I'm doing a little more of Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt

172 units in Clue1

Clue 2 is posted this morning, so as soon as I can get upstairs, I'll be cutting into the pink & brown scraps to make 120 half square triangle units - but I know I don't have that many scraps of pink and brown, so I'll be using some yardage, too!

Now, I wonder .... if I made some toast and coffee, do you think the sleepy heads will notice me having breakfast without them?

see you soon - at least here on the blog!

Check out the COOKIE BLOG PARTY

2010-11-14T05:41:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year for baking cookies and there's a party going on next week - starting Monday!

check this out - and if you try any of these recipies, send me some!

click here:
there will be downloads and treats and prizes, too!

Thanksgiving Blessings, Stash Busting and a Planner from Disney!

2010-11-12T06:36:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful planner for you from Disney - very helpful!

Disney has a LOT of great kid stuff - if you have grandchildren, you need to check out the Disney site - downloadable calendars, stickers, coloring pages, recipes, party ideas, and my personal favorite: crafts! Just click on the link above the Planner to visit with Disney - but don't leave just yet!

As some of you are aware, I am a very fortunate person. I really do appreciate this, and am always ready to admit that I have a very busy 'Guardian Angel'.

Not that I try to press my luck - I'm fortunate, not lucky! My primary abundance is fabric, of course!

But as the Thanksgiving season approaches, my thoughts tend to wander among my many blessings - and I count my blog readers as major blessings. Their comments - sometimes during person-to-person conversations, but often at the end of my blogs - make me feel connected to the rest of the human world even if I'm not out and about. This is important for a cranky old lady who spends a lot of her time in the basement (that's me!). It helps keep me grounded, too.

Blogspot has a 'Stats' tab, as any Blogspot blogger may have noticed, and occasionally I check to see how far my writings are reaching - I know many 'followers' are anonymous, but I can still find out very general information, such as how many 'views' I've had and where they come from by country, what search words they use to find me, what Internet software they used - and some of these I've never heard of, honestly, but it's all interesting. Hello to any 'off shore' readers! Wherever you are in the World - I'm glad you stopped in for a visit.

It is human nature to always want more than we have - and I have way more than I need already - especially in the sewing supplies department! I was recently 'stash shopping' - meaning I was digging through my many drawers, bags and boxes of fabric and fiber goodies, and I came across a very full box of black and white fabrics! It was stashed on the far end of a chorus line of boxes - most of these are the remnants of a lifetime of fiber collecting - and it was a box I had been looking for last spring, but I wasn't looking for B&W's this time, so of course it popped up! Some of the boxes had remnants, scraps and ephemera that hopefully will find its way into something I create - not necessarily a quilt!

If I were desperate to find blacks - it would have stayed hidden - that's what I mean about 'fortunate' but not 'lucky'. I know I'm fortunate to have so much fiber to play with, and I'm hoping I live long enough to make a big dent in it!

I did manage to round up the following for an upcoming Bonnie Hunter 'Mystery Quilt' in an effort to deplete my very abundant stash:

Notice there is not a black, white, or black & white in the bunch? Maybe next time! What do you think? Hmm, I think my stash is going to need more fuschia to go with those black & whites.... This is going to be a BIG quilt! Bonnie Hunter doesn't do 'small' stuff!

and since I mentioned quilts, this is one is Virginia's - she is trusting me to quilt this for her, so now that it is on the frame, I'd better get busy!

Back to the basement! See you again soon. Grateful hugs from GGS

QCE Block of the Month - Paper Piecing Tutorial

2010-11-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

Your kit may make one of several different boy patterns, but I have selected the most difficult one for this tutorial.

Kit includes 4 yellow triangles and strips of background fabric

Please use your own scrap fabrics for face, shirt and pants

NOTE: Block is paper pieced to 5” x 7” (5 ½” x 7 1/2”) 2” wide strips of background fabric are to apply to each side to bring center blocks to 7 ½” before adding yellow triangles. Be sure to square up the center block to 7 ½” before attaching the yellow triangles.

Block will measure 10 ½” unfinished.

Many tutorials are available for paper piecing online. Youtube and Vimeo both have an abundance of options for brushing up on paper piecing…. Here is one I recommend: http://www.youtube.com/user/lcvday#p/search/0/9Bc1mU0LMF8

and

Mhttp://www.quiltingboard.com/t-67639-1.htm

BUT,

Most of them will not help you with this block. The blocks vary somewhat – some are slightly more detailed than others. All of the paper pieced blocks are made in sections, and then the sections are joined to form the blocks. I use a glue stick for the first piece in each section. Always sew paper foundation piecing with a short stitch – 12-14 stitches per inch. and use a fine thread - I like a 60 weight cotton or polyester.

After numerous experiences with cutting my fabrics just a tiny bit too small, I know now to cut paper piecing fabrics approximately ½ again as big as I THINK they need to be…and keep my threads trimmed to less than 1/2”. If pressing, use a hot DRY iron – NO STEAM! It blurs the ink from my ink jet printer!

Instructions:

1. Assemble materials – flesh tone (solid) at least 3” square for HEAD.

3”x 6” piece for SHIRT, and two strips 4” x 2” for PANTS

BACKGROUND pieces are included in kit – set aside long strips for sides.

2. Cut apart pattern sections – patterns differ somewhat, but all have at least 3 sections

3. Glue flesh tone fabric to unprinted side of head section, add background to first corner.

4. Sew with short stitches on line – sew all the way through the outside seam allowance, but not through the sections on the interior of the block. It helps to have a lamp handy to check from the paper side.

5. Fold the next section on the line and use a ruler to trim seam allowance to ¼” for alignment of next fabric piece.

6. Build each section separately. Glue, sew, flip, trim, glue, sew, flip, trim, measure.

(this is one of the leg sections)

7. When all sections are complete – Trim exactly ON the dotted lines with rotary cutter and ruler AS YOU JOIN EACH SECTION TO ITS NEIGHBOR.

Save FINAL trimming of outside lines for after all sections are joined, as the seams always seem to take up more than I think they will…. quilting is NOT an exact science, remember?

8. Insert pins in adjoining corners to align sections. After joining two sections, remove paper in seam allowance before joining to next section. (see pictures, which I hope will make this clearer)

9. I use glue stick to hold the sections together after matching the points/corners with pins

... remove paper from within the seam allowance to reduce bulk when joining sections. This paper tears very cleanly if your stitches are small enough.

10. Sew all sections together – trim paper pieced section to 5 ½” x 7 ½”.

11. Sew long strips of background fabric to sides, then square up block to 7 ½” x 7 ½”.

12. Check seam allowance and stitch length…. you can switch back to a longer stitch length for the rest of the block... make sure to sew yellow triangles onto paper pieced square with ¼” seams!

13. Sew yellow triangles to opposite sides, press open, sew on remaining triangles, press open.

14. Check to make sure block measures 10 ½” square.

NOTE: your block may be different than those pictured.

NOTE to QCE Members: Bring finished block to NOVEMBER 15 meeting in plastic baggy provided.

Remember to include your name on paper. Thanks.

And, just so you know how devoted I am, I did this block (and the pics and tutorial) at a fiber art retreat!

This is an example of what I could have been making:

Owl Pincushion by Wanda (Needlewings)

isn't it precious?

see more of her work at: http://needlewings.blogspot.com/

along with some very beautiful pics from her recent trip....

I'm now a C&T Ambassador!

2010-10-18T12:36:00.000-04:00

What does this mean? It means I can teach you how to paint on fabric! Like I did in this project:

this is made from painted (washed) bleached muslin!
what do you think?
would you like to learn how to do this?
it's fun, easy, and FAST
the only hard part is waiting for it to dry!
it's like kindergarten for grownups!
let me know, ok?
it also works on solid colors, white-on-white, and even dark prints!

I'll post some more samples soon - check back in a few days, ok?

Jonesborough and New Orleans

2010-10-11T12:17:00.000-04:00

We are home from our trip and had a wonderful time - of course!
Here are some pics to prove I was there -

These adorable fabric birdhouses were on sale at the Storytelling Center in Jonesborough:

No Pictures of Shreveport - not today anyway - they are mostly of the air base and airplanes....

However, here is a pic of the hotel room we stayed in while we were in New Orleans.....

How did they expect me to use that hook?

The St. Charles Street trolley line was just a block away from our hotel! Very convenient!

We took the "Garden District Walking Tour" - which included the cemetary....

LOTS of architectural details.....

lots and lots of ironwork fences and balconies....

and even a few gardens!

I think this was one of the Ann Rice houses - she owned FIVE at one time, but has sold most of them.

Gnarly shallow roots on a live oak

the Swedish Ambassador's residence.

Bob the Tour Guide shows us what the state currency looked like.....

some of the larger homes offer tours inside - we didn't take one....

In New Orleans, anything doing well is worth doing in excess!

Love this mailbox!

this is the family home of the Farves (quarterbacks, football, etc)

more pretty balcony ironwork

another of the Ann Rice houses....

New home of Sandra Bullock, according to our very knowledgeable tour guide, Bob, who knows every real estate agent in New Orleans!

I think this was one of houses that belonged to Ann Rice, then sold to Nicholas Cage, who lost it during backruptcy...

Prytania Street - did you read "Interview with a Vampire"?

the Famous Vampire lived on Prytania Street - Ann Rice reputedly lived on Prytania Street,
and designed the location of the story around her own home!

Here is the courtyard beside our hotel...

and here is the side of the hotel taken from the courtyard -

this is the Prytania Oaks Hotel.

where I worked on my four-patch posey quilt when we were not out on the trolley or a walking tour!

And, btw, it is NOT called the 'Garden District' because there are lots of beautiful gardens, but because the 'gardens' are around the outside of the houses there - in the English style, they are called 'gardens' but in the USA vernacular they are mostly considered 'yards'. In the older "French Quarter" the houses were rebuilt after the fires during the Spanish rule in the Spanish style where the front of the house in right on the sidewalk and the garden is built into the center courtyard for more privacy. The houses were rebuilt in brick and mortar to discourage the spread of fires that had burned most of the city in 1788 and again in 1794.
Can you believe that only THREE original buildings survive today?
So, that's all for today - I'll try to post some pics of the 'haunted' side of New Orleans too, but those pics are in the other camera!

my first log cabin..... in EQ7

2010-09-23T08:01:00.000-04:00

I learned how to set blocks into borders this morning - spent way more time than I should have doing it, but here is the result - looks more like Spring than Fall, which is not a bad thing, right? I used a block (2, actually) from the library and left it colored the way EQ7 had it, added several different pieced borders, and this is the one I like best so far.

Must be getting to my chores now. No more playtime today!

EQ7 practice, dyeing to meet you, Morning Glory!

2010-09-21T09:10:00.000-04:00

I've been learning Electric Quilt 7 - a quilt design software - after watching all the videos and reading through several of the 'help' topics, I managed to design a couple of things I can share with you.

First I did the Block of the Month for my quilt guild, QCE:

I couldn't find this in my 'big block book', so I named it "Circling Geese" and now I'm wondering whether geese actually fly counter-clockwise... but there it is anyway!

I made up 14 kits, which are now in the hands of guild members, who will (hopefully) sew them all up and remember to bring them to the Oct. guild meeting and some lucky quilter will win them all!

The next thing I did was learn to create 'my library' folder where I could store all this year's Block of the Month designs.

Then I practiced reshaping some applique shapes - nothing impressive to share on that yet, but it's coming along - maybe in another week or two!

Then I opened up a ~~can of worms~~ bunch of New York Beauty blocks and tried recoloring, rotating, etc. in a few different settings, and came up with one that I really like:

not that I have time to make it, but I like it!

...and the other thing that is going on in the kitchen annex of the studio is a batch (the last of the season) of morning glory dye. I've been promising to tell how this is done, so here it is:

First go find a neighbor with a profusion of morning glory vines in a bright, dark color. Pull all the flowers off the vines - just the flowers; no stems, bugs, stamen, etc. JUST the trumpet part. Pick all you can - at least all you can get away with...

Then, put them in a bowl and check for anything you DON'T want in your dye bath.

Rinse the flowers in plain water, drain and pack them into a mason jar.

sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then fill the jar with boiling water (filtered or distilled is best)

poke the flowers down into the water - they will float until all the air is released. You might have to add a little more boiling water.

Now put the cap and ring on the jar and let it seal.

Store in a cool dark place like you do the rest of the canned goods - just don't try to use it for syrup!

it will look dark right away, but don't use it until it has a few days to brew....

When you are ready to dye your whatevers - cotton, hemp, shoelaces, socks, etc. - pour the contents through a coffee filter (set in a strainer) over a microwave safe glass bowl. You might also allow your 'sludge' to dry on some paper towels or fabric to get all the dye you possibly can out of the batch.

Submerge your intended objects in the dye bath and place in the microwave (assuming you have one) for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool before you try to handle that bowl - the dye will be boiling hot! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Remove from dye bath, squeeze out excess dye, and lay out or hang to dry (not outdoors).

I've dyed a hank of embroidery thread, pfd Kona cotton, and an old sock in this picture:

the pink blotches on the sock are from the KoolAid stains leftover on the paper towels I used to dry the sock on - that will be another blog...

the cotton was scrunched into a ball while it dried to get that nice texture.

These pieces are all waiting for a 'spring' project - there's a nip in the air this morning, so I'm off to look for seed pods.

If you try this, let me know how your results come out. Remember to take pictures!

Bye for now,

much needed rain, just as I'm going out!

2010-09-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

It is pouring rain - I'm typing this now as a procrastination, since I don't really want to go out in that downpour and get soaking wet just to mail my art trades.

here is what I've done lately -

this is at C&T Publishing:

done for their new product "Liquitex® Acrylic Iridescent Medium" which was so much fun to play with, I had a hard time deciding what to do for the project - it can be used on almost anything, wood, paper, clay or my personal favorite - fabric! This piece will be traveling with them while they introduce the new product at shows, then go to a retailer for display. I won't get it back, so I'll have to make another one for myself! Of course, it would never be possible to make two of these identical - so the next ones will all be different and unique! That's what I love about fiber art! Go to C&T's website for more info on their new products, including the new inks!

The 4x6ers theme this month is 'Symbols' so I chose... oops, can't tell yet - it's a surprise, but here's a little hint:

and FIBER ART TRADERS are swapping ATC's based on "Women In Construction" - so I did a little self-portrait set based on the plumbing I did on my first house back in 1970.... this was not the original blue print, that has long since dissintegrated; but a little freebie I found on the www:

which I put on the ATC along with a washer and a pic of myself that was taken a little while before I actually did that plumbing....

and, by the way, I want to send a BIG thank you to the Techies at STAPLES who helped me through my computer woes this summer - they were very helpful and supportive - and I don't blame any of it on them personally! Especially now that I have a working computer!

I guess I'll have to find my raincoat and umbrella and get this over with.
Hope you are safe and warm, whatever your weather is doing!
ttfn

and the winner is....

2010-09-01T08:58:00.000-04:00

congratulations to crowefan0517 - you are the winner of a free quilting class at Quilting Weekly! watch your email for a message from grannygoodstuff!

click the link below to choose your class:

Quilting Weekly

I'll be at the quilting machine if anyone needs me.....

Can you guess what song this postcard is?

Check back for pics of my latest quilts soon, I'm doing lots of bindings this week!

1910 - when great grandma was a bride - and a giveaway!!!!

2010-08-26T12:09:00.001-04:00

The difference a century makes!
************ ********* ***********
Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

************ ********* ************

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. This was partly due to the many deaths from industrial and farm accidents.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. Average folks took their bath in a washtub in the kitchen, which is where the hot water was.... on the woodfired stove! Modesty required that a sheet was draped around the 'bathing area', or sometimes it was draped over the tub itself. If you were single you probably lived in a boarding house and shared a bathroom with all the other residents.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. (Guess which 8% that was!) and you had to 'ring' the operator to place a call - area codes came much later!

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. Fuel for a car was sold in drug stores only.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph, and most folks still got around on horses.

BUT, if the family owned a car, it was the focus of any family portrait...

and no, this is not my family, we didn't own a car until the 60's! Notice the youngest member of this family is behind the wheel? Nope, no age limits on driving in those days, either!

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

England's King Edward VII died that year, marking the official end of the 'Edwardian Era'.

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour. Child laborers made 3 cents an hour. City children were expected to leave school by age 12 to help support the family. Rural children stayed out of school during planting time and harvest to help in the fields.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year, and the average workday was 12 hrs. There was no such thing as 'overtime' pay, either!

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME. My great grandma was a midwife - after the birth, the midwife stayed on for up to a month until the new mother was back on her feet, or until another mother went into labor and needed her services. Remember, there wasn't much info available about birth control, either! Chances were good that there would be an annual visit by the midwife ...and again, most birthing was actually done in the kitchen, because that's where the stove was. Houses didn't have central heating, and the bedrooms would usually be too cold.

Nursing schools were in hospitals. Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.' However, doctors did make house calls - they often didn't even have offices!

Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. (and there were no inspection standards at the time - they were 'candled' to check for freshness; a growing chick in the egg would show as a shadow when you held the egg up to the light of a candle.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound, and you took the beans home and roasted/ground them yourself.

Most women only washed their hair once a month (or less), and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

Pneumonia and influenza
Tuberculosis
Diarrhea
Heart disease
Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars .... (There may have been only 45 stars on the flag but there were 46 states.)

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet. Iced anything was rare, as ice was delivered on a wagon, packed in sawdust if you lived in a city. It had probably been cut from a local river the previous winter and stored in an 'icehouse' until it was needed in Summer to keep the 'ice box' cool. Most folks didn't have refrigerators, either! Would you drink tea with river water in it?

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.... and there were no paid holidays!

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school....and those who did were considered qualified to TEACH!!!

Most folks could do basic math though.

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help ... room and board were considered most of their wages.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

...and home sewing was done on a treadle (self-propelled) sewing machine!

and if the house was too hot or crowded, you could take it outside! they still have them - just ask the Amish!

Corsets went from having unnaturally tiny waists to a 'natural' waist. My great grandma wore a corset until the 1970's - but she NEVER called it a corset! undies were really unmentionable, remember? no - they were referred to as 'stays' if referred to at all! and they were expensive, too, so a lady only could afford one, and she wore it all the time - even when doing the spring cleaning, or playing tennis!

This post is in honor of my Great Grandmother, Anna Louira Allison, who was born in August, 1884. She passed away at the age of 100 and left me with many fond memories and a lot of 'common sense' education.
She taught me to sew on a treadle sewing machine - and taught me how to maintain it and change the belt, which turned the wheel, which moved when you rocked the foot 'rest'. I learned curved piecing on the treadle, as well as how to piece a Bethlehem Star which was all cut with scissors from a cardboard template cut with a razor blade from a cereal box. Cotton fabric was 36" wide and cost $0.39 a yard, or 3 yards for a dollar the year she taught me to sew.

To commemorate the education (and a lot of great stories) my great grandma instilled in me I am giving away a FREE CLASS of your choice at Quilting Weekly - winner will be drawn at random from everyone who posts a response to this blog post. There are 18 classes to choose from and even a free lesson!

deadline for giveaway posting is August 31, 2010

Do you have a great memory from your great grandma?... and if you still have a great grandma - give her a hug from me!

but remember to leave a comment before you go - 8-)

Friday already!!

2010-08-20T07:41:00.000-04:00

Still waiting for my laptop to come back from it's THIRD repair!

I've been quilting charity quilts and table runners and sorting out the leftover batting for smaller pieces.

Getting lots of quilting done - just not much computing!

now what did all that mean, anyway?

so, I've been doing something a little less high tech lately, dyeing stuff with KoolAid! These little bits & pieces came out so pretty, I did more.....

....so this evening, I think I'll put my feet up and watch a movie while I do a little embroidery with this pretty fabric and thread - and try not to think of my computer woes!

Have a great weekend! Only one more week of summer - make the most of it!
hugs,
GrannyGS

Steamy Sunday

2010-08-15T14:01:00.000-04:00

I'm steaming, not just from the heat and humidity, but because my laptop is in the shop again (3rd time since March of this year) and I'm using my dh's tiny little laptop to do a quick post to let you know that I'll be back - hopefully soon - and I've been very busy so I'll have lots of pics as soon as my own computer is either all better or replaced.

In the meantime, here is an amazing, beautiful little birthday PC I recieved from Isabell. You can check her other work at her Flickr page ....http://www.flickr.com/photos/colourinstitch/.

music and stitches go well together

2010-08-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

I happen to live if a wonderful town. I mean that. In spite of the downturn in the economy and all the penny pinching everyone is enduring, I'm in a town that still has free concerts in the park every Friday evening during the Summer. This is due to the efforts of volunteers and sponsors who produce wonderful concerts by talented troubadours of all descriptions - check this link to see what I mean.... http://www.summersounds.com/
The concert series is called SummerSounds, and includes 'something for everyone' as they say. Last night was perfect for an outdoor concert - and the crowd was VERY appreciative of the outstanding efforts of the musicians in The English Channel
There was a second encore, even! The band did an incredible job, and they were loud enough that nobody could hear me singing along. Which was good, cause dh was singing, too! All the English music from across the pond that we enjoyed s-o-o-o much back in the ??'s sounded just as good last night as it did then! Yes, I know, some of you weren't even born yet, but I'll bet even you would still recognize some of these tunes!

Now, I realized just as we were loading the car that I have a deadline approaching for a piece of needlework, so I grabbed my embroidery box as we ran out the door. While the light lasted, I worked on this little bitty quiltie for a 'Uniqueness of Women' challenge due soon. The upbeat music kept the stitches flowing along and I accomplished more than I expected:

that's a scrap of silk under the transfer of the Geisha so it shows on the busy background - still have to work on the other side and finish the edges....

second side is the "Princess" transfer. Thanks to Lonnie Rossi and eQuilter, I was able to find small black and white images that I could use.... sure wish I could draw! maybe in another lifetime 8^0
I used a yellow highlighter to accent the robe and then transferred that to a scrap of yellow cotton.

This was my first experience with TAP, Transfer Artist Paper from C&T. It was so easy! Like pressing a hanky, only better! The transfer even let me 'color in' with a highlighter before I transferred - although the colored pencils didn't work, only scratched the surface so the transfer medium was damaged - not good!!!
But anything soft or liquid, like a brush pen, will work great to color in details on a black & white transfer, and YES, you can color right on the transfer! How awesome is that?

I had done the transfers earlier in the week and had them ready to apply, and the threads, needles, etc. from my last embroidery were still in the box, so I worked with what was there.

So now it's Saturday morning, and it's time to tidy up a bit.
See you again soon!
Leave me a note so I know you were here, ok?
Happy stitching!

Curved Piecing Tutorial

2010-08-05T08:47:00.000-04:00

The first step in curved piecing is to put a fresh sharp needle in your machine.... choose a Microtex, size 70/10 you want a fine needle to minimize needle holes in your fabric.

Choose fabric with a tight weave - you will be sewing a very narrow 1/8" seam, and a loosely woven fabric will just not hold up.... I'm using batiks and hand dyes in this sample...

My fabric is cut in assorted strip sizes from fat quarters, some are a little longer than others.

Layer two strips the same length - if they are different widths, it doesn't matter at all. I use a long ruler to hold the layers together while I cut the curve free hand with my rotary cutter.... the cut should be straight at the first and last inch, and make sure there is at least 3/4" of fabric on both sides of the cut so you have enough to add another strip to each side without cutting into your curve (although cutting into curves is a possible design choice!) The pic above shows two sets of strips that have been cut at the bottom, and above that are similar strips that have been separated and arranged side by side showing the cut edges aligned. You take the right/left layers and switch them to get the sets.... in case that wasn't obvious.

Pin each set of strips at one end to keep them paired up. Set your stitch length a little shorter than usual to make the curves easier and keep those narrow 1/8" seams from pulling apart! Note placement of fabric on inside of presser foot - if you are using a regular presser foot, measure from the center to determine where the 1/8" seam allowance is on your presser foot. Most sewing machines are marked in 1/8" increments on the sole plate as well.

Align the straight inch of the strip set and sew the first inch of the seam - stop with needle down - adjust the strips as the edges start to curve, keeping the raw edges together - sew another inch or so until the edges are not aligned. Stop with needle down, realign edges, and continue to sew. Do this in very small increments - sew, adjust, sew, etc. until you reach the end of the strip set. I didn't say it would be fast, did I?

As you reach the end, you might discover that the ends don't meet exactly - don't worry about it! The important thing is that the curvy edges are together all the way along the seam.

Once you finish the seam, check to make sure you have that fabric caught the whole way along - and don't ask me how I know that it's important to check.... trust me, it is!

see that narrow 1/8" seam? yippee! I did it! Excuse me while I do my happy dance.....

Now press seam allowances to the 'dark side' and lay all the pieces out on the table while you celebrate!

These can be joined along the straight edges, or you can overlap the edges by an inch and do more curved seams to join these together.
I did some postcards with mine.... with an OCEAN theme!

Let me know what YOU would do with your curved seam piecing.

August again - sharing the Process

2010-08-04T08:19:00.000-04:00

It's been a week of quilting - FIVE charity quilts are quilted - thought I only had one more on the line, but in tidying up the sewing studio, found 2 more! so, my goal for this week is to finish the one on the frame, and the three remaining charity quilts before Friday. This is going to keep me busy - that's 11 quilts all together - these were already pieced and waiting (all winter) to be quilted - and I'm handing them off to others for the bindings. They (QCE guild committee members) meet on Friday afternoons, hence the urgency to have these all done by Friday!

Several people have asked me.... "How do you decide on a quilting design?" Yes, a good question....

Sometimes, I admit, it is a matter of instinct - if there is a very busy quilt top where the quilting won't show anyway, I tend to go for one of two goals -

1, finish the quilt in allover stippling. or

2, practice a new design on a piece where the mistakes won't show anyway!

After all, if I never practice, I don't improve!

Now, the hard part about practicing a new design on a busy fabric is that I can't see what I'm doing as well as if I were practicing on a solid with a contrasting thread, which is the best way to practice a new quilting design. That way I can easily see my tension settings, stitch length, mistakes, etc. If I can't see my mistakes, I can't improve. It's a bit of a conundrum.

Several of the quilts I've been working on the past week have alternating plain white blocks - this has given me the opportunity to practice some of the new Follow-the-Line quilting designs by Mary M. Covey V. 4. Her designs are printed full size for tracing, or whatever. I usually use them with my laser pointer for the first row, then put the pattern on the metal shelf in front of me with a magnet to use for reference. By the time I've done that design for 8 rows - it's well memorized by my muscles and I don't have to look at the pattern, I can just look where the needle is going. Not where the needle IS, mind you - but where it's GOING.

Sometimes I get ideas that just don't work - they are too difficult for my skill level, so I keep those ideas in the notebook and try them again when I'm feeling more confident.

Here (finally.... I know you've been wondering!) are some pictures of the recent quilting efforts:

this crib quilt has been waiting a long time for stitches!

took a long time to decide, but finally decided to practice these little 6" feathers... or plumes, or whatever...

a little hard to see the quilting on this one - I used a bright multi-colored tri-lobal polyester - which the machine seemed to love - - -

I tried to reverse the direction on each row ....

of course the stitching came out a little differently on each block -
I'm a human, not a machine!

So that's it for today - I'm working on a curve piecing tutorial for my next post. Check back in a day or two!

Thanks for stopping by!

Granny has to run some errands now.

baby quilts on the frame

2010-07-26T08:02:00.000-04:00

Finished quilting this 'baby quilt' for a friend of mine last week.... its for her new granddaughter...

I have several more that I quilted over the weekend that are all charity quilts for Project Linus, or whoever ends up with them.....

that's about it for this morning - gotta get a move on!

note to self.... back up!!!

2010-07-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

It has been over a week and my computer is still at the shop. Apparently, if the caps lock and num lock key lights start blinking simultaneously, it is a very bad sign - back up the hard drive and make arrangements for a new computer.

So, after we dropped said computer off at the TECHIE, we realized that I seriously need a back up computer, so we went directly to BestBuy to see what is on the market these days. DH found a sweet little DELL notebook at an almost affordable price and after a few questions with the sales rep, proceeded to try to purchase said sweet little DELL.... this was at 5:30 PM. We were expecting to spend about an hour or so making this purchase, getting the set up details resolved, etc. I went off to test the Wii PingPong game on the Wii Sports Resort demo across the store.... it took me several tries, but I eventually won a game! It's a lot of fun, and now I know what to ask Santa for... 8-)

I went back to see how DH was coming along with the process, only to find a larger assortment of techies gathered around trying to figure out how to actually SELL the computer since the BB System would not let the sale go through without a serial number, but it would not accept the serial number on the computer...???? what the???? I went back to the Wii game and tried my hand at flying the plane - not successfully - crashed it into the first thing I came to... went to the archery - again unsuccessful... went back to the table tennis - that's my game!

Much to our surprise and dismay, we were STILL THERE at 9:30 PM - 30 minutes after closing, with store managers, techies, and department head STILL unable to complete the sale. It was almost bedtime for us, so dh told them "I'll be back" in his best Scwhartzie voice and we left. I'm not blaming anyone at the store - they all seemed baffled, but I'm sure they are all actually very compitent people (and very frustrated, too!)

DH went back the next day and they were still unable to complete the sale... and dh was told that it is a "BestBuy system wide issue" with that particular model. Another WHAT THE?????

.... so he called me from the store to discuss. I had really liked the DELL model, but he came home with a TOSHIBA, which is working rather well, and has satellite installed, so now I can get internet reception anywhere I can get cell phone reception. This is a good thing, altho a tad expensive - at least I can keep up with the cyberworld friends even if I'm on the road - as I love to go places, this is a good thing!

Now if only they had thrown in a Wii as a consolation gift....

Here's a sneeky peeky at my latest

inside pocket

finished bag

Back to the studio to clean up the clutter and then to quilt a baby quilt that is almost a twin size~!

Yes, I'll try to snap a pic for you before it goes off to it's new baby owner.

Bye for now!

finished at last....

2010-07-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

This is the Turkey Tracks quilt - mentioned in a previous post - I said I would put up another pic when it was finished so here it is with its proud new owner.

And yes, this photo was taken at the Drive In - it was Friday night, after all!
See you again soon.... watch for a peek of my new project in a day or two.

EQ7 - a learning experience

2010-07-09T08:44:00.000-04:00

I recently installed EQ7 on my laptop... about a month has gone by... this software is so totally different than what I expected! It has taken me a bit of concentration to get from start to finish on a quilt design - and this is a very simple little wall hanging - but here it is! If you are interested in a class on this block, let me know!

Streak of Luck BOM

2010-07-08T12:28:00.000-04:00

The Block of the Month I've written recently is available at Quilting Weekly Streak of Luck BOM

Sure would love to have you quilt along with me!

busy hands

2010-07-08T12:14:00.000-04:00

I have finished the embroidery I was working on over the past week and thought I'd share this pic with you...

I used some heavy weight linen for the background, little scraps of felted wool, an assortment of threads and a few dozen beads. No preplanned concept in mind before I started, I just went with my impulses. For a change, I was not led astray! I worked on this over the 4th holiday weekend, since our plans fell through and we watched our fireworks on TV this time!

I also put a few charms together for a swap using old stamps and tiny little frames that I found in the bead dept. at Jo-Anns - these were so easy and quick, I wanted to make more!

I've also been stitching up some blocks for a sampler quilt that I'm teaching - these blocks were 6" square T blocks - they came out pretty well, and I remembered that several of my students have asked me to post some hints and pics on precision piecing, so here are a couple of tricks that I use:

pin low - notice the block on the left is bumpy from pinning straight down and back up.

the pieces on the right lay flat because I pin 'low' - meaning I pin from a slant instead of straight down. I pin abut 1/2" away and parallel to my seam lines.

and before I sew, I hold the pinned pieces up to the lamp and check the seam alignment one last time...

and in the event that a seam allowance gets pushed in the wrong way in the seam - it isn't usually necessary to remove all the stitching - just take out the stitches that are holding the seam allowance,

and resew from the other direction....

and on smaller piecework, it often helps to press seams open, as I've done here.
Hope this helps answer a few of your questions.

Must be going - I have a long to do list this month. Watch for more pictures coming soon.

summer camp for quilters...

2010-07-01T10:30:00.001-04:00

Castle Peeps Summer Camp for Quilters

http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com/

Free projects from quilt designers in pdf downloads.... one a day all week!

Embroidery practice, noisemakers and memories

2010-06-30T07:46:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I applied embroidery to fabric in a mindless, random manner. In all honesty, it would not have occurred to me to do it this week, except for a prodding from the FAT group having an "Embroidery Technique Week" so here is what I have so far:

I'm still working on this piece - there will be lots more stitches, some beads, silk, wool, more of that yummy variegated thread (Tentakulum Painter's Thread - Flower Thread - 101 Macke) from Germany - thank you Nadine and Valentina!

The soft golden felted wool is from a vintage plaid - felted in the washing machine. The linen background is a scrap of vintage drapery fabric - at least I think it was meant to be for drapes; not sure, but it has a hefty hand and takes embroidery really well!

It has been a productive month - I have 30 blocks ready for sashing, finished quilting on the Turkey Tracks quilt (come back for a pic next week, I'm still binding it.) The final border is on another Kid's Quilt, I now have 12 kid's quilts ready for quilting. Sure hope I have enough batting for all those!

Last week, I served as 'Arts & Crafts Coordinator' for FPC's Vacation Bible School - they used the 'Re-New, Reuse, Recycle' theme, so all the crafts had to do with recycling something. Scrapbooks made from wallpaper samples were a huge hit...

The rest of the week went by in a blur.... of heat, activity, wet shredded paper, tp tubes, seeds, crayons, ribbon, markers, and noise. One of the projects for the preschoolers involved a wide assortment of recycled containers with lids, containing objects that made noise. Once all the containers were taped shut, we 'paraded' up and down the hall making varying degrees of rhythmic racket with a wonderful degree of enthusiasm! That's the picture I wish I could share with you, but there isn't one, except in my memory!

Hope you are filling your summer with wonderful memories, too.