It's MS-150 Time! Your Pledges Are Needed!

Every year my husband Dave cycles with a group of over 2,200 riders in South Carolina in the 150 mile 2 day ride called the "MS-150" for Multiple Sclerosis. This year's ride will be held on September 15-16, 2007.

Each mile he will ride, each dollar we will raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure Multiple Sclerosis and to improve the lives of all people affected by MS.

No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of millions who suffer from MS, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference!

For nearly 11 years I have provided quilt patterns on the Quiltville.com website free of charge. If you find this site to be beneficial to you as a quilt maker, I ask that you please consider making a pledge to help fight Multiple Sclerosis as a way to say "Thanks!" for all you find here.

If you can spare even $10 to $20, please think of someone you know who is living with MS daily and all that they go through and all that your donation can do to help. If you know someone with MS, PLEASE donate and forward this on to those who have family members with MS. Your continued support is necessary to help find a cure for this disease.


WHY WE RIDE:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild such as numbness in the limbs or severe--paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 but the unpredictable effects can be life-long. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. A person with MS does not know when it will strike, what symptoms they will have, when it will get worse or better, or if they will become permanently disabled. But there is one thing people with MS can count on . . . the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The National MS Society is the largest private sponsor of MS research in the world and proudly provides local programs designed to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by MS. By choosing sponsor the MS 150 Bike Tour, you are joining thousands of people across the country united in the mission: to end the devastating effects of MS.

Click here to Sponsor Dave!

Thank you so much for all your support over the years! It's great to have you on Team Quiltville! :c)

In A Hurry....

I don't have a lot of time to report this morning...I've got a dentist appt this afternoon as well as 3 massage clients lined up!

I have uploaded the directions to "Playing With Jacks" to my website! I hope you enjoy it.

I still have to finish the binding, and will post a better picture of the finished quilt when it is done, but in the mean time....you are encouraged to dig through your 2.5" strips and get started!

Bonnie

Oh Wonderful Cable Connection!!

We have internet! Whoooowhoooo!

If you really want to appreciate what you have, try for a few days of just being able to read email on an itsy bitsy screen on your phone..and having to type with your bumbling thumbs! It's fun having that capability, but there is NOTHING like a full sized keyboard to make me happy! :cD

I used some of my down time to get this little quilt quilted. The binding is all scrappy reds pulled out of the 2.5" strip bin. I love the look. Sorry the pics are blurry, but taking pics without flash means no jiggling...and I'm just sometimes not capable :c)













The binding is on. I'm hoping to get it sewn down tonight. It was great to quilt a SMALL project. This one is the "jacks on six" block (title in blockbase) and I think I'll just call it "Playing Jacks". This was a fun one for a more color controlled scrap quilt using various shirtings, reds and grey/blacks. It has a very subdued feeling to it, and I like the asymetrical setting and how the chains appear and disappear depending on how dark the grey/blacks are.

I used all 2.5" strips for this quilt, using that wonderful easy angle to do the 1/2 square triangles. I'll put the directions on my website here in a bit. I'm due for something new on there, and I think I could work up a few different layouts in EQ to give people ideas on different ways to set this, different color schemes etc.

I've got two clients so far for massage today, so I'm heading out in a bit to do that.

I'm also in the midst of arranging flight plans for a trunkshow/workshop in Houma, Louisiana in January. If anyone is interested within proximity of Houma, feel free to have your guilds see if they would like to have me piggy back that trip with a trip to your guild since I'll be in the area. Have them contact me!

Keep on Quilting on!
Bonnie

Misadventures With A Shovel......

So.....

If you are wondering where I have been the past couple days....We had an accident involving a shovel and the internet cable. The cable lost! And I now have ZERO access at home. I also have no home phone since vonage runs off the cable. :c(

Of course trying to get Time Warner out in any kind of speedy manner just doesn't happen either. I go through the voicemail web of hell and get to a message that says "please call during regular business hours" which is monday to friday. Pfftt.

I need to be connected! So I went to Sam's Club and bought a Black Jack by Samsung. It has internet/email/IM...lots of bells and whistles but I need to learn to use them, and so far I'm having trouble just figuring out how to dial a call..*LOL* It will be nice for travelling I think, and it is only $20.00 a month more than I was already paying for the service.

I tried connecting with the laptop at Panera Bread with Jason this morning before he went to work and I went to church. He was giving me tutoring lessons on my new blackjack at the time....We couldn't get the puter connected there.

This afternoon I had a client house call....not far from the down town library in columbia which is open from 2 to 6 on sunday afternoon and has WI FI upstairs..so that's where I am.

It's very weird not having phone or internet at home. So many things we take for granted to log on and send a mail, answer a client, look up a reference, see what movies are playing, check the weather...good grief. I guess this is why I also got the black jack.

The other day on the way home from MD I stopped in Charlotte to hit Mary Jo's fabric outlet and the thread outlet and I got lost when trying to find the thread place. Tomtom didn't have the resources I needed to just look up the place by name...I had to have an address. So that meant that I had to go pull over somewhere, ask to see a yellow pages, and then get the address and put it in the tomtom. Now that I have net access on my phone I can just look up the address on the phone and put it in tomtom. It's a step up anyway.

Email is a pain on the phone, but at least I can get the word out when I can't get to the library to use the internet wifi!

I suppose this should give me more time to QUILT?!?

Unconnected In Irmo, SC
Bonnie

Fabric Aquisition Road Trip!

The first time I heard this acronym I burst out laughing. But since I have faced the facts and realized that I majorly fell off the wagon this past week, no matter how I try to rationalize it....it was a definite F.A.R.T!! :cD

Yes, I bought backgrounds..backgrounds are legal, right? You need them to put with all the darks in your stash...so I told myself. Wooooooowhooo..look at these beauties! You know I can't resist shirtings...

These are the amish solids. I don't know if you can tell the price by the tag, but the remnant prices are so inexpensive for really nice kona cottons.

The bigger pieces are for setting squares, sashings, setting triangles and borders. I found I really didn't have a lot of yardage in my stash over 1 yard....some have 2 yard, but when it comes to borders and sashings etc....I needed SOME to work with, so of course,I rationalized my way again! Most of these were on sale at 30% off at Material Girls in MD anyway (Another rationalization!) so???? Oh BTW, it's a darling shop. Instead of shopping carts, you pull your stuff around in a little red wagon!

This next pic....was a surprise for me! When I got home there was an envelope from Pam Thomas in Calif with these funny smiling mouths! She said:

"Bonnie, when I saw this fabric, I thought of you. I figured a Quilt Maverick could use this fabric. Hope you like it. Pam Thomas."

Aren't they funny mouths?! It's going to be fun to use these in something. I love the light print she sent too, it's great with the little black squares. Thanks Pam!

Here is a selection of FQ's I bought. Who can resist 99 cent FQ's? Most of them are from Mary Jos..a few from Joanns. We stopped there to pick up the latest Quiltmaker mag. It's got a blurb in it about my blog, and I was so tickled I had to pick up a copy! I tried to get my scanner to work but nada. Maybe I can get DH to work on it later. If you have the latest Quiltmaker, it's on page 32 in the bottom left hand corner. It says Quilt Blogs: Staying current.

The text reads:

quiltville.blogspot.com: Bonnie Hunter, self described fabric addict (YOU THINK!?) is a prolific scrap user and amazes us with the quantity of beautiful scrappy quilts she creates.

Is that cool or what?

Bonnie

Get the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative on Oprah!

I've been hearing information about the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative for some time and now --- the 52-quilt nationally touring quilts about Alzheimer's and the Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt project with donated quilts auctioned and sold to raise money for research. In just a little over a year and a half quilters across this country (and overseas) have used their talents to raise over $82,000 for research!

Now, there is a movement afoot to get these quilts, big and little, on the Oprah Winfrey show! Wouldn't that be terrific? I've written my email in support of this effort because I think the exposure would be fantastic for raising awareness and for raising even more money for Alzheimer's research. Click HERE to help get the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative on Oprah.

We need lots of emails...don't leave this to someone else, you can make a difference with just one email. (OK, maybe two or three...) Oprah's people track every single email they get, and each of us needs to let them know that we want to see the Alzheimer's quilts on Oprah's show. We want to celebrate the efforts of quilters making a difference. We want people with Alzheimer's and their loved ones know that we care and we're doing what we can to help.

I know many of you are making Priority: Alzheimer's quilts for Ami Simms to auction or sell. Tell the producers why this is important to you. If you've attended the "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece" quilt exhibit, share with them how moving it was. If you've purchased the book or CD, let them know that you are supporting research because all the profits for these items are donated to research. Tell them to visit the website at www.AlzQuilts.org, and tell them to call Ami Simms at 1-800-278-4824 to arrange for the quilts to be on Oprah.

Another thought: If you haven't comsidered of making a quilt for this worth while project, maybe now is the time to do it!

Bonnie

Home Again!!

I'm home, I'm home!! No ruby slippers to click heels together, but none-the-less, I'm home!

I had the BEST time in MD.....

On the way home I drove a different route than I-95, the way I went up. I think I learned that I don't LIKE going I-85...bleeechh! It added more time to the drive, the whole thing was at 10mph or more slower than I-95 and there was construction zones.

BUT! It did get me to Mary Jos and the Longcreek Mills thread outlet! :cD

I didn't do too much damage. I bought some shirtings for backgrounds and fat quarters to round out some color areas where I am falling short in variety. I really had to restrain myself though, because they had the whole collection of Charleston IV by Judy Rothermel, as well as the PA Dutch chrome yellows, poison greens and turkey reds that I love so much. I kept thinking of what I already have in these colors waiting for me at home and need to plan a quilt to USE what I have, and THEN go buy more. I really did restrain myself well.

I bought some Amish solids in various colors....they have a remnant bin and the prices for solids are always so cheap. I love how quilting shows up on these and I want to do some more Amish type quilts.


Everything is STILL in my car...I just grabbed my duffel bag with my clothes and toiletries and figure the rest can wait for tomorrow. I will post some workshop pics here so you can get an idea of what went on! These were sent to me by Linda Harvan who was instrumental in setting up the whole trip. Thank you Linda!

Also special thanks to Kathie for the terrific lodging and great meals! The bed in her guestroom is like sleeping on a cloud....it was WONDERFUL!

I'm sure I'll think of other things to post when I am not so bleary eyed!

A tired but happy,
Bonnie

Hello From MD!

Just a quick hi from me!

We've made it through two days of workshops....had wonderful fun, good munchies, great conversation, lots of laughter, sewing machines pedal to the metal, lots of progress made on scrappy quilts....

New friendships made, old ones strengthened....

It has been so fun to meet people face to face that I have known through the wonders of the internet for years and years!

We have had people from other guilds travel great distances to take the workshops! I will be visiting their guilds in 2008 and it will be so fun now to know at least a few people in person there when I go. I'm looking forward to it!

I didn't bring my own machine because I wanted to go student to student and help where needed, but when people were happily power-sewing away I was able to get out all those gadzillion bonus 1/2 square triangles I have been saving over the last several projects and start pressing them and trimming them. MAN!! There are a TON of these! I've been looking through kathy's quilt books trying to find patterns that would be perfect to use these in. I think we found one. Time will tell. There are still a bazillion left to press trim. You know how tedious that can be? Well it goes really well in the midst of a workshop when I'm not needed...so I think for the next little while the press and square up routine will follow me to my workshops :c)

Today we are going to hit some quilt shops and do some touristy things. I have never seen the chesapeake bay, and there is a lookout about 20 minutes drive from here. I hope to get some good pics. I love to explore new places. I also saw on my way from Virgina "The birthplace of George Washington". I think tomorrow I'll take a little side jaunt and see that historical site. I love visiting those. My family hates it! So it is great when I am out on my own and can take the time to see new things.

Wednesday I'll be heading home, and I think I'm going to route myself through Charlotte, NC....I'm feeling a need to make a stop at Mary Jos. It's been over a yaer since I've been and since tomtom can route me without getting lost....I'll just take a different route home! :cD

Bonnie

All Packed & Ready to Roll!

I'm heading to MD in the morning! The car is loaded with quilts, my bag is packed...

It's about a gazillion degrees outside right now with killer humidity. I'm going to be leaving here about 5am so I am headed to bed now even though it is only 9:30 as I type this!

I'll be back next wednesday evening. I hope to get lots of pictures of the fun that I have with the Pax River Quilter's Guild!!

I'm on my way!
Bonnie

Quilting the houses....

My 4pm client canceled today. Wonder of wonders, I was able to quilt the happy houses quilt. I'll get the binding on,but I probably won't sew it down....I'll save it for evening work while up in MD...something to do!

The colors are WAY off on these pics because I took them with no flash and side lit. But I'm happy with the quilting texture.

Quilting scrappy quilts like this with one color of thread is sometimes a challenge for me. I don't usually like thread that is too dark over light areas, nor thread that is too light over dark areas, and with a quilt like this? Well, something in between usually works both ways. I chose a medium gray. It hides pretty well against most of the quilt. I'm not too thrilled with how light it looks on the blue border fabric, but tough beans. It looks better than it would have if I had quilted everything in that royal blue.


So that's it for today. I'm off to bed. As of now I won't be leaving for MD until friday morning. Plans I had to meet up with a friend on my way up have not panned out, so that gives me a bit more time here to get things ready.

Tomorrow I'm working on hand outs for the workshops.... :cD

Bonnie

Welsh Quilting Tutorial....

Many eons ago I ran across Cassie on the net somewhere....we were on fly lady or some list on simple living,etc...we hit it off great. Through many moves and changes in our lives we temporarily lost touch with each other, but due to her referring a quilting client my way, we are back in touch.

She has been BUSY! She left quilting alone for a while and got heavily into knitting and spinning...

She is back to teaching classes in NYC, and back to her amazing ability to quilt whole cloth quilts with gorgeous detail in the welsh tradition.

Check out her blog, TOO MUCH WOOL and watch the progress!

Bonnie

Leader Ender Trees & Ebay find..

I found this cutter piece on ebay a couple of weeks ago. I love the pattern, the setting, the colors, the fabrics! I couldn't stand the thought of someone else buying it and cutting it up farther!

I've trimmed it, and added a binding. I'll hand stitch that while on my trip to MD next week. I'm planning on just using it as a table-topper or other display piece. It is DIRTY. I'll probably gently soak it to see what I can get out of it after it is bound..

And because I love cheddar/gold so much I was drawn to the same color for my leader/ender trees blocks. However...I'm not sure if I like the effect? Maybe I should do them in a "zig zag" layout like the cutter piece I just bought? Maybe the color isn't deep enough as far as setting squares go? Light fabrics make it look washed out...just as in the pic of the blocks laid out on the carpet. I thought the gold was a good choice..but now I'm not so sure.

I only have 25 blocks. I don't want to make more, I'd rather start on a different leader/ender project!

Let me know what you think....

Bonnie

Antique of the week!

So, I'm dreaming that I'll actually get to create either one of these, but these finds were so wonky and fun I have to post them!

The first one is 9 patches and strings....look at the half row of blocks at the bottom! And don't some of the green strings look like stems/leaves to the 9 patch flowers? I thought this one was really fun.

The second one has pink sashing...and I think it is really funny how the sashings don't line up. I remember how when I first tried to do sashings without cornerstones that I was mortified when they didn't line up EXACTLY...now I think it looks so fun in this quilt with the pink.

Of course both of these quilts claim to be african/american made. They very well MIGHT be? But there is no proof that they are. That kind of provenance wasn't always documented, and many white southern housewives during the 1930's 1940's and 1950's made utility quilts like these. But on ebay it's as if just putting the name "african/american" quilter makes the price go up? Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

P.S. After Patricia's comment I realized she may have missed the point. Of course these quilts COULD have been made by anyone in that era. Depression times were hard on many and women of ALL backgrounds quilted (just as we do now) I just believe if someone is going to give a quilt more credence because it was made by African/Americans they ought to have proof to back it up. I think there is an increase in this type of utility quilt showing up on ebay because they can get more money for them if they are listed as African/American than just "old scrap quilt". It seems to have more folk art appeal if it was not made by a white woman (or hispanic or whatever) I believe the quilt should stand on it's own no matter the maker. Of course I love the stories behind the quilts, but we don't have anything other than what the seller says.

Bonnie

Room To Spare!

Oh man, I love Target! :cD

I did find a shoe cubby thing...this one is bigger with more cubbies and a different brand than the one I had before, But I'm not that big into matchy matchy, you know me! It was on sale too $39.99..$10 off. The new one is on the bottom, the old one is on the top.

I drug it home...cursed when I found the electric screwdriver was not charged, and proceeded with the neanderthal arm-strong screwdriver to put the thing together. It went pretty slickly.

I moved the previous unit out from the corner of the room where it was kind of behind the computer...and moved it to the other end of the cabinets for easy access. I ditched LOTS of old pantos because I didn't want them anymore. I'm talking about the original ones that came with the machine, ones from Norma Sharp that were like comforter patterns? The kind that go great with big puffy poly batting :cÞ I ditched some other stuff I knew i'd never use. I know I should offer these to someone, but I really don't want to be bothered to mail them to anyone, unless you can pick them up from me by thursday when the trash guys come! And believe me..they are ones that just don't work well.

Some of them look good on paper..but the lines are so close together that there is no way to hand guide them that intricately and be right on. They just don't quilt up nice. There has to be room for error and variation in pantos, and if the lines are too close together chances are you will get them crossing each other and I hate that.

I now feel so much better than I did just a couple hours ago. I can see the difference it makes to my room. Easy access....less to wade through. I've got them organized by style...so feather designs, leaf designs, flower designs, star designs, etc...that is easier for me than doing them by name because half the time I can't remember what the pattern is called...just that one with the "squiggles" or "doo dads" You know? :c)

My arms also feel more rested having given them a couple hours of not massaging and not quilting. So tonight....the machine may be humming!

Bonnie

PS....I just went through a stack of old magazines and removed the pages that I want to keep. Will add those to page protectors in my inspiration binders. The rest....trash-ola!!! Cleaning something always makes me feel so much better! When my life is too cluttered emotionally...cleaning something physically just seems to be the ticket to help work things out!

Procrastination, tired arms, too much fabric, yada yada yada

I finished my last massage client last evening about 8:30pm. I got home from the office, ate a bowl of cereal, went to bed! Next thing I knew it was 7:30 am and I had a 9am client scheduled this morning. Shoot! I should have just stayed at the office and slept on my massage table the way I was feeling!

So now I'm back..nothing scheduled for the afternoon. Good thing. My arms are achy and feel heavy....I'm not sure I can run the quilting machine with any dexterity at the moment! I thought I'd give it a few hours rest and then quilt this evening.

So here I am thinking that some putzing around the quilting room is in order. For one thing, I have not found a good way to store pantograph patterns where I didn't have to go SEARCHING for the one I want. Right now I'm using stackable shoe organizer cubicles. But I still have to pull them out and find the one I want...tho there are two units stacked here, I suppose I could use one more.....it would organize better. So....trying to remember where I got these! TARGET?! Maybe I'll go to target today and see what they've got, but then maybe it was home depot?

I'd love to know how other machine quilters store their pantograph rolls. Really...I need HELP in this department!

I continue the desire to want to make scraps usable, downsize, streamline, produce scrappy quilts without great expense and have fun with it. I want more time to finish my own projects instead of piling up the unquilted tops, but I'm having a hard time figuring out just HOW to do it! There are so many things I want to participate in. Like the 365 block challenge on the heartstrings quilt project list. Big bin of strings here...plenty of desire, but my time has had to be spent elsewhere remaking quilts for lectures and workshops.

I know you are all shaking your heads at me thinking "When is she going to realize that something has to give!?" I think I am at that point. If the workshops/trunkshows keep filling in, (I'm doing some booking into 2009!) that is going to leave less time for quilting other people's quilts. Facts is facts! And I hate to do that because I love to quilt other people's quilts. I feel like I'll be letting people down if I don't quilt their quilts..but SOMETHING is going to have to give. October is my 12th year anniversary of being a longarm quilter. TWELVE years! That is a huge milestone. I'm not going to stop quilting for others, I'm just going to have to spread it out a bit so I don't spread myself too thin.

Maybe I should just forget about going to Target for the shoe organizer thingies...and just take a NAP!

Bonnie

Happy Scrappy Houses, Too!

The top is done! So far I think this has been my favorite quilt to "re-make" for workshop demos. It uses up a ton of 2" strips....and a gazillion pre-cut 2" background light squares, colored 2" squares for the windows, 2" squares for the chimneys, and 2"X3.5" pre-cut bricks for the doors. It was a wonderland of mix & match!



I love scrap quilts because of the riot of color, I think. I put fabrics together that I probably never would for a "whole quilt" type color scheme. I broke every self-imposed rule I could come up with...including using the back side of the fabric (not always on purpose!) Mixing batiks and metallics with 1980's and 1990's calicoes, and even some novelty prints!

A while back I needed to borrow some fabric from Lucy. Okay...I was begging for fabric from Lucy! And she said she was happy to give me what I wanted, but along with that piece, I HAD to take one of her "ugh!!" fabrics and I had to use it. That fabric got cut up into 2" squares and I have used it now and again in projects, always laughing while sewing it in, remembering the fun time we had while she was trying to force it on me and I was trying to give it back to her, or leave it behind by "mistake" :D

I used that "ugh" fabric for the window in the green house block above!

I also did a house that reminds me so much of my friend Tonya....I had a brick that had little bright neon frogs on it...so that became a door on this block!

The last time I was at Tonya's and we were sewing with my crumbs, I had made some wonky star blocks just for fun. They got set aside......when I picked the blue fabric for the outer border on this Happy Scrappy Houses quilt, There would ONLY be enough if I used contrasting cornerstones. Plain fabric cornerstones looked boring...so I pulled these little wonky star blocks out and set them in the corners. Now I have that memory of sewing with Tonya in this quilt too.

I love music! So it was fun to make a house using this strip of blue music fabric.

All of the cornerstones came randomly from the 2.5" scrap square bin. I did end up buying the sashing fabric (on sale at Joanne's) and there is NONE left...what little bit there was is now cut into strips and put into the strip bins.

I need to do some more scrap cutting since I weeded through my FQ's when Lucy was here in April. All of those "CUT THIS UP AND USE IT!" pieces are in a laundry basket sitting on my floor here. The task feels daunting! But it will be fun having new strips, squares and bricks to work into future projects.

On Aug 9th I am heading up to Maryland to teach two workshops and do a couple of trunk shows! I'll be gone about a week, and I am really looking forward to the trip!

Bonnie

My Header Quilt

I've had people asking to see pics of the whole quilt that my header pic is taken from.

I LOVE this quilt, and no, I don't own it, but I wish I did!

It has terrific chrome yellow sashing and with those green cornerstones and wonderful scraps in the blocks, it is just so FUN to look at

I think this would be a fun way to use up crumbs and small bits! :cD

Bonnie