I'm in Love......with Nora!!

I blame this infatuation completely on R.P. who sent the first link!


I am SO head over heels in love, I had to play it over and over....and then...this morning..I had to go watch ALL the other Nora videos. This is just the MOST precious thing...it just takes the cake! (Or the catnip as the case were)



Enjoy! I know YOU too will be in love!

I want to know why my cats can't be this talented. Well, except for Chloe of course, who can double as a Swiffer when I need her to! And then there was Ms Holly who trained herself to toilet-pee (But would never grasp the idea of flushing...)

I'm off to Durham to teach a workshop with the Durham African American Quilter's Circle. Can't wait! We are doing Scrappy Mountain Majesties, which is always a good one for using up big chunks of fabric in a quilt that looks fabulous! I'll be leaving by 6:30am so I won't be posting tomorrow..and wanted to leave you with this...

It did warm up enough to take Sadie for a nice long walk. Man, am I ever out of SHAPE! C'mon spring...It's time to get ACTIVE!

It's Friday, Dahlinks!

I had a blast yesterday sewing with Mary. She is SO fun to be around. I had the stuff from retreat last weekend still in it's bins down here in the studio, so it was really easy to load my car and hit the road. That is....AFTER I could find my CAR KEYS!

I used to lose my keys a lot. I don't know why or how...but I guess I am scatter-brained enough that I tend to set things down, and other things get set on top of them, and I go in circles trying to find things. My solution has been to have a clip on my key-ring, and I routinely clip my keys to the strap of my purse. No digging in the purse for keys...no lost keys because they are attached and I know where they are.

But since Jeff's car is broken (:c( ) We've been car sharing. 2 cars for 3 people. It's not warm enough for scooters or motorcycles, so that is out. Needless to say, keys don't get clipped back to my purse, and then I am in a frenzy. I really NEED a beeper on my keys. Like a pager? Do they have those? You could dial a number and the thing would beep and you could find them. Kind of like using the house phone to call the cell phone when I can't find where it is buried either. But that's a different adventure for a different day!

Anyhow...found keys...and off I went. My project for the day? My little pineapple blocks! They've been a start/stop project for a long while....mostly because each one has some ridiculous number like 45 pieces crammed into a 5" square. It takes over an hour for each block, but I think they are worth it. Could I do bigger blocks? Yes...but they wouldn't work with the pieces I've saved to make them with.

See these little numbers? Those little triangles in the bin are the "trimmings" from making a border for a quilt just like this leftover piece shown here. The squares I sewed on the diagonal were only 2"...so I don't usually double sew anything that small, and I save them for paper piecing mini things. The problem with my mini things, is that I usually end up wanting to make a full sized quilt out of infinitesimally small blocks. :c) I've also got the triangles I've trimmed when joining binding strips on the diagonal, and other odds and ends triangles in a box, and this is the perfect project to find a home for these precious bits. Throw in a couple hand fulls of fabric crumbs and strings, and Voila!

The GOOD thing about a project this size? It is VERY portable. A featherweight (but yes, I can't wait for that Janome 6500p to come with it's THREAD CUTTER!)and a small shoe box of scraps, and I can piece for days. It's good for a grab and go, and easy to piece away with good conversation with a friend.

As far as my fabrics go? It's anything and EVERYTHING Babes! In a conversation with Tonya the other day she said she would love me to write more about my "Garbage Can Approach" to quilt making!! *howling with laughter* I never thought about it much that way, but it is true! This is what I need...a drive up drop off recycling place....that silver one on the end is for all the pieces to come to ME! :cD

At retreat last weekend, I had a lid to a bin that was a "catch all" place for anyone's scraps to go. Mrs. Goodneedle was working on a string quilt, with all novelties and her trim offs were quickly grabbed by me to be worked in! There IS EVERYTHING her in novelties...banddaids, bugs, food items, animals, everything. Can I mix those with my civil wars and 30's and batiks and old VIP 1980's prints? Sure! Because by the time pieces are this small, it really isn't about the print of the fabric that matters. It's the color, the contrast, or the value placement. It's just light/dark with a red square in the center of the block.

Those "weird" fabrics really make the quilt FUN to look at..and you have to look close to see the funnies and know they are there. I sewed a piece of Pittsburg Steelers fabric into one block on Superbowl Sunday. Could that be why they won? Maybe! Who knows! But it's in there!

As I'm sewing along, I look at the block in progress, and in choosing the next piece I look for something interesting...maybe a color that I haven't already used yet in that block, maybe something that almost clashes with what I put it next to. I know it's a strange way to quilt, but I love working this way.

Mary had quilt trimmings from trimming up a quilt to put a binding on yesterday, and she was going to designate it to the "rat bedding" pile. I snagged that too! :cD

We sewed all day, with stopping for a yummy soup lunch. I got a whole of FIVE blocks made! See why this is a long term project? But I don't mind. How many blocks will I make? I don't know. I'll make them until I am sick of them, and see what I can do with that many :c) That's usually how projects cement themselves around here!

We left to go meet up with some of Mary's guild friends at a Chinese Wok place. Yummy. And I always eat too much even if I tell myself not to. I can't get enough of Chinese food. Much laughter over fortune cookie messages! And off to guild meeting.

One of the gals at her guild was selling these quilt racks! OH! I needed one. I had a place in the guest room I knew it would go, and it was only $45 made by a friend of the lady who was promoting them. I won't show you the "BEFORE" picture, but suffice it to say that all the quilts were stacked in a pile on the floor, and it had become a cat futon. :c| NO MORE!

All in all it was a super day. I'm off in a bit to go meet with a gal from my local guild to go over our calendars to see when my OWN guild can schedule some workshops in! Needless to say, they'll have to catch me on the fly.... ;c)

More Shouts from Ireland!

Wow! This has been a week for Shout Outs!

I heard from Siobhan that she had seen that Quiltville's Quips & Snips was mentioned in the 2nd edition of Irish Quilting! How cool is that?

So I had to go searching for a magazine cover. Turns out Jane Weston is also listed! And I tell you, her photo shoots are much better than mine. so please follow the link to see the layout!

I'm feeling mostly better. I wish it was more than that, but I'll take it.



Today I'm going to work on a couple projects with my friend Mary at her house in Asheboro, and then do a book signing for her guild. When I presented my workshops and programs, my book hadn't been released yet..so this is kind of a replay. Impromptu but fun! We'll meet up with other friends for dinner before hand.

One of those "things" is binding my "Just Quilt It" Wonky Log Cabin that I just finished the hand quilting on while at retreat. The colors are off in these photos...really, it's more of a red/purple than a blue purple...and I hope you can see the stitching...I took the pics outside on the deck where I thought the light was better. There are fans in the center, a zig zag in the black borders (Thanks to Lucy for turning me onto the Hera marker!) and I drew freehand feathers in the large purple areas before quilting them...kind of Reverse Long Arm training I guess! If I can draw it with a quilting machine,I can draw it with a chalk pencil and hand quilt it too, right? Who woulda thought?!

Have a great day everyone!

Shout Out in Quilter's Home!

That Mark Lipinski! I tell you, he keeps me in stitches! His quick wit and "Tell-It-Like-It-Is" articles that border just a tad on the irreverent side...LOVE IT!

This is the latest issue, March 2009, and I have to thank Tonya for telling me that Mark reviewed my book in this issue! I hadn't seen the issue, so she quickly scanned and sent me my part :c) Can you read it? I hope you can!

And when I say Mark tells it like it is....it's that way in his reviews too! One person's book comment was "ixnay on the booknay" OUCH!!! Another book mentioned said it had good projects if you could get past the boring cover! *LOL*

So Thank YOU, Mark..for saying the wonderful things about Scraps & Shirttails that you did!

And for those thinking I'd be posting pics of finished and bound quilts this morning...think again. I got hit by a bug or something yesterday. About mid day I was so achey I could do nothing but lay down for a nap. I couldn't get warm, it was awful. I was asleep for the night by 9pm. Hopefully it's just a 24 hour thing because I got places to go and people to see and things to do.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Asheboro for a day with my friend Mary, and a book signing later that evening at her guild.

Saturday I'm off to Durham to teach a workshop for the African American Quilter's guild. I love these ladies! What a hoot!

Monday I'm off to FL for a couple days.

I do NOT....repeat....DO NOT...have time to be SICK!!

So there.

It's a backing!!!

Yes, I really DID turn that pile of odd fabric pieces and older FQs I wanted to clear out into a backing for the Strip Twist! And you know what? It didn't turn out half bad! I think it will quilt up interestingly enough. But the best part is that I annihilated 7 to 8 yards of fabric out of the stash! GONE!

And as the retreat gals from last weekend would agree, this is definitely something that deserves a big Earth Wind & Fire YAAAAAOOOOOOWWW!!! :cD

Tawanda!

Today in Charlotte....

I have to tell you about my annoying day.

For a long time now I've been researching domestic sewing machines because I really want to find one with some features that I'd love to have. My main machine is a Bernina 1080 and I love her. She's been good to me. I have several vintage babies and they are fun, each have their own quirks and personalities.

For a few trips now, I've stayed with people who have either the Janome 6500p or the 6600p and I've tried them out.

But try to find one here in Winston? No way. The guy here kept saying that it was the same as this Elna he had...but it was missing what I really REALLY want in this machine...a push button thread cutter. Do I need to spend this much money on just a thread cutter? Well, yes I do.

If you love paper piecing as much as I do, you will understand that it is a pain in the Patootie to be paper piecing on something that you can't do "chain piecing" on...you grab the long thread tails to get them out of the way, and then sew..oh..maybe an INCH or two at most...and then have to whip that paper out from under the presser foot, leaving long tails again, and have to trim four threads, two beginning top and bottom and two ending top and bottom, before you can press and add the next piece. It's a PAIN! All those wasted 3" long tails of thread...everywhere..ugh.

So...I've been researching these.

Today I made a call to a shop in Charlotte who said yes, they had a 6600p and quoted me the price, and it was reasonable, so off I went in my trusty vehicle and drove 90 miles to go look at this thing.

From the MOMENT I walked into that shop....it was a bait and switch! (GRRRRRR)

I told him I was the one who called from Winston and I'd like to see the 6600p.

He said "oh you don't want that, we have something better...have you seen the pfaff? have you seen this, that, the other?" Well yes, but they were all about $1000 more than I wanted to spend.

He talked DOWN that 6600p up one side and down the other, telling ME what I wanted, what I needed and what I could get on any other machine. (Are you feeling my frustration?)

He left me stranded several times while he went to go tackle something else. While he was helping a lady with a load of school machines, I just nearly picked up my purse and left the store.

He told me the machine was $1300 which was a good price. I asked how much the freestanding table it was in was...and he said $500. (ouch!)

I asked about the difference between the 6500 and the 6600, which was the dual feed thingy. I know people who have that love it. I've never needed it because I've never had trouble controling my patchwork on my Bernina, and I didn't like the big humongous foot that goes with that dual feed thing.

Besides that, I was just NOT going to give this man my business no matter if his machine rolled over and begged for me to take it home. So I left.

On the way home I called a few friends who had either machine and talked to them more about it. One loves her dual feed. Another said she barely uses it unless she is putting on a binding. Another who doesn't HAVE the dual feed says she just uses an add on walking foot when she needs it and it is fine for her (Which is what I"ve done with my Bernie all along)

I was still so fumed I needed to calm myself so I pulled over at the nearest Antique Mall off the interstate. :cD It worked! I wandered, I pondered....I bought a red ceramic apple cookie jar just like my Grannie had, a 1955 framed printing of the Serenity Prayer (how apropos, huh?? *LOL*) a hooked rug for the guest room that will go at the end of the bed, a red scotch plaid thermos lunch box that reminds me of the lunch box I had in 2nd grade (Hey, it was only $2.00...cheap therapy!) and a hooked chair pad for the kitchen desk chair.

I came home...looked up sites online...and found myself a 6500p with a table included! No Sales Tax...Free Shipping...no Bait and Switch, just a nice email that said "Thank You for Your Order" and I am done. The table only added $260 to the price of the machine instead of an additional $500.

I feel vindicated.

I feel like calling this Bozo in Charlotte and telling him what he missed out on because of his crappy salesmanship techniques. But mostly I feel it isn't worth the effort, and if he hasn't figured it out by now, he never will, so why should I bother?

So now I am eagerly awaiting my 6500p so that I can paper piece these pineapple babies and cut the threads as I go and lift the presser foot with the knee lift (which I have never had) All while it is flush in it's own little table.....and justify that it really didn't add THAT much to the expense of this quilt because it was all scraps to begin with,right?

PS..so many have asked me where I ordered the machine and table together. I got it from SewingMachinesPlus.com Tell them Bonnie from Quiltville sent you!

Happy Twister!

I'm a very Happy Twister! Retreat was the perfect weekend to work on this top.

I got there early...wasn't sure how long it would take me to get to Camp Dogwood, which is just north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. Beautiful! The facilities were perfect.

I was the first one there, so I set about moving tables around so we had access to plugs, etc. And then I set up my stuff to start sewing. I tell ya....I was sewing for a good two hours before others strolled in with only slightly guilty faces after confessing to have quilt shop hopped on their way to retreat :c)

This top was my MAIN project for retreat. And I am happy to say because my strips were already cut and waiting, that it was finished in a bit over a day. The rest of the time I finished hand quilting a project, and worked on binding another, and made a complete mess with my 5" pineapple blocks, but I was in heaven!

There were 8 of us total, and the laughter and chatter was so infectious. I don't think I need to tell you how hard it is to hear sometimes between two halves of a room---machines whirring and music blasting---but we had some hoots and hollers over mistaken interpretations,thinking someone said one thing, when they really said another, and that sent us off in peals of laughter all over again. Very much good for the soul!

It was just the best time, I can't describe it. It was fun to see what everyone else was working on too. Some beautiful applique (how it could be so perfect between all the laughing and carrying on, beats me!) And lots of UFOs in progress..

The first night we went out to Big Daddy's for sea food. YUMMY. I tell you, there was so much food that I went for a SENIOR MEAL plus salad bar, and it was still more than I could eat.

Back to retreat, change into jammies, more sewing!

After that no one left for anything. There were plenty of leftovers and food to make up all our meals without a need to go anywhere, which meant MORE SEWING TIME! I loved this...microwave and fridge to our disposal and we were happy campers.


And look! our Mascot! This is Woody. He just wandered in and made himself at home. We found out he loves crackers, but hates pretzel sticks..*LOL* Definitely a friendly old guy, he soaked up the tummy rubs and ear scratches. We asked the gal who works at the facility who he belongs to. She has no clue, so he just must visit the camp as a renegade :cD (Walkabout, you know?) Such a sweetie.

I got home last evening, unloaded the car, and during Superbowl, I managed to get the borders on the Strip Twist after having a hard time deciding what looked best with it! I went from red to blue to green to black and back....and finally decided on gold and purple. Those were two colors from the center that just really popped at me and I wanted to play them up.

So now that is together....I have this pile of purples I'd like to clear out. I'm considering sewing them together in some form for some kind of backing. That, and putting the binding on the hand quilted one I just finished, I've got plenty to keep me busy!

Superbowl Twist!

Nope..the movie didn't happen,but it might tonight!

Still, as I'm packing for the retreat tomorrow, it occurred to me that I didn't post more about the Superbowl Twist Challenge!

It's not a mystery, because steps won't be given. This is an "at your own pace" project, with a goal of using up leftover 2.5" strips, maybe a jelly roll you haven't found a place for, or a coordinated pack of FQs that haven't been purposed for something yet, or all of the above.

You can make it a long weekend of Superbowl Sewing, as I will at the retreat, or you can sew when you can. Remember, no rules? The Strip Twist pattern is found HERE!

There will be a lot of chatter about various projects people are working on at our Quiltvillechat@yahoogroups.com list. But you don't have to be a part of the list to participate. It's just a good quick technique project where you can sew pedal to the metal and have something to show for the weekend.

It is up to you if you want to donate this quilt to a charity of your choice or not. Mine is going to be a class sample, and then when I'm done using it as a class sample, I will donate it to a worthy cause.

I'll take pics of my progress while I'm gone, and we'll see how much I can actually get done by Sunday eve when I return! It goes so fast, I better plan on throwing in some probable border fabrics just in case I get that far.

I leave here at 8:30 in the morning, I hope to be sewing by 11am! *LOL* (Bring it on, I'm SEW READY!!)

Oh, and special thanks to Forest Jane for the graphics!

Play Dates!

Where, oh where is Bonnie, you ask?

Playing! Jason and Kim came up last night and are staying until Saturday morning. It's so good to have them here. They brought Coheed and Cambria with them, their wonderfully fun orange striped tabbies.

My birthday and Jeff's birthday were both this past week, so we are being treated out to Chinese Buffet for lunch today by Kim and Jason. Nice, eh?

And..I think Kim and I have conned the guys into going to see Marley & Me at the matinee. The guys are dragging their feet, but I KNOW they'll like it if they just let themselves have a good time, instead of worrying about being caught dead in a chick flick movie in the middle of a Thursday afternoon!

I leave in the morning for my Bee's retreat at Camp Dogwood. I still have yet to pack, I think that will come after dinner tonight. Strips are already cut of course, just need to pack the personal stuff!

So you probably won't hear more from me until after the weekend!

Toodles!

TOO FUN!!!

I'm an animal lover...you know that. So many of you know that, that you send me little tidbits that I LOVE and in turn I want to share them with you.

You HAVE to watch this video! Special thanks to G McG in Canada who forwarded this to me:


PS...I tried this with Sadie and Buddy, but they just don't get it!!*LOL*

12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00

Don't you hate it when you wake up, look at the clock, and that is what you see? Blinking 12:00's??? Well, the power must have blipped in the night. It was sprinkling when I woke, but no big thunderstorms or anything, just enough of a blip to reset the clocks. Makes me LOVE my battery operated ones as I have to go around and reset everything! Not hard, just a pain..not even a thorn in my side...just an *UGH!* If that is all I have to complain about, I guess I'm doing good :c)

These are the other goodies that came home from Virginia with me!

I really love this blue enamel iron. Every time I've seen a blue iron, it had a natural gas little tank on the back, but this is a "heat on the stove" iron. So guess where it is sitting? On my wood stove in my studio. Love that color! And these things weigh a ton....I can't imagine ever having to iron with one.

The orange gingham apron...Don't you just love with the chicken scratch stitching on it? I took one to Lucy when I visited in December, hers was green with white stitched tulips on it. Now I've got this orange with green stitching, and I've got a brown with white stitching. Just love gingham. It's a happy little fabric, no matter what color it is.



I also found a sugar bowl, a pink depression glass juicer, a stuffed quilt heart pillow, and this lovely book. It's called The Heiress, and is copyrighted 1859 by Mrs Ann S Stephens. It is inscribed inside in ink "I shall be very very glad to find myself with you. Ever Yours, Ann S Stephens.

Who was she very very glad to find herself with? We may never know..but this book was given to someone she loved. And now it's mine. I can't wait to read it. I love the language. Just for kicks, here is a paragraph:

" She understood him. She felt that her empire in that heart was there still, though it might be in ruins. Still she struggled hard to suppress the exhibition of his wild delight, but it broke through her tears like lightning among rain-drops. It dimpled her mouth - oh, she was beautiful then~ One moment of expression like that is worth a life-time of the symmetrical prettiness which ordinary men admire in common-place women. With the conviction of his continued affection, Lady Jane recovered much of her composure. Her manner, unconsciously perhaps to herself, became gentle, pleading, almost tender. Now and then her voice was almost playful, and once as she lifted her eyes to his, there was a faint reflection of her mood upon Lord Clare's face."

Some things never change...nearly 150 years later...we are still sucked in by romance! *LOL*

By the list in the title page, it seems that Mrs Ann S Stephens was quite a novel writer. I found a bit about her HERE. Can you imagine women of the day passing her books amongst friends, trading hands at the quilting bee and discussing the plots? I can!

On my list today...getting ready to leave for a bee retreat on Friday morning! YAY! I need to remake a class sample that was given away to a charity.

If you are looking for something to do for Super Bowl Sunday...consider piecing a Strip Twist with me! It uses 2.5" strips, all colors, all fabrics (or you can be more discriminating if you want)and turns out great. This one has been on my website for about 6 or 7 years, long before Jelly Rolls became the "in" thing! It sews really fast, and I plan to make a dent in those 2.5" strips in the bin....If you've got a jelly roll...it's a good project for that too.

I've also been cutting a gazillion...well, I really only need 400, but can always use the extras....2" light/neutral squares for a border for the "nines-in-the-middle" quilt I started before Christmas. I got way-laid while I've been working on other things, but that is my goal today to finish the border. Or at least try!

Country Magazine...

A couple months back I got a phone call from an editor at Country Magazine asking if I could supply her with a picture of a string quilt to go with an article that someone had written. Could I EVER!!

What came of this was a very fun email exchange, some phone calls, and me doing a photo shoot to get things "just right". I did shots in the yard, on the porch swing, and of course in the guest room. I even sent her a pic of my overflowing wicker laundry basket of scrap strings.

The magazine came while I was teaching in VA! I am so tickled with the story that goes with the pic. It's perfect. And there in the middle of the pic for all the world to see is my Emmylou (also called Louisa, and LuLuBee)like she owns the bed AND the quilt (which she does)

This was fun to do because *I* didn't have to write the article, nor supply a pattern.

I love the magazine, too...I've read through it cover to cover and think I'm going to have to subscribe. This is my kind of life style!

Treasured Finds..

Of course you KNEW that quilts would have to come home with me, right?

These are two "not so beauties" that had enough personality and pioneer spirit and the whole feeling of "making do", that they had to come home with me.




The first one is this basket..maybe you caught it in the slide show below. I LOVE baskets..adore them! And this one just really spoke to me because it is slightly color controled (but it breaks it's own rules!) and even though one of the baskets is shredded. I think it's still a good "display" piece.

The baptist fan quilting of COURSE caught my eye. Look at that texture! Those lines are less than an inch apart..probably closer to 1/2", and that is why this quilt didn't fall apart any worse than it has with the wear and use of the years. Let's face it...more quilting means less migration of batting, and a longer lasting quilt. If you just outline quilt something 1/4" from the seam lines, you leave all this empty un-protected space allowing the fabric to wear out between the stitches. If you just outline quilt, you leave even the seam lines unanchored. When the stitching crosses the seams like this, it reinforces the whole quilt.

The second one is STARS! I love how the diamonds are divided across their bellies :c) It almost makes circles. This one VERY MUCH reminds me of a Talula Gilbert Bottoms quilt. If you aren't familiar with Talula, well what can I say. Follow the link above to Amazon. I saw the book Legacy for as low as $3.95 used, and $7.00 new,but it didn't look like there were many copies left. She was the most inspirational lady I have ever read about, a life full of quilts, and a hard life at that. Most of her quilts were utilitarian in nature, but I love each and every one. She started post civil war, and quilted through the 1930s.



I'm pretty sure this is a newer "old" binding on this quilt. It's more like a feedsack era print than what is in the quilt itself, and it is not as yellowed. So someone somewhere decided that the borders (or at least the binding) on this piece were too worn and needed to be replaced. Oh, the life of a quilt! I wish it could talk and tell me the stories, the lives of those whom it covered in it's journey to me.



Of course I love the plaids, the stripes, the shirtings, the chambray and other work-clothing-related patches. It tickles me when stripes go any which way with reckless abandon. I'm not sure if the sashing was more RED before it mellowed into the red/pink, but it's got the same colorway going on as my album blocks quilt, which I NEED to load in the machine and finish the quilting on.

I've got some other goodies, but I think this post is long enough for now! It's DS Jeff's 19th birthday today. My baby is 19. Wow.

I'm doing his favorite dinner....grilled pork chops, baked potatoes and all the fixin's...salad, home baked rolls, and angel food cake with strawberries for dessert. What more could a young man want? (An I-phone for one...Keep dreaming!)