Thoughts from Ohio (Via Indiana!)

Hi guys :c)

I'm still on the road...heading up for 2 weeks now! I've been bouncing from town to town giving workshops and lecture/trunkshows from place to place.

Sorry if I haven't been able to connect much! I'm in small towns, bad connection, no connection, or just too tired after giving an all day workshop followed by an evening trunkshow and having to drive 5.5 hours to the next place.

I have all these good intentions to keep up with the blogging in between everything, but..well, sometimes something has to be let go, and the blogging was it!

I have had a wonderful time meeting quilters I only knew via email or their blogs! It has been so fun to put faces to names and voices to faces and put it all together!

The show and tell at the guild meetings has been so inspiring. Each guild has it's own flavor and it is exciting to see what is going on with quilting all over this country of ours (and the world at large)

I've taken some pics on my phone as I've been out and about. What you see above are my shots of Lake Erie, from where I was in Westlake Ohio. PRETTY!!!! I can't imagine what it is like in winter time...I stayed 10 minutes away from the lake, and when I found out how close I was, I just had to go put my toes in. It's the North Coast, you know? :cD



I'm now in Newark OH....home of the Longaberger Basket Co! I love oddities, so we had to drive by the building...which is of course SHAPED like a basket! Too funny...

While in Indiana....after teaching a full day workshop, I was invited to go sew for the EVENING from 6pm to 11pm at the quilt shop "sew in!!" And that was a lot of fun. I've got 4 tops that I've been able to finish while on the road...one was assembled into rows and needed to be sewn into the top, and borders added. That is done. One other was a center that ALSO needed borders..that is done...one was a pile of blocks that needed set..that is done...

And I was planning on setting that one with a bunch of big 1/2 square triangles for setting it "straight furrows" but it didn't work out. The 1/2 square tiangles overwhelmed the blocks. So..did hour glass blocks instead, and that left me with a bunch of 8" 1/2 square triangles. THOSE became the seeds for the next top which got sewn together yesterday (still needing borders) And I am off and running on another project...so my down time has been productive even if I couldn't get time for an internet connection!

I've got an afternoon workshop today, a lecture tonight, a workshop tomorrow..and home on Thursday...So it will probably be a few days before you hear from me again!

(but thanks for the emails telling me to come up for air and asking me if I was okay!)

Love,
Me

Whooowhooo it's done!

Well, all except the binding that is, which is sewn on (as is the sleeve) and will go to Ohio with me tomorrow, and I'll finish it on the road :c)

I was trying to think how many states this little quilt has traveled to and been quilted in. TOO MANY!! I lost count!


These pics are from my phone, so they might not show the quilting detail really well, but I'm tickled pink. I finished the quilting in Georgia a couple days ago, sitting on Joan Garland's couch :c)

I had a wonderful time with the Hall County Quilt guild....plus the other 30 or so visitors that came from as far away as parts of Alabama. One lady also came from somewhere like Michigan, she happened to be in town visiting her son and came to the lecture/trunkshow/booksigning I did at a local shop after the guild meeting. It's SO fun to be in touch with quilters from every where. Like we are our own Sorority Phi Beta Quilta or something ;c)

Many of you may remember my dilemma about a year and a half ago when I was moving to NC from SC, downsizing my house, and having to sell my piano because there wasn't room for it. It broke my heart, but I did get rid of it and thought "good riddance" because my life was too busy to really have time to practice and play.


Over the past 6 months or so I have really really wanted that piano BACK! Only there was still the problem of where to put one. I don't have inside walls that are in good locations for pianos. There is that whole issue of having to tune one...

Through talking with a friend, and then seeing my mom's digital piano when I went home to Idaho for Mother's Day and trying it there...I really decided that this would be GREAT for me. I ordered a yamaha, and it arrived last week! I am SO tickled with it. The keys are weighted action, they feel like playing a real piano, doesn't feel or sound like an organ, it SOUNDS like a piano! So I have had fun reclaiming sheet music and feeling very rusty with it all, but loving it.

The piano is down here in my studio with me.....I moved an antique treadle in a parlor cabinet out to the other half of the basement and rearranged things, and it is perfect in here up against the wall!

I realized something...that my music was the one thing in my life that was NOT quilt related. And it was important for me to have something that got me AWAY from even the quilting. I feel balanced. It is a stress reliever to me to sit and play, even if I am rusty (okay, I suck!) and I have missed it!

I'm packing the car right now (well as soon as I hit send) to head to Ohio and Indiana in the morning. I won't be back til the 20th. I will try to post on the road, but I'm not promising anything! I get down to the end of the day and there is just no energy left....

Oh, and here's a funny. This is when you KNOW your planets are aligned or whatever:

I had to fill book orders today, and I needed to print stamps from stamps.com. If you've not done this..here is how it works.

You have a little "bank account" that you set up like a debit thing....tell stamps.com how much money you want them to charge your credit card for, and then you can print stamps up to that amount.

There are special sheets of paper that you have to print on.

Printer #1 was OUT of ink. I needed stamps PRONTO. I thought I'd try printing the stamps on printer #2, my laser jet. When you say print a full sheet...you see the money DISAPPEAR from the little "bank account" reserve fund....however much it costs to print the whole sheet. In this case, about $65.00!!

At this point, the printing should commence. But it started...and stopped...and said PAPER JAM!! But the money was now GONE from my account! crap crap crap crap....

When this happens, you are supposed to clear the paper jam....print out a refund report..mail it to stamps.com in the snail mail (with ANOTHER stamp!) and in about 6 weeks they will credit your account. AUUUUGHH! $65.00 down the tubes!

I still couldn't get the printer to go back to normal, and then I thought.....maybe...just maybe....that the printer memory STILL had the stamp printing job in it! So...I turned off the computer, and when it rebooted....yep! the printer memory took over and I was there with the form to PRINT those stamps!!! ANd they DID print..and I was NOT out the $65.00 for 6 weeks. Can you spell RELIEF!??

So something must have been right in my world today....amazing.

And with that story, I'm off to finish packing, get a good night's sleep, and hit the road bright and early!!

Double Delight Opportunity!

I don't often do this, spam everyone too much. I like to keep that to a minimum or there would be a spam post every day from someone wanting me to post something, but this one was too good to pass up!

Sheila writes:

Dear Bonnie,

A while ago I told you about a charity quilt project I was working on. It is the Double Delight Opportunity Quilt to benefit my quilting friend and her family who lost their home to a fire this past March. The quilt has been on display at my local quilt shop and has made a few guest appearances at local outdoor events. I had several thousand tickets printed and still have quite a few to sell. The drawing is in September and I was wondering if you thought that maybe some of your blog followers might be interested in taking a chance to win this quilt by helping a fellow quilter and her family get back on their feet.

There are many worthy causes out there, but this one touches my heart. I have often had nightmares about losing everything to fire. I hope this raffle helps restore some normalcy to this family!

You can find out more by clicking on this LINK

Double Purple :c)

This is the quilt I brought home from Sisters with me! Really, I thought I was going to get away from there without having to buy anything...HA! But this one, oh THIS one...and I asked the lady if she would take less than the asking price, well, when she met MY offered price, I couldn't walk away, could I? I mean....would have really looked stupid if she said yes, and I said I changed my mind :c)

I love this quilt...all that double purple is rare to find. There is a faded-to-brown stripe on the fold down the center, It was probably stored where light hit it. The other fabrics are not specifically gorgeous, but many interesting pieces, definitely some feminine and some masculine scraps in there.


I love the burgundy resist prints, and of course many of the stripes and plaids are cut VERY off grain. She was definitely cutting the pieces whichever way the template would fit on the scraps she had.

It doesn't look like it at first glance, but it is a 54-40 or fight block! The lights just kind of blend together giving it a different look.

And while I was photographing the quilt, I couldn't ignore Chloe who was shading herself under the picnic table on the deck. She is still here, doing well, loves being outside, and is even MORE apt to letting you get closer for a belly rub these days than she ever was when she was a "house cat".

Thanks for the comments on the issue of BIG QUILTS. Its nice to know I'm not alone in my thoughts! I do make some smaller things, those are the ones I travel with so I can stitch on the road, but for the most part, quilts that cover people from head to toe (at least) and cover beds (at most) are where it's at for me! (Still thinking this is going to help me use more fabric scraps.....)

Mary Jo's Run...

Last Friday, Four of us took a run down to Gastonia for a Mary Jo's Cloth World Fix.

We Came, We Shopped, We Conquered!

I really didn't "NEED" anything. Not in the way of fabric or anything, but I will tell you what I did need! The laughter and companionship of girlfriends out on a road trip.

The other day I read a quote from "Sex in the city" that has just given me the giggles and rang so true in many ways at the same time. It goes:

"Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with" --sex and the city

The longer I live..the more I see so much sense in this! My girl friends are there with support and laughter and understand every quilty need.The guys? Well, in this house, I'll give them the benefit of TRYING to get me, but mostly, they have just learned to raise one eyebrow, but keep their mouths shut! *LOL*

So what did I come home with? Not a lot (unless you count the sore belly muscles from multitudinous and copious amounts of genuine belly laughter!

I hit the remnant bins on the cotton solids. I always hit those, never know when you are going to find some AWESOME solids that will be just the right accent to whatever project. Solids to me are a legitimate purchase, just the same as the B words..backgrounds, borders, bindings, backings.. I love this darkest darkest dark chocolate. There are two pieces of it. It's yumtious! I'm thinking of using it in place of a black background on a solids project.

Two Green FQs.
Two fun fabrics for possible borders. 2 yards each.

That's it. That's all the fabric that said "TAKE ME HOME" and I was able to say no to everything else.

One EZ Rule 6.5X13 inch ruler. I love these rulers. What can I say, yes, I also like the creative grid, but this is just a smidge longer. I like that it has the 1/4" dashed markings all along the outside edge of the ruler, around all 4 sides. Makes it great for squaring things up and trimming. The numbers are HUGE...and it has no green or yellow so it is easy for me to read. And unlike the creative grids, you don't have to flip the ruler around to use the stuff on the half inch. And it was cheap. About $10.00.

Yesterday I got to the point where I actually had to turn the computer off and walk AWAY. The pattern writing is stressing me out to no end. I've got 8 of 12 done. # 12 is still in the piecing stage. #9 and #10 are just not easy for me to diagram even in EQ because I am so EQ challenged. Even today..I'm putting off writing?! That's why I'm writing this instead :c|

My fears? My quilts are too big for what people will want. I make bed sized quilts. All the beds in my house are queen or king. I have no lap size projects in this book. No foo foo book covers or table toppers or cutesy hand bags for this book. None of the novelty "make it quick" type projects. It's BIG QUILTS. Is there a market for that? I hope so. I have some small wall hangings made with leaders/enders but I'm not sure if there will be room for them in the book at this point, maybe just a gallery section with small enticements, but no patterns for them. Then people will want patterns for them. So yes, I am stressing to the max here.

One thing I've always told myself is to make what *I* want to make...just for the enjoyment of it. It might not be the best marketing strategy, but it keeps me anchored to what I love.

Pre-EQ!

I found this little lovely in an antique mall many months back. Somehow it never made it into a post, but I have had the most FUN playing with this thing!!

Quilter's Blocks! Each side of the wooden cube has either a red, white, yellow or blue solid, or a half square triangle. What a boon this would have been to a quilter of yesterday before computers.

What I really like about them is that you play with design, without really spending too much time on color because your choices are limited in the blocks. It's more like just designing in "gray scale" which allows your mind to put your own colors where you want them, without the colors themselves clogging up your design process. At least that is how it works for me!

I'm not sure when this little ditty was manufactured, but if you ever come across one, pick it up..FAST!

I found THIS SET on Ebay. It is set number 14, manufactured in the 1920s. Mine is set number 34 so maybe mine are from the 30s,40s. I didn't pay near what the set on ebay was running for!

Just a sweet piece of Quilt-nostalgia that I wanted to share with you....as I get back to drafting patterns in EQ to the point where I would do ANYTHING to get away from the computer and just go SEW SOMETHING!!

Scrap Insanity

Wouldn't that be a great title for a book? I'm seriously considering it!

Especially as I realized what I was doing this morning.....

I am making some little connector blocks out of 2.5" neutral squares, placing a 1.5" square in one corner, sewing on the diagonal, and trimming the excess.

It hit me...that even THESE little mini triangles are the PERFECT size for the centers of my ongoing 5" pineapple project.

GOOD GRIEF. The fabric just never goes away does it? is there any piece that is too small?????

Well yes, I draw the line at dog ears, but there are people who even use THOSE! No thanks...I think this is the end of the Fabric Food Chain for me...triangles trimmed from 1.5" squares and saved for the center of pineapple blocks.

Scrap Insanity, Indeed!

(But oh what fun!!!!) :cD

Kindle, Oh Kindle!!!

I just returned from the gym, and look what is rubber banded to my mailbox!! MY KINDLE from Amazon!!

I've heard so many neat things about this gadget...talked to one of the gals in Oregon who ordered one, and sat next to a guy in the San Francisco airport on my way home from Oregon, and he was kind enough to give me the whole INFOMERCIAL on how much he loves this thing. It was too cute. I've never seen a guy so obsessed with any object!

Come to think of it, yes I have, but that's a story for another day..*LOL*

Anyway...with the traveling I do, books are big and heavy and this seems like just the ticket. And I'm a gadget girl myself, geeky one that I am, so this tickles me.

I can hardly wait to get it out of the box!

The first book I'm putting on it? The Fountainhead By Ayn Rand...a must have read.

Mail Squishies!!

Ooooh! Lookie Lookie!!

Carol from Dallas sent me a squishy with 12 different plaids! They are GORGEOUS!! Just what I needed to cheer me up and give me a fabric fondling moment away from the computer and pattern writing...AHHHHHH!

Thanks Carol, you made my day!

Too funny not to share!!

Every day I get silly emails. Some are worth saving in a file I have nicknamed "ridiculous"

Now, it isn't that the people are ridiculous, but sometimes the requests are! I get requests from people saying they want to take a certain quilt I've designed and make it queen size, but not do it scrappy, and this that and the other and would I please rewrite the pattern for them so the block turns out at THIS size not THAT size, and can I tell them exactly how much yardage they need, because they don't want ANY left overs. These make me smile! But No....I don't offer this service, sorry :c)

Then ones like this come in just this morning, and I am rolling on the floor laughing! I need to get to the gym, I've got an appt with my trainer in 1/2 hour, but I have to have to have to share this...

She writes:

I started a disaster of a quilt when my daughter graduated from high school in 2005. Thought I knew what I was doing. Have t-shirt logos (swimming from High school) sewn on yellow and black squares that are way too big. Outlined logos with seam binding - oh my goodness. Bought ribbon to cover up the crooked seams (haven't done that yet) and yellow jacket buttons to attach wherever. I need help. Do you do disaster recovery work? I need to get this done, but it has been sitting under my sewing machine for 4 years. Please let me hear from you. Thanks so much.

OH! MY! GOODNESS! Is this a project any of you would like to take on? Oh, come on, you know you want to! :c)

I nicely emailed her back, and told her no, that I wasn't quilting for others any more because of my travel schedule. It is so NICE to have a legitimate reason to turn someone down...

I'll be smiling to myself all day over this one!