Cheri Chatter

It's A Mystery

2011-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

I just got home from my first mystery class at Glad Creations . . . what a blast! It was like a mini retreat except that you get to go home and sleep in your own bed. People even cook for you (at local restaurants).

I would love to show you some of my finished blocks, but they need to remain a mystery for everyone else who will be attending the class or doing the mystery by mail.

What I can show you are the bright, happy fabrics I used. The background fabric is called "Giggle Feathers". (Eat your heart out, Georgia.) They all came from my stash, so that makes me even happier.

I had so much fun sewing and visiting with old and new friends that I think I'm going to have to make Glad mystery classes a habit!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

2011-10-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm finally making progress on my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler quilt. And only because Nathan pushed me to continue when I stalled out. He did it by making some blocks for me, printing a sheaf of paper foundations, and putting together a bunch of kits with the pieces already cut and ready to sew.

I got help from other quarters, too. Nancy pieced several blocks for me in exchange for appliqued blocks from me. And then at quilt club, folks helped me out by tearing out paper foundations.

Whew! What would I do without great friends like that? I'll tell you what. Go without a Sylvia's quilt for the New Year's show at Glad Creations, that's what!

Seeing Stars

2011-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have a passion for Lone Star quilts . . . . I just love making them! I've been making one after another this year, which might explain why I haven't posted anything for a very long time.

I am so thrilled to have won a blue ribbon for this Lone Star. I created it as a tribute to the first residents of Minnesota.
This quilt features a morning star sacred to the Lakota and floral motifs used in Ojibway beadwork.

Judy Remiger's machine quilting pushed this quilt into first place at the Minnesota Quilters show in June.

A closer look of Judy's quilting reveals many Native American motifs, and enhancement of the appliques and printed beadwork.

My passion has in turn led to teaching others my little tricks for making Lone Stars. I am a perfectionist, but a lazy one, and that has allowed me to find streamlined techniques for creating a Lone Star that lays flat and has all it's points matching.

Here's my latest Lone Star. This time I used batiks and added a bit of piping between the star and the first border.

As you can see, it's a work in progress. I just finished marking the top for quilting and have pin-basted it. I'm excited to see how this one turns out.

This fall I will once again be teaching my favorite techniques at Glad Creations. It's so much fun to see all the amazing looks we achieve with different fabrics. I can't wait to see the new crop! My next Lone Star class starts in a couple of weeks, so come join me at Glad Creations!

Bosca's Got a Brand New Bag

2010-03-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Isn't it cute? I whipped up this little bag for Bosca so that she can carry her plastic "clean-up" bags. It's about time she earns her keep!

This comes from a Lazy Girl pattern called "Maggie" that I got at Glad Creations. This is the larger of the two sizes offered and may be a bit big for Bosca. I'm going to make a smaller one just like it that will still hold four newspaper-sized bags.

The tiger print is perfect for Bosca's coloring (and sometimes her temperment). Since she loves cats, I lined it with a matching cheetah print.

Now I want to make her a backpack. Hey, Lazy Girl, got a pattern for one of those?

I'm Scared

2010-02-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law sent me this photograph of coffee beans. Supposedly, if your right brain is developed enough, you can see a man in the beans. For real.

If you see the man in less than three seconds, your right brain is more developed than most people. If it takes you up to a minute, your brain is normal. Between a minute and three minutes? That means your right brain is operating slowly, and you need to eat more protien. If it takes longer than three minutes, you need to start challenging your brain with more of these brain puzzles. All according to real doctors.

I've been staring at these beans for hours, and I still don't see the man. I've squinted, covered one eye, stepped back for distance, examined up close, looked away for a while and spun back quickly to catch the man in the beans. I've tried emptying my mind of all expectations of what he should look like. I've considered that my sister-in-law is putting me on, but she wouldn't do that.

Once in a while I think I see a mustache, but then it disappears.

What does this have to do with quilting? EVERYTHING! Creativity flows from the right brain. I strive for creativity in my quiltmaking. What does my creative future hold if I can't see that little jerk in the beans?

(Does anyone else see him? Everyone?)

I've Joined a Another Gang

2010-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

We have a new club at Glad Creations. Actually, it's been meeting for some months now. We're making six-inch blocks from the book, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, which is depicted in a novel, The Master Quilter. Both books and many others (all quilt-related) are authored by Jennifer Chiaverini. "Sylvia" groups meet all over the country and all over the world. Some groups even meet on-line.

As a rule, I'm not a joiner. For weeks I proudly and publicly resisted the snowballing Sylvia frenzy at Glad's. Then one day I walked past a fabric collection piling up in my sewing room and realized it would be perfect for a Sylvia quilt. I caved. My capitulation was so sudden and complete, it surprised the Glad's crew and humbled me. I didn't rest until I got Nathan to cave, too.

My collection of black and white with red is so pretty that for several more weeks it sat in a basket just looking tantalizing. It sat there so long that the parade of Sylvia blocks at the shop left me in the dust.

It sat there so long, in fact, that I bought companion fabrics to make little quilts with the Sylvia leftovers that have yet to make their appearance.

But I'm on the band wagon now. I've completed my first five blocks and am finding that it is a lot like eating popcorn, just like everyone is saying. I can't wait to make the next five!

There are 140 blocks in Sylvia's quilt, but I plan to make just 48 of my favorites and set them into a Glad Creations pattern called Lone Star in Ohio.

Meanwhile, if you have been following Nathan's blog, you know that he as passed me by miles and miles as has almost everyone else. I'm trying not to let that panic me. I've got two more years to get 'er done!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful to the generous people in my life who have donated fabric and other quilting supplies to the sewing circle at Little Earth. (I wrote about the sewing circle last month.) We were thrilled to receive these gifts.

My friend, Nathan, donated yards and yards of beautiful fabric. His gift will be used to create many star quilts that will in turn become gifts to others. Give-away quilts are an important tradition in the Native American community. We're saving these special fabrics for our first star quilt class. (Thank you, Nathan.)

Roy, who lost his wife two years ago, was finally able to part with Betty's stash this summer, a portion of which also went to Little Earth. One little girl is using pieces of Betty's fabric in her first "blanket". We had run out of pretty pastels with little flowers. (I wish you could have seen the joy on her face, Roy.)

When Roy mentioned that Betty liked to buy fabric on their travels but hadn't made all the quilts she wanted, I decided it was time to give back. So with a small collection of batiks that I pulled from her stash, I made a small rail fence quilt. I added fabric from my stash for the borders and binding. I hope this quilt always reminds Roy of his beloved Betty and of his own kindness.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

The Other Lake Gang

2009-11-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

A year ago I wrote about joining a cult . . . of quilters, that is. The cult is becoming my Other Lake Gang. These gals are neighbors and friends of my buddy, Lynne. Most of them live on the shores of Lake Lida outside of Pelican Rapids. I'm getting attached to them.

Last year we got together to learn about color and value in fabric selection. This year the topic was needle turn applique, the kind you do by hand with needle and thread. It's a bit painstaking at first, but with some practice, it gradually gets easier. (So she says.)

We started out by appliqueing hearts to a muslin background. The heart shape gives you the opportunity to stitch an inner point and an outer point. Both are tricky and take extra practice.

After a couple of hours stitching a heart to another piece of fabric, we had lunch.

And then we went to our respective homes (some with headaches, I suspect).

Rome wasn't built in a day, right? Hang in there, girls. Next year we're going to take up hand quilting!

Soon To Be Famous

2009-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

My sisters aren't the only celebs in the family. The Lake Gang - the group I walk with around Lake Harriet every morning - is going cable!!

I've written about the gang before. (See my entry of December 19, 2008.) We're an accidental bunch of semi-retirees*, but we sure have a good time getting a little exercise together every day.

(*Jim, previously an aeronautics engineer now working funerals; Pat, former teacher turned nanny; me, a has-been government bureaucrat now pushing fabric and quilting notions; and Bob, an ex-cop who now is a Twin Cities tour guide and museum ticket-taker.)

We're not the only regulars at the lake. Another is Jon Balch who (among other things) creates and produces a television show for local cable access (Channel 6) called, Local Flavor. The show features restaurants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area that offer great American (comfort) food. No chains allowed.

This is where the Lake Gang comes in. Jon recruited us to star in his latest feature for Curran's Family Restaurant. The video shows us dragging Jon off to our favorite restaurant and then sticking him with the bill. We had more fun filming this video than anyone should be allowed to have. And to top it all off, we got a free meal.

Here is the film crew (okay, the cameraman and the producer/ director) with Bob and his Smart Car.

We love this car. You can pick it up and carry it home if it ever runs out of gas. It doubles as a skate board and a toaster oven. The car is an attention-getter. We could have sold a half dozen of them in the time it took to film one scene.

Filming is hard work, let me tell you. All that standing around waiting for your next line and then take after take until you finally get it right. Then more standing around waiting for someone else to get their line right. Whew. A lot of it ended up on the cutting room floor. I know just how Angelina feels.

Don't have access to cable? Don't worry. We're also on YouTube.com (key words: jon balch, curran's). Once there, you ought to see some of his other videos. My favorites are: 50 the movie and Curried Chicken LoMein.

Hey, do you think we'll get discovered?

My SisterS Rock!

2009-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

A year ago (10/6/08) I wrote about my sister, Linda, the rocker. Now my youngest sister, Nancy, has joined the ranks of Foggy Notion.

I'm so proud of them. Being sisters, their voices blend beautifully. Check out their web site (foggynotionrocks.com), pull up their play list and listen to them rock out.

Yes, I can sing, too, but I won't be joining them any time soon. They practice long hours every single week, and I'm not about to sacrifice my quilting time! I'd rather sit back and enjoy their music while I sew little pieces of fabric together.

Foggy Notion's next gig is this coming Saturday at Detour 19 in Loretto, Minnesota. You can find directions on their web site: detour19.com. I'm getting there early to find a good seat and to eat a fabulous grilled burger with the best fries you've ever had.

Hope to see you there, too!

Serenity Slide Show

2009-10-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

After piecing a complicated quilt top, I'm ready for something that goes together quickly. I just completed a lap quilt that fits the bill.

It's the second quilt I've made using Japanese-style taupe fabrics from the Serenity line by Cara Collections. I love these fabrics. Thay are soft and elegant in tones of teal, rose, charcoal and cocoa. A great match for the simplicity of the pattern - Slide Show by Terry Atkinson.

Terry's patterns are becoming my "go to" choice for when I need something fun and fast. Her instructions are well written, fat quarter friendly and forgiving. No cut off points! The final results look more time-intensive than they actually are, so the non-quilters in your life won't know the difference.

Serenity Slide Show is now hanging at Glad Creations as a shop sample. It looks even better in person, so go check it out.

I'm now ready for a new and challenging project. Let's see. How about a miniature quilt with 3/4" finished squares?

Life is Good

2009-10-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

Four years ago I retired from a 35-year career in local government, It was hard work that was always challenging and often rewarding. Three months later, I landed my dream job - working at Glad Creations Quilt Block.

At Glad's I'm continually surrounded by color and inspiration while getting paid to fondle fabric. In four years of "quilt college" I've learned enough for a bachelor's degree in quiltmaking. As an added bonus, I've gained muscle (aka buns of steel) from schlepping bolts of cotton up and down stairs.

How does it get better than this? I'll tell you. This past spring I started volunteering with a sewing group at Little Earth of United Tribes. Little Earth is a Native American housing development in south Minneapolis that offers a number of on-site services to its community. One of those is the Domestic Abuse Project whose leader, Cindy, started the sewing circle.

We have girls and women of all ages working on various sewing projects from curtains and quilts to beadwork and dance regalia. I couldn't ask for a more interesting and fun group of fellow stitchers.

One of my all-time favorite quilt designs is the Lone Star. Since it is also a favorite (and sacred) design for Native people, we spend a good amount of time perfecting our skill in making Star quilts. As you may know, it isn't the most forgiving pattern what with all the bias edges and inset seams. But practice makes perfect.

Here's the Star quilt Cindy made for her son, Jedidiah, a returning Iraq ogichida (warrior). One of the fabrics includes a Marine Corps insignia. Cindy incorporated small flags and lettering between the star points. Isn't it beautiful?

I've found my element. For three hours each week we share food and laugh hard, learn from and encourage each other, and sew up a storm.

It truly doesn't get any better than that!

Taking Stock

2009-10-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

A year ago I decided to get a grip on my burgeoning quilt projects. I organized, categorized, and counted them. I made lists. (I love making lists. Once, I even made a list of lists I'd like to make.)

Most importantly, I listed the quilts I wanted to complete for the year starting 9/1/08. (It kind of coincides with the school year and assumes I'll be in summer school, too.) My To Do list was ambitious: 24 quilts in 12 months. It included a few new, yet-to-be-identified projects I knew would creep into my sewing room. Two quilts a month is not realistic, but I figure if I shoot for the moon, I might hit Omaha.

Instead, I think I hit Dallas. From September '08 to September '09 I completed 13 quilts and made serious progress on half a dozen more. On the flip side, I replaced them with new projects now clamoring for my attention. (I hear them hollering at me from behind the closed - and latched - closet door.)

After taking stock of my accomplishments, I made a new list of the quilts I want to finish by next September. So far there are twenty. Once again, I'm aiming for the moon. This time I hope to hit Mexico City!

Merrittime Kaleidoscope

2009-09-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

One of the quilts I completed this past summer is a red, cream, and blue kaleidoscope made of nautical themed fabrics. Most of them were purchased as fat quarters at a little shop in Tillamook, Oregon.

Tillamook is a hop, skip, and a jump from the Pacific coast, so the fabrics were appropo. I filled out the collection with more fat quarters and a background fabric from Glad's. They were perfect complements.

I was so happy when that Tillamook collection worked its way to the top of my "to do" list. I made all 144 blocks at my small quilt group's "Spring Fling" retreat in May. I thought I might have to be put into traction for the next week, but the kinks in my shoulders finally worked their way out. The finished quilt has a great secondary design that could almost make one seasick if one was so prone.

Early in August I brought the finished quilt to my brother and sister-in-law in Missoula, Montana. I think they really liked it. The label is an orphan block provided by one of my favorite Glad's customers. (Thanks, Phyllis!) Jeff and Cathy named the quilt after their boat, the Merrittime.

What is Merrittime, you ask? It's always 5:00 p.m., of course!

Car Appendix

2009-09-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the car part that we lost from Nathan's car on our way to Montana last month. It belonged inside the wheel well above one of the tires. You can imagine what an awful sound it made as it dragged along the highway beneath us.

Nathan and I have been through worse disasters, so we stayed calm, pulled over and removed the offending car part. Not being litterbugs, we hauled it to the next rest stop and disposed of it in the garbage can. We weren't sure what purpose the lining of a wheel well serves and in the end decided that it is a lot like an appendix.

Appendixes (or is it appendices?) are nice, or at least interesting, to look at but are functionally useless. I know. I've seen my own appendix looking cute as it sat there doing nothing. (Ever had a colonoscopy?)

I'm Baaack!!

2009-09-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

After a lengthy hiatus from blogging, my friends have convinced me (okay, they nagged me mercilessly) to take keyboard in hand and pick up where I left off . . . hand quilting Tria's quilt.

I finished the quilt in what must be record time - 22 days. Two days later her quilt was bound, labeled, and on its way to Vancouver, Washington, to be displayed with its companion quilts at the Clark County Quilter's annual show. I know Tria would have been very proud of her beautiful quilt as well as those of her dear friends in her small quilt group.

Much has happened since then. The Spring Fling quilt retreat in May. I've started doing volunteer work (more about that later). Cabin season has come and almost gone. The Minnesota Quilters show in Duluth. Moved Mom to senior housing. And after two years, Bosca is getting less neurotic. What a relief.

A highlight this summer was a trip to Montana with Nathan. We lost a car part on the way. But that didn't stop us from hitting 17 quilt shops and squeezing in lots of sailing. Plus we just happened to see Air Force One land in Belgrade, MT. Very exciting.

I've started several new quilts over the last few months. Some have even been completed. Wait til you see them!

The Pressure is On

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a deadline to get me off the dime. I had no sooner started working on Tria's quilt [see "Celebrating (A) Life" ] when I got a call from Pat, another of Tria's quilting buddies.

Tria belonged to a small quilt group, The Loose Threads. At Tria's request they each agreed to make their own version of the quilt I am finishing for Tria. They planned to tweak the pattern to reflect their ethnic heritage and display the results at the Clark County Quilters guild show in April of 2005 or 2006.

For one reason or another the deadline slipped to 2007 then 2008. I was hoping it would get extended to 2010, and then came Pat's call. It seems that everyone but Pat and I have finished our quilts. Now she and I are both scrambling to get them done in time.

I've always operated best at crunch time, but this is really pushing it. I need to send in a picture and writeup by March 12th. Then the quilt needs to get delivered to the show location on April 1st. (The show is in Vancouver, Washington. I'm in Minneapolis.) That means I need to UPS it to a Loose Thread at least a week before, let's say March 25th.

Can I do it? Will it happen? Stay tuned!

Red Hot Mamas

2009-02-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

I'm making progress on my little Lone Star quilt. I've added borders and am now auditioning fabric from my stash for the binding and backing.

The borders were a challenge in that I didn't have enough of either the blue stars or the red chile peppers to avoid piecing the borders. I had enough of the blue inner border, however, to accomodate the width of the quilt center plus one border width.

I decided to add corner pieces fussy cut from the focus fabric and extend the inner border out to the edge by adding another small blue border to one side of each cowgirl corner.

(I know, you're probably scratching your head at this point, so click on either picture for a closeup.)

I assembled the borders for each side and then added them to the quilt center in clockwise fashion. Lucky me, it all worked out. The seams match and everything is lying flat!

Celebrating (A) Life

2009-02-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

In 2005 I lost my one and only quilting buddy to cancer shortly after she asked me to handquilt her best quilt ever. For a long time the sight of her last quilt overwhelmed me with grief.

Ironically, losing Tria propelled me to new adventures in quilting. I discovered that quilting helped me process my grief. Finding a position at Glad Creations surrounded me with many passionate quilters who are now my friends.

I can finally work on Tria's quilt with true joy. Here's my friend, Amy, helping me with the hard work of thread-basting while other quilting buddies stopped by to admire Tria's quilt. Isn't it beautiful?

I'm a lucky gal. My life is full. It's true that time is a healer. So much more so are friends and quilting. Working on Tria's quilt now feels like a celebration.

I can't wait to start stitching!

More Cowgirls

2009-02-26T04:44:00.000-08:00

I seem to be on a cowgirl roll.

We got new pin-up cowgirls at Glad Creations, and I just had to make a new pillowcase. The cowgirls look great with a lasso fabric Glad's also has on hand.

For the accent strip I added a zippy bit of red. It brings out the red in the cowgirl's outfits.

I am keeping this pillowcase. I may even need to add a matching Lone Star quilt to my list!

Two Birds. One Stone.

2009-02-25T04:21:00.000-08:00

I have had a yard of fabric just begging to be the background for a Lone Star quilt. It features pin-up cowgirls, ala 1940's. This little quilt finally worked it's way to the top of my list this week.

I found great prints in my stash for the star points, but next to the cowgirls, the effect was way too busy. So I dove deep in my closet and found a partially completed Lone Star destined to never be finished. The star points were all done, and when I laid them out on my focus fabric . . . wow!

Not only do the colors work, the star points are just the right size. Stored with the star points are fabrics that will work great for borders and maybe even backing.

I lucked out! I'm making good progress on my to do list by killing two birds with one stone.

It Pays to Whine

2009-02-24T04:49:00.000-08:00

I'm good at whining. In fact I'm such an expert that I give lessons: Whine Your Way to Success in Four Easy Steps.

So when I fell in love with the Kaffe Fassett fabrics that Nathan picked out for a new quilt, I felt a whine coming on. At each stage in the construction I whined more. I frequently referred to the emerging quilt as mine. I became a pest.

On Valentine's Day Nathan stopped by to sew with me. Before we got started though, he placed in my hands a package that contained . . . you guessed it - my new quilt! I'm still reeling from his generosity.

Doesn't it look terrific on my bed? The name fits perfectly, too. It's called Forever Friends and is one of the latest mystery quilts from Glad Creations.

Now it's Nathan's turn to whine. (Hey, Nathan, need any lessons?)

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates . . .

2009-02-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

and so is my sister's new quilt. It reminds me of chocolate covered cherries, so that's what we decided to name it.

I took a picture of the new quilt. My sister is lounging on it with the lower half of her body closest to the camera. I rediscovered that objects in the foreground appear larger than they actually are, so that particular view will not appear here.

We'll have to settle for a picture of the label. Or you can find a picture on the cover of the August 2008 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.

I have pictures of the quilt in progress in previous postings. (See "My Sister Rocks", "When Life Hands You Limes", and "I've Joined a Cult".) Enjoy your new quilt, Linda and Clay!

Hubba Hubba

2009-02-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

After finishing those fun pillowcases with guys and babes, I got a little jealous. I wanted my own hunky guys.

I'm partial to tool belts. Where two or three tool belts are gathered together, I come a little unglued. Construction sites are a road hazard for me. I have the urge to pull over and hurl a few cat calls in their direction.

So imagine how thrilled I was to receive this tote bag from my friend, Nathan. Now I have a whole construction crew to carry my things around for me.

You, too, can have a tote bag like mine. The fabric is available at Glad Creations, and Nathan shows you how he made my tote on his blog site. His step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and well-illustrated.

Thanks, Nathan!

Going To Pieces

2009-02-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Scrap Basket, a pattern from Glad Creations, is a quilt I've been chomping at the bit to make for some time. I collected fabrics over the last two years - mostly Japanese taupes in shades of plum, pink, and brown. They are gorgeous fabrics and lovely to work with.

This quilt has been inching its way to the top of my massive list.

I probably wouldn't have started it for another year without a push from my friend, Nathan. He wants us to have companion Scrap Baskets in the June '09 Minnesota Quilters Show in Duluth.

Nathan is using 30's repros in his Tisket Tasket Scrap Basket. His top is done, and I've been struggling to catch up. At this point my Scrap Basket is in pieces, but they're all there.

It feels great to have finally gone to pieces!

Getting Organized - Part Two

2009-01-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Now that my storage closet has been reorganized, I decided that it was time to redo my Top 40 List.

I took all the lists I made of projects, UFOs, and fabric collections and discovered that I have 62. Yup, that's five dozen plus a couple more!

If I do one a month, it will take me five years to get through all of them. I would have to quit buying fabric altogether, and that's just not acceptable. So now what?

I've decided that I need to do an average of two quilt projects per month. I made a new list - actually, two lists. One is for projects I plan to complete by the end of the year. The other is for projects waiting in the wings.

I know that second list is going to grow, but hopefully, if I stay on track with the first list, I may be down to 50 or fewer by the end of the year!

Getting Organized for the New Year

2009-01-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky to have an entire room in my house devoted to quilting. My quilting space even includes a walk-in closet for storing lots of stuff.

(No, that's not a picture of my closet.)

Unfortunately, the stuff took over to the point where my closet was a "fall-in" closet. I could not walk into it without moving boxes and bags out of the way.

The other day I had to move so much out of the way in order to find a particular fabric, that I decided to reorganize.

I culled out two boxes of fabric to donate. I repacked the rest more neatly and compactly. I made lists of contents. And I drew up a map of exactly where every project and fabric collection is.

The closet is still almost as full. You would not be able to tell much difference between the before and after. But now I can go straight to whatever I need, thanks to my map. As you can see, I left myself a space for walking in!

Diet Update

2009-01-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

If you remember, I put myself on a fabric diet several months ago. I thought I was doing well, but according to my shelf space, my fabric is gaining weight.

I blame it on the half-price fabric at Glad Creations. The shelves there keep getting replenished with fabric I love. I've been able to resist a good deal of it, but some just had to come home with me.

My most recent acquisition is God's Will fabric. It's fabric I love but don't need.

I left this one alone until after the New Year's sale at Glad's. I figured if it survived the sale, it must be God's will for me to have it. It came home with me the next business day.

God's Will fabric is a modification of the second of my two diet rules - the one about I can buy half-price fabric if it's one I've had my eye on when it was full-priced. Now I realize I've had my eye on at least half the bolts in the store.

From now on when a favorite goes into the half-price area, I may need to let it "age" a bit.

Back in the Saddle

2009-01-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas was extra hectic this year. My sewing/quilting projects slid by the wayside, so now I am playing catch up. It's great to be back in the saddle!

I just completed two sets of coordinating pillowcases.

The first set is for a couple of campers. They have an annual family camping trip each summer, so now they have pillowcases to take along with them.

The second pair is for a couple of Montana sailors. (Yes, Montana has lakes - big ones.)

Even though the pillowcases have nothing to do with sailing, they do depict fun topics, cowboys and their Harley.

Now I have to make a pillowcase for myself. Hmmm. Maybe guys in toolbelts?

Merry Christmas To Georgia

2008-12-31T07:50:00.001-08:00

Early this month our friend, Georgia, was broadsided by another vehicle and will be laid up for a while. When I say "laid up", I mean "flat-on-your-back, leg-in-the-air, can't-do-much-but-watch-t.v." laid up.

Georgia was working on an Old Maid's Puzzle quilt for our Comfortable Companions quilt show (January 1 - 10) at Glad Creations. Needless to say, she will not be completing hers!

So here's the one I made for the show. It's going to Georgia when the show is over.

If you know Georgia, you know what a great sense of humor she has, so the quilt had to reflect that.

Here we are: two old maids - Georgia with her companion bird, Merry, and me with my "Bosca" shirt.

You'll just have to guess what we are puzzled about. (Hint: No quilt is perfect. There's always a fly in the ointment.)

Georgia needs a way to have all the essentials close by, so her friends at Glad Creations got together and stuffed the pockets of this apron I made at the last UFO class. It's in Georgia's favorite color: RED!!

The pockets contained Christmas ornaments, fabric, chocolate, lotion, lip balm, a "bodice ripper" romance novel, and a fabulous pillow case to cradle her head. (You can see this risque object at Nate's Notions. See "Links" above.)

Merry Christmas, Georgia!!

Merry Christmas To Me

2008-12-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

I belong to a small group of fellow quilters who meet twice a month for camaraderie and inspiration. We also exchange "secret sister" names every year and remember each other on our birthday and at Christmas, when our secret sister is revealed.

My secret sister turned out to be Amy with whom I also work at Glad Creations. Look what she gave me for Christmas!

The pattern is Victorian Table Runner by Southwind Designs. (The pattern is available at Glad's.) Amy chose some of my very favorite fabrics - William Morris prints from a Moda line called A Morris Garden. A few of these fabrics are still available at Glad's along with a new line of William Morris prints.

I've made and given away a lot of quilts, and this is the first quilt I've received. Now I know what it feels like . . . FABULOUS!! I think I appreciate this gift especially because I am a quilter and value the work that Amy does. Thanks, Amy!

The Lake Gang

2008-12-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Besides my dog, Bosca, they are what get me out of bed in the morning - the Lake Gang, that is. If it weren't for them, I'd be snoozing until 8:00. Instead, I'm just finishing up a three to four mile walk around Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis.

Meet Jim, Pat, and Bob. Oh yeah, that's Bosca and me, too. There are many other lake regulars, but these are the ones that stood still long enough for a picture.

I look forward to the comraderie, the teasing and bad jokes, great tips on everything from soup to nuts, and of course, great views of nature smack in the middle of the city. After our walk, I'm primed for a big mug of espresso and a quilting project.

I can't think of a better way to start the day!

I've Joined a Cult

2008-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

I never thought it would happen to me, but I joined a cult . . . willingly. It's the Dawn Drive Quilting Cult and what a great bunch of quilters they are. Meet Connie, Linda, Mary, Dee, Lynne, and Sue.

I spent the day with the cult sharing what I've learned about color and fabric selection. We created color wheels, had a show and tell, a trunk show, and door prizes. We're getting together in the spring for an applique class. Can't wait!

In the meantime, I'm making good progress on my sister's pink and brown quilt. Lynne and I spent an afternoon arranging and rearranging blocks to make sure no two of a kind were next to each other. You know how that is: move one and it's like the domino effect in action.

I sure hope she likes the final result. If she doesn't, I'm keeping this one, too!

When Life Hands You Limes

2008-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

I had a cutting accident the other day while cutting out the rest of my sister's pink and brown quilt. The good news is that my fingers are intact (not always so in my case), but my background fabric is now in strips one inch too narrow.

My motto is: When life hands you limes, make margueritas.

I would have taken my own advice literally the other day, but it was before noon. So I went to Plan B: buy more fabric. I called Nathan and off we went to Glad Creations for a new background fabric.

It pays not to panic. Plan B often turns out way better than Plan A. I found a fabric I like much better than the original. I think my sister, Linda, will like it better too.

Nathan and I celebrated with a trip to Matt's Bar for Jucy Lucy's and fries. (Yup, we had beers, too.)

I highly recommend this local establishment if you don't already know about it. Great food and only four blocks from Glad's. (The secret is not to go too often. That way it is always a treat, plus you'll be able to get through doors easier.)

It just keeps getting better. I've decided to make flying geese with the discarded strips, pairing them with the Jo Morton fabrics I've been collecting.

I'm going to end up with two beautiful quilts. And when I do, I think margueritas will definitely be in order!

It's A Keeper

2008-10-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've been working like crazy on another quilt for our New Year's show at Glad Creations. It's a One-Block Wonders quilt from a book of the same name by Maxine Rosenthal. Maxine is a Minnesota quilter, so that makes her piecing technique all the more special to me.

Her second book, One-Block Wonders encore!, was co-authored with Joy Pelzmann. It shows how to make the hollow cubes that you see scattered throughout the quilt top. They were time-intensive to make (at first), but so much fun. I think they add a lot.

I love how this quilt top turned out! The main fabric I used was designed by McKenna Ryan for her fusible applique patterns. It has an abstract design meant to be used as rainbow trout for her pattern series, Calling Me Home.

In addition to the main fabric, I used batiks and animals prints. Hot pink and leopard just belong together, don't you think?

Arranging all the blocks, however, was not as much fun. It took a lot of help from my friends, Amy and Nathan, to get it just right. In fact that's what I'm calling the quilt: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.

Because I had a few blocks left over that I didn't want to part with, they went into the quilt back along with a piece of the original fabric. I added other scraps for borders, and a final border of snake skin fabric, until I ended up with another quilt top. I think I now have a reversible quilt.

Now it's off to the long-armer for quilting. I already can't wait to get it back. And I've warned my family: I'm keepin' this one!

Mmm Mmm Goood!

2008-10-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

I just shared my favorite ginger cookies with some quilting friends. They were hard at work sewing a mystery quilt in a class at Glad Creations. I told them I'd share the recipe, so here it is for the whole world:

Yum Yum Gingers

3/4 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 tsp molasses
2 C flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tsp ginger

Cream shortening and sugar; add egg and molasses. Mix soda and spices with sifted flour and combine with first mixture. Roll into small balls; roll balls in sugar. Bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes. (When the cookies have flattened out and cracked on top, they're done. Trust me.)

I'd show you a picture of the finished product, but they're all gone!

I Went Shopping - Again!!

2008-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yup, I put a crowbar in the old wallet and went shopping again. I heard about a church rummage sale in Long Lake, Minnesota, that was rumored to have a lot of old quilting books. I figured that a rummage sale wouldn't ruin my fabric diet.

The books were indeed old. Some were golden oldies. Books by Trudie Hughes, Marsha McCloskey, and Jinny Beyer. Quilting stencils by Georgia Bonesteel.

In all I scored nine books, five patterns, two sets of quilting stencils, a set of applique stencils, and two sets of quilting patterns. Check them out.

The best part? I got the whole works for two bucks. They even threw in a quilting hoop!!

My Sister Rocks!

2008-10-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my sister. At a time when most people are getting ready to retire (or stay home and make quilts like me) my sister joined a rock band!

Foggy Notion debuted the end of September at the American Legion in Chanhassen, Minnesota. They were fabulous and are looking forward to their next gig.

Linda deserves a quilt, don't you think? Lucky for her, the new project I've started is for her. It's a queen-sized pink and brown quilt that uses mostly civil war reproduction fabrics.

I just completed my first piecing session: more than 80 nine-patches units. Here's some samples.

I hope Linda likes the final design. At this point, I'm keeping that part a big fat secret!

Autumn Aspens

2008-09-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I just put the finishing touches on a wall hanging that I've been working on (mostly off and on) for some time. It comes from a book by Joan Segna called, Follow the Dots to Dazzling Quilts. Her quilt is done in black and white fabrics and called Winter Aspens. I decided to do it in fall colors. Most of the fabrics were designed by Jane Sassaman and were perfect for this project.

I had fun with the pieced back and the label. The label is kind of a miniature of the front of the quilt. I had fun doing it, but mostly, I'm glad it's done. Cross another one off the list! Autumn Aspens is going to my sister, Nancy, who laid claim to it just as I had finished the top. I'll be borrowing it from her to put in the New Year's show at Glad Creations. Come and see it in person this coming January 1st!

I Went Shopping!!

2008-09-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I'm on a fabric diet and a pretty strict one. But I want to start a new project, and since I can't purchase new fabric, I went shopping in my stash! What fun that was. I put together a fat quarter bundle like those we sell at Glad Creations. Every time someone buys one of those bundles, I get kind of jealous. Now I realize that I can create one anytime I want.

Isn't it pretty? Better yet, the fabric is mostly prewashed!

Progress is Sweet

2008-09-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to the cabin, and along with enjoying the north woods of Wisconsin, I completed two more sets of kaleidoscope blocks for my quilt group's block exchange. (Think cookie exchange.) I've now completed eighteen sets of blocks, which means I'M DONE! Well, kind of.

Now I need to take stock of what I have, determine what size quilt I can make out of the 166 blocks I've made and received so far, and decide on a setting. I may have to sew a few more blocks.

Here's a look at the eighteen blocks I made. (Yup, they're all from my stash. No new fabric was purchased.) Do you see the secondary design coming through? Hint: lean back and squint your eyes. Cool, huh?

Top 40

2008-09-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in a quandry. I'm itching to start a new quilting project but have been kept busy by four other works in progress. I just finished hand-quilting a lone star. I'm making kaleidoscope blocks for a block exchange. And I'm trying to finish blocks for a One-Block Wonder. The block exchange is nearly complete. I want to push everything aside and start something brand new.

Some people like to work on one project at a time. Not me. I like to have several going at once so that I can work as my mood dictates. Sometimes I just want to sit at my machine and sew. Other times I want a needle and thread in my hand while I stitch on a quilt that is keeping my lap warm.

My favorite part of the process (besides buying new fabric) is starting a new quilt. Left to my own devices, I would have 40 quilts in various stages of incompletion. That's why I keep a Top 40 list. I limit myself to four to six actual works in progress and keep track of the other 30+ projects on paper.

My Top 40 is categorized, prioritized, ghant-charted, annotated, and tantalizing. It's a mess. But I can still read it, and it keeps me focused. Right now it's telling me to stick with the One-Block Wonder, but to go ahead and start a new handwork project. Yippee!!

Hmmmm. Which one will it be???

State Fair Diet

2008-09-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so bummed. The Minnesota State Fair is over for another year, and I only got there once. My sister and I arrived early on the first day and did it up good. We stayed late, ate our way from one end of the fairgrounds to the other, and picked out some good boyfriends for each other along the way.

I think I gained five pounds. Over a period of thirteen hours I ate: half a foot long, half a carmel pecan roll, half a dozen chocolate chips cookies, several glasses of milk, an ear of corn, a box of popcorn, two beers, a gyro sandwich, lemonade, a pork chop and a vanilla malt.

It's what I didn't eat that haunts me. No pronto pup. No french fries. No cream puff or Tom Thumb donuts. What was I thinking? Now I have to wait a whole year. In the meantime, it's back to Weight Watchers.

(Oh yeah. The quilts on a stick in the Creative Activities Building were fantastic. Did you see them?)

Fabric Diet

2008-09-01T07:44:00.001-07:00

Painfully, I met with my financial advisor last week. He told me to quit buying fabric, so I'm back on my diet. I don't quit eating when I'm on Weight Watchers, so I'm not going to quit buying fabric. I'm just restricting my purchases.

Here are my dieting rules:

1. I can buy full-priced fabric to finish a current, in-progress project and only if I have thoroughly searched my stash.

2. I can buy half-priced fabric, a remnant*, or what is left of an air bolt** if it is one I've had my eye on for a future project.

That's it. Just two rules. Should be easy to remember when I am tempted to buy from a new fabric collection.

Temptation is all around me. Have I mentiond that I work at Glad Creations in Minneapolis? Check them out at gladcreationsquilts.com!

* A small piece of discounted fabric.
** A bolt that is more air than fabric, usually less than 2 yards.

Getting Hooked

2008-07-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

I nearly hyperventilated the first time I picked up squares of fabric to sew together for a quilt. It was a church group project. The quilt showcased new decorator fabrics for an interior designer and earned us a donation for the church. That was the early 80's.

I made my first real quilt in 1986 by trial and error and consulting a book when stuck. Cardboard templates. Hand pieced and appliqued. Hand quilted and bound by turning the muslin backing around to the front. I was so proud of my 6-block wall hanging that I entered it in the Minnesota State Fair. Impossibly, it did not win a ribbon. But it came back with nice words from the judge written on a piece of paper and pinned to the corner.

I moved on to a pieced pansy wallhanging for my mom. She was thrilled and hung it above her bed. She bought matching sheets and thought it should be entered in the state fair. I knew it was not as perfect as my first quilt, so I started another wall hanging instead.

Work became all consuming in the 90's, so I put my sewing machine away. I rediscovered my passion for quilting during a 2000 trip to that quilting mecca: Sisters, Oregon. I felt like the guy who woke up after 20 years to find himself in a fabulous new world. Quilting tools, techniques, and fabrics had revolutionized. I came home with itchy fingers and a satchel full of fat quarters - the beginnings of my still growing stash.

Since then, I've picked up the pace - taking classes to learn techniques, graduating to bed size quilts, and creating an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the projects in the works or waiting in the wings.

Now, I can't imagine not quilting. They'll have to pry my poor arthritic fingers off my rotary cutter!