I'm Back......I Think :)

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.  

~Attributed to Carl Bard

It's hard to believe that it has been over 6 weeks since my last post.  It feels more like yesterday.  During that time we visited DD#1 and her family in Albuquerque.  DD#2 and SIL were able to join us so we had a mini family reunion.  We had a lot of fun celebrating birthdays and just being together.  Boy can the little guys (ages 3 and 6) wear you out if you aren't used to being around so much energy any more.  The heat of the summer just keeps hanging around with more 100+ degrees days for awhile.  I did get some sewing in as well as some cross stitch.  I was without my sewing machine for two weeks - in for it's yearly spa treatment while we were away.  How have you all been?  Have you been busy sewing?
Just on a side note.....so far I'm planning to post twice a week.  Not sure of the days and there might even be weeks where I only post once.  I don't want to reach burn-out like I did in June.  I want this to remain fun.  Hopefully you stay around, but if not, I fully understand if you have better things to do :)

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Llama

Llamas are really growing in popularity.  They have always intrigued me.  Rather odd looking creatures with a long neck and what I think is a head to small for its body.  Here are a few facts on the llama....

- Llamas are members of the camel family

- Camels first appeared on the Central Plains of North America about 40 million years ago. About 3 million years ago, llamas' ancestors migrated to South America.

- Llamas were first domesticated and used as pack animals 4,000 to 5,000 years ago by Indians in the Peruvian highlands.

- Llamas are hardy and well suited to harsh environments.  

- Llamas are smart and easy to train.

- Llamas weigh 280 to 450 pounds and can carry about a quarter of their body weight, so a 400-pound male llama can carry about 100 pounds on a trek of 10 to 12 miles with no problem 

- Llamas are vegetarians and have efficient digestive systems. 

- Llamas live to be about 20 years old.

- Llamas don't bite. They spit when they're agitated, but that's mostly at each other.

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A WONDERFUL DAY

Saturday we attended the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach.  What a delightful day!  And to finish it off, we were able to have dinner with DD#2 and her hubby.  I thought for my first time back in awhile, you would enjoy a some photos of the gorgeous quilts we viewed instead of spending time looking at the boring stuff I worked on.  I took so many pictures that I'm only going to share half of the quilts now and then I'll share the second half next week.

Totally Insane by Loretta Duffy of La Quinta, CA

This beautiful red and white quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted.  It is a recreation of a 1870 Salinda Rupp sampler quilt made up of 98 blocks.  Some of the pieces were amazingly small.  She stated that block #18 has 229 tiny pieces.

Buttercups and Butterflies by Gail T Brunnell of Laguna Niguel, CA

This quilt is pieced, appliqued and machine quilted.  Gail created this during an adult education class from a pattern called Aunt Millie's Garden from Piece of Cake.

Mrs. Lindberg's Neighborhood by Martha R. Lindberg of Mesquite, TX

This quilt is all hand appliqued.  Martha was inspired by a quilt she saw at the Dallas Quilt Show and many house quilts seen in Japanese magazines.  I thought this was fun for all of you that love creating those wonky houses.

Somehow I missed getting the information on this one.  I do remember being surprised that it wasn't Russian but rather made by someone from Japan.  It didn't photograph real well because of the high use of gold metallic thread.  Notice the two heads on the outside of the right border and the little balls on the bottom border.  This was such a fun quilt and so full of detail.

Cypress Sentinels by Mary Ann Hildebrand of Comfort, TX

This is the first quilt I remember seeing where on of the techniques was listed as 'scrunched fabric'.  It is also paper pieced, fused applique, and overlayed.  The scrunched fabric gave it such depth.

Windblown by Maria Elkins of Beavercreek, OH

This was one of my favorites.  The quilting was absolutely amazing!!!  This quilt was hand drawn, hand painted, embellished, and machine quilted.  

Square in Square I by Diane Loomis of Sudbury, MA

This quilt was machine pieced and free motion machine quilted.  Diane was inspired to make this quilt by the antique Concentric Squares Quilt in the collection of the Shelburne Museum and published in Art of the Needle.

Journeys In Fabric by Sue L Gallion, quilted by Madelyn Vale of Steamboat Springs, CO

This riot of color was hand and machine pieced and applique, machine quilted.  Sue was inspired to make this quilt by her love of fabric collected from travels.

Feeding Time by Joyce O'Connell of Courtice, Ontario, Canada

This quilt was machine appliqued, hand-dyed, inked, tread painted, and free-motion quilted.  It was inspired from the movie, The March of the Penguins.

Aren't each on of those quilts amazing!  We spent so much time looking at all the quilts that we had very little time to visit the vendor booths.  And wouldn't you know it, the one thing I wanted to purchase, they didn't have in stock.  I also found out they don't have it available online either :( 

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FINAL THOUGHT

This is for anybody that has had a puppy or enjoys our furry little friends.....

Hey!

Our wedding was many years ago.  The celebration continues to this day.  

~Gene Perret

Hello!  Hi!!  I'm back!!  I sure missed all of my blogging friends but I did enjoy my time off.  While I was away we were lucky enough to be able to spend 5 days in Santa Cruz at the family home.  The weather was beautiful, even the one day it rained.  We rested, ate too much, visited the Boardwalk, and just enjoyed life, each other, and our fur babies.  Luckily, we returned to moderate temps but that has since gone away.  We are definitely into summer with our highs breaching 100 degrees (of more), and to think, we only have 3 1/2 more months to go.  Yesterday we celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary!  We were quite young when we said our vows (at least by today's standards) but it has been a wonderful journey through life together.  There is nothing better than being married to your best friend and sole mate.  

I have to admit that I really enjoyed my time away from blogging.  So much so that I will be taking off some more time.  Writing the blog today was very much a chore and not something that I found fun.  I am looking at taking off until August 1.  Blogging is meant to be something fun for me and not a daily or weekly duty that I feel I must do - I must want to do it.  However, I will be checking on your blogs from time to time - I have to keep up on what's going on in my friends' lives.  Hopefully you will be around when I return, but if not then I fully understand.  Oh, and just in case you are concerned, I will be keeping up with the Doll Quilt Swap, Let's Bee Together, and Block Swap Adventure.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Elephants

Elephants have always amazed and intrigued me.  I love the way they lumber around and their babies are just too cute.  Here are some fun facts about this large creature...

1.  The elephant’s closest living relative is the rock hyrax, a small furry mammal that lives in rocky landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa and along the coast of the Arabian peninsula.  

2.  Elephants don’t like peanuts. They don’t eat them in the wild, and zoos don’t feed them to their captive elephants.

3.  Elephants prefer one tusk over the other, just as people are either left or right-handed

4.  An elephant’s trunk has about 150,000 muscles and no bones: these features make the trunk very flexible.

5.  Elephants can hold 4 gallons or more of water in their trunks at one time.

6.  Elephants drink about 50 gallons and consume 400 lbs. or more of food each day.  Elephants eat about 16 hours a day.

7.  An elephant sleeps an average of 2 hours during a 24-hour period.

8.  An elephants' skin is an inch thick

9.  Elephants use their feet to listen, they can pick up sub-sonic rumblings made by other elephants, through vibrations in the ground

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MAIL BAG

While I was on break, I received some wonderful things in the mail....

These two 6" blocks were made by Ann W. in Australia.  Ann was my January 6" Inch Block Swaps Australia and these are replacement blocks. The original blocks she made were lost somewhere across the great blue expanse that separates our countries.  The corner squares actually have a lot more green in them than the photo shows.  I love the center square fabric selection.  Thank you for the wonderful blocks, Ann!

My Block Swap Adventure partner for June was Shannon B from Georgia.  She made me TWO beautiful blocks!  One block was for the normal monthly swap and the second "as a thank you for all your had work and time as hostess".  That's so nice!  Shannon also told me that the blue floral in the middle of the bright batik block was from the Atlanta Shop Hop Batik from 2005 and that Hoffman produced this batik exclusively for the shops during the hop.  How cool is that?  I have to admit that the batik block is my favorite - bright colors on black just speak to me.  Thank you Shannon!!

Last month I won this fun book!  Beaquilter had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner.  The book has all sorts of wonderful ideas and it is even signed by the author.  I have been building quite a stash of buttons so maybe this is a way to use some of them.  Thank you, Bea!

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A BIT OF SEWING

While I was away from blogging, I did manage to spend some time in front of the sewing machine but not nearly as much time as I had hoped.  Here is some of what I created......

These two blocks were made for Erin, the June hostess for Let's Bee Together.  I really like the white on white fabric she sent out for us to work with and the scrap fabric was fun.  Erin requested that these blocks not be cut down to size, allowing her to complete that task.  These went out in yesterday's mail.

This is the little quilt  I made for the June Doll Quilt Swap.  The theme was "Something old, something new, or something blue".  Guess you can tell I went with something blue.  The star blocks measure 3 inches square and the entire little quilt measures 16 1/4" x 20".  I found this pattern in a book titled "Small Quilts with Vintage Charm" by Jo Morton.  I followed her directions for making flying geese and I have to say it wasn't my favorite method.  This quilt is traversing the country all the way from California to Wisconsin.

I did make two more Loving Hands quilts but they look very much like the two I made for May - only the center panel is a bit different.  I worked on a couple of small cross stitch project for World of Charity Stitching - one was a repeat of the Scroll block I made and have already shared and one I'm not quite finished with.  I began a major FPP project and will be working on that for awhile.  I have to do most of my sewing in the morning hours as the sewing room gets very hot in the afternoon sun even with the A/C and ceiling fan running.  

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FINAL THOUGHT

Look for me August 1.

Sailing Away

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. 

 ~John Lubbock

Boy this was a short week!  I still don't have my mind wrapped around the fact that it is already Friday.  Yesterday was my sweet DH's birthday.  We started the morning off with gifts and then he had to spend it like he does every other Thursday by going to work.  I did make a lemon cake with lemon frosting that tasted oh so good - lol!  Maybe by the end of the weekend my brain will be back in sync with the days of the week.  We have no big plans for the weekend - just some R and R.  What are your plans for the weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Centipede

The only time I've come across a centipede was in New Mexico at DD#1's home.  Thinking about all those feet crawling on me gives me the willies - lol!  Here are some facts:

* The amount of legs a centipede has varies on the species. But, centipedes usually have between 30 and 350 tiny legs.

* Some people mistakenly believe that centipedes are insects. However, they are not classified as insects because they have more than six legs. They are part of the arthropod family (that includes insects) and are in the myriapod class.

* The length of the centipede's legs increase as you go down the centipede's body. This prevents the centipede from stepping on his or her legs. It also helps them to move quickly in a special rhythm

* Centipedes hunt for their food. They search for spiders, worms, flies and other insects to turn into a meal. Some of the larger centipedes will even eat slugs, snails and small lizards. Some centipedes will even eat prey that are as big as themselves.

* The majority of centipedes are brown, reddish-brown or yellow. However, in some places in the world, you can find centipedes that are blue, bright orange and red.

* The most common place for centipedes to live are forests around the world. However,they also reside in caves, deserts, gardens and grasslands

* Some centipedes are only an inch or two in length. However, some centipedes are much longer. In fact, the Peruvian giant centipede can be up to a full foot long

* Some centipedes can live up to six years

* Some enemies of centipedes are birds, toads, shrews and frogs. Centipedes can try to defend and protect themselves by producing a sticky and smelly substance. They can also pinch their prey using their hind legs.

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A LITTLE FINISH

Last week I was able to finish a small quilt I was working on....

Summer Sailing measures 22" square.  Each sailboat square is paper pieced and measures 4.5" square.  I should have paid a bit more attention to how the sky fabric was going to lay but I'm still happy with how this turned out.  This will be going up to the family vacation home in Santa Cruz - a home located across the street from the yacht harbor so the sailboats are very fitting.

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I wasn't able to get much stitching in this week so there wasn't much to show.  Maybe next time - hopefully.

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BEE BLOCK

Last week I also made a Bee block for the May hostess of Let's Bee Together, Ann......

I love the fabrics she sent for us to work with.  The block she selected was a breeze to make.  Ann should have a wonderful quilt when she receives all of the blocks being made for her.

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FINAL THOUGHT

I will be taking a small break from blogging.  DH has taken a few days off from work and we will be relaxing and enjoying each other's company.  I will return on Friday, June 15.

Bright Flowers

See, the human mind is kind of like... a piñata.  When it breaks open, there's a lot of surprises inside.  Once you get the piñata perspective, you see that losing your mind can be a peak experience.  
~Jane Wagner

I had such a wonderful weekend and hope that you did too.  Our DD#2 and SIL came for a visit - they hadn't been here since Christmas.  The weather couldn't have been nicer - cool mornings and mild afternoons, both of which aren't normal for late May.  DH did some amazing barbecue and we all ate too much all weekend long.  Monday I gave DH an early birthday present - 3 passes to the local indoor kart racing.  The three of them had a blast.  I was totally content to sit and watch and take a few photos.  I couldn't have asked for 3 more relaxing days than those just passed.  Now on with the rest of the week.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Manatees

Here on the west coast we are not blessed to have these wonderful creatures.  Here are some interesting facts I found out about manatees:

*  the average Manatee is 10ft long weighing 800-1200 pounds. They have been known to reach 13 ft and 3500 pounds

* When born they are 3-4 ft long and 60-70 pounds

* Manatees are herbivores meaning plant eating animals.

* Manatees cannot survive in temperatures below 68 degrees (20 Celsius) and range from Virginia to Texas and one was documented in Rhode Island. (Very rare)

* They have fairly good vision and can distinguish between colors

* Did you know that manatees have three fingernails on each flipper and when they get into shallow water the manatee walks on its nails?

* Manatees have trouble with depth perception

* They can stay submerged up to 20 minutes

* Females mature for breeding at about 5 years old and 8 years old for males. On average one calf is born every 5 years. Gestation period is about 1 year long

* Manatees may live as long as 60 years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I created one flower this week's One Flower Wednesday.  Nothing spectacular but definitely bright....

Last week in the mail I received a couple of flowers from my April Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Jane K.

Aren't these flowers just the cutest?  The purple with the happy flower center makes me smile.  And the music notes with the red center makes me want to dance - well, at least sway to the music.  Thank you so very much, Jane!

To see more hexies out there in blogland, Karen has provided a linky page for our One Flower Wednesday creations.  To go there, just click HERE.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the doll quilt I started working on yesterday.

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FINAL THOUGHT

The Weekend Ahead

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.  

~Francis A. Walker

As we approach this 3 day weekend, we need to remember why we are celebrating Memorial Day.  Take a moment or two during your festivities to say thank-you to those who have or are serving in our nation's armed forces.  Countless men and women have given their lives to keep our country strong and free for which they have earned our undying gratitude.  The next time you see a soldier in uniform, take the time to say thank you!  Without these fearless fighters of our defense, who knows what kind of country we would be living in.  God bless America and have a wonderful Memorial Day!!
I will be taking Monday off from blogging to celebrate with my family.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Flag of the United States of America

I don't think there is a more patriotic symbol than our own country's flag.  The stars and stripes can move my soul with a single wave. We will be proudly flying our flag on Monday!  And since this fits with the coming holiday, here are some little facts about our flag...

* Another name for the American Flag; Old Glory actually refers to a specific flag owned by Captain William Driver. Old Glory was made with 24 stars and 13 red and white stripes representing the original 13 colonies

* The red, white and blue stripes are strictly defined as Dark Red (Pantone 193 C), White (Pantone safe), and Navy Blue (281 C).

* The current version of the US flag was designed by an 18 year old high school student, who only received a “B-“ for his efforts. Robert Heft, took exception to this grade, and issued his teacher a challenge: if Heft’s design proposal was accepted by Congress, he would deserve and receive an “A”. Heft earned his “A”, and by presidential proclamation in 1958, his design was officially adopted as the nation’s flag.

* 6 US flags are currently stationed on the moon. They were put there by Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

* When folded properly, the US flag is shaped like a triangle with only the stars showing. If you have exacting standards, it usually takes 13 folds: the same number of original colonies.
* Only State Governors and the President of the United States order when the flags on government buildings are to be set at half staff.
* Red is for Valor and Hardiness; white is for Innocence and Purity; and blue is for Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.


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SWAP BLOCKS

Back in March I made three blocks for swap partners that I never shared....

I made this Eccentric Star block for Karen, my swap partner for Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  Karen requested "bright greens, bright blues, fresh modern colors and each block to have some white".  This block fits both colors and is definitely modern.

This On The Oregon Trail block was fun to make - so much so that I made two!

Barbara was my March swap partner for Block Swap Adventure.  One of her previous month's partners didn't produce so I made her an extra block.  Barbara requested red and white fabrics be used to create her block.

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I was able to start the phase of my counted cross stitch project....

You can't see a whole lot of what I've been doing but you can see a bit at the bottom and then, of course, the outline and the start of a feather (sorry it's a bit blurry).  I just figured out how to enlarge the pattern to an easily readable size without the distortion I was encountering earlier.  Sure wish I had figured that out when I was working on the center section.  But that's okay, because now I know how it do it and it will come in handy for the next 2 Christmas projects I will make from the same designer.  Luckily, they don't have to be completed until Christmas 2013 and 2014 - lol!

Design:  Desert Mandala

Designer:  Martina Weber / Chatelaine Designs

Fabric:  Antique White Belfast (linen - for those of you who do not stitch)

Stitched:  2 strands of DMC floss over 2 threads

1 strand of Treasure Braid over 2 threads

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TODAY'S GOAL

To get the spare bed cleared of all fabric carefully stored on it.  Our DD#2 and SIL will be coming for up for the weekend!!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Thank you to all who have served or are serving to keep our wonderful country free!!  Bless those that have given their lives protecting us!!  

It's a Day Full of Flowers

Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way.

  ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

I haves so many projects that I want to work on!  I have the fabrics and the patterns.  And what do I end up doing?  Procrastinating!  I don't know if it's because I have several I want to start or becomes of other commitments that keep coming up.  I really need to get started on a couple of them as I have hopes on entering them in our guild's 2014 quilt show and at least two of the quilts are very detailed.  I have two Loving Hands quilts to make, a doll swap quilt to make, and Thursday will be a computer day preparing June swap partners for Block Swap Adventure.  See there!  I've already puttered away several days and still haven't started on any of my major projects.  Does this ever happen to you?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Solar System

Did any of you notice the solar eclipse we had on Sunday?  That got me to thinking about the solar system - something I haven't studied since grade school.  Here are a few facts about our wonderful solar system...

* The solar system includes the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it due to its gravity. This includes things such as planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids and moons.

* The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

* There are eight planets in the Solar System. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars while the four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

* The inner planets (also known as terrestrial planets) are smaller and made mostly of rock and metal.

* The outer planets (also known as gas giants) are much larger and made mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases.

* As of 2008, there are also five dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.  (When I was growing up, Pluto was considered a planet).

* For thousands of years humans were unaware of the Solar System and believed that Earth was at the center of the Universe.

* Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun.   That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!  Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by a thin layer of rock.

* Mars is the home of "Olympus Mons", the largest volcano found in the solar system.

* Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, but it spins very quickly on its axis.  A day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes.

* The ring that surrounds Saturn could be the remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity.

* Neptune was discovered in 1846 (over 150 years ago).  Since that time it has only orbited around the sun once, because one Neptune year lasts 165 Earth years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I didn't get any flowers made for myself but I did get two flowers made for my Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Linda Mc.  I originally had made two other flowers until I double checked the roster and found out I had made flowers for someone else.  

Linda requested red, taupe, or brown civil war fabrics with a cream center.  I'm never sure what 'civil war' fabrics exactly means so I'm hoping these fit that description.  I know the colors are right - lol!  These should be reaching Linda shortly, if she hasn't received them already.

To see more hexagon flowers, Karen has provided a linky for One Flower Wednesday that you may access HERE.

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BEAUTIFUL DOLL QUILT

Monday I received a beautiful little doll quilt from my Doll Quilt Swap partner, Diane W.

Isn't is gorgeous! Diane couldn't have selected better colors for my living room if she tried.  And she included a special little card that she created.  This wonderful quilt now resides on my living room table.  Diane also added a hanging sleeve so that I could use it that way, too.  Thank you so very much, Diane, for making Monday's mail so enjoyable.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on next month's 2 Loving Hands quilts.

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FINAL THOUGHT

A Busy Weekend

Life is like sailing.  You can use any wind to go in any direction.  

~Robert Brault

I'm glad it's Monday!  The weekend was quite busy and I'm ready to get back to my sewing room and a bit of quiet.  Friday evening we had a nice dinner out with family and friends - even if I was sitting directly under the A/C unit and froze - lol!  Saturday morning it was out the door early to attend a 6 hour quilting workshop (more below) followed by dinner out (again) to celebrate 3 birthdays - mine, DH's, and my Mom's (which is today).  Delicious food along with family and a good friend made for a wonderful time.  Sunday was spent doing wash and washing Weasley but I did manage to get in a bit of stitching.  Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday.  I now have 2 gift cards to spend at my favorite online stitchery store (thanks to my DD#2 and good blogging friend, Annie) and 2 gift cards to spend at a LQS (thanks to my mom and sister, and my sweet DH).  I love going shopping when it won't cost me a dime :)  Now onto a new week and to spending some time in my sewing room.  What are your plans for the week?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Lizard

When I was growing up, we used to have lots of lizards in the fields around us.  Now the only time I see a lizard is when we go visit my daughter in New Mexico.  Here are some facts I found on these speedy little guys:

* There are almost 5,000 lizard species

* Lizards smell with their tongue—like snakes.

* Lizards shed their skin.

* If caught by the tail, to escape, most lizards can break their tail off at a weak vertebra link and later grow another. The new grown tail is smaller and has no bones.

* The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon—it can reach 10 feet in length.

* Some lizards, in order to protect themselves, can squirt blood 2-4 feet out of their eyes.

* Some lizards can live over 30 years—the record, 33 years and 11 months, is held by a Mexican beaded lizard.

* How can you tell that a legless lizard is not a snake? He has eyelids and you can see an opening for his ears.

* The basilisk and the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) are capable of bipedal locomotion (they can run on their hind legs). When young, they can even run on water.

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GUILD MEETING

Thursday evening was my guild meeting (Cotton Patch Quilters of Kern County).  We had a tutorial and a small trunk show presented by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She gave some great hints for free motion quilting.  Here are a few of the quilts she brought to share....

This quilt is amazing and the colors remind me of Delft.  

Cindy is on the right talking about her first ever Wedding Ring Quilt.  This was one of the first quilts she ever made.

Cindy made this quilt when she was pregnant with her son.  She had always wanted to make a Baltimore Album style quilt and thought this would be the perfect hand project to take her through her pregnancy.  It ended up taking her three years to complete.  It is completely hand appliqued and hand quilted.

I'm hoping you can see some of the absolutely amazing machine quilting that she did.  Cindy does all of her quilting on a domestic machine.

"Simply Santa Fe" has won numerous awards.  But that is not the reason I'm showing this photo.....

This is the back of Simply Santa Fe.  Cindy said that after the quilt was all put together, she threw it in the wash as she does with all of her completed projects.  The darker fabrics ran everywhere!  After several washings and soakings with different remedies, all of the dyes that ran were successfully removed from the front but the back still had spots that showed up on the light backing fabric.  Almost at a loss of what to do, she contacted a friend and they came up with the solution of fabric stamping.  She used a waxy type of dye and stamped all of the floral designs you see disguising all of the dye spots.  And it still went on to win numerous awards.  Aren't quilter's clever people?

After several wins, people kept telling her she needed to design her own pattern.  This was her first one.  The beauty is really in the quilting.

This was a gorgeous wall hanging and even the backing was beautiful.....

Look at all of that thread painting.  The backing fabric is a plain light, mint green - all of the rest is thread.

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SATURDAY WORKSHOP WITH CINDY

Saturday I spent the day at a workshop hosted by our guild and taught by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She taught us some wonderful filler free motion quilting.  Here's is what we created....

A Christmas stocking.  I used a deep red (the photo makes it appear brighter than it really was) and gold colored silk thread.  This is the first time I've used silk thread and really liked the effect.  It was also the first time I have ever worked with wool batting and I'm still not sold on it.  There were 18 of us in class and it was a fun day spent with fellow quilters.  Cindy is a great teacher and so encouraging.

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NEW SWAP GROUP

There's a new swap group out there in blogland dedicated to 12" mini quilts.  It is called 12 Inch Mini Quilt. There is no set time for when you have to get a mini made.  You just make and swap whenever you want to.  Easy enough!  I'm holding off for now but am adding the button to my sidebar to remind me that it is open.  They already have several participants.  Check it out!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to complete the little paper pieced quilt and maybe get it sandwiched.

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FINAL THOUGHT