Sheesh...

Has it really been more than a month since I posted here???  Crap!  Why didn't someone poke me?  Oh yeah, that's facebook...

It's been stressful and relaxing this last month.  I've been busy and bored.

But no real excuse for not posting...  I've been reading and keeping up with everyone, but just forgot to post anything.

Maybe it's age?

Anyway -

Took one small weekend trip to one of my favorite places, the Outer Banks!  Went with four other fabulous women, and we went to Endless Possibilities in Manteo, NC for a day of creativeness.  We each weaved a rug:

Our finished rugs!

And I bought a bucket hat made out of men's neckties:

I've since been given a grocery bag full of ties, and will try to make another hat.

The Japan earthquake/tsunami disaster happened while we were on that trip, and I've been following things since then.  The devastation is utterly amazing.  I started seeing calls for quilts at a lot of blogs I was following, so I teamed up with my friend JAB to see about each of making a simple quilt to donate.

We set up a sew date, and were doing so well, we ended up making 4 of them in a weeks time.  (no pictures yet, but will post when I do have them...)

That left us wanting to do more, so we've decided to get together once a month and make a quilt each for the local children's hospital.  Will post more on that later as well...

(See how I'm setting myself up for more posts later???  Clever, huh?  Or lame... whichever....)

JAB was also the one to tell me a bout a local quilt shop that offers a class on how to use their long-arm and then rents it to you by the hour.  Class is done, and let's just say that I'm in LOVE!  Renting it this Friday for some practice time.....  But more on that later (yet ANOTHER segway to a new post!)

As for the stressful stuff, I think I'll leave that for a separate post.  Mostly so I have a subject to post about , but also cause it's a bit of a vent, and that will make it easier to skip over. (Although, really, do we skip over people's vents?  Or secretly welcome them as a way to see what's REALLY going in the real life of some of our blogger friends?, Yeah, that's I what I thought...)

Enough rambling for today.

Thanks to all of you who post regularly so that I have something to read when I'm not posting!

Suggestions?

I found this combo of fabrics this weekend, and just loved them.  I really want to make a quilt out of them, but have no idea of a pattern to them justice.

Anyone have any suggestions for a fairly easy pattern???

AMW

Pay it Forward

So, there is a "Pay it Forward"  theme going around the blog-o-sphere, and I decided to jump right in with both feet.  I found out about it from Cynthia's post  at Home Matters 1st.  


Here is how it works:

1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people who comment on this post. Your gift will be a surprise and it will arrive when you least expect it.

2. I will have 365 days from today to mail your gift.

3. You must have a blog. Hopefully you will want to post about your progress.

4. Once you comment here, you must post about your "Pay It Forward" on your blog to keep the fun going. Please use the "Pay It Forward" badge.

What's the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something for 3 readers of your blog. It doesn't have to be quilty - just handmade.



And that's it.  Whatever I make you will be just as much a surprise to me as it is to you!  But I WILL get it done!


Any takers?


AMW

Winter Retreat

A few months ago, I shared a little slice of heaven with you.  And when we were there in August, we bought another week, which happened to be last week.  The last week of the year.  


The beach in December?  Why would we do that?  Well, honestly, to relax.  


Pictures are the best way for me to tell you about the week, so if you'll humor me, here you go...

Snow, friends, and the beach!

Our home away from home.

The ocean was in a frenzy.

We're in the top floor, far right.

And while I was there, I had the opportunity to visit Endless Possibilities.  By all appearances, it looks like a great little boutique/crafty store.  But under the surface, it's a fundraising project for local hotlines and charities.  They take discarded clothes that were donated to local thrift stores, and are unsellable, and volunteers create rugs, bags, and more to sell. 


And more importantly, they have CLASSES!  

Here I am in the beginning stages of weaving my rug.

Taking this bin of scraps...

And weaving them bit-by-bit...

Into a rug.

And the back.

(I think it's going to end up as a wall hanging, and not as a rug....)




And the sunrises and sunsets are pretty good in the middle of winter, too.  See:

Sunrise, from right outside the door.

With a view like this out the window, what's not to love???


AMW

MMC 2010

Back HERE I mentioned that I joined the Make-My-Christmas event again this year.  This was it's 17th year, and my second participating.  This year I drew someone I knew, and really had fun.


DT's favorite color is TieDye followed by Purple.  I've never tie dye'd anything myself, but figured I'd give it a shot.  So I cut twenty 13 inch squares of bleached muslim (on sale, of course) and spent a day twirling, tying, rubberbanding, twisting, etc...  and dying.  Then rinsing.  And rinsing.  and rinsing.  Oh, did I mention rinsing?  About 6 HOURS of rinsing.  And when I was done?  Yep, RINSED some more!


And ended up with some cool looking squares.  Got some way cool purple fabric for the sashing.  And pieced a very simple quilt.  


Then decided to Tie Dye a solid piece for the back.  So I twirled, rubberbanded, twisted, tied, and dyed.  And then I rinsed.  Again.  And yes, again....  You get the picture.


Ok, fine - you held in here long enough to see some pictures...

The front.

Close up of a few blocks...

The back.

Close up of the back (with a little of the quilting).

Folded on the pool table.

And it was a hit!  I'm so happy that she like it as much as she did...  Here's a couple of pics:

She walked around the place wearing it as a cape for a bit.

The smile says it all.  On both of us!  


Oh, what'd I get?  Something very special!!!  I'm gonna save that for it's own post...


AMW

Where did this year go????

Wow!  I can't believe it's November and that Christmas is a mere 53 days away...  It really does feel like summer was just here.   


Oh wait....  That's probably because we had temperatures in the 80's (almost 90) last week.  


But now that the temperatures are falling (much to my dismay), it's finally setting in that fall is here, and the holidays are peeking right around the corner.


I'm reading blogs with folks working on holiday projects, and thinking, OH SHIT!  


I signed up for Make My Christmas (MMC) again this year.  In case you're new or forgot, MMC is similar to a "Secret Santa" gift exchange, but you MAKE a gift for the person whose name you draw.  And in return, you get a handmade gift from whoever draws your name.  Last year was my first time participating and you can read about my project and the results in the second half of THIS post.  


Luckily, this year I drew someone's name that I know.  A little bit.  But I've gotten some good info, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a clue about this blog, so I just might post some preview pics along the way.  I'll say this:  I'm going to once again step outside my comfort zone and do things with fabric I've never done before.  


Easy now - don't go going anywhere crazy with your thoughts on that last sentence......  ;)  It's a quilt, after all.  


Ordered some supplies and books on amazon today to help the project along.


Off on another out-of-town adventure this coming up weekend, and then I'll be home to get started....


That's about it for now...


AMW

A sneak preview

Featherweight Cake

Back in June (yes, June) I attended a birthday party for a lovely woman in my building who has become a good friend of mine.  She is also a quilter, and has several sewing machines, and turns out about a quilt a week.  She is really an inspiration to me!!!


Her Birthday party was a surprise, so I arrived early.  Her daughter had made a cake that was a replica of her Featherweight Sewing Machine!  It was gorgeous!

And delicious.  There is a lot of talent running through that family!  What a great gift that was, too.....


AMW

Hello??? Is this thing on?

I guess I just haven't had anything interesting to say. Or I just forgot to say it. Who knows....

Been quilting a bit. Got a couple finished up for gifts. And a wall hanging for me. Will post pictures of them after they've been delivered. Got several cut, and bought more fabric for even more.

Finally had to break it all out on the white board in the craft room.

A friend has been in the hospital this week, so I've been running out to visit him on my lunch hour. He's a pretty private person, so he didn't let on that he was in the hospital until he had been there two full days. In ICU. His fiancee lives on the other coast more than 3000 miles away, and his folks are almost nearly as far. Some of his co-workers are keeping an eye on his cat and apartment, but I know he was getting bored in the hospital...

Today I picked him up some boy magazines. Computers, Men's Health, and a puzzle book. I also picked up the newest quilt magazine and stuck it in there. He chuckled, and handed it back to me....

Took an impromptu trip on Memorial Day weekend to check out a casino in WV. Charles Town Races and Slots. Not bad. A bit smokey, but the place was huge! And this summer they are opening table games. Nearby is Harper's Ferry, WV. An adorable town on the AT with a bunch of National Parks around. Really want to get back there.

And remember a LOOOONNGGG time ago, I mentioned that we were going to try a CSA? Well, we had our first couple of baskets. I PROMISE to post an update VERY soon. I even took all the required pics tonight... So it's coming.

And, once again, I'll try to do better about posting. I read other blogs every day, but just can't seem to post. Doesn't seem like I anywhere as interesting as the folks I read....

AMW

I'm off the hunt...

I decided to postpone my hunt for an embroidery machine for now. I still REALLY want one, but the more I look, the more expensive the ones I look at get. I see one that I like, so I look at others with similar features, and then another, and another. Each time I look at another one, it has one more feature that the previous one didn't that I think I must have. It's getting overwhelming trying to figure it all out.

No problem.

I'll use the money Uncle Sam gave me for a little medical procedure to improve my quality of life. And then whenever I sell my Volkswagen Thing, I'll buy my embroidery machine.

Don't know what a VW Thing is? Check out this link for google images.

The "Thing" has been around long enough, and it's time for it to go. It's been past time, actually, for a while, and this will be the perfect motivation to get it ready to go.

Off to camping this weekend, and OMAHA next week!

Should have some good pics to post then.

AMW

I'm on the hunt....

For a combo sewing/embroidery machine. I found one on craigslist that I was interested in, but it's just a bit out of my price range. Although, I am expecting a small refund from the irs, it's not due for a another week. In the meantime, the lady put it on eBay. So, I've got my eye on it.

But then I started looking around, trying to see what else may be out there. And there are a lot! Most of which are REALLY out of my price range. Another reason to look used.

I first tried my hand at machine embroidery and blogged about it here. I also was able to go back and make a quilt label with it, a few months later.

But I enjoyed it so much, that I've often thought about getting one. And now, the machines are made so they are good for both quilting and embroidery.

Any readers out there have a combo machine? Any suggestions? Any first-hand experience on features to look for, or brands to stay away from? I'd certainly welcome ANY advice on this!!!

Thanks!!

AMW

Quilt Show

This weekend is the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton. It's a VERY large show that brings people from all over the country for the classes, the vendors, and the quilts.

I signed up for a class on Saturday afternoon, so that let me into the preview night, last night.

SENSORY OVERLOAD!

I certainly wish I was independently wealthy, with nothing but time on my hands. There are so many fabrics that I want. So many neat gadgets. So many cool machines. WHEW!

I picked up a couple of things last night (can't show pictures, because I never know who's reading this, and if it may spoil a surprise at some point). I drooled over many more things, and marveled at the talent.

It just makes me wish that I could quilt all day....

I'll be going back tomorrow, and spending much more time, and narrowing down what I can actually afford to purchase, and on Saturday, I'll take the stained glass class I signed up for.

A few years ago, I bought a stained glass pattern because it looked easy... Similar to the one below. But then couldn't figure out the particulars.... This class promises to make it simple.

So, we'll see... Either way, stay tuned for some finished projects soon!

AMW

Quilt projects

A long time ago on this blog, I talked about some projects I was working on or wanted to work on. I've completed a couple (one on the list, and one not...) and have compiled some pics...

One little thing I mentioned was a "jar quilt". Now, fabric isn't cheap, and the thought of searching all over to buy lots of different fabrics for a jar quilt was a little daunting. Until I hit ebay! Not only did they have a variety, it was already cut, and would all come in a nice little package.

This was the first bundle of pieces, the sweets!

And then came the fruits and veggies.

And after some working and tweaking - came the quilt!

When the dining room table is clean, it's a table runner.

Oooops - didn't think to take a picture of it on the table!

The next quilt was a test of ability, patience, and speed. Let me set the story....

A large group of my friends participate in something called "MMC" or "Make-My-Christmas". I've only been around this group of folks for a couple of years, but this tradition has gone on for 16 years or so. Everyone who wants to participate puts their name in a hat, then everyone draws a name out. Whoevers name you draw, you must MAKE them a present. There are about 30 people who participate, including a couple of kids. Sounds simple enough, right?

What about if you draw someone's name that you know nothing about??????? Don't even know who she is????

Names were drawn on November 1st, and the exchange party was December 19th. Just a tad under 7 weeks. I had to learn about this woman, and design something, and make it in that time.

What I learned was that she was a HUGE Boston Redsox fan, that her favorite colors were green, orange and yellow. (I learned other stuff, too, but it wasn't relevent to this post... LOL!)

I knew I was going to make a quilt, but now was undecided to go with the green/orange/yellow theme. Or the BoSox theme.

As you can see, the Bo Sox theme won out.

Although the BoSox fabric didn't.

I managed to find some scraps of VINTAGE fabric, but all other BoSox fabric is discontinued.

So I went with the Boston Red Sox colors, and held my breath.

(Just a shot of the back and some of the quilting...)

I decided on a simple pattern that would most highlight the few logo scraps that I had, and went from there.

And made it lap size. Big enough to curl up with on the couch.

But most importantly, I think she liked it! I was terribly worried. It's a bit nerve-wracking to make something so personal for someone you don't know. From the design, to the fabric shopping, to the assembly, and presentation.

Although I've watched and attended MMC before, this was the first time I participated. I really had a good time, and will do it again for sure. I had a TON of comments, and really felt good about my accomplishments. Not just that I made this quilt for someone, but it's also the fastest I've ever completed a quilt.

So now I know I can....

Are you working on any projects??? Like what???

AMW

Embroidery

This weekend, I was able to spend a day at some friends house for a "craft day".  I've wanted to try machine embroidery for a while, but didn't want to invest in a machine not trying it out.  This weekend provided that opportunity.  Here are some samples that I did:

This is the first one I did.  Not too bad, and it ended up on a shirt that was in the goodwill pile.  It turned out cute enough that I may actually keep this one.

Just a cute little sun, that was a default pattern on the machine I was using.  

For some reason, I really liked this pattern.  It turned out pretty good...

This disney pattern was on a disk, and I put it on another goodwill shirt.  The embroidery turned out great, but the placement was bad (my fault).  Instead of being on the left side above the breast, it was ON the breast.  So, now it's a sleep-shirt.

It was really fun to learn, and I can think of a ton of applications for this!

AMW