The New Year Is Upon Us

I know, I know--we all make resolutions each new year and we mostly mean to keep them. Every year I am convinced that I will actually be organized enough to start on Christmas present making and shopping around January 5th and my good intentions maybe last three weeks or so--until life just happens and all of those good intentions fly out to the great beyond.
Dare I say that this year will be different? I sure hope so because I'm running out of opportunities here. BUT, this year my resolutions are going to be somewhat different. With the economy the way it is, many of us have been forced to rethink what we have and how we use the things that we do have. I don't think that I'm alone in being guilty of purchasing somewhat expensive "toys" and then putting them aside for some nebulous time in the future when events in our lives won't be quite so busy.
So, I've been thinking--a lot--about what "toys" I have and just when I'm going to get around to using them. Most of my under-used things center around the computer and, thus, I have chosen that area to concentrate on this year. I bought the Viking Embroidery software almost 2 years ago and got frustrated with it right away--mostly because it was so different from the Bernina software I had used. I haven't used it any more until this Christmas and now I have made a real commitment to become proficient with it--which means that I will pretend that I do not own the Bernina software and thus will not use it as a safety mat when I want to do something easily and quickly. I've also signed up for classes to help me improve.
Along with learning the embroidery software, I will also be spending time with my unused Corel Draw software and the new version of Photoshop Elements. I've been producing my own quilting patterns for a while now and these two programs will make them a better product. (I'm getting ready to do a pattern on quilted mirrors!) And, hopefully, by the time Christmas 2009 rolls around I'll have learned a lot--including more discipline in carrying out my resolutions.
So, wish me well on my new resolutions and I'll certainly do the same for you.
One last bit for 2008. I opened my mail box the other day and looked down into the drawer and saw my quilt looking up at me. I knew this was coming, but all the same, it took me by surprise. What an honor to have my quilt, Magical Thinking, on the back cover of the NQA Quilt Journal.

Gifts Galore

I have been busy, busy, busy this season because I've made most of the gifts that I'm giving. I'm doing that because I really don't have too much choice this year--a huge credit card bill on January 15th is not something I want to look forward to. However--like so many things in life--this has really been a great blessing to me.
I haven't had any time at all to work on my "art" as I've put it aside to work on presents and, at first, I thought I was going to be grouchy about that. But it has been quite the opposite--I've felt my spirit calm and my heart soften as I've taken the focus off of myself and thought of others as I've made each gift. And, in addition, I've gotten to know the "workings" of my sewing machines better as I've used techniques that I don't normally use in my own personal quilting. It's a true "win-win."
So here are a few of the things I've been working on the past week or so:
This first small wallhanging resulted from a snowman block exchange our Mt. Pleasant, group did a couple of years ago. There are 12 blocks but I thought these 4 would made a great little quilt for my niece who is living on her own now and probably could use some Christmas decor assistance.
This next heart quilt was made from some leftover blocks from a larger one I made several years ago. This will go to my other niece who is still in college and could maybe use something that looks a little jazzier.
I started this Log Cabin w/stars at TTT this fall. It is a Thimbleberries pattern and was supposed to have appliqued pumpkins, vines and leaves. When I got it together, I felt the colors were really too bright for the added applique, so I used a border that was very un-Thimbleberries. I then washed it and dried it in the dryer and ended up with a very soft large lap quilt.
These pillowcases were a lot of fun to make and will go to young nieces and nephews. In doing this, I pulled out my Viking embroidery machine and became reaquainted with it. It does such a nice job embroidering--actually better than my Bernina--that I decided to work learning my Viking software (but that's another story). Next on my list will be a chef's apron for a male friend who's visiting for Christmas and maybe some quilted hot mats and embroidered dish towels. Who knows? But I can guarantee it'll be fun!

Such A Sweet Season

One of the things that I enjoy during the Christmas season is making sweet things that I would NEVER make the rest of the year. For some reason, I unreasonably think that calories don't count during December--just like I believe that there are no calories in uncooked cookie dough! It's the oven that activates them (Isn't it nice to be able to delude oneself so completely?)
Anyway, one of the things that I've made the last few years is caramels. Yum, Yum. They are somewhat tedious to make but, boy, do they taste good when they're finished. After measuring all the ingredients, the cooking process itself is about 2 1/2 hours--with about an hour or an hour and a half of it standing and stirring constantly.
After it reaches temperature, you pour it out into a pan. The bad part is that you can't scrape the pot to get all of it into the pan. The good part is that you then HAVE to eat what's left in the pot so as not to waste it! It then sets for about 24 hours before you cut it into pieces.
And this is where my husband comes in. He's the muscle to do the cutting. You have to spray the counter with a vegetable spray as everything is a bit sticky. And if you cut and then don't wrap almost immediately, everything kind of sticks back together. Finally, you wrap and wrap and wrap--with parchment paper that you've cut into smallish-sized pieces. and THEN you end up with a huge bowl of the best pieces of chewy candy that you will ever put into your mouth. ****One note of warning however. Two friends came over on Tuesday to make a batch together and she ended up at the dentist that afternoon after helping to "clean" out the cook pot! Care with chewing for those who have somewhat loose dental work is absolutely required.
For those who still want to make caramels after reading this description, here is the recipe. If y ou double-click it, it should be legible. For a clearer copy, it can be found on Martha Stewart's website under the name Golden Caramels. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

TTT Christmas Celebration

This year, the TTT gang decided to exchange Christmas presents. And today was the day! I had bought an issue of Quilting Arts magazine that had a lot of gift ideas. After looking through it, I decided to try to make mirrors based on the one in the magazine. Of course, mine look nothing like the one there and I did change the way it was constructed. It called for using heavy card stock as the foundation for the mirror itself and the quilted fabric. That just seemed too flimsy to me, so I used foam core--which was really too thick. On the next go-round, I think I'll use masonite which is thinner, but also strong. And, fortunately for me, I am blessed to have a husband who is more than willing to cut out that masonite into the sizes and shapes I want.
Here are some of the mirrors I made:




They were a lot of fun to design and create.







I took a picture of the TTT trailer with all of the gifts laid out--before we opened them but the gremlin got into the picture and it didn't turn out. However, I did capture the unwrapping process. Although it's not the best photo in the world, I think you can see that we were having a great time discovering what was in each package. For a detailed list of what each person made and for a look at Corky's beaded scissor fobs, please go to: http://fiber-thoughts.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-is-in-air.html. All in all, it was a most wonderful day!

Cross Countryside Ride

First of all, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was a little different than in most years. We took my mother over to James Island to my brother's house where we spent the afternoon and had a great time visiting with my nieces. They are great to be around and we see them all too seldom. It seems like yesterday that they were just little girls--my, how they've grown. And it was a real treat to eat a great meal--and not have to do the cooking (I did take homemade rolls!).
This past Tuesday, the TTT Gang traveled to Aiken, SC to see the Quilt Show there. They do it a little differently than most places. They hang the show and then have it on display for several weeks---no vendors, no entrance fee. The docents there were very nice and seemed genuinely pleased that we drove such a distance to see it. The location is so beautiful. Aiken itself it such a lovely town and this building is so grand with many wonderful architectural features--both inside and out. I spent almost as much time looking at them as I did the quilts themselves.
There were not a huge number of quilts but each one was well done and very interesting. This first quilt, by Terri Jarrett, was really my favorite. I loved the use of color and the way it was arranged throughout the surface. Several of us had quite a discussion about this one. Two in our group couldn't stand that it was so "jumbled-feeling" and wanted it to feel more calm in the choice of color and fabrics. And others of us couldn't understand why they felt that way! It was a great discussion and really served as an example of how we're all so different in our tastes in fabric, color and style and why there's room for all of us at the party.
A small quilt, Heavenly Music by Joan Baranek, caught my eye. It had a pleasing design and was well-executed.


The last quilt I want to show is Tipsy Kitty by Marjorie Coldiron. I LOVE Drunkard's Path quilts and I thought this one was interesting in its use of color. Drunkard's Path is one of those very simple blocks that can be put together so many different ways with so many different color combinations that it is almost always interesting.
After we left the quilt show, we went to the downtown part of Aiken and went to a really nice quilt shop (sorry, I don't remember the name). Although quite small, it had some great fabrics--and nice folks. On that same little street there was also a shop that specialized in children's fabrics and a needlework shop--where I bought Pearl Cotton for some embroidery details on quilt tops.
Another great feature of downtown Aiken were the HORSES! This is just one example of all of the wonderful painted horses that decorated that area. Aiken is horse country. I don't know if these statues are a new event or if they have a different theme every year or so but the work on these incredible. Hendersonville, NC has a similar thing. One year they painted bears and this past year they painted goats. I think it really adds a ZIP to the sidewalks!










All in all, it was a great day. Great food, wonderful quilts and very special friends.

Just Around The Corner

Christmas really is just around the corner and, as usual, I'm not ready. BUT, I'm working on it! So many of us this year are really having to watch our pennies--myself included-- and I've taken this into account as I think about what to give as presents. Actually, I have always enjoyed making presents as I feel they are more of an expression from the heart than, say, a gift card from Barnes and Noble (although I wouldn't mind getting one from there myself!). But I truly think that we have lost--more and more--the true spirit of giving during the Holiday season. And maybe not just the spirit of giving--maybe even more, the spirit of RECEIVING. So many of us want the newest, jazziest gadget and don't have much room to appreciate something handmade that doesn't meet that criteria.
Well, handmade it is this year--out of necessity--and, you know what? I'm enjoying the heck out of it. I just finished making this wool pillow tonight and the best part is that it is made from recycled wool fabric. We have a wonderful thrift shop in North Charleston where I shop not only for clothes for myself, but also for wool clothes to take apart, felt and use in sewing projects. Even some of the beads on the snow people are from my mother's old bead necklace. Something old made new again.
The pattern came from The Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts magazine. There are a lot of nice projects in this issue. There are several wool pillows, but also a lot of projects that are primitive and others that are made from paper and fabric. There are a couple of autumn projects also that look like they would be fun to do . . .some other time.
One thing we have done for the past few Christmases is to give donations to Families Helping Families. My sister-in-law's family does this also and we count it as giving to each other. It lifts all of our hearts and as we, in some measure, make certain that those who have less than we do will have a blessed Christmas, the true spirit comes into our lives and WE are the ones who are blessed.
One last note: As my husband and I were walking this afternoon, we stopped to visit with our 89 year old neighbor. He took us into his house and showed us all of the wooden clocks he has built over the past thirty years. What a collection! And he is still going at it. He was in the middle of making a walnut wall clock and it was such fine work. I just hope that when I get to be 89 years old, I'll still be making quilts.

And Yet Another Progress Report

I've been home by myself for a few days and have really been using the time in my studio. I've been working on Christmas gifts (can't show them yet!) and on my applique quilt. And this is how far I've gotten at this point. I've added more applique and a border. I am constantly amazed at my husband's innate intuitive ability to know whether a new component will work or not. I had originally made a paper-pieced (Ugh) tone on tone block for the outside border. He took one look at it and said, "No." He pointed out that with all the curved lines in the applique, the sharp edges of the paper-pieced block were jarring. And while he was at it, he also said that I needed some kind of floral fabric in the border.
Well, I listened--as I ALWAYS do (yeh)--and decided he was right. I softened the block and added the floral and really am much happier.
And this is what I want to point out as a life lesson. In so many facets of our lives, we often are too close to the situation to have clarity of vision and it is many times helpful if we hear what someone else has to say. We don't have to follow that person's advice but it is at least good to hear other options that, hopefully, allow us to step back for a moment and view a given situation from another perspective. Does it always work? No! But sometimes, sometimes.

And at our Guild last night, we had the delight of hearing Ellen Anne Eddy and seeing her wonderful art quilts. One of the great things about her talk was that she was interesting to listen to whether you like art quilting or not. Her humor was infectious and brought many a laugh from all of us there. I'm taking her class on Saturday and am really looking forward to some Thread Magic!

Snow Family Again--In Camden, SC

Yesterday, I traveled to Camden, SC to once again teach my Snow Family quilt. What a great bunch of women and how wonderful it was to spend a day with them. We had the class in the Fine Arts Center there and not only was it a wonderful, airy space in which to work, it was also an historic building with many historically preserved details.
Let me tell you, these women were ready! They had bought their patterns ahead of time and had done all of the prep work so that they could really move forward on class day. And work, they did--with great humor and conviviality. They are used to being together and sew projects regularly. I enjoyed hearing about their guild projects, their trips to other places (quilting related, of course) and about the Camden area, in general.
Here are some of the quilts from yesterday:

This particular quilt was very interesting because of the sky background. She had had the tree fabric for quite a while and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to use it. I agree! The first technique I teach in the class in the curved seam landscape--joining sky to snow. So you have to decide what will go with what BEFORE you actually put the pieces on the background. She took a risk and it was successful.
This next one used some of the sky fabric I brought with me that I had used in my sample. I really like the "feel" of this sky because it sort of gives the sense of the cold of winter.

And this next one used the same sky pattern in a different color way. Look how far she got--she even has the "Welcome" sign in place.




And then we have the "early
dawn" effect with the next sky.
And, finally, a very "cheery" snow family with brightly-colored fabrics. There were several other quilts that were almost to the same completion stage but weren't fused down enough to have their makers hold them up for picture-taking. They ALL did such a great job and I loved it that they all chose such different color palettes. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished quilts.
Thanks, ladies, for such a wonderful day.

Orangeburg Class

This morning I drove up to Orangeburg, SC to teach my Snow Family class. I originally designed a quilt from a Christmas card I received from my niece. This second version was a complete re-do, changing a lot of the elements and colors. I then wrote to Laurie Korsgarden, the artist of the original version and asked her permission to teach the "evolved" version--and she very graciously said yes. "Why ask permission?" you might ask. Well, because it was the right thing to do. She could have said no--and that would have been the end of it--but I'm so glad she didn't!

I don't have any really "finished product" pictures from today's class because I was trying to squeeze a 2 day class into 1 day. My main goal was to let each person go home with all of the techniques in the quilt so they could finish up without the frustration of not knowing how to do it (I also sent them home with my email address in case they had questions!). But here are a few pictures to get the flavor of the day. You can see that we had a great space to work in--everyone had their own area to spread out--and you might be able to tell that we were in a church space! All of the women were enthusiastic and worked hard all day. And they PROMISED they'd send me pictures when they were finished. I really enjoy seeing how people interpret and change the pattern as they go along. Several of them had decided to use 3-d elements. It was great.
And so, Saturday I head to Camden, SC to teach the same class. It'll be another great bunch of quilters that I'm looking forward to meeting. What a life!

America Speaks

Well, our election has come and gone. And now, we hope for the best. So much has been said by both candidates over the past months and, as average citizens, we have no realistic way to know if any of the promises given have any true hope of being fulfilled. However, there was such an historic aspect to this race--no matter which party won the election. Could you have imagined 20 years ago that we would have both a black man and a woman in a presidential election? And in that I find hope--hope for us as a people who can look beyond stereotypes and view the greater picture.
I agree with what Corky said in her blog--http://fiber-thoughts.blogspot.com/--. We spend far too much time and money on these elections. Do we truly know any more than we would have known in a greatly reduced time frame? And when one thinks about what that money could have been used for in reducing some of the problems that both candidates referred to--well, it just boggles the mind.
On a lighter note--we were some of the more fortunate ones yesterday--it only took 45 minutes to cast our ballot. We went in mid-afternoon and that seemed to have been the best time.
Now let's get on with it and help to make our country the very best that it can be!

Another Progress Report

Here is the latest work on one of my ongoing projects. I finished the blanket stitching around the 4 square sections and then designed, appliqued and blanket stitched the center section. Now I have to wait for the next step to come to me. A friend asked me today how I envision these steps in creating a quilt--do I just get a "feeling" or do I actually "see" what comes next. What I explained to her was that I get my best ideas while I'm walking by myself. I don't use an IPod anymore--for several reasons (1) They're bad for your hearing and I can't afford to lose anymore than I have to. (2) I can't hear bicycles coming up behind me and (3) It is in the silence of my mind that ideas come to me. I can't tell you how often it is that I return from my walk and say to my husband, "I had this idea . . ." and he starts groaning because it is going to involve him doing something! However, in addition to thinking up things for him to do, I very often am struck by an inspiration for my quilting--and it is most often a concrete image that I try to get on paper as soon as I get home so I don't lose it. I read somewhere that we think better when we stand but I think we also think better and are more open to creativity when we aren't bombarded by noise--at least that is what works for me.
On a completely different subject: Do you think it knew its days were numbered?
We have a maple tree in our yard that was slated to be cut down as soon as my husband was back in shape enough to do it. My mother-in-law planted it a while back but she also planted an oak tree about the same time--as well as a river birch-- and they are now all competing with each other. We did cut the birch down but it wasn't enough. So . . .it was the maple's turn to be returned to the earth from which it came. Until this past week. I swear it knew--it just had to have--and what did it do? Well, it put on its best suit of clothes and said, "How could you POSSIBLY do that to me. Look how beautiful I am." Well, it was right--how could we cut down a tree that worked so hard to bring us this beautiful show in the lowcountry? It never had looked so nice before. . . .maybe the weather conditions were perfect this year. I don't know. But this little tree will stay on to live another year. We will just trim the branches of the large trees surrounding it and give thanks for this totally unexpected autumn glory.

What A Weekend!

This past weekend, our annual State Quilters' Retreat was held at the Baptist Conference Center, White Oak, near Winnsboro, SC. And what a weekend it was! We had glorious weather when I arrived on Thursday--just the right touch of cool with a show of color in the leaves. And then the next day, the skies opened up, the winds spent their fury and trees were uprooted. But NOTHING can stop a group of quilters from their appointed rounds at the vendors' booths. The great thing about White Oak is that all of the buildings--except the motel rooms--are connected with covered walkways so, we could shop, eat and sew without getting TOO wet.
I taught my wallhanging, A Taste of the Lowcountry, to 12 great women. We all had a really good time and all of them were able to get their projects done to the point where they could take them home and, hopefully, keep right on working on them. Didn't they all do a great job?
One of the students from last year came by the room and showed me her almost-completed quilt from that class. What a nice surprise that was and she had done such a great job. She changed the color-scheme and added elements of her own--and that is what I LOVE to see happen. One picture that I don't have to show is the student this year who was REALLY original. Instead of a palmetto tree, she choose to use a merganzer duck and put it in a horizontal setting. She left on Saturday so I wasn't able to get a photo of her progress but I'm looking forward to seeing it next year.
I really like to teach classes that last two or three days because you have such an opportunity to get to know the wonderful people who choose to take your classes. Everyone has a story and in learning a bit of their story while you spend time with them, you really come to appreciate them in a way you couldn't have otherwise. I feel that I came away from this weekend with 12 new best friends. What a blessing.