craziness

I've been collecting fabric for years. I've had in the back of my mind that I would make a crazy quilt "someday".

I own a fabulous book on crazy quilting. I have looked at the pretty pictures thousands of times. and drooled over what MY QUILT will look like draped over the end of the bed. 

Yes - that quilt - the one I haven't even started. 

Then on my blogroll I saw a link to this online free stitch along class. The picture below is Sandy's picture from that class. 

I may not be inspired (right now) to start a quilt, but a cuff, well that is quite do-able.

So I gathered my fabrics. And following the really well written instructions, I pieced my foundation for the cuff.

Then I started following the step by step (clearly written instructions - Sandy is a great tutorial writer). Because it is the type of personalized project that allows it, I picked the parts best suited to what I wanted mine to look like.

There was coarse linen - some velvet - eyelet - even some loose woven damask type fabric. (Note - loose woven was HARD to work with in this manner.)

I then added pearls and teeny rick rack.

 Laces and trims and medallions. Some ribbon.

 Always some buttons and beads.

Metallic floss for a bit of sparkle. I cut four tiny hearts from a bit of lace and made a little flower..

Then I ran across this bottle ---- Now who would give me an empty whiskey bottle. Well - someone who knows that the etching on this from being buried would make me happy. (Discovered under an old house) The front of this is frosty looking from that etching while the back is clear.

I decided then - that this cuff would not be a bracelet for me - but would be a removable cuff wrap for my bottle. (another note - I can slip this off and wear it if I choose. I chose to adhere it to the bottle with double stick tape)

I finished the final assembly of this last night before bed.  Sandy's tutorial uses some glue, but I actually hand stitched every single bit of this.

The detail below is the center medallion of the cuff. Layers of lace - tulle - and silk flowers.

But I think my favorite detail is the tiny beading along this ribbon. So dainty and sweet in reality.

This is a wonderfully well written tutorial --- I'll be going back and making more of these.

Enough about that --- Here is my "cuffed" bottle. I have a big ugly pickle jar with some beads in it. I'm thinking this will be MUCH MUCH better looking on the shelf.

Please go see Sandy if you are interested in making your own.

CRAZY QUILT CUFF CLASS

i'm really happy with mine.

Fun Stuff

Give me a little while but there will be several more pictures over at Jones Chapel Quilts. I wanted to share some of my mama's stuff here.

We met last night. My mama is sick, but she wanted to get out anyway. I could tell that she was pretty miserable, but you never stop being the mama and she tried to reassure me that she is "just fine". This is that icky nasty rotten cold stuff.

We had a show and tell night in addition to a cutting lesson and a beginning piecing lesson. I flitted about and took pictures and just generally bothered people.

I get my packrat tendencies from an honest source. Mom keeps everything.

Labels included. Look at this little wall hanging.

A row of houses. She had (still has some) old clothing labels. She has a fabric stash to rival anybody I know. Buttons too. She tells me all the time she is adding to the junk me and my sister will someday throw away.

The entire wall hanging is pieced from these tiny 1 inch squares. The labels are top stitched on. So freaking cute.


The Shirley label is a favorite - how long ago was it that many things were labeled MADE IN USA. Considering where our economy is right now - that labeling needs to return.

While I love this wall hanging. The picture below is the quilt top that is my all-time favorite of ones she has ever pieced. A scrappy state of Georgia. This will be my next hand quilt project.

Each of those squares is 2 inches. The layout is adapted from a cross stitch pattern. What do you think?

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day ----

Christmas in January

My mama and me - last night at the launch meeting of the new quilt guild at my church. The order of business last night - sort and organize 11 big trash bags of fabric, much like Christmas for those of us with fabric fetish issues. We look so much alike.

The yellow thing I am sporting is a nightgown that was in one of the bags. As the self proclaimed loud and rowdy one of the bunch, it was my uniform for the night (and may become a permanent joke) I took some goodness for my self and some to donate that we can't use for quilting.

We had a great night. My mom has had a bit of a rough spot lately, so it was nice to see her really enjoy herself. Having this thing scheduled to do together is going to be fun too.

Still got that badboy kidney stone. It continues to move in tiny increments and as long as it is moving, the dr will not touch it.

please go leave the group encouragement - suggestions - whatever. We are all pretty clueless about how to do this. I have set them up a blog - I like how blogger works and I am also the reporter for them so that is my chosen method. here's the link

have a wonderful weekend

2008 IS ALMOST GONE

This is my week to reflect on 2008 and start looking ahead to 2009. Instead of resolutions, I am choosing to focus on the more public marketing of MaggieGrace items. Items covered by the words art and craft. I am excited about this focus and I do hope to see results from this.

Christmas weekend was relaxing and very productive. I was up early every day and set about finishing some tasks that I did not want to carry into the New Year.

This pile is the sum total of my after Christmas shopping. WalMart had Martha Stewart Glitter and Holiday punches 1 /2 price so I bought the deer silhouette punch and a pack of the glitter along with the mica snow flakes. I also stocked up on some gift boxes in coffee mug sizes and jewlry sizes. The rationale was that I will use this - thus making them essential.

Christmas was managed with NO CREDIT CARD purchases at all. I love being able to say that. The girls did not get everything on their list, but they still were pleased.

Oh - I just noticed that there is a "fun" thing in the pile - those jumbo push pins were just for me and just cause I liked them.

Saturday morning found me up really early and with an agenda - finish a few UFO's. I had some items hanging over my head that just really needed a tiny bit of work to finish. I know that starting a new project gives a creative soul such a rush and I had shuffled these under way too many times. So I hunkered down and finished these.

My sister's wall quilt - all it need was the zigzag accent around the binding and the hooks sewn on the back. Check off as done. these photos are dark and grainy because it was a gray and rainy weekend. Sorry.



I finished a fun little baby afghan for a friend at church. A little boy. Cute open work mesh light blanket. This is smaller than some I have done making it good for a car seat cover and for taking onto places where you don't want to keep up with a big blanket. This was made using a super soft baby yarn - acrylic - so it will be easy to wash and dry.

The cowboy quilt. All I lacked was the binding. I cheated this one and machine sewed the binding on. While I regret that decision now - because there was an undetected wonkiness that a handstitched binding would have left invisible and the machine stiches actually show off in all its glory - I am not undoing this and fixing it.

This is a baby quilt - crib sized and will remain in use through the toddler bed stage - so it will get a lot of use and washing. I hope it will anyway. I washed it and dried it and drooled over that perfect puckered look. The ocd College Freshman doesn't "get" that wrinkled look - she thought the quilt needed ironing.

I also started a new project. Carrie thought she would be getting a quilt for little bean - she may get a blanket - not because I don't want to make a quilt - but because something else caught my fancy. It is a five piece construction thing and I finished one piece this weekend as well. I love how this is turning out and cannot wait to share it with you. I will post the color scheme - pale yellow, light green, and lavender. See it was a very productive weekend.

As we approach 2009 - I wish you health and happiness.

Current WIP

I have been working on FINALLY finishing the cowboy quilt. It kept getting pushed back because nobody in my circle was having a boy. We are finally due one and this will be his.


I finished all the hand quilting last night. Now all you "real" quilters, please don't be too critical of my stitches. I really like the look of rough and rustic hand stitching and that is what this is. The pattern came from one of my magazines when I finish the binding and give you the full photo, I'll share that information.

The fabric is "Happy Trails" featuring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans combined with a blue chambray sheeting that I had in my stuff. (Got lots more of this blue - seems like I bought 12 yards for like 10 dollars) The Gingham check on the binding is a stash fabric too. I don't have very much of it left at all.

A quick look at the back shows the stars that are quilted into the alternating blocks.

Tonight will find me trimming the batting and ironing and pinning the binding for that hand- stitching. Then, I'll wash it. I do not prewash my fabrics because I like that wonderfully puckered look that the quilts get when you don't prewash.

A quick funny - Local Best Friend refers to this as a "cover up quilt" as opposed to one of those "artsy fartsy things" that are my art quilts. I really should make him a cover up quilt soon.

Have a great day. Off to surprise the College Freshman. We have a delivery in that area and I am taking the material.

Just Once ......

I was ahead of the game. Oh yea - I was ahead. That never happens, especially on trends. Look at the picture above - it is from the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog.

AN adorable kids bedroom.



I love the tree branch and the butterflies and OMG check out the owls. But look at what is on the bed, the quilt and then look at what I posted in - December06


To me this is so very cool - to be a trendsetter - can I pretend that Pottery Barn saw my MaggieGracePost and came up with this? I'm going to.

We watched the Softball Princess for two games last night, but still got home early enough to finish a couple of embellished compostition book journals. I'll be selling some of these locally and some will become gifts for the Holiday Season.

The first, features one of my crochet medallions and a favorite vintage sheet music strip. Those tiny stars over the angel trio are sequins and add just the right amount of glitz to this cover. This one was my favorite.

JenB - friend and inspiration has send a couple of small "just because" packages my way. One had a note on a wonderful ShimandSons notecard that looked like a hopscotch game. Jen had no idea how much I adore Sally's work, but I immediately knew that the card was to be used on a journal.

Very Mary had a giveaway several weeks ago of circles. Circles - punched out of fun papers. inspired by those circles, I combined the colors in the notecard, about an hour digging through the scrap paper box and punching circles that coordinated, and then some glue time and the new John Fogerty cd. (a must have people)

Here is the very fun journal I came up with. It's my new favorite.

I love how all the colors work together. I added a wire word from somewhere too. Again I was using what I had. Recycling at it's prettiest.

On the upcoming events news fronts - I have been asked to complete a presentation on ATC for the local embroidery guild. I'll be making kits for the few ladies attending and making each of them an ATC from me. This all happens on Nov 17. I have questions. Should I make the kit as a pattern and then give the supporting materials - or just include a few materials and encourage artistic freedom. The lovely lady who asked me to do this informed me that these are very traditional crafters and do not understand the sudden increase in mixed media artworks like ATC and art quilts. I will be taking my magazines and a notebook full of ATC to display. I would love to add some embroidered/quilted/stitched new ATC to the mix. If anyone is interest in swapping some with me -- please let me know. Leave a message in the comments or email me at teresahome@juno.com.

Thanks so much for everything- have a wonderful day.

Bunches of stuff...

This post will be a mishmash of things today.

First a picture from the 9-11 service the softball team had. The three players on the left are representing their siblings - all serving active duty for our country. The group to the right are the veterans we recognized. If you look at the fence line there is a complete line of law enforcement and emergency services personnel. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of these people and the others who are serving this country both here and abroad.


This beautiful little girl is Addison (the pup is Lucy). Addie has a big sister on the team and she has grown up at the ball field. She has a late summer birthday and I can remember her mom sitting in the car with the AC running with that tiny baby in her arms waiting to pick big sis up at practice. Such a sweet and smart little one. We all take turns being mommy.

Abby has her head up her A**. Her grades are falling. Mom is ready to scream. Anybody's guess why? She is 15 - has always been a disciplined straight A student - and focused ball player. Wanna guess what we have --------

A BOYFRIEND.

Sweet kid. Name's Cody. But she is having a terrible time getting everything done. She's going to have to figure out her definition of time management. Teenage challenges..... I also think some of it has to do with Molly leaving. Time to really focus on getting this all situated. She's smart though, she will figure it all out.

The picture is from the homecoming dance on Friday night. She really was very pretty.

Got to see the College Freshman on Saturday and Sunday. She is really enjoying college and learning her own way through a sport and a demanding major. We went to dinner Saturday night with the team and families. That was fun - getting to know everyone. We also got to see her play a little. As a freshman, she doesn't get too much playing time.

One last MaggieGrace style picture. A quilt, made by my mom, for the College Freshman. When Abby saw it, she wanted it bad. Orange is her favorite color. Mom pieced this and had it quilted. We took it to her on Saturday and she had it on her bed before we left to come home. The pieced part of the quilt is made from scraps my mom bought at a yard sale. She bought the fabric for the backing at her local quilt store.

For the first time in several days, I spent time in MaggieGraceWorld. Honestly, with the chest pains I was having, I was a little afraid to be out there by myself. My family leaves me alone when I am in there so I felt alone. The chest pains are better now - only a little heart raceat times. Last night, I made some tags and got a baby gift ready for Local Best Friend. He has an employee who just became a new Dad and LBF wanted to send something to the baby. I pulled a baby blanket out of the stash and added a handmade tag to the gift wrapping. Congrats to Ryan and Hannah and new baby Taylor. Enjoy the small years - the teenage ones get a little stormy.

Have a great day everyone.

I know .....

I know you all have been just waiting to hear what words of wisdom and inspiration I have for today. Got none. Natta. Zero. Zilch.

I do however have a plan for tonight. Dinner with a fellow church member - the final planning meeting for the Womanless Beauty Pagent at Jones Chapel. A fund raiser for Relay for Life. There are older men involved - young married men involved - and a significant contingent of the teenage boys involved. Me - I am the emcee for this wonderful event. Sad part of the story - I gotta keep it PG-13. So no self test boob display. And no testicular cancer self test display. I will be brushing up on my cancer facts and figures. I need funny questions to ask each contestant. There will be serious questions - those are easy. Please help me with the funnies. Pleading for comments that will help here.

Now for some fun -----

The man at my address took me to meet his Grandmother (Mama Norvan) first. (I guess I had to pass that inspection). Fell in love with this wonderful, funny, outspoken, riot of a tiny lady - head over heels, immediately, I loved her. From the very beginning she talked of a quilt - a yoyo quilt - that was made by her Granny Rosa??? In all the years I was around, I had never seen the quilt.

Fast forward many years - many laughs - lots of love - later. Mama Norvan passed away. As the family cleaned out the house, this nasty grungy piece of fabric surfaced from one of the storage areas. It had been stored in a cardboard box that had been wet more than once. Dirty, nasty, mildew gross. It was slated for the dump. It was almost black with grime in places.

I recognized it - it was the quilt. The one so fondly recalled by one of my favorite ladies on the face of the earth. I stuffed it into a garbage bag and took it home.

A phone call to the textile people at UGA and a plan to try and clean this quilt was hatched. I put it in my bathtub with a baby shampoo as a detergent - agitated by hand carefully. Put it on a blanket rolled up to dry most of the water - and support the fibers. Lay it in the sun to dry.

Over and over this process repeated. Each time it became a little brighter and the water less dingy. Many baths and drying later. Another few phone calls and I buy 4 super sized boxes of denture cleaner. One last major bath, dissolve the denture cleaner tablets, add quilt, agitate, roll up, take outside to dry.

Look ......

The colors are vibrant. Some yoyos need repair. One of those someday projects. All different patterns. The yellows are solid and make outlined boxes of the colored prints. I cannot believe this almost black nightmare looks like this.

This is one of my favorite fabrics in the entire quilt. Love it. How about you guys?

Notice ----- in an effort to practice the PG-13 environment, I have left out all of the lauguage bits that were actually used in the handwashing a filthy, vintage yoyo quilt. You however are allowed to insert them in places you feel appropriate for that job.

Have a wonderful day.

Scenes from a slow moving train.

Not even. Life is speeding by. Today is one of those days, you know the kind that everyone is irritable and everything you touch explodes in your face. We (work) dropped the ball on some orders - they got shuffled under in purchasing - and now people are screaming for materials that are not here. I did however find these bright spots in a folder on my computer.

Above - the faded pink of an old caboose.

A twelve month quilt in a shop window. Was this an HGTV pattern???

I think this was called string spider webs on the little card laying in front of it. I like the random fabrics and the fact that they really don't line up at all.

I love the way the older areas of town have these identifying tiles in the doorways of the storefronts. This blue and cream was one of my favorites.

These were snapped on a walking tour of a small town near us. Not sure if it was Hartwell or Lavonia, Georgia or maybe even a combination.

I need one of these mental health breaks again. Just to walk and look for details to photograph.

Soon.

Have a great weekend.

Help - i need ideas please

This will be explained in just a jif......

My buddy is giving away goodies at her place - go over and take a look. little boy things.

Now looking back to the inspirations post where I sketched the quilt submission for Quilting Arts magazine. You see the stone work sketched in on the right side of the drawing. I have finished the stained glass window section and started to assemble it all. That little bowl of pebbles has bcome a huge stumbling block for me. I just cannot figure out how to attach the dang things. The quilt stack is as follows - backing fabric - liner (salvaged felt from the inside of a sofa cushion) - screen wire mesh ( because the whole piece needs to support the weight of the little stones) - then the surface design elements.

I started using a mesh bag to attach the stones , but it looks strange. Then I tried soldering and adding loops to sew them own. There ain't enough money in the world to pay me to solder that many irregular shapes. I thought about glue of some sort, but I am afraid it will not hold. Then, I pondered wrapping the stones in fine gauge wire, but will that destroy the "look" of old stonework? HELP -- I know there is someone out there who can get past the mental block of this issue. Once I get this part complete the rest is easy peasy.

Thanks so much for the support you have already given me and thnak you in advance for the input here. Love ya'll lots.

Teresa

Inspirations

A sketch for the Quilting Arts Green challenge. I am posting this since the finished item will more than likely not look anything like this.

For more than a year I have had a phrase written down. Stonework and stained glass - the phrase has repeatedly echoed through my brain. This photo by Corey Amaro triggered the initial thought process and I have been waiting on the cycle to complete itself. Funny - the sketch looks nothing like the photo.

All along - I knew I wanted 3d texture and had an idea of making the stained glass window from wire and floss. Now I am expanding this idea into the art quilt for that challenge. Here's a list of what I have gathered so far -- see what you think.

linen scraps ----- pea gravel ------ seed beads off of dress trims ------ wire mesh ------ rug hook canvas scraps ------ paper in shades of green ------ twine ------ cotton yarns ----- old postage stamps with flowers and birds ----- upholstry yarn remnnts.

Now to figure out how to attach those stones using something recycled or repurposed. Any ideas. I was kind of thinking shrink wrap but I am just not sure.....

Help - feedback - confusion - please.

Also - I want all of you to go over to see Bill at Loving Her Beautiful . He has a wonderful project that I will be participating in and with his permission I am inviting you to look at and join with us.

Have a wonderful day.

We certainly don't need one of these in the south

An Ark - I am only showing a small part of this. It was a CIP item for my little sis. I did not get it finished by Christmas, but I will get it finished in time for our family gathering later in January. Tracey works for the sherriff's dept and had to work through the holiday. With her kids and my kids and her work schedule, we just postponed the celebration until later.

This was at first an incredibly fun embroidery project. The animals themselves were a challenge to do. I love how they turned out. The textures of the different stiches and yarns are fun. Then came the wall boards - OMG - what a frustrating nightmare they were. They are stitched from a shiny - easily frayed - rayon upholstry thread - I bought many spools at the fabric warehouse. I had to work with short pieces and then the stitches were pulling the fabric out of shape. Many hours - lots of cursing - days of wetting and reblocking - finally adding some iron on interfacing to the back to hold it into shape.

The piecing was fun. I was sewing on the dining room table and rather than destroy all the clean decor, I was pressing on the top of the washing machine. I would sew a piece and then get up and walk in front of the tv to the laundry room - to the tune of "mom you're in the way" - and press that piece - then back again.

Oh yeah - I USED WHAT I HAD.

I am tickled with how it turned out. I'll show it to you in full when it goes to live at it's new home. Tracey can hang this at work, there will be nothing that can be used as a weapon in its construction - I'll use a piece of hat band material as a stiffener across the top and then ribbon to hang it from those command hooks. I am glad I don't have to think ahead of criminals every day in my work. I only have to be on guard for serious practical joking.

I feel better today - I am beginning to create the CIP project list for 2008. Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words. I can feel the creative juices beginning to flow. I'll have a weekend away from family soon - Jan 11-13 - work related, but the nights are mine. So looking forward to that trek. Then the next weekend, Jan 18 and 19, the travel volleyball season opens in Chattanooga, TN. There will be lots of crochet and quilting time there as we sit and watch or sit and wait.

Have a wonderful day.

Happy Friday..... And a WIP

Okay, so we will be inconvenienced by the well issue. However, one inconvenience has been offset by a huge convenience factor. Mom lives alone. She is tickled pink that she is going to see us so much. And HERE is the huge convenience ----- she has told me that if I will bring a load of laundry everynight - she will add her few things to it and have it ready the next night - dry and folded. Just how dang cool is that. I bought a bottle of laundry detergent and hauled a basket to Royston - oh yeah, call me lots of things but stupid is not one of them. We will pay the increase in her water bill for this convenience. Cheaper than a laundromat and definitely cheaper than a maid.

Recovery news - I rested really well last night - more like crashed and burned - but I needed it. Today - I feel almost back to normal but without the lethargy and fog from the medications I have been on for years. I have a tiny bit of discomfort. But nothing significant. I have a beanie hat to finish this afternoon and it is a stunning day. It is also my last 1/2 day of work - back to full reality next week - this afternoon I may sit in the porch swing and finish this hat before taking off to a basketball game.

Tomorrow will find me working on the piecing for this little lovely.

While Charles was building walls in the barn, I was doing the same on fabric. Another UWIH item as well. Those long lines in the background are designed to be boards. I will handwash this tonight and pin it out for blocking. I have the fabric selected for the rest of the item. You won't find the finished one here, but I will post it over at CIP when I finish, this is one of the projects I listed for my Sister over there.

Tonight - I'll just be stamping and gluing tags and cards and such for the CIP packages.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Kitchen Quilts

I visited with my Mom last night. If I never pieced another quilt, I could work on these until I died. She loves to piece but not quilt. My travel projects in the future are going to be quilting all these tops she has made.

She calls these "kitchen quilts" because she works at her kitchen table when she makes them. All of these are scrappy in their nature. Some more so than others.

We had a great time visiting - much laughter - stories - it was a good night. We have not had the best relationship in the world. Past hurts are healing. Last night you could really feel the change in the relationship - it was open and fun - requiring no effort at all.

Anyway - I took these pictures while we were talking - more about these....


I get my inner fabric whore personality from her. She has sewn all my life. Used to make my clothes when I was small. She saves even the smallest scraps. The top above is 95 squares. Not one repeat in fabric and not one purchase of fabric. Very colorful. Very fun.


The starburst has been a challenge for her in the past. All of the diamonds were hard to piece. Look carefully at the picture - this one is all right triangles and squares. Much easier. This one is wall sized or table top sized.


The "scottie" quilt. Fun and the little sweaters on the dogs are made from a fabric that my sister had a shirt of. This will fit a single bed easily and will be a great car quilt.

This one took me a while to figure out. It is a pieced sunbonnet girl - holding a stepping around the mountain quilt. The contrast on her pale green bonnet could have been greater. She used what she had so we will make this work. If you study it - you can see it. I will quilt that area in a varigated dark green overdyed floss - I will stipple the bonnet squares to make it look like a small sprigged print. This should bring out the detail needed to show off the girl. The background is various squares of muslins. This is adapted from a pattern in Postage Stamp Quilts.

Really wanted to brag a little on mom. The stroke she suffered in January has had some lasting effects. She refuses to give into those. It takes her longer to accomplish everything. Figuring out how to piece these patterns is difficult for her, she keeps a quad ruled pad close by and colored pencils. As she selects fabrics, she colors in the pattern in a pencil close to that tone, then cuts the pieces she needs and numbers the fabric stacks to coordinate with the colored in pattern. Then she can remember what goes where . Sounds like a lot of trouble, but her short term memory is not as it should be and this is how she offsets the effects. We all could learn so much about tenacity from this kind of response to a challenge. She has had to adapt many ways of doing things in order to thrive. Sure she could just get by, lean on others and let them take care of things. But she has chosen to thrive. She is my hero because of that.

She is an ordinary woman, with a challenging situation, refusing to let that challenge overcome who she is inside. That makes her extraordinary.

Have a wonderful day.

Oh crap - a project regrouping

I have had a baby quilt design percolating for some time now. This is supposed to be for a late December baby - interpret that as I could complete in November. Well - yesterday at church it was announced that the shower for this baby will be on October 23. So panic and chaos has arrived at my house. Gotta get busy.

Would you all believe I did not have to run to the store for anything on this one? LOL

This will be random soft colored (girly) square rows separated by coordinating unpieced rows. I will quilt the squares around the edge and the long rows will have the words in large script quilted in. Gotta get busy. Seems this little girl was farther along than anticipated and is now scheduled to arrive almost a month early.

This results in a major buckle down. I'll be cutting tonight and piecing on Wednesday night. (softball game on Tuesday) Then quilting and quilting and quilting after that.

I have updated over at CIP this morning. Just look at the fun stuff some lucky people will be receiving.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

My bags are packed......

I'm ready to go. So now you have the Leaving on a Jet Plane song stuck in your head for today. (personally I love the Armageddon soundtrack version)

Vallen - the queen of cool bags and other wonders - sent this bag to me for my birthday. It is phenomenal. Big enough to carry a baby quilt AND the crochet doll blanket kit. Pocket for my wallet and water and a snack or two. Thank you my lovely friend.

Here is the new bag - ready to go - double header tonight for Miss Abby. The first game will be in the late summer afternoon heat- that means those little crochet squares - I only like 15 finishing all that I need for this project. Then the second game will be into the evening - darker and with a slight hint of fall in the air - I will break out the cowboy quilt for that. After we get home, I have to iron and starch some vintage lace and get it packaged up. I also want to assemble the frame for my Sweet and Sinister swap partner's package.

Have you seen the trailer for the new Jodie Foster movie? I want to see this one. The Brave One opens soon and I want to be there.

I am busily preparing for several things at work. Several things at home. Most importantly I am preparing for the first Sunday of my new Sunday School toddler class. I will be using a simple book from my childhood as the teaching tool and then putting together activities and crafts to go with this. I will be teaching three and four year olds. I have taught this age group before and then all of a sudden we didn't have any kids in this bracket, but now we do and we will be starting this on Sunday, Sept 9th. Please remember us in your prayers.

I also have signed Molly up for the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) day of visitation. There is no way we can afford this school without some kind of divine intervention, but we are putting the plan into place in the event that happens. I absolutely cannot believe we are preparing for college. How can that tiny little thing they handed me just yesterday be getting ready for college? I am sure there will be a lot more traveling as we go through this process. I am terrified of the whole process of sending her to college. Maybe I could send her to live with MaryAnn and then she could chaperone and make sure she goes to class like she needs to. Molly is so responsible that part really doesn't worry me.

I hope this finds all of you happy and healthy. Have a wonderful day.

Happy Trails to You

I was MIA yesterday, sorry. A coworker lost his dad after a prolonged illness and that left us very short handed at work. Add to that a very busy day on the showroom and the extra duties of trying to cover his job. We have determined that I am a piss-poor replacement for him.

Add to the stress - the doctors office called and said that the doctor wanted to go over the results of my biopsy, but he was on call at the hospital so he would see me today. Why do the doctors do that? I spent the entire day and night worrying what might be wrong. I go at 3:30 today to find out what this was all about.

Anyway - I got home and started cleaning up in the craft room (aka dining room at my house) - damn I need that studio finished.

The cowboy quilt has been laying there - neglected - lonely, all cut out and partially pieced. High Ho Silver - it struck me - and me and Tonto (trusty first sewing machine) decided it was time to rescue this lovely. So ---- I sewed and I pressed seams and I measured the binding fabric. And I sewed and pressed seams and ......



THE COWBOY QUILT IS READY TO BASTE AND QUILT. Now I put my binding on "wrong" according to many. I like to have a "frame" around my quilts, so I have sewn on this gingham check contrast around it. The backing is more of the chambray shirting in the blue. I really like how the red check pulls the little Roy Rogers prints into focus. After I hand quilt this I will trim the backing and batting, then fold this check to the back and hand finish. (By the way - this thing is huge - I'll give accurate measurements when it's finished.)

Whatcha think folks --I am loving this one - maybe a little cowboys mom will too. This one will be for sale.

NOW - sneak peaks at a certain English Professors gift. I have been pulling together a mixed media work that I am calling MY 2 CENTS WORTH. It is based on ideas I have and quotes that I have collected that I feel are required for living a full life.

It is soft in some areas. Vintagey in some. Loud and rowdy in some. I have been setting aside the stuff to do something like this for years. I wanted it to have meaning both for me and for the person who became its owner. The style is widely varied - but hell - so am I.

A partial party page. The actual quote says "Celebrate your inner diva." Those girls are stickers that came on a clothing tag and they are just too much fun not to share.

A blurred page - this one will say - TRAVEL.

Yes it's an altered book of sorts. With room for notes and doodles. Blank pages for thoughs on fine living and quotes and memory triggers. It is giving me the opportunity to use some newer stuff. Some handcrafted stuff. Some of my best stuff. And maybe because I am so focused on it being this way - some of my most rewarding work.

I made a set of cards on lovely card stock several years ago for my local best friend. They were sized for wooden cigar boxes. I add to them occasionally as a new page of the story needs to be told. LBF has said how much those cards mean and how well the story is represented. I really need to take some pictures of those and share them.

I hope MaryAnn adds her personality to mine in this. I hope she will modify the art with her own signature.

It was a strenuous day - but I accomplished so much.

Hope you have a wonderful day.