March Quilting

I managed to quilt most days in March after joining the challenge to "quilt every day." I finished one project:



I also worked on another quilt that I had put aside for a couple of years - it's called Diamond in the Rough. I'm not finished with it yet, but I have all of the blocks completed and sewn into rows; I'm in the process of sewing the rows together. I needed some more fabric for the borders to make it bigger, which I was able to find recently. Here are the rows (the little white squares you see are my notes pinned on to keep the rows in order):



And here is a close up of one of the blocks:



The reason that I hadn't worked on this quilt in a long time was that I was unhappy with a couple of the fabrics in the star points; there wasn't enough contrast between them and the background, so they disappeared. I decided to use Fabrico ink on the couple of fabrics that were too light, and it made all the difference in the world. It's a reminder that value is often more important than color.

I also did some machine embroidery this month, but I don't have a finished product to show yet.

Finished Quilt

Finally, a new post! I've been trying hard to quilt every day, and I've managed to succeed almost every day. Today I finished this quilt that I've been working on. I wanted to get it finished before I leave for the State Retreat on Friday, because I want to show it there. One of the classes I'm taking at retreat is being taught by the woman I bought this pattern from at a previous retreat (she taught the class at that retreat, and I didn't take the class - but when I saw the quilts that were done in the class, I bought the pattern from her). All I have left to do is hand sew down the sleeve and the label. But even if I don't get that done, I can still show the quilt at retreat.

I've been having some trouble with my laptop's power button - sometimes it doesn't turn on when I press the button. So I took it in to have it looked at (while it's still under warranty). And as kind of an afterthought, I also asked them to look at the USB port where I plug in my mouse, because it's loose. Well, they didn't find anything wrong with the power button (I must not be pressing it in the center of the button), but they have to send it in to have the USB port replaced. I need the computer over the weekend and the first part of next week (I really MUST finish our taxes!), so I'll have to take it back to them to send in next week. I'm going to HATE being without it!! But we'll be traveling during part of the time, so that's really a good time to send it in (although I usually take it with me when we travel). I guess I'll just sketch and photograph while on vacation.

EDM Challenge #15

Challenge #15 is to draw a tree. Our Bradford Pear is blooming so wonderfully right now that I decided to draw it.

Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote

I finished this book today. It was pretty good. Not quite as good as I was expecting, but I mostly enjoyed it. Merle is a stray dog who is taken in by the author. There are stories about their life together and a lot of information about animal behavior research. Sometimes the research info got a little tedious, but a lot of it was interesting. And of course, since dogs live so much shorter lives than people do, it had a very sad ending. Merle was an exceptional dog, who reminded me of our previous lab (Ralph) in some ways. I would rate this book 3 out of 5.

Quilt Studio

I've just joined the Quilt Studio Web Ring - you can see the button for it over in the right hand column. It is a group of bloggers who are interested in sharing ideas about quilts with other quilters. Lots of good blogs in the ring - I haven't even seen them all yet because there are quite a few. But it's cool to be a part of it.

Mexican Stars Quilt

I've been working on a quilt pattern called Mexican Stars. You can see the pattern here (this isn't my quilt - it's a picture of the pattern). I've got the top finished, and I've been quilting it this week. I really enjoyed making the top. It has a very innovative way of making the curves; they are three dimensional and are not pieced (which is good, since I don't like piecing curves).

I've had a bit of trouble with my machine's stitch regulator, which has been an ongoing battle for me. Every time I take it in for service, the tech can't find anything wrong with it. I finally realized why today. There are two different ways to use the stitch regulator; the tech always tests it one way, and I stitch with it the other way. I guess I need to take it back in for her to look at again. It wouldn't be so bad, but the shop is about 60 miles from my house (sigh).

Our Quest for the Perfect Margarita

I did this page a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post it. I bought the glasses and the shaker for my DH for valentine's day. The writing says, "We both like the Perfect Margarita at Applebee's. I did a Google search for the recipe. I found several, but they weren't the same. Brian, the bartender, suggested this. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good."

Recipe is:
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/4 oz. Grand Marnier
3/4 - 1 oz. lime juice (fresh squeezed is best)
2 1/2 - 3 oz. Margarita Mix

EDM Challenge #162

I finished the current challenge today, which is "Draw Your Breakfast." This was harder than I thought it would be, and there are some things I'm not really happy with, but I'm still learning, so that's ok.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I haven't read very many classics. After seeing two different movie versions of this, I decided I really should read it. I'm glad I did. It was very entertaining (even knowing the story in advance). The story is of Elizabeth Bennet and her four unmarried sisters. Because women can't own property and their father isn't well off financially, the daughters must "marry well." Whenever Mr. Bennet dies, his estate will transfer to the girls' cousin Mr. Collins.

Mr. Darcy is a very rich and very proud man who falls in love with Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth dislikes Mr. Darcy at first, and pretty much tells him so when he proposes to her. Eventually Elizabeth has a change of heart (and Mr. Darcy changes as well - he becomes less proud) and all ends well.

I rate it 4 out of 5.

By the way, if you want to see the movie, go for the one with Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It's great - and very complete.

Hideaway Pizza

I thought I'd uploaded this page already, but I see that I haven't. I carry a smaller journal in my purse now so that I can sketch wherever I am. This was my first sketch in that small journal. The writing says, "We don't go out to dinner very often. And because of my high cholesterol, we rarely eat pizza. So it was a real treat to go to The Hideaway for dinner tonight, my all time favorite pizza place. We ordered half and half like we always do; mushrooms, black olives, sun dried tomatoes for me; hamburger, mushrooms for Glen." This is from 2/29/08.

EDM Challenge #1

I've joined a drawing and sketching Yahoo group called Everyday Matters. I really like the name - I think it has dual meanings. To me, first it means that every day is important. And second, it's about noticing (and drawing) every day items.

They have weekly challenges, which just gives you ideas of things to draw. The challenges have been going on for over 3 years now, because they're up to number 162 or so. I'm going to do the challenges as I feel inclined. I'm not going to try to "catch up" since that would be very hard to do at this point, and I'm not going to do them in order. But it just so happened that the first one appealed to me. It was to draw a shoe. So on Saturday, when we were at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, I sketched the shoe I had on. I really wish that I had worn my brown shoes instead of my black shoes that day - it's really hard to get definition in black. But I went with what I was wearing. I finished it up tonight. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.



For most of the art I've been doing in my journals, I've been using watercolor pencils. But I decided for the black shoe I needed to use regular colored pencils in order to get shades of black and gray.



I also drew this flag on Saturday.

Quilt Every Day

I am participating in a challenge called Quilt Every Day (you can read about it here). The idea is to spend at least 10 minutes every day quilting. The challenge is for the month of March, but I didn't learn about the challenge until March 5. We spent the entire day at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships yesterday, so I didn't have even 10 minutes to quilt yesterday (but I did do some sketching, so I don't feel quite as bad - I may adapt the challenge to be "spend at least 10 minutes doing something creative every day"). And for some reason that I don't remember, I don't think I quilted on Friday either. But I'm going to try really hard to do this every day - 10 minutes isn't very much time after all. Of course, most days that I quilt, I spend much more than 10 minutes at it.

Today, I've pieced a back for a top that I'm ready to quilt. Now I'm ready to layer and pin baste it. Then on to quilting.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago. I know I've said this a lot lately, but this really is one of the best books I've ever read. I don't even know where to begin to describe this book (in fact, I've had this post in draft form since I finished the book, not sure what else to add; I finally decided I better just post it). So I'll start with what's written on the back cover:

"It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

"By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hnidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, whereever there are books to be found.

"But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down."

I rate this book 5 out of 5.

Cyber Fyber Again

I'm doing another trade with Susan Lenz of Cyber Fyber; this time for a postcard. This is the postcard I'm sending. I did something totally new (to me) with this; I started with a white tone-on-tone fabric and used watercolor crayons to paint the rainbow, sky, and grass. Then I free motion stitched over the rainbow and the grass and added the flowers. I'd never used water color crayons on fabric before; I'm sure I'll be doing it again. You can see the postcard I'm trading for here.

Baskets of Love

I finished this quilt on Friday and hung it up yesterday before I remembered to take a picture of it. It is hanging in my bathroom, so I couldn't get far enough away from it to get the whole quilt in the picture. The only part that is cut off is the very bottom of the blocks and the bottom border, but since the bottom blocks are the same as the top blocks, and all the borders are the same, I figured I could use the picture anyway. It's much easier than taking it off the wall, getting my DH to hold it, and taking another picture. :) I really enjoyed making this quilt. The pattern is in the book Hearts Aplenty by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. In the book, the name of the quilt is Circle of Friends, but I named mine Baskets of Love. My good friend Betty Gilliam taught the class at a recent state retreat. My goal was to finish it in time for our Spring Retreat the end of this month so that I could take it for Show and Share.

My Cyber Fyber ATC

I think I've decided to send this ATC to Susan Lenz for the Cyber Fyber exhibition.

Cyber Fyber

I am thrilled to be participating in the Cyber Fyber Exhibition. To explain what this is, it's easiest to quote from the website:

"CYBER FYBER is an exhibition of international fiber art scheduled for January 8th through 20th, 2009 at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, USA. The brainchild of Susan Lenz, this exhibit will focus on the supportive, global community of fiber artists with whom Susan regularly shares new techniques, contemporary approaches to textiles, and finished work by Internet websites and blogs."

To learn more about this, the website is here. I made several fabric ATC's (artist trading cards) back in 2006 when I was a member of a small group of artists who met twice a month to make and trade cards. I have some of them left, and I think I will use one of them for this trade (unless I decide to make something new, which I might). I'll decide in the next few days.

The ATC that I'm getting can be seen on Susan Lenz's blog here. I am really excited about this!

Hemming New Jeans

I journaled today about one of my less favorite sewing activities - hemming jeans. I think the journaling was more fun than hemming the jeans. Although to be honest, every time I do hem jeans, I decide it really isn't that bad. It doesn't really take all that long. These jeans had been in my sewing room for about a month now, waiting for me to get to them. I only finished two of them - hopefully tomorrow I'll do the last pair. I saved the off-white jeans until last, figuring I probably wouldn't be wanting to wear them as soon. But I do want to get them done. If you want to know what the journaling says, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Stained Glass Art Journal Page

My latest journal page. The writing states: "Last month, we went to the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa to see an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright. I was really impressed with his stained glass. This is my interpretation."

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

I finished this book today. Pretty quick read, made quicker by the fact that I've got (another) bad cold and didn't feel like doing anything other than read today.

Nicky, age 12, and her father go for a walk in the woods and find a newborn baby abandoned in the snow. As the story unfolds, we learn that Nicky's mother and baby sister were killed in an auto accident two years earlier, and Nicky's father decides to leave New York and escape to remote New Hampshire. They've been living a pretty isolated life. When the baby's mother shows up and a big snowstorm hits, Nicky and her father must confront their own grief as well as decide what to do about Charlotte (the baby's mother).

I rate this book 3 out of 5.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My DH brought home a pot of beautiful tulips for me yesterday, so of course they found their way into my journal.

As for him, I made him his favorite cookies today - peanut blossoms. I really don't know why I don't make them more often - they're pretty easy as cookies go. They're peanut butter, bisquick, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla, rolled into balls and baked. Then you take them out and put a hershey's kiss in each one, and they're done. I also gave him a set of margarita glasses, a shaker, and researched margarita recipes online (we both like margaritas, so this was probably as much for me as for him - we don't usually do a lot for valentine's day). I may have to do a second journal page!

A Few More Skating Pics - Senior Dance and Senior Pairs

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto - dance gold medalists -



Meryl Davis and Charlie White - dance silver medalists -



Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker - pairs gold medalists -



Rena Inoue and John Baldwin - pairs silver medalists -

A Few Skating Pics - Senior Ladies and Senior Men

Mirai Nagasu - ladies gold medalist -



Rachael Flatt - ladies silver medalist -



Evan Lysacek - mens gold medalist -



Johnny Weir - mens silver medalist -

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

I finished this book today. It is one of the best books I've ever read. It tells the story of Aminata Diallo, a young African girl who is captured and enslaved at the age of 11 in 1757. She is taken to South Carolina to work on an indigo plantation. She travels from South Carolina to New York, then to Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and England, where she helps the abolitionists in their quest to end the slave trade (not slavery, just the trade, which is a sore point with Aminata). She loses everything and everyone she ever loved, and it is a truly remarkable story. I rate it 5 out of 5.

Two New Art Journal Pages

I finally finished the page below from our drive to St. Paul. Basically, I took pictures of the state signs as we entered each state so that I could sketch them later. The color gets lighter toward the top of the page because the farther north we went, the more snow there was.



I have season tickets to the Tulsa Ballet, and I attended a performance on Sunday. So the page below is from that. I actually had the page almost finished that night, but I was waiting for my Pan Pastels to arrive so that I could do the sky. I love these! It is an artist-quality pastel in a pan, so they have a much higher pigment content than all of the other chalks I have from scrapbooking. They also have lots of tools available for them. Here they are if you're interested: pan pastels.

Journal Quilt

This is the second in my new series of alphabet quilts. The six rectangles are actually separate pieces that I've attached to the quilted background with brads in the corners. Left to right, top to bottom, I drew the letter P with markers, I painted the next single pear with paint sticks, the next two are rubber stamped and colored, next single pear is appliquéd, and the words are rubber stamped. I really feel that this one is much more creative than my "A is for Apple" quilt.

Journal Quilts

I'm taking a journal quilt class right now at Quilt University. Journal quilts are just small quilts that can be anything you want them to be. I'm doing them to try out new techniques and try to do some things without a pattern.

My first quilt is all about not having enough time to do all the various things I want to do. Not necessarily the most artistic quilt, but it was my first one, and I was happy with it. I tore all of the strips with writing on them to go with the idea of being torn among activities. I also did a bit of bobbin work that doesn't show up very well - this is where you put a thread in the bobbin that is too heavy to go through the needle, and then stitch from the back so that the heavy thread is on the front.



Then I decided that I want to make a series of journal quilts around the alphabet. I started with A is for Apple, but I won't do the rest of them in order - my next one will be P - Pear. I rubber stamped ". . . is for . . ." I stenciled the "A" and "APPLE." I appliquéd the apple, stem, and leaf after drawing them myself. I used my own hand-dyed fabrics for the apple and the leaf, and also inked them to make them look more like I wanted them to look.



I'm hoping to get my next one done tomorrow - I've already got some ideas for it.

Baking Bread

I baked bread 5 loaves of bread the day before yesterday, so of course I had to do a page in my journal about it!

New Art Journal Pages

I sketched this page on our way to St. Paul a couple of weeks ago - it is my impression of our drive through Kansas on that day.



I sketched this next page on our drive to the Mall of America when our car said that the outside temperature was -5 degrees F.



This next page represents a word game that my mom and I play, called Perquackey.



And I did this last page on Sunday, when I basically did 3 things: cleaning our bathroom (ugh!), attending an OSU Wrestling match (OSU won, but it was a very close, and exciting, match), and then making my first Journal Quilt.

What Kind of Flower Are You?

I am a Daisy What Flower Are You?

"You are just a sweet person. When a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, you are happy to offer yours with a box of tissues as well. Once in awhile, you wish you could be a little more dramatic but then sensibility sets back in and you know that you are perfect the way you are."