Sister's Choice Quilts

My Old Eyes

My eyes are old.  They started getting old when I was 40.  The first of many things to go.  I first noticed that my vision was changing when I realized I had to hold my book farther and farther away from my face in order to make out the printing.  When it got to the point that I was propping the book on the mantle across the room, I admitted that I might need some eye glasses.

When I visited my ophthalmologist, I was told that my far sightedness was due to aging.  For heaven's sakes, 40 isn't old.  I was given a prescription, but the doctor advised that I could save a bundle of money by purchasing magnifying "readers" from my drug store.  Nothing wrong with my eyes except for the normal effects of aging.  I told him to stop saying that, and left his office.   Of course I filled the prescription and paid $300 for a pair of glasses, which I promptly lost somewhere.

So my last resort was to go to the drug store and try out a pair of Dr. Dean Edell's eyeglasses for reading.  Do you have Dr. Dean's glasses where you live?  They are in all the drug stores here in California.  I started out with the mildest version, which I think was 1.00.  I lost those pretty quickly too.  On my next visit to the drug store, I tried the 1.25 version and liked that very much.  Lost those too.

I finally got wise and started buying my Dr. Dean's in bulk.  Every time I would go to my pharmacy, I would pick up an extra pair.  Over the years, I have worked my way up to the 1.50s, the 2.00s and the 2.25s.  I seem to have stabilized at the 2.50s thank goodness.  They only go up to 3.00.  I asked the doctor about that and he said that older people's eyes usually don't get much worse than 2.50 or 3.00.  That is why you don't see them for sale at the drugstore in stronger levels.  Honestly, why does that guy like to flaunt the fact that I am no longer a spring chicken whenever I see him?

Now, since I have my reading glasses in every room of the house (and at work, in my purse, in my car), I never worry about losing them.  In fact, I often have a pair on my head and a pair on my face.  I have a habit of perching my glasses on my head you see.  My all time record is when Andrea mentioned mildly that I had three pair of Dr. Dean's on the top of my head, did I know that? 

Any way, my reading glasses are one of my favorite things to help me out in my aging process.  The other crucial thing is my Spanx, which if you don't have you are either very very thin or very out of touch.  Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

In fact, I love my Spanx so much that I am offering the Hide and Sleek Cami as a give away.  They come in size small, medium, large and extra large.  I will do a drawing next Friday and the winner can tell me her size and I will send you my favorite Spanx product!   All you need to do is a make a comment to this post.  No duplicate comments please.

This is what I look like in my Hide and Sleek cami.  Just kidding, but it really helps smooth out the bumps.

The Angler 2 Revisited

After my post yesterday, bemoaning my lack of time to work on my Charming Girls Quilt Club project, I got more questions about the blue tape on the bed of my sewing machine!  What is that tape for?  Why do I have blue tape on my Bernina?  The blue tape isn't anything special, it is just some painter's tape my husband had out in the garage.  I like using it because no matter how long you leave it in place, you can still pull it up easily without damaging the surface of whatever you stuck it on.  Ok, I realize you don't want to know the details of the TAPE, but rather my purpose in using it.  LOL

 

You place your two squares for the half square triangles under the needle, ready to sew.  Instead of drawing lines down the middle of the square, you use the guide lines on the Angler when you stitch.  It is easy to position the Angler perfectly because they give you a little template that you use to get it lines up perfectly in the first place.  Once the Angler is positioned, you remove the template.  (See the rectangular area around my presser foot and needle? Where the plastic has been cut away?  That is where the template was positioned to get every thing lined up).

Notice how the top tip of the square pictured below is lined up with my quarter inch sewing foot?  Notice how the bottom tip is lined up with the right hand guide line of the Angler 2?  (I put some extra tape there as well to make it show up more).  The method is that you stitch along, constantly keeping your eye on that bottom tip and making sure it stays right on the line.  You will have perfectly straight stitching lines every time.  When you get to the end, just flip your square around 180 degrees and repeat the process for your second stitching line.  When you are finished, just cut between your two sewn lines as usual and you will have two half square triangle units.  You can still chain stitch tons of them just like you do with other methods.

 

It really is a fabulous product.  I understand that there are other manufacturers with similar products out now, but this is the only one I have ever used.  

Below, I have re-posted something from a couple of years ago where I raved about this product.

For my Carrie Nelson class project "Jellystone", I have been making half square triangles.  A lot of them.  Around 300 to be exact.  The method we used in class was the traditional way of drawing a line from corner to corner on a light background square, sewing a quarter inch on each side of the line, then cutting on the line to get your two half square triangles. 

That means you have to draw a lot of lines to get 300 half square triangles.  I get bored drawing lines, and want to just get to the sewing part.  You may notice that my square in the picture above has no line drawn on it, yet the stitching looks pretty good, yes?  I am about to share a little secret with you.  It is called the Angler Two.

This little gizmo is a miracle.  You just line it up and tape it to the throat plate of your sewing machine, and line the corners of your square up with the proper line and sew away.  You can use this for making half square triangles, flying geese, snowball blocks, you name it.  It is a huge time saver, and I really recommend it.  How accurate is it?  I will show you.

 

Here is a finished half square triangle made with the Angler Two attachment.  And below is the square lined up with my 2 1/2 inch square ruler:

I LOVE the Angler Two!  You still have to trim off your dog ears from all your squares though.  If only they would come up way for us to skip that step...

Just Kidding.

I told you nothing was going on around here.  This is the pizza my husband got at Papa Murphy's.  He likes to doctor them up with fresh veggies we have in the fridge.  We have been having pizza quite a lot lately, and even though I am getting just a tad weary of the same old thing, I am grateful I don't have to cook after an 11 hour work day.

I did wander into my sewing room to wipe the dust off my Bernina.  When is my Prairie Paisley quilt going to get done?  It is my project for the Charming Girls Quilt Club, and the deadline is Friday!

I am SO close to being finished.  Just four hours should do it.  Where will I find them?  Shall I do an all nighter like back in my college days?

Sleeping Beauty

 

I know, another dog post.   There hasn't been any sewing going on at my house, so this is the best I can do subject wise.  In fact, there isn't anything going on at my house, since I am at work one place or another every single minute.  Tomorrow I may have to post on the pizza my husband plans to pick up for our dinner. 

Anyway, on with the dog post.

In the morning, after her walk with Ozzie and my DH,  Sophie likes to come back to my bedroom, where I am sleeping (where else would I be at 6:00 AM?).  She jumps into bed with me, snuggling close, for a bit of shut eye after all that exercise.  I don't mind.  She lies still and is warm to cozy up to.

It is rare that she holds still, so I put a lot of value on these quiet moments.  Her normal mode is to dash around trying to collect odd bits of discarded clothing on the floor of the closet, or to bring me nasty things from the waste basket, or to snatch my reading glasses off the bedside table and make me chase her around for them.  She is a tease, that is for sure.

When I get up around 7:15, she tends to want to occupy the warmest spot that I have left behind, which typically is my pillow.  Isn't she adorable?  She snoozes while I get dressed for work and sip my coffee and check my email.  When it's time for me to head out the door, I have to wake her up and break the bad news that it is time for her to go outside for the day.

I know how you feel baby.

Birds on the Table

I thought my latest summer table scape was adorable.  Pottery Barn is my best friend right now for in season decorations to give the house a bit of a spruce up.  I picked up the candles, table runner and cast iron crows there on Friday. 

My husband gave me a call on my cell phone when I was driving home from work on Saturday.  Evidently he had just noticed the table with the big footed crows.

"Listen.  We need to talk about those birds on the dining table". 
"Oh, don't you just LOVE them?  They are so cute!"
"Well, no, actually, I think they are rather disgusting".
"No!  You are kidding me, right?  They are the most darling things ever.  You don't like them?"

Now, I have been known to make a mis-step once in a blue moon when it comes to my seasonal decor, but these birds are dead on wonderful, don't you think?  Much much better than those little Christmas stockings that I had to return back in December.

My Guy

 

Is he adorable or what?  That is my Ozzie pictured above.  My husband found the picture in his camera, and it looks like it is about a year or more old.  PDC as my husband says.  (Pretty damn cute).  He hasn't changed much since we got him.  He is still mischievous, still loves to go for a ride in the car, and still loves to nap on the back of my chair.  He gets hysterical if the door bell rings, or if a visitor comes to the house, or if he thinks we might be planning a ride in the car that does not include him.  He is a constant source of entertainment and I love him to pieces.  He recently had his second birthday!  He celebrated by chewing up my brown wedge espadrilles.

Now that we have two dogs, we find that we have to make sure we keep things totally equal between them.  If one gets a treat, the other must get one as well.  Preferably at the exact same micro second.

You may notice that Sophie (on the right) looks like she has put on some weight.  Shhh, don't let her hear us talking about this sensitive subject.  How could she be gaining weight, when she and Ozzie eat exactly the same food in the same amounts?  Well, the only thing I can think of is that her steady diet of prairie dogs must be doing it.  We just had her groomed this week, and I was expecting that once her shaggy hair got trimmed off she would look skinny again.  Umm, well, no she didn't.  She looks like a barrel.  Kind of like me. 

They also need their equal amounts of affection.  If my husband is petting one of them, the other has to be petted by me at the same time.

Have You Seen This?

These are a few fat quarters of Joel Dewberry's latest collection "Deer Valley".  He designs for Free Spirit and this is the Azure line from the Deer Valley group.  There are two other color ways called "Persimmon" and "Tarragon".  OMG.  Really really pretty fabric.  Check it out at fatquartershop.com.

I am not sure how I will use this fabric group, but I do know that I want to emphasize the fantastic prints.  Do you have any suggestions for patterns that would be appropriate for those times when you just can't bear to cut your fabric up into teensy bits?

On the subject of breakfast, I have to say, my first day didnt' go so well.  I have a firmly entrenched habit of having my dear husband bring me an insulated Starbuck's cup full of freshly brewed coffee as an incentive to me getting up out of bed.  I have to convince him to bring my that first cup in a bone china cup.  Then, I think I could maybe head for the kitchen and concentrate on fixing myself a bit of breakfast.  Instead, I stagger to the computer with my car cup and log into my email.   Tomorrow is another day.

I have something that I am selling on eBay, that is just sitting there with the lamest bids you can imagine.  I have an entire bundle (38 fat quarters) of Paris Flea Market by 3 Sisters for Moda, which cannot be found anywhere for love or money.  It is packaged in a decorative fabric covered collectible box.  This is the greatest fabric collection ever and my highest bid is $15.99 at the moment. Hello?  That fabric collection is practically priceless.  If you are interested in bidding on it, go check out the listing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Moda-Paris-Flea-Market-Bundle-by-3-Sisters_W0QQitemZ300332120584QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Fabric?hash=item45ed307a08&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|293%3A1|294%3A50

Breakfast

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Do you have a breakfast ritual?  Do you have a designated place to eat breakfast?  Do you bother with breakfast at all?

Diet experts say that eating breakfast is important for a number of reasons.  It keeps you from snacking during the day, since you feel fuller.  The breakfast habit gives you energy and helps you concentrate.  Having some food in your tummy actually raises your metabolism and helps get you going in the morning.  You mom was right.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  And if Mom saying so isn't enough to convince you, how about this:  breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

I love the concept of getting up to a tidy kitchen, a cozy breakfast table with fresh flowers and quilted place mats.  Coffee perking away, croissants warming in the oven, fresh fruit sliced on a plate.  It is all good, and provides a tranquil peaceful start to the day.  It gives a person a gentle nudge into the day, rather than the typical rushed launch into it one gets by tearing around trying exit the house and arrive at work on time.

 

But do I treat myself to this relaxed and healthy start to my morning?  No.  This is what my breakfast table looks like:

 

I sit at the computer and sip my coffee and read email.  Then I tear around trying to get dressed and out the door to work.  It isn't calm, it isn't healthy and it is far far from Zen.  Around 10:30 I start thinking maybe I should eat the sandwich I brought for my lunch.  I eat that sandwich, then around 2:00 I start thinking maybe I need a snack.  And so it goes.

So here's my plan.  The kitchen will be completely tidied before bedtime, and the table in the kitchen appealingly set for breakfast.  The coffee will be ready to go in the coffee maker.  There will be fresh fruit, yogurt and granola available.  No need to *cook* anything for goodness sake.  I am not going over board here. 

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit.  Think I can do it?

What We Accomplished On Our Quilting Weekend

Not so much really.  Traffic was GHASTLY getting up to Granite Bay and once arrived, we just collapsed in sweaty heaps in Andrea's kitchen.  So, on Friday we drank margaritas, sipped gazpacho and ate cherry clafouti.  Total heaven, but no sewing.

Andrea is the most awesome hostess.   Her house is so welcoming and tranquil, and her cooking is fabulous.  We could have just sat in her kitchen sipping iced tea (or better yet, margaritas) all weekend and been happy as clams.  Go check out her last few posts to see some pictures of her house and her account of our visit.  It was like going to a resort.  A very hot resort.  Did I mention the temperature was over 100?  

As I mentioned, Friday night was kind of active for Sara and I, who had to get up a number of times with Remy, who was having some diarrhea issues.  Saturday morning we arose and got out our sewing machines and set them up at the kitchen table.  A bit of panic that one of the machines didn't have its power cord, but that proved unfounded.  We got to work on our projects.

Kate was finishing up a Posh Baskets quilt and had stacks of yummy blocks already made.  She had to finish a few more, and then would be on to constructing her rows.

 

Andrea was working on a Valentine's table topper she started around three years ago.  Of course now she wants matching border fabric, and do you think any can be found?  If you have either of these fabrics, let her know!  She was in full strip piecing mode.  I should have gotten some pictures of her finished block, which is a triple Irish chain.

 

I was planning on finishing up my Prairie Paisley blocks for my last border.  Only twenty four uneven nine patch blocks.  Easy peasy.  You would think I could have cranked those out in half a day.  But I didn't.

 

Sara was working on a fabulous pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, a Schnibbles pattern called McGuffey, which has to be one of the fastest and cutest patterns out there.  Her fabric choice was Twiggy by Sanae for Moda.  Extremely lovely fabric.  Get some if you haven't already.  You will be sorry if you don't.

 

And then..... Remy got really sick.  He couldn't walk.  Here he is, looking at Sara, as if to say,
"Mommy, it really really hurts.  Can't you fix it?"

 

Andrea was on the phone to her vet in a hot second, and before we knew it, she and Sara and Remy were roaring down the driveway to take Remy to the veterinary clinic.

Then hours went by.  It was so hard to concentrate.  Kate and I got some sewing done, but my mind wasn't totally focused on it.  I called Andrea once to see what was going on, but Kate stopped me from calling her every fifteen minutes.  Sara's husband Ryan, who was out in the wilderness on a camping trip, kept texting and phoning every five minutes for updates.  That little Remy sure does have some devoted family.

After three hours of waiting, finally the girls were home with the patient, who was looking fairly mopey after all he had been through.  He had two prescriptions and a strict bland diet.  Sara hand fed him and we all hovered around looking for any sign of improvement.  Not much sewing got done once we had our puppy home safe with us again.

We fortified ourselves with more margaritas, and helped Andrea get her gourmet dinner going.  She made shrimp tacos with a fabulous green sauce, and something called "corn fritters" that were out of this world.  This recipe is not for sissies.  You could seriously hurt yourself making these babies.  The recipe involves mixing fresh corn with a batter---

 

Then, plopping blobs of it into screaming hot oil----

 

Oh man, Andrea was totally covered up from head to toe except for her neck and where do you suppose the hot oil splashed?  Ouch, ouch, ouch.  She needed goggles and a tarp on the kitchen floor.  This is a great recipe, but the kitchen was demolished.  (Aside:  Look at her birdcage outside the kitchen window.  See what I mean about her being an amazing decorator?  It is touches like that that make a home unique.  She finds the coolest stuff).

 

The results were the most incredible thing any of us had eaten in ages.  Golden brown, crispy corn fritters that were to die for.

 

She made an awesome sauce to go on them, but I swear, you could just squeeze a lemon on them or dollop a bit of sour cream on top and you would be dancing.

 

We skipped dessert that night. 

The next day, Sunday, Remy was 100% improved.  We couldn't bear to mess up the kitchen Rick had cleaned up, so we didn't even get out our sewing machines!  We headed for home (and cooler temperatures) by 10:00 AM. 

So, not much sewing accomplished for a quilting retreat, but I have to say that despite the Remy drama, we all had a fantastic time.  I swear the seat belt in my Honda felt tighter than it used to.

Mixed Bag

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Our sewing retreat was kind of a mixed bag this weekend.  When we arrived, Andrea had margaritas chilling for us, and had made the most delicious gazpacho I have ever had.  She also threw together a couple of tomato basil pizzas that we nibbled on.  It was the perfect food for the warm temperature--which measured 111 degrees by my car thermometer.  My husband phoned and said it was 67 at home in Salinas.  That's what we call our Bay Area Microclimates.  If you don't like the weather where you are, drive 30 miles and experience something else.

Sara brought her darling little dog Remy along for the weekend, and he entertained us with his funny perky Westie ways Friday evening.  He was fine until we went to bed.  Sara and I shared a bedroom with Remy, and he kept us up nearly all night long.  He had a terrible tummy upset and had to keep going outside to potty.

The next morning, he was much worse, and refused to walk.  He didn't want to put any pressure on his back legs.  He didn't feel at all well.  We became so concerned that we called a veterinary clinic my sister had taken her pets to and got him an appointment to be seen right away.  So, Sara and Andrea were gone most of the afternoon having Remy looked after at the clinic.

Kate and I plugged along on our projects, but we were so distracted, wondering what was going on with poor little Remy.  The girls got back with him finally, and the report was that he must have eaten something really disgusting and had acute intestinal distress.  He had a couple of prescriptions, and after taking his medicine and being pampered outrageously, was completely back to normal the following morning.  Thank goodness!  Sara was actually hand feeding him little turkey wrapped rice bites dosed with his powdered medicine. 

A bit of sewing was accomplished amidst all this drama, and I will give you a picture show tomorrow.  Nothing even close to being finished, so don't get your hopes up!!!  It was just one of those things.

Woo Hoo! Sister's Quilt Retreat

What amazing and supportive comments I have had from you dear friends this week.  It is quite obvious I am not alone in dealing with rude customers and trying to make a go of it in this tough economy.   Thank you all for your thoughts and the time it took you to respond to me.  I appreciate you all more than you can know.

My best girls (my sisters and daughter) are having a quilting retreat this weekend!  WOO HOO!!!  I have been  dreaming of this for the past couple of weeks.  We will drive up to Andrea's in Granite Bay, where it is 100 degrees (instead of 66 degrees where I live) and set up our sewing machines and sew up a storm for almost three entire days.  Woo hoo again! We can wear sleeveless tops and not worry about our flabby arms.  We can eat whatever we want and not feel guilty.  We can say anything, knowing our audience will love us no matter what.

I SO need a break.  From financial issues, from crazy customers, from the daily grind.  A wonderful three days spent with the people I love the most.  We will set up our quilting studio in Andrea's kitchen, and  sip watermelon margaritas and talk about better days.  It will be fabulous.

So, what shall I work on?  Here's what I am thinking.

Toulouse.

Prairie Paisley.

Neptune.

And my latest new project, in conjunction with Cheryl at Gran's Place, BIRDSEYE.

What to do?  What to do?  So many choices, so little time.  OK!  I am off to pack the car~

 

I'm Over It

Hi Kids.  I am over my little rant of yesterday.  There are kooky folks in this world and I can choose to react to them or not.  I am choosing to forget about yesterday's little unpleasantness. 

So, what's up?  Well, I am having to economize.  This is what I have done.  I gave up my artificial nails.

This was REALLY hard.  I don't mean to be completely shallow, but I have been so vain of my hands forever, and not having beautifully manicured nails is a big sacrifice for me.  I have had bi-weekly manicures for the past 25 years, and now I have quit cold turkey.  Goodness those nails are delicate.

I gave up styling my hair.  I let it go au naturel, and this is what it looks like.

Who knew?  I am a Curly Girl.  I am embracing my curls, heaven help me.  We shall see how long this lasts.  Thank goodness for bobbi pins.  I can always pin up this big mess.  It sure is long.  Well, a good haircut costs $100, so that isn't going to happen any time soon.

Why am I on this austerity program?  Well, I don't really want to talk about it, but the wretched economy has come home to roost.  At my house.  Times are tough all over the country and now it has become personal.

How are the rest of you dealing with the current economic situation?  Any tips on how to save?  And survive?

Retail Hell

So what do you do?  You work in a retail store and someone wants to return something, and every single aspect of the scenario is weird?

The past couple of times I have come in for my shift at the womens' clothing store where I work, the manager has warned me that Corporate has been emailing all the franchises that there have been some fraudulent returns going on.  And I am instructed to report anything "unusual" in regard to a return to a manager.

So, let me give you a description of the shop where I work.  It is on two levels.  There is a downstairs that sells regular Missy sizes.  It has it's own main entrance on the second level of the Plaza where the shop is located.  There is an upstairs that sells Petite sizes.  It has its own outside entrance on the third level of the Plaza.  Not so many people come in that entrance, instead they use the stairs that connect the two floors inside the shop.

A well dressed woman enters the store on the third level, Petites, where I have been stationed to work today.  She approaches the counter and pulls a jacket out of her very large handbag.  No shopping bag, the jacket is stuffed into her purse.  She tells me she wants to return it.  I ask her if she has a receipt.  She blusters, "I bought it RIGHT HERE".  OK.  The jacket has no sales ticket on it.  Why isn't there a sales tag?  The jacket is not from Petites, it is from DOWNSTAIRS.  But she came in the upper level entrance.  Huh?  What's up with that?

So, that is three weird things about the return. 1) she pulls the item out of her *purse*, 2) she had ripped the tag off the garment, and 3) the item comes from the department downstairs, so why is she entering on the upper level and not going to the department where the item came from?

What would you do?  I called the manager on duty and told her I had a weird return.  She came upstairs and told me, "Oh my gosh Nicole.  You totally did the right thing, but I know this woman.  She is a local kook who owns an art gallery in town, and she is so eccentric.  I am sure this is all legit".  Well fine.  The manager says it's ok, so here we go.  I was all set to give her whatever she wanted.

However, the woman ended up going back downstairs to conduct her business with the manager, whom she knew.  She said to the manager, "I sure did get a weird vibe from that woman upstairs" (um, that would have been me).  Then the dumb manager said, "Well, she was suspicious of you because you pulled the item to be returned out of your handbag, it was from a different department, and you didn't have the price tag on the item".

THEN, and you won't believe this....the woman comes stomping back up the stairs yelling "Excuse me?  EXCUSE ME?????"  I said "Yes?", and man, did she ever light into me.  "You thought I STOLE this jacket?  I did NOT steal this jacket.  I have more money than you can ever DREAM of, and I don't need to steal no jackets!!!" 

Well, okey dokey.  We're cool.  The management says you're ok, so why do you feel the need to abuse me for doing my job?  Chill out madam. You are getting every freaking thing you want.

In her defense, the manager is coming after this wacko customer jabbering "Now Maria, don't get upset with Nicole, she was just doing what we told her to do".  Thanks a lot.  I had to listen to this crack pot repeat herself four times before she was satisfied that she had put me in my place.  Plus she kept us almost a half hour after the store had closed.

I know I can't take it personally.  But WHY am I subjecting myself to this sort of thing?  And I thought I was having fun helping women put cute outfits together.

I am having a Life Is Too Short Moment.

Neptune's Escape

Isn't this a "sea" of yumminess?  The fabric line is Neptune by Tula Pink.  Love these indigo, aqua, algae green and coral colors.  And the prints are so whimsical, with their Under the Deep Blue Sea theme.  There are submarines, life savers, swimming turtles, scales, tortoise shells, swirly waves and little anchors.  So darn cute--but subtle at the same time.  I have to remake a couple of those blocks with the fish scale print, now that I see them in the photograph (I have directional print issues), but otherwise I love every one of the blocks I have made so far.

I had an entire day free of any sort of employment or social obligation this weekend.  A lovely Sunday all to myself, to finish up my last border of the Prairie Paisley project.  Before I could settle in to work, however, one of my multiple personalities spoke up and suggested that I start something new.  Poor Prairie Paisley.  Is it ever going to get done? 

Lisa over at Stashmaster has been working on a fabulous new pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company called Sweet Escape.  The fabric she is using is Eva by Basic Grey--so new it isn't even available for sale yet.  Do go over and have a look at her quilt top.  It has been on my mind ever since Lisa first started posting about it.

The block is super easy--two four patches and two half square triangles.  The block pattern, a very old fashioned one, is called "Jewel Box".  The blocks go together in a jiffy, and it is lots of fun to combine the fabrics.  Have you ever noticed that when you deliberately try to be completely random in the way you combine fabrics in your blocks, INEVITABLY you keep putting the same two combos together (because they look so nice) and end up with identical blocks, in spite of your intention to have them all different?  (Is that a run-on sentence?)  Anyway, I do that *all the time*.

I think I may need some additional lights for this quilt top, but so far, so good!  What a lovely peaceful day I had at my Bernina.  Windows wide open, curtains fluttering in the breeze, a Diet Coke by my side, and dozing puppies at my feet.  Life is good. 

Oh!  I have BIG PLANS for the upcoming weekend!  I am going up to my sister Andrea's for a sewing retreat on Friday!  My sister Kate is coming as well, and maybe my daughter Sara, if her schedule permits.  (That girl works harder than I do!)  We will drive up on Friday and set up our sewing machines in Andrea's beautiful kitchen and turn on the air conditioner--but don't tell her husband Rick.  Maybe if we are super lucky, Andrea will make her famous Watermelon Margaritas.  This is gonna be FUN.

My Husband Throws a Dinner Party

My current schedule of working two jobs has caused our social life to take a big hit.  My poor husband, tiring of the same old routine of me coming home and flopping on the couch every evening, decided to take matters into his own hands and invite some friends over for a little dinner party.

I told him, "But Sweetie, I have to work all day on Saturday.  I won't get home until 6:30.  How can I ever get the house in shape and dishes prepared to feed everyone?"  He confidently told me he could handle it, and invited two couples to dinner at our house on July 11.

I was able to make a couple of salads ahead of time, as well as a dessert, and he was in charge of marinating the meat for a barbeque, cleaning the house, and decorating the table.  The picture above is his centerpiece and table decor.  I absolutely loved it.  I would never have picked those colors in a million years, but isn't it a fun and summery look?  I think it is adorable.  Do you know any men who could set a table like that as well as grill the steaks properly?

He also vacuumed the entire house, washed all the wood floors, cleaned the patio furniture AND washed the windows.  To say the least, our guests were completely wowed. Oh, and he cleaned up everything afterward.  The man is amazing. 

On another subject entirely, I want to invite you all to go check out a new blog called Fat Cat Quilts.  Allyson in Alaska, who has made a number of comments on my blog has jumped off the cliff and started her own blog about her quilting and her life in Alaska.  Her writing style is wonderful and I cannot wait to hear more of her stories.  Please hop over and welcome her to blogging.  She will be a terrific new friend for all of us to check on regularly.

Color Catchers

When we were discussing pre-washing our fabrics earlier this week, I forgot to mention something important.  There is a product I use when I wash my quilts for the first time, that helps protect the quilt against color bleeding.  It is called Color Catcher. 

I have said many times that I do not pre-wash my fabrics before cutting and sewing.  That being said, some times red fabric in particular makes me a teensy bit nervous.  Of all the colors, it seems somehow the most likely one to bleed or run into other fabrics when washed.  When I am piecing with fat quarters, I just go ahead and cut and sew without the extra step of pre-washing.  So far so good.  However, sometimes red means taking some precautions.

Recently I chose the red fabric pictured above to be the backing for my Opening Day/Roman Holiday quilt, which is pretty light overall. 

 

Wouldn't it be awful if that red backing bled onto the lovely lightness of the quilt top?  Oh my.  Yes it would. 

On the recommendation of Debbie, my friend who owns Prairiequeens Quilt Shop, I pre-washed the red backing fabric before the quilt top was quilted.  I used a product called Color Catcher, to magically prevent any bleeding of the red fabric onto the wonderfulness of my quilt top.  This product, is so sensational, I want to urge you all to get some and try it out.  You toss a sheet of it into the washing machine when you first wash a quilt, or when you  pre-wash a fabric you have worries about bleeding.

 

If you go back and have a look at my first photo at the top of this post, you will see a pinkish stained sheet on top of the washed red fabric.  That sheet is the Color Catcher, tinged with the pink that bled out of my red backing fabric!  It magically took on all the dye that could have otherwise mooshed onto lighter fabrics of the quilt top!!!  A miracle?  Maybe.

You may want to give this product a try. (Please do it).  I always use it when I wash a quilt for the first time, and you would be amazed to see what the sheets pick up.  Give it a try.  We can bluster that we don't bother to pre-wash, but this is a product that serves us very well that deserves some recognition.

You can find it in the laundry aisle of your supermarket.  I bet places like WalMart, KMart and Target would have it as well.

This Is My Life, and You're Welcome To It.

After seeing my post yesterday and the GLORIOUS Fruit Pizza that Andrea made, it is time to come down to Earth.  To my world.

This is what I served to my family this evening.

I am just so sorry to inflict this image on you, but I just need to humble myself a bit.  I do My Best.    I try to eat more vegetarian.  I try to eat organic. Seriously, I do.  It isn't all steak and potatoes around here.  My son came home last night with some lovely eggplant he had picked up at the Monterey Farmer's Market.  Totally organic, beautiful, Japanese eggplant.  He was so excited to contribute to the family food budget.  And this is what I did to it.

The recipe *sounded* good.  It involved wild rice, mushrooms and onions.  Some lovely spices, olive oil and garlic.  But man alive, that is some b*** ugly looking dinner.  In it's defense, it did taste pretty good.  But it needed a Vehicle.  A puff pastry, some pita bread, maybe a pie crust?  Whoa Nelly.  That is never going to be on the cover of Bon Appetit.  Everyone had seconds though.  Really.

On another subject (thank you God), a few friends have emailed of late, inquiring on how my crazy dogs are getting along.  I am so happy to say that Ozzie and Sophie are getting along, reasonably well.  They get pissy with each other now and then, but it rarely escalates.  We have all learned to recognize the signs that things may be getting out of hand, and are able to re-direct the dogs before things while they can still pay attention to us.  Life is pretty good.

Ozzie went to the groomer last week.  He was a Very Bad Boy.  He doesn't like going to see Linda at PetSmart for his grooming.  Linda is a real pro, but even she has her troubles with our Ozzie.  He bucks like a bronco, squirms terribly and makes all sorts of threatening noises.  My husband actually had to go over and help hold him down.  Seriously, they phoned him up and said "Mr Reed, you need to get over here and help us control your dog.  Please?  Really soon?"  Ozzie had to wear the Happy Cap (this is a mark of the deepest shame).  Here he is now, looking quite princely.  I bet he would have minded for me.

I took this picture while we were eating the Eggplant Slop dish pictured at the beginning of this post.  Ozzie wasn't even begging. 

Sophie will go to the groomer's next week, and will behave herself impeccably.  She holds still, she doesn't try to bite, she cooperates on every level.  No Happy Cap for Sophie.  Right now she is a bit shaggy looking, but totally relaxed while we chow down the wonderful dinner I prepared.  She wasn't begging either!

She is a tired girl.  Did I tell you she got herself a job?  Yes indeedy.  She is a Slayer of Small Fleeing Creatures.  She has nabbed several more of those big ol' squirrels that I think are prairie dogs, and gotten quite close to killing a skunk.  Fortunately, Mr. Skunk escaped before completely befouling Sophie and my husband who were taking a midnight walk.  I wondered why they were both in the shower at 12:30 in the morning.....

Yup, I have a life.  Yes I do.  This is what goes on when I am not sewing.

Fruit Pizza

 

Remember me telling you about my birthday celebration, when my sister Andrea made Fruit Pizza for dessert?  This is my favorite dessert.  Andrea made the recipe again on the 4th of July, when we got together to celebrate my nephew Eric's birthday.  The picture above is Andrea's, and the Fruit Pizza is the one she served last Saturday.  You have to go to her website Under a Blue Moon, to get the recipe, and while you are there, you can see the family gathered 'round the table like we do every week.

This is just the easiest recipe, and everyone loves it.  We have to have two of them to feed our crowd, but it is the best desert ever for summer.  Go say "Hi" to Andrea and get that recipe!

Thanks for all the interesting comments yesterday.  I love it when you all take the time to weigh in with your opinions.  It makes me feel like we are all having an intercontinenal chat.  And I especially love it when some of you make a comment for the first time!

What Do You Do?

I had a lovely email this last weekend from a nice person named Karen, who described herself as a "lurker".  Are you a lurker too?  Don't be a lurker!!!  That is how we make friends, by having a dialog.  I will never get to know you if you don't make comments on my blog!  I love your comments--that is the point of blogging, don't you know?

Anyway, Karen got up her courage to ask me a few questions, which I thought I would answer here in this public forum.  Please feel free to disagree with me.   It would be fun to hear from others as to how you would answer Karen's questions too.
So, here we go.  I am no "expert", but these methods have worked for me.

1) Do you prewash your fabrics and batting?

Nope.  Never ever.  Wash batting?  That sounds like a recipe for disaster! 
I buy the best quality fabric from well known manufacturers such as Moda, Timeless Treasures, RJR, and Marcus  Brothers.  I have never had an issue with fabrics from those companies bleeding or shrinking in the wash.  I think it makes a big old mess to pre-wash fabrics (especially fat quarters) ahead of time.  They get all stringy and you have to iron them, and all the sizing comes out.  I like to jump right in and start sewing with those new crisp fabrics.  Just my humble opinion.  Doesn't mean I am right.

2) Do you store your in-the-works and future projects in the plastic bins for long periods of time and how does it affect the fabrics? (the experts tell us not to store quilts in plastic bags, etc.)

I store all my in-the-works projects in plastic project boxes.  I store my stash in larger plastic bins sorted by the color of the fabrics.  I have not noticed any detrimental effects whatsoever by doing this.  My projects are stored in a closet in the house, but my stash bins are all outside in the garage.  Some of the fabric in the stash bins has been there for going on 10 years.  Believe me, fabric doesn't go bad.  In the bins, it stays dry and protected from dust, bugs and other critters (like mice, which we have had in the garage!).

My finished quilts however, are stored folded on shelves in a large closet in the house--not in plastic bags.  Sometimes I fold them over a hanger and hang them in a closet.  I think it is a good idea to re-fold your stored quilts fairly often so they don't get perma-dents where they have been folded.  I have also heard of some people storing their quilts stacked on top of each other on a bed.  Not folded at all.  Just layers and layers of quilts.  Why not?  If you have a spare bed to do that, go for it.

If I had a delicate hand made antique quilt, I would probably wrap it in white tissue paper and store it that way.

3) Do you wash and dry your quilts in machines? (The experts say to wash by hand with a mild soap in the bathtub and then put them on sheets in the yard to dry.)

I wash all my quilts in the washing machine with Woolite or other mild liquid soap.  I don't use hot water ever.  Then, I toss them in the clothes dryer on medium, where they get all soft and "quilty".  Wash by hand in the bathtub and dry on sheets in the yard?  What?????  My dogs would drag them all over the place, the California sun would fade the colors of the fabric, and birds might poop on them.  No no no, do not even *think* of doing that!  OMG.  I need a breath.  Just considering that makes me twitchy.  Lord, the prairie dogs up the hill from us could walk all over them!  So much for "experts"!  They don't know my yard, climate and animals!  LOL!

However, that being said, if I had a hand quilted quilt, such as the sort that Karen makes, I would take more care with the washing step.  I think the quilt could still go in the machine on the most delicate setting.  I would probably hang this quilt to dry on a clothes line, but I would still be very nervous about the bird poop issue. 

4) How do you use your quilts and do you worry about fading? (could we see photos please?)

I have quilts on all of the beds in my house.  I change them with the seasons or with my decorating whims.  Don't report me to the quilt police, but all my sofas and chairs are currently draped with my quilts too.  The dogs jump up on the furniture you see, and it is easier to wash a soiled quilt than it is to have the upholstery shampooed.  I guess I have quilts on every surface of the house.

Fading is a serious issue.  I never hang my quilts on walls, and I change my quilts out often.  Sunlight fades fabric, there is no getting around that.  I never leave a quilt on a bed or chair for longer than a month or so without changing it or at least shifting it around.

The secret weapon against fading is to make tons of quilts so you can rotate them continuously!!

Here is a little house tour.  What can I say?  I believe in using my quilts...and protecting my furniture....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Quilt

Carrie over at La Vie en Rosie and Camille at Simplify have challenged us to set aside any pride we might have and show some pictures of our first quilting effort.  Then, after that little humiliation is complete, to show our most recent quilt.  Deep breath.  Are you ready?

I have always been a multi-tasker (that is the Gemini in me).  I started with not just one quilt, but two quilts that I worked on simultaneously back in 1980.  They have ended up with two completely different fates.

One of my first quilts has been loved to death.  Worn to shreds by my daughter Sara, who embraced it at the age of about six months and is still loving what remains of it to the present day.

I appliqued a big white bunny on the front, and hand quilted the quilt.  After many washings and a lot of lovin' this is what remains.  It is like a spider web.  Obliterated by love. 

Now for some serious ugliness.  I am having a hard time swallowing my pride and showing you this crap stuff from my early years.  In my defense, we didn't have a lot of choice in fabrics back in the 80's.  This was to be my opus.  What was I thinking???

It is mostly quilted, but still basted together.  Near the finish line, I admitted to myself that these colors were just hideous.  My workmanship wasn't too bad, once I look at it up close.  But those colors.   Gag.  It lives buried deep in a cedar chest in my bedroom.  I can't bear to throw it away for some reason.  (To see how far I've come in 29 years?)

Now that we have had that little walk of shame, I can say in my favor that I have experienced a lot of growth in my color sense.  And that I have embraced machine quilting with a passion.

Here is my most recently finished quilt top.  (Copied blatantly from Camille Rosskelley ).