Saturday, February 23, 2008

I've Made Someone's Day!

What a nice feeling to be told that you have made somone's day! My buddy Linda Minton (and charter member of FMLC) who indicated that I had made her day! Linda is such a free spirit and I'm always ready to run home and start a new project after spending any time with her at all.

So now, I get to pass it on ... to five bloggers who make my day! I have to say that most of my buddies do NOT have blogs. We just email or talk all the time. There are many blogs that I read on a regular basis and feel a connection. I'm just going to mention several people that make my day on a regular basis. Since they don't have blogs, welll... maybe they will start one!
There is Nita. She will be 70 this year and gets more done than anyone I know. She lives her life like she is half that age. She always has a smile and gives of herself to everyone; and I don't think she ever met a stranger.
Sharon D. - WHEN are you going to get a blog? Another charter member of the FMLC! What can I say about you? Mentor, friend and a GREAT SINGER!
Barb K. - What a fun person to be with. Can't wait for retreat next week!
Arlene S. - What an inspiration. You are always so positive, and encouraging to others. You make my day every time I talk to you! (She just got email, so I'm thinking a blog will be coming soon!)
Pass the award on; here are the details:
1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make your day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3. Display the You Make My Day Award logo (copy and paste).
4. Tell the award winners that they have won by Commenting on their blogs with the news.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Found ANOTHER UFO!

As I have moved my studio from the upstairs to the new location, I have been finding things that I had not seen in YEARS (may DECADES). This is a cool quilt (top) that I had even started hand quilting (yes - I used to hand quilt all my quilts) !!! This is the quilt that I had the leftover 1.5" strips that I used in my Bargello Bowl top. I totally laid this one out and designed it myself. No patterns on this one. In fact this was done about the time Rotatry cutters were coming in vogue (how many of you actually remember quilting BEFORE rotary cutters??) . I started to hand quilt this one, and ended up putting it away. Think I started this in the late 1980's or early 90's. Anyway, plan on removing the hand quilting, and am adding it to projects that are to be finished up this year!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tom Russell Class - Working with Color


We are so blessed in the Houston area that Tom Russell is a local guy, and has been teaching some classes. ( I took his color class at a retreat a few weeks ago) and another class from him that was also working with colors but a different class at a local quilt shop.
Tom is holding my piece up while talking to the class. All of those circles and leaves are made up of several pieces of fabric. The background kinda blends into his shirt, but it is made up of a bunch of 'dark' squares.
Here the class is hard at work putting the background together.
The center squares are a little lighter, but there is a black flange strip that separated them from the outer darker circles. You just see those peeking out from the flowers on the surface. Lots of funky leaves and circles make up this piece. We learned a lot about porportion, scale, value and all that stuff.
Tom hamming it up with my friend Nita (grey hair) and myself. Tom is a sweetie!
I think most of came home with the top put together. We just need to finish the Quilting, embellishing and then for the finale - adding BEADS. How fun!


Saturday, February 16, 2008

Batting Stands

Lots of discussion on one of my longarm lists about Batting Stands that Checkers Dist. sells. I took pictures of mine, you can probably get someone to make one for you!










You need scraps of 2x4,
a scrap of 2x2,
4 caster wheels,
and a little screw assembly that is inserted to attach the 2x2 to the base.






Check out the pictures, I put a tape measure in there so you can see the sizes. I think the end of the tape measure is covering up the screw part that goes into the base.





That little circle in the center is what the 2x2 screws into. Don't know the technical name for it.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Bargello Bowl progress


This is a picture of the fabrics that I chose to use in the Bargello. They are 1.5 inch strips, as they were leftover strips from another project. Just had to cut a few more to make enough. I'm doing a little more ordered layout instead of random.
Tom Russell was at our retreat, and since he was doing a class on COLOR, he helped (OK, he did most of it) layout the color order. He was drooling the rich colors! (PS - he was working on his BEAUTIFUL wall hanging that will debut at Houston Market this year in the Timeless Treasures booth featuring his batiks! What an artist!)

I put several sections together, and was a little disallusioned at how 'small' the sections were (well duh - started with 1.5" strips). Anyway this is not going to be a very large piece! LOL
Misplaced my camera for awhile, so still need to take pictures of my progress.