Christmas in June

Here is my first attempt at Inchies !  I sign up for a Challenge Amanda's Christmas Challenge. Starting in June, each month your are suppose to create a Christmas gift.  Then by the time December rolls around you already have 6 handmade gifts to give away!

July we are to make a place mat or table runner.  Got to find an idea for this one!

Recycled Quilting and Garbage City

My niece, Patty, has has traveled the world to some of the most beautiful and exotic places most only read about or see on TV,  (courtesy of her husband's work)  as well as some not so great places.  Patty is also a wonderful artist in many different mediums.  She recently posted pictures on her facebook I found so fascinating I have to share. She is currently living in Cairo.

She and her friends made one last trip to a place called "Garbage City" to visit the women's recycled crafts stores. 

Cairo has been recycling their garbage for 50 years.  An army of collectors, the Zabbaleen, have not only been cleaning up the city, they have been improving their own lives.  Mokattam girls have learned to keep their environment clean,  because the reward is - income - that meets a real need. Many of the girls have learnt to read and write for similar reasons. The crucial difference between this and other literacy programmes, is that literacy addresses a real need - generating income. For instance, a girl must be able to read and write her own name if she wants to weave personalised rugs that fetch her more money. 

Married women started approaching the Association: like their daughters, they too wanted to earn. The association showed the women how to recycle square cotton pieces - too beautiful to be sold for mattress stuffing - into patchwork quilts.  This simple act of recycling patchwork has spiralled into larger benefits for women. Each woman is given a sewing machine and an iron when she produces a perfect bedspread.

Here are some pictures of the quilts they have made.

For instance, a girl must be able to read and write her own name if she wants to weave personalised rugs that fetch her more money. And a gift who wants to staff a sale at a posh hotel must know how to read the price list. "Otherwise she won't be chosen,"

They reuse everything. The trash collectors and their trucks bring all the trash home. The ground level of the apartments is used for sorting trash. Families live above the trash and even the kids help collect and sort. The usual paper, glass, plastics are separated and many thrown away objects end up at the Friday Market (even old tooth brushes). All organic waste gets fed to the animals. It is quite a system.  Here is a link to read an article about the system.  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5327/is_n198/ai_n28655572/?tag=content;col1

HOT WEEKEND!!

This has been the hottest weekend so far this year. I have become accustomed to the nice weather here in NC and have forgotten the icky steamy weather back in FL in the summer. Oh well, I guess that is a good thing.  I have used the weather as an excuse to stay inside all weekend long. I have gotten some things done that needed and got to work on a quilt.  I started out trying to figure out the back for Eddie's tie quilt by using the fabric I had bought for the top.  I started by thinking 8" blocks would work good since some on my fabric left over was in 18" widths.  I got out the computer and pulled up Quilt Design Wizard.  Yep, that did the trick.  Here is what I came up with.

I really like it to much to use as a quilt back!  So now  I gotta think about it.  I did learn one thing for sure, I LOVE MY 1/4" FOOT!!  That and my new machine, Izzie,  make things so much easier.

Adorable Doll Quilt

This just an adorable doll quilt I found at Sew Mama Sew blog.

She has the simple tutorial

posted for you to make it. I can't wait to make one!

Christmas In June!

Christmas Challenge 2010



I have just stumbled across Amanda's Blog where she is busy organizing a challenge for Christmas. Basically you make 1 item each month from now until the end of November. So that is 6 items all together. Everyone is encouraged to join in... This sounds like a great way to get a head start on your Christmas projects, if you want further information just click here Christmas Challenge 2010


The Challenge
Basically we will make 1 item a month from now until the end of November. So that is 6 items all together.

Item List:
June: An Ornament for the tree- your choice of what to make and what medium you use. e.g. fabric, paper etc.
July: A Place mat or Table Runner- your choice of style.  Medium: fabric
August: A Table decoration/ centrepiece - your choice of medium again.
September: A Doll - you can choose to make an Angel or Santa or a Reindeer etc. what ever you choose it has to be made from fabric.
October: your choice - make it from fabric.
November: your choice - any medium.
The theme is of course Christmas so all items must be be Christmassy. 
 
Sounds like a great idea to me! 

Quilt of Roses

I went downtown to my local and favorite quilt shop Needle & Thread after work today to show off my Tie quilt but mainly to visit with good friends! Terri has a new quilt class coming up soon on this Quilt of Roses.

This quilt looks very difficult to sew but it is done in strips so it can be done easily.

Here is a picture of this quilt from the reverse side as it hangs in the shop window with the sun behind.

It gives it a stain glass appearance to me.  I really like it!

Memory Tie Quilts

I am making progress on my TIE quilt.  I still plan to add a small border on to this using the skinny part of ties.  Then add a light grey border about 4" on the sides and 6" on the top and bottom. Then bind it with the dark grey from the center.

I do love my new camera, see how close up on the detail it gets!

I do love my new Janome Sewing Machine!

Check out the stitching.

This picture was taken in my office at work. My new favorite spot to take pictures on my quilts.

AQA Knoxville TN show

I found this quilt somewhere on the net!  I fell in love with it!  It started with the "French Braid" pattern.  Although it was made to represent "Under Tennessee Skies" it looks to me like the "Blue Ridge Mountains" in North Carolina. 

Here is a link to see a photo collage  from start to Finish on this quilt!

The details in the quilt to represent many different things in TN is amazing.

Under Tennessee Skies

Deja Blue Squared

Today I finished another quilt that I named Deja Blue Squared.  Most of the Fabric I used is from a company called "Studio e Fabrics".  The color line was called Deja Brew and had a coffee theme.  I first found several fat quarters in this line at a quilt show last summer, I just loved the colors. I collected several more fat quarters at other shows for the past year with no idea what I was going to do with it.  I used a pattern called Squared Squares that Lauren wanted for her green quilt and decided to use that pattern with this fabric.  Lauren took the quilt top to work one day to show Rhonda and she fell it love with it!  So I finished it tonight and tomorrow it goes to a new home!  To Rhonda's house! I just love the feeling I get when I complete a quilt and send it on its way to a new home! It's such a warm and fuzzy feeling.

I quilted squares within the square and then did loop de loops and hearts in the center squares.  My free motion quilting still needs practice.

My hands

I went to OrthoCarolina yesterday to the Hand Center. I went to get my hands and thumbs checked out.

He told me that I have all the symptoms of carpel tunnel with the tingling and numbness in my thumb, index and middle finger. It mostly happens during the night but happened at work the other day.

He also said that in my thumbs whats known as CMC Arthritis.

Carpel-Metacarpel joint. I looked it up on the internet and one site said..."this occur mostly in women in their fifth decade!" Well they hit that right on target! Or I did!  This all started a few months after I hit 50.

The metacarpel is the bone in the thumb that joins the wrist. The carpel is the bone in the wrist. The space between the two bones is narrower than it should be and I also have a bone spur. I could see that  plain as day on the x-ray. He moved my thumb and boy could he and me feel that spur rubbing against the other bone. OUCH! 

My options for both issues are 1) do nothing 2) splints 3) injections 4) surgery.

Well I got splints to help the carpel tunnel by sleeping in them and then wear during the day if my thumb bothers me to much.  It limits the movement on the thumb. I have one for each hand.

I had an injection in my left thumb back in October and it worked for about 4 weeks.

Then back came the pain. I have an appointment next week with my arthritis doctor and I plan to get another injection to see how long this one last. Then I plan to ask for the orthoscopic surgery.  I figure I had best try the injections twice so insurance wont fuss about the surgery.  Everything I do I use my thumb!

Alan and I finished putting my new cart together today. Using a screwdriver and socket just about killed my hands!  I have very little grip strength in anything I do.

 I do like my new toys!

Now to start cutting the grass and use the weed eater!

I hope the weather is a bit cooler tomorrow.

By the way, I will continue to quilt pain or no pain!

Should I ?

I have this quilt top that was originally created to use as a backing for Lauren's quilt. Everyone at the quilt shop thought I should make it into another quilt.  So now as I look at it I think one color should be removed and replaced with a different color fabric. So, what do you think?

So can you immediately see what needs to be replaced?  The redish brown "picture frame" in the center just

doesn't look like it belongs with this color screen.  I have another green with green swirls I am planning to use for the backing, and I think I might use that to replace.

Trip to Lowes

Yesterday my husband and I went to Lowes hardware to get some bird seed for the feeders we have. He and the cats enjoy watching the birds and the squirrels out the window during the day.  We also needed more mulch for the garden to try and keep the grass from taking over. Of course while we were there he had to look at just about everything.  He looked at the weed eaters (which we badly need) and asked several questions and "I" now have a new 2 cycle weed eater with a shoulder strap!  Several months ago he bought "me" a new John Deere Lawn Mower with a cup holder!  He kept telling me I needed a cart to pull behind the mower. SO...while we were at Lowes he bought "me" a new 10cubic foot dump trailer to pull behind my new John Deere!  He is just so thoughtful!  As we walked around Lowes and he looked and touched everything, I decided that him in Lowes is like me in a fabric store!  Can't get enough!

Quilt Labels

I finally got my brother-in-laws t-shirt quilt finished!  YEA!

 I was going to mail it off today when I realized that I had forgotten to put a label on it.  I always forgot that part!  So here is a picture of my quilt label.

I also put a label on Alan's Quilt .

While I'm sitting here uploading these pictures, my cat Hunter comes to help.

The weekend

This weekend I almost felt like I was back in Florida.  The days started out sunny, hot and humid then came the thunderstorms and lots of rain!  Then in a short time later, rain was gone and the sun was back out! and humidity was high!  ugh

I got the four corners on the tie quilt together and the fence rail center block. Now I'm not sure what I am going to do to put this all together.  Here are a few pictures.

I am just not sure what type fabric or color to use as the background. The darker shade is Blank Quilting's Rock candy in a pearl grayish. The center sqaure is just laying on a yard of that fabric.  The corner ties are sewn on a 20 square of the pearl white rock candy.  The outside border are the narrow part of the neck ties just layed down. My original drawing was going to be way to large/wide so I had to revamp my plans. Still tying to figure that out!

I also got the back down for Steve's t-shirt. I tried to put it on my Flynn quilt rod system but that didn't work! So now plan to use the spray basting to get it together.  The quilt is quite big so pinning is just not an option.  I am taking it to work Monday and use the foam board we have there in warehouse to spray baste it. I will have plenty of room. Here is a picture of the top.

Ties for Eddie

I finally got started separating all the neck ties Eddie gave me to use in making his quilt.  I sorted by color and plan to use red, blue, brown, and maroon for the four large dresden corner pieces.
Here are a few pics of the plan!

I now have to figure out what color fabric to use behind these!  Any ideas???

UFO's

Finally working on UFO's.  Got three top done!  Steve's, Kristen's and one for whoever!
Now to get the backing sewn together then quilted! 

EQ7 Giveaway!

10 Bloggers were selected as winners to received the new version of the EQ7 software program from Electric Quilt.  How cool is that!  What is even cooler, those 10 lucky recipients were given a copy of the EQ7 to GIVE AWAY!  To possible even you!!!!!!  Now that is really COOL!  Just visit
Prairie Primrose blogspot and post a comment about the contest!  That's it!  While your there look around at things Ann is working on or has finished.  I am inspired the by the Out of My Box  Quilt Show challenge and the flower she is working on. I oh so want to try that!  The fabric she is using looks ok uncut, but once the flower was cut and put together, that fabric became ALIVE!  Just Beautiful.  Thanks for sharing Ann!
You can also click on Contest Page to enter other sights that are giving away a copy of EQ7.

Eddie's Tie Quilt Pattern

A friend at work recently lost his father very unexpected. He was out of town when this happened, had to rush home and then take care of all the arrangements. His Father always wore ties and always kept a crisp dollar bill in his shirt pocket. Eddie had heard that I had finished a quilt for someone using her husbands shirts and ties, and told me that one of the things he kept of his fathers was all his wonderful bright colored ties!
I told him I would be glad to make a memory quilt using the ties for him. It took me awhile to come up with a design, but I finally did...

My plan is to use the bottom of the ties as they are in the large Fan blocks to show the point of the ties.

Then in the smaller fan blocks I plan to take the ties apart and cut the shape from the fabric of the ties.  The center fence rail block will be cut from the tie fabrics too. I think in that block I will sew in a crisp dollar bill with just the edge of it showing.   The smaller border frame, I am planning to use the narrow part of the ties that I cut off from the ones in the large fan blocks.  I have no idea what other color of fabrics I will use with this.  The ties are all bright, bold prints and designs.  I think the first thing to start with is the large fan blocks and find the fabric to use as a foundation piece.

Wish me luck in this creation!!!!!!!!!!

My Supervisor

My sewing machine sits in front on a window that our cats love to sit in front of it and look outside.

Well, they don't always move when I begin to sew.  In fact, Tess, our Momma cat, lays there watching me sew.

I guess she got tired of watching, so she decided to help me.  She stayed there until I finished!  So Barbara, if you found white cat hair on your quilt... you now know why! 

The Hospital Quilt or the "Back" Quilt

Alan only spent four days in the hosptial with the back surgery, so I didn't have a lot of time to get much quilting done while there. Alana and Lauren were there with me during the surgery so we kept each other busy chatting and surfing the web.  I had to bring Lauren home after Alan got settled in his room, so we stopped by Hancocks to buy backing fabric for Alan's quilt.  I went back to spend Monday night at the hospital with Alan to make sure everything went well the first night after surgery.  Which he had a good first night!  We did actually get sleep!

Tuesday late afternoon, I came back home and begin to get Alan's quilt put together.  I scrambled to get the backing cut and sewn together.  I had planned to use basting spray to hold it together so I could hand quilt it some while sitting at the hospital.  I ran out of time before I got that done.  I then thought I could take it with me and use the hospital room floor to lay out the quilt and pin together.  So that's what I did!  

I moved a chair and side table to make enough floor space.  Then I taped down the backing and batting to the floor. Then I laid the quilt top down.  It worked really well, except for the aching knees and back!

I did begin to use a pillow under my knees and that helped a great deal.  Then as my back began to ache, I would lay flat on my back on the quilt. Never knew a hard floor could feel so good!  I did get the quilt pinned and then basted as well.  Needless to say the nurses would walk in and wonder what the heck I was doing!  They all were amazed at the fact I was putting pictures of animals that we had lost.  They didn't understand why they meant so much to us.  I guess not everyone is animal people like we are!

Surgery

Alan's back surgery went well, a little less than four hours.  Still in recovery right now for about another hour. He should get to his room about 2:30 PM.  His recovery last time took a long while.

One more "almost" done!

This week when we found out that Alan had to have back surgery once again, after the intial shock, I began thinking Crap! I don't have anything to quilt while at the hospital.  SO... I got super busy and finished Alan's quilt top!  I had hoped to get it basted together by today, but I didn't have enough fabric for the backing and didn't have a chance to buy any today.  SO...I had to dig around to find something to find some busy work that I can take with me.  Then tomorrow after he gets to his room and falls back asleep, it's off the a fabric store somewhere.   I would love to get his quilt completely finished by the time he comes home from the hospital.
I did take some pictures with my new camera and here is it!  Photos of some of the animals that have been part of our lives!

Here we go again!

Just found out that Alan (my hubby) has to go back in the hospital for additional back surgery on Monday which stems from complications from the first surgery in late December. UGH!  Well the bright side is that we know what to expect this time round.  Hopefully this will the be the last time we visit the hospital any time soon!

In December I practice my hand quilting while he was in surgery and recovery for almost seven hours.
I continued working on that quilt the entire time while sitting in his room for the next two weeks but it did keep me from going crazy.  It was also a great conversational piece with all the nurses!

After Alan filled me and Lauren in on what the doctor said, I had to go back to work. As I was driving to work, I was running things through my head of what was going to come.  Remembering things to do and not to do, and then I thought.....ON NO!  I don't have a quilt ready to do any hand quilting on!!!!!  What will I do to keep me from going crazy this time?  How sad is that!  He is having surgery and I'm thinking about quilting!

Well tonight I cut strips on several different fabrics I bought to border the "animal" pictures I printed on fabric to use in Alan's quilt.   My goal is to get this sewn together tomorrow and Saturday and then baste the quilt, batting and backing together by Sunday.  Then I can once again practice my hand quilting for the next week or so while at the hospital.  Quilting really does help my relieve stress and calm down when needed.  Some nights if I can sleep, I don't count sheep I count stitches!  Well not really count I just visualize the needle and thread going in and out of the fabric in a smooth and calming motion.

Alan and Lauren went to buy my birthday present yesterday after his doctor's appointment.  I now have a new digital camera!  YEA!  I don't have to use my cell phone camera to post pictures of my quilts!  Hopefully tomorrow I can post some pics of the progress on Alan's quilt.  I think it is the right time to get his finished!  All things happen for a reason, but I gladly would have finished his quilt without him going back to the hospital!!!

Bedtime now, got to be at the hospital early in the morning for pre-op paperwork! oh joy!

Sunny Days

The weather here in NC has been so beautiful!  It is like a picture perfect postcard.  Sunny Carolina blue skies, light wind, temperatures in the mid 70's and daylight until almost 8pm.  Couldn't ask anything better.  BUT... the only draw back is..... it makes it really hard to find the want to stay inside and quilt.  ugh.   I did get two UFO's finished this week.  Lauren got to sleep under her quilt a couple of nights ago and I got Barbara's quilt mailed to her on Monday.  I did get sashing and backing fabric for Steve's quilt today so hopefully this weekend I can do some sewing.   

We do have to get our blueberry & raspberry plants in the ground along with the tomato plants we bought.  I have to put the new blades on my lawnmower since I broke the old ones by running over something metal,  then finish cutting grass.  Well... I might get some quilting done and I might not!   I have new fabric I am dying to do something with but refuse to let myself start anything new until I get some more UFO's done.

Here is a picture of the Flynn Quilt System. See how Looonng my rods are!!!

I got to cut them down some!  But I think with practice I can get pretty good at this.

Making Progress

All I have left to do on Lauren's quilt is hand stitch binding. YEA!   I have Barbara's quilt quilted together except for the border.  I used basting spray for the first time. I think it works great for quilting straight lines or stitch in the ditch. I'll stick with the quilt frame for decorative quilting.

I put to pieces of form board together and set them up on the front porch for air circulation. I pinned the quilting backing on that and then I sprayed that with 505 basting spray. I put the batting on that and found out quickly that I should have mark my center lines and matching points BEFORE I started.  The basting spray does allow you to smooth out wrinkles. I then sprayed the batting and put on the top. I did have to make a couple adjustments to the back after bringing inside but the basting spray allowed me to adjust and reposition.  I did stitch in the ditch on the triangles on this.  If I could only follow a straight line!