Not just for Easter..................

Are you getting ready for Easter yet? It is on it's way, I'm sure of it. Ok, even if you're not the least interested in Easter just yet, check out these beautiful eggs at Etsy by Oozeart. I love color and aren't these just saturated with it? They almost remind me of kaleidoscope quilt patterns, too.
See what else Sandra makes with her "color" at Designs by Sandra Ryerson at Oozeart.


Check out Oozeart for more beauties like these at

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6403366

Hand or Machine Quilt.........that is the question.

Once I said, I'd never buy bottled water, never pay to watch TV and never ever machine quilt my quilts. It's not a quilt unless it's hand quilted. I now buy water, pay cable bill every month and at least half of my quilting projects are machine quilted. Only because of the time element. But, machines have advanced, batts have advanced and so do our techniques.
Ah, the machine quilting done today is just amazing!

I'd love to hand piece patchwork. I try it now and then, but it's like being able to draw a straight line, some people can, some can't. I can't. My hand piecing is atrocious. So, I machine piece and machine quilt but I usually always have some type of hand work going at the same time, a too large to quilt for my small sewing machine, a totebag, etc.

But, there is just something soothing to the soul about hand quilting. It forces one to slow down for one thing. Forces you to stop long enough to "see" and think, not just "getter done" and on to the next thing. Stop and enjoy the process.

Maybe the best thing of all, it gives time for remembering. Remembering the Gram, Mom, Aunt and even the Dad or Uncle that took the time to teach you how to quilt. Time to remember the visiting, the planning, the laughing. Or just time to enjoy the comfortable silence that people are allowed to enjoy when they are comfortable with each other. Not to mention, nothing wrong with a little solitude now and then.

What do you prefer to do yourself, hand quilt or machine quilt?

Trapunto

I've been trying my hand at a little trapunto lately. I've always loved the dimensional look and feel of it and anxious to try shadow trapunto, too.

Here's my first attempt, a sweet little yellow baby quilt. I think I should have quilted closer but I like it.

I'm sorry.............

I feel the need to post a little retraction to one of my earlier posts "whining" about the website music. There is one place I love to visit, Sweet Repose. One of the joys of Sweet Repose is Sharon's choice of music. It's soft, it's soothing and very relaxing.

I know better than to say the words never and always because it ALWAYS comes back to haunt me. Maybe I sound wishywashy or maybe I should know better than to whine EVER. There I used one of "those" words again.

Anyway, to Sharon, if you're reading this, I humbly apologize if I've offended you or anyone who shares their love of music with the world. SOMETIMES, I really do love it.

For everyone else, if you need a little soothing today, check out Sharon's "Sweet Repose" here and enjoy her photos, poetry and of course her beautiful music. http://thefabricofsweetrepose.blogspot.com/

Antique Spectacular

I just returned from the Antique Spectacular in Des Moines, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-15 at the State Fairgrounds. While in Des Moines, I stopped by the 2 big antique malls just off I-80, the Brass Armadillo and the Majestic Lion. I still love these shops and the quality they are maintaining.

I looked for feed sacks, printed flour sacks and old burlap bags while shopping. They are out there! But they are priced from $8.50 to $25.00 and a few even higher. None seem to be pre-washed or ironed. There is not a lot of rhyme or reason to the pricing, but it seems the more printing there is, the higher the price. As for the flour sack prints from the 1930-40's, they seem to just get higher and higher all the time with some priced as low as $9 each, but most at $12.50-$15.

While I thought there would be a lot of sales and lower price tags because of the economy, it was only true in a few instances! At the Antique Spectacular show, the dealers who carried a general assortment of antiques were doing very well and keeping very busy. There were too many jewelry dealers at this show so they were all complaining about low or no sales. And to you quilt lovers, any reasonably priced antique quilt was selling quickly, especially if it was special in any way. The faded and ugly ones seem to be priced by people who did not know a quality quilt, priced as high if not higher than the good old quilts. Then there are those perfect and recently done new quilts which should not be at an antique show or hanging for sale at an antique mall, and they were priced even higher (because fabric costs so much now) but they are never going to sell at $450-$650 like I'm seeing around Iowa - unless they are marketed somewhere besides an antique mall!

The weekend was beautiful with sun every day and no new snow. We stayed with our daughter who is the director of the Perry Public Library and we got a very nice tour of the library, the Carnige Library Museum next door, and the beautiful Perry Hotel across the street. We ate breakfast at the hotel and, my, what an elegant setting and wonderful food!

Home again, it's time for taxes and catching up on a few loose ends before starting on our estate sales again for this year. I hope to make a scrappy/raggy rug and take some pictures while making it. Then I'll let Chris set up a tutorial because she is much better at it than I am! Anyone can make this rug whether you can sew or not! ~Pam

Lets see Paris............

Oh my, are these the cutest pillows you've ever seen? I love how they're embellished. Here's a little description of one of these French beauties..........

Do you love Paris? Do the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower lift your heart at the start of each hour? Does La Vie En Rose on a concertina conjure up those warm feelings you had that summer on the banks of the Seine?Meet Manon, the Spring 2009 version of one of the Les Femmes de Paris. The pillow is 8" X 8" in size and comes with a stand so you can enjoy Manon on your desk, or a side table or even on a bookshelf next to your Paris Match magazines. Manon is wearing a gold and pearl earring to give her a bit of splash and a string of pearls at her neckline to highlight her designer suit.

You can see more here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5561091

BushFire Quilt Project-helping hands.........

Knowing quilters, I knew there would be some projects for donating quilty things to the devestation in Australia and here's a great one. Here's an easy and inexpensive way to contribute a little or as much as you wish. And fun, too. Make a few Maveric Stars blocks and send them on. Check out the BushFire Quilt Project flicr group here.........

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bushfirequiltproject/


What a coincidence, Pam and I started Maveric Stars a few weeks ago for our personal enjoyment. They're really fun and quick to make so here's a new great reason to make even more.

More bang for your buck............

Here's a little treasure I discovered this morning by Sarah Lynne Designs. Her jewelry is reversible and quite unique. I especially liked the tiny clockworks. Check these out and you'll see great views of each side. 2fur1

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=102270

Schizophrenic jewelry for your many personalities!

Hey! I'm trying to diet here!

First, she takes to the most luscious breakfast spot in town yesterday. We both ordered Creme Brulee Oatmeal, OMG! And I have to have a scone whenever I am at this shop and she'd just invented the grapefruit scone and it was SOOOOOO good. If anyone who lives near Muscatine , IA, has not tried the Simply Sweet Bakery at 216 Green Street, you MUST GO THERE!

Then, today she puts up a picture of a scruptious dessert with CHOCOLATE on it no less! I'm salivating! I'm getting the idea that she does not want me to diet.

Speaking on the noise barrier:
You can pick your friends,
You can pick your music,
But you can't pick your friends' music!
So everyone should keep their music to themselves and not expect everyone to love their choice on their blog or their page or their website.

Now let us discuss the noisey children in restaurants! Who is for a "No Kids" section in place of the "No Smoking" section? My hubby (the strangest man alive) would rather sit with a room full of smokers than a room full of noisey, misbehaved children when we go out to eat. Lately I've had to agree with him!
~Pam

Oh my goodness, I was just thinking I need to diet and look what I found. This is over-the-top delight.

You'll find more at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5676624

Just a little whining............

I just spent some really fun time surfing thru different blogs. You meet the most interesting people that way, not to mention...........you can learn stuff.

But I am discovering something annoying to me. Music! Don't get me wrong, I love music, love to listen to music when I'm sewing, when I'm driving, when I'm doing dishes, anytime. But not when I'm up in the wee hours on the computer and surfing blogs. They are annoying! Especially when you check out the individual posts on a blog or even a retail website. The music starts over again on each page. Does anyone else find this annoying?

I have one of those monitors with the built in speakers so if I want to change the volume(it's a cheapo)I have to get in and find the setting, turn the sound down, then change it again later(because, sometimes I watch videos and podcasts and I need the sound). And, last but not least, seems the volume is different on each website. You know, like tv commercials?

Am I alone on this?

Here's a little treasure I found this morning at etsy. I absolutely love these colors and whenever I'm shopping for new fabrics I tend to drift to these colors all the time. Do you do that when fabric shopping?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15838385

Tiny Sweets-no calories

Aren't these the cutest? I ran across this fabulous etsy shop this morning. I can't imagine working this tiny but the detail in these pincusion pins are amazing. Wouldn't this be a cute gift for your quilting buddies or secret sisters? Take a look,
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5240607

I'ma Turkey!

You Are a Turkey Sandwich
Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust.You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend.Your best friend: The Ham SandwichYour mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich



The only thing wrong with this profile is I actually love tuna fish sandwiches.



What kind of sandwich are you?








http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsandwichareyouquiz/

Whoops, wrong url

Sorry, this is the url for the crocheted dog patterns.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18934667&ref=mt

Etsy Treasures

Look at what Pam found at etsy yesterday. It's this a riot or what! I hope they make more crochet doggy patterns for more dog breeds.
Check these out at etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20369228

More of the Funky Chicken

Funky Chickens

Had to show off my new chicken quilt or soon to be quilt. I belong to a lovely group of women quilters and stash collectors called the BlottoBabes. We play a monthly blotto or I should say lotto. Each month one gal chooses a particular quilt block pattern, eveyone makes one or as many blocks as she chooses, sends them to the hostess and she then chooses one or more winners by drawing names. So fun. Every once in awhile, we get tired of that game and do a group project like a RoundRobin or in this case a Row x Row. We divided into groups of about 6 or 7 and each person in the group chooses a theme for "her" quilt, makes one row and mails it to another in the group, that person adds a row to coordinate with the original row and sends it on, etc. Well, this has been a year long project and I recently received my finished rows. Wow! I think this is my new favorite quilt. I love chickens, all kinds of chickens. Love the homespun country look, too. So, here are some shots of my funky chicken quilt before I get started quilting on it. And what a wonderful treasure to have blocks made especially for me by my quilty buddies.