Be Forgiving

So how has your week gone?   Mine has been crazy as usual, but throughout the week I have been stitchin on my Be Forgiving block.  I finished it, but this block has really caused me some sleepless nights this week. What exactly does it mean to "forgive."  I have some people in my life that have betrayed me, treated me unfairly - as we all have.  I really don't hold any bitterness against them as I learned long ago that bitterness only makes us miserable, doesn't really do anything to the person that did the "dirty" deed.  I no longer trust these people or want anything to do with them....does that mean I have not forgiven them? I honestly wish them no ill will, but I have no desire to ever associate with them again. Can you ever truely forget the wrong that was done? Can you forgive someone, but still not trust them, be wary of even being around them?  What do you  all think - do you struggle with this too?

On the home front, I have been working on a screen that my father made for me a few years ago.  I never got around to painting it, although I did use it for awhile.  I had put fabric on it, but when a friend needed the fabric for a quilt she was working on, and could not find it anywhere..I just ripped it off and gave it to her, thinking it was time for a change anyway.  This screen will be the perfect "blind" for my laundry room so that when my company is sitting in my dining room they can not see the storage area in my laundry area.  Stay tuned...next week I hope to have a picture of the finished screen.

Oh..and btw, the table in the background was also made by my Dad.  A lucky girl I am!

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will see you in the blogs!

Teresa
17089

Some gifts, some sewing, and a lot of napping..

I have been rather ill this week with strep throat - which as many of you know is no fun. My doctor said he was going to give me something to help me rest, and boy did it ever. I think I napped the entire week away - so sad as this is Spring Break at the University I work for, and I had Thursday and Friday off. So, I slept through Monday - Thursday, tried to work on Friday, went in and came home before lunch and went back to bed. I am much better today, and have only had one nap, which I would probably have taken on the rainy Sunday afternoon anyway.

I have been working on a few gifts over this past few weeks and thought I would show those to you, since very little quilting has been getting done.

First is a travel case that I made for each member in my quilt club. I use mine to store my paper piecing supplies and it is so nice to have them all in one place. I have included a picture of the pattern. The one you see is mine and while it is fully stocked, the ones I gave had a few items in them, but not full like mine. This gift was actually an incentive for a project we will start next month in the club.

The next is called a "Girls Day Out" bag and I am ashamed to say I can not find the pattern, but you can see it here. I made these for my three friends (and me) that went to the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show together.

They were fun to make and so useful at the show, allowing us to keep both hands free to fondle the fabrics and examine all the goodies the vendors had to offer while also having our money and plastic close at hand. I added the back pocket so we would have some place to put our cell phones.

My Winthrop quilting buddies and I have started another exchange that begins in April, in which we make a gift for one of the ladies in the group (there are 5 of us) and share the pattern with all the members. Of couse we are looking for free patterns on the internet or designing our own, since we will be sharing the patterns. Here is a sneak peek at my offering for April - but just a peek. I can not show it yet since I have to wait until April to "gift" it. Some of you may recognize it though, as it was all over the blogs last year.

I have done a little sewing on my Be Attitudes quilt blocks, completing the Be Smart block and starting the Be Forgiving block.

Hope you are all staying well and getting ready for Spring. Prayers going out for the folks in ND and MN dealing with the floods. God save us from ourselves and all that is going on in Washington!

Teresa

16914

Show and Tell

Its been a few days since I last posted, but I have been so busy working in the house and having fun at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. I have a ton of pictures I could show, but I will limit it to just the 11 that I am showing here. Now now, remember I just post once a week (or even longer) so bear with me, please. Be sure to go to the end....I saved the best for last!!!

I will only show one quilt from the show - my favorite. Unfortunately I did not think to capture the identify of the quilter and I feel really bad about that. So if anyone knows the creator of this amazing quilt, just let me know and I will add it to the post. I have a picture of the whole quilt and then a few close ups of some of the blocks. The embellishment work on this quilt was gorgeous.

=
Then there were the fabrics and patterns and notions...oh my! I certainly contributed to the stimulus plan! John Flynn was there and I was excited to meet him as I have made his double wedding ring pattern. I came home with one of his quilting frames and I can not way to try it out!

The Friday before the show, my friends and I had an all day workshop at the home of Sara Madson, an expert in Baltimore Album applique. She shared with us history of the Baltimore Album, her designs and her techniques - including back basting applique and a great way of sewing on stems. The little bluebells block is the one we did in the workshop and is one that Ms. Madson drew from an image of an old album quilt. I had to pick up a couple of her patterns as they were just too wonderful to pass up. She also fed us a scrumptious lunch of quiche, salad and fruit and let us enjoy her beautiful home decorated with lovely quilts, gave us a sneak peek of an amazing work in progress and introduced us to her charming husband. What a great time we had!

Work around the house has also been keepin me busy - with an upgrade to the dining room - including new seat covers for the chairs, new curtains and hanging a quilt hand pieced and quilted by my husband's grandmother - at least 40 years ago, maybe longer. (Fred, Ellen and Joy did the painting for me of dining room and living room and new flooring installed.)

And last, but not least, this Granny has been busy baby sitting (oh, did I mention I also work full time?). I have had the joy of babysitting my three boys (Levi, Malachi and Elijah) one evening - forgot to get a picture, but I will be there again this week and will get one then, and then Friday night, it was Taralyn's turn to spend time with Granny. Does it get any better than this?

So, what's been keeping you busy these days?

Teresa

16609

Congratulations Ellen and Cindy !

And here they are, my daughter Ellen on the left and my niece Cindy, on the right. This was taken right before they ran their first ever 5k run in Charlotte, NC. They both had been training for this run since Christmas and I am just so proud of them.

Ellen crosses the finish line, followed closely by Cindy.

I haven't been doing much sewing, but have really been busy with the house, maybe next week I will have some pictures to show of that project.

Thursday, my friends Darlene, Cheryl and Carol and I are off to Chesapeake area, and will be attending the big show in Norfolk. But first...we will be getting some applique instruction in Baltimore Album quilt design and technique by Sara Madson. Woohoooo...I am so excited!

Hope to see you in Norfolk!
Teresa
16332

Not much to talk about today as it has been a busy week with all but quilting. I did work a

little on my Be Smart block in the Be Attitudes series this week, especially while watching the Olympics.

I finished painting the new laundry room shelves.

Cleaned up my sewing area, even oranizing my many cords used to attach things to my computer. I just had to add a picture of hubby's area - we share a room and our work areas are side by side. Sure makes it nice to be able to enjoy my hobby and also spend time with Fred.



And finally, but definitely not the least important.....I vacuumed Felicia.

Not to worry...she loves when I do this. She'll turn round and round and sometimes even lay on her back so I can get her tummy. Since she is deaf, she can't hear the noise.

So, that was my day. How was yours?

Teresa
15926

And the winner is..........

I interrupted Fred's Super Bowl game long enough to draw the winning name, and Mary, he said to tell you that you owe him $5! I'll bring it to you at our Saturday meeting, and Congratulations!



Today I finished the Heart and Home wall hanging I have been working on. On the last post, it looked like this. As you know I was not at all happy with this design. Sooooooooooooooooooo.......

After several revisions (or I should say rippititions) it ended up like this. The saying that I put on it says "It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home." I found that on the internet and really liked it. It was listed as "author unknown" so I think that means I am free to use it. I did free motion hearts for the quilting. It is hanging between two kitchen cabinets, hiding an ugly grey fuse box. The heart buttons are shell buttons that I recently found at Tuesday Morning and just love. I purchased a bag of them - hearts, butterflies, different shapes and sizes.

Wednesday my lunch group finished up our pizza box round robbin and I am just thrilled with my quilt. You may recognize the Boo block center from Fons and Porter - but the rest of the design is original to the ladies in the group.


Round 1 - set the block on point - Cheryl, and she added some nice embroidered leaves;
Round 2 - the second round was a pieced border - Katie G and pretty friendship stars so appropriate;
Round 3 - 3 dimensional, and Carol added some yoyo flowers for the dimension;
Round 4 - was quilter's choice - Katie L, and just the right finishing touch.

They all did a wonderful job and I could not be more pleased. Thank you Cheryl, Carol, Katie and Katie!


Thanks for stopping by,
Teresa
15721

Ice Day!

We had a beautiful ice fall yesterday and last night. This morning the trees looked beautiful with the sun shining through the ice - just like glass trees. I must have a hundred or more pictures of trees like this over the years, but they still just leave me in awe of the beauty of nature. Here is my baby girl Ellen(she's 24) getting in some sledding.

I spent my time cleaning, sewing and napping - now this I could get used to! I finished up the Gail Pan Christmas Wish stitchery. I have not quite decided how I will used these yet, but I am thinking they would make a pretty garland with brass bells hanging inbetween them. I also did some work on my Heart and Home wall hanging. I think the red border around the heart is too much - need to work on that. Maybe trim it down and use the same off white blocks to border a smaller red border...what do you think?

And last...but not least...I am having a GIVE-AWAY, just because I want to. I found these great OTT lights at Tuesday Morning. They are 9 inches high and perfect for taking with you to a friends house on Bee Night. I took the picture with my table top light in the background so you can get an idea of how big they are. I got one for me and one for YOU! So leave me a comment so I know who YOU are, and I will draw a name on Sunday, February 7. My international blogging buddies are very welcome to enter the drawing too!

If you follow my blog, but don't have a blog and/or can't comment, then just send me an email to let me know you dropped by. My email is jqd@comporium.net. I will enter you in the drawing. Those with "no-reply" comments or no way for me to contact you, I will have to take your name off the list, and that is just sad. So, please send me an email if you are one of those folks.

Happy Stitchin!

Teresa

15523

How many squares can fit in a 6" block?

In this block, you get 169 squares in the 6 inch finshed block. I recently purchased Terrie Sandelin's book, Miniatures in Minutes, and while it took me many minutes, it was fun to do. This particular block is not in the book, but I used her method and my design to make it. You start with a 13 x 13 inch grid and lay out your colors the way you want, and since I want a small wall hanging for Valentine's day, I came up with this pattern. I like most of her technique, except she uses glue to hold the fabric pieces in place before you sew them. I found this messy and made removing the paper foundation tedious. I also did not like taking a chance of gumming up my machine with the glue. She also uses translucent vellum paper as a foundation, and that I found GREAT!

So, I tried a different technique of actually basting the pieces in place with the longest stitch length on my machine. Once I sewed the row together, I removed the basting stitch. It went much faster and the paper came off much easier. I went with color and a different design for my second block. Yep, this is fun, and I think the blocks are impressive as all the points match and they are sooooooooooooooo tiny. My husband suggest I make an entire full size quilt out of these blocks, hmmmmm....NOT happening!

This weekend, I managed to get the guest room and the new play room for the grandkids almost done. My parents dresser that my dad made is now cleaned, polished and in place in the guest room. I think it cleaned up real nice and am so happy to have it. The dresser scarf was made by my mom and has lace that she crocheted around the edge. That is a picture of my parents on the dresser. In the mirror you get a hint of another treasure that my husband and I have owned for 33+ years...it is the kitchen cabinet that belonged to his grandmother. I painted it white 32 years ago and used it in the nursery for my twins. It was great for keeping diapers, blankets, sheets, etc. Then it was moved to the guest room and the rose stencil added and used to keep guest towels, toiletries, etc....then back to the "nursery" for the grandkids and held blankets, extra clothes, wipes, diapers, etc. Now it is once again in the guest room. I just love this cabinet and it holds a lot of memories.

I have had 101 hits since I posted the last post about the purple fabric swap, and can you believe I got no takers?????? Is that not amazing? LOL, I am definitely being sarcastic here and I guess you all don't like chain letters any more than I do. So I am officially withdrawing my offer to participate in this swap and will have to return the two squares I received from my friend. Sorry B....its just not meant to be.

Happy Stitchin,
Teresa
15316

Anyone interested in a purple fabric square swap?

I have received a chain letter where you send 2 six inch purple fabric squares to 7 different people (the 7 includes me). If the chain is not broken, then you should eventually receive 72 squares. I normally do not do chain letters - they die when they reach my house, but this one actually sounds fun. I don't want to send it to someone that does not want to join though, so thought maybe I could find 6 people on here that would want to play.

If you would like to participate, please send me an email with your address and I will send it on to you.

Teresa
15210

Its moving time again......

We have been working hard to get my Mom's house cleaned out and ready for my neice to move in next week. Now by cleaned out, I mean clean out the closets, clear space for my neice's furniture, move out some of the stuff, but leave most there. I am bringing to my house some rather large pieces of furniture that my Dad made, including a 6 foot Buffet, 7 foot china hutch and a 6 foot dresser with mirror. We got the buffet moved up yesterday and here is a picture. Daddy's trademark was the cracks that always appeared in his furniture after a few years, and sure enough, both doors have cracks which my husband has puttied the one on the left. These are made of pine and are very heavy. I am going to paint them white, to go with the cabinets and furniture in the kitchen, as the dining room is right off the kitchen. So I will be sanding and painting tomorrow on the buffet, but I am so excited to be getting these treasured pieces.

Now for the moving....you see these are very large pieces, and I did not have very large empty spaces in my house. So.....the side table, which my brother made, I used as a buffet in my dining room went to my Mom's house, the storage benches in the "old" play room go to the new play room to make room for the china hutch, the baby crib in the former nursery now play room was given away, the book cases in the old play room go to the new play room - then there is the guest room, that has to be complete redone to make room for the huge dresser. (Old dresser and bed to Goodwill).

One other treasured piece of furniture to come to my house is my mother's secretary. She has used this as her desk for as long as I can remember. I know I always loved it and wondered what secrets were in those drawers. Well now I know, as I read through cards and momentos she kept all these years. I finally had to box them up to save for another day. The secretary will now become my desk and hopefully some day, will also be treasured by one of my children. Right now, it sits in the middle of my living room...hmmmm, what can I get rid of to make room for it? Then there is the photo album chest.....

I did manage to get in a little sewing, but nothing I can show you as it is part of a swap with some friends and it is secret. I had a nice visit from my neice's daughter this afternoon though, and she was just full of questions about my sewing room and asking if I would teach her to make a dress for her mom. Elizabeth is 6 and I think a dress might be a little much to start with, but I just happened to have some large quilt blocks with the "X" cross stitch preprinted on, and I got out a hoop, some floss (she laughed about that as she said she cleans her teeth with floss) and a needle and got her to stitching. She was so excited.

So, lots to do, and oh so little time to get it done.

Happy Stitchin,

Teresa

15089

Quilting in the Woods 2010

Just how much fun can 23 women have who are isolated from the rest of the world with fabric, thread, machines, patterns and someone to cook for them three meals a day? TONS! The retreat was great and over all too soon. This is the view from the lodge where we did our sewing. The pond was frozen over every day, but we were warm and toasty all day in the lodge with a nice big fire in the fireplace.

I workd on my grandson Levi's quilt - its a Buggy Barn Patthern and was the first one of their patterns I tried. I was so excited that I got the quilt top finished. The bones, nose and eyes are all machine applique using ultrasuede and really make for a fun quilt. Now to get it quilted. His birthday is March 17.

I also worked on Gail Pan's Christmas Wish. I know most of you have that one finished. I traced these off for my mom to work on and she did get started but did not finish, so I am finishing them up for her. They were kind of bittersweet to work on - I love the patterns and enjoy the stitchery and its special as my mom started them, but I sure miss her and wish she were here to finish them.

And speaking of stitcheries - look at the elegant snowflake that Mary was working on. These are napkins - but who would dare to use such a lovely work of art?

I hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by,

Teresa