http://www.thequiltshow.com/myblog/bridget473.xml A newer quilter and married mom to three girls finds time for quilting after bedtimes/naptimes en-us http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13229 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13229"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13229_20120129_number_sculpture_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/05/2012: Not too much to blog about this week -- but thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my kindergarten quilt last week. Friday is the auction so we'll see how it does! I have now started work on my next project which, unfortunately, will be kept under wraps for the time being. So for the next few weeks when you hear absolutely nothing about quilting from me, that will be why. That and the fact that next Friday is the auction, Saturday morning I pick up our Girl Scout Daisy troop's cookie order, Saturday night is the big Harry Potter birthday party for Katelyn -- turning Sweet 16 this week! -- and Brooke who will be turning a fine nine. And then the following weekend will be spent at a local indoor waterpark. But I will squeeze in some serious work when I can. Last week Dave and I went downtown (Chicago) for a date afternoon. Since I have no quilting to share, I'll share some photos instead.... The swing ride was closed down for the season but the colors were still "on"! This i... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13229">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Feb 2012 13:30:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13229 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13180 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13180"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13180_dsc_0365_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/29/2012: I finished the kindergarten quilt for our school auction! I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. Phew! I even got it in a little early. Now the waiting and hoping begins. How much will it bring in? In order for someone to bid on it, they have to be at the auction, and let's face it, it's most likely going to be a kindergarten parent that gets it. You can see how many kids there are in the class by looking at all those little hands (30), but here's the issue -- almost all of the kindergarten children are new to this school and therefore the parents are new to this school and I'm thinking a lot of them will choose not to go to the auction. When I was a new parent I didn't go to the auction. They send out those RSVP cards and tell you that you can have a table of 10 and you barely know 10 other parents much less know them enough to say, "Hey -- let's all spend $65.00 apiece to have an uncomfortable dinner with even more people we don't know!" Right. The first year at your child's s... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13180">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:26:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13180 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13146 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13146"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13146_nap_time_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/22/2012: Katelyn had finals all week which meant dropping her off and picking her up at all different times of the day. (She says she thinks she did well but that her psychology exam was rough.) So no quilting. This week we'll be back to normal so I can finish up the kindergarten quilt. We had a cold snap and we got a new batch of snow this week which meant it was a good time for some homemade bread. I read about the recipe on another blog I read and it looked so yummy! She swore it was easy and it really was! It's called No-knead Dutch Oven Bread. Here's the recipe (although I always have to wait a really long time for the web page to load for some reason. I swear it's there! But if you have problems, here's an alternative recipe ). I love this kind of bread -- crusty on the outside and chewy and airy on the inside. We had nothing left after dinner that night. I don't own a nice dutch oven so I just used my Pyrex instead and it worked great. It cooked beautifully and popped right out when it ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13146">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:57:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13146 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13127 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13127"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13127_snowball_fight_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/15/2012: It's all pieced! The kindergarten auction quilt is all pieced and almost ready for quilting. I just need to embroider the teachers' names next to their handprints and then I can get to the quilting! I'm just going to do some meandering so it shouldn't take too long. I had enough time to work on it because I think I'm really done with my part-time fill-in job -- until one day in the middle of March. I told the girls at the office to call me if they needed anything but I don't have anything on the schedule any time soon. Hooray! So I spent some time in the studio and some time with my girls. And 6-year-old Morgan was kind enough to teach me a new term. We were playing beauty shop and Morgan was putting every clip barrette we own onto my head. I'm guessing the number of clips to be around 20. We have a plastic box that I keep in the linen closet and it holds all the hair stuff as well as a couple of other things like cotton balls and cotton swabs. After we had used up our supply of clips... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13127">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:40:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13127 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13101 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13101"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13101_dsc_0051_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/08/2012: I don't have any progress photos of my kindergarten auction quilt because I've been inside all day working on preparing our paperwork for our accountant. Our tax appointment is on Tuesday. But now it's all done and I'm so relieved -- and my rear end is actually sore from sitting all day! Anyway, I got all the childrens' names embroidered onto each block and they turned out pretty good! And then I also embroidered the kindergarten prayer for the bottom border. It took 37 minutes for my machine to stitch it out and I was so happy when it finished with no thread breaking or anything. Hooray! I was on the phone with my mom telling her about how happy I was with it. She asked what the kindergarten prayer was and I recited from memory... For lovely things I hear and see, and happy things that come to me. Thank you God. Amen Isn't that sweet? The kindergarten class says it every morning at school. And since they say it every morning, Morgan is extremely knowledgeable about it. She was sit... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13101">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 Jan 2012 16:29:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13101 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13062 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13062"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13062_kdg_quilt_design_2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/01/2012: I thought I would get a lot done on the kindergarten auction quilt during Christmas break but I ended up working a lot instead. I'll admit that the paycheck was nice, but I'm ready to return to a less-hectic and more-creative lifestyle. So thankfully my visit back into the career world is almost over. The one lady I am filling in for is finishing up her chemotherapy and will be back on Tuesday and unfortunately, the other lady I was filling in for while she took care of her terminally ill husband lost him last week. (Please remember Nancy in your prayers. She has been so strong for many months and is such a sweet person. Thankfully she has a lot of family and friends around her to help her get through this difficult time.) So I will just be filling in once per week for a month or so while the one lady finishes up her treatments and then I'll be available to fill in for vacations now and then if needed. The office is about 5 minutes from my house and I can come and go as my childrens' ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13062">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 Jan 2012 13:29:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13062 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13010 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13010"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/13010_party_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/18/2011: Not much to report here due to all the holiday craziness but I just wanted to tell you all M e r r y C h r i s t m a s ! The Christmas show is over. Tomorrow is the kindergarten classroom party and we're ready except for the cupcakes I need to bake tonight. Shopping and wrapping are done. All that is left is the holiday baking and celebrating! After Christmas is over, I can start on my auction quilt for the school. It's going to have appliques of all the kindergartener's hands on it so I've been "collecting" some tracings this week. I still need a few and then eventually they will be turned into something that looks like this.... Enjoy this wonderful holiday season and have a great week everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:42:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/13010 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12982 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12982"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12982_lenten_rose_pieces_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/11/2011: Look what I got! My very first eggs from my chickens! (Those of you raised on farms are probably laughing at my excitement but that's OK. Hee hee!) The chickens were born in June and technically are old enough to start laying, but I had read that they may wait until the spring to start due to the cold weather and lack of daylight that winter brings. No biggie. I don't eat eggs anyway. (Yes, really. I have chickens and I don't eat eggs.) But my family does so they won't go to waste. Anyway, I went out to take care of the chickens the other day and SURPRISE! -- there was a cute little brown egg sitting there. The black chicken that I thought might be a rooster -- but is as sweet as can be and has never crowed -- pushed the little egg toward me with its beak. It was the only chicken near the egg so maybe it was hers -- so I'll start calling her "Layla" again. They might as well have put a little bow on it -- I was so excited! So now every day since I've been getting a little gift from one... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12982">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:35:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12982 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12960 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12960"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12960_brooke_creating_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/04/2011: I'm sure the "creativity" thing there in the title probably got you thinking there would be quilting involved -- but, alas, there is none to report of this week. Instead, I'll share with you some Christmas creativity from around the Lilja house this week.... Brooke is taking a very long time on her report about being Swedish. It's due on Wednesday, but we have a busy Monday and Tuesday coming up so she's doing it today. She's spent more time decorating the presentation board than she did writing the report, but that's OK. Focused is focused and she did a good job on the written part anyway. Here is one of my cross stitched ornaments from when I used to do that sort of thing way back when. And here's another.... And here is a picture of our new Nativity set. I have a nice porcelain one, but I was constantly hearing the clinking noises that come from little hands playing with things they shouldn't. Ahem -- Brooke and Morgan. Getting them their own child-friendly version seemed like ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12960">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Dec 2011 16:01:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12960 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12935 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12935"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12935_house_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/27/2011: A couple of weeks ago, after returning from Houston, I posted pictures of all my goodies. Some of you guessed that my cardboard tube contained something having to do with another group quilt. Well, that is, in fact, what it was. While I can't share much more than that, I can tell you that I have started thinking of how I will be creating part of my portion. So I had to do a little experimenting. I love, love, love , Tsukineko inks. I love using them to paint my own fabric to achieve whatever look I'm going for. This week I decided I needed to find a good resist to work with my inks. I learned what worked and what did not. I also learned that I have a lot more supplies than I realized! I marked a piece of fabric with some dots of each resist, waited for them to dry, and then painted over them with my inks. I tried... * White acrylic paint * Jacquard Neopaque * Ranger Perfect Medium Pen * White Gel Pen * Fabric Pastel * Tsukineko All Purpose Ink * Artist Matte Medium * Gesso and * Artis... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12935">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:11:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12935 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12913 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12913"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12913_daisy_meeting_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/20/2011: ...Some women are drippin' with pearls. Lucky me, lucky me, look at what I'm drippin' with....Little Girls! I've been livin' this song this week. Well, without all the alcohol and perfect comedic timing. If you'd rather not get this song stuck in your head, it's called "Little Girls" sung by Carol Burnett for the movie "Annie." It's about how all the little girls she's in charge of are driving her crazy. The girls I've been dealing with all week aren't driving me crazy per se, but they are EVERYWHERE! Our very first Daisy Girl Scout meeting was this week. Due to the fact that the lady in charge of booking the church basement where we meet apparently needs some new organizational skills, we ended up triple-booked. There were forty-two girls at the meeting. Yikes! It was busy and pretty screechy, but we all had fun. We were making ornaments to decorate a community tree with. There was lots of glitter to clean up when the meeting was done! (Roll over this photo to see today's tree de... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12913">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:26:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12913 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12873 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12873"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12873_me_and_the_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/13/2011: I know it's been said before by others, but I gotta agree -- the best thing about Houston wasn't really the fabulous quilts -- it was the people. I'm so glad I got to meet so many people that I've known from this website. What a special -- and busy! -- weekend it was for me. I got the kids ready for school, dropped them off at my friend's house, and Dave and I headed to the airport on Friday morning. We haven't flown in about 10 years and I have always heard to get there early, especially since we were going out of Chicago's O'Hare airport, so we were there way early. Oh well. I think I needed that extra hour of sitting at the gate because when we hit Houston it was a whirlwind of quilts and friends and fun! Here are some highlights from my very first trip to Houston.... We checked into the hotel, dropped off our luggage, and went right to the show! I ran into some TQS friends and most of the Amazing 8 (a few were in classes) and they took me over to where our quilt was. It was so exci... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12873">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:53:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12873 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12799 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12799"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12799_cake_inside_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/30/2011: My baby turned six this week. Here she is with the package of fake vomit she asked my sister to buy her for her birthday. Seriously. I don't think she thought my sister would actually buy it but I knew better! Anyway, since the day she was born, Morgan's been...let's say...outgoing. And loud. And usually funny. And lately, time-consuming. This week was all about Morgan. On Wednesday, we had her very first Girl Scout Daisy meeting (I'm the troop leader and spent two hours the night before ironing Girl Scout patches to 11 uniforms to prepare for the meeting). Then I had to go to a Girl Scout training class in the evening. Thursday was spent getting the troop registered and shopping for her birthday. Friday actually was her birthday which meant sending in treats for the class and then, unfortunately, trying to straighten out the reason that the church secretary triple-booked the church basement for our Daisy meeting this week. (We got bumped by the school band.) But then Morgan and I sp... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12799">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12799 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12771 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12771"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12771_pumpkin_farm_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/23/2011: To whom it may concern: This is my formal notification that I am resigning from the UGH ( U nable to G o to H ouston) Club as its President. Today, October 23, 2011, will be my last day of employment. I appreciate the opportunities I have been given here, and wish you much success in the future. Sincerely, Bridget L. Lilja Pretty good, huh? Simple and to the point. I copied it from the internet. For those of you who may not be familiar with the UGH Club, here is a link to last year's information . Anyone care to take it over this year? All you gotta do is be a shoulder to cry on if needed and maybe organize some sort of distracting activity during the week of the show. Easy peasy! Easier, than say, going to the pumpkin farm with 30 kindergarteners! I should know.... So, anyway, I'm so excited about going to Houston! All my TQS friends in real life surrounded by the world's most beautiful quilts? Wheee! School, work, and Girl Scout commitments have kept my studio time to a minimum (OK... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12771">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:07:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12771 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12751 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12751"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12751_brooke_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/16/2011: Thank you so much for your kind words last week for me and for my family. My mother-in-law's passing was quite a shock to our family but we are taking comfort in the fact that her mind and her body are now at peace. Life is returning to a new kind of normal which now includes making sure that my father-in-law is eating right and has someone to talk to should he feel lonely. The fact that we live right across the street makes this task a bit easier. So after last week's services, the kids are caught up on homework and I'm caught up on housework (if there is such a thing!). We even found time to book our flight to Houston for the show! We leave Chicago that Friday morning and will return on Sunday afternoon. It's more of a weekend jaunt than an actual vacation, but getting to see Friendlily Blossoming and, more importantly, all my TQS friends will make it one of the best trips of my life. So there is no quilting to share this week. Just my appreciation to all of you for your friendship ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12751">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:15:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12751 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12726 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12726"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12726_katelyn_homecoming_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/09/2011: This weekend was Katelyn's homecoming dance. She looked beautiful and had a wonderful time. Dave's mother passed away suddenly on Friday. She lived across the street from us with my father-in-law. We are in the process of making arrangements today and will be helping my father-in-law get through this difficult time. Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers.</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Oct 2011 09:11:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12726 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12700 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12700"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12700_chicken_tractor_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/02/2011: I started working this week. And I have to go back tomorrow. See that? I wrote "have to" -- not "want to". It was a very weird feeling walking back into the same office building that I worked at almost nine years ago only to find out that a lot hasn't changed. I'm not sure I like it. The people that work there -- the ones that were there when I was there before -- don't realize that it has been almost nine years since I've done this. They haven't missed a beat and I don't think they see that I don't remember how things work. Things are familiar but it's definitely not like riding a bike. It's just secretary stuff, but I spent six hours just going through email! I don't know what I'll be expected to do tomorrow but I'll show up and find out I guess. So I was working this week but my embroidery unit was NOT! My friend asked if I could embroider a name for her daughter's Indian Princess uniform. Well, I could if my embroidery unit would "talk" to my laptop. They haven't been on speaking ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12700">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Oct 2011 15:40:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12700 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12677 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12677"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12677_img_0588_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/25/2011: This counts as "in the studio," right? My friend asked me to fix the hem on her daughter's school uniform so I did. After I had to look up (again) how to do a blind hem stitch. The kid was walking around with big ol' safety pins holding up the hem so I'm sure she'll be happier now that it's repaired. My week kinda got away from me. My friend and I went to the NASCAR race last Sunday and stayed all day, in the rain, only to have it get canceled at around 7:00 PM. They rescheduled it on Monday so we dropped off the kids at school and went back to the track! It was a boring race but it was still a fun experience. So that ate up Monday. Tuesday is my "Lunch Duty Day", Wednesday was "Catch Up Day", Thursday was "Cleaning Day", and Friday was "School Moms Bowling Day". Yesterday was "Apple Pie Day". Our bank had an apple pie contest and Dave signed me up a couple of weeks ago and came home and said, "You can bake an apple pie, right?" He had dollars in his eyes. The prize was $300. Sure! Wh... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12677">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:34:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12677 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12647 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12647"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12647_tires_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/18/2011: No quilting or blogging today -- I've been at the racetrack all day! I was supposed to be home by around 6 PM but Mother Nature had different plans. It rained all day and the powers that be (NASCAR) didn't officially cancel the race until almost 7:00 this evening. Twelve hours at the track and we didn't see any racing! Oh well -- I'm going back tomorrow morning to try again! Have a great week everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:32:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12647 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12622 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12622"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12622_verbena_on_a_stick_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/11/2011: Thank you for the chicken advice last week! There has been no crowing, but seeing as everyone is thinking "It's a Boy!", we have renamed Layla "Clapton". Dave renamed him since the song "Layla" was done by Eric Clapton.... I originally named "her" Layla because the baby name website listed it as a name that meant "black" and anything with the word "lay" in it is good for a chicken -- but I do like the song too! No quilting this week. The little ones had an extended holiday weekend and didn't go back until Wednesday and I babysat my niece on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday was spent getting my hair done and running around. And taking phone calls from my old boss. Yes. Again . She admitted she was calling out of desperation and completely understood that I wasn't interested in working full time. So she offered me two or three days per week -- whatever hours I want so I could work around my school stuff -- temporarily. Out of the five secretaries that were working in that office, one g... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12622">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12622 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12601 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12601"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12601_raspberries_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/04/2011: Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice last week. I really appreciate it! It's good to have friends like you who have been through it and lived to tell! I did all the school stuff and still had time for myself in the studio! This kids-at-school-all-day thing is a pretty good gig! (Except that I find myself talking to the pets a lot -- so far they haven't answered back.) So I put my alone time to good use and finished my blue and white quilt for my bedroom (roll over for a close up). This is the quilt that is covering up my circuit breaker box. That corner of the room needed something anyway. I'm happy with how it turned out. The volunteering I did this week was actually pretty fun. Morgan's kindergarten teacher loved the birthday card I helped the kids make for her and she certainly needed something happy since she had just taken her oldest daughter to college the day before. Lunch duty was way easier since I no longer have to watch Morgan in addition to all the school ki... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12601">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Sep 2011 16:04:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12601 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12572 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12572"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12572_first_day_of_school_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/28/2011: ...that just says "SUCKER" across my forehead? I mean, I fell for the lizard thing last week (Thanks for all your comments! The family is still laughing at me!), and this week I somehow got volunteered for multiple school things. I have already made the conscious decision not to volunteer for anything else. All those emails that come out asking for help? I'm not responding this year. I'm booked. I agreed to do be Morgan's Girl Scout Daisy leader, I do lunch duty for 90 minutes once per week, and I'm in charge of helping the new families at the school feel more at ease which requires a few emails and handing out a packet that I made up over the summer. I was prepared to not volunteer, but there's no way I could say no if someone asked for something. Scenario 1: Phone rings. "Hi Mrs. Lilja! It's Mrs. N. from school. Miss K. (Morgan's kindergarten teacher) would like to know if you would be room mother this year." Me: "I'd be happy to if there's no one else. I was one of the preschool r... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12572">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:56:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12572 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12557 <p align="left">08/24/2011: It's about 7:30 CT on August 24th and I just got an email from Ritzy's friend Kathy! She told me I should tell all of Ritzy's "groupies"... And I quote... "Elisha James Ward is in the world at 9lb 6oz, 21 1/4" tall. Of course, she [Ritzy] says he is the cutest baby there, and it's NOT because he's hers.....right." If you're friends with Ritzy on Facebook, go to her page. Her son-in-law posted a family photo! He's a doll! I'm sure she'll be sharing photos soon!</p><br clear="all"/> Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:36:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12557 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12534 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12534"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12534_toad_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/21/2011: I'm finally exhaling today. What a whirlwind of a week! Today's blog is rated "NQR" -- Not Quilt Related. Following is a list of the things that have stopped me from quilting this week.... Ordering Katelyn's books for her sophomore year in high school Registering Katelyn for her sophomore year in high school Taking Katelyn shopping for clothes to wear during her sophomore year in high school Going to the new uniform store to get Brooke's school uniforms and finding out that the new uniform store was not ready to outfit all kids from our school since there were a total of three jumpers left on the rack in sizes that were not even close to fitting an 8-year-old (They'll ship 'em to me when they get back in stock.) Buying new dress shoes, gym shoes, and knee socks for Brooke and Morgan -- from three different stores Writing up a 15-page packet for all the new families at our school to guide them through their first year Going to a kindergarten orientation meeting for Morgan -- and then ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12534">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12534 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12503 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12503"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12503_camping_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/14/2011: Yawwwwwn. I'm still a bit tired from last night. Brooke slept over at a friend's house so Morgan was in their room alone -- for part of the night. The other part of the night was spent kicking me in the spine. Ouch! She apparently doesn't like to sleep alone. Little Miss Morgan also doesn't take naps (like since she was 2!) but her school supply list called for a nap mat for kindergarten. I probably could have bought one, but I found a cute pattern online and decided to make it. (Click here for the PDF file http://jennygarland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/NapMatTutorial.pdf .) I used a vintage sheet I had bought awhile back and she loves it -- and I guess the cat does too! (Roll over this image to see how it looks all rolled up.) It was a fun little project! I let the kids camp out in the backyard this week and Morgan wanted to use it but I told her it would get dirty. So they all just piled up a bunch of quilts and sleeping bags and everyone stayed nice and warm in the littl... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12503">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:10:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12503 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12490 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12490"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12490_grilling_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/07/2011: I have no air conditioning in my studio. I have a ceiling fan and a little desk fan. And they don't do a darned thing when it's 90°-plus outside. So, therefore, I have not been in the studio this week. That and I had to prepare for the big corn roast I had here yesterday -- because my sweet corn was ready!!! So since I'm a bad girl with no quilting to share, I'll share some pictures from yesterday instead.... I got some straw hats at the dollar store for the little girls (Brooke, Morgan and two of my nieces) so they could play farmer, and I let them do the harvesting. I showed them how to tell if the ears were ready and let 'em at it! Since this is my very first time growing corn I figured the little ones couldn't do any worse than me! I learned on the internet that you look to see if the silks are brown and that's how you know the corn is ready, so that was the rule I gave the kids! The almighty internet was right again -- the corn was perfect! A few tugs and the ears came righ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12490">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Aug 2011 10:47:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12490 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12475 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12475"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12475_water_lily_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/31/2011: Thank you all so very much for your sweet words about my coneflower quilt and our Houston quilt! There is never a shortage of supportive friends on this site. Thank you for your kindness and for your friendship! No quilting was done this week but I did get to hit a quilt shop! It was all part of my "Day of Lies" with Ritzy. If you haven't read about it, just click here . And if you haven't seen Ritzy's happy picture, here it is! And earlier in the week the girls and I went with my sister and her family to the Warren Dunes.... And then today I got to return to the "Scene of the Crime." This was the final day of the local pond tour and we visited the home where the purple water lilies were -- the ones in the quilt we made for Houston.... Yep. The lilies are still there! And I got the nicest compliment. I explained to the home owner that her lilies were the inspiration behind our quilt which would be hanging up in Houston this year for thousands of people to see. I told her how I h... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12475">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:54:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12475 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12443 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12443"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12443_coneflower_complete_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/24/2011: Well, it's finally done. I finished my coneflower quilt. After I got all the swirly quilting done I realized that the flower didn't stand out enough so I added some more and different thread. I'm much happier with it now. Here's the finished product.... And here are some closer views.... I really like this technique. I enjoy painting and quilting so it's the best of both worlds for me. And this is the same technique that I used on my panel for "FriendLily Blossoming" . By the way, do you know how hard it was for me to keep my big mouth/typing fingers shut? We had decided to keep quiet about the quilt and so way back in February when I was working on my panel I was having a horrible time trying to come up with something to blog about! Hee hee! Anyway, it was so fun seeing what the other members of the group were doing while working on their panels. I documented my progress and thought you might like to see it.... Personalize a free slideshow The original photo we used for ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12443">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 24 Jul 2011 09:09:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12443 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12433 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12433"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12433_friendlily_blossoming_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/21/2011: You may or may not have heard about a huge event that has recently happened to eight of us from TQS. We will have a quilt hanging in Houston . Seriously. The word "excited" is almost not enough to describe the feeling. At last year's Houston show, a group of TQS members got together and decided to make a group quilt. I was not there and, sadly, missed out on the margaritas that I have heard were involved. Hanne-Grete Brink , Karen Fitzpatrick , Mary Holman , Dana Lynch , Wanda Myers , Cindy Neville , and Mary Kay Runyan graciously invited me into their group and everything just fell together. It was decided that the group would create a fractured quilt by enlarging and then cutting up a photo and then having each person create a panel from the photo. The panels would all be joined to create one large quilt. You would think that there might be some issues with such a large number of people, but I gotta say -- there was nothing but positive interaction within our group which is named "T... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12433">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:05:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12433 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12410 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12410"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12410_flower_quilting_close_up_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/17/2011: It's time to make the donuts quilt the flower! I'm all for "quilt as desired," but I really like seeing what other people desire when it comes time for the quilting. So here's how I'm doing it. (Notice I said "doing it" as opposed to "did it" -- I just started on the background.) I used a coordinating -- but darker -- colored thread for each section. Since my inks end up so pastel-y, the quilt definitely needed a little kick. So I didn't match the thread exactly to the color of each piece. I went a bit darker. See the difference it makes? I pretty much traced around the outer edge of each piece and followed the ink colors for the details. (You can roll over this photo for a closer view.) And here's where I'm at now. I'm filling up the background with all these little swirlies in a dark green and multicolored variegated thread. It's gonna be a while! I promise to post the finished product when the time comes. So that's about it for the tutorial! I hope some of you try it one day. It... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12410">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:40:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12410 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12384 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12384"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12384_08_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/10/2011: Ahhh. This week was a LOT easier than last week! The parade and party are over so I got to be a little lazy and, more importantly, I got to play in the studio! See? I got the entire flower finished and ready to stitch onto the background! (Roll over this photo to see them side-by-side.) So let's paint the background... You will want to protect your original photo before beginning. Spray your photo with a very light layer of spray baste and then lay some plastic wrap over it. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth -- just do it as good as you can. (You can roll over this photo for an alternate view.) Place your protected photo right-side-up on your light box (or other light source) and then press your background fabric (the same Kona white as you used for the applique) and lay it on top of the photo. Pin the fabric to the original photo to keep it from shifting. Now you're ready to paint! Depending on the look you're going for, you may want to spritz the entire piece with a ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12384">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12384 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12354 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12354"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12354_06_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/03/2011: Thank you all so much for the sweet comments about Morgan's wedding! We'll definitely be holding on to those pictures! And now back to the tutorial.... Last time, we had painted our pieces to be appliqued and we clipped the edges to aid in turning them under. Here are my pieces.... Ready to be put together! There are two ways to go about this next step. You can turn under all the edges on every piece and "un-turn" some later when you go to assemble them, or you can turn edges piece by piece, joining them as needed. I'm going to show you the first way. You will need some spray starch and a small paintbrush for this next step. And you will also need a small craft iron. (Roll over this picture for a closer view.) Spray some starch into the cap and wait for the bubbles to go down. Dip your brush into the spray starch and paint it along the fabric edge. Get it good and wet! Use your craft iron to turn the edges over using the freezer paper edge as your guide. Do a small section at... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12354">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Jul 2011 09:00:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12354 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12323 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12323"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12323_the_proposal_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/26/2011: It's been a hectic week. We had huge storms and lost power for a day, one of the chicks passed away (she never really seemed to be thriving -- she just went quietly overnight ), and oh yeah -- the annual school garage sale. My friend Angel and I worked our tails off this week to get the "toy room" ready for all the excited shoppers on Saturday and then again today for the half-price sale. The school made a nice profit -- $4,000 more than last year! -- but I'm exhausted and just didn't have time to do my next tutorial. But instead I'll share with you the pictures of my daughter's wedding.... Yeah, I know all my kids aren't old enough to get married. Especially Morgan -- who is five. But who am I to stand in the way of true love? The mom who is in charge of the garage sale has six kids. In our school, odds are one of your children is in the same grade as one of her children. Morgan attended preschool with the second-to-youngest -- Brendan. And they have apparently fallen in love. So whil... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12323">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:48:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12323 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12288 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12288"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12288_13_dry_with_iron_if_needed_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/19/2011: So where were we? Oh yeah! We had all the templates prepared. Well now comes the fun part - putting them on fabric and painting them! Get your nice Kona white fabric out and press it really well. Place all your pieces onto the fabric remembering to make sure your straight of grain lines are truly on the straight of grain. You'll want to leave about ¾" to 1" of space between each piece to make sure you have enough room for the seam allowance. Next, cut out each piece leaving at least a ¼" seam allowance. Feel free to leave a little more if you want to. You can always trim away later - you can't add more fabric! Good, sharp scissors make this part much easier. Clip the edges on each piece so they can be turned under easily when the time comes. Don't clip all the way to the freezer paper - just clip to a couple of threads before the freezer paper edge. (And rest your eyes when you need to!) Curved edges need lots of clips. Straight edges hardly need any. Place your pie... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12288">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:02:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12288 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12247 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12247"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12247_strawberry_jam_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/12/2011: So last week I showed you an easy way to enlarge your photo to create your quilt . Now on to the templates! Here are my four printed pieces (I finally bought more ink!) ready to be assembled. Cut off the white borders where the pieces will touch and... ...tape them together. I use a few small pieces on the front just to stabilize them and then tape the back more thoroughly. The next step is to trace around what will become each applique piece using a thin black marker. (A standard Sharpie marker is too thick -- you want a little more precision so I use the thinner tipped Sharpie.) You'll have to decide which pieces are "important" in your picture and trace around them. Remember that you will have to translate each piece into fabric so don't get overly detailed. You can add detail later with paint and also with thread. After tracing around each piece, make registration marks so you will be able to attach the pieces to each other later. Place them where every piece touches anothe... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12247">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 12 Jun 2011 07:31:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12247 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12217 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12217"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12217_step_1_get_photo_to_edit_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/05/2011: I was asked about possibly doing a tutorial for my current quilt technique (the painted Lenten Rose quilt -- which I got zero done on this week due to the kids end-of-year stuff!). So hey -- why not? Here goes! I do enjoy drawing -- I always have -- but many of my quilts are inspired by and created from photographs. There's no need to draw if you don't have to or don't want to. And you'll probably also notice that I like flowers. I love, love, LOVE working outside in the garden. (Another thing that has cut into my recent quilting time!) I enjoy looking at the flowers that I've so lovingly taken care of for months or even years and taking their pictures to preserve their beauty that I know will be taken away in what always seems to be a short time. So yeah -- I have quite a few pictures that I would like to see in fabric. Feel free to use my photo if you want to "play along" (send me an email and I can email you the photo) or better yet, use one of your own! Choosing Your Photo Take... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12217">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Jun 2011 15:05:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12217 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12181 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12181"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12181_morgans_last_day_of_school_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/29/2011: Yep! I got to meet Mary this week ! I was so glad we were able to get in a nice visit. Morgan had her end-of-the-year program on Monday but after it was over, she and I went out to meet Mary and her family for a wonderful lunch. I'm glad she had her camera because all I had was the camera on my cell phone. Well, I did have my camera, but didn't have the memory card to go in the camera so that was no help! I went to record Morgan's program earlier in the morning and turned it on and the screen gently reminded me that the card was still in the laptop. Darn it! Anyway, it was so nice to meet another TQS friend in real life and I look forward to seeing her again. Thank you, Mary! So one kid is done with school -- Morgan -- this is a picture of her and her friend having some fun at the chalkboard in her classroom. Brooke finishes this Friday and Katelyn the following Wednesday. I still have to get through the 2nd grade field trip to the zoo on Tuesday. I'm chaperoning but they haven't told... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12181">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 May 2011 10:00:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12181 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12149 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12149"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12149_petal_lights_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/22/2011: I had to apologize to my husband this week. Ugh. I hate having to do that. You see, Dave is not the most handy husband in the world. You know all you lucky girls out there that have husbands who can build you new sewing rooms and custom tables for your machine and such? I don't have one of those. Yes, this is the same husband who has a race car and the million tools needed to work on that. But we have one very old hammer at our house and he doesn't even own a cordless drill. (Whenever he needs something done he borrows his dad's drill.) So for Father's Day he'll be getting either a cordless drill or a new hammock. I'm pretty sure he'd get more use out of the hammock. Anyway, I've been on him to make me some new garden beds for my vegetables for a couple of weeks. I wanted to be all planted by this weekend. And when I get something in my head and make a deadline I'm pretty....ummmm....focused. We decided on a size, chose the wood, found a place to get the soil, and I left it up to him... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12149">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 May 2011 11:19:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12149 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12103 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12103"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12103_flowers_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/15/2011: Gardening is right up there with quilting for me. And after our long, cold winter here in Illinois I'm ready for some time out in the dirt. We got some warm weather this week (OK -- hot -- like 90° hot) so I took advantage whenever I could and cleaned up most of the perennial bed, weeded some areas that really needed it, and moved some plants around. And then I planned my containers and went shopping to fill them. In order to be sure that I get enough but not too much I make a list of all my containers and then when I'm at the nursery I write what I bought for each container. Hence the clipboard. Which made some lady ask me where the Wave Petunias were while I was shopping. (She thought I worked there.) I had to explain that I was just some crazy organizing fanatic just shopping myself. From her expression I think she agreed with the crazy part. I also got my floating plants for my pond and if you roll over the flower picture above you can see the new pond resident I got as well. ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12103">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 May 2011 12:17:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12103 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12071 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12071"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12071_forget_me_nots_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/08/2011: ...Mother's Day! I'll be puttering around in the garden today -- enjoying the sunshine that has been pretty rare around here lately. What can I say -- sometimes it's just too nice outside to sit at my beloved sewing machine. The kids made me some sweet gifts and the husband did a great job picking out some new garden plants. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful family and just as fortunate to have such a wonderful quilting family here. I hope all you moms out there are enjoying a day filled with the love of your family and whatever else you'd like it filled with! Have a great week everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 May 2011 11:59:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12071 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12039 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12039"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12039_communion_group_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/01/2011: Yesterday was the big day. Brooke made her First Communion. After over a week of rainy weather here, the sun finally came out and all the second-graders had a beautiful day for their celebration. It was a little breezy (as you can see by her wind-blown veil) but it was sunny and warm and everything went well. Brooke actually had a part in the Mass. Her job was to carry up the Sacramentary. For you non-Catholics, that's the big book containing the "script" for the Mass. And I mean a BIG book. There were lots of comments like, "I hope she ate a big breakfast!" and "That book is as big as she is!" We're going to assume that the Mass parts were chosen at random for the kids since one of her classmates -- a boy who is at least a head taller than Brooke and who is already being "scouted" by the local kids football league -- walked up before her and carried a piece of cloth. Nobody tripped or dropped anything, the choir sounded wonderful, and Brooke survived her shoes that she swore were to... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12039">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 May 2011 11:16:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/12039 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11973 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11973"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11973_garden_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/17/2011: Now I'm really close. This puppy just needs some binding and a label and it will be finished! I took an hour the other night and just sat down and finished the quilting. A little bit of music and some time to myself and it all just happened. Thank goodness! No more feathers to do! I wanted to bind it yesterday since I thought I had a whole day to myself, but it wasn't to be. School duties called so I spent the afternoon sitting at the home of another school family along with the school principal. The head of our marketing committee decided that a school open house at the home of one of the school families might be a more comfortable setting for any families interested in learning more about our school. (It's a Catholic school and like many other areas, the economy is taking its toll on our enrollment numbers. Which translates into higher tuition. Ick.) So we passed out fliers earlier in the week and had information packets and cookies and fruit all set out -- and no one showed up. Oh ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11973">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:23:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11973 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11956 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11956"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11956_fashion_show2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/10/2011: I am just not feeling this quilt any more. I only have a border and a half left to quilt on it and I just want it to be over! Do you ever feel like that? I'm tired of quilting feathers. I'm tired of looking at it. I just want it done! But it's not. I worked for maybe an hour on it this week but I had a lot of other fabric-ish things going on this week. Like the school fashion show. Yes, I volunteered to help -- but not a lot. I just had to be behind the scenes during the actual event. It was the only way to get my kids in the show. The organizers said that if your kid wanted in the show then you had to volunteer to help in some way. I think that was fair. So I helped. And Brooke and Morgan were in the show.... Here's Brooke getting her makeup done before the show. And here she is with her hair and makeup done! I don't have a photo of her in her outfit -- I was busy lining up all the kids to go out for their turns. One of my friends was in charge of my camera but she missed getting ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11956">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:18:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11956 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11922 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11922"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11922_glitter_house_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/03/2011: And there it went. Spring break. Gone with the wind. (Ooh! It's April! I just remembered -- Netflix now has "Gone with the Wind" available to watch instantly! Yay!) Anyway, spring break is over and I didn't get into the studio at all. **Heavy sigh.** I did the "kid thing" a couple days and the shopping thing a time or two, but it all broke bad midweek. Dave and I got hit with a nasty stomach bug. Thankfully the kids didn't get it (or at least haven't yet), but he and I were out of commission for a couple days. Yuck. I don't know what the kids ate or really did while I was lying in bed and Dave was out working. All I know is there was a lot of house cleaning to do after my recovery. So now I'm pretty sure the stomach bug is gone and I'm really sure spring break is gone! But I still have some cute purchases to show for my week off! Brooke and I went shopping -- pre-illness -- and I found about two yards of this fabric at the thrift store for $0.90. Sweet! I took all the girls to the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11922">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Apr 2011 10:32:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11922 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11889 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11889"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11889_lemon_meringue_kisses_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/27/2011: I did a little bit of this and a little bit of that this week. I did get some studio time, but I'm still not done with this quilt. I just have three more borders to go though! Yay! I decided on this pretty variegated King Tut to do the border quilting and it worked great with the fabric. Truthfully, I've just about had it with this quilt. It seems like it's taken me forever to get it to where it is so I do want to finish it, but I'll sure be glad when it's done! And it's spring break for the kids this week so I'm sure I'll be outside working on it either due to the fact that I'll have time since I don't have to drive kids around or just because they're driving me crazy and I will need an escape. I'm guessing it will be more of the second reason. And because I'm a planner by nature, I've been working on the plans for Brooke's First Communion that's coming up at the end of April. Yes, I know it's over a month away, but I like to plan stuff. So here are some pictures showing things I have... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11889">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:28:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11889 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11846 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11846"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11846_lupine_close_up_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/20/2011: It seems like forever since I actually finished something. Yeah, I do a bunch of little things, but it's been a while since I finished and actual quilt. Well, this one is a small one, but I did put a lot of work into it and now it's complete! It's a small painted whole cloth quilt based on one of my garden photos. The bee was really in the picture. It was nice of him to cooperate! I started this one last year and finally finished it yesterday. I had everything painted except for some of the green background so the remainder of the painting went pretty quickly. (I used Tsukineko inks .) After slopping on some green ink, I dried it and heat set it and started the quilting. I'm happy with how the flower and bee turned out (you can roll over this photo for a close up) but I'm not thrilled with the background. I thought I'd try to just quilt around the random color shapes in the background and I wish I would have done something more -- I guess "structured" would be the right word. Not so cr... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11846">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Mar 2011 11:22:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11846 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11814 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11814"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11814_table_runner_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/13/2011: So my birthday is coming up in a few weeks and Dave asked me for some gift ideas. I had no clue what I wanted. I hadn't really thought about it. So he asked me to think about it and I did. I made this little table runner the other day out of burlap (no -- really!) and some scraps I had lying around. And now that I'm looking at it, it needs to be hit with the iron again! Or it needs to be wet, but I don't like the smell of wet burlap. Eww! Anyway, it's on the coffee table in my living room. I decorated in a birds/walk-in-the-forest theme so the natural-looking burlap fit right in. (You can roll over this photo for another view. This is the little planter I filled with moss and a fake bird nest. The cat has yet to figure out that the grass in there is not real. She keeps chewing on it!) So for the little appliques, I just stacked up a few pieces of fabric and cut out the shapes. And that got me thinking about asking for an Accuquilt for my birthday. But then I had also thought about ge... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11814">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:26:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11814 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11765 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11765"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11765_purse_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/06/2011: It's so wonderful to have a community of cheerleaders here. Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement regarding my last blog. I was a good girl and did not volunteer for anything this week! And I even skipped out on the moms/tots field trip to the zoo because neither Morgan nor I were in the mood that day. Actually Morgan was not even aware that this trip was an option but I'm a pretty good gauge of her mood so all was good. The world did not crumble just because I didn't attend one of the gazillion optional kids things they have at school. But what I did do this week was quilt! Yes, I'm still working on this one. I am thisclose to finishing quilting the blocks. It's all those thread color changes. I really wish I would have put matching thread in the bobbin since the backing is white and all that color would have looked pretty cool. But I didn't. Oh well! It's pretty feather-y. But I like feather-y. Usually I have time on Sundays to get out to the studio too, but not today. Ka... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11765">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Mar 2011 17:09:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11765 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11723 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11723"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11723_theater_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/27/2011: I've seen quilts hanging in shows and lovingly placed on beds and draped over beautiful pieces of furniture. But I think this is the best way to view a quilt. Wrapped around a sweet little one! My brother and his wife had Charlotte's pictures done at their home this week. The photographer took some wonderful shots and this is obviously one of my favorites since the little peanut is wrapped up in the baby quilt I made for her. (Although the one where she looks scared for some reason is pretty funny! It's the first one on the photographer's blog which can be seen by clicking here .) I've been thinking a lot about kids lately. NO -- NOT ABOUT HAVING MORE! Just how much is involved. I've been doing a lot lately for the kids' school, and I thought it would be fulfilling and wonderful and all, but the more I do, the more I get asked to do, and the more I start realizing I'm not happy or fulfilled. And the kids don't care either way if I help at school but they will care if I'm crabby! Anyway... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11723">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:56:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11723 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11685 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11685"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11685_cake_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/20/2011: If someone asks, "Are you sober?" one should do some quick thinking before answering. You would think the correct answer would always be "yes" -- like my truthful answer was -- but you would be wrong. See, the other night I was at the auction for the girls' school. Just as the live bidding was about to begin, the mom who was in charge of the event ran up to me and said, "Bridget! Are you sober?" When I answered that I was (after all I was the designated driver for my friend and I!) she said, "Good! Take this flashlight and when someone bids on something in this row flash it at the auctioneer to get his attention and if they win it, take down their information." Ummmm...OK. I can see why she may have questioned my sobriety after seeing me on the dance floor a few minutes earlier -- I'm not exactly graceful -- but whoa! What just happened? So I stood in front of hundreds of people and played bidder spotter for almost an hour. My friend and I had planned on leaving around that time, but a... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11685">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:55:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11685 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11634 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11634"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11634_brooke_morgan_and_crystal_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/13/2011: This is what happens when the two youngest ones get their grubby little hands on mom's camera. Niiiiiice. Why does the cat put up with them? Is she so lazy that she won't even run from them? It had to take a few minutes to stand up those Littlest Pet Shop animals. And she just sat there. And it's not like she looks happy about this whole photo shoot thing. I'm pretty sure that's her "I'm gonna bite your face off" look. But she stayed there long enough to get about 5 or 6 pictures taken. I just found them all on my photo card when I was looking for blog photos. Ahhh...Mommy's Little Angels. But I don't actually have any quilting photos to share. I did get the tote bag done for Morgan's classroom auction gift, got 14 little handprints painted on it, and promptly forgot to take a picture of it finished. Grrr! I always have my phone with me -- it has a camera -- why didn't I just snap a shot? I do have to go back to preschool tomorrow to do the Valentine's Day party for the kids. I'll ha... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11634">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:17:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11634 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11581 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11581"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11581_blizzard_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/06/2011: I survived the blizzard! That's my birdbath in the middle of the picture there. Really it wasn't all that bad by me. Yes we got about 20"of snow and yes there were 50 mph winds, but we were prepared with food and a gassed-up generator (we thankfully never lost power here) so we just watched it all happen outside our window and on the news. I had gone grocery shopping the day before and the kids were off of school so we just kinda hung out inside until it was time to go outside and clear the driveway. Dave and I took shifts with the snow blower and it took about 3 hours to get everything clean and I took an extra two minutes and stomped a path to the studio door. The girls stomped around the rest of the yard. And we're all done with that nasty virus thing that was running rampant through our house last week. Thank you all for your kind words when I was sick last week! By Monday morning everyone -- except for Brooke who started the whole thing -- was sick. Katelyn and Morgan stayed home... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11581">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Feb 2011 12:18:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11581 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11534 <p align="left">01/30/2011: Brooke decided to share her icky virus thing with her dear mother so I'm out of commission today. Blog ya later and have a great week everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11534 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11487 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11487"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11487_pillows_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/23/2011: Thank you all so much for your kind words about my curtains! You're all so sweet! I thought I would have quilting time this week but I didn't. Katelyn had finals all week and Brooke had two Girl Scout meetings, her first Reconciliation (confession), and I had to help some moms at school get ready for the Father/Daughter dance. That my kids didn't go to. Morgan opted out right at the beginning and Brooke ended up with a fever that night. She's better now but she couldn't make the dance on Friday night -- much to Dave's delight. He's just not very outgoing and definitely not a dancer -- as I can attest to. So instead I snuck out to the studio yesterday and made a new pet bed for the critters, some pillows for the living room, and some pillowcases for Brooke and Morgan's new room. Yes -- another room redo! It's painted and all, but their bunk bed needs to be repainted and the room needs some decorating. Maybe it will be done soon -- my schedule looks a lot easier this week! But I'm gonna... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11487">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:50:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11487 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11442 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11442"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11442_curtains_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/16/2011: I spent 9 hours in the studio yesterday! Yay! But I was doing home dec stuff instead of quilt stuff. My living room got finished on Wednesday and now it's getting close to being complete. The furniture is in but I still need to do a bit of decorating. And that included window treatments. (Oh, and I need to find my camera. These pictures are from my phone since my camera is still somewhere waiting to be found and put back after the room redo.) I went to some department stores to look for curtains as well as Walmart and Target and didn't see anything I liked. What I like is the stuff at Country Curtains . Too bad they're way too pricey! So I ended up at Joann's and checked out their 50% off home dec fabrics and found just what I wanted. Ahhhh. Sometimes I get these grand ideas and get right to them and I'm usually happy with the outcome. This project I kinda thought about for a while. I really wanted a double layered valance with scallops to run across the top of the window. But I have ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11442">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:56:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11442 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11393 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11393"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11393_construction_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/09/2011: Here is where the construction project is today. My paint is on the wall and now it's just a lot of finishing touches. Maybe a day -- maybe a day and a half. My living room redo should be done by Wednesday. Hooray! Because I've had it with us all pretty much living in my basement and downstairs bedroom. How on earth did those "Little House on the Prairie" people do it? They had a bunch of kids in that little cabin and they were happy reading... or playing with their dollies... or sewing dresses for the townsfolk to make extra money... or helping Ma around the house... etc. My children just want to fight over which show to watch or who gets to be what character in the video game. We just got a new batch of books from the library -- READ something for goodness sake! I went out to the studio a couple of times this week. Once when Dave was home and then yesterday when he was not. He would be back soon and Katelyn was upstairs in her hideout room, but I thought it would be a good idea to gi... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11393">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Jan 2011 11:09:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11393 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11340 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11340"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11340_living_room_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/02/2011: My workers are coming back! Hooray! The guys that built our garage/studio last year will be here bright and early tomorrow morning to start on my living room! I've been whining for years to get my living room done and now it will be happening! This is one end of my living room ceiling. Don't ask. I won't shame anyone by explaining why it's like this, but it is. And tomorrow it will start getting fixed! When all is said and done I will have a new living room ceiling with lights and a fan, a new paint color, and new oak trim. The horrid brown carpeting will be yanked up off the stairs and upstairs hallway and will be replaced with a pretty wood floor and that area will be repainted and will get new trim as well. And then there's Brooke and Morgan's room. A few months ago Morgan's head went through the wall. Again -- don't ask. (She didn't even cry about it and all I know is they were "just playing" when it happened.) Anyway, there is a Morgan's-head-sized hole that needs fixing and then... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11340">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Jan 2011 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11340 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11293 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11293"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11293_tree_skirt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/26/2010: Dave and I took the girls downtown this week to see the lights and store windows at Macy's. (The windows were just OK this year.) Here they are in front of the big "city" tree. I've been doing a lot of the "mom thing" lately. Actually, I'm morphing into "that mom." One of my high school friends had a little boy the same age as Brooke and they ended up in the same kindergarten class a couple of years ago. When we realized we knew each other, we started chatting about not becoming "that mom." You know -- the one who is involved in all the school stuff. The one you knew would be there if there was a class party or a fundraiser or anything like that. I tried my best to just help out a little, but I have been sucked into that group of moms at school. There are two moms I know who are both on our school board and head up our marketing committee. Both Brooke and Morgan are friends with their children and I'm friends with both of them. And my other friend is the head of the social committee. ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11293">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Dec 2010 13:20:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11293 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11245 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11245"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11245_manger_ornament_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/19/2010: I hope you're all enjoying the season whatever holiday you celebrate. I'm so grateful to have this wonderful site where we can all share and celebrate all the special moments throughout the year. Thank you all for your friendship! I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! I think we're just about ready for Christmas around here. Except for my new tree skirt that is partially cut out but that's about all. Maybe I'll get it done before next week -- we'll see! Anyway, all the gifts are wrapped and ready to be opened on Christmas morning and only one is protesting. Yep -- protesting. One gift just doesn't want to be wrapped. It's a Go-Go My Walking Pup that Morgan asked Santa for. The dog apparently does not want to be hidden in the garage because Dave went out there to work on my car and said something was making noises. I asked if it was barking and sure enough -- the toy dog. Ugh! Who decided loud toys were a good idea? Kids I guess. But it was #1 on Morgan's list, so Santa will be... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11245">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:07:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11245 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11208 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11208"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11208_wing_shot_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/12/2010: There has just been too much other stuff going on to get any quilting done. I thought I had everything under control and that I would have a whole day to spend in the studio on Wednesday, but it didn't happen. I signed up Morgan for a program at school called "Book Buddies." Her preschool teacher runs it. Once a week for six weeks the kids in the program would get to stay at school all day and would focus on a certain children's author and read stories and do projects related to that author. Sounds like a nice program, right? Morgan would be learning some wonderful things and as a bonus I would have no kids at home for an entire day ! Whee! Well, she went to the first class on December 1st and loved it. The fact that she got to bring a lunch to school was a thrill in itself. And I spent that whole day Christmas shopping. I got everything for my kids as well as everything from my grandma for my kids. (She can't get around anymore so she gives me money and I shop for her.) And I wrapped... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11208">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:39:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11208 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11164 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11164"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11164_gift_set_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/05/2010: I survived my sister-in-law's baby shower! I almost didn't survive being sick all week though! Monday -- fever. Tuesday -- a little better. Wednesday - Saturday -- no voice. I barely have it back today! Actually the family is pretty happy that Mom can't yell at anyone! Hee hee! Anyway, t he quilt was completed yesterday and the booties were finished earlier this week. And most importantly, my sister-in-law loved her gifts. I'm pretty tired from the long day, so I'll just share a few photos.... Baby Charlotte's Quilt The quilt, sweater, and booties Lisa happily opening up the quilt. I backed it with minkee dot fabric and didn't put in any batting. I remembered reading about quilting on minkee in the forum so I went back there to review and decided to leave out the batting. It's definitely not as puffy as the quilts I usually make, and therefore the quilting doesn't show up very well, but it is so nice and soft on the back and it does drape nicely. It will be good to toss on the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11164">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Dec 2010 21:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11164 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11116 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11116"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11116_christmas_display_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/28/2010: I've heard it said that if you don't know what to do, don't do anything. I'm going to go with that advice. I did bobbin work on two of the setting triangles for the baby quilt and put them on the design wall. And it turns out I didn't like them. I thought the quilt needed something, but I really was going for simplicity. What to do. I didn't like the applique. I didn't like rick-rack. I didn't like embroidery. I didn't like green eggs and ham. So I decided to do nothing....Sam I am. I pieced it together and that's that. I'm not gonna fuss over it anymore. The baby's room is a very clean and simple design, so that's how this quilt will be too. Simple. I'll jazz it up with a bit of quilting and throw on some brown binding and it will be gifted next Sunday. (So my blog will be a late one next week but hopefully it will have a happy mom-to-be photo!) Also, I have one of two baby booties knitted so I need to make the other one and make an angel robe for Brooke's Angel Mass on Friday (the... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11116">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Nov 2010 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11116 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11063 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11063"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/11063_thanksgiving_puppy_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/21/2010: Thank you all so much for your concern about my tick problem. The antibiotics have been finished and all I'm left with is a scar. I can handle that. And thank you all for your suggestions about the setting triangles of the baby quilt I'm working on. I ended up doing Photoshop mock-ups of several suggestions and ideas. I tried a couple of applique designs, some different colored setting triangles, even adding rick rack. I liked Geneva's idea about using the applique design as a quilting design and finally decided on doing some bobbin work with a chocolate brown embroidery thread. I got one triangle done and I really like it! It brings in a little bit of the brown without overpowering the rest of the quilt. Thanks Geneva! And I really meant to get the rest of the quilt done this week but, as usual, kids stuff got in the way. On Tuesday I helped out one of my friends with Brooke's Brownie meeting. They were making Christmas ornaments and my friend just needed an extra set of hands to kee... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11063">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:37:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11063 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11027 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11027"><img src="style=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/14/2010: I'm running out of time! I have three weeks to finish the baby quilt for my sister-in-law's baby shower and I really haven't done much about it since I bought the fabric a few weeks ago. Until yesterday that is. I blew off cleaning the house (really it's not too bad -- a couple of swipes with the dust mop and some Clorox wipes should be enough) and spent the whole day in the studio! Whee! My sister-in-law wanted something neutral with a little pink so that's what I started with. I had it designed with just four of the 10" pinwheels and then the paisley border, but it needed something . The colors were pretty and soft and everything, but it looked really boring. Then my brother sent me a picture of the baby's bedding and crib and I knew it would look much better with a rich chocolate brown included. (The crib is that dark black/brown color.) So here's where I'm at. (You can roll over this picture to see a close up of the center.) I turned the pinwheels on point and added the setting t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11027">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:03:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/11027 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10970 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10970"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10970_calico_critters_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/07/2010: Today was the final day for the Fine Art of Fiber show at the Chicago Botanic Garden . Dave and I went last year and had a very nice time so we decided to go again this year. There are quilts and woven items and knitted items -- anything to do with fiber! I don't really go to buy anything -- it's more like spying on stuff I'd like to make. The show itself isn't huge but there is always something beautiful and interesting to see and the venue can't be beat! The Chicago Botanic Garden is a beautiful spot about 45 minutes from where I live. I really meant to get there over the summer when everything was in full-bloom, but we just didn't get there. We'll make it next year for sure! (Especially when I found out there's a bike trail there too! I'm sure it's a gorgeous ride!) Anyway, here are some photos from our little outing today. I didn't get any "fiber" item photos. No one else was taking pictures and some stuff was for sale so I didn't want to get in trouble. But hopefully you'll like n... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10970">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Nov 2010 16:09:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10970 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10941 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10941"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10941_08_next_folder_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/02/2010: Welcome! Welcome! The 2010 session of the UGH Club is now is session! What is the UGH Club you ask? Well, it's club that was started a couple of years ago to act as a support group for those of us who are... U nable to G o to H ouston Yes, that's right. While many of our wonderful quilting friends are fortunate enough to be at the fabulous show in Houston, we will just have to find a way to occupy our free time. You know -- to fight off the urge to cry and to save ourselves from those unsightly frown lines we may get from pouting too much. There's no membership fee to pay and no form to sign. If you're not at the show -- you're in. And once again, I'm in. This will officially be my third year heading up our little group. But not to worry! I have a plan! Last year we played words games in the forum to keep our minds off of where we weren't. This year I thought we'd try something a little different.... How about a photo scavenger hunt? Each day -- in the forum -- I will post five thing... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10941">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 2 Nov 2010 16:32:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10941 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10925 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10925"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10925_halloween_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/31/2010: Not much of a blog today. It's Halloween and Dave's birthday so the Lilja household has been busy, busy, busy! I will be posting again later in the week with all the 2010 UGH Club information so stay tuned! Thanks for the great ideas about the unicorn horn last week! I ended up using a styrofoam cone. I covered it in fabric, wrapped it with a shimmery pipe cleaner and used about 30 straight pins to hold it onto the hood. I just stuck 'em in through the bottom of the hood and made sure they were evenly distributed. It worked perfectly! No toppled horn! Happy Halloween from "The Queen of the Bats but not a Bat", "The 80's Work-out Girl" (yes, I know the flip flops don't "go" but she was going for comfort), and "The Orange and Rainbow Unicorn Flyer." Oh yeah, and Dave and I too! Have a great week everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:00:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10925 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10869 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10869"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10869_blue_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/24/2010: Here is my blue quilt. This is the one my great-grandmother and (mostly) my great-uncle pieced. It is one I inherited along with my double wedding ring pieces. And I love it! It has so many wonderful blue feedsack fabrics and you can kind of play "I Spy" with them. I needed a large enough area to lay it out so I decided that I'd take advantage of the nice day here and spread it out on the ground. I know -- the leaves. They're everywhere. We're supposed to have some heavy-duty winds this week which will take care of the rest of the leaves still on the trees. I'll get rid of them then. Plus they're kind of a neat background for the quilt, right? (Right after this photo was taken a gust of wind rolled up the quilt and started taking it across my yard!) So my blue quilt now has a pretty blue binding and is ready for the label. Which I had planned on making this week. "Planned on" is the operative statement here. Instead I was taking care of kid stuff. Like Halloween costumes. Even though w... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10869">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:12:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10869 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10823 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10823"><img src="title=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/18/2010: I was raised on computers. Our elementary school was the first in the state of Illinois to have its own computer lab back in the 80's and I owned a Commodore 64. And while I wasn't a heavy-duty gamer, I could hold my own in Pac-Man, Mario Brothers, and I beat Parrapa the Rappa one time. (Beware if you decide to click that link -- the song will be stuck in your head for weeks .) Well, the Lilja household also has a Wii. We've held family bowling tournaments and sang High School Musical songs and I even work out with the Wii Fit. And now, thanks to the keen eye of my sister, I have found a game that needs to be added to our collection.... More Kirbys Epic Yarn Videos Ahhh! It's so stinkin' cute! My Wii-motes are in the charger right now.</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:05:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10823 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10815 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10815"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10815_singer_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/17/2010: It's not going to be much of a blog today. I just got back from the Take Care Clinic -- Katelyn has strep throat, and I have to be at my parents' house for my dad's birthday soon. But I wanted to squeeze in a weird story from this week. Remember my vintage sewing machine that I got for $2.00 at the school garage sale last year? (The full story can be found here .) Well, I recently rearranged my studio so it could be out in the open. My friend Diane (the one I went to the flea market with a couple weeks ago) came by to pick up her kids one day and wanted to see my studio. She loves to craft and really liked my room. And she thought my vintage machine was really cool. I told her the story of how I got it so cheap and she was amazed. She remembered that her grandma had one almost exactly like it. She also mentioned that she has a Brother sewing machine at home that also does embroidery. She would like to learn how to use it -- especially the embroidery part -- so I told her I'd be happy... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10815">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10815 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10768 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10768"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10768_katelyn_homecoming_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/10/2010: Yay! We passed! We passed! Our garage/studio passed the inspection on Monday. Phew! All the paperwork is finalized and we're free from the county and supposedly our deposit refund check is in the mail. Now it's our neighbor's turn. He's building his new garage in the near future so it's his turn to deal with the county. He can have 'em! At least he has some helpful hints from us now! So nobody will be putting a big "Keep Out" sign on my studio door or anything. Hee hee! Which is good because I have things to do! I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in February. Hooray! And, keeping with the tradition in our family, it's a girl. My parents will now have a total of six granddaughters and zero grandsons. Actually my brother is the only boy on both sides of the family. In addition to my brother I have a sister who has two daughters, my mom has one sister who has has one daughter, and my dad's two brothers each have three daugh... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10768">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:11:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10768 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10728 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10728"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10728_new_door_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/03/2010: I'm heading off to the Kane County Flea Market today. Again. Even though I went once yesterday. One of the moms from school who is also a friend of mine asked if I would watch her kids the other day after school. No problem! When she came to pick them up she realized she hadn't seen my studio yet. Well come on in! She's a crafty kind of person and really liked the studio and some of my weird/vintage things that I have in there. Remember my Little Red Riding Hood stuff ? She had the same little tin plate when she was a little girl! So I was telling her how I found the tiny doll at the flea market and she had never heard of it so I asked if she'd like to go this weekend. (They hold it one weekend per month.) That was earlier in the week and I hadn't heard a "yes" or "no" as of last night. Oh well. I know how weekends go with kid stuff always going on. But then at about 8:00 she called to see if I was still planning on going. Sure! So we're off to the flea market pretty soon. But shhhh..... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10728">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Oct 2010 09:57:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10728 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10679 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10679"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10679_wall_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/26/2010: How come Katelyn's volleyball picture looks better than my wedding pictures? Jeez! When they sent home the form for these photos I figured I'd get a nice little shot of her in her uniform. This is way better! I like how it turned out. Anyway, I'm showing Katelyn's photo because a) I'm happy with it and b) to bring up Katelyn. See, it's almost time for the homecoming dance so she and I had to go find a dress yesterday. Technically she has been asked, but it was by some boy she coined as "creepy" and turned down. I'm going to trust her on that one considering that she told me he asked her during one period at school, she politely said she was going with her friends to the dance (nice one -- it's better than a mean "no way!"), and then he proceeded to ask her again two periods later. What?!? I mean, persistence is a good thing and all, but the girl just said no a couple of hours ago! So she's holding out for the cute blond guy that clicked "like" on her newest Facebook profile photo -- w... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10679">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:26:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10679 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10631 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10631"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10631_goldenrod_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/19/2010: Today is studio day! I've changed out of my church clothes and into my comfy sweat pants and as soon as I'm done here and have tossed in some laundry I'm going to play! I've been a good girl all week and I think I can sneak out there for a few hours. Yep -- I was a very good girl and got Morgan's outfit done for picture day on Tuesday. I -- for once -- got a zipper put in just right and didn't have to say any swear words while setting in the little puffy sleeves. She looked cute (even though Brooke said she looked like a school teacher) and smiled nicely for her very first school picture. And my fellow "lunch moms" (once per week I watch the kids during lunch and recess while the teachers eat their lunches) now know that I sew and knit and have said that I'm "that mom" that all the other moms hate. Hee hee! You can roll over this photo to see a picture of just the dress. Well shoot...here I am mid-blog and Dave has just informed me that we have to go to the home improvement store to p... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10631">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Sep 2010 10:28:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10631 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10585 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10585"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10585_vintage_machine_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/12/2010: An hour here, an hour there -- I'll take what I can get. Of the quiet that is. Morgan is now in preschool!!! That means I get 2 1/2 hours of no children three days per week. Doesn't she look excited? That's 'cause she was. Really excited. Like so excited that I think I was happier to have her in preschool so she'd stop asking when it was starting instead of being happy about her actually being there. Phew! I don't know how many times I've heard, "Is it fall yet?" since last year. She's made new friends and loves her teacher and she even found a cicada skin outside during recess the other day. Her teacher put it on a piece of blue construction paper in the classroom for all the kids and parents to see. She thought she was pretty special. Wednesday was her official first day but it was also a "late start" day for Katelyn so I still wasn't alone. Her school day didn't start until 10:00 AM. I mean Katelyn is usually holed up in her room so it's not like she was bothering me or anything, ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10585">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10585 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10539 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10539"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10539_serger_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/05/2010: I love all that charming vintage stuff. Which is why I visit our local thrift store pretty much on a weekly basis. You never know what you're gonna find! Like this beauty. It was just lying on the floor next to an old vacuum cleaner and most of a floor lamp. I have always wanted a serger but not enough to spend the money on a new one. So when I saw this gal for $35.00 I grabbed it up! There was no thread in it so I couldn't exactly test it at the store but they did have a test outlet so I knew that it at least worked. It had all its parts and even came with the accessories box. And the previous owner had even written a cheat-sheet with tension settings for different fabric weights. Yay! It took a bit of tinkering when I got home to get it work but I finally was successful and got a nice chain of stitches. (Thank goodness for the mini screwdriver in the accessories box!) And even better than the thrift store is the Kane County Flea Market ! Whee! They have it one weekend per month and t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10539">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Sep 2010 11:43:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10539 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10491 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10491"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10491_brooke_first_day_of_school_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/29/2010: Look! I'm quilting! I'm quilting! Basting this quilt top was quite an experience. Translation: Not fun. It's not square. It's old and I'm afraid it might be fragile. It's huge. I like spray basting and the "baste-it-on-the-wall" technique is perfect since my studio floor is tiny. My other option is to move furniture around in my living room. I don't want to mess around with that either. So I pressed and pressed and pressed until I got the backing flat and put it up on the design wall. (And this time I actually remembered to put something down on the floor before spraying. Yay me!) And then I put on the batting. So far so good. And then it was time to put up the quilt top. Not easy. I was under the quilt top making sure there was enough spray and then on the outside smoothing it out and it went on and on. I messed around with that thing for well over an hour and by the time it was all put together I was full of basting spray and sweat was dripping off my forehead. I'm sure I smelled gre... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10491">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:28:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10491 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10438 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10438"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10438_karens_atc_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/22/2010: Summer is coming to an end. And I'm pretty happy about it. I am so close to having some free hours a few times a week when ALL of my girls are in school! Yay! Katelyn starts high school on Wednesday and Brooke starts second grade on Thursday. Then it's just a couple of weeks until Morgan goes off to preschool in the beginning of September. (Oh, and Katelyn made the volleyball team. Hooray! But the practices and game schedules are pretty intense. I won't see her from about 6:30 AM until 6:30 PM on Mondays - Fridays. She's been practicing about six hours per day since she made the team. Phew!) And when my free time gets here, I'll be ready! I bought some pretty blue paisley backing fabric for my blue quilt and I have the batting already. I just need to grab a new can of spray baste and off I'll go! (And no, it's not blue in honor of the Viagra that I've supposedly been selling online !) And since the summer is winding down I can enjoy opening all the windows in my studio and feeling the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10438">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:59:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10438 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10409 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10409"><img src="title=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/19/2010: Yep -- my email got hacked. I apologize if any of you received an "odd" email from me. (I think I have half of TQS in my address book!) I swear I'm not selling Viagra out of my quilting studio! I've contacted my service provider, changed my passwords, and am currently performing a virus/spyware scan -- all that fun stuff. Darn it! It should be fixed now, but what a mess! I've had the same email address for at least a decade and this is the first time anything has happened with it. Oh well. So I'm sorry if you got some weird email from me -- because it wasn't really me!</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:07:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10409 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10394 <p align="left">08/18/2010: Well we tried a few things but I somehow got Linda's Smilebox to show -- but it still played mine! Oops! So if you want to see the real thing, click on "Watch This Video" above and then you can go down to Linda's blog to tell her how fabulous her new home is! Wow! It it gorgeous or what?!</p><br clear="all"/> Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:51:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10394 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10362 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10362"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10362_blue_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/15/2010: Hi! I'm back! Well, we all made it back home safe and sound from our mini-vacation. And we had a great time! Four days of not worrying about anything and just plain enjoying ourselves. It was wonderful! Dave did have to go home on Monday morning to work, but he was back by about 3:00 that afternoon. Vacationing close to home does have its benefits! Everything is back to normal this week. The vacation clothes are all washed and put away. The food and cleaning supplies we brought along are put away too. And I think the kids are done with their "vacation high." Wanna see some pictures? A slideshow design by Smilebox And no quilting has been done whatsoever. After vacation it was time to get the girls ready for school. We now have all our supplies and new clothes and shoes. It's just a matter of waiting for that glorious day to arrive. The day I get these kids out of here and I can sneak off to my studio. The first day of school! I can't wait. Morgan will be gone three mornings p... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10362">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10362 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10242 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10242"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10242_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/01/2010: Very little progress was made this week on the quilting front. I swear this one is never gonna get finished! I guess I just have to realize that with summertime comes outdoor work and kids at home -- and neither are conducive to getting in studio time. And I know I won't get anything done this week because I'm outta here! My first outing will be with Ann sometime this week. Yay! She's in town so we're hoping to do something quilty. But you won't hear about it next week because there will be no blog. I'll be on vacation! We have not taken a vacation since Katelyn was five . Really. Dave and I took her to Disney for her 5th birthday and we haven't gone anywhere since. Brooke was born, Morgan was born, we started our business, etc., etc. Travelling with babies is no fun for anyone and once you're the boss and the only employee, it's kinda hard to get away. But this year we decided just to make it happen. We're not going anywhere fabulous, but getting away anywhere is what matters. Next ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10242">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 Aug 2010 13:29:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10242 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10176 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10176"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10176_20100725img_2484_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/25/2010: Attention readers: This blog is rated "NQR" (Not Quilting Related). Well, and I guess it's rated "E" for Everyone too -- I try not to use naughty words or promote violence. But I have absolutely nothing quilt related to share this week. We've had birthday parties and pet problems and new computer users and unbearable heat and flooding rains. Oh, and me crying my eyes out over Deadliest Catch episodes. I sat on my couch for two hours with my box of Kleenex last Tuesday evening watching the aftermath of Captain Phil's death . Next week please! As for the rains, we didn't get too much flooding in my neighborhood, but enough that I have to hurry through my blog here and go steam clean the small area of carpeting in the basement that got wet. I have a big, honkin' machine that's probably bigger than the area I need to clean but I surely don't want it to smell down there! Some towns nearby got hit really hard with the rain. There were boats in the street and we got phone calls for dumpsters... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10176">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:09:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10176 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10119 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10119"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10119_spider_web_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/18/2010: Now that's some fine stitching! Just look at those pretty little zig-zags! Yes, there is a spider on the other side of that stitching. Sorry if they bother you! I'm really OK with spiders. Especially if they're outside. The ones that make it inside (and past Crystal's keen kitty eyes!), however, do get smooshed. This guy -- or gal -- is gone now. The location must not have been very fruitful. But at least I was able to enjoy his handiwork for one morning and capture it. Pretty cool! The web was made right outside my pond in a patch of sedum. Right now is when my pond is just full of life. Spiders, fish, frogs, dragonflies, and unfortunately mosquitoes. Although the frogs do their best to control them for me. And then there are the water lilies. I have four open right now. Roll over the spider picture to see them. My pond is what my latest art quilt is based on. I finished it this week. It's only 11 1/2" square and very raw-edgy and textured and kinda 3-D and I used commercial fabrics... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10119">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:26:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10119 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10063 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10063"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10063_lily_pad_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/11/2010: Yeah, that's better! I actually got hours -- yes, as in multiple hours -- in the studio this week! I have a larger quilt that I've been quilting for months now (literally), but I just couldn't bring myself to work on it. I'm quilting the same thing in each block and each block has multiple thread changes -- nothing new and exciting. I just wanted to mess around for a few hours to see what I could come up with. And this is what I have so far! It's a small art quilt depicting one of my water lilies and it was really fun to create -- although it's not done quite yet. It's a lot of raw edge stuff and it's a lot of texture, and it's dimensional. And it looks kinda messy -- which I swear was what I was going for. I really had fun and it was about time! My quilting need is fixed -- for now. That should be wearing off any minute. I've also decided to fix something else -- my computer time. It's still way out of control. So I went cold turkey and quit two of those addictive "-ville" games on Fa... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10063">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10063 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10016 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10016"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10016_tent_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/04/2010: I've been found out! But so far it's OK. The person who found out is a good friend so I think it will be fine. The mom of one of Brooke's friends -- who I now call "friend" -- found out that I'm an artist. She came over the other day to help decorate the 4th of July Parade float (our dumpster truck!) for the school and I showed her my studio. She knew I had it but I don't think she realized really what it was for and what I did in there. She has now seen my work and the first thing she said was that she didn't realize I was so creative. Uh-oh. I know it's kinda wrong, but I don't really publicize that I am artistic. I'm not ashamed of it, but instead have other issues. My good friends know but I take care not to let on too much at the girls' school. Because you know what happens when "they" find out you're creative -- "they" make you be creative. As in creating stuff for plays and Christmas programs and fundraisers. I've seen what goes on from the sidelines and I wouldn't mind helping,... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10016">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Jul 2010 12:29:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/10016 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9956 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9956"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9956_water_lilies_and_frog_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/27/2010: I got my first water lilies of the year! Two at once! My mom was way jealous since her water lily from last year has only gotten two piddly little leaves so far. (We're blaming my dad who disturbed it before winter was over and kinda let it dry out.) She was so jealous that we went out and bought her a brand new one that already had a bud on it. Hee hee! Usually my first blooming water lilies are the highlight of my week, but not this time around! I had other fun stuff to be happy about. My TQS BOM quilt was on this week's show! Was I excited? You betcha -- and a bit nervous. Remember, these shows were taped last year , but I can still remember how it all came about.... So I'm at the library with the kids. And I'm a good library patron and always turn off the ringer on my cell phone, but I leave it on "vibrate" just in case. My phone rings. It's Dana. I behaved in the quiet, quiet library and did not answer it. I'll just call her back later. She leaves a message. And then I began to wo... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9956">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9956 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9895 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9895"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9895_nancy_reagan_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/20/2010: I was nine years old in 1982. I was just the target Nancy Reagan was aiming for with that "Just Say No" campaign. Did I listen? Yep. Never ever even tried drugs. (That's what happens when you're a goody-two-shoes nerd who wasn't invited to the wild parties and therefore never had to deal with the whole peer pressure thing.) Truthfully I have never even been offered drugs. So I never really got to even practice the saying "no" part. And that's how I get sucked into things. All last week was vacation Bible school which I volunteered for and which went really well. The kids had a good time and I pulled off running the craft room. On the last day I helped each group tie a fleece blanket which will be donated to a needy child (read: I touched fabric! And it was for a good cause!) and on another day I let the kids use my "special" fabric markers to decorate pillows that read "God's Love is Comforting" and then they stuffed them with polyfil. (No sewing was involved though -- we were instruct... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9895">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:13:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9895 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9845 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9845"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9845_raccoon_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/13/2010: Literally! Look! There it is! Actually this is a picture that Katelyn took this week. All of us girls (including my mom!) took a bike ride the other day. There is an old bridge/tunnel thing that I usually just buzz right by -- or really over -- when I ride alone or with Morgan in the bike trailer. Since the bigger girls were with (and my mom needed a rest) we stopped and checked it out more closely. Katelyn was feeling more daring, so she climbed down to the bottom and took my camera with her. She got some pretty cool shots. I definitely think this one is quilt-worthy! But really, it is a good representation of "where I am" right now. I'm ready for vacation Bible school which starts tomorrow (I'm running the craft area), the house is almost ready for Katelyn's graduation party on Saturday, and I was able to sneak in a couple of hours to quilt yesterday. Yay! Light at the end of the tunnel!!! And by the house almost being ready I mean that Dave and I have made multiple trips to the hom... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9845">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:07:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9845 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9780 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9780"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9780_studio_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/06/2010: Mother Nature and I usually play nice together. Sure she occasionally puts a few too many bugs in my garden or rains on what was supposed to be an "outdoor" day, but we're usually on pretty good terms. I try to take care of her stuff. I don't litter. I plant things. I feed the birds and the frogs and the squirrels. I thought we had a pretty healthy relationship. Until Monday. My mom invited us over for a Memorial Day cookout on Monday which meant I had absolutely nothing to do for most of the day! No cooking or cleaning up. Just a few hours to myself! So what's a girl to do? Head out to the studio! My heading-out-to-the-studio ritual consists of loading up my tote bag with my laptop, unlocking the studio, opening all the shades, turning on the lights, plugging in the computer and the speakers, logging onto Pandora to listen to some tunes, turning on the machine and then getting to work! Whee! Off I went. It was lightly raining outside and I was all cozy in my little studio happily sti... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9780">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Jun 2010 09:26:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9780 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9722 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9722"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9722_girls_by_the_roses_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/30/2010: Katelyn has graduated 8th grade and will be in high school when fall arrives. Oh. My. Gosh. I cannot believe it. I can still remember my own 8th grade graduation. How did this happen? As I stood in my studio pressing her graduation gown, it seemed surreal. Soon there will be boyfriends and driving tests and part-time jobs and final exams. She looked so grown up in her cap and gown and heels. I still can't believe it. (Roll over this photo to view a close up of Katelyn.) I took a bunch of photos of her in her graduation attire that afternoon. And since my rosebush decided to cooperate, I also took my annual "Girls by the Rosebush" photo as well. It was a beautiful day. This coming school year I will have all three girls in school -- in some form or another (Morgan will only be there three mornings per week. Hey, it's a start!) -- and that means quiet quilting time for me. But I still have the whole summer to get through. And that includes Katelyn's graduation party. Which means doing a... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9722">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 May 2010 12:19:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9722 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9654 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9654"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9654_morgan_2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/23/2010: I got into the studio this week! A few hours here and there on a rainy afternoon or a quiet evening and I got quite a bit accomplished. (And by "quiet evening" I mean one that did not include Neil Patrick Harris guest starring on Glee -- and with an Aerosmith song no less! Ahhh.) Now I only have nine blocks left to quilt on my pinwheels quilt. Then I will think about what to do with the borders. I'm thinking I'm going to add scallops. I left enough fabric for them so it will just be a matter of deciding. And then I got hit by some inspiration -- twice over. I do like taking trips to the thrift store. I think I've mentioned that a time or three? Hee hee! And I'm always on the lookout for some good vintage sheets. Well, this week I found a very cute sheet in great condition. Vintage? No. It's Tommy Hilfiger. But it was so cute and clean and 100% cotton. It was mine for $1.50. And then there's this blog I keep up with called Posie Gets Cozy . She's waiting for an adopted daughter and ha... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9654">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 May 2010 11:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9654 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9588 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9588"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9588_20100516_katelyn_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/16/2010: Well, I guess I'm feeling a little blue because I didn't spend any time in the studio this week due to the insane school schedule which included working 8 hours at "Sloppy Joe Day" (we served over 600 sloppy joes!) and my baby is going to be graduating and wasn't she just in diapers? and my little Brooke is sick with some viral fever thing. But that's not why I named this blog "Feelin' Blue ." Just about everything I took a picture of this week had some blue in it! And since I have absolutely no quilting stuff to show, I'll have to share some photos from this week instead.... Brooke in her blue Girl Scout Daisy uniform for the last time. They had their "bridging" ceremony and now she's a Brownie! (Which is especially important to Mom since it means she will be selling Girl Scout cookies next year! Bring on the Thin Mints! And the peanut butter sandwich ones that I can never remember what they're called! All I know is to tell the girl selling the cookies that it's not the one with the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9588">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 May 2010 16:47:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9588 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9526 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9526"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9526_katelyn_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/09/2010: Happy Mother's Day to all my TQS friends! I hope your day has been as wonderful as mine. Sleeping in late and getting love and gifts from the kids and from the husband...ahhh. Even Katelyn the Crabby Teenager told me, "Happy Mother's Day" first thing this morning. (Oooh! I think I should make her a theme song! Or a children's book! Once upon a time there was a crabby teenager named Katelyn....) I know you all see her in photos where she looks like this, but I swear she's not all cheerful like this all the time! She just knows how to turn on the smiles when the camera comes out. Hee hee! This was taken on the morning of her May Crowning and 8th grade ribbon ceremony. The school has a special mass for the 8th graders where one girl is chosen to place a crown of flowers on the Virgin Mary's head at the front of the church -- the girl was one Katelyn has known since they were in first grade -- and then the priest presents each 8th grader with a ribbon to wear. Then all the parents and kid... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9526">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 May 2010 15:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9526 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9453 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9453"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9453_20100502_quilting_back_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/02/2010: I only spent one hour in my studio this week. Just one. Sad, isn't it? I'm still quilting my purple pinwheels quilt and it's really feather-y with lots of color changes. (This is a view of the back side -- of the quilt -- not my back side thank goodness!) I can only finish about one square at a time. I have no deadline so it's no big deal, but I have been missing my studio time. So what's been holding me back? Well, it's been a few things.... School I'm so ready for the end of the school year. We've made it through Confirmation, the spring musical and the Walk-a-thon in just the past couple weeks. I helped out at the Walk-a-thon by assisting in taking Brooke's first grade class down to the indoor track about a block away from school. The kids were actually pretty well-behaved. No one chased the geese that were nesting along the sidewalk and we only had to search for one kid when it was time to go. Lap counts ranged from 10 to 700 -- according to the kids. Seven-year-olds lie. Big time.... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9453">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 May 2010 14:32:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9453 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9400 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9400"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9400_from_ritzy_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/25/2010: Today was really a yucky day here in northern Illinois. Raining and kinda chilly. It would have been a good day for shopping -- inside. Too bad my plans today included an outdoor mall. The local shopping mall had a "Girls Night Out" event -- during the day but whatever -- with proceeds going to a local cancer center. So off we went -- my friend and my mom and me. There were plenty of freebies to be had (a lot of them having to do with alcohol for some reason. Anyone ever have rhubarb wine? It's fabulous!) and one of those freebies was a free massage! Whee! The massage therapist asked me if I was a softball pitcher or a tennis player or did something that uses my upper arms a lot because apparently I have very strong upper arms. Who knew? I garden, but that's just started this year. (See my tulips? The colors on these are spectacular! They start out yellow and then get little pinky/coral veins in the petals that make them look more orange. I love 'em! All that beauty right outside my do... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9400">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:39:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9400 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9331 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9331"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9331_bubble_wrap_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/18/2010: "So does this mean I'll make the blog?" he asked. "Yes, dear. Yes it does," I responded. My dear husband usually asks me on Sundays if he's mentioned in my weekly blog. He's a pretty private person but I think he likes a little publicity every now and then. But it's not like he has a log-in or anything. If he reads any of my stuff it's because he either asks to ( very rarely) or sees it open on my screen. So why does he get an "honorable mention" today? Because he took me to the quilt show and bought me this.... It's way better than the torn basket that was housing all my quilts before! (Roll over this picture for a "before" shot.) We had to rearrange the living room a bit but it's now all set up and looking pretty. It's from Kerry's Kollectibles . They're based out of Texas but will be at Paducah if anyone's interested. He had several styles and they were all gorgeous but this one was perfect for my living room! Anyway, as I was looking at them Dave told me to pick up a card in case... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9331">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:21:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9331 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9259 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9259"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9259_daffodils_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/11/2010: Apparently we've finally traded in winter for spring. I even bought seeds this week! (No, I can't plant them until around Mother's Day but I still have them!) My daffodils are all blooming and they did exactly what I wanted them to -- surprise me! I bought a bunch of bulbs last fall and inter-planted them with my day lilies. I thought about how nice it would be to be surprised by them in the spring because I was sure I'd forget that I'd planted them. And I did. So when these popped up a few weeks ago, I was thrilled. And now that they're all in bloom I'm even more thrilled! And when spring is here it also means the Chicago spring quilt show is here! I'm still not sure what day I'm going yet. I have Katelyn's Confirmation next Saturday to prepare for and well -- attend. Maybe Sunday will be the magic day. Or Friday. I'll just have to see how the week goes. And speaking of Confirmation, we had to go buy a dress for Katelyn yesterday. Actually two dresses because she also has her 8th gra... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9259">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:51:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9259 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9202 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9202"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9202_lanterns_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/04/2010: Happy Easter my TQS friends! What a great community this is. I feel as if I know so many of you even though we've not met in person and I treasure the friendships that have been created here. I wish you all a happy and blessed Easter. And I also want to thank you for all the sweet comments on my blog last week. I don't have any embarrassing moments to share this time around. Not that I didn't do anything embarrassing -- I'm sure I did -- I'm good at that kind of stuff -- but I can't remember any of them at the moment. Actually, Morgan kinda took over this week on the embarrassing stuff -- but she's 4 and doesn't care.... My mom and I were discussing Easter dinner and she said she bought a ham. Real exciting conversation, right? Well, she usually buys a shank ham and informed me that this year she would be cooking a butt ham. I jokingly asked the girls if they wanted to have butt for Easter dinner and they giggled. (We usually refer to that part of the anatomy as the "behind" so when ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9202">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Apr 2010 06:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9202 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9130 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9130"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9130_20100328_egg_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/28/2010: I remember an afternoon when I was in third grade, when my teacher passed out a worksheet to the whole class. It had a long numbered list of things for us to do -- including math problems and other things like yell out our name, stand up and spin around, etc. I remember how all of us turned to each other with a look of confusion before actually doing these weird things. A little embarrassing, but we did them. The last item on the list read "Do nothing but items 1 and 2". The second item was something like writing your name in the top right corner of the paper. The first item, however, I remember clearly.... Read everything before doing anything . Well that's just great . A lesson in following directions. It obviously made an impression on me since I still remember it all these years later, but I'm still not good at directions. I think I remember how things are supposed to be done but never take the time to review. I've had a week chock full of little lessons.... Watching Patsy Thompson... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9130">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:47:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9130 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9076 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9076"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9076_quilt_top_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/21/2010: Someday it will be spring for real. Mother Nature teased us a little bit this past week and pushed the temperatures up to almost 70° but then yesterday it snowed. Yuck. I am so over winter. But while it was nice outside, I did take advantage of it. The studio windows were opened wide and the breeze came blowing in. And none of the blocks on my design wall blew off so that was good! Morgan and I took the dog for a walk every nice day after we finished eating lunch. And one day we even walked to a nearby lake -- with a playground next to it. Morgan was thrilled. Nothing is really green yet so I don't have any flower pictures, but I did get a nice photo of one of the geese that was nearby. Soon they will be waddling around with their cute little fuzzball babies following close behind. I love that! My own little baby, Morgan, also had an eventful week. She had her picture taken. I know, I know. Not a big deal. Well, it wouldn't be a big deal if I was a good mother and had more recent ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9076">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:22:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9076 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9018 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9018"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/9018_20100314_tea_set_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/14/2010: I wish I had some beautiful spring flowers to share with all of you to say thank you, but so far all I have are shoots. So I'll just write it out. Thank you all for you kind words about my new little quilter Brooke. You're all so sweet. And thank you to those who offered sewing machines and delivery of said sewing machines for her. You guys are too much! But truth-be-told, Brooke does have her own machine. Now. When I first started sewing when Katelyn was small, I had a basic Singer machine. Nothing fancy, but it got the job done. I then moved to a White Quilter's Star. I still have both machines. And then -- well -- Ms. Bernina came to town and my other two machines were packed away in the closet downstairs. And I kept them just for the reason that one of my daughters might want to sew someday. Well, that worked! I cleaned and oiled the Singer and handed it down to 7-year-old Brooke. She was very happy. I set her up with a folding chair and let her work at the little table next to my ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9018">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:57:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/9018 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8955 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8955"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8955_20100307_brooke_with_pillow_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/07/2010: I don't know why I even bother reading online reviews of things if I'm not going to take them into consideration. I read all about the kids' Singer sewing machine that Joann carries and everybody pretty much said the same thing -- cheaply-made toy that they wish they hadn't bought. A couple of reviewers said that it worked for them so I decided that those people were the ones I would believe. After all, they must be the ones that actually know how to use a regular sewing machine. The other "bad" reviewers maybe hadn't ever used a regular sewing machine and just bought this thing for their kid and thought they could just plug it in and start sewing. Well, that was one problem. There was no plug. The thing is battery-powered. Hmmmm. Not too promising. But there was a little piece of fabric already on the bed of the machine to prove that it was in working order. That's a good sign, right? Wrong. That little fabric square was the only thing this little machine must have been capable of sew... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8955">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Mar 2010 09:11:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8955 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8891 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8891"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8891_family_embroidery_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/28/2010: So I can see the downfall of having my new studio. I have plenty of room to keep several projects out. My design wall currently has three quilts on it. Actually, it's not really a downfall I guess. It just gives me more options. I have most of my crazy family log cabin up on the left side. I finished all of "us" this week and started on the pets. (Roll over this image to view.) After I'm done with the teeny bit of embroidery on the animals' faces I'll have all the blocks complete. I can start assembling it. I just need some solid red for the borders. Otherwise it's all cut out and ready. And I was almost gonna have to redo the pets. It's Dave's fault.... See, when we got our cat last year, we found her online. It was from a local person, but she had a website. Every now and then we look to see if there are new kitten photos and if any of them look like Crystal. Just because it's fun. Well, they do have one that looks exactly like her right now. It turns out that he has the same parent... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8891">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:12:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8891 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8817 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8817"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8817_20100221_pinwheel_blocks_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/21/2010: Thank you so much for all the get well wishes last week! I am just about fully recovered and even survived Dave getting the same thing -- and trust me -- that's an accomplishment in itself. He is a BIG baby when it comes to being sick. I'd really just rather have whatever illness it is myself than put up with him. Hee hee! But truth-be-told, he was very low-maintenance this time around and is now feeling better too. And being sick also proved to be a learning experience. I now know what "feeling puny" means. Go ahead -- all you southerners can laugh at me if you want. I had never in my life heard that expression until Margo wrote it to me in the comments and then Dana said it to me on the phone soon after. I am such a Midwest girl. So here is a (crappy) picture of the girls with their birthday cake from last weekend -- pre-illness. They had a nice time and got what they wanted. That means Katelyn received cash-filled cards and Brooke got exactly what she asked for...a sewing machine.... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8817">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:03:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8817 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8748 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8748"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8748_pinwheel_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/14/2010: I hope you all are having a wonderful Valentines Day and that you got something nice from your sweetheart. Wanna know what Dave brought me? A glass of water and some ear plugs. No, really. It's a good thing -- I swear. We had the family birthday party for Katelyn and Brooke last night. Everything went great. After I got home I started feeling sniffly. Morgan has a cold so I figured it was my turn. Well, I went to bed and about an hour later woke up with a fever and chills and a headache. Yuck. It hit pretty fast -- whatever it is -- and I'm still feeling it. So this morning Dave brought me some water (that I requested) and a (new!) set of ear plugs that he keeps on hand because he wears them when he races -- so the girls wouldn't wake me up. Awww. I didn't wear them but it was a sweet thought. So I feel awful. I'm lying in bed with my glass of water and some Ritz crackers and I'm watching the Daytona 500. And this is where I'll be the rest of the day. And this is about all the bloggin... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8748">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:05:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8748 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8685 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8685"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8685_20100207_computer_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/07/2010: I want to thank you all so much for the kind words about my studio last week. As if finally having my own space wasn't wonderful enough, the sweet comments and emails from my friends here just put me over the top. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I have literally been out in the studio every day. Well, if it was during the day then Morgan was with me (happily playing on the computer while mom sewed! Thank you NickJr.com !) Otherwise it was in the evening after the little ones were in bed. I have it down to a science now. I need at least one hour of the heater running to warm the place up so I've been running out there at 7:00 PM and then it's all ready by the time Brooke and Morgan go to bed at 8:00. It's music and sewing 'til 9:00 and then I switch on the news which is broadcast online (my internet works out there but still no TV hookup) and continue sewing. And then back to the tunes and even more sewing until I go in for the night. Ahhh. Bliss. (Yesterday was Daytona qualifying (... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8685">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Feb 2010 12:59:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8685 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8610 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8610"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8610_studio_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/31/2010: Yep -- Suite B is finally finished and I am thrilled! The moisture problems from last week were resolved by using our handy-dandy dehumidifier so the walls were able to be mudded, sanded, and painted! (Yeah -- the guys even painted for me.) They even built me my work table before leaving on the last day. Those guys were gooood . So all that was left for me to do was to move in! I had Dave help me with the heavy stuff, but he had to go to work so I was on my own with the rest. A lot of it was already in laundry baskets so I wouldn't have to make too many trips, but the studio is all the way at the back of our yard. So since we had snow on the ground, I borrowed the kids' toboggan and pulled everything back there like a sled dog. Dave made fun of me and asked if I thought we were in Alaska or something but then realized that it was a pretty good idea. Once again -- I'm sure I have the neighbors shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. (What is that crazy lady up to now ?) So I'm move... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8610">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8610 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8547 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8547"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8547_inside_studio_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/24/2010: It hadn't been above freezing in weeks and weeks and now -- all of a sudden -- the temperature decided to skyrocket at the end of this week. Right when my construction guys started to "mud" the drywall in my studio. We brought my cute little heater/electric fireplace thingy in to keep it warm enough to work (roll over for a photo -- this will be living in my studio!), but now it's warmer outside and the snow is melting and it's even been raining, and the rooms ended up with a bunch of condensation collecting in there. Yeah, that doesn't exactly help the mud dry. If we can't get it to dry out, they can't sand tomorrow. And then paint. And hopefully be completely finished by the middle of this week like they have planned. See all that dark area on the floor? That's wet concrete. And you can kinda see the condensation around the edges of the window panes on the door. Not good. We have radiant heat run through the concrete floor, but it's not "on" yet. So we're relying on portable heaters.... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8547">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:18:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8547 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8476 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8476"><img src="style=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/17/2010: Construction on my new quilt studio has started! My "guys" showed up this week and I cannot believe how quickly they worked. There have been just two guys here all week and they did all this themselves.... Make a Smilebox slideshow I cannot believe how fast they worked. One guy measured and cut as the other one put stuff up. They are quite a team! They got to my house each morning around 7:00 and left around 5:00. They took 30 minutes for lunch and just worked and worked the rest of the time. I was completely amazed. It was so fun peeking outside every now and then to see what else they had completed! We did have one design adjustment this week -- no tubular skylights. My contractor thought they were about $30 apiece. Apparently he missed a zero in there somewhere -- they're $300 apiece! No thank you! I don't need to add on another $900 in skylights. So the idea was great, but I'll do fine without them. As you can see, I already have four windows in there. And today I get t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8476">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8476 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8409 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8409"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8409_knobs_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/10/2010: I was gonna put up a video from "Annie" but when I went searching for "Tomorrow" songs this one came up too and well, it's more my style. (I still think Nikki Sixx (from Mötley Crüe) is hot -- this is his "side band." My sister even named our dog Nikki when we were young in honor of him.) There's no underlying message in this song or anything. It just has the word "Tomorrow" in the title and it's my kind of music. And the word tomorrow is important to me -- because tomorrow is when my studio will be started!!! My "guy" Martin finalized everything with Dave yesterday and he and his crew will be here tomorrow morning! It was way too cold and snowy this week for the studio construction to begin. Dave had to re-shovel the concrete pad twice in the past few days because of all the snow we got. (You can roll over this picture for a shot of all the shiny icicles that are dangling from our roof.) Dave was going over the plans with Martin yesterday and called me with a question... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8409">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:51:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8409 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8327 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8327"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8327_labelled_containers_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/03/2010: I like organization. I like things to have a "home". Like when I redid the girls' room, I got one of those colorful drawer organizer things from Ikea . And I put stickers on each drawer so they (and I) would know what went where. It's kinda a "must" when you have a small house. I just don't have room for clutter! So now that I'm getting serious about filling up my new studio (WHICH STILL HASN'T BEEEN STARTED YET!!! The employees wanted the week off between Christmas and New Year -- who can blame them?) I want to have "homes" ready for everything. Speaking of my studio, see this picture? I am so ready for it to be built that I spent about 90 minutes the other day clearing off the concrete slab so it would be ready for the work to begin whenever that may be. We had some freezing rain one day and then eventually got snow to cover it. Well, it was 33° the other day so nothing was frozen down. I shoveled off a few inches of snow and then scraped away a thin layer of ice so that the work... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8327">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Jan 2010 17:48:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8327 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8232 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8232"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8232_fish_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/27/2009: Christmas is over and all the toys are put together, have batteries, and are put away. Except for the ones that are being played with and fought over. (The puppy dogs that came with Veterinarian Barbie are a hot commodity around here for some reason. And there's three of them so even though Brooke is nice enough to share with Morgan (Santa brought it to Brooke), Morgan is unhappy that she only gets to play with one and Brooke has two. Grrr.) Our Christmas plans did have to change a little bit this year. We were supposed to go to my sister's house for Christmas Eve but my little nieces ended up with the stomach flu. (Ewww!) So I called my sister and told her I loved her and all but did not want that kind of gift from her family this year. It turns out that my brother-in-law got it on Christmas Eve so I'm glad we decided to stay home. So I made a big turkey dinner for Christmas Eve and we all opened our presents on Christmas morning. Last year Dave forgot to get me stuff for my stocking... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8232">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:33:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8232 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8141 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8141"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8141_20091220_story_fabric_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/20/2009: It's cold here. We have a bit of snow -- but not like they do out east. (This is a photo of the girls last night at the zoo. They decorate the zoo with lights and have caroling to the animals and lots of fun things to do.) But apparently it's cold and snowy enough that my studio construction has been delayed. Sigh . That and the fact that my "guy" has to finish up somebody else's work too. Again -- sigh . I still don't have a grip on the patience thing but all the holiday "stuff" does help take my mind off waiting. (I still have wrapping and baking to do and if my mother ever decides what she wants for Christmas, I still have to take my dad shopping for her gift!) But in the meantime, I can still plan and dream. And I had to do some heavy thinking recently. Like what to name my new studio! Jojo emailed me when she read my blog about getting the studio and said she would like to create something for my new space! Isn't she sweet? I'm so excited! Anyway, she wanted to know what I was goi... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8141">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:41:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8141 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8076 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8076"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8076_20091213_brooke_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/13/2009: I have absolutely nothing to share quilt-wise this week. No projects were worked on, no studios were started (but he's coming this week! **Insert Happy Squeal Here**!) -- nothing. So instead I will share with you a couple of tales from this week about my Christmas Drama Queen -- Brooke. Now mind you I have no idea where she might get her drama gene from. Because I'm not at all a dramatic person! Oh wait -- all those letters in italics kinda confirms it I guess. OK. It's me. Anyway... I tried to get my girls together for the Christmas card picture this week. Everybody was clean and had their hair brushed and didn't have runs in their tights or marker all over their hands. They looked presentable. Good enough! So I lined them all up and got my camera settings set up and was ready to start snapping! Then it happened. Katelyn looked at Brooke the wrong way. Now I don't know what that wrong look actually looked like, but it was apparently horrible enough to throw Brooke into a fit of tears... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8076">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8076 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8002 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8002"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/8002_20091206_studio_stuff_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/06/2009: Here's where my studio will be. Notice the vast emptiness that currently resides in its spot. I have to wait for my construction guy -- Martin -- to finish up somebody else's house first. Hmmph. He thinks he will be able to start around the 14th. I AM SO IMPATIENT! In the meantime I have been gathering things to put inside once it's complete. If you roll over this photo you can see some of my goodies. They're sitting in my basement -- being WAY more patient than I am! Although the main color scheme will be lilac and white I do want plenty of color in there. Like that red serving tray with the flowers painted on it. Thrift store -- $0.35. I love it. And the new book I got didn't exactly help with my patience issues. Dana told me about a book called "Where Women Create" and it sounded like a good purchase to me! Dave and I went to the mall (and since we weren't sure where in the mall the bookstore was located, we parked at the furthest point away from the bookstore!) and picked it up. ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8002">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:59:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/8002 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7939 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7939"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7939_20091129_sunrise_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/29/2009: I'm going to tell myself that I'm thankful for the fact that my sister decided last night that she and her husband needed to accompany my dad and brother on their fishing trip this morning -- so I could watch my nieces -- and have to get up at 6:00 AM because they would be here by 6:30 -- because otherwise I wouldn't have been lucky enough to see this beautiful sunrise! I'm going to tell myself that -- but I don't think I'm quite believing it yet. (Yawn!) Although hearing my 2-year-old niece say that she wanted a drink of "ssschoc-o-lit meelk" just about made it worthwhile. But I'm really and truly thankful for all of my TQS friends. You were all so kind to share in my excitement over my new studio (which will be started either late this week or early next week!) and offering design suggestions. Studying my two issues of Studios magazine is fun and I really should wear a bib when reading it due to my excessive drooling, but all your ideas are the things that really matter. Like the TV ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7939">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:28:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7939 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7871 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7871"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7871_20091122_lupine_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/22/2009: I'm really trying to stay calm about all this but I find myself thinking about it all day. Making plans in my head, envisioning how it will look, and just generally getting excited. I'm getting my own quilting studio soon! No, we haven't won the lottery (darn it!). Dave is finally getting his garage built -- the cement slab has been poured for a few years ! -- and I will be getting (about) half of it! Wheeeee! Actually, one of our accounts for our dumpster business is a contractor who lives nearby. He came to this country from Poland and has built up a nice business for himself. He's a younger guy and very cute! Not like "Gee I wish he were building this in the summer so I could watch him work without a shirt on" but definitely a nice-looking guy and very personable. And he does everything. He literally built his own house himself and now has it on the market for $1 million. Seriously. Dave has taken me for a drive to see it and it is absolutely gorgeous ! I haven't been inside, but ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7871">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:34:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7871 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7798 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7798"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7798_20091115_katelyn_cheer_competition_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/15/2009: I could have pretty much copied and pasted Sandy's blog from yesterday as we've had very similar experiences lately! Vintage sewing machine story -- CHECK! Old quilt story -- CHECK! Kitty story -- CHECK! I was reading her post last night and thought how interesting it was that we had such similar stories at the same time. Weird! So here's my version... Vintage Sewing Machine Yesterday was our school's first ever garage sale. It was huge. We had stuff in the gym, and in the hallways both upstairs and downstairs. There were maps involved. The girls and I helped prepare earlier in the week with the set up and then Katelyn and I worked the event for 7 hours yesterday. (I was a cashier and she was my bagger -- the kids could volunteer and earn community service hours for Confirmation.) There were people lined up 30 minutes before we even opened and when we looked outside before we opened the doors the line extended through the parking lot out to the street. There were a ton of people an... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7798">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:12:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7798 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7721 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7721"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7721_20091108_fineartoffiber2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/08/2009: Ahhhhh . I really needed that. Yesterday I mean. Now I love my kids. Really I do. But they have been driving me up the wall lately! Why can't Brooke and Morgan just pick up the My Little Ponies and Legos and Littlest Pet Shop toys when they're done playing? (And did you notice a theme there? All those toys are little . Heck, some of them even admit in in their names!) There are toys everywhere ! And the fighting ! Ugh! Yesterday and today have been absolutely beautiful days, but otherwise it's been cold and rainy so the kids have been stuck inside. And they will play nicely for a few minutes, but then it's back to bickering and fighting. I really needed an escape. So when I heard that there was a fiber arts show at the Chicago Botanic Garden , I was ready to go! Quilts and gardens? I'm there! Dave said that he would take me -- kinda like a real date! Out of the house with no children! (Katelyn is thankfully old enough to babysit for a couple of hours and my in-laws live across the st... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7721">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 Nov 2009 10:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7721 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7638 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7638"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7638_20091101_trick_or_treat_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/01/2009: What a difference a week makes! Thank you all so much for your get well wishes last week. I did end up getting some sort of virus flu thingy. Last Sunday evening was spent bundled up on the couch with chills and a fever. Ick. And I just about have my voice back now. Almost. But I can yell again! (Which will come in handy today while watching Katelyn's first volleyball playoff game. Go Crusaders!!!) And I think the only ones that haven't gotten it yet in the house are Morgan and Dave. I hope they miss out completely. So far so good. At least everyone was well enough to go trick-or-treating yesterday! It was a sunny day, but a little chilly. That's why we're all layered. Except Katelyn. She swears her legs weren't cold. She went to a party instead of trick-or-treating with us anyway and was inside most of the time. I was Athena -- the Greek goddess. It was the only adult costume at the store that didn't look like it should start with the word "naughty". (They had a naughty cop, a naugh... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7638">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 Nov 2009 10:07:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7638 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7526 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7526"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7526_20091025_morgans_birthday_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/25/2009: It's gonna be a short blog today. I'm getting sick and losing my voice and have a ton of things that need doing. I'm sure Dave and the kids are happy that I won't be able to yell at them (which really is a shame -- I'm so good at it!) but I'm feeling icky. But Bridge, you don't have to talk to write -- suck it up and get typing! Nope. Must. Get. Other. Things. Done. So here's what went on this week.... Morgan's birthday is Wednesday and we had her party last night. I believe her words were, "I got everything I wanted, Mom!" Great! Until she sees something new and exciting on TV later today. And Katelyn had to cheer at a game at 8:30 this morning. She was supposed to have her last home volleyball game of the year yesterday but the other team had to forfeit due to illness. I've heard "swine flu" and just "flu" as reasons. Their school is located in the next town. I really hope it's not swine flu. Anyway, the party went well. Morgan wanted a Strawberry Shortcake -themed party but the par... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7526">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:24:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7526 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7429 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7429"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7429_20091018_naper_settlement_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/18/2009: Well, it's Sunday afternoon and the Houston show is winding down. We made it! The UGH Club has survived yet another year! Thank you all for playing the forum games this week. You all are so creative! I crack up every time I visit to see what new things you've put up there. And thank you to our great friends that kept us up to date on all things Houston. Another thing I'm glad is in the past is that field trip I went on with Brooke's first grade class. Oh...my...gosh. I will never ever EVER AGAIN be visiting the place we went to! You see, it's a 19th century village. And it really is beautiful and interesting and I would have loved to show you more pictures -- like inside the log cabin where they had two beautiful antique quilts -- one on the bed and one in an antique cradle -- but there was no indoor photography allowed. If you roll over this photo you can at least see another one of the buildings. (They do have a virtual tour with more photos that can be seen by clicking here .) Looks... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7429">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:53:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7429 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7412 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7412"><img src="title=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/17/2009: You guys are goooood ! I'm lovin' seeing all the creative words you all are coming up with in the word association game ! The Houston show will be over soon but if there are any UGH's out there who still need some...ummm...distraction?...you might like to try this game! (And again our friends in Houston can play too!) It's called "Three Word Story." Players take turns adding to a "running" story by posting three words. A more extensive definition and example can be found here . The forum thread with the game can be found here . Have fun and thanks for playing! I think we're gonna make it!</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:21:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7412 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7372 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7372"><img src="title=" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/15/2009: ***ATTENTION ALL UGH CLUB MEMBERS!*** Are you still sad about not being in Houston? Have you been trying to "quilt it out" but you just need a break? How 'bout a fun little game? Come on over to the forum and play some word association! Here's how it works.... Somebody chooses a random word. (There's one ready and waiting and I'm sure you can guess what it is! Click here to go to the forum thread.) A player will think of a word that they associate with it and post it on the forum. The next player must then do the same with this previous word. We know quilters are some of the most creative people in the world -- let's see what we come up with! And of course our friends in Houston are invited to join in as well.</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:08:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7372 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7301 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7301"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7301_20091011_jacket_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/11/2009: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! I now call to order the Second Annual Meeting of the TQS UGH Club ! There's no fee to join. No sign-up sheet. No shipping and handling. You're either in it or you're not. And I'm in it. I'm in it deep . In case you are unaware of what the acronym stands for, it is the U nable to G o to H ouston Club . It was started in honor of the poor, hapless TQS members who, for various reasons, cannot attend the huge, fabulous, quilt show in Houston, Texas this year. So I guess it's more of a support group than an actual club . But what counts is that we're here for each other. Whining is most certainly allowed. As is pouting and possibly drowning our sorrows in a nice glass of wine. We can get through this! Maybe I'll post some fun stuff for us to do this week -- you know -- to take our minds off of where we aren't . I'll let ya know. But another aspect of the club is that we get to see all the great photos from the show and hear about all the fun from those who are fortunate e... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7301">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:09:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7301 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7211 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7211"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7211_20091004_ann_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/04/2009: I've been thinking a lot about connections this week. Our church has a business networking fair coming up that Dave and I will be participating in, I went out for drinks with some of the "lunch moms" from school (my margarita was fabulous!), and I was thinking about all my great friends here. It's so wonderful to have TQS friends! It's amazing how different we all are and how different our lives are but at the same time how much we have in common. I'm so grateful to have connected with you all through this site. Ann (Snowplow) and her husband stopped by the other day since they were in the area and us girls hit the quilt shop! Did I really need anything? No. Did I buy stuff? Of course! I ended up with a few fun half-yards. Ann ended up with some beautiful fabric! Thanks so much for your visit Ann! I had a great time! Enjoy your trip back home and especially enjoy Houston! And I'm constantly amazed at all the international members we have. It is so fun seeing and hearing about places I... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7211">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Oct 2009 10:32:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7211 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7126 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7126"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7126_20090927shadegardenslide_sm.gif" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/27/2009: Cut a rug -- rip a rug -- whatever. It's done! I'm very happy with how it turned out too! This is the toothbrush rug I made for my kitchen out of thrifted sheets. I just wanted something little in front of the sink and this fit the bill. Some of it was done while watching Dancing with the Stars this week (I was already pulling for Kelly Osbourne and was thrilled when she did so well!) and I did a little bit in the car, but I really finished the rug Saturday evening. It's Crystal's new favorite spot. She even laid on it while I was working on it ! You'd think she would have moved when I spun it around to continue working. Nope. Just sat there. And when I dragged it into the kitchen from the living room as soon as I finished it -- did she move then? Nope -- didn't move then either. She just went along for the ride. You can see a non-action shot if you roll over this photo. It was taken while I was trying to finish up. I started with a pipe cleaner covered with electrical tape (so very Ma... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7126">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:14:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7126 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7040 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7040"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/7040_20090920_house_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/20/2009: Go ahead, you know you're already singing it in your head. Just press play and you can relive the 80's with me! I finally finished up my house block for my log cabin quilt ! I am so not good at handwork. I'm too impatient. I want stuff done yesterday . But here is the first of my applique blocks -- complete. It depicts my horrendous green house in all its glory with its depressing brown trim. Actually,"chocolate" sounds nicer -- maybe I should call it that instead. It's been called that before anyway. When I was Katelyn's Girl Scout leader, we kept all the cookie orders in my garage which has a matching brown garage door. One of the girls came to pick up her cookie order and said she liked my garage door because it reminded her of a Hershey bar. Hee hee! I gotta say she was right! It does! So anyway the block shows my little green house with the brown scalloped trim and brown door with my three little bushes in front of the window and my favorite lilac bush on the side. I stitched on... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7040">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:36:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/7040 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6958 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6958"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6958_20090913_window_toppers_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/13/2009: The weather has been absolutely gorgeous around here this week! Sure, we could use some rain, but how do you argue with upper 70's/low 80's and sunny? My fall flowers are all starting to bloom -- like this Sweet Autumn Clematis . It's a great time to be outside and I tried to make some time to do that. One of my window boxes was looking pretty ratty so I replaced it with some beautiful fall mums. But they aren't open yet so I won't bother showing them. But my windows are looking good on the inside! (Well, except that I really need to wash the blinds. Really. Just like I really should be cleaning the rest of my house right now too -- but as you can see, I'm not.) Anyway, I made some window toppers for the kitchen out of a vintage sheet from the thrift store. I put them up last week but they looked too boring. They needed -- something. I ended up finding some bright ribbon at Michael's that did just the trick! Unfortunately, sewing on the ribbon trim was about the only time I spent wit... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6958">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:50:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6958 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6871 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6871"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6871_20090906_other_towels_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/06/2009: Holy cow! It's 4:00 already and I haven't blogged yet! I usually like to be done much earlier than this. Phew! But I spent the past few hours watching Katelyn cheer for our school's football team. Unfortunately we lost. Apparently we're not very good -- so I've heard and have now started to see for myself. But in our defense, the other team was huge. And I don't mean a lot of boys -- I mean BIG boys! And here's something I learned today -- one of the dad's said, "See those kids with the red stripes on their helmets? That means they can't tackle anyone 'cause they're over 130 pounds." Wow! There were about 6 or 7 of "those" boys! Yeah -- good call. I think some of them should be trying out for the Bears instead of playing junior high football! I would have shown you a photo from Katelyn today -- if I had remembered to take the memory card out of my computer before I went to the game. I whipped out my camera and couldn't do a thing with it. Oh well! This is a photo from last week. But at... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6871">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Sep 2009 16:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6871 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6776 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6776"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6776_20090830_crystal_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/30/2009: Awww. Here's little Crystal inside my sewing machine. I'm sure she was just checking for lint. Well, actually, I think she was creating some. Isn't she cute? I've always tried to escape the word "cute" for some reason. I just thought the word should be reserved for puppies and baby shoes and Kelly Ripa. You know -- stuff like that. Probably because for a long time I have tried very hard to be seen as a sophisticated adult in spite of my baby face. I hated being called "cute." Ooh -- especially when I was a teenager. When you're trying to prove to the world that you are almost an adult, looking like you're 12 does not help matters. I'm 36 if you're wondering and I can always see "that look" on peoples' faces when I first meet them. They think, "How old is she? Are those her kids? She's wearing a wedding ring so they must be hers." Actually, I do have a funny story from recently about this. Dave got a new chassis guy for his race car named Bernie. Well, he was working on Dave's car and ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6776">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:09:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6776 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6695 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6695"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6695_20090823_house_drawing_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/23/2009: I've been getting things done! I don't know where the burst of energy came from, but I'll take it! I'm officially done with the 49 crazy log cabin blocks and have designed the 12" house block. I want to do a bit of embroidery on the applique blocks. I love the look of hand embroidery. I have really only done cross stitch -- years ago -- so this will be a new thing for me. I have a great library so I thought I'd just get a book on the subject and go from there. But then when I went to the thrift store the other day I found a bag-o-stuff that had a bunch of embroidery and sewing and even knitting stuff in it! It had little books about how to embroider and stitches to do as well as some sewing and knitting books. And the most fun things were the old iron-on embroidery designs! They are so cute! If you roll over the house drawing you can see everything that was crammed in the bag. Some of the books are from the 60's and yes, they are a little smelly (that musty/old paper smell) but I don... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6695">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:24:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6695 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6626 <p align="left">08/17/2009: I received another call from Kathy. My heart just drops every time I see her name come up on the caller ID. Isabel's condition has worsened and they are in the process of taking her off the machines that are keeping her alive. Ritzy's daughter will be allowed to hold her sweet baby until she slips away. Since I have no words, I will use some that Kathy said right before we hung up the phone. Izzy will be playing with Jesus and dancing on a cloud.</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:23:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6626 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6614 <p align="left">08/16/2009: Kathy just called me and said Ritzy was leaving church when she got an urgent message from Beccah to come back to the hospital right away. Ritzy and her husband will be picking up their other daughter (who lives nearby) and are on their way to the hospital this afternoon. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult week. Kathy promised to keep me posted.</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:50:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6614 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6611 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6611"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6611_20090816_wall_hanging_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/16/2009: I blew off folding some laundry (they're just gonna wear it again and mess it all up anyway!) and had Dave bring home dinner a couple of nights (McDonald's is about 5 minutes away -- dangerous, I know) and I planted myself in front of my poor, neglected machine and finished the wall hanging for Brooke and Morgan's new bedroom. Now the room is done. For real. Not that the room couldn't use a new floor -- the carpeting is SOOO old! -- but that will have to wait. I played around with the coloring on EQ6 to get the colors to balance out and I think this was my 5th try. The girls have mostly kept the new room clean. Except I did have to sweep some Oreo crumbs off the dresser before this photo was taken. The remaining cookie was in the jewelry box in case you're wondering. I swear these kids act like I never feed them. They are constantly sneaking snacks. I keep them downstairs in a cabinet (the cookies -- not the kids) and there is no other reason for them to be down there unless they're st... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6611">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:41:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6611 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6569 <p align="left">08/13/2009: This morning at 11:00, baby Isabel will begin being "warmed." She has been kept cool all this time and warming her will let the doctors see if her little body will take over some functions for itself. It is an important day for little Isabel and her family. Thank you for keeping them all in your thoughts and prayers today. I promise to let you know of any developments as I hear them.</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:41:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6569 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6549 <p align="left">08/11/2009: Ritzy updated her original post at some time today. In case you missed it, here are her words.... Update: Isabel is in critical condition. Metabolic acidosis; bleeding; unable to keep blood pressure up, ect. She did have a full bladder when they used a cath on her this morning so we are praising God for that. She has been given vit. K, plasma and platelets for bleeding. EEG did not have good results. Please continue to pray for Josh and Beccah and Isabel. Thanks ladies--emotionally I am not able to do much--I can't remember a time when I was so overwhelmed with sorrow. I am normally a very up person but this has really hurt. God is good and we are thanking Him for every moment with have with Izzy. I just got off the phone with her friend Kathy. She has not spoken to Ritzy but did speak to her mother. Isabel is still hanging in there. Kathy calls us Ritzy's "groupies." I told her she sure had that right. Kathy also thanked you all for your continued prayers on Ritzy's behalf.</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:40:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6549 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6538 <p align="left">08/11/2009: For those of you who are praying for Ritzy and her family during this difficult time , please continue your prayers. Ritzy's dear friend Kathy called me this morning. She was trying to post a blog for her with an update but couldn't remember her password so she asked me to post. Kathy last spoke to Ritzy last night as they were in St. Louis to be with the family. Things are not looking good at the moment and I ask that you please pray for dear Ritzy, her family, and for little Isabel.</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:31:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6538 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6529 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6529"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6529_20090809_bunk_beds_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/09/2009: Awww. Look at my poor little machine. She's so lonely. I haven't quilted on her all week. It's probably just boredom that's making her so sad. She must have gotten it from the kids. Because unless I'm filling their days with fun-filled outings to the zoo and such (yes -- we went again this week), they complain that they're bored. Too bad I'm not! I spent my week redecorating the girls' rooms. I didn't really plan on redecorating this week, but it just kinda happened. You see, Katelyn's dad and his wife are having another baby soon (they just had one last September -- Irish Twins!). Well, his house has three bedrooms. One was Katelyn's, but she only visits him about one weekend out of the month -- not really enough to require her own room. So we "inherited" her old bedroom set. Well, you can't put new furniture in your room and put old bedding on it, right? And Katelyn is way too "commercial" to want one of mom's quilts on her bed. So we hit Target. Here is Sleeping Beauty at about 10:... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6529">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Aug 2009 16:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6529 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6445 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6445"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6445_20090802_cucumber_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/02/2009: Thirty blocks down -- eighteen to go! I'm getting there slowly but surely with my crazy log cabin blocks. They look so bright and cheery on my design wall. I like just walking by and glancing at them. They make me smile! I didn't end up getting much sewing in this week but I still had fun! My childhood friend and I took our girls to the zoo and my sister and I made pickles. The zoo trip was with my friend who just had the baby in June. The one I made the quilt for. She said that she took the baby in for her first pictures and brought the quilt with her. She said everybody there was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it and that all of her pictures were taken on her quilt. I was so touched. What a warm and fuzzy feeling! The zoo trip went really well. Katelyn brought a friend with her so the two of them went off by themselves and the little ones got along great. My friend's sister has four boys so she said that when they all go together it is a very different kind of trip. I can imagine! But our ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6445">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Aug 2009 11:28:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6445 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6362 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6362"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6362_20090726_water_lily_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/26/2009: Now there's a song I haven't heard in a while! Actually, when I was looking it up to link to, I read that it came out in 1995. Wow! I didn't realize it had been that long! Katelyn wasn't even born yet. And now she's a young lady. With a new hair do that is just adorable on her but makes her look older than 13 in my opinion. Ugh. Mom doesn't like this whole growing up thing. Nor do I like the heavy-handed eyeliner application. She really needs to lighten her touch. But all her friends wear theirs like this too so I guess it's what's "in" and goodness knows I'm clueless as to what's cool. (She will not be wearing it like this to school so I guess at home during the summer is OK.) And after the haircut, there was enough of a ponytail to send to Locks of Love too. Anyway, back to the waterfalls. I'm not going to obey that song. My mom and I are off to chase some waterfalls! Today is the last day of the local pond tour. There is a club here in northern Illinois that focuses on ponding . It... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6362">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:05:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6362 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6287 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6287"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6287_20090718_strips_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/19/2009: Well, my house is pretty small, but I think I'm still a few steps up from living in an actual box. But I can't say the same for my fabric. I have all these wonderful fabrics that I just keep buying. You know, because it was on sale or would "go" with something I had in mind, or just because it begged me to bring it home. All those beautiful pieces are just sitting in boxes -- sorted by color but not folded neatly or anything -- and that's it. I had an idea the other day and it involved freeing my boxed up fabrics. I want to do a wild, bright, scrappy quilt. To commemorate this time in my family's life. A quilt to represent how crazy it can all be at times with the five of us and the two pets but also how fun it is. And since I have a zillion bright and obnoxious fabrics in my stash, it was time to let them out of their boxes! Here's a mock-up I came up with in EQ6.... They are wonky, free-form log cabin blocks with some applique blocks mixed in as well as some embellished flower block... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6287">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:11:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6287 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6205 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6205"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6205_20090712_dave_and_kenny_wallace_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/12/2009: I am old. It's official. Mark it on your calendar. "Today is the day that Bridget officially became old." Well, actually, it was Friday that I came to this realization. And it hurts -- literally. Friday night I took Katelyn and a friend of hers to -- gasp -- a Jonas Brothers concert. Yes, that cute trio of singing and instrument-playing boys that Disney and a million young girls have turned into superstars. Truth be told, they are cute boys and can pull off the excessive eyebrow thing they have going on. And they are talented. They have great stage presence, sing on-key and with feeling, and actually play their own instruments. I like that. But not as much as the gazillion screaming girls in the arena. My ears are still ringing -- and it's Sunday. Ouch. I'll admit that I never was much of a concert-goer in my younger days and was mildly prepared for the screaming that would go on. But hey, I spend my weekends at the racetrack with the constant roar of car engines pounding on my eardru... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6205">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:59:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6205 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6125 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6125"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6125_20090704_frog_animated_sm.gif" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/06/2009: So Pattisure asked me a question about my last blog. After seeing the pictures of the frogs in my Smilebox show, she wanted to know where my frogs lived over the winter. Well, I wrote her back with the answer and she thought maybe I should put it into a blog. So because she said so and because I just couldn't resist having a reason to write the words "Frog Blog" here it is.... I'll give you a couple of choices about the frog stories.... Happy Story Once upon a time Bridget decided she would like a pond in her back yard. A small garden pond with water plants and goldfish. A relaxing spot to enjoy. Her wonderful husband made her a pond and she was happy. One day, a frog appeared in her pond. Oh joy! What a lovely addition to her little habitat! And then there was another! Well, the frogs just kept coming and have reappeared each spring -- apparently as Mother Nature intended. The frogs just show up every year. We don't know where they come from or when they will come. They are ju... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6125">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:10:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6125 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6098 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6098"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6098_20090705_brooke_2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/05/2009: I fused stuff -- but that's about all the fabric playing I got in this week. And it wasn't really for anything fun for me. I had to make a banner for our school to use in the 4th of July parade. It all started when one of Brooke's friend's mother's mentioned that she was the head of the school's marketing committee and that she was looking to put the school in the village parade. Well, in the past Dave has let one of the local high schools use the dumpster truck to carry kids in a parade. So I mentioned this to her and offered that the school could use the truck for a float and she said, "Great! I'll tell the principal that you're in charge of the parade!" Wait...what? Huh? How the heck did that happen? Now I don't at all mind helping out -- especially for the kids' school -- but I don't want to be in charge of the whole stinkin' parade thing! So I made the "stuff" to get ready for the parade but she was still in charge of getting the actual people involved. Much better. I made a banne... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6098">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Jul 2009 11:20:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6098 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6008 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6008"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6008_20090628_grocery_sacks_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/28/2009: So here's the room that inspired it all -- well it at least inspired my most current quilt. The avocado floor accented with the gold and yellow on the walls. This was my kitchen growing up. (This photo was taken at my birthday party in the spring of 1980. If I'm in this picture at all, I'm hiding behind somebody. But two of the girls shown are still friends of mine and their children have quilts I have made for them!) The appliances -- not shown here -- were also that lovely avocado green color. I remember being very happy and comfortable in that room. Yes, my mom was a good cook, but the highlight of the kitchen was in the small "hallway" that ran behind the sink and dishwasher. My sister and I would fight for this spot during the winter months. There was a heat vent along the wall that was opposite the sink and if you were small enough, you could sit with your back leaned up against the half-wall that had the sink on the other side and rest your chilly feet in front of the heat vent... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6008">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:17:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/6008 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5938 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5938"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5938_20090621_nest_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/21/2009: Thank you all for your kind comments regarding my photo on last week's blog! You're so sweet! I think the only day of decent weather this week was Monday. That was it. It just rained and rained and then it got hot and sticky. And it got really bad here on Friday! We had some nasty storms come through and I watched out my kitchen window as a big tree limb came crashing down. After the storm, Dave went outside to move the limb but I did get a picture before he hauled it off. I knew there had been a robin's nest in that tree but I had seen the babies hopping around the yard last week so I also knew that the nest was now empty. The next day I went out to assess the damage and was just amazed at what I saw! Roll over this picture to see the nest -- still in the tree where the branch had broken off. Can you believe it stayed up there? My robins apparently have some amazing building skills! But like I said, we did have Monday! We went with some friends to the zoo. The girls had really been... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5938">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:21:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5938 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5866 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5866"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5866_20090614_me_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/14/2009: Well that took forever! But I finally finished my 2008 BOM. Hooray! I'm very happy with how it turned out and am also very happy to have it done. Eighteen months is a long time for me to work on anything! It took me all week to quilt the last two blocks and to quilt the feathered border. The binding and label got put on last night and it was washed and dry by around 11:00 PM. I was supposed to be at the races with Dave last night (he won his heat race! Hooray!), but I was too busy taking care of sick kids. The stomach flu decided to visit our house. Yuck. I had a nasty cold at the beginning of the week but since moms aren't allowed to be sick, the kids had to outdo me. Brooke woke up with it at 3:00 AM on Wednesday and Morgan got sick sometime in the middle of the night between Friday and Saturday. And let's just say that she didn't even realize she had been sick and I didn't find out until Saturday morning. My washing machine has been getting quite the workout. Brooke somehow had it ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5866">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:49:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5866 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5802 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5802"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5802_20090607_lupine_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/07/2009: I was just plain "off" this week! Wait 'til you hear what I did -- or rather didn't do. First of all, my friend had her baby on Monday. (The one I made the quilt for.) Her name is Alyssa and she and mom are healthy and happy. And she's got such a sweet little face! Well, I was supposed to go with another friend to visit them at the hospital in the evening on Monday. On Monday morning Katelyn brought me a note that said there would be a cheerleading meeting at the very same time. Katelyn's good for doing stuff like that. She'd had the note since Friday. Grrr. So I told my friend I wouldn't be able to make it since Katelyn's meeting was at 6:30 and the hospital's visiting hours ended at 7:30. But I decided to wash the quilt anyway so I could mail it instead. Fast-forward to the cheerleading meeting -- which was more like a measure for and pay for uniforms thing instead of an actual meeting. It lasted 10 minutes. On the way out of the gym I frantically called Dave and told him to please ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5802">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Jun 2009 08:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5802 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5729 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5729"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5729_20090531_crystal_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/31/2009: Here's what's blooming today at my house! It's goatsbeard and the flowers don't last very long, but I love how graceful they look when they're in full bloom. I'm so happy to see everybody else's garden photos that have been posted recently. Gorgeous! Keep 'em coming! So I'm starting to "get" this cat thing. They just don't care. Everything is on their terms and if you don't like it well then that's just too bad. Crystal is 6 months old now and we're now knowledgeable about her habits and personality. Dave gives her some kitty treats every day before he leaves for work and she therefore waits for him outside the bathroom each morning. She knows it's time to eat when I wake up and follows me around meowing just in case I forget. At 9:00 every night she jumps on my lap to be brushed. I swear I don't need a clock in the house -- I have Crystal. Well now she has taken to sleeping wherever the heck she feels like it -- which translates into on my quilts. Even though she has a comfortable k... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5729">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 31 May 2009 11:33:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5729 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5658 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5658"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5658_20090524_picnic_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/24/2009: It's been just too darned nice outside to be inside quilting. I had to get out this week and finish getting the yard in order anyway. My new outdoor project is lining all of my garden beds with landscape bricks and so far I'm happy with the results! We keep our dumpsters at a yard near our house and the owner rents out space to lots of different companies to keep their equipment and supplies. Well, last year somebody skipped out on paying their rent and left a bunch of landscape rock for the landlord to take care of. Well, he called us and said, "Take what you want," and that's just what we did! So a lot of last week was spent digging out all the edges of my beds and lining them with brick. Phew! And I'm not even half done yet. Oh -- and that swing in the picture is new. I had an old chair and glass table there last year but the chair finally gave out so I needed something new. I told Dave we should get a glider and he found this neat little swing at Target last week instead. We love... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5658">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 24 May 2009 12:55:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5658 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5583 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5583"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5583_20090517_baby_quilt_close_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/17/2009: I'm not really a "pink" person, but this azalea that is blooming at my house is just too pretty! I've never been a big fan of pink. I'm more of a purple gal. But with three daughters, about all I see is pink stuff around here. Clothes, dolls, toys, etc. They're mainly pink. One of my childhood friends will be having her second daughter in a couple of weeks and I just couldn't bring myself to make a completely pink quilt. You may remember last week when I said I was going to make a Chinese coins quilt for her. Well, I changed my mind. I ended up buying some wild-yet-feminine fabrics the other day and couldn't bear to chop them up into such small pieces. So I made an even simpler quilt. I'm not even sure if the pattern has a name. I know I've seen it before, but I don't recall seeing what it was called. It's just 5" (unfinished) squares put in some thick, white sashing. My friend has always been very clean. When we were growing up her room was spotless. (How does one get a kid like that... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5583">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 May 2009 12:02:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5583 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5516 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5516"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5516_20090510_veggie_garden_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/10/2009: Happy Mother's Day to all of my TQS friends! This flower was my gift from Brooke. All the kindergarteners made them. What a sweet idea! And I got a pretty card from Dave and a cute one from the girls. The one from the girls read.... Mother's Day is a chance for us to treat you like a Queen! And inside it read.... A queen with really lazy subjects who don't listen very well. Yep -- that's about right! I thought it was pretty funny! And I did get a gift. I requested cash so I could go shopping for my annuals to fill all my containers. So Dave didn't even need to go shopping! But that was just fine by me -- shopping for flowers is right up there with shopping for fabric in my eyes. Here is what I brought home. They've all been planted in their new homes and will be big and beautiful in no time -- I hope. And I got my vegetable garden started too. (Roll over this photo to see it so far.) Dave tilled it all up today and worked in some humus and manure. Then the kids just couldn't help them... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5516">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 May 2009 18:03:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5516 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5453 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5453"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5453_20090503_bom_quilting_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/03/2009: It's a perfect day here in northern Illinois and I really should be outside getting garden beds ready, but I'm not. Instead I just got back from a day of shopping with an old friend. Ahhh. The kids stayed home and I got to shop at my stores! I was at the mall and didn't have to go into the Disney store or Abercrombie! Wow! So now I'm well-rested and got a cute new outfit and a bit of my sanity back. (The new outfit is for Brooke's kindergarten graduation next month -- I'll have to remember to snap a picture.) It has rained and rained around here this week and you'd think that would mean I would be inside quilting, but I just can't seem to squeeze in any time lately. Friday morning was the 8th grade breakfast at school and the 7th grade parents are in charge of that, so I was there serving up food. I also had to bring an egg and meat casserole. So Thursday was spent finding an egg and meat casserole recipe and shopping for it and trying it out. I don't eat eggs and therefore don't reall... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5453">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 May 2009 16:36:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5453 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5373 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5373"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5373_20090426_feathers_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/26/2009: It's that time of the year again. It's racing season at the Lilja house. Dave has a brand new car and Saturday night was his first time bringing it out. It's called a dirt modified and he had a great night! He's never run in this division before so it was really a whole new experience but he did great! We dumped off the kids at my sister's house (she owes us big time babysitting favors!) and headed to the track about 1 1/2 hours away. Just the two of us. 'Cause I am the pit crew. Sad, huh. My duties include helping unload the car, getting Dave's helmet ready with tear-offs (little strips of plastic that can be removed during the race so Dave can actually see where he's going), operating the winch (a machine that pulls the car up onto the trailer or lets it down) and maybe checking tire pressures every now and then. Ooooh. Ahhhh. I don't know how Dave would survive without my help! Hee hee! But he had a good night and brought the car -- and himself -- home in one piece. Here are some ph... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5373">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5373 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5295 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5295"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5295_20090419_shopping_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/19/2009: Well it just doesn't get much better than this! I finished my double wedding ring quilt and I got to go to the quilt show! First -- the quilt. This was the quilt that was made from pieces sewn by my great-grandmother. My grandma passed them down to me so I could finish it and then keep it for my own. I had just a few more circles to quilt at the beginning of the week and got that taken care of pretty quickly. I think I could quilt those designs in my sleep now! (Roll over this picture for a close up.) And thanks to all of your wonderful information I got the binding done this week too. I used Sharon Schamber's method and it worked perfectly! (How come everything she figures out makes so much sense and turns out so well yet most of us couldn't come up with those ideas on our own?) Her instructions were such a great help. And I'm a very visual person so having it available in video format was even more perfect. Thanks for the link! (I did make way too much binding, but that's OK. Bett... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5295">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:07:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5295 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5236 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5236"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5236_20090412_transparency_and_screen_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/11/2009: My birthday was last week and Dave asked me what I wanted. Hmmmm. I didn't have a clue! (My mom is the same way -- she never knows what to ask for from my dad so she says we must have everything we want already.) I had seen one thing at Joann's that looked interesting but didn't know much about it so I Googled it and did a little research. It's called a Yudu and it's a personal screen printer. And I love it! Oh the possibilities! I love intricate little patterns so this neat little machine will allow me to do whatever the heck I want to with fabric. (The website has an instructional video if you're interested in the process.) I didn't end up getting it at Joann's though. Michael's had them on sale and they offered a $50.00 gift card that I will receive in the mail in a few weeks! Whee! I justified the price by telling myself that we could use it to print our company t-shirts (which is true!) but you know I'll be doing more playing with it than anything! So I decided to do a test just ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5236">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:12:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5236 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5168 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5168"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5168_20090405_girls_at_art_institute_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/05/2009: Thank you all for the wonderful links and ideas regarding my scalloped binding question last week! There were some great techniques out there that I wouldn't have found without you! I appreciate it! I didn't get any quilting done this week. At all. We were way too busy having fun during the girls' spring break! Monday we all went shopping at the mall with my sister and her two girls. Katelyn is a total mall rat. She loves that place. Especially Abercrombie . Not Abercrombie and Fitch mind you -- 'cause that's for old people. That was my lesson of the day. The mall had two Abercrombies -- one upstairs and one downstairs -- and I wanted to know why there were two. Well, apparently the Abercrombie has smaller sizes more for Katelyn's age and Abercrombie and Fitch -- in Katelyn's words -- was for "old people". Which she didn't really mean to say -- it came out wrong -- but I didn't let her live that down. And so I proceeded to embarrass the heck out of her when we went into Abercrombie a... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5168">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Apr 2009 11:16:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5168 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5100 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5100"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5100_20090329_snow_flowers_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/29/2009: I think "spring break" must mean "a break from spring" for us. My kids have a whole week off of school and here comes the snow! Yuck. I know it will all be gone by tomorrow but I did not like waking up to my yard -- and my daffodil buds -- blanketed in white. At least these guys weren't blooming yet. That would be sad. Two of the days this week will be spent babysitting my two little nieces (I may or may not survive that!) and one morning will be dedicated to taking the kitten to the vet for her next round of shots (ouch!). Other than that, the girls and I are free! I'm really going to try to go to the Art Institute this week. I haven't been there since I was in grade school and that is pathetic. I have all this wonderful art just minutes away and I haven't been there to appreciate it in years. I asked the girls if they wanted to go and the only one who was excited about it was Brooke. We'll see. Morgan was excited too -- but maybe too excited. I tried to explain that you have to be ve... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5100">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:18:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5100 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5007 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5007"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/5007_20090322_spring_sprouts_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/22/2009: I have finally decided to blog about what I've been working on for the past 10 weeks -- and it's not quilt related. It's my weight. Growing up I was always little. Short and skinny. And I've always looked younger than I am. (When I was 16 my friend and I were talking to some guys we kinda knew and one of them didn't believe I was actually old enough to drive -- I had to pull out my license to prove it to him. Definitely embarrassing when you're 16. Twenty years later, I'd be more than happy to have somebody card me!) I never had to worry about what I ate or how often I exercised. Ahhh. Those were the days! But three kids later, I no longer have that luxury. After Christmas this year, I decided that I could no longer use "baby weight" as an excuse and I wanted to get back to my ideal weight. Morgan's three. Baby weight doesn't count anymore. Now I realize I'm never going to look like a swimsuit model, but I would like to feel more comfortable in a swimsuit. So I decided to start dieting... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5007">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:56:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/5007 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4907 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4907"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4907_20090315_brookes_teeth_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/15/2009: I'm still plugging along on my great-grandmother's double wedding ring quilt. I finally got all the pieces cut out yesterday after playing around with the templates for what seemed like forever. (I cut out at least 6 of each template trying to get the sizes perfect and did some serious seam ripping after each wrong one!) I got a working center x-shaped template made last week and got two of the circles done but my great-grandmother had already made some of the football-shaped pieces so I just attached the ones she had done. I tried tracing the ones she had completed, but it didn't work out. I had to draft (and re-draft, and re-draft...) a new "football" template myself. Apparently my great-grandmother was out to blanket the world with this quilt. The blocks are huge . Seriously. Roll over this picture and you can see how big they really are. That's a 3" x 18" ruler hanging there -- which by the way I got on clearance at Joann's this week for $2.97! Yay me! (One can never have too many ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4907">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:26:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4907 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4826 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4826"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4826_20090308_blue_quilt_2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/08/2009: One of my sister's friends has a beautiful antique quilt from her great-grandmother. She sent me pictures a while back to see what I knew about it. I'll tell you what I knew about it -- it was a gorgeous double wedding ring made with feedsacks and had scalloped edges and more importantly -- she had one and I didn't. Yep, old jealousy was rearing its ugly head. And she asked if I could please repair a small tear in it and maybe clean it. ( Yeah, sure -- but I may not give it back! Hee hee!) She hasn't yet sent me the quilt, but that's OK. I have plenty on my plate. Since my grandpa passed away a few years ago, my grandma has been living with my mom due to her age and health condition. My grandparents had a place in Indiana that my grandma will be selling soon -- after my mom and my aunt finish cleaning it out. Well last weekend they tackled the spare bedroom with "the trunk" in it. My grandma had told me she thought there was an old quilt in there from my great-grandma. It turns out she... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4826">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 Mar 2009 13:18:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4826 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4728 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4728"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4728_20090301_iron_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/01/2009: It was catch up on some UFO's week. I wasn't feeling especially creative so I figured that would be the best time to revisit some old projects. Did I completely finish any of them? Nope. But I did work on a couple of them and came up with some new ideas for both so it was worthwhile. Last year ( Wait -- was it last year? I don't really remember now. We'll just say last year. ) I found a cute little pack of 30's reproduction fat quarters and made them into some strips of flying geese. And then I put them away. And then I promptly forgot about them. While I was reorganizing my stuff to transfer to my downstairs "microstudio" I discovered them and remembered how long I had worked making them. I only needed to stitch together one more strip and then put them together with some alternate strips. First I considered making white or yellow strips and then adding applique. Nah -- too much work. I decided to go another route and added a more obnoxious black and white floral fabric instead. It'... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4728">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 Mar 2009 09:01:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4728 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4607 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4607"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4607_20090222_crystal_bath_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/22/2009: Ahhhh. That's better. I feel so relieved now that I've excused myself from the BOM and thank you all for your sweet comments about my doing so! I turned my feathered star into a table topper and now it's happily sitting on the kitchen table. I decided to try something new when I quilted it -- I used my embroidery unit to quilt the center of the star. It sounded like a quick and easy way to get a beautiful motif quilted on it. Well, the beautiful part worked out! The quick and easy idea was squashed as soon as I started to hoop the thing. I marked the center of the star with an "x" and proceeded to line up the grid on my hoop. And then I had to move it. And move it again. And move it again. Yeah, it took a while. It's not easy cramming three layers into that hoop! But as soon as I got it close enough, the machine took only six minutes to stitch out a beautiful quilting design. Then I stippled around the star and drew some feathers in the triangle areas. I stitched the feathers and that... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4607">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:07:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4607 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4532 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4532"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4532_20090215_party_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/15/2009: The kitten is here! She is a lot smaller than I imagined she would be at almost 15 weeks old but oh is she cute! Well, when she's not hating us. OK, the hissing is pretty cute. She pooped in her carrier on the way home so I had to give her a bath when she got here which meant I was most definitely not her favorite person! But I'm not as bad off as the dog! The cat really hates him! Poor Bud acted like he was a real dog or something -- he was sniffing around the house trying to find her. I mean, she is tiny, but he had trouble locating her. He knew he smelled something new in the house -- he just didn't know what. But boy when those canine instincts kicked in, you've never seen a more excited dog! Or a more terrified cat! They have been separated ever since. The kitten has found herself a nice little "hole" to hide in in the kitchen so she's napping there right now. Here are some photos and video of our new addition... (Oh, and that new Smilebox thing that they've been using on the dail... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4532">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:26:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4532 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4447 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4447"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4447_20090208_family_hands_after_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/08/2009: I just can't seem to catch up this week. I've been in the micro-studio once in the last 7 days. I got some very quick piecing done and some painting. Whoop-de-doo! All of a sudden Brooke is Little Miss Popular so we've been going back and forth with a bunch of her friends having play dates. Having an extra little girl around here isn't very helpful to my quilting schedule! I haven't even printed up the February BOM instructions. Even Saturday was a no-go for quilting since we had a birthday party for Katelyn and Brooke. But that's a good reason to skip studio time! Their birthdays are 10 days apart so we just combine their party and make it easier on everybody. It was a fun party and they got a lot of nice things. (Oh -- and there were fights over who would get which flower from that cake in the picture. It made my teeth hurt just watching those kids scooping up all that frosting and eating it! Ewww!) And it's official -- I am now the parent of a teenager ( insert scary music ). Kately... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4447">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 Feb 2009 17:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4447 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4346 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4346"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4346_20090201_fabric_painting_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/01/2009: I only got another 1 1/2 blocks quilted on my '08 BOM. I don't even think I got in an entire hour of quilting fun this week. Oh well. Whatcha gonna do? I had a bunch of school stuff that got in the way. Like a meeting with Brooke's kindergarten teacher. Brooke is learning to read and was having difficulty blending sounds. She knows her sounds but just couldn't get a grasp on stringing them together into an actual word. She would say, "duh-ih-duh" and couldn't get it to turn into "did" in her mind. We do flashcards and read books every day, but I couldn't get her to "get it". So I went to speak to her teacher who gave me some wonderful ideas about how to help her. (And her teacher told me that Brooke is so sweet and well-behaved and such an enthusiastic learner. She just loves her. Happy Mom Moment!) So when I came home with all these fresh ideas all ready to use them, something clicked in her little head and now she gets it. Just like that. She can read! It's actually pretty amazing wh... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4346">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 1 Feb 2009 10:43:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4346 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4256 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4256"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4256_20090125carshow_sm.gif" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/25/2009: Yeah, this quilting the 2008 BOM is taking a long, long time. I was trying to finish quilting one block per day but it's just not working that way. I've finished only the four middle blocks. Oh well! I have no deadline. There are multiple thread color changes and stops and starts so it's not just full-throttle quilting. But I'm happy with the outcome so far. If you roll over this picture you can see the back of this block. Oh yeah -- and then there's the lint-picking. For some reason those red sashing strips are fuzzy-magnets! And then the little fuzzies migrate onto the block and sneak right under my needle! After fighting the first two blocks I learned to take some tape and pick up the lint before I start stitching. But all-in-all, I'm liking the way it's coming out. Here is a detail of one of the flowers. This coming week isn't looking very promising for quilting time. Just today includes doing laundry, catching up on the paperwork for our business, taking some baked goods to open ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4256">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:35:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4256 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4172 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4172"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4172_20090118_bom_quilting_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/18/2009: I got my Bernina bag from TQS this week full of fun quilting toys! I've always been curious as to what was in those goody bags that the audience receives at the show tapings. They are great! Heck -- I would have been happy with just the bag! It's huge and really sturdy. Mr. UPS Man came to my door and I snatched up the box and tore it open! The kids were as excited as I was and kept taking things out and saying, "Oh -- look at this!" (They had no clue about how fabulous whatever they were holding was -- I think they were just feeding off of my excitement.) I had to slow them down so I could actually see the stuff for myself. You can roll over this photo to see all the goodies! I am so thankful to have received this wonderful gift. I did get my 2008 BOM quilt basted this week. After moving a bit of furniture around in the living room, I had just enough space to tape down the backing. Phew! I completely dislike basting. My preferred method is pin basting so I got down on the floor and ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4172">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:11:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4172 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4102 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4102"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/4102_20090111_bom_fabrics_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/11/2009: Yes, my new "micro-studio" (thanks for the phrase Sally!) is my happy place, but what I'm really talking about is TQS. I get to drop in here and hang out with all of you wonderful people and it just makes me happy. I received such nice emails and comments this past week about my new studio and about my challenge quilt and I am so thankful to have you as friends. What a special place we have here. I'm just plain happy to know all of you. Thank you for your friendship. So, yep -- it was a good week. All the great stuff here on TQS plus I got to go shopping for my other happy place! I got myself a little clock radio to go in my micro-studio so I can watch the time that somehow seems to get away from me when I'm working and I can listen to some tunes (a lot of 80's hair bands -- yes, I'm serious!). And I got myself some focus fabric for the BOM. I was originally planning on dyeing my own fabrics for this quilt but I opted to pull from my stash instead. Except for the focus fabric and a co... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4102">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:01:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/4102 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3996 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3996"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3996_20090104_floor_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/04/2009: Is it possible to have two last straws? Because that's what happened to me this week. I've had it! I cannot quilt in the living room any more among the monsters children! So I told Dave that this was the week that I was going to claim a corner of the basement. I didn't ask him to build me a room or anything -- just to pack away his 125 (yes -- he counted!) racing trophies. You know, the link to his glory-filled past. Here ya go, honey! See these boxes? Fill 'em up with all your pride and accomplishments! He probably would have been more content if I had asked him to build on an addition to the house. But being the wonderful husband that he is, he did just what I asked. (In my defense, they were just sitting on a shelving unit collecting dust -- at least they're protected in the plastic totes!) So you want to hear about the last straws? Well, first, there was the batting thing. I bought a nice new package of 80/20 batting to use for my 2008 BOM. I wanted it to smooth out so I very care... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3996">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 Jan 2009 10:10:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3996 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3862 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3862"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3862_20081228_brooke_legos_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/28/2008: I'll have to write a "quickie" post today. We had some leaking in the basement due to the fact that we got over an inch of rain in the past couple of days combined with 60 degree temperatures which melted all the snow that was on the ground. It's a little wet around here. I have a very unfinished basement so I didn't have anything really damaged -- just messy. And it gives us a good reason to toss out some of the junk we've accumulated down there. So let's see -- Christmas. Yep. It was a good one! I got all the cookies and fudge made last week and I made entirely too much fudge! As you can see, I did have some helpers. They were very good at licking spoons and sprinkling sugar -- you know -- the hard stuff. The spritz cookies (little butter cookies) were gone by Christmas Eve as were most of the sugar cookie cut outs, but I still have plenty of fudge! Oh well! Not a bad problem to have! And this was our first year spending Christmas Eve at home. We usually go to my sister's house or t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3862">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:08:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3862 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3787 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3787"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3787_20081221_pouches_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/21/2008: We were a bit accident-prone this week around my house! Nothing serious, but there were a lot of "oops" moments. Like this picture here. You know what this is? It's the dent that was made in the wall from Morgan's head slamming into it. You see, no matter how many times they've heard the "No more monkeys jumping on the bed..." song, my kids just don't get it. From what I hear, Morgan and Brooke were jumping from one bed to the other (they share a room) and Morgan got a little more bounce than she bargained for. I heard a bang and she came downstairs told me she hurt her head but it wasn't really a big deal until I went upstairs and found the gash she left in the wall! She didn't even have a bump -- apparently because the wall absorbed most of the impact! Ouch! And don't think this "oops" trait is limited to Morgan -- she gets it from her mother. I'm guilty of a couple of screw-ups this week. I've been knitting socks lately while in the parking lot waiting for the kids or while on the p... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3787">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:01:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3787 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3705 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3705"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3705_20081214_wrapping1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/14/2008: It's all winding down. I've completed my last block for the 2008 BOM. The Christmas shopping is now done -- and it's wrapped! The Christmas cards have been sent. The girls will be out of school soon for a couple of weeks. All I have left is the Christmas baking to do -- but I like to do that a little closer to Christmas -- and I still have to make two little gifts for my niece and for Morgan. No biggie. I don't think I'm going to do the half-square triangles on the BOM. My border fabric is pretty busy as it is so I think I'll just put in the red sashing and then put on the mitered borders. I bought the red fabric the other day and have prewashed it. But that's as far as I've gotten. While I was shopping I also picked up some gridded template plastic. I need to square up all my blocks and the largest square ruler I have is 12". I could probably make due, but I'd rather have the exact size so I could visualize it better. So I bought two sheets of 12" x 18" template plastic and will tape ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3705">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:29:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3705 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3625 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3625"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3625_20081207_winter_fun_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/07/2008: I guess technically I've gotten some quilting done this week. I made a 64-patch and an elongated 12-patch -- but they weren't for a new quilt. I decided to get all crafty and make a few Christmas gifts for my two youngest daughters and my two nieces. (Katelyn is too cool for handmade gifts now.) Anyway, Brooke likes to play checkers at school so I thought it would be a good idea to get her her own set to play at home. Now you would think Toys R Us would have a nice little set for -- oh, I don't know -- about ten bucks at the most. Wrong . All I could find was some fancy schmancy set for $29.99 ! No thank you! It had chess and some other games with it and the board looked pretty nice, but this is for a 5-year-old. I just wanted checkers! So I took some inspiration from all the cute gift ideas on this blog I've recently found and really enjoy reading called Sew, Mama, Sew! and decided to come up with my own set of checkers. Here's what I ended up with! All I had to buy was the little wo... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3625">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Dec 2008 10:07:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3625 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3538 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3538"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3538_20081130_first_snow_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/30/2008: It's here! The first snow of the year has begun! This picture was taken at about 2:00 PM and we're supposed to get snow all the way until tomorrow morning so I'm sure this view will be much different by Monday! Katelyn is already concerned about school being called off tomorrow. I doubt it will be that bad but a girl can dream! Actually, I think there's something wrong with that kid. Now she's a nice girl mind you, but she's been awfully good lately! She's almost 13 so it's not because she thinks Santa is watching. I'm not quite sure what it is. There were two incidents this week that had me wondering what the deal was. First of all, she and her friend went to see " Twilight " at the movies on Wednesday afternoon (half day of school) -- by themselves. Her friend's mom asked if it was OK if she just dropped them off at the theater and I agreed that it would be fine. They're both responsible girls. Well, while they were there, they happened to find $100 on the floor -- and turned it int... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3538">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:20:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3538 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3456 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3456"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3456_20081123_grandpas_walk_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/23/2008: Winter is here. I know the calendar says otherwise but I don't care. I say it's here. Not that I mind winter. It's beautiful when there's a fresh coat of snow and all the Christmas lights are sparkling. But when it comes time to spend 10 minutes bundling up the kids just for a 5-minute ride to school, I wish I lived in a slightly warmer climate. But at least all that bundling is good for a few laughs.... YouTube didn't have the actual video clip -- I had to settle for a sound bite instead! I remember feeling like poor little Randy when I was little and I know I've bundled my own kids this "tightly" a time or two as well. It's part of growing up in the Midwest I guess! And can I just say that I love this movie ? I know one of the channels (TNT maybe?) usually plays it for 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I just keep it on the whole time. (And Christmas Vacation -- I just can't help myself from laughing hysterically during that whole movie as well!) So... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3456">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:26:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3456 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3359 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3359"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3359_20081116_kaleidoscope_progress_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/16/2008: What a great time I've had lately! I escaped Mommyland twice this week! The first great escape was when Dave and I went out for our anniversary dinner. To a real restaurant. One with actual waiters and waitresses and no soda machine and food that doesn't arrive in a box with a toy included! Hooray! It's our big annual "date night." And I've heard how couples are supposed to schedule these monthly -- or at least more often than yearly -- but I'll take what I can get! Besides, I have other things to spend my money on like the kids' stuff, school tuition, fabric, Christmas gifts, fabric, etc. And Dave and I can be just as happy sharing a pizza in t-shirts and sweat pants but I have to say my once-a-year meal of surf & turf tasted pretty darned good. Yummm. And as our years together go by, Dave is becoming increasingly "into" my quilting. Especially when the quilt is for him! I started piecing his kaleidoscope quilt this week and he just loves it. When I got the center part up on the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3359">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:36:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3359 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3299 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3299"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3299_20081109_white_squirrel_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/09/2008: Ahhh...only a few circles on this month's block. I actually finished it in a decent amount of time! I had told myself that I was going to create these blocks using only fabrics from my stash and for the most part, I have. Until this month. I just couldn't find the right basket fabric so I had to visit my LQS and found this great black floral print! I have already chosen my border fabric for this quilt and it has a black background, so I figured I should work a little more black into these next two blocks just to tie it all in. I have one block with a black vase, but a little more couldn't hurt! So I'm happy with this block -- one more to go! Now I'm off to my other projects! I am going to do the "Remember December" challenge and have my idea -- I just have to do some more thinking and planning. And then there's the Kaleidoscope quilt. All my strips are cut and ready but that's as far as I've gotten. Probably because I still hadn't found the DVD. I had watched it when I received it and ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3299">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Nov 2008 11:30:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3299 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3239 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3239"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3239_20081102_pumpkins_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/02/2008: I have absolutely no quilting to share this week so I'll just have to provide you with some cuteness instead. Actually it's cuteness times eleven. You see, my next-door neighbor's dog had puppies this week! My neighbor stopped by the other day and said that the dog was acting funny and it was just about time for her puppies to come and could I please go check on her every now and then because she had to go to work. She gave me her cell phone number and said to please call if the puppies were coming -- but not for anything else because she'd be freaking out as is was! Ummm...OK. The only experience I've had with birthin' puppies is watching it on Animal Planet but I'd do my best! I did some quick research on the internet and figured I could handle the situation if needed. Dogs have been having puppies for thousands of years without any assistance. Everything would be fine. And I've had three kids -- that has to count for something, right? (OK...I just layed there and the doctor did most... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3239">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Nov 2008 10:51:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3239 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3166 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3166"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3166_20081026_frog_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/26/2008: Well here we all are at my family's Halloween party. My brother and sister-in-law had a party last night and therefore I had to come up with a costume for myself and Dave (the kids, of course, had theirs already). I think our costumes cost a total of about $20.00 -- can't go wrong for that! Dave is the UPS man and I am the package! (Does this box make me look fat? ) Don't be impressed -- I found the idea online. Dave is not too keen on the whole Halloween dressing up thing -- even though his birthday is on Halloween -- so I had to Google "costume ideas for men who don't like costumes." Yes -- there is a lot available on this topic. So that's where the costume idea came from. The girls all looked cute in their outfits and everyone had a great time. I warned the girls not to get food all over their costumes because they needed to wear them again on Friday and I'm happy to report that they all came home clean last night. And Animal Lover Dave was at it again yesterday. He called again and... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3166">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:04:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3166 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3113 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3113"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3113_20081019_bom_progress_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/19/2008: I got to meet Cinda ! She and her group from Australia stopped in Chicago this weekend on their way to Houston and I got to visit with her. I met a few of her friends as well. I was so excited! She is such a sweet person. They were all staying at the Hilton in downtown Chicago which is only about 20 minutes away from me so I got my driver (Dave) to drop me off at the hotel and I got to have a nice little chat. (Dave took the kids to Navy Pier -- alone -- while I visited -- and he actually lived to tell about it!) Cinda and I got to compare notes about children and families and fabric and sewing machines and even local wildlife! (She was looking forward to seeing squirrels and I was amazed that kangaroos end up as "road kill" in her part of the world!) Our lives are pretty similar even though we live on different sides of the globe and I am so fortunate to have met her in person. She brought me and my girls some lovely gifts from Australia and now my kids think they're all "worldly!" (Y... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3113">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:54:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3113 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3032 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3032"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3032_20081012_all_quilts_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/12/2008: Isn't this pathetic? This is my calendar for October. (Yes -- it's color coded -- I have "issues.") It includes seven parties -- most of which are those of my family (my dad's, Morgan's and Dave's birthdays are all within the next three weeks), four volleyball games plus a yet-to-be-determined number of playoff games and twice-per-week volleyball practices for Katelyn, school activities and a field trip for Brooke, weekly story time at the library for Morgan and oh yeah -- Halloween. (I wimped out and opted for store-bought costumes this year!) And I only have my kids in one thing at a time. There are parents I know who have several kids -- each child in multiple activities. How do they do that? So needless to say I have not had much quilting time. But I'm so close to having all my October BOM pieces ready to stitch on! They're patiently sitting in a bag -- all the edges turned under -- just waiting for me. But my house is clean! I spent all day yesterday cleaning instead of quilting.... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3032">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:50:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/3032 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2954 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2954"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2954_20081005_art_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/05/2008: Now I don't know what other people from other parts of the county -- or world for that matter -- think about us in or near Chicago, but I know some of the things that have been put out there about us don't always sound too good. Like our corrupt politics and stuff like that. And maybe you've heard about the strong labor unions and mob ties and such. OK. You got us. Truthfully, I have met about three people in my life here with possible mob ties so I guess that part's true. And the political corruption? Probably true also but I'm not really into politics. But the investigative reporters around here like to find stuff like that and report it all the time so it's most likely reality. Whatever. So you probably won't be surprised with what my husband -- born on the south side of Chicago (Brighton Park neighborhood for those of you who may know the area) -- did the other day.... Let's just say that I got my sewing machine back thanks in part to him and his corrupt ways. I had my machine at a... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2954">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 5 Oct 2008 12:38:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2954 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2875 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2875"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2875_20080928_sewing_cabinet_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/28/2008: Isn't this one of the saddest sights you've ever seen? It's the empty shell where my beautiful Bernina usually lives. Sigh . I began doing some free-motion quilting the other day with my BSR and when I finished a section, I turned it over and there was a big ol' mess on the back with loops and knots and all that. Yuck! Figuring it was a tension issue, I messed around with the top tension dial. No good. Putting it to "0" didn't even help. Not good at all. So then I thought I'd screw around with the bobbin case -- literally. (I have a spare.) After about 8,000 quarter turns with the little screwdriver, I still wasn't getting it right. And then of course you know what happened next -- the screw fell right out. Well, I knew there was no turning back so I called the dealer and told the lady I was on my way in. Actually, I'm lucky this happened when it did. Their repair guy was going on vacation next week so I would've needed to hunt around for someone else to fix my baby. But really, I've h... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2875">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2875 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2798 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2798"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2798_20080921_bw_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/21/2008: What's black and white all over? An Oreo Mc Flurry like my two little ones had for breakfast this morning? Yes, seriously. I woke up and found them sitting at the kitchen table -- each of them with a spoon in their hand and a mess on their face. It was supposed to be a special treat for them last night if they finished their dinner. Instead of eating dinner, they hid their food and waited a while to tell me they were done and thought they would just get right to the good stuff. WRONG! It was a good try, but Mommy didn't fall for it. The ice cream ended up being put into the freezer instead. And usually I hear them when they get up in the morning. They're like a herd of elephants. I'm surprised the whole neighborhood doesn't hear them get up at the crack of dawn. Well, apparently their "Ice Cream for Breakfast" plan called for them to be a little quieter than usual and they pulled it off! I busted them after most of the ice cream was gone. What else is black and white all over? My whi... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2798">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:08:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2798 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2739 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2739"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2739_20080914_a_pond_with_a_view_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/14/2008: I finished it! This quilt seemed to take a long time for some reason but I'm happy with how it turned out. All that's left to do is to find some wall space so I can hang it! I'm kinda running low on walls here. Looks like I'll have to start switching some things out! I named it "A Pond with a View." Now I just have to post it in the gallery. Thank goodness for those extra spaces! The quilting on this went pretty smoothly. Well except for my pretty lame attempts at quilting in the ditch around the lily pad stems. I had my face so close to the machine while trying to get right on the line that I about stitched my nose into the quilt! I'll just stick to free motion. All that accuracy is just too much! And I decided to quilt scales on the fish. I was afraid that it would be too much and might overpower the marbled fabric that I really wanted to show, but I did a couple of rows and ended up liking it and finished the fish this way. I didn't realize when I bought the "fish thread" that it h... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2739">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:33:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2739 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2689 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2689"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2689_september_bom_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/09/2008: I would like to extend my heart-felt thanks to all of you. I can't tell you how nice it was to receive all the wonderful blog comments, cyber hugs, prayers, personal stories, private emails, phone calls, and good thoughts. You guys are just great. Not in that drunk college guy way -- you know when they're all hugging and trying to hold themselves up telling each other, "I love you, man!" You all are really special. Those of you in the "been there, done that" section -- it's so good to know I'm not the only one ever to feel this way. I'm glad I'm not truly the awful wife and mother that I've been feeling like for the past week. I have since returned to my old self. I've determined that it was a phase that I'll most likely revisit from time to time, but I will always have all of your great advice to go back to. I have read and reread everything sent to me and appreciate every word. So thank you for your advice, your friendship, and your time. Here's what I've learned.... I don't have to... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2689">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 9 Sep 2008 14:31:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2689 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2667 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2667"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2667_20080907_applique_pieces_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/07/2008: I have been such a crab lately! And I'm not exactly sure why -- but I have been considering one option. I'm going to try to talk myself out of the idea that it's because my schedule has not allowed me as much quilting time lately. But really? Could it seriously be that? Is creativity that important to me that its absence -- even for a short time -- affects me this much? For real? I mean my poor husband is completely confused. The calendar tells him that this week isn't The Week but I must admit my mood is similar. What's my problem? I have a wonderful husband (I've had an awful one before -- you can tell the difference), my kids are happy and healthy and I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home with them, I have a great family and terrific friends (including some really great ones from TQS!). I live in a wonderful community in a wonderful country. My parents and my grandma live close by and I talk to them daily. I mean, really, what more could a girl want? So my only gripe is that the ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2667">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2667 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2595 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2595"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2595_20080831_baby_bunnies_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/31/2008: This back-to-school thing is working out pretty nicely for me! Three hours in the morning with just me and Morgan. Ahhhh. She's very good at playing alone so mom can get stuff done -- whether it's housework (ugh!) or quilting. And with no one home to fight with, she's calm and content. Even after her surgery. (In case you didn't see it, my previous blog gives an update on her -- she did great and bounced back like you wouldn't believe! She's back to her old self! Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.) So Katelyn went to school on Monday and Brooke went for her kindergarten orientation day on Tuesday -- the same day as Morgan's surgery. I had scheduled Morgan's surgery for that Tuesday because Brooke's first day was originally supposed to be on Wednesday. Brooke was put into afternoon kindergarten which was fine with me -- until I went to the parent's meeting the week before and found out from one of the other moms that Brooke and her daughter were the only two girls in t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2595">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:20:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2595 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2550 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2550"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2550_img_7730_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/26/2008: Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes for Morgan. It means so much to me and my family. Her surgery went very well and she is currently here at home rolling on the floor singing -- and yes, that's normal! The surgery only took about 45 minutes. They did a procedure called "Deflux" where they repair her kidneys using a gel to "seal off" where the reflux occurs. The doctor did both sides even though one side had pretty much healed itself. While he was "in there" with the scope, he found an area in her bladder that was possibly partly responsible for her troubles. It's nothing major, but he said that she most likely would have continued to have problems because of it so the surgery turned out to be a very good choice. She did fine going into surgery -- mostly because of the shot they gave her to "relax" her. The shot made her all goofy and she laughed hysterically at bubbles for about 15 minutes straight. One of the ladies at the hospital brought in some bubbles and it was just t... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2550">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:18:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2550 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2524 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2524"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2524_20080824_gladiola_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/24/2008: I had good intentions of finishing stitching down my pond quilt pieces. Really I did. My sister got her kids enrolled in Kindercare so my babysitting duties were cancelled, and my kids don't start school until this coming week, but I just didn't get the pieces done. I put my frog on there but I was just not in a very "precise" state of mind for some reason and I didn't want to risk screwing up the whole piece due to my mood. I think he needs some more detail, but I'll also wait on this -- I think some thread painting will help. So I stepped away from the sewing machine and held off on working on it. Actually, I was in more of a messy kind of mood. And there's nothing messier than fabric dyeing! My library has a copy of "Off-The-Shelf Fabric Painting" by Sue Beevers so I borrowed it and decided to make some fabric instead. I have an idea for something I want to create -- I'm gonna try to be all artsy -- and this fabric would be my base. I bought some Kona cotton and some clearance fabri... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2524">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:22:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2524 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2480 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2480"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2480_stainedglassslideshow_sm.gif" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/20/2008: OK all you Photoshop Elements users -- here's your tutorial about creating a slideshow! It's a video/screenshot tutorial and once again I got a bit chatty so it's in two parts. Part 1 can be viewed by clicking here or by clicking the "Watch This Video" button. Part 2 should show up on the same You Tube screen, but if it doesn't, click here to view it. Now I've only had this program for about a week and this just shows how I was able to do it. If anyone out there is more experienced in using this software and has a better way, and easier way, or a faster way, we'd love it if you'd share! Dave and the kids and I went to Navy Pier in Chicago the other day. (I'll blog more this weekend about our fun little day trip.) While we were there, we visited the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows . It's just beautiful and full of quilt inspiration! The slideshow below shows some of the gorgeous windows and is an expanded version of the slideshow I created in the video. So if you don't have Photos... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2480">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:06:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2480 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2439 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2439"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2439_20080817timberlake_sm.gif" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/17/2008: OK -- not real snow -- this is better! The snow I'm talking about is Snow as in Snowplow3840 -- you know -- Ann! She and her husband were up this way in their RV so we met up last Monday! I drove out to where they were parked and got to see all her beautiful quilts! They're gorgeous! They're so full of color and they all have this happy kind of energy about them and I just loved them all. And she showed me some of her embroidery as well -- just as fabulous! Talk about multi-talented! Wow! First we hit Hobby Lobby and found some fun things there -- I got some clearance trims -- I have no clue about what I will be doing with them but they were too fun to leave on the shelf! And I got some squirt bottles for dyeing. My other ones were too small and I never think to order them. Oh and some beads -- 'cause I don't have nearly enough of those! Hee hee! Then it was off to the quilt store! We went to Sew Unlimited in South Elgin, IL. What a cute place! The lady there was very nice and the stor... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2439">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2439 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2365 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2365"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2365_20080810_02_ready_to_marble_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/10/2008: What a fun time I had with Ritzy and Kathy this week! They took me shopping at a fabulous quilt shop out in South Bend, Indiana called Erica's . It's a very good thing this place is hours away from me or I'd be broke! They have anything you could possibly want! The store is spacious, it's organized well, they have a great variety of fabrics, tools, yarns, paints, beads, rhinestones -- you name it! And the staff is so friendly! OK, maybe that part's not so true. Well, they were nice to me . Ritzy -- not so much! You may have read in her blog about her almost getting thrown out of the place and Kathy and I deserting her like -- what were we? -- rats on a sinking ship? For the record, we were still in the store -- just around the corner snickering! That's not really deserting someone, is it? We were behind a rack of fabric ready to yank a bolt off the shelf and whack that snippy little sales lady over the head with it if things got bad! Yeah -- that's it! We got your back Ritzy! But in th... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2365">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2365 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2324 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2324"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2324_a_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/08/2008: So how cool are those slideshows of the challenge blocks on the daily blog page! Well, Libbi emailed me to ask if I knew how we could do those too. I think I found a way! (And I can't wait to see what she's going to post -- I just love her photos!) I had this slideshow up and running and ready to post in just minutes and if you want to do it too, I'll give you the instructions.... If you have Photoshop, you may already have the ability to do this. Santa has not yet brought me Photoshop so I can't walk you through it, but what you'll want to look for is something about a "gif animator" or something like that. If you don't have Photoshop, don't worry -- I found some free software online you can use. The first thing you have to do is download the animation program. It's totally free and it comes from a reliable site that I have used many times. (They scan their programs beforehand to make sure there are no viruses or spyware and allow users to rate the software. This one got some pretty ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2324">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Fri, 8 Aug 2008 21:39:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2324 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2276 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2276"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2276_20080803_brooke_fabric_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>08/03/2008: Doesn't this look like a good way to spend an afternoon? Don't I wish! Actually, Morgan will no longer go down for a "real" nap, so these little mini-naps are good enough. Especially when mom would like to get in a little quilting time! I got to work on the water lily for my pond quilt while all was pretty quiet in the house. Outside was a different story -- Katelyn and two of her friends and Brooke were all outside not being quiet. But, hey -- what do I care -- as long as they're outside! All week the girls have been making up dances to Jonas Brothers songs and then performing them for their (imaginary) adoring fans. Whatever keeps them busy! And I'm thankful that Katelyn and her friends actually include Brooke in their dances. (She's really a pretty good dancer!) They could just tell her to leave them alone like I used to do to my little sister! So I think I counted 18 pieces in the water lily. I ironed the teeny little freezer paper templates onto a piece of yellow hand-dye, turned... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2276">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Aug 2008 11:11:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2276 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2199 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2199"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2199_20080727_frog_close_up_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/27/2008: The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous this week so I spent a good amount of time outside enjoying it. Everything is so colorful right now! My garden is just about at its peak. My neighbor was commenting on how much she enjoyed looking at my garden the other day and said how much she liked the yellow and purple flower combination. I told her that was funny because that is my absolute favorite color combination as well. I was just thinking about how much I liked these same flowers together the other day! I love yellow and purple together. I always have. I even have a couple of outdoor chairs that I have painted these colors. Even my sweet husband knows that I like these colors. He ordered his numbers for the race car this week and in honor of me -- or probably out of guilt -- he got the numbers in "my" colors. He told me he was impressed with how good it looked. Ummmm....thanks? Actually, you all may be the only people that actually see this car with its fabulous color combinatio... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2199">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:58:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2199 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2134 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2134"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2134_20080720_eq6_bom_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/20/2008: Katelyn made a baby quilt this week for her new baby brother or sister. Calm down, calm down. I'm not pregnant! This baby factory is closed and Dave has been informed that if he wants more (he does), he's going to have to grow his own uterus. And I don't know just where he thinks we'd put another kid. My house is tiny. I'd have to shove it in a drawer or something. Anyway.... Katelyn's step-mom is having a baby in September and the baby shower is today. In case you're curious.... Once upon a time, Bridget married her high school sweetheart and they had a wonderful daughter a few years later. Bridget's high school sweetheart didn't mature much past his high school days and their marriage ended while Katelyn was young. Bridget and her ex are still friendly and have each moved on to much happier marriages with other people. (No seriously -- we still get along and talk all the time -- heck, I even share plants with him from my garden.) Actually, Bridget really likes the "new wife" and Kat... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2134">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:00:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2134 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2071 <p align="left">07/15/2008: I'm so happy to be a part of the blogging community that has come about here on TQS. Since I'm a newer quilter, I literally have zero quilting friends except for the ones I have met through this site and I truly value each comment that is made when I post something new. What a great group this is. I know there are some "lurkers" out there that just don't post blogs of their own. If you're one of those people and lurk because you're just not comfortable blogging, I completely respect that. If you're not comfortable with it then so be it. Lurk away! We're happy to have you! (Heck, I've faithfully read a blog on an outside website for two years without saying a peep!) However, if you think you'd like to post here on the blogs but you're a bit leery about all the "technical" stuff, I may be able to help you! This new blog system might look confusing with all its little buttons and commands, but if you stick to the basic stuff, you should be able to post with no problem! (I still don't know... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2071">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:25:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2071 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2047 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2047"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2047_09_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/13/2008: Your first photo should now be uploaded. Repeat the "Browse", "Open", "Upload" process for your remaining photos. I used to click on "Submit" between each photo upload, but there is no need to. Just keep on uploading. Now you should have all your photos available to place into your blog. Type what you want to say and when you decide you want to put in a photo, click on the little "tree" button to insert your photo. When the "Insert/Edit Image" window pops up, choose the appropriate photo from the list. Any photo with the letters "sm" next to it is a smaller version of the photo you originally uploaded. You can decide which size to use. Your chosen image will show up at the bottom of the window. Click "Insert" to put it into your blog. Click on the "Submit" button often when creating your blog just to be safe. This way you won't accidentally lose anything. I always click "Submit" after each paragraph or photo. Continue writing as usual and when you're finished, you'll have a great ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2047">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:53:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2047 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2045 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2045"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2045_09_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/13/2008: OK Margo -- this one's for you! This is how I get multiple photos in my blogs. I'm not sure why it works -- it just does. If anyone continues to have problems, I'd contact Bob (the web guy). Before I even start my blog, I prepare my photos beforehand. I put them into my photo editing software and resize them to a "usable" size. I save them all in a folder so I can access them easily. Then I actually start creating my blog. First, make sure you title your blog. I also put a word in the body of the blog. Next, click "Submit." Next, you can upload all of your photos -- one at a time. Click on the "Browse" button. A window will pop up. Navigate through the folders on your computer until you find the photo you want to upload. When you click on the photo you want, its name will show in the "File Name" box. Click on "Open" to select this photo. Your photo's name/location will show in the box next to "Browse." Click "Upload." Click here to go to Part 2....</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2045 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2036 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2036"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2036_20080713_bench_before_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/13/2008: Well I have just been having such a fun week! It was like I took a couple of mini vacations -- without actually going too far from home! Well, you saw in Ritzy's blog that we took a field trip to Chicago this week to a quilt shop called Quiltology . And, yes, I got a short video of Ritzy and Kathy shopping too! It was such a fun day. Ritzy and her friend Kathy drove from Indiana out to my house and off we went to Chicago. I learned that Kathy and I have something in common -- we both belong to the I.H.D.I.C.C. That would stand for the "I Hate Driving In Chicago Club." Anyone can join. You don't need a membership card or anything! But Ritzy on the other hand, well, she's actually from Chicago (the quilt shop was very near to her childhood home!) and let me tell you -- the girl's got skills. She navigated the Dan Ryan Expressway like a pro (I'm afraid of the Dan Ryan!), she found us a fabulous parking spot right across from the shop, and was completely unfazed by the semi that blew out ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2036">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/2036 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1972 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1972"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1972_20080706_step_3_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/06/2008: Since I found the new roll over tool in the blogs and some have commented on it, I figured I'd share how to do it! (Hmmm...I wonder what else I haven't found on here!) I really don't feel like doing laundry anyway! First you need to upload two pictures that you want to display. They can be a regular shot and a close up or a before and after shot or even something like an EQ6 design and the actual quilt! Once each photo has been uploaded, they will both be available on your list of images.... Choose the first photo you want. This will be the main photo that will show when visitors look at your blog. Next, click on the "Advanced" tab and put a check mark in the "Alternative image" box under the "Swap image" heading. "For mouse over" is the image that will show when the visitor runs the mouse over the photo. You don't need to enter anything in the first box -- just choose a photo from your image list in the second box. "For mouse out" is what will show after the visitor removes the mous... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1972">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Jul 2008 16:22:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1972 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1968 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1968"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1968_20080706_fabric_cool_colors_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>07/06/2008: My week was just full of color! July is when my garden really starts to kick in and I just love it. I have a little wooden bench in front of my perennial bed and it's so enjoyable sitting out there. Well, except when it's hot and sticky and all those stinkin' wasps want to share your space! Dave and the girls bought me the bench for Mother's Day a few years ago and I never waterproofed it or anything. Bad move. The paper wasps just kept visiting and munching away at the wood and I could never just sit out there and enjoy myself. My mom had bought a really pretty green to paint her potting bench and her own patio bench and she had some left over. So free paint for me! Her two things were solid and they turned out really nice. My bench is a little different because it has the metal arms, legs, and accents, and now I'm not sure what to do with it. Should I leave the metal as is? Should I paint the metal parts? What color should I paint them? I'm not afraid of painting it some obnoxious c... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1968">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Jul 2008 13:43:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1968 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1908 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1908"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1908_20080629_moms_garden_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/29/2008: I'm much calmer this week -- I swear! The flaming hormones have cooled off. See? I made a nice, soothing, pastel quilt to prove it! I've named it "Sheer Enjoyment." The photo in the upper left is a picture of my rose bush printed on organza and the small framed picture is a shot of my garden printed on vellum. (The frame and the leaf are from the scrapbook department of Michaels -- the scrapbook department is a great place for embellishments!) It's all very "see-through" and soft. I also played with my free-motion couching foot to attach the chenille yarn around the border. That was fun! I didn't bind this one either -- I did a double row of stitching on the edges, couched on the yarn and put some Fray Block around the raw edges. It worked pretty well! I had a nice, calm week as well. Our neighbors invited us to go with them to the beach this week. The weather and the water were absolutely perfect. It was a big day for the little ones -- Brooke and Morgan had never been to the beach be... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1908">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:22:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1908 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1828 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1828"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1828_20080622_making_stencil_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/22/2008: I have decided that I enjoy what I call "Seinfeld Quilting." You know how "Seinfeld" was a show about nothing? Well, lately I like quilting about nothing. I mean, usually there is a theme involved, but I'm not making my pieces for a show, or for a gift, or for keeping someone warm. It's just for me. Just because I enjoy creating stuff. I like trying new things and playing "what if...." This is the only way to explain my newest creation. I took this picture of some lantana in one of my containers and decided to do something "heat related." I should learn never to design anything during that very -- ahem -- "emotional" week that we ladies are blessed to experience every now and then. I was yanking fabric from my stash like a crazy woman and I couldn't get those Angelina fibers pressed fast enough. It was done in a matter of hours and when I shared it with Dana, she came up with the perfect name for it! "Flaming Hormones." Here's is where I should've had someone standing behind me sayin... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1828">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1828 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1766 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1766"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1766_20080615_tree_study_original_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/15/2008: We're getting all settled in here with the summer vacation thing. The kids are finally realizing that it's not my fault that they're bored -- I'm not the cruise director. We have swings and bikes and millions of toys outside that they can make use of and books and art supplies and computer games and -- well -- millions of toys inside too. And with all the stuff here, you'd think there would be plenty for them to all play with. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. An argument usually breaks out every thirty minutes or so. But unless someone is physically fighting (which is extremely rare -- my kids are pretty good about that), I usually let them work it out themselves. Earlier this week they were actually all clean and stopped fighting long enough to take the annual "Girls by the Roses" picture. I started taking these annual pictures when Brooke was a baby and so was the rose bush. (We didn't have the roses when Katelyn was little, but since Katelyn is the oldest, she has pictures with everyt... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1766">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:44:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1766 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1695 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1695"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1695_20080608_peony_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>06/08/2008: I love learning new things. And I really love watching people at work. Especially those who can do neat things. Like I can watch those glass-blower people for hours. How do they do that? And Alex drawing quilting designs? How much fun is that ? The Sharon Schamber videos? I could watch them for hours. Heck, I watched all the Gammill videos (on the sidebar) one night and I don't even own a longarm! And then there's the shows here. These are invaluable tools that I have gone back to reference time and time again. (Ooh -- that reminds me -- I still have to order my DVD!) And just as much fun are the BTS videos from Alex and Ricky (there -- I used the technical term -- Ricky should be happy!). I was trying to help Ritzy get her quilting videos online (I hope she's successful -- they're really fun -- I've seen previews!) so I decided to make a how-to video about -- well -- how to make videos. Really, it's how to get your own videos online so you can share them with us! I'm very visual as I... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1695">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 8 Jun 2008 10:51:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1695 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1633 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1633"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1633_20080531_thank_you_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/31/2008: I want to send my most sincere thanks to all of you who responded to my plea about my water lily quilt. You guys are the best !!! Where else but on the internet -- specifically TQS -- could I ask for an opinion like I did and get so many quick responses. I was going back and forth about it the whole evening before and I was really in need of a new set of eyes. To get so many eyes to help me out was just wonderful! Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts. I'm very fortunate to have such a terrific group of friends here! So I picked you all a bouquet of lilacs.... And I finished up the water lily quilt and named it "Glowy Joey" -- no, seriously -- that's the name. In "real life" the lily in the quilt looks as if it is glowing from the inside and the original photo is one of my 'Joey Tomocik' water lilies . Hence the goofy name! After I put on the binding, I decided it still needed something . You know, 'cause there's nothing plainer than a flourescent yellow water ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1633">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 31 May 2008 15:35:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1633 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1628 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1628"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1628_20080530_lily2_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/30/2008: Hi guys! I need some input. That Beth Wheeler episode was too cool. Quilts, flowers and the computer? Well, that just had my name written all over it! So I've been working on my Beth-Wheeler-inspired wall hanging (yes -- the parade costumes are done -- I'm still cleaning up black glitter to prove it!) and I'm not sure about something. I outlined my flower in a gold color because I wanted it to look "glowy" (who needs a dictionary -- just make up your own words!). Well, now I'm not sure if I want to outline it in a darker color like was done in the show. I have some dark blue variegated thread that I'm using in the water part and I would probably use that. Should I outline or leave it as is? Thanks for your opinions! Edited: Judy had a great idea for me -- add embroidery thread to see how it would look! Too bad all the embroidery thread around here has been turned into friendship bracelets and knots! But I did do a quick computer mock up. Does this help?</p><br clear="all"/> Fri, 30 May 2008 08:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1628 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1591 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1591"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1591_20080525_photo_on_fabric_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/25/2008: Right in time for Memorial Day, my 'Bees Jubilee' clematis may be on its way to plant heaven. This is the plant that I depicted in my clematis wall hanging a few months ago. I'm going to try to move it to another spot and hopefully it will recover, but if not, I'll always have a rememberance of it when it was glorious! I've included a video this week and part of it shows the sad, wilted plant. (If you have broadband or DSL, you can just click the button above. If you have dial-up, I have a smaller file available. The picture and sound quality aren't very good, but you should be able to download it. Dial up users can click here .) Other parts of the video show the outside of my house if you're interested. And, yes, my house really is that awful pea-green color -- it's not the camera. The other part of the video shows Brooke learning how to ride her "big girl bike." One of the boys at her preschool can ride his two-wheeler and this kid was bound and determined to ride hers. Well, ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1591">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 25 May 2008 13:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1591 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1540 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1540"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1540_20080518_wall_quilts_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/18/2008: I really had fun this week. I actually got some free time -- without kids -- on Friday. It was daytime and the TV was not on, there was no fighting over who got to wear the Tinkerbell dress, and no one was begging for more snacks. I couldn't believe it! Katelyn was at school, Brooke had preschool and then went to her friend's house for a couple of hours, and Morgan went to work with Daddy! I was on my own from 10:00 until 2:30! Time to play! I decided to try out my new batik wax. I was going to have some fun with my new marbling kit, but I didn't have any ammonia so I couldn't do that. (I really should learn to read directions.) So I looked up some batik instructions online ( Paula Burch has an excellent website for hand-dyeing! ) and went to it. I had some of my hand-dyed fabrics that didn't exactly turn out too beautiful when I made them, so I just used those. Batik is a little time-consuming, but it's fun! My first try did not work. I didn't have the wax at the right temperature -... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1540">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 May 2008 10:10:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1540 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1486 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1486"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1486_20080511_lipstick_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/11/2008: I'd like to take a moment to thank everybody for the kind comments on my blog last week. I was nervous about putting myself out there with the applique tutorial, and felt so much better after the nice feedback. I appreciate every comment that you all make and am so grateful to be a part of this fantastic group of people. This is such a happy place! Wow, that was pretty sappy -- even for me -- it must be my mood today! I'm also in a happy "Mommy Place" today and in my life as well. Celebrating Mother's Day really puts it all front and center. Having my little girls here with me, happy and healthy is wonderful. (OK, Katelyn's not little -- she'd roll her eyes if she knew I wrote that!) They're all good kids and they're at a nice age. Yes, even 2-year-old Morgan! They're all old enough to listen -- if not always obey, they're close enough to play with each other -- if not always nicely, and they're becoming pretty good people. (Oh yeah, and they eat and sleep good. Plus I've been done wi... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1486">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 May 2008 18:20:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1486 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1434 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1434"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1434_20080504_bad_garden_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>05/04/2008: Now I am by no means an expert on applique, but I know just enough to get me through the BOM each month. So some people on the forum were comparing notes on machine applique and someone requested some further information. I do our family business website so I have access to a web design and hosting program, so I just posted a photo tutorial of how I do machine applique online. If you're interested, you can view it by clicking here . I don't know how Margo does it every month. I wasn't sure if I included enough -- or too much -- or if it made any sense. The extent of me teaching anything was when I had my Girl Scout troop and a bunch of obnoxious 9-year-old girls don't care if you're wrong about stuff! So if you look at it and see anything wrong, please let me know. But doing this tutorial did help me get my May block done quickly! This month was a little easier and the berries didn't seem so daunting this time around. And I put my disclaimer on the forum, but I'll repeat it here ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1434">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 4 May 2008 22:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1434 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1377 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1377"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1377_20080427_tulips_close_up_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/27/2008: You know how every family has that one kid that just makes their parents shake their head? Well, in our house, it's 5-year-old Brooke. She's not at all a bad kid -- just different. She's very kind, sensitive, and imaginative and definitely marches to her own drummer. Life is never dull with Brooke around. This imagination of hers sometimes gets a bit out of hand and turns into flat-out lying. This morning she was prancing around with her sparkly dollar-store purse and asked me if I would like to buy a flower quilt from her (you know, 'cause I don't have nearly enough of those!) -- oh, and a book about owls from her bookshelf. I said, "Sure." She opened her little purse and there were a few dollars in it. I asked her where she got the money from (assuming that it was from my wallet) and she got that guilty look on her face. I went up into her room and found Morgan's empty piggy bank on the floor. My dad bought each of my girls a Little Tikes piggy bank when they were born and we always... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1377">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:05:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1377 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1320 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1320"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1320_20080420_poppies_and_pearls_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/20/2008: Quilting has helped me to learn something about myself. Little things make me happy. There are so many great little things in the world like baby toes and puppies and stuff like that. I live in a little house, I have a little dog, and, at times, I like making little quilts. I just loved what Jane Davila called them in episode 208 ....studies! Yeah! I like to do those! I took one of my little embroidered hankies that I bought last weekend and made a mini wholecloth quilt out of it ala Cindy Needham . It's now hanging happily on my wall and I have another one in the works. (I plan on giving this next one to my mom for Mother's Day.) I used water-soluable marker to mark the top, layered it with a piece of white fabric (the hankie was sheer), cotton batting, and a toile backing and quilted away. I also did a bit of embellishment but I wasn't as classy as Ms. Needham -- I used hot-fix pearls on mine! I named this one "Poppies and Pearls." You can find close up shots here . I hav... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1320">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1320 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1256 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1256"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1256_20080412_kathy_1_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/12/2008: Dave and I took the girls to the International Quilt Festival - Chicago today. This will be the absolute last time I bring Dave and the kids. As much as I like to expose the little ones to quilting and art, and as much as I enjoy Dave taking an interest in what I like to do, it's just no fun having them there. I wasn't really able to enjoy myself so next year I'll be going solo! And I'll be going on either Thursday night for the preview or Friday when it may be a little less crowded. But having Dave there did come in handy when it came time to take some pictures! Look who I found.... She's just so nice! Katelyn had other plans, and Brooke didn't want in on the photo shoot, but Morgan was all for having her picture taken -- she's my little ham! Dave was telling Alex that she's always either on our TV or computer and then he was joking with her about all the money he "gets" to spend on quilting! She said she did a little "damage" at the booths this weekend as well. And then I cau... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1256">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:08:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1256 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1254 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1254"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1254_20080411_raggedy_ann_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/11/2008: My sister decided to go through all our old toys in our parents' attic. (She was looking for her old "Animal Families Memory Game" which ended up being in a box that had my brother's name on it. Yeah, like he would play Memory. He was way too busy arranging his Matchbox cars so they looked like they were racing at a NASCAR track!) They got rid of all the old Barbies that no longer had hair (my sister thought they all needed haircuts), the huge -- and might I add scary -- stuffed clown that used to stare at my sister and I while we slept, and a ton of of other odds and ends that were once fun to play with. My sister knew the items that I would've wanted to keep and saved them from the trash. (See? She's good for something besides ordering a quilt be made in 2 weeks!) I got the bag of goodies from my mom, but she also had a special bag for me. Inside was my original Raggedy Ann -- totally living up to her name! Notice the beautiful stitching that my dear mother did to repair my beloved ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1254">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:51:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1254 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1207 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1207"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1207_20080406_katelyns_label_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>04/06/2008: It's done! I'm finished! I'm so excited! I finished putting on the binding late last night, made the label this morning, and got a nice, sunny day today for its big photo shoot! I know that Photo Man said to take the pictures when it was overcast, but I wanted the beads and crystals to shine! (I put up a larger version of this photo in my profile and close ups and progress photos are on my webshots page .) I've named it "Katelyn's Electric Butterfly Garden." As tempting as it was to name it "Teletubbies Rhapsody," I just couldn't do it. But if anyone who knows that story (from one of my previous blogs) wants to call it that, go right ahead -- I'll know what you mean! And even though I said I wouldn't, I did tell Katelyn the Teletubbies story and she said, "Oh, Mom! What'd ya have to tell me that for? Now I'll always think of that!" (Hee hee!) I used Ricky's piped binding technique and I love the results! But thank goodness for the rewind button! I had the Grand Finale DVD ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1207">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Apr 2008 18:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1207 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1128 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1128"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1128_20080330_columbine_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/30/2008: There were some happy things finished this week and some not-so-happy things -- well, depending on your point of view. I'll get the "bad news" out of the way. Although it was actually good news for me! One thing that was finished was poor Bud's manhood. (Don't worry -- Bud is our dog's name -- not a nickname for my husband!) He'd been "marking" all over the house for the past few weeks which was totally unlike him -- he's 4 years old and has always been really good about going outside. We never had him fixed as a puppy because we just never saw the need to -- he wasn't roaming the streets or anything -- he's definitely an indoor dog. So I called the vet and asked if that procedure would help with the marking, and they said it would, so I made THE APPOINTMENT. It went well, but when I went to pick him up in the afternoon, the nurse brought him out to me on his leash and he wouldn't even look at me! He just headed straight for the door like he was saying, " Let's get the heck out of here... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1128">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:35:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1128 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1084 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1084"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1084_20080323_stems_and_leaves_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/23/2008: I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Our day here started with the girls looking for eggs and baskets, eating chocolate for breakfast, and then eventually going to my parents' house for dinner and THE EGG HUNT. It's a highly competitive tradition that our family has. I have included a short video of the event. I hid all the eggs and covered one egg in some of the left over snow and called it an egg-loo, but the snow ended up melting before the hunt started. Oh well. I got to see how cute it was! (Oh yeah -- you'll notice that I did end up bringing old shoes for the little ones to go hunting in! Morgan's cute shoes are still white!) And to whoever came up with the idea of prefilled eggs -- well done. For the past couple of years, I have ordered these prefilled eggs from Oriental Trading . After years of filling the same old plastic eggs with quarters and hard candy myself, I was thrilled to see that there was someone out there offering them already filled! You can get eggs with candy... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1084">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1084 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1038 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1038"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1038_20080316_clematis_wallhanging_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/16/2008: I got my BOM done this week (it's on my profile) so it was play time! Was anyone else just completely inspired by the Three Sisters segment? I was! I have had this photograph that I took last summer of some of my 'Bees Jubilee' clematis and it was just screaming to be made into a quilt. Well, since I've become a little more comfortable with applique due to the BOM, I decided to try the technique that Annette Hendricks was doing on the daily blog video . So the other day I took time and dyed some fabrics and was ready to go! I enlarged my photograph, and printed it up (in black and white to 1. Save ink -- that stuff is so expensive and 2. Make it easier to see where I would need to create pieces). Then I traced over my "pieces" with permanent marker. Next I taped it to my window in reverse and traced the pieces onto freezer paper. (Yep -- we finally got enough sun here to actually do that!) I marked the freezer paper templates with registration marks and started cutting. I pieced each ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1038">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:15:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/1038 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/990 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/990"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/990_20080309_dog_quilt_finished_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/09/2008: First of all, I'd like to say thank you to you all for all the sweet comments about my little cell phone problem last week. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this and it's really good to know that I will most-likely survive having a teenager (well, in one more year). You guys are the best! I'm new to this and I have absolutely no clue about the rotten things that teenagers do since I was a complete angel during my teenage years. You're not believing that, huh. Oh well, it was worth a shot. And a special congratulations to Peg (weaver49) for having the highest phone bill! Out of everyone I've told, $700 is definitely the highest amount I've heard! My cousin and I were comparing notes last night and my kid beat her kid by about $150. As of tonight, Katelyn has paid off about $70.00. She really has been working her tail off this week and I got to sit around and watch her clean the house for me! She even got an extra buck for tracing my March BOM pattern in reverse for me! She does pretty... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/990">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Mar 2008 21:35:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/990 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/931 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/931"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/931_20080301_new_basket_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>03/02/2008: I should've had a fabulous quilting weekend. I'm almost done putting my sister's "dog" quilt together (only two more borders to go!), no family gatherings planned, the new BOM was posted, and there was a local quilt show nearby! What more could a girl ask for? Well, I could ask for the rest of my life to stop so I could actually accomplish everything I wanted to. Didn't happen. Here was just my Saturday... Chased a sparrow out of the basement (I swear I get one every February -- we really need to cover the chimney better!) Cleaned the whole house (even though it no longer looks like I did anything) Did a load of towels Fished some "feminine products" out of the toilet (a special thank you to Little Miss Morgan) Cleaned up the dog's mess (he's decided all of a sudden that he needs to prove his manhood by marking up the inside of the house) Spent two hours playing cyber detective..... Yep. Cyber Detective. (I deserve a badge.) You see, Morgan's toilet-clogging episode was nothing c... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/931">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Mar 2008 23:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/931 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/884 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/884"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/884_dog_eq6_design_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/23/2008: Last Sunday, I was still thinking about the happy colors from our little field trip and decided to commemorate the trip with a mini quilt. I worked all during the Daytona 500 (unfortunately not a very exciting race -- at least the final laps were fun!). It worked well because I could work and see the race and it coincided with Morgan's nap! I attached some of my hand dyes to Lite Steam-a-Seam II and did some free-form cutting. Then I fused them onto a white background. I made a sheet out of some crystal colored angelina fibers and did some more free-form cutting. I just layed those shapes on top of each piece and used metallic silver thread to quilt them down. Very icy! When I went to square it up, I realized my free-forms were very free-form and that there was a crooked gap at the bottom. So I snuck my signature in at the corner. Sure I meant for it to be like that! Riiiight! Artistic license strikes again! I made this because I was in a very "free" mood and was not in the mood to do... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/884">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:51:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/884 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/824 <p align="left">02/16/2008: Chicago's Millenium Park has a temporary exhibit that's kinda "quilty." Canadian artist Gordon Halloran has created what he calls and ice painting named Paintings Below Zero and I just had to see it! The local news covered its construction back in January (you can watch that clip here ) and left me wanting more. I watched him cut up all those pieces of beautifully colored ice only to put them back together in a visually pleasing manner -- looked like a quilt to me! Now we live only about 20 miles from Chicago but actually going downtown is a big deal. I am just not a "city girl" I guess. I hate driving down there -- either you're an of fensive driver or you get run down and honked at and are on the receiving end of vulgar words and nasty hand gestures. No thanks. So I made sure my husband didn't schedule any work for Friday afternoon and had him drive us downtown for our "field trip!" (The kids only had a half-day of school.) We made it to Millenium Park, and walked past the Jay Prit... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/824">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:30:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/824 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/775 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/775"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/775_snowlady_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/10/2008: We had a fun week around here. It started when we got more snow. Not as much as some of you out there, but we finally got some good packing snow. The rest of the winter has been either fluffy stuff that blows around or wet, sloppy snow that is only good for cleaning up after the dog tracks it in all over your freshly-cleaned floor. This week brought snowman-worthy -- or should I say snow lady -worthy snow. Hooray! I helped the girls make this little snowlady in our backyard the other day. We had eaten all the carrots, so she got a face made out of rocks -- a little "blah" -- but the arms and hair were really fun! My Autumn Joy Sedum that I left in the garden for "winter interest" made a fabulous head of hair! OK, OK. I didn't really leave them for winter interest. I got lazy at the end of autumn and never cut them down. I did chop down the rest of the perennial bed, but the sedum were still blooming and I didn't have the heart to cut them. But see? It came in handy! Our snowlady has th... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/775">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:15:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/775 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/723 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/723"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/723_katelyn_art_show_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>02/03/2008: (I totally butchered the spelling of that title the first time -- thank goodness for spell check!) This weekend was the art show that Katelyn begged me to let her enter a few weeks ago. She was originally going to enter a quilt and had the drawing done for it and everything. We needed to pre-register her entry into a certain division and put her into "mixed media." Well, Little Miss Procrastination put off starting her quilt even though her wise mother reminder her about the Friday deadline numerous times and then she ran out of time and needed a mixed media entry. Sure, I could've let her blow it off, but I'm not like that. I'm the meanest mom alive. Ask my kids -- they'll tell you. Now I don't believe in rushing or forcing any kind of art. You either put your heart into it or you don't. But I made an extra trip to drop off her registration and she put her name on the line stating she would contribute a piece of art so I made sure she put something in. She changed her mind about doi... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/723">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 3 Feb 2008 20:27:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/723 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/687 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/687"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/6871_20090906_other_towels_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/30/2008: I usually don't blog until the weekend, but I just realized something terrible that I will share with you all. My rhapsody quilt has the same color scheme as the Teletubbies ! Nooo! Morgan likes the Teletubbies. All my kids liked them at one time and the older ones have thankfully grown out of that stage -- those little things drive me nuts! So Morgan was watching them and I had my rhapsody quilt draped over my sewing cabinet. (Hopefully I'll be basting during naptime!) Anyway, I had the quilt and the TV both within eyeshot and noticed that they match! I've been brainwashed by the PBS channel! Now I won't be able to get that out of my mind! (One of my friends painted her kitchen yellow and her adjoining living room red and now all she thinks is "McDonalds.") The quilt is for soon-to-be-12-years-old Katelyn so I won't be sharing this realization with her! Don't mind the ham with the runny nose in the corner there. She believes that the camera only comes out for her! Well, time to mak... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/687">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:29:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/687 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/669 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/669"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/669_rhapsody_thread_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/27/2008: Wow! My Bernina can actually sew things other than quilts! I haven't used my 1/4" foot for a few weeks now. I think it's getting lonely! Between the BOM, my rhapsody quilt, and my "non-quilt project," I just haven't had the need for my cute little 57 foot. You see, my oldest, Katelyn, is in Catholic school, and this year it's their turn to perform the Living Stations during Lent -- which means Mom needed to make a costume. They don't really need their costumes until the middle of February, but I like to be prepared. And she got a speaking part so she has to look good! So I taught my machine that it can do things other than quilts! The poor thing looked a little confused. A 5/8" seam? Have you gone mad, Bridget? No stippling? Wait -- those two pieces of fabric are the same color ! What's the point of stitching those together? Do you not see that it says "Quilter's Edition" right on the front there? But we made it through and now Katelyn will be a beautiful Veronica for their presentati... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/669">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:18:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/669 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/635 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/635"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/635_january_bom_progress_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/20/2008: The kids' school year is half over so I thought I'd check my progress on my "sitting-in-the-parking-lot" project. I'm pretty much on track! I've been working on my grandmother's flower garden blocks every school day in the 15 minutes I have while waiting for Katelyn to get out of school. I just toss each block into a bag when it's completed so I wasn't exactly sure how many I had done. I counted the blocks this week and found that I have 20 of them done! I need 42 for the whole quilt, plus I still have all the "border" hexagons to do, but I was planning on this taking a long time, so I'm pretty happy with the progress! I've been using just my stash fabrics for this, and now I've decided to do the Sue Garman BOM from my stash as well, so soon I should have plenty of room for new fabrics! Actually, I did have to buy fabric for the background of my BOM project. I had a bunch of light beige fabric with a subtle rose print on it left over from the backing of another quilt, and I figur... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/635">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:56:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/635 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/597 <p align="left">01/14/2008: I found it! I searched behind Brooke's bed for my camera with no success. Then I looked behind Morgan's bed. Darn it! Then my oldest daughter said, "Did you look in here?" and there it was! Since I couldn't take a picture of my camera in it's hiding place, I took video instead.</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:34:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/597 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/595 <p align="left">01/13/2008: I have just spent the last 45 minutes searching for my camera. I have no clue where I might have put it and it's driving me crazy! I was going to include some photos in this blog but noOOooo -- not this time! Yesterday was cleaning day at Casa de Lilja (actually "Lilja" is Swedish, but I don't know how to say "home of" in Swedish) and I know I moved it to clean the spot where it usually sits, but I don't know where it went after that! I know that I was on the phone with my mom and Morgan was playing with it and DROPPED IT but I don't remember which time it was that I was on with my mom. There were several. I think I talked to her three times yesterday so that doesn't help. So I looked everywhere I could except for in Brooke and Morgan's room. They're asleep and I'd like to keep it that way! My current theory is that Morgan "borrowed" it and shoved it behind Brooke's bed. That's her thing lately -- shoving things behind her sister's bed. I don't know why she does things like that, but s... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/595">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:59:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/595 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/562 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/562"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/562_brooke_and_her_rhapsody_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/06/2008: This week began Morgan's potty training. I am so close to being done with diapers and I just can't wait! I'm happy to report we've had only two little wet accidents thus far. And one "other" accident. She hasn't gotten the hang of the "other" part yet and that accident ended up on her Big Girl Quilt. Quick! Somebody call the Quilt Police! Now that's the kind of thing they should be concerned about. Quilt Abuse. Isn't there a toll-free number or something? Hello, is this the Quilt Police? Yes, I'd like to report a case of quilt abuse. Name - Morgan. Age - 2. Blond hair, brown eyes, not wearing a diaper. Suspect was seen fleeing from the scene where she left a mess on the quilt her dear mother spent hours making especially for her. If you find her, please charge her as a juvenile. A "Correct Potty Placement" reminder should be sufficient punishment. Don't worry -- there is no photographic evidence. I should, however, take a picture of Katelyn's room. She finally cleaned it. Without m... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/562">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 6 Jan 2008 14:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/562 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/540 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/540"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/540_button_man_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>01/01/2008: If your button lady is ever looking for a date, I found this guy in Hollywood when Dave and I were on our honeymoon..... Actually, your button lady is too pretty for this guy. He's been hanging out in Hollywood for quite a few years, so he may be one of those button-lady-womanizer types for all I know! (And yes, I had blond hair at one time -- way too much upkeep!)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 1 Jan 2008 12:28:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/540 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/529 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/529"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/529_rhapsody_applique_stitched_close_up_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/30/2007: Yes. I really wrote that title. I'm in a weird kind of mood so that's what I have named my newest creation. It wasn't going to be a creation, things just got out of hand. I have been working on my Rhapsody quilt again and I'm at the point where you stitch down all the applique. Ricky's book says to test everything to make sure you like the stitch length/width, check the tension, etc. Sounded like a good idea, so that's what I set out to do. I thought, "Hmmm. Maybe I'll just make a little applique block to try it out." So I folded paper and designed a few applique shapes and fused them on with the fabric that is used in the regular sized quilt. Then I tested the stitches and liked how it came out. That should've been the end of it -- practice, right? Nope. I couldn't stand it. I quilted it and beaded it. The beading was done by hand so I had a little project to work on that didn't involve too much space. (Is it wrong to be happy about getting my "Christmas" put away?) Now I have absolut... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/529">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/529 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/507 <p align="left">12/25/2007: My oldest, Katelyn, likes to do "stuff" with the sewing machine, but I think that Brooke may be the future quilter. She likes to lay out blocks, she can spend hours on EQ6, and she made me buy her three fat quarters at the quilt shop the other day. But now the biggest clue -- she asked Santa to bring her an iron so she could make quilts. (The kid has driven my Bernina a time or two, so I'm guessing she just assumes it's the family machine.) However, she also asked for a vacuum. I know that's not from me! So here's video proof that there's a next generation of quilters in the works. Merry Christmas everyone!</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/507 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/486 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/486"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/486_bud_on_winter_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/20/2007: I finished my "Winter" quilt and I'm currently snuggled under it. (Katelyn has already tried to claim it for her own, but I told her it is to stay in the living room. Her room is off limits!) For being a quilt that I wasn't too sure that I liked, I ended up working on the quilting an awful lot. I got a bunch of feather practice. Now that it's done, I really do like it. And when I layed it out to take a photo, I found out that Bud likes it too.... Don't worry, I shooed him off. (Pugs shed if you look at them too hard.) So here's the full shot.... This quilt ended up taking longer than expected because I've had a house full of sick kids. I just knew it -- Brooke's strep throat from two weeks ago made its rounds. The oldest, Katelyn, got sent home from school on Monday and by Tuesday morning, we were in the doctor's office getting strep tests. Morgan wasn't acting like herself so she got tested as well. It turned out that Katelyn had strep throat and Morgan didn't. Morgan has been o... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/486">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:15:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/486 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/455 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/455"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/455_cardinal_fabric_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/09/2007: I can't decide if I like my current project. I bought a pack of five yards of fabric at a show along with a pattern that uses five yards and I loved the colors all folded together so pretty. They were different. Teal, red and cream with a bit of green. Nothing I would've put together myself, and I think that was part of the attraction. I especially liked the cardinal focus fabric. So I cut and pieced and got it all layed out (with Brooke's help) and started wondering if I really liked it. I wanted a Christmas-y quilt that could still be used after Christmas. I guess more of a winter quilt. So I figured the teal and red and cardinals looked wintry and Christmas-y enough but not like "Oh-My-Gosh-It's-December-26th-Put-That-Thing-Away". But now that I have it all together, I don't love it as much as I thought. Maybe the color placement is what is bothering me. I don't know. I put it into EQ6 and it looked fine there. Hmmm. I could've just put it away, but I do like it enough to fini... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/455">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 9 Dec 2007 23:02:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/455 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/424 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/424"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/424_group_shot_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/03/2007: OK. I have makeup on now so there is a photo of my new haircut. I wasn't planning on getting "dolled up" today, but, unfortunately, I had to. We had to go to visit the doctor today because the two oldest girls woke up with sore throats this morning. Brooke had a fever over the weekend and said her throat hurt, and didn't really eat since Saturday morning. I did make sure she had plenty to drink, though. The fever broke yesterday, but I brought out the trusty flashlight this morning and found some icky white spots in her poor little throat. Katelyn had been complaining of a minor sore throat all weekend, and some kids had strep throat in her class, so I figured "better safe than sorry." It turns out that Brooke does have strep throat -- Katelyn does not -- yet. And since we've all been cooped up here all weekend because of the weather, I'm sure we'll all eventually get it. Hooray! Looks like Santa's bringing me some streptococcus for Christmas! So Brooke played photographer so I could ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/424">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:54:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/424 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/422 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/422"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/422_rhapsody_fused_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>12/02/2007: The big news of the week around our house is that I cut my hair. A lot . Like nine inches. I was tired of my stringy, sloppy-looking ponytail so I chopped it all off. I would've included a picture, but I wouldn't want to scare anyone. I haven't put on makeup since I had it cut and there's no way I'd be posting a photo "without my face on." It's bad enough that my family has to see me like this -- I wouldn't want to subject anyone else to it! If you'd like to visualize, I got a chin-length bob with some layering in the back. I like it. My husband does not -- he likes long hair. Which is why I didn't tell him I was having it cut! I asked 4-year-old Brooke not to say anything to daddy so I could see if he even noticed, but as soon as we walked in the door she announced, "Daddy look! Mommy cut all her hair!" (This is why I don't tell her what's inside the Christmas gifts for our family.) Well, he couldn't believe I did it, but he got over it. However, I did do a good deed by getting my ha... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/422">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 2 Dec 2007 23:55:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/422 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/399 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/399"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/3996_20090104_floor_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/24/2007: When September rolls around each year, I start getting tired of my garden. The colorful summer plants start looking pretty ragged and although I do have some fall perennials, they just don't seem to have the same punch as the plants that explode with color and fragrance in June and July. Some things have even been cut down by September leaving sad and empty patches in the border. I could've planned ahead and put in some later-blooming annuals, but instead I always tell myself that I'll try to remember next year. Well this year I at least took a ton of garden pictures. ( Here are a few of my favorites! ) I even journaled them -- with photos -- on a website called Dave's Garden . (If any of you are members of DG, my screen name there is also Bridget473 if you'd like to view the journal. I'm not sure if non-members can view it, but you can click here to try.) So now it's November and the actual garden looks like a few sticks in a leaf pile (I cut it all down in the fall) and I miss my ga... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/399">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:45:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/399 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/377 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/377"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/377_morgans_completed_quilt_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/18/2007: This week was, well, sweet . Morgan's "Big Girl" quilt is finally complete. It's not on her bed, mind you, but it's ready! It's kinda hard to put a quilt on a bed that you don't have yet. (Soon. Very soon.) But she did enjoy "helping" me with the basting and it turns out she was very good at handing me the pins. And we got to count them while we worked so I snuck some learning stuff in there as well. I like to take pictures of my quilts in progress just to have a record, but Morgan thinks that cameras were made to document every move she has made and will ever make. This is what happens when we get the camera out.... And here is the finished product.... It's quilted with a meandering floral design to mimic the roses in the border fabric. My next sweet thing was that I finished the "kid" Christmas shopping on Friday. I got everything for my kids and my four nieces at Toys R Us on Friday. No lines yet. No crowds. And, believe it or not, they had everything that I was looking for.... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/377">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:30:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/377 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/354 <p align="left">11/11/2007: Dave and I got to have a romantic afternoon together Friday -- at the quilt show . The show was in Schaumburg, IL which is very near O'Hare airport. Needless to say, the traffic is bad around there. So I gave Dave my best puppy dog look and asked him to take me. He drives for a living. He's used to it. I hate traffic. Well, the eyes worked and off we went WITHOUT KIDS! Forty-five minutes and one near-accident later, we were at the convention center. (Some goofball decided he needed to change lanes without looking to see if anyone was actually there .) We opened the doors and we were in my world -- Dave's world, not so much. First he did the quick scan to see if there were any other husbands. We found one. There were a few sitting out in the hallway, but we saw only one at the actual show. I told him he could go sit and wait, but he stayed with me instead. I'm still not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. First he told me he thought it would be funny if we brought a quilt f... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/354">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:00:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/354 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/337 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/337"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/337_morgans_birthday_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>11/05/2007: My poor Bernina hasn't seen the light of day since last week. I think I heard an " Ahem !" coming from the case yesterday. Life got really busy all of a sudden and I'm even too tired to bring it out tonight. Tomorrow (I think) should slow down and I can get back to business. My first "distraction" was Morgan's second birthday. Nope. Her quilt still isn't done. The blocks are all together but I still have to put on the borders and quilt it. I'm just doing straight borders, so it's not a big deal. I just haven't gotten to it yet. She had a wonderful birthday party and loved her cake as seen below.... No one wanted a piece from that side of the cake for some reason. Then it was Dave's birthday/Halloween -- same day. ( Photos Here ) Dave loved his quilt and it is now hanging in our bedroom next to his side of the bed. He said, "Wow," about 10 times when he saw it. I feel bad for Dave because his birthday kinda takes a backseat to the girls on Halloween. We all went trick-or-treating a... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/337">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 5 Nov 2007 21:59:00 PSThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/337 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/290 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/290"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/290_dave_1_closeup_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/25/2007: I still want to do a real "artsy" quilt, but this is a start. I want to let go of all the rules and just play, but not for this project. This one is for my husband's birthday and he's a little on the obsessive-compulsive side so a true art quilt isn't what he would want, but this quilt is right up his alley. Want examples? OK. Just don't tell him I'm sharing his little quirks with you! He goes to bed on the quarter-hour. He can't go to bed at 9:07 -- it has to be 9:15 or 9:30. I'm serious. But since this is the only thing I can complain about, I consider myself very lucky. He's an absolute sweetheart and on the upside of things, he is always on time! Dave has raced on and off for about 20 years at local dirt tracks. He is again considering buying a new race car after having raced for somebody else this past season. We go through this every winter. What kind of car should he get? Where do we want to race? Should we sell the enclosed trailer? Blah, blah, blah. I'm a huge race fan and lo... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/290">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/290 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/277 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/277"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/277_morgans_quilt_blocks_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/21/2007: The votes came in (thank you, ladies!) and the choices have been made. I have made the monumental decision about which projects to work on! I am currently working on Morgan's Big Girl Bed Quilt. She will soon be crib-free. I have all the blocks cut and half of the half-square triangles made, and even have six blocks completed! It's going together pretty quickly actually. I just haven't had much time this week. I had to finish cutting down the perennial bed since the weather was so nice, so I missed out on some prime quilting time. That's OK. No rush. Then everyone told me that I really should be nice to my husband and work on his quilt. And you were all right. He's a great guy and deserves something nice. Then it hit me. He would love an art quilt! It's not like he snuggles up in the recliner with any of the other quilts we have around here anyway. He would be thrilled with something to look at! And his birthday is on Halloween. That doesn't give me much time, but I'm really going... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/277">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 21 Oct 2007 23:09:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/277 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/256 <p align="left">10/15/2007: I gave my dad his "Fishing with Nikki" quilt today. He loved it. I know, he's my "daddy" and would love anything I gave him, but I could tell he was genuinely touched. The first thing he said was, "Wow! Where'd you get this fabric with all the fish?" My "perfect" fabric that I was so excited about was appreciated -- and by a man with no quilting knowledge whatsoever! Then he noticed the dog applique and his photo in the center and he said, "And there's my Nikki. And that's my favorite picture." Then I got a big smile and, "Thanks, B." It was a very happy night. My dad isn't the most openly emotional guy on the planet, but is very sweet. When something is special, you'll know. And when his family needs anything, he'll make it happen. When I had to have my last c-section two years ago, I was planning on going in the O.R. alone. I had had a c-section before and had no problem going in alone since my husband Dave doesn't do well in "medical situations" which translates into he turns ghost... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/256">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:29:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/256 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/250 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/250"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/250_green_bag_closed_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/14/2007: I need to make some decisions. Or really clear my mind. I have way too many projects running through my head at the moment. So instead of actually working on one of these many projects, I opted for another new "little" project until I decide what to do. But it wasn't my fault -- really. I went to the Sewing & Quilt Expo this week. (They didn't have as many quilts as I would've liked, but it was fun anyway and even though I had to bring both little ones, they behaved and no one gave me dirty looks over my little umbrella stroller. I went on Thursday morning to avoid the weekend crowds and a bunch of people seemed genuinely happy to see my daughters and went out of their way to speak to them. Very nice.) Anyway, there was a lady named Jeanne L. Perrine there selling her books at one of the booths. She designed some very cute bags that "hide away" in little wallet-like cases. They were so neat -- I just had to buy the book! And she autographed it for me. She was a nice person and was ... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/250">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:45:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/250 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/222 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/222"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/222_quilted_totes_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>10/07/2007: Little girls are great to have around -- I have three and my sister has two -- there's always someone to make something for. First, I finished my baby niece's quilt. My sister came out this way the other day, and I was in such a hurry to get it to her since she was here (she lives about 30 minutes away), I forgot to take a picture. Oh well. I do have shots of the fabric! My sister was really happy with it. She'll be painting the baby's room pale yellow and she has white sheers over the windows. It should be really pretty. She wanted a couple of throw pillows so I made those as well. I love my embroidery module! Then I decided that I needed a new tote bag. I'm planning on going to the Sewing and Quilt Expo this week and I have to have something to carry all my purchases in! JoAnn's had McCalls patterns on sale, so I picked up a packet of tote bag patterns and a couple of yards of fabric, and stitched away. Well, my daughter Katelyn decided that she needed a bag to bring her stuff... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/222">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 7 Oct 2007 23:59:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/222 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/196 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/196"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/1968_20080706_fabric_cool_colors_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/30/2007: I finished my "Fishing With Pop Pop" quilt and renamed it "Fishing With Nikki." My dad's birthday is in the middle of October, so I got done in plenty of time to give to him as his gift. He usually gets a new pack of white t-shirts or work clothes since he has everything he wants and never gives us any other gift ideas. So this year will be different. My mom has gotten a quilt and so has my grandma, so my dad's the only one in that house who hasn't received one yet. My sister is already making fun of me for kissing up, but she said she has me beat anyway -- she just had her baby 3 weeks ago and named her Sidney which happens to be my dad's middle name. Yeah, like I'm supposed to compete with that ! I'm sure he will love my gift too. I kept track of my progress on the quilt on my webshots page , and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Thanks to Alex for a great quilt pattern! And speaking of my sister, she decided on using the Moda 'Sanctuary' line for Sidney's crib quilt. S... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/196">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:35:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/196 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/172 <p align="left">09/27/2007: OK. This is weird -- and pretty neat. There were three different quilt references during my TV watching tonight. There may have been more during the day, but they don't do much quilting on Sesame Street. (Although the baby muppet Natasha does have a darling little baby quilt that makes me smile whenever I see it. I looked for a picture on Google -- couldn't find it.) Anyway.... My local ABC station has a reporter who does a piece called "Someone You Should Know." The segment today was about a quilting group who donates their quilts to an area hospital. It was a heartwarming story, the ladies who were featured were so sweet, and the quilts were just gorgeous. You can watch the video by clicking here . I admit it -- I watch "My Name is Earl." I know it's crude -- I don't let the kids watch it -- but I can't help myself. I laugh so much that my husband rolls his eyes at me. It's hilarious but has a sweet side and it's one of the few shows that I watch regularly. ("Deadliest Catch" is my... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/172">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:34:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/172 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/156 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/156"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/156_fwn_basted_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/23/2007: After reading on the forum about filling down time with handwork, I thought, "Great idea! I can do that!" My down time consists of a good 15 minutes in the school parking lot every weekday, 30 minutes per week while my oldest daughter Katelyn warms up for her volleyball game, and about 45 minutes every day while I'm on the phone with my mom -- yes, I talk to her every day -- and she doesn't quilt, so we do find other things to talk about. So I decided that I wanted to hand-piece a Grandmother's Flower Garden. I love the classic charm of these quilts and I can take the forever-and-a-day that this quilt requires because I have no deadline or schedule for it. It's just for me. I gathered up my scraps, found instructions on the web, and off I went. I'm usually a machine-piecer, so this was uncharted territory. I tried to traditionally piece it, but didn't care for the way the first block turned out. So I poked around here on the TQS forum and found instructions for English paper piecing .... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/156">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:30:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/156 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/127 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/127"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/12700_chicken_tractor_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/18/2007: My youngest daughter Morgan is almost two years old and is now starting to talk. She has come to the conclusion that Alex and Ricky are The Quilt Show 'parents' as my video clip shows, and I guess she's right! Running this website must be a lot like raising a child. So either my kid is a deep thinker with a grand understanding of the world around her or I'm on this site way too much and she thinks she knows you guys. I'm going with choice #2. Thank you Alex and Ricky (and the rest of the TQS crew!) for all you do and for bringing us "kids" up right!</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:48:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/127 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/105 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/105"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/10585_vintage_machine_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/16/2007: One last thing -- I mentioned my new niece in the last blog and thought you might want to see a picture of her! She was born on September 7th and got taken home in a quilt from Aunt Bridget made out of a couple of Moda 'Sanctuary' charm packs. Well, now my sister has hinted that she really likes this fabric and would like to do Sidney's whole room in it! Looks like I'll be making yet another quilt! But how could you say no to this face?</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:01:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/105 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/102 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/102"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/102_morgans_quilt_plan_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/16/2007: I had a busy week! Every day had something going on. From volleyball to curriculum night at school to visiting my new niece! All I did was drive this week and unfortunately didn't get much as much quilting done as I would have liked. My dad's nickname for me when I was growing up was "B." That's it. Short and to the point. So that's why I named this entry "Busy B." Speaking of my dad, his fishing quilt is coming along nicely. I chose to put catfish on my quilt because that's usually what we would catch when we went fishing. My dad and the rest of us would catch 'em, Grandpa would clean 'em and Grandma would cook 'em up. I still smile when I think about my grandma saying, "Watch out for the bones!" every five minutes during dinner and I still cringe at the memories of watching my grandpa cleaning the fish. Yuck! That's the one part of fishing that I don't partake in. Well, I got the fish appliqued on but thought that they needed a little something. I had planned on just putting the sh... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/102">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:52:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/102 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/23 <p align="left"><a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/23"><img src="http://www.thequiltshow.com/0/40/1008640/blog/2324_a_sm.jpg" align="left" title="Read More" border="0" width="150" /></a>09/11/2007: OK. So I described my blog as doing stuff after everyone goes to bed. Well, no one's in bed now, yet here I am typing away! This feature is too cool to put off until tonight! We just dropped off my oldest daughter at Catholic school -- no bus service -- and the two little ones are contently playing. Oh yeah, my husband is off working and our pug is sleeping. He's good at that. I've done this blogging thing before. I write a gardening blog on another website and it's really fun. I've given myself some new "rules" for this blog though. I write my garden blog every day. I started it as sort of a diary but then I got a couple of subscribers and I get some weird kind of guilt if I don't update nightly. My life isn't that exciting. I'm sure my readers would survive! I figure I'll try to keep up with this blog about weekly. I'm pretty sure people don't want to read, "Attached binding. The End." I love adding photos too. My gardening blog is partly done so I can look back in the dead of winte... (<a href="http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/23">read more</a>)</p><br clear="all"/> Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:21:00 PDThttp://www.thequiltshow.com/os/myblog.php/customers_blog_id/23 http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/images/custom/valid-rss.pnghttp://www.thequiltshow.com/myblog/bridget473.xml