A couple things (edited)

Whew, I got the tops, backs, bindings, & batting boxed up & ready to send to the long armer tomorrow! YAY! (I wanted then done so much earlier.)

I have a Halloween give away! I will choose a name randomly upon my return. (I have to be able to reply to you in blogger...)

o.k. 3 things...

Houston... I have mentioned previously that we are staying with my dad. He not unlike my husband is cryptic. So I was left not knowing when/if he was taking time off from work while we were in town - since her knew we were going to the quilt show. Apparently, he is taking most of the time off... So on Wednesday during the day we are going to do "something." & we are going out to dinner before the show. (I still plan on meeting everyone at @7:30 near the Hoffman challenge quilts.)
He thought that we were only going to the show for 1/2 a day... Tee Hee! We already got out tickets, so we will be going to the show on Thursday as well. Everyone I have talked to says that you need at least a full day.
And then, we will be spending more time with him on Friday before we leave... :o)

Am I right to assume that everyone is interested in the giveaway? I'll draw this time next week... I hope to post some from Houston in the mean time - no promises. Right now I am patiently waiting for the Airport Shuttle...

More Red Fabric - & some progress! (& some fun stuff)

More red fabrics! I will start to officially count & cull after Houston. I hope to get some Katie Jump Rope reds there. (could not get free spirit fabric's website to come up so the URL is from quiltersbuzz.) The black with red hearts may be too black... But I do want 4 dark red on black prints for the center of the quilt.
Just need the borders - I am thinking of using an bright on black print... I decided not to applique anything onto the spacer blocks. I am pleased with the checkerboard effect. 36 different black & white prints - 2 of which show cats. Unfortunately I gave up my musical b&W's in a trade becasue the dad to be for this quilt is a musician. Oh well, the quilt is no worse for wear without it. The machine button holing was TEDIOUS! I have a new found respect for those who can do it well. Liberally adapted and corrected from a pattern by Oy Vey Quilts.
Once Upon a Time, pattern in Modern Quilt Workshop by Ringle & Kerr. This is my second one... (of 3? I want to do one for myself)
And now for a stupid cat trick. My little boy, RB, can do the biped. Not a quick up & down like most cats. He can hang out for a good bit tryign to catch the toy. Unfortunately it is apparently impossible to be holding the toy & trying to get the photograph... & He is smart, he will hop up onto the table or TV to be at the same height as the toy, so that he does not have to try to grab it. :o)
Another shot of him in the moment!

FYI Rhapsody wanted to play too - she is an up & down grabber. He attacked her while she was up - on her soft under belly - SO not happy...

I may be scarce for about a week while I am in Houston - take care & stay safe. I can't wait to meet all who are going to be in Houston!

Pattern modification (edited to answer a common question)

I have had this pattern "kitted-up" for YEARS! I still like the pattern, & I really don't know why it is still just kitted up.

(I have a theory...)

My fabrics pretty much mimic these...

But I have a lot of Hanukkah decorations/quilts. I don't really need another one.

I have decided to turn this into a Mizrach. Mizrach, meaning "East", defines a decoration hung on the walls of the home or synagogue to indicate the preferred direction or orientation for prayer, i.e. facing east toward Jerusalem.

My question to you, should the letters be white, since I will not be doing the candles?

The letters will be in the sky - like a moon/sun, without rounding them... The candles & flames will be completely eliminated. I am going to start with the city & audition a day sky & the original night sky - I am partial to the night sky... I will also audition a few choices for the letters in Mizrach. I have gold "fibers" to couch around the outlines of the buildings & for the star in the one building - I will probably couch some around the letters too. (PLAYING with a new foot.)

Dyed Reds

Dyed Reds
Originally uploaded by Marcfoto

Vintage catalog (circa 1910) description: "Our Dyed Reds are the best 64x64 print cloth, dyed with a pure color, guaranteed to be absoultely fast. Our dyeing process is such that a uniformity of shade is produced rarely obtainable in this class of dyeing. We are printing this fabric with patterns in White on Red, Black on Red and Black and White on Red. Our Plain Shade of Red is particularily desirable."

Obviously, I am sharing a flickr photo that is not mine... But those fabrics are red. This is a lame way of letting you guys know that I got some more red fabrics last night. Thanks Wanda! You know, I wish I met Wanda earlier if only because she has provided me with 3 old cat fabrics that I did not have previously! I know unbelievable - but you can believe it!

Two of them are like this only one is in browns & the other is in grays, not brights like this. I had the brights in regular scale & jumbo scale. (I also have a bolt of this in flannel for backings...)http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=85631&sid=31U9Hz1k@CL593b-40107098549.ee The best part, I knew the gray version was around - because I saw it and coveted it in someone elses quilt... :o)

But also becasue her quilts are totally inspiring. go check her out! I am doing another 1 for 1 doll quilt swap & the one that I am doing it totally inspired by what Wanda has done - on a way smaller scale with far fewer fabrics & a different block - but still inspired by what Wanda has done!

More thanks...

Big thanks to Jeanne who sent me some red or white prints. :o) & and earwing - you know where a song gets stuck in your head...
From "America" by: Paul Simon
"Kathy," I said, As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,"Michigan seems like a dream to me now, It took me four days To hitch-hike from Saginaw. I've come to look for America."
One guess which state the package came from...
Thanks again!
Oh, & if you are now hearing this song in your head, you are welcome...

Monday....

It's Monday & I am exhausted...

Not much to report quilt wise - unfortunately. I really hoped to have at least one of my gift quilts up to the top stage. I barely sewed any rows together. (At least I did some.)

I took a workshop at American University this past weekend (5-9 on Friday & 9 to 5 on Saturday & Sunday) on Peer Mediation. The role plays were emotionally exhausting. The lack of weekend sleeping in was exhausting & going out to dinner instead of coming home & crashing was also exhausting although we met some nice new people :o) & had Thai food including the sticky rice & mango - a FAV of mine.

So, that is it in a nut shell. I hope you guys all had a far more productive weekend.

What can I say about red?

A Halloween treat for you!

Do you recognize us? I am on the left, & Laurie of Quilting Rush fame is on the right. Yes, ladies & gentlemen, she came all the way from Washington State to Maryland to go shopping with me. :o) (Not really, but boy does that sound good.) We (I) had a great time, Laurie is so nice & the conversation flowed so easily. (Not a common occurence for me.) The photo is in Capital Quilts, my LQS. Isn't that quilt great. The first time I saw it, I said, "I don't like red." WHO AM I KIDDING?

Aside: Sophie hit it on the head when she used the description, Omnivore Quilter. We like/try it all. (almost.)

Back to my story... We first met at the fabric shop near where I work. Luckily Laurie was there for a while, so that I did not have to revive her when she saw the $13.79 per yard price tag. But Laurie did a good job trying to teach them about fat quarters - still a very new concept in that store. So I walk up to her & she has 3 fat quarters - I am such a geek, I said, "Metro Blue." (Are peoplpe supposed to be able to ID fabric like that?) So then we drove to Capital Quilts. Where they have a nice fat quarter bin, which included a Metro Blue FQ. (I knew ahead of time that they had a few bolts of Metro Blue.) So Laurie shopped around & found the other bolts. New concept came to fruition, "Kismet" (Yiddish = meant to be) you see, Laurie got 1 FQ at G Street, 1 fq out of the bin at Capital Quilts - the other bolts were different - so she awas able to get a variety. (My luck they would all be duplicates.)

We had a nice pizza - Panzanella (Is that a "type" offered where you live?) which is a white pizza that uses Asiago & Fontina cheese instead of (or maybe in addition to - but I think instead of) mozarella.

& then Laurie got some excitement. I drove her to the Metro station. First I drove like I was going to the parking garage. OOPS. So I went around looking for the "entrance from the other way." There isn't one if you are not a bus! So we drove all the way around to try again. What did I do? I tried to make the same mistake twice. So I drove backwards... (not so well, but not bad enough to jump the curb.) & got her to the "kiss & ride." The funniest part, I have dropped off & picked my husband up at that very location, numerous times.

I almost forgot, I got a few more red on whites from a friend on flickr last night. :o)

Anyone for white & red?

Anyone for white & red?
Originally uploaded by Sibi

I made a trade for these. & they arrived yesterday. I am getting so excited to work on the red quilt... :o) Mnay others have generously offered to send my some reds, thank you all very much!

FYI I mentioned the other day that I was going to look for some Mr. B's kitties, black on red... I found black on yellow, black on blue, black on orange, & black on gray. I remember using them in a swap... (Now I am trying not to have hard feelings for swapping something that I now want to use.)

In the mean time, the more tedious of my two gift quilts is in rows! YIPPEE! The pattern looks simple enough, but the "X" "/" "I" & "\" have to point to a novelty charm for the pattern to work. Not as easy as it seams. Because you also want those elements to be randomly placed within the quilt.... (I might have unsewed as much as I sewed.)

more red, an open letter, & a WIP on Wednesday.

More red...
These will most likely be on the back. They are not "red" enough for a RED quilt. The bits of brown, blue, yellow, etc. are distracting when you want RED. Looks like it will be a cat back, huh?
These might make it onto the front. I am using red with white & red with black, so I think the gray might work. We'll see. I have that last cat on the right in red on white as well. :o)

I have told everyone of you that I have a lot of cat prints. Do you believe me now?

A bit of an open letter...
About this & I think this (actually this is about something similar but different). You see, I voiced support & apparently a "friend" of the person selling the pattern decided to e-mail the people who posted on Bonnie's blog...

My reply was: If Debbie (the person selling the patterns) had 1 similar pattern, I could see your point... 2 is too coincidental. Especially since they are not just another 9-patch/snowball mix... The weed whacker (Making the cut) with 2 darks instead of one is an original idea that I believe Bonnie figured out...

Now that I have that off my chest, can we get back to quilting?

WIP on Wednesday. I have been saving this picture for a couple days!
I am thankfully farther along on this that it appears. :o)

Are you ready for some red?

Are you ready for some RED?

Just a couple of quick photos and a mere skimming of the fabrics...
Some of the darkest. I might have a Mr. B's cat that is black on red in my cat stash. Yes, there are two black on red cat prints showing and some kitty paw prints too...

Some of the lightest. I have 12 red on white prints showing - I need 24.....

If anyone has any red on white fat quarters - I'd be willing to trade for them. (I am especially looking for shirting or old 1980's calicos. I definately want the very light look.)

Yes, there is a white on red cat print in this photo as well. >^..^<

Rhapsody is such a lover in the morning - it is like she hasn't found her inner momma yet. I keep the cable in the camera a lot - not all the time, but at home most of the time. Rhapsody was ver interested in that cable.

On family, on the environment, & quilting...

For better or worse, here we are. :o)

You can make your own stick family here: Our stick family. Fun diversion...

Think about it... You are probably going to be here a while.

Another bit of "good mail." A doll quilt made by Martha. I think the patchwork is Seminole. And the fabrics are batik. there is an awesome red on the back. (Oh yeah, get ready to hear a lot about red. I plan on making a red quilt - so it will be all about red all day every day for a while...)

If anyone wants to play doll quit swap, the winter sign-ups have not started yet, & I am itching... So if you want to do a 1 for 1 with me, let me know. I love the variety and styles that everyone else does.

I've been tagged

Debbi tagged me for the 7 truths MEME.

It has been a while since I took one of these on so here goes.

1. I am a natural redhead - I have never treated my hair (perm, color, etc.).
2. I went to 3 high schools.
3. I love to travel.
4. At quite a few restaurants, I order the same thing everytime. For example, at Chinese restaurants, I usually order Szechuan sting beans.
5. I have 1 sister who I have not seen in about 17 years.
6. I hate to talk on the phone.
7. I talk to my cats & they talk back...

I am now supposed to tag 7 people, but I know several people don't like them & others want theor blog to be just "quilty." So I will forgoe that formality. Meanwhile, if you take it, do let me know, I love to read MEME's & I like to be tagged. :o)

Look what I got!

MEOW!

Thanks, Susan. Back at ya!

Motivation

What motivates you?
deadlines?
appointments?
internal?
chocolate bribes?

They all work for me, but right now I am using the appointment motivator. I am working on two gift quilts that will be delivered in December. No problem right, this is only mid-October. Well, I e-mailed my long armer and asked when she would need it to get it back to me by mid-December. Her reply, "As soon as possible."

So last night I worked diligently on one of the two quilts. No photos, but I am doing this

with a yellow backgrounds and blue lines. Last night I got the diagonals pieced. I need to trim them down. (Some of those will become the "X" blocks.) I also pieced the horizontal/vertical blocks, just need to sub-cut those. & I need to cut the solid squares. (I have had the novelties cut for a while.)

several random items from my convalescence

I caught this TeeVee show on the telly - the kiss of death, if I like it, it will not last. I barely watch any of this kind of television - I am usually watching true crime shows, documentaries, PBS, crafty stuff & cooking shows - so the mere fact that I bothered to tune in is saying something - like IT WON'T LAST! Sorry if you liked it too...

While I tried to work on quilty stuff, I had some help... That is Rhapsody on the cutting mat and ruler.

Did I say, "Some?" I meant a lot of help. Here is RB in a similar pose. It is a good thing that my rotary blade closes automatically.

RB Helped with my hand quilting too... He hopped into my lap almost as soon as I got settled to take a few stitches...

And finally my current project:

I still need to button hole around those letters... In the pattern there is a house that fills in the "space." Any ideas on what to put in there for a baby?

The kind of mail you like to get.

I got my fall doll quilt & I love it! Made by this "maverick" quilter.
(Do I have to admit the last time I went through the ring - any of them?)
Thanks so much, I love it!

The back - I LOVE that fabric.
Detail of the quilting, she quilted "fall" all over, very nice...
The front. :o) Now if only Fall would arrive? We broke records yesterday - 91 degrees!

This is the quilt that I got in the 4 seasons doll quilt swap - fall. I love the fabrics, especially the plaids. Personally, I don't care to work with homespun plaids, but I do like the way they work in a quilt. No exception here - makes me think of men in flannel shirts. :o)

Silk quilt

Silk quilt
Originally uploaded by Manada

I think that I like everything about this quilt....

I am o.k., I had one of my tubes "fixed." Hopefully that will help with the fertility issues. Thanks for all of your good thoughts and prayers. I have been able to do a little bit each day.

Of the items on my short list, I worked on one of the gift quilts that I hope to deliver in person in December in Israel.
Since it was (is) a fusible applique project, I traced extras for a "for me" version. :o) I also traced extra letters for my "Chatoolim" quilt - (Hebrew transliteration into English meaning cats) an old UFO that uses my Judaic prints.
Which brought out the blue pieced cats for my "Rhapskitty in Blue" quilt...
Which brought out the blue/yellow pieced cats for the "Les Chats" (French for cats) quilt.
Which brought out the yellow pieced cats for the quilt that will use the word cat in a whole lot of different languages quilt.

Yes, the cats are all pieced using the same pattern - once upon a time ago, it was going to be 1 quilt, but there are too many cats - I have a ting for blue & yellow prints.

The weekend... & the week to come.

A little top that I made & my female supervisor. I really wanted the focus fabric to "be it" on this quilt. So I chose Kona solids to go with it. I made the pieced rows according to measurements in a magazine - that I misplaced... GRUMBLE! But I did not pay attention completely - I think they used more fabrics & they did not repeat the one print a lot. So I used it as a guide rather than a pattern.

Basically the top & bottom are width of fabirc - you can do some figuring to get theo others... All row widths are the same... (width of ruler, ahem.)

The basic principle is in Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol without measurements...

In the magazine they used all large scale prints & it worked out nicely, too.

I also decided to use my "scraps" aka Nickels (5 inch charm of fabric - 2 books written that use them extensively, I used to trade them). Tracey may recognize a few of these...
You see to make her Fall doll quilt, I cut a 1.5 inch strip off of several nickels & sewed them up ala Successful Scrap Quilts from Simple Rectangles by Margaret Rolfe & Judy Turner. On Traceys quilt, I used an "8" block without paying attention to value...

So I trimmed those not quite nickels down to 2.5 x 4.5 bricks... (I also traded those & made a couple quilts using them...)

On this quilt I used an "18" & I tried to pay attention to value... The mediums muddies it up a bit & the bottom row was pieced "the other way." But this was an exercize in using what I had... Doing something. Avoiding the future...

The future... Why avoid it?
I am having minor same day surgery tomorrow - so for those of you who do, please send good thoughts my way... (Brownies would be appreciated, too!)

One close up for Annie...
A dandylion that I did not even know I had...

This is proof - I went from brand new easy to piece matchy-matchy blue cool tones to use what you have old scraps in warm fall tones - in 1 day...

Now do I go back to brand new Joel Dewberry fabrics - or old florals that are cut & ready to go? Oh & there is the official Fall UFO? The taupes? The Aleph-Bet rows that need to become a top? The Bleeker Street blocks? The I SPY gift quilt? The Aleph-Bet gift quilt? (More proof, huh?)