Sunday, December 6, 2009

Time for Merry Doings

December is here and the new year will be here before I know it. Been busy doing lots of gifts for the holidays. Not exactly the kind of quilts that I would be doing but if I did the kind I want to do then no one would be able to cuddle up and know how much I love them. Actually they most likely would be quite surprised to open a package and have it reveal a wall hanging with some abstract convoluted insane message that probably only means something to me.

Remember the challenge that Vye and I have been doing. We did not place this time either, I know it is rigged and I know never will I read or have anything to do with that website...allpeoplequilt.com. We submitted 4 quilts beautifully done and nothing.....RIGGED!





The pinwheel one was done by me and the snowball by Vye. The pinwheel is My daughter-in-law's Christmas present. I will have to post the rest of the quilts after they have been distributed by Santa.


Monday, November 23, 2009

Not so typical Saturday...Thank Goodness!

Yesterday, we had the big car show fundraiser for a man whose house burned...they raised over $5,000 for him and his family. Great turnout of cars and people....really unbelievable. There had to have been a "mil or two" parked at our place.

The day was beautiful and then we had a snag, My friend Vye was here starting to quilt her quilt for our last quarterly challenge and I was fine. I had come in to assist her and then I was going back to the festivities outside. Three of my cousins were in here with us and we are enjoying the day. Thank goodness the children had gone out because I got choky and coughing and could not come out of it even with all the asthma drugs I took. Waited 45 minutes and no better so went to ER and was ash gray and moving very little air...The entry person in the ER wanted papers filled out and my friend told him I would stop breathing before I could finish...Things started happening then when he finally looked out his little window hole at me; they took me sraight back, called resperatory therapy stat, shot me a full of steroids and gave me several  resperatory treatments. Oxygen set on 8 liters and threatening intubation. I must have looked pretty bad because the resperatory therapist (who looked like a 12 year old) asked Vye if I was her mother. Laying there gasping for air, gray, hair a mess, no makeup, no jewlery and a ugly gown, nto to mention tubes and wires a plenty. It was a good thing I could not talk but I was told my eyes said what my brain wanted to say, The ER doctor politely told I was going to be admitted. Thankfully steroids and inhalation therapy kicked in eventually and doc let me go on the promise I would return if any change for the worse. There way too long and then home...tight as a tick, weak as a kitten, torked way too tight...ha ha No way I wanted to be put on a respiratory wing with all the Swine flu people...that place could kill me! Anyway long story short, asthma attack out of the blue. Scared my cousins and my poor husband Charlie was chasing his tail trying to manage 300 plus people, 120 cars, and gathering money and worrying about me. Thank goodness for cell phones, because Vye was able to keep him up minute by minute. so crazy...Should have had a video of her driving. She asked a cop who was sitting in the middle of the road for escort but he couldn't leave because he was directing a funeral so I motioned for Vye to go on and she did, leaving him in the dust. She almost hit a van and left the red lights red. The cops haven't come after her yet....we are still waiting. Directing a funeral is what I wrote...that person was already dead. The cop offered to call a medic, just what two frantic women need, more traffic congestion, you see to get to the hospital you have to go by the mall. A funeral, mall traffic and an ambulance trying to navigate through all that? Too much so I motioned for her to take a right and we went the back way.

Much better now, heart rate slower, coughing and wheezing minimal. Kind of buzzing from all the abuterol. At dinner tonight, my family was discussing the other sudden attacks and the culprits, leaf mold, old water bed, cats, horse, salad dressing, oven cleaner, orange cleaner and orange turpentine, yellow tomatoes, bug spray..etc. a long list in my lifetime, funny in a way how it happens and I have no control to stop or avoid it when it starts.

Not too long ago I got a predisone tablet stuck in my mouth, now that is some nasty tasting stuff. I felt like I was 6 years old again because when I was small I couldn't swallow anything without chewing so I had to chew those nasty things.

Rambling but that is typical for someone on heavy steroids, so I will let you see the quilts for the challenge. Yes I have a clothes line, my little effort towards green. I do use it to dry about 50% of our laundry.


The next image is a close up.



I made the blue one and it now belongs to Sharon in Atlanta who claimed it. It is called the doodle quilt becasue it is quilted with doodles and messages in varigated thread which can cause the eyes to go gaa gaa.
The other one is called sunflowers and is embellished with applique. Vye made it with scraps left from another challenge we entered that we didn't win. The sunflower fabric came from France long ago by her father-in-law who just recently passed away. Most of the fabric for my blue one was pulled from my stash and some of that came from someone else who is deceased. A  quilter whose stash was advertised and Vye and I bought it. That is another story for another day. Vye and I have had some adventures in the past 35 years. Hopefully if we are picked for our efforts in the competition, we can get you out there in cyberspace to vote for us? A promise to all who vote for us, I will write about at least one adventure with Vye.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Rants for early November

Day to day distractions are many and plucking my last nerve. Too many projects.  My productivity here on earth stinks. Still working on the Adam and Eve thing, have it backed up to the wall so I don't have to look at it. Going to do some mundane work and let it set. Went flea hunting today and found some great junk including some wonderful sheers and silk. Interesting the people out there sifting though other people's junk.

What do you think of a series of fiber art pieces depicting voodoo dolls? Everyone has someone they want to stick a pin into don't they? Would they sell? Heck I know I could give them away. Never had a problem giving stuff away. Never had a problem selling stuff either but I sure do enjoy giveing stuff away. Would love to be thilthy rich and make people happy..although if I was that rich I might be so miserable I would hourd all my money and not give away a dime. Easy to give away what itfs.

Will the  Democrats destroy our system of money...I imagine they are thinking of some way to implant a chip into our forearms, allowing us our monthly rations.

What is going on with this weather? I hate cold weather, my nose turns red when I get cold. Can't wear socks becasue of my injured big toe. Stumped it months ago and the nail is black, I suppose I will lose it but not soon enough to keep my feet from getting frost bit. The only shoes that are comfortable are a pair of red crocs, the hole kind. Is the fact that our toe nails grow slower than our finger nails one of God's curiosities? Why do you think there is a decrepancy in the growth rate?

Quilt update: Finished the quarterly challenge and Sharon will be pleased. the quilting is doodles and hidden messages. Fun and big enough for her and her husband to snuggle under it together on the sofa.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The weekend was chilly and rainy. Quilting and sleeping was all that was required. Nice development though, my cousin Nancy decided she would try quilting so she picked out fabrics from my stash and cut squares and wallah. She is preparing her quilt top. she has never sewn so a little apprehensive but doing a wonderful job. I will post her quilt when she gets a little further.

I worked on an art piece until I ran out of thread and then I switched to the challenge quilt. It is ready to go on the long arm. Sharon claimed it and requested I hide messages in it the way I hide messages in the things I make for family so I think I will have a good time quilting it.

Vye came over Sunday afternoon and we cut fabric out for Christmas quilts...whew! We went through a lot of yardage...miracle if we get it all together before 12/25/09. She will be here tonight and we will go at it again on the challenge quilts.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

....and the Quilt goes to?

The quilt as it is has been claimed and I am thrilled that it is going to a wonderful couple. Oh the finer points of quilt creation, design and execution. The best part for me is the quilting. Using a long arm is delightful, smooth as drawing with a pencil. Before the long arm I had to wrestle three layers at snail pace and push through the machine. Somewhat like trying to push an allegator through a 9 inch hole while holding his head and tail. Now it is much easier to load the 3 quilt layers and slide the machine along sewing even stitches. It is much easier to see where you have been and where you are going. Hardly any concern about wrinkles like it is when doing free motion on a sewing machine. Takes some practice to get the hang of it and I am sure a year from now I will be better at it but until then the quilts I do will be full of experimentations and fun motifs. Drop by anytime and see what's doing. Hope my friend in GA who claimed the quilt can come stay awhile and play with me.

Only one to claim the Quilt?

Timing is everything and it must be true because in my last blog I offered up a quilt to the first one to claim it and no one did until today. The timing is way off because now I will be doing two quilts. *CHUCKLE*

This quilt is for the last quarterly challenge for a 2009 quarterly challenge project that Vie and I started in January. We are certainly glad this is the last because we have not made the final ten in any of the challenges. I am convinced it is fixed. Our projects have been designed and executed with skill and creativity and on target with instructions. Not only that but they were as good and in most cases better than the ones chosen. So what is wrong with my timing? Well the deadline is approaching for the submission so Vie and I got together last night and cut and assembled our quilt tops for the challenge. I decided since no one had claimed my offer I would use the opportunity to make the quilt for a certain someone for Christmas...sort of kill two birds with one quilt. Now today a sweet precious girlfriend has laid claim to the quilt and rightly so since she is the first one. The problem is that, it is definitely a man's quilt. My friend, Barbara was in here this morning and she commented that the quilt top “sure was masculine, who is it for”.

Timing is everything for sure. If that sweet friend reads this again, I will take her claim serious but she needs to tell me what her favorite colors are and then next Tuesday night Vie and I will repeat our process and make at least one more top that is definitely more feminine. We were thinking about doing some Christmas themed ones any way.

Check out the picture below of my granddaughter Josie sewing on her new ¾ White. So intent and focused.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Saturday, Rain and Inspiration or Lack of...

Saturday, Sweats, Rain, Maggie and Charlie on the sofa and me surfing the internet. Too consumed with nothingness that I microwaved instant mac and cheese for our lunch. The mac and cheese is the little tubs that kids like. Not the best mac and cheese but edible if you add a half ripe tomato and lots of salt. So why does a woman who likes to cook settle for little tubs of mac and cheese? No answer to that one but I will confess Charlie made a nasty face but he ate it anyway. It is gone now and won't buy anymore until my grand daughters return for another visit.

Still working on the Adam and Eve piece or should I say still procastinating working on the piece. I have a round robin that is entertaining me...this month's robin is adding flying geese, I hate flying geese but I found a one stitch way to make them on "The Quilt Show.com website. Going to pop these little geese out the easy way...ha ha, gonna fly out of my hands!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Interesting how one gets swept away with ideas and actions. Patience and self control is definitely learned traits and I believe I was absent when they were being taught. Went to a workshop taught by Judy Loope a textile artist from Salem VA and was so pleased to be there. Most work shops for me are generally a good idea until I have been there for a half hour and then I am bored. My buddy Vye, says that is when I start acting up. Not sure what she means by acting up but I do get antsy and find distractions...usually going my own way and finding ways to entertain myself.

Judy's workshop was primarily based on building abstract art quilts using sheers, and synthetic fibers that could be melted by a soldering iron.

See my example that I finished and call "Violet's Hedronilly".



Recently, I decorated a bra for the MAMM organization and now it is being shown with some other bra creations at the Daura Gallery in Lynchburg VA. There seems to be alot of interest in these bras and the attention they draw and hopefully the donations toward diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. See "Mammogetasaurus" a rather goofy green dinosaurus that is clutching her girls.


Trying to keep busy. Going to load the Adam and Eve piece on Alma (longarm) to do thread painting this afternoon. After I do that I am going to paint or highlight with paintstik.

Vye and I have to do the last quarterly challenge for All People Quilt website. I think it is rigged. But this is the last challenge for 2009 and we started in Jan and have submitted something each quarter. Nothing has been chosen yet. Fixed is the reason..Yes I love spoiled grapes!!!! And I cry over spilled milk too!!!! The last challenge is a quilt made with 9.5" squares into a 67" lap quilt, sounds like a Christmas present for someone...if you name it your claim it. HA HA

Friday, October 2, 2009

Red, White and Blue

Where are you on the patriotism scale? I believe there is a role for us all
in supporting our service men and women. We may not personally believe in
war, or fighting someone else's battles but we have to believe in our blood.
Without the valor that is required of our armed forces, we would not and
could not enjoy the freedoms we so cherish. It is that valor that I am
committing myself to. So gathering quilters and sewers and pockets to create
well wishing red, white and blue quilts to be given to someone who has been
injured seems a very small price on my part. Members of my guild are going
to help me get started. More on this later!!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Opps...got to much going

Wondering how to juggle all the balls when another one pops into the picture...