quilteveryday

New Year 2012

2012-01-04T00:46:00.003-05:00

It is time to look back. It is time to look ahead.

When I look back at last year I feel good about a lot of things.

I did a lot of quilting, I made a lot of art, and tried a lot of new things.

I want more of those things.

I also want to make sure to give myself more time to just be. I don't have to be doing something every minute. And I have to be more realistic about how much time it takes to do things.

I could go on about these ideas, but instead I want this to happen little by little, day by day.

I finished binding a quilt on New Year's day. How cool is that? ... starting off the year completing a UFO.

Also, I had an art day last Thursday with my Mom, Sister, SIL, Brother, Niece and Husband. We have such a good time doing this together. I made a mixed media art piece on canvas board. It was so fun, and I had never done something quite like it before. Yesterday I took it to have it framed. I am planning to hang it up on the wall, which is something I don't usually do (display my own art). I will post a photo when I get it back.

A little art, too ~ Days 13, 14, 15, 16

2011-08-17T03:59:00.004-04:00

Saturday, Day 13

This day was a sad day, but I won't go into the details of it here. The interesting thing is, quilting can be a very nice way to help with sad times. That evening I watched the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love", and stitched more of the binding on my quilt. It was a perfect way to end this day.

Sunday, Day 14

Today I wanted to get lost in doing something and enjoy it. I worked in my art journal and finished 2 pages. I had started them a while ago by painting the backgrounds and putting pictures of lions on the pages. I had no plan of what to do with them, but I just started. I collaged and wrote on them. I used some of my scrapbook papers, which was great. I have lots of paper, and I love it and want to play with it more. It was very enjoyable to do these pages, and I am really pleased with how they came out.

Monday, Day 15

My friend, Sarah, invited a few friends to her house to sew. It is a lot of fun to get together to do this - she makes a very good hostess. We all feel very comfortable at her house, and she makes us wonderful food. And I got 30 more 9 patch blocks made for my Brother's & SIL's quilt. That is all the pieced blocks I need to make for the quilt. I still have to wash some fabrics to cut out the setting triangles and borders. Then I can start assembling the quilt center. There are a lot of blocks and assembling will take a lot of time, but I am getting excited about finishing the quilt.

Wade and I went to the Train and Maroon 5 concert - Wow is what I have to say about that. They were both so good. It was really fun and happy. I have seen Maroon 5 before, and they have gotten even better. They were more R&R than their recorded music, which I liked in the live format. Train really blew us away. Pat has such a great voice and such a great interaction with the audience. He is a supreme performer, very charismatic.

Day 16

I worked on writing about some ideas I have. I want to figure out a way to get people together to do art, that is a fantasy of mine. I put down some specifics about how that might work. I feel as if it is something I am ready to do, but am afraid of committing to the time. Regardless, I want to start the ball rolling and see what develops. If I plant the seed and water it, it will grow.

Still Sewing ~ Days 9, 10, 11, & 12

2011-08-12T22:47:00.005-04:00

I have been sewing every day, just not blogging.

I sewed a little more on the binding on the charity quilt - I am half way around. I also finished the quilt top from the jelly rolls that I started last Sunday. I had a fat quarter bundle of the same fabrics, so I pieced together a border treatment, which made the quilt a little bigger. I like the quilt pretty well, although it is very busy. It was really fun to make.

This week I was distracted by going to Borders. The store is closing, and I am very sad. It has been a place that Wade and I have gone to many, many times over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and my bookshelves can prove that.

Now I have to get back to finishing the quilts that were on the list of what needs to get done.

Sewing without Regrets ~ Day 8

2011-08-08T23:51:00.003-04:00

I stitched more of the binding today, and I sewed on the quilt top I started yesterday. (Yay for sewing every day for a week!) I have to decide how I want finish the quilt top - I may want it a little bigger.

A recurring theme in my life is I want more time. I was busy this weekend doing all good stuff, but there is so much more I wanted to do. I am trying to spend my time doing things I enjoy doing, or are important. That way, hopefully, I will not have regrets. And that would be a wonderful accomplishment.

I Couldn't Help Myself ~ Day 7

2011-08-07T23:54:00.003-04:00

What is wrong with me? I am sick and twisted. That's the only explanation.

I started a new quilt today.

I was looking at stuff on the internet - photos of quilts. It got me thinking about how to make something quick and easy with a jelly roll. We have lots of jelly rolls at the shop, and could use some samples made from them. Then I thought, I have some jr's upstairs... maybe I can try it with one of those. Well, the quilt top is almost done. It was lots of fun to make. If nothing else, that was a good reason to do it. Right?

Caffeine, Anyone? ~ Day 6

2011-08-07T00:47:00.004-04:00

I sewed borders on to a quilt top, and it is now ready for quilting.

I was making a list (I do that a lot) of quilts I want to work on now/soon.

If I don't go to work, and don't sleep, and drink gallons of coffee, I could get them all done.

I have to learn how to take it one day at a time, one quilt at a time.

the Process ~ Day 5

2011-08-05T23:09:00.003-04:00

I hand stitched some binding tonight. So mission accomplished - kept my commitment for today. I wish I had 4 more hours in my day right now - I just want to sew.

I was thinking about the idea of process vs. product with quilting.

Some quilters are totally focused on finishing their quilts. They only work on 1 or 2 at a time, and usually have a reason to make the quilt. They will not start a new quilt until this one is finished. That motivates them to complete it, because there is always another new and exciting project to start. I have also known quilters who rarely finish anything, and have numerous quilts underway.

I am, like a lot of quilters, somewhere in the middle. I have finished a lot of quilts, and have a lot of unfinished quilts, too. I get a little sad when I am finishing a quilt sometimes - there is definitely a part of me that enjoys the process, often more than the finished quilt.

We always talk about the unfinished projects. I wonder why so many of us do this. And at what point is it still OK? or totally nutz?

And what to do about it?

do I want to change?

hmmmmm

Preparation ~ Day 4

2011-08-04T23:39:00.004-04:00

Today I just got stuff ready to sew. Sometimes I just don't feel like ironing, but right now all of the projects I am working on needed to be ironed as the next step.

I pressed and cut fabric for a border, and pinned it on to the quilt top.

I pressed and cut fabric for a pillowcase.

I pressed fabric for blocks for the 9 patch quilt.

I pinned the binding to hand stitch on a quilt.

It feels good to have a few things ready to go. Maybe someday I can have a personal assistant who will do that for me!

Binding ~ Day 3

2011-08-03T23:30:00.003-04:00

Today I machine stitched the binding on to a quilt.

Binding means a quilt is almost done. Done is good.

This quilt is a simple quilt that will be donated to a charity. I am not sure what charity yet. Here's the thing - quilters are very giving people and always make and give quilts to people in need. There are endless opportunities that come up. With my busy work schedule I don't have time to get something made, and the opportunities pass me by. Ideally, I want to work on a few charity quilts and have them ready for when an opportunity presents itself.

Some of the fabrics were donated to the quilt shop (by Donna Poster) for the purpose of making charity quilts, and the rest of the fabrics I had in my stash (yay for using up fabrics).

Our longarm machine had been sent to the factory in Iowa for maintenance and repairs, and had been away for a few weeks. So I suggested to Debbie (our longarm quilter) that she could quilt my charity quilt just to make sure the machine was set up and running properly.

I also wanted to have some binding ready to hand stitch for the days when I do not feel like "sewing", but want to keep up with my commitment to quilting every day this month.

So this little charity quilt is already giving back to me in so many ways.

Nine Patch Chain Blocks ~ Day 2

2011-08-02T23:15:00.003-04:00

It is only day 2, but I am glad to say that I sewed again today. I finished the blocks I started yesterday - 32 nine patch blocks. I keep thinking that if I sew every day I will get a lot done. Let's hope so. With quilting, it is always about finishing the quilts. Most (not all) quilters have a lot of projects started, and work on several at a time. I started quilting in 1996, so I have a lot of unfinished quilts, and I always have more ideas and fabric than I have time. But at least I still love to sew and make quilts, and have endless ideas to keep me motivated.

OK - I'm doing it ~ Day 1

2011-08-02T00:07:00.005-04:00

I have seen so many people's blogs that have a commitment to doing art every day for a year, etc. There have been groups on the artist trading cards site to make a card a day. I always want to jump in and do these things, but know how hard it is to keep up. I also know that July is an impossible time for me to commit to much of anything but work. Well, July is now over...

When I was visiting my niece, Molly, she said she liked Traci Bunkers art/blog. On Traci's blog she has written about doing art every day for 1 month. I like it. I want to do something that makes me focused, but not set myself up for failure. So I am going to try this for a month. It is a commitment to sewing & quilting especially, but art can be in the mix, too - to do something every day. (After all, it is the name of my blog!)

I just have so many quilts I want to make that it shall be my first priority. On Sunday (July 31) I pulled out the quilt I am making for my brother and sister-in-law, and figured out where I left off. Yesterday, Monday August 1st, I worked on blocks for the quilt. It was really a lot of fun to make them. I have a lot done on the quilt, but I also have a ways to go since it is a pretty involved quilt. I think I like how it looks so far, and hope that continues.

Crazy Time

2011-07-11T00:39:00.007-04:00

It is so crazy how time goes by - what have I been so busy doing that I haven't posted anything for months? Right now I am in super get it done mode because there is a quilt show in Hershey in a few weeks, which is the busiest time of year for our business. So I think everything I ever wanted to have done needs to be done now (do you have that disease, too?). Deadlines are very motivating for most of us, and it can certainly get me to do things I have put off.

One goal I had set for myself at the beginning of the year was to complete at least 12 quilting projects this year, one per month.

So far this year I have completed -

1 - Kisses tablerunner (shown in earlier post)

2 - Fenced In Quilt

3 - Cherry Blossoms Quilt

I have some catching up to do, (it is month 7) so hopefully that will happen soon. I will post the projects as they are completed.

VALUES

2011-02-25T08:52:00.006-05:00

COLOR ~ this is a subject that is in the forefront of my life every single day.

I have always been very aware of color and it has been very influential in my life. (I remember the colors of clothes I wore when I was 5 and 6 years old.) It is especially important to me as a quilt shop owner. I have people looking to me for help and advice with color every day, and I have learned so much through this process ~ some people even say that I am good at it. But here is the thing... I have heard this and read this so many times, but I am finally really seeing it and owning it. It is so much about the value of the colors that create success in art. Quilters especially get hung up on the shade of a color matching exactly, and search high and low for the perfect fabric. They put the quilt together and wonder why it is not exactly what they were hoping for. But if the design doesn't have proper placement of the values, the quilt will look flat. I have to put this theory into practice with my own work and see what it does... I can't wait.

My sister, Ellen, is coming to my house today for an art day. YAY!! It is winter~dreary outside, so some paint and glitter might just be the perfect pick me up. We also both have troll bead bracelets ~ LOVE ~ and we ordered some beads. I have to pick them up before she gets here, so that will be exciting.

A Special Time and Place

2011-02-09T23:54:00.010-05:00

This past weekend I went to a quilt retreat with a group of friends at Warm Springs Lodge. I have been going to this retreat for about 8 or 9 years. There is just something about this wonky, ramshackle place that creates a unique atmosphere. It is clean and the food is very good, the feeling casual. This time of year is a little more slow-paced, quiet, intimate. We have all known each other a long time, and have been quilting a long time. We all speak the same language and don't need to explain why we want to spend hours upon hours cutting, sewing, pressing, and playing with fabric. We laugh a lot and tease each other. But most of all we build on our friendships and share what we all have in common as women. I just love everything about it.

This is a quilt top I made from fabrics that a friend / sales woman gave to me. I thought it was pretty cute. I used all the fabrics there were and added some of my own to complete it. I plan to quilt it with fleece on the back, then donating it to the YWCA.

I assembled a tablerunner top. This is what was in pieces on my bed the other day. The fabric in the center has Hershey Kisses on it. Our quilt shop is in Hershey, so we are all about the chocolate.

I had 5" strips of Asian print fabrics from a swap with some of the quilters at Warm Springs last year. I saw these blocks done in a smaller version, then realized they could work in a larger scale. I made 12 blocks, and plan to make a total of 36 for a king sized quilt. They really show off the beauty of the Asian print fabrics.

New Theories

2011-01-28T22:52:00.011-05:00

I have never been someone who actually likes to write, as in keeping a journal. But I have always liked to document what I do each day. I have often started keeping track in a date book, but it becomes sporadic. So here is my new

Theory #1 ~ I started to keep track of what I'm doing in a log on the computer. I don't have to look for the date book. I am on my computer everyday - is right here in front of me, and only takes a minute to type something. So far this year I have remembered to enter something for every day. I basically document where I am and if I go somewhere interesting, and what I am working on with sewing and art. It is a nice feeling to look at the log and see so many sewing and arting entries. It is kinda motivating, and if I have a day without q & a ( quilting and art) I am even more anxious to get to it the next day. I am sure as time goes by it will be really cool to see where I have been and what I have done.

Theory #2 ~ On quilting (this can apply to my art, too)

I have lots of quilts in the making at various stages. I have lots of ideas and am forever wanting to start new projects. I know I am not alone in this, but there are some quilters out there who work on one or two quilts at a time until it they are finished with them. That is not me, and I don't really want to change. The problem has been that I sew in my guest room with a queen size bed. I get out a project and lay it out on the bed. I work on it and keep it on the bed. Then I think about another quilt I want to work on, pull it out of the drawer, look at it and put it out on the bed. Pretty soon the room is so messy I have a hard time focusing and have no place to see the project I am working on. My new theory is that when I am going to switch projects I will put away the quilt that is out first. That way the space will stay straightened up and I can better concentrate on that day's project. This is so simple, yet it could be revolutionary for me. We'll see...

I want more time!

2011-01-24T12:44:00.003-05:00

I am in this time and place where ALL I WANT TO DO IS MAKE ART AND SEW QUILTS!!!

I want more time so that I can do what I want to do, AND have my house in order and my quilt shop in order so I don't feel guilty about making art and sewing. I know I am not alone in this. But I am really, really into making stuff right now. I was sick 2 weeks ago (bronchitis) and was unable to do much of anything - except read my art books and magazines, as well as other artists' blogs. That just got me so excited about doing art and sewing. My head is just swarming with ideas. I have tons of art supplies and a little bit of fabric - LOL - that I can't even decide which I want to do first - so I am doing some of both.

It is so great to have these projects to do in the winter, which makes it fun to be inside. I also have set up my art supplies at the kitchen table, which is working really well for me. They were on the dining room table, but that was always a mess right inside our front door. In the kitchen there is lots of light, and a corner with shelves to stash my stuff, and the coffee pot is right there. A necessity to creativity. I also hung up two beautiful collages made for me by my sisters, which are so special.

Yesterday I sewed on a new quilt I started on Saturday night, and made some ATC's that I am not done with. I need to do some laundry (darn it) but will take some time to quilt again today.

until next time.....

2011 New Beginnings

2011-01-09T18:12:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time - that goes without saying. Here I am again. It's funny to look back at last year's posts and see how things change and stay the same. I talked about cleaning one of the closets in my guest room - I still have not cleaned the other one. I still have my Christmas tree up this year, but hope to take it down next weekend. Over the past year I have done a lot more art than I ever have before, so that is a great thing - lots of bookmarks, trading cards, an art journal, and a junque journal. I did not get as much quilting done as I would have liked, but that is always going to be the case.
Here is the current status - I just moved my art supplies to the corner of my kitchen. I had them out on the dining room table all last year, which is a great place to work. But it is just so messy and I did not like looking at it there all the time. So I cleared out the shelves in the kitchen and have arranged my supplies there as best I can. I am going to just keep my art out on the kitchen table because we really don't use that table and it is old and funky. Yesterday was the first time I actually sat there and worked. I started 4 trading cards which I finished today. I miss trading cards, and I just wanted to connect with the people on the ATC website. It was way fun, and I'm sure I will be doing more from time to time...

More Stuff

2010-02-25T18:24:00.004-05:00

More Bookmarks

Stuff I Have Made While Convalescing

2010-02-25T18:16:00.007-05:00

Bookmarks - These were fun to make. I drew the design on a piece of card stock with a thin sharpie. I copied the image, then I colored them in using various makers. I backed them with a coordinating cardstock, and added the ribbons on the top.

Hopping

2010-02-22T00:06:00.003-05:00

I had surgery on my right foot last Tuesday. I cannot walk on my foot for several weeks. It is really hard not to walk on your foot. I have a walker with a seat and I scoot around on that, which is easier than crutches. I have to crawl up and down the steps. So right now my world revolves around sitting in my recliner and watching tv. I have a few things lined up to do while I am recuperating such as reading, stitching binding on quilts, and drawing. Having the Olympics to watch makes it kind of fun.

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-08T00:53:00.004-05:00

Did we get the snow!

My friend Debbie keeps saying she wants a real snow, not just a little wimpy dusting. Well, she got her wish, we had about 18" - 20". I was in a beautiful setting to enjoy the snow, as you can see from the photos. There was only one problem ~ the time was too short. We had a wonderful time relaxing, quilting, and catching up. I worked on 3 projects, but none are finished to post pictures of yet. The one I am most excited about is sewing the binding on my king sized quilt. I made the binding and machine stitched it on. I will have it to hand stitch while watching the Olympics, which I look forward to beginning next weekend.

SNOW

2010-02-05T09:55:00.003-05:00

The snow is coming, the snow is coming.

I am going to a quilt retreat this weekend, and am going to enjoy looking out the window at the snow. It is interesting how different it feels when there is snow ~ it effects us all in some way. It makes me nervous, excited, and peaceful all at the same time.

I made a few new trading cards, and another bookmark.

After the weekend I hope to have some quilting stuff to talk about.

Stay warm ~ wrap up in a quilt and watch a movie, and some football.

No more Christmas

2010-01-26T14:26:00.007-05:00

So some of you take down your decorations on December 30th.

Not at my house.

Our decorations were taken down last weekend (by my husband while I was at work ~ I was impressed).

Yesterday I packed them away and stored them under the steps.

I'm showing the after and before.

Why oh why is it so much fun to take them out and look at all the ornaments? Why oh why do I contemplate throwing them all away in January?

My Day Off

2010-01-25T01:04:00.003-05:00

My days off always go by too fast.

The first part of the day I read all kinds of stuff on atcsforall and it lead me to people's blogs and websites, etc. In the past couple of days I signed up for so many atc swaps ~ I just couldn't help it.

Then I did something I am very happy about...

I cleaned out a closet in the guest room/sewing room. I took every darn thing out of the closet, cleaned it, and sorted, etc. It was a long overdue project. There are actually 2 closets in the room, so I will have to do the other one someday.

I made lentil soup. It is so easy to make and I really like it.

I pressed and cut some fabric strips for a swap I am doing with some friends in a couple of weeks at a quilt retreat. I have more to do, but I got it started. Then I made 2 Valentines pillowcases. We have these 2 coordinated X's & O's fabrics at the quilt shop that are really cute, but the shade of red is just a little off of the other red fabrics. So I decided to make pillowcases out of them and added a brown fabric with hearts accent. I will take them into the quilt shop so people can see them.

Starting my Blog

2010-01-23T22:33:00.004-05:00

So here I am...

I set up this blog, and now I have to write something.

I created my blog to share about a couple of things...

my art

my quilting & quilt shop

my quest to organize stuff

health and all that entails

family & friends

whatever else that is interesting at the moment (Project Runway)

My main focus right now is to get the newsletter done for work. It is just so hard to do for some reason. There is a lot to remember and write about, and the formatting takes a long time. I will be relieved when it is done. (I would love to just make atc's and quilts instead.)

Today I ~

cut some pics for collaging (art & organizing)

chose fabric for a tablerunner (quilting & work)

photographed the sample quilts for the newsletter and edited them (work)

rearranged the fabric at the quilt shop (work)

and when I got home I received 2 ATC's in the mail from artedar! YAY!

I saw her card on the atcsforall website, and just had to have it, so I offered to do a 1 on 1 swap with her. Her card says "if you can't laugh at yourself I'll do it for you". How great is that?

She requested a paisley card, so I will have to get that made soon.

until the next time...