Paducah Part 1

Well, I am finally back from Paducah.  I hope you are all ready for a long story!!  I will have to do it in installments!!  On our way to Paducah, Yuki and I stopped at a quilt shop in Indiana.  I bought this wonderful quilt pattern.  They designed them in their shop.  I got the MSU version and Yuki bought the other one.  Maybe a quilt for the raffle this year, we'll see.

I also found this fabric for Karen and Cory's wedding quilt.  I had planned on having everyone sign the center squares but there won't be enough room so I decided to make just white ones for the back and they can sign those with a message and I will make a beautiful top.  This is the new Simplicity line by Moda.  I refrained from buying the ones heavily laden with big flowers.  Isn't this so soft and pretty??
On the way to Paducah we saw a camel in the field grazing with the cows.  (I didn't take a photo as it was from the highway so I used this camel quilt from the show, clever, huh?)
We arrived at Hickory Hill Resort and here are Yuki and Liz in the kitchen.
That is Marlene, Liz's aunt checking out our view of Kentucky Lake.  There was a pair of bald eagles nesting on the site and we got to see them fish every morning!
Here was the view from the LR.
On Wednesday morning Yuki and I had a lecture from Jan Krentz (Lonestar and Beyond).  You may recognize the quilt on the left, it is the cover quilt from that book.  She was a very good speaker, we really enjoyed the talk.
Then we were off to the quilts and vendors.  We met up with Liz and Marlene.  Here is one of my all time favorite quilts from the show.  It was called Moose Drool.  I will have to bring my show book tomorrow and let you know who made it.  It was seriously great!
Look at his drool!!
I loved this mermaid quilt too.  Very different from most of the quilts.  
I don't know why but this reminded me of one I saw 2 years ago that also used the storm at sea block for the water.  This one won an award.
We went to the museum also but you can't take any photos inside that.  I have a ton more pics and will post more later.  On Wed night we went to see Alex Anderson speak.  As we were walking in I stopped at the table she was sitting at and showed her "our" green shoes.  She laughed and asked me if I knew that they come in pink? and that she wants the red ones and then she shook my hand!!!  She spoke for about 2 hours and she is a very genuine person.
I wish I had more time to write and post photos but I have to get home for a lax game!  More to come!!

One More Thing

Hey, I forgot to tell you about the great new Australian designer I found. Her name is Lynette Anderson and her quilt patterns and stitchery patterns are so cute and fun! Go check her stuff out. I mean like right now. Why are you still reading this?? GO!!

Updates

So I haven't blogged for a few days and now look at all the pictures I have!! I had a chance to make some of the 9 patches I am doing for my sister's Posie Patch quilt. I found some fabulous white that looks like it has dandelions on it (you always have weeds in your flower beds, right?) I had an opportunity to lay a little of it out and here is what it is going to look like. What do you think?

I found this little lacrosse guy online and ordered the software and sent it to Liz (she not only quilts but does machine embroidery, who knew?) I need her to make a few color changes but this will be my little (or not really so little) lacrosse player. Since he got the OK to play again we have had a game and he played yesterday. The whole game we only scored 3 times and he made 2 of the 3 goals. He kept going off the field and we didn't know why coach was taking him off. After the game we asked the coach and he told us it wasn't him! DS needed to catch his breath and get water as he has not been able to run at practice for the last almost 3 weeks. The coach said, "Are you kidding me, I told him to stay out there, we needed him on the field!". LOL, makes a mama glad!
I also promised to show you the fabric I bought when I went with Charlotte and so here it is, first the fish, for DH's someday fish quilt.
This one doesn't show very well but it is really nice in person, very soft.
These next photos are from Karen's bridal shower. She is my friend from Brazil that I made the garter for, remember now? Isn't this pretty? It was before everyone got there.
Everyone brought food so I thought I would show you what the food table looked like. Obviously we didn't starve, laugh!

This is Karen, the poor unsuspecting bride. We made a special "bride's chair" for her to sit in. Apparently there is a custom in Brazil where everyone draws a number and then "decorates" the bride, so this is the before.
Oh, yes, I thought you might like to see the famous Robin. She is my boss's wife and my friend. She is a fabulous graphic artist also. She helps Liz and I design quilting and I help her design her quilts. It is a good relationship! She does great work and is very easy to work with. I do talk about her so thought you might like to have a face to put with a name.
So here is the after! She was a good sport. That side pony tail really "made" the bride!*VBS*
Here she is modeling with her "bow boquet" that the infamous Robin made from all the bows from the shower. Leave it to Robin to make something so artistic from bows and ribbons!!
Here is the lovely Karen modeling the garter I made.

Well, I have to go and clean the house now (as DH is making a LOT of noise and making me feel guilty for blogging). I don't know if I will post again until I return from Paducah so have a good week.

More of My Life

Just a quick minute to jot a few things down. I finished the 4 patch units and found some beautiful white to use for the other parts of the quilt. I will make an Irish chain from the 4 patch units alternating with white. I probably won't get much done until I get back from Paducah.

I had to take the DS to the otrhopod today for the reading of his MRI. (It's about time) If you remember he hurt his knee in the first scrimages of lacrosse on March 29th and hasn't been able to play since then. This is a problem! He is driving me nuttier that usual!! So back to the doctor. There is nothing requiring surgery. He dislocated his knee cap and stretched out some ligaments and has some deep bone bruising. The knee cap is back in place but the doctor still thinks it is possible to re-injure it if he plays. I asked for a note anyway. (Worst case he tells me no, right?) Well, he was less than thrilled, but he gave us the note with the admonishment that if he re-injures it it is not his (the dr) fault. Well, duh!!! I don't think he will be able to play tonight but he should be able to play on Sat. The team really needs him! So far we are 0-5, which really sucks. On the other side of it though is that DS learned how to support his teammates without being a player and someone that would not have been able to play got to play while he was out. We have a very young and inexperienced team so more people playing is a good thing, even if we are losing. We played much better in our last game and didn't have a running clock in the second half! (Mercy rule, ya know?)

So it is a beautiful day here in MI and I went to the LQS with my friend, Charlotte. She doesn't like this particular shop (nor do a lot of quilters) as she feels they are very unfriendly there. I have never had that problem, but then I could make friends with anyone or anything if I needed to, lol. So she won't go there without me as when we are together they are very nice to her, isn't that funny? The CL's are making a quilt for one of our priests and she needed a few additional colors so we found a few there. It didn't take that long and I found the cutest fat quarter and a great fish print to add to the "fish quilt" I hope to make for DH someday! I will take some photos and post when I get a chance.

Have any of you heard about the book, "A World Without Complaint"? Mrs. Goodneedle is reading it and I am considering joining her. I just wondered if any of you knew about it and what your thoughts are about it? I really think I could use this in my life too.

I also want to tell you about the wedding shower for Karen (the one I made the garter for) but that will have to wait until later! Enjoy your day!

What's Going On

So I told you I would post about some of the things I am working on/doing in my life right now. My good friend from Brazil is getting married (to one of my bosses) on June 14th. We are having a 24 hour shower for her. Do you know what that is? Everyone that is invited is assigned an hour of the day. Whatever hour you get you will buy a present for the bride that she would be using at that time of the day or night! Luckily I got 5pm, an easy time. It should be fun. Well. the women putting on the shower asked me to make the garter for Karen. So here is what I came up with. It is new, blue and the button is an antique from my mother/grandmother/s button tin. What do you think?? I hope she will like it!

The next thing is that I was looking for this pattern and my friend Natalie managed to find it for me.  I received it in the mail yesterday along with a very sweet note.  I saw it online and asked Nat if she would find it for me as the quilt shop it was from was near her.  THANK YOU NATALIE!!  I LOVE it!!  It is so wonderful how you can make such a dear friend with someone you have never actually met in person!  One of my other dear friend's, Mary, bought a condo in Florida and I was thinking to make it for her for Christmas.  I can tell you because she doesn't read my blog (at least I don't think she does).  Actually, few of my real live friends do so I guess I can talk all I want about things for them!!  I won't be able to begin it for awhile but I will let you know when I do!

So you all remember the Ugly Quilt, right?  Well I had all these 2.5" strips left over when I finally finished it.  What to do, what to do?  When quilting gives you strips, make a Jelly Roll, I say!  So I did.  And here is Autumn and said JR.  (apparently she doesn't like the fabric either)
These are some close ups.  Dig that crazy tie fabric, from the purple quilt!  I will probably change that later, I just happened to have it handy.
Guess what I am going to do with this?  If you remember my friend Ellen gave me these ugly fabrics for Christmas last year with the note that she wanted me to "work outside your comfort zone".  I plan to wrap up my JR and give it to her for her birthday with those very same instructions!!  Moral of this story, be careful what you give as it usually comes back to you!  (both good and bad!)  
I did some more 4 patch units last night and got the total 96 more done which is now a total of 288.  So I drew out the quilt using my graph paper and realize to make it what I want and as big as I want I will need another 72 - 4 patch units!!  As I was sewing what I thought were the last of them last night I was a little sad as each one is so different and fun to see how they turn out, again I say, be careful what you wish for!  Now I have to make more.  Oh well, I am having fun doing them.  I laid some out on some white fabric I happened to have and now I am not sure I want to use stark white, maybe a pinkish/purpleish color?  I just don't know.  If it is an irish chain maybe it won't have an outside border.  I need to find the color I am thinking of and see if I like it better than white.  Decisions, decisions!

I don't know if I mentioned it but I am going to Paducah on the 22nd.  I am so excited about it.  I am going with Liz and Yuki and Liz's Aunt.  We are staying in a cabin on Kentucky lake.  Yuki and I are taking some classes from Jan Krentz that should be wonderful.  We are also taking a needle turn applique class.  It is something I have always wanted to do.  (better than I do on my own now!) I was talking with Jeanne at Luv2stitch and she is going to Paducah too.  We may try to meet up.  If not we are going to plan a MI shop hop for ourselves and meet for lunch and shopping.  Doesn't that sound like fun?!!  I will actually get to meet one of my blog friends!!  She lives in MI too.

If this is not exciting enough I was reading Marsha McCloskey's (queen of feathered stars) newsletter and she will be teaching in Indianapolis in March of 2009!  I can't believe she will be so close.  (6 hours)  I just *have* to get into her class, if she is teaching feathered stars.  That block is one that I have admired forever and her books are some of the first ones I bought, hoping to be good enough to be able to make one someday.  I am a little scared of that block but I love it.  I would just die if she taught how to draft your own stars.  The quilt show she will be at is the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show.  Go check out their site, you wouldn't believe the teachers they had this year!  (Just know that you can't sign up for MM's class so there will be room for me = 0

DS has his MRI tonight at 6:30pm so keep him in your prayers for a good outcome!  I have to run the lacrosse parent meeting tonight, sucks to be the president, how did I end up in charge?

This means DH will be taking him.  Hopefully he will remember to get the date I can call the ortho to get the results.

Have a great day and I'll try to check in tomorrow!

My Sister's Quilt

I finally decided which quilt needed to be my next project.  My younger sister, Holly, has been complaining about not having a quilt from me.  My dad has one and all my kids but not her.  I bought a pattern awhile ago with the intention of making it for her.  She wanted purples (ew) and flowers.  So eventually, I found a fabric I liked and thought I could work with.  See Hallie?  Apparently she liked it too!
My sister is 9 years younger than me and will be turning 40 this year.  She has cerebral palsy and lives with my dad.  I figured since this is a milestone birthday, I needed to make this the next quilt for me to work on.  Here is a photo of the fabric pre-cutting.  It really is kind of pretty, don't you think?
My pattern is called "Stacked Posies".  You cut the fabric by repeat and stack it and then cut strips and your blocks.  Well, I liked this fabric but it had a small repeat.  No problem, I said as I purchased it.  Little did I know that this meant that my squares for each 4 patch would be itty bitty (or at least for me).  The repeat determines how big you can make your squares and mine had to be 1& 3/4"!!  Here are the strips, there are four fabrics in each strip.
I diligently cut and cut and cut and sewed and sewed and sewed only to realize I was going to have to make a gazillion of these to make a quilt of any size.  So Mosen and I thought about it and here is what we decided to do.  I will set 4-4patch units on point with 1" sashing between and framed with 1" borders of different purples.  This will set off each of the posie blocks to their best advantage.  
Mosen is pointing to his favorite ones previewed on one of the purples I happened to have at home in the stash.
Here are 2 more purples that will work.
Well, it will *still* not be large enough like that without more work, so I will alternate each posie block set with a white square set on-point.  I envision Liz the Whiz doing some fabulous block work in those white squares.  Like a feathered wreath or something in variegated purple thread.  It looks so cool, in my head!  I cut and sewed 2 strip sets and got almost 200 4 patch units done.  I calculated that I need to do one more full strip set and that should give me enough to make the quilt I want to do.  I still need to find all the purples, and I will go to the stash first for that.  I want to finish the 4 patch's first though.  One step at a time.  I am loving how each of the 4 patch units are so different!  It really is a cool technique.  Although if I *ever* do it again I will use fabric with a larger repeat!  The 4 patch units definitely need to be set apart so you can see each one as they are so cute!!  I think I would like to find a purple stripe with some white in it for an inner border and then put the floral around the outside.  

I just had a visit from Liz the Whiz and she suggested a 9 patch using the 4 posie patch and white (I think it would be too much to use purple).  I think this is BRILLIANT!!  If I alternate with white it will look like an irish chain!!!  I am even *more* excited about it now.  I will go home and graph it and see what it looks like and if I like it that's what I'll do.  Way less work than sashing all those patches AND I have always wanted to make an Irish chain so stay tuned!

I also had to sew a garter for my friend Karen for her to wear for her wedding.  I did manage to get that done also.  I forgot to photograph it but I will and then post it later.  I also sewed some of the blocks I am helping with to make a quilt for one of the priests at our church.  I think it will be a really sharp quilt, right up my alley.  It is done in all blues and greens and white.  Once it gets to a place where I can I will photograph it and talk more about that one too.

M Go Blue

Because I *know* you are all dying to see another page in my design book, here is the U of M raffle donation quilt the church ladies and I are working on right now.  It is a string quilt using only blues and yellows.  Each square represents a 7" block.  

One of my friends suggested that I write a "String Quilts of the Big Ten" book and see if I could publish it.  I don't know how you would ever do the Iowa Hawkeye, the Northwestern logo with the cat or the Nittney Lion of Penn State.  I might be able to do the others though.  I suppose there would be some licensing issues also, right?  Anyway, just a thought.  Being in Michigan I *know* could do U of M and MSU!  The ladies are already turning in their blocks.  This will be a pretty big quilt so will take a LOT of blocks.

On the more traumatic side of my life, I had to buy some new bras last night.  The last one I liked actually broke yesterday.  You know how you finally find the right one for you and you can only buy one because all the rest seem to be in size 32A which is not going to work, and you take it home and then you have to keep looking for another one and then you finally find one and if you're lucky maybe 2?  Well of course those dirty dogs that design them then change the styles so you have to start all over again!  So I was on the hunt last night.  I ended up taking 3 styles home with me.  I want to see which one I like the best and then I will go back and buy some more (as soon as they re-stock my size, because of course, I bought the only ONE in my size they had!)  Those things are pretty expensive too!  I had an additional 15% off coupon but still...more than I wanted to spend, but what are you gonna do?  

In a completely different aside, one of my friends at work is getting married (the one I made the U of M quilt for, remember?) well, some other friends are throwing her a bridal shower and one of them asked me if I would make the garter for the bride!!  I am really honored that they want me to do it.  Now I just have to figure out what to do.  I can't just say, "Here, let me measure your thigh", as they want it to be a surprise.  So I used a stand in thigh.  Now I have to decide what to do.  It needs something blue on it and I was thinking to look through my mom's jewelry and see if I can find a vintage pin to put on it for something old.  ( A smallish one, of course) or maybe a vintage rhinestone button.  Any suggestions??

I have a lacrosse game tonight and, of course, I will be getting things ready but DS will NOT be playing.  Our treasurer's son broke his hand in practice this week so her son will not be playing for awhile either.  Maybe being an officer is bad luck for our boys?  What do you think??  Anyway, I hope you all have a good weekend!!

Life at My House

This image of Mosen under our Christmas tree is so artsy and it makes me happy.  Let me tell you, I could use a little "happy" right now!  

Things at Chez Lincoln are not all that fun and happy at the moment!  DH took DS to the orthopedic surgeon today as DS injured his knee at the lacrosse scrimmage on Sat.  Well, things are not looking good for DS.  The knee doc said there is a lot of fluid on the knee but he needs to have an MRI in order to determine exactly what is going on.  None of the choices are conducive to getting back on the lacrosse field quickly.  Poor DS.  He has been looking forward to lacrosse season since last season ended!  He is one of the teams best players and they really missed him on the field on Tuesday when we had our first game.  Needless to say DS is less than thrilled by the prospect that this season may be over before it even begins!  There will be NO living with him if he is not able to play for the season.  YIKES, I may need to get out of the house until season is over!  Please keep him (and us) in your prayers that this will just be minor and that he will be able to play soon!  There are several things it could be and some are better than others.  Please pray!

So here is another photo that I thought was kind of artsy too of Hallie on the cat quilt.  It is on a rocker that used to be my grandmothers so kind of an old one.  I used to rock all the babies in this chair when I nursed them and would put them to sleep or when they woke up in the night.  It was always in the baby's room.  Now the cats have claimed it!  Especially if there is a quilt on it!
My friend, Faith, had asked me for some cat photos as she is painting and wanted to try some cats.  These are 2 of the photos I sent her.  She is VERY creative and her work is amazing.  You all need to see the butterfly wings she is working on for an art quilt she is doing, truly amazing and inspiring!!

There is a give away of an ipod over at cooking by the seat of my pants.  Go and check it out and enter to win one!!

I tried to upload a pic of the U of M string quilt pattern I designed but no luck.  I will have to check with Liz the Whiz and see what format she sent me.  I am just thankful she scans stuff for me, thank you Lizzy!!  Once I figure it out I will post it along with some interesting ideas I would like some feedback for.  It is a sunny day here and is supposed to warm up into the 50's so woot, woot!!  Hope you all have sunshine in your lives today too and remember this by Ralph Waldo Emerson...

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing on one's own sunshine".