A Great Mail Day

Yesterday was a great mail day. It was a typical Monday at work and I was ready for the day to be over. I get home, check the mail and there were two brown envelopes, both addressed to me. One was two patterns that I had ordered from a girl in Virginia Beach, VA -- Patchalot Patterns. I ordered her new pattern "Indian Paintbrush" and "Our Home". See picture to the left. I was excited to get them -- speedy service.

The other package was from South Carolina???? It was squishy and I was thinking it was the Spring Fling Roundrobin II. I opened the envie and there was the cutest pin cushion. Now who sent this to me??? A card was enclosed and it was from Teresa! She was the winner of a recent give-away on my blog and she sent me the pincushion as a thank you. How sweet! It absolutely made my "not that great" day into a fantastic day. THANKS TERESA.

Solo Retreat Weekend

It's been a great weekend of sewing. I had a retreat all by my BIG SELF! DH was gone and I spent the past two days in my studio sewing away, watching old movies and making some progress. I had planned to work on the Spring Fling Round Robin II, but I need batik fabric. I don't have a lot of batiks in my stash and wouldn't you know it -- I didn't have the color I needed.

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Here is a picture of the quilt top for my DS & DIL. This quilt has 110 (yes, I said 110) 8-inch blocks plus two borders. It is the largest quilt I have ever made. I've been working on it for a LOOOOOONNNNNNGG time. I grew bored with making the same block over and over and would always find some other little project to squeeze in. Well, the top is ready, the backing pieced, quilting thread selected and ready to be quilted. I would have quilted it over the weekend but I didn't have a batting large enough -- the largest I had was a queen size.

Here is a picture of the backing (all pieced and ready to go) draped over the longarm.

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The very first quilting retreat I ever went on was nearly 10 years ago. In January, we will celebrate our 10th anniversary of retreating together. There are only 7 of the original quilters left out of 17. We still have about 15 retreaters though. We decided the 7 charter members would exchange churn dash blocks. The center was to be made from a grey fabric to look like tin, which is a symbol for a 10-year anniversary.

The block on the left back in August at a retreat at the Compass Centre. It just looks so washed out and I really didn't like it at all. The grey, pink and purple seemed to just blend together. SEW, I made new blocks this morning (the block on the right). The center looks like grey cat hair with the churn dash being a lime green and the other portion black with brightly colored paw prints. I still have to sign my name.

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A few posts back, I was soliciting ideas for organizing my fabric. When going thru all my fabric, I found these Christmas redwork blocks done on my Janome 10000 a few years back. I had forgotten all about making them -- what a pleasant surprise. They are stitched on a white fabric with snowflake motifs. I decided to put them together. I just went to the Christmas drawer (see, I got somewhat organized --LOL!), and found some fabrics that I thought would look good with the blocks.

I put a red "flipper" (my own personal quilting term) around each block before sashing with the green stripe and red polka dot cornerstones. I then put a red "stop border" around the blocks before adding the final border. I thought the border fabric that looks like old-fashion Christmas trees with toys was a good compliment to the red and green fabrics. It is ready to be quilted. I plan to use the red polka dot as the binding. Here are some pictures of the finished top.

Let's Go to the Texas State Fair!

Oh My! We have (see earlier posts) learned that three members of The Wacky Pac Quilters had their blocks selected to be incorporated in the "Toast A Rising Star" quilt sponsored by The Texas Department of Agriculture. Texas is 5th in the nation in wine production, so this quilt depicts this great accomplishment. Get you a cup of coffee, tea, glass of wine, or whatever and lets make a trip to the State Fair of Texas for the big unveling!

The picture to the left is the winning Wackies (l-r --Kathy, Jerri, and Rhonda). Now you notice that Kathy is sporting a big hat and sunglasses as well as Rhonda. We just "know" we are going to be mauled by photographers and public wanting our photos and autographs! LOL SEW, here we go seven -- did I say SEVEN WILD AND WACKY WOMEN -- load up in my surburban so we can make the 2-hour trip to Dallas. It's a good thing I had new tires and new shocks on that car! (Just kidding girls). We have a map, written traveling directions from the TDA, a Texas map, and a GPS. As we get to the exit off I-45, it appeared everyone knew how to get there. We made it safely....parked.....got out.....walked into the fair....find out we can't park there.......so Kathleen and I head back to move the car.

We all finally get into the Food and Fiber Pavallion, and here we sit, waiting for the award ceremony to begin. Now, note that we are ALL wearing our "infamous" Wacky denim shirts that we made that is covered in Sworvorski gems. The place is aglow!

The quilt is on display, but it is COVERED IN BROWN PAPER! We can't see it yet, even though Jerri tried and tried to peek.

We eagerly await the ceremony to begin. Here we go......."Rhonda Lawton".

The clapping, yelling, whistling begins! Yep, you got it -- the other 6 of us can really make some noise. Everyone in the place was looking......Then it was "Kathy Earley" more claping and excitement.

Then it was "Jerri Hendrix" and again more cheering. I think it was at that point the others realize what kind of group we were -- LOL!

Now it's time for the "big unveiling". The quilt was hung amongst a beautiful display board telling all about the quilt. There were 24 blocks chosen to be in the quilt, but only 4 of the block descriptions were chosen to be put up on the display. Mine was picked! I was so surprised.

So the TDA staff 'rips' off the paper! What a BEAUTIFUL quilt it is! Several people said it was the most beautiful so far. (The Texas Department sponsors a quilt contest every two years). And 'ta da' a picture of all the block winners who are honored to have their designs in the quilt that will travel around the great State of Texas! Congratulations to all!

Primitive Excellence Award

My Wacky Friend, Rhonda, awarded me with the Primitive Excellence Award. Thank you Rhonda. I am just now getting around to putting it on my blog. I sometimes really feel "primitive" LOL! But I do LOVE primitive things. I love hearing and reading about stories from the past. I think it is so wonderful when people have things that have been passed down in their families from generation to generation. I don't have very many of those things, but I'm sure making sure my generation is passing down things! I am suppose to now give this award to seven other people/blogs. Well, guess what? The ones that I wanted to give it too already have been tagged! So, to all my Primitive Excellence Award Folks, I feel like I am now part of an elite group!

ABC's

My friend, Monica the Button Counter, has posted the ABCs on her blog and challenged everyone to do the same........SEW, here goes my friend:

A. Attached or Single? Attached for 37 years to the same guy (by the Grace of God -- LOL)
B. Best Friend? Friend...how 'bout friendS.....all my Wacky Pac Sisters
C. Cake or pie? Do I have to choose?
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? I reckon that would be my cell phone....How did we live without 'em
F. Favorite color? Purple, then pink, then blues, then....
G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms, of course
H. Hometown? Humble, TX
I. Favorite indulgence? Uninterrupted time in my quilting studio
J. January or July? January
K. Kids? Yep; 2 wonderful sons that I am very proud of (ages 34 and 32)
L. Life isn’t complete without? Prayer and my family
M. Marriage date? June 11, 1971 was marriage and yes we still date
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 older brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? oranges with vodka
P. Phobias? Snakes
Q. Quotes? "Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do and damned if you don't." by Eleanor Roosevelt
R. Reasons to smile? Waking up each morning
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Tag 5 people: Oh Dear.....
U. Unknown fact about me?
V. Vegetable? Tomato, but some say it is really a fruit
W. Worst habit? Just one??? Procrastination
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Had 'em both; don't care as long as results are good
Y. Your favorite food? Mexican
Z. Zodiac sign? Gemini

Fall Decorating

I did a little fall decorating this weekend. Even though in Texas, you don't see the "changing of the seasons" as much as you do any other states, Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. This is a picture of an old school desk that I picked up at a flea market many years ago. My hubby loves this little desk and tends to "pile it up" with his junk -- hunting/fishing magazines, etc. When he saw this, he just said "hump....girl stuff". LOL! Here is a picture of our mantle. If you notice the candle to the right of the clock, that is a handmade beeswax candle that came from Frankfurt, Germany. The picture to the right is my parents' wedding picture. The antique frame belonged to my "Aunt Eller". The glass is cracked, but that is the way it was when I got it -- just haven't changed it out!
Here's a little hutch in my kitchen that my hubby made for me a number of years ago. He used to do a lot of woodworking in his "younger years".

This is the top two shelves of the hutch. My new doll, "Carla Jo", sits to the left along with some of my roosters. She sits on a little doll quilt that I picked up at an antique store in Blanco, TX.
The bottom shelves are decorated with Fall stuff with a rooster tucked in there!
This is the fireplace screen.....Hubby gave it to me for Christmas a few years back. Not decorated too much.......

This is a quilt rack that hangs in my kitchen. Hubby made the quilt rack too. The pumpkin quilt was made a few years ago from Thimbleberries fabric.


On the shelf of the qult rack are some things special t o me. The old tin coffee pot to the left and the rolling pin on the left belong to my "Aunt Eller". The old wooden grater was my Mama's. All the other things are just some stuff I picked up "here and there."
The table in the kitchen sports a runner that matches the quilt hanging on the rack. It as three pumpkins, but one doesn't show well because the crock bowl with pumpkins is covering it up.

Happy Birthday to my Mama!

Happy Birthday to my Mama! She would have been 81 years old today. She passed away just after her 75th birthday after living the last three months of her life in the hospital. This is a picture of a scrapbook layout that I did about her. (I'm in the process of making a scrapbook "all about me" and these are just two of the pages about her.)

I miss her terribly. I woke up very sad this morning as I had been dreaming about her. She was one heck of a woman. She and my Dad were married 53 years when he passed away. During most of that marriage, my Dad was unhealthy. He had an accident that left him physically disabled. She stayed by his side. She worked right by his side in his TV repair shop (that's how he supported our family). She had such responsibility -- a disabled husband, a business to help keep going, and three kids. But, she did it all and found time to do some quilting. I realize now that quilting was probably what kept her going! LOL! I know it does me. When Daddy became unable to work and had to retire, she worked at the school cafeteria for extra income.

My Mama was my biggest fan. Whatever job I had, it was the best in the world, whatever I wore was beautiful. She loved every hairstyle I ever tried. She loved every quilt I made -- no matter how ugly! LOL! At the age of 72, she INSISTED that she have a longarm quilting machine. I tried to discourage her. I knew she was in no physical condition to do this. I talked to the vendor about it. BUT NO, (she could be hardheaded), she had to have it. So here we go, checking out machines and made the decision to buy a Gammill from Linda's Electric Quilters in Texas. Okay, she and I travel to McKinney, TX, for training. She got ill and couldn't finished training. But she would not let me take her home. She sit in a chair and watched me. When I went to visit her (I lived 150 miles from her), I would spend the entire weekend quilting her quilts and her little friends. She loved to sit and watch me quilt.

After she passed, I brought that LA machine to my house. I didn't touch it for a LONG time....made me too sad. I finally decided to set it up to use it and it had problems. Well, to shorten this long story, I took the head off and drove it to McKinney for repair. After explaining, the machine being moved, why, etc., the owner and her husband said they remembered my Mother. I was commenting that she didn't need to purchase that machine and Linda Taylor looked at me and said "You mother did not buy that machine for her; she bought it for you!" Linda continued to say that Mama had told her during the purchase that she was buying it for her daughter to use at her house, but I could not have it until she passed away. Oh My! I just boo-hooed and so did Linda! Thank you Mama!

Sorry to ramble.....there is so much more I could tell you, but this post has become long enough. Thanks for listening (or shall I say reading).

World Alzheimer’s Day -- September 21, 2008

This Sunday, September 21, 2008, is World Alzheimer’s Day. It is a day to remember the 26.6 million people worldwide who have this vile disease that will eventually rob them of the ability to remember and to reason. It will take from them every skill they ever learned and every relationship they ever held dear. And for most, they will watch this thief at work in their own minds.

If you have a family member or friend that suffers from this disease, please post on your blog. Let's get the word out! You can create a virtual quilt patch here.

Internet Shopping & Primitive Things

You know this surfin' on all of these blogs can sometimes "tempt" you -- LOL! Here is the result of last week's internet visits! I ordered these cute little chickens and eggs. The basket and raffia is mine and I just put then together. I don't know if they will stay this way (I like to change things), but it works for the photo. They are made of "grungy" muslin and painted. I fell in love with them and HAD to have them!

Then I saw this dahlin' little "Annie" doll. She is SEW CUTE! She has red yarn hair and is sporting a homespun red dress and a chenille sweater. Check out that face -- the eyes, mouth and nose are made with NAILS! Too cute --- I think the nails sold me -- LOL! And that cute tin heart around her neck. I love primitive things. I've decided her name is going to be "Carla Jo". I haven't decided just where I'm going to display her yet, but I'll find that special place.

It's Here from Australia!

I participated in the Miniature Booty Swap that QuiltingPirate hosted. This is the little quilt that I received today from Serena from Melbourne, Australia. She handpieced the quilt because she wanted to make sure the curves were nice and smooth -- they are. The pattern came from a Japanese quilting Book.

Thank you Serena!!!!!!!

Hurricane Ike

To all you bloggers in the path of Hurricane Ike, I want to say that I hope you all stay safe and that you do not sustain too much damage from this storm.

I live in Texas, but not near the coast; however, we are expecting high winds and lots of rain.

Hang on everyone!

Give Aways!!!!

Char over at the Pickled Pepper Patch is having a Fall Giveaway -- a wonderful breadboard, bowl, wooden spoons and fabric cinnamon rolls! She even offered to include the flour -- LOL!

Lisa at Black Sheep Prims Homeplace is also having a Giveaway for her 38th birthday -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA! She is giving away some candy corn ornies and a stitchery. What a nice thing to do.

Go over everyone and enter.....it will be to no avail cause I'm plannin' on winnin' them both! LOL

Pin Cushions

My friend and Wackie Sister, Molly, has challenged the Wacky Pac to make a pin cushion and exchange them at our annual Christmas Party. Now, let me tell you, Molly is a very talented quilter and wonderful person. She usually has some good challenges for us -- like the year we had to decorate a miniature gourd as a Christmas ornament. All we did was complain -- but we all made one LOL! They were "interesting" to say the least.

Then, during a retreat, she challenged us to do postcards -- what fun that was. Now Rhonda is in a postcard exchange. I think that is sew cool.

Sew, as I was thinking about pincushions, I had to share this one with you. I made this for my Mama (who was also a quilter) on her 75th birthday. The cup and saucer was my Aunt Ella's (or as us kids called her "Aint Eller"). She was in the hospital on her birthday and I remember taking it to her there. She loved it, but never got to use it. She was admitted to the hospital on September 10 and she passed away on December 9th. She never got to come home. Everytime I look at this particular pincushion, it brings me great memories of both my Mama and my Aunt, but it also makes me sad. I miss my Mama very, very much!

What do you Do? Revisited

Well, I finally got that mess straight. I have sorted all the fabric by color in these drawers. I do have some drawers for western, 1930's, Christmas, Americana, etc. It was quite a job (see previous post for "before" pic) but well worth it. All I have left to do is label the drawers.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. There were six people who left comments. I put all the names in a basket. I shook it up, and drew a name. And the winner is.......................................

TERESA from Stitchin' Friends

(sorry about the photo -- too much light)

Teresa, I need your addy so I can send you your prize. Here it is:

What do you Do?

Is this pitiful or what? I say "or what". And this isn't all of it. It looks like a dog that has been digging in the dirt! I'm trying to get my fabrics organized AGAIN.

How do you do it???? by color? by collection? by theme? I lean towards by color, but then putting western together, Christmas, etc. It's really hard to decide. I've got those elfa baskets for FQs, and small pieces and then cabinets for yardage. Post your ideas on how to organize fabric. I'll put all the names of comments in a basket and I will draw for a prize. What is the prize, you ask??? FABRIC, OF COURSE!

If I EVER get this place organized, I'm going to post pictures and take you on a tour of my studio -- "Mama & Me". It is a stand alone building 18-feet by 40-feet and it is FULL! Imagine that! I am very proud of it. The building is a result of my inheritence from my Mother and the hopes of fulfilling one of her dreams.

Happy Labor Day!

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day! Me? I'm being lazy this morning....watching the news on Hurrican Gustaf and browsing blogs. I tell you---this internet can really get you in trouble!!!

We don't have any plans for today -- just relaxing. DH just came home from a fishing trip to Alaska with DS#2 and he is exhausted. He got caught in Portland, OR -- canceled flights -- so he is really tired. I'm hoping to get in the studio and get "something" done -- we will see!

Have a great Monday!