A Sentimental Quilter

Clarissa's Garden Quilt

2012-01-25T12:37:00.000-06:00

Some of you may remember this little quilt from The American Schoolgirl Club, a series of patterns I designed about a year or so ago. It's one of my favorites. One of my goals is to have another pattern series like that sometime, perhaps later this year. Good idea? The American Schoolgirl Club - The Sequel, LOL. More darling scrappy little quilts with an antique touch. Maybe a little bit of applique too because, you know, I'm doing a little more applique these days and it seems that many of you like that in your little quilts. I'm going to be travelling around to guilds doing lectures and workshops quite a bit this spring, so we'll see if I have time and energy to actually do this.

This particular pattern was very popular and sold out quickly after I ended the Club and had a few patterns left over. Some of you have asked me if I was ever going to reprint the pattern. I'm happy to say it's now going to be available again. I was going to get it printed up last week, but, well, you know how it is - things happen, I get busy. Or, I work out and then have to lie down and take a nap, LOL. Sheesh, remind me to stop getting older . . . . I promise it will be printed up shortly though. If not this week, then early next week for sure. So keep watching my website. It will be up there soon. Get your scraps ready!

Oh, and don't forget - I am also teaching a workshop to make this little quilt at the Grout Museum Cabin Fever Quilt Retreat on Feb 3 in Waterloo, Iowa. I am not organizing this, just teaching, so check with the museum, not me, to see if there are still spots available in any of the classes. I know this retreat is going to be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it, assuming the weather is good enough that I can actually get to Iowa in February . . . .

Week 4 - Quilting Your Little Quilt

2012-01-23T15:07:00.000-06:00

This is the week you should be working on finishing your little Crosses Mourning quilt. I started quilting mine over the weekend and hope to finish before we begin another small quilt for Feb, sometime next week.

I really love the look of a little doll quilt that is quilted very simply. In this quilt I quilted in the ditch around the inside of each block, then quilted inside the black part and just a simple stitch through the center of the colored cross part of the block. The sashing will be quilted with a few straight lines and I have not decided what I will do on the border yet.

If you have not tried hand quilting, now would be a perfect time. If you do not like using straight-line quilting, here's a great place to buy quilting stencilsthat are easy to use with a water soluble marking pen. They also have stencils for small quilt borders so check out the border page. This little wavy oneis one of my favorites and I admit I use it often.

Myfavorite quilting thread is YLI quilting thread. I'm very partial to the lightbrown as it gives a nice antique look when stitched on both light and darkfabrics.

I'm clearly not an expert and my stitches could be a little smaller andstraighter, but it sure is fun and I love the look of a little quilt that'shand quilted. If you haven't taken the time to do any hand quilting, try it outon a small quilt. It doesn't have to be heavily quilted--just try stitching astraight line or Xs in the blocks to get yourself going. Even a little bit ofhand quilting gives a special look to a quilt. And, don't forget, if you make amistake, it will only add to the charm.

If I use a simple quilting design, it usually takes a couple of evenings ora week at most to finish a small quilt and is very relaxing for me. If the stitches are less than perfect or alittle quirky, oh well. Antique doll quilts were not perfect either. I'm not interested in making them perfectspecimens or trying to win prizes. Just having fun. I hope you are too.

Drama in the Big Backyard, No Time to Quilt

2012-01-21T11:54:00.003-06:00

I became very upset one day last week. I love watching the beautiful cardinals that come to my backyard feeder. I think of them as MY cardinals. Well, the dog started barking at the window and I turned around just in time to see a huge hawk swoop down from the tree, snatch a cardinal at the feeder and fly away with it. I felt so sad most of that day. Call me silly, but I hate witnessing this predator-prey aspect of nature. For goodness sake, I live in an URBAN area. We pretend things like that just don't happen.

The week before last, the dog was barking at the window and I thought it was just a squirrel - but when I ran to the window to shoo it away so she'd stop making so much noise, there, skulking between my house and my neighbor's house, was the biggest CAT-like animal I have ever seen. It was not an ordinary house cat, but something much larger and more sinister looking. The squirrels and birds started making a LOT of racket and then it ran away. I was pretty shaken and thought it may have been a bobcat or something. It was that big. I looked it up and saw that bobcats are spotted and have short tails. This cat-creature had a very lonnnng tail and was a pale tan color all over. This will make sense after you read the next paragraph. Besides, what would a bobcat be doing here, in the Chicago area?

After talking to a few neighbors who have dogs, I decided to call the village police to see if anyone else had reported seeing anything like it roaming around. I sure didn't want to run into it while I walked the dogs at night. They said no, are you sure it wasn't a fox? Sheesh, I know what a fox looks like and I was wearing my glasses. This was as big or bigger than my 48-lb dog. Apparently no one had reported anything but the police told me that there had been several COUGAR sightings in a nearby suburb, near a wooded area, and they were on alert. COUGARS??? In the Chicago area?? MY yard?? I remembered that a couple of years ago a cougar was killed by police right in the city proper so I know it's not impossible. Jeepers.

I hear there's also a coyote roaming about the neighborhood. My neighbor's dog walker said one approached him within several yards when he was walking her dog the other day, just a few blocks away. So now we have to be extra careful with our little dog. She doesn't understand why I've been keeping her on a leash and going out there with her every time she needs to pee. Brrr! Seems like 12 times a day . . . More when it's cold, of course.

Dog paw prints? No, I went out there first, before I let them out, right after it snowed, so they hadn't even run through the snow yet. Squirrel tracks? No, much bigger than a squirrel's foot.

You don't think it's BIGFOOT, do you??

So now I'm afraid to let either dog out alone and I spend a little time every day on COUGAR patrol, looking for suspicious tracks in the snow . . . I won't rest until the neighborhood canines (and I) are safe! Wonder why I'm not getting any quilting done, LOL?

You can tell she's on alert too. Ears perked, adrenaline pumped, ready to rumble . . . Bring it on, Cougar/Coyote!

The other dog is not quite as nervous. Tells me to relax, figures he can take a coyote any day. LOL, he's a typical male, did you guess? No drama for him. He's much more interested in the ordinary day-to-day stuff that goes on in the big backyard . . . . What's cooking, good looking?

What Inspired Me Today

2012-01-19T17:18:00.000-06:00

I woke up feeling kind of yucky this morning, with a scratchy throat, like maybe I was coming down with a cold. Did not feel like doing much, even though I had a lot to do. Ever have one of those mornings?

I fed the dogs, made myself a cup of tea, took some Tylenol, and sat down and checked my e-mail. There was a message from the Dear Jane e-mail list I'm on that contained a little note from Karan Flanscha that I wanted to share with you. I know some of you are making your own Dear Jane quilts or have already finished one.

~~-------------------------------------------------------------~~

Greetings, Sticklers!!
I have exciting news . . . I have finished my big Dear Jane "In Time of Recollection" . . . started 1-1-1997 and finished today, on my birthday . . . 1-18-2012.It will be part of an exhibit "Covered By Glory: Civil War CommemorativeQuilts" at the Grout Museum of History & Science in Waterloo, Iowa. The exhibit will be open from Jan. 27 - September 1st, if any of you will be traveling in the Midwest. Therewill be around 50 wonderful Civil War era quilts, and reproduction quilts shared by quilters like Barbara Brackman, Brenda Papadakis, Mimi Dietrich, Kathy Tracy,Judi Rothermel, Fons & Porter, and many others.

When I started my Dear Jane, I knew it would be a 'long termproject'. . . I didn't think 15 years, but a lot has happened over those years!! My quilt issewn entirely by hand, even the binding (front & back) was sewn by hand. That actually worked reallywell... no anxiety or hassles trying to fit the big quilt under the sewing machine andpivoting the scallops!! My personal challenge was to stitch my quilt as much like Jane Sticklesewed hers, as I could. A column in the local newspaper stated 'women today could notmake quilts like the very old ones' (we just couldn't do work with wonderfulapplique, piecing and quilting!!)

My colors are not all like Jane's . . . when I started, I plannedto make 49 blocks, but then I found more of my background fabric, and by that time I had learnedthat Dear Jane is not a quilt . . . it is a lifestyle VBG!!

Here is a quote that sort of sums up my Dear Janeexperience:

"My whole life is in that quilt. It scares me sometimes when I look at it. All my joys and all my sorrows are stitched into those little pieces . . . I tremble sometimes, when I remember what that quilt knows about me." (Credited to"an Ohio great-grandmother reminisicing to Marguerite Ickis".)

There are so many wonderful memories associated with myquilt, and some sad ones too . . . quilters who have 'crossed over to Glory' ahead of us. For those ofyou working on your blocks . . . a 'Tilde thread' a day will keep you moving forward . . . most ofmy blocks were stitched in 'found time' . . . little bits of time here and there that have addedup to so much more. Thanks to all of you who have been part of my journey!!

Happy Stitching

Karan

~~------------------------------------------------------------~~

This is just what I needed to motivate me. How exciting it must be to finally complete that quilt! I felt so proud of and happy for her. Before long, the Tylenol kicked in and I started to feel better. Or was it reading Karan's inspiring message that made me feel better? Probably a little of both. So, in honor of Karan's completed Dear Jane quilt, I decided to take some time today to finish another block of my own. Thanks, Karan! Wonder if I'll be able to finish mine in 15 years??

Not a difficult block, true, but still - lots of tiny pieces.

This makes 39 blocks finished since 2010 . . . . Don't worry, I'll catch up.

I first saw Karan's almost-finished quilt in 2010 when I taught a workshop for her guild.

Every time I look at these photos I become inspired. I will be in Iowa again in less than 2 weeks to teach at the Grout Museum Cabin Fever Retreat and to see the Covered by Glory quilt exhibit Karan talked about. And Karan's Dear Jane quilt. Can't wait. I hope she lets me take more pictures so I can show you. I'll bet you'll be inspired too.

Small Quilt - Week 3

2012-01-15T13:38:00.000-06:00

If you are following along with me you have already pieced the blocks for this month's little quilt from my book Prairie Children & Their Quilts - am I right? Yesterday, I put the sashing and borders on mine and that's your task for this week. It will only take a few hours, maybe less. If you're just joining us, scroll down the blog to see the quilt we're working on that was posted a couple of weeks ago.

Take your time choosing your sashing and borders. I always audition tons of prints before I choose which print I want to place next to the blocks (for the sashing) and which ones for the inner and outer borders. The quilt in the book uses the same print for the sashing and inner border but I used a different one for each for this quilt.

Take time to choose your outer border carefully as well. Look at the quilt in Prairie Children. This is a great way to use up a large floral print you may have been saving. If you do that, make sure your sashing and inner borders are not as busy as the border print. Pick a smaller pattern perhaps so the border stands out and doesn't clash with the inner border or sashing. For this quilt I'm making along with you, I chose a small tan floral for a very different look.

These were a few of my other border choices and I hope I picked the right one. Which one would you have picked? All of them would have looked cute.

As you can see, I made the four-block version so it did not take me long at all. Since the original quilt was very dark with dark blocks, sashing and borders, I chose to make this little one in lighter tones, keeping the dark blocks.

Ta dah! The top is done after only a few hours. Choosing fabric took the longest time. I almost chose one of the other blue and tan floral prints but then decided on this subtle print primarily because when I quilt it I want the quilting to stand out a bit. Also, I don't have very many quilts with a light border.

Have fun and show me your quilts - either in the Yahoo group photo album or on Flickr. Next week I'll try to motivate you to quilt it before we begin another small quilt for February.

I Swear the Dog Needs a Job

2012-01-12T16:59:00.000-06:00

You know your dog visits the vet a little too often when he gets his own Walgreens prescription card!

The big puppy or "Big Rig" as we like to call him, recently had another bout with illness (tumor on his spleen, turned out to be benign) that required more surgery but is recovering nicely and anxious to get back to work so he can help pay for all of his $$ medical bills $$.

He was recently laid off from his longtime job of waking the teenage girl in the house every morning because she went off to college and now has to find someone else to do that for her. Chasing squirrels doesn't really pay much so if you know of any part-time positions available for a sweet, friendly, hard-working, conscientious Wheaten Terrier, let us know. Just send an application to the house because, look, he gets junk mail now too.

Only a matter of time before his voter registration card arrives. This is an election year and we live near Chicago where every vote counts . . . sometimes twice.

Small Quilt - Week 2

2012-01-10T17:23:00.000-06:00

Hopefully some of you have chosen your fabric and cut the pieces for your blocks for the Crosses Mourning quilt in my book Prairie Children & Their Quilts. I had so much fun motivating you to begin this year of making small quilts that I decided to make this one right along with you. Since I already made the one in the book with nine blocks, I am making the smaller version of the quilt (with only 4 blocks) that I started on Saturday.

Week 2 (this week!) is the week you are supposed to piece your blocks together and so I am not going to get ahead of myself here. Yep, that's all I did - took it kind of slow and just pieced these four blocks together in about an hour. This way I feel like I can do other things this week but I've still accomplished something here and am certain I will finish this one this month. How about you? Small quilts are the easiest and most fun for me and, unless something dreadful comes along, this weekly schedule of doing just a little at a time should work out just fine.

Sometime next week we'll work on the sashing and borders and, before you know it, the quilt will be finished

Are you still with me??

The Civil War Sewing Circle Club

2012-01-09T18:04:00.000-06:00

Here's some more fun for you to think about. Some of you are enjoying making this small quilt of the month with me and so I thought I'd pass along a link to another shop that is doing a quilt a month from my latest book, The Civil War Sewing Circle.

Jerry Stube at Quilters Quarters in Leavenworth, Kansas, is coordinating a year-long program at the shop to make ALL of the quilts from this book beginning in March. With kits! That means loads of fabric. This is also going to be available for her online customers. That could be you.

Jerry has done programs like this in the past with my other books. I've heard good things about them and you and I know that clubs are a great way for you to actually get some quilts made. Sometimes all you need is a little nudge. Online clubs like this are terrific if you cannot take a class at a local quilt shop. You can still join in the fun. Even better if the fabric is already chosen for you and delivered right to your door.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Fabric.

Okay, so I tell jokes like a three-year-old, with no punchline, but you get the point. And, if you join the club, you get Fabric. Every month. So check with Jerry and see what she has in store for you beginning in March.

At some point we may also be doing one or two quilts from this book in our small quilt quilt-a-long in the Yahoo group and through this blog as we go through the year.

Some of you have finished this month's quilt already! Good for you! If you are not in the Yahoo group and have nowhere to post photos so we can all see them (and ooh and ahh), you can upload them to my Flickr group - Quilts Designed by Kathy Tracy, which I created last year just so we can see what people are making.

If you haven't started cutting your pieces yet, get going . . . there's still time.

Quilt of the Month - Week 1

2012-01-07T12:47:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are doing this small quilt challenge with me where we'll be making 12 quilts this year (# 1 - Crosses Mourning Quilt from Prairie Children & Their Quilts this month), by the end of this weekend you should have at least picked out your fabric and perhaps cut out the pieces for the blocks.

These blocks can be made strictly from an assortment of your scraps. In making my quilt, I chose nine different muted (but still colorful) prints. I used an assortment of light prints and shirtings for the backgrounds and 2 different black prints for each block, sometime repeating prints. If you don't have a lot of black to use, and you like the dark motif, how about indigo or dark brown? I think those would work just as well.

This beginning part shouldn't take long at all and if you're following along at my simple, no-pressure pace, you can stop now and work on piecing the blocks together next week. Here are some sample pieces for a block that took me all of 15 minutes to choose and cut. Follow the cutting directions in your book and do this 9 times for 9 blocks for the quilt in the book or 4 times if you're making the smaller version with 4 blocks. A couple of hours, at most.

I did not use red in my original quilt but I really like the way this looks.

Now put it aside and work on your other projects or go for a walk. Don't pressure yourself to finish it today. Don't worry, you'll get it done. You can get to it again next week when you have a little time. However, I would be very surprised if you stopped here, LOL. Sometimes small quilts are so much fun to make that it's very easy to just keep going until you finish the whole thing (like that bag of chips, but let's not go there . . . )

Small quilts do not require a lot of time but there is such a sense of satisfaction when you finish one. I know that disciplining yourself to get started is the hard part. We always have so much to do but, like exercise, if you don't carve out the time, it's just not gonna happen. If you just do a little at a time, every week, on a consistent basis, you'll finish this quilt by the end of this month and then we'll start another in February. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a red & white Valentine's Day version of another one of my little quilts but I'm not telling which one yet.

Thanks for joining me!

One Small Quilt a Month

2012-01-04T11:07:00.001-06:00

Many of you know that am I owner and moderator of a Yahoo group called Small Quilt Talk where those of us who ~~like~~ love to make small quilts can chat about and show photos of projects we make. Sometimes we do challenges and have swaps among the members. There's always a lot of quilty chatter and our members are from all skill levels (and countries too). Everyone is always willing to help beginners, answer questions and give support to our collective small-quilting addiction.

Tell me if this sounds like fun. We are currently beginning a challenge to make some small quilts this year from patterns in some of my books. One quilt a month for the year. Many of you have some if not all of my books and someone in the group thought that this would be a great way to finally get around to making some of them. Maybe you are having trouble getting started. I know how it is - I have so many quilt pattern books and usually buy them because of certain patterns I really love and am dying to make. Do I make them? Hardly ever, I have to admit.

Did you know that there are patterns for at least 40 small quilts, or doll quilts, in all four of my books? (If you count the large ones there are even more.). That's a lot of quilts to choose from. I know not everyone likes ALL of the quilts and many of you have made some of them. There are some of you who would really like to make a few more. This is what you tell me when I visit your guilds and I show my quilts. Why else are we inspired to buy the books if not to try making the quilts?

This is about 1/3 of my small quilts . . . .

I am extending my group challenge to the Sentimental Quilter blog-readership and it is going to work this way. Every month I will choose a quilt from one of my books and challenge you to make it. I'll upload a file to the Yahoo group to assign the quilt and also to show you an alternate way of making the quilt - colors, size, etc. Because of copyright, I am unable to reprint the patterns from the books and give them to you here for free, and I hope you understand. I think many of you already have the books anyway or you wouldn't be a fan of my quilts and reading this blog, right?

Here are some of my friend Julia's small quilts. Isn't this adorable? She's as crazy as I am. Imagine, at the end of the year you could have your own little stack of quilts just like this . . .

Every month there will be another small quilt assigned from one of my books and you can choose to participate in all or one or none. No pressure. But if you do participate, just think, by the end of the year you will have 12 small quilts completed! Not bad.

Also, we will be doing this as a sort of Small-Quilt-a-Long. In the yahoo group (maybe here too) I hope to prompt and motivate those of you who are doing this to keep working on the quilt. The first week of each month I will choose the quilt and try to encourage you to begin choosing fabrics and maybe cut your pieces. The second week I will try to prompt you to sew them together. The third week is for sashing and/or borders and the last week I will encourage you to quilt your little quilt and finish it. Sound like fun??

Of couse, it's all easy for me because I have already made all the quilts, LOL. Some of them twice - or even three times (!) so my part is simple. You guys have to do all the work and make the little scrappy quilts you tell me you love so much. But honestly, they take very little time to finish. They're so SMALL. And - at the end of the year you can have your very own Wall of Quilts to rival this one that belongs to an antique doll quilt collector! I never get tired of being inspired by this photo. You can even make 2 every month in different colors and give one to a friend.

(From Collecting American Country by Mary Emmerling )

You can still participate even if you are not a member of the Small Quilt group. Only members can view the files and post and view photos of the finished quilts, however.

This is a wonderful way to get the New Quilting Year off to a great start - and feel good about making some of those quilts from the books that are beginning to collect dust . . .

To kick off the year, I chose this quilt for January - from Prairie Children and Their Quilts, my second book.

Crosses Mourning Quilt

When the pioneers left their homes and headed west in covered wagons, women sometimes brought along quilts for the journey that were intended to comfort the sick and perhaps even shroud the dead. One young woman wrote about her mother who had passed away while on the trail west. They had to leave her and continue on their journey. "The rolling hills were ablaze with beautiful roses . . . and we heaped and covered mother's grave with the lovely roses so the cruel stones were hid from view." I made this little mourning quilt (with the beautiful border of roses print) as a memoriam to the many men, women and children who died on the trail and because I was so touched by that quote.

Mourning quilts made during the nineteenth century were often expressions of loss and sorrow, and healing was hastened perhaps by the comfort of making a quilt. Pieces of clothing from the deceased were sometimes included in the quilt as reminders of and tributes to the departed.

So get out your books, quilters, and join the fun. Make a small quilt a month. I know you can do it!

Happy Healthy New Year!

2012-01-01T18:12:00.002-06:00

(Just to warn you, this post may be heavy on the vegetables so get out now if you feel you must!)

It's January 1 again! I always make resolutions on January 1 and sometimes I keep them but they always seem to be the same ones. And this year is no different. Isn't that the truth? I'm doing it a bit differently this time though and trying to make small, important changes that will stick without pressuring myself so much that I get stressed and give up before February gets here.

For instance, the exercise thing - always the first thing on my list every year and the one thing I try so hard to make work for me. Until I give up for some stupid reason (Okay, I'll give myself a break - ankle, foot and knee injuries are a good excuse and I've suffered from those time and time again. But just when I think I'm off the hook there's always some wise*** who suggests . . . swimming!) I already began an exercise program recently to get some of my muscle strength back and I will try to continue working on that if I can. If it's not too cold to walk outside, that is . . . Otherwise, there's a track nearby that I used to go to but haven't been to in awhile. No excuse. It's only about 5 miles away. Why does it have to be so hard to put that one foot in front of the other, LOL??

This is better than walking around inside a mall when it's 20 degrees or less outside. Also, I am not tempted to spend any money LOL.

If I time it right I won't have to walk around the track while all of the skinny people are working out below me with their loud music. I'm trying to listen to a book on my ipod you guys . . .

Keep eating my fiber! I love most vegetables and eat plenty (fruits too) but I mostly cook them. Because I have suffered from some nasty digestive ailments in the past, this year I am determined to try to increase my fiber even more and eat more raw vegetables. Fiber for me keeps the doctor away. No, I have no interest in eating a raw diet AT ALL. And I think the jury is still out on which is better for you - cooked or raw. Did you know that raw carrots supply polyphenols, chemicals with antioxidant properties that may reduce cancer and the risk of heart disease? Cooking carrots destroys all the polyphenols and breaks down the vitamin C so your body can't use it. Yet cooking supplies MORE beta carotene than raw which is one reason we eat the vegetables in the first place, isn't it? The same holds true for spinach, cabbage, peppers, asparagus and many other veggies. I think the solution is to just eat a combination of both.

When I cook my vegetables I don't get as much fiber as I could. Last year I started grating a whole raw carrot into my salads at home and sometimes will add half of a grated apple too. Yum. Seriously, it makes for a very good salad and I will sometimes add a handful of walnuts too. Seems to fill me up much better. If only I could find a low-fat dressing I liked . . . That's what usually gets me every time. The quest is on to find a dressing I like that isn't high in fat.

I try not to eat a whole lot of processed foods and I usually do fine but I sure like to snack as much as anybody else. If there's a bag of chips in the house I will eat it so the key for me is to just not buy it or only buy them occasionally. I get really tired of eating raw veggies and dip. I cannot eat many of those ready-made dips or any dip made with soup mix because of the MSG or added spices and flavorings. Here's a dip I made over the holidays that everyone liked really well. I made more today and added more raw vegetables -

I used my nifty little mini-food processor to chop up fresh broccoli and red pepper and then added the vegetables to Greek yogurt (twice the protein as regular and thicker and creamier too) with a little garlic powder and salt. No, I did not eat the whole bowl! Not bad and a good way for me to get in those raw vegetables instead of eating boring raw veggies with a high-fat dip. Too bad my favorite crackers have a little too many calories . . . . Have you tried these?? They're half pretzels, half crackers and very crispy.

I don't usually eat a lot of sugar snacks on a regular basis but boy did I have way too much over the past several weeks. Candy, fudge, cookies . . . you name it. So it looks like sugar is going to have to go too. Goodbye Peppermint Bark! Here's my healthy substitute - SKINNY POP.

Probably the single best popcorn I have ever had without butter. And I like it just fine without. Look at those calories. Or lack of them I should say. A little pricey and so I try to make the bag last but even if I don't - it won't kill me to eat more than a cup. Low in sodium too. Made in Chicago so you may have to check to see if they sell this in your area.

I haven't even had time to think about my quilting resolutions yet. I think this is what is going to occupy my mind instead of quilting for awhile until I get into a routine and the changes stick. I did promise myself I would get some more Dear Jane blocks finished in the coming weeks, months, so don't worry, I'm still here. Just taking a little health break.

Cabin Fever Quilt Retreat

2011-12-28T20:07:00.000-06:00

There are still a few openings in a couple of classes I am teaching at the Cabin Fever Quilt Retreat at the Grout Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, Feb 2-4, 2012. We'll be making Clarissa's Garden Quilt -

. . . and the Album Quilt from The Civil War Sewing Circle, another great scrappy quilt -

I will also be giving a demonstration to make that cute housewife needle case you saw a few posts ago.

This January, the Grout Museum begins hosting an exhibit titled "Covered by Glory: Civil War Commemorative Quilts" which promises to be very exciting. Here's some more info about the exhibit from the museum -

"During the Civil War many women turned to needlework as a refuge from the stress, loneliness and worry of war. They utilized their skills to support their families, raise money for the cause and create necessary items for the soldiers. When the war was over, they stitched commemorative quilts celebrating victory and honoring those who died. A century ands a half later the sacrifices are still remembered with commemorative fabrics, patterns and quilts that mark the Sesquicentennial of the Wat between the States. This exhibit showcases several quilts, some made during the era and commemorative quilts made from ten to 150 years later. Photographs, archives and more will enhance this exhibit."

I am proud that a few of my quilts will be hanging in this exhibit, which runs through September 2012. Make sure it's on your calendar if you're planning to visit Iowa next year!

http://www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:06:00.000-06:00

Were you good and did you get everything you wished for from Santa?

My daughter gave me this cool vintage-looking necklace with a little sewing machine, scissors and button charms.

I also got that critically acclaimed Stephen King book about the JFK assassination I've been wanting to read - 11/22/63. Look what else - some Perfect Circles and those neat Karen Kay Buckley applique scissors too, 'cuz remember, I do applique now, LOL. And an LED flex-light to wrap around my neck so I can see exactly what I'm doing when I'm doing my applique. Lots of other cool gifts too.

The best gifts? My kids were extremely thoughtful in their gift giving to us and each other and - get this - last night my son even cleaned up the kitchen after Christmas Eve dinner because I was so tired after cooking all day. What more could a mom ask for??

I love Christmas and feel blessed, being together with family. I hope you all are having a wonderful, special day too.

'Twas the Day Before Christmas Eve . . .

2011-12-23T12:04:00.000-06:00

. . . And someone is scrambling around trying desperately to get things finished and ready for the holiday. Am I the only one?? I love Christmas!

Running around today looking for some little things to put in the kids' stockings -

Yes, they still get stockings, bigger than this one, LOL, even though they're 18 and 23 . . . . I love "pin tins." Found these Hello Kitty tins filed with candy for my daughter that will be just perfect for my applique pins after she eats the mints and tosses them away. Good thinking, huh? I love Christmas!

I'm not making any quilts this year, been busy making some jewelry though -

I love Christmas!

Who's the lucky girl who's getting some homemade earrings? Shhhh. Don't worry, I went to Ulta and Forever XXI at the mall too.

Haven't done much baking but my plan is to make a few batches of cookies tonight. More peppermint bark too . . . I love staying up late and baking after everyone else has gone to bed. I'll put on some quiet Christmas music. It will just be me and Michael Buble . . . in the kitchen, baking the cookies.

Always something to do . . . Hurry, hurry . . . Can you tell I'm a bit stressed? Not enough hours left . . . Need to run and get more groceries for Christmas Eve dinner. Family is coming over tomorrow night and I'm baking a ham, cheesy potatoes and also spinach lasagna. My daughter is vegetarian so the lasagna has become one of our Christmas traditions (red and green). Hope it stays a family tradition if all that cheese doesn't kill us off, LOL. I sure love Christmas!

Christmas Past

2011-12-20T16:08:00.003-06:00

I always have the best intentions but never seem to find enough time to make enough Christmas gifts for friends and family. I usually get a few done but never as many as I planned. Maybe it's because I start too late, LOL? And then I get really busy. They often carry over unfinished and then at least I have a head start on gifts for next year . . . .

Only a few days left and I was thinking about what kind of last minute, quick gifts to make for Christmas. A couple of years ago I made a few of these Civil War "huswife" needle cases for friends -

They stitch up pretty quickly, and are even great for non-quilters. My sister uses hers as a gift card or credit card case since the pockets are just the right size. The pattern is in my book Remembering Adelia, which I know many of you have. So, if you're looking for a quick handmade gift for a friend, there's still time to whip one up!

During the Civil War, Christmas celebrations were very subdued and often somber. Many families were without a father (remember the fictional March family in Little Women). Church attendance followed by a large family dinner was the custom in most homes. By 1861 most homes also had a Christmas tree as well as stockings hung in anticipation of St. Nicholas' arrival. Christmas trees were decorated with popcorn balls, ribbons, colored paper and sometimes edible treats. Popular gifts of the time included needle books (!), pin cushions, paint boxes, jewelry, tops, pen wipers etc. But the best gift of all may have been the arrival of a loved one returning home from the war.

Sallie Brock Putnam of Richmond VA wrote that Christmas 1861 had been spent making and preparing warm items for the soldiers - caps, stockings and colorful scarves. The soldiers were foremost in people's minds and what food they could afford was sent to the camps to cheer and comfort those who would not be making the trip home for Christmas. The absence of loved ones was keenly felt around most dinner tables and vacant chairs were set as reminders.

As I was sorting through and organizing papers recently I came across pages of the diary entries that were in my Remembering Adelia book. Adelia was 19 and lived in northern Illinois in 1861, the year the Civil War began. I thought some of you might enjoy reading a simple, firsthand account of what Christmas was like for many families that year:

December 4, 1861

Lydia and I went to Mrs Shaver's in the afternoon. Marg and Frank went with us to Vosburgh's in the evening. Marg has just been to Chicago and she showed us all the new things. Sam Shoemaker brought home the body of his brother Jerome who died in the hospital in Mo., a member of Co F, 15 Reg., Illinois Volunteers.

Dec 5, 1861

Mother and Clara went with Mr Goodwin's folks to Crystal Lake to Jerome Shoemaker's funeral. I wrote a letter to Lester. Received one from Em.

Dec 6, 1861

A man recruiting for Mulligan's Brigade in Chicago lectured at the schoolhouse and staid here all night. Wesley Shepard and George Gill signed the muster roll.

Dec 7

The recruiting officer took the boys to Chicago today. Were all here for dinner. Elias went to the station and brought me a letter from Lester and one from Jim at St Louis and a host of papers. Made Clara an apron today.

Dec 18

Mrs Goodwin came here early in the morning to have me do some sewing for her on the machine and she put the facing on the girls' dresses for me.

In the afternoon I went over to see how Jule was and to help Mrs Vosburgh if she needed me. I swept, made some cookies and did her ironing. [Jule was a neighbor friend who had enlisted in the war, became very ill and had now returned home].

Dec 19, 1861

Mother made the stuff all ready for mince pies, chopped apples and all that sort of thing getting ready for Christmas.

Dec 20, 1861

Mother made nineteen mince pies today which took about all of her time. I made a housewife for Lester and Elias is going to Woodstock to carry it to be sent to Washington [where Lester, her "young man" was stationed].

Dec 21, 1861

Worked the forenoon if I ever did. Dressed the chickens, washed the pantry floor, the kitchen floor, made up beds, swept the chambers and almost a little of everything. Mr Bennett and sister came between three and four o'clock. Anderson came in the evening and we went to William's to sing. Had a fire in the fireplace and we couldn’t keep warm. Jule Harback worse and they sent for Father to go and watch.

Dec 22

Got up this morning and the ground was white with snow. It continued to snow all day and it was about eight inches at night. Mr Bennett was here and he was in a stew to know how he was going to get home. Anderson had to go home in the storm and break his own path. I think I never saw so much snow fall at one time.

Dec 23

Father carried Miss B— to the cars [train cars] and Mr Bennett went home with the buggy. Picked and dressed the turkey for Christmas and did the washing. Julius Harback died today. He has been sick more than two months and is nothing but a skeleton.

Dec 24
How unfortunate! When we have got so much work to do. I have been real sick most all day. Got breakfast and washed the dishes and did nothing till three o'clock. Elias went to Crystal Lake after Jule's coffin.

Dec 25

Got up early and got the work done and the turkey in the oven and then went to Jule's funeral. Had a miserable sermon but a full house. He was buried in the Patterson place beside his mother. Found McComber's folks here when we got back. Got dinner as quick as we could. Edwin's folks, Uncle Johnson, Lydia, Jo, Em and all hands were here.

Dec 26

All hands started home as soon as possible in the morning for the snow was melting so fast. They were afraid of losing the sleighing. It turned cold about noon and froze everything solid. I was left alone with lots of dishes to wash and the house to put in order. Mother was called out in the night to Mrs Stroop and did not get back until afternoon [Mrs Stroop's son was captured and imprisoned].

Last night received a photograph of four soldiers—Lester's and John Southworth and two strangers, no names attached.

(Photo of two soldiers, courtesy of The Library of Congress)

* * *

Life was not easy for those who lived 150 years ago and I feel blessed that we do not have to endure some of what they did. It really gives one pause to think of how so many families survived the hardships of this terrible time and yet still managed to celebrate Christmas together in whatever way they could, reaching out and helping each other through the difficulties. I hope all of you are lucky enough to have family around you this time of year and if you know someome who does not, think about inviting them to share your celebration.

As if the above was not depressing enough, LOL, it looks like there will be no snow here in Chicago for Christmas this year - so, if you're like me and love the stuff, try to have yourself

A very Merry Christmas anyway!

My Sentimental Christmas Tree

2011-12-15T12:06:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas trees and I admire all of the nicely decorated ones in magazines. Wouldn't it be fun to have a blue-themed tree one year and a silver and gold the next? Glass ornaments and silver ribbons would NEVER have worked in my house, with my kids and dogs. I love decorating our non-fancy sentimental Christmas tree and every year when we unwrap the ornaments and pull them out of the boxes it's a little like getting a pre-Christmas gift. We have a multitude of cute ornaments and throughout the rest of the year I forget some of them and then am always surprised and happy to see them again. You can almost read our little family history here -

Ornaments made by friends bring back special memories. The other one was from my son's first year at preschool. The teacher helped the kids write whatever they wanted on an ornament - "I love my Mom" - Awwww.

An English cottage to remember the time I went to England.

Of course a few Barbie ornaments to remind me of all of those special "Barbie" Christmases growing up.

Another one made by a friend. And of course a doggy dish.

My daughter's penchant for shoes . . . (Shhhh - don't tell - there's actually a real pair of red ones under the tree as we speak . . . )

Remembering the years my son and daughter played sports . . .

The year my son was into dinosaurs . . .

The Christmas after Sept 11 . . . Also the year we got one of our pups after losing one.

A little log cabin for the year Prairie Children & Their Quilts was published . . . (Thanks, Ingrid!)

My husband made this snowflake ornament himself from paper using a technique known as "quilling."

Quilling was a popular art form a few years ago that involved rolling tiny strips of paper into filigree shapes. It was a hobby of his mother's (and his father too) and here's a not-very-well-known fact for you. In the 1970s my mother-in-law Doris Tracy and her business partner started a craft business selling Christmas tree ornaments and kits to make them and then in 1974 went on to publish a book about quilling - Quilling: Paper Art for Everyone. I still see it online and on some paper quilling sites. This was waaay before I met him and we both find it amusing that his mother authored a book on QUILLING and the woman he eventually married went on to author 4 books on QUILTING. Doris passed away 3 years ago but her legacy resides on our tree every year, along with a whole lot of other special Christimas memories. Every ornament tells a story.

Peppermints and Pinwheels

2011-12-08T14:02:00.001-06:00

A favorite treat I only indulge in at the holidays is peppermint bark candy. I'm sure there are places you can buy it all year long but, trust me, it's a good thing that I don't see it much at other times of the year. I recently bought some Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark and when it was finished decided maybe I'd look into a recipe to make my own. How hard could it be? There are all sorts of recipes if you do a search, and you can certainly take your pick, but basically it's layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy cut into squares. Very simple.

First, melt some dark chocolate chips (or use better quality chocolate if you care to) in the microwave in a glass bowl. Stir after about 30-40 seconds and again if needed. If you have a moderately powerful microwave, don't let it go for too long or the chocolate will burn and you'll have to trash that batch and start over. Ask me how I know. When it's all melted, pour into a small square baking dish lined with wax paper up the sides. Smooth the chocolate with a spatula. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Crush the peppermints or candy canes. Then, melt the white chocolate and smooth it over the hardened layer of dark chocolate. Top the soft chocolate with the crushed candy, pressing it into the layer a bit. Place in freezer for another 10 minutes. When it hardens, lift the wax paper out of the dish and break into pieces or let it soften a little and then cut with a knife into squares. Yum!

Don't ask why the plate is not full : ) If you've ever had peppermint bark, you already know. Besides, someone had to eat the pieces that were all broken up. Clearly I'll have to make more before Santa gets here.

This got me started on a peppermint kick so yesterday, after I finished making the candy, I took out some red and light prints and made a few pinwheels. I know you all are still going crazy over red and white quilts after seeing and hearing about that exhibit in NYC. I don't have very many red and white quilts myself and it was time to do something about that. I didn't know where I was going with it but then sat down at the computer with EQ and designed a little quilt around the blocks I'd made. Turned out very "sweet" if I say so myself.

And - it's for YOU! Here's the free pattern you can download as a .pdf file. There's not a lot of time before the holidays get here I know but it's very simple so you can still probably get it done before Christmas if you have a little time and you're so inclined. Me? I'm also going to try to make it but I'm still trying to finish the little runner I began last year . . . .

Most of you probably have your own favorite method for making half-square triangles for the Pinwheel blocks, but if you're new to quilting and find that sewing triangles makes your blocks a little wonky, here's how I make mine.

I layer my two squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line across the back of the lighter square. I use this nifty Quick Quarter ruler I found years ago that makes the sewing lines visible because I'm just not that good at eyeballing it.

Chain piece your layered squares and you can whip them out pretty fast.

This is a tip I recently picked up for making your half-square triangle units even better. After you sew 1/4 inch away from the diagonal line on each side of the layered squares, PRESS the units open before you cut. The fabric does not stretch as much and your half-square triangles will not turn out wonky but perfect because the bias edges are stabilized.

Flip and press the other side, then cut on the drawn line. Works like magic.

It's still early and, since most of the pieces are cut and the triangles sewn, maybe I WILL finish it before Christmas . . .

My English Basket

2011-12-02T12:26:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it? I finished my appliqued basket of flowers inspired by that antique quilt I talked about recently. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back. I'm very proud. I rarely do applique but this was so easy and so much fun I couldn't stop.

The antique English basket quilt

My basket. Something's missing though . . .

Ahh, that's better! I added a little heart near the top.

I found out that Corliss Searcy has created her own design based on this quilt for those of you interested in making her version of the quilt. And a little search showed that EVERYONE seems to be making this quilt in one form or another. While I would love to own the original, I have no desire to make a reproduction of it, I just wanted to make a few little baskets in that primitive style. Wish we knew something about the quilter. Oh well, another one lost to history.

A small wall hanging is good enough for me right now. The important thing is that I finished a little applique block fairly quickly with a new-found (to me) technique. I really love using this Templar and starch method and it has made applique so much easier for me. It's not a lot of fun if you have to struggle with a technique that everyone else seems to do easily. Much better to find what works for you.

A friend told me that Karen Kay Buckley uses this method and that she had a wonderful DVD available on her website explaining it in detail. I highly recommend this DVD if you are afraid of applique (like I was), tried needleturn and freezer paper applique and found it just wasn't right for you and yet you still want to learn how to applique. It's almost like taking a private class with Karen. Glad I did not give up - it sure simplified it for me and overall I think my basket of flowers turned out quite nice. This was my first attempt with the no-melt plastic for the templates. With a little practice I'll get those points even pointier.

There are some You Tube videos on this technique that are also quite helpful, although not as clear and detailed as the DVD.

So, for all of you non-appliquing quilters out there, I'm telling you, there's hope! If I can do it, you can too. What should I make next?? I couldn't resist this lovely book by Nancy Brenan Daniel when I stopped by Ye Old Schoolhouse in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Just looking through it inspires me to pieces.

Maybe I'll start my own little applique club for newbies like me . . . Wouldn't that be fun? I could call it something like - "Applique for the feeble-minded and non-nimble fingered" . . . . But first I think I need to get a few more Dear Jane blocks under my belt. I've been putting off the applique ones for so long. I know how to do it better now so these should be a piece of cake, right?

Although, it looks like Jane did rather well considering she never had Templar, LOL.

Sentimental About Dolls

2011-11-30T16:31:00.000-06:00

In my recent old age, I started feeling sentimental about dolls I had as a child and so began a collection of vintage Barbie dolls from the sixties. One of my favorite TV shows - Mad Men - may have had something to do with this, all of that '60s nostalgia you know. (Mad Men, where ARE you?? It's been way too long.)

These are not mine - Mattel created a line of Mad Men Barbies . . . .

You can laugh if you like but I was definitely a Barbie girl in 1960 and the doll played a huge role in my childhood. Antique dolls did not.

This beauty came to me last year when I was in the hospital and served as an excellent perk-me-up at the time. For some reason I was able to obtain her at a ridiculous price. Timing, I guess. Or maybe her hair - her hair was totally disheveled but I was able to get it back to looking good with a little elbow grease and conditioning shampoo. I will sometimes browse eBay or flea markets for a few collectible outfits to add to her wardrobe.

In my occasional, neverending quest for the affordable, collectible Barbie from 1960 - 1965, I found a new doll store. This may surprise some of you but I don't really collect "antique" dolls despite my love of antique quilts and 19th century reproduction fabric. I do love some reproduction antique dolls though, like the ones featured on this site. But they don't tug at my heartstrings or bring back a flood of memories the way Barbie does.

How cool is she??

This store in Chicago is a doll collector's dream, where you can find almost any doll that was ever made. Mostly popular 20th century dolls, not real antique dolls from the 19th century. It's such a fun place to browse through. Not only can you admire the excellent craftsmanship of some of the newer dolls, but you can easily recapture your childhood too. My own childhood was FILLED with dolls. Who knows where they all went? I shudder to think . . . . At Gigi's I found dolls I had forgotten I once had.

I grew up watching old Shirley Temple movies instead of cartoons on Saturday mornings and of course had the doll made by Ideal in 1959, as well as a Chatty Cathy doll when it came out. I was able to hang onto that one - I think Chatty must have been hiding under the bed the day my mom sent the rest to the "doll farm."

Not everyone delights in dolls, however, and I understand that only too well. My son was afraid of dolls when he was a child. Not good if you have a sister. I think it had to do with one of the creepy after-school TV shows he saw a few times where a doll came alive and killed a kid or something. He insisted on watching because all the other kids at school watched it and read those Goosebumps books and they called him a baby if he didn't too. Of course, we banned the show and books after he started having trouble sleeping at night and we finally figured it out. I think he was relieved.

A memorable moment in my son's Cub Scout career came after he won the Pinewood Derby and we had to leave the meeting early because the after-program featured a ventriloquist and his dummy doll, LOL. He freaked. Granted, he was only six or seven so I didn't blame him - those dolls are creepy to me, too. He's 23 now and has pretty much overcome his fears, I think (I hope. We don't actually ever talk about it but I'm sure he wouldn't mind my sharing it here with all of you . . . ).

The cure occurred one summer when he was 12 and his uncle took him camping in northern Minnesota. My sister-in-law grew up there and her family still lived in the area. After camping a few days in the wilderness, the "boys" decided they needed a shower and a night in a nice warm bed. They drove into town where one of the relatives was nice enough to put them up for the night. Only problem was, this very nice grandmotherly lady was a doll collector and she put my son in her guest bedroom that housed her huge collection of dolls. Dolls everywhere. He faced his fears that night. Thank goodness, no dolls came alive.

He has since gone on to be doll-phobic-free. They haven't ever gone camping there again, though. And I think it was probably a good thing he wasn't with me when I visited this shop. I kept chuckling to myself as I browsed, thinking that, while it might be a dream come true for many women my age (Ooooh, look at this one!), this was a place that could easily be chock full of nightmares for someone else.

P. S.: More about my adventures with Barbie here. And, if you're ever cleaning out your basements, I'd be more than happy to take all of those old Barbie outfits from the early sixties off your hands LOL . . .

My Kind of Black Friday

2011-11-26T10:54:00.000-06:00

Going out shopping on Black Friday does not appeal to me. I have never gotten up at 2 or 3 a.m. to head over to the mall for early Christmas deals. Don't know what's wrong with me! As much as I love bargains . . . I just can't stand the crowds. Since we typically have Thanksgiving dinner at our house, I'm usually pooped the day after from cooking and cleaning and entertaining and almost always choose to stay home or mosey around my town a bit rather than brave the long lines at a mall.

This year I was invited to attend a unique craft show on Friday at a friend's home. Karen and her husband Bill make primitive wood crafts as well as various quilted and wool items. Karen sews up a storm to prepare for the show every year. Oh, I was in heaven - they had such wonderful things!

Every inch of Karen's adorable home (built in 1927) was decorated with craft items for sale.

Right up my alley - tons of black painted primitive things for the home. Karen's husband is the one who made the doll beds you may remember from awhile back.

Cute little ornaments for the tree.

Here are a few things I came home with -

I've been looking for a wooden tray like this for a long time to keep on my sewing table. . .

My kitchen has quite a few black accents so the shelf and drawer thingy will be perfect in there.

Oops! Don't want to forget the cute framed sampler. Always have room for that, especially since I have been lax about making my own cross-stitched samplers. But that may be about to change soon since I recently became inspired to do a little more stitching by a new book I bought. I'm hoping to get a start on something from the book and maybe I'll have something to show soon. All in all, not a bad "Black" Friday for me, huh?

What Are You Thankful For?

2011-11-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

You know that the Sentimental Quilter LOVES Thanksgiving. It's a great opportunity to show my sentimental side and reflect on all of the things I have to be grateful for this year. In many ways it hasn't been a great year for me and I could very easily focus on those things that have disrupted life and made it a little more difficult. Yet, once I sat down to write this, I was able to remind myself of all of the abundance surrounding me. Here's what I'm grateful for today (and so much more, of course):

A good night's sleep . . .

Waking up on a cold morning and feeling warmed not only by the blankets and quilt but by a little black puppy licking my toes and then remembering that my daughter was finally home and asleep in the next room . . .

That we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with extended family again this year and that my brother-in-law is cooking the turkey (!) and bringing it over. All I have to make is sides!

That my husband still has a job in this uncertain time of high unemployment and that my son was able to find one . . .

That I get to make quilts for a living (or try to anyway) . . .

That I have good friends and a loving family who support me and love me . . . even when I'm cranky and needy . . .

Two amazing children . . .

A sweet husband . . .

Sisters . . .

A sense of humor . . .

More fabric than I will ever need . . .

A really good cup of coffee . . .

Lots of good books to read . . .

The fact that you can buy just one song from an album on iTunes instead of the whole thing (I love that . . . )

Health and the body's ability to heal . . .

Feeling pretty good . . .

Lemon Lift tea . . .

Being able to say "Oh well" and find ways to stay above all of the stuff that can sometimes get you down . . .

Quilters from long ago and their marvelous quilts . . .

A good parking spot at the grocery 2 days in a row . . .

I could go on and on and on. What about YOU? Anything you're grateful for today?? Take a minute to share it with me - you won't believe how good it feels to write it down.

Applique Learning Curve

2011-11-19T10:16:00.001-06:00

I don't really do much applique. Every time I tried, mine never turned out right so I always pushed it aside, suspecting that those of you who do applique must be a lot smarter than I am. Or perhaps just more patient? Take your pick. When I began quilting, I was never much attracted to appliqued quilts anyway. Appreciated but did not like Baltimore Album quilts at all. Too fussy, I thought. Too hard. I liked simple and scrappy. Just thinking about learning to do applique made me nervous. I had neither patience nor time to practice; I was always busy making quilts for books and tending to my needy family.

Over the years, I gradually learned to love appliqued antique quilts. I think it's when you fall in love with a certain style that you gain the confidence and motivation to try making one like it. I tried little bits of applique here and there and made the Orange Peel quilt from Remembering Adelia, although I can't say that was too much fun because it was my first real attempt at applique and I needle turned every single orange peel by hand the way I thought Adelia would have done it herself in 1861. I also struggled with it a bit because I was under a deadline. But I did it and I'm very pleased it turned out so nice. I'm also very proud of myself for sticking with it and making it the way I did, perfect or not.

Looks almost perfect from afar!

I made a simple appliqued floral wall hanging for Adelia too. This one was a little more fun to do and I wonder if any of you have tried making it? Recently, I've made a few more appliqued Dear Jane blocks and so I've gotten better. All it takes is time - as if we ever have enough of that to learn all the techniques and make all the quilts we'd like to make.

I really like primitive applique, not fancy applique, the most. When I saw this quilt with all of the wonderful basket motifs at the International Quilt Festival last year, I instantly fell in love and knew I'd try to make it someday. Well, okay, not really the whole quilt, maybe portions of it, but hope springs eternal in some of us, doesn't it? Snap. I took a few photos and filed them away for "later."

Last week, when I went shopping with Shirley, she brought along an appliqued quilt she recently finished to show me. The quilt is called "Country Sunshine" by Lorraine Hoffman, and published in the book, You're Invited by Barb Adams and Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs. Just beautiful, isn't it?

Shirley does beautiful applique and has given me a few tips as well as much inspiration. She recommended the no-melt Mylar template method and it works well for me, better than any of the others I've tried.

I've been taking things slower lately, working on Dear Jane and other things just for myself. A couple of weeks ago I thought I would take another stab at the applique thing and reproduce some of the motifs in that antique quilt I loved so much. And guess what? It's really fun! Applique is now fun!! (Never thought I'd say that . . . ) I'm having a great time with it and have improved my skills because I've slowed down and don't feel a need to stress about finishing it for a book or anything. So here's to making progress on something I was sure I could not do very well. I'm so happy with the way it's turning out. Perhaps you've seen other quilters reproducing this gorgeous quilt too? I know I'm not alone.

Needs a few more leaves and flowers . . . and perhaps some hexagons too!

One of the things I'm having fun with is sorting through my scraps to find just the right tiny piece to use -

My daughter's coming home for break next week. It will be Thanksgiving here in the States, one of my all-time favorite holidays, so there won't be much time to work on it, I suspect. We'll be too busy cooking and catching up, I'm sure. But at least I got it started and I WILL finish, I know that much. Applique is fun! I just needed to find my curve.

Shopping in Wisconsin

2011-11-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

It's so much fun to visit a new quilt shop. Yesterday, my friend Shirley introduced me to a wonderful new one I had been anxious to see. Ye Olde Schoolhouse quilt shop is in historic Cedarburg, Wisconsin, just a little north of Milwaukee. The shop is now on my list of favorite shops.

Earlier this year my husband and I stopped in Cedarburg on the way home from visiting my son at school. We had a great time strolling around the quaint town, checking out the antique shops and restaurants, but I was disappointed to find that this shop was closed on the day we were there. Darn! I thought maybe I'd just park myself outside and wait until they opened but that would have meant sitting outside on the front stoop in the cold for a day or two so I went home and made a mental note to visit again. When I returned yesterday, I was not disappointed. See for yourself -

Ye Olde Schoolhouse was a featured shop last year in the Fall/Winter 2010 Quilt Sampler magazine.

Lots of great books as well as so many patterns for adorable little quilts!

Ye Olde Schoolroom

These schoolroom chairs are just too cute!

Laurel and Jeanie, the owner, were so sweet - and friendly and helpful too. Be sure to stop by if you're ever in Wisconsin. You won't be disappointed either.

* * *

Oh, I almost forgot - here's a link to a great new App for your iPhone, smartphone or iPad - find a quilt shop. Perfect for when you're travelling around and need to pull over for a quick fabric fix. Have a good weekend!

Quilt Show

2011-11-06T16:28:00.001-06:00

Every year the Chicago Botanic Garden near me hosts The Fine Art of Fiber, a quilt show put on through the cooperation of Illinois Quilters, Inc., North Suburban NeedleArts Guild, and the Weavers Guild of the North Shore. I attended the show yesterday and although most of the quilts in the exhibit were not exactly traditional quilts that are my favorite kind, all were stunning and creative. I thought you might enjoy a peek -

It was a beautiful, clear day - the Botanic Garden itself is a work of art in the fall.

I did not know that Bonsai trees also changed color in the fall.

An art gallery setting

No room for all of the quilts so here are some of my favorites:

Bubbles by Mary Meyers

Spring Garden by Jeanette E. Gerber

Rising Sun 1837 by Palmer Blakely

Bed turning - don't know who made this one but don't you love it??

Salsa with Lime by Joan Bratton

Artsy Applique by Sabrina Cassidy

Abigail's Gowns by Martha Ross-Mockaitis

Adorable pincushions from the boutique!

Creativity and Stress

2011-11-04T15:19:00.001-05:00

Being creative is stressful sometimes, isn't it? Fun, but definitely stressful when you really want to make something special and unique but it seems like something is holding you back. Shopping and buying patterns and books and fabrics is one thing but actually starting a project can be daunting for some reason.

I started a challenge on my yahoo group to make a little four-patch quilt before December and I really want to participate and make one and yet . . .

I've had a bit of a hard time getting inspired this year because of so much non-quilting stuff going on in my life lately and I'm sure you've all had periods like this too. I'm better now and I've found that a little stress isn't necessarily all bad. Here's what I learned:

Try forcing yourself. I know, I know - this sounds terrible but sometimes the only way to get over a creative slump is to push through it. Find a project that's challenging and then just keep moving forward with it. Working on my Dear Jane blocks helped me see this. I definitely think I got some of my inspiration back because I was challenged into making blocks I wasn't so sure I could make. Stretching ourselves to accomplish something will often lead to incredible results.

Create a deadline (or more than one) for yourself and maybe break it up into small portions. I do this when I'm working on a book and find that if I get past a certain part of the project by a certain time, the rest comes a little more easily and things fall into place. By making my project in small steps and accomplishing my goals one at a time, I feel better and am more willing to go on with it. Working on my daughter's college quilt in segments this past summer taught me that. For me, that was definitely a feel-good accomplishment from all sides.

This reminded me of how good it feels to make something for someone else and to see the pleasure it gives others. If you've already made quilts for everyone you know, and I know some of you have, LOL, get involved in a charity group or a swap that takes you away from yourself, where you are making something that's not just for yourself. Or, get an early start on Christmas gifts.

Go easy on yourself. If you make a mistake, that's all it is, not the end of the world. Not very many can reach the perfection of the "Supermodel" type of quilt - and it's pretty stressful to let that keep you from trying at all. Consider every mistake a lesson.

Have you tried Music? Listening to music can be a motivator for me when I sew and a good path to my creativity. Since my daughter has gone away to school and my son has moved out, there is less chaos in the house and more quiet time and I find myself listening to music more than I did before. Try something with a good, fast beat, and you might be surprised at how much it can motivate you. Sometimes it even motivates me to get out and exercise or take the dog for a walk so that's a bonus!

I also find that soothing music works at different times, like rainy days. Or, here's an idea, tailor the music to the project you’re working on. If you’re working on something that's colorful and bright, feeling energetic from music will point you in the right direction. If you’re doing something more subtle, put on some classical music or something slower paced. Your creativity will flow if your music fits whatever it is you're working on.

Play around with some fabric for a bit. Pretend to organize your scraps. I almost always end up making something when I do this.

Unclutter, clean up a little. There, it needed to be said. Maybe it's just me but when my house is a mess there doesn't seem to be any room for me to be creative. I'm not exactly talking about sewing messes. Sometimes those are good and mean you're in the middle of something creative. Today I noticed something was just WRONG every time I walked into the kitchen. It wasn't too bad, but something was definitely off.

I looked out the kitchen window over the sink and saw that across the street my neighbor was getting her windows cleaned. Then I looked at MY kitchen window and noticed all sorts of water spots and smudges. I sprayed it with Windex and wiped it down and it shined - I could SEE better out the window and silly as that sounds, it made me FEEL better. Then I looked down at the sink and it was a little dull and sloppy (horrors!). Because I had been really busy every morning this week, it had been a long time since I really shined the sink till it sparkled. Every morning I just put the dishes in the dishwasher, swiped it and ran off. So I took out my ZUD, the best product I have found for cleaning my sinks, and spent 3 minutes to shine up that sink. Now I feel really silly saying this, but that made me feel better too. The simple act of shining my sink lifted my spirits and cleared a little clutter in my head that freed me and made room for me to do something creative. Very strange, but what can I say - it worked for me. I even felt like taking another 10 minutes to clean the downstairs bathroom. THAT really made me feel good.

Glad I got that out of the way. I'm telling you, it works every time. Now I feel more like sewing. Some little scrappy four-patch blocks perhaps?

Maple Leaf Mania

2011-10-31T15:07:00.002-05:00

I am finally finished with a little Maple Leaf runner I started about 2 years ago. Can't imagine what took me so long.

Oooh, it's very busy, isn't it?? For some reason I went outside my box and decided against "tame." I really wanted to use that Civil War print in the setting triangles. Sure was fun using all those different prints, even if it is a bit wild. What the heck . . . Look, I have more where those came from and I can make a few more small quilts.

The other day I pulled out some blocks I received in a Maple Leaf swap we did last year in my yahoo group -

Looks like my back yard, with leaves all over the place.

Aren't they gorgeous? I'm going to play around with these and see what I can come up with. Fast, before fall's over and I move on to red and green quilts. Maybe the next quilt will be more tame and I won't go crazy wild with the prints.

I'm just barely getting started decorating for fall. Remember this? The Bear's Paw quilt from Prairie Children & Their Quilts. I think it makes a nice fall table mat.

Here's the pattern for my Maple Leaf block. I really like the scrappy ones and have more pieces cut out and triangles already sewn from last year.

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."

~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Jane on My Brain

2011-10-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

I spent time plugging away on my Dear Jane blocks this past weekend and hope to get a few more finished this week (FIVE, think 5). I'm having a lot of fun. Honest. I'm up to 37 now! Yes, it is going slowly and it gets a little frustrating at times, but it's very rewarding to finish something you really didn't think you could finish, namely one 4 1/2" block with 8 curved pieces, LOL. In one day. And it doesn't look half bad, if I say so myself.

You all know that this is the 150th anniversary (sesquicentennial) of the beginning of the Civil War, right? Around the time that Jane Stickle made her quilt. What better time to begin the journey yourself or drag out your unfinished quilt and make a few more blocks to commemorate the event? Hint, hint. Misery loves company, you know.

Just kidding, no misery here - it's all fun and I'm very excited to get back to it again, at least for a little while, while the inspiration holds and I have the time. Or probably until I hit a difficult block and say "Arrrgh!! #*&! - I really can't do this anymore!" But really, this Jane quilt, it's not that hard, honest. It's a total learning experience. I've always hated the thought of foundation paper piecing, but I'm learning how to do it, finally. Same with applique - I resisted that for a long time too because my applique was not great and now I'm actually getting better at it. These blocks do not have to be perfect. You see, Jane's quilt was not, and although many of the Dear Jane quilts or blocks we see posted on the internet definitely look mighty perfect to me, mine will not be, that's for sure. And it will still be just beautiful in it's own way, like a true antique quilt. In the spirit of Jane Stickle.

Not all of my finished blocks are the easy ones - I've tried curved piecing and reverse applique. I did that Rickshaw one too but I'm not showing it to anyone LOL. I would not say I've mastered these techniques yet . . . but they're finished and Brenda wrote the book and she says finished is better than perfect! Good enough for me.

My notebook is chock full of tips to help me along.

I'm so not making this quilt as a competition with anyone, unless it's to compete with myself, to challenge myself to advance my skills a little, and practice my patience. I figure, so many quilters have finished this quilt. Why not me too?? Why NOT? I'm feeling optimistic today . . . help me out here.

Seeing Karan's finished quilt at a workshop last year (hand pieced, hand quilted) really inspired me to keep going . . . Of course, HERS is perfect but I won't let that stop me.

Remember, quilters, this is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War (How could you have possibly missed hearing that??) and quilters all over are celebrating the period and getting inspired to reproduce quilts from the era. Jane was working on her lovely quilt 150 years ago. Who knows how long it actually took her to make it? She may have finished her quilt in 1863, but it's hard to believe she started it that same year. Maybe it took her 10 years or more. Did she take breaks and work on other quilts while she was making it??

The war lasted 4 years. Hmmm, there's a goal for me - 2015, the 150th anniversary of the END of the war. No promises though. Dear Jane, you're sure helping me get my inspiration back . . .

(Photo from www.dearjane.com [Photograph by Ken Burris,Shelburne, VT, courtesy of the Bennington Museum and the Vermont Quilt Festival.] Dear Jane® is the registered trademark of Brenda Papadakis.)

Reviving Jane

2011-10-21T15:37:00.002-05:00

I had a few days earlier this week with not so much on my schedule and so I decided to pull out my Dear Jane blocks and look at them on Monday. But that's all I did - that, and glance through the book. By Tuesday I had gotten inspired and made a few more blocks. On Wednesday, even though it took me almost the whole day, I ripped and resewed one of the blocks I had made earlier. It looks so much better now!

The little nine-patches finish at 1 1/2"

It takes me such a long time but there's nothing like finishing a few more blocks and adding them to the pile. I'm going to prepare a few today so I can get a couple more done this weekend.

My blocks are not perfect. Last year when I began my Jane Journey, an "acquaintance" told me that she was very surprised that I was starting a Dear Jane quilt. I don't know if she thought I couldn't make one because of my lack of experience or that she was surprised that I was undertaking such a large project. I could tell that she had doubts I would finish, and maybe I won't, who knows? But let's have a little faith, please. I keep plugging away and at some point I may give up but for now it is very relaxing to work on them when I have the time. And, since I'm not working on a book, there is more of that. Some of you have been asking me what I am working on NOW. Again, I am not working on a book or anything and am just concentrating on getting myself back to a healthy place after my horrendous year. Me time, finally. I've been working and concentrating on raising my kids for forever it seems. Right now, quilting just for myself seems to be exactly what I need for a little while before I get back to starting another huge project to work on.

Working on my Dear Jane blocks relaxes me and like all of you who have made this quilt or are working on one know, the sense of accomplishment after finishing one block that took me ALL DAY feels so good! I am picking up some great skills and finally hope to get better at that applique thing. And let's not forget, Jane's quilt was not perfect so I'm in good company.

I've heard comments from some who have seen Jane's quilt at the Bennington Museum that they were surprised at how imperfect it is. That's one of the things I really love about this quilt - the fact that it is NOT perfect. And yet it is acclaimed and imitated all over the world. Brenda's book which introduced us to the Dear Jane phenomenon in the 1990s has sold over 100,000 copies!

But the most fun I have is just picking through my fabric, particularly all of my OLD fabric scraps I've saved over the years. Special fabrics for a special quilt.

Remember these?? They'll be great in my quilt!

Let's see how far I can get this time. I've only finished 32 blocks so I still have a way to go but you have to grab your inspiration where you can get it and right now I am enjoying catching up. Don't call me a quitter just yet! I'm making progress . . .

Parent (and Puppy) Weekend

2011-10-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

We took another little road trip up to Wisconsin yesterday. It was Parent Weekend at the college my daughter attends. She left in early September and so it's been 6 weeks since we've seen her. It's the first time she's been away from home for that long and we missed her. I'm so glad she did not choose to go to school all the way across the country. Those of you with doted-upon daughters can appreciate this, I know. We were given strict instructions to bring the little black poodle puppy along. (She's 3, but we still call her a puppy because she's so darn cute and wears the puppy cut hairstyle, not the poufy poodle "do.")

I think this barn needs a quilt block painted on it, don't you?

A car ride! So much excitement! Where the heck are we going??

The Princess and her Puppy - An emotional reunion.

Puppy got a special tour . . .

. . . and a taste of dorm life. She also got to meet and make some new friends.

In honor of the special visit, my daughter wore her new "Poodle" sweater she just bought - isn't it sweet?? I had to laugh. Where in the world did she find it?? At the mall, on sale, she said. Even better.

When our son was in college he never really wanted us to come up for Parent weekend ("Nah, that's okay, I might miss some fun with my friends. I'll see you when I come home for break.") so it was nice to be invited. However, after a few minutes, something told me she had a few ulterior motives for inviting us. In addition to being the private puppy escorts (Guess who got the first hug? It wasn't me.), she needed to go shopping for a winter coat, toiletries and food. Our work was cut out for us.

Nevertheless, we all had fun and we're happy she seems to be doing well. Before we left, I checked on the quilt I made for her. It also seems to be doing well. Puppy was exhausted from so much excitement and the long car ride and felt like sleeping in a bit. This morning I had to literally carry her to her food dish, LOL. It's that princess gene . . .

What's October Without Leaves?

2011-10-12T15:42:00.001-05:00

On the way home from the retreat last Sunday, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Bad move. It was Oktoberfest! and streets were blocked and traffic was backed up for what seemed like a mile. We grabbed a fast bite and got the heck out of the pandemonium but not before I took a pretty picture. As it was, we got home later than we planned.

Arriving home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that our front lawn was COVERED in leaves that had fallen from the tree in the front yard over the past two days. In the sea of green suburban lawns, ours was glittering, golden. I'm sure it drove our neighbors nuts since they usually have their leaves scooped up almost as soon they've fallen so the mess isn't too unseemly. While we were gone, the dogsitter (my son) had neglected to keep up with the Joneses. But I wasn't mad; I liked it.

I think we're the only people on the block who don't have lawn service. Yes, it's shocking, my husband actually cuts our grass himself. One, to save money (he's an accountant) and two - he says it's an opportunity for him to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise he might not otherwise find the time for now that he no longer coaches our daughter in soccer. Raking leaves in the fall - another one of those old-fashioned traditions that seems to have fallen by the wayside in suburbia.

The little dog likes the leaves too!

My scraggly shrub roses are still blooming! For now, that is; they'll be turning brown in a bit.

The weather has been lovely and this season more than any other makes my senses come alive. In the morning, while I'm drinking my coffee, if I take time to listen I can hear the squirrels and chipmunks scurrying after each other, crunching through the potpourri. In the afternoon, as the children get off the school bus and walk home down the block, I can hear them shuffling their feet through my leaves. It's a great memory of my own childhood. Who doesn't love to skip through fallen leaves??

My husband has to work late a few nights this week so the leaves will stay until he can get around to raking them next Sunday. (Don't ask me to do it; I have allergies. Besides, I do the vacuuming.) That means I have a few more days to revel in the color and sounds until they're gone. What's that Robert Frost poem?

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

I love that poem. Time passes, change is inevitable. I guess I'll try to enjoy the leaves while they're here.

Small Quilt Retreat

2011-10-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

The quilting weekend was perfect. The weather was just beautiful (almost a little too warm!) and lovely fall colors surrounded us. Except for the centipedes, things went well (I didn't actually see any but I heard stories . . .). Everyone seemed to have a good time and I was happy to see that many got their quilt tops completed. Here are the photos: (turn on your speakers for the full effect)

Thanks for looking! I hope you'll join us someday . . .

Inspired By

2011-10-05T09:17:00.003-05:00

I'm really inspired by Inspired by Antique Quilts today. Kathie has been talking about quilting small quilts on her blog lately and I love how hers have turned out. I am going to take the time to relax at the retreat this weekend as soon as I have everything ready and planned for those who are attending. I decided not to bring my sewing machine, just my needle and thread, and get some of my quilt tops hand quilted. Who am I kidding?? SOME of them? I'll be lucky if I get one finished; I am that slow. But that's the beauty of hand quilting - you HAVE to slow down. No rushing allowed. And boy, does it feel good.

I bought this antique doll quilt a little while ago and think the simple hand quilting adds something really special to the simple quilt. (The primitive little bed helps too, don't you agree??)

I almost didn't buy the quilt because it was so simple and plain. Unexceptional for the price. And then, as I looked closely, I spotted one block in the corner that was different. The quilt is a simple four-patch design and the quilter used light shirtings in the background squares. Except for one. In ONE block she used pink for the background . . . Just a little quirky and not noticeable at first. Did she run out of shirtings? Or did she insert a tiny bit of creative play into the quilt? Did she say: What the Heck, I'm doing this one in pink. It's probably the thing I love most about this doll quilt. I don't like perfect quilts and I sure don't make them.

So simple and unassuming. But clearly loved to death by some little girl I'll bet.

I was so inspired by this quilt that I made THIS quilt that's in The Civil War Sewing Circle.

Again, just a simple four-patch design with mostly light shirtings for background. Pink in the setting squares. All of the darker squares in the blocks align except in one block. I turned ONE of the blocks in the right hand corner the other way deliberately. Did anyone notice? Many of you probably thought I just made a mistake, LOL. No, I tried to do the same thing as the maker of that little doll quilt did.

I had so much fun hand quilting this little quilt with an orange peel or pumpkin seed design as some call it. I think hand quilting really makes little quilts special, even if the quilting is rather simple and not spectacular. Click on the link above to see how this one was done. Very easy.

Last year, when I was recovering from my surgery, I hand pieced a copy of the antique doll quilt using some of my favorite prints and shirtings. This morning I layered and pinned it to bring to the retreat this weekend to work on. I'll let you know how it goes. Wouldn't it be nice if I finished?

Quilting Frenzy

2011-10-03T12:33:00.002-05:00

I'm getting ready for my 1st Annual Small Quilt Retreat this coming weekend and scrambling to get everything done in time. I say 1st annual with a grin. Who knows how it will go? It's my first time hosting a retreat, so wish me luck. I have lists all over the place so I don't forget anything. If it turns out to be a success, we'll definitely do another one next year. I'm looking forward to relaxing and sewing in a woodsy place in Wisconsin in October with a group of ladies who like to make small quilts too. What am I saying - of course it will be fun!!

The colors have just barely begun to change here. Wisconsin is farther north - I hope it looks like this.

I'm almost finished with the quilt I'll be teaching on Saturday and hope to get it done today or tomorrow. I left it ito the last minute, of course. Instead of using a quilt from one of my books, I wanted to design a new small quilt just for the retreat. As usual, the quilt took on a life of it's own. When I began, I had an idea of what I wanted to make, using Ohio Star blocks. After I designed it, I kind of knew it was just a draft. I took my time picking out the fabrics. This part takes me so long but is probably the most fun. I always make a few sample blocks when I begin a quilt.

As I go along, if the colors are not quite right, I'll make a few more blocks. I always make extra blocks just so I have the option of choosing different ones and playing around with them. While I play with the blocks (This is actually my Yahoo Small Quilt group motto - "We Play with Blocks"), I get ideas and the quilt evolves and changes. Fabrics are swiped out and others substituted until I get the look I like.

The table sure gets messy. Fabric flies!

The quilt has changed a quite a bit from its original design. Hardly the same quilt at all! I decided to make it more scrappy and colorful and added more blue in the blocks. I'm getting ready to quilt it today and will show you the finished quilt next week.

Karen, who is coming to the retreat, made this darling wool pincushion for me and promised to bring a few nore to show everyone, along with her doll beds. I think some others are bringing their antique doll beds and everyone is supposed to bring some of their small quilts for Show & Tell. Don't forget, ladies.

This retreat will be so much fun and I cannot wait to meet everyone (I've already met a few of you) and have a great time together, sewing and chatting! Now, back to work. Friday will be here before I know it.

A Quiet Lazy Day

2011-09-29T10:16:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Isn't this the cutest cup? It goes so nicely with my quilt too.

I just love cups that have a design printed on the bottom.

It's raining a bit here and I think it's going to be a quiet, lazy day. My son came over last night and is going to spend the day with me. My guess is his laundry needs to get done and he wants a free lunch. He has to work on a paper for school. I may get some reading done. Oh, and I have to work on the Retreat quilt - only 8 more days! Will she get it finished in time? Stay tuned!

* * *

Today is our 27th anniversary. My wonderful husband was grumping at me about something this morning as he was rushing around getting ready for work and so I waited until he was finished and then smiled sweetly at him and said "Happy Anniversary, Hon!" He stopped grumping for a minute and then said "Oh." Guess I won't be any getting diamonds or jewels or flowers unless they have them in the cafeteria at work since I don't think he will be shopping much today, LOL.

The happy couple. (Mustaches were very popular back then.) What a beautiful dress! Now sealed and packed away in a big box on a shelf in my daughter's closet, waiting . . .

Look - twenty-seven years ago I had a waist! Not a tiny waist, but still a waist.

Well, I don't really remember this moment when it appeared the honeymoon was over before it actually began but I'm guessing he probably just said something to really annoy me, LOL . . . Happy Anniversary, Hon!

Birthday Blues

2011-09-27T11:16:00.004-05:00

Just kidding - I'm not really blue about it; it made a good title. But it sure is hard to admit to being older than I used to be sometimes. Every year, it's the same darn thing, LOL. Mostly, I become frustrated because I am not quite back to feeling the way I used to feel before all of my health issues from the past year unfolded. The going is slow now that I'm older. But I keep plugging away, trying to be optimistic as I deal with my stresses, counting my many blessings, focusing on my family and pets as well as all of the wonderful things and people I have in my life instead of the stupid health things which do not seem to end.

My old dog and I both had cancer scares recently - he had another tumor which required surgery last week. It turned out to be benign AGAIN. He is recovering nicely but I did not sleep for a week, worrying about the biopsy results. On top of that, my recent mammogram showed a "suspicious" shadow, which of course required further investigation. That also turned out to be nothing to worry about. TMI, perhaps, some of you will say. But it was another week where I did not get much sleep or quilting done. Hopefully, things have calmed down a bit now and I will be able to get back into better shape again before my next birthday. Attitude is all, don't you think?

You saw the doll bed, mattress and pillow I gave to Julia for her birthday. We actually share a birthday and it was a good day for me too. Someone commented that I was a good friend. It's actually the other way around - I am surrounded by a few incredibly wonderful, caring friends and for that I am so grateful.

Julia gave me a bunch of BLUE presents, LOL, to go along with my BLUES I guess. OMG, she found a beautiful vintage blue and white doll quilt too! How lucky am I?? The vintage bracelet is a heart locket. So sweet, I love it. She also knitted this adorable blue headband to wear when I walk the dogs when it gets cold . . . . I think I definitely came out ahead this year in the gift department, LOL. She's very understanding and I'll make it up to her.

I thought you'd also enjoy seeing a few of the gifts from my daughter and my husband. They spoil me too. A couple of books, a polka-dotted basket to hold my scraps, a sweater and a necklace. Bless his heart, the sweater is in a smaller size than I wear. I must look thinner than I really am, huh? Or those bifocals he just got are not working very well . . . . My son is going to take me on an architectural tour of Chicago for my birthday when my knee gets better (a whole other depressing story for later). I've been on a Fossil kick lately. Look - Julia's Fossil earrings perfectly match the Fossil necklace my husband bought! How did they know? In cahoots, I'll bet!

To celebrate last week, my husband and son took me out to dinner (daughter is away at college) at a small seafood restaurant in Chicago and then my son found me a gelato place for dessert. Gelato is hard to find where I live but it is becoming popular in the city and I suspect more shops will spread to the suburbs soon.

If you haven't jumped on the Gelato bandwagon yet, it's a sort of dense ice cream. Like ice cream, but distinctly NOT ice cream. It's churned at a slower speed than ice cream, and so not as much air is whipped into the mixture. Regular ice cream contains about 50% air - gelato contains about 25 to 30 percent air. And it's not completely frozen, but stored and served at a slightly warmer temperature and has an amazing, rich flavor. Not as much fat either, I hear.

I got the single scoop of chocolate that you see sitting up on the counter above. So rich that a small scoop was even too much for me, believe it or not. Me, the woman who can eat a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting could not finish that small cup. Sad. See what advanced age does to you??

The gelato place was in a trendy neighborhood and, as we were leaving, I couldn't resist taking this photo of the Pedal Pub passing by. Everyone was pedalling, laughing and looking so happy and obviously having a great time. I had no idea what it was (or that they were drinking beer! No wonder they looked so cheerful) but I looked it up when we got home. Maybe you have seen these in your area?? I believe they were first introduced in the Netherlands and have slowly spread to a few cities in the U.S.

They are pedalling about 5 mph.

It seems that it's like a large bar on a bike - you can get a group together and rent these with a driver and pedal your way to different bars in the city for a genuine bar-hopping experience.

I wonder if we quilters can get a hold of one of these to work off a few pounds as we go from quilt shop to quilt shop, wouldn't that be fun?? Without the beer of course. I say we even try a Gelato Shop Hop someday. Then I wouldn't feel so guilty about eating it.

Primitive Doll Bed

2011-09-23T18:39:00.000-05:00

It was my friend Julia's birthday a few days ago and I knew for awhile that she has wanted an antique doll bed to display some of her little quilts. I've looked at the online auctions and antique malls but could never find anything that wasn't out of my price range. Then I saw a doll bed at a quilt shop that Karen and her husband had made and I knew it was perfect. So I contacted Karen and ordered it and Julia graciously accepted it as her present LOL! That means she LOVED it. Wouldn't you??

I made a mattress and pillow to go along with it. Originally, I was going to use ticking fabric but decided against it and thought Julia might like this better. I think it turned out quite cute and here it is with a couple of my quilts. I'm so sorry, Julia, this year I did not have time or enough energy to make you a quilt to go along with the bed, but maybe next year.

Luckily, she has a stack of her own that will work just fine. She's made just about every small quilt I have ever designed so that's more than a few LOL.

One of Julia's antique doll quilts.

More than a few of her own . . .

I LOVE this bed so much, don't you? Karen's husband makes them in black or red, large or small. This is the large one, about 12" x 20". The small bed has a rope mattress. Karen is coming to my retreat in 2 weeks and is bringing some of the doll beds to show everyone. She promised she'd have 2 set aside for me by then - I think I will buy a large black one and a smaller red one. I can't wait to take them home for myself! Karen does not have a website but here's her e-mail address so you can contact her if you'd like a bed for your little quilts too!

Here are a few more of Julia's small quilts that didn't fit on the stack on the bed. She's been a busy lady!

Shopping for Inspiration

2011-09-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

Three of my close friends are having birthdays this month and so I needed to do a little shopping for gifts this past weekend. I'm still feeling a little creatively blocked and just cannot get going on that quilt I need to make for the Retreat in a couple of weeks. It would be nice if I had something to show when I teach it LOL.

A trip to some stores was in order to accomplish the buying of gifts and also to feed my soul a little I think. Author Julia Cameron calls it Filling the Well. When you seem to have no inspiration left inside yourself to create, she suggests going out and filling yourself up with images that nourish the process. When the creative pond is empty because it has just been drained by a large creative project, it needs to be filled again and restocked. My husband laughs but sometimes a simple shopping trip fills me up enough so that I become inspired without breaking the bank so to speak. And I've found that it doesn't always need to be quilting-related. Sometimes it's almost better if it's not. I often get sidetracked by what other quilters are making and need a break from it all to create something that's my own.

Look at those colors! Fall is almost here.

I so need to make a quilt using these colors.

Ahhh, dishes! Keep moving, Kathy.

Last year we bought a new sofa and loveseat in a sort of tan/taupe fabric. After years of living with busy blue prints or florals on our sofas, we needed a change from that - so we bought something completely different and bland. Something I could accessorize with color. We could never go with white because of the dogs and my husband wanted something a little darker. He's accommodated my choices and lived with blue all these years so we compromised and bought a very neutral sofa with no real color I like to say.

I was so thrilled to be able to buy a colorful area rug (with little touches of blue and applique-looking patterns) that didn't clash with the sofa for a change but the problem is that lots of things now clash with the rug LOL. I still have not found time to make a nice colorful quilted throw but that is on my list. It will have to be simple to go with the rug, don't you think? The one you see here is store-bought and striped and usually is in my son's room. But he's gone now and doesn't miss it. It's fine for now but doesn't really match. I'd like to make pillows too because the ones I bought clash a bit since I bought them before I fell in love with the rug. I wish I could just buy some colorful ones like these - but no, they wouldn't work at all.

So pretty though!

Love the blue floral! If only I didn't have that rug . . .

But, oh, the colors in the pillows at the store were so inspiring.

Not my style at all but they sure looked cute and fresh here . . . Why does it all have to be so darn hard? Wonder what I'll eventually come up with for a sofa throw? And - will I finish it?

So What Are You Waiting For??

2011-09-16T18:39:00.002-05:00

You know those fabrics you're saving, hoarding for the perfect quilt? Maybe it's a big project and you don't have the energy to make it yet, but still, you have ALL this fabric you just had to have. I often buy fabric just because I love it, with no particular project in mind. What then? It gets stacked in a closet, bin or drawer, waiting for the opportunity to come alive in a quilt. I look at it occasionally. What am I waiting for??

Doll quilts have always been a perfect way for me to use up my scraps. Well, awhile ago, I decided to stop just using my scraps to make some of my small quilts. I made a vow to use up some of those special fabrics I've been saving. Not be afraid to cut into the pretty yardage. Small quilts don't really use up too much fabric so I still have enough left if I need it later. No point in just letting it sit there though. Occasionally, what I'll do is cut a few chunks off and then cut those into different sized squares to make scrappy patches until I come up with a design. Then I fold it up and put it back. This takes a bit of courage I discovered if all you're used to doing is looking at it all folded up nicely. But boy, let me tell you, does it start the creative flow. Do you do this too?

Sometimes, when I finally cut into it, it's actually easier to make that second or third cut and then OMG - all of a sudden I'm using it instead of hoarding it! And then when I look at that quilt I've made, I smile and think, oh, I love that print so much - I'm so glad it's not sitting in a drawer or bin, but someplace where I can see it and appreciate it, dancing around in a little quilt. Sitting on a table or hanging on a wall, smiling at me. Maybe I'll try to use that same fabric in a bigger quilt too.

I think it actually inpsires me to be more creative because it's so much easier for me to play around with some squares or small pieces and come up with a design than it is to visualize an entire quilt from fat quarters. Does that make sense?

I'll also use small pieces of my favorites in a larger scrappy quilt sometimes. And if it's a really special favorite print, my eye always goes right to that one and then I smile to myself. You all know I'm not a fan of ugly prints. Oh, I have a few that came with kits or bundles but I won't buy yardage of fabric I don't like. I know I wouldn't use it. I suspect the ugly prints work great in a scrappy quilt when you look at it from a distance but I know myself and I know my eye would always go to that print that I hate and then it would taint the quilt for me just a little. I'm working on it and maybe someday it's something I'll overcome. For now, I love almost all of the fabric I buy and thanks anyway for the advice, but I like it that way.

I used a lot of small pieces of my favorite prints to make hexagons awhile ago and the finished quilt lights me up on the inside whenever I look at it.

I didn't know what I was going to do with these - not my typical fabric purchase. But I just had to have them.

The polka dot ones eventually got worked into my daughter's quilt after I saw her eyes light up when she looked at them. Hope they still do when she wraps the quilt around herself and remembers that spark they gave her.

So, tell me - do you actually use your fabric or just hoard it for . . . Someday?

Come September

2011-09-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

September is probably my favorite month. The weather becomes slightly cooler and I always seem to have more energy. I'm anxiously awaiting Fall.

I've always been most organized in September. Old habits from school days. When I used to shop with my kids for school supplies, I always came home with a few new notebooks, folders and supplies for myself too. This year was no exception. I'm a grown-up schoolgirl, I guess. Always a schoolgirl at heart come September.

There's something exhilarating about writing in a fresh notebook with a new pen. Forget January 1, September is my clean slate. New beginnings. A fresh start on goals. A pretty place for making lists. Time to de-clutter - Get a Little More Organized.

I'm hoping to find time to plan some new projects. I think it takes a certain amount of courage to create, start something new.

In one of the notebooks, I made a small list of things or areas I wanted to clean out. Only three things for now. Lord knows I have hundreds of things that need to be cleaned out, but three is doable for me right now, this week. I'll add more as I go on. Yesterday, I cleaned out this cupboard that had been in a messy state for awhile and then neatly stacked some of the small quilts that are finished. I have another suitcase full of small quilts I take with me when I travel for my trunk shows. Quite a few small quilts. But even smaller steps.

I placed the unfinished quilt tops in a drawer and hopefully will stack them in the "finished" cupboard soon. It feels good to have accomplished even a small thing like this. I hate stuffing things away in bags or bins. Bringing them out into the light of day makes it seem possible that they may actually get finished sooner. I'm reminded of how much I liked working on them. Wouldn't it be great to get them done, I told myself? Then I could look at them all the time.

I bought a new pocket planner. Sometimes it's easier for me to keep to my goals if I write them down on a calendar, with a schedule for meeting them.

Could be much worse - only about 7 or 8 unfinished little tops. Should be a snap, right?

Oh dear, can't forget this one. I've been meaning to finish it since Spring . . .

What are you up to in September? Organizing anything?

Texting for Seniors

2011-09-11T08:29:00.000-05:00

OMG - that's about me! We have spent more than a few weeks this summer trying to get new phones for the family. My daughter had an unfortunate accident with hers awhile back and needed a new phone before she went away to school. It was very expensive to upgrade her phone with the service plan we had so we were all doing the research to change plans and get the best phone deal (if there even IS a deal with those so-called Family $$ Plans.) My daughter left the state and my son moved into an apartment all the way into the city so we had to make sure that the plan provided good service here, there and EVERYWHERE.

Talk about headaches . . . But we did it and we're all happy with our phones and think it encourages us to keep in touch. My kids don't always seem to answer their phones if they're busy (apparently they don't want to be THAT close to Mom - imagine, having to actually listen to my annoying voice) but texting always works since my messages are shorter and I don't nag so much when texting. I almost always get an answer if I text.

I'm still getting used to texting on the new phone - my chubby fingers and the tiny touch screen don't always get along. So sometimes the messages are a little garbled and they text back - WHAT??? You can almost hear the Big Sigh and see the rolling of the eyes. The first few days after I got the new phone, every time I turned it on it seemed to automatically dial my son - "Mom, NOW WHAT???" Oops, sorry again, I haven't had time to play with the settings yet. My daughter jokingly said she is going to set up a Twitter account just so I don't have to bother texting her so much - she can "Tweet" me several times a day to let me know what's going on - what she ate for breakfast, yes, she's wearing a jacket, etc. I thought maybe I'd just go to abbreviations to keep it simple, the way the kids do it.

Someone I know recently went to her 40th high school reunion and has been feeling old but still has maintained her sense of humor about it, thank goodness. She sent the following to me. I don't know why, because I'm really not old yet. She must have me confused with someone else. Perhaps you've already seen it, received in an e-mail from a friend who also thinks you're old and will appreciate it. It was too good not to share with those of you who may not have seen it. I'm not quite ready for these yet (well, maybe one or two . . . )

TEXTING FOR SENIORS

Since more and more Seniors are texting and tweeting, there appears to be a need for a standard STC (Senior Texting Code). If you qualify for Senior Discounts, this is the code for you. Please pass this on to your children and grandchildren so they can understand your texts.

ATD: At The Doctor's

BFF: Best Friend Fainted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair

BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM: Covered By Medicare

CGU: Can't get up

CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center

DWI: Driving While Incontinent

FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers

FWIW: Forgot Where I Was

FYI: Found Your Insulin

GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!

GHA: Got Heartburn Again

HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement

IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out

LOL: Living On Lipitor

OMMR: On My Massage Recliner

OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.

ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up

TTYL: Talk To You Louder

WDICIHF: What Did I Come In Here For?

WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?

WTP: Where's The Prunes?

GGLKI: (Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In)

When I turned 50 my husband signed me up for an AARP card as a joke. Haha, very funny. I got over it and I'm now proud to be old - we actually use it for discounts so what the heck. And I love to read those articles about older celebrities. Who knew some of them were even still alive??

GGBMF - (Gotta Go Buy More Fabric),

- Kathy

* * *

In other news, The Girl and The Quilt made it to the college campus safe and sound last week. It was one of the first things she unpacked!

Quilt's new home. (Room still in unpacking mode)

Goodbye to Summer

2011-09-05T10:18:00.000-05:00

It's finally nice and a little cool here in the Chicago area this morning, and I'm reminded of the old days when school started the day after Labor Day and the mornings were always just a little chilly. Now it seems like most schools begin the middle of August. Labor Day in the U.S. typically is the "unofficial" end of summer. Vacations end, pools close and, oh yes, as my mother used to tell me, it's time to put away your white shoes and purse and bring out the cardigans. If it's September, it's always the beginning of fall for me. Not everyone loves it like I do though. As school starts up again, my kids always used to say: Fun stops. Homework regimens kick in, the days get shorter and the weather cooler and mom gets a little more intense and strict about bedtime and video games. The fun stopped for THEM but it started for me when they were back in school and I had my days free again, LOL.

So I'm officially declaring that summer is over around here even though I'm sure we'll probably still get some 90-degree days. It wasn't the best summer I've ever had, so I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. In fact, I'd like to say good riddance to the heat, mosquitoes and cicadas. I never seem to get much quilting done during the summer and being sick and getting so behind with stuff only made me more stressed, I think. Who needs a stressful summer??

It wasn't a very exciting summer, either. No time for a real vacation with my husband's work schedule. Mostly I spent time with my kids, trying to rest and recover a little, catch up with work and neglected household things, running around at half-speed. Get my daughter ready for college. Make that quilt. A gazillion trips to Target. Then there was the knee thing that really tripped me up and made me slow down and take rests right after my other enforced rest from surgery. Ugh. Too much necessary resting. But I read at least 8-10 books and got much better at phone Scrabble. I enjoyed hanging out at the pool with my sisters and my daughter.

Aren't they cute? They're my older sisters but they're having so much fun playing in the water like little kids. Water Babies for sure. This is what retirement does to you, I guess. Thank goodness I was the one with the camera . . . there are NO pictures of me in a bathing suit, thank you. And if there were, would I be stupid enough to put them on a blog??

Once my daughter goes away to school this week, maybe things will settle down and I'll have more time to myself and perhaps get in the mood to do more quilting, planning. This fall I don't have a book to finish or any other deadlines so maybe I'll be able to make some things for myself under a little less pressure. I really need to make a nice throw for our sofa. Some pillows too. Or, make something out of these maple leaf blocks from last year's block swap and finish the table runner I started a long time ago. I can't wait for fall!

So, Goodbye summer - Hello quilting!

A Great Finish for a New Beginning

2011-09-02T17:32:00.001-05:00

The quilt for my daughter is finally finished! I got it back from the machine quilter the other day and have been feverishly trying to get the binding sewn on before she leaves. In between all of the gazillion other things we have to do. Yay, I can't believe I did it!

What do you think?? I am so darn proud of this quilt. Partly because I mostly make small quilts and for me a large one is quite an accomplishment. The pattern is a version of the Soldier's Cot Quilt (same block but smaller) and the colors I used in the Little Shoo-Fly Doll Quilt, both featured in my latest book, The Civil War Sewing Circle.

Also, while my daughter did not actually help me make it, she was definitely involved and I liked that. The next best thing to making it together. This was probably the first time I can say that she showed this much interest in quilting. Now, granted, the quilt was for her so, of course, naturally, she showed interest. She seemed to grasp just how much work I was putting into it, which pleased me no end as you can imagine. Yes, it was a labor of love at times because there were just some days that I could not get very excited about working on it. Too many other things to do and, some days, just too tired to get going on it. But I plodded along, sewing in short spurts throughout the summer, even when I didn't feel like it. Seemed to take me forever.

The quilting totally made the quilt, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend Dawn Larsen for the time she spent and her excellent quilting. Thank you so much, Dawn. We love it!

While she did not actually do any sewing, Caitlin was involved in every aspect of planning the quilt - including the quilting design. She fell in love with the swirls on one quilt she saw and requested the same pattern for hers. Dawn told me the design was called "Enchanted" by Anne Bright.

This was extremely funny to me. All summer long I've been giving my daughter random motherly advice in preparation for heading off to her new life at college. In addition to many practical tips, at one point I jokingly told her to remember her upbringing, mind her manners and to make sure that she was polite to everyone she met. What's wrong with that? Sounds like good advice to me. She laughed and called me old-fashioned and said of course she would be polite - why, every time she met someone new she would smile and give them her hand and say "Enchanted."

For a truly modern girl, she's also a little bit old-fashioned as well. I can see her wearing her sun hat (not mine, it's hers. To keep the sun off that delicate skin, you know. . . ) sitting on the quilt having a picnic. Or sketching, LOL.

So her quilt is done and that's the last big thing I'll do for her for awhile. The next time I write about her it will surely be with a twinge of wistfulness. "Mom, you'd better not cry when you take me to school" she told me the other day. Okay, I promise I won't. Until I get back in the car at least. And then I'll probably spend some time wiping away the tears as I remember the tiny little hand tightly clenched in mine as we walked across the church parking lot on the first day of pre-school. The very first letting go. Just yesterday, wasn't it?

Quilts with Breakfast

2011-08-31T09:54:00.001-05:00

How often do you walk into a restaurant and see quilts hanging on the walls? This is not the first time this has happened to me and I'm beginning to think they follow me around, just waiting to be noticed. One day last week my son and I needed to go shopping for a few things and stopped for breakfast before we set out. As we walked along looking for someplace to eat I was thinking about small quilts and what I should write about on my blog - yet another shopping trip? Seems like that's all I've been doing lately - how boring.

We picked a random restaurant near this one store he wanted to go to and when we walked in - there were quilts hanging on the walls! How unusual is that? I never go into restaurants and see quilts and now it's happened twice. I'm thinking it's some kind of karma. I'll have a cup of coffee . . . and 2 quilts, please.

He was a little embarrassed but very patient with me as I pulled out my camera. At least I turned the flash off so as not to draw too much attention to our table . . .

I did sneak off to the bathroom because I had to get a shot of this one. On the green wall.

On our way out, I asked the young man at the cash register if he knew who had made the quilts and he said he wasn't sure - his mom, he thought. Sounded like no one had ever asked before because he was surprised at my question. I told him I thought they were very nice and that I really appreciated how they added to the "ambiance" of the restaurant. I hope he told his mom. After I got home I inquired a little further and found out that they were made by Martha Beard. Thanks, Martha! What an unexpected but pleasant surprise. We need more quilts in restaurants and other public places to lift us up and inspire us.

American Schoolgirl Doll Quilt Patterns

2011-08-29T11:13:00.001-05:00

You may remember that last year I started a 6-month club called the American Schoolgirl Club that offered monthly patterns for doll quilts with a little bit of an antique look and a touch of history. I have run the club several times since then and there are still members getting their quilt patterns every month. Recently, I ran out of complete sets of the patterns and so have discontinued the Club. Instead of spending the money to print up more of these same patterns, I decided to just offer the remaining ones that are left for sale on my website, so click here if you're interested in buying the individual patterns. They are all very cute and each pattern comes in a little booklet with some historical information about the quilt or time period.There are not many left.

Those of you who have joined the club in the past few months - don't worry, I have enough to finish your club subscriptions and you will continue to get your patterns every month until you receive all six.

I'm not sure if I will design a new club someday. This one was very popular and I would like to try to create a new one sometime next year if I have the time and energy. I'm still now just getting back to working on things and after my daughter goes to school the next thing on the agenda is making the little quilt for my retreat in October.

So that's all I have for now until I get back in the swing of things and decide if I will actually write another book someday. Who knows what's next? The thought of it stresses me out a bit right now, LOL. So much work. My thanks to all of you who continue to love the little quilts and keep me inspired to design more!

The Quilting Bug

2011-08-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yay! I finished the college quilt for my daughter last night and am taking it to the quilter today. Now we just have to wait. But it's not like we still don't have a million things to do in the meantime before she goes to school.

The other day we spent several hours at a quilt shop picking out the borders and backing fabric for the quilt. Or at least it seemed like SEVERAL hours. I love a good quilt shop but . . . Sheesh.

I was patient. Mostly I restrained myself and stood back and let her do it herself. Many of the blocks in the quilt were made with reproduction fabrics she picked out from my collection at home. I followed her around the shop and found my own favorites for the borders but she didn't like my choices at all so I just kept quiet.

The shop owner said - "She has very strong opinions." So true, but not sure that was a compliment. LOL, if she only knew . . .

I decided I would not even attempt to tell her what fabric to pick for her special quilt - those were the rules. I would make it if she would pick out the fabric. Sneaky of me?? You bet. I demanded a little involvement on her part. You should know that my daughter does not quilt. "That's YOUR thing, Mom," she always says. But when we left the shop I could see that twinkle in her eye and she said it was SO much fun! I had quietly watched her walking around the shop, lovingly touching the fabrics. Paying attention to the wonderful quilting designs on the quilts hanging on the walls. Studying the different types of fabrics. Noting designers. It was not a bad experience. So maybe there's hope, maybe someday she'll get the bug. Or perhaps she already has, who knows?

It all went together in the end. Can't wait for it to be quilted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Old Quilts

2011-08-25T16:45:00.001-05:00

My friend Julia felt sorry for me after reading my recent blog post about not buying any antique quilts for awhile and so the other day she came over with this vintage Apple Core quilt - for ME!

Seems she was shopping and it just whispered my name to her. It's very scrappy and pieced and quilted by hand. Although it has a few worn spots it's beautiful nonetheless. You know how I love checks and plaids . . . . and apples too! This one would be very cute in a small size and I remember seeing a pattern for a very colorful scrappy one made by Cindy Blackberg in a Jo Morton book. Cindy Blackberg sells the stamps on her website. One more for the list!

It sure looks like the quilter used up scraps from her scrap basket - maybe pieces of old shirts and worn housedresses. I love the occasional patch of a black print next to the pastels. Very striking, don't you think?

Ties to the Past

2011-08-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

Doll quilts from the past stir our hearts and engage our emotions with their simple blocks and imperfect stitches. It's fun to imagine what kinds of quilts children may have made and played with long ago and making little scrappy quilts certainly brings the past alive, doesn't it?

Here's one of my recent finds - a little Bow Tie quilt. I've always always wanted to make one and just haven't gotten around to it. Then BOOM! I found one already made. What luck!

Love those checks!

More Shopping

2011-08-21T19:58:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how much shopping I've done this summer. Trips to IKEA are always fun and a great way to save money when both of your kids have new places to live but don't exactly have jobs yet.

What a deal!

My son just got an apartment and needed a few things to make it liveable. He's working on the job thing - meanwhile, he's going back to school.

This - or THIS? Always best to bring the girlfriend along to make sure you get the right things.

My daughter will be going off to her school soon and you know how boring those dorm rooms can be if you don't spruce them up a bit.

What a decision! Black, silver or purple? Not sure how functional it is, but pretty cool nonetheless and sure to be a big hit on campus.

Everybody needs some bright-colored fake flowers when they go off to college, am I right?? (My fault - she watched way too much HGTV as a child, I'm afraid.)

He makes friends easily wherever he goes . . .

All I can say is, thank goodness we went to IKEA and not Pottery Barn. My daughter and I have a few more shopping trips to go before she's ready to go off to school, her new life. Let's see: X-Long sheets, towels, shower caddy, mini-frig, and . . . oh yeah, a QUILT, in case I don't finish the one I'm supposed to be making for her . . .

I'll have all the rows sewn together by tomorrow. I promise.

This empty nest thing - it's very emotional if I take the time to sit and think about it. Better to keep busy. It occurred to me that maybe I'm dragging my feet on this quilt because subconsciously I'm thinking, if I don't make the quilt . . . perhaps she won't leave??? You know what my husband would say to that - "Honey, I think you think too much." What does HE know. I'm missing them already . . .

I Brake for Antique Shops

2011-08-18T15:30:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week I drove down to southern Illinois to visit the TNT Guild in Glen Carbon, IL for a presentation. Such a fun group of ladies! And boy can they bake. Ask me how I know . . . .

It sure looks like they were laughing at my quilts, but I'm positive there was something else funny going on . . . just quilters having a good time.

Look - there's Mr Tracy, working hard behind the scenes, helping me take down my presentation while I packed up my quilts. He's usually sneaking around taking pictures of me with silly expressions on my face but I stole the camera and got him this time while he wasn't looking.

On the way back home the next day we stopped at a few antique shops -

Sometimes I'll see an antique quilt that I like but instead of feeling like I need to buy it I think - Hmmm, if I made this one myself I'd use different fabrics, ones I really like. No uglies, LOL. I know, I know, let's not start THAT conversation again . . . I happen to really like my pretty fabrics.

I almost never see quilts when I visit antique shops in my area, so it was fun to see so many. There were quite a few, but none that I really craved. Most were not very affordable ( TWO kids in college soon) or too worn in places or just not my style. I always think I can probably reproduce a few easily enough in small format.

Oohh, isn't this like the one I saw in the magazine last month??

Most of the ones I liked and could afford were very worn in spots. I already have a couple of antique quilts in need of repair, do not need any more.

I do love the really simple antique quilts - no frills here.

Thought about buying these blocks but didn't really like the colors on the others. Would I even put them together anyway?

Bought these instead, to make some small 6-pointed stars, along with some older blue-grey Jo Morton fabric I ran out of a few years ago. I am always on the lookout for more. Lucky me!

Nice to see that my old set of Pfaltzgraff dishes like these (packed away in the basement) are collectible . . . I knew if I waited long enough they'd become antiques.

Lots of Pinks and Blues . . . . Don't you love how the quilter probably ran out of fabric and said "Oh well" and then substituted the checked square in the block above? Just like me, LOL.

I've never seen this pattern before.

Although I mostly just showed you quilts, you never know what else you can get a deal on at some of these antique shops in the country - UFO anyone?

How about a hat for the next Royal Wedding??

Doll Quilt Retreat

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Only one more week to sign up for the Small Quilt Retreat! October 7 - 9, 2011 in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. With me and others who love to make small quilts. We could use a few more people to make it even funner . . .

My classes are Super FUN! Just ask her . . .

Look at the great time she's having - Would she lie to you??

I have a few things planned for the weekend - a workshop to make a NEW little quilt. I haven't designed it yet though (puh-leeze! My knee, remember? It hurts when I press pedal to metal . . . ) but I will and I'm thinking Fall colors. Mine will have blue in it too, of course. Tips on how to get that old-fashioned look in your doll quilts. A Show & Tell where you can all bring the little quilts you've made and also a trunk show of some quilts from my books. A fabric or block swap. A race to make a cute little Needle Case if we have time.

I'll figure it all out as we get closer to October. I cannot WAIT for Fall after this hot hot summer we've had. Fall in Wisconsin is wonderful. Maybe I'll bring some bratwurst and we can have our own little Octoberfest! It IS Wisconsin, after all . . . Who knows, maybe S'mores too if they trust us around a bonfire . . .

If I have the nerve, I will bring the FIRST quilt I ever made to show everyone. If you promise not to laugh . . . I keep it around as a reminder of how far I've come.

So c'mon, time's a wasting people - get going and sign up. I need a few more people to fill it up. (Find my contact e-mail at the top of the page under My Profile.) It would really be fun to meet some of you I have "talked" with online.

Making little quilts all weekend - What could be better??

One Thing After Another. . .

2011-08-11T16:29:00.002-05:00

She looks innocent enough, doesn't she? What could be so difficult about walking such a little dog??

Well, you know I have been trying so hard to get into shape (ha!) after everything I've gone through lately. Three times in the hospital and recovery from 2 surgeries this past year did a number on my muscles and entire body in general. Like I was hit by a truck, a BIG truck some days. I know everybody is tired of hearing about it and I usually suffer in silence. But I'm still recovering and really working hard to try to overcome the toll it's taken on me. It's been a frustrating two steps forward and one step back most of the time. My doctor understands though and she keeps telling me to give myself a break, it hasn't really been that long, the body takes time to heal and Hey, guess what? I'm no kid anymore. Thanks. Pretty soon I will have to call this blog The Old, Broken Quilter Who Only Thinks About Quilting Sometimes.

I walked a lot this past Spring to get into shape a little before my surgery. One day I twisted my knee walking the little girl (see photo, above) as she pulled the leash and ran after a squirrel. It hurt, I limped home and put ice on it and wrapped an Ace bandage around it. It bothered me a little for awhile but after I had the surgery, the pain disappeared since I was resting a lot.

When I finally got the okay from my surgeon to resume exercise a month ago I started walking and trying to exercise again. But then the weather around here became unbearable so I joined the local YMCA so I could exercise inside. This was working great and it actually felt good to move so much again and get my heart rate up. UNTIL, one day, I walked the dog and did that half-step-slide off the curb again . . . My knee twisted and this time it hurt REAL bad.

I went to the Orthopedic Dr (I have a doctor for every occasion, LOL) who made me get an MRI and then told me I tore the cartilage in my knee and needed surgery to repair it. You can imagine I was not happy to hear that. He suggested pain killers and a cortisone injection if I did not want surgery. The pain didn't really go away and I like to avoid pain meds. Walking comfortably for more than two blocks? Forget it. This time it felt like I took 3 or 4 steps backwards.

Instead of surgery, the doctor said I COULD try the conservative approach and give Physical Therapy a shot and see what happens. I could tell he was not confident it would help, but then he's a Surgeon and that's what they do, surgery. If I had not already had SOOO much surgery recently I would have consented, pronto. For now this is what I have decided to do and here's where I feel like I spend a lot of my time -

What's next, the hip??

I'm only telling you all this because I know there are probably many of you out there my age with knee and hip problems and I need some sympathy. At least I hope I'm not the only one. Getting older sure is no fun.

Therapy does have its perks, however. The other day I went up to the front counter to schedule another appointment and had to walk past someone on another table. The buzz in the room was about pulled hamstrings. I looked at my therapist and quietly said - "Is that . . . ???" "Mmmm hmmm" he answered. No, sorry, it was NOT George Clooney. This is Illinois and we take what celebrities we can get. In my house we are all NBA basketball fans so this will not mean anything to most of you, but I was excited. I stepped out of my shyness and walked over and asked if I could have his autograph and oh, by the way, also get a picture for my son, who's a big fan.

I went home and texted my son that I had just finished physical therapy, then sent him the picture telling him they assigned me a "personal trainer" so I could get better and maybe hopefully play basketball with him someday on a Mother-Son team.

He texted back with an annoyed sigh: "Mom, that's Kirk Hinrich, I don't think so." Well, I thought it was funny but I guess you can't put anything over on kids today . . . Kirk Hinrich ("Captain Kirk" to his fans) played 7 seasons with the Chicago Bulls (our team) and is currently with the Atlanta Hawks. Nice to see him back home.

If I ever run into Kirk again and by chance he asks how I'm doing, what's wrong, I plan on telling him I injured my knee in a much more dramatic fashion than "Walking the Dog" LOL. Maybe something like, say - speed dribbling down the court on a fast break. I don't think I'll mention the squirrel . . . . .

Small Quilt Retreat

2011-07-31T09:48:00.001-05:00

Here's something for you to think about - What could be more fun than spending a weekend in October at a rustic retreat in Wisconsin, sewing with me and lots of other lovers of doll quilts??

Sound like a good time? If we get enough people to sign up, I'm hosting a Fall retreat in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Join me on October 7 - 9, 2011 to celebrate our collective joy of making small quilts.

Total Retreat cost: $180.00. E-mail me at kathyktracy@comcast.net to sign up or get more details. Package includes lodging for 2 nights, meals (Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast) plus a Saturday workshop to make one of my small quilts with an antique touch (a new quilt that isn't in one of my books). I'm also hoping we can have a little fabric or block swap on Friday night, Show & Tell and I'll do a trunk show of some of MY quilts as well. Space is limited so don't hesitate for too long. We're bound to have a good time and, oh yeah, get some sewing done too!

"Oh Maude, did you hear?? A Doll Quilt Retreat!"

"Yes, Agnes, with Kathy Tracy! We definitely should go - I hear it will be the most delightful event of the year! I'll bring cookies and fudge!"

Another Hole in My Head

2011-07-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

I need new fabric like I need a hole in the head - and I say that every time I go into a shop. It's been a while since I've shopped for fabric because, as you know, I've been taking a little break here. But, I finished the blocks for my daughter's college quilt and needed to get the sashing fabric. What's wrong with doing a little shopping for myself while I was there, huh?

I don't need ANYTHING really but I couldn't resist a couple of new pieces (!) just to get me dreaming about the little quilts I'm going to make SOMEDAY . . . I have a few in mind, just still working on the time thing.

It's raining here this morning and I didn't want to get myself or the fabric wet by taking it out in the garden - my favorite spot for taking photos lately.

I had some of this lovely Moda print (in middle) a few years ago and I was excited to find more! How about that? I love stumbling upon older fabrics I've used before.

I'll get the sashing done on the college quilt and then if the Princess (no, not the little dog, Princess Lia) -

- the OTHER princess, the Princess Who Wants A Quilt, will spend the time to go fabric shopping with me someday, we'll decide on the border.

She's always been a Pink Girl at heart and wants a brown/pink print for the border. I'm trying to talk her into this one from Jo Morton's Spice Chest line. She's not sure and wants to look around a bit.

It's getting close to finishing time and I don't want to take a chance and surprise her with my choice just to get it done because she's very particular, and if she doesn't like it, well . . . let's just say I'd be upset. Might even put another hole in my head.

Civil War Days

2011-07-24T18:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we went to a Civil War Days event held at a local history center. Those of you who are at all interested in this sort of thing should try to attend one someday - it was kind of fun (despite the heat).

"President Lincoln" recited the Gettysburg address.

The dining room of a restored 1860s-era house.

(Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The "Battle"

It was a lot of fun to see the costumes and all - these people take this VERY seriously and try to be very accurate about everything.

(Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Chocolate Emergency

2011-07-22T12:15:00.000-05:00

Last night we had a chocolate emergency at our house. No, the dogs did not get into any, thank goodness, although one time years ago one of our large dogs ate a whole box of Frango mints that was wrapped up under the Christmas tree while we were out. How stupid of me - he was okay but I never did that again.

You may remember that I have been trying so hard to eat healthy and for the most part that's working. I don't keep ice cream, candy, cookies or cake around unless it's for a special occasion. I just do not have that much will power. I rely on diet chocolate pudding made with skim milk, a tiny handful of chocolate chips or flavored yogurt if I need something sweet. WELL, until yesterday, that is. I discovered a box of Fudge Brownie mix in the pantry as I was rummaging for even just a few chocolate chips left over from the last time my daughter baked cookies for her brother. I was desperate and my chocolate craving would not go away. (FYI - A nutritionist who once worked with me told me that the chocolate craving is related to a magnesium deficiency.)

Aha, I remembered from my old Weight Watcher days that you can make some not-bad brownies from a mix without using the eggs or oil - replacing them with a container of lowfat vanilla yogurt instead. What luck! I had the lowfat vanilla yogurt in the frig!

I haven't made this recipe for quite awhile. They're not the same consistency as real homemade brownies but they'll do in a pinch. The fun part? You can scrape the bowl and lick the spoon since there are no EGGS in it!

Everyone knows I love plates and bowls and this set of cute little dessert plates was a gift for my birthday last year.

I treated myself with a pretty plate and some delicioous brownies I did not feel too guilty about. Couldn't stop at one. Low-fat brownies just hit the spot sometimes whether you're having a chocolate emergency or not. You might want to try these someday if the craving calls.

More Quilts in the Garden

2011-07-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

It's incredibly hot here in the Chicago area. We lost our internet, phone and cable TV service for a few hours yesterday. I was so worried that the power would go out too and that the heat would be unbearable. I told my husband if that happens I swear I will go to a hotel - I just cannot take the heat. And I'd bring my dogs with me.

Despite the steamy weather, I went outside this morning for a few minutes to hang some more quilts and take pictures. I always say that the photos in the books do not do my quilts justice. They are so much prettier than they appear in the flat shots. Take a look.

I love this quilt. It's called Crosses Mourning Quilt and is from my second book, Prairie Children and Their Quilts. There's a great story in the book relating to an entry from a young woman's diary that inspired me to make it. Etty Scott wrote about the death of her mother from Cholera on the trail West. They had to leave her and move on but they buried her amidst the hills and "heaped her grave with roses."

Time to get out those books again and make a few of these quilts, huh?

Doll Quilts Around the Garden

2011-07-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Getting Healthy

2011-07-13T15:18:00.004-05:00

It's so hard, isn't it? I feel like I've been at a particular disadvantage recently. I've always been interested in nutrition and I usually eat well and make healthy meals but - here's the thing: I eat too much and I haven't been able to exercise as much as I'd like to. I lost a lot of muscle being in the hospital and after surgery and resting. My knee has been acting up to the point where it became too painful to walk far and so I went to the Dr and had that taken care of yesterday. Now I need to do some strengthening exercises and take the getting-back-into-shape ordeal a little more slowly. Otherwise, if I overdo it, I am just going back to square one. Big sigh. I just can't seem to get it all together but I'm trying.

I've also been trying to eat a little lighter. It helps that it's warm outside. My husband and I both try to limit our red meat consumption but he likes fish as a replacement and I don't. I prefer chicken or vegetarian meals but that often means pasta or rice which I should probably avoid more. Which is worse - red meat or too much pasta?? You know what I mean. I am always cooking vegetarian meals for my daughter anyway so it isn't too hard to make more for me. But two nights ago I made Turkey burgers and created a great recipe you will love. My daughter had a veggie burger instead but I am not fond of those. I've actually never been fond of frozen turkey burgers either - they always seemed really blah to me. But, using fresh ground turkey instead of frozen turkey patties, and with a couple of small additions and a little work, these were great. Try it!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Vegetables

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

dash of salt and/or pepper

1/2 zucchini, grated

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/4 cup bread crumbs (or oat bran!)

2 T olive oil

4 T milk

2 T Teriyaki sauce for mix

2 MORE T of Teriyaki sauce for glaze

1.   Saute zucchini, onion and carrot in oil until soft.
2. Mix turkey, egg, seasonings, bread crumbs and milk.
3.   Add sauteed vegetables to the turkey mixture.
4.   Add the 2 T of teriyaki sauce and mix well. Form into patties.

Dab a little of the extra teriyaki sauce on top of the patties before cooking. You can bake these on a baking tray in the oven (at 400 degrees I'd guess?), cook in a non-stick skillet or grill them. Grilling is my favorite. Remember to flip them so they get browned on both sides. If you bake in oven, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness, it's poultry so be careful. My son also likes these made with barbeque sauce substituted for the teriyaki sauce.

What's that side you see here that goes along so well with turkey burgers on the grill in summer? My special healthy Spinach and Orzo salad, of course! (Everybody needs some carbs . . . ) Add some fresh strawberries and you've got a complete light healthy meal. You have to admit the burgers and salad look so nice on my new dishes too.

I'm still working on portion control, even if this plate looks pretty full, LOL. I have a wonderful appetite, especially if the food is good and I am a good cook if I say so myself. I now try to drink a full glass of water before I eat, while I'm cooking, and I also started adding a cup of decaf coffee after my dinner for an extra fill-me-up in case I'm still hungry. I'm always hungry lately.

Here's the Spinach Orzo salad recipe:

Spinach Orzo Salad

1/2 pkg of Orzo pasta, cooked

3/4 bag of fresh baby spinach leaves

baby tomatoes, sliced

3 T Olive oil

2 T Balsamic vinegar (or Red wine vinegar

or even Light vinagrette salad dressing)

A dash of garlic powder

salt, pepper to taste

1.   Cook the pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.
2.   Chop the spinach into small pieces, removing stems.
3.   Slice the baby tomatoes.
4.   Place the spinach, pasta and tomatoes into a salad serving bowl. Mix the oil, vinegar (or dressing) and other spices in a separate bowl. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

You can also add black olives or Parmesan cheese on top (only one person in my family will eat it that way so I leave it plain). All we had in the house was this Sweet Light Raspberry vinagrette dressing so I added more vingear for a zing. Lately, my favorite dressing is Paul Newman's Light Balsamic Vinagrette and this is what I usually use if I do not have any good vinegar. I've also been known to substitute chopped red pepper if I do not have tomatoes, which works well too. I love red peppers.

This is a good start for me and hopefully soon I'll be walking a little more now that my knee is slowly healing. If I can learn to push myself away from the table, that is. Sigh. I think I need a personal trainer.