"...laugh yourself into Stitches, follow me..."

I have Spring Fever!

2012-02-20T16:23:00.004-08:00

Spring Fever quilt pattern from the Buggy Barn book, Certifiably Crazy

Last month i taught the 'Buggy Barn Way' technique. Click HERE to view my tutorial post. And shown below is my finished quilt.

Trinity Quilt clubbers...i'm bringing it to show this coming Sunday!

2012-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

Kelly's quilt is finally finished...after days of stop and start quilting. My Handy Dandy did fix my machine and found a corroded magnet inside which has something to do in combination with a sensor. After a trip to Boersma's to replace the magnet and a weekend retreat, i finally got back to work on Kelly's quilt. Everything was perfect....stitching along, working better than ever. I took a break, came back to my machine switched on the light bar above the needle and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! NOT AGAIN?!! Now there seems to be a short in either the light switch or the wiring. As long as i don't use the light, the machine works great. Handy Dandy will be replacing the switch tonight...hopefully that is it!

At any rate...Kelly's quilt is finished. phew!

As for the retreat this past weekend it was all about Love and Respect. My husband (aka Handy Dandy) and i went with 25 couples from our church which included my brother and sister in-law, my best friends and neighbors. It was full of laughter, great food, at Skamania Lodge on the Columbia Gorge. A glimpse of what was presented is here on this YouTube video titled:

"Men's Brains, Women's Brains"

Worth a look and a great laugh!

i'm bored...and a bit frustrated

2012-02-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

no, this is not me....but how i feel.

my Gammill has been acting up and i have tried to avoid this reality. I can no longer bury my head in the needle....which has been the problem. i stitch...going along my merry way and when i come to a stopping place the needle continues to run. So with the help of Mr. Jack Boersma over the phone and my handy dandy husband Pat....we have been trouble shooting for the past couple days. I think...i hope the problem is fixed. I should be stitching right now...but while i was bored, i took these pictures and now i'm posting.

thank goodness for my handy dandy man!

i had to stand by while handy dandy was at work...just in case he needed something...so i took a couple more photos...why not?

love love love my old milk bottle thread carrier!

my fingers are crossed...and i'm going back to work!

For Kelly

2012-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

This is an old hand pieced double wedding ring quilt top. There are always some issues with an old quilt. A few stains here and there, some fullness, a couple open seams, and never quite square. I originally thought i would do some cross hatching but once i got going, i felt that might cause some of the fullness in the quilt to pucker and tucks would start happening. So i opted for a feather design with simple stippling. A bit more forgiving.

This is really a beautiful quilt and once it is finished and bound...no one will ever see the little issues....and personally i love the stains, the fullness....it's beautiful.

2012-02-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

Tree Swap complete!

Cheryl and Susan

Diane, Marcia and Cindy

and moi....

We will each create some sort of wall hanging,
table topper or runner.

What a great way to spend Super Bowl Sunday!

Trees and a Dresden

2012-02-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

Busy making trees for a 'tree swap' happening on Sunday. Yup, that's what i'll be doing instead of watching the Super Bowl...btw, who's playing?

I got off tree track , stitched together this Dresden

... and loaded Kelly's quilt.

hum...i wonder how my UFO's are coming along...

Love is in the air

2012-02-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me

2012-01-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my birthday. Every Tuesday during a Bible Study offered at

Ft. Benning, GA., pictures are taken and posted to a Facebook site. Pictures of our sons, husbands, grandsons, etc... who are going through Basic Training. I always look forward to searching through the pictures every Tuesday in hopes of seeing my son Tucker.

Tonight as i searched, i saw the back of him in a picture, the profile of him in another and as i clicked on the very last picture....this.

Gosh, i just want to hug him!!!

The Buggy Barn Way

2012-01-21T17:48:00.001-08:00

I'm getting ready to teach a great technique, a unique technique! It's The Buggy Barn Way. Trinity Quilt Club will be learning this nifty way to piece together blocks. After teaching a whole year and then some of the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt, this will be a breeze! Very forgiving, no need to stress over seams that don't line up

and the blocks are big!

Here is the beginning of my Spring Fever quilt.

Trace the pattern onto Freezer Paper and iron on to a stack of Fat Quarters layered in a specific order.

Using a large Rotary Cutter, cut through the stack of Fat Quarters (FQ). Depending on the amount of FQ's needed, one may want to divide the pile into a manageable thickness for cutting.

In this particular pattern, the pattern is stitched together in quadrants. Each quadrant in the photo above has 5 separate pieces to be stitched together.

Shown below are the lower quadrants A and B.

Square up ONLY the sides you will be stitching together. I just simply placed the ruler on two areas that matched, and trimmed the rest. In the picture above, both A and B quadrants are trimmed and ready to stitch together.

Once they are stitched together, again trim ONLY the side which will be sewn to the trimmed quadrant C and D.

Once the sections are trimmed and ready to sew together, pin the middle intersection and i throw a couple extra pins in just to keep the block from shifting. You can see how uneven it is!

Not to worry one bit!

Below is the block stitched together ready to be trimmed to the appropriate size. My pattern said to trim it to 11.5", but my blocks are easily trimmed to 12".

There is no sashing or border added to this quilt. It calls for a total of 30 blocks, 5 across and 6 down. My mother-in-law gave me scraps from her stash over Christmas. I rummaged through them last week and found enough of the plaid and the farmer/strawberry fabric, added the white fabric from my stash and am making this for my little grand niece Sammy, for a drag around quilt. Sammy's quilt will be 3 blocks across and 4 blocks down for a total of 12 blocks. I will add a border to make it a bit larger.

Click Here to view the finished quilt

My Lucky Dog and Sweetpea

2012-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a portrait of my Lucky dog painted and framed by my Aunt Loretta.

Lucky with the cousins

This is Sweetpea. Sweetpea was raised along side my two sons and their cousins. She is no longer with us. :/ My mom decided she would like to have a wolf and Sweetpea became a huge part of our family. Sweetpea kept watch over all 10 of the grandkids.

Here she is keeping my son Mason in line.

Aunt Loretta captures the sweetness of Sweetpea

Aunt Loretta is an amazing artist...does wonderful paintings of family pets. If you would like to commission her, please contact me for more information at chezstitches@comcast.net

A few finishes this past week. Here is Susan's churn dash quilt.

quilted with a feather swirl.

Another of Susan's quilts. Charm quilt with an edge to edge Swirl n' Twirl

And finally, Diane's charm quilt with an all over edge to edge called Flowering Daisy

Now off to the Mountains for a bit of ski time with my brother and my nieces...and the snow if falling!!!

2012-01-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

A few months ago Diane, Susan and i each made this 40"x40" house and tree quilt. I just finished quilting Susan's today. It is similar to the quilting done on my quilt, seen here. All custom free hand design. Diane's was quilted using a custom Baptist Fan design. You can view her quilt here.

Geneva's quilt

2012-01-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tree Swap

2012-01-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

I saw my friend AnnMarie making stacks of these trees this past month. I decided it would be fun to gather with a few friends and do a tree swap!

Here is the blog where you will find the original directions and an easy print out for these trees. But as my friend Susan discovered, sometimes trimming the trees down to the recommended size, was just a bit too small for our liking.

So, here's a pictorial to clarify for my swap friends just exactly how to make the trees and the trimming measurements.

Start with a TWO 2"x 4-1/4" tree fabrics, cut diagonally as shown with just ONE of tree rectangles

then cut the opposite diagonal on the second tree rectangle.

Cut TWO background fabrics 2-3/4"x6" then cut one on the diagonal and the other on the opposite diagonal just like the tree rectangles.

From all these fabrics, you will render 2 trees.

Take the two background fabrics (one from each of the different diagonal cuts) and lay the tree fabrics (again, one from each of the opposite diagonal cuts) right sides together as shown. Pay close attention that the correct edge of the tree fabric is stitched onto the correct edge of the background. Make sure the points of the tree fabric are at the very tip of the background fabric....stitch as shown

Press towards the tree fabric

i trimmed where the tree top intersects on both sections lining up with the edge of the green tree fabric and trying to keep things as square as possible.

Now the center of the tree can be lined up and stitched using the 1/4" seam allowance

right sides together

even if it looks a bit uneven, i pin where the tree top intersects and the trimming squares the block up

press seams open

I trimmed this section to 4", leaving as much of the background fabric at the top as i could

(almost and inch)

Next comes the trunk. The original directions say to cut TWO background pieces 2"x4+"

INSTEAD...cut them 2-1/2"x 4".

you can always trim down. Sew the brown 7/8" strip between the 2-1/2x4" rectangles and press away from the trunk

Subcut into 1" sections to be used for more than 1 trunk if you like.

Find the middle of the trunk and line up with the vertical seam on tree and stitch in place

Now here's the trimming dimensions for my swap partners.....

Trim block to 4-3/8" tall (there should be approximately 7/8" of background above the tip of the tree. And from the seam of the trunk to the bottom of the block there should be approximately 3/4".

The width should measure approx. 3-6/8". I lined my ruler at the 1-7/8" mark with the vertical seam and trimmed the side. Then i flipped the block, measured again using the 1-7/8" mark on the vertical seam and trimmed the opposite side.

I hope this picture helps.

For the open spaces with no trees, cut the background fabric 3-6/8"x4-3/8" (same size as the trimmed tree block)

Here is AnnMarie's forest

Yes...it looks like Christmas....

but never to early to start!!

2012-01-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

i am only admitting this because i am confident i'm not the only one!

My New Year's resolution:

1. pull out all my UFO's

2. put them in order of importance

3. post each month showing 'some' progress

4. complete them in 2012

Here they are in no order of importance yet...

A Tisket a Tasket by Bunny Hill Designs

a BOM which i have 4 months completed

Fickle Pickle

a Churn Dash that is finished...

but needs machine quilting

My Farmer's Wife quilt....

which is my #1 priority!

Cowgirl....

can't wait to see this finished!

Prairie baskets by Primitive Patchworks

Baskets n Such by Jan Patek

and my tree skirt by Cabin Fever

which i had planned to finish last January.... :/

May your 2012 be filled with complete success!

2011-12-29T23:09:00.001-08:00

2011-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

I finished Christi's quilt this morning. Christi wanted contemporary quilting on what would be considered a more traditional quilt top. What a great idea! With the help of some great suggestions from my friends at MQR in the machine quilting world, i settled on a spiral square in each of the white areas, diagonal lines through the lattice and bead board in the border.

I think i captured the 'contemporary' feel. What do you think?

there is a secondary circle quilted around each of the blue curved pieces. Doesn't show in the pictures very well, but i noticed it right away and like the unexpected addition.

I marked lines for easy reference and used

Deloa Jone's Boomerang.

I purchased this tool at Machine Quilter's Expo in October and this is the first time i've used it and i LoVe iT!

I did consider curved cross hatching in the white areas but the time involved would have run the cost up beyond the budget. I really like the spiral square...it reminded me of snowflakes. Maybe it's that time of the year??

These are a few of my favorite things....

2011-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i discover MY stocking had Bonnie's name on it! Home in New England is a blog i follow, and to my surprise...Bonnie had a photo of this Christmas stocking on her blog!

My Grandma Mac knit each of her grand kids this stocking when we were born...

Come to find out, so did Bonnie's grandma for all her grandkids!

I wonder how many other grandmas knit this stocking for their grand kids...and who still cherishes them like Bonnie and me?

Baptist Fan

2011-12-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hot off the Longarm....Diane's House quilt. She picked a Baptist Fan quilting design which i custom quilted using 3", 5", 7" and 9" circles. This was my first attempt at a custom Baptist Fan and love the outcome! I took Mari-Lee Seei's class at MQX this past October where she taught many ruler applications. Click here to see Mari-Lee's YouTube video for her Baptist Fan instruction.

Christmas Trees

2011-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

This is what i miss out making this weekend with my cousins.......argghhh!!

Maybe this weekend i will make time to have Diane over to show me how....

Love these!!!!

Here are a couple quilts fresh off the longarm. I wish you could see all the sparkles in the fabrics...Lila's little nieces are gonna LOVE these quilts for Christmas.

Here's another quilt finished up...love the teal colored thread on the back.

2011-12-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Carol asked me to cut apart these three ladies who were sewn together separated by a red and cream check block. She would like to frame them for Christmas presents. I think these were made by her mother years ago. I cut them apart saving the red and cream check for a border. After sleeping on it and 'dreaming' about them, i came across this star fabric which complimented them nicely. I was going to use the red and cream check as an tiny inner border and the star fabric as the outer border or vice versa....the typical strips around the block. It just did not feel right and seemed like a simple unattractive way to frame these ladies. So, i appliqued over the top of each, a circle frame...

Here they are all loaded on my Gammill...

I stitched around each lady first, then stitched peacock feathers using

Superior 'So Fine!' thread

Completed the blocks with echoed circles

Here's a sideways photo (ugh...why does it load this way?? and can't be fixed??) This shows the skinny inner border and the outer border....not very interesting

Couple other quilts finished.

Susan's, quilted with Monkey Tails

and Cindy's spool quilt with Echoed Flowers

Christmas Quilt Show 2011

2011-11-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

This is somewhat of a repeat from a recent post but I decided to show this quilt again and enter it in SewCalGal's 2011 Christmas Quilt Show.

I spent a few days on the Oregon coast with a couple girlfriends and we each made this quilt top. Being a longarm quilter, i could not wait to load my quilt and start doodling around the houses and trees.

Click here to visit other entries and enjoy your holidays!

2011-11-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

2011-11-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

Playing around with some new finds....

this old rusty iron head board

stands on top of my fireplace mantel

and this buckboard bench sits on top of

my old iron sled

What do you think Miss Cindy and Miss Marcia?

Needs a little working...but ohh...can't wait for Christmas!!

blogger blogger blogger....

2011-11-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh, this morning i jumped on my blog to find my 'third party really cute background' was gone and a Photobucket icon floating around saying i have to update my Photobucket...huh? After hunting around, i found the 3rd party cute blog background is the issue, so i deleted it and now am going to simplify my blog and stick to the recommended Blogger backgrounds. Two hours later...i still have to figure out how to center my photo header, etc...and figure out how to change the text color throughout my entire blog with one click. Is that possible??? Whatever...

I do like the larger pictures..., so no more 3rd party cute backgrounds for me...

2011-11-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Here is my finished...well almost finished quilt. Still needs the binding...and for those who know me...well, you know!

Carol made this quilt for her son Willie

First things first...

2011-11-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

So, how do you like my Pilgrim photo?? I LOVE IT! I saw it on Robin's blog

Bird in the Hand Primitives.

(i asked her permission to use it on my blog and she was so kind to allow me to do so....thank you Robin !)

Robin creates the coolest art used in primitive stitching's, rug hooking, punch needle, penny rugs or whatever you desire. Check out her blog here and enjoy all her wonderful designs.

See what i made, yummmmmmmmmm

and see what i want to make

This is in a Buggy Barn book called

Still Crazy

2011-10-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Custom Circle Template work on Kathy's

Disappearing Nine-Patch

And here is Carol's quilt, quilted with a

Ribbon and Rose panto.

A-Z

2011-10-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

I've seen this floating around on a few Primitive blogs, don't know who started it and i don't know if there are any rules.

The only productive thing i have done all day is hang with my friend Cindy for a couple hours wandering around some antique shops. Digging through bins, baskets, boxes, drawers and getting our hands dirty.

My great find of the day.

This is from my high school. I never belonged to the FFA, but i am the farmer's daughter, had a horse named Dandy and a bull named Shortcake. There were many steers, Blackie, Whiteface, Oh and the one my brother David sat on, then blew in his ear.....

Okay back to what i've seen floating around on Primitive blogs.....

Getting to know me: A~Z

A~ Age: 52

B~ Bed: Queen size, pencil post shaker style. Snuggly! King size are just too big.

C~ Chore i hate: Unloading the dishwasher. It always comes at an inconvenient time, like when there are dirty dishes to load.

D~ Dog: Yellow Lab named Limpy, Lumpy, Humpty Dumpty with a Lollipop tongue. We just call him Lucky for short.

E~ Essential start to my day: Jump Java Jive..., yup, coffee.

F~ Favorite Color: Dark Navy Blue. I consider it my neutral...goes with everything and everything goes with it!

G~ Gold or Silver: I'll take some of both please.

H~ Height: 5'4"

I~ Instruments I play: Piano and the Radio

J~ Job Title: That depends on the day. Some days it's a Longarm Quilter, an Event Coordinator or Volunteer of some kind. On occasion my title is Chief proctor for a national exam and on other occasions it's Quilt Instructor. My finest titles are Mom, Wife and Follower of Jesus.

K~ Kids: 2 fabulous sons! Tucker, 21 and Mason, 20.

L~ Live In: Oregon, but my Mom says i live in La La Land.... hum

M~ Make of Car: Subaru Forester. Great for hauling a Lucky dog to the farm and junk i find rummaging through antique shops.

N~ Nicknames: Poodle-do, member of the Poodle-do Private eyes. Ya see, my friend Joey and i back in the 80's, had permed hair that was big and somewhat long and fluffy...I could continue the story, but i won't.

O~ Overnight Hospital Stay: Yes. 2 tonsils out and 2 babies out.

P~ Pet Peeve: Cell Phones.

Q~ Quote from a Movie: "There's no place like home." I'll let you guess the movie.

R~ Right hand or Left hand: Right.

S~ Siblings: 3 brothers...that explains why i live in La La Land.

T~ TV Shows: Not really a big TV fan, but i do enjoy American Idol and Antiques Roadshow.

U~ Underwear: Sure

V~ Vegetable i hate: Lima beans. yuuuuk...and please don't try to hide them in other foods. Brussels Sprouts, they're gross.

W~ What makes me late? My husband.

X~ X-rays: At 52, i'm encouraged to have x-rays.

Y~ Yummy food I make: Hungarian Mushroom soup.

Z~ Zoo Animals: Defiantly the monkeys.

Bonus Question: What scares me? ~ the Boogie Man. The one that hides under my bed and grabs my foot in the middle of the night when i have to go to the bathroom.

Now i have done 2 productive things today!

MQX Classes

2011-10-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

How lucky am i to have Machine Quilters Exposition come to Portland? They are returning next year October 17-20, 2012.

If you can attend MQX West or East, it is worth your time and money. The instructors i had were worth every penny!

I took 5 classes and sat in on 2 free lectures.

My first class was called Gadgets and Gizmos

with Donita Reeve. I can't seem to get her name linked to her page...you will find it here: www.lovetoquilt.com

Donita spent 2 hours demonstrating different acrylic rulers and templates and how to apply them into sashing and border designs.

Here are a few pictures from her demo/lecture

My next class was a 4 hour hands on class taught by Deloa Jones.

(my favorite, shhh, they were all awesome teachers, but there is just something about Deloa...)

The class was called Border Patrol. Lots of free hand quilting designs, some ruler work mainly for marking spines, etc...i did purchase her set of Boomerang rulers used for curved crosshatching.

Here are a few examples from my class

mirror image work

how to move around a corner, eliminating some of the design elements to transition smoothly

My third class was instructed by
Renae Haddadin. Impressive! Her class was called Show Off.

She taught the basics of thread choice; when to match or not to match thread color, what thread weight to use to achieve the desired effect as well as scale and how to divide and conquer the quilting. I took many notes and the one note that stands out the most for me is her comment "the empty space is more important that the quilted space".

Here a few shots of her demo.

Karen McTavish taught Mastering the Art of McTavishing. This was a fun class, full of humor and instruction.

Karen covered how to create her background filler, which marking tools to use for registration lines, thread suggestions, stitch length and needle size. A nice hand out was given and i purchased a signed copy of her book.

Here are a few samples of her demo

My last class was taught by Mari-Lee Seei. I could not find a direct link to Mari-Lee, but found a great YouTube video demonstrating how to stitch a Baptist Fan. There are a couple additional videos with Mari-Lee available on YouTube. Her class was called Ruler Basics. Mari-Lee covered a great deal of ruler work, how to chalk grid lines for several different quilting designs and applications as well as how to adjust a design to fit into a border. She covered the how to's of a Baptist Fan, Continuous Curves, Clam Shell, Full and Half Circle use, Pumpkin Seed and Bamboo.

In addition to the five classes, I sat in on two great lectures offered for free. The first was given by Sally Terry who spoke on her methods of quilting and the second was Page Johnson who's lecture was all about Loading with a Piece '0 Grid. I've linked to her video on how to load a quilt. This is a must see!!

All of this was packed into 2 full days. I had time between classes to wander around the vendor booths and take a few random shots of the quilts on display. I did not get a great deal of good photos, but here is the link to MQX West and I believe there will be postings of the award winning quilts. I hope so!
(click on all the red highlighted words
for instructors websites or YouTube videos)

MQX

2011-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Classes begin for the

Machine Quilters Exposition in Portland!!

sO eXcItEd!!

I'm taking 5 different classes from 5 different instructors and i may sign up for more.

Here's Kathy's quilt finished with a fun

panto design

For Sandy

2011-10-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

In the mood for pumpkin pie and candy corn

2011-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Paisley Pincushion

2011-09-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at our monthly quilt gathering I introduced everyone to a

line of apron patterns from

The Paisley Pincushion.

This pattern company is owned by my high school friend, Katie.

Katie was always known in high school for her art and her smile. I thought apron making would be a great diversion from quilting and there would be plenty of time to make one or two for Christmas parties or as gifts. Katie brought samples and here they are modeled by my quilt'n friends!

Laura wearing Bloomin' Apron.

This one is my favorite!!

My friend Cindy has some old Dresden's from her grandmother that would be perfect!

and here is Jean wearing Queen of Hearts

My favorite neighbor Sue showing off the Shopkeeper Apron

(she had surgery on her foot...therefore the black sock)

Cindy modeling the Short Stack Apron

(love my friend Cindy!)

Me...with my Blue Plate Special

Miss Jan look'n all sassy wearing the Shopkeeper (pattern shown above)

My high school friend Cheryl in the

Busy Bias Apron

Toni and her son Avi modeling

The Worker Bee Aprons

Some aprons come with mother/daughter sets and even doll size aprons!

A couple more aprons:

Reversible Apron Pattern

and the Scalloped Apron,

another one of my favorites!

If you are interested in purchasing any of these apron patterns or other fun patterns by:

Click HERE for the official website.

Now, I would like to proudly introduce my niece Hayley. Hayley lives just a couple blocks from me and expressed an interest in having a quilt made. I think she thought i would make it, (and i totally would) but how much more fun for me if she wanted to learn??!! So this past week Hayley has been cutting out her blocks to make the pattern

'Hip to be Square' and joined me yesterday at the Trinity Quilt Gathering. I think she may be catching a bug...quilting bug that is. She already has a keen eye for color and blessed with artistic talent. She is 19, the youngest in our quilt club!!

Welcome Hayley!

Soldier's com'n home

2011-09-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well, as life would have it, things don't always turn out the way we plan.

Tucker left for Fort Benning, Georgia on July 26th shortly after this photo was taken.

He began Basic Training in the Army on August 5th. Our last communication was the day before.

Surprisingly, we discovered a facebook page set up for his Company which covers 4 platoons all going through the same training. The administrator of this facebook page keeps parents and loved ones in touch with daily and weekly updates about the Soldier in Training or SIT's skill training and drills. So even though there was no direct communication with Tucker, we could hear what he was doing and follow the process. It is also an avenue for questions to be answered and support along the way. There is also another facebook site called Spiritual Fitness Training that posts pictures of our guys holding index cards with messages for their families. So nice!

Anyway, last week i noticed a lot of talk on the facebook page where parents were receiving their first phone calls from their soldier. The first group from Platoon #3 won the combative competition and their reward was a 30 minute phone call home. Awww...i was watching and waiting for a phone call too! A couple days went by and nothing...Tucker was in platoon #2 and i noticed other parents begin to receive their long awaited calls from Tucker's platoon. I carried the phone around all day...then, the call. But my call was not the kind of calls other's were experiencing. Tucker did not even know about the phone calls being made by his platoon. He was somewhere else...sick bay, a medical holding place or something because his call was only a couple minutes long, and he said the Army was sending him home. Okay...YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! right??

Well sort of....as many of you recall, Tucker broke both his feet 3 years ago September 27th. The Army accepted Tucker and provided him with a medical waiver and all was good. In Tucker's last week (week 5) of training they did 'rucking'...i guess that is a lot of marching for long distances, with full gear. He noticed his left foot swelling. Icing and ibuprofen were ineffective and after the week of rucking, Tucker decided he should get some medical attention. His left foot developed stress fractures and so he is coming home for 30 days to recover and then the Army will take him back (they could have given him a medical discharge...so Tucker is lucky!) He will be put into a Physical Training program for at least 30 days to rebuild his strength. He will then join another platoon in process where he left off. Hopefully he will not have to repeat the rucking portion.

Yes, it's a set back, plans change....but who cares??? Not I! Soldier's Com'n Home!!!

2011-09-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us

and a crispness is in the air

One more FW block complete...

only 9 more to do!!!!!

#101 Wedding Ring

#43 Garden Path

2011-09-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

A bit changed up...

Started with 8 half square triangles

use 4 to create this section 4 times

and with the other 4, make this 4 times....

and add to that....

then add in the brown template #44

making 4 of these sections

finger pressing to find the middle, pin to the center 'square in a square' and stitch 1/4" in from each side to allow for 'y-seams' in each corner

My collection of Valdani threads.

Just had to share.

Trinity Quilt Club Retreat

2011-08-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

Had our quilt retreat this past weekend. What a great group of women!!!...and they know what i'm talk'n about! They presented to me a card, with many many personal thank you's for, i don't know...having fun?

Thank you everyone, sincerely. Really, i'm just having fun and enjoying our time together and laughter!

(oh and by the way, the card was stuffed full of cash...) What a nice Thank You gift. :)

My friend Cindy brought this antique star quilt to show the group. She just picked it up at

Clayson Farms

in Washington a couple weeks ago.

You are the Lucky one now Cindy!

Carol brought her Civil War Block of the Month quilt to the retreat quilt. She finished up the final borders.

I just LoVe!! this quilt!

I worked on my Farmer's Wife quilt and paper pieced block #65 Peaceful Hours.

Not sure why this photo is sideways...arrgggh. but this is how those paper pieces went together

...and the finished block

added sashing, cornerstones and setting triangles to the first few rows...

Still have about 11 blocks yet to finish before laying out the rest of the quilt top, deciding on block placement.

Port Townsend, Washington

2011-08-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend i spent time with two of my dear friends who i've known for gosh, 25 years at least. We all worked together once upon a time.

Here we are...so many giggles

Port Townsend is so beautiful

street fair

The beautiful brick building on the left was owned by my husband's great grandfather in the mid 1800's.

Wish he had left it to us!! It is magnificent!

The name N. D. Hill is engraved at the top of the building. The Hill family settled in Port Townsend and are my husband's paternal grandmother's side of the family. click here to read a bit of history....

Here is Susan's quilt finished up this week.... love it!

..,and of course, more Farmer's Wife blocks. Preparing for my Quilt Retreat tomorrow.

Block #8 Bouquet

Block #37 Flower Pot

Block #97 Waste Not

Block #104 Wild Geese

Tuesday night...out with friends to see............

"...My My...!!

If you have not read this book...or seen the movie...it's great! went with my friends over the weekend and taking my husband tonight!

Farmer's Wife Sampler Blocks

2011-08-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Couple more Farmer's Wife blocks done this weekend.

Block #78 Shooting Star

Paper pieced plus one template

Block #110 Wood Lily

Paper pieced plus 4 half square triangles

Slapped up on my design wall...can't wait to start sashing between the blocks

My Vintage Quilts

2011-08-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

The other day i was poking around

Robin & Wren ,

had my arms full of this and that; little treasures i thought i needed, until i stumbled upon this. No problem...I put away my 'little treasures' and purchased this instead. It's a full size quilt, all hand pieced, hand quilted and in very good condition. Not to mention my favorite color!! It is made up of nine patch and snowball blocks set on point.

It was a $50 find. LuCkY mE!!!

(Eat your heart out...

Marcia, Diane, Kelly, Cindy & Vicki!)

Great in my dining room against the dark blue walls.

This quilt was given to me by my good friend Marylou who thought i would like it....duh!!! Love it! Actually there are two quilts exactly the same and i'm considering sewing them together to make a rather large queen size quilt for my bed.

All the baskets run the length of the quilt on their sides. interesting,...i wonder what the quilt maker was thinking when she put these blocks together. Using just one of the quilts would also make a wonderful table cloth in my dining room.

This next quilt was given to me years ago by a friend of my husband who was selling her home and getting rid of 'stuff'....can you believe that? This quilt was made by her grandmother who entered it in the State Fair back in the day when she made it. Story goes... she won a ribbon. It is a bit much bubble gum pink for me....but really??? Just give it away?? Dawn knew i would treasure it and that was important to her. It is in excellent condition, all hand pieced and quilted with french knots inside each flower.

Again...LuCkY mE!!

I picked this quilt up from a local antique store a couple years ago. It is probably crib size, maybe a bit larger...great condition. So soft and beautiful....a $15 find.

Dare i say it? LuCkY mE!!

Now this old thing.....loved it for the red background and the basket blocks. The hand piecing is not great, it is set on-point and definitely not square. But, folded up on this tattered old ladder...is perfect!

So, those are my treasures...

2011-08-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today...A glimpse of August.

Mmmmmm

Corn and Beans #22

2011-08-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here's step by step piecing instructions

for Kerri... :)

This is The Farmer's Wife Block #22

For better understanding...i will refer to the fabric colors in the book.

Begin with 2 yellow and 2 cream 1-7/8" squares, right sides together, create 4 half square triangles

Add a half square triangle to a

cream 1-1/2"x 2-1/2" rectangle...do this 4 times. Stitch 2 of these units together for 2 sets.

clip the seam...and press so half the seam is pressed up and the other half is pressed down.

(click on photo for closer look)

Using a 45* angle, draw a diagonal line like shown below passing through the intersection by lining the 45* line with the edge of the unit.

flip the unit around and mark the other side.

With rights sides together...

use a green 2-1/2"x 3-1/2" rectangle for one unit....

and a cream 2-1/2"x 3-1/2" rectangle for the

second unit.

stitch each unit on the drawn lines, then cut apart using a 1/4" seam allowance

You will have 4 of these..... This is called the Triple Triangle method

Next create 'No Waste' Flying Geese.

Using a 3-1/4" green square, place two 1-7/8" cream squares like this. Draw a diagonal line and stitch a 1/4" on either side of the drawn line.

Cut apart

Press triangles up and stitch another 1-7/8" cream square, marking a diagonal line and stitching a 1/4" on either side. Cut apart and 4 Flying Geese will appear!

Here is a sideways photo...argh...of the 4 Flying Geese with triangles sewn to each side of the Geese. Triangles are created by cutting four yellow 1-7/8" squares cut on the diagonal for a total of 8 triangles.

Sewing placement of block:

(different than what is shown in the book)

Triangle corners are added last, finger pressing to establish the middle and pin through the intersection of the bottom pieced fabric. Triangle corners are created using two cream 2-7/8" squares cut on the diagonal for a total of 4 triangles.

There you have it! Corn and Beans!!

2011-08-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last week I started working on my unfinished

'Cowgirl Quilt' (see my sidebar tutorial) from a year ago...and to my surprise, a couple days later Brigitte had made mention on her blog about 'Cowgirl'.

As you can see, i have pieced together my

red 'cowpies'

and my blue 'cowpies'

I find the easiest for me is to piece the quarters together with the seams facing down. I don't need to pin and the seams match up.

and of course...chain piecing makes the job go by quickly. I have all my red and blue cowpies pieced and will post the finished quilt top soon.

Today I finished Carol's baby quilt.

Nice work Carol!

(click on the photo for a closer look)

Yesterday in the mail, i finally received my Primitive Quilt magazine. I was beginning to worry if i would get mine since it seemed that everyone except Cathi of Shakerwood Quilts and myself had received theirs. Cathi...has your's come yet???

2011-07-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a Kim Diehl quilt my cousin Diane made and i finally finished quilting. :)

The churn dash blocks have feathered wreaths, squiggly diagonal lines in the baskets, surrounded by varied feathers.

The border is divided into fourths with 3/4" squiggly lines filled in with a feather meander.

The feather meander is hard to see

...but the texture is great.

Judith's Altar Cloth

2011-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Gathered for the Trinity Quilt Club retreat this past Friday and Saturday.

Many of us were working on

The Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks...

and others worked on their own projects.

Judith finished this beautiful

Pentecostal Altar Cloth for our church.

She was a bit (but not too much) concerned with the sequin 'bling' on the dove.

I told her the Holy Spirit is full of Bling!

This is incredibly stunning Judith...thank you for sharing your talent!

(click on this photo to enlarge)

Moving on to some Farmer Wife blocks...here is what i accomplished in two days!

The following two blocks were made using the paper piecing method. I always struggle getting my brain around this method. I don't know why it takes me sooo long to get in the groove....I mentioned to the group i did not know which side of my brain was not functioning when using this method...Laura piped up and said it might be both sides. I actually have to agree with her comment! :)

At any rate, they turned out!!

Block #82 Spider Legs

Block #105 Wild Goose Chase

This next block uses 'Y' seams. I will post a tutorial later on how this is done.

The FW blocks are small and it takes a bit of patience to accomplish this method.

Block #10 Bowtie

The last block was an easy one to piece.

A simple 'Magic 8' method

(tutorial on my side bar)

makes 8 half square triangles.

Block #88 Star of Hope

We had 18-20 quilters this weekend...

and 1 observer.

Buggy Barn Applique Videos

2011-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Teaching applique to the Trinity Quilt Club this weekend. This method is used in attaching the basket handles in

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt blocks:

#35 Flower Basket and #3 Basket.

The Buggy Barn has a 3-step YouTube Video showing how to applique and I have added it below. So, if you forget how....these videos are great!

Thanks Buggy Barn!

A couple things to do before starting videos...

1. Scroll to the very bottom of my blog and find 'Chezstitches Playlist'. On the top right hand corner of the playlist you will see 'Add' and 'URL'. Just to the right of that, there is a toggle. Place your cursor on the toggle and pull it down. This will mute the music. Now you can click on the videos and listen to the instructions without music running in the background.

2. To enlarge the videos to full screen, first click on the word YouTube in the bottom right hand corner of the video, this will open up to a new page. Place your cursor on the icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video screen which will say "Full Screen"..click and begin watching!

Here are my Farmer's Wife Basket Blocks with the appliqued handles.

Block #3 Basket

Block #35 Flower Basket

Recent Favorite Farmer Blocks

2011-07-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Pine Tree #67

Temperance Tree #95

Fruit Basket #42

Grape Basket #45

Buckwheat #13

W.C.T.U. #99

Gearing up for this weekend's

Trinity Quilt Club Retreat.

We will be working on more Farmer's blocks using the Triple Triangle method, Paper piecing, Y-Seams

and my favorite....Applique!

I added 13 more Farmer's blocks on my slide show...i think i have around 80+ now. Yippeeee!!

Triple Triangles

2011-07-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

The top left and bottom right sections or '4 patch' of this block are made up of 'triple triangles'.

This technique can be used in making the Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks:

#27, #28, #51 and #91.

Here's a tutorial on how...

First...create half square triangles

Press open to create 2 half square triangles

(which i forgot to take a picture)

Sew to a rectangle which measures the same width as the half square triangle plus 1" longer than the half square triangle.

Press open

Stitch these two units together like so...

Make one clip almost to the seam

and press seams in opposite directions.

click to enlarge photo for a closer look

Next, line up a 45* line along the outside of the block and draw a stitching line. Do this again to the opposite side.

Should look like this.

Add a second rectangle measuring the same size as the pieced unit. With right sides together stitch directly on the drawn lines.

Cut a quarter inch beyond stitched line...between the lines

and again,

Press open for a 'triple triangle'.

Block # 27 (Darting Birds) uses a solid square instead of a half square triangle but the method is the same.

Kendall's Quilt

2011-07-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

Kendall's graduation/birthday quilt.

Pattern is Hip to be Square

Quilting pattern is a feather swirl

Wrapped in love...by Kendall's cousin, Mason. He would kill me if he knew i posted this picture of him!

Sshhhh Kendall. Don't tell!

For Rafe

2011-06-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

My cousin Diane made this sooooo cute quilt for her grandson, Rafe

all flannel with applique and high loft batt

I am finishing this quilt below for my niece, Kendall.

Pattern is Hip to be Square

my friend Marylou...

2011-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

How fun is this???

Finished Marylou's quilt yesterday...come on over ML :)

Marylou is part of a quilting club at our church. We meet once a month

September- May and have a

2 day 'retreat' in the summer. There are consistently 20 ladies who attend. Nice size group spanning all ages. How cool is that?

Last month Marylou presented this pincushion/thread catcher she made just for me.

I love it!!!

Thank you my friend!

2011-06-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Lila's rail quilt stitched with a variegated thread called 'Shadows' with a leaf pantograph.

Reminds me of leaves dancing against the blue skies of Oregon...even with the clouds. :)

My Grandpa Vic was a farmer his entire life and shortly before he passed away, he had a dream. He dreamed of Heaven, and when he arrived God appointed him Caretaker over all the clouds.

Clouds are especially beautiful to me.

(click on the photos to enlarge)

I usually Yankee 'doodle' dandy in the sidelines...checking my tension...good thing!

Carol's 4th of July table runner

Next up on the longarm...Marylou's quilt!!

2011-06-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

I originally had other quilting ideas for Dorothy's quilt and began with feathered wreaths in the open 'snowball' blocks.

As i was quilting along, every once in awhile my machine would veer....aaahhh! I spent a whole day problem solving and frogging. Not the type of day i enjoy.

Seems my wheels are racking and a bit loose in the tracks, creating less control.

I decided to switched to this panto. I have control over my machine when stitching a panto but not what i need when stitching custom work. Now to give Dorothy a long awaited call to let her know her quilt is ready and a call to the Gammill doctor.

what i love about my job....

2011-06-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to load Dorothy's quilt on to my longarm. The final border needed adding and she asked if i could do that for her. Of course I can! I hate to admit this Dorothy but i have only mitered a border once. i always admire quilts with mitered corners because they look so polished and professional. Dorothy already had mitered corners in the center of the quilt top which meant i had to break out my Alex Anderson "Finish It" book and follow directions.

My simple little ole quilting business pushes me to go beyond what i think i can do.

I really believe had i been taught high school geometry using examples in quilting, i may have received a better grade than a D. :)

Flag Day! USA

2011-06-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

Erasable Gel Pens....great for marking!

2011-06-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Picked up some new marking tools the other day. I am always in search of the perfect marking pen that is smooth and disappears without a problem.

Here is a Fons and Porter white mechanical fabric pencil for marking on dark fabric. It seems to wipe off easily with a little rubbing. Marks smoothly and does not disappear until i am ready.

Below are brand new gel pens that mark smoothly and disappear with either friction or heat.
(you can click on the photo to enlarge and see the company name on the pens)

so...here is a sample...

placing heat to my writing
(not to exceed 140* Fahrenheit)
i put my iron on the lowest setting.

marking for applique, machine quilting, stitchery, awesome!

dumb picture...but, it's gone! no residue, no sign of writing and i placed the iron on the marking for only a second or two. Love it!!! I guess there are pens coming in pink, orange and i think purple. I hope the pink is light enough to show on dark fabrics. I heard you can also use a blow dryer to remove the markings. And just an fyi...if you live in a very cold climate and your markings are exposed to 14* degrees or below, the marks will reappear. Good news however, once the quilt is brought inside (which i can't imagine anyone's house that cold!) the markings will disappear as they warm up.

I purchased this short sewing drawer when i was in Spokane last month. It sat in my sewing room on the floor until yesterday when i was cleaning up and thought...Ha! A home for my rulers!

Little finds like this with a found purpose makes me a very happy girl!

Lamp Canada Mission Quilt & Someone's 75!

2011-06-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks Carol for piecing this great quilt to be raffled off for our youth's mission trip!

Mom, I can't bring you any flowers so i am sending you these photos from my garden instead. Pretty huh??

(tucker's impressed!)

Happy Birthday MOM!!!! Not only are YOU special...you are somewhere special!!! :)

lucky!!!

dead lines......ugh

2011-06-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

i love a deadline and i hate a deadline. this week i was not in love with my deadlines.

now that my final 'deadline' quilt is off my longarm, i am heading out the door for central Oregon to relax! if the weatherman is correct...we might be looking at sunshine and 80* in Oregon. it's about time!!! it poured again today. i suppose i should be okay with the rain this past week since i was stuck inside with my deadlines. :)

Jan made this quilt, a high school graduation gift for her granddaughter.

below is the pieced baby quilt i posted about earlier. i forgot to get photos of it after it was machine quilted and now it's in California. i think i know a professional photographer that just might email me a photo of the finished quilt???

this quilt is another graduation gift made by sandy. it is for her nephew graduating from college.

Sandy picked this up yesterday and dropped off another one just like it, only in purples...she says i have until Christmas to quilt the next one. :)

the last quilt came off my longarm today around 4:30....just a little glimpse until the binding is sewn on.

Deborah is a brand new quilter and my neighbor Toni was her teacher. love it! wonderful job to the both of you!!

click on photos to enlarge

2011-05-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

One Nation Under God, With

And Justice For All.

Today and Everyday....We are Forever Grateful

2011-05-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Working on a baby quilt...but not your typical baby quilt.

I was given 6 blocks made by 6 friends. They are more artists than quilters and i have the pleasure of adding the sashing, borders and machine quilting this treasure.

Miss Tree Marie is the inspiration behind this quilt. Her block is at the top of this post right above the musician. I can't wait for her to see the progress!

GRADUATION

2011-05-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Tucker graduated with a degree in Biology from Whitworth University in

Spokane, Washington

Tucker shaking hands with the

University President

So proud of him!!

During our stay in Spokane, Frank's Diner is a must!

The history of this diner is wonderful.

You can click on the picture below and read for yourself.

We also had dinner at Anthony's

and this was our view.

Spokane is a neat town...

...and only 25 minutes to the Buggy Barn!

My Buggy Barn inspiration in the making...

Sasha doll

2011-05-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Your quilt is finished Kelly....and my Sasha doll from the late 1960's looks really nice on it!

2011-05-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

2011-05-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Finished up a few more customer quilts...

this rail quilt for Kim

and the other in the background for Carol

and of course, doodles on the side

i just can't help myself...

just goof'n around,

i need to.

Because of HIM, There is HOPE!

2011-04-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Class with Kim Stotsenberg

2011-04-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took classes from Kim in Bellingham,Washington at the studio home of Megan Best

Kim has a book called

Just Leaf It, you can find it here on her blog where a snap shot video is posted of our class.

Kim is a wonderful teacher. I took two classes, one called Fancy Feathers and the other on Templates and Rulers. I learned so much and had so much fun. The 7 hours was packed full of skill, technique, demos, education, actual stitching...and lunch!

Below are my stitched doodles of Fancy Feathers...and other playful designs.

Remember....these are just fun practice pieces...all random and moving from one to another

I recently worked an Automotive Swap meet in Portland selling tools....below remind me of gears....or whatever you call them... :)

Signing off....and thank you Kim!!

Quilting with American Idol

2011-04-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

Finishing up Nadine's quilt while watching

American Idol....

(Here are my top three picks...

...yup, love Steven!)

...and doodling on the side.

flat feathers...running into my leader pins...

Star Wars

2011-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Jake enjoying his birthday quilt made by his Aunt Sandy.

Sandy confessed she was inspired by

a quilt from Jodell of

Modest Mavin. So let's make sure to give Jodell credit!!

If you double click on the photo...you can see Stars and loops

Baptist Fan quilting lends well to an orbiting galaxy...where no man has gone before...

oh, that's

**Star Trek**

Anyway....here is the back made with Minky.

So snuggly!!

Hour Glass

2011-04-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

Working on the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt and using this great method to create

'Hour Glass' blocks

Block #90 Storm Signal

Block #69 Practical Orchard

Block #17 Cat and Mouse

Block # 109 Windows

Block #108 Windmill

Block #29 Economy

Block #44 Gentleman's Fancy

Block #6 Big Dipper

Off to my quilt club gathering....

total blocks to date 73!!

38 more to go!

So ready for SpRiNg!

2011-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's been raining in the Pacific Northwest

for months....

but my flower baskets are blooming inside

My thrift store find Peter Rabbit, with his smile brightens up the rain clouds

Birds chirping outside filter into my home like music.

Painting of Mason playing the violin when he was 8 years old

painted by my Aunt Loretta

2011-03-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

How sweet is this??

Popcorn panto

Batting is a 100% poly, higher loft and backed with flannel for this great snuggly feel

doodles on the sidelines....

"...laugh yourself into *Stitches*, follow me..."