Tucker's 20 today!!! Happy Birthday!!

My son Tucker and his cousin Shelby were born one week apart 20 years ago....can't believe how time flies....

Busy week...spent a day and night in Kirkland,Washington visiting friends...then headed south to Puyallup for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo. There I took two classes from Pam Clarke (awesome awesome use of my time!!) and met Kim Stotsenberg a National Award Winning Quilter form Aberdeen, Wa. who I would love to meet up with in the near future for further longarm instruction. I came home Thursday evening....Friday spent the day quilting this king size quilt for Robyn. The pattern used is Daisy Chain and thread is a neutral color, Parchment. I like the movement and softness of this pattern on Robyn's rectangular pieced blocks.

My small camera shots do not do this quilt justice! Very pretty when viewed full size.

This morning I was out the door by 9:00am headed to The Primitive Thimble in Vancouver. I am taking a Block of the Month class from the book The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt. We are working in 6" blocks. Today we focused on precision piecing. Learned a GREAT technique for making 1-1/2" half square triangles! No points were lost...and it's not paper piecing! Introduced to a couple wonderful acrylic templates which make cutting more precise....resulting in successful construction, especially working in such small scale. In a few days I will post some of my finished blocks...in the meantime, here are some pictures I took in the shop...love it!!

Here is the 48 star flag finished for my friend, Cindy....I learned a lot quilting this...took me a very long time. First, I did not know what to do...so loaded the flag anyway. Then decided to stitch the Pledge of Allegiance into the white stripes, had to unload. Found stencils online...cut them out, traced them onto the flag and then reloaded. Never having done this before...really did not know what to expect...except, I knew what I wanted....so off I stitch...

Well, as I am stitching around my stenciled lettering...my Gammill starts to shift. It takes on a mind of it's own!! Frustration sets in...as I rip out stitches and try again....quickly realizing something is not right...and it's not just me! I call Boersma's in McMinnville where my machine was purchased. Explaining the situation, I am told that my wheels are worn out and time to replace them. I just replaced them a year ago...have I really quilted that many quilts already?? Roger at Boersma's does not think so....I make the trip to McMinnville where I am handed a new package of 8 wheels...no cost (yet they cost $125) and told to go home, install them and see if that helps. Yes it did!! Roger is sending the old wheels back to Gammill. Again....can't say enough about customer service and friendly shopkeepers at Boersma's!!

Okay, the flag...not as happy as I would like to be with the results...but think I added more "primitive" to the primitive piece!!

Outlined the stars in a variegated denim blue thread and again in red. The Pledge of Allegiance is stitched in variegated denim.

Week Eight: February 22nd-28th

1. Headed to Puyallup, Wa. for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo

2. Thursday classes from Pam Clarke

3. Saturday 5 hour BOM class at The Primitive Thimble in Vancouver, Wa.

4. Goal: two more quilts!

Shelby's 20!

Just a quick post before I tidy up the house for a party tonight!

I made this paper bag birthday album for Shelby...an old idea, but fun to do!! This is the cover, inside pages filled with photos past to present.

Scraps of fabric sewn together with ribbon, seed beads, lace, buttons, pearls...you name it...anything goes! Even staples!!

Simply bound together with metal rings...oh...I should add a ribbon to the top ring!!

click on photos for a closer look

This week went by so quickly. I can honestly say I have not accomplished much on my "to do" list! Here is the flag I had loaded onto my machine only to take it off. I was not sure what I was going to do...but after I had it loaded, I knew exactly what I was going to do...and had to take it off. So....here it lies on my dining room table. As soon as I get it finished I will post pictures! Hopefully my idea will be a success!

I did purchase a car!! That was a two day trip...but the easiest car buying adventure ever! I will be taking the 'new' 2004 Subaru Forester to Tucker in May...until then, I hung this great needle punch rabbit from my rear view mirror....I call him Happy Bunny...he does not look very happy tho...but I know Tucker will be happy not to have Happy hanging when I deliver the car!!

Oh....Elton John and Billy Joel....the BEST!!

Last by not least...for my Valentine, I made him his favorite!!

Lemon Meringue pie

Week Seven: February 15th-21st

1. Finish up Flag

2. Gotta get those taxes done!!!

3. Get ready for Trinity Quilt club this Sunday

4. Start the custom quilt I hoped to do last week

5. Birthday party for my niece Shelby

Here is Molly's quilt. Molly is a very lucky college girl who absolutely LOVES quilts. Just so happens her mom Joan, LOVES to quilt! I know of at least 3 quilts Molly has been given this past year. Wow! Both Molly and Joan share a passion together...how special that is for a mother and daughter.

A couple of close ups showing the machine quilting. This is 'Chantilly Lace" an all over pantograph

Joan has a blog you need to check out! Fun bright colors...Loves Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics and does amazing work! wishestrueandkind.blogspot.com

Week Six: February 8th-14th

1. Have an old 48 star flag my friend Cindy thought would look fun quilted...have that on the Gammill now.

2. Unexpected trip to Seattle to purchase a car for my son Tucker

3. Attend the Elton John/Billy Joel concert!!

4. Finish up tax prep. for my accountant.

5. Begin a custom design quilt

Finished up a feather pantograph on my friend Carol's quilt...this is the back of the quilt and the quilting shows up great.

A close up of the front...beautifully pieced.

Here is Carol's quilt loaded on my Gammill...this is a BIG quilt!! Beautiful....

While I was working on Carol's quilt...one of my switches failed on my Gammill. Fortunately, I could finish the quilt without interruption. I called Jack at Boersma's where my machine was purchased and he walked me through the problem. I can't sing enough praises about Boersma's....Jack is so helpful, so patient, thoughtful and kind. He always makes me feel like my problem is more important to solve over the phone and help me on my way than making his pocket book grow bigger. I did however make a trip to McMinnville today to purchase a new switch...no getting around that with an 8 year old machine. Cost...12 bucks plus the passing on of knowledge: how to install on my own switches.

On the way to McMinnville, I passed this barn in Yamhill....the weather was sunny and beautiful...a pleasant drive through rolling hills and farm land...a place I could easily call home.

Here is the sign outside of Boersma's...and inside is full of inspiration! Their website: Boersma's.com If you've never been.... you've got to go!!

Well, January 2010 finished as the 3rd warmest January since records have been kept...but that does not keep me from dreaming of snow! When I was young, my parents bought a handful of ice skates so my brothers and I could enjoy skating on the pond....now a similar pair hang on my front door.

Finished up this Valentine quilt made by my neighbor, Sue. I stitched a feather design in the areas around the hearts in white and used a variegated pink and red thread inside the hearts, again using a feather design.

The quilt has an inner border of red and a final border using the same white fabric used around the hearts. Not the best picture but...I stitched loops and hearts in the final border again using the variegated pink and red thread.

Close up of the custom feather design. You can click on the photos to enlarge.

Week Five: February 1st-7th

1. Finish up Carol's quilt, quilt one or two more

2. Check out The Primitive Thimble in Vancouver, Wa.

3. Continue with Quick books...totally failed that goal last week!

4. I think that's enough for this week....!