I Give Up

Ok, there is stuff wrong with this account. Computers crash, emails change, passwords are forgotten - and there is apparently no life in Google cyberspace. So since I can't seem to correct this one, I'm in search of a friendlier blog place. I won't know if Google ever answers me because the only email they will accept no longer exists. If I can find something and can still open this one I'll let you know where I go. If anyone has any suggestions, you can post comments here - I just can't answer them . . . :(

It has been fun - hopefully there is a better place out there . . . .

The Celtic Knot

I did finish the celtic knot as planned the day after my last post. However, you have been kept in suspense for a month because the reason I made it was because I needed it for a center for a rather labor intensive quilt I was figuring out how to do. I think I have finally succeeded . . . .

Customer quilts

As usual, the pictures are in charge. These are some of the customer quilts that have been brought in for quilting this year. . . .

Tomorrow I'm planning to work on my first Celtic Knot. If all goes well, I'll share it here soon.

Distracted Drivers

We have never thought that texting and driving was a good idea and have never indulged in it ourselves, but we have been guilty of talking on the cell phone while driving. After watching Oprah today and hearing the stories of people who had lost loved ones because of accidents involving drivers talking on the cell phone or texting while driving, we decided to take a stand. We agreed that any cell phone use by the driver of our vehicles will no longer happen. So if you get voice mail more often, please leave a message and we will call you as soon as the vehicle is safely parked. Likewise, if anyone calls us while they are driving, we're going to ask them to hang up and call back when they aren't driving. There have been studies done that show that talking while driving - even hands free - is like driving drunk and texting is much worse. We encourage everyone to join us and make a committment to pay attention to driving when you are behind the wheel. No phone call is worth risking lives.

Quilt as you go

Obviously I still don't have any idea how to put the pictures where I want them. But if they stay in the same order I'm seeing them, the one on the left is the scrappy version of a QAYG Rail Fence that we made in our QAYG class. The center one is the QAYG Rail Fence done with three planned colors (although I must have ignored the part about how pink takes over). And, the picture on the right would be the table runner I made using Bonnie Hunter's Boxy Stars pattern and my QAYG techniques.

I originally learned QAYG by making the Fun and Done version of Speedy Stars. In getting ready for this class, I was looking for ways to make it as easy as possible for those doing it for the first time to succeed. So, I picked a rail fence pattern to play with because nothing has to match from one block to the next. Then I had the students strip piece the blocks to minimize cutting
and slipping - and trimming after. I added a step where we baste the pieced block to the batting before we put it with the backing and do the quilting.

Then we talked about doing other patterns with the QAYG method. My class has already done several Boxy Stars quilts and loves the pattern, so I chose that one to make a sample. It became a table runner because I was using scraps and only had enough of the red print for a few blocks.

Happy New Year!

The images above are of the newest member of the family - Kira. She arrived with Kevin and Nicole and stayed with us for Christmas. The three resident felines were less than pleased, but in time, Kira managed to achieve a grudging truce from them. There has been a lasting side effect though. Ever since Kira went home to Oregon, our three have been playing more. I think they were just jealous cuz she's so cute.

We had a nice visit with Kevin and Nicole -- even managed to fit in some movies and games. We had cute Christmas trees and blue lights decorating the deck out front and a colorful tree in the lawn which we intended to take pictures of, but the only pictures we seem to have are of Kira, so you'll just have to take my word for it -- the outside looked nice.

We spent the week between Christmas and New Year's taking care of all the little details to close out 2009 and get ready for a great year in 2010. I even got last years quilting scraps sorted and into the bins ready for some scrappy quilts. Maybe this will be the year I get better at posting to the blog. You never know -- it could happen . . . . .