Archive for December, 2010

Since Christmas

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

We made it through another Christmas, what a great day! First Christmas with our first great grand son! What a cutie!!

I love to do jigsaw puzzles, so no surprise, I got three new ones and we have finished two of them since Christmas–here’s the latest:

It is on a black felt like material that has an inflatable tube on which you can roll the puzzle in progress if you need the table space.  Cool idea, but for the most part we do not need to move a puzzle in progress.

Needless to say, they are such a fun diversion that they do take away from the sewing that I should probably be doing!!

This is the piece that I am currently working (or not) on.
Prairie fire quilts – this will be my fourth-  have been been popular. The first three sold quickly. I am making this specifically for my living room but will show it as long as I can.

Merry Christmas

Friday, December 24th, 2010

Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May you be safe, warm and dry!

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Recently I ordered a small quilt from the SAQA store and it arrived. I love it! These little quilts were made for a traveling exhibit to show different styles and methods of art quilts. After traveling for the set period of time, some were donated to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska and some were offered for sale. I am honored to have my entry in the museum collection, especially after having seen the beauties that are left. There are still some great little quilts for sale!

“Mindscape” by Janet Root of NY  which started, she said, with the vertical piece of hand dyed material and is embellished with fringes, hand and machine stitches and threads knotted into the brown shell buckle at the top that in the picture looks silvery from the reflected light. Very cool!

New Work

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Yesterday I started a new art quilt and it feels good. It took most of the day to finalize the drawing, make the transparency and transfer it to the freezer paper for the working  pattern and mark all of the tic marks. Then pull all the fabric from the stash that seemed to have possibilities. By late afternoon I was actually able to cut a few pieces to put up on the wall.

I tried to get a photo this morning but the camera is acting up. Again. If charging the batteries doesn’t help I’ll have to take it in for professional help. If it’s not one thing, it’s another!!

Maxine

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

At the same time that I found the nurse fabric, I found this wonderful Maxine fabric! One panel had enough images to make two lap quilts; I immediately thought of a dear friend who loves Maxine, so I made this small quilt for her.

It’s all made from stash, except of course the Maxine panel. One yard makes enough sashing for all but the center block so I found another piece that would work there.   I usually only buy quarter yards so was lucky to have a yard!

It’s quilted the same way as the nurse quilt shown previously.

While I still had all that fabric out on the cutting table I went ahead and completed the other top for myself, but I will not quilt that one til later. It doesn’t seem as though I made much of a dent in the stash!!

Again, one yard took care of most of the sashing and I had chosen another different black and white for the center, but then remembered just in the nick of time, this “ugly” fabric, one quarter yard, that I got one year ago in an “Ugly Fabric” exchange with a challenge to actually use the fabric sometime during the year. I used all but a few inches of it sashing the center block and for the four edge corner squares. Actually, when I got the fabric, I didn’t really consider it ugly, I like those large scale florals and knew I would find a place for it eventually.

Annie’s Quilt

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Now that Annie has passed her nursing tests, (we KNEW she would!) I can reveal what I have been working on! And you thought I was just being lazy!

I found the panel with the nurse images on line and thought it would make the perfect graduation gift for her. Each one is surrounded by bright colored “logs” from my stash, which was a wonderful way to use up some fabrics that really don’t fit into the type of pictorial work I am doing now. The quilting is by machine, in the ditch and outlining the nurses – not a lot of quilting so that it would remain soft.




She was surprised and really happy with it!

Atlas Shrugged

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

I have read this book by Ayn Rand several times so this morning I couldn’t resist looking when my daughter sent me this plea:

Hi everyone! My nephew Kyle (the lead in the video) created this video with some friends for an Atlas Shrugged Competition. It is really good – watch it and vote and share it if you like it!
Thanks!
Cindy

Aunt Cindy,
A couple friends and I put this video together for the Atlas Shrugged video competition. It would mean a lot if you vote for it! If you like it a lot, maybe even share it 🙂

bit.ly/eZNW7g

Thanks for the support!

Best,
Kyle

I looked and I liked it, so I voted – I hope you will too! I still think about that book sometimes as I watch what’s happening in the world….

Award

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

Last evening was the People’s Choice Awards for the Inspirations exhibit and the pair, “Playground” photograph by Tammy Patterson and my “Colorado Kids” won First Place! The staff of the Classic Bean also voted for their favorite and we were honored to receive that as well!! Click on Mt Goats tag below to see them. We already have plans to collaborate for next year’s exhibit in spite of the fact that one of the other photographers suggested I might like to just bow out. I don’t think so.

Yesterday we had high speed satellite internet service installed and it is so much faster than the old dial-up.  I thought it would save me lots of time, but I don’t know!  I am finding so much more to look at that I may spend MORE, rather than less time on-line!!

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Yes, Karen, the patterns are by Evelyn A Clark, there are three in the leaflet and they are all nice ribbed designs so they really fit. Seven sizes from XXS to XXL.I made this one first, because when my daughter rescued Benny he didn’t have any hair. It’s coming in now but he likes his sweater so much he won’t come to have it taken off and wears it inside for awhile! He is quite long in the body ( a Silky?) so it was easy to make it a little longer for him.

Another “rescue”dog, Amber Rose gets the second sweater.  She wasn’t interested in posing for a picture!

K1, P1

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Since Thanksgiving, while waiting for the Muse to strike, I have worked on UFOs and knitted two dog sweaters. These are for my daughter’s Yorkies, being so small they don’t take long at all. The first one got away before it was photographed but the second one is this red one with hearts knitted in the design.

Yesterday evening I started the third; two more to go after that.  I’ll try to get photos of them on the dogs sometime.

My empty design wall is starting to bug me so I am beginning to think I might start something new soon!