Seismic activity

Preceding the quakes in the Reno, Nevada area, there was a whole lot of shaking going on here. Haven't posted much lately. What with tax season , I over committed and life just got in the way.

I joined the local quilt guild, East Bay Heritage Quilters, last year and have taken a workshop each month starting in February. With a whole month between, I'd think I can manage. But alas no! As I put together supplies for the next workshop, I am finally putting away stuff from the previous month's. Throw in a 7-Saturday class and a 4-week online class, I am over my head. Add tax returns, spring gardening (weeds never sleep in California), tenant and family issues and I have seismic activity! I still think I am younger and more energetic than I really am.

Life's pace has slowed for the moment. The calm before the storm? I aim to get my workspace cleaned up and some friends over for an art date.

But I am devoting this year to learning. More workshops through September with a reprieve in July. Then off to Nancy Crow's Barn in October.

I am an Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Ask & receive!

As with life, we know that's not really true.

My wish list included Ruth McDowell's no-longer-in-print book, Piecing, Expanding the Basics http://www.ruthbmcdowell.com/ . Of the six books borrowed from EBHQ's library, that's the only one I designated for my own library because it'll take me wherever I may go with this quilting life.

Also on the wish list: The Uncommon Quilter by Jeanne Williamson http://www.uncommonquilter.com . Use of non-traditional materials fits right in with my recycle/reuse ethic. And justify my found objects, LOL. Since they're small quilts, this book can jump start my quilting motor.

Well Santa came through on the former and got help from myself for the second. Let the fun begin!

can a canna can?

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that.

All you'd want for xmas

My first two finished projects! Hurrah! For family grab bag gifts, I took a class at a LQS to make two no-fuss pillows.


First try: mauve and cream strips were too similar in width. Though mauve flowers do appear in the fabric, only a smidgen shows up in the center square.

Second try: made the mauve strip narrower. Proportions better? Most guys would probably say less pink is better.

Quilted the fish, leaves and fan by outlining with thread (that was scary!). Stitched in the ditch around the mauve and cream strips. But why bother when the finish product hardly shows any of this?

For the second top, used Patsy Thompson's trapunto technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_wgE74Mro4, but without the fancy thread painting. Except behind the fish and fan, there is no other batting - just the pillow itself. Not much difference, just better FMQ.

Maybe batting was not thick enough. Used Warm & Safe - light and flat http://www.warmcompany.com/. Would a loftier (polyester) batting make a difference? May go for pillow number 3.

One ended up larger than the other: 17" across and 17.5" (not counting the flange). With a 18" square pillow form, the former is stuffed whereas the corners on the latter don't quite fill out. I'm all for the stuffed sausage look.

These were not quite no-fuss, but I'm happy with them. A Merry Xmas to whoever gets one! And a Merry Xmas to all!

Do the 2008 hustle

She has a spot reserved for me! It's not until October 2008 but as soon as they started accepting enrollments, I immediately rushed off my deposit for Nancy Crow's workshop Best of Strip Piecing I&II http://www.nancycrow.com/HTML/strippiecing3.html. Now there's only six spots left.

For the past six months, I've been building my stash of solid colors in preparation for this. With about 30 colors I'm only a quarter or at best a third of the way toward the 60-100 colors for the supply list. Then there's the more. Gotta hustle!

I also need to do more quilting. Or woe, what will I have to show for my 3-minute presentation? This newbie is intimidated and still haven't finished the very first one that got me going down this road. But I'm determined to get over it by working on extra blocks or small quilts first.

I could join the many exciting challenges posed on quiltart http://www.quiltart.com/ but I really don't have the time for them. I could do a block-a-month at one of the local quilt shops. But traditional piecing is not where I want to go. Yea, but, excuses, excuses.

Also signed up for workshops in February and March through the East Bay Heritage Guild http://www.ebhq.org/ With these and probably others and with life and work, I will be hard pressed to satisfy my own challenge for 2008: a small 12x12 quilt each month.

So the word for 2008: hustle. I will finish several small quilts to try out gazillion things. I will continue to expand my knowlege by taking classes and workshops. I will finish my first quilt. Feel the pressure!

Am I mad? You betcha. As Captain Picard says, Make it so!