...INKY THREADS

Ivy and New Book

2012-01-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a cold and white day outside. We have a wood fire going in the basement and, for the most part, that keeps us toasty. I say "us", but it's mostly me. DH, as a native of this area, can handle life a bit colder than I can. In a few years, though, I'll be the comfortable one when we move to warmer climates. He'll be the one fiddling with the AC just to get the right temp. I'm wondering if there's any place that will agree with both of us.

I made my piece for the Free Motion Challenge. The pattern requirement, Ivy leaves, is a go-to pattern for me. I often use it. So I just did a small bit in the border of this quiltlet. I'll eventually paint it and add more stitching. Keep an eye for the progress here on the blog.

In other news, my short science fiction anthology is out.

$10.00 plus $3.50 shipping

As I said, it's a short book with seven short science fiction stories. Some of these have won international awards.I'm absolutely thrilled with the book.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2012-01-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

I decided to make my Orca Bay quilt into a wall hanging. The longer it hung there, the more I fiddled with the color arrangements. This is what I ended up with (with some very appreciated help from Joanne). Anyway, this is what’s on my Design Wall. Now I just have to figure out how to quilt it. I’m actually thinking of making this a double-sided piece, just hanging it from rings along the top. Or maybe I’ll frame it between two sheets of glass so I can turn it around occasionally. I think it’ll go in our living room. My poor DH. I swore I wouldn’t fill our house with quilts hanging everywhere. Who knew?

Go to Judy’s and check out the other Design Wall Monday entries!

-Wendy

My newest book, an anthology with Breathe writers' group

2012-01-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Breathe, Volume III

An anthology of short stories and poems by northern Maine and Canadian writers. The stories cross multiple genres from Mainstream to Mystery to Horror and Sci-fi/Fantasy. Several of the writers are established with numerous publication credits and a few are new voices being published for the first time.

Published 2011
Breathe

$15 plus shipping
Signed, but signatures of group members may vary

eBook Buy Here

Visit My Books page to see other publications.

Design Wall Monday

2011-12-26T05:31:00.001-08:00

It feels so good not to have something pressuring me. I can just go up to The Loft, pick up anything that strikes my fancy and work on that. This is the first thing I picked up this morning: my Hop To It! BOM from November. Got it all glued in place and ready to hand sew.

This next one is December’s block. I’ll be doing that one next. We are taking two months for it because of the holidays. I get to choose February’s block.

I’m also cutting strips for the pioneer braids (ala Bonnie) to go between the rows of stars here. This also means I’m cleaning up my scraps bin a bit. Yeehaw!

Happy Holidays to You All!

2011-12-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

The Falls during winter.

It’s a Jungle Out There!

2011-12-22T12:06:00.001-08:00

Goodness! Have you been to the stores this week? My-oh-my-oh-my! People are crazy! I’m thankful to be working the overnight shift during this season, even though it’s tough on us. I made this little quiltlet to commemorate the season’s shopping madness. Don’t mind the chalklines, they’ll be gone soon. Think I’ll give this to my boss. She loves animal prints.

The two quilts that I finished in the last post have sold. Now I’m under no pressure or deadlines and can just enjoy myself. First thing I did was get caught up on the clues for Bonnie’s Orca Bay Mystery. I love that light blue star with the black background!

My little quiltlet, “Traveling Santa” is up for purchase at the AAQI site. Go visit and buy something for a loved one. It’s for a worthy cause.

-Wendy

Two Done

2011-12-19T14:16:00.001-08:00

First, I finished the Liberated Amish Nine Patch. Very excited. Absolutely beautiful!

I quilted around the nine patches in the ditch because I wanted them to be the dominate image here. Then I made free hand feathers in the fractured blocks to soften them a bit. Again reinforcing the nine patches as dominate. Finally, I chose a nice variegated blue thread for the serpentine border to kinda tie everything together. Looks great in the corner blocks, doesn’t it? Oh, btw, the border color was chosen to once again draw attention to the nine patches.

Then, when it was all done, I washed it. Note, all these fabrics WERE prewashed. Look what happened. These were three different locations. All the same dark teal. No matter what I try, I can’t get the bleed out. We don’t have access to some of the products locally that are available in more populated areas, so I have to wait until an order comes in to pursue this further. Such a shame, though. It had been wanted by a customer as a Christmas gift. Sigh.

But, that’s not the only quilt. No siree! Take a look at this one. It came out perfect. Also sold to the same gentleman for a Christmas gift. Note the glittery eyes at the bottom of the second photo. That’s Jake. He’s such a Ham!!!

Next up: The crazy quilt.

AAAAANNNND …..

I have a new book out!!! It’s an anthology of short stories made with the members of my writers’ group, Breathe. I’m not sure how much it is yet, but I’ll be taking orders as soon as I can get it set up on the page with my other books. There’s a limited number of books available, so reserve a copy.

-Wendy

Five in Various Stages

2011-12-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

These are the five bed-sized quilts that the tops are mostly complete(and have been for quite awhile). A few still need borders and ALL need quilted. They were abandoned for various reasons, quite frequently because I didn’t know what I wanted to quilt or border or applique. I’ll get to them … soon. You know, when I have nothing else to do. As you can see (or maybe you dan’t) , this first one is partially quilted in the ditch already. I’m stuck with what to quilt in the big blue squares. The second one needs the green border put on (it’s just laying under it right now), the cat chased off and quilted. The star needs borders and quilting.

This one needs quilted, but I’m not sure with what pattern yet.

And this final one needs quilted, appliqued, whatever.

Don’t get me wrong … I have lots more in various stages of piecing, just these are the closest to being done. I also have two or three small table-topper types and a couple custom quilts. My goal for 2012 is to get all these extra UFOs done. That’s it, that’s all. My work schedule just won’t let me do anything else.

….. Who wants to bet that I’ll stick with that?????

-Wendy

Giveaway Winner

2011-12-01T05:27:00.001-08:00

And the winner for this Jennifer Chiaverini book, as chosen by a True Random Number Generator (which I'm apparently not clever enough to copy and past the image of here) is ... drum roll please ... Bonnie!

Here's her entry:

Love this series - about half way through her 26 books. Would love a copy of this one - don't have it yet. :) I don't get time to read during the year but LOVE a good read or two over the summer hols. Love sitting outside the caravan or on the beach with a book under the trees.

Congrats, Bonnie!!!

-Wendy

Orca Bay

2011-11-30T10:30:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am doing the Orca Bay mystery by Bonnie Hunter. The mystery is at the second step and I’ve done a few blocks of it so as to keep in the flow of the fun, but my main job is the custom quilt for Troy. This is a small piece for his. It’s Father Sky’s body. The white circle is the sun and the blue-gray is the moon.

I have two nights off now. I plan to sew, sew, sew. And maybe clean house.

Hope your day is splendiferous!!!

-Wendy

PS. Have you signed up for the giveaway?

My very first quilt ever

2011-11-26T07:50:00.001-08:00

I always wanted to make quilts, as long as I can remember. I just never did. Finally, about 20+ years ago I made this little wall hanging from a kit. It took me another 18+ years to make the next quilt. Post your first quilt and jump over to Bonnie's blog and link it in.

-Wendy

Another Giveaway!!!

2011-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

Yup, another one. Already. Way cool, huh? This one is the world famous Jennifer Chiaverini’s newest book: The Wedding Quilt. This is a new, unread copy shipped to me from the publisher for the express purpose of this giveaway.

The Wedding Quilt opens in the year 2028, as Sara McClure’s twins, James and Caroline, are ready to embark on independent, adult lives. As the wedding day of Sarah's daughter, Caroline, approaches, Sarah's thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present—the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch.

Because Sarah learned the craft after her marriage, she had no wedding quilt, only one to commemorate her anniversary. When the young bride confides in her mother a single, fervent wish—"I wish I had a wedding quilt, one I made myself."—Sarah yearns to grant it.

A wedding quilt is a symbol so powerful that even the most talented novice would be daunted by the task of stitching in mere days a masterpiece worthy of the couple's bonds of love, commitment, trust, and hope for the future. Sarah turns to the Elm Creek Quilters, cherished friends who help her create a fitting tribute for a beloved daughter who will soon stand beside her husband in the union of their shared lives.
As they pool their creative gifts, memories of Elm Creek Manor—and of the women who have lived there, in happiness and in sorrow—spill forth, rendering a vivid pastiche of family, friendship, and love in all its varieties.

Jennifer Chiaverini is the author of the New York Times bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series, as well as five collections of quilt patterns inspired by her novels. She has taught writing at Penn State and Edgewood College and designs the Elm Creek Quilts fabric lines from Red Rooster Fabrics. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. Her website: http://elmcreek.net/

This book was released November 1st, so this is a really plum giveaway. If you like that I have giveaways, it never hurts to mention it in your blog too. To enter, just leave a comment telling if you’ve read any other of the Elm Creek Quilt books, which one is your favorite and why you want this one. The deadline for entry is November 30th, with the drawing December 1st.

Happy Reading!

-Wendy

Traveling Santa

2011-11-19T16:46:00.001-08:00

This is another quilt for AAQI. I registered it and now am hoping they get it in time for the December sales.

And these are potholder I’ve made, the first to keep and the other two for gifts. The smaller brown one was a block from a swap the LibQuilters did.

Began cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing quarter square triangles for Bonnie’s mystery, Orca Bay.

I also bumped into this quilt and I’m not sure I’ve ever shown you this before, so here it is. I think I’ll put my silver dragonfly just above the flower there. If I can find it, that is.

My work schedule is changing, once again. I’m moving to the overnight shift for (hopefully only) a few weeks. Yeehaw. It’s the price paid to move up the ladder.

Have a great weekend!

-Wendy

Baby Quilt Finished

2011-11-13T09:17:00.001-08:00

I just love this little quilt! Flowers, feathers, butterflies, hearts and McTavishing. Fun to quilt, too! A few of these pics were taken before I put on the binding because I thought I might wait to MAKE SURE the baby would be a girl (pink binding). But then I decided I’d like the yellow binding more anyway.

I also finished the Hop to It BOM for October.

Next up is November’s block: Block #4

And I am making bread. Don’t you love the feel of bread dough as you knead it?

Bonnie Hunter is gearing up for a new Mystery quilt beginning this coming Friday. This year I can actually partake. I’m driving poor Vince crazy chattering about colors.

This afternoon I have a Skype confab with Joanne. We usually sew together for a couple hours on Sundays. I also sew with my mother via phone calls every hour back and forth. (So, how far did you get this past hour? What are you doing the next hour?)

Who do you sew with?

-Wendy

Winner!

2011-11-11T13:54:00.001-08:00

We have a winner for the giveaway. I had Vince pick the number (without looking at the entrants) and it came out #5. That's Joanne. I'll get the book in the mail this very next week.

Congrats Joanne!!!

-Wendy

Proud to be a Veteran

2011-11-11T03:38:00.001-08:00

Support your local Vetrans!

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2011-11-07T11:21:00.001-08:00

Sunday, I spent a couple hours speaking to two of my best quilting friends via Skype. Joanne and Joan for maybe half an hour and then later just Joanne. It’s wonderful how close the world has become. I’m looking forward to chatting with the two of them this coming weekend, too.

I’m working on a baby blanket from pieces left over from this quilt. I’ll be quilting it with feathers, flowers and butterflies. My friend tells me it’s going to be a girl, but the doc isn’t 100%, so I’m hedging my bets. There aren’t as many blues in the leftovers as here. It’ll finish right around 34 inches square. Big enough for a pad for the baby to sit on.

Here’s another piece made from the leftovers of this quilt.

Don't forget to register for my giveaway in the prior post!!!!

Did you fmq today?

-Wendy

Lets do a Giveaway!

2011-11-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

I just read this great book, The Devil’s Puzzle, and the publisher has sent me a second copy of the book to give away.

Let me give you the blurb from the publisher:

Witchcraft in a small New England town typically harkens Salem , Massachusetts . However, amateur sleuth Nell Fitzgerald finds the upcoming anniversary of Archers Rest, New York drawing out the town’s own dark history of witchcraft, as well as that of its residents in THE DEVIL’S PUZZLE. Nell is thrilled when her grandmother Eleanor’s boyfriend plans a double surprise—restoring the rose garden of her old Victorian house, and a marriage proposal. However, Oliver’s plans are put on hold when a skeleton is unearthed in Eleanor’s backyard. Police Chief Jesse Dewalt launches an investigation, and for once, Nell vows to stay out of his way, instead focusing on organizing a historic quilt show as part of the town’s upcoming anniversary festivities. When clues lead to questions about Eleanor’s past, Nell is forced to uncover the truth. As the anniversary approaches, a chilling wave of vandalism strikes town hot spots, raising fears that witchcraft has returned, and revealing secrets that could change life in Archer’s Rest forever.

The Someday Quilts series includes The Lover’s Knot, A Drunkard’s Path, The Double Cross and The Devil’s Puzzle (Oct. 2011), and her Kate Conway series recently made its debut with Missing Persons. Clare O’Donohue lives in Chicago , IL . Visit her website at clareodonohue.com and the Someday Quilts fan page on Facebook.

In addition to being an avid quilter, O’Donohue is a freelance television writer and producer, who has worked on a variety of programs including HGTV’s Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson. She is still trying to use up the fabric she was given while working there.

Awesome, huh? From my own perspective, this book is a fun and quick read. The main character, Nell, is quirky and immediately loveable. The rest of the characters are just as much a pleasure to read and know as Nell. You just want to care about these people. The town is charming and the mystery is intriguing with a few interesting twists and turns. I highly recommend this book.

In a few days, I’m going to post a Q&A with the author, Clare. That’ll be fun, too.

So, here’s the giveaway. You just have to leave a comment below about why you’d like the book and if you’ve read any other of Clare’s books. That’s it, that’s all. I’ll close the contest November 10 at midnight. Drawing on November 11. That’s a week for you to get all your friends to sign up.

-Wendy

Hop to It BOM #3 Done

2011-11-01T15:08:00.001-07:00

This is block #10, actually. But our BOM is random number, so this is the third block. On to BOM #4, which is #11. Er …

It's not too late to join in the fun! Just drop me or Joanne an email.

Speaking of joining things, Bonnie is gearing up for another one of her fabulous mysteries! She has the fabric requirements posted at her blog.

-Wendy

D9P Top Done

2011-10-23T10:27:00.001-07:00

This is Wild Bunch: Succulent by RJR Fabrics. I’m going to quilt it with green variegated thread in an all-over “Mum” pattern so as to blur the lines a bit. It may have to wait awhile before I do that, the fabric I’ve had on order is here and a custom quilt is waiting.

Have a warm and sunny day! And if it’s not that way outside, make it that way inside.

-Wendy

Bleh!

2011-10-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Been sick since Monday, though in truth, I felt it coming on Sunday evening. I just have no energy and moving around only brings on nausea. I pick up quiet project (hand sewing, writing, editing) to do, but then set them beside me and ignore them while I just sit and stare at the world going by without me. What a great way to spend a vacation (Monday and Tuesday)! Been out of work since.

Okay. My pity party is over.

I'm just sayin' I'll talk at ya when I get better and get goin' again. Til then, here's something to occupy you and make your day sparkle. I know it does mine.

-Wendy

Five More

2011-10-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

I’ve registered five more quiltlets with AAQI. They’ll be shipped out this next week.

Still waiting on fabric to come in for the custom quilt that’s been ordered, but I have FOUR days off in a row!!! Let’s see, what shall I do? Wash dishes? Only if they go in the dishwasher. Laundry? Only if it’s painless. Sweep, dust, mop? Only if I trip on something or something spills. Nope. I’ll be QUILTING, QUILTING, QUILTING and writing, too. I plan to get the borders finished on the Disappearing 9Patch and get the quilting done on the Lib Amish Double 9 patch (I don’t have an up to date pic of that one). Guess I’ve just had 9 patches on the brain, huh?

I’ll also be working on hand sewing the applique of the Hop to It block from last month (yes, still).

Still working on Moene Rising, but writing Ket’s side of the story right now. Also working on the final touches of the short story, Palindrome.

Busy, busy weekend. Just gotta love long weekends!

Some time soon, I’ll be hosting a GiveAway. So, stay tuned! Same Bat time, same Bat channel.

-Wendy

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-10-10T04:11:00.001-07:00

I hope you enjoy your day and get fat and happy with good food, good friends and family!

-Wendy

What I’m working on

2011-10-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

I’m waiting for some fabric to come in for a custom quilt I’m making for someone, so while waiting, I started putting together a disappearing 9-patch I’ve been planning for awhile. You know how you put off making something and the pressure builds and builds and then, all of a sudden, you just HAVE to make it? It’s one of those. Here’s a quick pick of a couple blocks sewn together. I’m working on borders right now. This is made from all the same RJR Fabric print, just different colors. I didn’t worry much about colors being next to each other, I like to fool the eye sometimes and make the blocks look overlong. I can’t wait to finish it and Vince and I are trying to decide whether to make it a summer quilt or a cool weather quilt. I may just buy some wool for it, too. Don’t know yet.

My boss at WalMart saw my little AAQI quiltlets and so had the store donate $100 in materials for future AAQI quiltlets. How cool is that? The thing is, most WalMarts donate to worthwhile charities, even if only in a matching grant. I realize that many people don’t like WalMart fabrics because of the quality. I’d suggest you take a second look at the new fabrics. They’re better quality than they used to be. So, those of you who do charity work, go talk to your local WalMart. Now’s the season they’re changing their fabrics around and their eager to unload some leftovers.

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately. I think I’ve mentioned on this blog that when I “don’t want to write” then something’s wrong with what I’m trying to do. It’s my subconscious telling me I took a wrong turn somewhere. That was about a year ago. I’ve been wallowing around all this time, not writing but not sure what happened. I think I found it. We’ll see. All I can say is I’m excited again. Yeehaw!

-Wendy

The Silver Lining

2011-09-21T14:44:00.001-07:00

Every cloud has a silver lining.

And sometimes it really is silver!

Yup. That’s my name. I won $1554 on a 50-50 draw. Of course, it’s all gone now. Bills, car repairs and a service on my sewing machines. It goes so quickly, doesn’t it?

I finished the July block for the BOM Threadhead and I are doing.

This is the next block (for September, we skipped August). I’m cutting out the pieces tonight while watching Terminator Salvation (again).

If you’re interested in joining us, it’s not to late as this is only the third block. We’re using this book:

Been writing a little and quilting a little. Been working a lot.

Did you FMQ today?

-Wendy

Still Catching Up

2011-09-11T12:18:00.001-07:00

I finished the Blue Monochromatic wall hanging.

And I sandwiched the Liberated Amish Double Nine Patch (show here without the borders).

I think it’ll be leaves. Lots and lots of leaves in navy. I want to tone down the mauve triangles just a touch, so I’ll make the quilting a little dense there.

Not much else happening. Working A LOT.

-Wendy

Catching Up

2011-09-07T12:22:00.001-07:00

Now that I have the new machine and Mom’s quilt is finished, I’m working like a fiend to get some of my small stuff out of the way before I begin a big one again. Both of these are from the Monochromatic Challenge. Orange was for April and the green mug rug is for September. To see more of my Monochromatic Challenge quilts, click HERE.

Has anyone else noticed that my monochromatic projects are getting smaller and smaller?

-Wendy

Champagne Sunday

2011-09-04T05:51:00.001-07:00

I finished my table topper, Champagne Sunday. And it’s Sunday, too! How about that. Bright and cheery for any day (even a cloudy one like today). I tried some new stuff with this little quilt, including stitching alongside another row of stitches, using the FMQ foot as a guide. As you can see, I didn’t do so well at that. It’s amusing, looking at this all the way around, you can see how I get better at it on each border. Very marked where the last border meets the first. I love this quilt. I truly do. It’s based on a Katharine Guerrier design. I know it's #12 on the UFO Challenge and we haven't gotten to that number yet, but I just wanted it done while I could still enjoy it on my deck. To see more of my UFO Challenge quilts, click HERE.

Enjoy the day. I’m off to do some writing.

Oh, and stop by Melody's blog to register for her giveaway! It's quite a dandy of a blog.
-Wendy

Change Up

2011-09-01T04:52:00.001-07:00

Mom got her quilt. I mailed it Saturday and the phone was ringing Tuesday when I got home. She’s been dragging it everywhere to show everyone ever since. I’m glad she likes it. Here are photos of the finished project.

I got tired of the look of my old blog. Tell me what you think of this one.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2011-08-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Now that Mom's quilt it done, I'm free to catch up on my own stuff. That is, until I have to get started on another custom quilt for a customer. What shall I begin with? I know! My Champagne Sunday table topper. I love this thing and all it needs is a couple more borders, quilting and binding.

Happily sewing away on the Juki!

-Wendy

Is it Love?

2011-08-26T17:15:00.001-07:00

This is my new Juki TL 98Q. Look at that throat! 8.5 inches from needle to column and 6 inches high. I know it’s not HUGE, but it’s more space than I’ve ever had. I’ve been putting it through it’s paces, and so far I like what I see. But I’m always a bit hesitant in relationships. The other partner has to prove themselves before I can say any words of love. We’ll see how this goes.

Did I say that I finished Mom’s quilt? No? Well, I did. Funny thing that. I was able to finish it in no time once I got this new machine. And I suddenly remembered how much I like quilting. I’d gotten to the point I hated sitting down at the dreaded machine to quilt because of the fight I’d have with always rethreading after the thread breaks, or unsnarling it. Oh, and lets not forget all the issues I had with different threads and the old machine. So far, not a single problem.

I’ll show you pics of Mom’s quilt after she sees it. First rights, you know.

I’m sending some quiltlets to AAQI for auction. This is the first batch. You people need to get over there and bid. I mean really bid. So what if you can make the quilt yourself. That’s not the point, is it?

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Don’t have too much fun at those Hurricane parties, y’all!

-Wendy

Pink-ilicious Done

2011-08-18T04:22:00.001-07:00

I had a guest for this last weekend. We sat on the deck. We read. We watched movies. And while she was on my machine learning the basics of FMQ, I was on the other machine making this month’s monochromatic challenge quilt. It’s a small one to be donated to AAQI. Introducing “Fractured”.

If you want to see more of my Monochromatic quilts, click HERE.

Also, my new (lightly used) Juki TL98Q is here. It just arrived yesterday and I haven’t set it up yet; that’ll come this weekend. I slept with it on the chest at the end of the bed last night and had sweet dreams about quilting all night long. I’ll take pics of her when she’s all put together and running.

-Wendy

450 Four-Patches

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder exactly what 450 four-patches look like? I made these via leaders and enders for the past year or so.

Don’t you think they ought to look like more?

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2011-08-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

I so seldom get to post on Mondays anymore and I'm excited to be able to post today. I've been working on my Liberated Round Robin. First round was triangles. Second round: squares (see, I have two). Third round, which I just finished, was rectangles. Got lots of those. Next round will be curves. That's where I am. I have no idea where this is going, but it's fun, isn't it?

I'm still working on mom's quilt. And, I'm looking at buying a new machine. My little Janome 423s is a good machine for casual sewing, but not intended for quilting or the heavy use I give it. Before I break it or something, I'm looking for a new home for it. I'll sell it cheap ($125, I paid $399 just over a year ago). There's nothing wrong with it and it's been recently serviced.

I'm thinking a Juki TL 98Q. See that Q? It means quilt. I've read nothing but good reviews on it. What do you think? Have you heard anything about this machine, good or bad?

-Wendy

Back from the Connecticut

2011-08-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

The trip to the REALIA philosophy conference was a bit difficult at times. We stayed in the dorms at University of Hartford, West Hartford. And let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for pillows. Yes, that’s right. No pillows were furnished. The twin bed mattresses were hard plastic,and there was only one set of linens for Vince and I to share. As for the conference facilities, the air conditioning wasn’t turned on for us, the food was marginal and collected fruit flies toward the end of the conference. Luckily, the papers presented far outweighed these concerns. What a fantastic group!

And thank goodness there were lots of restaurants nearby! Here’s a few pics of Mo’s and our “Morning After Group”:

Those are awards on the wall in the middle pic. The last pic is of the mornings receipts (it was only 9am when I took that pic).

Went and saw the Samuel Clemens house in Hartford. Most of you know him as Mark Twain. They don’t let you take pics inside, sorry.

Another great high point was meeting Kathleen from the Lib Quilters group. We’ve been online frineds for a couple years now and we are the first from our group to meet (I think). My mom is also part of that group so it was a three-way meet in a quilting shop. with pizza and coffee after. No one who worked there seemed to think it odd.

Those are my purchases at the bottom pic.

I actually took my applique BOM parts with me, intending to work on them, but I left the background fabric at home and this is not intended to be scrappy. So, I’m busy at home working on that.

But, I worked on my second short story, Longfellow’s Backyard, for the upcoming Breathe book.
All in all, a good trip.

-Wendy

Another Contest

2011-07-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

Don't enter this one, okay? I want to win. I really, really do! Rosalyn has a cute needle case she's giving away in honor of her 500th blog. It's an easy enter, just comment on her blog. But don't do it, Don't you dare. It's mine, I say. All mine!

Of course, if I lose I'll just have to get instructions how to make it.

-Wendy

Didn’t win

2011-07-19T02:18:00.001-07:00

Sigh.

That’s okay, though. Dye Candy has at least one drawing every month. I feel confident I’ll win eventually.

I’m still working on Mom’s quilt. I’ve finished all the feathers inside the wreaths.

Now I’m working on the setting triangles. I’ve fallen in love with this quilt. I see one in my future.

I’m currently working on Loaded, the second section: Spring. It’s an original section title, don’t you think? Well, anyway. I’m working on it and have the first chapter pretty much done. It’ll go through a final grooming before it’s ready for publication. Would you like to read a few paragraphs? I thought so.

Winter had been as it always was in Maine: heavy, moist and white. It was full of snow and full of wind. The sunny days were a winter sportsman’s paradise. People who would never touch an ATV were suddenly catapulting across the snow in sleds and snowmobiles. Those who never hiked dug out skis, both cross-country and downhill. Others donned snowshoes. They came from all points on the globe.

With the first snowfall, Paul pulled out his snowmobile. He greased it, changed the fluids and checked the tracks and runners. Then, he spent eighteen hour days chasing down errant snowmobilers. Those moments he wasn’t doing that, he hunted poachers. The snow sleds gave greater access to the larger wildlife. Moose and deer were run to the ground and shot.

Finally, in mid-March, an early thaw forced cracks in the ice that covered rivers, lakes and ponds. The snow turned to slush. The few snowmobilers foolish enough to play chicken had to be fished out of the water and dressed for their own funerals.

Paul was just returning from one of these incidents. Two boys had been racing along the banks of the St. John River. One had gotten too close and had gone in, the snowmobile flipping upside down and drowning him.

His cell phone vibrated in his shirt pocket. Pulling his machine into the shed, Paul fished out his phone. Todd’s voice was tight and grim on the other end.

“We have a problem with Sara. It seems she didn’t come home from work last night. No one knows where she is.”

This is a murder mystery. Sara is Paul’s ex-girlfriend. Todd is the local police. Paul is a game warden (though, I’m fairly sure you guessed that).

That’s pretty much all the news for me. I’m working hard and getting ready for the REALIA 2011 conference in Hartford, Connecticut. Anyone know any good fabric/quilting shops in that area?

My side yard this morning.

-Wendy

Dye Candy Giveaway

2011-07-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Yup. She's giving away some of her hand dyes. Or a gift certificate. Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! But get there quick, because the entries close TODAY!

Dye Candy

-Wendy

Hop to It

2011-07-11T08:15:00.001-07:00

I finished our first BOM for the Hop To It quilt. Ta-Daaah! These are all hand appliqued. And, as you can see, I’m a little rusty at this.

Now this is what's on my design wall. I’m starting on the block for this month. Joanne used a random number generator and came up with block #9 as you go across and down.

Wish me luck!
I’m still working on the flowers in Mom’s quilt. Seems the more I sew, the more it needs. Now I’m putting flowers in the center of those poofy wreaths.

Been working on Loaded. It’s becoming a novel. I’ve put Moene Rising on the back burner while this one is so hot. Still seeking a publisher for Spinning the Tides.
Um, that’s about it, I guess. Talk to you again, soon!
Did you FMQ today?
-Wendy

Flowers!

2011-07-03T12:30:00.001-07:00

Well, my wrist is much better, thank you. After ignoring my sewing for a couple weeks, I find I'm at an almost fever pitch frenzy to sew again, now that I can. I quilt, I piece, I hand sew. Then, the next day, I do it again. For three days now. LOVE IT. I’m careful to not over do it with my wrist again (although, I admit it doesn’t sound like it). A good part of this last injury was because of my job and the pricing gun. Starting a new position Monday and I won’t have the gun as much. Yay!!
Anyway, I’ve just been piecing odd blocks that I’ve had lying around. Just putting already cut out pieces together into a shape. They’ll go into something someday. I’ve been hand sewing my “Hop to It” BOM and am almost done with last month’s. This next month is block 9. A very pretty block.
And I’ve been quilting flowers on my Mom’s quilt.

Speaking of flowers, my peonies are finally in bloom:

I’m just curious. What’s the largest feather wreath you’ve sewn? Mine are 14 inches, tip to tip.

Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July, y'all!

-Wendy

Takin’ it Easy

2011-06-21T12:44:00.001-07:00

I injured my wrist … again. So, not much happening on Mom’s quilt while I wait for my arm to heal. Been putzing around on nothing particular. Hand sewing hurts too. Been working lots and not sleeping well. I did take a couple nice photos.

These are from my front door again.

-Wendy

Little Drops of Sunlight

2011-06-14T04:44:00.001-07:00

I love dandelions. There’s no doubt about how they brighten my day. Here’s my latest batch of little lovelies. Er, Vince told me to tell you they’re in the neighbor’s yard.

Anyway, they make me happy. I’ve been working on Mom’s quilt. FINALLY got all the center wreaths done. Now I’ll be adding little flowers in between them. You get a better picture from the back.

And I made this "little" pizza hot pad for Vince for obvious reasons. That's an extra large sitting there.

Did you FMQ today?
-Wendy

Just Hop To It!!!

2011-06-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've begun the Hop to It BOM with Joanne of Thread Head. We decided to do them in random order rather than the one given in the book. The first one chosen for this month was #12. It's a very cool block. I don't think you can see it very well. For a close-up of the block, click here. That's a link to Joanne's pic of it.

We've gotten a few people signed up to join us and it looks to be a rowdy group already. Loads of fun! Won't you join in?

I also recently picked up this book. What a delightful set of poems!

I'm working in the yard today. Go, Sun! Go!

-Wendy
who secretly yearns to be an old sew-and-sew

Good Morning!

2011-06-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here's my May UFO Challenge #9: Anita's Arrowhead. It's a pretty simple quilt top that I used fleece for the backing and tied it.

-Wendy

Giveaway!

2011-05-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Marj of Eclectic Quilter has reached 100 followers (it's more now) and is hosting a giveaway. Speed on over there and sign up.

Actually, if you don't sign up, then that means I have a better chance at winning. I'm just sayin'.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2011-05-30T07:52:00.001-07:00

First, Happy Memorial Day!! I served in the military as did many of those in my family. We all came home alive. Many did not. Take some time during your festivities today to remember those who gave their lives to ensure all our freedom.
So, it’s Design Wall Monday. I haven’t had anything lately because a) I work on Monday mornings and usually forget by evening, and b) I’ve been free motion quilting on my mother’s quilt and my table runner. But, my machine has been acting up lately and piecing seems to sort it out. Hence, I have a design on my wall. TaDaah!

Yes, those are liberated Double 9-patch blocks there. I think this is the layout I want. I just need to sew it together now. Actually, the top two corner blocks are already sewn. 10 more to go. But probably not today. Depends on the machine.

-Wendy

Thread Head Drawing Entry

2011-05-28T13:57:00.001-07:00

Well, I finished the table runner that I'm entering into Thread Head's Quilt Along Drawing. The two outer blocks were from her Quilt Along. I really love those blocks. Plan on seeing them again.

I’m on vacation right now, so I’ll be playing and catching up and learning how to repair my machine. Tomorrow, Mom and I are making Hurricane quilts together. It’s a lot like a Round Robin, but different. It’s simple: You’re given an object to sew, like pinwheels or squares. Then you sew like a hurricane to get those made and added to your quilt in an hour. At the end of the hour, you’re given another object to make and add to your quilt for an hour. People tend to use big blocks for small quilts when making these. They also tend to use up spare parts (extra unused blocks or partial blocks)… which would be the point here. You can start with a center block or not. You can medallion or make whatever your little heart desires. It’s ALL good. Quilting comes later.
Anyone else want to play?
-Wendy

BOMs and Round Robins

2011-05-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

I've joined the Liberated Round Robin group and am having a blast. My machine doesn't like to quilt for too many hours (ok, minutes) in a row, so I switch off with piecing quite a bit. My Round Robin piece started as just a square within a square. Do you remember it? I got it from my Lib Swap Partner: Heidi.

The first round called for triangles, any way you want, including stars or whatever. I kept mine simple. I know it doesn't look very liberated right now, but just keep an eye on it. I have plans. Muwahahaha!

I'm also getting ready to start this cute little BOM quilt along with Joanne of ThreadHead fame. Adorable, isn't it? I'm sorry the pic is so small. When I tried to make it bigger, it lost the resolution. Click the image to see it on Amazon. Nice pic there.

I think I'm going to put one of my kitty boys instead of the rabbit. Then, I'll put another of the boys in the #7 block instead of that funny leaf thing. They'll be staring at each other. This is assuming I'm clever enough to do it.

Anyone else want to play? You'll need to pick up the book, which is pretty inexpensive. We start June 1.

Ill leave you with these images from a toy I picked up for the boys. It's a miniature tent, the kind they use for display in the stores to show off the full sized ones. They LOVE it. See how happy Jake is? Mind you, Elwood, the 'fraidy cat, is a bit suspicious still.

Sew on!
-Wendy

Simply Strings - Reposted

2011-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I find the information about string quilts is woefully inadequate on the web. Most people believe that there are only two or three patterns for string quilts. A few wonderfully pioneering people have come up with a few more. While it's true that there are basically two or three methods of sewing these beauties together, the patterns are as limitless as the imagination. I've wandered around on the web and through dusty books from long ago and have come up with quite a number.

So, I've decided to begin a page on my blog dedicated to string quilts. It's called, "Simply Strings". Snappy name, huh? I'll start with the tried and tru and then delve into the more off-beat patterns. I don't claim ownership on any of these patterns, but I get them from free sources and try my best to give credit where credit is due. If you have any beef with something I post, let me know - gently. My mistakes are honest. I'm not trying to steal anything. If you have a beef with someone who you think stole your pattern - leave me out of it.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to sit and just put all the patterns up all at once, so they're going to go up in bits and snatches. This also necessitates some rearranging sometimes. So check back often.

-Wendy

Blogger

2011-05-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

It seems Blogger has been having some trouble lately. In fact, it deleted my Simply Strings page. I'll wait until tomorrow to see if it's permanently gone, and then I'll make a new one. Check back then.

-Wendy

Weekend sewing

2011-05-03T15:05:00.001-07:00

I made this cute little table runner for the Thread Head Quilt Along Challenge. I used two blocks – actually the same block twice – from the challenge, along with the Alhambra blocks and border. The center block, I received as part of a “Parts Swap” from my LibQuilters’ group. Can’t wait to get this one finished! It’s soooo cute.

I finished off this lovely little piece while doing my daily FMQ Challenge practice. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. Maybe, put it with the other salmony/orange and make a placemat. Dunno.

The challenge for me with this piece was making the “filler” even. You can definitely see some parts are more white than others. And some of the feathers are definitely non-conforming. But still, it was fun! I’m not sure what’s on the machine for tonight. Gotta go see!

-Wendy

FMQ Challenge Day 7 and 8

2011-04-30T06:27:00.001-07:00

The FMQ Challenge is going great. Lots of fun and we all see TONS of improvements! My weekdays are hectic and I don’t get much chance to sew, but because the Challenge is to sew every day, here’s my days 7 and 8. This is done entirely freehand, no lines (as you can tell), except for a crossgrid.

This is the weekend, however, and I' have more time to quilt. This piece will become just a warmup piece. When the week begins again, I’ll find another small piece to work on every day.

-Wendy

Day 5

2011-04-26T17:05:00.001-07:00

Everyone’s progress on the FMQ Challenge looks awesome! It’s very encouraging. Daily practice, daily exercise. That’s what it takes!

Today, day 5 for me, I finished my little warm-up sample piece. This measures 6.5 inches. It’ll be used as a panel in some kind of quilt along with the other salmon colored piece that I’ll be working on as warm-up next. Not a stressful day, but exhausting so I just left it at a little FMQ. Following the lines was a bit tougher for me tonight, but it was relaxing. There IS method to my madness. This big quilt I’m doing has those feather wreaths and I need to decently follow the circle I drew. Not an easy task for someone who could never draw along a line before. Sewing along a line is easier, I think. Anyway, here’s the piece finished, front and back.

-Wendy

Second Day of The FMQ Challenge

2011-04-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

I did a few more stars yesterday after I posted, bringing my total yesterday to 5. That makes 9 done and 11 to go. Today, I’ve done 2 stars already and hope to do 4 more before this evening’s hockey game between Montreal (Applause, applause) and Boston (Booooo!). I would have had more done today, but I forgot about a midday game. I’m not huge into hockey, but my DH is, so I am, too. He’s into my quilting because I am, so it pays off whenever I want to stop at a quilt shop. Anyway, here’s pics of some of the stars backs and a couple fronts (next to their backs).

This next set is how I make my wholecloth designs. Remember, I don’t like to mark, so I just make the 4 axis lines and punt from there. This is a very small piece, measuring 6.5 inches across.

I’ll switch to it as my warm up and show the progression over the next few days.

It’s not too late to join The FMQ Challenge! For rules, click on the link. To join, just drop me or Joanne a comment somewhere on our or the FMQ blogs.

-Wendy

The FMQ Challenge Begins

2011-04-22T06:10:00.001-07:00

"And so it begins..."

That's a quote from Kosh on the TV series, Babylon 5. One of my favorite quotes, actually. I think, though, today I'll change it to "And sew it begins...". Today is the first day of the 3-week FMQ Challenge, during which a person must free-motion quilt for 14 consecutive days (somewhere in there). There are prizes and chatting and showing off and all kinds of fun things. Come join us, or at the very least, drop by and cheer us on!

My FMQ project is my mother's quilt. I actually started it a few days ago, but don't worry, I have plenty enough to quilt yet to take me through the required fourteen days. Anyway, here's the first star finished, front and back. The small gap in the middle would be where the name would go, if there had been one.

This piece is just a warm-up piece. I'm sewing along the lines to help me better sew in the ditch around the stars. I don't know if it's helping or not, but it's fun.

Two days ago, it was brown outside with small shoots of green. Then we had this gorgeous sunrise and by nightfall we were once again blanketed in white. Figures. Still, it keeps me inside and sewing.

-Wendy

Last Month's Brown-ness Done!

2011-04-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

At last! How could something so small take so long? I just don't understand. Oh yeah, the Flu. I remember now. Well, I'm glad both the brown monochromatic quilt and the flu are done. Now on to the next project.

This is the project I'll be working on for The FMQ Challenge. My mother sent me this to quilt ... some time ago. I had to make it bigger first though. And add borders. And finish (and begin) about a dozen other quilts/quiltlets. Finally, the sandwich is made, the machine is loaded, and I'm ready to begin. Even though The FMQ Challenge doesn't begin officially until Friday, I'm starting this now (because I actually have the day off - yay me!). I have other projects to work on, should I somehow manage to finish this before the Challenge ends.

I'll be putting feather wreaths in the big white alternate squares and swirls and feather things in the star, with posies between the points. For the borders, I'll do the innermost with a chain of posies, the next with swirls, and the last with feathers. Whew, I'm tired already! Is it done yet?

Speaking of the FMQ Challenge, Joanne and I have been having a great time preparing. I made a blog for all of us to chat, complain, share hints, show off and post our daily progress. We're both so excited!!! For those of you who don't know, the FMQ Challenge is a 3 week project in which you Free Motion Quilt consecutively for 14 of those days. It's fun and the increase in abilities you'll see from daily working on your FMQ is just amazing! Come join us, or at least drop by and encourage us! Details are on the FMQ Challenge blog.

Btw, it's snowing outside. Doesn't that just make you want to quilt?

-Wendy

Parts Swap

2011-04-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

I received a package from Heidi in Germany. What fun blocks!! And even a bar of Swiss chocolate. It was wonderful to taste that again. Thanx Heidi!

I've gotten my Mom's quilt sandwiched. I had to lay it on the dining room table, no wall was big enough. I'll be working on this daily during the 2 week FMQ Challenge. I also made some small samples of the same fabric to warm up with. SOOOOO looking forward to this! And so looking forward to giving the Ricky Tims book to a lucky winner! Joanne over at ThreadHead is also giving something away, so get signed up. The challenge begins Good Friday. All you have to do is free motion quilt every day and post about it for two weeks. That's it, that's all. How tough is that?

UPDATE: We're going to hold this over a three week period to give people a little leeway. The rule to this is that you MUST FMQ for two consecutive weeks anytime throughout this period. Remember, that's 14 consecutive days. Make sure to plan your time so that you don't run out of days at end (May 13th is the last day).

I've been thinking, would those of you partaking in the challenge like a separate blog to post messages and pics in?

I'm still at work on Champagne Sunday, my hand-quilting project. Working on a border now.

Been writing and working other than that.

-Wendy

Free Motion Quilting Challenge

2011-04-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last year, just about this time of Spring, Joanne and I sponsored a challenge to free motion quilt every day.

We're doing it again.

The challenge is simple: free motion quilt ANYTHING every day for two weeks. At the end of the two week session, we draw an eligible winner's name for a prize. To be eligible, don't cheat and post your daily progress on your blog. If you don't have a blog, just let me know and you can email me your daily progress. Simple. You've got some time to prepare. We're thinking of taking advantage of the Easter holiday and begin on Good Friday. What do you think of that? Post in the comments below to join the challenge and if beginning that Friday will work for you or not. You can also post in Joanne's blog to join.

This is the prize, but it's a real book, not an ebook.

-Wendy

Lets See

2011-04-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

What have I done since the last post.

1) I pulled some solid fabric strips and started a liberated Amish double nine patch

2) I unstitched the problem with Champagne Sunday (hand sewing), resewed it and added a first border.

3) I finished the borders on Mom's quilt and stenciled the circles for the feather wreaths.

4) I taught Jake how to jump through a ring ... sorta. He liked it, but then, he likes anything different. I tried to teach Elwood, but he bolted, staring over his shoulder at me all the time as if to say Do NOT follow!

6) I worked on the novels

7) My brown thread came in so I can finish the brown monochromatic quilt from last month

Yup. That about sums it up. It keeps snowing and then raining, snowing and then raining. Typical Spring. Though I have to say I really appreciated the 1 foot of snow that was dumped on us April 1. It has disappeared by now.

-Wendy

One of those ... three weeks?

2011-03-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

Just and FYI to everyone. This "cold" takes at least 3 weeks to get over. I'm just sayin' to be prepared: 20 boxes of kleenex, 3 bottles of nyquil, and 2 cases of chicken soup. The good thing, I lost 5 pounds.

I've just recently started sewing again. I started with the brown monochromatic quilt. I got this far before I ran out of thread and couldn't find my second spool. Now I'm waiting for a replacement to come in the mail.

Next, I trimmed my red diamond quilt for the UFO challenge. But, I don't like the black fabric I have, so I have to wait until I can pick up some more. After that, I moved on to my hand quilt. Things didn't line up right, so I have to "unstitch" a few seams.

I did, however, have more luck with Mom's quilt. Here, you see that I've gotten the second border on. One more to go and then it's quilting time.

I also had great luck working on my novels and am now pursuing a new publisher and an agent. Wish me luck!

Breathe Writers' Group has a book reading/signing scheduled for 1 pm, April 16th at the Caribou Public Library. If you're nearby, stop in.

Thanks for all the "Get Well"s you wonderful people sent me. Believe me, they were oh-so-very appreciated.

-Wendy

Been Sick

2011-03-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've been sick the past couple weeks and haven't done anything except sit and stare out the window. Limited working (I went home early a few times and missed a few days, including one what-should-have-been glorious 3-day weekend). Even more limited sewing. I did, however, alternate my fever induced stare to glare at the flowers on the brown quilt for a few days. In the end, I decided they made my head hurt too much and they now live in the trash.

There's been no writing, no living of any kind. However, now that I feel well enough, I discovered one thing worse than being sick: cleaning the house after a sicko (two, actually - Vince has been ill as well) has lived in it for two weeks. Ew!!!

I did manage to start a few FMQ feathers in dark brown thread on the brown quilt just today. That's it. That's all.

Stay well!!!!

-Wendy

The Changing Face of Brown

2011-03-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

I decided I wanted a decidedly softer look to my brown. This, after all, is to be a kitchen table centerpiece. I tucked the dark brown border behind so as to simulate a dark brown binding instead. I'll have a total of 5 or 7 flowers, but here's two for now. Don't mind the yellow dots, they're the heads of my pins. Is this better or worse than the version in the last post?

How about flowers with the wide border? I think I like that one best. What about you?

And now, some exciting snow pictures after our latest 2 ft. dump. Snow like this is common for us during the winter. What's uncommon is that all this has come in the last 4 or so weeks. Usually this much accumulates for the whole winter. This first is titled "Diggin Out".

And this one is titled "5 Cars". Do you see them all?

Happy digging!

-Wendy

Brown and #1 for March

2011-03-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

Judy pulled the color Brown for the Monochromatic Challenge color this month. It took me all of one hour to find something to make. Odd that it took me so long. I usually have things stacked up and planned, ready to rock and roll. I may not finish with what I originally planned, but the point is, I have lots of ideas and plans. Anyway, this month I made exactly what I planned (so far - I still have to quilt it). Here's the top:

I'm thinkin' a freestyle feather wreath-ish thing in the middle and bright squares. Maybe some kind of posies and vines outside that. That's where I've bogged down. So many options. Too many. I'm open to suggestions.

Judy also pulled UFO #1 for the month of March. I have a whole lot of other sewing to do before that, so I probably won't get it done. I may not get it started, but we'll see.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2011-02-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

This has been up on my design wall for awhile now and will likely be there for awhile longer. It's a hand sewing project that I've named "Champagne Sunday". See, I've sewn the first two blocks.

-Wendy

Violetness Done!

2011-02-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

If you read that title too fast, then you're probably wondering what violent act has happened. Not to worry. It's Violet, as in the color. My Monochromatic Challenge for this month is finished. With a whole day to spare. WooHoo!

I'm now officially sick of violet.

Even still, this was a blast to make! I think it was possibly the funnest quilt I've EVER made. I highly recommend it.

That's finish #6 for the 2011.

Now back to Mom's quilt for some border work.

-Wendy

This Morning

2011-02-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

This is where I'm beginning this weekend. I only have two more ... fountains? ... to put on and then it's on to the stitching. I think I'll do a border in violet thread on those big light blue-violet pieces (why do these things not have names?). Then I'll sandwich it and begin the quilting with various threads. I'm still trying to decide what to do with the dark violet feathers. Maybe a reddish thread inside? I'll have to think on it and will most likely leave it for very last.

And yes, that's a pile of tops awaiting quilting beneath it.

-Wendy

Progress this Weekend

2011-02-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

First things first. It's snowing. This is actually good, because it's finally warm (enough to snow). It's been mostly -20 degrees celsius here for quite awhile now. But, Phil didn't see his shadow, so Spring is on the way, right? Right?

Here's my #10 piece I finished for the UFO Challenge. Nothing spectacular. Just a flat panel that has a small amount of quilting. Still, my friend Troy loves it. He also bought the big Kaleidoscope quilt and ordered another custom quilt.

Here's what I worked on all weekend: my piece for the Monochromatic Challenge. I started with a drawing I thought would be a wholecloth quilt, but I wanted color. And a little color led to more and more. I kept trying colors in different ways on my drawing. Anyway, the third pic is where I ended this weekend. I have 7 more of those little scrolly feathers to cut out. I'll take my time and work on it through the week so as to not reinjure my wrist. These are raw edge fused applique. I'll be stitching on top of these. As you can see, I've got plenty more pieces to cut out besides the feathers and then I have all the stitching to do. I'm actually not sure I'll get this done by the end of the month. I'm referring to Ricky Timms' Rhapsody quilt methods for help.

-Wendy

UFO finished

2011-02-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

My quilt for the UFO Challenge (#10) is finished. It was a small thing and pretty easy to make. It wasn't really a UFO, more of a PIP (project in planning). But, anyway, it's done. I can't show it ... yet. It's a gift. Give it a couple days so he can pick it up and then I'll post the pic.

Now on to the Monochromatic Challenge. I've decided not to do a strict wholecloth, but rather do something similar (and much smaller) to Ricky Timms's Rhapsody Quilts. It'll be violet colors on a cream background.

As for the poor little black pinwheel quilt I finished last week, I washed it again. Once again it was full of black pics from the wool migrating through. No, I'm not going to do any background quilting on it. I'm not going to put any more work into it. I'm just quietly folding it up and donating it to a charity cause. Mourning it.

The temperature is actually over freezing!!! This weekend it's supposed to rain. Yay!!!! Wash some of the brown muddy snow away before more white comes!

-Wendy

A Finish

2011-02-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

My black Pinwheel quilt is finished. I made this top as part of the Pinwheel Party. I used black sheep wool from Cedarview Farms. It quilted beautifully, but it was a bit fragile applying it to the quilt sandwich, so I used a spray baste. All in all, a good quilting experience.
I love the way this quilt looks after washing, all the shrink crinkles make it look comfy and homey.

I’m not sure you can see the flowers in the big color blocks. I had a lot of fun quilting the flowers and vines on this. First I quilted in the ditch with a charcoal monofilament (clear) around each leg of the pinwheels (not the blocks – I wanted the black of the blocks to just become part of the background). I really debated whether to quilt a background on the quilt. I may go back and do it eventually. I want to see how the batting behaves first. I had little balls of wool all over it after the first washing. I couldn't really tell if it migrated through the cloth or if it was residual from working with it. It's quilted closely enough (the seller recommended every 2 inches). I'll wash it again and see if it happens again. If the batting isn't going to work and I get rid of it, then I'm not going to waste my time quilting it anymore.

Speaking of quilts, this has been my hand sewing (lunch break) project. I’m ready to start sewing it together now. What do you think?

-Wendy

The Quilt

2011-02-10T03:43:00.000-08:00

Picked up a copy of this book. Broke my heart. I couldn't read it all in one sitting. All those people (and many, many more) died by such a terrible, wasting disease. If you ever have a chance, read this. It's filled with letters, stories and poems of people who made this quilt for loved ones (or even complete strangers) who have died from AIDS.

See if it doesn't change your life. Here's the website: http://aidsquilt.org/

-Wendy

Good Morning!

2011-02-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

It's the weekend, finally. What a week at work! Exhausting emotionally and spiritually. Not fun at all. Still, it's having great friends that pulls me through. Great friends like you. Most of you don't know, but I visit your blogs almost every night. Reading about your lives and what you're doing helps me step out of my own troubles. So, thank you and keep writing. Even if it's silly stuff. Especially if it's silly stuff. It helps people like me who just need to get back in touch with our lives. It's also for this reason I'm making an effort to blog at least twice a week. Maybe, someone else will need a little pick-me-up.

Anyway, enough of the mushy stuff.

Quilting: I'm going to work on the black pinwheel quilt this weekend. I'll post pics of my progress in the next posting. Here's where I am now, working on the vines and leaves.

I'm also going shopping today (I hope) for the violet fabric for Judy Laquidara's monochromatic challenge.

Writing: Today is a meeting of the Breathe writers' group. I'll be taking chapters 7 and 8 of Moene's Rising for qritique. Breathe also has a book signing coming up Wednesday at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, Maine. Very exciting.

Weather: Snowy and cold. It's winter in the frozen tundra. We don't have as much snow as we have had in years past. Everyone south of us is getting it. Lower Maine got slammed in the last snowstorm. As well as Massachusetts (Hi Mom!). Jake and Elwood are getting restless in the house. They seem to think it's spring outside already. I guess the groundhog didn't see his shadow, so spring is supposed to be soon coming.

I certainly hope so.

So, here's to warmer days! This is a link to my favorite webcam. Panama City Beach, Florida. The picture looks a bit cold right now, but most days, the sun's shining and warm. Enjoy!

-Wendy

And the color is ...

2011-01-31T16:16:00.000-08:00

Judy Laquidara pulled the color for the next month's monochromatic challenge: Violet!

Violet? I don't have any violet. It's like the one color I don't have. Darn. Guess I'll just have to go shopping. I'm going to make a whole cloth FMQ piece, I think. My first. If it's horrible, you'll get a tiny picture of just one corner.

Joan has some wonderful FMQ whole cloth pieces she's done. And Joanne has some wonderful FMQ work she's done. Of course, there are several reigning queens: Diane Gaudynski, Sharon Schamber and Karen McTavish. There are plenty more, but these are the people that inspire me the most.

So that's the monochromatic challenge of the month. Tomorrow the UFO Challenge for February is unveiled. I'll fill you in on that later in the week. I'm going to (try) to post twice a week. Some nights it's just an effort to stay awake.

See you later in the week.

-Wendy

Yellowness Done!

2011-01-28T03:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I should probably say, "Goldness Done!" My yellows melted into golds and dark golds. Even the applique stitching was ranged through the golds. But, it's all good. I had a lot of fun with this, but I was so totally amazed at how much time it took, especially since it's only 8 inches square! This was for Judy Laquidara's Monochromatic Challenge. January's color was yellow.

I'm back to the black quilt again now. Hopefully I'll finish the green vines this weekend. It depends on the frustration level, you know.

We often buy books or have them donated to us for our online bookstore. As such, we always have boxes hanging around. As most cats, ours love our boxes. Jake hopes in and plays with whatever is in the bottom or even tries to dig his way out through the bottom. Elwood, however likes to sit quietly and peer over the edge like a lion spying on his prey. I've tried numerous times to catch a picture of this and I finally succeeded. Sorry it's so dark, but it's the only shot I have.

Not to be outdone, brother Jakie then decided to devote his photo session to his extreme cuteness.

Two well-loved kitties here.

What's new in your world?

-Wendy

Been unwinding from the Christmas/Boxing Day hectivities

2011-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yup, I'm still here. Been unloading a lot of tiredness from work's busy season. Sleeping, sewing, being noncommunicative, you know: zombie. Things are slowing down nicely at work now, so I'm able to turn my attention to my badly ignored friends. You know who you are, and I'm sorry I've been so bad to you!

So, what have I been doing in zombieland? Well, I've finished the two beastie purses that were #6 in my list. They aren't hard, difficult, or even particularly attractive. They're just purses. And I HATE purses. I'm not sure why I thought I'd make these (way back when). Anyway, they're done. Now to get rid of them. Judy Laquidara UFO Challenge done for this month.

I've also been working on the color challenge quilt that Judy Laquidara has hosted. Rules are there, too. The color this month is yellow. Mine is dark yellow and gold with a cream background. I just need to finish this little dragonfly and quilt it and then I'm done. Whole thing finished should be right around 8" square. The dragonfly in the middle actually has longer wings, you just can't see them because they're a slightly darker shade cream gauze over the background. And yes, there really are gold dragonflies. Want to see one? Here you go.

Isn't he gorgeous!!!!

I've also been working on the black pinwheel quilt. This is where I am.

We have a snowstorm on the way. This was the morning sun.

My newest book is available on my "My Books" page. It's an anthology of poetry, short fiction and nonfiction. The book is authored by the members of my writers' group, Breathe. Here's a short piece from it (by yours truly).

Black Velvet by Wendy Koenig

It was a precise June

not “Singing in the Rain”

but smoother

more comfortable

Makers Mark or

Graceland

It gave one chance to pause

and test

street-corner paintings and

shapely women

who snuck in back

doors and

stole coffers

diamonds

pearls

dreams

That's just one of the poems in our book, Breathe, Volume II.

The Lord of the Manor has demanded my attention, so I must go now. Been nice talking to you again.

-Wendy

2011 UFO Challenge

2011-01-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2011! May your year be filled with laughter and joy! May you steal enough time to visit the things you really care about: quilts, family, writing, whatever. Mostly, may you have peace this year.

Judy Laquidara is hosting a UFO Challenge for 2011. She explains all the rules on her site, so I won't go into them here. This is my list of 12, in the order I have them on the "My Quilts" page of this blog, plus a few more.

1. Red Diamond Log Cabin - needs borders, center applique and quilting
2. Diamond Table Topper - just needs to be quilted
3. Roman Strip Star - needs the borders finished and to be quilted
4. Crazy Quilt - needs the solid blocks trapuntoed, put together, borders?, and quilting
5. Feathered Star Medallion - needs the top piecing finished and quilted
6. 2 Purses - just a few small details to finish
7. Spanish Steps - needs the background blocks cut, borders made and quilted
8. Blue with Orange diamonds - needs quilted
9. Anita's Arrowhead Quilt - needs finished piecing and quilted
10. Laurel Burch Quilt - needs piecing and quilting
11. Two small waterfalls/lake quiltlets - need to be finished designing and quilted
12. Crayola Quilt - needs to be finished piecing and quilted

As I said, these are listed in the same order as what I have already established a few months ago. There isn't any priority in these.

These two quilts are very important and need to be done in the beginning of the year, so I've withheld them from the list. I'll be working on them while the others are ongoing. The good news is that Judy has pulled #6 for the first month, so I'll just be putting the finishing touches on the two purses. That will leave lots of time to work on these two.

Mom's Friendship Star - needs borders to be put on and quilted
Pinwheel Quilt - needs finished quilting

This should be fun! I have no illusions that some months I may not finish my task. But, trying is what makes it exciting, right?

-Wendy

Happy Holidays!!!

2010-12-23T05:03:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year for love and joy. I wish that for all of you! This postcard came from Dorothy, in the LibQuilters group. It was part of a postcard swap.

Vince and I are spending Christmas Eve with his mom and family. Then Christmas day is a quiet together day for just the four of us (Jake and Elwood are included in that number - Elwood in the foreground and Jake watching). Sunday, it's back to work for me. I get to help set up the store for the Boxing Day sale. For those of you who don't know, Boxing Day is usually the day after Christmas and is THE largest retail day in Canada (think Black Friday).

I've been working on the third novel in The Dijru Hand series, Moene Rising. Something about a novel that just grounds me. My two short projects, Loaded and Palindrome, are still ongoing in bits and snatches between chapters of the novel.

Breathe (writers' group) is working on getting book signings for our latest volume.

As for quilting, I've been working on the black pinwheel quilt. I have all the outlines done and have added a few colored outlines of flowers in the black background. This is a picture of one of those. Next to it is an invisithread flower in the square. I like freehand FMQ best (because I can't follow a line to save my life). I plan on McTavishing the rest of the background and will probably start that this week sometime. Slow going these days, but at least it's going.

So, that's me. What are you doing?

These are the Falls this morning. Again, Happy Holidays!!!

-Wendy

Testing….

2010-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

I’m testing Windows Live Writer. I’ve been so dissatisfied how limited I am with Blogger and this morning I saw Bonnie was trying out this new Writer and I saw all the cool things she could do. So, here I am, trying it too.
It posts exactly like it looks in the window. The biggest deal is placing photos. It’s no fun being a photographer if your photos are all over the page. I don’t want anything fancy. Just something not stone age will do. Take these pics of my first three Anita’s Arrowhead block. I can make the pic any size I want, not just small, medium, large and extra large. I can stretch it, too.

I can change the color, sharpen it, blur it, tilt it , watermark it, or even change the border.
Just typical Windows stuff, still it’s cool to be able to do SOMETHING with them, huh? There’s an enormous font selection, too. Here I am outlining pinwheels. Don’t mind my dry hands. It’s a byproduct of working at Wal Mart. Note: my bigfoot has took quite a beating with that Kaleidoscope quilt. See the circular shaped chip in the back?

What else is cool? It’s only 12 days till Christmas.
Even cooler than that: It’s only 7 days until Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. After that, the days get longer. It’ll be spring, baby!!!!!!!
Nothing cooler than that!
-Wendy

UnRuly Book

2010-12-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

UnRuly Quilter, Tonya Ricucci, has her first book out!!! Yay!

In honor of her event, many of us are posting pics of works inspired by her. Here are mine:

Making words in your quilt is fun and easy, especially with Tonya's instructions.

Congrats Tonya!!!

-Wendy

Mmmmmmm

2010-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing better than homemade bread, is there?

I made some Challah (Jewish egg bread) to go with my Italian Toscana soup. Yummy, yummy, yummy!!!

Not to be outdone, Vince then fixed his famous pizza.

The Christmas Market went okay. Here's my partner in crime, Deb, with our shared booth. She had candles and melties.

And, the contractors are done with our bathroom. At least with their part. The finishing is all us. Look at the size of the tub. Isn't that a beauty?

Snowing outside (again). Keep warm!

-Wendy

Next up to quilt

2010-11-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Not much has been happening here (other than remodeling), so I thought I'd tell you what's coming up next. Remember this cute little pinwheel throw I played with in the spring? Don't mind the other quilts under it. I tell you, it's been COLD here! I just love the scrappiness of this quilt. Even the blacks are of different fabrics and lend to the homemade feel of it.

Well, I thought it was about time I quilted it. I'm using the 505 spray instead of pinning or basting and I love it, though I've only tried it on small quilts. This throw will be the first "big quilt" that I've used it on. I'm glad for it, too. I bought fresh black wool batting from Cederview Farm in Ontario. The people there are just peachy! The wool is outstanding and very fine. In fact, that's a small problem: it's delicate, because of how fine it is. However, once I had it stabilized with the backing and spray, it was very easy to manipulate. Here's a pic of the wool layered on the backing. It stays well. I can't wait to start quilting with it. I'll be it's gonna feel like going through clouds.

I've also gotten a place in the local Christmas Market, so I'm busy assembling all my things: hanging rings, labels, etc.... I'm also making some last minute postcards. This little tree isn't sewn down yet, but I wanted to show you what these look like.

My two boys have been pushing me hard to keep working. This is Elwood waiting for me. In this picture, Jake is right behind me, following me up to The Loft.

Gotta run now. Pizza is almost done. It's hockey night, don't you know!

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday .. if I can find it!!!

2010-11-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

We've been remodeling the bathroom. Rather DH and buds have been. It's been three days now. Of course, the place is in a shambles. Since we knocked out a wall, stuff in the office and the hallway had to move, too. The highlight was the reinstallation of the toilet. Brought a standing ovation from me. I'd gotten tired of trotting to the corner store to borrow theirs.

The great thing was that my job was just to stay out of the way. And so, I did. I got to sew to my heart's content for two wonderful, though toiletless, days.

Finished DH's mom's table topper.

Finished the Christmas Table Topper

Started starching and cutting blocks for Anita's Arrowhead quilt from this month's Quiltmaker magazine. I really wasn't enamored of this pattern until I saw Joanne's. I love the old fashioned look of hers and am hoping to get the same effect with mine. I also happened upon these batiks at a bargain price and thought, why not? I'm mixing in some solids and a few prints with it. We'll see how it turns out.

So, that's the plan for this week, to keep cutting and starching these blocks and also to begin quilting the black pinwheel quilt I made this summer. I notice I don't have a pic of the finished top yet, so I'll have to get that before I start the quilting process.

Did you FMQ today? I did.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday or Husbands and the Best of Plans

2010-11-08T03:48:00.000-08:00

So, about mid-day yesterday, my DH says, "Do you have a purple quilt we can give my mother for Christmas?" I said, "No, but I can make one." He said, "Okay. I figure we'll head over there about 6."

I dropped my magazine. "Tonight? It's not even December! I can't make a quilt that fast!"

His answer: "She likes to shop early. And doesn't want the mess in her house for a couple months."

We went upstairs and wasted an hour looking through what I already had made before he decided he wanted a new one made. We compromised on a table topper. And no, I didn't finish in time. I get to quilt it today. She has very bad eyes and can really only see large things. Details blur. For example, the flowered border will read to her as a solid mid-blue. I don't honestly know if she'll be able to distinguish the difference between the light purple and the cream. And that's okay. Anyway, that's my project for Design Wall Monday.

After finishing this table runner, my plans had been to start quilting a Christmas table topper. Maybe I can do that Thursday, since I have the day off. Pardon the bed in the picture. My design wall was full of the above quilt already.

My DH and I rearranged my sewing room, too. I now have the kitchen table as my sewing table (yay!!!). The antique table I was using is nestled quilt happily against the wall in the spare bedroom. It still holds my old Brother machine, but that's all.

We also made room so that DH could get into what once was an upstairs bathroom but has been converted to a painting room for him. The two kitties were surprised to find that there was another room in the house! That room has been closed off for as long as we've had them, at least 2-3 years. It spooked them at first to find a room suddenly there. Especially Elwood, who was sure it was some sort of black magic that had created it. Probably just as well, they're not allowed in there. DH is worried they'll scratch on the canvases.

I notice this morning they seem to have forgotten about the room, now that the door is closed again.

We just picked up our copies of the Breathe book last Wednesday. Now, I need to update everything web. That's a project for this week, too. I'll let you know as soon as it's available for order.

Oh, and I had an agent request to see my Boo and Oscar series. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Wendy

Hand Sewing

2010-10-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest project finished. Just a small wall hanging for myself. Lately, it seems that hand sewing is all I have time for. Just that one precious hour at lunch time a day and a couple hours on the weekend.

Ah well. Pendulums swing and soon it will go the other way again, giving me more time to quilt. As for writing, I've been spewing poetry nonstop. And I've been working on "Loaded" in my head. And yes, that counts. A writer has to first see the story, feel it, before it can be written. So, yes. I've been writing. Also, the Breathe book is (finally) printing. A few false starts and hesitations in there, but it's on the run now.

Here's a fun video for you to enjoy. I saw it at SewCalGal and wanted to share it with you:

Have a Happy Halloween!

-Wendy

Postcards

2010-10-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

What's more fun than making quilted postcards to send in the mail?

Answer: Opening your mailbox to find a quilted postcard that's been sent to you!!!

Thanx Pat!!!

-Wendy

Hello. My name is Wendy. I'm a Quiltaholic.

2010-10-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

TRULY!

Just about everyone who's been reading my blog knows that my work schedule has been increasing until I have no real time to quilt. So, to follow in the footsteps of Bonnie K. Hunter and many, many others, I've begun taking triangles to work to sew together. I'm slow, so I only get maybe nine pairs sewn together during my lunch break. BUT ... it keeps the quilting withdrawals under control. At first I caught a few jibes, but now all my coworkers are excited to see what I'm making. The get upset when they miss a step in the process. And not bringing in the finished project to show off is NOT an option.

My first project was a postcard for a swap. The recipient has notified me that she has it, so I can now post the pic here. That's a maple leaf stitched in the center, btw.

My next at-work project is a slightly bigger version of this. It's one I'm planning on keeping for myself.

I also spent this morning putting together block sized quilt sandwiches that I can do in the style of "Honey, I just have to run upstairs and stitch something really quick. I'll only be a few minutes."

Big projects have to wait for the few hours I can steal on the weekends.

I think I'll pass on the mystery quilts for now, though I'm still debating joining Joanne's quilt along. I have a couple ideas for her blocks and I want to investigate them more this coming weekend. The question for me is how I will quilt those blocks in the layout I'm thinking when I'm finished.

That's all for now.
Quilt on!

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2010-10-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

It's Monday again. And there are mixed blessings here. I've been working on things, but I can't show them because they're part of a swap. When they arrive at their new home, I can put a pic here. One will have to wait until November, though. I will be working on things this week, but I don't know for sure yet what they'll be except that they'll be practice pieces for my quilting of Mom's quilt: Feathers and wreaths and posies. Loads of FMQ. WoooHooo! I love it!

I'm also stuck in a quandry. It's getting close to Christmas and usually several mystery quilts appear on the net for willing participants like me. Usually I partake of at least one, but this year I'm stacked full of things to do. Also, my friend Joanne is hosting a quilt along that I'm itching to get involved in. I've got a quilt with alternate blocks that need to be made. I was thinking the blocks she's making might work there. I have to work out measurements and make sure it's what I want in that specific quilt. I'll probably try a couple sample blocks to see if it works. So, her quilt along is thrown into the mystery quilt controversy. To mystery or not to mystery.

The best I can do for today is to show you some new gadgets I picked up. There are French curls, used to make those wonderful curves in FMQ wholecloths. I also found a great gizmo that bends any way you want it and holds its shape. It's quite sturdy. You also see some plain shapes that will look so much better if they actually are what they're supposed to be on the wholecloth instead of what my freehand contorts them into.

And, speaking of FMQ, go take a peek at Joan's! Wow, huh?

Hope your week is eventful, fun and, above all, fulfilling.

-Wendy

Lib Amish Finish

2010-10-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

I finished the quilt for the newest Liberated Amish challenge. I hit a point with it that I didn't much care for it. So, I stopped. Then, the next time I looked at it, I liked it. Funny, that. Does it ever happen to you like that? I think it's just that we have to get distance from it and look at it in a different perspective.

It's square, it just doesn't want to hang flat and I
refuse to pin it because it's SUPPOSED to stay up on the darned design wall all by itself. It's staying for now. Though I suspect when I come home tonight from work it'll be on the floor.

Finished the final edits on Breathe Vol. II. Off to the printers as soon as I get some info back on the number we'll need. I haven't worked on my own writing much (just tiny thoughts here and there) since I've started putting Breathe together. I can't wait to dig in again. I miss it like a long lost lover.

Oh, and this is what a $50 gift certificate looks like. In case you were wondering. And you thought it was made from paper. Silly You!!!

-Wendy

Breathe Vol. II

2010-10-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard on getting edits made to the next Breathe book. It's been a chore this time, between trying to kick start my own writing again and working overtime. I think someone else can do it next year. Anyway, it's just about done now and I'm right proud of it. Our little group has put together some good writing, beginners and advanced alike.

Still, I found time to sneak away and quilt. I need that little bit every day or two, just for my sanity. I managed to finish the Kaleidoscope quilt. I know! How long has that been hanging on? My wrist was finally better enough I was able to hammer on it. I have a couple small projects to finish/do and then it's on to quilting Mom's.

It's funny, but I loved this quilt when I made it. Now that it's quilted, I don't much care for it. I liked it flat and smooth best. Like the picture on the left here. Yet, because of all the seams, I needed a strong all over pattern. It still looks good in the shadows, but when it's in full sun, the secondary pattern of circles kinda disappears. Sigh. Put it in the sell pile. That pile is getting higher and higher.

Picked up this book the other day for a couple bucks and change. It presents other ideas on quilting as well as suggestions on how to make the most of "Quilt as Desired". You'll start seeing some of these ideas tested in my quilts. Not the next one though. Nope.

-Wendy

Design Wall Monday

2010-09-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

It's Monday again? Really??? How'd that happen? I swear it was just Tuesday! Sigh.

The most I've been able to do this past week is practice my FMQ. I won a $50 gift certificate to a local quilt shop and have decided to buy thread. I wanted to test some of it first, so I bought a couple spools, tried them out and now I'm ready to go shopping for real.

I also made my letters for my Liberated Amish adventure. The D and I had quite a tussle. I won, but just barely. I'll be working on the finishing touches of the top this week.

I'll also be working on the final touches of Breathe, Vol. II this week.

Design Wall Monday

2010-09-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

Vince took this picture a couple days ago. Look how dark the sky is! A shot of sunshine fell onto this farm and golden field. Almost looks magical, doesn't it?

We watched Invictus the other night, too. Truly inspirational. Truly.

Well, this is what's up on my design wall. It's not finished, so again, you're only getting a partial picture. I hope to finish it this week during my two days off. I have some more applique and, though the challenge didn't call for them, some words (Tonya, you created a word fiend!). And of course, the quilting. I'm thinkin' straight-ish vertical lines. This is based on the Amish Bars pattern.

I have yet another chapter of Loaded to write. And more edits to Palindrome to make.

And that be the upcoming week. Slower than last week. So Far.

-Wendy

Play Days

2010-09-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well, my play days are done. Back to work again tomorrow. Sigh.

Got a lot done, though. 1) Finished the cat bag for Karen:

Cute, huh? You're looking at a "corner" with two panels showing. 2) Made a total of 5 LOVE blocks, but I was in a rush to the post office so I didn't take time for photos of all 5. See the last post for a pic of one of them.

3) Began working on the Liberated Amish challenge. Remember these? I made them for the last Liberated Amish challenge. But, I didn't use them all. So, I snagged this opportunity to use up the last of those in pinwheels. Worked all day today on them and got them done. Don't you just love pinwheels? I do. Anyway, I put my planned quilt (in pieces still) up on the design wall, which, has been attacked and mauled by the kitties. Boy are they in trouble! They're in the dog house, since a cat house is something else entirely.

Anyway, I put the proposed quilt on the design wall and I LOVE IT!!! Here's a little sneak pic of one of the proposed corners. You'll have to wait for the rest until it's done.

I haven't worked on my writing ... yet, but the night is still young.

Design Wall Monday

2010-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've pretty much learned to clean house and run errands on my work days. Let's face it, when the weekend comes, we all want to do what we WANT to do, right?

Tomorrow begins my weekend. Today I'm cleaning, shopping and doing everything else. Tomorrow, I play. Wednesday, I play.

What's on my design wall? Well, when I said quilting only for September and October, I forgot a few commitments I had. So, I'll be trying to finish those this week. I'll be working on Karen's bag, for one. It'll look something like this:

But with these blocks:

I also will be working on this:

And a few of these:

And then there's the challenge for the Liberated Amish group that I'm taking part of, due October 30th.

As for writing, I have changes to Loaded and a new chapter to write there. There are changes to Palindrome that need to be made and I also will be making final corrections from the proof copies to this group project from my writers' group, Breathe:

I also need to send out my children's book, Boo and Oscar and the Fantastic Fudge Fiasco and the series outline to the next agent or publisher. I didn't receive an answer from the last one.

I'll have to take a quick trip to Presque Isle sometime this week, too.

And that, my wonderful online friends, makes for a busy week.

Colder and Still Rainy

2010-09-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, not much I can say about the weather. Pretty disappointing, actually. The good thing: it keeps me inside where I can pursue my quilting endeavors.

Here's the Firefly quiltlet finished along with the picture of the original by Valori Wells. Hers is paper pieced

and is 47" x 52". Mine is fused applique with raw edges, 12" x 14".

Next up is finishing the bag for Karen.

I got these in the mail the other day. The book looks to be phenomenal. All kinds of fun ideas to try in there. As for the Halo, it's from Sharon Schamber and is supposed to be good for people with Carpal Tunnel. I figure it should work for tendonitis, too. I'll let you know how it works.

-Wendy

Cold and Rainy

2010-09-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

The wonderful warm weather we had has left us with the passing of the remains of Earl. It's cold, windy and drizzly here: the beginning of Fall. Sigh. Had to come some time, I guess. I hope there are still a few balmy days left. You never know, up here.

I have a friend coming into town, so I'm going to try to find some gold Metallic thread for that wide red border of the Christmas quilt while we're shopping today. If I can't find any, then I have to order some. So, that quilt grounded for the moment, I moved back to the Firefly blocks I had. I think a smaller quiltlet is more what I want from this and so I cut some pieces for sashing and borders and put them all together. It's now pinned and ready for quilting.

No editing of my writing yet today. But the day is young.

Mom's birthday is tomorrow, so "Happy Birthday, Mom!"

-Wendy

Top Sewn

2010-09-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

The Top Center of the Christmas Quilt #1 is finished. Now I need to decide on borders. Thankfully, I investigated my fabric in depth before I began sewing the center together. You might notice that the sashing squares are now red instead of gold and off white. I discovered I had not enough of either of those for a decent border. Visiting quilt shops failed to provide the right color gold, too. So, since the red was scrappy in the center of the quilt, I decided to use a red that was new to the quilt and added the red squares in the sashing to tie it in. This is roughly what it will look like when it's all sewn. I'm going to do some feathers in the borders, maybe a giant wreath in the center. Both with trapunto. I'm trying to think how in-depth I want to go with this. This will be my first market and I don't know how well what I like to make will sell. This is a very economically depressed area, naturally, and the economic turmoil across the world lately hasn't helped. I also don't want to do too much (and force a higher price) if I'm not going to keep it. Think I'll keep it simple and see if some of my more detailed pieces sell.

I've been sick, too. Nasty head cold. Summer colds are THE worst, I think. I knew I was getting sick when I didn't want to quilt and I couldn't remember my characters' names four chapters into my story. Anyway, that's done and over with except for a stupid cough that just hangs on.

Gotta work today. I've been working close to full time lately. Between that and 2 part-time businesses I run (with help), my two hobbies (writing and quilting) and my family (Vince and the two kitties), I've been busy. But that's normal. I've often joked that I just don't have time for a job. My wallet disagrees.

Later!

I'm Christmasing!

2010-08-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, I went to the little Farmers' Market a couple weekends ago. I've been considering having a booth for both my quilts and my books. I found out they also have a Christmas Market that is very inexpensive for booth space. Does anyone have experience with this type thing? Is it worth it?

As I was talking to a friend of mine last night, she said (innocently), "Oh? You have some Christmas quilts?" ....... "Well not yet." "You should probably be thinking about getting some done soon so you have a few for the market." I guess that's a duh for most people, but it somehow escaped my attention that I'd need some actual Christmas quilts. See, I thought I'd just go and sell what I had already. Regular quilts for gifts. Needless to say, this put me into a bit of a frenzy (yes, I know it's only August - well, September - but you know me and my schedule).

I bought some Christmas fabric (yes, it's out already!). Then I remembered some bits and pieces of started blocks that were sent to me during the early summer. Some of those were Christmas blocks. I dug them out and decided on these blocks and this basic pattern. That black and red is a bit dark, so I think I'll try some sashing to lighten it up a bit, maybe with a small center block. Nice.

Let's try putting a few together to see how that four-way will work. And it's too dark. Let's flip the red-black block around. I think it'll need sashing there, too (and a center block to tie it to the other sashing). Now, we're getting somewhere!

Let's add more blocks. Yummy. I'm not sure I like the scrappiness of the four patches at the cross section of the greens. How about all greens (at the top)?

Browns? Reds! With browns at the opposite corners!!!! Oh yeah! I don't think I like the all gold blocks at the cross sections. Maybe different colors? Let's widen it, too.

And that's it! Right there. Let's go sew it together! We'll figure the border later.

-Wendy

Katharine Guerrier and the next Chapter

2010-08-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm crazy about Katharine Guerrier's quilts. I love the way the color flows across the quilt, subtly blending and mottling at the same time. I love how she mixes all colors together based just on "how it feels". That's the way lots of quilters do it: how it feels. Anyway, I took a few hours and put this Squares and Diamonds top together. K.G. has a wide solid colored border on hers, but I think I want a smaller piece. This is made from all vintage 70s fabrics. It's not very big, but I love it. I'm toying with the idea of making it a double sided piece for the table.

Each block is 3" and I used pins to stick these in my layout wall. By the time I was finished with that, my fingers were pretty sore. I decided it was time for something better.

So, I went to the store and bought some flannel (white) and pinned that up on my wall, completely covering it. Now I can place my 6" blocks without pins. They just stick to the flannel. I tried a pieced top, but it won't stay. I don't think it's the weight of it that keeps it from sticking, but rather the number of seams that hold the fabric away from the wall. Anyway, no more sore thumbs.

I also finished the sunburst/firefly blocks from the gorgeous hand-dyes I won from Sharon. Here's a few of them (no, this isn't my newly flanneled layout wall). Stunning, aren't they? Now to make the rest of the wall hanging and fuse these into place.

I've been working on the next chapter in my mystery story, Loaded to Bear. In it, my protagonist and his arch enemy have a small face to face and confrontation. This is an odd story for me (told you my writing was changing). The evil killer person in this story isn't the arch enemy, he's the catalyst. Instead, the conflict between my hero (Game Warden Paul) and his enemy (Police Officer Todd) is on a more personal level. At least in the beginning. We'll see where this goes. Other characters: Medical Examiner Bob and Paul's Girlfriend Sara. Evil Killer person doesn't have a name yet. I'm open to suggestions on this. Anyway, that chapter is almost done, but I don't know when I'll have time to type it into the computer. Maybe tomorrow. I'd like to take it to the Breathe meeting Saturday.

-Wendy

Good Morning!

2010-08-20T03:40:00.000-07:00

Hope your day is filled with joy!

-Wendy

Guest Blogger

2010-08-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Look at me! I'm a guest blogger! Very exciting! Lately, I've been doing a lot of workshops and things. It's where I want to go with my writing (besides the writing of books, of course). It would be nice if I could make a living at it.

Been working on the new mystery quite a bit. Very exciting.

Here's a couple pieces of that commissioned bag I'm working on.

In other news, I'll be going full time at work now (I was almost there anyway). So, not so much free time anymore.

-Wendy

Scribbles and Baby Quilt Done

2010-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

I finished the Pooh Baby Quilt. I'll give it to her sometime in the next couple weeks. The baby isn't due until the middle of September. I put leaves around the edge because, well, it's Pooh. What do you think? It measures 43" by 48".

I've also been hired to make a custom bag for my Aunt's Sister-in-law. I'm not sure of the official title of that relationship to me.

I've been learning to doodle possible wholecloth designs. Don't mind the straight lines. Those are the cuts where I had to piece them together. Sharon Schamber teaches this method. See, the whole trick is to take a triangle and draw your design in there. Then, like a paper snowflake, use a program (I used Word, but some use Paint or Adobe, or you can go use a copy machine) to flip and twist 7 copies of that triangle until you get a square. Then you print it, clean it up and enlarge or reduce it to transfer to your wholecloth. Go to Sharon's site. She's got the whole process in a free video there. This is actually the very first one I designed. I made 8 more. I have to get those loaded onto my computer so you can see them. I still need something more simple for a 6 inch square.

-Wendy