Too Much????

OK... so my mother went to the huge fabric warehouse in Portland recently for the Trend Show. That is where all of the fabric stores go 2 times a year and stock up for the coming season. It is a huge place and you go and spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars purchasing bolts of fabric, notions, books, patterns, and the list goes on and on. Anyway, since I have a business account I can go and take along any employees I want to. I could not go this time because I had daycare kids. So, mom and my friend Teresa went for me. Bless their hearts! I am sure it was pure torture for them. They went shopping for me and found huge amounts of fat quarters. When they fill a super capacity washer like mine, it is a bad sign. Well, good for me. So, now I have all of these washed and trimmed. I have to iron them and then see where I am going to stash them. They also were kind enough to buy me 20 yards of childrens polar fleece. Now, I can use that since I just found out I am going to be a grandma (!) in November. I have plans for that already. They also bought a Thimbleberries quilt kit for me along with a case of cream colored thread. All of that put me out $98.00. FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! I am thrilled. Anyway, I will post pics of the fabric and kit later. I have babies tearing apart my living room...

Plaids top is done!

This evening I finally finished the borders on my Plaids quilt top. It is a smaller top, baby size. I am thinking in all of the muslin blocks I am going to hand quilt an animal. Maybe a bear in one, an elk in another, then a moose. One block may have a cabin in it. Just make it a real "woodsy" feel. I have the binding all ready for it and it is leftover plaids that I am going to join in 6" increments. That will give it a real scrappy look I think. Any thoughts on that???

Today also saw me getting my new Keepsake Quilting catalog! It is like Christmas when I get these! I sat down and immediately ordered almost $100.00 worth of fabrics to make a quilt for my first grandbaby. We do not have one on the way yet, but Nicole and Bryan have decided to start working on a family. So, in anticipation of a new grandson, I am going to make a cute pirate quilt. I did check with the kids and they said they would decorate in a pirate theme if they have a boy. I also ordered the cutest pattern to make a penguin quilt. Still not sure when I am going to have time for that, but it may be something I work on occassionally when I am in a "funk".

I had to attach the most adorable picture of my buddy, Barney. Barney is my Beagle. He is just over 2 years old and is a total lap dog. He keeps me warm when I need it and snuggles like no other! He is spoiled rotten and I love it that way!

Anyway... need to get to bed and see if I can kick this cold I have had for a week now. I am so tired from not sleeping because of coughing and sneezing. I honestly did not know that one little nose could make so much snot! YUCK! I gross myself out!

Have a great day. I hope you all get to quilt to your hearts content.

Denise

Some kids...

Hi again! I do not have any new pics yet to post. That will come later tonight after I get some borders on my plaids quilt. But I wanted to post some pics I got this weekend. The first is (left to right) myself, my oldest daughter, Nicole, and then Nicole's friend Gretchen. They came over for the weekend and we had a great time. Nicole's husband was also here and ran around with my hubby, Dave, and the dog looking for some turkeys (it is going to be turkey hunting season soon). The other picture is me when I am not quilting! Looks like a rough job, huh? For those that do not know, I do daycare everyday from 7:45am until 11:30pm. LONG days, but I do get to play with babies all day! The larger child wallowing on me is my youngest child, Kady. She is 8 now, but loves to sit on my lap still. Trust me, I will hold her as long as I can!

Nicole gave me some real exciting news while she was here. Her and Bryan have decided that they will work on having a baby now. Can you believe it???? Maybe soon I will be a grandma :0 I am so excited!

So, that is all I have for this morning. I will try to get the borders on the plaids and post a pic tonight. Depends on the attitudes of the babies today!

Have a great day and happy quilting!

Denise

New Project

Well, here are the pieces and parts for my next project. Don't you just LOVE my directions? I had lost my original so copied Teresa's while she was here cutting her's out. Thank goodness I do not rely on straight lines in my quilting doodles!

Thanks for dropping by!

Denise

Tonye Phillips- Gifted Quilter

I warned Tonye that I was going to put her on my blog. So here it is...

Let me begin by pointing out that the cross hatching Tonye is doing on the one close up is 1/4 inch cross hatch! Can you believe it? She is amazing!

Tonye is one of those quilters that inspire greatness. She has a style that makes you say "Hey, that's one of Tonye's works". You can always pick out her work from amongst a whole wall of quilts. She definitely has her own style. I love it!

When I began attempting to quilt about 8 years ago Tonye was always there to help me along. Questions... I knew I could go ask Tonye. She never made me feel inferior although I knew I was (and still am!). She could always be counted on to go "Oh my, that is beautiful!" even with my pathetic first attempts.

Tonye is a great quilter, but she is an even greater person and friend. I am honored to call her one of my friends.

Camp Sherman Quilt Show

Today I had the joy of attending the Pine Needlers quilt show in Camp Sherman, Oregon. For those who have not been... YOU MUST GO! It is truly awe inspiring. This group of fun loving ladies host 2 shows a year! One in February and one in July. And this is the funny part; the husbands of the quilters serve food in the back of the building along with refreshments. They call themselves "The Pine Nuts". They sing little jingles and make jokes all day. They are a real pleasure to be around.

The show today was, I think, one of their best yet. The variety of styles, colors, and overall extraordinary workmanship was incredible. These ladies are a step above your ordinary quilters. Along with the quality is the fact that a majority of the quilts are hand quilted! You do not see that very often anymore.

Tomorrow I am having Teresa over and we are working on our next Stash Basher quilt. It is going to be a nice and easy 9-Patch quilt. Small enough for a baby. I have chosen to use some real nice plaids along with some Ecology Cloth for the solid background.

Have you heard of Ecology Cloth? Teresa and I just bought a whole bolt of it (40 yards)! It is an excellent dense muslin that we discovered while making Civil War blocks. The fabric, when on the bolt is VERY stiff. When washed it shrinks quite a bit and loses the stiffness, but has a great texture and is very easy to work with. It is originally $4.30 (I think) a yard but of course there is a discount when you buy a whole bolt.

So, I will be posting pics of more of the Camp Sherman quilts over the next few weeks. Keep checking in.

Happy Quilting!

Denise

Well, I finally have something to post here! My wonderful friend Teresa and I decided to make quilts for the fire department to raffle off. This is my creation. Let me tell you: I had a heck of a time deciding what to use for the inner border, but my wonderful husband decided for me. We went with the black. I am very pleased with the results! He has wonderful taste. (Well, he married me didn't he??? LOL) But now I have to do the backing and get it quilted and binding put on. I am excited. The photo does not show it very well, but I used a bunch of different whites and creams and then the blues are also a bunch of different blues. The reds though are all the same.

I have an easy quilt to do for Stash Bashers this month. It is a simple 9-patch and you actually cut the backing while you cut the blocks. It is very cool. I will post my fabric choices later this week. I have decided to go with plaids.

Did you all see the link for the potholder swap? Well, I signed up for it and have been e-mailing my swap partner. She happens to live just 25 minutes away from me. So, we decided that we were going to meet in person to do our swap. Isn't that fun?! So when she gets her potholholder done she is going to call me and we will meet for coffee and swap. I am very excited to meet her.

So, now I am working on another pinwheel quilt. This one is using scraps from the raffle quilt. I will post as I do things on it.

You all take care and stop in now and again to see what I am doing. Remember to post a comment so I know you were here...

Denise

Try something fun!

My friend Simonetta sent me the information on this potholder and recipe swap. Click on the button below if you are interested.

Sorry for the delay!

My wonderful friend, Teresa, gave me this clock for Christmas. Isn't it cute! I have hung it right above my sewing machine so I can keep track of the time while I am busy. I love it!

Not too much going on here. Teresa and I have been designing some raffle quilts for the fire department. Her husband is one of our volunteer Captains. But the department is wanting to do some fund raising and want a raffle quilt. Teresa and I have decided that we would take one of our Stash Basher patterns and make some. Easy and fast. AND we kill 2 birds with one stone as we also have to have the tops done before the next SB meeting! Good thinking on our parts huh???

The weather has been a bit crazy here. I was awakened this morning with the high winds blowing stuff around and hitting my house. It made a bunch of racket but when I went out to investigate I did not find any damage. Of course it was 4am and dark, but I had a flashlight.

The crazy weather has made for some spectacular sunrises lately, like the one I have here. This is my backyard. Notice that there is no snow???? Whats up with that???? This is January for Pete's sake!

Anyway, I will post some pictures of projects soon. My darling husband got me a new digital camera for Christmas so can add LOTS now!

Have a great day!

Denise

Browns is done!

Well I finished the browns top and pinned the flowers on the "Smell the Flowers" wall quilt. I still have to figure out how to do the wonky alphabet letters that Tonya is know for (http://lazygalquilting.blogspot.com/). I am wanting to put Smell the Flowers on the bottom of the quilt. I am excited about this.

Today I am planning on sleeping when I can. I was on ambulance calls last night and did not get much sleep. ARRGGGHHHHH! But, that is what I love to do.

I am in charge of the huge Christmas Day community dinner at the fire department now. We serve the community a free meal for whomever wants to come eat with us. I am wondering if anyone has some real easy recipes they could share with me? I have decided that since I am new to this fire department tradition, I would shake things up a bit. I have changed the recipe for stuffing and am making a yummy fruit salad. Of course there is not much I can do for the mashed potatoes and regular trimmings, but the side dishes are another story all together! Oh, I am such a rebel!

Anyway, need to go and get ready for the babies to be dropped off for my love and attention. Hopefully they all want to take naps!

FINALLY!!!!!

Can you believe that I sew with such a mess on my table? It usually is not quite so bad, but lately I have just been tossing things on it.

I wanted to post something so you all did not think I had quite this blog. But I am very busy babysitting 3 babies almost every day. My days are usually 15 hours of childcare. Thankfully not all at the same time, but it does make for a long day.

I am showing a quilt that I cut out and started sewing at midnight last night. I have always wanted to work in browns and tans. So, thanks to my "Stash Bashers" club at The Stitchin' Post I have begun one. Hopefully I will have the top done this evening depending on how the babies are. I will post a picture when it is completed.

I also wanted to post some pictures I took last evening at dusk. The moon was so full and the sky so clear. The picture was at a pasture just east of Sisters. The Mountains in the other picture are called The Three Sisters. They are part of the Cascade Range. These are south of Sisters. Then I have a pictures of myself and my sister-in-law at a Christmas party last Saturday night. I am the one with the huge smile on the right. Yes, I did get another haircut. WAY WAY WAY too short. Looked nothing like the picture I took in, but I keep saying "It will grow".

Anyway, I do need to go and get ready for the babies. I hope you all have a wonderful day and plenty of sewing time!

Hugs!

Denise

My Sesame Street personality

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

My new things

OK Ladies, here are a few of my latest blocks. The tie shaped ones are just 2 of 20 that I made and donated to be used in auction quilts to raise money for breast cancer research. All the ties had to be pink and they had to be on a white background. They turned out very cute I think. They ended up getting so many ties that they can make quite a few quilt tops. I was thrilled and honored to participate in that "Quilt Pink" day at the Stitchin Post.

The Halloween patch is for a block raffle. The fabric in the middle of the block was given to us and we had to use our own fabrics to finish out the block. Next quild meeting we put our blocks on the design wall and our name in a basket. Whoever has their name drawn gets ALL of the completed blocks. I am really hoping that I get them since I do not have a halloween quilt. Well, I don't have any quilt for that matter since I give mine all away!!!!!

Anyway, I promised to put up some photos and now I have. I will try to get some nice ones of more tops I have not completed yet. Maybe this winter I can get something finished?????

Happy quilting!

Denise

Moved!!!!

I have finally moved into my new home! We are still unpacking and trying to organize things.

I have my own quilting studio now and a huge design wall! Can you believe it? I am so excited. I am still arranging things there, but soon will have it just the way I need it.

I will post some pictures when I get a chance. PROMISE!!!!! I was internet-less for 3 weeks. Almost killed me! But now I am back on-line and plan on doing more with this blog.

Have a great day!

Denise

Had to make a change!

Due to the spam porn that was sent to my blog as an anonymous poster, I had to change my preference where you could not post comments as an anonymous poster. I also had to make it where you have to type in the code before posting. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but my daughter checks this for me now and again. Maybe if these people took up quilting, they would not feel like looking and sending porn????? LOL

Denise

Fires, Fires, Fires

Hello all!!!!!
I have been so busy lately. Fire season has finally hit with it's full force. Recently Dave (my wonderful hubby) and I have been assigned to the Black Crater fire. THAT one was too close for comfort but is pretty much non-threatening now. HOWEVER we have ANOTHER fire burning in the area. Just 5 miles from Black Butte Ranch and 6 from Sisters. Check out www.nuggetnews.com for fire information and some AWESOME pictures of the fires!

I am posting a picture of my new haircut.

I went from long and curly to short and straight! What a change for me. I have to learn how to use a straightening iron better, but it will be OK with practice. The back of my hair is really short and spiky. I love it! I went to Three Sisters Salon and Spa. Nicole was my beautician. She did EXACTLY what I wanted. I paid more money than I had ever paid before, but I think it was worth it!

Sorry I do not have any real cool pictures to post of quilts this time, but will have some after the weekend. My friend, Teresa, and I are going to the coast to see the Tillamook quilt show. Hopefully I will remember my camera! I have been such a ditz lately that I probably will forget it.

Anyway, I will update this site after the weekend. Thanks for checking in!

Quilt till you wilt!

Denise

Fun little quiz

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

This is so true!!!! Take this quiz and see what comes up for you!

Need to go and take my brownies out of the oven. I have the sheetrockers working in the house today and I like to bribe the workers with sweets!

Happy quilting!

Denise

Some more UFO's for your enjoyment

Here are a couple more projects I just have not got around to finishing. I have this real cute table runner that I decided to do patriotic. I absolutely loved the backing fabric I found for it! It has a bunch of things that symbolize America. The tulip quilt is the product of a mystery class that took place over a month. I did not get to finish it like I was supposed to because we had a large wildland fire that I had to go work on. So I missed the last class. I did learn however that I really do not like checkerboards as they never some out even for me. I chose the colors to match a pillow that my daughter had made me for Christmas back in 2001. I loved the pillow colors and wanted to make something to kind of go with it. I have the pillow packed or I would have added a picture of it too.

I am very anxious to get into the new house with my very own studio and 2 (!) huge design walls. I bought a book about designing your studio space and different ideas for storage. I have a feeling that Dave is going to be busy making me some shelving units!

While working at the Stitchin' Post I bought some wonderful fabrics and also a real neat pattern called Memories of Sisters. It is all paper pieced which I do not know how to do correctly. My friend Teresa is going to help me with it. She also got the pattern. We are making a trip to a new quilt store in Bend that specializes in batik fabrics to get everything we need for it. I am excited.

I currently am working on some cross-stitched bibs for my niece. They are patterns of Eyore from Winnie the Pooh. They are so cute! She is due in October so hopefully I will have them done by then. With all the house stuff it may be close.

Anyway, just wanted to add something to this blog so people can hopefully inspire me to actually FINISH something!!!!!

Happy quilting!

Denise

Almost Quilt Show Day!!!!!

Well, I have been working my butt off at The Stitchin' Post!!!! Talk about a ton of ladies that truely love quilting. If you ever get a chance to come to Sisters, DO! It is something like you have never seen before! An amazing experience. My last day will be Sunday and then I will require a few days of sewing to recouperate!!!!

I attended the Camp Sherman Pine Needlers quilt show today. Also, another show you do not want to miss. It is very cute and held in a historic building. Maybe you can find something on the web about them???? Give it a try. I am actually a member of the Pine Needlers Quilt Guild since I lived in Camp Sherman for 5 years. They are a fantastic group of ladies that use funds from the shows they do and the sale of pot holders to fund scholarships for local students going onto college. Very cool!!!!

I am adding some photos of a few of my favorite quilts that I saw at the Camp Sherman show. I did not write down who made them. There were so many cute things. I will add pictures as time goes on.

I also added a picture of some fabric postcards. I joined a swap through a yahoo group called Quilt-Europe. There was a flower swap and a heart swap. It was a lot of fun and I hope to do more of these.

Well, need to go to work!!!! Poor me. Having to cut all that fabric and talk to all those quilter from all over the world. **SIGH** I will just have to sacrifice and muddle through it...LOL

Hugs all around!!!!!

Denise

My coming week

Good morning to all of you!
Yesterday was my first day working at The Stitchin' Post here in beautiful Sisters, Oregon! Check out their web site at www.stitchinpost.com. I was hired as extra help during quilt show week. What an exciting opportunity for any quilter! Yesterday was real busy and thankfully I had a short (3 hour) shift! It was crazy! A lot of ladies (and some men) have already arrived to partake in the classes being offered all week long as part of "A Quilters Affair". Seriously, ladies, if you get a chance to come to Sisters for quilt show DO IT!!!! It is an awesome and inspiring time.

I will post some photos when I have a little bit more time and let you see what I have been working on.

Hugs to all!!!!!

Denise