Eli's Scrap and Quilting Blog

Simple Choices

2012-01-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Well it's 2012 and I'm finally getting around to blogging again. It seems like the holidays were a blur and I'm trying to get back to quilting. I have finished a couple of quilts, both from a book called Simple Choices. I'm trying to take a life lesson from the title of the book as well. I want this year to be more simple. Last year was just soooo crazy. I'm not sure I'll get my wish, but I'm trying to learn the "No" word. We'll see!

It's Fall Y'all

2011-11-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone: Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. October was a crazy month for me. We had three shows at the shop and then school projects and Halloween came and went! I have finished a couple of new quilts though and thought I'd share those with you. The first is a combination of paper piecing and applique and features four trees and lots and lots of half-square triangles. The quilt is done in batiks. The second is my roadkill quilt. We had these cute critter fabrics at the shop and I purchased them quite some time ago. I was going to do something more elaborate with them, but decided to do a BQ quilt (pattern name) and I thought it came out cute. I need to find a good quilting pattern for it however, so that is what is holding me back from finishing it. I hope you enjoy them.

Award-winning quilts

2011-09-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Morgan Hill Quilt Show sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association. They always do a nice job showcasing quilts from quilters in the Bay Area. The venue is the Community center in Morgan Hill. Our quilt show was well represented including 3 entries from me, one from April, one from Debbie, one from April's Aunt Connie and our friend Judy Keel-Smith. There are others from the shop that entered quilts as well, but I don't remember who. Anyways, I'm thrilled that two of my quilts received ribbons as did April and her Aunt! April received a 2nd place in large pieced and her Aunt received 1st! I received first and second place in large applique!

It's been a busy month!

2011-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

The kids are back in school and while I was hoping to get more free time, that just hasn't happened. I'm doing the yearbook again for Sarah's school and now will be doing the wardrobe for the band for Rachael's school. Why can't I learn to say "No?" I'm also doing more at the shop which definitely keeps me busy and since that is my happy place, at least I'm relatively balanced! Ha Ha. I have managed to finish two quilt. The first "Civil War Birds" is made from my scraps and the second is the "Henrietta Whiskers" which is the finished BOM from Bunnyhill Designs. I have been working on this one as the patterns were published each month and now it's done!

Snowman Square dance

2011-08-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

We always get our Christmas fabrics in July and here is another kit sample I put together for the store. This was definitely one of my favorites and it is quilted with cute snowflakes. Enjoy!

Carolina Comforts

2011-08-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

I finished this quilt a few weeks ago for the shop and just have been sooooo busy that I forgot to post it on my blog. I hope you like it! It is called Carolina Comforts and features plaids and civil war reproduction fabrics.

Jolly Snowmen

2011-07-13T17:53:00.001-07:00

Here is another holiday quilt finished for the shop. It was really easy because it has a center panel and then appliqued holly leaves on the side and pieced top and bottom borders. That will be the last quilt I finish before we leave for vacation. I will try to post updates on my blog from our vacation on the road.

Christmas in July

2011-06-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

OK, well end of June anyways...At the shop we always get the bulk of our holiday fabrics in July, thus the title Christmas in July. I went to Michaels this past weekend expecting to see a big Fourth of July display and lo and behold, acorns, fall leaves and lots of other fall decor. I couldn't believe it...simply ridiculous. So I guess it is with equal ridiculousness that I have finished a Christmas quilt filled with jolly snowmen. This is the last Bunny Hill pattern/kit that I have lying around. Now on to other things. Enjoy!

Sunbonnet Sues for Baby

2011-06-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just finished another darling sample for the store. This whipped up quickly and came out really, really cute. The pattern is called Contradance and the fabric is from Lecien which is a Japanese fabric distributor. The pattern has Sunbonnet Sue's on it with alphabet letters and flowers.

Rachael the Baker!

2011-06-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday my daughter, who is now officially a 7th grader, decided to make a cake allllll byyyyy herself!!!!!!! Here is the result! Isn't it cute and scrumptious looking?

It's a Small World

2011-06-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

That saying was never truer! And to attest to that fact, Rachael was the only 6th grader chosen to perform at the Last Blast Castillero Variety Show. Click to hear what she will be playing!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cLhzApmrSUA

Truely Scrumptious

2011-05-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to catch up on my outstanding projects and finally got the binding put on this weekend while my kid was sick with the stomach flu, ick. Here is an embroidered/pieced/appliqued quilt that has darling embroidered panels. I've taken a photo of my favorite one up close!

Spring in Paris

2011-05-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's late spring and I'm trying to teleport myself to the very romantic Paris for a week of museums, gardens and baguettes....poof....not happening. Oh well, instead I'll enjoy this new quilt that I finished that will be a beginning applique class at the shop. Enjoy!!!

Rachael and Minnie Mouse

2011-05-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

It seems as though April and May totally flew by and although I've been working on things, I just haven't finished anything all the way...so in lieu of any quilting photos, I thought I'd put up a picture of my daughter, Rachael and her BFF, Avalon taken at Disneyland when they went to perform at the Heritage Jazz Festival this past weekend.

Strawberry Hill

2011-04-18T12:17:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to finish all my Bunny Hill Designs quilts and this is another one that was tucked away in the back of the closet. It is from an old Fig Tree line called Folklorique and I really like the blue birds and sweet bunnies.

Bunnies, Bunnies...everywhere

2011-03-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

This latest quilt is called Le Jardin and is a pattern by one of my favorite designers Anne Sutton. Anne made this quilt with the French General line of fabric, but I thought it might be cute to use Anne's own line of Lily and Will. I love all the bunnies and thought it came out cute. It will be a perfect addition to my Easter and Spring decor.

Strawberry and blueberry shortcake

2011-03-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday evenings, we all try to have a nice family meal together. The weeks are so hectic sometimes, so this is our big chance to talk, discuss the week's activities and just be together. Most of the time it's fun (except when someone complains they don't like this, or don't like that) and now that we have changed back the clocks and have more daylight, we thought the perfect meal would be ribs. So Mark slow cooked some babyback ribs on the bbq and I made some fingerling potatoes and a greek salad. For dessert, I made a pound cake and we had fresh strawberries, blueberries and homemade whipped cream. Mark then put some sprigs of fresh mint on the top and I thought it looked so pretty...I took a picture. Doesn't it look good??

Henrietta Whiskers

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan and follower of Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. I love her whimsical patterns and projects. Over the last couple of years, Anne has issued free blocks-of-the-months. I completed the one in 2009, but didn't do the snowmen of 2010. However, 2011's offering is just something I couldn't pass up. I was already two months behind, but this weekend thought it would be the perfect project to work on. Here are the two blocks. I need to finish the embroidery but thought they were so cute!

I used wool for the leaves and stars respectively. They wool came from my Little Ewes from Beth Upstill (thanks Beth!!!).

All A Flutter Contrdance

2011-02-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Here is All A Flutter Contrdance made with the All A Flutter fabric line by Hoffman. I think 3 of the 6 kits at the store are already gone, but better late than never!!

Mary Janes

2011-02-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

We have a new kit in the store called Mary Janes, named after the shoe and the designer. April put these great colors together and I made it come to life. The line of fabric, Happy, has these cute buttons too, but they will have to wait until the quilting is completed before we look at those. Enjoy!

I have another store sample finished, but forgot to photograph it, so I'll get that one quilted and post that as well. I'm working on other things too, and having trouble getting everything done! Hopefully next week!

Ohh la la, that's a spicy meatball...

2011-01-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Well actually it's a quilt called Spice Market. We had this fabric a couple of years ago and I started it on retreat and finished it earlier this week. It's big and I really like the colors. I think I might give it to my mother-in-law for fall, or maybe not, not sure yet. Either way, onto the pile for quilting it goes.... Enjoy!

Flora & Fauna

2011-01-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

With all the wonderful springtime weather we are having (in January), this was the perfect quilt to put together. Made from a new line at the store, this easy applique quilt will likely be a class once it gets quilted. I love the little birdies and butterflies that are on the quilt and it was easy to put together since all the blocks were 10" squares. I hope you like it!

My fall quilt....

2011-01-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Well I'm only a few months off. I had two quilts that I really, really wanted to get done before the end of fall. I wish I could get these projects done in time! Those darn kids and husband! Just kidding....anyways, we had our annual quilting retreat this weekend and I got the middle section of this owl quilt completed and finished the borders today. I've only had the fabric sitting in my closet for 2 years...Hope you enjoy it!

Arbor Rose

2011-01-10T14:24:00.001-08:00

Here is another quilt from the Anka's Treasures book that I just love. I think if I could, I would make every quilt in this book. This one is called Arbor Rose and is applique on top of a pieced top. I think it will make a great class for teaching vine techniques. We'll see if I can get it quilted in time!

Patriotic Rose

2011-01-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

This quilt has a history. I made this quilt on consignment over 4 years ago. The quilt was offered as a class and my client paid me to take the class. In that class was a woman named Phyllis who dropped out of the class after the second night. I finished the quilt and that was the end of it. Fast forward 4 years later...Debbie at the shop thought it might be fun to ressurect this quilt and offer it as a class again, but using me as the instructor. I like the quilt, but it's really not my thing and I didn't want to do it again. Then I had a brainstorm. I went to Phyllis (who is one of our regulars at the store) and made a deal with her...if she paid for the materials, I would make the quilt for her and use it as the class sample and when the class was over, I would hand it over to her and she would have one for her very own.. I'm going to show it off at our retreat this weekend and then get it quilted!

Happy New Year 2010

2010-12-29T12:09:00.001-08:00

What an interesting and fun year 2010 has been. We had lots of great family time, lots of hard work around the house and lots of creativity too. I'm ramping up for my next set of classes at the shop. Here is one of them that is finished. I have two in process and three more in my head. Will I finish everything in time??? Not sure so I'll have to play it by ear. This one is called April Showers and will be a beginning applique class.

Something bright and cheery

2010-11-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

I really liked this sweet table runner and we have a great line of bright colored fabrics in the store. I put the two together and this is what I got! I even fought myself to do the scalloped borders. I don't like doing them even though I love the way they look. I'm just not that good with them. My corners are always too tight! Anyways, enjoy!

Peace man....

2010-11-19T16:21:00.001-08:00

No I'm not high on anything, rather I just finished my cute Peace Holiday wallhanging. I used all batiks from my stash and it was a layer upon layer of animal parts. But I found it delightful and hope you will too.

I hang my head in shame again...

2010-10-29T08:26:00.001-07:00

I realize I have wonderful family and friends who check my blog regularly and it must be a disappointment to see the same one over and over again, so I'm going to really, really try to update it more frequently. I've been soooo busy trying to get my latest two quilts done for my next two classes! I have succeeded and they are below. I'm taking a small break and then I'll be back at it. I have some scrapbooking that I want to get done too and I've also been working on the school yearbook for which I'm in charge. Enjoy the new quilts! These are for a beginning and intermediate/advanced applique class.

Morgan Hill Quilt Show - 2010

2010-09-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my blog and it's not that I don't want to update it, it's just that I haven't had time!!!! We are in high gear at the quilt shop getting ready for PIQF in a couple of weeks and that means making lots of samples exclusively for the show. I've been working on an adorable wool table runner and I didn't realize how much time it takes. I've also been so busy with taking the kids here and there and everywhere! I know excuses, excuses....well I did take out some time this weekend to go to the Taste of Morgan Hill event where the Santa Clara Valley Quilt guild puts on a great quilt show in conjuction with the event. April and I entered 4 quilts each and we both got 2 ribbons each. April won a 2nd and 3rd place ribbon and I won a 3rd place and a "Favorite" from the Chamber of Commerce of Morgan Hill. Here are the pictures.

Paris in the Fall

2010-08-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

That's where I'd like to travel to one day....in the meantime, I finally got around to using my original French General line of fabrics to make this sweet quilt with appliqued birds and fleur-de-leis.

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-08-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer is almost over for us (meaning that the kids go back to school in one week). The summer has flown by and while we did some fun things, I had a list of other things that we didn't do. Well another time I guess. That being said, quilting and scrapbooking, also got put on hold while we did swim lessons and movies and birthday parties, etc. However, I did manage to finish a quilt this week called The Big EZ from a Moda line by Basic Gray called Blush. I LOVE this pattern. It takes more time to cut out the fabric then actually put it together. Hope you like it too.

Pockets to Go

2010-07-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

I found this really cute pattern for making this fabric lined small totes. They are great for putting in notions and carrying small items. They are approximately 6" x 6".We even started carrying zippers at the store in a huge variety of colors to match whatever fabric you may have. Here is another prototype I made with two layers of Timtex inside instead of one and then I made one for April Mae!

Quick Vacation

2010-07-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

We had so many great smallish vacations this year. We decided to break them up into a variety of different areas instead of one "large" vacation. So we did a snow trip and a Disneyland trip and just this past week went up to see my parents in Washington. 14 hour road trips can make for cranky passengers but it was worth it to see my folks. The weather was icky almost the entire time, but on the last evening the skies parted and the sun was out and we stopped at the Fox Island Bridge to take some great pictures after a family dinner at a restaurant in Gig Harbor. Here are some of those photos. And yes, I have been working on stuff, it's just been kinda slow.

Zeyda and the granddaughters.

Rachael and Zeyda

Mount Rainer looking over the water at sunset.

My Mom and Dad with Mt. Rainer in the background

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

2010-06-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

What? It's not Christmas time yet. Oh yeah? Well tell that to the fabric manufacturers who always provide us with the holiday fabrics in June and July. So to get things going, this sample was made by Moda's 12 Days of Christmas line and the pattern is the Big EZ. It was really a simple quilt to make and quick too. Hope you enjoy it.

New Classes

2010-06-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, it's time for our next round of classes at the store. I'm going to be teaching several things including these three projects. The first is an applique quilt called "Remember Whooo Loves You," and features a darling owl (made from wool - Thanks Beth!). The second is a beginning paper piecing class. I made up this quilt as a seasonal thing; and the third is a cute, quick fabric bowls. I did the basic one and then upgraded to the other one which turned out really nice.

Small creatures

2010-06-01T07:22:00.001-07:00

I've been finishing up several projects and making room for some new ones including several new classes I'll be teaching this summer and fall, however, in the midst, Keiko brought me a pattern from Bunny Hill Studios featuring one of her newest bitty pincushions. I love the owls (which are very in vogue right now) so I immediately had to make him and then I thought I would work on the Effie Elephant pattern as well. So here are my two creations. I hope you enjoy them.

Baltimore Halloween

2010-05-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

I realize that fall and Halloween are a few months off, but I wanted to get this done and submit to the Morgan Hill Quilt Show. I used mostly my stash of batiks for this quilt and purchased only the backgrounds, borders and black fabric. It needs to be quilted now and I'm procastinating because I don't know what to quilt onto it.

Sarah's Garden

2010-05-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I finished this quilt over the weekend. It was a lot of applique but worth it. The pattern is called Sarah's Garden and it is another sample for the store. The flower petals are felted wool and the fabrics are Lecein from Japan. April did a wonderful job with the colors and I hope you like it!

Ribbittt

2010-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Behind our house is a creek that catches rain runoff and runs quite a distance. During the spring and summer it dries up and various weeds and God knows what else grows in there. There is plenty of wildlife too including ducks, racoons and skunks and of course during the spring and summer we hear a symphony of frogs. So in honor of their music, I hung up one of my favorite quilts. This bullfrog has quite the personality and he makes me smile every time I look at him.

OOOOHHHHHMMMMM - Harmony is DOOONNNNEEE

2010-05-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

After we got back from Disneyland, I spent some time recovering from a cold and working on this great pieced and applique quilt called Harmony. It is a sample for the store and it took awhile because I did the applique row by row. Anyways, I hope you like it.

Disneyland

2010-04-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone: I've been gone all week to visit the Happiest Place on Earth. We left on Monday and spent three days at the park and then came home on Friday. The kids had a great time and we went on pretty much every ride, bought lots of goodies and have great memories. The kids had fun because they could ride everything and experience it as older children. The park was busy but we hardly had to wait for any of the rides. The longest we waited was for 25 minutes on a new ride at California Adventure but that was it! The weather was perfect as well! Here are some photos and I hope you enjoy them!

Cathedral Window Pillow

2010-04-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a long couple of weeks with the car being sick, the girls being sick and then my father having a heart attack (he is better now) so naturally any quilting or creative juices that I have had flowing through my body seemed to have dried up. But with everyone on the mend, there is a trickle that started again and last night I finished my cathedral window pillow that I started in Keiko Clark's class. Actually the hardest part was fighting with ruffle. The original fabric I had was too soft so I put some light weight stabilizer in it, however, I think that made it too stiff. Nonetheless, I made it work and voila! it's done. Enjoy!

Rachael performing at Art from the Heart

2010-03-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening was the Art from the Heart show at school. All the children display two pieces of art in a variety of media including painting, drawing, clay, etc. There is also an opportunity for some of the children to play a musical selection. Rachael, of course, had to play her "Cruella da Ville" piece which she has practiced and practiced. This is also the piece she used to audition for middle school band and will already be in Advanced Band with the 7th and 8th graders. I'm very proud of her! I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJqE1f_Jp5E

Spring Poppy BQ

2010-03-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about BQ quilts (BQ being the name of the pattern) is that they go together very quickly and are a wonderful beginner quilter quilt. This one has a dynamic floral fabric with beautiful frames and a cute black and white polka-dot fabric that April picked out. This will be a kit available from Prairie Queens shortly.

Spring Pillow

2010-03-26T11:34:00.001-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed.....It's Spring! I love to see our yard come to life with our dozens and dozens of roses, not to mention my spread of tulips in the front yard. Our lilac is blooming and our wisteria is about to explode as well. So...just in time for Spring, I finished this pillow which actually was bigger than I thought it would be. I have been working on for about 6 months and finally put the pedal to metal and got it done. I hope you enjoy it!

Rachael's Spring Concert

2010-03-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well tonight was Rachael's final band performance at school. It was bitter sweet because this is the last time Rachael will perform at school, but we are looking to middle school and a whole set of new performances. Here is a great photo before the concert and then a short video of one of the songs...Mickey Mouse March.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-15T13:35:00.001-07:00

I made this cute little box with my digital studio from Cricut (the file originally made by Denise Hill) and it has sweet shamrocks on top! I need to start using my Cricut more!

Soiree

2010-03-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Michelle and I are making this quilt together. Unfortunately Michelle has been sick but I wanted to get this done so she could see what it will look like. The original pattern had a bunch of yucky 3-D stuff and then some ruffles along the middle and sides. I actually prefer it this way and I even scalloped the border which is something I don't like to do very often. Enjoy!

Birds and Bees

2010-03-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest quilt which surprisingly went together very quickly. I did the piecing in one day and the applique in another. Then I spent a few hours today putting it together. It's an interesting line of fabric from Jason Yenter from In The Beginning fabrics. I like the overall look of it as well. It's very modern. I hope you like it too.

Aviary Strip Quilt

2010-03-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone: Well I'm slowly getting back into my projects at home. Jethro and I are divorcing soon so I hope to be rid of him permantently (see previous blog). I have finished another quilt called Aviary Strip Quilt. This is from Moda's Three Sisters line called Aviary that I just LOVE. The quilt is big too (a full size) and I quilted it at the shop using a pattern that has birds and berries (but I won't ever use again on a large quilt). It took forever to finish, but it was worth it!

I'm a bad blogger

2010-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

I know it has been some time since I blogged and I'm sorry. I've actually have not had anything finished in some time in terms of quilting and have recently injured my achilles tendon. It doesn't help to use the presser foot on my sewing machine either. So I have this huge boot which the girls at the shop have named "Jethro" and I clunk around with it in hopes to repair my tendonitis. In the meantime we went to Tahoe this week while the girls were off school and went tubing, played in the snow, took a sleigh ride, and had a great time. I also saw one of my "men" and had to take a photo.

Garden Path

2010-01-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite hobbies here at the Bailey house is gardening and while the sky is gloomy and we are anticipating a week-long rain event, we can't help to think ahead to spring. Mark and I have some yard planning in the works including a new arbor over in a corner where he has his hammock and which we can train our wisteria to grow upon. In the meantime, I finished a quilt for the store called Garden Path which features a panel and coordinating fabrics. I hope you like it. It will be a perfect addition to my ever changing quilt wall when spring arrives.

Bunny Hill BOM is done

2010-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Many of you quilters know that Anne Sutton of famed Bunny Hill Designs (one of our favorite local designers) had a free pattern for a Block of the Month last year. Well I diligently printed them out and kept up and now I have a finished quilt. I admit that I actually forgot about it in December until I saw Debbie printing out her copy and then I busily got to work finishing it. Well I have it now and I put all the embellishments on and voila! Enjoy.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

I hope all my family and friends had a wonderful holiday and great new year. We got all our decorations put away and then I left for the weekend to spend time in Monterey on my annual quilting retreat. I had a great time. Laughed alot, didn't sleep much and quilted a ton! Here is a picture of my finished mystery quilt and some of the scenery from our hotel. I love the Beach Resort in Monterey. It is so quiet and right on the water. I definitely got my wave therapy.

Below is April and I out taking photos of the sunset.

Gilroy Gardens and Snoopy

2009-12-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

On Friday we went to Gilroy Gardens where they had the whole park lit up with holiday lights and offered a laser and fireworks show. We had a great time and didn't freeze as we have on previous evening visits. It was lots of fun and they also had Snoopy and several other characters around the park.

O Hanukkah Bush, O Hannukah Bush....

2009-12-07T11:58:00.001-08:00

We went to our local nursery yesterday and purchased the most beautiful 7 foot Christmas Tree/Hanukkah Bush. Keeping in style with our white and blue lights, that is how we decorated the tree as well. The kids had a fantastic time and I took lots of pictures.

Glace

2009-12-07T11:30:00.001-08:00

Glace is the name of the line from which this quilt was made. I purchased this kit when we first got it in the store and thought I'd make it to help sell the remaining kits we have left. Here is another example of a picture not doing the quilt justice. In person, this one is a beauty!

Nurse Nili in the LA Times

2009-12-06T12:10:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, my sister Nili is an ER nurse at Cedars Sinai in LA. She has been doing it for quite some time. She also has a new job as a nurse in a research facility for Stroke vicitims but will keep her ER skills sharp by some extra shifts. Anyways, there was an article recently written by the LA Times and here is the link. They interviewed several nurses including Nili.

Saving Grace
Unflinching and tireless, the ER nurses of Cedars-Sinai are disaster’s first line of defense

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2009/12/saving-grace.html

Rachael's Winter Concert

2009-12-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Rachael had her winter concert where she played the clarinet in the advance band group. They played several songs and I used my new camera to shoot the video. It's pretty good and I'm so proud of Rachy!

My Cricut has been humming....

2009-12-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

I took a brief hiatus from quilting to work on my holiday decorating and card making. I actually got all my holiday cards done in one weekend. Then I saw this really great decorating idea on the cricut messageboards. These are those glass blocks that you can buy at the hardware store (I purchased mine at Lowes) and they have a hole cut out of them already. I used some vinyl and cut out the saying "Believe in the Magic" and then an ornamental tree. I put those on after I frosted the glass with glass etching. I then used a 35 light strand of christmas lights, put a ribbon on it and then some quick decorating on top and voila....

This one is lit up!

Oh yeah, and we put up Christmas....

2009-11-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

Also in between doing crafting, we took down all of Fall stuff and put up all of our holiday decorations. Mark strung his candy-stripe rope light in the tree out front and we added our Deer light family (must be why I made deer cards this year). Then we did our usual blue and white icicle lights from the garage and house. Then of course I put all of our cute snowmen on the porch.

Time to switch from quilting to scrapbooking

2009-11-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a break from quilting to work on my holiday items. I vowed that I would not buy holiday cards since I have a TON of paper, stamps, embellishments, etc for making my own cards. So for the last two days I've been working on those. Then I finally got the inkling to do these vinyl tiles that I have been staring at for weeks. So I made these cards and then some matching tiles. Hope you enjoy!

Simplicity was not simple

2009-11-23T12:48:00.001-08:00

Here is another kit that I finally finished. I've only had it for about 18 months or so. Debbie did a wonderful job quilting it and it's hanging in the shop to hopefully entice some other customers to purchase the remaining kits. It wasn't that difficult to make just a long time for me to get to it.

Graceful Reindeer

2009-11-20T07:17:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get something done at home. I finally put a binding on this quilt I did a while ago. It will be a nice wall hanging for the holidays.

Elf Yourself

2009-11-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I should be quilting, making Christmas Cards, or doing the hundreds of other projects sitting on my table waiting for me....but for those of you who are familiar with JibJab and have seen my other creations...here is the family doing a hip-hop elf dance....just in time for the holidays.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/VZizueMdG70YlHz6

Halloween Baltimore

2009-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

I realize I'm a bit late to work on this, but my goal is to have this done by next Halloween. I'm making excellent progress. I have two blocks fused and now I just need to applique them. I'm thinking about getting all the blocks fused first and then do the machine applique. That way I can do all the same color on all the blocks at once. Hope you like them. The owl is sooo cute.

Fall Yellow Brick Road

2009-11-06T07:44:00.001-08:00

Now that the hustle and bustle of Halloween is over, we are moving ever closer to the great big holiday event....Sarah's birthday!!!! And here you thought I meant Thanksgiving and Christmas. Anyways, it's been crazy at our house lately, but I did manage to finish putting a binding on my fall yellow-brick-road quilt. Are the colors pretty?

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's supposed to be a quilting and scrapbooking blog, BUT I just have to post pictures of my family at Halloween. The kids had a fantastic time trick-or-treating. Rachael is a cave girl, Sarah is Daphne from Scooby Doo and Mark, well, uh, he's a dinosaur. Sigh. Anyways, I was a witch. I know, I didn't have to stretch too far for that. Enjoy the pictures!

Spoolie Bunnie

2009-10-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

At PIQF last weekend, I went up and down all the aisles and while I liked alot of what I saw, I really didn't purchase much UNTIL I came across another wonderful pincushion. This one was a bunny and who can't resist a bunny! So here it is.

Winter Stitchery Sampler

2009-10-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of opportunities to sit and work on this stitchery project, but it took me awhile. It is called "Winter" and the red and white fabrics are from Bunny Hill Studios Chelsea Manor. This project also has small wool pieces and once it is quilted, I will add some shimmering clear gems.

It's Halloween!!!

2009-10-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

I really, really should be doing something else right now, but I get these emails from Jib Jab and made this cute Halloween video. Enjoy!!!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/wjcONz6ulDlDwAT8

Spoolie and Yellow Brick Road

2009-10-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm working on several projects at the same time and I actually don't like to do that. I'm sorta compulsive about starting and finishing one project at a time, however, my crazy schedule does not allow me to always do that. I got this wonderful pattern from one of our friends and teachers at PQ, Beth Upstill, to make this spoolie bird. I loved it sooo much. I bought a vintage spool from Bunny Hill and made this sweet project. Thanks to Beth for the wonderful wool.

For the store I finished a sweet Yellow Brick Road from a line of fabric called Hopscotch. I finished the binding today and it will be hanging in the store. The fabric has sweet little birdies on it. Hum, do I see a trend????

Ladies of the Sea is a winner!

2009-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, I'm proud to say that the quilt Ladies of the Sea took third place in the category of Large-Applique! I'm really very happy and can't wait to give it to my father. My parents will be visiting in a few weeks and the big unveiling will occur.

Boo!!!

2009-09-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

I took a little break from quilting this week after the surge to get samples done for the store and worked on a little Halloween project that I'm going to make several of. It is Halloween cards with little bubbles in them filled with M&Ms. Isn't it cute?

Look what my Daddy made!!!!!!

2009-09-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

My father makes wonderful items out of wood and I wanted a stickle holder. Stickles are glitter paints that come in little plastic bottles. I asked my father to make one for me and of course he went way overboard and made the most amazing item. It has three drawers that slide out and handles on the sides for carrying. Isn't it great?

Is it Fall Yet???

2009-09-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

I keep looking out the window at the tree in front of my house for any signs of the leaves turning color, but alas no and with our close to 100 degree heat, I'm guessing fall is a ways away. We did have some rain last night, but even that was a warm rain. Well I guess I'll just have to wait. In the meantime, I did finish a darling quilt for the shop called Pumpkins and Spice and it is certainly help get me in the mood for fall.

I'm ramping up again....

2009-09-01T13:21:00.001-07:00

Well I have two more quilts finished. One is quilted and ready to be hung at the store. It is Over Easy with yellows, oranges and greens. The second one is called Sweet Days and features a monthly embroidery block that I started while on our vacation this past July.

My masterpiece is done!!!!!!

2009-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

For the last 18 months I have been working on a quilt called Ladies of the Sea for my father. I have mentioned it in an earlier blog, but now I can say it is finally done! The quilt started as a block-of-the-month last year and I had it done earlier this year. I then gave it to Debbie for quilting and she did a fantastic job in the borders and cornerstones. I took it home and did some free motion in the blocks. Finally I put individual labels on the backside which has a small description of each ship and now it is ready to go to the Morgan Hill Quilt Show. I'm so so so happy with it. It is beautiful. Both Debbie and April think I'm crazy to have done it and now that I look at it, I think they may be right! This will eventually go to my father after the show and I know he will enjoy it.

Rachael's 10th Birthday

2009-08-06T08:12:00.001-07:00

August 4 was my daughter Rachael's 10th birthday. Boy time does fly! Here she is with her cake (that I made, I know, I know, don't fall over). She got a Wii game from us and has a roller skating party scheduled for August 22nd.

Bali Bowl

2009-08-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Whilst on vacation and one of my shopping sprees, I purchased a "Bali Pop" which is basically a batik jelly roll. I didn't really have any plans for it, but I liked the colors which were purples, blues, greens, whites. When I got home I remembered that I had some "clothesline" from the shop that I was going to make into a bowl. So I put the two together and this is what I have. It is quite large with a 9" base. It's a little off center, but then again so am I. Hope you like it.

Back from Vacation

2009-08-02T18:39:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone: I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted, but we just got back from two weeks vacation up to my parent's house in Washington and then to Canada (eh). But I'm back now and I did do some shopping at several quilt shops including a brand new one up in Washington called the Quilt Barn. They were very nice, had lots of samples, but their prices were sky high. I bought some cute patterns and books, but need to save, save, save to buy stuff at PQ! Anyways, while in Canada, we did the touristy things including the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Here is a picture of us in front of the sign and some of the gardens. These are great inspirations for picture quilts which I hope to do some day. Soon the children will be back in school and I can get back to doing some heavy duty quilting too.

The birthday cake

2009-07-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Want cake without calories??? Try my little felt number. Took all day to make, but isn't it cute???

The House Next Door

2009-07-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, our 4th of July was humming along when at 4:00 a.m. on the 5th we were awoken by our neighbor banging on the door and dog going crazy. Apparently the house next to us had caught on fire. Mark ran out to get the hose, but then realized that was futile and by then the fire department and police had arrived. We had to evacuate!!! So I got the kids, the dog, my purse. Mark grabbed some clothing and that was it. We all got to watch the house burn down from about 3 houses down the cul-de-sac. Fortunately, the occupants got out safely thanks to smoke detectors and our neighbors were kind to all of us, getting us blankets, water and chairs. We were out there for a couple of hours when we were finally allowed to go back in. There must have been over 50 firefighters and 8 to 10 engines trying to get this fire out. The house went up in about 10 minutes. The investigator said it was faulty electrical in the laundry room. Yikes! Anyways, I'm so sorry for our neighbors. They are sifting throught what's left and will be relocating. Fortunately, everything in the garage was fine, including their cars. Here are some photos of the house.

Pop Art

2009-06-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well our summer is moving along. We've seen movies, gone to Petroglyph's, had lunch out and taken swimming lessons. We leave in a few weeks to the wilds of Washington and Canada on our yearly road trip. There's so much to see and never enough time. Anyways, I managed to finish another store sample in the midst of all our activities. This is called Pop Art with the line Back Porch from Marcus Brothers.

And here is Kayla after being chastised for trying to lay down on the quilt. She did blend in quite well though.

The Man Quilt

2009-06-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here is another quilt finished for the store. It is made from Dawiabo Japanese fabrics and it is various squares with smaller squares appliqued on. The pattern said to just sew 1/4" inside each of the squares, but I decided I didn't like that. These fabrics fray too easily. Debbie did a great job quilting this although it is hard to see on the picture. There are ducks flying with clouds and then ducks in a pond with reeds down at the bottom.

Bloomin Summer!

2009-06-08T10:17:00.001-07:00

I finished two more quilts last week and got one of them quilted on Friday. It is called Bloom BQ and it is a kit at the store. It's funny how my photos never show how pretty the quilts are. I guess I need better lighting, a better camera, etc. The other quilt Debbie wants to custom quilt so I'll be eager to see that one when it is finished. I'm now working on a more complicated one that includes piecing with lots of half-square triangles and applique.

Two More Quilts

2009-05-24T22:15:00.001-07:00

Well after my exciting early May (ha ha), I thought I would get back to some of my hobbies. At the quilt store, things started piling up so I took home four samples to get back to the store. Here are two of them: Wildlife Journey and Pansy Contradance. These were the easy ones and I have two more difficult ones to do. Onwards......

Flowers!!!!

2009-05-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone: Well I've had a very difficult week but it has ended well. My mother went in for elective surgery to remove a "thingy" on her lung and it turned out to be cancerous. My sister Nili and I flew up on Friday night and after 8 hours of surgery (it was supposed to be only 2 hours), my mom was transfered to ICU. The surgeons also removed the top lobe of her right lung and several lymph nodes. We were waiting for several days to get the results of the biopsies and it was thankfully negative so the cancer had not spread. We spend hours at the hospital getting her to eat, bathing her and helping my father along; and finally I got to come home. My wonderful friend Sue dropped off these lovely flowers and during the week my orchid bloomed as well. Spring is considered the "renewal of life" and it has indeed proved to be so.

My Spring Bag of Roses

2009-04-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am very fortunate to know a wonderful designer and instructor that teaches at Prairie Queens. Her name is Keiko Clark and not only is she talented, she is a wonderful teacher and a very sweet woman. Anyways, she taught a class called Bag of Roses which all of us gals at the store just love. Debbie and I decided to take the class and here is my final bag. It was very, very labor intensive and took me hours and hours to do the roses, but it was well worth it.

My BunnyHill Blocks

2009-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well, as many of you quilters know, Bunny Hill Designs is one of my favorite websites and blogs. Anne has posted some free monthly blocks on her blog that are perfect for me to use up my charm packs. Every month she posts a new one and I've finally caught up through April. Here they are:

Aren't they cute? Anne will have the whole year and when I'm done, I'll make this into a darling quilt. The blocks are 8" x 8". If you would like to get these, here is the website: http://bunnyhilldesigns.com/dynamic/?page=Free%20Patterns

Goldrush Day at Simonds

2009-04-09T07:13:00.001-07:00

Every year the 4th grade students get to participate in Goldrush Day. They spend the whole day living in the year 1849 and that includes various activities such as singing songs, eating the various foods and candies and dressing in period costumes. Of course, I had to make Rachael a costume and while she didn't want the traditional bonnet, I thought the dress and apron came out pretty good!

Rachael's Art from the Heart video

2009-03-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here is Rachael's five-minute recital at the Art from the Heart show this week. Enjoy!!

Art From the Heart

2009-03-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last evening the kid's school hosted "Art From the Heart" where all the students got to show off a selection of various art projects from the year. Sarah's selection included a clay mask and a seascape. Rachael's selections were a mask made from a mold of her face and a Picasso-style chalk. In addition, Rachael got to perform on her clarinet for 5 minutes and she included a selection of several songs. She was very nervous but she did really well. It was very noisy and there were little kids running back and forth in front of her, but Rachy held it together.

St. Patrick's Day Fun

2009-03-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

Well yesterday was St. Patty's day and I had some fun with the girls. On the evening before, they were in the backyard and they set up a "trap" for the Lepruchan using a pot and some clover. Well in the evening I used my cricut and made one with a pot of gold and clover. Then I also made two additional clover leaves and left them by their beds. In the morning, they ran out and found the Lepruchan which Mark had placed near the trap. It was very cute. Sarah was astonished, Rachael obviously knew....

Our New Baby!!!!

2009-03-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

I haven't been able to post anything in awhile because frankly nothing has been new. I'm working continuously on the Marie Antionette quilt and getting closer to being finished every day. However, Mark and I decided that we needed to stimulate the economy so with the impending upping of our sales tax we decided now would be a good idea to purchase a new car. We purchased the Ford Flex. I was torn between it and the Chevy Traverese but with GM in such trouble these days, I wanted to be sure I would be able to have my car serviced should GM go out of business. This car has everything I asked for including seating for 7, fold down rear seats, sun roof and moon roofs along the entire interior, leather seating, Sirus satellite radio. It really is a beautiful car. Originally I wanted a navy blue, but they didn't have the configuration on the lot and I figured they would make me a good deal if I took one off their hands. We traded in the Expedition and here it is:

One thing at a time

2009-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of weeks I've been busy making Pillows. It all started when two representative of The San Jose Quilt Museum came to visit my daughter, Sarah's classroom. At the end of their visit, each of the kids got to make a quilt square. Their teacher then decided to use them in some way for their annual fundraiser. When Rachael had the same class, I made the blocks into a quilt and then the quilt was auctioned off at the fundraiser. However, there was an issue with how much the quilt should be valued at. So this year, we decided to just ask for money to go directly to the fundraiser. The parents paid me and the school and each child was then given a pillow with their square incorporated into it. So 20 pillows later, here we go...

Now I finally got to start working on Marie Antionette, one of our wonderful quilts for the store. It's a beauty. I've got it all cut out and am working diligently on the blocks.

So that's the latest for now!!!

Another Bag

2009-01-30T07:49:00.001-08:00

In the recent McCalls Quilting magazine, there was a pattern for another tote bag using charm squares. Since my stash runnith over with charm squares I thought I would make this. Lo and behold the ones I wanted to use were from Sunshine by Moda and I didn't have enough. Fortunately, my friend April lent me some and I was able to finish this bag. I didn't realize how big it was going to turn out, but it is still pretty cute. I need to find some cardboard to stabilize the bottom, but other than that, I have a huge bag!

Another week another quilt

2009-01-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

Over the weeknd I finished another quilt that I had started at the Quilt Retreat in Monterey. It's called Sand Dollars and the photo is not a good representation of it's beautiful, yet subtle colors. I'm going to take it easy this week as I have to work every day except today so I'll be working on some small projects that I can stop and start easily enough, including a great bag I saw in the latest McCalls Quilting magazine. I'm a tote bag fan!

The Mystery is no longer a mystery

2009-01-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

Well, the kids have been home for the last two days so I haven't been able to get too much done. I have finished my year-end scrapbooking though so it's now back to quilting. At our quilting retreat, I had the opportunity to make a mystery quilt which is basically you are given cutting instructions and then step by step instruction without seeing what the final quilt will look like until the end. I decided to make mine using Japanese fabric and here is the final quilt. It's definitely not something that is "me," but I like it nonetheless. I now have to find some time to quilt it.