The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Last summer, I made myself a Christmas bedspread and pillowcases and shockingly remembered to put them on my bed in December.

I had some fabric left over. Isn't that always the way?

Moda Bake Shop posted a pattern for a gym bag a while back. I made the bag, but used cotton instead of PUL.

It was a great pattern and I will definitely make another one.

But, I still had fabric left.

I pulled out my Potato Chip Bag pattern that I've been meaning to make for a few years:

While I was at it, I pulled out my Wonder Wallet pattern and made a matching wallet. How cute is that?

I have to put all of my Christmas fabric items away, but I can't wait to get them out to use again next December!

Just wow.

This morning, a friend let me know that I was on Quilt It! on QNNtv.com.

If you are a subscriber, the show can be viewed here. If you are not a subscriber, consider becoming one. There are so many wonderful quilting shows to watch!

Hurry! Hurry!

Make curry!

Curried Tofu with Rice, that is.

I'd invite you for leftovers, but there aren't any.

for Hannah

My blog has been sadly neglected for a while, so I am pleased to post a finished quilt:

And a scrappy back:

I started the quilt sometime last year, quilted it in November/December, and recently finished the binding. The quilt has been shipped off to baby Hannah (born last fall) and I hope she loves it!

Dear Isa

Isa, why did I ever doubt you?

When you told me that chick pea gravy could be "lick your plate" good, I scoffed.

It doesn't look like much, but that plate was CLEAN when I was done.

When you told me that TVP & mushroom burgers would become a household favorite and my children's friends would invite themselves to dinner if they smelled them, I chuckled.

Best. veggie. burger. EVER!

But when you told me that Jerk Seitan would have my family fighting over second helpings and the dinner conversation would center on "when will you make this again?" I would have called you a liar to your face.

Not one single drop was left. (The coconut jasmine rice was ah-ma-zing too, just like you said it would be.)

I am now a believer, Isa, and will listen to you from this moment forward.

________

Note: I try to eat like a vegan about 80% of the time. I try to eat like a vegetarian 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, I indulge in bacon cheeseburgers. For me, food is not really about a philosophy; I simply feel better when I limit my meat and dairy intake. Oh, and I lose weight too. That is pretty fun.

What a difference a day makes

Where I was yesterday:

Where I am today:



There's no place like home, I guess, but today I'd still rather be in The Bahamas.

Expect more blog posts soon. I'll be spending the next several weeks hovered over my computer keyboard trying to stay warm.

Oh Baby!

I made a mistake. A serious mistake. I composed a list of gift quilts that I intended to give that I have not yet finished. Let us just say that it is a very long list. Apparently I know a lot of people who had babies.

I am in a hotel this week and have some time to sew in the evening. I overpacked terribly, but one of the projects I brought was a 8 year old bag of quilt blocks. I sashed them, sewed them into rows, and added borders.

This will make a nice baby quilt for someone. When I go to Patchwork Plus tomorrow, I will buy a backing for this. It will be completely ready to quilt when I get home.

One step closer to crossing a quilt from my gift quilt list!

Another productive evening

I am staying in another hotel this week, this time in Virginia. I will be teaching 11 classes at Patchwork Plus in Dayton, Virginia. Stop on by if you are in the area!

I got a little bit of sewing done tonight in my hotel room this evening:

I bought this kit several years ago and finished the top tonight. I will quilt it this winter and hopefully have it done in time for Mom's birthday. She definitely needs another tablerunner.

An exciting Friday night in New Hampshire

Last night, my foot pedal broke on my sewing machine. I have used this poor sewing machine for years and it owes me nothing more, but I packed a lot of sewing and now no machine. Nashua Sew and Vac to the rescue! Ruthie hooked me up with a new foot pedal and I'm back in business!

Look at what my new foot pedal accomplished tonight:

I finished a wedding quilt top for my sweet Alexis. She has been known to read my blog, so no photo. Sorry.

Another project started:



These are parts of a tablerunner from a kit I bought at least five years ago. Since I already have Mom's Christmas present (yay me for being early!), this may be for her birthday in the spring. I'm not afraid of a photo here: Mom doesn't go online... ever.

That's it for me tonight. Time for bed.

To help you dream quilty dreams, this is the carpet in my hotel hallway:

Wouldn't that make a great quilt?

It's always rainy in New Hampshire?

Yesterday afternoon, I drove to new Hampshire. I was last here in August, during Hurricane Irene. The heavy rains yesterday made it look as if I had never left!

Since it wasn't fit for man nor beast outdoors, I hunkered down in my hotel room last night to sew. I brought along a bag of well-aged quilt blocks (circa 2000). They are now pieced into a quilt center.

I'll find some border fabric the next time I'm home.

If you are near New Hampshire today, come visit me at Nashua Sew and Vac. I am teaching two classes there today.

Quilt Therapy

Do you ever have a day when you need to hide in the sewing room and just make something? I had one of those days this week.

I decided to try and thread paint the applique design from this quilt:

I grabbed some thread:

The threads are Accent, Konfetti and Tutti, all from WonderFil.

I sat down at my sweet Sweet Sixteen (my new sewing machine) and tensioned it to run multiple threads:



(I took the time to get it just right.)

I started filling in the shapes:



Suddenly, a flower appeared!



A short time later, the thread painting was complete:



Next it needed to be quilted:



(Now you know my secret: I watch Law & Order dvds on my laptop while machine quilting.)

The inner circle was quilted:



I added some simple quilting in the border and bound it:



This 14-inch square quilt was finished at the end of a day of quilt therapy.

I felt much better!

Design Wall Monday

I've just returned from a tour of North America:

• Quilting With Machines in Huron, OH (teaching 4 classes)
• Machine Quilters Exposition in Portland, OR (working for Handi Quilter)
• Central Sewing in Edmonton, AB (teaching 10 classes)
• International Quilt Festival

I loved being in all those different places and meeting all of the quilters, but I also couldn't wait to get home and start quilting something!

Last summer, I designed and made this quilt. The fabric is Blue Skies from Paintbrush Studios.

This quilt (and I) will be on Quilt It! on QNNtv.com in January. The quilt is currently touring Europe and Asia with WonderFil Threads.

I wanted to see what that same applique design would look like done in redwork (or green-work).

I stitched this from the back side of the fabric using a triple-stitch on my sewing machine. It's a little ragged, but it was fun to just play! Has anyone else done redwork on their sewing machine? Any tips to keep it smoother?

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Toonie or not toonie...

... that is the question.

I just finished teaching 10 quilting classes at Central Sewing in Edmonton, Alberta. I met so many amazing quilters and had a fantastic time here!

Since I am flying directly to Houston tomorrow, I asked at my hotel about laundry facilities. The desk clerk, Nicole, said, "It is coin operated, but we have loonies at the front desk." Um..... ok..... huh? There are likely loonies at the front desk of many hotels, but they don't proudly advertise that fact. After thinking for a while, I bravely asked, "Are loonies coins?"

We had a long conversation about American money and Canadian money. Apparently paper money in Canada starts with the five-dollar bill. They have a one-dollar coin called a "loonie" and a two-dollar coin called a "toonie." How did I not know this?

Thanks to one of my students, I am now the proud owner of a toonie:

Thanks Bill!

Nicole is the proud owner of an American dollar bill. She seems as excited as I am!



I'm a little sad to be leaving Edmonton, but I'm thrilled to be heading to the warm weather of Houston!

Finally Finished!

After a long break, welcome to part 9 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

Week 8: We practiced some spiral based quilting patterns.

I finished the quilting last week, and last night I finished the binding. THE QUILT IS DONE!!!

The quilt will go to my son's brand-new niece. Welcome to the world, Lena.

For Kathy N.

At quilt guild tonight, Kathy N. was bugging me about not updating my blog enough so I promised I would post JUST FOR HER. Everyone who isn't named Kathy N., stop reading now!

Kathy,

On Sunday I flew from Portland, OR to Pittsburgh, PA to visit my family. I took my mom to the zoo on Monday and then had some serious binding to finish before I could drive home on Tuesday morning.

My sister's birthday was in May, so I made her the bottom tablerunner (the same one I made for my mom for Mother's Day). Yes, it is late.

My mom's anniversary was in June, so I made her the top tablerunner.

I finished binding them both in time to drive home on Tuesday morning. I was relieved.

I hope you liked your blog post.

Debby

It's been a while...

... since I made Mom a tablerunner. I just fixed that:

This was a test for the pattern I am teaching on Patchwork Posse. Check out the other cool patterns in the Rugs and Runners online workshop!

Too sweet!

Take a look at this sweet little baby quilt I just finished:

I showed this quilt at the Latest in Longarm Quilting class I taught yesterday at the Quilt Basket.

If you want to know the secret of turning corners on borders, I will be teaching Turn Those Corners at Quilting With Machines in Huron, Ohio later this week. There is still time to sign up!

Design Wall Monday

That new project I just started? I finished the first block:

Good thing it is only a tablerunner; this one is going to take a while!

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Sometimes you just need a new project

I have plenty of half-finished projects that I could be finishing, but I felt the sudden need to run to the quilt shop yesterday to buy the makings of a new project.

The purple on the left is wool and I will be hand-appliqueing it on the cream fabric. I am on my way today to the Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan and thought this would make a fun travel project.

I am using the project from Patchwork Posse's winter tablerunner. It seemed fitting since the sweltering weather smacked directly into "too cold" here. What happened to autumn?

Stop Drop and Roll, part 9

After a long break, welcome to part 9 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

Week 8: We practiced some spiral based quilting patterns.

This week, I am finally quilting the quilt!

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.
For the bobbin thread, I used Konfetti. by WonderFil, color KT403 Yellow.

Today I started the quilting!

One block down, 35 to go!

I've been blogged!

John from Big Rig Quilting gave me a mention on his blog. Check it out!

Someone is quilting...

... but it isn't me!

Natasha has been following my quilt along and used one of my designs in her border. Check it out!

What did I do today instead of quilting?

I saw another waterfall:

And a bear:

And another bear:

I actually saw nine bears and an uncounted number of waterfalls today, but sadly the upload speed on the wireless in my condo won't let me show them all to you.

Tomorrow, I don't think I will see any more bears or any more waterfalls. I leave before sunrise to fly to Utah to film Quilt It! I promise to take photos and share them with you.

An adventure + a give-away!

Remember my love of all things tablerunner-ish?

This new series is my cup of tea!

I am thrilled to announce a new fall pattern series:

Starting today, there will be a give-away for 2 free workshops.

· Start date: August 18th Thursday
· End Date/winner announced: August 21st Sunday

Go to Patchwork Posse and leave a comment on the post on the front page for one chance to win.

Want more than one entry? Leave another comment to let us know you tweeted.

· Winner can be from anywhere worldwide since it is an online workshop!!

So, what are you winning?

· Who are the designers?

· Becky's blog: http://patchworkposse.com/blog

· Wendy's blog: http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

· My blog: http://www.higheredhands.blogspot.com/

· Kari's blog: http://freshcutquilts.blogspot.com/

· Rugs & Runners Online Workshop. For 4 months, a new pattern for a Table Runner + an adjustment for a Mug Rug will be posted. These are exclusive patterns by super talented designers! Each month the patterns will feature a different season. The workshop site is available 24/7 allowing you to sew on your own time and in your own home. Besides the patterns you will have access to a gallery to post your photos, a forum to ask questions, and a community of worldwide members. Don’t miss out on these great patterns by your favorite designers!

I will be teaching my pattern in November. To whet your appetite, check out the lovely fabrics I will be using:

While you are entering and posting and tweeting, I will be hiking somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains (vacation-- whee!!!) and seeing more lovely sights like the waterfall below:

(The child in the photo is not one of mine: he just happened to get caught in the photo)

Design Wall Monday

I actually have something on my design wall!





It is a dreary rainy day here in NY, so the photo is not great. Sorry!

In a few weeks I will be filming an episode of Quilt It, a longarm quilting show on QNNtv.com, and these are my samples. I just finished the applique and piecing and will start quilting them in the morning.

How will I qulit them? Stay tuned.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Please check out my free-motion quilting videos.

What are you doing today?

Did anyone else sing that as a choir warm up exercise? We did the mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi and he-he-he-he-he-he-he and then added words.

I'm on some serious deadlines and not getting much sleep so my brain goes weird places like 4th grade choir rehearsal. Sorry.

But, What am I doing today?

I have all three longarm machines fired up.

On the Gammill:



It's a super-secret project I promise to show you later. I am adoring every second of it and will have to make another one just for me.

On the HQ 24 Fusion:



It's a semi-secret project I promise to show you later.

On the HQ Sweet Sixteen:



It's a scrappy, messy, thready project that I hope to spend a few minutes on tonight if I finish the super-secret quilt and part of the semi-secret quilt in a timely fashion.

Now tell me, what are YOU doing today?

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 8.4

Welcome to week 8 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on a swirl.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU31 Evergreen.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB501 Evergreen.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is inspired by the view from my sewing room. The entire hillside is covered with ferns. This design combines the fiddlehead and the fern.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:



The finished pattern:

The hints:

• When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
• Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
• I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

That was the last design! Pick a few and quilt your quilt!