one day in . . .

I love the new year . . . the roll out of new resolutions, new challenges, a new word, and a fresh opportunity to get it right.  A clean slate, so to speak!  Mind you, I do not do resolutions, but I do enjoy selecting a word to focus on for the coming year. This year my word is . . .

Yup, aware. That works on a lot levels.  Yesterday, it was important for me to be weather aware.

When your temps get up to eighty degrees ahead of a cold front, chances are good severe weather will follow.  It was a balmy, windy, day . . .

The sun kept popping in.  Dang it!  By early evening we were watching this . . .

. . . and heading over to our shelter.  Grateful we've got that space!

No damage in the camp, but our area of the county did take a hit as rotation moved through. When they say tornado season runs from November through April, they're serious about that 'through' part.

I did manage to prep a new little stitchery to work on.  Kathy Schmitz's One Stitch at a Time project was in my inbox first thing yesterday morning, so I printed it out and transferred it over.

I used one of my new frixon pens!  Then I spent a little time out in the screened room doing a little stitching. 

This year I'd like to make it a practice to keep some stitch work with me at all times so I can keep my hands busy if  I find myself waiting in the hospital or in the car or wherever.  :)

I can't get enough of these pom-poms, either.

I am thinking I might like a couple more sizes. Just in case.  LOL!

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for some slow Sunday stitching.  Happy New Year!!

:)

one, two, now three . . .

So, family is coming in from all over the USA over the next several days . . . Virginia, Texas, California, Georgia . . . even Alaska! So you can imagine where my focus will be over the next week, right?!

The next installment of A Quilter's Journey was published in the May issue of our guild's "Fanfare".  It's the prelude to our challenge show, so it's kind of funny that it follows my last post revealing my challenge piece!  Enjoy -- and I'll see you in a week or so!

Challenges. Quilt challenges, that is. Regardless of how long you’ve been quilting, this can be an alarming word! I remember my very first HQH challenge very clearly; I was still a relatively new quilter, I had never been to a quilt show (local, national or otherwise), and I had absolutely NO CLUE as to what was expected of me in a challenge (beyond what the rules listed – I got that). But as a newbie quilter, thinking outside the box, in both a vague (create what you want) and specific (but follow the rules) kind of way, was quite alarming. 

The theme that year (2008) was Quilt the Vote. Essentially the rules were that we had to make our entry voting or patriotic themed – it was an election year – and we had to use a specially purchased piece of them fabric. 

I was stumped. Seriously, I had no idea how to proceed from there. What I *should* have done was to go back to the guild’s scrapbooks, kept in the library (which is located in back room of Patches & Stitches), and thumbed through pictures of past challenges and entries, so I could have had a better idea as to how to proceed. 

But I didn’t. 

Instead, I went over to Quilter’s Cache and looked for blocks that I could possibly use for a voting theme. I came up with two. A paper-pieced star and the Alabama block. I put them together, using the specified fabric, and fashioned it in a sort of flag shape with quilted stars in silver thread and with a silver metallic binding. I have no idea what I called it and to be honest, I didn’t really like it (I’ve always wished I’d been able to “think outside the blocks”). But . . . I. Was. Determined. To. Have. An. Entry. 

I sat out the next challenge. In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t – the theme was really a really cute one: In the Cards. But I was still recovering from both the first challenge and entering a quilt in my first guild show. The next time I attempted a challenge it was the guild’s Still Crazy After All These Years challenge. That was 2012 and I was a little more seasoned as a quilter and had an easier time thinking “outside the box.” I was having fun trying different techniques, and at the time I was playing around with faux applique, using colored pencils and a special color setting liquid. My entry that year was Crazy in Color and won a ribbon! (I rarely share that it was the only entry in its category.) 

Challenges stretch us as quilters. They call for us to dig deep and to be fearless! They want us to have fun, and be innovative and creative! They demand we keep secrets—which for me now, may be the hardest part—and they give us a show like no other! 

I’m already stitching up this year’s challenge entry for Stitchin’ the Blues! and I’m so excited for our show! I’m looking forward to seeing all the lovely quilts, to seeing how members interpreted the theme, and all of the wild, wonderful ideas that are presented. And I truly hope everyone will consider joining in on the fun. After all – the more the merrier! 

My name is Denise and I’m a quilter. :)

challenge accepted . . .

Shoulder recovery continues to go well . . . I'm still in the sling, which makes typing difficult.  So consider this post a labor of love!  ;)

Our guild -- Heritage Quilters of Huntsville -- helds its bi-annual challenge show at the July meeting, which was last Thursday, July 19th. 

The challenge, Stitchin' the Blues, was introduced in November and involved creating a quilt using only blue and white fabrics, maintaining size parameters, and keeping projects top secret.  Which for me was the HARDEST part! But since the show has come and gone, let the revealing commence!

I had an idea almost the minute the challenge was introduced.  Seriously, when I came home from the guild meeting that evening, I sat down at my laptop and came up with this basic concept . . .

Which eventually morphed into this finished piece . . .

(the front -- one of my favorite things about this quilt 

is that the musical notes play out a classic blues riff)

(the back, which I love almost as much as the front)

(the label, which I printed)

Y'all, I expected with seventy-plus entries of small quilts in blue and white, that the exhibit would be impressive.  I was blown away by just how impressive it was in actuality!  Here are a couple of shots of the exhibit and a few of my favorite entries (my photos are not up to par...I was taking them one-handedly and it shows!):

photo by Pam A.

photo by Teresa C.

Here's a closeup of the center of that one:

And now for the money shot . . .

You see that goofy grin? I was incredibly humbled and thrilled that out of all those gorgeous quilts, mine was chosen to be one of the top ten of the exhibit.  On top of that, I think I nearly broke into tears when it was announced my piece, Blue Melody, took second place in interpretation of the theme! Giddy, giddy, giddy!  It was a lovely evening -- one I had the pleasure of sharing with my mom!

I'm going to make a quilter of her yet!! It was a good choice for her first guild meeting. :)

And each participant received a lovely gift ... a beautifully handmade blue and white apron. The challenge committee made these.  Isn't it pretty?  I *adore* toile.

The perfect momento!

This was the best guild challenge experience I've had (and that's prior to the ribbon winning).  I enjoyed the process, finally understood what a challenge was (an upcoming A Quilter's Journey article coming on that), and felt like my finished piece exceeded my expectations.  A terrific--albeit challenging--experience!

:)

six-sided stitching . . .

I'd made good progress on my challenge quilt . . . then ran into a snaffu, which has stumped me. Rather, I was trimming it down and trimmed it too much.  The minimum size has to be met, and I unwittingly trimmed 1/2" below that.  Ugh.  My last day to work on it will be Friday/Saturday of next week. I need to quickly figure out how to right my wrong.

I also made progress on my hexie quilt (and didn't then impede said progress with a stooopid mistake).  Our summer pattern for Fridays is to take the boat out; Todd fishes and Denise stitches. 

Well, I also read, swim, float, and dangle my feet in the water. It works well for us!  I got more than halfway through my dark turquoise blue hexies, leaving me 9 more (out of 23) to finish.  Then all I've got left are 30 yellows, 24 dark purples, and 24 hot pinks.

I've used this page (which I printed from EQ) for SO much!  It's helped me figure yardage, I've used it to mark which one were cut, and now which ones are basted.  I'll use it to note what's been whipped together, too.  It's been very handy!  

Much like my "station" has been handy.  I like having a station for hand projects; it makes it easy to pick them up and carry them wherever I'm going to be.  Whether that's work, babysitting, on the boat or in the doctor's waiting room.  Keeps everything tidy and at my fingertips!

This is a quilt I'd like to have finished by October 2019 (for our guild's next show). I know, I know -- it's more than a year away.  Still, that's pretty darn ambitious for me! I've got about 6.5 hours worth of hexie basting still to go before I start whipping them together. 

I got to spend some one-on-one time alone with Miss Edith yesterday afternoon while her big sisters (and folks) went to see a movie.  She's darling and we enjoyed our time together!

She's more interested in pushing buttons on the phone than smiling for a pic.  Ha!

That's it for me for now. Today is HeLP (HeLP for Hexie-aholics) over on Sarah's page, so I'm linking up there, as well as on Kathy's Slow Sunday stitching. Y'all have a great rest of the weekend!

:)

midweek mindset . . .

I started this blog in September, 2003 . . . nearly FIFTEEN years ago!  I got to looking at the posts in that first year (late in the year), and realized there were only three; and two of those were in the same day.  LOL!  I was determined to do at least that many posts in 2018 (hence *this* post).  But I really do enjoy blogging.  I enjoy writing.  Early on my blog was a place to journal.  What I was studying for Sunday School or in my quiet time, what was going on in my life, and even diet and exercise.  One of my favorites, though, is my second ever post, on the first day of the blog . . . this one.  I go back and re-read that one frequently, just because I miss my grandpa and I when we moved to the RV, I gifted the particular gadget I refer to, to Jocelyn.  Wish I'd put pics on the blog back then -- but it may have been before we had a digital camera!

Here's a pic from Etsy -- this is exactly what it looked like.  Cool, huh?

Anyway, the blog evolved.  I started using it for quilting and chronicling my quilting journey.  It really stepped up in 2010 . . . especially after the accident. I was non-weight bearing for a lot of the next two years, and blogging was how I spent a good portion of my time (that's when I found other quilting blogs; a whole new community).  My second ankle surgery was in 2012 (which was also the year I set my record number of posts per year).  And then in 2015, I went back to work full-time . . . and it seems it's all gone downhill from there.  :)

Still . . . here I am, tenaciously hanging in there.  Because, like I've already said, I enjoy writing. And I like being able to look back and not have to do so in book (journals) and to be able to use labels and the search function! Ha!  

I've been working on a guild challenge project -- which I can't really share or talk about, because one of the rules is that it has to be SECRET.

Which drives me crazy, because I've had SUCH fun with this project and I can't wait to unveil it!  The theme is "Stitchin' the Blues"  We can only use blue and/or white fabrics, the finished project must be square/rectangular (no odd shapes), with a minimum size of 18" by 18" and a maximum size of 36" by 36". The show isn't until our July 19 guild meeting, but I'm having a bit of shoulder surgery on June 26, so I've got to be finished well ahead of that. I'm nearly there!

In the meantime, I've continued to work on my hexie flower quilt (initially introduced in theory, here).  

I only have 99 more hexies to baste before I can start whipping them together!

I also was gifted a sweet little pattern, and some fun prints, at our last Stitcher's meeting.  

Put 'em together and what have you got?

A fun little happy for a happy little butterfly-loving girl.  :)

And a new book . . .

Loving the sweet designs in these pages and making plans for some late summer stitching!

Still hanging in there?  I appreciate it!  Have a great rest of the week -- I'll post another "A Quilter's Journey" later on this week.

:)

new thinking for a new year . . .

Happy New Year!!  A new year always feels so fresh and sparkly . . . a clean slate on which to start over (or press on) . . . a new opportunity to get it right!  But so much for a clean *stash* slate. Between spending time destashing and spending time shopping (and even spending some time stitching) my slate is already showing bigger overall numbers than it did for the whole of 2015!

Ha!!  How's that for a first report?! I really went through all my yardage with an attitude of, "Does it have a purpose . . . does it bring joy?"  If it couldn't be yes to one of those, in the to-go bag it went, to the tune of 48.5 yards. And I was on the lenient side. I think I'll give it a couple of months and then go through it all again. Since I ended the year with an accumulated total of better than 200 yards, it's obvious my stash needed some pruning!

I used up a half of a yard preparing all my EPP 'houses' for the Hexie Birthday Swap. It adds up pretty quickly, eh?  I have all of them (seventeen, including one for me and an extra one for Sarah) for the year cut and ready to be basted together (with the exception of several ladies who haven't made a color/fabric choice yet) . . .

And a lonely little Chrysanthemum for a late-comer to the club. Between those and this . . .

my poor, neglected POTC block, I should have enough to keep my stitching on a slow Sunday afternoon!

And then the purchase . . . I purchased more fabric in the space of one day at the New Year's Day sale at Patches & Stitches, than I purchased in the entire of 2015. CRAZY! But, to my credit, it's got a specific purpose! Our Stitcher's group is doing a block swap.  Six blocks (a 3.5" nine-patch) for sixteen ladies.  So 96 blocks (by June)! Here's the quilt the blocks are for . . . 

It's really lovely, but I'm not convinced I'll be using my blocks for that particular look. We're using all Civil War fabrics and a cream.  Here's what I picked up for my offerings:

Isn't that gorgeous??? Oh yeah, and those are some beads I picked up for 'snowflakes'! But back to that fabric.  I just loooooove it!!

Yup, it'll be fun playing with this stuff! The nice thing about going to the sale with a bunch of gals from the Stitcher's group . . . we didn't get the same fabrics -- lots of variety -- spice of life.  ;)

I've challenged myself in several quilty/crafty ways for 2016. For one thing, I've got way too many UFOs hanging around. Most are pieced and just need to be backed and quilted, but I've got an older one where the piecing needs to be finished. Anyway, I'm tired of them taking up space. So when I saw that All People Quilt was sponsoring a UFO Challenge, I jumped right on it! I printed and filled out my list of UFOs . . .

On January 1, I hopped over to the APQ webpage to see which number I'd be working on. Would you believe it?

Number 2! LOL! My Christmas Hexie Topper. I didn't realize how old this was.

Hmmmm.  The reason this is unfinished is because I've never determined exactly what I wanted to do with it! Any ideas?! Hahahaha! If this particular challenge is of interest to you, you can check it out HERE! 

My second goal is to complete a very modest two Christmas ornaments per month, for a total of 24 by the time next Christmas rolls around.  

I loved the wool snowman and the Christmas tree, so for January, I'll stick to one of each of them! This way, when I'm wanting to attach a little something handmade to a special gift, it's already crafted, and I don't feel the pressure of *having* to stitch into the wee hours to have something ready.

My third goal is to reduce my stash this year, in a significant way (hopefully a combination of use and gifting away anything I don't find appealing anymore) -- and not to purchase *anything* that doesn't have a specific purpose! 

And finally, I want to keep my Nook in better order! I spent the better part of a day cleaning/tidying/tossing so I could sit down and create. I am definitely one who needs order! And the Nook was rather chaotic (it's a small space -- it doesn't take much)!

So, what about you?  Any specific quilting/stitching/crafting goals for 2016?

I'll be linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts!  Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!!

:)