Label #4

Today was a rough one. I worked in our church cemetery which we named "Fall Clean-up".......I realized that I really wasn't cut out to do that kind of stuff.....bending, raking, shoveling, did I mention bending. I was sweating all over the place. My back ached. I eyesight got a bit fuzzy around the edges. I head was spinning and that was just an hour into the project. By 3PM, I was completely wasted. But when I came home, grabbed a shower, took a nap, ate a snack, I managed to paper-piece 1 label. Now, I'm for bed.....later!

Labels & Postcards....Of My

Reporting about labels. I actually made 3 quilt labels instead of 2. It was easy using the paper piecing method. The hardest thing was choosing the fabrics....LOL....My mom was visiting and commented on the precision of each piece.....Thanks mom....it took me roughly an hour to make all 3! This is a great postcard from Carol. I love butterflies.....from afar.....LOL....those who really know me will get the LOL thingy......the fabric she chose for the wings look like the veins on butterfly wings.....Thanks Carol. Valerie's on vacation but sent me a wonderful postcard. Thanks Val!

Quilt Labels

I have been lax in making labels for my quilts. I just don't do much labeling and I know I'll live to regret it. So I've challenged myself to make a label for each quilt top that I finish, so that when it is quilted all I have to do is place me "already made" label on the back. I'm also challenging all of my blogger friends to make labels. I found this book in my collection and wanted to share it with you. "Foundation-Pieced Quilt Labels" is the title; by: Linda Causee; published by American School of Needlework #4196 I know some of you have never paper pieced and it might seem intimidating but the designs in this book are ease and inspiring. If you have other methods of labeling your quilts, please share them with us by leaving your kind words and comments, linking to your blog and sharing pictures of books and labels with us. I find that when I say something out loud, I'm more apt to follow through with it. So, I'm saying to all my blogging friends that tomorrow, September 29, 2008, I will make 2 labels and post pics tomorrow night! I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!

Second - Sixth Rows

Row #1

More Teasing

The Group Picture:Most of the ladies were there to receive their certificates and tote bags. This is the ceremonial picture for preservation. Terri Vogue, of the Dallas area, chose the layout of the quilt, the Attic Window design and sewed the block together. The quilting was done by someone whose name escapes me. But I will find out and get back to you.

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The Three Amigos: Kathy, Jerri and me.

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My block quilted

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Kathy's block quilted

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Jerri's block quilted.

Teaser

I named this post teaser because it will be impossible to post all 104 pictures that I took yesterday.....So, allow me to whet your appetites with a few today. Huuummmmmm.....is this the right place? The Wackies have a habit of finding places in a round about way. Well there's my name, so this must be the correct place. Jerri decided to take a peer to see what the quilt looked like but the tape prevented it. Me with Ms. York who is the coordinator of the contest, receiving my certificate. This's the quilt. Sorry about the slanted view. There was no way to get a clear picture because of all the people gathered around it. Not to worry, I came back later and will show close-ups.

Going To The Fair

Tomorrow I'm off to the Dallas fairgrounds along with most of my "wacky" friends to view the unveiling of the Go Texan "Toast a Rising Star" quilt. As I mentioned in an earlier post, 24 blocks were chosen, were sent off to be sewn together and quilted and will be traveling around the state and shown at various shows, festivals and community events. I take plenty of pictures and share ASAP.

Tagged

I am so sorry, but I don't remember who originally tagged me. I'm guessing Carol but if I'm wrong, please correct me so that I can give that person credit by linking to her blog. From A to Z.....here goes:

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A. Attached or single? Single

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B. Best friend(s)? The WackyPac

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C. Cake or pie? Pie

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D. Day of choice? Any day, I'm retired

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E. Essential item? Camera...I must record pertinent things in my life

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F. Favorite color? All Greens

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G. Gummy Bears or Worms? Yuck!

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H. Hometowm? Don't have one...I live in the country!

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I. Favorite indulgence? Blogging

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J. January or July? July....I love hot weather and lots of SUN!

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K. Kids? Technically 0....but 2 on the side....don't ask

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L. Life isn't complete without? Cotton Fabrics

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M. Marriage date? December 17

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N. Number of brothers/sisters? 1 little brother (deceased)

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O. Oranges or Apples? Apples for baking pies

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P. Phobias? Anything that flies, flutters, crawls, creeks, gallops,slithers, buzzes, lopes,flitters, etc.

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Q. Quotes? A positive attitude may not solve all your problems but, it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort! Anonymous

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R. Reasons to smile? I'm retired!

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S. Season of choice? All of them....I'm retired!

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T. Tag 5 people: Eek!Jerri,Tipper, Jurra, Sweet P. and John. I tried to name different people, so that you can get to know new friends.

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U. Unknown fact about me? I wanted to be a_____________. Let's just keep it an unknown.

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V. Vegetable? Corn on the cob with butter and Sea salt

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W. Worst habit? Reading when I should be sewing

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X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound...if you ask me, I'll tell you why.

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Z. Zodiac sign? LEO......roar! Wow! That was fun.

Found Treasures from Junk

Yesterday I was helping my mom clean out my brother's room. She hadn't really gone through it thoroughly since his death nearly 20 years ago. Oh, she'd given away the clothing and lots of personal things but mom hadn't really cleaned it out, as she puts it. Only added more stuff in there as the years have passed by. Anyway, at 9AM I weighed in and started clearing.....Mom sat in a chair, out of the way and went through things that I handed her.....LOL....I should have taken a picture of that. I was moving at supersonic speed as she was barely moving. After awhile of this, I realized that I was going to have to aid her in the sorting department. I knew what to do cause I've been watching all those DYI and HGTV shows.....It was quickly obvious that mom hadn't shredded anything with her name on it in YEARS!!!!!!! I went home, got my shredder so that both of us could get it all knocked out while I was retrieving more stuff from my brother's room. I tell you, I was a tornado, vacuum in one hand....shredder in the other....Once the shredding was done, mom came across old pictures and I must admit, I stopped cleaning and sorting, took a much needed break and looked through the pictures with her. The above picture is of my granddad.....Edwin E. as he posed by the well outside the house that I now live in....He as a character and this pic. is something that I will cherish always. The well that granddad is standing by no longer had the rope and pulley but it still works after all these years. I had to place a cement cover over it a few years ago because the calves were always trying to get to the water and I didn't relish one of them falling way down there........don't ask. Next, I found this skeleton key and was so thrilled. I collect old keys and this one fits several doors at my house......if you haven't guessed, I live is a house that was built in the late 1940s and I have done very little to change anything other than wiring and plumbing. These last 2 pics are of an old lock that my great-grandpa had. Who knows what he used it for but I love it because it was something he touched. The thing is heavier than it looks, I tell you and the hidden area where the key fits is really neat.......Well, thanks for allowing me to share a bit of my family with you. Come back and visit any time and you are always welcome to leave a kind word or two.......And one more thing............somebody send me some energy cause I've use just about all of mine!

The Pastor's Wife

Our pastor's wife is a very sweet and gentle person. She is genuine and kind to a fault. This past February, I arrived at church fresh from a retreat. After the service, I showed off some of my projects. Marcia was marveling at that all the blocks and colors and happened to think out loud that she would love to have a quilt made by me. It took only moments before I had her naming the colors she wanted in her quilt. Being from Jamaica, she named red, green and yellow....solids no doubt. I was stunned for a moment then asked what other color could she live with in her quilt. She named black...another solid. If you are wondering why I keep saying "solids" it's because I don't do solids.....ever!!!!!! But for her, I'd have to try.......I shopped around for many months, avoiding the issue but finally I purchased the fabrics. Now for the design.....Oh boy! Was I to procrastinate another few months? Nope, thank goodness! I'd recently made a "Disappearing 9-patch...so....perfect!........BUT......I just couldn't leave it at solid colors.....sorry.........the above picture is the results of my efforts. It measures roughly 68" X 76".......My mom and I are going to have it quilted and give it to her very soon. Please tell me what you think......be honest.......really! LOL

Happy Birthday!

Today was my late grandmother's birthday (Sept 19th). She was born in 1897. It seems strange to even think about the date. It was a little more than century ago. WOW! My grandma was a teacher for a while and a housewife. I remember her muffins, hot from the oven, spread with butter and heavenly. I always wanted to be just like grandma. I wanted my hair styled just like hers, I wanted a Sunday purse and gloves just like hers and I loved playing dress-up in some of her old clothes. I remember sitting under her Singer Treadle sewing machine and marveling at the things she could do. To me, grandma meant love, caring, hugs, plenty of kisses and Sunday evening stories about family while sitting on the front porch. I loved my grandmother and even though she's been gone for over 40 years, she still right here with me in my heart. "Happy Birthday, grandma!"

Press Release

My Wine Block as I've mentioned, will be one of the 24 appearing in the "Toast a Rising Star" Go Texan quilt. It will be revealed in Dallas next Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 at the Dallas Fair. The Wackies will be there, of course. If any of my blogger friends are in the area, please come out and enjoy the fun. The link highlighted gives a little info about who and what took place. And below are two of my "wacky" friends whose blocks also made it into the Go Texan quilt. Jerri's block Kathy's block

It's Postcard Time Again

Hello to all my "Postcard" buddies. As "IKE" blew through my community I was thinking of what kind of postcard to make for everyone. My mom told me that grandma remembered a time when a similar storm rained fish......thus my theme for September. There's on the way to you and will arrive very soon but not by falling from the sky.....LOL

Weathered the Storm

Who would have believed that a hurricane named "IKE" with winds reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour would reach roughly 300 miles inland? Well it happened yesterday around 10AM. I'm talking wind, rain, lightening......did I mention wind. That was the worst part because the wind blew leaves, limbs and yes, trees all over the place. So much so that it knocked out the electricity in my community. You have never seen a woman panic as I did yesterday. Why, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. Menopause, that's what I'm talking about. Hot flashes, sweating.....hot flashes. I was in full panic without my cold, central air folks. Three hours into it, I had called the electric company at least 5 times using a different voice each time. I'm not crazy, I didn't want them to be mad at me. Eventually the problem was fixed and I cooled off. But it wasn't a pretty picture.

Booty Swap & Other News

Lookie what I got! This lovely little quilt came from my swap buddy, Dorian in Illinois. This was the first miniature quilt swap that I have done but I hope it won't be my last. It's great to meet new people from all over the country and other countries. I've even made new friendships. The Primitive Excellence Award was given to my by Valerie, one of my blogger friends from Australia. I really appreciate this award because my work is still in the primitive stages. I am always learning new things from other quilter, nature and believe it or not, children. They really speak their minds with not a care as to your feelings........LOL One thing that I have to do upon receiving this award is to pick 7 other deserving people. So here goes: Molly, Kathy, Elizabeth, Maree, John, Sharon, Kim. Take a gander at what they are doing, if you will. If you are one of the awardees, please copy the award picture, link back to my blog and then choose 7 people.

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Please know that this was very hard for me to choose only 7 people.

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And now for the weather........Hurricane "IKE" is on the move....on a direct path to Galveston, Texas.......with 18 feet waves crashing over the sea-wall. Kind of scary, if you ask me. I live in central Texas and will not be as affected by said hurricane......just some rain, thunderstorms, maybe some hail......you know, typical Texas weather. I am praying for the people who had to leave their homes, the ones who close to stay and the ones who are traveling on I45. The areas that will be aiding the evacuees are well prepared this time, thank goodness. Take care all you travelers and evacuees.

September Delivery

Lookie what I got in the mail today! Two great postcards from my friends Holly and Brenda. Holly's postcard is wonderfully adorned with flip-flops and she did free-motion quilting all around them. Thanks Holly. Brenda's postcard has hand embroidery. Beautiful work Brenda. You two ladies really brightened my too stressful day and made it into something to smile about. So I'm smiling big.....can you picture it?

Drumroll, Please

I set my timer for 1 1/2 hours and sat down to sew with no interruptions. This is the results of the #5 design that my blogger friends chose for me. My Disappearing 9-Patch. From a 4inch 9-Patch to this wonderful 28 1/2 X 36 inch little quilt. It's small enough for a table cover or wall-hanging. Maybe I'll add a border or two..............later.....LOL

And The Winner Is..........

A huge thank you to all my blogger friends for your help in aiding me with which design to put together on the Disappearing 9-patch. I'm going with #5 which barely beat out #1. I'll be putting the quilt together within the next day or two.....life has gotten in my way and I must take care of it.....LOL

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My "wacky" Kathy made this mini for me years ago. It measures 14 1/2" X 17" and I love the quote. Have a great day everyone!

HELP!

I need help in the worse possible way! Below are several Disappearing 9-patch designs. Please help me decide which design to sew together. Vote for #1 Vote for #2 Vote for #3 Vote for #4 Vote for #5

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The 9-patch is a wonderful block in itself. But when you cut it into quarters, it's amazing what new designs you can get. My "wacky" friend, Molly has a tutorial on her blog if you'd like to see how it's done.

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I decided to post the count as everyone votes for their favorite: Update.... Quilt#1 = 11;..Quilt#2 = 0;..Quilt#3 = 1;..Quilt#4 = 5;..Quilt#5 = 13 This is so exciting......keep helping me to decide. I'll be making the outcome of this post sometime next week. I want to thank all my blogger friends, in advance, for all of your suggestions, encouragement, and for making me laugh. I decided to thank you guys on my blog because some of you have the no-reply comment thingy and I like to respond to all comments when I can.

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Yet another Janome 11000 design stitched out. This one is of Chief Sitting Bull. It took me an hour and 20mins.to stitch it out due to several thread breakings and thread changes. Oh, and I might have been staring at the needle and movement of the frame as it stitched out the pattern. It still amazes me how this is possible. If you have a machine that embroiders and you haven't been using that particular aspect of it, I challenge you to get out there and get started. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Just do it.....I promise, you won't be sorry.