Spent the afternoon on the jacket

I made some pretty good progress on the jacket this afternoon. I had some wonderful design ideas at church this morning. One of the members was wearing a blouse with some geometric designs that will work well with fabric, cording and beads. I did a little quilting on the back section and tacked down some of the organza designs on the front panels. There is still a lot of design work to play with. I think I will construct the jacket before I finish the hand sewing and beading. I'm glad I have enough peach colored silk for the lining. I plan to have it finished by the 13th of March.

Yea!!!! The picture of Erin and Tim worked out well printed on organza. The words look good too. Not to use some fusible to attach to the vest.

Working on the vest

The ideas are beginning to jell in my mind about how I want my vest to look. I found a little more silk embroidery ribbon along with some organza ribbon to use on the embellishments. I will eventually need to start doing some sewing so I have a canvas to work on.

Here we go again

The Foothill Quilters Quilt Show is fast approaching. April 9-10 will be here before I know it. We received about 315 applications for the show last night with 16 wearable art entries. It will be a fabulous show with lots of special displays, a fashion show, a featured quilter from our membership and a guest quilter. I'm planning on dry weather so we can have an outdoor display, too. I'm putting 5 quilts in the show that are completely finished. The last one I'm working on is a wearable with hand dyed fabric and embellishment. The Challenge is "Something Old, Something New" I will post my progress here if anyone is interested.

Blog This! : Communicate - Google Chrome Help

Blog This! : Communicate - Google Chrome Help

While I love to read other blogs, I'm terrible at posting. I just checked and see that it has been 19 months since I posted.

I will try to get a little better. My bags are packed, my class supplies gathered and I'm off to Long Beach tomorrow for the quilt show. 4 of us are driving down together. I know it will be a fun time in the car as well as at the shoow. I really love the long beach show because it seems very "arty". I will post some pics when I get back.

I have been working on some little cell phone/iPod pouches this last week. They will be donated to sell at the Cancer Relay in Mid-August. I think they turned out pretty cute. I hope they sell.

I almost have my MAQ challenge finished. I'm going to put the binding on as soon as I finish lunch. I'm typing and eating. A little more jewels to attach and some stitching and it is done. I'm ready to start on something else.

Time for a new mailbox

About a week ago I was driving down my street and was surprised to see our rural mail box laying by the side of the road. I guess it finally fell off the board that was precariously attached to a longer board holding the other boxes. This is not the first time our old box has had problems. Last year the metal clip holding the door closed fell off and to close it we really have to manipulate it into place. The screws holding it to the base board have loosed and the box has been listing to the left for some time, now.

I felt that the box had seen better days when we moved into this home 10 years ago. Our home is over 60 years old; I can imagine that the box has been used for most of those years. Although there was something charming about the way the rust and the peeling numbers spoke to years of happy use, I have wanted to replace it for some time now. This last problem with rotting boards may be the sign I have been waiting for.

Replacing a mail box is no easy task if you want to do it right. First you have to buy a post that can be driven into the ground to hold the box. Then, there are so many boxes to choose from. Do we want a security box with a lock so no one steals our mail? Do we want a box that looks like a firetruck or a tractor? Do we want red, black, white or gray? So many selections!

While we were making these serious decisions, our mail was not delivered. Then a pile of mail was left on the porch with a note that we need to replace our mail box. In response to that note Jim returned the rusted and broken mailbox to the line of mailboxes. There was a little space where someone else removed their box and our little box nestled into its temporary home. #135 felt very comfortable between #107 and #103. Did anyone ask after #105? I know that I'm curious....did it fall to the ground due to rotting boards and loose screws, too? Did some thoughtless person toss it away while opting for a box at the local post office? We'll never know. I think #105 might have belonged to a neightbor that has passed on to a place where mail is not as important. A new note from the mail lady reminded us that our box was out of sequence and while this was a clever solution, it was only a temporary fix. We have until the 30th re make everything right.

The pressure is on. A new box was purchsed today. It is white and very clean looking, almost too clean. It reminded me of a new artist's canvas. I couldn't help myself. After painting crisp new address numbers, I painted a colorful dragonfly that streatches across the side and over the top of the box. After the paint cures and it is sprayed with an acrylic sealer, the box will be ready to place on it's new post. I'm a little sad for the older box that has served so faithfully all these years. I will have a little retirement ceremony for it. I think a little paint and some glitter might be in order. I think I have a place for it in my garden to hold gloves and small garden tools out of the rain.

Catching up

Today was a day for sewing and thinking. The signature quilt started last February calls out to be completed soon. Again, pieces of fabric waiting for an inspired moment. Vibrant color and movement that will draw the viewer in. It deserves to be more than a pile of scraps sitting in a discarded shoebox.
Last year when I was chosen as the featured quilter for the quilt show, I wanted something to mark this special occasion. I thought having visitors to my display sign little fabric blocks would have more meaning to me in the future than cold signatures in a "guest book". My idea was met with enthusiasm and over 400 blocks were signed. I planned to piece the blocks together into a quilt that could be displayed this year at the show. It wasn't until yesterday that the shoebox was discovered and my nearly forgotten plan re-emerged. While the show is still 2 months away I still need to be far enough along on the quilt to have the size and general picture ready for the application.
Today the top is nearly finished and I can see the end in sight. Although I will be gone for a week, I will have time to quilt it on my return. One more UFO off my list.

A week at the beach

Seven quilters and a husband to cook for us while we lounge at the beach. What more can quilters ask for? We arrived in Cayucos on Friday afternoon within minutes of each other. The beach house is a two unit afair with separate entrances. We chose our bedrooms and began to set up our sewing areas. The view of the Pacific Ocean was incredible. We each had a front row seat to surfing, dog walking, jogging and beautiful sunsets. What a location!!

Three of us worked on Kaleidoscope quilts using Ricky Tims pattern and DVD. Gigi, Sharon and I finished our tops and realized that it is easily a three day class. I'm going to be teaching this class at Cabin Fever Quilt Shoppe in the spring and I'm happy to have had a dry run through the process with all of the input of my sewing buddies. Everyone was very productive.
The weather was beautiful, nearly 80 every day with soft breezes blowing. No wonder folks love Southern California. I know we all had a fabulous time.