A Southern Tale (Benson, AZ

For the last couple of days, I have been visiting with my friend from Albuquerque.  She is on her own adventure to see some of our beautiful country in her small RV.  I'm very excited for her!  I spent a lot of time just enjoying our visit with chit-chat and walks, so I haven't been taking pictures.  It has warmed up quite a bit so we spent most of our time outdoors soaking up the sunshine.  The cats have been loving this visit since they got to spend extra time outdoors during our visits!

Quilt or Innocence by Elizabeth Craig

I found a new series with quilters and a cozy murder mystery.  So new that the second book just came out in February 2013.  Set in a small town in the south, Beatrice is the main character - a retired folk art museum curator from Atlanta, GA, she decides to follow her daughter and moves to a small town for some peace and quiet with her corgi after she retires.  While the quilting guild is determined to convert Beatrice into a quilter, she is just as determined to solve the death of one of the quilters.

It is a fun quick read filled with a strange mix of quirky people in a not so quiet let alone peaceful town.  Such as one elderly driver almost hits Beatrice as she is walking down the street.  The elderly woman shakes her fist at her and calls Beatrice a "road hog!".  Apparently she is well known for her driving skills and yet, she is still driving.  Now that's an endearing quirky town....I won't even start in on Beatrice's new neighbor!!  It is also a very clean read with no swearing or sex.  They did do a lot of quilt talking in between solving the murder mystery.  This is my kind of book.  I can't wait to read Elizabeth's next book.

On The Cutting Board
Before we leave Benson, I plan to give the Park's quilt group three quilts for their children's charity.  We will be heading on down the road next Tuesday.  I'm already starting some new tops.

Well, actually some of the blocks have been sitting around waiting to be finished.  It is time to blow the dust off of them and get them done!

Happy Quilting!

A Month For Celebrating! (Patagonia, AZ)

Gambels Quail

Yesterday was my birthday.  56 years and still ticking.  That's always a plus, right?  My health is good.  As a matter of fact, I feel better now then I did 10 years ago thanks to changing my eating habits to more healthier choices.  My weight? - could get rid of a few pounds.  Too much sitting in front of this darn laptop.  My mind...hmmm, well I do have my senior moments, but overall it is still functioning.  I'm sure Dan is always happy to hear that I still recognize him.

To celebrate my birthday, Dan drove me to Tucson so I could do some shopping.  I just had two stores on my list:  Trader Joe's and JoAnns, but I took my time with my shopping.  Funny how browsing through a store can be so relaxing even during the holiday season.  After I finished shopping and having my birthday lunch, we finished up with our normal grocery shopping.  By the time we got home, it was dark with our car loaded down with lots of goodies.  Who needs Santa when you get to go shopping for yourself.  Sigh!  It was a great way to celebrate and I enjoyed every minute.  Thank you Dan!

SALE!

Since this is a month do a lot of celebrating, I thought I would have a 25% off sale on all my Etsy quilts.  The sale will end on December 25.  All my quilts are well made and very durable.  I know because I use them myself.  Well, not the ones I have for sale, but I have used and still have many of my handmade quilts.  My quilts are washed in the machine and last for many years.

I believe all quilts need a loving home - to be cuddled and to give comfort.
Black Lotus Lap Quilt  $56.25

There are more photos in my Etsy shop along with descriptions and sizes.
Purple Lotus Lap Quilt $37.50

Star Baby Crib Quilt $56.25

Southwestern Kokopeli Lap Quilt $146.25

Blue Baby's Choice Crib Quilt $71.25

Pink Baby's Choice Crib Quilt $71.25

Art Nouveau Quilt $142.50

Baby's Toys Crib Quilt  $56.25

Happy Quilting!

Celebrating 3 years on the Road (Benson, AZ)

Today is a travel day for us.  We are heading for Yuma, AZ, but first we want to do a little reminiscing.  Why today?

Well, three years ago we started our new life on the road filled with many adventures, new friends, and interesting places to visit.  It is hard to pick out one favorite place because each one is unique in its own way.  There have been no regrets in selling our sticks & bricks house.  Look at all the things we would have missed if we had stayed in Albuquerque working 40 hour weeks with only a 2-week vacation.

Ready to start our adventure on the road.

 We would never have been able to see our granddaughters or our daughter as often.  We have seen both granddaughters do a lot of growing up in the last three years into well-mannered young ladies.

And some of our family has been able to visit us in our different locations.

Our son, Shaun visiting us in Patagonia

 Sandy's brother Jay visiting us in Key West  

Dan's sister and her husband visited us in Patagonia, but we never got around to taking any photos.  We'll have to make up for that next time.

Then there's many adventures we would have missed.  We would never have been held up by the Burro Gang in Custer's State Park in SD.

Give us all your apples!

 We never had views like this from our home....

South Dakota

Key West, FL

Florida

Arizona

Some places are filled with friendly people....

Saguaro Skp Co-op, Benson, AZ

 Other places are a lot less populated...

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

And I have to slip this in..
  I never would have seen half the quilt shows, shops, or museums....

We never would have kayaked in the Florida Keys...

 or have seen the Arches....well, maybe since we did live within traveling distance for a 2 week vacation....

Anyhow.....or climbed rock fins...

 or frozen our feet to see Crater Lake...

How can you beat views like this?

Northern California

Shenandoah National Park

So much more to see and do.  It will be a long time before we get tired of our lifestyle.  Happy Trails to all!

Clean Feathers? Will Travel (Benson, AZ)

We moved to Benson yesterday.  It is nice to be back at the Escapees' Saguaro campground.  Our site is in the center this time and it is okay, but I preferred the front lots with the cattle field in front of us.  There were a lot of quail and other birds hanging out across the street.  Lots of entertainment.  Maybe when we finally lease a site, we can get one in the front row.

Patagonia Lake State Park

I have added a new map page to both blogs for this year's travel adventures so you will be able to see where we are for 2012.  It'll be easier for me to maintain with a new map on a new page.  The last one was getting very hard to add new locations towards the end.

On the Cutting Board

All right!  Three mug rugs are done!  I hope to get all three listed in the next week or so -- depending on our sightseeing and traveling.  I'm starting the embroidery on the last two rabbits now. 

National Quilting Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  And it is also National Quilting Day.  I wish I could say I'll be spending the day quilting, but I don't see it happening.  I'll spend a little time working on my projects.  How about you?  Planning to spend the day quilting or viewing quilts.  Lots of quilt shows going on this weekend.

I made a treasury quilt sampler from Etsy Quilters.  Enjoy and Happy Quilting!

A Very Clean Hummingbird

Hmm, human watching me

Wait!  My feathers are dirty!

Got to cleeeeeeee-

eeeaaaannn my wings.

I'm ready for my picture to be taken.

Quilting Muse? (Patagonia, AZ)

Confession time:  I have to admit that I had lost my passion for quilting.  Even the thought of creating something new made me...okay, I'll say it "cringe".  Every time I tried to work on one of my projects for the last couple of months, I felt like I was making myself do it.  The love of quilting just wasn't there and I did not know why.  

During my 3-day break, I found my creative passion for quilting and I understand why I lost it.  I contribute this enlightenment to yoga. I know I'm getting a little deep here, but bare with me. I promise to keep this short.  

I started back into yoga about 7 years ago to help lose weight.  I keep to simple poses for strength, stretching, and relaxing/meditation.  I did not realize how much I and my body were missing these sessions until last weekend.  

Halfway through the first session, I could feel my spine stretching, the blood flowing to the brain, and oxygen filling my lungs.  My relaxed mind kicked into high gear and all sorts of quilting ideas start flowing....images of quilts, color schemes, new ideas for finishing UFOs.  

It was a wonderful feeling!  Welcome Back!  Okay, so I sound a little weird, but nothing else motivates me like yoga.   Yoga is my Muse and I cannot ignore it.

On to Q U I L T I N G !

I pulled out the four Dresden Plate blocks and added sashings to them.  It seemed a little small and unfinished.

After some thought, I decided to add borders to make it a little larger.  All right! One top is ready for quilting this summer.  WooHoo!

I also finished the last Redwork block of Teddy Bears.  I bought the red polka-dot fabric just for this project.  I came pretty close to using it for other quilts.  I'm so glad I did not use it.  I hope to start on the sashings soon.  We get another 3-day weekend for New Years.  Guess what I'll be working on.

Did I tell you that I like to crochet too..just for something different that is fast and easy.  I usually crochet while Dan is driving, but I decided I needed to get this one out of the closet and get it done.  I'm about halfway through this one and I hope to have it done before we leave here.

I love this yarn.  It is so soft and fluffy.  I think any child will love having it.  The yarn color is called Tutti-Fruiti, but I think it looks like Cotton Candy, don't you?

Oh, and all three above projects are going to Project Linus unless I can find a local charity that takes blankets and quilts for children in need.

Remember my Delighted! squares that I won?  I thought I would save some time doing some fast stack-n-whack cutting.  BIG mistake!  I cut one of the stripes the wrong direction!  Nooooo!  I should have known better.  I guess I will replace it with some of the green fabric that I bought for the border.  I'm hoping this is a good mistake because I did not plan to add the green into the quilt blocks.  Maybe it will look more uniformed with a little of the border in the blocks.  Fingers crossed - well, not while I'm sewing, of course.

I am curious.  Do you have a Muse?  Not one that inspires you, but actually gets you motivated and gets your creative juices flowing. 

My Memories Freebie Friday

** After today, I will be adding the Free designs on a separate "Freebie" page along with coupon information and tips.  Each one will be available for one week.**


Please note that all of these are .png files only, not MyMemories Suite Templates. They are usable in any software so these freebies are for everyone!! These freebies include 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. The elements and QuickPages are .png and the papers are .jpg format.

This Digital Kit Includes:

• 5 Page Elements
• 2 Quick Pages

This Digital Kit Includes:

• 2 Digital Papers
• 5 Page Elements
• 2 Quick Pages

It is easy to make your own digital scrapbook. I created the below scrapbook page using one of the free Designer Packs.

Here are the simple instructions from My Memories - LIZ:

Just open MyMemories Suite to a blank layout, click: Photos ==> Add (find your .png Quick Page on your computer)

Add the Quick Page to your project, and then do the same for your photo. Add a little Text for your journaling and voila - you're done in an instant!! 

If you are interested in getting the software, please go to My Memories website and don't forget.....

Use this discount code: STMMMS75192

during your checkout and receive:

$10 off  the software purchase

and a $10 gift  certificate to the online store

Happy Scrappy!

or is it - Scrappy Happy?

All I know is that I have been working on this project for awhile, but the scraps seem to be growing....hmm

What to do with all of these scraps!  I hate throwing out scraps, but they are taking up too much space!  The  bags are multiplying!  It's time to use them up and get some storage space back.  So my mission this winter is to use up all of these scraps.

For some reason, most of my scraps are long strips so using this foundation pattern works well for using up all those scrappy strips.  It is a 6 1/2 inch block so the scraps can be pretty small.  Yes, I'm bad about saving the very small pieces.  I think after this quilt is finished, I will use a larger block size and get rid of the larger scraps.

I love using paper piecing.  No measuring or miscalculations!  Well, okay...sometimes I underestimate the size of fabric and end up short when I fold it over.  But that rarely happens now.  After a few of those mistakes, I double check and when in doubt - I look for a larger piece!  I've got plenty of them!

older pattern from Quiltmaker (sorry, I don't which issue)

I separated the scraps by colors.  Two colors per bag.  Yellows/oranges in one bag. Reds/purples in another.  Blues/greens in a third.  Whites/blacks in a fourth and centers for fussy cutting.  Oh yea, plenty of scraps to work with on this project!

I picked out a center and decided to start with the reds and purples.

All the fabric will be placed on the backside of the paper.  I placed the foundation paper face down on the light box* so I can see the pattern through the paper.  I place the center scrap face up and the second scrap face down on top of the center.  Just like sewing two pieces together except there is paper attached to them and the seams don't have to line up.

I make sure there is a little over 1/4 inch of fabric over the guide line I will be sewing on.  I pin parallel and away from the line using a pin with a flat flower head* for less bulk.

*I added links to a couple of my tools so you can see what I am talking about.

 I always shorten the length so the needle will punch more holes per inch in the paper.

Flip the paper over so the foundation pattern is facing up.  This is where the flower flat head pin comes in handy.  The paper lies almost flat.  Sew on the guide line between 1 and 2 spaces.

I like to sew over the lines to help anchor the thread in place.  Sometimes removing the paper pulls the threads loose.

For trimming the extra material, I use a ruler called "Add-A-Quarter"*.  It has a ridge measuring 1/4 inch.  I have two rulers for different lengths - 6 inch and 12 inch long.  I started with the smaller one and found out it doesn't work too well on larger foundation projects.  

There's a 1/8 inch add-on ruler for miniature foundation quilts, but I refuse to go that small just because I would have doubled my scrap bags!

 With the paper pattern face up.

 Fold the paper back along the sewing line.

 Give the paper a good crease.

 Slide the ruler's ridge up against the paper and over the material.  Keep it snug against the paper

 Trim away the extra fabric.

 Turn it over.  Take out the pin.

 Iron the second scrap flat.

All right!  2 down and only 15 more to go!  But it goes fast.  Often I will do 4 to 6 blocks at a time depending on the large selection of scraps.

This shows the fabric's seams.

 Now, you start to repeat from here.  Foundation faces down on the light box.  Place third scrap on top of center covering the guide line between 1 and 3.

 Pin in place.

 Double check to make sure there is enough overhanging for a 1/4 inch seam.  Make sure the scrap is long enough to cover both ends with 1/4 inch seam allowance.

 Foundation facing up for sewing.

 Trim the excess.

 Iron and there is the third scrap.

 It doesn't look so good now, but gets better as I keep adding the scraps.

 Okay, this one is done and now it needs to be trimmed down to the 6 1/2 inch square.

Back to the cutting board.  Using a regular ruler, I line it up to add in the seam allowance.  I trim paper and material together.

Showing the seam allowance

All excess paper and material trimmed away.  I have a block!

To remove the rest of the paper, I start with the outside and work my way in.  I weaken the paper by folding back on the seam and rubbing the crease with my thumb or the with the side of scissors.

I usually save all the blocks for TV time.  I can watch a favorite show and tear paper (and make a mess) at the same time - aren't I multi-talented?  LOL!

When I tear the paper, I stay close to the seam so I do not loosen the threads or pull them out.

Finished block!

Won't these blocks will make a bright and cheerful quilt for Project Linus?

Here are some more free foundation patterns at Quiltmaker.

Just a quick note:  We had a wonderful visit with our son Shaun.  I wish he could have stayed longer since he can't make it back for Christmas.

Well!  Back to sewing!  Happy Quilting All!