LaVieEnRosie

Moments of pure genius... by accident

The Slinky.  Silly Putty.  Play-Doh.  Super Glue.  Post-it notes.

LSD.  Corn Flakes. Dynamite.  The Microwave Oven.  Viagra.  The Pacemaker.  Velcro.  Penicillin.  Anesthesia.

Saccharin.  Smart Dust.  Coca-Cola.  Teflon.  Vulcanized Rubber.  Plastic ~ Bakelite!  Radioactivity.  Mauve.    

All of these things were invented by accident.  

Somebody very creative and very bright was working hard to create something else and instead they created something better.  Something cooler.  Something that changed the world.  

Make fun of Moda Lissa?

As if!?  

You know... she just might be the only person who got Bibelot right.  

The way it should have been.  

This quilt is perfect just the way it is.  

I think there was a reason Sherri had this quilt leading the parade -- it's triumphantly, tremendously, transcendently, terrifically, totally tubularly titanically tip-top, top-notch!   

These Ts might be a little bit different than mine, but they definitely look like Ts... like little "muscle Ts".

Sorry, I did look for a picture of Daniel Craig in a tight t-shirt but there wasn't one to be found.  And trust me, I looked.  A lot.  

Just in case you think I forgot, I didn't.  Flying geese.  Rulers!

Just so you know, if giving away Daniel Craig were an option, it wouldn't happen.  I'd keep him.  He and George could fold fat quarters and keep me company while I sewed.  

The arm over George's shoulder belongs to Matt Damon.  He could come too.  

Just so long as they don't distract me from this... as some of your commented, I really do love these rulers.  I also love quilts with flying geese, and quilts with stars... which have flying geese for the points.  And I want you to love flying geese, especially the making flying geese part.  So I went digging through drawers and baskets and any place else I could think of where I might have stashed another ruler or two, and I managed to come up with a few more rulers.  So after spending a few minutes with Ms. Random Generator, here are the names of the ladies who need to check their e-mail boxes...

The winners of a set of Fit to be Geese rulers ~ an original and a mini ~ are:

#93 -- Sandy E.... who wrote: Anything that helps make sewing perfect blocks easier is what I need. I'd rather be sewing instead of un-sewing with a seam ripper. Love the tutorials that come with them too.

#3 -- Marica... who wrote: These rulers would suit me very well this month when I'll try to do a lot of flying geese. Since I have a hard time finding them here where I live so I'd like to be in the draw for them :)

#35 -- VickiT... who wrote:  Wow. Look at all those very lucky people. Congratulations to you all. Thank you for the great post you did too showing off all of the great things in the book and the wonderfully lovely extra pictures making everyone smile. I would love to try the rulers. Thank you for the additional surprise chance.

#63 -- Debi... who wrote:  It would be awesome to win the ruler...especially since flying geese are not my favorite blocks.

And the winners of an original Fit to be Geese ruler are:

#29 -- Diane... who wrote:  How did you know a pic of Daniel would ease the disappointment of not winning the rulers and book the first go around?? Wow! is all I have to say. I'd love another chance to win those Geese rulers. I have to confess, I made Lincoln a few years back and my geese left a lot to be desired, so much so, it's never been quilted. Thanks for having another giveaway!

#30 -- Nancy, Near Philadelphia... who wrote:  I'd be delighted to win these rulers. Geese are hard for me . . . 

And that, chicas, is all the news I've got for this Wednesday.  

Here's hoping you have an accidentally fabulous day!

 

 

Fit to be a Monday...

Whew.  Monique is still talking to me.  

You wondered about that too, didn't you? 

First, let me thank everybody who hopped and left comments, or just hopped along to see all the quilts.  Thank you!  

I appreciate it.  And I know Monique appreciates it.  

Since there are some goodies to give away, let me announce the winners.  

Yes, winners.  Plural.  Multiple.  (There's a reason I keep a stash of rulers on hand.)

The Monique-centric goodie box goes to Shelley, aka Shelquilts.  ::::applause applause::::

And an assortment of Open Gate rulers will be on the way to Julia P and Tania in Australia.  ::::applause applause::::

Ladies ~ please check your e-mail boxes.  

I wish I had hundreds of copies of this book so that I could send one to everyone but alas, I have just one copy of it.  But if you'd like one of your very own, please feel free to harass the owner of your LQS into ordering one for you.  Or you can get one here - Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts.  

And...

Because I love Monique's rulers that much... and because this month's project for Sinta and Sherri's Year of Schnibbles is Summer Day and it has a lot of flying geese... and because some of you might still be looking to try the Fit to be Geese rulers... I'm going to give away three sets of Fit to be Geese rulers.  That's a regular-size Fit to be Geese ruler and a Mini Fit to be Geese ruler ~ both of which will make the 1 1/2" x 3" finished size geese you need for Summer Day.  

If you leave a comment here by Noon on Tuesday, Pacific Time, you could win the flying geese rulers of your dreams.  

And finally, because I'm apparently not the only person who enjoys gratuitous pictures that have nothing to do with quilts, Monique or books...

Daniel Craig.  From the upcoming Bond movie, Skyfall.  Due out this November.  

I'm thinking this picture might need to be the wallpaper on my computer desktop.  :)

Eh Monique...

Late?  Moi?  It's been known to happen.    

But when its something for Monique.  Not a chance.  Done.  Finished.  But I'll get back to that by and by.

Nicole finished her project too -- have you seen her version of Memory?  That's right, there are two of us today -- me and Nicole ~ Sister's Choice Quilts.  

You do know what that means, right?  You've got TWO chances to win a copy of Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts!

Or SEVEN... if you remember that it's not too late to see the projects and leave comments for:

• Thelma - who has been making a Simply Abundantly wonderful version of Pyramid -- Cupcakes n' Daisies
• Lisa - who overcame her fear of Spiders by... well, playing with Spider -- Stashmaster
• Denise - who has been playing with Solitaire and she's winning! -- Quilter's Window
• Monique herself!  She made... wait, she made them all!  -- Open Gate Quilts
• Sherri - who made a beautiful table runner using the blocks from Canasta -- A Quilting Life  

Now... about Miss Monique.  

I first met her about five years ago on a trip to Rockford, Illinois ~ though I sometimes think we might have met at Market the year before.      

On a side note... This picture was taken on that trip and one of the reasons I've saved it is to remember the lovely woman seated next to me - she's the one with the sweet smiling face, wearing the blue jacket on the left.  Her name was Pam Wieland and she was the Moda rep in Illinois, she was also one of the nicest people I've met in the quilting business.  The proceeds from Collection for a Cause Heritage were donated to Gilda's Club in memory of Pam.  

When I met Monique, we hit it off immediately, chattering away about basketball, sports, the Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, quilts, patterns, dogs and a whole slew of other things.  One of the highlights of going to Market for me is always dinner with Monique - and a gaggle of our friends.  Because Spring Market is always during the NBA playoff season, everybody has to give us a few minutes to talk about the Suns, the playoffs and our mutual dislike for those teams that are the nemeses of the Suns.  

Over the  course of those Markets, new friends and faces have made appearances and it has resulted in some amusement at one of my quirks.  (That's the wonderful thing about good friends, they show no restraint when it comes to having a good laugh at some of your idiosyncracies.)  You see, no matter what you've heard or the impression that I sometimes leave with people, I'm fairly outgoing... as in, I'm not very shy.  And because I know some people are a little more reserved, I try to make sure they feel comfortable in a large, boisterous group where most of the folks already know each other by making sure that there are  introductions.  Since I seem to have a knack for remembering names, I seem to wind up... okay, I take it upon myself to do it.

While you've technically already met Monique, I would like to make sure you know a little more about her... some "did you know's".

Monique is from Canada... but did you know that Monique was the First Runner-Up for Miss Canada?  She was Miss Manitoba -- that's near Winnipeg!  She won the Talent Competition with a dazzling display of re-arranging blocks on a revolving design wall.  While twirling a flaming rotary cutter.  

The following year, Monique broke Canadian hearts when she moved to Illinois to become a world-renowned quilter.  Por quoi?  Monique was a champion curler and it was feared that her departure would be a devastating setback for Team Canada in the Curling competition at the Olympics.  In fact, one of her upcoming patterns will be titled Bonspiel.  

That's Monique with the ponytail and her back to the camera.  

Monique likes to listen to music while she sews, and her preference is for hard rock or Alternative.  Her two favorite bands are Avenged Sevenfold and Red.  While at retreat, her friends insist on a "compromise" station on the satellite radio, a station best described as "light 80s pop".  She also likes Air Supply so whatever you do, don't say anything bad about them.  (Even if you're making it up just to tease her.)    

 

Did you know that Monique is a bag lady?  Seriously!  She's an accomplished, skilled, talented maker of tote bags, handbags and any sort of little zipper bag.  While she hasn't really done any as patterns, she's probably made at least one of everybody else's... after changing one or two things to customize it, of course.

While you already know that Monique is a big fan of the Phoenix Suns, did you know that one of her favorite players is/was Raja Bell?  Even though he's now with the Utah Jazz.

Her most favorite player is Steve Nash.  She's such a big fan that Monique actually came to Phoenix a few years ago just to go to a couple of Suns' games.    

While she was here, I got to meet Monique's older brother, Mike, his wife, Tina, and their girls, Holly and Blaire.  If you thought Monique was the only creative artist in her family, you should see Mike's artwork.  He sent me the most amazing drawing of my favorite hockey player.  

But did you know that Monique was once pursued by Steve, back when they were very young and still living in Canada?

While Steve still pines for her, Monique is married to the sweetest man in the world, Bill.  Any man that will build beautiful bookcases and cabinets for your quilts is a definite keeper!  

As a fabric designer, Monique has done two beautiful collections for Maywood.  While she will always love Olde World Style because it was the first, I suspect her second collection is her favorite though she won't really tell anyone why...  

Well, okay.  That answers that.  

I think you already know that Monique is the designer/inventor/creator of the best rulers in quilting - the Fit to be Geese, Fit to be Geese Mini, Fit to be Square and Fit to be Quarter.  They will change your life.  Really.  Just ask Nicole.  And Sherri.  And Lisa.  And Thelma.  And Denise.    

Now.  About that book that you really are going to want and need.  Your life won't be complete without it... okay, your life might be but your quilt library sure won't be!

This is it.  Eleven projects - and each project comes with all the cutting requirements and numbers for making the quilt in four different sizes.  Technically, that's forty-four projects.  If you're counting... which I did.  

I chose Baccarat.  This is Monique's quilt.  

I don't play Baccarat but I could learn.  I chose this quilt because (1) I loved the block and (2) Baccarat always makes me think of James Bond...

Hehehe  My blog.  My fantasy.  And yes, this is a gratuitous picture that has nothing to do with quilts, books or Monique.  But are you really going to complain?  

Back to Baccarat... this is the block.  It measures 16" x 16".

It looks complicated but because of the way Monique has broken down the units, the piecing isn't as challenging as it would be doing things the "old-fashioned" way.  

There are Flying Geese that can be made with the Fit to be Geese ruler.

This is my most favorite thing about using the Fit ruler -- scrappy geese!  Even if you only need four flying geese units, they can all be completely different.  I love that.

There is also a nifty little piecing trick for making another step in the block, it involves a twist on a connector corner.  

Yes, there is a little bit of waste but the results are so good that I didn't mind at all.  

Because this is what I wound up with...

Ta dah!

Yes, Monique let me do just one big block, which I made into a new pillow.  The good news -- the only thing left to do is to stitch down the binding.  It's quilted and finished except for that.  The bad news?  One of the middle-of-the-star half-triangle squares is turned the wrong way and I didn't notice it until now.  Ooops.  

But I'll fix that next time as I would like to make this again, either as a full quilt or as another pillow.  I think this block/quilt lends itself to playing with the color placement to emphasize the stars and create additional secondary patterns.  I also think this would be interesting made with two backgrounds -- one lighter and one darker.  

As with all of the quilts in the book ~ yes, I read the whole thing ~ the blocks are broken down into easily made units.  The best thing is that everything fits the way it is supposed to because, did I mention that Monique is a math major?  

So there you have it... a book you need.  A book you can win just by leaving a comment...  but that's not all.  Just by leaving a comment, you could win a Monique-centric goodie bag from moi.  It includes a complete set of all four Open Gate rulers, a little sampling of her Memories of Provence fabric (No, Keanu is not included.), a bag of one of her favorite retreat snacks/candies - red licorice, and Monique's favorite pins.  Okay, maybe they're not her favorite pins but they're my favorite pins and because she's my friend, that makes them her favorite pins too.  

So just leave a comment by midnight on Sunday -- Arizona time.  Right now, that means Pacific Time.  (Don't ask, just take my word for it.)

Whew.  

Before I let you go... just to make sure... I did make a few things up.  

But one thing is definitely true -- Monique is a terrific quilter and author, and a really nice lady.  

After all, she's known me long enough that she had to have had a pretty good idea that I was going to do something like this.  And yet, she still invited me to hop.  

Don't forget to leave a comment -- here and at Nicole's ~ Sister's Choice Quilts.  

Have a great weekend!

Schnibbles Confidential...

You’ve heard of the book, Kitchen Confidential, right? 

It's the book by Anthony Bourdain, the chef who keeps saying snarky things about Paula Deen.  Whether you agree or disagree with what he has said about Paula, he wrote a terrific book about what really goes on in the kitchen of a restaurant.  This is sort of like that… except I’m making a little charm pack quilt instead of foie gras. 

And there are no drugs.  No wild sex-capades.  (I wish.)  And not nearly as much swearing… though I think I've already admitted that there has been some. 

Over the years, the comments I hear the most, and the questions I'm most often asked, are about how the quilts come about -- specifically, why I make the choices and decisions that I do and so on.  So this is about the hows, whys and huhs of figuring out how I’m going to make a little quilt using just 5” x 5” squares of fabric. 

Over the course of five years and seventy-plus quilts, the look of these little quilts has changed a bit.  From lots of pieced borders to more plain borders, especially using the background fabric.  The quilts are also growing in that they have gradually gotten a little bigger.  That hasn’t been a conscious choice so much as a by-product of the fabric styles available, the composition of the collections themselves, and a desire to not re-make the same quilt.  Been there, made that already. 

So what comes first, the fabric or the design - the blocks, layout, etc.?  And the answer is almost always the same – both.  Except that sometimes one drives the other.  (Clear as mud, right?)  

Bibelot started with an idea for a block but the fabric collection is what led me to this setting.  I really liked the range of colors, values and scale in the Curio collection, and I felt like that mix was well-suited to something that wasn't as structured as an evenly arranged straight setting.  Using sashing on just two sides of the block - and being random as to which two sides - gave me the look that I wanted.   

 

But with Brocante, it was the fabric that played the biggest role in determining the setting and design of the quilt, especially the pink, yellow and cream prints.   

I love red.  But sometimes red doesn't play nice with softer colors.  There is a reason red is deemed a "power color" - it gets noticed.  After playing around with a couple of other ideas for this Pom Pom de Paris collection and not liking them at all, I decided that the red needed a more specific placement.  If I had used this collection to make a quilt like bibelot, I don't think it would have worked as well.  In a random setting, the red "T"s would have dominated the rest of the fabrics, and the cream prints would probably have been lost next to the light background.  Leaving those cream prints out also wasn't an appealing option as it would have changed the balance of red to everything else, and I wanted this quilt to feel "lighter".  

Right about now, you might be wondering why I don't just move on to something else.  The problem is that I really like [insert name of collection] and I want to make something using [insert name of collection].  And sometimes, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I like a particular collection, I don't use it because (1) the only ideas I have are for quilts that are essentially copies of things I've already done, and (2) I can't figure out how to make it work in something else.

Thankfully, other quilts are an idea in search of the right fabric.

I had planned to use a different collection to make Full House… and then Little Gatherings arrived.  I hadn't done "neutral" before.    

As I sit here now, my notebook contains the ideas for twelve small quilts I could make with charm squares.  My notebook also has a list of the charm packs/collections I have.  In a couple of cases, I had fabric that I cut into charm squares because the fabric was perfect for something I have in mind.  Some of the ideas work for every one of the collections while others only work with one or two so I make little notes about "possibilities".  Which idea gets made with which collection depends on what sparks my interest on a particular day, as well as what has already been made.     

I can’t speak for other quilters but I consciously look at what I’m making and compare it to what I’ve made before -- for a specific "season" (Market), in the past year, and overall.  Have I used that setting before?  If I did, how long ago was it?  Is it exactly the same or is it different enough that the finished quilt won’t look like a clone of the first one?  Do I always use that block in a diagonal setting?  Does every other quilt I make with a particular designer's fabric have stars or four-patches or flying geese, etc? 

I also have some self-imposed, completely arbitrary constraints.  Two charm packs – that’s all I’m allowed.  Yes, a couple of the early quilts were made with three but that was because there were fewer squares in the packs.  Now that all Moda charm packs have 42 squares, I limit myself to making the quilt using no more than 84 charm squares.  That's the starting point and the finish line.  My goal is also to use between 65 and about 78 squares because that allows for some choosing of favorites, some leeway for cutting missteps and whatevers. 

I have also chosen accuracy over size, meaning that I prefer to size the pieces so that I can piece accurately instead of making them as big as possible.  As such, I won’t use the pinked edge unless I absolutely have to, or it doesn’t matter.  When it is on the outside edge for a border, it doesn’t matter.  That’s easy.  If I'm making strip sets for something like four-patches, I don't worry about the pinked edges on the ends of the strips.  But if I’m making four-patches, I will purposely cut the strips narrower – usually at 2 ¼” wide – than have to use the pinked edge for piecing.  If I’m using charm packs, my four-patches will never finish at 4” x 4” – they will always be 3 ½” x 3 ½” or 3” x 3”. 

With making size choices, one of the things that I also consider is you.  Yes, you.  Or rather, me in your shoes.  (If you have big feet, of course.)  

Which of my choices is going to bother you the least?  Or the most?  Is it going to make you crazy if the quilt only uses 48 charm squares?  Is cutting - tossing - about 40% of the square going to be an issue for you?  If I can achieve maximum efficiency and accuracy by cutting every piece using 1/8" measurements... are we going to have a problem?    

For example, this is the sort of decision-process I mean:

I want to make a Bear Paw-like block with half-triangle squares on two sides.  Easy enough.  Except... 

If I make the half-triangle squares to finish at 1 ½”, I have two options. 

No. 1.  I can put three half-triangle squares on each side but that means I have to use the entire 5” x 5” plain square.  If I have prepped – pre-shrunk it – my charm squares, then they probably don’t still measure exactly 5” x 5”.  If the blocks are set with a sashing or alternating square, I might have a little leeway to make everything fit.  But if they are joined to each other, I could -- will! -- have problems assembling the quilt top as the blocks probably won't be exactly the size they should be.  Precision piecers won’t be happy about that.   

No. 2.  If I put two half-triangle squares on each side, then my square is cut at 3 ½” x 3 ½”.  That means I have leftover strips that measure a scant 1 ½” wide… unless I want to use that pinked edge.  I either have to use those strips in the border where I can fudge a little bit… or they are discarded.  I could put a half-triangle square in the center – that uses more of the original squares but there is more waste because the strip trimmed off is less-usable.  Result?  The “waste-not” folks will be grumbling. 

Or I could make the half-triangle squares to finish at 1 ¼”.  That means I could put three half-triangle squares on a side… except that it also means more is trimmed off the little half-triangle squares.  But it makes it easier to fit things in if you like triangle paper.    

But that isn’t the end of it…

Am I going to have leftover half-triangle squares?  If so, how many?  Is there something I can do with them?  Do I have enough to make a border?  If I don’t, do I have enough charm squares to make more half-triangle squares so I have enough for a border?  Does this quilt even need a border?  If I make the smaller block, will that make it all work?  If I use yellow instead of red, can I make flying geese instead of four-patches?

This sort of explains the “colorful” language, doesn't it?

Though leftovers aren't necessarily bad.  In this case, I had made a few "extras" so I could have a little more variety.  These leftovers were sewn together and they might eventually be a pincushion.  

(Just so you know... these half-triangle squares are for a new quilt I'm going to call Charlotte.  The half-triangle squares finish at 1 ¼” x 1 ¼” and you don't want to know how many of them there are... not yet, anyway.)  

Since I don't really have any pictures of "new stuff" to show right now, I'm going to continue telling you everything you didn't want to know about how the Schnibbles come about.  Next up will be fabric selection... or why I use this one and not that one.

I know.  You just can’t wait.  

 

True or False?

1.  Carrie got to sew this weekend.

True.  These are my leftovers ~ pieces, not blocks.  I sewed the pieces together and put these in a drawer... just in case I ever want/need to make a little pincushion. 

2.  Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts has a new book out.

False.

The correct answer is -- Monique has an AWESOME new book out! 

3.  To review - preview - celebrate the publication of her awesome new book., Monique has organized a Bunny Hop-along!

Image from Vanity Fair.

Invite Hef?  Not a chance.  That's False.   

4.  These are some of the ladies hopping this week:

• Monday: Thelma of Cupcakes & Daisies
• Tuesday: Lisa the Stashmaster
• Wednesday: Denise of Quilter's Window and Miss Monique herself of Open Gate Quilts
• Thursday: Sherri of A Quilting Life
• Friday: Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts and moi

True.

5.  Carrie has finished her project.  

Yeah, right.  False.  

6.  There will be books to giveaway and some other goodies.

True.

7.  Carrie will finish her project by Friday.

Stay tuned.  

 

On a mission...

I'm on a mission to drive my friend, Ginger, nuts.  

She wants me to post about one thing.  Just one.  Last week, she said I was doing great until I stuck in the bit about the shark video.  She's known me for fifteen years and she keeps thinking I'm going to suddenly become a linear-thinker, that I won't abruptly segue into some random, completely off-the-beaten-path topics.  She even talks to my Mom about it, asking if I've always been this way.  

I probably should warn her ~ and you ~ that I have a little laundry list of things to tell you about today.  So Ginger... just stop now.  Save yourself.  

As for everybody else... A belated Happy National Quilting Day!

I forgot all about it until a friend mentioned it on Sunday.  Oops.  The good news is that I celebrated just the same.  Well, sort of.  I celebrated Happy Highly Localized Schnibbling Day.  

I cut, trimmed, sewed, pressed, fretted, adjusted and sewed some more.  I had this to show for it at the end of the day.  

That was the by-product of this.

When I went to bed at 2:07 am, this is what I had to show for my day.  Fabric -- Cosmo Cricket's Salt Air.  The colors and prints are terrific.  The background is my favorite pin-dot by Sandy Klop ~ American Jane.  

This morning, I started prepping and cutting this.

Farmer's Market by Brannock & Patek.  I had everything laid out so that I could add a few random/scrap squares to the mix since I was leaving out the solids.  (I'll tell you more about that later this week.)

Thank you.  I didn't get to thank you last week for the kind and supportive comments responding to my decision regarding doing fabric.  I appreciate it more than I can say.  As much as I enjoyed it, not doing it anymore will leave me more time to indulge in my second favorite past-time... re-designing everybody else's fabric collection!  Admit it!  You do it too!  The background should have been this print, not that one.  And lighter.  And that green should have been darker... more yellow.  

By the way, the Farmer's Market collection... I really wanted the stripe print in pink.  And where were the red polka dots on yellow?  

My sewing basket.  I only met Barb twice, and I bought my basket the last time I was in Kansas City for Market in 2005.  Coincidentally ~ ironically? ~ I met her through Ginger.  While Ginger didn't know how to get in touch with her, she had a good idea on who would.  So I'm working on it and I promise to let you know if I find her, and if she's still making baskets.

Brighton Tins.  For those of you that didn't know what I meant, Brighton Jewelry "used" to put your purchase in a pretty little decorative metal tin.  It occurred to me the other day that I don't think they still do that, that now purchases are put in a small colored gauze bag.    

Earrings and bracelets went into the small hearts ~ about 4" across ~ and necklaces or multiple items went into the large hearts ~ about 7" across or so.  And yes, I used to get picky about which tins they were giving me.  They're wonderful for pins and even small sewing kits.    

Scissors.  In what has to be just a bit ironic, I seem to have lost a pair of scissors.  One of my favorite pairs too ~ I bought them years ago, they're a bit bigger than the pair by my sewing machine, but not full-size shears.  Sort of like half-size shears.  Brushed metal.  (Can you tell I'm really missing them?)  I remember using them a couple of weeks ago... and then nothing.  I'm try to put them back in the basket when I'm done using them but they aren't there, and they aren't anywhere else.  Don't you know they'll turn up eventually in the weirdest place imaginable.

I just hope Ginger doesn't have them... she might be tempted to use them for an "un-official" purpose.   

Chocolate Caramels.  So?  A couple of you said you were going to order them... what do you think?  Do you like them?  

That's everything on my list for today.  This list anyway.  I have a couple of errands to run, including finding some Dove Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs for my Mom.  I bought her some last year and she loved them ~ better than Reese's.  Which reminds me, I should probably get some peanut butter biscuits for Rosie too.  

See... that's pretty linear thinking.  I can do it when I want to.  

But don't tell Ginger.   

 

I might need a bigger table...

Because this is that time of year when I really don't have any pictures of what I'm working on, I have decided to steal borrow a blog topic from Nicole - Sister's Choice.

She posted yesterday morning - Tuesday - about what was in the cute new little basket by her sewing machine. It was interesting to see what she has that I might need, as well as what sorts of things we both use or have handy. Some of the commonalities among quilters make me laugh... as in, almost every quilter I know has a little candy stashed somewhere close at hand.

So this is what I keep within reach... but first let me get somewhat oriented. I sew on a large dining table that I bought on a close-out sale at World Market several years ago.

I got so used to sewing with my sewing machine up on a table that when I sew on a set-in machine, I wind up with sore shoulders and a stiff neck. My sewing machine sits just shy of mid-center, giving me some space on the right side for my "stuff" and more space on the left for a large cutting mat. I also have room to lay out "whatever" it is that I'm working on whether I'm at the parts or blocks stage. By moving that wire basket and dish in the corner, I've also the space to support the quilt for sewing bindings on big quilts. The extra space also converts very nicely into room for a second sewing machine on those occasions when a friend has come over to sew.

The machine in the picture is the one I'm using right now, I bought second-hand while I was having some "machine issues". It is a Bernina 240. It's been a perfect little back-up, and I've been enjoying it so much that even now that my old machines are back in working order, I'm reluctant to put it away. But I'll do that as soon as I finish my current project.

This is the stuff to my right.

I've had the basket for six or seven years... I think. If not exactly that long, then almost. It was made by a lovely woman named Barb Renninger. But more on that in a minute.

The red base is my funky Ikea light, and the thread cone is on one of the Paul's Metal Petals flower cone holders. Aside from being pretty and useful, it is a constant reminder to be quiet when a friend asks you about whether or not you use something a month or so before Christmas.

Huh? A couple of years ago, my friend Judy asked me if I used a cone holder for thread. I didn't... and I told her that I really wasn't a fan of cone thread... blah blah blah. I probably wasn't a fan because I had never found a cone holder I liked. A few weeks later, while at Judy's house, I saw her cone holder and fell in love with it. That's when she told me that she had planned to get me one for Christmas until I told her I didn't like using cone thread. Judy now knows to ignore me when I say things like that.

That's a soap dish that has been repurposed for sewing things. It holds my wound bobbins - I wind four or five at a time - my seam ripper, and my readers (this is a pair of flea market glasses that a friend bought and that alone makes them my favorite). The scissors are the pair that are always next to my machine. (Though they probably need to be sharpened right now... making mental note)

Another true confession. While I think the soap dish is very pretty and I love using it next to my sewing machine, it is another one of those things that makes me smile when I see it. It isn't really "me". But I bought it in a shop in Houston, Texas because I felt guilty about going in and out of the shop three times to make sure I had the quotation on a pillow correct. It's simple - they had a machine-embroidered pillow in the shop that I really liked, mostly because I loved the quotation. But it was $160.00. Make that $160.00! No, thank you. So I went outside to write down the quotation, but then had to go back in to get the second part because I couldn't remember the last line. It's kind of long. Then I went back a third time to make sure I had the whole thing written down correctly. That's when I bought the soap dish, it was $20.00, or something like that. It had been put away until I ran across it a year or so ago while cleaning out closets.

As for the quotation - it is by Charles Schultz, the creator of Peanuts. It was the inspiration for my quilt, Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown said... "Sometimes I lie awake at night and ask myself, 'where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'this is going to take more than one night.'"

Right between my soap dish and my basket is a coaster for my soda/coffee/water, two pincushions and another small dish. The wool pincushion at the bottom is the one I use the most, it holds my favorite pins. The other pincushion has a couple of needles and it is the pincushion that gets moved around the room as needed.

Beneath the pieced pincushion are a couple more bobbins, a couple of presser feet, extra leader/ender pieces, some odds and ends, and some chocolate candies that will always remind me of France.

While at the Chateau in the south of France, Lizzie and Charlotte had a dish of French chocolate-caramels that were so good they kept disappearing. Imagine that! A thin layer of dark chocolate over a smooth, not-too-sweet soft caramel. I saved a wrapper as a souvenir, and probably as a reminder to see if the candies were available here at home. They are Mi-Cho-Kos - michokos - and they are made by La Pie Qui Chante. As you can probably guess, I found them at Amazon.com. They can also be found here.

This is my basket. As you can see, I have way too many little pairs of scissors. Mostly I keep "spares" within reach, from rotary cutter blades to sewing machine needles and marking tools/pens. Extra readers. Note pads/post-it notes. Extra seam rippers. (First, I do use them regularly. Second, I have a bad habit of using them for purposes for which they were not intended... resulting in broken-off tips. Third, they do lose their "sharp" on the inside and eventually need to be replaced.) The Brighton tins on the side are filled with safety pins and some super-long pins that I don't use regularly but usually go looking for when making pincushions.

I have to 'fess up about those Brighton tins... did you know that every single thing I ever bought at Brighton was a gift? Each and every item was separate gift for different people. Okay, not exactly... but it was the only way those ladies would cough up more than one tin at a time.

The "What Happened" is the top of my band-aid box. After my last "sewing injury", it was kindly - and correctly - suggested that I needed some cooler band-aids, so armed with a good excuse to go to Urban Outfitters, I now have these.

While I haven't been in a Ninja Fight yet, I have had a Shark Bite.

On a side note - did you see that wild video of the shark-feeding frenzy in Australia?

Poor Charlie. (Charlie the tuna. The sharks were feeding on a school of tuna.)

I'm thinking he's going to need more than just one box of band-aids.

Let's go with "Happy Monday!"...

I've already used I.S.T.H. so that will have to do for today.

This is the sign that I had a relatively productive weekend.  

Instead of throwing fabric scraps away, I collect them in a bag to donate to groups who use them to stuff dog beds at shelters.  And because it seems like not one of us finds these big piles of little snippets really pretty, a clear bag seems to be in order.  There are pieces of the polka dot background I used with Meadowsweet, some Reunion scraps and some slivers of reproduction fabrics.  A couple of things are finished and a couple more things will get cut out in the next day or so.

I've been getting quilts to the quilter and getting backing fabric ordered and ready.  A couple of things might be photographed this week and oh yeah... I've committed to do two special little projects for/with friends in the coming weeks.  And I had to write a pattern to go with a quilt for a magazine.  What was I thinking?  

I have been shipping big and small Schnibbles quilts around the country for trunk shows, and a couple of quilts have gotten to "go home".  I'll be sending the Nine Dots project quilt home this coming week but I'm happy I get to keep my Nine Dots house quilt.  I think it's my favorite.   

Which brings me to something I've been meaning to tell you for months... I've been asked about the "next" fabric collection and well... there isn't going to be one. 

After a great deal of thought and some serious soul-searching, I had to admit that as much fun as doing fabric had been, it was never my goal.  And more importantly, it was never going to be the priority for me that it should be.  The people at Henry Glass - Larry Reichenberg, Karen Junquet and all the amazing designers - were a joy to work with, and they were incredibly supportive when my life got a little topsy-turvy.  But no matter how wonderful they were, I still felt like I had let them down by not being able to be at Market to fully promote the fabrics.  And I always felt like it wasn't right for me to continue to use fabric from other companies even though they encouraged me to do so.  They were fine with it but it bothered me.

I also had to come clean with myself and acknowledge that "designing" fabric had never been a be-all, end-all for me.  Unlike many others, I didn't get into the quilt pattern business with that as my goal.  It wasn't until other people - twits! - made me feel like something was wrong with me for not doing it that I started feeling like maybe I should.  (And seriously, there are folks in the industry who behave as though those people not doing fabric are not on the same level as those who are.  Whatever.)  So when I thought about it from every angle, this was the right decision.  

And really, I've always been a very fickle wench when it came to what I wanted to work with.  Just look at what's on my cutting table and "teux deux" list right now...

I.  Love.  This.  Fabric.  It took me a while to decide on a background because I don't love that grunge print/piece and I didn't really want just white.      

Jo Morton Bridgeport with some added pieces.

Pam Kitty Morning by Lakehouse... like you didn't already know that, huh?  

I'm planning to use this for a small quilt... actually, two small quilts.  Same concept but one tiny little variation will give me two very different quilts.  Since I was never very good at picking either/or... and since I have enough fabric for both, I don't have to choose.  I just have to sew fast.   

As you can see, I'll have plenty to keep me busy doing what is really my favorite part of this business - making quilts.  

 Happy Monday!

 

 

 

Achooo....

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!  Like you couldn't have guessed that I would be a fan of Dr. Seuss ~ Mr. Geisel.  

The man invented words ~ grinch and nerd.  How cool is that?

I love his books, so much so that some of my favorite quote are Seussian.  

Other than knocking over my Dr. Pepper a few minutes ago and winding up with it in my shoe, not much exciting is going on in my neck of the woods.  It's allergy-season in Phoenix so I'm kind of mess these days ~ when I out and about last week, someone I see regularly got very serious, and with great concern, asked me what was wrong.  Huh?  Wrong?  What?  She said I looked like I had been very sick, and that I looked like I'd been crying.  Which pretty much depressed me enough to actually cry.  (I'm kidding.)  

No, it's just the usual laundry-list of allergy-related ailments.  Itchy eyes.  VERY runny nose.  Sore throat.  Clogged sinuses.  And lots of sneezing.  

The one slightly amusing by-product of this is that there is so much used Kleenex in trash cans and "around" that Rosie isn't interested.  It's one thing to swipe the random Kleenex but when its so easy to  come by, it isn't nearly as attractive.

 

I have been working on multiple projects, including a couple using perle cotton for stitching, and that reminded me of something I've been meaning to tell you about for awhile.  If you are trying to thread a needle with perle cotton, embroidery floss or any slightly-thicker thread, you know that the needle-threaders most of us have don't work very well.  I've broken a few wires and needles trying.

But I happened to see a needle-threader made specifically for embroidery threads...

I should have put a quarter or a nickel there so you could see how big/small this thing is.  It is less than an inch wide and less than two inches long... though the only thing that matters is that it works.  

Let me rephrase that... it WORKS!  Like a dream.  

If you're doing any wool applique, utility quilting or embroidery and threading the needle has been a challenge, I highly recommend these Clover Embroidery Threaders.  They're awesome.  

While I've been a little behind with keeping up to date, I did get to see all the beautiful ISTH quilts that Sherri and Sinta showed in their parades.  They're beautiful and creative and imaginative and wonderful.  And dangerous.  I keep winding up on one website or another looking for charm packs and fabric!  It goes without saying that I'm looking forward to seeing all the Bibelot Thelma quilts.  Just so you know... of the recent group of Schnibbles quilts, I don't know why but I enjoyed making that one the most.

That's it for now... I'm off in search of some dry shoes and some Kleenex.      

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Station break...

As in, we (Rosie and me... well, mostly me) interrupt this not all that regularly scheduled blogging for a not-quilting-related message.  

A few months ago, Ginger called to ask me about taking a cooking class at Sur La Table.  While she initially suggested a Valentine's Macaron class, after looking at the schedule -- and more importantly, the macarons we would be making in class, we decided to take Mastering Macarons.  

The flavors we would be making ~ and sampling ~ would be:

• Banana Macarons with Banana Custard Cream
• Hazelnut Macarons with Praline Buttercream
• Pistachio Macarons with Chocolate Ganache
• Chocolate Macarons with Salted Caramel

I've read about making macarons but while the recipe always seemed pretty straightforward, I figured there were a few highly technical skills that had to be required to make such wonderful confections.  Yes and no.  Actually, make that no and yes.  

While there are definitely a few tricks, it's sort of like making a pie crust.  It isn't hard... so long as you know what it is supposed to look and feel like.  Once you've got that down, it's pretty easy.  That's what I would now say about macarons.

We made these Banana macarons in class.  

I wasn't sure how "hands-on" the class would be since it was just two hours but really, we -- the students -- made those macarons shown above in class.  Chef Michelle did a quick overview of the process, then started the first batch of cookies, the Banana Macarons while we watched and sort of helped.  As soon as that first batch was being piped onto the cookie sheets, she had us in small groups -- of three or four people -- and we started from scratch.  As soon as we were done with one, we started the next one.  It was very informative and a whole lot of fun -- I highly recommend it if you've got a Sur La Table near you.

Since I was busy baking and trying to take pictures with my phone, I hope you'll bear with me as I try to share the process.  

These were our ingredients for the cookie part of the macaron: eggs ~ we use the whites for the cookies and sometimes the yolks for the filling, almond meal or flour ~ which we made using almonds we ground in a spice grinder; and powdered sugar.  Other flavors can be added to the cookies, and food coloring can be used for color.  There is also cream of tartar and granulated sugar that is used with the egg whites to make the meringue.

The eggs are beaten until stiff peaks form.  We then transferred the meringue to a bowl to start the "macaronnage" ~ the technique of mixing flour and meringue to make the macaron "batter".  

The flour/meal and powdered sugar are sifted twice, and any large granules of almond or nut that remain are ground again, and sifted again.  

The flour mixture is sifted into the bowl in small amounts and are "folded" into the egg whites.  

This is Chef Michelle showing us how it is done.  

See the batter in the mirror above the sign?  That's Ginger paying close attention.

This was the pistachio ~ don't you love the green?

Here's where it gets interesting ~ and this is where I was sure I would mess it up.  We've always been taught to be very careful when folding egg whites but with the macaronnage, you reach a point where you have to take some of the air out.  How much depends on how much is still left after all the folding you've done.  If you're a slightly aggressive folder ~ that is usually me ~ then you might not have to "cut" it as much to get the right consistency.  And there's my pie-crust metaphor ~ for the cookies to form and set properly, the batter needs to be firm but still be able to drip slowly when scooped.  So you mix/fold/cut and then test it... mix/fold/cut a little more and test again... until it's just right.

Then the batter gets put into a pastry bag and piped onto a sheet of parchment... with one very brilliant little trick!  A sheet of paper ~ regular old copy paper ~ with rows of little circles all the same size printed on it.  

Piping technique is very important.  The tip should be at a 90-degree angle to the cookie sheet/parchment and just slightly above the sheet.  Slowly squeeze the bag until the batter fills the circle and then quickly twirl off.  If the batter is the right consistency, the little twirl-off-top should sink right back into the batter leaving the top of the cookie very smooth.  

Ginger did a terrific job piping the Chocolate Macarons ~ she was pretty fast and they were all the same size.  Of course... I had gotten the batter to the perfect consistency... (It was luck and by virtue of a really good teacher ~ thank you, Chef Michelle.)

Then the cookies have to rest and dry until they don't stick to your fingers when lightly touched.  

Because we needed to hurry the macarons along a bit, we used hand-held fans to speed up the drying process a bit.  

This is a sheet of the banana macarons with some dark brown sugar flakes sprinkled on them.  I thought it gave them the same speckled look as a ripe banana.

After they've dried, the macarons bake for 10 to 15 minutes.  When they're done, they should have a nice "pied" ~ the "foot" or frills that form along the bottom edge of a macaron that makes the cookie distinctive and authentic.  

After about 1 hour and 45 minutes of class, this is what we had...

Some of the Hazelnut macarons got red sugar flakes.  Just because.  

While we were busy mixing, sifting and folding, Michelle and her assistants were hard at work preparing the various fillings for the macarons.  We got pointers on making caramel, custards, ganache and cooked buttercream fillings.  When everything had cooled, we started assembling macarons using pastry bags.

They were really good.  I mean... really, really good.  Good enough to try making at home some day.  I mean, that is why I bought one of those big metal mixing bowls, right?  And this way-too-cute spatula.

I'm just disappointed they didn't have this in red.  By the way, if you're into all-things-aqua, you need to get to Sur La Table soon as they've got all sorts of wonderful things right now in aqua.  They've got kitchen shears with an aqua-and-white gingham pattern on the blades, polka-dot ceramic knives, polka dot or plaid dishes, striped napkins and kitchen towels... all in aqua, aqua and white, and even quite a few things in aqua, red and white.  (And you should have seen the oh-so-cute pink, black and white girlie-girl stuff by the register.  It isn't "me" at all but it sure was tempting nonetheless!)

Seriously, if you have a Sur La Table near you and you can stand the shopping temptations, I highly recommend checking out their cooking classes.  Ginger and I had a really good time.  I think she's going to sign us up for a Paella class next.  (Just so you know... you do get a 10-percent-off your entire purchase, good-for-a-week discount card when you take a class.)    

And lest you think I just played all day... I did get a little "work" done.  Since I was going across town anyway, I ventured over to ETC, a scrapbook-cum-quilting store in Mesa to see what I could find to finish up one of projects I'm working on.  

This ought to do me just fine. 

Hanging out with a friend, fancy cookies and pretty fabric.  It was a good day.