A Couple of Days Off

After finishing my February journal quilt, I decided to take a couple of days off before starting my Artimage Challenge design in earnest. I actually have the design in my head. I just have to translate it to fabric. Probably should put it on a large piece of newsprint paper just to make sure I like it before starting with fabric.

I have mentioned in the past that I am fascinated with knitting. My reward for getting down to my healthy weight is to take a knitting class. Well, I have 8 more pounds to go. However, when I stopped in Michael's to get some supplies for my February JQ, I saw these crazy knitting looms.
My son's teacher has been busily making hats and scarves on one and the hats and scarves are adorable. Since they were on sale, I picked up a set. I made a cute little hat for my son. He loves it. It is totally mindless, although I am thinking of adding some design elements now. I just need to get more yarn.

I would post a picture of the hat, but we sold our big computer desk. So now I am at the kitchen desk and my printer/card reader/everything else machine does not fit. Later, I will put it on another machine that will share it with me. I just haven't gotten around to it.

So, did it satisfy my need for knitting? Not really, but I am having a blast with it. There are so many fun yard choices out there. It was easy, mindless, and my kids liked helping me. I went back today and got another set for my niece, and my friend who came with me got a set for her daughter. I think I will start another hat...

February Journal Quilt Reveal

Continuing the water theme, here is my February Journal Challenge Quilt. The picture in the quilt is from our visit to the new Georgia Aquarium last month. It was taken in the coral reef exhibit, which brought back great memories of snorkeling off St. John two years ago. I printed the picture directly onto the fabric using the Printed Treasures fabric sheets. I am going to get some Bubble Jet Set to try next time. Although it does not show up in this picture, it is quilted with a varigated rayon thread that mas the colors of the coral reef--greens, pinks, yellow, blues...
This is the back. I stamped fish onto it using acrylic paint. I have used rubber stamps before, but never in a quilt, so that was new to me. My kids had fun helping me with this part.

So why make this quilt? Our trip to the aquarium was right before we bought the new house. Lots of changes have come to our lives since that trip. So this quilt represents the end of our old life. Next month's will find a way to represent the change to our new life. Maybe a waterfall...

February Journal Quilt

I have decided to use a picture from our aquarium trip for my February piece. It seems like that was the last normal weekend we have had. We bought the new house the next week and I feel like I am living in two places and not having everything I need at either. What a pain. My sewing room is at the new house because I just couldn't keep it in show condition at this house. So now I have to find time to go over there to finish the rest of this month's piece. It will get done, just not as easy at it would if my machine was not 7 miles away from me. Not to mention my fabric. However, the picture has been transferred to the fabric. Michaels is between the two houses so I can pick up the supplies to stamp on the rest of the piece on the way over there. Just need to get everyone dressed and ready to move. Oh, and get them to not want me to buy them a bunch of stuff in Michaels.

Here is the picture I am using....
Next month's piece is going to have to be about change...

Children's Books

Jen had this on her blog...

1. Name your 3 favorite children's series.
2. Name your 3 favorite non-series children's books.
3. Name 3 favorite children's books characters.

Favorite children's series...
1. Harry Potter because I think it got so many people reading. It also got my dad and son closer when they were standing in the Denver airport and my dad said, "Look at all these muggles." My son decided then and there that my dad was the coolest grandparent ever. And he tells people that all the time.
2. The Little House books, well the original ones. I haven't read the Caroline series, etc that they have come out with that are prequels to the Laura series.
3. Trixie Belden series. I know, not very high brow, but a lot of fun to read. I read them all a bunch of times. My sister has all our copies, and I read them every time I go to her house. (Not all of them, but some each time.)

Honorable mentions:
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Babar byJean De Brunhoff
Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain
The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Keeping Days by Norma Johston
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh



Favorite Non-series Children's Books
1. The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kippling
2. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Honorable mentions:
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst
Jacob have I Loved by Katherine Patterson
Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain
The Wonderous Star by Joanne Marxhausen
Anything by Eric Carle or Bill Martin, Jr.
The Little Prince (so much better in French) by St. Exupery


Favorite Children's Book Characters
1. Madeline because she is a redhead and "To the lion in the zoo, Madeline just said 'Poo Poo.'"
2. Laura Ingalls because she was middle child, too
3. Harriet the Spy because she had gumption

Today and Tomorrow

We rented a truck today and moved a bunch of stuff over to the new house. Dave and I didn't discuss everything we moved and we ended up moving some stuff that I planned to get rid of. Oh well, I just recycled it over there instead of over here. It was all my old notes from college and grad school. I kept the notes from the calls in which I met Dave. But other than that, I got rid of everything. So now I have a bunch of empty three ring binders. I will have to fill them with my quilting stuff...

My entire sewing room was moved. Tomorrow I will spend the day unpacking it and sorting it out. And deciding how to light the new room. Dave has promised to help me get better lighting in there.

I will take pictures if I remember to bring the camera.

Before Pictures

I thought I would show you some of the before pictures. My husband said to be sure to say we really love the layout of the house and there are some great points to it before I show you all the things we are changing to make it our home. He thinks you all will just think we were insane for buying it if I don't point out some good points...

I really love this kitchen. It has a ton of counter space and, although you cannot see it in this picture, a great eating area that has windows on three sides and looks out over the wooded backyard. This kitchen was a big selling point with me. Oh, and the cabinets go to the ceiling so I don't have that dust catching area above them.

I also love this office area/laundry room/mud room off the kitchen. This built in desk will be great for a computer that I can check my email on during the day.
Now, here is a close up of the wallpaper in the kitchen. First let me say, I am sure it is beautiful wallpaper. I am sure there are many people out there who love it, or the wallpaper company wouldn't have made it. It just is not my style.
Here is the dining room chandeliere. This fixture will be replaced as soon as the painting is done. No need to have a new one in there while we are painting.
This picture actually does not do it justice. You cannot see all the spikey branches. Also, it has been painted gold. Gold is not its original color. I am not a gold fixture person, so there are a lot of fixtures in the house that need to be changed including all the door knobs, cabinet pulls, faucets, and shower heads.

Here is a close up of the wallpaper in the dining room.
These peacocks have a lot of detail on them that you cannot see in this small picture. I cannot imagine having turkey in a room with these on the wall. However, I am beginning to see how they could be used in a quilt... Too bad there is no peacock fabric on the drapes...

One last room--the powder room. This paper is what is on the walls:
And here is the ceiling...
I just don't know about having people on the wall in the powder room. It seems like it would ruin any sense of privacy.

So, as you can see, we have a lot of work to do. However, I am so excited about this house. We have met some neighbors and they are great. It is going to be a great move for us.

A Weekend at the New House

This is part of the cover from the latest Mechanical Engineering magazine, which is produced by the American Society for Mechanical Engineers. My husband gets this magazine. I had two thoughts when I saw it... First, wow, there are a lot more women engineers these days if they can put a knitting analogy on the cover of ASME's magazine. Second, I thought, knitting is really becoming mainstream again and perhaps quilting is going by the wayside...

We spent most of the weekend at the new house taking down wallpaper. Dave would take it down and I followed behind with the spackle. I am pretty good at spackling as I spent a few summers repairing houses in Appalachia with my church group. I am going to go back over there this afternoon and work some more. The wallpaper is not coming down very easily as it was put up on unprimed drywall.

I did sneak away for an hour to go to the Super Bowl sale at my local quilt store. The store changed owners on February 1st. I am reserving judgement on if that was a good or bad thing. I liked the old owner. I have met the new owner and she seems very sweet. She was nice to my kids, who tend to go shopping with me. (They were with me earlier in the week, not for the sale.) While I certainly think quilt store owners have the right not to love my kids, it makes my life easier if they do. I don't like to take them into stores where they are not welcome. It is not that I won't shop there, I just don't do it with the kids. But, back to the new owner, the employees like her. They say she is not making major changes. I wonder if she'll show up at Wool Club on Wednesday. Here is what I bought...



And a fun thing... My oldest is trying out for the talent show at school. I loved being on stage when I was young. I hope he loves it, too. He is doing a skit with half the boys in his class. The music teacher, who also the dad of one of the boys, is helping them with it. What a fun thing for him and for me.

Oh, I forgot to read The Artist's Way this week. Too much other excitement going on. I will complete the book this week. Next I want to read something about color and quilting.