WIP Wednesday

I have two WIP's to show you today.

First is a UFO started about 6 years ago. I remember buying the fabric at the Superbowl Sunday Sale. It was made with Quilter's Grid, which I really do not like. I would rather line up the squares and sew them individually. So it was just a top until Monday. Then I added batting and quilted it. Now I am going to add beads and sequins to make it flashier. Then, I will add a back. It won't be done today for Valentine's Day, but it is nice to get a UFO out and working on it.

When it is done, it will hang in the powder room. Rebecca and I were talking about bathroom art the other day. Both of us grew up with art in the bathrooms. I called my mom the other day to ask where the poster is now located. She says it is somewhere in their house put away. So I called it. When they find it, if it is not going to hang in their house, and they are fast running out of wall space, I get it. Ha Ha my dear sisters! (I don't even think they read this blog, but just in case, HA HA!)


The second WIP is my attempt at a small series inspired by Deborah Boshert's book. These are just tiny little tops at the moment. They need some help. I am planning to frame them together to hang by my front door. They are perfectly rectangular, unlike the picture shows. They are supposed to be the same style house in different settings and different times of day. The only shape that is different on all of them is the landscaping. Everything else was cut together.

That is all from windy Georgia.

Don't Have A Lot to Say

Well, I have been just keeping up with life lately. My six year old is learning to read and write. He has been writing Valentine's Day cards left and right. He wrote to his dad, "You are the best dad ever. I wish you cood be in the book. But I still wont you here." By the book, we think he means the Guinness Book of World Records for the best dad category. I find glue, paper, scissors, markers, paint, etc. out all the time. Who am I to stifle creativity? Thank goodness for Crayola washable stuff. By the way, Windex can remove Sharpie from some surfaces, too.

I received Deborah Boschert's book in the mail last week. It is really wonderful. I am working slowly on a series of 4x6 pieces based on her instructions. It is more than instructions, it is inspiration, too. I am a fan of her art. When I go back to work, I am buying some, definitely.

Rebecca has great news over on her blog. I'll let you read it there. Suffice it to say, I get to say, "I knew her when..."

I am embroidering the fingers and nose on Nursing Mom. Then I have to figure out where to go next. I have to figure out what to do with her when she is done, too.

Funny From My Dad

I got an email from my dad this morning with this in it...

"Did you know your Mom has a drawer full of UFO's? When she told me I thought about heading to the pantry to get out the tin foil so I could make a hat to ward off the ET's. But she lessened my fears by telling me UFO's refer to unfinished objects. I was quite relieved."

I wrote back to ask is she has any PIGS.

What would you do with a visitor?

I got this from Amy's blog and thought it would be an interesting exercise for me.

Visitor to Your Hometown
1. Your visitor wants to see something historical. Where would you take her and why?
I would take her to the Martin Luther King Center. I find it amazing how many people refuse to go there because they don't want people to think of the South 'that way.' Anyway, being a child of the 70's, I found it very interesting and like to share it with other people. My mom taught at an HBCU (historically black college/university) when I was growing up, so I met a lot of very educated black women. Having visited the King Center, I have an even greater admiration for these women than I did before.

2. She wants to see something hysterical…well, mildly amusing anyway. She’d even go for cute, quirky, odd, or unique. Where would you take her and why?
The Big Chicken. Can you get more odd, quirky, and unique? It is a KFC that actually still claims the word "fried". I have even made quilt blocks of it.

3. She wants to take some beautiful and/or interesting photos to fill her albums when she gets home. Where would you take her?
The Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I LOVE this place.

4. She’d like to buy a souvenir that will remind her of your area every time she sees it. What would you suggest and where would you go to get it?
Something from the World of Coca Cola. What could be more Atlanta than Coke?

5. Wow, it’s been a long day and you’re both ready for a snack, or maybe even a meal. Where would you take her to really get the flavor of your area?
Williamson Brothers BBQ. I took some visitors from Australia there once and they didn't order barbeque. The waitress informed them that grilled chicken and Polish sausage were not what you ordered at a BBQ restaurant and proceeded to bring them a pulled pork open-faced sandwich, beef brisket, beans, and brunswick stew. No complaints were heard from the Aussies.

Any takers?

Do Other People Really Want My Art?

I enjoyed making those post cards yesterday. And I started working on a couple more today. I guess I am really working on finding my style. I have plans to send these post cards to friends to say hello and tell them I am thinking of them. For example, the fish one is going to a friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer. Then I started thinking. I am foisting my art on them. What if they really don't want it? I mean, I will never know if they just throw it away, I suppose. I have never given a quilt that has not been well received. But, I pick my recipients carefully. I don't just give quilts willy nilly. So, what do you think? Have you ever given art that has not been well received? Have you ever been given a piece of art you just cannot stand? And then, what do you do?

A couple of other things...
A shout out to the guys at Jiffy Lube on Sandy Plains. I was in and out of there in under 15 minutes. They talked to me like I understood the workings of my vehicle, and took the time to explain the difference between the two oils so I could make an informed decision. They didn't try to sell me any services I didn't need. They were lovely to my children. And, they did all the over the grease pit driving for me, as I am scared to do that. So thanks guys!

Thanks to the lady in the Publix parking lot. She stood there and talked to the baby while I got the 2 year old in her car seat. Really just a sweet woman. I was feeling very frazzled, and she made my day by saying she thought four kids was just perfect. (You don't know how many people feel the need to tell me I have too many kids.) I did thank her at the time, but I wanted to let you all know how much we young moms appreciate and need a little help and some affirmation.

And one final thank you to the Atlanta Sewing Center for having the Bernina free motion quilting foot I needed in stock. I have misplaced my darning foot, which means no free motion quilting. I was having withdrawals. I got a different foot with a bigger hole, so if I find the other one, it won't be a repeat.

WIP Wednesday

These postcards are what I worked on today. The heart ones are kind of blah. But they will make cute Valentine's Day cards. I like how the fish turned out.

To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

Well, not Mulberry Street, but this bird here was on my neighbor's mailbox. I looked out, and there he was. I ran out with the camera and got his picture before he flew off. Then I realized it was cold outside and my bare feet were not happy.

Sunday Wrap Up

Yesterday was a long, fun day. We had a birthday party with 11 6 year old boys. What fun! We played soccer in the front yard, all sorts of stuff in the basement, and had pizza and cake. I am finally putting moms, kids, faces, etc. all together. We had friends from preschool, the old neighborhood, soccer, and the new neighborhood/school.

So I spent the morning getting ready for the party, the first part of the afternoon having the party, and the middle part of the afternoon cleaning up.

Then... I got to have a girls' night out. I went to dinner with 12 delightful women and then we went to see "Menopause, The Musical". What a hoot! First of all, dinner was so much fun. All the women were PTA types, with local council, district, and state officers all represented. We had a couple of teachers there. And everyone was a mom. I was the youngest by about5 or so years. The conversation was lively, witty, and very interesting.

The show was hysterical. I haven't laughed that hard in years. And I really don't think it was the two cosmos I had at dinner. The show was just that funny. The actresses were incredible. It really is great. If you have a chance, you should go see it.

So this morning we are taking it easy. We have one jacket to return from the party. My husband is supposed to play tennis, but it is supposed to start raining about an hour before he is supposed to start. I think we will just lounge around and play with birthday presents today.

One last note, the blocks for the children's quilts were mailed out Friday, so they should be arriving at the next piecers' houses early this week.

WIP Wednesday

I have been working on the children's quilts for the 40 Quilts Challenge. I am making 112 4 1/2 inch nine patches. I spent the last two days cutting the stripes, sewing them together, and pressing them. This morning I sub-cut them. Then I sorted all the pieces into baggies so they will be organized when I go sew them after lunch. (Or whenever the kids give me a chance.) My goal is to have them in the mail to the next sew-er on Friday. That's only 224 seams away! I also have all the setting squares cut. I need to cut the borders, still.


In other news in my life... I have now been running for 3 weeks, at least 4 times each week. I thought it would be boring. I thought I would hate it. Boy was I wrong. First of all, my mind is going a thousand miles a minute while I am out there running. (Not my feet, but my mind.) I certainly miss my friend Cheri, who I walked with at my old house. But I have found that I also enjoy the peace of just thinking my thoughts. I do listen to an MP3 player while running, mostly to keep me at a decent pace. So it really isn't boring, and I don't hate it. For this venture, I did invest in the priciest shoes I have ever owned. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I wear them around the house a lot. Other than that, I haven't spent a dime. I wear old sweats and sweatshirts and t-shirts. I wore my "Top Ten Reasons to be a Materials Science Major at Georgia Tech" the other day. My oldest thought it was really geeky. It is, for sure. I mean, there is a joke about the Griffith Crack Growth Theory on there. (Anyone else out there heard of the Griffith Crack growth Theory?) Anyway, after three weeks of this, I really think it is something I can keep up.

My mind has been thinking about wearable art lately. I would like to create something I can wear and my family will still be seen with me. Anyway, that is what will be on the drawing board. Nursing Mom is still on the design wall. I have to figure out where to go with her.

Check out my friend Heidi's blog. She has some great pictures she has been working on!

Hello, again

I was so happy to see how many people took the time to comment on my last post. I have many friends who never nursed, and I had no idea that so many people did. So thank you for the support.

I am working on the 40 Quilts for the Quilt Studio charity event. I have started making a list of what I really want to make. And I am trying to finish up UFO's in between. I have two quilts ready for binding. I have fewer UFO's than I thought I did. And I certainly need to do some fish pieces!

Ok, just wanted to let everyone know I am still alive and kicking. I might get the Christmas cards sent this week. I have decided to save the cards I bought for next year and just send the picture of the kids with a letter. You think that's ok?

Nursing Mom

I wasn't there, so I don't know what really happened, but I have had a bit of a fear of nursing in public since the woman got kicked off the plane for nursing. Like I said, I wasn't there, and I don't know exactly what happened, and it is entirely possible that she was hanging out all over the place or something. However, it is also entirely possible that someone was just freaked out that she was nursing. I have been around a lot of people like that. I was even told at a Little League game by a coach that, "This is a park that has family values. We don't want you to do that here." And I had taken the baby to the car with tinted windows to nurse. This piece is my answer, because I was very young and shy at that time, and I am sure I just mumbled some apology in reply. This is still a work in progress. She needs a nose and fingers. I am planning to stitch those in. However, I need to get working on the children's quilts for the 40 Quilts Donation project, so that is what I will get done this week.

Tonight is Fiber Arts Meeting

I have my Fiber Arts Alliance meeting tonight. We are coming up with a new name for the group, so I don't know what to call it exactly. However, it will be fun. I have made a lot of progress on my first Family Values quilt top, and I post it tomorrow during WIP Wednesday. I would post it now, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for tonight.

I thought I would post these pictures for Jane Ann. She reminds me of my mom, who also smocks clothes for her grandkids. So here is my mom...

And here are Amy and Sam together on Christmas Eve...

It's Friday Already?

I cannot believe Friday is here. The kids go back to school on Monday. It will be back to the little people and me at home. I did work in the sewing room with them yesterday. We had a lot of fun. I almost finished a post card. I spent a lot of the time just admiring the room and deciding I need my kids to make some artwork to hang on the walls.

In going through my stash, I found out that I bought a lot of fish and water fabric. Now, I am a beach person at heart. I love the beach. I plan to live at the beach when I retire. I doubt I rival Amy and her cats with my fish, but I have a lot of them. (I would put a link to Amy, but I haven't gotten my links transferred to my "new" computer, so I cannot at the moment.) So, you may be seeing a lot of fish out of me this year. I also have numerous dinosaur prints. Maybe some evolution quilt is in order. I have deep feelings about evolution.

As for my final 12 Days of Christmas...

On the 12th day of Christmas, my husband brought to me...
12 more somethings of memory (in my computer)
11 hours with no internet
10 empty boxes
9 shelves of fabric
8 glasses of water
7 football games
6 garbage bags (stole this from Dorothy)
5 MP3 players
4 pretzels
3 lost socks
2 running shoes
and an X Box game just for me.

WIP Wednesday

It is done. I finished unloading all the boxes in my sewing room.




When I saw this stash of fabrics, my first thought was, "I cannot believe I spent all that money!" And then I thought about it. We have always been able to pay all our bills. We have always been able to feed our children and heat and air condition our home. Why shouldn't I buy fabric, if it is what I want to do? Also, it isn't like I bought all of it last year. This fabric habit has been going on since before I had kids. So, I decided not to feel guilty.

As for the 10th day of Christmas....

my sewing room gave to me...

10 empty boxes

9 shelves of fabric and on and on...

Whoops! I got a little behind and the Influences of Laura Cater-Woods

On the eighth day of Christmas I gave to myself...
8 glasses of water
7 football games
6 garbage bags (stole this from Dorothy)
5 MP3 players
4 pretzels
3 lost socks
2 running shoes
and an X Box game just for me

And now football is on again. My teams have not been doing well this weekend, but I am used to that. Virginia Tech did not get good until after I had left. And I never really got into Georgia Tech football when I was there. But I watch the games, somewhat, while I am doing other stuff. I am looking forward to the Ohio State-Florida game. My generation is the first not to attend Ohio State, so I grew up watching Ohio State football. You just can't get that Big Ten football out of your life.

My sewing room is almost all put together. My parents brought me their old stereo, which they replaced, so I can listen to cds. I do use my MP3 player while sewing, but not while the little ones are in there with me.

Speaking of my sewing room, you all are going to think I drank the Laura Cater-Woods Koolaide. She spoke of having her daughter in her studio with her. I have always thought of my studio time as my own, and therefore I don't get much. Now I am setting it up so the kids can be in there with me and entertained and safe. I am putting a small table in there for my 2 year old to do her crafts. The stereo will have "Free to be You and Me" in it, along with classical and popular music. There is room for the baby to play on his quilt, or swing in the portable swing, or, when he gets bigger, play in the exersaucer graciously given to me by Becca. And, I will have my grandmother's Singer Touch N Sew set up for the boys to use. They like to make pillowcases and easy straight line stuff.

I also carried this "kids with me" attitude a little further. We got the little kid version of Dance Dance Revolution from the Discovery Channel Store for Christmas, so the kids can play with me. Whenever I exercise, they want the same equipment, etc. I also got two extra yoga mats. And, my oldest is running with me a couple days a week, because he never gets time alone with me because he is the last home from school.

I have been under the weather for the past couple of days, but I think I am on the upswing. Got to grab a glass of water and back to football.

The fifth day

On the fifth day of Christmas, Santa brought to us... 5 mp3 players

(4 types of pretzels, 3 lost socks, 2 running shoes, and an x-box game just for me.)

Yes, five different people at our Christmas celebration got mp3 players. My oldest son (11 years old) asked for one to tune out his younger siblings. My older sister and I got our nephew one because both our boys were getting them. Another nephew, a niece, and my sister also got them.

Since mine is being replaced by Creative Labs (talk about great customer service!) I have been borrowing my son's to go running. It is great. He got the new tiny ipod shuffle. Mine is bigger and heavier, although it has many more features.

I will get back in the studio tomorrow. I promise. Did I mention I got new shelves for it and I have been sorting fabric? I have more than I thought. I need to make it useful!

4th Day of Christmas

My sister brought to me...
4 different kinds of pretzels dipped in chocolate
3 leftover socks
2 running shoes
and an X-box game just for me....

12 Days of Christmas

Ala Dorothy...

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

3 leftover socks
2 running shoes with insoles
and a X-Box game just for me (Dance Dance Revolution!)

Very Quickly

I just wanted to say hello to everyone. Last week, I hosted 3 soldiers (my brother-in-law and two of his men) who were up here for laser eye surgery before going back to Iraq in a couple of months. Apparently eyeglasses and war do not go well together. (By the way, they really encouraged me in the Quilts of Valor area, so now I have even more motivation.) We had 12 extra people in our house for Christmas. It was a blast, but very busy. We had a family picture made with all 18 of us on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was delightful with 10 kids and 8 adults.

Back to getting the house back in order. There are lots of dirty sheets and towels.

About the Quilts of Valor project, the soldiers said it was nice to know that the people at home had their backs. They were touched that strangers would work so hard to make something to comfort a soldier in his/her time of need.

Christmas at Our House

Christmastime has come to our house. We were a little slow getting around to it this year, but the tree is now up and decorated. Most of the Nativities are out. And the stockings have been found, but not yet hung.

Here is a Nativity I got in one of those White Elephant swaps one year.


This Nativity, a good friend from grad school slip cast and glazed for me. It even has a little drummer boy, because I could not convince my dad that I needed the little drummer boy for my large set to which my parents were adding a piece or two every year.


And here is the one my parents have been buying me slowly. My two year old has decided they needed to perform "A Chorus Line." They have been singing and dancing all day, mostly to a mix of "Jingle Bells" and the alphabet.


I also have some pieces from the Department 56 Dickens Village. The Nativity my friend made fits right in, as though it is display in the village. I have more pieces, but my mantle is not big enough. They are spread throughout the house, on any high enough surface.


Our tree is they typical family tree with ornaments the kids made and other various ornaments we have collected all our lives. I am expecting a box from Browners under my tree with Sam's first Christmas ornament. That is my mom's job.


And finally... the most annoying Christmas decoration ever... And to think I was in Hallmark today and declined to buy this year's version...