Advice and Smiles for 2012

Posted By on January 25, 2012

I wish that I could give credit to the author of this – but alas, it came in an e-mail (source unknown) from my cousin.  I love it….THANKS NANCY.  I just had to share it!

 

Great Tips For 2012

1. Stay out of trouble.

Stay OUT of Trouble

2. Aim for greater heights.

 

Aim for HIGHER GOALS

3. Stay focused on your job.

Stay Focused

4. Exercise to maintain good health.

 

Exercise will keep you STRONG

5. Practice team work.

 

TEAM WORK!!!!

6. Rely on your trusted partner to watch your back. Take your time trusting others.

 

Rely on someone that you trust!

 

7. Save for rainy days.

 

SING AND DANCE IN THE RAIN WHENEVER POSSIBLE

 

8. Rest and relax .

 

REST!

 

9. Always take time to smile.

 

Smile and the WORLD SMILES WITH YOU

AND

10.. Realize that nothing is impossible.

 

With God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.....NEVER GIVE UP

What’s on my DESIGN FLOOR, Monday, January 23, 2012

Posted By on January 23, 2012

I was looking at my design floor post last week……and I was sure giggling because I did not DO EITHER OF THE TWO THINGS THAT WERE ON MY DESIGN FLOOR last week.  I am just like the mouse in the book “IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE…”  I got DISTRACTED by other things.

OK – so here is what I DID do.

FIRST… I put together the top for my grandangel, Jannae’s, art quilt.  

She made these drawings on cloth with crayon when she was 5 and 6 years old.

Jannae’s Art Quilt

 

Second – I knitted a hat for my Grandangel, Leanna.

Leanna's knitted hat

 

I think I have redeemed myself after making her an ugly scraf that my brother, Dan, says looks like she was wearing intestines around her neck.  I still do not know what to do with it………I guess it would make a good WHITE ELEPHANT gift if that ever comes up!

Leanna and the UGLY Knitted Scarf

 

Third – I helped Grandangel Leanna make a pieced skirt for her sister’s American Girl Doll.  She made it with 2 1/2″ fabric strips from my 30’s fabrics – I have a special basket for this fabric collection

Grandangel Leanna and the SKIRT

 

Fourth – I finished my 2012 January Color Challenge – combined with my January Free Motion Quilting Challenge – it is my first Alzheimer’s Art Quilt to be donated this year.

The colors were given by Vicki Welsh – the picture is of tiles of an 1882 Ship that she saw in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  I used yo yo’s that I purchased at an “estate” fabric sale.  I just couldn’t let this deceased quilter’s pickle jar of yo yo’s that she worked so hard on NOT get used for something special!

I also quilted it using HEART LEAVES – the January 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge.

The Spangle Tree

 

I named the quilt the THE SPANGLE TREE in memory of my friend Margarita.  She was a Spanish Professor at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA  where I taught for 20 years.  We used to walk together in the early mornings before our classes started.  I loved her!

Margarita was very spiritual and shared the story of how “GOD SPOKE TO HER ONE NIGHT AND CALLED HER HIS SPANGLE.”  She was very distressed because she dreamed and prayed in SPANISH and God had spoken to her in ENGLISH.  So she had to go look up SPANGLE in the dictionary.  She said it meant sweet, and special – like a sparkling  star.  (I looked up the meaning on WIKIPEDIA and evidently it was also a candy made in the 1950’s as well….now discontinued.)

Here is the BACK of The Spangle Tree…..I used a BIRD HOUSE label (you have to have birdhouses to go with a Spangle Tree) that I got on the WHITE ELEPHANT TABLE at my Colonial Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild meeting.  I love using unloved and unwanted things for a new purpose.

The Back of THE SPANGLE TREE

 

Fourth – I made my 11 x 14 block for the Richmond Modern Quilt Guild Round Robin that will begin in February.  We had to use a word that represented our dreams or aspirations for 2012.  I chose SPANGLES (I guess my friend, God’s Spangle, Margarita, is on my mind a lot lately, and I had a DREAM about this block – SERIOUSLY, I planned it in my dream!)   So, in 2012, I hope to be sweet, special, different, sparkly like a star, colorful, and FUN!….so SPANGLES is my word for 2012.  The dots in the fabric represent the CANDY NERDS which I tasted for the FIRST TIME this week.  Grandangel, Sarah, shared some with me.  The ONLY candy that I really eat much is chocolate….so this was a taste adventure.

Spangles

Fifth – I put together my 2011 Summer Mystery Quilt!

Summer Mystery 2011

 

So what will I do this week?  WHAT I HAD ON MY DESIGN FLOOR LAST WEEK!  LOL.

Go to Judy Laquidara’s Blog at Patchwork Times.Com to see what quilters around the country are working on!

 http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/01/23/design-wall-monday-january-23-2012/

Show and Tell at the Richmond Modern Quilt Guild Meeting, January 20, 2012

Posted By on January 22, 2012

My mind was churning away – while I slept last night – yes, I was DREAMING about Julia Pfaff’s embroidery and I was painting yellow dots on my fabric and embroidering all over them.  LOL.

And then I got weary (in my sleep) of embroidering around little dots, so I designed my next ROUND ROBIN BLOCK.  We need to turn in an 11 x 14 block in February……with a word on it that stands for our dream, aspirations, goal or desires for 2012.  STAY TUNED….it is my project for today.  🙂  Inspired by Julia, I am going to do some WONKY thread play on my letters…….

And that DREAM made me remember that I did not post our RMQG Show and Tell for the meeting last Friday.   SO, better late than never!!!

 

 

My Show and Tell is at the quilt top stage….it was in my car and it was raining – so it didn’t make it inside to the meeting.  Jannae, my grandangel, made  crayon drawings on cloth when she was 5 and 6 years old….(she turned 8 yesterday!)  It took a long time for me to figure it out because I didn’t want to mess it up and it was challenging because her blocks were all different sizes.  The third challenge was that she chose the fabric.  BUT FINALLY,  I was able to put her drawings together into a quilt…….the tooth fairy is my favorite block!

 

….but I think she did a good job on her dog, Roxy!

 

Jannae's Art Quilt by sao

 

I guess I should include a picture of the little artist!  🙂  Hey there are perks to having your own blog!  LOL

 

Grandangel Jannae sewing a bean bag

 

 

 

Julia Pfaff was at the Richmond Modern Quilt Guild in Midlothian, VA Friday night – January 20, 2012

Posted By on January 21, 2012

WOW – last night, all of us at the Richmond Modern Quilt Guild were really amazed and fascinated by the work of VCU Adjunct Professor, Julia Pfaff.    Her work with embroidery and textile manipulation is unique and admirable.  She is TRULY a MODERN QUILTER who does her own thing and doesn’t mind spending “MILLIONS OF HOURS” on her works of art.

She must never be without a needle in her hand.

I am so glad that I got to see this program – Julia’s life as an artist, coupled with her archaeological life experiences,  have influenced her work – wouldn’t it be fun to take a class from her at VCU!!!!  I am so glad that she came to the RMQG group with her artistry.  I am surprised that she passed around her work for us to admire and touch!

 

 

What’s on my DESIGN FLOOR, Monday, January 16, 2012

Posted By on January 16, 2012

 

I am now piecing the BACK for my  Orca Bay – Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery Quilt.  I finished piecing the top this week!  I call this one ORCA BAY 1.  (I am making my FAVORITE style back for the quilt….12 1/2″ squares…..I am using gold, white, red, and blue blocks.  It takes a bit of time to piece the back but I am discovering that these are the quilts that I LOVE – the plain back ones just don’t grab my heart in the same way. )

Orca Bay 1

 

Here is Orca Bay 2 (I have shown this before but I want you to tell me which one you like the best!)  One I will keep and the other I will donate or give away.  Three of my 17 grandangels are still quiltless…..can you believe it?

Orca Bay 2

This week I will be sewing 1 1/2″ strips together to make the EASY STRATA STAR table topper quilt.  If you want the pattern, I put a link for the website to order the pattern….the picture below is from that link.  Here is the Bayside Quilting Store’s Easy Strata Star picture.

 

Easy Strata Star

https://www.baysidequilting.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1284

 

Here are my strips that need to be sewn together for the Strata Star.  I keep rearranging the order!!!!  I think this is the order that I will use.

Strata Star Fabric

 

If you want to see what quilters around the country have on their design walls – here is Judy Laquidara’s link (she has a new book out on borders and is taking pre-orders for autographed copies now!)

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/01/16/design-wall-monday-january-16-2012/

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