Road Trip and Wool…

SEW what does a road trip and WOOL have in common?  Well yesterday when my husband suggested that we go on a little road trip to escape the rotten weather (yes, it was cold and windy!) I had no idea where we would end up! 

I  packed up my stitching and the dogs and we hit the road…only to find ourselves in Old Town Temecula!!  YAHOO!! 

You know what that meant…a quick stop at the Wool Lady’s Shop…probably the last one for this year!

Besides this gorgeous wool, I bought some Cushing Dye which I will share with my Wool Crazy friend back home!  Ohhhh we are going to have FUN!!  The Wool Lady had EVERY colour on our wish list and she said to just phone if we need MORE! Oh..oh…I can see it now…trouble…I can see Claire phoning every other day!!  SHE is such a bad influence!

And of course I ran into the Quilter’s Coop across the road…I needed more of this red fabric for the Wee Basket Quilt and the rest I found in the Sales Room!  The price of fabric has really gone up since my last visit to the Coop…YIKES!  I will be checking the prices at the other Quilt Shops during the Spring Fling Quilt Shop Hop on Thursday! :(  I haven’t noticed a huge price increase for fabric in the on-line shops…have you?

So all in all, I really don’t mind a shift in weather once in awhile!!  We are suppose to have gorgeous warm weather by Friday! 

Today is Quilting in the Clubhouse!!  I am still working on those Wee Baskets!!  They’re tiny but time consuming! And that one inch sashing and cornerstones..ouch!

Hey…it’s Leap Year!!  Head on over to Bonnie’s Blog for some Leap Year Fun!!

Have a wicked Wednesday and Happy Quilting!~P

Beading in the Clubhouse…

…is winding down...as we now have only THREE members meeting every Monday!  JoAnne, JoAnn and Bernie have all gone on to greener pastures…meaning HOME!  :)

We will continue on in smaller numbers…but it won’t be the same! 

I thought you’d like to see what I crocheted!  You heard me…crocheted…like with a hook, wire and beads!

Maybe it will look better if I put it on black…

I don’t know if I will ever wear it but it is pretty!

These are my two favourite necklaces that I made this year!  My Santa Fe necklace…made from red, turquoise and green rocks which I bought in that area a couple of years ago!!  Love the colours all mixed into a twisted choker!

And this freshwater pearl choker made in the same style…simple and sweet!

On the quilting front…I’m still hand stitching away on this hexagon quilt in the evenings…and it is slowly growing…key word… ‘SLOOOWWWLY’!

There’s lots happening around here in the Palm Springs Area this weekend…the Spring Fling Blog Hop (involving 8 Quilt Shops along the I-10 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and the Palm Spring’s Quilt Show on Friday and Saturday!  SEW if you live in the area make sure you attend!!  Both are ALWAYS fun!

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Quilting!~P

Bagged..

Myra, the newest member at Clubhouse Quilting brought this bag to the clubhouse…and I have GOT to show it!  It was a gift from her sister-in-law so Myra isn’t sure how SIL made it be..SEW… we  thoroughly examined it…:)

It has very straight rows of small 2” squares of fabric and the only thing holding them down is the wavy line quilting..

See have a look…we figure the Sister-In-Law must have glued/basted them all into place and then using the squares as a guide quilted down the sides of each square and then through the middle.  Loved it!  Very precise and accurate…yet scrappy at the same time!

Cool hey!!  Do you think this would work on a baby quilt?  Or would it not wash well…hmmm…food for thought!

It’s a busy Monday…yoga, beading, luncheon with ladies…it’s a tough life…but someone’s got to LIVE IT!! 

See ya’ tomorrow!!

Have a munching  Monday and Happy Quilting!~P

SCORE!

Garage Saling was HOT! HOT! HOT! yesterday…and so was the weather!!  (Must have been over 30C (90sF)…too hot for this GSer!)

But I still managed to shout out a few “SCORES”…did you hear me?? 

There was this old earthenware pottery bowl…I have been looking a long time for one of these…one in good condition and one that I could afford!!  The fella was asking $10 for it…like I said it was hot and it was already after 10 o’clock so when I offered $5 he took it!  SCORE!!  I LOVE IT!! (I would have gladly paid the $10…but a girl’s got to try…after all WE are GSing!!) It is also VERY heavy…and big!!  Remember it had to be small and light as a feather for the 5th wheel…but this is EARTHENWARE…the heavy kind!  Oh well…maybe I can sneak it in…

It was a neighbourhood sale and the house beside this garage sale was giving away grapefruit…bags were hanging from the tree…so I filled a bag…picked my own for FREE!!  Delicious…sweet and juicy…like grapefruit candy…and each one is HUGE!

Then I stumbled onto this platter!!  Loved it too…and it was only $5 and in perfect condition!  I love the strawberry motif on the platter…

Reminded me of a certain quilt that is on my BUCKET LIST…I could see this platter sitting on that  Bonnie Sullivan quilt…the pattern is waiting for me at home!!  NOW I HAVE to make it!!

Good thing there is a Quilt Shop Blog Hop coming up this Thursday…I NEED to buy some green homespuns…shheeeesh…there is ALWAYS something!

On the Quilting Front~

                           

Hey, did you see that Darlene, Sew Cal Gal is having her annual, Golden Quilter Awards….where we can nominate our favorites and vote for the ultimate winners!  We are also invited to come to her party to celebrate the ultimate winners of the 2012 Golden Quilter Awards. Get out those party dresses!!  Plus, those who help with PR (PR Angels), nominate and/or vote can enter to win some great prizes!  And we are all for prizes…so it’s a win/win!!

Here are the categories…

Best Quilt Designer

Best Quilt Teacher/Instructor

Best Quilt book Author

Best Quilt Store (physical)

Best Quilt Store (online)

Best Longarm Quilter

Most Innovative Product (physical)

Most Innovative Product (software)

Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka "Lifetime Achievement"

Best Quilt book publisher

This is going to take a lot of thought…so will ponder it for awhile before I submit…but we do have till March 4th!  Go over to Sew Cal Gal’s and read all about it!!

Well that’s it for another WEEK…and February is almost finished!!  NOW how did THAT happen?!!

Have a SUNNY Sunday and Happy Quilting~P

And the winner…

…of our “Back to Charm School” Blog Tour is Brenda of “Quilting Along Life’s Way Blog”! 

Congratulations, Brenda you have just won the autographed book “Back to Charm School” by Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene and their Newspaper ‘ Goat Gazette’!  You are going to LOVE both!!  Please send me your snail’s mail address and I will get this to you as soon as possible!! 

Thanks SEW much, Mary and Connie!! I had a wonderful time…I love ‘Back to Charm School’ and I am now on the hunt for the first ‘Charm School’ book!!  Ahhhh…there’s nothing like the hunt!! :)

It’s a Wrap….

So ends a wonderful Blog Hop!  Today was the last day of Country Threads authors, Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene’s a Book Review Blog Tour featuring their newest book, ‘Back to Charm School’!!

What a thrill it was for me to be a part of the illustrious team of quilters who reviewed the book!  Thank you Mary and Connie for inviting me!!

             

Make sure you visit all ELEVEN blogs to learn more about Mary and Connie and their wonderful books and patterns!  I know I learned tons…and just this morning I read that Pat had both ladies over for dinner!!  Just thinking about THAT ONE makes me a nervous wreck!!

And REMEMBER to leave comments on all ELEVEN BLOGS for 11 chances to win a copy of this wonderful book!!  Here are the links to the hop~

Feb.20~ Maureen Baly                moequiltz.blogspot.com

Feb.20~Paulette Doyle                sweetp-paulette.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Lori DeJarnatt                humblequilts.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Jo Kramer                        joscountryjunction.com

Feb. 22~ Sherri McConell               aquiltinglife.blogspot.com

Feb. 22~ Karen Griska                    selvageblog.blogspot.com

Feb.23~ Julie Winkler                    juliekquilts.blogspot.com

Feb.24~ Sarah Craig    confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com

Feb.24~Suzanne Melkoski            coloradolady.blogspot.com

Feb.25~Michelle Marr               mychellem.blogspot.com

Feb.25~ Pat Wys        silverthimbletalk.blogspot.com

I will be picking a WINNER TONIGHT AT 6 pm (Pacific Time)…so stay tuned…

Gee, I am sure coming away THE WINNER!  I have a copy of this fantastic book PLUS this sweet little creation…my favourite runner EVER!!…I call it ‘The Honeycomb’ but it’s technically called “Do NOT put you elbows on the Table!”  I think I will change that to “Do Not put your elbows on the Table…or ANYTHING ELSE!! :)

On Today’s Agenda~

Blueberry Pancakes in the Clubhouse…and perhaps a little Garage Sailing, followed by a hike on one of the many trails behind Palm Springs…make that a VERY WIDE trail…there have been ‘numerous’ snake sightings due to the hot weather!  YIKES!!

Less than a month left of this Snowbirding Gig…!o(

Have a Super Saturday and Happy Quilting!~P

TAH-DAH!!

Synthia, my Blogging friend and fellow Snowbirder, has just finished the LAST blocks to Primitive Gatherings’ Block of the Week…and they are MAGNIFICENT!!  Be prepared to have your socks knocked right off those FEET! 

This quilt is going to be stunning…an heirloom quilt for sure!  Just look at Synthia’s work…WONDERFUL…and the perfect project to do while on the road or sitting in your Palm Springs condo!!  Ahhh Synthia has the good life!

All Synthia has left to stitch are the appliqued borders and cornerstones, along with piano keys sashing and final border…a piece of cake!! :) 

Thanks for sharing Synthia!  You will have to send us pictures when it is all finished!  I’m dying to see how you are going to quilt it!

On to other NEWS!!

              

GIVE AWAY…If you haven’t already entered my “Back to Charm School Give Away’ then you need to go HERE!!  Time is running out…the winner of the book will be announced tomorrow night!  Remember you have ELEVEN chances to win…simply Hop to the other participants’ blogs and leaving a comment…and who knows…this book may be in your hands by next week!  OK..OK…who am I kidding…mail is slow…maybe, if you are lucky, you will receive it by April…but what an April it will be!  You are going to LOVE this book!

  Here are the links to the hop~

Feb.20~ Maureen Baly                moequiltz.blogspot.com

Feb.20~Paulette Doyle                sweetp-paulette.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Lori DeJarnatt                humblequilts.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Jo Kramer                        joscountryjunction.com

Feb. 22~ Sherri McConell               aquiltinglife.blogspot.com

Feb. 22~ Karen Griska                    selvageblog.blogspot.com

Feb.23~ Julie Winkler                    juliekquilts.blogspot.com

Feb.24~ Sarah Craig    confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com

Feb.24~Suzanne Melkoski            coloradolady.blogspot.com

Feb.25~Michelle Marr               mychellem.blogspot.com

Feb.25~ Pat Wys        silverthimbletalk.blogspot.com

Now hop to it…and good luck!!  Be there or be square!

Today, myself and three gal friends will be hitting every Thrift Shop from LaQuinta to Palm Springs…I wonder what treasures await us??  I’m told that whatever ‘treasure’ I find has to be small and weigh less than a feather…I think I am up for the challenge!!

Have a FUN Thrifty Friday and Happy Quilting!~P

Coming Unglued…

…is the secret to making these hexagons! 

 

I wanted a fabric glue that holds the edges of the hexagons down long enough to stitch the hexagons together and then be able to lift up the glued edges for easy removal of the mylar template.  Am I asking for too much??  Is there a product on the market that can do this??

I put ‘er to the test!!  I took two glue products…Sewline Glue Pen and Lapel Glue and did a test…The Sewline Glue Pen did a great job of gluing down the edges…no mess either!!  Love the small tip!

The Lapel Stick also did a great job of gluing down the edges…a little messier as the stick is fatter…but we can live with a little mess…after all creating is MESSY work…or sew I tell my hubby!!:)  I put an ‘L’ on the mylar template to indicate that this was glued by the Lapel Stick…

I know that you are ALL sitting on the edge of your seats wondering which one came unglued better…???  You know that these heavy duty Mylar templates HAVE got to be removed!

Here’s the proof…all of the centre ones have had the mylar removed…see the frayed blue one in the middle…it was glued using a Lapel Stick…what a mess!!

See this other blue hexagon…it was another Lapel stick hexagon too…this one was almost impossible to remove! 

The Sewline Glue Pen hexagons were MUCH easier to remove…run a butter knife under and it came right up!  Sometimes it popped out on it’s own!

So my hexagon quilt is growing…

And I am going with the Sewline Glue Pen…and just a little dab will do ya’…a VERY small dab!

I’m saving the Lapel Stick for when I want to glue fabric to fabric and I want a REALLY good hold!  In fact, it would be perfect for a quick hem job…or to hold fabrics together before stitching.

So there you have it!!  I really did come UNGLUED!!…and thanks to Sewline I think I will come UNGLUED tonight too!!

Have a Thrilling Thursday and Happy Quilting!~P

Arts and Quilt Show at The Sands RV Resort

What a lot of FUN ‘work’ it was to set up for this annual event at the Sands!  The Clubhouse quilters and I were all remembering (fondly…and longingly) the Road to California Quilt Show…and fully comprehending and appreciating how much planning and work THAT show must be!  Not that these two shows could be compared…it’s just that you go to a show and never FULLY appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes! 

That being said, what a great show the Artists at the Sands put on!  Let me show you a few of the displays and you be the judge!

Here’s Anne in front of her FABULOUS display…a little mini show all on her own!!  I loved the way she put a little table in front, displaying her pennies and little quilts and then sat and stitched and talked to all the visitors!  Very welcoming!  Makes you want to sit down and stitch right beside her!

 

And I LOVE Phyllis’ display…looks lovely, don’t you think!

Here’s is Gwen’s table…looks like Gwen is definitely WOOL CRAZY!!  See her newest addition…the little rabbit penny just in time for Spring!!

And just above Gwen’s table, we have Seattle Judy’s STUNNING display…(that CIVIL WAR quilt is calling MY name…loud and clear!!)  Love her quilt!!   And isn’t it wonderful to see the sprinkling of wool pennies here and there…Judy is currently finishing up the Primitive Gathering Pumpkin Penny…one of my favourites!

Here are my quilts!!  So exciting to see them all hanging…and yes, I did finish off the Little Honeycomb table topper from “Back to Charm School”..see way at the bottom!!  Love that little guy!

Even Darlene from “Quilt Daze” got into the show…This little guy was a Christmas gift from Darlene and had been packed in with my Christmas Quilts… so what the heck…too dang cute to leave out!

Karen’s wonderful quilts for her grand kids!!  How can they be anything but THRILLED!!

Alice draped this wonderful Bargello quilt over one of the couches in the hall…looked like it was at home…just needed a body and a good book!

Love this picture of Sandy…so typical of her…always the comedian!  Here she is thumbing her first little wool penny project…correction…her first stinking cute wool penny!  Is she a WOOL CRAZY yet?  Hmmm…maybe one more project will hook her…we shall see!

Isn’t it the cutest?  She is going to love bringing this one out for display  next Christmas!

Kim (our quilting dynamo) left last week and Pauline arrived…and all on the same day!!  One quilter in and one quilter out!  Next year we are hoping they are BOTH here at the same time!! 

Here is Pauline..stitching a Charity Quilt…Her runner in front of the TV got a LOT of attention…it is WOVEN strips of fabric and the weave forms the cube design…and it’s REVERSIBLE!!  Very clever!

This is another one of her masterpieces!!  36 patch squares with a shadow box in one corner…very effective!  Those squares are tiny too!

Here are the Monday Clubhouse Beaders…or rather what’s left of the Clubhouse Beaders…JoAnn and Bernie have travelled on to greener pastures…they have gone HOME!:)…leaving behind L to R, Sandy, Me, JoAnne and Diane.  We had a fun year…I dabbled in the beads but these three are die-hard beaders! 

Here’s just a small sampling of their bead work!

This rug was made by Martha…from polyester scraps!!  Loved it!

There was lovely pottery…

And driftwood art….

TONS of painters…here’s Mary and her wonderful work!  Would you believe she is self taught and just picked up the brush three years ago!  Her work is STUNNING!!

Another painter…at least with sewing in the trailer all my hubby has to worry about is a stray pin…or two!!  Imagine oil paints??  Could get ugly!!

LOVED these…lots of talent here!

Several crocheters….

And tons of people came for our little show!!  Including Synthia and her friend!!  Synthia is a Blog ‘lurker’ (and proud of it!! haha)…you may remember that I met her for coffee earlier this year!!  She is such a sweety!!  Anyways I was happy to see her again as she heads for home shortly!  I told her to say HI to Marie…her Blog Lurking friend!  Yes, lurkers seem to come in swarms…or pods…or herds…or schools…or flocks…yes flocks sounds better!  I remember my days as a lurker…and we definitely travelled in flocks…:)

Hope you enjoyed our little show!!  Meet you back here…same time next year?

JUST A REMINDER~

Country Threads authors, Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene are hosting a Book Review Blog Tour featuring their newest book, ‘Back to Charm School’!!  You have 11 chances to win a copy of this wonderful book!!  Here are the links to the hop~

Feb.20~ Maureen Baly                moequiltz.blogspot.com

Feb.20~Paulette Doyle                sweetp-paulette.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Lori DeJarnatt                humblequilts.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Jo Kramer                        joscountryjunction.com

Feb. 22~ Sherri McConell               aquiltinglife.blogspot.com

Feb. 22~ Karen Griska                    selvageblog.blogspot.com

Feb.23~ Julie Winkler                    juliekquilts.blogspot.com

Feb.24~ Sarah Craig    confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com

Feb.24~Suzanne Melkoski            coloradolady.blogspot.com

Feb.25~Michelle Marr               mychellem.blogspot.com

Feb.25~ Pat Wys        silverthimbletalk.blogspot.com

Now hop to it…and good luck!!  Be there or be square!

Have a Wicked Wednesday and Happy Quilting!!