Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Angel Trumpet Blooming




This plant was put in the ground on Easter weekend. That is the weekend that Prince Charming & I built these little planters beside the steps on the patio. My neighbor, Mrs. Green Thumb, gave it to me. She had wintered it in her basement and it was no taller than 18 inches and had MAYBE 2 or 3 leaves on it.

You can't tell that now!

It was hot today (not as TERRIBLY hot as it HAS been) and then it rained off & on all day & then got hot again. So? You are seeing fog AND it's nearly dusk ....but I think you can see it well enough. (?)

I needed a size comparison, becasue nobody believes me that this Angel Trumpet plant is 6 foot tall. As you can see, Prince Charming is standing next to it & it's taller than him - he's 5'9".

They smell SO beautiful. Wonderfully fragrant.

These blooms were a beautiful site to see, this week especially.

Sam

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Brothers

I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters. I am exactly in the middle. 2 older brothers and 1 older sister. 2 younger brothers & 1 younger sister.

One of my younger brothers is in the hospital. It's very serious. He's in critical condition & on a ventilator.

I do not desire to discuss why he is there, but I sure need everyone & anyone's good thoughts & prayers. He needs it.

Thank You

Friday, July 24, 2009

Busy With??? These !





Remember I told you that QB1 & I started a quilt project? Not exactly a single project. Not 2 of us working on ONE quilt. We're each making one....It's called "Pineapple Patch" & was in the McCall's Quilting in 2007 (originally I thought it was 2001...) I couldn't find an exact picture of the QUILT, but you can still download the directions for co-ordinating pillowcases.

I took a picture of the pattern - so that is as good as it's going to get. the very last picture shows the 2 bags that I am working from the upper bag is the scraps that I have left from cutting the block fabrics from the fat 8's. the lower one is the triangles i have left to sew on. the leftovers are slotted for the appliqued flowers int he borders and the same on the pillowcases.

These photos show you my progress! I have the centers completed and am fixing to start the first round of the strips & triangles that give the blocks the pineapple effect. Only - I'm gong to cheat just a bit. The pattern has you cutting rectangles & then chopping of the ends at an angle to create trapezoids & then sew them on.

I feel that the bulk of the seams is going to be there regardless if I sew trapezoids (sp?) or rectangles (lots easier to spell...) so instead of cutting the required trapezoids, I am going only cut rectangles, sew them on all sides of the sqaures & then TRIM the corners off before I sew the triangles on.

In MY mind I am eliminating a step or two & creating LESS bias edges to deal with....

I am trying very hard to get the bulk of THIS quilt finished so that I can start making THE baby quilt for DD2. When I get that done, I am going to make the crib set for the crib that stay's at Nana's house. (Yes, y'all, Nana will be me) Then if I have ANY time left - I want to TRY & get a Christmas Quilt done.

Don't even think about holding your breath on the Christmas Quilt. THAT might not happen.

On top of all my other busy-ness - this is what I have been able to squeeze in between. Thank goodness for rotary cutters and chain piecing.

Sam

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Nearly a WEEK ?

Wow, it's been nearly a week since I have posted. I have been BUSY. BUSY, and more BUSY since this time last week.

I don't have pictures, because, silly me....I NEVER remember the camera.

Let's see. Where to begin?

How about Saturday? On Saturday QB1 & I went on a mini shop hop. She had printed out nearly all the shops within a 2 hour drive of us (we are west of Nashville). This was a day-trip we had planned 2 weeks before.

We started out stopping at a shop called Wooka's. They are a homebased business & I dented my cash the biggest there. I bought 2 separate pieces of prequilted fabric in a Bohemian type print because they had a little casserole carrier made up in it & they had a FREE pattern for it too. How can you pass up FREE? I also got a nice backing. Cream background & blue floral. No clue what it will be the backing for, but I got it anyway. I got some other yardage too, but can't remember directly off the top of my head...

Our next stop was going to be in Waverly, but we were closer to Clarksville & went there next. Stopped at Hobby Lobby - all I got there was a twin size batting for the baby quilt I needed to quilt. Twin was too big, but crib was too small....Next in Clarksville, we went to Hancock's. I didn't buy anything there at all. They had lots of nice stuff, just nothing I thought I wanted. They DID have a little rollie cart for toting your machine around, but I thought I could get one @ Joann's cheaper.

While we were @ Hancock's , we ran into another QB from the guild & it turns out it was a good thing we didn't go to the shop in Waverly because they are not open on Saturday's....Isn't THAT odd? Not open on Saturday? A fabric shop? Oh well. It was $$ I didn't spend.

THEN we went to Goddlettesville. Can't remember the shop name, but we stopped there & they are the NICEST people. Super nice. Fabric is $10 a yard, but they are nice. I picked out about 6 FQ's & go to check out & the lady says to me "IS this all you want?" I say YES & she says okay - but if you buy 20 FQ's they are only $1 a piece. She told me that when we came in , but I forgot! Of COURSE, I went & found more to equal 20. I didn't get anything else because I just could not bring myself to pay $10 per yard - and REALLY the ONLY fabric that QB1 & I were actually hunting was an appropriate green 30's print to use in our Pineaplle Patch Quilt for the vines & leaves - we never did find anything we liked.

Next stop in Goodlettesville was Joann's - they didn't have the rollie cart I wanted. All sold out. We bought batting - prepacked was 2 for 1 - and I bought crib bumper batting. QB1 had coupons, so we used the heck out of them. I remeber buying fabric, but I can't be sure if that was me or QB1...

That ended our shopping day & we went home - I got home about 4:30 & then my friend Kat came to visit from Alabama. She had a baby quilt that she needed quilted badly. That & she was buying a sewing machine from me.

Sunday - Kat & I quilted the baby quilt. It came out so sweet. I don't know how she can make so many that she GIVES away! I probably could have quilted it faster, but I ran my mouth way too much! It was nice to visit. I sure wish we lived closer together. kat is the canning queen & has a care package made up waiting on me. I think the only other canning queen I know would be QB1 ! If the 2 of them ever got together in a kitchen, everything would end up in JARS ! I love them both!

Monday I sewed a bit on my Pineapple Patch quilt (after I got home from work)

Tuesday was spent in a meeting for work in Franklin. I took advantage of being in Franklin when the meeting was done to go to Joann's - to find a rollie cart - they din't have one either!!!!!! Then went to Stitcher's Garden. I did find a green 30's print. I think it's dark enough. It was the ONLY one that was dark enough. I was glad that it wasn't the regular $8.99 per yard. (I'm telling you folks, shopping at Wittles & Wooka's will spoil you to shop anywhere else!) So i got 5 yards 7 split it in half for QB1 & me.

Also on Tuesday - the baby quilt that I was supposed to have made by Aug 18th got hyper-pushed to NOW - because Baby Jazzlynn made her appearance a whole month early....

Wednesay I came home & loaded the baby quilt onto the rails, quilted it, trimmed it , serged the edges, and sewed the binding on. Normally I hand sew the binding to the back/or front, but in the intrest of time, I machine sewed it down. I'll likely knock off $25 for that.

I am tired. Tired , Tired, And more Tired. But I'm not so tired that I can't go to QB1's house for our Thursday sit-n-sew tonight!!! Ha , Ha.

I have 2 quilts to quilt this weekend. Technically 3 - but one I am holding & one I am waiting on a special order pantograph. So I'll likely quilt KYRA's Log Cabin on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. Raining Sunday's are a perfect quilting day.

By the way - the pantograph's that I ordered from Urban Elementz are SO nice. I can't wait for the MONTHLY surprise.

Back to pantograph's...QB1 suggested using the coated / wrapped hair bands instead of the standard / regualr rubber bands. The regular rubber bands break like every 2nd or 3rd time I take them of a panto....I originally thought that the hair bands would be too thick and would wrinkle the paper.... Turns out that they are perfect. I probably have 30 or 40 of them. Not now, I don't, they are all on my pantopraghs. The newer hair bands that don't have the little metal thingy on them work best. I'll have to buy more because right now, I only have 3 or 4 in the drawer.... Thanks QB1 !!!

That's enough for today.

Talk at y'all later. (Said with my BEST southern drawl, while batting my baby blues..and the beauty queen wave....We all know none of THAT comes naturally!!!)

Sam

Friday, July 17, 2009

July 16th Sit-N-Sew

Last night, I felt like the hostess with the mostest. QB1 came & QB3 came. QB1 & I cut out the fat 1/8's for our Pineapple Patch Quilts & QB3 cut out borders for her Pink Lemonade Quilt.

QB1 had this week off, but I think she's been run ragged & went home a little early. But she was up sending me photos of our quilts form Monday's Guild meeting. How come you were not asleep @ 10PM QB1 ????

There were all 3 of us in my sewing area. I set up a folding table , on bed risers, and it was used as a cutting area. I need more light up there, but other than that, it worked out really well.

Before I retired for the eveing, I looked through the new blogs on the quilting blog ring. I saw a new blog (can't remember the name of it) that advertised , mentioned really, not advertised, a website called www.urbanelementz.com (sorry folks, I'm clueless how to LINK anything...They make pantographs. Some were SO cute. They have a "Pantograph-of-the-Month" program. I joined it. A new panto with co-ordinating border & corner & block patterns for $19.95 per month. You can cancel at anytime.

I saw several that they have, that I want. One is of FROGS ! Too cute.

Maybe one day, I'll graduate to the custom quilting, as I really want to try my hand at it, but I need to spend more time on the machine practicing & until the time comes that I have more free time then I have now, then I need to stick to E2E patterns. (Edge-to-Edge / Pantographs)And, I am happy doing that!

Tomorrow (Saturday), QB1 & I are going to 2 quilt shops. I am excited aobut going and I have a couple bucks I've saved just for this trip. That being said, since I SAVED said BUCKS, I bet I won't find a stinking thing. It's been you only have $10, that you find EVERYTHING you want & need!

No photos! Sorry.

Sam

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Bright Baby Quilt - Update





Finished the top this evening after i got home from work. had it done before 6PM too!

If I had something appropriate in my stash to use as a backing, I'd have had it loaded & well on it's way to being quilted too. Just didn't have 3 yards of anything bright enough. Pink , yes. Baby, yes. Flannel, yes. Just nothing BRIGHT.

Remember, this is a commissioned quilt.

It's really cute. Extremely cute. I don't think these photos relaly capture the HAPPINESS of it! I tried to get as many shots as possible, but some of the dark purples look black in these photos.

I don't know about y'all, but the oranges just scream to me.

It's storming, so I am trying to be FAST on this post

Talk at you all later!

Sam

July Guild Meeting





Went to the guild meeting on Monday night. We have had 3 new members in the last 2 months & that brings our total membership to 55 persons. We have only one male.

They were getting revved up for the *new* officers for 2010. Guess who got elected to a "position"? Yours Truly! Secretary. I hope whoever sits next to me has good eyes (to read name tags) and a good memory (to tell me everyone's name if they are not wearing a tag) Miss Bernice came over & put her arms around my shoulders and all but begged me. I could not turn her down & I dang sure was not going to say "no". She won't admit it, but I think QB1 had something to do with my 2010 position! But she's going to be "treasurer" - so I won't be all by myself....

Speaking of QB1....I finished quilting her PINK LEMONADE quilt on Sunday night. I loaded that baby with the sides top & bottom so that the pantograph was vertical. I used the "Rosie" pantograph from Willowleaf Studio & since it's a very dense pattern and is NOT directional - I loaded it that way to save time on how many times I would have to advance the quilt. ANYWAY....I used an eggshell colored thread because QB1 used muslin for the backing & all the background. That eggshell color blended beautifully and the spacing between the rows came out so nice. QB1 was very pleased with it. I used a packaged Hobbs Poly-Down batting (because that's what I had...) and that quilt draped just so softly.

I took the quilt to QB1 at the guild meeting on Monday & we took photos. Of her quilt & my quilt. I neglected to bring MY camera, so soon as QB1 emails the photos to me, I will attach them to this post.

There were SO many of us at the guild meeting! I do not like *structured* meetings and the only part of our meetings that are BUSINESS only last about 30 minutes. I try to get off work early to get there - because they have a whole basement of a church that they can spend all day sewing in - from 9AM until 7PM. I can usually get there by 3PM. I love show-&-tell! It is so fun to see what other folks are working on & beleive me, there is a LOT of talent at our guild.

Tuesday night I finished sewing all the side setting triangles for the commision-baby-quilt that I am making. I should be able to sew the whole top together tonight & do all the trimming & get it ready for quilting by this weekend.

Speaking of WEEKEND !!! QB1 & I have a plan to go fabric shopping. To Wooka's & another shop in Waverly. I have been to neither & have been saving some $$ to go. We will be looking for some sort of green fabric to use for the vines & leaves on our Pineapple Patch Quilts. I am excited to get started on those. It will be fun to be working together on the same quilt.

Our guild has a show in May & I told QB1 that I'd sure like to have them done (meaning the top done & quilting completed) for the show. It would be really sweet to have both of them side by side! I am determined to get a 30's wide backing for mine. Purple maybe? or Pink? I already have one with a blue floral, so blue is out.

When I walked into the guild meeting & set up all my stuff, I told everyone that they were all my QB's ! i sure got some looks on that one! I had to explain that QB meant QUILTING BUDDY. And that numbers 1, 2, & 3 were taken ...so I won't be numbering anyone else! Ha, Ha, I think they all think I'm nuts.....which is okay with me.

Tomorrow night is our home sit-n-sew. QB1 is going to bring her newly finished quilt so we can attach a binding. QB1 has never attached a binding - her Aunt has done hers....so I told her I'd show her how I do it, which is not to say it's the RIGHT way or WRONG way - but I make mine a little wider/thicker because if I cut the binding strips 2.5 or 2.25 inches, my left hand cramps while I am sewing the binding on. When I cut the binding strips @ 3.0 inshes wide and sew it on, it's like I can whip out the binding in nothing flat - regardless of the size - so I know it makes a difference.... I hope that QB2 & QB3 come too.

Folks, talk at y'all later.

edited to add: QB1 is on the left of these photos & I am on the right. The "Pik Lemonade" Quilt is QB1's - it turned out SO pretty !



Sam

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Saturday Score



First of all, QB1 is a yard sale queen. I promise she sniff out a deal a block away.

Friday QB1 found a BUNCH of maternity clothes. Nice ones, too. For DD2. She got them all.

This morning (Saturday) she found a crib & changing table at a yard sale. She called me on my cell & gave me the lady's phone number. I called her & she said she'd hold the crib & changing table until i could get there to looka t them.

DD2 is here for the weekend & we jumped in the truck & popped the address in the GARMIN and went over there.

They had a "Jinnny Lind" crib with mattress & changing table, and an EvenFlo stroller & car-seat combo at the sale. It looked to be in great condition & I got all 5 pieces for $80!

These great finds are going to stay at my house. That way when DD2 is here to visit, she does not have to pack the whole house...so to speak. These are in wonderful shape. Very clean - I think she could have got more than $100 for just the crib.

They also gave me a dog bed for FREE. They actually had a bunch of stuff on thier free table. You ever been to a yard sale that had a FREE table? Anything they had on there was free. I thought that was a pretty good idea.

Anyway - I thought $80 was a GREAT deal. Ran to the bank to the ATM & got back to the sale & the guy had the whole thing disassembled & ready to load into the truck. I thought they were really nice people.

I owe a special thanks to QB1, she always goes avove & beyond "looking out for you".

I know it's a bit early to be buying baby furniture, but I could not pass up this deal. Figued by the time I was going to be really needing one, it would not be the season for yard sales....

DD2 has a different style crib picked out for her nursery & I cant' wait to see what it looks like.

Well - it's late & I hear my pillow calling me!

The photos do not "do" justice for the crib. It is a nice warm oak color. I am anxious to start a crib set. I have something in mind. It's from the FIRST " PS: I LOVE YOU " baby quilt book by Possibilities.

Sam

QB's (Quilting Buddies!!!)

Thursday night was our sit-and-sew, this week it was QB#1's house.

Well - the other 2 QB's showed up THIS time. We did more chatting than sewing & it was fun.

One of the QB's brought her 2 little grand-daughters. So sweet. Guess what they had? I could totally sympathize. Totally. Poison Oak. Bless their hearts, both had it on their faces....

I hope that I can sew as fast as my tongue tells everybody it can....

It was so fun.

Monday is Guild Meeting. I hope that I can get away from work early enough to get to the meeting with some time to sew. Depends on the work load. Monday's are catch up day and they are a pre-cursor to a BUSY Tuesday. And Tuesday is always busy....

Sam

Friday, July 10, 2009

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Funny Thing Happened Today....


Not really a "thing", but a question that happened today.

I was asked to go to a shop in the northern part of Nashville & pick up some signs. I was told to make sure I checked the spelling. Me? Check SPELLING? Come on...I did not even learn to read until I was 13. Yes, folks, that is true. Had to take special ed classes to get there. ANYWAY - that wasn't the question.

I didn't know where I was going & said person that told me to fetch the signs, didn't have the address so I could not plug it in the Garmin. I found the shop...WAY on the north side. I sure thought I was getting lost...Picked up the signs & proof read them. They seemed spelled right to me. Used the credit card (corp C.C.) and the young girl was really chatty, extrememly freindly... ('course I don't meet a stranger...) She must NOT have looked at the card, nor who the ticket was wrote for & she askes me - "Are you picking these up for your husband?" - NO, I was picking them up for the company I work for..

She asks "Well, are you married?" (I thought this was sort of odd.....) i said yes, 20 years, last April. Here comes THE QUESTION.....She says " Well, how'd you do that?" I said DO WHAT? She says "Stay married for 20 years? I'd like to know - because we're working on 18 months & I don't know if we'll ever make 20."

I told her that above & beyond loving one another. Prince Charming is my best friend. We don't argue. Ever. (which is not to say that I'm wrong or he's right - we either agree to disagree or compromise....) And we live debt free, except for our mortgage (which should be eliminated in 5 years). she askes: " So? that's IT?" and I said well there's one more thing...if you can BUILD something - BUILD anything...finish it, be proud of it & enjoy the process TOGETHER...then it will always work. And it HAS.

I guess that answer sounded wholly too simple. She was very skeptical.

I'm looking forward to an additional good 20 years!!!

Sam

Monday, July 6, 2009

Buttons & Blooms / Pinwheel Blooms Baby Quilt




I had a few peopel want to "see" this baby quilt.

I didn't make my bed this morning, and when I laid these blocks out on the bed @ 10PM, I felt like it was a little too late to worry about it being made up - so overlook it, okay?

This baby quilt is a commission. I had the "kit" made up a long while ago. Dude @ work wanted a baby quilt. Thing is, he's color blind - so the brighter the better!

Isn't this adorable? Granted , the quilt that the blocks are laid out on are making these photos really busy....These are just the blocks, not set & not sewn together into rows. And I'm not certain this is the exact layout - pretty certain it won't be....

I want to get this finished THIS week, but I may run out of time.

DD#2 will be visiting this weekend. If she likes it, I will make a 2nd quilt in this pattern. Prince Charming said that the pink was not overpowering & could be considered not gender specific. And boy it's BRIGHT !

the baby it's for is a girl. She is due on Aug 18th. They are going to name her JAZZLYNN. Jazzlynn Raine. I've heard a lot of different names, and this is one I have NOT heard. Bless his heart, everyone keeps asking him where they came up with that....email me off blogger if you want ot know where I thought they came up with it!

Anyway - I hear my feather pillows calling me. There are STILL fireworks being set off tonight....

Sam

Sunday, July 5, 2009

My Weekend

Thursday is normally my sit-n-sew night with QB#1. But I worked so late on Wednesday I thought I'd have to work late on Thursday too...So I called QB#1 and scheduled our sit-n-sew for Friday afternoon. I had Friday off for the holiday.

Firday: QB#1 & I did some sewing. She worked on her PP Pineapple & I think I worked on my (regular) Pineapple. Then we went through some of my books & magazines we have picked out a quilt to make from 30's prints called Pineapple Patch. It's a Pineapple variation and has appliqued flower borders & matching appliqued flower pillowcases. You know what the BEST part of the whole project is?????? We don't have to buy hardly ANYTHING. QB#1 is going to buy the "green" for the stem & leaves of the applique & the outer border & binding fabric. Maybe not the binding....the pattern has you cut strips from each of your fat 1/8's for the binding, but I like my binding to match the border...so we'll talk about that more this Thursday. I ried to find the pattern on line in the archives of Quiltmaker, but all I could find was the pillowcases. I think it's a 2001 issue.

Prince Charming came home early on Friday afternoon. He had secured a straw mulcher. After QB#1 went home ( a little earlier than I wanted her too...but she had BBQ's to get ready for) , Prince Charming & I decided that there was going to be enough daylight to go ahead & get the yard blown with the mulch. After he aerated the yard & spread some more seed & fertilizer we mulched...I drove the truck & took the wire from PC that he removed off the bales of hay. We put out 27 bales of straw. I felt like a slow motion NASCAR driver...it was all about turning left. Oh yeah...I had to take an antihistamine BEFORE we started (or I'd have been miserable...) and somewhere during getting into & out of the truck & wrapping the wire & tossing it in the bed of the truck - I stinking walked into the truck! He only laughed at me for a minute.... Then he put out the sprinkler.

Saturday morning we got up & went to Cracker Barrel & then Lowe's. I needed some potting soil for some Hydrangeas I have ordered & another bird block, and he wanted a better sprinkler. got one on a tripod. Oh! We got a new light for the stairway going down to the basement. It is SO much brighter! I was holding the flashlight while Prince Charming installed the light. When he got done, I bent over to pick up the flashlight & banged my forehead on the wall! I really good whack too. Left a red mark on my head...made me feel exceptionally smart. We stayed in & didn't "do" fireworks. (DD#1 was out camping & went to Nashville for fireworks on the river)It RAINED and RAINED & RAINED some more and washed away some of our mulch. Darn it. If we don't get grass to grow right now, we'll have to wait until Fall.

I am really disliking the mud. I am fortuneate that I do not have carpet, the wood floors are much easier to get all the mud up off of....but I can't keep on top of cleaning....it's ridiculous. Y'all have to remember, i keep telling you, Martha Stewart don't live here......

Sunday we got up , earlier than I wanted too, the DOGS needed to go out....I decided that I would get started on a baby quilt that I have been commissioned to make. I had a "kit" already made up & started cutting the fat quarters for it. I am making a FREE pattern off the P & B Textile website, called BUTTONS & BLOOMS. It's an Atkinson Design pattern. I am making it all in bright colors. SO CUTE ! I have completed all 18 required blocks. All I lack is the side setting triangles & the corner blocks. Those are both made from strips - sort of like log cabins....By the time I got all the blocks done, it was too dark upstairs to get a good picture. Y'al wait until you see this quilt, though! It's SO CUTE.

QB#1 had called me earlier this afternoon (Sunday ) & invited us to her house for a fish fry. Prince Charming was wanting to have a quiet day & didn't want to go & I didn't want to go by myself. You wait until HE needs ME to go to something with him.....I'll remind him of his decision today.....

DD#1 is in Texas this whole week. Which means I have the little dogs for the week. No big deal, they are pretty good for the most part. But they are not as well house trained as my fat dogs. I have to constantly take them out. MY dogs go to the door & cry or hoot or lay down in front of the door. Pretty good cues, you know? I'll miss DD#1 this week. She's normally my talking to buddy before PC gets home.

It's been such a nice weekend.

Oh, nearly forgot. I finsihed quilting the Stretched Stars Quilt. It looks so nice. I love it. I hope I can get the binding on it before guild. AND! QB#1 has entrusted her quilt to me to be quilted. I feel so honored. It means a lot to me to have her trust her quilt to me, she is a hand quilter & this quilt will be gifted to her Mother. Am I feeling pressure??? Well, YES!

Sorry there is no photo today.

My pillow is calling me for the night....I don't think I'll drop off to La-La-Land too soon because , even though it's Sunday & it's the 5th....I hear all the 1/2 price fireworks goig off........

Sam

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Happy Birthday America!





I came home from work pretty late this afternoon.

Soon as i did, I went into the garage & found my box of buntings & flags. I did not put these up last year because DD#1 & I were on a road trip to Ohio.

If I had put them up last year, I would have noticed that I need a SMALL bunting for the center. Maybe I can pick one up this weekend at the Wally World.

All in all, it looks really nice.

I had to use an extension ladder. Oh boy! Was THAT fun? Not so much......

I am proud to be an American. Grateful to be an American. No desire to be anything BUT an American. Besides that.....Red, White & Blue is my favorite color combination!

Sam

"Showing" how to space a Pantograph

I am not a teacher. I don't think I could EVER be a school teacher. If I were, I would have to have TOTAL control, and that includes being able to smack someone else's kid in the back of the head for smarting off.....I did not have smart mouth children. Very well mannered. It does not take many smacks in the back of the head...(now you all think I'm some sort of cruel parent, right?) ANYWAY - again, I am not a teacher. I am very visual. Very. If I want to learn to do something, I go get a book. If I still don't understand something, I go find a person that can show me. Knitting was like that - turning a heel was the single most baffling thing to read, but once someone SHOWED me the instructions made SO much more sense.

Case in point: When I first started longarm quilting, I could not, I mean COULD NOT figure out how to space a pantograph. I was so upset over it. My friend, Cotie, graciously agreed to "show" me how. I count Cotie as one of my life's blessings. (Cotie, I hope you are reading this!) Well, at the time that I went to Cotie's house, I was living in northeast Alabama. Cotie lives in Kansas. I drove 14 hours , one way, to spend the weekend with her.

Cotie is more patient than I think I could be. She has a wonderful sense of humor! ( And I felt so tall next to her! Ha , Ha, Ha!) She allowed me to use her machine and she "showed" me how to line up everything & how to advance the quilt & the little tips/tricks to line up the quilt for the next row. I quilted 2 of my quilts, learning to do it. She took 2 days out of HER business to teach me. I do not think I have ever expressed to her how much she did for me. Maybe it can be seen as a "little thing" to some people, but it sure helped me out. It was the visual thing again.

Well, yesterday, I was able to "show" someone else how to do that!

When I was at the Saturday sit-n-sew with the guild. There is one member that just bought a HQ16 while she was in Paducah. I was sewing the binding on my "Night & Day" Quilt & told them it was a patograph called Bubbles...long story short - she needed help learning how to line up a pantograph. So I told them, that soon as I got another quilt loaded, I'd give them a holler & they could come & see how I do it.

Last night they came & I showed them what I had learned. Granted, not all pantographs are created equal & my favorite vendor for the pantographs that I like BEST - is Willowleaf Studio.

I think they went home with a better understanding of the procedure. It was a fun visit. MC also gave me a cloisonne (sp?) barrett that she had got in China & since she no longer has long hair & I DO, she gave it to me. It's gorgeous.

I lack, perhaps, 4 (maybe 5!) rows of completing the Stretched Stars Quilt. Awesome!

So? I feel good about it all.

Sam