Create vs work vs sleep

Turn back time ... just a few months... 

I did "finish" the top to the Modern Quilt Guild Michael Miller Challenge.

(more on that later) 

as you can see, I did have a little help! ... this is how i like to sort my strips 

- it's my favorite way to work ...

... Work In Progress ... 

                                   ... my little helper

 ... I love her so! 

 She too plays fetch, has spirit & spunk ...

the fabrics ...

...  playing on the design wall!...

I really enjoyed this fabric - it's been one of my favorite Challenges! 

I look forward to quilting the final product ... i do believe this one will be MINE!

I wonder if...

This furry friend finds us entertaining? He keeps me company when I sew... he watched me as I started rearranging the basement, mostly supervising. It makes me wonder ... does he get nervous when I start to clean & reorganize... asking himself, "are we moving again?"


He loved watching this quilt come together... from attacking the design wall, to sleeping on it while it waa being quilted ...

He's completely stolen my gramma chair...

He will literally kamakzi dive bomb me, leep over me & sneak attack from behind MY chair when I attempt to sit in it....


He's the last man standing.
I wonder if he appreciates being an only furbaby....



Truth is he has been claimed by son whi admittedly says theirs is more of a Stockholm Syndrome relationship!

We love him!...

lent 6/40

... HAPPY Belated New Year ...

note to self: FIRST CHALLENGE ~
{it is clear, regular POSTs is NOT my new year resolution! ... those who really know me are aware that i do NOT participate in such utter nonsense and who-ha as New Year RESOLUTIONS
... i do set GOALS, ALL THE TIME! ;0) ...}

MY First Challenge of the year,
besides survive constant change and improvement,
is through the KCMQG ... i picked this Wassily Kandisnsky Print for INSPIRATION! ...
~ more later.
Ciao!

Merry Christmas to me... Thanks KCMQG!

Another Reason i love the KCMQG! I won the Kona Color Card!
... so i got to take it off my wish list!
How great is that!? ... I would love to show you the fun 2.5sq's of fabric that i received in the swap, or my Hot Pad from Petra ... from our Log Cabin Hot Pad Swap with our Modern Guild sisters in Portland.

 I will get pictures posted later ...

... truth be told, i feel crummy
... and am typing this with one old kitty laying on me to keep warm.

.. quite comical to picture...

~ but, instead, I am going to show-n-tell the Habitat quilt top/back that i completed - but Have not had time to quilt yet ... but am looking forward to playing with some techniques
... SO, the next time you see this 'ugly thing' (as my daughter calls it)
... will be when it is completely quilted, bound and  DONE!

(i finally got these pictures uploaded,
one step forward, two steps back!) 

McCaroll Habitat Challenge Fabric Bundle

Habitat Front

Habitat Back

 The weather kind of has me down... But, i have had a chance to briefly hang out in my studio to play with the KC Scrappy Bee Blocks ... Forrest & Fields for Nancy 
 ... I have been missing in action from blog-land, mostly cuz i just have not found my life that thrilling, besides hearing my son play the BASS & the Orchestra presentation of 'A Night at the Movies'
... But, i hope to show you soon what i am making for my grand-son!!! super excited about that! ...
i guess i can tell you, as he cant read yet! ...

  =D  It's a Quiet Book! 

... for now, i have to go let the dog out, she fell down the stairs earlier and was a little freaked out, and flattered we all ran to check on her! 
Keep WARM! 

 

WIP Wednesday: Habitat Countdown!

Just wondering ... Will i get done?

... Will i get the back pieced? 

... will i get it layered?

Will it get Quilted in one week?

... will there be binding on it by the KCMQG November meeting?

The weather is cold and chilli - and i MISS my studio,

but i come home from work exhausted,

... i go in to change out of my work clothes

my bed is so warm and inviting. My kitty needs to cuddle.

I need rest, so i will go to bed early and DREAM about finishing it.

... i have ideas for making the back fun

... but for now i will finish the top (nearly done!)

... just the finishing the final vertical seams! ...

Habitat Design Wall - Sneak Peek!

... see how well the fabrics play with the Linen? ...
Even though my daughter came home from a visit from Kstate,

and exclaimed:

"omg mommy, that is the ugliest thing i have ever seen on your design wall!"

~ it's kind of grown on me
... KINDA!

I'm getting excited to see what the other's have come up with,
it's so fun to see the diversity we can come up with the same fabrics!

~ i'm looking fw to show-n-tell ... 

See ya' next week! 

To Blog? ... or to Quilt ...

... off to PLAY with the Habitat Fabrics ... 

AND catch up on BEE Blocks ...

Later: Upload photos and Blog ...  NOW: Sew! ... See Ya!

Once Upon a Time: Hoffman Challenge, BUTTERFLY Fabric ...

... and some of My First Hand dyed fabrics! ... i LOVE this

... it makes me smile ...

? Why have i Not finished it? Well, because i love it so much it deserves better quilting than i feel confident to do ... ? Because it was so wonderful that it inspired me to do other things; a catalyst to MORE fabric & MORE ideas...?  because  we MOVED!?! ... I started it while we lived on Jacinto, (Mesa, AZ) before Derek was born (GADS! where did fifteen years go?!) THEN, we moved to Navarro (Mesa, AZ) ... it went on a Mom's retreat with me ... It moved to Grand (Mesa, AZ) where i pinned it on the wall for inspiration and a reminder to finish it ... It supervised while i made baby quilts for friends and Project Linus. It overlooked as i STARTED SEVEN wedding quilts (still WIP's).  It has moved to Kansas with me, Lenexa and now Olathe. IT is now  WAS UP in my studio
... It has moved with me five  SIX times!
.... (btw that is FUCHSIA NOT PINK that is surrounding the lovely orange, because we all know, i DON'T do Pink! !) I am in love with the hand dyed muted purple border. Maybe i don't want to finish it until i hand dye more fabric, yeah, that's it! Perhaps it is simply a reminder that I am a PROCESS person, rather than a PROJECT person.  I like to LIVE WITH my projects, rather than crank them out, because lets face it, when i finish things i tend to give them away!

& i'm not done living with this one! 

... it is on the TOP of my handwork basket in my studio ... 

... " a chair of your own" ... ?

~ oops, i've done it again ... spent time blog hopping and gaining terrific inspiration

... and it's OK!

 I grant myself permission for some 'me' time - It's a beautiful day for sure.  I have gained inspiration to be more with less: mini lessons and enjoy my space ... (i really am not sure i got to those links, other than, i have a few fav's and each day i log on, with a cup of coffee and start hopping for 15 min or so~ i love where my blog-friends lead me! .... If you have a favorite link that inspires you ~ please share below~! LEAVE A COMMENT... and see what happens!)

"Every woman must have money and a room of her own ... " Virginia Woolf

So, whilst enjoying my 'space' recently and working on the KONA Challenge ... this has been my Work In Progress (WIP) ... i'm taking a moment away from it to start on the Strarlight Mystery quilt, (i will show you my fabric choices when i get them uploaded ... I am i bit behind there!) One step forward, two steps back! ...  Here is the Process of what i have so far ~>

~ so FIRST i thought i would group them by color 

and do a 'split 4-patch' variation ... 

~ then i moved them around and thought it a bit 

... i dunno ...boring? ...

~ now it's kind of taken on a mind of it's own and turned into a traincrash! ... I think i may want to regain some control... ? Playing a bit with the improv style ...So, folks, this is what happens when you are tired of patterns, play with color and too many ideas collide!

~ what do you think?

Gettin' Busy ... quick peek

Just a peek, I'm not telling anything more, but I am forcing myself to work a little more in the 'Improv'  style, and it is harder than i thought to be more 'free form' ... i'm finding myself stopping to think and trying to just play! ... I've done it before, but life was different then.  Simple. 

due date: this Thurs ... ack!

UPDATE:
KCMQG Kona Solids Challenge
{~ Thx to Nikki ~ for taking great picts! ~}

KCMQG Kona Solids Challenge!

TONIGHT: Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild !!!

Confession: I think i do have QUILTERS ADD.  I have more than (3?) projects.  Truth be told ~ i know this is going to come as a shock: I am behind in blogging....

~ I wanted to rush right home the night after we received our

"KONA CHARM PACK GIVEAWAY!" 

~ thank you!!!

~ happy happy joy joy! ... I fantasized i would post this right away~! and get many pictures of the mad dash of all the greedy little OVERJOYED quilters suddenly inspired by FREEBIES! (what cool craziness!) ... Back in NOVEMBER as an early Christmas gift to US we each got to pick a light/bright/dark  CHARM PACKS ... to PLAY with! ~ DUE BY: MARCH ... that's reasonable  ALMOST HERE~! what the heck?! ~
I've had several ideas competing in my brain

... i think i am just going have to CUT LOOSE .. quite literally 

... just get my rotary cutter and QUIT ADMIRING THE FABRIC! 

 I picked: DARKS ...

 here "it" is, isn't it PRUDY! ...'the dark Charm Pack'

 ... and here is some of what i had,

more solids than i thought ...

i really have some fun ideas,

I just need to get busy ... and get going, ....  

 see ya' later!

Thank you, Kona

Brown Bag Fabric Exchange & CHALLENGE!

... I know what your thinking ...
"ANOTHER PROJECT?!" ... what the heck? lock her up and throw away the key! ...
but,
really, this is an attempt to get rid of some of MY stuff ... and share it, and get inspired at the same time!
check it out...

"Brown Bag Quilt" Fabric Exchange & Quilt Challenge 

(A politically correct "Ugly Quilt" contest)

KC "ALL THAT JAZZ" Quilters Shop Hop

OOPSs! i did it again! ... the shop hop.
First, i Forgot my camera THEN, but tried to compile a bit of my findings!
Second, it's taken me forever to get them loaded etc.... the Hop was in APRIL 2010! ... crazy stuff. ( i tried to group my collections by 'shops' but, sadly am not accurate. oh well.*some of it's in hiding, cuz it's going into gifts!) ...  What i love about the KC hop, is that at each shop you get not only a quilt pattern, but also a CHARM! i love that ... (photo of my past year bracelet to follow! ...later)

I got off work Friday? and remembered, SHOP HOP... stopped to pick up my passport, CHARM and BOM (Block of the Month) ... THEN, realized if i hit all the green lights, i could make it to Harper's, and pick up my prepaid "Jazz" fabric! ... Next morning, Saturday ... DH said, what the heck, let's go to a couple more, it's a beautiful day.... and Viola... we made it to all but one store.  We got to Rustic Yearnings just as they were locking the doors, took my passport, but of course they were out of charms.  Still, pretty darn good for being SPONTANEOUS!  

MY ROUTE:

1.  Prairie Point ~ where i picked up my "Jewels" Block Party: BOM! (Batik!) *etc
2. Harpers ~ where i picked up my "All that Jazz" Special fabric! (*etec!)
3. Quilters Haven ~ where i caved in a got addicted to Charm Packs ...
4. Quilters Paradise ~ Wizard of Oz! embroidery patterns, etc, etc, *etc!) I confess, we found some cool stuff in Baldwin City, and DH learned that "fine, you get to go to the quilt shop, i get to go into the antique shop" ... equals DANGER!!! ... he helped me pick out fabric, and i found TWO antique sewing machines! (i have to get photos of those, they are SO very COOL! ... he left scratching his head, "how did that happen" ??? well, i just don't know!?
5. Overbrook Quilt Connection ~ where i found a cool kit, Ovarian awareness fabric, "DOG" panel *etc
6. Stitching Traditions, Topeka ~ Hand dyed Ribbons, *etc! and, some **ugly fabric**
7. Stitch On Needlework, Lawrence~ where i found some great batiks ... (*fat quarters and then some!)
8. Quilters Quarters, Leavenworth ~ we got lost in the dark on the back roads, and called them - they kindly stayed open for us - my brain was fried, but we found some cool stuff for sure!!!
9. Peddlers Wagon, Parkville ~ my son even found some fat quarters for HIS quilt!
10. Rustic Yearnings ~ where it was probably a blessing in disguise they were locking up, i get in "trouble" there ... (but i have way cool stuff from there from before!) 

GOOD GOLLY, I NEARLY FORGOT! ... While in Parkville... we went to two of our favorite places: one was closed, -sadness, as they often are when i want them to be open: Florilegium , i'm in LOVE with that place!!!  The other, H.M.S Beagle - i FUN science shoppe! .... i got some groovy stuff to make NATURAL hand dyed fabric!!! i've not done that for awhile! *sigh* i wish i were there!

leaders & enders

Once upon a time, with my Prime Time Quilt group (Az), we did a 2" fabric swap (everyone brought x amt of 2" strips [dark/med/light] and while we chatted we chopped our squares... then we divided them into BIG paper grocery bags - by lt. med dark - shook them like powdered donuts, proceeded to pass those babies around and grabbed a handfull of each until they were all gone.) ... Of course, while we chatted...
[can you believe some women in the group actually rushed and finished their quilts? our challenge was to mak 9-patches. Theirs turned out fabulous, but now i bet their bored, right? poor things.]

Fast Forward:
... it dawned on me that i could use it use those squares that i'd been saving ... for a rainy day project... for "leaders/enders" ... (i was already 'saving thread' by using scraps to start/stop when i'd start/stop while piecing)  ... WHAT A CONCEPT!

Well, it turns out, i'm not the only one doing this ... and there are even books published! duh. Great minds think alike ... "Adventures in Leaders & Enders, more quilts in less time"  and then, almost moments after i had my ah-ha moment (ok. i ran out of scrap and remembered the squares) ... i went to the KCMQG meeting and Carla - is also an over-achiever ;o) ... has finished quilts! and shared them and her style during the meetings "ten minute tip" !!!! exciting stuff.  If only i'd thought of that first...!

k. i'm off to make more 'scrap' ... later.

challenge: .. good-bye July... hello August ...

 

i WanT to dO ThiS ... !

 .Plume Challenge, just for FUN! 
.. and i WANT this TULA PINK:  Plume fabric! 

 
... and to DO This: Crazy Nine Patch!

.... playing with this fabric will be FUN ...

.. but for now, i'm off to work... =0( 

... and DREAM of fabric...

Coffee Cake!!

Happy New Year! No "Resolutions" here ... just a GOAL to be more creative! ~ on my quest for inspiration:

Check out this link for Recipes, this NEW YEAR i think I'll make this for my sleepy heads!!!

Coffee Cake! 
I found this Recipie by following one of my fav Blogs: Tula Pink! ... and hopping fw! from Hollys Blog ...
Lookie, Lookie ...
Challenge: 9-patch a day!!!

Also, with our "Yummy Cheesy Goodness" ... this year we will end the day with...
how could i forget, one Tradition we TRY to partake:

Challenge MySelf ...

Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.

Leonardo da Vinci

To Do:
Lent begins this week...
so, i will give up ~ limit my time online...
=0(
CHALLENGE MYSELF TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE....
Work in my "studio" one hour a day!

~ feeling ChallEnGeD?

this week I ~ {keep forgetting to take pictures! or am not able to upload! above} BUT...
- enjoyed my new more fuel efficient JEEP ... traded in our Suburban (driven a Sub over 10 yr)...
- finished my nieces Birthday book...
- started and will finish a "moving" scrapbook ... with photo ready pages and journal prompts...
- worked several days (and will work 5 days straight ... big wow? ... my kids may feel orphaned)
- mailed stuff: mothers day gifts ..
- MAILED: my son's quilt!!! ~ and (Christmas goodies, no NOT late- early for next Christmas~) !!!!
- made teachers gifts ... and i forgot to take pictures AGAIN ... and those i have not posted, i will blame on my cat, (my mom sent me the picture via email above! ... and that is nearly what my kitty does! thought i'd share! )
I will try to:
- get serious about remodeling ... maybe? ...really!
UPDATE: found a '93 JEEP for my daughter ALSO! yea! who'd thunk we'd become a JEEP family! 2 JEEPS in one month!

YOUR TURN, Show~N~Share!
... creative challenges everywhere!...
Maybe you have some others that you like to share?
... PLEASE DO
... leave a comment of some of your favorite links ... or your own =0)