Cattails Quilts: A Feline Frolicking in Fabric

Broken Photos

2011-09-06T17:08:00.002-07:00

Yes, I know, I broke my blog. :( I tried to move my blog from my personal account to the one specific to Cattails Quilts, and when moving my photos, it broke the links. Oopsie... I will go back & fix them, once I can figure out which photos went where. I'm sorry folks! But check out the galleries at Picassa, because the photos are all there.

I'm still working on projects, my current one is a Block of the Month from a LiveJournal community I manage, Block of the Month (yes, very original, I know. hehehe) Mine is the music notes & a rainbow of other fabrics. I'm working on the borders now, and once this puppy is finished, Rainbow Rhapsody will be available in my Artfire shop. For now, though, here's a teaser:

Enjoy! :)

Redesigning my workspace (again)

2011-08-31T10:22:00.005-07:00

So, despite my mother's WONDERFUL assistance in February at getting my studio re-arranged, I'm once again finding shortcomings in the layout. Short of begging Ty Pennington to come make over my studio, I'm stumped!!

My space is 11.5 ft x 12.5 ft, with a truncated corner making the remaining 2 walls ~7.5 ft & 9 ft. Once you account for the doors, that removes another 2 ft of useable space on those walls. Right now, my doors do not open fully, because of a storage shelf and my work table.

The big space hog is my quilt frame, at 3 ft x 10.5 ft (and she's a *small* one!!). The other is my work table, which is ~ 3.5 ft x 6 ft, but I'm considering how best to combine it with my sewing table/desk into an L-shape, to go against the shortest wall & stick out into the room. This could work, as long as I can get storage behind the desk on the remainder of the 12.5 ft wall. I've got high ceilings I'd love to take advantage of, but hubby doesn't like me on ladders... (I have balance issues). The remainder of the 9 ft wall will be my design wall.

If I do things right (ie have a master carpenter build it all for me! LOL), then I will have storage under my desk & work table. My biggest worry is if I lower my work table to being the height of my desk, then it won't be the right height for cutting. I can always put shelves on the wall above the work space to hold the printers, scanners & other large/bulky items that I need accessible but don't want taking up valuable real estate. Putting my frame in front of my window, I re-open that 12 ft of wall space that I currently can't use, due to the placement of the pantograph shelf (the size of the frame & orientation of the shelf make it impossible to reach the wall behind).

Hm, maybe I'm reaching a potential solution!

Any Wantobe Quilters out there?

2011-07-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

So, one of the blogs I follow, Stash Manicure, is going to be running a contest of sorts for new quilters over the next three months. Want a chance to win? Well, follow the link below and register! If you win, I do too! But the catch is, you have to be a follower of both blogs. Trust me, Madame Samm's blog is TOTALLY worth the read!

Good luck!

Calling all Wantobe Quilters?

"Hello friends and followers, I would love to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over here. ( http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com)

They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks.

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us..

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too.

All you have to do is be my follower and a follower

over at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure....

That is all! There are over 49 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER!

( p.s you will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with a blogger where you see this message)

Life, oh life

2011-07-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

You sure like getting in the way of my progress, don't you?

Quickie post (the boy wants my attention):

Are you a Wantobe Quilter? Do you not have the funds to get your studio going? Do you have stash envy?

Well check out Stash Manicure: Madame Samm is going to be running a WTBQ campaign over the next 3 months, where you have a chance to win a LOT of quilting goodies! And even better? When you win, I win too! What quilter doesn't want more stash? :-)

So, go there, come here, enter, and I hope you win! (and boyohboy does she have lots of goodies to give away!!)

Good luck &happy quilting!

Cleaning Spree

2011-05-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Once again, I haven't posted in quite a while, but it is what it is. Life has been busy, between starting a part time job (I am a freelance bookkeeper along with being a full time mom and quilter), S working on her science fair project (comparing how peas grow in different environments) and hubby losing his job last month (economic recovery my arse).

Yesterday I got the itch to deep-clean my kitchen, something that hasn't been done in far too long No, my kitchen isn't gross, I do clean it very frequently, but I haven't done a deep clean scrub & such. So, inspired by a new to me blog (http://www.healthybranscoms.com/), I returned to my languishing Shaklee products, and I have to ask myself why I ever stopped using them!

I had put aside what was left of my Shaklee GetClean products that my grandmother sent me to use up cleaning products that had been left behind in a house that we were renting. I had used up the Shaklee dish and laundry detergent long ago, but still have Basic-H2 and Scour-Off left. I've been reading Erin's blog and some of the stories of people new to Shaklee, so I decided to do my own before & after.

I have some photos to share with you, some before & afters. I had been using the Clorox GreenWorks cleaners, partially because like I said, they were left behind by previous tenants, and I hate throwing things away, and partially because ... well, I don't really have another (good) reason. These products do ok, but as you can see in my photos, they didn't really get the staining from burned sugar off of white appliances.

Or burned-on grease off of a shiny tea kettle. (I clean this puppy almost weekly, but I could never get the residue off of it)

But Basic-H2 in its appropriate concentration (1/4 tsp to 16 oz water) applied to my stove and Scour-Off paste applied to my tea kettle, and I have a bright and shiny cooktop again! I think Scour-Off is even safe to use on smooth top stoves, since it's non-abrasive, but don't quote me on that.

And my sink! Oh, my poor sink. The previous owners of our house did not live here gently. The porcelain coating on our sink is very chipped, and the hardware was water stained. The ring holding the drain hardware on the non-disposal side of the sink looked like it was brass.

So, I took my Basic-H2 cleaner (same concentration as above) to the sides of the sink and the Scour-Off paste to the bottom, and OH MY!

Half clean- look at the difference!!

Can you believe it? My sink looks like new, and no fumes!

Needless to say, I am now wondering why I ever stopped using Shaklee cleaners. I am not one for vitamins & dietary supplements, so don't ask me about them, but I think I'll be placing an order with Erin soon (sadly, my grandmother passed away in 2009) to restock on Basic-G (kills germs, bacteria, *and* even kills some viruses, like Parvo and other pet-carried nasties) for a deep-clean on the bathrooms. Since I just (stupidly) bought laundry detergent, I'll be holding off on that purchase, but Shaklee, I'm home!!

And, because I can, Happy Mother's Day, all! Remember, if it weren't for Mom, we wouldn't be here!

Lonely Blog

2011-03-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

So, once again I find that I have seriously neglected my blog. I'd like to say it's because I've been busy creating, but that is only partially true.

Since my last post in January, A has started crawling, moved on to pulling himself up on furniture, cruising on anything he possibly can, and now is starting to let go to try the 'standing on my own' thing. I can't believe he is already 10 months old, where has the time gone?

S is nearing the end of 4th grade, her science project is growing all over the house (which reminds me, I need to go measure her plants for her, since she won't be back home til Wednesday). She decided that she wanted to compare the growth of plants in different environments. She told us what she wanted to do, and with only a few suggestions from us, she took off running.

She is a great big sister, when she remembers to play *with* her brother, instead of *at* him, or taking away his toys (unintentional, I believe, but she does it). It's obvious that A loves her, too. During her school vacation, if she walked by him without talking to him, he would start crying and crawl after her until she stopped and loved on him. She is his favorite play thing, after the dogs.

She's still working on her quilt for the show that I am running next year at Costume Con 30, and she is super excited about it. I don't have any progress photos, but she's calling it Pink Paradise. She is learning about chain piecing and color placement, and I'm very pleased with her progress. She is super excited to get to use my quilting machine, as part of the rules for the youth division is that the entrant must do the majority of the work on their own. I told her that once she finished the top, I would help her pick out backing material, and I would show her how to use the machine and frame. She lit up like a christmas tree!

My mother, J (of Designs by J) visited us for a month, partially to spend a week at Estrella War (an SCA event), but mostly to see her grandchildren. Everyone had a good time, and after she left the house was awfully quiet. We didn't get to do some of the things we had wanted to, like revisiting Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home in Scottsdale, or going to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, or the Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix. But we did go pillaging at various thrift and fabric stores, and we even found a high-end needlework store, purely by accident! I've driven by the store many times, but never noticed it was there. Needless to say, I will be visiting them when I find the need for some art therapy. I really enjoy when my mother comes to visit, I just wish my father had been able to come out for a weekend during her trip.

I miss my family. Often I wonder if I did the right thing by moving to Arizona, but since the move 5 years ago (wow, I can hardly believe it's been that long), so many good things have happened to me, that never would have happened had I stayed in New Hampshire. So, despite missing my parents, my brother, and two of my best friends in the entire world, the move and all its ups and downs has been a good thing for me.

Recently, I've found myself in a creative funk. I have many designs and ideas and desires in my head, but every time I put thread to fabric, something doesn't go right. The piecing goes wrong, or the quilting does, or the fabrics decide not to get along with each other, after I've put the top together. In the past few weeks I've attempted to complete 3 or 4 different small scale quilts, each one has given me a headache to the point that I just don't want to create anymore.

But then I catch up on my blog list, and I see Bonnie's (Quiltville.com) new pattern, or Lane's (That Man Quilts?) latest Project Linus quilt or applique block, or Rita's (Red Pepper Quilts) new stash addition, or Amandajean's (crazy mom quilts) cute mug rug, or Kelly's (My Simple Walk) instructional video, or any other number of creative bloggers latest creations, my mind starts designing again. The art is there in my head, but when I try to bend the fabric to my will, something goes wrong, and I end up frustrated and depressed, and not wanting to sew. Plus, the craft shows have all been busts, so I'm feeling that what I think is my talent and calling is not really all that I think it is.

I guess I need to stop seeking exterior validation, but it is a good feeling when someone gushes over my work. I know my friends who have received handmade gifts from me do appreciate them, and I love that one of my closest friends' sons adores the Dr Seuss quilt I made for his birthday. But how many quilts can I make to give away? And how can I afford to only give things away?

I'm glad it is springtime, a time of renewal and rebirth. Now that A is mobile, I intend to take him up to the park in our community, to let him play in the grass, and swing on the swings. I will soak up the sun before it becomes too brutally hot to play outside, and I will recharge my batteries. This will hopefully get me back into the swing of things, and if it doesn't? I'll figure something out.

Besides, how can you not smile when you see that grin?

Musings

2011-01-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a fairly disjointed post, so bear with me. Last night, I caught myself thinking a lot about online relationships. Not dating sites, but friendships, communities, message boards, stuff like that. What is it about these relationships that make them so prone to the dreaded 'D' word, Drama?

Is it that people see these as 'disposable' friendships? They don't put the effort into creating or maintaining the relationship, so that some occurrence, were it to happen in meat-space would be talked over and hopefully resolved, causes the entire group or community to descend into 'he said, she said, you're mean, you lie, neener-neener'. And bystanders, who may not have been involved in the original disagreement, end up tossed willy-nilly by the electronic storm, damaging relationships that otherwise had no connection to the original.

Is it the anonymity of the bits and bites and pixels that make us think it's ok to act this way? I have an online business. I like to think that how I portray myself online, no matter which community, message board or chat room I'm in, is as close to the meat-me as possible. But look at all the spammers and scammers out there, who see an opportunity for a 'good deal' and swoop in for the kill.

Maybe I'll come up with some coherent thoughts to update this post with, but I'll leave it here for now. Just know that if you're talking to me online, you're getting the real me. No frosting, no fluff, just me. And I'm sorry if my being me bothers you, but my meat-space friends love me for who I am, so I see no reason to create a fake me for online use.

Unless I'm playing LOTRO, but that's a horse of a different color.

IRR

2011-01-10T17:31:00.001-07:00

International round robin. It's where a group of quilters gets together & each one makes a center for a quilt. Then the centers get sent around the circle, each quilter adding a progressively wider border to the quilt until it returns back to the center's maker.

I'm participating in my first IRR, and this center has me stumped. Not for design, I know what I want to do, but for color. I've got a few ideas, but they look better in EQ7 than they do on my wall. I'm finishing this border out, will pin it to the wall, and hope it looks good completed instead of just portioned.

Here's my border, in EQ7 and pinned to my wall:

Ya know, I think it works. Hope you like it, Ghostrider! :)

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, last January I said I'd try to update more often. I fell short of my mark, by a long shot, but it's a new year, lets see if I can do a bit better.

I am not one of those people who makes crazy New Year's resolutions, I know I won't follow through. I do, however, make note of goals for the upcoming year. Here's my current list (in no particular order)

~ Get through my pile of UFOs (For you non-crafters, that would be Un-Finished Objects)
~ Finish the website I started in Dec
~ Update my mother's website (Designs by J)
~ Keep up on the housework (UGH)
~ Pick up some good bookkeeping clients
~ Do more craft shows
~ Lose the rest of the baby weight

Not unreasonable goals, so we'll see how they go!

Thanks for sticking around, and happy new year!

Small Business Saturday!

2010-11-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

Instead of Black Friday mayhem at the mall, lets support the small businesses!

Through December 1, 10% off at my Etsy shop with the coupon code BLOGGER2010 or at Artfire, w/ no coupon code, but please let me know you got there via this post!

Happy holidays!

Sewing & coding, coding & sewing

2010-11-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have built a website from the code up, you know how tedious it is. If you haven't done this, I don't recommend it!! I built my mother a website close to 10 years ago, if not a bit longer. I started with a blank notepad file & built it from scratch. I've decided that I need to have my own site, too.

Thanks to Liz from pesky.ca, I have a base to start from this time, but it still takes a long time to sort through photos, edit them, crop them, resize them, write the code, test the links, go to PayPal, create my buttons (hope that all the settings are good), etc etc. I'm not sure how long this is going to take me!

Add to that, I still have holiday sewing I need to do! I still have myriad gifts left to make for the family, and an order that I need to get out in about a week & a half, which I'm waiting on a piece of fabric to arrive, before I get started on that one. UFOs UFOs UFOs....

Plus, I tested for a potential contract bookkeeping job yesterday, in hopes of picking up some side work to help make ends meet.

A is now 6-1/2 months old, and defiantly refusing to crawl. He'll sit on his tush, lean AAAAAALL the way over & STRETCH for that toy, but he won't crawl for it. He'll grab the blanket or play mat & pull on it in order to move that toy to him (how's that for creative reasoning??), but he won't crawl. He rolls over and over, occasionally using that as a travel method, but he refuses to get those little knees under him. He is able to hold himself upright if I stand him at the coffee table. Something tells me that this guy is planning to take off running, and skip crawling entirely!

I suppose I should go find some more coffee & try to get some 'real' work done today. Wish me luck!

Changes!

2010-11-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

They are a comin'!

I'm in the process of working on a new site, so bear with me. I hope to have my blog, shop & gallery all in one place once I'm done, but the setup and testing are going to take a bit of time.

Please bear with me!

Shhhh! Don't look now, but the holidays are coming!

2010-11-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

The holidays are just around the corner, do you know what you're giving for gifts? No? Well, consider giving Handmade! Our family is having a handmade Christmas this year. I'm making ornaments, coasters, trivets, crayon rolls, tote bags, caramel popcorn and maybe a few other things.

Need some ideas? Check out my Etsy or Artfire shop! I can still take special orders, but remember, they can take up to 6 weeks, depending on what you want.

Take care, & happy shopping!

International Round Robins

2010-11-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of the quilting board Scrappy Quilters, and they're running a quilt swap called an International Round Robin, or IRR for short. In this swap, participants are broken into groups (in our case, groups of 6). Each participant makes a center block for a quilt, plus a label for the quilt, and sends it on its merry way to the next participant. The next player then adds a small border to this block, signs the label, & sends it to player #3, who adds their own border & signature, mails it off, well, you get the picture. After your little block has made its way through all the members, you get it back as a grown-up completed top!

I was added to this swap at the last minute, so faced with no clue of what to do, I pulled out a block that Sam had designed using EQ7.

I've made a couple of modifications to her layout, picked my colors, and off I went.

It's quite a lot of pieces, but paper piecing, as difficult as it can be, results in beautiful, and I mean STUNNING corner perfection, which is an absolute necessity in a block like this.

I can't wait to see what the other players add for borders, although I must admit, I'm more than a teeny bit nervous about the quilts I get to work on. I've seen the centers, they are incredible. I feel outclassed! But it's all for fun, and it will be a great experience.

Back to piecing, I have to send this little center off to Montana, ASAP!

New Storefront

2010-11-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

So once again I find that I've been eyeball deep in sewing & other work, and have again neglected to post *any* of my work to this poor blog! No wonder I have so few followers!

In the past few weeks I've added an Artfire storefront, as well as completed some projects that have been waiting around, started some new ones, and done a few orders and gifts.

Back to the sewing machine!

Grandma Churlik's Blocks

2010-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

When going through boxes of my sewing supplies, I found a box my grandmother had sent to me, easily 4 or 5 years ago. I never really looked through the blocks until now, and I'm sharing them with you.

First, there are 5 blocks that must have been from a swap, as they are all labeled with the maker's name.

Then there are 20 17 inch 8-point star blocks, hand pieced & on muslin squares. Her note was that she had intended to make a queen size quilt, but this was as far as she had gotten.

I will finish this one up, but am concerned about machine piecing it (I don't do handsewing unless absolutely necessary).

There are also 2 'table sets'- placemats and runners, meant to be applique'd and embroidered. These I'll never finish, not my thing, but I'll hold on to them for now.

Quite a find, isn't it?

A few more down!

2010-10-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

So I finally finished up Hawaiian Punch, and she's now for sale on Etsy.

This one's been languishing as an unquilted top for about 2 years, so I figured it was time to bite the bullet & get it done. I put it on the frame & made a panto of leaves & flowers, I'm fairly happy with it!

Unfortunately, my machine decided to have a hissy fit, so there are some problems with the quilting, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out.

I've also been working on some criss-cross coasters, both for gifts & to put up for sale in my Etsy shop. I started by going through my box of pre-cut squares from when I sorted & folded my stash. I have a lot of 4 in. squares, it turns out! I also have a lot of 1-1/2 in. ones. I got a silly notion in my head to attempt a micro-mini coaster, and ended up making 4. I think they're adorable, what do you think? Each one is approx 1 inch square.

I've also made some full size ones, but I haven't decided which will be for sale & which will be for gifts. I've got a bunch more waiting to be finished as well, but Halloween is coming soon, and I have costumes to make!

The sewing machine beckons! Come back soon!

Teddy Bear Dress-up

2010-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Over on Quilting Gallery, Mishka sponsors a weekly themed quilt contest. This week's theme is teddy bears, which of course means I absolutely must enter this little cutie.

Teddy Bear Dress-up was a gift for my cousin H (seen in this post) when her brother A was born. I made him a quilt, and didn't think it was fair for her to not have one of her own. I couldn't resist the teddy bears playing in the hat boxes, shoes, & jewelry. I think the result was absolutely adorable, and I know she still has these.

On Friday, please go back to the contest page and vote for my quilt! Thanks for stopping by!

Still alive & kicking!

2010-09-14T08:37:00.001-07:00

And screaming, and rolling, and fussing, and spitting up... Oh, sorry, got carried away talking about the boy! So our little man is now 4 months old! The week before Labor Day he figured out how to roll over onto his tummy, but then he gets mad that he's stuck on his belly and cries for me to roll him back over! He's mostly sleeping through the night now, too, which makes for a much happier mommy. However he also is demanding to be held more and played with and entertained, which means an unproductive mommy...

Over the Labor Day weekend, we took the kids to Maryland so that my grandparents could meet A. My parents flew down from Massachusetts, and my aunt & her family drove in from West Virginia as well, so a great time was had by all. S is right in the middle of my aunt's kids, H & A, so we had a 4 month old, and 9, 10, & 11 year old kids, and very happy grand & great-grand parents.

I've gotten a little work done over the last month, too. Finished up the 3rd commission, A's baby quilt, and an older project that's been waiting to be quilted, plus started another top. Hopefully A will start being willing to play with his toys for entertainment, and I can get cracking on more of my WIPs (Work In Process), UFOs (UnFinished Object), and ideas crowding my studio & headspace!

New WIP: Pixelated, bargello wall hanging. I just need to quilt & bind this puppy. She's basted & ready to go, I just need to trace out my quilting pattern.

Cuban Flag: This lap/throw quilt was another order. Just waiting for pickup!

Aaron's Jungle: this is my little man's quilt, that was the subject of this post. My first foray into working with a pantograph on my quilting machine, instead of just free motion meanders & stippling. I'm very happy with it, and since it's a twin size quilt, he'll out grow the baby jungle animals long before he outgrows the quilt!

Country Fences: twin size quilt that's been patiently waiting his turn to be finished. This one is for sale in my Etsy shop!

Thanks for sticking around, I am still alive & kickin!

Two more done!

2010-08-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

This week has been a productive one for me! I got two orders finished and am starting on a third. I'm happy with how everything is finally coming together!

This little beauty is named Charlotte's Web. Charlotte is now 6 months old and a little terror by the sounds of things! She loves the wires to mommy & daddy's computers.

I'm having fun with pieced backs. This one was just a simple block pieced back, using the fabrics from the front of the quilt. I left the selvages intact & showing for a little fun. I used the Scarborough Fair line by Windham Fabrics. I don't usually stick with a single fabric line, but in this case I wanted the unified look. I love how it turned out.

Memories of Stage Fort Park was a challenge for me. I found a gorgeous piece of tonally dyed batik that just screamed out to be used for this quilt. I quilted it using a meandering pattern that imitates the breeze-driven waves on the surface of the water or in tall grass.

For the back I used some yardage I found at our local Ikea. It's a fun black & green on white print with birds, leaves, seed pods, & branches. It suits the theme perfectly, and I love how soft the fabric is. I never would have thought to shop there for fabrics!

Thanks for stopping by!

You know you're a quilter when...

2010-07-30T09:13:00.002-07:00

This is taken from a thread that an online acquaintance started on www.quiltingboard.com. It's compiled from the contributions of a lot of the quilters there. If you distribute, please mention quiltingboard.com as the source. I know more than a few apply to me, how about you?

You know you're a quilter when...
1. You pay more attention to the quilts in the movie than what the actors are saying.
2. Meals are an interruption
3. you see a nice shirt, skirt or dress, you mentally go through your stash to see if you have coordinating fabric and figure out what block the garment would look best in.
4. you rewind or pause a movie to get a better look at the quilt in the background.
5. you stop driving or walking to dig out a camera, cell phone, or paper and pen to capture an image of something for a new quilt idea.
6. You wish quilters got credit in films like actors and tech staff do.
7. you go to bed, you think about what you want to sew in the morning instead of what you plan to make for breakfast.
8. you trace a design in a hospital waiting room.
9. you look at the tile design on the floor and figure out how to piece it in fabric.
10. You pick threads off your clothes every time you walk out the door.
11. You pick threads off your spouse, the dogs, the cat...
12. You see quilt designs everywhere.
13. You dream about quilts
14. You are districated by the carpet pattern underneath the buffet table.
15. You color your small square window panes in a nice 9-patch design
16. You plan your vacations around the locations of fabric stores.
17. You realize the fabric you are sitting on at the fast food joint would make a great quilt.
18. You copy tile patterns from hotels, churches, old government buildings...
19. Nobody eats in the dining room because your "project" is taking up the entire table.
20. You buy antique quilt at the swap meet even though it has too many holes.
21. Your dog has a coat made from an antique quilt.
22. You are covered with threads all the time.
23. you can't just sit and watch TV; you have to be sewing or quilting at the same time.
24. Your car is trained to turn in to every fabric store parking lot it passes.
25. You come home to find a purple bin filled with fabrics at your door that "a friend" bought at a garage sale and knew you would like it.
26. A neighbor says he likes the humming sound of your sewing machine late at night.
27. Your friends' clothes remind you of quilt blocks
28. you can't leave home without your sewing machine
29. You are thrilled to find a shirt, skirt or dress at the thrift shop that will work great in your next project.
30. A friend hands you a giant bag of her husband's old silk ties.
31. you go to a well-stocked quilt store and you can't find any accessories that you do NOT have
32. You miss your sewing machine more than your family
33. you disappear for the weekend into your sewing room
34. You save greeting cards and pictures from magazines for a future quilt design
35. you look for fabric that's based on ancient tile designs
36. you lay out floor and wall tiles based on a quilt pattern.
37. you are attracted to a man's tie because the fabric would look great in a quilt.
38. you tell your kids/spouse "Just one more row!"
39. you tell your family "whoever finds thread in their food wins a prize" at dinner time.
40. you find the stair railing in the courthouse has a very interesting pattern
41. you cut up carpet tile squares into triangles for the floor.
42. you bore your non-quilting friends with endless talk about quilting
43. you run out of storage space for fabric and unfinished projects.
44. you would rather spend money on fabric than new shoes or clothes.
45. you are directionally challenged, yet you can find quilt stores that are hidden in the woods
44. you quit volunteering at church because they threw away some antique quilts.
45. you sit down at your sewing machine at 7PM and before you know it, your neighbor is banging on the wall at 11:30PM and he wants to sleep.
46. your vacation consists of attending quilt shows and fabric shopping.
47. You decorate pies and cakes to look like quilts.
48. you go on vacation, you bring a list of all the quilt stores within driving distance of your destination.
49. you hear that someone sewed through their finger and your first thought is "That's awful! Another broken needle!"
50. You prepare to paint your barn or garage by looking at quilt block patterns.
51. your automatic response to any request from any family member is "just let me finish this one seam"
52. you observe that the quilting in the toilet paper could have been done better.
53. you wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if you can sneak out to the quilting room.
54. your husband automatically turns the car around because you spotted a quilt shop on a side road
55. you meet another quilter for the first time and chat for an hour before either of you realize it
56 you seriously consider stealing your best friend's shirt because it's just the right color.
57. when your granddaughter brings the picture she drew in art class home from school and you want to turn it into a quilt.
58. you wake up earlier when you're on vacation than when you're working so you can have more quilting time
59. you get into the car and you realize you are still wearing a thimble.
60. you try to surprise your kids with a "fun new place to visit" and they reply "let me guess - a quilt shop?"
61. you take your sewing machine on a 10-day road trip.
62. you want to re-create the stained-glass window from church as a quilt.
63. The first place you visit in the library is the new display quilt.
64. you envision all the horses in the pasture wearing quilted blankets.
65. you make the dog wait to go out so you can finish a seam.
66. you ask to trace cardboard butterflies hanging in a florist's window.
67. your machine is out for its annual tune-up and you clean your house for "something to do"
68 you don't iron clothing, but you do iron scraps of fabric
69. you delay surgery to attend the state quilt convention
70 you "borrow" a napkin from a fancy restaurant so you can make a quilt designed like it.
71. you can't stay out of fabric stores, even though you already own enough fabric for a lifetime.
72. you redesign your kitchen to include an island large enough to baste a queen-size quilt.
73. you start sewing at 2AM because you have a lot of blocks to finish.
74. you don't remember the names of the towns you visited, but you do remember how to get to the local Quilt Store in that town.
75. you can measure a block from a computer image.
76. you can't stand the heat, but will sew in an unairconditioned room for hours, sweat rolling down your face.
77. you are in an airplane looking out the window and see many many quilt patterns on the ground.
78. your children/grandchildren refuse to go out with you when they find out you are only going to a fabric shop.
79. the ONLY shopping you like to do is for fabric.
80. you must stop at the fabric store before going to the grocery store (when you are out grocery shopping)
81. you practice quilting feathers and other designs with the lawn mower.
82. you are trying to figure out how to reproduce the light and shadow on the ceiling tiles in a quilt while laying back in a dentist's chair.
83. your spouse is trained to call you to the computer when he sees a quilt in a house listing photo.
84. you impress people with your ability to know the dimensions of something without a ruler.
85. someone says "what nice points", you take it as a compliment.
86. you offer to take your neighbor's donation box to the drop off so you can root through it for clothing that would make a nice addition to your stash.
87. you photohgraph brickwork for a future quilt design.
88. you select gift wrap because the pattern would look good in a quilt.
89. you cut a nice looking tie off someone's neck to use in a project.
90. you recognize yourself in this list.

Daddy's Little Princess

2010-07-15T09:02:00.002-07:00

You may wonder why this quilt would be named Daddy's Little Princess. There is significant back story to this name, but suffice to say it refers to a (former) gamer dad and his new little lady. I hope they like it! (Ok, I know they'll like it)

The front is piece from quilting cottons in a very basic 4-patch variation, and the back is soft cuddly flannel. Since the family lives in MA, the little princess will need a warm quilt to cover her in the car seat this winter. As with all my baby quilts, this one has a machine stitched binding and is fairly densely quilted with a meandering pattern.

Ho Boy!

2010-06-17T11:29:00.001-07:00

I have never run a quilt show/contest before, but I guess there's a first time for everything! I'm a member of the International Costumers Guild, in the SiliconWeb and Southwest Costumers Guild chapters. Each year there is a convention hosted by a different chapter in a different part of the country, and in 2012 it will be coming to Phoenix, hosted by the SW Costumers Guild. Since there are many of the costumers who are also quilters (among other fiber arts), recently a quilt show has been added to the festivities taking place, and silly me volunteered to run it for our con.

Now I just have to figure out how to advertise it best, so that we get some good entries! This is a start at least.

Slow progress

2010-05-29T12:01:00.002-07:00

But progress just the same!

So, the little man was born on May 11th, and he's absolutely adorable!

One proud big sister!

Now that he's almost 3 weeks old (Really? Already??), I'm slowly getting back to my sewing. And re-arranging my workroom (I'm temporarily giving up on having any sort of flooring installed, so it will remain bare concrete for the time being).

I need to figure out how to fit everything in an 11x12 room with a truncated corner. And I have a lot of fabric. And books (and other reference materials). And other stuff. A trip to Ikea is in the near future- the Gorm shelves are the right dimensions to fit in, around & under various objects in the room, including the quilt frame that is still in the baby's room, so that's what I'll be going with. It's an awkward process- I need to unpack boxes in order to get everything in the room, but I need shelves & other things in place in order to unpack the boxes. Wheee!

I've gotten one commissioned quilt top completed, and started the second, plus I have 5 other tops completed- one is the baby's, one is a gift, the other 3 are going into my Etsy shop (eventually). I haven't been up for wrestling with the roll of batting just yet, but I need to do that soon.

New England Waterways (name is also a WIP) teaser

Charlotte's Web teaser

I also have a 3rd commission that I started picking up fabric for yesterday, as well as at least 5 other tops cut & waiting to be pieced (some of them have been waiting more than 4 or 5 years at this point...) What, me? WIPs & UFOs? I have no idea what you might be referring to! =)

Thanks for sticking around, hopefully I'll be able to post a bit more frequently now. Or at least, I'll have more items to post about!

Long day...

2010-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Until today, all of my quilts that I have made as a gift have been for happy occasions, mostly births of babies, a few birthdays, and a retirement.

Today, my husband told me one of his coworkers may lose his newborn son. I've never made a bereavement quilt before this, and I really, truly hope this doesn't become one, but sadly the chances of the baby surviving are extraordinarily slim. I hope this at least brings mom & dad some comfort.

I am so thankful that everything is indicating that our son will be a healthy baby.

Glee!

2010-05-05T11:52:00.004-07:00

No, not the TV show (though I've heard that it's good).

Electric Quilt 7 has been announced (ok, so I'm a little late on that one) and is now available for pre-order! I have EQ6, and love using it. I'm very excited about the updated features on EQ7, and I can't wait to get my copy! I'm looking forward to playing with it.

On the sewing front, I've completed the top & back for my little man's quilt. Now to cut the batting & get it on the frame, and see if I can get it finished before he arrives! :-)

Horribly cute, isn't it? The fabric is the Jungle Babies line from JoAnn Fabrics, and is really intended to be one of the soft-cloth books. My friend who hosted my shower had the idea for everyone to decorate squares with fabric paints so that my baby can have a quilt sooner than his sister did. That and I made quilts for all three friends who had babies last fall, so this was their way of returning the gift.

37 weeks and counting!

I'm still here, I promise!

2010-04-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

Ok, my updating is getting worse and worse instead of better, but I blame my body. I am currently 35 weeks into my pregnancy, have been having contractions since Monday afternoon, am on medication to stop said contractions, and am generally physically quite miserable. At my ultrasound last week, the baby was estimated to be around 6 lbs 8 oz, which certainly explains my discomfort!

His nursery is finally done and ready for him, even if he still has to share it with my quilting frame for the time being. Its ok anyway, as he'll be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the first couple of months. About the only thing we need now is a glider/rocking chair & ottoman for late night nursing. And a baby. But things are pointing towards him arriving fairly soon, possibly by the end of next week.

I have 3 commissions to get cracking on. Fortunately they are all for friends and family, so they understand that it will be a little bit before I can get them completed. One is partway there, as I was able to get the materials and get started back in February, but the other two aren't so lucky. Another fortunate thing- it's heading towards summer, so the quilts aren't as urgent as they could be.

Things are changing, wish us luck! =)

Success!

2010-03-21T21:03:00.001-07:00

One quilt down, 8 more to go!

I was able to complete Victorian Lullabye today. In the immediate future, this pretty little crib-size quilt is headed to the Boy's & Girl's Club to accompany Sailor Boy Green in their spring auction. Afterwards, one of them will return to my Etsy shop.

I got the top nearly complete and realized I didn't have any single piece of fabric that would be big enough for the backing, so I decided to do a pieced back. I don't generally do them, as I struggle getting them lined up properly, but I'm very happy with how this one turned out.

I quilted it using a meandering loopy 'pattern' that ends up resulting in a densely quilted piece which is far sturdier for a kid's quilt. I also machine stitch the bindings for durability. Art quilts always get a hand-finished binding, though.

On the baby front, we're in the countdown. Approximately 9 weeks left until his expected arrival, but as anyone who has had a baby knows, they come when they're good & ready. We're closer to getting his nursery completed, and hopefully can paint next weekend. Poor kid will have to share his room with my quilt frame for a little bit longer, though, since I won't be able to paint the concrete floor in my work room until after he's born. I'll post photos when it's complete.

My poor blog...

2010-02-28T09:41:00.004-07:00

It has been so neglected recently! Between exhaustion from the pregnancy and working full time at the firm (I'm an accountant, it's tax season, you do the math), my mom visiting for almost 3 weeks (not exactly tiring, as she did a lot to help around the house, but didn't get to visit near as much as I wanted to, thanks to the previously mentioned exhaustion), trying to keep the house clean for myriad visits (Super Bowl- now we know Who Dat!, baby shower, UFC fight nights), trying to spend more time with my daughter & husband, I just haven't had time to sew or to keep up on posting here!

Well, yesterday I was determined to accomplish something. I currently have 2 commissions, fortunately neither one has a hard deadline. One is in progress, the other I picked up the fabric for yesterday. One of the local machine/fabric shops has a special shopping day once a month, so I always try to get over there to see what the deals are that day. I managed to pick up everything I need (I hope) for the second commission, a twin-size Sunlight & Shadows quilt, so will start that as soon as I finish the crib-size Woven Ribbons variation quilt I'm currently working on.

Country Fences (in progress)

I also have a twin-size Rail Fence ready to be quilted, along with 2 baby quilts (one for the shop, one as a gift) and Hawaiian Punch, a block of the month mystery quilt, that's been hanging out since April, waiting to be quilted. Then there's the 2nd quilt for the Boys & Girls Club spring auction that needs to be finished by the end of March, and another block of the month mystery quilt (that isn't such a mystery anymore) that has been languishing even longer than Hawaiian Punch.

Hawaiian Punch (in progress)

No UFO's here, I don't know what you're talking about! :-) It does bode well for my shop, however, once I can get items completed & listed.

This morning, I decided to break down & set up the quilting frame, because I'll never get all these quilts finished without it. I've been holding off, hoping to get the flooring in my workroom, but it's looking like it won't get done until the summer (when I can figure out how to install porcelain tile- Whee!). So I went ahead & set it up in the baby's room. It's the only other room that has the space for it, and where I can close the door to keep fur to a minimum. Baby can share his room for a little bit.

These next three months are going to both drag and go by so fast. So much preparation left to do for baby's arrival!

Sewing Saturday

2010-01-17T09:28:00.003-07:00

My New Year's resolution isn't about eating healthier (although we are trying), or exercising more regularly (although the doc did give me the ok to do so again), but about actually spending time working on my shop in order to build it into the viable business that I wanted 4 years ago.

This is a hard thing to do, since I am an accountant (this is the start of tax season after all), and work is an hour commute each way. So during the week, my sewing machine doesn't get much love. On the weekends, however, I try to spend a few hours each day either organizing, cutting or sewing. Yesterday, Sammie took over my studio for a few hours, working on Pearler bead projects, and starting another quilt.

I'm teaching her about strip and chain piecing now, and she's doing a fabulous job. Her seams are getting much straighter and much more consistent, and her four-patch blocks are lining up properly! I think I've created another monster... Ok, so she's been a monster since the day she was born, but now she's got the same sewing bug that plagues the rest of the women in the family.

I was able to get a quilt top mostly finished, another gift baby quilt. Mom doesn't think skulls can be girly, and dad isn't a fan of pink. So they're getting a pink, girly skull quilt and matching pacifier- I just couldn't resist! (And I hope they're not reading this blog- that would ruin the surprise!)

I'll post the quilt top once it's finished. Now I just need to find pink or purple camouflage fabric for the border, back & binding, and we're done! The princess is due in about 3 weeks, I believe, so I have plenty of time. Wasn't aiming for it to be done before she was born, at least, so that's helpful!

Today I plan to make a second quilt top that matches this one, but it will be bordered with a guitar print fabric I found- it's name will be 'Punk Rock Princess' and will find itself in my Etsy shop, which has been sorely lacking in new product since our move. I also have 6 other UFOs hiding in my studio, I hope to finish off one more quilt top that just needs borders, and start on a second.

Hopefully I'll have my flooring installed soon (or at least before the baby is born), so that I can get my quilt frame set up. The UFOs I have will all need to be finished on the frame- I just can't (wo)manhandle them through my other machine.

Maybe later during the week I should gather photos of my projects completed in 2009 and make my Year in Fabric post, like so many other quilting bloggers have been doing. It sure helps one feel better about progress when you can see them all in one place.

Community Service Quilts

2010-01-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

Last spring my daughter's elementary school held a community service night with various projects being worked on, including Packages From Home for the soldiers fighting overseas, and a quilt project to be donated to nursing homes in the area.

Since Bug & I couldn't attend the project night, I volunteered to assemble the quilts. Of course, what I didn't plan on was moving, getting hurt, having 3 baby quilts to finish in a month & a half after moving, and then getting pregnant myself!

Yesterday I finally finished up the third of the quilts- I had only been asked to make make one, but was given batting for two, and there were plenty of squares left to make a slightly smaller third quilt. They go back to the school tomorrow (I had hoped for last Monday, the first day after winter break, but couldn't pull it off)

I think she'll be pleased, as will the final recipients.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

Or insert winter holiday of your choice. We're not picky! =)

As I commented in my previous post, my mother definitely helps 'feed the need' when it comes to fabric. One of my gifts this year was 10 fat quarters, 7 as a set and 3 just for fun, and a beeswax holder for conditioning thread for handsewing.

She and I always wreak havoc when we set foot in a fabric store. Neither she nor my husband are appropriate chaperonage, it seems. Both of them seem to have ideas for projects for me, so the stash never seems to get smaller!

Hopefully once the baby is here, and has given us a little breather, I'll be able to start planning and sewing more items for my shop. It will be a good challenge for me, and one that I am looking forward to.

Speaking of the baby, we found out on Wednesday we are having a boy! We are all very excited, although my daughter would have preferred a sister for Christmas. =) Baby boys are not very common in my husband's family, so knowing that family name will continue makes the whole family very happy. We still hope to someday be able to move back to his hometown, even if we don't continue in the family business.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season, and best wishes for everything you need in the the new year!

How many yards is that?

2009-12-20T09:06:00.002-07:00

aka Why my husband doesn't believe me when I say I don't have the right fabric for a project...

So I started out with a box of fabric like this:

And using Happy Zombie's fabric folding methods (found here) as suggested by Amy at Park City Girl ended up with this:

And trimmed the scraps into strips, squares & triangles resulting in this:

I've been working on it for a few weeks, here & there as I have time. Now that I can *see* what I have, maybe I can finally get it all used up. This is the risk you run when you (used to) work at a fabric shop and get a 30% discount on everything. That, and my mother is also a seamstress, so she sends me her leftovers from costuming. I love getting packages from her, as I never know what goodies will emerge!

Next step, getting our friend who offered to install the flooring to come out so that I can finish my work room & get all my sewing supplies out of the baby's room. We find out Wednesday what we're having, and I want to get started on painting & decorating that room! =)

But for now, I'll keep working out of boxes. Next project- get the community project quilts for my daughter's school finished. I'll post those when they're done, too.

12 Days of Catmas

2009-11-10T19:51:00.003-07:00

This fun wall hanging quilt evolved from shopping during a trip to a quilt show back in 2003. If you haven't met my mom, all you really need to know is that she *is* the crazy cat lady.

We found this fabric, all cats in groupings that are plays on verses from 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', like 'Ten Toms a-Peeping' or 'A Tabby-cat in a Pear Tree'.

The base of the quilt is a log cabin wreath, and the motifs are appliqued on using fusible web and then machine stitched down. The quilting was all done with embroidery thread to give a little shimmer to the finished product.

It only took me 5 years to actually get it finished- not too shabby, right? =)

Sky Pirate

2009-11-07T09:08:00.002-07:00

Logahn made his grand entrance to the world on 10/30/09, and his quilt was finished and delivered 10/31/09. Mom & Dad were thrilled, and they loved the back of the quilt, where I had planned a little surprise for them.

I am very happy with how the alternating diamonds worked out on this quilt. Not sure I want to make this pattern again any time soon, but they love it, so it was worth it.

The back of the quilt is pirate themed (hence the name, Sky Pirate), and the fabrics bordering the center are the fabrics Mom & Dad used for their binding for their handfasting ceremony. They knew nothing of what I had planned for this part.

2 new items on Etsy

2009-11-01T10:40:00.002-07:00

I was able to finish up two of my mini-quilts the week before I had to go to PA, but never got a chance to photograph them for Etsy until yesterday. Here they are!

Garden Paths

Garden Square

Ok, so I'm running out of naming ideas for any garden-themed block. ;-)

As you might guess, I had started a quilt with a number of mini-blocks, but the quilt never materialized, so I am turning the blocks into trivets and selling them by themselves. My hope is that they will bring traffic to the shop, and will provide good smaller items for the craft shows, when I am able to start setting up at them.

It's been a hard week...

2009-10-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

I've been awful quiet for a few weeks, due to business, and family needs. My grandmother, the recipient of my first quilt, passed away last Monday the 19th. She was 80 years old, and passed away on her mother's birthday. My daughter's 9th birthday was Tuesday.

I'm glad I flew out to PA to say goodbye, but it was hard to see her in hospice. Maybe she knew we were there, I don't know. But she's at peace now, with grandpa & the various dogs & cats she had over the years.

I love you grandma. I'll keep the quilt and pillow in my steamer trunk from grandpa.

Baby Quilts #2 and #3

2009-10-13T06:42:00.006-07:00

I've been a little remiss in posting, but I was working furiously on getting these two baby quilts finished in time for the respective showers. Both moms were thrilled, and I'm glad they're done!

Land of Lincoln

I used the block 'Cross in a Cross' and did an on-point setting. I'm very happy with how this one turned out. The back (silly me forgot to photograph) is all auto shop tools, as dad is a welder & gearhead.

I did a simple quilting following the inside of the squares on the quilt, using varigated thread.

Lily Pads

This darling is the Monkey Wrench block done in batiks, and tied to finish. I generally don't tie baby quilts, but this one just wasn't lending itself to being quilted in any way that made me happy, the night before the shower.

So there you go. A two-fer this morning! Hope you enjoyed!

Cattails Quilts has a new home!

2009-09-18T07:21:00.003-07:00

Or at least a door to the new home. My darling husband took it upon himself to have my logo turned into a stencil for the door to my workroom as an anniversary gift. We painted it Saturday morning, and while it's not complete, I'm very happy with it.

What do you think? We will be adding a border & the name eventually, but this was the goal for Saturday morning, as we had people invading that night.

And I suppose this post should have come before 'Sky Pirate', in honoRRRRR of tomorrow & all, but I was just happy to have the quilt completed!

Sky Pirate

2009-09-16T07:06:00.004-07:00

So you all get to see the finished top before the mom & dad do, but that's ok, they don't mind! =D The name may not make sense at the moment, but when the back is pieced & finished it will. The alternate name for this quilt is 'Logahn in the Sky with Diamonds', as dad is a huge music fan.

I am very, very happy with how this quilt turned out. I have some ideas on how to make it better the next time I attempt this pattern.

I hope you like it, I know they will!

Quilt Testimonial: Royal Retreat

2009-09-10T08:37:00.006-07:00

Here is the first commissioned quilt I completed. Unfortunately, the photo does not do it justice, but the combination of the burgundys and golds is stunning, and the floral on black print just tied it all together. The ladies whom this quilt was for were quite happy with the results!

From Cattails Quilts

"The quilt Elaine made for us was exactly what we were
looking for. She took our very vague directions and
turned them into a beautiful addition to our home.
Every step of the way she wanted to be sure we were
pleased with her direction, gave us the option to
change our minds infinite times and was always very
forthcoming about her progress. We felt very much
involved in the creation of our quilt and as a result
are extremely pleased with the final work. Elaine's
intuitive sense of color and matching patterns is very
much evident in her work. When she showed us the
first sample square, we were so pleased at both her
instincts about what we wanted and her creative
impulses on the color matching and such. She is a
very skilled seamstress and a lovely artist to work
with."

Jodi Clark & Jenny Karstad, Marlboro, VT

Unnamed Baby Quilt #1

2009-08-30T21:03:00.006-07:00

Progress has been made!

From this:

To this:
Only 11 more to go. Still not quite sure how I managed to draft such a complicated pattern for myself. Only 336 pieces in the quilt top (counting each Half-Square Triangle as a single unit, since I strip-pieced them.) Did I mention I'm insane? And I hate HST's. With a passion. And there are 192 of them in the quilt.

Oh, and as far as I can tell (or remember), I drafted this mess on my own. Maybe I had inspiration from another quilt, but I think this block mess is my own making. When it's done, there will be alternating diamonds, black with lavender centers and white with purple centers, and the criss-crossing grey stripes should have a woven look to them.

I don't know why I do this to myself, but I know they'll love it.

We have a foyer!

2009-08-23T21:10:00.004-07:00

The boxes have been relocated: some that are items I don't need right away into the new workroom, others that have projects that need to be done have been moved to the baby's room. We figure it's at least 10 months before there will be any occupant for said room, so I can use it for a temporary workspace until my workroom is finished.

Three baby quilts to get made in the next 2 months, as well as 6 quilts for my Etsy shop. Another baby quilt for February, and a bridal party for next fall, I've got quite a bit on my plate!

All this and a full time job too! Life is good. :)

Sorry I've been so quiet...

2009-08-10T06:28:00.003-07:00

But packing is a bitch! Ok, so I've been mostly offline for the last month because the hubby & I were finally able to buy a house. So it's been a month full of packing, more packing, stress, more stress, and a few injuries to boot. I sprained my ankle by rolling it on the stairs in the new house, about 78 hours after we closed on it, about 60 hours before the movers were to arrive. And we weren't done packing yet. Fun, huh?

All of my myriad sewing supplies are in those boxes you see up there. All sitting in the hallway, outside my glorious new workroom, waiting for the new flooring to be installed. Some of it will be moved upstairs to the baby's room (s/he won't need it for at least 9 months yet!), so that I can work until I do have my workspace set up, but it is very frustrating having it all so close, yet not really usable yet.

So hopefully tonight we can move a few things upstairs so I can work, and get a few more boxes unpacked.

TGIMBOSP?

2009-07-06T07:19:00.007-07:00

So, my family is comprised of geeks & nerds. My brother forwarded me this link for TGIMBOEJ (aka The Great Internet Migratory Box of Electronic Junk), and it got me thinking- What if us quilters/costumers/general sewers got together and started The Great Internet Migratory Box of Sewing Paraphernalia?

The premise is whatever fits in the USPS large Priority Mail flat-rate shipping box ships. You sign up on a site to be a recipient, and when the box reaches you, you take out a few items that appeal to you, and add in some new ones from your stash. Then you log the travels of the box, and ship it off to the next recipient, ideally within a 2-3 week timeframe.

The contents could be anything, from embroidery floss you bought for one cross-stitch, trim leftover from your latest costume, scraps from that baby quilt that you couldn't bear to just throw away, to that spool of lime green thread that you needed for one repair project and will never use again.

I'm not entirely sure how I would go about getting this off the ground, but it is certainly a fun-sounding idea!

Best Wishes, Yvonne!

2009-06-28T18:52:00.004-07:00

When my daughter's second grade teacher announced at the beginning of the school year that she would be retiring in June, I knew I wanted to do something special for her. After doing all the sewing for 14 people for my September wedding, I needed to take a break from sewing for a few months. Unfortunately, I'm also an accountant, so my 1-2 month break turned into almost 6, and then suddenly the end of the school year was right around the corner.

Fortunately, one of the other moms had done a craft project with the class, and I was able to get the self portraits that all the children had done, and using t-shirt transfers and my ink jet printer, I turned them into quilt blocks. My daughter picked out the fabrics, and off I went! I did a simple sashing around the blocks, and the finished piece was machine quilted in the ditch.

As you can imagine, she was surprised and absolutely stunned. I know that she'll remember this class for many years to come.

New (to me) Quilting Resource Site!

2009-06-15T22:16:00.003-07:00

I was recently contacted by Connie of Quilt Qua about being added to her directory of Etsy merchants and quilting blogs. She has compiled quite the collection of quilt related links and resources, and she is still adding to it. There are links for blogs, fabric shops, 'missing fabric' resources (for when you need just one more yard to finish that project, but its been discontinued), guilds, supplies, giveaways, you name it!

From her website:

And welcome to Quilt Qua (definition of qua: In the character of or capacity of). I invite you to enjoy the web site. There are many resources to explore, avenues to advertise your business, and articles to read.

Win: 1 Frosted Memories Fat Quarter Bundle by Holly Taylor for Moda Fabrics !
To enter simply "tell a friend" to spread the word about Quilt Qua. You can send an e-mail to people, post on your blog, comment on someone else's blog, put info in your guild newsletter, etc. Then send an e-mail to: quiltqua@gmail.com and let me know what you did. Enter as often as you wish. Random drawing for the winner will be at 10 pm July 31st.
Check it out! I'm sure to spend more than a few hours poking around her site.

To err is human...

2009-06-02T06:52:00.006-07:00

But when you really foul things up, it usually involves a PC.

I installed a new hard drive in my machine, and in the process of getting it set up, managed to screw up the old hard drive. I was able to run a data recovery tool, but I have to go through each file by hand over the next few weeks to figure out what is worth keeping and what is junk.

Which means that I lost all of my photos from the past 7 years, at least until I can locate my photo archive disk, and then I will have only lost a year's worth of photos.

Unfortunately, that's quite a few photos. I was worried the old drive was ready to die, which is why I bought the new drive. Of course, it was user error that caused this to happen, and I have no one to be mad at but myself, which, I suppose, is better than being ticked off at my darling husband.

Here is a photo, however, from my LiveJournal blog, CattailsQuilts. This is Blue Danube, a bargello wall-hanging quilt in blues & whites that was sold through my Etsy shop.

From Cattails Quilts

I am quite happy with how this turned out. It was the first time I ever attempted a bargello, and I will admit, I was concerned about my seams lining up, but they all came out perfect!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T12:34:00.004-07:00

In honor of the men and women who serve and have served, I post this quilt that I made for my younger brother when he enlisted in the US Marine Corps. I drafted the pattern myself, using half-square triangles to make pinwheel blocks, and alternating those with solid blocks. The back of the quilt is also pieced, using USMC emblem fabric as the focus.

I hand quilted around the EGA of the USMC emblem, and machine stitched 'USA' down the center of the quilt.

This quilt has been to Iraq twice, and now both it and my brother reside safely in Massachusetts.

Thank you to all who have served. I hope you are never forgotten.

Garnet & Freshwater Pearl Choker & Bracelet set

2009-05-20T08:23:00.008-07:00

Here's a non-quilt item for sale in my Etsy shop. I like to be able to showcase my wide and varied set of abilities every now and then (by the way, did I mention I'm also a musician and a hockey player?)

From Cattails Quilts

This 16" choker & 6" bracelet set is made with garnet and freshwater pearls, accented with quartz chips and sterling silver beads. Simple yet elegant, it would suit both business and casual wear.

The darling fluffball is our kitten, Bob, who was quite interested in what I was doing that night. He's nearly 3 times that size now, and still quite the lover.

Grandma's Little Helpers

2009-05-18T06:33:00.003-07:00

I realized over a VERY busy weekend, that I have neglected to post in a little while! So, without further ado, here is a blast from the past- Grandma's Little Helpers.

This quilt was the very first one I made. I had been working part-time evenings at a fabric store as a way to have some adult interaction while my daughter was an infant. This store is (or at least was at the time) two stories, first floor all decorator fabric, second about 1/2 quilting fabric and the rest notions or dressmaker goods. Many people came through with their quilt projects, and it got me very interested, as I'd been sewing for quite a while, but didn't (and still don't) like making clothes.

So, I picked up a book and fabric, figuring how hard can it be, and dove in. This wild quilt was the result. I had a good time making it, and the quilting has evolved and taken on its own life.

Sailor Boy Blue Pt. 2

2009-05-01T10:41:00.005-07:00

This quilt is now available to purchase in my Etsy shop! I am currently working on the companion quilt to this one, titled Sailor Boy Green. When it is complete, there will be the option to buy both as a set.

Sailor Boy Blue

2009-04-26T09:24:00.004-07:00

This darling quilt hasn't hit my Etsy site yet, as I am waiting to see if I can accomplish the task of finishing another baby quilt this week. Babies, babies everywhere! I am friends with no less than five couples who are all pregnant and due within the next six months, and there are probably some that I don't know about yet!

This quilt is approximately 36" x 46" and has been machine pieced and machine quilted. I machine sew all the bindings on baby quilts, so that they are more durable.

Closeup of the focus fabric and the machine quilting. I am very happy with the contrast of the red and yellow on this quilt. The blue is quilted with blue thread, for a much more subtle look.

Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2009

2009-04-21T08:03:00.007-07:00

So there is this lovely little online quilt festival that is being hosted by Amy at Park City Girl, and I love showing off this quilt, so what better chance than this?

Presenting: Under Cover of Night

This quilt was created as part of a Block of the Month challenge, and I added my own blocks to it to make a nearly queen-size quilt, the largest I've made to date. The smaller blocks above and below the center star contain blocks that represent the life path I traveled to meet my husband.

The background fabric of each block is a nighttime star field, hence the name. Plus, we're both space nuts, so the theme seemed appropriate.

Each main block was quilted with an astrological symbol. This was also a learning quilt for me- I had just purchased my long-arm quilting machine & frame, and through trial and error learned what I can and cannot do with it.

Even the label has meaning: This quilt was a gift to my husband, started when we had just started dating. The dwarf and elf in the label represent our characters from World of Warcraft, which is how we met (so corny, I know).

I hope you enjoyed this (not-so) little post!

Oriental Gardens Mini Quilt

2009-04-14T21:51:00.004-07:00

Every quilter has extra bits and pieces left over from projects. I take mine and make mini-quilts that are useful around the house!

This 6-1/2 inch mini-quilt is made with 100% cotton quilting fabric & batting, with a cotton backing. It's just the right size to use as a trivet for a small serving bowl.

Available in my Etsy shop!

Aventurine, Quartz and Malachite Necklace and Bracelet Set

2009-04-12T13:50:00.004-07:00

This 19" choker and 7" bracelet are made with genuine aventurine and quartz chips and malachite 4mm beads accented with sterling silver beads. The toggle clasps are sterling silver.

Available in my Etsy shop!

Trees by the Pond Mini Quilt

2009-04-12T13:39:00.006-07:00

Cabin in the Garden Trivet Mini-Quilt

2009-04-12T13:39:00.005-07:00

Every quilter has extra bits and pieces left over from projects. I take mine and make mini-quilts that are useful around the house!

This 10-3/4 inch mini-quilt is made with 100% cotton quilting fabric & batting, with a Therma-Flec heat resistant fabric backing. It's the right size to use as a trivet for your serving dishes.

Country Bargello Trivet Mini-Quilt

2009-04-12T13:38:00.003-07:00

This 14-3/4 by 12-1/4 inch mini-quilt is made with 100% cotton quilting fabric & batting, with a Therma-Flec heat resistant fabric backing. It's the right size to use as a trivet for your larger serving dishes.

A Log Cabin for a Princess and her Cat

2009-04-12T13:36:00.002-07:00

This darling 35" x 35" baby/lap quilt is made of 100% cotton flannel, machine pieced in a log cabin block, and machine quilted in a meandering design. The binding has been machine stiched for for added durability.

Make a new mom's day with this as a baby gift. She'll get a lot of use out of it as a lap quilt, and as the baby gets older, mom can use it in her crib.

The entire quilt is pastels: the front is lavenders and pinks with beige, and has an adorable pink 'fat cat' border. The back is a white princess print with castles, dancing princesses, and ballet sippers, perfect for your little princess.

This quilt has been pre-washed in dye- and perfume-free environmentally safe detergent to give it extra softness and an heirloom feel.

Welcome to Cattails Quilts!

2009-04-12T13:33:00.004-07:00

Like many other folks, I learned to sew from my mother and grandmother, around the age of seven or eight. I have been making outfits to wear since I was about 9.

In the fall of 2001, I became addicted to quilting, and nearly every new baby in the family has gotten a handmade quilt since. I also enjoy cross-stitch and frequently incorporate it into small quilted wall hangings.

My arsenal of machines includes a Pfaff Varimatic 6091 sewing machine, a Husquevarna Huskylock 905 serger, a Pfaff Hobby1200 GrandQuilter quilting machine (in a NewJoy Gold quilting frame), and the most recent addition, a Pfaff Creativ 1475CD sewing machine.

My eight year-old daughter has also joined the 'fray' on her own machine, a Janome SewMini (this is a real machine, folks, not a Toys'r Us special!), and completed her own first quilt in December of 2008. She has since graduated to using my Pfaff 6091!

Occasionally, I can be found making renaissance garb and fantastical costumes as well as semi-precious stone jewelry.

I have 3 cats & 2 dogs that are always willing to help 'supervise' and always put in their .04.

I am always willing to talk to you about a custom order quilt or jewelry, so please email me! Check out my Etsy shop at http://cattailsquilts.etsy.com