New toy

ooooooooo.look at my new toy!

It's a three tiered metal "lunch box" like the Japanese/Asian ones that are usually made out of a woven fiber--bamboo?.  Anyway, it was marked down 50% at Meijer, and I couldn't pass it up.  I kept thinking: sewing box, sewing box.  I want to put a big pincushion on the inside of the lid.  Hope this is a project that actually gets done,  instead of sits there.  There's always the weekend!  Have a good one and make a klosje or 2.

later.

linda

Klosjes, Zentangles & red&green, oh my!

Yes, I've been busy since I last posted.  I got a bunch of klosjes, done:

yippee skippee!

 

And I listened to the Universe, and did a number of Zentangles:

Wait, wait!  Here's a closeup:

If you

are a good little doodler. you won't be impressed.  Personally, I'm floating on cloud nine!  I shared with my friend, Jan, and she called me the next day and said if I were really a friend, I'd come take the pen out of her hand-she'd done 18 in two days!!!!!!!!!

Then I spent a few hours at 11pm Monday nite at the vet ER, cause I thought one of the puppies had eaten a straight pin--she hadn't, but she should be a magician, the way her jaws are faster than the eye. 

Tuesday I spent finishing up proofing the first block of the Good Wives Second Annual Red and Green quilt---and it worked!

I crashed at 9pm yesterday--I never do that, but I've been up and at 'em and getting lots of stuff done today, just no sewing.  Well, I'm off, and I'm leaving, too.

later.

linda

Apparantly I need to pay attention!

While reading my Inklingo group posts on yahoo, I saw a post from Jane Monk announcing an auction for the Australian flood victims.  She was donating a Zentangle kit to the auction.  I'd never heard of this, although it's apparantly been around for at least 15 years.  Stop.  Go check out the Zentangle site.  So, I'm intrigued, because although I've got a degree in art, I can't doodle, and I love to learn new things.  So, I sent away for the kit, picked up a copy of The Quilter Magazine and saw an article on Pat Ferguson, and her Zentangle quilts.  The Universe speaks!  Okay, now, tell me how behind the times I am and where have I been the last 15 years.
later
linda

It's mail day!

When I go to answer people's comments, my computer tells me that the default email is not properly set up, ergo I'm responding here.  I'll keep mail separate from the rest of the posts and label it as such.  If anybody has better suggestions, let me have'em please!

To Joan, I'm "reproducing" a quilt that I saw in the book, Classic Quilts from the American Museum in Britain.

It's on  page 80, and here's a picture of a picture (don't know how else to do that)and the original is 72"x65" (183x165 cm).  I chose fabrics that were similar to the ones in the original and am pleased at how it's coming out so far.  I got the book on Amazon.  The quilt was made by Elizabeth Mitchell (nee Cannon) in St. Cloud, Minnesota between 1875 and 1900.  The original background was a yellow sateen, and don't supposoe I'll be able to find that in that color now, but haven't started looking, yet.  The original was EPP, but I'm using Inklingo.  Yes, I'm planning on it taking a while.   Sigh.  Thanks for your interest.

To QueenB, I want to see a picture of a little flower of 1/4" hexagons next to something little.  Can't wait!  Thanks for checking in.

To Linda:  having the best time with all of this, thanks to you and Monkey! 

Have to go try to fix an old laptop and since it's Saturday, do some Klosjes!

later.   linda

lucky you!

Why are you lucky?  'Cause I deleted all the blathery stuff I had started this post with and started over!  It's a snow day and I don't have to go to work.  The snow's not that bad, but blowing and drifting all over the roads makes travel not ideal.

I've gotten parts and pieces done.  I added almost 2 rounds to my starburst repro: 

Takes longer and longer to get around-duh to me.

Last Saturday I got a few more forget-me-nots and klosjes done:

I was talking to a friend about the little flowers, and I considered that each flower was "precious", but the quilt as a whole is not more precious than the individual flower.  She, who is very insightful, likened it to seeing a vibernum cluster, and each little flower is wondrous and precious, and each are equal, and God considers us each individually, while dealing with the whole. And that kind of broke my mind.  The fact that I consider each is precious and the whole no more so than the each of the individuals is a good bit of insight for me in just talking about fabric quilts.  The rest is something I have to ponder  for a while.

Then, in between all of these, we got the 2 puppies spayed.  Trying to keep them quiet is interesting.

But I still made time to get the stems for the Garden Club Blackbird table topper appliqued-almost.

  Should finish up today.  The layout was time-consuming, as the blocks are 20" ish- and there wasn't a large layout sheet to put the fabric over-just a graph.  I suppose I could have blown things up and taped, or redrawn it on a red dot tracing mesh, but that would take more time before I could start to sew, so I "approximated" stuff.  We'll see if I regret that when I'm done. 

Tomorrow I'm doing a full scale Inklingo demo, so I have to go get that ready.  And one more ding on me:  I finally found all the comments people had left on the blog:  here I thought I was all alone, and low and behold, people are reading it.  Thank you, thank you.  And I hope to answer comments from now on.

linda

My brains going faster than my body can keep up!

I got the Valentine quilt done for the shop and took it up there yesterday.  I'm really pleased with it.

And then I spent this morning reading some of the blogs I follow and my brain is about to explode.  Inspired by Antique Quilts has some darling little numbers in it. Barbara Brackman is offering a FREE Civil War sampler quilt pattern ea. week to commemorate the Sesquecentenniel of the beginning of the Civil War this year.  I've thought about jumping on the band wagon, but if you've seen my last few posts, you'll know why I'm trying to be restrained. 

I'm gonna go kick up the furnace while Mr. Wonderful is at work.  Last week's thaw is over and it's in the 20's and my fingers and toes are chilled to the bone.  Oh, a cup of hot something, too, is on the agenda. And some sewing!

linda

Inklingo New Year!

Happy, happy!  It's the third of January and what have I got to show for the new year?  Well, I'll show ya.

I spent a good deal of Saturday marking, Inklingoing and cutting several projects, just because I could. 

I just love how sweet these little blue flowers look. and I do mean small:

Each side of the hexagon finishes at 1/2"-this quarter covers the whole center.  I keep thinking of them as little forget-me-nots.  Yes, it will take tons, but I'm not in a hurry and they print up so fast.

The POTC's that I talked about on Thursday?:

I got some of them done, too:

These are similar in size to the hexes:

You can find lots of info on them at Cathi's site, (and Valentina's,--and I'd give you the site if I hadn't accidentally erased everything on my favorites list-but you can find that on Cathi's site, too.  She seems ever so much more organized than I am.) if you search "klosjes",which is the Dutch word. Apparantly, they've been very big in the Netherlands for a while. (I'm late to the party,as usual).  A group of people have declared Saturdays as the day to work on your Klosjes.  There are a number of sizes and shapes, but I agree with Cathi that there's something special and addictive about this little size.  Did I say the finished blocks finish at 2 1/2" square?

 

Then I did some "old fashioned" marking with a pencil and got a bunch of hearts to top stitch applique ready:

And I worked on my Spring table topper out of the Blackbird design book, Garden Club.

I hope you didn't expect focus this year!

Well, dinner's in the crockpot, but the laundry in the dryer won't fold itself.

later

linda