Stash

My friend, Deb, sends me funny things all the time and when I received this cartoon, I thought I would share it with my blog followers.  We all have our favorite places to hide our stash and over the years I've heard about some very strange and funny places.  I haven't tried the oven yet!  I hope this little cartoon brightens your day with a laugh like it did mine.

Until next time . . .
Debbie

Artist's Toolbox

I'm not sure if it is the time of year or what but lately I have been into taking classes and learning.  I've been wanting to learn more about art quilts so found another class at Quilt University called Artist's Toolbox.  This one is taught by Lyric Kincaid who has been featured in Quilting Arts magazine.  When going through the supply list for this class, I noticed that an optional supply is her book, Art + Quilt: Design Principles and Creativity Exercises.

I decided to order the book as I think it will make the class even more interesting.  When it comes to quilting, I am a quilter who has to have a pattern.  I don't consider myself a 'creative' person and definitely not an artist.  Even so, I am hoping that this class will help me become more creative and at the very least help me to think outside the box!

I really enjoyed the last class I took at Quilt University and over the weekend finished my 2 fabric applique class project:

 
My next step is to layer and quilt.  I plan to do echo quilting which is easy and enjoyable : )

Until next time . . .
Debbie

Quilt University Class

Although I am pretty experienced at needle-turn or hand applique, I am always wanting to improve my skills and learn new and better ways to do things.  With that in mind, I checked out Quilt University and found a class on 2 fabric applique quilts taught by Nancy Chong.  Nancy has an outstanding reputation as being a very thorough, excellent teacher.  Even though the class started shortly before we left for vacation, I signed up for it anyway and after getting home from vacation this past Thursday, decided to start.

Nancy gives you a choice of 3 different patterns to use and I chose the candles pattern thinking that it would be a nice wall hanging during the holiday season.  For 2 fabric applique quilts, you choose a light and dark fabric that complement each other.  Here are the fabrics I chose:

 

 

You have the choice of using either the dark or the light as your foreground fabric.  I wanted the light for the background so proceeded to trace my design on the dark fabric using Transdoodle transfer paper.  I can't say enough for this product.  You place the Transdoodle paper between your pattern and your fabric.  I used a ball point stylus to trace over the lines of the pattern and was very happy with the results as the lines are crisp and easy to see:

It looks a little weird at this point but not to worry ~ the light fabric is behind the dark!

Afer tracing the design you pin and baste on the dark fabric.  Then, you cut on the traced line.  I made dash marks about 3/16 inch from the edge as a guide for turning.  I've been stitching on this project each evening while watching TV and here's my progress so far:

I'm really enjoying this process and have learned a lot from Nancy's class.  This is the prelude to taking the plung and making a king sized Hawaiian quilt.  Luckily, Nancy is offering a class on 'How to make a Hawaiian Quilt' in January and, for me, that will be the perfect time to start.

I have to say that I had a wonderful vacation and saw many beautiful areas from the Colorado Rocky Mountains to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  After 3 weeks of traveling it feels so good to be home and it really is true that there's no place like home.

Until next time  . . .
Debbie

On Vacation

On August 21st, my husband, 2 dogs and I left for a long vacation.  The first leg of our vacation lead us to Estes Park, Colorado, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.  If you ever get the chance to visit here, do it!  Beauty surrounds you from all areas and there are many things do do. 

The town of Estes Park is filled with little bridges like this one that go over beautiful streams, and all of this surrounds a quaint downtown area full of different gift shops and restaurant.  I found some neat little items in various shops to take home and my husband and I hiked all over the place in the 2 days we stayed.

We asked another tourist to snap a picture of us together by this beautiful stream in a park-like setting.  All in all it was a great trip!

The next leg of our journey took us to Gillette, Wyoming where we had made plans to spend some time with our grandson.  Prior to arriving in Gillette, I had to stop at the Fig Leaf Quilt Shop in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  This is a unique shop in that a couple owns it, and the husband has a furniture store while the wife has the quilt shop all in one building.  When you walk in, you first see beautiful furniture settings and then you meander back to the shop, which is huge!  Lots and lots of tempting fabrics, quilts, patterns and notions.  I left with lots of goodies!  The Fig Leaf Quilt Shop was featured in Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine Spring/Summer issue.  You can also visit their website by clicking HERE  They have a very nice web site and also an online store.

Spending time with grandchildren is always fun and this time was no exception.  I just wish I had the energy of a 14-year-old but think I did pretty good keeping up with him!

 Of course I also had to check out the quilt shop in Gillette, Wyoming, called The Quilt Nook.  They don't have a web site that I know of but the shop was very nice with over 5,000 bolts of fabrics so I didn't leave empty handed : D

The next leg of our journey and where we currently are is in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  This is another beautiful place and so far we have seen the Crazy Horse Monument. 

 

The Crazy Horse Monument is still in progress and when finished will look like this: 





 We've also seen the Mt. Rushmore Memorial.  Since I'm originally from South Dakota, I've seen this before but my husband has not.  Every time I see it, I'm in awe of the talent it took to create such a beautiful work. 

Today we are going to go on the scenic Tramway here in Keystone, South Dakota.  It takes you to the top of a mountain range where you can have a bite to eat and then you have your choice of sliding down a 2,000 foot slide or taking the Tramway down.  The slide looks like a lot of fun but after all of the surgery I've recently had, I think I better take the Tramway.

While we've been traveling, I've been stitching on my Dutch Treat blocks and have made good progress.  Each morning and evening in our hotel room, I work on them while relaxing.






On Monday we are headed to my hometown of Platte, South Dakota to visit friends and relatives.  After a few days in Platte we will finally be headed back home to Glen Carbon, Illinois, and I have to say that I am anxious to get back home and back to my regular schedule.

Until next time . . .
Debbie