Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Darwin gets a new friend and I get to rip out stitches.

My roomate Lauren (yeah, I know) just got a new dog to keep Darwin company, and he's so FLUFFY I'm gonna die!
Say hello to Charles :-) Or Char. Or Char-Char. Or CHARMANDER! lol.

You know you live in an anthropology and science nerd house when your dogs are named Charles and Darwin. Hehehe. I love it! We call him Charlie though. He's adorable and Darwin likes him so it's a win-win. Woo hoo! Now if only we could take them sailing on a pint sized Beagle...(if you're a super nerd like me you'll get the reference...the Beagle was the ship that Darwin sailed to the Galapagos on). Aaaanyway...

So we have a bus hailing all the way from Texas coming in about a week to go to the Sisters quilt show and to visit, and after a little mishap with one of my kits, I needed to hop to it and get crackin' on another on to replace the can't-use-it-now one. So I chose to do a Thimble Blossoms pattern:



Super cute, and super simple....IF you're paying attention. Well, I read the pattern no less than 5 times. Seriously. 5 times. Apparently my information retention the past few days has been something awful because not only did I sew the wrong pieces together once, I sewed the new ones on without cutting the focus blocks down, and then had to do it a third time. I forgot to cut 2 strips for the points too. Good grief! Talk about having a case of the dumb-dumbs...so I've been spending more time ripping out stitches and re-cutting things than I have actually piecing! Oh the joys of quilting ;)

It's going to be really adorable though, I'm using Alexander Henry's Sew Much Fun as the large blocks, and Robert Kaufman's Sew Happy for the block points, and then an assortment of other matching prints for the neutral blocks.
Poor lighting, blah blah blah, but I assure you it's adorable. Oh, and third time's a charm, right?

It calls for a Layer Cake, but I'll level with you: I don't like Layer Cakes much. I think they're a great idea, don't get me wrong, and I do use them from time to time. But I really enjoy the process of choosing the fabrics, and I feel very limited when it comes to Layer Cakes because all of the colors are chosen for you. They're wonderful when you need a project done yesterday or if you're not wanting to go to the trouble to pick out 30 fabrics and cut them all to size (which admittedly, can be a pain), but I enjoy the process so I'd rather do it myself.

Hopefully I'll have the top pieced today so I can send it to Carol to be quilted tomorrow, or at latest, on Friday. Whew, nothing like flying by the seat of your pants!



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Check out this blog!

So by now if you've been looking at my blog with any regularity, you know that Isabelle - one of my besties - has started quilting and is one of the folks that pushes me to get my projects done :D

Well, she has an art/quilting blog of her own! Her blog, Creativity Found Through Hearts, is her creative outlet outside from quilting. It was inspired by A Skull A Day, in which its creator, Noah Scalin, forces himself to do an art piece featuring a skull every day. It's actually a brilliant idea; to make yourself think creatively every day keeps your brain sharp and is a great way to express yourself without feeling like every piece you do has to be a grandiouse masterpiece. Well, Isabelle has borrowed the idea and is running with it, doing a heart every day in different mediums. So far she's done marker, glitter, acrylic and oil paints and buttons.

I'm really interested to see what she comes up with next, and reading her thought processes with each piece is really cool. One of the beautiful things about art is that everyone is inspired in different ways by different things, and everyone translates those thought processes differently. That right there is the single best thing about the arts all the way down to quilting. It never ceases to amaze me how 2 people can look at the same pattern, and have such different results - that's because they both started from the same place but had different visions. How cool is that? It just never gets old.

So please go visit Isa's blog and follow her on her newfound creative path!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

I thought I'd share this because I think it's the coolest thing ever

This is a portion of my Stats page for this blog. It basically tells me how many pageviews per day I get and what country they're from, how many views per hour blah blah blah. Anyway, this is my rundown by country:

That is the coolest! People from far away are looking at my piddly little blog. Obviously most of my views are from the US, because, well, I'm in the US. But in 6 months, I think that's pretty awesome.

So hello to my readers from all over the world! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you liked what you saw and that you'll be back for more :-)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Happy 2 Years to The Cotton Patch

It's amazing how time flies. It feels like just yesterday we took over the shop and then I blinked my eyes and here we are, 2 years later and going stronger than ever before. I know for Mom it's gone even faster.

I remember growing up Mom read me a page out of her teenage diary. No juicy gossip of course, but what she read me still resounds in my head and heart knowing what the past was and what the present is. In her entry she was laying out her life goals and in that goal plan was "own a fabric store." Now, this was well before she started quilting, but she's had a lifelong love for sewing and fabric. Knowing that, and all the time I spent watching her sew when I was growing up, and all the effort she's put forth in her own quilting...all of it just makes me extremely, extremely proud of her.

I remember a few years ago I was driving over on Edgewater in West Salem, back when you could still talk on your cell phone and drive at the same time without getting fined, and she called me, practically shouting into the phone. Mom has an inexplicable and science defying way of just falling into jobs. She won't be looking for one, but the perfect one always manages to fall right into her lap. At first I thought something was wrong, but after a few seconds I realized that, holy cowabunga, she got a job at a quilt store - a place she's always wanted to work. What's more, is that she was friends with the owner too, and Judith just asked her out of the blue to work for her. How much more perfect could it have been?

Five years later, Mom owns the quilt shop. This really is her dream come to life. Sometimes we have these lifelong dreams that never come to pass, no matter how hard we strive to achieve them, or whether we do nothing at all, they just don't happen. It's not what is meant to be. I can't begin to say how happy I am and how proud I am of her that her dream has come to fruition and she gets to have that joy.

I also can't begin to say how blessed I feel to be able to be a part of the store and to have such amazing and positive people and things in my life. It's amazing how time flies, and how just 2 years can entirely change a person's life. I had tried to quilt before then, but it just never worked out. I got frustrated and I wasn't any good at all. But after 2 years, it has reawakened my passion for art and creation, a passion that years of criticism and negativity from people who no longer matter at schools I'm long gone from had tried and successfully extinguised. The last 2 years have changed my life entirely from not knowing what I want in my life and surrounding myself with largely neutral influences, to giving my life a strong focus, a rekindled fire and the happiness of having positive and joyous people in my life.

Last night we had a party to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of our family having The Cotton Patch. Mom thanked us all for all of our help, because without us, she couldn't have done it. Well, I want to thank YOU, Mom, for letting me have a part in your dream and for guiding me to a better place in my life. And thank you Dad, Debi, Carol, Barb, Myke, Linda, Bobbie, Karen and Renee for making it such a fun place to be.

Now, on to the pictures from last night! I know if I don't post them, certain people (MomandDebi) will have my head for keeping them all to myself!


Taco and margarita schmorgasboard!


L-R: Aunt Barb, Debi, Mom

What a view! and what GOREGOUS weather. Finally summer in Oregon!

I love being on their deck. It's so beautiful out there.

L-R: Debi, Carol, my roomate Lauren


Bahaha...caught Lauren mid-eat. Don't worry, she got me good later, just wait and see.

L-R: Aunt Barb, Mom


Man, you have to be SNEAKY to catch a picture of Dad, and dang it all he moved. Trying to get a picture of him is like trying to get a picture of the elusive Sasquatch.

Quilts and Margaritas: The Perfect Combination. And the umbrella is ADORABLE.

L-R: Mom and Carol. Anniversary gifts!

An organizer and stationary set! That will come in handy. Thank you Carol!

I think that's a card from Debi.

"Don't break the ties! If you break the ties that means you're going to have a baby." Note the look on Mom's face. Worry not, that only lasted for a second because naturally she quipped to me something sabout maybe I should break the ties so she can have some grandchildren all ready. *facepalm* Nice try, Mom.

See now if that had been break the ties for grandchildren she'd have chainsawed that off at this point. Thank God that's not true! And isn't it clever how Debi wrapped that? Fabric is the greatest. <3

Mackie is my homeboy. I love all the dogs, but I have a real soft spot for this little crosseyed Scottie!

A beautiful windchime from Debi! That's going to go perfectly in Mom's garden, I have a feeling!


Debi

L-R: Mom and Debi

Gah! I told you she got me. that would be me (L) with my face stuffed full of cupcake, mid humongous chew.

L-R: Debi and Aunt Barb

L-R: Mom and Carol.

L-R: Debi, Aunt Barb

L-R: Aunt Barb's head, me, Mom and Carol

Friday, June 10, 2011

Before Isa beats me up, here are the pictures of the finished quilts!

She wouldn't...I don't think...Hope not! lol. Seriously though, Isa helps keep me in line! I forget about projects and whatnot, and she reminds me to post what I need to post :-) This time I think I might be beating her to the punch.

Well, I didn't get pictures before they got put up on the wall, but hey, better late than never, right?

This is the Cocoa Cake Walk quilt from a few posts ago.
This is the Freshwater Quilt out of the Australian Quilter's Companion from a few more posts back.

I'm really happy with how both turned out. Anyway, this is a short one. I have more pictures from the quilt show back in April to post yet...but for now I'm just focusing on Graduation tomorrow. It's finally sunk in. I'm a freakin' college graduate. I have the hat and the tassel and the ugly robe and everything. Woo!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

This was going to be a link on the Newsletter, but it's simply too good to not post in it's entirety here.

This is an article by Sew, Mama, Sew!, one of my very favorite quilting blogs. The original controversy over the Modern vs. Traditional quilting debate started with "The Dumbing Down of Quilting Parts 1-3 HERE, HERE and HERE by Sandi at Piecemeal Quilts and it definitely struck a chord with people, myself included.
I have a pretty strong opinion about this whole thing, and I'll keep my big mouth shut, save for that I think both sides make very valid points. Please do go to Sew, Mama, Sew! and to Piecemeal Quilts and have a look around their blogs. And if you choose to comment, please be kind to both!

This is Sew Mama Sew's response to Sandi's articles. I really like how she handled it, and I think she has some good things to say. I certainly don't think she's the be-all-to-end all as Sandi puts it, but I think her messages are good.

Weighing in on the Great Quilting Debate: Three Guiding Principles

I admit, I’m often oblivious to gossip. I follow as many blogs as I possible can. I tweet and do Facebook. Yet sometimes I miss things that are kind of obvious. I saw a firestorm of debate in the quilting community, but it wasn’t until recently that I traced the controversy to a mid-March blog post and realized that Sew,Mama,Sew! ignited the spark. Yowza!
New Fangled Technology
My first job in social media.
I don’t want to go into it too much and try to address all the arguments and points of view (I can’t even begin to understand them all.) I don’t think that people should have to be nice and supportive and kind all the time and I do think there should be room for debate in the sewing community. But feelings have been hurt, some people are angry and I’m sure more than a few people feel gun-shy about what to say, what to share and what to post on their blogs. Because what we said started this debate, I feel a responsibility to chime in with my two cents. I thought I’d try to explain three principles in which I strongly believe.
Zombie Quilt
One of my early quilts.
Principle 1: Sewing should be fun!
This ain’t Little House on the Prairie and none of us are Laura Ingalls. We don’t have to sew if we don’t want to. We can sew whatever we want as many times as we want in whatever fabric we want and we should be able to write about it, photograph it and talk about it without getting any flack. And if there are parts of sewing that aren’t fun, we don’t have to do it. Some people like piecing a quilt but hate the actual quilting so they send it off to someone else. Some people love  sewing, but are perfectly happy to let someone else pick out the fabric so they buy a kit. Some people don’t want to do any math or cutting, so they buy precuts. I think you should do whatever floats your boat. Me, I’m never tracing another pattern again. I do solemnly swear I will never judge you for NOT doing the parts of sewing that aren’t fun to you. (Go ahead, raise your hand and pledge with me.)
Taking an Oath
Taking the Sew-What-You-Want pledge while Mel Brooks looks on.
Principle 2: Learning requires a certain level of discomfort.
This is something one of my graduate school professors used to say and as a mother I think about it all the time. Learning to ride a bike is scary. Learning a new language is embarrassing and exhausting. Learning  guitar hurts! Learning Calculus makes you want to bang your head on a desk (OK, maybe that was just me.) As an educator I had to keep this in mind every day. When people are learning, they’re often not happy about it because they’re uncomfortable, but a tolerance for discomfort is required if you want to learn or master anything. (Which doesn’t in any way mean that it can’t also be fun.) The wonderful thing is that when you challenge yourself it leads to growth and mastery, which most people find deeply satisfying, which is why we keep doing it.
My Happy Student
My first group of happy students.
The idea that learning and growth can be uncomfortable at times is where some of the recently frustrated and outspoken quilting bloggers and I can come together. One of the more positive and underlying messages of many of the controversial quilting posts is this:
STRETCH!
Stretch your skills.
Stretch your repertoire.
Stretch your definition of beautiful.
Leave your comfort zone and see where it takes you.
One thing I’ve been thinking a lot about lately (even before all of this started) is how Sew,Mama,Sew! needs to grow with our readers. We have always tried our best to make sewing fun and approachable to as many people as possible. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of encouraging and inspiring and involving people in the craft of sewing. But lately I’ve decided that we don’t really do enough to help people develop their skills. To stretch, grow and learn. We’re making it fun, but we’re not really making it challenging, so we’re going to try to do better. If (heavy emphasis on IF, because we still strongly believe in Priciple 1) you want to take your sewing skills to the next level, we’re going to do our best to offer you ideas, advice, inspiration and resources.
SHY
My sewing circle, aka The Sweet Hot Yams.
Principle 3: Sometimes people deserve a do-over.
I try to remember to practice this with my family as much as possible. People feel passionate about things and they get riled up. They say things that maybe they would phrase differently if they’d given themselves a little more time to work it out.  Or maybe they hadn’t anticipated the effect their words would have on others. Sometimes people deserve a chance to say what they mean in a different way.
And so, today I’m very happy to bring you an excellent post by Sandi Walton of Piecemeal Quilts. (We’ll call it the first in a series of Stretch Your Skills posts.) Sandi is an accomplished and passionate quilter. Sandi believes in STRETCH so she and her friend Jeanne of Grey Cat Quilts put their convictions into action and developed a collection of blog posts called the Skill Builder Series. So far they’ve covered 1/4″ seams, quilting tools, half square triangles and more. If you’re a beginning or intermediate quilter and you’re interested in improving your skills, I encourage you to check them out. Today Sandi taks about the importance of quilting in her life and offers some advice on learning foundational skills for piecing traditional blocks.
(OK, those photos aren’t really me. Images are in the public domain via The Library of Congress.)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Filomena!!! Los Liiiiiiinks!

As for that title, I got it from the video above. I don't use Bing but the commercial is funny. Actually in my head I call the Lauren's Links portion of the newsletter "Los Liiiiiinks!!!" in that guy's voice. It's funny, I assure you.

Anyway...on to the link.

This is a really good article (CLICK HERE) If you have ever sat there looking at your finished quilt underwhelmed (I know I have) then this is a really good article to read. Dena Crain is a teacher in Kenya and quilter, and her blog has this article on it about things to consider when you're not thrilled with your quilt. It talks about everything from color choice, to thread tension on your machine. I found it very helpful!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Top 5 Favorite Quilt/Fabric Designers (in no particular order)

Even if you're a new(ish) quilter, after a while you start to know what you like. Over and over again you'll be drawn to certain patterns and fabrics, and again and again you'll realize, "Hey! Thats whatserface!" I'm starting to find that's the case for me. Over and over again I'm drawn to designs from the usual suspects, and a couple unexpected people too! So I'll share my (current) Top 5 Favorite Quilt/Fabric Designers (in no particular order). Who knows, you may find you're a fan too and didn't even know it! :-) Oh, and each person's name is in fact a link to their respective websites.

5. Masha D'yans













Masha is my favorite designer (not who you though it was going to be, huh?). She's from St. Petersburg, Russia and her work is mostly watercolor. Her artwork is just...well, beautiful, silly, sassy, sweet. For me I think it's the unusual blend of harsh line and gentle brushstroke and powerful buildup of soft color. It's really energetic and she has got a gift of capturing the both whimsy and depth in one fell swoop. She does more than just fabric, she also does cards, gifts, and clothing. I hope she gets more into doing fabric, I only know of 3 lines from her.

4. Patrick Lose













Patrick Lose is both a fabric designer and a pattern designer. He has several books out, and his speciality is fusible applique and seasonal designs. He does dabble some in clothing (mainly vests and jackets), but I think his strongest skill is with his quick seasonal projects. His designs are big and bold, whch make them both simple for beginners and really impactful to the eye. I absolutely LOVE his Santa, Rudolph and Pumpkin patterns! Okay, fine, the Pumpkin one really is my favorite. And of course, you know my feelings on male quilters...go Patrick!

3. Barb Tourtillotte








With the unfortunate exception of Muffin Tops ,I love her artwork too.  Okay, well, that artwork itself in Muffin Tops is good, but uh, I don't need to see an older version of myself in a bikini on fabric...ick. But her artwork is really quite beautiful. She's a little more traditional than I usually go for, in terms of her fabric themes. I don't usually gravitate toward florals or garden themes, but her florals are so, so well done. They're bright but delicate at the same time. What I think I like most about her stuff is her go-withs are always strong, either within the line or with something else, which honestly, cannot be said for all designers.

2. Sue Spargo

Sue Spargo is a quilter designer, no fabric. Before I talk about her work though, I have a funny/stupid little story about her (well, not her personally). Last July I was in an accident at an amusement park in Virginia that sent me to the ER with a back injury. After being pat on the head and told it was essentially nothing, I flew back home as planned and just dealt with it. Well the pain increased after a few days so I ended up going to the doctor here to be told, yeah, you're hurt (thanks, I didn't know) here's something to help deal with the pain. Welllllll I got put on pain meds and told that I needed to stay moving so I didn't prevent my back from healing properly. So I continued working at the shop. If you know me, then you know my opinion of pain meds - no thank you sir, I'll just have an Ibuprofen and I'll rub some dirt in it. One day at work I was in a lot of pain and I kept not taking my pain meds because they made me really dingy (and nauseous), but finally Mom got fed up with me not taking the meds and bugged me, and bugged me, and bugged me until I took them. I took them there and she had me stay just so she could make sure I wouldn't react badly to them and so I wouldn't drive (which I wouldn't anyway). Well, I was dingy all right. Since I went from moderately with it to not at all with it it, she had me put away patterns - a pretty fool proof job. Apparently, as I was putting away the Sue Spargo patterns, I decided that her last name fits the suffix "-head," to be used to describe a person who likes her work...much like a Jimmy Buffet fan is referred to as a "Parrothead." I guess I decided that as a fan of Sue Spargo's, I would then, if that rule stood, be a "Sparg-head." And that, kiddies, is why I hate taking pain meds. 

Well, it stuck. I'm a Sparghead! Her designs are bright, whimsical and fun. I'd say her style is folksy but with a contemporary touch - her work is anything but the dark, antique-y, tradional primitives we think of when we think of folksy. A few of my favorite pieces of hers are Greenbrier , Folklore and the Journey Quilt. I love the look of the bright wool. It just begs to be embellished. Hers are the kind of projects that I truly wouldn't mind working on for months in little bits as I have time. I find her style very freeform even though it is very clearly and meticulously planned out. Indeed, I'm a Sparghead for life! Oh, and did you know there is a Sue Spargo Quilt and Applique Design program that is compatible with EQ7? How cool is that?!

1. Tula Pink

Tula Pink is probably who you thought I'd name as my favorite designer (if you know me that is). True, she is very, very, very close! You may know her from her line Neptune, Plume, or Parisville. Her colors, the way she hides things in her designs...it's awesome! Her work is a little more contemporary, but with a touch of the traditional. I think what draws me to her work so much is the symmetry. Even if it's full of flourishes, it really is so well balanced and it just makes sense. It's whimsical without being disorderly, and my eye really enjoys that. It's also heartening to see a young designer really making it in the industry. What an inspiration! Oh, did I mention she has SHOES WITH HER FABRIC ON THEM?!



Well, now you know some of mine....now who are some of yours?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Wait, what? It's June all ready?! Shut your mouth!

Indeed. June all ready. Where have the last 6 freakin' months gone? Just wondering because apparently I've been asleep, zoned out or something. ::blink::

So. Those of you that know me know that to say I'm a workaholic is a disgusting understatement. I always manage to get myself stretched six ways from Sunday and then wonder why I'm so dang tired all the time. Lets put this is perspective for a moment, and then determine my sanity (oh, and a preemptive shut up to the peanut gallery :D). I have a "for real" job, and a "fun job." My "for real" job is mornings and part time, my "fun job" is close to full time (not including work done outside). I have a house, dog, family and friends that sometimes want some of my attention - thankfully I don't have to add a boyfriend or husband to this. Up until December, add full time credit hours at University to this, too, and last January (2010) I had a THIRD job in the mix. I have a side project that I'm working on and pushing through the system, that's super exciting (to me) and eating a lot of time (and patience...not my strong suit!). I'm a workin' machine! Honestly though, this isn't a complaint whatsoever. I love it. I'm one of those weirdos that doesn't know what to do with herself when she has "free time." Heck, I can't even manage to sit and watch my WWE without having to do something else at the same time...cross stitch, applique, sew, Sudoku, whatever...

I'm not trying to toot my own horn here (even though that's definitely what it's looking like, I know) but in the last month, I finished 3 projects. Pretty darn good for me I'd say! I'm a notorious project starter but not finisher. I forget/get bored/get frustrated and leave it alone for a long time/run out of fabric *gasp* and just plain don't finish. I'll start 3 projects for one I don't finish. UFOs GALORE!

That being said, in the last WEEK AND A HALF I have picked up 4 new projects and I have 1 quilting job I need to do for someone. Luckily only the latter has a deadline...

-I've got a super cute fall table runner, which will be neat...it's got little appliqued pumpkins on it.
-There's that damn chicken quilt, which, by the way, the pattern was wrongity wrong and I'm 5 flippin' inches short on my last border. Thanks for nothing, pattern! *grumble*
- There's a 900+ piece quilt from the latest Australian Quilter's Companion I'm doing...still gathering black and whites for that though...it'll be cool when its all said and done but good LORD I don't want to piece all that nonsense /whine.
-As of yesterday I picked up a row quilt out of a Guatemalan border stripe. It'll be pretty rad looking because I fussy cut the buh-jeezus out of the stripe, but I gotta get some go-withs to fill it out.

All in all, looks like I'll be staying off the mean streets of Keizer (I can't say that with a straight face...bahahaha. Keizer's pretty calm except for this guy, who after seeing him on the news I'm pretty sure is the posterchild for bat-crap-crazy
(True Keizer Story. I'm not offended by the sign, I mean, hey, beauty of the First Amendment right there...it allows you to demonstrate to the rest of the street what a looney toon you are. What I find funny as all get out is the fact that he originally had the spelling of neighbor correct, then changed it to a misspelling. Yeah I know, of course that's what I would take away from it...a grammatical error)

Well, after that dose of crazy, I'll leave you with my hound, telling me with his big ol' bug eyes that he wants me to stop trying to bind the quilt...little Lord Fauntleroy over here wanted to lay on it instead, but I kept moving it as I was stitching...I forgot, who is it that owns who? :)