Quilt Therapy Weekend!

I am back from my quilt therapy. What a wonderful time I had. On Friday after our arrival I headed to The Quilted Crow for the beginning of my therapy. I just love that store. Someone had asked me to take pictures of the store, something I did not do. However if you scroll down the link, you will see some amazing pictures of the shop. It is a small and quaint quilt shop. I always seem to find what I'm looking for. Their specialty is more of a Folk Art theme.

While perusing The Quilted Crow I couldn't help but think of Pam and how much she would enjoy this shop. Pam is interested in wool applique. What a wonderful selection of wool they have and the kits...! I saw this wool table runner that I couldn't resist. The sample was so cute that I had to acquiring it for myself. I am looking to have a table runner for each season and holiday and what better pattern to add to my small collection. This will be the first time I attempt to wool applique. The border is the only cotton fabric in this project. I will say that this shop has a way of presenting their kits. Everything is so neatly folded and displayed in the bag. Even their BOM are sent well organized and displayed. Each kit or BOM comes with a fabric guide sheet, pictures and all. I did look at the Feathered Star kit, but felt I had enough projects going. The colours were sweet in the kit and it was difficult to resist!

On Saturday I headed to Candlelite quilt shop. This is where I purchased a twin size wool batting. My first wool batting quilt is Yule Time Garden and what a wonderful cozy quilt it is for those cold winter nights. I decided to make a wool batting quilt for my daughter. The fabrics pictured were purchased between the two stores. As you can see, I didn't go overboard with my purchases. I just have so many projects waiting to be started that I couldn't see myself buying yet another kit.

I did purchased a Folk Art Welcome pattern (on the right side of the batting) for my brick wall in my kitchen. The quilt will look sweet on a forged iron holder, which is available at the quilt shop. I'm looking to make a wall hanging for each seasons and holiday. So far I have the Sheltering Tree completed (pictured along with the wall!). This was my first kit from the Quilted Crow. I have a few UFO seasonal wall hanging that are patiently waiting for me to pay attention to them. So many projects so little time!

Thanks for taking the time to read about my quilting therapy. Tomorrow I am going for a long over due massage. Marlene, the massage therapist that I have been going too for the past six (6) years, just works magic with her hands. This will be a hot stone massage and I am so looking forward to it. An hour and a half of pure bliss! I had a stressful day today and am so looking forward to this treat. Okay, I'm ready to open that bottle of wine.

Happy quilting everyone! Cheers!

Off for some quilting therapy!

Firstly, although I have not been blogging for long, I have met some kindred spirits. Thank you for your support. You certainly make blogging fun! It's now become a morning ritual for me to go around the Stashbuster ring and onward to my favorites. I am blessed to have such wonderful cyber friends.

Tonight I couldn't sleep so I watched the first two (2) episodes of "The Quilt Show", gotta love wireless in bed! The first episode was with Joe Cunningham. I never laughed so much watching a quilt show! Aside from the fact that he's an amazing impromptu hand quilter, he is hilarious! What a comedian! He does not mark his quilts and off he goes with the needle making various intricate patterns. The first episode is free so please check it out if you haven't already done so. You wont regret it!

The second episode was with Vikki Pignatelly, the author of Quilting Curves - Improvisational Quilts. What an amazing artist she is. I just love her quilts. They speak to the soul. She mentions that regardless of the "type" of quilts that you make, whether traditional, contemporary etc... passion is what makes the quilt. Without passion , a quilt has no meaning. I have to agree with her. What makes quilting special to quilters is that passionate part of us that goes into our work. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the other shows they have lined up.

On the quilting front, not much has been happening. I haven't touched Carolyn's quilt for fear that I may not have enough fabric due to the cutting errors. I wouldn't want to croak on top of everything else. So the side borders are still pinned on! My daughter's horseback riding lesson is cancelled for next Tuesday so that should give me more time to try to work something out. Sometimes I get into this "cut twice measure once" mood and it drives me nuts. Can I blame it on my new Olfa ruler that 8.5 inches by 24 inches long? I had it upside down! argh!

I'll be thinking of you while I peruse The Quilted Crow on Friday. I can't wait to see what fabrics and books they received since the last time I was there, which was at the end of December. They always manage to have unique folk art colours (well that's what I call them). Oh and I wont forget you on Saturday morning when I visit the Candlelite quilt shop.

Happy Spring Everyone!

The Broom's out of the Closet!

It's official now, it is I, the Witch Ditch of the land of Stashbusters. Pictured is the Official Royal Broom. I will no longer be able to live incognito. My life will be plagued with stardom..... But rest assure that I will not succumb to the evils of fame.

For those of you who are not privy to the Royal proclamation by moi, allow me to re-state my Wednesday proclamation.

I proclaim: trumpets please!

As Witch Ditch of the land of the Stashbusters, my duty is to assist you in unshackling any quilt related items, and that would include your spouse, that are no longer necessary for your creative endeavors. If you haven’t used it in a while, time to Ditch it!

What do I mean by Ditching?

Give it to someone who could make better use of it, and that would include the recycling community and/or the municipal dump!

This weeks Ditch Item – UFOs and that would include patterns, templates etc…..

As Nadine Ruggles once said in podcast episode 7,“UFOs are by-products or our creativity”.

A by-product you will recall is “a secondary and sometimes unexpected or unintended result of an action or process”. Thank you Mr. Webster and for those who like quotes to reinforce the meaning of a word, if Agnes Repplier was a quilter her quote would read,“pleasure is a very important by-product of quilting”.

Therefore, I declare Wednesday April 4, 2007 the official day of Ditching the by-products of your creativity that DO NOT give you pleasure.

What do I mean by pleasure, Mr. Webster please: “the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by expectation or enjoyment of something good, delightful or satisfying". And if H.J. Fuller was a quilter, his quote would read “the pleasures which one derive from the quilting experience” –

PLEASURE is our unit of measurement!

Pleasure less = ditch it

Should you not abide by my commands, a spell will be cast over the Stashbusters land whereby a UFO invasion will occur. Quilters across the land will be paralyzed from the by-products of their creativity.

Our motto: Ditch it before it Ditches you!

End of Proclamation!
No sooner did I take my broom out for a picture, there appeared Midnight! He just loves broom rides!

So there you have it, I've come out of the closet, Broom and all!

Salt and Sea,
Of ill stay free,
Fire and air,
Draw all that is fair.
Around and around,
The circle is bound!*

Be well and abide by the proclamation and be warned of the consequences!


* Starhawk "The Sprial Dance - A rebirth of the Ancient Religions of the Great Goddess" Harper: San Francisco 1979, 1989 p. 88

Something to write about!

What a week this is turning out to be! I really don't feel I have much to say at the moment. Monday morning my dad calls and says "I'm about 40 miles away from Albany, what are you doing for lunch?", which means that he's four (4) hours away and I have a to cook lunch. He was driving home from his three (3) month vacation in Florida. A golf vacation is what it is! Given that he had been driving all night, I didn't want him to drive another two (2) hours home so I had him spend the night. We had a great time catching up on news. He left Tuesday morning around 8:30 a.m. Today was busy with appointments in Plattsburgh. I did not make time to visit the LQS as I'm trying to be good for this weekend's quilting therapy, but I digress.

Last Thursday when I was in Vermont for an appointment, became in one of my "I need to run away mood!" So I went to the Bernina dealer in Williston to check out the new store. I always find quilt stores to be a good place to run away too! I picked up my thread tray that I had ordered back in late January and browsed around for quite a bit. She had a new collection of fabrics that reminded me of Darlene. For some reason the colors just said, "Darlene would like that". So of course I had to buy them. I bought half a yard of the blue and the flower fabric and one (1) yard of the off white/beige fabric. The blue is quite unique. I had never seen that blue before. I really have no plans for the fabric. I'm hoping to get inspired and perhaps make a table topper or something. Now that I fondled them some more, I really should have bought a larger amount of each!

As for Carolyn's quilt, I didn't get a chance to work on it. Monday night I did make an attempt to cut the borders and pin them on. However, I really shouldn't have touched the quilt that night, as I made the mistake of cutting three (3), yes THREE, borders 6 inches as opposed to 6 and 1/2 inch. I was really too tired to scream or pull my hair out. My head just fell on the cutting table! I should have just left it alone! Now, I'm trying to make it work, which doesn't look good so far. I was hoping to use the wrong size borders for the binding. So given that my daughter had a riding lesson, to relieve the guilt, I shared some of my Koala Bear caramel chocolates that came all the way from Oz with Carolyn. Only two (2) Koala bears, not more! I mean, I had to also have two (2) for therapeutic reasons! Those little Koalas are precious!

What I do have to look forward too is that on Friday we are leaving for Littleton, MA for the weekend. You know what that means? Yes, I'll be visiting my favorite quilt shop The Quilted Crow. Oh, how I am so looking forward to quilting therapy. Hence why I did not want to go to the LQS today. I'm saving for the big day! We are leaving Friday morning so by mid afternoon I'll be thinking of you all while I therapy at the quilt store! I do want to check out their Feathered Star Kit as well as The Festival of Tree kit - there's something about that quilt that attracts me to it. Not that I need another project, but ....... Saturday I'll be heading to the Candlelite quilt shop for more therapy.

Well, for someone who didn't think she had much to write about..........

Happy quilting!

It's been a while!

I'm here! Life has just been busy as of late. My DH was on vacation for the week and it somehow always throws off my routine. He's been working on the barn frame most of the week. He amazes me with his detailed work. I get to see the "old fashion way" of shaping the joints etc for the framing. I will at some point have to do some research on "How to Host a Barn Raising". I am looking forward to the event. It should be fun!

Stephen is away this weekend in Landenburg, PA on a "boy's weekend". Another hobby of his, a side from wood working, is recording music. He still gets together with two (2) members, who also happen to be his best friends, of his high school band called - Interview. The photograph above are the "boys" together (my husband is the middle one). I call it the GQ shot! (Photo taken by Philip Carpenter)
I think it's wonderful that they still enjoy creating music after all these years. Although no one would quit their day job to make a living off music, it's still a serious hobby for them. This weekend they have a Cello player for the recording. They also have a Violin player, Xian Gao who happens to be a professor of music at a University of Delaware, that likes to join in every now and again. My husband plays the bass. Aside from music, their weekend always include fine food and wine. The "boys" all enjoy gourmet cooking. It's fun to watch them in the kitchen, advising each other on how something should be done. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it due to our daughter's prior commitment. Of course, I go for the food, the wine and the S.E.X. (Stash Enhancing eXperience).

Friday, I went to a "Girls Night In" at my LQS. We were eight (8) and we had a blast. They supply the pizza and you bring your project and drink. I brought my hand applique basket along. They have a small class room so it worked out great. I finished the last of part 1 of Wildberry Vines and managed to get a bit done on the Baltimore Cousins. Nudge, nudge, Darlene did you read that part! ;o)

Saturday, I received a wonderful package full of delicious surprises from a dear friend, Cheryl, in Oz. She is such a sweetheart! Some of the goodies were a wombat and two (2) bilby(s), chocolate of course! A pattern, some fabric and a beautiful kitty cat hook bar. I just love surprises!

On the quilting front, I haven't worked on Carolyn's quilt much. I did sew the blocks and rows together. I have the border to sew on and onward it is to sandwich and machine quilting. I may do the bulk of it today. It is a beautiful sunny spring day so I may go out and enjoy the fresh air as opposed to quilting all day.

Happy Spring everyone!