Cute always gets me in trouble

One of my local quilt stores has had a little table runner on display for probably the past year. They keep it out because they know about my battle with cute. They are mean that way. Every time I am there I have to drool over it, pet it, and admire its cute little log cabin blocks. And while log cabin blocks are generally not associated with cute, if you make them teeny tiny, they have the same effect as fuzzy kittens or squishy babies: I just can't resist.

Well, cute finally won. The little pattern and little fabric bundle recently came home with me. About a week ago I dove in, thinking this would be a quick little project. I don't know why my mind equates small with quick, but it never seems to work out that way. These little log cabin blocks finish at two inches square. YIKES! That means quarter-inch logs. YIKES, again! I paper pieced these little guys. I timed it. It took me approximately one minute to pick fabric, sew each log, trim, and press. Not bad. Until you consider there are 15 logs per little block and 48 little blocks. You do the math. That's right, that equals FOREVER!

But I was determined to not let cute take me down. I kept at it, and now I have all 48 of these little guys done. Now I only have four applique blocks to go. Hopefully they will not be as cute, and can get them done a little quicker.

Thank you

Today, we pause for a moment to remember those men and women who have fought and sacrificed so that each of us can enjoy the freedoms we have. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you do and for all you give. You are our true American heroes

Fun-filled week at MQS

Last week was one big quilty blur--so much going on. MQS (Machine Quilters Showcase) was held in Kansas City this past week, and I was lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time there. It was exhausting, but oh so much fun. I took some fun classes on digitizing quilt patterns which I hope to put to work very soon. I also was able to volunteer behind the scenes at the show. One of the highlights was working as a scribe on the judging floor (filling out the judges score cards.) It was really interesting to listen to the judges comment on each quilt and see what they liked (and didn't). They were very picky about not seeing starts and stops, backtracking, finished edges, and consistent quilting density throughout the quilt. I gained a great deal of insight from this experience. And the quilts were spectacular. It was really fun to know once the ribbons were awarded, why one quilt was chosen over another.

I also spent several days on the vendor floor where I got to test drive longarm machines. I made the rounds several times and spent time on all the machines. I had really been looking forward to this. It was great to finally get some hands-on experience with each of them, which helped me narrow down my choices. I can now make a more informed decision when the time comes.

And then the actual quilts... WOW! They were really amazing. I took pictures, but they didn't do justice to most of these quilts or quilters. Sorry I didn't get the quilters' names.

The quilters from Texas were also in town to take in the show. When they weren't at MQS, they had a full-blown quilt retreat set up in my dining room. They hit as many quilt stores as they could find and diligently worked on the pile of projects brought by each of them. We had a great time and are already looking forward to next time!

My graduate

This week my baby graduated from Kindergarten. *snif, snif* I don't know where the last 6 years have gone. I guess he is going to grow up whether I'm ready or not! I better get going on that graduation quilt. Only 12 more years to go.

Congratulations Nicholas. I am so very proud of you. I love you to the moon and back, times infinity!

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to take a minute to celebrate all the moms and grandmas out there. Thank you for all you did for us and taught us along the way!

I thank God every day that He allowed me to be the mom of two amazing little boys. What a blessing they have been in my life. They are going to take me out for brunch later. They told me where was going to be a surprise. But then they needed me to call and make the reservation. I guess that's what moms are for!

Enjoy your day!

Meet Dear Jane

About three years ago I saw a Dear Jane quilt displayed in a quilt store. I didn't know what a Dear Jane was or anything about its history, but I loved it. So much so that I bought Brenda Papadakis' book and jumped right in. It is a reproduction of a Civil War era quilt by Jane A. Stickle. It is comprised of 169 4 1/2-inch blocks, 52 triangles and 4 kites. There are no repeating fabrics, and the original had 5,602 pieces.

Jane Stickle's original 1863 quilt

I thought that this would be the kind of heirloom quilt that I could pass on to my children... But I have two children. They would fight over who got it. Or at least their future quilt-appreciating wives would. So I would have to make two. Crazy, I know! My plan was to take it at a doable pace and enjoy the journey. Jokingly, I hoped to have them completed by the time the boys married said quilt-appreciating wives. For the record, they were 3 and 7 when I started this little project.

In the first 18 months I finished two each of 13 blocks. Yikes! They might have to put off marriage until their forties. But this kind of quilt making required more attention than my very busy three-year-old would allow. Then a sick relative came to stay with us and Jane didn't come out for a whole year! I went from slow progress to no progress. Since the first of the year, though, Jane has made her return, and I have steadily been working along. I've now completed double sets of 18 additional blocks. My goal is to complete at least one block a week. Life happens, though, and that's all part of the journey. When I complete each block I make notes in my book about what my kids are doing or what is happening in my life. I have already learned so much from this quilt.

my most recent Jane blocks

Dear Jane is the most challenging project I have taken on so far. I think that is why I love it so much. I have also discovered a whole world of Dear Jane lovers. There is a tremendous following and obsession for this quilt. "Janiacs", as they call themselves, can be found all over the world. There are chat groups, websites, blogs, swaps and retreats that thousands of Dear Jane enthusiasts are involved with. I have found the online Jane community to be a great resource. When I can't figure out a block (there are no instructions) I can check how others did theirs or ask for advice. Those that have completed their Dear Janes are always there to encourage us slow pokes. We cheer each other on, celebrate the completions, and offer sympathies when you trim that 4 1/2-inch block to 4 inches by mistake. (Oops!) I wanted to cry when I worked for hours on a block only to find out when you have 32 pieces and your seam allowance if off by only a thread, it makes a big difference in the end. I got tons of emails from others who had done the same thing. And they all pointed out that if you look closely at the original, Jane put little sashings on many of her blocks to make them fit.

Jane will have to wait another week, though. MQS (Machine Quilters Showcase) is next week, and I will be taking classes as well as volunteering at the show. And the crazy quilt ladies from Texas will be here, too. It should be a fun-filled week!

Pimp my ride, quilt lady style

My next mode of transportation, perhaps? Although I don't think any of the males in my household would ride with me anymore. Anything "quilting" makes them cringe. When my boys are bickering in the back seat, all I have to do is threaten to pull into the next quilt store. They think there is nothing worse than looking a fabric. And secretly, I would much rather look at fabric without boys!

My youngest thinks I should get a monster truck and my oldest is thinking more muscle car. This definitely would not meet the "coolness" requirement for them. I think there is way too much testosterone around here for me to pull this one off.