RECYCLED

 

   I finally dove into my pile of cut up jeans, got out my design wall and started the jean quilt. I have to say it took less time to piece and quilt it than it did to cut the damn jeans up! I decided not to put a batting inside- it is going to a house in Louisiana and I figure warmth is not an issue there!  The jeans and the brushed cotton backing would be plenty to keep the recipient warm if needed!

   I am very pleased with how it turned out. Usually when I am done with a quilt I wish I had done at least 1 thing differently- I did not find anything I disliked about this one.

    I was fretting over how I wanted to quilt it- I was leery of all of those heavy seams where the blocks meet. I was bitching about it on my way to Zumba one evening with my Zumba partner in crime and fabulous long armer Eileen. She suggested an idea. In much nicer language she said screw the straight line quilting idea and do wavy lines instead right down the middle of the blocks. There is a reason why we all love her and why her quilts are all fabulous! That was the perfect solution. I did not break one needle the whole way through, either! Here is a pic of the finished quilt-

 

And here is the fabric I used for the backing. Mr. World Traveler went to Scotland last year (among many other fabulous locations)and I thought this brushed cotton looked Scottish to me. But what do I know?

And here is a close up of the quilting. I used a YLI on the top and a 40wt Signature thread in the bobbin. I also used a 100/16 Jeans needle in at all times. Worked perfectly!

 

The good news is I have plenty of squares left to make both kids a jean quilt too. But I hope they are not holding their breath when they will get theirs. Maybe Christmas? 2018??

 

Sew on my friends!!

   CREATING THE PERFECT ENABLER: LESSON TWO

 

THE IDEAL SEWING TABLE

 

I had been struggling for weeks trying to decide what would be the perfect Easter present for my wonderful, adorable, handsome husband. After many anguished hours of pondering what would be the perfect gift for my hubby, I finally figured out what he needed most- a new sewing table!

Now this won’t be your average run-of-the-mill, everyday, common, semi-functional sewing table. It will have everything that a quilter my husband would want in a sewing table. There will be a place for my his sewing machine(s), an attached cutting table with inlaid cutting mats, and a fold out ironing board with iron holder, multiple drawers for sewing gizmos and gadgets, various racks for things like threads and wine, small refrigerator/freezer, microwave, keg cooler with tapper - everything a perfect sewing table would have.

 

The ideal sewing table will have a designated Creative Area where  a quilter can sit in solitude and work on new designs and patterns and color combinations:

 

The ideal sewing table will have a small Inspiration Area where a quilter can sit and get inspired and come up with creative new ideas:

 The ideal sewing table will have multiple uses:

 

My husband was ecstatic as he unwrapped his Easter present(s)! Skill saw, drill, router, electric screwdriver, jig saw, sander, - all cordless. The kids joined in, gifting him assorted tools and a nice selection of lumber. He loved his Easter card, which also included the carefully drawn plans for his new sewing table!

 

Lumber from the kids:

 

From the sketch on that back of a bar napkin to professional blueprints:

 

 

Though it was not quite what I had in mind, I love my new sewing table because it was crafted with love by my wonderful, adorable, handsome but not too terribly handy husband!

 

 

 

We both agreed that it was his best Easter ever!

 

Happy Sewing!

HAPPY EASTER

 

FROM CHIP AND DALE DESIGNS

 

 



                                                                  A day of fun-

A few Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of my favorite people!  I have known some of them for many years-others not so long- but it seems as if we have known each other forever! Since I just got back from the Big Easy I felt like I shouldn’t ask for more time off, so I missed out on a lot of this retreat. I was able to join them all day Saturday for a day filled with food, sewing and of course laughs!

My friend Terry drove us up there-with a stop at Subway J so we had something for lunch.

After another stop for a breakfast burrito at Café Mexico, we arrived at this lovely place- The Quinberry Lodge in Black Hawk, Colorado.

 

This is their website-

http://www.quinberrylodge.com/

What great accommodations for quilters- everyone had their own 5 ft table, super comfy chairs and their own sewing light.
 

I was working on this lovely quilt-Gardner's Alphabet by Crabapple Hill.

 My great friend Lexie, a gifted graphic artist, colored the whole alphabet in for me! I do not like to color at all, and was bitching about it at one retreat. Then, Lexie tells me how much she LOVES to color- God love her. I went home, traced all of the blocks in 2 days, got carpal tunnel J, then handed the blocks and crayons off to her. I had them back in a few weeks! I am not nearly as far along as I should be, but I am making a little progress!

 

Terry was working on this adorable hedgehog runner- pattern is by Bunny Hill-

 

Susie was working on this beautiful quilt top from a pattern by Karen Stone- not for the faint at heart-

 

Randi was quilting this cute tractor quilt-

 

Val was trimming up this wonderful floral braid- it has so many beautiful fabrics in it-

 

Roxanne was finishing projects like a mad woman-the first one is from the Little Red Button Company, the second is a table runner, and she had another  runner she was busy quilting!

Eileen had a baby quilt top all done by the time I arrived, then she shared these 2 paper pieced blocks she finished. She can almost see the light at the end of this paper pieced tunnel-

 

Rae was using the new magazine by The Missouri Star Quilt Company to make this purple beauty-

 

Several of the girls went home and bought the magazine after seeing it. There are great patterns and no advertisements! It’s a beauty! You can find it here-

http://www.missouriquiltco.com/

Yes, I have already ordered my copy! It is more like a book, not a magazine. It is very well done!

My camera wasn't holding a charge very well, so I failed to get pictures of the projects that Jan, Judy, Chris, Michelle and Cheryl were working on. They were very busy as well!

The lovely ladies had us eat with them at lunch. Michelle and Cheryl made wonderful pulled pork, so we had sandwiches, chips and peach and apple pie and homemade ice cream for dessert.  Now, I love my Subway but it did not even come close to that! Thank you Michelle and Cheryl!
Terry and I wanted to get down the mountain before it got dark, so we had to leave before dinner and before the beergaritas were made L. But we stopped and had the most fantastic fried oysters at Yorkshire Fish & Chips in north Denver. I have blogged about them before, but Terry had never been. I think she was pleased! There wasn’t an oyster left on either of our plates!

 

 

Sunday my poor hubby was under the weather, so that kept us home. I finished up a few birthday presents and started cutting up all of the jeans I have for a quilt top for a friends’ son for college graduation. I am only half way through the pile of jeans and had to stop twice to give my back a break. I also actually sucked it up and replace my rotary blade half way through cutting - that made a big difference.  I am hoping I will have enough parts to make several quilts when I am done cutting. I cut the jeans into 6-1/2” squares, 2-1/2” x 6-1/2” strips to make rail fence blocks, and then 2-1/2” squares to make 9 patches. It seems like that is a fairly good use of the jeans. I do have some waste, but since I didn’t pay for them I don’t feel too badly about tossing some scraps out! Here is my pile of jeans so far-

 

I hope everyone has a great week- spring is coming- I think!

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FOUNDERS

This month marks the seventh birthday of our founders, Chip and Dale, or the twins as they are affectionately known.  The time has flown by quickly and it is hard to believe that they are that old. They are truly amazing little critters and we love them dearly. Many people would not believe the stories we could tell about them. They are a constant source of amusement. They comfort us when we are down or don't feel good. They give us their unconditional love. They keep us warm - and apart- at night.  It was only appropriate that we held a huge party in their honor.

Many of their little canine friends attended. There were party games including Hide-The-Cat and Tethercat!

 

 

 

The puppies not only  helped with the shopping for their party,

 

 

 

They also came up with the idea for their birthday cake!

A great time was had by all. The birthday party ended with a slumber party for Chip and Dale and all of their little friends!





Happy Birthday Chip and Dale!

 

                                     The Great Cherry Debacle of 1973

A long, long, time ago, in a decade that has the letter 7 in it, something horrible happened and it haunts me to this day.

In the house where I grew up, we had a huge set of stairs leading to the 2^nd floor.  It must have been 25 steps high. There was also a rockin bannister that ran along the steps.  This was the first bannister I learned to ride- you could really pick up some speed by the time you hit the last step! Of course, I was 120 plus pounds lighter then. If I tried that now  I would have splinters in my ass til 2020 and would have to replace all of the broken balusters.

 

Anywho, at the top of the steps, my father converted a nice big bedroom into a bathroom as my mother always wanted a large bathroom. Why? I have no fricking clue. I hate cleaning my tiny bathroom. I definitely would not want to clean anything bigger than what I have now. It would have been a great bedroom for me, but NO- I get the 2’ x 4’ bedroom at the front of the house that barely had enough room in it for a bed. But, my mother got what she wanted because my father was awesome.  (So was my mother, really).

 

One day, my mother decided to make a cherry pie. Yep- the good ole days when moms stayed home and baked and did laundry. I would not have liked to have been a housewife back then. I suck at both of those things. Up until that point I had no aversion to the little red things with pits that could choke a small child. I decided to cut myself a piece while she was cleaning the bathroom. Yep- the same bathroom at the top of the stairs with the 96 steps leading up to it. This was in the 70’s, people. And in the middle of coal mine country. It was a miracle we had an inside toilet, let alone more than one.

 As I climbed the stairs to go watch my mother clean (a favorite past time of mine), I tripped and fell with my damn cherry pie. There went the pie, and I went flying down the steps. I landed at the bottom, totally shaken. As I looked up, I realized there was red crap all over the wall! I started to scream- I must be bleeding to death! At this point, I was out of control convinced I was dying (but totally hoping the guys from that show Emergency will come save me- remember Johnny Gage? Hmmm hmmm). My mother finally brought her head up out of the toilet to see what the hell I was screaming about.  She took one look at me, one look at the wall and said “Courtenay- you are not bleeding to death. It’s cherry pie!” End of discussion. I was still convinced I was bleeding, but as I started to wipe myself off I did not find any cuts or holes. Dammit- she was right, AGAIN!


 

And this, my friends, is the reason you will never catch me eating a nasty cherry!  Unless it is disguised in my friend Eileen’s most awesome black forest cake then I will indeed do it. But if you ever had a taste of her cake you would understand.

Oh the good times of my youth-

Have a great day everyone!