Reverse Tutorial

Hello Friends,
Welcome to my first ever reverse tutorial... What is a reverse tut, you ask.  Well I'll tell you. I'm going to explain how not to do something. I've been having lots of troubles with the little triangles!  I just started making them and hanging them on the wall, and then I liked them the way they were hung.  I had this grand idea that I could lattice them together the way they were hanging with a strip of white and it would continue to look like it does on the design wall... see older posts.  I just can't figure it out.  Here's what happened when I tried (a thousand times).

 As you can see they are not aligned.

I can't figure out what to line up when I start to sew to get them to line up in a row. (That is the reverse tutorial - don't do what I did.) But I did figure out how to use them anyway!

And here's what I decided to do with them instead.  I'll put a plain white triangle in between them. It'll make the quilt twice the size, and that's okay.  I'm just a little disappointed that they wouldn't go together as I had envisioned.  Sew  I'm calling it a redesign. There will be some relief from the bombardment of color - that is supposed to be a good thing... a place for the eye to rest.

   We've got another dilemma, too.  We are going on vacation mid August, and will need someone to water the little Halloween plants. I let them go 2 days recently and several of the really hearty catalpa trees got droopy. (You know how I love my little trees! We can't have them drooping.)  Another day, and I may have lost them. We are going to have to ask one of the neighbors to come over to water. I hope I can find someone willing, and reliable.

    I just got a call from someone speaking in tongues, I think, offering me free baby clothes if I signed up for something. LOL and OMG!  Where do these people get their phone lists from?  I have no use for baby clothes... even my grandkids aren't babies any more!    Oh, it gets better... they called back!  This time the manager talked to my hubby - the baby clothes are for anticipated grandkids.  Not on your life would I buy or have them around unless someone was pregnant... even my near neighbors are not pregnant.  And you wouldn't believe... they called a third time (all within minutes of each other).  This has got to be some scam.  They said I'd signed up to win $100 at some baby clothes place. Liars!  I haven't been near baby clothes or a store dealing baby clothes in decades!  Watch yourselves!  There are loonies out there.

And on that note I will  leave you to your own troubles.  May they all be as slight as mine.

Hugs,

Terri

Exciting doodle site!

I was reading blogs this morning, and found  this site referred on Enthusiastic Artist. She doodled some Zentangle forms. I made some spirals. The resulting picture is a cyborg - half yours and half made by the computer. I didn't know then, but there are adjustments you can make with buttons at the top. On mine the computer changed the width of the line, and put in a very interesting spider web with near lines. Here's a picture of the printout..

Didn't do any triangles yesterday. We went to Tahoe for an impromptu visit. There is still snow on the mountains, and some in shady places in the pass on Hwy. 50.  We almost never have snow this late in the season.  Sorry there are no pictures. We didn't really plan to take off for the day... and when we did we just continued up the "hill". Tahoe is a lake on the border of CA and NV. It is about a mile high and surrounded by mountains... so you know they are tall. I'm not sure how high they are, but getting there one of the passes is over 7,000 feet. Here in the West the passes and the towns list the elevation. I think it is because some people get elevation sickness and would need to know how high they are. Anyway, everything there was like spring had just arrived. The grass and tree leaves were that early spring green, and  Mule Ears, Lupin and other early spring flowers were blooming.  So pretty.

We were a bit bummed, though. The town we usually go to, right at state line, has gone so Yuppie that I can hardly stand it.  I usually don't gamble (the NV side is all casinos) so I shop on the CA side.  Well, you know it. All my favorite haunts are gone or so expensive because everything is remodeled.  Even our favorite motel that is off the strip, is completely gone... down to the ground, gone. No way to even see that it had ever been there.  I hate "progress".... don't you?

I am drooling, thinking about going to Harry Potter.  My HP (hubby) has planned to take me to the IMAX to see it on the really big screen in 3-D.  It's a lot scarier that way. We always wait a week or so - let the youngsters see it first.  Then when the mania dies down we can enjoy the movie. Have you seen it yet? Did you enjoy it?  I'm thinking I may have to read all the books again.  I'm missing that Hogwarts feeling.
Love to you all!  Thanks for stopping by.  Leave a comment, please!
Hugs,
Terri

a video, triangles again and more plants

Dear Friends,
I'm so glad you stopped in today.  I was blogging around this morning, and came across Aunt Peaches. I had been there before, but not for a while, and thought I'd pop in to see what she was up to.  Please! go there via that link.  Watch the video.  You will be glad you did.  I am so glad I did.

And the triangle mania continues. I took the photos like they were being booked at  the police dept.... One this way and one that. Do you see the cats?  There are butterflies, too. (An aside to Ashleigh and Alyssa: Do you see the fabric from one of the tops I made for you when you were mere toddlers? It was the butterfly wing fabric with ties at the shoulders. An aside to Em: There are lots of pieces of the butterfly fabric I put into your heart shirt. See if you can find one. An aside to Ben: Do you see the upside down car like the one I put on your shirt?  An aside to Rachael: I know there are lots of reds in here from your quilt, see if you can find them.  And finally!!! an aside to Christopher: There are greens from your quilt, too... I know you won't look for them, but that's okay. I still love you, too. I'm probably going to have to keep this quilt - if that is what it will become - just because of all those bits of fabric.  It brings back some really wonderful memories.)

I won't show you my work room this time.  I' ll let you imagine: a woman who hates cleaning is digging through several (a bigger number than I care to let on) shopping bags of snippets to find fun and cheerful colors to add to the pile on the ironing board and sewing machine... the bits cut off after the triangle is sewn are casually thrown... onto the floor.  I'll bag them up and save them for another day. There is that method of using stabilizer and tiny snips and all over sewing that intrigues me.

And here are the latest transplanted "squirrel trees". I call them that because they are planted in my yard in the most inopportune places by the squirrels that "own" my yard. It works out to dig them up and transplant them into the little cups for the Halloween kids. I have some really nice ones this year. One that "died" came back from the acorn or from the root. Lucky I didn't throw it away.  Oaks are really forgiving that way. The first one in the foreground is a cottonwood... probably self planted. I'd love to have it in my yard, but if I had all the trees I wanted there would be no place for anything else.  I have a long list of desired trees. I need about ten acres. Most people want new clothes or a new car, or a kitchen remodel. Not me. I guess that's why they named me Theresa... they just knew how strange I'd become.

And Harry Potter, the movie, comes out tomorrow!!!!  I've loved the books - read and reread. The movies are exciting, but not as good as the books. (Isn't that always the way?)

I linked up to the linky party at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, isn't that the most appropriate name for us quilters? I also linked to Sew Darn Crafty and Flamingo Toes on Sunday.

Lotsa love to you all!!! Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Terri

Triangle fever!

Hello Dear Friends,
I've been wanting to try out something I saw over at Crazy Mom Quilts (Beware! this link includes a tutorial.) It's just a little fabric play using a paper equilateral triangle.  So simple! So addictive!
Well,  here are my tries...

 And then some more tries...

I had to pry myself away from the sewing machine last night.  I'd make a few with the scraps I dug out of my shopping bag of bits and then make up a few and go again to another scrap bag for more variety, I said.  I don't know how big it will get, but I am enjoying the making yet, so I guess I will just continue on.  This is not necessarily the positioning, and that is only design wall betwixt them... we'll see what happens.
    I also want to make some letters like The Patchery Menagerie. She has been having an alphabet quilt along. I love the quilts she makes with phrases! Only thing holding me back are these triangles and I don't have a nice background color for the letters.  Gotta go shopping! (That phrase is sung - you know the tune!)
Thanks for stopping by.  Tomorrow a look at the latest in oak tree repurposing.
Hugs,
Terri
P.S.  I linked this post to a linky party at Creative Itch and Freshly Pieced and A Creative Princess

Tiny Tutorial and WIP

Welcome Friends,
I have an I Spy top done today, and a tiny tutorial... It is probably something you all do already, but maybe some of the newbie quilters could use this tip. First - since Blogger loaded in the wrong order - here is the WIP (work in progress) top that is done, but needs batting, backing, quilting and binding yet. I thought it was going to Australia, (Oz Comfort Quilts) but she requires a wool batting, and I can't afford that, so it'll be a Project Linus quilt when it's finished. Notice that some blocks are tipped, and others are not. I'm using blocks left over from a quilt I'm still working on for a possible new grandbaby - whenever. (I want a few quilts ahead... you never know when you need a gift.)  I thought I could tip the newer squares, but there isn't enough fabric for that.  Anyway, I kind of like it as is  -  just a bit unpredictable.  I have to work into that wonky stuff.

Here's the tip. Once I have the blocks on my design board  arranged the way I like them I sew them into rows. To make sure I get the same placement I pin,  right sides together while at the design board by turning the left side onto the next one to the right.  I pin the whole row and take it to the machine.  Pictures below.

Once I'm at the sewing machine I pin into place... top to top and align the side.  Then I sew and go on to the next square. Then I press all the seams in one direction, usually, but this time I pressed the seams open because there is lots of fabric at the seam edges on this pattern.  Then I pin that row back onto the design board, in it's place, and start over again with another row. Keeps me organized.

I'm linking this up to Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday Go on over and check out her linky party.

Hugs,

Terri

New Quilt Start and Hoya blooms!

Even though I haven't finished the last two quilts I've started, I've started another!  This one is an I Spy for Jan MacFayden over at Oz Comfort Quilts.  She is making quilts for the homeless, etc. in Christchurch and Queensland Australia. (Really an amazing blog written by an amazing woman - in my book.  She finishes an amazing number of quilts to donate.  Stop by and see the quilts.)  She needs 35 children's quilts within the next month, and I had these blocks for a while... I want to share them.

Here's how many I've got done so far

The blocks are 7.5" square, and I'm getting that tilted effect by paper piecing the borders onto the selected fabric. It requires that you leave the first seam undone, and then finish up after the others are all sewn. I love the pattern!

And what post would be complete without a picture or two of something from my garden.  These are the blossoms now opening on my Hoya.  It was a plant that we first got from my Mom after my Grandma passed.  The vine was in a tiny planter and then in an open-type basket.  I got a slip and have been making more plants right along these last 37 years. The blooms are very juicy  and velvety. They only scent at night! The scent is amazingly strong.  I think they are pollinated by bats.  We have never gotten seeds, so I'd guess we have never been visited by bats.

 These are unopened at the moment.

This one is opened. (Sorry not a very good picture.  Did you ever notice that pictures taken in the shade but facing out to the sun do not work out very well.?)

This one was intended to show you the glistening drips of nectar - you might need to click on the picture to see that.  It might also help you to see that the petals are velvety.  I have 2 big plants on our patio that weather the winter, and one little start for the Halloween trade that is indoors.  It just got a new leaf!!!!!!!!!! so I know that it is rooted and will be a good plant for some one of the trick or treaters.

Well, I'd best get this done as it is supper cooking time!  I'm going to try to get the quilt onto two linky parties - one at The Creative Itch Boutique, and another at Freshly Pieced.  I've been trying new things on the blog recently, and linking to linky parties is part of my learning curve.

Wish me luck!

Hugs,

Terri

Some fabric, some berries...

An odd assortment of things today....

(Even though I haven't finished the XXXs and OOOs yet) I started an I Spy yesterday with the fabric  from the swap.  I'm going to "frame" each of the 5" blocks with a 1.5" border of tone on tone jewel tone fabrics.  Here are some that will have different reds as borders. The red square will have an orange border because of the one orange chair. I try to use either a color from the fabric, or a complimentary color.

 Boysenberries I picked in my yard this morning.  They were great with our cereal.

 Here is the promised peek at my little log cabin block. It might look big here, but it measures only 2 1/4 inches now, and will be trimmed 1/4" on all 4 sides and embedded in the "mold to be" that hangs above it.  I found the "mold" yesterday while prowling JoAnn's Craft Store. It is a cutter for fondant that I found in the cake decorating aisle.   The end result may be a pin.  My mind has been going towards jewelry lately, and I think this will be immersed in resin.  We will see. I've never used resin, and it scares me...

How do you like these fabrics that I couldn't do without while shopping yesterday. Pretty, huh?  I've been coveting a couple of them for a long time now, and just let myself get a quarter yard yesterday. I see a quilt there, but what pattern, I don't have a clue.  Got a suggestion?

So that does it for me, for today anyway. I started out early though, and you never know what excitement may present itself.  I may have something wonderful to share.

Hugs,

Terri