New project, new fabric, quilt show visit

Happy Saturday to you all!
We just got back from a fabric sale and a separate quilt show... but first  a little "show" of my own. I've gotten frustrated with the triangles again, so I started a few little strips of adding machine tape.  I take a bit off the floor, or out of the scrap bags, and if it will fit I sew it to a piece of adding machine tape.  I don't know what I'll make out of it yet, but here's a picture.

Truly, they look  better in person.  I love that the paper is keeping me on the straight and narrow. There is a picture of a quilt at the Elk Grove Quilt Show that has hearts on it (shown towards the last) that might be a way to use my little strips. 

This is the fabric sale that took place this morning between 8 and 10.  We got there at 8:01 and a shopper had picked out all her stuff, got it cut and paid for before we got there.  This is the results of a quilt store going out of business.... a sad even, to be sure, but we got fabric for $3.00 per yard!!! So it wasn't that sad.  (For you all that have metric and odd money the price here was about one third what you'd have to pay in a quilt store now.)  I got 8 pieces, 9 yards!  I had to have 2 yards of the yellow batik. I'm making flower pins with it... and saving some for quilting.  See the last picture for the purchases. Now on to the Quilt Show!!!

 I only took pictures of the ones I liked, and I liked this one. The bottom right square is shown below.

This one took my breath away.  I know it isn't a color pallet that many of you would chose, but I love it.  The detail of the border is shown in the picture below.

Notice the blue scallops "tied" with pink buttons above the piano key border?  Love that!  No other way to remember it but with a picture. This one won prizes!

And another applique.  I love the look, but my big clumsy  fingers just don't want to do it.  As before, a detail is below.

 I loved this one - you know my weakness is red!!! Especially this middle bottom block with the variegated daisy flowers... also love the sashing. No detail of this one, but click on it and it should get bigger - if you want a closer look-see.

 This one is striking, too. So different than I've seen before.  I think it was a Guild Challenge, because there was another like it in a different section.  This one has ribbons, I didn't look to see what prize it won. I'm more of a pattern and color gal. No close-up of this one.... sorry.

I like this one, but you knew that.... It looks like a simple framed box, but when you look at the detail in the next picture you will see that it is more complicated, and yet an easy quilt to make.

See what I mean? 

Now this one is just a detail that I wanted to remember.  I love this particular block.  Wouldn't it be great made in all different colored blocks and set solid, but turned so the "path" would go all over the place. There were a lot of red, white and black quilts at the show.  May have been another challenge.

Here's the hear one I thought I could use my adding machine tape to make.
Real cheery, don't you think so?

This is a sweety. The flowers are paper pieced, I think,  and the leaves and center bouquet are drawn onto the fabric with crayon!!!!   I know.  I've heard of it before. I think there was an article in one of my magazines, umpteen years ago.  It creates a lovely pastel coloration.  (Probably doesn't stay on  through many washes, but you could always refresh the color again with the crayon.)  I don't think I'll try it, but you never know.  I  try never to say never... such a sad word.

Here's the detail.  It also has a really unusual border of half square triangles that point to the corners from half way and then the other corner on the other half of the side. I wanted to remember that, too.

Here's the day's cache. Most of the fabrics from the yard sale are yellow and one orange - full yards, a requirement. From a vendor at the quilt show, the lime greens were on sale, too.  Half yards 3 for $5 another good buy.  I could have saved so much more if my hubby hadn't been with me.  He never says I can't have it, nor does he groan or complain, but I know when he's spent too much - you know.  I don't try to push my limits. 

So that was my morning, today.   It's always a good day seeing a quilt show and buying fabric!  Hope your day was just as fun, and have a beautiful rest of the weekend!

Hugs,
Terri

New fabric and beads!!!!

Hello Friends,
I want to welcome all new followers! I usually email the newest ones, but the latest one didn't have her email address available.  I love that you are interested in my ramblings, and I'll try to be more.

I also want to thank you all for your prayers for my daughter - she went in for a scan today, and no new cancer was found.  Everything is healing well, and they are changing to new locations for her radiation, so it shouldn't hurt so much.  Don't stop the prayers though.  She is not out of the woods yet.

On with the pictures~

These are two fat quarters from "River Quilts" in downtown Camas, Washington. It's a nice little store, and a very generous woman who runs it.  She donated fabrics for a  basket of goodies to be given away at their "Girl's Night Out".  My granddaughter won the basket, and that's how I got the next picture's fabrics... see below.  My granddaughter gave me some of her winnings! Sweeeeet!

  Thanks Em!!!!

These are some fabrics I bought at "The Quilter" in Vancouver, WA.  I loved this little store.  Her tastes and mine are so similar. I had a problem trying to limit myself.  These were meant to make flower pins with the grandgirls, but we went to the Bonneville Dam instead.

  Only so much time when you are on vacation.

And here's the beads.  These are from a little store in the old town part of Camas, WA called "Bead Paradise".  What an amazing store. So many beads, and so reasonable the prices. (Add things up for yourself before you go to the checkout counter.  I was over charged, I think.  I had it added up to $35.00 and he charged us $50.03. Nobody has that much taxes.) (I'd show them closer, but I don't want the grands and their mommies to see them..... Christmas - you know. Sh-sh-sh-sh....

So there you have it.  Even though I was on vacation, I didn't let my shopping duties lapse.... you know how it is.

Hugs,

Terri

Our trip in pictures (okay, and words)

We went to Washington state to see our daughter and her family. Here are some of the pictures.
On the way there we passed by Mt. Shasta - my favorite mountain. You can see it from a long distance away.

We stopped to eat at the Black Bear Diner (tradition!)... took a picture of the mountain and my husband. (He's the one on the left)

 A mural on the side of the restaurant.

 This is a cinder cone that Shasta spit out eons ago.

Another view of Mt. Shasta, you drive around it for maybe 50 miles on Interstate 5. (And YES that is snow on the mountain, in late August in California. Global warming? I don't think so!)

 Emalee and Ben! So fun to be around!  Thanks for the memories

 Here is the first picture I took of this quilt I made for my daughter... quite a few years ago.  The pattern is from a book... Backyard Bird Quilts by Jodie Davis.

This one shows the bottom row of birds, and the tail end of Jenna, their princess pet.

This is something I added.  All the greens are to represent the trees in WA, so I made 2 flowering trees, my daughter, Chrissy and her hubby, Will.  On each of the trees is a heart, and the heart is inscribed with the other's initials.  Also, there are 4 different sized shrubs, one for each of the kids.  I enjoyed making this part.

Here's the Chrissy tree.

Now four of the birds.

 Grandpa learning how to play Wii from Ben (aged 9).

 The back of Rachael... read the shirt.

And the front....

 My brave darling daughter. She has gone through chemo, surgery and a week - at this point - of radiation.  She won't like it that I put in a picture.  She doesn't like her hair as it is coming in a different color and texture. It really is quite cute, I think, and it is coming in!!! I'm just so happy to have a picture of a live daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Em again... we are all sitting around having a snack and preparing to play Canasta.  She beat me and my 50 years of experience!

Here's Ashleigh wearing her hat cause she hates her hair, too.  She dyed it just before prom - got the wrong color.  Remember youth?

We went to the Bonneville Damn - somehow I didn't get any pictures of that.  This is Multnomah Falls in Oregon. The top half falls 542 ft (sez the post card) and the bottom half falls another 69 ft. It's an amazing place.

Got a pic of these 4 grandkids while we were there. A beautiful bunch, I'd say, and I'm not at all biased.

 While we were at the Vancouver WA farmers market, we saw this dog dressed in a skirt and hat.

Here's the hubby again with the cat, Kits.  One morning while Bill and Chrissy were off to her treatment, Kits got up and sat in one of the kitchen chairs, presumably to look out the window, but she started chewing... she just kept chewing and looking at Ben. We were all there to play more Canasta. Anyway, I looked at the cat's dish, and sure enough it was empty!  She'd found a way to communicate that she was hungry.  She followed him to the bag of food and trotted back to her dish.

We had a great time... I did buy some fabric, and we did some jewelry crafting. I learned some Wii, too, and we went out to dinner, and watched the grands bowl.  It was lots of fun. Thank you, family, for making us feel loved and welcome.  Hope we can do it again soon.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Terri

Back from vacation!

Hi Friends,
Just a quick note while I'm doing laundry and catching up on e-mail... Just wanted you to know we had a great time at our daughter's and made it home safely.  Will post some pictures soon.
Hugs,
Terri

Triangle Portraits

Since we are going on vacation, I thought a good post would show the triangles (still not sewn together - My excuse: reading blogs and playing canasta online... I am a naughty girl!) will show my peeps some of the memories incorporated in this endeavor. Remember to click on the picture if you want to see it larger.

First up: some multicolored print from the butterfly applique on Em's shirt.... do you remember it?

Next  the turtle print from a blouse I made for my daughter when she was about 3.  (I can hear the grandkids wondering why it hasn't fallen into ruin by now...They think she's old.  Wait til they see me!) Do you remember it Chrissy? You wore it with a green jumper that was just about the same color as the fabric sewn to the bottom of this triangle.

 And the kitty print is another Chrissy blouse! There was also a small mouse with his buddy, the cat, but there wasn't fabric enough to get the mouse into this piece.

Portrait #4 is the multicolored butterfly wing fabric used to make tops for Ashy and Alyssa when they were the only grandgirls.  Ancient history!

 Then some green from Chrissy's second quilt. I know I used this a few times to represent trees in WA.

The next picture shows some fabric from Chrissy's wedding quilt... the tip of the triangle. I even remember buying this fabric from a little 49er town in the foothills... one  of my favorite haunts,  Columbia, the Gem of the Southern Mines.  It's a living museum where the old stage coach goes through town, and gives rides to paying tourists. The tree lined, cobblestone street is banned to auto traffic. There are old restaurants, hotels and stores. The some of the goods are modern, some are antiques for show only. It's at the Dry Goods Store that I got  this fabric.

These next two are showing animal prints (quite stylized) that were made into tops for the two first grandgirls, too.

The two "tries" in this picture are from Ben's baby quilt, and T-shirt applique.  It's a different car, but from the same fabric.

Another from the kitty blouse.

The red at the top is probably from Rachael's quilt.  So is the second to last picture. 

My sister sent me some of this purple butterfly fabric, and I went out and bought more of it to make a skirt and top for my DIL's birthday.

The middle top is the backing fabric from Chrissy's wedding quilt.  I wanted it to be somewhat masculine, so my SIL would actually use it, too.  He isn't into pink.

The color crayons are probably on Ben's "I Spy" quilt.

The bottom half with the "world" on it is the backing to my SIL's quilt, I think... getting old and CRS. I do remember that he is my favorite SIL - I have my reasons... Of course,  he is my only SIL, as well. (His MIL is a bit perverse...)

And more red from Red Rachael's quilt.  We do love our  reds, huh.

The blue with hearts is from a little top for Chrissy that had ties at the shoulders, and a red gathered bottom. It was so cute.  Living in Superior, WI at the time, she had to wear a shirt under it.  Summer there was cold. That's why we moved to Sunny CA

So we will be gone for a week to WA.  Hope to have wonderful pictures to show you all.

Hugs,

Terri

One Year Blogaversary!

I missed it!  It was July 30 last year when I started this blog, and I missed blogging on the blogaversary! That pretty much says it all. I'm just very blase' about blogging, I guess. Not much happens here, and about half my day is used (and used well, I think) by reading blogs I enjoy.  I have had lots of fun reading the blogs, and learned lots of crafty things. I can afford not to purchase magazines because I read blogs where I find travel information; quilting news and patterns and color combinations; also I find out what is new in fashion, and crafts.  Just this morning I learned how to light up my shoes on Craft Magazine, and traveled to a special restaurant in England with Ramblings from an English Garden.  (Don't let the name fool you, she's hardly ever home.)  I've added lots of new blogs to my list in one year... I find some of my favorites on other peoples lists, as well.  I love to leave comments - especially where there were none.  I hate it when I write a post and no one comments, don't you?  I just want to say Thank you all who have visited and left comments, and Thank you for stopping by even if you didn't comment. 
So back to the triangles... here's the current pic.

Top row is sewn with a white triangle between each pieced one, and the bottom row didn't show up.

Here is a close up of the sewn ones. I tend to put off things that I'm unsure of, and this quilt is just like all the others have been.  "There's always something..." Rosanne Rosannadana.

So here I will leave you to your own devises.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs,

Terri

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