Happy Zombie

Sigh… I loved my first ever trip to Montana and am heart sick I had to leave. I’m soooooo happy to be home with DH and DS, but I’m ready to pack up and head east. Have you ever had that feeling in your tummy and heart that you just BELONG somewhere? Maybe it’s a reincarnation thing… I danno. Anyhoo… I had THAT feeling in Montana.

I was in the Bitterroot Valley this weekend with my good friend Karen at a quilt retreat hosted by Bell Tower Quiltworks. I had the TIME OF MY LIFE and made some lifelong friends. Everyone in Montana was SO nice and the scenery wasn’t too bad either!

Before Montana, of course comes Idaho… another new experience for me! We stopped in the little town of Wallace, Idaho where Autumn was in full bloom! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Autumn!!! I have more photos to come, more thoughts, and much more Montana Goodness to share. For now… I must unpack and get my life back to normal (as if it was normal before I left for Montana).

Thank you Montana for your enchantment & kindness and thank you Missoula for putting the big “M” on your hill to welcome me!

I love you Montana,
Monica

My Montana/Idaho Flickr photos.

Posted in Quilty n Crafty | 6 Comments

Autumn is my favorite time of year! I was telling Jackie over at Wren’s Nest about all that I love about Autumn and thought I’d add my thoughts here. This is MY TIME OF YEAR! Pumpkins, fall leaves, soups & stews, trick-or-treaters, the crisp air, the colors, it feels cozy but not cold… I love it all! I even love raking the leaves! I even love the word “autumn”!

One of my favorite quilts is one I made about 3 years ago. It’s a Bare Roots pattern, but I added some of my own drawings (quilts, the Coast Guard, and something else… I forget) for the stitching.

This Bare Roots pattern is called “For These I Give Thanks”. I think I tweaked the setting as well (as I do 99% of the time with patterns). Anyhoo… The fabric came from The Buggy Barn and I think they are by Moda or P&B. I danno, all I can remember is that I just adore the fabrics! And Autumn! Edited in… I do keep this quilt up year round, except at Christmas time when I hang a Christmas quilt in it’s place.

Yes… I know my photos on the wall are askew. It’s how I live.

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1. The amazing bravery of DS2’s actions!
2. Sunshine on a cool day.
3. A new season of the Amazing Race.
4. Sitting at my computer with cold feet and one of my dogs curling up to nap on top of them.
5. Being completely finished with unpacking and everything is in it’s place.

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My very first “Artist Date”. Actually… I can’t really even call it an Artist Date because I did not go alone. My friend Karen went with me so that makes it a Double Date! Anyhoo… It’s no surprise that I’m really into the color aqua these days (especially aqua and red together) and I was so tickled to see so much aqua in and around Pacific Grove. I wanted to snap some photos of aqua objects and then use those images for color references in my next quilt. Actually… just for the simple joy of it!

A funny side note. I’m sure the people in the neighborhood where the aqua-potty is located thought “who is this goofball taking a photo of the porta-potty”! It was not until I got home and uploaded all my photos that I noticed the porta-potty was what appears to be turbo charged with electricity. So now, even though I don’t know what I’m going to cook up for my next quilt, I do know what the quilt’s name will be… Atomic Aqua-Potty!

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So here I am, typing with my thumbs, trying to sleep after such a big day. We are at the beautiful Asilomar in Pacifc Grove. Started the day with lunch at In-n-Out Burger (mmmm), tea at the Tuck Box (not as good as it used to be) in Carmel. We get checked in and settled in at Asilomar and off to start our Artist’s Way for quilters. There are over 50 of us! So much to tell… later on a full finger keyboard!

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I finished my projects for my Aqua/Red Swap partner and I’m hoping to get them in the mail today. My little quilt measures 22” x 33”. I really hope my partner likes it. Making a quilt for someone you don’t know is hard since not everyone has the same tastes or likes the same styles. The best part of this was that I had fun making it for my partner!

I made this quilt from solids and the prints are 1930’s feedsack reproductions. No pattern, sans the paper-pieced schoolhouse block. I just kind of made it as I went along. I got the schoolhouse block pattern at Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine. Sidenote… I’m not one who enjoys paper-piecing (my brain just can’t do it!), but this was a very easy block to paper-piece. If I can do it… anyone can! I also used the Tri Recs rulers to make my pinwheels. I just love all the tools from EZ Quilting and Darlene Zimmerman!

A few other things to add… a pair of aqua socks (that’s so fun to say… “aqua socks”… “why that just knocks my aqua socks off!”) and a checkbook cover I made with Moda’s aqua “5 Funky Monkeys” line. I liked the check bookcover so much… I made one for myself too.

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I’ve been hesitant to show what I’m working on for the Aqua/Red Swap. I don’t even know yet who my swap partner is. I guess this is just a peek, since this is just a small fraction of what I’m making. I’m much further along as pictured… but that’s all I’m showing until the swap has been made.

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I’ve been so inspired by all the blogs I visit to make all the goodies that are offered. This is my Wee Wonderful Wee who I call WEElohalani. You can make one too at the awesome blog Wee Wonderfuls. You can also check out the pool of Wee’s made from so many talented people in Wee Wonderful’s Wee Gallery.

When we moved to the mainland from Hawai’i… I brought with me yards and yards and yards of Aloha fabric. Over the years my big box-o-Aloha fabric has hardly been used and I thought it’d be fun to put a dent in it! Hardly even a dent to make my little WEElohalani… but oh what fun! Cute thing is… I have friends who’s daughter is named Alohalani.

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I’m so in love! I found a guy in WI selling an aqua washer and dryer. Oh how I want the set! The adult voice in my head is saying… “too much for shipping, too pricey for something that doesn’t work like today’s washers/dryers”. The child voice in my head that likes pretty things is saying… “pack up car… road trip to Wisconsin! Time to visit the The Chicken Lady!”. Damn you adult voice!

Ok, so today was my big day… the day I was to start my Morning Pages. I wake at 6:45ish, ready to start my Brain Drain with the morning pages. So I pee, make coffee, lets the dogs out, feed the chickens… must find all those composition books I have stashed away somewhere… searching, searching, searching… oh look… there’s my computer. I should probably check my email. While I’m online, I’ll just pop in and take a peek at my favorite blogs. Hmmm… I wonder what’s new and pretty on eBay. Mmmm… nice washer and dryer! Too bad that photo has been taken on someone’s gravel driveway…. I should just clean it up a bit in Photoshop. It is now 10:40am. Where did my morning go?????!!!!

Note to self. Start morning pages tomorrow morning.

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I know I’m like so many quilters… more tops get done then the quilting on them. It doesn’t help that I’m a hand quilter either! I thought I’d show a little peek of what I’m quilting at the moment (mind you there are four more tops in the closet waiting to be sandwiched and quilted as well!). One of the tops in my closet is a New York Beauty set in black… Meine Güte is that going to hard on the ole eyes to quilt! Anyhoo… from left to right:

1) Two years ago my friend Karen and I were each other’s Secret Pal at guild. Not a secret between us… but from the rest of the guild! We decide to “pick each other” and we had so much fun! Not to mention we each got killer quilts we loved!!! Karen made BEAUTIFUL blocks of embroidered images, appliquéd and buttonholed. It is just beautiful and it’s almost done

2) This quilt was made with the (April Cornell Poetry Collection by Moda) scraps left over from the actual “Room with Blooms” quilt that is featured in this month’s (October 2006) Better Homes & Gardens - American Patchwork & Quilting. My friend Karen designed and made the Room with Blooms quilt and asked me if I wanted the scraps. Well… being a new member of Bev Wakeman’s Scrap Busters at Anna Lena’s… I jumped at the chance to prove to myself I could use scraps! This quilt is almost done!

3) This one is a pattern from Bev’s Stash Busters. It goes without saying that I purchased new fabric and nothing from my stash was used. Ok… maybe some. I think the Kona Snow was from my stash. Wait… I used stash to make the back… but that’s for another post on another day when the quilt is finished (though that is really soon, and it’s even bound).

4) Last but not least, and this one is no where near done (Maybe 40%) is my king size Pineapple Swirl. I took a class with Darlene Zimmerman to make this (I always learn SO MUCH from her), and of course… everyone else in the group has theirs done… and here’s mine… all folded and waiting to be finished. It doesn’t help that I modified Darlene’s pattern… I had a lapse in judgement and decided in the process to make it so much bigger!

So that’s what cookin’ at the moment! When I completely finish these quilts, I will post the photos and not just a hard to see peek.

Posted in Quilty n Crafty | 2 Comments