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The Queen of Blog...And What I've Learnd From Her

Quilters Journey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:09:00 GMT

I love to read. Hands down, it's my favorite thing to do. All day long, I look forward to the last hour of my day. Peaceful quiet reigns through the house, my kids sleeping snuggly in their beds, and my husband spending his last few moments on the computer with all of his computer-land buddies. This is my reading time. As I slip into bed and open my book, picking up where I left off from the night before, the cares of thee world slip away from me. And lately I've been reading a great book about a great blogger, "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell. It's the book that the movie by the same name was based on. It sparked my interest, and I read "My Life in France" by the great Julia Child. Now I need to get my hands on one of her cook books and cook my way through it. (Anyway, I digress from the point I wanted to make.)

So, I've been reading the words of the highly entertaining Julie Powell, who cooked her way through Julia Child's first cookbook. And she's inspired me. I want to be more serious about what I'm putting out here for my two faithful readers to read. And I want to find something better to write about. So here's where I'm headed.....

I'm going to really begin the journey that Quilter's Journey symbolized for me. I want to (metaphorically speaking, of course) cook my way through some of the greats in the quilting world out there. I feel I can really learn more from all of these people who have gone before, so to speak, and apply to my own journey towards becoming a master quilter. So I'm going to start with the great Kim Diehl. Now, she's a personal fav of mine (same names not withstanding) because I've actually met her and taken classes from her. Kim's teaching techniques set a high standard for anyone wishing to take up the instructional part of quilting. So I'm going to start with one of my favs that I have been longing to make: the cover quilt for "Simple Traditions". It's a beautiful wall hanging, with a dahlia in a basket gracing the exact center of this eye catching quilt. So I hope ya'll will join me on this journey toward learning from all of the greats in the quilting world.

Boy, It's Been a Long Time, Hasn't It?

Quilters Journey — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:11:00 GMT

Soooooo.....for the 4 people who actually read this, I've been experiencing major computer difficulties. Like my trusty laptop contracted a nasty virus (I'm still convinced it was a electronic version of the swine flu, but the techie who fixed it said it was just a Trojan. Horse, pig, what's the difference?) that it took almost 6 weeks to recover from. Of course, my working full time didn't help out the situation. So now it's back to the good life, with work only a few days of the week, and lots of time to sew in between.

Today's "Third Saturday Extravaganza" at Marilyn's Pickets and Patchwork over in Nyssa, OR turned out to be a total hoot. Pat, up to her usual ploys, dressed as the great pumpkin and delighted us all with witty descriptions of the happenings at the shop. We laughed and giggled collectively like a bunch of school girls, and it's sad to say but I'm probably the closest person to a school girl attending these monthly soirees at a respectable 32 years of age. Today I took a project I've been working on for the "Finally Finished" show-n-tell part of the day, and I proudly displayed my little wall hanging I've been working on since this time last year. The oohs and aahs of the crowd properly puffed me up, and I'm feeling quite pleased with my little masterpiece. I plan on displaying it for the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving, and I'll include a picture for all of you when I've got it displayed properly.

Now it's back to fun projects for me. I'm currently working on what I'm always working on this time of year -- Halloween costumes! And yes, I am making one for each member of the family, including Mya's pet puppy, which is luckily stuffed and doesn't require walking or feeding, although she does take frequent naps. I hope to have those finished by later next week so I can get back to work on another quilt I've had on the back burner for about 6 months. Perhaps I'll have it finished by the next 3rd Saturday, earning me another (much needed) puffing up.

Back to Work

Quilters Journey — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:08:00 GMT

Well, I've finished my big summer travel, so it's back to sewing I go. I've actually missed spending time at my sewing machine. Except for a small stint with a quick paper piecing project, I haven't touched my machine (or even fabric!) for the past month. However, I've spend plenty of time thinking about new projects. There are quite a few great small projects floating around in my mind, just waiting for a chance to jump out and become reality. Tomorrow I'll have time to begin on the first one. Stay tuned for more to come...

Summer Slump

Quilters Journey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:31:00 GMT

The lazy, hazy days of summer are settling here. I've actually spent the past 5 days traveling. I had high hopes for getting some quilting in at my mom's, but the fabric I packed stayed that way the entire trip. I may just have to put everything on hold for the next three weeks except writing while I spend some more time at my mom's with my sister and her family that are visiting from Texas. Hopefully.... I'll keep ya posted on what's happening.

Patching It Together

Quilters Journey — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:47:00 GMT

Today I originally planned to attend the Council Quilt Show, but Judy and I both had surprises pop up, so we've postponed it until a later (to-be-determined) date. Luckily, I still managed to find a couple of hours to work on my current project.

My second "This & That" quilt is coming together quite nicely. I always love repeating a quilt pattern and implementing the tricks I figured out the first time around. Shaving off time and figuring out ways to speed the process are part of what make quilting so inviting to me. I happened upon a tip in a favorite pattern book that cut out an entire step in making 1/2 square triangles the way I usually do. I was almost giddy over the discovery, and I completed all 300+ pieces in a third of the time I took on the previous example of the pattern. I'm hoping tomorrow to finish up the blocks and get the entire quilt top constructed.

Right now, I still need to conquer the mountain of laundry before I hit the sack for the night.

Priorities of a Quilter

Quilters Journey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:39:00 GMT

Today, as I stood over the mountain of laundry shouting at me, I thought about how if money was no object, I would hire someone to do everything but cook and quilt for me. No more laundry, dishes, mopping floors, scrubbing showers, or dealing with greasy hand prints on the walls and just cleaned windows. But, alas, I am no privileged princess, so to work I went. Finally, at 12:30, I sat down at the sewing machine and went to work. I spent two blissful hours stitching, pressing and admiring my handiwork. Tomorrow I plan to attend the Council Quilt Show and enjoy others handiwork, and be inspired to come home and spend Friday morning making something beautiful.

Shopping Trip

Quilters Journey — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:23:00 GMT

One of my very favorite places on the face of the earth is a quilt shop in Rupert, Idaho called The Gathering Place. Rupert, what? you say....Trust me, even though the town is small, the quilt shop is not. With over 10,000 bolts of fabric (that's over 100,000 yards of fabric!) and lots of other goodies cutely displayed throughout the store, it's a quilter's paradise. Even though I don't live 5 minutes from The Gathering Place anymore, my mom's house is only a 10 minute drive away from all that bliss. Whenever I get to spend some time there, I make sure to reserve an hour or so for browsing and dreaming.

Well, this trip, I got to do more than just dream about what I would do with the fabulous fabric lining all those beautiful shelves. I just got my last stipend check from the community college for costuming, and I earmarked it all for quilting. I took a couple of patterns I've been working on with me, and then I just let myself be inspired. My kids played happily in the toy corner (who needs toys when there is all that fabric goodness around?) and I slapped bolt after bolt on the cutting counter, feeling my delight grow in relation to the height of that stack. Finally, after an hour I bellies up and had the gals start cutting the lengths for me. When it was all said and done, I'd just about spent my wad, but I had enough fabric for 4 new projects, and countless ideas to incorporate into my new quilt pattern designs.

I've got a bunch of new ideas brewing, and I just survived another drive home from my mom's -- a drive that's supposed to take 3 hours, but somehow ended up taking 4 1/2 this time -- and I've got to make supper, unpack, start the laundry, and get the (grouchy) kids to bed on time. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to actually dive into creating something beautiful from all of my new fabric.

Sweet Summer Vacation

Quilters Journey — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:04:00 GMT

So things are settling down into our summer vacation. My kids and I have established a routine, and I'm actually still finding some time to quilt. I haven't had a lot of time to actually quilt this week, but I've been working on patterns like mad. I've come up with 6 new designs that I'm very excited to get started on.

Starting a new project includes getting new fabric, so yesterday I visited a quilt shop in Nyssa, OR (about 15 minutes from where I live). Luckily, a really great gal named Pat was working, and she filled me in on all the great events going on at Marilyn's Pickets and Patchwork this summer. I got signed up for a really cool paper piecing block of the month and picked up some fabulous orange - or maybe I should say burnt sienna - fabric for one of the new designs I'm working on. It's supposed to be rainy and cooler for the next few days, so we'll see how much I can get done.

It All Comes Together

Quilters Journey — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:49:00 GMT

I love rainy days. I know that sounds weird to a lot of people, but there's actually a very good reason behind it. Growing up on a potato farm in Idaho, rainy days during the summer meant a break from the work outside, and usually a chance to do something just for fun instead. And today it rained. All day long. So guess what I got to do? Quilt!

I worked on This & That pretty much all day. I finished up the final bit of piecing, then stitched the entire block together, then the blocks in to rows, and the rows into a finished quilt top. I'm letting it stew like that for now, decided whether borders are really necessary for this pattern. I'm leaning towards not using them. But we'll see what night of sleep does to that decision.

I've really enjoyed playing around with this pattern, and I've come up with an idea that will allow me to test it out in a few different ways. Just like a musician practices their composing by doing different variations of a well known tune, I'd like to take this pattern and do a little playing myself. I'm thinking of doing an easy and an advanced version of this block.

The easier version will include taking out all of the half square triangles (and therefore the point matching) from the pattern, leaving a simple set of squares to design around. This variation will allow me to play with color a bit more, and how easily you can manipulate a design by changing the colors in tone and value. I'll probably also use more modern vibrant prints in this version, making it more of a project that showcases the fabrics and not so much the sewing a technique.

The advanced version of this block will include more piecing, including in the center square. I'm thinking of creating a secondary design within that block, which will create even more movement and drama within the quilt. Maybe a pinwheel type of design. (Sorry, I'm basically thinking on paper right now). I also know that I want to use really deep colors in this version, with probably some chocolate browns, deep reds, rich purples, and maybe even a pop of bright pink or green. Tomorrow I'll dig through my stash and put together a few scenarios, lay them out on my sewing table, and audition them over the weekend.

Maybe I'll get lucky, and it will rain all day tomorrow again. I can't think of anything that would be better.

A Minue Here, A Minute There...

Quilters Journey — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:09:00 GMT

Today's the last day of school for my son, and he gets out at 12:30. I'm taking every minute that I can this morning to sneak in some quilting. Today I've been working on piecing the blocks for my recently designed quilt, which I named This & That. It's fun retro print, with the graphic black, white and gray give it real modern punch that I'm loving more and more as I piece it together. I've really been focusing on piecing basics, so that my finished quilt will turn out looking crisp and well put together. I've got just over an hour until I need to walk over to the school, so I'll continue working away at all of these patches.

Just One More Thing

Quilters Journey — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:30:00 GMT

After a good night's sleep (and staring at the quilt every time I happened to glance in its direction) I added a bit more hand stitching. And it's done! And of course I can't find my camera. I'll have my daughter dig it out of where ever she hid it in the next few days, and I'll get a picture of the finished product. So stay tuned...

Finishing Up the Project

Quilters Journey — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:15:00 GMT

So this morning, Judy dropped off the Council quilt, fresh off the quilting machine. All I needed to do is sew on the binding -- and maybe add a few details. The binding went on quickly (it's really my favorite part of the project), and after an episode of NCIS, the hand sewing portion of it was even completed. I took a good long look at it, and went for the embellishment. Now, there's two schools of thought on mixing machine quilting and hand quilting, and I'm of the pro-mixing persuasion. I don't think you can ever add too much quilting to a finished project, and a few touches of well placed hand stitching can emphasize details like nothing else can.

So I threaded my needle with some heavy cotton thread, and went to town. I added extra touches in all the little places that I hope will catch the eye of my audience and let them see what I really tried to create. I especially thought the hand touches were appropriate with the theme "Thimbles and Thread", because I really do use a thimble when I hand quilt. And to top it all off, I actually found a cute thimble shaped needle threader and attached it to the quilt. Yes, I know it sounds a bit goofy, but I really like the overall effect. I'm going to sleep on my final choices, and perhaps add a bit more stitching tomorrow. So the picture will be forthcoming...

Reflections on Quilting

Quilters Journey — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:28:00 GMT

This week I’ve been busy with all the normal things that crowd our modern day lives: dentist’s appointments for the kids, grocery shopping, cleaning the house and paying my bills. While performing many of these seemingly mindless tasks, my mind has wandered to an article I read earlier this week in my favorite quilting magazine, American Patchwork & Quilting. On the very first page, a reader had sent in an email explaining why she loved quilting so much, and it made me reflect on why I love it so much. I am a creative person and need an outlet for that, but I think it boils down to something deeper than that, something that harkens back to the more primitive needs in all of us. I quilt to express my love for the people around me in a very tangible way.

I think back to my first true quilt, which I started my senior year of high school. I found a picture in a Spiegel catalog that sparked it all. A beautifully constructed quilt, with lots of graphic punch and very pronounced color pattern that really intrigued me was artfully draped across a bed, with lots of beautiful plump pillows and heirloom sheets setting off the ensemble. I stared at that picture for hours, trying to figure out what the pattern entailed. I eventually snagged a piece of graph paper from my mom’s desk in the family room, and began sketching it out. I drew the patchwork pieces carefully, and actually did it in a couple of different sizes, gauging what would be easier to do.

I took a trip to my Grandma’s basement, and raided her revered fabric room, searching out the perfect colors to complement my pattern. Luckily for me, my grandma had the largest stash known to woman -kind, and it didn’t take any time at all to find the twelve different fabrics I needed to complete the pattern, according to the now crumpled picture.

Finally, I began the tedious task of pinning my homemade pattern onto the fabric I had painstakingly chosen, and cutting out each individual piece with scissors. I had never hear d of rotary cutters, rulers or mats, so my only choice was to use my mom’s regular sewing scissors or else her pinking shears. I wisely chose the regular shears and got to work. After a short period of time, I deduced that there had to be a better way to cut out all these millions (or so it seemed to me) of small pieces. I began stacking the fabric six deep and cutting them out that way. This is how I finished off the quilt, with my impatience showing up in the pattern later on because the pieces got bigger as I cut through more fabric at a quicker pace.

Next began the tedious construction process. I still had no idea what I was doing, but I had seen some beautiful quilts at my grandmother’s house, made by her mother, so I figured I had it in my blood and it would come to me. And I guess it did, slowly, over time: lots and lots of time. I spent spare moments here and there throughout my senior year of high school constructing that quilt. All the patchwork pieces were kept neatly tucked away in a hatbox my brother had given me the previous Christmas. I would pull out the necessary pieces as I went along, my goal to complete one block at each sewing session. As the year wore one, I even sewed part of the blocks together with my mom’s serger, which of course experienced technical difficulties with the tension so you can see, rather clearly, the bright white thread peaking through the seams.

Near the end of the school year, I finished all the blocks, and by the end of the summer I had them sewn together, completing my first quilt top. It ended up rather lopsided because of the issues with cutting out the pieces, and through a little research I discovered I had made a log cabin quilt, not exactly your easiest pattern for beginners. Now at this time, that meant nothing to me other than I hadn’t made something totally original, but as time has gone on, I’ve appreciated how totally ignorant I was about what I was doing at the outset of the project.

I borrowed a hand quilting frame and started on that phase of the project. I’d always just tied quilts with long strings of bulky yarn before. These precious samples weren’t even really “quilts”, because they were really just two flat sheets with a nice fluffy bat in the middle. The small and tidy stitches I’d seen on those quilts of my great-grandmother’s were what I wanted for this project. I started out with large sloppy stitches, doing the basic stitch-in-the-ditch to emphasize my fabulous sewing skills. This part of the project dragged on for another year as I mastered how to use thimble and rocking my needle just so to create even stitches. I didn’t finish until the following summer, when I was home from college for my summer break. After I finally got it off the frame, my mom turned the edges and finished it for me. And that was that, it was all done. The quilt resided on my bed while I was away at college, and when I got married it moved onto a shelf in the closet. I started quilting seriously about 6 years ago, when I quit my job to stay at home with my first child. The more I do now, the more I realize what I was really beginning with that first quilting project.

Now, looking back at that first project, with its warpy-folksy look (which was not my intention!) I understand a bit more about what I was trying to accomplish. The underlying need to create these material statements, which my husband often points out are “just perfectly good fabric, cut up and then sewn back together again”. I’ve used these to search for a way to connect to my grandmother and the wonderful tradition that had been passed down to her from her mother. As I look at that quilt, I still feel a real connection to my grandmother, even though she passed on almost 10 years ago. I feel the love from my mother, who finished the project for me that lived in her basement for two years. I feel the admiration from my sister, who was so proud of what I had done, and still to this day, passes along every compliment she gets on quilt or a bag that I’ve made for her. And as I make new friends through this hobby of mine, I get the opportunity to pass on this outlet for sharing love. It’s my ultimate connection to those I love, my way of wrapping them up in my love, and reflecting on the love they’ve shown me.

A Few Stolen Moments

Quilters Journey — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:23:00 GMT

Today I managed to squeeze in about an hour of quilting. Nothing spectacular, but a bit more is done on the current project. I've finished piecing all of the half-square triangles into neat little squares, and I've moved on to the square-in-a-square for the center of the block. I got the first set of triangles sewn on. And Judy called, she's got the Council show quilt all done, ready for binding. I'll be getting that from her this week to finish up, then it will make the long trek up to Council, where it will hopefully WOW! the judges and viewers at the show this year. Next week I should get some quality quilting time in, and I'll make some real progress on my current project. Maybe I'll even start thinking about the next project....

Back to the Grind

Quilters Journey — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:59:00 GMT

Long weekends are great, but it always takes me a day or so to get back onto schedule. We lucked out with a great visit from my in-laws over the holiday. Warm weather created a perfect hang-out by the pool and relax atmosphere, but that doesn't contribute much to getting any work done on my current projects. At least Judy is hard at work, quilting the Council show piece.

Today I should begin on piecing my next quilt, which is still "Un-named". First, I need to convert my son's pants with the many times patched holes in the knees into his summer shorts, fold about 6 loads of laundry, and then I should be able to get started on what I really want to accomplish today. Let me say no more, and get to work!

Monday, Monday

Quilters Journey — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Oh, Monday mornings can be a real drag, but I had something great to keep me going -- a day dedicated to quilting! My usual morning chores awaited me, but I breezed through them, got Will off to school in a timely fashion, and even managed to chat with my sister on the phone for a 1/2 hour and still left the house by shortly after 10 am. Mya and I enjoyed the ride over to Weiser, driving part of the way with the windows down to enjoy the first really hot day of the summer (it's supposed to be 96 today!) We arrived at Judy's around 10:30 and I got right down to the business of stitching down all of that appliqué I've worked so hard on.

On Thursday night, I spent a couple of hours working on the appliqué at Judy's, but I didn't really make much progress before I had to leave. Judy had some new thread she wanted me to try -- a polyester monofilament, instead of the nylon monofilament I usually use. For the life of me, I could not get the tension right with that new thread. I probably dinked around with it for a good hour, and I ended up going back to the original thread I've always used. The monofilament is used for machine appliqué because it's invisible once it's stitched down, blending in with whatever fabric it's stitched on to. It cuts way down on stitching time because I don't have to stop and change thread every few minutes, and it's also much cheaper in the long run because I don't have to buy the 60 plus colors of thread I'm using in this quilt.

By the end of my two hours at Judy's, I only had a half dozen items sewn down and a major crink in my neck. My frustration level was high, and I needed a break. So luckily for me, when I got home, a couple of issues of "NCIS" waited patiently for me on the DVR. I enjoyed a quiet evening, and got mentally ready for subbing 7th grade Language Arts (that's plain old English class for us old foggies) the next morning and the busy weekend -- including a yard sale -- I had ahead of me.

So back to my Monday. A quick trip to the drive-thru at McDonald's provided a nice lunch for Mya and I, and then it was right back to sewing. I thought it would only take me a couple of hours to finish up, but, as usual, I underestimated my time. I worked steadily for 4 1/2 hours, only taking a couple of small breaks to eat and chat with a customer who stopped in the store. After all that work, I'm very pleased with how everything turned out, but I didn't have time to snap a picture before I left. I ended up finishing at 2:59 pm, leaving me exactly 36 minutes to get back to Ontario and pick up Will from school. We rushed out the door, and made it back just as the bell rang. A great end to a very satisfying day. I don't know if I'll have time to quilt any more this week, because I've got the big field trip to the Boise Zoo with my son's kindergarten class on Thursday and my in-laws are coming to visit for the long weekend that afternoon.

Best Morning Ever!

Quilters Journey — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:47:00 GMT

Get up, exercise, eat breakfast,start a load of laundry and get Will off to school, then quilt! That's my idea of a perfect morning, and it actually happened today. Over the past few days, whenever I've had a few extra minutes on the computer, I've been working on a new design (which I have mentioned in my last few posts) and today I actually got started on it. I printed out a picture of the entire quilt top and the rotary cutting directions, played around with my fabric color choices, went back to my original picks, then started cutting. Wow, did that feel good! It's been a few months since I've done a quilting project purely for the fun of it -- there's always an ulterior motive to what I'm working on -- costumes for the play, baby quilts for friends, entries for shows. It's fun to work on a project purely for the joy of it. I got all the parts cut out, and then I started counting, and I realized I am 4 triangles short of the orange print. I need 6 7/8" x 42 strip, and of course I've now got to drive over to Judy's in Weiser to get the extra fabric.

Luckily, I can kill two birds with one stone in the trip, and I plan on stitching down as much of the applique on the Council show quilt while I'm there. I'm looking forward to sneaking out tonight and spending a few hours with Judy and anyone else who wanders into the store while I work on the applique.

It's All About the Design

Quilters Journey — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:29:00 GMT

I love my computer -- and I especially love my new program I just got for it. EQ6 rocks! (EQ6 is short for Electric Quilt, version 6) About a month ago, I finally bit the bullet and bought the latest upgrade for my EQ. In the past, I've used the program a bit to do the rough design for my quilts, but I could never figure out how to make my own blocks and then get them onto the quilt designs I worked on. Oh, this new program makes it so much easier -- I will never go back to the old pencil and paper way. (well, I'll probably still do my appliqué this way, but you know what I mean)

So I've just spent the last couple of hours sketching out ideas for my next quilt project. I've got this super cool vintage fabric that I got out of my grandma's basement at least 10 years ago. It's got the color palette I want to work with on this quilt -- a funky orange, gray, black and a dirty brown all on a white background. Now the real trick with using these colors is to avoid the Halloween look. It's ok if the quilt has a bit of a fall feel to it, because the colors do lend themselves to that. I'll need to use a light touch with the orange and black, or at least make sure I don't juxtapose them, creating that hello-it's-time-for-trick-or-treating look.

My other dilemma is whether to use more of the brown or the gray as a secondary color. This is where the EQ program comes in super handy. It allows you to paint each block different colors, basically allowing you to "try-on" different color schemes for your quilt without cutting any fabric or trying to simulate it with crayons or colored pencils on paper. I've saved about 15 different combinations with 5 or 6 different blocks that I drew. Now I just need to sleep on and look at them tomorrow and decide which one to print out and get started on.

Pinned Perfection

Quilters Journey — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:13:00 GMT

This morning as I finish up the appliqué bits for the Council show quilt, I'm excited about my next project already. But first, I need to finish this one. I've cut out all the stems, sewn then pressed them, and I'm now gluing them into place so I can stitch them down. I'll use clear and smoke mono filament to do this, which will allow me to finish much more quickly because I won't have to be changing threads for every new piece I come to. I use a very small zigzag stitch here (it's at a stitch length 1 and stitch width 1 on my machine) which tightly binds the appliqué piece to the background. Back tacking isn't even necessary when the stitch is done this small.

For now, all the pieces are pinned neatly in place, and now I've got to get a hold of Judy and set up a time to go over and use her machine to stitch it all down. However, because I'm subbing two days this week, and I'm planning a big yard sale for this Saturday, it might be next week before I can get over to Weiser. For now, I'll lay the top out on the floor, and enjoy looking at it every time I walk past it. Having everything pinned into place, and then letting it sit out for a few days, allows me to fix any quirks before they are permanently stitched into place.
As you can see, I did not end up changing any of the shapes into thimbles -- it was just too difficult for me to get the shapes to look right. I'm planning on adding some cute thimble buttons that I found at the local JoAnn store. However, that will be the last step, so it will just have to wait.

The Best Laid Plans...

Quilters Journey — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:31:00 GMT

I love spring time -- until my allergies decide to take control of my life in the form of a severe attack of hayfever. I feel horrible. Nothing puts a damper on quilting quite like head congestion. Thursday I finished up pressing all the pieces for applique, and I just need to stitch it all down and the Council show quilt will be off to Judy's to get quilted. So I've been thinking about my next project as I spent yesterday lounging on the couch, doped up and reeking of metholatum vapor rub stuff. And that's about as far as I have gotten. So stay tuned, and hopefully after being pampered all weekend (after all, it is Mother's Day tomorrow) I'll be feeling up to actually doing something more next week.