Thursday, February 18th, Sorting this enormous gift

Back on November 16th, I talked about my co-worker's mother-in-law who passed away and said that she wanted me to have her stash. Well, with some other things that happened, it looked like I would only get some items and some books. Then it turned into all of the books, and last week it turned into the entire stash.
Chuck and I picked it up on Tuesday. I totally underestimated the enormity of this gift. We filled the van to the ceiling and Chuck unloaded it yesterday, so when I got home from the workshop, it was all in the basement awaiting me. It is so much stuff that I can only take it in small increments.
So I unpack a box or a bag a day and sort by color or type. It's a good thing that basically I am the only one that uses the basement, because I am running out of places to sit down there.
So I will take you on a little tour of my sorting:This didn't need to be sorted, but it is the first thing you see when you come down the steps. It is a Horn sewing table. I had been eyeing one at Libertyville Sewing center before they closed, but they were way too pricey. Chuck didn't believe me that this particular model sells for slightly under $1000.00, but when I found it on the Internet, the MSRP is $788.00. It is truly wonderful and there is no more jiggling under me as I sew. As you can see, I have already started using it as I am in project finish mode at the present. I love that I can make the sewing area level with the table top. I think that will help with the pain I have right under my left shoulder blade.
Next on our tour is the couch sorting area. Here we have fabrics with "bling", novelty fabrics and Christmas fabrics. On the table are yellows, grays, blacks, greens and blues. The Foosball table is still against the wall both from project day in November and from Thanksgiving when I had a basement full of sleeping people. The large ironing surface that I had already gotten fits perfectly on top and here you will see neutrals, browns, thread, (which I am not nearly finished sorting and multicolors which still need a place.
Next, there is my old sewing table covered with orangey browns and marbles. My cutting table has solids and reds. Under the cutting table are all of the cuts that are 4 yards or greater. I am having Joanne's and the local quilt shop save the cardboard inserts from bolts of fabric so I can re roll them. Then we get to the areas that haven't been sorted yet. On the desk and next to it on the floor are tons of notions, triangle paper, foundation papers, sketch pads, thread, starch, basting sprays, etc. I sewed a binding down last night at quilt group and I know that there are binding clips in this mess somewhere, but yesterday, danged if I couldn't find them!!
This is the area that all of the fabric comes from. I still have two huge boxes, a Rubbermaid container and about three more bags to sort. Like I said, a bite at a time!! All of the batiks, hand dyes, Asian and brights are going on the day bed to be sorted later. That was what she loved the most, so that is the largest chunk to sort. You can see the Rubbermaid containers that are flipped over with the lids on top and all of the books....those are the books that I have deemed "give aways". But every time I go through them, I find more that I want to keep.
I also found several projects that she had started, so I am putting those in my finish pile. One of them will be perfect for Deb and Stewart.

Wednesday, February 17th, A fun workshop

Celia and I have been looking forward to the workshop with Robbie Joy Eklow for months now. Celia used to subscribe to Quilting Arts magazine and Robbie writes a column for them. Also, the fact that Celia is an art quilter far more than I am increased the excitement factor. I wanted to take it to connect with her as her son Josh and Catie were in school together from Kindergarten through Senior year of high school and Josh was a friend of Catie's. Her work is phenomenal, which can be viewed at www.robbieeklow.com. You would think that because it is just fusing, that it would be easy, but we found it is very challenging!! Not a whole lot got accomplished in the 7 hour workshop, but we laughed quite a bit because she should have been a stand up comedian!!! Oh, and by the way, the neck brace is because she just had cervical spine surgery three weeks ago and she has to wear it kind of like a cast for the next three weeks.

Monday, February 8th, another successful retreat

This was my 6th time to go to quilt retreat and every time I come home, I say it was the best one yet!!! We always go the day before and this year Celia and I decided to stay an extra day at the end. I never thought I would say it, but I am a little tired of sewing at this point. But, upon taking a serious inventory of active projects, things that need to be quilted and what I want to do, I better get at it if I want to start anything new. I spent quite a bit of time piecing this time and only saw two projects to a level of near completion. One of the things I worked on is a Bonnie Hunter scrappy quilt and the majority of Saturday was spent making 104-4 inch blocks. We adopted a new friend from guild this time and she fits right in with our silliness! Between sewing, laughing and eating, the weekend is very exhausting!!The fabulous group!! There were 6 in our group, 7 from Downer's Grove, (new friends for us) and 4 ladies that we have been with at retreat in the past. We all got along great, which makes for great times!

We shop hopped on the way up and back, which I always love.These are my purchases. The poinsettia fabric is for the backing for the Christmas quilt. I got it at 60% off and I finished the bolt!!
My "big" purchase was this thimble for hand quilting:
After using on Sunday night, I decided it was too big, so Celia and I stopped at Millhouse Quilts in Waunakee on the way home for me to exchange it for a smaller size.

On Saturday, Jenet, Celia and I took a break from sewing and went to Reedsburg to Quintessential Quilts. It has traditionally been the "destination" shop, but it has severely declined since we were last there. The shop samples are exactly the same as a year ago and there is absolutely no new fabric. So, to kill time while Jenet was shopping, Celia and I had an ugliest fabric contest in the "blue and green" room and Jenet was the judge. As you can plainly see from the picture, I definitely won!! I am reminding Celia of this every chance I can!!
I made this cute table topper for Valentine's day:Also, I pieced this top, which has quite a bit more hand work to do before it gets layered and quilted:
Some of the show and tell from the weekend:Pat and Marlene tend to make the same or similar quilts while at retreat. I got this pattern from them, because I love the scrappiness!!
Kathy, aka the General, got a ton done...she pieced two tops and quilted the above top for a wedding gift for next weekend.
Deb, aka the Admiral, pieced three tops which were all happy and bright!
Jenet, our first time, but not last time retreater worked on some little projects and showed this incredible Grandmother's Flower Garden that she has pieced from actual feed sacks that she bought at antique shops and flea markets. Enid worked on a very complicated Batik quilt the whole weekend and showed this cute snowman wall hanging.
Celia paper pieced this stunner! Aren't the colors incredible?
Ann only quilts at retreat and this king size quilt has been in progress for a year. She finished the top on Sunday morning. She is true artist.
Patsy has been able to give up the Saturday cooking to someone else, so she sat and sewed with us on Saturday. She made these cute aprons for her sister and her sister's niece.
Denise on the left is the owner of "The Quilt Basket" in Downer's Grove. She was so much fun and came up both mornings in some of the clothes that Patsy uses for decor. In the same spirit of silliness, I found these vintage hats and the five of us wore them on Sunday night. We also sang along with Celia's Ipod and some great 70's tunes.
Celia and I left on Monday morning and shopped on the way home, but were kind of ready to go. What a great time we had. Sunday night we made a fire and I brought my computer and we watched "Up". A great ending to a great time.

Tuesday, December 15th, Guild Holiday party

Our annual quilt guild party was tonight. Very relaxed and fun chatting with my friends. We had Chinese food which was excellent, mainly because all I had to eat today was a protein shake as my sewing machine and I bonded for the majority of the day. Just like finding out Santa Claus isn't real, last night I discovered that you also can't base your life on the fortunes found in those delectable cookies. Two ladies at the same table had the exact same fortune!! And then we heard another lady on the other side of the room also had the same one.
Deb won the poinsettia centerpiece as she had this sticker under her chair. I would totally agree with the above statement.....except when you have a deadline hanging over your head....like I do!
I received this beautiful hand felted pin cushion from my secret pal along with a note that she is going to arrange a lunch date with Amy Walsh from Blue Underground after our reveal. That will be a treat!

Thursday, November 19th, Patience, my dear!

The ladies in my quilt group don't always bring quilting. Elaine has a variety of interests and she loves to sew. She is starting Christmas projects and has made some doll clothes for her daughter and her granddaughter. Yes, they are near the same age. I tried doll clothes at one time, but the tiny arm holes were so frustrating.

Tuesday, November 17th, Breathtaking beauty

Tonight our guild speaker was Annette Hendricks, an incredible art quilter. She predominantly uses hand dyed fabric and thread painting.
This is a digital image of the inside of a poppy that she printed on fabric and then quilted. Amazing!!
This picture doesn't do this justice. The cat is all thread and she used 38 different colors on him! It literally felt like you could pet him. Can you see what he was looking for next to the pumpkin on the left hand side???
This won a huge award at Houston. It is called "Three Sisters". It features two other art quilters that Annette is friends with from Australia and Canada. All three ladies worked on it and it is to depict their ages, spring, summer and fall.
Here are some of the details:
Annette uses hand dyed velvet in many of her quilts. The dimension makes them look like real roses.
My mouth was agape for much of the meeting.

Monday, November 16th, A quilter's last will and testament

Last Wednesday, my co-worker's boyfriend's mom passed away. Basically I could say she was her mother in law, because she cared for her the past 6 months of her life as she died from cancer. Betty was a quilter and even though I only met her once, Deb told her that I was a quilter. Betty's wish was that I get her stash and anything else that I wanted, except for the machine. Deb called me on Thursday to offer me this gift and we set up a time when I could come and take stuff. I was so overwhelmed!!! Well, the next day, Deb very sheepishly called me back to say that Betty's daughter in law from New Mexico wanted the fabric. But Deb and Stuart still wanted me to come and take some pieces that I wanted because the amount of stuff is so huge.
Chuck and I went yesterday after our meeting and I did get quite a bit. It was hard because they are still mourning and they watched me the whole time. As I looked at things and pulled things out, I caught glimpses of Betty, in her writing, some stray blocks and a set of pillow covers. I showed them to Stuart the entire time and when I was finished, there were some things he kept for himself.

I came home with a big bag of fabric, with quite a few batiks, a design wall and about $400.00 in books, one of which is the Gee's Bend coffee table book. I am loving the books, but I am not incorporating the fabric into my stash until after the daughter in law finishes because one of the pieces that I have may be the very one that she remembers!!
Here are two of Betty's quilts with Deb and Stuart:
This all reminds me of something that was given to me a few years ago:

THE QUILTERS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

Being of sound mind (a statement which does not bear close examination), I_______ do hereby record my last will and testament. Knowing that_____, my______(husband, sister, child or friend) hasn't the least appreciation for, or for that matter, knowledge of my extensive fabric collection which collection is suitably deposited in sundry pales for safekeeping. Knowing also that________has already notified the local dumpster to pick up and dispose of the fore-mentioned collection "willy-nilly" (the thought of which causes me a most severe case of hives). Therefore, I do will this collection and all other collections related to it, to my dear friend and fellow fabric preservationist, __________. I is my wish that she/he, upon hearing of my death and obtaining clear proof that I did not manage, although goodness knows I tried to take it with me, would come to my home post haste, before the dumpster, and search out my collection which is similarly stored at their own abode. That she should rescue said collection and stack it in my quilting studio, along with my sewing machines, frames old buttons, lace patterns, quilts, dolls and works in progress. After she/he has done this, she/he should purchase refreshments for my friends not yet departed, which friends are also her/his friends, and every last one shall be in that room and they shall hold a wake and say lovely and kind things about me until they run out and then they shall divide amongst themselves, by lot, my wonderful collection. I shall be hovering over that very spot until this is done. ______ shall then quit this spot and close the door, leaving trivialities to those who do not understand.

This is my wish in the matter.
Signed:__________Date:_______
Notarized________Date:______
(this is not a legal document)

Just so you know, the order of my fabric and quilts goes like this:
1. the girls and Chuck
2. my sister
3. Celia
4. my quilt group

Saturday, November 14th, Bunches O Bags

Today was our quarterly quilt group's project day. Because we have had so much inspiration from the bags we all tend to carry, we decided to make some today. The last time I hosted was a year ago, so I took my turn.
Of course, when we get together, it's all about the food.
I made a peach french toast casserole and a cream cheese coffee cake for breakfast.
Kathy brought Taco Soup for lunch.
and Celia brought dessert. We are usually so full, and today was no exception.

At least 4 of us in the group have spaces large enough to set up work tables, ironing boards and cutting tables. I am grateful for the creative space I have in the basement. The only thing is, it was a warmish day and the can lights produce a lot of heat, so we were all sweating!
Elaine made the ruler bag and the X bag. I didn't get a picture of either finished product.
Diane makes these adorable Library bags. I asked her if I could get a picture of her bag with her in it and this how she interpreted my request!!
Kathy made the ruler bag to match her "big bag" and wanted the straps to match the binding on the big bag. She had a rather frustrating day and didn't get to finish, but I declare the bag lovely, none the less!
Tracy doesn't do machine work, but is finishing a commissioned piece, so after finishing the hand quilting on it she set out to make the binding.
Celia also made the ruler bag and got into her bag!
Deb is working on a bag that the group made several years ago, prior to our joining. It is rather complicated and is like a making a mini quilt. I have made this bag, but because of the poor workmanship on it (I was a newbie) it is now relegated to being my workout bag. I am planning on making it again and I love the half square triangles. She bought all of these squares on E-bay.
What did I do, you ask? Well, Tracy has commissioned me to make her a big bag and she brought the material. I sandwiched it and started quilting it, but am using metallic thread, so it is very tedious. I have about 1/2 of it quilted and then took a break and made this little thread catcher for Celia. An early Christmas gift. I made a few mistakes, but now I know what not to do the next time I make one.
This was a great day with my friends, but man I am exhausted!