tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63060788200996873132024-03-13T14:12:09.504-04:00Postpartum QuilterElisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-75412649066493318532012-03-05T09:37:00.002-05:002012-03-05T09:37:55.533-05:00The Wisdom of Kids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night, I gave the kids a bath in their bathroom. (We usually do baths in our bathroom, which has a larger tub). While my 9 year old daughter was still in the bath, I ran downstairs to grab something. She called down to me saying she was hearing some loud banging noises. As I went to investigate, I noticed multiple spots dripping from the dining room hallway ceiling.<br />
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I hastily threw down some towels (on the wooden floor) and told my daughter to empty the tub. The kids rushed down to see our little flood, and instantly wanted to pitch in and help. My daughter grabbed a variety of vessels to catch the falling water:</div>
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My daughter wanted to hang the containers (and rubber gloves) from the ceiling with Scotch tape. I initially told her the tape wasn't going to hold on the textured surface of the ceiling (not to mention the wet factor), but she was determined, so I figured it would be a nice little scientific experiment/learning experience.</div>
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Well, my daughter proceeded to prove science, common sense (and me) wrong!!</div>
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Most of the taped up containers held for at least an hour, and two were still hanging this morning!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son's playful version of "helping".</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My very determined daughter hanging containers with Scotch tape.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They actually stick!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two hangers on that are still up this morning!</td></tr>
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So the next time you have a leak in your house, no need to call the plumber-- just ask the kids!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-19001341367906579322012-03-04T06:35:00.000-05:002012-03-04T06:35:33.971-05:00A Special Delivery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Back in January, I signed up for the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mouthystitches/">Mouthy Stitches Swap,</a> hosted by three of my favorite bloggers: <a href="http://canadianabroad-susan.blogspot.com/">Susan</a>, <a href="http://fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com/">Cindy</a> and <a href="http://flyingblindonarocketcycle.blogspot.com/">Hadley</a>. The challenge was to create a zippered pouch for an assigned partner, and include one fat-quarter's worth of fabric scraps. The swap filled up practically overnight to over 90 participants!<br />
Last week, I mailed out the pouch I made, and this week, I received mine from my "secret" partner. <br />
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My package came from the very lovely <b>Fiona</b> (of <a href="http://www.patchworkdelights.blogspot.com/">Patchwork Delights</a> blog) in Dublin, Ireland. She packaged it very pretty, and wrote a very sweet note.<br />
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Inside was this wonderful pouch:<br />
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I absolutely love it!! <br />
In my inspiration mosaic for the swap on Flickr, I had included one of Fiona's creations. She used the same bird fabric and fussy cut them into the center of the wonky star.<br />
This pouch is wonderful, in my opinion, for many reasons: I love the bright colors she used, the wonky star, the linen background fabric and the brightly colored hand embroidered stitches. And her zipper is spot on!<br />
Check out the bright interior lining with polka dots and inside pockets!<br />
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My biggest dilemma is now to decide what special use to put this special pouch to! Right now, I am using it for my hexies. <br />
And here is a photo that shows the wonderful fabric scraps that Fiona included (lots of Japanese imports-- love them!):<br />
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Thank you, Fiona!! I am thrilled with my pouch and will treasure it! And I am very happy to have made a new friend with this swap, too!</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-1623738907948618382012-02-28T11:29:00.000-05:002012-02-28T16:43:44.251-05:00Mouthy Stitches Mega Pouch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, it's been a while since I've posted, due to an unexpected and unforeseen backslide in my postpartum depresssion. (Although truthfully, at this point, I am probably technically past the "postpartum" period since my youngest is now 4 1/2 years old. I guess it's time to accept the fact that this is chronic depression.) <br />
I experienced a short period (c. 6 weeks) of "normalcy" on a new medication I started in December, but my body adjusted to it and with the increased dosage came unwanted negative side effects. Stay tuned-- we'll see if I can get some kind of relief when I meet with my prescriber later this week.<br />
But anyway, onto the quilty creation...<br />
I've been participating in the <b>Mouthy Stitches Swap</b> (see button in my sidebar) Check out the Flickr group <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mouthystitches/">here</a>-- there are some truly wonderful makes among the 90+ participants, and lots of inspiration. <br />
We were all to make a zippered pouch and include a fat-quarters worth of fabric scraps. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggliVC6YKQLW9zeCcztKJWOa2UVGXGWrVOCkR7SQRQ0j5HaBu-TnQn-dqbrO1AWXxj0lnkkmtVhxs-0lgiWMsdOir7pcGKNoKDKTPCU08298K5cHjJKsjv_Ih2c2cHy7sR650wigrodX10/s1600/IMG_2370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggliVC6YKQLW9zeCcztKJWOa2UVGXGWrVOCkR7SQRQ0j5HaBu-TnQn-dqbrO1AWXxj0lnkkmtVhxs-0lgiWMsdOir7pcGKNoKDKTPCU08298K5cHjJKsjv_Ih2c2cHy7sR650wigrodX10/s400/IMG_2370.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">side 1<br />
c. 14" x 14" (good for holding a sewing project and a hoop?)</td></tr>
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I can't reveal too much info about my partner because it is a surprise, and she has not received it yet (since I'm mailing it out today). Based on some of her current favorite fabric lines, these seem to be the colors she's into.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7lv6Gf-rEWkIo_aPg0cemf7HSsyY7Pjeo3yZgV09Z1XHvukRnnYyKDfnLrPPmiJaKH0gKF7d-mV-xZtFd62LJgbuSY7_KwioFw91d8_OoYyKMtWIzesq4UKCXhDglbcGtMnTahyphenhyphenDB2jK/s1600/IMG_2371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7lv6Gf-rEWkIo_aPg0cemf7HSsyY7Pjeo3yZgV09Z1XHvukRnnYyKDfnLrPPmiJaKH0gKF7d-mV-xZtFd62LJgbuSY7_KwioFw91d8_OoYyKMtWIzesq4UKCXhDglbcGtMnTahyphenhyphenDB2jK/s400/IMG_2371.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">side 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM-eYIGhan5YvPRqeqapgQ2c2TJLcQO_DNJbiVqveYc3zQCHYjDaC5yqi8SkCo_CfhM_RAEp46eFUa9_vSgEOhpbyJb2GkFjZUv_G7iZgDmgOpmXZ_0o3gU5TPcYIeKc2V7y7nwv64Cv9/s1600/IMG_2372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM-eYIGhan5YvPRqeqapgQ2c2TJLcQO_DNJbiVqveYc3zQCHYjDaC5yqi8SkCo_CfhM_RAEp46eFUa9_vSgEOhpbyJb2GkFjZUv_G7iZgDmgOpmXZ_0o3gU5TPcYIeKc2V7y7nwv64Cv9/s400/IMG_2372.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see in this photo but I did some circle quilting to offset all the square shapes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWuKswuLiChFV_lEMUyy2BsokoiyHlWx1LXmfZR6I6Msg0BdEkhT-wvC86JW-F6hDFHkvTKVfPHsQLPfODR9c3UcO_7teAmVK2_O780OUms47VTrBcCqU_MtGRUaSoCfi9q452RXv3-wS/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWuKswuLiChFV_lEMUyy2BsokoiyHlWx1LXmfZR6I6Msg0BdEkhT-wvC86JW-F6hDFHkvTKVfPHsQLPfODR9c3UcO_7teAmVK2_O780OUms47VTrBcCqU_MtGRUaSoCfi9q452RXv3-wS/s400/IMG_2373.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining and zipper ends.</td></tr>
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So without further ado, I shall head out to the post office and mail off my make.</div>
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Hoping to be back to functional again sometime soon!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-510669391902244472012-02-21T17:22:00.000-05:002012-02-21T17:32:56.276-05:00Welcome, Birdies!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At last, there are a few early signs of spring approaching here in New England!! The red-winged blackbirds have returned from their winter in the south and I've seen some bluebird activity as well. My daughter even found some frog eggs out in the wet woods behind our house over the weekend. <br />
But the "Birdies" that I am truly welcoming are of a different kind. They arrived in this form:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoGRBAguHCZsKNupE8Z6Af7Du6ED_zS4dJgEBj0g086036iQs3benN3IM-bGJa52z9GsWWnolG5g_V7FeFJrxPBu6yisPjaYDNKsG3_uIx7K_RfiejAMX-tbnUNxn0vy5TAbrqEiyzKza/s1600/IMG_2360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoGRBAguHCZsKNupE8Z6Af7Du6ED_zS4dJgEBj0g086036iQs3benN3IM-bGJa52z9GsWWnolG5g_V7FeFJrxPBu6yisPjaYDNKsG3_uIx7K_RfiejAMX-tbnUNxn0vy5TAbrqEiyzKza/s400/IMG_2360.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And they look like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdQM8YCJN6IApu_NnBmeYEVPnTjsbAo05eyog1X0dqRxxKMyoBH5CaJo9jkQbZX0VyYjOlHwUTYmii93ZhetS0BLM6qshkfPQigJCLG4xZlFIQXN36UcK0pWBmygPtWTukqSA03oXB3Bk/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdQM8YCJN6IApu_NnBmeYEVPnTjsbAo05eyog1X0dqRxxKMyoBH5CaJo9jkQbZX0VyYjOlHwUTYmii93ZhetS0BLM6qshkfPQigJCLG4xZlFIQXN36UcK0pWBmygPtWTukqSA03oXB3Bk/s400/IMG_2361.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc0z0wDlb6vlt5k3OOBp1HAPaPV8-veGJl1AhV5Pgx1o2twwepzgAhSgO8KyeK10fNujiGAxWM-UJqcMFzkQGXLvC0O-bOZHAiSlwNcaudPTORUWGyPG4Bdga-9Cdd2bzlvHwMW4st-Dy/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc0z0wDlb6vlt5k3OOBp1HAPaPV8-veGJl1AhV5Pgx1o2twwepzgAhSgO8KyeK10fNujiGAxWM-UJqcMFzkQGXLvC0O-bOZHAiSlwNcaudPTORUWGyPG4Bdga-9Cdd2bzlvHwMW4st-Dy/s400/IMG_2362.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMWeYXcmmYr1XV9EhUI59rh_Lrc9ZJxFso7Q2BbTpuPrtkF2DG2cU2hGt3NXtlMY9j0P82ICXVCRKXJaqHXFeXYlF6OVGunnZN2U_5rrgGXylcMNydkp__YNzMeF-Htey2qAPKqkGO2vE/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMWeYXcmmYr1XV9EhUI59rh_Lrc9ZJxFso7Q2BbTpuPrtkF2DG2cU2hGt3NXtlMY9j0P82ICXVCRKXJaqHXFeXYlF6OVGunnZN2U_5rrgGXylcMNydkp__YNzMeF-Htey2qAPKqkGO2vE/s400/IMG_2363.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This beautiful quilt is from <b>Cindy</b>, of <b><a href="http://fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com/">Fluffy Sheep Quilting </a></b>(in Galway, Ireland).</div>
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Over the last year, Cindy participated in the <b><a href="http://www.littlemissshabby.com/birdie-stitches/">Birdie Stitches quiltalong</a></b>, hosted by <b><a href="http://www.littlemissshabby.com/">Little Miss Shabby</a></b>. She enjoyed the first six months of the <b>Birdies</b>, but then grew out-of-love with it. At the end of January, Cindy posted her finished top <a href="http://fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com/2012/01/birdie-stitches-top-finished.html">here</a>. I thought it was such a beautiful quilt, and those of you who know me, might know that I am a nature lover (I have a background in environmental education) and have a special place in my heart for birds, especially. </div>
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So when Cindy posted that she was going to donate the quilt top to Project Linus, I commented that I would gladly give her Birdies a good home where they would be loved and appreciated, and in turn I would create a quilt and donate it to Project Linus. </div>
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To my sheer joy and utter surpise, Cindy emailed me back to say that we had a deal!! (Squeals and jumping for joy!!)</div>
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Today, Cindy shared her version about how her <a href="http://fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com/2012/02/birdies-have-flown-coop.html">Birdies Have Flown the Coop.</a> Her Birdies are currently displayed lovingly in our home, hanging over the upstairs railing for now-- until I can sandwich and piece the layers together. My husband and the kids absolutely love the Birdies as well and we are thrilled to have it in our home. Once its finished, we have decided that it will hang on the large empty wall in or living room (where we spend lots of our time).</div>
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THANK YOU, THANK YOU Cindy!! I'm so glad that we have been able to give your quilt a good home. I have a few deadlines looming at the moment, but as soon as those are complete, I will start quilting the top. Stay tuned!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-28779561973975174932012-02-12T07:17:00.004-05:002012-02-12T07:17:32.138-05:00Mod Conn Quilters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday was the all-day-sew gathering for our <b>Modern Connecticut Quilters </b> (aka "Mod Conn Quilters") group. Sue Q. arranged for us to rent a conference room (free of charge) at a lovely rustic location called Winding Trails, overlooking a lake. Thank you, Sue, for organizing for us!<br />
Everyone was working on wonderful projects, and of course we had Show-and-Tell. <br />
<b><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/">Jackie </a></b>(of Canton Village Quiltworks) was working on her <u>Glacier Star </u>quilt (a Judy Niemeyer/Quiltworx pattern). She has completed the pattern, but is in the process of adding four more borders to make it Queen-sized.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfp-R4dG1CGGA784ul8zVQBs4CCaG5D59-1mQU623lE97X5Wlrq1OTGd0oCYlE83AovqkEC_Ys8ny_IfpTRj_LRJq8vw4vd-7Z08MGCZDAyzgAFZ3TbtkhUZlSdLWVSHoKvGhyphenhyphenz24JKwl/s1600/IMG_2307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfp-R4dG1CGGA784ul8zVQBs4CCaG5D59-1mQU623lE97X5Wlrq1OTGd0oCYlE83AovqkEC_Ys8ny_IfpTRj_LRJq8vw4vd-7Z08MGCZDAyzgAFZ3TbtkhUZlSdLWVSHoKvGhyphenhyphenz24JKwl/s400/IMG_2307.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hey Jackie-- I got a good photo of you this time!!</i></td></tr>
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Jackie is a big fan of Judy Niemeyer and has made many beautiful quilts in her patterns. She sells many of them in her <b><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/shop/">on-line shop</a></b>. And she will probably be posting about this meeting on her <b><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/">blog </a></b>as well. This summer, Jackie will be attending a week-long training in Montana (Judy Niemeyer/Quiltworx home base) to become a certified instructor of her patterns. I recently took a paper-piecing class with Jackie using Judy Niemeyer's <u>Total Eclipse</u> pattern (see photo further down), and it was a wonderful experience (you can see my progress below).</div>
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Heather was working on piecing a Christmas quilt (I wish I could plan so far ahead!)</div>
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And she shared some recent quilts she has been working on:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDjt6GK6y0dkCiSQ0M34U2W0q-RMO_tqXa74Kgn2B-mo3TSRxPKGI8TfEl618bwkrAdK2-PRrUjALAQ_0s9H5yvAoXrUrctOaJIf8nuL89w56TNSJVUIbK7dDEHx27ULgYqib0lcIFsut/s1600/IMG_2311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDjt6GK6y0dkCiSQ0M34U2W0q-RMO_tqXa74Kgn2B-mo3TSRxPKGI8TfEl618bwkrAdK2-PRrUjALAQ_0s9H5yvAoXrUrctOaJIf8nuL89w56TNSJVUIbK7dDEHx27ULgYqib0lcIFsut/s400/IMG_2311.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a sampler quilt. <br />
I love her color selections!</td></tr>
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Heather's father has recently been in the hospital, and as a gift to him, she made this lovely quilt with houses. (Her father designs houses). I think he will love it and wish him a smooth and speedy recovery.<br />
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Heather has been very busy and quite productive! She also has been working on these bright and colorful blocks:<br />
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I sat next to Sarah and it was my first time meeting her. Sarah was working on some adorable bibs for her 11-month old daughter:</div>
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She was also working on some wonky nine-patch blocks. I love the colors in these blocks and she has decided to go with a white background to really make the colors pop.<br />
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Maddie worked on a lovely pillow with horses on one side and dogs on the other (right up my daughter's alley!)</div>
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And she was also making yo-yo's<br />
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Susan (Maddie's mom) was working on some wonderful placements:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCc9IgdDSn1v7iQnPVuGT0GEQd2Jt7nu7wzy84ZqjAN2H_rRJVtpoWzqbcu11KWNi46r5R1eZjtyLw-qJmM5HZxkruyCwYAKCAdMg18CPnRq5wnGzODvFu5z9yrLXyr8XxFg9aKCV89Ts/s1600/IMG_2326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCc9IgdDSn1v7iQnPVuGT0GEQd2Jt7nu7wzy84ZqjAN2H_rRJVtpoWzqbcu11KWNi46r5R1eZjtyLw-qJmM5HZxkruyCwYAKCAdMg18CPnRq5wnGzODvFu5z9yrLXyr8XxFg9aKCV89Ts/s400/IMG_2326.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Susan used bias cuts for the curved piecing </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUReL7iJMgmgZ35rwzhXVNzGIELMl1Ma7yvbBYpsfAGikKuMU3cWRD_HI2SiH_Hf8HTxWwtgi2mggEzp_TIFA8Bh1vhI7ivgcuXzjvWDO-AYsXkxr8rjxuj9SPRqjEJ3JaN08Kg1fT1JXF/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUReL7iJMgmgZ35rwzhXVNzGIELMl1Ma7yvbBYpsfAGikKuMU3cWRD_HI2SiH_Hf8HTxWwtgi2mggEzp_TIFA8Bh1vhI7ivgcuXzjvWDO-AYsXkxr8rjxuj9SPRqjEJ3JaN08Kg1fT1JXF/s400/IMG_2328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the back side.</td></tr>
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Michele was working on these blocks:</div>
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And she shared one of the many cinched bags she had made for the holidays:</div>
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Sue Q. had made a number of circle blocks using nature-themed fabrics (Sue is an Environmental Educator for the state, and years ago-- when I was in grad school-- she was my supervisor for one of the internships I did at a nature center).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfTN9oOnbxEsY-s4_2YjnLEeZXjNYrqr4jZig1exuIpjK5XdQm0lDgcGc-L7EkMV8uhudMS8xToS50FbVLyZSFCIUbgqFxcrlN3TPMt1UldoupBF2TTV1IsfXovxPvIzwyvMkzal6y-Bs/s1600/IMG_2334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfTN9oOnbxEsY-s4_2YjnLEeZXjNYrqr4jZig1exuIpjK5XdQm0lDgcGc-L7EkMV8uhudMS8xToS50FbVLyZSFCIUbgqFxcrlN3TPMt1UldoupBF2TTV1IsfXovxPvIzwyvMkzal6y-Bs/s400/IMG_2334.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You might be able to see the Rainbow Trout in the top left and lower right quadrants.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b4x4p1ll0miFIvS72CbLinkyNgzT0I4_dVtKidK2ddENPV5lghs6zPLHh7ZGxoGNbdL3lWWFc9bgdviryhgP2c936C5n2JcGvnYF4toyMOXzP3pvSKoMdUdPlFPM-5sHT3LZxp4k7h8-/s1600/IMG_2335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b4x4p1ll0miFIvS72CbLinkyNgzT0I4_dVtKidK2ddENPV5lghs6zPLHh7ZGxoGNbdL3lWWFc9bgdviryhgP2c936C5n2JcGvnYF4toyMOXzP3pvSKoMdUdPlFPM-5sHT3LZxp4k7h8-/s400/IMG_2335.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Sue was also working on making fabric vases for her niece's upcoming wedding (which I did not get a picture of). She has to make thirty of them as centerpieces for the tables! I believe that Sue is also making her niece's wedding gown.</div>
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I shared a few of the smaller projects I've been working on:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4W_cOoDFwwDIy9SydkGwzzO5iFDIgtOzHyk2_UKmp2dWXoaaors9S-EggM6uE24VYbUGYkXKaKGGUiyqARBcrmf4o1bqKXgEvnIfkiTeoFymNtTanPRs6SqT7vHLYMVQRkWkEBwEZKVXk/s1600/IMG_2236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4W_cOoDFwwDIy9SydkGwzzO5iFDIgtOzHyk2_UKmp2dWXoaaors9S-EggM6uE24VYbUGYkXKaKGGUiyqARBcrmf4o1bqKXgEvnIfkiTeoFymNtTanPRs6SqT7vHLYMVQRkWkEBwEZKVXk/s400/IMG_2236.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my blocks for the paper pieced <u>Total Eclipse</u> quilt I am working on.</td></tr>
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Most of the fabrics I am using for this were ordered from Jackie's on-line shop (see link above).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTPck2b3wNDdFERohRJxeKiz_sr1bQaNpMf3MqJWNO576-hRX2BULabmWSt-7UbYS5Z-WW-1ibq0vDEPXLH56f0OV5h1NSpXkS_VpDSHpQDd8UyLoUzKOVhjwFM2fxgoG-Ewp-dHdqoqH/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTPck2b3wNDdFERohRJxeKiz_sr1bQaNpMf3MqJWNO576-hRX2BULabmWSt-7UbYS5Z-WW-1ibq0vDEPXLH56f0OV5h1NSpXkS_VpDSHpQDd8UyLoUzKOVhjwFM2fxgoG-Ewp-dHdqoqH/s400/IMG_2351.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my handy chart to keep track of my progress on the blocks:<br />
I now have 11 out of 20 KM units and 44 out of 56 H units--<br />
more than halfway there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eWWSX-ZrydqhRMNhgr1LamJCW7xNsoVN-qSc0s_rq4NKf3dLgPZSh32-1Dnp_hdnr6iybAp_jf5JK_qJ9wbXJsvAS28GyiC9GuA9KDoc-oCnXcHN50JQ95D1xo4jb5uoW_aX_9KLJScw/s1600/IMG_2303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eWWSX-ZrydqhRMNhgr1LamJCW7xNsoVN-qSc0s_rq4NKf3dLgPZSh32-1Dnp_hdnr6iybAp_jf5JK_qJ9wbXJsvAS28GyiC9GuA9KDoc-oCnXcHN50JQ95D1xo4jb5uoW_aX_9KLJScw/s400/IMG_2303.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the sides of my zippy pouch for my partner in the <b>Mouthy Stitches Swap.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFymgb4RE0l9TVQELw1RPcLp3A2tNqglKN9CCshyphenhyphenkIjxbsYfo8RjRndG2jfntia5N-jck5ibyRjz5DEGRqkjQjjv5oD1yheI7-sr8d_ZypQD6wOhPxukhHNNrvaDkNTQ7aLg_ajE_Voc4/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFymgb4RE0l9TVQELw1RPcLp3A2tNqglKN9CCshyphenhyphenkIjxbsYfo8RjRndG2jfntia5N-jck5ibyRjz5DEGRqkjQjjv5oD1yheI7-sr8d_ZypQD6wOhPxukhHNNrvaDkNTQ7aLg_ajE_Voc4/s400/IMG_2305.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made two fabric-covered notepads for our Brownie troop leaders <br />
using Girl Scout fabrics I ordered on-line. <br />
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</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_LXu2arCz4LVWZgrLBTJGDL-FIO89qnfALbrpOjs5HE70ww60tA2x22w38M1PQldmb6LterzPquY7_kFf78LLNal0TyFyhtvnleV_LXyj8SaROp0dan8roG8YeDSbB-P_Ejb4b_W_a6T/s1600/IMG_2293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_LXu2arCz4LVWZgrLBTJGDL-FIO89qnfALbrpOjs5HE70ww60tA2x22w38M1PQldmb6LterzPquY7_kFf78LLNal0TyFyhtvnleV_LXyj8SaROp0dan8roG8YeDSbB-P_Ejb4b_W_a6T/s400/IMG_2293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my trial-run zippy pouch for the Mouthy Stitches Swap</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eowLZGodnp2V6MA8xWlieC0sSrZoCjFKRuvE72LV6u_MVGF9o7Qmt6T-pzmlMUONgX5hBp2sMKR0iLg2TX-nfujIC6O7luKZVaDIt4bsnToj4Zx_CR8VlHxYnoaUuv2F1fldFGde5IGR/s1600/IMG_2294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eowLZGodnp2V6MA8xWlieC0sSrZoCjFKRuvE72LV6u_MVGF9o7Qmt6T-pzmlMUONgX5hBp2sMKR0iLg2TX-nfujIC6O7luKZVaDIt4bsnToj4Zx_CR8VlHxYnoaUuv2F1fldFGde5IGR/s400/IMG_2294.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At every meeting, we each bring a pieced block in an assigned color, as well as a coordinating 12 1/2" fabric square. We laid out all the blocks that have been collected so far. [They will be pieced together and donated].</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFxHd9ilZv4XZkH37FiZLnNPrEUyQh5PC4jclY3kVgC2AJNb0cqyDTiFM0t4asGJXgpzlTt7JjAz4_T7hfzBFo9E62uvnEwI__TZak41RFCip8OWmO3nQQyn2G1JZFkju48l1v5cJxYYJ/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFxHd9ilZv4XZkH37FiZLnNPrEUyQh5PC4jclY3kVgC2AJNb0cqyDTiFM0t4asGJXgpzlTt7JjAz4_T7hfzBFo9E62uvnEwI__TZak41RFCip8OWmO3nQQyn2G1JZFkju48l1v5cJxYYJ/s400/IMG_2345.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yesterday's gathering was so inspiring. It was a lovely group of ladies and we had great fun working on our quilt projects, sharing, eating (thanks, everyone, for all the good food you brought!) and talking. Can't wait 'til the next meeting!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-3686052939197436972012-02-04T13:29:00.001-05:002012-02-05T04:47:54.969-05:00Friday Wrap-up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Boy this week flew by fast! And I have very little to show for it. But although I was not as productive (quilting/sewing-wise) as I would have liked to be (a<i>m I ever?!</i>) it was still a good week. <br />
I made a traveling crayon/pad folio as a birthday gift for one of the little girls in my son's preschool class. I used <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://terryatkinson.typepad.com/atkinsondesigns/2008/12/airplane-art-binder.html">Terry Atkinson's <u>Airplane Art Binder</u> tutorial</a></span>. [<b><a href="http://sewnicely.blogspot.com/">Linda/Sew Nicely</a></b>: Do you recognize the fussy cut fabric in the center? It's from one of the scraps you gave me in the Scrappy Swap-- thank you!]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front cover<br />
(noticing now its a little uneven)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiafyWm88TG_WOOMKjI93p8ohoxJJgjlyykv1u4w4MLrz1AbGkq_Ui1dQy6AaksjcjXyTwGP2pHUfZHlF8BpMw8elincURPH_xIpXzWO66oFBXFG0BtMhYweMUVPX4XDOfoWSRGfw4p2kN/s1600/IMG_2289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiafyWm88TG_WOOMKjI93p8ohoxJJgjlyykv1u4w4MLrz1AbGkq_Ui1dQy6AaksjcjXyTwGP2pHUfZHlF8BpMw8elincURPH_xIpXzWO66oFBXFG0BtMhYweMUVPX4XDOfoWSRGfw4p2kN/s640/IMG_2289.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back side</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYDiGz3CqEYBkb6NwTgxJOzOz_O8YktzLu8Oy2jPimuGPtXzSslrzqPBuQkZzp2-y8MmOzOhlQUR37ePk4kD8q3sbdhEJHGFrzhtQrHC54jpoBTvmPMtguXqqgJCyeK8esVPm4usoexq3/s1600/IMG_2290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYDiGz3CqEYBkb6NwTgxJOzOz_O8YktzLu8Oy2jPimuGPtXzSslrzqPBuQkZzp2-y8MmOzOhlQUR37ePk4kD8q3sbdhEJHGFrzhtQrHC54jpoBTvmPMtguXqqgJCyeK8esVPm4usoexq3/s400/IMG_2290.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside view</td></tr>
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I also worked on a few background units for my <u>Total Eclipse</u> paper-piecing pattern by Judy Niemeyer. </div>
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And I started a practice zippy pouch for the <b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mouthystitches/">Mouthy Stitches Swap.</a></b> Check out the Flickr group if you want to see some amazing creations!! (The "X"s are my first hand-embroidered stitches! I enjoyed it-- might be onto something new.)</div>
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I also received some fun packages in the mail. My friend, <b>Judith/</b><a href="http://judith-ragstobags.blogspot.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Rags to Bags</a><b> </b>-- knowing that my birthday is this month-- sent me a sweet package of goodies from Belfast, Northern Ireland! Just this week, Judith opened here Etsy shop <b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/JustJudeDesigns?ref=si_shop">Just Jude Designs</a></b>. She's got some great quilting/sewing patterns (and a few homemade items) that are wonderful. Good luck with your new venture, Judith!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4jF8lQSQwyEFYvr3rU8W1Nsiskudrhy8uPSMDAo36qigp7DqJMgbPBjV_tqNxqEnF6u1vIpTmaRg8grvvO8IsUNToPh9HGkcDrUH97yoRfuggkx0WPYnCj4xX2EdQ1BEi8gAya1gvftS/s1600/IMG_2262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4jF8lQSQwyEFYvr3rU8W1Nsiskudrhy8uPSMDAo36qigp7DqJMgbPBjV_tqNxqEnF6u1vIpTmaRg8grvvO8IsUNToPh9HGkcDrUH97yoRfuggkx0WPYnCj4xX2EdQ1BEi8gAya1gvftS/s400/IMG_2262.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thank you so much, Judith!! (I have not showed it to the kids yet-- waiting for a special occasion-- or a big craving!). You are so generous and thoughtful :0)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZXaCqIfj1XtLB0NGpFQwQDzff4oWGDhkECLTzDXJusw0uh4ePZg9Q8a24dOqmTOS3l8SFecs4UtRL_VH1LFfta1r645l7TbyDm9bdOJaZYQ0Vf4QZCWqIM6kIVJqbu-V1W9QObcH3P6N/s1600/IMG_2267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZXaCqIfj1XtLB0NGpFQwQDzff4oWGDhkECLTzDXJusw0uh4ePZg9Q8a24dOqmTOS3l8SFecs4UtRL_VH1LFfta1r645l7TbyDm9bdOJaZYQ0Vf4QZCWqIM6kIVJqbu-V1W9QObcH3P6N/s400/IMG_2267.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And lately, I've been listening to Pandora radio. As a special promotion, they offered me 200 free business cards from Vistaprint. Since I'm going to be selling my homemade wares in the next few months at a local coffee shop (see post <a href="http://postpartumquilter.blogspot.com/2012/01/selling-my-wares_19.html">here</a>), I decided to use the opportunity to create some business cards (pictured above). I used one of their pre-existing templates and played around with the fonts. So I'm on my way to getting prepared for this business venture! (Now I just have to make some inventory!)</div>
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I have a friend coming over shortly for an afternoon of sewing-- I'm looking forward to it! We have fun and are trying to sew together once a week. (She sews mostly garments and I helped her start her own blog recently-- but that's for another post).</div>
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I hope all of you are having a great weekend (and getting some sewing time in, too)!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-37968286610599407282012-02-01T17:54:00.001-05:002012-02-03T03:51:48.960-05:00And the Winner Is...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The kids were very excited this morning as I'd told them they would pick the winner of my blogiversary giveaway out of a hat. My youngest, (Sammy, age 4) was up at the crack of dawn. While he waited for his Big Sis (Dana, age 9) to arise, he drew this for me:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBUB42uYpDxeWanxWTn4D-gXX8TVuwWe1Q2M2MEsQ6NGJxb4ITRNGBJzQfFIpuGiFR4rtcPFZaxDdi5KlD7zMwRXLOXITBcqCBWERObDnTygHZzmF4zSlZzuVl9nkx4l_Fims6NG1akHu/s1600/IMG_2247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBUB42uYpDxeWanxWTn4D-gXX8TVuwWe1Q2M2MEsQ6NGJxb4ITRNGBJzQfFIpuGiFR4rtcPFZaxDdi5KlD7zMwRXLOXITBcqCBWERObDnTygHZzmF4zSlZzuVl9nkx4l_Fims6NG1akHu/s400/IMG_2247.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Translation:<br />
The guy below (with the hair covering his eye)<br />
is trying to catch the boat on the water, above<br />
(The boat is Sammy's traced hand)<br />
<i>[Interesting imagination he has]</i></td></tr>
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Thank you everyone for participating and for your comments and sweet blogiversary wishes :0) I appreciate every one of them!</div>
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I decided to use my son's "Woody" hat (from <u>Toy Story)</u></div>
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We finally had to wake my daughter up (usually she gets up on her own) or we would have been late for school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I am using my fabric scissors for paper--<i>gasp!</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmX3J82D-RKNVGzRurg2aBAWHmB1JPEzOMwic_RCH3PpPIzQ3crZ9yeyZt84HZyE1H4wSTZJIwJvCJI44RGSyTMxukGqvrkFdienCsFJNxRTCm59SpyqfxbxMLhd8Kl0nlpzfpMPw7F1xx/s1600/IMG_2253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmX3J82D-RKNVGzRurg2aBAWHmB1JPEzOMwic_RCH3PpPIzQ3crZ9yeyZt84HZyE1H4wSTZJIwJvCJI44RGSyTMxukGqvrkFdienCsFJNxRTCm59SpyqfxbxMLhd8Kl0nlpzfpMPw7F1xx/s400/IMG_2253.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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And the winner is #6</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRp4ejEXLOO1KI3PQV-_7xPRcItCMzH9mmuxpPMaPuVaJMgJ3LzQt06VlOY6hYbqjZOTgaXXzlR_6LzOjWqsKoPBlAoindd22XY6UcRmqAr4UAojN7nwFZssaTOje_lC6dHmVnGX690f8D/s1600/IMG_2258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRp4ejEXLOO1KI3PQV-_7xPRcItCMzH9mmuxpPMaPuVaJMgJ3LzQt06VlOY6hYbqjZOTgaXXzlR_6LzOjWqsKoPBlAoindd22XY6UcRmqAr4UAojN7nwFZssaTOje_lC6dHmVnGX690f8D/s320/IMG_2258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Congratulations, Linda!!</div>
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As far as names for machines go, about half of you did not name or your machines, and here are the names of those that shared:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Betsy</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Big Brother (x2)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"The Old One", "The Old, Old One" & "The New/Posh One"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Phaffie</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Mr. Pfaff</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Lennie</i><br />
<i>Faithful Firend/The Beast/Lovely</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i>It was very interesting to read about your sewing machine names (or lack thereof). Although I don't have a name for my machine, I do have 2 "good luck" sewing charms: (The little one is the travels with me if I sew out of the home-- I definitely need/ed her around when I am doing my paper piecing!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakzgaeN6fuQXSTPdFTnrbi1twBgtHevkW3ejRuKawIKi1uLy2KZQXbyUSkgsWEPe3fjmLnxlZYEL459f2RdLnRVfeI_RYPjC6uowHN_tErF-530q_Pu6wpH8nOuf1BT_yNHUvCWFRjpmV/s1600/IMG_1167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakzgaeN6fuQXSTPdFTnrbi1twBgtHevkW3ejRuKawIKi1uLy2KZQXbyUSkgsWEPe3fjmLnxlZYEL459f2RdLnRVfeI_RYPjC6uowHN_tErF-530q_Pu6wpH8nOuf1BT_yNHUvCWFRjpmV/s400/IMG_1167.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkkCSX33hnJBtitrJ_VuEOo9eeOWU79K7gOv8A4vODezHa7S1hEpzFw6xExapcOZwQ97Ik6pZ3RHJJPgjOLEgAN7k4KkweNzoIjcN1hxDxV7PrcmBoVUiT6tUZD-DAGLu-CyTU76noDS8/s1600/IMG_1169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkkCSX33hnJBtitrJ_VuEOo9eeOWU79K7gOv8A4vODezHa7S1hEpzFw6xExapcOZwQ97Ik6pZ3RHJJPgjOLEgAN7k4KkweNzoIjcN1hxDxV7PrcmBoVUiT6tUZD-DAGLu-CyTU76noDS8/s400/IMG_1169.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of those Japanese erasers-- my daughter collects them. <br />
I fell in love with this one when we were picking some out for her.<br />
Ironcially, if you look closely, you can see that her dress/kimono has origami cranes on it!--<br />
perfect for me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div>
I had a wonderful blogiversary day :0) Thank you all for reading/following me, and thank you for all your inspiration!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-87644622818546931112012-01-31T05:09:00.000-05:002012-02-01T10:01:30.816-05:00A Good Year...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, it's here-- today is my one year Blogiversary!! Hurray!!<br />
I can't believe it's already been a year. It has been such a wonderful experience. I am so glad that my husband encouraged me to "take the plunge"!<br />
I have met so many wonderful people and made some special internet/virtual friends. And I've learned so much (and still have so much to learn). Quilting bloggers are such fun and generous people. I feel very lucky and grateful to be a part of this exciting and inspiring community.<br />
In celebration of this big event in my life, I would like to offer a small giveaway to "give back'" to those that have given to me. I played around with a few ideas, and here's what I came up with:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfPH6KnsK0fzRLe0d6oka-uKe8WyhQWw3aJCycPVzLVDt9LMvtZVNFm6FCrTZUwReN-oY74rk3O3_lVH70XZGvhwHQuKC-f-7RdFxUwkks7v1WClfAbfEW8c7IyKO27R5Gqn5y0E_HSpF/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfPH6KnsK0fzRLe0d6oka-uKe8WyhQWw3aJCycPVzLVDt9LMvtZVNFm6FCrTZUwReN-oY74rk3O3_lVH70XZGvhwHQuKC-f-7RdFxUwkks7v1WClfAbfEW8c7IyKO27R5Gqn5y0E_HSpF/s400/IMG_2242.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">six fat-quarters of Denyse Scmidt's coordinating <u>Aunt Edna</u> fabrics from Joann's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrE9u7Nzxo0UpzHSBqUt7civsoaYWAR44RUALTTxHoI1i8JYxgc010u-o67qrO5Z0ZAkrRr8886oUplHhKUDp3UHhh4KDF0AX0uz7JvA9vgYuGj16rSZ8Ggq-6rg-fkmqLD8ZxH6cb7Ag/s1600/IMG_2240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrE9u7Nzxo0UpzHSBqUt7civsoaYWAR44RUALTTxHoI1i8JYxgc010u-o67qrO5Z0ZAkrRr8886oUplHhKUDp3UHhh4KDF0AX0uz7JvA9vgYuGj16rSZ8Ggq-6rg-fkmqLD8ZxH6cb7Ag/s400/IMG_2240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a few special charms/embellishments<br />
(peace, love and a star)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAyyyU_A009vnayl1bGSKlyQJ4zKbTHvrv2YkfmI2UDK_2YR1l_6oMUSaRQmDh3pVb_l35qZ3CnBurCf7C-8876k63qUvbgrzGwIvgoqwGoUZv0NAn-mIQhZu1G1cDf7ulwTv9rjJrsmo/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAyyyU_A009vnayl1bGSKlyQJ4zKbTHvrv2YkfmI2UDK_2YR1l_6oMUSaRQmDh3pVb_l35qZ3CnBurCf7C-8876k63qUvbgrzGwIvgoqwGoUZv0NAn-mIQhZu1G1cDf7ulwTv9rjJrsmo/s400/IMG_2244.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">butterfly flathead pins,<br />
mini-roller (to clean up threads and tiny scraps)<br />
and a button-making kit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4JGVjHUg5tTPVjdjwL1oEWYD0Hu09V4QOHAD53VUL8vnqDgaxVrCNCbq_N1I5aw9LTnMlh8yYl1sYYMN2Rz_bhATahnrQLy791lJzkRUCKHK5BBP8rUIRJWSwxdN3Jsd8xEJt8SSA-Fi/s1600/IMG_2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4JGVjHUg5tTPVjdjwL1oEWYD0Hu09V4QOHAD53VUL8vnqDgaxVrCNCbq_N1I5aw9LTnMlh8yYl1sYYMN2Rz_bhATahnrQLy791lJzkRUCKHK5BBP8rUIRJWSwxdN3Jsd8xEJt8SSA-Fi/s400/IMG_2237.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an origami crane in your choice of color/paper<br />
(it doesn't have to be one of these)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I hope you like the change-of-plan giveaway, (went with a different idea than the teaser I shared a week or two ago). All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered. No "Mr. Random Generator' since I am a small blog (the kids will pick out of a hat, or something similar)-- but if you had your eye on one (or a few) of the fabrics I posted about at the end of <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://postpartumquilter.blogspot.com/2012/01/late-night-reflections.html">this post,</a></span> I'm open to including a few of those as well (speak up!). I WILL SHIP INTERNATIONAL.<br />
Also: I've been curious lately as to whether people have named their machines. Although I love my machine, I have not felt compelled to name it. If you have a name for yours, please share it. <br />
Have a great day!<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i>2/1/11-- the giveaway was open for 24 hours and is now closed. I will announce the winner in a post later today. Thanks!</i></span></div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-54740507760736024462012-01-29T08:41:00.002-05:002012-01-30T07:06:45.187-05:00Last Paper Piecing Class<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had our final class yesterday for the Judy Niemeyer <u>Total Eclipse</u> Pattern. Everyone was at different stages in their progress and it was exciting to see how the tops were all coming together! <br />
Are you ready for some GORGEOUS beauties??<br />
Our teacher,<a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/"> <span style="color: blue;">Jackie</span> </a>(of <u><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Canton Village Quiltworks</span></a></u>), made this version (which she calls "Lollipops & Bubblegum")<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2QtjqXKj1IUA0Ibj4CG8_vLlSkLOl7eO6ESiz2hFkLF3WZOxHbkEOlwEFBJ0j2nrJ5vdZca7YY2mGZ82f7uy3vgAhkYRZ3kNLTkHTMiIu7RKhdZJL4BfEc72eDiJvsYwwBxmJbl6V8L8/s1600/IMG_2184.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2QtjqXKj1IUA0Ibj4CG8_vLlSkLOl7eO6ESiz2hFkLF3WZOxHbkEOlwEFBJ0j2nrJ5vdZca7YY2mGZ82f7uy3vgAhkYRZ3kNLTkHTMiIu7RKhdZJL4BfEc72eDiJvsYwwBxmJbl6V8L8/s400/IMG_2184.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
Jackie opted to make all her star points different colors. Being relatively new to quilting and this being my first paper-piecing class, I opted for solid-colored stars-- and that was confusing enough for me!!<br />
At the start of class, Sharon laid out her pieced blocks:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEl9CABOFo-oENqDbwwQm8G2QCaetNLR5Z42Gt5OwqskQwFPQNgfRidSgq8pFQh5RqK6F8r_7lBqaPpRheJMlzmah2IWIMlHqBhF_9_jaqiucRIBKP6t2ClqS_-BGh3sAQHc7_G3ygcEt/s1600/IMG_2181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEl9CABOFo-oENqDbwwQm8G2QCaetNLR5Z42Gt5OwqskQwFPQNgfRidSgq8pFQh5RqK6F8r_7lBqaPpRheJMlzmah2IWIMlHqBhF_9_jaqiucRIBKP6t2ClqS_-BGh3sAQHc7_G3ygcEt/s400/IMG_2181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And by the end of our 3-hour session, she had sewn together this much of the top:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AtU4Pp6hqa5vXskI2d9YAxEPGXzGhKw2NXrLN50npuuNqN010VDHFwL7Nd0Q__6pCusv1p_697Wn4-TbZWwlEKuPO_DDAn0cZ11MG0_7iF47nBV0YmZ6LoLX7BlYrSqpRBeGzpxwgeYh/s1600/IMG_2231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AtU4Pp6hqa5vXskI2d9YAxEPGXzGhKw2NXrLN50npuuNqN010VDHFwL7Nd0Q__6pCusv1p_697Wn4-TbZWwlEKuPO_DDAn0cZ11MG0_7iF47nBV0YmZ6LoLX7BlYrSqpRBeGzpxwgeYh/s400/IMG_2231.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Cathy also had all of her blocks laid out at the beginning of the class:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJhsQjnCGVRIFob51jhRrmj0yv_APfThkGprBJm98QJ_fnOSIh1WcIWAhKlDme7Bu9-R0AM14Y5Y6F2G4CrzzfYMP72DszIhSHHVnvbWOxgip2Zzalqz44Wei23VDrA_-UpTi2_rfypaJ/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJhsQjnCGVRIFob51jhRrmj0yv_APfThkGprBJm98QJ_fnOSIh1WcIWAhKlDme7Bu9-R0AM14Y5Y6F2G4CrzzfYMP72DszIhSHHVnvbWOxgip2Zzalqz44Wei23VDrA_-UpTi2_rfypaJ/s400/IMG_2185.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Sally made these scrappy blocks out of her extras, which she will use for the backing, or possibly as part of a tote (or both!):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTlZEDQLQTBXOmrX8rqX2jfFm6R5W6a2drqOw3eINQJArtJihoet19vwkj3eodPV_ahqt-Bpmk-2GQRK9cxVx8m0WBOWcBxmzwAgA_ABgPOmzs1hlD8UVlV3ZhX-SJIo_gki2bUW2Se3v/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTlZEDQLQTBXOmrX8rqX2jfFm6R5W6a2drqOw3eINQJArtJihoet19vwkj3eodPV_ahqt-Bpmk-2GQRK9cxVx8m0WBOWcBxmzwAgA_ABgPOmzs1hlD8UVlV3ZhX-SJIo_gki2bUW2Se3v/s400/IMG_2190.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even though I shared a table with Sally, I was trying to focus on my sewing, and did not capture any of her blocks-in-progress with my camera. But you can view them on her blog, <u><a href="http://grendelskin.blogspot.com/2012/01/even-more-starry-eyed.html">Grendelskin</a></u>, and on <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/total-eclipse-class-part-3.html">Jackie's post</a>. </span>Jackie has also posted photos on Flicker,<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26867500@N05/sets/72157628888047653/">here</a></span>.<br />
Here's Rita's arrangement (the blue backgrounds on the left half are a beautiful deep, dark midnight blue, the color is a little washed out here):</div>
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And this is Joan's version (again, more vibrant than what my photo captures):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqjdJUaOe5VFfp7ykJOTrU7eE8IND0s-m19YxZLW_CBHrC7BMn7WQuPODH1ZQEd5NkQhi8AowcgXSZm1eDaUbwzesJbppn_W-jFyjOc1MMn6q6DhT3-ycmB6fewNelkpPd1bucxI6nwRP/s1600/IMG_2199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqjdJUaOe5VFfp7ykJOTrU7eE8IND0s-m19YxZLW_CBHrC7BMn7WQuPODH1ZQEd5NkQhi8AowcgXSZm1eDaUbwzesJbppn_W-jFyjOc1MMn6q6DhT3-ycmB6fewNelkpPd1bucxI6nwRP/s400/IMG_2199.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I caught a shot of Barb (who's blog is <u><a href="http://corgitoquiltby.blogspot.com/2012/01/total-eclipse-part-two-and-special.html">A Corgi To Quilt By</a></u>) after she completed this: [You can see more of her blocks on her blog post]</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Oh26BhlDYnqoEgXUGbMP3m9xK57ne7bYJBc2wXgGoxRBrlDUU7pZVHmz8hBXGG0B7b3sl3bg87y9Doz8P_W3CDIbP8Moyc_9KOL6jSH4gxzNZd8MoSL9TEqbyPUWKC553gUh5CZZLeKh/s1600/IMG_2226.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Oh26BhlDYnqoEgXUGbMP3m9xK57ne7bYJBc2wXgGoxRBrlDUU7pZVHmz8hBXGG0B7b3sl3bg87y9Doz8P_W3CDIbP8Moyc_9KOL6jSH4gxzNZd8MoSL9TEqbyPUWKC553gUh5CZZLeKh/s400/IMG_2226.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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And here's Maria's block assembly:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJb4IaALltH0SDO0L9w2OomXunB9JFe0hHQeIRX5yxIGyqeQxYtqa6UNsOjYXHXwFQP6I6R0Yhw8UsURvxA5SbGcZxoMHDzJgmRgVLS8MwCnvCzDeo_2NHEokMujqnGB5mzq4_7mxApLx/s1600/IMG_2230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJb4IaALltH0SDO0L9w2OomXunB9JFe0hHQeIRX5yxIGyqeQxYtqa6UNsOjYXHXwFQP6I6R0Yhw8UsURvxA5SbGcZxoMHDzJgmRgVLS8MwCnvCzDeo_2NHEokMujqnGB5mzq4_7mxApLx/s400/IMG_2230.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sadly, I missed getting photos of the Barbara's blocks-- [<i>but I </i><i>enjoyed our discussion at the end of class, Barbara-- </i><i>thank you, if you are reading this!]</i></div>
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Jackie shared a little show-and-tell of her other Judy Niemeyer projects (sit back and enjoy!):<br />
[Side note: Jackie sells all of the following patterns in her on-line shop]</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpEsOVG4FXMytHfVjdqNfGbeVzVymf2gBP5l_SrN-qzFfwzxkiBDYvpqJlrdlSpqHkFClSpLQM99loSd1GviezzyeCl9_XeOUbVATLCGUmvRRrUoXEy6yvSmJd9FWrQPuDkplNVA0cCg1/s1600/IMG_2202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpEsOVG4FXMytHfVjdqNfGbeVzVymf2gBP5l_SrN-qzFfwzxkiBDYvpqJlrdlSpqHkFClSpLQM99loSd1GviezzyeCl9_XeOUbVATLCGUmvRRrUoXEy6yvSmJd9FWrQPuDkplNVA0cCg1/s400/IMG_2202.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Which Way is North</u> pattern by Judy Niemeyer<br />
Jackie posted a wonderful <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/paper-piecing-step-by-step-tutorial.html">tutorial for this paper-pieced block</a></span></b> on her blog just yesterday</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnPV6XbUGy6KI6TJzoTYfwNf1sUiBo8CJiCZaLdPKL-gD18gaJTYW4a0iLLa4CnFhf6hglzRRQy-AUjJ7g1QrDT9SpkoTwbEbYNRvyimg-LdpPs7xiFT6sqHRENk09zqEdENFtt89d8Z1/s1600/IMG_2203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnPV6XbUGy6KI6TJzoTYfwNf1sUiBo8CJiCZaLdPKL-gD18gaJTYW4a0iLLa4CnFhf6hglzRRQy-AUjJ7g1QrDT9SpkoTwbEbYNRvyimg-LdpPs7xiFT6sqHRENk09zqEdENFtt89d8Z1/s400/IMG_2203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7yaiCVbt-R6zRyODQFvuds0OD6gZtzushwgjLC4unp_E0RxOby-Bg6IxJ8d2yeu5WmTwLQVpPumMohbCcfO_fUSuYAKXVUTTLa0SlbEvVb28G1lQf69WWL1MCkbXPKG88YF0BcqnD_98/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7yaiCVbt-R6zRyODQFvuds0OD6gZtzushwgjLC4unp_E0RxOby-Bg6IxJ8d2yeu5WmTwLQVpPumMohbCcfO_fUSuYAKXVUTTLa0SlbEvVb28G1lQf69WWL1MCkbXPKG88YF0BcqnD_98/s400/IMG_2212.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eH3hv-bdnpvfhsSMxZkAgYxXK3p-JD0GKRkio6QwDK82FMhx9IiHY4DbpRhBdcl18dG3sH4nw2z-sdE0gbtTmVj6cc4Y-8UlI8wQIsgzCJAdcWzJkHZVM9oEova9jBdyRr0S7cCMjus4/s1600/IMG_2207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eH3hv-bdnpvfhsSMxZkAgYxXK3p-JD0GKRkio6QwDK82FMhx9IiHY4DbpRhBdcl18dG3sH4nw2z-sdE0gbtTmVj6cc4Y-8UlI8wQIsgzCJAdcWzJkHZVM9oEova9jBdyRr0S7cCMjus4/s400/IMG_2207.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A Garden for My Wedding Ring</u> pattern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGni-qsxYqeLpw37naLU7YR852NAcZabpevwucQPtHJVPMD35U4TN2evfsnPn4RdFW9D_mFEGT6HGSzq-JAzmgkgCBn55b_Krhr3RcPMq5YF-W1jpxl0W3Kh6wKGzHrwzju5qIg3f_uquO/s1600/IMG_2209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGni-qsxYqeLpw37naLU7YR852NAcZabpevwucQPtHJVPMD35U4TN2evfsnPn4RdFW9D_mFEGT6HGSzq-JAzmgkgCBn55b_Krhr3RcPMq5YF-W1jpxl0W3Kh6wKGzHrwzju5qIg3f_uquO/s400/IMG_2209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A Touch of Spring</u> pattern<br />
Jackie titled her version "Chocolate Raspberry Truffle" (Yum!!) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1it8EOGeunO0mbp0_TmsbnDDAggLHyeheEyJGoOxICMH1HVrFoxlT5fim0l28eBO6AUXVdXKu7bFqFV_3shQi11-bYZaW6L7GBSibN_PBw0VkWOsBhgn4JLhwV9MpE8P4MU6iR6XEENU/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1it8EOGeunO0mbp0_TmsbnDDAggLHyeheEyJGoOxICMH1HVrFoxlT5fim0l28eBO6AUXVdXKu7bFqFV_3shQi11-bYZaW6L7GBSibN_PBw0VkWOsBhgn4JLhwV9MpE8P4MU6iR6XEENU/s400/IMG_2211.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the multi-colored border Jackie used in this</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTPPeV1okALTwlPBhOBUMrQcXoeryXowSySbtcOEn98ZZm1PfNms53E51fzPTKcwbnzQa7vVRGvlOmDiDoLf5cYiHG2bqmqAU-IrvDNifpP8KIFL6KDVdvrsvmXzmrpuWAJVz28mci7yi/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTPPeV1okALTwlPBhOBUMrQcXoeryXowSySbtcOEn98ZZm1PfNms53E51fzPTKcwbnzQa7vVRGvlOmDiDoLf5cYiHG2bqmqAU-IrvDNifpP8KIFL6KDVdvrsvmXzmrpuWAJVz28mci7yi/s400/IMG_2215.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Fourth of July</u> pattern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsDbmjBMaf9_bVH8nnTaulYa-OEstX__1Dg74VTiBPn69iRnnlYMHOBJIfcOxaPDXmJBd0f-vr7M81UmG-NsS1wk6kSAS8te8F48QEI0z6y4hKofhSic2_Z-O6LdagfIO-8EHpoxSkLAA/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsDbmjBMaf9_bVH8nnTaulYa-OEstX__1Dg74VTiBPn69iRnnlYMHOBJIfcOxaPDXmJBd0f-vr7M81UmG-NsS1wk6kSAS8te8F48QEI0z6y4hKofhSic2_Z-O6LdagfIO-8EHpoxSkLAA/s400/IMG_2217.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Summer Solstice</u> pattern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYERPV8-9ugC2r9dQpbHo_k1zkpecYagzfeoVkRBhdeQ3OGGdnznqcr-Gx8M25cWZ981xQl_vS7G-0HVHgGIXaRzLAtcZRQ3_lvdD5_0GvlIlk8V06_eXQqVbicPjz_BheXiic8fNRZShK/s1600/IMG_2221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYERPV8-9ugC2r9dQpbHo_k1zkpecYagzfeoVkRBhdeQ3OGGdnznqcr-Gx8M25cWZ981xQl_vS7G-0HVHgGIXaRzLAtcZRQ3_lvdD5_0GvlIlk8V06_eXQqVbicPjz_BheXiic8fNRZShK/s400/IMG_2221.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Golden Harvest</u> pattern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIkrwYghz0fCrrN3ljDS_OX-9jPrr-4gTPw-pJmEacgwUWURmHGnK5NwpYc6Eddnir66tDysKASEYq_D-6rOlEh9YJc8WnlKLMCVKaB3KimV4GLHcKTmORpLMMjOOB5GJ-WQAQHldgYGE/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIkrwYghz0fCrrN3ljDS_OX-9jPrr-4gTPw-pJmEacgwUWURmHGnK5NwpYc6Eddnir66tDysKASEYq_D-6rOlEh9YJc8WnlKLMCVKaB3KimV4GLHcKTmORpLMMjOOB5GJ-WQAQHldgYGE/s400/IMG_2225.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Seasonal Table Runner</u> pattern</td></tr>
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I was trying to figure out how to best pair my colorful units into blocks. Some of my classmates helped me come up with these combinations (photos taken at home today in morning daylight):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdpS-OJjkYlTOiwcg49zSjZh9H7hyphenhyphenC0ueaW4nfh-VEUMgmNFHeYPfDJNr4y0zUlcntOAhXjrCrUyDz0GTNLvHOSQzFXqjvHKhN9NZNRhDpGvHYaHhucWmLVfmTMzOOv4kYliol955pOe6/s1600/IMG_2236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdpS-OJjkYlTOiwcg49zSjZh9H7hyphenhyphenC0ueaW4nfh-VEUMgmNFHeYPfDJNr4y0zUlcntOAhXjrCrUyDz0GTNLvHOSQzFXqjvHKhN9NZNRhDpGvHYaHhucWmLVfmTMzOOv4kYliol955pOe6/s400/IMG_2236.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So all in all, it was a truly wonderful class and I am sad to see it end! I will continue to work on my blocks and post updates-- but now I also need to turn some of my energy toward the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mouthystitches/"><span style="color: blue;"><u>Mouthy Stitches Swap</u></span><span style="color: blue;"> </span></a>that I am participating in. Partner, I have not forgotten about you!</div>
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I'm getting excited because there are only <b>3 more days </b>'til my one-year Blogiversary!! I am having fun gathering a few small fun notions/goodies from my collection of supplies and embellishments, in addition to some fat quarters from my stash. Stay tuned for Tuesday! [I'm thinking of going to Joann's and purchasing some Denyse Schmidt fat quarters to include in the giveaway, since she is such a hot commodity and it is easy for me to get-- What do you think of this idea??]<br />
Have a great Sunday!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-6425322317380683732012-01-27T05:44:00.000-05:002012-01-27T13:06:34.316-05:00Slow & Steady<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been working on the units for my paper piecing class and have had 2 days of "progress". [Mind you, that does not mean earth-shattering progress by any means, but at least I've moved forward and haven't just "stayed even"!] My seam ripper has gotten a little rest.<br />
I've made enough background blocks that I started playing around with the color combinations. <i>[I have to note that each of the 2 units in these blocks are not yet stitched together-- I'm working on that today]</i><br />
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This is going to be one bright quilt! I'm loving all the colors and fabrics I'm working with, but fear that they may clash once assembled. Its still too soon to tell. I am looking forward to class tomorrow, when everyone will share their blocks and start arranging and assembling their quilt tops and adding borders. I will, of course, take lots of photos so I can share all the beautiful creations from my classmates. It really is exciting to see all the variety. </div>
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Here is<b><span style="color: blue;"> Jackie's </span></b>(our teacher) completed version:</div>
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And this is Judy Niemeyer's version from the cover of the pattern:</div>
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I've been so preoccupied with this paper piecing class that I haven't mentioned that I've joined a swap. Its the <span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mouthystitches/">Mouthy Stitches Swap </a></b></span>(see button in sidebar) hosted by three wonderful Brits: <a href="http://flyingblindonarocketcycle.blogspot.com/">Hadley</a>, <a href="http://canadianabroad-susan.blogspot.com/">Susan</a> & <a href="http://fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com/">Cindy</a>. I received my partner assignment last week and have done a little sleuthing/stalking. We are required to make a zippered pouch and to be active in the Flickr group. I must apologize to whoever my partner is-- I have not done much visiting or commenting on Flickr this last week-- but don't you worry because I will start being active after tomorrow! It is a very fun and lively group.</div>
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Have I told you that I'm a Brit Wannabe? Yes, it's true. I frequently find myself thinking in British terms these days, talking about the "post" (instead of mail) and saying "wee"-- as in "I'll just take a wee break". </div>
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So when I saw this shirt in the store next to Joann's (and it was on sale!), I just HAD to purchase it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsboe1oaNZxAZ_fp4OTngZJeFO9mrpH4TLDdTLH5pBCRqZFBHDQbq4mCVdEGIoxd8CrYrQyWBMIBIGshMS-tZ9_VRBbU1gHFdGqC8P1d6vrr2VArUe3CjqhrvVhmC1xbrh1IyO5rUMeQz_/s1600/IMG_2179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsboe1oaNZxAZ_fp4OTngZJeFO9mrpH4TLDdTLH5pBCRqZFBHDQbq4mCVdEGIoxd8CrYrQyWBMIBIGshMS-tZ9_VRBbU1gHFdGqC8P1d6vrr2VArUe3CjqhrvVhmC1xbrh1IyO5rUMeQz_/s400/IMG_2179.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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I am now four days away from my blogiversary!! I can't believe its been a whole year already! Stay tuned, I will be doing a little giveaway to celebrate. I'm not broadcasting about the giveaway to the masses or anything-- I'm a small blog and want it to be for my regular followers. It has been so wonderful getting to know other bloggers and making some new friends :0).</div>
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Well, I'm off now to start my day-- lots to do ahead!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-34031568257638028112012-01-25T11:19:00.000-05:002012-01-25T11:19:46.983-05:00Trend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The newest trend in my life is not good. Its called lack of sleep. I'm going on my 3rd night of either not being able to fall asleep 'til the wee hours of the morning, or waking during the middle of the night for several hours. And now I'm sick with the cough/cold that my kids had last week. [<i>Let us all pause for a moment of sympathy here for Elisa.</i>] Okay. Done.<br />
The trend on the quilting front has not been good either. Let's just say I'm at a ratio of 1:1 with making progress on the paper piecing and then ripping it out. The 3rd and final class meets on Saturday. I am trying my best not to stress about how ill-prepared I am (thanks to some wise advice from some of my favorite readers who commented on my post over the weekend-- you know who you are-- <b>thank you :0)</b> ). I will just have to take lots of pictures during class so I have the techniques and info I need to complete it at home at my own snail's pace.<br />
Here's a peak at what I have:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaL3tWv4J5EUdwO-yJhgvjQGZRRC5Y1Y5D9Yo_SPPMtkK-pIh_9mLgILlbiL_lbamjpgX0S_dV6-XJ3lBR4pEHZiCLEdfc9UC8jItjtUspEjazbTg9NuBJOK1dSQ-DfaWk0EmmrD3kmsL7/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaL3tWv4J5EUdwO-yJhgvjQGZRRC5Y1Y5D9Yo_SPPMtkK-pIh_9mLgILlbiL_lbamjpgX0S_dV6-XJ3lBR4pEHZiCLEdfc9UC8jItjtUspEjazbTg9NuBJOK1dSQ-DfaWk0EmmrD3kmsL7/s400/IMG_2147.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUudF1KcxqD3TmouyWkX5DJQGHcYedW_0AU3TXTREQj_5-e-vQ-j0YyR2gPUc-ahBtd0fybBkP64MHWCtfyhd2NHBco-o9QtAJIbTZLV_BrT-g3WBrJkLItoCyXyZrquOku4V5_rNR5JDT/s1600/IMG_2149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUudF1KcxqD3TmouyWkX5DJQGHcYedW_0AU3TXTREQj_5-e-vQ-j0YyR2gPUc-ahBtd0fybBkP64MHWCtfyhd2NHBco-o9QtAJIbTZLV_BrT-g3WBrJkLItoCyXyZrquOku4V5_rNR5JDT/s400/IMG_2149.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9URd-2Vhi0fGnjtsBS8QoSgOvxJC7RcjVkSFhEfkj-wKYa2UZGkCJkct8P5ywLyKHaZ8LIpLFlucsMIpFH1PNMww3JZmpEVJ5c0o9Q5JHEmqdRHjrPtxetGmTJR0cUnLTujmTphX6LBp/s1600/IMG_2151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9URd-2Vhi0fGnjtsBS8QoSgOvxJC7RcjVkSFhEfkj-wKYa2UZGkCJkct8P5ywLyKHaZ8LIpLFlucsMIpFH1PNMww3JZmpEVJ5c0o9Q5JHEmqdRHjrPtxetGmTJR0cUnLTujmTphX6LBp/s400/IMG_2151.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The above units will be matched with all those circles with spikes/stars in them that I've been sharing recently. Here's the overall pattern to give you the bigger picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV2yPPn5IBDe98ZIDyqt9KFW9roHcG3jK0o8gv2eLmRYf6ugTmaSNzl0z-r-V2HfVSW_1balBF3gvGR_-osi5u4kEPoldKQiz1OKmtDMolalg7asaDeThAMQzNrj9RaBgP6DkA9ggwxIi/s1600/IMG_1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV2yPPn5IBDe98ZIDyqt9KFW9roHcG3jK0o8gv2eLmRYf6ugTmaSNzl0z-r-V2HfVSW_1balBF3gvGR_-osi5u4kEPoldKQiz1OKmtDMolalg7asaDeThAMQzNrj9RaBgP6DkA9ggwxIi/s400/IMG_1863.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
And now I shall make an attempt to take care of myself and try to get in a wee nap in (borrowed the "wee" term from my Brit friends)-- I want to be in better shape when the kids get home from school. <br />
Bye for now!<br />
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-50690493548895626862012-01-23T14:48:00.003-05:002012-01-23T14:48:16.670-05:00Late Night Reflections...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's 2:08am and I'm WIDE awake. Perhaps it's the small cup of half-decaf coffee I had at around 7pm? I can't imagine so, but then again, I'm on this relatively new medication and perhaps it makes me especially sensitive to caffeine? (Mind you, I drink several mugs of half-decaf every single morning and I don't usually get crazy).<br />
So here's what I'm pondering just before 2am... (and it might involve you, dear reader!)<br />
1) I thought I started my blog in early February of last winter. Took a look at my posting history earlier this evening, and realized that my <b>blogiversary</b> <i>(sp) </i>is actually on January 31st-- a mere 8 days away from now! I just might have to do some small sort of giveaway to celebrate. (I'm a small blog, so a small giveaway is in order). I'm thinking some nice selections from my stash (which grew exponentially over the holidays). I'll probably have the winner select maybe ten or a dozen fat quarters, or a combo of FQs and charm squares? I'l have to think about it further. <br />
<i>Hmmm, no photos in this post yet-- maybe I better give you a preview of potential goodies.... The giveaway will not include all of the following, but selections from them.</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEW5O3zyH5A6ei-CV2sCmPP09WFUCfFE2YtzBBc381os3q7gPmsXFGOciLDWlBWfYFNlq72d1sNJs-TuOs1ZLk_RJbUvmSOZW-3ycb27wQtVg0NyUdg8tRHnQ4TUWsa2UWQfAyAI5TGe/s1600/IMG_1982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEW5O3zyH5A6ei-CV2sCmPP09WFUCfFE2YtzBBc381os3q7gPmsXFGOciLDWlBWfYFNlq72d1sNJs-TuOs1ZLk_RJbUvmSOZW-3ycb27wQtVg0NyUdg8tRHnQ4TUWsa2UWQfAyAI5TGe/s400/IMG_1982.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just kidding!<br />
Couldn't locate the photos I was looking for on this computer-- <br />
will have to add them in in the am.</td></tr>
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If you like Westminster Fabrics, I have these....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8TIauT-WxzXG6yTjJSNnOmSII6gFOdaGco9NDrNbz4mgGg-1tA0BxEFS36OGXEFrdQ4bOgrFWVs6_Mv2R_qEJupippcv2FnfBtTFsfWkncJGflsYzEhYyvIEQgvAHylwz_cXANBai7XO/s1600/IMG_1789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8TIauT-WxzXG6yTjJSNnOmSII6gFOdaGco9NDrNbz4mgGg-1tA0BxEFS36OGXEFrdQ4bOgrFWVs6_Mv2R_qEJupippcv2FnfBtTFsfWkncJGflsYzEhYyvIEQgvAHylwz_cXANBai7XO/s400/IMG_1789.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM80xbGyh3aPynabEu1TaPyq0Y0Zo3__5kXYtK3-xzJ2CWsOn30on8ODgVdzOqUSqe345L9hx_Ak4jDz9jKamxxTWwmPZUGnuR32maUEvBXGCj1FrD69ghVQTx-JBHYUCVAd9Wv2Hr7j9r/s1600/IMG_1794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM80xbGyh3aPynabEu1TaPyq0Y0Zo3__5kXYtK3-xzJ2CWsOn30on8ODgVdzOqUSqe345L9hx_Ak4jDz9jKamxxTWwmPZUGnuR32maUEvBXGCj1FrD69ghVQTx-JBHYUCVAd9Wv2Hr7j9r/s400/IMG_1794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPel01R1vwR_PezSxfyCzQ4qvk6xmwF21U21QDPqaru3e2Ye1oxk4ESawiS1JhDbLvsU-EkY8wb0nIGPz4c2hgRVqYjuC3bdjLTOwSpgEO24D4bWptbNS644OxOaXPds3INlDglM6pglc/s1600/IMG_1795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPel01R1vwR_PezSxfyCzQ4qvk6xmwF21U21QDPqaru3e2Ye1oxk4ESawiS1JhDbLvsU-EkY8wb0nIGPz4c2hgRVqYjuC3bdjLTOwSpgEO24D4bWptbNS644OxOaXPds3INlDglM6pglc/s400/IMG_1795.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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I have some Aneela Hooey Little Apples:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRuU00qS5YAHuerWS4K86UV-_8SUJlg8hQBGvK8p8wNGYSJMAHgRTUzNt_epNYernC7naAlNIxxz-EG4khEnS-gDFzyWgCSfnfeXZUP1oS53DDtLfAGtm5RDjwdv9yeM3rRy88hT49eOw/s1600/IMG_2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfc61A3e2RgKzx466_MzxLsXUN3o_Ga8TGyACo9VDyUvG4e2nQs5zifFe9OjljXpyiyyVa9IYwSJIgKzLTi8hG-FsBHg-HxuyOZGE1NW_EYMUb1meq4rbSBkAjYZz0aDPyDTsENwUmo4k/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfc61A3e2RgKzx466_MzxLsXUN3o_Ga8TGyACo9VDyUvG4e2nQs5zifFe9OjljXpyiyyVa9IYwSJIgKzLTi8hG-FsBHg-HxuyOZGE1NW_EYMUb1meq4rbSBkAjYZz0aDPyDTsENwUmo4k/s400/IMG_2141.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have many more Asian fabrics in addition to these:</div>
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(Our dog Buddy decided to rest in front of the bright window, where I wanted to take the photos, so there's our little cutie!) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRuU00qS5YAHuerWS4K86UV-_8SUJlg8hQBGvK8p8wNGYSJMAHgRTUzNt_epNYernC7naAlNIxxz-EG4khEnS-gDFzyWgCSfnfeXZUP1oS53DDtLfAGtm5RDjwdv9yeM3rRy88hT49eOw/s1600/IMG_2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRuU00qS5YAHuerWS4K86UV-_8SUJlg8hQBGvK8p8wNGYSJMAHgRTUzNt_epNYernC7naAlNIxxz-EG4khEnS-gDFzyWgCSfnfeXZUP1oS53DDtLfAGtm5RDjwdv9yeM3rRy88hT49eOw/s400/IMG_2142.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or perhaps you prefer some novelty fabrics? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0di7Z8vVxIWiIyS6js8AHeKHFx07vGyNJSVKrEgGv6QLvvu2GWPZrrQDYGXb1CMN4Iq75uD4HZI-v3tSVFzuV54OWMwn8ku_M1YdioHTPAWhI87CECe49qubh47EH5C47uXgSKIlIBau/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0di7Z8vVxIWiIyS6js8AHeKHFx07vGyNJSVKrEgGv6QLvvu2GWPZrrQDYGXb1CMN4Iq75uD4HZI-v3tSVFzuV54OWMwn8ku_M1YdioHTPAWhI87CECe49qubh47EH5C47uXgSKIlIBau/s400/IMG_2144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is just a preview of possibilities. There's more to choose from, but its almost time to pick up the kids from school so no more time for photos. (I have a few Australian Aboriginals, too). I have 8 more days to firm up the details!</div>
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<i>And now we resume my late night reflections....</i></div>
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<i> 2) </i>I am now at 42 followers-- approaching 50-- that's another milestone. However, it took me 11+ months to get to 42, so I think I have some time for that one. But I'll have to celebrate when it happens.</div>
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3) Also pondering that next month is my birthday and that I'm getting closer to approaching The Big 5-0 in age as well (still have a couple years to go)-- but it relates to the other thing I'm pondering: gray hair. I'm currently a salt-and-pepper kind of gal. Haven't dyed it yet since I usually wear it in a pony tail, and my hair actually looks darker pulled back as opposed to down. </div>
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When push comes to shove, I will probably try to go with a natural kind of dye-- I'm not a big fan of chemicals for unnecessary purposes (and out of concern for the environment). But the entire texture of my hair is now different than it used to be. It used to be mostly straight with a slight wave. Now its mostly wavy and much coarser. Have any of you noticed this [about yourselves, not me] too? </div>
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Well, that's the extent of my pondering at [now] 2:33am. I thought there was more. Thought I had the makings of a decent post. Oh well, Maybe it's a sign of my aging that I can't remember? </div>
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At any rate, I'm still not feeling any semblance of fatigue. </div>
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Anyway, better try again to get some sleep. Stay tuned for the blogiversary small-scale giveaway!! (Hopefully I won't forget!) </div>
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Good night! (morning, actually)...<br />
4) P.S.-- one final observation: if you are still awake at 3am and ate dinner at a reasonable hour, then your stomach starts grumbling out of hunger. Not sure when I finally did nod off-- I got maybe 3 hours in (and still going). </div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-71419597436531522942012-01-21T16:56:00.002-05:002012-01-21T16:56:49.967-05:00Shades of Gray... and White<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
G'day, Matey's!<br />
We are in the midst of a winter snowstorm here. The sky is very gray, but the snowfall is very white. I think that it may be tapering off now (at 3:22pm) after > 6" accumulation. Here are some photos from about an hour ago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugy-539zeaaP-mh5droZi59Y1h9-TihqD9wLgoWW8vHdc60DKmWPGUS_-hBwBNxf7NrC2bZVt4-K2bWPE96X-xVdTTkJQBd4ZhudJqu4iVjzakNDcLlEgTVOjP81H_RG_EHnsTidWI0QT/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugy-539zeaaP-mh5droZi59Y1h9-TihqD9wLgoWW8vHdc60DKmWPGUS_-hBwBNxf7NrC2bZVt4-K2bWPE96X-xVdTTkJQBd4ZhudJqu4iVjzakNDcLlEgTVOjP81H_RG_EHnsTidWI0QT/s400/IMG_2135.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oh, yeah-- I forgot that I meant to move this furniture to the back porch and cover it now that its winter. It's been so mild up 'til now, I just kept procrastinating... oops.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the rear view of the car--<br />we parked facing out so that it would be easier<br />to maneuver our driveway, which has<br />both a slope and a curve.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><i> </i></span><i style="font-size: 16px;"> </i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> I'm in kind of a gray mood myself today. Feeling a little cabin-feverish-- although I did go out and shovel a walkway to the car and cleared my car (so Hubster can go pick up my stepson at the train station). I actually like shoveling 'cause it gets me out in the fresh air. I also woke up at 3:30am and decided not to go back to bed so I could have some "me" time and work on my quilting.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"> Here's an old fave of mine from the mid-90s, a good song...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> I can see from the preview that this will not embed, so click on the link below to listen [YouTube]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4SS3YDGQHM&feature=colike">Lisa Loeb, "Snow Day"</a></span></div>
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<i>Wish I could play guitar and sing like her!!</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> As some of you may know from recent posts, I am taking a paper piecing class with a Judy Niemeyer pattern-- but its a little advanced for my level and I'm realizing how slow of a quilter I really am. While everyone else is already working on-- or have completed-- their 2nd set of units, I am still just on the cusp of completing my first set of units. I've been spending at least 3-4 hours on it each day, but there are two other bloggers in my class, and I can see from their posts this week that I am waaaaay behind. And this is doing my best. I spend as much time as I can, when the kids are in school, working on it</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">-- I don't know how those who have a full-time job manage to get it done. [Although I think most of the others' kids are older or grown and out of the nest, so to speak]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> I get in big trouble when I start comparing myself to others. I know that I am doing the best I can for my ability, but I still feel so.... so.... inadequate? Not sure what the word is I'm looking for, but not feeling very competent right now. And I feel like if they knew how far behind I was they would surely think I was <strike>pathetic.</strike> Not sure exactly what they would think, but I'm not being lazy about this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> Anyway, enough of my "Sob Story". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> On a positive note, I did get my partner assignment for the Mouthy Swap I'm participating in. And if I could figure out how to put the icon in my sidebar, or even in this post, I would, but nothing seems to be working right. [Just call me Eeyore today]. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"> So I have started "stalking" my partner on Flickr a bit to see what her likes and interests are, to lift the mood. I like her taste-- so that's good. It won't be a huge stretch to make something for someone who likes things I like. But I will have to practice my zippers before the "real" make for my partner. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">I purchased this yesterday, and have already flagged a number of projects to try...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> Oh, dear-- much too much rambling and not enough photos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> More snow, and then some colorful units to brighten the mood. Ready?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Oh, wait-- 3:56pm is not too early for a glass of wine (cocktail hour) on the weekend, right? Let me pour a glass first...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> These are more of the same view from this morning-- and even then the dog refused to go out! [He's a little dog, but he's got a great disposition/personality and we love him].</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> And for some, these will be redundant, but for those who haven't been reading, here is my first set of bright units...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> So, ending on a better note.... Happy Quilting to all of you! [And hope you're staying warm].</span></div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-27732658299262184582012-01-19T11:04:00.004-05:002012-01-19T11:04:28.617-05:00Selling My Wares...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An exciting opportunity has presented itself! We have a local coffee shop that displays and sells paintings, photography, jewelry and an organic children's line of clothing by local artists. I bring my kids in there from time to time for ice cream and they offer a wonderful selection of soups for lunch as well. <br />
A few weeks ago, I treated the kids to ice cream (before the cold snap!) and approached the owner about the possibility of selling some of my homemade quilty items. It was an impromptu thing, and I showed him a few of the journal covers that I have and use in my bag as well as a cell phone case. He was open to the idea and I told him I needed to build up some stock as I gave away all my most recent makes for the holidays. [I also thought it might be neat to sell mug rugs there, since its a coffee shop].<br />
Fast forward to last week, when I was on-line creating a hard-cover family photo album on Shutterfly, which was having a 40% off sale on most of their photo books. I had so much fun creating the family album (virtual scrapbooking), that I decided to also create a little soft-cover booklet of some of my quilty items. It arrived in yesterday's mail. <br />
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Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile (all 41 followers of you!) know that I have a special place in my heart for cranes (the animals, not the construction kind). I used to work with live cranes in captivity-- all 15 species from around the world-- and it was a profound experience. So I now have a special fondness for Asian fabrics with cranes, as well as origami cranes, which I love to make. Here are a few crane creations...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is actually just a quilt top (wall-hanging)--<br />once I complete my paper piecing class, my top goal for 2012<br />is to sandwich, quilt and bind all of my larger sized UFOs.</i></td></tr>
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So anyway, where was I before the crane divergence? Oh, yeah. If I'm going to be creating homemade wares to sell, then I need a label. And Postpartum Quilter might be okay for a blog name, but I'm not about use that label on the things I sell.<br />
So I knew that I wanted to incorporate the name or theme of cranes in my label. A few commenters <i>(Thanks, Judith!) </i>offered some good ideas, that helped me get started, but I really wanted to find the name that felt "just right" to me.<br />
Well, inspiration comes in odd moments. Hubster is a huge Bruce Springsteen <strike>fanatic</strike> fan (sounds more civilized), and one of our favorite songs by him is <u>The Rising</u> (about the firefighters in the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2000). Of course I have to include the music for you, should you be interested in hearing the song (its amazing)<br />
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Here is a link to the YouTube video, since I am unable to properly embed it:</div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">http://youtu.be/OODQKaSNz8k</span></div>
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As we were listening to the song, it came to me: "Rising Crane" [although it has now evolved into <b>Rising Crane Creations</b>]. Don't know if you can read it, but it's there on the cover:<br />
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Here's a glimpse at a few of the inside pages (20 total):<br />
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So I now have my own little "catalog" featuring some of my makes that I can take to the coffee shop owner and discuss which items would be best for that venue. Once I know what he thinks will sell best, I set about making some stock.</div>
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Wish me luck!!</div>
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Happy Quilting to all of you!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-77712500477358871902012-01-18T12:29:00.000-05:002012-01-18T12:29:10.214-05:00My Bags Are Packed & Ready To Go- Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are my bags...<br />
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(Hubster says he wants me to reassure you that I am not leaving him!)<br />
The bag on the right is my sewing machine carrying case, which I took to my paper piecing class on Saturday. (A more detailed post about my wonderful class is <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://postpartumquilter.blogspot.com/2012/01/get-ready-for-some-eye-candy.html">here</a></span>).<br />
And the blue suitcase was for me and the kids to go to The Big Apple [New York City] overnight, from Sunday to Monday (The kids were off from school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.) We met my Sis, niece and nephew for the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://youtu.be/pMn6d6P_rzw">Gazillion Bubble Show: The Next Generation </a></span>on Sunday afternoon. It was absolutely amazing! <br />
I know, I know-- your'e probably thinking, "What is a bubble show?" And it may sound kind of lame, but it was anything but! I've attempted multiple times, unsuccessfully, to insert a YouTube clip here to give you an idea, but it will not embed correctly, so <b>click on the name of the show above to link to the video.</b> Basically, it's a one-man show with [not your everyday] bubbles, music and laser lights-- and it is incredible.<br />
We are in the midst of a week-long cold snap here in the northeast, and you don't really want to be in the city when it is frigid out. We were prepared with lots of layers, but the tall buildings create very strong wind vacuums. Luckily, we only had to walk 8 blocks from the show to our hotel.<br />
We also visited the American Museum of Natural History. I love that place!! It, too, was incredible and I am waiting for the photos to be developed from the disposable camera I used and then I will post photos from our visit there.<br />
I've been working on finishing the H-units for my paper piecing class (spikes in a circle). Here's set number five (out of six):<br />
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If you haven't read any of my recent posts, I will include photos of the other colors I've done, and the pattern we are doing:</div>
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And now its time to make some hot cocoa for my two sick children who are home from school with nasty colds. [I know you're not really supposed to give them dairy products when they are sick, but I think the warm drink will be soothing]. Happy Quilting!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-18358993744038786542012-01-15T07:32:00.002-05:002012-01-15T10:33:22.132-05:00Get Ready for Some Eye Candy!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I attended the 2nd of my 3-part paper-piecing class today! It was great fun and so inspiring to spend time with other quilters and to learn from such a talented instructor [The class is being taught by<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/"> Jackie Kunke</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/11515452957964923679">l</a></span>, of <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/">Canton Village Quiltworks</a></span>].<br />
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The pattern we are doing is Judy Niemeyer's <u>Total Eclipse</u> (<i>You can see the pattern in the bottom right of photo below).</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMa1nv924CfqY9jixd4UJF5uWEhwnB6wwcZXE1o6P8YQPghlchROHTDVB2FOIkSuxJxl3PavDuyhObr4y-5WasxPMvgDt5x2mi2d1tsTx843-6Ch_VzNB1xYujxa7PhAKSg5MzsxKAntX4/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMa1nv924CfqY9jixd4UJF5uWEhwnB6wwcZXE1o6P8YQPghlchROHTDVB2FOIkSuxJxl3PavDuyhObr4y-5WasxPMvgDt5x2mi2d1tsTx843-6Ch_VzNB1xYujxa7PhAKSg5MzsxKAntX4/s400/IMG_2010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are Sharon's fabric selections for the pattern</td></tr>
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At the start of the class, everyone shared their progress over the week. In my opinion, each and every one was AMAZING. [This happens to me in swaps, too-- I see everyone else's work and I fall in love with it-- even if it's not something I would have picked out myself. Does that happen to you, too?]</div>
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Here are Sharon's circles:</div>
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Here are some of Sharon's scraps made into wonky blocks (great idea!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1Wiq_BOoE9cY9wWYKn_BFof1rFsxerQ44LwfFUheDxSMlbNAMC-ZBBXR12EfoHU65X9aX1MbNR2YuJ5IKH12K3TXQFThYxRMTgC9kfrMLfLttZ_pqWGwrK-RZai_k7fILAaoeLVsq7Bt/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1Wiq_BOoE9cY9wWYKn_BFof1rFsxerQ44LwfFUheDxSMlbNAMC-ZBBXR12EfoHU65X9aX1MbNR2YuJ5IKH12K3TXQFThYxRMTgC9kfrMLfLttZ_pqWGwrK-RZai_k7fILAaoeLVsq7Bt/s400/IMG_2035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And these are Cathy's stars, in autumn hues (I was unable to do these justice with my camera):<br />
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These stars are very vibrant-- the colors are really alive in these:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgDPxYbWiFS0m-OtJjcFlcBzZKKxw_Ci3DC9ToUwgRUnzFz9JLj5FhEcYAhr5B-TI2x9IRayGz_V5fjrmt1yv6jQZkimTjPYSY0CqxVFTi28ZY6POYm42t_uilqiHi3XWH1l2IQ_oniq_/s1600/IMG_2005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgDPxYbWiFS0m-OtJjcFlcBzZKKxw_Ci3DC9ToUwgRUnzFz9JLj5FhEcYAhr5B-TI2x9IRayGz_V5fjrmt1yv6jQZkimTjPYSY0CqxVFTi28ZY6POYm42t_uilqiHi3XWH1l2IQ_oniq_/s400/IMG_2005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Next are Sally's bright stars: [Sally's blog is <a href="http://grendelskin.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Grendelskin</span>-</a>- she will probably also be doing a post about the class]<br />
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And here are lovely Rita's (as in The Beatles' song, "Lovely Rita..."-- Jackie implanted that idea and song into my head-- I will never forget Rita's name from now on!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERzxYBABBXf6sYzwKEDIbpUp4oON0c7y7PM2DEhHTF6mwZGBVPdpYDv4M6-uRDg2nBUMkEzAQR_tt7gnwAC1rZvvyW2-mls5IXdb7OQYY-LdYe0bvQziF9DBShi2TjbDy78IPF-Y3dq8X/s1600/IMG_2000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERzxYBABBXf6sYzwKEDIbpUp4oON0c7y7PM2DEhHTF6mwZGBVPdpYDv4M6-uRDg2nBUMkEzAQR_tt7gnwAC1rZvvyW2-mls5IXdb7OQYY-LdYe0bvQziF9DBShi2TjbDy78IPF-Y3dq8X/s400/IMG_2000.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
These are Joan's circles and stars:<br />
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And Maria's:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wx8yDx8GbOYO_7LCh5HEXjh42r_uBS4rlaKIsX1e4hM7tGrf5dpMT2OeWIUW7SdLhpJKQHg_h3_RuG1syVpvoqQTcCEholyJSM85E77EOcnyf3rf6ggDopZFra0m4p6C1A3rlQ-1TeSd/s1600/IMG_2004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wx8yDx8GbOYO_7LCh5HEXjh42r_uBS4rlaKIsX1e4hM7tGrf5dpMT2OeWIUW7SdLhpJKQHg_h3_RuG1syVpvoqQTcCEholyJSM85E77EOcnyf3rf6ggDopZFra0m4p6C1A3rlQ-1TeSd/s400/IMG_2004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This is not Maria's first time doing a Judy Niemeyer patter. Earlier in the fall, she completed an amazing tree skirt that she brought in to share:<br />
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And here are Barbara's stars and circles: [Barbara's blog is <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://corgitoquiltby.blogspot.com/">A Corgi to Quilt By</a></span>, link here]<br />
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And I, of course, was too busy working and taking photos of everyone else's creations, that I forgot to take pics of my own. These are some photos I took on Friday at home. Jackie took photos of everyone in the class as well, and you can read her [upcoming] post and see her photos <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/">here</a> [<i>Jackie's post will be up tomorrow morning, but she has posted some great photos on Facebook]</i></span></div>
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<i>Edited to add later in the morning (in sunlight)-- a few more photos:</i><br />
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So there you have the update for class #2. What do you think-- eye candy, right? I am so glad to be taking this class. I'm learning a ton!<br />
Hope you're having a great weekend!<br />
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-29908706982986350392012-01-13T06:18:00.003-05:002012-01-13T17:21:04.983-05:00Do Over--Quadrupled!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi All--<br />
I've been a little preoccupied with the "homework" for my paper-piecing class because <b>I want to be prepared this time </b>(as opposed to the first class, when I did not have all my fabrics cut beforehand). But its looking like I'm not going to be as fully prepared as I would have liked due to challenges I've experienced along the way (Thank goodness for my trusty seam ripper and that Judy Niemeyer's template pieces are generous in size and allow for some error).<br />
I do have a little progress to share. Here ya go...<br />
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Yesterday <i>(actually Wednesday now) </i>was an "Eeyore" kind of day-- I ended up ripping up just about as much as I sewed. I kept taking little breaks and trying to come back to it, but I kept making mistakes. And then I was feeling more [self-imposed] pressure that I was not making progress, so I tried to pick up the pace a bit, but that only contributed to more mistakes (and more seam-ripping). I know this is supposed to be enjoyable and not stressful, but I so want to be prepared for the next class (<strike>in 2 days</strike> <b>tomorrow</b>-- Eep!).<br />
And here is evidence of my non-progress:<br />
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<i>garbage pail with scraps, mistakes, threads, etc.</i></div>
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<i>Do ya like my sexy house slippers? I wear them whenever I'm in the house.</i><br />
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<i>Here is one of my foundation papers that I sewed through so many times it finally fell apart.</i></div>
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<i>Time to go to the store and buy some removable tape-- I will need this later!</i><br />
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<i>These are three (of 8) quadrants in this color that I have to redo the last few steps. </i></div>
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<i>(See where the foundation paper is showing through?)</i></div>
In my own defense (not sure exactly who I'm defending against here--( I guess my own insecurity and the other more experienced quilters in the class), it occurred to me that I have somewhat of a disadvantage being left-handed.<br />
But with all my mistakes, I did finally get into a "flow" today and was able to make some progress! [relatively speaking, that is-- progress for me, but not by most quilter's standards] My "strategy" is to save the ripping out that remains (see the three quadrants in the photo above) for later-- right now I just want to start on the next set so I have stuff to work with when class meets on Saturday. <br />
Just to give you an idea of how dire the situation is, we are <i>supposed</i> to have 24 full circles completed, and right now I'm at 3 and 3/4 correctly finished. So you can see that <b>I have no time to sit here writing this post</b>-- I'm off to my machine to kick some butt. Wish me luck!<br />
Hoping that your quilting/sewing has been a little more productive than mine!! Have a good day :0)<br />
<i>Edited to add:</i><br />
<i> </i>Earlier in the day, we were having computer problems with our desktop (which is the best computer for me to edit my photos on). I opted to post this with pictures that I sent to myself via email and then copied and pasted, but many could not view them. So I did a "do-over"photoshoot today and am updating the post with those.<br />
You may have noticed that there are rocks on the circles (which are composed of 4 quadrants each)-- that is because it has been a blustery day, and an all around weird-weather day. A big cold front is moving in here, and about a half-hour before I took these photos, here's what it looked like off our back porch:<br />
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So at the end of the day today, I now have 5 3/4 circles (of 24 total) and am almost finished with one more. Here's a sneak peak at the one I'm working on, but it is dark here now (and much, much colder than earlier-- and still very blustery), so this was taken inside under my Ott-light and my full-spectrum lamp. The color is waaaaay off, but I'll stick it in anyway:</div>
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Thank you to those of you who read my "original" version of the post (and couldn't view any photos) and for commenting anyway!!<br />
Tomorrow afternoon is class and I'm feeling more prepared than I did earlier today-- and I still have more time to piece tonight and tomorrow a.m., so I should have enough at least to use in class. <br />
Have a good night! And if you live in the Northeast, hope you're keeping warm!</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-28971772372934063852012-01-08T08:19:00.001-05:002012-01-10T10:51:51.565-05:00My Bags Are Packed & Ready to Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I may be dating myself here, but do you remember that Peter, Paul & Mary song from the 70s with those lyrics?<br />
Perhaps I should insert a YouTube video here, to enlighten you?...<br />
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The opening lines of the song are the title of this post. [If you're not familiar with this folk trio, they also did a version of "Puff the Magic Dragon"-- and if you're not familiar with that song, then...<br />
a) you're not American OR<br />
b) I'm way older than you are<br />
How do I remain comfortable with my [older] age, you ask?<br />
It's pretty simple:<br />
a) Ignorance is bliss<br />
b) I don't really feel that old [if you really want to know, I turn 46 next month]<br />
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But I [totally] digress...<br />
My bags are packed, yes. [see top photo above] They are not traveling far: from the dining room table, to the sewing table [which is against one wall of the dining room].<br />
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I had my first paper-piecing class on Saturday, and yes, I <i>just</i> finished the "prep" for the class today. Hoping I can catch up during the week, but I assure you, I will not be ahead of the class when we meet next Saturday.<br />
For reference, here's a photo of the entire quilt/pattern:<br />
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Here are my fabric selections for my "H" units (like Mariner's Stars in a circle):<br />
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Here's my progress so far:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6dHT0Ogo6GQpcOLUpxmb9rMdb-wxVt2j9zFGbcNojiDke47QIP2C2DXV4680sPpDdmtExnc-g-4-4hhvxQkFo8siB5pua-6GYWDPEAwdwVtwfUbLQrHTgAaUY8p2PABFto8eWnPa-u6U/s1600/IMG_1930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6dHT0Ogo6GQpcOLUpxmb9rMdb-wxVt2j9zFGbcNojiDke47QIP2C2DXV4680sPpDdmtExnc-g-4-4hhvxQkFo8siB5pua-6GYWDPEAwdwVtwfUbLQrHTgAaUY8p2PABFto8eWnPa-u6U/s400/IMG_1930.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 H units = 3/4 of one star<br />and the last piece on each quadrant needs to be ripped out<br />b/c I put it on wrong!</td></tr>
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The second type of unit for the quilt is the KM unit below:</div>
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Here are my fabric selections for the KM units:<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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FYI: I ordered all of my fabrics (except a few of the browns) from Jackie's on-line shop, <span style="color: cyan;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/shop/">Canton Village Quiltworks</a>.</span> Jackie is our instructor, and many of you may know her from her shop, <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/">her blog,</a></span> her <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/p/longarm-quilting-services.html">long-arm quilting work</a></span> or her publications in a number of popular quilting magazines [noted in the left sidebar of her blog]. She also sponsors many quilting bloggers. Right now she is offering a wonderful <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/kaffe-fassett-fat-quarter-giveaway.html">giveaway</a></span> of Kaffe Fassett Paperweight fat quarters in a variety of colorways. [I'm actually using the purple and green paperweight in this quilt]. </div>
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I've accumulated a nice bunch of selvages to add to my growing collection:</div>
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It's 10:30am here, and I don't have to pick up the kids til 3pm today, so I have a few hours now to get sewing on my units. Wish me luck/productivity!!<br />
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Have a good day, and happy quilting/sewing to all of you!<br />
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-27740281737639194152012-01-07T21:20:00.000-05:002012-01-08T07:23:02.494-05:00Paper Piecing Class!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;"> Stay-at-Home-Momma (me) spent the whole afternoon today at part 1 (of 3 class sessions) attending a most wonderful paper piecing class at a LQS. Jackie of </span><a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.com/" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue;">Canton Village Quiltworks</span></a><span style="text-align: left;"> is our teacher, and we are doing a Judy Niemeyer pattern called </span><b style="text-align: left;">Total Eclipse</b><span style="text-align: left;">. (I am showing you Jackie's version below, but you can see Judy Niemeyer's rendition from the cover of the pattern </span><a href="http://postpartumquilter.blogspot.com/2012/01/prep-time.html" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a><span style="text-align: left;">).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9E5QBKcLooGex-CS0nv-iO6VbzgAOPJiFPCsvnfHXcb5HqKv5GHf3KfFd3TFlgi_-KwKO4SCx-76CEdwVwVzxNx9rMGxVpWPkBi-GV6OPoFHlsm70R8D5YGuQvHe5t4jD8Cvl_kdAB-Z/s1600/IMG_1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9E5QBKcLooGex-CS0nv-iO6VbzgAOPJiFPCsvnfHXcb5HqKv5GHf3KfFd3TFlgi_-KwKO4SCx-76CEdwVwVzxNx9rMGxVpWPkBi-GV6OPoFHlsm70R8D5YGuQvHe5t4jD8Cvl_kdAB-Z/s640/IMG_1912.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackie opted to make her star points all different colors.<br />
Since this is my first Judy Niemeyer pattern, I will be keeping it simple <br />
and making my stars one color.</td></tr>
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It was so much fun to be amongst other quilters!! There are nine of us in the class, and three of us have blogs (the others were new to me). I was so busy taking in the information that I didn't get around to getting photos of everyone at work and all the wonderful fabrics they selected, but <a href="http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/paper-piecing-class.html"><span style="color: blue;">Jackie's pos</span>t</a> has lots of wonderful photos [including links to the other bloggers in the group]. I think that I am the only one who opted not to use batiks for this project. </div>
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I took photos as Jackie demonstrated the steps and techniques, so here is Maria's work-in-progress at the end of the day:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr1G5NHcj_C1c6lHV2R6pTATMaFZc4dXEuAXy_lJTkpB6PwJUN-qEyRdvUhYt7PJf-Vm592pOPthSydCEph1Io9eFbRFmQdqpjyLyFhnYqM83pb4PYxMSOJFQ5PZoUCkrbUpHhe2nMBvG/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr1G5NHcj_C1c6lHV2R6pTATMaFZc4dXEuAXy_lJTkpB6PwJUN-qEyRdvUhYt7PJf-Vm592pOPthSydCEph1Io9eFbRFmQdqpjyLyFhnYqM83pb4PYxMSOJFQ5PZoUCkrbUpHhe2nMBvG/s400/IMG_1918.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria also opted to make the star spikes all different colors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvKE1GQKNV2qwb_3S8ajmI5Rca4ezxn1ZL7gQh4uAVRqJHA2hOHep2F-VhXLYW_NS5vYkHedoTX7KuuySdBrxa5ew47QcnMM70O2NMAc77BSo_EE37-Bg-BnOqjRcWRz9ZPER7Z2e-jRe/s1600/IMG_1919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvKE1GQKNV2qwb_3S8ajmI5Rca4ezxn1ZL7gQh4uAVRqJHA2hOHep2F-VhXLYW_NS5vYkHedoTX7KuuySdBrxa5ew47QcnMM70O2NMAc77BSo_EE37-Bg-BnOqjRcWRz9ZPER7Z2e-jRe/s400/IMG_1919.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't they look great?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I have to confess that I did not arrive at class fully prepared. [I was the only one-- Oops.] I received my fabrics (from Jackie's on-line shop) on Wednesday and both Thursday and Friday were busy and filled with commitments and appointments for myself and the kids. I also underestimated the amount of time I needed to iron and pre-cut my fabrics and cut out the foundation papers.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Actually, a number of us spent a fair amount of time cutting out the foundation papers (c. 10 pages), and then Jackie proceeded to show us a fast, quick method to cut them out <b>all at once</b> with a rotary cutter!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here's the method she showed us:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0zzZaINrRxVF7sKcKu1KwsuDzlvAsQy8kcvIyiefOunnpwihBnRCveST3GeqjVYuItJjnVRtZRRwXZ1tMmyPPgiS9oyeAdxU-fhYqsmVkW8Fsqn4wOTgUzTfkwo5lefA4rJZAFWcoNs5/s1600/IMG_1894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0zzZaINrRxVF7sKcKu1KwsuDzlvAsQy8kcvIyiefOunnpwihBnRCveST3GeqjVYuItJjnVRtZRRwXZ1tMmyPPgiS9oyeAdxU-fhYqsmVkW8Fsqn4wOTgUzTfkwo5lefA4rJZAFWcoNs5/s400/IMG_1894.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The class supply list called specifically for flower-head pins. <br />
This is because they lie flat, and once you stack the foundation papers,<br />
mark the corners and insert a few extra pins for stability,<br />
you can simple place your 6"x24" ruler on top of them--<br />
and it will lie flat.<br />
And then you can rotary cut the whole lot at once!<br />
Wish I'd have known!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vLnIfFQ8MSIisgocnM0BsQJIWyFf48a0WNKhIEKnsCOx1jdg-cakSL4P2pOyAYg66Wf5Ms2yPeDHxmyblftThUHNhMz9mH_sl6g5MudpNGgnTs3defzZqTp8fNfC64Xp8Cg3e5yl0oLW/s1600/IMG_1893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vLnIfFQ8MSIisgocnM0BsQJIWyFf48a0WNKhIEKnsCOx1jdg-cakSL4P2pOyAYg66Wf5Ms2yPeDHxmyblftThUHNhMz9mH_sl6g5MudpNGgnTs3defzZqTp8fNfC64Xp8Cg3e5yl0oLW/s400/IMG_1893.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this photo, Jackie is actually rotary cutting the template plastic,<br />
but I forgot to pull out my camera when she was rotary cutting the<br />
stack of foundation papers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Jackie also showed us how to quickly cut out our fabrics and template pieces for the stars. (Again, stack the pre-cut fabrics with the paper template page on top, and use a large-sized rotary cutter).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ik_DyhHVCQn1w-nJM_oGkfExYpXEDx4f6qF4cNHVPuZMbn1VTrqS55oLlyLpf93mkSKlrwo9IYUsCRbhdqb2__7tGJpqaa4S4J6prv0PvdHUgqwQQj7b-PjpsJ649T4MdlKGY1fubgkG/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ik_DyhHVCQn1w-nJM_oGkfExYpXEDx4f6qF4cNHVPuZMbn1VTrqS55oLlyLpf93mkSKlrwo9IYUsCRbhdqb2__7tGJpqaa4S4J6prv0PvdHUgqwQQj7b-PjpsJ649T4MdlKGY1fubgkG/s400/IMG_1892.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placing paper clips so that one falls on each template piece,<br />
and then slice the whole stack of fabric underneath.<br />
Judy Niemeyer's patterns tell you the order in which to cut the lines.<br />
Very clever (and time-saving!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once we had our star pieces cut out, Jackie demonstrated how to organize the fabrics so that we could chain-piece the quarter stars. (Again, making it quicker/easier/more efficient).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gXm78IaPXeWD5W_RvlK4Ts2VHQ1o_4KO6CqLDdozgnzx-TAMAYqLSHrMWL6SdTO0m8kyGWbYhEllV6PchzL3PuHNreXzWhmjVDU5aOU5r3-nP2twO1B3wnkrEe1QaZJmBiltBTMvJYn5/s1600/IMG_1898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gXm78IaPXeWD5W_RvlK4Ts2VHQ1o_4KO6CqLDdozgnzx-TAMAYqLSHrMWL6SdTO0m8kyGWbYhEllV6PchzL3PuHNreXzWhmjVDU5aOU5r3-nP2twO1B3wnkrEe1QaZJmBiltBTMvJYn5/s640/IMG_1898.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For beginners/first-timers (like me), Jackie recommends marking pencil lines on the back side of the<br />
foundation papers to make sure that your fabric is lined up correctly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbz_CCs7JWgPgQ1bYQ7wWhZrBoEHpZgsagPJzAes9SrKD4WTZbQOkFGxucQl-ojjzF_SDQpFkNEHB19yv_4373NGjeAB7BDQR3MM8f1n8x75IPj79O4Kh3tZY0SrQeO6g6afH-jfL8qR0/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbz_CCs7JWgPgQ1bYQ7wWhZrBoEHpZgsagPJzAes9SrKD4WTZbQOkFGxucQl-ojjzF_SDQpFkNEHB19yv_4373NGjeAB7BDQR3MM8f1n8x75IPj79O4Kh3tZY0SrQeO6g6afH-jfL8qR0/s400/IMG_1907.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq8dhY7hiXRSsLCEeOK6P46CHVQjbRPlW9Gonzk85JNUDTW2FeFmCLe9_s-b7nSQFzS3L0iy1aU1wmssZRM9A9F6Wt7DfTNhv612J1F4opBzP6sPIqzacxnWW8xITU_vCCUrHuRUQWEYa/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq8dhY7hiXRSsLCEeOK6P46CHVQjbRPlW9Gonzk85JNUDTW2FeFmCLe9_s-b7nSQFzS3L0iy1aU1wmssZRM9A9F6Wt7DfTNhv612J1F4opBzP6sPIqzacxnWW8xITU_vCCUrHuRUQWEYa/s400/IMG_1908.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
It looked so easy when she showed the process, and then when I sat down at my machine, I was completely confused. But I sat next to Sally, who was very helpful (as was Jackie)<i>--Thank you, Sally, if you are reading this!--</i> and I [eventually] got it!! Sally is one of the other bloggers in the class and you can visit her blog, <u>Grendelskin</u> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://grendelskin.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-made-circle.html">here</a> </span>(Sally has already done some homework and completed a whole circle!) Barbara's blog, <u>A Corgi to Quilt</u> by, is <a href="http://corgitoquiltby.blogspot.com/">here</a>.</div>
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Let me present to you my very first star point(s)... Ta da!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2J6Gwaw3zMl7mcs2LxJ13aFu0FXiIW-KBc22PFtcdIE22mI57g-0HAYI1KZqIYPzS1FyMaVbJv-SzZHotA6Ybe8umL49t3tXp_RA2apKoNmmqX4H8Fnh3YgDW-zMTRWTmgfc_lakxx-S/s1600/IMG_1920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2J6Gwaw3zMl7mcs2LxJ13aFu0FXiIW-KBc22PFtcdIE22mI57g-0HAYI1KZqIYPzS1FyMaVbJv-SzZHotA6Ybe8umL49t3tXp_RA2apKoNmmqX4H8Fnh3YgDW-zMTRWTmgfc_lakxx-S/s400/IMG_1920.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the first one-- it looks so lonely.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoX2BcZbWAscf8-8Rb9YS6cr_xQJvvcQG4w9PpjKu3DFHQdvbhYwmTHQ-QgNg6BWcybw6zJjfRySKgNRDLQB1iq11W8KDLvSIuoR9vJm3SdKtykx34o-C5GbhnzF-AU9k37xO5KFfSHkV/s1600/IMG_1921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoX2BcZbWAscf8-8Rb9YS6cr_xQJvvcQG4w9PpjKu3DFHQdvbhYwmTHQ-QgNg6BWcybw6zJjfRySKgNRDLQB1iq11W8KDLvSIuoR9vJm3SdKtykx34o-C5GbhnzF-AU9k37xO5KFfSHkV/s400/IMG_1921.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my first set at the end of 3 hours. <br />
Not quite as impressive as Maria's set, above, but I have all week to catch up!!<br />
(We'll see what excuses I come up with by next Saturday-- <br />
surely, I will not be ahead of the class).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Stay tuned-- I will be working on this during the week, and we meet again next Saturday. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Have a good weekend!</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-32017470732524766712012-01-04T20:13:00.000-05:002012-01-05T11:33:16.500-05:00Prep Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This Saturday (2 days from now), I am taking this class:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bw12y2v2lcI/TwTkKP6xTvI/AAAAAAAABdQ/C_YdlW0Gy7E/s1600/IMG_1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bw12y2v2lcI/TwTkKP6xTvI/AAAAAAAABdQ/C_YdlW0Gy7E/s640/IMG_1863.jpg" width="459" /></a></div>
It meets for three consecutive Saturday afternoons, for three hours each time. <br />
I've been wanting to take a quilt class that I was interested in that fit into my schedule (evenings are not good with young kids and a husband that often works late). I've always wanted to do paper-piecing, and it wasn't something I wanted to try from a book or a tutorial. Lucky for me, this opportunity presented itself.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oo_gWc4ygs0/TwTkPBtSu0I/AAAAAAAABdY/EApXpTFFB1w/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oo_gWc4ygs0/TwTkPBtSu0I/AAAAAAAABdY/EApXpTFFB1w/s400/IMG_1864.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
It looks pretty complicated to me with all those pointy stars and curves-- which I have so well avoided up to this point. [I did try doing a Star of Bethlehem once and realized when I tried to assemble the parts that NOTHING matched up-- I am not exaggerating-- I learned the hard way that diamonds are <strike>forever</strike> not for beginners.] But I have been assured that this class is appropriate for someone who is an advanced beginner. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFBMo0T2F5c/TwTkS9tjR3I/AAAAAAAABdg/p7bng2-z0I0/s1600/IMG_1865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFBMo0T2F5c/TwTkS9tjR3I/AAAAAAAABdg/p7bng2-z0I0/s400/IMG_1865.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
I organized a few of the supplies on the list. This will be my first time using Microtex needles. [I've selected cotton quilting fabrics, but I think most people use Batiks for this kind of thing]. The class is being taught by <a href="http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/">Jackie of Canton Village Quiltworks</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnFVS2B9l1s/TwTkW5LlRcI/AAAAAAAABdo/JafXNnRFITs/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnFVS2B9l1s/TwTkW5LlRcI/AAAAAAAABdo/JafXNnRFITs/s400/IMG_1866.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also ordered most of my fabrics (on sale!) from Jackie's on-line shop and they arrived today. </div>
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Here they are, in all of their beautiful array:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lzVwRoCUQo/TwT2pla45OI/AAAAAAAABd8/pUmkM3zd4zU/s1600/IMG_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lzVwRoCUQo/TwT2pla45OI/AAAAAAAABd8/pUmkM3zd4zU/s400/IMG_1885.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The fabrics towards the back are intended to be the darker, nighttime sky fabrics, and those in the front will be points for the stars (some light stars on dark; some dark on light). I need a total of four dark/nighttime sky fabrics and more for the stars, but I will "shop" for those amongst my existing stash. At the moment, my stepson is sleeping in our guest bedroom, which is where I keep my stash, so the fabric selection will have to continue later. <br />
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In a follow-up to the origami cranes that I posted yesterday, I forgot to share these buttons I found at the local knitting shop<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jzrA7aLDC0/TwXO0vZhQFI/AAAAAAAABeI/zDH-40YYp2s/s1600/IMG_1886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jzrA7aLDC0/TwXO0vZhQFI/AAAAAAAABeI/zDH-40YYp2s/s400/IMG_1886.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not sure yet where I'll use them, but I'm sure that I will find a special place.<br />
The sunlight is streaming in the windows again today, so I'll close with a shot of the chakra cranes [before I pack them up to gift] hanging on our front door with the light hitting some of the crystals.<br />
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<b>Hope you have a peaceful day!</b></div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-31440484331345596102012-01-04T14:05:00.000-05:002012-01-23T17:09:32.155-05:00Today's Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today hasn't been about quilting. But I have been "crafting" so to speak.<br />
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I've been making these whenever I can.</div>
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It takes me less than ten minutes to fold each one, and the process is very calming and grounding for me. Now that I've accumulated a little collection, I've been adding beads to some, and hope to make some chains or mobiles using twigs or driftwood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I particularly like these papers, but they are thicker and harder to work with to achieve accuracy</i></td></tr>
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After I finished grad school in 1994 (with a degree in Environmental Education), I worked a seasonal job at the<b> </b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.savingcranes.org/"><b>International Crane Foundation</b></a></span> in Baraboo, Wisconsin. (About an hour north of Madison, WI). It was the most amazing and inspiring experience ever to work with these beautiful creatures-- all 15 species from around the world-- including endangered Whooping Cranes, Siberian Cranes and Red-crowned Cranes (the latter native to Japan). <br />
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All of my photos at the time are on film, and I do have the negatives [somewhere in the depths of our basement], so one of these days I will have to print up a little album for myself of my time there. There are some beautiful photos on the link to their website above.<br />
As a gift for a friend who is an acupuncturist, I made a small chain of cranes using the colors of the chakras.<br />
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It is a very sunny day here today, but I couldn't find a window with sunlight that showed the crystal beads glistening in the light, which makes it look prettier.<br />
Although the sunlight is streaming in our house today (I love having southern exposure), we are experiencing our first cold snap of the season. The temp is in the 20s (I think), but with the windchill factor it is colder. Yesterday was very blustery and I was out doing errands-- my fingertips were numb half the day. [It might have helped if I remembered to bring my gloves. I did make sure the kids had hats and gloves, though]. I was holding my fingers next to the heating vent to thaw them out! <br />
But we certainly can't complain about the weather here in the northeast/New England)-- it has been an exceptionally mild winter. Last year we had many large snowstorms with feet/meters of snow accumulation.<br />
Oh my-- I've just caught a glimpse of the time and will have to get the kids from school soon. With any luck, I will get some quilting time in later.<br />
Hope you're all having a good day and keeping warm!<br />
<i>1/23/12: linking up with <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2012/01/sew-darn-crafty-partyweek-49.html">Sew Darn Crafty Party</a></span></i></div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-43773968625915259052012-01-03T19:39:00.001-05:002012-01-04T09:27:44.669-05:00Transition Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, vacation is officially over. And it was wonderful-- but I'm ready for the schedule/routine to return-- and I think the kids are, too. Today was their first day back at school. We managed to get my daughter to school [a half-hour tardy] and with a fair amount of yelling on my part (I'm working on that). I knew it was going to be difficult, but advanced knowledge did not prevent it from happening. But I'm trying not to be rigid and inflexible with my kids, the way my parents were with me, and so if we're late, we're late. It's not the worst thing in life.<br />
[End of my justification]<br />
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<b>A couple of Wee Updates...</b><br />
{Do I sound British here? I'm trying to. For those of you who haven't already figured it out, I'm kind of a Brit-wannabe-- in a closet kind of way.} It has even been suggested to me, by one of the true "Brits"- <i>you know who you are J.- </i>that there are some other American wannabes, too-- and it might be fun for us to start our own sort of "Brit Wannabe" group-- {hint, hint, Rhonda/Quilter in the Gap-- don't know if you even read me, but maybe I'll cc: you a copy of this post}.<br />
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<b>Update #1: The Hubster's "<u>non-iPad</u>" case</b> (quoted from <a href="http://archiethewonderdog.blogspot.com/">Helen of Archie the Wonder Dog blog</a>-- <i>thank you, Helen, for giving it just the right name!)</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZqKrP9TkZo/TwO6WkCBjdI/AAAAAAAABa0/wzjvlL9EgVE/s1600/IMG_1819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZqKrP9TkZo/TwO6WkCBjdI/AAAAAAAABa0/wzjvlL9EgVE/s640/IMG_1819.jpg" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>loading up the "Non-iPad " case</i><br />
<i>putting the stuff in from this zippered pouch (on right):<br />portable disk drives and some cable</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OjtPm7kkclA/TwO6c1zhymI/AAAAAAAABbE/rSFdsZTT0Wc/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OjtPm7kkclA/TwO6c1zhymI/AAAAAAAABbE/rSFdsZTT0Wc/s400/IMG_1823.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>and some stuff from this case--</i><br />
<i>Me: "What's in that case, Honey?"<br />Answer: "Cabling and stuff that I bring to work"</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_gIEWilsIA/TwO6gVntJtI/AAAAAAAABbM/pztNrX4OwBA/s1600/IMG_1824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_gIEWilsIA/TwO6gVntJtI/AAAAAAAABbM/pztNrX4OwBA/s400/IMG_1824.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1vdNav_bcXY/TwO6jy-ERpI/AAAAAAAABbU/lSoPfLXvMKU/s1600/IMG_1825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1vdNav_bcXY/TwO6jy-ERpI/AAAAAAAABbU/lSoPfLXvMKU/s640/IMG_1825.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>adding headphones</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQPeTe_goVQ/TwO6nNUm6yI/AAAAAAAABbc/bvpt4CViKsk/s1600/IMG_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQPeTe_goVQ/TwO6nNUm6yI/AAAAAAAABbc/bvpt4CViKsk/s640/IMG_1828.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Posed shot:</i><br />
<i>Hubster as he puts the "non-iPad" case<br />into his leather messenger work bag</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKrwb7Dnjq4/TwO910FwccI/AAAAAAAABb4/biSdbYhUSEU/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKrwb7Dnjq4/TwO910FwccI/AAAAAAAABb4/biSdbYhUSEU/s400/IMG_1853.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i><b>View of pull-out drawer in front of Hubster's desktop,</b></i><br />
<i>allegedly for the keyboard--</i><br />
<i>What is all this stuff??<br />I can identify a cordless phone on the left-- and that's the best I can do--<br />The Hubster [and maybe you, too] can identify the rest</i><br />
<i>Idea:</i><br />
<i>Perhaps I should do a giveaway on: Who can identify this??</i><br />
<i>I'll put it in the thought bank!</i></td></tr>
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<b>Update #2: The Cuisinart [</b>dust-prevention<b>] Cover...</b></div>
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<b> </b>Working on it in fits and starts, but not yet complete-- here's my Process [since I took the Process Pledge, see Button in sidebar]</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ipBI26RkByM/TwO9sqjFRgI/AAAAAAAABbo/_5A-vGu4QJM/s1600/IMG_1817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ipBI26RkByM/TwO9sqjFRgI/AAAAAAAABbo/_5A-vGu4QJM/s400/IMG_1817.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I LOOOOVE these fabrics</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>quilting the cover</i></td></tr>
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V. proud of myself now: I'm thinking like a quilter! I didn't just piece the whole thing together--I started in the middle/top so that each side would be facing "up" when draped over the Cuisinart!! Brilliant!! {Little steps...}</div>
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Okay, so there are my 2 updates, but I think that's good enough for today. </div>
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<b>For those of you who have been reading me regularly, here's a question:</b></div>
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- Can you tell this medication is making me a little more chatty?</div>
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- I have a sense of humor now (but is it bordering on obnoxious?-- I'm not sure yet-- all I know is that I'm cracking myself up-- and it's been a long, long time since I've done that.)</div>
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Okay, time for bed now-- G'night and sweet dreams!</div>
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</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-26404769099964236342012-01-02T07:40:00.000-05:002012-01-02T08:09:30.905-05:00December Wrap-up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Like many of you, December was all about gift-making for the holidays. I really enjoyed working on these smaller projects-- lots of mug rugs, little notepad and mini-journal covers and cell-phone cases/tissue cozies. I worked with some great fabrics and discovered that I am now addicted to fussy-cutting.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZqhLwGCceQ/TwGjoonJhhI/AAAAAAAABaI/HOtA7OMINtM/s1600/mosaice45dd8ee6a1fd8c43b61139414fc517d92c107b0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZqhLwGCceQ/TwGjoonJhhI/AAAAAAAABaI/HOtA7OMINtM/s640/mosaice45dd8ee6a1fd8c43b61139414fc517d92c107b0.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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In order to give proper credit to those who are due, here are the tutorials that I used:</div>
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#s 1,2 &3: from this magazine (2010 issue):<br />
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#4: <a href="http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/index.php/2011/09/06/tutorial-tuesday-cheating-zig-zag-mug-rug/">Zig Zag mug rug tutorial</a> by Jenna at <a href="http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/">Sew Happy Geek</a><br />
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#5: <a href="http://acuppaandacatchup.com/2011/03/time-for-tea-mug-rug-tutorial/">'time for tea' mug rug tutorial</a> by Nova at <a href="http://acuppaandacatchup.com/">A Cuppa and a Catch-up</a><br />
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# 9: <a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2009/02/ipodcamera-cozy-tutorial/">iPod/Camera Cozy tutorial</a> by Rebecca at the <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/tutorials.php">Sew, Mama, Sew! blog</a><br />
[Note: I altered the size a little to make it slightly smaller. Also, this site is an excellent source of all kinds of tutorials]<br />
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There were actually many more items that I made, just in the nick of time to give away, that I didn't get photos of, so these are just some highlights. <br />
And today I'm going to cut into some of this:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c5lbzrKeuY8/TwGrSaTqJxI/AAAAAAAABao/_Oi_arRn5bA/s1600/IMG_1778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c5lbzrKeuY8/TwGrSaTqJxI/AAAAAAAABao/_Oi_arRn5bA/s400/IMG_1778.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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For some reason, I am just completely enamored with this chicken-and-egg fabric (and the fabrics that I picked out to go with it). The plan is to use them to make a cover for our Cuisinart mixer (which sits out on our kitchen counter and gathers dust) and to make a set of matching curtains for some open shelves in our kitchen (that also gather dust easily). Hopefully, I'll have something to post this week.<br />
<b>Happy Quilting/Sewing to all of you!</b></div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-55480205270030283872012-01-01T14:17:00.001-05:002012-01-02T06:42:59.245-05:00Happy 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, what do you think of my [blog's] new look?? For the New Year, I wanted to customize my header to include some photos of my favorite makes. I've made several attempts over the last few days, without much luck (and with much interruption from the kids and their friends and cousins, who are on holiday break and spending lots of time at our house).<br />
Everyone here stayed up 'til midnight (except for me and my son), and this afternoon, they are now napping. (Shhhhh!!! Be very, very quiet!) I've had a little time to re-work the design of my blog-- (to a level that I am satisfied with)-- and before this, I even did some sewing! Woo hoo-- its a good day :0)<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <b>What did you do for New Year's Eve? </b></span><br />
We stayed in. My daughter had a friend sleepover, and we had a bunch of healthy (and unhealthy) appetizers followed by a nice home-cooked meal. We watched the festivities on TV from the warmth and comfort of our home. I was exhausted (and becoming increasingly grouchy), so at 9:30 pm, I went to bed. But my internal clock somehow magically woke me up at 11:56pm and I was able to join everyone to see the final countdown and kiss The Hubster at midnight. The ball at Times Square got stuck halfway, but there was enough fanfare with the video screens that it went unnoticed by some.<br />
In quilting news, I attempted to resurrect the iPad case I've been working on for my husband (see last post, <a href="http://postpartumquilter.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-first-zipper.html">here</a>). Since I had to expand it, I also had to buy a new zipper. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txpAQOkgrL8/TwD55kdylqI/AAAAAAAABZU/DfJ4x0Zckc8/s1600/IMG_1808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txpAQOkgrL8/TwD55kdylqI/AAAAAAAABZU/DfJ4x0Zckc8/s400/IMG_1808.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is my attempt to "expand" the size of my Hubster's iPad case--<br />
I added extra strips along the sides and bottom</td></tr>
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It's <b>still </b>not quite big enough for his iPad, but I'm content with how it came out and with the fact that I have now done two zippers!! <br />
Here's the "new" version:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JsJtzIPpSo0/TwD6YadNt3I/AAAAAAAABZg/zWFCvvfd9w8/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JsJtzIPpSo0/TwD6YadNt3I/AAAAAAAABZg/zWFCvvfd9w8/s400/IMG_1803.JPG" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>it's a little more rectangular than the first try</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4yMDNfEI-mc/TwD6eHjL6YI/AAAAAAAABZo/dDDmuMQELH8/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4yMDNfEI-mc/TwD6eHjL6YI/AAAAAAAABZo/dDDmuMQELH8/s400/IMG_1804.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
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And there's <b>still </b>a few more things about zippers that I need to learn....</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-av6SYIlSJuI/TwD7P5oQoOI/AAAAAAAABZ0/nMpgJWnNvSE/s1600/IMG_1806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-av6SYIlSJuI/TwD7P5oQoOI/AAAAAAAABZ0/nMpgJWnNvSE/s400/IMG_1806.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>not a perfect corner--<br />maybe if I trimmed the end of the zipper down before turning?<br />I'll have to read up on this</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qra4DMF8U28/TwD7TU_8_yI/AAAAAAAABZ8/s48wdaH2Tu8/s1600/IMG_1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qra4DMF8U28/TwD7TU_8_yI/AAAAAAAABZ8/s48wdaH2Tu8/s400/IMG_1807.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I can live with this corner</i></td></tr>
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So I ironed and turned it this morning-- and then realized it was <b>still </b>too small for the iPad-- and told my husband he had a new cell phone case. I'm done with it-- he can use it for what ever he wants. (papers? rubbish?)</div>
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I hope you all had a happy and enjoyable New Year's celebration. </div>
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I'm feeling optimistic for 2012-- a BIG-- but cautious--Yaaay!! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Head's up-- here's where I start talking about the Postpartum/Depression related stuff...</i></div>
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I started a new medication about three weeks ago, and my daily tearfulness has subsided, I've become much more "chatty" and feeling like I can tackle [and less overwhelmed by] my ambitious and exciting list of quilting/sewing projects for 2012. And I'm more playful/silly with my children! For me, this is <b>huge</b>-- to be feeling like I'm moving toward "normalcy" and "functional"--and I am so, so grateful. It's been a long, slow and difficult journey through this most recent episode of depression. (If it were up to me, I'd write "Depression" with a capital "D". ) </div>
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I have learned that as time goes on, each "episode" of <strike>depression</strike> Depression gets more and more difficult-- and I am so glad that I did not know this beforehand. </div>
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So with cautious optimism, I am looking forward to all that 2012 will bring.</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306078820099687313.post-84620912856907233512011-12-29T19:35:00.003-05:002012-01-01T13:56:05.059-05:00My First Zipper....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
... didn't go so well. <br />
<br />
Here's the photographic evidence:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uBfLSrkEI94/Tvz70I3b4DI/AAAAAAAABYg/r-8J79XINPY/s1600/IMG_1800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uBfLSrkEI94/Tvz70I3b4DI/AAAAAAAABYg/r-8J79XINPY/s400/IMG_1800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">actually, the zipper part itself may not be too bad,<br />
rather it might be that the pieced front and back didn't match up so well</td></tr>
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I'm working on an iPad case for my Hubster, with some of my new fabrics (shared in my last post <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6306078820099687313#editor/target=post;postID=5133572649121382715">here</a>). My Husband is a wonderful and eclectic man-- he is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner by trade (and damn good at it, I might add), and one of his passions is playing, creating and listening to music-- that is, when he's not busy obsessing about muscle cars, Apple computers/networking, reading everything from sci-fi to political analysis, <strike>sex with his wife </strike>(despite my postpartum decrease in libido) and his devotion to his children. He has two sons-- my stepsons-- from his first marriage (ages 25 and 27), and together, we have a 9 yr old daughter and 4 yr old special needs son. </div>
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Back to the zipper thing...</div>
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I'm using a tutorial from Freckled Whimsy [link <a href="http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/2011/04/ipad-pouch-tutorial.html">here</a>]. She even includes a sub-link in the tutorial on how to adjust a zipper to the size of your creation, which for me, being my first, was very helpful.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cvmRHNd1B0g/Tvz8ILxtF7I/AAAAAAAABYs/OAGElSRmZ5k/s1600/IMG_1797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cvmRHNd1B0g/Tvz8ILxtF7I/AAAAAAAABYs/OAGElSRmZ5k/s400/IMG_1797.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here's the front side, after turning it inside out--<br />
didn't even iron it</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrZ6rrdw87M/Tvz8L804F9I/AAAAAAAABY0/tgLlwKW60Ts/s1600/IMG_1798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrZ6rrdw87M/Tvz8L804F9I/AAAAAAAABY0/tgLlwKW60Ts/s400/IMG_1798.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a bit lopsided-- time for a do-over<br />
but I am pleased with the design</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUMyK3q8J-o/Tvz8PSFDLlI/AAAAAAAABY8/YhWxRgqSrVc/s1600/IMG_1799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUMyK3q8J-o/Tvz8PSFDLlI/AAAAAAAABY8/YhWxRgqSrVc/s400/IMG_1799.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">showing the design of the back </td></tr>
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So, that's what I worked on today-- in addition to doing two loads of laundry, two loads in the dishwasher, feeding the kids, visiting with my sis and her kids, going to the new ceramic pottery painting place-- which was quite fun for all.</div>
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And now, my Sis has taken all the kids out to dinner, and Hubster and I are at the house alone. </div>
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The silence is golden. </div>
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And now, I shall end this post so that I can spend quality time with Hubster (his name is Thomas, by the way).</div>
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Hope you are spending quality time with the most important members of your family tonight.</div>
</div>Elisa Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04320037827105511594noreply@blogger.com5