Stitching Like Crazy

Valentine Blocks

2012-01-14T16:00:00.001-08:00

These are my Valentine DYB blocks for CQI.

Post Christmas Christmas Tree

2012-01-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

I went to Target the other day and picked up a tree I saw before Christmas for half price. It is 6 ft tall, but only about 20 inches wide at its widest point so it will fit in just about anywhere. It is champaigne colored and I bought white lights for it. I finally found a place for my white beaded (gold beads) crocheted garland I bought at an estate sale one time. It never quite looked right on our tree. Of course I had to put it up even though Christmas is over.

Pomegranate Dye

2012-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday I took some silk velvet and silk ribbon and used them to squash pomegranate pieces. Nice color. I am going to iron them before I wash them out to see what the final color will be. Don't try this at home unless you like pomegranate splattering all over everything! lol! The first time I added too much water and it turned out pinkish and I wanted a deeper color. The picture shows velvet/ribbon pre-second squish.

Christmas Presents from dH

2011-12-29T18:49:00.000-08:00

I know I'm going to make a lot of my friends jealous by posting these pictures, but they are just too lovely not to post! The box is actually an ammunition box that I am keeping jewelry parts and charms in. What I think is neat is that the knobs on each drawer look like little spools. Each drawer has two compartments -- the second picture shows only one compartment of a drawer. The last picture is of a lovely restored Victorian era frame that I may use some day to house a crazy quilt. Click on this picture to see the wonderful details of the frame. I just love them both.

Pin Cushion

2011-12-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a pin cushion I made for a Christmas exchange I've been doing for several years on my Cyberbees group.

Tea Dying Experiment

2011-11-17T02:06:00.000-08:00

I did some tea dying yesterday and it was a blast! I used blueberry, black cherry, peach, and pomegranate raspberry flavors (left to right, top to bottom) and dyed a couple different muslin along with a variety of lace. Yummy! Here's the results:

Gerry K.'s "For the Birds"

2011-11-13T16:53:00.001-08:00

At the CQI retreat this year, Gerry offered to do one of my "For the Birds" blocks while she was at the retreat. I had asked her to be in the round robin, but she was too busy at the time, so of course I said "Yes!". Here is a picture of the block. She asked me for the picture so she could tell you all a little about it, so you will see it on her blog as well. (-;

Lace Luck

2011-11-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here's some more of my good fortune.

Lace Laziness

2011-11-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

So today I spent a good part of the afternoon ironing lace. I bought a good chunk of lace from a lady in Denver's estate sale. She made wedding dresses in her lifetime and I was lucky enough to be the first to stumble upon her huge stock of silk and satin and lace. As soon as I got it home I hand washed it, but then came the tedious job of ironing. I procrastinated doing this for several months. Today I don't know why I waited. You can see how this piece started out being a lump of lace and ended out being a lovely piece of lace. It was like opening a present each time I ironed a different piece!

Crazy Quilter's Challenge!

2011-11-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

Ladies - I highly encourage you to wander over to http://www.cqjp.org/Index.html to check out a crazy quilter's challenge to make a CQ journal in 2012. If you take on this challenge, you will make a block every month to stretch your CQ abilities. At the end of the year, you can choose to make them into a journal or some other CQ project of your liking. You will be participating with many other CQers and will have the chance to see some fantastic eye candy as they finish their work. There are rules, but you can see those on the website. I am soooooo excited as I have wanted to make a journal for about two years now. I think I already have a plan as to content. I hope you will join me and all the others. (-;

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

Adolph Stebler (28 March 1889 - 18 Feb 1956) was my granduncle and is a veteran of WWI serving from 1917 to 1918. When he was called to service he had been a setter at the Brace and Hurger Company Saw Mill in Seattle Washington for seven years. When he returned to the states after the war he continued as a Saw Mill setter in Milwaukee, WI but only briefly. He returned to Seattle where he married in 1922 and remained there until his death. He is the hat-less one kneeling in the top picture with the crazy wavy hair! Remember a vet today. (-;

Seam Treatment Book

2011-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is the seam treatment book cover I made for the chinese auction at the CQI retreat. Laurie B. ended up with it! The book is a hard covered notebook with graph paper inside.

New Velvets in my Etsy Shop

2011-08-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmbellishmentBliss

Tatted Heart

2011-07-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

I tried doing a simple tatted heart for my second project -- used a finer thread with this one -- definitely trickier, but not too bad. It really is symmetrical - just didn't quite lay it out properly for the photo. (-;

Lace Book Worm

2011-07-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

How do you like my little book worm? I made it in class the other day at Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilter's meeting. I made a mistake that I won't point out (if you can't see it, it's not there!) -- besides, it just gives him character and keeps me humble!

Bobbin Lace

2011-07-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

After my first lesson in bobbin lace, I bought some books to try to learn a little on my own. This is my second bobbin lace project. It wasn't too hard.

Tatting - my first project

2011-07-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

Here's the first real project I've ever done in tatting. I think I'm finally catching on to this. (-;

My New Etsy Shop!

2011-06-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have opened a new Etsy shop where I sell lace, trims, small hand dyed pieces of silk/rayon velvet, books, and sewing patterns. Eventually I will put on some vintage cards and such. I hope you will visit my shop and often! Here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmbellishmentBliss

Bobbin Lace

2011-06-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

I went to the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilting Meeting today and tried Bobbin Lace making for the first time. Linda and Mary were great teachers, and although the lace I made is very rudimentary and humble, I had a wonderful time making it and look forward to trying more! There are 3 different "stitches" in my bookmark - I'm not sure they're called stitches. I ordered some beginning bobbin lace books tonight!

Janet's "For the Birds" Block

2011-06-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the work I did on Janet's "For the Birds" block.

Stitchmap Pillow Swap

2011-06-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Here is my pillow I made for the Stitchmap Pillow Swap. The theme was summer!

It must be my birthday!

2011-06-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

So after Shari and I raided the jewelry box, I went home and found a package from Eileen, http://noiseynana.blogspot.com/ , in my box. She sent me a cute little pillow she made to thank me for running the pillow swap -- I love it and have it hanging in my sewing room now. There is nothing like having things your friends made you surrounding you in your place of refuge. I look around and see love all around me. But there was something else in the package too! Her husband Frank made me a beautiful small chest out of wood. Frank recently retired and Eileene evidently found him something to do! Thanks so much Frank and Eileene. Feist your eyes on these lovelies.

Stitchmap Mod Swap - mine came!

2011-06-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Shari came over to work on the pillow swap with me. We spent too much time (me showing her stuff) and got very little sewing in. Then she made me go shopping for jewelry pieces. grin. Ok - I took her to see a friend of mine who collects and sells jewelry pieces. At any rate, getting back to the story at hand, she brought me this wonderful crazy quilted bag she made for me in the Stitchmap Moderator Swap!!!!!! I am thrilled. It is an awesome bag - lined with a zipper and there are so many wonderful CQ motifs and stitching on it that it took a while to digest it all. Thanks Shari! I love it.

Laurie's English Garden II block

2011-06-01T13:51:00.001-07:00

This is the stitching I did on Laurie N.'s English Garden blocks.

Janet's "For the Birds" Group Block

2011-06-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is the block that Lisa would have worked on if she hadn't had to drop out of the round robin. The rest of us, myself, Cathy K., Cathy L., and Nicki Lee worked together on this block.

Honoring my Dad for Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T09:11:00.001-07:00

My Dad, Harold, better known as "Sarge" during those days, served in the Army during World War II and during the Korean War. He enlisted when he was 18 years old, on his birthday. He was inducted into service on 5 June 1943. For a year he trained in parachuting and gliding as a private in Fort Bliss, Texas with the airborne troops. The Army decided not to put so many men into airborne because they were losing too many men, so he was transferred into the infantry. Good thing or there was a good chance I'd have never existed. lol! He went overseas on 12 Aug 1944 and joined Company F, 110th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 28 Division as a replacement. The 28th Division was in France at the time and they liberated Paris after he joined them. He also participated in the Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. He was a Platoon Sergeant. He was wounded twice. The first time was shrapnel from an artillery shelling and the second time he wasn't sure what it was, but he thought it was a sniper's bullet. The second time he was evacuated to Paris, France and then to England for medical treatment. He wrote his mother on 8 November 1944 that he was in a hospital in Paris with a slight injury. On 7 May 1945 he wrote his mother "Well the war in Europe is over. Sure am glad of that. " He was just paid 6 months pay - $490.00. He saved $40.00 for a pass to Paris and sent the rest home. After the war his unit occupied Saarbrucken, Germany until his return to the states. He wrote his mother "I'm starting to put on weight. I was down to 160 lbs. which was 36 lbs. less than when I came overseas". On 21 May 1945 he wrote his mother that he earned the oak leaf cluster on his purple heart from a concussion and back injury when he had actually been shot in the leg. He didn't want her to worry. On 25 June 1945 he wrote "Well I got 2 more battle stars yesterday and that gave me 3 of them and 57 points. Now if I get the other one it will give me 62 instead of 63 points." He needed 85 battle points to go home. He was just appointed as a Platoon Sergeant and had 33 men under him. He talked about his old job as machine gun section leader where he had 2 squads under him. With the new job he would have 2 machine gun squads and 3 mortar squads under him. The new job would give him a TSgt rating which drew about 115 dollars in the states and 150 dollars overseas. My Dad was offered a battlefield commission of 2nd Lieutenant but turned it down. He returned to the United States on 26 July 1945 and was discharged on 20 Nov 1945. For his service he was awarded the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with Four Bronze Campaign Stars, a Purple Heart Medal with One Oakleaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Good Conduct Medal and American Theater Ribbon. In the late 1970s, early 1980s he was also awarded the Bronze Star. In August 2002, just two months before his death, he received a certificate from the French government for his role in liberating France.

During the Korean War he joined a reserve unit in Baraboo, WI that had been activated. "Sarge" was recalled into active duty on 23 Jan 1951. He spent time at Camp Carson in Colorado training in engineering and then did some construction work at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was trained in The ENGR School at Ft. Belvoir, VA as well and spent time in Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland renovating World War II bases that were abandoned after World War II. One of those places was in Sondrestromfjord in Greenland. He again was offered a First Lieutenant's commission because of his experience in WWII, but he turned it down again. He was discharged 1 Nov 1952 as a Master Sergeant.

My Dad passed away in 2002 and I miss him dearly. I am very proud of who he was.

My Winnings!

2011-05-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

I received my winnings from Kathy Shawkl's Mother's Day give away this week. This girl knows how to pack a goodie bag. I was shocked at how much she could stuff into one small box (I couldn't get it to fit back in after I had dumped it out on the bed to sort through it all!). The lace! You would drool. The fabrics - yum! The threads - the silkies - the beads!!!!!! My favorites have to be the Judith Montano threads and silk ribbon, the venice lace motifs, and Kathy's very own spider kits! Check out her shop, Shawkl Designs here: http://www.shawkldesigns.com/ Thanks Kathy for your generousity. This is actually the 2nd time I have won one of her give aways. She usually advertises them on her blog ( http://www.shawkl.com/) and she never disappoints!

Stitchmap Mod Swap

2011-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

I promised to reveal the swap item I made for my swap partner, Ann Flowers! I recieved the peacock feather applique from Shari and was challenged to make something from it for Ann. I knew she always wanted a hussief and so that's how I used the applique. I made it much the same way as I made Hideko's hussief except I added a pocket in the side. Otherwise it has a place to hang threads, a pin cushion, a needlebook, a scissors and threader holder.

I won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I won Kathy Shawkl's give away! I can't wait to get it -- all sorts of lace, ribbon, trims, fabrics, threads, needles, beads, tins, silkies! I most excited about getting those spider kits! I'm just thrilled. Awesome. The picture is of the prize she posted on her blog - http://www.shawkl.com/.

Cathy K.'s stitching for me!

2011-05-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of my "For the Birds" DYB blocks. Cathy K. did all the stitching and I made the block. I just love what she did for me. (-;

Stitchmap Challenge Teaser

2011-05-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a small bit of an "item" I stitched as part of a challenge by Shari. She gave me a lovely applique with the condition I use it to stitch something for a fellow stitcher, whose identity is for now a secret. This is just a teaser picture of how I used the applique. I will be sending the "item" off to it's recipient some time next week. Hope she likes it! Stay tuned for a future post when I will reveal the "item" in full and the recipient!

English Garden II RR block for Ritva

2011-04-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here is Ritva's block that I embellished for her in CQI's English Garden II round robin. I had a wonderful time working on this block.

Weaved Book Cover

2011-04-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is my weaved fabric notebook cover that I learned to make in Stitchmap Yahoo Group. I am particularly proud of it because I have a difficult time with finishing. I like how it turned out! The notebook has graph paper in it so I am going to use it for crazy quilting stitch designs.

My work for Nicki Lee on her "For the Birds" Block

2011-03-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

The first picture is of the block I stitched for her, the second picture is of my work on a block that we are all working on, and the 3rd picture is of the entire group block.

Nicki Lee's work on the 2nd "For the Birds" block

2011-03-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

Janet's work on one of my "For the Birds" blocks

2011-03-30T10:13:00.001-07:00

First of my English Garden Blocks is done!

2011-03-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Gayle S. was the first to pick one of my English Garden blocks to stitch on and here's what she did. It is just amazing!!!!!

English Flower Garden - for Cathy L.

2011-03-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

This is the block I embellished for Cathy L. in the English Garden Round Robin on CQI. I had a hard time getting started on this one because I couldn't decide what to do, but once I got started I couldn't stop!

For the Birds - Cathy K.'s block

2011-02-27T20:58:00.001-08:00

This is my work done on Cathy K.'s block. Some seam treatments, an embroidered bird, some trims, lace and crochet, a Brazilian embroidered flower, some silk ribbon daisies with french knot centers, beads, buttons, and a charm. (-;

For the Birds - Cathy K.'s block

2011-02-27T20:52:00.001-08:00

This is the "group stitch" block for Cathy K. You can hardly tell what I did on her block, but I did stitch on it - honestly! I backstitched around the leaves with a delicate gold thread and couched down another metallic thread for the stems. It definitely looks better in person - very textured.

8th of Eight Received

2011-02-13T05:37:00.000-08:00

Love this one!

7th of Eight Received

2011-02-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

This one is so cute. It came with a story of a woman who wrote a letter to her betrothed who had promised to return for her after leaving to make his fortune. It has a little pocket where her picture fits in and behind the picture is a postage stamp that belonged to the maker's grandfather-in-law. Cute, cute!

6th of Eight Received

2011-02-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

So feminine. (-;

5th of Eight Received

2011-02-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

4th of Eight Received

2011-02-09T06:45:00.001-08:00

3rd of Eight Received

2011-02-08T04:28:00.001-08:00

This one is especially special because it was made from the heart by my friend Laurie. She is a huge "Pride and Predjudice" fan and this, of course, is Darcy. (-; I just love his one. It has been a long time since I've read "Pride and Predjudice" -- I think I'll have to read it again.

2nd of Eight received

2011-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Simple and sweet. (-;

1st of Eight Received

2011-02-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

This is one of the little 3-inch valentines that I received back for my valentine's crazy quilt blocks. Isn't it cute! The heart consists of weaved ribbons - something I definitely plan to try on a crazy quilt one of these days.

Estate Sale Find - Featherweight

2011-02-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Look at my new toy! I'm thrilled to death. I've always wanted one of these - probably the finest machine ever made and ultimately collectible! I found this one at an estate sale last Friday. I had the best intentions to buy nothing, but when I saw this I knew I was making probably the largest purchase I've ever made at an estate sale. I love it. It sews like a dream and it's portable. This one was made in 1952 and came with a mess of attachments.

For the Birds - Cathy L.'s Block

2011-01-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

This is my stitching on Cathy L's "For the Birds" Do Your Block (DYB) in my Crazy Quilt International (CQI) yahoo group. It's my first thread painting experience and I enjoyed it immensely!

7 Things About Me

2011-01-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from my friend Laurie's blog: http://indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com/

1. I love to crazy Quilt. I love all things pretty, sparkly, and the more of it the better! Picking the fabrics, the colors, the embellishments -- selecting the theme, the stitches, the project -- the whole process delights me!

2. I love to exercise. I had to really think about this, but I guess it is really a part of who I am. There are days when I don't want to go, but I almost always end up going and feel great about it when I am done. I have been exercising since I was in my early 20s. Today I walked/jogged on a machine indoors for 30 minutes because the wind made working out outside bitter cold, but usually I like to walk/jog outside even if it is 30 degrees. I dislike running for a long period of time so my latest endeavor is to walk a bit and then jog a bit. It is called interval training. The theory is that by increasing your activity level for a while your heart rate and metabolic rate increases and when you decrease your activity level they stay high for a while even though you are now doing less. Plus, since I like running outside in the winter, I have incentive to increase my activity level to stay warm and finish my workout faster!

3. I love to read. When I exercise I'm always listening to a book. Right now I'm listening to Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand. I also like to read at night before I go to bed. Right now I'm reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson.

4. I love to ski. There is really something about being on top of a snowy mountain in the sunshine looking out for miles and miles. I enjoy the outdoors, the beautiful views, the cold, the exercise, and skiing with my family.

5. I love photography. I'm constantly taking pictures. I love taking pictures of the great outdoors, wildlife, and I also take sports pictures of my daughter and her school's teams.

6. I love nature and wildlife. As a family we are always going to National Parks on vacations. I will wake up my family at zero dark thirty so we can go out to find the wild animals! Of course I can also take pictures while I'm out there and we can go for hikes so it combines several of my interests at once.

7. I love the past. I have always loved the past since I was a small girl. When I was 14 I started researching my family tree and collecting antiques and family relics. I still love finding old family photos and trying to figure out who's who. This hobby has made me closer to my parents, grand parents, and aunts and uncles. Most of them love talking about their lives and I love hearing their stories. Now I like to share them with my family when they'll listen. I actually started this blog to document my progress of learning how to crazy quilt so I can make a memory crazy quilt of my family. Someone else on my CQI yahoo list had the same idea, so it looks like I'm going to get a chance to do a practice version. I'm totally excited about it!

I could have also written about loving to learn and loving to travel, but I guess I shouldn't bore you too much!

Seven of Eight

2011-01-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here's number seven. I won't be doing number eight right away because it's for me! I'm going to wait until I get my swaps and then complete it.

Five and Six of Eight

2011-01-17T19:26:00.001-08:00

4th of Eight

2011-01-16T20:26:00.001-08:00

My Good Fortune

2011-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

I just bought a bunch of charms and rhinetones that will go very nicely on a CQ quilt. This gal had been collecting them for years and just decided to sell them. There are some really nice metal charms of Christmas ornaments, stars and Egyptian design. There are also tons of rhinestones and crystal stone settings. Most of these are either beads or have some other way they can be attached to the fabric.

Third of Eight

2011-01-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Valentine Inchy Swap Block three

Second of Eight

2011-01-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Inchy Swap Block 2

First of Eight

2011-01-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

I am doing a swap with my neighbor, Laurie, from "Indulge your Shelf" blogging fame. She is involved with a group that is doing a Valentine's inchie swap and she invited me to participate. The swap involves making 3-inch fabric embellished blocks in a Valentine theme. Since there are 8 swappers, I have to make 7 blocks for trade and one that I'll make for myself to keep the block numbers such that I'll be able to make a finished project more easily. The blocks I receive won't necessarily be crazy quilted, but since that's what I do...

On these blocks I tried a new technique of printing on ribbons that I learned from a book called Fabric Embellishing, The Basics and Beyond by Ruth Chandler, Lis Kettle, Heather Thomas, and Lauren Vlcek. The book is rich with ideas for embellishing with great instructions, and practically, it is spiral bound. This ribbon may not be the best example of the technique because there is not enough contrast between the ribbon and the words. You will see better examples in the remaining seven blocks. I can see a tremendous application of these ribbons for my memory quilt.

English Garden Round Robin Blocks

2011-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

These are my blocks for the CQI English Garden Round Robin. We are still waiting for one more person to sign up, but I am a little paranoid about all the commitments I've made for this year already and am not letting any grass grow under my feet!

Decoupaged buttons and tiles

2010-12-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

When I was at the CQI retreat, Kerry taught us how to do decoupaged buttons. Recently I found Annie Howe's Keepsake's (a blog) that teaches you how to do nearly the same thing with scrabble tiles. (http://anniehoweskeepsakes.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-make-gorgeous-scrabble-tile.html)

I decided to try using the scrabble tiles since I knew just where to find some at my local antique store, and had also found some old flat wooden beads that I also wanted to experiment with (aren't these the coolest!). All I needed was the tiles/beads, some images printed on paper, Mod Podge, and some diamond glaze. I decided to burn the edges of some of my pictures so I also had a candle and a wet rag handy. Let me tell you that I needed the wet rag. It was easy for these little images to burst into flame, so be careful if you try it!

First, I placed the image on the tile/bead and held it up to the light so I could find the right placement. Holding it in place I cut around the image with a scissors. Then I brushed some mod podge (like a glue) on the tile/bead and placed the image on the mod podge pressing it so it would lay flat. Then I took an exacto knife to further trim the image; well I really used a scissors, but an exacto knife would have been better. lol! Brush with the mod podge and let dry 15 minutes. Then brush the crystal glaze over the mod podge and let dry 24 hours. You can put another coat on after about 5 minutes and then let it dry for the 24 hours if you want. The crystal glaze makes a really thick shiny (like glass) coating on the tile/bead.

These tiles/beads are so cute and you can sew them onto fabric by glueing felt on the bottom and then sewing the felt to your fabric (thanks to Gerry K. which is where I first got this idea) and/or you can bead them on using the peyote stitch.

I am making a memory quilt so I also tried to print some family photos in miniature and put them on the tiles/beads and they turning out really well! Just make sure your image is not too small.

Inktense Pencils

2010-12-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

I got a pack of Inktense pencils for Christmas and decided to try them out. All it requires is the pencils, some fabric to paint on and some textile medium. I used a paper backed black and white silkie for the fabric and Golden textile medium as the medium http://www.dickblick.com/products/golden-gac-900-fabric-medium/. This is a liquid that you can use in one of three ways. You can wet the fabric first (didn't work so hot for me), use on a brush after you've colored the item (works good), or dip your pencil into it (worked the best for the detail work I was doing. The biggest problem I ran into was the colors spreading outside the lines I was working within. The pencil basically turns into a paint when wet with the medium. The colors are really vibrant and when you use a brush to paint the golden over the colored area, the colors will blend a bit if you brush from one color to another.

I found a couple of websites that illustrated how to use them: http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/hugsfromhelen/inktense-colourque-r-tutorial.html , and http://painting.about.com/od/fabricpainting/ss/fabric_painting_Inktense.htm, and http://creativity.amblique.net/files/files/Project%20Sheets/Quilt%20hints%20and%20tips.pdf were ones I looked at.

Crazy

2010-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Present

2010-12-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a hint to what one of my Christmas presents was. I'm going to have fun with this!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

These are my granddaughters opening Christmas presents at our house. Cola has his new "chicken" toy with the cats like a lot better than his old "cat" toy! He once even had a "human" toy. lol! Oreo looks pretty handsome in his place under the Christmas tree. His favorite gift was the blanket that my husband got in his emergency car kit. He planted himself on the blanket and got some nice belly rubs too.

Dessert!

2010-12-20T04:57:00.000-08:00

This is what I had for dessert last night. It is made from a recipe out of "Eating for Life", a way of eating that is based on the glycemic index and is relatively low carb. It is a yummy psuedo cheesecake and contains some interesting ingredients. (-; My plan is not to gain weight and with any grace I will also lose some weight.

Needle case finished

2010-12-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is a needlecase I made as part of a challenge in my Stitchmap yahoo group. It was a lot of fun to make and I just love it. I'm thinking of making another. (-;

If you believe in Christmas....

2010-12-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAckfn8yiAQ

If you don't believe in Christmas, don't listen, as it may offend you!

First snow of the season!

2010-11-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas! This is our house all decorated up for Christmas. The first picture is taken in the daylight hours and the second in the evening. It looks a little "cold", especially in the evening pictures, but it feels really warm when you are in it. Hard to put into a picture. The tree is a 12 foot tree and is loads of fun to decorate (ha ha). I put evergreen boughs and lights up my banister as well (not pictured) and hang stockings from the banister too.

This morning we got our first snowfall of the year. It broke a record for being the latest snowfall on record, not due to lack of cold, but to lack of moisture.

Today's Crazy Finds

2010-11-16T13:17:00.001-08:00

The only way I got through my workout today was to promise myself a trip to my favorite spots to find vintage embellishments. This was my take. (-; The buttons are just so cute!

It's For the Birds

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

I signed up for the "For the Birds" Do Your Block (DYB) at Crazy Quilting International (CQI). These are my blocks. When it begins, I will send them out to the first person on my list , she will pick a block, embellish it, and send it on to the next person. It will continue on in this way until 5 blocks have been embellished and the last will be mine to do. I'm so excited to see how they will turn out in the end.

I won!

2010-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Kathy S. offered seven tantelizing give aways last week on her blog (http://www.shawkl.com/) and I was lucky enough to be the winner of one prize! Feast your eyes on these beauties that Kathy hand made -- the crystals in them really catch the light. Thankyou Kathy!

Awesome Crazy Quilter

2010-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who loves crazy quilts needs to check out this link.
http://poppalina.typepad.com/my_weblog/
This gal, Bobby La, just earned $70,000 for her fabulous work of art! Check out the detail in her stitching and you will see this is no ordinary crazy quilt. (-; Congratulations Bobby La.

Took my family to YMCA of the Rockies

2010-10-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

I liked the YMCA of the Rockies so much when I went there for the CQI Retreat, I decided to take my family back this last weekend, partly to show them the area and partly to investigate it further for future family trips. We rented a cabin for the night. My husband and I got some trail maps, checked out the pool and craft center. The craft center was really pretty nice with silk dying, tie dye t-shirts, mosaics, and jewelry making. They had a choice of beads that would have made my fellow quilters drool! We drove through part of Rocky Mountain National Park and stopped at Morraine Park and Bear Lake in particular. The next morning my daughter and I went horseback riding. We took an hour long guided tour that took us around the edge of a mountain. Being slightly afraid of heights, I was a little nervous trusting my horse to keep us from falling down the 100-200 ft drop down the mountain! There were some beautiful views though and our guide kept us talking which made it easier for me.

My Chinese Auction Winnings!

2010-10-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to the CQI Crazy Quilt Retreat at the YMCA of the Rockies. It was a lot of fun. One of the activities was a Chinese Auction where we all brought something handmade to participate. All the players took a number and the person with number one picked the first gift. Then person number two could either take a new gift or take the gift of person number one. If she took person number one's gift, person number one would choose a new gift and on it went. I ended up with this cute chatelaine made by Leslie E!

Fall is here

2010-10-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

This week we had the first dusting of snow on the mountains. Of course it is gone now! Every morning has a bit of a nip in the air and with the layering in the clouds in these pictures you can almost feel it. I think fall has finally arrived. I love when the sun is just rising and the prairie looks like it is on fire, but the mountains still haven't yet felt the glow of the sun.

CQ Husseif

2010-10-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is the husseif that I made for the Chinese Auction for the Crazy Quilting International (CQI) yahoo group retreat. Hideko from Japan ended up taking the husseif home! I loosely followed the tutorial here: http://creativeribbons.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-hussif-tutorial.html

Rocky Mountain National Park in September

2010-10-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Aspens are Turning in Colorado!

2010-09-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

My hope is that there will be some lovely displays up in Estes Park for the CQI Retreat next week!

Yummy Rayon seam binding

2010-08-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Castle Rock with my friend Laurie J. and we went to a flea market and then to the Barn to shop. I found some vintage rayon seam binding for sale by the yard in a multitude of colors. I just love the sheen on rayon ribbon! I'm thinking overdye. Hmmmm....

Bobbin Lace find

2010-08-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

I found a lady who wanted to get rid of all her bobbin lace supplies and so I relieved her of it. (-; Now I just have to find a local bobbin lace instructor.

Estate Sale Finds - Lace

2010-08-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

Aren't these little pieces of lace and silver buttons pretty? I just love them. I can just see the one in the center used around a silkie. The silver buttons have little rhinestones in them - well, at least some of them do! I like the spiral design on the narrow lace trim and the other trim is so unusual.

Find: Vintage original Rialto handbag

2010-08-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is so pretty in person. It has beveled cuts into the acetate with rhinestones!

Vintage Molas Find

2010-08-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

I found this 1960's molas at an estate sale. It was made on the San Blas Island in Panama and uses the technique of reverse appliques. I just love the design.

Laughing at his own jokes...

2010-07-22T16:35:00.001-07:00

The little guy is just TOO funny!

The Koehler Bakery

2010-07-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is my Grandpa, Ed Koehler. In 1921, when he was 21 years old and newly married (I was born on the same day they were wed -- many years later of course), his Dad help set him up in this bakery. He and his family lived in the second story apartment upstairs from the bakery. My Mom was only two years old at the time and her older sister was three. Grandpa did most of the baking and would load up his truck with bakery items then make his way to rural farms to deliver his goods to people who didn't get into town much. In 1928 Ed and his wife Erna (my grandma) added their third daughter to the growing family. In the next year our country experienced the collapse of it's economy in the Great Depression. Berlin Wisconsin was no exception to the ravages of the Great Depression and one of the main businesses in town, a shoe factory where many women worked, went out of business. These women and others who were suffering with the down turned economy went back to making their own bread so business was slow in my Grandpa's bakery. According to family lore, one of Ed's employees was unscrupulously stealing sugar from the bakery to use in his still to make moonshine. To make things worse, soft hearted and charitable Ed issued credit to people who couldn't pay for his bread and eventually he couldn't pay his own bills. So in Sept 1929 he sold his bakery and moved in with his in-laws with his family of five. Ed used the proceeds from the sale of his bakery to keep my Great Grandparents from loosing their farm. He went to work in Milwaukee, 82 miles away, where many of his seven brothers and half brothers worked until he was able to get a job with Skelly Oil Company and move his family to Weyauwega. I love him for his loving and giving character.

Have you looked into your family tree? You should! It's a lot of fun and very interesting.

The Fourth on the 4th

2010-07-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Church was very nice this morning - the choir sang the first and this, the fourth verse of our national anthem. Isn't it nice? Maybe this is where the saying "In God we Trust" on our coins came from.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Trying my hand at ...

2010-07-03T16:45:00.001-07:00

... Brazilian Embroidery. Deepa is helping me to learn Brazilian Embroidery! So far I'm really enjoying it. Here I have tried some leaves, the stem stitch and french knots. You can see Deepa's blog here: http://deepashome.blogspot.com/ . She has worked up a lovely peacock that I hope to try one day.

I have tried Brazilian embroidery once before up in Denver as part of CQI's first retreat in 2008 but didn't get very far -- story of my life!

I have a limited color selection in rayon threads so I don't exactly have matching colors in my branches, but at least they are all green. (- ; However, I was at an estate sale recently and found a plastic container full of Edmar threads - God is good! I've been working on bullions today -- my worst subject so I'll be needing a lot of practice.

Famous, at last

2010-07-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ha ha! I have been blogged about! I once answered an ad to pick up some mosaic glass and was surprised to find out that it was my neighbor right down at the end of the street who was offering it. LOL! We had a nice visit, found we had some common interests, and then went on our merry but separate ways for about a year. Over the course of the year we ended up meeting at various places on the internet - she found my blog - I found hers - she's on Facebook as am I, I found her Etsy shop, etc. Eventually we decided to make some local shopping excursions together and now have become friends. She was nice enough to help me figure out Etsy the other day. So, here I am blogging about her blogging about me! She has a great blog (http://indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com/) and two Etsy shops (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwiceShyRestored?ref=seller_info) and (http://www.etsy.com/shop/indulgeyourshelf) so be sure to check her out!

LA Fashion District

2010-07-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

When I was in California, I met up with Ingrid whom I met at the CQI retreat last year (CQI is the Crazy Quilt International Yahoo Group). We went to downtown LA to visit the renowned (at least to some crazy quilter enthusiasts) Fashion District. I just thought I'd share some photos of this shopping district. I didn't have my camera (thought I'd have enough trouble carrying my purchases), but Ingrid graciously let me use hers. There are, seriously, store after store after store in block after block of fabric, beads, lace, and trims. You could take a week to go through them all if your budget could withstand it. We only had a day and so missed many of the shops, but one day I'll return!

I left my Heart in San Francisco......!

2010-06-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Ribbonerie - San Francisco

2010-06-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Ribonerie was a lovely ribbon store on 3695 Sacramento Street in San Francisco. The girls who worked here were the nicest of all the stores I went to and their ribbons were to die for. YUM! Best of all were the basket of 3-4 inch remnant pieces for 5 cents and the large trunk full of remnant ribbons for anywhere from 10 cents to a dollar. Of course you could buy anything you wanted by the yard - Mikuba was high on my list along with some vintage pieces. She had lovely stamens that I had to pass up. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of this store and put the ribbons away thinking I'd already taken a picture, but this store's worth the trip and we found parking right across the street. This is saying something since parking is a bit of a premium in San Francisco.

Laci's in Berkley, CA

2010-06-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to go to Berkley, but my SIL wanted us to pick up a breadmaker for our neice at a friend's home there and I found we were awful close to Laci's, so my dH paced the sidewalks while I shopped. (-; It turned out alright since delaying our arrival in LA saved us from rush hour. I was awful good here and hardly purchased anything.

Phebie's Needle Art Corner - Claremont, CA

2010-06-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ingrid wanted to show me a little shop she frequents, Phebie's Needleart Corner in Claremont, CA, and it turned out to be a jewel of a store. I managed to get some brazilian embroidery supplies and some vintage jewels. I will definitely go back to this store because it is so close to my SILs.

Berger Specialty Beads - Trim Expo in LA

2010-06-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

I hooked up with Ingrid in LA and we hit the fashion district in LA. We had a great time shopping together and ate lunch at a little Iranian diner. It was nice to have someone who knew the area show me around. I didn't bring a camera, but did take some pictures with Ingrid's camera so you will have to see if she blogs about them. We spent WAY too much time in Berger Beads, but it was definitely worth it. The bottom picture shows what I got there with the exception of the lace which I got from another store. We also went to Bohemian Crystal and Trim Expo, but I'd pretty much spent my limit and wanted to save some for San Francisco. I did get some trims at Trim Expo (top photo).

Michael Levines in LA

2010-06-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

This LA store in the fashion district had lots of trims for great prices. They had TONS of fabric too, but I wasn't shopping for fabric. (-;

Britex Fabrics in San Francisco

2010-06-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

While in San Francisco I walked down the street from our hotel in Union Square to shop at Britex Fabrics. There are four floors to this wonderful store, but my favorite was the 3rd floor where there were yards and yards of vintage and new lace, ribbon of all kinds, and buttons galore! Do you think I had fun shopping? (-; They also had fancy fabrics on the first floor, decorator fabrics on the second floor, and remnants on the 4th floor. I bought a few remnants, but not many. I found some Hannah silk that matched a few of my planned projects, some ribbons, and a small piece of vintage lace with a fisherman on it. My Dad was a fisherman and he taught me to fish, so I plan to put this on my memory quilt in his section.

Muir Woods in San Francisco

2010-06-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from vacation in California where my husband and I took a couple of days to visit San Francisco. The first spot we stopped at was Muir Woods where immense Redwood trees take up their residence. My husband and I agree that this is our all-time favorite place to hike. Here is a picture of one tree that doesn't really do it justice. Do notice the people at the bottom of the tree so you can judge the size of these beautiful and striking trees. You can click on the picture to enlarge it, then click on it again to enlarge it further.

Hummingbird to Stitch

2010-06-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

For my stitching pleasure. (-;

Paint dying ribbon

2010-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

I bought this earring holder off a lady for $1 at a flea market. I don't know what I thought I was going to use it for, but I finally figured it out this weekend. I added nails at strategic points around the frame and used it to hold my ribbon while I painted it with dyes. I got this idea from a book called "Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible" by Joan Gordon. It was fun and I like the variegated look of the ribbon. The ribbons need to be wet to get the variegated effect. I painted the entire ribbon first with water then with a light color. Then using a darker version of the same color, I just touched the edge of the top of the ribbon and the dark dye would run into the light creating interesting effects. I used both silk ribbon and white rayon seam binding. The silk ribbon was 13mm and is the purple ribbon in the photos. I also tried 4mm silk ribbon and it worked fine (not pictured). The green and yellow ribbons in the photos are the white rayon seam binding.

Some of my organized drawers

2010-05-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

I got this lovely cabinet last year and have stuffed the drawers with all my crazy goodies. Some of the drawers house my favorite stashes of color coordinated fabrics and embellishments. Above are my opulent aquas and my dreamy valentine pinks and reds. I just dyed some red and pink velvet that will go wonderfully with the Valentine stash. I've already blogged about the rich greys and gorgeous golds that occupy a space in this wonderful cabinet.

Gerry K. actually found the cabinet on Craigslist (thanks Gerry!) and posted the link on CQI. I love anything with drawers and especially if it is made of wood and vintage. When I saw this, I knew I had to have it. I called the owner who said he had just hauled it down to an estate salesman and I had to wait two whole days to find out if it would be mine or not! The cabinet belonged to a wonderful lady who kept all her sewing paraphernalia on one side and her collection of costume jewelry on the other side. Her Granddaughter sold it to me and shared all her memories of going to grandma's and playing dressup with the jewelry. I love it!