*huh?*

so i was thinking today....(it only hurt a little)

if i won the lottery, i would hire someone every once in a while to follow me around with an 'applause' sign and a recording of a canned laugh track....wouldn't that be a HUGE confidence booster! 
(i had to throw out the drummer with the rim shot-
logically it would be cumbersome to lug around the drum set)  

what 'silly' indulgence would you spluge on if you won the lottery....?
you know- the only you'd do just for the story telling/bragging rights....

it's okay for thread to show on the back?

so i just finished this mariner's compass quilt. teresa made it for the wall in her family room.

she used the QuiltSmart interfacing. from a LA perspective, that interfacing is tough on needles, it dulls them so fast. i only broke one (making the very last knot) but i ended up using 6.

i did change thread colors as i went. i saved the north, and south points for last. they were longer than the bed of my machine. i know from past experience that you need to quilt the large majority of the QuiltSmart interfacing, then come back and do the 'details. otherwise it can shift and cause all kinds of headaches.

when she dropped off this quilt i was a little nervous to see that the backing was a solid white....it ain't 'white' no more....i hear all the time about piecers that don't want the thread to show on the back of a quilt *shakes head* shame :)

this is the first time i've used my swirly vine as a 'filler' in a large area. me likey!

i like the look of the pebbles. i haven't quilted pebbles in a long time!

i mirror imaged the ribbon candy in the points of the compass. i would like to add that it's really hard to ribbon candy on a 45degree angle. usually i do it in a straight horizontal/vertical border... and i can't quilt pebbles and chew gum at the same time either. *giggle*

love at first glance!

i knew immediately how i was going to use this fabric the minute i saw it!

this will be the future backing for the quilt i make with my swap blocks....plus it was in the sale bin at 50% off....sweetened the deal a bit  *wink*

i love the lady bugs! i also picked out the setting fabrics for my blog's BOM, so that will be a future post....*pinkie swear*

(ETA: it's Backyard Safari by Johnny Karwan for ClockWorks. i left some on the bolt at Intown Quilters: 404-634-6924)

i'm a nosey little stitcher...

i found Renee's blog and was reading through past posts and found this post and she has given permission for me to post. (yes i go back and read all posts when i find a new blog....i'm a night owl and there's nothing on tv late/early)

so i'm curious to hear how y'all would answer these questions:

1) Where are you located?
2) What makes a good blog?
3) Who is your favorite quilt artist, famous or not?
4) Who taught you how to quilt?
5) Do you like piecing or applique better?
6) Do you like patterns or kits better?
7) If you quilt from a pattern, do you make your own patterns?
8 ) What is your favorite fabric line?
9) What is your favorite thread?
10) Do you quilt for fun or as a profession?
11) How long have you been quilting?
12) How many hours a week do you spend on quilting?
13) Do you machine quilt on a domestic home sewing machine, mid arm, or long arm?
14) What is your favorite sewing machine?
15) How do you spot a Professional Quilter from a Hobby Quilter? Is there a difference?

so copy and paste the questions into the comment form and let me know your answers....or you can email me, add in side bar....or you can post to your blog, but please comment me with the link.....

thanks in advance for taking the time to answer....


here's my answers:
1) Where are you located? just north of metro Atlanta (you know- couple country miles north)

2) What makes a good blog? one with good content, with lots of pictures. one that shows me who you are, good and bad. don't hold back....i think of mine as an online journal of my everyday thoughts and happenings that i think people would like to read. it's like i'm the star of my very own reality show...
3) Who is your favorite quilt artist, famous or not? me *giggle* just kidding,  i think all quilters are my favorite because they all inspire me in different ways.
4) Who taught you how to quilt? my granny. i learned the 'old school traditional' way. making templates out of cereal box cardboard, gluing sandpaper to the back of them, tracing around them on the fabric with absolutely no never mind to straight of grain, then using scissors to cut them all out. yup.....thank god for rotary cutters...i swear the invention of the rotary cutter saved quilting....then when i got 'serious' about piecing, i self taught myself from library books. let's have a moment of silence for all the fabric sacrificed to the whole 'trial and error' phase i went through...
5) Do you like piecing or applique better? i like both..i machine piece and i hand applique. applique is what i do in the evening while watching tv. if you would of told me three years ago i'd be a hand applique nut, i'd called you a liar....
6) Do you like patterns or kits better? hmmm, i'm not a follow-a-pattern-type of quilter. i have quilter's ADD. i use them as a jumping off point and then go my own direction....kits- sorry, why have a quilt that has an identical twin? then it's not my quilt...i just added labor to someone else's vision....*shrug* (see that whole rule thing again...i'm starting to see a pattern :) )
7) If you quilt from a pattern, do you make your own patterns? yup, i EQ baby :) i so love getting out the calculator and doing the math. makes me fell smart...unlike dealing with a burpy computer, which makes me feel really stupid :)
8 ) What is your favorite fabric line? the ones made from cotton...i like kaffe fassett's color combos...i am a batik freak though...haven't met one i haven't liked....i'm really trying to be in the front running for she-who-dies.....gotta give yourself goals.
9) What is your favorite thread? for long arming i love shiny polyesters...like little strings of diamonds on a cotton quilt *sigh* for piecing i use coats and clarks machine quilting cotton, my vintage machine likes it. she doesn't like aurifil, too thin- hard to balance tension.
10) Do you quilt for fun or as a profession? it's not a profession- it's a lifestyle...hi my name is shannon, and i'm under the influence of all things quilty :)
11) How long have you been quilting? piecing: easily 15+ yrs....long arm machine quiting: 6 years
12) How many hours a week do you spend on quilting? *snicker* the hours i'm not sleeping or eating. i want to be buried with my thimble on my finger and a needle in my hand- threaded and knotted
13) Do you machine quilt on a domestic home sewing machine, mid arm, or long arm? long arm: APQS 2005 Millennium lovingly named Nemo
14) What is your favorite sewing machine? it's a tie: Nemo, i spend the most time with him, plus it's almost like he is an extension of my 'soul' and my granny's 1954 singer DSM (anna). she is the machine i learned on. i love vintage singers...i'll have to blog about my 'collection' one day soon
15) How do you spot a Professional Quilter from a Hobby Quilter? Is there a difference? i'd say yes and no. that's a good question... the dictionary defines professional as someone that takes part in an activity that others do for pleasure in order to make money. a hobbyist is defined as an interest engaged in for pleasure...in quilting i don't think there is a definite line. i am a 'professional' quilter by definition, but i don't see myself as a 'professional' quilter. at the same time, i'm serious about my passion so i don't label myself a hobby quilter....it's fun and challenging. that's why i like it so much. it's an outlet for my creativity and i just happen to get paid for it...a win/win for me and my customers :)

calling all quilters!!

ricky tims needs our help...he needs to talk to an actual person at United Airways. read about it here




ETA:
ricky has his suitcase back. enough people created a stink, that United couldn't ignore it any longer.  never underestimate the power of quilters in large groups :)

read about it's return here

sunshine happy

i don't have much to say today....it's all rainy and dreary outside.

i finished joyce's quilt and droped it off so i can post pictures! enjoy!

okay maybe i do have something short to say, and it'll explain the 'washed' out pictures. see it was the first day we had sunshine in a lllloooonnngggg time. it felt good to stand in it as it came through the window....so i broke all the rules of photography (there's that rule thing again) and snapped these pictures...plus i'm trying to be all artsy with my blog pictures...to be honest, that's easier said than done. how many different ways can you photo a quilt?? i'm gonna pick a few favorite angles and commit :P

anywhooo......

do they make you feel warm and fuzzy like the flower commerical?

rules? what's that??

rules are made to be broken right? first i said i wasn't going to give a sneak peek at my block swap blocks, then i set the rule that one fabric needed to be a floral....

*throws that out the window* here's one of my block sets (i'm doing two, i want 24 blocks total)

come on, how could i resist??? i found peach fabric and just had to use it! being in georgia and all....

i will call him squishy and he will be mine!

i got two squishies in the mail today!

first, i got the first squishy with blocks for the block swap....cindy is on the ball! remember you have til april!

second, this little guy was in the other! his butt glows in the dark....how cool. i'm naming him Doodle (going through life without a name sucks)....thanks Kristina!

don't forget to check out Lucy's caption giveaway...

three times a charm!

i think it's time for another giveaway! since barney and lucky have been the feature of the last two, it's only fair that Lucy have her turn in the limelight.

come up with a cute/funny/clever caption for lucy's picture (to the left) and leave it as a comment. i'll pick my favorite.....to you anonymous posters-make sure you leave your contact info please! (email)

deadline: March 31st.

you're stuck in traffic why????

when you're really not listening to the TV, there are certain phrases that will subconsciencly get your attention...

click here

a 'spring' in your quilt

with the winter weather continuing (stupid groundhog) i'm starting to get the spring itch...i'm tired of boots, my toes are ready to wiggle around in my tevas...after my obligational pedi, of course

so jeanne's quilt was a nice precursor to warmer weather! i tried real hard and pretended that it was hot and humid outside...i almost convinced myself it was. i swear i could smell fresh cut grass and i could hear the katydids humming in the twilight....just a couple more months...they are predicting a sweltering heat wave for this weekend- highs in the 50s.....

i'm loving the quilting. it might not to be PC to love your own work, but by golly, i am.  i had that big wide blue border just screaming for a showcase quilting motif....so i put my curly vine in it- perfect! plus my pastel variegated thread coordinated (notice i didn't say 'matched') perfectly without being distracting....i quilted the patchwork with a loopy meander in a salmon pink thread...the backing fabric was the same blue as the border, so the quilting was just as pretty on the back...*sigh* it's the small things in life, huh?

i would like to throw this out there:  i've been seeing on other blogs nice knitted fingerless gloves. i want a pair....in turquoise/lime green hues (i quilt, that's what i do....i can knit, but i can't wrap my head around anything more complex than a scarf)...i'll pay (perhaps a barter could be arranged)

*puppy dog face*




-is it working?-

what's new and a visitor

so i have been quilting, i'll show those pictures when the quilts are picked up.


i've been working on my blocks for the block swap i'm hosting. there is still plenty of time to participate ....i have 26 swappers sew far....i've been catching sneak peeks, and i'm telling you- you'll be sorry you didn't play along....but there will be another swap, i've already found the next block.....

my friend linda's husband, Dennis, made this for me and i got it from the snailmail man the other day....she playfully called me a 'brat' and i said, "thank you" then i had to come up with some thing clever quickly to make 'brat' an acronym.....my words will be forever immortalized in oak....thank you dennis, i (heart) it! she also sent a book that i found serious LA inspriration in and a huge mylar Nemo balloon....thank you linda! *moose smooch*

i won my first blog giveaway! Em over at Em Celebrates had a little contest to guess what 500th she was celebrating, and i guessed correctly at her celebrating her 500th post. i received a little fabric goodness in the mail today. thank you Em!

and the visitor? ....it was just lucky, but for him to come down to the studio and get comfy on barney's bed and stay a while...that is rare indeed. barney was all to quick to reclaim his bed when lucky went back upstairs to hold the couch down....

New York, here i come....

watch out, i'm on my way :P

i'll be in the Elizaville, NY area to teach my signature brand of long arm technique and designs. Elizaville is an hour south of Albany and about 2 1/2 hrs north of NYC.

these are design and techniques classes that do not pertain to a particular brand of machine.

to see my style of quilting, you can visit my flickr slideshow. all my quilting is done free motion with no computerized designs.

Saturday March 27th 9am – 4pm (one hour lunch break) $150

Quilting the Doodlebug way:
This is a confident beginner to intermediate level class, but all experience levels are welcome.

Get out from behind the machine and face the needle! Learn how I ‘see’ a quilt and incorporate simple free motion quilting motifs in a unique way to produce a custom quilted quilt. We will discuss many designs for blocks, borders, and sashings as well as how to personalize the quilting for particular themed quilts. After this class, you will feel confident when your clients say "Just do whatever, I trust you." Bring quilts for discussion if time allows. Not a hands on class. Workbook provided, supply list will be emailed

Sunday March 28th 10am-2pm $85
Feathers the Doodlebug way
This is a confident beginner to intermediate level class, but all experience levels are welcome.

I will show you how easy it really is to quilt those mouthwatering feathers. We will discuss the learning curve for feathers and the foolproof no-backtrack technique. I will show you how to use 'training wheels' to perfect your feathers. This class will be a definite confidence builder. Not a hands-on class. Sketch book required, some handouts. Supply List will be emailed.





Classes must be paid for in full to guarantee a seat. No Refunds after March 1st.

Contact me for more info.....half_square @ hotmail.com (remove spaces)

karmen gave me an award!

karmen from A Quilter Awakens nominated me for the lemonade award....

The guideline for this award is to choose bloggers that blog with great attitude and/or gratitude.

Enjoy the blog tour!

here are my nominees:

Desert Threads

Field Trips in Fiber

Green Fairy Quilts

Lazy Gal Quilting

Life's Little Garden

Little Shika

Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara

Pink Penguin

P.S. I Quilt

Sue Spargo

Here are the rules

(this is some work, so don't feel like you HAVE to do this: Just enjoy your nomination!)

Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.

Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.

Link the nominees within your post.

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award

what a love-ly day!

Happy
Valentine's
Day!!!!
XOXO


“Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.”

-moose smoochies!-

snow + ATV = redneck fun!

when it snows, there's something about the pristine cleanliness of snow.....something that makes you just want to destroy it :P



the next door neighbor's daughter wanted to ride our new ATV



then it was my turn to have some fun...notice all the snow on the front of my coat....

everyday heroes!

it's nice to get to quilt a quilt that will be raffled to raise money for our everyday heroes.

the patches are from firehouses from all over....mostly GA, but some from other staes...it was nice to look at all of them. i like the moose on the one from maine. what a nice collection...

the patches are just safety pinned now, but karen will sew them down by hand (if it really snows as much as they are forcasting....she'll have plenty of time. but i think the more they talk about snow, the chances of it actually snowing drops...)

here's a shot of the back....i like it when the quilting shows.

sending vibes out to the universe that it raises TONS of money!

No Waste Flying Geese Tutorial

in my BOM posts, i used a link to a flying geese how to.....well, it seems to have disappeared....so i'm doing my own, including the easy math. that way i know it'll be there when i need the link....

with the no waste flying goose (NWFG) method, you'll sew 6 seams and end up with 4 flying geese units that have no waste (duh), sewing no bias edges, and no edges that are biased.

No Waste Flying Geese .pdf

here's the 'secret' math of the goose.

here's a chart of some common sizes of flying geese used in quilting.

you'll need 4 small squares, and one big square. this shows where each fabric will end up in the finished goose unit.

i know that some quilters draw the diagonal and sew 1/4" on each side of that line using their 1/4" foot, but i found i get more accurate points if i draw the two sewing lines. i use a Quilter's Rule Quick Quarter and a fine tipped Sharpie to draw the lines. i test draw the line on a scrap of fabric to double check that it doesn't show through to the front, and is just dark enough to see. on lighter colored fabric i use a mechanical pencil with a light hand.

take your larger square and lay two smaller squares across the diagonal. match the corners of the little squares to the corners of the large square. place two pins at the two corners.

this is where the accurate points come in. where the two smaller squares cross each other, check that your drawn lines continue across each other in a straight line. place a pin to hold where they cross and if needed place a pin in the middle of each little square.

take to your sewing machine and sew on both drawn lines. here's another one of my 'tricks'....i press my sewn fabrics before i press the seam allowances. my theory is that by pressing the fabric 'flat' that it warms up the fabrics and makes preps the fabric and makes the seam allowance press easier with no 'dunlop' (dunlop is where excess fabric hangs over the sewn seams).also, i do not press on a traditional ironing board. i press using a hard surface board. i took some furnture grade plywood, wrapped it in a couple layers of scrap batting and covered it with some duck canvas. i noticed immediatley that my blocks pressed better. notice in the picture the difference in the two fabric pieces. the pressed one lays flatter and is neater.

cut the unit apart by matching the edge of your ruler to the points of the large block.

press the SA towards the little squares. i like to think that it looks like a heart at this point.


i trim off the 'dog ears as i go. notice the top one is trimmed, the bottom still has it's dogears.

place the two remaing little squares on the diagonal across the bottom of the 'heart' and pin.

check that the drawn lines hit the edge of the little squares first sewn. i think of it as the lines hitting exactly in the valley of the mountains.

sew on the drawn lines, and cut apart. press the SA towards the little squares.

trim off the dog ears, and ta-dah! 4 NWFG units. of course this is just one of many ways to sew fly geese. this is my favorite, and the way i sew all my flying geese. with the easy math secret, if you have a pattern that uses a different technique, you can easily do the math and cut your fabrics for this method.




happy stitching...

wanna play????

i'm hosting a block swap over on the APQS forum, and i'm extending the invitation to you, my faithful blog readers. if you have never participated in one, they are really fun! it's nice to see where your blocks come from when they are returned.

here's the deal:
DEADLINE:  Blocks MUST be at my house by April 30th, 2010. International piecers need to allow 14-20 days for shipping. I do have a PayPal account for return shipping on international packages. I will fill out all the appropriate custom forms...

Colors:  Think the new growth of spring with all the new flower colors!.
-traditional cream/natural colored background-
-bright florals-
-jewel tone coordinates-
-spring greens-

We will be using the February BOM block. this will give us a 'bonnie hunter' type scrappy quilt! the cutting measurements for the flying geese use the 'no waste' method of piecing.



blocks will be 12" finished/ 12 1/2" unfinished/ raw edge.

blocks will be made in sets of 12. if you want more than 12 blocks back, then you are welcome to make more than one set, but each set needs to be made with different fabrics.

the background fabric for all blocks is to be a cream/ traditional natural print (solids are okay). the green will be in the same place in each block for unity in our finished quilts.


these are some examples to inspire you (and tease you) to join....trust me, you'll wished you had later on....:)






Yardage needed for 12 blocks:
Cream Background: 1 ¼ yds
Fabric A: ½ yd (rectangle under the flying goose)
Fabric B: 1/3 yd (points in the flying geese unit)
Fabric C: ¼ yd or a fat quarter (sq-n-sq in the center of the block)
Green: ½ yd

What to do:

Make 12 blocks using the same fabrics for all the blocks. Send me 11 blocks (keep one for yourself) with a self addressed, stamped padded envelope. Please sign your block with you name, state, and year in a subtle way.  After the deadline, I will mail you 11 different blocks in your SASE. If you would like more than 12 total blocks, you are welcome to make more than one set, but each set should have different fabrics.

so, do you wanna play???
 
any questions you can email me.

ny beauty

this quilt belongs to joan. she made it for her daughter to be raffled off to raise funds for her charity. it was a blast to quilt. this quilt screamed out to me how it was to be quilted.

it is so easy to quilt a quilt when it's already beautiful to start with. i just feel like michelangelo who when asked how he knows what to carve in the marble said, "i don't carve the marble, i see what is inside the marble and let it out" i just see how the quilt needs to be quilted and i do it...*shrug*

speaking of the super bowl.....dangnabbit!  i'll be the first colt's fan to admit- that off-side kick at the beginning of the third quarter- simply amazing (and gutsy!)!  i'm glad the saints pulled it out and won. could you imagine the 'who dat ain'ts' making their super bowl premiere and not winning?? also, i live with a cajun- you want them to do something, tell them they can't. they'll do it for spite, just to prove you wrong....it was a great game to watch. sorry i can't say the same about that half time show....or the commericals....did i miss the inside joke about beavers????

diamonds are a girl's best friend

especially when they are kaffe fassett fabrics.

this quilt belongs to marge. this would definitely be one of those customer's quilts i'd like to keep! great color and fabric placement marge!

i E2ECCed the outer border, the inner red border got my curly cue vine, and i feather-filled the patchwork. i used a jewel toned variegated thread in the top and a bright turq in the bobbin. i was extremely pleased with it.  and i was happy with nemo- the tension was perfect on the back even with the two different thread colors....i was like a 'whack-a-quilter' i keep popping out from under the frame from checking the tension so much...

didya know?

i use google's reader to read my fair share of blogs, and i have noticed that some blogs only have the first 100 or so letters and no pictures. that means i have to actually have to go to the blog site to read the entire listed blog posting. i can't help to think what's the point of subscribing to them in the first place....plus, i couldn't imagine what that's like with a slow internet connection speed...some of those widgets in the sidebar take forever to load even with high speed....

turns out, it may be a setting choosen by the blog author. so i ask a small favor of my fellow bloggers: if you have a blog thru blogspot, double check that your site feed setting is to full.

just go to your 'customize' page , click on the settings tab, then click on site feed and choose "full" from the drop down menu.

you took the time to type out your post, i just want to read it....

thanks in advance!