I have had pieces of a Planet Patchwork quilt called Chaos Harmony hanging on my design wall for months. It is an old UFO that I should have kept up with when the free pattern was posted on the internet. But there were a lot of mistakes in the pattern, and I lost interest. I have lost interest again and taken the pieces down. I have been going through drawers trying to clear things out and I came across a top with photographs of quilters. I had plans for it that don'e excite me anymore. But I cut out the photographs and I am going to try something different. Some of the pictures are antique, others are modern pictures that I took myself. I made them all sepia, I think. I do know that at some point I tea dyed them to get them all the same shade. Anyway, I remembered that fabric that I recently purchased. Moda "Think Pink". Which is a fabric that is so not me, but I liked it anyway. I think that I will fill the spaces around the photos with blocks. Traditional, maybe just some squares. I think I can make this quilt look special. There is a photograph of a quilter's hands on this quilt. I really like that photo.

MY LUCKY DAY

I decided that rather than drafting my New York Beauty on EQ5, I would look through some of my books to find a pattern. Of course, I can't find any of my New York Beauty books! So, I started cleaning my studio instead and thought about a old kit I had from a long time ago when I bought kits. It was for a log cabin with Jinny Beyer fabrics. I still don't see it, but in the meantime I found a container with fabrics AND already drafted and printed patterns for my current quilt. This design has been on my mind for a while, but I didn't remember drafting the pattern. There certainly wasn't a pattern for this block in EQ5 last night when I looked for it. And I wondered why I didn't have more of the appropriate color fabrics. This boots me way farther ahead on this project than I was yesterday.

Now, on to other things. A few weeks ago, I finally gave in and bought a Video IPOD. I found some very fun things to download. Although I never really paid attention to Simply Quilts while it was on TV, I love Alex's Podcasts, because she interviews many interesting people that I would probably never hear of otherwise. Recently she interviewed the Editor of Quilting Arts Magazine, and she talked to the people who own Superior thread about different threads. I also love the video podcasts from CNN Podcasts
I download the very funny Glenn Beck, and the Grist. It was really nice to have along on a recent trip. Bill likes to listen to XM radio's "Old Time Radio Broadcast".. which I only like to listen to if there is a funny show on.. like George and Gracie. So I just listened to all of the podcasts on my Ipod. I can do all of these things with the Ipod, until it came to downloading books from the Library's "Recorded Books" website. Grrr. Luckily, my husband got a free MP3 player from somewhere. It is a little 1X2" Creative Zen Nano plus player. That player accepts the files. So I have been listening to Sharyn McCrumb's Rosewood Casket for most of the weekend. I don't have to change CD's and the little player is so small that I don't even notice that it is clipped on my waistband.
I can see a bright future of downloads from the Recorded Books Site! You HAVE to use an mp3 player, because it downloads the whole11 hours of a book in one file. So if you stop the file, there is no way to know where you left off.
Anyway, that's it for my weekend so far.. recorded books and found projects. I hope that your weekend is more exciting!

I FINISHED THE MARINER'S COMPASS

I finished making my mariner's compass for one of the blocks in my newest quilt. I really enjoyed making it. It isn't as hard as it looks.. seriously.

Added 9/21 - There have been some requests for details about the compass. It is from a CD version of Judy Mathison's Mariners compasses.
the CD has many patterns, the only drawback is it prints only one pattern piece per page of paper. No matter what the size. This compass is 16". The sections with the dark yellows are paper pieced, the rest isn't. It will be the center of a normal sized quilt of more compasses, and New York Beauty blocks.

Kids Costumes

I was talking Halloween costumes with Quilting Diva, and I thought I would show you some of the few I made for my kids. On the left is Meghan, and on the right is Jaclyn. But then I had to put a photo of Jaclyn's most appropriate costume. Wasn't she a cute little devil?

New Projects

Yesterday was my mini group. I needed something easy to work on, so I grabbed a box off of my shelf that contains a kit I bought many years ago. The color strips of the fabric were pre cut to 2 1/2". I never looked at any of this kit, I had to cut the pieces for the background fabric.

I get to my group, thinking I will jump in and start making this easy block, and the pattern was poorly written, and wrong. The HST's in the block were supposed to be 2 1/2" finished. Kind of hard to make these with 2 1/2" strips. So I needed to reduce the size of each piece. The block that was supposed to finish at 12" will finish at 8" instead. Not a big deal, but I sometimes wonder if pattern designers give their pattern to a tester to see if it will come out the way it is supposed to. Or to see if it can be pieced easily. My friend Marcia Hohn has pattern testers for patterns that are FREE. I used to test them for her. Oh well, good thing that I had that experience under my belt for this project!

This is a photo of the Mariner's compass that I am working on. It was a 64 point until I added the 3" compass in the center where a plain round piece was supposed to be. I am having a great time making this. It is a challenge, and exciting to work on. I can see many more compasses in my future!

Bill and I went to Amishland today. I only got a couple of things at Miller's. I got a fat quarter pack of a collection called "Think Pink" which are brown and pink prints. I know.. like something I would never buy. And I bought a fat quarter set of Notions prints. I am going to make a throw quilt out of my collection of these types of prints. I bought a yard of candy cane print for no reason other than I liked it.

I also bought a chicken pincushion. I know I could have made one. I think that I even have a pattern.. but I know I would never get around to it.. so now I have one.

YANKEE PEDDLER

It's a week late, but last weekend Bill and i went to Yankee Peddler Festival. We try to go every year. It is fun. We like to look at other people's craftwork. This year I bought a crock to keep butter in, and a iron pot hanger with oakleaves and acorns made out of iron. I use cast iron skillets that have been handed down through my family, and I have always wanted someplace nice to store them. And the man who makes the racks is very talented.
Isn't this a great dragonfly sculpture? I don't know if it was for sale, but I think it would look fabulous in my back yard.


Of course, there was plenty of God's music being played.



There are music artists stationed around the area that sell CD's of their music. This pair played hammered dulcimers.. or harps. You see very unusual instruments here



This is our favorite chicken place. Although since I have started cooking chicken over a wood fire, it doesn't hold as much of a unique quality for me. I love the apple fritters and the funnel cakes myself..

25 WONDERFUL YEARS

For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and cherish in sickness and health for long as we both shall live.

We are 25 years into that promise, and it means as much to me today as it did the day we said it. And we have tried out all aspects of the promise, and it has stood the test of time. I realize that 25 years of marriage is quite an accomplishment in this day and time. But among my circle of friends, I think that I am one of the people with the shortest length of time married. My friend Kaye and her husband were married on the exact same day as Bill and I. Happy 25th anniversary Kaye and Jim!!

Okay, just in case you're wondering, I never got around to scanning my wedding pictures into the computer. I did get around to scanning the tin-type photo that we had taken at Cedar Point Amusement park a few months before we actually did get married. Wasn't he a cutie? I was attracted to his beard. And then one day when Matthew was little, he shaved everything off and scared the poor kid. He eventually grew his mustache back and has had it for a long time, although the grey is starting to take over.

We are going to dinner. Then next month we are taking a weekend trip. My only gift will be that I was lucky enough to marry a man that has loved me and taken care of me for 25 years.And that is more than enough for me. This is the happiest I have ever been in my life. My sweet husband thinks that the key to my happiness is having enough money to buy all of the nice things that our friends are able to buy for themselves. But he's wrong. He is the only key to my happiness. He is a wonderful soulmate that is always there when I need him. He's all that I could have ever hoped for, a great husband and a wonderful, loving father to our children. Everyone should be as fortunate as I am.

SELF-IMPORTANCE and LIGHTENING UP

I am taking a page out of my friend Susan's book. She said this morning "It suddenly hit me that I ought to lighten up and quit being so self-important and so quick to bitch about other people." I certainly agree. Not that she acts that way.. Because she doesn't, but she must think she does But I think that I do. I have always been the responsible, serious person. Even as a kid. It tends to be a drag on me, and anyone I am around. I always say perfectionism is a curse. I have been working on not letting little mistakes grate on me. Anyway, I find myself in charge of programs, and I start worrying that there won't be enough money to get 'good' programs and workshops.
When the only reason I love my guild is because once a month I get to spend time with fun ladies that love the same thing that I do. Interacting with other quilters is the absolute best thing about quilting. I know in my heart that we don't have to get expensive programs to have fun. And I have to quit worrying that I'm not doing what everyone expects of me. Maybe they don't feel they have to get speakers from all over the country. We have gone along for 25 years on just the love of quilts, and the fellowship of other quilters.

So I am planning things that don't cost a lot of money to do. Maybe with prizes.. that would be cool. I have to run my ideas past others to see if they are good, but, I am going to do my best to do a good job and not drive myself or anyone else nuts while I'm doing it.

I NEED IDEAS

I am vice president of my guild, which means I'm in charge of programs. Here is the story. We have a 4,000.00 a year budget for programs. Which really doesn't go far, For instance, a speaker who came a couple of months ago, drove. He charged .40 per mile, all expenses, meals etc. Motel costs, he charged several hundred dollars for workshops, and program. All totaled, it cost around #2,000.00. We had another speaker recently that cost 1,500.00 not counting our share of plane ticket, and motel stay and meals. Luckily, these speakers fell in two different 'guild years' As it is, it is the first month of our new year, and I have used half of my budget on one speaker. Everyone told me "get more like this" meaning more workshops. But, I can't. At least nationally known speakers. You plan to have the workshops covered by the cost to students, but no one comes to the workshops. I do my best to get good people that can teach things you can't learn from one of the MANY quilt shops within a 30 minute drive of where we live. But I have heard complaints from some that I should have workshops for people that aren't advanced. I have a few thoughts on that. First, there are about 12 quilt shops within 45minutes from our area. You can learn all kinds of non-advanced things there. Second, if you don't stretch yourself by taking something difficult, you will never grow beyond where you are. And the third reason is, I will admit it, I have to sit in every workshop. I have to spend most of my free time for days with the person I get in for a program. I also have a job, so this is saying a lot. If I am doing the work, I am going to look to the guilds needs, but I am going to get someone that I want to take a workshop from. I'm too restless to sit in a workshop anyway, if I have to it is not going to be a workshop in making nine patch quilts.
Okay, here is the other side. We charge $15.00 a year for dues, We have one fundraiser every two years. It is a small quilt auction. Our auction is in November, and so far in a guild of well over 100, we have around 40 things to sell. I live in an area that was a big industrial area. Slowly, one by one, they are leaving or going out of business. So since the economy may be good in other parts of the contry, it isn't here. So I don't know how well this pretty much so far unadvertised auction is going to make enough for much of anything. Especially if it is expected to last for two years.

There is a point for this blog. If anyone out there is in a guild would you email me and tell me what your guild does to raise money? I have had some good ideas, and I am looking forward to hearing from all of you.

GUILD WORKSHOP

This month our guest was Mary Stori. I spent most of the day with her and our mutual friend, Nancy, in Oberlin. We had lunch, and went to a shop called "Bead Paradise" which is heaven for embellishers. Mary didn't buy anything, and I bought $43.00 worth of Crystals. at least it wasn't just to throw in a box. They are going in my next project. Anyway, today will be another long day in a workshop. Then I have to drive through Friday rush hour traffic through Cleveland to meet the next program person half way. I'm going to be glad for the rest. Mary is a very nice woman, and I learned some things about the inner workings of the quilt world that were quite interesting.

GUILD BUSINESS

I have been spending a large part of my evening working on guild business. Planning programs.. as much as I can. And working on Challenges. I sometimes do challenges. It helps me create with a goal in mind. The first thing that got me started was, the calendar challenge for Quilting Arts Magazine. I changed all of the guild rules to be any size up to 45" on a side.

First, in honor of my 25th anniversary ( my friend Kaye and her husband are also celebrating theirs on the same day) We will have the "On the Contrary" challenge. This challenge says that at least one Contrary Wife block must be used in the quilt.

Next is 'A Novel Idea' which is like the Quilting Arts Challenge, except for the size and the copyright rules. The magazine's rules will also be included in case there is anyone out there interested in entering that contest.

Then is "Why I Prefer Months That End In -er" which is a Autumn challenge.. but Autumn Challenge is kind of a boring title, so Susan helped me come up with a better name.

I have a few months planned as far as programs go. I am afraid to sign contracts with anyone until we know how our small quilt auction goes. We only have a fundraiser every two years, so the money has to last. We should have ways of making money for the guild all of the time but it is hard to get people to participate in anything. We thought that if we limited it to every other year, it would be easier on everyone. But having people come in for programs is expensive. Especially if they are traveling from any distance. When you have a budget, it doesn't go far if you have to pay mileage, plane fares, motels, expenses.. I am trying to come up with ideas for inexpensive programs. Fons and Porter Magazine has a Bingo game that I am doing for our November Challenge. I bought prizes today at JoAnns 50% off sale. I got rotary cutters, scissors, a bunch of notions. It should be fun stuff, and the prizes will be pretty good, I think. It is always fun to win something.

Well, I should get back to work. Lot's of loose ends!