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July 27, 2012
Hello everyone, Mary Ellen here. First I’ll fess up that I have an extensive fabric stash. Certainly more than I can ever use. I should be developing a plan for its dispersal in case I am hit by a bus. There is no one in my immediate family now who would want the fabric mountain I have accumulated. I have donated quite a bit to a variety of charities this year and I have made a concerted effort to use what I’ve got instead of buying more. That said, it has not made a dent. It seems like there may be fabric hanky-panky going on when the lights are off. It’s got to be reproducing itself somehow! Do I love each and every fabric in my stash? Well, I must have loved every one of them when I bought it. There are some in the mix now though that I […]
July 26, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Imagine this scene. Fifty years from now as someone is admiring a gorgeous quilt made in many hours of loving stitching, she says to her companion “I wonder who made this quilt. It’s fabulous. Do you think it was for someone’s wedding? Or maybe it’s a graduation gift. OOh! And look at this baby quilt. Do you suppose a grandmother made this-or an auntie-or maybe the mom while she was pregnant? ” Wouldn’t it be terrible to be looking down from wherever we go after life, to be looking down trying to say “I made those quilts. That blue one with the flowers was for…” You know where I’m going with this. Do you put labels on your quilts? You really should. If you’re an Antiques Roadshow fan, you know how having the provenance of an antique really helps its value. And even if not […]
July 19, 2012
Hello ladies, Mary Ellen here. I will admit I’m not much of a movie goer. That said, this clip from the “HeyQuilty blog” caught my attention. “And I don’t mean to be crude, but if you think he looks good with a suit on, I’m telling you: Joe Manganiello NOT in a suit, sitting at a sewing machine? It’s good, folks. It’s real, real good.”( a plug for the movie “Magic Mike”) There’s Joe, in the photo below. What a cutie. So maybe I’ll be going to the movies soon.
July 16, 2012
Hello everybody, Mary Ellen again. When you see a man in a quilt shop, do you assume he’s there to buy a gift for his wife? If you see a man hand stitching under a shade tree, what do you surmise about him? Do we take for granted that stitching/quilting is a female domain? What about those gorgeous stitched kites that were in our quilt show this spring–made by a male stitcher? Whenever you see or hear about a guy who quilts, do you have a little voice in your head whispering something about his manliness? Is there a divide between sewing projects that are manly and those that are for the rest of us quilters? I sure hope we are beyond those stereotypes. Here’s an interview with a dad who quilts who is making quite a name for himself in the world of modern quilters. And here’s a link […]
July 14, 2012
Hello everybody, it’s ME. The month of July has really gotten away from me. I’ve been busy with lots of odds and ends-have no big deal to report on. No fabulous vacation, or beautiful new room in my house. I have been in the garden quite a bit-mostly dragging a sprinkler around on a regular rotation schedule, and trying to keep up with the weeds. The ground is so hard that weeding is really a chore; usually my beds are nice and loose and the weeds come right out. Not this year. Getting set for a mulching and painting blitz outdoors next week-will have a young helper working with me with a strong back. I’ll be playing the “sidewalk superintendent” as my dad used to call it. I did finally get my next Lucy Goosey block done today. Will post a photo soon. Chose cool colors (blues and greens)-can’t imagine […]
July 10, 2012
Hello everyone! I guess this amazing, hot summer has us all away from indoors and hence, from our computers, blogs, quilting…? TRUE or FALSE? In my case – a bit of both! Definitely spending more time outside of course, but then, when it becomes really hot, air-conditioning calls… and sewing in nice cooled-down room is just as good as sewing in a nice warm place while winter winds are blowing outside, right? If you ask me, I would be quilting just as much, but summer is also time for the garden, time for house remodeling…and I have been deeply into both! Just spent a long, 4th of July weekend remodeling our family room – started as “only needs fresh paint on the walls” and ended up with ripped out old carpet and installation of hardwood floors – yaiks! What can I say – now that kids are grown-up, family room […]
June 30, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Had my annual checkup this week, and got my annual advice about getting more exercise. As I decide annually, I will try to do more. (yah, right!) But to be honest I do notice that more than in my younger years, I feel tired and sometimes sore after a long session of stitching. Does that mean quilting is a workout? No, more likely pieces and parts are either suffering a bit from repetitive motion, or stiffening up from not enough motion. Recently on the Quilty video series (with Mary Fons, daughter of Marianne Fons of Fons and Porter fame) there was a video about stretching out before and after sewing. The nurse who was the guest gave several good ideas for quilters, many of which could easily be done right in your sewing chair. It would be good for all of us to take care […]
June 28, 2012
Hey all, Mary Ellen here. Just got the random number to choose the blog candy winner from our little survey about sewing with shoes on or off. Yay! the number 7 comment wins. Send me an e-mail (address in guild roster) so we can arrange how I’ll get your prize to you.
June 25, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I dug out an old pattern the other day which I have made many times. It was designed by Karen Montgomery, famous for her runner from striped fabric which uses the 60 degree triangle ruler. The date on this pattern is 1992. On oldie but goodie for sure. It is a “quilt as you go runner” which ends up reversible, with two different triangle/strippy designs on either side. She puts on a regular binding made with a fabric that matches both sides. I want to put a reversible binding on it, made with 2 fabrics so the binding that shows on either side matches the fabrics on that side. I have done this before, using directions from Anita Murphy. I think Anita came up with the “quilt as you go” method WAY before anyone else did. The trouble is that most of her things are […]
June 24, 2012
Hi, it’s ME. Let’s see if we can bring out a few comments from those who have been lurking around this blog. Don’t mean to offend anyone, lurking is the “blogger” term for reading but never commenting. I’m hoping this painless question will make it easy for you. No need to compose even a whole sentence. No spell checking, no grammar checking, easy peasy. Do you sew with your shoes on or off? A one word comment will be fine. Just scroll down a bit to where it says “leave a comment”. Click on that and a short message will appear. Below that will be a box that says enter comment. Click on that and type your answer. Thanks! Oh, BTW there will be a bit of blog candy for a name chosen at random from the list. You have until Wednesday at noon.