The Freemotion Challenge

Hi everyone - -

Just in the nick of time, I finished the January tutorial of the Freemotion Challenge - - see the link in the box over >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>there.

And here are my hearts
 - I was really bold today to do them in light blue thread on a black background, but I figured that would be the test of how it really looked, rather than hiding the stitching by using black thread...  oh well, a work of quilting art it's not, but , then, its only January of the Freemotion quilting challenge - who knows how good I will be by next December!!!!

This is the corner of a little 9-patch kids quilt for a charity initiative - no danger this border will come unsewn!!! I have it well-quilted with all these leaves... yippeeeeeee.

Tomorrow is February - wonder what I will learn next month.

You can still join the Challenge - just click the box >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> over there.

Kate

Annee from Arizona and Jenny P

Annee and Jenny - you are the winners of the book giveaway I hosted a few posts ago...  My favorite friend, the Random Number Generator, picked you !!

Unfortunately, my computer won't connect with you through the link, so I have left notes on your blogs... so if you see this, please email me at kat525252@yahoo.com...

Can't wait to send you these very cute books - so send your snail mail addy!

(I will try again to email you from my work computer, which is a bit less contentious than my laptop)..

Thanks all who commented and entered..

Kate

Hexagon Update - Month 11

Holy Hexagons!!! 

It's been eleven months now since I started this project with the tiny center star... 

this month I started working on a corner - it's soooo exciting to be doing a corner...  can't wait to see a 90 degree angle emerge - that will feel like a real movement toward conclusion...   right now that left corner just looks like some sort of strange growth - hopefully it will begin to look more in harmony with the rest of the piece as I get more done.    I have found that any new area looks totally weird until there's more than one area like that, and then it looks perfect... 

ha - conclusion!!!!  I'm guessing this will take another year to finish the top... 

So - this is the Feb. 1 photo (a few days early)  

You know - after working on this for 11 months, now I see hexagons everywhere I look... like this photo!!!! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend - I'm settling down tonight with a movie - and some hexagons!!!

Happy quilting,

Kate

Christmas Shopping Spree

Deck the Halls with pins and thread
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Drag the One to whom you're wed
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.

It's a SALE, a big SALE, just today.
Fa la la...........etc.

Grab the bolt and take it away...
Fa la la, lalalalalllalala

Three Christmases ago, DH began a tradition of giving me a Christmas quilty shopping spree...A spree is MUCH better than a gift certificate, cause is has no limit... (I try to be merciful).

This year we delayed the spree until the big Birthday Sale that happens once each year at Eddie's Quilting Bee in Sunnyvale, CA...  and that was TODAY - yippee

I scored BIG ...  don't you love those blues and greens!!!!  yummmm...

I'm off to sew - I have too much fabric... but I really enjoyed buying some more!!

Happy Weekend to All,

Kate

The Quilting Professor Gets A Logo

Well - this is a really fun post...  the Quilting Professor decided that it was time to kick up her profile a bit!!!!   You know, some kick-ass looking graphics, to go with the fabulous quilts ... so,,, I went to my favorite place .................etsy !!!!

I love Etsy because it's people like us - in fact, it IS us - selling their wares, their abilities, their skills....

And I discovered Michael Nolasco, at his shop on Etsy called NolascoDesign.  You can visit him at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NolascoDesign.  Michael is a Freelance Graphic Designer from sunny Florida..

After a bit of conversation, Michael has, on my order produced two logo designs for me... here they are:

and the other one:

I commissioned Michael to do two designs because... well, honestly, I couldn't decide...each one seems just perfect for different purposes...

Which one do you like????  PLEASE leave a comment and let me know.

Next he is working on a blog banner for this blog, so just you wait!!!!

(and for those who want to know if it cost a lot - his prices are quite reasonable, and he is very willing to work through several possibilities with you... go visit his shop to learn more!!)

Kate

An 'aww' Story of a Charity Quilt

Now, I ask you - isn't this just the most beautiful little  boy????? 

He isn't just asleep, he is recovering from surgery...  he just had some sort of reconstruction surgery by the kind doctors sponsored by Rotoplast International...  I'm sure he and his mom were afraid...  When he awakens, he will see a quilt on him - with PUPPIES!!!!

 This little boy lives in TOGO --- TOGO, why - where is Togo??? Well, I'm glad you asked:

This quilt, made in the old USA, was part of the Wrap-A-Smile Project, on the Yahoo Groups site, which the Sunshine Yahoo Group sponsors... I'm not sure if I made this quilt, or quilted it, or what - it looks really familiar to me, and I know I had those fabrics, so maybe it was my quilt...  I hope so. 

The Rotoplast Medical teams take the quilts with them when they go international to do these wonderful surgeries to correct clef palettes or other disfigurements, giving these children new lives... - and new 'huggy' quilts....  imagine it - boxes of medical equipment, and boxes of bright, colorful kids quilts. 

I got to go sew some more charity quilts... My heart is so happy to see this photo, and am in awe of my quilt being in Togo...  kudos to my friend Terri, who lives in Maine, who founded the Wrap-A-Smile program, and keeps it running... 

Happy Quilting,

Kate

Where Oh Where is the Finish Line??

oh, me, oh my...

I want to report about a finish.....................

Or I want to report about a start.............................

But instead, I must report about more MIDDLES.... 

MEANWHILE - THIS GIVEAWAY GOES ON - JUST LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF YOU BECOME A FOLLOWER, LEAVE A SECOND COMMENT...  WINNERS TO BE CHOSEN NEXT WEEKEND. 

Orca Bay is getting borders - only one so far...  I discovered I was short of those 'birds in the air' units, so have to make a few more of those before I can put on all the borders.  But I like the effect the border is going to have on this - it will calm it down just a bit...  and give the eye somewhere to land.   I think I will add one more solid outer border in the dark rust color..  this quilt NEEDS some solid for my taste. I really love the Mediterranean look of this quilt.  ... I went outside my normal comfort zone on colors - now I can't wait to use these colors on another project  (no, no, brain, don't even think about another project yet)))

This blue/yellow Christmas eve mystery is in the middle of being quilted...  and I am beginning to look covetously at one of those sit-down mid-arms...  either a HQ Sweet Sixteen or a George.  We'll see... I just need some throat space...  This is only about 25% complete, and someone (surely not me) decided to put in complicated quilting... ugh...you know, once you start, you can't stop.............:)

 Some ordered fabric arrived - yippee!

 A charity quilt got laid out for pinning:

 And the quilting fairy did not come in at night and quilt up these small donation quilts that are all pinned and ready to quilt - wonder where she is????  Gone to Florida for the winter?? Or maybe she went to the 'road to california' quilt show.............she better get her little wings back here.

 And in the middle of it all, I decided I needed to make a snake out of a sock..........

Now, really - did I not have enough to do?????  But perhaps the snake from a sock will be enormously popular and I will sell them for hundreds, no thousands of dollars and support my quilting habit................. good grief, I am nuts... but he is really cute, especially if you roll him up like a cobra!!!

And, on the couch, there, is the hexagon quilt...  the middle of that quilt is a desert with no oasis - I can't even predict yet when it might be complete... photo to come on the first of the month as usual.

................and there are pants to be hemmed today - HORRORS - hems??? I am an ARTISTE - of snakes and such... shall I put in a lowly hem??? Well, I guess I must, unless I want to walk on the bottoms of these pants tomorrow at work. 

Color me completely nuts... 

More insanity later...  Hope everyone is happy and well.

Kate

I'm Getting a Logo!!!

Hi all, and happy weekend...

The Quilting Professor is getting a logo!!!

I believe in giving business to independent artists and craftsmen whenever possible.  For example, I try to buy from a place called Mike's Appliances rather than a place called Sears...  Mike is much more likely to shop in my grocery store, to coach little league, to cook a pancake at the community event, and to donate to local arts and crafts, than is anyone from a place called Sears, where the profit from the business goes to stockholders in high-rise apartments in NYC or some other place.  (I know I'm generalizing, but once I start on Sears, I can't stop - and don't even say the word Wal-Mart).

So - I went to Etsy to find a logo design... and I found Mike Nolasco... Nolasco Designs.  Cool.  Saw some examples of his designs, and off we go!!  Here's the image from  Mike's logo:

You can learn more about his work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/NolascoDesign

He will be sending me some rough designs to choose from ... how fun!!!

Stay tuned - this will be a trip.

...............and Happy Quilting

Kate

CATCHING THE WHALE - AND A GIVEAWAY, TOO!

It's a happy day at the Quilting Professor's house!

One more row to go to finish the body of my Orca Bay quilt -  I can't wait to add the borders, cause I think that will tame down this very active beastie of a quilt...  my inner border will be yellow.  And then I might add an outer border like some have... we will see...  I still have to make the units for the border...  fun, fun.  Thank you, Bonnie Hunter, for this wonderful mystery...

 Remember I wrote a week or so ago about my kitty who was in the kitty hospice?  Mr. George.  When he was young we called him George Rottweiler, cause he was a mighty hunter and had a very dominant attitude.  Now he is 17 1/2 , and had stopped eating... each night we wondered if he would be with us in the morning...

Well - he has perked up... is eating enthusiastically, and, as you see, decided to take a little nap on Orca Bay...  we are not sure if this improved condition will continue, but, he has been improving for nearly a week now, so maybe... 

Nomally, I would shoo him off the new quilt - but heck, George can nap anywhere he wants to just now... we are babying him with special treats - DH even cooked a pot roast today because he wanted to have the good broth for George - and some meat too, of course.... 

 George says '  hey ma, nice quilt... let me inspect - are those flying geese??? Yum, goose tastes good!!!

 Well, I really need to celebrate George's improved health AND getting close to completion on Orca Bay (oh well, almost close to completion!!

So - IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

Leave a comment to enter...
Sign up as a follower (or if you already are one) and you can enter a second time!  


I will pick two winners with the random number generator - each will win one set of the books shown in these photos. 
(sorry, no international entries - postal costs just too high).

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and is looking forward to a nice MLK holiday, too!

I am happily quilting,

Kate

ADOPTION DAY

The word went out:  Emergency garage clean-up !!!!  Not that I have too much quilty stuff, mind you - but it had gotten disorganized, and there didn't seem to be any room for - well, you know -  for MORE !!!!

Unfortunately the cardboard boxes have to stay for a bit longer (hopefully one day they will be gone)... but some of this other stuff can be put out for adoption!!!!

 A couple of hours later, this box of string blocks was all packed up to go the Heartstrings Yahoo Group!

These squishies are packed full to bursing (hope not...)  One goes to someone who wanted scraps.  The other goes to a fellow quilter who lost a bunch of her 'stuff' from flooding - it includes some four-patches from a swap, and some nickel squares and other 'goodies ' that I hope she will enjoy..

Next I went in the yarn bins - I had a lot of leftover mis-matched stuff - - one skein of this, one of that...  half of that... can't believe I moved all this stuff across the country last year.  I answered a Freecycle ad from someone who wanted yarn for a knitting group that makes charity blankies, hats, gloves, etc.  Turned out the woman was my down-the-street neighbor - -  so she went happily away with this HUGE bag of yarn...




I opened a box and discovered yards and yards of denim fabric...  A few years ago I got six GIGANTIC boxes of denim donated by the Cone Mills factory in Greensboro, NC...  I've been making fabulous picnic quilts from it...  but this box was different - it was a flatter color, and not prewashed, so I never used it... so I put it up on Freecycle...  with the condition that it must be used for charity!!!  Turns out the same neighbor who knits also works with a group that makes tote bags for foster children who need containers for their stuff when they are relocated... sometimes they must carry their clothes in grocery bags...  So -  this is around 15 yards of denim - it is on my front porch today, awaiting her pickup - yippeeeeeee.

 Last thing to leave my house today?  this small envelope - my tuition fee for Asilomar...  in May... I can not wait - a whole week with Sally Collins - do you know how accurate my piecing is going to be after that!!!!!  Wish I could go tomorrow.

Well, by the 'rules of blogging', I should close with an 'after' shot of the garage - sadly, it really doesn't look much better...  but at least some of the things I wasn't going to use have now been adopted by others and will do good things for the world!

..... gotta go sew on my Orca Bay quilt...  putting the rows together... and eager to get to the borders...

Still two weekend days left....

Kate

'Whale of a Boo-Boo'

IS THIS QUILT SUPPOSED TO BE SQUARE????

........  guess i didn't do those last two rows just right ....

Kate, the Quilting Professor Student

What a Quilty Day !!!

Wow - it's ten p.m., and I started quilting this morning at 6, and I haven't stopped yet - boy did I get a lot done.  Let's see...

Pin-basted a kid's charity quilt made by someone else.

Made six really fun blocks for a Lotto, with fish in the middle.  And these are in an envelope, ready to be mailed out next week:

 Added a row to my Orca Bay (shown here not yet sewn on).  I love the colors now...don't ANYONE write me and tell me any part of this is put together wrong, cause it's just tough, it's sewn up now!!

 I put a binding on this little charity quilt, which was made by some ladies in prison - My guild has a prison program - the ladies make tops, and then some of us quilt them and then they go in the charity drive... this is now finished..

 And I did a LOT of machine quilting on this quilt:  I love watching a newly sandwiched quilt literally 'shrink' as it is quilted - going from this big, floppy pile of layers to something that feels like a real quilt...  lots more to do on this.

I also stopped by the LQS and found a perfect border fabric for a quilt that I thought was finished, but then I decided to put one more border on it... I think it will look really finished with this last wide border - at least I hope so... will try to put it on tomorrow and see...

GEE - I GOT A LOT DONE.  Quilting makes me feel better!!

Thanks, my friends,

Kate

Quilting and Crying

Hi all - it's bright and early here in California - a nice chilly morning so I can light a fire and snuggle down - no where to go today, which is nice. 

Sewing will be my therapy today - - just too much else going on... 

I won a huge stack of Lotto blocks from the Sunshine Guild - can't imagine when I will get those put into tops, but I will somehow, someday...

And I have been doing my own January lotto blocks - they are just gorgeous...

Quilting on two massive tops - and of course doing too much detail, so they will take forever...

and working on my Orca Bay - seems to be going slowly...


Meanwhile our 17 year beloved kitty is passing.  He seems to be doing it on his own time, here at home... he is terrified at the vet, so we hope he can spend his last hours here... DH is his hospice nurse - so very sweet.  My job seems mostly to cry.  I will miss him.  You can get real close to an animal in 17 years.

So, no pictures today...  I'll be back when the sun comes out, both literally and figuratively...

Kate

Get Ready for Cuddle-Up Day

January 6 is National Cuddle-Up Day...  doesn't that sound great???? 
In preparation and inspiration, here are some of my favorite 'cuddle up ' photos:

Happy Planning for Cuddle Up Day!

Kate

What Does the Whale Say????

When you have put together several rows of your Orca Bay, and the little four-inch squares don't go in the 'right' direction...

What does the Whale Say???

Why - Rippit, Rippit.... of course  !!!!

On more positive news - Monday I was off from work - and the LQS had no class scheduled - so it was MAKE A SANDWICH DAY !!!  and I talked dh into helping!!

Here's the mystery quilt i made on Christmas Eve as Pocket Full of Mysteries.  It's a Dorothy Young design - thanks, Dorothy, for the mystery - it was fun, and I love the quilt... can't wait to machine quilt this one...

 And - can anyone identity this design????  Yep, you got it - B onnie Hunter's Roll, Roll, Cotton Bowl...  I admit I was a little reluctant to sandwich this big bad, quilt... but a million safety pins later, it is almost sandwiched - I say almost because I had a little booboo - my backing turned out to be about three inches too narrow - but I have more ordered, and can just add on that little bit - no way I'm pulling out all those pins!!!!

I am so very glad to have both of these big quilts sandwiched -  and actually it was lots of fun...  especially with my volunteer helper...  what a good sport he is!!!

.... got to go to my sewing machine... it's calling...............

Kate

A Brand New Year - and a RANT

It's like a shiny penny, isn't it???

A year full of possibilities...  and I am looking forward to it!!

And my first project of the year is SO MUCH FUN - Bonnie Hunter's Orca Bay - except my Orca's aren't black and white - they are rust, blue, green, and yellow - yippee!!!  I think they are just in the Mediterranean for vacation.  Here's a little bigger 'eyeful' than I posted yesterday !  (sorry it's sideways - Blogger insists - heck, just turn your head sideways - that's much easier than getting the technology to change)...

 I've been doing some thinking about my charity quilting - I need to find some balance, I think.  At the moment I feel inundated by charity quilts... they seem to be everywhere - some that I have agreed to quilt, some that I said I would bind, some that I sewed...  they are multiplying like rabbits out in my garage. 

So - today I corralled a few of them in this chair - we'll see if I can knock that pile down a bit soon!!
I do love working on these small treasures.  And then giving them away...

Tomorrow I'm going by the LSQ and sandwich some 'big quilts' that I need bigger table to work on... DH is going to "help" in return for a sushi lunch down the street!  One is the Bonnie Hunter mystery from LAST Year - RRCB !!!! yippee...  so glad to see it transcending from a flimsy to a quilt!! 

I better run - cleaning lady comes tomorrow, I have to tidy up   pile a bunch of stuff in my sewing room and close the door!!!! 

OH - THE RANT - I know you were holding your breath!  Did you see the CNN NYE special last night with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin the slutty potty-mouth woman???  I'm sorry, and I'm surely no prude... but good grief... it was like the fifth grade in the boys locker room - endless cheap, sexual inuendo and jokes from both of them.  With her, you get what you pay for - she is who she is, so no surprise.. But Anderson and CNN are supposed to stand for reliable news coverage...  and then they go and behave in such unprofessional, cheap ways...  I'm truly truly dismayed...

OH WELL - SHAKE IT OFF - moving on !

Happy New Year to everyone... I hope today was just a great Day One for the rest of the year!!!!

Oh I'm gonna love it!!!

Hi all and Happy New Year - 

Oh, I am singing the Happy Song and doing the Happy Dance

I love love my Orca Bay colors...

Remember how I was worried about the blue??? now it's fabulous...

My Orcas went on a Mediterranean Cruise...

Oh, I got to go put some more together... see you later with a bigger photo. 

 Kate