Piece O' Cake Blog

New news...

2009-07-13T14:23:00.003-05:00

For more than a year our blog has resided on Blogspot. We have been happy with Blogspot - they are reliable and the service is free. It's easy to love that combination. On the downside, I've had a bit more trouble customizing the way the blog looks than I would like to have had. It's probably been user-error on my part but there you go. I decided a week ago to look at other options.

I found a new blog host that is easier for me to work in. I'm going to leave this blog, hosted by Blogspot, as it is right now. Our previous posts are here and will still be accessible.

So, without further ado, click here to go to our new blog!

It's hot in Texas...

2009-07-10T12:36:00.003-05:00

... which means it's time to pull out the baby pool and the hose. It was 100 outside yesterday and we still had a great time. Jack surprised us when he started pouring water over his head - and it looks like he surprised himself too!

Enjoy the weekend!

Applique Outside the Lines...

2009-07-09T14:22:00.002-05:00

The new book is here and Linda is shipping it out now. It's already getting good reviews! In their new issue, American Quilt Retailer wrote:

"Applique Outside the Lines by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins (C&T Publishing) is brilliantly thought out! In fact, it is so well thought out and explained, that when you use this book, Becky and Linda encourage you not to follow the directions! Can you imagine that? How wonderful!"

We love a good review! Click here for more info.

We've also added a new ePattern to our site. Jacob's Ladder didn't quite fit in the Piecing book but it's too pretty not to share. Click here for more info.

Our Jacob's Ladder is made from Japanese taupe fabric but you can use any fabric you like to make yours. Value placement is important in this quilt. The instructions in our ePattern clearly state where to put the light and dark fabrics so that you don't have to guess.

Playing catch-up...

2009-07-08T16:43:00.003-05:00

I'm home and desperately trying to dig my way through the pile of stuff that didn't get done while we were on the road. There is hope. The pile is smaller!

I shot this while standing in Times Square last week (hard to believe that it was only a week ago). What an amazing place. Noisy, crowded, busy people going everywhere at once, taxis doing their best not to kill you, eye-candy everywhere you look - NYC is well worth a visit. Enjoy this (short) show:

Visit the Artgirlz blog...

2009-07-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

I had a few moments in the hotel room to blog surf. I checked the Artgirlz blog to catch up on posts I missed. I found their post on the color turquoise and it made me oh-s0-happy! I especially love this photo with the stripes in reflected in the pool water.

There are so many good blogs out there and you are reading this so you know that. I'd like to encourage you to talk to your friends and see if they, too, are blog surfing. If not, tell them what you like about it and encourage them to join the fun. They will thank you for it later.

The trip is winding down...

2009-07-03T14:57:00.002-05:00

We're nearly home and I'm looking through a few of the photos I took thinking that you all might be interested. These matted photos below were part of a much bigger piece of art. I liked the way the photos float inside the openings in the matt, sometimes on torn black paper. Nice look.

I have no idea what this is. Looks like a huge upside-down water glass. It was on top of the MOMA.
A big part of our trip included a stop in Baltimore where Jeff (our youngest son) and Celia (his fiance) live. We had a nice visit with them and left the next morning with "The Dress".

This is Celia's wedding dress that she'll be wearing on August 15 in Sherman, TX, when she and Jeff get married. The Dress spent the night in 2 different hotels and traveled, laying down, in the back seat of the car. I have to say that I'll be glad when is it safely hung up at our house.

A big day in NYC...

2009-07-02T12:25:00.001-05:00

There are lions guarding the entrance to the NYC Public Library. These guys are resting where the ones in front of the Art Institute of Chicago are in mid-step... but they are about the same size. Notice the pigeon on this fellow's head.

We did more people watching in Times Square. It is my sincere hope that I am not nearly as interesting to look at as many of the folks we saw are.

If the trash is from a store with pretty boxes, it can be a little bit festive... This pile made me think of Christmas.

There is an installation piece at the MOMA by Song Dong called "Waste Not". Turns out that these items all came from his now-deceased mother's house. That is the skeleton of her house with the items. Seriously, if this doesn't get you get rid of the junk in your house, what will?

I enjoyed the look of the empty toothpaste tubes but I am not going to make my own set at home.

And I shopped for fabric in the garment district! I am very lucky that Steve was with me and carried my purchases all day long. I found out where to go from a page on Paula Nadelstern's web site. The shop in the photo below is N. Y. Elegant Fabrics (not on Paula's site but it's near the shops that were). Oh my, it was huge and full of luscious stuff. I did buy some cotton (great big red dots on white), and some etched fuschia velvet. It made me wish I had time to make more garments.

New York City - Day One...

2009-07-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

We got to NYC in time to see a bit of the Gay Pride parade. It was colorful and festive and no one minded having their pictures taken.

We went to see the very fine exhibit of Paula Nadelstern's quilts at the American Folk Art Museum. The quilts were marvelous and the setting was perfect for them. Go see this exhibit if you get a chance. Next we went to the MOMA. The art was good, but I had almost as much fun people-watching. These three ladies looked nice together...

I love this photo...

Leaving Vermont...

2009-06-30T12:30:00.000-05:00

On our way from Vermont to Connecticut, we stopped at the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store. I've been buying my chocolate from them for a while now and it was really fun to stop and find even more great baking tools. We found the hot pads we've been hunting for for years - oh happy day.

Then we went down the road to Simon Pearce. I had not heard of Simon Pearce before but this is a well-respected source for hand-blown glass in the northeast. These are photos of the outside of their home base. The waterfall you see generates much of the power that they use.

I loved the wear pattern on this rock...

Steve took the photos above from this covered bridge...

I did try to resist, but I just didn't do a good job of it. We bought one glass bowl, the smaller Corinth bowl. It's going to look lovely on our dining room table. Steve thought so too - although later he said that really, as long as I loved it, that was good enough. I think our table without a bowl would suit him just fine. But we decided that if we managed to stimulate the economy a little bit on this trip that that would be OK so there you go.

Fabric shopping at the Vermont Quilt Festival...

2009-06-29T12:52:00.001-05:00

I have stimulated the economy by buying fabric on this trip (and some other stuff too but we won't go there right now). This is the fabric I managed to buy during my 2 hours at the Vermont Quilt Festival show. I was teaching and the show was off-site so I didn't get to the show very much. This first fabric I got at the Woodstock Quilt Supply booth. These are mostly (or all) from Westminster and are fabrics that I think I don't already own.

Isn't their fat quarter label wonderful!

I spent a lot of time and money at the Quilters' Express to Japan & The Beckoning Cat booth. The Japanese fabric was worth the money.

This fabric is one cut off the bolt. The pattern changes at the fold - positive and negative designs on each side of the fold. Very cool.

The background colors behind the swirly black print changes across the width of the fabric. There were more fabrics like each of these.

And, last but not least, Handloom Batik had a booth. They have beautiful fabric and scarves and batik stamps and more. That gray piece of fabric with the light berries on it - I'm going to find a special place for it!

Seen in Vermont...

2009-06-26T12:09:00.001-05:00

My last class ended at 11:30 on Sunday. It was such a good few days! The ladies in my classes all did so well and a good time was had by everyone. As a quilt teacher, it always makes me happy when my students leave happy and confident that they can applique anything. Good job ladies!

Kayoko, one of my students, gave me an origami winged dragon that she made. I love it! It folds flat so that I can travel home with it. It will live in my studio. Thank you, Kayoko.

Steve and I drove to Stowe for a couple of hours. Steve hiked and saw quite a bit of Vermont while I was working so this was my chance to see some of the state. We took the scenic route and found this spot in the road. The rocks are HUGE and the road is narrow and winding. Very scenic.

These flowers were in Stowe. I should know what they are, but I don't. Let's just call them pretty.

This is pretty interesting...

2009-06-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I found a link to The Uniform Project. Click the link and read all about it. This is a project in which the woman below is wearing the same black "uniform" every day for one year. It is a short dress/smock that buttons up either in front or back. She changes up the uniform every day. She is doing amazing things with this one dress and accessories. I'm getting some good ideas!

Look on the left side of her blog page. Click on "View Dailies" and a calendar will come up. Click on a day and you'll see the photo of the outfit she wore that day.

The Vermont Quilt Festival...

2009-06-24T12:24:00.000-05:00

I taught at the Vermont Quilt Festival. What a great show! If you ever get a chance, go to this show. The quilts were wonderful, the quilters are happy, and there are lots of classes. It is held on the campus of St. Michael's College in Burlington, VT. The land is flat and the classrooms are air conditioned.

There were some great red and white and green antique quilts. This one, #A32, was my favorite. Here is what the catalog said about it:
"Potted Flowers with One Blue Pot, 1850-70
This quilt is an example of the pot-of-flowers quilt pattern for which there is an ongoing research project. There are very few of these intricately made quilts, the majority of them having PA or OH origins. This particular quilt, locatedin 2006, was not one of the known examples and has since been added to the project. We do not know the name of the maker, but it is also believed to have come from PA. The one blue glowerpot is a result of the yellow component of the original over dyed green being fugitive. Private collection."

Personally, I wish the blue flower pot was intentional. That color change is what makes this quilt so memorable.

#A4 was another favorite. It's named Urn with Red Feather & Mystery Flower, 1850. The catalog says:
"This quilt is from Oneonta, NY. The design is composed of elements common to many red and green applique quilts with flowers and leaves emerging from an urn. But the expression is totally original. The flowers are unlike those seen in nature and the leaves are as much like red feather as leaves. The quilting apttern on the center setting blocks is unusual - a pineapple tree with three pineapples. Private collection."

And then there was this striped stairwell spotted in downtown Burlington. The stripes dressed up an otherwise boring spot.

The Shelburne Museum...

2009-06-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

We went to the Shelburne Museum before my classes started at the Vermont Quilt Festival. The museum sits on a large swath of land in Shelburne, VT. There are historical houses, barns, buildings, a steamboat, and a locomotive on site that have been restored and furnished. There are a variety of exhibits. The docents were exceptionally helpful and knowledgable. The Shelburne is definitely worth a visit if you come this way.

It was a beautiful day - breezy and cool. The plants were bright green, the flowers lovely. Here is some of what we saw...

The round, red barn at the entrance had a motorcycle exhibit on display.

It was interesting to go into these houses. The walls were mostly solid wood planks. 2x4 construction came along much later.

There were several lovely antique quilts on exhibit. I didn't photograph them because we couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash on my camera. Oh my. I did use my little camera to take a photo of this block. I know I've seen it before but I don't think I've ever really looked at it. The shapes are appliqued, not pieced.

This Paul Revere on his horse weathervane made me smile.

There is a horseshoe-shaped building devoted to circus things. One entire side has a carved replica of a circus parade mady by Roy Arnold. He spent 25 years carving and painting it - and he had helpers! It's pretty amazing. I think the wheels would look great as pieced blocks.

From the American side...

2009-06-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

The American side of the falls is different. From this side you get the view over-the-top. Surprisingly, the river leading to the falls doesn't look that dangerous. There are rapids and there is a lot of mist in the distance (clouds of it in fact) and there is the noise from the falls - but if you didn't know what was coming you might just paddle on... and over you'd go.

A closer shot of the top of the American falls...

Here's the top of Horseshoe Falls...

I love these things. They look like happy men from Mars.

Niagra Falls...

2009-06-21T12:41:00.001-05:00

We drove from Michigan through Ontario, Canada, to Niagra Falls. It really is spectacular from the Canadian side. You can see the falls falling. There are two falls. American Falls...

...and Horseshoe Falls. There is mist coming off both of them and when the light hits it just right, you can see rainbows. It's very cool. And noisy. And damp depending on which way the mist is blowing.

You can't park near the falls. The walk from the parking lot to the falls takes you through some serious tourist-y stuff. The Frankenstein Burger King was pretty impressive.

King Kong was attached the the sideways Ripley's Believe It Or Not. I was happier to find fudge and a nut-covered carmel apple.

We got to our hotel and they asked if we would be willing to upgrade to a jacuzzi suite. Well, why not, right? There's a huge jacuzzi in one corner of the room and we might actually use it! Actually, no, we didn't. It just seemed a little icky.

Michigan flowers....

2009-06-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

What is this flower? It might be some sort of lily.
These white flowers were big - 8" across or so. The petals seemed sheer. Is this a peony? It does not grow in my part of the world.
I think this is a lady slipper...
Even the dandelions are pretty here.

Fun stuff from Michigan...

2009-06-19T12:34:00.003-05:00

Isn't this an amazing roof? I've never seen another one like it.
These pansies are pretty, but the colored pots are what make these special.

Very ornate wrought iron looked wonderful in front of a Victorian house in Charlevoix...
The Charlevoix Public Library is a renovated elementary school. The children's area was one of the best I've ever seen - and it was obvious that the kids thought so too. One thing I noticed in particular was this old refrigerator door mounted on the wall with word magnets. The kids were encouraged to make new poems. Great idea for an old fridge.
All in all, I have to say that the parts of Michigan we visited were absolutely beautiful, the people were great and the food was magnificent!

More from Michigan...

2009-06-18T12:42:00.000-05:00

Charlevoix, MI, is a lovely resort town. We did a walking tour of the "mushroom houses" designed by architect Earl Young. These houses are happy! The owner of this house was outside and we got to visiting. He and his family are from Austin, TX. He invited us in to see the house - what a treat! The house is tiny and quirky - perfect for a summer home.

The mile long drive into Charlevoix is lined with petunias on both sides of the street.
This young woman was outside a restaurant, luring in diners. I would seriously love to have those striped tights. But not the dress.

This mosaic was outside of a restaurant. Very cool.We had dinner with friends, Jackie and Jerry, at their house on Torch Lake. It was so much fun! Jackie helped me find petoskey stones on the lake shore (mostly she found them for me). Petoskeys are the state stone of Michigan. Steve and Jerry went sailing. Where the color of the water changes, the lake bottom drops from about 5' to 200'. Torch Lake at its deepest is 300'. It's so very clear and blue - it makes our lakes at home look like mud pits.

Bay View, MI...

2009-06-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

We spent several days in Michigan. Petoskey was our first stop. The town of Petoskey surrounds an older township called Bay View. It was founded as a religious resort community in 1875. As we walked around I realized that when I imagine small town America - this is what's in my head. Lovely Victorian houses, tall leafy trees, lawns that blend together, kids out playing, people on porches, and the most amazingly clean outdoor smells - amazing. Unfortunately we didn't actually get to stay here - but it was fun to visit.

The sign on the green house says "Wee Hoose"! You can't say that without smiling.

Fountains in Chicago...

2009-06-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

Chicago has lots of fountains. Big ones, little ones, modern ones, old ones. Water does not appear to be a problem in Chicago.

I had to stop and look at this fountain in particular. I couldn't help but wonder why is the water hitting this poor stone woman in the waist? I'm just sure she's wondering the same thing. That would drive me crazy.

Steve at the Art Institute...

2009-06-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

That's Steve in front of the largest painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. It's Georgia O'Keefe's Sky Above Clouds.

I loved this green dotted wall. Steve looks lots better in front of it than I did. The photo he took of me was almost immediately deleted. Don't you love that - no wasting film, no guilt, just delete those bad photos!

From Chicago...

2009-06-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

We went to the Art Institute of Chicago last Wednesday. What an amazing place! The bronze lions flanking the entry are just about as wonderful as the art inside.

I wondered about people taking photos of the art... and then I found myself snapping a few photos. It was allowed, I wasn't breaking any rules. I bought a postcard of this Van Gogh, but I'm glad I have the photo too. It's different in its frame.
I'm also happy to have this detail shot of one of Monet's waterlilies. That man could do amazing things with splotches of paint.Dots have always been good...

Everyday Best in Wool...

2009-06-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Vicki Norris made a small version of Everyday Best in wool and brought it to a class I recently taught in Kingwood, TX. It's on our Show & Tell page too, but I wanted to be sure you blog readers saw it. It's way cute!

Flowers from home...

2009-06-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm on the road now with my husband, Steve. We are on our way to the Vermont Quilt Festival via Chicago, Michigan, Niagra Falls, etc. I'm also going to be teaching Connecticut and we will visit NYC and Baltimore. I hope to be able to post from the road but here's some flowers from TX for now...

Folding a quilt...

2009-06-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

My students noticed how I fold my quilts for travel. I thought it would be a good trick to share. I didn't think this up - I learned it from Quilter's Newsletter. The thing is to never fold them on the straight of grain. When you unfold and re-fold, change the location of the folds each time.

I fold quilts to fit my suitcase. When I'm home, I roll my quilts and store them on a long shelf.

Bring one corner up...
Bring another corner up...

Fold one side up. That triangle of quilt up at the top folds over the rest.Fold it up (sort of like rolling it up, but keep it flat).

The last Raleigh photos...

2009-06-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

There were several sidewalks made from these wonderful bricks. They were not exactly level, but the pattern on the bricks made me think of quilts...

I may have to paint my front door lime green. Isn't this great!?
The NC Quilt Symposium was held at Peace College. Peace is a liberal arts college for women. The buildings and walks on campus were all red brick. This acorn finial was very different.

This view of the angel in the cemetery was truly lovely.

Raleigh flowers...

2009-06-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

I saw these on my walks. It was surprising to me how much light there was at 6:30 in the morning.

I can't grow gardenias in Sherman, TX. These smelled wonderful! I had never looked so close at a gardenia - it's as if there is a starfish laying on the center of each flower. Click the image to see it enlarged and you'll see what I mean.

Plain, old begonias are lovely in a close-up. Below are some Tibetan prayer flags hanging on bird feeders. Truly, I thought they were little quilts. Hollis is the one who knew what they were. They are nice here.

And there were some fancy houses...

2009-06-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

Raleigh is the capital of NC and I walked past the governor's mansion. I didn't take a photo of it but I did shoot several fancy houses...
I liked this house better than the governor's mansion. Scroll down to see the plaque that is outside the house. Wouldn't it be cool to be important enough to merit something like that? I'll bet Fannie was a force to be reckoned with.

And then there was this kind of pitiful little shed tucked in between two impressive structures. Actually, I wouldn't mind having it in my own back yard.

Seen in Raleigh, NC...

2009-06-04T12:38:00.000-05:00

Here are some other images that caught my eye on my morning walks...

This rock path was a nice counterpoint to the concrete sidewalk. It didn't look like it would be difficult to construct.

Many houses had wisteria growing on their porches.

This Victorian house was in the process of being re-painted. It was interesting to see the raw wood among all the painted beauties.

This door, with its painted house number above, reminded me of a firehouse door.

This was really different. That's a painting on the porch of birds perched on what looks like a window of the house. Pretty cool.

NC Quilt Symposium...

2009-06-03T12:23:00.000-05:00

I was in Raleigh, NC, last week teaching at the NCQS. What a wonderful event! The quilts were lovely, the vendors were plentiful, and there were lots and lots of classes. I had the opportunity to visit with many friends - old and new.

I walked in the mornings with Hollis Chatelaine. She lives in the area so knows a lot about the architecture and plants. I was amazed at the colorful houses! I remember a time, when we lived in Tulsa, when I wanted to paint the trim on my house purple and my mom convinced me that that was just not a suitable color for my house and she was probably right, but I LOVE this purple house!

There's something new...

2009-05-31T12:28:00.000-05:00

In fact, there are several new things on the Piece O' Cake web site. You can pre-order the next book, Applique Outside the Lines.

There's the new Tulip Basket ePattern that is FREE with any purchase!

And two new Santa Claus ePatterns: Dinner at Santa's Table Runner...

...and an ePattern with both Santa in the Woods and He's Checking His List.

Yard art?

2009-05-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

I keep my eyes open for interesting compositions when I'm on my morning walk. Flower pots, cinder blocks, and the like are things that I don't leave out in the yard so I noticed when saw this stuff neatly stacked next to a fence in Pigeon Forge. I like this - although I would remove the cinder blocks.

Ceiling chimes?

2009-05-28T12:38:00.000-05:00

You've seen wind chimes. What about ceiling chimes? That's what these painted strips of wood at Anthropologie reminded me of. Simple and inexpensive to make - wouldn't these be great on a porch or patio?

Symmetry isn't everything...

2009-05-27T12:30:00.002-05:00

The front doors of the Huisache Grill in New Braunfels, Texas, are painted different colors. It's eye-catching. Why? Because it's unexpected, different.

When you are designing a quilt it helps to remember that unexpected touches stand out and draw the eye.

By the same token, trees don't always stand up straight. This tree, which seems to be waving, ought to be next door to the Huisache Grill, but it's not. It's miles away in Fredericksburg, TX.

Purple coneflowers...

2009-05-26T12:25:00.000-05:00

Purple coneflowers are native in Texas. They go to seed and pop up in surprising places in my yard. The purple petals are pretty but it's the pointy centers that I enjoy the most.

Practically perfect flower...

2009-05-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

I this sunflower which grew from scattered birdseed in the backyard. It's not perfect but I love it!

The photo you hope you are never in...

2009-05-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

How many of you have a family photo that you hope never sees the light of day? I know I do. Awkward Family Photos is a site that celebrates these frozen moments in time. Fun to surf when you need a break (and a grin).

Jack and Elanor...

2009-05-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

I took new photos of the kids last week while we were outside eating cookies.

Hibiscus!

2009-05-21T12:15:00.001-05:00

I planted a hibiscus in a pot outside my studio window and it's begun blooming. What a stunning flower!

The tufts of yellow pollen are just begging for a bee to come on by.

Keeping track of house paint colors...

2009-05-20T12:03:00.001-05:00

A new can of wall paint comes with a paint stirrer or two. I use them and I save them. Because I paint my walls often, I have lots of stirrers. I was about to thin my collection when I realized that these paint stirrers are a great record of the colors I have on my walls and trim. If I need to match the paint I can take the paint stirrer to the paint store and get an exact match - which is a lot easier than trying to take in a piece of the wall :-).

I drew a light, level pencil line on the wall in my utility room. I drilled a hole in the end of the stirrers with current paint colors. I wrote pertinent info on each stirrer and hung them with small nails. It's nice to see them all lined up as time I come and go.

Wouldn't you know it - Martha does this too! I just looked through a "how to paint" slideshow at marthastewart.com. I hate to say it, but her stirrers look better than mine - and she's recorded more info on hers. Her paint can is tidier too. But she has a staff of helpers and I don't!

Check out the pincushion...

2009-05-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

This short film (found on Design*Sponge) was commissioned by AIGA in Maine to be shown between speakers at the Compost Modern Conference. The conference showcases how graphic design, advertising, engineering, manufacturing, and architecture can contribute to greater global awareness and ultimately, more sustainable solutions. Compostmodern provides valuable tips, tools and information to improve your business (and life) practice. That's all wonderful and I wish them much success but what I liked the best was the pincushion that shows up at 24 seconds. I believe I'm going to need to make at least one and give him/her a name!

Making a skirt...

2009-05-18T09:07:00.005-05:00

I re-discovered skirts last summer. They are cute and easy to move around in - and often they are more flattering than shorts. I've seen so many wonderful cotton quilt fabrics that I wanted to wear that I decided to take the plunge and make one.

I bought this pattern at Creations Quilt Shop in Kerrville, TX last month. I wanted to make skirt A - but I didn't have enough fabric (I never thought that would happen!) Skirt B requires less of the primary fabric and has a contrasting band of fabric at the hem. I didn't have enough of a single contrast fabric either - so I thought like a quilter and used 4 different fabrics.

It took about 5 hours to make a lined (I added the lining, the pattern doesn't call for it) skirt with a zipper. I had to call on skills that I last used 20 years ago and was reminded that a 5/8" seam allowance is HUGE. The skirt is cute on and swishy which On The Street reporter Bill Cunningham identified as a new trend in a video I watched this morning.

Making this skirt was way more fun that I remember it being. If you're interested in skirts, you might also enjoy Sew What! Skirts. It's a good resource.

That's my man...

2009-05-16T14:07:00.005-05:00

My husband, Steve, took part in the Relay for Life last night. The funds raised go to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer. Several of his friends and colleagues at Austin College have fought breast cancer and one, Shellene Kelley, died a few months ago. The AC team ran in her honor.

Since Steve was the only man on the committee, he was nominated to take part in the men-dressed-as-women lap. There he is, with a determined look on his face, stunning in a Marilyn Monroe-type dress and Hannah Montana wig. He collected money in a lovely silver purse (picked up at Goodwill earlier in the day). You can't see his feet, but the brown Birkenstock sandals truly completed the outfit.

Forget-Me-Not Raffle Quilt...

2009-05-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

This wonderful raffle quilt was a project by Meg Hawkey and the girls at Crab Apple Hill. Many quilt designers, Linda and I included, made blocks for the quilt top. Each designer also signed strips of fabric that were made into blocks and used on the quilt back. It was quilted by Debbi Trevino at Village Quiltworks.

The Forget-Me-Not raffle quilt will travel to the Quilt Inc. shows this year and will be raffled off by "Susan G Komen for the Cure" in December. Raffle tickets are available at the Susan G Komen site. Even if you don't win the quilt, we all win if the funds raised bring a cure for breast cancer closer.

Before & After - chairs...

2009-05-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

We recovered the chairs in the dining room to go with the new paint. Steve and I bought these chairs in our first year of marriage and that was 31 years ago! Needless to say - it was time for a change.

Steve pulled out the staples that held on the old upholstery. Whoever put this fabric on the chairs intended it to stay there forever.

I really like this fabric and it looks good with the leaf quilt on the wall!

The easy way to hang a quilt...

2009-05-13T12:39:00.000-05:00

I am a minimalist when it comes to quilt hanging systems. I have used round extension rods (curtain rods) resting on big nails for a very long time. The problem with round rods is that they can sag in the middle if the quilt is heavy. Flat rods work best but they can fall forward when they rest on the nails. It finally occurred to me to drill a hole in each end of the flat rod!

I used tension rods because, once you pull them out to the right length, they stay put (mostly). Use a drill bit that works on metal. If there are sharp edges around the newly drilled hole, file them down (or hammer the sharp edges).

A finish nail through the hole holds the rod in place.

I make my quilt sleeves a little shorter than the quilt so that the ends of the rods and the nails don't show.

The quilt lays flat on the wall and the rectangular rod doesn't sag!

Canning trees...

2009-05-12T12:26:00.001-05:00

I worked in my yard 3 mornings last week. As I said in my last post, it's been really wet here. We were in drought so I'm not complaining and neither are the plants. We don't have grass any more - just plants and rocks and mulch. The mulch really helps to keep down the weed population but I still need to work 6-10 hours each spring and fall to get things under control.

We have a huge number of volunteer trees that come up in our yard. If I catch them when they are less that 6" tall I can usually pull them up by hand. Taller than that and I have to cut them - but saplings cut down grow back. My friend, Laurie, shared her dad's trick with me a couple of years ago. He "cans" little saplings.

These are my tree canning supplies - empty tin cans, small loppers, and a 4 lb. hammer. Cut the sapling off as close to ground level as you can. Turn a can upside-down on top of what remains of the tiny stump. Whammer the can as far as you can into the ground around the stump. It helps if you do this while the ground is soft.

It's amazing - the saplings don't come back! Over time the cans rust out and go away. Below is a can from last year.

Wedding birds...

2009-05-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

Celia, my almost-daughter-in-law, saw some very cute birds that she wanted to use to decorate serving tables at the up-coming wedding. They stand about 10" tall and are not inexpensive. It's been a while but I figured I could make paper mache birds that would work just fine almost for free. First I made the feet from a heavy gauge wire.

I made the bird bodies from crumpled paper taped with painters tape. Don't forget to get the feet firmly attached to the bodies at this point.

I tried a variety of paper mache paste mixes with strips of newspaper. I used a thin water and flour paste on the first layer. It's been really wet here in north TX lately so that layer took more than 24 hours to dry and it seemed a bit weak.

I made a paste with water and plaster of paris powder thinking that that would give me a harder surface. That didn't work as well as I hoped it would. I used thinned Mod Podge with the newspaper strips for the last 2 layers and that worked the best.

I finished with a coat of primer and two coats of glossy yellow spray paint. I made four birds, each in a different pose. The surface is not completely smooth (you can see the edges of the strips) but I think I may be the only one bothered by that. Note to Celia - if these birds are too yellow we can paint them a different color.

A cool color tool...

2009-05-07T11:30:00.003-05:00

Chuck Greens design blog, PagePlane, offers a wealth of information. Yesterday I found a link to The Color Scheme Designer that was created by Petr Stanicek. He's from the Czech Republic, EU, and is a professional web designer and online application programmer. How cool is it that he's made this fun tool available for free!

Click around on the Color Scheme Designer. The little circles at the top, left, let you choose different kinds of color schemes. You can move the dots on the color wheel to change the schemes you get. Honestly, you could lose all day playing with this.

Elanor's bedroom...

2009-05-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

For Easter, instead of buying more "stuff" for her, I asked Elanor if she wanted me to help her redecorate her bedroom. She thought that was a great idea. Elanor loved the color I used in my dining room so that's what we used.

She uses an antique bedroom set that I got from my grandmother in her room. It's pretty! The Sweet Pea quilt, from our book Curl Up Quilts, is hanging on her wall. The curtains from her "old" bedroom work well in this new room.

I painted these fun flowers on one wall. The new duvet covers (and quilts at the end of each bed) help to pull it all together. Elanor likes her new room so much that she's keeping it neat and tidy - which makes her Nana (and her parents) very happy.

Happy plants...

2009-05-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

Isn't this an interesting flower? I especially like the pattern on the part of the flower beneath the petals. I think this flower was labeled as a pincushion flower when I bought it last year.

This flower looks a lot like a thistle. There are problems here with wild thistles running wild in the landscape, choking out native plants. But this one appears to be OK - it's not spreading from seed (yet).

Just because they're pretty...

2009-05-01T18:44:00.000-05:00

Many of my early spring flowers are purple. This is a clematis that stubbornly comes back every year. I'm thankful for that.

I grow a lot of lavender. The individual flowers are not showy but the bees love it!

Cupcake stand...

2009-04-30T14:34:00.005-05:00

The (wedding) cupcake stand turned out really well. It's designed to be easily altered. Click any image to enlarge it.

Here are the parts to the stand. The wood tiers are 28", 24", 20", 16", 12", and 8". There are two 10" tiers as well that can be used for a bigger top tier and for a foot.

Put a washer and nut at one end of a 1/2" threaded rod. The top (8" or 10") tier has a recessed center. Place that on the rod.

Build the stand upside-down. I used pvc couplers that are 4" tall to separate the tiers. I covered them with pretty paper but they could be left white, covered with fabric, tulle - whatever fits the event. Steve cut wood centering disks that fit inside the couplers to hold the coupler in place.

Add as many tiers and couplers as you want to.

End with the larger centering disk and a washer and nut. This centering disk fits into the large pvc coupler that I'm using for a foot in the photo below.

And there it is! The edges of the tiers can be left plain or covered with ribbon or strips of decorative paper. This configuration stands 29 1/2" tall and should hold LOTS of cupcakes. Celia, Rachel - I hope this is going to work for you!

Ring bearer pillow....

2009-04-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

I finished a ring bearer pillow for Celia and Jeff's wedding. The colors for their August 15th wedding are brown and green so this fits right in.

I made the pillow 10" x 10". It's big enough that the child who carries it will be unlikely to play with it. It's easy to hold on to. It's also big enough to use as a decorative pillow after the wedding.

That's my boy (one of them anyway)....

2009-04-27T17:13:00.001-05:00

Jeff, our youngest, is working on a PhD in biostatistics at Johns Hopkins. The first paper on which he is lead author has been posted! It is part of a collection of working papers, and it has been submitted to the annals of applied statistics. As he says, "fun times!"

That's Jeff, thinking deep thoughts, with Sugar the cat.

Drawing circles...

2009-04-27T12:15:00.001-05:00

Steve started working on the cupcake stand for Jeff and Celia's wedding today. He bought a sheet of 1/2" birch-veneer plywood and cut circles for each tier. The largest is 28" in diameter, the smallest is 8".

He made a great big compass to draw the circles but that wasn't working so well. I remembered that I had a flexible plastic knitting ruler that could work better.

Steve put some small holes down the center of the ruler. He anchored the ruler in place with a finish nail at the 1" mark. He put the pencil in a small hole to draw the size circle he wanted. This is a really easy way to draw great big circles.

Steve cut the circles with a band saw. He then cut 4" and 6" lengths of pvc pipe to separate the tiers. He drilled a hole in the center of each wood circle. A threaded pipe run through the center with a washer and nut at each end will cinch the whole thing together. Steve is going to rout indentations for the washer and nut.

This should be a very flexible serving piece. I'm going to paint the wood pieces white this week. The edges of each tier and the pvc pipe can be decorated with pretty paper or ribbon to suit any occasion. Our niece, Rachel, is also going to use it at her wedding - and in her catering business. I'll post finished pictures in a few days.

Color by Martha...

2009-04-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

The current issue of Martha Stewart Living (May 2009) has an interesting article about color trends and what causes them. These 25 are what a lot of us are currently loving. The colors in my house are well represented here. Does that mean that I'm current and trendy?

Stimulus spending...

2009-04-22T16:56:00.003-05:00

I did some shopping when I wasn't busy teaching last weekend. Der Kuchen Laden is a well-stocked kitchen shop in Fredericksburg, TX. I got all sorts of little doo-dads. The notched triangular tool for leaving lines in icing should be lots of fun to use on cakes.

Down the street Linens-N-More was about to close so I wasn't able to shop long. Probably a good thing. I got this wonderful silk screened "America" dish towel made by Catstudio. I don't know that I'm going to be able to let anyone get it wet - it may have to be a pillow. It could also be good in a quilt or garment.

In Kerrville, I found my way to Creations - one of the best quilt shops I've ever visited! This is the fabric I came home with. I also bought some wool for Linda, a linen jacket (for me), and upholstery fabric for my dining room chairs - oh happy day! It's probably good for my wallet that I'm home now.

Cedar fences...

2009-04-21T10:11:00.001-05:00

I found fences made from freshly cut cedar too! I want to put a fence like this around my backyard so it was exciting to find these.
This fence was "doubled" - there were cedar posts on both sides of the iron rebar supports.

The "single" fence had cedar posts wired to only one side of the rebar. The posts that hold the fence up are iron pipe filled with concrete. It looks like they used galvanized wire to tie the cedar to the rebar.

I wonder how long these fences will last before the iron parts rust through? Have any of you constructed similar fences?

Cedar Post Arbor...

2009-04-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

One of the shops in Fredericksburg has an arbor over its entry made from cedar logs. The reason this is interesting to me is because my husband is on the faculty at Austin College. AC owns land that the Biology department is doing their best to return to prairie.

There is an invasion of cedar trees on this land that they are busy cutting down. It's nice to find something to do with the excess cedar logs.

The construction of the arbor looks pretty simple, don't you think?

I'm in Fredericksburg, TX...

2009-04-19T09:37:00.006-05:00

It's Sunday morning as I write this and I've been in Fredericksburg teaching for the Verien Quilt Guild. After class today I'm headed down the road to teach in Kerrville.

Fredericksburg is a lovely town in the Hill Country near Austin. I got to town on Friday and had a chance to wander Main Street. This antique store had some wonderful outdoor pieces.

The shop's front doors were really lovely.

Wool dolls...

2009-04-16T13:11:00.001-05:00

I ran across Mimi Kirchner's hand sewn wool dolls while blog surfing. Mimi's blog, Doll, is definitely worth checking out. The pattern and instructions are at the The Purl Bee - a truly wonderful site. I especially love the hair on these dolls.

Linda has been playing with wool lately. She has some great ideas for future projects that sound very exciting.

I know many of you think that Linda and I work on projects together but, because we live so far apart, that doesn't happen often. We're getting together next month and I'm looking forward to seeing what she's been up to.

Little soccer player...

2009-04-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

Elanor is playing soccer! I don't think she has a firm grip on the rules of the game but it's good exercise and she's really enjoying it. I took a lot of pictures and got some nice ones. It was a pretty day for soccer.

Changing colors...

2009-04-14T17:20:00.001-05:00

I paint the rooms in my house more often than most people. It's a lot cheaper than moving! I've got painting down to a science and can usually prime and put a finish coat on any room in under 8 hours.

Last week I took one day and changed my dining room. It was burgundy and now it's a teal/turquoise color. I love it! Luckily, Steve does too. You can see the portrait of Moses Carr on the far wall. He is my husband's great-great-great grandfather. We rescued this painting from Steve's grandmother's barn many years ago and had it repaired and restored. I've never been sorry we spent that money.

We use my grandmother's dresser as a buffet. Most of the rest of her bedroom furniture is in the attic. The painting over the buffet is by George Brinner, an artist on Maui. We have 3 of his paintings - I suppose we're fans!

2009-04-09T13:37:00.005-05:00

Becky is on her way home from staying with her sister in the hospital. Christy is amazing. Once again she is doing better.

Becky has been sharing with you about her new project. I have a project going using the same techniques but with a very different look from hers.

Years ago I found these vintage blocks while antiquing. Probably under a table in a basket. I loved them and brought them home and put them in a drawer. An unknown maker spent many hours hand piecing them. Her seams match up beautifully. When you look at them they have a softness to them that you do not get cutting strips using a ruler.

I am making a quilt using the blocks for my background. The background is busy. My applique is a very simple design, with the applique pieces being large. This way the background remains the background.

I plan to cut my sashing and 9 patch blocks for the border without a ruler. My hope is for the borders to look soft like the background. I will post more as the project progresses.

Blessings Linda

Working on the new quilt...

2009-04-08T13:35:00.000-05:00

I've spent the better part of this week getting my next quilt up on the wall. You saw the background of one block last week. Today I put the applique pieces on it.

I began by pinning up small pieces of the different fabrics just to get an idea of how they might look. Once I was pretty sure I liked what I saw, I cut them out. I included their seam allowances and cut them out carefully with a 3/16" seam allowance.

It's really important to see the fabric cut to shape. That way you will have a much better idea of how your block will look after it has been stitched. I use the placement overlay to get these pieces in the correct position on the wall. I'll post a photo soon showing the block without the overlay and with the vase cut and ready to sew.

Ruffled iris...

2009-04-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

I bought some special iris bulbs a couple of years ago. They bloom later than my other iris and are a pleasant surprise. They are that lovely shade of blue that is almost purple, but not quite.

Zebra stripes...

2009-04-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

We have new neighbors! The house they moved into has two bedrooms and around 1500 square feet. They unloaded three big UHauls into the house - I'm not sure how everything got squeezed in.

The zebra UHaul parked at the end of our alley caught my eye. In studying the photo I think what makes it more interesting is the pattern in the asphalt in front of it.

The little mermaid?

2009-04-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

I just found this on YouTube. BroadwayWorld.com's "Give Us Your Voice" Contest was in 2007 so you can see that I'm behind the times. Nick Pitera, the guy in this video, didn't win but he's fascinating to watch. How does he sound so much like Ariel?

Dressing in monochrome...

2009-04-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I wear a lot of green, but I don't always wear green. Elizabeth Sweetheart does! I am a regular reader of Joanna Goddard's design blog and somehow I missed her post from February 2008. In it she refers us to an article she wrote for New York Magazine about New Yorkers who dress in monochrome.

Like all quilters, I love color. In fact, I love color so much that I can't choose just one favorite color. How did these folks choose just one color!? I could not do that - but I do admit that it makes for a lovely closet. I'll bet their drawers are fun to look at too.

A pieced background...

2009-04-03T13:41:00.001-05:00

The background in an applique block is the "negative space" that surrounds applique. You don't want your negative space to overshadow the "positive space" - you want it to enhance the applique.

Our next book is titled Applique Outside the Lines. It's all about constructing a quilt with freer lines. Imagine a line drawn with a soft pencil on paper, without a ruler. That line has a flowing quality that a ruler-straight line does not. We want to capture that flowing line in our quilts.

Most piecing is comprised of pieces that are cut with rulers. The sewn lines are very straight, very exact. Take away the ruler and you can cut flowing lines using a rotary cutter. The key is to not use a ruler. You'll learn a whole lot more about this in the book when it comes out in July or August.

Linda and I put a lot of interesting backgrounds behind our applique - it's part of the signature Piece O' Cake look. In Applique Outside the Lines the backgrounds are scrappy and constructed without rulers. I'm constructing the backgrounds for my new quilt the same way. I'll show you pictures of this block as it progresses over the next week or two.

Doug, the guerilla gardener...

2009-04-02T13:09:00.001-05:00

My next door neighbor, Doug, told me last month that he is a guerilla gardener. We live in a cul-de-sac neighborbood. Much of it is surrounded by unkempt land. Tangles of vine and trees stand next to the alleyway drive. Doug decided to tame the wilderness and grow his surplus plants there.

He is making a lot of progress. Now, what I find to be the most amazing thing is that Doug has/had liver cancer. He was diagnosed 4-5 years ago and at that time the prognosis was not good. We don't discuss his treatment, but he must be in remission - great news! In addition to clearing land and cutting down trash trees, he has spent much of the winter digging and preparing beds. He ordered a bunch of rare cannas that he planted a couple of weeks ago in his front yard. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

He's had lots of little plants in all kinds of pots next to the alley. Every time I drive by I feel like a gardener who is just not keeping up. Lately his plants have been on the move. I have a feeling his yard is going to be more exciting than mine this year! But - I'm making quilts :-)!

More flowers...

2009-04-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

This is a red columbine. They are native to Texas and are very hardy. They go to seed but are not so prolific that they make me crazy. They pop up all over the place because, after I cut them back, the seeds drop as I carry them away. I could be more careful but I like the surprises.

It is still mostly spring here, although we had a freeze last weekend. I'm not complaining though. There are way too many people who are experiencing dire weather conditions. We covered our seedlings. The Texas bluebonnets don't care if it freezes.

I don't think the yellow columbine is native to Texas, but it likes my yard too. Columbines are sort of scary-looking, don't you think? Scary, but lovely and graceful at the same time.

Washing Fabric - Part 2

2009-03-31T13:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I wrote about why we pre-wash our quilt fabric. Today I'm going to show you how I do it. If you look at the photo from yesterday's post, you'll see a square gallon jug. That is a jug of Orvus Paste (aka Quilt Soap). It's a sheep shampoo and I buy mine at Tractor Supply. I've used it for years and have been very happy with it. I found an informatinve article at Hart Cottage Quilts.

I use warm water. It doesn't take much Orvus per washer load. I wet my hand in the washer water and dip it into the jar and scoop a bit out. In reading that article I find I should be wearing gloves. Oh well.

As the washer is filling, I grab my fabric with wet hands. It's a real hassle to unfold fabric and get it in the washer with dry hands. Wet hands can grasp the fabric better and that saves a lot of time and energy. As my hands get dry, I stick them back in the washer water - with the lid up, my washer won't agitate. NEVER stick you hands in a moving washer!!!! (See note below.)

Once the washer is done, I pull the fabric out of the washer and put it in the dryer. I cut the tangle of threads free from the fabric. I view this as a cost of doing business - it's just part of the process. You could get creative and do something with these threads. I know I never will so I throw them away. I've tried all sorts of tricks to cut down on the threads and none have worked for me. I'm too lazy to serge or re-cut the edges with a wavy cutter. But that's me - one of those tricks might work for you.

I dry on warm. Once the fabric is dry I pull it out and fold it. I don't iron fabric until I'm ready to use it in a quilt.

Now - about that note... When my brother was 4 (I was 8), he had to have surgery. We lived in Oklahoma City and he went to Children's Hospital there that is affiliated with the University of Oklahoma medical center. I'll never forget my mom telling me about a much bigger kid (he was 18 I think) who was on the same floor with my brother. He had been doing laundry and he reached into a spinning washer to pull something out. Instead, he lost an arm and they were doing their best to re-attach it. I don't think any washers then had the switch that is supposed to stop the spinning when the lid is up.

I decided to look to see if I could find a reference to this incident online and I didn't find one - but I did find a link to this story dated March 25 of this year! It has happened again. And there are links to even more. So, let me stress this again - NEVER reach into a moving washing machine!

I really thought, until today, that all washers came with the safety switch that stopped all spinning when the lid was up. Be aware, as I am now, that they don't all come with that safety feature.

Washing Fabric - Part 1

2009-03-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Linda and I always pre-wash our fabric - meaning that we wash it before we cut it up and use it in a quilt. Always. We wash in a washer and dry in a dryer.

I spend time in every class telling students why I wash my fabric and it seems like a good topic for the blog. So, why wash?

Cotton shrinks when washed and dried. Not all cottons shrink at the same rate. For example, a batik shrinks less than most cotton off the bolt. If you construct a quilt with batiks and other fabrics, and then wash, your quilt can draw up in some areas and not in others. This often looks bad. You should also be aware that not all regular printed cottons shrink at the same rate either.
Cotton can bleed. It is our experience that this is mostly due to water chemistry. Fabric washed in one place may bleed and it may not in other places. We think it's much better to know if there's a issue before you sew a problem fabric into your quilt. FYI - use Synthrapol, Retayne, or the Color Catchers made by Shout to control bleeding.
In our opinion, pre-washed cotton behaves better. It tends to fray less because it has been pre-shrunk. It has a better hand. We have each used starch in the distant past but don't any more because we haven't noticed a need to use it.
Pre-washing removes the chemicals and finishes from the fabric. Because I know quilters who can't touch unwashed fabric, I asked my dermatologist about it. He said that, yes, these chemicals can cause problems for some people. He also said that some of these chemicals out-gas and that the fumes (that don't bother most people) can be a problem. It's also important to remember that most of our fabric is imported and that shipping containers are treated with insecticides and some of that residue could end up on your fabric.

So that answers the "why" question. Tomorrow I'll answer the "how" question.

Becky's new quilt...

2009-03-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

We don't often (or ever) post photos of our quilts in progress. It usually takes 1 year from the time we finish a quilt to the time when the book is at the quilt shop. It is frustrating to people to have to wait so long for a pattern. But blogs are all about sharing what's going on now. So, while I can't show you the whole quilt, I can show you selected parts of what I'm working on now.

I am using these pieces from Jinny Beyer's Palette Collection. The greens laying on the diagonal are the block and border backgrounds. I'm piecing them. I'll show you a pieced block background later next week.

Quilter's often want to use exactly the fabrics that we used when they are making their quilts. This collection and these colors should still be available in 2 years - and even longer. Here's a question for you: If I added a few prints or dots just for fun, and those fabrics were not available in 2 years, would you be unhappy? My thought is that there is always a fun substitute and finding those substitutes is a great way to make a quilt your own. Is that what you think too?

I really would like to know what you all think so please leave comments.

A new iron....

2009-03-28T13:30:00.003-05:00

I am an iron killer. I don't know how I do it, but irons just don't last at my house. It probably has something to do with the fact that I tend to knock them off the board and onto the floor every now and then. Seriously, don't you think an iron should be able to take that sort of abuse?

I bought a new iron yesterday to replace my now way-to-leaky older iron. Because I do tend to kill irons, I don't spend a lot of money on them. I found a Shark Professional model for under $50.

So, I read the instructions (I really did) and plugged it in. I turned it to its highest heat setting and started ironing. But it wasn't gliding the way it should... It took me a bit to actually look at the sole plate and to my horror I saw a sticker that I should have removed before ironing. Where was that in the instructions!? I let it cool and scraped off what I could (see photo).

I tried heating it back up and using an iron cleaner to remove the remaining goo - that didn't work. I let it cool again and finally got it clean with Goo-Gone. I can now say that it's a very nice iron! It heats up quickly, is heavy, glides well, and the steam works. Oh happy day!

Brocolli!

2009-03-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

Last fall we planted one lonely broccoli plant just to see what it would do. It's been making broccoli! Since I had no idea what broccoli 'in the wild' looks like I thought that some of you might not know either.

Ours is wispier than I thought it would be, probably because we aren't watering it. But we have been eating what the plant produces. Next year we're going to plant more.

Little Man at dinner...

2009-03-25T13:47:00.000-05:00

The organizers of the Pigeon Forge Quiltfest took us to dinner one night at the Old Mill Pottery House Cafe. The actually make things from clay in an adjoining shop. We all we given a hand-thrown Quiltfest mug. That's Little Man holding my mug!
Lila, one of the event coordinators, was nice enough to have her picture made with Little Man.

Little Man on the road...

2009-03-24T13:31:00.000-05:00

I have this little wooden man action figure that was given to me by my editor and fellow author, Lynn Koolish. (Thanks, Lynn!) Little Man is not really an action figure - he's a drawing tool and he has been an interesting addition to my desk.

I decided to take Little Man with me on my trip to Pigeon Forge, thinking that it would be fun to include him in some photographs.

Here he is perched on the Skylink sign at DFW. Skylink is the people mover at the airport.

When I got to the airport in Knoxville I began to realize that I was going to be seeing a lot of bears. This carved mama bear (and her cub) greet you as you go toward security. While Smokey Bear is the mascot of the entire US Forest Service, I'm guessing that he is especially loved by those in the Smoky Mountains.

Once Upon A Seaon eBook....

2009-03-23T18:23:00.003-05:00

I've just uploaded a new eBook on our site and you are the first to know! Once Upon A Season is available again. Many of you have been hunting the Poppy quilt and it's in this book.

Happy stitching!

Iris and tulips...

2009-03-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

The tulips are up. The iris are blooming. The trees are leafing out. It's almost hot outside! I think I can start to plant those vegetable seeds that I ordered this winter!

Inside the Arrowcraft store...

2009-03-21T15:05:00.003-05:00

I went to Arrowcraft with Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan (from Great American Quilt Factory) and Klaudeen Hansen. That's Lynda and Klaudeen in the photo. Shopping with other quilters is always more fun!

There are many fine, handcrafted items in the Arrowcraft shop but these stuffed and mounted "trophies" are what caught my eye. There was a whole row of them over the front counter. It was nice of them to let me take a photo to share with you.

Jack is going to get this wooden car full of little wooden people in his Easter basket!

Arrowcraft in Gatlinburg...

2009-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

I visited Arrowcraft in Gatlinburg, TN, which is just up the road from Pigeon Forge. Arrowcraft is part of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. It's a very cool place. There is a gallery, and a gallery shop that's lots of fun! They offer classes in a wide variety of crafts.

The grounds are interesting. I'm not sure what is in the little log cabin. Luckily, it wasn't me.

These totem poles are situated behind the gallery. I didn't learn much about them other than that they have been there a long time. They are fascinating up close.

Where do you iron?

2009-03-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

This is not a sign you see very often :-). Apparently one year at the show a quilter melted the vinyl-coated wall paper. What is it about a sign like this!? Every time I saw one I wanted to iron on the wall!

Pictures of quilts and copyright infringement...

2009-03-18T15:44:00.001-05:00

I wanted to take pictures the quilts at the Quiltfest show to post here, but I didn't and here's why: The owner of the quilt was not there to give me permission.

I know that a lot of quilters post photos of quilts that they take at shows and the vast majority of the time this makes everyone happy. But sometimes this makes the quiltmaker deeply unhappy. I do not want to make anyone deeply unhappy.

I read an interesting article about an ongoing copyright battle between the Associated Press and an artist by the name of Shepard Fairey. Mr. Fairey drew the now-iconic poster of Barack Obama that we have all seen. He based the image on an AP photo by Mannie Garcia. (Click the link above to see both the photo and the poster.) This article is a reminder to me that it pays to be careful with other people's work.

I did take some fun photos in Pigeon Forge, just not of the quilts in the show. I thought you might like to see this little still life made up of one day's shopping treasures. Nancy and I walked to the Old Mill Toy Shop and Candy Shop. The green guy came named (Charlie Black) and is from Boogily Bunnies. He has bendable appendages which is pretty fun. BTW - this is my toy, not the Jack's!

I'm home!

2009-03-17T15:23:00.005-05:00

Hello! I'm back from 7 days of teaching at the Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was wonderful! The quilt show is put on by the city of Pigeon Forge with help from the local guilds. The quilts were lovely, the people were very friendly, and a good time was had by one and all.

I'll share a variety of things from Pigeon Forge with you in the next few days. Today I want to show you this amazing African zebra print fabric that I got from the Traveling Quilt Boutique booth. It's cotton and I love it! I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I might wear it :-). I've already washed and dried this 2-yard piece and it's even better than it was when I bought it.

I walked in the mornings with Nancy Smith (from the Great American Quilt Factory) and I spotted this door to an art supply shop. It makes me smile to see the two photos together.

Have you listened to this?

2009-03-09T15:48:00.000-05:00

I download the This American Life podcast every week. The stories are always good. Last week the show was Bad Bank and I especially recommend it. Alex Blumberg and NPR’s Adam Davidson explain what's up with the banks today in plain, non-political language. You can download the podcast or listen to it for free on your computer.

These same guys did the amazing and scary Giant Pool of Money podcast last May (which you can still listen to) AND they are behind the blog planetmoney.

I'm a quilter, not an economist. But I have learned so much from these guys and the rest of the folks at planetmoney that I felt like I should share the links with you. Let's face it, the economy is not so great right now. Personally I'm fighting fear with information and these guys have good information.

The luxurious life of a traveling quilt teacher...

2009-03-07T15:33:00.002-06:00

Traveling can be lots of fun - but packing is a job. I'm leaving for Pigeon Forge tomorrow and need to pack for 8 days and bring 7 quilts.

I travel with 2 not-so-huge bags and I keep them each under 40 lbs. to protect my arms.

In the first photo I have quilts in each suitcase. I've put them in XL ziplock bags so that, if my bag gets wet, the quilts will stay dry. As you can see there's not much room left for clothes!

Luckily, these suitcases expand so I did manage to pack my clothes!

Signs of spring in north Texas...

2009-03-06T15:02:00.002-06:00

As I was driving away from my house today I realized that some of the trees in our neighborhood are leafing out! That's little baby almost-yellow leaves on the branches!

My neighbor, Joan, has a plum tree in her backyard and there are white flowers all over it. We almost always have an Easter freeze and Easter is late this year. I don't know whether she'll have plums or not. I hope she does because Joan shares her bounty with us :-).

And my redbud is about to burst into full bloom! We've been bouncing between freezes and days in the 80s. The plants, however, seem to think that spring is definitely here.

Elanor and Jack...

2009-03-05T14:38:00.004-06:00

The kids were over for dinner last night. Jack and Elanor came with sticky suckers so they were ushered directly to the back yard to finish them.

I grabbed the camera and very quickly snapped off 26 pictures. I still remember film cameras... I rarely took photos in the "old days" because I never had film and/or I didn't want to waste film. Now I just snap away! I love it!

And the winners are....

2009-03-02T13:33:00.004-06:00

We have just posted the results from the 1st Ever Piece O' Cake Block Contest on our site showing all of the entries, including the winners. (Oops - there were broken links that caused the images to be invisible. I hope I fixed it. Hit your refresh button if you don't see them.) Two of the winners are Sarah Crumley who made this amazingly cute purse and Carrie Pippins who made a table topper with a lined prairie point edge!

Thank you to each and every one of you who took part in this contest! We have truly enjoyed seeing the creative ways that you used this block. In our mind, every one of you is a winner!

We hope that everyone enjoys seeing the projects made using this block. It is a reminder of just how much fun it can be to change a pattern to suit your own quilting needs.

Happy stitching,

Becky and Linda

What a fun idea!

2009-02-27T18:14:00.005-06:00

On the Cup Of Jo blog a while back, Joanna Goddard wrote about a fun thing that she found on photographer Katie Sokoler's blog, Color Me Katie.

In this post, Katie shows how she cut up a variety of photos of family and friends and planted them around her house. These guys crack me up!

I've cut up my own photos before. This is me with my oldest son, Chris, being held up in a magnetic photo holder that happens to look like a friendly alligator. But I know I need to put more of us throughout the house. Isn't this a fun idea!

Easy sauteed sweet potatoes...

2009-02-26T16:57:00.004-06:00

My husband, Steve, does all our cooking (except desserts, that's me). This is a dish he cooks often that I told Mary (from New Braunfels) that I would share with you. It serves six; may be scaled for larger or smaller amounts:

Six medium sweet potatoes (if you can’t find medium ones, get two small ones per person or one large one for every two people)

About a tablespoon of olive oil (maybe a bit more)
2 tablespoons butter (optional)

Cut the ends off of the sweet potatoes. Peel using a regular potato peeler – you may have to give some areas of the sweet potatoes two passes to get them peeled properly. For irregularly shaped sweet potatoes, you may need to cut them into smaller pieces so they peel more easily.

As you peel them, put the sweet potato pieces into a bowl with water. Drain the water off of the sweet potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

I cut the pieces in half longitudinally first, then slice transversely into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. This gives half-round pieces that cook evenly. For big sweet potatoes, cut them into quarters longitudinally and 1/4 inch slices.

While you are preparing the potatoes, heat a skillet that will accommodate the amount of sweet potatoes you are cooking. A wide and flat skillet works better than a rounded deep one, and a well-seasoned heavy-duty non-stick skillet works better than other kinds.

Heat on medium-low heat until warm. Add olive oil to skillet, swirl to coat (remember to scale the amount of oil to the amount of sweet potatoes) and add the sweet potato pieces. Swirl them around in the skillet to coat the bottoms with oil.

Adjust the heat so that the sweet potatoes cook, but so that they don’t cook too quickly – too much heat and they will burn. Allow to cook for several minutes, swirling a time or two to keep them from sticking. Turn with a wide spatula. Allow to cook several more minutes, browning the pieces slowly. As the sweet potatoes get more cooked, turn down the heat and turn the potatoes more frequently. When you turn down the heat, add the butter. Cook for several more minutes, and the sweet potatoes will become softer and browner. As they get more cooked, turn the heat down and finish them slowly. Overall cooking time is about 40 minutes for 6 sweet potatoes.

Serve with grilled salmon, Korean barbecued chicken, pork tenderloin, or just about anything else. I like them left-over as well. Enjoy!

Rosy finches...

2009-02-25T18:54:00.002-06:00

The birds are waking up here in Texas. They are noisy in the mornings and flocking to my feeder. I took the screen off of the window in front of my sewing machine today and raised the window so that I could take pictures of them.

The cardinals and Downy woodpeckers wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a good shot. Maybe tomorrow.

These are rosy finches. Of course, it's the males who are "rosy". The females are quieter in color.

Interesting designs...

2009-02-24T13:54:00.001-06:00

I read and look at the images on a variety of design websites, blogs, and publications. These are mostly graphic design sites - not quilt-related at all. But you never know when good design in one area will influence you in another. nHere are some blogs/sites that you might like too:

Chuck Green's PagePlane blog, and his newsletter, are very good. Most of the sites listed below I found first in his newsletter.

Check out the Book Cover Archive. The rocking chair on the the Steinbeck cover reminds me of a drawing I did of my mom's rocker. That rocker is in my bedroom now.

Issuu is an interesting site with electronic magazines. You can make your own magazine and upload it for free! Sounds like fun if I can stop quilting long enough to actually do it.

The Arts & Letters Daily looks like a great place to find all sorts of interesting information. My husband, the professor, has long talked about the Chronicle of Higher Education. Who knew it was so interesting?!

And this is one of my favorite blogs, de(coeur)acao. It's in Portuguese (I've been told) and I am not bilingual so I look at the pictures and wonder what the words say. I love this 2-tone wall treatment and am going to try it soon in my bedroom.

Happy surfing!

Lamb's Ear...

2009-02-23T13:47:00.000-06:00

It's early, but there are definite signs of spring here. Even the lamb's ear is looking perky.

There was mist in the air and water droplets were sitting on the hairs on the leaves. Lovely to look at.

Christmas all year round...

2009-02-22T13:00:00.008-06:00

I taught in New Braunfels, TX, Friday and Saturday. The New Braunfles Area Quilt Guild is full of very nice ladies and we all had a good time. On the drive to and from class, I got to see some of the town and I want to share a bit of what I saw.

I sincerely hope that this building used to have balconeys in front of those doors. It's a long drop to the ground!

This building and the historic courthouse on the downtown square is made from the white rock that is famous in this part of Texas. I think it's limestone.

Mary says that this Victorian house has amazing lights at Christmas. The owners keep it decorated for Christmas all year round.

The sleigh is an interesting touch - especially at this time of year. Spring has sprung in New Braunfels and hot summer will be here before you know it. I think those folks in the sleigh need to take their jackets off before they melt :-).

Mosaic "how to's"...

2009-02-20T13:18:00.000-06:00

I did promise to share the mosaic a table top instructions. Here is the short version:

1. Make sure the surface you are going to stick the mosaic to is hard. If the surface has any give, the mosaic could crack.

2. Clean the surface from any debris and dirt. If is it bare wood, I would prime it.

3. Buy mastic. This is the "glue" that holds the tile pieces in place. Read the information on the bag or can. I used dry mastic that had to be mixed with water. Follow the directions precisely.

4. Buy grout. This is the stuff that goes between the tiles. It comes in a variety of colors, with sand and without. I used sanded grout because I knew I would leave large gaps between tiles.

5. You will also need a notched trowel to apply the mastic and a grout float to apply the grout.

6. Buy or find tiles, plates, and/or other ceramic objects.

7. Break any ceramic objects that aren't flat. I put my plates between 2 pieces of cardboard and whammered them with a 4 lb hammer. Wear protective googles!!! Pieces that don't sit flat are going to be hard to use. Discard what you can't use.

These broken bits have sharp edges! You can file the edges of each piece. Being in a hurry, I did not. In most cases the grout covers the sharp edges. Unfortunately, my table still has some sharp points that stick up. I'm going to use a hand-held power sander with the appropriate emory sandpaper when I put the tabletop back in place.

8. If you're smart, you will plan exactly where you want each tile piece to go. If not, you'll need to work fast and hope for the best. Do some web searching and I'll bet you'll find a variety of instructions on how to prepare mosaic tile. In fact, check out the Mosaic Tile Guide!

9. Read the directions and mix and apply the mastic. Don't put down too much at any one time because it takes longer to place those tiles than you think it will.

10. Read the directions and mix and apply the grout after the mastic has set. Enjoy!