Library Halloween Friends

Well, it's Halloween in Chico (collectively we all hold our breath till it's over...party school weekend here, ugh) and at work we usually dress up at least a little bit. This is a small showing of the people that did this year. I somehow am not in the mood for frivolity. Maybe it's the economy or the weather or that I need to start a diet and keep eating halloween candy...geez! I need to sew this weekend and take some fall walks...that will cheer me up. Some days are just strange. Glad we get an extra hour and that it will be November soon! Like, tomorrow!

Pam Bee Pam K and Deb


Garrett

Nina and Paula
Nathan the Pencil
Steve the Financial Vampire Advisor

Red and Blue and Denyse Schmidt Too

If you haven't seen Denyse Schmidt's fundraising quilt for Barack Obama, take a look here.
It is really a cool one.

Maybe if I win, I'll donate it to the Smithsonian! Have a good week everyone, it's gonna be busy around the old Meadow Road homestead. We are having our kitchen and dining room plans finalized this week and I am holding my breath for the $ estimate. It is funny how everyone in the process ups the ante when you start with modest choices.

Suddenly I am getting estimates for granite? No no no...I want to stay married! I need laminate!! Or at least corian...what does anyone thing about corian anyway. Well, take care and maybe talk to you later this week, Pam p.s. I am so sad about Jennifer Hudson's family--just had to add that...she is such a talented and fun gal and now this for her...I send my prayers her way.

"Nice to Meet You" my Final Exam Chicago School of Fusing!

It's been a long week, I had my sewing day on Monday which was great, the windows washed, my community book group, my monthly hair appointment, Christmas Room opening at our wonderful local store Grace, Jr., campus bench dedication for our friend Paul Persons, and today Carmen sings rock and roll in the downtown plaza at 4pm, and after that Linda Ronstadt at Laxson Auditorium on campus tonight! Oh, yeah, and work too. This morning and into the afternoon, I focused on my Laura Wasilowski project that was started in the class last week. TaDa, it is finished!

While I need some stitching practice to make it more tidy, it is happy and colorful. Why is it called Nice to Meet You? See the two little blue flowers facing each other? That was all just by chance and seemed so appropriate! The best secret part? My Chicago School of Fusing Badge is appropriately fused onto the back. Come by and see it for yourself!
Tomorrow is the day of rest, and I am gonna take it! Have a good fall weekend everyone!

Fun with Laura

Had a great time at Pacific International. Much too short a visit to take a class, see the quilts and shop. Did a little of all but wished for more time! Here is a pix of me and Laura. I really enjoyed her class! She is so easy to relate to and made the class informative and low key. She also has just the nicest sense of humor! Her work that she brought and had up for us to see was colorful and beautifully done. Even though this kind of work is rather light hearted and relatively easy to do, she does it with beautiful stitches and an artistic sense that not everyone has. She is a special gift to the world of quilting! Hope you'll have an opportunity to take a class some day!

On the Road to Pacific International

It's the middle of the week, I am not going to work...I am going to Pacific International in Santa Clara to take classes and see tons of quilts! Tonight is the preview for preregistered guests. This is my first time to go to this event so that makes it even better! My class is with Laura Wasilowski, the wonderful colorful fuser from "the Chicago School of Fusing" fame. I am taking the Garden of Eden as shown in the center here. Take a look at Laura's cool stuff.

I Heart Eleanor Burns!

You know I truly admire and love Eleanor Burns. Her story is so inspirational and her success is astounding. Even better? She has made so many improvements in the quilting world and in my ability to make quilting elements like the flying geese around my Dozens of Baskets quilt. If you have never used a flying geese ruler, you'll be amazed. There are several sizes of these rulers to accomodate various needs. I used the mini set this time.

I may be the last person on the planet to have discovered this fabulous ruler, but I just had to share it anyway. Here are some photos of my progress. Don't know why the photo quality is so wonky, but you get the idea. Literally, it is just two squares of fabric that magically become triangles...and you end up with this cockeyed square below...but never fear, that is when the ruler becomes your best friend and it helps you square up and trim to a perfect goose or geese...in my case a gaggle of geese for my faux "prairie point" border. I used some traditional Judie Rothermel fabric with some of Alex Anderson's "Alexandra" fabric for contrast. The little extra polka dots just do the trick for me!


Have a good day friends! Pam in Chico

White and Scraps Fabric Quilting Swap Spare Change!

I found this yesterday and you too might want to join this swap. It sounds fun and easy, too.
Go on over to
Chickpea Sewing Studios and sign up before the 15th of October. It is a great blog and has wonderful tutorials! I am always so relieved to find nice folks who take the time to teach. Bless you!

New Art

Not easy these days to let go of hard cash...but I invested today, in a wonderful painting. G8 or G20 or whatever or whoever is meeting to get us out of this disaster of an economy ...none the less Art is valuable to me and here is my new painting from my friend Lois Perkins. Look at her colorful and intricate Italian postcards. Real Italian postage (no calories) and one of a kind watercolor images of figs, olives, lemons, chickens (are those italian chickens :) The are all beautiful and I wonder what lucky friends will be getting these for Christmas.

I love hand motifs and this one is an original ! The little red dot gives me a happy feeling..."sold" to me! The Hand of Fatima. (No evil politicians can get me now!)Enjoy!

Chico Open Studios Weekend

Cynthia

Lois
Stein
Carol
Cinde

This will be a wonderful Chico weekend. The weather is cooler and it will be full of ART!! Here are just some of my art friends work. They will be opening their studios for all to see and hopefully purchase too. Enjoy!

Dollies and Dresses

The first thing I ever sewed in my life was a dolly dress. True, it was for Barbie, but it was my first attempt with cloth and thread. Funny thing was, I used a chocolate brown face cloth, and a denim patch (the kind you iron on) for the decoration. Call me an early fuser!! I still own this little dress and come across it now and then in my treasure box.

I was thrilled when I came across A Dozen Designer Dollie Dresses shown at http://www.hollyholderman.typepad.com/ Just an adorable use of some of the sweetest fabrics available. do you just squeal when you see cute fabric...well this is a squeal fest!

I want to share with you all a few pages of a dear vintage book, circa 1908, that my friend Sam gave to me last spring. More precious than that gift, is the inscription inside the cover ...written by Opal herself.
Sam's mother, Opal, died several years ago, and since, he has given me some very wonderful possessions of hers. (including a silk yo yo quilt that made me break down and cry when he brought it to me). Sam's parents, Opal and Archie lived in a small town north of Chico called Dairyville. She was a elementary school teacher. Opal loved dolls, art glass, and just about anything with stitching on it. My little book, (which seems magically renewed with the Dollie dresses! ) is written to young girls, and begins with "general sewing hints" and goes on with chapters like "the infant outfit", "the party dress", "Dolly's street clothes", "Dolly's apron" (love this one!), and of course, "Dolly's nightgown". Exotic chapters include "Dolly's Kimono" and "The Red Riding Hood Costume" "A Pierrot Costume", "A Japanese Dress" all nicely illustrated. Enjoy!

Newspaper and Coffee, ah, Cat that is

Every morning when my husband sits down to read the newspaper, Miso, our snowshoe siamese, visits him. This morning however he got up and hadn't seen her yet. Hmmm...well, I turned around and saw this when he had gone to get ready for work. She really knows how to get into the news. Hee.

Lots of Works in Progress!

Work in Progress indeed! Take a look at the wonderful work of the Sunday WIP gals. WoW!
First we have Teresa's BeeHive Blocks which she won as the Newsletter Block at Guild this past June. Darling raw edge hives and flowers. The quilting is just as cute. Look closely for the bumble bee designs on the creamy background.

And here is Cathy with the foundation paper pieced block of the month at Honey Run a few months back...It is all done and quilted ! Today she sewed the binding on...It's just about done. Incredible colors and intricate fabrics. If you look closely, you'll see vegetables...fabric that is!
And I remember the night Carly began marking this quilt last winter. Raising kids and having a full time job and still does this fabulous job of quiltmaking. Awesome.
Debbie was in a basket block exchange and put it all together in this adorable quilt. Today she did the borders and it looks so great. The black and white polka dots just make the quilt pop.
This is Goldie's Batik goodness in all colors. I love the multicolored black background too.

And here it is...The Annie's Star Quilt Guild 2009 Opportunity Quilt. Isn't this just amazing...the paper pieced flowers are too fabulous for words...the clamshell quilting and all the intricate stitches on the herons. Named "Pieceful Flowers" it will be displayed all over Butte County for ticket sales. Count me in on that drawing! I wish I had gotten a photo of the quilt back fabric. I will catch up with this quilt once it has it's binding on and show you. Goldie and Beth (who spent 2 months quilting it!) deserve a big shout out for this beauty!!

Sun & Rain Yes & No

Well, I just went to Dad's to visit, and right up next to his street was this beautiful view of Bidwell Park, in Chico where I live. Isn't this colorful and energetic? Love it!
We were supposed to have lots of rain today, but turned out to be only a bit. Last evening though was a wonderful full-on rain shower! It was just magical to feel that moisture after such a miserable summer. Flannel jammies, slippers and snuggly animals made the evening homey. My DH in his favorite chair reading added to the truly cozy first rain!

Tomorrow a "Work in Progress" day with Goldie at Honey Run. I am so looking forward to 6 hours of sewing! I am starting a retirement quilt for a wonderful gal at the library who will be riding off into the sunset this December. I had thought she would like a floral quilt. Wrong. I was informed that I should "Think Ikea". Whoa, I was really in the wrong mode! So I got busy and made a couple different examples.

The chrysanthemums fabric by Art Gallery Quilts "Feelings Collection" was not felt to be what she would like, but the bold daisies known as "Mocha Meringue" by Marcus Bros. are in. Both examples have dupioni silk centers. I like to fuse it to form flex because it is so lightweight and keeps it from unraveling.


Stay tuned! The quilt will be Posh Tot. If any of you have made the very simple pattern that it is, I know you had a blast with the directions *smiles* but now that I have rewritten them, all is well and it is a pattern that is sophisticated and fun to make. I will make both of these quilts as they are easy. I will probably find a good home for the reject (ah) and be happy that it is all finished up when the time comes for a quilty present. Have a good Sunday friends. Bye for now.

Life is Tough

Lizzie may be the only blogger that knows I had a crummy thing happen at work Friday. I was in a hurry to get to and from lunch because we are short staffed at the library. I went on my merry way to a tuna sandwich when BAM I ran smack into an open map drawer directly at my forehead level. OMG that hurt so bad! Ouch! Oh dear, oh my, how did that happen?

You know when you are used to a path being clear...like at home or work, you just don't think about stuff like open map drawers, cupboards, etc. And when they jump out and bite you, ah, you explode with pain and expletives. One of the student employees said, "wow, that was loud" and I wondered later did she mean the blow or the swearing? Ha! A map drawer is just like a a file cabinet in it's strength but you know, longer and flatter. I backed away and really had a big ol' knot on my forehead and cuts and my nose was whacked and my glasses were askew. Geez, it was like a car accident right in the rare book aisle. So, a little ice, a trip to the ER and a day or so later, I might be okay to attempt that sewing I want to do.
So my friends, take it from me, and look up and watch where you are headed (no pun intended :) The silver lining you ask? At least it wasn't the map drawer located down a mere 3 inches and my head took the hit while all my teeth are still intact! (hate to even think about that one!)