Merry Christmas from Buster!

Custom quilting

This quilt is called 54/40 or Fight, and the white areas just begged for some custom quilting..........

Finally time to blog again!

I have been working like crazy and 3 days before Christmas I have finally caught up! This was a T-Shirt quilt I made for a lady, and the shams are made from clothing as a memory quilt

Buster's First Snow!!!

Well, the last two days it's been very difficult getting the little guy to do his necessaries! All he wants to do is play in the snow!

Bugs and more bugs!

I just finished this quilt for a customer's granddaughter. It is for her big girl bed and she used alot of polka dots, so the request was for anything circles! So cute!

Hey-cute story. A lady I quilt for brought her 4 year old son one day to the studio, and he was terrified of me! She couldn't figure out why until he whispered to her "Mommy, why is this lady's arms just as long as yours?" HA HA All the time she had been saying she was going to the longarm quilters, he was thinking I was some monster with really long arms!!!!

Check out the shirts!

Longarm Fun : This is the place for longarm quilters!

Woo Hoo!!!!

I had such a great time at Quilting with Machines in Huron Ohio this last week. I met some wonderful ladies and sure hope I see a bunch of them next year! And, I did okay on the competition. My newest quilt, Will it go Round in Circles?" got a first place in Applique Bed and a third in Overall Bed (WOW!) My machine applique quilt "Through My Garden Window" got an Honerable Mention, and My "Paradise Lost" got a Teachers Choice from Richard King with Innova. Men have always favored that quilt, that is the third time it got some sort of "Men's Choice" or ribbon from a man......

Quilting with Machines, here I come!

Well, I am furiously getting ready for quilting with machines. I have four quilts in the show plus a challenge quilt, so I am excited. My "Head for the Borders" class is full and the other two are close. I am packing to make sure I have everything I need to give my students a good experience. I am always grateful for the time I am able to spend with the best folks in the world-QUILTERS!!!

Here's BUSTER!!!

I have been really busy lately, as I have been keeping a sharp eye on this little guy. He's an 8 week old sheltie (shetland sheepdog) and boy is he a pistol!

Wow, am I getting busy!

I am due to speak alot through the fall, and have some dates set up for next year. Keep an eye on my website, I am going to try and do some sort of calendar so you can come see me if you like. Coming up most recently is Evansville Indiana. I had no idea how far south that town is! Almost Kentucky. I will be there the 6th of October to speak and two workshops the following two days. Whew!

La la la la!

Elmo's world.

Be patient, she is trying soooo hard!

Top Completed!

I finally finished the top for this quilt. I selected it to teach myself how to needle turn. I thought the larger pieces would be perfect for learning. I think it turned out really nicely, now on to quilting!

I made my granddaughter Emily a couple of wall hangings for a birthday gift. I thought I would share, the first is a "Family Garden" and the second a "grow Chart" to chart her height over the next 12 years. Click on the pics for better detail...

Goodbye Wiley....

Our dog, Wiley, was called to doggy heaven on Saturday. After several bouts with Kidney failure, the vet found a mass, either on his liver or pancreas. Sad as it was we had to let him go...

Wiley was a pistol, but sensitive. He always loved a good car chase in the driveway, or herding us over to the dinner dish. And he had the cutest smile (really!) He is sorely missed.

Antique stuff...

I have run into a great lady who lives not far from me, and she has a couple things to sell. Even though she likes them she fears that when she is *gone* her family will swoop in and practically give some of her precious things away in a garage sale. So there are two vintage quilts and a Singer 99-13, Please email me if you are interested in any of them...



Antique quilts

Applique Beauty

This is a BEAUUTIFUL customer quilt, by Nancy Shiner.I am so pleased she gave me permission to post photos. Enjoy!

I'm baaaack...

Hi, I have been pretty quiet. I went down to Mississippi to meet my granddaughter, Emily. What a cutie pie! So happy all the time. Here's my fav pic...



And here are some pics of a recently finished project of my own. I think it turned out pretty cool!

Quilts of Valor, our small part

Hi all, I am invloved with Quilts of Valor. My friend Rita Pennington of St Charles heads up our little group and we are trying to provide quilts for many returning soldiers in our own area without taxing the "mother" group. Please check out the blog, and let us know if you can join us at a sew in, or even contribute a top. Contact us via the blog, and we can give you shipping directions from a distance.

C'mon quilters! This is truly just one small way to say thanks to men and women who are risking their lives for our freedoms.

http://lolqov.blogspot.com/

Mystery Quilt Class is available!

I am excited to announce that the Mystery of the Five and Dime is now ready and online! We have worked hard (the gals at Quilting Weekly and I) to bring you a fun-filled Mystery Quilt, an original pattern by yours truly.

Obviously, I can't show you a picture, but I can tell you that the quilt is revealed in five chapters (lessons) and you get a new clue every two weeks. Great instruction along the way makes this suitable for the confident beginner and up, and you can make yours in either lap or queen size. The first clue comes with a great fabric selction tutorial to take the fear out of buying for the project. So join us!

Let's make some quilty coasters!

These coasters are great hostess gifts, I like to cut the fabrics from leftovers as soon as I am done with a project. Then when I have a few sets to make, I get out the serger and serge the seams rather than sew and zig zag, as I show here.



For a set of 4 coasters (I usually make then in fours)You need 8 squares each of 3 different fabrics. I like to use 5", but you can use 5.5 or 6" also, as long as they are all the same size.



For these I used the plain black as the "base" Cut 4 pieces of batting, one-half inch smaller than the fabric. (In this case 4.5") Layer the 8 pieces of base fabric with the 4 pieces of batting as shown.




Now fold and press the remaining 16 squares. Don't get to carried away with the iron so they don't stretch.



Place the first folded triangle on the base, lining up with one of the base corners.



Work your way around the square, adding the triangles and alternating the fabrics.



Number 3...



The last piece is a bit trickier, because you have to lift up the corner of piece one and place piece 4 under it. It will make sense when you do it. Pin the pieces in place.



Now sew 1/4" all around, then zig-zag with your machine (this is where I switch to the serger if I am making a few sets at a time.




After trimming the corners (not too close) reach under the triangles and pull up the base. Use something pointy to push out the corners and press.



The coolest thing about these is that you can take a stemmed glass, and put the base of your stemware inside the little pocket made by the triangles. Really great for a party!

Here we come, Fair City!

I am exited to be going to the Fair City Quilter's Guild, so called because they are in Sandwich IL at the Federated Church, 7PM on Monday. Sandwich is the home of the Sandwich Fair and has been my favorite places to show quilts for about 5 years now. All the other county fairs seem dirty and not well kept, but this one is so great! It's always the weekend after labor day, starting Thursday. The best fiddling, chickens, food demos and GREAT home ec displays, including quilts, needlework, wallhangings. The list goes on. And these ladies are the big time volunteers that run that building at fair time.

I got 4 purple ribbons last show, and I hope they aren't busy right now making sure they have enough ammo for my visit, lol!!!!

Anywho, join us if you like, the 15th, and you'll see a Texture Magic demo and samples from my own patterns. If you come, please introduce yourself!!

Feel the earth move!!

Last night I was shot out of bed at 4:02 by the earthquake near Plano, IL. I had no idea what it was. You know, it's not often (thank heavens) that we get 'em. But I was certain my new gas dryer had exploded. Or maybe a giant truck had hit the 6 ft diameter black walnut tree in front of the property. I feel whiney, as I could not get back to sleep thinking about what people in Haiti are going through...

Goin' to Ohio!!

I am very excited. I have been selected to teach at QwM (Quilting with Machines) in Huron, Ohio. It is between Cleveland and Toledo at a very nice resort called Sawmill Creek. It looks really nice, and it is a brand new venue for the show. I have been wanting to teach at a big show for sometime, and am very grateful for the opportunity. I plan to kick some quilting booty, lol.

I will be teaching this cool new technique I developed for quilting borders and sashings. I also will be teaching a fav, Invisible (REALLY!) Machine Applique. It's one of those things you just have to have in your quilty bag of tricks. Then I also will teach Totally Textured Tote, a tote using Texture Magic.

So here is the link to their site, It is in Late September, 23 to 26. See you there?!??

http://www.quiltingwithmachines.com/

Eat it, Drink it, Sleep under it!

This fun beer quilt was made for Kermit, my hubby's, Birthday. We won't say how old! I just did something quick so I could use the beer and pretzel fabric without cutting it up too much. He loves it, and is very proud that he has his very own sofa quilt!

Check back in a couple days, I have leftover fabric and am going to show you all how to make neat coasters that make great hostess gifts, or a little extra for a gift basket, etc.

Out and about with Quilts and Texture Magic!

Well, the weather is not getting the better of me. Even though this weather brings out the worst in my arthritis, I believe firmly that you have to "just do it". Next week, Tuesday the 26th, I am speaking at Clare Oaks Retirement Community in Bartlett IL, I hope to sell some bags and talk them into a workshop or two. I have no idea how many of them can quilt or sew, so we'll see.

I am also planning a trip down to Kankakee-if you have some suggestions about great fabric/quilt shops there or on the way down, pipe up! I haven't been to that area in years, so I am clueless.

My newest venue for teaching is online, and I am pretty excited about it. The first class I am teaching at Quilting Weekly http://www.quiltingweekly.com is a Mystery! I hope you will consider quilting along with me as we unfold a quilting adventure. I promise to throw in tips and tricks along the way!

Well, till next time, remember to only quilt on days that end in "Y"

Happy New Year!

Well, December proved to start out kinda awful with my Father-in-Law's passing, but since my dear mother-in-law was able to stay here for the holidays it was fun! Loads of snow proved to make a picture postcard Christmas!

Santa brought me a Sony Handy-cam, and as soon as I figure out how to use all the bells and whistles (aka software, lol) I plan to post some tutorial videos. Is there any outlet for video beside YouTube? I guess I will research that.

Also with the new year, I will be teaching (virtually!) on a site called Quilting Weekly. I plan to post a mystery, and am excited to part of their staff. Sounds like fun! Check out http://www.quiltingweekly.com

Tomorrow night, 1/7, I am to go to Robert's Sewing Center in Crest Hill, IL to demo Texture Magic and show samples of my own patterns, per their request. We are supposed to get snow, so we'll play it by ear. Robert's is open to the public and free, so if you are anywhere nearby, c'mon by! In case of a blizzard, we may postpone...

Sub-zero by Friday-yuck!!!