Box of Possibilities

I've got company coming in 3 hours, I have to make dinner for 12-15, and I'm running out of steam. Time to take a break, and what better thing to do with my time than blog, right? right. I should be cleaning the bathrooms.

Anyway, the other day I mentioned my Box of Possibilities. It is a marvelous bottomless cavern, picture Mary Poppins' carpet bag. It looks like this, and you might think that it is an ordinary box, nothing special about it.

Au contraire my dear friend, it is not at all your run-of-the-mill Rubbermaid box. Lift the lid and you will behold wonderful treasures...

Okay, so it might not look like much, but just wait until you start pulling out the goodies. It's better than Nana's button box...


I see flowers all ready to be appliqued onto the perfect top. They were intended to spruce up "Paintbox," but all they did was make it look messy. So here they wait, oh, so patiently...


Here are some leftover blocks pieced from soccer quilts. And I spy airplanes, made when my husband's cousin had her first baby in the early 90's...


Here are some leftover Double 4-patch blocks, as well as 9 patches and stars made from leftovers from a myriad of other projects.


And what have we here? Why it's leftover strips from "The Color Runs Through It." Or maybe they're left from "The Color Went to Tahiti." It's tough to know for certain.


What can be done with these strips? Why, make blocks, of course!

Oh, and isn't this nice? I made this gorgeous pepper in a class taught by Ruth McDowell back around 2002. I should probably do more with it than leave it in the box...Then again, it might be just right for something sometime in the future, so back it goes.


And did you notice the messed up Log Cabin? That was removed from its official project box and sent to the Island of Misfit Blocks...I mean the Box of Possibilities.

I have a dozen more pictures, but that's enough for today. The house isn't cleaning itself and dinner isn't cooking either. But thanks for the chance to just sit down and dream for a few...

odds and ends

Today is a big day.

First and foremost on my mind is my son Andrew.

He is embarking upon a world tour, beginning just after noon today. He will hop on a plane to Frankfort, and spend a week or so exploring southern Germany. (He didn't go with us back in August.) He also plans to snowboard the Alps, (or at least one of them.) From there, he'll board another plane to Tokyo, and spend a week in Japan. wow. He's got friends in both places, but for the most part, he's going to be going solo.

Godspeed, Andrew! May He follow you and protect you around the world!!!

"If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me." Psalm 139:9,10

Those are words of hope and promises I hold on to as my kiddies venture further from the nest than I ever would have dreamed of going...

In contrast, our ordinary life seems quite mundane.

Last night was my husband's office/business party. It was such a success last year, they wanted to have another one this year, at the same place. The party was held at Koetsier Ranch, a lovely venue created from a refurbished barn. This is what we saw as we arrived.

(pay no attention to the moist droplets in the picture - it's just fog.) What I noticed right off was the solo deer.

Last year, they had two deer, a buck and a doe. By the time we left the party - this is a large group of dairy veterinarians, (basically cow OB's) - the buck had mounted the doe and the vets were snorting, they were laughing so hard. Koetsiers fixed that. This year there was only one deer to mess with - they took away temptation. (I was a bit worried when I saw a polar bear on the other side of the display, but it was okay. It was far enough away that everyone left it alone.)

It was beautifully decorated indoors as well, and I just LOVED this display of nutcrackers. I have a thing for nutcrackers, I always have. But my "collection" is nothing like this one. (I do prefer nutcrackers made in Deutschland to those made elsewhere...)


Finally, yesterday I proposed to do something with this leftover treasure:


This morning, it looks like this:


What did I do with the patchwork? Why, I recycled it, of course!

There was enough fabric to beautifully cover four photo albums

And make the base for three Christmas cards.

Today's plan is to add some beads and sparkle to the cards.

The bottom card reminds me of snow, and I've quilted "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow" in the sky. It definitely calls for some clear/crystal beads to accent the theme.

And that, my dear friends, is what I've got for you today.

Instead of sewing, today's calendar says, "Finish the garage." I've taken on another project, and with a little (a LOT) of help from my friends, it is under control and almost finished. I can't wait to get my car back in there. It seems like it's been F O R E V E R that it's been on the driveway, although it's been less than a month.

Don't worry, I've got pictures. ;) Stay tuned...

WOOHOO!!!!

ohmygosh!

My little 12" square quilts from the SAQA reverse auction arrived today. ohmygosh! They are SO beautiful!! The online photos did not do them justice. To think that I got them for pittance? It's a STEAL, I tell you! They are GORGEOUS.

I quickly logged back onto SAQA - I'd chosen two more for my "collection" early this morning, but was waiting for the price to drop. Then I started quilting, and, well, you know how it goes...I lost out. "My" treasures are now someone else's. But not these two. These are all mine, and I am THRILLED.

Just had to share...

Finished Feels So GOOD!!

First of all, thank you for your votes/encouragement to finish up some of these UFO's. The feathered stars got two "votes," the 12 Days of Christmas also got two. The Scotland blocks are also "in the running." (Actually, of those three projects, the Scotland blocks are the most likely to be finished during the next 12 months.)

Finished feels good, doncha know?!!

I am finished with my last quilt-for-hire of 2008. YIPPEE!! DeAnn asked if I was going to post it on the blog. "Do you want me to?" "Oh yes! Absolutely!!"

So, for DeAnn, and the rest of you, here is her quilt:

quilt by DeAnn Farris, 2008

You can't really see the quilting from afar, so here it is, up close and personal...


It is quilted in both blue and yellow thread. The back looks pretty good too, if I do say so myself...


But even better than looking at the quilt, is looking at this...


Be still my heart!

Going through all of my UFO's has really got my motor revving. I'm raring to go! But Christmas is coming, what am I going to do? Aha!!!

I took a LOT of pictures yesterday, from my Box of Possibilities.

Some might call it a box of discards or orphan blocks, but I see it differently. I have a hard time throwing ANYTHING away, because you never know when you just might need it...

Take for example, the making of this quilt: (the picture was taken before I blocked it. yikes.)

"WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR"
Wise Men Still Seek Him
Suzanne Kistler 2003

"WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR"

Wise Men Still Seek Him
close-up
Suzanne Kistler 2003

I made this star a LONG time ago, when Jan was working on her Lone Star book. I only made the star part, and it didn't seem finished. I wanted to add light coming down to the world, but had no idea of how to do that. zip. zero. nada. I put the star aside, until Jan was working on her Diamond Quilt book. I suddenly had the answer...I could do diamonds!!

I started cutting and sewing (my usual method of quiltmaking). Draft a pattern? But why? Well, here's why:


This was my first attempt. Rather than look like light filtering down from a star, it looked like a rocket taking off. The light was headed in the wrong direction.

I abandoned this one, and the second attempt was successful. It was incorporated into the finished quilt, and you've already seen the picture. The final quilt was a success, and Jan included it in her book. Quilter's Newsletter also liked it, and in 2005, it was selected as their "Christmas Memory Pattern." I'm not sure if they still have it available, but they might. I couldn't find a link to the pattern, but you can see what's on the cover of that particular issue and find the info to track it down...

Anyway, back to the wayward rocket light. Of course I couldn't throw away all of that piecework, not a chance. I might need it sometime, you know?

And I'm thinking that I know just what I'm going to do with it today. Perhaps I'll post pictures tomorrow. And on that, I'm off to "create."

oh wait.

Pat expressed her disappointment at not "winning" the quilted Christmas card. Should we try it again? Leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw a name for another card on Tuesday 12/9. I do get up early, so you probably want to comment by Monday if you want in on the action... ;) Oh, and Jan? Sorry, you can't win twice, but you can still comment... ;)

Good luck!!!

OH mygosh!

hahahahahahaha!!!

I just came back from the local quilt store, where my itty bitty friendship group, the Itty Bitties, were congregating. We began talking about UFOs, and Elaine mentioned her Sunbonnet Sue Through the Ages (I think it was really through the year) that has not been finished. She started it in the 90's. The Valley Oak Quilt Guild has offered a "series" quilt since the late 80's. The first one offered patterns of 12 barns. I made 4 of them. Another had 12 calendar blocks. I made 9 of the assigned blocks, and substituted 3 of my own. (Incidentally, I call that quilt "The 10 year year," seeing as it took me 10 years to actually complete the 12 months of the year.

The third series quilt was the one that pushed me over the edge. I never did another one. Ever.

This was "The 12 Days of Christmas," and boy, did I have big plans for it. I was going to do it ALL by hand, not just the quilting and the applique, but the piecing too. And I was only going to use solids. And I thought that one motif per block was silly. If there are 12 drummers, there should be 12 drummers. One drummer wasn't enough.

At first I chugged right along. See? I got all the way up to 5 golden rings...


And then I hit the stumbling block. Apparently I was absent the day the pattern for the geese a'laying was passed out. No harm, no fowl, I can skip it and move on to the swans a'swimming.
Do you know what a bear it was to get all 7 swans to fit on the prescribed space? It wasn't pretty, and apparently I'd had enough. (Blogger isn't impressed either.)


This little UFO has been hanging around since AT LEAST 1988 or 89. MAYBE 1990. Why didn't I go back, finish the swans and get back to the geese? Well, apparently I don't have the pattern for the geese. Or the 11 pipers peeping. sigh.


I still have the fabric set aside with the blocks. Do you think I will ever finish it?


Or better yet, does anyone know who designed the pattern and whether or not it's still available? If I actually have day 6 & day 11, I will have run out of reasons to keep putting this one off. (I really do like the jingle bells in the first block and many of the early blocks. If it were to ever be finished, I'm guessing one of the kiddos would like it too....)

A Different List

I've been putting a lot of effort into cataloging my current UFOs. Believe it or not, this is something that I've done every year for the past 5 or so years. I make a list of all/most projects in progress, and then rank them in order of importance. For example, in 2008, I began with #1 2007 Asilomar project - Ruth McDowell, and ended with #33 Purple/green Grandmother's Flower Garden. (Neither one got crossed off the list.)

Then, as I finish a project, I proudly draw a line through the entry, along with the date. Next to the number, I make a note of where this quilt ranks in order with the quilts I've actually completed during the year. (In pencil, in the margin, I make notes about the other quilts that have been finished, that were NOT on the list.)

I'm not sure if that makes sense to you, but it makes a lot of sense to me. When I look at my 2008 UFO list, I see that I've only crossed off two items, #2 - the River Project from Asilomar 2006, and #7, my 2008 Hoffman Challenge. They were finished projects, numbers 5 and 8, and both are show-quality quilts.

During 2008, I also quilted 20 quilts for hire. (This last one will be #21.)

I made 37 little quilted cards and 5 "art" quilts that were given as gifts.

I finished the following quilts:

1) "Psalm 46:10 Be Still"
2) small Corbin class tree
3) "It Is Well"
4) "Sierra Snow Melt"
5) a baby quilt for Mike & Lissa
6) "Pray For Our Troops"
7) a baby quilt for the Kings
8) a baby quilt for Asa
9) the duck baby quilt
10) the leftover 4 patch baby quilt
11) the penguin baby quilt.

hmmm.

In retrospect, it's been a pretty productive year, despite the deceptively few items crossed off of my UFO list. I finished 6 baby quilts (must have been a slow year for babies) and 4 show-quality quilts. It looks like a lot of my quilt time has been spent making little quilted cards and "art quilt" gifts for people. I've found that when I'm making something for someone in particular, it's much easier to get the task finished. I'll have to remember that in 2009. Rather than just finishing something to get it finished, finish it with a purpose in mind.

Goals are good.

That's my motto, and I'm sticking to it!!

I wonder if I'll get anything done today... ;) The deadline for Paducah is right around the first of the year, and my quilt is only about 20% quilted. (by hand). I've got miles to quilt before I sleep. or not. But as I said, goals are good, and every year Paducah has been a MARVELOUS goal to shoot for.

And now I'm off and running...I'll try to have more pictures tomorrow...

Still Listmaking

I found the other picture I took. It's this black feathered star. I'm happy with a mere 4 blocks, but Pat insists I MUST make more. I've added more fabric to the bin, as possibilities, but the urge to make more hasn't hit yet. I'm waiting.

I thought that the next group would be best listed without pictures, since they're just in the pattern or drawing stages, not in the fabric selection stage. We've got Beautiful America, a quilt I was supposed to test- sew for a friend MONTHS ago, there's the flying penguins quilt, Splashing in the River of Joy (that I've been talking about since 2000), Andrew's graduation quilt (he graduated in March 2007), the yellow flowers quilt...oh, and there are the three panels that I bought on a whim, so there are "quilts" that need to be made from them: Cow Christmas, Alphabet Animals, Nutcracker - which reminds me that I also have a Noah panel that one of the boys gave me years ago.

And then there's the purple/green Grandmother's Flower Garden that I showed months ago, and the "tropical" UFO that currently hangs on my design wall.

So far I've got 31 on the list, which is actually a lot fewer than I'd expected. This year's list had 38 on it, and I've only crossed two things off. I'm going to have to double check to see what exactly I'm missing...

(The previous 3-4 years have each had 50+ quilts on the list. Never has the list been complete.)

And so, now that I've taken my little break, it's time to go back to tackling that quilt-for-hire. Yes, I AM being a good girl. I'm working on it steadily, little bits at a time. And it's time to get back at it...

Making a List

I have lots of pictures today. I hope you're not looking for pictures of anything finished, oh no. These are more UFO pictures.

I actually began the day doing what I should be doing. I was working on the quilt-for-hire...


I was interrupted periodically to change the laundry. Don't you just hate it when you find something like this wadded in a ball at the bottom of the basket? I squawk a lot, but I'm the only one home. A lot of good it does me...


I watched the kitties play. Their personalities are quite different. While Charlie prefers being in the house and beating up his favorite cow toy,


Edgar is outside, romping on the roof.


As you can tell by the multiple pictures already, focusing/concentrating wasn't high on the list yesterday. I started pulling out more UFO's. yep. I'm making a list, and it just keeps growing.

So let's see. When did I start this Grandmother's Flower Garden? It had to be after the Kathy Sandbach class in the 80's, because the fabric was leftover from that class. This is another of those, "It seemed like a good idea at the time..." quilts, probably because the hexagons are so much bigger than the purple/green gfg I started before this one. I can add the bottom flower, and make one more for the obvious hole at the top, but is it big enough to do anything with? I can't say. But I guess I could make a one step progress, right? And it doesn't help that I don't have much black set aside with this project. What was I thinking?


In 1996, we went to England and Scotland. I got this grand idea to make a vacation quilt from our photographs. I didn't get any further than these two blocks. I can't throw them away, they're pictures of my kids!! (I got stuck on the head on this one.)


I wonder why Blogger flipped the penguin parade at Edinburgh Zoo?


I started this quilt to put on the bed in the dining room. oops. There's no longer a bed in the dining room, and the quilt still isn't finished. It's a pretty quilt, I really should finish it don't you think?


Oh look. Here's a box of leftovers from a Christmas quilt that I made for my sister a few years ago. Now that quilt was made in less than 2 months and sent to the recipient ON TIME. Why is there a box with a UFO in it? Well...the fabric was so cute and matchy - the first time I've done that! - that I couldn't break up the party could I? I wish I had more of the red floral or the Eiffel Tower. I suspect I'm hoping the fabric will be fruitful and multiply while in the box and out of sight?


hmm. One year I thought I'd make a trout quilt for Pete. I thought I had three blocks of the four done. I guess not. Any idea why I stopped? yeah, I think the fish are kind of ugly too. Since I made them, I've collected a lot better fish fabric...


Here are more leftovers, this time from Allison's Cal graduation quilt. I've got so many blocks cut out, I could make another quilt. Or two. This is an easy "grab it and go" project, and that's why it went on retreat...


I also over-cut for my 2006 Hoffman Challenge. That seems to be a theme, doesn't it? I've got all of these strips of fabric and bias squares - I don't want to put them back in the stash. Maybe I'll need another small quilt from this color combo...you never know...


Huh. I thought I'd taken another picture. It must still be in my camera. Here's the last one for today. This is the box of leftover 4.5" squares and 4-patches from the baby quilts I've made. I told you I've made a lot of them!!! I even made a baby quilt earlier this year out of just the 4.5" squares. It didn't even make a dent in the stack, other than to let the box shut again.


So much to do, so little time... ;) And on that, I'd better get back to work on the quilt-for-hire. Oh, and I did do a bit of handquilting on my own project last night. One step at a time, and we're always moving forward. Right? Right!!

Moving Right Along

December isn't moving any more slowly than November. I feel like I'm in a bobsled race, on my way to the 25th. This is our first official empty nest December, and so far (on day 2 - ha!) I feel like "I've got in under control." I wonder how long that will last?

I've already made the first batch of Christmas cookies. These are Toffee Squares from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book, in case you're interested.


The cats are fascinated by the tree. Actually, it's the water bucket that really has their attention. For years Malcolm has seen it as his personal festive herbal water fountain. He's totally disgusted with the kittens. They don't appreciate the gift. They don't drink the water, they PLAY in it. splash! splash! dip! growl. Malcolm stalks off and refuses to even pretend that he's enjoying himself. The other two are still hoping to find fish...

Yesterday I absolutely had to get started on this last quilt-for-hire. I knew that once I began, I wouldn't have a chance to do any more Santa's workshop projects, no matter how small. So I finished the stocking ornament, and then got to work.

I also looked through another section of UFO's. These are the tops that are not yet basted. Yes, they have issues, maybe that's why Blogger tipped some of the pics. sigh.

The first is this Noah's ark banner. It's hand-appliqued. I made it several years ago, for a Tulare Church. I was all ready to baste it when the kids spoke up. And they were young. "Mom? Why did you put the rainbow upside down?" upside down? What are you talking about? "Mom, the red goes on TOP, not on the bottom!!!" Rather than fix it, I made an entirely new top, which has been quilted and given to the church. I think they've had it for more than 10 years....


This is a top made from "president's blocks." I was president of the Valley Oak Quilt Guild back in 1996. Many of the members made a basket block for me, of their choice. The blocks that sit horizontally have been put together and finished in a lap quilt. But the blocks on point? They are still waiting for finishing touches.

For some reason, I thought they needed flowers in the corners...


So I added irises. The problem with that, is that it makes the rest of the brown "dirt" borders look so...brown. sigh. Sue says, "You MUST add more flowers! All the way around the border!!" I'm still considering it. As I said, the blocks were given to me in 1996. The top has been together for at least 10 years. What am I going to do with it?!!


Finally, this top also seemed like a good idea at the time. The dinosaurs are hand-appliqued on the leafy background. They are replicas of dinosaurs painted by my daughter when she was in kindergarten. I wanted to make some of her art work "permanent." So far the only thing permanent about it is its place in my UFO stack. Maybe a border would get me more excited...


That brings my UFO total to 11, if I count the two baby quilts that will probably be done some time this month. That doesn't count any of the REAL UFO's, which are those assigned to boxes, or stacks of fabric, etc., etc. I've only listed the projects stacked on the ironing board and hanging in the closet. I've got the rest of the month to complete the list, this is definitely not a one day job.

And so, without further ado, I'll roll the dice and see who is to receive the quilted Christmas card. The winner is....#5 woohoo!!! Jan Krentz!!! Congratulations Jan, I'll send it on its way today.

Thank you so much to everyone who leaves a comment!! I feel like I spend way too much time involved in one-way conversation, and it's nice to know that someone out there thinks it's worth paying attention to....

And on that, I absolutely MUST finish this quilt-for-hire today. No excuses.

Welcome December!!!

Is this just the saddest sight ever? Son #3 and Son #1 are leaving us. Son #2 left on Saturday, Daughter wasn't here. sigh. Empty nest returns.

But we do have reminders that they've been here. Adam asked, "Mom....Can you please wash my Hawaiian shirts?" "Sure, Adam." I mean really, how many shirts can he be talking about?

hmmm...I guess I know why he wanted them to be tackled by The Master.


One of my house rules is that I MUST do my ironing before moving on to anything fun in the sewing room. I have a lot that needs to be done in there, so I'd better get that iron plugged in ASAP...

And, of course, there's the tree. We brought it home yesterday, and it looks beautiful there, just waiting for me to string lights and begin decorating. Yes, it's a real tree. I love everything about it, and will only switch to artificial when I have no say in the matter.


I didn't get anything done in Santa's Workshop yesterday, but I did finish another project on Saturday night. Here it is...have you figured out what it is yet?


Here's a better clue. (Again, I'm pretty sure the recipient does not read this blog.)


And speaking of reading this blog, only 5 of you have commented on the 12 step program. Tomorrow, I will be sending one of these cards to one of the commentators. Will it be you? Well, probably not, if you haven't left a comment...

And that's it for now. I've much to do, and the day's a'wasting...