Multi-Media Book RR

Time flies, full of overworked employment, maternal obligations and rotten weather! In this span my laptop also got virus-ed on Friday the 13th. After a $100 trip to the PC Guy, I am clean, but my camera wasn't cooperating with said laptop...not able to download pics. My friend Jody spent an hour on my PC, from her home near Chicago, trying to get me ready to go. Seems my laptop does NOT like my camera, like the PC Guy told me! Now I have a card reader (learned something new today) that my SD card goes into to extract my pics. We bypassed the camera. So....now I can post a new pic! Thanks Jody for all your advice and time. What she knows about computers is like a foreign language to me.

I have been so excited to share my finished (almost) book from the RR I participated in with some of my most talented friends. When we were all together in Charlotte NC, we gave each book back to its owner...a reveal! I am so thrilled with mine! This is my cover. We each made our covers and back covers. It was to provide a direction for each person working on it. I included a slew of upholstery fabric samples, thanks to my friend Anne who gave me a treasure of books to work with. (I used a silk book to make my CQ purse). Each person used some of them in their pages.

Colleen worked her magic on this page. I had prepared canvas to be the substrate of each page and they could paint it the color of their choice. This page is a cool green, coupled with pink and this awesome beaded cabochon. Colleen makes gorgeous jewelry with these cabochons. I feel honored to have one in my book. The second pic is of the backside. She used a vintage apron and embroidery to complete her page. Colleen's aesthetic is similar to mine, so we are guaranteed to like what each of us do.

Nicki's pages began with a "friendship tree". I love how she used her favorite color (blue!) and  created this wonderful rendition of a tree. She dyes lace to sell on Etsie and you can see some of her lace bits here. Her reverse side uses a cool dyed  doilie and stitching, combined with some fabrics I included. Love these pages. Thanks Nick.

Denise has a very under-stated elegance to her designs. I loved her cover and back-side for her book.  She used a felting technique she learned at Quilt Market.  Her second side uses a wine cork cut into slices and stamped with the word "dasein" which means simply, to be alive, to be a being. Love these.

Jody was inspired to use the fabrics included in the box. I love the stamped bird (the bird thing...love it) and she incorporated Scrabble-like tiles since she knows I love the game! She used the leather-like bits to really come up with the perfect pages for my book. Thanks!

This is the back cover I made. I will gather my pages together with discounted bracelet chains I picked up at Michaels. This was the perfect combination of people and talents. We all worked well together. So well, we are gearing up to do an altered book RR. We have included our friend Charlyn in this round. It promises to be exciting! Altered books in entirely different. We will each start with a book...a real book... a book destined for nowhere. The front and back covers will be our starting point. Cannot wait!

My little art quilt group dabbled in a technique from Susan Carlson's book Serendipity Quilts. Using watered down glue and paint brush we glued bits of scraps to create a design. Our first attempts are very basic, but oh, so fun! I used a bag of scrap verbiage fabrics my friend Mary Ellen gave me a few years ago. It was truly soothing and relaxing just gluing bits to background fabric. I encourage you to get her books and try this out. Really fun!

I look forward to trying this technique out and making some fish from her first book, Free Style Quilts.

My body aches after another day of weeding and planting. I still have weeds waiting for me in the front garden. Tomorrow is another day! Can't wait to see the petunia's root and take off. Hope it fills in the front and all I have to do is deadhead the bunch.

I have quite a few projects in queue. First and foremost is a Nook cover. One of my favorites at work asked me to make a Nook cover for his dad for Father's Day. Ted actually found the emblem for his dad's Marine unit and emailed it to me. I copied it to fabric today...which was a trial and error. Some of the prepared sheets I have were affected by humidity and jammed my printer. I ended up using the canvas prepared fabric I bought at Office Max. It went through printer without jamming. I love the canvas and the emblem looks great. He asked for a red cover with emblem on front. After a plea to some quilty friends, Jody went out of her way to find me some Marine fabric at her Hobby Lobby in Chicago; mailed to me right away, received yesterday. The Marine fabric will be inside the Nook holder. I kind of came up with this myself based on a picture from a blog. It will incorporate triangle tabs that hold the Nook inside. Peltex will give it some rigidity. Thinking of elastic to keep it closed. Tomorrow will begin with me making this Nook cover happen!

I have also signed on to interpret this photo into a quilt of some sort. Hhhh.mmmm. So many idea's.

Michael is unofficially graduated from St John Fisher. He saved 3 credits for the Fall to return to play his last year of eligibility on the football team. The ceremony was held in Rochester May 9th. Kudos to Fisher for moving the ceremony swiftly along. 1000 graduates=2 hours.

I have learned:

1. So You Think You Can Dance started up this past Thursday. I have predicted  Melanie Moore will win. 
2. Really...Scotty? American Idol. Haley all the way.
3. D'onfrio returns. Criminal Intent. 
4. John Steinbeck's Travels with Charly is a quick read about Steinbeck's excursion with his poodle Charly in the early 60's. I looked a couple of times at the publication date. Some issues were still relevant  almost 40 years later. 
5. Cameron is gay. Melissa's future BIL. He's 18. Cam has known for a long time. Melissa let him be what he is. What a gift. 
6. Major Magic's memories. The pizza joint with games and animated life-sized animals singing songs. But it was all about the tickets! Tickets to "buy" a prize. 

My Last Pages.....

While in Charlotte last weekend, the five of us that were in the Mixed Media Book RR gathered to give the finished books to their rightful owners. The last book I worked on was Nicki's. The theme was your name basically. I had a bit of an issue coming up with something since my name and story are rather ordinary. I was born Kathleen Darcy, no middle name. I married, thus the Everett, and kept that name when I divorced because it is Melissa and Michael's last name. Jody advised me to just do techniques/design I like and meld my name into it. So, that is what I did! No more block! The top page is a rose tea-dyed vintage hankie with a bit of my birth certificate copied to fabric. The lacy "bug" is a made from a lace piece that Nicki had sent out to some friends to see what we would do with it. Each person's page had a pocket with a tag so I used an old library book pocket and tucked in 3 stamped tags with an account of each of my names.....Kathleen, named after my mother's twin: Darcy, my maiden name; Everett, my kids last name....and I wouldn't change a thing!
My book is waiting for me at UPS, in a box I had shipped from NC. I hastily wrote my address and the man in charge of shipping at the Hilton saw my "8" as a "5". When I retrieve it tomorrow I will get to putting my book together and showing the great work my friends did!

Happy Mother's Day to me! I have great kids. I am very proud of both of them for the young people they have become.

Tuesday my little art quilt group, led by Marylee this month, is going to do an exercise using the technique from the book Serendipity Quilts by Susan Carlson. One of the women from the retreat made a challenge piece using this process. It is awesome. I have permission to show you her "Charlotte's Wilbur". I think she did a great job on him. I can't wait to try this out!

Tomorrow, back to work after 1 1/2 weeks off. I love being home and doing my things. I am never bored.
My next week off  is at the end of July. I get 6 weeks vacation, but 4 of them must be used in weeks. Using days would be so much better for me. I could take days off all year to go to classes and quilt guild meetings. I do take offense at the guilds that meet during the week, during the day! Barring all the wonderfully creative souls working hard for the man! Oh well....

I have learned:

1. Those lost WW pounds I lost, found their way back.
2. So You Think You Can Dance starts again on the 26th! I love that show.
3. Hailey still in American Idol! 
4. How to make these Japanese thimbles, above. Charlyn took time at the retreat to show Lisa and I how to start them. (it's in the shipped box too). They are not hard. I love them! They are meant to be used on your dominant hand, middle finger, between first and second knuckle, to push needle. They are just beautiful.

Back to Reality.....

A picture of my class at my COF (Circle of Friends) Quilt Retreat in Charlotte North Carolina this past weekend! We had a fun, relaxing 2 hours. I was very fortunate to have a class full of some of my favorite people  and some of my new favs!

I had the most excellent time with all my online/real world friends! My roomies, Nicki and Jody are "old" friends now.
From the time my plane landed Thursday at 11 AM to the time my plane took off Monday morning at 9:30 AM, our time with 79 other women, from all over the USA and 1 from New Zealand,  was full of activity! We took a double decker bus to a great fabric shop, Mary Jo's, and I know we left alot of money in their cash registers~!
We had a trunk shows from Cathy Wiggins and Susan Brubaker Knapp.  I loved SBK. She was very accommodating and gracious.
There was a quilt raffle for MDA that Jean ran. I won an awesome quilt (which should be here by tomorrow since I decided at, literally, the last minute, to ship home....without considering exactly what was inside. Very precious cargo) It is a mini twister made by Carol from Texas! I love it! Thank you both for your hard work.
I took a class on making picture quilts of pets and another on reverse applique. Very good classes, very informative.
I can't say enough about Thearica and her crew. Blood, sweat and tears went into planning the extravaganza and I thank you all.
Yesterday I got back to my machine. I made a lanyard for a friend and a Nook case. (pic of case on phone, so will show later)

Got that package off yesterday...and made another lanyard for another friend....

This will be going out tomorrow. There is something about making these things I like. I made a dozen for my guild's luncheon in June already. I plan to make many more for special friends.
I also made a few more "fabrics" for my jacket class with Martha.
Taking this week off was the best gift I could have given myself! I am enjoying every single minute of my time away from work. Retirement. 5 yrs, 10 mos, 3 weeks.
Michael graduates Saturday from St John Fisher College. Proud mother.

So many projects in the works, so many idea's swirling around my head! Lucky me.

I have learned:

1. Hailey still a contender on American Idol! My pick all along. Darcy is a James fan. We will see...
2. Quilt batting has a right and a wrong side? Yes, true that.
3. How to make a Japanese thimble...yubinuki...thanks to Charlyn. Very cool.
4. Taco Bell Chihuahua's name is Gidget. Kind of weird.

Flour Paste Resist Dying Result is in!

This is my rinsed flour paste resist dyed fabric piece! I am so pleased!

This is the Dynaflow dyed, crackled flour paste piece before. Sharon lead our art quilt group last Tuesday and taught us all how to do it. She had prepared dried sheets for each of us. The flour paste (approximately 1 cup flour to 1 1/2 cups cool water) takes days to dry after application. We each got to crackle and crunch it to create cracks in the flour layer that allow the dye or fabric paint to seep into them and leave an awesome design! I loved this! I have painted the two pieces of crackled flour fabrics and coated a prewashed yard of fabric with flour paste. I am patiently waiting for the paint to cure and the paste to dry!

Sharon over dyed the background fabric in this piece that was in a gallery show last month in Rochester. I like that it uses non toxic and readily available materials. I especially like the results!
Next month Marylee is going to show us the process from Sue Carlson's book Serendipity Quilts. We will use scrap bits and glue! This is a really cool book, starting with a simple design and gradually increasing the challenge using value and a more-is-more approach. Looking forward to it!
Quilt guild Saturday was a busy one! I had arranged for the annual Demo meeting this month and signed myself on to demo my Singer ER10 embellishing machine I relied on my enthusiasm to convey and demonstrate, in four 10 minute sessions, just what an intriguing machine it is! Martha demo-ed the Double Diamond ruler; Elaine showed everyone how easy it is to make the lanyards we need for our NYS Quilt Guild Consortium luncheon we are hosting in June and Melanie shared with us a pieced batting technique that makes machine quilting less troublesome. These meetings allow people to be exposed to something new and are always a success.
Martha taught our 1st of 2 jacket classes after meeting. We all cut out a muslin of our pattern that will become the base for the pieced fabrics we are making. These are a few of my "fabrics".

My "wonky" piece and 2 Seminole pieces. I really like Seminole. I have some instructions for other designs from an online class I took last year. I plan to make some of those for my jacket as well. They look so complicated but are so simple. We will end up sewing these in a grand scheme onto the muslin that will become our jackets we will wear to quilt shows for all to admire!! Great time sewing with great people. I love my guild!
We are having a UFO sewing day after the June meeting where I plan to be reminded how to cut the One Block Wonder pieces out and make more for my quilt. I don't have enough variety in the few I made already so hoping this spur me on to finishing mine. I love every OBW quilt I see.
In 13 1/2 days I will be in Charlotte NC with old quilting friends and new ones as well as we gather from all over United States in the 5th Annual HGTV Quilt Retreat. Four fun filled days with people that love the same things I do! Excited? Very!
Snowed today. Longjohns on again. Another reason NC weather (apart from the recent tornadoes down there) is appealing to me so much. Need to know better weather exists......somewhere.....
Melissa's wedding plans are all set. October 15th is around the corner. All I need is money now!
Michael graduates college on May 7th. Those 4 years went fast~!

I have learned:

1. The Killing, on AMC is really good. Well written. Excellent acting. I wasn't drawn to watch this from its name. I read someones blog that commented on how good it was and gave it a shot. Thanks whoever! And it's On Demand.
2. The King of Hearts is the only King without a mustache.
3. Very interesting quilt using a formula. Sunrise Sunset quilt. 2 1/2" strips with inserts.
4. I actually had the food channel on yesterday. Anyone that knows me knows I abhor cooking. Some woman was making this Swiss cheese stuffed endive, wrapped in ham, baked in oven. Looked delicious and I don't even know what endive tastes like! I bought 3 little endive today, have the ham and cheese. I am going to make these tomorrow. 
5. The Streets of Laredo, the sequel to Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is not great. I am going to read it to see how it all turns out for Captain Cowboy Call, but it seems like another person wrote it. I find there is a lot of repeating, so much so that a few times I had to actually check I was in the right spot since I know I read this already. Editing maybe? Me maybe?
6. Gas=$3.91=less driving out of Batavia. Not acceptable.

CQ RR Block and other bits...

My work on the last round of the Steampunk CQ RR on CQI. Hard block for me to stitch on....blue. Not my favorite. I appliqued a corset, adding tiny lock nut washers down the front. Metal bits are a key to the Steampunk genre and I love the spiky rounds! The bars on the black strap over the corset are actually the flat hook from hook and eye closures. The silver tinsel trim to the right was a ribbon Elaine gifted me for my birthday. I put rhinestone trim over that. The vintage silver button with black tulle gathered under it and the fabric paper bit to the left was a remnant from another project. I have the last block now. Need to get that finished and mailed before leaving for Charlotte at the end of the month.

This is the backing for Melissa and Cory's quilt. Improvisationally pieced with all the leftover blocks and fabrics! I used just about all the fabric I bought. It is ready for the quilter now.

Ruth Ohol made this gorgeous quilt. My friend Melanie and I attended Twin Cities Quilt guild meeting this past Wednesday where we got to see the gorgeous, unbelievably detailed and dense machine quilting Ruth specializes in. She has won numerous awards and has been published many times in Quilters Newsletter. Very talented woman. Great show. Thanks Penny!
Yard work was the theme of 1/2 of my weekend. I live on 6 acres. Of course I don't tend to all that but when your bending for hours picking up limbs, sticks, twigs and nut tree residual nuts and shells, it feels every bit of 6 acres! I have much more clean up to do yet. Back ache reserved already!
Today I spent time rearranging living room to accommodate my new-to-me loveseat. I live minutes away from Bontrager Auction Barn where every Wednesday evening they auction good stuff and junk. Of course it is all in the eyes of the junk lover. I have gotten many an interesting item there including oriental rugs, cool wire mannequin, couches, chairs, birdbaths and other treasures I couldn't live without! I left a bid for both the couch and the loveseat but apparently two men battled for the couch and surpassed my maximum bid. So I got the loveseat that no bidder wanted enough to spend more than $180. It is a Sofas & Chairs custom piece. My 14' x 15' living room is perfect for the love seat. Love it!
I have a very busy month. Tuesday, Sharon will show us how to do the flour paste crackle resist dying at our little art quilt group meeting. FUN!
Saturday is quilt guild day and I am demo-ing my embellishing machine and sewing at a workshop after that. Martha is guiding us as we piece fabric for a jacket. Prep and gather and gather some more!
And then there is the HGTV COF (circle of friends) quilt retreat in Charlotte NC to wrap up the month! I am teaching a class there, so I have to prep for that as well as pack and hope my reservations are all squared away with United Airways. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

I have learned:

1. My friend Maria got her puppy, Blue, last week. A very handsome Golden Retriever. She had to put down her beloved Wyatt a few months ago. Her dad had to put down his Black Lab a few months before that. Along with Dean's resent demise, we all have had our share of heartache. Blue is healing all that. What a pleasant disposition! 
2. Ray LaMontagne. Listen. Good. Watching Live from the Artists Den now. 
3. The Poisonwood Bible was a very good read.
4. I actually have a window open right now! Winter over!? No more snow? Long johns put away? Please say it is so!
5. I need a pedicure, bad. Soon. I like pretty toenails!
6. My favorite color is mostly red. Sometimes black. A certain shade of robins egg blue too. I know it is not yellow, unless it's mustard yellow.

Little CC Case

Last night Lynne taught us how to make this credit card case on Friday Night PJ Party on HGTV message board. Of course I made it to the second side of zipper and well, I lost steam! So today I finished it up. My zipper is not wonderful, but it will work for me! I will actually use this too. I will slip the key ring onto my jeans belt loop with credit cards and cash zipped in. Thanks Lynne for a great project.
Tracy and I went to the Twin Cities Quilters Guild quilt show today. Very nice show! I am hoping to win one of the many awesome raffle baskets they are giving away! Any day spent with quilts and a good friend is a great day!
While there we saw a demo on locker hooking. I know I have this tool somewhere, having been enticed by a demo at another quilt show years ago! I actually did a few pulls and it is fun and easy. Makes me want to find it and design something cool and hook away!
I did find a great book. Had to have it now, not in Amazon time. Comfort Zone by Maggie Bonanomi. Wool projects including slippers and a jacket, as well as wall hangings, runners and quilts.
We lunched at the Panera Bread from Saturday afternoon, shopping mecca region, crazy Amherst hell. If their salads and sandwiches weren't a commodity to us Panera starved people, we would have ditched the effort. Serious table diving just to sit and eat. I was intercepted by a high boot fashionista on my first attempt, and was welcomed by a young man, while his less-than-thrilled girlfriend was less than that as we all honed in on another recently vacated table. Finally Tracy and I contracted for a booth as a party finished up their lunch fare. I was so keyed up from the table hunt by that time I was extra pleased by my Mediterranean veggie sandwich and Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.

I have learned:

1. Melanie will be 41 tomorrow! Happy Birthday my friend!
2. Tracy's sister pulled the best April Fool's joke off on her and their mom yesterday. She made a sponge cake. a SPONGE cake....yes, sponges were the fools surprise, complete with frosting, real frosting, in and on it! How funny is that. I love it.
3. Hailey is my American Idol pick.

Mossy Bit

Isn't this cool? I was at work and the morning sun was shining on this gorgeous patch of moss near my stockroom door. I went and got a paintbrush, flicked off the dirty bits and took this pic with my Blackberry. (handy to have a camera with me at all times!) It was one of those rare days that there was no snow covering this up!
I made Darcy a sleeve for her tablet.

It was another Friday Night PJ Party project on HGTV message board. I wasn't able to do it the night they held it (surprise party!) but one of the helpful ladies sent me the instructions. Darcy chose these 2 fabrics at Joann's last weekend. Monkeys are all the rage apparently. This is constructed from an 18" quilted and bound square. There are 2 pockets, one on either side and the center opening you end up with is where the tablet (a small computer board) goes with a velcro closure. The ladies made them for laptops, ipads and notebooks. Easy and fun project. Thanks WQFC!
I finished my improvisational pieced back for the Melissa and Cory quilt. It is so big, to me anyway. I think it is large enough to take to a machine quilter now.
My friend Thearica is a generous person, much like the charitable Jean I mentioned a few posts ago. Thearica runs a Ronald Mcdonald House quilt raffle. People make quilts and she sells tickets! (click on her name and read all about the challenge.) Anyone can commit to helping out! I am making my first quilt donation this year. Wool penny's are in the works already!
I am to mail the current CQ Steampunk block tomorrow. I must admit I had a hard time with this one. It is blue and black. It seemed to need to stay close to those colors. I did add a gold corset though! I will get pics and post.
I received the Meg's block from Colleen yesterday and the colors are more varied and in my tones so I think I will be inspired!

I have learned:

1. I can retire in 5 years....exactly! 
2. My sister makes delicious Irish bread. I want more!
3. Ian face painting at the St Andrew's Pasta dinner last Saturday. He was such a gentleman, sitting with me while I ate my dinner. I even gave him two chances to go back to his friends. Sweet.
4. Interesting contest someone on HGTV board posted. Doll quilts and Beds.
5. Cool quilt-along to make this quilt, Supernova, on Freshly Pieced blog.