Eventide: The Brown Has Taken Over

Eventide is finally coming together.
I have made the blocks and the inner borders.
These pictures are really grainy... my little camera and I don't do well
early in the morning, by early, I mean before it's light out!
But I make my way to the sewing machine anyway just to get a little
progress made on my projects.

I have the individual rows assembled...

now I just need to get the rows put together.
This photo shows the colors of the fabrics much better.
I think I will make the deadline next week!
But before I can continue on this I need to get moving on
the next Le Petite project because the parade is coming
up on Friday!
(rain or no rain-- on my parade)

Mosaic Monday, Plus

This weekend I decided to ignore the weather and start getting ready for Spring.
I found some of my Shabby Chic quilts and a few decorations for Easter...
now all I need is some sunshine!
If you click on the picture it will make the photo larger. Can you see the wonderful handpainted eggs in the plate with the white bunny? They were made especially for us by the hubs Aunt.

I also managed to get a little playtime in the sewing room...

I had this Moda bag... and I found a bunch of little Dresdens ( I wonder what I was doing with those).

Anyway, I added it to the front of the bag with a little Ric Rac and changed the button into a covered button.

I played with making my Ritzy Cracker blocks out of Pure too...

but then I decided to wait on putting the rows together, because I needed to get

crackin' on my Eventide quilt. Tomorrow there will be pictures of that project.

Check Thelma's blog Cupcake n Daisies for every one's updates on Eventide.

Calm After The Storm

It's always beautiful the day after a storm.

I tried to take some pictures as I was driving...

which I am sure is just as wrong as texting while driving...

but this was the view as I was going into work this morning.

It has been one heck of a week. Lots of storm damage everywhere.

It looks like a tornado hit our town, trees are mangled and down everywhere.

I live just outside of Yosemite National Park, so if you have seen that in the news...

it's pretty much the same here. Most people have been without electricity all week.

Fortunately, I still have electricity and the creature comforts. But I actually couldn't get to work one day this week because the roads were closed due to the trees in the road and rock slides.

The upside was that I did get to sew all day that day! Hey!

And since I had electricity  I could still access the computer.

I even found a couple of new blogs... well new to me anyway... lots of interesting reading!

Anyway, that reminds me of when my husband and I were in Hawaii a few years ago.

We were in this shop with beautiful Hawaiian created items like jewelry, carvings... and quilts.

My husband struck up a conversation with the sales person while I was looking at the quilts and before I could stop him or catch his eye with the "ut-u-zip it" look he proceeded to tell this lady that his wife owned a quilt shop and was a quilter. I new what was coming... and I was dreading it!

The lady said "oh, where are you from"? And I told her Yosemite... in California. 

She had never heard of it.  (no surprise here)

But then her next question was "do you hand quilt"? And as I confessed that I did not, I could almost see her nose turn up! I kid you not.

She said that they only do traditional Hawaiian quilting, although a few do some other styles. I agreed that traditional Hawaiian quilting is beautiful... and kept eyeing the door hoping to make my escape from any further conversation.

Sometimes it's better just to not participate in a conversation, you know?

Who couldn't appreciate the beauty and workmanship on these?

They are stunning... and way way beyond my skill!

But I have made Hawaiian styled quilts...

This one was a pattern from Beyond the Reef. I really

like their other whimsical patterns too.

Jaybird (Julie) has some great photos of their booth at Road to California.

Anyway, another favorite to do on a stormy day is to watch old movies...

gotta love Barbara!

Still On A Winning Streak

I got one of those wonderful packages in the mail again yesterday.
I had won a gift certificate from Kelly at Cotton Charm Quilts.
I was so excited about the win...
and a little shopping that could ensue~
and after some pondering, and thinking about Le Petite projects to come...
(which require a good stash of Charm Packs)
I put in my little order... and here are my charms from Kelly! Thank you so much!!!

I wasted no time in cutting into Pure.

I need to make a baby blanket for a sweet little boy that should be arriving next month.

I am using a Moda Bake Shop pattern: Ritzy Crackers.

 

So, remember the Luck of the Irish I thought I had last week? When I thought I won that bike in a raffle?

Well as it turns out, I did not win the raffle... I won the

grand door prize!

And I think the lady thought I was crazy when I said, very disappointingly,

"oh. Great". (and was thinking: darn it- I so wanted that bike)!

 I won lodging and dinner at Bass Lake Resort.

Which right now looks more like this.

But the view from the dinning room is good no matter what the weather is!

Maybe I'll take the hubs for his birthday, or our first date anniversary. Do you celebrate those?

I do. Actually, I lived 5 houses down the street from here when we met. So it would be an appropriate

place for an anniversary date.

Eventide Update and Onward

Eventide is a process... well, it's a
a thinking process...

and here is what I'm thinking now.

Remember when the brown scared me? Well I'm trying the brown again. I'm thinking that it might work.
I'm going to do the inner border squares in red to balance it a bit.
I've decided to just use one red fabric instead of scrappy reds because it's just scrapppy enough (I think).

Now to the onward part...
DS and DIL were home over the weekend. Jilly Bean and I tore it up in the sewing room...

well, she did more tearing up than me. This is a picture of the quilt she whipped up.

She had cut out double the amount she needed, so I had to make one too. Mine are still in

blocks though. She got hers put all together. It is from a pattern of Natalia's at Piece n Quilt.

But what I did get put together was my pinwheel La Playa quilt.

Now I need to concentrate on the borders.

I love this fabric group from Minick and Simpson so much! Charlovioux. I think that's how you spell it.
I think I mentioned before that I got carried away with making HST's for pinwheels from my
jelly roll for the quilt pictured above.
 Today I was over at Quilting Daze and saw what Darlene had made
 from a MBS pattern using the same fabric line.  Since I have a gazillion HST's...
It looks like that is the candidate for my next quilt!
 Please go take a look and read her posts.
(this is a picture of Darlene's quilt; thank you Darlene)

I guess I have the Luck of the Irish!

I wish this was my quilt rack... but unfortunately it is a photo from

Pottery Barn! They have a beautiful selection of quilts don't they?

Look at that Single Girl quilt in the group!

There is a group making these in blogville right now, and I'm so jealous.

I am going to vow right here and now that I will make

one of these this year!

This isn't a pretty picture but I thought I would share a tip with you...
my Rowenta, some how had gotten a bunch of sticky yuck all over the sole plate,
so I had naturally put it away and took out another iron to use.
Well, of course I got back to it and the pain of cleaning it. When I started
cleaning it though, a light bulb went off and I suddenly remembered reading
someones blog a while back and they suggested using
a dryer sheet on a warm iron
(clipped with a clothes pin, so your fingers don't get burned).
It worked like a charm, easie peasie... do you see that shine?

I got a sweet little package in the mail today from Di at Quilting is Blissful.
I had actually won something!
But not just something... it is a beautiful embroidered bread bag!
I love it!!!
WAIT, HOLD THE PRESSES!
NEWSFLASH!!!!
I... just now, right this very minute
got a phone call from the hubs telling me he got a message on the home phone that I won a raffle prize....
I am ecstatic right now!
 I was at a fundraiser luncheon yesterday (St. Patricks Day) and I put raffle tickets in a bag for
 the only thing there that I really really wanted...
a beach cruiser bike!



HOLY COW!!!! SERIOUSLY???

A New Direction

Knowing that it was Tuesday and time to post our updates on Eventide...

I grabbed a block as I ran out the door for work today, so that I could assemble it and take a picture

to show the new direction the block may be heading in.

Of course I didn't seem to grab enough of the star blocks, but you can get the idea.

Last Tuesday,  I posted that I was unhappy about the blocks and how they seem to either

 jump out at you or mooch together. So now I am trying the alternate block with just two colors.

A light and a medium. Not too dark... you know, the Little Red Riding Hood dilema.

edited 3/16  ooops! I had the wrong story... it's a Goldylocks like of dilema!

I need to make some more like this to really get the feel... but so far I am happier.

Contrast, I'm thinkin' is a key eliment.

 

I was working on one or two other things over the weekend.

A few of these, that are shaping up for my "special" project.

A couple of these for Just One Star for the Minick and Simpson Quilt of Valor project.

I have copied off a few of the patterns and am handing them out to the women

in my quilting circle and to some friends who are in other circles,

so they can share the project with them as well.

And I am working on another "special project"... one for

a special someone... and one for me!

Mosaic Monday- Pincushions

A collection of photos, in no patticular order by
 Bee In My Bonnet, Quilt Taffy, Sew Mama Sew, Vinta Threds, Just Helen,
Hen House Homemade Again, Craft Sew Create, The Domestic Diva, Sew's Sew Pretty,
Oh Fransson, Better Gnomes and Garden, Beckys Bumble Bee Boutique, Primitive Patchwork,
Quilt Wit Us, Ruby Red Desgins, Mouse Chripy-Polkadot Pineapple.

Red and White Quilt Show

The American Folk Art Museum in New York will be having a Red and White Quilt Exhibit

at the end of this month, starting on March 25th, called

"Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts." 

The exhibit is  celebrating three centuries of quilting.

I, of course, will not be able to afford the gas to fire up my Lear jet and go to the exhibit...

but I thought I would let you know that Taryn of

Repo Quilt Lover  blog had an amazing idea! She is hosting a Red and White Quilt show and it's going on over at her blog right now. (And it involves a giveaway).

If you have any red and white quilts, you can add your link to her show too!

I definitely think the blog show will be the next best thing to going the museum!



For Your Viewing Pleasure

I saw this tutorial on Moda Lissa a week or two ago

                               

And I saw this demo on the ruler used to make it:



         



                     So I thought I would share it with you and see what you think. As much as I'm NOT a  gadget girl... I do like short cuts, so I thought this was pretty cool.

Eventide Progress Report

Would you like to walk with me through the design process?

I could use an extra set of eyes.

Here are the center alternate blocks, which make the larger stars.

 

Same, but with a little rearranging.

(I took this photo from upstairs looking down at the blocks)

Here I added the center blocks...
 I used the Ohio Star blocks that had brown and red in them.

Auditioning a couple altnerate blocks with brown in them... yuk!

Those got pulled fast!

Ohio Stars with red in the middle positions and on top and bottom rows.

I started naming this Tsunami instead of Eventide. It just feels chaotic to me.

That's why I am concentrating on placement of the blocks.

I'm hoping to achieve some balance and rhythm to this guy!

A close up.

Ok, now, what do you think?

Mosaic Monday

Romancing An Era

Quilting.

Family.  

Simple life.

Aprons.

Friendship.

                      

(DMC website)

                                       

( Favorite Vintage Aprons flicker.com)

(Country Living)

and Clotheslines.

Aren't these all so sweet?