I am a DOLT!!

I had a great day yesterday. So much fun at knit club. Everyone was so excited and why?  No reason - just happy to see each other. Everyone (but me) brought goodies so there was no danger of us starving!!!  So nice to have those "experts" around to help with questions. And I have to say that I - YES ME was the person who had knitted the most on our knit along project!!!!  Go figure!!!!   I am almost ready to show you what we are working on.  They are so cute!!!!!  And shouldn't take me long to finish them off.

I finally arrived back home - it is sometimes VERY difficult to leave Ruti's Needlebed. There is so much chatting and locating stuff and well - it just goes on and on. I managed to escape about a hour and a half after the OFFICIAL end of the club!!!!

One of the fabrics I HAD to buy at Ruti's Needlebed.  Ninjas!!!!!   I mean how many things are there that start with  N????   I NEED these for my alphabet quilts!!!!

But I had work to do at home and after a quick lunch - I hit the studio.  Now it is EXTREMELY rare that I sew at home but I had no choice - I had something that HAD to be together by this morning or I was in trouble. Mostly with myself!!!!   I am happy to announce that Amish with a Twist Series II is TOGETHER minus the three borders but I don't have the fabric so that is a good excuse.  Let's just say that assembling it was NOT without its challenges. But NOTHING to do with the quilt - it was all about ME!!!!  I won't share that with you until tomorrow, but DUH - it is pretty funny.  Let's just say that the quilt is STUNNING and there is something very unique about this quilt - which you will see tomorrow.

Oh and let me share my technology story with you and then I have some other cool stuff (with pictures) to share. I wanted to download an audio book to my iPod. Yes - that DAMN Apple technology. I rarely do this and it is the ONLY time that I go into iTunes. Because YES - I cannot just download the book - I have to go into iTunes to do that. Stupid stupid Apple. Anyway - I can NEVER remember my User ID and password. Yes - I know I should write it down, but I don't, thinking I am SMART enough to remember for the next time. Well - I am trying to RESET my password yesterday and I have no problem resetting the password, but do you think I could remember what my User ID was????   Nope - not even close!!!   Let's just say that one of the passwords (yes - I changed it MULTIPLE times) was not a nice one - well at least I was referring to me.  I finally had to call (and yes - the support was fast and quick) and the help desk told me what the User ID was. Would I like to reset my password - NO NO NO - although I am sure the guy could see what my password was - I didn't want to draw his attention to it!!!!   Oh yes - I am a dolt!!!!!   Let's just say that the password is changed once again and it is NOT flattering to Apple!!!!   Why they make stuff so complicated is beyond me. Not only did I have trouble with that, but then I had to RE-INSTALL iTunes because it would not recognize my iPod. But I persevered and I got my audio book.

Ooops - that was a bit longer than I thought it would be - OK - let's get to some quilting.

After the Amish quilt got taken off the wall - it was time to put the next one up. I will be teaching Storm at Sea at The Hobby Horse on Sunday, March 29 and Sunday, April 26. I just love this quilt - well I have taught it before and only had part of it done. I had worked on it several times over the last number of years and NOW is the time to get it done. Let's see what I found in the box...............

All these blocks were already pieced!  There are 63 "blocks" and then those pieces on the extreme right and extreme bottom to keep the pattern. Missing a few of that diamond unit in order to have all the pieces to assemble the quilt. 

LOTS of white and blue fabric. Wait a minute - as I am posting these pictures this morning - I have this sinking feeling about the blue fabric on top. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See that blue - well I was LOOKING for that fabric a while back when I finished off this Canada quilt.  You see the background of that compass is THIS fabric.  I couldn't find that fabric in my stash so I used something close, but I never was happy with it. Well I am even more unhappy now that I have found the matching fabric.  Oh crap - that means I have to remove the block from the quilt and take off the background.  BUT - I will be happy so I will do that!!!!!

Let's see what else was in the box.....................

Oh yes - here are the pieces that I need to finish off the outside border - they are all cut, but they are the SAME fabric. That means I have to take some of the other units apart so that I can mix them up!!!!!   Boy - what was I thinking when I did that?????

Some strips of blues and white used to make the quilt

A couple of scraps that have NO bearing to this quilt

A miniature unit for the Storm at Sea - this is paper pieced and I made that paper pieced quilt YEARS ago!!!

Also found a template from Set A - Marti Michelle. So if you made Storm at Sea with me years ago and you are missing the A6 template - I have an extra one!!!!

AHA - there was even some handwritten notes. 

You see - when we made this quilt from the Marti Michelle templates - there isn't really a pattern. You can make it in numerous configurations and of course - different sizes.  But I was organized!!!!!

And let's not forget the books and printouts for ideas!!!!!

This is absolutely SINFUL.  The amount of fabric and books and whatnot tied up in that box and this is just one of MANY!!!!   At least this one is going to get finished!!!!

Right now - the blocks are laid out in a 7 by 9 configuration, but I am tempted to switch that to 8 by 8. I will have to make ONE more block, but then it will work better as a wall hanging or a bed topper.  Yes - I think that is what I will do!!!!!!!   Will redo the layout later today and try to get things organized. And the borders as well so I can put all that extra fabric back on the shelves!!!!


So yes - I am a DOLT - but wait - it gets even better.  Yesterday I was puttering and came across this.

Manual for an iron

Hmmmm - that is my iron? But NOT the one that I use on a regular basis. Really????   This is my iron?  I had completely forgotten that I had this iron and I needed an extra iron last Sunday for the Chubby Charmer bags.  Good grief!!!!   OK - if I own this iron - where would it be?????

And then I thought and I thought and .......................

See this cabinet under my cutting table

The bottom two shelves are devoted to ironing stuff - starch, pressing cloths and all sorts of ironing stuff. 

Once I removed a couple of things and peeked inside - NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep - there is that bright orange iron!!!!!!

Seriously????   I can forget that I own this iron????   Obviously!!!!   Oh well - I know where it is and it didn't take me long to find it (once I remembered I had it!)!!!!

Now if I could just find that fabric bundle that I NEED because I have to make a customer quilt and I need to make it SOON!!!!!!


Well - there are times when I am a DOLT, but I can be clever from time to time!!!!   Speaking of Chubby Charmer - I wanted to make a couple of them.  I started on an orange one which I may or may not have shared with you. But a friend of mine (well maybe she isn't a friend) gave me a huge box of decorator fabric. I went through the box and picked out THREE coordinating fabrics that I could use to make the Chubby Charmer bag.

OK - so they are NOT my colours, but they look good together.

I fussy cut this striped fabric and cut out the stripes with the big flowers and then cut the 5 inch squares from those strips

Then I cut the medium print into 5 inch squares and pieced the two together. In retrospect - I should have used the SMALL scale print and the large strip, but it is just a Chubby Charmer!!!!!  Always up for more learning experiences!!!   Really - I don't sweat much any more!  No time and not worth the effort 

Here are the pieces that were left over after I cut out the large flowers from the striped fabric

Add a bit of extra to both sides and VOILA - fussy cut handles for the bag.  I have to pat myself on the back - I didn't measure or fuss - I just grabbed the fabric and the cutter and cut - and the size is pretty darn good. Yeah!!!!!!

Two Chubby Charmer bags - ready to sew. all the interfacing and fusible fleece is on. 

Chubby Charmer number one

Chubby Charmer number two

 And remember Susan's bag - the blue one.

Susan's blue Chubby Charmer - it is all finished now. Remember that I gave her some matching velcro???

Well - here is my coloured velcro collection!!!!!   I managed to find something to go with each of my two bags.

Coloured velcro!!!

And there you have it - one minute I am a dolt - the next minute - I am a creative genius!!!!!  Oh what fun!!!!   Let's just say that there is rarely a dull moment in my life!!!  

On that note - I am off to Sew Sisters for the final reveal of Northern Lights!!!!!   Can't wait to see how the quilts came together.


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!