More kitchen stuff

We are also getting a new counter top in the basement. You can see the right side is pieced with wood scraps.	Some dry wall mud got put in the mud room
The stove area has doors.	The sink area is taking shape.
The back wall shows the new beverage station.	More cupboards above the counter.
The dishwasher is in.	The new custom cupboard on the far wall.

Till next time.....Happy Stitching.

Kitchen Update

Here are two days of kitchen updates.

On Thursday, Don brought in some of the cabinets from the garage and had the electrician in to do the electrical stuff.

Don and the electrician put up the cabinets above the stove. Some new wiring had to be done for microwave.

Don also put up the drywall to cover the whole where he took down the soffit and extended the other soffit where more cabinets will be hung.

On Friday, the plaster guy started covering the new drywall and did some repair work over the sink.

The door on the left leads to the basement. Don added the new cabinets and the fridge wrap around.

Here's a good shot of where the door frame was taken off the pantry to make a mudroom.

Till next time......happy stitching

Kitchen Remodeling

I'm having my kitchen remodeled. The contractor has been at it for two days. I'm taking pictures everyday and I hope to blog every few days, too. Let's start with a tour of the old kitchen.

1. Here's a view standing at the counter in picture 7.	2. Here's the view standing in the dining room.
3. Here's the view standing near the sliding door in picture 1.	4. At the end of picture 4, there's a landing with 3 doors, one to the garage, a half bath on the left and this pantry/broom closet on the right.
5. Standing on the landing in step 4 is this view, where you can see the side of the fridge.	6. This is the fridge.
7. Standing next to the fridge you see the counter where I stood to take picture 1.	We emptied the kitchen to get ready for Don, our contractor.
We emptied the back pantry/broom closet.	When I went to work yesterday, the kitchen looked like this.
When I got home from work,	it looked like this.
Today I came home to find the soffet gone...	and the wall in front of the pantry/broom closet has been removed to make way for a tiny mudroom.

Till next time......Happy Stitching

Updates

I haven't spent much time blogging, but I have been busy. I converted a closet into an office in my sewing area in the basement.

This is the closet. It was full of stuff including the parts of a quilt frame I never used. I gave it to a quilting friend who's putting it to good use. You can check out his blog here, Tim Latimer - Quilts, Etc.

This is the after, a new office. I needed a space for my computer and I am attempting to scan all the old family photos I can get my hands on, so needed space for my new, very cool scanner. I'm pleased with the result. I just need a new desk chair, something, firm, yet squishy. Something on wheels that spins, too.

To make room for the office, I needed to sort through two closets full of stuff and consolidate it into one closet. I took all my UFOs and put them in this cabinet. It's working pretty well and I estimate at least 30 UFOs in there.

I've spent most of my time doing hand applique on this quilt. I've blogged about it before. My daughter Colleen posed as the mermaid in 1993. I am vowing to finish this 20 year old project this year. Colleen is now 29 and wants this quilt for her new place when she moves to Portland, Oregon in May. The top is now complete and I'm going to start basting it as soon as this post is done. I will hand quilt it.

Yesterday I had a tooth extracted and replaced with an implant. It was surprisingly easy and pain free. My biggest issue is the flipper (fake tooth in a retainer like they wear in Toddlers and Tiaras LOL). It prevents me from chewing. I get a new temporary tooth on Wednesday so I'll be eating a lot of liquid food for a week. I have a nice blender and this afternoon I pureed chicken tortilla soup. Yum.

Till next time... Happy Quilting

2012 Year in Review

Time to look back at the projects I finished last year. I tend to dwell on what didn't get done, so now for a little optimism.

A QR Code quilt for the Patterns of Inquiry Exhibit. I have my first smart phone, so I can finally test this quilt for myself.

Hazel Ridge Path, a trade for a painting from a children's book. This took a long time to make.

Space Baby Blocks for baby Elliot, an old UFO newly quilted.

Dolly, her dress and quilt + a sweater for the Salvation Army Christmas doll drive.

And now for two of my quilt purchases.

I purchased this Bridal Stairway quilt from a member of the Quilts Vintage and Antique facebook page. It is a signature quilt and very cool.

This is a signature quilt I bought on eBay. It is from Oklahoma and has really beautiful embroidery. Click on the image to see the embroidery better.

I've purchase at least four other quilts this year, but don't have them photographed yet. I'll post soon.

I got a new smart phone for Christmas. This is what happens when you click buttons without reading instructions. LOL. I also got a new computer and a new projector. I love power points.

Goals for 2013? I need to finish two big projects. One quilt for each daughter. One is a mermaid I started about 20 years ago. The other is a new, queen size bed quilt.

Till next time......Happy Quilting.

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Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog hopping.

Dolls and Quilts

One of my fondest memories growing up was going to the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn to see the doll display. My grandmother and my aunt had both made dresses for dolls for the Salvation Army. Before the dolls were given to little girls at Christmas they were put on glorious display in the Rotunda. I must have been about 4 or 5 years old, and the memory of all those dolls is still strong.

Many years ago, I found out the Salvation Army still had the program. My quilt guild (The Capitol City Quilt Guild) would receive about 100 dolls in September from the Salvation Army and would distribute them to guild members to dress and accessorize. When I heard about it, it brought back that wonderful memory and I knew I wanted to do one. Each September I would forget about the project and was wistful when the dolls were displayed at the guild each November, swearing I would dress a doll 'next year'. This year I was at the guild meeting in September and they had some extra dolls. Yay! I finally brought one home and here she is. I made her a dress and knit her a sweater. I also made her  little quilt. 

Dolly in her dress and sweater.

Dolly's dress showing the ruffles.

Dolly's Pinwheel quilt.

The pinwheel quilt was made from leftovers from the quilt below. I made this quilt for my nephew Charlie when he was born. It is a Snowball and Nine Patch. The snowballs were made using magic corners which left me with leftover half square triangle units that I made into pinwheels. I need only two more pinwheels to make the quilt for Dolly.

Till next time......Happy Quilting!

A Quilt for baby Elliot

My friends Jennifer and Chris Sleeper are having a baby. The shower was last weekend and I gave them this quilt.

Baby Blocks for Baby Sleeper. 32" x 36". Photo by Pearl Yee Wong

It was a quilt top I made in a class many years ago. I pressed it and quilted it when I got the shower invitation. Jennifer's favorite color is purple, so I lucked out on that. I think of this as baby blocks in outer space. I'm happy to have a hand-made gift and to finish another UFO.

The next project is dressing a doll for the Salvation Army to give out this Christmas.

Till next time......Happy Quilting.

Charm Quilts

I'm packing up to go to Muskegon and teach Charm Quilts for the Lighthouse Quilt Guild. To celebrate I'm posting two new quilt patterns. For the uninitiated, Charm quilts are quilts that use one template, but every fabric is different. They were first popular in the 1880s. They were revived in the 1930s, and had a huge surge in the 1980s. Since then retailers have been packaging fabrics in bundles of 5" squares and designers have been finding new uses for the bundles. In the spirit of new uses for 5" squares, I've written two patterns.

Charm Baby

 Charm Baby uses the 5" squares to make 9 Patch units that are then cut up. Click here for the pattern.

Charming Hours

Charming Hours takes one light and one dark charm, layered right sides together, cut and sewn to make a 4" Hour Glass block. Click here for the pattern.

I still favor a traditional charm, where one template is used and every fabric is unique.

Clams Incognito from Charm Quilts by Beth Donaldson, 1997.

I'll be seeing some of you tomorrow, until next time......Happy Quilting!

Hazel Ridge Path finished

Hazel Ridge Path, 87" x 58"

Owl quilting

It's finally done! I'm really pleased with the machine quilting. I traced the owls (from a Hari Walner pattern) onto tissue paper, pinned the tissue to the border and free motion quilted. Then I attached the border to the quilt. I lot of work, but worth it for the result.

Now time to get ready to teach Charm Quilts to the Patchers at the Lakeshore in Muskegon, MI. Also doing a Detroit in the 1930s lecture. I'll be there next Monday.

New Camera

Just bought a new camera and am trying to learn it. Here are some pics of the Hazel Ridge Path quilt from the Cannon PowerShot A4000IS.

Here's the Hazel Ridge Path quilt on my design wall. I thought you might enjoy seeing my work space. It's half of my basement. You can see reflected in the mirror, my 51" screen TV. I love to watch old, old movies, soap operas and sports while I sew. So you've seen my mess and know all my secrets!

Here's a close up so you can see my quilting. The quilting in the geese is free hand, but I sewed through quilter's tracing paper for the designs in the large triangles. I was always a good tracer as a kid. Someday I hope to master free form feathers, but until then I'm happy with my tracing paper results. 

I've been quilting this in rows, then sewing the rows together. I've got the borders pieced and will quilt them next. After it's all done, I'll show more details and tell exactly where the rows were put together and how.

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

My Quilt is in China!

Last March I blogged about my charm quilt being accepted in an exhibit that is touring China. The update is, it arrived in China and the exhibit, The Sum of Many Parts is scheduled to open in September. The organizers, South Arts, have put up a webpage here. You can see more about the exhibit here. You can see a slide show of the quilts here.

Quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert, Carole Harris, Patricia Cox and Carolyn Mazloomi are also in the exhibit, so I'm in very good company.

Till next time.......Happy Quilting