April Showers bring May Flowers

If April Showers bring May Flowers - what do April snowstorms bring????!!!! I'm almost afraid to think of it. But yes, it is April 11th and we had a snowstorm last night and today. Visibility was terrible and the snow is the wet heavy kind. Roads were awful. You couldn't go more than 1/2 mile without seeing a car in the ditch. Here is my backyard today.... needless to say I don't have to tell you why the picture is so grey!

And here are more swap blocks. I"m going to keep the light colored background one in for now. I'm not sure what the other ladies will come up with for backgrounds. But that one may have to go. Guess it depends on what else gets swapped.

And here are some more 6" blocks for May's reproduction block swap. May's theme is "flying geese". Aren't they great!

I"ve been Tagged....

I've been tagged by Darlene and May Britt with the Thinking Blogger Award. Oh sure - make me think! Come on Darlene - you know I don't think too hard on anything!!!! Your really going to make me think huh! Geez. And of course Darlene's and May Britt's blogs are a given, so I didn't include them below.


I"m suppose to share with you 5 of my favorite blogs that make me think. I"m not even going to say my favorite 5 - how in the world could anyone pick 5 favorites! There are so many wonderful blogs out there, and so many inspirational blogs for quilting that it would be impossible! So I'm just going to say 5 of my favorite - but note there are tons more I visit everyday. Well ok, at least every other day!

1) Lucy - There is no way I cannot mention Lucy. She is my idol! I want to be her when I grow up. I wish I had 1/2 as much talent as this lady! And she can speak 2 languages! I can't hardly even speak English most of the time! She has got to be the sweetest lady around. And talented, and caring, and smart, and.... well the list goes on. And I envy her hand quilting and quilts. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't email or at least think of her.

2) Bonnie - And who can not mention Bonnie! Bonnie is my other idol! I want to be Bonnie when I'm not Lucy! Or is that I want to be Lucy when I'm not Bonnie? Anyway, this lady has so much energy and kindness. And the inspiration I get from her quilts and quilting - ughh it is all to die for. If I was only 1/2 as creative as she is! And Bonnie is the one who got me blogging and introduced me to Lucy - so thanks to her my days are filled with quilty happiness.

3) Libby - Oh my gosh! Her folk art/primitive style is so wonderful! I just love her quilts! And she has just been a bad influence on me ever since I found her blog. Everytime she shows a new quilt (or even old one) I start thinking away on "how can I fit that one into my schedule"! I HAVE to make that! I just love her stuff.

4) Patti - I've "known" Patti online for years before I began blogging. So we kind of go back online. Oh to have her stash and quilting skill. To be able to applique like the wind like this lady - baby. She does wonderful quilts and always is an inspiration. And I can't help but love hearing about her loving family. I only hope my kids still want to see me and spend time with me when they grow up like her family! Patti has a wonderful love of family and life that is a true inspiration.

5) Laura - And saved for last, not because she is last on my list but because she is special, my good friend Laura. I've known Laura maybe even longer than Patti online. And we had the wonderful opportunity to meet last year and I've made trips down there and spent time with her friends ever since. They have become my support and fun and in the quilting world. And Laura is another "Cool Mom". Oh to have the family traditions she has, and to be able to have a way with words like she does. She is one AMAZING WOMAN. And don't forget her quilts. I got to know her originally because I loved her work. Can I say inspiration again? I just don't know how to put it otherwise! She is having a hard time right now with illness in her family, and I just wish there was more that I could do. I'm hoping things are ok and I'll get to see her again in 2 weeks for our Paducah trip. We have all had these types of times, and I guess all we can do is be there when someone needs you.

Personally I think since I got twice I should be able to do more! But I'll keep this fairly short and just list a few more totally creative and wonderful women. (Can I get away with that?):

Tonya - Her quilting style and colors are so far removed from mine, that I enjoy dabbling with her style and love her wild and carefree quilts. I would NEVER be as creative as her.
Linda - Another partner in crime from the group of Quilter's I met with Laura. She is one fun lady! And great quilter too!
Tazzie - Another wonderful friendly lady and quilter. I've so enjoyed my emails with her, and her quilts and posts.
Jeanne - I've known Jeanne online for several years also before blogging. And oh the quilts and things she can turn out! I'm so in awe!
Nancy - One more quilter I've known for years online before blogging. Nancy lives the charmed life in the wilderness of Montana. She always has a great story and pictures of her life there. And her primitive/folk art style of quilting was probably one of the things that got me interested in this form of quilting. And if I ever need a laugh, her husband will always provide a good story from her!
Judy - I've met Judy fairly recently via blogging, but once again, she is always making something I want to do! And I've enjoyed my emails with her. I always have to stay on top of what she is doing.
Leah - I'm so inspired by this young quilter! Man if I could have done 1/2 of what she does when I was that age! And she bakes too! I always find something fun on her blog, and enjoy her family adventures. She gets the "Young Quilter of the Year" from me! I couldn't believe she wasn't a lot older! Way to go!

Man - is that sappy and wordy enough for you all? You know I'm not a polished or creative writer. More just whatever pops out. Hope some of you find some new blogs to enjoy above. And for those of you who know I visit almost everyday, I'm sorry I couldn't list 50+ blogs, because you are all wonderful!

Just a quick post

Just a quick post. I took the girls to the Cubs-Brewers game Friday night up in Milwaukee, we had a wonderful time. I had to snap a picture of across the way since my brother and sister in law were sitting a few rows back behind the dugout!

Today I went to my friends house, along with another friend and we played all day. Ate chocolate, had chinese, sewed string blocks and played on the long arm. I'll show you my play long-arm quilt after I get the binding on.

I also finished a swap block I needed to get done. Didn't turn out too bad since this is the smallest feathered star I ever made. It will be 10" finished size.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow.

Come on home with me....

I bought a new camera the other night and was anxious to try it out, so before reading the instructions or anything, I snapped pictures on my way home from work. I thought maybe you would like to see the sights (or some not so sights) on my drive home! My normal drive home usually takes about an hour to give you an idea of how long it is. Only 35 miles, but it is stop and go lights and Chicago suburb traffic. Above, leaving the office on the only short stretch of highway home. Below, some of the "scenic" Lake County Forest Preserve Marsh Land.

I remember one summer where they spent so much time sticking dead trees into the marsh/prairie for birds to nest in. Granted I think they were some kind of special bird, but the dead tree trunks with no branches and leaves are still there and do look kind of funny. I tried to snap a pic of those, but I was driving by too fast and there was too much traffic to stop!



And of course there is always McDonald's. I pass 6 of them on my way home. 6 just directly on the road I drive. I probably can't even count high enough for ones that may just be around a corner!








Then comes the most unusual site near my home. An Egyptian Pyramid. It was suppose to be to scale of the one in Giza that Tonya visited. The guy is really strange - that is about all I can say about that! Well ok, I can say that he lives in the pyramid.

We are almost home. This is the final corner I need to take to get home. This corner has a ton of very old historic homes. This one on the corner used to be an old general store/soda shop attached to the house.

Finally, only 1/4 mile from that corner is my house. You can tell it was nearing night and rain was coming. The grass is starting to turn green, but the trees still need some leaves! When we built our house 21 years ago our house was in the middle of a corn field - kind of like Field of Dreams! Hope you enjoyed the silly little tour!

How I freezer paper piece

Quilting Bebbs asked how I made my crossed canoe blocks with all those points and funny angles to get them to turn out so nice. This method is also wonderful if you have a lot of bias edges. So, I thought I would take you along with me as I made some more last night! This is long - but a favorite method of mine, so sit back and enjoy the ride....

First off - don't let the name Freezer Paper Piecing scare you off - especially if you HATE paper piecing. Because I HATE paper piecing, but I love this method. I use it when you have odd angles or shapes because it helps guide the fabric placement and cutting out of the pieces! And no guessing how much of the fabric should hang over! The main things I've used this method for is compass type blocks and funky prim type blocks such as:




But in this case it helped the crossed canoes tremendously. First I needed templates because of the odd angles and shapes, and lots of bias edges. Also because of the odd angles it is hard to guess how much the dog ears should hang off - so freezer paper piecing solves it all. Plus these blocks finish at 6" so they are fairly small, another plus to this method.

I start by putting as many of the templates as I need or can on a sheet of paper. In this case I need 4 template A's, 4 of B, 4 of C and 4 of D to make 1 block. I was able to fit all of them on one sheet. If you don't have a copy machine at home, you can trace these on freezer paper. But I get lazy, so I get them all one sheet of paper and then I have freezer paper I've bought pre-cut to the size of regular paper, I send it through the copy machine (printer)! Since I had to make multiple blocks I made 2 sets of templates. But these templates can be used over 3 or 4 times so you don't need multiples if you want to save on paper.

Next you need to cut your templates out on the line. I take my time and use a rotary cutter and ruler because I get nice straight lines. But you could use scissors as well. This is the longest part, but well worth the effort. Once you have the pieces cut out, you iron on the templates onto the back side of your fabric.


Now you cut out your pieces - adding 1/4" seam allowance as you cut. Put your ruler on the 1/4" line and rotary cut the pieces! For small angles don't worry if some of the point gets chopped off, your fine as long as you have at least 1/4" beyond the paper.

Now you get to sew! And here is the cool part. First visualize where the first pieces go together. You want the freezer paper to line up, not the edges of the fabric. I always lay the pieces out on my sewing table. Then you poke a pin on one corner of the freezer paper template from the wrong size of fabric A then into fabric B from the right side. Holding the back piece of fabric up to a light you can see the paper template shine through so you can find the corner on that piece. When you first start I would then put a pin in on the other corner to center the piece. When you get used to this method I cheat and only do one corner! The pins get stuck in only at the point, you don't really "pin" the fabric. The pin is only holding the pieces together at that one part.

Lay the piece down on the sewing machine and sew along the freezer paper edge (I use a smaller stitch length - about 1.5 to 2). I keep the pins in as long as they are not in the way. Oh and I find the pins work better to line things up when you push them all the way in up to the head of the pin. In the picture above you are looking at the back of the piece. Here is a row of little canoes, first seams sewn.

Then proceed to the next piece that needs to be sewn on. Do as described above.

Here is what you have now after all 4 templates are sewn together. Trim off the dog ears.

Then sew the miniblocks together to get the full block. Notice the freezer paper stays on until the very end. This helps the bias's from stretching. When your all done, peel the freezer paper off. You can reuse these freezer paper pieces again!

Every now and then you will hit the edge of the freezer paper when you sew. Just rip it off the stitch line and toss. I sew these with a smaller stitch length (around 1.5 to 2) and then the freezer paper tears off at these points easily.