Well, it's very strange. I can't get the Linus Quilt for Marsha to show up here, but this little wall quilt I made for my Mom using the Patricia Campbell patterns popped right in. Disappointing, and puzzling. Maybe I'll try a different route next time.

Pat in Rockport, TX

Seeing Broken Icons in Other Posts

Other members seem to be having problems displaying photos so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

This photo shows an unquilted quilt top I made from scraps of Christmas themed fabrics collected over many years of making Christmas gifts for women I work with. The pattern is "Scrap X" from www.quiltville.com and making this quilt cured me of any possible future interest in scrap quilt making. From here on out when I make something from Christmas themed fabrics the scraps get tossed out. LOL Yes, the quilt was quilted by a professional long arm quilter and she did a fine job. The quilt went on the bed the day after Thanksgiving and looked festive with Santa and penguin and snowman scatter pillows. This quilt has been claimed by my daughter as her "heirloom" when I am dead and gone.

Judy

A new day so thought I would try the picture thing again.

It is just a fun quilt for our cabin. Marcik in MT.

No picture.

I've been trying to show you a picture of a quilt that we have made for our local Linus Quilt Coordinator. One of the members of our quilt group had a pretty piece of blue flannel with Linus, his blanket, and Snoopy on it. She cut it into 6" squares and passed them out so that we could each make a block and surround it with blue fabric. Another member put the blocks together, another put the border on, still another quilted it on her longarm, and I did the binding. We're going to surprise Marsha with the quilt when we have our semi-annual Linus Sew-In at the Retreat House week after next. I will have to try it again in a day or two. It turned out to be very nice.

Pat in Rockport, TX, where it's gone back to being chilly and damp.

I HAVE DISCOVERED

That if I don't come here at least once a day, I'm kept out. I won't reconize my pass word and I have to reset it. Bummer

No quilting being done, but a lot of knitting.

Tried Hawaiian fish tacos today and oh my, going to try and make that salsa with some pineapple. :)

Anyone make something special for Valentines? I had made a 30x30 heart quilt ages ago and that is what I hang.

A lot of geese are heading north recently. Each sunny/well no rain day flocks fly over doing their honking. Seems they like the pastures around Humboldt. :)

Just seeing if I could get here today.

off to hug mine
terter

Baby Boy Cont.

Thanks to all of you, Lynn, Kathi, Judy, Jane and Nancy for all the good ideas for baby quilts. I was especially glad to see the one with the brown background because DDIL told me she thinks Baby Boy's room is going to be done in light green and a chocolate or cocoa brown! I was having trouble visualizing those colors in a baby quilt, but I think it will work! DS is into mud truck racing (!) a bit obscure for fabric design, but I think any trucks and cars may work in this case. He also works at one of the John Deere plants here and you can't get much greener than a JD tractor. I am sure once I start searching, something will jump out at me. At least I hope so! Would love to see even more pictures (being a visual person), they really are inspiring! Thanks again to Eric and Sue for making it possible.
Laurel in Iowa

PICTURE GREMLIN

Victory at last. Now, as soon as I do the binding on the birthday lap quilt I will post a picture. Nothing special but it will be complete.

Hint for guild activity: Our new president has a contest started. As the members reduce the collection of UFOs at home a picture should be submitted and at the end of the year a drawing is held and there will be a prize. That should get us all working as we are all a bit greedy. We also have a fat quarter draw each month. There is a different color or theme each time.

Jane, getting ready to bind the quilt and prepare a green fat quarter for Monday's draw. Then to start finishing UFOs.

Thanks for fixing the pictures, Eric!

A couple of little boy quilts, one for the new baby (the brown one) and one for DGS#5's fifth birthday (Cars). These are basically just a courthouse steps variation. I like to use allover meander quilting on these, since I know that they will be washed and washed again, although the Cars quilt ended up being stitched in the ditch.

Probably would never have considered brown for a baby quilt, but that's the color in his room. The orange and blue were intended to bring out some of the color in the focus fabric, but also will make little Mason's daddy happy. He's a bigtime Boise State football fan!

I'm also working a jars-on-a-shelf alphabet quilt for the same grandson. He's in pre-school and the alphabet is a big thing in his life right now.

Have also made a circus train quilt for one of the little guys, but that was when he was about four or so.

Another grandson got a chenille quilt with an airplane applique. I'm done making those chenille quilts, though. Probably the most boring thing a person could ever sew!

Kathi

Quilt photos

We are on slow-speed dial-up here in the country, an hour north of a major city, seven minutes from a town with high-speed, but do you think it's coming our way?? Noooo! so to download the posting message here on the board takes a full minute and by then, my mind has forgotten what it was going to say.....oh, yes....pictures of quilts......that was it.

I've been quilting since my early twenties and that was far too long ago but what I've always loved about quilting is the fact that no matter how 'high-brow' the designs of quilts get and who makes them, there are often tiny hands showing on either side of a quilt and oftentimes, legs sticking out from below the quilt with feet attached. Now if you were from outerspace, how would you ever figure this one out?!

It's what keeps quilting on a grassroots level, to my way of thinking. Sure, there are many photos of quilts taken in exhibits or hung on walls but the random shots of a quilt just made so often shows that quilts are still made by people and that human is usually at the other end of the hands holding the quilt.

The ability to include quilt pictures here on the board is a wonderful one, Eric and Sue...what a delight to tune into the Bulletin Board these days.

RoseyP

Okay, this is the Mile a Minute quilt with the music theme(only the alternate blocks are the scrappy mile...didn't have enough music scraps and was lucky found some hiding in a friend's stash for the alternating bocks) I put red and black buttons and it did the job....the bits of red and black fabric are there because I thought it needed something else.

Posting comments

Well I tried to respond to printing comments by posting a comment, but the "Publishing" triangle stayed there forever and didn't post. Thanks for your printing thoughts, I had done all the things mentioned. Still think it was because I was scanning instead of printing right from Word. Anyhow the label is done and stitched on now.

Thank goodness most of the winter was warm here, only a few weeks of cold and I am tired of it already, and we don't even have snow! Hopefully it will warm up by the middle of March -- one year in Pigeon Forge it was warm enough for shorts! But another year, it rained ice pellets! Go figure.

I didn't get Shirley/NC's email addy off the chat board to tell her to come to the new board, hopefully she'll make it here. (and anyone else who hasn't made it yet). Glad to see a lot of long time lurker/posters. Lavinia-TN

Just seeing if this works

Hi All

I've been trying to get here for a few days, but kept running into snags. Hope I've got this figured out now.

Happy Quilting!
Karen in KS

PICTURES

I'm so relieved to find that I am not alone with the picture posting problem. I will now wait until I see that the glitch has been cleared.

The lap quilt I sent to a local long arm quilter is back, after a two day turn around and I'm tickled pink with it. As soon as I have it bound I'll post a picture if that is possible here then. It seems I have been taking the correct steps as outlined today by several of you. Thanks for the assurance that I'm not a complete dufus.

Jane

interesting pictures

http://www.invitationproject.ca/quilt.htm

A friend just sent me this site about The Quilt of Belonging. The picture gallery is neat, although I think you'd have to see this in person to get the full effect.
Brenda in Nn Ontario

Picture Test

For the add photos we relay on Blogger & they seem to be having trouble today.

Eric will check on options when he gets home from work tonight

Sue T in extremely cold Connecticut

Thanks, Holice!

Thank you, Holice, for the information about US made fabric. :-)
Mary in Oregon

Friday already!

Hello everyone,

I can't believe how quickly this week seems to have gone by. I meant to get back here earlier to thank both Lavinia and Judy for their help with my thread question. I have all the brand names notated and will order something this weekend on-line, if I can't get it at my local dealer.

I tried to post a picture too, but it seems to be a temporary glitch.

This is what I do to post a photo from Windows:

Click on New Post
Click on picture icon.
Click on Browse and select your picture to be posted from your personal photo folder.
Double click on your selected photo.
Select your layout and picture size.
If you wish to add more than one pic, repeat this in the same manner.
Upload Image.
Type your post.
Click on publish.

I have been collecting 30's repros fabrics ever since I bought my first ones at the MI retreat organized by Pat in Flint and Mayme in MI. It was such a wonderful time I wanted to have a special memory of it. I would be interested in learning what settings anyone else has used with repros.

It is very enjoyable to read the many posts from everyone., and to see all your photos. I wish you all a great weekend. Still very frigid here in New Brunswick, Canada.
Celia


.

posting pictures

I got an error message too -
Milli

When you want to post a picture, you just click on the little picture (image) icon in the toolbar at the top of the posting page. It will take you to a browse section where you select your picture and post it.

Kathi (who will be posting the little boy baby quilt as soon as the last bit of binding is done)

Going to try to post a pix of a 'music' theme quilt I made using the mile a minute concept....someone from the orginal board quite a few years ago sent me the instructions as well as 'starter' piece....sorry the name does escape me but wanted to say thank you....I have used the m.a.m. many times over and is a great scrap reducing technique...If the pix posts I will try to remember how I did it .....there seems to be some problems lately with the pix options. Okay I have tried as well and there seems to be some glitch in the system for uploading pictures....I did it the same way as before and am getting the timed out error message....Let's hope it doesn't post 3 times since that's how many times I tried....if it does....apologies in advance....

Perhaps Eric will be able to figure out the snag for us!

sorrry

I apologize for those triple postings. The screen was still telling me after abut 30 min that it wasn't posting so I thought it just disappeared in cyberspace. I don't know what happened the third time.

How do you post pictures. I've looked all over and can't find any place where one can.

thank you heather and eric

i've spent over an hour trying to get here again, but while i was frustrated i was reading other people's posts. eric was helpful, and then i read heather's post about using your e-mail address... lightbulb moment! i tried that and here i am; at least i think i am.

i am somehow working off of a "dashboard" and am trying to figure this out. it looks as tho i can post (as soon as i clicked on it went to wwqpbb) but do i read from one window and post from another? if somone can post to the board occasionally the how-to do this, it would be extremely helpful, especially at first.

i hope to be able to add pictures soon but am feeling kinda braindead at this point. good to see the bb back to normal-- whatever that is!!!
dutchrose ---{-@
wish me luck............

Well, I thought I put the picture on here. I guess I don't know how to do that after all.

This is the last of the wall hangings. I made two of these for my granddaughter's for Christmas. Theirs were soccer ones with their uniform numbers on the shirts. I was asked to make one more for a teammate. Then a friend of theirs asked if I could make one with a volleyball and her uniform colors. This is it. They were fun but I'm ready to go on to something else now.
Mary in KS

Hi from Western PA

This is my first post, just checking in to see how this goes--I am clueless, sorta old for this stuff but trying to learn.

Posting a Picture If You Have a Mac ....

Jane, when I want to post a photo on this BB, I drag it from my iPhoto (Mac's photo software) and drop it on my desktop, smack dab in the middle of my various icons that are normally on my desktop. It sits there looking lonesome with its little .jpg label.

When I am ready to create a new posting on the BB I first click on the little photo icon on the bar across the top of the posting pane (right next to the spell-check icon). You have to do that first, before you write the message (or at least I have to do it first on my Mac). This opens up a new window where it will tell you to "Add Image From Computer". You click on "Choose File" and this presents you with more choices ....

It just occurred to me that what I am writing may be totally useless for Windows users. I think I had better quit. I've just changed the title line so I won't lead Windows people astray ....

Judy

Pictures?

This morning I failed in an attempt to post a picture. I found the process puzzling. Will try again here.

fabric manufacturers in the US

The two fabric manufacturers I know about are:
Cranston Print Works in Cranston, RI
and Santee print Works in Santee, SC
Both these companies print for the major fabric companies as well as the chain stores.
It depends on the detail in the print. If the design reguires fewer screens then it may be printed in the US. The more complex designs - requiring more than 10 screens are printed overseas.

fabric manufacturers

The two fabric manufacturers I know about are:
Cranston Print Works in Cranston, RI
and Santee print Works in Santee, SC
Both these companies print for the major fabric companies as well as the chain stores.
It depends on the detail in the print. If the design reguires fewer screens then it may be printed in the US. The more complex designs - requiring more than 10 screens are printed overseas.

Thanks, Celia, for the welcome

This is my first attempt to post so who knows what we will end up with. I enjoyed the old boards through the years until the spammers struck. This is great and I look forward to seeing some of the original posters as well as new ones and getting acquainted with the shy lurkers like myself.

Our beautiful sunny day yesterday turned into drizzle and fog today. No matter, just a good excuse to stay inside, turn up the lights and music and quilt. What are others working on? It is a mistake for me to go to quilt shows...usually come home with a new project. Went to Jefferson Quilt Show and saw a basket quilt kit from Bonnie Blue Quilts that suggested it would be happy in my home. So now I am merrily making baskets and trying to ignore the stack of stuff already started.

Have some bread dough ready to come out of the bread machine and into the pans and then prepare something for lunch. My husband is at the farm pursuing his hobby...a cow/calf operation....small operation but keeps him busy and happy.

Now, lets see if I can send this away to the desired destination instead of cyber space never to be seen again. I do that a lot. LOL.

2/8/07 - Maxine in TX

Boy Quilts....and Girl's too

My son is an AF pilot so the first little guy got an airplane quilt: Pattern Flight #159 from Country Threads, all in reds and blues. The second little boy is getting a diggers and dump trucks quilt called Construction Zone by Quiltmaker (quiltmaker.com). I added one square of my own design to this with an Overall Sam in hard hat and construction overalls pushing a wheelbarrow. Other ideas: anything with Frogs: Over by the Pond also by Quiltmaker or turtles: Turtle Travels by City Stitcher PO Box 41322 Dayton OH 45441-0322. Check the web and also Keepsake Quilting for any of these patterns. The airplane one was pieced and the rest are paper pieced. The turtle one I even made for a girl grandchild. It is really cute. The digger one was advertized in one of the Quilt magazines also.

I also have four grand girls who got Sunbonnet Sue, Butterflies and coordinating nine patches for the two that share a room, one with pink overtones and one with green - same fabric as background just in the different colors.

There is a seventh on the way but they all get generic crib quilts and it is their "BIG KID Bed" quilt that is more gender specific.

Lynn from Rochester, NY

American Fabric Manufacturers

I was asked to give this information again.
To my knowledge there are two fabric manufacturers in the US.
Cranston Printworks in Webster, Ma (Their offices and warehouse are in Cranston RI
Santee, SC. I don't recall the name but believe it is associated with Classic Cottons in NY.
The comment made in the post was that she wanted to patronize those fabric companies printing in the US.
I don't know where Springs prints.

This is a bit hard to do because many of the large companies print both in the US with these companies as well as overseas. It depends primarily on the complixity of the pattern. Usually those patterns requiring less than 8 or 10 screens may be printed here in the US, with the more detailed patterns going overseas. For instance, the two or three color designs may be printed here because of the fewer screens required.

I do know that Cranston prints for both the chain stores as well as lines for Quilt Shops Only.

guild or group of friends

Our guild has officers and bylaws and a regular meeting time. We pay rent for a space. There is a program every month, usually vendors, business meeting/committee reports, show and tell etc. It is fairly formal.

When my friends and I meet to quilt we each take our own equipment and work on our own projects. We visit back and forth. Help each other out. Talk a lot. Go out for lunch. Come and go as we like.

Guild is a meeting to go to. Quilting day is a fun outing. It is w/friends who like to shop and eat and talk. Guild members have their own little cliques and in ours at least aren't open to new things.

Need Label Printing Help

Spent quite a while trying to print a quilt label last night. For some reason it comes out looking faded. I am guessing the fact that I had to scan it first, then print, is the culprit. I used cotton fabric with a freezer paper back first. Then tried it on Printed Treasures, which usually comes out terrific. Guess I need to take one of the free online classes on dealing with pictures so I can make them the shape I want and put them together with the words. HP labelmaker no help. Aargh. (Smile). Picked up the quilt yesterday and excited about putting it in the show at Pigeon Forge. Lavinia-TN

Has anyone ever used the spray on basting stuff?

Judy in Austin

Brrr from Montana. Just returned from a visit with DD and family in Canada and have had trouble accessing the BB. Maybe because I had been using hers. Anyway, it is nice to see everyone is here. I usually lurk but when I have a question it is wonderful to see how Johnny on the spot the answers poor in from these great posters. Now to try a picture of a quilt that I made this summer to put on a bed at our cabin. OK, I give up. Need someone to tell me how to do a photo. Thanks

Finding a previous post

Kathi - I've been using the search box at the top of the page when I need to go back and reread a post. You can put in "boy quilt" or someone's name and find the posts. Actually, I had a hard time finding where to go to post this. I have a shortcut right into the BB on my desktop so I don't go through the "home" page first. Then I noticed way up at the top is a "new post" link. Learning, learning, learning - but I love the new format. NancyH

removing the pencil lines

I looked at all the magic mixtures and the instructions to use a soft brush or cloth and realized that I would be working for several hours to remove all those lines so I bit the bullet, put the quilt in the washing machine with regular laundry detergent, checked it after the wash and found no pencil lines, so I put it in the dryer for a while and now it is 'good to go.' Just wanted to say it can be done.

Baby Boy

Kathi, I am the one who is expecting a new grandson in June. Thanks for remembering! I tried to comment on your post, but for some reason it wouldn't take my password. I would appreciate any ideas for boy quilts. We have 2 granddaughters and I made quilts for each of them, plus an I Spy and a twin size quilt for the older one. But I would like this one to be different than the others. I am sure there are lots of good ideas out there. Also, now that pictures can be posted, it's like Show and Tell at quilt guild every day! I would love to see more boy themed quilts.
Laurel in Iowa (where it got above zero today!)

like seeing an old friend !!!

Yes ! That's the pattern ! Thank you Cindy. I have "commented" on your post. What a wonderful network we have here. Wow ! I've just been on the Ebay site for the first time (we have Trade Me here in NZ which is our own version of internet trading. ) Could have spent all day there it was so interesting... Better get on with the real work (!) DH will be home today and will wonder what I've been doing for the last few days...
Marion in NZ.

Marion NZ I found BearsnBoats pattern

I posted a comment to your post to where you can get it. I hope it is the one you are looking for.

quilt guild

Raeann
I think the difference between a guild and a group of quilters is that a guild is a formal group with officers and a set process for meetings (probably a constitution). It would probably be much larger as well. Quilt groups are often groups of friends or members of a church group who want to quilt together. I belonged to an informal group for several years. We were friends, most of us relatively new quilters. We met once a week to sew, eat and talk (and talk and talk).
Brenda in Nn Ontario

Quilt Guild/Quilt Club

I would like to know the difference between a quilt guild and a group of quilters getting together to chat and sew.

Raeann in MO

So many posts!!

How nice.

Only problem is, I can't seem to find who it was that wanted ideas for a baby quilt for a little boy. Could you repost? I just finished up a top for a little guy and have a few other ideas (since I now have six grandsons in a row).

Kathi

Post from Karen

Hi ladies,

Karen posted this on the former BB so just in case not all still check there, this is what she posted:

Date: 2/6/07 Time: 10:26 PMSubject: Big Thanks & updateName: Karen in KS
Just wanted to post a quick note to say thanks to all the ladies who have sent me blocks. It has really been a bright spot in my day to get the mail, and receive the beautiful blocks and the loving notes. It really helps to know I have so many people who care. I just don't have time right now to acknowledge each one individually, but I do appreciate all of them. I will go ahead and post the names, so you know that I've received your block. Big thanks to Bunny, Mary L., Marie P., Kathy B., Mayme W., Pat N., Silvia H., Marge C., Pat D., Helen V., Marge H., Pat S., Lavinia S., Grace K., Maxine G., Bertie D., Meredith H., Elda H., Pat H., Mary K., Jane B.

Not really any improvement. Mom is having problems with nausea now. They are trying another med to help with it. I've spent the last 2 days with her, and she has slept most of the time I've been there. Don't know if this is her body trying to fight everything, or if it is a sign she is getting weaker. They are doing everything they can to keep her comfortable, but they can do nothing to fight the cancer. It's like a big bomb has been dropped into our lives. She found out she had cancer, ended up in the hospital 2 days later, and will most likely never come home.

Dad is doing really well. He is settling into the nursing home. The staff has been wonderful and have brought him over to see Mom at least once a week. She is in the hospital in a town 23 miles from the nursing home.

Once again, thanks for all the blocks, notes, prayers etc. I really do appreciate all of them. I've learned lots of patience in the past month. I've also learned to live life one day, one hour, one minute at a time.
Hugs& Happy Quilting!Karen in KS

This is the current update on Karen's parents and I would like to ask that you still keep them in your prayers and thoughts. And especially thank you ladies for sending comfort blocks. They do mean so much especially at times like this.

Helen in SW FL

A little snoopy dance...

I've been playing around with all the fancy stitches on my new machine, and in the process, have just about finished quilting a small wallhanging that I thought I'd never get done. Can't wait to get it hung up in my bedroom now! Haven't done a lot of quilting lately due to family issues, but now that things have calmed down I'm ready to go at it again!

This new page sure seems easy to use - glad I found the group again!

Happy quilting!!

Pat in Bonney Lake WA

I Made it!

At least I hope I have LOL...I'll know if this posts....Sooooo happy to see many familiar names and faces!...Pat in CA....

help

I need the magic formula for removing pencil marking lines after the quilt is hand quilted.
There are a lot of these lines so the entire top will need to be treated and it's at least 100" square. H E L P appreciated.

interesting...

That was quick ! I emailed a request for the pattern (Bears'n'boats) to the Judy Martin page and received a reply overnight. They think it's unlikely that it is still available but say I will have to contact the Quilters magazine as they have the rights to it . I think that's where I got it from in the first place. So, I'll keep trying ! Thank you Terry for putting me on that track and thank you Judy for telling me that there is another Judy Martin in the business.! Jean, the pattern you mentioned sounds as if it would be a lovely alternative , I would be delighted if you could send that to me.
Last night I received email photos of the mum-to-be. She is holidaying Dubai with my nephew at the moment. They are based in Spain where he is working on one of the boats for the next America's Cup (the Swedish one (!) ) These sailors have an interesting life...!!

Marion in NZ.

PS. Am I missing something here ? Is there an easy way to get to this "posting" page from the BB page ?

Thanks Eric

You are doing a great job. I know, are all saying that. But today I see the link from one board to the other. You did it! I love it. Now I can flip back and forth, no matter which one I go into, just like we had on the old format...

It is so nice to see how many of us there are... We never knew before, how many people are users of this wonderful message board. I know there are many more quilters out there. There may even be some that come to the board and not post, just read, but I hope more will sign up and contribute... Gotcha spammers ! ! We will enjoy our friends and quilting info, with out all that garbage....
Donna, LEH,NJ

half of a snoopy dance

2/6/07

I'm happy to report that I have finished sewing a 75x85 flannel rag quilt. It is made out of 5 batik flannels in blue, purple and turquoise with six inch squares and half inch seams. I also put a small border around it out of a 6th batik flannel. About a quarter of it is snipped and will probably take me the rest of the month or more to finish all the snipping.

We are having wind chill temperatures hovering around 0 degrees (F) in the Boston area, so I even threw on my bed last night. Oh so comfy.

Sues in MA

Jane Eyre?

Last night I watched PBS Jane Eyre. I set the tape and taped the rest, after I went on to bed.
Evidently I only got about 3/4 of the show. Rats! I know the end from by High School English, the mad wife in the tower gets out and burns down the house. But the part about 3/4 through I don't remember. Jane has left, after not marying the Lord of the manor. She wanders on the moore, is found by someone, and nursed back to health. Then she is teaching in a small country school. Then what?
Inquiring minds want to know. My local library is out of the VCR/DVD, and I've put it on hold, but I need to know if they get back together, die in the fire together, or are lost forever.
Please someone tell me.
The #$%^&!@!! king size quilt binding is still going on. I keep running out of bobin thread. There is a space about 12 inches that the binding is short of covering the fabric, I may have to devise an original label and sew it there.
Feeling sorry for all you snow bound today. It froze here last night, so I'm sure it is freezing everywhere "north".
OK, off for some chicken soup and junk food. The WW has gone by the wayside for a week or so.
Sara in Fla.

If It's Good Enough For Harriet and Julie ..

After reading that Presencia thread was endorsed by Harriet Hargrave I went to www.quiltshops.com search site and looked for an online quilt shop that carried it. Aha! Bighorn Quilts, one of my favorite online shops was one of the few sites where I could purchase this thread. Here's what Julie Owens, the owner of Bighorn Quilts, posted on her website: "Presencia Thread - Large Spool Three ply, size 50 thread in a large 500 meter spool. This thread is absolutely lintless! 100% cotton, and you will find that the only lint you have to rake out of your machine is from the fabric!"

Well, now, if famous Harriet endorses it and Julie claims it is absolutely lintless then I am willing to pay $5.00 a spool for a couple of spools of neutral colored thread. This should piece quite a few quilts for me. At my age I indulge in the luxury of two spools of everything, one for the bobbin spindle and one for the needle. That way I don't have to rethread the needle unless I change thread color or the needle itself.

Judy

oooops !

Thank you to the ladies who have added "comments" to may last post.. That's really encouraging. I have posted on the chat page by mistake , sorry about that..

I knew I should have gone to bed a hour ago....

Marion, slightly red-faced, in NZ...

Thread information

Celia, I haven't tried these threads but am getting ready to. They seem a little pricey, but there is a lot of thread on the spools. If you go to www.superiorthreads.com and click on Education, it has about anything you ever wanted to know about types of thread, etc. I am still using up all my Coats & Clark, which does make a good bit of lint, tried the Mettler silk finish and it sluffed off worse both on my Pfaff when I had it and with the current Janome 6600. At the moment using Gutermann, which isn't so bad so far. When I run out will switch over and by that time someone will have invented something else. My understanding is, it has to do with long staple cotton and the way it is made (probly an understatement). As Judy says, try it with your machine and see what happens. Or, instead of buying it, see if a friend has some you can try out briefly to see what it does. Have fun! Lavinia-TN

Imagine this...

A whole day to myself, housework done. DH away fishing and nothing to do but gather bits and pieces for the new quilt... Despair ! The pattern, carefully put away in a large envelope, is not there.... Where ever can it be ? My guess is that someone borrowed it, over 20yrs ago, and that it has never been returned. I've spent the best part of the day looking for it .
The pattern, called Bears 'n Boats, designed by Judy Martin , (copyright 1984 !) and just perfect for my nephew and his wife, both International sailors and ocean racers. They have been married for 7yrs and we had all begun to think that babies were not part of their plans...
Just thought it might be worth posting here to see if any of you have been more careful with the pattern than I was, and would be prepared to part with it, on a permanent or temporary basis.... . I would be eternally grateful and could perhaps send some fabric in exchange ? I am supposing that it is no longer available from the stores...

So ( sigh) I must spend the rest of the day doing less interesting things.. At least it's nice to have sympathetic ears to talk to. A non-quilter would have no idea of the level of my frustration !!

Thank You For the BB Chat Link, Eric

Eric, you are doing such a good job of taking care of us. Thank you for the link to the BB Chat page!

Judy

for Phyllis

Phyllis, are you thinking of the Block Butler?

http://softexpressions.com/software/notions/BlkButler.php

SeamSTRESS Sally

Great to be back,hello to all and HELP please

It is so good to be able to access the bb again. I'm seldom a poster - mostly a lurker but enjoy all the quilters sharing plans, ideas, knowledge, and accomplishments. I have missed a place to go when I have a questions or need advise, which is what I need right now. A number of years ago someone mentioned a product which you hang on your wall that has a sticky side so you can stick your blocks to it and rearrange them to get your desired design. There is a covering for this product so dust, etc. doesn't stick to it when not in use. I remember it comes in 2 sizes but I can't remember the name of it. Can anyone help? It's still chilly here in Minnesota but tomorrow I think we are suppose to get almost close to zero degrees - a tropical heat wave. Thanks so much for your help :-)

My Antique Sewing Machine

Besides me, this is the only other antique in my house! This 1887 "Domestic" treadle sewing machine had been stored for many years in the attic of my DD's mother in law's 1887 summer home on Grand Manan Island. Grand Manan Island is located 26 miles off the Atlantic Ocean coast line on the New Brunswick CAN/Calais ME. border. It was bought new for my son-in-law's great grandmother the year her DH built the house on the island. It was their homestead all those many years ago when they first came

to Canada from Rochester, NY. and has been handed down through the family ever since, now being the family summer home. Carolyn, (DD's MIL) gave the machine to me in 2003. It was in very sad condition so my DH stripped it all down for me and took 3 months to refurbish it in time for Christmas that year. Linda the Serial Quilter in Ohio very kindly sent me 3 sewing needles for it. I have never made anything on it but I love it, and keep it in my sewing room. I call it Sarah -Jane, after it's now deceased former owner, who died in 1904.

Celia

OOps, posted my question on the chat board. It was about Maytag cordless irons. When my iron died last week a friend loaned me her Maytag cordless. After I decided that was just what I wanted I could not find one anywhere. Looks like they are discontinued. Anyone know what happened or why? Were they defective? Anyone have one?
Thanks,
Betty in VA

Test post

Hello to all. I've been a lurker and occasional poster for many years. Thanks to Eric and Sue for this new bulletin board! I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone about new discoveries, answers to pressing (ha ha) questions, etc.

It's a good thing I've actually finished a few bed-size quilts - we really need them in this long cold spell.

For Celia - the other thread

Celia, here's a blurb from the local quilt shop about the 3rd kind of thread (the one I forgot the name of):

Presencia Quilting Thread: 50 wt. Cotton Quilting Thread in 160 and 500 yard spools - Harriet Hargrave's choice of threads for piecing and quilting.

Lavinia-TN

Hello and Thank you!

Just wanted to say "Thank you", to Eric and Sue, for all the work to put in this new Blog. I've just converted over from the old page... and wow! No SPAM - and pictures!!!

Thanks, Eric and Sue, for all the hard work, over a lotta years.

Attention Holice

Hi,
Holice, you had written information on the old BB page about the two companies that still make cotton fabric in the US. Would you mind writing about it again here? I should have copy & pasted but.... I was telling a couple of people about the two companies but couldn't remember the details. We talked of making a point of buying fabric from those companies to support the in-country work. :-) Thank you so much! It's wonderful to have you back on board. You've always been so helpful and informative.

A slow starting day here in Oregon. I'm having to rewash all my stash. I'm not sure what happened but many of my bins developed a weird smell. Don't know if a little moisture got in the bins or the dies or sizing acted up but the smell was not pleasant. Thankfully it is washing out. I'll need to pay closer attention in the future since it's taking me awhile to use up the stash. Funny how it seems to grow when I can't avoid new pretties. ;-) Gosh, I'd love to just work on stash reduction for awhile but other things call to me as well.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Mary in Oregon

Y'all help me so I return the favor

Someone mentioned the other day about the Full (or was it True?) Spectrum lamps at Big Lots. Got one this weekend and love it. So here's my return favor - Pep Boys has a set of 6 - 2'x2' anti-fatique mats on sale for $12.99 with a $3 rebate. They look like giant puzzle pieces. One of the ladies in my quilt group had given us the idea of using these to stand on at the ironing board or cutting table. Well, I have to say that, with only 1 set of these, I was able to use 2 by the ironing board and the rest by the cutting table. Standing on them feels much better to my poor feet. If you can't find them there, go to Academy or Walmart and look where the fitness equipment is. Prices aren't as good but still reasonable.

Trina

Oops!

Just realized I answered MJ on the wrong board..........

Kathi

Sweet potato fries

Oh, MJ. Just wait until you get back to Boise! Donnie Mac's downtown has those fries, too. They are wonderful.

Kathi

Monday morning quilting

Hi everybody. I finally got my computer back from SIL and it has a new hard drive. When it came back this new page was here, and I just figured out how to use it.
It does take a little getting used to. I love the pictures, especially the little girl with the bolt of fabric. We all feel like that.
Watched the super bowl last night with one couple. Our team won. I was suprised to see all the rain in Miami. We had that rain earlier in the week, but it is now gray, cool and a good day to stay inside and quilt. Getting a slow start to the day, as neighbor and I didn't walk this morning. The sinuses are full, will have to stand in the hot shower for a bit, then start on the binding for the king size quilt. Hopefully can have it on the bed by tonight!
I received the info on the N.W. Carolina quilt symposium, it looks like a fun time, with lots of artsy people, and not expensive. Maybe I can find a GF to drive up there with me. We have our guild meeting Tues. night, and the weekend retreat starting this Friday night. The timing worked out well, as DH is supposed to help someone move next Saturday, which will take up most of his day. He always feels at lose ends when I'm out quilting.
Yesterday we had lunch with a couple who brought their Ireland pictures, travel brochures, etc. I will start planing our trip. Don't know if I want to wait until 2008, may plan it for this fall. Sept. seems to be the good time to go.
OK, see if this posts, I don't have any great pictures to post, so will wait until I can figure out that step.
Sara in Fla.

I think I can, I think I can

Yes, I think I can do this. Thank you Eric and Sue! Just love that pictures can be posted too. Terye, enjoy the extra sewing space and time. How is the schooling going? I've missed out on any of that info. Can't stay long, have to have breakfast and head off to work. Working today and tomorrow at the retreat center and then on Wednesday doing another of my Around the World One Trip at a Time classes. At the guild meeting last Sat, after show and tell a bunch of ladies came and said "we want to do this too!" So, they will come to the church where we have our small sewing circle meeting on Wednesday and I will repeat the class. I'll try to get DSIL to help me post a picture or two soon. Aunt Deranged Lorraine in Va

Signing in

2/4/07

Woo Hoo! Did it again!~I only spent the last 10 minutes or so trying to sign in, and in the process had to get a new password. Figure even if I just check in, I'll get the practice I need to post easily.

I'm loving all the pictures. What talented and productive people you guys are. I feel in good company with the studio pictures, too. Organized disorganization is how I would describe my sewing room as well.

It warmed up a bit in Wyoming today, still windy though, per usual.

Checking In

I am thoroughly enjoying all the pictures you have all posted of your sewing rooms, family and quilts. I will post some pictures in the coming week when I can find them! DH files everything and all I seem to be able to find tonight are methodically labelled hunting and fishing. (Typical man. 8^) All the others are by date. Those are probably mine but I can't remember the dates of the ones I am looking for.

I was wondering what the experienced machine quilters amongst us prefer to use for thread? I am very new to this and bought some Mettler silk finish 100% cotton to use for practicing with and I am not too thrilled with it. It seems to make such a lot of fuzz, or is that normal? I would greatly appreciate some advice from the experts. TIA.
Celia

Proof that there IS a FABRIC Gene!

This is a picture of my granddaughter hugging a bolt of fabric. She insisted that it be put down on the floor so that she could see it . She LOVES fabric, and this was taken when she was 18 months old. She 26 months now. I told her that's the way Grammy feels too, that if I could I would roll around on the floor with it too! I know this isn't strictly quilt related, but if you consider that she is a quilter in the making......

Vicki

I realized today too that you can enlarge the pictures!
How cool!
Love your quilt Terye. Love all the quilts, such talent!
I'm really enjoying the site, it's awesome.

I'm working on a challenge quilt which is due thurs nite
at our guild meeting. Thank-you to Pat, who suggested a
long time ago using the wavy stitches for doing grids! What
a time saver & it looks great!
I'll post a picture when it's done.
I don't think you want to see my sewing room, aka..the shoe,
prison lingo for solitary confinement :)
Enjoy the game, Love, Jill

Terye Dawn's best scrap quilt.

Whoops forgot to put a picture of my best quilt up for you all. I made this one completely by hand for my daughter's wedding gift. It does not have a single diamond in it bigger than 1 1/4 inch and is all hand work. I cut it out with scissors as well and got major blisters from the scissors. Took me about 18 months to make start to finish. I made it with scraps from her dresses when she was growing up. If you didn't think I was crazy before this, you will know when you see this quilt. I was very careful with the quilting and managed about 12-15 stitches per inch. I used a very thin batt. Terye Dawn who is definitely looney about my girl.

Story from the looneybin

Hello Ladies; I am just now figuring out how to manage this posting process. It took me a while to figure it out. Things here at the looneybin have really been moving right along. The boys both moved out and Peter has gone to New Mexico to work with his brother Bud in the oil fields. I hope he does well out there. Charley moved out last weekend too, and I don't know whether to enjoy the empty nest or be sad. My baby is gone, but he left the snake and a rat that the snake won't eat. I think the snake made a buddy. Anyway mom is stuck with animal care for animals I just don't understand. The cat is still stealing my morning coffee and the dogs are still being dogs. Our big rottie girl that was so traumatized by being beaten before she came to us has really come out of her shell and gotten super protective of me. She bit a burglar wannabe on Friday last. He was trying to get in the house by way of the garage. I doubt he will try anything of that nature again. I finished the boy's dusters last week finally, and can truthfully say I will never willingly make that pattern again. The nice thing about Charley moving out is that he came over last Wednesday and cleared out his room and helped me clean it up really well, then he moved all my sewing stuff in there. I now have a sewing room with a set of bunk beds in it. I think that is wonderful myself. I love the fact that my sewing is all in the same room and I don't have to travel all over the house to sew. I still miss him though. It is really strange to go grocery shopping now for just me and the old guy. I only spent $100 this month for the essentials. Milk and eggs should also be less often required. I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that I only have to cook about a quarter recipe for me and him alone. Been cooking for teen boys too long I guess. My old refrigerator finally died the death and we had to go buy a new one yesterday. Needless to say I got white instead of avocado green. I thought that ugly thing would never die! But we did get another Kenmore. It is a long lasting brand. The sales man tried to sell me a Maytag and I did let him know about my 3 year old Maytag washer that is sitting broken down in the garage. Maytag does not stand behind their products and I will never have another. Well that is the end of this post as I really need to get off here and feed the old guy. Hugs and you all have a wonderful day. Terye Dawn at the looneybin that is way too quiet now the boys have all moved out.

West Michigan checking in

Did you all know by clicking on the photo's you get a close up
of them? Pat, I showed my DH your photo's and said "you see 'I'm
not as sick as you thought"! He said" a close 2nd"! LOL Just got a
call saying schools have been canceled for tomorrow. I guess the wind chill
is a big factor. I did start cutting out a quilt today. I will be able to finish it
tomorrow since I don't have to babysit.
Stay warm. Mayme
TerTer, I heard from Helen but I haven't seen anything from Sara. I think
Sara lived close to the area hit.

Oooooohhhhh Gini!!!

Too much fabric????????? I didn't know that was possible! LOL.

My answer to your fabric storage question is...YES. Yes I store according to color, yes I store according to type, yes I store according to what I'm doing now, yes I store according to fat quarters. In other words, I'm very neatly disorganized.

I guess now that I've spent the last few hours doing a reorganization in the sewing room, I'll have to get out the camera and take a picture before it does what it usually does, and that's rapidly descend into chaos. At my old house I had a 23x13 quilting studio that was detached from the rest of the house. My answer to the chaos there was to simply close the door. Now that we are in a smaller place and the room is a small bedroom, it's harder on me mentally to let it get too far before I have to do some picking up and putting away.

Kathi

Stash organization

I don't know what I like more, the photos of the quilts or the sewing rooms! Well...the quilts I guess but it's so great to see how others work. I'm in the midst of reorganizing a bit and am wondering how people store their stashes. Do you sort and store by color only, by motifs (floral, plaid, Asian, etc.) or some other method? I often find fat quarters after a top is made that I wish I had used but couldn't put my fingers on the piece at the time I was planning the top. Maybe I just have too much fabric. A happy dilemma. But, I'm curious about how you store your fabric.

Thanks so much for the new BB home!

Gini B. in No. Calif.

BB Chat Ready for initial testing

http://www.quilt.com/BBChat/index.html

Email me at bbchat@quilt.com for an invite.

Eric

Angel Quilt

I have a cousin with bi-polar disorder who said she needed me to make her an Angel quilt. I made a very small wallhanging for her because I didn't have any Angel patterns.

Then Julie Golinowski came out with this Angel BOM pattern. I made the top and Ruth Ann Parrish quilted it for me.

And, thank you, whomever published that blurb about the 12 year old artist. Inspiring!

Bertie in Illinois

I'm the fluffy lady on the left, wearing shorts, in this pic. I was the "Meet the Quilter" at the guild meeting on this day, and brought all my quilts along for my very own show and tell. This quilt was made in the early 1990s after a fellow quilter brought back pictures from Venice, Italy of the floors in St. Mark's. This was a round motif that I thought would make great fans. The individual units look like distorted Attic Windows, so I call the quilt Venetian Attic Window Fans. Can you tell I love puns? Drafting this pattern was a nightmare. I wish I had a better pic of it. The black has sadly faded in the years since I made it, but I still love this quilt.

Pat in Rockport, TX

Better Late Than Never Quilt (aka Y2K)

I will guess that Marilyn's Y2K quilt was made when most of the serious Y2K quilt fans were busy cutting, swapping and collecting their squares of fabrics. At the time all of that activity was going on I thought to myself "I'm never gonna sew 2,000 squares of fabric together!" Many of the serious Y2K quilters also had the goal of finishing their Y2K quilts before the year 2000 began.

Being a slow learner I wasn't even interested in working on a Y2K quilt until I saw JudyPete's beauty in 2003 and I realized that a beauty could be made from peculiar and odd bits of fabric . I found a set of Y2K squares for sale on eBay and won the auction as I was the only bidder. The eBay seller told me that her sister had collected the fabrics but then procrastinated about designing a quilt until she died. I think there's a moral to that story.

By 2003 hundreds of quilters had posted online photos labeled "Y2K quilt" or "millenium quilt" at Webshots.com so I spent some time cruising that site looking for inspiration. I realized that the design that really struck my fancy seemed to have a lot more pastels or "lights" than I had in my box of squares. What to do? I cheated. Using eBay again I bought sets of squares of pastels, shirtings and other lights. I discarded some of the fabrics that came in my original box of Y2K fabrics and replaced them. If there are Y2K Police out there (a subset of the notorious Quilt Police) then I am in deep trouble. LOL

Judy

Cat for Harriet

I'm surprised people noticed the cat on the wall. It's a picture done by a grandchild and will hang until it gets replaced by a new one. I never thought of it as a quilt but it presents a challenge! Who knows?
Milli in MA

Time to introduce myself!

Greetings from a very windy, cold, snowy Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are in the midst of a nasty cold spell like most of the midwest. Oh well, more time for quilting!

I don't miss many days checking the BB but never post - time for a change! I'll keep this first message short - I don't want to get long-winded and have the post disappear.

I just made a small quilt with 30s fabrics fromthe cover of a recent APQ magazine. I have the pleasure of being a long arm quilter and the quilt is loaded on the frame downstairs. I can hear it calling to me. When it's done I'll try to post a picture.

Stay warm!

Good morning everybody. Thought I would publish a picture of me and my husband for you all to have something to identify with when you see "Marilyn in MN ! Now that I have figured out how to do a picture, I will also post a picture of my Y2K quilt. After seeing Sue and Eric's , I hunted it up yesterday. Almost crashed my computer picture system somehow, but everything is OK now.

Just saying "Hi, All!"

Hi, Everyone!

This is great being able to see everyone else's quilts while staying in touch at the same time!

Loved the messy sewing room pictures, Pat. I feel bettah!

Bertie in Illinois

Patterns?

Question for Pat in TX and Milli in MA--are patterns available for the strippy cat and star wallhanging you have in your sewing room photos? They look nice and would fit with Holice's plan in life, "No Stash Left Behind!"

This is such fun! Harriet in Kansas

Patterns?

Question for Pat in TX and Milli in MA--are patterns available for the strippy cat and star wallhanging you have in your sewing room photos? They look nice and would fit with Holice's plan in life, "No Stash Left Behind!"

This is such fun! Harriet in Kansas

Anniversary Quilt

Here is a close up look of the pattern for my son's quilt. It was in a McCalls book from 2000. I was going to have family at the wedding sign the white squares, but I was so exceited I forgot. The dark star points are made from the grooms shirt, and the light lavender was the flower girls dress. I made the groom, best man shirts and flower girls dress. The rest is fat quarter that I have collected over the years for this quilt. It took many squares, and they should be different, so I had a g reat excuse to buy fat quarters. BTW my daughter-in-law LOVES purple.Can you tell? hee,hee.

Donna, LEH,NJ

Studio spaces

Goodness, it does my heart good to see quilter's messes. It's been great fun in seeing where people sew and as I have an old sewing machine waiting for me to pick up in Toronto and seeing how people put them to use holding up surfaces to sew on has given me ideas. Seeing other people's messes...justifies my own.

It is very cold here in Southern Ontario and while we don't have the amount of snow we usually have at this time of year, I believe that down east in the maritimes they have had more than their share of snowstorms and deep snow whereas out west, after a period of very bad weather and even the indication of an earthquake this coming week, I don't see Jean in Mill Bay posting about her daffodils poking up through the ground yet...but it could be out of kindness to those of us in the east who are shivering with the cold temps we are having here.

Judy in Ohio, your studio is so organized, a pleasure looking at it, and Pat, in Rockport...that just made my heart warm...what an interesting venue Eric and Sue have created for us.

Rosey

Photo tryout

Trying photos again.
Above is one I call "Ocean View".
Below is "Stained Glass Iris"

Fran

I've been really enjoying the pics of quilts and quilting studios, etc! Thought I'd have a go at joining too. I may not post often but I do like to belong and to read about what everyone is doing.

PAT - thanks for showing us so many photos of your sewing room. What a collection of machines! Just showed it to DH and he thought he was looking at a museum LOL
CELIA - great to see you post. Your email seems to have changed - can I have an update please?
ROSEY.P - I'm getting used to having TWO sons on the other end of the earth, but only slowly. They are surviving the ice and snow and actually seem to be enjoying the experience. I sit here in 40 deg (C) heat and shiver with the thought of it all.

I haven't got a sewing room as such but I can send a photo of my latest couple of quilts. Both were done for nieces. I'm at a stand-still at a moment although I do have 2 sets of finished blocks that I could start putting together - for myself after all this time!

Well, let's see if this works!

Fran