The Granny Diaries

My Quilted Brain

It is official!  The wrinkly lines in my brain must have been created with a walking foot.

No matter where I look I see a pattern that MUST be translated into fabric and thread (and buttons, and ric rac, and felt, and glitter...oh, sooo much glitter!).

Instead of just taking snaps of this precious grandgirlie, I make her hold up my quilts.

Sort of a royal Vanna to my quilty Sajak.

My sister does a better job but she refuses to wear the crown.

And she doesn't curl into my lap for story time.

Which is probably best.

Did I mention that the Modern Quilt ladies are working on an Ohio Star project?

The designs are piling up and if I ever need proof that my poor little noggin is filled with thread and batting, all I need to do is look closely at my doodles.

Because I clearly have quilting on my mind.

 

A New Year Begins

 
I am not a warm weather person. 

 

If I had a choice, the year would start in October.  I love the fall!

 

Cooler temps.  Earlier sunsets. Homemade soup.  Pumpkin Pie.

I have had a rocky year and have been letting it get to me.

Today, the first day of October, is going to to mark a new beginning.

 
I went to Erin Condren's wonderful shop and ordered this organizer/ calendar.  It is time I got my life in order after all these life changes. 

Ch ch ch changes.....

That is what this year is all about. 

 

I am going to grow my business.

 

I'm going to spend time with the people I love and who love me.

 

I am going to take time to relax and reconnect with the world.

I am going to eat right (green M&M's are healthy, right?), get some exercise, and get healthy, happy, and wise.

 

And while I am doing this I am going to make a few quilts. 

Happy New Year!

 

 

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day Is Here!

 

Welcome SMS folk!

I love Giveaway Day and this is the first time I have joined in for the fun of giving away the booty!

I made the blocks for this pillow during the dismal and torrential Cincinnati rain days because I needed a little sunshine.  Now I offer that springtime goodness to you!

 

I also have a full yard of Amy Butler Midwest Modern and a goodie bag of notions.  I have a rick rack addiction but managed to just trim the pillow with lime green piping so there may be a bit of  zig-zaggety yumminess in that bag. 

 

 

All you need to do to win is leave a comment.  I would love to know if you ever bought anything on etsy and if so, what?  I will be filling my etsy shop throughout the week and I am looking for a little inspiration.

As a bonus, I am having another giveaway tomorrow and both will end on Thursday at noon.   The winner will be chosen by random (meaning that my granddaughters will pull names).  Make sure that you leave me a way to contact you! 

Good Luck to everyone on all the giveaways.  Let the games begin!

Farewell, JoAnn! My Heart Belongs to Others

 
I tried, I really tried.

I tried to make it work.

I tried to embrace your 40% off coupons, aisles of decorative imported and discounted seasonal junque, and red ticket synthetic fabrics.

It was the waiting that did it.  I just could not stand the lines at the register.  Or the lines at the cutting table.

Especially the lines at the cutting table.

  
I shudder to think how long it would take to cut this lovely pile of green goodness.

Maybe as long as it took me to slice up all of this for my monochromatic Project Modern quilt.

 
Guess which color I am going to use?

 
I like green.

But I digress...

JoAnn, I'm not leaving you for something as superficial as appearance.

 
My new love isn't much to look at.  In fact, she's a shack.

The Fabric Shack.

There are no lines at the Fabric Shack, no employees bad-mouthing the management, no small children racing carts down the aisles of discounted crudola. 

There are just lovely quilters who know all about fabric and designers.  There are amazing remnants.  They even have a website and they actually package your chosen fabrics and send it to you the next day.

I think I found Nirvana.  In a Shack.

Goodbye, JoAnn.  It was nice while it lasted.

 

 

Name That PhD Giveaway

Last Friday, an event occurred that had been years in the making.  My oldest son was officially hooded at The University of Cincinnati.  UC is a family institution - more of our degrees have come from this university than any other school. 

The proud papa could scarcely control his pride.  The SUV and I met in the now defunct Sander Hall at UC.  We watched as it was imploded several years later and gathered a chunk of the structure as a memento of our whirlwind courtship.  Some women have pressed flowers, I have concrete.  It symbolizes a tale that involves a ditsy roommate, the laundry room and a pair of overalls.  There have been more romantic tales, but as of Monday, we have been married for 36 years.

The ceremony was long because the first born graduated with a few of his closest friends.  The University bestowed degrees upon all the Master's and Doctoral candidates for the entire year.  They also recreated the 1970 class graduation which had been delayed due to certain events at another Ohio University. 

The SUV just wanted to get everything moving so he could congratulate the Doc.

Kathy, Emily, and I amused ourselves with the electronic scoreboard and our cameras.  We know how to behave at a ceremony of such gravitas.

These lovely ladies also have at least one degree from UC,  It really is a new family tradition.

So... without further ado...and in honor of being able to yell "Is there a doctor in the house?" and receiving an affirmative reply...I have a new game for all of us to play:

"Name That Phd"

This little zipper pouch will be awarded to the first player who correctly guesses the area of study in which our family Doctor was hooded.  The pouch will be packed with a few little surprises including a fat quarter.

Join the fun and name that doctorate in the comments before Saturday at midnight eastern time.  The winner will be announced on Monday morning.  If no one guesses the correct degree, a winner will be drawn at random.

Good Luck, and May the Force Be with You!

Perfection, Peanuts, and the Bermuda Triangle

I seem to get stuck in certain colorways.  After sewing several dozen bags in chocolate and aqua you'd think I would be sick of it but no, I simply ordered more Dandy Damask and kept stitching away.

One theory of the Bermuda Triangle is that several powerful magnetic fields collide.  This combination of Michael Miller, Robert Kaufmann, and Alexander Henry has sucked me in for months.

My family would say that my studio is the real Bermuda Triangle: the place where all things crafty go to breed.

  

Then there is the Paula Prass Woodland Delight obsession.  I'm not sure that I can blame this on Magnetism.  More likely it was the pink and orange.  

Not to set Gloria Steinham's teeth on edge but, I like pink.  Lots of pink.  Mix it with green and I am in heaven.

Which is why I was a little disappointed when the Modern Quilt Guild chose the yellow, black, white, and gray palette for our first block swap.

Then I swapped blocks and was delighted to see how the darks and lights popped on our simple nine patches.  I can't wait to get my final block so I can set and quilt them.

This was my first block swap.  I have always avoided this activity because I knew I would never be satisfied with my own work.  I used my seam ripper more on this little project than anything else I have made this year.  I wanted those corners to be exact!

Then came the squaring up process.  I confess that my fear of screwing up a finished block  is almost equal to my anxiety over using Grizelda (my serger). 

Sigh...

My desire for perfection when sewing for others is in equal and opposite proportion to my personal lack of perfection.  While this may be insightful, it makes block swaps a challenge.  Is anyone else like this?

Now there are moments in my life when perfection takes a back seat to process.  Case in point: the peanut people habitat.

Lucy, Maggie, and I have fallen in love with Nuddles.  Made of corn starch, they stick together with a bit of moisture.  Lucy loves glitter and pipe cleaners.  Maggie likes peanuts.  I got a kick out of Lucy having no qualms about redoing my work.  Gloria Steinham would like her fearlessness. 

Did I mention that Maggie's favorite part was the peanuts?

Peanut people are so imperfect that they are perfectly wonderful.  I hope to embrace my inner peanut person and stop worrying about the corners of my blocks for our next swap.

Something exciting happened this weekend and I want to celebrate it by having my very first giveaway!

Wednesday morning I will share our family's exciting event and announce the details.  You won't have to become a follower, tweet, bleat, or post about anything to enter.  You don't have to quilt, knit, stitch or buy anything.  You just have to check in on the 16th.  It is just what the Doctor ordered!

The Fabric of My Life

I love Quilt Market!

I have never been there, but I love it.  All the online shops clean house in anticipation of the new fabric lines and it feels like Christmas to me.  Just look at the lovelies that have arrived at my doorstep in the last two weeks!  Sale prices allow me to indulge in my new found passion for for apple green.  And spring green.  And acid green.  And bright green.  Yes, pink and aqua creep into the palette but I am still loving that green!

Remember Giveaway Day?  This amazing batch of scraps arrived from JCasa Handmade and I have been sorting through it since Memorial Day.

"Someone sent you scraps?" asked my poor SUV. (Slightly Used Husband)

"Yes."  I purred.  "Isn't this piece amazing?"

"I guess.  Are you going to keep all that?"  Poor deluded man, he believes one can have enough fabric.  The SUV seems to forget his ninety-seven antique woodworking planes in the basement.  I accept his addiction.  He is going to have to learn to deal with mine.

Jennifer had already joined a few of the charm pieces she sent.  They looked a bit familiar so I took them to my studio and sliced them in half and joined them all together.  That's when I recognized my little fabric pals.

The doll quilt on the bottom (upper right hand side) was made for me by my grandmother 50 years ago (That's right, I 'm vintage!). 

The doll quilt on top was made with the scraps from Jennifer. 

My quilt has been loved for half a century and is a bit faded. 

Maybe one of my granddaughters will still have her doll quilt when I am 100 and remark that it looks a bit lighter than she remembered when she shares it with her granddaughter. 

Who would be my great-great granddaughter. 

Wow, I hope they fix the oil leak in the Gulf by then.

I hope I have teeth.

Then I made a quilt and pillow from my own scrap bag for little Cora.  A girl after my own heart, she actually wakes up asking for her baby doll. 

Here's the palette for the nine-patch block swap for The Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. We meet tomorrow night and I am excited to see what everyone else has created. 

I tried to talk them into apple green instead of yellow but apparently everyone does not share my passion for granny smith apple green.

This bit of fabric will be a Sis Boom  Patricia Tunic for me.  I haven't sewn anything for myself for years.  This also represents my very first Amy Butler purchase. 

Can you believe it? 

I was an Amy Butler Virgin! 

Hooray for Quilt Market!  I found this Bali Gate in pink from the Love Collection at less than $6/yard!

You have to love Quilt Market!

I Won!

This party's getting started!

I won an amazing reusable lunch set that will be perfect for the young man in the picture above.  I chose a dinosaur print and he will love it for packing snacks.  Dancing takes a lot out of a fella!

Penny from A Little of A Lot www.alittleofalot1.blogspot.com is making this.  Her six year old daughter decided that 600 was the lucky number and I am delighted that that was ME!  Go visit her family when you have a chance.

 
My second prize is either this luscious bunch of scraps or this equally awesome yarn.  I have been wanting to try dying yarn for some time now but I never seem to have time.  The girls need new mittens for next winter so I think I'll be able to get to this project by then.

 
It was a delight to win this from JCasaHandmade www.jchandmade.typepad.com because I have been checking in on Jennifer's blog for a while now.  I love that she, like me, loves knitting and sewing.

I truly won the jackpot, however, just by entering Giveaway Day.  I found amazing blogs from around the world and will need a week to sort out my thoughts about all the inspiring things that other women create and do.  I bookmarked all the sites on which I made an entry and have been checking back in over the past few days.  In addition, when I check the blogs of their winners, I find even MORE to mark as favorites.  It may take all summer, but I am going to check out all the tutorials, etsy shops, and book reviews.  Wish me luck!

My thanks to Sew, Mama, Sew  www.sewmamasew.com for coordinating this great cyber event.

 

"I'm Obsessed, Thank You Very Much"

Remember Emilio Estevez as Kirby Kieger from St. Elmo's Fire?  His passion for Andy McDowell's character ruled his life and now I have been bitten by a similar craziness.

      

Sew, Mama, Sew sponsors these events twice a year and I am hooked. 

Even-Graeter's-Ice-Cream-couldn't-get-me-away-from-this-computer hooked.

The giveaway monkey is on my back.

It's bad, man.  Baaaaad, I tell you!

Of course, if I win anything it will all be worth the sleep deprivation, the caffeine flowing through my veins, the piles of laundry yearning to be clean.

Which brings me to the point of this post.   I can't figure out how to put my contact information on Typepad.  So, if I win something, how will anyone be able to tell me?

Comment on this post!

Email me:  [email protected]

Actually the prizes are pretty amazing.  Fabric, patterns, handmade items, fabric, and more fabric.  I guarantee, I will be doing the show and tell thing - old preschool teacher here - so you can be ready for next time when I join the giving away madness.  I am already thinking about the prize package I will create.  So, tune in next time for the further adventures of "Granny and the Giveaway" and learn if she ever sleeps, actually makes it to the grocery store, or wins something wonderful. (That was supposed to be a cliffhanger, folks.)

Saturday Adventures

I went to the Crafty SuperMarket to explore indie design and craft.  It was a wonderful adventure and I met many of the artists.  I don't have any photos of the incredible booths but I can show a few tiny treasures that followed me home.

I had seen Says You products on the web and really did not understand the attraction.  This is one product line that has to be seen in person.  A simple creative idea done well!  The "K" badge holder is for my sister.  The other initials are for me.  I enjoyed meeting the husband and wife duo at this booth and look forward to seeing them again at the holiday show.

This darling little pin caught my eye but the the handmade paper bags sold me on Off the Beaten Path.  They also had great eyeglass cases silkscreened with eyeglass icons.  More simple ideas well executed.

There were many other booths that were amazing.  MorningLori makes incredible creatures from her imagination that make me want to know the artist.  Just a touch of the macabre makes these critters truly unique.  There were some fabulous jewelry artists using repurposed found items.   One booth had antique flour sack handbags that were meticulously crafted.  As a bag maker I really do not need another bag but these were tempting.  Very tempting.  I-am-kicking-myself-for-not-buying-one tempting.

Indie artists are endangered species.  The best of their original ideas are stolen and recreated for commercial distribution.  After Crafty SuperMarket, I headed to Joseph-Beth for the new issue of Stitch and I wandered about the gift items.  I saw Ugly Dolls, now mass produced, that had been shown at independent art fairs a few years ago.  Pottery and paper crafts are also cloned for mass distribution.

However, Indie art never really dies.  In the late sixties I was selling self-designed crocheted bags.  In the early seventies, my dormmates and I  were handstitching carrot veggie pins and crocheting watchbands from silk thread.  We made jewelry and windchimes from found items. Now, my college roommate sews messenger bags from imported woven rugs and I crochet flower pins and stitch handcrafted bags and Christmas ornaments. 

It makes one wonder if the first cave painters were the first Indie artists.

Here are a few of my latest designs.  I named this style " Carrie" for my sister and grandmother.  I seem to have gotten over my "bump" in the road. 

Happy stitching!