The Crafty Unicorn Quilting

Virtual Quilt Show

2012-02-03T00:58:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know about a virtual quilt show going on at Circle Lord Quilt Show

Circle Lord is a whole collection of tools for use on long- and mid-arm machines that helps the quilter do amazing things. I have some of the tools and will be digging out pictures to enter.

Quilts will be posted on their blog until mid-May and then there will be 2 weeks of voting by viewers. If I were you I would start looking now. The last contest had over 300 entries and the quilts were all fabulous!

Just to give you an idea, these are some of the things that I have done with these tools...
Feather wreaths:

Intricate circle medallions:

This is the quilt I made for my niece Shelby

and in all those spaces I put this flower pattern.

The quilts in the show will be spectacular. Go...Look...Enjoy!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
www.TheCraftyUnicorn.com

Jumping back in, my word for 2012 and why I hate January...

2012-01-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

OK, I admit it, I'm a bad blogger. I told you I was headed into an insane two weeks and it has been ~~2-1/2~~ three months. But in my defense it HAS been an insane ~~2-1/2~~ three months. I have been thinking- occasionally- how do I gracefully get back to blogging- well I quit thinking and will just jump back in.

When last seen, our heroines (that's me and Faye) were headed to quilt camp in the beautiful mountains of western Maine. It was, in a word, wonderful! More posts about this will appear shortly. Then there was a small grey blur, children in costumes asking for candy, another medium size grey blur, a big turkey dinner, a huge grey blur where I vaguely remember a fat guy in a red suit and suddenly here we are... ~~almost in double digits~~ two-thirds of the way through January! I do remember that my last has-to-be-done-for-Christmas quilt was finished on Dec. 21... granted it was 2:30 AM for a delivery that afternoon, but that is still the record for "done with time to spare". Pictures of the quilts from the blurry months will also appear soon.

I have been thinking a lot about New Years Modifications. I don't like the word resolution- it sounds so inflexible and, well, things in my life need to be flexible. So I do "modifications". So many people are now picking a word to focus on for the year. That sounds like a good idea. This year my word will be:

FINISH

That means in everything...quilting and knitting UFOs (yes there are half-knitted projects too), borders for the summer mystery, things around the house, business ideas, everything. So far I'm making good progress. I have been working on getting my business paperwork organized and entered into my accounting software. Hopefully the taxes will get done before April this year.And, I resisted all the New Years Eve and New Years Day one-day mystery quilts. I have gone to quilt group meetings and worked on whatever was on top of the UFO pile. So far so good...

But that brings me to why I hate January...It's just so hard to keep that goal of Finishing, not starting in January. There's a new year STARTING, There's all kinds of lovely block-of-the-month quilts, and sew-alongs, and mystery quilts starting. Hey, I can do one measly block a month...right?... So OK, I did give in already and have started the Just Takes 2 mystery quilt... But in my defense, I am using fabric that has been on the shelf waiting for another project for years. So I have dealt with that UFO at least. And, I haven't started on the second group of blocks, since I have one left to finish from the first group. And the next batch won't be out until February 1st. What?...That's just next week?... You're kidding me!...

This will be the only new quilt... I promise... really... except the one to teach in class... and....

OK, we will see...

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Eat, Sleep, Quilt, Repeat...

2011-10-15T01:27:00.002-04:00

That is the routine here at Quilt Camp in Rangely. Faye & I got here about 2:00pm on Thursday, just as Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com was beginning her first workshop. We got right in and started working...

It has been great. The Inn is beautiful, the food is great and Bonnie Hunter is amazing. She did her trunk show and the pictures on the web and in her books do not do these quilts justice.

Faye and I are doing the Star Struck workshop and both of us will probably have a top finished before we leave. Yeah, it's not our usual size, but done (ready to quilt) is really good. This is Faye's top waiting for the first border.

This is some of my blocks on the design wall around lunchtime on Friday. As of bedtime (we won't say what time that was) on Friday I have 40-some blocks so Saturday I will put the rows together and do the borders.

The girls sitting across the table from us are doing the Texas Braid quilt. Those are their braid pieces hanging over the curtain rod. They even brought a mascot. That's Roscoe in the center.

Note: As of 1/21 this quilt is one step closer to finished...the backing is pieced and it is actually in line to be quilted!!!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Quilt Camp

2011-10-13T06:30:00.001-04:00

Just another entry in the "Insane October" list. Faye & I are off to quilt camp this morning. That's right...4 days of quilt till you wilt, with the Scrap queen of Quiltville.com herself...Bonnie K. Hunter.

We have a Bonnie Hunter here in Downeast Maine. I don't mean that metaphorically, we have a person (at least) named Bonnie Hunter. And she is a quilter...and she designs patterns...and she teaches classes... Kinda weird huh? So, when I told some folks about the retreat I was going on, they said they had heard that the Downeast Bonnie Hunter will be in Rangely to meet the North Carolina Bonnie Hunter. How cool is that?

My fabrics are pre-cut and my sewing machine is clean. Yes, it is starting another project, but I'm only doing the lap size (I think) or I'm making squares until I get to a certain point and then it will get put together as a top of whatever size. This WILL NOT become another UFO!

I'll post pictures as I can. Everybody have a great weekend.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
www.TheCraftyUnicorn.com

Whew...What a week

2011-10-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

Good grief is it Tuesday already? and a Tuesday in October to boot!

If you have been following the Scrap Basket Mystery, you got the big reveal last week, but the diagrams were a bit confusing. This is a link to a pdf file of Step 12 on the website that I think explains it differently (and hopefully better).

There were also some folks who decided that baskets were not quite "manly" enough for a boys quilt, so... if you haven't put your basket blocks together yet here are some options...

Using sixteen large half-square triangles from step 6

You can make four large pinwheel blocks

Then, there are sixteen pairs of mirrored units

Take four of them that match (all left sides or all right sides) and put them together as a pinwheel to get this spinning star

Finally you have the HST 4-patch pieces

Once again, think pinwheel, or just flip two of four around, there are several options

Put the new blocks in place of the basket blocks and the same pieces make an entirely different quilt.

Such is the power of the re-arrangement!

I've also got pictures of our quilt show from Saturday and will post them as soon as possible.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
www.TheCraftyUnicorn.com

Harvest Quilt Show

2011-10-03T21:53:00.055-04:00

This was our 2nd Quilt Show. I think we're getting the hang of it...
The girls at the door taking admission- Thanks Pam, Ashley & Dawn.

And here's Mary at our table with the rafle quilt as a backdrop...

Lots of big quilts this year. And diversity... a double wedding ring, two very different drunkard's path quilts and a traditional pattern in bright Kaffe Fasset fabrics share part of one wall.

Down by the stage, Dawn of Baahurrah Farm sells her soap and lovely yarn. Hey, we love all kinds of fibers.

More vendors- pottery, knitted items and photography...

Nancy of Communicado had the greatest buttons

This was the right side wall. The orange quilt in the center- Plaids Make Me Crazy made by Grace Anderson- won the viewer's choice ribbon.

Kathy Gearhart of 5 Fireflies makes the most adorable hats & knitted goodies. She is always so busy, wouldn't even slow down for my picture!

Ashley looks so cute in one of Kathy's creations...

So there you have a short tour of the 2011 Hrvest Quilt Show. Hope to see everyone next year for a bigger and even better show.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

The Big Reveal!

2011-09-29T06:30:00.002-04:00

OK, This is the moment you have been waiting for. Today it all comes together. Some of you have some ideas, but I hope some will be surprised. Get all your blocks and those pesky triangles and lets see what we can do with them...

Show me the Clue

Getting close

2011-09-21T08:51:00.000-04:00

There are some folks headed out of town this week who want to take their mystery quilt with them to work on, so the clue is out early this week. (You're welcome Brenda in Maine) We are really close to the end of the mystery quilt and I hope to give you one more surprise...
Show me the Clue

Eye of the beholder

2011-09-15T15:33:00.000-04:00

Lately I seem to be getting quilts that the owners refer to as the "ugly quilt". Maybe things didn't come out exactly the way they saw it in their mind, but I often think quilters are just too hard on themselves.

This week's case in point- Bert sent me a quilt and she called it The Ugly Quilt. It has some wonderful batiks and rich prints set off in a black sashing.

All it needed was a bit of curvy quilting

and some blue-green variegated thread

and you have a Spice Market quilt.

Isn't that a better name?

OK, now for this week's clue. It is not hard, but there are some things to watch for, so you might want to be sure you are fully caffeinated before you start.

Show me the Clue

Goodbye Summer

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

It seems to be official... Summer is over here in Maine. It's past Labor Day (just barely) and I actually turned the heater on in the store last night. It is just really hard to sew when you can't feel your fingers. Mostly it was just damp and chilly and the propane heater does a great job of chasing the chill, but it's the principle of the matter. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. Besides, the weather report is for really nice days after this dreariness clears out.

The quilt I just finished does a good job of keeping the feeling of summer in Maine. When this quilt came in, the person who dropped it off called it "the Ugly quilt" I will admit, the light lime green outer border it had at the time was not quite right. But... a change of border can do wonders...

It's hard to see in the picture, but the pink border picks up the pink in the flowers.

The medallions and the swirly stuff are all done in variegated thread.

I think it needs a new name now...

What, with Labor day and back-to-school you want a nice easy clue for the mystery quilt this week...

Show me the Clue

Better late than never

2011-09-01T11:46:00.000-04:00

Yep, I'm running a bit late today. I could blame Hurricane Irene, or any of a number of other things, but the truth is, I just forgot today was Thursday.

In my defense, I got involved last night in a cute customer quilt and a good audio book. I love audio books. It just amazes me that something this small can hold a full book and still have room for my somewhat eclectic collection of music. And it isn't even a big MP3 player- only a measly 2 GB. Tiny in today's terms. And best if all- it's red.

And this is the quilt that distracted me...

Dianne's Bits & Pieces- adorable, yes? And the quilting (that is hard to photograph) is interlocking circles in a pattern called 7-Treasures. It worked great.

So that's my story...and I'm stickin' to it...

Just a quick note about this week's clue.. it isn't difficult, but it does take some paying attention, so be sure your caffeine level is topped off first.

.
Show me the Clue

What a week!

2011-08-25T06:25:00.001-04:00

I tell you, it's getting crazy out there. Earthquakes in Virginia and a possible hurricane in Maine. I think I'm just gonna batten down the hatches and sew!

But first a reminder of spring. We remember Spring right? This is Barbara's quilt, I think the pattern name is Lovebird Lane.

She does great machine applique and the kit comes with some really cute pre-printed details like windows, street signs and little quilts within a quilt..

And now since we are all going to stay snug inside and sew here is clue number 7...

Show me the Clue

Pets on Quilts

2011-08-19T22:12:00.001-04:00

This is my entry for the Pets on Quilts Show and the story of a quilt that was meant to be. Once upon a time the lovely and wonderful SewCal Gal teamed up with her friend EQ the Mouse (mascot of The Electric Quilt Company) and had a contest. The challenge was to design a quilt using Electric Quilt that EQ the Mouse would like. Well, not one to pass-up a chance to ~~play with~~ explore the things EQ can do, I designed this quilt.

Lo, and behold, I WON. And what was the prize? A lovely stack of 5" squares from SewCal Gal's private stash. Even better, when I told her what I would be doing with my winnings, she generously sent charm squares in various cat & dog prints.

You see, every year I make a quilt for the local animal shelter, The Ark, for their list of raffle items. This year, I made a disappearing 9-patch with the pet prints I had won.

And now it's time for the quilt to be entered in the Pets on Quilts Show. Seems like a full circle. I didn't get a picture of Leggs & Emmie giving the Ark Quilt it's official "cat scan" but they do test most quilts at some point... sometimes while still on the longarm.

Or when the binding is being made...

They help organize strips and scraps

And supervise the cutting table

So there you have my entry for Pets on Quilts. Hope you enjoy the show and remember to check out all the entries and vote for your favorites this Saturday and Sunday .

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Happy Thursday

2011-08-18T06:32:00.001-04:00

Are we all ready for Step 6? I know back to school is starting for some folks and as we can all sing with the Staples commercial ... It's the most wonderful time of the year... for parents at least! So there is another pretty easy week this week

But first I'd like to give out a bit of eye candy. This quilt had lots of visitors before and while it was on the frame. It is made from the book Japanese Taupe Quilts: 125 Blocks in Calm Neutral Colors by Susan Briscoe .

To give you an idea of how amazing this quilt is... those are all 9" blocks! It was hard to pick my favorites.

The light part of the Greek key is only 1/4" wide. I think there was more seam allowance than what actually showed.

There is lots of quilting in the center blocks, but it is all stitch-in-the-ditch so it doesn't show unless the light is just right.

The whole style of the quilt is so elegant and understated the only place that the quilting shows is in the borders.

And in the pillow tuck

Now, wipe the drool off your keyboard and click through to get this weeks clue. And after seeing this piecing, the clue is a walk in the park...
Show me the Clue

Scrap Basket Mystery Step 5

2011-08-11T06:05:00.002-04:00

It's Thursday again! Everybody caught up? It's time to start putting some of those pieces together...
But first, (and above the jump for people who don't want to see the clue) is a bit of quilty goodness compliments of two customers.

First is Joyce's Starry Sampler from class last spring.

I love seeing a design that started in my head actually turn into a quilt. And in class, even though everyone does the same pattern, the quilts are all so different. This quilt is so cheerful and spring-like. I used a new quilting design on this. It's actually an oriental design called 7-Treasures, but overall interlocking rings looks good anywhere.

Fran's Autumn Butterflies is another recent one. It's a great quilt, but I'm not ready for fall quite yet. There's butterflies in the fabric and quilted butterflies in the border. I'll try to find the detail picture.

OK, so now for this week's clue...

Show me the Clue

Small things day 2

2011-08-08T19:58:00.000-04:00

So, you thought I'd wimp out the second day didn't you? Well, I really really want this renovation done. I have a dream of having a holiday open house, so time is NOT on my side.

I confess today's small thing is not much, but it's one of the little luxuries I planned for the studio. It is an in-the-floor electric receptacle. It goes right under the longarm. That's right, no more tripping over the cord, no more extension cords, just a plug just where I need it. Yes, I have given much amusement to several electricians, but they are men and don't quilt, how could they EVER understand?

It's pretty much like a regular outlet, you cut a hole and put in the box, wire in the outlet and tighten it down

The cool part is the gaskets and brass cover that keeps dust, threads, water and stuff out. Like there will be any of that stuff around...

All tightened down with the brass plugs off. The outlets always look like little faces to me... Shocked little faces... That's an electrical joke...

See, all sealed and waiting. Tomorrow it will get hooked up.

As a surprise, while I was fishing wire under the floor I found something kinda cool, no, not hidden money (I wish) but close.

A canceled check from 1947 written by George Frye. The name painted on the safe is E.M. Frye & Co. I think there is some local history research in my future.

Quilty stuff tomorrow, I promise.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Baby Steps

2011-08-07T18:57:00.000-04:00

The building my shop is in was built sometime in the 1850's... I think.

It has been the office for a shipyard (yep, where they built 4-masted schooners) the office for a lumber yard, a real estate office, an antique shop and now a longarm quilter's shop. But, somehow through all of that the upstairs has never been finished.

Anybody who knows me (and even some people who don't) have been hearing about my "new studio" plans for ages. They must be really tired of it by now. My plan is to move all the messy stuff upstairs- the longarm, my sewing machines, cutting table, everything. That will leave the downstairs for a retail and quilt take-in area that is (mostly) free of thread, lint, dust, batting scraps, fabric trimmings... you know the stuff that is just a part of working. The problem is, I am cheap, and like doing the work myself, so the progress has been really really slow.

Today that changes...

I still don't have great gobs of time to do things, but if I can do just one small thing every day I just might get this done... and some progress is better than none... Hopefully the momentum will build. So, today's small thing is a door latch for the upstairs door. See the second floor porch... great place to sit and do hand work, don'tcha think?

This is how the door was held closed up until now... A BIG bolt stuck in a hole at an angle. Effective, yes, but not quite in keeping with the workspace I am trying to create.

So first...drill a hole through the door

Then put in the lock cylinder and tighten down the plate

See, nice and pretty on the outside. Yes, the door needs painting, but these are baby steps.

Then attach the catch/strike plate on the door frame...

Mount the lock on the inside of the door

Push the door closed, listen to the solid, comforting, thunk of the door closing and latching

Pat myself on the back for taking one small step toward a new studio. Oh yes, I'm hiding a key outside on the porch. There's no knob on the outside of the door and it is the door to the second floor porch. Locking myself out would mean climbing down the first floor porch roof... not a good idea...

All told, about an hour and a half, including finding tools (the big drill bit was hiding). We will see what tomorrow's project will be.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Step 4

2011-08-04T06:44:00.000-04:00

So here we are again on a Thursday morning... well, if I figured out the scheduling thing it's still morning...
Since you have been working so diligently on the first 3 steps we'll take an easy one this week.

And, in my continuing technical education, I am attempting to add a link box so everyone out there can show us your progress. If you have a blog or photo album online, please add a link so we can see what you've done so far. Let's see those scraps! It is below the jump so anyone who doesn't want to see doesn't need to hide their eyes.

Show me the Clue

Scrap Basket Mystery Step 3

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Any body still out there? Have you done enough HSTs to last a lifetime? Well, there's just a few more and then we're done with them...promise. See, get the tricky part over first.

Show me the Clue

Scrap Basket Mystery Step 2

2011-07-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

So how is everybody doing? Without giving away too much above the jump, it's a bit more of the same. That's the bad news. The good news is we are getting the more involved parts over early, so things will get easier as we go along.

There is a quote I love...

"If you have to eat a frog . . . don't stare at it too long. If you have to eat three ... don't start with the little one" ~ Randy Pausch

Just so you know, we didn't start with the small frog...

Show me the Clue

Scrap Basket Mystery Step 1

2011-07-13T23:04:00.000-04:00

So here we go...
I'm going to keep the clue hidden behind a jump break so if you don't want to see the clue yet, you don't have to. To see the clue, just click on the words "show me the clue" and it should appear.

There will be a quick description of each step and a suggested technique, but feel free to use whatever tools and techniques you want. The usual stuff applies, unless otherwise noted:

All seam allowances are 1/4"
Fabrics are sewn right sides together
Use a neutral thread and 10-12 stitches per inch.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions if something doesn't make sense. The instructions can also be found in a PDF file at The Crafty Unicorn Classes

Show me the Clue

New Goodies

2011-07-08T05:52:00.009-04:00

The mailman brought me a squishy package on Thursday. New samples from Sew Batik! It's a new design called Packed Daisy.

Great colors and wonderful fabric, as always, from them. And it is 108" wide so there's no piecing for a backing!

And there are more tempting samples coming soon.

Three words...

Wide...

Batik...

Flannel...

Ooooh the possibilities!

OK, now back to work...

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Anyone up for a mystery?

2011-07-07T08:55:00.001-04:00

The Summer Scrap Basket Mystery.

Yep, I've talked about it for months, so here it is, a 12-step program for compulsive fabric matchers.

First, some basic information:

• The center of the quilt (before borders) is approximately. 64 X 76. That makes it a throw/twin size before borders. Depending on borders, it can easily be a full/queen size and if you get really crazy, you can add more blocks and super-size it to a king.

• This is designed to be a scrap quilt. Yardage estimates are given, but as they say, “your mileage may vary”. Using many different fabrics will make any later additions blend in just fine. How many fabrics you ask...This is definitely the time for "more is better"

• Scraps are great, all you need is to be able to get a 3 ½” square out of it.

• You will need lights and darks. The lights should be very light (think cappuccino...white. cream, beige) and the darks should be medium to dark and should have lots of contrast with the lights. These are the primary fabrics for your quilt

A great assortment of Lights

If you wanted to focus on a single clor, this group would work.

This is my pile of darks

Yes, there are some "dificult to love" fabrics in there, but don't they deserve a home too?

• For those of you who must have some control, there are two accent fabrics. This is the place to feature two controlled colors in the quilt. (You could even be radical and use some of those colors that “they” say never to use in a quilt.) Scraps are still fine; just contain them to similar shades of the same colors. For example, several dark blues as your control fabric and a group of medium yellow/golds as the accent.

• Border fabrics are NOT included in the fabric list. Once the center is done, you can decide what color or colors would be best. There will be some options and suggestions.

• Basic steps will be posted as as a note on The Crafty Unicorn Quilting facebook page starting Thursday July 14. Detailed instructions will be in a PDF files on the "classes" page of http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com./ Other information and pictures will be posted here on the blog. I will do my best to make the access easy, but by choice, so you can peek as much or as little as you want to. That may keep pictures off of Facebook, I'm still working that out.

• Please feel free to ask questions on either the blog (through the comments), on Facebook, or email me directly at leslie@TheCraftyUnicorn.com.

Fabric requirements:
Darks- 3 yards
Lights- 3 ½ yards
Control (darker)- 1 yard
Accent (medium to dark)- 1 yard

Tools:
Regular quilting stuff
Easy Angle ruler (optional)
Square-up rulers

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

This is a test

2011-07-06T18:16:00.001-04:00

If I post the beginning and hide the clue below

Click here
Show me the Clue

What I've been up to

2011-05-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

So you know Faye and I went to MQX last month (is it over a month already???) and then I kinda fell off the planet. Well I have been busy. Really. Really. Busy.
One of the customer quilts waiting for me when I got back was a birthday gift for a Guitar-playing grandson.

His Grandma really worked her embroidery machine hard on this one. Around each large picture are names of bands or musical phrases.

Then there was Carmen's quilt for Japan. I got to use my new clam shell pattern for this one.

And finally, Mrs. Foster's Field of Daisies.

This is the raffle quilt for the Roques Bluff Community chapel this year and as usual, she let me do what I wanted. I used some of the ~~toys~~ tools I got at MQX and several of the ideas I saw there. Hey, I have to have some justification for buying all this stuff.

So here are the details on Field of Daisies...

The little diagonal feather was inspired by Linda Thielfold's Almost Amish quilt. The echo around things is a technique that Ronda Beyer uses a lot.

This medallion in the border is actually one stencil drawn sideways and then mirrored- a Karen McTavish trick. And the curved cross-hatch is from Karen McT. & Ronda Beyer.

This is the back. And the pictures all came out really well thanks to a product photography class put on by Downeast Business Alliance that got squeezed in there the Saturday after we got back.

So now you know, I'm not just lounging around eating bonbons. And I need to get back to work. Another quilt is almost done so there will be more pictures to share.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
www.TheCraftyUnicorn.com

New Kits from Sew Batik

2011-04-21T18:28:00.000-04:00

One of the perks of longarm quilting is getting to work with great companies. Sew Batik is one of those. When I was at MQX last week (more on that adventure soon) they unveiled some new kits using their wonderful fabrics. No hunting for just the right fabric, just open the kit and start cutting. How cool is that? All of these are designed by Birgit Schueller of Creative Bits. You can order them from SewBatik.com or use the helpful link on the lefthand sidebar.

Batik Stars

Round Trip squared

And for something different... Triangle fun...

I'm almost through sorthing out stuff from MQX so there will be more posts about the goodies I found soon.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

MQX and the Summer Mystery

2011-04-14T23:54:00.000-04:00

Faye and I are here at Machine Quilters Exposition (MQX) in Providence Rhode Island. It was a wonderful drive down with lovely weather. Especially easy for me since Faye drove *grin* We got settled at the hotel and went to the show for a couple of hours to check things out and plan for the big day tomorrow. We will see and do as much as possible, then finish up any last details on Saturday before heading home.

The quilts are amazing, as expected, and there are plenty of vendors. I have some "business" to do with several of them. There are new all over designs on the horizon and new tools as well. Curved Cross-hatching is all the rage and it's no wonder when it can look like this...

The guest apperance is by my partner in crime...Faye...

For the folks that can't make it here to the show there will be lots more pictures.

And...since I am getting questions about fabric for the Scrap Basket Summer Mystery I thought these pictures might help...Yep, these are from a booth hera at the show...

For lights, any OR ALL of these would be great. Remember this is scrappy...the more the merrier...

And while I will be using all sorts of colos and prints, if you wanted to control the color a bit, just about any of these would work, except the ones that are really light in this group.

Remember, light/dark value is relative to the other fabrics around it. Just like sorting laundry (you remember that from the distant past?) the medium blue shirt that looks fine in the load of jeans and flannel shirts sticks out in the basket of socks and "unmentionables" Same with this quilt. You need lights and darks with lots of contrast btween them. Other fabric requirements and amounts will be posted soon. But it's getting late and I have a show to go to tomorrow!!!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday April 4

2011-04-04T11:07:00.000-04:00

Finally! Something good on the design wall. I just got the blocks back from an online swap and had the layout all worked out while I was waiting. What do you think?

Yes, the colors need to be moved around a bit before it's put together and I have enough blocks to make it 6 by 6... just not enough design wall But there is a problem and I don't know if it will bother me or not. Do you see it? Should I change it? Maybe I'll leave it up a while before I decide.

Now I am going to work because I have a ton of quilts to get done before MQX in 10 days!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Just when you thought it was spring...

2011-02-25T17:29:00.001-05:00

Guess again!!!
It is snowing... again... and isn't expected to stop until at least tomorrow morning... YUK!

Although before all that white stuff started falling from the sky the FedEx man was here and so was the mail. It was just like Christmas. Of course Legbert had to inspect the packages

In the mail was the package of charm squares from SewCalGal. It is a wonderful selction of fabrics with lots of cats & dogs. I think I'll use them for this year's Ark Animal Shelter raffle quilt.

I sort of blame her for the other two boxes. You see, in the small box there were rulers and stuff I will be selling in the shop. And in the large box was a GO! cutter! Yep, I have given in to the hot new quilting trend.

So I got it out and started playing. It really is very cool and makes short work of cutting perfect pieces. I don't think I will be giving up my roatry cutter any time soon, but I am really looking forward to being able to tame the piles of scraps that seem to be multiplying in the bins.

This block took only a couple of minutes to cut out and all the pieces fit so well. I see some power cutting in my future!

OK, now back to work.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Ooops!

2011-02-17T17:22:00.000-05:00

There's a Block of the Month (BOM) going on over at the Electric Quilt blog. They are posting the EQ files and if you make the block and send in pictures you are entered to win prizes. How cool is that?

I know... I need another thing to do like I need a hole in my head, but this sounds like fun and how hard can one block per month be? I printed off the directions and am zipping through the January block. Things are going great and I press my finished block and ...
something ....

doesn't....

look....

quite...

right...

OH... POOH and BOTHER!

I know, quilting rule #3 says

"If you do something once it's a mistake, do it three more times and it's a design decision"

But this was only twice and that makes it just wrong. So, a little quality time with the seam ripper and "take two" and we have this...

Much much better.

I am going to make the block each month in colors pertaining to that month. Hopefully this looks icy and cold (with just a hint of road sand brown... ha ha) and of course February will be pink and red and white. You get the idea. No idea yet how to set such a collection, but hey, I have all year to work on it!.

Yes I should be working, and will go back to work in a minute. I have some lovely customer quilts to show you soon.

But speaking of goofing off, I made this little qult several years ago. I call it "Can not tell a lie" since it was President's Day weekend and I should have been working on something else. I entered it in the Quilting Gallery Weekly contest. Voting is Friday to Sunday, so if you have time and would like some quilty eye-candy, click on over there and vote for your favorite.

OK, now back to work for me!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Happy February

2011-02-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Well, we have made it to the second page of the calendar. So far this month is going well. I won a pack of charm squares on Facebook this morning- Thank you to SewCalGal and EQ the Mouse.

The bad news is I didn't get my Jaunary UFO challenge finished- only one of the three quilts got finshed, but the other two are further along than before, so we are headed in the right direction.

This month we are to work on UFO #10. For me that is the split 9-patch blocks from a swap a few years ago. I don't know exactly what I want to do with them but at least I will have something on my design wall for next Monday!

And I get to have birthday cake tonight (yep, mine) So, after I finish this customer quilt I am spending the rest of the day sewing for ME ME ME. The small snow has started, there is BIG snow to follow tomorrow so there will be quilting time. February is looking pretty good.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

UFO Challenge Progress

2011-01-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

NOTE: this post may be dated Jan 15, but never got finished... UFO's are EVERYWHERE!!!

It's the ~~middle~~ end of the month and I am (still) only one third of the way through my UFO #6. But never fear, I have been working...

There have been customer quilts...

Some small ones...

Some not so small

That I could just go wild on

Yep, right on over the top

And of course there was snow to clear

(I had help with that... What a guy)

The good news is that my orphan spools quilt- now known as the "Ends and Pieces" quilt is quilted and ~~ready for binding~~ bound. This poor little top was found in a yardsale or auction years ago. It isn't terribly well pieced, but I just thought it was fun-

Spools UFO #6

I got lucky and found the perfect border and backing fabrics and never would have imagined the red border would work, but it does. A friend calls me the "Queen of the Accent Border".

Ends and Pieces Quilt

It's become the E and P quilt because I used odd pieces of wool batting and then used partial bobbins of thread in the quilting. It really is coming out cute. The yellow binding is all ~~cut, just waiting to go on~~ done.

The other two quilts are pinned and ready to load on the longarm. Hey, there is still 30-some hours left of January right?

I don't feel bad about this UFO having been on the shelf since 2008. A quilt I just finished for a customer is pushing 20 years! Joan started this quilt in a class in 1991. The blocks are all pieced by HAND! She put it together with the help of a couple of friends and last Thurday it went home ready to go on the bed.

Joan's Sampler

And I have finished some things not on the "official" list...

That grey yarn really didn't want to be socks, but it is now very happy as fingerless mitts.

And not just plain ones either...Mitts with CABLES... it took no time at all and went so well. I may have to try and knit more.

And a little tote bag kit I won in 2009 is now finished.

So that's the update. We will see what February brings.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall and knitting

2011-01-09T23:50:00.001-05:00

My design wall has actually been getting used this week since I finished Carol's quilt.
These are the fabrics I chose for a block swap over on the APQS forum. The blocks are friendship stars using brights and a black-on-white and a white-on-black print

See... Design wall use!

OK, that was kind of cheating, but it is a WIP on my design wall, and besides, that was last week. This is this week...

See... blocks! Just don't look tooooo close. The HSTs are made with a technique that is new to me. Cutting two large squares, drawing lines and making 8 at once. So far, I'm not thrilled. Since there's no trimming room, that seam allowance has to be perfect, but even sewing RIGHT on the line a few still came up short. I finally went back to my really thin piecing thread (Masterpiece from Superior Threads) and drew lines at 3/16" instead of 1/4" and stitched just inside the line and they were better. Maybe cutting the squares 8" instead of 7-3/4 is the answer. Those two blocks on the bottom, those are the ones that won't be in the swap. Hopefully I can get the rest made this week.

This is a question for all you knitters out there... Does yarn make it's wishes kown like fabric does? You know when you are working on a quilt and you think something is a good idea, but the quilt thinks differently...and no matter what you try stuff just keeps going wrong until you change the border/quilting design/whatever that the quilt doesn't like and then things go smoothly. (OK, to most of you this sounds nuts, but some of you know what I'm trying to say). Well, does yarn do that too? I have been trying to make a pair of socks with this yarn since last March. I love the yarn, but just don't like the way the sock toes come out.

I have started these sock FOUR times and I still don't like them, so tonight I pulled it all out and will try something new- Some cabled fingerless mitts with cables-

Wish me luck... Yes, I probably am nuts! But hopefully I will have warm hands.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Off to a good Start...sort of

2011-01-08T14:36:00.000-05:00

I found this post from last week saved as a draft. It proves I had good intentions right???

Well, 2011 is off to a good start, no that's not sarcasm, I have finished the quilt for my niece. The one I started in August 2009. Here is the fabric all pre-washed and drying

I think it made an appearance or two on the design wall Mondays and finally it was a top and Shelby got to see it when I went to Florida last March.

I just couldn't seem to find the right motif for the blank space. Finally I figured this out with some new tools. Maybe that's what the hold-up was.

But now it is finished! Quilted, bound, labeled and ready to go in a box to her on Monday (that's Monday 1/3). One quilt...18 months... I think I need to speed things up a bit.

I have also finished the Planet Patchwork one day mystery from AUGUST! Here it is on the design wall

And now it is finished, bound, labeled and mailed.

That's Minkee on the back...it is sooooo soft!

So here's to a quilty 2011... I've actually finished two quilts, maybe there's hope!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

2011 UFO Challenge

2010-12-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

OK, 2011 for me is all about getting hold of my schedule and getting rid of stuff. More on that later, (a post about New Years Modifications is coming) but I am giving in and joining the UFO Challenge on JudyL's blog. Part of my schedule problem is never having time for my stuff. Hey, the top I made for my niece last March has only just now made it to the quilting machine... and only because she is nagging me on facebook... So why not, maybe some accountability will be a good thing.

Now to pick 12 UFOs... ONLY 12???... I found more than that on just the first, small shelf! But we are taking baby steps here so this is my list, in no order other than how they ~~fell~~ came off the shelf:

30's Big Star
Snow Business- mystery #124
Unicorn Banner & Quilt show banner (2 small pieces but same stuff needed on both)
Rocket's Red Glare- block swap rom 2005?
Quilting 201 class sample
Sunbonnet Sue/Fungly Spools/Quilting 101 (3 tops that REALLY need to get quilted and done)
Stack & Whack
Katiedid One Day mystery
Log Cabin Swap
Split 9-patch swap
Quilt Pink BOM
NYE 2005 Mystery (yikes)
(Alternate) Hot Flashes BOM

The alternate is in there in case there is something I can't work on for reasons beyond my control- lost patterns, missing pieces, etc. So that's the list. Some of these have been hanging around for years. Most are victims of "out of sight out of mind" One or two I just lost interest in, but I'm too stubborn to give up. I can do this! For me to count it as done it needs to be completely done- pieced, quilted, bound, labeled- (name and date at least). Wish me luck!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Time, space, quilts...

2010-12-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

The mid-week whirl wind is over and I did get some work done today, but posts about that will wait. This gets a bit philosophical but bear with me...it's worth it.

It is amazing how quilting continues to span time and generations and friendships. The quilt I finished on Thursday was pieced by Faye for a friend of hers, Beverly. The fabrics have been in Beverly's family for years (we think the 1940's).

The pieces for the bow-ties and the butterflies were all cut out but left un-finished. These are Bow-ties the hard way- with the center square and 5-sided inset seam. No flippy-corners for this quilt! Faye and Beverly worked out the design and this is the second quilt that has come from that stash and the colaboration. This one will go to Beverly's sister.

Even the back was pieced with family fabrics

So that was Thusday night at quilt class. Wednesday night at my business class, another class member said she had some quilt blocks and could I take a look at them and tell me what I thought. She brought out a stack of 10 or 12 blocks wrapped in a cotton dishtowel. My heart just about stopped. This is what she has...

The first thing you see is the tones of the fabrics. Reproductions are good, but you just "know" when it is the real thing. They are in amazing condition.

There are bits of batting and stitch holes in the edges, so they have been in a quilt but someone (bless them) took the time to un-sew them. Not only is the piecing amazing, but the center of each block has a verse written in the center...

Now take a deep breath...

They are addressed to Martha...

most are signed with first and last names...

and towns and states...

AND DATED 1844...
Apparently this was a quilt for someone leaving on a long journey. Maybe out west? Who knows, but a lot of people really wanted to wish her well. The verses are charming. I hope to get in touch with the quilt study group here in Maine and a couple of other places, but the researcher in me would love to work out this puzzle and find out who Martha was. As I find out I will keep you posted. Any ideas on who to contact are more than welcome.

So there you have my philosopical bit... Friends, generations, time, distance all tied together with quilts. Pretty cool.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Yep, She's back...

2010-12-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

OK, I know it's been ages since my last post. (Hi Faye) I did not fall off the planet, it just felt that way. Things have been wild and crazy, (and not all in a good way) but are better now. It is still the Christmas rush and I have a big pile of quilts to do, but so far I'm not at the "quilting 'till 3am" level of behind schedule.

Just to prove I haven't been goofing off, how about this quilt I did in November. I've said before that quilts will tell you how to quilt them. Some will mumble and others will speak right up. This one simply would not shut up!

It's a great traditional design that Carmen did in civil war fabrics. You just gotta love that Cheddar yellow. See all those open squares...just asking for quilting... OK... traditional quilt means feathered wreaths. Those looked good, but a bit unfinished, so I added a circle around the wreath. Better, but it needs a background filler, so I tried a small stipple. It would do, but what it really needs is crosshatching. I resisted but finally gave in. I'm really glad I did...

Then finish it off with a feathered border and there you have it.

Yes, it's a bit over the top, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. By the way, Carmen loved it. Phew!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Pets on Quilts

2010-08-13T22:32:00.000-04:00

Emmie and Leggs live at the shop. They are brother and sister and the closest to twins I have ever seen. They "help" with just about everything in the shop.

This is Emmie guarding the strip bin...

Both of them keeping my cut pieces from running away...

Leggs even helps with the quilting...

And Emmie is a whiz with binding...

But what they do best is...

Test rest quilts!

This quilt was a prize for the local animal shelter's raffle. And the picture is my entry in the Pets on Quilts Show.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday 8-2-10

2010-08-02T17:26:00.001-04:00

So here it is Monday again, and a new month to boot! I confess my physical design wall hasn't changed a bit. There has been no sewing for me this week. I did get to go to the state guild show in Augusta on Friday with a friend. It was her first time at a show of this size and it was fun to see it through her eyes. It was a much better show than last year- in my not so humble opinion. There were inspiring quilts and more adventurous quilts both in the piecing and the quilting. Not like last year's forest of Turning Twenty and Yellow Brick Road.

I was also pleased that there were 4 quilts there that I quilted!
Linda had her Depford Pinks in the display area...

Oonah had the Maine by Mainers photo quilt in a vendor's booth...

And Carmen entered two quilts in the judged division. Christmas Joy and Double Pinwheels. They were hanging next to each other on row 6...

And both had RIBBONS!!!!!

So that was the big excitement for the week.

The show has gotten my head spinning with ideas and thanks to EQ7 my virtual design wall is packed full.

There's a little something using the lonely little pinwheel block on my real design wall. I love using Judy's checkerboard border...

And one idea for the adult ed class this fall

and something that just kinda happened when I was working on something else...

So now I had better get some real work done, those quilts won't quilt themselves.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday July 26

2010-07-26T10:09:00.001-04:00

Finally, it's Monday and for once there is something on my design wall and I remember to post before Tuesday! Last week there was a one-day mystery at Planet Patchwork. I decided to treat myself and do it... Well you know about the "best laid plans of mice and men"... I will not let this become yet another UFO! So, here and there, I am working on it. This is my progress so far

The black and yellow stars are for the mystery. The other blocks are just some playing around. The pink churn dashes are using the photo squares I have talked about before. They are really great, but I guess shops need samples to help customers see the possibilities. This will probably be a table runner since I don't have any more of the pink fabric. It would make a pretty quilt though.

It's funny how different a block can look just by changing the colors placement. These are the same pieces (different centers) just one is pink on green and the other is green on pink. And before you are appalled at my lack of piecing skills, these are just stuck on the wall, not stitched together.

Well, back to work, there's a raffle quilt to finish and two quilts to get done for a customer so she can have them for the artist's tour this weekend! YIKES!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Exploring the Knoxville Quilt Expo

2010-07-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

There was a post on Facebook and a link to a YouTube video from the AQS show in Knoxville. As a little diverson I took a peek. Well, there at 1 minute and 9 seconds is a picture of some fish sculpture thingys and behind them is the Fat Quarter Log Cabin quilt that I quilted. OK, saying I have quilted a quilt that hung at an AQS show isn't strictly true, but it's closer than I was last month. Yes, I'm excited and no, it doesn't take much, but yeah, I think it's pretty neat.

OK, now back to work...

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

www.TheCraftyUnicorn.com

The week in review

2010-07-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

Whoosh, another week has zipped by. I did get quite a bit done though. Not all of it on my list but still quite a bit.

First and most important, the quilt for The Ark Animal Shelter got done and delivered.

Yep, it's bright, but it's fun. And I even got a bit whimsical with the label... How can a quilt with all those circles have a square label? So this is what I did...

Sometimes it's just the little things that make me smile. OK, I'm easy what can I say? The quilt was also thoroughly tested by Leggs and Emmie. They can't have it going out without their seal of approval.

SewCal Gal is going to have a virtual "Pets on Quilts" show in August. This will be my entry. For more info on the contest, click on the badge in the left hand column

I also finished three customer quilts:
Pat W's Folk Art Panels:

Claire's Spring Medallion

And Carmen's Chintz

Combine that list with making 7 jars of Strawberry-rhubarb jam, 5 jars of peach jam and a quart of peach sorbet (OMG is that good) I think I had a good week. But, no, the garden is still not weeded. We will have to wait and see what the weekend brings.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Day 2 of "The Plan"

2010-07-09T11:28:00.002-04:00

First, for your Friday morning enjoyment, there is a virtual quilt show at Quilting Gallery.

There are some great quilts on display and one in which I have a special interest. Mary's Stars and Stripes is about halfway down the page. If you are so inclined, please "vote early and vote often". (edit note: there is only one vote allowed per person)

Now, to Day 2 of "the Plan" I did OK, I think...

Finished the quilt on the machine- can't show pictures yet, since the customer hasn't seen it
Got the borders on the quilt for The Ark
Didn't get the Ark quilt loaded because the backing wasn't big enough. Plan to fix that this morning
Only got 1/2 a row weeded because the mosquitos just got really bad. Will try to do a row at lunchtime. Sun is better than bugs.

This is the Ark quilt top...

Yep, it is bright, but I still think it's fun. And not my usual style at all. The pattern is from G.E.Designs. Her latest book is "Strip On". There are cute and quilck quilts using 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 inch strips.

Leggs was doing his best to restrain a bolt of wool batting. I suspect when I open it there will be a batting explosion.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Catching up

2010-07-08T11:39:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July holiday. Mine was spent quilting and weeding.

I got Brenda's Secret Garden quilt done.

I love this design. The effect of interlocking rings and not a curved seam in sight. She picked the Angel Wings design and puffy batting so it is a light summery quilt that will still be warm in that "other" season we have here.

Over on PatchworkTimes JudyL is listing her goals and accomplishments for the day to try and keep on track and stay accountable. It may also help the rest of us see how she gets so darned much done in a day! So maybe I will try this. Today I need to get four things done:

Finish the quilt on the frame- 1 border and 1 center medallion
Get the borders on the Ark quilt
Load the Ark quilt on the machine.
Weed 1 row of the garden

That seems do-able. We shall see...

This is the center of the Ark quilt that I finished last night. It certainly is bright...and no, the borders will not tone it down any...but I think it will be cute.

The garden is doing well with all the warm weather we are having.

There are flowers on the potatoes. OK, admit it, you never thought about potatoes having flowers. I don't think anybody really does, unless you live in Aroostook county. But they are kinda pretty. They even come in different colors. The purple ones are blooming now, the white ones were last week. Just an added bonus to their tuberous tastyness.

Remember all the tomatoes I planted? Well they are above my knees now and setting little tomatoes.

Please don't look at the weedy area to the left. I didn't get that far yet.

So that's my plan for the day. Let's see how I do.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday 6-28

2010-06-28T23:29:00.000-04:00

It is still Monday, just barely, but it is still Monday.

My design wall still looks pretty sad.

The wind came in and sent several flying through the room and I had to get one away from Miss Emmie (the Hunter).

I have decided to do the applique stitching in black instead of the blending thread I used on the first few blocks. It doesn't show up much in the pictures, but the black gives the circles a border. So I have almost all of them done, just not on the wall. This is good, since I have to have this quilt done by July 6 for the Ark Animal Shelter raffle. Yikes!!!

Good news...The stealth project is secret no more. And it is DONE...

This great log cabin quilt was made by Lanette who some of you will know as The Gypsy Quilter. She sells the Gypsy Grippers that make it so easy to hang-on to your rotary rulers.

I went a little over the top on the quilting, but I did get to use a new ruler for all those stars.

And of course there must be feathers...

This was my first quilt on wool batting. Boy, It will not be my last... I used the Dream Wool from Quilters Dream batting. It is simply be-ewe-tiful...great stitch definition, quilts like butter, doesn't hold a crease and is so light it is amazing. This queensize quilt was less than 7 pounds. The same quilt on cotton would be around 10 pounds! Other than being a little careful about washing, and a bit pricey this stuff is wonderful.

Well, off to bed, finally, but it will probably be Tuesday before I get there.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

My first stealth project

2010-06-25T23:54:00.000-04:00

If you read Wendy Johnson's blog, "Adventures with Sticks and String" you are already familiar with the term. Wendy is a knitting designer and author, so there are lots of things she works on that can't "go public" right away. I just love the phrase.

Well, I have a stealth project of my own. And, obviously, I can't talk about it. Except to say it is a very pretty quilt that is taking lots of work and I will be showing pictures as soon as I have permission to do so.

Spending lots of time on a quilt I can't show is going to make for some boring blog posts, so here is a picture I can post...

Tera made this sampler.

It is just like the one we made in quilt class about a year ago, but she spiffed it up with the pieced border.

It is very patriotic and done just in time for the 4th of July...Way to go Tera!

Now, if I hurry I can accomplish my goal and get into bed on the same day I got out. Wish me luck.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

I won!

2010-06-24T16:06:00.000-04:00

Back in early June there was a notice (probably Sew Cal Gal) that Patrick Lose had a new website up and everyone should go take a look. I went, I saw, I (almost) shopped, I entered, and today I found out I won! Four fat quarters of fabric from the man who put tone-on-tone fabrics on the map are on their way to me. The new fabrics look great and the site is very tempting, so go check it out. http://www.patricklose.net/
Thank you Patrick (and whoever pointed me to the contest in the first place).

I just finished Ann's crib quilt.

It is very simple and classic, with just a bit of pizazz in the binding. Very cute.

The fabrics are from Connecting Threads. They have a soft silky feel and quilt up nicely. I may have to look into them. The price is certainly right.

Now, back to work on the never ending quilt that I can't talk about...

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Clamshell Quilts

2010-06-24T08:06:00.000-04:00

I am being surrounded by clamshell quilts! It's a pattern I really like and envy anyone who makes one. There migt be one in my future, but not the near future...I don't think.

Carmen (my Kaffe Fassett customer) is making one, by hand, with an unusual strip in it. She showed me her progress a couple of weeks ago when she dropped off a quilt.

Then a few days later, Linda Franz introduced a new Inklingo shape collection...You guessed it... Clamshells. Last week a second set came out in a different size. There aare 3 and 3.5 inch clamshells ready to print and sew. Hmmm is this a hint?

So today when I open my blog reader, the first blog is Barbara Brackman's post with an unknown pattern bassed on CLAMSHELLS- with a really cool triangle edge- Think clamshells and pickle dish. Sounds kinda gross as food, but great as a quilt pattern, but check out her blog.

Then the very next blog post is Cathi's Quilting Obessions featuring little pink CLAMSHELLS.

OK, I will take the hint from the Quilt Goddess and move a clamshell quilt up nearer the top of the list. Really, you don't have to hit me over the head... not more than a couple of times any way.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

All a-buzz last week

2010-06-23T00:17:00.001-04:00

Yep, the last week or so has been full of unexpected adventure.

A week ago Friday (the 11th) I got a call from Ellen at The Ruggles House warning me about a swarm of bees in the parking lot. She said they had been there since Wednesday and the Orkin man would be there on Monday. I told her I would bring my equipment and try to get the swarm on Sunday when I came to clean.

I have had bees before and would hate to see a colony lost simply because they were in an "inconvenient" place. Well, Sunday morning I'm there dressed like someone from outer space and no bees. Has the swarm moved and where has it gone? There's no sign in the gardens of the Ruggles house, so I go in, take off my bee suit and start to work.
One of the docents had mentioned seeing a few bees in one of the rooms of the house. That room happens to be the entrance to the attic. You don't suppose... do you? YEP, open the dooe to the attic and look up and this is what I saw...

That cluster of bees is about the size of a soccer ball. There is a gap between the wall and the roof and the bees found it. So to make a long story short (sort of) I scooped the bees into a garbage can and covered it with a towel and took them home to a hive I had set-up.

After just over a week they are still in the hive (they would have left if I hadn't gotten the queen) and seem to be happy and doing little bee things. See...

Unfortunately the Orkin man did come and take care of the ones I missed (and there were quite a few) but I saved about 3/4 of them. Maybe next year there will be home-grown honey.

On the quilty-side of things, I have FINALLY gotten the tote bag finished for a friend's birthday (in late APRIL). It wasn't entirely my fault, I didn't get the pictures until early May. It is in the mail to her right now. I don't think she reads the blog, but I don't want to wreck the surprise if she does. Although the birthday mention probably gives it away.

There are four different pictures- a loon, moose, and two coastal scenes. I have some other pictures, I just have to get them off the camera.

Mostly I have been working on the new website and a quilt I can't show pictures of yet. You can check out the website at http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/ but please be kind. It still needs some work, the newsletter sign-up link on the contact page is functional, so feel free to sign-up.

Now it is off to bed, Once again I have failed to get back into bed the same day I got out. I guess my niece Shelby is right...Sleep is for the weak.

p.s. I promise to stop messing with the page format. I think simple is best.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Whooooosh

2010-06-11T18:29:00.001-04:00

That's the way the pages are now loading on my laptop! I just installed an additional memory chip (all by myself) and it works!!! There are no pictures to accompany this feat because I was a bit nervous about messing with the computer inerds and all. I only added the 512MG chip, I can only guess what it's like with the 2 gig chip...can you say Ferrari? But hey, this will do for now.

Just so this is a quilty post and has something pretty in it, here are pictures of the customer quilt I just finished. Mrs. P. found this in a trunk in her house.

She doesn't know who made it or when. All I can say is someone was a whiz with a needle. The decorative stitching on this is amazing.

In case you are wondering, there is no real machine quilting on it. I didn't think I could do anything to improve the top so it is simply tacked or tied in less obvious spots about every 4 inches.

If you click on a picture you can get upclose and personal with the stitching.

I know, I could lose my machine quilter's license, but if I can't improve the quilt, I'm not gonna do it. Call it "artisic morality".

So, tonight the plan is to take this increased computer speed and see if I can FINALLY get the the new website up and running. If I do there will be an announcement tomorrow.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Where did May go?

2010-06-02T19:21:00.000-04:00

Yep, another month snuck right past me. Look at the calendar, it's May, blink and suddenly it's JUNE. Well, here in Maine, June really is busting out all-over. The lilacs are just about to go by, and the peonies are ready to explode. And for once, I have my garden planted.

We had a new area turned over last fall and tilled this spring. I have had peas, potatoes, onion sets and carrots planted for about 2 weeks and put in the tomatoes and pole beans over the weekend. So now instead of fresh dirt, it looks more like this:

It is kind of hard to see, but there are 44 little tomato plants and 4 tee-pees for pole beans. The potatoes are on the far end. You can't see the onions, but they are about 6" tall. The only disappointment so far is the carrots. Zip, zero, nada. I don't think I kept them moist enough. Oh well, I have more packets of seeds.

Just so you don't think I have spent all my time in the garden, here are a few quilts I have finished for customers recently...

Gail will be teaching a bargello class and this is the sample. Hard to beleive there are only staight seams in this quilt- no curves.

She also made this full-size quilt . Still a bargello, but a different pattern.

This is Carmen's Jiggery Pokery from one of Kaffe Fassetts books. It is as bright as usual. I wasn't sure about them at first, but now I am really starting to like them. I guess they are an "aquired taste"

I really like this border- simple, but fun.

OK, now back to work...

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get MORE WAX!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Are they Kidding?

2010-05-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

While standing in line at the grocery store tonight I saw an interesting magazine Antique Quilts by Better Homes and Gardens.

I will say right up-front that I don't buy or even look at many quilting magazines any more (for various reasons) But this one had a nice cover and on a quick flip through looked really interesting. I've been a good girl and deserve a treat so I check the price, expecting 5.99 to 6.99. Nope... $12.99... TWELVE NINETY-NINE. The lady in line behind me asked if I was alright when I gasped. I'm sure it is a nice magazine, but I just can't believe a magazine with a two-digit cover price.

OK, rant over, we now return you to your regularly scheduled web-surfing.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!
leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Good beginning to the week

2010-05-10T12:44:00.001-04:00

So it's Design Wall Monday again, boy that comes around fast. But I made progress this weekend. Every year I donate a quilt to the raffle at our local no-kill animal shelter The Ark. The raffle is held around July 4th and several years I have been sewing binding down on the evening of July 3rd. Hopefully not this year. I found a UFO in the stack (a rediculously large stack) and think this will do the trick for this year. So this is my design wall at the moment.

The blocks are almost all done, then just borders and quiting. And I have 6 weeks...I have a chance...right? One thing for sure...it will certainly be bright!

Results are also in for the Second Saturday Charity Quilting for this month. I did 2 quilts for one of my quilting students. The gym where she works made lap throws for two members diagnosed with cancer. Some of the ladies made blocks a Brenda put them together. Again, bright happy quilts. And, I am almost 1/3 of the way to the half-million square inch goal. Don't know how long it will take to get there, but little by little I will.

And to top off all the other good stuff- I won a book from Electric Quilt Company. Their mascot (EQ the Mouse) had a contest on Facebook and I won! So now I have something to play with until EQ7 is released in June.

If the rest of the week goes this well, I will be a very happy girl.

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends

Tell me where to get more wax!

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Let there be light!

2010-05-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

This was my major accomplishment yesterday. It may look like just a porch light to you, but it has been a work in progress for months! The light up near the top of the ladder is the final piece of the puzzle. I have electricity to the fixture, but no light, so I changed bulbs, then swaped out the old fixture with another (used) one I had on hand and finally decided to get a brand new fixture. Off to the hardware store bright and early. But the project will be on hold today. Rain, electrical work and an aluminum ladder seems like a BAD combination.

To keep things quilty, I just sent these two cute little quilts back to Jo in Texas.

So today I am back to being a quilter. Good thing too, I am feeling some of the aches and pains from working on the ladder!

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends...
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

The Seaside Sampler

2010-05-04T21:39:00.006-04:00

Yes, two posts in just a couple of days... I said this was a new beginning...

Two members of the Seaside Quilters group came to pick up their opportunity quilt this morning. It was such a lovely day I had it hanging on the porch so they could get the whole effect.

All the blocks are different and each really shows the individuality of the maker.

And best of all, they let me play with the quilting. And play I did!

Little details all over. The hard part is knowing when to stop. The beams of light from the lighthouse was one of my favorites.

It is an opportunity quilt...in other words there is an opportunity for it to be yours.

And I seem to have figured out some of the formatting on the blog posts. All in all a really good day.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both endsTell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday- Bread and Pickles

2010-05-03T09:42:00.006-04:00

As I have been reminded several times recently (Hi Faye) Yes, It has been ages since I posted anything. No, I have not been goofing off, really. There is just too much "I'll do a blog post as soon as I finish this" in my life. So, this is my attempt at a new beginning...Spring, new month, things getting green... time to crawl out from under my winter rock and show anyone out there what I've been doing.

To begin with the title- Sunday is bread baking day, every week. So while I was hanging around waiting for the bread to rise I treated myself to the brand new pickle dish collection from Inklingo. I got my shapes printed and started sewing around noon. By bed time I had this to show for the day.

There were also 3 loaves of Honey Oatmeal bread and one loaf of banana bread, but Mike had them cut up for "quality control" before I got a picture.

There have been several fairly involved customer quilts over the winter. These are just a few.

Helen's Butterfly Garden. Those butterflies are all stuffed and hand appliqued!

Cindy's Pink Fairies is for her granddaughter. Great work with a panel. I used really thin thread to outline the fairies. It's hard to see in the pictures

and

Linda's Guild Chapter Challenge. Lots and lots of blocks and all different.

I am also working on a new website and have joined Facebook - The Crafty Unicorn Quilting.

So here's to spring and new beginnings...

Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends...

Tell me where to get more wax!

http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday 2-8-10

2010-02-08T09:40:00.004-05:00

Some small changes from last week. It is still the Spring Medallion class quilt on the design wall, but now there are two applique blocks and part of the top is assembled. I was having a rough time with the applique (see my last post for details) so I didn't get the whole top done for class. I plan to have it done for this week.

I have had two customers see the pieces on the design wall and ask about the pattern. When I told them it was my design, they asked if the pattern was for sale. That's something I haven't thought about before, but just might have to investigate.... Like I need something else to do... but a justified reason to ~~play~~ work on EQ... yep, must think about this.

Well, now off to work, I have two customer quilts to do this week, both custom quilting. Pictures will follow.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Old Dogs and New Tricks

2010-02-05T16:08:00.006-05:00

Last night was the first night of the adult ed quilting class. I had hoped to get the sample quilt top completed in time, but you know how that goes.

I was working on the applique blocks and having a miserable time of it. You see, fusible applique is not one of my favorite techniques.

I have a customer who does lovely work with it. (Hi Barbara) These are pictures of her quilts. She uses sparkly threads and little pieces and it is great.

I've just always had trouble with it.
So, I'm working on the class blocks on my beloved old Nelco machine, and there are skipped stitches and puckering and all sorts of icky things.

Finally, I figure it might be worth the trouble to try the (new-ish) Singer. I usually leave it set up as the embroidery machine, but this applique is making me nuts.

To use the current phrase...O...M...G... What a difference! Set that puppy to zig-zag stitch #3 and we were off. So, I guess I just have to keep an open mind. I'm not giving up the Nelco. It still sews a great straight stitch and on it, I can find that perfect 1/4 inch. I just have to remember to use the right tool for the job.

I did get 2 applique blocks finished and about a quarter of the top together. I'll have the rest done by class next week.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday

2010-02-01T12:46:00.004-05:00

I didn't get much more done on the class quilt. The snail's trail blocks are done and all I have left is the applique blocks and putting the top together.

I DID get the Primrose quilt DONE.

I thought I was done yesterday about 3pm. But the last border just wasn't quite right. The swags looked good, but naked somehow. So I added the piano keys on the outer edge and it was just right.

There comes a point when you just need to stop, and that was it. You have to leave something un-quilted right?

So here are some (scary) numbers on this quilt:
33.25 hours actual quilting time (no idea on the planning and staring at it thinking)
31 bobbins of thread. The bobbin thread is thicker than what I usually use, so I got fewer yards per bobbin. I get about 70 yards usually, so if we say 50 yards with the thicker stuff then that's 3100 yards of thread (top and bottom) That is close to 2 miles of thread! I will stop here or I will frighten myself.

If anyone is interested, this quilt will be raffled this summer to support the Roques Bluff Community Chapel and I can give you more details if you are interested.

Now I just need to get ready for class on Thursday night. And, oh yeah, the 3 other customer quilts that are waiting in line... No rest for the wicked.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

It's Friday...Again

2010-01-29T09:53:00.006-05:00

Yep, here it is Friday and another week has dissappeard in the blink of an eye. I am making progress though. Thanks to a task reminder on Outlook (I need to use those tools more) I remembered to enter an online quilt show this week. If you want a bit of quilty eye candy head over to the Quilting Gallery and check out the
This weeks theme is two-color quilts and I entered my red and white "Cannot Tell a Lie" quilt. Down below the pictures is a place to vote for your favorite. Voting is open until Sunday evening.

I have gotten more work done on the Primrose Raffle quilt. Not so much on the Spring Medallion class quilt. Hopefully both will be done this weekend. Wishful thinking I know, but a girl can dream.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday

2010-01-25T09:45:00.006-05:00

So here it is Monday again. Wow, the weeks just fly by. It seems I just get things sorted out and then it's Friday, then the weekend and we start all over again.

I did get lots of stuff done Friday. Quilting on Primrose (the big raffle Quilt) is going well. As you probably guessed there are feathers... and tons of Stitch-in-the-ditch. It know there are faster options than SID, but I love how it accents the piecing.
I'm waiting on a tool that does little tiny feathers for the border. I'm borrowing it from a friend in New Jersey, so I hope the Post Office can get it here.

I also got started on the quilt for the Adult Ed class that starts in February. I call it Spring Medallion.

That's what is on the design wall. It looks a bit odd now, but I will try to get the center blocks done today. I could actually be prepared for this class when it starts...Don't laugh it could happen.
*** Yes, I just saw the oops in that log cabin on the lower right corner. Guess I have to do some frogging as well. Better now than in the finished quilt***

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

A Miracle Has Happened!

2010-01-20T16:33:00.006-05:00

Yep, a genuine miracle. The phone books got delivered today and like every ~~country hick~~ concerned business person I have to check to see my listing. It just proves I really exist. Besides, last year the shop number wasn't listed. Well, I looked and guess what...NO LISTING for the shop phone number. Just the home number. No it isn't life or death critical, the shop is listed under my name since they charge double for a business listing. But, I had called in October to check that everything was OK, they said it was and now nothing. So...I the called the phone company to let them know about the omission. After 24 minutes on hold (yes I timed it) the rep comes on and says she and her manager don't know what the problem is, she will call me back when they figure it out... Is there anything else she can do for me? My gut response is yeah, right I'll never hear from you again and I doubt you will reprint a bazillion phone books just for me. She called back about 30 minutes later (shock) with an answer (bigger shock). It seems somehow my listing was linked to the book for Rutherford Maine. I have no idea where that is, but it ain't 'round here. And oh, by the way in compensation, they will take 50% off my phone bill for a year. (I am all astonishment!!!) That's HALF off my phone bill. I don't have a big phone bill (really puny compared to some) But I got a concession from a PHONE COMPANY. I have never heard of it, unless there was death or dismemberment involved. I may not believe it entirely until the bill comes at the end of the month, but should I be looking for a star or some wise men??

And just in case you think I'm not working... This is the quilt I have on the machine right now. It's another raffle quilt from the lady who made Gram's Garden and Theresa's Baskets. See all those big open spaces? You will just have to wait and see what goes in there, but you can probably guess.

OK...back to work...there's lots more stitch-in-the-ditch before the fun starts.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Green Piece and other plans

2009-10-26T11:26:00.010-04:00

or... What the heck was I thinking???

A while ago I realized I had WAY too many projects going and would have to try and concentrate on a limited few until they were done and then move on. That was a great plan, but has yet to be put into practice.

I thought I could manage 3 quilts- Shelby's Double Wedding Ring (DWR), the Green Piece block of the month (GP-BOM) from The Thrifty Needle and Shakespeare in the Park (SITP) that was being done on a stashbusters spin-off group. I would ignore all the mystery quilts, quick projects and Quilt for an hour projects that keep tempting me and just work on those three.

You know what they say about "the best laid plans" So... Today I have decided SITP will have to wait. It is the end of October and the only thing I have done on Shelby's DWR is the sample rings and all the fabric washed- Hey, that's something.

The first instalment of Green Piece arrived on Saturday and it is wonderful. I've never done wool applique before, so this will be a learning experience. There are actually 4 blocks per month, 2 pieced and 2 applique. I WILL KEEP UP WITH THIS. I am going to try to do one block per week and post the results here. If there is anybody out there...your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to keep me on the straight and narrow, shoulder to the wheel and nose to the grind stone. (Although how someone works in that awkward position is beyond me)

So here we go into a brave new world that might, just might, have some order to it. Yeah...right! But any way the quilts are pretty!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Walls- Design and Otherwise

2009-09-07T17:01:00.003-04:00

So it' another design wall Monday. That lonely little ring has been joined by two others to make what will be a nice table runner.

I am getting better at sewing the curves and I never though I would say this, but DWR seems to be fairly forgiving when it comes to points not being exact. What would be a glaring oops in a 4-patch seems a bit less obvious in this design. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. All that’s left is to decide on the fabric placement and start working on Shelby’s quilt for real.

A few people have asked about the Inklingo that I am using for this quilt. It really is a wonderful system/program/tool…whatever you want to call it. If you want all the details, go to the website at http://www.lindafranz.com/ there are several free downloads that will give you the full “Inklingo Experience” and start you down the road to ~~addiction~~ productivity. I will try and post the steps as I go through making this quilt. I may need all the support I can get. The thought of 121 rings is still a little intimidating.

The other wall in this discussion is the outside wall of the store. I have a SIGN. Finally, after 2 years in this building, people will know for sure they are in the right place. I had the banner made when I first opened, but it didn’t show up well against the white building and was getting beaten up in the wind. I painted all those quilt blocks and to tell youth truth it would have been way faster to piece them from fabric! I think it looks pretty good. You don’t want to look too closely though.

Well, back to work- I still have tons of customer quilts to work on plus my projects. That’s why they call it Labor Day right?

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Let the Adventure begin

2009-08-24T16:14:00.006-04:00

OK, it's design wall Monday and here we go... See that little ring there all by it's lonesome?

I got the Inklingo double wedding ring collection and read through it... Not too scary...

So now let's pull and print some fabric and see what happens...

Well, I lost most of Saturday evening picking fabric and getting comfortable with the terminology, but THIS is the result. It is not perfect and took a bit of time, but for my very first effort I am very pleased. I have enough cut out to make a three-ring table runner. No reason to just make more orphan blocks, right?

I have the medium/dark fabrics I bought for Shelby's quilt washed and drying on the rack upstairs. The background and a batik are in the washer (with synthrapol!). I still need more of the background and a more grape-ish purple, but I am on my way!

More Good News...

The shop is soon going to be joining the 21st century. I found out that there is cable high-speed Internet service finally available in Harrington. I told you I lived in the boonies. No more waiting forever for a page to load. I can actually watch a YouTube video and download my audio books without walking over to the library. No, it really doesn't take much to make me happy.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Can this be Karma?

2009-08-18T21:35:00.004-04:00

First a little background:

My niece, Shelby, is getting married. And she asked for a quilt! Little did she know, she was getting one anyway, but it was really nice that she asked. The running joke is how much Shelby is like me. Her father (my brother) refers to her as "your clone" whenever he mentions her to me. I will admit Shelby and I share some unique ways of looking at things.

Now the issue:

So the wedding was planned for October. I worked out a very nice (read do-able in the time frame) Tennessee Waltz/Storm at Sea pattern based on a Judy Martin design. Shelby asked for blue and purples, not too girly (concession to the groom) and the pattern is up to me. I bought fabrics on my quilt show adventure in the beginning of August and was ready to start.

Now, about two weeks ago Linda Franz (of Inklingo fame) releases the instruction book for the Inklingo Double Wedding ring collection for free. I have always wanted to make a DWR. In fact I thought of it for Shelby, but there was no way to do it in the couple of months I had until October. The Inklingo makes it look pretty reasonable, for a quilt with a zillion odd shaped pieces.

The coincidence continues when my brother calls and tells me the wedding is moved...to March. Yep, I get to leave Maine in March and go to Florida, OK by me, and I gain a week in October and can work on Shelby's quilt in the dead space of January and February. But that DWR is still in the back of my mind. Inklingo + extra time...No No NO first design is very nice.

Finally Scott mentions the date- March 14- and keeps saying Shelby called it Pie Day... I didn't get it, then he tells me that that is 3-14 ...OK, Pi (not pie) day ... as in area of a circle you know A= Π R2. (see Scott I was paying attention and the new date is on the calendar) Well, if that's the way it is then that is just one more reason I HAVE to make the DWR. How could I not with that whole circle thing going on??? I tried to get my friend Faye to talk me out of it. She was no help.

I am probably insane (please keep your responses to this one subject). But a DWR it will be!

I will keep you posted on my progress. So far I have fabric and a rough drawing in EQ. And when I am a wreck in Mid-February with a queen size scalloped border staring me in the face please remind me of this cosmic convergence!

And by the way... Π R2?...no Pie R round...Cornbread R square! OK...Math Joke...BAD math joke

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Great Mail Day

2009-08-17T18:54:00.005-04:00

Today I got my swap package from the Lemoyne star swap on the Inklingo group. Inklingo is that cool printing system I mentioned in the quilt show rant. The part of hand piecing I hate is all the marking of seam/stitching lines. If you are off even the width of your pencil, stuff doesn't work. Especially anything with set-in seams and small pieces. You print on the back of the fabric with your regular printer and everything is perfect. Hand piecing or machine piecing. And it comes in all those shapes that are just tricky to make... Diamonds, hexagons, apple core, double wedding ring... you know, the scary stuff. All these lovely pieces are printed and ready to cut and sew. All I need now is a good movie and large cold drink... I think Pride & Predjudice (Colin Firth in knee boots...be still my heart) with a G&T should be just the ticket!

These are some of the Lemoyne stars I had made before this weekend. It is amazing how just sewing for a little while gets them done. I got 2 more done at the festival over the weekend.

And there is this cute little flower that I am going to put together with more background like a carolina lily or peony block. I think I got 3 or 4 of these done over the weekend too.

If you are looking for a great take-along project, check out the free Lemoyne Star download. And for more ideas and great eye candy check out Cathi's blog Quilt Obsession and Tilde's Inklingo Projects. But beware. It can be habit forming!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday and weekend stuff

2009-08-17T18:13:00.009-04:00

My poor design wall hasn't changed much recently, but those are sashing strips you see there. There are many more on the sewing machine waiting to be sewn, but that is something! Actually one whole row is together, I just don't have a design wall big enough. That's one of those things like kitchen counters, fabric stash and chocolate- Just NEVER enough!

Sarah and I shared a booth again at this year's Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias. It is a big deal around here with 3 days of events including a 2-day craft fair. We had a great space! Tucked in the corner out of the sun and getting just a bit of breeze. The temps were hovering around 90 degrees, so shade was a popular item. It really isn't about selling stuff for us at this event, more like public awareness and handing out information. Please excuse Mr. Topless-tattoo-guy. He was talking forever!

Speaking of the heatwave... No this is not a sheep...
Note to self:
Don't hose down the dogs and let them anywhere near gravel or un-raked grass. YUK.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Big Happenings in Town

2009-08-17T17:49:00.005-04:00

I live in a VERY small town. And it doesn't take much to get folks excited. You remember the church steeple that got hit by lightening? Well the steeple was removed last week so it can be repaired. We made quilte a morning of it...

There were some last minute things that needed to be taken care of, so up they go in the bucket. The crane operator had already threaded the hook down through the hole in the top. That opening is maybe 18 inches across and probably 100 feet in the air! And you thought your hand sewing needles were hard to thread.

Every body was thrilled when it was lifted off and flew gently through the air.

It looks so much bugger on the ground. It is 30 feet tall and weighed about 3000 pounds. Who would have guessed? But they built things to last in the 1830's.

Finally it was loaded onto a trailer for the ride to Machias where it will be repaired for replacement in the Spring. Another big day's excitement to look forward to!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Quilt Show Dissapointment

2009-07-28T09:46:00.004-04:00

CAUTION: RANT WARNING

I don't exactly know where to start this post. I went to the quilt show put on by the Pine Tree Quilters (Maine State Guild) and was sadly disappointed. I went for inspiration and found very little. There were two over-the-top drop-dead-gorgeous quilts from nationally known quilters and a handful of very nice quilts but the rest was remarkably mediocre. I don't intend that to sound mean or condescending. The workmanship was great, but the spark was missing. I had taken my shopping list because I thought this would be an opportunity to see a wider variety of fabrics than my two LQS can offer. I was so wrong. The vendors booths were full of kits and pre-cut assortments (jelly rolls etc). The few bolts, FQ and 1/2 yards they did have were either Amy Butler clones or reproductions. Does it say anything that there were 500 quilts on display and I only took 43 pictures? And I often took more than one photo of a quilt.

We seem to be living in a quilt world full of Turning Twentys and Yellowbrick roads brought on by jelly rolls and bali pops. I'm sorry, how much creativity does it take to pick 5 fabrics from a collection, cut squares and rectangles put an edge-to-edge pantograph on it with a stitch regulated machine and do the binding? They are great for quick projects and wonderful for beginning quilters. But no one understands how to change block sizes or increase quilt dimensions. Maybe I sound like a granny but "when I learned to quilt" our first class started with drafting blocks and how pieces worked together and the sanctity of the 1/4" seam allowance.

I have stopped all my magazine subscriptions because every one is full of un-remarkable patterns that use a single collection. When was the last time you saw a pattern list fabrics as "dark, medium or light instead of something like Aviary floral calligraphy #6543-921?

We seem to be living in a period of "No Quilter left behind". Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville posted today about her fears that no one will be looking for a book with nothing but bed-size quilts. I think her book is just what the quilt world needs more of! Her quilts use lots of fabrics, not just one collection. They have lots of pieces and still can be made quickly enough to satisfy the time-challenged quilter. These quilts have character and allow for self expression.

I actually overheard a lady at the show extolling the fact that this was such a nice show because a new quilter would not be intimidated by the quilts... WHOA isn't that what you go to shows for? to be inspired and challenged? To be exposed to new techniques that will help take your quilting/piecing/color choices to a new level?

I have recently gone back to doing some hand piecing and made some discoveries that have made my piecing more precise. Regarding the hand piecing- There is a quiet revolution going on at LindaFranz.com. Inklingo is bringing hand piecing into the 21st century. You print your cutting and sewing lines on the back of your fabric with your regular printer. Easy, Fast, Precise...what more could you want? The piecing help came not from the hot new designers book but in an out of print book by Judy Martin from the late 90's. I guess it all comes down to trends and I always seem to be out of sync with them. Whatever it is, I can't wait until quick and easy quilting gives way to something that involves a bit more challenge.

OK- Rant over and thanks for listening.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Excitement in a Small Town

2009-07-03T12:38:00.005-04:00

We had a huge thunder and lightening storm move through here about 3:00 this morning. Not just a flash here and there, but almost continuous lightening. Then the thunder started rolling in. And the torrential rain. Needless to say I had all 3 dogs trying to crawl into bed and be close to "mom". As Groucho Marx said "If they were any closer...they'd be behind me". So we are settling down a bit and the bed is vibrating from all the shaking dogs and then FLASH-BOOM!!! I knew that one was close! I didn't realize how close...

This is what is left of the church steeple! The church is owned by the library next door and is maybe 500 feet from my house! We are really lucky it didn't catch fire. Maybe some good did come out of all the wet weather we had in June. No word yet on what will happen. Hopefully they will repair it, but it is more likely they will take the steeple off and cap it at the cupola.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

OK, I was bad...

2009-06-16T22:34:00.005-04:00

Yep, I'll come clean. I have been really bad about posting my stash reports. Mostly because I don't use that much fabric. I don't get to piece that much, so a good week for me might be just a couple of yards. I had a piece of paper with yards used for several blocks of my class sampler quilt but it has fallen into a black hole. But since we are coming up on the half-way point in the year, I better get back on the wagon. I am going to estimate 2 yards for those blocks and the first border and call it good.

I also need to confess to adding 12 yards to my numbers earlier this month. But with good cause! I have finally finished all the applique blocks for a BOM I started 3 years ago when I opened the shop. I wanted to learn needle-turn applique and this looked like a good way to do it.

So some of the fabric is for sashing and a border- That's pretty allowable.

Then when I was laying out the blocks I noticed one has a really light background and the rest are fairly medium. I can't have that, can I? Well, I found fabrics to make another block with a better background. And I showed restraint and only got a half yard of each not my usual 2-3 yards.

OK, and then there were a few greens and creams for the Shakespeare in the Park I started in April. But again... restraint... only small pieces. I promise I will do better.

That makes my totals for week 25:

Added this week: 0

Added YTD: 12 yards

Yards Used this week: 0

Yards used YTD: 24.69

Stashbusting YTD: 12.69

Hello, my name is Leslie and I'm a fabric-aholic...

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Design Wall Monday and The New York Minute

2009-06-15T19:47:00.015-04:00

To start with, my design wall looks a little different than the first week. The centers of all the Stash Star blocks are done and hanging in nice neat groups of 5. All I have to do is add the background squares to the FG units and put the three rows together.

There is one lonely little test block up in the corner. A friend was making up some really nice "night & day" blocks the other day. And then someone on a forum mentioned they had just found their 45 degree kaleidoscope ruler. Well... gee... I have one of those... I've never used it... maybe I should give it a try... and I have a quilt to make for the The Ark Animal Shelter raffle so why not? It went together really well... then there was a voice...WAIT...YOU CAN'T START ANOTHER QUILT... YOU HAVE TOO MANY PROJECTS NOW!

OK, I will leave that block alone and pull a UFO to finish for the Ark. Aren't you proud of me showing such restraint. Sometimes I hate that voice!

I made that progress week before last. Last week nothing on the design wall changed, since I wasn't there to change anything. My Uncle passed away on Saturday and I made a whirlwind trip to New York City. Booked tickets on Monday, left Wednesday, back on Friday. Spend the weekend playing catch-up and here we are at Monday again. Travel went really well and it was good to see my Aunt, my Brother, renew a couple of acquaintances and make some new friends, even if the reason for the trip was a sad one. I was glad to be home in my small town, but the city really is amazing- public transportation was great, the architecture was lovely and the people were civil, even nice in several cases. I would have loved to have some time to explore. Maybe another trip is in my future...more relaxed this time!

By the way, this is my "little" brother helping my Aunt across the street. At 6'8" you can see why I wasn't worried in the city.

Quilting has got to be a disease! I took very few pictures on the trip, and two were of the carpet in the airport. But don't these look like a quilt block and quilting design? My brother would have died of embarrassment!

In all my catching-up I came across a blog post by Gudrun Erla (GE Designs). She and several other designers are having a Blog Hop starting on Monday. It looks like fun and all the designers are in Minnesota. It's kinda strange that that many big name designers come from one area. But when you think about Minnesota and the 9 months of winter, maybe it makes more sense.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

It must be my lucky day

2009-05-29T10:56:00.007-04:00

I just came into the store and was going through the morning "rituals"... you know...turn on the lights, feed the cats, clean the litter box, that kind of stuff. I pulled out the garbage can and it felt really heavy. I look inside and everything is wet. HUH? The store has no plumbing, so all the water I use is brought from home in jugs. Everything else is dry. It is a mystery.

This is the "kitchen" set-up at the store. It's not fancy, but I have a small refrigerator, toaster, electric kettle. Pretty much all I need.

Well I put my water bottles in the fridge and all is made clear. I had turned the fridge down a bit yesterday because one of my bottles of water was frozen. Guess I turned it down a bit too much and the freezer section had defrosted. See that gap in between the boards of the counter? The really good news is that the water ran out of the fridge, across the counter, into the gap and right into the garbage can. How lucky is that??? Yes, I am easily amused and have learned to appreciate the simple things!

On the quilting front and in response to JudyL's question of what's on your design wall... I have parts of the Stash Stars quilt. I am making it bigger, so there are parts for 20 blocks there. I really like thelook of the 30's fabrics. Thank you to whoever mentioned it. The layout is a mess because we had a lot of wind the other day and many of the pieces became shooting stars.

This is my entry in the fiber arts show put on by a local group. They are vintage rose wreath blocks that I set together. I will quilt the day-lights out of it and maybe even do some trapunto behind the roses. Yep, those are prairie points. Don't know what I was thinking!!!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

No, I didn't fall off the Planet

2009-05-03T15:18:00.004-04:00

It does, however, feel like a planet may have fallen on me! March was pretty crummy... Car problems, furnace problems, oven problems. Then April was spent playing catch-up and now suddenly we are halfway through May! How did that happen!!!

Well, to catch up, it hasn't all been terrible:

I finished my Wednesday night business class. I learned a lot. Now if I can just find the time to use that knowledge.

Benjamin (my new assistant) has gone back to live with his person. Both of them are very happy. All the exercise was exhausting poor Benjamin and interfering with his naps. Emmie and Leggs are very pleased

I have survived a broken furnace, Brakes and tires on my truck, and 2 weeks without an oven.

I am miles behind on customer quilts but I am catching up.

If you heard a small "thump" that was me falling off the stash-busting wagon.

On the stash-busting front- there was a very small lapse back in March. I just needed to walk around a bit before the long drive home, so I walked around the fabric shop.

There were two prints that just needed to go together. One is red on white, the other is white on red. I needed a table runner for a gift and had just gotten a set of cute garden redwork embroidery designs. And then there was this cute little print- perfect for backgrounds...Only a bit went into stash...And there wasn't much to start with... only a yard of each and 4 yards of muslin for backings and samples... That's not too bad is it?

I'll add the pictures of the table runners and what I have been quilting as soon as I get them out of the camera.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Meet my new assistant

2009-02-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

This is Benjamin. His person (a man I work for) had a stroke a couple of weeks ago and no one else really had room for him to stay, so he has moved into the store. Leggs and Emmie are SO not impressed. There is a certain amount of barking and chasing, but they are slowly coming to terms with each other. I don’t think Ben has had this much exercise in a long time. We have established a routine and things are settling down. Do you think having a very spoiled Dachshund will make me as good a quilter as JudyL? It can’t hurt right?

It has almost been Quiltathon here all week. With school vacation I didn’t have quilting class or my business class. And Mike had Monday off so I didn’t go work at the radio station. It has been great. My charity quilts are almost all caught up, I have a customer quilt ready for binding and got another month of my Log Cabin block swap done along with finishing piecing two table runners that were threatening to go from WIP to UFO. I hope to have the Quilting 201 top done by class on Tuesday. I got another block done so all I have left to do are the ones with diamonds and the triangle-in-a-square block. Once I get my “Sunday Chores” started I plan on going to the shop and working.

Thanks to piecing so much my stash report is really good for this week:
Added This week -0-
Added YTD -0-
Used Week 6: .44
Used Week 7: 1.80
Used Week 8: 8.65
Used YTD: 22.69 yards.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

One month closer to Spring

2009-02-01T18:36:00.010-05:00

That's the best way I can think of to look at January being gone so quickly. Wow it seemed like never-ending cold and yet, where did the month go? I re-wrote my 3-month calendar since it was the first. It looks so sane and organized- for a day or two at least!

Not much fabric used in week 4- I spent way too much time trying to decide on a pattern for the upcoming quilting class I’m teaching. My schedule got a little re-arranged at the last minute. When I spoke to the Adult Ed coordinator we agreed that class would start on Feb 10th since she wasn’t sure when the schedule would get out. Well I got the flyer in the mail a few days later and SURPRISE... class starts a week earlier on Feb 3rd! Once I got the design figured out I went to my stash and it was so frustrating! Either the color was right and there wasn’t enough yardage or if there was enough fabric it was (you guessed it) not the right color. And since I lost that extra week, getting more fabric wasn’t an option. I finally tweaked the quilt and managed to come up with fabrics I think will work together, but it was an aggravating and time wasting exercise.

This is the quilt I finally settled on for the intermediate class. I call it Quilting 201.

This is the Quilting 101 top. Week 5’s stashbusting report is better because I actually put borders on it and started the Quilting 201 top.

So, my Stash report for week 4 and 5:
Yardage in: -0-
Yardage in YTD: -0-
Yardage used week 4 & 5: 2.64
Yardage used YTD: 11.8

As I have been piecing the class quilts, I have been working on the Quiltville Double Delight as a leaders & enders. Still on step 1 but making progress. That's Leggs who was helping me count. Each little bundle is 10 units. They do add up. I think I have about 130. That's a few more than I need but even numbers of bundles are easire to keep track of.

Hope everyone is staying warm out there.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Hope springs eternal...

2009-01-20T17:15:00.004-05:00

Or there’s eternal hope of Spring… Or something like that.

After all the snow, it was a bit of a trudge over to the Post Office this morning. But I did find a sure sign of Spring in my mailbox.

My Daffodil Letter came today! For the past 4 years I have been helping an elementary school class Atlanta Georgia. Every year, as a class project, they track the progress of the first blooming daffodil up Route 1 from Florida to Maine. I know it’s not much, and the letter will be clipped to my calendar for about the next 4 months, but how can a letter like this not make you smile and think of warmer days?

On a quilty note, I spent about an hour working on the Double Delight (still step 1) but Every day I get a few more done. And the catalog for the state guild show came today. I think there's some late night reading in my future tonight.

If you have ever wondered what the aftermath of 19” of snow looks like, take a peek!
I never thought one of the things I would take pride in would be my skill with a snow blower. But to tell you the truth, I’m pretty good with it. At least if we had to get this much yukky white stuff it picked a good time. A snowy Sunday is just a good excuse to do nothing and the guys had football to watch. Add in the Monday holiday with no school and lots of people off work. It could have been MUCH more unpleasant!

I have also found a great plow-guy. There is just a limit to how much I can do with the snow blower and he did this and the whole driveway to the store in about 10 minutes. As a reference- that pile is about 6 feet high. The weather forecast doesn't show any more for a while. I hope they are right.

By the way, anyone who was curious about my bread loaves from Sunday and the oven issues... You can bake bread in your gas grill! I had punched down the loaves and put them on cookie sheets in the fridge and Monday I had this idea, so I gave it a try. The bottoms got a bit dark, but all-in-all they are tasty. Free-form artisan loaves...don't they charge extra for those?

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

My Nike Day and Other Stuff

2009-01-18T20:02:00.007-05:00

Post from Thursday:

OK you ask "what does a little long arm quilter in east-of-nowhere Maine have to do with a major international super-corporation". Well, I had so many little picky things to do today, all those little odds and ends that you say “I’ll get to it in a minute” and then never do. They were making me nuts…everywhere I looked… so I have a Nike Day… If I see something that needs doing … Like Nike says… JUST DO IT. And it works! I have been busy all day picking-up, vacuuming, etc. and none of these are great accomplishments, but they are one less thing bugging me every time I turn around.

The list so far:

Sewed the label on the flannel orphan quilt- took 15 minutes- been pinned on for 18 months

Put up the second bar for hanging quilts- took 30 minutes (since I had to find the drill) - found the missing bracket 6 months ago

Cleaned the dog’s ears- took about 10 minutes but I hate doing it- anybody with a home remedy for slimy Labrador ear, please let me know.

De-cat-haired all the favorite sleeping spots in the store- ½ an hour, but I found a couple of sample I was looking for under one of the cat mats

Sent my ad into Quilt Traders Newsletter 2 weeks early- not at the last minute

Maybe it was a reward, but I got the church raffle quilt today. This is the same lady who pieced the amazing 3-D applique quilt last year. She is such a great customer, she gives me a budget and then lets me do what I want and her piecing is amazing. This year’s quilt has 1600 pieces in just that center basket and each one finishes at ONE INCH. I feel like I have had too much sugar or caffeine just looking at it and starting to plan. Look at all that space for quilting... I see feathers... Lots of feathers!

Just remind me of this feeling when I am doing SID around all those tiny squares… and you know it just has to be done.

That was the post I started on Thursday. Somehow it never got posted, but the rest of the day went along pretty much the same. I got several little picky things done and that feels good.

Friday I finished one of Carmen’s quilts and started the second one. They are matching twin size and of course they are Kaffe Fassett… They are Carmen’s! (sorry no pictures yet)

I had a real treat in the afternoon. The sales rep from Checker Distributors stopped by. I have not seen one sales rep from any company in the three years I have been in business. Heck, just getting them to return a phone call was like pulling teeth. I guess the economy is so tough they have to look at even little-old-me. Pauline is new to Checker and is very nice. I don’t spend much with Checker, but you can be sure I will be spending more if I can and it will be through her not their order desk.

Saturday I took a break from quilting to do some piecing on the Double Delight and needed to cut some more pieces. Well, when I went to enter them in the yardage-to-date spreadsheet, I found I had forgotten the New Years Day mystery I had cut out and not gotten to do because of the plumbing adventure. So, I get to add the forgotten yardage to my stash report retro-active to week 1. That makes this week’s paltry .74 yards look much better.

Yardage in: -0-
Yardage in YTD: -0-
Yardage used week 3(and week 1): 7.49
Yardage used YTD: 9.16

It is suddenly Sunday and the adventures continue… It has snowed ALL DAY. I planned to make my bread and go to the store and quilt all day. Guess again! The bread was going really well and I got some stuff done on the computer and then when I started pre-heating the oven for the bread and there is an awful smell. Not a burning smell, but a chemical, burn your eyes smell… from the gas stove… well after vacuuming everything I could find behind the stove (yuk!) just in case there was something stuck in an air vent I decided the smell is just plain scary and punched down my perfectly risen loaves and put them in the fridge. I will call my propane guy in the morning and plan crock-pot dinners for a few days. For only being 18 days old, 2009 really STINKS.

OK, I’m done whining now. I have cleared the snow off the driveway with 45 minutes on the snow blower, the dishes are done, Mike has football on the TV, I think I’ll take my laptop and my brownie and my (small) glass of medicinal whiskey (running a snow blower is cold hard work) and work on the quilt for new semester’s adult ed class. Yep, That sounds like a plan.

Everybody stay warm out there.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

What do you get...

2009-01-11T22:58:00.009-05:00

When you mix an online mystery scrap quilt, a quilter/stashbuster who loves spreadsheets and a closet math geek? Then trap that math geek in a cold house when she would rather be sewing? Well, you get a spreadsheet that helps figure yardage from the pieces you cut for your quilt! I will explain...

I started cutting fabrics for the Double Delight mystery on Quiltville.com . I also want to keep track of the yardage I use this year. More to know how much fabric is in each quilt than just to bust stash. As I'm cutting out zillions of squares and triangles, it was the Stash challenge and Judy's love of spreadsheets that got me thinking. I could make one that would calculate the total yardage if I put in the size and quantity of each piece. Then I don't have to figure number and width of strips, etc. And some of my pieces were cut from pretty small scraps! So, I released my inner math geek and came up with this:

All I have to do is enter the size and number of pieces and it figures the yardage. There are probably some already available on line, but I really enjoyed the mental exercise of figuring out the formulas.

Remember "Pie 'R square"? No pie are round cornbread are square. OK, bad math joke.

I also made a sheet to track what is cut for each quilt. I have decided that to count as out of the stash the fabric must be cut. If I wait until the quilt is finished I may not have a yardage entry until 2015! It is simpler:
My official Stash Usage report for week 2 is:

Yards in: 0

Yards out: 1.67

YTD yard i: 0

YTD yards out: 1.67

Not great but it is a start.

So, that is pretty much what I did today. Other than the usual breakfast and dishes. Good news is 1-Mike ran the snow blower so I didn't have to and 2-I didn't have to do laundry... couldn't do laundry is actually more correct. The pipe to the washer froze and burst. I thought I had it turned off but I guess it wasn't completely empty. So there is a plumbing chore in my near future. Yes, math geek and DIY plumber...I am a multi-talented woman!

Oh, and you asked about the cold house... The furnace is having issues so with 6" of snow tody and a low of 3 degrees, we are relying on the propane heater and the wood stove. We could manage today and I really didn't want to call the oil guy out on a snowing Sunday. Have I mentioned I hate winter? But things will be better tomorrow.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

Lunch Break

2009-01-10T14:53:00.004-05:00

I've been working on finishing a couple of customer quilts. I usually send quilts that need binding to Sarah at Downeast Quilting and Interiors. However, this year she got swamped with insulated curtain orders (really good for her!) I realized I HAD to conquer the Martelli binding system that I bought at MQX back in April. So one long day and a couple of sacrificial quilt sandwiches later I can now do a fairly decent machine binding. I am being horribly decadent and setting up one machine strictly for bindings.

I had a sandwich for lunch and have walked and fed the dogs, dinner is in the crock pot, intermission is over on the Met Opera broadcast so I guess it's time to get back to work.

Hope everyone else out there is getting lots of stuff done today.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

It's Quiltathon Weekend!

2009-01-10T09:46:00.004-05:00

And I actually will be quilting...Yeah!!! I started last night and got some log cabin swap blocks done. I am SO behind with these. They were actually due in April. I tried to get caught up and found that about a dozen blocks were coming out the wrong size so rather than take them apart it was back to square one- literally. So, I have April done and now that I am cutting individual logs instead of "stitch & trim" they are the size they should be. Here is the first batch.

Today is Charity Quilt Day so I have 3 Quilts of Valor and 2 kid-size throws for the Village Quilters in San Diego. Guess I better get to work.

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/

The year so far

2009-01-02T22:45:00.010-05:00

JudyL said in her blog that "whatever you do on January 1 is what you’ll be doing the rest of the year" That could make 2009 a long year for me!

After yesterday’s plumbing adventure and no-sewing disappointment, I really didn't need my printer to die too. Yesterday when I turned it on it made a nasty noise and the yellow light came on. That was it, just a flashing yellow light. Well, it was really cold at the store, so maybe it just didn't like that and would be better tomorrow…today, same thing. Well, broken is broken, so what is the worst I can do, break it more? I found the tabs to take the cover off and looked for something hung-up or jammed. Then I took out the ink cartridges and the print head. Oh MY… there was so much inky gunk in there!!! Paper lint, dust, a bit of cat hair (gee how could that happen?) So I cleaned with q-tips and some alcohol and finally grabbed a huge piece of fluff with tweezers YUK!! But, after I got it nice and clean and turned it on IT WORKED. I know nobody needs another of those holiday reminder chores. You know, like “Set the clocks back and check your smoke alarm battery” But from now on I am going to try and clean out my printer at the first of the year.

See the lovely test page it is printing! I had to do the print head re-alignment and voila! As a bonus, it is printing better than it has in ages. I’m so happy! I like this printer and really didn't want to have to buy a new one. Besides a new one costs money (and who has much of that?) and couldn't be here for several days.

So, two days into the new year and I have not sewn a thing yet. This has got to change! But at least now I can print out all the instructions for the mystery quilts I missed.

I got an email from Tracy and she said it was OK to post a picture of her Carolina Crossroads that I mentioned in another post.

She did a great job with all those little pieces. I love her fall colors. It didn't show in the picture, but I got to do feathers in the inner border, continuous curves in the pieced border and a rope design in the outer border (to tie it all together get it?) I'm glad she liked it. Maybe one of these days mine will get done. Yeah... right. My UFO commitment for 2009 will have to wait for another post. Right now I need to get to bed so I can get to work early tomorrow and get some sewing done!

"Don't tell me not to burn the candle at both ends
Tell me where to get more wax!

leslie@theCraftyUnicorn.com
http://www.thecraftyunicorn.com/