Getting Reacquainted

Getting Reacquainted, a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.

A couple of weeks ago I got my HandiQuilter back from the Spa. I promptly loaded up a top and away i went. .. BRrrrrum Yaaaagagagaaa!
I shifted into second and ... Whoa! the needle got away from me... this sucker was hummin'!
Somebody replaced my VW with a Porsche engine... and I promply ruined the top I was working on..
Boo! Sadness and a pint of Chocolate Chocolate Chip later... I decided I needed a refresher and some serious practice time...
There are no less than 6 quilt tops waiting for me. 3 of which, are "Great!" , bordering on "Stupendous"... well, maybe not that good but I dont want to mess them up...
So I'm practicing...
practicing..
I figure another 3 hours and I can move back on to real work...
Hope your week is well and your work is good,
Rachel

PMQG Name Tag..

PMQG nametag.., a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.

I spent about 30 minutes making this and about 30 minutes hunting down that fabric..:)The Studio Re-org continues... :)
Last Month our guild gave us all pin backs to make a nametag. This is mine.

I finally got my HQ16 back from The Spa and although she now purrs, Im still getting used to the lack of backfiring.. so to speak..
Basically my VW went on vacation and came back a Porsche....
Thursday is Guild and I was hoping the quilt I used in the background would be finished. Its still not off the quilter...
This weekend Cherri and I did a Staff class over MD on Frame Quilting...  We are all so excited to be bringing this great tool to the community. I teach on Wednesday Night and I'm pretty excited...
The Thread Cutter, Auto Threader, Roomy throat space, and the BSR make the 820 a great way to quilt...
Exciting! 
Quilters Rock!

Curves- my best advice..

People have asked for a Curved tutorial before.. 

Curves are so easy that I felt like I didn't have much to say. 

How do I explain: use a good template, feed them thru, and they nest together so nice... 

this quilt I made with 6 inch quarters. 

The tutorial is on flickr. 
And the Group of Curve, Circle & Ring Quilts

In a nutshell its this:

Cut your shapes

Notch your center

The pie always goes on the plate
Dont bother with pins 

You're a creative, smart,  talented woman. they are easy. you can do this..

 

I've used several different templates but I like Eliza's Back Porch and Tabslot the best. Tabslot will CAD and make whatever size you want... nice!

 

I made this one several years ago using 8 inch blocks... oh, heres a secret... the larger the circle the gentler and easier the curve.... I made several of these when I was mastering the skill.  

The photo says it was taken in 2007 but I know I made this and several like it in the old house so my guess is that it dates back to 2005.  I've been doing curves a long time. I've tried lots of tools and tricks. My only real advise is to practice. practice practice. I think pins are a real slow down and if your pie isn't on the plate, you'll get tucks anyway.

In other news: 

I pantographed a quilt on the 820 and bernina frame over at MD. This is nothing I'll do a lot of, but it was good to get a bit of practice in, frame and rental classes start next week. 

 in even more "other news"....

Some of you wrote me lovely personal notes, thank you.  

Quilters Rock!

Hello Goodbye and No Apologies

 

Look at my new Machine/Eye Candy/ Decor - Im gonna clean it and put it on a shelf. I took this photo as an idea for a new header. Its a cutie, it works and it was 12.99... Thank You Bargainia - She is the Goddess of the good deal and I will be burning incense lit with the flame from expired coupons to her later. 

An Era is over, we are now no longer sewing at the Mandatory Hotel. Our leader ( the headless lady in the center) gave our last 20+ quilts to Sunrise Church and their warming station.


Inspiration!

Inspiration: where does it come from? Well here are 2 photos of mine. A Ben Sherman Shirt I have in my stash ( I got it from the bins) and this screen capture from SNL. I'll be working on a simple Sketch of an idea for later - Im gonna practice quilt it.
























 Here's another quilt top I made with parts from this quilt. Sorry the pic is lousy..

 the centers are all hand appliqued - I just love how a bit of quality handwork makes a project so much better...
Quilters Rock!




OK there has been more of the same old drama going on... the Queen Bees and WannaBees are hard at work trying to give the gift of Self Doubt, and exploit your sense of social shame. Don't let them do it..
Stay strong! Reach out to folks to have your back and want to celebrate your creativity and uniqueness.
below is my remarks, about my experience, yes they are harsh but so was the experience .. it sucked to have my feelings hurt and be treated as though I needed to explain myself and my artistic process.

Normally I don't respond to this crap but the professional consensus is that this is the correct approach.
So read no further unless your interested: 

This is what I posted to someone who had experienced this persons cruelty. I stand by my remarks and I wrote that this was my experience. If its not yours, great. Women get bullied in a different style than men, much more passive aggressive. I wanted the woman who was now a target of this kind of Social, Relational Aggression (as I had been) to know she wasn't alone.
You're not to blame, time to move on. Support Sister; Ignore the Bitch!
******
"Hi- I know the person who did this to you in real life. I sure wish you wouldn't blame The *** and direct your anger at the person.
My experience with the person is that she is cruel, unkind and goes out of her way to put people down. She made my friend cry. SHe has pulled me aside at nearly every event and said some unkind thing like
"dont you EVER finish anything?" "well, your not really Modern at all" {edit: I now avoid her: problem solved}
She actually snapped her fingers in my face,screamed "Give it to me, give it to me, right now!" and snatched an object out of my hands.  ( I was with another lady we were tutoring someone on the Ipad, this was not done to me alone)
I volunteered at a quilt show, she walked right up to me in public and in a loud rude voice " What do you think you are doing?"

I have had to stop talking to her, stop following at any level. She can be very nice and friendly to people she perceives as her equals/betters(altho she talks behind their backs with the same cruelty/pettiness she says to our faces). But its been my experience that she goes out of her way to be mean to SOME people.
I looked at your blog a bit and like me, your an Artist who quilts. like the lady who cried: also an Artist. Hmm I see a pattern here..
Im following you now.. and I'll check out your facebook page...
Anybody she has been cruel to must be a creative genius with a heart of gold ... :) just like me:)"
*

Am I Done Yet?

photo.JPG, a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.

I've been working on a project for forever and it finally feels like I am getting close to finished...
but I ran out of cute disks...
So, I made a few more...
Eye Candy.
Next will come the quilting and the binding. Its a keeper for sure. I'm really excited.
So many things happening. Quilts in the works, getting ready to teach Quilting, and I had a sweet email conversation with a woman (a famous woman) who I credit with teaching me to quilt.
When I was young,  people would come over to my grandmothers house, look at her Art and Accomplishments, get a look on their face and sort of whisper "What an Artist".
Today I watched a woman who I had never met, reach her hand out, stroke my quilt, run her hand across a texture I had created, Joy scampered across her face and she whispered "Oh My ". 
Of course, I have low self esteem. I felt so embarrassed and maybe even ashamed. It wasn't until hours later that I realized what happened. Sure, I feel some Pride, but I also feel Connection. Not only, to the woman who can see the piece of me I put in that quilt, but to my Grandmother. 
I'm really grateful.
Quilters Rock!

Another First

Its Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Dragon (1952, 1964, 1976) these are usually great years for me ( I'm a Wood Snake ) and I tend to get along with Dragons and Monkeys really well. So I am super excited for the new year and the new babies coming - because they're my peeps!

 I've been spending some time with the new quilting frame at Modern Domestic. They have a Bernina 820 on the carriage and a 10 foot wide frame for Long Arm style quilting.

I finished a  small quilt made from Vintage Bed Linens. It was great to make friends with the machine, try a bunch of different threads, do some practice and then load and finish a project. I've been quilting on Long Arms and my own HQ16 mid arm for 6+ years. For the last 5 years I have had my own HQ16 in my home studio.

Cherri and I will be teaching classes and clearing folks who wish to rent the machine to finish their projects. I'm thrilled to be working with Cherri again and thrilled to be sharing my knowledge and love of Frame Quilting. So watch for announcements from Modern Domestic - classes will be on their calendar soon.

In more personal news: this is what I'm working on at home on my HandiQuilter. More Awesome Blossoms with wonky stars.  
I start back at the Jail now that the holidays are over. With out my pal Sue. I'm not sure how much longer I will continue without her, but I know I'll be part time because of the requirements of Mother and et all... I've really missed the ladies that make up the team who volunteer and teach. I've been so lucky to have worked with such expert master quilters.

Its Review season at the old work place. My husband provides 360 feedback on others and writes the majority of his own Review... I earn my keep by riding him mercilessly till its done... nag nag nag, that's me. Cooking, begging, time keeping, and demanding updates... Part of me really hates me this time of year, part of me kinda likes having "meetings" about how the "work" is going. its fun. Right now he is running a few days behind schedule... Looks like I'm gonna have to lay down the law :) 

Quilters Rock!

Rachel 

How I manage my Blond Fundus- an update

5 years ago when we moved into our house I started getting headaches. I'd be in bed 2-3 days at a time. Oh the agony! It was horrible.

We had moved to the far west of county and I was frequently driving home in the afternoons. Along Sunset Highway US26. I just knew it was cancer. Or blindness. So off to the Doctor I go. My old Eye Doctor had sold her practice and I had new Eye Doctor. I explained my headaches and fears and told him that I had been told I was sensitive to light ( I didn't know why) by another Doctor.
He took one look and said "wow, thats neat. That is the Blondest Fundus I have ever seen." He went on to explain all about the fundus and pigment.

He talked me into ordering sunglasses and I thought "What an ass! Doesn't he know I have cancer?"
2 weeks after getting the sunglasses my mood starting improving. 2 months after getting my sunglasses, I left them at home and drove home in the afternoon straight at the sun and knew I was headed for a headache. I took IB before it really blew up, put my sunnies on indoors and waited to see if I nipped it in the bud. I greatly reduced the headache. Next day I was fine. Hallelujah! 
 I thought I was fixed, perfecto. Im cured! This Doctor is a miracle worker! When I took my mother in for her annual check up, I shook his hand and thanked him for changing my life.
I was still getting lots of light leakage from the sides, our light bulbs had all been switched out and I still checked out the lights when I entered a room.
Then I went for my annual check up. Eye Fashion had changed and big glasses are in. And Transitions Xtra has been released. Lets call it "TX". TX gets a little dark in the car so I don't have to switch to sunnies, gets darker outside and cuts the glare of  indoor light. I ordered a pair of big Roy Orbison RayBans with TX. I also ordered a pair of Marma Photochromic sunnies with TX in Pink. Pink lenses are soothing to the eyes and feel like a walk in the shadey woods. I often wear them at night while driving to cut the glare of headlights.
I wear sunglasses at night. Indoors. I carry extra glasses.  Coming out of a building into the light,  I now pull to the side, let my glasses/eyes adjust before I proceed.  All of our rooms have a low light option that I can use at night.
When in restaurants I sit with my back to cars in the lot as the light bouncing off chrome and windows tends to make me believe the people I'm with are idiots. I never knew the incredible amount of stress lights were putting me under. Never knowing I had this problem or what it meant to my stress levels, I can look back at my life and see situation after situation where it played a negative role in my interactions with people.
Im not sure I'd call it fixed but its totally managable.