Am I Done Yet?

photo.JPG by 2ndAveStudio
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

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.


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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.

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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.

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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

glasses






















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.

First Finish

first finish by 2ndAveStudio
first finish, a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.
  A few months ago a "friend" commented that I don't finish much. When I went to make my "2011 Mosiac" on flickr I realized that I don't photo all my quilt or document them. I'll be doing much better this year.  
This is a tester/maquette quilt  (it will be going to charity) A study for the quilt I'd like to make based on this one. This is a Equilateral Triangle and I love it. Here's a hint though... Don't use directional fabric. 
Oh the agony! For every triangle there was another triangle with the words point side down - lesson learned.  But oh, I love that "Annie's Seed Catalogue' fabric!
Glad I learned this on a small baby sized rather than figuring it out half way thru a Queen. Can I get an "Amen" on that sister?
The nice thing about a small maquette is that I can practice a skill(bias seams), test color ideas (red/blue) fabric seletion ( I love KJR but "wow!" it reads green)
I'll let her borrow it for the upcoming template... She's going to use my quilt as a shop sample. oooh the flattery. 
My PMQG gal pal Jill over at tabslot made me a great template to use. She has made me all kinds of custom stuff (paper circles, hexes, and circle templates)  and she does templates for really famous quilters ... I'm thrilled that she is local.  When I buy a pattern and I can figure out a way to use a template instead of paper I ask for the template I need.
I kinda don't have the heart to tell her I need one that's thinner..  a 45 instead of a 60.. oh well, seriously, I'm an idiot!
I'll be using it for another Hex quilt so the template is still a keeper... :) 
  
Here is what I'm doing with the leftovers:
Leftovers!
 Making baskets .. .. 
well, there you have it! My first finish and a finish to come.
Quilters Rock!