Merry Christmas to you all 12-24-10

He goes around the world every year and when he is done he is ready for a nap.

A Christmas Quilt 12-24-10

"Teenage Reindeer" Del Thomas 1993 27" x 31.5"

A friendship group I belonged to in 1993 did a challenge where we had specific steps to prepare for the meeting where we started our projects. I'm not sure this is the order, but we had to have a fat quarter of definitely Xmas fabric in a brown lunch bag; a half yard of red or green fabric rolled and tied with a ribbon, and a white fabric wrapped in Xmas paper and tied with a ribbon. We could add whatever we wanted to create a Xmas quilt. No size restrictions. At the time I was teaching a class based on "One of a Kind Quilts" a book by Judy Hopkins of Alaska and this challenge fit perfectly into my need for class samples.

This little reindeer was part of the design on the Xmas wrapping I received. It could look familiar, I posted this quilt before at: http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-quilts-12-22-07.html

Dress a Girl Around the World 12-24-10

Blogger refuses to post this picture with the text, so here it is in a separate post. Sorry!

Speaking of Gifts 12-23-10

It is the season of giving. Take some time to make a dress for a girl somewhere in the world -

a girl who doesn't have a dress.

Surfside Quilters Guild Philanthropy is participating in a worldwide project called "Dress a Girl Around the World" http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/

Around the world people who sew are converting pillowcases into dresses for girls who do not have a dress. The very simple pattern is available on the website:

http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/pillowcasedresspattern.htm

Or you can dip into your fabric library and start with yardage instead of a pillowcase. Although a pillowcase with more tightly woven fabric might be more durable.

They have even come up with a pattern for "Boys Britches" made from a colorful T-Shirt. Of course, I think the girls should come first. But whatever you might decided to make you can contact the central office for directions on where to send your creations.

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Stormy Weather 12-22-10

Yes, it did rain early this morning (Wednesday) - and I mean RAIN! I think it woke me up a couple times; I usually get up several times during the night, I was up about every hour last night. Although I live in the "flat lands" there is a slope on the back of the property - it goes down to a dirt road that provides access for the Golden State Water Company and the flood control channel on the other side of the road. Sometime before we moved here (1986) the slope went down in a bad rain storm and I always wonder if it will happen again. So far, so good.

While I was in physical therapy there was rain off and on, but afterward when I stopped for lunch at Kimmie's Coffee Cup in Orange the sun came out and it was glorious.

It was raining when I got home; I started to back into the garage as I always do, and the sky opened up with rain so hard I couldn't see the opening to back up. I just sat there until it let up enough to back into the garage. I checked the back yard and found only a little standing water, but there is that tale tell mark on the wall that shows how high the water backed up in the last few days.

The rain stopped long enough for me to bring in the trash cans, but then it came down like gangbusters again. This is the view west - which is where our weather comes from.

This is a view to the northeast toward the mountains which have received both rain and snow. But these have not been cold storms, my recording thermometer only went down to 51 one night and has usually been about 60-65 during the day. I imagine that it will be a colder storm when it reaches the Midwest. The TV weatherman says we will have showers tonight and in the morning and then it will clear up - for a few days anyway.

Gifts #2 12-21-10

Many of us know the spirit of giving, learning from our childhood how much we get back when when we give to others. Christmas brings out this spirit even more than any time of the year. I don't think either of these items were intended as Christmas gifts, but they are special things that the givers knew I would enjoy - holiday or no.

"Maxine #1" 59"W x 63"L Made and given by Ruth Powers http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/

Ruth knows I get a laugh out of Maxine's warped outlook on life. The comments make even more of an impact since I learned the cartoon is drawn/written by a man - a very perceptive guy.

This square is especially apt as I forget things with more and more frequency. There were enough panels for two quilts, so Ruth made mine and another for herself. She made a point of saying this is a napping quilt, but I wondered if the wildness would keep me awake - the backing fabric has 1-1/2" white polka dots on a black background - but a couple days ago I napped just fine under it. I think it will make a great travel companion, as I always carry a bed quilt with me when I travel.

This is a lovely glass dish sitting on a black cloth background - it is 4.5" square and concave. Perfect for catching rings and/or earrings on a dresser. Corky's mommy gave it to me on Sunday - she had been out Christmas shopping and thought of me when she saw it. Isn't that the way gifts should always be? Something brings a certain person to mind and one cannot resist buying it for them.

That is the way I like to give gifts - something for exactly the right person, regardless of the season, reason or holiday. Of course, handmade gifts are even more special. I hope I can get back to sewing soon and have some special gifts for some special people.

I can just tell the gift givers "Thank You" and express how much I appreciate their gifts.

Gifts 12-20-10

I've explained in the past that I don't "do" Christmas. But I enjoy giving gifts at other times of the year and this is an excellent time of the year to find really different items that someone might enjoy. Today I was 'surfing' the Internet and found a few interesting sites.

The first is Fred Flare.com. They offer serious and not so serious and downright ridiculous gift items. DO check it out, but don't miss the special tea infuser good for an early Beatles fan:

http://www.fredflare.com/customer/product.php?productid=6043&cat=316&bf=cto

Another site I found interesting is wearpact.com. which features underwear for a cause. I was intrigued by the innuendo in the wording of this ad. It is very current - notice the "on your junk" phrase - or was that in common usage before the TSA crackdown?

Nice print on organic cotton. You can see the ladies undies at: http://wearpact.com/shop/category/fit/women/ A little pricey, but imagine how great you would feel in your special undies thinking about lighting a light for a family in Haiti. The website offers an explanation of their "green" policies including a request for suggestions on what to do with the underwear when it wears out - other than putting it in the trash.

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Elizabeth Barton quilt new to TCQC 12-19-10

Here is a quilt from the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles recent "High Fiber Under Five" Benefit Art Sale. All of the pieces were priced $500 or less. I purchased three of the small quilted works - this is the first I have posted.

"Village Street #1" Elizabeth Barton 2009 15.5"W x 13.25"L

Hand dyed shibori fabrics, machine piecing, applique and quilting.

I am very fond of Elizabeth's work - there are five of her quilts in the TCQC. I think this piece is an "excerpt" from a larger quilt that didn't work. Elizabeth is fearless when she feels something is not what she wanted it to be. Out comes the rotary cutter and zip-zip, it becomes a different quilt, or several different quilts. OMG how I admire that ability in an artist. I especially like the colors in this quilt.

She always signs her work on the front with hand sewing.

And she usually hand stitches the name of the piece on the front.

Her machine quilting is very free motion and flows over the surface of the quilt like... well, like music. This quilt is a little gem that I am happy to have in the Collection.

www.elizabethbarton.com http://elizabethbarton.blogspot.com/

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