Quilt Therapy

We celebrated Mama Lu’s birthday last night, with dinner, cake and presents.  She loved our gift and we all enjoyed the cards that the kids made her.

Now, we will spend the next few days enjoying family & friends here at Harrison Wilderness Base for our annual reuinion.  Except this year, there’s a burn ban in effect.  No fireworks - and no potentially deadly fires!

I needed a bit of help last night.  I finished a quilt top and needed to photograph it.  I asked my family to help … i.e the two tallest members and the two shortest members.

But, do you think I could get the photographs easily?  Just when I thought everyone was doing well and the quilt was lined up well in the camera, I get to my computer to download the images and find this:

Is it so hard to just sit BEHIND the quilt and hold it down? 

I guess so.

{sigh}

DD#1 *loves* my Snow Smores!  So much that she asked me to make her one as a wall hanging for her room!

Since we always try to give the bigger kids some quiet ideas of things to do during nap (when the mom and DD#3 naps), last week I suggested she do a water color painting of a Snow Smore.

That child’s talent just amazes me - see for yourself:

My most successful quilt designs lately have been when I ditch the computer and all of the design software and just go to my sewing room and start cutting fabric until I see the vision that I’ve had in my head for a fabric line. 

I want to give you a little insight into this design process -

First, we have the individual Snow Smores block that I created:

Next, I need to make this into a lap-sized quilt.  So, with a graphics program, I begin placement of the blocks so I know how many blocks I need to make:

Next, I put together all of the Snow Smores blocks, and have to decide what fabrics to use for the borders for the three inside blocks (as you can see, what I’ve used for this photo is way too busy for the quilt):

So, over the next few days, I’m going to quilt each of the blocks that are just pressed right now, and then pick up more fabrics in my stash to see if I can find something that compliments - but doesn’t deter from - those center blocks!

But, I gotta tell ya, this sure is gonna be a cute quilt when it’s done! 

hahaha, sometimes, I just can’t help myself, I’m so punny!

Last night, I got to play with the new Smores Christmas fabric, designed by Me and My Sister for Moda.

Oh yeah, plump little Snow Smore people!

This will be an exclusive lap quilt design for AbbiMays.com, and I’m making it a quilt-as-you-go design, so you can do it quick and easy!  In my prototype, I’m quilting AND appliqueing all at the same time as I put the batting on the back of the fabric instead of a stabilizer (or in place of a stabilizer).  It sure gives my little snow smores some definition and texture and some PLUMPINESS, to boot! 

Note:  These snow smores are not for human consumption.  No smores were eaten or harmed while making this project.

Life as we know it has returned to “our normal” here at Casa Harrison.  We picked the two big girls up from their various church camps on Friday, and they both had a marvelous time.  Both were ready to sign up for next year.   DD#2 came home with a cold & slight fever, so she’s been a bit under the weather.  DD#1 came home with a boyfriend, who she’s already written to, so we’re trying to calm her and remind her that she’s just 12 years old.  Yesterday, she spent the day walking around and taking photos of everyone in the house, so she could send him pix of our family.  ummm, whoa, says the mom!  lol

I’d like to say I had a busy weekend and got a lot done - but, really, I lazed around.  I did finish writing all of the patterns for our upcoming 2008 “Christmas in July” celebration on BOMquilts.com, so at least I did a *litttle* work!  I also finished with another “Joy” original design, the pattern to be launched during July as well - now I just have to write the patterns!

And here’s the other “Joy” design, in case you missed it earlier:

I took the day off from computer work yesterday, to take my quilting show on the road - I went to the Seventh Heaven Quilt Shop in San Anotonio!

When I laid out my Quilted Charger plate covers, I included a plate of home-made brownies.  Really?  I think THAT was the reason they bought so many patterns!

I was very happy to meet Dixie (the owner), Ruby and Jacque — I’ve been conversing with the two latter women via email since the day they found my website over a year ago, I think!  One of them even brought in a quilt that she made, which was my first BOM project on BOMquilts.com - it was gorgeous!  I was so happy to see that these ladies not only knew their quilting business, but they also DO quilting. 

But, I had a big boo-boo by inviting another lady who lives near SA to come visit with us, too - but, I had changed the time that I was going to be there, so I left before Bonnie showed up.  I feel bad.  And I told her my guilt would continue until I finally figured out how to get over there to see her.  I’m sure we’ll meet up, just don’t know when it’ll be!  She was gracious and forgiving — and that’s yet another reason why I love working with quilters!

After my quilt shop fun, I drove north out of SA and went to San Marcos - we lived there when daughter #1 was born, and my gynecologist was giving me fits about getting in for my yearly exam.  I was tired of her bugging me , so I went and did the deed.  Now, I just need to call the hospital here and get a mammogram scheduled.  Oh joy.

I also made a stop at Sam’s for some much-needed Pop-Tarts and paper goods, then stopped off at Wally World for some tubes for the kids — and when I finally made it home (200+ miles later) we took the 2 little ones down to the river to play in the water with their new tubes.  Great fun - and an excellent way to get them exhausted enough to go right to sleep!

I’ll be playing catch-up today - and then will have to make some more Quilted Charger plate covers over the weekend, as I left all of mine in San Antonio so the shop would have them to show off to their customers.  It must have worked, because we’d sold one pattern before I’d even completed their order form!

We pick up the 2 big girls from their camping week today - I’m excited to hear about how much fun they had, for sure.  But, the rest of the weekend?  Let’s hope it’s WAY more quiet than last weekend was!

The other night, I was doing a little market research and was visiting with some ladies in a chat room. 

None of the ladies were located in Texas, and most were either on the left or right coast of the US.

When they found out I lived in Texas, do you know what they said to me?  Their first question was whether or not I had HORNS adorning the hood of my auto.

ummmm, wow, what a way to stereotype a Texan!

So, to honor their ignorance, I put together a photo with my latest “Take me to Texas” quilt design … and a local longhorn.

…and then I caught heck from an Aggie, who was none-too-pleased that I chose a Bevo look-alike for my photo.  Let’s be clear — this is a LONGHORN, and that has NOTHING to do with SPORTS of any kind!