2018 Archives ⋆ Page 4 of 6 ⋆

Normal is Good

Posted on October 13, 2018October 13, 2018 by ihaveanotion — 2 Comments

Life here has been getting back to normal. So catching up… was the plan of the week for everyone but Goldie. She just plays with toys, first one and then another…. If I pick them up… and put them in the box she spends a little while taking them all out. If she is impatient she up ends the whole box! This is Goldies idea of normal!

Goldie normal. — Goldie sleeping in her upstairs crate. She sleeps upside down a fair bit.

What else is going on? In September I was a vendor at the local Quilt Show. It was so much fun, that I decided to also have a booth at another local Quilting Event. It is called the “One Stop Shop Hop of the Bluegrass” over the weekend of October 19 & 20 in Shepherdsville Kentucky. Pretty local … about a half hour up the road!!! If your are local-ish its a good day out and you get to visit with about 20 stores under one roof. There is a Fat Quarter Pot, (exchange a Fat Quarter for a ticket) and Booth Visit Bingo Game.

So I am spending a good deal of time preparing for a booth, again. There is so much to that… from having inventory to displays and the logistics of getting it all from point A to point B! Fortunately it is all aspects of creativity, so while I am not in the Creative Space much;

sample Chicken Dance blocks — New Chicks…

I have been working on the Chickens (I have been asked if there is a pattern for my Chicken Dance quilt so I have had to check measurements and requirements) so I am making a smaller quilt. I have also been working on a new sample for an upcoming sharing/teaching (Threadpainting) opportunity later this month locally. I shared this technique in July as well with some ladies in Indiana!

Thread painted flowers and vase — Flower Vase. All those bright flowers make me smile!

These are some of the flowers for the Threadpainting…. I try not to make too many the same/similar.

Threadpainting flower assortment — Threadpainting flowers

Well this post got a bit waylaid as I was writing it. But most of it is still relevant! That is the not so eventful life I lead!

Whats been keeping you busy?

More Later! Beth

A Quilting Dilemma

Posted on October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 by ihaveanotion

Are you like me, once you have finished a quilt top you are faced with the decision of “how am I going to quilt it”? While looking for ideas you discover a sea of choices? Itching to start but not certain where to start? Which quilting design, motif, style or pattern will look good where?

It doesn’t matter what type of quilter you are, a domestic machine quilter or a longarmer (standing or sit down). Getting started creating a quilting design map is probably the most difficult part of the process for many of us.

Avoiding the Rabbit Hole

When I need quilting inspiration or direction my ‘go to’ is my personal library of BOOKS.

I have these at my finger tips. Having a personal library keeps me on the path of quilting and not making a trip to the local library or waiting for a guild meeting or bother a friend to borrow a book from.

The ability to bookmark the pages of designs I like, those for future projects, highlight patterns that work really well and reference the pages again when I need a refresher.

The opportunity to take two of the designs, (or more), and combine into one design or pull out just a part of a design for my project….

Best of all I don’t find myself down the rabbit hole of Pinterest looking for ideas or inspiration.

Solution

The solution I recently found is a trio of books that fit all of the above and are inexpensive enough to have the whole series. These books are filled with designs from many designers, some of the designs we’ve seen and others are fresh and new. Lets start with what I would consider the first book of the series, although you could start with any of the books, because they are a la cart books and don’t require a “start”.

Free-Motion Quilting Inspiration

The books are published by C&T Publishing. “Free-Motion designs for Allover Patterns” is where we are starting, but there are two more titles just as promising “Free-Motion Block Designs” and “Free-Motion Designs for Borders, Triangles and Cornerstones“. All the books are all 158 pages, but have a varying number of designs. The Allover Patterns has more than 75 designs by 8 well known quilters! They are all bound with a spiral for flat easy reference with full page spreads of each design. The best thing about the books is you get a great sampling of several Free-Motion Quilters.

the Cover of the Allover Patterns book. — The cover of free-motions designs for Allover Patterns.

Have I intrigued you? Of course you will find them right here at I Have A Notion!

More Later- Beth

Goodbye

Posted on September 24, 2018September 24, 2018 by ihaveanotion — 4 Comments

To my sweet noble Linzi. We had to send her over the Rainbow bridge today. She was only 8. She became ours in South Africa, at 4 months old shortly after arriving in August 2010, and before our household belongings arrived!!!

She will be happier now and certainly more comfortable. Things came on fast and after a week, several vet visits and a horribly long weekend we just couldn’t see prolonging her ordeal. This picture was taken Saturday afternoon. I have never seen these 2 lay like this ever! There several other instances where Goldie laid close to Linzi.

Her truly happiest days were with Axel. Those two had a bond and an understanding. Absolutely zero alpha issues. She was not quite the same without him.

We always teased that she was all beauty and no brains, but I think she was a follower, for the most part. Happy to do assigned tasks and just be quietly in the room, unless there was a squirrel or a rabbit in the yard. Not only did she know there was varmint in the yard her nose told us that we often had overnight visitors other than rabbit. She could find a bread crumb in the lawn.

Playing in the snow with Goldie winter 1-2018

She was also a ladies dog. Tolerated men… and my fierce protector when on the lead. We always considered her not dog friendly, but a stay at a kennel, where there was dog social time… showed (the kennel posts videos) us that it was only when we were holding her lead that there was a problem. Her humans not around… no threats.

I think she and Goldie might have forged a relationship similarly… as the one with Axel, eventually. Some of the best times she had with Goldie was before Goldie became toy alpha, and they would run in tandem around the yard each carrying a toy. The only way Linzi played with a toy in the yard. She had hers and carried it while the other dog played fetch. Linzi NEVER played fetch.

After Axel left us, I would take Linzi up to the Creative Space with me after dinner each evening. She would just lay on the floor and nap. After that it became a ritual, that we have carried on with (especially after Bandit). It became nearly as important to her as mealtime (which was like clockwork with her).

Linzi had never lived alone… she always had dogs around her, since she was raised in a breeders kennel, she also had a kennel mate that she was very fond of. Because Linzi got along so well with Axel and we really missed his big presence… we got Bandit… Not a good IDEA!!! but we were looking at the next decade of years and Bandit was going to be our last puppy… ha! I never appreciated Linzis calmness, until we had Bandit. Goldie… is just a year old this month and active, and still in puppyhood, and is calming down… as she matures. She did ok today, not even sure she has noticed that she is living alone. I did give her the whole box of toys and she entertained herself all afternoon, (she and Linzi would not play with toys well in the same room).

I had to go back through pictures to find Little Linzi pictures and of course, there was Axel…. and all the years we lived in Africa. So I have taken a little walk down memory lane… and there were some tears (ok lots of tears), and some smiles and some joy… but there is a part of our family missing…. so there will be more tears!

If you have a pet give them a nice scratch behind the ears or belly from us!

More Later-Beth