Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Class Project April 1, 2, 3

No class this week because it's Spring Break for Palomar, but next week we will be finishing the jacket project. I will demonstrate how to make the butterfly blocks and discuss finishing techniques for your jackets or totebags. Please bring to class any strips of 3-D techniques that you have created, as well as your flannel or muslin foundation if you are making the jacket.

Someone asked for my webpage address. Thank you for pointing out that it is not on the sidebar, where it should be. I didn't have a webpage when I created this blog and have long since forgotten how to add something to the sidebar. If you know how, please email me. In the meantime I've added it under the profile section. Just click on my profile and check the contacts area and that should bring it up. It's a rather obvious webpage address: http://www.quilts2wear.com

On the homefront all is quiet. Perhaps, too quiet. My daughter has received 2 acceptances to colleges, but 2 rejection letters as well, one from her first choice college :-( We're still waiting to hear from one more. My son has been noticably absent. No calls, no visits, nothing. His mail is piling up on the table and I know some of it is time sensitive. I just hope he's busy doing something useful. Pierre is back on land again and calls often :-) Emails are great but frustrating, especially with the time difference. I have the whole week off and plan on getting serious work done on my Bernina Fashion Show piece!

See you next week,
Lisa

Friday, March 21, 2008

Corrections for Knotted Strips

I slightly changed the way I'm doing the knotted strips so there are a few changes in the handout.

At the end of the second paragrpah add the following sentence: Cut into 5" segments.

On the third paragraph, the third sentence should read: For each strip cut 3" segments.

On the fourth paragraph the first sentence should read: Knot your strip near the center...

Next week is Spring Break. Have a great time and I'll see you back at class, all relaxed and refreshed with loads of sharing on April 1, 2, 3. And that's not April Foolin'!

Lisa

Monday, March 17, 2008

Family Stuff (warning: rant)

I've discovered that it's very hard to be creative when there are problems you have to deal with. My husband is so sweet; he wanted Jake to get a new car so they did the guy thing and went car shopping together and found a great used car. Then Jake applied for a loan and couldn't get enough for the car. He's only 19 and just out on his own with only two part-time jobs, although they pay well. So Pierre decided to get the loan with Jake as a co-signer. I told him I didn't like the idea since I've heard of so many people getting burned that way. I was over-ruled.

Well, I'm sure you can see where this is going. Jake's first car payment was due this month and it didn't get paid. Pierre is overseas so guess who gets to deal with it?!

Jake has online bill paying (he's very technologically oriented) and signed up to have it paid the day before it was due, but nothing happened. He, being young and naive about life in general, didn't check, insisted that he had paid it, but I could see that it had not been paid. I finally convinced him to check online and what-do-ya-know the money was still in his account! No idea what happened, but he says he paid it again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will actually go through this time.

The really annoying part is that Jake would not answer my phone calls and messages all week. He is a first child and very bright. Hence it is really difficult for him to admit that he's not sure about something or even, heaven forbid!, wrong. I finally resorted to stopping by his work and talking to him there. Not fun. I was shaking the whole time. I really dislike dealing with things like this, (hey, I'm a first child, also), and it basically ruined my whole week. Instead of sewing or doing anything creative I've been not sleeping well, reading, playing stupid computer games (can you believe I'd play a game called Spandex Force, LOL) and watching movies (August Rush was great!). In other words I've been escaping from thinking.

Bernina is looming over my head more and more so I need to get my head back in the right mode of thinking and get to work. Right after I finish the next level of the computer game ;-)

Hope your week has been problem free!
Lisa

Saturday, March 15, 2008

March 18, 19, 20 Jacket, part 3 and Class Times/Locations

This week's class lesson is fairly short so it's a UFO week. Please bring a UFO to class and we'll talk about ways to reinvigorate the project!

Jacket part 3 will cover knotted strips and pleated strips. No hands-on this time, but thanks to all of you who remembered your squares, etc last time (you know who you are...)

The Village Quilters fashion show went off very well. It's a nice friendly group. Of course there were a few times when I practically had to drag them out of the back room ;-) They were having such fun examining the jackets up close they forgot they needed to come out and model! Being a model is definitely the best way to see the show :-) Several Village members were asking about the free Palomar quilting classes I teach so I told them I'd put the dates and times here.

Tuesday night 6-9 Mt Carmel High School room B-14
Wednesday afternoon 1-4 Bits and Pieces
Wednesday night 6-9 Mt Carmel High School room B-14
Thursday afternoon 1-4 OASIS at North County Fair
Thursday night 6-9 Poway Senior Center

I teach the same thing all week at each class so if you can't make it to one class you're welcome to attend at a different time and place. I hope to see some of you there!

Lisa

Monday, March 10, 2008

Fashion Show at Scripps Ranch Library

Due to a scheduling problem my fashion show for Village Quilters has been moved up to this month. If you're in the area come to the Scripps Ranch Library on the morning of March 15. I will be presenting approximately 40 of my jackets and coats at the quilt guild meeting between 10 and 12. I'd love to see you there!

Lisa

P.S. No promises, but I have 2 jackets on the design walls and chances are pretty good that I'll finish one of the them in time for its debut this Saturday!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

What to bring March 11-13


This week I'll show you how to make origami puffs and discuss 4 other variations you can make. Because this is a lesson learned much more easily by doing, please bring the following to class:

two 3" squares of muslin
two 5" squares of fabric (just scrap fabric, not your "good stuff")
6-8 pins
needle
thread
scissors


How are your quilt show entries coming?

Lisa

Friday, March 07, 2008

Clarifications on the Prairie Points with Attitude

For the jacket or the tote I have used too many different terms when writing them up. That's what I get for doing them at different times. For clarification here are the definitions of the fabrics that I will use:

focus fabric (3 yards for jacket, 1 yard for tote): your multi-colored print
main fabric (4-6 one-half yard pieces): the main color in the 3-D strips; use these interchangeably
accent fabric (1 or 2 one-half yard pieces): the accent color (like the knots) on the 3-D strips

For the next 3 weeks you will NOT be using the focus fabric. The 3-D strips are made entirely from the main fabric and the accent fabric.

So that the Prairie Points with Attitude directions conform with these definitions make the following changes:
  • where ever it says accent swap it to main and where ever it says main swap to accent (there are 3 of each term so swap them all).
  • where it says background cross it out and say main

Sorry about the changes. The directions are correct, but confusing because of what I called each fabric. I hope this clarifies things. Please email me if you have any questions.

Lisa

Monday, March 03, 2008

Cindi's First Fashion Show

I have one sister, Cindi, and she still lives in Maine. She is not a quilter, but a knitter (hey, that's almost as good, right?). Recently she entered something into a fashion show in Maine and she modeled it herself. She was such a good model that she ended up modeling some other people's garments as well. Here are a few pictures:
Here is Cindi getting her hair done before the show.
And here she is wearing a very cool poncho that someone else made. I wish I could tell if those circles are knitted or felted. Don't you just love the colors?
This is Cindi wearing a fabulous ensemble made by someone else. I think the colors are quite striking on her and she should get to keep it. :-)

Here's Cindi wearing the sweater she made herself and her pug, Lucy, wearing a matching sweater. I'm not sure why Lucy is going the other way. Probably she wanted to make sure she said hello to everyone!

If you want to see more pictures from the show here's the blog I found these pictures on: