Fall Classes

Fall classes are underway at Cathy's. I have 4 students taking my Quilting 101 Class. We are making a two color, two block quilt. The sample quilt is red and white I made from some reproduction fabrics. Three folks came to the first Block of the Month class with five more signed up for the "last chance" class coming up this Wednesday. Color Me Happy is the 2011/12 Block of the Month. The quilt sample is very colorful and a BIG change from the repro fabric I have been working with this year. lol 

Happy Quilting!

Quilts for Cathy's

Quilting 101 Class ~ Sample Quilt

Close up of machine quilting

Close up of feather quilting

Label on back of class quilt

Starting this Fall ~ Quilting 101. These are pics of the class quilt I am teaching at Cathy's Sew and Vac in Chico, CA. A two color two block quilt. Class 1 ~ Beginning with the Basics is on the schedule to start September 18, Sunday at 12:30pm. Classes 2, 3 and 4 are at the same times for October 2 and 16 and Nov. 6. All the classes are posted on the websites calender:
http://www.cathyssewandvac.com/module/events.htm?pageComponentId=75928&month=9&year=2011

Also on the schedule is the new Block of the Month. Each class will be on the First Wednesday of each Month. We made our first block last Wednesday. We set up an additional make up class scheduled for Wednesday September 28 for a few folks that were not ready for the first class. Here is a pic of the BOM quilt top. It's not quilted yet...

The sample quilt made for the Block of the Month

 If you are in the Chico area and would like to sign up for either class, there are openings available. Check out the website for contact info to sign up. http://www.cathyssewandvac.com/ or stop by the store. The sample quilts are hanging up in the classroom at the store.

Also displayed is the quilt I made with the embroidered blocks made by the Embroidery Club at Cathy's.

Arron Clark Memorial Quilt hanging at Cathy's Sew and Vac

Close up of some of the embroidered blocks

Close up of my machine quilting

Label on the back

This is one of several quilts made and donated by quilters in the Chico area. All of these quilts are being raffled as a fundraiser to raise the funds to purchase and set up a Fallen Soldier Memorial in Chico. Find more info and links about the fundraiser and Arron Clark on Cathy's Sew and Vac website.

Hi Nancy! Thank you for the nice comments on this quilt. (and no voo doo going on in my studio ;0)

These 3 quilts and setting up classes have kept me busy. Our Chico guild, Annie's Star Quilt Guild has a bi-annual Quilt Show. Our next show is this Fall, October 22 and 23, 2011. That's keeping me busy too along with my new position on the guild's board of directors.

I have to admit that I have taken on way too much but it's work that I enjoy, I love teaching and it's all related to quilting... it's all good. Soon I will get back to my BOWs... ah, there is that darn carrot again ;0)

grumpy

Last two weeks have been crazy busy. Had a great time visiting friends in Tahoe. Window treatments were completed when I returned. Guild meeting last night. My quilting classes and the Block of the Month are posted on Cathy's Sew and Vac's website.  http://www.cathyssewandvac.com/  Today I quilted the beginning quilting class quilt and it's ready for binding. The BOM top is hanging up at the store, there is a picture of it on the website. New is a quilt I made using embroidered blocks made by the Embroidery Club at Cathy's Sew and Vac. I did an alternate square in a square block and set them in a pieced inner border that makes up a sawtooth/Ohio star pattern design. Also ready to be quilted. This quilt will be raffled as a fund-raiser. The owners at Cathy's Sew and Vac are organizing this to raise the funds to put up a fallen soldier memorial for a Chico soldier, Arron Ray Clark, killed in action.

Glad to hear from family and friends on the East Coast are OK. My cousin Iteke who lives in upstate New York, she and her family are fine. They had a wedding that weekend and she had several house guests. They are always prepared and have a generator. Donna in PA was not effected. Daniel and Georgine were in Vermont and had water cut off when a bridge was washed out and the main water line was cut. They were able to make their way back to New Jersey and are safe in their condo there. They will be headed back to Texas after the holiday. Very happy to see Aunt Reen is doing well after surgery, no major damage from Irene and stitching some beautiful red work blocks.  

Had some issues come up with my mom that are in the process of being resolved.

Simply too much for this tiered old soul

What is making me really grumpy... I am not working on either of the BOWs. I keep thinking, this will be the weekend I can work on MY quilts... but it looks more like it will be one more weekend. A carrot at the end of a stick!!!

grumpy ... grumpy ... grumpy

Thoughts and Prayers

going out to everyone on the East Coast of the US 

Sunbonnet Sue Quilt

It's Friday! Yipee!!!
Lots accomplished. Monday, finished the blocks for the Block of the Month planned at Cathy's Sew and Vac. Tuesday sewed all the blocks together with sashings and borders so the top is complete. Took it over to Cathy's and forgot to take a picture of it! We hung it up in the classroom in place of my Black, White and Red All Around quilt from my Quilting 101 class. Brought that back home and plan to show it in the Annie's Star Quilt show in October of this year. Helping a quilter that came into Cathy's with a Sunbonnet Sue quilt as a favor to the store.

A few years ago I joined Annie's Star Quilt Guild, a guild in Chico, California, USA. It's a large guild with over 200 members. This month I was nominated and voted onto the board. Thursday was my first board meeting, with the new and outgoing members. Will be interesting to serve on the board for the next year.

This afternoon I worked on window treatments, valances. Will finish those tomorrow to have them ready for installation.  I am taking a few days off next week and spending them with my BFF Sally in Tahoe, celebrating a friend's birthday. Time to recharge my spirit with some mountain time!!!

Marilyn, if you read this, let me know if you are still up in the Tahoe. Your cell doesn't get reception up there. We should get together at Penny's shop, Quilting Tahoe. That would be great!

Have a quilty weekend! Will catch up with Civil War BOW and sampler next week.

Red Eye Distraction!

A great weekend with some wonderful "new to me" finds!

Some felted wools, wool roving, some primitive threads and patterns. Very yummy! Also Civil War fabrics purchased at an estate sale. Patterns, tools and a whole bunch of paper piecing supplies. Some rulers and tools that I already have, however these are in much better shape than my worn down tools!

But the best of all... a Red Eye. Always wanted a treadle that I can actually sew on!

This is a 1916 Singer Red Eye that I found in a new Consignment shop that just opened last week in Chico. Model No.66 born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Cabinet is in pretty decent shape and it's a 7 drawer. Nice wood details... and the drawers are stuffed with all sorts of buttons, needles, bobbins and all the attachments. No manual. I may have one, not sure if I kept it or sold it with an electric No.66 that I sold because there was too much to change it to a treadle.

The top of the cabinet has some rings... why is it that people feel compelled to set plants on treadle sewing cabinets!?! However, the veneers are in excellent shape, no bubbles or peeling, not even much crazing.  The metal stand has some rust and is very dirty. I have another treadle with a better stand that is exactly the same so I plan to switch them out. My goal is to have a treadle that I can actually use, not just for collecting.

This is a Singer I brought back from Texas last year. Originally from Wittenberg (Prussia) Germany. Only known history is that production began in 1908, all records were lost. The decals are unusual.

The 5 drawer cabinet is in decent shape. Some crazing in the varnish. This machine was found in the hot attic of a house in Houston, Texas. The metal stand is in excellent shape and turns smooth. The machine is not in as good of shape. Both of these cabinets have the pull out instead of the drop down middle drawer.

There were 2 small old oil cans in the drawers of the Red Eye... so now with a third oil can that was found in yet another 5 drawer cabinet I found a long long time ago, I do have a collection of oil cans. That cabinet did not have the original machine in it any more but it did have all the attachments and the manual for a No.66 in the drawers. The manual I hope I still have... lol So you see, I have been working on this for a long time!!!

Now, back to work and why are there not enough hours in the day?!!!

August already!

Over the weekend, finished the binding on the Flower Power quilt.

 Flower Power with binding

Can't believe it's August already. The weather has been so weird. Our tomatoes are just starting to come in. Normally I would have lots of salsa made by now. Do have lots of squash, nothing stops them. lol We had the last of the corn for supper this evening. Again, "normally" we would have had a second planting going by now. Beans are at the top of the trellis but no flowers yet. Very weird.

There are Civil War blocks cut. Drafting a pattern to make this weeks block. Empty Spools. Original block is a single spool. By Saturday afternoon there were 3 different variations, by Sunday, there were at least 7!!! I guess the up side of not keeping up is that I get to see what everyone else has done and then decide how I want to make my block. Instead of the single spool, I plan to draft a block similar to the one Justcruising made. It has 4 spools with a center square fussy cut with a flower. Very nice and I feel a better scale with smaller pieces, more like all the blocks made so far. Fun! here is a link to see the latest blocks posted:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/civilwarquilts2011/