now in cyberspace. . . .

I have used wordpress for my blog over 2 years now, and the main reason I like it is because it allows me to respond to everyone’s comment – because it requires you to leave your email.  But for the past 2 years, my biggest frustation is the limitation I have with my layout and not being able to use java script widgets.  And now, I think I can let go of those comments who choose to be anonymous.

So, I’m moving my blog back to http://quiltingpirate.blogspot.com.  I had to do a lot of work locating it and reclaiming it as mine (I haven’t used it since blogger required you using your goggle sign in).

Please update your reader feeders and visit my new blog at http://quiltingpirate.blogspot.com – – – you can also Follow me now on blogger another bonus!

so who’s doing these Frosty Flakes BOM?  ME ME ME!

I purchased a pack of Japanese Christmas prints at Spring Quilt Market in 2009 and I thought this was the perfect project to use these!

How fun and cute and easy/quick to do…sorta 🙂  I spent last night preparing my mini hexies and what I did was use some of my old used 3/4″ paper piece hexies and took a 1/4″ off all their sizes and WAHLA – 1/2″ hexies papers!

Now I used my newest notion, Sewline  Glue Pen (I LOVE THIS PEN) to hold the fabric to the paper, then I started stitching while watching Eureka (I LOVE that show :)) and finished piecing my hexies!  Let me say this hexies is TINY 🙂

Now I have to go out today and shop for threads and bead to finish the rest.

Seeing Andee’s post reminded me.  When I took a 3 week class with Ms. Mimi Dietrich last summer, she showed us her book Baltimore Basics being spiral bound.  We (all in the class) were soo taken on how cool this was, she explained how to get it done.

The benefits, especially for books where you have to trace designs/patterns from, is that the book lays flat.  You can get it done at any office supply store, I went to Staples – it cost ~$1 to cut the back of the book off, ~$1.50 to put the spiral in and then for added protection,~$1.75 for front and back plastic covers.  So under $6 you can have a more versatile book to use.

I don’t recommend running out and doing this to all your quilting books – the cost would be a bit crazy, because I know we are all book worms, but definitely your most favorite books!

I started off with 3 of my favorite books,  Mimi Dietrich’s Baltimore Basics, The Best of Black Mountain, and (actually a fairly new one to me) The inklingo Handbook.  🙂

I already have the next few ready to go, once I find the locate Staples/Office Depot:

My husband has been traveling back and forth between Maryland and Tennessee and this weekend he brought the remaining books from my cabinet and now they are all safely together again.

What does your book case look like?

Anyone interested in playing along?  I’m been in a mind set that BOM’s are the way to go lately for me because I don’t have a lot of “me” sewing time and the time I seem to find is limited enough to work on one block, so looking at some other BOM’s to pick up and this new free one just came up and it have hexagons in it!  So, yes I’m interested in it. (click on image to see the first free pattern)

I’ll have my holiday fabric this weekend and so I’ll pick out some fun blue shiney fabric for this project!

Don’t have any quilty pictures today – though I did discover the project I will be making for a graduation presents next year, so time to start collecting fabric – but I found some summer pictures that were on my computer.

My family on the 4th of July:

My friend -Betty’s sunflowers

New home of my sunflower quilt – notice the hexagon quilt on sofa, made by my grandma

A summer rainbow last week

My hexagons?  I picked them up again last night working on one of the purple flower sections.  After seeing Ms. Betsy‘s post earlier this week it reminded me of this project.  I haven’t worked on it since school was out.

I realized I haven’t shared my progress since April and I have done a lot on it.  This project is officially 15 months old and hoping it’s done before it turned 2 years 🙂

If you want to see my progress, click on my tag: hexagons.  Here’s the original pattern:

I forgot about Kate starting this in July self pace/motivated round robin, but since I’ve been catching up on blogs, jumped on the bandwagon!

I got my piece done for July:

And added my piece for August – I decided I wanted my sunflower to be the center of this quilt, so I put the 4×6 piece on the right side:

You too can play along with this simple round robin based on the round robin I just posted about yesterday.  Check out Kate’s blog for further details.

Stay At Home Round Robin

I’ve enjoyed sewing for myself today and scrounging for fabric that would work…95% of my fabric is still in Maryland–hope to have that remedied by next weekend though.  I feel a bit incomplete with out my fabric palette to play with.

Well, I did another round of 15 months with RRBlogger Swap 2.  I’m still amazed I was able to actually finish it with all the turmoil in my life the past 10 months, even though I become 2 months behind.

I don’t have my journal for this swap with me, it’s still packed away in MD but thank you to all these wonderful ladies who make this piece for me:

Instructions	Who Added
Round 1: The owner of the RR makes the left top block/piece sized 4”x4”	Me – the flip flops
Round 2: Add a piece 5”x4” beside the first piece	Kate
Round 3: Add a piece 9”x3” below the first two pieces	Sue
Round 4: Add a piece 4”x7” on the right side	Karen
Round 5: Add two pieces below the others, 6”x4” and 7”x4”	Dawn
Round 6: Add two pieces below the others, 10”x4” and 3”x4”	Becky
Round 7: Add two pieces, 4”x3” and 9”x3” at the bottom	Sharon
Round 8: Appliqué something	Suzette
Round 9: Embroider something	Julie
Round 10: Add another appliqué and/or embroider something in writing	Jan
Round 11: Add anything else you think is needed. Add batting and backing, and baste the little RR	Amy
Round 12: Quilt the whole RR by hand or by machine	Debbie
Round 13: Add embellishment (buttons, lace, beads, etc.)	Margaret
Round 14: Add a sleeve and sew binding on the RR	Nancy

It hangs now in my most awsome bathroom, styled finally to something that means something to me.  I still need to put the label on it, but for now it hangs proudly.

Don’t think I’ll do another round.  I’m swapped out for a while until life finds me time again in the future.

I have been continuing with 2 swaps, once finished (and I’ll post it separately) and one is on going until next spring.  It’s a monthly towel swap and the process is we make 12 towels (using a plain towel and adding something to it) for a selected month (mine month is October of course) and mail them out, but every month we get a new towel for that month from someone else.  I have been receiving some great monthly themed towels over the past 5 months and I have to share them.  August towel should arrive in the next week or so!

April’s Towel by Krista  (sorry had to pull out of laundry basket to take a picture)

May’s Towel by Mary

June’s Towel by Rhonda (and it’s personalized)

July’s Towel by Barb

August towel is coming but Cindy was ambitious and got her September towels out this past week.

September’s Towel by Cindy

Can’t wait to see everyone  else’s towels….of course my towel will be next in line and I’ve got some great towels to use!

over the past year, I personally have had to deal with a lot of emotions and self growth.  Normally self growth comes when you think you can’t handle it, when it’s so challenging you want to give up and just fall back into the “safe” old routines/habits that were easier even though they might have been unhealthy.

Yet, I prevailed.  I became stronger and happier about who I am and where I’m going.  I’ve become a better mom and wife.  Got lost and found my way.

In this year long process I have decided to move to Tennessee with my girls to embark our new lives with happiness, hope, love and family.

Saying goodbyes was the one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I have never moved from a place of my own free will – while it was very empowering, it was sad at the same time.  My friends in Maryland (and one traveling friend) have been the best support system I have encountered in my lifetime and I know they will remain that way as I travel on.

I was surprised over and over the past month as I say my goodbyes with hugs and gifts from people.  I am humbled and blessed to have such beautiful people in my life and I never realized how I touched their lives as well.

I want to share (show off) my gifts and the talents of my friends to do these things totally obvious to me knowing….I’m still dumbfounded how “they” did this and I knew nothing!

Today’s gifts sharing is the quilt from Patches Quilting, where I have been employed for over 3 1/2 years (and continue to work via computer here in Tennessee).  Each block was done by one of my co-workers, the top was pieced by my boss -Jackie, it was quilted by Eleonore (the shop’s longarm quilter) who put everyone’s name in their block, it was designed by Sharon and bound by Carolyn.  Needless to say, when it was presented to me, I bust into tears.

(click on images to see detailed)

My goals are simple, work, play and enjoy life – – oh yeah, get back into quilting and blogging – – I have missed my online friends as well!