"British School Children Chic"

"British School Children Chic",
originally uploaded by TumbleberryToys.

Sometimes you just look at what people create and you wonder, "How do they do this?" What if they had never discovered that they had this amazing talent. What do you do if you want to buy every single thing they make and you can only have one or two. That's how I feel about Tumbleberry Toys. I will be closing this blog and opening a new one in a couple of months so there will be only minimal entries until then but some things you just can't pass up.

A fitting time to change gears

As it has been many months since I last blogged I decided to close this blog, however one does that? As you know from my blog, a lot has gone on in my life over the last year and surprisingly I am healthier and feeling a little better, despite a recent acquisition of a broken wrist (thankfully my left one which is NOT my dominant one). One learns to be extremely grateful whatever positive things can be taken away from tragedies, however large or small they are. Maybe because I am healthier and because of my wrist (and many other excuses) I haven't been quilting much and very much want to REALLY start. One thing I am promising myself is not to be working on more than two projects at a time. I have come to grips with the fact that I do get to bored to steadfastly stick to one but when two turns to four turns to too many it means you don't want to finish them and that is no longer true.

I will open another blog again, probably in the spring and although it will hopefully focus on quilting it will also be a little more broad. I have met some amazing people through blogging, quilting and Etsy and I intend to stay in touch with them through their blogs, Flickr site and Etsy shops. Thank you all to the people who wrote a comment to cheer me up. You don't have any idea how much those meant to me. To the people whose blocks I did not finish I do apologize and I do have them more than 3/4 finished so I will be sending them back to you to put the finishing touches on. I didn't intend to burden you with yet another thing to do and for that I'm sorry but I know how important it is to have a finished piece of work and to have people at least try to be true to their word and not just abscond with your beautiful fabric.

Stay warm or cool, wherever you may be. I am sitting looking out at a very dark, cold, snowy day in Rochester, New York thinking about getting on the sofa, under some blankets and watching a movie.

My best wishes to you for 2011 and may your hopes and dreams ripen in the new year!

YIP 365.208 :: Potholders

YIP 365.208 :: Potholders,
originally uploaded by stitchindye.

These potholders are inspiring. The combination of colors and fabrics is terrific and so is the quilting. I would want to hang them on the wall. How about making each one a block of a quilt. I would hate getting them dirty or worse yet, burnt. I want to learn how to make them.

I did it!

I am almost finished with my two blocks for my house bee. I am so excited that I actually finished them and I like them! Next month is my month and I think I bought enough fabric for about fifty people. What was I thinking? I love my idea although it is based on someone elses so it will be very interesting to see how 11 other people interpret it. I'm just so glad to be getting things done and I have so many ideas for the next few quilts and enough fabric for about 100 quilts and I keep buying more. I've become one of those crazy people whose stash is taking over the room. I just love the fabric and the colors and the way I start thinking about combining the fabrics. I wish I could do it all day, every day. Time goes so quickly when I quilt. Hopefully someday... Pictures to be added tomorrow.

Moving right along...

To everyone's surprise, especially mine, I've actually started a few quilts so I can feel even more scattered and overwhelmed than I usually do, but I actually like them all. Of course they are all for different people and different occasions and the occasions wll probably have long since been over when the quilts are done but at least they'll always have the quilts to remember them by. I have taken some pictures and as soon as they're in the computer you can take a look. I've started doing some crewel embroidery and hope to incorporate it into some of the quilts. It's a wonderful handy craft that's easily transportable. My youngest daughter is home for the week before heading back to school and I'm going to try to make her a skirt before she leaves, let's add one more project to the list. Does everyone do this or am I a small handfull of people who seem to get overcommitted very easily. To the person who wrote a comment on my last post, would you mind identifying yourself, at least by your blog name? Thanks. Enjoy the remains of summer. Winston got a summer haircut yesterday and looks like quite a handsome little guy. Pictures will have to be added. Saw "Eat, Pray,Love" today.
If you've never been to Italy,you have to go, even just for the food. There is not word to describe it, nectar of the gods. Oh what I would give for some pasta and Italian wine and of course, Gelato!!!

A New Craft Interest

I recently saw a book on Crewel Embroidery online so I ordered it. This turned out to be a great book with beautiful, modern Crewel designs. I did what I usually do when I get interested in something. I bought more books. Luckily and by chance, Rochester, New York has a fantastic store just for embroidery. They had everything I think anyone could want. The owner was quite knowledgable and when I showed her the book she was interested in why I got interested in this kind of embroidery as opposed to the more traditional embroidery. I told her that it generally went along with my style and I thought it would be a great addition to some quilting projects so she started me off with a hoop and thread. Usually I begin to get too anxious to start something at this point, afraid I won't be able to do it but we were going on vacation and it seemed the perfect time and size to try something new and so I did. As you can see (pictures to follow) I'm just at the beginning, but it's pretty easy and the shapes are fun and there are hundred, if not thousands of colors and types of yarn. Now I'm anxious to add a little embroidery to a quilt I started. I'll try it out soon. If you're interested in it, try it. It's really pretty easy. The book I bought first is entitled, "the new crewel by Katherine Shaughnessy. Have fun if you try it!

Where are the pictures?

I haven't gotten around to getting my camera and taking pictures of what quilts I'm working on and what I plan to work on. I think I'm going to change the name of my blog and the banner picture to more accurately suit what the blog represents or what I want it to represent so keep your eyes on it, the photos are coming. I think maybe a new camera that can get closer would be more helpful too. We'll see....

This Time for Real

To those of you who dont know (and that can't be anyone who reads my blog, which aren't many people), I've been in two car accidents where I was rear ended in 2007 and 2009. I won't go into all the gorey details but at age 58 I've ended up with a significant back injury which I only recently was told may not get any better than it is. I'm not the type to give up so I got a new physical therapist and contacted my old, wonderful Yoga teacher and my forever, terrific chiropractor and we're all going to work on building up my muscles which have forgotten how to work and stop the muscles which are working and causing me pain to stop working and give up their job to the muscles who are supposed to be working. My core muscles (meaning, now my very flabby stomach) don't even know they're supposed to be doing anything so they're in for a big surprise because it's their turn now! I feel after three years all of "my team" is on the same page and doing the same things to turn this body into the best body it's ever been. The injury will clearly never go away but it's the muscles that are the culprits now and with a lot of work (on my part) things can really turn around. It may take a while but I'm optimistic. I'm going to be one of those 95 year olds you read about doing all these miraculous athletic feats.

Onto quilting. I have taken three months off of work (since mid-May) since my back was getting worse and my doctor and I decided that my life, as it was, needed to be re-evaluated, which you can see that it was. I also rested and hoped to spend a lot of time quilting, which unforunately I didn't, not sure why, but c'est la vie. I now have several quilts started or fabrics and patterns picked out and I feel like I'm on my way. It's hard to stay focused since I'll never be someone who can make a quilt in a week (how I wish I could do that) and the most amazing quilts in the world at that and because new fabric keeps coming out all the time it's hard not to keep buying and buying and not doing anything but I've vowed to cut down my buying at least and start working on what I've got or I'll be one of those people on the hoarding show only I'll be buried in fabric.

I also promise to stop writing so much since no one likes to read all this stuff and start taking a LOT more pictures so today because it's a gorgeous sunny day me and my camera will show you what I've been up to.

I'm also going to change the format of my blog. This one just doesn't seem to work for me so next time you might not recognize me as the same blog but I'll just be an improved blog with a lot less words and a lot more pictures! For those few people who have read or read my blog, "thanks" and that's my other mission, to let people know I'm here so I can get to know more quilters. Since I had to quit the bees I was in I feel very isolated but not yet ready to rejoin the bee world, too much pressure since I wasn't doing any of my own quilting but I'll be back there next year, but will start with one bee, not three and see how that goes before I join any others.

For those people who have corresponded with me your emails mean more than you can know and if you've forgotten I'm here, I am and your emails are still the support that keeps me going.
Thanks to all those wonderful quilters out there who contacted someone they didn't know to let me know they were there for me.

New Beginnings

I've been out of work for a month now, exhausted from all the responsibilities of my job, home, family, etc., after being injured. I wanted to take this time to assess the condition of my physical and emotional health and adjust my schedule accordingly. I feel like I'm still at the beginning of this process but I have learned some things. The injuries I sustained from my two car accidents will be permanent. What will that mean? I won't know for a long time, probably years so I have to focus on what I have control over and can change and improve. I have just begun this process as well. Most importantly I have to pay attention to my body and follow what it's telling me to do. I will be thinking about who has been working with me, doing what and what, if anything has helped. Who are the caring people, who have some investment in my getting better. I will need their support and energy to heal. I've begun to assemble this group and will slowly be adding and deleting people. I want as much as is possible to be surrounded by people who are helpful. Unfortuantely, I am forced by the system to deal with car insurance companies, disability companies and medical care providers who complicate my life and whose aim runs counter to my goals. I am lucky to have found an extremely kind attorney who I believe is my guardian angel. His mission, which he has undertaken himself is as much as possible to keep the negative people away from me and manage them for me (thank you Joe!!) and to support me in my efforts to get healed.

I have actually begun to quilt. Of course in my spare time I've ordered more and more fabric but I have a few quilts I am actually working on and I'm feeling so happy about that. I had everything around me to get going but I couldn't. Now I am ready and I know I need to take this slowly and not start ten projects at once or they'll never get done. I do get bored easily and I know that it's okay to spend small amounts of time on a few extra squares or a drawing but not more than that. My focus is on getting quilts done, from start to finish, maybe working on two at the same time but no more!!!

Tomorrow pictures of my new beginnings. I think you'll like them. This feels right. I couldn't have done any of it wihout Winston, my true guardian angel who is with me always and when I feel desperate has kisses and snuggles ready to freely share. What a great little guy! Someone special brought him into my life. I can't help but smile and laugh out loud at his hysterical behavior and poses. He'll get me through this and I freely repay with kisses and snuggles as well.

I am not a religious person at all but I do believe that the goodness in people is what sustains us all. Why they are like that, why some of us can gain access to them and others don't seem to be able to, I have know idea but they have the power and as long as we leave ourselves open to receive their goodness

Taking a Break

I decided to withdraw from my bees with a lot of mixed emotions. I was getting farther and farther behind and because I wasn't quilting I wasn't seeing any of my own ideas get done either. Fabric kept arriving in the mail and got added to the piles on the bookcase but nothing was getting done. Now I'm slowly getting started again. I've cut out a lot of block of animals prints that will probably just be a block quilt. I've cut out smaller blocks of different fabrics to make a nineblock quilt and I've used one of my favorite Heather Ross fabrics that will be combined with a solid so at least I'm starting. I'm happy with that for now. My life has been hectic with my daughter home from college for a month and then off to New York City for a 10 week summer internship. When she leaves there's a baby quilt all cut up for a friend and my daughter's quilt that was supposed to be done for freshman year that I want to be done for graduation! On the days when I feel awful I just take a break and say I hope it will be a better day tomorrow. It is a glorious summer like week in Rochester in May so something has to be pleasing whoever is in charge!

New Beginning

In case you haven't noticed I haven't posted in a while. My life has felt like a whirlwind mostly centered around my health problems. I will be out of work for the next 6-8 weeks to "reorganize" my life and plan out what I need in my life and how to fit it in. While getting my health back is the most important goal my life cannot be just focused on that which means; working a reasonable work schedule, seeing friends regularly, reading and quilting. Next post will be pictures of fabrics and my ideas of what to do with them. I'm always open to suggestions. In there will be the quilt I started for my daughter when she started college three years ago. Well, it obviously wasn't ready for her to move in so now my goal is that it's ready for her first apartment. When I look at it now and realize how easy it is I'm not sure why I didn't keep working on it but we all have those quilts hidden away somewhere so we dont have to see them and be reminded. It's a Kaffe Fassett quilt with Kaffe Fassett fabric. I love it and always did. Now I look at fabrics and can see what shapes and what other fabrics would go best with them. Aside from my now large stock pile of mostly collections I want to do a green quilt, a grey and yellow quilt and... I'm not sure what else but there'll be plenty more. I welcome all suggestions, ideas for revisions, etc. Thanks.

What a pain!

Some of you know that I have back injuries due to being in two car accidents within two years (on the exact same date in 2007 and 2009) where I was rear ended while standing still. I herniated two discs in the first accident (waiting at a red light) and was recovering very slowly when I got hit again (waiting to make a turn). The accidents were in November. I hadn't been given the okay to return to physical therapy until about a month ago and I lost so much strength and stamina in the intervening time that for days after my second therapy session in a week (I go twice a week) I am in a lot of pain. Unfortunately what would make me feel better (aside from a hot tub) quilting, is also hard to do (sitting on a stool) when your back is hurting. Standing feels the best so I have a number of quilts cut but not much sewing done. I think I have some answers how to feel better so this week (thanks to a great physical therapist and chiropractor)I hope to get caught up on the three bees I'm in. Sorry guys, I'm doing the best I can. Actually knowing I need to get these done is a great motivator to do my best to feel better. Once I get going and get my hands on the fabric I already start feeling better. When I was lying around a lot I ordered a lot of quilting books (a LOT) so now I have even more ideas of what I want to do and more fabric (thank goodness for the internet) to do it with so here's to hoping to maybe a slow but eventual full recovery, although you'll probably never see me on a snow board or roller blades. Winston is the best medicine. The little guy just hangs out wherever I am giving kisses and lying down near me, keeping an eye on me. Looking at his sweet face just makes me laugh, what great medicine.

It's About Time

For the past two evenings I cut out small blocks for what will be my next quilt, I think. Meanwhile I have to finish my two blocks for the Fussy Cut Bee and my two minis for the Doll Quilt Swap and my first one for the NKOB (New Kids on the Block). I kept looking at my stash and at all these pattern books and just wanted to get going on something else. Getting these blocks done for the bee is so hard, I'm not sure why. I think I'm so anxious to get my hands on some of the bookcase full of fabric that I have. I picked out a book to write down my ideas for quilts and what fabrics I'm thinking of using. That way it seems real to my as if this is going to happen next, and then this one. I'm just that kind of person that feels more comfortable knowing what's happening in the future but then I'm just as likely to change my mind so I think it's just having a plan and of course I've bought more fabric in the meantime and you know how you just want to get your hands on the fabric when it comes in the mail so maybe it's just that phenomenon. Anyway, I cut up almost enough squares to make a baby quilt so maybe I actually will work on that next although I had promised myself to work on a quilt I started for my daughter when she left for college and next year she'll be a senior so now I promised myself it will be for her first apartment after she graduates. It's all Kaffe Fassett fabric so it's very bright but I do like the design a lot. I'll take a pictures of the squares I've got done and post them along with this post tomorrow and I'll take a picture of all the little squares I cut out too. Do you think when you're 80 your houses will be filled with all these quilts you've made and you've bought or swapped filling every closet and spare dresser, etc., I hope by then I will have given them all away except for the very special ones that I will want my children and grand-children to have. How'd I get onto this topic? The weekend is almost over and it's back to work tomorrow and I didn't get as much quilting time in as I had wanted to and I'd like just one more day. The day will come later in the week and I can be patient until then and keep looking at the cut out blocks and think about how I want to arrange them. There's always ways to change things and occupy yourself with different ideas. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Frustrated

I was already to get up and go but my body wasn't. As some of you know in the past two years I was in two separate automobile accidents where I was rear ended. I had back injuries from both of them and back surgery after the first one. The first one was two and a half years ago and the last one was in November 2009 on the same date as the first one! Isn't that creepy. I have good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks. The last few weeks have been bad ones. I'm okay standing to cut material but sewing has been too hard on my back. I'm looking for a chair that will give me back support but be low enought for me (5'1") and my sewing machine. I think I have finally found one. I have been in and out of all kinds of rehab but I hadn't been back to physical therapy until last week since the second accident so I've been really hurting this week but after a week I may be hurting but I'm moving more so I'm imagining how much better I'll be in a few months. I had hoped to get all caught up on my blocks this weekend but it didn't happen. I'm almost finished with my March fussy cut block and then I can start on April's. I have two doll quilts cut out and I just got the material for NKOB so I hope in two weeks I can get them all done aside from working on my own quilts. So if I'm late for the swaps and bees forgive me, I'm doing the best I can and don't worry I wont desert you. They will get done. If I thought I couldn't I'd let you know. Send good karma, prayers, chants, whatever you do my way. It would be much appreciated.

Time to Get Going

My older daughter raided quite a bit of my stash of fabric. She is not working in the career she was trained to work so money is quite tight. She has an interview this week at one of her ideal places to work so please keep your fingers crossed, pray, whatever you do on her behalf. The bookcase I had built for me by Dave of

I thought I'd show you some of the fabrics I've accummulated.

Busy, busy, busy

This has been such a busy month. We've had family visiting the last three weekends and so although I had time to organize my fabric and buy some new there hasn't been much quilting going on. Last week our younger daughter came "home" for four days and this week our older came "home" for four days. Three weeks ago my sister came to visit for the weekend. We still all call it home although especially for my older daughter it will probably never be her permanent home again. This summer both daughters will be together in New York City. The older one lives there and the younger one will be doing an internship there. They haven't lived in close proximity for a long time and since they are six years apart when the older one left for college the younger one was only twelve. I'm glad they are looking forward to being near each other and developing a relationship on an adult basis now.

DQS8

DQS8,
originally uploaded by sweetlibertygrace.

I saw this today on Flickr's doll quilt swap 8. What an inspiration. I wish I could put it on my wall next to my sewing machine. It has everything done to perfection. The sizing, colors and patterns and perfection in the cutting and quilting. Fantastic. I will at least print it and hang it on my bulletin board. I would LOVE an enire quilt of this. That would be awesome!

Triangles and stars

IMG00185.jpg,
originally uploaded by Butternutlake.

Last night I stayed up late looking at various peoples tutorials on making triangles and stars. There are so many ways to make them. These are the first things I saw when I got on the computer this morning. They are great and I hope I can get the instructions so i can begin to practice making them. I have a great idea to make a big quilt out of one or two of them. Congratulations Butternutflake!

It doesn't get much better than this

Thank you Red Pepper Quilts

You even find things underneath the quilts!

100_2675,
originally uploaded by ruthiequilts.

This was designed and completed by my special quilting guardian angel. She knew I needed someone looking over my shoulder and giving me a pat on the back and out of nowhere... there she was. I will be forever grateful to this marvelous lady.