Happy Halloween! It's chilly outside and the only excuse I have for the slight blur is I was shivering! We had a great day...the kids both had wonderful parties at school and Rex and I went out for dinner.
I'm busy resizing and cleaning up pictures and trying to catch up on my groups and flickr groups. Stash Sunday is growing and the pictures are great! Be sure to visit!

I got all of this in the mail today (oh, happy day!) so it's my new "stash Sunday"...just under the wire for "old stash". The fabric my Mother in Law picked up in Alice Springs Australia (is that right Ellen) - anyway, it's cool, eh? The spools are really really really cool thread that Rhonda had on our retreat. Well I got online and ordered some and here it is....cool, eh? It already appears (some I got off Rhonda) on my New Orleans block...on the stripe section.

This is my self portrait Tuesday (keep in mind that the last guest had left only 4 hours before this photo). This was the "morning after" our party. I didn't really recover until about dinner time. No more big parties for a LONG time (famous last words, eh?)!!!

Okay, this concludes my weekly duties...I'm caught up now (for a day or two). I even updated the blog-roll on the Stash Sunday page. I'm so behind on everything, maybe if I knock off two or three things a week.....UGH! Stumble It!

I finally got a chance to catch my breath. Mainly because I'm leaving the house in chaos today. Our last guest left at 2:30am this morning....the Halloween party started at 4pm. It was a long, long, LONG day!

Anyway, the retreat was very fun and really productive. I think just not having my kids around (my sweet Matey Moo is hanging around my neck as I type right now) and being able to just sit and do needlework makes it very productive. Anyway, most of us were working on our blocks for the banner and of course I wanted to finish my "bags of fun" and my "new orleans block". So, here's my progress:

The first two are my banner blocks for the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters group banner (we're going to be at a show in Feb, so want something to identify us. Holly wanted us to do jewel tones (easy to see and generally popular - more on this in a bit) and so I did this green one (that's now kiddingly called my "St. Paddy's day block"!). There's beading almost finished around the edge of the hankie, but a LONG way to go on this one.


This ones what I made the most progress on...Rhonda taught me the most fantastic way of doing Silk Ribbon Embroidery flowers (kind of in the lower left corner...two pinks and a purple)..I've kind of fought with SRE...it seems SO easy and frankly working with the ribbon is a bit of a wrestle, but I'm totally excited by this technique. If I find some time next week, I'll do a little tutorial...she learned it at a class and so I'll dig up the teacher's name to give credit where credit is due!;-)
Then my "All that Jazz" block....which I've added several seam treatments to, and a very subtle, but cool looking embellishment on the stripe fabric....it's hard to see, but it's going to add some neat texture to the block. More to do here, but it's coming together I think.


I'm going to post this entry....I want to show you all the other gal's blocks, but Blogger is being temperamental, so consider this...to be continued!...... Stumble It!

I have been swamped this week....what with...hmmm, not sure! But today is the Halloween party. So, we're busy cleaning and such.

I can't believe I haven't even had time to post progress on the blocks and the retreat...tomorrow...I promise!

But anyway, here's a photo for my father in law of Missy C looking at the new baby monkey at the zoo. The kid's field trip took up most of Thursday (and frankly I was too exhausted to do anything after that).

Monday is marathon kid's Halloween parties and then life will be back to normal....whatever the heck normal is!
Stumble It!

Darn it, you know you have known someone your whole life when you both have the same fabric and made things out of it for our homes! Actually she and I just met, but I did think it was an amazing coincidence!

I'm up in Silverthorne and enjoying my stitching weekend! We've been listening to "Sweet Potato Queen's Field Guide to Men" which is perfect sitting around giggling and stitching stuff. Dinner is in the oven and although I brought my camera I don't have the cord to post while I'm up here, so photos will have to wait. Oh, and I had to order some of this thread...it's fabulous and Rhonda let me use some of it on my "All that Jazz" block. You'll all want some when you look at it - unlike normal metallic thread it's fabulous to stitch with!

We're going to conceal the location of our condo because if everyone finds this great deal (it's LOVELY up here!), it will book up and I won't be able to spend every other month for the next year up here! LOL!
Stumble It!

Be sure to take a look at this site/drawing. It's to this really cool drawing....be sure to sit all the way through it, the drawing skill is amazing and the flash is pretty neat too (perfect for computer art geeks!).

I'm off for a weekend in the Colorado mountains to stitch! We have lots of yummy food planned and Holly has rented videos of stitching techniques! I'm taking along 5 UFO's, so I'm hoping to get 3 done! (good goal?) The cool thing is that there is wireless high speed internet access up there so I'll be blogging as I go (I hope!).

Today's going to be a rush of laundry, running errands, etc. Be nice to hurry up to relax! ;-) Can't wait...more later! Stumble It!

The velvet is from one of my Grandmother's flapper dresses, we should have "feel-o-vision" here because it's the most lovely velvet ever. It's an odd rust orange color, but I love it.
The other I included because one of the joys of crazy quilting is you can use weird strips like this. I love the beadwork and the colors.
Stumble It!

Lots and lots of stitching yesterday - except for the 5 hours we went shopping! ;-) I want to thank Linda for all her great ideas...and LouAnne (I'm still working on your idea on the other block..no piccies yet!).

So, here's what I did:
This is another piece of lace I dyed in kool aid. I really like the purple color...it's going on my flower block (for the RMCQ banner)

This is also on that same block. Just a simple feather stitch with a variety of beads on it...I might add to it...not sure yet.
This is the first of my "solutions" to the cretan stitch. I was a little disappointed that my varigated silk ribbon was such a light green....but it still works. I'm still find silk ribbon really hard to control.
This is the progress on my "all that jazz" block...I'm still going to add more beads to the explosion, but was quite happy with my treatment on the crushed red velvet. I tried red beads at first, but it was WAY to subtle (hate to have that happen! ha, ha!)
So, lots of progress, but still heaps more to do! The good news is that this Friday is our stitch retreat and I get two days of pure stitching...can't imagine I won't finish or be really really close to finished by then. Stumble It!

Well this weekend I stitch or die! It's been one thing after another and I have 3 blocks to finish (not to mention the Bags of Fun which I have ideas for and have started, but have done almost nothing!!! So, there's no picture on this post for a reason....must get something DONE!

Anyway, in search of inspiration I've been hunting down stitch combinations...several of the places I'm looking are, Karen South's blog (great stitch combinations going up there right now!), Louanne Sassone's Webshots album (she has some great stuff in there that is beautifully executed), Chloe's Place (She always has lovely blocks to show! I want to see some close ups of St. Clare!!). Also there for inspiration is Sharon's Crazy Quilt Sampler and finally (after looking and looking) Sharon's stich combinations that she put together last Christmas.

I'm working right now with the Cretan Stitch (thanks to Sharon B. for her stitch dictionary) and trying to do different interesting things with it!

Does anyone else have any favorites? It would be totally self interested (but aren't blogs that by nature?) but I would love it if you have nothing to post today if you'd post your favorite stitch combination!! I need all the inspiration I can get this weekend.

This morning we're cleaning, but then I'm "hooking in".....progress pictures will follow! Stumble It!

See, it snows here, but it also melts pretty fast...so from a balmy 70 degrees at 5pm...we're back to "fall"!



Thanks for all the good thoughts on the cat and...apparently I'm not the only one this has happened to (see comments to the last two posts) - wow! Amazing what pets put us through, eh?

Anyway, he's better - we go for a follow up appt today and he'll have his stitches out in a week. I'm not even going to discuss the cost (although it's WELL under your friend's pet expense, Tina) , but we're glad we did it. Apparently the thing inside of him (which I now have possesion of) was like an artgum eraser. I have NO idea where he got it....but it looks like he chewed up 1/2 of it and swallowed the rest whole...which apparently was fine until it got to his intestines. Heavens, animals and pets...aren't they a handful!!!

No stitching done, but this weekend, I hope to hook into my two big projects, the New Orleans block and the blocks for the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilt banner. The great news is the following weekend we're ramping up for a retreat in the mountains with the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters. We're going to work on unfinished projects and eat...plus, there's an outlet mall there! Cool, eh?

NOTE: I hate it when it takes me 4 hours to post something because of picture "issues"...ugh. Stumble It!

Those of you who reacted with shock and horror and my last picture of our recent snowstorm will be glad to know that it's all gone. It was really reminiscent of a sloppy spring snow and when I went to clear our walks it was like shoving off big shovel's full of water. There was some damage...broken branches, etc, but nothing horrible and back to the business of fall. For those who have never been here, this is what Colorado's like...80 one day and snow the next....the good news is that it will be 75 on Friday.



Oh, and the cat is ok. After surgery and an overnight in the vet hospital, but he's ok. He did swallow something of the kids (apparently white and rubbery) and I'll be interested to see and identify it when we go pick him up. I know...eager to see something that's been "inside" my cat! :-) But on the other hand, I DON'T want this to happen again! :-)(I'm not even going to discuss the cost!)

This is care of Arlee's blog, but bears a note if you missed it. I've been wanting to do fabric postcards and here's a spiffy little "to the point" tutorial at: Red Shoe Ramblings: How To Make A Fabric Postcard DebR Style. Obviously injecting your own style, I think it's a pretty good all around lesson. And if you're in learning mode, Sharon has posted a wonderful summary on Embellishments in Crazy Quilting...she is so wonderful at explaining this sort of thing, and if you have a cup or two, go back in her "lessons" and there's information to get any budding crazy quilter started! Stumble It!

This is my contribution to "Stash Sunday"....cool, eh? I bought it a year ago at a show and still have NO idea what I'll ever use it for, but I get it out and fondle it ocassionally! :-)

This is what we woke up to this morning. Personally, I love it, but I know many don't.

I've had a weird day, the cat has been throwing up and so I finally took him and 2 1/2 sick kids into the vet and it appears he's swallowed something. We can't tell anything from the xrays, so we're going to wait and see what happens tonight...hopefully he'll be a lot better....cross your fingers for us! Stumble It!

Today was Our Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters meeting and thanks to Holly, I made this:

It was done with a paper template doing paper piecing, which I have decided I really dig. I even enjoyed sewing it up on the machine! It was cute and productive. Not sure what I'll do with it, but maybe 4 of them to create a little wall hanging? I've actually had a pattern for forever of 4 little ladies in a row that uses the same technique and I could never quite work out how it all went, so now that I have the basics I think I'll try that one!

Oh, and before I move away from the doings of the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters...I want to welcome LouAnne to the Blogosphere! I've been nagging her for AGES to get up and running! LouAnne is a valuable long-distance member of the RMCQ group and even though I met the one chance to meet her, I feel like we know each other! Big wave LouAnne! Also, you all may remember my post on ruching I did forever ago (I still get more traffic to that post than any other...can you believe it?), but LouAnne was responsible for 75% of the information on that one!

There's also some progress on my "All That Jazz" block. I haven't made near as much headway as I'd hoped, but more is planned out than I have pictured here, and if all goes well, I'll do some work tonight.

This is a sax that I found in clip art, I hand appliqued it on and did the embroidery on it. I still am going to add some more lines out of the horn and I think musical notes flowing onto the next square, but still not sure....

This is going to be a "bead explosion" at the bottom of the photo...again, not done, I'm going to work it up into the photo.

On top of this, I pieced the 2nd block I'm contributing to the banner for the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters. I used another hankie. I'm beginning to like using them to break up weird spaces. It's not tacked down yet, but I think it looks pretty good there. I'm thinking of busting out of my normal rut and doing a very flowery block on this one.

I'm also playing with flickr and photos and how they lay out on the page. I may change the positions of the photos a few times on this post, so if they move around, it's not you! :-) Speaking of which, our Yahoo group is going great guns! I think I'll try to put together a tutorial out of the information...not sure how that will work yet tho! If you need help or want to offer it, feel free to join up! Stumble It!

I got a bit of feedback from my last post (which hasn't been up for long) and I'm going to send out an invite to all of the "Bloggers who Embellish" so here's an invite for anyone out there to the new "Bloggers Who Embellish" help! This is a Yahoo group and I've configured it so you have to ask me to join (hit the Join group) button at the top. You'll have to send me a little message...just say "member of the ring" or "read your blog" or something meaningful! I'm trying to avoid any weird blog spammers or anything joining!

Sharon B has graciously accepted my invitation to help field questions and I'd love any of the rest of you with any knowledge of other blog packages (I've invited a few of you, but speak up if you can help...or just join!). Sharon also had a great suggestion that we blog about any of the more frequently asked questions so that we can share it out into the blogosphere for all to see and read up on! :-) So, if you have problems joining or whatever, please leave me a note here or email me. But I'll try to update you all on common "issues"! Stumble It!

It's been a busy week in the blogosphere....lots of stuff to share!

First, there is some fantastic eye candy from Val over at dyeing 2 sew - absolutely LOVELY bag. I'm pretty sorry at silk ribbon embroidery. Probably because it looked dead easy and frankly the application of it is quite a bit more difficult...especially if you use the lovely fragile looking ribbons.

The second really cool thing (and I hope you'll all participate) is my new friend Samantha is starting a "stash Sunday". I don't know about you gals, but sometimes on Sunday I'm in the middle of a project without much to post, so how about pictures of your favorite stash! I've got some cool ideas for this Sunday! Everyone join in, could be VERY cool - I'd love to see what everyone is hiding!

The last announcement I hope will be the most helpful, I get a lot of fledgling blogger questions. Sharon had a wonderful thoughtful post about the proliferation of Young knitter/bloggers and the fact that the other needlework areas are growing, but slower.

One major issue here is the lack of computer savvy in some "would be bloggers". I have been really loose with "bloggers who embellish" webring (which I manage by the way! ;-)) and allow people who have a hard time posting the ring code etc. I'd thought about putting together a complicated tutorial, but not sure how easy it is to read and it's not interactive (plus, I really need to stop sleeping so I have more time!

SO! I have created a Yahoo group for Q&A's about blogs. I'm working on a little expert panel (I really only know blogger) who can answer questions I don't know. When I get the "experts" on board, I'll post here and send out a few invitations to anyone who has questions...beginning or advanced on blogging! Let me know what you think of this idea! I just thought of it over a cup of coffee, I have the group up, but not much more...love to hear all of your thoughts.

I do think I'll restrict conversation so we don't get too chatty. I'd love for it to be a really useful Q&A board so people can even search and find quick answers! Stumble It!