One down!

Here is little Shane wrapped up in the quilt I finally finished for him. (He's 11 months old now -- at least I got it done before he turned one...) Behind him is the quilt I made for his older brother Trevor when he was born (I actually got that one done in time for the shower!)

Below you can see the quilt layed out. It has a wonderfully soft Minkee backing. So incredibly soft I almost didn't want to give it up!! It is a Terry Atkinson pattern called Pinwheels and Pearls. DH Lance even helped me tie it because I was stressing so much about getting done in time for Thanksgiving. We don't see our friends Bryan and Molly very often (Shane's parents) as they live in Clovis, CA. Since we were going that way for Thanksgiving, it was the perfect opportunity to give it then. I wasn't thrilled with the colors after I started piecing it, but as usual, by the time it was finished, I was very pleased.

Now onto the 3 other baby quilts I need to get done!

Happy Thanksgiving

I DID IT!!!!

Well, as many of you know, I have been planning a surprise 40th birthday party for my dear husband, Lance. In addition, I have been planning an elaborate "treasure hunt" all around Redwood City to get him to the party. Now, it isn't easy to surprise Lance -- he's pretty astute and since we're almost always together, it was quite tough. But I was able to flush out the details during work and class and it helped that he had been working late due to his union negotiations. I'm still excited that it all worked out. Here are the details (I had to run around Saturday morning and "plant" the clues, so here's how it went when I got home):

After a light lunch, I handed him this clue, which was titled "It begins..."

He ain't heavy... but he's got your next clue.

This took him to his brother's apartment, which is also located in Redwood City. (from the song "He ain't heavy, he's my brother") His brother handed him this clue (which I had previously e-mailed to him):

Go to your favorite coffee joint and buy yourself a small mocha. Then you will find your next clue.

This took him to Perx, which is a coffee shop near our house. They have punch cards (they punch for every coffee you buy and when you fill it up you get a free one) that you can keep there in a file box. I had attached the clue to the card, so when he paid for his coffee, he pulled the card and found the clue. It read:

Find the place in RWC where you are free to read up on any subject. Your path will be clearer than The Rosicrucian Mysteries when you find your next clue.

This took him to the library, where he had to look up and find the book entitled "The Rosicrucian Mysteries". I had planted a clue inside the book in an envelope. That clue read:

GIVING A LARGE ELEPHANT ONE TINY TREAT ISN'T SMART... better make it pizza!

Hee hee!!! This one was the hardest! He was stumped on this one for a bit. He even called me on my cell phone (which I told him to do if he was stuck). He asked my where on earth he was going to find a "peanut pizza"! I told him to look at the whole clue and that I was confident he would figure it out. Here's what it means: the first letter of every word spells out GALEOTTI'S, which is one of our favorite pizza places. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that they don't open until 4:00 pm on Saturdays. I had to tape the clue to the window and hope nobody took it before he got there. Here's what that clue said:

If you are savvy enough, you will find your love carrying your next clue.

This one was easy. We've been spending a lot of time at Savvy Cellar, which is a wine bar/shop in downtown Redwood City. I could go on about how great this place is, but that's fodder for another blog post. Lance's brother, Steve, had picked me up and we were waiting for him at Savvy Cellar. Lance strolled in about 20 minutes later with a big smile on his face. We stayed there for a bit and partook of a little wine (champagne for Lance), as we excitedly told our tale to Savvy's owner, Jennifer Ayre. After strategically holding him there for the appropriate amount of time, I gave him his last clue which read as follows:

It would have been a series of small miracles if you reach your final destination.

The party, which he still didn't know about, was at our old fav, Milagros -- a short distance from Savvy. Milagros are actually Mexican folk art religious charms, but the literal translation of the word is "miracles". It took him a bit to figure this one out, but I think he worked it backwards by knowing we were going to a restaurant and thinking of the names of the nearby ones.

Oh well. It was close enough for us to walk, so we slowly ambled over there. On the way, my sister surreptitiously called me to let me know they were (mostly) all there. We arrived right on time and Lance was quite surprised to see everyone there. The lunch/dinner started at 3:00 pm, so after all was said and done, it was still an early evening.

Which was good because you know those old guys can't party all night long like they used to!

Countdown

Countdown to the big day. Can't give specifics until afterwards.

Stay tuned!!!

Monkey Sewing Machine

A monkey sewing machine.

I have no words.

I'm getting teary...

Autumn Festival

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to advertise my quilting class at the Autumn Festival held at the Veterens Memorial Senior Center where I teach. It was an Open House event held on Saturday. They had about 25 boutique vendor booths, food, and various types of entertainment. The Center asked its instructors if they wanted to have a booth to advertise their classes. Barbara Hall, who teaches the quilting class on Monday afternoons, and I decided to split our time at the event with a "booth" showcasing some of our class projects. We handed about quite a few flyers and it looks like we will be getting some new students in January. I was a little surprised at how interested some people were in taking the classes. I snapped a picture of Barbara in the booth before I took over my shift. It was a pleasant day and I got to talk to a lot of very nice people.

On another note, our table was across from the Watercolor instructor, Guy Magallanes. What an amazing talent he is! He has a sparkling personality and huge talent. I hear that his class is very popular and is always very full. Check out his website if you have time.

The Art of Art

Lance and I had quite a discussion recently about what "is" and what "isn't" art. Or rather, what is one person's art versus another person's art. I won't get into the issue right here and now, but I wanted to share something with everyone. Now THIS, I consider art. Click on some of the pictures for a closer look.

The first rule of quilt club...

I can't imagine that there are many people out there who are quilters AND have seen the movie "Fight Club". The two things would seem mutually exclusive, but there are a few of us out there... The movie is a bit brutal, but it has one of those great twists at the end that make you think back through the whole movie and evaluate it in a completely different way. Anyhow, for those three or four quilters in the world who HAVE seen the movie, here is a link to an article from "The Onion" that you MUST read. Very nicely done.

PIQF 2006

We went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) over the weekend. Awesome. I look forward to it every year. People travel a long way to attend and I am very fortunate to have it right in my backyard. I took lots of pictures and Lance put them into a photo show for me. Let's see if the link works: PIQF2006

I tend to take mostly pictures of the more "arty" quilts. I tried to take some of the stunning traditional quilts as well this time. Unfortunately, a lot of the detail work (quilt stitches, small applique, etc.) just doesn't come out in the pictures.

Now I'm inspired all over again!

Love them boys!

I went to see my sister and nephews this weekend. They are getting so big! (the boys, not my sister) Jackson will be 5 in January and Maxwell will be 2 in December. Time really flies.


There was lots of playing in mud and picking up worms. A great time was had by all!

Awesome Weekend

Lance and I took a tour of some of the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries over the weekend as a getaway for our anniversary. The entire weekend was absolutely fabulous. Good wine, good food, good weather, and of course, good company. It was a great mini vacation without having to leave the bay area. I got to visit Natural Expressions, a beading and fabric store in downtown Los Gatos, too. They have TONS of fabric, but I think they could use some of their open space more effectively to display the fabric they have. Definitely a place to go if you are in the area.

We also visited our newest favorite winery, Burrell School. Every wine there is a winner, and not overly expensive. If you happen to see this wine for sale anywhere, I would strongly suggest you pick up a bottle.

Now I'm enjoying a day of relaxation off work and then to class tonight. What a great weekend!

Why didn't someone remind me??

I missed annual Talk Like A Pirate Day! It was yesterday. Think of all the fun. The the eye patches, the rum swilling, the bad "Arrgh" puns. I'm marking next year's calendar right now.

9/11

Oh Bear

I talked to Bear and told him that his adoring fans were requesting more pictures of him.

This is the response that I got.

In Other Words...

I have recently been hearing new terminology for our usual quilty lingo. I might have to start using some of these:

The Fabric Stash
* Fabric Inventory
* Fabric Pallette
* Enviable Collection

as in, "I must rummage through my Enviable Collection to find just the right print", or "I'm sure that I have Biker Frogs somewhere in my Fabric Inventory".

Ripping Seams
* Un-Sewing
* Reverse Sewing
* Deconstruction
* Frog Stitching (or Doing The Frog Stitch)

I have been hearing about Frog stitching for a while now (knowledge of which even won me a prize recently!!). When you need to take out a line of stitching, you need to "Rippit, rippit, rippit". Corny, but cute.

Any others I missed?