More Gifts for Me

Officer Thank You Gifts
Officer Thank You Gifts

These are not birthday gifts or any sort of holiday gift; this bag was given to me by the officers in the guild for coordinating the thank you bags at the end of their terms. They made me a bag and it is fabulous.

The bag itself is a Poolside Tote and it is in perfect colors for me: turquoise and scarlet. The blocks, which fit perfectly are from a mystery quilt the guild did on my first retreat. My blocks were less than stellar and have long since been made into a donation top.

I received a number of pouches, some chocolates, candles, pens, a journal and a few other odds and ends.The fabrics chosen were fabulous and I think I will be able to use everything included in the gift.

I was completely surprised and somewhat mortified as I really don’t like to open gifts in front of people. Also, I don’t do things in the guild that I don’t enjoy. I feel very strongly that the officers should be thanked in a meaningful way and the bag idea is very fun. It leaves a lot of room for creativity. Everyone can contribute in the way that works for them. the officers don’t end up with an ugly quilt or a bunch of blocks.

More Quilty Birthday Gifts

2020 Gifts from Julie
2020 Gifts from Julie

I should have known before I posted that I would get more quilty gifts than I showed on Tuesday. I went out to lunch with Julie and she brought me a giant amount of presents. That 20.5 x 20.5 ruler has been on my list for a long time. She found it on sale and bought herself one , too. She also added to my collection of color books. I am really excited about everything – about reading or trying out everything.

Surprisingly, DH got me two quilt books. I had heard about Circular Abstractions a few months ago and just put it on my list on a whim. There are no patterns, so it is all eye candy. Lone Stars 3 has been on my list for a long time. It is also a no-pattern eye candy book and it is thick. There must be a few hundred quilts in that book. I took a look at both the other night, but not enough to review. Look for those soon.

Thanks for the Zipper Pouch

Zipper Pouch from Angela
Zipper Pouch from Angela

I was pleased and very surprised to receive this belated Christmas gift from Angela. It meant a lot to get it on a random date in March instead of with the onslaught of other Christmas gifts. I am not sure what I did to merit such kindness, but I love this pouch and am very appreciative.

She made the Trixie Zipper Pouch from one of the Crafty Gemini  most recent bag club. I am not a member and making it never crossed my mind. Still, I am so pleased to have received it

You will notice how well she knows me when you see the fabric. That is a Philip Jacobs print and I love the way she fussy cut it so the flower is the star of the pouch.

Trixie Pouch open
Trixie Pouch open

Angela also said she adjusted the size of the netting on the inside so that spools of Aurifil thread would fit. This is so great, because I can fill it with Aurifil I may use on a project (e.g. the Tarts Come to Tea uses a lot of different threads) without hauling my giant thread box with me.

And, yes, the fabulous Angela put a spool of thread in there for me as well.

Also, look at those stripes!!! Aren’t they awesome? Great use of fabric and the light fabric makes it easy for me to see inside the pouch.

Zipper Pouch from Angela- zipper pull detail
Zipper Pouch from Angela- zipper pull detail

Angela also changed the zipper pulls. I know there are tutorials out there to do that, but I have never tried it and am really impressed with the attention to detail. I found video tutorial by Crafty Gemini that includes changing a zipper  pull, but also has other tips for zippers such as resizing them.

Gifts for Me – 2018

I got a lot of nice quilting gifts for Christmas. I know that seems like a long time ago, but I have been posting like crazy on other topics. I never know what is of the most interest to you. Gifts to me seem trivial compared to what I am making and other quiltmaking thoughts I have. Thus, this is the first chance I have gotten to sit down and show you what great family and friends I have.

Christmas 2018 gifts for me
Christmas 2018 gifts for me

Mostly the family gave me books. I have some good ideas for using the Quick Curve Ruler from the two books I received.

I really need more bookshelves. I am working on updating my database so it includes all of my books, but things take time.

The book on the upper right hand corner is a book called Ode to Color and I am hoping to use that for creativity posts on Fridays. I haven’t done anything about it yet.

Gifts from Julie-2018
Gifts from Julie-2018

Due to my crazy travel schedule, Friend Julie and I didn’t get together until almost the New Year to exchange gifts. She bought some of these gifts right under my nose!

I am really appreciative that my friends and family respect and support this crazy passion of mine.

Gifts from Friends

The BAMQG Winter Extravaganza-palooza was the weekend of the 9th. I had a great time.

Casserole Carrier by Sue S
Casserole Carrier by Sue S

I also got the most amazing gift. Sue S made me a casserole carrier. In the carrier was a casserole dish with a wine cake in it! This is the most amazingly generous gift I could ever imagine. I was shocked (in a good way) and thrilled. It was just what I wanted.

The spoons act as handles and servers. My DH thought this was hilarious, but I am determined to use it sometime soon and show him how fabulous it is.

Casserole Carrier (open) by Sue S
Casserole Carrier (open) by Sue S

The carrier opens up and becomes a hotpad. It is perfect.

I also love the red casserole dish. The colors of the carrier and the dish go well in my kitchen.

The best part of the gift was the card that Sue wrote. She said that I was the first person she met in the guild and that I took her around the first time she came to the meeting. I showed her where everything was: the food, the charity project, the free table and introduced her around. I am ashamed to say that I don’t even remember. I do that so often so automatically. I am thrilled that she remembered that kindness. She is a good member of the guild and I am glad I started her off on the right foot.

Wine Country pillowcase
Wine Country pillowcase

As a bonus fire victims in the Wine Country also win, because we wrapped all the gifts in pillowcases, which will be donated to an organization that will distribute them to Wine Country fire victims.

Christmas Quilt Gifts

Christmas Gifts 2016
Christmas Gifts 2016

We celebrate Christmas, in case you hadn’t noticed. I received a few quilt related gifts, which was very nice.

I am excited about the Make It, Take It book, because I want to make that tote on the front. It reminds me of a tote that Angela made, which I also like.

The Hack that Tote book will also come in handy, because I can’t seem to stop changing bag patterns I made.

Chatelaine Scissors from Rhonda
Chatelaine Scissors from Rhonda

I am particularly pleased with the scissors and lanyard Rhonda gave me. I needed an extra pair of scissors for my Craft Night kit and these are perfect.

Chatelaine Scissors with Sheath from Rhonda
Chatelaine Scissors with Sheath from Rhonda

The best part is that my Scissor Sheath pattern fits perfectly on these scissors. I need the Sheath so I don’t stab myself when wearing the lanyard. I plan to add other things to the carabiner as I come across useful items.

Gift Post #1: Gifts for Me

Christmas 2014 Gifts
Christmas 2014 Gifts

I got a nice group of quilt/sewing related gifts for Christmas this year. It was also the right amount of stuff.

I really wanted that Scrap Basket Beauties book after seeing one of the quilts made up during a visit to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove with Friend Julie. The Young Man came through for me. I want to make the quilt I saw, perhaps in turquoise and red? Perhaps 2015 will be year of the turquoise and red? It isn’t as though I have a shortage of those colors of fabrics. 😉

The fabric in the upper left hand corner is some solids from American Made Brands. My mom found those and I am really pleased to have a few pieces with which to play.

DH got me some Kindle books from the Angela Walters machine quilting series. I will never be a serious machine quilter, but I got a glimpse of those books and think they will be really useful in my endeavors. I took over the Young Man’s iPad 2 (upgrade from my iPad 1 after he got an iPad Air for his birthday) and have been slowly reinstalling my apps including the Kindle app.

DH thought the rotary cutter was cool and thought to get some refill blades (always useful!) as well. The nice stiletto was in my stocking and I have been using it instead of my seam ripper, which I always used to push patches through my machine when corners were flipping the wrong way.

Mrs. K had good and interesting results with the Cutting Corners ruler, so I thought I would try it as well. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I feel very fortunate. Thanks, everyone!

Gifts for Me

Scrissors from Paul
Scrissors from Paul

I am finally getting around to posting the gifts I received for Christmas. It was actually, comparatively, quite a haul. DH and I didn’t really buy each other very many gifts. We usually buy a big gift for the house instead of individual gifts, but we couldn’t really think of anything we wanted. I want a new bed frame, but DH isn’t enthusiastic, so we are still at an impasse.

 

Batiks from Mom
Batiks from Mom

You can give me batiks any time! Yum!

Kona from Amanda
Kona from Amanda
Quiltworks fabric from Paul
Quiltworks fabric from Paul

The above fabric from from a shop in the City to which I have never been. I have heard that they buy up partial bolts from shops that are closing. They also have space that they rent to those who want to have an event. Now that DH has been, I will have to go as well.

I also received 3 quilt books: Quilt Maps, Little Bits Quilting Bee by Kathreen Ricketson and Quilting Happiness. Look for reviews in the not too distant future.

Not Gloating

Dec-Feb Books
Dec-Feb Books

I love books, am coming to love eBooks and Kindle books, but I just generally love books. I try not to buy too many regular fiction books as the Library has a perfectly good collection and I, mostly, don’t read fiction books more than once.

My downfall is quilt books. I love quilt books. I used to buy every quilt book that came out. That was in the dark ages before a new quilt book came out every week. Now I have to pick and choose and still they overflow my shelves. Still I keep acquiring them. I love quilt books.

I promise I am not gloating, but I wanted to share with you the books I received as gifts or bought with gift cards I received over the holidays and for my birthday. Most were off of my wish list, which I am thrilled about.

I am part way through Adventures in Leaders and Enders and have marked blocks I want to make in Modern Blocks. Of course, I’ll do full reviews eventually, but I have to say that Bonnie K. Hunter does a nice job slipping tricks and tips into her book. I am using the Color and Design book in my preparation for the podcast series with Sandy. I will use Transparency Quilts for the color segment when we get there.

Setting Solutions has been mentioned to me several times, so I finally bought it. I thought I saw today that Sharyn Craig had another book on the same subject, but I don’t remember where I saw it and can’t find it again. I am sure that Setting Solutions will provide adequate insight on the subject.

I still have some hope that I will, someday, renew my acquaintance with machine quilting. Foolproof Machine Quilting is bound to be a good choice for that. Mary Mashuta is an knowledgeable teacher and clear writer.

I heard about How to Keep A Sketchbook Journal on Mark Lipinski’s Creative Mojo and it is a beautiful book. It feels beautiful and the drawings are inspiring.

I think drafting is a really important skill. Sally Collins is a meticulous quiltmaker who works in miniatures. Her Drafting for the Creative Quilter will be a great addition to my teaching materials.

I have a lot of good books to which to look forward this year!

More Christmas!

from Julie
from Julie

In addition to the group of gifts I already received,  Julie and I had our annual parking lot exchange of Christmas gifts after CQFA last weekend. I gave her the partially done Purple Journal, which seems a bit pathetic after I saw what she gave me!) and she gave me this plethora of quilty goodness.

I want to use the Mary Engelbreit panels to make journal covers. A little Mary Engelbreit in the morning is always a good way to start the day, in my opinion. She also bought me a desk needle threader. Yes, it is getting harder for me to thread my needles. I blame it on poor lighting in my living and work rooms.  I am constantly breaking the wire hand held ones, so this will come in handy. The ruler allows the quiltmaker to make wonky 9 patches. Julie and I have started to cut patches for each other. She cut Eye Spy patches for me. I cut Eye Spy patches for her. Now we are cutting Windmill patches for each other.

The final cool thing is a little package of Timtex. Who doesn’t need Timtex? I want to try making a journal using Timtex instead of a manilla folder. We’ll see if it works.

Half Moon Street from TFQ
Half Moon Street from TFQ

I am a lucky girl to have a friend who gives me gift certificates for fabric.I think we should all have a friend like that. 😉 I bought this bundle using the Intrepid Thread gift certificate from TFQ.  I love receiving gift certificates for fabric. I don’t feel guilty about buying it when I use the gift certificate.

I feel very fortunate to have such nice friends. Still, I can’t help, but look forward to my birthday. 😉

Gifts for Me

Christmas Gifts 2009
Christmas Gifts 2009

Here are some of the Christmas gifts I received and bought for myself this year. I don’t have reviews for them yet, because I have really only just glanced through them. I will look forward to reviewing these books in detail and you can look forward to them in 2010.

I talked briefly about Journal Bliss in a previous post. Dolores brought her copy of this book on Thursday when we met so I had a chance to look through it. Some of it is pretty basic, but I love the bright and cheery layout. After Dolores and I parted, I stopped in at Borders and bought it.

Julie was kind enough to give me Fearless Design by Lorraine Torrence. Lorraine gave me the rule “make visual decisions visually”. She and TFQ know each other via the quilt world, so whenever we are together and see Lorraine we are able to have a little more than a writer-customer conversation. Last time, at APNQ, we discussed her desire to have made the book longer and I suggested putting additional information up on her blog/website. I don’t know if she ever did that.

I received a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. I don’t normally shop there, but decided that I would immediately sit down and buy as many books as I could with the gift card. With the card and about $3 I was able to add 3 books to my library. The first is Freddy & Gwen Collaborate Again. I wrote up a bunch of notes to write a review during my week away, but can’t seem to find the actual review on the blog. Perhaps I never got to it! I’ll have to dig up those notes and write the review for you. Look for that sometime.

TFQ gave me Amy Karol’s book, Bend the Rules with Fabric. Angie at the Quilting Loft had Amy Karol (of Angry Chicken fame) here for a reading and signing and TFQ got a copy for me and got it signed!

Amy's Dolls
Amy's Dolls

This is more of an inspiration book for me. A lot of the projects require some kind of fabric manipulation. Since I am generally opposed to messes, I don’t do that stuff at home. However! I am open to the possibilities and would work with someone else on dyeing and painting etc. The photo shows one project that I really want to try! These are dolls where you use photos of the heads of family and friends. I love this idea. My great niece, “Henry I”, lives in Maryland. She has never been out here and it is has been awhile since her parents have been out. I was thinking that it would be great to make a set of her cousins (11) using this idea. I also think that one of my nephews might benefit from a sister doll when his sister goes off to college in the Fall. Getting the heads on the body (provided) looks like it requires some Photoshop so I may need Natalie to help me. Cut and paste may work, too. In general, this project is a lot of work, so I am not committing to anything more than thinking it is a great idea. If I do it, it might be the impetus I need to learn more about Photoshop Elements.

When SIL and I went to hear Kaffe Fassett, we had some time to kill, so we stopped in at Borders. They have a wonderful selection of magazines, which I greatly appreciate. I bought a copy of Magic Patch, a French quilt magazine to which I used to subscribe. It is the November/December issue, #47. The Christmas tree project was really appealing. I’d love to make one!

Magic Patch Tree
Magic Patch Tree

I have studiously avoided stuffing things in the past, but it looks like, with the dolls above and this project, that there is a possibility that this will be the year of stuffing!

My friend Faye, from New Zealand, has some kind of stuffed Christmas tree that she uses instead of a live tree. I don’t think I have even ever seen a photo of it, but I have often thought of how cool such a decoration would be. When I saw this pattern, I thought that it would be worth a try. I even thought of making 14 for the siblings and cousins, but think that may be too much of a committment. Perhaps I will win the lottery and be able to stay home and sew all the time, which would make it possible.

This issue also has a journal cover pattern with embellishment, some string pieced 8-pointed stars and a inteview/portrait of Lorraine Roy, among other things.

This is mostly a project magazine, but they do have quite a bit of information on what is going on in the European quilmaking community, in which I am very interested. They announce shows in Europe and the piecing in the projects ends towards advanced quiltmakers.

Finally, Julie also gave me Inspired to Quilt by Melanie Testa. I have to admit that I have not had a chance to sit down with this book yet, but I am looking forward to being inspired by it. One of my CQFA colleagues has highly recommended the videos on Ms. Testa’s site. Another item for my to do list!

Christmas Fabric
Christmas Fabric

Finally, I cannot forget the fabric. I received fabric from my mom and Julie both. Dots galore and some cute paper doll fabric that I think, if I have enough, will be a bag.

Additional Gifts from Near and Far

I am a lucky girl! I have such nice friends who give me presents sometimes. 😉

First, I got a gift certificate for some fabric. Above is what I bought. Dots, of course, but also some of Mark Lipinski’s Califon line. I like the delicate designs. Not sure how I will use it, but something will come up. Now I can rest assured that the FOTY 2009 quilt will have some fabric in it. Thgift certificate came from TFQ for Christmas and the fabric just arrived today. I still owe her a thank you note.


How do you like this gift bag? The bottom has something slightly stiff in it, so it stands nicely up to attention. It is made out of felt, so I may be able to make lovely designs with embroidery (using my machine’s embroidery function) on the front instead of the applique’. The blanket stitch can be done on the machine as well. I’ll have to try it. One thing I like about it is the cute size.


This little teapot pincushion was in the gift bag. My friend, Leah, gave both to me. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time and when we got together, she produced this little package for me. It is a very sweet treat, and unexpected.

I have been transferring my pincushion between sewing machine and ironing board, so this came at the right time and, perhaps, I can start thinking about just keeping one near each workstation? I am definitely going to have to buy more pins!