Word of the Year for 2014

Do you plan your year in advance??? I jumped on that bandwagon a couple of year's ago -- in 2012 it was all about Adventure, 2013 was all about Focus, and next year --- BUILD! I have been debating the word for a couple of weeks now. I usually start the planning for the following year in mid-November, as we start pulling out the holiday things, I always find myself nostalgic for years past, and excited for the future....and I start the debate. I like my word to be a verb (though not always a traditional verb). I like it to be forward looking, and like it to encompass all aspects of my life. not just home, and not just work, not personal or professional....but a word that has a commonality for the days and weeks ahead. I like a word that will inspire me, and be a secret reminder of the goals for the year. A word that can guide me through the year. I had a couple of options for this year -- I considered CREATE (and then American Patchwork and Quilting chose that one, and ruined it for me), I considered GUIDE, I considered MOVE, I considered BALANCE. These are all things I need in my life, but they weren't quite right....in the end BUILD was the one that most fit.

• Building a business
• Building a new home life -- including an imminent move
• Building a better body
• Building a teaching reputation

Needless to say, it fit for me, and with this post I am officially committed to it. I'll give you more info later this week on the goals that fit with each one of these building blocks.

Now I just want to go play with some of those sunflower building blocks.....why didn't they have cool toys like that when I was a kid???


Happy New Year!!! May you have a blessed year!

Happy Quilting!
Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week #7

The New Year is officially on it's way!!! Just a few more days and we will all be mis-writing our checks and mis-dating correspondence, at least for a couple of days...and then we will all adjust to it being 2014!!! Are you one of those that re-organizes, and resets the house each new year's?  I am not, at least generally. I tend to do those "organization preparation" activities at the start of the school year, in late August and early September. But this year is a huge exception. The start of the school year was crazy, and I simply didn't get to all of the things that I "planned" done, so I left it to now. I spent a large part of Saturday purging closets of clothes and shoes and various other "collections".

I managed to get an entire car full of stuff for the amvets....the trunk and the back seat were both full of non-essentials, duplicates, and don't really wears...and it was fun to get them out of the house. I vacuumed and shampooed the carpets in all of the closets, and got some new containers to better corral the things that I kept. I haven't done the sewing room yet, I will leave that to Wednesday, hopefully I will get all of the projects sorted out for the year and be ready to get back to work.

But for now, let's get back to the Captain's Wheel :  here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete

Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *complete
Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Bag #2 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Rights - *complete
Week 6 - December 23 - December 29 - Bag #3 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Lefts - *Delinquent (see below for my explanation)....

And here is this week's assignment/plan :

Week 7 - December 30 - January 5 - Sewing Bag #4 - Border Units Right

Here's my plan (since I have some catching up to do, I have included those) :

Monday - Week #6 Homework - Bag #3 - Sections 1 & 2
Tuesday - Week #6 Homework - Bag #3 - Sections 3 & 4
Wednesday - Week #6 Homework - Bag #3 - Sections 5 & 6 and Week #7 Homework - Bag #4
Thursday - Week #7 Homework  - Bag #4 - last finish ups
Friday - teaching in Thousand Oaks - no sewing
Saturday - teaching in Thousand Oaks - no sewing
Sunday - teaching in Thousand Oaks - no sewing

What about you??? Have you managed to get all of your homework done???

I have obviously not kept up with this week, and I would like to say that I have a great reason, but the only real reason is that I was bored --- bored of the units from last week, and facing another 48 of them just didn't seem like any fun, so instead, I jumped ahead and did Bag #5, so I have the left hand units for the border done (which is nice). Also nice, is that I am at that point that if I catch up last week's homework and finish this week's homework this week, I will have ALL of the piecing done. Which is probably a good plan, given the calendar for January, which is actually fuller than it was for December!!! It will give me more time to actually work on assembly, since I only scheduled a week for assembly (which looking at that now, seems ridiculous).....

Next up we have....
 

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5 *complete

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week 6 update

So, this is just a quick update on the status of my Captain's Wheel for the week. I must admit that I did not get the things I had planned to do done....though I did make progress....

When I got to work on Saturday morning, I couldn't face bag #3.....it was more of Bag#2......so I jumped over and worked on Bag #5.....getting all 12 of the left border units done.....

Here they are in all their glory...

And here's some miscellaneous pics to go with....

Just a few weeks and all the units will be done and ready to assemble!

So, I was a little distracted, and forgot to post my update.....

I am embarrassed to say that I wrote this post last Sunday night, and then promptly forgot about it amid the craziness that is Christmas.....sorry guys, I totally forgot!!!!

Week #6 - Christmas Week.....also know as - What was I thinking????

Are you ready yet??? I am not. I keep thinking I am, but then I realize that I am not, in fact I am not even close.....not that there is anything big to do, but there are a billion little things, and a lot of traffic out there (seriously, it was a two hour adventure at the grocery store for $56.23 in weekly groceries.

Were you able to keep up with us last week??? Have you done your Bag #2 blocks??? Are you ready for this week's challenge. I admit it is going to be a tough one for me.....between the Christmas parties, Christmas activities, and the prep, it may be a tough week to get things done, but I am going to try....though I will admit I expect that I will do most of my trying in the weekend after the big day. And if all else fails, I did Bag #6 already, right???

So, here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete

Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *complete
Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Sewing Bag #2 - Compass Alternate Blocks *complete

And here is this week's assignment/plan :

Week 6 - December 23 - December 29 - Sewing Bag #3 - More Compass Alternate Blocks

Here's my plan  :

Monday - mad wrapping of Christmas Presents
Tuesday - mad rush filling of Christmas Stockings
Wednesday - CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS
Thursday - post Christmas back to work day -- .
Friday - clean the house -
Saturday - Bag #3 (and a little QuiltCam Live with Bonnie Hunter)

Hoping you all had a Merry Christmas, and got lots of fun quilty stuff for Christmas, and are ready to get back to work.....since we are half way through now, I will be posting more pics as I start the design wall layouts and positioning of all of the blocks....super excited to see this one come together!!!

Next up we have....
 

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

Distractions, Distractions

It has been a week full of distractions. Some expected, and some completely unexpected, some happy, some sad, and some simply weird.....

The biggest by far was the arrival of these.....about 6 weeks early.....not that I am complaining! They are lovely, and wonderful but distracting....I wasn't expecting them until February, so while it is nice to have them here, I want to pet them, and play with them, but right now, is not the time for that. Next week isn't looking good either!

These are the new Quiltworx Bali Pops from Hoffman. Specially selected to be used in the wedding ring series quilts.....they are slightly different than regular pops, as they have 48 strips, which is equivalent to 6 ring color sets.....and they are pre gradiated for you. So you are literally ready to sit and sew ring sets as soon as you get them.

There are 2 groupings, color group 1 is mainly cool colors, blues, greens, a bit of purple, while group 2 is more red, rust, brown. I can't decide which ones I am going to keep......they are both so yummy, and i can see so many options. So, now I have decisions to make.....how many to keep for me!!!!

I'll have these up on line just after New Years, but if you would like them before then, please email me or leave me comment, and I wwill paypal you and get them in the mail.

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Bag #1 Update

Bag #1 is officially complete......now back to this week's homework!

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week #5

I can't believe we are just a little over a week away from Christmas....I swear yesterday was Thanksgiving!!! As you know by now, I am delinquent on my week #4 blocks, I got a little behind last week between my birthday celebration (thanks Shawn, Kelly and Brooke, and a special shout out to Trish) and a quilty Christmas Party on Saturday evening! We had a great time at a Holiday Bazaar (which happened to have free booze and food) on Friday. It was a great night, even if I paid for it the next morning!!! Saturday was full of errands and laundry, before the Christmas Party, and Sunday disappeared before my very eyes!

This week in the lead up to Christmas, promises to be no kinder on the finding time thing, but we have a saving grace....a much easier block. Bag #2 has fewer pieces and bigger pieces, so hopefully we should get it done lickety split, so that we can spend the rest of the week prepping houses and filling refrigerators for the festivities of next week.

So, here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete

Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *delinquent, 76% complete

And here is this week's assignment/plan :

Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Sewing Bag #2 - These are the Compass Alternate Blocks

Here's my plan (since I have some catching up to do, I have included those) :

Monday - Finish Section 8 of Compass Rose Blocks
Tuesday - Finish Section 9 and 10 of Compass Rose Blocks
Wednesday - Bag #2 - Glue Section 1
Thursday - Bag #2 - Sections 2 and 3
Friday - Bag #2 - Sections 4 and 5
Saturday - Bag #2 - the rest of the sections

What about you??? Have you managed to get all of your homework done???

How are you doing on your Captain's Wheel? Are you on track?? Ahead??? I know a couple people had asked about working ahead, and whether that was okay, and it absolutely is. Work on it when you can, if you have more hours this week or next week, and less the week of Christmas or New Year's, then map it out to fit your schedule. This is just for my schedule, work at whatever pace works for you. In the same way, if you get behind, don't worry, just keep working on it.....If you get behind but want to stay on the same step, that is fine, just make sure that you put all of each step away into their Ziploc baggies so that you know where you were and can pick it up quickly.


Next up we have....
 

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

P.S. I am putting the finishing touches on a couple of new programs for next year (including a new BOM)...more about those later this week.

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long update

We'll, it's Sunday, and all of Bag #1 should be sewn.....I hope you all made better progress than I did! I got all 72 to this state.....

Which means they are all 70% complete......

When I realized that I wouldn't get them finished in time for this post, I cheated.....I really wanted to see what they were going to look like, so I pulled 8, and added sections 8,9, and 10. Just so I could see....

I love the way they look.....nice and crisp, just like I wanted!

So, they are all 70% and these 8 are 100% complete.....how close was I really?

Total pieces = 72*10 = 720

Pieces completed = 8*10 + 7*64 =80 + 468 =548

Total completed/total pieces = 548/720= 76%

Hopefully I can catch up this week......wish me luck!

See you tomorrow for the next installment!

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Mid Week Update : Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long

It's Tuesday, and not really mid-week yet, but evenings are scarcer than I thought this week.....so I had to alter my schedule and do some pacing....

The 72 units in Bag#1 take me about an hour to process....trim, glue, sew, press style, and there are 10 units in this block, so about 10 hours or so of sewing required. So, I did 2 hours last night, and an hour tonight, and I am up through the gluing of section 4. So slightly ahead of my projected calculated schedule, as well as a bit above my goal for today.....but it's early in the week!

I've been listening to Bonnie Hunter's Quilt-Cam while sewing.....have you ever watched it on YouTube? I've never done one live, but I watch the archives all the time. I sew, while she talks about quilting. Sort of like Craftsy without a project and free!

How do you make it through marathon sewing sessions? Netflix? DVDs? TV? Books on tape?

Happy Quilting

Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long

I can't believe it is week #4 already. I swear I said that last week. I did say that last week (how uninteresting are these posts going to be if I say that every week?). Reminder to self, write a new intro for next week!

Here's where we have been :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete

Just a quick word of warning in the event you are just starting on Week 3 -- there are a couple of extra templates. These are duplicates of existing templates, that because of the number of units cut you have extras of. Don't worry, just put them in your extras bag, so that if you have any miscuts or issues you can pull them out and not have to make any templates! Once your quilt is complete you can just throw these away.

And here is this week's assignment/plan :

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1 - These are the Compass Rose units -- the same ones as the Mariner's Compass center, and the Compass Rose Tablerunner. There are lots of them -- 72 to be exact. I anticipate that I will need every minute of sewing time this week to get these finished. My time this week will be a little tricky, since it's my birthday on Friday, and a quilty Christmas Party on Saturday, my sewing time will be really tight, but I am determined to keep up with these (I can't be falling behind when we really just got started!!!!)

Here's my plan :
Monday - Glueing (is that a word? Gluing looks totally wrong) all of section 1
Tuesday - Section 2 and 3
Wednesday - Section 4 and 5
Thursday - Section 6
Sunday - the rest of the sections

How are you doing on your Captain's Wheel? Are you on track?? Ahead??? I know a couple people had asked about working ahead, and whether that was okay, and it absolutely is. Work on it when you can, if you have more hours this week or next week, and less the week of Christmas, then map it out to fit your schedule. This is just for my schedule, work at whatever pace works for you.

For example -- I had a few extra sewing hours this week that were not anticipated, so I picked up Bag 6, which is the corner units, and worked on it. I knew they would be quick since there only 4 units, with 19 sections each. I got them finished in a little more than 2 hours, and I can mark that off of my list!!!! Now I have a little more play in the schedule if I get behind somewhere in the process.

If you are wondering why I chose to start with those, and not just work on Bag 1 (This week's homework), it was more of a convenience factor that anything. I wanted to sew in the living room, and the more units I have, the more room I need to spread out, and that kind of space doesn't exist in my living room. So, bag 6 was the chosen victim....

Next up we have....
 

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

Super Sunday

It's been a weird weekend around here.....great, but weird. I had a family Christmas party to attend on Saturday, and the weekly errands, running around, and bill paying. It was cold and rainy on Friday and Saturday and I found myself in need of a down day. A do nothing day. A movies on the couch kind of day. Amazingly, after a few couch hours and a few hours of Reese Witherspoon, I found myself inspired to get to sewing. Mind you, I didn't feel inspired to get dressed or do laundry to any of the other chores, just sewing.

So I finished up the borders on my Winter Wonderland Snowflake Tablerunner.

I really like this one, and so appropriate for this time of year!

It was actually pretty quick and easy to sew up, which is even more fun. I'll be teaching this one at Cozy Quilt Shop in Rancho San Diego at the end of January. 

I also got a head start on my Captain's Wheel. I knew I wouldn't have enough time to finish bag 1 (Compass Rose Blocks), so I pulled out bag #6 and worked on corner units.....they came out really cute, and I am pleased with them.

And now, it's time for bed.

Happy Quilting! 

Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-a-Long

All 6 bags finished and ready to go!!!!!!

How are yours coming along?

Captain's Wheel Work-a-Long : Cutting Update

Bag 1 cutting is done......now, should I move onto 2 or pace myself.....

Decisions, decisions, decisions......

Captain's Wheel Work-a-Long Week #3

I can't believe it is week #3 already. The year is moving so fast. Have you been keeping up with us? Here's the status on my project, and the instructions for this week.

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
 

Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. This week we are going to cut out all of the fabrics. I have to admit this may actually be the week with the most homework. My goal is to cut out a bag a day, with the exception of Tuesday, since I have meetings all evening on Tuesday, there will be no sewing activities. So, I will try to update every day just to keep everything on track.

Here's my plan :
Monday - Bag 1 
Wednesday - Bag 2
Thursday - Bag 3
Friday - Bag 4
Saturday - Bag 5
Sunday - Bag 6

Based upon my cursory review, it looks like most of the detailed cutting is in Bag 1 and Bag 5.

How are you doing on your Captain's Wheel? Are you on track?? Ahead??? I know a couple people had asked about working ahead, and whether that was okay, and it absolutely is. Work on it when you can, if you have more hours this week or next week, and less the week of Christmas, then map it out to fit your schedule. This is just for my schedule, work at whatever pace works for you.

Next up we have....
 

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-a-Long Week #2 Wrap Up

This week's task was to sort out fabrics and get everything ready to cut....I managed to find everything I needed, and my background came in! I did make a small change to the dark green for the compasses because I was afraid they might be a little flat, but other than that, everything is the same....

Here's my layouts....you can see I tried a couple of versions, and eventually decided on one....

 The options to choose from.

My final decision.

I am still a bit undecided about the bias band, but I am sure that I will figure it out by the time we get there.

Here's the fabrics I chose....

The yellows and oranges....you can't tell in this pic, but the yellow on the left is actually a print. Both the first and last are Hoffman 1895s.

Here are the greens. The middle yellow (picture above) and the lightest green are the same print....but the green on green photographs much better than the yellow on yellow. Again, there are two of the Hoffman 1895s in this group.

The darks....1895 in skipper....it's really a dark blue, rather than black. I originally had an 1895 Dublin Green, but it looked too flat, so I replaced it. I still have the fabric if I change my mind, but for now, I am liking the hunter dot.

That's it for this week's homework, stay tuned tomorrow for the next set of instructions....

How is your Work-a-Long going? Did you pick your fabrics? What color story will you be telling?

Some Quick Finishes

Do you even have those times where you suddenly get a wild hair to get something finished, and for some reason all the stars align and you get a bunch of things done, all at the same time??? Do you have any of those little projects that are almost done, but for some reason you just can't seem to get them done? Well, I have lots of them, in fact they tend to collect around here.....just a few seams short of being finished, or a few final rows of knitting, or maybe even the knitting is finished, and then ends just need to be woven in.....those are things I call quick finishes, where if I would just spend the hour or so it takes to finish it, it would be done, and I could get it off of my plate.....

 For some reason, I was really productive this weekend, and got a lot of those little naggies off of the plate....such as this guy..

 

This is the second copy of my new BOM that will be out in the new year, and that little block is backwards. It literally took me 10 minutes to rip it out and 25 to sew it back in, but it has been sitting on the sewing chair for about 6 weeks. I just couldn't get myself into the right frame of mind to fix it. Seriously lame. I think part of it is because it has a twin, an exact replica so this one took twice as long to piece because I had already made the entire quilt once before. SO, now this little guy is off at the quilter. All fixed and ready for beautification from Kerry. 

I also got these guys all sorted out.....the grey scarf I couldn't figure out how to bind off, it called for a two needle method, and it took me all of 10 minutes to find and watch the video on YouTube and another 15 to complete it. The stripy one just needed to be made into a cowl (seriously, 2 minutes worth of mattress stitch was all it needed). And now, they are both ready for me to wear, which is good, because it is pretty nasty out there tonight. Real winter weather in CA. Frost and everything. Just kidding! It's cold for us, but nothing like what some of you guys have every day....

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Mid Week Update

Just a quick note, I have picked out my accents, but I have to order background. I don't have enough of anything that is close enough to what I want. Hopefully it will be here by Sunday. It would be really bad if I get behind.....

What do you think????

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week 2

It's week 2 of the Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long. Have you finished your week 1 assignments yet? If not, start there, and join us when you can. If you are new to the work along, never fear, just start at week one, and work up to where you are, don't worry if you can't catch up, just do what you can, when you can. This is really for me to be accountable to get these finished. And it's fun for me to see what all of you are working on. But I don't want the Work-A-Long to be a stresser in your life (because believe me, I UNDERSTAND stress) because quilting should be fun. It should be your place to go to get rid of stress -- not create it. So, no stress, just fun here folks.

This Week is Week 2.
Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection

This is the week you select all of your fabric for each position in the quilt. This is my favoritest week of the entire work-a-long. I get to pet my fabrics, marry them to new combinations and GO SHOPPING for the ones that I don't have that are perfect for this quilt. This is also a big decision week for the quilt, since we need 8.25 YARDS of background. I kinda picked my color scheme this weekend....I've been wanting to do this color scheme since I did my Mariner's Compass. I went to Certified Instructor training with the fantastic Lisa McCarthy of Compass Point Quilts, and she used it on her Mariner's, which I promptly drooled over. Then, she had her Mariner's quilted, and it is TO DIE FOR.

See what I mean??? Totally dreamy. Green grass, yellow sun, and blue sky. What could go wrong with that, right???? So, this one is my inspiration colorway. Now, off it stash analyze and decisionize.

Here's my supplies all laid and out ready to get started....5 photocopies of the back of the pattern (I did blow mine up by 25%, it takes up most of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet), colored pencils, and the trusty prescription of diet coke.

What about you???  What colors are you considering for yours???

So, time to get to work folks!!!! Below is the rest of the schedule, in case you are curious......

Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Alright. Back to work for me. We'll catch up next Sunday and see how it's going....

Happy Quilting!
Catherine

Captain's Wheel Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, we made it through week 1 of the Captain's Wheel!!! I am happy to say that I got my pattern all prepped. All of my bags are made and labeled, and I am ready to move on it Week 2. See evidence of completion below.

So, I am ready to move onto week 2!!! Are you? I know a few of you will have just gotten your papers on Thursday or Friday, so don't worry about rushing. Take your time and catch up with us. Next week's assignment will be out tomorrow.

Here's the lowdown on the rest of the assignments :

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together


..until then, have fun and happy quilting.


Catherine

2014 Class Schedule

It's hard to believe that I have booked classes in 2014, much less 2015...that seems like so far from now. But it's really not....Seriously, it's like 6 1/2 weeks from now, which is downright scary!!!!

Some of you were looking for teaching options around town, and I wanted to make sure you knew what classes are going on....and where I will be....so here you go....

The Schedule for January 2014......


January 4 - Mariner's Compass Technique 1 of 6 -  Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Shop in Thousand Oaks, CA

January 5 - Judy Select Day at Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Shop in Thousand Oaks, CA

January 11 & 12 - Mariner's Compass - Technique 1 & 2 of 6 at Memory Lane Quilt Shop in El Cajon, CA

January 18 - Trunk Show at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, CA

January 19 - Cozy Quilt Shop in Rancho San Diego

January 23-25 - Road to California Quilt Show - Demo

January 26 - This Sew and Sew, Glendora, CA

and with that I will need to sleep through February (just kidding, February is actually busier, since there are fewer weekends, and we have to cram it all in there!!!!).


Hope to see you all at a class in January as we kick off a great year of Judy Projects!!!!


Happy Quilting!
Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week 1

So, today is the first day of the Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long....I've divided up the patterns into 10 weekly sessions to get it finished on a strict deadline of January 31st. I've given us some play weeks, so if you want to jump ahead, or anticipate some weeks being super busy, you can work ahead or play catch-up...and I will post updates every Sunday on where I am with getting everything done. My goal is to work a week ahead throughout, so that I can share tips and tricks for selecting fabrics or making units, and maybe I will do some video demos (especially the one for the bias stem that everyone has been talking about)....

And if some of you want to work on other Judy quilts using the same format, just let me know, I can build the packs for those as well....just let me know so that we can get started!!!! 


So, this week is Week 1.
Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime

This is the week to get your pattern, sort out your papers (this one has LOTS of papers), sort out your bags (you will need 6), cut your papers out and sort them into bags. Once those pieces are done, it is time to play -- make a photocopy of the quilt layout on the back of the pattern and start coloring. I usually make 3 or 4 color stories for each quilt, changing values and items until I have it all sorted out to be exactly what I want. I haven't yet completed this step -- it always takes me an extra long time to get this part right.....

For this week only, I'm having a 10% off sale for the Captain's Wheel pattern, which makes it $54.00, so if you want to get your papers this week, just email me at Catherine@queeniequilts.com . I am converting the website this week, so the shop will be down until Friday.

Next Week is Week 2.
Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection

This is the week you select all of your fabric for each position in the quilt. This is my favoritest week of the entire work-a-long. I get to pet my fabrics, marry them to new combinations and GO SHOPPING for the ones that I don't have that are perfect for this quilt. This is also a big decision week for the quilt, since we need 8.25 YARDS of background. I must say that I really want someone to do this quilt in a scrappy background set, as I really want to see what it will look like....maybe I will have to do that, depending upon what I find in my stash.



So, time to get to work folks!!!! Below is the rest of the schedule, in case you are curious......

Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together


Alrighty then, off to work I go!!!
Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Captain's Wheel Work -Along

So, have you seen the newest Judy quilt pattern? I got my auto ship on Friday, and I really want to get this one done, and don't have a lot of time to get it done, and am hoping to stay on track by scheduling it here, and blogging about my progress.....

So, I am planning on a 10 week series to get this one done....which gives us a couple of weeks off, for those events like Christmas, and other holidays that are just around the corner....(do not look at the calendar, or you might freak out).....

So, here's the plan......

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime

Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection

Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics

Week 4 - Dec 9 - Dec 15 - Sewing Bag 1

Week 5 - Dec 16 - Dec 22 - Sewing Bag 2

Week 6 - Dec 23 - Dec 29 - Sewing Bag 3

Week 7 - Dec 30 - Jan 5 - Sewing Bag 4

Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5

Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6

Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

You'll notice that there a few extra days before my deadline of January 31st. That is mainly because I realize that most of us will lose some days ( or perhaps even weeks) with those items already on the calendar.....and that is just fine. We all need time away with our families, and most of us have full time jobs, and laundry that has to be done.

So, let's get started and have some fun.

I have 10 patterns here, that I am offering at a 10% discount.....so instead of $60, your pattern will be $54.00. If you are interested, email me at Catherine at queeniequilts.com.

Will you join me on this journey?

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Thankful

This is that month when I always feel like the blessing in my life are undeserved....That I have been given so many amazing opportunities and been blessed by so many people in my life. It's so easy to get frustrated and busy and frazzled, but there is something about November that always beings us back to the real things in life : family, friends, and home. This year has been a tough one in some of those areas, and equally an amazing one. We've dealt with aging parents and the issues of being so far away from home during an illness, and celebrated the safe homecoming of soldiers from half a world away. We've said goodbye to old friends who have been taken from us, and we have welcomed new little lives into the fold. We've cried over sick kids, and celebrated pending births. We've looked at ourselves and seen only faults, and we've celebrated our success. As we approach the holidays, I always find myself looking back at the year, and where we are and where we have been, and where we are going...and start the planning for next year, but for today, I'm just being thankful, for the myriad of people, gifts, and challenges that help us grow.

I am thankful for :
 -- my family -- who are a most amazing renegade bunch
 -- my friends -- who serve as trampolines, bulletin boards, and test kitchens
 -- my co-workers -- who make it all happen
 -- the boss man -- who challenges me to be a better manager, a better employee, a better  me
 -- God - you knows my every fault, and loves me anyway
 -- my vendors -- some of whom are like family
 -- my home -- my personal refuge from the fray
 -- memories - of good and bad times, that make us stronger, better, faster, kinder, and more sympathetic
 -- my body - which propels me through this universe on a daily basis, and protects me from the germs, bugs and other dangerous things out there. Seriously, the immune system is a magical thing.
 -- hope - because even when everything seems wrong or incomplete, there is always a solution, if you only depend upon hope to show you the way

So, to all my friends and family, this month is about you. Celebrating the good, and the bad, and remembering that we are all here for a reason, whether it is to inspire another, help another, encourage another. Let us all be thankful for the others in our lives that guide, help, challenge and support us, even though we might not want their guidance, help, or support. Let us all remember that thanksgiving is an act, not a holiday.

And that concludes my public service announcement.

Have a great day everyone! Happy quilting!


Catherine

market 2013

It's Saturday morning, and Quilt Market just opened....here's a sneak peak! I'll post real pictures later thus week.....

At the airport

So, it's late afternoon on the Thursday before quilt market, and the first time that I have had a chance to blog in a while....it has been that crazy. I am in an airport, waiting for my flight to Houston for Market. It's the first time that I will have my own booth, and to be honest, I am nervous, and I am not usually the nervous type.....

Anyway, here's some fun stuff that happened lately that I haven't had time to post....

This is my Feathered Star Queen the night before vacation ended.....I did get the backgrounds all sewed in before I left Montana....but I have not sewed a single stitch on it since I got back. Market prep has kept my crazy busy....so excited to get back to it next week! Seriously, there is only 3 or 4 hours of sewing left on this one, and I am looking forward to it!

This is a Penny's Glacier Star mini ---- we called it "the Thang" while we were in Montana. Penny fused every single piece of this quilt mini....the entire thing is 20" square -- the real, non-mini Glacier Star is 80" so, you. An imagine how tiny and AMAZING those pieces are. 

Irene worked on her Bali Wedding Star.....with it's rainbow colorway. Lovely.

So, funny back story about Retreat and Kevin Bacon.....Mona attended retreat, and is from El Cajon....and we know several of the same people, but had never met before! Small world, right? Then we figured out that Irene's friend from San Diego is friends with my friend Kelly's friend Isabelle, Irene had even been to Kelly's house for a Saturday Sisters Sewing Day! Freaky small world....

A Busy Week

Can it be just a week ago that I was in Thousand Oaks?

It seems like months.....it's been so busy here with work, market prep, the responsibilities of life.

I'm so excited to tell you all about the new plans, and show the new patterns, but for now, here's so student work from last weekend....

Laying at Lauren's to choose the interior background. We loved the burgundy. Can't wait to see this one all finished up next Month!

This one is Lorns's.....we reversed the values on the feathered star portion, and it is stunning! 

Happy Quilting!

Cat

Market Prep

Well, it's getting down to the wire here. I leave for Market in exactly 2weeks. Hard to believe it is here so quickly. I have 6 new patterns plus a Block of the Month to release.....I have 5 of the quilts back from the quilter, and one more due back on Monday, so it is bind and photo time around here....piles like this are all over the house.....and quilts in different states of binding are scattered all around....time to get some good rom-coms and settle in for a major hand sewing session....

What are you working on?

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

New Class Bookings

Just a quick drop in to let everyone know that I have a few new upcoming classes.....

We'll be doing the Celebration Tree Skirt at Memory Lane Quilt Shop in El Cajon in November, on the 16th and 17th.

We've also added a whole new series at Memory Lane, including Mariner's Compass and Bali Wedding Star!!!! Chris, Tina and I have been planning this one since before I became a Certified Instructor...and we finally found dates that work for everyone. Super stoked about it!!!

New Stuff in the Shop

I can't believe it is October...the summer has flown by, everyone is back in school, and Christmas is less that 100 days away. I simply can't believe how quickly this year has flown!!!

In a year of flying times....I wanted to introduce you to a few new patterns, some of which were previewed at Market in May, bust are just now getting to the shop shelves.

Osprey's Nest
I love this quilt. As usual, a picture never does it justice....it is simply breathtaking in person. And so far, I haven't seen any wild version of it, but I have one in my own vision -- black and white log cabins, with lime green, bright yellow and violet "parrots" instead of geese.......

Followed by the newest in the Wedding Ring Series --- Princess Tiara --- This uses the Wedding Ring Ruler set to cut the asteroids, and a lovely pieced "crown" in the arcs. I NEED this one for the business, don't you think??? I really like the blue version on the pattern cover sheet, so perhaps I will stick with Judy's color way on this one.....scary right???

And here is another from the Wedding Ring series, this one is super modern, with minimal paper piecing (in the sawtooth melons) -- it is done using the ruler templates....and is lovely. It is called Art Deco.

And finally -- Compass Rose......a tablerunner pattern, with enough papers to be a bed runner (there are enough papers for 8 compass blocks). I finished my sample of this one a few weeks ago, and quickly sent it off to Quilt in a Day in San Marcos, CA, where I will be teaching in on Sunday, October 20th. If you are interested in taking the class, call the shop and reserve a spot, as there are only 12 spots total for the class. 

Happy Quilting!!!

Catherine

Market Madness Has Begun

Officially.

It technically started a while back, but I am really feeling the pressure the last few days, as the fabrics come in, need cutting, samples being made, and bound and generally requiring lots of hours of dedicated sewing/quilting/writing all at once.

Not sure how much time I will have here on the blog, since I have 3 teaching weekends in the midst of the run up to market, and am still proofing patterns, and doing bindings (and one or two late designed quilts that I HAD to make).....you know what they same about inspiration??? Grab it while you can, so I did. Love the result but not the drama of getting in pieced, quilted, bound, written, proofed, photographed and printed in just over 3 weeks!!! Oh Vey!!! One day I will learn!!! (Didn't I say that last year???).

Maybe I should write books instead, you have to turn them in ages before the come out in print, perhaps I should change my approach??? Or maybe I should publish patterns as they get pieced, quilted and bound and not "save them" for market??? But then they would be in last season's fabrics, and that's no fun!!! Oh, the options to think about when you are procrastinating!!!! I need to go make dinner and do laundry, and to be honest I am sewed out for the day, but cleaning doesn't seem like fun either!!!!

Since I am going to be a little less bloggy due to my schedule, make sure you are following me on twitter (@queeniequilts), instagram (@queeniequilts) and on facebook, as I do update those more frequently.

Happy Quilting....

Catherine

Procrastinating

I should be beavering away on quilts for market...it's just a few weeks from now!

Instead, tonight I am procrastisewing. That is procrastinating on the items you should be sewing but still sewing....

I did some fiddly super precise work earlier this evening, so I wanted something mindless, so I turned on an old rerun of Bonnie Hunter's Quilt-Cam, pulled out an old easy-peazy UFO and got to work.

This project is at least 10 years old. At least....I remember buying the fabric as a bundle at the Quilt Room in Dorking, Surrey, U.K. while I lived abroad, and I have been back in the states for 9 years.....(hard to believe, but we'll leave that or another post!). 

Anyway, it is called Giselle, and I think it is Robyn Pandolph while she was at South Seas, but I'm not sure, and there is no selvedge, so no evidence. I remember that it came as fat quarter meters. And I know that I had to buy multiples to get all of the prints, so they must have been store made FQ packs.....there are 8 prints, and I planned a simple 4inch square random placement, very shabby chic look. Which became very boring.....big wide strips, and just piece them into paired strips, and then pairs of pairs, etc, etc, etc.

I only got to the pairs of pairs part before I gave up the ghost and moved on to something else. Giselle has been a UFO ever sense. She is not the only 1, in fact there are about 40 in the quilting closet that are partially finished. And I am on a mission o reorganize, declutter and simplify, and that has meant evaluating all the UFOs.....giving away pieces and parts, redeploying fabrics to the stash that I no longer like in the pairing, and prioritizing the list. That prioritization started in early August, since I knew I wanted all UFOs completed by December 2014. I sorted and rated and ordered all 43 projects, with a plan to blog through the UFO destruction process as part of the 2014 plan of events.

So, back to Giselle....here she is as I pulled her out of the box. 48 combos of 4 - 4 inch strips. In desperate need of pressing. 

I pressed and subcut them, and the started pairing the pieces.....

So they look like this....

Next up......pairs of pairs. And sleep, lots of sleep, because Giselle is kinda boring sewing folks. But good procrastination.

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Glacier Star - class 4

We had our 4th Glacier Star session this week at Cotton and Chocolate in Thousand Oaks. Fun was had by all.....we worked on the snowflake center, which is by far the hardest segment in the quilt. And now we are masters of the snowflake. Looking forward to next month and getting started on assembly of the curved piecing.....

Just a few teaser pics from class....

Pam's version....we did the alternate to put the green one on the top point. Love it!

Patty's laid out on the table....love this colorway!

Wendy's version.....We are doing a different alternate for hers.... Alternating the center star with 2 greens, one print, one solid.

Vicki's version.... This one reminds me of Oregon.....lush greens and pristine blue skies.

That's all the pics I managed to take....though most people finished their snowflakes, I was obviously a bag class historian this month. I promised to be better next month!

Happy Quilting!

Catherine