three, two, one . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

:)

Happy New Year! Here we are all welcoming in a New Year. "2010"

Warmest Thoughts and Best Wishes For a Wonderful and A Very Happy New Year!

I wish all of my Friends, Quilters and Blog Friends, and Family the Best in 2010. Hugs oxoxoxoxo Morgan

I love sharing life with you . . .

Still . . . I love waking up beside you,
for whatever the coming day brings,
you'll be there to share my life with me--
both the big and the little things.

Still . . . I love spending evenings with you,
talking over the events of the day,
enjoying each other's company,
even if there's nothing to say . . .

Still . . . I love sharing my life with you--
there's so much to look forward to . . .
And I know in my heart,
for the rest of my days,
I'll be sharing my love, still, with you.

Merry Christmas,

Todd

(author unknown; from Hallmark Christmas card)

:)

closing in on the countdown . . .

Blogs, journals, diaries . . . whichever one uses to express oneself (and in my case it may be all three), the end of the year usually finds entries full of retrospective comments, resolutions for the new year, and blah blah blah.

This one will be no different!

On the quilting front, I've had a marginally successful year. I started _and_ finished six projects, and started an additional seven projects that need to be finished! Plus I did a bit of regular sewing, too (like aprons, stockings, curtains, etc.) I also entered my first guild challenge, my first ever judged quilt show, and entered into my first swap (which actually won't be swapped until next month/year). I became more active in my local guild, took a bus trip to the AQS show in Knoxville, and joined a stitcher's group. Wow! Some of the projects I need to commit to finishing are the swap, first and foremost, because that has to be in the mail by January 18th (eeks!), and then my sister's Rooster (which is close), and then Joc's wedding quilt. I'll work on that non-stop at the Quilter's Retreat I'm going to in February, which my Stitcher's group (a quilt retreat -- another first)! Then there are grandbaby quilts!

I've also got things mostly figured out for quilting in the RV; once the Christmas stuff is down and put away, I'll be able to finish that up and get comfy in the space. I'm looking forward to it, though, and I have to remember that there are places like Patches & Stitches that have BIG tables and are gracious to share their space if I need to lay out a quilt top or baste a quilt sandwich! We also carried over my quilt books this week. I feel better. :)

Life held some MAJOR changes in 2009! I can't believe how fast it all flew by! I guess the whirlwind of activity causes that to happen. It's incredibly rewarding, as my own nest has emptied, to see my children begin to feather their own. Instead of feeling like I'm empty, or lost without the children around, I feel incredibly blessed to still be a part of their lives, and to see them grow and mature and live out the lives God's given them. I'm proud of them -- in a humble and praising God for it way! :)

Todd expressed it best in the card he gave me for Christmas . . . I'll have to repost it in its entirety. I read it and teared up; and then I wanted him to read it as if from me! Whoever wrote the sentiment it contained didn't get paid enough! :) Sharing life . . . I love sharing life with my husband. Our quiet moments, our accomplishments, our fun times, our memories, our future plans; I like living life with Todd. Thank You, Lord, for such a wonderful, wonderful man!

With the coming of 2010, I've now lived in four homes/cities/zip codes in Alabama. I've learned not to say (or even think) this is IT! because it rarely is!

Already 2010 is filling up . . . Michael Jr's wedding in January in Atlanta (and with it, another mini-Fowler family reunion -- YAY!); the quilter's retreat in February; a grandbaby -- Sawyer Graham Panter -- in March (along with lots of birthdays and anniversaries); Beth Moore live at Woodstock -- a mother/daughter trip -- in April; June is our 14th anniversary and somewhere along the line both Todd & I celebrate 30 years out of high school; and my parents silver wedding anniversary in September. So many wonderful things to look forward to! It would be easy to waste the year looking ahead to the next 'event'; but I am resolving to take each day and celebrate God's goodness in it!

So many thoughts; our ministry, our lives together, our family, our friends . . . .

May 2010 be a year filled with growth and a deepening relationship with God and my cherished ones. And praise Him for His goodness and overwhelming blessing in 2009!

Lantern Lights pattern

Lantern Lights is another easy-peasy quilt design by Kathy Adams of KoolKat Quilting. This is a simple strippy quilt suitable for beginners, or super-quick for more advanced quilters. Finished size 56" by 94" (1.42 by 2.13 m). For more information go to www.koolkatquilting.com.au

End of the year derby musings

After filling out a livejournal (yes I still have one of those) meme about end-of-year reflections, I realized that most of them were derby related. I opted to refine them a bit and put them into three categories:

Triumphs:

1. Managing to finally pull off a decent attempt at a Sláy Ride. Granted, I didn't carry any of these people around in the impossibly awesome way that Beyonsláy did in that famous clip, but I did the basics of "hit, lift, drop" that had me going over the bout footage again and again in my parents' kitchen saying "look what I did, mom!"

2. Finally bouting after a whole year of waiting. I'll never forget that first bout for as long as I live. I've become a much better skater since then, but being able to put on a uniform and skate in front of my parents for the first time was such a milestone.

3. Not tearing my ACL after all. Man, that was a horrible week. I've never been more grateful for a visit to a specialist in my entire life. Thanks Dr. Troy for yanking and pulling on my leg and then letting me know that I was "going to be just fine."

4. Getting "Nuts' Best Team Player" at the awards ceremony this season. We voted on a few awards, and this was one of them. I never, ever saw that coming. Getting something people voted on almost made me lose it. For once, I was able to not sob like a goofball while doing something relating to my team, and I held it together while accepting it. I totally cried in the bathroom when I got home, though.

Regrets:

1. Wussing out at Speedy Dan practice. When I was overwhelmed by balancing off-skates tasks, I allowed myself to use that as an excuse to punk out on going to Speedy Dan practice and never got over my anxiety attacks. In retrospect, I wish I'd just sucked it up, cried through those speed drills, and eventually overcome my problems instead of letting the demons in my brain win.

2. Being down on myself more often than I probably deserved. More than one person has told me that I need to stop "looking at the ground" metaphorically speaking because I'll "just run into things." Sometimes I forget that I need to focus on the good things I do rather than on only the bad.

3. Never getting up the balls to try pivoting. Why does that role freak me out so much?

Hopes for next year:

1. I want to finally overcome my mental "speed barrier." When I'm playing a bout, speed is no problem. When I'm doing a drill and it involves racing, I'm screwed. I want to get over this stupid fear already because it's getting old.

2. I would kill to get an MVP award at a bout. Would I be the goofball who started crying while accepting the award? Oh hell yes, you bet.

3. I know I have it in me to be a better team player on the track. Getting best team player this season meant the world to me, and I want to live up to that as much as I can. The players I respect the most are the ones who can bring out the best in their teammates, and I want to be one of those some day.

The Sky is blue, the Sea is Blue

Today I started auditioning fabrics for the background. Most of the colours are too dark, as I want a bleached beach look, so I am waiting for fabrics I have placed on order. However, I just wated to try out how it might start to look with more colour in the background. I don't think it will be a problem to apply large pieces of fabric and (thank goodness) the more fiddly and tedious parts are now done. I just have a little bit of detail to attend to around the girl's arm and some shadow details. I am pretty happy with how it is shaping up now!

I love to keep a quilt journal as I make a quilt. Here are a couple of pages from my journal for "The Sky is Blue, the Sea is Blue".

I like to use the A3 Visual Diaries the best. It is great to go over it and see how ideas developed. It's also an excellent place to keep information I need to keep. On one page I have pasted details of quilt show deadlines to remind me to get a move on!

After I washed out the Verona (soluble clear film) some areas were not stitched down well enough. I will simply baste these and attend to them once I start the more detailed, intense quilting on the final piece.

I love the look of the piece after washing out. I am especially pleased with the overall softness of the quilt. I didn't want the stiff result that comes when using fusible webbing. It is OK on stained glass, but not for this quilt. More soon...............

. . . .

Merry Christmas!

:)

Hope your Christmas is full of family, food and of course, something to stitch.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas from Snowy Wisconsin!

God Bless us - every one

I read Alma's blog this morning after my trip. I would like to urge all of us to join her in doing this. There are a lot of quilters and together we can make a difference.

Her words:

Today remember those less fortunate. I know the economy is bad for most of us. But think how a small amount of money given by a large group of people can add up to a lot. If we all pledge to donate all the change in our wallets to the Salvation Army today, it could really make a difference.

Let's do this!

God bless us - every one.

Almost ready - Merry Christmas to you and Yours

I've been grabbing a minute to read blogs at night before I fall into bed. I love reading the funny ones and the ones about the laid back Christmases - relaxing days Christmases - but not to be had here.



Christmas is a month long event for this household. With kids and grandkids living so near every weekend has something going on and most days of the week are filled with some quilting and some Christmas. One big weekend is the annual picking of the Christmas tree from the front pasture.



Jake and Pops go out and find a tree the right size and shape, cut it and trim the lower branches.




Then we brought it inside and the kids had hot chocolate and cookies. Meanwhile Pep and Jake got the tree in the stand and I put the lights on.
Usually I then slowly trim it but this year the kids drew lots of decorations so I only put up my antique balls and Eunice's (Pep's moms) angel. And of course they added lots of their decorations.
That was a day's work.



Last weekend we had our Christmas with Max and his 3. I made all of the little ones a small crayon tote using a pattern from Clothesline Quilts. Moda forgive me I got "Cars" and "Spongebob" fabrics to make the totes. I thought they were cute and the kids all love to color. My idea was to keep Cullen and Quinn's totes here so they could use them when we go to church. NOT! They played with them all afternoon, colored on the pads I put in them, read the book on "colors" I put in. They were definitely a hit . If I want ones to stay here for going to church, I'll make new ones.



Cullen is the "Cars" person - he was pretty easy to buy for this year. Quinn is the one with Mickey Mouse, Spongebob and Spiderman - a little more diverse. Aidan is pretty grown up at 7.



Kelly, Jake & Zoie will be here Christmas Eve and morning. Then Brian and Shannon and their 3 come Saturday.
A very full month - a very good month.
Meanwhile, I've been slowly but steadily working on the January wallhanging, Mini Quilt and the new Mystery Quilt. I have January's block ready to stitch. I'll take it with my tomorrow - no, it's today now - when I run down to Springfield to my brother's and pick up Zoie's Christmas puppy. Jim's a vet and he found us a Japanese Chin for her. I'll spend the night there while Pep says home and put's toys together. Then back to wrap and bake - and slow down some at night and early mornings to sit and stitch. God bless applique.
On New Year's Eve we stay at home and go to bed.
Merry Christmas and Happy Quilting to you all.

Merry Christmas to All 2009

All is very nice right now. Hubby is sleeping and the two dogs went to sleep too! It is going to be a good night! Here are some new pictures of the little misses. I just cannot wait until my parents give her a name.
Denny is holding her, and you can see he is crazy over her! Our time now with her is get shorter... and looking back at pictures we took when she got here on Dec.7th and now...she has grown. Not a lot... but she has. Today she is 10 weeks old.
Just able to do this, before I crash! Have a great evening all. I am pretty sure I will not be back here until after Christmas. Therefore Merry Christmas to everyone!
Hugs Morgan oxoxoxoxoxox

Merry Christmas

Ho Ho Ho... 4 more days until we leave here with the puppy! I am already feeling a bit sad over it. As much as she has been so much work...I did fall in love with her. Denny too! He said, he would tell my parents if she were too much for them, we would be right down to get her.
Denny coming home today, and I get to do more free motion quilting on this one quilt I am working on. It is almost finished. I can get it done today, and all wrapped up. I am also feeling better. Getting up and down all night...I did not get my regular amount of oxygen that I need to get at night.
Well one thing that is great is that I got very bonded to this little sweet puppy, and when my parents talk of her...I will know all they are saying. As I know all her stunts, and her sweet ways.
I am looking forward though, for the New Year to start. Many things I have planned....
Merry Christmas to all! Have a wonderful, happy time with all your loved ones!
Hugs Morgan

Oh, the memories

All this talk of freshmeat has me looking back on my freshmeat days. Man, this was back when my thighs were soft and squishy enough to squeeze into pants. We took this photo in the back of the CRLS gym back when we were practicing there. Clearly this was either at a league meeting, or it was before we all put on our gear and started sweating. Man, I do NOT miss that horrible, nasty, impossibly sticky floor. I do miss fitting into pants, though.

We've all changed so much since this photo! From right to left:

• Dreadnought(aka the author of this blog) is still blocking her butt off for the Nuts and is a member of the Executive Board.
• Vicious Vivacious Vera captained the Cosmos last season and is still part of team SPACE BRAIN.
• Bully Mia continues to be a Pissah (fo' life, as they say) while co-heading Comm Comm.
• Queen Kamayhemmayhem transferred to the DC rollergirls and now skates for the Cherry Blossom Bombshells.
• Trixie Von Toxic had a lovely baby boy and is still with BDD as an Exec Board member and manager of the Pissahs.
• Xena ParadoX is transferring to Charm City and moving to the Baltimore area I type this.
• Trish Squish is captaining the Pissahs for the second year in a row.
• Sugar Hitsleft the Nuts this season to skate full time for the Massacre, and is head coach for the league for another season.
• Mrs. Dash is also taking her mad jamming skillz to the Massacre, leaving her beloved Cosmos after a year of captaining.
• Krushpuppy is taking a break from skating after captaining the Massacre for their first trip to Nationals.
• BritKnee Breaker is captaining the Nuts for a second season, and will be coaching the Massacre too.
• Varga Bomber is moving away after a season of captaining the Pissahs.
• Maude Forbid is rehabbing a knee injury while repping the treasury on the Exec Board, and will be returning this season to kick butt for the Pissahs.
• Nora'Easter left us for Maine some time ago, and will hopefully return to derby someday because she was so darned good.

It's weird to think that we all had to learn the skills we do automatically now. Sugar Hits used to have to think about crossovers in order to do them correctly, and now she's expertly teaching our freshies these very steps. Dash and Breaker had to get used to bending their knees, and now their crotches are about an inch from the ground when they skate. Squish had to learn how to lean people out, and now it's about as easy to move her as it is to push a city bus. I had to take my assessments over and over again in order to be stable enough to even attempt contact, and now I can (sometimes) pick people up with my butt.

When did we all get so good? Has it really been almost three years?

The Sky is Blue, the Sea is Blue

Today I made a little more progress on my own quilt. I stitched "Verona" over the boy, carefully removing about 100 pins as I went.

Then, the quilt came off the long arm machine, and into the bathroom.

Cold water, and gentle agitation for about 5 minutes removed all of the soluble Verona film.

A quick spin in the washing machine to remove excess moisture and then it is on the clothesline.

You can see that this will be a BIG quilt. (About 2.5m across and 2m high)

Here is a view of the back, showing some of the stitching. My other half said to me today: "How are you going to put the background in?" The answer is "I am not sure yet!" I think I will be able to attach large pieces of fabric - the background is quilt minimal. There will be some very intense quilting and some three dimensional "extras". Watch this space!

New KoolKat website

Our new website designed by Gecko Gully has been launched today! We've improved the on-line shopping facility, and added some more Kool Kats apart from the logo. To take a look, go to
http://www.koolkatquilting.com.au

You will see that our address has changed from koolkatquilting.com to koolkatquilting.com.au

Apparently my skate book is pretty cool. :D

I checked my little traffic widget and noticed a bunch of hits from DNN. It took me a few minutes to discover the reason. Thanks DNN!

It's also mentioned on a few other derby blogs too. Holy crap.

Freshie cuts make Dread a sad panda.

We had our first round of freshmeat cuts this Wed and we lost three wonderful skaters. While none of them were part of my particular skater family (congrats Anna Ellen, Amanda, and Marisa) it didn't make it easy to say goodbye to the three women who didn't make it. I hope they try out again next season because we're definitely losing out on their awesomeness. :(

I'm so lucky my freshmeat experience didn't include cuts. That system was created the year after I joined in order to solve the problem of the freshies who fell behind those who had already passed [insert assessment here] and could do [insert advanced drill here]. While it helps keep training on track by making sure the pace of practice stays consistent, it sacrifices the skaters who take longer to mature. Skaters like me.

I was far from the best in my year. In fact, I was the second-to-last in my freshie class to be teamed, and spent over a year as an unteamed skater. If we had had cuts, I surely would have been gone in the first round. I remember how hard it was to skate on my own at the side of the rink while watching everyone else get teamed. By the end of that year I had cried myself to sleep more often than I like to remember. That long process has left some pretty big "skating self image" scars that will never fade.

I see myself in the skaters who got cut. As a freshie, I wanted to play derby as badly as they did, and I know exactly how it feels to look at the rest of the freshies and think "is this really how I rate?" I wouldn't wish my year of being one of the unwanted children of the BDD family on any of them, though. Still, I wouldn't wish on any of these ladies the "derby breakup" they're going through right now.

Memory Quilt

I recently saw this post on Annie O's blog and it reminded me of a quilt that I finished in June of 2007.

This is one of 5 memorial quilts I made in 2006 & 2007. This quilt was made especially with my mother-in-law in mind. She had lost her husband after a long battle with scleroderma a few years prior. Most of the plaids in this quilt are scraps from my father-in-law's flannel shirts. I found the pattern "Diamonds Are Forever" in American Patchwork and Quilting's April 2004 issue. I designed and added the floral border using a needle turn applique technique.

This is the first quilt I made with complicated machine quilting designs. I mimicked the floral applique designs with quilted stitches on the two borders that did not have applique.

The picture above is of the large pocket I added so the quilt could be folded up on itself and used as a pillow.

All of my father-in-law's shirts had to have pockets to hold his reading glasses. I saved a few of these pockets and used them for the labels on each of the quilts.

This project brought back so many memories. Each Christmas my husband, his brothers and his father would get new matching flannel shirts. I wish I had the pictures to show you the guys hamming it up for the camera in their matching shirts.

I forgot

to say - Quilter Kim, please email your shipping info to info@janpatekquilts.com and Tara will ship your kit right out. Sorry bout that.

Great Night here in Our Home

Good Evening all!
It is Sunday and my husband just got in... In addition, he was so excited over how the puppy’s tail started wiggling the minute she saw him. He was so afraid...she would forget him when he had gone back to work. Well she just went crazy seeing him again. Now he has not been home for a while early... Sunday evening. He does not fool me... he came home to play with the puppy. This man just did not like small little type dogs. Yet this one he says is very different. She sucked him in. Hahahaha!
Well it is going to be great for a break... he now can watch her some... so that I can do some work on my Christmas gifts. Well it is nice too to have him home three nights. I have everything done... laundry, food shopping, and now I have some company too! Whay a great night this will be.
I will chat later... he is hungry! Off to make up a quick meal I planned on. Yeah..... I get to sew and quilt tonight too! Hugs Morgan

First, Second, Third...

First off, a heartfelt "Thank You!" to everyone. I deeply appreciate the wonderful comments and the positive feedback/support for my "Work Quilt", shown in the post below. You guys rock!

Second, the picture up top is of some beautiful Dupioni silks that I have been hoarding for who knows how long... I think it is time to use them!

Third, I am going on a Holiday vacation from blog posting... just for a bit... (will be back sometime in January). You see, Christmas is coming, the house is a mess, I have lots and lots of sewing I wish to do, and Eldest Daughter is coming home from her semester abroad in ONE WEEK!!!! WhooHoo! I can hardly wait, I miss her so!!! (Last week found her in Paris and this week finds her in Spain... oh, to be young and able to roam!) I am on pins and needles, just waiting to scoop her up and hug her tight, and to hear all about her adventures!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!!!

Ornament Kit

Zoie drew a name and the winner of the Ornament Cutout Kit is Quilter Kim. Hope you and your grandaughter have lots of fun with it. Zoie decided to use some twill and homespun for the back of the ornaments since they would be up against the tree. That way she has 20 ornaments instead of 10.



They have two new kitties this year and have been pondering what to do about ornaments. These, some paper ones made by the kids and some apple slices on fabric loops will probably be the only things on the tree besides lights. Good year to get it for her.
We're off to sew.

Thanks for all of your great comments. We have 9 pairs of cardinals that come to our feeder every day, Brenda. They are just awesome.

Old skate + bout posters + many years of art school = my awesome book

I started grad school at the same time I started roller derby, and it was massively difficult to balance a full time job with these other two major time-eaters. It took me about six months to realize that I could use derby as material for my thesis, and I'm so glad I did. It's saved my sanity, and I'm also pretty proud of the work I've been doing.

I've been making books. I haven't done this in a while, and I'd forgotten how much I used to enjoy this process. I made this one by taking a pair of shears to an old skate and drilling the pages into the plate... thank god the plate was made of nylon. The pages are cut-up sections of old bout posters, and the writing inside explains (in very loose terms) "The Game" of roller derby. I don't go into the details or cite rule 4.1.q.ƒ in the current WFTDA ruleset. However, I do outline the way points are scored, and the different positions we play.

I'm planning on making more books out of old derby materials. I have some old wristguards that could definitely use some love, despite the horrible smell they've developed after years of sweat and "Holbrook floor gunk." I should also consider working with some of the million tutus I've worn over this past season alone. It's nice to feel like I'm really on to something after so long.

Busy ....Tired....Yet so Happy Too!

Good Afternoon to all!
I am not going to be on here long. You see the picture of that puppy... well I am busy taking care of her, and with my own 10 year old pup who is a poodle too. She still has no name, as she is for my parents. I want them to be able to name her. I realize this will be my parent’s last dog. (They will be thrilled, and this will help them as they miss having a dog.) Everyone in our family is buying them all the items needed for her. They will not have to worry on the cost..for her.
I want them to have many days of joy with her. I can see she is perfect for them. She is so sweet... and good too. Just keeping my male pup away from her is the whole problem I am facing. It’s a difficult job... and very draining too! Sleeping... is lost too...it is just like having a baby here. I am loving it too... just trying to figure how I can work some time to do my projects! Heeeek.... the hours pass by and I am finding I am getting nothing done.
Off to pay bills... while I can.
I have until Christmas Eve, and I am sure I will work out some type of system to have it be easier. Both are napping ...whoa what a blessing. I can hear the silence and loving it so, really appreciating it right now.
I do hope everyone is getting to do all they love, and getting all their projects done too.
Have a wonderful day! Hugs Morgan