Electric Quilt

I recently purchased Electric Quilt 7 so that I can begin writing and illustrating patterns.  I'm hoping to publish more articles and I'd love to self-publish and sell a few patterns.  It's too early to write a review--I've barely had time to load the program onto my laptop!


I have played a little and I've watched several of the how-to videos but there's a bit of a learning curve.  

my first quilt in EQ7

I have built the beginnings of one quilt, but figuring out how to save it so that I could bring it here took at least as much time as building this much!  It's easy to put it in a Word document and, it turns out, it's just a matter of coping the picture from Word to Paint, then saving it as a jpeg.  An extra feature is that Paint even keeps the fabric colors and design.  Word doesn't necessarily do that as you can see in the block below.  I don't know how I kept the fabric design in one but not the other, so I'm hoping to figure that one out soon.

green block from quilt

EQ7 does allow the user to add applique, which is next in my plan for this little quilt.  I've already made the quilt, which is really a simple little modern sweetie, so I decided that because it was simple to make, it should be simple to recreate in EQ7.  So far, so good.  

I'll keep you posted on my progress, but I'd certainly appreciate any insight you might have.  If you EQ, please leave a comment of any shortcuts you know of.

Happy Quilting,
Mary

Cotton Quilters Guild Meeting and reading

I managed to get to the last meeting of the Cotton Quilters Guild, which is held at the Cottonport Museum.  We generally meet on the first Monday of each month.  

Our president, Donna, somehow manages to preside over a loud group of women who love to visit, talk, and laugh.  In fact, one reason I try so hard to attend is because a great time is guaranteed!


A meeting, show and share, a presenter and then food!  

That's how we do it in central Louisiana....always wonderful food: chicken salad sandwiches, cookies and cake.  A regular luncheon, although it really depends on the hostesses of the month.

As I was helping to put away tables and chairs, Donna offered me some magazines, which I gladly accepted.  Although she had a box full of quilting magazines, I picked up only ten.  

Turns out that five of them are "Quilts and more" magazines.  I picked them up because they have such pretty quilts on the covers.  The other five are a mix of different magazines that just happened to be on top of the stack.

Already I've read most of them.  I'm a fast reader and when I pick up a mag, I finish it before getting up.  Sometimes I do the same with a good book.  I do go back to re-read magazines, but these I intend to return to Donna.  

She did say I could take them, but other members of the guild may want to read them, and it seems a much better thing to do to return them, so I will.  

How do you read magazines?  Voraciously or slowly?  In one sitting or in several?  One time and finished or read and re-read?  Leave a note and let us know. 

Classroom Checklist

disinfected desks.  check!




arranged furniture.  check!


cleaned boards.  check!



scrubbed shelves.  check!



organized supplies.  check!


moved lit books.  check!


set up computer. check!



tested electronics. check!


lesson plans.  check!


READY FOR THE NEW YEAR. CHECK!!!

Back to School

Since I now know that I'll be teaching this year and will have little time in the library, I've been rethinking my wardrobe for the school year.  I've found khakis and tee shirts are perfect in the library because I do a lot of work that requires I be able to move, crawl, reach and so on.  We move armloads of books, clean, work on computers and other machines and climb on steps to reach high shelves.  

In a classroom, however, there's mostly walking around, slight bending, and standing.  Lots of standing!  I wore mostly dresses and skirts when I was in the classroom but never in the library.  I've decided to find a happy medium between those two styles: pants or skirts and tops that are more dressy than tees.

I've been busy the last couple of days sewing a few things for myself.  After paying $30 to $50 each for a couple of shirts, I decided it would be much more affordable to make my own, especially since I have plenty of fabrics that are perfect for clothing.  Remember the boxes of fabrics I purchased from the elderly lady a few weeks ago?  About half of that is beautiful linens that sew up into great fitting pants.  I bought this Simplicity pattern last week and spent a bit of time measuring and fitting the pattern to my size.  



I've made two pair of pants: one in khaki and another in black.  The linen is very comfortable and hangs very well.  I love the hand of this fabric, so I'll probably make several more pairs.  I have probably 10 more pieces of fabric in every color!  So it shouldn't be a problem.



I also made a few tops.  The first one I made is this beige pullover blouse in a light linen that I added embroidery to.  I'm not doing that again for a while....it was too stressful.  The computer is old and easily freezes, which it did.  


I ended up restarting the embroidery program and losing the adjustments I'd made.  So then I had to abandon part of the embroidery motif and just drop in the monogram.  Since I could not line up the border correctly and it is fairly simple, I chose to put it in manually.  And there's the stressful part!  Not bad in the end, but I'm not trying this again soon.


So, since I don't want to embroider on these tops and they are a little plain, I decided to try some other form of embellishment.  Today I made a blue top using the same pattern from the beige linen one.  The fabric is some type of rayon that easily melts, so I couldn't use any kind of iron on.  


Some time ago I'd purchased some wooden game pieces on Etsy.  Rich and I then drilled tiny holes in the pieces to turn them in to buttons.  I stitched several of the wooden buttons on and interspersed them with bright, colorful plastic buttons.   I like the end result.....bright, fun and nonsensical.  


Although I like these tops, one of the problems I've had is that there has to be a button, hook and eye or some other closure in the back neck.  My hair gets tangled in a hook and eye set and the loops that I've made to pair with buttons generally do not stay buttoned.  

I redesigned the back part of the blouse so that I could add a button hole and a small button--no pulled hair and no open back!  The left back extends over the right side of the back and I added a button hole on the extension.  Perfect!

After wrapping up the blue top, I decided that I'd make one more top.  This one opens to the front and is intended to wear over a tank top as a light shirt jacket.  I used a striped blue fabric that was in the boxes but was too small.  


To have enough fabric, I added a Copenhagen blue solid from my stash. I cut the front and sleeves from the stripe, the collar, back and sleeve band from the solid. 


The two fabrics are a perfect match, and the top will look smart with a solid white tank.  I'm considering whether I want to add some type of closure to the shirt.  That might be a little too constraining to work in, so I'll have to wait till it's washed and try it on with the tank to decide.

Pinterest interest

I guess I should start with an admission: I'm kinda hooked on Pinterest.  Not hooked like I go there several times a day, more like I go there at least a couple times a week.  But there it is...I am hooked.  


Hooked like I have 39 boards.  One is this board on forgotten places that are falling apart but are so hauntingly beautiful.


Hooked like I have well over 700 pins.  


But then what kind of librarian would I be if I didn't have a board with pins of public libraries from around the world.  I'm not going to see every beautiful library in every city, but we can check out many of them by looking at this one board.  Why not take advantage of the work that so many people have already done?  Besides, look at the beauty and the books!


And if one is going to pin photos of public libraries, why not go the extra step and recommend a few of those books?  


So I got hooked on pinning books.  I was going with classics, but I couldn't leave out my favorite young adult authors, I am a high school librarian, after all.  So, there's Shakespeare right next to Jodi Picoult.  


Except that I haven't put them in alphabetical order.  I considered it, mind you, but I thought perhaps that's going a little too far.  Possibly not, but once I alphabetize I'd have to keep it up, and that (trust me, I know this for certain) would take way more time than I can afford.


Books need bookmarks, so there's a bookmark board.  And books don't just sit on the floor, so there's a shelf board.  But then I decided that I do have more in my life than just work.  So I thought of other ways to use Pinterest.


Then I realized that I quilt.


And I sew.  


And I play with other crafts. 


So, I needed a board or two on sewing/quilting/crafts.  I ended up with 16, so far.  I won't list them all, but you get the idea that maybe I am a little obsessed with pinning crafts.  


In my defense, I like organizing, so I had to organize the boards in ways that I would be able to quickly and easily find what I want to find.  Yes, there's one on organizing.  

I guess that pretty much covers it.  I did some smart combinging: grandchildren go with sewing because it makes so much sense right now.  And I don't post photos of my grandchildren on any social media sites.
  
Well, it doesn't completely cover it.  Long ago of the things I discovered I appreciate beauty.  So there are some boards--rather like the first one I mentioned--that exist just because I appreciate beauty: visual arts, lace, embroidery, ironwork, trees (yes, I know, trees!).  


At least I'm not considering my interest in Pinterest as part of my workout routine or my healthy lifestyle.  No, I've decided I'd be realistic and pin only those things that are really in my life, like pecan desserts.  Now there's a board!!!


What about you?  Have you done any pinning?  If so, please let us know what interests you've collected and give your Pinterest address so we can follow your boards.  I guess if I'm going to admit that I'm hooked on Pinterest, I can toss shame out the window and beg for more.....please!

Congratulations Laura!

Laura Kliethermes Photography via Paragon Casino Resort FB page

Do you remember this photo?  Or rather some similar to it?  I wrote about a swamp tour I took in June with some of my sisters.  Laura, who now lives in Tennessee had come for a visit with her two daughters and we planned a day tour in South Louisiana.  A photographer, Laura had her huge camera and a couple of lens and big plans.  She must have snapped hundreds of photos in the two hours that we were on the water.  I have to admit, however, that she got some great photos.  The one above happens to be one of my favorites.  

Paragon Casino Resor--Facebook page

When Laura found out that Paragon Casino, which is just 20 or so miles away in Marksville, was having a Bon Temps (French for "good times") Photo Contest about any scene in Louisiana, she entered this photo.  Photos from the Top 10 winners are on their Facebook page here.

Congratulations are definitely in order: not only did the photo make the TOP 10, but it is also the GRAND PRIZE WINNER!  


Definitely worth something, right?  Turns out that something is dinner for two and an overnight stay at the resort.  

Laura Kliethermes Photography

As you can tell, I'm really excited for her.  She's a great photographer, so I'm really appreciative that she offers to photograph my quilts, especially considering my sad attempts.  In fact when she comes for a visit, she wanders around the yard and fields snapping away.  

Laura Kliethermes Photography

She snaps photos of the most unphotogenic things--my chickens, for example--and makes them look terrific.  Stuff that I would not even consider for a picture are in the thousands and thousands of pics on her computer. 

Laura Kliethermes Photography

I guess art is seeing something different in the ordinary when the rest of us just see the ordinary.  At least I'm now convinced that is the definition, which means Laura is a true artist.

If you leave her a message in the comments, I'll make sure she sees them.  I'm sure she would love to know what you think of the post, the photos or the kudos.

Happy quilting (and photographing)

Mary

Cheery Cherry Red

When my bloggy friend, Jan-Maree, of Cherry Red Quilter fame, wrote about her friend Marg sending some sewn goodies for the Irish Charity Bazaar, I decided to help out, too.  I really had no idea what to send but decided early on that I needed to keep it small so that I could swing the postage to Australia.  Small items are easy if you choose things for little children, so I decided to go with as many children's items as I could stuff into a box.


I started with really small fleece mittens.

Added some felt scarves with winter themes for dress-up fun.

And tossed in a pile of microfiber bibs.

I think there were a few other items.....maybe some book covers or coin purses, but I didn't get photos of those.  Sorry.

Since Rich wasn't home to add some tape, I put a few extra strips on for him.  He loves to joke that he's the Fleur de Lis shipping and receiving man and knows his job better than I do.  I tend to be conservative with the office supplies.  But I was generous since this little box has to make it all the way to Australia, and I don't want anything spilling out!

Sending Jan-Maree an email about the box was the best part.  Of course we haven't met in person, but we email often and read each other's blogs, so I feel like I sort of know her and send her short, silly emails about very little--you know, my usual.   The box email was like that but with a tiny bit of seriousness and gratitude for her many charitable works.  She shot back a thank you note in no time at all, which is typical Jan-Maree.  She answers every comment and note right away, yet manages the Aussie Hero Quilts among other good works, including making many of the quilts that go to service men and women.  I can't imagine the energy she has!  I just hope that one little box finds its way to her and helps in little ways.


Who do you know that is an angel in disguise?  How much energy do you think it takes to be such an angel? 
Happy quilting,
Mary