Another picture I wanted to add. This is a quilt I started last spring at a quilt retreat. It is an Atkinson design, Antique Album from here "Spring Cleaning" book. It had a LOT of small squares that had to be put together for stars, and just about every other lady up at the retreat came by and looked over my shoulder and said, "Oh, what a lot of tiny squares!" like it was a bad thing. I got very annoyed.
But, I kept working on it. I had collected fat quarters for a couple of years from each quilt shop I visited in my travels, all with a purple theme to go in my lilac colored bedroom. (Don't laugh, it is a beautiful calming color for a bedroom.)
Through the months I kept slowly working on it, and finished the top this winter. I handed it off to my dear friend who has her own long arm, who quilted it for me in a loopy, variegated thread.
I finished the binding last weekend, and it now is in the proper place on my bed.
It is the largest quilt I have ever made. I may not work on a large on like this again, or at least not for a long time, but I am proud of this one. I always wanted to make one for our bedroom. I love it.
Now, I have to make pillow shames to match. That's OK, I still have a lot of tiny squares for the stars! Viewed from the pansy pots.

My PVC quilt frame

I am very proud of my frame, and it has been very helpful to use. At first I followed the plans posted earlier and it turned out too big to fit in my sewing room, or to use comfortably in my living room. I use it there when watching TV with the family. I want to watch with them and quilt, and not be stuck in my sewing room all the time.

Anyway, I sawed off some inches from the poles and made it smaller. If you can't reach across 40 inches with your arms, and sew, why make the frame that big?

So, the smaller size is working out very well. Here are some pictures.

Mother's Day Rant

I don't consider myself overly political. I'm sort of middle conservative. But Mother's Day really gets my hackles up, so here is my rant....

I want to start a campaign to end the take over of Mother's Day by the Pink Brigade, (aka Breast Cancer awareness media machine.)

The Pink Brigade has the whole month of October for making us all ware pink. The Fourth Monday of that month is "Breast Cancer Awareness Day". Do they need to hijack Mother's day too?

I might feel differently if my mother died from this awful disease, or anyone else close to me. I have some cousins who are survivors, and a very close friend who also is a survivor. I was happy to support them and pray for them during their illness. And I think if I asked any of my friends over 25 if they know someone who battled this disease, they would all say yes. So, we are aware all ready!

And, how much is gained by professional baseball players using pink gloves and bats on that day? I just think it looks silly.

I would direct you to the website: Mindful Mothers - www.mindful-mama.com, under thrive, archive; look at the post of April 30, 2009, Making Mother's Day Meaningful. It gives a short history of Mother's day, and how it was founded by a proclamation by the woman who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic, to inspire mothers for peace between the States after the Civil War.

Now, marching for Peace, supporting struggling mothers in our country or around the world I can get behind on Mother's Day! Let's think of the children, and help women be better Moms. The world needs this more than grown men swinging a bright pink bat to the outfielder and his neon pink mit. Or any other of the pink foolishness surrounding this coming Sunday.

And so I begin my campaign with this post. Send cards, have a picnic, do something you really love doing, even take a nap. Kiss your Mom, Kiss your kids, make a donation to a charity for kids and Mom's in your area, if you are so inclined. Sit back with a good book, your favorite beverage and enjoy the day. You deserve it.

Next year I will spread the word wider. This year I will be enjoying my view of the pansy pots.

Hand Quilt Frame from PVC

I got tired of using my small lap quilt hoop or my stand alone hoop for my antique quilt. The working service was just not big enough, and it was too much work to move the quilt around.
So, I hopped on the WWW and found plans to make a quilt frame from PVC pipe. Plans and pictures are at pvcworkshop.com/quiltingframe.pdf
I don't have pictures of mine, but I will post some. Since using this frame, I have cut it down a little, so it fits better in my sewing room, and sitting room. I did not glue it together, so I can store it easier.
I really like it, and look forward to using it through the summer!
I planted more pansy pots this week! Spring is really here!
That's the view for now from the pansy pots.

Quilting Spring 2010

So, I haven't been on in a while, sorry. I thought I would have a lot to contribute, and I do, but have no time. I will try and post more often.
I am currently busy working on some quilts.
One, an antique flour sack quilt. It is a Friendship Ring pattern, and I have finished hand sewing the rings onto muslin squares, and sewn these together on my machine. Now I have begun hand quilting the squares. It is really pretty and I am enjoying the hand work again. It has been a long time since I quilted this way.
Also finished a Twins Homer Hankie lap quilt for taking to the park for those cooler fall night games during the playoffs! (There's positive thinking for you!)
I have done some research on flour sack quilts, and am trying to find other blogs about putting them together, or finishing ones that had been started years ago, and never finished.
I also have a Grandmother's Garden unfinished top I want to quilt after the friendship ring one, and a stack of Grandmother's Garden flowers waiting to be put together. I may work on this one over the summer too. It is small work and I can bring it on car trips etc.
I went to a workshop at my local quilt store to show and tell antique quilts, and fell in love with these flour sack ones. I love the history. And in a way, it connects me to my grandmothers, who worked with these fabrics too.
That's the view from the Pansy Pots, on this rainy, April day.

Take care of yourself in 2010

One of my New Year's resolutions is to take better care of myself.
I will loose some weight, more on that in a minute.
And I am designating Friday as Spa Day.
No, I will not have a Spa appointment every week, but I may add a couple through the year.

I'm talking about pulling out all those fancy lotions, and bath salts, or bath sugars, and face mask that I have sitting around, and actually using them! You know what I mean folks. The lotion, exfoliation creams, etc that we all get as gifts, throw in the linen closet to re-gift later, and never use or send away.

Take them out, dust them off, and start treating yourself with them. Or, check out the box discount stores for leftover Holiday gift sets on sale now and get yourself a set.
They do feel good, and and we call all use that now.
Do it. Set some time for yourself in the bathroom, feel beautiful and good about yourself.
As my Dad always said: Take care of yourself, no one else will do it as well as you can.

That is one resolution.
Number 2 is to loose some weight. Some of the ladies I work with have put some money in a pot, and set up a biggest looser challenge. We weight in this week, and after 12 weeks, whoever lost the most percentage of weight wins the pot.
I am tracking what I eat on FitDay.com. I like it, it keeps me honest. It tracks my goal, tracks my exercise and calories and it is easy to use. Check it out, and it is free!
Living in Minneapolis and working 3 days a week downtown, some of us ladies are taking advantage of the skyway system in the buildings and walking about 2 miles each day. I do like that, we have a good time, and keep a pretty fast pace as a group.
I'll post my progress.

The view from the pansy pot is very cold today. But the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I'm wearing a fuzzy sweater and staying home today.
Have a good weekend!

In the Beginning

I have wanted to add my view of things for a while now, and have decided to begin this Blog.
There will be comments on private corporate libraries, as opposed to public or school libraries; internet research, social networking, knitting, (I like to knit and share patterns and projects) middle age motherhood and daughterhood, (I am of the 'sandwich generation', taking care of my growing family and elderly parents); and anything else that strikes my fancy. Whether there will be any readers or not, only time will tell.
I will keep it clean, a mix of professional and personal, and try and make it helpful.
Let me know how I'm doing along the way.
And that is today's view from the Pansy Pots.