tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45989039804781055912024-03-14T00:42:51.525-07:00Christine's Quilt ClosetOliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-16776138277981641632009-11-23T17:36:00.000-08:002009-11-23T17:49:34.874-08:003-D Table RunnerThis week the Yankee Quilter hosted a class, taught by my friend Pam, to make a 3-D table runner. It was held from 6 pm to midnight, and I had all expectations to finish, even though I was going in with very little prepared -- only a few strips had been cut.<br /><br />This pattern was intensive. Once the strips were cut, long tubes were sewed, turned right-side out and ironed. From there, weaving took place to form the 3-D pattern.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeROeUXkSPeNiBqhMBocEXQpyk0kedmvBNb499sw0UPXaiuZvcmGWRB2TNgVu_UCgg8fh42iKVfESo_uHS0GiBZ6YjL8oOyJuZ592KB1JladZ7xCyKLEEr-CdVaWLPzfIIOeLAexdSkSb/s1600/September+18+2009+010.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407478307987270322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeROeUXkSPeNiBqhMBocEXQpyk0kedmvBNb499sw0UPXaiuZvcmGWRB2TNgVu_UCgg8fh42iKVfESo_uHS0GiBZ6YjL8oOyJuZ592KB1JladZ7xCyKLEEr-CdVaWLPzfIIOeLAexdSkSb/s320/September+18+2009+010.jpg" /></a><br /><br />While this table runner took me a total of approximately 10 hours, it was a fun project, and I just love the final product! I have many table runners for Christmas, Easter, Springtime, Halloween, but none in a basic Autum print. The fabric I had chosen includes Thimbleberries (the gold) and Gobble Gobble by Moda. I chose not to use the Moda prints for the borders, however, as I felt the busy-ness of the print took away from the dimensional aspects of the blocks.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TmMuqTID7I_RAK_IBGvNvYpxsz9SRqkIrDswXQyaNMZfTonrL7zYU7k1OdWMI7f8c1alvfnLjJMkjScMnU4PC0A_winpJmZ7UmL121MLkLybWqmDtu9rteVKDeyYglzE-gmivuY31xGQ/s1600/September+18+2009+011.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407478760013053618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TmMuqTID7I_RAK_IBGvNvYpxsz9SRqkIrDswXQyaNMZfTonrL7zYU7k1OdWMI7f8c1alvfnLjJMkjScMnU4PC0A_winpJmZ7UmL121MLkLybWqmDtu9rteVKDeyYglzE-gmivuY31xGQ/s320/September+18+2009+011.jpg" /></a> I'm really pleased with the way this table runner turned out, and I still have material left over. I'm thinking it's enough to make a matching candle mat or place mat!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHtNu6RxZoBmMxqW-VHKJhojvHNPPKz02sY6WBZGNf5StlAna0E6HccATRIbGbIRpglDdwcvF-Pn6L7VbBwTm1gnAh9OnYDcK4Q7pBfzWfRTCr_MVCuLkyEyZV0z3YK3V5s-WfhMb65xB/s1600/September+18+2009+012.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407478768114696450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHtNu6RxZoBmMxqW-VHKJhojvHNPPKz02sY6WBZGNf5StlAna0E6HccATRIbGbIRpglDdwcvF-Pn6L7VbBwTm1gnAh9OnYDcK4Q7pBfzWfRTCr_MVCuLkyEyZV0z3YK3V5s-WfhMb65xB/s320/September+18+2009+012.jpg" /></a> </div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-67601941403364827692009-11-16T17:42:00.000-08:002009-11-16T19:12:51.596-08:00Autumn QuiltingThis past October I had the opportunity to make a few cute things out of one panel of material I picked up at the Yankee Quilter. The panel had several Halloween scenes, and there were six pictures in total. Since I love antique Colonial homes, two of my favorite panels illustrated spooky houses and are shown below. The second house, in particular, reminds me of one of my favorite Victorian homes in Cornwall, Vermont!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlUpiioSA2cWZdL8TFeV2sZ-C9x3xkDFEg22v1xQVzdFR53VUXLIicEy69HksEpRfWjNlZypYOOSGTlyXcc74NOnFCJFMSLGKLgso1xCRKRdB_V4RF4hDcQTbQjEJ6GMSwfXZg6hNAwWv/s1600/September+18+2009+154.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404882886150485122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlUpiioSA2cWZdL8TFeV2sZ-C9x3xkDFEg22v1xQVzdFR53VUXLIicEy69HksEpRfWjNlZypYOOSGTlyXcc74NOnFCJFMSLGKLgso1xCRKRdB_V4RF4hDcQTbQjEJ6GMSwfXZg6hNAwWv/s320/September+18+2009+154.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUShcACkDL-0UwpVHNdjfnlvgdqAYHfSk6qwD6qrlTdTlCrqM5fGJY-nME7XjUoOYj7OaXhRMEjPTduMjmJLOLaSRYy_lwx_7026-vH6T_xv9isiCvI3FYJtiyuEvxLYx_Tv-Q2ck_2AQ/s1600/September+18+2009+153.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404882879844697138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUShcACkDL-0UwpVHNdjfnlvgdqAYHfSk6qwD6qrlTdTlCrqM5fGJY-nME7XjUoOYj7OaXhRMEjPTduMjmJLOLaSRYy_lwx_7026-vH6T_xv9isiCvI3FYJtiyuEvxLYx_Tv-Q2ck_2AQ/s320/September+18+2009+153.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The first 4 panels I used to make a fun table runner. Out of the two remaining pictures, I used one to make Olivia a quilted Trick-Or-Treat bag that included black fabric with candy corn -- pretty appropriate I thought! The bag was large enough for plenty of candy, and it certainly is a keepsake for use year after year. I have one picture left from the panel, and I'm not quite sure what I'll do with that one yet... I can get creative with it next year!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-0GIktfzwh3iWn27zlnmNetgnPf6ww0vnhIn08Ffdlr7PUAsqyU6-cvxssQF-DID2ENhXFaav4hinf-lo-lhyphenhyphenGOwphlMRr7Cs95aP0ui1phYbE3r1LYd-M96bZdRtarr_FyQJ36eS5Ak/s1600/September+18+2009+152.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404882872739907938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-0GIktfzwh3iWn27zlnmNetgnPf6ww0vnhIn08Ffdlr7PUAsqyU6-cvxssQF-DID2ENhXFaav4hinf-lo-lhyphenhyphenGOwphlMRr7Cs95aP0ui1phYbE3r1LYd-M96bZdRtarr_FyQJ36eS5Ak/s320/September+18+2009+152.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimleSheLEePT8TH50Jfj4CBRa6lLVXwUl2zMq4bm-AuBXH-rUi0h5473SU0xnmOmJWjkgGdyx6BQHg9RlLqbYlhLBX69XpqJ0kpSZ01xJs9qlzkSiiFQCeYCJKMe7Y-HVkWObUhH9qA1-Z/s1600/September+18+2009+161.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404885473947937362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimleSheLEePT8TH50Jfj4CBRa6lLVXwUl2zMq4bm-AuBXH-rUi0h5473SU0xnmOmJWjkgGdyx6BQHg9RlLqbYlhLBX69XpqJ0kpSZ01xJs9qlzkSiiFQCeYCJKMe7Y-HVkWObUhH9qA1-Z/s320/September+18+2009+161.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of bags, this past weekend Olivia told me she needed a large bag for her books. After giving her a plastic shopping bag (that she rejected) and then offering her several large faux-leather bags I had in the attic, she very sweetly said, "I want you to make me one, Mom." How could any mother refuse?? We moved into the quilt room where she rummaged through my scraps, and at that point decided her bag was to be made out of strips of fabric. It was such a nice day spent with each other... Olivia ironed the strips and planned their order, I measured and sewed. The bag was quilted, a pocket added to the front, and it was done by 11 pm. Not bad for approximately 5 hours work! When Olivia woke up the next morning and I told her the bag was done, she jumped out of bed like it was Christmas!! She loved the bag, and is in the process will filling it with books.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAbxOvTQY_KbjBRnSAvKymVPu7n2zeQOIWlg6OCv31N4dKWMIJ9BMx4tduAicZ0ZO97qh6YVheIEIBUUenLTLbVBkTW042lCAWwpDt3L8IMCDPEtAu5sbQ0fUSjhwAA7tK1lcin-i9iVl/s1600/September+18+2009+162.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404885479612789746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAbxOvTQY_KbjBRnSAvKymVPu7n2zeQOIWlg6OCv31N4dKWMIJ9BMx4tduAicZ0ZO97qh6YVheIEIBUUenLTLbVBkTW042lCAWwpDt3L8IMCDPEtAu5sbQ0fUSjhwAA7tK1lcin-i9iVl/s320/September+18+2009+162.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Finally, this Friday night I'll be taking a class at the Yankee Quilter to make a "tumbling blocks" table runner. I have plenty of table runners -- Christmas, Easter, Halloween, pretty year-round fabric patterns -- but none for the Fall. Below are the fabric selections I've chosen for Friday's class... this fabric includes a few pieces from Moda's Gobble Gobble line (thanks for the suggestion Lisa!). Needless to say I will post my finished product.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIR5ygx2KzfR5xpbTkfHkoKaB_JTkh0DHlEHIpVr68haRK_ml22cuOlmuyUIEkTP89QjhRzYr_sp8TZ6bVjCYvEtdna4a8g-YekAaFTbC_OXly3-KXUVdDYs872foSnQW6E_qYN0EjCLX9/s1600/September+18+2009+159.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404885468090927186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIR5ygx2KzfR5xpbTkfHkoKaB_JTkh0DHlEHIpVr68haRK_ml22cuOlmuyUIEkTP89QjhRzYr_sp8TZ6bVjCYvEtdna4a8g-YekAaFTbC_OXly3-KXUVdDYs872foSnQW6E_qYN0EjCLX9/s320/September+18+2009+159.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Until then, happy quilting ~ ChristineOliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-22443738821679509162009-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:002009-11-15T18:59:32.159-08:00Yay!! I'm Back!!!Hi Everyone, <em>I'm back</em>!! After taking a long hiatus from quilting, and this blog, I finally feel like I'm back in the swing of things. A special thanks to Lisa @ "Candle Lite Quilter" and Barb @ "A Corgi to Quilt By" for not giving up on me and for keeping my blog link active on their sites!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div>So what have I been up to? I'll try to summarize...</div><div></div><div>In January I started a program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC. GREAT program that I'd highly recommend if you're interested in Nutrition and Life Style balance... their website is integrativenutrition.com. I'm proud to say I graduated in July, 2009 and am now officially a Holistic Health Counselor. Check out my website at HolisticFamilyWellness.com. The program was pretty intensive, so that took up several of my weekends each month from January through July.</div><br /><div>I also started kickboxing more frequently, and have made it to the rank of Blue Belt. Since I do this 2-3 evenings a week, that also cuts into valuable quilting time!</div><br /><div>Fortunately, back in early October, I was able to re-connect with my quilt friends Barb, Pam and Cathy, and we were able to meet for one of our "quilting bees" at my house. This was just what I needed to get going again... here's a few pics from that night. We've also welcomed two new members to the group, Laura and Cheryl (check out Chery's "Yankee Quilter" blog), so now we affectionately call ourselves the "Six Pack". And by the way, while it may look like Cathy is doing something profane with that middle finger, upon closer look she is holding up what appears to be a seam ripper!!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSIOQw5EQdl2DRGBmGyyAfkcKjAd-rA-zHp21CnBnGGRVpTZwc4bCUCk87lQXHtBOj1A7N-DXSB0qmwzcIfQ_EeVQLbVAftzn6A-cXB4ZDqvkZbsYpJpi1KRVvASPR-t-wVG388ATSqds/s1600/September+18+2009+138.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521888647245890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSIOQw5EQdl2DRGBmGyyAfkcKjAd-rA-zHp21CnBnGGRVpTZwc4bCUCk87lQXHtBOj1A7N-DXSB0qmwzcIfQ_EeVQLbVAftzn6A-cXB4ZDqvkZbsYpJpi1KRVvASPR-t-wVG388ATSqds/s320/September+18+2009+138.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH1CrhFgDLxZjZuzYFrNHCCt4FYvi8bwrgzPoIJ1rvOqwTBlnd4Bc20dUttKPDWfLqN3uTunst9_fQqZYXnEDkPt-zXH46OrnBp0yaMXNbAZHuSibfeNKvmRsoQ_QlOFvgfM36OYfrBct/s1600/September+18+2009+141.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521891512841682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH1CrhFgDLxZjZuzYFrNHCCt4FYvi8bwrgzPoIJ1rvOqwTBlnd4Bc20dUttKPDWfLqN3uTunst9_fQqZYXnEDkPt-zXH46OrnBp0yaMXNbAZHuSibfeNKvmRsoQ_QlOFvgfM36OYfrBct/s320/September+18+2009+141.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Jmh_1xL-RnCkBkgnkUBwwPve6aR316g84zYVMo08rYIkf5ExYmMTHv65fxr1MXFMai07HJZ-Jx8drWxokYcqivi0QQBONt1cf37c-AlpwOfRhqnA7VkItEx_l1f8vQXoVjCCx-t9PYgq/s1600/September+18+2009+145.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521907697249986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Jmh_1xL-RnCkBkgnkUBwwPve6aR316g84zYVMo08rYIkf5ExYmMTHv65fxr1MXFMai07HJZ-Jx8drWxokYcqivi0QQBONt1cf37c-AlpwOfRhqnA7VkItEx_l1f8vQXoVjCCx-t9PYgq/s320/September+18+2009+145.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdubQqz6_KeNFfDs1tHnkg5x416hpVD70Tk1KhbROq8JkjodS5KEQyxoqwt9RB1ZJDlQzOAVx67UEDWSJtSBtdRoJQ_zlOMPaqdbP22rQT3CHWApBXzC3K5DEYugQwWVh0My7OkGOCb6i-/s1600/September+18+2009+144.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521903647222994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdubQqz6_KeNFfDs1tHnkg5x416hpVD70Tk1KhbROq8JkjodS5KEQyxoqwt9RB1ZJDlQzOAVx67UEDWSJtSBtdRoJQ_zlOMPaqdbP22rQT3CHWApBXzC3K5DEYugQwWVh0My7OkGOCb6i-/s320/September+18+2009+144.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5eGJxedrICDLnwxULl3eRI98ScIbQKuBNCJQo9nLE63AZ0DdbD-XgjnnJjPpR4DjYo2mjYr_-cn6ws2JqGd3yLG6WQ3Lvn2sfu7RUn0W1BHJ9bB74kxUErsAnaz1HhEMosfIa5RmKovW/s1600/September+18+2009+143.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521901367423842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5eGJxedrICDLnwxULl3eRI98ScIbQKuBNCJQo9nLE63AZ0DdbD-XgjnnJjPpR4DjYo2mjYr_-cn6ws2JqGd3yLG6WQ3Lvn2sfu7RUn0W1BHJ9bB74kxUErsAnaz1HhEMosfIa5RmKovW/s320/September+18+2009+143.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>As if that isn't enough, I've got a number of things in the works at my daughter's school, one of which is a school garden. This past Sping, as a result of my education at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I started a School Garden created to educate the 1st Grade class on where their food comes from, and the benefits of fresh vegetables. I've been keeping a blog of that journey as well, so please take a look at the link to my Garden Blog which illustrates the entire project's lifecycle. There were several key people who helped with that initiative -- in particular, Fr. Skip and Mrs. Dunn the School Principal. How does a quilter thank people for endless hours of back-breaking work and for giving us the green light for the garden? You make them a quilt, of course! These are the pictures of the two quilts I've made -- the larger for Fr. Skip, and a smaller version which is a wall hanging for Mrs. Dunn's office (not pictured). They are photo quilts which include the many faces of the volunteers who have made our garden a reality. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MjBMY9ErTCFv2eKZ1fmAIDNSC8DVUYAjWIeMkmQiTyJcF6r8rEL3K-QGzGuF4kUbf_pigMBJG-ncMUWD6JmRzuOim0_aPnI55C3ZTuPQCRkzPvdmK40nKU0rzkA7Atdm7A94Tt5ykEin/s1600/September+18+2009+002.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404525263178595026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MjBMY9ErTCFv2eKZ1fmAIDNSC8DVUYAjWIeMkmQiTyJcF6r8rEL3K-QGzGuF4kUbf_pigMBJG-ncMUWD6JmRzuOim0_aPnI55C3ZTuPQCRkzPvdmK40nKU0rzkA7Atdm7A94Tt5ykEin/s320/September+18+2009+002.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtPf-ehjVi4dJH1ah3ZFfsOWJdz3ESAUuHwRjYcXVweTvbiH8zyUQG37XOAsKnT6bPi7PO7AXS3-po6uP_F-Ss40Hl0njqV53-gkt4zL5GWUaTUIU4YRD_1olGSRBrGOXhVy25buKhFF9/s1600/September+18+2009+007.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404525273851355906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtPf-ehjVi4dJH1ah3ZFfsOWJdz3ESAUuHwRjYcXVweTvbiH8zyUQG37XOAsKnT6bPi7PO7AXS3-po6uP_F-Ss40Hl0njqV53-gkt4zL5GWUaTUIU4YRD_1olGSRBrGOXhVy25buKhFF9/s320/September+18+2009+007.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie5JcX8WRrT7-LYiad7urSaAAfHVW-NHXS6_65KtjqX5hGvrqzoBZ_5bX_K4J2-x5bz4tM_z1NbXuw2x4oki_Iuugd9OjuhybaV8pSSJpCB9h7eY6OX4Ph1bZas8EUnkoD1gtySVi6AEl/s1600/September+18+2009+005.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404525268100393106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie5JcX8WRrT7-LYiad7urSaAAfHVW-NHXS6_65KtjqX5hGvrqzoBZ_5bX_K4J2-x5bz4tM_z1NbXuw2x4oki_Iuugd9OjuhybaV8pSSJpCB9h7eY6OX4Ph1bZas8EUnkoD1gtySVi6AEl/s320/September+18+2009+005.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MyRQcN5iPpseL35BHI1eKfLeODCqmETQ8G-wtp4Dr8ROmUP8auTqoUDrzHiMeRjH2KE2s3a3fHiL27jHUgMw-hs7mHOEx2BqANizqocdEPbvEnJrgmzcVof-SEBIkF2S6X0k-DuX5Twp/s1600/September+18+2009+006.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404525271679318210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MyRQcN5iPpseL35BHI1eKfLeODCqmETQ8G-wtp4Dr8ROmUP8auTqoUDrzHiMeRjH2KE2s3a3fHiL27jHUgMw-hs7mHOEx2BqANizqocdEPbvEnJrgmzcVof-SEBIkF2S6X0k-DuX5Twp/s320/September+18+2009+006.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Tomorrow I'll bring both quilts to the school and ask all of the children and parents to sign the back. As you may recall, I'm a huge proponent of signing and labeling quilts. I keep track of all the quilts that I make which are lapsize or larger (runners and wall hangings don't count!); Fr. Skip's quilt is the 23rd quilt I've completed. Below is my signature and message to Fr. Skip, as well as a picture of Olivia signing Mrs. Dunn's wall hanging. I'll let you know how they like the quilts after we present them later this week!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQVoMfdVbEZEy9qO1ILb23lSNubWn9SPCZXiRTIItuYfAHzRjGllfu1hMswreyK7jsE6kYE_Lbb3rKryGc9CZNvY_nMip3dh4fzQWhA0GhUdhQMeRhbM89q6ZWWpr6kC4ns_c83HBGL1c/s1600/September+18+2009+010.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404526937484586066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQVoMfdVbEZEy9qO1ILb23lSNubWn9SPCZXiRTIItuYfAHzRjGllfu1hMswreyK7jsE6kYE_Lbb3rKryGc9CZNvY_nMip3dh4fzQWhA0GhUdhQMeRhbM89q6ZWWpr6kC4ns_c83HBGL1c/s320/September+18+2009+010.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugsZAvtGZiDIdc4gQ4vGbPL0rbwo3DiRGBkRWPs9umk0-2k9crF8fFulqnvx3UwrJLAMz0BUdny7zCQhwXmM4AjcSZR2mSGqjOHsj5ygWo4-9Hkm3efns_xs228XfE8PXf3dT9JlyW5ln/s1600/September+18+2009+011.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404526932132946482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugsZAvtGZiDIdc4gQ4vGbPL0rbwo3DiRGBkRWPs9umk0-2k9crF8fFulqnvx3UwrJLAMz0BUdny7zCQhwXmM4AjcSZR2mSGqjOHsj5ygWo4-9Hkm3efns_xs228XfE8PXf3dT9JlyW5ln/s320/September+18+2009+011.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So that just about sums up why my blog is outdated... and did I mention that after all this time I forgot the log-in details to update this page?? UGH! Thank goodness I saved older e-mails that helped job my memory!!</div><div> </div><div>All of the blogs I've mentioned in today's journal can be found in the "My Favorite Blogs" portion of this site. Enjoy everyone, and I hope to have another update soon.</div><br /><div>Warm regards ~ Christine </div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-27700978149807717222009-01-21T17:44:00.001-08:002009-01-21T19:02:45.508-08:00This Is Why I Quilt...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRGo91Ut3EjkKgfQTFiv39yPsZTa1OTZ1L-RuXn7fpyRtx63-JI6XucnKrNW4aYBWjENxTkJ8O9IWPGVLEWqv1PhFGL43efh3fKHe2FKwHk_ET644_JbcmPGFjJFQo8skWCPaM6SS5PPJ/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+199.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293932670198065682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRGo91Ut3EjkKgfQTFiv39yPsZTa1OTZ1L-RuXn7fpyRtx63-JI6XucnKrNW4aYBWjENxTkJ8O9IWPGVLEWqv1PhFGL43efh3fKHe2FKwHk_ET644_JbcmPGFjJFQo8skWCPaM6SS5PPJ/s320/January+4,+2009+199.jpg" border="0" /></a>This picture sums up why I quilt... Olivia loved her new blanket! This quilt went together very easily, and in total, took me less than a week to complete. As you will recall, she picked out her own fabric, and it was a project I had sitting in the quilt closet for some time. It's nice to have the project done, and I'm ready to move onto other things that are waiting to be finished!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few close up pictures of my latest accomplishment, Quilt #20:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwI8IxmkoGGgFcMjWROMlK2Bb1pIDBfWNg3p5RVptDmaG1kJfvE0K1Xyx89P0O8LlCjtis49EUMSK1BGfAFOhbkqIE8epijmxtde2xxD_tk1hFJMkrjh404c7XBVO6liJLanSktHU-leMB/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+201.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293934194843777762" style="WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwI8IxmkoGGgFcMjWROMlK2Bb1pIDBfWNg3p5RVptDmaG1kJfvE0K1Xyx89P0O8LlCjtis49EUMSK1BGfAFOhbkqIE8epijmxtde2xxD_tk1hFJMkrjh404c7XBVO6liJLanSktHU-leMB/s320/January+4,+2009+201.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZWkeOe7c_DMHP_gDYBJcztBFkTLRtx71B0sK_sT_yNgDYhgMay-DC3udgdW0IVEbffVAFw6rhYVKNlO17tmBgxs1zfQxL54YHOQ06MiZS22JPopgbUYF9NJz-X-7x81hERkn21p4psA-/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+203.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293934199672530802" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZWkeOe7c_DMHP_gDYBJcztBFkTLRtx71B0sK_sT_yNgDYhgMay-DC3udgdW0IVEbffVAFw6rhYVKNlO17tmBgxs1zfQxL54YHOQ06MiZS22JPopgbUYF9NJz-X-7x81hERkn21p4psA-/s320/January+4,+2009+203.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0WjgieX5gLcxIgtYP6V6hbubCzzFWDXejV1XouAs1ryu31qgX6zGsfflRUJvBYcSACluIAHKm59qia6iN_otJ3ozhmq1A46V9gM_tOvsb5qIf9rAwVWbs7vkcMPUEapz2L90SSicdse0/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+202.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293934203308018098" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0WjgieX5gLcxIgtYP6V6hbubCzzFWDXejV1XouAs1ryu31qgX6zGsfflRUJvBYcSACluIAHKm59qia6iN_otJ3ozhmq1A46V9gM_tOvsb5qIf9rAwVWbs7vkcMPUEapz2L90SSicdse0/s320/January+4,+2009+202.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I'd love to hear how you track your quilts. For example, I label and number each quilt, then keep a corresponding journal with the quilt number, date and who it was made for. At one point I was VERY ambitious and started a scrapbook as well. The scrapbook was ordered by quilt number, had pictures of the quilt being assembled, and included the final picture of who the quilt was given to. On a few pages, I even included scraps of the fabric. At some point I'll update the scrapbook, but for now I'm simply enjoying making the quilts!</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the next projects I have waiting in the wings is a charity quilt I'm making for Olivia's school's Silent Auction. It will be small in size, and I'm going to use the Crazy Eights quilt pattern. Below are the fabrics I've chosen, and I'm hoping this project goes together just as quickly.</div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2rCFBdjfazyu0XqXj1MIic69BhcYgnQt8sT24vkMOyHqx_tUaCWHez63Rg7l8FYxc00vGGvUUJQbBIsi4YZkE-pBHZHeSSaqZvqeITekYocF67Me0qpaUPCmyboCpEEx-wJIMqX9362b/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+194.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293935749282608098" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2rCFBdjfazyu0XqXj1MIic69BhcYgnQt8sT24vkMOyHqx_tUaCWHez63Rg7l8FYxc00vGGvUUJQbBIsi4YZkE-pBHZHeSSaqZvqeITekYocF67Me0qpaUPCmyboCpEEx-wJIMqX9362b/s320/January+4,+2009+194.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div>Aren't these fabrics <em><strong>gorgeous</strong></em>?? I'm so afraid that once the quilt is finished, I'll want to keep it!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Last year I fell in love with the fabric as well. Here are a few pictures of the quilt I made for the 2008 Silent Auction, and this quilt sold for about $200. It's nice knowing that my efforts are raising money for the school!!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b-eSA1c1BwPdZRSPnCzOb5nc2Hc1FHEPLQxyM3VJEAIBm8Zkxg918aO0TAQBuDTgQmiwESk9CVaPCUTudphKdBnTkmW8CBfDsXEd0d14wb8ncfmBVdAUMkUlFnyrFzZGed401sjPyAg0/s1600-h/March+5+2008+084.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293937713885088658" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b-eSA1c1BwPdZRSPnCzOb5nc2Hc1FHEPLQxyM3VJEAIBm8Zkxg918aO0TAQBuDTgQmiwESk9CVaPCUTudphKdBnTkmW8CBfDsXEd0d14wb8ncfmBVdAUMkUlFnyrFzZGed401sjPyAg0/s320/March+5+2008+084.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdo3paCG1qeYvRz5x3hyVlbqcd7IyFfbXJZEiW3C1TyeKOeE77Sbsqe0kP1TwNFfymGLs9VuA7C9vmTUAa0fw2dDIMtz9BR7cSLHtfVJj2e9OcYdS4_zbtm_HtUwjKDrzYRqCD2MmCXi7/s1600-h/March+5+2008+089.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293937726434106210" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdo3paCG1qeYvRz5x3hyVlbqcd7IyFfbXJZEiW3C1TyeKOeE77Sbsqe0kP1TwNFfymGLs9VuA7C9vmTUAa0fw2dDIMtz9BR7cSLHtfVJj2e9OcYdS4_zbtm_HtUwjKDrzYRqCD2MmCXi7/s320/March+5+2008+089.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And this is an example of the label I added to the back. As you can see, I didn't get many quilts finished since last year, so I'm thankful this blog has motivated me to be productive again. It's not that I didn't quilt at all, it was mostly smaller projects that I focused on, and I don't label and number those.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP_VCdIGvPdjP1MGPvOUeYxAwUFZRBFPX4xXv0rUuHR8gc-tGguyqoiUbKM9KlaUNkvdjLH1O_kCOe7hiOl_kZt2dKpsfkuV02LfKQjtYOM9NrZ3mdPeL6R4ajqKTyCamhwPFMPKyw79I/s1600-h/March+5+2008+085.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293937733418603842" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP_VCdIGvPdjP1MGPvOUeYxAwUFZRBFPX4xXv0rUuHR8gc-tGguyqoiUbKM9KlaUNkvdjLH1O_kCOe7hiOl_kZt2dKpsfkuV02LfKQjtYOM9NrZ3mdPeL6R4ajqKTyCamhwPFMPKyw79I/s320/March+5+2008+085.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div>Finally, this weekend was the first at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. I'm on my way to becoming a Certified Health Coach, and class was really exciting. There are nearly 2000 people in attendance at the Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. People come in from all over the world -- Australia, Japan, Sweden, Korea, the Bahamas, Spain, as well as from all over the US. The training will last for 6 months, during which I will begin to develop my client focus and begin working with people. Part of my challenge will be creating a business name, and I'm really struggling here. <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">So if you have ideas, send them to me, and if I use the name, I'll send a charm pack your way!</span></em></strong> The program focuses around holistic wellness, and I'd love to hear from you with questions or comments.</div><div></div><div> </div><div>Until next time, happy quilting!</div><div></div><div> </div><div>Warm regards,</div><div></div><div> </div><div>~ Christine </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-79205689170441396352009-01-11T16:05:00.000-08:002009-01-11T16:57:08.032-08:00The Days Are Flying By!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtAsM6SGvFiMcTylUqIHFJptF0pU8xxDKPKk2J_JxJrH5A6j4fnWK88021J_ppmTOJiiGFWWxDD7C4DzjiVQWzZM3XOjMHj795O_Xk_Rw1EvlOfc9aziEbrevImRAfGSkX1WebpowR-Az/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+180.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290196418260181970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtAsM6SGvFiMcTylUqIHFJptF0pU8xxDKPKk2J_JxJrH5A6j4fnWK88021J_ppmTOJiiGFWWxDD7C4DzjiVQWzZM3XOjMHj795O_Xk_Rw1EvlOfc9aziEbrevImRAfGSkX1WebpowR-Az/s320/January+4,+2009+180.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's hard to believe it's been a week since my last post.... the days are just flying by! This weekend I had high hopes to quilt A LOT since the weather forecast called for snow. But the storm was a bust (only 3") as was my quilting progress. Earlier this week I managed to squeeze in a few hours after Olivia went to bed, and I made quite a few border blocks for her pinwheel quilt. To date I've finished 7 out of 20, and I'm closer than ever to getting the quilt finished. A picture of the border block is above, and the partially finished quilt and pinwheel block closeup is below.</div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290197192942139570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNHTcw-2dLfgghHMombkL1r0Mg10R2tCmxUmxpiuNSsMU5UC6_W8roIozlHtTKX9Uwr1gVWB7uAgsEypSzzmHz081e2FL0Kvk7DXxGon5zjIRfQ3a4_3Ycj7BUJn3-ulwP1EMC6Yq2Agj/s320/January+3,+2009+069.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290197196620443538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsC2PVxqT5JblhIKTeA0fXA-jxHgjhjZGNi-jZazI7qh2bqE-bSswLzcfP-_TuO3xmTxcIgce1y6E3Ajz6om6w9cpzL9_nxR5w6xUg2bmDuFrtpYMrRrK-vIC-vJPfKCCLv1cAhoW7psc/s320/January+3,+2009+070.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>I've also made progress on my calendar quilt, and I think it's coming out pretty good. I will probably vary the pattern a little as I move forward, as some of the other quilters have done with theirs. If you have a minute, check out the Calendar Quilt Blog (link can be found on the sidebar of this blog) -- there are so many talented people highlighting their work!</div><div></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290194032801049778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVveTMgyi5aav3ECRp4REMOU2BBdtIGstsDAtkrM-W85lDryTOSf_kpXzGAo1qirHbqjomJJmvI9WEfZB6F8EOvbQHQOgIOg1xi9BkdcJk68WyE-dNo5bxtkCp1qz9K4-LO3lfrp0Pun1q/s320/January+4,+2009+179.jpg" border="0" />The other news I wanted to share was about a new fitness program I began yesterday. It's one I've followed in the past and had good luck with -- Body For Life. It's based on eating healthy foods and exercising 6 days a week (no surprises there!!). The Body For Life website is chock full of info, <a href="http://bodyforlife.com/,">http://bodyforlife.com/,</a> and includes all of the program details -- exercises, journals, food suggestions, success stories. I started yesterday and noted it on my calendar quilt strip as "BFL Day 1"; there are 84 days total to the program. So far so good... I did upper body yesterday and today I was certainly sore, but it felt really good knowing I made progress. Today was lower body, and I combined that with 30 minutes on the treadmill. My downfall is always my diet, I really enjoy chocolate & ice cream, so those are my challenge foods. Anyway, if you're interested in a really good program, I would recommend Body For Life. I'll keep you posted on my progress!<br /><br /><div>As I mentioned in my very first blog, my intent is to combine my love of quilting and my interest in nutrition into this blog. Next weekend I begin the Holistic Health Counselor program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City (<a href="http://www.integrativenutrition.com/">http://www.integrativenutrition.com/</a>), so I'm sure I'll have plenty to share once that gets going. In the meantime, I've added two new features to this site -- the Healthy Tip of the Day feature, and my daily diet (this is to keep me honest!). I hope you enjoy both.</div><div></div><br /><div>Warm regards ~ Christine</div><div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-91959622074653954392009-01-04T17:29:00.000-08:002009-01-04T17:43:19.180-08:00Calendar Quilt ChallengeLast night as I was reading a few other blogs, I came across Rachel's blog and the Calendar Quilt Challenge (see the button on the right). It sounded like so much fun, that I decided to go for it and become part of the team. I'm looking forward to fun year ahead of adding a new strip each day to the calendar, ultimately ending up with a warm, scrappy quilt in January, 2010. I started my journey today, and these are the 4 scraps I've pulled together so far. I also used the embroidery feature on my machine to include the month & year:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefgIq4gtrXEzEbTbHsxVoGcuiPWNrM38SF2BhBHDUd9tOc1OlIMv1_YtY0noUcUf3TxN46395mH5oUehTnLx_z9AehUvdYQSUN3aFFBgnDvy-8higR3rsAxGt45WUIOckqpRG-9sE8GwK/s1600-h/January+4,+2009+160.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287616678758658834" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefgIq4gtrXEzEbTbHsxVoGcuiPWNrM38SF2BhBHDUd9tOc1OlIMv1_YtY0noUcUf3TxN46395mH5oUehTnLx_z9AehUvdYQSUN3aFFBgnDvy-8higR3rsAxGt45WUIOckqpRG-9sE8GwK/s320/January+4,+2009+160.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Challenge is a great opportunity to meet other quilters and learn their techniques and styles for their individual calendars. It's also going to be a fun way of using some of the scraps I have from my previous projects!<br /><br />Happy Quilting Everyone,<br /><br />~ ChristineOliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-63743003678749404382009-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:002009-01-03T18:25:46.851-08:00Welcome to a New Year of Quilting!!Happy 2009 everyone! I hope all of you had as restful a holiday as I did, recharging my batteries before I'm thrown back into the reality of life on Monday, January 5th. In line with my childhood homework of "what I did on my winter vacation," I thought I'd share a few pictures of my accomplishments this past week. I'd also like to thank you for the encouragement, as it was this blog that has re-ignited my desire to finish some of the projects I've had hanging around the quilt closet for far too long!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>We spent a week at the cottage in Vermont, and I brought along two projects. The first is a quilt I started for my daughter more than two years ago. I would have finished the piecing this trip, but realized I left a piece of fabric home that was part of the inner border. I'm really pleased at how far it's come so far...<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFd70WOWWGHoMX54-Nhpy05ZsJWgSSOFn2e1gQDSzrLLPGNM3LUrd2ukd6OQJG7oYh0gQMq4BGG1uu9ThR5qGZXpKxYLdUvE_SXxtm6PjXdqsZrexoTZgsRNX1frpORtGlqUd9cASaMmf/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+069.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287244906080790882" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFd70WOWWGHoMX54-Nhpy05ZsJWgSSOFn2e1gQDSzrLLPGNM3LUrd2ukd6OQJG7oYh0gQMq4BGG1uu9ThR5qGZXpKxYLdUvE_SXxtm6PjXdqsZrexoTZgsRNX1frpORtGlqUd9cASaMmf/s320/January+3,+2009+069.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4SAYIcs1hOv-J19iBAs0FoQpVOF80JY7vuBgMmUtU91AOysLyHpCRqYmB2gt0utsT3uiV-srlcKfuqaPTozCmMqA_Y_qUpdFAaHRs7g7uzVB3YsDtLAxVX3GMtEUrZf1XXZjAMM1EbI/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+070.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287244912350269634" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4SAYIcs1hOv-J19iBAs0FoQpVOF80JY7vuBgMmUtU91AOysLyHpCRqYmB2gt0utsT3uiV-srlcKfuqaPTozCmMqA_Y_qUpdFAaHRs7g7uzVB3YsDtLAxVX3GMtEUrZf1XXZjAMM1EbI/s320/January+3,+2009+070.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Thankfully I brought a "back up" project which hadn't even been cut yet. It's a pattern I bought at Knits & Bolts in New Haven, Vermont a few years ago, and since it incorporates quotes about daughters in the center of each star, it was only natural that Olivia select the fabric. Here are a few pictures of the quilt process, complete with a finished quilt top!!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwEq5pJ69gQy_zgLh74L3buEVa94gTUpWVI4cWU81Ud1SiG7prer5yYEFQXJRjf9ShueWFvCOSsWEq5jBRKG8yjvTpGT9ewyDaoUggbAvfvcM9L0YuRPaK5yyXEKSUIgBm6l5N044OfS8/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+321.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247633443146194" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwEq5pJ69gQy_zgLh74L3buEVa94gTUpWVI4cWU81Ud1SiG7prer5yYEFQXJRjf9ShueWFvCOSsWEq5jBRKG8yjvTpGT9ewyDaoUggbAvfvcM9L0YuRPaK5yyXEKSUIgBm6l5N044OfS8/s320/January+3,+2009+321.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsSmM1T_YiTZex12pIJ8QIvx7vQkM3tCuslp7Qs_kellaCvPkiS89P3yPjxZ4FEVxIHCfEztvVLy-fRhFgbIG982NfxYLdejF3Gp5CNR_0bHIUd2Zh7MF1T_FIpnv1Qs7gtfwFj7xyMu_/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+300.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247628961844082" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsSmM1T_YiTZex12pIJ8QIvx7vQkM3tCuslp7Qs_kellaCvPkiS89P3yPjxZ4FEVxIHCfEztvVLy-fRhFgbIG982NfxYLdejF3Gp5CNR_0bHIUd2Zh7MF1T_FIpnv1Qs7gtfwFj7xyMu_/s320/January+3,+2009+300.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5Dm7IsmWqNj7brFBlE8YgFfCu3Hy6t4MXv4bEo9imEXnIdz9xRLftvptDA37BnHS8Yj4QF5XIJfSTjcNhYaS_h28dKlcvk_41FF_aMAKE16sn2aRzN_sLq5VQ4vQLdI1F57J4Vl3DYqR/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+330.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247681059188770" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5Dm7IsmWqNj7brFBlE8YgFfCu3Hy6t4MXv4bEo9imEXnIdz9xRLftvptDA37BnHS8Yj4QF5XIJfSTjcNhYaS_h28dKlcvk_41FF_aMAKE16sn2aRzN_sLq5VQ4vQLdI1F57J4Vl3DYqR/s320/January+3,+2009+330.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagYJT6Wssf_GXpIc6xT4cR5a6ecD5W2twoswiDRg6yHbJxYCNCL0GQnC53McDpi14WO2nDLHALvl0wTLmi82q59YbuvB1TaVlLUbckoAeYzMlJ8AD-vMLo-zh4TGrq4lP4xtoxFk8Mbho/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+331.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247689738874850" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagYJT6Wssf_GXpIc6xT4cR5a6ecD5W2twoswiDRg6yHbJxYCNCL0GQnC53McDpi14WO2nDLHALvl0wTLmi82q59YbuvB1TaVlLUbckoAeYzMlJ8AD-vMLo-zh4TGrq4lP4xtoxFk8Mbho/s320/January+3,+2009+331.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9iDPDMYEfyAOKD05b5acxunVTBNfnqR3hQ4vNZva6ugYMsHHBCmGiZV-UaLs3dp13HinB-0OQaKJ2mwHgJvju588kMvhKYXwSUKXMNKbO13bGoO77Txnk2FIasMKWUtPxYS18yEFWuO8/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+328.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247670958553138" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9iDPDMYEfyAOKD05b5acxunVTBNfnqR3hQ4vNZva6ugYMsHHBCmGiZV-UaLs3dp13HinB-0OQaKJ2mwHgJvju588kMvhKYXwSUKXMNKbO13bGoO77Txnk2FIasMKWUtPxYS18yEFWuO8/s320/January+3,+2009+328.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>What a sense of accomplishment to have these two quilts nearly complete!! I have many other "projects" to tackle (don't we all?), but the next one I will begin is my weight loss quilt. While in Vermont, I shopped for fabric but came up empty handed, so I'll have to visit The Yankee Quilter in Oxford, CT to check out their charm packs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm signing off early tonight but had to log in to share my holiday accomplishments with you. I'll leave you with a few pictures of Lake Dunmore in Vermont: the first is the beautiful view I see each time I quilt, and the second is a family who were brave enough to venture out onto the frozen lake with their sled! </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ECvgBeJ3CxIrNCzgOImRXIkLr02SFlUSFdzVEv7v8sibD3k-sCvcdQP67caLHuMciJPPLnTUSwkQlMN6Sijw96Z1omnaCYUaU9jOWO-E_DO-V0vjsDwSnukq6av5NlP003o_M5uGrK7t/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+072.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287251775125730370" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ECvgBeJ3CxIrNCzgOImRXIkLr02SFlUSFdzVEv7v8sibD3k-sCvcdQP67caLHuMciJPPLnTUSwkQlMN6Sijw96Z1omnaCYUaU9jOWO-E_DO-V0vjsDwSnukq6av5NlP003o_M5uGrK7t/s320/January+3,+2009+072.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYA7jReQTG-PifUabr-Xbb0XnmbUUNUXsqChz-XZIbeVv7y4kky1Ha9Lwu0AK-k80yT1RsKGcfofZ_eB1WidrB_NSoRyOOSVU9kMnd_6-0Vgeg_YXgDZZhIztQsOu1gaHLVt7jCzkbIcg/s1600-h/January+3,+2009+248.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287251787485111714" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYA7jReQTG-PifUabr-Xbb0XnmbUUNUXsqChz-XZIbeVv7y4kky1Ha9Lwu0AK-k80yT1RsKGcfofZ_eB1WidrB_NSoRyOOSVU9kMnd_6-0Vgeg_YXgDZZhIztQsOu1gaHLVt7jCzkbIcg/s320/January+3,+2009+248.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br />Warm wishes for a fabulous 2009,</div><div></div><div>Christine </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-47601707986093849612008-12-23T17:23:00.000-08:002008-12-23T18:26:01.742-08:00Memorial QuiltsOh I'm really getting the hang of this blog stuff now... did you notice the new background? Pretty fancy huh? It's the little things in life that amuse me!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>While pulling together a few pictures tonight, I couldn't help but notice the number of memorial quilts I have done over the past few years. It started with a pile of my Dad's flannel pajamas that I didn't know what to do with. Like any true quilter, the natural thought was to cut up the material and sew it back together! I did so, therefore creating one of my first quilts.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlmyvpC4WLeGrssvNRsv5csMZcR3VfL1zlF96ydxzDdYKKbsFgdyGtYJOvwEPpCuuoQI0QqOe-iX8ZGzfCmMgk6At3XhWd1XLi5bOv22fpopuDH2ihvaUvKorCTnhsN5NKCu_lTejq5Sw/s1600-h/05-31-2006+051.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283172840964317506" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlmyvpC4WLeGrssvNRsv5csMZcR3VfL1zlF96ydxzDdYKKbsFgdyGtYJOvwEPpCuuoQI0QqOe-iX8ZGzfCmMgk6At3XhWd1XLi5bOv22fpopuDH2ihvaUvKorCTnhsN5NKCu_lTejq5Sw/s320/05-31-2006+051.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br />What you can't see in this picture are the buttons that I pulled off the pajama top and sewed in between the blocks. It's comforting to lay beneath this blanket, and to feel the buttons I know my father touched every night. This is one of Olivia's favorite blankets to cuddle under. I also made a second and third similar blanket for my sister, Linda, and her son, Tommy, shown below. This is such an easy pattern, and I use a fusible grid to make the sewing go by quickly.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCOIN-YNrsSji-WIGjizeA9RExgOF6K3HTEPV7DyBsqWyXw3HBGctUpmdIhVRx9udQxoificAbQJXA4IVVIaqHAWzO-9HeJStAU0_2-myrfn7aZXS7w-z7FmfH-63mB_sbQ5xH5kG6XuB/s1600-h/11-11-2006+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283165342652628722" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCOIN-YNrsSji-WIGjizeA9RExgOF6K3HTEPV7DyBsqWyXw3HBGctUpmdIhVRx9udQxoificAbQJXA4IVVIaqHAWzO-9HeJStAU0_2-myrfn7aZXS7w-z7FmfH-63mB_sbQ5xH5kG6XuB/s320/11-11-2006+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>In another memorial quilt, I created the one below for my Aunt & Uncle's wedding anniversary. It's made out of my Mom's blouse (who was my Aunt's sister); you can see the yellow blouse material in the squares. I incorporated peach fabric with angels, and my sister Sally, who also quilts, hand quilted a few hearts here and there. Needless to say it was a show-stopper, and it brought my Aunt to tears.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCUeOg99o0xvVBcR_srcmaIutybllMamo_QCWD4AcWYalwcp2gfcyVACNnPr4dT7LnOeE3mjeGaIjLxwaF8z-7kHyen7N5CVO1N4I8jlrK5j4GOAPi1a963QPSIXGuKLKJjCMJiJTX9FX/s1600-h/11-11-2006+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283169175127214658" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCUeOg99o0xvVBcR_srcmaIutybllMamo_QCWD4AcWYalwcp2gfcyVACNnPr4dT7LnOeE3mjeGaIjLxwaF8z-7kHyen7N5CVO1N4I8jlrK5j4GOAPi1a963QPSIXGuKLKJjCMJiJTX9FX/s320/11-11-2006+022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwsrYlegHKlfAYg7djrHuiOhCURiS98ovSgvsTa2OK9Ce5hpFYJK_fdxLiG9m4K-kagfJhXtLJKO6IlndrXMdUUcKhNFgpfrPTHrUZbQ4NPtI41uF0Hxy_F-r60ZlD9mxoV3_-ozrzLVU/s1600-h/06-24-2006+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283166319272026594" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwsrYlegHKlfAYg7djrHuiOhCURiS98ovSgvsTa2OK9Ce5hpFYJK_fdxLiG9m4K-kagfJhXtLJKO6IlndrXMdUUcKhNFgpfrPTHrUZbQ4NPtI41uF0Hxy_F-r60ZlD9mxoV3_-ozrzLVU/s320/06-24-2006+022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div>I can't tell you the pleasure it brings me to make quilts that bring such comfort to those who I give them to. In the quilt below, a friend asked me to make this quilt for her husband out of his father's clothes. She gave me a shirt, a beige raincoat (of all things!), and another lightweight blue jacket, that came together to create the following quilt. It's the same pattern as the one above, which again, works well for the purpose. You will see that I included buttons from the shirt on this quilt as well.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseq5HuTZDM6XHDRYpJx8k86AoFGXl3TCXAPIPWzgDsnaLt5wvHa9fD_VAkVDmzwRpzacVuLSA2Knq1e2bssX5xr1_wdGcsHSVci1Zctbk_nnof7CRzp7TX68cHfgZY3zJf-vT3bpMvSE1/s1600-h/06-14-2006+057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283167601415682034" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseq5HuTZDM6XHDRYpJx8k86AoFGXl3TCXAPIPWzgDsnaLt5wvHa9fD_VAkVDmzwRpzacVuLSA2Knq1e2bssX5xr1_wdGcsHSVci1Zctbk_nnof7CRzp7TX68cHfgZY3zJf-vT3bpMvSE1/s320/06-14-2006+057.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBQDnNI8k57ognRHD3vjqtcKM1RHnmANUfIsJpiT5caLZli-mM_6T8ieLMR43_rijPAFharxMyYot8VAYXZtezKcuqZ627wBKn8_4oXm5qbj2CbxQWjR_SN_QcNIaS4YZFGtuPvDXt6ar/s1600-h/06-14-2006+052.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283167603821773058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBQDnNI8k57ognRHD3vjqtcKM1RHnmANUfIsJpiT5caLZli-mM_6T8ieLMR43_rijPAFharxMyYot8VAYXZtezKcuqZ627wBKn8_4oXm5qbj2CbxQWjR_SN_QcNIaS4YZFGtuPvDXt6ar/s320/06-14-2006+052.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>I made another quilt for this person out of her mother's blue velvet dress, but I can't seem to find the pictures! Once I locate them, I'll be sure to post. Coincidentally, she had a baby boy the following year and I still had scraps of the blue dress which I incorporated into a baby quilt. I thought it would be nice for the baby to have something of his Grandmothers :o)</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Finally, the next memorial quilt is made from pictures rather than clothing. It is for a dear family friend who turned 80, and the pictures were those collected by family throughout the years. It was the first time I incorporated pictures into a quilt, and it was certainly a lot of fun!!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyYeXZMc6DzudMaCeCOVvUATWH_CAnbsBfhQsaVxi7DiOXMb5UJcl7rHQoZ0eYrY_zqvq-zVe6d8eqzU-l45e1G-UWooX-9vguPU_eBw_SoddnOkpBbziJtAKhNoDBkpa-w156UOd3dL8/s1600-h/May+23+2008+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283170857823339426" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyYeXZMc6DzudMaCeCOVvUATWH_CAnbsBfhQsaVxi7DiOXMb5UJcl7rHQoZ0eYrY_zqvq-zVe6d8eqzU-l45e1G-UWooX-9vguPU_eBw_SoddnOkpBbziJtAKhNoDBkpa-w156UOd3dL8/s320/May+23+2008+001.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEFbBt06ZT0BZi2KkgAMqoBsQU8zNkPJC96DIO3BJp2Gme41QebNVwMr7KsYHv3DTpJmf6Iai3c-wQTmj4Svohgu3mXfsO3eFwj5mqDAVGp8F9P-iZbUNgE2hiLlbq26ih_xSHrHGoYVn/s1600-h/May+23+2008+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283170873172376674" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEFbBt06ZT0BZi2KkgAMqoBsQU8zNkPJC96DIO3BJp2Gme41QebNVwMr7KsYHv3DTpJmf6Iai3c-wQTmj4Svohgu3mXfsO3eFwj5mqDAVGp8F9P-iZbUNgE2hiLlbq26ih_xSHrHGoYVn/s320/May+23+2008+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRRCst1-Cdi4e6V28qbJtnSmqb-DLyot23DWjRFkSdz5erKNDVkyrXBR5lilNZsThyphenhyphenDkJwtyU7qKDwyy5XvDFhA0qqfdi73lrCD7maD6IGePdA6L-vQ4-mWaqvq2wprvkFQMFFnQs7IEl/s1600-h/May+23+2008+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283170863161445746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRRCst1-Cdi4e6V28qbJtnSmqb-DLyot23DWjRFkSdz5erKNDVkyrXBR5lilNZsThyphenhyphenDkJwtyU7qKDwyy5XvDFhA0qqfdi73lrCD7maD6IGePdA6L-vQ4-mWaqvq2wprvkFQMFFnQs7IEl/s320/May+23+2008+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>What was really nice is that after she opened the gift (and finished drying her eyes), she walked it around to each table, where friends and family looked at the pictures and reminisced. When you see things like this happen, it makes all of the time and effort worth while.</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjT2G3g-v9JeVEF1NQffc3goC2KsZIuYuqElyIYj492yId2xeYFOE_PNHX8PuH-P4Qb4LWZrETgOPaenzn0kJEzHqZfCc42RPOZr2rilYfkQIPUvRJkNR3p1VYWSMGxkBtMrr_xg-HuBk/s1600-h/May+23+2008+062.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283172148763949986" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjT2G3g-v9JeVEF1NQffc3goC2KsZIuYuqElyIYj492yId2xeYFOE_PNHX8PuH-P4Qb4LWZrETgOPaenzn0kJEzHqZfCc42RPOZr2rilYfkQIPUvRJkNR3p1VYWSMGxkBtMrr_xg-HuBk/s320/May+23+2008+062.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nt98RQbssssv_mtJ8hWI7db8ynMfkCOSXpbGcl4JA4Lehiy2FKgf6LnHZFjGOffxmyOWDQiPBk_6PrwafvSpeSrMjauTQowAEEFN7dHFwEEaZl3HKoKjCQwWko1yUaz6wGUnbtAzQvdJ/s1600-h/May+23+2008+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283172156020316210" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nt98RQbssssv_mtJ8hWI7db8ynMfkCOSXpbGcl4JA4Lehiy2FKgf6LnHZFjGOffxmyOWDQiPBk_6PrwafvSpeSrMjauTQowAEEFN7dHFwEEaZl3HKoKjCQwWko1yUaz6wGUnbtAzQvdJ/s320/May+23+2008+065.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJip45T-_ggHbd5pRRj0BsAJpCQyAN9DCKZO4WmDhmDCFTvVkQJYzpv5pd7OmOxukgPrfuGOIyDssvREC656MtZRkzwnPibARA9UruUznwnb8n6ivyubvhrZBwOwLXnrdwR1qXNlQVJz5/s1600-h/May+23+2008+066.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283172151299278242" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJip45T-_ggHbd5pRRj0BsAJpCQyAN9DCKZO4WmDhmDCFTvVkQJYzpv5pd7OmOxukgPrfuGOIyDssvREC656MtZRkzwnPibARA9UruUznwnb8n6ivyubvhrZBwOwLXnrdwR1qXNlQVJz5/s320/May+23+2008+066.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, enough for tonight. The whole time I've been blogging my husband has been sitting on the floor next to me wrapping gifts. Time to go help! Merry Christmas all,</div><div></div><div>Christine<br /></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-68105284061342965652008-12-22T15:28:00.000-08:002008-12-23T18:27:45.005-08:00Mission Accomplished!!Wow, did I get a lot done today! Being home sick, I should have been resting, but I'm determined to clean up some of my projects to show progress on this blog. Today I finished up a few items:<br /><br />1. The first is the gift for my daughter's teacher. I made this candle mat which is so simple and takes less than 2 hours. It came out so nice and I loved the fabric so much, I made a second one for myself!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2BtfuDEJ41fMb_SqgnSZgESftNX8Uqgky2pxmSvnwc6RYGaG4VeCJ7rWob4F1elsYxeTrPTj9H9AaFaduG166LvXNf1L-6CMs-j7ek1r-mqnsUNpAAy_2Ysnj8P4IB7Ejh3WZeg5Ofaf/s1600-h/December+21+2008+037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282761428145005106" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2BtfuDEJ41fMb_SqgnSZgESftNX8Uqgky2pxmSvnwc6RYGaG4VeCJ7rWob4F1elsYxeTrPTj9H9AaFaduG166LvXNf1L-6CMs-j7ek1r-mqnsUNpAAy_2Ysnj8P4IB7Ejh3WZeg5Ofaf/s320/December+21+2008+037.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I personalize the gift by adding my daughter's picture to the back and have her sign it in permanent ink.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUBEfkab_ju4XLM9b88GcV9bS1j63Kz_iAOAhoIPXGjXDgCBIG9q9m_JBRnyYarymkerRIkKBJLRjPgNF_cQDzF2F1YCRy4_NL2TJiEAGdTioQ8_iyloBgl9sG5CzdkPJswCiOvIWwTIU/s1600-h/December+21+2008+038.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282762012204072402" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUBEfkab_ju4XLM9b88GcV9bS1j63Kz_iAOAhoIPXGjXDgCBIG9q9m_JBRnyYarymkerRIkKBJLRjPgNF_cQDzF2F1YCRy4_NL2TJiEAGdTioQ8_iyloBgl9sG5CzdkPJswCiOvIWwTIU/s320/December+21+2008+038.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. The second project I finished was a kit I regretted buying (don't we all have those?) It was a small project but I found out after I bought it that all handwork was required. Anyone who knows me knows that I <em>despise</em> hand sewing. This weakness of mine only heightens my respect for those of you who hand quilt... patience just isn't a virtue I possess. After I bought the kit and realized what I got into, I jumped in feet first. My daughter, Olivia, and I spent quality time cutting out each of the bird's bodies, beaks, wings, and holly leaves. Then I spent the majority of the 5-hour drive from Vermont to Connecticut hand sewing, only to finish the small holly leaves! At that point I realized my sewing machine was going to come into play.<br /><br />This afternoon I finished the piece, YEARS ahead of when it would have been completed had I stuck it out with hand sewing (it probably would have been a wedding gift to my child who is now 6-years old). I adore cardinals, so needless to say I'm loving this candle mat! I even embellished the bottom with a decorative stitch, and Olivia had fun poking through old buttons looking for the two that were used as the holly berries. I will admit, I did hand sew the buttons on, but briefly considered doing it by machine!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNczB3Fkp-H4kR6lN9BHpZgAAL2AgeV-Xv1HqZIvcMoOEwUsEQRTWfIk53sYg4kD1PWEmIbmIfCldiyE2Uuy1hLbfe9e3mzC7cqjNi7FintlRsInvxVHkY2QD0J6cIins6kOeftPNdbaj-/s1600-h/December+21+2008+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282763750830986018" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNczB3Fkp-H4kR6lN9BHpZgAAL2AgeV-Xv1HqZIvcMoOEwUsEQRTWfIk53sYg4kD1PWEmIbmIfCldiyE2Uuy1hLbfe9e3mzC7cqjNi7FintlRsInvxVHkY2QD0J6cIins6kOeftPNdbaj-/s320/December+21+2008+040.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During the time I was doing all of this, Olivia was right there with me cutting up fabric to use as part of her "scrap quilt." Below is a picture of her proudly displaying her work:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCZ44cG5O_5_uAtz_81Bc8SA6A3iDbXQEZrYLebjHRmbLjDuYKlOZ1rKEpw8aT_kW8OM_LHuMw5HYAtd95lXulWE9O7WB_IlzK9W3f1Iw6FpLA8-NzwbuvPk90obw2YZI4_ZJ4IlLC2Ja/s1600-h/December+21+2008+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282764880577785938" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCZ44cG5O_5_uAtz_81Bc8SA6A3iDbXQEZrYLebjHRmbLjDuYKlOZ1rKEpw8aT_kW8OM_LHuMw5HYAtd95lXulWE9O7WB_IlzK9W3f1Iw6FpLA8-NzwbuvPk90obw2YZI4_ZJ4IlLC2Ja/s320/December+21+2008+034.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, I thought I'd share a table runner I recently made during the "Christmas Tea" sponsored by my favorite Connecticut quilt shop, The Yankee Quilter (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">theyankeequilter</span>.com). Every year they host a tea featuring Janet's famous homemade scones and lemon curd, and we sit around, snack, sip and sew. It's always a nice time, and this year we were even treated to a coating of snow.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxxhhsfUGZ7JZr33dhdto1XKGJ3TZt01XB3eGa947vsroMWgL2JtIkLKF6Tha5AbFPooEjbGySpHrhDbJPy0fZT-GwMzBnEjUTQc_a6ImF3YkHO81Lo9OMQLw9f11y0Aimo-76oKQc_p_/s1600-h/December+21+2008+035.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282765974625611538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxxhhsfUGZ7JZr33dhdto1XKGJ3TZt01XB3eGa947vsroMWgL2JtIkLKF6Tha5AbFPooEjbGySpHrhDbJPy0fZT-GwMzBnEjUTQc_a6ImF3YkHO81Lo9OMQLw9f11y0Aimo-76oKQc_p_/s320/December+21+2008+035.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, after my 4-day hiatus from work, it's back to reality tomorrow. Thanks to all who have dropped me a note for your motivation and inspiration; I hope to have more finished projects to showcase in the coming weeks.<br /><br />Warmly ~ ChristineOliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-35826778718673337652008-12-22T06:47:00.000-08:002008-12-23T18:28:11.919-08:00SNOW DAY! (um... kind of....)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowcZ0v8VWwOPkozI9qFuC0nIW1-ZHbxNS1RwsU0XJmRnyxVrMVASk7Iq-0QVGCWkGTAri32B6NnOeBSbYtVKlzH3P0xQcHfycJnFs39TcfuOzz0QqdO-1CNuvj_l1HRtRaw00SXTDLqaj/s1600-h/Charming+Baskets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282628658766468434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 248px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowcZ0v8VWwOPkozI9qFuC0nIW1-ZHbxNS1RwsU0XJmRnyxVrMVASk7Iq-0QVGCWkGTAri32B6NnOeBSbYtVKlzH3P0xQcHfycJnFs39TcfuOzz0QqdO-1CNuvj_l1HRtRaw00SXTDLqaj/s320/Charming+Baskets.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>After this weekend's snow we woke up this morning expecting school to be in session. Apart from the otherwise 90-minute delay, we were ready to brave the 14 degree (F), frigid weather and winds, only to find out school was cancelled due to a lack of heat. Since I've been nursing a cold, it seemed like the perfect day to stay in our pj's and relax. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The first thing I wanted to do was log onto this blog... I think I'm hooked already! Thank you to all who have dropped me a note... and to Lisa for spreading the word! It was such a pleasant surprise to find your comments, and I'll look forward to corresponding with each of you in the future.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Last night I went though a few of my books to find a quilt pattern that I can use for my "weight loss quilt". I think I found one! It's called "Charming Baskets" out of the "Simply Charming Two" quiltbook by Moose on the Porch Quilts (<a href="http://www.moosequilts.com/">http://www.moosequilts.com/</a>) (picture attached). I think this will work out perfectly, as it's a 12-block quilt (one for each month), and each block can be modified to include a different color triangle for the number of pounds lost that month. Again, this is still an "idea in progress", but I feel I'm on the right path. Next week we are scheduled to head to our Vermont cottage, and I'm hoping to visit my favorite quilt store --Knits & Bolts in New Haven, VT -- to check out their fabric. Knits & Bolts always seems to have a great selection, so I'm sure I'll find something that will work! This is the same quilt shop where I picked up the pattern book, as they were offering a class for "Charming Old Maid." All the quilts in this book are made with Charm packs, so it should be fairly hassle free.</div><div></div><div>As promised, I'm including the All American Beef Stew recipe I made last night. I served it with crescent rolls and it sure was delicious! We enjoyed it in front of a coy fire, which seemed perfect for the first day of winter. Enjoy!!</div><div></div><div>3 lbs. well-rimmed beef round, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes</div><div>1/2c flour seasoned with salt & pepper (I add onion powder and dried parsley to the flour also)</div><div>1/2c vegetable oil</div><div>2 large onions, cut into wedges or thick rounds</div><div>4 medium-size carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths or diagonal slices</div><div>1-1/4 lbs. small red-skinned potatoes, quartered</div><div>3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch lengths or slices</div><div>About 4 cups beef broth (I have also used vegetable broth)</div><div>2 tablespoons tomato paste</div><div>2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (optional)</div><div>1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste</div><div>Fresh ground pepper, to taste</div><div></div><div>Coat meat with seasoned flour and brown in hot oil. Reduce heat to medium low, drain off all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings. Add onions, carriots, potatoes and celery to pot. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned. Add broth, tomato paste and mustard, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Bring to a boil. Return browned meat to pot. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring once. Taste; add additional broth and salt or pepper if necessary. Cover and simmer 1 hour longer, stirring once or twice, until meat is tender and sauce slightly thickened. Makes 8 servings.</div><div></div><div>Per serving: 279 calories, 36g protein, 17g carbs, 7g fat.</div><div></div><div></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-83745783674313680942008-12-21T17:28:00.000-08:002008-12-21T18:07:25.847-08:00Welcome Winter!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GWlgrZO3FfkNYVUQ2EiqEJE53wUq3jh_K2ceeVamnNazd1VF3AZmxTsuCh0MPlNwAoo7pFaDNTOZSriUhskSI8xVnRHusOuH73SafLfLd0VRQ7yO7jeRjvIn83urmdSkN_wAcEgCQ5O1/s1600-h/December+21+2008+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282430219619545202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GWlgrZO3FfkNYVUQ2EiqEJE53wUq3jh_K2ceeVamnNazd1VF3AZmxTsuCh0MPlNwAoo7pFaDNTOZSriUhskSI8xVnRHusOuH73SafLfLd0VRQ7yO7jeRjvIn83urmdSkN_wAcEgCQ5O1/s320/December+21+2008+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I would have been remiss if I didn't post <em>something</em> about the winter weather we've had here in the East this weekend. Very appropriate given today was the first day of winter! Above is a picture of my two Golden Retrievers out during the height of the storm, which didn't seem to bother them!<br /><br />The snow started Friday afternoon about 1 pm; schools had cancelled for the day as a precaution, so my husband and daughter lucked out with a snow day. It continued to fall right through early this afternoon, for a total of about 10". It made for great sledding, cooking making, and quilting (of course)... but the snow is gone, along with the weekend, and it's back to reality tomorrow. </span></div>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4598903980478105591.post-82317888138676868252008-12-21T13:11:00.000-08:002008-12-21T13:32:29.461-08:00My Very First Blog<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;">Hello everyone, I'm new to this whole blogging idea, so please be patient with me! I've been inspired by my friend Lisa, who became addicted to quilting after seeing a finished photo of my quilt "Three Bean Salad". Since then, she's been off and running, putting me to shame and making more quilts than I can count this year! Check out her blog at <a href="http://candlelitequilter.blogspot.com/">http://candlelitequilter.blogspot.com/</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;">Since the holidays are upon us, it's a time to not only look back, but to also look forward and determine where we'd like to go in 2009. Like many of us, my New Year's Resolution will be to lose weight. I threw out an idea to my local quilt shop (that didn't embrace it) to offer a quilt class that would feature a "block of the month" illustrating the number of pounds lost that month. The goal is to have a 12-block quilt featuring monthly blocks that depict the quilters weight loss achievements. By January 2009, not only will I be thinner and healthier, but I'll also have a cozy quilt to cuddle under that will be a culmination of the 12 months of weight loss I have achieved!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;">This blog will memorialize those efforts, and I invite my fellow quilters to join me!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;">Since I don't have a specific pattern picked out, I encourage you to select something that will work well for your particular skill level. Personally, I have been quilting for 3+ years, and will probably do blocks that will allow me to applique items that represent the number of pounds lost that month. For example, perhaps a block that represents 3 birds for 3 lbs. loss -- does that make sense?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;">As I mentioned earlier, this is going to be a work in progress, but I hope you will join me for the ride. I'm open to your feedback, progress and suggestions, so feel free to drop me a line!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;">Wishing you a ver Merry Christmas, and all the best for a healthy and prosperous New Year!!</span>OliviasMyKidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11907368621542015502noreply@blogger.com0