Fitzy - "Are We There Yet?"

I embroidered, layered, quilted and bound the "Christmas" sign yesterday. That's alot for me to get done in one day! I also cooked 2 meals (which is totally uncharacteristic) so I declare it a GREAT day.

The next sign is to be representative of the state of California. I'll be darned if I can find any city in California that represents Christmas!! The closest is "Angels Camp" and that just doesn't work for dh & I. I may resort to making a city name up, hope the quilt police don't come looking! Let me know if you have any secrets in your pocket, any cities YOU can think of that I may have overlooked in CA? Or how about suggestions for a city name to be "created"?

My background will be dark blue, all pieced together willy-nillie, and the snow at the bottom of the pole will be done the same way. I have in mind a green and white barber pole for the signs to hang on, and a golden ball at the top. I haven't decided if the pole will be pieced, will depend on what I can find for fabric (I'd really rather NOT piece it, lol.) I have some nice folk wooden buttons for the "nails" to hold the signs onto the post.

It's all playing nicely in my mind, just got keep going, stitch-by-stitch!

Fitzy - Don't Throw The Baby Out with the Bathwater!

I'm a little slower than most in the sewing room...

I'm a little less-confident than many of my blog-sewing friends...

But I come skidding into the room with a Part 1 finish in Tonya's Winter Class!

I will make 3 or 4 of these "signs" and "mount" them on a green (maybe candy-striped) pole. I plan to piece the background free-style. I have two other signs to the flimsy-stage but it's slow-going considering the schedule I'm keeping of late.

Stay tuned, and don't give-up on me. I don't post too often, but I sure "think" about it!!

Fitzy - NO pictures, I'm CRABBY

Maybe the words I should be makin' are "BAH HUM BUG"?

I worked feverishly on my letters yesterday. I made every.single.mistake.in.the.book. I sewed 2 pieces to the wrong side of the block- 2 very long framing pieces. Unsewedx2. Resewedx2. I sewed the wrong letter to the wrong word. Unsewed. Resewed. Chopped off a very important part of a letter. Unsewed, replaced letter, resewed.

This is WHY I took this class. I know I'm anal-retentive. I know I am a direction-follower. I WAY prefer to be told what to do than have to make-up my own mind.

Really, I'm trying. This has been an exercise in patience and forgiveness. Seriously. I'm thankful I'm using forgiving modas that have a memory of presewn fabric togetherness! Otherwise this baby would look like swiss cheese!

Is anyone else having troubles? It can't be just me......or can it?

Fitzy - I think I've GOT IT!

I've gotten my inspiration, and have begun my project for this Winter Class! I'm so exicted! Excited AND relieved that I can actually piect these letters. They're definately not exactly as cool as Tonya's, I'm SO anal, I am struggling to achieve her "sass". Thank goodness there is no Quilt Police lurking here.

So...my idea is...to make a Striped Sign pole with all the city signs on it that will point the direction of the city and say 250 miles, etc. So the first one is Noel, MO (Missouri) and the next is Christmas, MI(Michigan). I am naming holiday cities in states either my dh or I have lived in. The quilt will be tall and skinny-ish, but perfect for it's hanging place.

I'd love for your input on how to get my letters more sassy!

Fitzy - Quilted Cactus

Greetings from the desert southwest, where we reached 86 degrees today! Fall fashion means wearing flip-flops in autumnal colors.

I work full time for our County, (and then some), averaging an 11 hour work day. I'm an auditor, and if I'm not crunching numbers, I'm doodling machine quilting while talking on the phone, and spending every free nano-second thinking about quilting, lol. I fit it in wherever possible. I've also gotten involved with knitting, it's a love-hate relationship. I've been quilting for about 8 years, knitting since 6 grade.

My dh works in the control room for the ABC affiliate on the morning & noon news program. We rise and shine at 3am so he can be there by 4. My idle time in the morning is like what normal people have in the evening, and I'm planning to get my sewing done in that window. Heck, I think I have a whole hour and a half before I need to get ready for work! Obviously, you can gather that we're both morning people! (Bedtime is 8pm, thank goodness we have no daylight savings time!)

I'm planning a wallhanging for this Winter class. I've got some temporary designs floating in my gray matter...maybe a jumbled string of Christmas lights, or an old-fashioned bust of Santa.

I appreciate Tonya for giving us this opportunity to gather together. I've tried being in a Ring, it just didn't suit me. This allows less rules and more freedom, my kinda style!

Can't wait to get started!

You can see what other trouble follows me on my blog.