In going through the many wonderful quilty blogs I do every day, I've noticed that many have customized headers and I'd like to add one to this site.
Would one of my very talented fellow bloggers kindly email me and help me do it?
I'd be ever so grateful!!
Blog trolling today, I found this cool blog via a blogger who commented on my blog. One of the reasons I love the blog-world sew much is the community that can be found with quilters round the world. Since I'm known as the "book slut,"** this meme was right up my alley! Thanks to Diana at Dented Thimble (who I don't know) for this. I found her via Carmina's blog in Spain. As I said, I love how small the world is when you're blogging. After all, we are all Quilting Sisters, aren't we?
1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) Never have, probably never will
6.The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings:
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) tried and abandoned more than once
22. The Catcher in the
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27.
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) In High School, under duress. Needs a re-read.
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) Fabulous but a very slow read
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80.
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) One of my favorite movies ever.
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) Read most, but gave up
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) Someday...
And wondering with my chocolatey face if my Nana is EVER going to finish quilting my Robot quilt! Or update her lousy blog.
In a couple of hours, I'll be hopping on the train and heading back home to my sweetie and the pups. I've had a great visit with Mr. B and his parents, as always. It is kind of sad, but exciting at the same time to think that this is one of my last visits to them as a family of three. Things will change with the coming of Alex, and in a good way, but as B's reign as an only child and grandchild is coming to an end. I was lucky enough to get to go to Kate's OB appointment and got to hear Alex's heartbeat with the doppler. He's alive and swishing around like nobody's business and is expected to make his appearance in ten weeks or so.
As always, we had good splashy fun in the tub (he did, I got wet on the outside!). This child loves his bathtime so much that he will stay in until the water is room temperature and then 
fight to stay when you drag is blue and shivering body out. The first night he was in the tub for over an hour and I had to re-heat his water and add more bubbles.
As you can see, he is getting a tad more cooperative about having his picture taken and will at least remove his pacifier for me. Next we'll work on voluntary smiling on command.
Finally, the funniest thing was seeing him wake 
up with the same degree of bed-head that his darling mother used to have at that age. Hers was only worse because her hair was longer, but she always woke up with rats nests on the back of her head.
Stupid Blogger.
I wrote a post a couple of days ago with a progress report on the quilts I'm currently working on for my grandson Benjamin and his baby brother Alex who will be born in a couple of months. The post was done complete with photos and Blogger ate it. Humbug.
Getting Alex's quilt ready for hand quilting was my first priority because I could then work on it while watching TV at night. So, here it is. Looking at it now, I'm wishing that the outer border was a blue background print, but I think when the quilting is done it will be fine. I'd never before tried a triple mitered border, and it worked out just fine. The red border is actually sewed to the white bor
der so it won't flip around after washing. I have started the hand quilting with a shooting star template that I used a few years ago on a quilt for one of my great-nephews. I am outlining the puppies and kitties and then quilting around the inside of each octagon and again 1/2 inches inside.
Benjamin's Robot quilt was pieced by his Mom using the "Just Can't Cut It" pattern. She used a variety of robot prints and didn't follow the pattern exactly (that's my girl!). It is larger than twin size and I'm quilting it on my Bernina and Juki following some of the designs in the fabrics for the smaller squares. I have a rocket ship printed from Electric Quilt for the large squares. I haven't quite figured out the outer border yet. Today, on one of the squares with planets (like the one shown) I quilted "Where's Pluto?" and then #9 as my mark of protest over Pluto's demotion in our solar system. I'm not a very experienced machine quilter, so each project is a learning experience. I am feeling more confident as I go and have even done some motifs and words without drawing them out first.
This old dog may be able to learn a few new tricks after all!
Tomorrow morning, very early, I hop on Amtrak to go visit with Mr. B. and his Mommy~yippee!!
No pictures, but I'm in Lompoc with Becky and we are having a wonderful time sewing, gabbing, shopping and munching. We have both accomplished quite a bit of sewing and we will head over to Ontario tomorrow to meet up with Kathy B. and Kat for the Road to California show.
The pieced blocks of the baby quilt are done as are nine of the redwork blocks. Three rows are sewed together and I'll probably make my goal of finishing the top by the end of of the month.
Becky is checking out "The Quilter's Path," a small publication that advertises all of the quilt shops in California and planning our route as we speak!!
Good fun!
I've got two dogs and two cats completely embroidered for the quilt and all of the bows embroidered in the various colors. I just have five more dogs and four more cats to do.
I also got all of the pieces cut to take to Becky's this week so I can get as far as possible with the piecing. Since all embroidery is not finished, I'll only be able to go so far on that, but all of the other blocks will get done.
I pulled out my entire stash of 30's reproductions, pictured below, and was able to cut out the 52 pieces for the corners of the embroidery squares and the 96 pieces 
(8 per block X 12 blocks) for the pieced blocks without duplicating any fabrics and using mostly conversationals! That probably isn't something to be brag about, but I do love these sweet, colorful fabrics. I have a fabric that I just love for the border, in blue with bunnies that have red bows, but since puppies and kitties are the focus of the whole thing, I'll probably be on the lookout for something really perfect at Road to California next weekend.
I'm not sure about computer access, I may or may not take my laptop, so see ya in a week!
I have been embroidering like a fiend trying to get the puppy and kitten blocks done for Alexander's quilt. I'm using DMC #8 and all of the dogs are blue and the cats green. Their bows are varying colors and I've finished all of the bows so I don't have so many spools of cotton to juggle in my project carrier (a Whitman's Sampler candy box, thankyouverymuch DesertSky).
I'm also working on getting the pieces cut o
ut for the rest of the top, which will be all scrappy 1930's prints. As you can see from the picture at the left, I am rather fond of the 1930's prints. Hopefully, I will get all of the 96 rectangles and 52 squares cut before I leave on Monday morning. I'm hoping to be able to not have any repeats and if I do, that may or may not be a good thing. (Those with fabric addiction problems will know what I mean.)
Monday morning, hubby is taking me to Monterey where I will meet up with my buddy Becky, now of Lompoc and her family and ride south with them. Then I get to spend three glorious days sewing with Becky!!!
And as if that weren't enough, on Thursday we are driving to Ontario, CA to meet up with our pals Kathy and Kat to hang out at the Road to California Quilt Show. I CAN'T WAIT!! Hanging out with these three is the ultimate in quilty fun and we have such great synergy when we are together. The downside is missing my hubby, which always happens after I'm gone more than 48 hours.
Also on the downside is the fact that my baby Gator is suffering from bladder stones again and is scheduled for surgery to remove them when I get get back (her third such surgery). Oy Vey, it's always something, isn't it?
As seen on Julie's blog Floribunda.
THE ABC'S OF MY QUILTING STYLE
A- Artist? Probably not. I like to modify designs I see and have a wonderful time doing friendship blocks for friends that are of my own design, but I am not an art quilter.
B- Best Blogging Buddies? I read a lot of blogs in my blogring Quilting for Pleasure and lots of blogs referred from their blogs, but I've only met Nancy, NP, DesertSky and Ocean4Karrin in real life. Quiltgranny is on one of my email groups, and I've known Bonnie@Quiltville "virtually" forever!
C- Crazy or Sane Quilting? I've dabbled with CQ and do plan to do more in the future.
D- Dyeing or Stamping? Dyeing -- but I won't be doing it any time soon. I'll buy from the pros.
E- Essential Item? My rotary cutter and an Ott Lite
F- Favorite Fabrics? 1930's reproductions--slam dunk. I'm loving the Civil War era too and always batiks.
G- Great Quilt Design? I have to agree with Floribunda on Shakespeare in the Park by Judy Martin. She is a wonderful designer and her books are must-haves for quilt lovers.
H- Hand or Machine Quilt? I've been hand quilting since 1975. Am just learning to machine quilt.
I- Indispensable Notion? a good seam ripper (amen Julie)
J- Janome or Bernina? La Nina, my Bernina 440 QE at home and Gemma, myJanome Gem Platinum for the road
K- Kits or Original Designs? I'm learning that I am not a kit or all-blocks-the-same kind of person.
L- Life in the Studio is? Better than almost anything (and messy!) (amen again!)
M- Most Projects Made in One Year? Six or seven. Should switch to miniatures.
N- Number of Gadgets? HAHAHAHAHA. My nickname is Inspector Gadget!
O- OH, I wish I hadn’t. . . . .? Bought a PC Quilter!
P- Pet Peeves about Quilting? 1. Setting borders. 2. Piecing backings 3. Basting layers
Q- Quilt Show? Road to California (Next Week!!), Pacific International, the local show put on by Moonlight Quilters of Sonoma County.
R- Reason to Rip Out? paper-piecing mistakes where the fabric doesn't quite cover the space; obviously mis-matched seams -- I'm not an obsessive perfectionist but my style is more precise than some of my friends! (Amen again)
S- Sewing or Knitting? I can knit, but mainly work on preemie caps for our guild. It's OK, but not really my gig.
T- Tag, You're It! consider yourself tagged
U- UFOs? Who would know?
V- Vexing Quilt Pattern? A Trudy Hughes intlerlocked tile pattern I made for my great niece 14 years ago. It was a one-seam-at-a-timer and I'll never do it again, though it was cute.
W- Wishlist Item? An electric lift for my sewing machine table.
X- Xtra Fabric you will never use? Tons, thanks, just need to tote it to guild for charity projects.
Y- Your Biggest Goof? Buying the PC Quilter--see "O"
Z- Zip! Only on tote bags, darling.
I'm making baby steps on the goals right now, but have been busy getting things in order for the first guild meeting of the year, which was yesterday. I have Alexander's baby q
uilt desingned using a quilt that was in the January issue of Fons and Porter I found a quilt made in 1930's reproductions called Dot to Dot and I fell in love with it.
I decided to modify it by putting embroidered 1930's dogs and cats from a pattern book I got from our silent auction table at guild. This quilt will allow me to use just a few fabrics from my (ahem) extensive collection of 1930's reproductions. I have most of one puppy done and that was accomplished at guild during the business meeting!
I'm using a tip I got from my buddy Susan aka DesertSky back when we were doing a blue-work exchange of Wizard of Oz blocks, and marking the embroidery lines with matching Pigma pen. No show, no erasing, no worries!
I made a little trip to the Regal Rabbit in Windsor, a destination needlepoint/counted stitch embroidery shop in Windsor and picked up a collection of DMC #8 perle cotton in 30-ish colors for the embroidery. I'll be doing all of the dogs in blue and the cats in green with ribbons in varying colors.
I also got some quilting done on the Robot quilt and the templates printed out of EQ6 of a rocket for the large squares.
Fun, fun!
Quilt-wise that is.
For January:
We took a drive to the coast yesterday to check out the high surf at Jenner and Bodega Bay. Jenner is about 30 miles from Santa Rosa, but the road through the Russian River Valley via Guerneville, Rio Nido and Monte Rio is tortuous and has at least 3 stoplights to allow for one-way traffic due to road damage from the floods of December, 2005.
We went to the Sonoma Coast State Beach, more precisely Goat Rock Beach. We'd never been down the long, winding road t
o Goat Rock and the jetty that leads to the rock and serves as a parking lot. We have been having 50 to 60 mph winds over the last few days and we wanted to see the "surf advisory," the newspeople were yakking about.
There is almost always a surf advisory on the Sonoma Coast. The area is loaded with seals and their natural predators Great White sharks like to hang out and occasionally harass the surfers. Not only the Great Whites are a problem; the area is rife with rip currents that pull unwary waders out to sea and sleeper waves that can do the same.
I've been a visitor to the California coast since childhood and my parents retired to the Central Coast town of Cayucos, CA. I've seen some wild tides on my visits to my parents, but nothing like these waves.
It was scary and amazing.
We are leaving in the morning for Carmel, CA to see my mother and father-in-law. The kids are all with their in-laws or other parents.
Here are my children Kate, 2 years/8 months and Daniel at 2 months in 1980.
From my house to your house:
