The Price of Peace

The latest word in my 12 x 12 Quilt group was "Peace." Each member is to interpret the word into a 12 inch square quilt. Here is my entry:

Thought Process: When I think of Peace the word seems to morph into "peaceful" and when I think peaceful I think trees, forests, nature and cemeteries. It may sound morbid but let me explain. Cemeteries are quiet places where one can think without much interference. Also my mother and I have always enjoyed going into cemeteries and looking at the names, dates and inscriptions on the tomb stones. We wonder about the people each tombstone represents. Who were they? How did they live? How did they die?

Recently my family and I went to Washington DC. While there we visited Arlington National Cemetery. The Cemetery is 200 acres of grass, trees and white tombstones and although the surroundings are very peaceful, the immediate effect upon entering the cemetery can be anything but a feeling of peace. Despite my facination with cemeteries and wanting to know about each person who lies buried there, I couldn't help but remember that each person is buried there because of our nation's search for Peace. And no matter how you might feel about the subject of war I think you can't help but feel the irony in this. As a result I felt this image would best represent this month's word.

How I made the quilt: I cropped a photo I took while at Arlington and then used photoshop to superimpose the word "Peace" into the grass. I printed the photo in reverse and then took the print to a copy shop to be enlarged and color copied by a copier that uses toner. I then used Citrasolv to transfer the image onto a cotton fabric. I enhanced the image using colored pencils and Paintstiks. As I quilted the image with my friend Juliette's really cool Bernina, I did a bit of threadpainting on the trees & grass and then quilted around a number of the tombstones and the word "peace." Next I used a homemade foam stamp, which I learned to make when I read the book Inspired to Quilt, to put leaf images across a piece of silk organza. I placed the organza on top of the piece and quilted more. Lastly I cut the organza off of the main tree, the word "Peace" and the foremost tombstone. The edges are left unfinished.

Great Giveaway

My friend Juliette over at Chickpea Sewing Studio is giving away one of these lovely wristlets because Bernia has published her tutorial on how to make these lovelies. There are also directions on making a dog leash. I saw the wristlets in person this morning and they are so beautiful. Head on over to Chickpea Sewing Studio and leave a comment for your chance to win one of the three above, or go to the tutorial and make one of your own. I'm definately feeling the need to make one or two or three.

Arts Festival

The Utah Arts Festival has been going on for many many years. A long time ago a friend at church was one of the directors of the festival and I volunteered to paint children's faces. I returned each summer for a couple of years putting in a few hours here and there. I'm not sure why I stopped volunteering - perhaps because the twins were born. We make it to the festival about every other year nowadays. This was the year so my three girls and I headed off to the Arts Festival between rain storms and as always we saw some amazing art.

I am always amazed at how clever people are with their art, like the recycled metal sculptures. I definitely recognized the cloth on the children's clothing. I also love seeing art which makes me wonder if I could do it too - usually the answer is "no, no I can't" and that is why I love seeing it.

The figures on these Peruvian pieces are so small and have wonderful little details. Each "house" tells a different story.
I fell in LOVE with these journals from Iona Handcrafted books.
They are so earthy and beautifully made. If I had had the money I would have bought one and treasured it instead of writing in it so it is a good thing I didn't have any money because they are made to be written in!

I was a bit sad when we visited the Children's Art Yard as my girls are kind of too big for it now.

I loved that they were selling peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a cup of milk for the kids!

This booth outside the Children's Art Yard made us all drool a bit. The twins both wanted the bow and arrow set as well as a puppet. My older daughter and I loved the flower headbands, fairy wings and princess crowns.
There were a number of potters at the festival. This set of dishes really caught my eye. I love the bright colors.
There was even a yard dedicated to Urban Art. You could buy personalized tennis shoes or hats as well as these paintings. The art on the cube was being made and remade. It amazes me what a person can do with spray paint!

The festival takes place on the grounds around Library Square and Washington Square. We dashed into the Library to cool off for a bit. I love this Library. It is beautiful but I love the small homeyness of my local branch, plus it's closer so I don't come here very often. My friend, however makes the trek and volunteers here every week and likes to share funny stories about the crazy things people do at this library. And there are some very crazy things!

Funny thing is I don't have any pictures in which you can tell this is a library at all. There is so much more to it - especially for two more days with the Utah Arts Festival going on right outside.

Missing Mom

When I started paging through old pictures for today

I came across a group of Mom pictures. . .

And now I'm feeling sentamental and missing my Mommy.
She's been gone 7 years now and somedays it feels like yesterday,
other days it feels like an eternity.
Love you Mom!

Strawberry Picking

We picked strawberries today at Day Farms.

It's the last of the season so the berries are a little smaller, but oh so delicious!

Rows and rows of strawberries

with asparagus gone to seed on the left and in front.

They are so cute hiding amoung the leaves.

After picking we went back to the barn.

One of the girls enjoyed the experience more than the other.

Weighed each container of strawberries

and put the money into the green box.

They operate on the honor system.

My hand got a little red but not as red as they will get

when I make them into jam this afternoon!

We picked up a list of other vegetables we can pick later in the season

and I believe we will return.

It was definately worth the drive.

They will have strawberries again in August!

Face Off at the Urban Gallery

At the beginning of June, I somehow discovered an event near my home that sounded like a lot of fun. The Face Off at the Urban Gallery was to be an event in which nine local artists would be given 18 hours to create masterpieces on 9 garage doors outside a place called Neighborhood House. I really wanted to go and so I took my two youngest, my neighbor, her dog and a dog we were tending and we went off to check it out. We like it so much we went back two more times!

I took a lot of photos and had plans of posting them all but decided to limit it to a few and post a slide show of the rest. When we arrived on the first day most of the garage doors were in the very early stages of being painted. We watched for awhile as the artists painted - mostly with spray paint. You can see the beginning photos in the slide show. When we returned the next day most of the doors were in their final stages. We watched as one artist put up an enourmous stencil and sprayed away with black paint. When the stencil was removed we discovered he had painted a large black gorilla with a phone in it's hand. Amazing.

I returned a few days later and took photos of the final paintings.

Here is one of my favorites:

I was so glad I went early and saw that she had started out this painting with very light colors all over the entire door. My neighbor really loved all the light colors and was disappointed when she returned the next day to see that the artist had added the darker colors. My neighbor spoke with the artist and found that she is a scientist and that all of her paintings are dark because this is how space looks. It was fun to hear why her painting looked like this.

My girls and I loved these two doors as well.

This three eyed puma is very attractive.
On the second day of the Face Off The University Museum of Fine Arts and the Salt Lake Arts Center had paper and oil pastels for the children to create paintings of their own.

There was also a taco cart and a booth with wonderful looking tamales.
I was really wishing I hadn't eaten just before we went. *drool*

This is the door I voted for. Did I mention they were holding a $1000 viewers choice award as well as a $1000 juried award? When I first saw the owl

I thought it would just be a great looking owl,

but when it turned into a mechanical owl

I was pleasantly surprised and decided to vote for it.

In the end the painting to the right of the owl ended up taking both prizes.

I don't know who the artist was portraying

but it is a very nice painting.

The texture in the beard and mustache is wonderful.

I am looking forward to going back next year

to see what the next set of artists come up with.

Happy Father's Day

When we think of flowers, we usually think of women,
but this beautiful Iris makes me think of Fathers.

The house that you see in the background belongs to my sweet neighbor and this Iris came from her father's house over 350 miles away. He loved and tenderly cultivated many Iris varieties during his life and when he passed on, my neighbor took a number of the Iris rhizomes from his home to share with family and friends. I was honored to receive one and planted mine in my front yard last summer.

One day a few weeks ago my neighbor called and told me to come out front immediately. Bewildered, I hung up the phone and obeyed her instructions. My neighbor and her husband were standing over this Iris, her father's Iris. The Iris was now a tangible link to her father. He had loved and cared for this very flower and now, for this brief moment in time, it was here reminding us all of the love a little girl had for her Daddy.

Happy Father's Day to all the great Daddy's out there!

Little

Here I am with my favorite beverage.

You have to look at this photo closely because

there is a cute checked puppy on the couch

which could explain my obsession with making Melly & Me animals.

I wonder who is on the front of that "TV Preview" on the coffee table. . . *Deep Sigh* I loved my tricycle.

Now I just love the city-ness of this photo

with the stairs and laundry in the back.

The house in the next photo is where we lived
when I followed the neighbor boy
to his Grandma's house and we got lost.
I remember the little boy yelling at me to go home
and I didn't know where home was.
He threatened to push me down a very deep hole.
I was so traumatised.

Obviously this picture was taken before we ran away
because I'm sure the trauma would still be evident on my face.

Left Handed Drawing

Melanie Testa's latest Video Prompt on the Quilting Arts website encourages a warm up by drawing with your left hand. A couple days ago I drew a number of things with my left hand and was surprised at just how well my left hand could manage. Today, since my other projects are completed, I decided to try the left hand drawings again before I move on to the next step. I found a photo of a butterfly on a chewed up leaf and drew it with my left hand and then colored it using my daughters markers. I then did the same on the right.

I used the wrong red marker on my right hand and so the red parts have blended in with the blue but all the same I'd say it was a successful exercise.

Fun Projects

Other than keeping up with children, dishes, laundry and garden

(which the rain has been taking care of)

I've been a little busy making some fun projects.

This little gal is Clucky and her brood from Melly & Me.

She is a plucky little gal with her hands full (er I mean wings) of four little ones.

She's a hard working mother

and is already teaching her children the finer points of music.

And since Black Sheep was "born" at the same time

she has also taken him under her wing at the piano.

I finally finished the circle quilt I have been working on for my oldest daughter. It only took me 6 months. Unfortunately this quilt got pushed to the back burner more than once and then the sewing machine I quilt with jammed up and I haven't had it repaired yet. I took the quilt to my friend Juliette's house and quilted it with her fabulous Bernina Aurora 440 QE machine. I didn't quilt anything fancy as I was just wanting to get it done (Sorry B)
but I do think it turned out beautiful.
Now that these projects are finished
I'm off to chauffer children
and then head in to work for a fun time at Shop Hop.
Stop by and see me!

It's All About Me

As I was searching through old photos
I found an album of my childhood and decided to share.
Look I'm holding my head up at just a few weeks old!

I love this little dress I'm wearing. And I love the design on the couch too.

I was such a happy baby.

Here kitty kitty I want to chew on you.

And now Me and Grandma in my first photo booth shot.

Check

Summer vacation is like New Years around here. It is met with late nights, much rejoicing and lists of resolutions.
I started this summer by recycling an envelope into my
"Summer To Do" list.

I have a list of all the pre-paid, pre-planned activities

I've arranged for the summer:

Piano Lessons and lots of practicing

Volleyball camp

Art camp

Batik class

Dye class

Free Motion Quilting class

Brindy's Wedding
(wow, more of those are for me than the kids, that is a switch)

A List of dated activities I would really like to take advantage of:
Lavendar Days
Arts Festival
Urban Gallery Garage Door painting

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House
Farmers Market

And finally the longest list -

things I would like to accomplish this summer:
Visit Renea (and maybe the beach while we are there)
Go strawberry picking
Make strawberry jam

Eat out of the garden

Weed the garden (gag)
Clear off the back patio so we can do lots of crafts outside
Hang the kids art in the hall
Quilt, quilt and quilt

Sew for Whimsy
Do more Sun painting
Go through boxes in the closet
Start an art journal
Hike in Millcreek Canyon
Go swimming

Go on a picnic

Walk to the library
Visit some of the museums downtown
and so on and so forth. . . this list goes on and on.

So here we are two days into summer vacation

and I can already check something off my list!!!

Here are the frames I bought a year or two ago

along with some of the artwork my "babies" have made over the past year.

These beauties have been collecting dust on the fridge or in a box but now. . .
they are all up on the wall in the hallway.

Aren't they beautiful.
Now if it will stop raining
we might feel motivated to accomplish a few more things on our list.

My Sewing Machines

One of the blogs I follow, Chickpea Sewing Studio, posted about another blog called Sew, Mama, Sew. Sew, Mama, Sew is celebrating June as Sewing Machine Month. SMS is asking their readers to blog about their personal sewing machines. The idea is to have an easily accessible resource of people's opinions of various sewing machines. SMS will compile a list of everyone's reviews and post it on their blog. I thought this was a great idea and so here I go (take a deep breath because I own 5 machines).

1. What brand and model do you have? Singer 6105 How long have you had it? It was purchased in about 1981.
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I think it was about $150.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Mostly garments with a few curtains and quilt tops. Actually I quilted a couple of whole cloth quilts on this machine without a walking foot, they were disasters, but still loved and used.
How much wear and tear does the machine get? This machine is currently sitting in storage for a bit since I have other machines I like better, however she may come out of retirement this summer for my girls.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? This machine works well and we used to be best friends until a new love came along, poor neglected thing.
What features does your machine have that work well for you? Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I like the drop in bobbin and the easy to remove table so that I could get at sleeves and pants legs easier.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! My grandmother bought this machine for my mother, who didn't sew much but liked to be able to hem up pants or make a few curtains. When I got married a few years later I asked if I could borrow the seldom used machine and Mom agreed as long as I promised to give it back. I used it regularly for about 8 years until I found a machine of my own and then gave this one back to Mom. When Mom passed away 7 years ago I inherited the machine once again.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? It has been a very reliable machine but I really think you can purchase better machines for less.

2. What brand and model do you have? Singer 600

How long have you had it? Since 1992.
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? Free! (explanation below)
How much wear and tear does the machine get? I have sewn clothing, home decor, crafts and quilts with this machine.
What features does your machine have that work well for you? Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I love this machine. When everything goes wrong on all my other machines, she is my back-up. She is solid metal and works like a charm most of the time. I love the way I can wind the bobbin without having to remove it from the shuttle. I don't like doing button holes with this machine however or trying to sew things like sleeves.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! I found this machine sitting by the dumpster at my apartment complex. I picked it up and brought it inside. It just so happen that I had a sewing machine tech come to my house the next week to work on my Mom's machine I was borrowing. He took a look at her and found that all she needed was a new bobbin shuttle. I ended up spending $35 to get her up and working. She has sewn many hours with me. She isn't the easiest machine to carry around but she sews beautifully.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? This is a great starter machine and the tech who put this machine in working order said that he often recommends new sewers go to a thrift store and find one of these machines and then have it serviced.

3. What brand and model do you have? Juki Pearl Line Serger
How long have you had it? 2003
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I think it was about 500.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I use my serger for clothing mostly - also handbags and some craft projects.
How much wear and tear does the machine get? I don't use it very often.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? What features does your machine have that work well for you? Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I really like my serger and I'm very happy I bought it when I have something that needs to be serged. I hate thinking about the days when I made swimsuits and leotards without a serger but I did it! I was able to make a shrug for my daughter with $3 worth of fabric and some wooly nylon and she loved it because it looked so professional.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! I spent many years making clothing for my children when they were young - everything from polo shirts and swimsuits to dresses and slips - using my singer and a zig zag to finish the edge. I always wished I had a serger to make these items look as professional inside as they did outside and so when my Mom passed away and left me a little money the first thing I did was buy a serger. I haven't used it as much as I thought I would but I love that I have it for those times when I need it.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? I would recommend this machine. I haven't had any problems with it and it is easy to thread. If you buy a serger I would recommend buying it from a shop that offers at least one class with the purchase because the information I learned in the one class has made a world of difference. I refer back to my notes from the class almost every time I use my serger!

4. What brand and model do you have? Baby Lock Designers Choice
How long have you had it? 2004
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? $650.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I use this machine for almost all of my sewing - clothing, crafts, and quilting.
How much wear and tear does the machine get? Almost daily
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? What features does your machine have that work well for you? Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? At this moment I have a love/hate relationship with this machine. I love using it but the other day it seized up and I haven't been able to get it to work again! I will have to take it in for repairs and I really don't want to spend the money to repair it so I'm back to my Singer 600 for now. I miss being able to quilt with this machine. I do wish it had a larger arm clearance. I like the button holes it makes but the button hole foot is difficult to figure out and I have to take out the manual every time I make a buttonhole so that I can remember how to use it. I love the fact that it has a self threader. I don't use many of the fancy stitches but they are fun to play around with at times. I like the fact that I can sew without the foot if I want to and that I can adjust the speed of the machine. This has been very helpful when I do free motion quilting as well as when I teach my daughters how to sew. I also like the automatic thread cutter.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! A couple of years after I bought my serger I decided I deserved a new sewing machine. I spent some time looking at various machines but really wasn't sure what I wanted in a new machine. Unfortunately this was before I started quilting in earnest and so the features I ended up with are much different from what I would buy now. Ultimately the thing that sold me on this machine was it's price, it's automatic buttonholer, the automatic threader and the sales person. She took more time with me than any of the other sales people at other dealerships.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? While this machine has worked well for the most part I don't know that I can recommend it to others. I know this is the low end of the scale to pay for a good machine these days but I don't feel I got my moneys worth, and maybe I'm just feeling that way because it isn't working right now, and because my sewing needs have changed since I made the purchase. I don't need all the fancy stitches this machine offers and I have found I really prefer a heavier machine without lots of plastic parts. I just think the plastic parts break too easily.

And last but not least
5. What brand and model do you have? Singer (cannot recall model number - I will have to look for it later)How long have you had it? About two years
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I purchased this baby from a woman for $50.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I purchased this machine because of it's longer arm for quilting. Since purchasing it I have found that it works really well with elastic in the bobbin for shirring.
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I haven't used it as much as I thought I would because I had to buy a new foot for it and then I dropped the pedal at an odd angle and now the pedal overheats if used too much. I need to purchase a new pedal, fortunately they are only about $15, it's just a matter of actually doing it.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I do like this machine a lot. I love the old fashioned look and she did quilt nicely before I broke the pedal.
What features does your machine have that work well for you? This is a straight stitch only machine. Nice and simple and to the point.
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? The bobbin winder is broken, but I bought one of the new Side-winders for winding bobbins and I don't have a problem anymore.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! I was wandering the Internet looking at websites opinions on their recommendations for regular sewing machines to machine quilt with and came across a strong recommendation for this type of machine. I looked on eBay, Craigslist and KSL classifieds for many weeks before I finally found this machine.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? If you can find a machine like this that is in good shape and inexpensive I would recommend this machine for quilting. Not to mention it looks good in the living room. I was lucky enough to find one with it's original case which is still in beautiful condition. This machine has been refurbished but the pedal went out within the first few uses. Through some research on the Internet I found that my machine uses the same pedal as a Singer featherweight and so I was able to order a brand new pedal through a website called 221parts.com.
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? I think you should order from a dealer you can work with. I've heard of some terrible experiences friends have had after getting a lemon of a machine. Even though she had spent considerable money on a well known brand of machine she had a difficult time getting the machine repaired. I really think customer service is an important factor to consider. Talk to friends about the customer service they have received from local shops. It is also important to make a list of what you want most in a machine and decide if you really need all the extras they will try to sell you. There are many features you won't have a choice in, but decide before you go what you can and can't live without. I have seen some amazing quilts made by quilters who own simple, store brand machines.
Do you have a dream machine? Of course! Right now I am coveting a middle arm machine. I don't have a desire to have a long arm or a machine on a large rack, but would love a sit down machine like the HQ Sixteen for my quilting, and as long as I'm dreaming lets add a stitch regulator to the mix!

Congratulations if you read through to the end of this post! *wipes sweat from brow* That was a long one, but it was fun for me to really think about the machines I have and what I like or dislike about each one. Now maybe you would like to go to Sew, Mama, Sew and add your own two cents about your sewing machine(s).

Promotion

Today is an exciting day!

We don't get dressed up and dance around just for nothing. . .

Nope! My babies are growing up, in more than one way.

I'm very pleased to annouce that today is promotion day!
After today my babies will belong to the junior high crowd.
Say a prayer for us.