Category: me

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me

A Memory Keeper

renegadequilter3 Comments
awhile back i was in searchof a container to keep some items and memory’s in.  it couldn’t be just any old container because they are not just any old items and memory’s.  they are things that have a special meaning to me and i wanted them treated as such when i stored them.
so off i went in search of the perfect container.  i found lots of options out there.  the majority of them being the plastic type.  clear plastic or colored.  those wouldn’t work.  way too generic for me and my stuff.  so then i remembered seeing the pretty storage boxes at a local craft store.  so, i went there.  they did have the pretty storage boxes in various sizes.  the problem.  they only had two patterns.  a victorian themed one and a floral themed one.  neither of them spoke to me and told me to take them home.
what was i to do?
i pondered the idea for some time before it hit me.  if i can’t find what i want at a store then why the heck can’t i make it.  winner.  winner. 
that is exactly what i did.  i made my own special container to keep my special mementos in.

i found a box that would work and some fabric from my stash that i love but didn’t have a plan for.  i only had 1 yard of it so i had to make it work.

then i got some Mod Podge and a brush.

i also picked up some polyurethane to protect it and give it a nice finish.

add all of those things together and i ended up with this.

my very own, one of a kind storage container.

for my special items and memories.

i added a ribbon to help with keeping the box closed.  i made it long enough so that i didn’t have to re-thread it through the slots each time i got into the box.  you can see in the pic above that i had to piece some of the fabric on the inside of the box.  i am ok with that.  to me it gives it some character.
i love how it turned out.  i love that its totally me.  but most of all i love that my special things now have a place to call home.
so, when you can’t find something that you are looking for stop and ask yourself ‘can i make that?’  nine out of ten times there is a chance you can.
happy sewing
http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · music

Heaven’s Amphitheater

renegadequilter3 Comments
life has been a roller coaster for me lately as you all know. its sad to say but for some reason that has become the normal for a lot of us. i personally don’t do well with the ups & downs of life. i like routine & consistency with a little adventure thrown in here & there.
last year in May when DMB announced that they were taking 2011 off from touring – i was down. then in January of this year they announced that they would do 4 multi day festivals this year to celebrate their 20th anniversary – i was up.

yesterday they announced the final 2 stops for them.

like music to my ears the ‘last stop’ will be in my backyard. i have looked at the other 3 stops & contemplated them all. it didn’t take me long to realize my all time favorite place to see the band is the Gorge.

photo credit

fans travel from all over the world to experience DMB here. i believe that Dave once referred to it as ‘heaven’s amphitheater’.


its an amazing & special location to see any artist at.

this past week i have had an ongoing conversation with a friend about music & the roll it can play in our lives. as you know for me music is a constant in my life just like seeing DMB at the Gorge each year. as i have said before some people find my passion for this band odd or strange & others are fascinated with it. to each their own & i respect that. my annual trip to the Gorge for me is always a magical experience & it reminds me that where i practice my faith does not always have 4 walls.

enjoy your weekend!

“I’m not going to change my ways just to please you or appease you”

BOM · charity · friends · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me

Showing My Cards

renegadequilter7 Comments
i am showing my cards in this post.

my blog sub-title says ‘ from fabric to finish and everything in between’. this is the in between part with a little fabric thrown in. although sewing, fabric & quilting is usually fun & happy stuff truth be told we all have a life. a life in the real world that gets yucky sometimes. i am just like the rest of you. i don’t live in a land of rainbows & cotton candy i live in reality & i don’t want my readers to think otherwise.

this past week has been one of the roughest weeks i have had in a long time. work has been crazy. we have been short handed. customer’s want stuff 2 days ago & somehow their poor planning is our fault. battling suppliers over stuff that shouldn’t be an issue. it seems like it has been a constant struggle all week. in dealing with this stuff my normal work is not getting done which adds to the problem. not to mention that my health has taken a downward turn during this process as well.

my health + stress = bad things

on top of that you throw in some disappointment whether it be in myself or others & you have the makings of a rough week.

its times like these that i have those conversations with myself in my head. you know the ones. “come on you can make it through this” “you are stronger then you think” “its just a bad day tomorrow will be better” “you are never dealt more then you can handle” yep. i have had them all. did they help? who knows. all that i know is that its FRIDAY & this week is about over which i am very grateful for.

when things are not going the right direction for me i do my best to find the silver lining that is always there. yesterday i got an email that brought tears to my eyes & a smile to my face. my SIL sent a pic of my nieces which was priceless. totally made me realize that even though there is crap going on i still have a wonderful family that is full of love. i will share the pic at some point in the future for now i just want to treasure it.

another great silver lining from this week was this.

my friend Sharon gave me this fabric. yes i said gave. her husband dropped it off at my work & it was during a time that i was elbow deep in something & didn’t get to thank him. Sharon was going through some fabric, came across this & realized she didn’t have a need for it anymore. i told her i would be interested because i know someone who likes that sort of thing & i could make them a quilt. so, thank you to Sharon for being a silver lining in my week.

when things get crazy for me & i get off of center i turn to things i know to bring me back. my two of my favorite things are music & sewing. so, yes itunes is playing as i am typing this & DMB is assisting in the re-centering process.

this is some of the sewing that has taken place this past week. block #11 from the Fat Quarter Shop’s Mystery BOM. i also put together a bee block as well. i don’t want to show that until she has gotten it.

another thing i have been working on is organizing my scraps. yes you read that right. crazy as it sounds my scraps have been driving me nuts. they have been residing in this large tote for sometime now. when i go looking for something you can imagine the mess it makes. that is what brought about this organization project. i have began by sorting them into piles of color range. if i come across something that is 5″ or wider & the full WOF then that goes into a separate pile. fat quarters into a separate pile as well. this is my progress so far. i am surprised at my stack of reds. i am planning on getting through it this weekend. i have a couple ideas on storage so check back to see how that goes.

last but not least this morning i received another silver lining. i told you about the challenge that my friend Sarah over at Confessions of A Fabric Addict issued to all of us quilters. Sarah posted this morning that she had 48 people sign up. that means 48 quilts will be made & taken to Romania. me being me signed up to do 2. my 1st partner is local. my friend Barb is joining in the fun & we will be exchanging our fabric on Monday. huge Thank You to Barb for taking on the challenge. my 2nd partner is Larissa from Australia. yep, Sarah went international with this challenge. the response to this challenge puts a HUGE smile on my face.

i hope that you all had a survivable week & that an amazing weekend is ahead for each one of you.

remember “make the best of what’s around”
Dave · family · friends · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · quilt camp · renegades · Sisters

A year of travels

renegadequilter2 Comments
it has been a year of travel for me.
January 2010 took me to Washington DC
there i got to see Colin Powell speak.
do a little sight seeing.

& see Natalie Cole perform.

then the end of January was a trip to McCall for sewing & a mini trip to Boise to see my niece.

in March i went to a quilt camp at Palouse Divide Lodge – no pic of that.
in April i went back to Boise for more time with my niece.
also in April I went to St. Louis for work – no pic of that either.
in May it was the trip of a lifetime – all expenses paid – to the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

on that trip we also sailed to Jost Van Dyke which is a British Virgin Island.
June was a month filled with doctors apts & several trips to Spokane.

in July a group of us headed to Sisters, OR for the Outdoor Quilt show.
i also went to Houston in July for work – no pics.
i was home the whole month of August except for the last few days when i made a quick trip to Boise to see DMB with my brother & SIL.
September kicked off with spending Labor Day weekend at the Gorge seeing DMB with Steph.

mid September i took a quick trip to Chicago to see DMB at Wrigley.

the end of September brought another quilt camp at Palouse Divide Lodge.

in October i went back to McCall with the Renegade’s for another quilt camp.

in November it was back to Palouse Divide Lodge for yet another quilt camp.
December was a trip to Seattle to see Dave & Tim as well as a quick weekend trip to Boise to see my family there – no pics of that trip.
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looking back over 2010 i realize just how much i got to see & do & i am so grateful for the opportunities that my life brought me this past year.
i don’t expect to be traveling as much in 2011 however right out of the gate in January i am headed to Dallas for work. March will bring a trip to Boise to welcome my new niece. July we will head to Sister’s again. August to California for work. & i am hoping for some quilt camps scattered in there somewhere through out the year.
********
up next
‘A year of projects’

Dave · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · projects

Seattle onto Boise…….

renegadequilter1 Comment
i know that i have been MIA for awhile. first i took a break because of blogging everyday in November then i realized it was time to go Seattle for the Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds shows. so, now i am back but just for a brief pit stop. i went to Seattle with my BFF Shelly & her little guy. we had a great trip over, stayed with her parents & even did a little quilt store shopping which will be in a separate post.
NOW……. ONTO THE SHOWS
********
Dave & Tim have never had a opening act before so this was unusual for them this time around. when Dave introduced them Monday night he said that he heard about this band from his doctor & now he can’t get enough of them. usually i am not to impressed with opening acts unless its Ben Harper or OAR. let me tell you this band blew my socks off. i got home last night & i have already downloaded their album from itunes.
who are they you ask????
The Head and The Heart
from Seattle
give them a listen, you might like them.
Dave likes them so much that they are opening for him & Tim in Vegas this weekend.

Monday’s show was great they walked on stage with these blue hard hats on. the audience loved it. i still don’t know the meaning behind them but hey whatever…..

Dave messed up the lyrics in a serious song & ended up stopping about 20 seconds in laughing because of his screw up & didn’t know how to get serious again for the song. so, they put the hard hats back on & re-started the song. we were further away from the stage for Monday’s show so i am surprised the pic even turned out.

Tuesday’s show we had center stage seats not on the floor but one level up. great seats which gave me the chance for better pics & video. the venue seats 2,900 so really there was no bad seat in the place.

the lighting was also pretty cool. i love this pic because of it.
Monday & Tuesday were my 7th & 8th shows for this year & my 40 something shows overall. the word is that the band is not touring next year, however Dave told a Seattle newspaper that a weekend at the Gorge is not out of the question. a sliver of HOPE is all i need……

we took this little guy with us. adorable i know. he wasn’t like this the whole time but i couldn’t resist this pic.

traveling back Wednesday was interesting on the pass, however it was just at the summit & we were glad that we left when we did because it just got worse.
********
tomorrow i am headed to Boise to see my brother, SIL & niece. they are so busy when they come home for the holidays that i decided to spend some air miles & go have some ‘me’ time with them.
once i am back no more traveling until after the 1st of the year, but i have a heck of a lot of Christmas gifts to get finished up. i still have a giveaway to tell you about that i won & i need to do one here for my 100th post. at this rate it might be my 113th post………

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · NaBloPoMo · projects

crap

renegadequilter1 Comment
this evening i was down in my sewing cave working on some Christmas gifts & having a conversation with myself in my head. it went something like this –
********
me – have i done a blog post for today?
my response – crap i can’t remember
me – what did i blog about yesterday?
my response – crap i can’t remember
me – i am pretty sure i haven’t done one yet for today
my response – not a 100% sure but 85% sure that i haven’t done one
me – what the heck am i going to post about
my response – crap i have no idea
********
so, it was at that moment that i decided to post about what i am currently working on in the sewing cave. being Christmas gifts & all you get just a few pics of the gift in process.

amazing huh?????
i will show finished pics after Christmas of this gift. i think its so cool that i might just have to make me one as well.
oh, & with regards to me having conversations with myself….. that’s just a normal thing around here.
holiday · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · Modern Relief · NaBloPoMo

this afternoon

renegadequilter1 Comment
this afternoon i decided to take a break from sewing to put up my Christmas tree. so i hauled everything upstairs & started un-boxing all of the Hallmark ornaments that i have. i have been collecting these since i was a baby so that means some of them are over 30 years old. most of them were given to me by my Grandmother who is no longer with us but Christmas was her favorite holiday so as i was putting them on the tree i was thinking of her – great memories.
so, in the middle of decorating my tree the power decides to go out & stay out. i call the power company who says it should be back on by 1am & its only 3:00 in the afternoon. so i pull out the flashlights & lite the candles & continue to decorate the tree. i found out that a book light clipped to the collar of my jacket worked real well. me being antsy called the power company again & they said 10pm now for getting power back. so i ate a pb&j sandwich & when i finished my dinner the power was back on so i could finish the tree with lights & do this blog post.
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another thing came to mind to share with you all while i was decorating the tree & that is my love of moose. yep, a little odd but i love moose. they are large animals that command respect & always beat to their own drum. pretty much nothing stands in their way except the occasional hunter but we won’t go there. i have seen many in the wild & what amazing creatures they are. i have been collecting these from Lenox for 10 yrs now. not a good shot but i think i took it when the power was out.
another favorite of mine – i think my brother & sil gave me this one.
this one came from a friend in Spokane.
this was a package decoration one year.

this nativity set i keep out year round because i love it. my Dad found it in a gift shop one year in West Yellowstone, put it away for a Christmas gift & forgot about it. i got it for my birthday a couple of years later which is in July.

this one came from my Mom, she found it in an airport somewhere & hauled it home.

last but not least, remember i told you i had already gotten 1 Christmas gift. this calendar came from my good friend Barbara who every year gives me a moose calendar. it came in the mail earlier this week. Thanks Barbara!!!
i have a lot of other moose stuff that can be an entire post itself, however i do not collect just run of the mill moose stuff – it has to be unique & different.
********
so, my tree is up & you now know that i love moose. sort of an odd post combo but hey that’s me odd……….
p.s. – to those of you who helped support Modern Relief – THANK YOU!!!! they surpassed their goal.

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me · quilt alongs

What a week….

renegadequilter2 Comments
what a week i have had……………
8 days ago we had an electrical issue at work which took out a computer, our internet server as well as our main server. our computer guy was called in & he took our server to rebuild it. got that done & re-loaded the data which we tested to make sure we didn’t loose anything & finally got us all back up & running today.
as some of you know when your system goes down you panic – which i did.
when i panic i have to stay busy with simple tasks that require little brain function and sewing isn’t one of them. i spent a lot of time in my yard doing stuff so i thought i would share a couple pics that i took.
i am a lover of sunflowers & have a ton of them in my garden – just happened to catch a shot with a bee in the middle of this one.
a bowl full of cherry tomatos from my garden. i have 4 cherry tomato plants & the people i work with love them.

i did do some quilting (non-sewing) stuff last week.
i laid out my hexi quilt & counted up how many setting triangles i would need. i then took some pics just in case i mess up the layout when i go to sew it together.
i then bagged up each row & labeled them so they are ready for me at camp.


i also worked on my Charm Pack QA blocks.
i got them all laid out & ready to sew as well.


now that things are back to normal for me at work i might get some sewing done in the evenings & maybe this weekend.
Tuesday we head to Boise for the 1st DMB show then home for a day then onto the Gorge for 3 more shows. i will wrap the concert adventure up in Chicago on the 17th & 18th of September then its onto a 5 day quilt camp on the 22nd.
the days are getting shorter & the nights are getting cooler.
summer is coming to a close & fall will be here before we know it.
i hope everyone has had a great summer & you are looking forward to the fall as much as i am.