Thomas in Paris, New Pattern & the World According to Gentry

The last few days have been super busy! I've been working extra hard and long on my upcoming pattern. I am hoping to release it on Valentine's Day, so I need to really keep at full speed to make that happen. I did take a picture of the progress I've made on the quilt itself...


...and yes, I did distort it a bit, just to keep everyone guessing.


Here is the picture of my "Thomas in Paris" quilt I've been working on in my spare time. This is the center and I have just two borders left to add. The quilt is a really easy and fun pattern, I could definitely see making another one like this sometime. And if you stick to just the center, it is a good size for a baby quilt.





Now, I have mentioned before that my son, Gentry, has a unique way of looking at things...and positioning items in ways that make since to him. Before I showed you the Lizard Salad. Today, I have a few other things I've found around the house recently. The first was accomplished when I asked him to stack my HP books on the dresser.



The second is something I discovered when I went to work out on my exercise bike.



And finally, he thought this was a better way to "stack" the Jenga pieces.





Have a great evening!

What a Wonderful Surprise!

I received an email yesterday from Liz Schedeler of Bits 'n Pieces Quilt and Fabric Shoppe, telling me to check out the McCall's Quilting April 2009 issue. You could have knocked me over with a feather!

What a great honor and good exposure, even if they did misspell my name. It's not Kimberly Camon, it's Kimberly Camou. I didn't really mind much, but hubby immediately called the editorial department and left a message. People are constantly misspelling my last name, not to mention mispronouncing it. It is pronounced like "canoe", but with an "m" instead of the "n". However, this isn't the first time I've had my name mispelled in publication...when I was junior high, I won 3rd place in a writing contest for the DAR. The local newspaper printed "Kiberly". When you try to say it...it sounds like you are trying to say "Kimberly" with a really stuffed up nose. LOL! No matter, just be sure to stop by Liz's shop if you are ever in New Hampshire or visit her online. She is really a sweetie!

I had a pretty productive weekend. I finished all of the initial cutting to make the quilt for my next pattern. I have listed in the instructions to mark before you cut to avoid mistakes...I didn't mark, so I made a mistake and had to order more fabric. Thank goodness they had some at River City Quilts. I think that is the second time I was able to find something I really needed and they were carrying it when other stores no longer had it. So, whether you are desperate or just looking for fun, stop by and visit them.

I finished the bindings on Judy's SSG quilt and will be giving it to her this week. I also started to work on the Valentine's Kit I had mentioned before. However, what I thought was a small to medium sized wall-hanging is actually much larger and has a zillion pieces. Not what I need to be working on right now. So, I moved on to the "Thomas in Paris" quilt. Much more simple and fun. I nearly have the whole center part pieced and will show pics soon.

Well, that about sums up my weekend. I hope you all had a great weekend too!

So much fun!!!

The quilt night was so great! We all had a wonderful, and productive, time. My only regret is that my room is not larger to accomodate even more friends. I can really only fit 4 friends and myself comfortably...quilters do like to have lots of space to spread and work on things. I hate to leave anyone out, so I guess I'll need to have many more quilt nights, inviting different ladies each time. These are ladies (and very dear friends) from my church that also attend my guild.

I thought I'd work on fun things, but decided it would be best to work on things I didn't want to work on since I had good company to distract me. I pieced the binding and added it to the front of Judy's Stormy Stained-Glass quilt.

I also did quite a bit more on the Christmas Braids quilt, but still have a great deal more to do.

Yesterday, I worked a lot on my next pattern. Mostly in making graphics for the pattern. I tend to think good graphics are really important, so I try to do my best.

Today I'm going to work some more on binding the SSG quilt and doing another test block for the pattern. If I accomplish those goals...I'm definitely going to start doing some cutting for the Valentine's quilt. However, Wednesday Night Alive starts again today and that means I won't have much free time. In addition, CTS is making it hard to do the hand work on the binding. Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

Quilting All-nighter...almost here!

I'm thrilled with anticipation! Less than two hours from now, several friends and family will be here for a wonderful night long quilt fest. I have tables and chairs set up and all that is left is to set out refreshments. I was hoping to sleep late today to give me a bit more stamina for tonight, but it didn't work out that way. So, I'll be having lots of caffeine I'm sure. I have something to bind, something to quilt, something to piece by machine and something to piece by hand. If I could find my fusible web, I'd even have something to applique. So, there should be no problem finding something to work on regardless of my mood.
I finished the credenza topper. Not a great picture. I really like how well the topper turned out...and it is reversible. So, perhaps when it is closer to Valentine's Day I'll flip it over and show you a picture of the other side.

Brrrrrrrrrr

Well, it is even colder today than yesterday. That's okay, I've been enjoying my quilty time. Yesterday called for my froggy slippers to keep me cozy. And they worked very well! I finished quilting on the Stormy Stained Glass, then de-pinned, clipped the threads and trimmed all the edges. Today I'll need to work on piecing together the scrappy binding. I also finished the template for the credenza topper and even cut out the top fabric. It was definitely a productive day! Perhaps today I can decide on the backing fabric??? As you can see, my sweet hubby did make me hot chocolate yesterday and even used one of my extra-large mugs. That really helped keep me toasty warm. One thing I can definitely say about my husband is that when he loves someone...they know it without a doubt! The same can be said for the people he doesn't care about too, but I'm so fortunate not to be on that list. The anniversary of our first date is coming up this month and we'll have been together for 15 years. And in that time, we have thoroughly enjoyed loving and treating each other to those wonderful sweet little gestures. I really think that is one of the keys to a good and lasting relationship. Find those tiny little things that the other person loves and remember to do at least one of them on a daily basis. I know that we are happier now than we were, even back then. Perhaps not as carefree, but definitely more in love. Which makes me think that on top of my already long list of quilty things to work on...there is a Valentine's Day kit I received from a friend over a year ago now that perhaps I should at least play around with.

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm.

The cold has arrived...

and I'm not running around town anytime soon! I'm off to a great start on my little Winter Quilt-a-thon. I completed the top and basted the foundation quilt for the Baby Button series (shown in the picture). After that I spent some time quilting the Stormy Stained Glass quilt and now have 5/9 of it done. I really would love to have it quilted, trimmed and the binding ready to be sewn on before Sunday night. But if not, that's okay too. Today I'm going to work some more on the template for the credenza topper and try to get through at least an additional 1/9 of the quilt. I think I need to go get a pair my comfy slippers to help keep me toasty warm. Oh, and maybe some hot chocolate too! Hubby always adds extra marshmallows when he makes it for me. :)

The cold is coming...

...and I love to work on quilting when it gets cold! I have my step-mother's quilt basted, which I'm calling the "Stormy Stained-Glass" quilt. I have 1/9 of it quilted.

I did finish the Autumn Sassy Sixteen #2 quilt. I hope to get it basted tonight. It took me forever to find the backing fabric. We moved several months ago and we are still sorting through boxes.

In the search, I found the backing fabric for my Sampler of Psalms quilt, pieced the back and did manage to get that one basted. I have no idea when I'll actually quilt it or how long it will take, but I definitely plan on taking my time with it and maybe trying some new things.

I am also planning on working on a few smaller projects to help my "instant gratification" need. The first is a Baby Button kit from Joined at the Hip, that a dear friend gave me two years. The second is a custom top for a hall table I have in my foyer. It is actually more of a small credenza, with a very odd shaped top. It desperately needs to be refinished on top, but I doubt I'll be taking that project up anytime soon, so I thought a nice quilted topper would suffice. I don't think I'll even be piecing it, probably just one fabric for the top and one for the bottom...maybe reversible.

I want to have several projects ready for this weekend, when I will probably be hosting my first quilting all-nighter. Not knowing what my mood will be, it would be nice if I had something that I could quilt, or piece, or baste, or bind. I might do a little of each. ;)

Happy New Year 2009!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to the New Year! I definitely did. We had a wonderful, relaxing and mostly quiet Christmas this year. It was great!

My nieces from Oklahoma came for a visit over Christmas and New Years. Hailey and Gentry were thrilled!

I managed to get the first table and the first shelving unit in my new studio. I say the first as I'll need more of each, but I was thrilled that things were starting to come together in there. My dear friend, Jackie, came by earlier this week and we spent nearly 10 hours in there sewing away together. It was wonderful. I managed to finish the top for my step-mom's quilt and hope to get it basted before the weekend is over.


I also worked on two other quilts at the same time. The Autumn Sassy Sixteen is nearly finished, just three border sides left. So hopefully I can post a picture of it tomorrow. The third quilt is that Victorian inspired Christmas Braids quilt. The center calls for 6 braids and as you can see in the picture, only 3 are complete. However, the other three I'm working on at the same time.

Tomorrow should be another great sewing day. And maybe I'll get something organized in there too...or not. ;)

Ice on the way....

Well, the ice storm is on it's way. Hailey will be getting out of school 2 hours early. Gentry was already home from being sick. I tried to sleep late today. I was up until close to 5:00 working on Christmas stuff and checking on Gentry over and over again. Thankfully, he is doing much better now...having gone from "listless" to "bored". LOL! I honestly think that the more "fun" things I do with them, the more bored they are during down time. I cooked and baked all weekend long. The kids decorated some gingerbread cookies for themselves and I made and decorated some reindeer cookies for gifts. I still have some wonderful friends (and a very few family members) that still appreciate handmade gifts. I also made my own version of Santa's White Christmas Snack. I call it my own version as I originally made it with what I had on hand instead of what the recipe called for. It turned out well though, so I'm keeping it like that. I made a few other Christmas treats as well. I spent the whole weekend in the kitchen. Would you believe I'm still not done yet??? I did manage to make some more ornaments while cookies were in the oven. However, I haven't finished trimming the tree or decorating the house, and I'm seriously behind on the wrapping! I've been going non-stop since before December, and I'm still not done. I'm not complaining, I'm just perplexed! Well, I know in the end it will all be done, but this year I'm wondering if I'll be too exhausted to enjoy it. LOL! As you can probably guess, I didn't find any time at all to quilt. I'm really missing it right now too. I would love to work on something right after I post this, but it will be time to work with the kids on their homework. That's okay though, they only have this week left and school could very possibly be cancelled tomorrow. :)

We Have A Winner...Mystery Solved!

Congratulations to Heather AKA Peachy for solving the mystery!

Peachy said...
You're getting your own shop or an enormous
new sewing room! An 18x22foot room of periwinkle painted creative space?
LOL!

I have a wonderful quilt studio now! I did paint the walls periwinkle, it is 18 x 22 feet, with a nice view, where I hope to create wonderful things! My plan to was that by the time someone solved the mystery, I'd have pictures to show. However, that hasn't happened. I am still a great deal of time away from having the studio organized and all set up. I promise to share pics though as soon as it is all finished.

Peachy, send me your mailing info and which pattern you would prefer.

In the meantime, I'm working on three quilts simultaneously. I have to as I can't decide which one is top priority.

The kids have really been getting into the Christmas spirit by making ornaments for all their school and church teachers. Aren't they adorable little elves?!

I've also made some ornaments. Here is one I did for the guild's Christmas exchange.

'Tis the season....

Monday...

I swear, I feel like I'm in slow motion today! I'm amazed at how much time is flying by and I'm not being nearly as productive as I had planned.


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The kids even made some ornaments for their teachers. We started a tiny bit on the shopping, taking care of a few great sales.




Sadly, I didn't get very much done on the quilting side of things. I did do quite a bit sewing at the guild on Tuesday night. We are making some quilts for a less fortunate community in the Appalachian mountains. My back was so sore for the next couple of days, but it was worth it and I was more than happy to do it.

The only little thing I have to show at the moment was the last BOM. I just love doing these tessellated blocks!








But for now, I hope I can manage to find the time to work on the Christmas quilt today. Kids will be home before we know it and then homework will swallow up the rest of the day. So, wish me luck.

We got Elfed again!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Holidays are coming...

I'm definitely feeling the euphoric effects of the approaching holidays! I'm singing holiday songs, planning out Christmas presents, pondering new Thanksgiving recipes. The temperatures are cooling down and oh, how I love that! I even added a Holiday Gift Set at my Etsy store.

My Quick Christmas Quilt is coming along so very slowly. However, I must admit that I'm sewing on it and several others simultaneously. I guess you could say that I'm having a bit of trouble prioritizing them. Also, the Christmas one has to be pressed after each individual seam, so I'm using the other projects as my "leaders and enders" in an effort to be more efficient. I'm not sure it is working but I'm having fun all the same.

So, did that last Mystery Clue stump anyone? Here is an update on the clues so far...

Holidays and Mystery Clue #5

Well, I know that I was promised I could finish the Christmas top from the workshop in a day, but I didn't even come close! Now, granted, I did leave a few hours early, as I wasn't feeling very well. Even if I had stayed I wouldn't have finished even half of it. I'm soooo slow and I am big in pinning everything! Not to mention I was having a serious OCD moment when it came to where I was going to put each and every fabric. So, as you can see from the picture, I have a long way to go. LOL!

In order to make myself feel a little more productive and to please my son, who was begging me to do this, I made a little mini quilt for Thanksgiving.

Okay, time for Clue #5.

Happy November!

I really can't believe we are this far along in the year...practically on top of Thanksgiving already! I do love Autumn though and hope that Winter doesn't come to quickly, though I'd love some cooler temps. In the meantime, I'm enjoying this time of year. The kids had a great Halloween and you can imagine how pleased I was when they both said they wanted to wear last year's costumes...and they still fit!

I took some "regular" costume pics, but they also wanted to have "scary" pics too. LOL!

They drew out their pictures on to the pumpkins and hubby carved them out. You can really see their creative differences.

I also decided to try my favorite pumpkin cookie recipe in a mini-loaf form...yummy!

Oh, and a dear friend of mine, Jayn, made this great picture for me. She is so creative!

After Halloween, came the elections. I know that there were just so many different opinions on this one and that each of us chose whom we thought would be the best. In my household, we couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome. But I'm still saddened that things became so negative, especially with all of the false emails being forwarded left and right, without people bothering to check them out beforehand. It really doesn't take but a minute to go to Snopes, for example, and find the facts. I'm also saddened that people quit respecting that we have the "right to choose" and that is part of what makes our country so great. We don't have to have the same opinions, but we should respect each other either way. I am just so glad it is over. I really saw the "ugly" in a lot of people.

As for quilty things...I'm going to a workshop on Saturday. It is for a quick Christmas Quilt. Our instructor has been promising that we will leave with a finished top! Now, I'm pretty slow, but if it is even mostly finished that would be great! If anyone in the area is interested, it is only $20 and from 9:00 to 4:00. Just let me know and I'll give you more details.

I've started work on my next pattern. I have the design done, but I'll still have to piece it together, quilt, photograph and write up the pattern. But I can give you a little hint... I'm using the new Bistro line by Deb Strain from Moda. I'm a big coffee lover so I couldn't help but be drawn to it! Another hint...this pattern will use one layer cake and one jelly roll.

Speaking of hints, here's the 4th Mystery Clue...

I know that some of you have already made your guesses and I can't tell you if you are right or wrong yet...as it isn't time for the reveal. So, feel free to keep guessing. ;)