Tuesday, March 8, 2011

So busy yakking

My quilting buddy, PAT, came today and we spent hours today talking quilts. We even talked quilts over lunch. We had such fun talking that I forgot to take a picture so I had to find one in my picture files. We talked fabric, patterns, sewing machines, colors, techniques, magazines we like ....the time just went so fast!!!! I get so inspired when we get together.

Pat is quite good with her GO cutter. She can whip out projects so quickly. She also uses her EQ7 to help come up with quilt designs. Me, I love to do hand applique and I am trying to learn free motion quilting. SO, even though we have some different interests, we do well when we get together.  

I have decided to have a special little surprise giveaway to celebrate our friendship. While doing my cleaning, I found some things that I hope another quilter will like....I will keep you in suspense for a little while before I reveal what I uncovered in the big clean!

Do any of you have a special quilting partner?

Here's what you need to do: Become a follower or be sure to tell me you are already a follower. Leave a comment on this post that tells 1) you are a follower and 2) tells about another quilter you know personally...even though you don't necessarily quilt together. How does this person influence your quilting?  Leave a comment before midnight (EST) Sunday, March 20th. (sorry, but limited to USA addresses). I used green in the instructions because green is a favorite color of Pat's.


Now for some other tidbits

I have been busy the this past week. I finally got rid of a dresser in the room where I do my sewing. It just took up so much space and I really didn't need it for storage thus it just filled with junk. ( I have a walk in closet to store my craft things.) But of course, when the big, heavy thing was moved, I ended up rearranging, cleaning, and dusting. At least now I have my spring cleaning done in one room!

I also spent time with an applique design I am working on. I just love those Collins template marking pencils! They are on my shopping list for my next visit to quilt shops. I did find that some shops don't carry them. I found them on-line but I hate to order them and pay shipping since they aren't that expensive and I would just have to force myself to order other things.

I am also looking for an 8.5 inch square ruler. I have most of the other sizes. I love square rulers when squaring up applique blocks. The 8.5 inch rulers aren't that easy to find either. That surprises me as 8 inch blocks are quite common. I know you don't have to have the square rulers but I have a technique that makes squaring up so easy with them.

Enough for today......don't forget to comment on this post to enter the giveaway.

Happy quilting.

30 comments:

Jackie's Stitches said...

Time always seems to fly when spent with friends. I don't have a local buddy to sew with but I do go and sew with the ladies at my quilt shop. Outside of people there, I don't really know anyone locally that quilts. I might have to fix that! Pat is a sweetie and I can imagine that y'all had plenty to chat about!

I'm a follower!

Three Birds Inspired said...

First, I want to know your squaring up technique with an 8.5 inch ruler!

I am a follower and my quilting buddy is my sister, Julie. She actually got me started quilting when I moved to Pennsylvania from Seattle. I needed a diversion and quilting was it! We tend to be a little competitive so we challenge each other to try new things. I have thought about moving to Virginia to be closer to my sons and their families but I can't imagine how I would quilt without Julie!

Thanks for hosting a fun giveaway!

luv2quilt2 said...

I have a 'quilting buddy' who is definitely not like me at all. She's very organized, and most amazingly, she works on only one project at a time!! She then gets rid of everything before she starts the next! I'm constantly amazed. We're going to a quilt retreat this weekend, and I've lost track of how many projects I have under construction.

Pat said...

I'm not entering your giveaway but I just wanted to thank you for the nice comments. We do compliment each other nicely.....each of us has strong points and we make a good quilting pair! I'm glad we have discovered the joy of working together to design and then see those designs come to life! It doesn't get much better than that...does it?

Kaye said...

I have been a follower since you started. I had several quilting buddies, the Lakeside Ladies. We have been quilting together for over 3 years. Pat and Sherry are the experts in the group and have taught us a lot. This last year has been a bit tough for us, first my DH with his tumor and then Sherry's lovely daughter came down with a serious illness and Sherry and her DH have been out of state a lot. Our prayers are with them. Hopefully we start up again this year as I really miss our get togethers and the gals.

quiltma said...

I am a follower.

quiltma said...

Well I can say I'm very blessed because I have several quilting buddies that I get together with on a routine basis. I get together with some one on one and sometimes as a group, others it's only as a group. How do they inspire me? I could not even begin to tell you.
They are truely good and honest people who support me as I do them in all ways. I feel so good in their presence that I just QUILT!

Barb said...

It is so fun to be able to visit with someone who has the same interest....and so refreshing...I am sure both of you were rejuvinated.

My sister Jeanette is my inspiration, we get on hotmal every night that we are around and chat and share what we are doing..

I am a follower.

Cheryll said...

Good on you for having a giveaway. Good luck to all the entrants.

Kathy H said...

I am a new follower. I have several quilting friends that inspire me. We meet twice a month and sometimes extra if we are working on the same project together. We always have a lot of fun and help one another with difficult projects.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I'm a follower and I do have a quilty friend named Carol C. who has made a difference in my social quilty life.

I'm a hermit and she definitely gets me to go outside of the house on occasion which is a really hard job.....grin.

Dana Gaffney said...

I am a follower of your blog, thanks. I really wish I had a quilting buddy. The only other quilter I know near me is a snowbird, here in the winter, gone in the summer and we don't have time together often. She did show me stippling a few years ago, she said "it's fun and easy", so when I decided to try it I found it to be fun and easy.

Shannon said...

It is cool you have a great friend to quilt with. For me my partner is my daughter. She is 15 and has been sewing for about 3 years. She loves it. We go on shop hopes together, we go to a Saturday Sampler together, we work on blocks together. We use each other as a sounding board to get advice and bounce ideas off of. What a good idea to share you extras. I am a follower also.

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

I am a happy follower! :-)

I have a quilting buddy who I don't get to see very often, but we do go to a retreat every year and have a blast!

Love my 8.5 inch ruler~ I used a coupon at JoAnn's for it. ;-)

Winona said...

I love reading about quilting buddies. I regret that I do not know any quilters personally. The only quilters I know are online. My husband's grandma was a quilter, but she has been gone for many years. So I guess my quilt buddies are all in the blogs I read. I am a follower and have been for a while. Glad you and Pat had such a good day.

Nancy said...

I'm impressed with your major cleaning! I'm a follower, and my quilting friend lives in another state. But we make time to get together for a quilting retreat once a year. We encourage each other, and both like trying new quilting projects.. our interests parallel each other. Quilters make great friends!

Unknown said...

how cool to have a buddy so close by and a quilt buddy at that

Anonymous said...

Hi and good morning from one of your Followers :)
I have so many friends that I've met here online and also my RL ones. One in particular is a good quilting buddy and a special friend in every way. She is helpful and caring and supportive to me, always. Her name is Pam and she is a treasure to me. She taught the first quilt class that I attended and we've been friends ever since.

Jocelyn said...

I have several friends that I quilt with, but my BFF and I share the same love of quilting. However she lives over 1000 miles away. We try to get together a couple of times a year and we've attended several National Quilt shows together. We have so much fun together, and we challenge each other. Thanks for such a fun giveaway. I am a new follower :-)

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

I am a loyal follower.
My favorite quilting friend is the person who first got me interested in quilting, my Aunt. She has created some amazing quilts and has always been my inspiration in anything to with sewing or stitching.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway!

Michelle said...

I just became an official follower! I've had you on my Google Reader list, but I never clicked that "follow" button. :) I'm lucky that I have a few special quilting buddies. I'll mention Robin specifically though...we influence each other's quilting greatly because we have pretty similar tastes! The biggest result of the influence...if one of us finds a project we love, the other has to do it too!! :) Thanks for a fun giveaway opportunity...we'll all three have to have lunch again soon!

Kim D. said...

I sew with a few friends occasionally and we always have a great time. Isn't it nice that other quilter friends always inspire you with nice comments and encouragement. I'm already a follower. Thanks for the chance.

Needled Mom said...

I wish that I had a local quilting buddy, but my long distance friend is my inspiration. She also got me into blogging where I have met a ton of fellow quilters who inspire me daily.

Needled Mom said...

I'm also a follower.

Nancy said...

I just became a follower. My quilting buddies are those in my small group of quilters. The funny thing is we are all so different in our quilting tastes. Some traditional, some applique, some with certain colors they love. But the best thing is we are all very supportive of one another.

Laura said...

I am a follower and so glad I have been for a while now. I actually work with my quilting partner. We work at a law office and talk about our quilting projects whenever we have a free minute. We usually have something for show-and-tell at least once a week. It is great to have someone to encourage you and keep you accountable for those UFOs!

Laurie in Maine said...

I haven't attended a group workshop or working meeting in a very long time. Have been missing it lately! My daughter is new quilter and I enjoy seeing her grow into a "quilter" but it's long distance as she recently moved halfway across the country. I enjoy sending fabric postcards to cheer friends... when they are quilters it's especially satisfying.

Laurie in Maine said...

ps. forgot to add I was a new follower until after I hit enter :)

Leah said...

I have a few friends who I quilt with at our summer place, but no one at "home". Don't know many local quilters.... (other than my dad's wife) and my cat isn't interested in the fabric or quilts

But I'm trying to teach my daughter - I'd love her to be my quilting buddy... then maybe the cat would be interested too!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I am a follower of your blog:)

Quilting buddy. I do not have any local quilting buddies.

Everyone I know makes jewelery. I know many on line but not one in person. So unless you can count my lovely daughter. She has taken up traditional quilting. We both do it at the same time. It is so nice and peaceful to share something in common as she grows into a young woman.

We home school, she asked me to teach her crazy Quilting which is what I primarily do, but as days past she didn't work on it much.

Then she got some books from the library and started going through my stash wanting to traditional quilt. What did my Daughter teach me? How to look at fabric differently, to enjoy making blocks of different sizes and shapes.

I always looked at fabric from a stand point of covering it with embellishments. I didn't think about cotton fabric really. She taught me to love the color and the fabric itself now I have a bug for traditional quilting right now:) She taught me so much!!


Ann Flowers
flowerscrazyq@gmail(dot)com