Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Oh Deer!!!







Yep, the silly little reindeer are done. Now you'd think that a wall hanging that is only 28 X 38 wouldn't take so long to do, right??? Nope. Well ya have the whole need to trace 90 pieces and add fusible etc... then fuse to fabric etc about 8 hours.. Was going to sew it on the domestic, but appearently my timing is off ( no pun intended)... So I had to put sides on it and put it on the mid arm. Once on the middy I spent about 10 hours quilting it...then I had to finish the minor touches and binding etc....really didn't think it would take so long. In any event it really turned out great and dad just loved it. Every one should have a wonderful New Year...laugh and love
Lesaa

Sunday, December 27, 2009

What will the New Year Bring?

Well, what will the new year bring? I'm actually looking forward to this next year. There's lots of new opportunities on the horizon. I officially start my new guild position as Vice President and Programs Director in January. The current VP has the callendar set for 2010. Now I have the pleasure of finding great talent to visit and share with the guild for 2011 and 2012. Big shoes to fill but looking forward to the challenge. I've gotten all sorts of ideas from people on Quiltarts Digest and I'm looking forward into researching them and getting my own calandar together.
Speaking of challenges. I have joined Sue's group at 3 Creative Studios in starting the Quilt Challenge for 2010. It's just the push I need to keep me posting to this blog in a timely fashion so Irene and others will be kept updated ;0). That and I'll actually put myself on my schedule and set time aside for me to take care of me. Sometimes just too much is going on and I need to make time for me. I am learning to get over the guilty feelings of doing stuff for me instead of the dishes or vaccuming...after all if I'm cooking why shouldn't DH do a little cleaning??
And then there is the chance that I might get to go to China next summer. I'm almost afraid of jinxing it. I was accepted into the NCTA progam at Miami University last spring. It is a seminar on getting Asian studies into the classroom. So I've been extemely tied up in getting that going and integrating it into the classroom. Well participants are eligible to apply to go on a teachers education trip to China for three weeks next summer. I'm going to apply. I think I have a decent shot at it so will keep my fingers crossed and get my paperwork done here in the next week. I think it will be a great opportunity to learn more about China and give me even more ways of teaching my students.
I don't usually make New Years resoutions, would hate the guilt associated with not doing them. So I'm going to take a page from my own playbook with my kids and create a goal sheet for myself.
My Goals for 2010
1. I will be true to myself and my family.
2. I will put myself at the top of my list of things to do.
3. I will visit my friends more.
4. I'll laugh more.
5. I'm going to get those juices flowing and get creative.
6. I'm going to stop sweating the small stuff...after all its all small stuff.
7. I'm going to get organized and remove the clutter (I know, I know....who am I and what did
I do with Lesa)
8. I'm going to do (finish) the Chistmas projects before Easter so I won't need to stress November and December.
9. I'm going to challenge myself to read 30 minutes a day, exercise 30 minutes a day and quilt
30 minutes a day. And sleep at least 6 hours a day. (In no particular order ;0))
10. I'm going to be the best I can be without guilt or remorse......... I can only do what I can do.

To everyone I wish you the best, most wonderful New Year ever. Peace, Love and Prosperity.

Thursday, October 15, 2009


1st off, the Southwest Sunset took second place in it's category in the guild challenge. Yeah!!!


Another week down and more photos..woohoo. So last Friday one of my school kids asked if I'd make a flag for them for the pep assembly, football and basketball games....So I told them if they designed it up I'd get it done...So they gave me the plan on Monday (my 13th anniversary) and it needed finished today so that it is ready for the assembly tomorrow....And voila' it is done.


Now tomorrow I have to prep for the Miami Universery conference on Asian studies on Saturday. Then back to the spiders for my house and the inner light project.

Saturday, October 10, 2009




Hey lookie here...another post and it's only been a week. Woo hoo me. So busy week really felt beat down at work but made up for it with quilting. Made for of these halloween spiders. Really cute pattern thinking of applying it to several other ideas. Jon and I are going out here in a little bit. Celebrating our 13 Anniversary on Monday. My but time flies. Guild Challenge show is Tuesday..we'll see how my quilt holds up to the competition. Peace.

Thursday, October 1, 2009




Hey, look at me..two posts in two weeks.....what's up with that?? Here are pics of the Maimi Valley Quilters' Guild challenge. They gave us a picture taken in nature and we had to take colors from it for the quilt. Hope you like it.

I added yarn on the green points, free motioned in gold thread overtop of it. It is a pinapple star block, then I designed the corners and mid line so that I didn't have any Y seems to deal with..that was kinda nice. Added rhinestones on the dividing line of the purples and on yellow diamonds and in the center on the design. So there is a little bling too. So tell me what'ca think.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Montgomery Co Fair.











Well it was a good year at the fair. Entered 4 won 5....good odds hey? Firestar won 1st in Minatures, What Goes Around Comes Around won 3rd in wall hanging (but got Most Intricate Piecework at NQA in the challenge category), Leaves Come a Tumbbling Down got 2nd in King size, anf the professional bag got 1st in Needlework other, and Best Of Show in Needlework total.




Yeah team. Now lets see if this lets me post pictures too today....
Hey it worked...how cool. Well can't stay long. I've gotta get grades done and posted for mid terms. Have lesson plans to get finished and printed ..then there are bills that need paid.....really need a twin of me to do all the stuff I hate to do so that I can quilt. On that end, I have "Turtle Top #3 done and quilted it yesterday. Now I just need to get the turtles on it and to the group who wants to auction it off this month. I also have the guild challenge quilt top done and need to get it quilted so it can be turned in next week. Then I need to start thinking about Rich's celtic quilt for CHristma. Irene and I picked up some kick butt fabric in Knoxville for it..just need to design it and figure out what to do with it.
Wow, so much for my new years resolution to update weekly heh? Didn't realize it had been so so long. In my defense I have tried to post several times over the course of the year and have had problems doing so. So let's post this and see if it works.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hey lookie there











Three posts in one day....I'm insane. Well almost...talk to me after retreat next month. Not sure where the time goes but I've still gotta get stuff together for the retreat demos I'm doing next month with angelina and paint sticks....now I'm thinking I might try to do some tyvek too.....I need days that are 36 hours long but only feel like 12, with no homework to grade or lesson plans to make so I can come home and play ;0) Who doesn't right?

These are pics of a blue block swap some friend of mine and I did. Kris came up with the idea to look at value and see what we came up with(could only use blues) Then lotto the whole lot off with one lotto ticket for each block entered. I didn't win but hey had the chance to play and get away from the ho hum was good. The quilt should turn out pretty good when Bonnie gets done with it.

Other things I've been working on




I said I'd try to post more and here are two in one day. WOW. We had the day off of school since we got 2" of sleety stuff with freezing rain on top last night and about 7" of snow on top of that today. Here are some thing from last fall which should have gotten posted, but didn't. This was my sister's birthday present. She likes the Laurel Burch cats so she got a bag for hauling all her school stuff and change purse for lunch money.

It is DONE!!!







Well, IT is finally done!!



"IT" being the Indian Orange Peel started (God help me) last year. Now admitedly I was not working on it all year. Seemed like I kept finding other things to work on. In part, I think, because I found it a little daunting. In large part because I hate to screw things up and there was a lot of time and work in the pieces... did you notice that there are rings of color around each center?? The picture doesn't do it justice..and then to get those pieces to fit..hummm. I must admit to being very disapointed in the instructions for the project. It is a Karen Stone project. And she is a very talented quilter...but dang. The instructions for this whole quilt where contained on two sides of one piece of paper!!. She had more info on the paper piecing then on putting the border together, which for me was the crux of the project. Here you have all these oddly shapped arcs and curves and she give absolutly NO suggestions for getting those to go together. Or suggestions like baste before sewing and make sure all the alignement is correct. Or how to line things up so they go where they are supposed to...... But even though It was not done by New Years eve like I wanted...all said and done I am fairly please. It's not perfect, but then neither am I so I guess that's cool. I like the colors. I like that it came from the stash....I am now facing the daunting thought of quilting the thing......Aye Vay. All those seams are going to make things interesting. Now that is a whole 'nother thing.....
I'm going to work on posting more often this year. Hey, it's a goal. Don't laugh. But if you do want to laugh, check out the comedy of Jeff Dunham. He is a HOOT!!! Just thinking about Achmed makes me laugh. Piece.