It Is The Love Of Fabric...

It is the love of fabric that drives us to seek out fabric stores where ever we travel.  I may have been a little out of my element in Britex.  4 stories of all things sewing...can you imagine an entire floor of notions!  The few customers that were there on a Saturday morning with me were designer types.  Stylish with that haughty look.  Even the sales clerks seemed like they were styling...and the look on their faces when I told them I was looking for wool that I might felt!   Sacre Bleu!!!

What is truly amazing is that this store and the needle point store in the slide show have been around since I was a youngster!  When I was a kid my parents would take us to SF and we'd have the run of the town...anywhere you could walk or take a bus.  I visited Golden Gate park annually...and going to China Town, walking around eating roast duck that had moments before hung in the window.  I attended numerous symphony performances, operas (my mom's favorite) and of course the Ice Capades!  It is a different town now.  Although I felt safe enough on my own during the day...night is another story.

Enjoy the slide show...there is nothing better on a sunny day than San Francisco...except for Portland! lol

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Lots of people leave their heart in San Francisco!

Quilt Expo!

Look what I came home too!  By a stroke of luck I flew in on Sunday instead of Monday!

If you remember last Friday I wrote about my trip to the Quilt Expo in...I believe San Mateo???  What can I say...one city just runs right into the next one without any warning, lol.  We thought we were going to a quilt show but instead it was just one giant vendor mall with a few quilts hung by a local guild.  I was surprised about the variety of goods that were not fabric for sale at the show.  And the sales tax sticker shock was...a shocker!  I also noticed that there were quite a few patterns I had never seen before...so many quilts and so little time.  Although it was fun to window shop the booths only one made me sing!  That is where I found bought the kit for Crow Gossip which was featured in the 2011 Fall issue of Primitive Quilts. Yummy wool!

  

Enjoy the slide show...it'll be just like you were there!

Free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox and now for the winner of the fabulous wool bag pattern...was... Anne who said,

                     "Enzo...I love you, pick me, pick me!

and just because I felt like it a second winner of a fun quilt book goes to...

Margaret who said, 

"I am a follower.  This will be an awesome bag to make for retreat next month.  I have to take a gift to get in on the Quilt-o-game.  It is like bingo only in quilt lingo."

Catching Up & Don't Forget, Last Day For The Give Away!

Even though I had a great time with my sister...I am so happy to be home with HH and Enzo.  And...even though the weather was fantastic and my house was covered in snow...I still am happy to be home.  The next 3 days I will be playing catch up, sharing all the photos I took while gone.  So here is slide show #1.  Julie took me to visit this shop which she discovered during a previous shop hop.  A lot of their stuff was at the Quilt Expo but there was definitely enough there to give a great window shopping experience.

I love the effect that my fabric diet has had on me.  I am no longer a binge shopper but a discerning shopper! lol  I am now a "class act" shopper! ROFLOL

Don' forget there is one day left for the Give Away be sure to leave a comment that you are interested in the give away and of course be a follower!

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Meeting With The Man!

Today was business day and my sister and I had a meeting with our attorney and this was the view from his conference room! WOW! He is awesome and has been worth every cent in "attorniness" lol. But really...I couldn't work with a view like this.




After we were finished we decided to spend the rest of the day playing...and so the Jones sisters headed for Beach street down by the waterfront.




We had lunch at an amazing dim sum restaurant and the food was exquisite. They were constantly bringing food around for you to try. We finally had to say STOP. The funny thing was we were brought a small piece of seasoned sea bass that was to die for...it was so good that we ordered a second serving. I was telling my sister how I once made a dish for my girlfriends with sea bass and it was $20 a pound! Yikes! When we went to pay our lunch bill it came to...$110!!! My sister was asking how come it was so much?? And that is when we found out that each piece of sea bass we ordered was $20! LOL. I wanted to go back and eat that $4 piece I had left on the plate! I had a banana for dinner...LOL







The thing about San Francisco is that it is a goumands' delight and you could not leave without having a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee...it taste better when they create art work on top.




And just because I was missing HH I found this giant letter "G" that reminded me he was waiting for me to come home.




The Transgender Ball was swinging into it's second day and the reigning King and Queen are the guy in the shiny white jacket and the guy in the shiny silver dress...and when I told them that no one dresses up like this in Bend...turns out they used to live on Awbrey Butte...small world. The world is filled with fascinating people and not all of them are quilters!




Starting Monday I will be posting some great slide shows and I think I will announce the winner of the Give Away on Tuesday! As for today I will be flying the friendly skies of United!

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I Left My Heart In San Francisco...Wait I'm Still Here!

All I can say is WOW! What a beautiful day in the city! I hopped on the bus and headed to Union Square. I was on the hunt for Benertex...it does not exist because after all these years I discovered it is called Britex!! What an incredible place. 4 stories of all things sewing. I'll have that slide show once I get home.



This was a fascinating window display of floor to ceiling birds and when I took the photo I captured the building reflections.




My sister and I went out for Dim Sum...cause you cannot come to San Francisco without having Chinese.




We did not get to ride in this limo. But I have ridden in a limo in San Francisco...but that story is for another day.



And what would a trip to San Francisco be without a little cross dressing. When I asked "her" if I could take a photo for my quilting blog...she said in a very deep voice..."Honey, you make a quilt out of all this hair and I would love it!". I can say without a doubt...I meet the most amazing people on my travels.
My sister was laughing so hard she pee'd her pants.


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The City of Love

I am venturing into uncomfortable territory. I have traveled all over the world and can duck and jive with the best of them. But traveling by myself and checking into a hotel alone...not my favorite thing. My whole day was made easier because my friend Julie who is one of the Fabric Stalkers was picking me up at the airport and spending the day quilt shopping. The flight was smooth and short because my seat mate was a pleasant woman who had recently relocated to Central Oregon and was heading to Arizona to drive back with her DH who had just retired. We talked the entire way!
Julie picked me up and we headed quilt shopping. You won't see those photos until I get back home because I haven't figured out how to do the sideshows on the iPad. The amazing thing is that at the first shop we were told there was a quilt show at the fair grounds!!! Which means...Vendor Mall!
When we got there it turned out not to be a quilt show but a quilt expo...one giant Vendor mall!!! Now you'd think that I would have gone stark raving mad but in fact the quilt diet has done something wonderful...turned me into a discerning shopper! Who would have thought. I bought one wool kit for the wall hanging called "Crow Gossip" in Primitive Quilts Magazine!
The city of love was in her full glory! Warm, sunny and did I say warm.




See the Golden Gate peeking out the top right side of the photo. The shots were taken from the balcony of my room.




This is way different than the town of Bend...I know the ocean is just over that hill!




Here is a photo of my room. There are 2 beds and a Japanese style shower.




And here is my savior! And creator of a awesomely fun day...Julie! Look at her standing so calmly in a vendor mall with NO package in her hands! After the vendor mall we visited one more quilt store and had Gyros for lunch...yummy.




Tomorrow I take the bus to Union Square and try to find Benertex...7 stories of all that is sewing!!!
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The Wild Blue Yonder (don't forget the giveaway!)

Somebody has been pouting for the last 24 hours.  Dogs are amazing.  I do believe they can mind meld...just like Spock!  Yesterday morning HH brought my suitcase down so I could start packing...uh oh...someone wouldn't eat their breakfast and then on all our errands begged the drive up teller...the gas station attendant for treats!  Kinda like I do when I am not so happy! lol  He has been watching my every move.  As we were driving away from seeing Robin he started whining then we saw HH on the Hwy and he started whining, he just wanted to tell someone he wasn't happy!

I am trying to be brave.  What I mean is I am only taking 2 projects with me.  The little red sewing machine and a new project I prepped for the trip.  I am praying that I don't run out of stuff to work on...cause that can get nasty!

I've got my project, my thread and my little scissors with a blade less than 3 inches!

I wanted to let you know that in the process of learning the Ipad and having to get a new password for the web mail cause I couldn't remember my old one I accidentally deleted a bunch of emails...so if you didn't hear from me you either are a "no reply comment" person or...I accidentally deleted you...sorry!

Don't forget to post a comment (must be a follower) on the Give Away blog and the dog dish will be coughing someone up on Monday!

PS. by the time you read this I will be in San Francisco with my friend Julie!  Thanks Cakers for lending me a sista!

Time for a Give away

Today I am in full chaos mode! I am trying to get ready for an early morning departure tomorrow which mostly includes learning how to use and post to the blog from an Ipad2 and deciding what projects to bring! When I go on retreat I always bring way too many projects but when flying you have to really plan. Not too much, so as to not leave room for purchases and not so little that you run out of projects. It sounds like cooking which really scares me.

Number 1 is to figure how to lead photos and post...yikes. Today I am starting a giveaway for the woodie bag pattern. I love mine! And know that you will enjoy making an styling with this bag on your shoulder. I personalized mine and tweaked it with a few changes as you can see from the photos.




I attached some of my pins to the front and stitched "woollies" to the front.




The inside has a place for scissors, pincushion, needle case, pearl cotton, ruler, cutter, project pocket and ironing pad!







As usual in order to toss your name in the dog dish you must be a follower of the blog and leave a comment here. Enzo will pick a name when I get back from my trip.

There is another wonderful giveaways for a book by luckypupquilter.blogspot.com and say hi to Loris and send some cyber hugs...she could use a few.


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Woolie Fun!

Today I felt like having a cup of coffee and just talking with you.  A little woolie blog time before I start to hit the door running.  I love early mornings watching the sun come up, catching up on my email, checking out my Pin site for fun new ideas.  My dear friend Robin is an early bird and so when I texted her at 0515 in the morning...she called.  Life can be so challenging.  In the same week she lost her mother, she also lost a nephew.  Please keep her in your thoughts and if you pray...pray for relief.  Life is so wonderful but it is peppered with moments of shear heartache...and so, it is those moments of calm and sweetness that you must roll around in it like a pig in a mud puddle.  It reminds of a story years ago...I let my little dog Yoshi (9lb toy poodle) out the front door for a little romp in the front yard.  We lived on a cul de sac and it was safe for dogs and kids.  When he came back he was literally covered in dog shit!!!!  As in matted, stinky grin on his face....or rather excuse my French...shit eating grin dog face!  I was horrified that someone would grab my dog and rub excrement all over him.  Not being an experienced  dog owner I called Robin...blabbing that I was gonna find the $%^& who did this to my dog.  Robin explained that dog like to jump right into a big pile of $%^& whether it be horse, cow or big dog...crap!  We can take a lesson from them, sometime you gotta just roll right in it and come up smiling!

My redwork is coming along...I am so excited about this project...LOL...I think I say that about every project!  But thankfully to my future DIL Emily who last night on SKYPE told me I could watch season 2 of Downton Abbey on the Internet by going to PBS I was able to get another area stitched.

The Woolie blog is not only to write my ramblings and share my world...both quilting/wool and non quilting but to also share what I discover along the way.  With that said I have added 2 new blogs to the blog list on the right hand side for yours and my pleasure.  The first is La Maison de Maristella who hails from Verona, Italy.  I love expanding my world both in creating and connecting.  She has a google translator bar so you can click and read in English.  The second one I added was for my own guilty pleasure...Beyond Kimchee  Korean food is not only extremely healthy but very savory and I want to learn to make more dishes at home since in Bend, Oregon...I would have to travel 3 hours over a mountain to find a Korean restaurant or store!  Both of these blogs are now added on the right hand side of the Woolie blog on the blog list...Enjoy!!!  Let's meet tomorrow for coffee again!

February's UFO

Here it is...my February UFO completed!  From 2002!  I only know this because that is the date on some of the blocks!  These are friendship blocks from the former Material Girls that used to meet at the Mountain Country Mercantile (since closed)  The original group numbered barely 10 on a good day but over the years it has grown to 30+ on potluck day and meets at the Deschutes County Historical Museum.  

I had a vague memory that this quilt had a story but I couldn't remember what it was? So I asked some of the founding members...But the story goes that the Material Girls each gave a fat quarter to the birthday girls each month...but, I guess when my turn rolled around I asked if the people who wanted could make me a block.  I guess this caused a tipping of the universe and some drama ensued.  Thus the worm block...which was a note that I had opened a can of worms! LOL  Anyhoo...I only remember that there were issues but not the ins and outs of the entire story.  That is one of the things I like about myself...the ability to not take the drama, pain, anger forward but, to leave it where it belongs, in the woven fabrics of history and smile at the lovely blocks that were made.

All I had left was tacking down the binding and it was done.  I love it!  a piece of the old Material Girl group and the Mountain Country Mercantile!  If you are reading this from Arizona  Mary Jo...yours is the Japanese Kimono! 

I had to show you a photo of this wonderful table topper.  Last night was book club at my house.  Since the book was a lighthearted read I asked those who felt comfortable to bring a funny story from their lives.  Laughter is the best medicine.  I laughed till I cried! lol  What was also wonderful is one of the book club members is also a Fabric Stalker.  She came a little early so we could have a pre-bookclub support group and brought this WIP.  Mine is still in kit form...but oh is it ever a beauty.  I am going to have to get it done before this fall...that is all there is too it!  

Have a wonderful day, I am off to work and thank you for sharing your tips on living with the blues.  I am sure they not only helped me but the rest of the blog world!

High & Lows

Life is a series of highs and lows. Lately it seems many of those close to me are sliding down in the lows. What do you do to survive your lows? Post me a comment so the rest of us can get some tips on surviving this experience called life! I tend to do mindless things like playing Solitaire on the computer. Depending on the depth of my low I may not even have the energy to sew...the math take too much work...that quarter inch is a killer! LOL. On the other hand embroidery with one color is mindless and I love the end result!

Starting today this week will be a busy one. I have book club tonight which I am hosting. I chose to host "Bossy Pants" by Tina Fey because I wanted more laughter in my life. I've asked everyone to bring one personal funny story to share. Laughter really is the best medicine in life! And tonight I want to laugh so hard I pee my pants!!!  The beginning of the week I am working and getting ready to fly to California for a meeting...the best part is one of the Fabric Stalkers is picking me up at the airport and we are hitting some of her favorite quilt stores!!! Since I am crossing state lines I am definitely going off my fabric diet!! I am sooooo dang excited.  I have a lot of handwork to prep for the trip....hummm what do I want to do?  It is a good life when you have so many choices.

Finished quilting my blue table runner...I love it...next the binding and I will have a new project done.  This cannot count as a UFO because I purchased the pattern in the last 6 months!

And here is the latest photo of "he who holds the power."  He definitely is one of my highs!  Hard to believe he is only 3 weeks old...he looks so wise!

A Treasure!

Look at what I found!  I was having to go from one side of town to the other  when I decided to stop by one of my favorite junk stores.  They had a bunch of distressed painted tool boxes...some in green, yellow and red.  I love the versatility it will provide for some Prim decor ideas I have.  And can't you see changing the theme by the seasons or holidays!

Today I am heading out with my friend Irene for coffee and girlfriend time.  Although I do have plans to set aside some time to quilt.  The soul has to be filled somehow!  I have a pile of projects that just need a little done here and there and they would be completed...but...I do hear the siren call of a new project!  LOL  I hope your weekend is filled with fun, which reminds me of a funny scene in a series I am watching called Downton Abbey.  it is a British series about an aristocratic family and their servants.  To make a long story short the family is meeting a long lost cousin and his mother who are "middle class" and they are appalled that the son has found a "job" with a solicitor and will have weekends off.  The matriarch asks, "What's a weekend?"  I laughed out loud!  I guess if you are rolling in the dough and have never had to work the concept of weekend has no meaning...go figure!  Enjoy!

My Favorite Woolies

I love hanging with my Woolies...although I am thinking I need to hang with a more "non-productive" crowd so I can feel good about myself! LOL Being easily distracted from my own project and wanting to start something new is always a challenge for me when we get together.  But on the upside, every time we get together it is like seeing a "wool show" and I am inspired not only about new projects but life.  They are a wise group with a varied life experience.  Which means any problem you might have, someone in the group will have a solution.

For sure Mary will have this done by next Valentine's Day!

The penny rugs above and below are Sandy's...she is young, pretty and project prolific...I think we should not allow her to stitch but just sit and listen to the rest of us give her advice!  After all, we are old, aging well (which means not so pretty) and slower with our projects.  Ah, it is with fond memories that I remember when I was the young one of the group...((sigh))

Mary from Madras (we have been calling her this ever since their were 2 Mary's in a former group) Made this penny rug and the snow man at the end...for some reason the computer wouldn't allow me to rotate them for better viewing.  So tip you head to the left (don't try to sip coffee while doing this)

Joann is making this wonderful fall penny rug with her wool scraps!

Claudine is getting close to finishing this project made with woolie flannels!

you look a little tipsy...

TGIF!!!...and it will be even better at the end of the work day!

Quilt Show!

Is your schedule as crazy as mine? Although I can complain with the best of them about my insane life, I WOULD go insane if I was bored. I might have told you this story before but anyhoo...with an insane life comes memory lapse. 


 The first year HH and I were married I nearly drove him insane. He is a peaceful guy, his life is balanced, he naps at lunch and it is not uncommon to catch him just sitting quietly. Whereas I am like the Tasmanian Devil. One day in that first year I asked him...how can you just sit there??? Don't you want/need to do this, and that and this again???? (said in a slightly high pitched voice) His answer to me, "how can you know what you want in life if you don't sit quietly and day dream?" I SHOULD HAVE HAD A V-8!!! I had never had anyone say that to me...I spent most of my life with my family just watching me and shaking their heads! We now have a sign that hangs in our bedroom that says, "Daydream." People who read the blog or know me often ask how do you get so much done...it is not always a good thing and my goal is to find that place where I can find peace...a balance between the frenetic and the quiet. A little bit of this...a little bit of that...

And now for the Quilt Show...which is what led me to this big run on thought about an insane life...I forgot to post the First Friday Quilt video from QuiltWorks.  If you remember I couldn't even get near the quilts.  Working that day I arrived after the show started and it was packed...as in scary packed.  Most likely because the feature quilter, Sally Rogers is such a popular local quilter.  She made her first quilt 54 years ago as a newlywed on a Singer featherweight her grandmother had given her.  I love the show...and every quilt in it!  Although I definitely have a quirky bent to some of my quilting...I am a traditional gal.  Enjoy the show!

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Will You Be My Valentine?

It is really hard not to be in love with a man who will give you a Valentine like this one!  A Pink phone, dog and popcorn all in one card!

The photo shoot was interesting.  Since the photographer really has no idea about quilting. So you just point him in the direction of the quilts and he is off and clicking...you shamelessly try to get Enzo in every photo and at the same time duck out of each photo.  Alas he made me sit for a couple of shots.  After taking dozens of photos and knowing that they probably will only use 3-4 I am hoping the editor weeds out the ones of me and keeps the ones of Enzo! lol  I did meet the deadline and my house was clutter free...in fact I am kinda enjoying the momentary bliss of having the clutter hidden, lol.

I caught a photo of the photographer taking a picture of my front porch while Linda the writer talks with Enzo.

You will be hearing more about Linda in March.  We had time to chat after the photo shoot and I was in awe of all that she does...a former editor of Sew News, proofs patterns for magazines and fabric companies...she writes her own patterns...and both she and her husband each have their own sewing rooms!!!!  She also tells me that Hancock's monthly feature sale is Mary Ellen's Best Press and if you have never used this starch product it is the best!!!  She would know since her DH is the manager of the #8 store in the nation...right here in Bend!! In March I will be doing a in depth interview with her for the blog...along with a sewing room photo shoot of hers and her husband's sewing room!  I wonder who has the larger stash???

I hope you are having a great sewing day...for me I am off to work!

Dancing Valentines!