Picking Up a Conversational Thread . . .

Remember last week when we were chatting about quilting, the machine I use, the batting I use, and the brand of tooth floss I use? (Okay, maybe I was talking to someone else about tooth floss--but I'd be happy to have the same discussion with you, and perhaps someday I WILL when I've run out of other things to say!) A few of you left comments pointing out that I had neglected to drone on and on talk about what kind of thread I use. So this one's for you!

When I finished my two most recent quilts the other night and was sorting out the Sweat Shop, one of the things I sorted was thread. Over the course of quilting the last several quilts, I had filled a basket full of spools to the point of overflowing, so I figured it was about time I put them back where they belonged.

I find the Juki is happiest if I'm using the same brand of thread in the bobbin as I use in the top. There are two brands of thread that I use most often: Essentials (Connecting Threads brand) and YLI.

Essentials is probably not as good a quality thread as YLI or Superior, but I don't have any problems with it, the price is excellent, and the color choices are tremendous. The one drawback is that I need to know what I want and order it ahead of time. I DO have a good selection of "country" colors on hand, though, so if I'm quilting a Thimbleberries quilt or fabrics with similar shades, I usually use Essentials.

One of my local shops carries YLI, so if I want a thread color I don't have and I don't want to wait for an online order, I often buy YLI. In quilting, I love variegated thread, and YLI has a decent selection of the color combinations I'm looking for. It's rare that I have a problem using YLI, but I have had breakage issues a few times. Usually I attribute that to either using older thread that's dried out a little or needle size. Most of the time, though, YLI works well.

For thread quality, I like Superior/King Tut thread. I don't so much like the selection of colors though. My other local quilt shop carries this brand. Sometimes I find exactly what I want and other times I feel like I'm "making do" with the colors available. And, of course, Superior and YLI are more expensive threads. It's not unusual for me to go through an entire spool and start on a second when quilting a quilt, and at $7 or $8 a spool or whatever it's selling for now--well, let's just say I'd rather pay less if I could.

(Valdani threads are on the left; Essentials threads are on the right.)

For thread color, I like Valdani. Valdani thread isn't nearly as smooth as YLI or Superior, but Valdani makes hand-dyed variegated thread and I really love the color selections. Unfortunately only one of my quilt shops carried it for awhile and they've sold most of what they had. I do sometimes still order it online, but again, that takes some planning ahead. Luckily, I still have a decent selection of Valdani "in stock."

I hope that answered some of your questions about thread. Now YOU can tell me this. Amanda (who is also FULL of questions) tagged me the other day to do the "7 Random/Weird Facts" meme. I was also tagged by someone else several weeks ago. But don't I ALWAYS tell you weird and random facts about myself? The other thing is that I did this last spring and I even managed to spread the weirdness over EIGHT blog posts--see, that's how weird I really am! Were you reading back then? Would this be repetitive? Do I need to tell you more? I mean, do you REALLY want to know about my 7-foot belly button lint ball and other random stuff like that? I just don't want to bore you wonderful readers, so let me know what you want, okay? Thanks!

The Story of My Life

Reader's Digest Condensed version. Or just a snippet that represents the whole. Whatever.

So, first of all, I came home from work tonight (something I do five nights a week) and when I headed back to our bedroom, I glanced into the Sweat Shop and nearly screamed. For a second there, I thought the burglars had come back because there was stuff all over the place! Here's a photo of my table, but I know this doesn't really give the full impact.

Some of you have mentioned that I seem to get a lot done, so I thought I'd tell you about a typical evening. Tuesday night after work, I stopped at Trader Joe's to do some shopping. I came home, put the groceries away, and cooked dinner. By the time that was done, it was maybe around 8:30 p.m. or so. I decided to check in on a few blogs, write my own, do a little online fabric "research," etc. You understand, right? Next thing I knew, it was nearly 11 p.m. and I was still playing around in front of the computer. And that's okay except originally the plan for the evening was that I'd work on the box I'm making for the Wild Child.

I was tired. I was yawning so big I was afraid I'd dislocate my jaw. So I thought maybe I'd just go take a bath and call it a night. Now, this is probably where my lifestyle and habits diverge from normal people. I was feeling a little guilty about getting nothing done on the box, so I thought I'd just go pick out the papers and things I wanted to use on the inside lid before I took a bath and went to bed. So I did. Then I did a little cutting. Then I did a little paper staining. Then I thought maybe I'd just paste a couple of the pieces. And decoupage over that. And maybe I'd try out a stamp--but that didn't work out so well. So then I came up with another plan to fix my mistake. Then I glanced at the clock and realized it was 1:15 a.m. By the time I took my bath, got in bed, got up again to find a book, got back in bed, and read for a few minutes, it was after 2 a.m.

See, that's why my favorite saying is the one over there in the sidebar: "Time becomes meaningless in the face of creativity." My motto. Well, that and, "I'd like an iced grade latte with an extra shot, please."

The box? Here's the top--I showed this back around December, so it will probably look familiar.

Here's the inside lid so far. There's actually a fair amount left to do, although the basics are there.

I'm so very sorry I sucked some of you into buying yet more fabric yesterday with my post about Debi Hubbs. Well, no, I'm NOT sorry--that's a lie. Really, who could resist a blackbird (or a crow) wearing red high heeled pumps? Oddly enough, Mary Ann (from A Very Mary Design) told me she hadn't heard of Debi Hubbs either until yesterday when she was in Big Lots and came across some address books using Debi's artwork; later she saw my blog post. Cosmic coincidence? Wanting to investigate first hand, I HAD to stop at Big Lots on my way home from work tonight. No, I didn't find any Debi Hubbs, but I DID find a few other goodies, including a refrigerator pad and a list pad with designs by Mary Engelbreit, a set of brushes ('cause I'm really HARD on brushes), a collage book (in case I ever want to know what I'm supposed to be doing), and a couple red plates. To go with my red soup bowls that Santa left me.

Too bad I didn't go to Big Lots LAST week--then I could have gotten the plates from the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately, tonight hubby wasn't quite as amused as he was when Santa brought the bowls. But really, two teeny, tiny red plates! What's the harm? And won't they look cute with my cherries? And my red high-heeled-shoe-wearing blackbirds? Of course, hubby can't get too annoyed with me. He knows I'll probably be awake WAAAAAAY later than him, and he's quite vulnerable when he's sleeping.

I haven't worked on the box tonight. It's 10:30 p.m., and I think I'll go take a bath and call it a night. Maybe.

Debi Hubbs

Do you know Debi? Yesterday at this time, I didn't. Let me tell you a little bit about what I know so far.

First of all, you all know that the NEXT BIG THING is cherries, right? And I think I mentioned that this week, I'm trying to finish a crafty project, decorating a wooden box for the Wild Child, who's coming to visit next weekend. So there's no quilting going on at the moment and all visions of cherries remain dancing in my head. I do, however, have an overwhelming compulsion to keep searching Quiltshops.com for "Cherries." Not that I really expect to find what I'm looking for, because my cherry visions really don't involve cherry-printed fabrics. Maybe I'm just trying to get into the cherry mood. Maybe I just can't stand to be totally without any quilting stuff going on--withdrawal. I don't know.

Anyway, last night I came across some fabric by Timeless Treasures--the line is called Blackbird Jubilee and the designer is Debi Hubbs. Here are two of my favorite pieces:

Of course, I had to buy a bit. Erica's had a five-fat-quarter bundle plus some yardage, so my order went in for the bundle and some pies. I'm seeing a bag or a tote here. Plus some pies leftover for something for the kitchen--not sure what yet. Probably something cherry, though.

But then I had to go on over to Timeless Treasures to check out the WHOLE line. 'Cause I wouldn't want to miss anything this cute, you know. And when I clicked on "Debi Hubbs," I got a little bio and a link to her website, Art Blooms.

After being entertained by the story of her life for awhile, I saw a link for her store, which actually took me to eBay. Turns out she has signed giclee prints of her artwork for sale. I think I need a couple of these. I'm thinking about ordering Blackbird Pie:

And After the Shoe Sale:

But I think The Quilters is awfully cute too, and she has that one in a larger print. Decisions, decisions.

And just in case you're as enthralled as I am with Debi now, click HERE for everything Debi Hubbs that's listed on eBay, including the fabric, the prints, applique patterns, and cross stitch patterns. In one of the links I visited somewhere along the way, I read that she'll have a couple more lines of fabric coming out--something I'll definitely be watching for!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Darn! I just talked myself into ordering a little more of the fabric. Cotton Patch Fabrics has it on sale. Although they're out of a couple of the prints, they're expecting more by the end of the month.

Abject Disappointment

During my lunch hour today, I went to a nearby quilt shop. They were closed. My heart cried out in sorrow. So I went to Starbucks and ordered a Venti iced latte. They asked me if I wanted an extra shot of espresso for free. And my heart sang. My pulse raced. The universe was again in balance. I'm easy. (But never cheap!)

Happy Easter!

I've been a busy little bunny this weekend! I finished binding the Gardener's Touch quilt and gave it to my mother-in-law--she's a great mom and she deserves something for spring!

And guess what?! Yes, I did! I got the bunny/carrot quilt DONE! Woo-hoo! Do I hear a WOO-HOO for me?! Here it is, on the table as promised!

I added the table decor and I think it looks pretty cute! Nice enough to eat off of! ROFLOL!

I stayed up Saturday night until 3 a.m. quilting the bunny quilt and finishing the binding on the Gardener's Touch. By the time I turned my light off and my head hit the pillow, it was 4 a.m. Do I need to mention that we made a Starbuck's stop on the way to my in-law's house for Easter lunch? I think it's going to be a fairly early night for me tonight!

Sunday morning, I got the binding on the bunny quilt and took it with me to my in-law's house. I finished it up after we got back home. We had a nice time with family, and it was an absolutely gorgeous Easter Sunday here in Northern California with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Spring has arrived!

I think the next project on my list--before the cherries--is to finish the box I started for my daughter, the Wild Child. She and the Drooling Dog will be here next weekend, and I'd like to be able to give it to her. I'm sure I'll be posting some photos of it this week.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and indulged in as many chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, and Peeps as you could possibly want!

Happy Mail and Other Stuff

Are you all ready for Easter? We thought our daughter might come down after all, but then she changed her mind. She and the Drooling Dog will be coming down next weekend to have our mechanic look at her new-to-her car and fix a couple things, and with the price of gas these days, two trips from Tahoe and back were more than she thought she could afford. That's okay with us--at least we'll get to see her next weekend. In the meantime, she sent me a photo of her snowboarding with some friends (that's her in the purple):

My husband went out to the mailbox today and brought in some happy mail. I had an e-mail earlier today from my quilting friend, Synthia, saying there was a cherry quilt pattern in the new McCall's, so I was hoping my magazine would be in the mail--but it wasn't. Oh, well, there were a couple other goodies to put a smile on my face. I've been reading a book called Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick--historical fiction set in England. The book that apparently continues on the saga is kind of pricey--I think it's out of print. The other day, I found one on eBay for a reasonable price, and it arrived today. I'll probably finish this first book in the next few days, so I was happy to see the next one in the mail!

Much to my surprise, I also had a package from my blog bud Red Geranium Sharon! Inside I found an Easter card, a really cute bag she made, a bunny cookie, and the funniest cow "thing" I've ever seen!

Do you remember my earlier post about how she and I started chatting about cows and now it's kind of our thing? Well, somewhere she came across this cow keychain thing that comes with cola flavored candies that you stick in its head and they come out the rear when you press on its hindquarters. It's called "Oops a-Daisy" and it comes "with piles of yummy candy." Thanks, Sharon! You made my day!

Did you see in the photo that under the goodies Sharon sent me is the bunny quilt? I'm still trying to get it done by tomorrow for Easter. At this point, it's a race! Oh, I suspect I'll get it done, but it might not be much before midnight tomorrow!

Today I took a bath, brushed my teeth, and got dressed, but that's about all I've done besides quilt--oh, and I took a little nap since I got up early-ish (for a Saturday) to get busy quilting. As we were watching Antiques Roadshow and eating dinner tonight, my husband started chuckling. "What?," I asked. He said, "You're really having a bad hair day." Well, he's right--I haven't brushed out my hair today and the front has been sticking up kind of oddly, but hey, I don't have to look at it, right?! And isn't it funny that he should refrain from mentioning it until AFTER I had fed him dinner? Men!

Hippity Hoppity!

You KNOW you guys are my favorites, right? So just for you, I went back to the quilt shop, Bear Paws and Hollyhocks, after work today to take photos of the cool/creepy rabbits I've mentioned. Here's the pair:

Lindy (the owner) had them sitting on a bench in the window, but she brought them in so I could get a closer look (and feel!) and a better photo--the sun was glaring on the glass window and I'm not sure the photos would have turned out very well otherwise. The gals from the Department of Justice were meeting in the classroom, so we brought the rabbits in there so we could all get a good look at them. And here's a closer shot of the girl rabbit:

They are obviously NOT your typical cuddly, plush bunnies, are they? And yes, they are made with real fur and suede/leather/skin. If I had some spare money sitting around, I'd sure be tempted to buy one or both of these--they're sooooooo unique! (And yes, as a matter of fact, I DO like weird stuff!) But you know--any spare money I had sitting around was taken by my burglars last week, so I'll just have to enjoy the photos.

So what do you think? Cool or creepy?

The NEXT Big Thing!

Happy SPRING, everyone! I heard on the radio on my way home from work that today's the first day of spring. I sure hope all the snow melted today, just in time for Easter and Easter egg hunts! Around here, even the Starbucks Bears are required to dress appropriately for the holiday!

Can you tell I'm feeling a little less boring today? A trip to the quilt shop always perks me up some. And did I find what I was looking for? Yes, indeedy, I did, I did! In the $5/yard bin, too. That's it there in the roll, sitting on top of the bunny/carrot top. It will really go well as a backing to this quilt.

And what other wonders were at the quilt shop, you ask?! Ah, wonders indeed! Now you'd think that since Easter's almost here, I'd bypass all Easter/Spring fabrics, wouldn't you? But no, I couldn't pass up these couple Easter fat quarters you can see near the top of the photo--I've been kind of eyeing this fabric line for the last month or two, every time I passed the bolts. No, maybe I won't make anything more THIS Easter, but I hope to get around to whipping up a new tablerunner or something next year! Oh, and there was a yard of Christmas sale fabric and a couple polka dot fat quarters too--those always come in handy when you're crazy about polka dots!

You know what, though? I plum forgot until I pulled up in front of the store that I wanted to bring my camera along next time I visited. Remember those really cool/creepy bunnies on a bench in the window I told you about? There they were again, and there I was again--with NO CAMERA again! I'll have to go back soon for that photo. The shop owner, Lindy, offered to let me touch them--she said they feel like something from a taxidermist--but I was on a mission to find some fabric, so I regretfully declined.

Have you been wondering what my next quilt theme will be now that the bunnies have almost hopped on by? I have! Well, actually I've been thinking about it for a few years now, but never seemed to get around to it. So I'm announcing it now--the NEXT BIG THING around here, quilt theme-wise, are CHERRIES! I love cherries! Big, plump, red cherries! So look for a few cherry projects in the next couple months. I have a couple ideas bouncing around in my brain like a Pong ball. (Maybe THAT's why I can't sleep!) Do you have any cherry quilts? If so, I'd love it if you'd post them and let me know.

I'd like to stay and chat some more, but I have to get into the Sweat Shop and work on that quilt back and pin this last bunny quilt. The cherries are waiting to come out and play, but first the bunnies have to go away!

A Boring Blogger

Warning: I'm boring today. At least I'm feeling awfully boring right now, so you might as well stop right here and go on to the next blog.

Work yesterday had me so wound up I couldn't sleep last night. I tried reading and that was just fine, but every time I closed my book and turned out the light, my mind would go back to the work day. Then I'd turn the light back on and read a little more. The last time I looked at the clock, it was nearly 3 a.m.

Despite only having gotten about four hours of sleep last night, I seemed to do okay today. Well, except maybe when I microwaved my frozen mac and cheese for lunch. That five minutes seemed to be taking an awfully long time, but I was chatting about quilting with another gal, so I was a little side tracked. Finally I went to check the microwave and saw it had 38 minutes left to go. I guess I must have pushed an extra "0" and had it set to cook for 50 minutes instead of 5. You know what, though? Frozen mac and cheese cooked for 12 minutes tastes a heck of a lot better than frozen mac and cheese cooked for 5 minutes. Funny the things you learn when you're talking about quilting!

What part of quilting is your least favorite? Tonight I cut and sewed binding on the Gardener's Touch quilt and tried to find suitable fabric for the back of the latest rabbit quilt. I'm not sure which task inspires me least. Usually pulling backing fabric from my stash isn't all that hard, but this quilt uses a lot of pastels, polka dots, and spring colors, and I just don't seem to have much of that kind of thing in my stash to pull. I was very tempted to go to the quilt shop tomorrow on my lunch hour and look for something, but I'm planning to stitch binding down and I didn't want to change my plans. By the time I settled on some fabrics that didn't seem too bad, it was time to think about going to bed, so I still don't have a back made for that quilt. Getting it done by Easter isn't looking promising. Can we just turn the clocks back again? Like maybe a day or two?

You know what though? I'm still thinking about going by the quilt shop for a different backing fabric. If I leave work on time, I can get to one of the local shops before they close at 6 p.m. I sure hope the thought of going to the quilt shop tomorrow doesn't keep me awake tonight. I need to have my wits about me. I don't think the frozen raviolis I have for lunch tomorrow could take the microwave abuse.

Another Bunny Quilt

I had to work late tonight and then do the Speed Racer mad dash to Fed Ex and the post office with only about two minutes to spare. Seriously, I handed my packages off to the postman outside the post office as he was emptying out the mailbox for the last time this evening. After all that, I'm feeling terminally unmotivated to quilt or blog this evening, so I thought I'd just show you what I've been working on lately. I have one small applique piece to add and then I can pin this top and start quilting. Do you think I can muster up the enthusiasm and energy to do that tonight? NO! Apparently not! Do I know that Easter's going to be here in just a few days? Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Maybe the quilting fairies will come tonight while I slumber and take care of it for me. One can only hope!

If the stars align and magic occurs, this quilt will grace my Easter table. Somewhat ironically, it's doubtful any FOOD will actually grace my Easter table this year, because neither of our kids will be home and we'll be going over to my in-laws for an Easter lunch. My husband talked to his mom, and they agreed we'd bring dessert. My husband's talking about making cupcakes; I'm thinking Marie Callender's is right on the way and they make an awesome Kahlua Cream Pie. What's Easter, after all, without some grown-up chocolate? The Double Cream Lemon Meringue Pie doesn't sound too bad either.

Now that I think about it, I have a feeling that if I could just bury my face in a Kahlua Cream Pie right NOW, I might feel a little more enthusiastic this evening. But no, I'll wait until Sunday. Tonight I have two cats to battle for rights to the bathroom--a nice hot bath sounds awfully good!