Left brained vs. right brained

After listening to this wonderful new podcast I found on itunes I have decided that I am both left and right brained.  I am heavily into quilting right now and I found this podcast called The Scientific Quilter.  I have only listened to one of her shows so far but it was right up my alley.  She talked about the number pi and had numerous ideas on how to make quilts using the number pi.  I have my own story on pi which I'll share with you later.

Right-brained people are creative...

Left-brained people are analytical...

I have always felt like a right-brained person trying to fit into a left-brained society.  I have since come to realize that I am two sides of the same coin.

In high school I loved art class.  I couldn't wait to see what the next assignment was going to be and then start creating whatever came to mind.  This was 1987 when computers were just starting to make their way into a few classrooms.  My art teacher wanted to delve into this whole new world of computer art but I didn't.  (I would much rather hold a paintbrush in my hand and smell the acrylic paint waft through the air). One of our assignments was to cut a picture out of a magazine, draw a small scale grid on it, then draw a much larger grid on a larger piece of white paper then paint each individual square according to the smaller picture.  This assignment was not simply to enlarge the picture but to get a sense of how pixels in a computer work.  Our finished work was supposed to look like a mosaic which most of them did.  I can't remember if I did a slice of chocolate cake or corn on the cob with a big pat of butter melting over the top of it.  I think I had the cake and my friend had the corn.  Anyway, they turned out wonderful and I was very pleased with mine... if only I could find it now.

Also in school I loved math, especially algebra and the quadratic equation.  I liked working with numbers.  In college when I worked in a video store I memorized all the numbers of the corresponding videos (they were five digits each).  Later in life I decided I wanted to learn the number pi (3.14159).  I challenged myself to learn the first 50 digits; I can recite about 30 so far.  This may be bordering on obsessive compulsive too but that's for another blog entry.  I like numbers.  I currently work in a bank and numbers are my thing.

Then on the other hand, or the other side of the brain as it were, I love to paint, sew, draw, bead... you name it.  If it's creative I've either tried it or will sometime in the future (again another blog entry for a list of things I still want try).  I used to struggle with labeling myself as left or right brianed but now I'm embracing the fact that I'm both.

Happy Mother's Day

I LOVE being a mother and even though I have a part time job at a bank I consider myself a stay-at-home mom.  Joshua, who is 3 1/2 years old, and Jacob, who is 18 months old, are the loves of my life.  I love teaching them new things and watching them grow into little boys every day.  Joshua absorbs everything like a sponge!  And Jacob is constantly exploring his new world.  Joshua asks lots of questions about everything (which I never mind answering) and Jacob is trying to figure out how to work his tongue so he can use "big boy words". 

I continually give thanks to God for blessing me with two beautiful children.  I just love to look at Jacob while he is asleep in my arms and to think that with God's help (and my husband's) we created this ever-so-precious human being.  From the little vein on the side of his head to his little toes... my body made this.  Amazing.

And in honor of Mother's Day I would like to tell you a little bit about my mother.  My brother and I grew up in a very loving home, my childhood was wonderful.  I didn't think my mother worked outside the home because she was always there to take care of us.  Later in life I learned that she did have a job but she worked her schedule so that she could be home with us before and after school.  I NEVER came home to an empty house, never.  And for that I am SO grateful.

My mom was and still is an art teacher for the Newport News Parks and Recreation here in Va.  She loves her job and she loves to share her creative talent with other people.  As a child I thought all mother's had 2,000 tubes of paint and 500 paint brushes and bins and bins of fabric.  Not so.  I was the lucky one to have a mom like that.  Even though I had no interest in learning how to use a sewing machine my mom was always there to show me if I ever got the urge to learn.  Knitting?  Not a problem... my mom had needles and needles ready to go when I asked her a few years ago if she knew how to knit and would teach me.

I believe we continue to grow closer and closer every year and I also believe that our love of art continues to bond us together.  We love to go to arts and craft shows together and mind you we do have somewhat different tastes but that's what makes it all the more fun!  During these craft shows we find each other saying "Oh you could do that!" then we each take mental notes of that item.  We love to brainstorm together and ALWAYS come up with great ideas.

And for all of these fun experiences I've had with my mom I say "Thanks mom for all that you've done and all that you continue to do".

   (As a side note my parents will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary next month).

A "Kim" Day

Yesterday I took a Kim Day (well it was a Kim half-day).  My husband and I give each other these days (Kim Day's and Joe Day's) to do whatever we want without the kids.  Everyone needs a little getaway once in a while and we make sure we each make time for ourselves.

I decided to revisit this quilt shop I found a few years ago in Richmond, VA (a little over an hour away from where I live).  I went online first to make sure they were still open and what do you know they had moved!  (Thank you internet).  But thank goodness they were in the same general area.

I had a blast!  They had the most gorgeous fabrics, very organized, neat and clean.  I had to keep reminding myself to make it all the way to the back of the store before I started loading up my basket.  I wanted everything!  "I'll take one yard of everything and this section I'll take 3 yards of each design".

So I finally made it to the back of the store and there was the sale rack.  Woo! Hoo!  And let me tell you what they did.  They had two small plastic bins chock full of scraps.  Scraps large enough to get a few 5" charms out of. And strips, lots of strips.  The way this worked was that you filled a bag, as much as you could stuff in it, for $7.99.  It was wonderful!

Can you believe this?!?! I got ALL of this fabric in that little bag.  As my Craftypod friend would say... SCORE!!!

I left the shop with a few patterns and fat quarters but the scrap bags were the greatest find for me.

The name of the quilt shop was Quilting Adventures.  Check them out online!  They also have a link to their blog on their homepage.  http://www.quiltingadventures.com/

A quilt for Frances

Two summers ago I decided to make a quilt for my husband's secretary for Christmas.  I found some beautiful bright floral prints that I wanted to use.  I started piecing it together and when I was finished with the top I stood back, looked at it and cried tears of sorrow!  It was SO crooked and there was no possible way to repair it!  The design itself was beautiful but the execution was not on-spot.  I was devestated.

A few weeks later we took our family vacation to Illinois and, to make a long story short, I found the perfect fabric for Frances.  My husband is a minister and these are the fabrics I chose.  (The blocks are religious sayings).

These squares were found as a bolt of fabric that I cut out.  I had such a fun time contructing this but it was a bit of a challenge because the squares weren't all the same size, which I didn't realize until we got home from our vacation.  So what I did was I put boarders on the squares so I could trim them all down to the same size.

Now onto the backing. I found this gorgeous print that was the same theme of the blocks: religious sayings, creme color with music notes (Frances sings in the choir too).  It was just perfect.  Again I didn't realize until we got back home that I had not bought enough.  So I had to modify it.  I found some solid green fabric that I could maybe add to the sides.  Again, still not enough.  So I found some dark brown paterned fabric that I could add.  Finally enough fabric!  And then I had this brilliant idea to put it together so the back looked like a cross and I LOVE how it turned out.

So this quilt took a little while longer than expected but I was extremely pleased with the finished product.  When I handed it to Frances for Christmas I said "I'm having a hard time giving this to you!" (She understood why). 

As a side note I free-form quilted the quilt with my trusty Kenmore sewing machine.

My Quilting Journal

For as long as I can remember I've liked to write.  In middle school I began writing poetry then in high school, college, and beyond I did a lot of journaling.  It feels good to be able to express my thoughts, feelings and ideas on paper.  I have two "Mommy Journals" for my two boys.  They are like "letters to my child" to give to them when they are grown.  I started both journals before they were born, writing to them about the anticipation of the first day I would met each of them.  (This takes the place of a baby book).  Because of my love of writing I knew I would be able to convey to them more feelings and emotions than I would in a baby book.

Anyway, back to journaling.  A few years ago I walked into a fabric store and saw a book called "My Quilting Journal" so it was only natural that I buy it.  But as I leafed through it I noticed that there was not enough space for me.  When I write I can fill up pages!  (I'm not one of those 2-sentence kind of people).  But with my creative juices flowing I thought... How easy would it be to find a journal with blank pages and then label them myself?  So that's what  did.

(I just LOVE label makers!)

Some of the sections I created were taken from the original book such as the finished dimension of the quilt.  But then I added extra categories such as swatches of the fabric and where I bought them from, photos and any other comments about the quilt.

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I LOVE old quilts and I think each and every one has a story behind it.  So hopefully one day when someone stumbles upon my quilts they will have a story to go with it (provided they can find this journal too!)

Happy quilting and happy journaling everyone!

Anticipation of this weekend

I have been waiting one year for this Friday to come.  Thursday through Sunday the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXI will be held in Hampton, VA.  My mom and I have attended this convention in the past and this Friday we will go again.  I am giddy with excitement as this weekend approaches and all of you quilters and fabric enthusiasts out there know what I'm talking about!

I love this show for a number of reasons.  The obvious reason is the time, effort and creativity that goes into these stunning works of art.  They are so inspiring!  And if you're crafty like me you tend to get overwhelmed at the possibilities of making one of these.  Inspirations and ideas come so fast that my head is spinning by the time we leave.

Photographs ARE allowed and my first passion has always been photography so I always go to these shows with plenty of memory cards.  This is my second reason for going.  To be able to take photographs and admire them year round.  I use them for inspiration.  Sometimes I see color combinations that I wouldn't have put together myself but "wow did they make that quilt pop with those colors!"  The other end of the color spectrum is black and white.  There is an entire section devoted to black and white quilts.  This one was my favorite.

But check this one out:

I wish I had the dimensions of this quilt (I'll do better this year).  But more than this quilt having all of the shading of these eyes was the blocks that made up this "portrait":

This year I will get more details so when I post pictures from the show I can give credit where credit is due and I can try to get the story behind it. 

Last year I took over 400 pictures so it would be almost impossible for me to choose a favorite but I'm going to.  My favorite:

Another part of this festival is all of the vendors that are selling quilting notions and fabrics.  Oh how I LOVE fabric!!  

I can't wait to post another blog about this years festival as I'm sure it won't disappoint... HAPPY QUILTING!!

Flashback

Even at an early age I think my mom knew I was interested in art.  This was taken in 1971 when I was 19 months old.

It's never too early to introduce your child to the wonderful world of art.  Cultivate their imagination and praise them endlessly on their creative journey.  

How I stumbled into the wide world of quilting

I had to think back a few years to figure out how I became interested in quilting so here's my story:
Around 1999 I decided I wanted to learn how to sew my own clothes (skirts, jumpers, sleepwear).  So I bought myself a sewing machine and took a class from my local Parks & Rec. In 2000 I went on The Disney Cruise and was SO excited to make all of my clothes for this trip... capri pants, fun summer shirts, shorts and skirts.  This was the first shirt I made and I loved it (I'm sitting in Minnie's chair).

In 2001 I went to a quilt convention with my mom.  I went primarily because I knew there would be bolts of new, different and unique fabric there.  I was very impressed with the workmanship that went into these quilts but I wanted to find funky fabrics for skirts.

Up until this quilt convention I thought that all quilts were "country looking" with dull and drab colors.  But this convention opened up my eyes to all of the amazing colors and variations the world of quilting had become.  I was still there for fabric for garments though.

But then slowly, as with everything else, when I look at something long enough I start to get ideas.  And the more booths I wandered in and out of I noticed myself being drawn to these cute bug fabrics.  Then I found one I couldn't live without...

This spider was screaming "take me home, I'm too cute to pass up!"

I thought to myself "I could make a simple quilt.  6" squares sewn together.  I could alternate cute bug patterns with bright solids... hmm". The idea was born and little did I know I would fall in love with quilting and continue to make more of these treasures.

I was going to just tie it but instead put it away and forgot about it until this post.  As you can see that I never put the binding on it either.  But because of this post think I'll finish it.  And now since I know how to quilt the top I'm toying with the idea of doing that.  This quilt is huge though!  It measures 85" X 96".  

So I guess you could say this is where I was bit by the quilting bug... or spider as it were!