MZ

I don't want to blog the answer to your questions. It too long. Contact me at jyquilts@mchsi.com
and I will be glad to answer what every question you might have.

A day that started out ordinary

turned into a lot of fun. Even through Orlando is home now, I still feel like a tourist at times, especially when I put my feet in places they have never been before, like the Mall at Mallenia and the Florida Mall.
Back to the ordinary. Our first stop was at a Super Target. The shopping list was nothing but ordinary stuff, like Pledge. From there it was a short ride to IKEA where I have been wanting to go for several weeks because I had a gift card that was burning a hole in my purse wanting to be spent. But not until I moved my sewing table away from the shelves I use for storing my sewing supplies, fabric, books and etc did I realize that I needed something closer to the sewing cabinet to put my collection of thread in. I know it would probably do me good to get up and walk to the other side of the room every now and then, but you know when you are hard at it the last thing you want to do is pause for too long, The red cabinet with six drawers is what I brought. After an hour and a half of assembling it, I think it is going to work just great.
The other reason Rene and I braved the rain and went out today was because I need new walking shoes. Too many miles walked in the old pair, time to let them go. I love Earth Shoes. Or should I say my lower back loves Earth Shoes and you would think a city this size would have a store or two that carries them. WRONG!!!
I looked online for stores that carried then in this area and found one store, with two location in Orlando that did according to the Earth Shoes website store locator page.
The first location we tried was at the Mall at Millenia near IKEA, What a hassle getting a parking space there only to find that location did not carry them. Pooh!!!!
So back to the car and on to the Florida Mall, much further south.I had not been there either. Again no luck, but there was the M & M Store :) And acting like a tourist, I had to go in and oogle all of the M & M stuff. Toys, mugs, purses, t-shirts.... I brought about 8 ounces of M & M dark chocolate multicolor plain and dark chocolate multicolor with peanuts mixed in the same bag and this cute mug. Made my day. Can you imagine your day not getting off to a sunny start when you have your first cup of coffee in something like this.
On the way home we stopped at 4 Rivers a non-chain, Orlando landmark restaurant where on any given day including today despite the occasional rain drop, the line was out the door. It can take as long as 25-30 minutes to place your order. We stood in line and phoned in our order (sneaky sort of) and it still took 20 minutes. But the brisket is well worth the wait and the cheese grits are to die for.

BREAKING NEWS.....

Plans are underway for a quilt retreat/Symposium in Orlando Florida area, January 14 to 22, 2011
If you would like to recieve registration/class information when completed, e-mail me at jyquilts@mchsi.com
or juanitayeager@gmail,com
Location: Sheraton Hotel/Maitland, FL room rate $89 plus tax for single or double occupancy or $99 plus tax for quad

Who said you have to sit here and feel confined

No one.... that is what I have realized yesterday in the morning as I readied myself to sit down to quilt my latest piece and realized that I didn't want to. When I initially moved into this apartment and set-up my space, I thought having my sewing station in the area that is suppose to be the dining area and out of the way was the best configuration for this space, but as I have begun to do more painting (whole cloth compositions) I have spent more and more time looking out the window to the garden and loving that view. Because I love the view I also spent far much too much time sitting at the computer because it allowed me to look out at the garden.

But a painting is done I move away from the window for days on end to quilt it and I really really miss the view. Two days into quilting on this latest piece I realized I was feeling confined. I missed the view and the sun light. What to do?

Who did I need to please? No one... Just me....

My door mat reads, "Live Life Joyfully" I picked it because that was what I wanted to do. On my walls hang the word "Joy" in two places not one. So why was I not sitting sewing without joy?

Yesterday, while still in my pj's I spent the better part of the day moving the few pieces of "big girl" furniture I brought with me around in my living space that since day one has been for all intent and purpose a "studio" with a bedroom, bath and a kitchen attached.

In truth I could have done with far less kitchen for only the refrigerator and micro-wave are put to use. The range does work. I boiled eggs once. The dishwasher has yet to be turned on. Who knows if it work or not !! After all who needs it IF all you dirty up on any givrn day is a glass, a mug, a salad bowl, a cereal bowl and a plate, one or two forks and a spoon.

So this is where my sewing machine and work table were. I am looking at it from where my sewing machine and work table are now. My lap top, the table top ironing surface and a work table now occupy the space. The easel will be moved closer to the window when next I paint.

Now, from where I sit at the sewing machine I can see out the window... sunshine.... ahhh.

That said, I am returning to quilting joyfully.<>

Putting my hand on

ink pens is a problem I no longer have no matter where I might put one down in my apartment. You see, I brought a half dozen of these to support the 54-40 quilt guild's charity efforts last month. I know I could have made my own. I've seen then done like this in many places where pins tend to walk off, like doctor offices. After all, all they are is a cheap pen with an inexpensive single stem silk flower attached to it with floral tape. As you see four are tucked into a yellow tea pot on my desk. As I sit here, I can see the other two stuck into a vase on the coffee table. Functional and appropriately they continue the theme of flowers that so much characterizes my life and decorates my space.

I have missed the garden I planted in Missouri. I knew I would when my bio clock on the first of May told me it was time for planting things that bloom. While the garden outside my window is always green, even in January, there are no flowers of color visible from my window. Because I haven't wanted to make myself garden sick I haven't asked Lyn to send me any pictures of the gardens at her house.

Until this afternoon I thought I was going to have the pleasure of wandering in my friend Marti's garden the middle of next month to see what was blooming, but my trip to Louisville to judge a small quilt show in Indiana has been cancelled. While they were willing to pay my fee they weren't willing to pay my airfare. Oh well... Not entirely their fault, they thought I still lived in KY.

My cell phone still has a Louisville area code.

Not having a garden with flowers outside my door hasn't stopped me from filling my space with blooms. The cut flowers they sell at Publix (the grocery store) are always plentiful and fresh)

My collection of paint brushes is growing. Sort of looks like cut flowers in their little vases. What is it about what ever art tool I choose to use there has to be more than one or two of them. I find I pick up and fondle the bristles of paint brushes in Michael's and Joann's, let's not even mention Art Systems, the art store of my dreams. And it is not like I need another brush. Do I need help?

My collection of water color pigments is growing as well even though I know that six basic colors would do. A warm and cool yellow, a warm and cool red and a warm and cool blue. I picked up a tube of a yellow hue by M. Graham to try but so far I like the Daniel Smith brand best. I have found that the less expensive brands (Grumbacher for example) tend to rub off because they take longer to bond or their pigment particles are not fine enough an act more like a temper paint; sitting on the surface rather than bonding with the fibers like a dye or coating the fibers like a stain which is what the more expensive brand do.

I had a tube of a less expensive red (Grumbacher) that I love, but couldn't find the same or similar hue at the art store in the Daniel Smith brand, so I used it anyway, but I think I am going to regret it.

This composition looks familiar I know. I am doing it again in a larger size, using different reds and greens. You can never mix the colors exactly the same twice, which for me is the fun part of painting.

This piece is larger than the one completed about three weeks ago; in the range of 44" x 60"so that it will qualify for an upcoming quilt shows .

Yes I did say that.

Done painting. Steam pressed and waiting.

I am going now to sandwich it and begin quilting.

Will check-in, in a few days and keep you abreast of my progress.

Oh my... it has been some time

since I blogged last. So what is my excuse. I've been busy.

Doing what you ask. Welllllllll. I cropped, faced and put sleeves on the quilt pictured in the last blog so that it is ready for me to take to Kissimmee tomorrow when I go there to teach. I also got the paper work for it done which included the inclusion of a picture of the quilt sent off to Bernina. Since I was on a roll of finishing up projects, I cropped, faced and put sleeves on my two bird pieces so they will be ready to ship at the end of the month.

On Saturday of last week Rene and I went to see Iron Man 2, which was a fun movie. I did not see Iron Man 1, and if you didn't you won't be lost when you see this one. It was not the best movie I've ever sat through, but it wasn't the worst one either.

By Tuesday, I was really ready to get back to creating something, but a trip to the doctor intervened (just a check up) and I began putting out inquiries for a location to host a retreat here in or near where I live for next Winter. I am looking at dates between January 7 and February 12, 2011.

On Wednesday I had a three hour lunch with two members of the Modern Quilters Guild. While the guild as a whole seems to me to be more traditional, these two want to go in the direction of the art quilt. I think I have found some like minds here.

Because I need goals and something to work toward, I spent a day getting the paper work and disc burned to submit proposal to 5 places that interested me that had "calls for artist" listed in this month's "Art Calendar". That paper work is stacked and ready to be mailed. I will stop at Office Depot tomorrow on my way home to get padded envelopes and get them all in the mail by Monday well ahead of the stated deadlines.

In the middle of the week I also soy milk soaked several pieces of fabric, one piece was silk broadcloth. One piece was Roc-lon bleached muslin, that needed re-soaking because it was past two weeks old and a piece of muslin of a higher quality that is more dense. For the life of me I can't remember the maker, but I will look at the bolt end when I am in Kissimmee tomorrow.

It is the silk broadcloth that you see in the picture above with a couple of images of poppies as inspiration for my next work. Here to fore I have been "flying by the seat of my pants" as the saying goes when it came to me painting in the past, but I thought since I like doing this maybe a little learning couldn't help, so I am reading through a water color painting book Judy Eaton, titled Flowers & Leaves" two of my favorite subjects. The picture of Poppies you see is from a book by Clay Perry, titled "A World of Flowers" Hummm, I wonder how many times I can check it out of the library before they get the feeling that I don't want to return it. ; )

Will keep you posted on the progress of my latest work.

Here it is

all quilted and waiting to be cropped. Brought it home with me today so I could do this chore at home where I have the proper tools to do the job.

I will return to Kissimmee with it tomorrow, early, to sew the facing on it and make the sleeves. Since every stitch has to be done on a Bernina. Then I will bring it home again until I hear if it was accepted into the competition. I b....ed and moaned if not to you at least to myself about having to bury all the thread ends. But in truth, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be going in.

Now I am not saying I will continue to quilt with the backs on my quilts, especially when I am trying to get a number of pieces made in a short time for an exhibit or a commission. But I "just might" think of entering a quilt show again.

Oh God..... Did I just say that.....

Oh well, after tomorrow my life will get back to what is for me, NORMAL.
There has been a great deal of buzz about the new larger harp Janome sewing machine that was coming out. Well I have seen it... I drove 20 miles to Winter Haven yesterday to sew on one which I did. After doing so, I decided immediately that I was not buying it. I hope Janome continues to make the 6600 too. For those of us who graduated from using the New Home /Janome 7500 this new machine is in my opinion a stretched version of it. The 7700 is a low shank machine that sews like the older 7500 rather than with the start up hesitation characteristic of the 6500 and 6600. It threads like and has the same tension system like the 7500 as well. Despite the 2 additional inches of space from the needle to the motor housing on the right, there is no real improvement in this machine for owners of 6600 which has better in the harp lighting than the 6500 but in MHO users of the 6500 or 6600 if you are happy with the way your machine is performing for you , keep it.
I did my two power point presentations and trunk shows this week, one on Monday evening and the other one this morning. I think both went well. The Tuesday group was a smaller one and I enenjoyed interacting with the members. I do like up close and personal best.
I put in an order for 20 yards of silk broadcloth yesterday and I am waiting for it to arrive.
Will keep you abreast of my "out and abouts" and other doings.

Ran out of time today.

Spent to much of my time in the shop today running my mouth with everyone who came in and stopped to see what I was doing. They were having a Fat Quarter Maddness Sale and traffic in the shop was a bit heavy at times.

But as you can see there isn't much left to do, maybe about an hours worth of quilting to finish the two sections of the yellow flower and three sections of the leaves. That all!!! Because I have other things on my calendar for Monday afternoon and evening and Wednesday morning, I'm not driving back to Kissimmee until after lunch on Wednesday.

Because it all has to be done on a Bernina, I guess that means I'll have to sew the facings on with that machine too. This machine is capable of doing a whole lot of stuff, but all I have used so far is the open toe darning foot. I'll get to see how the walking foot works when I do the facing.
Monday evening I am the program for the Log Cabin Fever Quilt Guild here in Orlando. I'll haul along about 20 quilts and do a short power point slide show of some others as I run my mouth I hope in an entertaining way. On Wednesday I get to repeat it all again because I am the speaker for the newly formed Modern Quilt quilters guild that meets at the Sewing Studio in Maitland, FL which is maybe.... 6 miles from my house. An easy gig.

Tomorrow I am planning a feet up, butt down day, that is unless an idea hits me and I decide to try out my new easel and paint something.

I don't think I showed you the quilt pictured below. Until today I didn't have a picture of it in my image file because as soon as I put the last stitches in it I took it to the shop in Kisimee for them to use as a sample of free motion machine quilting. I did maybe two months ago and I reminded myself while I was there today with the camera to take a picture for my records. It measures about 24" x 40" If I remember correctly it is silk broad cloth, soy milk, inktensive pencils and/or watercolor paint or maybe it is inks.

Unless something really interesting happens tomorrow and I truly hope it won't, I'll blog again Tuesday.