Weekend projects

We made our first attempt at an embroidery project on our new Bernina 830. We went into the local dealer for a lesson but as she didn't really speak much english and her machine kept breaking it was more a waste of time than anything. So, we decided to just jump in the deep end and try it for ourselves. It was a lot of fun and once we made it through all the selections for the design and thread colors it was pretty easy. We bought a set of red table napkins to practice on and I think they will make great Christmas decorations or perhaps a gift for someone. If nothing else we both had a lot of fun working together on the machine and then sitting back and watching it do all the work!

The other thing I attempted this weekend is to learn to draw. I have never considered myself the least bit artsy as I seem to have trouble drawing straight lines and cutting out things. When I was required to take art class in school I was a solid "C" student and I suspect that was just because the teacher felt sorry for me more than I actually earned it!
But I am determined to become a good quilter and I think the only way to do that is to become better at drawing shapes and angles and just generally objects that could be used as art on a quilt. I found a website that teaches free motion quilting and the lady starts out by first drawing on paper to get the feel of how the lines would work on a quilt. I have to say I was pretty impressed with my first attempt and am hoping that if I can transfer this thought process to fabric and begin working it into my quilting technic as well. I am going to put my kaleidoscope quilt on the frame next and as it is made from floral fabric I thought it would be good to use things you would find in a garden. So, I tried snails, bumble bees, spiders, butterflies, turtles, bean stalks, mushrooms and a ying/yang sign. I also threw in some feathers and circles for fillers.

And now for a Christmas tale to leave you with....
Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?
Or a quilt kit, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa," I said
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds ".
"I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited to see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."
He shook his head quickly, And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough stuff, I'll see you next year!"

I think Santa is right this year! Hope he visits your house instead.

Paper Piecing and Free Motion Quilting

I had tried paper piecing about a year ago but wasn't really that interested at the time as I was just trying to figure out how to use my machine. But summer before last our quilt group had a challenge called "Walk Through My Garden" and I had fallen in love with all the oriental cotton that we had gotten in that season and began to collect them for what I envisioned my garden to look like once I got around to it. Needless to say I never got to my summer garden challenge but I did collect about 30 different fabrics just in case. A couple of quilt group meetings ago a friend of mine brought some of her books to sell and I happened upon "Just Can't Cut It!" by Pamela Mostek and bought it for a steal of only 3KD (kuwait dinars). I knew I had to have it because the first page is entitled "Confessions of a Fabric Lover"! That is so totally ME! After hemming and hawing over which pattern to do first I decided on one called Japanese Jewels to try using some of my previously bought fabrics. The problem I had before with these fabrics is that they are just so beautiful that you couldn't bring yourself to cut them but this pattern seems to take care of that for me. The blocks are 13" finished so you get plenty of each fabric to see in the blocks. The other thing I absolutely love about paper piecing now is the accuracy of your lines. This is the first block but there will be nine (9) total with black sashing inbetween so that they look like window panes.

My other adventure lately has been back into free motion quilting. Now that I can safely say that I have all the toys I could want there is no excuse for not using them! (Well until bernina comes out with their version of the QBot anyway!) I loaded my Bernina 830 onto the quilt frame and decided it was best to just go for it. Here is a picture of my first attempt at just doodling and trying to imitate things I had seen before.

Here is my first attempt at free-hand feathers. Not too bad I think but still lots of room for improvements.

And here is a pattern I saw on a duvet in a store and thought it was somewhat interesting for a whole cloth quilt if I ever decide to make one.


I am under the wire to get my project quilted for the Dubai International Quilt Show in February. The submission date is the middle of January and I still have to hand deliver it there. So, as intimidated as I am, I must go for it and hope that I get it right. We have Cheryl Ollsen from Vancouver coming over in January to conduct a quilt design and free motion class so I am hoping to learn a lot from her but unfortunately, it will be too late for this show.

Santa came early to visit me!

I know we are still a couple of weeks away from Christmas yet but apparently Santa couldn't wait to visit our house. You know how to say Merry Christmas at the Houston household?

BERNINA BABY



I really wasn't expecting any presents this year as we agreed that the house was more than enough for both of us. But Andrew surprised me again and arranged with the Bernina dealer here to have a new 830 available for me.



I have to admit, I am more than overwhelmed with the capabilities of this machine and don't have a clue where to start when it comes to embroidery. Unfortunately, the dealer here speaks very little english so he won't be much help along the way. If I can work it out then next year I am hoping to go to Steckborn, Switzerland where the bernina factory is located and take some classes on how to use the machine. Andrew and I spent three hours this morning just going through the manual and trying to figure out what all the buttons do. It was very difficult for him not to just push things and read the manual instead but we got through it. After three hours we have just begun to scratch the surface of what it is capable of doing. The coolest functions so far for me is the threading, bobbin loading along with the thread cutting functions that are all done automatically for you.


I know that it will open up a whole new world for my quilting with the 15" neck that should come in very handy on my quilt frame. Glad I have a few tops pieced together to practice on already.

So, here's hoping that you all have a great Christmas too!

More France

I know it's a little out of order but thought I would share a few more pics of France. This is the wonderful gite that we have stayed in the last couple of times we were there. We stayed here in June and made fast friends with John and Jane a great english couple that have lived in France for the last eight years. They have an amazing home on a good size acreage including a lake. This is rental property for them most of the year and then in the winter they move in until it warms up again.

While we were in Texas I quickly sewed this wall hanging for Jane and John as a small thank you for all their help and friendship in so short a time that we have known them. I liked how the free motion quilting came out on this project and I know you can't tell from the picture but I even put tiny seed pearl beads on the butterfly wings to make it look like dew in the morning garden. But I would still like to rip off the binding and correct the mistakes I can see.

As it works out John, Jane and the dogs were our first official guests after we closed on the house. It seemed all together appropriate really as they went through all the 'buying' pains with us along the way with learning the french legal system.

We also ventured into the closest village, Valliere, which is only three kilometers down the road (have to start thinking in metric you know) to try and get a feel for the locals and how they would perceive us. We had lunch several times at the local pub/restaurant Voyageurs where the plat du jour was worth a try. We could tell the first time that we entered that everyone obviously had assigned seating on a daily basis as most of the customers were local artisans (tradesmen) with some villagers scattered in for good measure. We were shown to our table in the corner by the fireplace and treated to a nice plate of paella after a couple of attempts at trying find out if it included seafood or not. Luckily, this one was made with chicken and sausage of the season as there was no menu simply the 'plate of the day'. Although the locals didn't really pay too much attention to us the first visit by the second time in we knew which table was for us and they began to say 'bonjour' to us as well. By the time, we ate there on our last day they were coming over and shaking hands with us and we could tell that they were a good group. Of course, it also helped us with finding some local artisans for working on the house.

As you leave the restaurant and look up the street there is a resale shop and the mairie's (mayor) office, and of course the church. We went in for our official handshake with the mairie and found her to be a wonderful lady who very much wanted us to feel welcomed to the commune. Even though her english was as limited as our french we got on wonderfully with the help of another lady, Lorna, that works in the mairie office who is english and didn't mind translating for all of us. Luckily, for us Lorna is actually a neighbor and only a few doors away from us in Epagnat. I am hoping to get to know her better when I spend a few months there this summer. She has a wonderful daughter Ellie who I think is around 6 and very wellspoken and not afraid to add to the conversation. We should get on just fine! I haven't met her partner, Richard, yet but hopefully he is just as nice.

And just about a kilometer away from the house there is this beautiful little lake for fishing, picnicing or just relaxing and reading a book. Looks like a nice place to ride the bikes over to and see who is catching the fish that day.

We are both hoping to entice our family in Canada over for a visit as well so thought we would include this picture of the river that flows through Aubusson which is the biggest town closest to us and only about 15 km away. They are into outdoor sports in this region and have a very active kayak club. Maybe our niece, Kelly, and her partner Derek will consider coming over to try out the local waters sometime soon? Actually the whole family is very active and would hopefully love all the hiking trails and wonderful views along the way.