At Home in the Heavenly Hills of West Virginia

American Heart Month

2012-02-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

February is American Heart Month! The American Heart Association is promoting Go Red for Women as part of their efforts for the month and asking that we wear red on Friday, February 3rd. I didn't realize it, but according to their website, Heart Disease kills more women than all cancers combined. That's a whole lot scary.

Just a little shameless promotion of my business, Heavenly Hills Fabrics and Crafts - during the entire month of February 2012, we will be having a store-wide sale of 20% off everything in stock. We have new red fabrics, red notions and redwork books and patterns - we are also proud to now carry the beautiful redwork patterns of Cathy Parker of Quilting Bee Designs. Throughout the month, we plan to order in some additional red products and some of our last order is on back-order. We will also donate $1.00 from every order received during the month AND match it with an additional $1.00 to the American Heart Association for further research and education.

Be sure to use discount code "HEART" at checkout to receive 20% off your order!

February looks to be a fairly busy month for us, quilting wise. Lots to do to get ready for the Jackson's Mill retreat in March and I've been asked to speak at a meeting of the Millennium Quilters in April. We're also working on planning a class at the end of April - it should be loads of fun!Come on over and visit Heavenly Hills Fabrics and Crafts for a terrific sale and to help a great cause. Don't forget to wear red on Friday, February 3rd - it will do your heart good!

Surgery, Teacher, Pattern Designer, Round Robin, a New Job and a Winner!

2011-12-18T19:09:00.001-08:00

Since it’s been such a long time since I’ve posted, there is a lot to catch up on.

My husband was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the large burn scar of his leg in September. When he was four years old, his pajamas caught on fire and his lower right leg was severely burnt. He has experienced many troubles with it over the years, but a biopsy in August revealed cancer. On November 2nd, he underwent major surgery in Morgantown – the very talented surgeons removed the cancer and most of the scar tissue from his leg. The cancer turned out to be about the diameter of a tennis ball and went a bit deeper than they had anticipated. To cover the area, they harvested a long muscle from his abdomen and skin from his thigh. He is doing very well and is anxious to get back to “normal.” We go for another checkup this Friday and hope to get the ok for him to return to work.

Also, I was so excited to have a trial run at teaching my quilting design, “Linked Chains,” in Calhoun County on December 3rd. It was a one-day event, but we had days worth of fun! The “students” taught me so much and I was honored to have three of my very best quilting friends as part of the class. Plus, I met and made many new friends, as well.

Linked Chains Class–December 3rd, 2011

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Shortly before this class took place, I was notified by Quilt Woman that my pattern designs had been accepted for publication! I am tremendously excited and thrilled that my life is taking this turn! If I had my wish, I would be quilting all the time . I so enjoyed teaching and hope that this will also be another avenue to meet and interact with many more quilting enthusiasts!

The kids are finally finished with their Cross Country season – both Jessie and Alex did very well. This picture is from the Fall Sports Banquet of November. There are a few kids missing, but it’s been a great experience for all of us. These kids are just terrific and Mrs. Evans did a fine job with her first season! I personally had a great time and got plenty of exercise taking pictures at the meets!

Speaking of taking pictures, I was honored to take photos yesterday of a new and growing family. Jayden Michael was born Nov. 25th and his proud parents and grandparents asked if I could come visit and take some family pictures for them. Of course, I said yes – he’s absolutely adorable . . . well, see for yourself:

Jayden Michael

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Please respect not only my rights, but also those of Jayden and his family – do NOT download or share any of the photos from my blog in any manner.

I’m participating in the Mountain State Round Robin – my center block is below. The pattern, “Indian Summer Block,” was shown in “Quilt” magazine’s Dec/Jan 2012 issue on page 10. It was designed by Beth Maddock and you find it on her website: www.piecebynumber.com.

It looks so much better in person! In picking the fabrics, I tried very hard to stay away from white and cream backgrounds and wanted to use that bright teal color. I definitely used the color wheel, which is part of what I talked about in my class!

I’ve also been given the opportunity to become more involved with the WV Quilters organization. I’ve accepted the position of Membership Secretary and am enjoying playing a part in the forward progress of our State Guild.

And now to announce the winner of my giveaway in celebration of the Quilting Gallery’s Blog Hop Party, would you give a round of applause for Gwen of “In My Own Little Corner!” She is the winner of my bundle of goodies – Gwen, an email is coming your way!

Thanks to all who visited, followed and commented – I’m sorry I did not have time to answer you each personally, but I do appreciate you so much and I plan to visit your own blogs as soon as I can!

Happy Sewing,

Barbara

What a Life It Has Become!

2011-12-10T14:13:00.001-08:00

If I had known 20 years ago that I would be where I am right now, there might have been a few things along the way I would have not done or at least done differently. Twenty years ago, I was a freshman in high school and my boyfriend of three years was in his senior year. I was wavering between becoming a teacher or a nurse, and dreaming of a big house with a white picket fence. The world was wide open and the options seemed endless.

If I had known then what I know now, I would have studied harder in Microbiology in college and stayed put instead of leaving Glenville when I missed the “C” by one point. Then again, if I HAD become the nurse I wanted to be, I might not be where I am now. I might not have my two loving, wonderful children, I probably would not have opened my fabric shop (www.heavenlyhillsfabrics.com), applied for the Judge Certification Program with the NQA and definitely would not have taught my first quilting class last Saturday.

Not only that, I would not have met and made so many terrific friends that I now enjoy. Life is full of choices ~ each one a step on our life’s path. Sometimes we jump forward, sometimes we fall back. The trick is to always be moving, never be stagnant, never be content with just what IS ~ always be looking forward to what COULD be.

So in that regard, my giveaway for the Quilting Gallery’s Blog Hop Party is a group of products that can be used as building blocks for you to create – to express yourself through this glorious craft we call quilting.

Fons & Porter Hand Quilting Needles – 20 count
“Royal Crown” pattern by Marjorie Rhine of Quilt Design Northwest
4 1/2” Easy Angle ruler (same type of ruler used by Bonnie Hunter of www.quiltville.com)
“The Quilting Answer Book” by Barbara Weiland Talbert
Yardage Bundle of assorted neutrals – 4 one yard pieces

This package is worth nearly $60 at retail and you can win it for free by doing the following:

Become a new follower of my blog
If you have a blog, post about the Blog Hop Party to help spread the word.
Tell me about it – make ONE comment (just one!) and tell me that you’re a new follower and that you’ve blogged about the giveaway party. Wrap up your post by telling me one, single, solitary thing you’ll do in 2012 to express yourself creatively – how will YOU move forward??

The giveaway will stay open until next Saturday, December 17th at midnight. I will announce the winner of the random drawing on the morning of Sunday, December 18th.

I apologize for not getting this posted sooner in the day – comments on this post only will be considered for the drawing. I will be sending emails to those who commented on yesterday’s post so that they may revisit and enter for a chance to win.

Have a wonderful day and a very productive 2012! I’m looking forward to hearing from you!!

Blog Hop Party Giveaway

2011-12-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

Good Morning and Welcome to the Heavenly Hills of West Virginia!

Thank you for visiting my blog! I'm excited to be participating in the Blog Hop Party and would like to extend my warmest wishes for a safe and joyous Holiday season to all of you and your families!

And yes, I'll be having a giveaway in honor of the Quilting Gallery's 4th birthday - all items will be brand new from my online shop (which you can visit at http://www.heavenlyhillsfabrics.com/). I'll be posting a picture and full description of the prizes you can win tomorrow morning (Saturday, December 10th) right here on my blog. I guarantee that it will be worth your time!

Please visit the Quilting Gallery tomorrow for a full list of participating blogs - all with fantastic giveaways! And please come back to my blog for the giveaway post and a chance to win!!

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to post more . . . have you heard that before? ;)

Leftovers!

2011-07-17T20:10:00.001-07:00

So, I sorted all my 2 1/2” strips into color groups in my storage drawers and realized I had quite a few of a couple blues, some of which were already sewn together. I remember them from the green/blue/orange toddler quilt I made a few years ago (isn’t it funny how seeing a fabric triggers a memory?).

At any rate, I figured it was a good time to see if I could do something with them. At first, I was just thinking four-patches as leaders/enders, but then a brainstorm hit. Blew right in without any warning! ;)

So I sewed all the blues together – even the little partial strips – and got to digging through my ruler stash to see if I had something to play with. I chose a triangle ruler and then realized that more options for these blocks were possible. If I added white . . . found two full strips of a WOW print in my 4 1/2” drawer . . . It’s still too much blue – what about an accent color? I found a whole bunch of a beautiful red solid, but hmmm. . . . how about this gorgeous gold print??

I knew that if I flipped the gold on either side of the blues, it would make the cut pieces more interesting. And if I sewed the gold to the WOW, it would keep everything the same width and open up even more possibilities.

So, I’m just stripping along and got to thinking, “What about adding a thin red as another accent?” I seriously considered it, but then realized once we started playing with the blocks, that I didn’t really need a red (at least, that’s what I think right now – I could change my mind yet!)

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Anyhoo, here are pics of the eleven “leftovers” blocks – I held out one two-blue strip set to be sure I had enough of the right sequence of pieces and I have to finagle a few more pieces out of that to complete a few of these (see the post-its?) But, it’s not bad for strips that were languishing in a drawer, doing nothing!

Details from Columbus!

2011-07-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

Yes, I’m running behind – as usual!

I had a grand time in Columbus in June. NQA puts on a great show, and it was incredibly interesting, exciting and enlightening to be able to help and then enjoy it.

I learned so, so much in the Judging Room and made some great new friends. It was amazing to see the quilts up close and also to see three judges working together with such professionalism and cooperation. And everything went off pretty smoothly – you can tell that the judging process has been well thought out and planned, even to the smallest details.

The last day of judging was a half-day and so I was able to help hang the quilts and met some terrific gals there as well – Bobbi was a blast to be around and one gal I’d be honored to work with again.

Wednesday, I became a student by taking Linda McCuean’s “Bit of Bella” class. It was a hands-on class on Gammill long-arm machine and I realized quickly that I was a bit out of my element. It will take a whole lot more practice before I feel comfortable with a long-arm.

Thursday, I was in Kathy McNeil’s design class – I took lots and lots of notes, because she shared tons of great information! Plus, we shared some stalled projects of our own to get advice from Kathy and our classmates. Thank you, ladies, for all your great ideas!

Friday, I took Karen Stone’s “Spinning Stars”. She’s terrific to be around – very upbeat and laid back. Here’s a picture of the blocks I came out of there with:

I really like how they turned out and the paper piecing was mostly easy to accomplish.

Saturday, I had a great time in Esterita Austin’s “Pow-erful Portraits” – she’s amazingly talented and I pushed my boundaries quite a bit in this class. It was the first ever portrait piece I’ve ever attempted, plus it included painting (which I’ve always wanted to try, but was afraid to!). Actually, I still haven’t painted, as Esterita was the hand behind the brush on my piece, but I loved watching her work on it!

She still needs a hand, hair and a shirt, but she’s pretty cool even without all that, I think!

I must admit, I was glad to be coming home, though. Saturday night, my last night in Columbus, I awoke around 3 am to strange sounds and lights outside my lower level window. When I peeked out, there were cop cars in the parking lot and a helicopter hovering overhead. Cops were checking random rooms - looking for someone, I suppose. They didn’t come to my side of the hotel and so didn’t knock on my door, but it still made me a bit anxious for a little while.

All in all, it was a grand experience and I’m looking forward to next year!

By the way, I came home to find that our dog, Duke, had been hit by a vehicle while I was gone. He was a copper Beagle and a wonderful pet – we all miss him terribly!

Alex, our son, with Duke as a puppy and full grown. Unfortunately, both of our kids saw Duke get hit and it was pretty traumatic for both of them.

Hello, Columbus!

2011-06-11T15:42:00.001-07:00

I’ve arrived, safe and sound and my quilt, “Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice,” has been delivered, albeit a day late. Tomorrow starts bright and early with candidate orientation at 7:30 am. I’m excited to be in the Judging Room at the NQA’s 42nd Show! It will be a wonderful learning experience, I’m very sure.

The judging concludes on Tuesday and I’m set up for classes starting on Wednesday – four days of full day classes and I think they’ll be loads of fun!

Off to bed soon for some catching up on much needed sleep – have a wonderful evening, everyone!

Barbara Ann

Gaining perspective . . .

2011-05-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

So, I’ve been terribly frazzled this past week with all of the banquets, state track meet and all that end-of-the-year fun ~ toss in my husband being gone on National Guard duty and add a very healthy sprinkling of stress from the slowing progress on the new website and my nerves are just shot all to heck!

Yesterday morning, my temper was extremely short as I tried unsuccessfully, yet again, to import my products and I’m very ashamed to say that I had more than one nasty little blow-ups ~ the worst one at the only person who was truly helping me! Somewhere, somehow, I’d lost my perspective.

Last night, I had a dream about my sister, Sonja. She’s been gone for 11 years now, and sometimes it still feels like she left just yesterday. In the dream, she looked so beautiful and natural, that I didn’t want it to end ~ I wanted to stay asleep and just be with her again. There was a lot of symbolism and lessons in that dream.

When I woke up, I asked my husband if he’d like to go to church this morning. We did and had a wonderfully, fulfilling time as a family. It had been so long since we’d been there, but it still felt like home.

Between the dream and going to church, I feel like I’ve regained a sense of order, perspective and control. It’s really not the end of the world if the website is not ready for the Web Shopper Appreciation Days sale that starts tomorrow morning. All is well and right with my world ~ and what isn’t perfect is what makes it interesting.

It is what it is and that’s all it can be.

Take care and have a terrifically stress-less week, everyone!

Barbara Ann

I’m so excited!

2011-05-18T05:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I spoke with Linda, whose hard work and attention to detail has made the Jackson Mill Quilt Retreat the success that is over the years. She had an open spot for a teacher and asked if I’d like to teach a class!!!!

AND I SAID YES!!! I have so many ideas flitting around in my head (think hummingbirds!) and I’m so very excited!

I’m thinking color, scraps, squares, strips . . . . now the real work begins!

What a busy, busy life it is!

2011-05-15T18:05:00.001-07:00

This is my daughter, Jessica, with her boyfriend, Dustin, on the left and her good friend, Skylar on the right. We’re about to get this track season wrapped up this week and I must admit, I’m very, very glad. I’ve been taking around 400 to 500 pictures at every meet (except for one!) to share with the kids on Facebook and give to the high school yearbook and local newspaper. All that cropping, fixing and posting aside, there has been enough drama to choke an elephant this season and I, for one, have had my fill!

We also have three banquets this week – National Honor Society on Monday, Academic on Tuesday and Sports on Thursday. Wednesday, I’ll be traveling to Buckhannon to judge the Strawberry Festival’s quilt show and Friday, we’re going to the State Track Meet in Charleston for Jessie and Dustin to compete in the girls and boys 4 x 800 meter relays.

In addition to all that, I’ve worked most of this weekend adding content and products to the new website. We’re hoping to go live by the end of next weekend, as I have signed up for the FabShop’s Web Shopper Appreciation Days, May 23rd through the 27th. Nothing like adding more pressure to myself!

Next month, we’re off to Columbus for the NQA’s show and then to Summersville for the WV Quilters’ show.

Lots to do and not enough hours in a day to do it all!

Have a terrific week, everyone!

Barbara Ann

Paperwork!

2011-04-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have been working on paperwork (ugh!) nearly all day today! It’s been a beautiful sunny, breezy day (even if it was a bit cool) and I’ve been stuck in front of the computer! But at least, I’ve got a lot accomplished today – sales typed up, purchases listed, contact lists ready. Not to mention updated my judging resume and sending out a few important emails . . .

My 15 year old daughter, Jessica, is running track again this year. She’s had two meets a week for the most of this month, so that means lots of running (i.e. driving) for me, too. Friday night, we went to Ritchie County for their Invitational. They do a great job with the organization and running of that meet, but it’s rained every time we’ve been there. Plus, it’s a bigger meet so they have to make it a two session meet to accommodate all the athletes. It was so dark, chilly and damp; both of my kids have coughs and congested sinuses now. Plus it was after midnight when we finally got in our house.

This picture is from last weekend’s meet at home – my son, Alex, is on the far left, my beautiful Mom is next, then my Jessica and her boyfriend, Dustin (who’s now like part of our family. It was a cloudy day, but nice and warm for that meet. Much better running weather!

Anyhoo, I’m very excited about my new website’s progress. It looks like the design is coming along very nicely and hopefully, the programming will go quickly. I’d like to be able to participate in the FabShop’s sale days at the end of May, but the Websites For Quilters project manager said it might depend on how quickly I can upload the products. To that end, I’ve been working on the inventory listing today too. I’ve got so many ideas for the different aspects of the website and its branches! I’m anxious to see them manifested!

Also, I received word that Anne Simms has completed a top for me – I supplied the pattern and the fabrics (from my shop) and she made the top. She keeps the pattern and the scraps and I pay her for the top! I’m excited to see how it turned out!

At any rate, I must wrap this up and head off to bed! Have a terrific week, everyone!

Barbara Ann

Hello, everyone!

2011-03-29T19:10:00.001-07:00

I just wanted everyone to know that I’m still alive and going strong. Well, maybe more like going a little crazy, but isn’t that what life is anyway? A little chaos, a little order – all stirred up together, just to keep it all interesting . . .

Wow, since January, life’s been pretty busy – huge, on-going project at work, oldest child in track (and now meets are starting), quilt retreat and trip to the AQS show in Lancaster, PA. This week includes the dentist (yuck!) and my first judging experience of the year in Ripley, WV.

Here’s a few pictures from the Jackson’s Mill retreat in Weston:

2011 Jackson’s Mills Retreat

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And the pictures from Lancaster:

2011 AQS show–Lancaster, PA

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What great times I’ve had lately! I’ll try to post more pictures from Lancaster later on!

Have a great evening, everyone!

Brrrrr!! It's cold out there!

2011-01-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my son's 12th birthday and his only request was to have some friends over. He had basketball practice in the morning then we went to Pizza Hut/Wingstreet for lunch. After we got home, he and his friends played video games and then went out into the snow to play. We all went to the elementary school tournament games last night and then three of the boys, including his cousin, Ethan, stayed overnight. I know that they were awake at 5:00 this morning, because so was I! But they've had fun - what a blessing it is to hear kids giggling!

Time to tie up a few loose ends today and this week. Got to finish prepping the top of the "Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice" for the longarm quilter; put labels on the retirement quilts and clean my sewing room - it's an awful mess!!

I got my registration materials back from the NQA, IQA and AQS shows and the Jackson's Mills retreat, so I'm all set for that. Plus I have my Judges Certification Program materials to work on and lots of new books to read for the program. Not to mention recleaning the house and doing laundry! Yep, lots to do today! Best get started, I suppose . . . .

Have a glorious Sunday, everyone!

Barbara Ann

2011-01-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to promote a terrific giveaway - check it out at:

Jaybird Quilts

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Barbara Ann

Just playing around a bit!

2010-12-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

Bonnie Hunter just mentioned that she is trying out Windows Live Writer – I just had to come see if it would be easier for uploading pictures . . . I’ve fought with Blogger’s uploading tools for long enough!

Oooooohhhhhhhh!! I love it already!!! I use Word every day and this is really very easy for me to use!!

Bonnie, honey, you’ve saved me again!

P.S. The picture above on the left is from our recent family photo shoot The one on the right is where we were playing around at home – we had so much fun!

Ramblings

2010-12-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

What a wet, cold, dreary day it is outside! But inside, I'm warm and toasty!

Both of my kids have had the stomach virus that's going around - there's nothing worse than to wake up to the sound of one of your children throwing up! I'm hoping I can skirt around the nasties and skip the throwing up part myself :)

I just finished filling out and tweaking my application for the NQA Judge Certification Program! All of my information is completed and photos are inserted. The initial application isn't terribly difficult - I just had to get all of the required experiences listed and detailed. I'll be sending it out with the fees check in the morning and that process will be rolling along nicely!

To all of you that have left me comments, I must confess, I'm not very good at replies. Please, please don't feel insulted or consider me rude for not responding in a timely manner. My life has so many sides that it is very difficult sometimes to keep it all up in the air at once. So, please know that I do read your comments and I definitely appreciate each and every one! And I certainly do not intend to be inconsiderate, at all!

My military husband will be home next Saturday - he's been away for WLC (Warrior's Leadership Course) - a two week course he's taking in Pennsylvania. After this is complete, he can sign up for B-Noc (sp??) and then A-Noc (again, unknown spelling?), after which he can take an E-7 slot. He is currently an E-5 Sergeant. I have missed him, but it IS nice to have a clean house! I love David dearly, but he does have a bad habit of leaving things lying around! ;)

I did finish one UFO top - the black and bolds swap top is complete. I'm piecing oddball chunks of fabric for the back and then it's off to the long-arm quilter. My "Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice" top is nearly finished - just two more borders to go. I spoke with Sharon, a new friend and long-armer. She has me set up for the first week of February to take the top, so now I have a deadline. My personal goal is to finish it up by the end of this year - shouldn't be a problem! I'll try to get some pics of these two tops posted soon.

I have another idea percolating - I just bought several older issues of Quilter's Newsletter. In one of them, it has an article about the different blocks used as wedding ring quilts, not just the classic Double Wedding Ring pattern. I've got a series of small tops in mind - eager to start drafting them up!

Well, that's enough rambling for today! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Barbara Ann

How many UFOs now?

2010-10-31T16:18:00.001-07:00

** This post was started WEEKS ago - I really am trying to get better! :( **

I'm in my sewing room this morning ~ very early, 'cause I just couldn't get back to sleep. I worked on basting down the stars and hearts in the toddler quilt (shown in my last post) so that I could remove all the straight pins. Ironed the top, folded it and put it away.

Then I realized I had put away some UFOs in plastic boxes before sharing them on my blog, so you thought you had seen them all, right?? Nah! Here's some more:

This was brights and blacks swap on the Quilting Passion forum at Delphi - stay tuned for progress photo below . . .
This was an original design, but I didn't count on the difficulty of piecing those triangles - I cut out 2 sets, but I'm going to have to take this one apart. The seams are terrible!! Any ideas??

This was a set of Christmas blocks that I won at the WV Quilters show in Beckley - again, several years ago. Another project started - I don't remember for sure, but I think I ran out of a particular fabric, but not sure now . . .

This was started at the Molasses Festival in Arnoldsburg two years ago - I was trying to use just the fabrics from my shop (http://www.heavenlyhillsfabrics.com/) - Lakehouse Pearl. I have the plan for it.

This was from the quilt retreat at Jackson's Mills two years ago - a "New York Beauty" class with Kathy of Pieces of the Past shop in Harrisville - she's just super! It was my first "real" project with paper piecing and curves. I really like this one and need to get it together . . .

These blocks were from an online quilt forum swap - I need to just get them set together.

This is a Storm at Sea set that I made in Columbus in a class with Charlotte Angotti, who, by the way, is just terrific! And the kits cut by John Flynn are just wonderful to work with - laser cut for accuracy!

The large pink pieced blocks are from a swap - the embroidered ones are from Ebay - the setting design is my own.

This was a wild hair I had - the WV Quilters guild has a Little Quilt Auction at their now annual show to raise money. I had plans to finish this as a donation - there were three others embroidery blocks that needed to be a centerpiece for small quilts and I had hoped to at least finish one! Ah, well, there's next year's show, I guess!

This is the purple and yellow Sister's Choice from the retreat at Hawk's Nest with Bonnie Hunter - it was a great time and I'd like to get this top together - I think it will turn out quite pretty.And this was a start of a pastel stars quilt for my Mom from many, many moons ago - I think it's a Judy Martin pattern, but I don't know now which book it's from.

And the promised progress photo of the brights and blacks swap - this photo is rather outdated now. As of today, Nov. 26th, this top is together and mostly finished! I made a center block as a label and just need to get the info on it. I will post the picture when the rest of my quilt holders get back home!

As long as this post is, there are still more UFOs, but I just can't bore you any longer. I'm off to a slow start, but a finish IS a finish after all! Thanks for your patience and understanding!

More Treasures from the Big Blue Tub!!

2010-10-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Before I start my own personal stuff, you guys really need to check out Wayne Kollinger's blog. He is so amazing with his "What Ifs" that it really boggles the mind of all the quilt possibilities there could be. The post I've linked to shows a gorgeous blue and yellow top that just screams West Virginia to me - I'd love to make it!

And that's how I end up with so many UFOS. Speaking of that, I did say there were more treasures in the big blue tub:

I think these blocks came from my dear friend and neighbor, Donna. She helped me with my first ever quilt, A Trip Around the World that I made for my Mom & Dad's anniversary. She helped me pick out the fabrics, decide where to put each color, cut strips and even made me unsew lots of bad seams - thank you, Donna, for teaching me that mistakes are correctable, in one way or another! :)

These units came from a flying geese swap that I participated in online. They would probably make a nice wallhanging . . .

The older set of applique blocks came from Ebay (I think?) and I had a plan to make some pieced blocks to alternate them with. I really have no idea where my drawing is, though.

My lovely Aunt Eleanor sent me the large bear panel after I sent her a quilt with lots of love. She's such an incredible joy and I just wanted her to know how much I cared. She sent me the large panel and asked if I thought I could use it. Not long after I received it, I was at Houchin's Fabrics in Arnoldburg and found matching smaller panels and yardage. Of course, I grabbed it up. I DO know where this plan is, just need to make it.

Just a few miscellaneous blocks - there's more of these somewhere else . . .

This is one I'd really like to finish, so I worked on this one last night and this morning. It is fallish bear paw blocks swapped on the online forum ~ I took the four units apart and made lots more. Last night, I finished the unsewing and this morning, I finished the last of the cutting and sewed 10 more blocks together (the ones on the far right in the picture). I have about 20 more blocks cut out and ready to go. The way I have it figured, I can get two generous twins out of these blocks by setting them on point in a strippy design. I'd really like to finish these.

This is the background for a Parsons family tree quilt - remember the aforementioned class of Judy Lilly's? That morphed into this huge thing - once this is all sewn down, I plan to overlay a large tree with branches, leaves and apples for Parsons family members.

This was a harebrained idea for a baby/toddler quilt for my cousin's little girl ~ it was to be appliqued down and the border and backing fabric had stars and suns with smilie faces. Yep, that hasn't gotten very far. Sure, it would be cute once done, but to get it done is the problem.

I haven't even touched the basket of bagged blocks . . . and I know there's some more UFOs somewhere . . . I can think of a few just off the top of my head!

Treasure Hunt in the Big Blue Tub

2010-10-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

So, I'm digging around in the aforementioned big blue tub and you'll never guess how many treasures I unearthed ~ projects I had completely forgotten about! Some that stirred up some excitement to get them finished, some that I thought "Ugh! Why am I keeping this?" Lots and lots of things in here . . . .

This is a pillow that I made several years ago - then I took it apart and just saved the top.

I honestly do not remember where I got these blocks - there's 6 of them and they're ready for stitch down, but I don't really know what to do with them . . .

This is a school spirit project. My children went to the same elementary school as I did ~ Troy. I've almost got the embroidered Trojan finished and part of the piecing, but if I remember correctly, I was wanting to do some fancy stars around the center also. Now if I could just find the drawing of the plan for the top.

This is the start of a pineapple quilt - I was making it for my niece's high school graduation. She's getting ready to graduate from college soon and will be getting married. Hmm, I think I'm late.
This is my set of cut strips for a Jacob's Ladder wallhanging. I cut an identical set for my Mom as part of a Christmas present years and years ago. It was to be a mother-daughter sewing time, but she has since moved to Virginia. During her packing, she found her set and went ahead and made her wallhanging. You see how far I've gotten ~ somewhere I've got a drawing for this one . . . This was a small piece meant for my nephew, Ethan, for Christmas, many moons ago. It just needs the quilting finished and bound.

This is a baby quilt started before my son, Alex, was born - he's almost 12 now.

A set of large nine patch blocks in Christmas fabrics - this was an internet forum swap, but there aren't any names on the blocks.

These Sunbonnet Sues are adorable - I really want to use these somehow.

A landscape top from a class with Judy Lilly at the WV Quilters Show in Beckley - the first one I took classes at - maybe 5 or 6 years ago?? All it needs is quilted and bound.

This was another internet forum swap - the canning jars are really cute - it's quilted, though not quite how I wanted it. All it needs is embellished and bound.

And that's not all of it - but I did get some more plastic boxes this evening at Dollar General . . .

GO Giveaway

2010-10-22T12:45:00.001-07:00

Micki Butler at Irish Muses is having a GO giveaway - go check it out!

UFOs

2010-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

I almost hate to show this side of my sewing room - all the UFOs! I've been reading Pat Sloan's blog and have decided to try and dig into my massive stack of UnFinished Objects. I know I have 50+ quilts in various stages of non-completion (is that even a word?). And that's being very conservative! Starting from "have an idea and have picked out the fabrics" to "all it needs is binding and a label."

First on the list is "Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice" - my black, white and red quilt:

This is the top without the borders.

Then, a shot of the "leftovers" - some of these will be used in the flying geese border but most will end up in the pieced backing.

Not to mention the black and white fabrics I didn't even cut into! ;)

And the "West Virginia Backroads" top from a retreat at Hawk's Nest with Bonnie Hunter last November - I love these colors and the pattern is simple, just time-consuming! By the way, Bonnie totally rocks!

This little toddler bed size quilt just needs binding - it's really very cute and has a soft flannel backing.

This stack is two groups of fabric that I've picked out for quilts - the top one has a pattern already, but the bottom one is still just a group of fabrics that look great together (or at least I think so anyway!)

I also have a stack of grouped fabrics in my closet - both of these have patterns.

I found these great flat boxes at Dollar General - I bought five more this evening.

But I had already purchased eight previously - this past weekend, I worked on getting projects into them.

Under the bottom shelf of fabric in my closet is a row of large, plastic baskets (five in all) and the rest of those new boxes. Each basket has another UFO in it.

Then I have this huge blue tub full of projects - I really don't know how many is in there . . .

And this massive basket on the top shelf has block sets in bags that I've made, won or purchased - not sure how many's here, either . . .

Not to mention the large clear tub that has all the collected fabrics and half-pieced units for my husband's "Welcome Home from Iraq" quilt that I started while he was away in 2003.

So, yep, I've got way too many UFOs!!! :O

Oops - my bad!

2010-10-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, in announcing the winner for my giveaway, I had already sent an email to Elaine from Illinois before I posted that she was the winner here on my blog. Imagine my surprise when I heard back from Elaine from St. Charles, Illinois (my initial winner) and then another email arrived from Elaine from Morton, Illinois. So although I sent the original email to the St. Charles Elaine, I will not disappoint the Morton Elaine and will be sending out two packages this week!

I'm sorry for the confusion, but hopefully, both Elaines will be happy with their gifts! :)

Hope everyone has a great day and ensuing week!

Barbara

We have a winner!!

2010-10-15T17:27:00.001-07:00

Elaine from Illinois - come on down!!

You've been chosen to win my giveaway - you should have already received an email, so the sooner you reply, the sooner I can send out your gifts!

Thanks so much to everyone for all the great comments - 428 comments! WOW!!! And some new followers, too! You've all been just terrific and I hope you've had as much fun as I have!

Barbara Ann

WOW!!!

2010-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

And may I say again ~ WOW!!! I never thought there would be soooo many comments in just a few days! THANK YOU to everyone that has visited my blog and especially to those who chose to follow my blog. With everything that is crowding my plate, I cannot guarantee regular updates, but I promise to try and be interesting, exciting and more "posty!"

Yesterday, my daughter participated in a cross country meet in Ritchie County - it was a gorgeous fall day, just perfect for running. Another mother rode with us and she was terrific company.

But that was yesterday. Today, I worked on getting ready for the Apple Butter Festival in Salem. It will be my first solo quilt judging experience in preparation for the NQA Quilt Judge Certification program, plus I will also be vending. So, this afternoon, I got some new fat quarter bundles ready:

This is a 32 piece fat quarter assortment from Maywood's Shadowplay line - these fabrics are just gorgeous!

And a few more bundles - the three on the far right are the ones I'm calling Autumn in September, Autumn in October and Autumn in November respectively. Lots of great colors in these . . . .

Some more new ones on the left and a few pictures of the ones I've had previously that are now on sale ~ there's RJR, SSI, Timeless Treasures and Lakehouse.

With only two tables to fill up, I used these two oblong metal baskets for random fat quarters:

I'm a little tired of fighting with Blogger about pictures, but I think you might have the general idea. Let's hope there's a nice crowd for the Apple Butter Festival!

Hope you all have a terrific week ~ happy quilting!

Barbara Ann

Happy Sunday!

2010-09-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to wish my sweet sister, Sonja, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She would have been 44 years old today and I love and miss her very much. Below is a classic Sonja picture - she had a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh.

I've got my post ready for the Fall into Fall Giveaway and would love to show you, but I can't! :( It starts October 1st, so I'll have to just be patient, I guess!

Today is a rare "free" day, as I got almost all of my housecleaning chores done yesterday (finishing up laundry today) and that means I can work on other projects. Hmmm, what will it be? Scanning in family history photos? Naw, takes too long. Putting in more info into Family Tree Maker 2009? No, I don't think so - not today. Working on products on the shop website (http://www.heavenlyhillsfabrics.com/)? I really should, but what I'd really rather be doing is . . . SEWING!!! I would love to get the last few rows on the Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice top, put the binding on the toddler quilt (so I can sell it!) and cutting the fabric for the next commission quilt. Yep, that's the ticket!

Next weekend, I'll be packing up part of the shop for the next few weekends - October is really busy for me. First, the Apple Butter Festival in Salem for judging and vending (2 tables). Then the Black Walnut Festival in Spencer for judging with the next Saturday being the WV Quilters state guild meeting in Fairmont where I will also be a vendor (1 table). It will be hard to choose just a few tables worth of stuff to take, but I've got some ideas to jazz things up a little. Plus, I am so excited (anxious) about judging two events by myself! I've got my form ready and I feel confident that I will do just fine once we get into the swing of it. But I must admit, my heart flops a little since this will be my first experiences at being a quilt judge all by myself!

The certification program requires solo experience, so after these events, I will be ready to officially apply to the program. Wish me luck!

Have a glorious autumn day, everyone!

Barbara Ann

Fall into Fall Giveaway

2010-09-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

For my part of the Fall into Fall Quilters Bloggers Giveaway, I am offering the following package of items from my shop, Heavenly Hills Fabrics and Crafts.

And this is a closeup picture of the thread and the nine fat quarters (in natural, un-photoshoped light):

It's a $30 value, consisting of a pattern, "Cotton Candy," from Fourth & Sixth Designs, a packet of Clover Black Gold Needles, quilting size 9, 10 & 12, a tin of steel safety pins, 100 pcs in sizes 0-3, a spool of Signature size 40 cotton thread, 500 yards, and 9 Fat Quarters in gorgeous fall colors.

So, leave a comment here on my blog to qualify for my giveaway and check out all the other blogs by clicking the link above or on the scarecrow in the left side column. I will be choosing a winner on October 15th by a random drawing - one chance per person to win.

Have a glorious autumn day, everyone!

Barbara

Fall Into Fall Quilter Blogger Giveaway

2010-09-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have offered to be part of the Fall Into Fall Quilter Blogger Giveaway - still thinking about what would be the best prize . . . I'll be posting that shortly. Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up!

So Excited!

2010-06-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the absolutely finished top - hanging in a friend's beautiful home! I have learned to love this quilt, but I'm also very glad it is finished!

The matching throw pillows:

The matching pillowcases:

Then there are the three commission quilt tops I just finished for retiring high school teachers - I didn't know I was to do them until the first of May - I think I may have driven myself crazy trying to get them finished by the end of school. They are at the long arm quilter's now.

The first is for Mrs. Schimmel - these are blocks I bought a long time ago, and just set them together:

This is Mrs. Smith's - I had lots and lots of 2.5" squares and had fun using random squares and random whites and creams for this top. Can you find the block? I'll give you a hint: look for a 9 patch with a black center!

This is Mrs. Collins' quilt. It gave me fits as it is set on point, and I wanted the red and blue chains to run together across the top. The cream border fabric raveled like mad, but once it was done, I think it's my favorite of the three.

We're getting ready to go to the NQA show in Columbus next week for the Quilt Judging seminar and then we're off to the WV Quilters' Quilt Festival in Summersville to be a judging assistant and vendor. I'm so excited, but there's still soooo much to do and get ready!

Have a glorious day, all!

Barbara

Crossroads or Mid-life Crisis?

2010-05-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're just wandering along? Down whatever road life has plopped you on? I feel a lot like that today. I don't think that I chose this path - it's merely the result of previous decisions or mistakes I have made. I'm fairly certain this road has no definite purpose and therefore, neither do I right now. And as depressing as that sounds, it's more frustrating to feel this way - like I'm torn in a million different directions, unsure of who I am or what I want to become.

There are a few things I'm very sure of - I'm very blessed to have my family and my health. There are so many others who are ill or alone. I feel like I have some talents in different areas, but how to harness them and get them to work together? I've too many interests and not enough time . . . . quilting, photography, genealogy. . . I love them all! And those are just the major ones!

I feel like I'm on the brink of something big and how the next few years go will determine what path my life will take. I so want to get this right!

I'm so sorry for throwing this little pity party - I certainly don't mean to drag anyone else down, but I just needed to vent a little. Maybe soon I'll chose the right door or the right tunnel and take off running! Pray for me!

2010-01-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here it is - the finished top! It's 56 - 12" blocks set 7 x 8 OR 224 - 6" blocks set 14 x 16 (however you wish to look at it!) With the three borders it finishes at 100" x 112" - a bit larger than the queen size that was requested, but you must have a balanced feel to the blocks - each 12" block makes an X and it wouldn't work to not have all the legs on the X!

I couldn't resist the last picture - I took these pictures in a very office here at work and the bust by the window was already set as to be looking down at the quilt. I thought that was a nice finish, don't you?

More Progress!

2010-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you who may be interested, my work on the black/white/red quilt has been interrupted for a little while. I took the pieces with me to a terrific retreat with Bonnie Hunter at Hawks Nest in November and was able to sew mindlessly on Friday afternoon. The following picture is the beginning of my pile of sewn pieces. It DID get much bigger before I put away those colors!

And this is what has been occupying my time: A commission quilt that I'm starting to really like. I've got the 224 six-inch blocks all pieced together into the body of the top, all that's left is adding the borders.

The last picture is a closer look at a portion of the quilt with the proposed borders represented - a 2" batik, 1" black and a 3" brown. I'm a little uncertain about the batik, but I'd rather not have the black border touching any blacks in the body of the top. I would LOVE to hear what fellow quilters think, so any suggestions or advice are very welcome!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Thanks,

Barbara

Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice

2009-10-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Even with the partial seam assembly, these blocks go together quickly. Here are four Pepper Mill blocks together to show the red pinwheel accent. I'm going to call this one "Salt, Pepper and a Dash of Spice."

Black & White - Day Two

2009-09-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I cut through the rest of the fat quarters and the black yardage for the black and white and red quilt from my last post. I didn't realize I had so many different prints!

This is all I have left to cut from - the white yardage and the red accent fabric. As this seems to be an afternoon project, I hope to get this done today!!

I would have posted Day Two last evening, but we had a terrific thunderstorm here last night! David's newly built trash "dumpster" had a real test!

Have a glorious day, all!!

Barbara Ann

Black & White Day One

2009-09-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

McCall's Quick Quilts' November issue had a quilt in it that definitely caught my eye. And, unfortunately, I can't leave well enough alone and had to add my own little quirks to the design (above).

I've been collecting black and white fabrics for a few years now, and the magazine gave me just the right boost to get started on a new quilt.

I bought this red fabric off Ebay, with the sole purpose of jazzing up a black and white quilt. At the time, I really didn't have a pattern or design in mind.

So, this afternoon, I spent my time cutting up some fat quarters, 10" inch squares from a quilting forum swap and some odd small pieces of black and white fabrics. I have the black FQs to go and then I'm going to cut a little bit from my yardage pieces to be sure I have plenty of variety. I'll figure I'll have quite a few leftovers, so a neat idea for the back occurred to me:

It's very sloppy because I was in a hurry to get the thoughts down and back to cutting, but I think you can get the idea. The main graphic is the flying geese wandering from bottom left to upper right.

Wish me luck!!

Barbara Ann

Second Big Blocks top

2009-07-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the second big blocks top - four blocks strong. I was trying to make this one purely from my stash, and love the burgundy floral print.

However, I have this obsession with matching colors in a big print, so I had a rough time finding a light olive print for the corner sections. I finally found it, started cutting out the 6 1/2" squares and then promptly ran out of fabric! In order to get the last 8 squares, I had to piece the scraps together!! The second picture shows how much I squeezed. . .

I'm still alive - honest!

2009-07-02T17:48:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to add a short post to let y'all know I'm still breathing! My business area is operational again and I'm up to 3 orders now off the website - not groundbreaking news, I know, but considering that I haven't been able to finish getting all the products on it, it's pretty good to me!

My sewing room is almost back together - we brought back the buffet and I cleaned out the drawers as they went back in (more yard sale fodder!). I sorted all the quilting magazines into boxes - I ran out of boxes after 12 and had to use regular USPS boxes to hold the others. SOMEDAY, I want to scan in the projects and ideas I like and get rid of the actual magazines . . .

My sewing room table is sanded and ready to restain, but now my husband, in an effort to pack up his stuff from his den, has loaded my table down again. I'm still waiting for him to take his things to the storage unit! When I can get to my table again, I'll stain it and then it's ready to go back in, too.

I've been working on a couple quilt tops this past month - trying a new tactic - BIG BLOCKS! Both tops are only 6 blocks because the blocks are 32 inches! The one to the right is made of the Timeless Treasures Briarcliffe line from my shop. I wish I had carried the cream on around the rust color, but it still looks good, I think. I made two more blocks after this picture was taken and added them to the bottom.

I don't have a picture yet of the other big blocks top - maybe I can get one tomorrow. We have plans to take a short trip to Ohio this weekend and I hope to drop these two tops along with the green baby quilt off at the fabric shop in Arnoldsburg. Mr. Badgett will pick them up there - he does fabulous long arm quilting at a very reasonable price - he's very popular - I think she said there's 35 to 40 tops ahead of me!

Tomorrow's a sewing day, so wish me luck!

Barbara Ann

New digital camera

2009-05-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

I'd been having a lot of trouble with my previous digital camera, so while we were in Charleston on Friday for Young Writers Day, I stopped in at Ritz Camera and bought a Nikon D5000 SLR digital camera. It was a bit more expensive than I was completely comfortable with, but I think it will turn out to be a great investment. I've been playing around with it and took the above pictures of my family to share - my daughter, Jessica, my son, Alex, and my husband, David.

I hope to get my sewing room painted this week - maybe even finish the sanding on my sewing table so it can go back into the room. I am SO ready to start sewing again!!

Have a grand week!

Barbara Ann

Texturing is kinda fun!

2009-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went down to my empty sewing room with the intent of filling in the nail holes in the walls with drywall mud, but realized after getting started that it just wasn't going to cut it. See, we are buying our house on land contract (getting ready for the balloon payment this summer, actually) and we've been here for nearly 10 years now. Before we moved in, the house had been rented out by the previous owners to college kids (we live in a college town). Not promoting the stereotype of reckless, irresponsible college kids, but the room that became my sewing room had BLACK walls and the drywall was banged up pretty badly. I don't remember how many coats of hiding primer it took to cover the black, but it became the cream and raspberry colors eventually. The point is, the drywall still vaguely shows the scars.

So, I'm filling in all the divots and holes with mud. I look back along the wall, and it looks like a little boy's knees in September after riding his bike in gravel all summer. Nothing but patches. When my husband built on my sewing room closet, I textured the walls in there and then painted them a creamy tan. Brain storm in the room! I watered down the mud a bit and used a big paintbrush to texture the top half of the walls to hide the holes and dings. It went a lot faster AND I don't have to sand the walls down before I can paint.

I have one long wall and above the window left to do this evening, and it should be dry by the time we get back from Charleston tomorrow. Then maybe Saturday I can paint (ugh, I really don't like painting - I'm way too messy at it!) and start bringing back my stuff the first of the week. David fixed the overhead vent last night and will be removing the "dead" vent on the other side of the room today. He's also putting up one more piece of trim around the door and the baseboards.

One room at a time . . . . .

Still waiting to get my rooms back!! :(

2009-04-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, be forewarned! Just when you think life is going your way, a big ole stinkin' pile of bad luck plops down in your path!

I had loaded my washer with fabric (of course!), turned it on, turned off the light and contentedly went to bed - which I have done a hundred times or more in my life. Around 5:30 the next morning, the bathroom was calling, so I'm sitting on the pot, thinking to myself, "What IS that I hear running?" I stumble down the dark stairs to the basement, turn the corner from the landing, two steps more to land my foot in over an inch of icy cold water! The valve on the washer messed up, so the washer pumped cold water onto the basement floor continuously from 9:30 pm to 5:30 am. After several choice words escaped and with the water turned off, I began the tedious and back-breaking clean up.

Of course, my dear husband was away for military training, so with the invaluable aid of my in-laws, we started moving out all the STUFF that has accumulated in our basement for the past ten years. Four rooms were carpeted, including my sewing room and the business area - all of that is being replaced. Only minimal areas of the drywall need to be redone, but we're going to repaint the rest of it with Kilz anyway to prevent any unseen growths.

Since my husband has been home, we've taken numerous truck loads of STUFF to the storage unit and just pulled up two more rooms of carpeting last night. The carpet layers will be at the house on Wednesday (tomorrow!) to put new carpet down in my sewing room and business area. Steve, the carpet boss, told my husband that he wanted to do "my" rooms first, because he knew that his wife would be progressively more upset the longer her rooms were out of commission; therefore, he's taking care of those areas first. I knew I liked him for a reason! :)

Anyway, the insurance is being just super and taking care of everything, even the storage unit and the UHaul rental. We had been slowly finishing the basement on our own for the past few years, so we're going to take this opportunity to put in the bathroom and small kitchenette while we're doing this rework. Hopefully, when all is said and done, we'll have a completely finished basement (with at least two floor drains - whoever heard of building a house without floor drains in the basement???). Let's hope anyway!

So, for the time being, just about everything except my stash and a few shelves of books are packed up and stored away. I'm really anxious to get everything back in order, but I'm going to do any repainting and fixing before anything goes back in. Not to mention the massive sorting and tossing that I hope to complete AS it goes back in! It's a whole lot overwhelming to think of all the work coming up, but Rome wasn't built in a day, right? We'll just have to keep moving forward - one step at a time!

Tiredly yours,

Barbara Ann

UFOs

2009-03-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I wish I didn't have to have a full time job! I have so many projects (not just quilting) going on at one time that I'm never able to finish any of them! I was just thinking about all of my unfinished quilts on the way home from Jessie's track practice today. I'm almost afraid to list them as it might be too depressing!!

Well, Columbus took a chance, didn't he??

1. Purple/green/white RRRR quilt from Quilting Passion forum - need to applique R in each of the four corners then send it off to be quilted, bind and label
2. Animal baby quilt - send it off to be quilted, bind and label
3. Blue and green Tennessee waltz - finish piecing, borders, quilting, bind, label
4. Trojan pride throw - finish piecing, borders, quilting, bind, label
5. Pastel stars - finish piecing, borders, quilting, bind, label
6. "Pond Path by Moonlight" wallhangings - unsew one, piece (and repiece), borders, quilting, bind, label
7. Unknown number of loose block sets
8. New York Beauty wallhanging - finish paper piecing and sew together, borders, quilting, bind, label
9. Memory quilt from craft day - hand quilt???
10. . . . . . .

I'll keep updating this list as I go - my brain's a little mushy right now. I'd like to completely finish at least three of these this year. At least that's my goal! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!

Have a wonderful day!

Merging Past and Present: Crafting for All Ages

2009-03-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Merging Past and Present: Crafting for All Ages
March 7, 2009

Gilmer County Senior Center, Glenville, WV

This is the article I wrote up for the local newspaper to publish about the crafting event we held on March 7th.

Despite the lack of electricity for the first few hours, it seems that all who attended “Merging Past and Present: Crafting for All Ages” enjoyed themselves with the variety of sights, smells and sounds of the event. Those who chose to take a class or spend time with a demonstrator learned new skills and techniques, while perhaps gaining a friend or two. Personable vendors offered beautiful and beneficial wares for shoppers, while talented individuals volunteered to instruct visitors in the ways of knitting, quilting, crocheting, weaving and spinning. Delicious food was served all day long to warm the body and the traditional sounds of bluegrass and country music filled the evening air, enriching the soul.

Sponsored by Heavenly Hills Fabrics and Crafts of Glenville, the event offered eighteen classes taught by knowledgeable persons from the surrounding area. Although class sizes proved to be small, the individual attention given was perhaps more beneficial to the students. The following persons must be commended for offering their talents and time to teach: Bob Henry Baber, Tresha Cottrill, Tammy Cundiff, Rosie Fisher, Joyce Jones, Sadie Kelble, Heather Papouschek, Sue Papouschek, Sandy Pettit, Jeanette Ramezan, Sandy Sonderman, Cathy Sowa, Caren White and Lynn Yurkiewicz. The wide range of crafting classes ensured that anyone and everyone could find something new to try and learn.

Almost anywhere one could go, there was something to see or do. Vendors displayed their products in the foyer and included Debbie Adams, Marie Frymier, Lost Creek Candle Company, Mountain State Press and Heather and Sue Papouschek. Demonstrators included Joyce Cain, Betty Crofford, Joyce Jones and Lynn and Joe Yurkiewicz. Visitors to the quilt frame could sit and learn to hand quilt with Betty Crofford, JoAnn Hill, Geraldine Marks and Marina Stewart. Event attendees were also asked to add their signatures to the quilt as a remembrance of the day. Beautiful finished quilts were displayed in the main room and back hallway for viewers to vote on their favorites, with Rosie Fisher’s “Rooster Quilt” winning the Viewer’s Choice ribbon. Fawn Valentine, the keynote speaker and a well-known author, presented a lecture on quilts and quilt making in West Virginia’s rich history, and also performed quilt readings for interested attendees who had brought along family heirlooms or found treasures for her to examine and assess.

Sharon Jones provided child care and crafting activities for the very young in a relaxed and fun environment, assisted by Larisa Gordon and Jessica Jones. Invaluable aid was given by volunteers Judy Meads, Barbara Wellings, Lurenda Allison and Monna Beamer. With the assistance of these cheerful and personable ladies, the welcome table and that of the sponsoring business ran smoothly and efficiently. The Rosedale Senior Group provided a wonderfully prepared variety of food for breakfast, dinner and supper. Their warm smiles and friendly manner complimented the tasty dishes and gave a rich flavor to the event.

As the classes and other activities concluded, the event continued with music from local talents including Dan Bonnett, Pat and Patrick Brooks, Jerry Helmick, Steve Holloway, Glen Jones, Roger Lydick and John Poole. They deserve so much gratitude and praise for appearing on such short notice and playing so very well for the gathering crowd. The Gilmer County Stardust Dancers also performed, entertaining the crowd with their lively routines and musical variety. The final act was given by Betty Jo and the Countryaires, an entertaining and gifted musical group with strong Gilmer County roots. They provided wonderful music in a relaxed and, at times, amusing way.

Barbara Ann Beamer Jones of Heavenly Hills Fabrics and Crafts was very blessed by all the help and assistance of so many individuals and groups. First and foremost, she would like to thank her husband, David, for his unwavering assistance, support and encouragement through the event’s conception, execution and conclusion. Our children, Jessica and Alex, were tremendous helpers as well, and their patience, understanding and many kindnesses throughout the last six months are so appreciated. David’s parents, Rodney and Joyce Jones, provided invaluable help with the set-up and clean-up of the event, not to mention their support through out the day itself. During the clean up time, it was such a huge help to see all the extra hands working unselfishly – thank you, Lurenda Allison, Monna Beamer, Sallie Mathess and Bill Wolfe. Gerry Moore, a very dear friend and part of the Rosedale Senior Group, was so very encouraging and supportive to Barbara – always ready to listen and offer advice whenever a brainstorm raged. Sadie Kelble, Tresha Cottrill, Cathy Sowa, Betty Crofford, Judy Meads, Lurenda Allison: your creative ideas, thoughtful and encouraging words and kind assistance is so appreciated. The event ran so smoothly because of your time and efforts. Barbara would also like to thank Sallie Mathess of the Gilmer County Senior Center for her extra time and effort, not to mention answering all kinds of questions and never sounding annoyed. Even though we did not receive the grant for which we applied, we were able to continue the event with the quiet aid from Waco Oil & Gas and an anonymous donor.

This event was a success not only because of its community outreach focus and the variety of activities offered, but primarily due to the people involved. The teachers and students, demonstrators and vendors, presenters and lecturers, musicians and dancers, volunteers and helpers – you all made this event into a success. Your kind generosity with your time, talents and efforts are so appreciated. May you continue to be blessed with health and happiness always. THANK YOU!

Come in! Come in!!

2009-02-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO MY SEWING ROOM!

It's just a little corner of the world, but I like it! I spent most of yesterday cleaning, organizing and sorting. (What was I thinking when we put carpet in here! I had to vaccum the threads by hand!!) Anyway, I reorganized my fabrics in the closet my accommodating husband built for me:

In these two photos, you can see the top shelf which has the longest, multicolored fabrics - mostly large prints. In the picture on the left, the next shelf down has a stack of fabrics that are bundled together for particular projects. There are other projects in various stages of completion in small totes and baskets on the floor under these shelves.

This is looking into the closet and to the right. The basket on the top is filled (read as stuffed!!) with plastic bags of blocks waiting to put into quilt tops. Some are from block exchanges, but most are purchased embroidered blocks from Ebay. I've since stopped buying them, as I have so many sets and have yet to use them. My checkbook breathed a sigh of relief!

On the floor under this corner shelf is a small clear tote of little scraps I'll crazy-quilt-style sew onto 10 1/2" squares someday!

If you look to the left from the door, you'll see this. On the left of the tip top shelf is the Christmas prints, two stacks deep - one behind the other. The small stack in the middle and the one on the right are smaller cuts of multi-colored cuts - and yes, there is another stack behind this front one!

The multicolored continue onto the second shelf and are two stacks deep with two small stacks deep in between.

The bottom shelf is fat quarters, two piles deep. Under this shelf is a two drawer filing cabinet and three plastic drawers with cut squares separated by size. The bottom drawer of the filing cabinet is patterns with the overflow on top. That little face you see is a large doll that was my Grandmother's, then my Mom's, and now mine. Here's a better picture:

The little doll is one of the very few toys my Mom had growing up. She is one of eleven children raised in rural West Virginia and there just wasn't enough money to go around. The larger doll is one of about four that my Grandmother had. She would cut and style their hair, even give them permanents!

Now for a little swing around the sewing room itself. Starting from the door and working our way around:

The bookcase bottom (behind the concealing doors) is filled to the brim with quilting magazines. The binders on top are quilting magazines, too. The top two plastic drawer organizers are thread, with the bottom one being buttons. The wooden buffet came from our local college's auction, with the countertop costing much more than the piece itself.

This buffet is crammed with stuff - lace, ribbon, embroidery floss, cross-stitch patterns, paints, notions, felt pieces, bobbins - all kinds of stuff!

That box on top is one of the last spots to clean - it's papers, my worst nemesis!

This is an old recliner that found its way into my sewing room. My husband built in the two bookcases which are also full to the brim. The large white binders have more quilt magazines. There are all kinds of books here: quilting, sewing, cross-stitch . . . even coloring books I've purchased from the dollar store for embroidering.

You can see a corner of my sewing table with cut pieces for my next project.

A straight-on shot of the bookcase under the window.

If you look closely at the very first picture in this post, you're looking directly at my sewing table. It's not fancy, but it's very solid with two drawers in front. I bought it at the college auction also.

This framed block is hanging on the wall beside the window. When my beloved sister, Sonja, was killed in a car accident in 2000, I made the block for her funeral. She loved peach and green together and it helped me focus on something besides our loss. I keep her business card in the corner of the frame.

Sonja Sue Beamer

September 26, 1966 to April 6, 2000

Hanging directly in front of my sewing machine is a quilt top I work on off and on. It's from a class I took at Jackson's Mills to Kerri Smith:

Past the closet doorway is a small cutting area:

Yes, that was a hole in the wall - we used to have a phone there, but while finishing the basement, we moved it. My husband patched it, but we just haven't gotten around to painting the wall. Because with my type A personality, that would mean taking everything out and repainting every wall!!

Under the table are more drawers for different sizes of strips, not to mention a small tote and three boxes of scraps for the aforementioned crazy quilt!

These are three dresses Mom saved for me from my own childhood - I'd like to find some older decorative wire hangers to hang them with.

Okay, so it's not a grand studio - but it works wonderfully for me and I'm tickled to pieces just to have a room of my very own! When it's nice and clean like this, I can go down and sit and just relax. Even if I do nothing but sit there, it's so nice to be surrounded by my favorite things!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Ih5O-_J0Q

Homecoming Hoorah

2008-10-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is the local high school's homecoming week with the College's running simultaneously (genius, I must say!) Anyway, so my 13 yr old daughter is just about ready to go - dress, corsage, hair - I'll be so glad when Sunday comes! Between two sets of school pictures, one set of sports pictures and then Homecoming pictures this weekend, I'll have spent well over $200 just in pictures!!!

Anyway, to return to my quilty side - we set up at the Molasses Festival in Arnoldsburg at the end of September. Having slept in the box trailer for three nights and not making enough to pay the set-up fee, not to mention the two days lost of work with no vacation left, I guarantee I won't be doing that again anytime soon!

The redeeming part of the whole thing was the electric and the people. I was able to sew all day and I made quite a few more contacts - got my name out a bit more, anyway. I have a new commission project due in February and have all the brown strips sewn together for Branson's quilt. Still a ways to go to finish it, but it's coming!

Well, it's 9:30 pm here and my eyes are so tired! We'll catch up some more next time, ok??

My latest duh! moment

2008-09-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I must admit my failing mental capabilities! Here I was, going on about this Tennessee Waltz block I've been working on, when I knew that it had a more traditional name. Here comes the dumb part - obviously it is 54-40 or Fight!

So, anyway, now that everyone knows I'm not dealing with a full deck sometimes, we can lay aside this perfectionist crap and move on!

By the way, I'm rethinking this whole concept on Branson's quilt. I will include the picture of the alternate blocks I've finished with my next post, but I have to confess, I love the pattern, but it's a bugger-boo to piece!!

Branson's dad is hounding me anyway and his most recent comment was: "Well, I thought it was going to be brown and just a bunch of squares sewn together." When one is dealing with a non-quilter, it is extremely difficult to get them to understand the varying degrees of piecing difficulty.

So, my solution?? I'm laying aside the Tennessee Waltz top and picking up a brown Rail Fence. Fast, easy piecing in his requested colors. Maybe a bit dull, but if an 8 yr old boy is just going to rough it up anyway. . . . .

I surrender!

Branson's Quilt Part #2

2008-09-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, again! I didn't think I'd be posting again so soon, but I forgot to include the Tennessee Waltz block's picture with my last post:

Sorry about that! Does make a little bit of a difference, huh?

Commission Quilt for Branson Hitt

2008-09-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

GOOD AFTERNOON!

Hello, everyone - or at least those of you who find me! I'm working on a commission quilt for a colleague's son, Branson. Trust me to make things harder than they have to be!

I've always been intrigued by quilt blocks that use tri-rectangles to create circular designs. They are reminiscent of the double wedding ring pattern, and I have seen them called "Tennessee Waltz" and "Tennessee Twist" lately. I'm very sure it has been around for quite some time under other titles, though, and there are so many variations from which to choose!!

Even though this quilt is intended for a young boy's bed, I was asked to not make it using juvenile fabrics, such as airplanes or motorcycles. His father requested "country colors" due to his home's decor. So, my challenging side drafted up a Tennessee Waltz variation:

Sorry for the picture being sideways, but hopefully you get the point. It looks great, doesn't it?? Ahh, but see, the construction of the thing is what has made me resent the whole blasted idea!! Anyhoo, so I've got the 18 Tennessee Waltz blocks pieced (with some wonky edges on the triangle portions to straighten) and I get another brainstorm! Why not just make nine of the alternate blocks for the middle section and then use snowball blocks for the eight on the outer edges? Massive time saver - not to mention retaining a small fringe of my sanity!

But, alas, when I lay out my cream background fabric, I don't have enough! Not nearly enough to cut the eight 12 1/2" blocks needed when one keeps in mind that I still need more 2 1/2" strips to finish up the original alternate block!

So, I run upstairs to my EQ5 program and come up with this baby:

Not too bad, I suppose. My printer doesn't do it justice, but it has an extra border of the deep blue I really like, plus a smaller border of the dark red (since I don't have very much of it left!). The green on the outside frames it up nicely, I think, and with the second altenate block, I can use more of the multicolored print that ties it all together. I can also still use the 4" sawtooth stars I've already made:

So, I'm off to the sewing machine again. I have to finish the framing and corners of the original alternate blocks and then cut out the second alternate block pieces. I wanted to finish this top this weekend, but as I said when I started, I'm afraid I made this thing much, much too complicated!!

I'll post again when I get further along! Thanks for listening!!

Barbara Ann